Chapter 1
Jordin Tyler had dressed hurriedly that morning without putting on a bra, but since it was the weekend she figured she could get away with it. She had to work on aSaturdaybecause she had taken Friday off for personal business, which was not unusual for employees at Hasselhoff Electronics. When you were in constant competition to produce the next generation of everything from dvds to communications satellites, you had to have the best, most creative people in the world, and creativity cannot be shackled to a rigid, inflexible workweek! At least that was what the CEO had told her when she had taken the job two years earlier, fresh out of Caltech. They didn't even ask why you wanted the day off, which was perfect for Jordin's off the clock, somewhat clandestine activities.
The beautiful young woman parked her Mazda CX-7 and checked her reflection in the mirror. Her startlingly green eyes liked what they saw -- nice high cheekbones, full lips, luxurious brunette tresses. She was wearing a pale blue blouse and a navy skirt with black heels. Of course she also had her favorite accessories, a pair of silver bracelets. Before she got out of the car, she put on a pair of glasses with huge frames, less because she needed them and more because they seemed to help her colleagues take her more serious, while simultaneously discouraging her male co-workers from hitting on her. Not that the attention wasn't flattering but she wanted to keep professional at work.
Pulling on a white lab coat (ensuring full coverage) Jordin crossed the parking lot towards the main building. She noticed a big green U.S. Army truck parked right in front of the steps. Behind it was Dr. Strickland's silver and blue BMW.
Oh crap!
Jordin thought.
What is SHE doing here on a Saturday?
And there she was in person Clarise Strickland; a tall skinny woman on the wrong side of forty-five, bearing a notable physical resemblance to Heidi Klum, though her personality was more like the Evil Queen from Sleeping Beauty. She was one of the company's senior engineers although her best years were clearly behind her. If the water cooler gossip was to be believed, she was always on the verge of either being unceremoniously terminated or promoted upstairs to the board of directors with great fanfare. Having worked closely with the woman this past week, Jordin assumed the former to be the more realistic possibility.
Dr. Strickland was wearing one of her usual charcoal gray suits, the long slit skirt showing off her slender legs, and her blond hair gathered up in a bun. Her heels clicked on the steps as she led the way out of the building followed by an Army sergeant and two privates in full fatigues (complete with guns!). The privates were carrying a stainless steel case in between them. When she saw Jordin, Dr. Strickland froze in mid step.
"Miss Tyler!" she seemed flustered, "what are you doing here?"
Jordin stared in surprise as the soldiers carried the metal case past her and she read the label on the cover.
"Is that the Orpheus Project?" she blurted, ignoring her supervisor's question. "It's not ready to be field tested yet!"
Orpheus was an ultrasonic projector, supposedly to be used for non-lethal crowd control, making it possible to knock out large groups of belligerents without physically harming them. The U.S. Army had invested in the project for years without any significant progress; hence Dr. Stricklands waning favor with the board of directors. Jordin herself had been brought in to consult the past week, and while the schematics looked fine, she couldn't figure out why the thing kept failing every time it was tested in the laboratory.
Dr. Strickland quickly recovered her hauteur. "Miss Tyler," she said with her nose in the air, "which one of us has a PhD in electronics engineering?"
Jordin blushed, unconsciously crossing her arms over her unsupported bust. "You do, Dr. Strickland."
"And which one of us has over twenty five years of experience with systems like this?"
"You do, Dr. Strickland. But..."
"But nothing, this is my project and I'll decide when it's ready to be field tested," the older woman said, watching the soldiers load the case onto the back of the truck. "Kindly keep your mind on your own projects and we will all be happier."
Feeling very small, Jordin was about to go on by and do exactly that. Dr. Strickland had just that kind of domineering personality and a day working on her own projects, alone, was just what the young engineer had wanted. However a familiar feeling (call it woman's intuition) in the pit of her stomach gave Jordin pause. Chewing delicately on her bottom lip, she watched the Orpheus being loaded. Once the device was secure in the back of the Army truck with both armed guards, and the third soldier had gotten behind the wheel, Clarice gracefully slid into the driver's seat of her beamer. Something just felt off to Jordin and after a moment's hesitation, the young woman wrenched open the passenger door of the BMW and climbed in.
"Protocol requires at least two observers on any field test," she said smugly as Strickland opened her mouth to protest. "It looks like you forgot to ask anybody to join you, convenient since I was brought in to consult this week."
The sergeant driving the truck looked impatient to be on his way. Strickland waved him on as she put her car in gear. "Very well, slacker," she sighed. "Maybe you'll learn a little something."
The small convoy left the industrial park and drove towards the Fort Roberts testing grounds. Neither of the women spoke as they watched the scenery go by. The uncomfortable silence was broken only the steady tap-tap of Strickland's fingernails, nervously tapping the steering wheel. They were on a country road with forest on both sides, still several miles from the Army post, when suddenly from out of nowhere a cloud of white smoke covered the road ahead. The truck in front of them slammed on its brakes and Dr. Strickland followed suit with a curse. Jordin squinted through the smoke at the shadowy figures of the soldiers as they got out of the truck, holding their M-16s ready.
Abruptly there was another figure in the fog. It was definitely male, seemingly dressed like a Roman officer in a white short-sleeved tunic, a form-fitting breastplate, and a helmet with a red plume. He charged the two soldiers before they knew what hit them, his powerful body a ballet of motion as he laid them both out with ease. It was over just that quickly! Jordin watched with shocked fascination, more than a little impressed with the man's deadly skill. She lifted her bracelets, preparing to make the change into Victory and face the strangely attired man...
"It's the Centurion!" Dr. Strickland gasped.
Jordin stopped herself, realizing she could not change with Clarise sitting right next to her. By then the sergeant clambered down from the cab, opening fire with his sidearm, but the bullets seemed to have no effect on the supervillain's armored breastplate. In a matter of seconds, the sergeant was left unconscious as well. Dr. Strickland was still sitting there almost in a daze as the Centurion turned towards the two women.
"Let's get out of here!" Jordin shook the older woman's shoulder to get her attention.
"Oh... right!"
Glancing backwards they saw two of Centurion's henchmen, wearing matching white tunics and trousers but no armor, closing in on the car! Strickland put the car in drive and punched the gas pedal. The BMW lurched forward, swerving around the stopped truck. To their surprise, rather than duck out of the way, the Centurion leapt into their path and drew the short sword from his belt. As the weapon cleared its sheath, a halo of energy ignited around the blade. Calmly he brought the weapon down on the hood of the beamer, slicing through the metal as if it were cardboard! The vehicle shuddered and immediately stalled out.
Blast it!
Jordin thought frustrated.
I can't transform in front of Dr. Strickland but this guy is the real deal!
Jordin instantly unbuckled her seatbelt and tumbled out the passenger side. If she could get away and conceal herself in the bushes, she could change to her own super-powered alter ego. Then this Centurion would be in for quite a rude surprise!
"Not so fast, babe," said a harsh male voice, as the two henchmen seized her arms on either side.
Frustration now shifted towards desperation for the young woman. Rolling one way then the other, she tried to escape their grip. Her arm slipped free for a moment, but one calloused hand seized the front of her blouse popping several buttons off the garment as she tried to wrench free! Still the other thug was able to maintain, even tighten his grip on her arm and shoulder, struggle as she might, Jordin was still just a normal girl and the two men easily overpowered her. A soft groan escaped her lips as she was lifted bodily off the ground and a pit of dread settled in her stomach as she was carried back towards their villainous boss.
Chapter 2
"Project Orpheus, I presume," The Centurion said smugly as he flipped the catches on the metal case.
The smoke screen had already dispersed and while a third henchman was tying up the three soldiers, the supervillain reveled in his triumph. He gave the device a cursory inspection before re-securing the lid. Satisfied he turned to see his men dragging one of the women towards him.
"Get your hands off of me!" Jordin protested, squirming uselessly in the hands of the two thugs. "Let me go!"
"Hey boss," said one of the men, grinning. "Look at the nookie we caught trying to sneak away. Can we keep her? Maybe like a bonus?"
The villain's eyes swept over Jordin, sending a chill down her spine. The cheekpieces of his helmet obscured much of his face, but his hazel eyes were piercing and seemed to take in everything as he scanned her body from top to bottom. Without warning, he drew a wooden rod from his weapon belt and swung it in a blinding arc! Jordin flinched, bracing for impact. Instead there was an audible thud as the blow struck the henchman in the stomach, dropping him to his knees, gasping for breath.
"You will address me as 'captain' or as 'commander'," the Centurion said coldly. "If I hear that barbarian word 'boss' again, I will beat you to within an inch of your life. Do you understand me?"
Nodding vigorously, the thug on the ground managed to gasp, "Yes, commander."
Jordin felt her pulse racing. The Centurion hadn't even taken his eyes off her. His arms were strong and muscular, as were his bare legs below the kilt of his tunic. If his molded chestplate could be believed, he had a killer set of pecs and abs. Every move he made was with the economy and confidence of a lion ruling over his pride. His presence alone was enough to make her feel small, inferior...but of course she was. Jordin Tyler was clearly no match for this man!
I've got to find a way to transform into Victory!
She thought frustrated.
"You've got what you came for," Jordin tried to put some authority in her voice. "Let us go, before you make this worse on yourself."
