The villain laughed- it was a high-pitched, unpleasant nasal sound. "You still think i'm that loser? He couldn't have beaten you on his bet day. C'mere, Miss Knockers!" He reached down and grabbed her breasts, causing her to moan in agony. he dragged her off the platform, upstairs and into a room- it must have been an employee break room at one time, thought Miss Muscle through the haze of pain.

"There! There's your 'Exo-Suitioner!'"He pointed towards the remains of a couch, which looked like it had been repeated bashed by a piledriver. A naked male body lay on it, it's pelvis covered in blood, it's head smashed to a pulp. Miss muscle had a flash of her fight with the Centinal robot- and destroying it's head between her breasts.

"My partner, Domino, took care of him- she gave him a great send-off! I just took his suit- he wasn't using it anymore! My own tech allows me to integrate other technology into my suit. That's why I call myself the Tek-Wiz! Of course, maybe you remember my old name- Wiz-Kid?"

Miss Muscle's eyes widened. Wiz-Kid was a teenage genius, who was a foe of the teen superheroes call Justice Junior! But-

"You were arrested! You were convicted of the murder of over 20 people in the Final Battle!"

"That's right- but under the SHADO Act, I was given a choice- life in a prison with no technology, or to serve my country in an elite unit- very hush-hush- under the direct authority of-

"Kitalama!" So- everything Jack had said was true- the director of SHADO was corrupt, using the agency for her own gain!

"Got it in one, sugar-tits! And she was only Deputy Director back then- I can't even imagine all the shit she's doing now! He laughed, again.

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

Julietta Kitalma was not laughing. She looked at the reports of the massive jailbreak. This facility was suppose to be escape-proof! "What the hell happened here, Willows?"

The tall redhead-one arm encased in bandages, shook her head. "I don't know, director- it was like all our safeguards went down at once! The Octo-King's restarting system just stopped working- like the power flow was stopped. But that can't happen- there are two redundant systems! And then he destroyed a junction box- but- that shouldn't have triggered the release of the others, unless someone had re-programmed the system- and only Level- Alpha employees can do that! i don't undrstand..."

"I understand! You were in charge! I left you in charge! And you couldn't even stop this Miss Muscle from escaping?"

"I tried, really- but- the Octo-King grabbed me! He started oozing that acid-" She rubbed her bandaged arm-"I'm sorry, director."

"How are recovery operations coming?"

'We've already re-captured several of the escapees- but- at least a dozen are still at large. I've notified the SCU's in all the nearby cities, and-"

"Great! So how long before word of this spreads to the press! Willows- you are suspended pending a hearing. Pick up a power-restraint collar on your way out."

"Ma'am, please- I"

"GET THE HELL OUT!"

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

"Come in here, Max."

Max Finn walked into CI Newhouse's office in the Alpha City 1st precinct, carrying several pads and a large map of the city.

'You met Billy Spencer, right?"

The short redhead inspector looked over at the couch, and saw the young man she had interviewed earlier that day. His classmates had been released to their homes hours ago, and Newhouse had taken him to the station. She felt sorry for him- she couldn't imagine what he must feel like.

'What have we got, Max- and save the gobbledy-gook. Do we know where he is?"

"I think so, chief- we finally managed to trace his teleport signal- he used several different satellites but he's in the city- on the outskirts- near Racetrack Hill. it's the old subway station there- about a mile from the Wastelands."

"Alright- let's get a team of SCU- and I'm gonna call in a few favors."

"Shouldn't we call SHADO and let them know-"

"Nope- nothing official They've got too much to deal with right now- and this is an Alpha City crime. "

There was a knock at the door. It opened, and an SCU officer walked in. Billy recognized him from that morning.

"Off. Peter Johnson reporting for duty, sir."

"Johnson- you're suppose to be in the hospital!"

'I released myself sir- just a few bumps and bruise- I got enough TLC in there (he thought briefly of the lovely Nurse Bodet- the only reason he would have considered staying!) to fix me up."

Max looked at him, her green eyes worried behind her glasses. "What about your partner? Last I heard, she was in-"

"She's dead, Inspector. Died on the table. I want to get that bastard."

'And you'll get your chance. Max, Johnson- suit up. Finn- assemble your best assault team. I've got a call to make- assemble at the BulletChamber in 15 minutes!"

Finn and Johnson both saluted. "Yes, sir!" and ran out.

"Billy- I'm gonna do all I can to get your mom back. Trust me." Newhouse pulled out a phone from his pocket- not, Billy noticed, the one he had been making official calls on.

'Hey- we have a lead on the bastard who kidnapped Scarlett. You want to get some friends and join in? Thought you would.." He left the office, leaving Billy alone.

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

Alone and dying. That's what she was. Miss Muscle looked around the storeroom Tek-Wiz had thrown her in. There was no light except for a little bit of moonlight coming in a window- she was still underground, obviously. She felt horrible- the pulsing, burning sensation in her loins hadn't stopped, only gotten worse- she couldn't even stand, she was so weak!

"Stop it!" she thought, "You have to get yourself out of here! Think! You haven't done enough of that today! You relied so much on your muscles grew so enamored of your power- why did I ever say yes to this? Why would my strength be drained by just having my breasts squeezed? And why should orgasming cause such pain?"

There were no answers forthcoming. There were no voices, no light explaining her powers- no, she was alone. If she could stand, maybe she could crawl through that window- no- it's too small. And she had no strength- even less than she had as-

Wait- that was it. What if she stopped being Miss Muscle? Maybe the pain would go away- and she'd be small enough to fit through that window? But how? She didn't have a magic word or phrase- but- the mask. Could it be that simple? She thought, fighting the pain, and the metal flowed back up to her head, forming the mask whole again. She reached up, and tugged- it resisted at first, but then- it came off. Instantly she felt her body shrinking, and the pain going away. She was plain Kate Spencer again- and it never felt so good.

The mask! It was too big to fit in the pockets of the coverall, but she didn't want to carry it- and she felt the metal shift again, separating into 3 small squares of metal- each just the right size to fit into her pockets.

Except- she was naked. She looked around- there were some mops and buckets- and, yes, some uniforms! Coveralls, form the maintenance crew! She slid one on- a little snug across her hips and butt, but- she zipped it up over her bosom- which now seemed so small to her. Luckily so, though! At least this would fit me! There were boots, too- one pair weren't too big on her. Now, to get out!

She carefully placed an upside-down bucket under the window. The metal door to the storeroom had kept her from hearing anything but murmurs form Tek-Wiz- he had clearly been annoyed- maybe he hadn't gotten through to Kitalama? Didn't matter. She pushed at the window- it was stuck It had probably been years since anyone had tried to open it! She tried again- and it gave! It squealed, but it was moving!

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

Things were moving nicely, thought John Smith, the Thinker. Information was flowing, plans coming together- he always had many plans going- one peters out, another comes up. It was easy with a brain like his. Easier now than it had ever been!

he remembered, decades ago, when he first started- he was a planner, a master at working out schemes and cons, devising traps for heroes- and he was well-paid. Until things started going wrong. The heroes would work together- other villains would be after the same score- he needed more information, more "processing power' in his brain- and that was the answer. Just as you might link two computers to improve their abilities, he found a way (with a the help of some alien friends- now gone, as he had planned) to infect another's brain with his own intelligence. At first, it was just a form of telepathy- he could read all the information in a person's head, and learn everything they learned- but he quickly discovered how to take over the brain- make it a part of his "network". Each person was him- and he was them. he knew and could act on anything they saw, instantly! But better, they were him, so each part could act independently towards the same goal- and each part knew what every other part was doing!

He currently had over 5,000 minds in his network- no "supers", unfortunately the brains had to be "normal", unaffected by the sort of energies that they had flowing through them- but over 100 SHADO employees, at various levels. It allowed him to pass a communicator to Miss Muscle, while simultaneously re-programming computers, and sabotaging power-grids. And al they lovely data he had! He had discovered Kitalama's secret agenda over a year ago although only recently had he deduced who she really was. He understood what she wanted- and sympathized- but he had his own plans- so many, many plans.

And now he had an SU officer going to "rescue" Miss O'Brien and the schoolteacher. And one of Kitalama's henchmen was him, too- looking at poor Miss O'Brien. She was still alive, bless her- hmm, maybe he could use that- it would mean losing a pawn, but so what? He had lost his original body back in the Final Battle- according to plan, of course! He could remove his consciousness any time he wanted to- of course, then he couldn't go back n, so he rarely left unless death was imminent. As it would be, if he stole Scarlett O'Brien out from Miss Kitalama's grasp.

OH, this could be fun!

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

Kate dragged herself out the window- no fun there, her butt was a bit too big- when she felt a pair of strong hands grab her arms, and pull her up. She looked, fearing the worst- to see the smiling, handsome face of Graviton.

"Are you alright. Miss?" that voice! That voice she had dreamed about for years- deep, smooth, full of concern- it was even better in person!

"Yes- yes- Kate. I'm Kate, that is. Kate Spencer."

"The schoolteacher who was taken?" The feminine voice came from behind Graviton. She looked and saw too women there- a study in contrast. One was blonde, petite- maybe 5'2" in heeled boots, wearing a tuxedo shirt with a red sequined vest, leaving her shapely legs exposed to the tops of her knee-high boots. On top of her head she wore her namesake. Kate recognized her immediately- Top Hat, second-generation super-hero/Vegas entertainer. The other woman was black, nearly 6' tall, and dressed in a form-fitting black outfit. She was Jet, a speedster.

"Yes- yes, that's me." Obviously they thought she had been kidnapped along with Miss O'Brien. Good. that means that they didn't know she was Miss Muscle.

"He's in there- the man who kidnapped me. He's- he's very fast." She tried to think what she could say. What would she know if she had been kidnapped?

"Is Scarlett in there" asked Top Hat, anxiously she obviously knew her. Kate wanted to tell her the truth, but- "I don't know. I was in that storeroom the whole time. I heard some people talking at one point, fighting, I think- I just don't know, I'm sorry- I couldn't hear much."

Graviton laid one hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Miss Spencer. No need to worry now. SCU will be here momentarily- we'll leave you in their care while we take care of this Exo-Suitioner."

God, thought Kate- I would do anything this man asked of me. He was so handsome, so strong- so goddamn SEXY!. She felt her nipples, pushing hard against the tight coveralls. "God I hope they aren't visible!" she thought.

Suddenly, there was a vibration in the air."Better cover your ears, Miss" said Gravito- and pulled her into his chest! She felt so safe, so warm in the muscular arms of the superhero- then she felt a vibration through her body, a loud booming sound. He released her (much to her regret) and she saw a large van, almost 20 feet long had appeared on the street. it was dark, metallic blue, with the logo of the Alpha City SCU on the side. The side of the van split open on a horizontal line, half opening up to the sky, the other down to the street, revealing several SCU officers in full armor, multi rods at the ready. A large man in a trenchcoat and fedora yelled out at them- "All, right, troops- the superheroes are here to back us up- but this perp broke the law in our town- this is Alpha city's bust- got it!

"Yes, sir!" came back the chorus.

"You know the plan and layout- so let's go!"

the SCU troops followed the Chief Inspector (Kate now recalled seeing him in news conferences- and there was some gossip about him and Suzy Stander) down into the station, followed closely by Top Hat. graviton gave Kate's arm a squeeze, and winked, then followed. Her knees nearly buckled. jet came up to her.

"Miss Spencer, If you come with me to the truck, there's someone you should speak wih."

As they walked, Kate asked- "Aren't you joining them. As I said, he's really fast."

Jet smiled. She was struck at how regal the young woman looked. "I'll catch up, trust me. Inspector Finn?"

A young, redhaired woman in glasses and a slightly cheap suit looked up from a computer terminal in the van.

"This is Kate Spencer-"

"Kate Spencer! Your son will be happy to hear you're okay. What happened to you?"

"You two talk- I should go. See you later, Inspector." And, with a rush of wind, she was gone.

"You've talked to Billy? is he okay?"

The Inspector looked a little dazed. "What? oh- yes, he's fine. They're all fine- all your students. But, I'm sorry, you must have been through a lot- I need to get your statement. Is that okay?"

So, Kate sat with the young inspector, telling the lie she had started earlier. Luckily, the inspector bought it- in fact, she kept interrupting with explanations for how things might have happened. Kate knew students like her- intelligent enough that they would jump ahead, guessing what came next in a story, or a problem- sometimes, they were wrong, of course, but you could see why they thought what they did. Kate was usually gentle with explaining their mistakes. in this case, she let the inspector always be right.

As they talked, sounds occasionally came up from below them from the battle. Then there was silence.

Up from the subway entrance came CI Newhouse, followed by two SCU troops carrying the unconscious body of the - well, who they thought was the Exo-Suitioner. They placed him on the ground near the front of the van. Following them was Top Hat and Graviton, carrying an SCU officer in his arms. Kate and Maxine both ran to him.

"What happened? Who is it?"

Newhouse answered. "Johnson. Damn fool took on the perp almost single-handed. Had him going, to, until he started using super-speed. Lucky we had back-up."

"Peter Johnson?" asked Kate."He was there this morning. How is he?"

"He should be okay." said Top hat. "It was mostly the feedback from the distortion loop he set up. I've used a little healing spell on him- should help, but he should get to the hospital ASAP."

'I'd fly him" said Graviton, "but the strain might be too much."

"Put him in the BulletVan- i'll take him there. Miss Spencer, right?"

"Yes- I- I'd like to go with him, if I could."

'Does you credit, miss, but I think your son will want to-"

"Oh, god, Billy, of course!"

"Sir," said Maxine, "Miss Spencer is debriefed. She's free to go."

"All right- we'll bring Johnson to the hospital, and then you back to the precinct- then I'll come back for the perp. Max- you should go down. We're holding the scene. No sign of Miss O'Brien, but we found a body- it's not pretty. i need you to work it BEFORE the CSI boys come in, okay. And Jet's down there, too- said she stay until you say it's clear."

'Yes, sir!" Max said- a little more eagerly than usual- and she seemed to be blushing. She raced down the steps.

"Toomey, Muldoon- keep the prisoner secure until I'm back. Even if transport arrives before I do- don't let him go, got it?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Chief Inspector, if I could have a minute?" asked Top hat- in a professional- yet somehow flirtatious- tone.

He looked around- Graviton and Miss Spencer were securing Johnson in the van, Muldoon and Toomey were watching the prisoner- he walked over to the petite prestidigitator.

"Thanks for coming" he said his voice low. "And thanks for helping with Johnson. I know healing spells are tough on you magic types."

'Actually- I didn't do a healing spell. I just put a little warming spell on his suit- it should act like a blanket, keep shock from setting in. I'm not exactly great on the whole "healing' thing- except for the first aid classes I took."

Newhouse snorted. "You are such a phony! How much of what you do is real magic, and how much is just- hocus-pocus?"

'"AS magician never reveals her secrets. But it seems like your little secret about Suzy Slander's all over the internet."

"Crap, do I have to hear this from you? I was on vacation, so was she- it was a long weekend- a little too much sun, sand and alcohol, that's all."

" little too much of Suzy Silicone in too little bikini. you mean. You know, Jake- if that's what you want, I can give you everything she can- and more. Abra-" she moved her hands up to her shirt, spreading the cleavage-baring shirtfront-"Kada-bra-less: Her modest, though plump, breasts swelled. "B-c-d-e-f-gee, looks like I'm not the only one growing here!"

Newhouse was sweating. he looked around, but Top hat had placed him between the others and her. "Somebody might see, Magda, please?"

"C? Okay- I thought you'd want at least a D, but-" Her breasts shrank, ending up only slightly larger than before- although, on her tiny body, still very impressive!'Now, all I really wanted to say, Jake, was that when I gave you my personal number it wasn't just for work emergencies. I expected to hear from you- personally. Okay? Or do I have to change you into a frog?"

"As if you could, faker. I'll call you- i promise."

"Good. Ooops, dropped my hat!" Her hat, though, hadn't dropped, instead in flew up high in the sky. Newhouse's eyes followed it, involuntarily- he knew what was happening. he quickly dropped his eyes- but she was already gone- as was the hat, when he looked back up. "Someday," he muttered,'someday I'll just keep looking at her, and I'll she how she does it!"

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

EPILOGUE

The rest of the night was uneventful- well, more or less. before flying off, Graviton had suggested to Kate that he come visit her school, talk to the student and staff, reassure them that things were well in hand. kate thought that was a wonderful idea- and she did, not just because it would give her a chance to see him again. Then she and newhouse dropped Johnson at the hospital- an extremely sexy nurse, and a handsome doctor whose physique rivaled Graviton's took him into care. Then back to the precinct, and a reunion with her son. The Chief Inspector arranged for a squad car to take them home.

When the CI returned to the subway station, things had changed. the perp had woken up, He attacked and killed Toomey, and Muldoon had defended himself- somehow, probably due to the damage the perp's suit had taken, a stun beam overloaded the suit, killing him. Muldoon was placed on administrative leave, pending investigation- an investigation Muldoon was certain he would pass through with flying colors. And, if he didn't, the Thinker had almost as many plans as he had bodies.

Finn's investigation suggested that the naked man was the actual Exo-Suitioner- the profile matched what they had on him. Who the other perp was was unknown- as was where Scarlett O'Brien was, She had been there- but someone had taken her out- and left no trace.

As for who killed the Exo-Suitioner- well, that was unknown- except the MO matched at least 10 other killings over the past year- all over the world.

Julietta Kitalama had more bad news, as well- not only had Tek-Wiz been captured and killed (although his forensic records had been altered enough it was highly unlikely anyone would identify him), and Miss Muscle had disappeared, with the Golden mask- but Scarlett O'Brien was gone as well. One of her henchmen had killed the other four guarding her- and taken her. Whether she was dead or alive, Kitalama didn't know- but she HATED loose ends! At least she had the device she had extracted from the bitch- her scientists would receive it in the morning.

Miss Marveillaux looked at the glowing green egg- it spoke to her, whispered secrets of how to return the Serpent men back from their inter-dimensional prison. "100 slaves- and the temple. And the sacrifice- two pure men, two pure women- and Y'ig shall rule mankind!" She looked forward to the task.

Jessica looked again into the mirror. The "vision' was gone- her own reflection looked back at her. but- she looked different She had always been happy, proud of her body- but knew she could be more beautiful, stronger, more desirable. She looked at her breasts- already, they looked larger, more powerful- and then a different vision came to her- the woman- that magnificent woman who had saved her- that was what she wanted to be- a hero- a magnificent, strong beautiful hero! She thought bout herself in that bunny costume- and about the woman- and the two of them, fighting alongside each other- fighting with each other, for fun- and together loving each other. She touched herself, and came violently, stifling her cry.

She looked at her reflection- and smiled. She would be magnificent!

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

Kate looked at herself, naked, in the mirror She looked- normal. Like herself. Not like the magnificent amazon she could become, but- just plain Kate. Who somehow believed Graviton might be interested in her!

But- wouldn't it be amazing? She remembered his touch, the feel of his body- his smell, his smile- and she touched herself, feeling her wetness. her breathing quickened, imagining him kissing her, holding her- making love to her. He was so strong, so hard- she came- but wanted more. Not just her fingers- she needed more.

She opened the drawer where she kept those things she never wanted Billy to see, even by accident. Old shirts and towels covered up her toys- and something else- a golden mask. Would she ever use it again/ She knew she had been overconfident today- and she hadn't known her limitations. Such strange limitations! But such power- and beauty. Huh, Gravito would certainly be interested in her as Miss Muscle- hell, she might even be stronger than him- well, only at the maxed- out mode. And- there was the problem- it's not like she could ever have sex with him as Miss Muscle- the thought brought back memories of the pain she felt. No. Never.

She picked up a vibrator- slim, silver- and went to bed. She thought about Graviton, and then, about Off. johnson- why him He was handsome, yes- but no Graviton! Nice body- he had seen a little more when they removed his armor- but, still, not Graviton! And heroic, yes, but not- so what? If she hadn't met Gravito today, Peter Johnson would be the first man on her mind.

She wondered if she would ever see him again?

THE END OF THE FIRST DAY.

B