The
Misadventures of the
Black Leopard
Episode
1
The
Black Leopard’s Revenge
Email:
Lespion@msn.com
Chapter 11 Out of the Frying Pan and
into …?
“Our own government?” asked Suzi. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Sorry,” Kyla replied, as she snacked on some crackers and cheese. “I wish I was. But there were government agents spying on Retinoff’s HQ and they were clearly interested in acquiring that monster robot he built.”
“Acquiring of course, but buying? Retinoff is to become an arms supplier for the government?”
“They were pretty open about it,” affirmed Kyla. “Apparently they offered him $100 million.”
“One hundred million.” Suzi whistled. “That’s Rockefeller territory. But what I don’t understand is why they are rewarding a master criminal. Why doesn’t the government just take what he has?”
“The way I understand it,” Kyla explained, “is that they want to use Retinoff’s genius to create more weapons. Besides, I think they are a bit afraid of him. The army doesn’t have anything to match that robot Retinoff built.”
“Hmmm,” Suzi mused. She
was almost speechless with anger, but held herself in
check. “So after all these
years or terrorizing the citizens of
“Maybe,” Kyla replied. “It gets even more complicated. Apparently the government only offered fifty million the first time and Retinoff turned them down. Seems that he had already had a better offer from a foreign government. It is just possible that he will sell his weaponry to one of our deadliest enemies.”
“Which means,” Suzi said, “that it just might be a good idea to make sure that we take him out before the robot or Retinoff or the plans for his war machines leave the country. Even if it means completely destroying his lab and everything in it.”
“But first we find the girl,” Kyla reminded her.
“Of course,” Suzi agreed. “First we find the girl.”
Adriana started at the sound of a key in the lock. Apprehensively she got to her feet. It wasn’t time for lunch, she had just had that an hour or so ago. And it was till far too early for supper, so she wondered what her captors has in store for her. At least she hadn’t been raped and that was a considerable improvement. But her powers had still not returned. Whatever was in the injection the thug who had abducted her had given her it was long lasting. Even worse, it might be permanent. Adriana did not know what she would do if she lost her powers.
The door opened and Adriana’s eyes opened in surprise. A petite almond-eyed woman entered the room. So far the only woman Adriana had seen since her new captivity was the tall blonde who called herself “Tiger.” She had seemed pleasant enough, if a bit lacking in intelligence. This woman, however, was something else. Moving with the grace of a panther she fixed Adriana with the sort of gaze that she had seen on cats when they were stalking mice. Despite her somewhat diminutive stature she exuded menace. Dressed from head to foot in a skin tight black outfit, her face and hair were shrouded in a black cowl that was made up to look like the head of a cat. Her dark eyes burned with an intimidating intensity forcing Adriana to look away.
“So,” said the black-clad woman. “What am I to do with you?”
She appeared to be waiting for an answer, so Adriana complied. “What do you mean?” she asked nervously. “I didn’t ask to be brought here.”
“Would you have preferred that I leave you with Retinoff? I am sure that if I give him a call he will be glad to have you back.”
Adriana quickly shook her head. She had a feeling that dark-eyed cat-woman wanted something, but did not know what.
“I didn’t think so.” the woman purred. “From what I understand you were not enjoying yourself very much.”
“What do you want?” Adriana said finally. The last remark reminded her just how sore she still was from her ordeal in Retinoff’s hideaway.
“I would like to know what you were doing entertaining one of Ivan Retinoff’s associates.” Her voice changed slightly in tone, becoming distinctly menacing. Despite the fact that Adriana was a full head taller than the graceful form before her and probably weighed twenty-five pounds more, she stepped back as the woman moved closer to her. She noted with some trepidation that the tips of the woman’s fingers ended in feline claws.
“You wouldn’t by any chance be one of those busybody heroines would you?” the cat-woman continued. Her eyes had narrowed to the merest of slits and her lips were parted in what could only be construed as a snarl.
“Nnn No…” Adriana stammered. “I’ve never done anything heroic.”
“You’re lying,” the cat-woman hissed. She flexed her claws. “I can sense it through your fear. That’s why Retinoff had you didn’t he? He likes torturing heroines, one of his few redeeming qualities.”
With a lightning movement of her arm the woman’s hand slashed out, the razor tipped claws fully extended. They caught in the front of the white blouse that Tiger had given Adriana earlier in the day. “Tell me, princess,” the cat-woman purred, her voice lethally calm. Her claws tugged slightly at the blouse, opening it a little at the neck and revealing the upper curve of Adriana’s right breast.
“I… I’m not lying,” Adriana gasped, her chest heaving. “I’m a thief. Please don’t hurt me.”
“A thief?” the almond eyes widened slightly. “Well, that is a bit better. But what did you steal from Retinoff that made him so angry?”
There was a hint of avarice in the last question. Adriana tried to think but her mind was so confused by fear that she couldn’t think straight. “Nothing, she blurted out, “I just rescued a couple of heroines he was killing, that’s all.”
“You what!” the woman hissed. She closed her hand, her claws grazing Adriana’s breast and shredding the thin material of the blouse. Adriana flinched, expecting the worst, but suddenly the woman laughed. “You are a strange one,” she chuckled. “A thief who rescues heroines. Well, you better tell me your story, but be sure not to leave anything out.”
Adriana told, finishing with the arrival of Ape and her rescue. Or what she hoped was her rescue. Facing the dark-clad cat-woman she wasn’t so sure.
“Hmm, the cat-woman mused when Adriana finished her tale. “You see what happens when you develop a conscience? It’s is too bad that you no longer have your power to transport yourself. You might have been very useful to me. However, I suppose that there is always a chance that you powers might return isn’t there?”
Adriana nodded, wondering what that question was leading to.
“Well then,” I guess I’ll just have to keep you here then, won’t I?”
“Keep me?” Adriana quavered.
“Yes, keep you. I can’t have someone with such great potential running around getting herself kidnapped and violated.” The villainess paused. “Unless,” she continued slowly, “you really like that sort of thing. Do you like being tied up?” The woman bared her teeth in a feral smile.
A shudder ran through Adriana. She suddenly realized that the mysterious woman questioning her was probably as cruel and ruthless as the men who had captured her. “No, I don’t,” she added hastily. Without thinking she shifted her body closer to the wall and away from the dark-clad woman.
“Don’t worry,” the woman grinned. “You’re safe enough as long as you do what you are told.” She fixed her eyes on Adriana and seemed to be studying her thoughtfully, and then nodding her head she opened the door and left the room. A few seconds later there was the sound of the key turning in the lock. With a sigh or both relief and resignation Adriana sat back.
Li Mei strode purposefully from the room where the black girl was imprisoned. She was satisfied that the girl was telling the truth and it was important that she be persuaded to cooperate. She did not like using threats, at least not all the time, but a little insurance never hurt. The girl could recover her powers at any time and if she did she would be gone. Li Mei already had enough enemies. She didn’t want another one with super powers threatening her.
She stopped into Wildcat’s room. The girl was reading a book by some Russian author; Chekhov or someone like that. Wildcat had developed an interest in reading in the last little while, a trait that singled her out from the other Pussies. Li Mei wasn’t even certain that all of them could read. In any case, if she wanted anything done Wildcat was the most dependable of her followers. “I’ve got something for you to do,” she said. “There is an inmate at a private hospital I want picked up and moved somewhere safe. She is not to be mistreated or harmed, but I want her where she won’t get away and where she will be well treated. Take as much cash as you need and report back when it is done.”
Wildcat nodded. “Righto, Black Leopard,” she replied. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”
Li Mei explained and then continued toward her own quarters. She wanted to see how Qing Yuan was. A few steps farther on, however, she ran into Jahlen. The tall cat-eyed woman was holding Li Ming to her breast, but it was clear that she was looking for Li Mei. “Yes?” Li Mei asked. Something about Jahlen’s normally inexpressive face told her that something was up.
“Stiletto’s gone,” she said, making no effort to tone down the bad news. “I think Zhuang may have her.”
“Zhuang, that fat bastard!” Li Mei exclaimed. She fought down a shudder. If Jahlen was right Stiletto was in the deadliest of danger. Even worse she was a woman and what Zhuang did to women he captured … She let the thought go. She had firsthand experience of Zhuang’s brutality. “How do you know it’s Zhuang?” she finally asked.
“It’s just a feeling I have, plus the fact that Zhuang's goons are moving into Stiletto’s territory even as I speak.”
“Of course,” thought Li Mei. It made perfect sense. Like most criminal organizations, Stiletto’s was based on her personal leadership. If the head of the organization was removed the underlings would immediately begin competing with one another to take over. It was the perfect opportunity for another crime boss like Zhuang to expand his territory.
“I think you and I had better make a visit to Stiletto’s capos before they decide that her organization is now theirs,” Li Mei said. “We owe it to Stiletto to preserve her status until we can find a way to rescue her.”
“Right,” Jahlen agreed dislodging Li Ming’s mouth from her breast. She gave the infant a kiss. “Good baby,” she whispered. “Mummy will be right back as soon as she and Auntie Li Mei see to some important business.”
To Li Mei’s surprise the infant did not complain. It was almost as if she understood what Jahlen had said. She frowned. “Auntie Li Mei.” That was pushing things a bit too far, but she said nothing aloud. Instead she turned on her heel and moved back toward the black girl’s room.
“Where are you going?” Jahlen asked.
“I’m bringing the African princess with me,” Li Mei replied. “I’ll explain later, but I want her to see how we operate.”
Jahlen shrugged and moved off in the opposite direction to dispose of her daughter.
Adriana’s eyes widened in alarm as the door to her room was unlocked again and the dark-clad Asian returned. Before she had time to think, however, the woman tossed her a bundle. “Put these on,” the oriental villainess ordered. “I’ll wait while you dress.”
Adriana looked at the dark costume she had been given. “But why?” she asked. “I’m not one of your…”
“I didn’t ask you to debate my choice of costume,” the villainess replied, her voice icy calm. “They’re Ocelot’s. You’re about the same height and build. Put them on. You’re part of my organization now.”
Adriana didn’t have to ask what would happen if she resisted. Besides, it looked like she might be getting out of the room where she was confined. Anything was better than being in her cooped up captivity. Self-consciously she pulled off her clothing and picked up the costume that the villainess had given her.
“Very pretty,” the woman cooed as Adriana stripped. She moved a step closer and ran the tip of her finger over Adriana’s collarbone. “You know,” she murmured, “you’re not really black at all. You’re more like cinnamon.”
Adriana tolerated the caress. She didn’t have much choice, but her skin darkened as she blushed. Quickly she began to pull on the tight-fitting cat-suit that she had been given, but hesitated when she picked up the cowl.
“The cowl too, beautiful,” the Asian woman ordered. “Here, let me help you.”
Adriana pulled the cowl over her head and face, the dark-clad villainess helping her to tuck her hair in place.
“Perfect,” the villainess nodded. “You look just like one of the Pussies.”
“Pussies?” Adriana thought.
She blushed again, this time at her own
stupidilty. “My god,”
she thought. “I’m in
the power of the Black Leopard. How
could I have been so stupid as not to recognize the most feared villainess
in all of
“Come,” the Black Leopard said. “Follow me and keep your mouth shut. This is to be a learning experience and you learn by listening.”
Cowed, Adriana trotted obediently behind the petite villainess. As they progressed through the lair several other women in cat suits poked their heads out of doorways. One was Tiger, the blonde Pussy who had visited her in her room. She fell in behind without asking, drawing the Black Leopard’s attention immediately.
“Where do you think you’re going?” the Black Leopard asked. “Who is looking after Qing Yuan?”
“She’s sleeping, Blackie,” Tiger answered.
Adriana watched as the Black Leopard’s lithe body stiffened. “What did I tell you about calling me Blackie?” she hissed.
Tiger rapidly backed away. “I’m sorry, Black Leopard,” she stammered. “I forgot.” Hastily she added, “I’ll get right back to Qing Yuan and sing her a song.”
The villainess shook her head as the tall blonde scuttled off and continued moving down the hall. Two doors down she stopped and poked her head into a room. Another tall woman appeared. To Adriana’s surprise, the woman wore no mask, the first woman she had seen not dressed in a cat suite. What she wore was a reasonable facsimile, however. She was dressed in black leather trimmed in silver and the outfit showed every sensuous curve in her tall, voluptuous body. Close-cropped and feathered neck-length dark hair covered her head. But it was her large, luminous yellow-green eyes that held Adriana’s attention. She felt as if someone had hit her in the stomach. That gaze was unnerving, terrifying, but Adriana was completely unable to look away.
“Are you ready?” the Black Leopard asked. The tall woman nodded and looked at Adriana curiously.
“This is our latest initiate. I thought I’d bring her along for the experience.” The Black Leopard explained.
The yellow-eyed woman’s expressionless face did not change. She merely nodded. “Let’s go then,” she replied.
Adriana followed the two women to an elevator that led to an underground garage. Once there the tall woman climbed into behind the wheel and the Black Leopard got into the back, motioning Adriana to sit beside her. The door rolled up and out of the way, activated by some sort of remote control and the car moved into the streets. To Adriana’s surprise she saw that it was night. She hadn’t though about what time of day it was and had no way of keeping track of time. It was then that she realized that she must have slept for many hours after Ape had rescued her from her tormentor.
The car moved quickly through the darkened streets. It was an area of the city with which Adriana was not familiar, and she soon became disoriented. However, it lasted no longer than fifteen minutes. During that time the Black Leopard spoke not a word. As soon as the car braked to a halt, however, she turned to Adriana. “Follow us and remain calm. Keep your eyes open.”
Thus cautioned Adriana followed the two women from the car.
She saw in the weak light of
a streetlamp that they were standing in front of a rather nondescript red
brick building. Only three stories
tall, it could have been one of hundreds in the older areas of
Neither the Black Leopard nor her tall companion hesitated, striding boldly up the steps as if there were not two knuckle draggers standing in front of them. Not wanting to appear any less confident, Adriana followed close behind, her eyes taking in the hulking duo.
One of the men held up his hand as if to block the Black Leopard’s progress. Adriana was not quite sure what happened next, but she had to dart to one side to avoid the thug as he completed a somersault and crashed to the bottom of the stairs. The remaining man stepped hastily aside allowing the three women to pass.
Inside, Adriana found herself in a foyer of an apartment building that had seen better days. A worn set of stairs led to an upper floor and in front of it was still another thug. This one, however, faced them, cradling a shotgun. Almost as if she had not seen the firearm, the Black Leopard, closely followed by Jahlen marched toward the menacing thug. The man swung the muzzle of the weapon slightly toward them, without exactly pointing it at them. “Where is Scarlatti?” the Black Leopard demanded.
The man hesitated, caught off guard by the Black Leopard’s boldness. “He’s…he’s… The man cast a quick glance toward the top of the staircase.
“Take me to him,” the Black Leopard ordered. The man shuffled his feet and looked at Jahlen. That ended his indecision. Without another word he started up the stars, the two villainesses hot on his heels. After a second of hesitation Adriana followed.
Upstairs the interior of the building changed dramatically. The thug with the shotgun led them through a door into a well-maintained oak-paneled hallway. Here too there were several armed men. Adriana began to feel extremely nervous. They were just three women walking deeper and deeper into a building full of heavily armed men. She couldn’t help recalling the horror of the ordeal she had been subjected to at the hands of Retinoff and Moreau; nor could she ignore the salacious glances of the men she passed as they took in the shapely bodies of the three women in their midst. “If we’re ever captured…” Adriana thought. She certainly hoped that the Black Leopard and Jahlen knew what they were doing.
They came at last to a door near the end of the hall. It was more imposing than the others, being a double door of polished oak. The goon leading them halted outside and raised his hand as if to knock. “That won’t necessary,” the Black Leopard said, pushing past the man and opening one of the doors herself. Adriana wandered what she would have done if the doors had been locked, but they opened smoothly on well-oiled hinges. The three women stepped into a smoke-filled room.
Seated and standing around a large mahogany table were about a dozen men. A small rat-eyed man seated at the head of the table looked up as the three women entered. He seemed completely unsurprised at their appearance. “Hello, Black Leopard,” he rasped without feeling. “What brings you here?”
“Scarlatti,” the Black Leopard replied in monotone greeting. “Just looking after a friend’s business.”
Sclarlatti’s eyes narrowed to mere slits. “Really,” he replied. “I didn’t know you had any friends.”
“Clever,” the Black Leopard replied. “Are you always so quick witted or do you only perform when backed up by a dozen thugs?”
Adriana felt her stomach clench. Her eyes watering from the tobacco smoke and her nose filled with its stench, she wondered what the villainess up to. She had walked straight into the heart of a building full of heavily armed men. If anything went wrong she and her companions, meaning Adriana, would be completely at their mercy. And she didn’t like the way the eyes of the men who surrounded them moved over the curves of their bodies. It wasn’t even remotely difficult to visualize what was running through their minds.
Scarlatti’s expression did not change. He would have made an excellent poker player, but he glanced quickly at the henchmen surrounding him before he answered. “Just tell me what you want. I don’t have time for this.”
“Then you’ll have to make time,” the Black Leopard remarked. “I want the company ledgers.”
“Ledgers?” asked Scarlatti. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Stiletto kept those to herself.”
“You’re damned right she did,” the Black Leopard answered. “But I want the copies that you have.”
Adriana knew exactly what the Black Leopard was talking about. A crime organization as large as Stiletto’s had detailed records of all of its “business” transactions. The person who had access to them and controlled such information would have the inside track in taking over her entire organization.
Scarlatti’s expression changed. A wide grin split his features. “Get the hell out of here,” he laughed. “Why would I give anything to a couple of Chinks and a nigger?”
For a second Adriana stood stunned. Then her vision clouded in anger, but her reaction was as nothing compared to that of the Black Leopard. The petite villainess moved with unbelievable speed leaping across the table before Scarlatti had his gun out of his shoulder holster. Her clawed hand ripped across his face, the force of the blow knocking him from his chair. Jahlen moved in unison, slashing into the thugs that were behind him as they went for their guns.
The speed and grace of the two women two women left Adriana open-mouthed. Quickly she backed into a corner and tried to stay out of the way as the two villainesses moved through the room like whirlwinds, demolishing everything in their path. Incredibly, not a man came close to laying a hand on either one of them. Bullets, however, were another matter. A couple of the men managed to get off a few shots before they were taken out, the slugs just missing the two black-clad women. The fight, however, was not quite over.
The door to the room burst open and several more men charged in. These men entered with drawn guns. From her corner about twenty feet away, Adriana saw at once that neither the Black Leopard nor Jahlen were aware of their presence. She opened her mouth to scream a warning and then the room vanished.
It reappeared a millisecond later, but Adriana was no longer in the corner. She was directly to the side and slightly behind the men who had just entered the room. Without thinking she hurled herself toward them, her slender 125 pounds crashing into the man nearest her. Off balance he staggered a stride forward. The sound of the guns going off was deafening, but it was not the two unsuspecting women who were the victims. Adriana’s desperate attack had pushed the man she had struck directly into the path of the bullets. With a scream of pain he threw up his hands, his body hurtling onto the table top.
Li Mei and Jahlen turned at the sound of the shots. Their eyes took in everything at a glance. The men in the room temporarily disabled they now turned their attention to the men who had fired at them.
Twenty feet away, the thugs seemed to have the advantage. As their comrade fell before them, clearing the doorway, they leveled their guns, but the Black Leopard and Jahlen were even faster. Although too far away to deal with the thugs hand to hand, they had other weapons at their disposal. With a speed and finesse Adriana would not have believed had she not witnessed it the Black Leopard snatched a heavy glass ashtray from the table and hurled it with deadly accuracy across the room. It slammed into the forehead of the closest gunman, killing him instantly.
Jahlen’s missile followed a millisecond later, an object that Adriana would never had considered dangerous until she saw the dessert plate embed itself between the eyes of the next thug. The remaining gunmen did not stay to test the aim of the two villainesses, leaving them triumphant.
The Black Leopard wasted no time,
however. The situation was still
perilous. Stiletto had the largest
contingent of armed thugs in
Adriana saw that unlike every other thug in the room Scarlatti was still alive. The Black Leopard slapped his head back and forth. “Ready to talk to a Chink now?” she hissed. The capo groaned, blood oozing from the bloody lines across his face.
“I want the ledgers, and I want them now,” the Black Leopard continued. “Otherwise, I’m going to start to dismember you bit by bit. Staring with what’s between your legs.” She emphasized her point by driving her fingers into Scarlatti’s groin, eliciting a cry of pain from the semiconscious thug.
“Alright,” Scarlatti gasped. “I’ll take you to where they are stored.” He lurched to his feet, the Black Leopard’s gentle hands fastened to his collar. Adriana noted that although Scarlatti was not a tall man, he still had several inches on the Black Leopard, but that somehow she completely dominated him. Pushing the thug ahead of her she forced him down the hallway, Jahlen and Adriana following.
Halfway down the hall, the Black Leopard turned her almond eyes on Adriana. “Nice move, princess. We’ll make a good team.”
For some obscure reason Adriana felt a warm glow surge through her. At the same time she found herself puzzling over what had happened. For a brief second her powers had returned. They had vanished once more, suppressed by the insidious injection Retinoff had prepared, but somehow that didn’t seem to matter. She was now a member of the Black Leopard’s team – for better or for worse.
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