Stella and the Minx #17:

The Coming of Satan Girl!

The girl of the stars is missing! And in her place has appeared the girl of the inferno, Satan Girl! Who is she? What is her terrible secret? And what has befallen our heroine? Find out, RIGHT NOW!

Marcus Lycus

(Marcus_Lycus@hotmail.com)

July 2008

If you want to use any characters in another story you need my permission. It also means that you can’t repost this story without my permission.

And since this story is meant for people over the age of 18, please don’t read it if you are younger than that.

Any resemblance between characters in this story and any actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental of course.

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Issue 17 – The coming of Satan Girl!

“Hey Gloria, look at this!”

Lynn held up the paper pointing to a personal ad addressed to Stella.

Dear Stella,

Thank you for rescuing us! We hope you’ll come to our end of season party next Friday night! We owe you so much and have a special thank you prepared! You’re the best!

-The Beaver High School cheerleaders!

“Great huh?”

“Yeah Lynn, wonderful.” Gloria reread the ad, trying not to let her annoyance show. Months ago the Minx’s friend Miss Angel and four cheerleaders; Debbi, Kristi, Cindi and Patti were kidnapped by a group of backwoods cultists. The Minx’s detective work located the cheerleaders, but as usual her super-powered partner was getting the credit.

“Can I go? Can I?”

Gloria looked at her partner again. Lynn was twenty years old but she was still looking for permission. She really didn’t act like an adult. Gloria had noted the problem before but this really wasn’t the time to raise it again.

“Yes Lynn, of course you can go.” She said wearily.

“Yay!”

***

The Minx watched her partner fly off and shook her head. It was silly to be jealous but the feeling was still there. She’d had to work her whole life to be a heroine, but her partner received her powers and role without lifting a finger. But everyone acted like Stella was somehow more heroic just because she was more powerful. The worst was when Lynn whined about it, as if having god-like powers was some terrible curse. She should try taking on the Green Golfer without superpowers!

Some days the Minx just couldn’t stand it.

Still… let Stella enjoy her party. Wasn’t she always saying Stella needed to get out more? And it’s not like she wanted to go. Spending an evening hanging out with some cheerleaders would drive the Minx mad. With all the fashion magazines Stella read she’d probably have more in common.

She opened her secret panel and dropped down the shaft to the Minx Pad. She had work to do. And with Lynn out of town this was the perfect time to do it.

***

“Stars and comets this is so much fun!” Stella giggled again. She’d been partying on the beach for hours now. Most of the other students had drifted away bit by bit, heading home, or at least to the privacy of parked cars. She could hear them grunting and moaning. But for once she didn’t mind, she was here with friends.

“Have another drink Stella.”

“Hee-hee, thanks. Y’know usually alcohol doesn’t affect me, y’know cause I’m invaluable… I mean uh… y’know, can’t hurt me, but this stuff is good.”

“Oh it’s our special mix; we brewed it up just for this.”

“Mmm, it’s good.” Stella giggled and downed another cup of the sweet brew. Debbi refilled it.

“Come on Stella, let’s dance!”

“Dance? I really don’t know how…”

But Debbi didn’t wait. The four cheerleaders were dancing around the fire now. One of them, Debbi, took her by the hand and brought her into the circle. They were humming some sort of weird song, it wasn’t even in English, it was like some kind of chant or something. Stella followed along trying to copy their steps and hand movements.

“Audi precas maya satana blessed be…” They sang. Stella wondered what it meant, it sounded like Spanish or something. They circled the bonfire, swaying with their hands in the air, singing “Audi precas maya satana blessed be” again and again. The fire blazed up, flames shot into the sky and for a second Stella thought she could see a face in the flames. But then it settled down.

Stella’s eyes glazed over. Her mouth opened slightly and her head kept swaying back and forth.

The cheerleaders formed a circle around her, three of them keeping up their low chant “Audi precas maya satana blessed be” and with their leader, the thin, pale-skinned Patti sitting right in front of the blond heroine.

“How are you Stella?”

“…huh? …fine… a bit hot…”

Patti smiled. Like the other girls she was only wearing a string bikini but Stella was still in costume.

“Why not take off your suit? It’s just us girls now.”

Stella nodded and undid her cape. It caught in the sea breeze and blew away.

“Oh!” Stella started to go after it but Patti put a surprisingly strong hand on her shoulder and held her back.

“Relax Stella, relax. I mean you can always find it later, I mean, if you want to.”

“…want to…”

“Now finish taking it off.”

Stella wobbled drunkenly and looked uncertain. She looked out to sea again but couldn’t see her cape.

“Let me help.” Patti leaned forward and undid Stella’s yellow belt. She peeled off the bright red hotpants and maneuvered them down the heroine’s legs. Then she untied Stella’s red ballet slippers and pulled them off her feet. Stella giggled awkwardly. Patti rose to her feet again and pulled Stella’s top up; the heroine obediently raised her arms. She almost lost her balance and grabbed on to Patti for support.

The other cheerleaders gathered up the bits of the costume and threw them to four winds. Stella opened her mouth to object but Patti put a finger on her lips.

“Mellow out Stella. Don’t be so square. They’re only clothes right? Nothing important.”

“…no…”

“And you never liked them anyway did you?”

Stella’s face turned sad, she hugged the blonde and put her head on Patti’s shoulder.

“…never wanted to be Stellar Girl…” She cried softly. Patti smiled.

“But you’re a heroine, everyone loves you.”

“…no… no one loves me…no friends…no boyfriend…always helping people…what’s the point…no one ever helps me…”

“That’s right Stella, that’s right. You’re special after all. You deserve to get what you want.”

“…what I want…”

“What do you want?”

“…I just want… y’know… to be normal…boyfriend…job…house…no powers… no Stella…”

“Is that what you want? What you really, really want?”

“…no powers…free…”

“Well then, you can have it.”

“really?” Stella sounded almost thankful.

“Of course.”

Patti reached around the Girl of the Stars neck and hung a necklace.

“Audi precas maya satana blessed be…”

The chant continued.

***

Deep below Megapolis, the Minx entered her secure chamber. It had a hulking steel-reinforced, lead-lined outer shell, with a steel box floating magnetically inside with a few inches of airless vacuum around it. There was no known technology, magic or superpower that could see or hear inside. Stella had asked about it once, the Minx told her it was a precaution against Stupor Man and the subject was forgotten.

And with Stella out of town she wasn’t likely to notice her friend making of use of it today.

She opened her safe and examined the photos inside. They showed the shattered circuits of a green stellar radiation projector. The one weapon that could kill Stella. So far the Minx had no luck copying the design. But she was a smart woman; she knew she would figure it out eventually.

***

“Oh… what did I do last night…?” The blonde stirred on the sand. The remains of the bonfire were still smoking. Waves splashed gently. But to the blond girl it was like someone pounding on her head with a hammer.

“Hey Lynn, you up?”

“Uh…” Debbi was standing over her, wearing her red bikini.

“Come on, we have to get you back to Leo. He’s gonna be pissed.”

“Huh? Leo?”

“Yeah Leo. Your husband, remember?”

“Husband?”

“Geeze-Louise Lynn, you’re really out of it.”

Lynn Lewis sat up and for the first time realized she was naked, except for her medallion. Her important medallion that she never takes off.

“Um, where are my clothes?”

“Who knows, you were kind of crazy last night. But I have an extra bikini in the car, come on!”

Lynn put on the blue bikini in the parking lot. It felt strange being here. She felt like… like she had somewhere to be. Somewhere…

Debbi popped open a can of beer and offered it. Lynn smiled and drank it down.

***

“Give it up girly, we got hostages and we got guns! You ain’t never gonna stop General Sunflower and the National American Army of Freedom!”

The Minx sighed and looked around the bank. There were a half-dozen of these armed hippies and several hostages. The hippies had fancy new Israeli submachine guns. One wrong move could turn the bank lobby into a slaughterhouse. She smiled. She could do this.

“First of all it’s the Minx, not girly. I’m a woman; I haven’t been a girl for a long time.” She flicked her wrist and a tranc dart shot out, dropping one of the so-called freedom fighters.

“Second of all what kind of ‘freedom fighter’ hides behind innocent hostages.” She flicked her wrist again and a taser dart paralyzed another one.

“Hey cut it out-“ The others were just starting to realize what was going on. None of them had been prepared to really shoot. They’d assumed she’d back down.

“And third, this is 1971, hippies are so un-hip.” She jumped over the counter and dropped two more freedom fighters with a double kick. General Sunflower pulled out a knife and charged, the Minx easily side-stepped and knocked him aside with a judo flip. That left just one; a dark-haired young woman with the wild eyes of a fanatic. She waved her UZI toward the fur-clad crusader. The Minx felt a bit of relief, as long as the gun was aimed at her it wasn’t aimed at the hostages. She looked again at the woman’s face, it was familiar, it just took her photographic memory a second to place it.

“Henrietta Pattington? The kidnapped newspaper heiress?” The Minx let out in surprise.

“NO! I’m Private Marigold in the National American Army of Freedom!” She squeezed the trigger.

Caught flat footed, the Minx couldn’t dodge.

***

“Here you are, home sweet home.” Debbi giggled. They had arrived at a trailer home in the middle of nowhere. A truck was parked outside.

“Um… where…” Lynn said. Her head was still swimming.

“Remember? This is where you live with your husband Leo. After you left the orphanage you got a job as a waitress. Then last year you met Leo at the truck stop, hooked up and got married in Vegas the next week. That’s your life. Your normal, ordinary, life.”

“Oh. Yeah… right… just kind of spaced out for a second.”

“No worries. Lynn. See you later right?”

“Um, yeah.”

She got out of the car and dressed only in a blue bikini and flip flops she opened the door.

“Hello?”

There was a man sitting in the dark. She could see him. In his thirties, balding, muscle turning to fat. Dressed in boxer shorts and a white tank top.

Leo.

“Well? What you got to say for yourself?”

“Huh?”

“I come home after three days on the road, you’re not here, no note, no dinner in the oven, and you come home the next day looking like a tramp.”

“I… I um, I was with Debbi, you remember her, from the cheerleading team?”

“Yeah I suppose you two were practicing your knitting dressed like that.”

“Huh? No we were at the beach y’know, and I um… I couldn’t find my clothes.”

Leo got to his feet. There was something in his hand, a sock. He swung it a few times.

“Please Leo, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Oh you’re gonna be sorry.”

He swung hard and low, catching her on the side. The sock was filled with soap. Heavy enough to hurt but soft enough it wouldn’t break bones or leave much in the way of marks. Guys like Leo know about things like that. Lynn tried to run; he grabbed her hair and twisted. She shrieked. He hit her a few more times across the back and on the ass.

“What were you doing you slut? What were you doing? Were you fucking another guy? Fucking tell me! If you were fucking another guy I’ll fucking kill him! Then I’ll fucking kill you!”

Blows rained down on the struggling blonde.

“No! No! I swear! We were just hanging out! I swear! I swear!”

Leo stopped, panting for breath. He dropped the sack of soap and pulled Lynn to her feet. He hugged her.

“I believe you babe, I believe you. It’s just that I love you so much… If another guy even touched you…”

Lynn hugged him back and kissed his neck.

“I know, I know honey. I love you too.”

He untied her bikini top and bottom, he threw her on the floor. Lynn shuddered but obligingly spread her legs. Leo unzipped his fly and kneeled down.

The carpet was rough against Lynn’s back. When Leo finally came she faked an orgasm.

***

There was a black and purple blur and suddenly the bullets were ricocheting every which way.

A woman dressed head to toe in black latex with a heavy purple cloak was hovering in the bank lobby. Her head and hair were covered by a black cowl the concealed everything but her mouth. Across her breasts was the outline of a silver star, with the point facing down and a circle around it. A pentagram. She smirked at the gun woman. “Sorry babe, guns are uncool.” She snatched the UZI from the millionaire heiress’ hands and crushed it.

“Who?” The Minx muttered.

“You’re just a tool of the oppressive capitalist, fascist, military-industrial complex!” the hippy heiress screamed.

The black-clad woman looked hurt. “Me? Oh I think you have me confused with someone else.” She landed and walked to the vault. Effortlessly she tore loose the foot-thick steel door and tossed it aside. She gathered up sacks of cash in her hands and walked back across the lobby. She emerged into the sunlight and floated a few feet into the air above the cops and crowds.

“Don’t worry everyone, I’m here to save the day and give you what you want.”

She smiled. She upended the sacks of cash dumping thousands of dollars into the street. Bystanders and even cops fought to get their hands on the money.

The Minx ran out. “Who are you?” She demanded.

“Me?” She chuckled. “You don’t recognize me, I’m new. I’m Satan Girl! And I’m going to change everything.”

And then she was gone.

***

Lynn pulled her rusty old VW bug up to the truck stop and got out. She was wearing her pink uniform and white apron. Her skirt was too short. Leo didn’t like it. Of course he loved it when they met. But now he always complained about it. Always got mad about it. Her ribs still hurt.

“Hey Lynn, yer late again!”

“Sorry Frank, sorry!” She ran for the dining room, she just wanted to get to work.

“Hey Lynn!” SMACK! “Good to see you again!” Lynn sighed and wiggled her sore ass. “It’s good to see her come, but I love to see her go!” The customers all laughed. It was going to be a long day.

And it was.

Burgers, fries, cokes, coffee, pork chops, apple pie, doughnuts.

Chili, potato salad, hotcakes, steak, grilled cheese sandwich, chocolate milk.

Without end.

Finally she got a break around 3 and headed behind the truck stop. Trevor, the teenager who delivers soda pop was back there, he’d just finished his delivery.

“Hey Lynn.”

“Hey.”

They walked into the woods together.

“Uh! Uh!” Her short skirt was pulled up around her waist, her panties around an ankle, her back was to a tree, Trevor was thrusting in with all his might. It was her usual Monday lunch break. Trevor was hung like a bull and could usually last long enough to make her cum. But not today.

“Oh yeah…” he sighed. Lynn felt his cum run down her inner thighs. He zipped up. “Thanks babe, I needed that.”

“Yeah… um… same time next week?”

“Maybe, maybe, I’ll see what my schedule is. See ya.”

“Yeah, see you…”

Lynn opened her purse and cleaned herself with a wet nap. She pulled up her panties and checked her lipstick. It was time to get back to work.

***

“Some mess you made huh?” Detective Mulligan snarled. “Four hostages wounded by ricochets and a riot in the street. And the National American Army of Freedom escaped in the confusion.”

“I had it well in hand until that woman showed up.” The Minx shot back. “She’s the one who caused the ricochets and dumped the cash in the street.

“Yeah, so who is she? Your partner get a new costume? Or is there another flying girl in town?”

The Minx thought about the black-clad woman. Stella had been gone for over 24 hours and hadn’t answered her radio. Could she be? No. It was impossible. “I have no idea.”

“Where is your partner anyhow?”

“She’s um, she’s out of town. If you don’t have anything else for me I’ll be going.” Without waiting for an answer from the detective the Minx fired off a grappling line and swung away from the bank.

After few blocks of swinging she slipped into a secret door and she was back at the Minx Pad. She tried the radio again. “Stella? Stella do you hear me? Stella I need to know you’re OK.”

Nothing.

She picked up a phone and called her old friend Miss Angel.

“The number you have dialed has been disconnected.”

She scowled and closed her eyes. She remembered seeing the cheerleader’s home numbers in the police report.

“The number you have dialed has been disconnected.”

All of them disconnected?

Now worried, the Minx tried Beaver High School. At least that number worked.

“Miss Angel? No she quit about a month ago. Real sudden. Haven’t heard from her since.”

“The cheerleaders? Debbi, Kristi, Cindi and Patti right? The ones who got kidnapped? Nah they graduated last week. Don’t know where they are. Did you try their parents?”

The Minx put down the phone. Now she was really worried.

She took off her coat and reached for some civilian clothes. She figured she could make the drive down south in a few hours.

***

“Come on man, give me the money!” The junky’s hand was unsteady on the pistol; the suburban couple carefully offered their wallets.

“What’s this now?”

“Aw crap it’s Stella!”

“Not quite.” Satan Girl landed in the alleyway and smirked at the shivering junky. “Robbing these people for your next high? What kind of small-time sinner are you?”

The junky freaked and fired, the bullets bounced off Satan Girl’s black costume until the gun was empty. She reached over and picked up a dumpster, she raised it with one hand.

“Oh shit…” The junky wet his filthy jeans. But Satan Girl tossed the dumpster over his head, smashing the front of a jewelry story across the street. An alarm started to ring.

“There you go small timer. That’s a real robbery. Go for it. She rose into the air and disappeared into the night. The junky hesitated a second and then ran across the street and filled his arms with gold chains. The couple waited until he was gone, and then grabbed what was left.

***

Lynn kissed Leo goodbye and watched him drive off in his truck. He’d be gone for a week she figured. And she’d be alone. Again.

She fingered her medallion; it was dark metal, a star inside a circle with strange letters on it. She’d had ever since… she couldn’t remember. Patti had given it to her. She never took it off. It was special. She and Patti were best friends since… She couldn’t remember that either. Suddenly everything felt so strange. So wrong!

She stared at the phone for a long time before she picked it up and dialed.

“Hello? Patti? It’s me. Um, Lynn.”

“Lynn! How you doing? How’s married life treating you? Must be great being married to a stud like Leo. Man you guys were all over each other in high school, got married as soon as you got out of the orphanage and moved out to that trailer. You must be as happy as clams now.”

“Um, yeah.”

“Lucky Lynn. You got everything you ever wanted. A guy and a nice, normal life.”

“Yeah, lucky.”

“So what’s up?”

“No, nothing. I just uh, wanted to say hi. I’ve got to go.”

“No problem, we should get together soon, catch up on old times.”

“Um, yeah, we should. Bye…”

Lynn hung up and started to cry.

***

“A traffic accident?”

“Yes ma’am. Both of Debbi’s parents died in a traffic accident two months ago. Head on collision with a cement mixer.”

“I see. And Kristi’s parents?”

The cop shuffled some papers. “Yeah here it is, a fire. Her parents and her brother. Apparently she was over a boy’s house or she would have been caught too.”

“And Cindi?”

“Her dad had a heart attack on the tennis court. Her mom overdosed on sleeping pills soon after. Coroner wasn’t sure if it was an accident or suicide. Really tragic.”

“What about the fourth cheerleader, Patti?”

“That’s the darnedest thing; I can’t find anything on her parents at all. You’d think there’s be something in the records…”

“So all four of the cheerleaders’ parents are dead or missing.”

“Yeah. I know what you’re thinking but we checked out each of these, no signs of foul play. Just one of those things, a coincidence y’know. Damn shame, those girls already had a tough time what with getting kidnapped and everything. Funny, I never noticed the connection.”

“And where are the girls now?”

“Who knows? They’re all over 18, they graduated from high school. I guess they moved on.”

“Thanks.”

“Anytime Ms. Minx.”

The Minx jumped in her convertible and roared away. Another dead end. She was getting more worried about Stella every day.

***

Lynn Lewis watched the red convertible roar down the road and sighed. That girl had it made, freedom to go where she wanted, do what she wanted, she could actually get out of this godforsaken town.

Some customers came in.

“Can I take your order?”

***

“Help! Help!” The co-ed yelled.

“No one gonna hear you here chicky. This is Wolf Pack territory.”

“Please… no… I’m just going to the concert...”

“Oh yeah, we can see that, we can see.”

The four gangers circled her, admiring her ass through the short black skirt. Admiring her tits through the thin tee shirt. Switchblades popped out. Tears made her mascara run.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Really, I can’t believe what passes for sinners in this town.”

“Oh shit! It’s Stell-“

Satan Girl picked one of them up and tossed him in a dumpster. “If anyone calls me ‘Stella’ there’ll be hell to pay!”

The rest of the gangers weren’t sure how to react. They took a step back but weren’t quite ready to run yet. They’d heard stories about Satan Girl.

But the co-ed apparently hadn’t. She ran up and hugged her black-clad rescuer.

“Oh thank God!” She yelled.

“Oh you shouldn’t use that word you little slut.”

“Huh?”

“I mean really, dressing like that? It’s pretty clear you’re asking for it. And then turning down these nice boys?”

“What? No! I mean, what kind of hero are you?”

“Hero? Who said I was a hero?” Satan girl grabbed the hem of the skirt and pulled. The tiny garment came off easily.

“NO!”
Another tug shredded the tee-shirt.

The girl screamed. Satan Girl shoved her back to the gangers and sat back to watch.

***

The Minx pulled her convertible into the hidden garage in her Minx Pad. She was exhausted. Without Stella to carry her, it had taken over ten hours of hard driving each way to get to Beaver Falls.

And it was all for nothing.

Well not quite nothing. Night Fox always said the absence of information was an answer in itself. All four cheerleaders missing, their families dead. And they were the last ones to see Stella.

Had the cult targeted them again? She needed answers.

She yawned.

But first she needed sleep.

A light was blinking on her Minx computer. Police headquarters. She had been summoned.

“No rest for me…” She muttered and headed for the rooftops.

***

The girl had finally stopped screaming. The Wolf Pack gangers were finally done with her. Now they faced Satan Girl.

“Not bad sinners, not bad.”

“Not bad?” The biggest one spat. His pants were still down around his ankles. “I fucking pounded her like a jackhammer.” Just like I’m gonna do with you!”

They advanced on the Dame of Darkness.

“Oh you shouldn’t have done that sinners. Cause you know what happens to sinners?”

Her eyes glowed red.

“They burn!”

The four gangers barely had time to scream before the flesh on their legs melted from their bones. They fell to the ground twitching, writhing and screaming.

The girl looked up, even more scared than before.

“See that girl? See that? You know what that means? It means there’s no justice in the world. No one’s gonna protect you or save you. I means you have to do it all yourself. Got it?”

The mute girl nodded. Satan Girl tore a pipe loose from the wall and handed it to her. She pointed to the boys. “One quick blow to the skull they’re off to their final reward. You up for it?”

The girl smiled, she nodded.

Satan Girl laughed.

***

“What the hell is your partner doing?!” Detective Mulligan snarled. He pointed to the photos scattered on his desk. Robberies, riots, murders. And Satan Girl there for all of them. “Is it that time of the month for her or something?”

The Minx contained her urge to slap him. She willed herself to be calm.

“It’s not Stella.”

“No? It’s some other flying, bullet proof girl who shoots heat rays from her eyes?”

The Minx pointed at one picture. Satan Girl’s black and purple costume covered everything but her chin and her eyes. “Stella is about 3 cm taller, her chin is a bit thinner, her lips fuller, her voice an about a half an octave higher and her eyes are a lighter blue. This girl is close but it’s not her.”

“Then where is Stella? And when are you two going to bring in this menace?”

“I’m working on it.”

“Work on it faster then. Before Satan Girl plunges the whole city into riots.”

The Minx turned on her heel and left.

***

Deep in the Minx Pad Gloria worked without stopping. The green radiation ray was slowly taking shape.

Someone had stolen Stella’s powers. It was the only answer.

It certainly wasn’t the first time this happened. Claudius Crowe’s Reversal Ray had stolen Stellar Man’s powers back in ‘63, the Moon Witch magically gave them to a crook in ’67, even Stellar Girl’s powers were stolen by an alien girl in ’68.

The one thing these incidents had in common was that the receiver got the weaknesses along with the powers.

She had to assume that was true for Satan Girl as well.

***

Days passed. During an anti-war rally Satan Girl showed up and convinced the students to burn down the draft center and loot several stores downtown. When a cop tried to break up street-corner poker game Satan Girl convinced the neighborhood to rise up against him. Each time the Minx was minutes too slow to catch her.

Satan Girl was hovering over a school year watching the 5^th Graders kick their teacher to death for trying to end recess. She was laughing.

The Minx smiled. “Hey Satan Girl, time for your close up!”

Green light shot out of the apparatus in her hands.

She’d been working on it non-stop for days. Finally last night she’d been able to cut one of Stella’s hairs. She’d done it! She’d finally copied the green stellar radiation ray! The one weapon that could hurt Stella.

And hopefully Satan Girl as well.

Sure enough Satan Girl winced and recoiled.

For like a second.

“Lucifer’s Beard! That stings!”

Her eyes blazed red. The delicate apparatus exploded in the Minx’s hands.

Satan Girl laughed. “Another hour or two and that might have hurt!”

The Minx dropped a smoke bomb and fired a grappling line at the school roof.

She threw more smoke and dazzle bombs over her shoulder. She hit the roof and started to run. Assuming Satan Girl had all of Stella’s powers there was nothing else to do; she was certainly no match for her in a fight. She didn’t dare look.

She ran eight blocks without stopping before finally ducking behind an air conditioner. She glanced behind her.

No sign of Satan Girl.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hey did you know a mink is just a big old rat?”

The Minx spun but it was too late. Satan Girl hovered behind her. She tapped the Minx on the forehead with her pinky. The Minx flew across the roof and slammed through a water tower. The unleashed flood knocked her out.

“And now you’re a drowned rat.”

***

Lynn Lewis watched the Buick vanish up the road. Leo’s best friend Bobby was onboard. He’d stopped by to see if Leo was up for some poker or a trip to the strip club but Leo was on the road again.

So she offered him a beer. And they talked. And they made out. And they fucked on that ugly brown couch Leo bought second-hand.

And now he was gone and Lynn was alone again.

She’d have to take out the trash before Leo got back, if he saw the condoms he’d flip.

Then she heard it. The rumbling of Leo’s truck. He passed Bobby’s car and pulled up to the trailer. NO! It was too soon!

“Hey babe, was that Bobby?”

“Um, hi Leo, how was-“

“What the fuck was Bobby doing here?”

“Um, looking for you?”

Leo snarled and stomped into the trailer, the trash can was right there.

Lynn started to cry.

***

The Minx awoke painfully.

She could feel bruises all over her body from the impact with the water tower and the hundreds of gallons of water that hit her. She could even feel the bruise forming on her forehead from Satan Girl’s love tap.

She opened her eyes.

She was lying on her back looking up at the stars; she was in a wooded clearing. From the position of the stars and the distant glow of the city she could tell she was in the hills for the north. She could feel she still had her weapon bracelets and other equipment. Not that they would do any good.

She sat up, her trademark coat was still soaked and her hair still damp. She hadn’t been out long then. Night must have just fallen.

She was surrounded by some sort of pattern drawn on the grass in red, a star in a circle. Black candles at each point. At each candle was a girl in a tight black rubber cheerleading outfit, an inverted pentagram across the breasts where the school symbol would usually be. She could hear them chanting softly “Audi precas maya satana blessed be…” again and again.

At the top of the pentagram was Satan Girl.

“Hello partner.”

“Nice try Patti.”

Satan Girl chuckled and nodded. “Good eye. Did you really identify me just be my lips and chin? Or was it the voice. Oh well, I should have known we couldn’t fool you.”

“I’m not called the world’s greatest detective for nothing. What did you do with Stella?’

“Do with her? Nothing. You should ask what we did for her.”

“And that is?”

“We gave her her heart’s desire. Everything she wanted. Normalcy, a handsome husband, a job, a home, friends. Everything you and Stellar Man didn’t let her have.”

“And you took her powers.”

“Well she didn’t want them anymore did she?”

The Minx looked around. She wasn’t tied, she wasn’t bound, she even had her weapons. But it made no difference. Satan Girl already proved she could overpower the Minx anytime she wanted. She looked around the clearing again, she recognized three of the cheerleaders, Debbi, Kristi and Cindi. But the fourth…

“Who’s your new member?”

Satan Girl smiled, “Oh come on, you’re supposed to have this photographic memory, you must remember Miss Angel.”

The Minx looked again. “Angel? But…” Her old college friend looked ten years younger and was chanting as sincerely as the other three.

“Oh we gave her her heart’s desire too. And all we asked was a little something she would never even use. Her soul.”

“I don’t believe in magic or devils.” The Minx said bluntly. “All this is some sort of trick, some technology we don’t understand yet.”

“That’s very modern of you Gloria-“

The Minx tried to hide her surprise but didn’t entirely succeed.

“-but Satan believes in you!” Her eyes burned red for a second and the Minx yelped. Satan Girl had burned her leg. Her eyes blazed again, this time the Minx was a little more ready and kept from crying out as Satan Girl burned her shoulder.

“Ready to believe?”

“No.”

“Then why are you on your knees?” Satan Girl blew and the Minx’s feet were knocked out from under her, she fell to her hands and knees. “Make this easy on yourself Gloria, after all it’s not like I want to hurt you. Just tell me something. Just one thing. Your heart’s desire. I want to give it to you.”

The Minx knelt there silently.

“You wear those diamonds and fur, is it money you want? A nice rich husband to buy you anything you want?”

The Minx scowled.

Satan Girl’s eyes blazed red, the fasteners on the Minx’s coat melted, she blew, the coat flew off the Minx’s body into the trees. “Mmm, look at that. Black bra, black panties, black stockings. Silk too. Did you know 99% of women who wear black underwear are sinners? Is that what you want? A nice juicy cock up your cunt? You’ve never had cock like the master’s cock, trust me on that.” Satan Girl wantonly groped herself through her skintight black costume. The four cheerleaders, followed suit.

The Minx remained silent.

“Nah, a stuck up bitch like you probably hates being fucked. Is that it? Is that why you’re dressing like a rodent and beating up men? Envy? The master can take care of that too.”

The Minx just stared. Studying every inch of Satan Girl’s skin-tight outfit.

“Or maybe you’re like your partner, and you just want to be normal.”

The Minx stifled a chuckle.

“Ah, so that’s not it at all. Of course not, you’re already normal. Just a girl with some tricks. Absolutely helpless once someone takes them away. That’s what you want isn’t it? You want to stop being normal. You want to be exceptional. You want to be Stella!”

The Minx bit her tongue.

“That’s it. You’ve worked so hard to get as far as you have but you know it’s useless. You can train, you can study, you can invent new tools and-“ There was a WHOOSH and a blur and now the Minx was naked, her lingerie and boots torn to shreds by Satan Girl’s speed. “-you’re still nothing compared to her.”

The Minx glared back. She climbed her feet. She noted she still had her bracelets.

“I can fix that you know. I can give you the power to punish chauvinist men and liberate women. The power you deserve.”

“And the price?”

“The usual. Something you never use and don’t even know you have.”

“For my heart’s desire?”

“Anything you want.”

For the first time the Minx smiled. She took a step forward. “Let me tell you what I want. You’re right of course. The diamonds, the fur, I didn’t choose them by accident and certainly not for their combat effectiveness. I chose them for what they say, they say success, they say power, they say I’m not a woman you can push around.”

Satan Girl nodded, this was going well. She could hear the enthusiasm in her voice.

“The lingerie’s the same. It says I’m a liberated woman. Powerful, in control of my sexuality.”

“Power, control. I can give you that Gloria.”

“But power and control are just tools, means to an end.”

“Well yes of course-“

“And for me that end is…”

The Minx raised her arms; tranc darts shot out and knocked out two of the cheerleaders. She jumped backwards, flipped and landed behind the other two. Karate chops to the neck took the other two down.

“-stopping villains like you!”

Satan Girl hesitated a second, laughed then charged.

There was a roar of air, the Minx lost her footing and the world became a blur, she found herself in the night sky, Satan Girl held her in mid-air by her arm.

“That was stupid Gloria! Really stupid! You’re just bone and meat! I’m the one with Stella’s power! I can tear your limbs off, break your bones, burn your flesh and all the while keep you alive, keep you conscious, keep your screaming… Were you really so stupid? Did you really think you could win against me?”

“I…”

“There’s still time. The master likes you. I like you. You will be a great prize for us. Join. Last chance.”

“I… I lied before.”

“Did you now? Lying is a good start.”

The Minx met her eyes. Even here a thousand feet over the woods with her nude body shivering and a satanic cheerleader holding her by the arm she assumed a commanding tone and held her gaze.

“I lied about not believing in magic. I mean my roommate can fly, who am I to say there’s no such thing as magic.”

“Indeed.”

“I’ve actually studied it you know. The Necronomicon, the Darkholm, the Book of Fate… over the last few days I’ve gotten a bit of an education.”

“And…”

“As I thought magic isn’t magical. You can’t just do anything, anytime you want.”

“Hmm?”

“There are rules, rituals, ingredients, wands, books…”

She’d been raising and lowering her voice in a sing-song pattern, an old hypnotist’s trick, keep the attention, keep the gaze. Meanwhile out of the corner of her eye she picked out the subtle shape of the amulet under the tight costume.

“…and talismans.”

With her free hand she struck, diamond-tipped false fingernails raked Satan Girl’s tight costume cutting through the iron chain around her neck. The pentagram amulet flew free and fell.

“L…Lucifer’s Beard…”

Satan Girl and the Minx began to fall. Fast.

***

Across the country Lynn Lewis’ own amulet suddenly jerked and fell from her neck. She opened her eyes. And remembered.

Leo raised the sock with soap and scowled.

“Well Lynn? Well? Did you sleep with him? Did you?”

Lynn looked at him, her eyes were red.

***

Falling the Minx twisted her body flat to maximize wind resistance, she shifted her weight, aiming for the St. Giffen River. She saw Satan Girl falling into the woods.

A cliff went by; she fired two diamond-tipped grapple lines from her bracelets. Her arm jerked for a second then the lines broke. It was a safety feature to keep her from ripping her arms off. She fired again. Another jerk, another break. Then she went into a dive.

The water was cold, the bottom rocky. She hit it hard but twisted so she hit her shoulder and didn’t crack her skull. With desperate strength she paddled upwards and reached the surface with a gasp. She grabbed a rock and pulled herself onto dry land.

Then she started to laugh.

“I did it! I did it! All of Stella’s powers and I beat her!” She laughed again and got control of herself. “Course… just once I’d like to beat a villain and keep my clothes on…” She doubled over again with laughter. “Gotta stop that… becoming hysterical… probably going into shock…” She got to her feet. “Still so much to do.”

Even for the Minx it took painful hours to find the clearing again. Her bare feet were cut from the woods, her body scraped and bruised. She was shivering in the night air. But finally she found it.

The four cheerleaders were gone of course, along with the pentagram and candles. If it wasn’t for her photographic memory she’d never have known it was the same place.

She found her coat stuck in some branches and happily put it on. She already felt more like herself. She tore loose some of the armored lining and wrapped it around her aching feet.

She started walking towards the road. It would be a long trip home.

***

It was ten in the morning before she finally reached the penthouse. Even the Minx’s stamina was near its breaking point. Tracking down wherever the cult had hidden Stella would have to wait until tomorrow.

“I really need a vacation…”

The patio door opened, Lynn stumbled in. She was wearing a torn house dress and smelled of smoke.

“G-Gloria?”

“Lynn! You’re okay! Where were you? What happened?”

“I… Um, I can’t remember… Really. It’s just fuzzy.”

They hugged. “It’s OK now, it’s OK. Lynn, it’s OK.”

Lynn hugged her friend and cried. She was lying. She could remember it all. Remember the sight of Leo’s clothes bursting into flame, then the hair. The eyes crackled next and oozed out of the skull. His flesh turned pink, then red, then black, then only the bones were left and finally only ash. Then she turned her Stellar sight on the trailer until nothing was left. She smiled to herself. She sure showed him who was boss.

Afterword

And here at last is the return of Satan’s Cheerleaders.

If you’re into old comics, you probably know that Satan Girl is actually the name of an old Supergirl character. She was an evil twin created by red kryptonite in an old Legion of Superheroes story. Seemed like must too good a name to leave unused.

Marcus Lycus

(Marcus_Lycus@hotmail.com)

Next issue: For over a year Stella and the Minx have been America’s greatest heroines. But what happens when one of the greatest heroines of golden age returns?

Be here for the return of Princess Patriot!

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