Grappler Girls - Marvel: Earth-USB Saga (Part 32)

[tirepanted3]

Hi, everyone. Here's the next chapter in the ongoing Marvel USB saga. As always, sorry for the delay. Still some ground to cover in the story, but I fully anticipate to complete it before the year is out.

Character references for new characters, where applicable, can be found in the second post. Be sure to revisit prior chapters for a refresher on other character references.




---------------

The night was cold, a chill wind blowing outside the SHIELD facility.

Agent Kris Boyle was thankful for her insulated uniform.

Although SHIELD uniforms were thin and skintight, they were laced with advanced microfibers that gave a sufficient layer of warmth to the wearer, even in low temperatures. Which was especially useful when an agent was posted to stand guard outside a facility.

Kris was in just such a position this night. She was stationed outside the Garage, a SHIELD warehouse facility that contained various authorized SHIELD vehicles, and served as a temporary storage building for weapons that SHIELD has confiscated from New York’s supervillain community. Many of these weapons would eventually be shipped off to SHIELD labs for research.

Agent Kris Boyle was a tall and svelte woman in her early thirties, with light skin, green eyes, and short, wavy blonde hair. Her cheeks were dotted with freckles. She wore the standard SHIELD uniform of black jumpsuit, along with white gloves, boots, belt, and a shoulder harness with weapons holster.

She had been told via radio that a new shipment of confiscated weapons was on its way to the Garage. But that was over an hour ago, and no vehicle had showed up in the interim. It was after three AM. Maybe the delivery driver had turned in for the night?

Then she saw headlights flicker through the dim night fog. She smiled. “About damn time.”

The van pulled up to the front gate of the Garage. It was black, unmarked, like many SHIELD-ordained vehicles.

The driver rolled down the window. “Nice night, isn’t it?”

She was a slim woman of average height, with light skin, green eyes, and auburn hair tied back in a ponytail. She was dressed in a green delivery jumpsuit and brown boots, with a black cap pulled low over her face.

“I suppose,” Kris replied. “What have you got?”

“Fight down at Times Square earlier today,” the driver explained. “The Shocker and Mysterio were causing some havoc. The Defenders stopped them and SHIELD opted to confiscate their gadgets.”

“Good call,” Kris nodded. “I’ll just need a quick inspection before I let you on through.”

“Go right ahead.” The driver pressed a button on the dash to unlock the rear doors.

Kris strode over to the rear of the van and began opening the doors. “Wait a minute… Mysterio was locked away in a SHIELD facility last week.”

Before she could speak further, though, a pair of hands shot out, grabbed her by the straps of her shoulder harness, and sharply pulled her inside the vehicle.

The van rocked on its suspension back and forth for several long moments, as SHIELD agent Kris Boyle – a woman trained in several forms of combat, but a victim here of the element of surprise – was rather painfully relieved of duty.

Elaine Coll dropped the unconscious SHIELD agent to the floor of the van. “That was close. She almost saw through your cover story.”

“Don’t blame me,” Claire Acosta replied from the front seat, as she began driving forward to the facility. “I can’t keep track of all you costumed supervillains.”

Elaine frowned. “Don’t lump me in with those other villains. I’m working for Silver Sable now, remember?”

“Yeah, because the money’s good,” Claire retorted. “Now hurry up and get changed.”

Elaine frowned, but crouched down next to the unconscious Agent Boyle and began pulling off her boots.

Nearby, she heard a low groaning. It was coming from the other woman lying on the floor of the van – a slim, petite woman with tanned skin and cinnamon-brown hair, dressed in a sky-blue underwire bra and matching briefs. She had been bound, gagged, and blindfolded with black packaging tape.

“Driver’s waking up,” Elaine noted, undoing Kris’ belt. “I warned you that you didn’t hit her hard enough.”

“Would you stop whining?” Claire frowned. “We got her uniform and vehicle, didn’t we? That’s what matters.”

“It won’t matter at all if we’re caught,” Elaine replied, unzipping Kris’ jumpsuit. “And this time, we may not get to escape so easily. Breaking into a SHIELD facility, even a holding facility like the Garage, is a federal crime.”

“Hey, this little caper was your idea,” Claire grumbled. “And if we get caught, don’t expect Sable to bail us out.”

“Guess I have to make sure we don’t get caught,” Elaine answered.

Claire scowled at the road ahead. Why did Elaine have to be so obnoxious? Even without her Scorpia costume, the woman maintained a snarky and insolent attitude. Why put up with her?

She glanced in the rearview mirror, as Elaine stripped to her underwear.

Oh yeah… that’s why.

There was no question that Elaine Coll was blessed with a magnificent body. Her curvy figure, accentuated by a light green sports bra and black hiphuggers, was among the finest Claire had ever seen. From her breasts to her hips to her legs to her buttocks, she—

“Eyes on the road, moron,” Elaine interrupted Claire’s thoughts. “Getting into a car accident isn’t a helpful way to stay undercover.”

Claire blushed angrily and looked away. “It’s fine, we’re inside.”

Indeed, they had entered the underground parking garage of the Garage. Both women were too trepidatious to make note of the redundancy.

Elaine zipped up the SHIELD uniform. “Mind tying up our new ladyfriend? We’re on a time budget.”

She nodded down at the unconscious Kris, who was left in a white exercise bra and dark blue boyshorts.

“I’ll take care of her,” Claire answered, scooping up the packaging tape. “Hopefully there’s a storage closet nearby where I can stash these two. You just focus on getting in and out of there with minimal fuss.”

“Copy that,” Elaine grinned. Now fully disguised, hopped out the rear doors.

She made her way to the elevators. A swipe of Boyle’s keycard, and she was headed for the storage level.

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

The Garage was among SHIELD’s quieter facilities, so Elaine had little reason to anticipate trouble. Her mission was simple: locate the Scorpia suit – her suit, which SHIELD had confiscated! – and get out without being caught.

She passed the occasional guard, but no one paid her much heed. She followed the signs and eventually arrived at the costume storeroom.

The door was locked; fortunately, Boyle’s keycard took care of that. Elaine slipped inside.

Voices – she could hear two women in the room.

“Take that ridiculous thing off, Kelly!”

“Oh, come on, Sandra. Don’t you think it looks kinda badass?”

Elaine peeked around the corner. Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me…

Two SHIELD agents were standing guard in the storeroom – well, one of them was, anyway. The other one was currently dressed in a skintight green costume, trying it on for size. Scorpia’s costume.

Who the hell does she think she is?!

“I’d say this costume is pretty cool – the tail does make my butt look big, though,” Kelly noted with a laugh. A light-skinned woman with blue eyes and straw-blonde hair that fell below her shoulders, she appeared to be enjoying herself.

“Girl, be careful,” Sandra cautioned her as Kelly swung the tail around. “You’re gonna hit me in the face with that.” A dark-skinned woman with brown eyes and curly black hair tied back with a hairband, Sandra didn’t look like she was in the mood to play dress-up.

Several other female villain costumes were littered across the floor – Elaine recognized Screwball’s outfit and Lady Bullseye’s costume among them.

Lady Bullseye? Elaine's eyebrows raised. When did Maki Matsumoto get captured by SHIELD?

The Japanese mercenary had been hired by William Jefferson a few months ago as security for the Kelly fundraiser at Hutton Brickyards. Elaine had been hired for that event as well, and took a quick dislike to Lady Bullseye, whose cold, serious demeanor made her difficult to get a read on.

Both Scorpia and Lady Bullseye had been ambushed at that event and mugged for their uniforms. It was not a night Elaine recalled fondly.

Guess Jefferson cut ties with her after that gala went wrong and she wound up with no one to defend her from SHIELD. Oh, well. Sucks to be you, Maki.

Elaine turned her attention back to the two SHIELD agents. Apparently, the agent named Kelly had decided to pass the time by trying on some of the costumes that SHIELD had amassed from the supervillain vaults.

Elaine was infuriated at the thought that her costume was just a prop for some dumb SHIELD bimbo to play with. She felt the taser strapped to her hip. Then the sidearm…

“I’m gonna get a drink,” Sandra said, standing and stretching. “You enjoy your costume party.”

Elaine instinctively hid behind a cabinet as Sandra passed. The door shut, and Elaine was left alone in the room with Kelly.

Elaine figured she could wait till Kelly removed the Scorpia uniform before tackling her. But she was impatient… and angry. This SHIELD moron needed to be taught a lesson about respecting others’ property.

Still, she had to knock this woman out fast – and without damaging the precious Scorpia costume.

Elaine stepped out of the shadows and walked up to the green-clad woman, whose back was turned.

“Hey.”

The SHIELD agent turned to the sound of the voice. Elaine punched her hard in the jaw.

Kelly staggered backwards, woozy but still conscious. “Wh-what the hell…?”

Elaine lunged towards Kelly, intent on finishing the job.

But the SHIELD agent reacted impulsively, swinging around. The tail of her costume hit Elaine square in the stomach.

Elaine flew through the air, crashing into a far shelf. There was a clatter as several costumes fell to the floor.

The blonde SHIELD agent shook off the effects of Elaine’s punch and glared at her. “Who the hell are you? I don’t recall seeing you around the Garage before.”

Elaine rubbed the back of her neck. So that was what it felt like when she hit people with her tail…

She staggered to her feet. “That costume… doesn’t belong to you.”

Kelly looked surprised. “This costume? It belongs to the government now. And I’m a government agent. Finders keepers!”

Elaine scowled and reached for her sidearm.

Kelly lashed out with her tail again, sweeping Elaine’s legs out from under her. Elaine fell to the floor, none too gracefully.

“Hey,” Kelly smiled. “I’m getting the hang of this suit.”

Elaine’s weapon had fallen to the floor, a few feet from her. She tried reaching for it, but Kelly stepped on her hand.

“I don’t know who you are,” she said sternly, “but you’re definitely not a SHIELD agent. Stay down.”

She aimed the tail’s stinger a few inches from Elaine’s face.

Elaine winced. “Okay… okay, please, I surrender…”

“Of course you do,” Kelly grinned. “You never stood a chance against me and my new Lizard costume!”

Scorpia blinked. “…what did you call it?”

“I didn’t even know there was a female Lizard,” Kelly remarked.

Elaine felt a rage bubbling within her. “It’s… not… a… Lizard… suit.”

“Well, it sure looks like – HEY!” Kelly gasped as Elaine sprung to her feet, grabbed her tail, and yanked the blonde towards her fist.

WHACK! POW! THUMP!

One swift ass-kicking later, Kelly slumped to the floor, unconscious.

“Don’t ever call it a ‘Lizard’ suit,” Elaine growled. “I’m a scorpion. I’m… Scorpia!”

There was no dramatic music to accompany her declaration. Still, Elaine didn’t need that. All she needed was her suit. And within minutes, she had stripped it from the unconscious SHIELD agent, leaving Kelly in a white set of underwire bra and briefs, both decorated with pink pastels of tulips and teddy bears.

“Stupid underwear for a stupid cop,” Elaine muttered.

That was all the commentary she made before diving back into her Scorpia costume.

As always, it fit like a second skin. Elaine felt good. Scorpia felt great.

“What in…?”

Scorpia turned to see the other agent, Sandra, at the door, holding a cup of mocha.

Both women froze for a moment.

Then Sandra dropped her drink and reached for her gun.

Elaine quickly zapped her with an electric burst from her tail.

Lucky the other agent didn’t spend enough time with the suit to learn THAT little trick…

Sandra fell to the floor, graoning. Right before she passed out, though, she managed to press a small stud on her belt.

A moment later, the alarm sounded overhead.

“Oh, come on,” Scorpia muttered.

She burst out of the room and hurried down the hall.

Turning the corner, she came face-to-face with two SHIELD men.

“Stop!” one of them yelled.

“Screw you!” Elaine let loose with two energy blasts from her forearm gauntlets, knocking the agents to the ground. She hurried past them.

It took her thirty seconds to reach the parking lot where Claire had stationed the van.

“Elaine? What happened?” Claire yelled over the din of the alarm. “I thought we were doing stealth.”

“Shut up and drive, you idiot!” Elaine dove into the passenger seat. “Hurry up!”

Claire revved the engine. The tired squealed as she turned out of the lot.

“Why are you wearing the costume?” she demanded. “They probably caught you on security cameras! They’ll know Scorpia broke into a SHIELD facility! You’ve just damaged the reputation of Silver Sable Security!”

“Shut up!” Scorpia frowned. “I can’t hear myself think!”

“Not like you’re missing much.”

Another SHIELD agent dove for his life as Claire drove the van right through a perimeter gate.

“You’d better hope we find Sable,” Claire said through gritted teeth, her fingers gripping the steering wheel. “She’s the only one who can clear us from this mess.”

“I wouldn’t have done any of this if I didn’t think we would find her,” Scorpia retorted.

They drove for several minutes, arguing and bickering, until they were deep in the surrounding forest and the lights from the Garage had fully faded.

“Remind me never to go on another infiltration mission with you,” Claire snarled, grinding the van to a halt. “You’re lucky we weren’t caught.”

“And you’re lucky I don’t just punch you in the face.”

“Don’t let me stop you.”

The two women glared at each other for several long seconds.

Then Claire spoke. “I forgot how sexy you look in that outfit.”

Elaine blinked. “I forgot how incredibly hot you look when you get angry.”

Claire dove at Elaine, her hands fumbling to unzip the Scorpia costume.

The quest to find Silver Sable was put on hold for a few minutes while both women reminded themselves why they still tolerated each other.

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

“You’ll regret this!” Silver Sable cried out. “I have friends coming to rescue me!”

Her words echoed unheard down the long prison corridor.

Sable tested the bars on her cell.

Adamantium-enforced. These HYDRA thugs don’t take any chances.

She paced the cell in thought. It had been about half an hour since she had regained consciousness and found herself in a HYDRA containment unit. She had been stripped of her weapons and armaments and stuffed into a drab grey prison uniform. A captive while Madame Hydra and her loyal cult decided what to do with her.

She was right, though. She did have friends coming to rescue her. Elaine and Claire were undoubtedly hard at work. She could picture them at this moment, developing all their energy to…

Sable blinked.

Then she glanced over at her cellmate. “We need to find a way out of here, and fast.”

Lying on the stone cot in the corner of the cell, Yelena Belova stared up at the ceiling. She did not move or otherwise register any response.

“Yelena,” Sable said sternly. “This is no time to give up. HYDRA has the Chaos Cube, and they have no compunction about using it. We need to stop them.”

Yelena let out a soft chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” Sable demanded.

“Look around,” Yelena replied. “We’re two women, trapped in a cell, surrounded by a hundred deadly terrorists. No one knows where we are, no one is coming to help us. How the hell do we stop HYDRA?”

Sable glared at her. “I thought you said you were the Black Widow.”

Yelena didn’t respond.

Sable knelt down beside the cot. “Your facial expression earlier… when you saw that HYDRA girl strapped to the lab table, about to be experimented upon. That was a look of fear on your face – but also… a look of recognition. Wasn’t it?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Sable thought for a moment. “You were part of the Red Room, weren’t you?” she asked. “I learned about it from Natasha. A holdover from the Soviet days, designed to turn innocent young women into cold-blooded assassins. You were one of their recruits…”

“I was their best recruit,” Yelena snapped. “I wore it as a point of pride… I was the best secret agent to ever come out of the Red Room. Higher marks than Natasha, higher than anyone. And I got there all by myself… Or so I thought.”

She shut her eyes. “But when I saw that woman on the lab table, it reminded me of… the experiments. The drugs. My handlers at the Red Room gave me all sorts of ‘enhancements’ to boost my skills. I didn’t want them, but they wouldn’t take no for an answer.”

She paused. “I’m not the Black Widow. I’m a lab rat.”

Sable took a moment to absorb this. She wasn’t sure what to say.

Just as words started forming in her mind, though, she heard footsteps at the end of the hall.

Sable glanced through the bars and down the hallway, to the entrance of the holding facility. Two female HYDRA agents, garbed in signature green uniforms, had just buzzed their way in.

Sable glanced back at the cot, speaking in a low whisper. “Yelena… there are two HYDRA women coming this way. Their uniforms can be our ticket out of here. If we play our cards right…”

“If I played my cards right,” Yelena murmured, “I would never have stolen the Chaos Cube in the first place.”

Sable sighed. “Never mind. Do you think you could pretend to be sick?”

“Who’s pretending?”

Sable groaned. “Actually, just keep lying there. It works for my plan.”

The two HYDRA guards were nearing. One of them was a tall and slim woman with dark skin. The other was a short and stocky woman with light skin. Their hair and eyes were obscured by their green masks.

Neither one was an ideal uniform donor in terms of size, but Sable didn’t exactly have a buffet of options to choose from.

As the two HYDRA officers passed by, Sable grasped the bars of the cell. “Hey… over here! My friend is very sick.”

The two HYDRA women glanced at Sable, then at each other. Then they both laughed.

“You think we’d fall for that old bit?” the taller guard said.

“Yeah,” her partner replied. “We know how you superheroes operate. Just want an opportunity to jump us and steal our uniforms.”

“But…” Sable started to say.

The tall guard drew a taser from her belt and jammed it into one of the metal cell bars. Sable, who was gripping two of the other bars, immediately felt a sharp jolt of electricity through her body.

“Urgh!” She let go of the bars and collapsed to the floor, twitching.

“Nice try, super-scum,” the short guard grinned. “But your days are numbered. All of you – the Avengers, the X-Men, the Defenders – within a few days, you’ll all be brought to your knees by HYDRA.”

Their laughs echoed through the hallway as they walked off.

Sable punched the ground angrily.

“See what I mean?” Yelena murmured from the cot. “It’s hopeless.”

“Why are you so stubborn?” Sable growled.

“I’ve failed my mission,” Yelena said soberly. “And I don’t even want to see my handlers – my home country – ever again. I’m a lab rat in Russia, I’m a criminal in America… I have no loyalties, no tribe, no one.”

She turned to the wall and curled up. “Now please be quiet and let me sleep.”

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

Fiona sighed, blowing an errant strand of hair out from her face. “I’m bored.”

“Don’t you have work to do?” Luz asked. She did not look up from her table, where she was currently in the process of assembling an intricate electronic gadget.

“Not at the moment,” Fiona replied, stretching out across the couch. “When’s our next heist?”

It was a valid question, despite the glib phrasing. Fiona and her fellow members of HEART lived for the heists, the thrills, the dangers. But pulling off such elaborate schemes required a lot of time spent in their hideout, coming up with intricate plans. Tyler was always insistent on ironing out the details and ensuring there were no unforeseen side effects.

This gave the women of HEART a highly successful track record when it came to pulling off jobs. But it did also mean that Fiona spent a lot of time lounging around on the team’s couch.

Sighing, she checked her watch. “Anyone else feel like we’re wasting time here? I got nothing to do.”

Nearby, Danika was busy fiddling with a large high-tech rifle. “Want to help me with target practice?”

“Pass.” Fiona glanced over at the corner of the room, where Tyler and Mei Lin were convening. “Boss, any luck finding that Chaos Cube yet?”

“Shhh!” Tyler held up a hand in annoyance. “Enough, Fiona. Mei Lin is trying to concentrate.”

Indeed, Mei Lin was still dressed in the Cybermancer suit that the team had stolen from Stark Enterprises (right off the back of its most brilliant scientist, Suzi Endo) the previous night. Mei Lin had in fact refused to take the suit off – much to the chagrin of Luz, the team’s electronics expert, who was itching for a chance to study the highly advanced suit in intricate detail.

“Anything?” Tyler asked her. “Are you able to tap into government computers? SHIELD databases? There must be some information center we can hack into with this suit…”

Mei Lin shook her head. “It… speaks to me. The suit speaks, but in a new language. One I am unfamiliar with…”

“Oh, quit hogging the suit, Mei,” Fiona remarked. “Let someone else give it a test run. I’ll bet I could master the ‘language’ pretty quick.”

“You can barely master English,” Luz replied.

She ducked as Fiona sent a pillow in her direction.

“Knock it off, girls,” Tyler said testily. “This is a criminal organization, not a slumber party. We have obtained one of the most valuable suits of armor on the East Coast, and we must put it to good use. Somehow, we need to…”

“Wait!” Mei Lin exclaimed suddenly.

Her four coworkers all glanced her way.

Mei Lin’s brow furrowed as she stared at the inside of the Cybermancer suit’s visor.

“I can see… things,” Mei Lin remarked. “Security feeds. I can access them through this suit.”

Tyler brightened. “Do tell.”

Mei Lin stood still for a moment. “This suit… it was created with Stark technology. And it has a cybernetic link to other suits created with Stark tech.”

“What does that mean?” Danika asked.

“It means she can hack into other Stark suits. Control them, see out of their viewscreens,” Luz replied. “Isn’t that right, Mei Lin?”

The Asian woman nodded. “Right now, I can see the inside of what appears to be Iron Man’s armory. There are various suits here, and…”

She paused, and gasped.

“What? What is it?” Tyler urged.

“Hang on,” Mei Lin said. “You all need to see this.”

She pressed a button on the side of the visor. Immediately, her view was projected as a large screen onto a nearby blank wall.

“Sweet! Movie night!” Fiona sat up and smiled. “Anyone got some popcorn?”

Tyler was too transfixed by the screen to glare at her. “Is that… Black Widow? And… a couple of other costumed women…”

“Black Cat and Hawkeye,” Luz added.

Mei Lin nodded. “I can hear out of the armory suit too.” She pressed a button by her ear, and the audio began.

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

Felicia glanced around the large room. Several suits of iron armor and assorted weapons in various stages of disuse lined the walls. “Nice place you got here.”

Natasha, seated nearby, did not look up from her computer. “It’s not our place, as you well know,” she remarked. “Tony Stark is allowing us the use of an old armory of his to conduct our reconnaissance. There’s not a chance that he – or any of the other Avengers – will allow you into our mansion.”

Felicia rolled her eyes. “I know. Just making conversation.”

She glanced over at Kate, who was in the corner of the armory, using a small laser to sharpen the tips on her arrows. “Not much for small talk, is she, Hawkgirl?”

Kate frowned in her direction. “It’s Hawkeye, as you already know,” she said dryly.

“Yeah, but it’s confusing having two Hawkeyes,” Felicia replied. “Do you and Barton ever get your mail mixed up? Does he ever open his letters to find a death threat from Madame Masque?”

Kate winced at the mention of her arch-nemesis. “Don’t you have a scratching post to claw up?”

Felicia grinned. Kate Bishop was a tougher nut to crack than MJ was, but it was still fun to get under her skin.

“I’ve found what we’re looking for,” Natasha announced.

Felicia approached and glanced over Natasha’s shoulder.

The computer screen displayed a grid of New York City. A yellow blip pulsed out from the area of Midtown Manhattan.

“That’s where the Cube is?” Felicia asked.

“That’s where it was,” Natasha replied. “Its last known location, based on the tracing intel we stole from AIM. Presumably HYDRA tinkered with it to change its frequency. Without knowing the new frequency, it’ll be impossible to trace the Cube further.”

Felicia smiled. “Impossible, you say? I’ve always liked those odds.”

With that, she drew a small flash drive from her sleeve and stuck it into the side of the computer. She typed in a few words and waited. For a few minutes, nothing happened.

Then, suddenly, the yellow blip onscreen began pulsing from a new area, in downtown Manhattan.

Natasha looked surprised. “How…?”

“Back when I first learned about the Cube,” Felicia explained, “it was when I infiltrated a meeting Kingpin had with the rest of the city’s crimelords. I mugged Masque for her costume – I assume you ladies are both familiar with that time-honored superhero tradition?”

Kate rolled her eyes. Natasha remained stoic. “Continue, please.”

“Well, I met a couple of friends who had the same idea, and we absconded with the Cube,” Felicia continued. “My plan was to sell it to SHIELD for a tidy sum, but Ghost Spider got it first…” She trailed off for a moment, reminiscing on the more disappointing side of that adventure.

“Felicia…” Natasha began.

“So anyway, I eventually snuck back to the Kingpin’s hideout while the cops were clearing the area. I, uh… borrowed a policewoman’s uniform and looked around. And I found this flash drive in the Kingpin’s office, labeled ‘Cube.’ Kingpin kept it in case he ever needed to get a lock on the little thing. You know how people always losing their car keys and such…” She smiled. “Anyway, I figured it must have a lock on the Cube’s coordinates. I tried using it to see if I could track down and… borrow the Cube myself…”

“Please stop misusing using the word ‘borrow’,” Natasha interrupted.

“Anyway, by that point SHIELD had a hold of it, and there wasn’t much I could do. I hadn’t really thought of it much at all till I met you guys.”

Natasha nodded, processing the info. She glanced back at the screen. “So it gives us a three-mile radius for where the Cube could be. A three-mile radius in one of the most densely populated areas in the country… That could take days to search.”

“Don’t you superhero types have special mind-reading abilities or something?” Felicia asked.

“We can’t risk superheroes starting a search of the area,” Natasha replied. “If HYDRA suspects we know where the Cube is, they’ll activate it, and the damage could be catastrophic.” Her eyes narrowed. “If only we knew where…”

Kate approached and watched the computer screen. She thought for a moment, then pointed. “There.”

Natasha looked surprised. “What makes you so certain?”

“Madison Square Garden,” Kate replied. “There’s a huge celebrity benefit there tomorrow night. Music, wrestling, even an archery competition. I was asked to perform, but life’s gotten a little hectic…”

Natasha nodded. “How huge?”

“At least 10,000 people will be there,” Kate estimated. “It’ll be a perfect target for those insane HYDRA folks. They’ll set off the Cube once the stadium’s packed and cause maximum chaos.”

“Geez…” Felicia murmured.

“Tomorrow night,” Natasha echoed. “That doesn’t give us much time…”

“We should alert the authorities… Tell them to shut the show down,” Kate suggested.

Natasha shook her head. “If HYDRA suspects anything has changed, they’ll panic and set off the Cube. We can’t give them the slightest impression that anything is off. For now, they hold all the cards.”

“So what do we do?” Felicia asked.

“I suppose,” Natasha replied, “we’ll have to be at that show.”

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

The screen short-circuited, and went dark.

“What happened?” Fiona complained. “It was just getting good!”

“Suit must be out of battery,” Mei Lin frowned.

“You’ve used up quite a lot of it,” Luz commented. “It needs a few hours to recharge.”

Danika turned to Tyler. “Boss, you okay?”

A smile was playing on Tyler’s lips. “Girls, this is perfect! The opportunity to steal the Chaos Cube has fallen right into our laps!”

The others turned to her.

“Tomorrow night,” Tyler explained, “we will infiltrate the event at Madison Square Garden. We locate the Cube and steal it for ourselves.”

Fiona grinned. “A concert at MSG? Awesome!”

“Except…” Luz glanced at her phone, where she had pulled up the website. “The show’s already sold out. There’s no way we can get tickets at this late hour.”

“We don’t need tickets,” Tyler replied. “There wouldn’t be much advantage to getting lost in the crowd, anyway. We need to stay alert and have a good vantage point to watch for HYDRA – and for Black Widow and her fellow nosy superheroes as well.”

“So how do we get inside?” Danika asked.

Tyler glanced over at Luz. “What shows are scheduled for the concert tonight?”

Luz scrolled through the website. “There are songs by Allison Blaire and Lila Cheney… an acrobatic act by the Gambonno Brothers… A magic show by the magician couple Glynis and Ilya Zarkov… and an appearance by the Grapplers.”

“The Grapplers?”

Luz read the text. “They’re a team of five female wrestlers. Muscular women with costumes and gimmicks. No actual superpowers.”

Tyler smiled. “Girls, I think we’ve found our ticket to tonight’s big show.”

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

The Grapplers were a small but growing organization that worked out of a small dojo in the West Bronx.

The team had been founded by Marian Pouncy, a former criminal known as Poundcakes who had earned a reputation for her physical strength. Once she’d served her time, she had decided to go straight, and reached out to other women – ex-cons, military types – with a background in peak physical skills.

Marian’s idea to form a wrestling squad had started slowly, but was growing in popularity. She had retained four women – her fellow Grapplers – and they had put on shows for the local public every Saturday night.

Now, at last, they were about to hit the big time, having booked a major gig at Madison Square Garden. The crowds would be packed. The Grapplers would have their largest audience ever.

On the morning of the big event, the women had all gathered at the dojo before sunrise, in order to warm up and train themselves for the big show ahead. It was a huge opportunity, and none of them wanted to mess it up.

By the time the morning sun peeked over the horizon, the Grapplers were well-absorbed in their morning exercises inside the dojo.

A little too absorbed, perhaps…

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

Deborah Lowry stepped out onto the backlot of the dojo, watching the sun rise over the distant skyscrapers.

She lit a cigarette as she watched the daylight spread across the horizon. It wasn’t as memorable as it had been during her time in Dallas, but she still appreciated watching the new day each morning.

A native Texan, Deb had grown up as a cattle rancher, rising early each morning for farmwork. She soon transitioned her skills to horseback riding, becoming a professional rodeo performer, being skilled with lariats and pistols. Upon moving to New York, she found her way to the Grapplers, her skills adding some nice country flavor to their team.

Deb Lowry – known by her more famous moniker of “Cowgirl” – was a tall, athletically-toned woman with light skin, green eyes, and long flowing bright red hair. Her costume consisted of a lavender shirt and pants, a white vest and tights, and a silver-grey belt around her waist, to which was strapped a holstered pistol and lariat. She also wore dark blue riding gloves and knee-high red riding boots. A white ten-gallon hat was fitted over her head, and a light blue bandanna was tied around her neck.

Despite her strong stature, Deb was less prone to fighting with her fists than her fellow Grapplers. She preferred to rely on her lasso when facing particularly tough opponents – as well as her pistol, if she ever needed to impress anyone with her expert markswoman skills.

This being a quiet morning at the dojo, however, Deb had deposited her lariat and gun atop some garbage barrels near the back door. Her back was now turned to her precious accoutrements as she watched the sunrise and puffed on her cigarette.

Thus preoccupied, she did not notice a lithe female figure sneaking around quietly behind the garbage cans, eyes set on Cowgirl’s signature weapons.

Deb finished her cigarette and dropped it to the pavement, crushing it with the heel of her boot. Her attention diverted, she failed to hear the whistling sound of her lariat sailing through the air.

The next moment, the thick rope looped itself over Deb’s arms and torso, pinning her biceps to her sides.

“What in tarnation…?”

Deb had no chance to turn around before a sharp tug on the rope pulled her swiftly backwards. She sailed briefly through the air, a helpless catch caught in her own lasso, then disappeared behind the garbage cans.

WHACK! THUNK!

And all grew silent.

In a matter of minutes, Fiona was easing her legs into Deb’s signature red Cowgirl boots. She had already donned the woman’s shirt, pants, and vest.

Deb lay on the ground, unconscious. She had been hogtied with her own lasso and gagged with her own bandanna. She was stripped to her light blue bandeau bra and green cotton hipsters. Across the waistband of the panties was scrawled the words “Don’t Mess with Texas.”

“Sorry to be so rough with you… partnuh,” Fiona grinned as she reached for the ten-gallon hat. “But our Internet research showed that you’re the only redhead in the Grapplers, and so you’re the easiest for me to impersonate. And you’ve got the most fun accent, too.”

Her communicator beeped. Fiona spoke into it.

“Howdy there, y’all,” she said with a Southern twang.

“Save the accents for later, Fiona,” Tyler responded. “Is there anyone else outside the dojo?”

“Nope. Just me and the rodeo clown. And she’s all nice and wrapped up for now.”

“Good. If the other Grapplers are all inside, we should be able to take them by surprise…”

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

Hellen Feliciano set down the weights she had been lifting for the past twenty minutes. She strode over to the watercooler and poured herself a drink. First rule of wrestling: always stay hydrated.

Hellen was one of the more experienced members of the Grapplers, having been with the group since its inception. A tall, curvy and athletic woman with blue eyes and long sandy-blonde hair, she went by the code name “Letha.” A fighter with an acrobatic background, she wore a metal grey halter top held in place with brown leather straps, along with arm-length metal gloves and black knee-length boots. More leather straps were fitted around her thighs; these included weapons she could utilize whenever the need arose.

Hellen’s costume showed off more skin than those of some of her fellow Grapplers, but she didn’t mind. She knew her body was pleasant to look at, and after all, she was a performer – fans paid for a good show. She would give it to them – tonight especially, at the massive show at MSG.

Hellen poured herself another drink, closing her eyes as she sipped the cold water. Her day of kicking ass was just getting started…

At once, she felt a pinch at the side of her neck. She jerked her head back, spilling the water over herself.

“The hell…?”

She felt at the base of her neck, her fingers closing around a sleek silver dart.

“But… wha…”

With a groan, she slid forward and fell to the mat.

From the crack in the doorway where she had launched her minute missile, Danika grinned. “As the Americans say… eye of the bull.”

From her comm-link came Tyler’s response. “I assume you mean… bulls-eye?”

“Oh… yes. Quite lucky that this one shows so much skin in her costume… Very easy to hit her with a tranquilizer.”

“Thank goodness for small favors… Now hurry up and strip her.”

Danika entered the room quietly, ensuring that no one else is around. She checked Hellen to make sure that the woman was out cold.

“I hope for your sake you’re wearing underwear beneath that outfit,” she chuckled.

With that, she grasped the woman known as Letha by her underarms and dragged her to a nearby closet.

Unluckily for Hellen, she had opted to go commando.

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

Over in the wrestling room, two of the other Grapplers were getting warmed up.

“Come on, Sushi, show me what you got,” Davida grinned, stepping onto the fighting mat.

Susan rolled her eyes as she struck a judo pose. “I need a better name. How come you get to have ‘Titania’?”

“Because I’ve been part of the team longer. Duh.”

Davida DeVito wasn’t wrong – she had been one of the original Grapplers, and had staked her reputation on the team. A tall, buxom woman with light skin, blue eyes, and long dark hair that swept all the way down her back, she was a tough fighter, and chose a name to reflect that. As Titania, she wore a strapless red-and-black leotard that showed off her splendid figure, as well as knee-high black boots decorated with red circles. She wore a fingerless red-and-black glove on her left hand, and a frayed fishnet across her right arm, secured with a black leather bracelet at the wrist.

“And also… because I win more fights!”

Davida dove at her quarry, preparing to grab her in a headlock. But Susan quickly dodged her attack, then let loose with a light judo chop between her shoulder blades. Davida fell to the mat.

“Might be time to change the score,” Susan chuckled.

Susan Hayakawa was a skilled karate and jiujitsu fighter who had joined the Grapplers about six months earlier. She was a tall and lithe Asian woman with fair skin, green eyes, and jet-black hair, which she typically wore in a ponytail. Her fighting costume was a red-brown karate outfit with white sleeves, and black slip-on shoes. It was an outfit that inspired confidence in the ring… which was more than she could say for the name of her Grappler identity.

“Now can I get a name other than ‘Sushi’?”

Davida got to her feet. “What’s wrong with that name? You’re Japanese, aren’t you?”

Susan groaned. “I’m from Queens. And I’d like to be known as more than a walking stereotype.”

“Take it up with Marian,” Davida replied. “She’s the one in charge. You wanna go another round or not?”

“Sure… It’s fun kicking your ass no matter how often I do it.”

Davida grimaced. “Let me just grab an extra towel from the closet.”

She stepped away from the mat and approached the large walk-in closet that contained most of the gym’s equipment.

“Why are the towels always on the bottom shelf?” she murmured, bending down. “I told Marian to…”

She heard the door shut behind her.

Davida turned in surprise. “What the…?”

From the main room, Susan heard muffled noises. It sounded like a scuffle.

“Davi? You okay in there?” she called to the closet.

The next moment, she felt an electric jolt to the back of her neck. “Uurgh!”

Groaning, she collapsed to the floor.

Luz smiled and tucked her handmade electric taser – dubbed the “Jolt” – back into her belt.

“All good, Mei Lin?” she called to the closet.

Mei Lin exited the closet, the unconscious form of Davida slung over her shoulder.

Luz chuckled. “This is easier than I thought.”

She listened into her earpiece. “Sounds like the only one who still needs to be taken out is their boss.”

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

Marian Pouncy was on the phone in her private office, finalizing the details of tonight’s big event.

“Yeah, sounds good – the Grapplers will go on before the Lila Cheney song-and-dance routine. We’ll take on whatever wrestlers you’ve got in reserve and kick their asses. Give the audience a fight worth watching.”

She listened for a moment, then frowned. “What? You want the Grapplers to intentionally lose the fight? Why the hell would we do that?”

Her frown became a scowl as she heard the answer. “Now listen here, buster – the Grapplers are a legitimate fighting squad. We aren’t going to roll over just so your state-owned wrestlers can look good and sell more tickets to your next big event. My team fights tough, and we don’t lose! And if you try to cheat on our contract, I’ll find you and wrap this telephone cord around your scrawny throat! Got it?”

The man at the other end stammered out a short response.

“Good. Pleasure doing business.” Marian hung up.

A stocky and broadly muscular woman with light skin, blue eyes, and short brown hair, Marian Pouncy – known widely as “Poundcakes” – was not a woman who allowed herself to be taken advantage of. This was reflected in her choice of costume, a set of violet-white chain mail armor with grey tights, along with black shoulder pads, armbands, belt, and boots. A black helmet concealed most of her face, apart from the eyes and mouth, and razor-sharp red spikes jutted from her collar, belt, armbands, and boots.

“The nerve of that guy,” she murmured, getting up from her chair and striding towards the door. “The Grapplers never lose a fight! We have a reputation to uphold, and we’ll kick the ass of anyone who tries to—”

Opening the door, she immediately caught a full blast of aerosol spray to the face.

“Wha--??” Marian stumbled backwards, gasping at the sickly sweet smell that had suddenly invaded her nostrils. Who on earth…?

She could see a figure, a woman, standing in the doorway, holding the aerosol cannister – but Marian’s vision was already starting to blur. She couldn’t make the woman out. Everything was very rapidly turning hazy…

“You bitch!” Marian growled through the soporific spray, and charged at the doorway.

With her years of training and superior physique, Marian Pouncy was among the strongest and most accomplished wrestlers in New York. A tackle from her could take down a small bull elephant – provided she had the right aim.

Alas, the blurry vision made it difficult to judge depth perception, or to tell where her target was in relation to the doorframe.

With a sharp WABAM!, Marian’s head hit the doorframe, the shock reverberating through her helmet. The next moment, she dropped to the floor and lay still.

Whether it was entirely the soporific spray that had done in Poundcakes, or whether the knock from the doorframe had hastened the process, Tyler did not know. Nor, of course, did she particularly care – the important thing was that the last member of the Grapplers was now at the mercy of HEART.

Tyler spoke into her comms. “Any problems, girls?”

She listened to the “No” and “None, boss” replies which followed, and smiled.

“Very well, then. Time to assume our new identities.”

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

Before long, the five women of HEART convened in the building’s gymnasium – and true to Tyler’s command, they were now practically unrecognizable.

Fiona wore Deb’s outfit, boots, and ten-gallon hat. Danika wore Hellen’s halter top and body armor. Mei Lin was claid in Susan’s karate robes. Luz sported Davida’s leotard and boots. And Tyler, with the help of some padding, was now dressed in Marian’s bodysuit.

The real Grapplers, similarly, looked rather different than they had upon first entering the facility this morning.

Currently they were piled in a corner of the room, minus their costumes. Deb was still in her “Don’t Mess with Texas” underwear, hogtied with her lasso and gagged with a bandanna. The other four women had been bound with strong, flexible white ropes that resisted strain, and gagged with black tape. Davida wore a jet-black bandeau bra and dark red hipsters. Susan wore a white sports bra and pink boyshorts. Marian wore a black set of balconette bra and bikini panties, both decorated with miniature spikes around the piping.

Hellen, meanwhile, wore no underwear at all.

“There’s always a Joystick in every group,” Fiona remarked.

Luz looked up from the process of lacing up Titania’s boots. “A what?”

“A Joystick,” Fiona explained. “You know, the one woman on the team who goes commando. Studies show that about 20% of costumed women in New York wear no underwear beneath their outfits. So if you mug five super-women for their costumes, odds are that one of them will be left au naturel.”

Luz gave her a strange look. “Why are you looking up statistics about costumed women and their underwear?”

Fiona shrugged. “There’s nothing good on Netflix.”

“Enough, girls,” Tyler interrupted, tucking her hair beneath Poundcakes’ mask. “We have what we came here for. Let’s stuff the real Grapplers into their lockers and get moving.”

Fiona grinned. “I can’t wait for the big fights tonight. Who do I get to wrestle?”

“We’ll work out the details later,” Tyler replied. “For now, get into character. As far as the world knows, we are the Grapplers, and we’re heading for Madison Square Garden to give people a show.”

Danika chuckled. “A show they will not forget…”

[tirepanted3]

Most of these characters in this story are based on actual characters from Marvel Comics. Links below.

SHIELD Agent Kris Boyle

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

Deb Lowry/Cowgirl

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

Hellen Feliciano/Letha

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

Davida DeVito/Titania

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

Susan Hayakawa/Sushi

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

Marian Pouncy/Poundcakes

https://www.writeups.org/wp-content/upl ... rs-big.jpg
https://www.writeups.org/poundcakes-gra ... el-comics/

[rufusluciusivan]

(Wow, what a horrid month of May IRL. I had so much work, being able to review something feels like I’m finally taking my head out of the water...^^)

I can't believe Marvel dared to have one of their characters go by the moniker of "Sushi".

Claire's and Elaine's interactions were spot-on. You really nailed their "Slap-slap-kiss" dynamic with every of their scenes. Especially the last one, when they remind themselves why they tolerate each other… Or the “Eyes on the Road” one.

As far as humor goes, the highlight was the scene in which Elaine comes across the SHIELD Agent goofing around with her scorpion suit. The moment she uttered the sentence "the tail does make my butt look big", I knew her fate was sealed. There was no way Scorpia would let it slide! And then Kelly mistook Scorpia's outfit... Ouch. Poor Elaine, poor little C-list villainess lost and forgotten to time…
And the sad thing is that I'm 90% convinced there IS a female Lizard somewhere in the Marvel canon.

Kelly wasn’t a cameo, but she for sure stood out thanks to her dialogues. (And thanks to her choice of underwear too, unlucky her.)

I also really liked the joke of these tough SHIELD agents having a dorky side. One can't look intimidating and badass all the time. Sometimes, you just want to goof around with your colleague to unwind a little. (Nice callback with Screwball's and Lady Bullseye's outfits btw.)

I always appreciate when the common ‘uniform stealing’ tropes are discussed and made fun of, such as when Silver Sable fails to use the classic ‘pretend we’re sick’ ruse. These two savvy HYDRA sentries should watch their backs though. They seem to be forgetting the kind of story they're in... Being smug and flaunting your knowledge of infiltration tropes is a sure way to get some karma USB-style later…

Nice cameos of canon ladies, as always. Marvel has a knack for character-design, I’ll give them that. Kris is the exact kind of badass-looking lady I love to see mugged for her uniform. (It’s the side-swept pixie cut.) Plus she’s from SHIELD, AND she got the ‘van rocking back and forth’ treatment – so it’s a combo.(Plus I love the mental picture of her grabbed by the straps of her harness and pulled out of sight.)

With all the things going on, I almost forgot the HEART girls… I wouldn’t exactly say they’re en trop, they bring funny moments and interactions – a bit of levity – but they’re only tangentially related to the plot. Still, the whole subplot of them mugging the Grapplers was tons of fun – lots of great lines and banters (Fiona’s attempt at a Southern Accent and casual mockery of calling her victim a rodeo clown ), and I like the idea of mugging wrestlers for their costumes. Reminds me of the mainstream anime scene with Firecat in Outlaw Stars… I love how they used “Cowgirl”’s own lasso and bandanna against her – what in tarnation indeed…

“The Grapplers never lose a fight! We have a reputation to uphold, and we’ll kick the ass of anyone who tries to—”

Ouch, the irony of that one hurts...

Why am I not surprised a “going commando” joke would eventually pop out? Good to see that Joystick’s legacy lives on! Still, I guess the costumed ladies of Earth-USB have been lucky until now. Given how many of them have been mugged already, having only one Joystick is quite low if studies say it’s an average of 20% going commando...

Natasha, Kate, and Felicia have a nice dynamic going on. Felicia is true to herself, but Kate and Natasha give as much as they get – Felicia doesn’t have the upper-hand like she does with MJ.

Silver Sable’s and Yelena’s interactions are still a highlight, though for different reasons. I like my light-hearted stories to have some drama in them.

I must say, the setting of the celebrity benefit sounds very alluring. In-between catering crew and (I hope) other costumed contestants (maybe musicians?)… We already had the wrestling team, I hope we’ll have more...

The Hawkgirl misnaming... I see what you did there...

[tirepanted3]

Welcome back. Glad work hasn't kept you away from your reviews/comments for too long.

"Sushi" was a minor character from the 1980s - I assume this character name couldn't fly today. I needed to fill out the Grapplers with some characters the HEART girls could convincingly imitate, and she seemed like a good one for Mei Lin.

Claire and Elaine make a great couple. I just love the dynamic between two women who can't stand each other yet can't stand being apart from each other even more. The Marvel universe is no stranger to unusual romances, and they certainly qualify.

The Lizard's wife did turn into a female Lizard at one point. Not a costume, though - a natural transformation. Elaine doesn't want any association with that...

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

I was thinking of using a real SHIELD agent from the comics for Kelly (like I did with Kris Boyle), but it seemed redundant since she would not be wearing her SHIELD outfit anyway for this scene. Getting mocked for her underwear by Elaine is certainly a way to damage her pride (if she were conscious, anyway).

I try to include little continuity callbacks where I can, and the allusion to Lady Bullseye was also a way to emphasize Elaine's dismissive attitude towards other supervillains. She's never been a team player, and is on Sable's payroll simply because she needs a job.

Sable's first attempt at a prison break failed, thanks to the "trope-aware" guards. A way to show that HYDRA isn't as dumb as some of the other masked organizations (or not all the time, anyway). But stay tuned...

Kris Boyle was a keep for the chapter as soon as I discovered her. Her design is top-notch. SHIELD women have been having an extremely unlucky streak in recent chapters... (And I figured you'd appreciate the "van rocking" scene.)

The HEART girls aren't factoring in as a major part of the story, true, and I'd like to integrate them a bit better into the overall proceedings - but they're a wild card, and I love writing wild card characters into a story. I enjoy writing their banters, especially Fiona, and they provide ample opportunities for USB scenes against both heroes and villains.

This whole chapter was inspired by the Grapplers - I simply couldn't resist introducing an all-female wrestling team into the story. I especially love how the Grapplers get taken down on their own turf. Cowgirl's design was especially appealing, and how often do these USB stories get to indulge in Western tropes?

I'd say the 20% "Joystick" statistic is probably accurate, especially since a lot of Marvel superheroines and villainesses wear costumes too skimpy to feature any underwear. We just haven't seen too many of them get mugged and replaced in the stories themselves, but in a world where mugging women for their clothes is so frequent, I'm sure it happens...

It's cool to pair Felicia with Natasha and Kate, who can hold their own against her - especially Natasha, who is too stoic to allow Felicia to get under her skin. They were a bit sidelined in this chapter, but you'll be seeing more of them next time around.

Yelena's arc is still the emotional crux of this phase in the saga. She's interesting to write, and a fun change of pace from the more comedic and action-filled scenes.

The celebrity benefit will certainly include some more women of Marvel Comics - some costumed, some civilians. Many of them unlucky to cross paths with characters in need of a disguise. I'll say no more...

The Hawkgirl misnaming... I see what you did there...

Perhaps the DC universe is closer than we think...