"Damn, who could that be at this hour?" Abigail Stone thought as the phone by her bed rang mercilessly.
Normally a phone call, even at this late hour, wouldn't have bothered her that much. The problem with answering this particular call was that Abigail was practically naked and spread face down on her bed, weighed down by one hundred and ninety-two pounds of manhood. Not counting, of course, the six inches of which was buried deep between her legs.
As was her usual Friday night practice, Abigail, or Abby as she normally went by, had met her boyfriend, Sergeant Nick Hamilton for dinner and a movie. Tonight, as had become a pattern the last few weeks, the movie had been skipped in favor of a rumble under the sheets.
There were times, this being one of them, when Abby thought she might have acted a little too hastily when she finally gave in to Nick and invited him to her bed. The twenty-five-year-old hadn't been a virgin the night of that invite, but of course she didn't tell him that. Even in this new modern world of 1947, it was still important for a man to think he'd been the first. Still, it would've been nice if he'd come up with a ring on her finger beforehand to at least make it more respectable.
Those thoughts faded from her mind in an instant when she realized the phone had stopped in mid-ring. The caller had either given up or ...
"Oh no, Nick!" Abby thought in a panic as she looked back over her shoulder and saw her lover had answered the phone. "I'm not that modern that I want to explain what a man is doing in my apartment this late at night, answering my phone!"
"Sergeant Hamilton," Nick answered the phone, not even bothering to pull out of Abby.
Unable to get out from under the large man, Abby could only watch as Nick listened silently to the call, nodding his head a few time and then finally saying he'd be right there.
"That was the desk sergeant at the Twenty-eighth Precinct," Nick said as he finally climbed off Abby. "The Black Cat has stolen the Star of China from the Metro Museum. The Chief wants me down there right away."
Abby sat up and looked at Nick with a stunned expression, barely hearing what he had said. All she could think of at this moment was that the people downtown had known exactly where to call him. He'd told his fellow police officers in whose apartment he was spending the night. They didn't have to be detectives to know what they were doing. Suddenly, Abby didn't feel so modern after all.
"Gotta go babe," the six foot two blond said as he zippered up his pants, "duty calls."
"That's it?" Abby said, now standing in the center of the bedroom, her well proportioned figure garbed in only stockings and a black garter belt. "Duty calls?"
"Hey, what can I say?" Nick said as he checked his 38 special before putting it back into his holster. "We'll have to make it another night."
Then, without another thought about her, Nick Hamilton was out the door.
"Damn him!" Abby cursed as she stared at the back of her apartment door.
The five foot seven brunette wasn't sure if she was angrier with Nick because he had left her unfulfilled or that he treated their relationship so casually as to make it an open secret. She had met Sergeant Nick Hamilton almost a year ago, after she had been assigned to the child welfare section of the Policewomen's Bureau. She had soon found herself taken by his rugged good looks and charm.
The Sergeant, on the other hand, had been immediately mesmerized by her impressive bust the first time he had seen her. Remembering the day they met, Abby cupped her breasts, thinking how men found them so fascinating. She knew they had opened many doors in her life, even the one that had led her to the Policewomen's Bureau.
Ever since she was a child, listening to the stories her father told at his knees, Abby Stone had wanted to follow in what was considered the family business. Her great grandfather had been a Texas Ranger. His son, the Marshal who tracked down Bad Billy Brown and the Walton Brothers. After the family had moved to the West Coast, her father and two of his brothers had become members of the Coast City Police, all rising to the rank of Lieutenant or better. Four of their sons now also served on the Force in various positions. It seemed only natural that she could do so as well. Or so she thought.
When Abby had first broached the idea of applying for a job on the Police Force, soon after her eighteenth birthday, both her Father and her Uncles had regarded the idea as laughable. She would be wasting her time, they'd told her. The Police Department only hired a small handful of women, usually old matrons to handle those few tasks that would be inappropriate for a man. "Better you find yourself a nice job as a secretary or something," her father has advised her. "Something to keep you busy until the right man comes along. Just leave the business of crime fighting to the men."
After being turned down twice by the department, Abby had reluctantly done just that. That was until a manpower shortage during the war had forced the department to open the way for the recruitment of more women. Police officers carried a deferment from the draft, but enough of them had enlisted to cause a small shortage.
The Chief of Police decided to solve what he perceived as a temporary problem by increasing the size and scope of the Policewomen's Bureau. This would prevent a swelling of the ranks in the department when all those police officers turned soldiers and sailors eventually came home. A law put on the books after Pearl Harbor guaranteed them their jobs back with no loss of seniority or pay.
Members of the Policewomen's Bureau were paid less than Policemen and were only allowed to handle certain clerical and non- operational tasks. Still they were useful filling positions that would free up male officers for the real job of keeping the streets safe.
Applying for one of the coveted positions as soon as they were announced, Abby found that there was plenty of competition. The odds of getting one of the limited openings increased against her when her father, displeased with her decision, refused to use his influence on her behalf. He wouldn't stand in her way, he'd said, but neither would he use his influence to help.
On the day of her interview, Abby made a discovery that she knew would help her. Almost to a woman, all of the other applicants were what could only be described as plain looking. At least as compared to Abby. When she sat down for her interview with a Captain and two Lieutenants, she knew they were more interested in her chest than her office skills. They reasoned, she figured, that if they now had to put up with a woman in their previously all male domains, then it might as well be one who was nice to look at.
The newly hired Policewoman justified her use of her sexual attraction to get on the Force by promising herself that she would advance after that on the quality of her merits rather than the size of her boobs. It was a promise that she would find hard to keep.
The main reason for that inability to advance was that there didn't seem to be any second level for Policewomen. Issued a badge and even a gun, they had absolutely no patrol duties. For the first two years, Abby had been assigned as an assistant to the desk sergeant at the First Precinct, Police Headquarters itself. The work was hardly difficult, given the secretarial skills she had developed on her prior job. Still there was a certain fascination in being so close to the action and playing what she believed was a vital part.
That was until the war ended, and as the old song said, Johnny came marching home. In her case, Johnny turned out to be Officer Michael Patrick Mooney, a ten-year veteran who was quite anxious to get back to his old job. A position that happened to be filled at the moment by one Abigail Stone. Hardly unique in her situation, Abby had been called into her Captain's office at the end of watch one Friday afternoon and politely informed that Officer Mooney would be returning to his old job come Monday morning.
"In fact, many of the women hired under the emergency expansion are being let go," he'd told her, "but that's not something you have to worry your pretty head about. In appreciation for all your family has given to the department, we've made sure a position has been reserved for you in the child welfare section."
Abby had been crushed. In the blink of an eye, she had gone from being a vital cog in the war on crime to being responsible to changing dirty diapers and baby-sitting kids passing under the responsibilities of the child welfare agencies. When she got home, her father had given her one of those "I told you so" looks, but thankfully didn't voice it as well.
One uneventful day seemed to just blend into another after that. That was until the warm sunny afternoon that she found herself standing in the same shoes that had been worn by three generations of Stones before her.
Abby had decided to walk home as it was such a nice day. She was headed down Lucas Boulevard when the alarm of the First National Bank filled the air. Drawn across the street by the disturbance, she saw two men racing out of the bank, bags of money in their hands. Without a second thought, she drew her firearm and called out for them to stop.
"Police!" Abby yelled as she assumed a firing position just beyond the curb. "Drop your weapons and put your hands up!"
The closest thief brought up his own pistol and fired, the bullet whizzing past Abby's head. Standing her ground, she returned fire, a single shot hitting her assailant dead center.
The other thief had jerked his head around, taking in the woman with a gun pointed at him and the body of his partner on the pavement, a large pool of blood spreading out beneath it. Not filled with a desire to join him, he opened his hands and lifted them into the air, letting both his weapon and the bag of money fall to the ground.
The press had a field day with the Hero Lady Cop. The Mayor himself had pinned the medal on her dress uniform with all her relatives on the force standing behind her on the platform. The Chief of Police said in his own speech that she was a credit to the traditions of her family. Beaming with pride, Abby knew that things were going to be different from now on.
For the next few weeks, things were indeed different. The hero of the hour found herself giving speeches to one civic group after another. There was even some talk of having her join the actual Police Force itself. Abby was overjoyed as her dream seemed within her grasp.
Then the winds of interest changed once more and all such talk faded away. The requests for speeches stopped, as did the instances she was asked her opinion. The following week, less than two months since the bank robbery, Abby found herself back at the child welfare section. It was as if she had never left.
On that night, Abby Stone came to a life changing decision. If the department wouldn't let her fight crime as her forefathers had, well then she'd do it without their help. Aside from her Father's stories of family history, Abby had also grown up on tales of other heroes. Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel and most recently on the radio, the Lone Ranger. Masked heroes who had wielded their own brand of justice. That all of these adventurers had been men didn't bother the twenty-three-year-old in the least.
Abby took a quick shower, thankful that her renovated apartment was one of the few in the building to have one. It wouldn't do for her to go out with the scent of their aborted coupling still clinging to her. Stepping back into her bedroom, her skin still damp, she unlocked an old handmade closet that had once belonged to her grandmother. From within it, she pulled out a specially designed bra.
When she had first joined the department, Abby had considered the idea that her own particular dimensions might impair some physical activities that might be demanded of her. That was in the days when she foolishly thought the Department had any intention of letting her actually fight crime on the front lines. The well-endowed women had sought out the help of Tony Pastore, the nice old man who ran a neighborhood shop that specialized in bras and undergarments.
She explained her problem to the sixty-six-year-old and he promised that he could solve it. After working on it for almost a week, he came up with a support bra that was almost as lightweight as it was supportive.
Next out of the closet came a red costume, the tunic of which bore a passing resemblance to the navy blue uniform Abby normally wore as a Policewoman. In fact, the design for the costume had begun with one of her old uniforms.
When she had first decided to fight crime on her own, Abby had again sought out the help of the old man who had come to think of her as an adopted granddaughter. Tony Pastore's still talented fingers had turned a simple sketch Abby had made into reality.
The tunic was double breasted with gold and white trim. A matching skirt was also red, with the same trim, the boots that completed the outfit were red as well.
The last item out of the closet was a mask that was sort of a half cowl. It covered her face but let her hair hang free. Abby stepped over to the large dressing mirror to check her appearance. She smiled, happy at the result. The image that looked back at her was not that of an unappreciated and ill-used Policewoman, but rather the adventurer the press had named Ultra Woman.
"Well, Black Cat," she said to her reflection, "this time you've gone too far."
The fire escape out of Abby's bedroom window led up to the roof. Soon after she had taken the apartment, she had discovered that she had the only apartment that faced the sealed off alley between buildings. It made for a perfect and private route out of her top floor rooms. After a quick trip up the metal ladder, it was a quick two rooftops to the Kirby and Lee Garage. Hidden in a sealed off section of the garage was the sleek black racer know as the Ultra-Glider. Less than five minutes after leaving her apartment, Ultra Woman was on the prowl.
Lifting the small microphone under the dash, Ultra Woman sent a high frequency message letting her partner Mega Girl know she was in the field and her destination. At the same time, she activated a small electronic homing device in her belt buckle. Abby didn't pretend to understand half the gear Mega Girl had set them up with, she only knew that they all seemed to work flawlessly. The Ultra-Link, as it had been christened, was a homing device, would allow each of them to find the other, anywhere in a twenty-mile radius.
As the high powered Ultra-Glider raced through the dark and for the most part empty streets, Ultra Woman couldn't help but think how much her life behind the mask had changed over the last year. Originally, Ultra Woman patrolled the city using an old 1938 Ford that Abby had rescued from the police impound yard. The Sergeant who ran the yard was more than willing to lose the paperwork on a car headed for the scrap heap in order to give much needed transportation for the daughter of an old friend. Another friend, one who had more ulterior motives, had volunteered to restore the car to working condition. He'd succeeded in that, but not in obtaining her thanks in the form he'd hoped for.
Her weapons of crimefighting were simply those she had been taught to use all of her life. Carl Stone might not have wanted his daughter to live the life he envisioned for her brothers, but he still saw to it that she spent just as many hours learning self-defense. In her early teens, it was obvious to all the men in her family that Abby was growing into a body that would draw men like moths to a flame. Not all of these men would have honorable intentions and they wouldn't always be there to protect her.
Aside from that, there was little in the way of specialized equipment. At least nothing that hadn't come her way in the form of misplaced or even misappropriated police supplies. As a result, a year into her career and all she had little to show for her efforts were a few minor accomplishments and some good press. Most of which had come from a cynical press that was more curious than impressed.
It was at one of those press functions a year ago, a carefully staged event to promote Coast City tourism, that Ultra Woman had first met Priscilla Ann Wellington. A month shy of her eighteenth birthday, Priscilla was the daughter of John and Cynthia Wellington and heir to the Wellington Electronics fortune. Five six and a gifted athlete as well, she was already a millionairess the day she was born. In addition, the strawberry blond had also inherited her grandfather's genius with gadgets.
Fascinated by the mystery woman since the day Ultra Woman had first appeared; Priscilla had used her family name to arrange both an invitation to the event as well as a personal introduction to her idol. Ultra Woman was slightly embarrassed by the almost outright adulation the young girl displayed. In fact, it took all of her self-control not to laugh when Priscilla stated her desire to help with the fight against crime.
Before the Crimefighter could politely turn her down and give her the standard "you can best help by growing up to be a good citizen" speech, the girl had already started her own speech about all these wonderful inventions she was working on and what a big help they could be. Ultra Woman was actually relieved when a reporter she normally detested interrupted and pulled her away.
Ultra Woman might not have been so quick to dismiss the girl if she'd known that Priscilla was a child prodigy who held a college degree when most girls her age were happy with a high school diploma. Or the fact that Priscilla wasn't the type who was used to taking no for an answer. On her own, the teenager set out to prove both her worth and that of her ideas.
Two weeks later, there was a highly publicized threat on the life of Mayor Roger Browning following the conviction of Boss Thorne, the head of the local crime family. In an act designed more to sell newspapers than insure the Mayor's protection, the Coast City Sun had called on Ultra Woman to safeguard the Mayor. Despite having no idea on how to do it, Abby had accepted the challenge.
Standing besides Mayor Browning at the opening of the new Civic Center a day later was a highly visible, if ineffective, bodyguard. Somewhat out of her league, Ultra Woman gave no notice to the two men slowly moving through the crowd. In her defense, neither did the Police pay much attention to the pair who were working their way closer and closer to the Mayor.
It was only at the last moment, just before the would be assassins could draw their weapons, that a young girl in a home made costume suddenly leapt from the parapet of the Civic Center and caught everyone's attention. In her hand, the red and white clad girl held a small, unknown electronic device.
"Stop those men," she cried out as she hit the ground, "they're going to shoot the Mayor!"
Taking the beeping device in her hand to be a possible bomb, the Police rushed the new arrival instead. Only Ultra Woman followed the girl's command and rushed the two men, just as their guns came into view.
The hard impact of Ultra Woman's reinforced baton off the side of the closest gunman's head sent him tumbling to the ground. A hard right cross took care of the other, but not before he got off one shot, which thankfully went wild.
The loud single gunshot split the air, grabbing everyone's immediate attention. In the deafening silence that followed, a single voice was heard. The voice of an unknown bystander who gave birth to a new legend.
"Ultra Woman and her partner saved the Mayor!" he had cried.
The sudden association of the girl in red and white with the heroine of the moment caused the Police to quickly release her. With unbridled enthusiasm, she quickly explained that the magnetic anomaly detector in her hand had allowed her to 'see' the gunmen's hidden weapons. Photographers clamored for pictures of the two together, and it was only when they were a few feet apart that Ultra Woman recognized the girl as Priscilla Wellington.
"What's your partner's name, Ultra Woman?" one of the reporters called out.
The older Adventurer was about to explain that first of all, she wasn't her partner, when Priscilla cut her off and said, "Mega Girl, that's Ultra Woman and Mega Girl."
The press ate it up, making it the banner headline in almost every major daily. Once they were away from the crowd, Abby made it clear in no uncertain terms to Priscilla that there wasn't now, or ever, going to be a team of Ultra Woman and Mega Girl.
The younger woman just answered her with a knowing smile. A smile that was still there three days later when Abby opened the door to her apartment and found Priscilla standing there.
"What,… how …?" Abby stammered when she saw the girl, totally losing her self-control.
It had taken the girl less than seventy-two hours to figure out Ultra Woman's identity. Part of it had been the result of deductive reasoning; part of it had been simple luck. Going over her large collection of both newspaper and magazine articles about Ultra Woman, Priscilla had come across an older City Magazine with the front-page story "Beauty With a Badge" The article had been about a hero policewoman who had captured two armed bank robbers.
There was enough of a similarity in both women's builds to catch Priscilla's attention. That plus the fact that both were brunettes with shoulder length hair. Contrary to popular male belief, there weren't an insurmountable number of beautiful young women with a build like Ultra Woman in Coast City. When you narrowed that down to brunettes, although the idea of a wig had to be considered, the number dropped even lower. Given the admittedly superficial resemblance between Officer Abigail Stone and Ultra Woman, it seemed as good a place to start as any.
When you are rich, many doors open with the wave of a twenty-dollar bill. It was a simple matter to get better copies of the photos of Officer Stone than those that appeared in the grainy newsprint. Making blowups of each woman's face, Priscilla compared them under a magnifying glass and saw enough in common to investigate further.
It only took a few more comparisons and inquiries for her to decide that she had lucked out on her very first try. The only thing that made it seem improbable was that how could no one have not noticed it before. Officer Stone and Ultra Woman had to have run into the same people in their official lives. It was like saying you could just put on a pair of glasses and people would think you were someone else.
Then, looking again at the pictures of both women, Priscilla thought she saw the answer to her question. Whereas she was immediately drawn to each woman's face, most of the people they came into contact with centered their gaze somewhat lower. Even so, Priscilla wasn't totally sure until Abby opened the door and she saw her reaction.
Abby had finally given in to what seemed the inevitable and never had cause to regret it. Aside from the financing and technological marvels that Mega Girl brought to the partnership, she also brought something else that Abby hadn't even realized was missing. A friend with which she could share all things. A trip to Mr. Pastore's shop for a more professional costume soon followed, and the team of Ultra Woman and Mega Girl was truly born.
Before Ultra Woman knew it, the Metro Museum was in front of her. She smiled at the uniformed patrolmen waiting by their cruisers outside. A smile from a beautiful woman usually got a positive response. She knew that the Police Commissioner had standing orders that she be allowed to investigate crime in the city, as long as she didn't get in the way of real policemen. There was only so much even he would put up with, even if she had the gratitude of the Mayor.
Once in the hall where the Star had been displayed, Ultra Woman saw Sergeant Hamilton talking with another Detective. When she wore the mask, she tried to think of him as a fellow Crimefighter, and not the man who shared her bed. Still, not willing to press the effectiveness of her disguise too much, she kept a safe difference from him, instead looking over the display case.
The closest uniformed Officer stepped out of the way to give her an unobstructed view of the case. Although at the same time, she couldn't help but notice that he had moved into a position where he had a better view of her as well. Ignoring eyes that she was sure were peeling away her costume, layer by layer, Ultra Woman carefully surveyed the scene of the crime.
To her surprise, the display case was still intact. None of the glass had even been broken. All of the alarm wires were also intact, just as they had been when the guard had made his rounds before the theft. The Star of China had simply vanished. At the bottom of the small pedestal where the diamond had once sat, Ultra Woman noticed a small amount of fine powder.
"Had anyone taken a sample of this for the lab?" she asked.
"That's already been taken care of," she heard a familiar voice say from behind her. "The lab boys say it's just silicone dust."
The Lady in Red tuned around to Sergeant Hamilton, suppressing a smile at the situation. At least he wasn't staring down at her chest. Then again, he didn't need to. Not when he had a more personal view of Abby's.
"Silicone dust," Ultra Woman repeated. "Any idea where it came from?"
"That, they're not sure of," Hamilton answered. "Just as they're not sure how the Black Cat managed to open the case, deactivate the alarm, take the diamond and then put the whole thing back together -- all in twenty seconds."
"Twenty seconds?"
"That was the time between when the Museum Guard last saw the diamond on his rounds and the main alarm went off," Hamilton went on. "It was as if he reached right through the glass and took the diamond. As if he was a ghost."
Ultra Woman listened silently. Too many pieces didn't fit. If the Cat was skilled enough to disable the pedestal alarm in so quick a time, why hadn't he also taken out the one on the upper window he had come in through. Surely he had a lot more than twenty seconds to do that. Then, why reconnect the pedestal alarm at all if he had already tripped the other one.
"Any thoughts, Ultra Woman?" the Sergeant interrupted.
"I don't suppose anyone got a look at the Black Cat this time?" she asked. After more than a dozen big thefts over the last year, no one had even gotten so much as a description of the Black Cat.
"No such luck," he replied.
"Then how can you be so sure it was the Black Cat?"
Nick held out a small calling card which simply said - "You have been robbed by the very best - The Black Cat."
"You did check everyone in the building at the time?" Ultra Woman asked.
"Of course we did," he said with a touch of annoyance. "You're not dealing with amateurs here you know. No one walked out of here with that diamond!"
"I didn't mean to suggest that any of your men were," Ultra Woman apologized.
Deciding that she wasn't going to learn anything more here, Ultra Woman thanked Sergeant Hamilton for his help and headed back to the Glider. It was just as well that she knew Nick wouldn't be back tonight to finish what they'd started, the woman behind the mask told herself. When he was in this kind of mood, Nick was a truly lousy fuck.
Ultra Woman started down the long steps of the museum, passing the two patrolmen she had passed on the way in. Thinking she was out of earshot, one of the officers made a comment she wished she hadn't overheard.
"Did you get a load of the bazookas on that broad," he said to his partner. "I'd like to frisk her for hidden weapons," he laughed.
"Not bad," his partner, an older officer replied. "But if you really want to see a set, then check out the knockers on that policewoman that Hamilton is doing. "I hear she's dumb as a log but one mighty fuck in the sack."
At that, both men laughed loudly, leaving Ultra Woman to ask, "Good God, does everyone in the department know?"
As she neared the Glider, Ultra Woman noticed a piece of white paper sticking out from under the windshield wiper. Could one of the patrolmen have actually written her a ticket?
Taking the paper from under the wiper blade, Ultra Woman saw that it wasn't a ticket but rather a page from an old telephone directory. Circled in red was an restaurant down by the docks.
McKenzie's Seafood had once been the jewel of the area. One of the in spots to be seen during the prewar years. It had closed during the war and as far as Ultra Woman knew, had never reopened. It didn't take a Sherlock Holmes to know the advertisement smelled fishy.
Holding the advertisement in her hand as she climbed back into her car, Ultra Woman reached for the small microphone under the dash. It was time to check in with Mega Girl.
"Obviously it's some kind of set up," the voice of Mega Girl said over the car radio.
"Of course," Ultra Woman agreed, "the question is, what should be do about it?"
"I guess that depends," Mega Girl said.
"On what?"
"On who we think left the advertisement," the radio voice explained.
"What do you mean?" Ultra Woman asked.
"Well, was it left by the Black Cat, which seems unlikely," Mega Girl said. "Or was it planted by the Police to send us on a wild goose chase. You know we're not the favorite people around some of them."
Ultra Woman had to agree with that statement. There were a good number of men on the Force who didn't like being upstaged by a couple of costumed women. Abby knew they'd be even angrier if they knew one of them was also part of the Policewomen's Bureau.
"Or, it could've been left by just anyone for whatever reason," Mega Girl concluded.
"Still, I think it's something worth checking out," the brunette said after considering all three options. "It's not like we have anything else to go on right now."
"The charity dinner I'm at will be breaking up in an hour," Mega Girl said. "I can meet you right after that and we can take a look."
"That might be too late," Ultra Woman considered. "I think I'll head over there now and scope the place out."
"Give me twenty minutes and I'll be out of here," Mega Girl quickly said.
"No need for that, I'm just going to take a little look," Ultra Woman replied. "I'm sure it'll turn out to be nothing I can't handle."
"Still I wish you ..."
"Hey, whose the senior partner here," the older woman cut her off. "I'll be fine. You take care of what you have there. Those kids you are raising money for are important too."
"Abby, be careful."
Ultra Woman assured her she would and broke the transmission before her partner could argue further. There were times when she did wonder which of them was the senior partner.
McKenzie's had indeed been closed years before, and from the looks of it, would not be opening without a major renovation. In fact, the entire dockside could do with some work. It was hard to believe that this had once been such a popular area.
Leaving the Glider where it couldn't be seen, Ultra Woman approached the restaurant, staying among the shadows as she moved. A glance through a broken window showed the interior of the once famous spot to be as dilapidated as the shell.
"Not exactly my first choice for a romantic dinner," she thought as she quietly moved around for a closer look, "but anyone using it as a hideout wouldn't exactly be looking for a standing room crowd at the bar."
Finding a small padlock on the back door, Ultra Woman was able to use one of Mega Girl's handy electronic gadgets to pop it open without trouble. The shattered skylight in the roof admitted enough exterior lighting to allow the Crimefighter to move around inside without using a flashlight.
After ten minutes of useless search, Ultra Woman decided that it had been a wild goose chase after all. Exiting the way she came, putting back the lock she had opened, Ultra Woman headed back to the Glider.
"What's this?" Ultra Woman asked as she climbed back into the Glider and noticed a small plain brown wrapped package on the dashboard. "Another wild goose chase?"
She reached over and picked up the tiny package, only to drop it just as quickly as it suddenly grew hot in her fingers. Her free hand started to turn the handle to open to door of the Glider, but it was too late.
Already the interior of the car had filled with a dense yellow-green fog. Abby cursed herself for her carelessness, even as she felt herself losing consciousness. In seconds, she was as helpless as a baby.
Ultra Woman's first impression when she returned to consciousness was that she had been somehow transported to a medieval prison. The walls were all stone and covered with chains and various other instruments of confinement. Some of them unpleasant just to look at. One set of chains, bolted to a damp wall were of particular interest to the masked adventurer, mainly due to the fact that they were clamped tight around her wrists.
"Well at least I'm still in costume, that's something," Ultra Woman said silently to herself, wondering why she hadn't been unmasked.
Once more she tried her strength against the iron shackles, but to no avail. Old as they might look, they were still solid as the rock they were hammered into. A glance downward revealed that her gadget belt was gone as well.
"I hope I'm still in range of Priscilla's tracer," the captive heroine thought as she accepted the fact that she wasn't going to be getting out of this one on her own.
Once more her eyes surveyed the dismal surroundings. There were no windows and the only light came from two braziers on opposite walls. Unsure as to how long she'd even been unconscious, Ultra Woman had no idea if it was day or night, or even what day it might be.
That brought a more discouraging idea. Not knowing how long it was between her capture and her awakening, it was impossible to guess where she might be. She could even be out of the country.
An hour passed as she waited in silence. The semi darkness and quiet solitude began to play on her mind. What if no one was ever going to come back for her? What if she had been left here to die of thirst and hunger?
The thought of food had made her aware of her last meal. As Abby, she had barely eaten half of the dinner she and Nick had gone out for. She now felt hungry, but not overwhelmingly so. How long would it be before that changed?
A few minutes into the start of the second hour, Ultra Woman's attention was drawn to the sound of footsteps in the hall beyond the chamber. From where she was bolted to the wall, Ultra Woman couldn't see through the small window of the thick wooden door a few feet away from her, but she was sure the steps were getting louder and closer.
Suddenly they stopped, followed by a long period of deafening silence. Silence that was shattered when the heavy door abruptly swung open, the sound of its equally rusted joints howling in protest.
As if to heighten the sense of expectation, whoever had opened the door waited just out of view for a more long moments. Ultra Woman could feel her heart racing as a sense of foreboding filled her.
That feeling of apprehension abruptly turned to one of surprise. Whatever mental image she might have formed of her captor over the last hours or so, abruptly shattered as a figure stepped into the room.
"I understand you've been looking for me," a quiet voice said. "I'm the Black Cat."
Ultra Woman was totally speechless. She had no idea what to say. The best theory about the identity of the Black Cat had been that he was a European master thief who had shifted his operations to the States after the war. All of the various agencies hunting the master criminal would be shocked to find just how far off the mark they had been.
Standing before the helpless Ultra Woman was a five foot six black woman with short curly black hair. Her skin was almost as dark as the black formfitting outfit she wore. She had a lithe, athletic body and appeared to be in her early to mid twenties.
"You're the Black Cat?" Ultra Woman finally managed to say.
"Surprise, surprise," the master criminal laughed as she walked over to her prisoner, coming to a stop only a few inches away from her.
"I don't know what to say," Ultra Woman replied.
"Cat got your tongue huh," the woman in black chuckled. "Or is it that you couldn't have imagined a woman, or more precisely a Negro woman capable of doing all the things the Black Cat has done. Misleading so many people, for so long."
Ultra Woman had to admit, she'd never considered the idea that the Black Cat could ever have been a woman. She also had to admit, the fact that she was a Negro took her by surprise as well.
"I bet you and all your little cop friends never imagined that you could all be outsmarted by a coon," she went on, using the term she found so distasteful. "I bet if you passed me on the street, you'd think I was just another nigger whore, wouldn't you?"
"No, that's not true," Ultra Woman said, knowing inside that for most of her fellow officers, it was all too true.
"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret, Missy," the Black Cat said. "In my case at least, it's true. I was a whore. That's right, I let rich men and in some cases women use my body in exchange for money. You'd be surprised at how many proper white folk crave dark meat."
The captive Ultra Woman wondered why she was being told all of this, but was afraid to ask. She hope it wasn't because the Cat planned to make sure that she would never be able to hear her repeat it.
"That was until I had a small problem with one of my clients," she continued. "It seems this quite upstanding member of his community had a thing for shoving his little cock up a black woman's ass. But that's one game this girl doesn't play and I told him that right up front. When I tried to leave, he turned two of his hired goons on me and they held me down while he forced his miserable little thing into my ass. All the while going on about how nigger bitches loved it that way."
Ultra Woman actually felt an affinity for her captor, at least in that situation. She could never imagine letting a man take her in that way.
"When he finally finished, and his thugs let go of me, I guess he expected me to be too afraid to do anything about it. I think it was the surprise of his life when I pulled out a knife and practically cut his balls off. I can tell you that he's never done that to another woman."
Ultra Woman was now totally enthralled by the story, putting aside for the moment her fears as to why she was being told it.
"His goons were back on me in a minute and I figured I was dead. The only thing that saved me was that the cops showed up a few minutes later and arrested me. It seems one of Mister Upstanding Citizen's neighbors heard his screams and called the police. If you live in the right area, they do come right quick."
The Black Cat paused for a moment and seemed to be considering something. Then she surprised Ultra Woman by asking if she'd like a drink of water.
"Yes, please," she replied, reminded of her thirst and surprised by the sudden concern.
The Black Cat produced a glass bottle from a small bag she had carried in with her. Holding it to Ultra Woman's lips, she let her prisoner drink her fill. The water tasted a little funny, but she was glad to have it. Drinking her fill, she emptied almost half the bottle.
"Now where was I?" the Black Cat said as she put the bottle back into the bag. "Oh yes, I was found guilty of course, there was little doubt of that. No way some colored whore was going to get away with cutting an important white man, regardless of what he'd done to her."
As a member of the police, Ultra Woman knew that was also true. She felt ashamed for her chosen profession.
"They threw me into a lousy stinkhole of a prison, the kind where you were abused both by the other women and the guards as well. I'd have probably died in there if it didn't turn out that Uncle Sam had a need for women with, how should I say, my particular talents. I was turned over to the O.S.S. for special training. In short, they turned me into both their whore and their spy. I have to say, I was good at both."
She paused for a moment, then went on.
"Of course because of my skin color, they weren't going to drop me into Germany or any place like that, but I managed to make my mark in France, Belgium, and even in a few cases England. When I was in the occupied countries, I always found it funny how so many officers of the so-called master race couldn't wait to jump into bed with a schwarzes whore."
The Office of Strategic Services had been America's spy network during the war. It was rumored that they did a lot of things that no one wanted to talk about, not at long as they got the job done.
"Then the war ended and they got around to passing out the medals and other rewards," she said as she began to finish her story. "Then they realized that I and a few others like me were more of an embarrassment at this point than anything else. I heard some talk that they might just toss me back into that hole they had found me in, or worse, just make me disappear like I'd never existed. They can do things like that, believe me."
Ultra Woman did.
"Well my Mama didn't raise a totally stupid girl, so I disappeared on my own terms before they could make up their minds," she added. "Then I realized that I had learned a great many things while I was with the O.S.S., a lot more than they thought I had. There had been a good number of instructors willing to trade a roll in the sheets for a little extra classroom time. Without really knowing it, they created the Black Cat."
As fascinating as the story had been, Ultra Woman forced her mind back to more immediate concerns. She found the courage to asked what she'd been thinking.
"Why are you telling me all of this?" she asked.
"What you mean is," the Black Cat said as she reached up and stroked Ultra Woman's cheek with an outstretched finger, "am I planning to kill you now that I told you all my secrets?" The bound heroine's silence confirmed the question.
"No, killing’s not my thing," she answered as she pulled away from Ultra Woman. "Not unless the person really deserves it."
Behind her mask, Abby let out a large sigh of relief. The next question came from her lips before she could even think about it. "But why ..."
"But why did I go to all this trouble to capture you," the dark skinned woman completed the question. "Why did I reveal myself and tell you my story?"
The Black Cat waited a few moments before answering the question. It almost seemed as if she wasn't sure of the answer herself.
"Well let's just say that I'm about to go into retirement and I wanted to leave the story of the Black Cat behind. I know that someone like you would be honor bound to tell reporters and such my story. If I told it to some cop, they might be tempted to bury it."
Ultra Woman grinned at the irony of that statement. The expression on the Black Cat's face told her that there was more to it all.
"And there was one other reason," she said, confirming the masked adventurer's suspicion as she moved back to her prisoner. "I have to admit, I've found myself quite taken with you when I saw you at the museum earlier tonight."
"I don't understand," Ultra Woman said, hoping she really didn't.
"Oh I think you do," the Black Cat said as she ran her hand across the tunic of her uniform, feeling the softness of Abby's beasts beneath the material.
"I'm not like that," Ultra Woman quickly said. "Women don't interest me at all."
"Really?" the Black Cat said in disbelief as she continued to caress Ultra Woman's body. "I've seen pictures of you and that sidekick of yours. Are you telling me that you and she have never ..."
"Never!" Ultra Woman quickly said.
"A pity, she's almost as attractive as you are."
"I told you I'm not into other women," Ultra Woman repeated.
"All women are into other women," the dark haired woman corrected her. "It's just a matter of to what degree. To some it might be just friendship, to others a platonic love, and to even others physical love as well. Sometimes, a woman just needs a little taste of what's possible to make up her mind. Maybe just a little touch of something to nudge her along the way."
The Cat's words made Abby think of how she'd gotten almost half drunk to get up the courage the first time she'd gone to bed with a man. Sometimes it was a truism.
"Are you feeling a little warm?" she asked Ultra Woman.
The truth was, she was feeling more than a little warm. Warm, and surprisingly horny.
"There was something in that water you gave me!" Ultra Woman said as the realization suddenly hit her.
"I'm afraid there was," the Black Cat confirmed, "a little something I borrowed when I left the O.S.S. last year. A sort of love potion, if you want to call it that. It helps you lower a subject's inhibitions. I like to call it my own special brand of catnip."
Ultra Woman could tell it was having a more than subtle effect on her. Her entire body was beginning to tingle, the mound between her legs growing moist and her nipples turning hard.
"This is no different than what that man did to you," she said, trying to use logic to dissuade this woman who meant to have her.
"In a way, I guess you're right," the Cat answered, "but I've found that it's the people with the power who make the rules."
"The museum, the diamond, how did you do that?" Ultra Woman asked, trying to ignore the rising lust within her.
"Sure, why not?" the Black Cat laughed. "It was actually very easy. The diamond was never in the case to begin with. I switched the stone with my special copy the night before during the private cocktail the museum had for the board of directors. I walked right out with it, dressed as one of the servants. The color of my skin made me all but invisible in most of their eyes. Then I simply broke into the museum the next night, tripped the alarm and used a special radio remote to explode my Star of China. All was left after that was a small bit of dust."
"Incredible," Ultra Woman said, her interest in the crime quickly fading before her rising desires.
"But I don't think you really care about the diamond anymore," the Black Cat said. "I think you're more interested in this."
Ultra Woman was caught off guard as she felt the thief's lips pressing against hers. There was a softness there that she found enticing. A warmth lacking in the kisses she had shared with Nick such a short time ago.
"Mega Girl, help me," Ultra Woman said softly as she felt the fire in the Black Cat's kisses spreading through her body.
"She's not going to be showing up in the nick of time," the Cat said as she withdrew her tongue from Ultra Woman's mouth. "We're a long way from where she'd be searching for you. An island off the coast of Mexico to be precise. This used to be a old prison, but now it makes a very nice base of operations. It's just you and me, love, with no interruptions."
The Black Cat kissed her again, and this time found Ultra Woman responding to the kiss. Their tongues met once more, playing a duet as they moved in and out of each other's mouths.
"My name is Dorothy," the Black Cat said as their lips parted.
"Abby," Ultra Woman heard herself saying.
"Such a lovely name," Dorothy smiled as she began to undo the buttons of Abby's tunic.
Abby's tunic fell open, revealing her specially designed bra. Rather than fumble with what seemed to be a complex series of straps, Dorothy produced a small switchblade and cut them away. The soft, flexible material fell to the floor, leaving her unrestricted access to the large mounds it had held in check.
"So very pretty," Dorothy said as she cradled each breast and rubbed her fingers across Abby's bright pink nipples.
Try as she could, the woman behind the mask couldn't resist the feelings of pleasure filling her body. As Dorothy's lips closed around one of her nipples and her tongue plied some the skills the O.S.S. had recruited her for, Abby knew she was helpless. She had sometimes imagined facing torture, or even death if she fell into the hands of criminal elements, but never thought she'd face pleasures too powerful to resist.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Dorothy said as she turned her attention to Abby's other breast.
"Yes," the crimefighter heard herself admitting.
"Well just relax and you're going to enjoy it even more," Dorothy replied.
True to her word, Abby did enjoy herself even more as the Black Cat performed the same magic on her other breast. The black woman's touch was unlike any man's who had been there before her. Softer, more giving. Abby could tell there was a desire to give as well as take pleasure from her breasts.
"Why don't I get a little more comfortable as well," Dorothy said as she grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up over her head, revealing her naked breasts beneath.
Abby had never seen a black woman in the nude before and she looked down at Dorothy's breasts with some curiosity. She found mounds smaller than her own but ones that seemed perfectly suited for the Black Cat's frame. They were a rich chocolate in color, with small charcoal nipples near the center.
"They look yummy, don't they?" the now topless criminal said as she rubbed her own breasts, feeling their softness. "Well why don't I let you find out for yourself."
Before Abby could say a word, Dorothy had climbed up on a large building stone that had been resting by Ultra Woman's feet and pressed her smaller dark breasts into the brunette's face. When she opened her mouth to protest, she found a hard nipple shoved between her lips.
"Suck it baby," Dorothy commanded, "you know you want to."
The honest truth was, Abby did want to. She had never before admitted it to anyone, least of all herself, but she was curious about what it might be like to be with another woman. Ever since she was younger and she heard some of the other girls in school talk about Donna Reynolds and Carol Delvecchio. The two girls had been caught doing something with each other in the girl’s bathroom at Saint Mark's High School for Girls. They had immediately been expelled, but all the rumors and curiosities had lasted long after that.
Even now, long after leaving Saint Mark's, she never would've considered satisfying those curiosities on her own. Now, in her mind at least, she could tell herself it was the drug coursing through her veins that was making her act this way. That, and the expert touch of the woman who held her captive.
With girlish enthusiasm, Abby rolled her tongue over the small thick nubs that capped Dorothy's breasts, using her teeth and lips as the dark skinned woman had earlier done to her. It was, she had to admit, an intoxicating experience.
"That's it baby," the Black Cat purred as she held Abby's face against her dark mounds, "you suck those sweet Hershey kisses."
After this had gone on for a short while, Dorothy pulled her breasts away and kissed the helpless heroine again. She could feel the lust flowing in the white woman's veins, a lust reflected in her own.
"Oh there's one other little thing I should've mentioned about that compound you drank," Dorothy said as she continued to cover Abby's neck and chest with soft, wet kisses. "Under certain conditions, it can be quite lethal. In fact, death usually occurs less than an hour after ingesting it. I saw its effects once, quite nasty I have to say. Delusions, convulsions, horrible."
That statement immediately got Ultra Woman's attention, even through the dense fog of desire that filled her mind.
"But there is an antidote," she added as she now kissed Abby's belly. "A quite simple one really. All you have to do is have an orgasm. There's something about the chemicals a body produces during an orgasm neutralizes the compound. Even a climax through self-love would be enough to do it."
The Black Cat paused and looked up at the old chains that securely held Ultra Woman's hands in place. It was obvious that self-love as she put it wasn't an option.
"Hmm, that would be somewhat difficult in your case, wouldn't it," the Cat said. "I'm very tempted to free your hands so you could help yourself, but you do-gooder types are always doing the noble thing. I'm afraid that if I were to free you, then you might be tempted to capture me instead. But not to worry love, I'm going to be sure that you have an orgasm. One that you're not going to forget for a long, long time."
With that, the Black Cat undid the clasp of Ultra Woman's skirt and slid it down her long legs. Now revealed were the heroine's cotton panties, a large damp stain visible over her mound. Dorothy ran her fingers up along Abby's legs, then under the bottom elastic of her undergarment. Her dark fingers met against the moist hair, rubbing it slightly as they produced a soft moan from Abby's lips.
Dorothy's hands closed around the thin material and with an unexpected force, ripped the panties off Abby's body. With thrusts just as forceful, the Black Cat pulled Ultra Woman's legs apart and lifted them over her shoulder, bringing Abby's pussy right up to her face. Holding on to the white woman's ass for support, Dorothy attacked her prize in a frenzy of Sapphic desire.
"Oh God!" Abby called out as she felt the Black Cat's tongue slide inside of her, triggering a burst of pre-orgasmic fury.
Faster and faster her tongue moved, as if she were truly her namesake and Abby were a saucer of milk. Her assault was unrelenting, growing more so with each passing heartbeat. Abby could feel the tiny tremors building deep within her, vibrations that would lead to a life saving climax.
Despite the circumstances, Abby couldn't help but think that this was something that she had been missing. On those few times when her duties as Officer Stone had called for her to conduct a body search of ladies of the evening, some of them had taunted her with an offer to teach her a few sex acts her mama never told her about. Their offers were so graphic that there was no mistaking what they had been offering.
When she had brought the subject up one night during their lovemaking, Nick had said that it was something that decent people just didn't do. It quickly became obvious to her that what he really meant was that he only considered it wrong for a woman to expect it to be done to her. On more than a few occasions, Nick had expressed a desire for Abby to perform a similar act on his manhood. It seemed he had developed a certain affection for oral sex during his military service in Europe. So far, Abby hadn't complied with his request. Now aware of how good it felt, she quickly promised herself that the only way he was going to get his wish was if he was willing to reciprocate.
However, all of that was in the future. In the here and now, all she was concerned with was the nearness of her climax. Even if her life didn't depend on it, it would be all she cared about. It no longer mattered that the Black Cat was a master criminal, wanted on two continents, or that Abby had sworn twice over to uphold the law. All that mattered where the pleasures of the flesh and a gratification she had never before imagined. A gratification, which suddenly stopped.
Ultra Woman suddenly felt her legs fall free as the Black Cat released her hold on her. A loud buzzing, like that of an alarm clock, was coming from what Abby now realized was a speaker hidden among the stone blocks.
"Damn it, not now!" the Black Cat cursed as she picked up her shirt from the floor and pulled it back on. Her voice a hard mixture of anger and disappointment.
"What's happening?" a confused Ultra Woman asked.
"Someone's tripped the photoelectric eye in the outer corridors," the woman in black said as she hurriedly straightened her clothing. "I'm afraid we're going to have to make it another time. A pity really, I was really looking forward to giving you a taste of my blackberry treat."
"But the compound ..." Ultra Woman started to say, realizing that she hadn't yet reached the climax that would counteract the toxins in her body.
Abby never got the chance to finish as her words were cut off by the crush of Dorothy's dark lips. For the merest instant, she felt her tongue invade her mouth one last time.
"Too bad," the master thief said as she jumped back and pressed against a small stone in the wall, causing an eight-foot by four-foot section to open. "You have one really fine body, I'll think of it often."
With that she was gone, leaving Ultra Woman to wonder how soon the poison in her body would take effect.
A few minutes later, the door through which the Black Cat had originally appeared opened once more. When she saw the figure that stepped out of the corridor, Ultra Woman was sure she had entered the delusion phase of her condition. Standing not five feet away, was Mega Girl.
"Ultra Woman ...?" Mega Girl gasped as she saw the nearly naked woman chained to the wall. "Abby?"
"Priscilla?" Abby said, realizing that this was no drug-induced fantasy. "How did you get here?"
"My God, what happened to you?" Mega Girl asked as she quickly examined the chains that held her partner captive. Her eyes kept shifting from the cold, rusted iron and Abby's soft, naked body.
As briefly as she could, Ultra Woman told her story, centering on the deadly compound now in her body. According to her best calculations, there where less than ten minutes left in the hour.
"It'll take a lot longer for me to cut you out of here and get you to a hospital," the younger woman decided out loud .
"Then what do we do?" a dejected Abby asked.
"My field is electronics, not biochemistry, Mega Girl said, her voice containing a strange mixture of concern and excitement, "so I think there's only one thing we can do. Finish what the Black Cat started."
Ultra Woman watched in disbelief as Mega Girl dropped down to her knees and spread the older woman's legs. Her hand pressed against Abby's very wet mound, parting her vaginal lips with her fingers. Then, without another moment's hesitation, Priscilla pressed her head tightly between Ultra Woman's legs. For the second time in the last hour, Abby felt the sweet touch of a woman's tongue inside of her. Where as the Black Cat had been hard and forceful, Mega Girl was soft and gentle. Both methods, however, seemed to have the same result.
With a skill that seemed impossible for a novice, Priscilla's tongue moved up and down the length of Abby's womanhood. There was little time for her to wonder about that, as Mega Girl quickly brought Ultra Woman back to the level at which the Black Cat had abandoned her.
Priscilla's index finger joined her tongue, adding another source to the cascading waves spreading outward from Abby's center. In what seemed at the same time, hours and no time at all, the costumed adventurers surpassed that level.
Ultra Woman felt her heart racing like it had never done before and her breaths now came in short measured gasps. The fear that the poison was finally taking its described effect filled her mind for the briefest of moments. Then that worry as well was washed away by the crashing tide that now shattered across her.
With a cry that could very well have been her death scream, Abby finally reached her twice-postponed orgasm. Just as the Black Cat had promised, it was a climax that she would always remember. An orgasm that brought her to the brink of unconsciousness.
After a few long moments, the pounding in her chest began to calm as Abby came down from the high of her orgasm. Suddenly, she felt very naked. Far more than simply the absence of clothing, it was having been exposed to her young partner in a way she never would've imagined. How could she ever thank Priscilla for the sacrifice she had made? Even more so, how could Abby ever face her again knowing how much she had enjoyed what Priscilla had done to her.
"Almost there," Mega Girl said as she worked on the wrist irons with a small tool from her gadget belt.
With a professional detachment, her partner had gone to work on her restraints the moment the danger from the drugs within her had passed.
Just before the lock gave way, Priscilla suddenly leaned forward and kissed Abby on the lips. That simple gesture surprised the older woman more than anything else that had happened this evening.
"Why did you do that?" Abby said as she rubbed her now freed wrists, sore after hanging there for hours.
"I don't know," Mega Girl answered unconvincingly. "I guess I got caught up in the moment. Being so relieved that you were okay and all."
"I guess so," Abby said, not wanting to dwell on all of this too much right now. "Give me a hand with my clothes."
Mega Girl made a point of not looking at Ultra Woman as she dressed. Instead she looked around the small dungeon. It only took Abby a minute to redress. Aside from her ruined bra and panties, her costume was still in good shape.
"They certainly made this look realistic," Mega Girl said as she examined a more nasty set of restraints than those that had been used on Ultra Woman. "Must've been a little unnerving until you figured out where you were."
"What are you talking about?" Ultra Woman asked as she adjusted her tunic. "Where are we?"
"You didn't know?"
Almost fearing the answer, the senior Crimefighter explained where the Black Cat said they were.
Mega Girl laughed. She knew she shouldn't, but it did seem funny to her at the moment.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, "but a old prison off the coast of Mexico? It's sounds like something out of those old movie serials I used to watch as a kid."
Abby thought about it and realized that Priscilla was right. The Black Cat might've been a highly successful thief, but no way did she have the resources for a base like that. It was only the stress of the situation that made Abby accept her explanation without question.
"This is part of the old Castle of Horrors up on the abandoned Amusement Pier on Griffith's Point," Mega Girl explained. "It's about fifty miles from McKenzie's. That's why it took me so long to track you down. This was the third direction I tried."
"Griffith's Point," Ultra Woman repeated, remembering that the Amusement Park closed a few years back after Wally World had opened just south of Coast City.
Exiting the building the way Mega Girl had entered, Ultra Woman was surprised to find the Ultra-Glider parked out in front. Priscilla must've found it in back of McKenzie's. The morning sun was just beginning to appear on the horizon. All of this had happened in only a few hours.
"Well, at least we won't have to walk home," Abby said as they reached the car.
Priscilla forced herself to laugh. Now, with the danger behind them, the awkwardness of what had passed between them now hung in the air.
"Do we call it a night or do you want to try and pick up the Black Cat's trail?" Mega Girl said as she slipped into the driver's seat and Ultra Woman the passenger's.
"I don't think I'm quite dressed for the chase," Ultra Woman replied, feeling quite aware of the way her unrestrained breasts were moving of their own accord under her tunic. "I think a hot shower and a few hours sleep is what I really need."
Mega Girl paused, seeming to want to say something in response as she hesitated turning the key in the ignition. Her mouth opened but before she could get out the words, the radio under the dash suddenly crackled to life. Both of them looked at it in surprise. From the dial next to the microphone, they could see it was still set to the private frequency that only the two of them used.
"Hello?" Ultra Woman said as she picked up the mike.
"Hello lover," a now familiar voice said over the speaker. The voice of the Black Cat, speaking over the belt radio she had taken from Abby's belt.
"What do you want, Dorothy?" Abby said, using the name she had shared with her during her captivity. The use of which surprised Mega Girl greatly.
"I just wanted to say how much fun I had during our little visit," the Black Cat said, "and how sorry I was that we didn't get to finish what we started."
The memory of what she had felt with first the Cat, and then Priscilla between her legs flashed to the forefront of Abby's mind. It was a memory part of her wished she could forget, but also one that part wanted to remember.
"You left me there to die from that insidious compound that you tricked me into drinking," Ultra Woman said in her most official voice, letting her anger and the fact that all of what happened was the result of her being drugged push back those memories.
"Oh that," the Black Cat laughed, "I'm afraid that I have some bad news for you."
Ultra Woman's body tensed up for a moment, afraid that she was going to say that the poison was still in her body.
"There never was anything in that water." said the voice over the speaker, "Just some flavoring to give it a little aftertaste."
"But you said ..."
"Sugar, I'm a thief, what makes you think I wouldn't be a liar as well," the Black Cat laughed. "After all, looked around you. This is hardly a small island off the coast of Mexico."
"Oh no," Abby said, not realizing that she had depressed the talk button on her mike.
"That's right baby," the Cat said, "You have no one to blame for what happened except yourself. I may have gotten you going a little, but after that it was all you."
"That's not true," Abby protested, yet wondering at the same time if indeed it was.
"Oh yes it is, and I'll let you in on another little secret," she went on. "After your little partner there showed up, I really didn't take for the hills like a bad little felon should. I was still there, watching the two of you from a spy hole in the wall."
Ultra Woman suddenly looked up and out the window of the Glider. Was the Black Cat still somewhere around, watching them as they spoke.
"Even if I'm somehow wrong about you, although I don't think I am," she concluded, "I'm definitely not wrong about your friend there. I saw the look on her face when she walked in on you, and the look she had when she was taking care of you. That wasn't her first time, honey, not by a long shot. She was too good at what she was doing."
The signal began to break up, telling them that they were reaching the limit of the portable radios. That answered the question of if she was still somewhere close.
"Well it looks like I have to go now," a static filled voice said. "Thanks for a fun night."
Silence filled the Ultra-Glider after the radio speaker went dead. Neither of them wanted to be the first to say anything about what the Black Cat had insinuated. Finally, Abby knew she had to say something, anything.
"I don't believe anything she said," Abby told her partner. "There was a drug in that water, and you did what you had to do to save my life."
Priscilla looked deep into her partner's eyes, her silence seemingly giving her agreement with the statement. Abby waiting another few heartbeats to see if Priscilla wanted to add anything, then said. "We'll just put tonight behind us as if it never happened."
"No," Priscilla abruptly said, lifting her hands up to the side of her mask and removing it. "I'm tired of hiding behind a mask. Of hiding the person who's really behind it."
"I don't understand," Abby said.
"Oh yes you do," Priscilla answered. "The Black Cat wasn't lying and you know it. About you, or about me."
"About you?" Abby repeated, still ignoring what had been said about her.
"I've been in love with you since before I even met you," Priscilla confessed.
"I ... I don't know how to answer that," Abby said. "I never imagined that you ..."
"Come on, don't give me that," Priscilla cut her off. "Why else would you think I'd put on a costume like this and follow you. Why else would I spend a small fortune to give you the best in equipment, if not to help keep you safe. It's not like I had some great wrong to avenge on the underworld. That sort of thing only happens in the comics."
"Priscilla, I swear, I really didn't know."
"Okay, maybe you really didn't want to know," Priscilla went on, "but now you do. So what are you going to do about it."
What are you going to do about it? The question echoed repeatedly in Abby's mind. A small part of her admitted that she suspected there was more to Priscilla's desire to be with her than a simple desire to fight crime. The clues were there all along, she had just turned a blind eye to them. Some great detective she was turning out to be.
Then there was Nick. How did she really feel about him? How did Nick really feel about her? What was she to him other than that big-boobed policewoman that everyone seemed to know he was fucking.
"I guess silence speaks volumes," Mega Girl said as she turned from Abby and started the engine.
She reached down to put the car in gear and was surprised to have Abby's hand come to rest on top of hers. It stayed there for a moment, just long enough for her to feel its strength and warmth. Then Abby removed it as both of her hands moved up to her cowl and undid the small clasps that held it in place.
"I'm not sure where this is going to lead," Abby said as she pulled off the covering, "but I do love you, I know that much. No more masks, at least not between us."
"Oh Abby!" Priscilla cried as she threw her arms around Abby and pulled them together, their lips meeting in a loving kiss.
"I guess we should find a quiet place where we can talk about this," Abby said as they broke their kiss. "What about the Black Cat?" Priscilla asked.
"Why don't we let Nick and the CCPD worry about the Black Cat," Abby smiled. "I think he's going to find he has a lot more free time on his hands that he thought he did. Especially a lot of free nights."
Mega Girl laughed as she finally put the car in gear and heading back towards the city. At the speeds the Ultra-Glider was capable of, she figured they could get to the apartment/lab that she kept in the Wellington Building in less than an hour.
"What are you thinking?" Abby asked as she saw the mischievous grin on her partner's face.
"I was just thinking," Priscilla smiled back, "that I'm finally going to get to show you a few of the more interesting gadgets that I've come up with. The kind you can use for something a lot more fun than fighting crime."
Aware of what Priscilla was capable of when she put her mind to it, Abby wasn't sure if she should feel excited or apprehensive. One thing she was sure of, her life had taken yet another interesting, if unexpected, turn.
END