Escalation - Marvel: Earth-USB Saga (Part 16)

[rufusluciusivan]

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

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Escalation

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Gwen had taken MJ’s reveals calmly, all things considered.

Then again, Ghost-Spider had also spent the better part of the previous day fighting against Madame Masque and a literal small army of goons to rescue Kate Bishop. That tended to put things in perspective...

(Well, at least Kate had been rescued just in time… Apparently, a goonette of Masque had even been ‘designated’ to lend her some clothes. But that was an other story, for an other time.)

After the phone call, Gwen had invited Felicia and MJ to stay at her place the time for the heat to die down, while Peter and Miles smoothed things over with Nick Fury.

Both fugitives didn’t mind staying with their blond friend – especially Felicia, who wasn’t looking forward to hearing Peter’s snarky comments after he’d learn she had mugged White Tiger.

The night had been short and restless. The morning after, Gwen had left to look for information. Her two guests had been waiting for her return ever since. Hours had passed.

Felicia was lazily lying on the couch like some house cat, while MJ was pacing the room nervously.

“Red. You’re making my head spin. Why don’t you take a seat?” the platinum blonde ultimately requested.

Of course it was a mistake. Under normal circumstances, MJ was already a bag of nerves with a short fuse. Under pressure, she was even worst.

“Easy for you to say that! You’re already a fugitive! But I have a respectable situation! What will become of me if Fury refuses to bail us out?!”

“I could always have some use for a sidekick…” Felicia commented with a sly smile. “We’d call you ‘Red Kitty’, or something like that.”

Mary-Jane cracked her knuckles menacingly. “I’m about to become ‘Knee Breaker’ if you keep pushing your luck…”

Thankfully, Gwen entered the room before things could turn ugly.

“So I have good news, and bad news.” she announced to Felicia and MJ.

The two other women immediately stopped arguing. They were hanging upon Ghost-Spider’s every word.

“The good news is that Nick Fury believes you two saved the day during the attempt against Kelly’s life. He’ll have a word with Silver Sable, and he’ll make sure there is no record of what happened.”

MJ didn’t attempt to hide her joy and relief. Felicia was a lot more composed. She simply smiled lightly.

Gwen looked at the platinum blonde with an apologetic grimace. “The bad news are for you, Felicia. He thinks it doesn’t make up for the muggings of four of his agents.”

Black Cat’s smile turned sour. “Come on! Dahlia Walker was a mole! I should get a free pass for her!”

“It still leaves White Tiger, and Agents Collins and Miller.”

Felicia frowned. “The last one doesn’t ring a bell.”

“You left her in a toilet stall.”

“Oh, right! The blond one! Didn’t catch her name. Then again, we didn’t exactly have the time to get acquainted…”

Mary-Jane scoffed.

Gwen preferred to intervene and avoid a sterile argument. “So Fury said he’d turn a blind eye on your… ‘escapade’ in compound XLR-6… and also put in a good word for you with the CIA for the ‘incident’ with their agent...

“Just how many people did you even mug lately?” Mary-Jane couldn’t help but interject.

Gwen ignored her outburst. “… But in exchange, he wants you to help bring down this new syndicate.”

Felicia scowled. “And he thinks I’ll agree to be his lapdog?”

“Why are you complaining so much? Wasn’t stopping them your original plan anyway?” Mary-Jane retorted.

“Yes. But I don’t like when people force my hand.”

Gwen shook her head. “The choice is yours, Felicia. You can agree to help us. Or you can refuse, and make an enemy of SHIELD. And face Fury, Kelly, and Woodward at the same time. On your own. Which, considering you weren’t even able to defeat Team Awesome when they were your only opponent...” The blond superheroine trailed off, and shrugged. “But I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

There was a beat. Mary-Jane was left speechless. Felicia glared at the blonde incredulously. “Did you- Did you just snark at me?” Sarcasm was supposed to be Peter's and Miles' speciality. Gwen was notoriously bad at it.

Ghose Spider grinned sheepishly, almost apologetically.

“I don’t know if I should feel proud or angry…” Black Cat confessed. “Fine. You’ve won. But don’t expect I’ll let myself be declawed. If I work for SHIELD, I’ll do it my way.”

MJ stood up. “I don’t think so. There are laws you-”

Felicia interrupted her. “Red, don’t be naive. If Fury wants me on the team, it’s because he knows one can’t bring down a syndicate with the means to target a presidential candidate without getting their hands dirty.”

“SHIELD won’t-”

Gwen put a hand on the redhead’s shoulder. “MJ. That’s exactly what Fury wants. He knows that with Black Cat, at least the collateral damage will be minimum and non-lasting.”

Mary-Jane groaned in annoyance, but gave up. “So, what’s the situation?”

“Kelly won’t collaborate with SHIELD. He hired Orchis for help.” Gwen explained.

Her voice was carefully neutral. As a mutant, she had been the target of anti-mutant smear campaigns more than once – most of them funded in some ways by Orchis.

Felicia furrowed her brow, and Mary-Jane made a noise of disgust.

“So our options are limited.” Gwen concluded. “The first step would be to find more information about that Taylor woman. And her blond friend. Sarah. We need to know what’s the deal with them. And, more importantly, who’s pulling their strings.”

“It’s Magneto.” Felicia interrupted her.

There was a beat.

“How can you say that so casually?!”

“How do you know?”

“Walker told me.”

“Why didn’t you tell anything already?!” MJ exclaimed.

Felicia shrugged. “Didn’t want to waste my trump card too soon.” she confessed without feeling any shame.

“So it leaves us with learning more about Taylor and Sarah…” Gwen intervened before Mary-Jane could explode for good.

“I suppose Fury has a lead for us. One that involves... bending the law.” Felicia commented.

Gwen nodded. “He mentioned there was an incident in a secret Canadian faculty a few years ago… Something like 3 years?”

“Canada?” MJ commented with a frown.

“That’s what caught his attention. Things seem always so quiet there. Apparently, a dangerous mutant escaped the facility in which she was detained, with the help of a rogue secret agent and her elusive accomplice.”

“Taylor and Charlotte?”

“Most likely. And the ‘dangerous mutant’ could be this Sarah every agency seems to be after.”

“And how did Fury get his hands on the information?”

“There were leaks, of course. SHIELD too has moles everywhere.” Gwen explained with a shrug. “But that’s not everything. The report mentioned the guy monitoring the project for the Canadian Government was William Jefferson.”

“The name sounds familiar…”

“It’s the guy in charge of Orchis. Fury is convinced there are plenty of juicy information on his laptop.”

“So you mean…”

“If we want answers, and SHIELD doesn’t have them, there’s a good chance Orchis has some.” Gwen summed up.

“But Orchis is a legitimate business… Legally they can’t be touched…” Mary-Jane trailed off.

“… and that’s where I step in.” Felicia concluded. She looked the redhead in the eyes. “So… Do I have to do things solo or will you help me?”

Mary-Jane kept her lips zipped. Normally, Black Cat wouldn’t have minded – but for once she wanted the redhead to speak.

“Orchis are not good people, MJ.” Gwen insisted. “They just have enough money and influence to bribe their way out of their trials.”

Ultimately, she was able to win the stubborn tomboy over.

“Okay, fine! You won! I’ll help you!”

Gwen smiled. “Thank you. It means a lot to me.”

Her compliment of course made MJ suddenly all flustered. Such a tsundere... Felicia thought to herself.

“It’s not much…” the redhead muttered.

“It is. You don’t know Orchis the way I do. Things can turn messy real fast when they’re involved. Kelly won’t be able to control them. If they’re up against Magneto, they won’t attempt to calm things down. On the contrary, they’ll make sure the conflict escalates, to push their own anti-mutant agenda. I’m convinced Jefferson has put a plan in motion from the moment Kelly hired him...”

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

At first glance, nothing made Erin, Jill, or Lynn stand out. The three women looked like your typical New-Yorkers sharing a moment between friends, clad in plain casual blazers, t-shirts, jeans and beanies, and carrying some side-bags. Their hair were even color-coded. Erin was a blue-eyed blonde with a light skin. Jill was a tanned-skinned brunette with hazel brown eyes. Lynn was a white-skinned redhead with green eyes.

A closer inspection would reveal the three women were slimmer, and more athletic and muscular than the average person, but one would simply assume they were gym enthusiasts.

However, an expert soldier would notice the three women’s way of moving betrayed a thorough military training.

For Erin, Jill, and Lynn were in truth mercenaries-for-hire working for Orchis.

The three women were casually walking the street. When they passed in front of a small coffee shop, squeezed in-between two clothes stores, they shared a knowing glance. It was the morning. The coffee shop was still closed, its shutters were down. However, it would open up soon.

Erin, Jill, and Lynn entered a nearby alleyway. There were many dumpsters, but also an access to the backyard of the coffee shop.

Jill checked her wristwatch. “Shouldn’t take long.”

“This feels weird. I’m not used to these overcomplicated schemes.” Lynn remarked.

Orchis indeed preferred a straightforward brutish approach to quell the opposition.

“Mr. Jefferson said it’d make it easier to pin the crime on Kelly’s opponents.” Jill reminded her. “They’re the ones using this ‘mug for disguise’ tactic.”

“I don’t think Mr. Kelly would approve.” Erin intervened.

Jill shrugged. “Kelly doesn’t need to know. Why do you think we didn’t take Marilyn or Ruth with us? These two are too squeamish. They couldn’t keep the secret.”

Lynn checked her wrist-watch. “The shop’s about to open. She should come out…” She trailed out. The back-door of the walk-in coffee shop was opened. “… right now!”

The barista was carrying two big trash bags. She was about to open the shop, but first she needed to take out the garbage.

The employee was a young woman. Her name tag read: ‘Virginia’. She had reddish blond hair tied into a low ponytail, innocent dove-like blue eyes, a light skin with many freckles, and a slim figure and face.

She was clad in a green barista cap, a white shirt, black trousers, white sneakers, and a green apron.

Virginia went to the trash dumpster.

Lynn grabbed a small gun hidden in her purse.

Among the many weapons of its arsenal, Orchis owned various sorts of dart-guns, dart-rifles, and other gadgets designed to non-lethally capture someone. They rarely used them, but it didn’t mean they weren’t trained with them.

Lynn shot the barista in the back of the shoulder with the dart. The tip was coated with a fast-acting sedative coupled with a powerful anesthetic. Because of the anesthetic, Virginia didn’t even feel the sting of the dart. She didn’t realize the sedative was already in her bloodstream.

The barista finished throwing out the trash.

The drug only needed a few seconds to start dulling her senses.

When Virginia closed the lid, she frowned. Her mouth was suddenly feeling very dry.

When she returned to her shop, she paused halfway to rub her temples and her eyelids. She muttered to herself: “Gonna drink a coffee before shift...”

When she grabbed the backdoor’s knob, her legs betrayed her. Still holding the knob, she fell on her knees. However, by now she was too dizzy to realize the danger. She moaned sluggishly, then fell deeply asleep. Her hand let go of the of the knob as her body became limp. The unconscious woman slid against the wall, until she was lying on the ground.

Lynn and Erin grabbed the motionless Virginia by the knees and the armpits, and carried her behind the dumpster.

Once they were out of sight, the two women and Jill stripped the barista of her uniform, down to her Starbucks-themed underwear: Her black high-cut panties were adorned by one green Starbucks logo. There also was the same logo once on each cup of her black t-shirt bra. Her socks were the same green as the logo.

“Dumb bimbo probably thought she was being funny…” Jill commented.

They used zip-ties to restrain the unconscious woman’s wrists and legs, and wrapped tape around her lower face and her eyes to gag and blindfold her.

Erin began to remove her casual clothes to slip into the barista’s clothes.

“Throw her in the dumpster.” Jill instructed her other teammate.

Lynn complied, slung the unconscious Virginia across her shoulder, and dropped her inside the dumpster onto the garbage bags she had just taken out. She closed the lid.

Erin chuckled wickedly as she was putting on the t-shirt. “You’re so mean, Jill…”

“Exactly. And the press will eat it up. Think of the boost it’ll give to Kelly’s popularity when word spreads pro-mutants assaulted a poor girl doing her job…”

“Several poor girls.” Erin rectified as she was slipping into the trousers.

Jill smiled. “Several.”

Erin put on the barista cap and sneakers, then tied the apron. “I’ll man the shop and wait for the target. Do your thing.”

“You remember the rendezvous point?” Lynn intervened.

Erin rolled her eyes. “I’m the one who parked the van there.”

Jill grabbed Lynn’s shoulder. “Come on. We’re on a tight schedule. The park awaits us.”

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

Kirsten muttered complaints to herself as she was picking up the trash. Working at Central Park was far from the worst job out there, but she couldn’t stand having to pick up all the detritus people were too lazy to throw in one of the many public garbage cans.

One day, she would catch one of these pigs in the act… and that day she would rain down great fury on them…

Apparently, a bunch of girls had picnicked under the cover of some bushes. They had left a mess behind them.

Patiently, Kirsten threw all the trash into a garbage bag.

Once she was done with her task, the park worker took a break.

Kirsten was grabbed by the shoulders, and pulled into the bushes.

Leaves, small branches, and Kirsten’s light brown cap were sent flying as the park caretaker was punched into unconsciousness. Unfortunately for the poor woman, nobody was here to hear the sounds of the fight or her pleads for mercy.

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

“Sloppy work.” Lynn commented as she pulled off Kirsten’s green long-sleeved jacket and white t-shirt, leaving the worker clad in a red lacy full-cup bra adorned with flowers made of lace. “It’s not like you to need so many punches to knock out someone.”

Kirsten’s body was indeed bruised in several areas.

The woman was quite good-looking – with luscious brown hair, green eyes, a healthy-looking tanned skin, a curvy figure, and a low chignon. However, the marks were going to take days to go away – perhaps even weeks.

“Yes. And the journalists will also catch on the needless brutality.” Jill was starting to become a bit annoyed by her partner’s obliviousness. “Just picture the headlines. ‘A woman violently assaulted for her clothes by pro-mutant terrorists.’” She slid Kirsten’s green trousers down the woman’s legs, revealing her red lacy tanga panties, and put them on the grass next to her black work shoes. “So hog-tie her tightly. Don’t be gentle.”

In her sidebag, Lynn was carrying coils of thin and sturdy black ropes. She tightly trussed up Kirsten: she cross-tied the woman’s wrists behind her back, immobilized her upper-body with a pentagram bondage, and bound her calves. Then, she used a rope to tightly hog-tie the woman. Tape was used to gag and blindfold her.

At the same time, Jill slipped into the caretaker’s municipal worker uniform. She finished by adjusting the cap to obscure her face.

They dragged Kirsten out of sight, and left the hog-tied woman concealed deep inside the bushes.

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

Cheryl finished cleaning the work surface of her ice cream shop booth. The mobile-home’s store shutters were currently still closed, but she would open up soon.

The young woman put on her white paper forage hat. She adjusted her red bowtie, white button-up short-sleeved shirt, and striped red-and-white trousers. Finally, she tied her striped red-and-white apron.

Cheryl was a good vendor – the best according to her manager. She had a way with kids, and her appearance helped her make them at ease. With her cute round face, her chocolate brown eyes, and her hair which were dyed bubblegum pink, she looked like a character straight from a children story taking place in a world of candies. Her puffy neck-long hair were framing her face.

The ice cream seller frowned when she heard a knock on the backdoor of the mobile-home.

Cheryl opened the door slightly, but didn’t unlock the chain.

There was a woman. Cheryl couldn’t get a good look at her face, but she recognized the uniform and cap of a municipal caretaker of the park.

“Is there a problem?”

“Yes. The bags of trash you left lying outside.” the woman retorted angrily.

“What bags of trash? I didn’t leave anything!”

“Come see yourself then!”

Cheryl unlocked the chain, and opened the door. “I swear I don’t have anything to do with-” Just as she was exiting the booth shop, a hand roughly grabbed the back of her head and a thick kerchief was clamped onto her face. “MHHHTT?!” The ice cream seller shrieked in fear. The cloth was smelly and soaked with some liquid.

“Just breath it in and enjoy. I heard some people even find the experience arousing...”

Cheryl clearly didn’t share the sentiment. She cried and tried to struggle, but the woman was stronger than her – and she wasn’t afraid to be brutal.

“NHHHH! NHHHH!” she cried out.

The kerchief was soaked with chloroform. The vendor’s frantic struggles were only making things faster.

Overwhelmed by the narcotic fumes, she passed out.

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

Jill dragged the motionless Cheryl inside the ice cream shopping booth. The store shutters of the mobile home were still closed, giving her all the privacy she needed.

“Why an ice cream seller?” Lynn commented as she was closing the back door. She glanced at the outfit with an expression of disgust at how ‘cutesy’ is was.

“Mr. Jefferson wanted to target an innocent-looking profession.” Jill explained. “What’s better than a woman who sells treats to kids?”

She wasted no time stripping Cheryl off her outfit – removing the bow tie, the paper hat, the apron, and the shoes first. Then, she unbuckled and peeled off the trousers. Finally, she unbuttoned the shirt, lifted the unconscious woman’s limp upper-body and arms, and pulled off the garment. Jill left Cheryl’s motionless upper-body fall back onto the floor. The unfortunate vendor was left clad in light pink socks, white briefs with a pattern of red, yellow, and blue flowers, and a pink seamless t-shirt bra.

Lynn restrained her with black electric cables – binding her ankles, her wrists, her shoulders, and her thighs. She gagged and blindfolded Cheryl with brown tape.

“What do we do with her?” she then asked.

Jill glanced around her, and noticed the small built-in cupboards under the counter.

“We’ll squeeze her inside one of these.” she decided.

“That’s gonna hurt...”

“Gotta show the world how callous pro-mutants are.” Jill commented with a smile. “And she’s lucky we don’t have the time to take the ice creams off the freezer. Or else I’d have stashed her here.”

She opened the middle cupboard. It contained cleaning products, and was just tall enough to hold a body sitting bent forward.

They emptied the cupboard, and stashed Cheryl inside. The unlucky girl was left seated with her breasts pressed against her knees.

Jill closed the door with her foot. “Put on her clothes, play her part, and steal the till when the ‘show’ begins in the park. Then, go to the rendezvous point.”

She left the mobile-home to give her partner more space.

Lynn took off her casual clothes and slipped into the ice cream vendor’s clothes, grumbling to herself the whole time.

Then, she opened the store shutters, and mentally readied herself to have to deal with overexcited kids. Hopefully, the ‘show’ would begin soon...

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

Erin smiled to herself she saw a specific group of girls begin to stand in line. The informant was right about her schedule.

These young women looked as innocuous as Erin and her partners did when they were dressed as civilians. However, Erin recognized several of them as mutants, part of Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters. And the short-haired redhead of the group was Angelica Jones, better known as Firestar, member of the X-Men. And someone with whom Orchis had a personal beef…

In fact, the whole point of this false flag operation was to mix up business and revenge.

Overhearing the young women’s conversation as they were ordering their coffees, Erin asked innocently: “A trip to the park?”

“Yes.”

Perfect. Mr. Jefferson will be pleased.

“It’s indeed a good day for that. I anticipate there will be many people…”

She finished preparing the goblets. While her back was turned on the girls, using her own body to hide her action, Erin discreetly tampered with Firestar’s drink. Then, she handed the coffees to the clients.

“Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

Unbeknownst to Firestar, the coffee was laced with a strong but almost untraceable psychotropic drug. Once the effect would kick in, the redhead would experience strong hallucinations. This would also cause her to lose control of her power – in a public area full of innocent bystanders.

When the women turned their back on her, Erin grinned mockingly.

She kept working for 15 more minutes, then discreetly sabotaged the coffee machine. Playing the part of the meek little employee, she profusely apologized to the customers, and announced she was temporarily closing the store. After closing the store shutters, she slipped into her casual clothes again, and discreetly left the area.

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

Jill returned to check on Kirsten. She was satisfied to see the real park warden hadn’t budged. Still asleep. Still hog-tied.

She checked her wrist-watch. If everything had been going according to the schedule, Firestar was in the park right now. Erin was most likely leaving the coffee shop, and heading to the rendezvous point.

Just a couple of minutes...

Jill moved branches and leaves to better conceal the hog-tied park warden, then kept pretending to do Kirsten’s job until she heard a commotion in the distance.

People screaming.

Trees catching fire.

Looks like Firestar’s drugged coffee was taking effect...

Jill smiled and grabbed her cellphone,

“9.1.1. What’s the emergency?”

Jill talked with her best impersonation of a ‘panicked citizen’: “God please! You have to come to Central Park! It’s horrible! There’s a dangerous mutant on the loose! You-” She willingly dropped her phone onto the ground, to simulate her being shoved by a panicking crowd. The transmission was cut.

That should do it.

She swiftly ran from the area. Given how confused everyone was, nobody paid attention to a fleeing civilian. She went straight to the rendezvous point in which they had parked their getaway van, and sat behind the wheel. She waited for her teammates.

Lynn arrived first. She was still wearing the ice cream seller uniform, and carrying her casual clothes in her arms, but with the commotion caused by Firestar losing control of her powers, nobody had paid her attention. Lynn entered the back of the van, and immediately took off the ice cream seller outfit to change into her own clothes.

“Finally!” she exclaimed in relief. “I’ll burn this uniform the second we’re back at the headquarter!”

Erin arrived not long after, and sat on the passenger seat. She didn’t bother to change into other clothes.

Jill began to drive away.

“I take back what I said.” Lynn commented from the rear. “Smearing and framing muties feels as good as beating them up.”

“Call Mr Jefferson.” Jill instructed Erin. “Tell him the plan worked perfectly. It’s his turn to take action.”

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

There weren’t many things that could make Charles Xavier angry. The bald wheel-chaired man was known for its cool head and it moderate political stance, as he was the main advocate for humans and mutants peaceful coexistence.

The sight of William Jefferson standing in the hall of his Institute, even clad in a red business suit instead of a red Orchis uniform and combat gear, was one of those few things.

“You are not welcome here.”

The other man had the gall to smile. “Oh? Here I thought you advocated for humans and mutants to mingle together...”

“I make an exception for a man with several hate crimes under his belt. You belong to a jail cell.” he shook his head. “I thought Robert Kelly knew better than to hire you.”

“Orchis has been reformed, my dear bald friend. By yours truly. We’re a perfectly legal private military company now. And with an impressive track record, if I do say so myself. Mr Kelly hired us because your kind dealt the first blow.”

“You can’t condemn an entire group because of some individuals.”

“If you say so.” Jefferson made a showing of looking at his fingernails. “But as interesting as it would be to debate politics with you, I didn’t come here for that. I came to tell you the news. Your school is being placed under surveillance.”

For the briefest of times, Xavier’s composure cracked. “What?! Why?!”

“For the protection of Robert Kelly, candidate to the presidency, of course. Police already approved. We know of your ties with the notorious criminal Magneto.”

“Then you know we don’t agree with each other.”

“Details, details…” Jefferson said with a shrug. “Plus, some of your students caused quite the ruckus in town this morning. I’m afraid they’ll be in trouble with the law.”

There was a short moment of silence. Charles Xavier processed the information. He wouldn’t give Jefferson the satisfaction of losing his composure twice in a row. “How could you react so fast? It’s impossible. Unless…” He paused as he realized the implications.

“I hope you’re not reading my mind right now. This is highly illegal. Plus, it’s not like you can use it in court anyway.”

Jefferson mockingly waved good bye.

“I must make my leave. I’m quite sure you’ll convince police to let you see your students... Eventually.”

He chuckled to himself as he closed the door.

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

Taylor’s team was gathered around the latest newspaper. Its headline mentioned Charles Xavier’s Institute was being placed under surveillance after one of his students caused an accident and wounded several persons.

“So now Orchis is involved… Mr… Mr Jefferson is involved...” Sarah commented.

Her hands were shaking. She wasn’t raising her voice, and yet someone she still managed to convey a mixture of fear and disgust.

The other women of the syndicate remained silent for a while. Sarah usually never took part to the group conversations. The blonde voicing her concern was very unusual, and gave everyone pause.

“What does the boss think of the whole situation?” Jenna finally asked, voicing everyone’s interrogation.

Taylor’s face remained blank. “I don’t think the old man minds they’re involved. He wants things to escalate.”

She looked at her gathered team.

Trapstr was playing it cool, but she was smart enough to have deduced something big was about to happen.

Jenna too was aware the conflict was escalating, and her face betrayed her worries.

Screwball was too self-centered to realize yet just how serious things had become.

Charlotte was her usual bouncy carefree self. Taylor wasn’t surprised she didn’t take the news seriously. The chubby woman’s emotions were hampered since birth. It was hard for her to grasp concepts like guilt, worry or sadness. Sometimes Taylor almost envied her – and then she remembered Charlotte was unable to live a normal life because of that.

Sarah was looking wary – but it wasn’t surprising. To her, Jefferson’s name was associated with a lot of bad memories.

“For now, Orchis is not our concern. The old man will handle that part for now. He has other plans for us.” Taylor summed up. “This time we step up our game. We’re going after masked crime fighters.”

Trapstr shrugged. “Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“We’re not talking of ambushing one lone wolf like Kate Bishop this time. The boss wants us to make sure the AVENGERS can’t intervene to prevent the situation from escalating.” Taylor warned her. “We’re talking of grabbing a bunch of SHIELD and AVENGERS-endorsed heroines. Then to infiltrate a compound owned by Tony Stark and the main team themselves. And finally, to infect their computer system with a virus that will cripple their technology.”

“We have the element of surprise.” Trapstr objected.

Taylor shook her head. “Trust me. They’re already on our trail. The game will be tight.”

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

Guillotine – real name Jeannine Sauvage – had maybe an evil-sounding alias, but she was still firmly on the side of good. The masked heroine was part of the Champions of Europe, a group of heroes from the Old Continent.

SHIELD and the AVENGERS were taking the attempt against Robert Kelly very seriously. So much, in fact, that they decided to gather all the masked heroes and heroines of the country. They even went as far as to ask from foreign ally organizations for help. The Champions of Europe were worried of the potential worldwide repercussions if the US presidential elections were jeopardized. Guillotine was among the people they sent to lend a hand.

Jeannine Sauvage was a slim white-skinned Caucasian woman of average size. Her shoulder-long hair were auburn, her hairdo was a square cut, and her eyes were reddish brown.

Her heroine costume was designed to bring European medieval armors to mind. She was wearing a black metal armor-like suit that was covering her torso, arms, waist, and legs. Grey metal gauntlets were protecting her hands and forearms. Matching grey metal leg armor greaves were covering her calves and feet. A metal plate was protecting her right shoulder. She was wearing a red sleeveless tabard over the armor. She also wore a red cape with a cowl, which she was using to cover her head. The upper-half of her face was hidden by a black eye mask.

The French masked heroine was among the masked crime fighters sent after the syndicate responsible of the assassination attempt. Tony Stark and Nick Fury were hoping to stop them before they could strike again.

Guillotine’s liaison officer with SHIELD was an agent called Meseret Senai. She was a black-skinned woman of Ethiopian descent, with coffee brown eyes and frizzy shoulder-long black hair. Her haircut was a bushy braid-out. She was using a hairband to make sure they wouldn’t get in her face.

Meseret was clad in the organization’s standard uniform: a black one-piece jumpsuit with a grey zipper and grey shoulder pads, grey gloves, grey metal bracelets to protect the forearms, and matching calf-long protective armored boots. An equipment belt was tied around her waist with, among other things, a holster for her gun and several pouches.

Earlier today, Jeannine and Meseret had received the task to follow a lead about two policewomen who had disappeared while on duty.

Several clues pointed that Taylor Woodward and her crew had had a hand in the kidnapping. They had led the two crime fighters in an abandoned part of the docks.

Guillotine and her partner stopped in front of an abandoned car. Nothing made it stand out, except maybe its large trunk. The vehicle had been stolen, and left in an empty alleyway of the docks. They could hear muffled sounds coming from inside the trunk.

“This is where the incident was signaled.” the SHIELD agent said to Jeannine. “I’m warning you. You may be a bit… startled by what you may see.”

“I don’t think many things can startle me.” Guillotine answered. She was speaking English fluently, with only a hint of accent.

“Don’t be so sure.” Meseret warned her. She sounded almost sheepish.

The agent picked the truck’s lock, and opened it.

The duo was greeted by frantic muffled moans for help.

Two women were lying on the trunk’s floor. One was a broad-shouldered white-skinned blonde with braided hair, a light skin, and blue eyes. The other was a black-skinned woman with a heart-shaped face, short bushy hair and dark brown eyes. They were thoroughly hog-tied with white ropes, blindfolded with scarves, and gagged with thick cleave-gags. Judging by their bulging cheeks, they were also stuff-gagged.

Both women were wearing undergarments that could only be described as ‘tacky’. The blond-haired one was clad in dark blue panties and a matching t-shirt bra that both had a pattern of bright yellow sheriff stars. The black-haired one was wearing black boxer undershorts with the sentence ‘Protect and Serve’ printed once on the front and once on the back with orange letters above two revolving lights. Her full-cup bra was light blue, with black shoulder straps and edges. The image of a police badge was printed on each cup.

Jeannine raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I confess. I’m a bit startled.”

Meseret smiled awkwardly. “Bet you don’t see much of that in France.”

“Indeed. I’m not quite used to this country. Everything is so… flamboyant.”

Guillotine ungagged the blond-haired woman, allowing her to spit the rolled up kerchiefs filling her mouth, and took off her blindfold.

“What happened? Some bondage session got out of hand?”

“I swear this isn’t what it looks like! We- We’re cops!”

“That I can deduce.” Jeannine trailed off, making a conscious effort to not look at the woman’s undergarments.

The policewoman’s face became bright red. “We were ambushed! A bunch of women! They took everything! Our uniforms, our equipment, even our car!”

Guillotine began to untie the black-skinned policewoman’s gag and blindfold.

Agent Senai intervened. “Don’t worry. We’ll take over from here.” She called for back-up. “An other police car is on the way. They’ll take care of you.”

Jeannine and Meseret untied both police officers, and helped them sit inside the car. The two women were soar because of the time they had spent tied up, but otherwise they didn’t seem to have suffered long-lasting injuries. A quick medical check-up allowed Jeannine and Meseret to see each policewoman had a bruise on her neck. The duo had most likely been neutralized with neck-chops.

Once they were done helping the two cops, Jeannine and Meseret took a few steps away to have a private conversation.

“This is the modus operandi of our targets. But why would they steal police uniforms at random like that?” Meseret asked rhetorically.

“The clothes may not be the end, but the means to an end. Police officers command a lot of authority.” Jeannine proposed.

“Like entering some restricted areas. Or pulling over a vehicle one wants to hijack.”

“They must be preparing something… Can the police car they stole be tracked down?”

“We can try.”

Meseret went to her own vehicle, and grabbed her tablet. Guillotine went to wait next to her as she was typing some things.

“Would you look at that… This police car is actually equipped with a double security. There are two GPS tracking systems – the first one is a decoy, the second one is hidden. That’s some good technology. Some of our vehicles aren’t equipped with that system…” Meseret realized she may have said too much. She cleared her throat, and changed the subject. “Anyway. The muggers deactivated the decoy tracking device, but not the second one. I have the position of the stolen police car.”

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

When Guillotine found the police car concealed inside an empty container on an other part of the docks, she immediately knew her targets had eluded her once more.

She could hear similar moans of distress coming from inside the vehicle, muffled by its frame. At least, this time she knew what to expect…

… And indeed, she did find a bunch of half-naked women locked inside the car.

Two were locked in the trunk. One was a green-eyed light-skinned brunette with a heart-shaped face and a pointy nose, whose haircut was a braided crown bun with a white headband. The other was a petite Asian-American woman with jet black hair, dark eyes, and a soft doll-like skin. Her haircut was a tight high bun.

There were three more on the back seats: a tall broad-shouldered blue-eyed brunette with a square jaw and a French bob cut; an average-sized black-skinned woman with coarse black hair, cornrows tied into a bun, and dark brown eyes; and a short auburn-haired young woman with twin-tails, freckles and light brown eyes.

The women were all trussed up with black cables and brown package tape, and tightly gagged with several layers of tape. The wrists were tied behind the back, the legs were mummified with tape. The upper-arms were restrained with cables.

In spite of her encounter with the two policewomen, Jeannine still felt a bit startled by the sight of these girls’ tacky underwear.

The green-eyed brunette was wearing a grey seamless cotton thong with a pattern of work machines: trucks and excavators. The t-shirt bra was matching. Her Asian-American partner was clad in white low waist stretch briefs with a pattern of colorful cartoon cars, and a faded pink t-shirt bra. The blue-eyed brunette was wearing white stretch bikini panties with a pattern of construction trucks, and a sky blue triangle bra with some clouds. The black woman was clad in grey mid-waist breathable stretch briefs with a pattern of cartoon yellow excavators and trucks, and a matching full-cup bra. The auburn-haired girl was wearing bright yellow low waist stretch briefs with a pattern of heavy equipment and machinery, and a matching t-shirt bra.

“Do all people wear undergarments themed after their jobs in America?” Guillotine asked.

Meseret shrugged. “Not at all. It’s just us who are being unlucky… or lucky, depending on your point of view.”

They released the women of their bonds. All were red with shame.

Jeannine chose to be concise and to not dwell on the subject of the tacky undergarments. “I suppose fake policewomen assaulted you and stole your uniforms?”

“Yes.”

“We will need to know what it was and where you were heading.”

It turned out these women were working for an independent transport company. They had a contract with Oscorp. They were supposed to pick important crates up in a warehouse belonging to the company, and to deliver them to the docks. While they claimed they didn’t know what was they were supposed to transport, Meseret and Jeannine easily deduced the women suspected those were weapons or scientific equipment of some sort – and most likely not exactly legal.

Jeannine and Meseret asked the movers to wait inside the police car for help. Unbeknownst to the women, they instructed that the police officers sent alongside the ambulance should ask them some questions about Oscorp’s shady deals.

“They’re going to use the employees’ uniforms and trucks to steal the equipment at the warehouse.” Guillotine deduced. “If these things are weapons – or can be turned into weapon – they could do a lot of damage if they use them against Kelly.”

“Given the size and number of crates, it’ll take them time to load everything. I’m contacting the other team.” Meseret announced. “We need reinforcements if we want to catch them.”

Jeannine nodded.

Meseret grabbed her walkie talkie. “Agent Dalton? This is Agent Senai.”

She waited for the answer.

“Agent Senai? What is it?” a female voice finally asked.

Meseret frowned. “You good?”

“Yes. Tired of being on a wild goose chase. Any progress on your part?”

“We have a lead. I need your team as back-up.”

“Perfect. Good work. Send me the coordinates on the secured network. We’ll regroup there.”

“Roger. Agent Senai, out.”

Meseret strapped her walkie-talkie back onto her belt. She was looking satisfied.

“You think they’ll suspect a trap?” Guillotine asked.

The black SHIELD agent smiled to herself. “I’m quite sure they’ll be convinced til the very end they were one step ahead of us.”

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

The French crime-fighter and her liaison officer drove to the meeting point with the team Meseret had called for back-up.

“Why did you even take so many precautions?” Guillotine asked.

The SHIELD agent shrugged. “That’s how we do things. Besides, there’s no way I’m wasting the opportunity to catch this syndicate. I’ll prove all those old geezers of the board they were wrong about me!”

Meseret parked the black SUV near the warehouse they were supposed to raid.

An other vehicle was waiting for them – a long dark grey van. Several women were standing around.

“They’re already here.” Meseret commented. “Perfect.”

She and Guillotine exited the car.

SHIELD Agent Olivia Dalton, clad in the same black uniform as Meseret, went to greet them. She was tall and burly, with a square-shaped face and cold blue eyes. Her light brown hair were cut short.

“We almost started without you!” she joked.

“They’re here?”

Dalton pointed at the warehouse nearby. “There’s a group of women inside, at least. Apparently, they’re behind their schedule. My money they’re the ones we’re looking for.” She smiled. “I’m sure my girls will make short work of them.”

The sentence was some sort of signal, because the other women standing near the van approached.

Guillotine glanced at them.

Three were some kind of special ops. It was hard to get a good look at their physical features – in-between their black SWAT-inspired helmets concealing their hair, the machine-guns strapped onto their shoulders, their dark grey uniform shirts and trousers, their black bulletproof jackets, their black equipment belt, and their thick black combat boots.

The last woman was a fellow masked heroine: Rita DeMara, called Yellowjacket after the name of her power suit. Guillotine had heard of her – some people derided her as the ‘low cost Wasp’, since her suit had similar shrinking powers and she was working for SHIELD instead of the AVENGERS.

True to the woman’s alias, the full-body costume itself was mostly yellow, and black around the pelvis. The heroine was also wearing black long boots and black long gloves. Her head was covered by a black-and-yellow helmet. Her eyes were concealed behind silver grey reflective shades.

“Yellowjacket will use her shrinking suit and scout out the building.” Agent Dalton explained.

Rita silently nodded at Guillotine. The latter returned the nod. Yellowjacket apparently cultivated the same ‘silent tough persona’ Jeannine liked to use. She respected that.

“If the syndicate’s presence is confirmed, Yellowjacket will throw tear gas grenades. It’ll be our signal. You’ll lead the assault.” Agent Dalton then told Guillotine: “The only real danger is Taylor Woodward. She’ll be your top priority. She has superhuman speed, but the tear gas will nullify her advantage.”

Meseret eyed Guillotine’s long sword, which she was currently carrying on her back. “Try to make it non-lethal if possible. It’ll save us some paperwork.”

“Got it.”

Agent Dalton nodded with a smile. “Good. Everything’s going according to plan. Let’s move to the next step. It’s time to show these girls who’s the boss!”

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

Charlotte, disguised and shape-shifted into Olivia Dalton, nodded with a smile. “Good. Everything’s going according to plan. Let’s move to the next step. It’s time to show these girls who’s the boss!”

It was the signal.

‘Yellowjacket’ pulled out a stun gun, jammed it into Agent Meseret Senai’s neck, and pressed the trigger.

The SHIELD operative barely had the time to register the betrayal of the woman whom she thought was Yellowjacket – and who was in truth Traptr in disguise.

There was an electric-sounding noise. The black-skinned woman grunted briefly, then her limp unconscious body slumped into Trapstr’s arms.

Guillotine herself – the main threat – was briefly taken aback by the betrayal. Reflexively, she moved her hand to grab her sword, only to remember she was carrying it on her back and couldn’t draw it easily – precisely because she wasn’t expecting a fight to break out before the mission began.

Taylor, disguised as one of the nameless special ops, sprang into action. She kicked the French heroine in the stomach.

However, the latter barely flinched.

“So the armor isn’t for show…”

Guillotine recovered from her surprise and attacked, giving up on the idea of using her sword.

She didn’t need it anyway. Her metal gauntlets were weapons in their own right. One direct hit would do a lot of damage.

Guillotine took advantage of the close combat and attempted to back-hand Taylor. The latter was forced to jump behind to dodge the blow. The French heroine smiled. Now, she had enough room to throw a punch.

Right hook. Left hook. Right hook.

Taylor didn’t try to deflect the blows – she would hurt her arms. She relied on fast dodges instead.

Her foe wasn’t tiring, even though she was fighting in heavy armor. Either she was exceptionally athletic or the suit was made of high-tech light metal. Probably a mix of both.

Taylor remained on the defensive while Guillotine maintained the pressure with more punches.

Left hook. Right hook. Then feint, and right hook again.

When Guillotine feinted, Taylor smiled to herself. When the heroine threw her mighty right hook, Taylor anticipated her, and took advantage of the opening to move under her opponent’s guard.

She was holding a canister of knock-out gas.

Jeannine’s eyes widened, but she was unbalanced and couldn’t react in time.

Taylor sprayed her in the face.

The redhead gasped and coughed, her eyes started to cry. She took a few steps back, but she was already feeling dizzy. Jeannine was a formidable swordswoman and hand-to-hand fighter, but she was still a normal human. This specific knock-out gas was an experimental weapon – exponentially stronger than normal sleep gas. Guillotine fell on her knees, then fell onto the ground, face down and buns up.

She was out like a light.

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

Taylor glared at the unconscious masked heroine, and shook her head.

SHIELD and the AVENGERS probably thought they were being smart by calling for reinforcements, but in truth they were handing Magneto’s team opportunities on a silver platter.

What better way to infiltrate an AVENGERS compound than to impersonate obscure heroines?

Taylor had selected Jeannine Sauvage / Guillotine for several reasons. First, she was foreign. Nobody knew her well. Second, while she was a strong fighter and master swordswoman, she was still a normal human whom Taylor could take on. Third, when designing her costume, Jeannine had made the dubious choice of including both a cowl and a black heroine mask. Of course, her decision served a purpose – like many caped crusaders, Jeannine had figured out an aura of mystery would help her intimidate criminals. Psychological warfare was a tactic as old as time. However, it also had the unintended side-effect of making it easy to impersonate her. Take any woman of the appropriate size – or close enough –, add in a wig or some hair dye, maybe some contact lenses, and in-between the cloak and the mask nobody would notice the real one had been replaced by a fake. Taylor needed a bunch of heroines who could be impersonated by anyone in her team, not just Charlotte or Mystique, and Guillotine checked all the boxes – unfortunately for her.

Taylor grabbed Jeannine by the undershoulders, and began to drag her to the van.

“You could have used your powers.” Trapstr remarked, as she was dragging the motionless Agent Senai by the waist.

“I don’t need to rely on them. Besides, I needed to read her movements, if I want to impersonate her.”

“And the SHIELD Agent? We take her outfit?”

“Spare SHIELD uniforms can always come in handy.”

Jenna and Screwball – who were impersonating the two other regular anonymous special ops – opened the back door of the SHIELD van.

Inside the vehicle, there were already a bunch of women. Unconscious. Bound. Gagged. And most of them divested of their uniforms.

The true Agent Dalton was clad in striped red-blue-and-white boxer undershots, and a matching full-cup cotton bra. Her wrists were zip-tied behind her back. Her ankles were zip-tied together. Her fingers were taped. She was gagged with tape, blindfolded with a sleep-mask, and her ears were plugged.

Three of her special ops were lying at her sides, a blue-eyed light-skinned brunette to her left and two other women to her right – one tanned-skinned green-eyed brunette and one light-skinned green-eyed redhead. The light-skinned brunette was clad in bright red bikini panties and a matching demi-bra. The tanned-skinned brunette was wearing blue boyshorts and a matching t-shirt bra. The redhead was clad in white knickers and a matching balcony bra.

Two other women were lying next to them – a blonde and a black-haired one. They were other special ops – though these ones had only been divested of their helmets, weapons, boots, and combat gears. (Taylor didn’t want to waste time stripping unneeded uniforms.)

Seeing all these women fast asleep and snugly huddled up and curled up against each other, one would be hard pressed to figure out they were meant to be elite agents of a secret agency.

The special ops were all bound and gagged similarly: tightly trussed up with zip-ties and tape, gagged with tape, blindfolded with sleep masks, and their ears plugged.

Next to the SHIELD grunts, the real Yellowjacket was seated in a corner, clad in aqua blue bikini panties, and an electric blue triangle bra. She too was sound asleep. Rita DeMara was a white-skinned blue-eyed strawberry blond woman. Her hairdo was a crew cut. Her superheroine suit was maybe a marvel of technology, but she was still a normal human underneath. Taken by surprise, or stripped off her costume – like now –, she posed no problem. Mere ropes and zip-ties were enough to restrain her. Her wrists were zip-tied behind her back. Her ankles were zip-tied together. Ropes were tightly wrapped around her legs, thighs, and shoulders. She was gagged with tape, blindfolded with a sleep mask, and her ears were plugged.

The van was already a bit crowded, but was still big enough to drag Guillotine and Meseret Serai inside, to lay them onto the floor, and to strip them without hindrance. Taylor and Charlotte entered the van while Trapstr, Jenna, and Screwball stood watch outside.

Charlotte and Trapstr placed Guilltoine’s sword away, then removed step by step all the outer garments of the two unconscious women.

With Agent Serai, they had an easy time. SHIELD uniforms were notoriously easy to put on and take off.

Guillotine’s costume was surprisingly easy to figure out. The red hooded cape and tabard were simply worn over the armor. They simply had to pull them off. Same with the masks. The grey metal gauntlets, grey metal leg armor greaves, metal shoulder plate, and black metal armor-like suit were sturdy, but also surprisingly light. They only needed to be strapped – or in that case unstrapped – in key areas to be removed. Contrary to knights wearing real medieval armors, Jeannine didn’t need a squire to help her put on her equipment. Charlotte and Taylor took off one gear at a time, placing them in a bundle on the floor of the van.

Meseret was stripped down to a sky blue t-shirt bra, matching tanga panties with white borders and waistband strap, and black socks.

Jeannine was left wearing a black exercise bra, green boyshorts with a dark green waistband strap, and white sports socks with black stripes.

“No French-themed underwear?” Charlotte commented. “Disappointing…”

“There were already enough tacky looking underwear today.” Taylor dryly reminded her.

They trussed up Meseret and Jeannine with zip-ties. Each woman’s wrists were bound behind her back. Each woman’s ankles were tied up. Some ropes were wrapped around the thighs and around the upper-arms. Black duct tape was used to wrap-gag them. They also blindfolded the two women with sleep masks and plugged their ears – with trained women and heroines, they preferred to not take any chance.

Jeannine and Meseret were dragged further into the van, and left next to Yellowjacket, seated shoulder-to-shoulder. Meseret’s head was slumped onto Jeannine’s shoulder.

“Take Agent Senai’s appearance.” Taylor instructed Charlotte.

The shapeshifter nodded, and complied. Her body jerked awkwardly a few times, then a carbon copy of Meseret Senai was standing in front of Taylor. Since now her current SHIELD uniform didn’t fit properly anymore, she stripped herself, and then slipped into Meseret’s SHIELD agent uniform.

At the same time, Taylor got dressed in Guillotine’s costume.

Finally, Charlotte helped Taylor dye her hair auburn to match Jeannine’s color, and adjusted the mask and the cowl to obscure her facial features.

She and Charlotte exited the van.

Trapstr whistled between her teeth admiringly when she saw Taylor’s new look and way of walking. “Bluffing…” She adjusted her silver grey reflective shades. “But at least I get to wear shades...”

“What do we do with them?” Screwball asked while glancing at the trussed up women inside the van.

“First things first, we drive them to a more secluded place. Can’t have them found before we’re done. Then I guess it’ll depend on what the old man wants. Hostages could be useful.”

The blond adrenaline junkie refrained a grimace. Kidnapping wasn’t her shtick. It wasn’t glamorous enough for her streams. Clearly, she didn’t like the direction their heists were taking. Still, she knew it was not the place nor the time to try and argue the terms of her contract.

Jenna closed the van’s backdoor. “You think they suspected it was a trap?”

Taylor allowed herself to smile dryly. “I’m quite sure they were convinced til the very end they were one step ahead of us.”

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

All the captured agents and heroines were left concealed in an abandoned warehouse used by Magneto’s side as a hideout.

Then, Taylor took Agent Senai’s tablet. “It needs a facial scan. Charlotte.”

Having a shape-shifter was very handy, that nobody could deny.

Charlotte – still under the guise of Meseret Senai – unlocked the tablet. Then gave it back to Taylor.

The other women gathered around their leader to look over her shoulder.

“It has what we want.” the latter confirmed. “The list and live location of all the masked heroines searching for us.”

Trapstr grinned. “It’s better than a grocery list!”

“Can’t we go to the compound already?” Screwball insisted.

Taylor shook her head. “It’s best none of us are dressed as a SHIELD agent to infiltrate an AVENGERS compound. The two work together, but don’t like to mix up. It’ll be easier to blend in as masked heroines.” She looked at Screwball, Jenna, and Charlotte. “We need three more outfits.”

Charlotte glanced at the long list of names. “Shouldn’t be too hard...”

[rufusluciusivan]

For those who want a better look at the ‘obscure heroines’ featured in this part:

Guillotine / Jeannine Sauvage

https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Jeannine ... Earth-616)

Yellowjacket / Rita DeMara

https://hero.fandom.com/wiki/Yellowjacket_(Rita_DeMara)

Note: Those tacky ‘construction-site-themed underwear’ are all real...

Retro Excavator Print Women's Seamless Cotton Thong Underwear,Panties for Women-Small

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Jgfou-Retro- ... =101634202

Heavy Equipment And Machinery Women's Low Waist Underwear Stretch Briefs Soft Comfy Panties

https://www.amazon.com/Equipment-Machin ... B0CGZTD7RC

Womens Soft Mid-waist Underwear Breathable Stretch Briefs Fashion Ladies Bikini Panties

https://www.amazon.com/Mid-waist-Underw ... B09MTFWX64

Cartoon Cars Collection Women's Low Waist Underwear Stretch Briefs Soft Comfy Panties

https://www.amazon.com/Cartoon-Collecti ... B0CGZTZ39R

DOMIKING Construction Trucks Car Womens Underwear

https://www.amazon.com/DOMIKING-Constru ... B0C8TJF692

[simon4343]

as much as im enjoying this maybe be nice to escalate to the conclusion of the saga getting a wee bit too convoluted ......the superheros in this reality seem to be purposely written as inept lol about time taylor and co had their comeuppance lol

[rufusluciusivan]

the superheros in this reality seem to be purposely written as inept

In what regards? Personally, I'm trying to aim for the opposite: I believe it's not the heroes or law enforcement who are inept - it's the antagonists who are exceptional. At least that's the feeling I wish to convey.

When it comes to combat, it's been established in the previous chapters Taylor was the deadliest black op of her country and she can knock out eight women by herself in a matter of seconds when she goes all out. It's part of her character that she's been born with a genetic cheat code. As frustrating as it can be if one is a fan of them, characters like Silver Sable, Kate Bishop, Guillotine, or Felicia - or any SHIELD Agent or normal policewoman - don't stand a chance in a straight fight. Taylor and her team purposefully select their fights to not face superheroes who are above their level. (You'll notice they did everything in their power to not have to face Spider Man and his team for instance.)

When it comes to infiltration, I don't think Taylor's successes means the superheroes are inept. Taylor simply has a very well-rounded team: she's a mistress of infiltration in her own right (once again, veteran black op), Charlotte can perfectly mimic someone, Sarah, and Trapstr is a talented hacker. Plus, while I don't dwell on it too much because it would break the pace, Taylor's team isn't alone. They get their intel from Magneto, who's supposed to lead one of the most powerful factions of the world - with branches in the entire world. In that context, I don't think it's illogical Taylor can get enough information to ambush a SHIELD team and then ambush Guillotine.

I can see where your frustration comes from, but I must sadly answer that these things you regret are parts of the very premise of this arc, so don't expect to see things change for a while. One premise of this arc is to feature superheroines getting their costumes stolen, and we haven't seen the last of that yet. As for the comeuppance, it's also not going to happen soon. The full extent of Taylor's and Sarah's backstories haven't even been revealed yet.

Also, I don't intend to "escalate to the conclusion of the saga" too quickly. I'm having too much fun to rush things.

[simon4343]

deadliest black op above sable lol ummm no, by all means extend the anti heroes skills ....lol but sable is a cut above, however you may wanna spin it by saying its an alternate reality lol this is the problem when writing established iconic characters losing their uniforms ,thats why a writers own original characters ring true and maybe you using obscure heroes to have their costumes stolen is a better way forward ,,,,,,

[rufusluciusivan]

deadliest black op above sable lol ummm no, by all means extend the anti heroes skills ....lol but sable is a cut above however you may wanna spin it by saying its an alternate reality

Simon, I'm going to be honest. I feel a negative vibe coming from this answer. (And if that's not the intent, then I apologize, but this conversation begins to make feel ill-at-ease. If you felt attacked on my previous answer, that was not the intent. That's just how I prefer to discuss such things - I find it respectful to give detailed paragraphs in such case. Consider it my way to show I respect other people's opinions.) However, forgive me for being blunt, but I also think you're contradicting yourself here. If this is an alternate reality, am I not allowed to decide the power levels of the characters? Silver Sable is, by all means, a normal human, with the reflexes of a normal human. She's a deadly black op, but still a normal human. Taylor has been described several times as a mutant. Her speed is faster than a normal human, no matter what their training is - with the enhanced reflexes to match - and she has electric-based power. I know that Taylor has the disadvantage of being an original character, but I don't think it's far-fetched to say that Taylor is stronger than Silver Sable - the same way I don't see it far-fatched to say that Captain America is physically stronger than, say, Black Widow. It's a point of her character. It's unfair she was born with a cheat code, even she agrees with it, but this is how it is.

The point of my stories is to show characters who are exceptional in their own rights. To put it an other way, if Taylor and her team were mere crooks who could be defeated by Silver Sable, then they wouldn't have the shoulders to be main antagonists. Taylor is said and shown to be stronger than a woman of Silver Sable's level to emphasize the threat she poses to the main heroines - MJ, Felicia, and Gwen. From a narrative standpoint, Silver Sable's defeats are meant to showcase the strength of the main characters - it's the worf effect", to quote TV Tropes.

[simon4343]

rufus this is the very first time i have ever said anything negative about your stories and you get defensive lol bottom line is i dont believe your story line in this saga rings true for me ,seems everyone likes praise but not a critique lol however going forward any rare negative comments i will send a PM ,,,,

[rufusluciusivan]

rufus this is the very first time i have ever said anything negative about your stories and you get defensive lol bottom line is i dont believe your story line in this saga rings true for me ,seems everyone likes praise but not a critique lol

Is it the first time you said anything negative on my stories? I'm not quite sure. I recall you several times reproached that some characters didn't get their comeuppance soon enough or that an epilogue was missing - and you even mentioned your disagreement with the way Silver Sable was handled on Part 11 of this very Saga, I never took offense. And you never had anything to say against my answers these times.

good story but have to mark it down, as silver sable wouldnt be that sloppy lol

Bottom line, my intent is not to come across as defensive, or to reproach someone for not liking my premise, or to start a fight. To be honest, I'm mostly confused. I'm trying to figure out where the narration wasn't clear enough about Taylor's and Silver Sable's respective power levels.

Though reading again I most likely misinterpreted your point. Is it that you don't have a problem with the narrative justifications, but with the very premise of the role given to Silver Sable and other 'heroine-type' characters? Well, if that's the case, I can say that I see and understand your point, but on that topic we'll have to agree to disagree. Rest assured I respect your opinion.

I hope you'll find enjoyment in the following parts of this saga nonetheless, but I prefer to let you know this premise you dislike will still be featured, so that you won't be disappointed.

[simon4343]

yep the narrative with sable and other heroes is my issue ...... its s a pet peeve of mine being an longtime reader and avid collector of marvel and dc comics for 40 years .....had my own online biz for a while.... your original characters in your original stories i adored its just when peeps start using mainstream heroes it gets a bit more tricky ....

[rufusluciusivan]

yep the narrative with sable and other heroes is my issue ...... its s a pet peeve of mine being an longtime reader and avid collector of marvel and dc comics for 40 years .....had my own online biz for a while.... your original characters in your original stories i adored its just when peeps start using mainstream heroes it gets a bit more tricky ....

I think I have a clearer picture. I can see where the frustration comes from. Personally, I'm a bit distant when it comes to Marvel and DC. I watched some cartoons, read one or two issues, but that's it. So that explains why I have an easier time.

From a narrative standpoint, these heroines are treated like the usual victims of USB. But the context is different, since they are superheroines and not random bystanders, so I see why people can have problem with that aspect. Then again, it's the whole premise of this arc... The first parts featured villainesses getting their costumes stolen, these parts feature heroines in a similar predicament... My main goal is for the reasons of their defeats to feel coherent in-universe - hence why Magneto is involved or Taylor has been writtent with mutant powers that make her more than a match for someone like Ghost Spider.

Not saying heroines won't get their chance to shine, but it won't happen immediately. (Fair warning, three more heroines will lose their outfits in the next part.) I'm not going to spoil things, but I think everybody has guessed that at one point the tables will be turned on Magneto's side... Who knows if Gwen, MJ, and Felicia won't have some back-up at one point?

however going forward any rare negative comments i will send a PM ,,,,

PS. I probably answered too quickly and didn't see this part before. I prefer the negative comments to be uploaded publicly. No need to feel constrained and send me as a PM. I relish the opportunity to explain my viewpoint and my choices, like I did in my previous answers. I just wish it was easier to get the point across... But that's the problem with message boards in general...