Claiming Supers
Part One.
Kinetica's cape billowed in the wind as she blasted the roof of the penthouse lair apart with a psionic blast. Her all-female crime-fighting squad; 'the Ladies of Liberty' had already infiltrated the skyscraper headquarters of billionaire tech genius and villainess Dr Ruth Ruthless and engaged her cybernetically enhanced goons in a climactic smackdown brawl.
"Ah, I see the jewel of the city has come to stop my nefarious schemes! Well, you are too late, Kinetica. My latest invention will spell your DOOOOM!!" The iniquitous heiress cackled, covered head to toe in futuristic power armor that, for reasons unknown, had a boob window over her bountiful chest.
Kinetica sighed.
Sad to say, it was simply another day in New Avalon. The metropolis attracted supers and villains alike to its grimy streets. Something about packed population centers with sprawling infrastructure and a significant wealth divide was irresistible to all and sundry.
Gangs, mobsters, petty crooks, and anyone with a lick of superpower (well-intentioned or otherwise) flocked here to seek fame and fortune. Crime and vigilante justice were a major problem, not to mention the shady mega-corps that moved in after the entire city was zoned as a tax haven to stimulate economic growth in what amounted to a small-scale warzone.
And the Ladies of Liberty were the premier protectors of said warzone. They each had a role to play, especially since corporate sponsorship of superheroes became a reality.
"Halt villain!" Kinetica cried, deflecting an arcing bolt of electricity with a steel strut held in her telekinetic grip. "Your days of evil-doing are at an end!"
Below, Silver Streak raced at impossible speeds, disarming the mad scientist's cyborg minions too fast for their advanced weapons systems to track. The slight, lavender-skinned Xeno's gauntleted fists smashed shoulder-mounted cannons and cracked skulls in a metallic blur.
Miss Miriad's clones followed closely behind. Pouring out of the stairwells, her duplicated brunettes dogpiled the mechanical hybrids
en masse,
raining punches and kicks that shattered reinforced bones.
Sally Putty made a dynamic entrance by stretching her hyper-elasticated body between two pillars and launching into the melee like a rubber band--the green-haired heroine tangled groups of attackers in her elongated limbs.
Pitched battle consumed the now roofless laboratory, the villainess's army of defenders crumbling under their decisive assault. Not that the woman noticed or cared. She was busy grandstanding for the swarm of news drones recording the fight. Standing at the center of a raised circular platform between buzzing Tesla coils, the despicable Doctor gestured towards what appeared to be a twenty-foot death ray aimed directly at herself.
"This seems like an overly elaborate suicide attempt, Ruth." Kinetica said glibly. "Never fear. We've arranged a nice padded cell with your name on it."
"Mwahahaha! Fool, behold my brilliance. By harnessing the cosmic radiation released during last year's interdimensional incursion, I have created an energy beam that will invest me with powers untold. You have arrived only to witness my ascension to godhood! Mwahahaha!!"
Kinetica had to admit that the woman had an excellent evil laugh as it boomed from speakers in her armor. But monologuing, really?
A seasoned pro like Dr Ruthless should know better.
With a flare of power, the hovering heroine wrapped the needle-shaped device in telekinetic force. It was the size of a naval gun and twice as heavy. Metal creaked but didn't shift, firmly anchored to the floor.
Truthfully, Kinetica could have tossed it into orbit with a flick of a manicured fingernail. She was the strongest psionic in the nation. However, the publicity agents their squad's sponsor employed demanded theatrics in front of the camera.
Theatrics raised viewer numbers. Raised viewer numbers meant higher brand visibility. Higher brand visibility led to increases in sales and stock value.
She missed the old days when they just arrested the bad guy. But the public wasn't interested in a ten-second battle where the hero turned up and stomped the antagonist flat in a single blow, and Kinetica had bills to pay like everyone else.
So, reluctantly, she engaged in... dramatics.
"Hnngh! I... will not... allow you.. to hurt... this city!" She pretended to struggle under the non-existent strain. "Sally, help me divert the beam!"
"Roger Dodger!" The elastic girl shouted, extending a hand that inflated to the size of a bouncing castle to latch onto the weapon's barrel. "Ready when you are, boss lady!"
"Lift on my command." Something about the otherworldly energies thrumming the device felt strange to Kinetica. An odd reverberation echoed back along her mental bonds. "Now!"
With far more force than she intended, the whole array flipped out of its cradle, spiraled in the air, and discharged a sickly yellow ray into the city below.
Whoopsie...
"Noooo! My greatest triumph. You stole it from me!" Dr Ruthless shook her armored fists. "My schemes... ruined at the last second! Damn you--"
Kinetica wasn't listening, staring pensively down at the streets while her squad subdued their foe.
________________
"Ugh. Press conferences are the worst." Miranda complained, shrugging on a leather jacket. "What a bunch of lounge chair quarterbacks."
"Why are you bitching?" Sarah laughed, tucking her green hair under an Auburn wig. "You always send a double. The rest of us have to attend in person."
They were in their private locker room, changing into civilian clothing. Kinetica admired her teammates. They were the best of the best and looked the part. Four ass-kicking lycra-covered super-hotties whose figures ranged from the whip-thin quality of Silvejia's alien beauty to the ultra-fit sports model physique Miranda maintained.
Sarah's changeable form didn't count. Technically classified as a body-morpher, she could shrink, expand, or stretch her hyper-flexible body into various configurations. Presently the rubberized babe was sporting the lean yet busty figure of a beach volleyball player with legs for miles and a spectacular ass.
"At least you two get asked sensible questions." Silvejia dead-panned, fiddling with her holo-emitter bracelet. "The men of this world are obsessed with my dating life more than any heroic exploits."
Light distorted around the Xeno speedster, fuzzing momentarily, replacing lavender skin with dusky flesh and turning plum-colored hair black. In her human disguise, she resembled a high-class Indian fashionista--devastatingly slim and tall, with regal features. Even the diamond mindstone fixed to her brow (a symbol of noble lineage) warped into a red bindi.
"It ain't every day they get to slobber over alien royalty." Miranda hoisted a heavy duffle bag as though it weighed nothing. She didn't possess enhanced strength but trained rigorously, so each copy of her was in peak fighting condition. "They're only men, after all. Let me take you on the town, hot stuff. I'll show ya a real good time. Just you, me and me and me."
The buff brunette shot her a lascivious wink, which Silvejia studiously ignored. It wasn't the first time such passes had been made. Their duplicator was a loud and proud icon of the LGBTQ community who wasn't particularly shy in her advances, especially toward her squadmates.
