Barbie Horton breathed out slowly and relaxed back in lounge seat, as the beautician at her feet began her pedicure. She took the opportunity to glance around the luxurious interior of the health spa; around the outside were private rooms for the sun-beds and massage benches. In the wide central area where she was reclining were a few pedicure chairs and wooden loungers arranged around the huge hot tub that dominated the room.
The clientele were exclusively wealthy and privileged, for this was the plushest health spa in upturn Metro City, situated within the world-famous Worthington International Hotel. Membership was considered a sign of affluence and position by some.
To the other customers, she would look like any other client; beautiful and classy with her elegantly manicured fingernails, toned legs, and smouldering good looks. Perhaps a model or a bored wife or mistress?
She was none of these things though; she was White Star, one of the city's premier superheroines, and right now she was involved in a risky venture....
Last week, during her regular meeting with the Chief of Police, he'd revealed that they'd turned a major mobster and he'd given them a valuable piece of information. The arch-criminal Mr Shadow was planning an audacious jewel heist; he was going to hit the safe at the Worthington International Hotel. With guests ranging from diplomats to foreign royals, to film stars, to business magnates, the potential haul from the hotel safe could be colossal. And Mr Shadow had a typically ingenious plan to carry off the heist – he'd been tipped off by a corrupt architect that there was a weakness in the wall of the safe which was adjaecant to the hotel's health spa....
Which is what White Star was doing there now.
The police had used a combination of surveillance and informants to determine that Mr Shadow intended to burst into the spa and use explosives to blow a hole through to the safe, but they weren't sure of exactly how he was going to do it. They had the area staked out with a SWAT team ready to move, and snipers in place. But a man on the inside would be invaluable. White Star suggested a woman instead....
She wasn't overly happy about going in incognito without her mask or costume, but she reasoned that no one would pay particular attention to her. And besides, she was prepared: her mask was in her pocket, ready to slip on when the moment called for it. And beneath her white toweling robe, she wore a bra and panties (after her humiliating experiences with the Clown recently, she was determined
not
to end up naked again, no matter what!)
A small electronic earpiece nestled behind her left ear allowed the police surveillance team to communicate with her - it now delivered the message she had been waiting for:
'White Star, the target is in motion! Expect him in your locale in thirty seconds!'
White Star thought quickly.
'Be a dear and fetch me a glass of mineral water,' she said to the beautician at her feet. She hated to sound so patronizing, she thought, as the girl stood up and walked away, but she had to clear the area around her, and it was the quickest way she could think of to do that.
She plucked her mask from the pocket of her gown and slipped it inside a sleeve.
Then she started to walk purposefully towards the main entrance.
Moments later there was a crash as Mr Shadow and his goons burst in. She screeched and went wide-eyed, played the part of the terrified civilian perfectly, but all the while she was scrutinizing the opposition. The usual rent-a-thugs, she thought dismissively; balaclava's and assault rifles but no body armour. More surprising was that Mr Shadow himself had discarded his usual black combat armour, wearing only lightweight dark clothing. Clearly he expected to be in and out quickly with little resistance along the way.
White Star looked forward to confounding
that
expectation....
One of his men had grabbed hold of her; fine, that kept her close to the action. Of course she continued to act the panicked female, whimpering and struggling weakly.
With his goons easily in control of the crowd, Mr Shadow strode confidently across the room towards the private rooms at the far end.
'Ladies and gentlemen,' he began, a cordial smile breaking out across his painted face. 'Keep quiet, make no trouble, and none of you will be hurt. Hell, continue to enjoy the hot tub, if you like, makes no difference to me....'
The goon who had hold of White Star grinned down at her; clearly the idea of getting her into a hot tub appealed to him. In your dreams, White Star thought, glancing back in the direction Mr Shadow had gone.
He'd gone into one of the private rooms with a shoulder bag and was clearly working at something. No prizes for guessing what. She judged that this was as good a time as any for her to make her move. She glanced up fearfully into her captive's face.
'Mister, I don't know who you are but my name's Amber, and....'
The word, 'amber' was a key word. The moment the police listening in via her earpiece heard it, they were to cut the lights in the health spa. White Star closed her eyes just before it happened so her sight was prepared.
The goons' were completely surprised, not that they'd have had much of a chance anyway.
White Star drove a powerful uppercut into her captor's jaw, knocking him out instantly. She used the panicked shouts of the other three to cross the distance between them. She figured she had maybe ten seconds advantage before their sight adjusted to the darkness too.
Plenty of time.
Goon Number One found his rifle twisted suddenly back and the butt cracked into his forehead, felling him.
Goon Number Two heard the impact and turned in the direction of the noise. But White Star was already in motion; she'd caught Number One's falling rifle by the strap and was now moving towards Number Two, turning into a powerful spinning kick.
Her beautifully extended right foot crashed against his jaw, sending him flying.
She continued her spin, whipping the rifle around by its strap in an arc that sent it cracking into Goon Number Three's jaw.
As her foot touched the floor again, she heard his head hit the ground with a satisfying thud.
Four goons in a little over four seconds – she still had it, she laughed.
Bursting into motion, towards the far room, she slipped her mask from her sleeve and put it on.
'Nobody move!' she shouted at the scared bystanders, then to the police. 'Police Team One – restore lights now!'
Mr Shadow was emerging from the room when the lights came fully back on – she relished the look of surprise on his face.
'SWAT team move in,' she shouted. 'Am engaging the villain now!'
She'd shrugged her toweling gown off as she ran - too restrictive to fight in properly - reducing her to just mask and lingerie, a light sheen from the steamy atmosphere covered her mostly naked body.
Mr Shadow paused despite himself at the sight of her.
Big mistake, she thought, though she was secretly pleased by the reaction.
She threw the heavy gown at his head to blind him and lashed out simultaneously with a powerful front kick. The ball of her foot connected with his hard abdominals and knocked him back against the door frame. Only his experienced fighter's instincts saved him from her follow-up hook, ducking below it as he shook off the gown.
'White Star!' he said, stepping back into a defensive stance. 'I like the new costume!'
'Enjoy the view while you can,' she retorted. 'Where you're going you won't be seeing a real woman for a long time!'
She threw a fast combination of punches at his head and chest, all of which he skillfully blocked.
'What,' he continued, 'Are you and Hyper Girl having a competition for who can wear least....?'
Too much talk, he thought, wincing as she flicked back suddenly and elbowed him in the ribs.
'You're going to be wearing my fists pretty soon!' White Star snapped at him.
He saw her weight shift and knew what was coming; one of her trademark spinning kicks. He slid closer to her as she turned, avoiding the kick, and groped her ass as he did so. White Star yelped in surprise and indignation, stepped back, eyes blazing.
Mr Shadow used the pause to charge her, using his superior weight to bowl her over, toppling them both into the hot tub. As they both struggled to their feet in the hot water, there was a flurry of movement. A full squad of SWAT policemen charged into the room and surrounded the hot tub, weapons trained on Mr Shadow.
