The Perils of Victory: A Diamond to Take Her Breath Away.
Written by Lady Jane
Part Three
JACK Falson hung up the phone, it was an old rotary that he had over paid an even older lady for. It reminded him of days gone by, reminded him of what he thought of as a “better time.” Not that his times had been all that better but he supposed it reminded him of his childhood fantasies of a better time. Whatever the case this phone, rather what it symbolized to him, was the only reason he even kept landline service to the store.
“You’re getting old Jackie boy,” he said to himself, shaking his head.
He turned back to go downstairs, the heroine was primed and ready, he could probably get a quickie in before they arrived. Suddenly there was a clatter downstairs… Jack started forward when a voice stopped him short.
“Wuhwuzzat?”
Glancing sideways Jack saw his friend Henry getting another beer out of the fridge in the breakroom.
“Henry, what in the hell?” Falson gaped. “I told you to watch the bi…” He was cut short as the floor beneath them shifted awkwardly.
“Wuhwuzzat!?”
The floor shifted again, accompanied by an ominous creaking. Falson looked at his drunken friend and suddenly wished he had had a little more to drink.
“My friend, I believe that is the sound,” Falson frowned. “Of floor joists being ripped out.”
“Shit…hick…should we run?”
Falson couldn’t respond because he was busy sprinting for the door. Behind him the floors began to sag as another shudder shook the walls around him. The floor in front of him burst upward blocking his path to the door. Even as Falson tried to pull up short a fist slammed him in the chest. He was sent sailing through the air, landing in a gasping heap on the uneven, alarmingly unsteady floor.
“You stupid tiny little man,” Victory spat as debris fell around her. “I am going to tear your little building to the ground, this is the part where you get to decide whether or not you’re going to be under it.”
“I got’er, Jackie!” Henry shouted lunging forward.
Victory smirked, catching the drunken idiot mid-lunge and hoisting him into the air with one arm. Falson watched Henry get tossed into one of the display units, smashing it to bits. He flailed around for a moment, vomited and then seemed to pass out. Turning his alarmed gaze back to Victory, Falson realized his folly. The superheroine strode forward and grabbed the front of his shirt, lifting him from the floor. Again he felt the floor shift and a sort of sick feeling crept into his stomach, knowing that this evening would be, at the least, an expensive one. Falson was drawn from this contemplation as Victory gave him a bit of a shake.
“The Knox Diamond...I want to know everything you know,” the superheroine growled.
Falson was amazed how different she looked. In her bindings, without her powers, even when she was talking so tough she seemed to him like just a vulnerable young woman. Now she seemed confident, strong even angry and despite her obvious sex appeal, he found himself afraid. Could any woman possess this strength? Or was it just do to her super powers? Falson found an unexpected attraction to this strong woman…another shake brought him out of this contemplation as well.
“Last chance before we head to the basement,” Victory growled. “Talk Falson!”
Jack Falson swallowed hard…and told the superheroine everything he knew about the Knox Diamond.
VICTORY climbed nimbly over the edge of the rooftop, having left the Victorycycle in the alley below to be sure no one would hear her approach. Falson had revealed one of the Eldridges’s lower profile companies owned a warehouse in Capital City’s Industrial Park, no surprises there. Recently this particular warehouse had been suddenly cleaned out and though nothing had ever been moved back in, there was still quite a bit of activity at this location. Obviously nothing too conspicuous to the public at large but according to Jack Falson this activity corresponded with Cassanda X.’s arrival in Capital City.
Victory leapt across to the next roof, then again to next and a third effortless leap brought her to the roof of the warehouse adjacent to her target. She crept towards the edge hoping to get a lay of the land without being spotted. Though it felt good to be back in her full uniform, it was times like this the superheroine wished her costume was a bit more inconspicuous. Sure the hot pants and halter combo complimented her slender figure quite well, displaying her toned abs and long shapely legs, which could at times distract combatants but as she listened to the click-clack of her high heeled silver boots, Victory couldn’t help but consider how impractical it seemed to any stealth activities.
Stay focused girl, there’ll be time for that later, she thought dismissively, pushing back her long brown hair.
Directly across from her was the warehouse she sought. True to the info Falson had given there was an inordinate amount of activity for a supposedly empty warehouse, including armed guards. There were four men patrolling the perimeter at ground level, armed with what looked to be AK-47s. Even with her indestructible silver bracelets Victory did not want to test her enhanced speed and reflexes against machine gunfire. There were two more guards on the roof, these armed with scoped rifles. There was a doorway into the warehouse on the roof as well, which would be her point of entry!
A single leap brought the heroine to her intended roof, she landed nimbly, nearly silent despite her heels. The guard she had landed directly beside looked up in surprise, the barrel of his rifle was bent in half before he had fully registered this attack. The blow that rendered him unconscious came almost as quickly and he collapsed in a heap at Victory’s feet. The superheroine turned knowing she could not afford to be seen by the other guard. A single shot would alert the guards beneath and anyone inside, which would likely end the night’s excursion with less than satisfactory results. The second guard was crouched in the opposite corner, not even looking her way.
“Norm?” he whispered over a shoulder.
Victory dashed towards him, even as he began to turn at the sound of her movement. He made a move to bring up his rifle but she was moving with enhanced speed and he had no chance of even taking aim. He made an unintelligible noise of shock as Victory grabbed the barrel and yanked it right out of his hands. A lightning fast, super powered right cross crumpled the man where he crouched. Next Victory lifted the rifle, bending it in-half so it wouldn’t come back to surprise her when he recovered.
That was easier than I thought, Victory admitted to herself.
She proceeded to the door, her super strength making short work of the lock. Inside was a staircase which she followed down to the second level, where the heroine found herself creeping through a darkened hallway. There were doorways on either side leading to emptied offices. At the end of the hall was a doorway which led out to a balcony area overlooking the warehouse space. Victory stepped out cautiously surveying the warehouse; it was completely empty! There was no shelving, no boxes, no equipment, the building had been cleaned completely out.
Oh great, I’ve walked into another trap! The thought flashed through Victory’s mind as an uneasy sensation crept into her stomach.
Almost at the same moment the metal grating beneath her feet lurched, tipping forward. Even with her enhanced reflexes Victory could not escaped the fall. The entire balcony and railing rocked forward, coming loose of the wall and plummeting towards the floor. Victory lunged forward, finding just enough purchase to leap out and away. She twisted in midair, landing nimbly crouched in the center of the floor, while the balcony and railing crashed in a twisted heap behind her. The heroine admonished herself for walking into this trap, she would have to be on full guard now.
“Alright, you have successfully lured me here,” Victory shouted rising to a powerful stance, fists planted on her slim hips. “But now that I’m onto your trap, you might as well show yourself!”
In response all the lighting shut off with an audible “boom”. A single cone of light cascaded down around the heroine and she momentarily shielded her eyes. An odd sensation crept into the back of the young heroine’s mind, she was quick to dismiss it as four points of red light flared to life in the darkness surrounding her. Victory looked from one to the next cautiously, trying to discern her peril. Four dark figures became visible just beyond the cone of light, men she couldn’t quite make out but they seemed to be holding long wands with glowing red tips. They moved in on the heroine slowly from all sides. Victory smirked, if this was the master plan it wasn’t much of a trap, she was more than a match for these thugs!
“Boys I’ll give you this one chance to lay down your weapons and surrender,” Victory said maintaining her heroic stance.
They responded by attacking! Victory was tense and mostly ready as the red tipped wands came in at her. Her enhanced speed and reflexes combined with her limber body (thank you yoga!) allowed her to avoid the weapons easily enough. However she quickly realized the batons were long enough she had no way to retaliate. She did not want to leave the light, who knew what was waiting in the darkness. So they continued the dance, Victory dodged, ducked, dipped, dove and dodged those wicked red tips. As the attack continued she wondered how long this could go on. Victory ignored the growing sensation in her mind, knowing she had to stay focused on twisting and cavorting her body to avoid these villains’ mysterious weapons.
Finally the heroine grew impatient. She had to do something to end this absurdly futile little dance. She had to get her attackers close enough to hit though. An idea occurred to her then; as one of the batons shot in at her toned stomach. Victory twisted grabbing the long wand below the glowing tip. A sharp yank pulled the thug forward, caught off guard he stumbled slightly into the cone of light. Victory took note of him quickly; gloved hand, dark sleeves, ski mask with bright blue shocked eyes peering out, the baton was secured by a strap around his wrist. In the next instant Victory slammed her elbow into his face and grabbed the front of his black shirt, then hurled the thug at one of the other glowing red spots. In the darkness two men grunted and sounded to go down in a heap.
Quite pleased with herself Victory grinned. There was the odd sense of something closing in on her, it seemed almost constricting about her mind. The heroine could not afford to give into her nerves just then as the two remaining thugs came in at her from opposite sides! Using one of her bracelets to bat aside an incoming baton, she intended to snatch the other, repeating her earlier trick. As she grabbed for it, the weapon darted back slightly and even with her enhanced reflexes Victory could not correct in time. Her hand closed around the glowing red tip and felt an instant rush of electricity flow into her.
“NNNnnnNNGH!” The heroine groaned as the current rushed up her arm.
Even as she pulled her hand away the other baton struck her in the back! Victory arched in pain, crying out as the shock surged up her spine. She could hardly believe the pain was so great, with her powerbelt securely around her waist she could usually withstand just about anything. Her attackers wasted no time, together they jammed the batons against either side of her toned midsection. The pain made her head spin and her eyes go blurry, she double over clutching her stomach. They pressed the attack driving those batons into her back, driving the heroine to her knees!
“AAAAHHH!!” Victory cried out in pain.
Weakened now and on her knees Victory became keenly aware of the growing presence in her mind. The energy invading her consciousness suddenly seemed almost to take shape, the young heroine tried to push back against the intrusion but she was unprepared for such an attack, that constricting sense now seeming tighter than ever.
The two thugs held their batons poised just above Victory’s head. Fighting off the panic and the strange feeling clouding her thoughts the young heroine sprang to her feet, grabbing the hands of each attacker and forcing their own weapons against their chests. Both men went rigid, grinding their teeth in agony and she realized how powerful those batons must be. Not giving it much of a second thought, she turned and flattened the first thug with a left hook! Then she sent the other crashing against the wall all the way across the room with a vicious mule kick.
The heroine looked around, waiting for more foes to present themselves. Instead the light slowly came back up, accompanied by solitary applause. Now more than ever that strange energy filling her mind seemed to grow in strength. Victory had never experienced anything like it and she realized with more than passing alarm she had no way or even idea how to combat it.
A single man appeared before her as the lights brightened. He was wearing an expensive looking dark gray suit. Victory did not want to think of him as handsome but with his classic angular features and impeccably styled chestnut hair, it was hard not to, even with the incredibly smug look he wore. Victory recognized him right away; Connor, eldest son of Holden and Evelyn Eldridge. In his left hand, seeming to glow almost on its own was the Knox Diamond.
Victory smirked and started forward to retrieve the gem… but found her own legs unwilling to respond!