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Superia #4: Fire and Earth pt. 1

by Sigma

Author’s Note: Taking another writer’s suggestion, these stories will include short cast lists in the beginning. For the sake of not spoiling anything, only characters from previous stories will be included on these lists.

The cast:

· Naomi Grant aka ‘Superia’: Aphrodite who is new to being a superhero and has just joined a group of fellow Aphrodites defending Delta City.

· Alexis Adelson: Naomi’s best friend and neighbor. Normal human. Works as a dom at a sex club where Naomi has a day job as a bartender.

· Anisa Carter aka ‘Delphi’: Leader of the team of heroines Naomi is a part of. No superhuman abilities, but one of the smartest people on the planet. She’s a self-made billionaire who funds the team and runs support during missions.

· Veronica Chambers aka ‘Mantis’: Superheroine and most experienced member of the team. Expert fighter and detective, has a somewhat tense relationship with Delphi as the co-leader of the team.

· Agent Fox: Senior field agent in Delta City for SNTNL (Sentinel) The Supernatural, Non-native and Terrestrial Neo-Lifeforms Agency, a clandestine government office that deals in all things weird.

I

“Naomi, hold up!” Alexis shouted from several feet back.

Naomi turned and saw her friend hunched over, catching her breath. Sweat soaked through Alexis’ top, the unblemished brown skin of her ample cleavage gleaming in the sunlight that bathed Neptune Park on this late summer morning. Naomi jogged back and stopped in front of her friend. “What’s up?”

Alexis took a moment to catch her breath and then sighed. “Did you forget I’m not superhuman like you are?”

“What?” Naomi blinked. “We’ve only run like a mile.”

“We’ve been running for four miles! My leg’s starting to cramp up...”

“Seriously?” Naomi asked before taking her cell phone from the waistband of her tight athletic shorts. Her running app said they had gone 4.31 miles. “Huh…sorry, babe.”

“It’s all good. You keep going. I’ll catch you when you loop around,” Alexis told her.

Naomi looked around the park and spotted a cart off to the side. “I’ll get us some water.”

Alexis waved her off and nodded. “Yeah, good idea,” she breathed before collapsing onto a bench and taking out her own phone. 

Naomi walked over to the cart after taking a credit card out of her phone case. “Hey man, two waters,” she said to the vendor. It wasn’t long before they were in hand. Naomi turned back around and saw the bench where Alexis sat down was empty.

“What the...Lex?” She called out. She looked up at down the trail and didn’t see anyone in either direction. She squinted at something on the ground in front of the bench, a black rectangle. Alexis’ phone. “Hey, dude, did you see where the sexy black girl with the nice tits ran off to?” she turned to ask the vendor, only to see the cart unmanned.

An uneasy feeling grabbed hold of her, a sinking feeling that made her sick to her stomach. The surrounding woods of the park were quiet. Not even the chirping of birds or the chatter of insects could be heard. She then heard a rustling before something lashed out at her from the trees.

“Fuck!” she yelled before jumped back out of instinct. A thick, green tendril covered in sharp thorns knocked the cart aside and tried to grab her. The giant plant slithered across the ground and stood upright like some great beast.

“God dammit…” Naomi muttered before dropping the bottles and running. When she looked back, the plant was in pursuit. She was easily able to outpace it, but she knew she’d have to fight eventually. She just needed a plan. Then she saw it, a small brick building that served as a station for the city’s Park’s Department. Naomi picked up speed and lowered her shoulder, barging through the door and nearly destroying it as she went. The employees inside, two men and a woman, all jumped at their desks when Naomi barged in. Naomi scanned the small office, grinned and then grabbed the fire extinguisher from the wall.

“Hey! What are you doing with that?” One of the male employees asked.

“Step back!” Naomi ordered with an authority that made all three of them obey.

Moments later, the plant shattered a window and lunged at Naomi, but she spun and gave it a dose of the extinguisher. The employees screamed and ducked in surprise. The plant recoiled at the attack, and when it tried to pull back, Naomi leapt forward and grabbed hold. She tucked it under an arm, and put her feet to the wall to keep it from leaving through the window.

The lean muscles on her back, legs, and thighs all flexed as she pulled, and with a yell of effort, she ripped the plant in two and fell on her ass with a thud while the stub of the plant retreated. She stood up, dropped her dead trophy and picked up the extinguisher. “I’m gonna borrow this,” she told the Parks employees. She started to leave and then paused. “Hey, where’s your gardening stuff?”

The female employee pointed at a door that Naomi ran to. She pulled it open and found a utility closet filled with signs, cleaning supplies, and a small arsenal of gardening tools. Rakes, shovels, buckets, and other implements.

She picked up a pair of large shears and began to leave when something else caught her eye. She tossed the shears aside and picked up a folding saw that flipped out to its full length when she pulled at the flat side of the toothed blade.

“Yesss….” she grinned and turned to leave.

“Hey, you can’t take that!” the female employee blocked her, only to cower in Naomi’s imposing presence, being that the busty Amazonian woman holding the saw was a good 8 or 9 inches taller than her.

“What’s your name?” Naomi asked her.

“J...Jill…” the woman stepped back.

“I like a woman with some authority, Jill,” Naomi said before leaning in to whisper. “You’re getting me kinda wet.”

Naomi grinned and slapped her on her firm ass before she stepped past her and leapt out the window.

“I...I get off at 4!” Jill yelled after her, shrinking back with a red face when her co-workers glared at her.

***

Elsewhere in Delta City, Delphi was in the training room at the safehouse, grunting with exertion as she went through a series of martial arts katas. She stopped after throwing a punch when her phone rang.

“Naomi? Hi.” She answered when she saw the screen.

“Del! Problem! Plants are attacking people in Neptune Park!”

“Plants? Like, sentient ones?” Delphi asked.

“Maybe? What the hell does ‘sentient’ mean? Look, it doesn’t matter. They got Lex, I’m going in!”

Delphi started to answer when a look of realization crossed her face. “You said Neptune Park?! Naomi, wait! I think I know what this is. You need backup. Sit tight until I can round up some of the girls.”

“Can’t do it. I’m not letting Audrey II eat my best friend!”

“Audrey...II…?”

“Watch a movie, Del! For fuck’s sake!” Naomi yelled before hanging up.

Delphi stared at her phone for several seconds and then dialed another number. “Veronica...there’s a problem at Neptune Park, Naomi’s already there. I’ll fill you in, but I need you to go get Cindy.”

***

It wasn’t yet noon, but if any of Cindy Callum’s neighbors were still asleep, the upbeat pop music and her off-key singing had long since waken them up. The tall, busty redhead, clad only in a tight t-shirt and a pair of panties, danced around her kitchen, licking pancake batter from one end of her wooden spoon before using it as a microphone. She then poured the concoction into a hot waffle iron and closed it, giving the first of her waffles time to cook while she continued singing.

This continued for several more moments until the music abruptly cut off. Cindy spun around to find Mantis, clad in her full costume, a skimpy green bikini with matching mask, gloves, boot, belt, and cape, leaning against the wall next to her stereo system with her arms folded.

“Good morning, Cindy,” Mantis waved.

“Hiiii Roni!” Cindy beamed just as her waffle iron beeped. She opened it and took the fresh waffle out. “Want some breakfast?”

“It’ll have to wait,” Mantis told her while approaching her. “There’s trouble in Neptune Park. I need you to suit up.”

“What’s wrong?”

“We think it might be Rebecca.”

“Becky’s in trouble?”

“We think she is the trouble,” Mantis clarified.

“Huh...well, is someone already there?”

“Yes, Naomi.”

“Who?” Cindy blinked. “Oooooh, the new girl? I finally get to meet her?!”

“Yes, you do. But you’ll have time for introductions later. We need to get to Neptune Park and figure out what’s going on. If Rebecca’s turned against us, you’ll be the one to stop her.”

“Yes ma’am!” Cindy saluted. She then gave a thumbs up and a flame burned on the end of her extended thumb and she grinned, but then the moment was ruined by a high-pitched beeping.  “Oh crap!” Cindy looked up at the smoke detector she stood directly under “Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry!” she said, jumping up and down to try and press the button to turn it off. Her large, unrestrained tits bounced in her t-shirt as she made several attempts to shut the detector off before finally getting it on attempt number 4. She then sighed. “They really shouldn’t make those things so loud.”

“Please focus, Cindy.”

“Right! Becky, Neptune Park, new girl. I’ll go suit up.”

She started to run to her bedroom and then turned and ran to Mantis, wrapping her up in a tight hug. Mantis blinked and stepped back when Cindy broke the hug.

“What was that for?”

“I haven’t seen you in weeks!”

“Is that really a reason for a hug?” Mantis asked.

“Don’t argue with me, young lady, or you’re getting another one.”

“Cindy, please…” Mantis said, motioning to the bedroom.

“Right, right, sorry. Can you put the batter in the fridge and turn the waffle iron off, please? And help yourself if you want!” she said, running off to her bedroom.

Mantis watched her go and then did what Cindy asked. She looked at the fresh waffle on the plate on the counter and picked up a fork after putting a small helping of whipped cream on it. Mantis used the fork to take off a small section and ate it, then paused.

“God damn…” she gasped and covered her mouth before going for another, bigger piece.

II

Naomi came to the edge of Neptune Lake, in the dead center of the park, with hacked-up plants in her wake. Sweat ran down her forehead and chest and soaked through her tanktop, revealing her nipples as she wiped the sweat from her brow. She stopped to catch her breath and looked around. She peered over the expanse of the lake at something in the distance, what looked like an odd-shaped head bobbing on the surface. She blinked and when she stepped closer, the head disappeared beneath the lake’s tranquil surface.

“What the fuck…?”

“N-Naomi...up here…” A familiar voice groaned. Naomi turned and then looked up. “No..no...no, no, no!!” she gasped.

Alexis was suspended above her in the trees, along with several other people. Their limbs were held in place by thick, twisted branches. Naomi looked closer and saw that the branches were merging with the skin of some of the people, to the point where it was getting hard to tell where human ended and wood began. Some people were already fully petrified. Others, like Alexis, were in the early stages.

Naomi clutched the saw like a sword and tried to figure out where she could cut without hurting the people, especially her best friend. Just then, she felt rumbling in the ground and looked left just as a massive flower began to sprout. Once it was above the surface, its dark red petals opened to reveal a person inside.

She was fairly short, around 5 foot 2, with skin the color of grass and hair the same color twisted and matted to resemble vines. She wore a simple tanktop and shorts and she eyed Naomi with glowing, gold eyes.

“What the fuck…?” Naomi narrowed her eyes at the woman. “I know you...I saw you in Delphi’s database. You’re Thorn, right?” She then pointed to the people with the saw. “Did you fucking do this? I thought you were on our side!”

Thorn didn’t answer, she simply charged at Naomi and leveled her with a fast moving flying kick.

Naomi tumbled back across the ground and rolled to her knees, clutching her chest where Thorn’s kick landed. “Oh, okay...I got it.” She stood up and stretched her long limbs. “You fucked up now, Ragweed.”

Thorn attacked her again, going for another kick, but Naomi slipped to the side and grabbed Thorn’s leg and threw her to the ground. Thorn tumbled in the dirt and tried to get up, but she flew back when Naomi pressed her attack and hit her hard with a knee to the jaw.

Thorn grunted and landed on her back and Naomi pinned her down by straddling her waist and grabbing her wrists to hold them down.

“Cut the shit or I start leaving bruises,” Naomi threatened. “Let these people go. Now!”

Thorn glared at her and then looked over Naomi’s shoulder. Naomi turned around too late and tried to fight the branches that snaked down from the tree behind her. One wrapped around her wrist and another around her narrow waist.

“Fuck! Get off!” she fought. More branches grabbed her around the thighs and then one wrapped around her neck before they all pulled her up but keep her close to the ground.

Thorn walked up to Naomi and touched the side of her face. She then slid her hand down Naomi’s captive body, cupping her right tit and squeezing it through the fabric of her top. She kneaded the supple flesh and pinched the nipple, smirking as Naomi struggled against the grip of the branches and tried to get away.

“Get your fucking hands off me!” Naomi demanded and tried to break free. As she did, Thorn slid her hand down her stomach and into her shorts, and a short moan escaped Naomi’s lips while Thorn teased her pussy lips. Naomi pulled at the branches holding her when she realized she couldn’t feel her fingers. She looked and gasped in horror when she saw that her hand was slowly turning into wood. “No! Fuck!” she screamed.

At the same time, Thorn slipped two fingers into Naomi’s pussy and began toying with her. Her nipples were rock hard, and Naomi bit her lip, trying not to cry out while Thorn had her way with her. She played with Naomi’s clit, taking her time to tease her captive and draw out pained gasps and angry curses. Naomi couldn’t help herself, she was growing wet between the legs as she was completely at Thorn’s mercy. The petrifaction was slowly creeping up her body at the same time, reaching her shoulder, but all Naomi could focus on was Thorn’s slowly, purposeful fingering. Naomi felt her pussy twitch, felt herself edging closer to losing control of herself. She renewed her struggling against the plants holding her captive, but the only tightened at Thorn’s command and Thorn grabbed a fistful of Naomi’s hair and pulled her close, pressing their foreheads together and grinning at Naomi while she pushed her middle and ring fingers in deep. Naomi gasped and tried to focus on something else, anything else, to keep Thorn from breaking her.

Thorn looked her in the eye and smirked, saying nothing. Her attention then snapped to the side when she heard movement in the trees just before a small canister flew out of the woods and landed at her feet. It hissed, emitting an odorless gas that made Thorn gag and step back while covering her mouth. At the same time, the branches holding Naomi in place withered and she fell. Her arm began returning to normal and she watched Thorn back away while Mantis walked up next to her and grabbed her arm.

“You’re all right, Naomi. On your feet,” Mantis said.

“Looks like there’s an opening on the team…” Naomi growled and cracked her knuckles.

Mantis shook her head. “She’s been brainwashed.”

“What?” Naomi looked at her. “You don’t think it’s that Bliss shit again, do you?”

“No, this is something else…” Mantis said. “Jump!”

Naomi turned just in time to see a mass tentacle-like plant sprout from the ground and lunge at them at Thorn’s command. She and Mantis leapt above it, splitting in separate directions. The plant went after Mantis, and she dodged out of the way, forcing it to chase her through the trees as she ran and dodged with superhuman agility. When it moved past a tree she hid behind, Naomi jumped toward it, screaming and swinging the saw down. She hacked the plant in two with one powerful swing. She grinned at her handiwork only to have the plant swing around and knock her into a tree, disarming her and cracking the tree on impact.

Mantis went to help her, but vines slithered from the canopy and grabbed her by her ankles, pulling her up. She pulled a small knife from her utility belt to cut herself free, but the vines grabbed her arms and immobilized her. She was suspended upside down, her athletic body on display and completely helpless.

More vines came down and seized Naomi by her neck and pulled her up. She kicked and pulled at them, trying to get free as they strangled her.

Thorn walked underneath her captives, a smile on her face as she folded her arms and watched. Naomi continued suffocating and the vines holding Mantis grabbed her arms and legs and began pulling in opposite directions, threatening to tear her into pieces.

Mantis gritted her teeth, trying to fight the pain. “Cindy! NOW!!” she screamed.

Thorn’s eyes then went wide as a massive fireball flew through the trees and burst. The explosion threw her back and ignited some of the trees. Cindy stepped through the flames, and they died out at her command. A fire burned at the end of her fist, and she was clad in a skimpy, dark red costume, a bikini-like stop and short skirt with knee-high boots and a choker with a glowing red gem on her neck. Her red hair was tied back in a braid.

“Becky...Bex...honey, behave…” Cindy said, pointing her burning hand at her friend.

Thorn growled and stood up, raising both her arms and then swinging them inward like she was going to clap.

Cindy looked to her sides and saw two more massive plants coming at her and sent out jets of flame that scorched them both. “Dammit Becky, I don’t wanna hurt you!”

Thorn pointed her hands at the ground and it trembled. Another plant erupted from the ground, lifting her up, but Cindy sent a burst of flame that scorched it in the middle, and Thorn fell from her perch and hit the ground. Before she could get up, Cindy manipulated a circle of flame into a cage that kept Thorn on the ground and in place.

Thorn cowered under the cage of flames, and her concentration weakened enough that both Mantis and Naomi were freed from the bindings. Naomi collapsed to the ground, holding her neck and gagging. Mantis flipped in midair and landed on her feet. She ran past Cindy. 

“Lower the cage, Cindy!”

The flames died out and Thorn tried to stand, but Mantis grabbed her locked her in a sleeper hold. Thorn growled, hissed, and clawed at the senior heroine. She fought with all the strength her petite body could muster, but Mantis was far stronger, and the senior heroine flexed her muscles and applied pressure as Thorn struggled in her grip. Thorn kicked and tried to pull away, but it wasn’t long before her struggling got weaker and she eventually went limp in Mantis’ arms. 

Mantis sighed and let her go so she fell to the ground unconscious.

Naomi sat up on her knees and took time to breathe. “What the hell just happened?”

“That’s what we need to figure out…” Mantis said, nudging Thorn with her foot.

“Hi, I’m Cindy,” Cindy said to Naomi with a smile while holding out her hand. “You can call me Blaze, though.”

Naomi turned to her and shook. “Oh, hey. Naomi. Thanks for saving our asses.” She stood up and pointed. “I guess someone loves the color red, huh? Wait...Blaze? Doesn’t Del’s database say your name is Spitfire or something?”

“Old name. Not as marketable. Long story,” she explained. “Hey, I’m hungry. Can we go get something to eat?”

Mantis pointed. “We should help them, first…”

They all looked up and saw the branches holding Alexis and the others were beginning to recede and the petrification was reversing. Naomi ran and caught Alexis when she fell and then gently smacked her friend in the face.

“Wake up, sleeping beauty.”

Alexis stirred and looked around. “Naomi? What’s going on? Oh, hey Mantis…” she then looked at Blaze. “And hi, Red Lady.”

Blaze just grinned and waved.

Mantis knelt down, picked Thorn up, and slung her over her shoulder. “Let’s get out of here. I’ll send for the police to collect everyone else.”

III

“Rebecca Wilson…” Naomi read out loud from Thorn’s file. She was back at the team’s HQ, along with the others, standing outside of a room with glass walls and no furnishing inside. Thorn lay on the floor, still out like a light. Cindy stood next to Naomi, still in costume, and scarfed down a large bowl of cereal while Delphi and Mantis watched Thorn closely.

“So what’s this room? Is it like our jail or something?” Naomi asked.

“It’s an isolation chamber,” Delphi told her. “It’s to contain cases of demonic possession, parasitic infection, brainwashing and so on…”

“Oh…”

Just then, Thorn stirred and sat up. “Ow...my head…” she groaned, holding the side of her head. “Wh...wait...I’m at HQ? How’d I get here?” She turned to see the girls all staring at her. “Guys...why am I in here?”

“You attacked a bunch of people in the park,” Naomi said.

“Who the hell are you?”

Delphi stepped in, cutting off a confrontation between the two. “Rebecca, what’s the last thing you remember?”

“I was at the park, sitting by the lake and feeding the ducks when...wait...what happened?”

“Something made you attack people in the park,” Mantis repeated.

“Did anyone die?”

Mantis shook her head.

“Oh, fine, whatever, let me out then. I feel fine.”

“I want to run some tests,” Delphi said.

“I feel fine, Anisa. Just a bit tired. Just put me under some sunlight and...hold on, are you eating my Cranberry Puffs, Cindy?!”

Cindy paused with a mouth full of cereal, hid the bowl behind her, and shook her head.

“Fuck your cereal, why’d you attack those people?” Naomi asked.

Thorn stood up and approached the wall. “Again, who the hell are you?”

“Rebecca, this is Naomi. Superia,” Delphi introduced them.

“Oh, the new girl. Yeah, I heard about you,” she looked at Naomi’s workout outfit. “Is that supposed to be your costume?” Thorn mocked. 

“You want me to come in there, pint-size?” Naomi threatened.

“Think you have enough brain cells to find the door?”

“That’s it!” Naomi growled and started toward her, only to be stopped by Mantis.

“Cindy, take her in the living room please. Check on Alexis.”

“Yup,” Cindy said, grabbed Naomi by her arm and practically dragged her out. Delphi sighed and covered her face with her palm while Thorn stuck her tongue out and Naomi flipped her off.

***

Out in the living room, Cindy let go of Naomi’s arm when she had calmed down and the two of them went to the large couch, where Alexis was laying down with the television on.

“Not gonna let some houseplant talk shit about me.”

“Bex is a good girl. You’ll warm up to her,” Cindy said before slurping the milk from her bowl.

“Sure,” Naomi scoffed before sitting on the couch next to her friend. “You feel okay?”

“Yeah…” Alexis said, nodding. “Just exhausted and sore.”

Naomi rubbed Alexis’ leg while Alexis went back to watching TV. She then turned to Cindy. “So, hey, what’s shorty’s deal?”

“Hmm?” Cindy blinked.

“Isn’t she an Aphrodite? Why’s she all short and green?”

“Oh, she’s not,”Cindy explained. “She’s what’s called an Altered. That means she got her powers from some outside source. She wasn’t born with them, so she’s not an Aphrodite.”

“Well what made her that way?”

“She was down in Murky Marsh a couple years ago, fell in the swamp and nearly drowned. She said she saw...something...down there and then everything went dark. She woke up on land and was like that. The swamp’s massive so Delphi was never able to find the place where it happened, but Thera thinks whatever changed her was magical in nature. Murky Marsh is a weird place, man. Good food and nice people, though.” (Author’s Note: Murky Marsh is a small town surrounded by swampland, about 50 miles from Delta City. It was the setting of a story of mine named after the town. Thera is another team member, a sorceress who was featured in the previous Superia story ‘Demons Among Us’)

“Uh huh…” Naomi said. “And what about you? What’s your deal?”

“Oh, fire. Lots of fire. I found out I could create fire when I was 13. Nearly burned my house down trying to kill a spider. Heh, that was a fun thing to explain…” she absentmindedly thumbed the gem on her choker. “Luckily, I met someone who could teach me how to control it.”

“So, like, can you get burned?” Naomi asked.

“Nope!” Cindy grinned. “I control flame and absorb heat. Not to brag, but I’m the strongest one on the team since Star Woman isn’t around anymore,” she proclaimed while kicking back and putting her arms behind her head. (Author’s Note: Star Woman was a powerful heroine and former team leader. She died at the beginning of the story ‘Naomi Grant: Superia’)

“Pretty sure that’s Nocturne. I saw her cut a demon’s head off like it was nothing.” (Another Author’s Note: Nocturne is an associate of the team, half-demon, half-Aphrodite, extremely powerful. Appeared in ‘Demon’s Among Us’)

“She’s not a member, technically!” Cindy was quick to point out. “I’m the strongest. No arguments.”

“Can you beat Crane in a fight?”  (One more note: Crane is Iron Crane, aka Asa Miyazawa, a team member who is the best hand-to-hand combatant on the team)

Cindy shifted in her seat. “No…”

Naomi looked Cindy over, her gaze lingering on the pale, healthy curves contained by her costume. “Bet you can’t take me, either,” she teased.

“Is that a challenge?” Cindy sat up.

“I mean, shit, I don’t even need to throw a punch,” Naomi said. “All I need is a fire hose or a bucket.”

“You sure are confidant. Anisa and Roni will probably want us to train together at some point. Hope you keep that up when you start to feel the heat,” Cindy smiled at her.

Naomi eyed Cindy closely as she stretched and crossed one shapely leg over the other. The busty redhead never broke her stare with Naomi while showing off her figure in her bright red costume. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled, chuckling to herself about something while looking Naomi over.

Naomi began to say something when she heard Alexis break into a coughing fit. “Hey, Lex, you okay?”

“I’m fine…” Alexis said, sitting up and swaying in her seat. Beads of sweat rolled down her head and her skin was a few shades paler than her normal healthy brown complexion. She stood up, fighting back more coughing. “I just need some water.”

“Hey, lay down. I’ll get it,” Cindy volunteered and stood up.

“No, don’t worry about me…” Alexis said, standing up just barely. She stumbled forward and Naomi leapt up.

“Lex…”

“Oh, shit…” Alexis gasped before collapsing onto the floor.

“LEX!” Naomi screamed and ran to her.

Alexis was doubled over and curled up on the floor, her arms wrapped around her midsection while she seemed to be fighting to suppress a scream. Naomi knelt down next to her friend and put her hands on her shoulders.

“Lex, come on babe, talk to me. What’s wrong?”

Naomi’s answer came in the form of Alexis lashing out, grabbing her by her neck, and launching her into the ceiling.

Cindy gasped when she saw it happened and Naomi fell and hit the floor, groaning.

“Ugh...what the fuck?”

“Look out!” Cindy shouted.

Naomi looked up just in time to see a giant, mutated limb swing down at her. She quickly rolled out the way and got to her feet, a good distance away and saw the limb attached to Alexis. Her curvy body was convulsing as she walked toward Naomi. There was an empty look in her eyes as her body bulged and twisted, beginning to take on a new shape. Within moments, Lex took on the form of a twisted monstrosity.

Alexis had changed into a misshapen parody of her former self, her right arm having grown into a mutated bludgeon that ended in sharp, bony protrusions. Her body swelled several sizes to a mass of muscle, having shredded her clothing, and she stared at the heroines with glowing gold eyes.

“L…Lex?” Naomi’s voice quivered.

Cindy stepped in front of Naomi with flames on her palms and held them out at the Alexis-monster.

“Stop! Fuck!” Naomi grabbed Cindy’s arm and pointed her away.

“Let go!” Cindy demanded, trying to push Naomi off of her. She killed her flames so they wouldn’t burn her teammate, but the two Aphrodites were a tangle of curvy flesh and long limbs as they wrestled each other.

Naomi swept Cindy’s legs from under her and got her down on the floor, where she proceeded to pin her down to the floor.. “Don’t hurt her!” Naomi said.

“Are you crazy?” Cindy said to her. She writhed and wiggled, trying to get Naomi off of her, but Naomi spread her powerful legs to give her leverage and applied her weight, keeping Cindy on the floor as she put her forearm under Cindy’s chin.

“She’s gonna...behind you!” Cindy cried out.

Naomi turned around just as Alexis ran up to her. She grabbed Naomi by her face and threw her clear across the room, over a couch, and into a nearby wall.

Cindy rolled back and leapt to her feet to put some distance between herself and Alexis and then reignited her flames. “Okay, okay...how do I do this without hurting her?”

Alexis growled at her and got low, preparing to attack. Cindy readied herself as Naomi was getting back up. The three of them were then distracted by a hissing sound seconds before the sprinklers in the ceiling began spraying water all over the place.

“Oops…” Cindy said, her flame dying out.

Alexis cocked her head to the side and then snapped around just in time to see a couch flying at her. The force of the hit knocked Alexis off her feet and Naomi, having just launched the couch at her friend, ran at her to follow up. Alexis got to her feet and took a swing at Naomi, who ducked under the blow and hit her hard in the abs with a punch that sent Alexis reeling.

“Come on, come oooon!” Cindy said, shaking her hands and trying to reignite her flames as the sprinkler system kept going. She raised the heat on her palms, evaporating the water, but any time she tried to reignite, her flames would get put out again. “Ugh! Crap!”

“Hey, Red!” Naomi shouted while holding the transformed Alexis in a headlock. “You just gonna stand there, or you gonna help?!”

“I’m trying!” Cindy shouted, still failing to reignite.

“You know what, just...fuck it! I’ve got this!”

“Sorry!” Cindy shouted.

Alexis took a swing that Naomi ducked under. She then hooked her arms underneath Lex’s an entwined her fingers behind her friend’s head, holding her in place and making it hard for her to move.

“Lex, cut the shit!” Naomi growled, tightening her hold while Alexis struggled. She flexed, the water soaking the lean muscles of her arms and thighs. She gritted her teeth and quickly shifted to wrap her arms around Alexis’ waist. She then leaned back, picking Alexis up and slamming her hard into the floor with a suplex. Alexis hit the floor with a massive crash, and groaned as she tried to get up. The fight was then knocked out of her when Naomi leapt into the air and brought her elbow down on her chest.

Naomi sat up and caught her breath as the sprinkler system finally stopped. Cindy, fully soaked, walked over, squatted and poked the unconscious Alexis.

“What the heck happened to her?”

Naomi smacked her hand away and sighed. Her workout clothes were completely soaked through, showing her nipples pressing against the inside of her tank top. The outline of her pussy pressed against her shorts, showing that she wasn’t wearing any underwear. Water dripped from her hair, face, and curves as she looked at her mutated friend.

“I’m gonna kill that little weed…” Naomi promised.

“Hey wait, this isn’t Becky’s fault!” Cindy said, standing the same time Naomi did.

“Well it wasn’t an allergic reaction, Red!” Naomi replied.

Cindy blocked her walking past, cupping Naomi’s tits in her palm. Naomi glared and Cindy pulled her hands back.

“Sorry...look, there’s gotta be some explanation for what happened. Becky’s never done that…” she pointed to Alexis. “...to anyone.”

Naomi started to push past her when Mantis and Delphi entered and paused at the soaked, ruined room and Alexis laying on the floor.

“It’s not our fault. She changed,” Cindy quickly said.

Mantis and Delphi looked at each other and then Mantis turned to Naomi. “Help me get her to the isolation chamber.”

***

About 30 minutes later, Mantis and Cindy were helping to pick up the wrecked living room while Delphi looked over a tablet in her hands and tapped her chin.

Thorn stood to the side, eyes locked with Naomi’s and the two women were about 20 feet apart.

“Why are you starting at me?” Thorn finally asked.

“What the hell did you do to Lex?”

“Oh my God, I already told you, I don’t know what happened to your friend! I didn’t attack those people on purpose!”

Naomi narrowed her eyes. “Maybe I oughta dangle you out one of these windows. That might jog your memory, eh?”

“Naomi, calm down,” Delphi said while pacing the room. “There was something in Rebecca’s blood that caused her behave that way. It’s looking like Alexis has the same agent in her blood. I’m still running tests, but Rebecca is telling the truth.”

“If we can’t figure out how to turn Lex back…”

“What?” Thorn said. “You’ll do what?” 

Cindy and Mantis watched the two heroines, picking up on the tension in the air.

“Maybe we just need to all take a moment and breathe…” Cindy suggested.

“I don’t like people threatening me,” Thorn said.

“And I don’t like cocky little shits hurting my friends!” Naomi stepped toward her.

“Stop it!” Mantis got between them. She pushed Naomi back, away from Thorn and stayed where she was. “We’re going to figure this out. Alexis will be fine.”

Naomi said nothing. She simply turned away from Thorn and picked up the remote for the television and turned it on.

“Guys, what are we going to do?” Cindy asked both Delphi and Mantis in a low whisper. She stood where she could see both Thorn and Naomi, who kept exchanging heated looks.

“I need to figure out exactly what it is that’s causing this,” Delphi said, looking up from her tablet. “I’m working on it, but it’s taking time. All we can do is wait.”

“I’m curious why their reactions were different…” Mantis said. “Thorn seemed like she was being controlled, but Alexis straight up mutated.”

“I have a theory,” Delphi said. “Whatever did this must affect normal humans differently from Altered.”

“Well what would it do to us?” Cindy asked, motioning to her and Mantis.

“Here’s hoping we don’t have to find out,” Mantis said.

“Guys,” Naomi called out.

“I don’t want to turn into an ugly monster!” Cindy said.

“If an Aphrodite’s reaction is anything like Rebecca’s, you won’t,” Delphi said. “I probably would, however…”

“Wouldn’t happen because you barely ever go outside…” Mantis said, earning a glare from Delphi.

“Is now really the time for that, Roni?” Cindy chastised.

“Thank you, Cindy,” Delphi said, glaring at Mantis. “Anyway, it’s worth testing. I have blood samples stored for everyone on the team, so I’ll get to it.”

“Guys…” Naomi called out again.

“You both read the mission summary from the incident where I recruited Naomi, right?” Delphi asked.

“Yeah, with that guy on the ship and that super soldier stuff, right?” Cindy asked. (Author’s Note: This is reference to my story ‘Recruitment Drive’)

“Compound X, yes,” Delphi said. “I isolated the thing in Rebecca’s blood that changed her, and I’m noticing some similarities, chemically.”

“So this might be another version of it?” Mantis asked.

Delphi nodded. “I need to get in touch with Agent Fox…” 

“We should keep these two apart in the meantime,” Mantis said. “Neither of them likes backing down. They’re gonna kill each other.”

“Hey, GUYS!” Naomi turned and shouted.

They all looked up and followed Naomi’s finger when she pointed at the television. Quietly, all of the women in the room gathered in front of the screen where they saw a large number of police cars in front of a local hospital.

“...reports coming in from Delta City General Hospital of mutants attacking the staff. This happened shortly after a large group of people were admitted following an undisclosed mass incident in Neptune Park just a few short hours ago…”

Four sets of eyes all fell on Rebecca, who stepped back.

“That is NOT my fault!” she exclaimed.

Next: Stuffed Animals, Government Agents, and the Mutant Apocalypse