Issue Twelve ~ 12 Hours More
8:17pm
The Scarlet Dove glided over Warden City’s ghetto, making a B-line for the old Corso facility, which had once been a chemical plant. It had closed down well before her birth, but it seemed like the perfect place for a villain like Ozone to set up his headquarters. Especially considering the rest of 128th street was mostly housing projects.
She careened out of the sky, as the plant came into view. The scarlet haired heroine alighted onto a nearby roof, hoping to get a quick lay of the land. Sure enough, there were two thugs standing guard at the front door. One of them looked like one of the thugs had fought with at Baker’s place but it was tough to be sure at a distance. Regardless, she wouldn’t have much time left.
Ozone would have the dealer inside, almost certainly with deadly intentions in mind. After all it had been Baker who told the heroine about a heist he was working for the mutated villain. Although it had been somewhat unwittingly, since she had been in her secret identity at the time but that would make little difference. It wasn’t that Starling had any sympathy for the two-bit dealer; live by the sword…
However, she couldn’t just sit around and let
anyone
die…especially for helping her…and in this case especially because she had been the one who gave up Baker to Ozone, after the mutant had her captive.
Not wasting another second, the heroine leapt into the sky, climbing high and out of sight of the men below. She pitched into a dive, coming down on them out of the ink black sky. She nailed the first one with all the momentum of her dive, sending him crashing into the ground with a groan, instantly unconscious. The other barely had time to turn, eyes wide in surprise. The Scarlet Dove launched a smooth kick, striking him on the jaw and cheek. The stunned thug stumbled backward, leaving himself completely open as she spun gracefully into a second kick right to the chest! He fell back against the door, and crumpled to the ground.
The heroine checked to make sure they were out, then went straight through the door. The hallway beyond was dark, and the scent of stale chemicals hung in the air. She moved down the hall cautiously, but unable to manage much stealth due to the click-clacking high heels on her golden boots.
There were several other doors in the hallway, and she checked each one as she passed, never finding anything more than rusted file cabinets or the odd abandoned chair. Finally, at the end of the hallway, she came to a set of double doors which led to the decommissioned production floor.
There she could hear voices beyond. It was tough to make out the words but she definitely recognized the whiny tones of Baker, the familiar baritone of Mac, and the hoarse rasp of Ozone! Starling fell back from the door, as an icy shiver ran down her spine.
Things didn’t go so well last time I took on Ozone, but I have to do this,
the young girl reassured herself.
Just have to hit hard and fast, and make sure to avoid that Biomist crap!
Reminding herself how easily she’d taken down the two thugs outside, Starling forced a little surge of confidence. She advanced back to the doors, and kicked them open!
She immediately leapt into her torpedo strike and rocketed across the room in a blur. She crashed into Ozone with all the power she could muster! The villain cried out in shock and pain, tumbling across the room like a rag doll. A thrill tickled through the young heroine, had she taken down her nemesis so easily?
“Alright you scumbags,” she snarled turning to face Mac and the two other thugs who were holding Baker. “Turn him loose and surrender!” Assuming her usual cocky pose felt right again, now clad in the proper uniform!
All four men seemed taken by the vision that stood before them. Almost in unison, their eyes dropped to her golden boots, before climbing up her long bare legs to the curves of her hips which were hugged by her white spandex bikini bottoms. They continued up her hourglass figure to her voluptuous breasts, tucked into a delectably skin tight bustier. Her soft naked shoulders led up to her swanlike neck, where her masked face was framed by her lustrous scarlet locks. Her emerald eyes glared out from behind that white feathery mask, momentarily staring down each in turn.
That’s right punks! You’re dealing with the Scarlet Dove now!
she thought seeing the intimidation flash through their eyes.
“The hell you doin’ here?” Mac asked. “You don’t give no shit about this half-time punk, do you?”
“I give a shit about anyone being victimized by criminals like you!” she retorted sharply. “Now turn him loose and we can wrap this up with no one getting hurt!” She glanced pointedly at Ozone, laying in a heap against the wall. “Well…no one else.”
“Last time we tangled, only one that got hurt was you!” Mac grinned and brought up his gun.
Acting with the quickness of her enhance reflexes, the superheroine lifted her arm and zapped the thug with the electrolaser built into her golden bracelet! Mac stiffened awkwardly, dropped his gun, and collapsed with a pained grunt.
Next the Scarlet Dove threw herself into a somersault, and came up right in front of Baker and his captors. Leaping into the air before either could react, she took them both down with a double drop kick! Baker fell backwards too, eyes wide.
“Get up you idiot, run!” she snapped at the dealer.
Baker got to his feet quickly. “But what about…”
“Don’t worry about me,” she said. “I got this!”
“I mean it’s only what, like 9:30?”
“Ugh, are you serious?” Starling snarled. “Get out of here, so I can save your life!”
“Ain’t nobody going anywhere!” Mac growled, crawling for his gun.
Guess I should have cranked the voltage a little more.
Starling thought, doing just that.
Even as Mac’s fingers were closing on the weapon, the heroine blasted him with her bracelet. The thug let out a choked screech and slumped on the floor.
“See, let’s get out here together!” Baker said, jerking his thumb towards the door.
“Not so fast!” rasped a voice across the room.
Starling and Baker whirled to face Ozone. The villain was getting back on his feet.
“Like the kid said…” Ozone went on, unzipping and pulling down the top half of his hazmat suit. “Nobody’s going anywhere!”
9:00pm
“Or you can cover me,” Baker stammered. “And I can fuckin’ run!”
The Scarlet Dove gave him a quick nod, and he dashed towards the door.
The powerfully built mutant tied the arms of his hazmat suit around his waist. Starling shuddered seeing his chest and arms left exposed, there was a greenish tint to his flesh and it was all covered in sores.
The memory of feeling his skin rubbing against hers flashed through Starling’s mind. She subtly dialed her electrolaser all the way up.
“All the better,” Ozone growled. “I’ve been waiting for another shot at you!”
“Come and take it then!” the heroine challenged.
Ozone let out a howl and suddenly all those sore across his chest opened and began spewing Biomist! Starling’s eyes popped open wide, and she lifted her bracelet! Too quickly, the cloud of Biomist gathered, thickening around the villain, completely obscuring her vision of him. She fired into the cloud, aiming at the first movement she saw.
“Missed me!” Ozone howled bursting out of the cloud in a wild charge.
Starling whipped her bracelet to bear, the two red targeting dots appearing on his chest. Grinning, she touched the trigger!
***BEEP BEEP BEEP***
No! The battery’s dead…
she realized hearing the electronic warning.
Ozone had closed the distance quickly, but Starling had just enough time to leap into the air. Ozone snarled and cursed below her, as she flew up just out of reach.
“Come and fight me you bitch!”
The young heroine banked hard, whipping around and coming straight at the mutant. Her bracelet would recharge shortly…but she had taken him before without it. All she had to do was get close enough to rip off his mask and he’d be helpless.
As she barreled towards Ozone, his chest sores began to spew biomist once more. Starling pulled up short, realizing she could not fly into that toxic cloud.
Ozone exploded through the cloud, coming at her with a roar. Before she could react, his brawny arms were wrapped around her curvaceous hips, pulling her down out of midair! He threw her to ground, where she landed with a grunt. Immediately she began to scramble back up, but his weight fell over her.
Gawd, he’s heavy…and stronger than I remem-oh no!
Even as she struggled to get out from under him, his hand closed around her soft throat. She grabbed his wrist, trying to break his grip, but he lifted his other hand and sprayed her in the face with biomist.
NO! Oh hold your breath girl…don’t breath…don’t…
Curling her legs into her chest, Starling managed to kick the villain off and scrambled away from the noxious gas.
Gasping a few breaths of clean air, she whirled back to face the already charging Ozone. This time she whipped a roundhouse kick right into his masked face. The brute staggered, veering to the side. Quick as a whip, Starling lunged forward punching him in the side of the head.
“Gotcha!” she declared, grabbing at the edges of his mask.
“Sucker…” Ozone’s big hands closed around her forearms, as another cloud of biomist erupted from his chest and arms.
Even as Starling began to yank on his mask, she was engulfed. Before she realized her mistake, the gas filled her lungs, one breath making her head spin. Acting quickly she wrenched her arms free and leapt away from her adversary.
Coughing and gasping, she landed unsteadily, admonishing herself. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”
Damn that shit works fast…
she thought dazedly.
Need some space…
Starling tried to take flight but as soon as she did, a big hand snagged her ankle!
“No!” she squealed as Ozone yanked her back to the ground. “Stop!” His thick, powerful arms wrapped around her narrow waist, trapping her against his solid, blocky body. “Let me go!” she whined, beating her girly fists against his greenish chest. Her shapely legs flailed uselessly as he began to squeeze, crushing her hourglass figure and forcing a painfilled groan from her ruby lips.
