Cat And Mouse: The Whale, Part 2 free porn video

Cat and Mouse: The Whale, part 2 by Bluto The sun was raising in the East and shining brightly through the windows at the Cedars - Sinai Medical Center. Rae Ming, the mighty Girl Goliath, was in intensive care, her breathing aided by a mechanical device, sort of like an iron lung. Given the extent of her injuries, the emergency room doctors acknowledged it was a miracle that she still lived. Only fast action on the part of Nightman and some EMS technicians on the scene saved her. However, it was still touch-and-go for the valiant woman. She might yet lose a lung and her days as a superhero were almost certainly finished. The rest of the Protectors had also spent the night at the hospital in the heart of Los Angeles. Nightman, the Medium and Mr. Fix-it had all needed treatment for minor cuts and bruises, but the Cat, who had to be brought in on a stretcher after her fight with Killer Whale left her with a broken back, required no medical attention at all and was angrily pacing the floor outside the Girl Goliath's room, muttering to herself. "I've never felt so helpless in my life," she said to no one in particular. "I was like a joke to the Whale, I couldn't even hurt him. What good are my powers if I can't protect a sweet person like Rae Ming?" "Don't beat yourself up, Cat," Nightman said from his seat in the hallway. "We all failed in that regard. At least you didn't suffer any permanent damage. You must have quite a healing factor to allow you to survive what Killer Whale put you through." "Yeah, I guess." "Cat, I have to ask you, did you really mean that about killing the Whale the next time you meet him?" "Yeah, I guess I did, damn it." "Look, I know emotions were running high at the moment, but I wish you would reconsider that promise. The Protectors are not killers. We help enforce the law, with the acquiesce of the local authorities, we don't take the law into our own hands. I'm as upset as anyone about what happened to the Girl Goliath, but I can't condone premeditated murder." "I can." The speaker was Mr. Fix-it. He had been idly fooling with a small pile of charred pieces of plastic and metal placed on a table in front of him, all that was left of the destroyed Rover, and spoke for the first time since the battle in the desert. "I know none of you take me very seriously," he said. "I'm the nerd, the geek, the Protector's own Willow or Xander or some other comic relief character. Yes, I'm the first person to run when there's trouble, the last person you can rely on in a fight. And I was afraid, really afraid for my life, of this Whale person. But I can see that the Whale represents a threat and an evil the likes of which we haven't faced before. Ladies and gentlemen, the gloves are off. We have to hit this Whale with everything we've got and if that means killing the bastard, well, so be it." "Amen," the Medium added. "So, I'm outvoted in this matter, am I?" Nightman said. "Fine, but you all should remember this: once the killing starts, it's a slippery slope. Where does it end? With the Whale? Maybe, maybe not. All I'm saying is, if you're going out to kill, you'd better be damn sure you're prepared to keep on killing, again and again." "And all I'm saying is I'm going to kill the motherfucker," Cat said, looking Nightman straight in the eye. "I'm going to kill him and I'm going to enjoy doing it." "(Sigh), OK, let's let that drop for now," Nightman said as he shrugged his shoulders. "The authorities haven't decided where to take Simmons yet. They can't be sure that the Whale won't find him no matter where he goes. And they're afraid if the Whale goes on another rampage looking for him in a highly populated area the casualties could be overwhelming." "Where's the Whale now?" the Medium asked. "On last report he was heading back to the sea. I guess he wants to revive himself before making another bid for Simmons." "Then, as I see it, we have two choices," Cat said. "We can either try to find the Whale or we can go join Simmons wherever they put him and wait for the Whale to attack." "Medium, do you have any idea when or where the Whale will strike again? "No, man, that vision of his attack last night was the first one I've had in weeks and I haven't had any more since." "We can't go after the Whale, not yet anyway," Mr. Fix-it said. "We got to be better prepared, especially now that we don't have Rover . . . and the Girl Goliath, of course. I need to send to New York for some special equipment that I think will help." At that moment, one of the doctors who was working on the Girl Goliath approached the gathered heroes. "I think she's out of the woods," he said, as he wiped his brow. "She's stabilized enough that her chances of survival look good, however, I'm not sure we can save that damaged lung. You may go in to see her now, but please keep quiet and don't try to make her talk." Cat, Gaby and Nightman went into Rae Ming's room, but Mr. Fix-it declined. "What's the point?" he said, as he continued to absently finger Rover's ruined remains. "There's nothing we can do for her, anyhow." Rae Ming looked like anything but a Goliath in her room. She seemed small and vulnerable, festooned with wires and tubes that connected her to the machines that were keeping her alive. As her friends watched, she slowly opened one eye and gave them a half smile before drifting off to a drug-induced sleep. That simple gesture was more than enough to remind them of the courage they had all come to expect from her. As the Protectors left the room, they faced a delegation from the Chinese embassy. The ambassador had a sour expression on his face and his aide could barely contain his own outrage. "How could you let a citizen of our country be treated so savagely?" he fumed. "Where were the rest of you when Rae Ming was trying to stop this menace for you? The Protectors are a great disappointment to the freedom-loving peoples of China." Before Nightman could stop her, Cat grabbed the aide by his neck with one hand and effortlessly lifted him two feet off the floor. "Listen here, you slimy piece of shit," she said. "The only reason Rae Ming was with the Protectors was because your bosses were embarrassed she got caught cheating to win some damn medals for the honor of your 'people's paradise.' She's one of the finest, most decent people I have ever known and if I could take her place on that bed in there I'd be happy to. Don't EVER say we don't do our best to look after all our members, you little worm." The aide was slowly turning blue in the face and hospital security was rushing to the area when Cat finally let him down. She snarled at everyone, then turned and stormed out the door with the Medium at her heels. "CAT, KATHERINE," she shouted. "Calm down, damn it! That was a really stupid thing you just did back there." Cat turned and snarled at her friend, fully baring her cruel fangs. For just a moment, Gaby feared for her own life, but she got over that feeling quickly. "Listen, Cat, things have gotten way too tense around here and junk. Let's go for a ride, OK? I'll take you to my parents' house and you can meet my Mom. Would you like that? She makes a fantastic gefelta fish." Cat was surprised. She knew what effect that look she just gave Gaby had on people, but the girl still wanted her to see her mother? Suddenly, Cat felt humbled and, for the first time since last night, amused. "Sure, Gaby, sure. Let's go see your folks. I damn well do need to cool off. And I can always eat fish, even gafiltered fish, whatever that may be." *** WEEK NINE - "Bam, bam, bam, bam." "That's still a long way from the bullseye, Diego. Hold your weapons more steadily. Caress them like you would a lover, you've got them in a death grip. You're anticipating the recoil and compensating too much when you fire." A gentle breeze blew through the Staten Island landfill which was today serving as an impromptu and highly illegal shooting range for the junior Protectors. Diego was allowed use of Mick Montana's old reliable twin .45 automatics, while Micki worked with the .22 Baretta Mick always used as a backup. Lue was there too, but he declined to take part in firearms practice. "Sorry, guys," he explained. "But if my powers alone aren't enough to be a superhero, I don't want to be one. Besides, you know as well as I do that the Protectors' bylaws don't allow the use of firearms." "Humph, I'd have to say that's a pretty flexible rule, considering both the official Protector cars are bristling with weapons," Micki said. "And what good are your powers going to be in a fight, Cuz?" Diego teased, as he feigned blowing smoke off his gun barrels. "Oh, I know, when you get older, maybe your tits will get really, really big and you can wear a low-cut costume that shows them off real well and we can call you Distraction Damsel. Yeah, the crooks will be too busy staring at your ta tas to fight." "Quiet, you butthole," Lue hissed. "Ms. Wendy doesn't know what I can do and I don't want it spread all around." The instructor was one Wendy J. Mick met her some time ago while still in college and she had served as his instructor on weapons and self defense tactics. She was a mysterious woman of indeterminate age, but she definitely knew her stuff. Mick suspected she had spent some time in Special Forces, but knew precious little else about her. He wasn't even sure what the "J" stood for. But he trusted her with his life. Right now all her attention was focused on Diego. "MR. GOMES," she said, in a voice like cold steel. "What exactly did you have stuck in the barrels of those pistols that you felt you had to blow it out? Are we practicing for Russian Roulette here? Never, I mean NEVER point a loaded or even potentially loaded weapon in the direction of your face! Do you understand, young man?" "Ah, er, yea, yes, mam, sir, I mean mam," Diego stammered, as the others tried to suppress their laughter. Wendy J was no dragon lady, but there was an air of command about her that had to be obeyed, even by the budding Persuader. "OK, Micki honey, it's your turn," she said. "Let's see if you're as good a shot as I remember your daddy used to be." "Crack, crack, crack, crack," Micki rapidly pulled the trigger and put three of four holes in the bull's eye. "Aye caramba!" Diego moaned. "Does she have to be better than me at this too?" "Can't help it if you're a member of the weaker sex, kid," Wendy cackled. Just then, a big, fat landfill rat skittered past the target area. A shot rang out, it flew through the air and landed in a heap - dead. "Just like shootin' fish in a barrel," Tony Bass said as he almost blew the barrel of his snub-nosed .38 before he caught Wendy J looking at him and thought better of it. The ex-wise guy was on hand to "supervise" the kids and had carried along his own piece so he could take part in the practice. He also brought Mrs. Melrose's six-month-old daughter in a back pack, his first baby sitting assignment since he decided to take up that line of work. Micki didn't think it was such a good idea, but Wendy J didn't seem to mind at all and helping look after the baby gave Lue something to do while the others were occupied. "Alright, a big cigar for the big lady," Wendy J said. "Toni gets our first rat of the day." "Yeah, ha ha, I've shot a lota rats in my time. Dis is fun. How long did you say we could stay here today, Wendy?" "Oh, the workers will turn their heads the other way for about an hour," she said. "Then the police patrols will get close enough to hear the shots and we'll have to go. Remember, shoot as many rats as you like but leave the seagulls alone. If you want to shoot a trash bird please wait until it's on the ground." So the quartet of marksmen fired away for the next 50 minutes. The toll was five targets, a score of rats and 200 rounds of ammo by the time their outing was over. Then they all loaded into Wendy's Hummer2 and headed for the ferry to Manhattan. "Do you kids know how much longer the Protectors are going to be stuck on the West Coast?" Wendy asked after they parked on the ferry. "The newspapers and television hardly have anything about their trip at all." "From what I understand, this mission could take a while," Micki said. "This Killer Whale character seems to have gone into hiding after his last attack and, after what he did to the Girl Goliath, Cat and the others aren't coming back until his threat has been ended." "Yeah, good thing New York still has the Persuader and the Little Wildcats to protect its defenseless citizens," Diego boasted. "Oh yeah?" Tony Bass said, as he fed his little charge from a bottle of formula. "An' what supervillans have yous beaten lately, hotshot?" "Well, none, yet. But if we keep training the way we have the last few weeks, we'll sure be ready for any if they get out of hand." "Haw. Get yous in a real fight and I bet you pee your pants." "Now, now, Toni dear, don't be harsh," Wendy J said. "I'm sure Diego will give a good account of himself when the time comes. And Micki, my Lord! I don't know what they feed you, child, but you're already far stronger than your father ever was. The way you're going, you just may wind up better than all these so-called superheroes." "Oh, thanks, Wendy. Ah, now you've embarrassed me." "No false modesty, girl. What are you, nine - ten years old? Yet the other day I saw you squat 400 pounds 15 times. My God, there are full- grown MALE power lifters and bodybuilders who can't do that. You're hard as a rock, but you still look like a sweet little girl. That's a dynamite combination!" Micki didn't want to get a swelled head, but it was true. Because of the healing factor she had inherited from Cat, she could train much harder than any ordinary human - even to the point of utter failure - then be completely recovered and ready to go again in a matter of minutes. There probably wasn't any practical limit to how strong Micki could become if given enough time. She was a true Nietzschian . . . whatever didn't kill her DID make her stronger. "Yeah, yeah, Micki's great, etc., etc., etc. I've heard that about a million times. Well don't forget, the rest of us have some powers, too. Right Lue?" "Oh, yeah, I can change from a boy to a girl and back. Some great power. That doesn't add a pound to my bench press or make me run any faster." "I think it's strange, considering how you got your powers, that you aren't any stronger than you are," Micki said. "OK, whisper cryptically around me all you like," Wendy J said. "I'm not a snoop and I'm not going to ask any of you for any information you don't want to give." "Well, it's not that we don't trust you, Wendy. It's just that some things would have to be talked over and given the OK by some people who're not available right now. I'm sure you understand." "Sure, Sweety, I've been privy to some pretty big secrets in my life, so I know how it is. Oh look, we're almost back to Manhattan." And soon enough Wendy J deposited the friends on the dock and drove off for the 79th Street Boat Basin to the yacht she called home. "Wow, this Wendy J must have some clout," Diego said, as he drove Mick's PT Cruiser back to Protectors HQ. "And that ride of hers must be worth a cool 100 grand. How'd you happen to meet her, Micki?" "Actually, Dad introduced us a long time ago. When I told him I'd decided to become a detective after college, he suggested I let Wendy J teach me how to take care of myself. She literally taught me everything I know about self-defense." "Well, if you and Wendy are so tight, why are you hiding the fact that you're Mick?" Lue asked. "Hey, she's the one who jumped to the conclusion that I was my own daughter. I guess Dad must have told her that whole bullshit story we made up for him when he came here and I just don't want to take the time to tell her the truth right now, OK? I'll probably get her up to speed if she hangs around for a while, but, for now, let's not make things any more complicated than they are." "Huh, they're gonna get plenty complicated enough if Cat has to tell Nightman how she got her powers," Tony said. "I don't think he's gonna like what dat demon in her has been doin' or the fact that all the rest of us have been backin' her up." "Yeah, she told me the Killer Whale just about outed her the first time they met," Micki said. "She's been trying to stay away from Nightman but that's not going to be easy since they decided to stay in LA until the Whale is taken care of one way or another." "What was in that package the Arrow sent to them?" "Well, the little box for Cat contained some parts of my Mouse costume she said might be usefull the next time they ran into the Whale," Micki said. "I don't know what he sent Mr. Fix-it, but I know they were in a big hurry to get it." "Hey, pipe down everyone, I got an important announcement to make," Diego said. "In five days, Mi Amiga, the fabulous Lupe (or Lue, as the case may be) will be 11 years old and I'm going to hold a party for her and all you are invited." The little car was filled with the sound of heartfelt applause. "I'm goin' to make reservations for us at the midtown Marriot and, just to make sure everyone's properly dressed I'm goin' to rent dresses for all you girls; Lupe, Micki, Toni..." "Watch it, squirt, I ain't no girl," Tony said with a huff. "Besides, how's a punk like you goin' to pay for an occasion like dat?" "Haven't you heard, Tony?" Micki said. "Diego is working for the Harris Poll now. Telephone surveys are a natural for a man with his talents. He was the top producer there from the get go." "You said it," Diego bragged. "I do them surveys CPI, cost per interview, and I can do a couple dozen a night. I been bringing home more than $1,000 a week and I don't even have to sell anything." "I think Diego just likes the idea of taking out a gaggle of good looking girls for a night on the town," Tony said. "Figgers it's goin' ta be his own little harem." "Too bad Cat won't be able to attend," Micki said. "I know she'll be disappointed when she hears about it." "About missing my birthday or missing out on trying a new dress?" Lue asked. "Both." *** In spite of their daughter's wealth, the Doltrys still lived in the modest home she grew up in in Pasadena. They refused to take any of her money and if anyone asked what she was doing for a living they always said she was a professional student. They were very proud of her activities as one of the Protectors, but they knew she didn't want her true identity passed around for the general public. So they were happy that Gaby had been bringing over the Cat for dinner on a regular basis. "So, Katherine, we don't hear that much about you East Coast superheroes out here," Mrs. Doltry said, as she served the matzahball soup. "Are they all as impressive as you?" "Mom! You're going to make Cat blush," the Medium said. "That's true, Mrs. D," Cat said, as she eagerly slurped the tasty soup. "I'm basically a modest girl, happy to blend in with the crowd." "Oh, don't make me plotz," Mr. Doltry said. "From what I've heard, you're the one who props up the rest of the Protectors. And you've got a pair of bazookas that won't quit! Oy, if I was 20 years younger!" "Dad!" "Well, actually, Mr. D, I'm a lot older than I look, so be careful what you wish for. Besides, I couldn't fight with your wife's cooking. It's the best." "Oh, you're so sweet," said Mrs. Doltry, as she resisted the urge to stroke Cat's head. "You're like a giant pussy cat. And I heard you were scary." "I wonder where you keep hearing these things about me," Cat said, as she winked at Gaby. "I didn't think I made the news out here that much." "Ah, not so much the news as the entertainment highlights," Mr. Doltry said, as he passed the leg-of-lamb. "I think the cameramen like to film you from a variety of angles. And, of course, they showed your appearance on that schlemiel, Harold what's his name's, show. Did you ever let him have that milk?" "DAD!!!" "Nope, he went off the air soon after that, sir," Cat said, as she eagerly accepted seconds. "Besides, our fearless leader, Mr. Nightman, would have had a cow if I'd gone on his show and dropped my top." "Nightman's just trying to do what's best for the group," Gaby said, as she cut her meat. Then she noticed that everyone else at the table was smiling at her. "What, what?" "I told you she was sweet on the old boy, Dad," Cat said, with a grin. "Oh, this is nothing new. When she was just a little girl she had a crush on that one. I guess she never got over it." "Humph, well, I got nothing against the man because he's black, but that Nightboy mess was never cleared up to my satisfaction, let me tell you." "Will the three of you quit acting like I'm not here, damn it!," Gaby screamed. "I swear, Cat, you're worse than my folks!" "Touchy, touchy," Cat said. "Answer your cell phone before you chew our heads off." The Medium's phone had just started signaling and she quickly answered. It was Nightman. "Gaby, they've decided where they're going to put Simmons. You and Cat pack your things, we head for San Francisco tomorrow morning." *** WEEK 10 - It was the night of Lupe's big birthday/coming out party at the Midtown Marriott. The massive hotel on 525 Lexington Avenue isn't the swankiest in Manhattan, but it isn't for the budget- minded, either. So Diego kept the guest list small. "Oh, my mom and granddad already gave her the kiddy party back in Harlem," he had told the invitees. "This one is for the grownups." Micki, Tony and Lupe had come to the Marriot together and were escorted to Diego's reserved table in The Shelton Grille, the hotel's main dinning room. Micki wore a pale green party dress along with white gloves and a small bag. Her hair, which seemed to grow at a very fast rate nowadays, was piled up high on her head and held in place with a silver tiara. She wore just a touch of make-up, as befits a proper girl of her apparent age, with light pink lipstick and scant eye shadow to bring out her already breathtaking clear blue eyes. Her tail was still small enough that it was no trouble to hide among her petticoats. Lupe's dress was almost identical in design, only it was a pale blue, rather than green. She also wore minimal make-up and had her thick brown hair piled up and held in place with a gold tiara. Her budding little breasts were more pronounced than Micki's totally flat chest, but everyone knew that situation would be changing soon. Tony, for his part, was dressed at his most fem yet, in a pink, skin- tight sheath that was slit up the side to show an impressive amount of his long, shapely legs. He even went so far as to wear a black garter belt and some silk stockings, as well as a delicate black thong that made it look as though he was nude under the clingy dress. His hair was worn long and flowing over his bare shoulders and impressive cleavage. Tony was all curves and no angles and nothing anywhere suggested he was ever anything but the female sex bomb he appeared to be now. The fact that he was wearing men's suits just a few weeks ago seemed ridiculous. "So, we're here, where's that bum, Diego?" Tony asked, instantly shattering his image of feminine grace with his longshoreman's voice. "You don't think that bastard set us up to order a bunch of stuff and then get stuck with the bill, do ya?" As if on cue, a waiter showed up with three menus. "Mr. Gomes informed us that he will be running a little late tonight and asked that the ladies please order whatever they want to eat and drink. He also told me to assure you that he left a deposit that will more than cover tonight's festivities." "Well, that's different," Tony said. "I'll have a Manhattan with Maker's Mark, sweetie. What do yous girls want?" "Virgin daquari, tee hee." "Same here, please." The waiter, being a professional, did only a minor double-take upon hearing what came out of Tony's lovely throat and scooted off to fill their orders. "No babysitting tonight, Tony dear?" "Just yous two brats. Ha, ha, only kidding, girls. No, no working tonight, I tol' all my clients they were on their own. I'm goin' ta have a little fun at Diego's expense." "What about the Arrow? Is he going to show up sometime tonight?" "Jez, I said I wanted to have some fun, didn't I? Don't get me wrong, da Arrow's not such a bad guy for a ignorant redneck. But ever since I kissed him he's been beggin' for more and I got a good idea where he wants that to lead. You know, girls, my body may be just about 100 percent bitch now, but I still think like a dude. I ain't no fag. I don't know if I'll ever get used to the idea of makin' it with a man, kabish?" "Oh, I think we can both sympathize, Tony," said Micki, as the waiter returned with their drinks. "I'm going to be 'dating age' in a matter of weeks and I really don't want to think about it. At least you don't have to worry about having periods and getting pregnant because you don't have any of the necessary internal organs." "The last time they looked I didn't, but who knows?" Tony asked, as he sipped his strong drink and looked over the menu of contemporary and traditional continental items. "Even with 'dat witchdoctor gone, this feminization thing I been goin' through hasn't stopped yet, ya know? Be honest, don't I just keep lookin' more and more like a dame every day? My tits are already getting into Pam Anderson territory. Who's to say I won't go ahead and develop a womb an' a uterus and start digging guys and get myself knocked up like any other dumb broad? I tell ya, my nipples are even' starting to tingle when I hold a baby, like I wuz ready to lactate or something. What's up wit' dat?" "I guess that means we'll soon be calling you Tony the Milk Maid!" a voice said. It was Diego, who had quietly come up to the table and was enjoying the conversation too much to announce his presence. "Dat's none a your business, ya little bastard," Tony said, with a huff. "You're goin' ta get in trouble one a these days wit' the way you like to sneak up on people." "Not very tactful, Cuz," Lupe said. "And who's your friend? She looks like a movie star." Almost lost for the moment was the fact that Diego had apparently brought a date, an olive-skinned beauty who bore an uncanny resemblance to a young Sophia Loren. She was dressed in a white, tight-fitting gown studded with sequins and cut low to show off her spectacular bust. She was slightly shorter than Diego in her modest white heels and carried an air of elegance and maturity that seemed totally out of place next to the irrepressible Dominican youth, who was even gaudier than usual wearing a white rented tux. "What the fuck?" Tony almost shouted. "Where'd a squirt like you meet a dame like dat? Oh, I get it. You've hypnotized the poor woman, ya beast. Somebody call the cops!" "Tony, Tony, don't be jealous," Diego said, as he pulled out a chair for his date, who sat down demurely without saying a word. "Nicole is here completely of her own free will." At that, Micki burst into laughter and had to cover her mouth with both hands to keep from spitting on the table. "Nicole, oh that's a good one," she gasped. "Hey, what's the joke?" Tony asked. "Yeah, how about sharing," Lupe demanded. "You didn't tell her, did you?" Diego asked, looking directly at Nicole. "Ha, ha, she didn't have to tell me anything, Diego," Micki said. "I have super sharp, animal senses now, remember? Besides, I've known "Nicole" for 10 years and I know how good an actor 'she' is." "Nicky?" Tony gasped. "Hi Cuz," the young 'woman' said in a husky voice. It was indeed Tony's estranged cousin, doing his drag act for the first time in many years. Micki had almost forgotten how good his old friend was at this. Even up close, there wasn't one person in a hundred who could have spotted him as a fraud. "Son of a bitch! You got me!" Tony said, with a chuckle. "OK, it's my birthday party," Lupe said. "Tell me who came up with the idea for this prank." "I confess," Diego said, as he motioned for a waiter to take Nicky's and his drink orders. "I got the idea when I mentioned this party last week and Tony made that crack about me wanting my own harem. I remembered hearing that Nicky used to help Mick pass as a woman - back when he needed help -and wasn't too bad at it himself. Well, I was planning on inviting Tony and I knew Nicky and Tony weren't getting along too well, so I suggested the drag act to kind of break the ice. What do you say, Tony, did it work?" Nicky looked pleadingly into his cousin's eyes for any sign of acceptance. Tony tried to appear stern, but he soon broke into a smile and hugged Nicky around the neck. "Ah, you knew Sophia was my favorite movie star, didn't ya," he said. as the two cousins kissed each other's cheeks. "How can I be mad at a beautiful babe like you?" "Wow, Nicky, I didn't know you were a cross-dresser," Lupe said, as she sipped her drink. "I'm not sweetheart," Nicky said, with a thin smile. "I'm an actor who just happens to be very good at female impersonation. But since I'm also gay I don't want to get stereotyped as a drag queen. What you see before you now is something that I only do on very special occasions." "And so you did this to let Tony know you sympathize with what's happening to him?" "That's right, hon," Nicky said, as he gratefully received his white wine from the smiling waiter. "Sisters under the skin and all that." "Yeah?" Tony said, as he motioned to the waiter for another Manhattan. "Well, we still got some of Cat's milk in the freezer. I can thaw it out and you can take a swig if you REALLY want to show your support, Cuz." "Ah, er, there are limits to support, Babe." "Hah, he sure turned pale in a hurry," Tony roared. "Don't worry, I wuz only kiddin." And so the evening went. Everyone ordered from the Marriott's excellent menu and ate their fill. And, as always, Micki was happy to devour everyone's leftovers. "Jez, ya damn little rat," Tony said. "Keep dat up an' yous are going to weigh 300 pounds!" "If you don't mind my asking, Antonio, how much do you weigh now?" Nicky asked. "Your waist looks really small." "Yeah, I tink my stomach shrunk," he said, his speech somewhat slurred by a half dozen Manhattans. "I can't eat half what I used ta. I'm down from 220 to 165 pounds an' I'm still 6'2." But I don't feel weak or nuttin. Truth ta tell I wuz kind 'a flabby at 220 but now I'm really tight.'" "That's rather a nice perfume you're wearing, by the way. What is it?" "Oh, glad you like it," Tony said, as he waved his wrist so as to spread the fragrance. "It's White Shoulders. Richard bought it for me." "Not our Richard," Diego said, with mock surprise. "Not the one and only Arrow!" "So what, punk?" Tony snarled. "So what if he gives me a little present? A girl's got a right to. . . to . . . I tink I had enough ta drink." "I agree," said Lupe. "Cousin, I believe it's time for this party to come to an end." As they took their things and started out of the dining room the friends noticed a crowd gathering around the entrance to the building. "I hear sirens," Micki said. "A lot of them." The hotel is located only a block from Park Avenue and just eight blocks from Times Square. The area was alive with even more activity than usual tonight, all of it centered on a building across the street. "It's a brokerage firm on the eighth floor," someone in the crowd shouted. "That new high tech crime gang tried to rob it and got caught by the night watchman. Now they're determined to shoot their way out and they got hostages." Police cars were speeding to the spot, followed by several hook and ladders. The vicinity was quickly being cordoned off with yellow police tape and numerous spotlights made the front of the building look like it was bathed in the noonday sun. Just then a helicopter arrived on the scene. It hovered over the street in front of the building, it's loudspeaker blaring a message for the thieves. "Surrender and release your hostages unharmed," it said. "That is the only way you're going to walk away from this situation." "I don't think so, Man," the leader of the gang replied, with his own loudspeaker. "See how you like this!" With that, he triggered a signal that detonated two pounds of plastic explosives the gang had hidden earlier on the first floor. It erupted with a tremendous explosion that sent rescue workers flying and covered everyone who had come for a close-up look at the action with shattered glass and charred debris. Simultaneously, a loud WHOOSH erupted from a window in the building and a flash of light struck the police copter with a BOOM. Fire and metal filled the air and people on the street ran for their lives as the helicopter spiraled down to earth engulfed in flames. "Oh my God," an officer shouted. "Those bastards have a rocket-propelled grenade launcher up there! Get those onlookers out of here, this situation is out of control!" "OK, this has gone on long enough," Micki said. "I'm still a Protector and I'm going to do something. Somebody give me something to hide my face." Tony removed a large silk handkerchief from his purse and Micki had Nicky tie it securely so it covered her mouth and nose. A pair of dark glasses borrowed from Diego completed her disguise. "Girl, are you sure you want to do this?" Diego asked. "You aren't exactly dressed for action and that gown cost me a bundle to rent." "I'm not going to stand back and let someone get hurt or killed when I can help," Micki said. "And I'm the only one of us who doesn't need a weapon to fight these punks." With that, Micki pulled off her dress, petticoats and shoes, handed them to Diego and sprang into action, wearing only her panties and a half- slip. She was a blur as she dashed across the street and was halfway up the side of the building before anyone noticed she was there. "Hey, what the hell?" "What's that, some monkey crawling up the building?" "Jesus, it looks like a kid!" By the time the robbers were aware of her, Micki had hopped through a window and was among them. She took a half second to pinpoint three bandits and two hostages in the office: the night watchman, who had a bullet in his left shoulder and a woman who was wearing a uniform from a well-known janitorial service. "Hey, who are you?" the thug closest to the window shouted, but Micki wasn't there for small talk. Each of the crooks was decked out in full body armor, high intensity helmets and gas masks and carrying a load of personal weapons, but Micki was on them like a little tornado. She took out the RPG guy first with a kick to the head that sent his helmet flying. Another thug had an assault rifle aimed directly at the cleaning woman's back. Micki knocked the gun away before he could even think about pulling the trigger, then squeezed his carotid artery until the lack of blood to his brain made him pass out. "Wait a minute, wait a minute," the leader screamed. "You can't do this! I got five pounds of plastique strapped under my armor. Back off you, you, whatever you are or everybody in this office dies!" "Go ahead." "What?" "You heard me," Micki said. "Push the button. I'm pretty sure I'll survive, but I know you won't." "You're crazy," the leader said. "You want these innocent bystanders to die?" "Look at me, mortal," Micki said, as she let the leader see her little tail swishing to and fro. "I am an imp, a demon from Hell. The more humans who join me there, the better." Micki was making all this up on the fly. Meanwhile, one of the officers in the stricken helicopter had jumped or been thrown out before it hit the ground and was holding on with one hand to a flagpole on the sixth floor. It was obvious he was going to fall before a ladder or safetynet could be put in place to save him. Just as his fingers let go, his forearm was grabbed by a strong, hairy hand. He looked up to see a chimpanzee wearing a blue party dress holding him suspended over the street. The ape gave him what appeared to be a smile and effortlessly lowered him to the ground.. The primate didn't wait for any thanks, but bounded away into the darkness. "What just happened?" the stunned policeman asked. "Did a chimp just save me or am I in the middle of a remake of Tarzan's New York Adventure?" Back in the building, as she threatened the robbery leader, Micki slowly inched closer and closer to him. She was tasting all the biological signals he was giving off - heartbeat, body odor, skin temperature, sweat production - readying herself to strike. She concentrated on his left hand, which held the trigger mechanism, alert to the slightest twitching of his fingers. "You're no demon," he shouted hysterically. "Now that I get a better look at you, I can see that you're just a kid running around in her underwear. I don't know how you took out number 2 and number 3 or even how you got up here, but I spent 10 years in the Marines and no child with a tail is going to beat me!" But, unfortunately for the Leader, he'd allowed Micki to get within an arm's length of him. In a flash, she grabbed the wires leading to the explosives strapped to his chest and yanked them out harmlessly. Breathing a silent curse, he took a right-handed jab at her head and grazed her skull. Micki was somewhat surprised that he could even touch her, but she barely felt the blow. The Leader outweighed her by at least 100 pounds, was more than a foot taller and was armed to the teeth. "Good," Micki thought. "This might just be a fair fight." They circled each other looking for an opening. The Leader dropped his chest armor and the useless explosives underneath, feeling the need for speed more than protection. Micki dropped her hands in an effort to draw her opponent in and the Leader took the bait. He attacked with both fists flying, but Micki dodged or blocked all his blows, then hit him in the chest so hard with her open palm it knocked him across the room. He stumbled to his feet, growling and pulled out a nasty-looking knife with an 8" blade. He lunged at her, but Micki somersaulted over him and kicked him in the back of his right knee. He screamed as the joint gave way and he collapsed to the ground. But he wasn't done yet. The Leader rolled to his back, firing a huge sig saur automatic in Micki's general direction. The first two wildly-fired slugs missed, but the third grazed Micki's side as she lunged at her foe. The fourth bullet struck the ceiling because Micki had a vice-like grip on the Leader's gun hand. She squeezed until the pressure was too much and he had to let the pistol go. She pulled him to a sitting position and instructed him to take off his helmet and stick out his chin. Seeing no other recourse, he did as she said and Micki cold cocked him on the chin. "Been wanting to try that ever since I saw Clint Eastwood do it in a movie," she thought, while she gathered all three crooks and tied them together. She untied the hostages and told them to call for the police out the window while she found another exit. "Wait, who are you, young lady?" the cleaning woman asked. "You've been injured, shouldn't you wait for help?" "It's really just a scratch, mam," Micki said, as she ran to the office door. "And my name is . . . Ms. Wildcat. I'm one of the Protectors." *** Because of the night's unexpected events, the gang decided to meet at Protectors HQ first before going to their various homes. Micki could have gotten them in after hours, but it just so happened the Arrow was there having a late workout and he was more than happy for the company. He was glad to see Toni and even more intrigued by her cousin, Nicole. "Maybe I shouldn'ta be here," Nicky said, in a mild Italian accent. "You got superhero bizness to a discuss and I'm a no parta dat." "Nonsense, little lady," Arrow said, oozing his own brand of southern charm. "You are just as welcome as your lovely cousin. Now, can ah git you anythang?" "Yeah, how about a air sickness bag, you corn fried Romeo," an extremely irritated Tony said. "I shouldda known this evening was going to be ruined, somehow." Micki's gunshot wound didn't even need a bandage and she had changed into some workout gear she kept at the HQ. "Shut up, everyone," Diego demanded. "It's on the TV." The rec room's 52" plasma televison was tuned to the 11 O'Clock News and the lead story was the attempted robbery close to Times Square. The cameras were able to catch a quick shot of Micki scampering up the building and a much longer shot of the ape-in-a-dress saving the helicopter passenger. "Who these two new heros are we do not know," the reporter intoned. "Some say they're humans who appear to be animals, others that they are animals who appear to be human. We do know the one who stopped the brokerage robbery called herself Ms. Wildcat and claimed to be a member of the Protectors. A call to Protectors' HQ produced a 'No comment' from the Arrow, apparently the only member currently on duty." "What was I supposed to say?" the Arrow asked. "Nobody told me you kids were ready for action. I don't know Ms. Wildcat from Adam. Cute name, by the way. But, where'd you get the monkey in the blue dress?" "That was a chimpanzee ya fuckin' moron," Tony said. "And that was Lupe. Jesus, they're wearing the same dress!" "Yeah, and who is Lupe, anyhow?" the befuddled Arrow asked. "Is she Lue's sister? She kind of looks like Lue." "I AM Lue and I am Lupe," Lupe said. "And, apparently, I am also an ape when I want to be." "But how'd it happen?" everyone asked at once. "I don't know," she said. "I was looking at that man holding on to the flagpole and everybody was saying that he couldn't hold on for long and that he was going to die and I couldn't do anything about it and I wished real hard that I was a chimpanzee because they're strong and good climbers and if I was one then I could do something . . . and the next thing I know I'm climbing up the side of that building after him. It was weird. That man had to be much heavier than me, but he didn't feel like he weighed hardly anything. But the oddest thing was I couldn't speak. It was like I'd lost my vocal cords and couldn't talk any more than a real ape can." "Well, we already knew Lupe had the ability to morph from male to female," Micki said. "Now it looks like she's developed the ability to morph into other species, as well." "Hey, why don't you turn into something else right now, Lupe," Tony said. "Why don't cha' turn into a camel or something." "Not while she's still wearing that rented dress," Diego said. "She stretched it bad enough with her ape act. Why didn't you take it off like Micki did hers?" "Because I'm not gonna run around Times Square in my panties, you idiot," Lupe shot back. "I got more to hide than Micki does." "Hey now would be a good time to try on those new uniforms I made for all of you," Nicky said, forgetting the accent. "Do you still have them here?" "Yeah, let's go get 'em," Micki said, with a laugh. As the children ran off to get their hero outfits, the Arrow stared at Nicky. "You make hero costumes? Ya think you could make one fer me?" "It a would be a pleasure," Nicky said, with a smile. "Let a me get your measurements, I think a I got a tape here in a my purse." Tony did a slow burn. *** At Destroyer's HQ the newscast featuring the mysterious young heroes was a big hit. "Another couple of goody goodies with superpowers," ExO2 said, as he helped himself to some popcorn. "Run that tape again. I want to see if that was a real chimp or somebody in a chimp suit." "Who cares about the chimp?" the Weapons Master asked. "The leader of that raid was an old friend of mine and if some little girl with a tail could beat him we've got a problem." "I agree," said Junk Yard Sal. "Ms. Wildcat, eh? What if she's related to the Cat somehow? None of us can beat the Cat. What if this new kid is just as tough?" "Oh, I don't think the Cat is so tough anymore. I understand she got her head handed to her by that Killer Whale fellow out in California." The gathered villans were startled to hear a new voice in their leisure room. It was a voice as deep as the Pit and every word it uttered seemed to cause the room to shake. A massive figure stood in the doorway next to The Commander. It was at least seven feet tall and so broad it took up most of that doorway by itself. "This is Joe Santi," the Commander said. "The time is near for our next job and Mr. Santi here is going to lead us." The man called Joe Santi walked to the front of the room. He wore leather and buckskins and colorful beads and it was obvious he was American Indian in heritage. His hands and feet were huge even for a man of his size and he was covered in thick, coarse, black hair. He smiled as he looked over the gathered Destroyers and showed a full set of very large, sharp teeth. Perhaps most unusual of all, his nose was totally black, adding to his distinctly ursine appearance. "Oh my God," EXO1 whispered to her brother. "Our new leader is Yogi Bear!" Santi gazed at her with a look that would wilt an oak tree, then he smiled. "Very funny, fleet one, I hope your wits will be just as sharp in battle." "How did you . . . I mean, uh, I was just . . .," EXO1 sputtered, as her face turned crimson. "Ha, ha, don't worry," Santi said. "I can take a joke. But we are here for business, my friends, serious business. Our target is an unimposing structure in East Harlem that contains perhaps the greatest treasure in the world, two objects that represent unlimited power. It is the home of Louis Sanchez Basilio, known to some as The Ole Perfesser, and here is how we are going to get what we want from him." End Episode 11