Episode 9: Ms. Marvelous vs. The Pep Squad

I stood on the steps of the courthouse, trying to answer the questions as politely as I could. My red costume was easy to pick out in the crowd of gray clad reporters, and I was attracting a lot of attention. It was a cold day—I could see my breath as I spoke.

“Yes,” I said in response to the latest question, “I am very pleased that the Posse is finally being brought to justice, and pleased that I was able to play some small part in their apprehension.”

The reporters and photographers wore their winter coats and hats. My scantly clad figure within their midst must have been quite a sight. I have to admit that I am still uncomfortable when around the press. Their probing eyes and cameras are among the things that seem to bring out my modesty. But I am a hero. I have been blessed with great strength. If I choose to show off my powerful body then I suppose I am merely living up to the people’s idea of what a super-hero should look like.

My costume is red and black. A star is emblazoned on my chest. A mask shields my face and identity. The people of Megapolis have come to see me as a symbol of righteousness. The criminals have come to see me as the sword of vengeance. I stand up for the weak, the poor, the helpless. I strike at the strong, the evil, the corrupt. I am Ms. Marvelous!

The sheer fabric of my costume fits me like a second skin. It displays every curve and angle of my five foot nine inch, athletically built frame. My legs are bare, as are my abdominal muscles and most of my back. I realize that I am showing a lot of skin. But my costume is made from a special material. The material, which consists of “unstable molecules”, is nearly indestructible. It doesn’t tear. It can survive explosions and fire. It has no air resistance. It is extremely flexible and essentially molds itself to my body, giving me an unlimited and unhindered range of motion. As might be expected, the special fabric is rare and expensive. The scientist back at the Program that made it for me could only get his hands on a

limited amount of the stuff. I don’t care—If I have to show off some skin and put up with a few reporters ogling me, then it’s worth it.

I took comfort from the fact that my friend, Joel Steiner, was standing next to me. A reporter himself, Joel was more than ready to keep his colleagues at bay. He unabashedly pushed back anyone who he felt was getting to close. Thanks to him, we were able to maintain a small, but welcome, buffer zone between us and the crowd.

“Criminals like Dante Refrain and his friends have been preying on the citizens of Megapolis for far too long,” I continued. “The time has come for us to stand up and say that we will not suffer their injustices any longer. The time has come for us to say ‘No more!’”

It had been less than a month since I left the Posse House with the hard-earned piece of evidence that I was sure would put them away. It had not been easy getting out of there with the

murdered policewoman’s blood stained uniform, but it had been worth the effort. With evidence to back him up, Joel had published a hard-hitting column in the Megapolis Gazette detailing the crimes of rape and murder that had been committed by the Posse. The federal authorities took an immediate interest. Eventually, even the local police recognized that they had to act. Bending under public pressure, they finally issued warrants for the arrest of the Posse members. Spider, Cockroach, and Billy were arrested immediately. Butthead was picked up the next day. Dante, the leader of the group, went into hiding but ultimately followed the advice of his father and turned himself in.

The elder Refrain, with whom I have had unpleasant dealings in the past, is a wealthy man. He can hire the best lawyers. He assured his son that everything would turn out ok. I did not want to take the chance that he would be right. Dante had violated me and countless other women, and I wanted to see him put away. So, when I heard that the trial was to start on this day, I decided the best thing I could do was to visit the courthouse myself. I wanted to let the people of Megapolis know that I was standing behind my assertion that Dante was slime and needed to be put in prison.

“But Ms. Marvelous,” one of the reporters asked, “isn’t it true that you obtained the primary piece of evidence in this case by breaking into Dante Refrain’s house without a warrant and stealing it?

And that you assaulted Dante Refrain in the process? Are you not concerned that the judge may throw out the evidence on the basis that it was obtained illegally?”

I held my head high, unashamed of how I had acquired the uniform. “I did what had to be done. As many of you reporters have frequently pointed out in your columns, I am not a deputized officer of the city. Therefore, I do not have to obey the same rules of fairness that our police officers are required to follow. If the justice system wants to bring me up on charges for breaking into the Posse House, then they may do so. But I acted when the police would not. Somehow, I think the eyes of justice would be better served it if they looked into the issue of police corruption in Megapolis. The days when men like Don Refrain can corrupt our legal system by exerting influence over the police department need to come to an end. As for assaulting Dante Refrain, I would say that I was simply defending myself from he and his four cohorts. It was they that assaulted me.”

“But Ms. Marvelous, surely you wouldn’t claim that the entire police department is corrupt?

Surely you wouldn’t—Wait, isn’t that the Refrains’ limo now?”

We turned and looked as a black stretch limousine pulled up to the curb in front of the courthouse steps. The reporters were suddenly no longer interested in me and instead rushed to the car, hoping to catch a glimpse of something on the other side of the dark tinted windows. Joel and I were left alone, standing on the steps. The rear door opened. Two mean looking thugs in expensive suits climbed out and pushed the reporters back. A large man in a white suit got out next. In his hand he carried a heavy looking walking stick. His eyes scanned the crowd of people, pausing when they reached me. The eyes were cold and emotionless.

I recognized the man instantly as being Don Refrain. I had only seen him once before, while at

the Reavor’s crack house, but I would never forget him. We had never spoken a word to one another, but I felt like I knew him intimately. When I looked into his cold eyes, I could tell that he felt the same. We were blood enemies.

The elder Refrain stepped to the side so that his son could exit. A lump of emotion—I don’t know if it was anger or hatred or fear or disgust, or a mix of all four—A lump of emotion seemed to catch at the base of my throat. Dante looked fresh and undisturbed by the turn of events that had taken control of his life. He casually said hello to the reporters. He smiled for the cameras. His father nudged him and pointed in my direction. Dante looked up at me and smirked. He whispered something to his father and they both laughed.

They stepped away from the curb to make room for a fifth man who was getting out of the car. So impressive and unusual was this last man that even the reporters quieted and stepped back when they saw him. He was big, bigger even than Don Refrain. He stood six feet seven and I guessed his weight at something like three hundred pounds. His broad shoulders threatened to rip the seams of his tight fitting, stone gray, suit. He wore heavy looking work boots—apparently, no pair of wingtips could house his enormous feet. His eyes were black, matching his hair. But most stunning was his skin. The pigment was light blue, as cold looking as the patches of winter ice that dotted the sidewalk.

The blue skin was a sure tip off that this man was a mutant. I wasn’t surprised, really. I had heard stories about Don Refrain’s mutant bodyguard. His name was Gravestone, which was appropriate since he was known to be a stone cold killer. His strength was reputed to be a match for my own, maybe even greater. And rumor had it that he was indestructible. I had been looking forward to meeting him for a long time.

The crowd of reporters parted to allow the Refrain entourage access to the steps and the courthouse that lay beyond. They strode up the steps confidently, even defiantly, as if they were doing the legal system some great favor just by showing up. I stood my ground as they approached, wanting both they and the people of Megapolis to see that I did not fear them.

“Well, look who’s here,” Dante said to me with the smirk still on his face. “You been dreaming about me, girlfriend?”

“Not likely, Dante. But I hear the inmates up at Rockford State Penitentiary have been. It seems they think you might be worth a lot of points. Beats me why, though.”

Dante’s smile disappeared. I could tell that the idea of being in prison with a pack of hardened criminals didn’t appeal to him. He stammered and was unable to come up with a retort.

The elder Refrain came to his son’s rescue. He spoke loudly, so that the reporters could hear. “Don’t worry, son. We’ll beat this rap. We’re innocent and the judge will throw out this case for lack of evidence.”

“You’re not going to get off this time, Refrain,” I replied. “The evidence is solid and even your corrupting influence will not be enough to save your son. He’s going away for a long time.”

Don Refrain’s eyes flashed with anger, though he retained his composure. He leaned in closer to me so that those around us could not hear what was said. “You may think you have won this battle, bitch, but the war is not over. You have cost me dearly, you know—First my cocaine, and now my son. The cocaine I could understand. You were simply doing what you super-hero types do. And though the destruction of the Reavors and my drug organization were expensive setbacks, they hardly caused me any serious damage. But now, you have made a terrible mistake. Now, you have attacked my son. Our fight has become personal. And I will win. I always win. I will destroy you.”

I put my hands on my hips and stood tall. I spoke loudly and clearly, so that everyone could hear. “I don’t care about your threats, Refrain. You don’t frighten me. Maybe our fight has not been personal for you, but it has always been so for me. Every time you sold a joint to a school kid, it was personal.

Every time you addicted someone on crack, it was personal. Every time your son abducted and raped a woman, it was personal. No, it is you that have made the terrible mistake, and you that have made this fight personal. I will not rest until you, and all those like you, have received a just reward for your evil ways.”

Don Refrain looked at the reporters that were gathered around us and lifted his hands up into the air. The drug lord had gone to great extremes to protect his reputation in Megapolis and didn’t want to see it destroyed by me. “This crazy woman,” he exclaimed with a laugh. “Do you see what I am up against? Do you see how she has it out for my family and I? What is an honest man to do? It’s liable,

that’s what it is. Just because she is a super-hero, she thinks she can get away with slandering me.”

He continued up the steps, leading his entourage to the courthouse. I stood my ground, still wanting everyone to see that I did not fear this man. As he passed by, he nudged me a little bit. It wasn’t much, not even enough to knock me off balance. But he responded in the grandest tradition of the theater, stepping back awkwardly and flailing his arms into the air as if he had been pushed violently. He fell to the steps and groaned loudly, acting as if he were in great pain.

“You see?” he shouted in mock fear. “You see what she has done? She has attacked me!

Defend me from this crazed woman!”

Several reporters reached down and helped Don Refrain to his feet. His bodyguards brushed the dust from his white suit with their hands. I smiled in amazement, sure that no one would fall for this obvious ruse.

“I didn’t touch you, Refrain. It was you that bumped into me--”

Suddenly and without warning, an iron-like ham fist struck me across the side of my face. I fell hard to the steps and looked up to see Gravestone standing above me.

“Nobody touches boss!” he yelled.

I got to my feet and rubbed my chin. The reporters had cleared out, obviously expecting a fight. I figured that this wasn’t the time or place, though. We were on the steps of the courthouse, a place for justice and the peaceful resolution of problems. To fight here would be to demean the importance of the institution.

The tall, blue-skinned mutant stood two steps below me, but our eyes were still on the same level. He was a big boy. His black eyes seemed to look right through me. His mouth was taught with rage. He smacked his right fist into his left palm. I rubbed my chin again. The boy could really punch.

“I’m not here to fight, Gravestone. Your boss bumped into me.” “Gravestone not care! Gravestone smash little woman!”

He lunged at me and I slid to the right, under his grip. I brought my left knee up and rammed it into his gut. The sound of the impact echoed through the stone columns of the courthouse plaza, but Gravestone didn’t seem to even feel the blow.

“Hah! Little woman no match for Gravestone!”

With speed that belied his massive size, Gravestone grabbed me by my left arm and yanked me towards him. Suddenly leaping forward, he clipped me under the chin with his right arm and clotheslined me. I crashed to the concrete steps hard, my head bouncing off the cement.

He leaned over and picked me up, then lifted me over his head. I heard the reporters gasp as Gravestone slammed me down again on the steps. He crouched over me and slammed his right fist into my face. His hand was like a hammer and his knuckles like ball-peens. I saw stars flickering before my eyes, clouding my vision. He drove the fist down on me again. The back of my head slammed into the cement. I could hear cameras clicking. I could hear the crowd groaning, as if they felt my pain. I was getting the crap beat out of me in front of the whole world. I knew I had to do something.

I snapped up my left leg, catching Gravestone on the temple with a powerful kick. He lost his balance and fell to the side, giving me the opportunity I needed to do a reverse somersault and get back to my feet. I used the stairs to my advantage, climbing up and taking the high ground. He snarled and rushed me, apparently uninjured by my kick to his temple. When he got in range, I jumped up and nailed him with a front toe kick to the chin. His head snapped back, but he didn’t go tumbling down the steps as I had hoped. Figuring I would help him out, I stepped forward and fired a straight right to his chest. I

didn’t hold back. The force of the blow was awesome and sent him flying down the full length of the courthouse steps.

I don’t think I have ever hit anyone so hard as I hit Gravestone. But my pleasure at seeing him tumble down the steps was short lived as a bolt of pain shot through my hand. I felt as if I had slammed my fist into a block of granite. As Gravestone dusted himself off, showing no ill effects from a punch that would have easily killed a normal man, I had to consider that perhaps he really was indestructible. If so, what could I do to avoid the humiliation of being defeated in front of all these people?

Gravestone ran up the steps, taking them four at a time. He was coming like a charging bull,

intent on running me over. But I’m quick—Just as he was almost to me, I used my flying power to go up and over him. As he passed below, I gave him a solid kick to the back of his head and he went face first into the steps. A chunk of concrete was dislodged as his head impacted against the hard stairs. I heard Joel Steiner’s voice off to the side, urging me to finish off the brute.

“If only it was that easy,” I responded silently.

I landed beside the mutant and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck with one hand and the seat of his pants with the other. I lifted his three hundred pound frame off the steps and over my head. Now it was his turn to be bodyslammed. I smashed him down onto the concrete with everything I could muster. More cement was dislodged from the steps. I felt bad about the damage I was doing to the

courthouse, but didn’t think I had any choice. I picked Gravestone up again and this time piledrove him down on his head. I stepped back to admire my work. I was sure that he wouldn’t get up.

But to my amazement, the big mutant wasn’t even dazed. Pushing off on the shattered steps, he got to his feet and smiled at me. He actually seemed to be enjoying the fight!

“Gravestone smash!” he shouted out in glee.

He stepped toward me and fired a right at my head. I ducked under the blow and countered with a left to his ribs. Again, I think I did more damage to my hand than I did to my opponent.

Undeterred by my punch, he raised his left arm over his head and brought it crashing down on my right shoulder. The powerful blow knocked me to my knees and sent a wave of pain through my body. I somersaulted forward just in time to avoid a second blow.

I knew I had to do something to change the course of the fight. I’m strong, but if I tried to match this brute blow for blow, I would be defeated. I needed to use my martial arts training. We circled one another warily. I waited for him to make the first move, then concentrated on blocking or otherwise avoiding his blow. First I dodged a right, then slid under a left. He tried to grab me, but I quickly moved away. He missed with two more punches. To the spectators watching from the sides, it appeared that I was running. I could here Dante Refrain laughing at me, telling everyone what I loser I was. But I didn’t let it bother me. I stayed focused, looking for an opening.

Finally, I saw it. Growing frustrated, Gravestone reached in for me with both hands and left himself vulnerable. I dodged his grasp by rolling to my right, higher up on the steps, so that I was above him. Getting an extra boost from my flying power, I leapt over his head and cartwheeled so that I landed behind him. I jumped up onto his back and wrapped my legs around his considerable girth. I placed my

left arm alongside his head and wrapped my right arm around his neck. My right hand grabbed onto my left forearm, locking the hold in place. Gravestone gurgled as I chocked off his air supply.

The big mutant reached up and grabbed my arm, trying to relieve the pressure on his throat. But my hold was locked in tight. Unless he could survive without air, I knew I had him.

“Gravestone… smash…” he said weakly.

Gravestone slipped to one knee, then the other. He leaned forward and slumped to the steps, my legs still wrapped around him. He rolled onto his side, taking me with him. Finally, I felt his body go placid underneath me. Only then did I release the hold.

I got up and stood over my fallen opponent. I looked up at Don Refrain. The man’s face showed no emotion. Tugging on his son’s jacket sleeve, the man in white silently turned and led the remainder of his group to the courthouse. But before stepping inside the large, arched doorway that marked the entrance to the halls of justice, he turned and looked back a final time. Our eyes locked and I could see the rage that burned there. Once again, we were communicating without words, and once again, Don

Refrain was telling me that he was my mortal enemy. “We will meet again,” the eyes seemed to say, “and when we do, we will settle this once and for all.”

The reporters rushed in on me, anxious to ask more questions. But I no longer cared for reporters, or cameras, or even Joel Steiner. I just wanted to be away from the crowd, away from the prying eyes. I raised my right hand over my head and took to the air, a red and black streak that quickly disappeared over the top of a downtown skyscraper. There were other criminals in this city besides Don and Dante Refrain. There were other crimes to be prevented. I am Ms. Marvelous, and for me, the city never sleeps.

I don’t often patrol near the docks, but on this night I felt the change would do me good. The horn of a departing cargo vessel rumbled through the air as I skimmed across the river and up and over pier thirteen. The chill night air invigorated me—There is nothing quite like a patrol over the city of Megapolis to get the blood flowing.

I was feeling good, the stresses of the previous day ebbing from my body as I tested my flying abilities in the freedom of the air. I tried to put the Refrains from my mind, using mid-air rolls and loop the loops to give myself something else on which to concentrate. I had been practicing a lot, lately, working on my flying ability, trying to improve my skills. But the rolls were somehow too easy and the loops to simple. I guess I am about as good as I am ever going to get.

Suddenly, the sound of cracking wood and rending metal caught my attention. From below, I could hear voices and laughter, then more damage being done. I quickly zeroed in on the source of the disturbance, happy for the chance to get some action. With the exception of my confrontation with Gravestone on the courthouse steps, the previous few weeks had been pretty dull— The most exciting thing I had done was rescue an elderly couple from a burning apartment building. Oh, I had busted a few dope dealers and stopped a few muggings, but I had encountered little that could really challenge my skills. Maybe tonight would be different, I thought hopefully.

I dropped lower and touched down in front of a large warehouse. The broken door in front of me and the crunching of glass beneath the light soles of my boots told me that this was the place. I stepped through and entered. It was dark inside, but I could hear the sound of voices ahead and walked toward them.

Large wooden boxes were stacked on either side of me. At periodic intervals the boxes parted, their sides forming hallways of sorts. From the maze of crates and its location near the river, I figured that this building must be a temporary storage area, a place for boxes to be held as they were offloaded from the cargo vessels. Gradually, the size of the stacks lessened and I found myself on the edge of an empty space within the warehouse. At the center of this space were three figures.

The lighting here was better. Several battery powered lanterns had been placed around the center of the open space, and I could plainly see the people there. I have to admit that I was taken aback by what I saw. Rather than the denim and leather clad hooligans that I expected, all I saw were two young women and a young man. One of the women was a brunette, the other a blonde. They both wore

short skirts and colorful sweater tops. On the front of the sweaters was a symbol of some kind, something that looked sort of like the Nike swoosh. On their feet were white sneakers and ankle socks.

Bows were in their hair. Other than for their differing hair colors, they looked identical and there couldn’t be any doubt—They were cheerleaders.

The young man wore a skin-tight blue body suit of some kind. I couldn’t tell what the fabric was, but it was shiny and garish. He had the same swoosh symbol displayed on the front of his costume that the cheerleaders had. To my surprise, the three of them were shamelessly breaking open crates and dumping out the contents. From the laughter of the cheerleaders, I could tell that they were having a

great time. The man in blue didn’t seem to share in their joviality, though. He remained serious and even perturbed. It was then that I saw the motionless form of a security guard lying nearby. Cheerleaders or not, these three were obviously up to no good.

I stepped out into the light and cleared my voice. The blonde cheerleader saw me first, then alerted her friends that they were not alone.

“Who are you?” she asked enthusiastically.

“I know who she is,” the brunette responded. “She’s that Ms. Marvelous person that we’ve been hearing so much about.”

“That’s right!” the first exclaimed. “She’s the chick that put the Frat Boy in jail. What luck! This should be a lot of fun!”

“So, you seem to know who I am,” I said with a strong voice. “Maybe you will be so kind as to tell me who you are, and what you’re doing here?”

“Well, duh!” the first cheerleader said, mocking me. “I’m Lori, as if you can’t tell!”

She pointed to her sweater—sure enough, the name ‘Lori’ had been stitched into the fabric. “And I’m Jackie,” the other added. “We’re the Pep Squad!”

“The Pep Squad, huh? And do you make it a habit to break into warehouses?” Lori chuckled. “We make it a habit to do whatever we want!”

I motioned toward the man in the blue body suit. “And who’s that? Your boss?”

The girls looked at each other and giggled. “Sort of. He’s the Blue Bolt, the captain of the Pep Squad. You sure ask a lot of questions.”

I shrugged. “I just want to ensure that I have all the facts before I take you to jail.” Lori found this to be especially amusing. “Take us to jail? What a laugh!”

“Like you or anyone else can beat us!” Jackie added.

Lori started jumping up and down and clapping her hands. “Give me a ‘P’!” “P!” Jackie responded.

“Give me a ‘E’!” “E!”

“Give me a ‘P’!” “P!”

“What’s that spell?”

“Pep!” they shouted in unison. “Pep, pep, Pep Squad! Yaaaay, Pep Squad!”

I took a couple steps forward. Now that I was closer to them, I could see that they were indeed very young, probably not more than eighteen years old. “Ok, that’s a nice cheer. I don’t know what kind of drugs you’re on, but let’s be nice girls and come along quietly.”

Lori stopped jumping up and down and laughed as if I had just told her some hilarious joke. “Do you hear that, Jackie? Super-hero person says we should come along quietly. She thinks she can stop us.”

“Nobody can stop the Pep Squad,” Jackie said again. “And once we get what we came for, nobody will be able to tell us what to do, ever again.”

“What is it you’re after?” I asked suspiciously.

A cold and hollow sounding voice answered me. “Immortality.” The Blue Bolt stepped forward out of the shadows. His voice made my skin crawl. “We are after immortality.”

“What do you mean?”

He motioned toward the crates. “These boxes originated in the Mayan jungles of Central America. Contained within their humble wooden frames is the secret of eternal youth. Herbs that can make one live forever!”

I looked at him and rolled my eyes. “You’re kidding, right? This is some kind of big joke?”

He looked at me with distaste. “Mock me if you will, but know that I am a thousand years old. With the items contained within these crates, I can make a powerful elixir that can provide strength and endurance to whoever partakes of it. There is but one ingredient missing, one component that provides not only strength, but also eternal life.”

“And what’s that?” I asked while doubting the man’s sanity.

The Blue Bolt took another step closer and sneered. For the first time, I could see his face clearly.

Though from a distance he had projected the appearance of youth and vigor, I could now see that deep lines were etched into his face. Gray spots dotted his skin. As I looked at him, he seemed to be at once both young and old.

“To extend my life, I must share in the youth of another. I must partake in the sweet juices of a young woman.” He looked at me lustfully, causing my cheeks to blush. “Lori spoke the truth when she said this was our lucky night. To have someone with your strength and beauty will surely make me young for a long time.”

He reached for me with his right hand and grabbed me by the arm. His touch was cold and

clammy. I didn’t believe a word he was saying, but didn’t want him grabbing me, just the same. I slapped his hand away, then pushed him in the chest. To my surprise, he held his ground. He grabbed me again, this time with both hands, then turned and threw me into the middle of the open portion of the warehouse. I slid across the smooth concrete floor and came to a halt beside one of the lanterns.

“Girls!” he shouted. “Subdue this wench while I continue searching the boxes. We will take her with us once the final ingredients are in our possession.”

The cheerleaders giggled and approached me from the front. I pulled myself up into a kneeling position. The strength of the Blue Bolt had caught me off guard, but I was uninjured. He was obviously super-powered. But so am I. I didn’t know what his real story was, yet, but I would find out if I had to beat it out of him. First, though, it seemed that I had no choice but to take care of his girls.

Unlike the Bolt, the cheerleaders seemed to be legitimately young. The bounce in their step reminded me of my own days in high school, though I was a participant in sports, not cheerleading. Still, I had always respected the athletic ability of the cheerleaders, and these two, Lori and Jackie, seemed to possess all the best characteristics of those girls I remembered building human pyramids and doing gymnastic tumbling routines. Their tanned legs were slender and taught, and their abdominal muscles, visible beneath their short cut sweaters, were tight and well defined. I didn’t know if they, too, were super-strong, but decided I couldn’t waist time with them. I needed to finish them quickly so that I could tackle the Bolt.

Lori had a huge grin across her face as she approached me. She reached behind her back and removed a pair of pom-poms from the waistband of her skirt. “Don’t make this hard on yourself,” she

suggested. “If you give up now, we won’t have to hurt you. It would be better that way. Bolt won’t like it if you’re bruised.”

“That’s good advice,” I agreed. “You should listen to it. There’s no need for violence. You and your friend have obviously been misled somehow by this Blue Bolt character. Surrender to me now, and I’ll get you the help you need.”

Lori answered with laughter and leapt at me. Flailing her arms, she tried to strike me with the pom-poms. Caught off guard by the suddenness of the attack and distracted momentarily by the pom- poms, I left my midsection open and she nailed me with a front kick. She followed up on her advantage by bringing the pom-pom in her left hand down across the top of my head. I crashed to the floor at her feet, pain stabbing through my skull.

I held my aching head in my hands and looked up at her smiling face. “Lead handles,” she replied to my unspoken question. She swung at me again, but this time I was ready for her and I dodged out of the way. Rolling to my right, I extended my left leg and chopped her ankles out from under her. She fell with a plop onto her seat. I jumped on her quickly and yanked the pom-poms from her hands. I threw them across the warehouse floor and they skittered to a stop beside a crate near to where I had entered.

“Hey!” she exclaimed. “Those were mine!”

I didn’t have time to reply, as Jackie came to her friend’s aid and clubbed me from behind with her forearm. She pulled me off of Lori and threw me to the ground. She tried to stomp a sneaker through

my chest, but I rolled away and quickly got back to my feet. We locked up, each having an equal hold on the other. She was unusually strong, but not as strong as me. With a grunt of exertion, I pushed her backward and sent her tumbling into Lori. The two girls lay sprawled on the floor, their arms and legs

tangled. To my surprise, they didn’t seem to be the least bit concerned that I had gotten the best of

them. Instead, and to my astonishment, they put their hands to one another’s faces and began kissing! “Oh, brother!” I said aloud as they continued their debauchery. “You girls really are nuts!”

If looks could kill, Lori would have shot me dead. “Don’t worry, chickie, we’ll get to you in a moment.”

From behind me, I could hear the Blue Bolt chuckling. Enough with this, I decided. I left the cheerleaders to their devices and faced off with the captain of the squad. He was digging through a crate and didn’t seem to have the time to bother with me. I got his attention when I slammed my fist into his gut. Before he could react, I grabbed his wrist and twisted, then put him in a hammerlock and drove him to his knees.

“Is this your doing?” I asked. “Did you do something to these poor girls to make them act this

way?”

I twisted his arm tighter to make him answer. “It’s the Mayan potion,” he finally admitted. “It

gives them great strength and makes them susceptible to my suggestions, but leaves them feeling lustful.”

“Ah, so!” I exclaimed. “You admit that they are under your control? I demand that you release them from whatever spell you have them under!”

He laughed. “They are under my control, yes, but I cannot release them. Once they drink the potion, they are mine forever. I need them, you see? To sustain my life, I must take of their youth every few days. The potion simply prepares them for the ritual.”

“And you claim that you know the secret of this potion, that you know the secret of eternal

youth?”

“It is not a claim, Ms. Marvelous. It is the truth. The potion can provide eternal life. For me, that

is. For the girls, it simply makes them strong and receptive. Under its influence, they cannot help but give up their youth to me. And it is addictive. Once they have tasted the potion’s sweet juices, they will do almost anything to taste it again. They will do almost anything to taste me, again.”

“Meaning what?”

“Meaning they will give themselves freely to me, time after time, until they have nothing left to

give.”

“You mean sex?” I asked, incredulously.

“Yes. But eventually they can give no more. It is a shame really-- I have had to take countless

girls over the centuries. In each case, it is the same. They give themselves up to me and we are inseparable for a period of weeks. One girl is usually not enough. As with my dear Lori and Jackie-- who are both fine young athletes, full of energy and youth— I must usually take two women to satisfy my needs. It sometimes causes problems. The elixir tends to make the girls more emotional than usual, and jealousy between them has occasionally been a problem. In any case, I grow rather attached to both. It is hard to give them up.”

“What happens to them?” I asked in horror.

A sad look came across the Blue Bolt’s face. “As I said, after a few weeks they have nothing more to give. They no longer serve any purpose—I abandon them. Without the potion to sustain them, they quickly age and die. But they go knowing that they served me well.”

“How awful! If what you say is true… Are you a monster?”

The sadness disappeared, replaced by the cold, dispassionate face I had seen before. “You may call me such, if it pleases you. But the potion will be just as addictive for you. Before the night is over, you will call me master and you will give your youth to me!”

Before I could stop him, the Blue Bolt slid to his left and effectively removed the pressure I was placing on his arm. He broke the hold easily, stood, then picked me up around the waist and side- slammed me onto the floor. I responded quickly, bring my legs up and wrapping them around his neck. Pulling him over, I sent him tumbling into a crate.

I was on my feet first and waiting for him as he got up. I slammed a left into his stomach, then

brought a palm strike up to his chin. The Blue Bolt’s head snapped back and he slumped against the crate. Grabbing two fistfuls of his costume in my hands, I lifted him over my head and slammed him down to the floor. He grunted and tried to get up, but then leaned back as if beaten.

Suddenly, a kick nailed me in the back and sent me face first into the crate. I bounced off and fell backward into the arms of my attacker. It was Jackie. She held me from behind, her arms wrapped around my body in a reverse bear hug. Arching her back and falling backward, the cheerleader pulled me off the ground and heaved me over the top of her, sending me to the hard floor with a nicely executed German suplex. The back of my head and neck took the brunt of the blow and I lay dazed on the floor as the other cheerleader, Lori, came crashing down across my neck with her knee.

Still smiling and apparently pleased with the task set before them, the two women took hold of my arms and lifted me to my feet. Holding my body between them, they took turns ramming their knees into my midsection. As the Blue Bolt had suggested, the Mayan youth formula had made them strong. It had also made them quite crazy, I was sure, but the insanity only added to their fury as they continued to ram my stomach with their knees. Finally, they let go of my arms and threw me to the floor.

I lay there on the cold concrete, curled up into a ball, my stomach aching. Not wanting to give me a chance to recover, Lori grabbed me by the hair and again forced me to my feet. She ran her right arm through my legs and picked me up over her shoulder, then drove me down to the floor hard on my back. I groaned in pain as the air was knocked out of me. But they were not done, yet. Jackie, who had backed away to give Lori room to bodyslam me, came running in and jumped toward her partner. She rolled in midair so that she was upside down, then reached out with her hands and pushed off of her

friend’s shoulders. Propelling herself higher into the air, Jackie did a front flip and a forward layout, then came crashing down in a sitting position across my chest. The force of her weight crashing down on me, so soon after the bodyslam, almost did me in. The room went dim as I browned out.

I was helpless to resist as the two women lay down on either side of me and folded back the tapers of costume, exposing my breasts. They began feeding hungrily on me, Lori on my right, Jackie on my left. At first, my body, stunned by the punishment it had taken, did not respond. But then, as they touched me in ways that only women can, my nipples began to harden.

“No…” I objected. “Don’t…do this.”

I was sure that they didn’t know my weakness. They didn’t know that they were devastating me. They were simply responding to the influence of the Mayan potion. They were simply fulfilling the lustful hunger that the Blue Bolt had put inside their young hearts. But this knowledge would do me little good. Yes, they were innocents, corrupted by another, but at this moment they were doing exactly the right thing to defeat me.

They lay atop my arms, pinning them at my sides. Lori’s lips gently caressed my right nipple, causing it to stand at attention. Waves of unwanted pleasure coursed through my body. Sucking sounds came from my left breast as Jackie slurped her tongue across my other hardening bud. I tried to squirm away, to somehow escape the sensations that were overtaking me, but my attackers held me securely between their bodies.

I moaned softly as my nipples hardened into little marbles. I forced my head up and looked—The sight of my bare breasts, engorged and swollen, being molested by these two beautiful girls, sent a surge of erotic feeling through me. The sight of my buds, pointed and hard, being tortured within the lips of my oh-so-young looking attackers weakened me to my soul. My head fell back and rested against the concrete floor. Within me, the warm touch of the Sartak began to creep in on my senses.

I knew I had to do something. My nipples were swelling rapidly under the expert touch of my attackers. My breasts felt heavy and warm. The Sartak’s velvety embrace threatened to overwhelm my mind, trapping me in the shock of sensual overload. My arms were pinned beneath the bodies of my attackers, though it mattered less with each passing second. With each new nibble and caress, with each new kiss and fondle, my arms became less a part of me. Already, they seemed distant and unfeeling. My

legs, too, seemed far away and unresponsive. My mind wanted to escape, but my body seemed to have a mind of its own. My body wanted to stay here, to give itself up to its attackers, to surrender and allow them to continue to ravage its most sensitive areas.

But I couldn’t lie here, I knew. To do so would mean certain defeat. I had to act. I forced my head up again. Ignoring the sights and sounds of the two girls ravaging my breasts, I looked for a way to escape. They had me pinned between them—Each girl lay atop one of my arms. The inside leg of each lay across my own, spreading me and further holding me down. There was no other way. I had to muster the strength. I had to force my arms to break free.

I decided to focus my attention on my right arm. If I could get it free, then I might be able to lash out and land a punch or two and then free my left arm and legs. I reminded myself that the two cheerleaders were my enemies. Though they were acting under the influence of the Blue Bolt, they were the ones I had to be concerned with. If I could find a way out of this mess without hurting them, then great. Otherwise, I would have to do whatever it took to stop them. Concentrating, I summoned every bit of strength that I had left. I tensed, preparing for the effort. Now, I cried to myself. Do it now!

“Aaaagh!” My attempt fizzled and I moaned loudly as a new sensation shot through my weakening body. Lifting my head and looking toward my feet, I could see the forehead of the Blue Bolt between my parted thighs. His fingers tugged at the fabric of my costume, pulling it away from my crotch. He buried his face between my legs. His lips caressed my moist nether regions. His tongue slid slowly up my slit and across my clitoris.

“Aaaagh!” I cried again. “No… stop…”

Lori, feeling my body tense under her, increased the intensity of her attack on my right breast. She took my nipple deep in her mouth and sucked so hard on it that I thought I might give up some milk. My back arched upward, further shoving my engorged breast into her mouth. She took as much of it as she could, then grabbed a hold of the remainder with both hands. My entire breast belonged to her—she roughly played with it as if it was her toy.

Seeing what the Bolt was doing, Jackie reluctantly removed her mouth from my left nipple and slid her left hand inside my bikini bottom so that her forefinger was beside his tongue. I moaned as she slid the tip of her middle finger inside my hole. The Bolt took a break from torturing my swelling clit,

deciding instead to play with Jackie’s finger. As she slid it out of my wet hole, he licked the juices from it. She dipped it in again and then pulled it back. Again, he licked it clean.

“Ah!” he exclaimed in delight. “She tastes wonderful! I will be able to subsist on her youth and strength for months!”

The idea of being fucked over and over by the Blue Bolt for months didn’t appeal to me. But at the moment, I could do little to prevent it. The girls removed themselves from my breasts and rose up into kneeling positions on either side of me. Each girl took a hold of one of my legs and pulled it out to the side, testing my flexibility and spreading me wide. I could only whimper in protest as they forced my legs out until I was spread so wide that my legs formed a straight line from one ankle to the other. They straddled my legs with their own, sitting across them and keeping me straight and taught.

The girls looked at each other and giggled, then in unison quickly removed their sweater tops. Their bras came off next, exposing their firm, young breasts. Satisfied that she and her friend were now more comfortably un-attired, Jackie grasped the fabric of my bikini bottom and pulled farther it to the side, further uncovering my crotch. Placing her right hand on my stomach for support, she again slid the middle finger of her left inside me. I moaned as she probed the inside of my pussy, but could do nothing to stop her. My mind was swallowed up in the Sartak— The sensations that were pouring through my body had completely wiped out any thought of escape.

Jackie looked at Lori and smiled. “Umm, she is so wet!”

Lori slid her finger inside me, testing my condition for herself. Having two fingers inside me, each probing me independently of the other, was almost more than I could stand. I moaned loudly as an orgasm began building within me.

Continuing to work their fingers in and out of my aching pussy, the two cheerleaders leaned across me and began kissing one another. Their free hands gently groped one another’s breasts. Bolt was up on his knees, now, an arm around each of his girls. He leaned in closer and joined in the kissing, and

the three of them went at it as if I wasn’t even there. But, of course, I was there, on my back, my legs spread wide and pinned to the floor, my breasts uncovered, my hard nipples pointing toward the ceiling, two fingers working mercilessly in and out of my tortured pussy. It was an orgy, and I was caught on the bottom.

The small part of my mind that was still able to think clearly wondered how this could have happened. I had come here to investigate a simple break-in—I had fully expected to encounter nothing more than a group of young vandals or thieves. Instead, I had come up against a crazy super-villain in blue that claimed to be a thousand years old and a pair of twisted, super-strong, sex-crazed, lesbian cheerleaders. Worse, I had allowed them to defeat me easily and now lay entangled within their self- indulgent mini-orgy with almost no chance of escaping.

I wanted to escape, but knew it was all but hopeless. My body was weak and unresponsive. All I could feel were my aching nipples. All I could think about was my burning clit. The fingers inside my hot pussy were driving me crazy.

The orgasm was growing inside me. At any moment, I was sure, it would overcome my failing resistance and explode. At any moment, my juices would rush out of my pussy, taking my strength with them. The Sartak was overwhelming me. My moans grew louder, echoing through the cavernous space of the warehouse. My body tensed. This was it. I couldn’t hold it off much longer!

Suddenly, the two fingers were pulled from my burning hole. I lay there for a long moment, tense, on the edge and waiting for the world to explode. Gradually, slowly, my orgasm subsided, unfulfilled. I raised my head and looked down across my engorged breasts. The Blue Bolt knelt between my legs, looking at me. In his hands he held the wrists of the two cheerleaders.

“That’s enough, for now,” he commanded them. “I do not want her energy spent until she is under the influence of the potion. Only then can I take her youth.”

Lori and Jackie seemed genuinely disappointed, but did as their master commanded. The three of them stood and looked down on my limp, exhausted, form.

“Lori,” the Bolt commanded, “you gather up the ingredients we have found. The discovery of the Mayan herb cache is a great find, indeed. You did well to learn of it and will be amply rewarded. Jackie, you pick up our new friend and bring her along. Tonight, the Pep Squad gains a new member!”

Lori and Jackie reached down, picked up their sweaters and bras, and put them back on. Jackie did as she had been instructed, lifting me off the floor and easily hoisting my limp form over her shoulder. My legs drooped across her chest. My upper body and head dangled over her back. My blonde hair hung down over the back of her short skirt. I was still awash with erotic feelings and unable to resist. My breasts rubbed against the cotton of her sweater. The lubricating juices of my wet pussy flowed freely down my left leg. My mind was trapped within the warm embrace of the Sartak. I was helpless.

Blood rushed into my head, further clouding my mind. Jackie followed the Blue Bolt out of the warehouse, carrying me with her. Lori followed behind, carrying a box of ingredients. A sedan waited nearby. Lori put the box in the trunk, then opened the rear, passenger side door and climbed in. She slid across to the far side to make room for Jackie and me. Jackie lowered me into the car and climbed in after me. I sat between the two cheerleaders, my head arched back over the top of the seat. The two sat close against me, holding on to me and keeping me upright. Their free hands found their way to my breasts. I moaned softly as their fingers began to massage my already swollen nipples.

The Blue Bolt sat in the driver’s seat and started the car. I don’t know how long we drove. The world went by in a blur. All I needed were a few minutes to recover, but the cheerleaders were not going to oblige. Lori continued to work over my left breast, drawing light circles around my small cup with the forefinger and thumb of her left hand. Jackie pushed my hair aside and leaned in closer, taking my right nipple between her lips. She gently tongued it, teasing my swollen bud until it felt as if it might explode. I don’t know whether they sensed my weakness or whether they were simply fulfilling their own, lustful desires, or perhaps both, but the girls were doing precisely what they needed to do to keep me helpless.

The Blue Bolt continued driving, occasionally using the rearview mirror to look back at us. As my tortured moans increased in frequency and intensity, he warned the girls not to bring me to my climax. He wanted that pleasure for himself, and even then only after I was under the influence of his magical elixir.

We eventually slowed and came to a stop. Jackie pulled me from the car and again hoisted me over her shoulder. Through half-opened eyes, I could see that we were still in the city. We entered a brick building through a side door. After climbing a set of steps, we entered a spacious loft. The Bolt flicked a switch on the wall and a set of dim overhead lights came to life, illuminating the large central room with a warm glow.

There was little in the way of furniture in the loft. A set of large, comfortable looking chairs took up space on one side of the room, a small sofa on the other. A king-size bed dominated the center of the room.

“Prepare her,” the Bolt commanded Jackie.

Jackie laid me gently on the wood floor, face down, as the Blue Bolt and Lori entered an adjoining room with the box of ingredients for the Mayan potion. She investigated my costume, tugging at it and looking for the best way to remove it. It stretches easily—Eventually she saw the trick and pulled it over my head, then removed it from my arms, and finally slipped it off over my legs. She tossed it on the floor next to me. She allowed me to keep my boots and mask, but otherwise I was completely nude.

Jackie pulled my arms and legs out away from my body so that I was spread eagle. My hair covered my face, but I heard her fumbling with something metallic, behind me. I felt the sensation of cool metal on my left ankle, then heard a click as she snapped a shackle in place. She repeated the process on my right ankle, then on both my wrists. I was still too weak to resist and could only lay on the floor unmoving as she chained me.

I knew I was in trouble, but at least no one was teasing my tits, anymore. The coolness of the wood floor eased the erotic pain in my swollen mammary glands, reviving me somewhat. As for my costume being removed, well, I was humiliated, but figured that my three abductors had pretty much seen everything there is to see already. I wasn’t, however, prepared for what happened next. Jackie walked behind me and threw a switch mounted on the wall. I heard a cranking sound from somewhere beneath the floor. Suddenly, the shackles on my wrists and ankles were pulled upward. Slowly but surely, I was lifted off the ground. My wrists rose higher in the air, pulling me up into a vertical position. I groaned as I was pulled tight, still spread-eagle, and suspended in the air. I forced my head up and looked to see just what kind of trap it was I had been ensnared in.

Attached to the shackles on my wrists and ankles were steel chains. The chains disappeared into holes in the ceiling and floor. They looked fairly stout. I might have been able to break them on a good day, but certainly not now, in my present, weakened condition.

Seeing me taught, Jackie pressed the switch again and the cranking noises stopped. I struggled against the chains, but it was hopeless. I was barely able to move in my suspended position. She came around in front of me. She grabbed a breast in each hand, making my abused body quiver.

“Please don’t do this,” I begged. “Please… He has made you his prisoner. Let me down and I’ll help you to escape.”

Jackie laughed. “The Bolt is the man, super-babe. You’ll see. After tonight, you’ll see.”

A thought came into my head. I remembered what the Bolt had said about the potion. About how it made his girls more emotional than usual. About how it could make them jealous of one another.

“That’s funny. That’s exactly what the Bolt said. He said that after tonight, I would see how he is the only man for me, and how I am the only woman for him.”

For a moment, Jackie’s smile faded. It quickly returned. “It takes more than one woman to satisfy the Bolt. You’ll see—You’ll be part of the Pep Squad. Just like Lori and me. We’ll have such fun, together.”

“Well,” I said while shaking my head, “if you and that bitch Lori can’t satisfy him, I guess I’ll have to. But I hardly see why the Bolt needs an entire squad when he has me.”

Jackie frowned. “What? What do you mean? Don’t you like Lori?”

“I can’t stand the little tramp. Haven’t you seen the way she looks at Bolt? She wants him all for herself. And I heard her talking to him about you. Believe me, she isn’t your friend.”

“Lori is to my friend,” Jackie responded angrily. “We both love the Bolt, and he’s loves us both in return. You’re just trying to drive a wedge between us so that you can have the Bolt all for yourself!”

“Think what you want, I don’t care. But watch your back or Lori will stick a knife in it. Not that it matters to me, really. After Bolt gives me the potion and we make wild love in the moonlight, he’s never going to want to go back to you girls again. Believe me, once he tastes me, he’ll dump you in a second.”

Jackie paused, thinking. “He did say you taste good.”

“And that he was lucky to have found me,” I reminded her.

“Well, I don’t believe it. I don’t believe the Bolt would ever dump me. No single woman could ever satisfy his appetites.”

“So, maybe your right. Maybe he needs to keep two women. I know he’ll keep me. Otherwise, why bring me here? But who else will he keep? Is there enough of the potion to go around for three women? I bet he keeps me and one other. Probably Lori. He said he was going to reward her for finding out about the herbs, after all. Where is Lori, anyway? With the Bolt? Why, I bet that right now, she’s in there whispering into his ear, telling him other reasons why he should keep her instead of you.”

“You’re talking trash!” Jackie said angrily. “You’re just trying to cause trouble!”

She released my breasts and stomped off. She sat heavily in one of the chairs. She crossed her lithe, athletic legs and folded her arms. Maybe I had gotten to her, I considered hopefully. She certainly seemed to be pouting. But my condition had not changed. I was still suspended in the air, naked and chained. My strength was coming back, bit by bit, but not enough to break free.

After a few minutes, Lori and the Blue Bolt returned from the other room. Jackie’s eyes followed them suspiciously as they approached me. The Bolt led the way and Lori followed. In her right hand, she carried a glass containing a brown liquid. I could see particles floating in the liquid. I assumed they were the ground up remnants of the Mayan herbs.

“Ah, my new servant,” the Blue Bolt said as he stopped in front of me. “I see that you have been made ready. Good!”

He studied my naked figure with his eyes for several seconds. I could see that Lori was smiling, but behind her, still pouting in the chair, Jackie appeared unhappy. The Bolt placed his hands on my hips and ran them up and across my narrow waist. He cupped my breasts and tested their firmness. My cheeks burned as he flicked my nipples with his thumbs.

“Ah, yes! Your beauty and strength will make me young for a long time!”

He slowly ran the forefinger of his right hand across my breast and down my chest, across my tight abdominal muscles, and over my pubes. He slid it across my nether mouth and then plunged it into my hole. I squirmed against the chains as he worked it inside me. My pussy responded to the stimulation—I could feel it lubricating itself with juices, preparing itself for the entry of a larger invader. I looked down at the Blue Bolt’s skin-tight body suit, across his muscular chest and slim waist, and toward the bulge that was growing larger in his pants. As he continued to finger me, the bulge seemed to snake downward, along the inseam of his right leg. The shaft appeared to be massive. On its end was a heavy looking knob.

I moaned softly as his finger probed my insides. I struggled against the chains, but my strength was quickly failing. The Sartak clouded my mind as I imagined what my abductor’s massive cock must look like. My struggles lessened as I imagined him plunging it into my wet pussy and ravaging me with it. I wanted to see it. I needed to see it.

As if sensing my growing desire, the Blue Bolt removed his finger from my hole and ran it across my swollen clit. My arms and legs jerked against the chains as a wave of unwanted erotic sensations coursed through the length of my body. He lowered his hand to his own crotch and pulled back a strip of the sheer fabric. Reaching inside, he carefully removed his cock from its hiding place. He placed his hands on his hips and allowed the huge muscle to hang freely. Freed from the restraints of the body suit, the massive cock grew even larger, extending outward and stiffening until it reached a full ten inches. The vein covered and heavily muscled shaft was more than two inches thick, but even it could not sustain the weight of his massive member. The huge cock angled downward, pointing at the floor.

Using his right hand, the Bolt slowly stroked his cock to ensure that it had reached its maximum size and stiffness. He pointed it up at me, threatening me with it.

“Oh, yeah,” I forced myself to say. “I want it so bad!”

Lori and the Bolt’s eyes both widened in surprise. But looking past them, back at Jackie, I could see that my words were having a more desired effect. The girl had risen to her feet, so that she could see better. Her arms were still folded across her chest, and her eyes were narrow and angry.

“So,” the Bolt responded, “you have come to desire me? Though I would have preferred to force myself on you, it is probably better this way. Yes, you and I shall be together for a long time, so I suppose it is better that you desire me now, even when you are not under the influence of the potion. But of

course, I gain nothing until you drink of it. Lori, give me the Mayan potion.”

Lori hesitated, looking at the potion with envious eyes, but then obediently handed it to her master. The Blue Bolt held it up to the light, so that I could see it better.

“Ah, yes-- The secret of eternal youth. Drink deeply, my sweet, and it will make you stronger than you ever dreamed possible.”

“How did you discover the potion?” I asked, stalling.

The Blue Bolt shrugged. “Ten centuries ago, I was a Mayan priest. I searched my entire life for the secret to immortality. Finally, when I was an old man, I ventured into a forgotten passage within the great pyramid. I opened a sealed chamber and came across the ancient scrolls that detailed a formula for the potion. When I discovered that the most important ingredient was a young maiden, and learned that the maiden must ultimately sacrifice her own youth for my own, I hesitated to use it. Could I do such a thing, I asked myself? But ultimately, after having lived a long life and being near to death, I made my choice. I made the potion.

“I gave it to the beautiful young granddaughter of a friend of mine and then raped her, as the scrolls said I must. I felt better, but was still old, so I took another young maid. Again, I felt younger and stronger. In the weeks to come, I took several more maidens, and discovered that after drinking the potion and making love to me, they became bound to me as slaves. Like me, they gained great strength and endurance. But only for a time. Eventually, their youth was consumed and they could help me no more. It matters little—There are an unlimited number of young women in the world for me to possess. With their help, and yours, I will live forever. Now, drink…”

He held the glass to my lips. I pulled away. “But, why have you prepared only one potion? Are not Lori and Jackie to drink, as well?”

“No, there is not enough of the potion to go around. Tonight, I shall taste new fruit. Tonight, I shall taste your fruit.”

He shifted the glass to his left hand and reached for my crotch with his right. He rubbed his fingers across my clit, causing me to gasp in tortured pleasure. The glass touched my lips. The bitter fluid entered my mouth. I tried not to swallow, but another rub of his fingers against my swollen clit sapped me of all resistance. The potion slid down my throat, leaving a gritty trail behind. I swallowed hard and choked for a moment, then it was over.

A new set of sensations rolled over me as the potion took effect. The room seemed to spin. The Blue Bolt’s voice seemed far away. I shook my head, trying to clear it. I looked up at the chain stretching from my right wrist to the hole in the ceiling. The chain looked like it was a mile long. I looked down at the wood floor. It seemed to be a mile below me. I was suspended in space, the malformed faces of my captors in front of me, but not really there at all. Time had no meaning in this place.

And then, as soon as the sensations had begun, they were gone. Nothing had changed. I was still bound spread-eagle in the air. The Bolt and Lori were still in front of me, looking at me.

“Yes, I think that’s got it. She is under my power now. Release her from the shackles.”

Lori moved around behind me and hit the switch. The cranking sound began again and I was slowly lowered to the floor. I came down on my knees and waited patiently for the chains to loose all slack and fall to the ground. Lori kneeled behind me and undid the shackles from my ankles. Moving around in front of me, she next undid my wrists. I was free.

I wasn’t quite sure what had happened. I remembered drinking the potion, but had no idea how much time had passed since. But I felt better. My strength had returned and my mind was clear. Though my nipples still protruded distinctively out from my breasts, the Sartak had all but faded and I felt like I was ready for action. The potion didn’t work! Now, I could deal out some pain on these creeps!

Lori held out her hand and offered to help me up onto my feet. I decided to play along and wait until I was up before I clocked her. I shook my head back to get my hair out of my face. I stood tall. I looked into the face of the Blue Bolt. I looked into his cold eyes. I froze. The eyes were like deep,

bottomless pools. My gaze was locked with his. I couldn’t look away. I couldn’t move my arms. I was paralyzed.

Suddenly, the realization hit me and I knew the truth. This was the man I had been waiting for. This was the man that could give my life purpose. We had been made for one another, he and I. I would give myself up to him freely, and he to me. We would be together always. The Blue Bolt and Jody Walker.

A yearning grew within me. I wanted this man. I needed this man. Right now, right here. He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to him. He wrapped his arms around me and embraced me,

holding me tight against his body. I could feel his hard muscles bulging under his body suit. I could feel the coldness coming off of him, raising goose bumps on my skin, and it made me want him even more. I was burning with desire.

He led me to the bed and roughly threw me down upon it. “Yes!” I cried. I rolled onto my back and opened my legs. He kneeled between my thighs and aimed his throbbing muscle at me. “Yes! Give it to me!”

But I was denied. Leaping out of nowhere, Jackie tackled the Bolt and sent him to the floor. “How can you do this to me?” she wailed. “How can you abandon me for her?”

I was furious. This cheerleader bitch had crossed me for the last time. I leapt off the bed and grabbed her around the throat. I pulled her off of the Bolt and threw her to the floor. I kicked her furiously in the ribs, causing her to cry out in pain. I liked the sound, so I kicked her again.

Lori rushed to her friend’s defense and drop kicked me in the chops. I flew backward from the force of the blow, sailing over the bed and landing on the other side. I was on my feet in an instant and ready for her as she charged over the bed to attack me again. As she leapt at me, I grabbed her by her sweater and slammed her to the hard floor. Without releasing my grip, I picked her up and threw her into the wall. A right to the gut and a left to the chin flattened her.

A scream from behind me indicated that Jackie was back on her feet. I turned just in time to see her charging madly for me. Her shoulder dug into my stomach and she carried me backward into the already damaged wall. The impact was thunderous. We crashed through the brick wall and toppled down to the street, below.

The crushing tackle left me dazed and Jackie took advantage of the situation. Getting to her knees, she furiously slammed down a double handed chop onto my stomach. I groaned in pain as she did it a second time. Countering her blow, I rolled my hips and got her around the neck with both legs. I pulled her over and sent her tumbling across the asphalt.

I was on my feet quickly, but so was she. Wild with rage, Jackie threw a haymaker right at me that missed by a mile. I answered her by ramming my elbow into her chops. She fell backward, clutching her mouth in her hand. I think I knocked a few teeth out.

Suddenly, Lori jumped out of the hole in the wall and dropped down on me with an elbow of her own. I slumped to the street, stunned by the powerful blow. She grabbed a handful of my hair and smashed a forearm into the back of my head. Then, she wrapped her right leg around the back of my neck and drove my face down into the asphalt. With her leg still over my neck, she grabbed my left arm in her hands and pulled it out away from my body, wrenching my shoulder in the process, and sat on top of me. I cried out in pain. It was a good hold, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to escape it.

I might have been finished right then, but the crazed Jackie was back on her feet. Blood trickled from her mouth. She yelled in rage, sending a shower of broken teeth into the air. She charged Lori. A vicious overhand right knocked Lori off of me and sent her to the ground.

“What are you doing?” Lori cried out while holding her aching jaw.

“Don’t play innocent with me!” Jackie shot back. “You’re all against me! You all want to get rid of me! You want the Bolt for yourselves!”

Jackie took two running steps and hammered Lori with a kick to the ribs. She picked up her former friend’s limp body and slammed it to the street. Lori didn’t move. She was finished.

I was back on my feet as Jackie turned to face me, but still hurting. She charged me and I was too slow to get out of the way. She took me down in a tackle and we wrestled. First, she gained the advantage, then me, then her again. But my strength was almost back to normal and I knew that in a few more moments I would have her. Grunting with exertion, I flipped her over and landed on top. I placed my knees across her forearms, pinning her shoulders to the asphalt.

I hammered her face with a crushing right, then smacked her with a devastating left. Her struggles ceased and she slipped into unconsciousness. Still sitting atop my defeated opponent, I turned and looked up at the hole in the wall on the second floor of the building. The Blue Bolt was there, looking down at me.

“Very good!” he said without emotion. “I knew that you were the strongest, and now you have proven it. We shall make a wonderful team. Now, come, return to me.”

Using my flying power, I flew upward, crossing the short distance and landing easily inside the building. The Bolt was in front of me, walking back toward the bed.

“Come! Come join me on the bed and let us continue what we started.”

I watched him, then looked down at my hands. Jackie’s blood was on my knuckles. I looked at the Bolt again and wondered what the hell I had been thinking. Whatever desire I had felt for him before was now long gone. The potion had worn off. Whether it was due to the stimulation of the battle, my own natural resistance to poisons, or some combination of the two, I didn’t know, but I now thought the Bolt was a vermin.

“I don’t think so, Bolt. I think you’re a bug that needs to be stomped on, and I’m just the girl to

do it!”

He turned and looked at me in astonishment. “What? What’s this? You are no longer under the

effects of the potion? This cannot be! In ten centuries, I have never encountered a woman who could resist the Mayan potion!”

“You never met Ms. Marvelous before, pal,” I answered defiantly.

“It does not matter,” he said angrily. “I will still have your youth. You have consumed the potion. When I take you, your youth and strength shall be mine!”

“Never!” Using my flying power, I shot forward at high speed and pushed him in the chest with both hands. He flew backward and slammed into the base of the bed. I followed up my advantage quickly, landing beside him and driving a straight right into his gut. I grabbed his left ankle in my hands and lifted him so that he dangled upside down. I turned quickly and flung him across the room.

He crashed into the sofa, tipping it over with his momentum. He was behind the sofa, momentarily lost from my view, so I quickly approached and peered over it. I was greeted by a chop to my throat that knocked me back a couple of steps. The Blue Bolt rose and leapt over the sofa, driving a kick to my left thigh as he did so. I lost my balance and fell against him, giving him the chance to wrap his arms around me. He picked me up, turned me, then slammed me face first to the floor. It wasn’t a pretty move, but it was effective.

He was all over me, falling on top of my back with his full weight. I was flattened to the floor. His left arm was wrapped around my waist, holding me in place. I squirmed to break free as he shifted his weight on top of me. Suddenly, I felt his right hand at my ass, groping me. Held tightly against the floor, I could do little as his thumb slid between my butt cheeks and pressed against my anal opening. He inserted the tip of it--I clenched to hold him out, but I was weakening fast. Whether I was still suffering the aftereffects of the potion, or simply responding to the day’s events, my strength was fading quickly. It occurred to me that maybe I had made a mistake. Maybe I should have run when I’d had the chance.

Maybe I should have escaped.

Bolt’s thumb slipped farther inside me. His other fingers were between my legs, groping at my nether mouth. A wave of unwanted ecstasy flooded my senses as his forefinger split my enflamed lips and entered my moist pussy. He was gripping me like he would a bowling ball, his thumb in one hole, his fingers in another.

I tried one last time to rise off the floor, but then collapsed under his weight. My firm breasts flattened against the cool wood planks of the floor. I folded my arms under my head and moaned, sure that I was now helpless before my attacker. Bolt’s thumb had penetrated me entirely, sapping whatever strength remained inside me. His finger probed the entrance to my hot pussy, teasing it with the promise of what would soon come.

Satisfied that I was beyond the point of resistance, Bolt lifted his body off of me and spread my legs, then kneeled between them. He extracted his thumb, causing me to groan in pain and pleasure. I tried to wriggle away, but he grabbed me by the hair with his right hand and lifted me up onto my knees. Keeping his legs between mine, so that I remained spread and open, he reached around in front of me, and then under me with his left hand. His fingers found my exposed nether lips and began fondling my clit. I moaned again as the Sartak crept in on my mind.

“No…” I pleaded. “Please… don’t… stop…”

But he didn’t stop. His fingers were like magic, rolling my burning clit between them. My pussy was dripping wet, droplets of my juices sprinkling the hard floor. My swollen nipples screamed for somebody or something to rub them. My arms dangled in front of me, my hands resting lightly on my

thighs. Within me, a huge orgasm was building. I couldn’t last much longer. I wondered if this was the end.

The Bolt maintained his grip on my hair, pulling my head back and pushing my breasts out. His left hand left my clit and shifted to my right breast. I moaned softly as he pinched my swollen nipple between his fingers. I could feel the blood rushing into my breast, making it grow increasingly firm beneath his expert touch. The pressure built until I thought it might burst.

Beneath me, unguided by any hand, I could feel his stiff cock rising up between my legs. The top of the thick shaft pressed against my enflamed nether lips and rubbed lightly on my swollen clitoris. The massive thing felt cool against my hot skin. My Sartak clouded mind, working of its own will, imagined what it would be like to be penetrated by the huge muscle.

My legs, folded under me, felt distant and apart from me. My arms, dangling loosely in front of me, were numb and unresponsive. The Bolt’s hand slid back toward my crotch, across my tight stomach and over my pubes. His fingers rubbed across my burning clit, sending yet another wave of erotic sensations coursing through my tortured body. How could it end like this, I wondered? Would anyone ever know what had happened to Ms. Marvelous? Would Joel Steiner and the citizens of Megapolis ever know that it had been the Blue Bolt that had utterly defeated and raped me? Would they know that I had been made his sex slave and forced to serve him? Would they know that their heroine, their champion, had been made to give up her strength, her youth—her life—to him?

The Bolt released his grip on my hair and pushed me down onto all fours. My blonde hair drooped down over the sides of my face, hiding my humiliation. I could feel the tip of the Blue Bolts massive cock pressing against the entrance to my wet hole. It felt cold and clammy. A shiver went up my spine. I knew that once he put it into me, it would be all over. I would be finished and he would take my youth. He would make me his slave and use me for a few weeks before throwing me away and finding someone else. What crimes would he make me perform for him, I wondered? Would the people of Megapolis understand? Would they understand that it had not been my choice to turn on them?

The idea that I would be a criminal disgusted me even more than the touch of his icy cold cock. I thought of the Refrains. Would I spend the last few weeks of my life like them, I wondered? Would I flaunt the justice system? I thought of the Pep Squad and the fallen security guard back at the warehouse. Would I end up like them? Would I hurt people? I felt the tip of his muscle penetrate into me. The coldness increased. It revolted me. The Sartak was no longer the most powerful emotion inside my tortured body. It no longer controlled me. I was too disgusted to be controlled. I was too angry.

“I am Ms. Marvelous!” I cried out. “I will not be your slave!”

I desperately pulled away from him, pausing only long enough to hammer him with a kick to the thigh. The kick helped to propel me away from him, giving me the room I needed to somersault into a crouched position. I turned to face him. Caught off guard, the Bolt was still kneeling where he had been before, his massive dick in his hand. He growled in anger at being denied entry to my box.

“You cannot win, Ms. Marvelous!” he shouted. “Give yourself up to the inevitable!” “Never!” I responded. “I will never give up to you!”

He sprang off the balls of his feet and lurched at me, trying to grab a hold of my legs. I responded instinctively, leaping over him and landing of the other side. I wanted to get away, but he blocked my path to both the door and the hole in the wall. It looked like I had no other option other than to fight.

The Blue Bolt approached me cautiously, knowing now that if he could get a grip on me, he could easily subdue me by attacking my sensual areas. I knew it, too. My pussy still burned. My nipples still throbbed. If he were to lay a finger across either, I would probably slip back into the throws of the Sartak and be his. I had to keep him off of me.

He patiently pursued me, forcing me back into a corner. I had no place left to retreat. He lunged for me again, but I slipped to the side and used his momentum to help me slam him face first into the wall. He turned quickly and reached for me. I dodged and avoided him, but his right hand slid across my right breast, getting a good feel. I squealed as the sensations nearly knocked me over. Again, he tried to grab me, but I turned the tables on him by latching onto his wrists and taking him over with a judo throw. He landed hard on the floor but was quickly back on his feet.

I decided that I couldn’t continue to play this game. I had to take the initiative. I stepped in and threw a straight left at his head. It landed solidly on his mouth. I followed up by snapping his head back with a right. A standing side kick to his chest knocked him backward. He recovered more quickly than I thought possible, stepping toward me and getting inside my defenses. His hands reached out and grabbed on to my engorged breasts, sending a wave of erotic electricity through me. My head tilted back and I moaned loudly as he squeezed my aching tits. My legs almost gave out from under me.

“Oh, my god…” I moaned. “No more… please…”

“You will be mine!” he roared as he pulled me close to him.

I knew I was down to my last chance. I couldn’t hold out much longer. Even now, I knew that if the Bolt reached down and pressed a finger against my burning nether lips, I would be finished. I lifted my arms and wrenched his hands away from my tormented breasts. I raised my right knee and drove it into his stomach. The blow doubled him over. I chopped down across the back of his neck with both my fists, driving him to one knee. I reached around the back of his waist and locked my hands, then used the last of my remaining strength to lift him up into an inverted position. I slammed him down on the hard floor with a powerbomb. The entire building seemed to shake as he hit the floor.

I staggered back a couple of steps, almost too weak to stand. The Bolt groaned and pulled himself up onto all fours. I needed to follow up on my advantage, but I couldn’t seem to muster the strength. I could only watch as he slowly climbed to his feet. He looked at me and grimaced, then took a step in my direction. If I didn’t finish him off now, I knew, I might never get the chance again.

Forcing my aching body to act, I took two quick steps in the Bolt’s direction and jumped into the air. I extended my right leg out in front of me and nailed him in the chest. The blow sent him flying backward through the air and out the hole in the wall. I crashed to the floor, completely spent.

I lay there a long time, sure that at any moment the Blue Bolt would come stomping back up the stairs to the loft and finish me off. But he never did. Eventually, I found the strength to pull myself to my feet. I walked to the hole and looked out. The Bolt was gone. The cheerleaders, too.

I turned and looked for my costume. It lay nearby. I leaned over and picked it up, then slowly put it on. I adjusted the stretchy material so that I was appropriately covered. I walked back to the hole in the wall and stepped through. Taking to the air, and cresting the tops of the buildings, I was pleased to see that I wasn’t all that far from the docks, from where the whole episode with the Pep Squad had started. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. The start of a new day.

I headed for home, glad that I was still Ms. Marvelous. I didn’t know where the Pep Squad had disappeared to. Right now, I didn’t care. I figured the odds were good that I would run into them again, someday. Maybe not Lori and Jackie, for if what the Blue Bolt had said was true, then they didn’t have much time left on this world. But the Blue Bolt—Yes, I figured I would run into him again.

The Blue Bolt had claimed he was a thousand years old. But what kind of life did he have, I wondered? What good was a thousand years when you never helped anyone, never cared for anyone but yourself? No—I’m glad that I am who I am. I’m glad that I am a hero. I risk my life everyday to help people and I wouldn’t trade it for all the time in the world.

I flew higher and the sunlight hit my body. Though it was a cold morning, I suddenly felt warm inside. I smiled. Yes, I decided-- When a person lives a good life, then that one life is enough.