The Debate - Marvel: Earth-USB Saga (Part 18)
Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2025 3:59 pm
Hi, everyone. Rufus and I decided to collaborate on the next part of the Marvel Earth-USB saga. This chapter continues the story from the current point over at his story section. The latest chapter (which you should read if you haven't, in order to follow some of the developments in this chapter) can be found here.
viewtopic.php?t=10478
Special thanks to Rufus as well for writing a few passages and providing insight into the characters he introduced to the series. Enjoy.
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“Bad news,” Gwen announced grimly. “Something happened. Something bad.”
Felicia winced in anticipation. “It’s just going to be one of those days, isn’t it?”
“What happened?” MJ added.
“You know the brand-new Avengers Tower?”
“Don’t tell me…”
Gwen nodded. “It’s been infiltrated.”
“That’s bad,” Felicia deadpanned.
“Worse than bad. They’ve crippled most of their technology. And they even managed to salvage some version of Ultron for Magneto.”
“Why would he do that? Magneto’s not an idiot. He knows better than to reactivate Ultron,” MJ argued.
“They fear he may be able to reprogram it. Remove the AI, only keep the technology.”
The thought was indeed worrisome.
Felicia scratched her chin. “He’s taking a big risk. He must know they’ll relocate all their manpower to catch him now that he has the technology. What is he hoping to accomplish?”
Gwen sat down and massaged her head. MJ and Felicia shared a glance. They knew better than to bother her when she was in deep reflection.
“A distraction,” Gwen finally commented. “They want to make sure the heavy hitters of SHIELD and the Avengers have their hands full during the next few weeks. While they’re busy chasing after Magneto and his main lieutenants, Taylor will have her hands free.”
“Another attempt against Robert Kelly?”
“Most likely. Ultron is a world-level threat. The Avengers have no choice but make it their priority. Comparatively, even the presidential elections are less important… They may even believe the attempts against Kelly were a distraction to have them spread their forces, and allow the theft at the Tower…”
“But we know better, don’t we?” Felicia commented with a small smile.
It was indeed something only people well-versed in the art of infiltration could understand. One didn't spend so many efforts and resources to build a well-balanced team, or performed so many heists, just for a distraction. But among the Avengers, only Black Widow would recognize that and she would most likely be outvoted.
“When would they strike?” MJ intervened.
Gwen searched something on her phone, then showed it to her friends.
The newspaper article was mentioning the upcoming live presidential debate between Robert Kelly and his opponent, Ken Wind.
“Fury ran a simulation after the near-stampede at the rally, to try and predict which future events were the likeliest to be infiltrated and hijacked. He used the best AI algorithm SHIELD has. The live presidential debate was the computer’s first pick.”
“Two different security details having to share the same building,” Felicia reasoned. “Add in Orchis and Silver Sable Security, plus all the staff at the event, and you have the nightmare of any head of security… and any professional infiltrator’s dream.”
Gwen shook her head.
“Things are getting out of hand.” she declared. “I’m going to warn Robert Kelly. He must cancel the debate.”
“You think he’ll listen?”
“I have the number SHIELD uses to contact him directly,” Gwen explained as she punched the numbers into her phone. “He doesn’t have to know the tip comes from the Spider-Team.”
She put her cellphone on speaker.
“Hello?” a male voice asked.
It wasn’t Robert Kelly himself, though Felicia was sure she had heard that voice before.
“Quick! I need to talk to Kelly! There-”
“Wait, wait, wait. I know that voice. You’re the Spider Girl, right?”
Gwen was briefly taken aback by the interruption. “Uh, yes. Ghost Spider, actually.”
“I wasn’t referring to your name. Mutant.” The man was speaking evenly. Yet, he had also managed to make the last word sound like a slur.
Gwen frowned. “Excuse me. Who am I speaking to?”
“William Jefferson. The one and only.”
Felicia grimaced, but didn’t make a peep. She couldn’t let Jefferson know she was helping Gwen! He would connect the dots with her raid on his facility a few hours ago.
Though something wasn’t adding up. It had been hours. Black Cat’s infiltration of Orchis’ headquarters, her theft of compromising data, and Firestar’s escape should have been discovered by now. But Jefferson sounded incredibly jovial for someone who had just been victim of a major breach of security. Instinctively, Felicia sensed danger.
Gwen remained calm and spoke with a carefully neutral voice. “This number is confidential. Why are you the one answering it?”
“Because I’m responsible of Mr Kelly’s protection, obviously. That includes filtering his calls. And Mr Kelly doesn’t have time to spare for your kind.”
MJ lost her temper. “Now you listen to me, you smarmy piece of shi… iiiiihhh?”
Felicia had grabbed her by the collar and pulled her away from the phone.
“Was that a friend of yours? One should really teach her some manners. Can’t say I’m surprised though, considering your… background.”
Felicia had to immobilize and hand-gag MJ to prevent her from crying out against the businessman. Desperate times, desperate measures.
Gwen, however, kept a cool head. She remained polite. It was a testimony of how nice and professional she was. “Mr Jefferson. I have no time for games. Mr. Kelly is in danger, and I have important information for him…”
“Don’t worry about that. His security is in good hands.” Apparently, Jefferson intended to never allow her to finish her sentences.
“But Magneto has assembled a team…”
“And also I don’t trust you. You could be in cahoots with them. After all, your kind always sticks together.”
“Surely you must know-”
“What I know is that you raided my facility.”
Suddenly, Jefferson wasn’t jovial anymore. His voice was deathly cold.
There was a brief beat, the time for Gwen to digest the information.
Startled, MJ stopped struggling. She and Felicia shared a glance. They weren’t surprised their infiltration had been discovered by now – after all, hours had passed. However, they hadn’t anticipated Jefferson would deduce so many things so quickly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gwen finally commented.
“Of course you do. Trust me. I’ll have your head for that. And your friends’ too.”
He hung up.
Felicia let go of Mary Jane, who was still angry. But her temper calmed when she saw Gwen’s reaction.
Ghost Spider slumped onto her chair. She looked at her wrists with a dejected expression. Her web-launching wrists. Though she wasn’t a mutant by birth, having gained her powers through a spider’s bite, Jefferson’s casually racist remarks had hurt her a lot more than she was willing to admit. Mary Jane put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“You know what? I say we let these jerks jump at each other’s throats.” Felicia intervened. She too hadn’t appreciated the way Jefferson was demeaning Gwen. “I mean, we don’t even like Robert Kelly!”
Gwen sighed. “You don’t protect people just because you like them, Felicia.”
The cat burglar grumbled to herself. “Maybe, but some gratitude would still be nice. And then people wonder why I don’t wanna be a heroine…”
“… and yet you’re gonna have to play it once more. Nick Fury will most likely ask us to protect the presidential debate, even without Kelly's approval.”
Felicia looked sideways. “Or I can take advantage of the chaos to cut my losses and leave.”
Her comment was only a half-joke.
“Then I’ll tell Peter about the ‘incident’ with the guard, at Kelly’s rally,” MJ intervened, while still holding Gwen’s shoulder. “You know. The man who rated you ‘six out of ten at most’.”
Bewildered, Gwen stared at the cat burglar with wide eyes.
Felicia was genuinely taken aback for a few seconds. “You wouldn’t dare!” She knew her ex-boyfriend would never let her live that one down! “That’s… That’s cheating!”
The cat burglar really hated the massive grin on the redhead’s face.
But in MJ’s eyes, she also saw something else. Some mutual understanding. The redhead was offering Black Cat what she was secretly longing: An excuse to keep pretending she was only in this for her own selfish interests.
It was quite a surprise to see the normally denser-than-a-black-hole Mary-Jane be so insightful. Then again, she and Felicia had spent a lot of time quipping at each other and mugging people together… In hindsight, maybe it wasn’t that surprising.
Felicia played along. “Fine. But for the record… Low blow, Red. Low blow.”
“What can I say? I have a good teacher.”
The cat burglar didn’t know if she should feel proud or annoyed.
*********************
Three nights later…
Midtown Manhattan was more crowded than usual this evening, as several blocks had been cordoned off for security. The presidential debate, scheduled at Carnegie Hall, would be the first time the two national candidates would face each other in a major venue, and the city’s authorities wanted to ensure that nothing would go wrong.
The building was rife with security, from both candidates’ detail as well as Orchis and Silver Sable’s crew. Apart from the TV staff and personnel designated to work at the studio, the only people allowed into the building were journalists and camera crews.
That made things difficult for Felicia, Gwen, and MJ – but not impossible.
They were staked out in a corner of Central Park, a few blocks from Carnegie, crouching behind some bushes. For the past thirty minutes, they had watched quietly as civilians filed past – and keeping an eye out for any journalist going for an evening stroll before the start of the debate.
Still, as they staked out their position at a corner of Central Park, a few blocks from the main event, one of them was already having second thoughts.
“What if that computer program is wrong?” MJ speculated. “The presidential debate is an obvious target for Magneto and his team… but maybe it’s too obvious. What if they’re planning something somewhere else… a strike elsewhere while all eyes are drawn to the big event here?”
Gwen shook her head. “We can’t know for sure… but it’s the best we’ve got right now,” she said. “I’d be shocked if they didn’t try something tonight, considering how rare the opportunities have become.”
“I know, but…” MJ started to say.
“What’s the matter, Red?” Felicia asked, a mischievous smile on her face. “Having second thoughts?”
MJ frowned at her. “I’m just assessing our options,” she said. “Sometimes it’s better to step back and think, instead of charging in with guns blazing.”
“Who, moi?” Felicia replied with mock indignation. “I don’t use guns, Red. I’m the quiet, stealthy type, remember? The way infiltrators should be.”
“Speaking of infiltration,” Gwen interrupted the bickering, “I think I see our way inside.”
She parted the bushes quietly, allowing Felicia and MJ to get a better look.
Three young women were walking along the gravel path, towards the spot where Felicia, Gwen, and MJ were hiding. The women had different appearances and modes of dress – but what they had in common were the press passes and cameras clipped to their belts.
“I recognize them,” MJ whispered. “They’re photographers for the Daily Bugle.”
“Guess the Bugle sent them to snap pictures of the big debate.” Gwen’s brow furrowed. “You know them?”
“Vaguely,” MJ replied. “I’ve been to the Bugle offices enough times to recognize most of their photographers, especially back when Peter worked there.” She squinted as the three photographers neared.
The first woman was tall and slim, with light skin and long red hair that swept down to the middle of her back. She wore a blue blouse and matching pants, along with black heels. A white neckerchief was tied around her neck.
“Amber Grant,” MJ whispered.
The second photographer was a Korean woman with light skin and raven-black hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore a dark green pantsuit over a light green blouse, and black high heels. A small green pendant necklace hung around her neck, and round gold-colored earrings dangled from her ears.
“Angela Yin.”
The third woman was slightly stockier than the first two, with light skin and stringy shoulder-length black hair that fell around her face. She wore a grey trench coat over a white blazer, as well as a black blouse, black pants, and brown shoes.
“And that’s Jessica Carradine.”
Amber, Angela, and Jessica were chatting lightly with one another, enjoying the evening weather before they were to head indoors for the Carnegie Hall debate.
MJ bit her lip. “Guys, this doesn’t feel right… These women have always been polite and friendly to me when I was at the office. Do we have to do this?”
“Hey, it’s part of the job,” Felicia shrugged. “You want to get past security, this is the way to go.”
“I’m afraid Felicia’s right,” Gwen nodded. “But don’t worry, we won’t hurt them. SHIELD gave me just the thing for this situation.”
She pulled a small silver-metal tranquilizer gun from her belt.
“They won’t feel more than a quick pinch,” she assured MJ.
Felicia rolled her eyes. “Just pull the trigger already… before they walk away.”
Gwen slipped a dart into the gun and aimed it at Jessica, who was walking a few steps behind the other two. She bit her lip and squeezed the trigger.
The dart whistled through the air, striking Jessica right below her ear.
Jessica’s eyebrows raised, and her mouth fell open. But the drug worked fast, too fast for her to use her vocal cords. She staggered backwards.
Felicia moved quickly, springing from the bushes and wrapping an arm around Jessica’s shoulders. The woman was already half-asleep, but her face still registered a bare sense of surprise as she was dragged into the bushes.
“Don’t you dare hit her,” MJ whispered.
Felicia frowned. “Relax, okay? I don’t need to hit her. The dart’s doing all the work.”
Indeed, Jessica was already unconscious as Felicia laid her on the grass.
Gwen had already slipped another dart into the gun. She aimed and fired.
The second dart hit Angela in the back of her neck. The woman stiffened.
Amber, walking beside her, noticed. “Angie? You okay?”
She looked around. “Hey, where’s Jess?”
Before she could question anything further, a third tranquilizer dart struck her in the neck.
“Ouch! Hey, what…?”
Amber and Angela stared at each other in bewilderment. Then both of their eyes began to flutter. They fell backwards.
Felicia and MJ quickly caught both women by their undershoulders, dragging them back into the bushes. Both Amber and Angela were asleep by the time they were laid down next to Jessica.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” MJ muttered. “I’ve never had to steal clothes from people I know before.”
“Did they get a look at your face?” Felicia asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“Great. The next time you stop by the Bugle building, just smile at them and buy them a drink. They never need to know you did this.”
Felicia then turned her attention to the three slumbering photographers. “Now, on to business. We’ll need their press passes… and probably their clothes as well, if we want to look the part of professionals. Looks like I’m about Angela’s size. Gwen’s pretty close to Jessica, and Red could be a good match for Amber, especially with her hair color.”
MJ hesitated, and Felicia eyed her strangely. “Come on, girl, do you need an instruction manual?”
The comment was a bit harsher than Felicia intended. Still, MJ didn’t respond. She instead glanced at Gwen, who nodded.
“They never need to know.”
Felicia knelt down beside Angela and began stripping her. Gwen followed suit with Jessica, and – after another moment’s pause – MJ did the same with Amber.
Pretty soon, the three women were all dressed up in professional attire and clipping the press passes to their belts.
The three reporters had been reduced to their underwear. Amber wore a sky-blue pair of bikini bra and panties. Angela wore an eggshell-white sports bra and hot-pink hipsters. Jessica was left in a grey T-shirt bra and seafoam-green boyshorts.
“Do we need to bind and gag them?” MJ asked as Felicia reached for the white zip-ties and black duct tape. “The tranquilizer drug should keep them asleep for a few hours, right?”
“Can’t be too careful,” Felicia responded. “Don’t want them waking up too early and spreading the alarm.”
MJ glanced once more at Gwen, who sighed. “Let’s just tie them up quickly… We’re already behind schedule.”
Felicia grinned.
As per Gwen’s request, the three photographers were swiftly zip-tied and gagged. They were left quietly in the bushes, hidden from any outside view.
Felicia adjusted the camera on her belt. “Showtime, girls.”
**********************
The press passes did the trick, and the professional attire didn’t hurt much, either. Felicia, Gwen, and MJ squeezed through the crowd outside and were allowed into the press entrance.
“Photography is only allowed before and after the debate,” a security guard told them. “No press during the event itself. All press and personnel can watch the debate from the lobby.”
When they were out of earshot and in a quiet corner of the lobby, Felicia turned to Gwen and MJ. “Guess that means these disguises can only take us so far into the building. If we want to keep a lookout for Taylor and her crew, we need access backstage. And for that, we’ll need new outfits.”
“I figured you’d say that,” MJ murmured.
“It might help to split up,” Gwen said. “We can cover more ground separately. Plus we’ll draw less attention if we’re wandering around as individuals.”
“Good call,” Felicia agreed. “You up for it, Red?”
MJ sighed. “I don’t know about this… We’ve already knocked out three innocent civilians tonight.”
Felicia rolled her eyes. “Oh, brother…”
Gwen thought for a moment, then drew the tranquilizer gun from the pocket of her (well, from Jessica’s) trench coat and handed it to MJ.
“Here… You can use this. It’s the most painless way of knocking someone out I can think of.”
MJ looked surprised. “How’d you get that past security?”
“SHIELD tech. It’s made of a special alloy that’s immune to sensors. Do you want it or not?”
MJ looked as if she were about to argue, but after a moment’s thought, she nodded.
“Good, glad that’s all settled,” Felicia said with a note of impatience in her voice. “Now we’ll need to stay in contact with each other over our earpieces. And if either Red or I find Taylor first, we’ll need to get in contact with Gwen quickly – she’s the only one who has the super-strength to face Taylor in hand-to-hand combat.”
“Surprisingly humble of you to admit that,” MJ couldn’t resist interjecting.
Gwen continued before Felicia could think of a retort. “I also have a woman on the inside – Captain Watanabe is in the building, overseeing security from the police department. She also has an axe to grind against Taylor and her team – after they played her for a fool by having Charlotte pose as Kate Bishop and distract the police from interfering with their plans.”
“You’re staying in contact with her?” MJ asked.
“Not over the radio… Too risky,” Gwen added. “But I arranged to rendezvous with her backstage during the debate. She may be able to help us.”
“How?”
Gwen smiled. “Captain Watanabe is a superhero herself,” she explained. “She’s the costumed vigilante known as the Wraith – keeps her identity secret even from her own men, but we Spider-People found out a little while ago.”
MJ frowned. “Does everyone have a costumed superhero identity except me?”
Felicia patted her on the back. “Cheer up, girl. You make a great sidekick.”
She then quickly changed the subject, noting the look on MJ’s face. “Anyway, time to get moving. Remember, girls, stay in contact. And be careful – Taylor and her team could be anywhere… and masquerading as anyone.”
*******************
Yuri Watanabe was not in a good mood.
The police captain already had her hands full dealing with the criminals of the city before the “Team Awesome” idiots showed up, and she didn’t want to give them any undeserved attention. But when they played her for a fool by replacing Kate Bishop and tricking the captain into sending the NYPD on a wild-goose chase, well… that made her angry. And more importantly, it put these villainesses in her crosshairs.
So even though the NYPD was short-staffed at the moment, she had opted to take part in the security overseeing the debate herself. If she ran into Taylor or any of her teammates on this night… well, all the worse for them.
Yuri Watanabe was a tall Japanese-American woman in her mid-thirties, with light skin and chin-length black hair. She wore a rather unremarkable brown jacket over a white button-down shirt, blue jeans, and brown loafers. She preferred to keep her clothes casual, especially when on the job.
Yuri had a set of less-casual clothes, though, when the need demanded it. That’s because, in addition to working within the law, she occasionally needed to operate outside of it – as a costumed vigilante known as the Wraith. Though she had no superpowers, she had obtained enough tech confiscated by the NYPD from various supervillains to have a formidable weapons cache of her own.
Few people knew of Yuri’s identity, outside of a few superheroes she occasionally allied herself with. One of these heroes was Ghost Spider, who had let Yuri know ahead of time she would also be monitoring the debate. Yuri had agreed to work with Ghost Spider as a woman on the inside, allowing her to gain intel from both the NYPD and the Spider-Team.
So far, though, Yuri hadn’t received any intel – she was wandering around the backstage hall of the debate, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. She had instructed her officers to do the same. Thus far, no suspicious activity had presented itself.
“Excuse me, Captain Watanabe?”
Yuri turned. The voice had come from a woman standing behind her.
The woman had light skin and black hair in a collarbone-long square cut. She was dressed in a white button-down shirt, black suit and tie, and shiny black shoes. An earpiece was affixed to her right ear, and a pair of sunglasses hid her eyes. She appeared to be a security guard for one of the presidential candidates.
“What is it, agent?” Yuri asked.
“We caught some trespassers trying to sneak in backstage,” the woman informed her. “A group of women. We’re holding them for questioning, but as a captain of the local police, we figured you should be the first to know.”
For the first time that night, Yuri smiled. “Excellent. I think I know exactly who those women are. Lead the way.”
The security agent nodded and led Captain Watanabe further backstage, away from the workers and security personnel and to a rear hallway. They stopped at a small room at the rear.
“Right inside,” the agent said, holding the door open for the captain.
The room was dark. Yuri took a few steps forward, then stopped as a blur of motion caught the corner of her eye.
The agent was reaching for her gun.
Yuri reacted fast, grabbing the woman’s wrist. The gun fired but missed the captain, shooting a wad of paste at the wall.
“What the…?” Yuri scowled. “You’re not a real security guard!”
“Give the lady a cigar,” the woman grinned. She broke free of the captain’s grip. “Just filling in for… uugh!”
She did not have time to dodge as Yuri judo-chopped the base of her neck. The woman slumped to the floor, out cold.
For the first time, Yuri got a good look at the “security guard” – and recognized her face from police files. It was Michelle Meyer, the Trapstr.
Yuri was debating whether to wake the woman up when another sound caught her ears – the sound of mewling, coming from a nearby broom closet.
She threw open the closet door and gasped. On the floor sat three… no, four women, all dressed in their underwear. All of them were bound with white clothesline and gagged with black tape, and struggling to be set free.
Three of the women were tall and athletically built. They were dressed in white exercise bras and matching boyshorts. Yuri guessed they were security guards. The fourth woman was smaller and slimmer, with a red underwire bra and frilly pink panties. She was too small to be a guard, and was probably some other member of Carnegie staff.
Yuri’s first impulse was to set them free – but she stopped herself. Four women minus their uniforms meant that four imposters were walking around. She had found one in Trapstr, but there were three more… and they could be anywhere in the building.
She couldn’t waste time freeing the bound and gagged women. And she also couldn’t use Trapstr’s stolen comm-link to alert the rest of the security detail. If Taylor’s team had infiltrated the security units, they would have radios too, and know she was on to them.
In short, she couldn’t handle this herself. At least, Captain Yuri Watanabe couldn’t handle it. But the Wraith could.
“Sit tight, girls,” she told the struggling women. “You’ll be safe in here. I’ll be back to free you soon.”
The women whimpered in protest as Yuri closed the closet door.
She ducked into a back room and changed quickly into her costume – a skintight purple outfit, complete with face-concealing mask, and yellow piping along the limbs and torso.
With weapons at the ready, she exited the room. Trapstr was still on the floor, starting to stir.
Yuri grabbed her by the collar and hoisted her up.
“Wha…? Hey!”
“Where are your friends?” Yuri asked, using the deep, intimidating voice she always used when playing the part of the Wraith. “Talk fast.”
To her surprise and chagrin, Trapstr chuckled.
“What’s so funny? This place is filled with security cameras. Your team won’t stay hidden for long.”
“The security cameras are on a loop,” Trapstr replied. “I hacked into them and altered their feed. The security guards won’t know we’re here… unless and until we need to knock out any of them for a disguise, of course.”
Yuri shoved her against the wall.
“This is your last warning, Meyer. Where are your teammates? Answer now, or… Ungh!”
It happened fast, a quick blur of motion. Then a powerful electric shock coursed through Yuri’s body.
As she fell to the floor, she saw a second woman standing behind her. Right before lapsing into unconsciousness, she heard Trapstr’s taunting laugh.
“That’s a nice costume you’re wearing, Captain Watanabe…”
****************
Alyson stepped gingerly around some wires as she maneuvered her way towards the makeup room.
The young makeup artist had navigated these corridors before, but it was busier than usual tonight, and there was a lot more electronic circuitry strewn about.
Alyson was slim and pretty, with copper-red hair and alabaster skin. She wore a black T-shirt and slim black pants, flat white shoes and a microphone headset. The strap of her makeup kit was slung over her shoulder.
She spoke into her microphone. “Brenda? I’m on my way to finish up hair and makeup on the candidates… Is there anything else they need?”
She listened and nodded. “Of course. Ten minutes.”
As Alyson stepped past a storage room, a small silver dart whistled out through the crack in the door. It struck the young woman in her left bicep.
“Ow!” Alyson raised her eyebrows. She reached over and plucked the dart from her arm, then held it up and stared at it. “What the…?”
Her eyes blinked several times in rapid succession. Then she staggered backwards, her knees losing their strength to stand upright.
Mary Jane quickly emerged from the storage room and caught the unfortunate makeup artist before she lost consciousness.
“I hate to do this,” she whispered to the rapidly weakening woman. “Especially to a fellow redhead. But… I need your clothes.”
It was unclear if Alyson could understand or even hear her. The makeup artist’s eyes had fluttered closed, and she slumped in MJ’s grip. The tranquilizer dart had worked quickly – and, MJ hoped, painlessly.
She dragged the woman backwards into the closet and closed the door.
If Gwen’s assessment of the tranquilizers could be believed, Alyson would be out cold for several hours. Therefore, MJ reasoned, there was no need to humiliate or inconvenience the poor girl more than necessary by binding and gagging her. She simply stripped the makeup artist to her blue bandeau bra and matching cheeky panties, and left her in a corner of the storage closet, covering her with a tarp so she wouldn’t get too cold.
MJ dressed quickly in Alyson’s clothes, trying not to glance back at the slumbering woman in the corner. She fitted the headset over her hair and headed for the door.
**************
Felicia followed a few journalists down the main hall. Then, at first chance, she slipped into the ladies’ room.
Always a prime venue for a girl in need of a disguise.
The restroom was empty at the moment, a stroke of luck that Felicia did not take for granted. She would need to move quickly, and hope her luck would hold out a bit longer.
She entered one of the stalls and closed the door, peering through the crack. Waiting for a woman who could give her the access she needed.
The next woman to enter was another journalist, as was the one after that. Neither one would provide Felicia with full backstage access – and neither was Felicia’s size, anyway. They both left after washing up.
Just as the woman known as the Black Cat was starting to rethink her plan, the door to the restroom opened again. In walked another woman, who appeared to be chatting to herself – but Felicia quickly saw she was talking into a microphone headset.
“Yes, I’m just washing up now… Make sure hair and makeup is done within the next ten minutes, okay? Thanks, Alyson.”
The woman was tall and of average build, with light skin and sandy hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore a black short-sleeve polo shirt, grey jeans, and white sneakers. A black baseball cap was fitted over her head. As the woman headed for the sinks, Felicia caught sight of her nametag in the bathroom mirror: “Brenda – Backstage Coordinator.”
Jackpot.
Felicia exited the stall and strode nonchalantly to the sinks, sidling up to the one beside the woman called Brenda.
The coordinator nodded politely at her. Felicia nodded back, and pretended to check her makeup in the bathroom mirror.
“Do you have any mascara?” she asked.
Brenda shook her head. “Sorry, don’t have anything on me… Just been focused on making sure the show tonight runs smoothly.”
“I’ll bet,” Felicia remarked. She removed a lipstick container from her pocket and unscrewed the top, then let the cap slip through her fingers to clatter on the floor. “Oh! Butterfingers…”
“Allow me.” Brenda smiled and bent down to retrieve the fallen lipstick cap.
“You’re such a dear,” Felicia smiled as she eyed the back of Brenda’s now-exposed neck. “I think you’ve earned the night off.”
Before Brenda could straighten up, Felicia aimed a quick judo chop to her neck. The backstage coordinator let out a soft moan and slumped forward.
Felicia caught the woman, then quickly dragged her by the armpits into the nearest bathroom stall. She shut the door for privacy.
Minutes later, Felicia opened the door and stepped out of the stall, dressed now in the backstage coordinator’s uniform and cap.
Brenda sat on the toilet seat, dressed only in a lavender pair of bikini bra and panties. She was bound and gagged with a liberal helping of black duct tape.
Felicia shut the stall door, then used her lipstick container to scrawl the words “OUT OF ORDER” on the front.
“Picked up that trick from Yelena Belova,” she remarked. “So long, Brenda. And thanks for the backstage pass.”
She exited the restroom and made a beeline for the first “Employees Only” door she could find.
******************
Gwen clutched at the trench coat she wore as she wandered down the hall past the camera room.
The coat was supposed to give her the appearance of a docile and harmless photographer, but she couldn’t help feeling it inadvertently made her look more suspicious. Certainly, Felicia was right in saying that the photographer disguises would only go so far.
Gwen needed to get backstage in order to rendezvous with Captain Watanabe. And to do that, she would need a change of clothes. The only question was…
“Are you lost?”
The question was direct, assertive. It came from a frowning woman who now stepped in Gwen’s view.
The woman was of average height well-toned build, with light skin, an angular face, and black hair. She wore a red uniform jumpsuit, a red helmet with a yellow protective visor, and black combat boots. A black equipment belt was strapped around her waist, and black protective pads covered her knees and elbows. A holster pouch was strapped to her right thigh, and she brandished an imposing machine gun. A nametag stitched on the fabric of her suit read “Marilyn.”
Gwen recognized the woman’s attire from Felicia’s description – she was an agent of Orchis. Felicia had mugged an agent of this organization for her uniform not long ago.
“I said, are you lost?” The Orchis agent snapped her fingers in front of Gwen’s face. “Or are you deaf as well?”
Gwen took an instant dislike to this woman. She also noted that an Orchis uniform would probably be a decent disguise for her to utilize in getting backstage, but this woman wasn’t her size. She would need to find a better option.
“I’m just looking for the Ladies’ room,” Gwen said, using the time-honored excuse of any woman trying to play coy during an infiltration. “I was told it’s down this hall…”
“Well, you were told wrong,” Marilyn replied. “Reporters and photographers aren’t allowed in this area. We have enough trouble as it is with all these muties lurking about.”
The casual use of the term made Gwen wince, though she tried not to show it. “I’ll… just be on my way then.”
She turned to leave, and heard the guard speak into her radio.
“All clear in this sector, boss… Maybe the muties got scared and decided not to show up.”
Gwen clenched her fists. She turned to face the Orchis agent.
“I don’t like that word,” she said tersely.
“Don’t care what you do or don’t like, honey,” Marilyn replied. “Just wiggle your ass back down the hall and… Urk!”
She gasped suddenly as Gwen lifted her up by the collar.
“On second thought, maybe I can fit into your uniform after all.”
Gwen’s prediction would prove correct, though she first needed to convince Marilyn to part with her precious uniform – a task she accomplished swiftly, though not painlessly.
Ten minutes later, she was zipping up the red Orchis jumpsuit and fitting the helmet over her blonde hair. The jumpsuit was made of a surprisingly durable fabric, and adjusted itself to fit Gwen’s proportions. On went the boots and the elbow and knee protectors, along with the thigh holster.
Then Gwen turned her attention to Marilyn, who lay unconscious on the floor of the storage room that Gwen had unceremoniously ushered her into. The woman wore nothing but a black racerback bra, eggshell-white hiphuggers, and purple ankle socks.
Normally, Gwen would use her webbing to restrain the victim, but she knew the risks of leaving any evidence that could trace her intrusion back to her. Instead, she retrieved some white cables and green duct tape from an upper shelf of the storeroom and set about binding and gagging the woman the old-fashioned way.
Once the Orchis agent was silenced, and Gwen was suited, the woman known as Ghost-Spider stepped out of the storeroom and headed for the backstage entrance, where she hoped Captain Watanabe would be waiting for her.
******************
The debate was just beginning as Gwen reached the backstage wing. She heard Kelly grumbling to his aides behind the stage.
“Where’s that makeup girl go? I’m about to go on television in front of fifty million people, I can’t look like this!”
“You look fine, sir,” his aide assured him.
Gwen’s eyes scanned the area behind her yellow-tinted Orchis visor. Another guard – this one from Silver Sable Security – was standing at the wall a few feet away from Kelly, her arms folded.
The silver-clad security woman caught sight of Gwen and gave her a dirty look. That didn’t surprise Gwen – most likely the different security teams considered themselves in competition with one another at the debate. Sable’s team wanted nothing to do with Orchis.
Consider yourself lucky, ma’am… It could’ve been you tied up in your underwear now instead of that Orchis woman I crossed paths with.
Still, Gwen was glad circumstances had allowed her to mug an Orchis guard instead of a Silver Sable guard – she generally preferred to mug people who deserved it.
Weirdly, Yuri Watanabe was nowhere to be seen – not at the original rendezvous point, nor anywhere else in the public backstage area.
Some noises caught Gwen’s ears from behind a dusty curtain. She parted the curtain stepped gingerly into an isolated location beyond the stage. It was dark; she unclipped a flashlight from her Orchis belt and shined it around.
There was movement in the shadows. Gwen squinted. “Hello?”
She shined her flashlight in the direction of the movement – a woman, in a skintight purple-and-yellow outfit that covered her from head to toe.
“Oh! Er…” The woman appeared startled.
“Wraith?” Gwen asked.
The woman called Wraith nodded. “Yes, that’s me.”
“What are you doing in your costume?” Gwen asked. “Aren’t you already permitted access to this whole facility with your police badge?”
The woman seemed to scowl beneath her mask. “I don’t need to tell anything to you Orchis agents. I…”
“No, it’s me.” Gwen kept her helmet on to conceal her identity, but pointed at her face. “Ghost Spider, remember?”
The woman nodded. “…Right. Of course.”
“Why weren’t you at the rendezvous point?” Gwen asked.
“I ran into some trouble,” the woman replied. “Plans change, you know? And I needed my Wraith costume. This job requires us to be stealthy tonight, under the radar.”
Something about Watanabe’s voice sounded different than usual, but Gwen assumed that was due to the mask changing her voice. “Anyway, my friends and I managed to sneak in. What’s the status?”
“Nothing to report. I’ve been monitoring for any suspicious activity, but no sign of Taylor or any of her teammates.”
Gwen frowned. “What? We went to all this trouble to sneak in, and they weren’t even here?”
“Sorry. Can’t win ‘em all…”
Gwen sighed and spoke into her communicator. “Cat, MJ… Meet me in the backstage storage room.”
She turned to her companion. “Stick around. Maybe you can still help us.”
The masked woman nodded. “I’ll do my best.”
**********************
The team regrouped rather quickly, with MJ and Felicia’s disguises allowing them to slip backstage with little hassle.
The area was soundproofed so as not to interfere with the main stage, but from the distance, they could briefly hear the debate beginning, with Robert Kelly giving his opening statement.
Felicia smiled as she glanced at MJ’s makeup artist outfit, then at her own backstage coordinator uniform. “Well, looks like I’ve been made your boss.”
MJ frowned but held her tongue.
Felicia’s grin broadened when she saw Gwen’s Orchis uniform and read the “Marilyn” nametag. “Ah… looks like you’ve met an old friend of mine.”
Gwen raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Marilyn was also the name of the agent I mugged at the Orchis compound a few nights ago. Did you get to strip her of her uniform? I didn’t…”
Eager to change the subject, MJ turned to Gwen’s associate. “I assume this is Wraith?”
The masked woman nodded. “That’s me. Pleasure to meet you.”
Felicia stared at her. “Is it?”
The woman turned to her. “Felicia Hardy, isn’t it? Nice to meet you as well…”
Felicia frowned.
“We’ve met before, Captain Watanabe,” she said. “Back when you were a detective. You tried to arrest me, after some burglaries I committed a few years ago.”
“Oh! Right, I… forgot. I catch a lot of criminals, you know…”
Felicia raised an eyebrow. “You forgot the cat burglar who tied you up and escaped in your uniform?”
MJ looked surprised. “You mugged Captain Watanabe for her uniform?”
“She wasn’t a captain back then,” Felicia corrected. Then she turned back to the masked woman, who shifted uncomfortably.
“You’re not the real Yuri Watanabe,” she said. “Are you?”
Before the woman could respond, Felicia reached out and yanked the purple mask off “Wraith’s” head.
The face that stared back at Felicia, Gwen, and MJ now was, in fact, the face of Yuri Watanabe.
“Look, it’s me!” she said with a hapless smile.
Felicia raised her fist. “I’m giving you five seconds to drop the charade. Then you start losing teeth.”
The woman gulped. Then, rapidly, her face began to change shape. It became that of a tan-skinned woman with curly light brown hair.
“Charlotte,” Felicia scowled.
“Where’s the real captain?” Gwen demanded.
Charlotte grinned. “I’m afraid she’s a little…”
Felicia jabbed a finger towards her. “Don’t you dare say it.”
“…tied up at the moment.”
Felicia scowled. “You little…”
She grabbed Charlotte by the collar. “Allow me to land a few ‘hits’ of my own in our rivalry…”
The shape-shifter closed her eyes and braced herself. “No! I'm not into the kinky stuff!” she begged.
There was a long beat.
Then Mary Jane burst out laughing.
“S-sorry... It's… It's nerves…”
Gwen covered her mouth with her hand. Clearly, it was to hide some giggle of hers.
Felicia grimaced.
Charlotte opened one eye. “You... You're not beating me up?”
“No. It's too weird now. You made it weird, Charlotte.”
“Code names!” the latter reflexively retorted.
Felicia’s left eye twitched. “On second thought... maybe just one slap...”
However, before she could carry out her threat, a voice interrupted her:
“I think that’s enough.”
It was Taylor, dressed as a security guard. But she wasn’t alone.
Sarah was half-hiding behind her, dressed as a stagehand. Next to them were two other women in security uniforms – Screwball and Trapstr.
And, most importantly, Trapstr had the real Yuri Watanabe slung over her shoulder. The police captain had been stripped to a dark blue demicup bra and white boyshorts. She was handcuffed and gagged with a white cloth.
“For infiltrators, you can be awfully loud,” Taylor added.
MJ and Felicia shared a glance. They were facing the very scenario they had hoped to avoid – a direct confrontation.
However, this time they had Gwen with them. Given what they knew of Taylor’s powers, Ghost Spider had a chance in a straight fight.
Felicia tightened her hold on Charlotte. They also had their hostage. It was most likely the only reason why Taylor hadn’t attempted to attack them yet.
“Sparks! It’s horrible! She wants to slap me!” the shapeshifter exclaimed as if it was the most awful torture ever.
“I can hardly blame her.” Taylor glared icily at the cat burglar. “But I still must insist she release you unharmed.”
“A prisoner exchange?” Gwen intervened.
A knife suddenly appeared in Taylor’s hand. She was fast on the draw!
The mercenary placed the blade near Yuri’s throat. The police captain moaned into her gag.
“No. More like her life for your surrender.”
“What about your friend?” Gwen glanced at Charlotte. Felicia tightened her grip on the shapeshifter’s arm, causing Charlotte to wince.
“Unlike me, you don’t have it in you to murder someone in cold blood.”
It was a factual statement. Gwen, Felicia, and MJ remembered the footage of Taylor. The cold efficiency of a former government-trained assassin. They knew she was right.
“You’d do it in front of Sarah? I thought you cared.” Mary Jane intervened.
The blonde winced and grimaced.
Taylor’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “You have no idea of the lengths I’m ready to go for her.”
“I do. I’ve seen Jefferson’s files.”
Felicia’s right eye briefly twitched. Of course MJ wouldn’t be able to keep her mouth shut!
There was a short beat. The other women were genuinely taken by surprise. Unfortunately, Taylor was too disciplined to let herself be distracted.
“I suppose that explains many things,” MJ added. “An eye for an eye. They hurt you, you hurt them.”
“This isn’t about revenge.”
“But I bet it’s a pretty nice bonus. I don’t see how making hundreds of families trample themselves to death would serve you otherwise.”
Sarah cowered slightly. Because of her empathy, MJ’s words – and the emotions they carried – were painful to her.
“You’re talking of things you don’t understand.” Taylor’s voice was still subdued, but they could discern she was angry.
Of course, MJ didn’t know when to stop. She too was getting angry, but she was a lot less subdued. “I’d be curious to know how killing people will make things better!” she retorted. “After what you lived through, I thought you of all people wouldn’t want to ruin other people’s lives!”
Distressed, Sarah put her head between her hands. “Stop it! Stop that noise!” she suddenly exclaimed.
Taylor didn’t flinch. “You heard the lady. Last chance.” The knife moved closer to Yuri’s throat.
Gwen put a hand on MJ’s shoulder to intimate her to stay quiet. “Felicia. Let Charlotte go,” she finally said.
The cat burglar was briefly tempted to argue against the idea. But there was something in Gwen’s voice that stopped her. Something only a friend of hers could perceive. Ghost Spider had a plan.
Felicia released Charlotte. The latter swiftly scurried off, joining her teammates.
Taylor looked satisfied.
But she had underestimated Gwen. It wasn’t much of a surprise. Gwen wasn’t in her costume. Taylor didn’t know who “Marilyn” really was.
Felicia kept control of her face when she realized Gwen’s plan.
Suddenly, during the brief second when Charlotte was blocking her view in Taylor’s line of sight, Gwen moved the hand she had previously put on MJ’s shoulder…
… and shot a web at the knife Taylor was holding, disarming her.
Then all hell broke loose. The villainesses charged.
Taylor was quick to evaluate the situation. She jumped to the side just as Gwen shot another web at her.
Meanwhile, Charlotte barreled toward Felicia, her confidence restored. “You should’ve hit me when you had the chance!”
“I’ve got the chance right now,” Felicia snarled. And before Charlotte could react, Felicia did just that.
Nearby, Screwball did a parkour move off the wall and leaped at Mary Jane.
“I’ve owed you one, sister… ever since that night you mugged me at the warehouse! But no one makes a fool of Screwball twice!”
MJ didn’t bother correcting the woman by explaining that she had already mugged Screwball twice – the villainess probably didn’t realize MJ had mugged her at the Horizon Institute – but instead concentrated on dodging Screwball’s tackle.
Screwball quickly got up again, grabbing MJ’s collar. The villainess was fast, and more than willing to fight.
MJ needed an advantage. Instinctively, she rummaged around the pocket of her pants, and her fingers closed around a small makeup compact.
She held it up, popped it open, and blew the dust in Screwball’s face.
“Ackpth!” Screwball recoiled suddenly – without her visor, she was caught blind.
Thank you, Alyson, MJ smiled as she rammed Screwball in the stomach.
Nearby, Trapstr was rummaging around for her paste-gun. To reach it, she had to drop Yuri Watanabe to the floor – and that was her mistake.
Though gagged and handcuffed, Yuri still had the use of her legs – and she lashed out, sweeping Trapstr’s own legs out from under her. She then kicked the paste-gun away, then quickly used her legs to leverage Trapstr to the floor.
“Ow! Get off, you stupid bimbo!”
Yuri ignored her, and focused on her handcuffs. The villains had used her own handcuffs to restrain her, which was another mistake – Yuri always kept a spare key in her bra. After jostling it loose, she set about freeing herself.
At the center of it all, Taylor dodged another of Gwen’s webs and reached out to hit Gwen with an electric shock. But Ghost Spider was too fast, ducking the move and grabbing Taylor’s shoulders. She flipped Taylor over and pinned her to the floor.
Taylor could see Sarah, cowering in the corner. “Sarah, do something!”
Sarah’s mind was still swirling with MJ’s words, and all the heightened emotions that came with the violence around her was only disorienting her. “I… I…”
“Sarah!” Taylor’s voice was forceful, commanding, with a threatening undertone.
Sarah shut her eyes and concentrated. She couldn’t focus on any one individual, nor could she use her powers at full strength – there were too many people, moving too quickly, to direct her powers in any specific way. But she projected her powers outward, toward the people Taylor and her teammates considered their enemies.
All at once, Gwen, Felicia, MJ, and Yuri froze, and blinked. They all fell to the floor, momentarily disoriented.
The villainesses got to their feet.
Trapstr grinned and reached for her paste-gun. “Time for Round Two…”
At that moment, the women heard voices from down the hall.
“Damn!” Taylor frowned. “All this fighting is bringing too much attention. We need to get out of here!”
Charlotte blinked. “But… what about Kelly? The debate…”
“It’s too late now. We need to get out of here before they lock this place down! Come on, Jenna should be waiting with the getaway car out back!”
Taylor quickly headed for the nearest exit, with her four associates at her tail.
*****************
Gwen sat up, shaking off the effects of Taylor’s electric jolt. Taylor and her team had disappeared.
Around her, MJ, Felicia, and Yuri groaned and got to their feet.
“We almost had them that time…” Felicia grumbled. “Almost…”
“Cheer up,” MJ said brightly. “We stopped them this time, didn’t we? I call that a win.”
Gwen held up a finger for silence. “Wait… I hear something.”
She peeked through the curtain into the adjoining stage room. There were people milling about, clearly wondering what the sounds of fighting they’d heard minutes ago were all about.
Gwen turned back to her friends. “We need to get out of here.”
As they moved further down the dark hallway, Gwen grabbed a fallen curtain and gave it to Yuri, who was still in her underwear. “Here… cover yourself.”
Yuri accepted the curtain gratefully, draping it over her shoulders. “Those women took me by surprise… again. When I get my hands on them…”
Then she glanced over at Felicia. “Wait… aren’t you the Black Cat?”
She turned to Gwen. “Why are you working with one of the city’s most notorious cat burglars?”
“Lovely to see you again too, Captain,” Felicia said dryly.
Gwen sighed. “Look, Captain Watanabe… I can’t explain everything right now. But please – no one can know I was here tonight. If word gets out that Ghost Spider was at the presidential debate – a debate where a violent superpowered altercation broke out – I’m doomed. We’re all doomed.”
Yuri considered this for a moment, then nodded. “Okay… you’ve earned my trust, even if your friend hasn’t.”
Felicia was about to make another snide remark when Gwen silenced her with an angry look.
“The building is probably blocked off by now,” MJ said. “I saw police cars outside when we first entered.”
Yuri nodded. “I commissioned several NYPD officers as backup security in case anything went wrong.”
The police are probably checking the IDs of everyone leaving the building,” Gwen added. “We won’t be able to leave, even with our current disguises.”
“Maybe Captain Watanabe here can tell them to let us through,” MJ offered.
“And draw extra attention to us?” Felicia raised an eyebrow. “No thank you.”
Gwen nodded. “I hate to say it, but Felicia’s right. The only people getting into and out of the building right now are the ones dressed as cops.”
Yuri caught the look in her eye and the meaning of her words.
She sighed. “All right… I don’t like what you’re thinking, but you girls did just save my life. I’ll help you get out of here, the only way you can.”
She raised her wristwatch – which came with a built-in police radio – to her lips.
“Officers Cooper, Lee, and DeWolff – this is your captain. I need you in the backstage supply room immediately. Repeat, Officers Cooper, Lee, and DeWolff, you are needed in the supply room backstage.”
Yuri shut off her radio and turned to Felicia, Gwen, and MJ.
“All I ask is that you be gentle with them. I’m going to have enough of a headache with the paperwork as it is…”
********************
Officers Carlie Cooper, Terri Lee, and Jean DeWolff had each worked for the New York Police Department for a little over two years, and had become close allies in that time. Rarely, in fact, were the three young women seen absent one another on assignment.
The trio shared a passion for law enforcement, of course – but they also shared a passion for some lighter things, like the theater. So when their boss, Captain Watanabe, needed three extra helping hands at the job at Carnegie Hall, the three young officers were happy to volunteer.
“The captain’s voice sounded urgent,” Carlie told her partners as they headed down the hallway to the backstage area. A light-skinned woman with glasses and reddish-brown hair in a loose ponytail, she had long considered Yuri Watanabe a role model, and did whatever she could to please her.
“I don’t blame her,” Terri replied. “This whole situation has turned into a mess… I’ll bet they cancel the rest of the debate.” A dark-skinned woman with brown hair tied back in a stern ponytail, she was the most stoic and cynical of the trio.
“And here we thought this was going to be an ordinary night at the theater,” Jean murmured. A Native American woman with tanned skin and shoulder-length jet-black hair, she often used her dry sense of humor to compensate for some of the tougher aspects of her job.
All three officers were dressed in the standard dark blue jackets, pants, peaked caps, and black shoes that made up the uniform of the NYPD. They moved in tandem as they approached the signal of their captain’s radio call.
Carlie drew the curtain aside. “Captain, you called?”
No answer. The room appeared empty.
The three officers looked around.
“You sure the call came from here?” Jean asked.
“Maybe the captain got called away,” Terri reasoned. “There’s a lot going on right… ow!”
She slapped the side of her neck. “I think a wasp just stung me.”
“A wasp?” Jean smirked. “I didn’t know Janet Van Dyne was around here.”
Terri frowned. “Not that Wasp, dummy.” She rubbed her neck and blinked a couple of times.
“Whatever happened to the Wasp lately?” Jean asked. “Haven’t heard from her in a few weeks… Not since someone broke into her house, tied her up, and stole her costume.”
Carlie slapped the side of her own neck. “Ouch! I think I just got stung, too.”
“Maybe Janet is going around stinging people,” Jean said amusedly. “She’s angry at the cops who couldn’t prevent her from getting her uniform stolen.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “These Avengers think they’re so high and mighty… but I’ve always said that we police officers are the real heroes of New York. And more importantly, no one ever tries to mug us for our unif—”
She winced as a third tranquilizer dart hit her, just above the shoulder.
The three policewomen stared at one another, in strangeness and confusion.
Then, one by one, they slid to the floor and lay still.
Gwen stepped out of the shadows, tranquilizer gun in hand.
“Good thing I packed enough darts.” She turned to Felicia and MJ. “Come on, let’s get their uniforms.”
Felicia grinned, eyeing the unconscious Carlie. “I call dibs on the girl with the smarty glasses.”
Yuri, still hidden in the shadows, caught her eye and scowled. “Watch yourself, Hardy. I could still arrest you.”
Felicia didn’t like being threatened, certainly not by cops. But she chose not to push her luck. Instead, she knelt down alongside her partners, and the three women began relieving the unconscious officers of their uniforms.
Before long, the NYPD had three unofficial new recruits, with Felicia, Gwen, and MJ now decked out in blue police uniforms and caps. Despite her inherent dislike of law enforcement, Felicia couldn’t resist striking a pose.
“You look good in blue, Red,” she smiled at MJ. “If the sidekick gig ever falls through, you can join the police academy.”
“Very clever,” MJ shot back. “If the cat burglar business ever fails, you can join the city’s comedy club.”
Yuri glanced down at the three slumbering officers, all of whom had now been bound and gagged with silver duct tape. Carlie wore only a white exercise bra and burgundy hipsters. Terri sported a green bikini bra and matching tanga panties. Jean was left in a grey camisole top and black briefs.
“You’ll need to tie me up as well,” Yuri told Gwen. “Can’t have anyone suspecting I was in on this. Then just leave me in the closet with my three officers. I’ll come up with a story when we’re found and freed.”
Gwen nodded, and held up the duct tape roll. “Thanks for all your help,” she told the captain as she began binding her wrists.
“Thank you for saving my life,” Yuri replied. “Taylor and her goons may have wanted to scare me tonight, but they’ve just made me more determined to take them down than ever.”
Any further commentary was silenced as Gwen smoothed a piece of tape over Yuri Watanabe’s cheeks. Still, the captain’s eyes retained a look of cold determination.
Gwen didn’t blame her. She wanted to take down Taylor and her team as well. Tonight, Gwen and her friends had succeeded in thwarting the villains’ plans. That was encouraging, even if they had not been able to apprehend those villains.
Once the four officers had been safely stowed away, Gwen, MJ, and Felicia exited the stage room and made their way outside. From there, they walked safely through the police line.
“So what’s our next move?” MJ asked when they were well away from the crowd.
Felicia eyed her outfit. “Get out of this police uniform, for starters. Being dressed as a policewoman feels like a betrayal of my profession.”
Gwen ignored the comment.
Once again, she was deep in thought. Thinking about where Taylor and her team would strike next.
viewtopic.php?t=10478
Special thanks to Rufus as well for writing a few passages and providing insight into the characters he introduced to the series. Enjoy.
-----------------------
“Bad news,” Gwen announced grimly. “Something happened. Something bad.”
Felicia winced in anticipation. “It’s just going to be one of those days, isn’t it?”
“What happened?” MJ added.
“You know the brand-new Avengers Tower?”
“Don’t tell me…”
Gwen nodded. “It’s been infiltrated.”
“That’s bad,” Felicia deadpanned.
“Worse than bad. They’ve crippled most of their technology. And they even managed to salvage some version of Ultron for Magneto.”
“Why would he do that? Magneto’s not an idiot. He knows better than to reactivate Ultron,” MJ argued.
“They fear he may be able to reprogram it. Remove the AI, only keep the technology.”
The thought was indeed worrisome.
Felicia scratched her chin. “He’s taking a big risk. He must know they’ll relocate all their manpower to catch him now that he has the technology. What is he hoping to accomplish?”
Gwen sat down and massaged her head. MJ and Felicia shared a glance. They knew better than to bother her when she was in deep reflection.
“A distraction,” Gwen finally commented. “They want to make sure the heavy hitters of SHIELD and the Avengers have their hands full during the next few weeks. While they’re busy chasing after Magneto and his main lieutenants, Taylor will have her hands free.”
“Another attempt against Robert Kelly?”
“Most likely. Ultron is a world-level threat. The Avengers have no choice but make it their priority. Comparatively, even the presidential elections are less important… They may even believe the attempts against Kelly were a distraction to have them spread their forces, and allow the theft at the Tower…”
“But we know better, don’t we?” Felicia commented with a small smile.
It was indeed something only people well-versed in the art of infiltration could understand. One didn't spend so many efforts and resources to build a well-balanced team, or performed so many heists, just for a distraction. But among the Avengers, only Black Widow would recognize that and she would most likely be outvoted.
“When would they strike?” MJ intervened.
Gwen searched something on her phone, then showed it to her friends.
The newspaper article was mentioning the upcoming live presidential debate between Robert Kelly and his opponent, Ken Wind.
“Fury ran a simulation after the near-stampede at the rally, to try and predict which future events were the likeliest to be infiltrated and hijacked. He used the best AI algorithm SHIELD has. The live presidential debate was the computer’s first pick.”
“Two different security details having to share the same building,” Felicia reasoned. “Add in Orchis and Silver Sable Security, plus all the staff at the event, and you have the nightmare of any head of security… and any professional infiltrator’s dream.”
Gwen shook her head.
“Things are getting out of hand.” she declared. “I’m going to warn Robert Kelly. He must cancel the debate.”
“You think he’ll listen?”
“I have the number SHIELD uses to contact him directly,” Gwen explained as she punched the numbers into her phone. “He doesn’t have to know the tip comes from the Spider-Team.”
She put her cellphone on speaker.
“Hello?” a male voice asked.
It wasn’t Robert Kelly himself, though Felicia was sure she had heard that voice before.
“Quick! I need to talk to Kelly! There-”
“Wait, wait, wait. I know that voice. You’re the Spider Girl, right?”
Gwen was briefly taken aback by the interruption. “Uh, yes. Ghost Spider, actually.”
“I wasn’t referring to your name. Mutant.” The man was speaking evenly. Yet, he had also managed to make the last word sound like a slur.
Gwen frowned. “Excuse me. Who am I speaking to?”
“William Jefferson. The one and only.”
Felicia grimaced, but didn’t make a peep. She couldn’t let Jefferson know she was helping Gwen! He would connect the dots with her raid on his facility a few hours ago.
Though something wasn’t adding up. It had been hours. Black Cat’s infiltration of Orchis’ headquarters, her theft of compromising data, and Firestar’s escape should have been discovered by now. But Jefferson sounded incredibly jovial for someone who had just been victim of a major breach of security. Instinctively, Felicia sensed danger.
Gwen remained calm and spoke with a carefully neutral voice. “This number is confidential. Why are you the one answering it?”
“Because I’m responsible of Mr Kelly’s protection, obviously. That includes filtering his calls. And Mr Kelly doesn’t have time to spare for your kind.”
MJ lost her temper. “Now you listen to me, you smarmy piece of shi… iiiiihhh?”
Felicia had grabbed her by the collar and pulled her away from the phone.
“Was that a friend of yours? One should really teach her some manners. Can’t say I’m surprised though, considering your… background.”
Felicia had to immobilize and hand-gag MJ to prevent her from crying out against the businessman. Desperate times, desperate measures.
Gwen, however, kept a cool head. She remained polite. It was a testimony of how nice and professional she was. “Mr Jefferson. I have no time for games. Mr. Kelly is in danger, and I have important information for him…”
“Don’t worry about that. His security is in good hands.” Apparently, Jefferson intended to never allow her to finish her sentences.
“But Magneto has assembled a team…”
“And also I don’t trust you. You could be in cahoots with them. After all, your kind always sticks together.”
“Surely you must know-”
“What I know is that you raided my facility.”
Suddenly, Jefferson wasn’t jovial anymore. His voice was deathly cold.
There was a brief beat, the time for Gwen to digest the information.
Startled, MJ stopped struggling. She and Felicia shared a glance. They weren’t surprised their infiltration had been discovered by now – after all, hours had passed. However, they hadn’t anticipated Jefferson would deduce so many things so quickly.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gwen finally commented.
“Of course you do. Trust me. I’ll have your head for that. And your friends’ too.”
He hung up.
Felicia let go of Mary Jane, who was still angry. But her temper calmed when she saw Gwen’s reaction.
Ghost Spider slumped onto her chair. She looked at her wrists with a dejected expression. Her web-launching wrists. Though she wasn’t a mutant by birth, having gained her powers through a spider’s bite, Jefferson’s casually racist remarks had hurt her a lot more than she was willing to admit. Mary Jane put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
“You know what? I say we let these jerks jump at each other’s throats.” Felicia intervened. She too hadn’t appreciated the way Jefferson was demeaning Gwen. “I mean, we don’t even like Robert Kelly!”
Gwen sighed. “You don’t protect people just because you like them, Felicia.”
The cat burglar grumbled to herself. “Maybe, but some gratitude would still be nice. And then people wonder why I don’t wanna be a heroine…”
“… and yet you’re gonna have to play it once more. Nick Fury will most likely ask us to protect the presidential debate, even without Kelly's approval.”
Felicia looked sideways. “Or I can take advantage of the chaos to cut my losses and leave.”
Her comment was only a half-joke.
“Then I’ll tell Peter about the ‘incident’ with the guard, at Kelly’s rally,” MJ intervened, while still holding Gwen’s shoulder. “You know. The man who rated you ‘six out of ten at most’.”
Bewildered, Gwen stared at the cat burglar with wide eyes.
Felicia was genuinely taken aback for a few seconds. “You wouldn’t dare!” She knew her ex-boyfriend would never let her live that one down! “That’s… That’s cheating!”
The cat burglar really hated the massive grin on the redhead’s face.
But in MJ’s eyes, she also saw something else. Some mutual understanding. The redhead was offering Black Cat what she was secretly longing: An excuse to keep pretending she was only in this for her own selfish interests.
It was quite a surprise to see the normally denser-than-a-black-hole Mary-Jane be so insightful. Then again, she and Felicia had spent a lot of time quipping at each other and mugging people together… In hindsight, maybe it wasn’t that surprising.
Felicia played along. “Fine. But for the record… Low blow, Red. Low blow.”
“What can I say? I have a good teacher.”
The cat burglar didn’t know if she should feel proud or annoyed.
*********************
Three nights later…
Midtown Manhattan was more crowded than usual this evening, as several blocks had been cordoned off for security. The presidential debate, scheduled at Carnegie Hall, would be the first time the two national candidates would face each other in a major venue, and the city’s authorities wanted to ensure that nothing would go wrong.
The building was rife with security, from both candidates’ detail as well as Orchis and Silver Sable’s crew. Apart from the TV staff and personnel designated to work at the studio, the only people allowed into the building were journalists and camera crews.
That made things difficult for Felicia, Gwen, and MJ – but not impossible.
They were staked out in a corner of Central Park, a few blocks from Carnegie, crouching behind some bushes. For the past thirty minutes, they had watched quietly as civilians filed past – and keeping an eye out for any journalist going for an evening stroll before the start of the debate.
Still, as they staked out their position at a corner of Central Park, a few blocks from the main event, one of them was already having second thoughts.
“What if that computer program is wrong?” MJ speculated. “The presidential debate is an obvious target for Magneto and his team… but maybe it’s too obvious. What if they’re planning something somewhere else… a strike elsewhere while all eyes are drawn to the big event here?”
Gwen shook her head. “We can’t know for sure… but it’s the best we’ve got right now,” she said. “I’d be shocked if they didn’t try something tonight, considering how rare the opportunities have become.”
“I know, but…” MJ started to say.
“What’s the matter, Red?” Felicia asked, a mischievous smile on her face. “Having second thoughts?”
MJ frowned at her. “I’m just assessing our options,” she said. “Sometimes it’s better to step back and think, instead of charging in with guns blazing.”
“Who, moi?” Felicia replied with mock indignation. “I don’t use guns, Red. I’m the quiet, stealthy type, remember? The way infiltrators should be.”
“Speaking of infiltration,” Gwen interrupted the bickering, “I think I see our way inside.”
She parted the bushes quietly, allowing Felicia and MJ to get a better look.
Three young women were walking along the gravel path, towards the spot where Felicia, Gwen, and MJ were hiding. The women had different appearances and modes of dress – but what they had in common were the press passes and cameras clipped to their belts.
“I recognize them,” MJ whispered. “They’re photographers for the Daily Bugle.”
“Guess the Bugle sent them to snap pictures of the big debate.” Gwen’s brow furrowed. “You know them?”
“Vaguely,” MJ replied. “I’ve been to the Bugle offices enough times to recognize most of their photographers, especially back when Peter worked there.” She squinted as the three photographers neared.
The first woman was tall and slim, with light skin and long red hair that swept down to the middle of her back. She wore a blue blouse and matching pants, along with black heels. A white neckerchief was tied around her neck.
“Amber Grant,” MJ whispered.
The second photographer was a Korean woman with light skin and raven-black hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore a dark green pantsuit over a light green blouse, and black high heels. A small green pendant necklace hung around her neck, and round gold-colored earrings dangled from her ears.
“Angela Yin.”
The third woman was slightly stockier than the first two, with light skin and stringy shoulder-length black hair that fell around her face. She wore a grey trench coat over a white blazer, as well as a black blouse, black pants, and brown shoes.
“And that’s Jessica Carradine.”
Amber, Angela, and Jessica were chatting lightly with one another, enjoying the evening weather before they were to head indoors for the Carnegie Hall debate.
MJ bit her lip. “Guys, this doesn’t feel right… These women have always been polite and friendly to me when I was at the office. Do we have to do this?”
“Hey, it’s part of the job,” Felicia shrugged. “You want to get past security, this is the way to go.”
“I’m afraid Felicia’s right,” Gwen nodded. “But don’t worry, we won’t hurt them. SHIELD gave me just the thing for this situation.”
She pulled a small silver-metal tranquilizer gun from her belt.
“They won’t feel more than a quick pinch,” she assured MJ.
Felicia rolled her eyes. “Just pull the trigger already… before they walk away.”
Gwen slipped a dart into the gun and aimed it at Jessica, who was walking a few steps behind the other two. She bit her lip and squeezed the trigger.
The dart whistled through the air, striking Jessica right below her ear.
Jessica’s eyebrows raised, and her mouth fell open. But the drug worked fast, too fast for her to use her vocal cords. She staggered backwards.
Felicia moved quickly, springing from the bushes and wrapping an arm around Jessica’s shoulders. The woman was already half-asleep, but her face still registered a bare sense of surprise as she was dragged into the bushes.
“Don’t you dare hit her,” MJ whispered.
Felicia frowned. “Relax, okay? I don’t need to hit her. The dart’s doing all the work.”
Indeed, Jessica was already unconscious as Felicia laid her on the grass.
Gwen had already slipped another dart into the gun. She aimed and fired.
The second dart hit Angela in the back of her neck. The woman stiffened.
Amber, walking beside her, noticed. “Angie? You okay?”
She looked around. “Hey, where’s Jess?”
Before she could question anything further, a third tranquilizer dart struck her in the neck.
“Ouch! Hey, what…?”
Amber and Angela stared at each other in bewilderment. Then both of their eyes began to flutter. They fell backwards.
Felicia and MJ quickly caught both women by their undershoulders, dragging them back into the bushes. Both Amber and Angela were asleep by the time they were laid down next to Jessica.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” MJ muttered. “I’ve never had to steal clothes from people I know before.”
“Did they get a look at your face?” Felicia asked.
“I don’t think so.”
“Great. The next time you stop by the Bugle building, just smile at them and buy them a drink. They never need to know you did this.”
Felicia then turned her attention to the three slumbering photographers. “Now, on to business. We’ll need their press passes… and probably their clothes as well, if we want to look the part of professionals. Looks like I’m about Angela’s size. Gwen’s pretty close to Jessica, and Red could be a good match for Amber, especially with her hair color.”
MJ hesitated, and Felicia eyed her strangely. “Come on, girl, do you need an instruction manual?”
The comment was a bit harsher than Felicia intended. Still, MJ didn’t respond. She instead glanced at Gwen, who nodded.
“They never need to know.”
Felicia knelt down beside Angela and began stripping her. Gwen followed suit with Jessica, and – after another moment’s pause – MJ did the same with Amber.
Pretty soon, the three women were all dressed up in professional attire and clipping the press passes to their belts.
The three reporters had been reduced to their underwear. Amber wore a sky-blue pair of bikini bra and panties. Angela wore an eggshell-white sports bra and hot-pink hipsters. Jessica was left in a grey T-shirt bra and seafoam-green boyshorts.
“Do we need to bind and gag them?” MJ asked as Felicia reached for the white zip-ties and black duct tape. “The tranquilizer drug should keep them asleep for a few hours, right?”
“Can’t be too careful,” Felicia responded. “Don’t want them waking up too early and spreading the alarm.”
MJ glanced once more at Gwen, who sighed. “Let’s just tie them up quickly… We’re already behind schedule.”
Felicia grinned.
As per Gwen’s request, the three photographers were swiftly zip-tied and gagged. They were left quietly in the bushes, hidden from any outside view.
Felicia adjusted the camera on her belt. “Showtime, girls.”
**********************
The press passes did the trick, and the professional attire didn’t hurt much, either. Felicia, Gwen, and MJ squeezed through the crowd outside and were allowed into the press entrance.
“Photography is only allowed before and after the debate,” a security guard told them. “No press during the event itself. All press and personnel can watch the debate from the lobby.”
When they were out of earshot and in a quiet corner of the lobby, Felicia turned to Gwen and MJ. “Guess that means these disguises can only take us so far into the building. If we want to keep a lookout for Taylor and her crew, we need access backstage. And for that, we’ll need new outfits.”
“I figured you’d say that,” MJ murmured.
“It might help to split up,” Gwen said. “We can cover more ground separately. Plus we’ll draw less attention if we’re wandering around as individuals.”
“Good call,” Felicia agreed. “You up for it, Red?”
MJ sighed. “I don’t know about this… We’ve already knocked out three innocent civilians tonight.”
Felicia rolled her eyes. “Oh, brother…”
Gwen thought for a moment, then drew the tranquilizer gun from the pocket of her (well, from Jessica’s) trench coat and handed it to MJ.
“Here… You can use this. It’s the most painless way of knocking someone out I can think of.”
MJ looked surprised. “How’d you get that past security?”
“SHIELD tech. It’s made of a special alloy that’s immune to sensors. Do you want it or not?”
MJ looked as if she were about to argue, but after a moment’s thought, she nodded.
“Good, glad that’s all settled,” Felicia said with a note of impatience in her voice. “Now we’ll need to stay in contact with each other over our earpieces. And if either Red or I find Taylor first, we’ll need to get in contact with Gwen quickly – she’s the only one who has the super-strength to face Taylor in hand-to-hand combat.”
“Surprisingly humble of you to admit that,” MJ couldn’t resist interjecting.
Gwen continued before Felicia could think of a retort. “I also have a woman on the inside – Captain Watanabe is in the building, overseeing security from the police department. She also has an axe to grind against Taylor and her team – after they played her for a fool by having Charlotte pose as Kate Bishop and distract the police from interfering with their plans.”
“You’re staying in contact with her?” MJ asked.
“Not over the radio… Too risky,” Gwen added. “But I arranged to rendezvous with her backstage during the debate. She may be able to help us.”
“How?”
Gwen smiled. “Captain Watanabe is a superhero herself,” she explained. “She’s the costumed vigilante known as the Wraith – keeps her identity secret even from her own men, but we Spider-People found out a little while ago.”
MJ frowned. “Does everyone have a costumed superhero identity except me?”
Felicia patted her on the back. “Cheer up, girl. You make a great sidekick.”
She then quickly changed the subject, noting the look on MJ’s face. “Anyway, time to get moving. Remember, girls, stay in contact. And be careful – Taylor and her team could be anywhere… and masquerading as anyone.”
*******************
Yuri Watanabe was not in a good mood.
The police captain already had her hands full dealing with the criminals of the city before the “Team Awesome” idiots showed up, and she didn’t want to give them any undeserved attention. But when they played her for a fool by replacing Kate Bishop and tricking the captain into sending the NYPD on a wild-goose chase, well… that made her angry. And more importantly, it put these villainesses in her crosshairs.
So even though the NYPD was short-staffed at the moment, she had opted to take part in the security overseeing the debate herself. If she ran into Taylor or any of her teammates on this night… well, all the worse for them.
Yuri Watanabe was a tall Japanese-American woman in her mid-thirties, with light skin and chin-length black hair. She wore a rather unremarkable brown jacket over a white button-down shirt, blue jeans, and brown loafers. She preferred to keep her clothes casual, especially when on the job.
Yuri had a set of less-casual clothes, though, when the need demanded it. That’s because, in addition to working within the law, she occasionally needed to operate outside of it – as a costumed vigilante known as the Wraith. Though she had no superpowers, she had obtained enough tech confiscated by the NYPD from various supervillains to have a formidable weapons cache of her own.
Few people knew of Yuri’s identity, outside of a few superheroes she occasionally allied herself with. One of these heroes was Ghost Spider, who had let Yuri know ahead of time she would also be monitoring the debate. Yuri had agreed to work with Ghost Spider as a woman on the inside, allowing her to gain intel from both the NYPD and the Spider-Team.
So far, though, Yuri hadn’t received any intel – she was wandering around the backstage hall of the debate, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. She had instructed her officers to do the same. Thus far, no suspicious activity had presented itself.
“Excuse me, Captain Watanabe?”
Yuri turned. The voice had come from a woman standing behind her.
The woman had light skin and black hair in a collarbone-long square cut. She was dressed in a white button-down shirt, black suit and tie, and shiny black shoes. An earpiece was affixed to her right ear, and a pair of sunglasses hid her eyes. She appeared to be a security guard for one of the presidential candidates.
“What is it, agent?” Yuri asked.
“We caught some trespassers trying to sneak in backstage,” the woman informed her. “A group of women. We’re holding them for questioning, but as a captain of the local police, we figured you should be the first to know.”
For the first time that night, Yuri smiled. “Excellent. I think I know exactly who those women are. Lead the way.”
The security agent nodded and led Captain Watanabe further backstage, away from the workers and security personnel and to a rear hallway. They stopped at a small room at the rear.
“Right inside,” the agent said, holding the door open for the captain.
The room was dark. Yuri took a few steps forward, then stopped as a blur of motion caught the corner of her eye.
The agent was reaching for her gun.
Yuri reacted fast, grabbing the woman’s wrist. The gun fired but missed the captain, shooting a wad of paste at the wall.
“What the…?” Yuri scowled. “You’re not a real security guard!”
“Give the lady a cigar,” the woman grinned. She broke free of the captain’s grip. “Just filling in for… uugh!”
She did not have time to dodge as Yuri judo-chopped the base of her neck. The woman slumped to the floor, out cold.
For the first time, Yuri got a good look at the “security guard” – and recognized her face from police files. It was Michelle Meyer, the Trapstr.
Yuri was debating whether to wake the woman up when another sound caught her ears – the sound of mewling, coming from a nearby broom closet.
She threw open the closet door and gasped. On the floor sat three… no, four women, all dressed in their underwear. All of them were bound with white clothesline and gagged with black tape, and struggling to be set free.
Three of the women were tall and athletically built. They were dressed in white exercise bras and matching boyshorts. Yuri guessed they were security guards. The fourth woman was smaller and slimmer, with a red underwire bra and frilly pink panties. She was too small to be a guard, and was probably some other member of Carnegie staff.
Yuri’s first impulse was to set them free – but she stopped herself. Four women minus their uniforms meant that four imposters were walking around. She had found one in Trapstr, but there were three more… and they could be anywhere in the building.
She couldn’t waste time freeing the bound and gagged women. And she also couldn’t use Trapstr’s stolen comm-link to alert the rest of the security detail. If Taylor’s team had infiltrated the security units, they would have radios too, and know she was on to them.
In short, she couldn’t handle this herself. At least, Captain Yuri Watanabe couldn’t handle it. But the Wraith could.
“Sit tight, girls,” she told the struggling women. “You’ll be safe in here. I’ll be back to free you soon.”
The women whimpered in protest as Yuri closed the closet door.
She ducked into a back room and changed quickly into her costume – a skintight purple outfit, complete with face-concealing mask, and yellow piping along the limbs and torso.
With weapons at the ready, she exited the room. Trapstr was still on the floor, starting to stir.
Yuri grabbed her by the collar and hoisted her up.
“Wha…? Hey!”
“Where are your friends?” Yuri asked, using the deep, intimidating voice she always used when playing the part of the Wraith. “Talk fast.”
To her surprise and chagrin, Trapstr chuckled.
“What’s so funny? This place is filled with security cameras. Your team won’t stay hidden for long.”
“The security cameras are on a loop,” Trapstr replied. “I hacked into them and altered their feed. The security guards won’t know we’re here… unless and until we need to knock out any of them for a disguise, of course.”
Yuri shoved her against the wall.
“This is your last warning, Meyer. Where are your teammates? Answer now, or… Ungh!”
It happened fast, a quick blur of motion. Then a powerful electric shock coursed through Yuri’s body.
As she fell to the floor, she saw a second woman standing behind her. Right before lapsing into unconsciousness, she heard Trapstr’s taunting laugh.
“That’s a nice costume you’re wearing, Captain Watanabe…”
****************
Alyson stepped gingerly around some wires as she maneuvered her way towards the makeup room.
The young makeup artist had navigated these corridors before, but it was busier than usual tonight, and there was a lot more electronic circuitry strewn about.
Alyson was slim and pretty, with copper-red hair and alabaster skin. She wore a black T-shirt and slim black pants, flat white shoes and a microphone headset. The strap of her makeup kit was slung over her shoulder.
She spoke into her microphone. “Brenda? I’m on my way to finish up hair and makeup on the candidates… Is there anything else they need?”
She listened and nodded. “Of course. Ten minutes.”
As Alyson stepped past a storage room, a small silver dart whistled out through the crack in the door. It struck the young woman in her left bicep.
“Ow!” Alyson raised her eyebrows. She reached over and plucked the dart from her arm, then held it up and stared at it. “What the…?”
Her eyes blinked several times in rapid succession. Then she staggered backwards, her knees losing their strength to stand upright.
Mary Jane quickly emerged from the storage room and caught the unfortunate makeup artist before she lost consciousness.
“I hate to do this,” she whispered to the rapidly weakening woman. “Especially to a fellow redhead. But… I need your clothes.”
It was unclear if Alyson could understand or even hear her. The makeup artist’s eyes had fluttered closed, and she slumped in MJ’s grip. The tranquilizer dart had worked quickly – and, MJ hoped, painlessly.
She dragged the woman backwards into the closet and closed the door.
If Gwen’s assessment of the tranquilizers could be believed, Alyson would be out cold for several hours. Therefore, MJ reasoned, there was no need to humiliate or inconvenience the poor girl more than necessary by binding and gagging her. She simply stripped the makeup artist to her blue bandeau bra and matching cheeky panties, and left her in a corner of the storage closet, covering her with a tarp so she wouldn’t get too cold.
MJ dressed quickly in Alyson’s clothes, trying not to glance back at the slumbering woman in the corner. She fitted the headset over her hair and headed for the door.
**************
Felicia followed a few journalists down the main hall. Then, at first chance, she slipped into the ladies’ room.
Always a prime venue for a girl in need of a disguise.
The restroom was empty at the moment, a stroke of luck that Felicia did not take for granted. She would need to move quickly, and hope her luck would hold out a bit longer.
She entered one of the stalls and closed the door, peering through the crack. Waiting for a woman who could give her the access she needed.
The next woman to enter was another journalist, as was the one after that. Neither one would provide Felicia with full backstage access – and neither was Felicia’s size, anyway. They both left after washing up.
Just as the woman known as the Black Cat was starting to rethink her plan, the door to the restroom opened again. In walked another woman, who appeared to be chatting to herself – but Felicia quickly saw she was talking into a microphone headset.
“Yes, I’m just washing up now… Make sure hair and makeup is done within the next ten minutes, okay? Thanks, Alyson.”
The woman was tall and of average build, with light skin and sandy hair tied back in a ponytail. She wore a black short-sleeve polo shirt, grey jeans, and white sneakers. A black baseball cap was fitted over her head. As the woman headed for the sinks, Felicia caught sight of her nametag in the bathroom mirror: “Brenda – Backstage Coordinator.”
Jackpot.
Felicia exited the stall and strode nonchalantly to the sinks, sidling up to the one beside the woman called Brenda.
The coordinator nodded politely at her. Felicia nodded back, and pretended to check her makeup in the bathroom mirror.
“Do you have any mascara?” she asked.
Brenda shook her head. “Sorry, don’t have anything on me… Just been focused on making sure the show tonight runs smoothly.”
“I’ll bet,” Felicia remarked. She removed a lipstick container from her pocket and unscrewed the top, then let the cap slip through her fingers to clatter on the floor. “Oh! Butterfingers…”
“Allow me.” Brenda smiled and bent down to retrieve the fallen lipstick cap.
“You’re such a dear,” Felicia smiled as she eyed the back of Brenda’s now-exposed neck. “I think you’ve earned the night off.”
Before Brenda could straighten up, Felicia aimed a quick judo chop to her neck. The backstage coordinator let out a soft moan and slumped forward.
Felicia caught the woman, then quickly dragged her by the armpits into the nearest bathroom stall. She shut the door for privacy.
Minutes later, Felicia opened the door and stepped out of the stall, dressed now in the backstage coordinator’s uniform and cap.
Brenda sat on the toilet seat, dressed only in a lavender pair of bikini bra and panties. She was bound and gagged with a liberal helping of black duct tape.
Felicia shut the stall door, then used her lipstick container to scrawl the words “OUT OF ORDER” on the front.
“Picked up that trick from Yelena Belova,” she remarked. “So long, Brenda. And thanks for the backstage pass.”
She exited the restroom and made a beeline for the first “Employees Only” door she could find.
******************
Gwen clutched at the trench coat she wore as she wandered down the hall past the camera room.
The coat was supposed to give her the appearance of a docile and harmless photographer, but she couldn’t help feeling it inadvertently made her look more suspicious. Certainly, Felicia was right in saying that the photographer disguises would only go so far.
Gwen needed to get backstage in order to rendezvous with Captain Watanabe. And to do that, she would need a change of clothes. The only question was…
“Are you lost?”
The question was direct, assertive. It came from a frowning woman who now stepped in Gwen’s view.
The woman was of average height well-toned build, with light skin, an angular face, and black hair. She wore a red uniform jumpsuit, a red helmet with a yellow protective visor, and black combat boots. A black equipment belt was strapped around her waist, and black protective pads covered her knees and elbows. A holster pouch was strapped to her right thigh, and she brandished an imposing machine gun. A nametag stitched on the fabric of her suit read “Marilyn.”
Gwen recognized the woman’s attire from Felicia’s description – she was an agent of Orchis. Felicia had mugged an agent of this organization for her uniform not long ago.
“I said, are you lost?” The Orchis agent snapped her fingers in front of Gwen’s face. “Or are you deaf as well?”
Gwen took an instant dislike to this woman. She also noted that an Orchis uniform would probably be a decent disguise for her to utilize in getting backstage, but this woman wasn’t her size. She would need to find a better option.
“I’m just looking for the Ladies’ room,” Gwen said, using the time-honored excuse of any woman trying to play coy during an infiltration. “I was told it’s down this hall…”
“Well, you were told wrong,” Marilyn replied. “Reporters and photographers aren’t allowed in this area. We have enough trouble as it is with all these muties lurking about.”
The casual use of the term made Gwen wince, though she tried not to show it. “I’ll… just be on my way then.”
She turned to leave, and heard the guard speak into her radio.
“All clear in this sector, boss… Maybe the muties got scared and decided not to show up.”
Gwen clenched her fists. She turned to face the Orchis agent.
“I don’t like that word,” she said tersely.
“Don’t care what you do or don’t like, honey,” Marilyn replied. “Just wiggle your ass back down the hall and… Urk!”
She gasped suddenly as Gwen lifted her up by the collar.
“On second thought, maybe I can fit into your uniform after all.”
Gwen’s prediction would prove correct, though she first needed to convince Marilyn to part with her precious uniform – a task she accomplished swiftly, though not painlessly.
Ten minutes later, she was zipping up the red Orchis jumpsuit and fitting the helmet over her blonde hair. The jumpsuit was made of a surprisingly durable fabric, and adjusted itself to fit Gwen’s proportions. On went the boots and the elbow and knee protectors, along with the thigh holster.
Then Gwen turned her attention to Marilyn, who lay unconscious on the floor of the storage room that Gwen had unceremoniously ushered her into. The woman wore nothing but a black racerback bra, eggshell-white hiphuggers, and purple ankle socks.
Normally, Gwen would use her webbing to restrain the victim, but she knew the risks of leaving any evidence that could trace her intrusion back to her. Instead, she retrieved some white cables and green duct tape from an upper shelf of the storeroom and set about binding and gagging the woman the old-fashioned way.
Once the Orchis agent was silenced, and Gwen was suited, the woman known as Ghost-Spider stepped out of the storeroom and headed for the backstage entrance, where she hoped Captain Watanabe would be waiting for her.
******************
The debate was just beginning as Gwen reached the backstage wing. She heard Kelly grumbling to his aides behind the stage.
“Where’s that makeup girl go? I’m about to go on television in front of fifty million people, I can’t look like this!”
“You look fine, sir,” his aide assured him.
Gwen’s eyes scanned the area behind her yellow-tinted Orchis visor. Another guard – this one from Silver Sable Security – was standing at the wall a few feet away from Kelly, her arms folded.
The silver-clad security woman caught sight of Gwen and gave her a dirty look. That didn’t surprise Gwen – most likely the different security teams considered themselves in competition with one another at the debate. Sable’s team wanted nothing to do with Orchis.
Consider yourself lucky, ma’am… It could’ve been you tied up in your underwear now instead of that Orchis woman I crossed paths with.
Still, Gwen was glad circumstances had allowed her to mug an Orchis guard instead of a Silver Sable guard – she generally preferred to mug people who deserved it.
Weirdly, Yuri Watanabe was nowhere to be seen – not at the original rendezvous point, nor anywhere else in the public backstage area.
Some noises caught Gwen’s ears from behind a dusty curtain. She parted the curtain stepped gingerly into an isolated location beyond the stage. It was dark; she unclipped a flashlight from her Orchis belt and shined it around.
There was movement in the shadows. Gwen squinted. “Hello?”
She shined her flashlight in the direction of the movement – a woman, in a skintight purple-and-yellow outfit that covered her from head to toe.
“Oh! Er…” The woman appeared startled.
“Wraith?” Gwen asked.
The woman called Wraith nodded. “Yes, that’s me.”
“What are you doing in your costume?” Gwen asked. “Aren’t you already permitted access to this whole facility with your police badge?”
The woman seemed to scowl beneath her mask. “I don’t need to tell anything to you Orchis agents. I…”
“No, it’s me.” Gwen kept her helmet on to conceal her identity, but pointed at her face. “Ghost Spider, remember?”
The woman nodded. “…Right. Of course.”
“Why weren’t you at the rendezvous point?” Gwen asked.
“I ran into some trouble,” the woman replied. “Plans change, you know? And I needed my Wraith costume. This job requires us to be stealthy tonight, under the radar.”
Something about Watanabe’s voice sounded different than usual, but Gwen assumed that was due to the mask changing her voice. “Anyway, my friends and I managed to sneak in. What’s the status?”
“Nothing to report. I’ve been monitoring for any suspicious activity, but no sign of Taylor or any of her teammates.”
Gwen frowned. “What? We went to all this trouble to sneak in, and they weren’t even here?”
“Sorry. Can’t win ‘em all…”
Gwen sighed and spoke into her communicator. “Cat, MJ… Meet me in the backstage storage room.”
She turned to her companion. “Stick around. Maybe you can still help us.”
The masked woman nodded. “I’ll do my best.”
**********************
The team regrouped rather quickly, with MJ and Felicia’s disguises allowing them to slip backstage with little hassle.
The area was soundproofed so as not to interfere with the main stage, but from the distance, they could briefly hear the debate beginning, with Robert Kelly giving his opening statement.
Felicia smiled as she glanced at MJ’s makeup artist outfit, then at her own backstage coordinator uniform. “Well, looks like I’ve been made your boss.”
MJ frowned but held her tongue.
Felicia’s grin broadened when she saw Gwen’s Orchis uniform and read the “Marilyn” nametag. “Ah… looks like you’ve met an old friend of mine.”
Gwen raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Marilyn was also the name of the agent I mugged at the Orchis compound a few nights ago. Did you get to strip her of her uniform? I didn’t…”
Eager to change the subject, MJ turned to Gwen’s associate. “I assume this is Wraith?”
The masked woman nodded. “That’s me. Pleasure to meet you.”
Felicia stared at her. “Is it?”
The woman turned to her. “Felicia Hardy, isn’t it? Nice to meet you as well…”
Felicia frowned.
“We’ve met before, Captain Watanabe,” she said. “Back when you were a detective. You tried to arrest me, after some burglaries I committed a few years ago.”
“Oh! Right, I… forgot. I catch a lot of criminals, you know…”
Felicia raised an eyebrow. “You forgot the cat burglar who tied you up and escaped in your uniform?”
MJ looked surprised. “You mugged Captain Watanabe for her uniform?”
“She wasn’t a captain back then,” Felicia corrected. Then she turned back to the masked woman, who shifted uncomfortably.
“You’re not the real Yuri Watanabe,” she said. “Are you?”
Before the woman could respond, Felicia reached out and yanked the purple mask off “Wraith’s” head.
The face that stared back at Felicia, Gwen, and MJ now was, in fact, the face of Yuri Watanabe.
“Look, it’s me!” she said with a hapless smile.
Felicia raised her fist. “I’m giving you five seconds to drop the charade. Then you start losing teeth.”
The woman gulped. Then, rapidly, her face began to change shape. It became that of a tan-skinned woman with curly light brown hair.
“Charlotte,” Felicia scowled.
“Where’s the real captain?” Gwen demanded.
Charlotte grinned. “I’m afraid she’s a little…”
Felicia jabbed a finger towards her. “Don’t you dare say it.”
“…tied up at the moment.”
Felicia scowled. “You little…”
She grabbed Charlotte by the collar. “Allow me to land a few ‘hits’ of my own in our rivalry…”
The shape-shifter closed her eyes and braced herself. “No! I'm not into the kinky stuff!” she begged.
There was a long beat.
Then Mary Jane burst out laughing.
“S-sorry... It's… It's nerves…”
Gwen covered her mouth with her hand. Clearly, it was to hide some giggle of hers.
Felicia grimaced.
Charlotte opened one eye. “You... You're not beating me up?”
“No. It's too weird now. You made it weird, Charlotte.”
“Code names!” the latter reflexively retorted.
Felicia’s left eye twitched. “On second thought... maybe just one slap...”
However, before she could carry out her threat, a voice interrupted her:
“I think that’s enough.”
It was Taylor, dressed as a security guard. But she wasn’t alone.
Sarah was half-hiding behind her, dressed as a stagehand. Next to them were two other women in security uniforms – Screwball and Trapstr.
And, most importantly, Trapstr had the real Yuri Watanabe slung over her shoulder. The police captain had been stripped to a dark blue demicup bra and white boyshorts. She was handcuffed and gagged with a white cloth.
“For infiltrators, you can be awfully loud,” Taylor added.
MJ and Felicia shared a glance. They were facing the very scenario they had hoped to avoid – a direct confrontation.
However, this time they had Gwen with them. Given what they knew of Taylor’s powers, Ghost Spider had a chance in a straight fight.
Felicia tightened her hold on Charlotte. They also had their hostage. It was most likely the only reason why Taylor hadn’t attempted to attack them yet.
“Sparks! It’s horrible! She wants to slap me!” the shapeshifter exclaimed as if it was the most awful torture ever.
“I can hardly blame her.” Taylor glared icily at the cat burglar. “But I still must insist she release you unharmed.”
“A prisoner exchange?” Gwen intervened.
A knife suddenly appeared in Taylor’s hand. She was fast on the draw!
The mercenary placed the blade near Yuri’s throat. The police captain moaned into her gag.
“No. More like her life for your surrender.”
“What about your friend?” Gwen glanced at Charlotte. Felicia tightened her grip on the shapeshifter’s arm, causing Charlotte to wince.
“Unlike me, you don’t have it in you to murder someone in cold blood.”
It was a factual statement. Gwen, Felicia, and MJ remembered the footage of Taylor. The cold efficiency of a former government-trained assassin. They knew she was right.
“You’d do it in front of Sarah? I thought you cared.” Mary Jane intervened.
The blonde winced and grimaced.
Taylor’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “You have no idea of the lengths I’m ready to go for her.”
“I do. I’ve seen Jefferson’s files.”
Felicia’s right eye briefly twitched. Of course MJ wouldn’t be able to keep her mouth shut!
There was a short beat. The other women were genuinely taken by surprise. Unfortunately, Taylor was too disciplined to let herself be distracted.
“I suppose that explains many things,” MJ added. “An eye for an eye. They hurt you, you hurt them.”
“This isn’t about revenge.”
“But I bet it’s a pretty nice bonus. I don’t see how making hundreds of families trample themselves to death would serve you otherwise.”
Sarah cowered slightly. Because of her empathy, MJ’s words – and the emotions they carried – were painful to her.
“You’re talking of things you don’t understand.” Taylor’s voice was still subdued, but they could discern she was angry.
Of course, MJ didn’t know when to stop. She too was getting angry, but she was a lot less subdued. “I’d be curious to know how killing people will make things better!” she retorted. “After what you lived through, I thought you of all people wouldn’t want to ruin other people’s lives!”
Distressed, Sarah put her head between her hands. “Stop it! Stop that noise!” she suddenly exclaimed.
Taylor didn’t flinch. “You heard the lady. Last chance.” The knife moved closer to Yuri’s throat.
Gwen put a hand on MJ’s shoulder to intimate her to stay quiet. “Felicia. Let Charlotte go,” she finally said.
The cat burglar was briefly tempted to argue against the idea. But there was something in Gwen’s voice that stopped her. Something only a friend of hers could perceive. Ghost Spider had a plan.
Felicia released Charlotte. The latter swiftly scurried off, joining her teammates.
Taylor looked satisfied.
But she had underestimated Gwen. It wasn’t much of a surprise. Gwen wasn’t in her costume. Taylor didn’t know who “Marilyn” really was.
Felicia kept control of her face when she realized Gwen’s plan.
Suddenly, during the brief second when Charlotte was blocking her view in Taylor’s line of sight, Gwen moved the hand she had previously put on MJ’s shoulder…
… and shot a web at the knife Taylor was holding, disarming her.
Then all hell broke loose. The villainesses charged.
Taylor was quick to evaluate the situation. She jumped to the side just as Gwen shot another web at her.
Meanwhile, Charlotte barreled toward Felicia, her confidence restored. “You should’ve hit me when you had the chance!”
“I’ve got the chance right now,” Felicia snarled. And before Charlotte could react, Felicia did just that.
Nearby, Screwball did a parkour move off the wall and leaped at Mary Jane.
“I’ve owed you one, sister… ever since that night you mugged me at the warehouse! But no one makes a fool of Screwball twice!”
MJ didn’t bother correcting the woman by explaining that she had already mugged Screwball twice – the villainess probably didn’t realize MJ had mugged her at the Horizon Institute – but instead concentrated on dodging Screwball’s tackle.
Screwball quickly got up again, grabbing MJ’s collar. The villainess was fast, and more than willing to fight.
MJ needed an advantage. Instinctively, she rummaged around the pocket of her pants, and her fingers closed around a small makeup compact.
She held it up, popped it open, and blew the dust in Screwball’s face.
“Ackpth!” Screwball recoiled suddenly – without her visor, she was caught blind.
Thank you, Alyson, MJ smiled as she rammed Screwball in the stomach.
Nearby, Trapstr was rummaging around for her paste-gun. To reach it, she had to drop Yuri Watanabe to the floor – and that was her mistake.
Though gagged and handcuffed, Yuri still had the use of her legs – and she lashed out, sweeping Trapstr’s own legs out from under her. She then kicked the paste-gun away, then quickly used her legs to leverage Trapstr to the floor.
“Ow! Get off, you stupid bimbo!”
Yuri ignored her, and focused on her handcuffs. The villains had used her own handcuffs to restrain her, which was another mistake – Yuri always kept a spare key in her bra. After jostling it loose, she set about freeing herself.
At the center of it all, Taylor dodged another of Gwen’s webs and reached out to hit Gwen with an electric shock. But Ghost Spider was too fast, ducking the move and grabbing Taylor’s shoulders. She flipped Taylor over and pinned her to the floor.
Taylor could see Sarah, cowering in the corner. “Sarah, do something!”
Sarah’s mind was still swirling with MJ’s words, and all the heightened emotions that came with the violence around her was only disorienting her. “I… I…”
“Sarah!” Taylor’s voice was forceful, commanding, with a threatening undertone.
Sarah shut her eyes and concentrated. She couldn’t focus on any one individual, nor could she use her powers at full strength – there were too many people, moving too quickly, to direct her powers in any specific way. But she projected her powers outward, toward the people Taylor and her teammates considered their enemies.
All at once, Gwen, Felicia, MJ, and Yuri froze, and blinked. They all fell to the floor, momentarily disoriented.
The villainesses got to their feet.
Trapstr grinned and reached for her paste-gun. “Time for Round Two…”
At that moment, the women heard voices from down the hall.
“Damn!” Taylor frowned. “All this fighting is bringing too much attention. We need to get out of here!”
Charlotte blinked. “But… what about Kelly? The debate…”
“It’s too late now. We need to get out of here before they lock this place down! Come on, Jenna should be waiting with the getaway car out back!”
Taylor quickly headed for the nearest exit, with her four associates at her tail.
*****************
Gwen sat up, shaking off the effects of Taylor’s electric jolt. Taylor and her team had disappeared.
Around her, MJ, Felicia, and Yuri groaned and got to their feet.
“We almost had them that time…” Felicia grumbled. “Almost…”
“Cheer up,” MJ said brightly. “We stopped them this time, didn’t we? I call that a win.”
Gwen held up a finger for silence. “Wait… I hear something.”
She peeked through the curtain into the adjoining stage room. There were people milling about, clearly wondering what the sounds of fighting they’d heard minutes ago were all about.
Gwen turned back to her friends. “We need to get out of here.”
As they moved further down the dark hallway, Gwen grabbed a fallen curtain and gave it to Yuri, who was still in her underwear. “Here… cover yourself.”
Yuri accepted the curtain gratefully, draping it over her shoulders. “Those women took me by surprise… again. When I get my hands on them…”
Then she glanced over at Felicia. “Wait… aren’t you the Black Cat?”
She turned to Gwen. “Why are you working with one of the city’s most notorious cat burglars?”
“Lovely to see you again too, Captain,” Felicia said dryly.
Gwen sighed. “Look, Captain Watanabe… I can’t explain everything right now. But please – no one can know I was here tonight. If word gets out that Ghost Spider was at the presidential debate – a debate where a violent superpowered altercation broke out – I’m doomed. We’re all doomed.”
Yuri considered this for a moment, then nodded. “Okay… you’ve earned my trust, even if your friend hasn’t.”
Felicia was about to make another snide remark when Gwen silenced her with an angry look.
“The building is probably blocked off by now,” MJ said. “I saw police cars outside when we first entered.”
Yuri nodded. “I commissioned several NYPD officers as backup security in case anything went wrong.”
The police are probably checking the IDs of everyone leaving the building,” Gwen added. “We won’t be able to leave, even with our current disguises.”
“Maybe Captain Watanabe here can tell them to let us through,” MJ offered.
“And draw extra attention to us?” Felicia raised an eyebrow. “No thank you.”
Gwen nodded. “I hate to say it, but Felicia’s right. The only people getting into and out of the building right now are the ones dressed as cops.”
Yuri caught the look in her eye and the meaning of her words.
She sighed. “All right… I don’t like what you’re thinking, but you girls did just save my life. I’ll help you get out of here, the only way you can.”
She raised her wristwatch – which came with a built-in police radio – to her lips.
“Officers Cooper, Lee, and DeWolff – this is your captain. I need you in the backstage supply room immediately. Repeat, Officers Cooper, Lee, and DeWolff, you are needed in the supply room backstage.”
Yuri shut off her radio and turned to Felicia, Gwen, and MJ.
“All I ask is that you be gentle with them. I’m going to have enough of a headache with the paperwork as it is…”
********************
Officers Carlie Cooper, Terri Lee, and Jean DeWolff had each worked for the New York Police Department for a little over two years, and had become close allies in that time. Rarely, in fact, were the three young women seen absent one another on assignment.
The trio shared a passion for law enforcement, of course – but they also shared a passion for some lighter things, like the theater. So when their boss, Captain Watanabe, needed three extra helping hands at the job at Carnegie Hall, the three young officers were happy to volunteer.
“The captain’s voice sounded urgent,” Carlie told her partners as they headed down the hallway to the backstage area. A light-skinned woman with glasses and reddish-brown hair in a loose ponytail, she had long considered Yuri Watanabe a role model, and did whatever she could to please her.
“I don’t blame her,” Terri replied. “This whole situation has turned into a mess… I’ll bet they cancel the rest of the debate.” A dark-skinned woman with brown hair tied back in a stern ponytail, she was the most stoic and cynical of the trio.
“And here we thought this was going to be an ordinary night at the theater,” Jean murmured. A Native American woman with tanned skin and shoulder-length jet-black hair, she often used her dry sense of humor to compensate for some of the tougher aspects of her job.
All three officers were dressed in the standard dark blue jackets, pants, peaked caps, and black shoes that made up the uniform of the NYPD. They moved in tandem as they approached the signal of their captain’s radio call.
Carlie drew the curtain aside. “Captain, you called?”
No answer. The room appeared empty.
The three officers looked around.
“You sure the call came from here?” Jean asked.
“Maybe the captain got called away,” Terri reasoned. “There’s a lot going on right… ow!”
She slapped the side of her neck. “I think a wasp just stung me.”
“A wasp?” Jean smirked. “I didn’t know Janet Van Dyne was around here.”
Terri frowned. “Not that Wasp, dummy.” She rubbed her neck and blinked a couple of times.
“Whatever happened to the Wasp lately?” Jean asked. “Haven’t heard from her in a few weeks… Not since someone broke into her house, tied her up, and stole her costume.”
Carlie slapped the side of her own neck. “Ouch! I think I just got stung, too.”
“Maybe Janet is going around stinging people,” Jean said amusedly. “She’s angry at the cops who couldn’t prevent her from getting her uniform stolen.”
She chuckled and shook her head. “These Avengers think they’re so high and mighty… but I’ve always said that we police officers are the real heroes of New York. And more importantly, no one ever tries to mug us for our unif—”
She winced as a third tranquilizer dart hit her, just above the shoulder.
The three policewomen stared at one another, in strangeness and confusion.
Then, one by one, they slid to the floor and lay still.
Gwen stepped out of the shadows, tranquilizer gun in hand.
“Good thing I packed enough darts.” She turned to Felicia and MJ. “Come on, let’s get their uniforms.”
Felicia grinned, eyeing the unconscious Carlie. “I call dibs on the girl with the smarty glasses.”
Yuri, still hidden in the shadows, caught her eye and scowled. “Watch yourself, Hardy. I could still arrest you.”
Felicia didn’t like being threatened, certainly not by cops. But she chose not to push her luck. Instead, she knelt down alongside her partners, and the three women began relieving the unconscious officers of their uniforms.
Before long, the NYPD had three unofficial new recruits, with Felicia, Gwen, and MJ now decked out in blue police uniforms and caps. Despite her inherent dislike of law enforcement, Felicia couldn’t resist striking a pose.
“You look good in blue, Red,” she smiled at MJ. “If the sidekick gig ever falls through, you can join the police academy.”
“Very clever,” MJ shot back. “If the cat burglar business ever fails, you can join the city’s comedy club.”
Yuri glanced down at the three slumbering officers, all of whom had now been bound and gagged with silver duct tape. Carlie wore only a white exercise bra and burgundy hipsters. Terri sported a green bikini bra and matching tanga panties. Jean was left in a grey camisole top and black briefs.
“You’ll need to tie me up as well,” Yuri told Gwen. “Can’t have anyone suspecting I was in on this. Then just leave me in the closet with my three officers. I’ll come up with a story when we’re found and freed.”
Gwen nodded, and held up the duct tape roll. “Thanks for all your help,” she told the captain as she began binding her wrists.
“Thank you for saving my life,” Yuri replied. “Taylor and her goons may have wanted to scare me tonight, but they’ve just made me more determined to take them down than ever.”
Any further commentary was silenced as Gwen smoothed a piece of tape over Yuri Watanabe’s cheeks. Still, the captain’s eyes retained a look of cold determination.
Gwen didn’t blame her. She wanted to take down Taylor and her team as well. Tonight, Gwen and her friends had succeeded in thwarting the villains’ plans. That was encouraging, even if they had not been able to apprehend those villains.
Once the four officers had been safely stowed away, Gwen, MJ, and Felicia exited the stage room and made their way outside. From there, they walked safely through the police line.
“So what’s our next move?” MJ asked when they were well away from the crowd.
Felicia eyed her outfit. “Get out of this police uniform, for starters. Being dressed as a policewoman feels like a betrayal of my profession.”
Gwen ignored the comment.
Once again, she was deep in thought. Thinking about where Taylor and her team would strike next.
