The
Adventures of Autumn
L’Espion with Melissa Gallant
Email:
Lespion@msn.com
Chapter
1 Darkstorm
Katie Jones was in a bit of a rush. Late for class again. She had forgotten to set the alarm. She only had time to dress quickly and drag a comb through her hair. It was better when she had been in junior high. Her mother had gotten her up then. But her mom had a job now and Katie was supposed to be mature enough to get to school by herself. She was dressed in a pink cropped-top T shirt that left a goodly portion of her flat tummy exposed, and low rider green cargo pants that hung on her shapely hips a good three inches below her rather attractive navel.
Only five-foot-four, the sixteen-year-old was a stunning example of young womanhood, her full breasts and slightly rounded abdomen attesting to her sexual maturity. She was proud of her body and exercised regularly to maintain its splendid curves. The outfit she had chosen was a bit risqué for school, but she carried a light rayon jacket under one arm. She would put it on just before she entered the school and with any luck none of the teachers would notice her violation of the school dress code.
She dashed down the front walk, crossed the street and cut through the neigbour’s yard. She had to make sure she did not miss the bus. Reaching the alley she turned south and headed toward the bus stop. She only had a minute to make it. Briefly she considered using her super speed, but decided against it. There was always the chance that someone might spot her. It was complicated to explain how a young girl could reach speeds of 100 miles an hour. Of course, she could always levitate. That was an excellent way to save time. The problem was there was not place near to school to come down without being seen and she didn’t want to advertise to the world that she was some kind of freak.
Well, perhaps freak wasn’t the right word. Abnormally gifted might be a better description. She wondered how her powers had manifested themselves. She had not always had them. For most of her life she had been an ordinary young girl, albeit a rather pretty one. But at the age of twelve she had reached puberty and had her first period. Then everything had changed. It was by sheer good fortune that her powers appeared while she was at summer camp.
Suddenly she stopped. “Oh frig,” she said aloud. “I’ve forgotten my English essay. It’s due today and Mrs. Lands won’t take it late. I’ll have to go back and get it.” Retracing her steps she charged back the way she had come.
“That’s strange,” she muttered as she entered the front hall. “I thought I closed the door to the basement.” Blizzy rubbed himself against her legs. The cat was usually shut in the basement due to his unfortunate tendency to violate the furniture whenever he was by himself. Picking him up she set him on the top step and closed the door again. Then she headed for her room.
Pushing past the Slipknot poster on the door, she headed for her printer and picked up the essay. Great essay she thought. Hamlet: Shakespeare’s Gay Hero. That ought to get a rise out of Mrs. Lands.
“Ahhh!” Her knees buckled and she pitched forward onto the carpet, the pages of her essay scattering. The blow had caught her on the nape of her neck, stunning her, but not knocking her unconscious.
“Well, an added bonus,” said a voice from far away. Looks like a nice bit of young tit.”
Katie tried to get up, but a heavy hand pushed her down. Then her hands were pulled behind her. She felt her hands being tied behind her back. She struggled to get up, but her head swam. Unable to think clearly she allowed herself to be bound. Then she felt herself being picked up and carried back into her room. She was tossed face down on her bed.
“Ohhh!” Katie moaned. Semiconscious, she was too dazed to react to what was happening to her. She felt a coolness on her chest as her T shirt was rolled up around her neck, exposing her bra-covered breasts. Then this skimpy garment was also gone, torn from her panting body with a single jerk of her assailant’s arm.
“Oh, this is going to be great,” exulted the man who pinned her down.
Katie opened her eyes, seeing her attacker clearly for the first time. There wasn’t much to see; he wore a hood over his head. Still unable to think coherently, she thrashed in terror, as he placed his hand in the hem of her pants and began to jerk them down over her hips.
“Eeeaaggh!”
Katie screamed. Panic seized
her, as the laughing thug pulled her pants down to her
knees. And then suddenly she
was gone, leaving the rapist burglar staring in disbelief as the slight
depression on the bed where she had been only moments
before. Open mouthed he saw that
he was still holding her green cargo
pants.
“What am I doing here?” Katie muttered. She was lying in the rec room of her family’s basement. It was located directly below her bedroom. She sat up and immediately became aware that her well-developed anatomy was completely nude. “How did this happen? What happened to the burglar?” Above her she could hear movement. The burglar was still in the house.
“I can’t face him like this,” she murmured. It never occurred to her to hide or even pick up the rec room phone and call the police. She had been dying to try out her super powers and now she had the chance. Her eye fell on the flag her father had patriotically hung on one wall. It might do.
She crossed the room quickly and draped the flag about her toga-like. It didn’t allow her a great deal of freedom of movement, but it would hove to do. She headed up the stairs three steps at a time, determined to catch the thug who had assaulted her before he got away.
He hadn’t gone far. He was still standing in her bedroom stupidly holding her cargo pants. “I think those belong to me,” she said.
The burglar simply stared at the flag-draped girl in front of him. “Who the hell are you?” he exclaimed.
“The girl whose pants you stole. They aren’t big enough for you. Give them back – Now!”
The burglar tossed the pants aside. “I might not be able to get into your pants, but I sure as hell can get into you.” He advanced on her quickly, arms held wide in anticipation of catching her before she escaped.
Katie side-stepped the crude attack. She had studied karate for several years, but she didn’t even need her martial arts training to take out so clumsy an opponent. She simply let her super-strength so the work.
Her punch knocked him the length of the hallway and ended the fight before it had begun. The thug lay gasping, barely conscious, the wind knocked out of him. Stepping forward Katie tore off his hood. “Well,” she said. “You’re a pretty sorry looking asshole.”
The face that was revealed was unremarkable. The thug had close-cut hair, dyed a brilliant yellow and an eyebrow ring. Other than that he wasn’t much to look at. He groaned as he lay there and Katie suddenly realized that she was not properly dressed. Retreating to her bedroom she picked up her clothes and returned to the still moaning thug.
Probably she should have just called the police, but this was her first successful bust. She was a big fan of superheroine comics and wanted to play the role herself. Grabbing him by his jacket she pulled him into a sting position. “Who are you?” she demanded.
“Harper,” the thug moaned. “Steve Harper. Who the hell are you?”
Katie hadn’t really thought about it. Of course she knew who she was. But she didn’t have a superheroine name yet. She would have to invent one. But she wasn’t going to tell this asshole. “I’m asking the questions,” she said. “Who do you work for?”
The thug paled. “I can’t tell you that,” he said. “The boss would kill me.”
“How about I pull off parts of your body until you give me the answers I want?” Katie said. She lowered her hand to the thug’s crotch and grabbed his genitals.
The action gave her a bit of a thrill. It was the first time she had ever touched a man’s private parts. Not that she was a prude or anything. She simply hadn’t met a boy her age that she felt like losing her virginity to. So she kept dating and personal relationships to s simple exchange of saliva.
“Wait,” said the thug as Katie’s hand tightened. It was as if his testicles were being clamped in a vise. “I’ll tell you what you want to know, but you’ve got to let me go.”
“I’ll decide that when you tell what you know,” she said. “You’re not exactly in a position to bargain.”
“Alright,” said the helpless thug. “But please don’t let anyone know about this. I don’t want to die.”
Katie nodded her agreement. “Talk,” she prompted.
“My boss calls himself Darkstorm. I don’t know much about him. He always wears a mask. I just take my loot to him and he pays me off.”
“And where do you take your loot?” Katie asked.
“Warehouse 36, down on the waterfront. I was supposed to meet him there at 10 tonight. Now can I go? I’ve told you enough.”
“Alright,” said Katie, “but you must promise me to give up your life of crime. It will only end in one way you know.”
“Agreed,” said the thug, getting to his feet. “Thanks for not turning me in.” he hurried past her and out the back door of the house.
“Warehouse 10,” thought Katie. “I’ll be there.”
It was dark outside the warehouse. There was supposed to be a full moon tonight, but a storm was moving in and the clouds were obscured by dark clouds. The air was very humid, heavy with the promise of rain. However, Katie was not deterred. The darkness gave her greater security as she flitted through the shadows outside the building Harper had located for her. It was right down on the waterfront, an appropriate location she supposed. She wondered if she had been given a bum steer by the thug she had apprehended. There was absolutely no sign of life. “Perhaps I better check inside,” she thought.
She moved through the shadows to one of the warehouse doors. It yielded easily to her super strength, but opened with an ominous shriek of rusty hinges. “Geez, I hope no one heard that,” she thought. Her heart was beating like a drum. Her first real superheroine mission. She hoped that she was up to it.
She slipped into the warehouse. It was totally dark inside, at least in the section of the warehouse she was in. However, she detected a low droning noise coming from directly in front of her. Boldly she headed toward the sound. She was wearing her newly designed heroine costume, a dramatic red and gold outfit that had taken her six months to create. She still hadn’t chosen a name, most of the good ones seemed to be taken, but perhaps she would think of something.
The noise increased as she moved deeper into the warehouse. It sounded like the humming of a dynamo. She could feel the vibrations of the powerful machine through the soles of her feet. A few feet farther on the corridor came to an end. She was standing in front of a large metal door. She listened carefully. Inside she could hear only the sound of a powerful machine. Carefully she eased the door open.
Light flooded into the dark corridor from the interior room. For a few seconds she stood blinking stupidly in the glare, then almost jumped out of her skin as a thundering voice boomed around her.
“Welcome.
It is so good of you to turn up at
last. And in costume
too.”
Stunned, Katie realized she had walked into a trap. Quickly she turned to leave but as she did so a partition dropped from the ceiling, blocking off her line of retreat.
“Not so quickly, my
dear. You have just arrived,
and there is much that I would like to learn about
you.”
Katie tried to locate the voice, but failed. However, from behind a large machine stepped a familiar figure. “Harper,” she gasped. “You promised to reform.”
The thug she had apprehended only a few hours ago grinned at her. He was dressed in coveralls, much like any warehouse worker. “Oh you didn’t really think I was going to give up crime just because you asked me to, did you? Besides, I’m really looking forward to becoming better acquainted with you. I don’t know how you got away last time, but this time you’re here to stay.” From behind his back Harper leveled a very menacing looking gun at her.
Katie knew very little about firearms, but she was sure that the weapon Harper was holding was most capable of blowing a very large hole in her. She didn’t wait to see if her intended to use it, but charged right at the thug.
It took her only a fraction of a second for her to cross the space separating her from Harper. His finger had not even begun to tighten on the trigger before she slapped the weapon away from him and then picked him up by the straps of his coveralls. “You were saying?” she asked smugly.
“What the hell!” Harper exclaimed. “How did you do that?’
“That’s a secret,” Katie answered. She was feeling quite full of herself. She had disarmed Harper with ease, and even though her heart was still racing she felt completely in control of the situation. She had captured Harper again. Now all she had to do was locate his boss.
At that moment, there was a sudden crackle of electrical energy and a bolt of blue white lightening flashed from somewhere overhead and struck her on the chest.
“Ooof!” Katie gasped. She had not expected that. She was lying on the floor as was Harper. He seemed to be unconscious. Apparently Darkstorm or whatever the name of Harper’s boss was, did not have much regard for the safety of his employees.
Slowly she sat up. She was not
hurt. Apparently her superpowers
provided some protection from the villain’s
powers. The blast of energy had
merely knocked her off her feet, not incapacitated
her.
“You little
fool,” boomed the voice.
“Did you really think
you had any chance of defeating me?
You are so amateurish. I
aspect that you did not even tell anyone where you were
going.”
He was right. Katie had sneaked
out of the house after telling her parents that she was going to bed
early. She wouldn’t be missed
until morning and even then no one would know where she had
gone.
Quickly she pulled herself to her feet. Darkstorm needed to be taught a lesson and she had better do it before she got struck by any more of those lightning bolts. She had to find out where he was and deal with him as soon as possible. The attack had come from above. Scanning the rafters she quickly spotted Darkstorm’s most likely hiding place. It was a small office suspended from the roof. It was an ideal location, affording anyone in it a full view of the entire floor of the warehouse.
Moving forward, she bent over, using some of the large humming machines on the warehouse floor to screen her from anyone above her. In a few seconds she was directly under the office and climbing up a narrow ladder that extended all the way to the roof. At that point a door opened in the office and a dark-clad figure emerged onto the catwalk that ran next to it.
“Give up heroine; you cannot defeat me.” This time the voice was not amplified. Strangely enough, it sounded somewhat familiar, but Katie could not quite place it. Looking toward the dark figure she saw it extend its arms toward her. An instant later a second bolt of blue-white energy surged toward her.
This time Katie was prepared. Hugging the ladder, she clung fiercely to it as the lighting washed over her.
It struck with a crackling of energy. Had she not been expecting it, she would have been knocked off the ladder, but she kept her grip and recovering immediately, continued her climb. She moved up two more rungs and then stopped.
“Why am I doing this? I can fly.” Shaking her head, she released her grip and drifted free of the ladder. From above her she heard a muffled exclamation.
“What the Hell? This can’t be happening. You should be finished.”
“Not yet,” Katie responded. “But you are.” Calling on her powers of levitation she rose straight up and landed on the catwalk a few feet from the villain. She could see him clearly now, a tall figure dressed in what looked liked a dark robe that was straight out of Scream II. “Pretty cheesie costume,” she thought. “Couldn’t an archvillain come up with something better than that?”
“Get back,” the dark figure said, raising its hands menacingly. There was a definite note of panic in its voice.
Katie chuckled confidently. “Give it up,” she said. “You know you can’t hurt me.”
At that moment there was a thunderous boom. The storm that she had noted earlier had arrived. She started toward Darkstorm just as a bright flash of lightning flickered through the skylight. At that precise moment the villain released his third attack.
“Aahhh!” Katie was thrown the length of the catwalk. Only the railing prevented her from being thrown into space. She lay there, completely dazed, vaguely aware that her once beautiful costume was now nothing more than tattered rags. Darkstorm had blown almost all of it from her. She tried to get up, but her powers had left her. With a moan her head dropped and she lapsed into unconsciousness.
Katie’s arms and shoulders ached terribly. With a groan she opened her eyes and saw why. She was no longer on the catwalk. Her wrists were bound together and she was hanging from the ceiling by her arms, her feet barely touching the floor. Equally disturbing was the fact that most of her costume seemed to be missing. She was clad only in a few charred rags and her developing young body was almost completely exposed. She groaned again. How long had she been hanging here?
Where she was she wasn’t sure. It looked like another part of the warehouse. She could still hear the low hum of the machinery. However, this room appeared to be outfitted as some sort of control room and an entire wall was devoted to various instruments, dials, and gauges.
She tried to move. That was a mistake. Her entire body ached. What had happened? One minute she had been closing in on Darkstorm and the next instant she was flying through the air, struck by the strange blue lightning.
The lightning. She had lost her powers when the lighting flashed. Was there some sort of connection? She could hear a low drumming sound. Apparently it was raining outside. Did the loss of her powers have anything to do with the storm?
The sound of a door opening startled her out of her reverie. “Well if it isn’t the little twat that threatened to crush my balls this morning.” The voice was annoyingly familiar. A few seconds later Harper wandered around in front of her.
“You promised to give up crime,” she said in dismay.
Harper, giggled, a strange high-pitched sound for such a burly thug. “You said that already. Yes, I did didn’t I? But you should have known better than to trust a thief.”
“You liar!” Katie exclaimed. “Let me down from here.”
“Sorry can’t do that. At least not until Darkstorm has had a chat with you. Then perhaps we can have some fun.”
“Fun?” Katie asked. She was about to reply further, but just then the door opened a second time. A few seconds later Darkstorm drifted into view. From only a few feet away his dark costume seemed even more ridiculous.
“Nice outfit,” Katie gasped. She was trying to be brave. The seriousness of the situation was not lost on her. She was a young girl hanging by her wrists from the ceiling and completely at the mercy of two ruthless criminals. “Did you get it at Wal-Mart?”
“Very clever,” Darkstorm replied in that strangely familiar voice. “But I don’t think much of yours. It seems to have come apart.” He laughed mockingly. “And anyway what did you think you were with that red and yellow outfit? You looked like some sort of autumn leaf.”
“Autumn?” thought Katie. “What a great name!”
Darkstorm approached with a couple of feet of her. “What say we cut the chitchat? I want to know who you are and how you got your powers. That was quite a feat resisting my energy bolts. Even if you did eventually succumb to my powers.”
Katie suddenly realized that Darkstorm thought that he had defeated her. She had no intention of telling him otherwise. If the storm had robbed her of her powers they might come back when the rain ended. She would just have to wait and see. Telling Darkstorm everything would just lead to him taking further precautions against her while he had her at his mercy. Clenching her jaw she said nothing.
“I asked you a question,” Darkstorm said. He reached out and touched Katie’s right breast.
With a sudden thrill of fear, Katie realized that she was almost entirely naked and in the presence of two men. “Don’t touch me,” she said.
In answer Darkstorm closed his hand over her nipple and twisted it cruelly. “Aahh!” Katie exclaimed. Without thinking she lashed out at the villain with her feet.
The effort sent brutal pain shooting through her arms, but she caught Darkstorm full in the crotch. With a sharp cry of pain he clutched at his testicles and collapsed to the floor whimpering in agony.
“You little bitch!” Darkstorm gasped, when he was able to talk. It took a few minutes. He spent most of that time rolling around on the floor in obvious pain. Harper stood watching in silent amusement. Katie, however, realized that she had gone too far. It was never a good idea to kick the villain in the balls when hanging semi-naked by the arms.
Darkstorm got to his feet, still holding his genitals. “You’re going to wish you’d never been born,” he said, backing toward the door. “Harper, cut off her tits.”
Harper looked a little stunned at this command, but he nodded. “Yes Darkstorm.” Reaching into his pocket he took out a large clasp knife.
Darkstorm groaned. Moving toward the doorway he spoke over his shoulder. “Make sure you do as I said Harper. When she is finished screaming dump her body in the harbour.”
Katie was almost sick with fear. “No, you can’t,” she protested as Harper approached with the knife. The six inch blade gleamed wickedly in the light.
Harper laughed. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t harm those sweet little titties. I have a much better use for them. Darkstorm is rather forgetful. He won’t even remember you in fifteen minutes.” Moving behind her Katie felt him sawing through the ropes.
“What are you going to do?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Make a woman out of you.” With a final cut, Harper severed the last rope. For a brief instant Katie was free, but Harper anticipated her desperate effort to escape. Her wrists were still bound and so he had little trouble immobilizing her from behind. He locked his arm around her throat and pulled her backward, dragging her toward the door. Once there he pulled her into the hallway and still forcing her to walk backward hauled her into another room. This room was much better furnished. Katie saw at once that it was some sort of living quarters. Probably Harper’s living quarters.
“Let me go,” she gasped. Harper’s arm was pressed so tightly against her throat that she could barely breath.
“In a minute,” Harper replied. “First we have to reach my bed.”
“No!” Katie cried. She attempted to break Harper’s grip, but he was too strong and she was too exhausted after hanging by her arms for goodness knows how long. She could only respond weakly as he hauled her toward the bed.
“Come on now,” Harper said. “Don’t tell me you haven’t done this before.” You might as well cooperate and enjoy it.”
“No,” Katie pleaded. “Please don’t. I’ve never…”
“Lying little twat. I know what you high school sluts are like. You probably screw like a mink.”
“No, please,” Katie begged as Harper forced her onto the bed. He placed his knee on her chest, easily pinning her 105 pounds. Then he forced her hands over her head and tied her wrists to the top of frame. “Let me go!” Katie whimpered. She was begging now, as might any sixteen-year-old girl in her position.
“Now,” Harper said. “It’s time to resume where I was interrupted earlier. He reached toward her breast.
Wide eyed with fear Katie struggled to escape. It was like being in a horror movie. The flash of lightning through the skylight above her added to the effect, and then suddenly the world around her seemed to wrench alarmingly. For a brief instant everything went black and then suddenly she was lying on a flat surface with water splashing over her.
It took her a few seconds to realize that this time she was lying in the rain. The crash of thunder and the flashing of lightning clued her in as well as the fact that she was soaking wet. Struggling to her knees, she saw that she was on a rooftop next to a skylight. She was also completely naked.
“It happened again,” she thought. “Just like this morning.” She sat up shivering. “Shit; I can’t go home like this.” She peered through the skylight. Below her Harper was frantically searching the room. As she watched he turned over the bed. Finally he left the room. Directly below her was the bed where Harper had tried to rape her. With fingers slowly turning numb from the cold she pried open the catch holding the skylight closed. It took her a few seconds, but eventually she managed it. Then swinging into the opening, she lowered herself until she was hanging at arms length and let go.
She landed smack in the middle of the bed, just as she had hoped. What was left of her costume was still on the bed. She couldn’t wear that. It was full of holes. Quickly she crossed to a chest of drawers that was against one wall. In the second drawer she found several T-shirts. She selected one at random. It didn’t fit her petite frame, of course, but at least it covered her. Pulling it on she opened another drawer and found a pair of jeans. She put these on as well, rolling up the legs to make them fit. She found a belt and drawing it as tight as she could, forced the pants to fit. There were a few coins and bills on top of the dresser. Enough for cab fare. She pocketed them and then checked herself in the mirror.
“I look like a clown,” she thought. “But they will do until I get out of here. And I better move fast. Harper could be back any second.”
Katie moved to the door and eased it open. The corridor was deserted. Quickly she headed down it, not at all certain which way to go. She moved toward the humming sound, going deeper into the building. She was a heroine after all. And she was in the heart of the villain’s lair.
“I’m being stupid,” she thought. “I don’t have my powers anymore. I should just get out of here.” But something made her keep moving. The humming sound now filled the air, drowning out everything else. Somehow that reassured her. It would be more difficult for Darkstorm or Harper to hear her. She kept on moving, eventually reaching a large door. There was a smaller access door beside it. Slowly she pushed it open, noting as she did so that the door was a foot thick of solid metal. It swung silently on well-oiled hinges and opened on an enormous room, about quadruple the size the school gymnasium. In the centre of the room was a gigantic machine shaped like an enormous top. Strange lights flickered about it some of them crackling like gigantic bolts of electricity. The entire immense machine was a blur as it spun smoothly, supported by some invisible field. Even so the noise was almost deafening. For a few seconds Katie merely stared at it, awestruck.
She was startled out of her reverie by a familiar voice. “What the hell are you doing here? You little bitch; you should be dead.”
Katie almost wet herself. Standing less than twenty feet away was Darkstorm. In the flickering lights of the machine his ridiculous outfit suddenly seemed much more menacing. “Shit,” Katie thought. “Talk about walking into the lion’s den.”
He turned toward her. “I don’t know how you got away from Harper. But I you won’t get away from me.” Reaching into his robe he pulled out what appeared to be a metal tube and leveled it toward her.
Too late Katie reacted. A blue light flashed from the tube and caught her in the chest. Strangely, it didn’t hurt, but she couldn’t move. She stood there in mid-stride, her mouth open, a look of completely amazement plastered on her face.
Darkstorm kept the device trained on her as he moved closer. “What are you anyway? I’m beginning to think you are more than the stupid little slut you appear to be. Where is Harper and why are you wearing his clothes? They look even more ridiculous on you that that bizarre costume you had on when you came in here.”
He stopped directly in front of her and gave her an intent look. Katie could not look away; she was locked in place by the strange blue light. “I think,” continued Darkstorm, “that I should investigate you more carefully before doing away with you.”
Katie willed herself to move, but nothing happened. It was as if the message from her brain was not getting through to any part of her body. Darkstorm walked about her studying her from every angle. Katie suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
“The clothes will have to go,” Darkstorm said. “You look ridiculous.” He reached out and touched her shoulder. “Where is Harper when I need him? Don’t tell me you actually did something to him?”
Katie could not answer. She also wondered what had happened to Harper. Darkstorm walked over to where he had been standing when Katie had blundered into the room. There was a small console there. Still holding the ray on her he spoke into the console. “Harper, come here!”
There was a delay of a few minutes during which time Darkstorm continued to speak. “I suppose you wonder what my little toy is all about?” He gestured toward the giant spinning top. “I don’t mind telling you. You’ll never get the chance to repeat any of this.”
At that moment the door opened and a very worried Steven Harper entered the room. “There you are Harper,” sneered Darkstorm. “Did you lose something? I seem to have found it.”
Harper looked first at Katie and then at Darkstorm. For a second he was tongue tied. “I was going to do what you asked, boss, but she suddenly just disappeared. I been looking for her all this time.”
“That’s interesting,” Darkstorm said. “Perhaps it is a good thing you didn’t mutilate her after all. She appears to be well worth investigating further.”
“However,” he continued, looking at Harper. “I can’t have you constantly screwing up. It has taken me years to develop a device that can control the weather. This machine will make me the most powerful man on earth. I need someone I can depend on. Do you suppose you can keep her under control until I have time to question her properly?”
“Sure thing, boss,” Harper answered. He was clearly fearful of the strange villain. “I’ll keep the ray on her all the time.”
“Good,” said Darkstorm. “And while you’re doing that I’ll take off her clothes, or perhaps I should say your clothes.” He handed Harper the ray and moved toward Katie.
Katie tried desperately think of how she had escaped last time. It was pretty much a blur. She could recall being absolutely terrified and then she was gone. She tried to reproduce what she had felt before. It wasn’t that difficult, considering the situation she was in. She looked to the top of the huge spinning machine. There was a small catwalk up there. If somehow she could just get there she would be safe.
Darkstorm was standing right beside her now, reaching out to fumble with the buttons at her throat. “Oh God,” Katie thought. “Not again!” And then there was the strange wrenching feeling once again. There was an instant of blackness and suddenly she was standing on a metal platform.
She looked about her, dazed. It took her a few seconds to realize that she was standing on the very spot she had visualized. Far below her were the forms of Harper and Darkstorm. She immediately crouched down and suddenly realized she was naked again. “This is getting ridiculous,” she thought. “That’s the third time today. Where am I going to keep finding more clothes?”
“Damn, this is annoying,” she thought. “I can’t escape like this. I’ve got to find something to wear.” She looked down at the distant floor of the huge machine room. Probably she should also do something about Darkstorm’s weather machine, after all, she was a heroine and that was why she had broken into his lair in the first place. What to do, however? She was naked and without her powers. How could she disable so huge a machine?
She looked at the gigantic housing that enclosed the top spindle of the huge springing top. There were several clear plastic tubes containing a greenish liquid that seemed to be moving through the tubes. “Lubricant,” she thought. “I wonder what would happen if those tubes were disconnected?”
The top of the housing was a mere six feet below the catwalk. She hesitated. What if Darkstorm or Harper spotted her? She would be helpless. Just above her was a ladder leading to the roof. In just a few seconds she could be out of the building. Perhaps she should just take off. That was not very heroine-like, however. But the part about being naked really bothered her. How could she go into action without any clothes?
“This is silly,” she thought. “Some heroine. Why couldn’t she transport her clothes when she did that teleportation thing?” Well, there was nothing she could do about it and she had to destroy the weather machine. She jumped down next to the housing. The plastic tubes containing the lubricant were within easy reach. But did she have the strength to tear them loose? She grabbed hold of the nearest tube and pulled. Nothing happened. Bracing herself she pulled again, but the heavy plastic tubes seemed unbreakable. She just did not have the strength.
Frustrated she crouched down beside the housing. She would have to leave without dealing with the threat posed by Darkstorm and his weather machine. Outside the sound of the storm seemed to be lessening. Perhaps it was dying down. If so it might be best to take advantage of the break and make her escape. Now she had to get back up to the catwalk. It wasn’t too far up. If she jumped hard enough she should be able to grab one of the supports and pull herself up. She gathered her legs under her and jumped. To her surprise she almost hit the ceiling forty feet above the machine housing. She had her strength back.
She dropped back to the catwalk. What was going on? Her strength seemed to come and go, almost like the weather. She frowned, understanding beginning to build in her mind. The weather. She had lost her power during the storm. Perhaps there was something about storms that robbed her of her superheroine strength. It was an interesting theory, but she had no time to worry about it now. Darkstorm might spot her at any time. She better get moving.
She drifted down to the housing, completely under control now that she once more had her powers of flight. Ripping out the lubricant tubes was child’s play for her heroine strength. Finished, she returned to her hiding place on the catwalk and waited to see the results of her handiwork.
It didn’t take long. The smooth hum of the giant top began to change. A high-pitched whine filled the air and smoke began to drift up from the housing. Then suddenly the sound changed to an almost ear-splitting shriek of tortured metal. Flame erupted from the housing atop the giant spindle. Far below she could see Darkstorm and Harper pointing toward her. Obviously she had been seen.
Above the sound of screaming metal Darkstorm’s amplified voice boomed out. “You bitch,” he screamed. “What have you done?”
Katie jumped for the ceiling. Above her was a trapdoor leading to the outside. Using her super strength she burst through it, emerging on the roof. It was getting near dawn. Much as she would have liked to linger to see the results of her handiwork, she had to get back home before her parents woke up and found her missing. She also wanted to get home before it got too light. It wouldn’t do to have someone see her naked.
Suddenly from below her came a tremendous rumbling sound. The entire building beneath her shifted beneath her feet and then there was an immense explosion that knocked her from her feet. Scrambling on all fours, she managed to regain her footing. Leaping into the air, she watched in amazement as the entire building erupted behind her. “God,” she thought, “I think I’ve overdone it.”
She could not wait any longer. She remembered that she had a Chem exam the next day and it was already very late. She would be exhausted when she got to school. Darkstorm was finished. There was no way he or Harper could have survived the explosion that had the building below her shooting flames high in the early morning sky. She headed for home. She had had more than enough of being a superheroine for the time being.