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The Adventures of Silverclaw

Chapter 1  White Gold

Silverclaw slithered through the upper branches of the rainforest giant, her tongue flicking out as she tested the scent of the criminal operation in the clearing below her.  “Cocaine,” she thought in disgust.  She hated the vile drug that corrupted her people and sent so many to a living hell.  Slowly she moved lower, her giant snake body sliding silently over each limb.  She had taken the form of an anaconda when she had first spotted the camp.  She had waited until dark, a time perfectly suited for the huge snake.  Gliding through the upper branches to the forest floor she slithered toward the closest building. 

 

The camp was guarded, but her snake form passed unobserved between the sentries and gained the crawl space beneath the main building.  Then she changed form again.  Her next metamorphosis was more difficult.  The anaconda approximated her human body in weight, but her next guise, that of a monkey required her to reduce her body mass.  She was, however, becoming more adept at changing to this more problematical form.  Within minutes a she had assumed the form of a very large female howler monkey.  Now to send a message to the drug lords.

 

Scampering from her hiding place, she quickly climbed up to a window, released the catch, and let herself into the building.  It didn’t take long to find what she wanted.  The building was the main processing plant for the cocaine operation.  Stacked in neat rows along one wall were several dozen large metal drums.  Inside each one was over 200 liters of highly explosive liquid ether.  If the drums were opened and exposed to flame…

 

Near the front of the hut were several workers who were busily processing the cocaine.  None of them were looking in her direction.  She located a special wrench for opening the drums on a nearby workbench.  Picking up the wrench, she leaped onto one of the drums and inserted the tool into the cap, then bracing her feet she hauled on it with all her strength.  To her frustration the cap refused to move.  No doubt the cap had been screwed on extra tight to prevent any of the volatile ether from escaping.  In her monkey form she simply couldn’t get enough leverage to remove the cap.

 

Leaping from the barrel she scurried behind a number of large boxes.  Concentrating she began to change form once more.  Slowly her monkey shape dissolved, to be replaced by that of a beautiful olive-skinned young woman.  She was quite petite, standing about five-foot-two and probably weighing only 105 pounds.  Midnight waist-length hair draped  her exquisite almost nude body.  She was very young, but her physical attributes proclaimed her to be a fully mature female, abundantly endowed with all the charms of a beautiful woman.  Perhaps her most remarkable feature was the silvering that coloured the tips of her thick hair. 

 

Conscious of the fact that she was an almost  naked woman in a camp full of drug dealers and murderers, she moved cautiously toward the barrel she had first located.  The special wrench was still sitting on top.  Quickly she inserted the tool into the recessed metal cap, and bracing her feet she pulled.  Slowly the cap twisted loose.  In a few seconds it was loose enough that she could turn it with her fingers.  Removing the cap she carefully set it down and then slowly tilted the barrel, allowing its contents to spill on the floor.  Now she needed fire.

 

Fire would not be easy to find.  Smoking in the camp was forbidden on the pain of death, one of the few rules that the drug lord who owned and controlled the camp rigidly enforced.  However, the fact that smoking was forbidden did not mean that all or even most of the men were non-smokers.  Outside the camp, smoking was allowed and many of the men carried tobacco and matches.  Inside their sleeping quarters each man would have his own private little stockpile of smoking supplies. 

 

She would shape change one more time.  She was already a little tired from the process, but moving through the camp n her human form would be tantamount to suicide.  Slowly she concentrated, willing her body to change.  It was not an easy procedure, requiring intense concentration and energy.  Already she had changed twice and the process had drained her of her strength.  She would change one more time and then make good her escape.  The monkey once again was the perfect choice.  Gradually her semi-nude female form underwent the bizarre transformation that turned her into a representative of the animal kingdom.  It was not a complete change.  Close inspection of her howler monkey body would have revealed clear human traits, such as the abnormally large breasts of a human female and the facial features of a young woman.  However, Silverclaw did not intend that there be any close inspection of her body.  When the ether exploded she planned to be as far away as possible.

 

It took her only seconds to exit the cocaine factory and head to the men’s quarters.  Entering a darkened section of the hut, she tore a hole in the mosquito netting and forced her way in.  Inside, as she had hoped, she found a man’s jacket, and in the pockets a convenient box of matches.  With a simian grin she picked up the matches and sneaked out of the hut as quickly as she had entered.  She was resting peacefully in the treetops, still in her monkey form when the processing plant erupted in a violent explosion that hurled exploding drums of ether the length of the camp. 

 

 

“Madre de Dios,” cursed Juan Marcos.  He ducked as a flaming barrel of ether shot over his head, too high to be dangerous, but frightening nevertheless.  “Who did this?  A billion dollars worth of snow gone!”

 

“It can only be one person, boss,” Hector Alvarez, replied.  “Silverclaw.  She’s been targeting all the drug factories in the country.”

 

“God damn bitch.  It’s time she was stopped.  Get me Juarez.”

 

 

Vincente “the Jaguar” Juarez, squinted into the forest.  This was one of the more unusual jobs he had received.  He had never attempted to trap a superheroine before.  Most of the time they avoided the places he worked.  But this time he had a prime assignment.  Marcos was paying him 100 grand to track down and trap the elusive heroine known as Silverclaw.  He had read everything he could find on her.  Unfortunately it wasn’t much.  All he really knew about her was that she was female, a native of Sierra Verde, and capable of morphing into a member of the local wildlife.  It seemed fantastic, but that was what he had learned.  More important though, was the fact that he had discovered that the heroine had a weakness.  It was one he fully intended to exploit.  He settled down to wait.  If he was right the heroine should be along quite soon.

 

 

Silverclaw floated over the rainforest.  She was certain that she had heard the cry of an animal in distress.  Such sounds in the rainforest, of course, were far from unusual.  However she liked to check them out whenever she could.  Even more than cocaine dealers she hated poachers.  She flapped her silvery wings sending her closer to the sound.  Then she spotted it and she swooped in for a closer look. 

 

Landing on one of the lower branches on a large tree she studied the situation.  Below her a jaguar paced inside an iron cage.  The animal appeared to have been lured into the cage by the promise of an easy meal.  The remains of a goat lay on the floor of the enclosure.  The act of leaping on and killing the bait had apparently triggered an automatic release trapping the jaguar inside the cage.  Well, she would just have to do something about that. 

 

Her present shape as a large silvery cockatoo would not do.  She needed to be able to manipulate the catch on the cage door.  For this, her human shape was actually the most suitable.  Fluttering down to the ground she landed in front of the cage and then concentrating, began to change.

 

From his hiding place Juarez watched in stunned amazement.  The stories were true.  A large silvery cockatoo had glided to the ground in front of the cage.  It was a most strange looking bird.  Not only was it an extremely large bird, but it seemed to possess two of the most attractive breasts he had ever seen.  And then as he watched the cockatoo began to change in shape. 

 

The enormous silvery wings charged first, the feathers seeming to retract and then form into arms.  Then female torso became more human and the head lost its feathers, the beak receding into the face.  In just a few minutes the cockatoo was gone, replaced by the curvaceous form of an astoundingly beautiful young woman.  Juarez’ eyes almost bugged out of his head and he almost had to bite his tongue to keep from shouting in amazement.  She was quite short, but her perfectly proportioned body made her seem taller, and her tanned, svelte body was almost nude, her hips draped only in a dark loincloth that fell between her lithe thighs to her knees. 

 

She was a picture of barbaric splendor, her ankles and wrists adorned with silver bracelets, and her waist encircled by a glittering silver belt.  Above her elbows and about her thighs were still more silver circlets, and her throat was encircled by a large metal collar that extended over most of her slender neck.  Dangling from the collar were additional silvers ornaments that extended to the hollow between her swelling breasts.   Her brow was crowned with a heavy silver tiara that swept down over her cheeks and heavy silver rings pierced her ears.  Silvery feathers trailed from thigh and arm bands completing the picture of savage splendor. 

 

Juarez held his breath.  He had expected something spectacular when he had set his trap for the exotic heroine, but this was beyond anything he could have imagined.  She was like something straight out of some strange fantasy.  Wild and untamed, she appeared more barbaric than the animals she supposedly emulated. 

 

“There, there.  You’re safe now.” the girl said, speaking to the trapped jaguar.  When she had first landed the beast had become most agitated, but the girl’s silvery voice seemed to have a calming effect on the trapped animal.  Moving gracefully she moved toward the cage and released the catch.  The cage door swung open, and after a moment’s hesitation the jaguar sprang past the girl and dashed into the forest. 

 

Juarez was so taken in by the girl’s beauty that he almost forgot to spring his trap.  But he reacted at the last second, just as the girl was turning away from the cage.  Pulling a lever he released the spring-loaded nets he had hidden all around the cage. 

 

Maria de Guadalupe Santiago (Lupe to her childhood friends) stepped back from the cage.  The jaguar was free now, but she would stay near the cage for awhile.  She wanted to determine who was trapping animals in her forest and to make it absolutely clear that no such actions were permitted against those creatures under her protection.  Then suddenly from a few feet away her ultra sensitive hearing detected the slightest of sounds.

 

“Trap,” she thought.  Instantly she was hurling herself into the trees, but she was a fraction of a second too late.  Nets seemed to burst from the ground and envelope her in an entangling shroud that prevented all escape.  Pinned beneath the net she struggled helplessly for a few seconds and then began to change form.

 

“Oh no you don’t,” said a deep voice.  A sudden pain shot through her, disrupting the transformation process as a violent electric shock stunned her almost into unconsciousness.  Then there was a second shock and a third.  Her eyes glazed with the intensity of the electric shock.  Then there was a forth jolt.  With a low moan she fainted.

 

Juarez moved quickly on his victim.  He had to immobilize her before she regained consciousness and the ability to change form.  Tossing aside the electrically charged baton he had used to stun her, he pulled the folds of the net from the comatose girl.

 

Up close she was even more breathtakingly beautiful.  For a few seconds he just stared at her limp form.  “God, I’d like to fuck her,” he thought.  He licked his lips.  Why not?  Marcos had hired him to catch the jungle heroine who was destroying his cocaine industry.  He had done that, but Marcos had not told him he couldn’t have some fun with her before he collected his pay. 

 

Bending, he rolled her over and pulled her hands behind her back.  First he removed the silvers bracelets on her wrists and arms and then he clamped a heavy set of steel shackles on each wrist.  But that was just the start.  There was only one way to immobilize a superheroine and that was to load her down with chains.  He next removed the elaborate collar from the heroine’s neck and replaced it with a special steel collar he had designed himself.  Attaching two lengths of heavy chain to the collar he ran them to metal shackles that he clamped above each elbow.  He next connected the steel cuffs above her elbows by another short length of chain, pulling her elbows together.  Now she was almost ready.  There was just one more thing to complete her bondage.  Around her waist he linked another length of chain.  Attached to this chain was a battery pack.  It was small, but contained enough power to send 50,000 volts through the helpless heroine at the touch of a button.  He ran a connecting cable from the battery to the collar at her neck.  Now she was powerless, but for good measure, he draped several other lengths of heavy chain about her body.  It would be interesting to see how much weight she could carry.

 

The heroine moaned.  She was waking up.  Good.  Now he could take her to someplace more suitable.  He pulled her into a sitting position.  With a groan the heroine opened her eyes and gazed dazedly about her.  Juarez moved in front of her, holding the remote control device that would activate the collar.  Her eyes widened in fear when she saw him and she tried to get up. 

 

Juarez touched a button on the remote control, sending a split second jolt of electricity through the collar.  The power of the current caused her body to spasm uncontrollably, and Juarez had to catch her to keep her from falling.  “Now, my lovely,” he said, “you know what you are up against.  Any attempt to escape or change form and you will be given a swift lesson in obedience.  I can send the full power through the collar at any time.  Don’t force me to do it.”

 

 

Lupe heard Juarez’ threat through a fog.  Still dazed from the effects of the electric baton, it took her a few seconds to collect her thoughts.  Then she slowly realized her danger.  Her body was laden with heavy chains that immobilized her arms and pinched her elbows cruelly together and an electrified collar had been placed about her neck.  Juarez’ words suddenly sank in.  She was chained and helpless and could not use her powers to escape.  Her mouth went dry and a sudden chill swept through her body.  She remembered the trap and the pain of being shocked into unconsciousness.  She stared in fear at the man who had caught her.

 

She didn’t recognize him, but she knew who he was.  He was tall and powerfully built.  His bearded face was marred by a livid scar that crossed his face from his right eye to the left side of his jaw.  It identified him as Vincente Juarez, nicknamed “the Jaguar.”  He had been high on her list of those she considered her enemies due to his ruthless trapping of rainforest animals, and now he had trapped her. 

 

“What do you want?” she quavered.  “Why have you done this to me?”  She was suddenly very aware that in her character of Silverclaw she was almost nude.  The way Juarez was running his eyes over her body sent shivers through her.

 

“Oh, it’s nothing personal,” said Juarez.  “A certain drug lord took offense at your recent behaviour and hired me to capture you.  He was especially insistent that I take you alive.  Apparently he has something very special planned for you.”

 

Lupe’s guts churned.  She had little doubt as what the man who had hired Juarez would do to her if she was taken to him.

 

“Please,” she said.  “Let me go.  If you take me in I’ll be killed.  You can’t want that.”

 

“Frankly, If I get paid I don’t care what happens to you.  Besides, I’ve got plans of my own concerning you.”  Juarez licked his lips suggestively.

 

“What are you going to do?” Lupe asked apprehensively. 

 

“First I’m taking you with me.  Then we shall see.  Get on your feet.”  Juarez prodded Lupe with his foot, prompting her to attempt to stand up.

 

It wasn’t easy forcing herself erect.  The weight of the chains was ponderous, and the position of her arms behind her back made any movement difficult.  She stood swaying uncertainly, the tall animal trader standing over her.  Gripping her shoulder he turned her down a forest trail and gave her slight push.  “Albright, get going.  And don’t forget, I can bring you to your knees at any time. 

 

Lupe lurched forward.  Her petite frame was laden with over a hundred pounds of deadweight metal and her arms were cruelly pinioned behind her back, forcing her breasts forward.  Breathing was difficult and walking even harder.  Within a few minutes she was breathing heavily.

 

Juarez, however, showed little concern for his captive, jabbing her with the electric baton whenever she slowed down, although he refrained from shocking her.  It wasn’t long before sweat was streaming down her seminude body and she was panting from the extreme exertion.  The walk seemed to last forever, although it probably was no more than about an hour.  Every step was difficult for the bound girl.  Roots seemed to come out of nowhere and trip her up.  Branches slapped her across the face and her naked breasts.  Several times she fell to her knees and had to be helped up by her impatient captor.  Finally she and Juarez entered a clearing.  Parked to one side of it was a cube van painted to blend in with the vegetation.  Juarez directed her toward it.

 

Exhausted, Lupe staggered toward the truck.  Her legs were weak from the trek and from fear of what was going to happen to her.  Almost sobbing in panic, she stumbled forward.  What was going to happen to her now?