Cara LaceCara LaceDiva
Joined: 29 Dec 2011
Posts: 350
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re: Cara Part 13: The Daredevlette Part III
 by Cara Lace on Sat Apr 16, 2016 11:44 am
Daredevlette: Part III
Staring ….
Melanie Matters/Daredevlette
Jenny Styger/Iron Beauty
Maggie Doyle/Comanderette America
Princess Ianeira/The Sub Mariness
Kitt Gloves
Lickadee Split
Miley Virus
Carrie Underworld
Joanie Tempest/Matchstick Girl
Black Mantagirl
Menace
Meanwhile, at Kitt Glove’s new base of operations…
“Comanderette America... ‘Super Soldier’...” The soft yet sinister voice of Kitt Gloves begins in a dark room lit only by a large computer screen that is showing clip after clip of her red, white and blue subject in various acts of heroics. “…Proven in battle to be one of the greatest leaders, combatants and tacticians the world has ever known.”
Kitt’s audience sits in the darkness as they watch the Comanderette perform amazing acrobatics and a wide variety of combat techniques against her foes. Among them sits Dee and Joanie, now known as Lickadee Split and Matchstick Girl, along with their teammate Black Mantagirl and the very relaxed yet intimidating Menace.
“Once, she was a normal teenage girl.” Kitt continues, “An army brat who grew up on a base in the years before World War II; participating in all the basic training classes, every single year from the ages of seven to seventeen.”
A new video clip loads and shuffles through old black and white photos of Fort Triumph, including pictures of the base commander and a young blonde haired girl in army fatigues.
“An ‘incident’…” Kitt says pausing to look accusingly at Menace, “…catapulted her through an unstable time portal from the year nineteen forty and into our present. That portal changed her; charging her cells with limitless quantum energy. Evolving her very DNA and allowing her body to reach its maximum physical capability. With enhanced strength and speed, together with the ability to manipulate quantum and gravitational fields; that girl became nearly unstoppable.”
Another video flickers to life of present time footage, showing the Comanderette in her full uniform throwing her shield and obliterating a Brainiac Overseer. As the shield flies through the air, the Comanderette fights off three adversaries and incapacitates them all with ease. With no more opponents challenging her, she looks off to the right and holds out her hand as her shield returns and slips securely onto her forearm.
“Her shield is also charged with quantum power, and attuned perfectly to her exact same frequency; giving her complete control over it and rendering it nigh unbreakable.” Kitt again continues as the video shows the Comanderette suspending opponents in mid-air and teleporting behind another foe then bashing him unconscious with her shield. “With that as her weapon, and trained in dozens of fighting styles, she is the pinnacle of human potential and one of the toughest warriors of the modern age.”
The lights in the room come on and the video monitor goes blank as Kitt steps in front of her team and looks them over. Black Mantagirl sits as if she is at attention in a military procession and concentrating on every word Kitt says. Lickadee sits behind BMG smiling and chewing gum while her foot produces a soft, vibrating hum on the floor as it taps at about a thousand times per minute. Sitting next to the speedster is Matchstick Girl who is fiddling with her new communications device that Kitt has given to each of them.
“Well?” Kitt asks them all with an inquisitive eye.
“Sweet!” Joanie whispers to Dee. “I just made a Facespot account!”
Lickadee frowns and slugs the Matchstick Girl in her shoulder. “Would you at least ‘try’ to pay attention?!”
Ignoring the pair behind her, Black Mantagirl gets back to the subject of the briefing. “Her skills are extraordinary, difficult to counter.”
“But not impossible.” Menace says with her eerily pretty features in full view. The armor which protects her from sunlight is unnecessary as none ever reaches this place.
“So says Menace.” Kitt says unconvinced.
“Don’t worry Kitt.” Menace responds with a sinister grin, displaying her vampire fangs. “One bite and I will know all that she knows, including her abilities and fighting styles.”
“Imitating the Comanderette and defeating her are two very different things.” Kitt says smugly. “She is much more than just skill; it is her focus, will and mind that make her who she is.”
“Awww, isn’t that sweet? Kitt has a little girl crush on…” Menace begins to tease but is abruptly cut off by a crushing force around her neck that lifts her out of her chair and holds her in mid air.
“The Comanderette and I have something in common; we are both enjoying the rewards of your incompetence.” Kitt growls fiercely. “Do not underestimate her…or me!”
Kitt drops Menace suddenly on the floor, but the vampire springs instantly to her feet. Menace’s eyes flare as her anger builds inside her while Lickadee, Matchstick and Black Mantagirl look on in nervous apprehension, unsure of what is going to happen.
“You’ve seen my power, Kitt.” Menace seethes. “You know what I can do!”
“Yes, but destroying Comanderette America is not the goal.” Kitt says calmly as she turns back to the computer screen. “I need the ‘Super Soldier’ herself.”
“Grrrr… fine.” Menace says, taking her seat once more. “Leave it to us, but know this…when she isn’t of any further use, I will feast on her.”
“When the time comes…” Kitt says, touching a button on the screen and bringing up a new set of video clips. “But the Comanderette is just the first part of the plan, another Justice Girl has something I require …The Ingenious Iron Beauty.”
“Jenny Styger?” Lickadee perks up. “She’s one of the richest people on the planet.”
“What do you want with that ‘glory hound’?” Menace asks.
“I don’t want the woman…” Kitt says with an evil smile. “…I want her armor.”
“I’ve been preparing for Iron Beauty myself. I’ve studied all her moves.” Black Mantagirl announces with a warrior’s confidence. “Her armor is no match for mine.”
Kitt turns to her protégé with skeptical pride. “No, that task will fall to Lickadee . I have another job for you.”
“Don’t worry BMG, I’ll get you her helmet as a souvenir.” Lickadee says with a grin.
“I am not convinced the four of you can take on the Comanderette and her allies alone, so I’ve prepared reinforcements.” Kitt says with a sinister tone.
The door slides open just then and two new women file into the room. Lickadee’s expression changes to marked curiosity when she instantly recognizes the first one in as the world famous pop star Miley Virus. Behind the singer follows Carrie Underworld; another world famous performer and Miley’s opening act, sidekick and biggest fan.
“Well well, this just got interesting.” Lickadee whispers calmly to Joanie while jabbing the fire-starter with her elbow. “Do you know who that is?”
When she gets no response from the Matchstick Girl, Lickadee glances over to see her staring at the rock star duo with her jaw wide open, in utter disbelief and excitement.
Miley walks down to the row of seats in front of Lickadee and Joanie and ‘plops’ her expensive looking handbag down on Dee’s lap. “Hey sugar, be a dear and hold that.”
“Sure thing, Miley.” Dee says with a dry tone and a curled grin. “It’s always a pleasure to help a team mate.”
Miley gives a brief and dismissive grin as she sits down. Carrie Underworld sits next to her partner after giving Joanie and Dee both a provocative look, as if daring them to challenge her. As the new pair turns their attention to Kitt at the front of the room, Lickadee hands Joanie a large wad of Miley’s cash along with her credit cards and cell phone. Joanie stares at her friend in disbelief and in a panic she motions Lickadee to put it all back.
“You’re no fun.” Lickadee whispers and in a blur of motion puts the credit cards and cell phone back in Miley’s purse. She then slows down to normal speed, just so Joanie can see as she tucks the wad of cash into her costume. With a smile of satisfaction, the speedster drops the purse callously on the floor next to her as Kitt continues.
“Miley Virus and Carrie Underworld.” Kitt purrs to the room in a sultry voice. “They were talented performers when we recruited them some time ago, but they lacked exposure. So, with our resources and sponsorship, we shot them to number one on every pop music chart in the world.”
“Double platinum in Sweden.” Miley says matter of factually. “I crushed the Gangnum Style guy on Youtube in forty eight hours.”
“Yes, until a small misunderstanding regarding some potentially deadly subliminal messaging contained in their recordings drew the attention of the Justice Girls and effectively ended their musical careers.” Kitt continues to explain. “So we put them through the same process as you three. Now they serve our purpose in much more ‘direct’ capacity.”
“And that purpose is?” Menace asks.
“For now, it is to capture Comanderette America alive and to acquire the Iron Beauty armor…” Kitt says, and for sinister effect adds, “…by any means necessary.”
Meanwhile, the next morning…
The still water is barely disturbed as the Sub Mariness slips her head into the open air to gaze around her surroundings. The tunnel she has followed from Gotham Harbor has led her deep beneath the streets of the city and into a large cavernous lagoon.
“I’ve found the Daredevlette’s mysterious cave.” The sea goddess says, touching the small earpiece communicator Jenny Styger provided her. Slowly and silently she rises from the water without a single drop falling from her body, and hovers a few inches above its surface.
“What’s the situation?” Comanderette America inquires over the com-link.
“It is very dark. Fortunately I see quite well in the dark.” The Sub Mariness answers. “Clearly there was activity here recently. I see bare wires and air passages, fresh scrapes in the cavern floors and walls. Whatever was here was moved out with great haste.”
“Sound tactics.” The Comanderette replies. “Daredevlette infiltrated their base but they couldn’t know if she was alone so they cleared out.”
“Aye, but there’s more,” Ianeira continues “…I can feel the remnants of magic here, a very dark magic. It is almost familiar.”
“Familiar?” Jenny Styger cuts in over the com-link. “Like ‘Ceto’ kind of familiar?”
“Nay, the serpent remains undisturbed.” Ianeira answers. “But there are more evil forces across the realms than just Ceto. The source of this magic is from a long hated realm; the home of evil and devious monsters you mortals call ‘Demons’. Their magic is most foul and has plagued all the realms throughout history.”
“You can call it magic, but to me it’s just science I haven’t figured out yet.” Jenny says with her trademark swagger. “Whatever was going on down there probably left a residual energy signature that your Atlantean ‘fishy-ology’ is sensitive to.”
“I am NOT an Atlantean.” The Sub Mariness responds firmly and clearly irritated.
“ToMAYtoe, toMAHtoe.” Jenny responds. “Come on back to the barn.”
“What do vegetables have to do with this? And I do not know of any barn.” Ianeira states honestly before she slips back into the water with barely a ripple and disappears.
Back at Styger Research & Development…
Jenny Styger sits at a workbench in her jeans and a white sleeveless t-shirt. On her right forearm is Iron Beauty’s right gauntlet with the palm resting upright on the table before her. She flexes the fingers into a fist and then opens them, over and over, while her other hand gently turns a precision screwdriver in an open panel. She doesn’t turn her attention or stop working as Maggie and Ebony enter the room and asks, “How’s Devil Girl?”
“Daredevlette.” Ebony softly corrects.
“Whatever.” Jenny says.
“She is resting comfortably for the next several hours.” Ebony reports placing her hands in her white doctor’s coat. “I had to sedate her to keep her from leaving. Her healing factor is quite remarkable; she has recovered from injuries in hours that would have taken weeks for a normal person.”
“Well she can forget that ‘lone vigilante’ crap, we’re going to need her help to figure out what’s going on.” Jenny says as she turns the screwdriver ever so slightly. “Just another little tweak and….”
“Pulse emitters are at one hundred percent, Madame.” DANIEL announces.
“How’s the repair going on your fancy suit?” Maggie teases.
“It’s just minor adjustments.” Jenny says with just a hint of indignity. “I’m ready anytime. My armor can go all day.”
“Use a little strategy and you won’t have to.” Maggie says matter-of-factly.
“Uh huh, that was the whole point of your little visit today.” Jenny says smiling. “You didn’t want to spar, you wanted to train me.”
“You’re my closest friend Jenny.” Maggie responds with sincerity. “I want you to stay alive. Your armor lets you do incredible things but being an undisciplined wild woman in battle will get you killed.”
“I get it, and thanks Maggs.” Jenny says. “But my knack for flying by the seat of my skirt is part of who I am. There’d be no Iron Beauty without it.”
“Excuse me Doctor Cartwright…” DANIEL interrupts. “…the crimson mist subjects are ready to be transferred to their new containment tube.”
“Ah,thank you DANIEL.” Ebony says relieved for the chance to escape the current debate. “Ladies, if you will excuse me I should probably oversee this.” She finishes as she exits the room.
“Crimson mist?” Maggie questions Jenny. “I thought the mists were all used to reconstitute the Lantern entities?”
“Yah huh, let’s just say I have connections.” Jenny says and Maggie cocks an eyebrow at her in sudden concern.
“Isn’t that a little dangerous?” The young soldier questions her friend.
“Relax Spangles.” Jenny reassures. “We don’t have any actual crimson mist, but we are studying the effects it had on some plants and insects that were exposed to it while it was here. Hopefully it will lead us to antidote if it ever happens again.”
“Well then, while we wait for the Sub Mariness to get back, shall we settle our bet?” Maggie asks playfully. “Or are you ready to give up now?”
“Thanks for reminding me. I wanted to tell you I prefer a hand-finished shine applied to the armors, not those power buffer things.” Jenny says sarcastically grinning at her friend and motioning towards the Hangar bay. “You coming?”
The Med-Lab at Styger Research and Development, sometime later….
The untrained mind would snap under the amount and intensity of the information her enhanced senses bring raining down upon her each time wakes from unconsciousness. Like a million little brothers desperate to tell you something the second you step in the door. The mind of Melanie Matters, however, is well trained and begins filtering out the noise immediately, categorizing and separating it at the speed of thought until the mental image she uses to ‘see’ begins to form again as she slowly rises from her medical stretcher.
The first thing demanding her attention is the loud, wailing alarm klaxon that is ringing out in a repetitious cry for help. Next is the acrid smell of smoke from a fire somewhere in the facility and as she sits up, the twinge of the IV in arm reminds her she is still within the Infirmary at Styger RnD. Skilled as any nurse she deftly removes the needle and applies pressure for a moment to stop the bleeding, and as she does the sound of a faint heartbeat reaches her ears. It’s fluctuating and erratic, racing and yet weak at the same time and Melanie knows it will give out soon.
From memory, Melanie stands and finds her way to the chair across the room where her outfit lies draped across its back. She dons the blood red body armor and mask in less than a minute and the Daredevlette rises again. Taking one of her Escrima Sticks in hand, she holds it out in front of her and simply drops it letting it hit the floor with a metallic clang. The sound travels out in a ripple, reflecting off of everything in the room then returning to Melanie’s ears and as it does it amplifies the image of the room in her mind eye. A mental image that is more detailed than normal vision in many ways as her other senses adds more information to it. Her sense of smell picks up smoke from the adjacent room, its acrid scent tells her it is an electrical fire and her exposed fingertips tell her the heat is very near the faint heartbeat she still hears.
The Daredevlette then moves to the door leading to the next room which slides open as she approaches but stops halfway with a sudden spark. With determination and absolutely no fear, Melanie pushes against the door and forces it the rest of the way and steps into the Styger Medical Research Lab. She doesn’t pause at all as she makes her way slowly but deliberately through the computers and desks and lab equipment towards the back of the room. The air grows warmer as she approaches a row of upright containment tubes where she turns and discovers the unconscious body of Ebony Cartwright, face down on the floor among shards of broken glass. Just beyond her and creeping closer are the flames of a small fire that was touched off by a sparking nearby power outlet.
“Ebony…wake up, EBONY!” Melanie shouts as she kneels down and focuses on the doctor’s body, running her fingertips over her arms, legs, back and ribs. She determines Ebony has not broken any bones and gently rolls her over, only to pause suddenly. The Daredevlette tilts her head to the side in look of confusion as her senses reveal something on the Ebony’s right hand. It’s warm, like energy but somehow alive yet separate from Ebony. As she focuses her senses to determine what it is a containment tube further up the row erupts in more shattered glass as it bursts from the heat of the fire and sending the flames roaring even faster towards them. “We have to move!!”
With no more time to spare, Daredevlette swats the object into the approaching fire and scoops up the unconscious doctor. Leaping from the spot with the flames literally licking her heals, she carries Ebony to the door and once through she slams the panel to close it. It slides shut halfway where it sparks once again and halts.
In one fluid motion, Daredevlette lays Ebony on the bed and turns towards the malfunctioning door. Raising her right hand into a fist she reaches out with the power of her mind and literally forces the door the rest of the way shut. As it secures into the locked position, she hears the room on the other side explode into flame and the hiss of the fire suppression system roaring to life to extinguish it. After a few moments the roaring flames go silent and Melanie allows herself a breath or two.
“Unnghh…” Ebony mutters, struggling to regain consciousness and Melanie tries to attend to her. Her senses tell her that the doctor is running a very high fever and her heart continues to fluctuate. Experience tells her these symptoms are usually the result of a toxin in the blood stream, but even Daredevlette’s senses cannot reveal which toxin.
“Ebony, you have to tell me…” Melanie pleads. “…I don’t know how to help you.”
Melanie can feel the heat of Ebony’s body burning much higher than is safe for a human being, with the hottest point being the doctor’s hand. The same hand Melanie had sensed a ‘something’ on when she found her the lab. The Daredevlette knows if she doesn’t do something fast that Ebony will die.
“…ant…antidote…” Ebony barely manages to whisper and feebly points to a nearby lab table. On the table are several beakers full of various colored liquid and a small standing rack of four syringes. Melanie grabs one of them and removes the protective cover off the needle.
“Ebony….where? How much?” Melanie asks excitedly.
Suddenly, Melanie realizes that Ebony’s heart has stopped and she is motionless on the bed.
“No! No, no, no, no…” Melanie shouts and with nothing but desperation and hope, she plunges the needle into Ebony’s neck and pumps the syringes contents into her to the last drop. Removing the needle she stands for a moment, listening, sensing, searching for any indication of a sign of life but there is none.
“No, Ebony! God dammit FIGHT!!” The Daredevlette shouts inches from the doctor’s face. Placing her hands on Ebony’s chest she begins CPR, frantically trying to restart Ebony’s heart. After what seems like hours but in reality is only seconds, Melanie hears the faint beat of Ebony’s heart once more. Then the unconscious doctor sits up suddenly taking a huge breath and then collapses once again. Melanie lays a hand on Ebony’s forehead as she keeps listening to the soft and weak beating heart that is now getting a little stronger with every pulse. The dangerously high fever is now gone, back to the normal temperature a human body should be at. Melanie sits on the bed next to her patient, the tide of adrenaline slowly ebbing from her system as she sits breathing heavily.
“DANIEL system back online.” The voice of DANIEL suddenly announces into the room and snaps Melanie back to the situation at hand.
“Hello?” The Daredevlette asks. “Who’s there?”
“Hello Miss Daredevlette. I am the Dynamic Automated Neural Interfacing Electronic Library. You may call me DANIEL. Are you injured?” DANIEL asks calmly.
“What me? No, but Doctor Cartwright is…something is wrong with her.” Melanie answers pensively.
“Her heart rate has stabilized and her pulse is strong. She is out of any immediate danger however I am unable to contact any authorities or the Watchtower for assistance. Communications are being blocked.” DANIEL reports.
“Blocked by what?” Melanie responds.
“Unknown.” DANIEL answers. “Approximately two hours ago my systems were shut down. There were no alarms previous to that event.”
“Where are the others?” Melanie presses. “Styger, the Comanderette, the big woman with the trident?”
“No GPS location available.” DANIEL responds. “All of Miss Styger’s com devices are off-line, as are Comanderette America’s and their bio signs are not present in the facility. The Sub Mariness was not present at the time of the incident.”
“Then where are they? Does this place have a hangar?” Melanie asks with her tone growing more concerned.
“None of Miss Styger’s aircraft are missing.” DANIEL answers.
“So if they didn’t leave, that means they were taken.” Melanie ponders out loud. “The question is, where?”
“Unknown.” DANIEL answers not recognizing the question as rhetorical. “Their last known positions were in the hangar bay.”
Using her senses to tune into Ebony, the Daredevlette hears her heart loud, clear and strong. Touching the unconscious doctor’s forehead reveals her body temperature is normal. “I want to see this hangar bay.”
“You are not authorized to access that area.” DANIEL states.
“Do you want to find your boss, or not?” Melanie counters with determination.
After several seconds, DANIEL responds. “Access granted.”
The main doors of the infirmary open with a hydraulic hiss and reveal the hangar bay just on the other side. The acoustics tell Melanie that the chamber is as vast as football field with various types of sleek looking jets and equipment along the sides.
Daredevlette walks down the middle of the room slowly, stopping every few steps and curiously tilting her head in one direction or the other.
“They were here.” She says from the far end of the bay. “They were sparring; there are multiple blast points on the walls but the carbon scoring isn’t bad so Iron Beauty wasn’t using much power and from all the scrapes on the floor I’d say Styger was getting schooled.”
“That would be consistent with their previous sparring sessions.” DANIEL states.
“Then somehow they were hit with a huge burst of power. That’s probably what shut you down DANIEL.” Melanie continues. “The power surge must be what caused the accident with Ebony in the Med Lab next door.”
“An EMP of sufficient magnitude could produce such an effect but it would require an extremely strong power source.” DANIEL responds.
“It was.” Daredevlette answers as the powerful scent of ozone still in the air tells her. She then bends down to examine the floor and after a few seconds continues, “…and I know where they are.”
“You found something?” DANIEL asks.
“Sulfur powder, it’s all over this area of the hangar. Some kind of portal opened here.” Melanie says standing once more as she holds a pinch of the yellow sulfur powder to her nose. “And there’s only one place with sulfur that smells like this… The Gotham Wastelands…” Melanie answers with an ominous tone.
“Zeta platforms and communications systems are still off-line. The nearest Styger facility with a zeta platform is in Metropolis.” DANIEL informs, anticipating Melanie’s line of thought. “Miss Styger always keeps a personal jet prepped and on standby here in the hangar, however I am unable to remote pilot it.”
“I can’t fly it either.” Melanie says frustrated.
“I can.” Ebony suddenly announces from out of nowhere. “I’ve logged almost two hundred hours.”
“Ebony!” The Daredevlette shouts in both surprise and relief. “You’re ok? How are you feeling?”
“Me? Yes, quite. I actually feel better than I ever have in my life. However, there is one slight problem…” Ebony answers and Melanie tilts her head, realizing that Ebony’s voice is not coming from in front of her where it should be, and as the Daredevlette raises her head upward towards the ceiling, “…could you possibly get me down from here?”
To be concluded…
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Subby detected a demon huh? O.o And now they're in the wastelands? Could get messy........
