"Welcome back," she said, her voice melodious, with a slight southern accent.

"Am I- is this heaven?" Peter felt silly even saying it- but he felt so good- and she was so beautiful!

The vision giggled. "No- Alpha City General Hospital- SHADO Ward.. And I'm no angel- trust me. I'm Nurse Bodet," (she pronounced it "Bo-day") " Belle Bodet. Do you know why you're here?"

Peter nodded. "The attack at the museum. What happened? Did the kids get out alright? My partner? And the perp- did-"

"Shhh" she said, placing one finger on his lips. it was an oddly intimate gesture- particularly given how warm her skin was. Peter felt himself respond." I'll give you your answers, but you have to take your medicine- and stay calm, okay? Now, Dr. Nightingale examined you when you were brought in, and gave you something for the pain. It's my job to make sure your body gets better."

"Are you- you're a healer, like Nightingale?" Peter had met the beautiful Dr. Nightingale  once before- when he had his initial assessment for the SCU (actually, he realized later, an assessment by SHADO- it turned out the feds were basically in charge of all local SCUs across the country)- and knew she had the ability to create medicines from her own body chemistry, and "inject" them into patients through touch.

"No- not quite the same. My talent is to promote and direct cellular growth- healing, basically. You have some internal injuries- a few broken bones, some bleeding- including a nasty bleed in your brain. That's what I was working on when you woke up. Now, if you'll just lay still, I'll work on the rest of you."

The way she said it was completely professional- but Peter couldn't help thinking how he wouldn't mind her working on him- one particular area specifically. As she stood, he got a clear view of her body- she wasn't tall, maybe 5' 4"- but she was spectacularly curvy. She wore, instead of the typical nurse's scrubs, an old-fashioned uniform- white, short skit, white stockings- and her uniform top strained to contain her breasts. Peter hoped her treatment didn't involve her looking below his waist- he was already embarrassed! 

Hoping to distract himself, he asked- "Just one question? How's my partner, Off. Jacobs?"

Nurse Bodet frowned- even that was sexy! "Not well- she has significant trauma- debris fell on her, and something punctured her abdomen- Drs. Cutter and Nightingale are with her in surgery. Now- I think we should get to that hairline fracture on your pelvic bone." 

As she whipped off the blanket from his bed, Peter turned bright red.

-----------------------------

Op-pros was bedlam- guards attempted to control the tentacles and gas coming through the wall, using their multi-rods. it wasn't going well.  Willows was barking orders- she seemed to be a lot more than a secretary, Kate realized. It seemed a perfect time to make her escape. She just hoped her new muscles would be enough to get through the wall. It looked very strong!

 She ran towards it, intending to ram into it with her shoulder, when suddenly, she felt- ropes? Cables?- around her legs, and fell over. 

"Hold it right there, big Bertha!" yelled Miss Willows. Kate looked back to an amazing sight. Willows' arms had stretched out, wrapping around Kate's legs like vines. 'You're not going any-"

A tentacle wrapped around Willows' head, and whipped her back. Willows' arms untangled from around Kate's body. Kate was torn- she didn't want anyone harmed- but she had to escape! If-

The front door opened, and in flew Graviton- his 6-and-a-half-foot, muscular body, clad in his world-famous green-and white uniform sent a thrill through Kate. Part of her wanted to stay- to meet him- to help him, to kiss- but no! She had to escape, and this would be her only chance. She ran at the wall, and broke through on the first try.

She tripped as she went through, and fell. Looking back, she saw that not only has she burst through two feet of concrete, but what looked to be a layer of steel! How strong was she? 

No time! She ran, pulling the device out of her robe. An arrow pointed to her right, and she turned. There was no way she could run fast enough! If only she could- 

"Why not" she thought- stranger things have happened- today! She leaped, and thought "Fly!"

A glow surrounded her, soft and golden- and she flew.

Kate had never felt better in her life.

------------------------------------

It had been a little more than 2 hours since the attack, and still, no one would talk to Billy Spencer about his Mom. The cops had taken everyone's cameras, and talked to a few students, letting them know about Miss Merviellaux and Bunny, but no one had mentioned his mom. Then they had all been brought to the museum cafeteria, and gave them pizza and ice cream. Like they were little kids!

There was a commotion at the door, and several SCU officers came in., carrying bags. they were followed by a tall, gruff-looking man in a trenchcoat and fedora.

"I'm Chief Investigator Newhouse, with SHADO," said the man, whose voice perfectly matched his appearance. "We've brought back your cameras and phones- so you know, all the visual information on them- the pictures- has been wiped clean." A buzz went through the room. "Not by us, okay? It appears the perp sent out some sort of viral pulse, capable of destroying that info. This means the only info we're gonna get on what happened here will come from you. So- I want you all to rearrange yourselves, and sit alphabetically- last names starting with "a" here, "z" down there. I'm sure you're all smart enough to figure this out. I'll start with the Z's, my assistant, Investigator Maxine Finn will start with the A's. Do it, people!"

The kids milled around, rearranging themselves. Dick whispered to Billy "Hey, looks like I'll get interrogated by the cute one, at least!" Billy just sighed. Investigator Finn was cute, he supposed- short red hair, glasses, sorta short- but he didn't care. The curse of his last name had struck again. Jackson was right in the middle- nobody ever started at the middle!

--------------------------------------------

Julieta Kitalama walked into the secured room. This warehouse space on the edge of Alpha City had been commissioned by SHADO (under her orders) as a possible secondary HQ, it case the primary was compromised.  Of course, once the work was done, she found a way for it to be- lost? In any case, there was no official paperwork regarding this site, and anyone who worked on it was either thousands of miles away or dead. It was her own personal safehouse, and she had stocked it with the cream of SHADO tech. All in the service of her own ambitions.

 She had told her "henchmen" (she loved that word)- all hand-picked form various criminal organizations brought down by SHADO- to leave her alone with the prisoner. She wanted to take her time, and that "Miss Muscle" would wait.

Scarlett O'Brian's eyes widened as  she saw the Director of SHADO walk in to her prison. She had woken here, tied down to what appeared to be a an old-style SHADO interrogation table, which used artificial gravity to hold prisoners in place. She had heard that they weren't used anymore, as the grav-lock system occasionally malfunctioned, freeing- or crushing- the prisoner.

"Director Kitalama- thank God! What's happened? I remember being attacked by someone- he had some sort of exo-skeleton, and-"

'His name was- oh, I can't remember- but he called himself the "Exo-Suitioner", if you can believe it. Mercenary and assassin, and pervert. He apparently started his career, such as it was, by creating a new type of stealth shield- just to spy on, and eventually to assault, big-breasted women.  So, you're probably lucky my folks got there when they did." She gestured at Scarlett's impressive bust.

"But- if SHADO rescued me, why am I-"

"Oh, no, Scarlett- not SHADO. I said my people. See, my family has a long history of- let's say "family business". You'll understand when I tell you that Julieta Kitalama is not my real name- just a very well-executed alias." She was now right next to Scarlett, who could see the excited flush across her face, and even down into the flesh revealed by the opened zipper on her catsuit. There was a gleam in her eyes, as well- a gleam Scarlett felt uneasy about. 

"See, my family decided to take a page from the "super-heroes"- bu to do them one better. From birth, we were given "secret identities"- we lived two lives, until we joined the family firm full time. I was ready- hell, I had been ready for years- but Papa, well, in that one way he was old-fashioned. he didn't want his daughter on the front lines, even though I had inherited all his talents- and ruthlessness. An my Mama's as well. But, no- my brothers- even my baby brother, Louis- he could be out there, earning his keep, taking down our enemies- but I was suppose to stay in hiding. " She placed a long, red nail on the side of Scarlett's face. "But that was about to change. Papa had relented. "Next time, G," he said. But then- he was gone. They were all gone." She scratched down Scarlett's face, drawing blood. "You had killed them. You, and your sisters."

Scarlett felt a chill run down her spine. It couldn't be- the director of SHADO couldn't be-

"My name is Gianna Killino. My father was Johnny Kill. my mother, Black Diamond. My brothers were Bloodgem and Red Death. I'm going to kill you very slowly. I will humiliate you, rape you, and make you beg. I will avenge my family. And, when you are dead, I shall take your power, and add it to my own. And I will rebuild the Killino family, and I will use SHADO to destroy this country."

Quite suddenly, she kissed Scarlett.  Her lips were soft, but then hardened, sharpened- Scarlett felt sharp edges cutting into her lips. When she drew back, Julieta's- Gianna's- skin had changed to a hard, jewel-like appearance.

"And there's not a thing you can do to stop me." And she laughed.