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Superia #5: Hope and Valor pt. 1

by Sigma

The returning 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.

· Anisa Carter aka ‘Delphi’: Billionaire genius and the organizing power behind Delta City’s team of heroines. Normal human except for a little-understood power that allows her to psychically bond with people at the expense of feeling what they do while communicating with them psychically.

· MindsEye: A mysterious online conspiracy theorist dialed into the superhuman community. A contact and informant of Delphi’s

I

“Don’t tell me you’re tired,” Naomi grinned.

Delphi leaned over with her hands on her knees. Sweat dripped from her forehead and ran down her chest, soaking through her sports bra and giving her dark brown skin a sheen. She looked across the wrestling mat at Naomi and tried to control her breathing, but her Amazonian opponent just eyed her, smirked, and blew her a kiss. Even with the suppression collar around Naomi’s neck, she was nowhere near exhausted over the past half hour.

“I think there’s something wrong with your collar,” Delphi pointed and said between breaths.

“Nuh uh,” Naomi shook her head. “This is just what happens with a lifetime of conditioning, babe. Now come on over here and get this ass kicking.”

Delphi knew she had no choice. She was basically waiting out her own demise at this point. She could outsmart Naomi, but there was no way she was going to outlast her, not on the wrestling mat, which was basically Naomi’s turf.  Delphi charged at her and the two of them locked arms and entangled. They pushed against each other, but Naomi, at a solid six feet tall, had a five-inch height advantage, and Delphi knew Naomi had at least 25 pounds on her, all of it muscle. She could feel that extra strength bearing down on her as Naomi pushed against her.

Delphi strained, gritted her teeth, and tried to take Naomi down, but when she looked her training partner in her eye, she saw a playful gleam that told her Naomi was toying with her. Delphi sighed and waited for the humiliation to come.

Naomi drove a knee up and into Delphi’s abs, knocking the wind from her body. Delphi’s lean body jerked and Naomi loosened her hold, sweeping Delphi’s legs from under her. She then tossed Delphi to the floor, putting her hips in the action, and Delphi landed on the sweat-stained gym mat hard, her back bouncing on the canvas. She groaned and lay splayed on the floor, staring up at the lights as the last of her body’s strength left her.

She felt a bare foot on her stomach and stared at up the busty Aphrodite who had just beaten her.

Before Delphi could say anything Naomi dropped down and straddled her waist, flexing her biceps. Her hair was only slightly disheveled, she only had a few beads of sweat rolling down her chest.

“Don’t feel bad, Del,” Naomi smiled. “Cindy was where you are yesterday. I squeezed her with my thighs until she tapped out. This was fun, though, right?”  

“I still have so much to learn,” Delphi said after catching her breath.

“Don’t beat yourself up. It’s all a learning process,” Naomi said. “Now...what to do with you?”

“What?”

Naomi leaned forward, running her hands on Delphi’s tight stomach. “Think about it. There you are, all stretched out and defeated. I’ve won, haven’t I? That means you belong to me now.” She grinned. Her fingers brushed up against Delphi’s tits. “So what kind of fun can we have, hmm?”

Delphi looked away, her face flush and nipples hard under Naomi’s touch. She could feel a warmth in her body that she couldn’t deny.

Naomi bit her lip, chuckled and continued caressing Delphi’s body. She grabbed Delphi’s wrists and held them above her head. She then leaned in, their chests touching. “Del...look at me.”

Delphi turned her head and looked Naomi in the eye.

“I’ll be gentle. I promise. I just want a little taste.”

Before Naomi could actually do anything, she was suddenly interrupted by a sharp ringing sound. They both looked to Delphi’s gym bag, nearby on the floor.

“Could you get that please?” Delphi asked.

Naomi huffed and sat up and then leaned over, her long arms just able to reach the bag. She pulled it over and dug through it until she found the ringing phone. “Madeline?” Naomi asked, showing Delphi the screen. “Oh, that’s the girl in Star City, right?” she said before pressing the button to answer it and putting it to Delphi’s ear.

“Madeline? Hi,” she answered. “Wait...wait...calm down. What’s wrong?” There was a pause and Delphi furrowed her brow.

Naomi watched her and heard a muffled, somewhat panicked voice on the other end.

“Okay, okay…” Delphi said. She tapped Naomi on her thigh, signaling that she really needed her to get up. Naomi complied, sliding off of Delphi, who then stood up with the phone to her ear and began pacing the training room.

“Uh huh...ok. Okay….I see…” Delphi walked around the room and Naomi followed behind her when she noticed Delphi’s tone growing more serious.

Delphi then paused, put the phone on her shoulder, and turned to Naomi. “You’ve got a Go Bag packed, right?”

Naomi nodded.

“Good. Put a costume in there. We’re going to Star City.” She then raised her phone back to her ear. “Hold on, Madeline. We’re coming.”

II

An hour later, a dark gray, luxury sedan pulled to a stop outside a private hangar at Thomas Wade Airport where an ultra-long-range private sat outside, its engines humming and the stairs rolled up to the open door. Delphi climbed out of the driver’s seat of the car and Naomi got out of the passenger side, her mouth wide open at the sight of the jet.

“Is that yours?” she pointed.

“We need to be able to move at a moment’s notice,” Delphi said. “No flying commercial for us.”

“Jesus…” Naomi whispered while getting their bags from the trunk. As she did, an airport employee walked up to them. Delphi handed him the keys to her car and a small cash tip. “Please call ahead to Star City and tell them to have a car ready when we land. I need to be on the move right away,” Delphi said.

“Yes, Ms. Carter. Have a pleasant trip,” the young man said before getting in the car and driving it to the hangar.

“Look at you, boss lady,” Naomi said before following her up the stairs and to the plane, where a flight attendant, a middle-aged brunette woman with a pleasant smile, welcomed them.

“Good afternoon, Clara. Are we ready to take off?”

“Yes ma’am,” Clara said, guiding them onto the plane. “Can I get you ladies anything?”

“I’m fine,” Delphi said before looking at Naomi.

“Oh...uh, water, thanks,” she said, distracted by the plane’s posh interior. Pristine, white walls and seating for up to 16 people spread out throughout the plane waited.

Clara left to get Naomi’s water while Naomi sat the bags down and she and Delphi took seats at a table of polished wood.

“Are we leaving now? Aren’t any of the others coming?” Naomi asked.

“No. Some of them are on their own missions and I don’t want too many of us gone from the city at once. That would leave it vulnerable,” she explained. “We’ll have support from local heroines once we land in Star City in 4 hours.”

The door to the plane closed and it began taxiing on the runway. Naomi leaned back in the plush surface of her seat. “This is ridiculous, Del…” she said as Clara brought her a bottle of water. She twisted the cap off. “Just how rich are you…?”

Delphi tapped her chin and looked up in thought. “I’m not entirely sure, actually…” she said before fishing out her phone and tapping the screen. “Let’s see...ah, here we are. My total assets equal 11.4 billion dollars.”

“What the fuck…” Naomi gasped, nearly falling out of her chair. “Billion with a B?”

Delphi nodded.

“Do you need a sugar baby? I’ll put out whenever you want.”

Delphi chuckled and shook her head while checking something on her phone.

“How the hell does someone even make that kind of money?”

“Oh,” Delphi straightened up and fixed her glasses. “So, I used to work in money management. I ran a hedge fund for a while until I got bored with it, and a little disgusted. The finance world doesn’t exactly have the greatest people. I also hold several patents for things I’ve invented, but those were just things I did in my spare time and then licensed out later. I sit on several boards and hold large stakes in several multinationals. It’s how I keep the team afloat. I also fund a few charities and goodwill programs across the city,” she smiled.

“A regular angel with the wealth of a small nation…” Naomi uttered.

Delphi went into her bag and took out a folder that she slid to Naomi. “If you could, I’d like you to read that.”

Naomi took it and opened it, seeing a dossier on top of a blonde woman in her early 30s. “Madeline Smith...oh, she’s who we’re meeting?”

“Mhmm…She goes by Dr. Hope...or just Hope, usually. She was a surgeon at Queensborough Hospital in the UK before she came to Delta City.  She specialized in treating powered individuals. She’s an Aphrodite like most of you, and has the power to generate solid-light constructs.”

“What the hell is a solid-light construct?” Naomi asked while going over the file.

“You’ll see,” Delphi answered. “Anyway, she’s in Star City because there has been a superhuman trafficking ring running rampant for the past few months, and the Battalion – That’s Star City’s premier team – asked for help in treating the victims they could rescue. When she called me at the base, she said the team had been having problems with some superpowered hitters who were putting some of the girls in the hospital.”

“Got it,” Naomi answered. “Hey, why don’t we have a badass team name?”

“We can’t agree on one,” Delphi said. “Not even when Star Woman was around. No one likes anyone else’s suggestions.”

“We should have one, though…”

“I agree,” Delphi said, standing up. She stretched her arms and took off her hoodie, frowning down at her sweat stained sports bra. “I need a shower. Read up on that and I’ll be back in a bit,” she said before walking off.

Naomi watched her walk away, her eyes glued to the toned ass in yoga pants as Delphi went to the back of the plane. “...Yeah...fuck this superhero thing. I should just be a sugar baby…” she said before going back to the folder.

***

“All caught up?” Delphi asked when she came back twenty minutes later. She swapped her workout clothes for smart, business casual, with a white blouse that was only halfway buttoned up, showing off modest cleavage.

“Yup. I know what I need to about Maddie,” she said. “So what about you? I’ve known you a few months now but don’t know much about you.”

“That’s fair...what would you like to know?” Delphi asked while sitting back down in her chair.

“Well, you’re from DC, right? What’s that like?”

“Yes, I’m from Washington DC. I’m an only child, working class parents. Mom was a legal secretary, dad was a welder. I went to MIT when I was 13, graduated at 15.”

“Of course you did…”

“After college, when I made my first 10 million, I bought my parents a house in DC’s Kalorama neighborhood.”

“That’s one of the expensive ones, isn’t it…?” 

Delphi grinned and nodded. “Some ex-presidents live there. Only the best for my parents.”

“What made you leave DC?”

“I got tired of cramped spaces and cold winters,” Delphi shrugged. “I landed a consulting job in Delta and, one day, I saw Star Woman fight a renegade robot. She stopped it, but the neighborhood they fought in was ruined, and it reminded me of where I grew up. That’s when I knew I had to stay and help. I got to know Star Woman and we formed a partnership. She was muscle and I, the brain. Over time, we encountered the others and recruited them, and I built out our network, set up the safehouses, funded the team, built the crime database...all of it.”

“Hold on…” Naomi started. “If you’re so damn smart why don’t make like a suit of armor or something? So you can fly around and shoot bad guys?”

“I’m not engineer, number one,” Delphi said. “Secondly...you may enjoy getting punched in the face, but I very much do not.”

“All right, Jesus, sorry I asked,” Naomi admitted with a laugh.

“In all seriousness, it was something I considered at one time...because I absolutely could build a suit of armor if I wanted…” Delphi grinned. “But, really, I feel like I would just get in the way. You girls deal with enough without having to worry about pulling me out of any fires at the same time.”

Naomi nodded. “I gotta ask you about something...or someone...it’s been bothering me since the shit with Evers and the mutants last week.”

“What is it?”

“Becky and Cindy mentioned someone named Scarlet. Who is that?”

Delphi swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded. “Yeah...you should know about her,” she straightened her glasses. “Scarlet was another Aphrodite, a very powerful one. She was about as strong as Star Woman, and she was an early member of the team. She was the second person we recruited after Mantis. Because Scarlet and Star Woman had similar power sets, they developed a rivalry. It was friendly enough at first but Scarlet was extremely competitive and was never able to beat Star Woman when they tested each other’s powers. Her jealously eventually got the better of her, and she became blinded by it and more ruthless in how she dealt with criminals. Eventually, she turned against Star Woman, calling her things like ‘alien whore’ and other horrible things. The team turned against her because of her attitude. Then, one day, she just up and left Delta,” Delphi explained. “That was a few years ago. No one knows what happened to her.”

“Damn…”

“She was also something of a superhuman supremacist and didn’t like that I had such a prominent role. I stayed behind the scenes, directing everything remotely, so she never met me in person. None of the team did, in fact, until Scarlet quit...but who knows how far she’d have taken things?”

“I guess it’s a good thing she’s gone then, eh?”

“Yes...though...I’ve always had this nagging feeling that we haven’t seen the last of her,” Delphi sighed. “Who knows what will happen if she resurfaces…? Anyway, hopefully that’s an issue for the far future. Now it’s my time to learn about you!” she smiled.

“Yeah, sure, shoot.”

“How are you getting on with the others?”

“Well, Thorn is a little green pain in my ass, but she’s not so bad. Cindy and I have hung out twice in the last week. That girl’s a fucking character. Bombshell and I hit the gym together twice a week. I don’t see much of Mantis or Thera, but everyone tells me that’s normal with those two.”

“What about your training with Asa?”

“That crazy bitch runs me ragged,” Naomi sat up straight. “She’s got me doing laps all over Tokyotown whenever we meet up. I’m learning a lot though, so I put up with her yelling at me in Japanese.”

“Asa can be intense, yes,” Delphi laughed. “But a better fighter, I cannot name. I imagine it must take you back to your student athlete days?”

Naomi only chuckled. “She does remind me of some of my old coaches.”

“Did you do anything else besides wrestling?”

“Little bit of volleyball for a while, and some basketball, but that was it,” Naomi said. “Once I figured out I liked the wrestling thing, that was what I committed to.”

“It did you good, too. You almost went to the Olympics, didn’t you?”

Naomi stared at her and then sank into her seat. “Yeah...almost...I fucking washed out.”

“No, you only just missed the cutoff, right?” Delphi said.

“Yeah, because when I wore the required suppression collar, those other girls were all better…” Naomi looked away. “Honestly, finding out I didn’t make the team was probably the lowest point in my life…” she shook her head. “It’s like...who would I be without these powers? Just some mediocre white trash from Iowa..?”

“Hey, come on…” Delphi reached over and took her hand. “Don’t talk about yourself like that. I didn’t think you were the self-pity type.”

Naomi chuckled. “You know, when I found out I got cut, that was the last time I ever cried. Swore to myself I was never going to wash out of anything ever again.” 

Delphi smiled and rubbed her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up such a sensitive topic.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Naomi said. “I never really told anyone about that. Shit, not even Lex. It actually felt good to tell someone that…”

“Well, if you want to talk, Madeline is actually a licensed therapist, too.”

“Seriously?”

“Mhmm…We have a team full of superpowered women who constantly risk their lives. You’d better believe I wanted someone who could look after everyone’s physical and mental health.” 

“Well, since you thought of everything, tell me there’s some food on this plane. I haven’t eaten all day.” 

“Of course! I could use something myself,” Delphi said. “I’ll go get Clara and see what we have.”

 ***

A few hours later, the plane sat on a runway at Bloomington International Airport in Star City. Dusk was settling in the sky and Naomi and Delphi stood by a dark green sedan parked outside the hangar.

“This is us,” Delphi said. “We’ll head to the hotel. Madeline should be there waiting for us.”

Naomi put their bags in the trunk and got in on the passenger side as Delphi started it up. “This thing is nicer than my apartment. Man, all I have is that motorcycle that I stole since that cunt Riot trashed my car.”

“Well, I can help you invest the money from your stipend,” Delphi said while driving away from the airport. “You’ll be able to afford something nice in no time. Heroes shouldn’t have to starve while they’re putting their necks on the line.”

III

The car moved through the glittering streets of Star City, its buildings covered in flashing neon signs logos of the corporations that made their headquarters in the city.

“This place is a lot...brighter...than Delta,” Naomi pointed out.

“It’s a tech hub,” Delphi explained. “Delta started out as a port city, so it’s got a lot of industry. They honestly couldn’t be any more different on the surface. A lot of the big companies here deal in things like microchips, AI, robotics, social media. Delta makes things: cars, steel, aircraft parts and it helps that the city sits on a bay. Star City is completely landlocked.” 

“So, this is a city where the coffee costs 8 bucks a cup and you need four roommates to live anywhere,” Naomi said.

“Basically,” Delphi answered. She then chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“I just imagined you, Cindy, Becky, and Asa all living together full time.”

“Oh, three of us would be dead within a week.”

They both laughed as Delphi stopped at a red light and Naomi turned when she heard what sound like breaking glass. They then saw people on the sidewalk pointing up and running and when Naomi looked out the window, she saw someone moving across the face of a nearby building.

“Umm...Del…”

“What is that?” Delphi asked, narrowing her eyes as she looked out the window.

They then jumped when someone flew backwards across the street and slammed into a parked car, sending more pedestrians fleeing.

On the other side of the street, another person paused, hanging off the side of the building. It was a tall, lean, human-monkey hybrid who scanned the area in front of him and began laughing.

“That’s a fucking monkey man!”

“Go!” Delphi said, and Naomi got out of the car and ran up the street. She stopped at the smashed car and found someone on her knees, breathing heavily with a nasty wound on her forehead. It was a young black woman in a skintight, dark green outfit and thigh high boots.

“It’s not safe for your here, miss. Please leave,” the woman groaned and got up, but nearly fell over. Naomi caught her and sat her down.

“I should be telling you that, sister. Take it easy. I’ll handle King Kong,” Naomi said, turning toward the monkey man, who jumped down and began walking toward them. “What’s your name?”

“I’m called Harmony,” the woman answered. “That’s Mandrill…” she pointed. “Who are you?”

“Call me Superia,” she said, stretching her arms. “I’m here from Delta City.”

“Oh, are you one of Hope’s friends?”

“Yup,” Naomi cracked her knuckles.

“Okay...he’s all yours,” Harmony grunted. “Be careful, he’s fast and strong as hell.”

“Right…” Naomi said.

“What have we here?” Mandrill smirked. He had a long, colorful snout like his namesake animal, and was covered in dark gray fur with glowing red eyes. When he grinned, razor sharp teeth were exposed. “I’ve never seen you before.”

“Shut your mouth and let’s do this, Donkey Kong,” Superia rolled her eyes.

Mandrill growled at Naomi and then put his knuckles to the ground. He let out a shrill cry and charged toward her on all fours. Naomi watched him, timed his approached and, when Mandrill leapt at her, Naomi fell to the ground and extended her arms. She grabbed Mandrill by his extended arm and twisted her body mid-fall, throwing him and slamming him into the parked car behind him. Metal crunched and glass shattered as Mandrill hit the ground.

He lay there, stunned, as Naomi grabbed the twisted door on the car, ripped it off, and lifted it overhead and began beating Mandrill with it. Mandrill groaned and held up his hand, asking her to show mercy just as she raised it over her head again.

“You wanna quit now?” Naomi teased.

“Behind you!” Harmony yelled.

Naomi turned just in time to get knocked off of her feet by a powerful blast of energy that sent her across the sidewalk and through the window of a nearby restaurant. People screamed and scattered as Naomi tumbled over tables and came to a stop several feet inside, covered in noodles and pasta sauce.

“Ow…” she groaned.

“Are you all right?!” A young waitress knelt over her. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, I just got here myself,” Naomi frowned as the girl helped her up. She looked down and saw her hoodie had a hole burned in it, as did the sports bra underneath, exposing her tits. “Fuck...I really liked this hoodie.” She used her finger and took off some of the pasta sauce and ate it.

“Huh...that’s not bad.” All around her, stunned patrons stared in disbelief as Naomi pushed aside rubble. One woman covered her teenage son’s eyes and glared at Naomi, but she grinned when she noticed the very visible erection in her husband’s pants. She walked toward the couple, whose table was undisturbed, and took the woman’s overcoat and put it on. She then tied the belt around the waist.

“There, now you don’t have anything to complain about,” Naomi said to the obviously fuming woman. “Now...who just fucking shot me?”

“That would be me,” a voice with a metallic echo said. Outside the shattered window stood a seven foot tall man made of metal, with a cannon protruding from his right wrist. He held an unconscious Harmony by her braided hair in his left hand and looked at Naomi. “You new in town?”

“Sure am,” Naomi said, cracking her knuckles. “Want to put her down for me?” she pointed at Harmony.

“Don’t toy with her, Metalhead. The bitch is tough,” Mandrill coughed.

“She’s flesh,” Metalhead said, tossing Harmony aside. He lifted his cannon again and fired. Naomi dove, tackling the family to the ground all at once and had the father pinned under her, her tits smothering his face. Naomi sat up and smiled when he grinned at her and then looked at his furious wife.

“Get off of my husband and go do your job!” The wife ordered.

Metalhead stepped inside and Naomi jumped up, grabbing a table and throwing it at him. Metalhead punched the table in mid-flight, shattering it, but Naomi was right behind the table with a chair and hit the cyborg with it, making him back up. She hit him several more times, forcing him back outside. Once they were outside, Naomi turned to her side and got pounced by Mandrill. The two of them rolled across the ground before the Ape-man managed to pin her beneath her and attempted to bite her face. Naomi moved her head and drove her knee into his crotch, making him howl in pain. He grabbed her face with one hand and lifted her head, slamming it into the sidewalk, hard enough that she felt it crack under the impact.

Mandrill then gripped her hair and forced her to her knees. One hairy arm wrapped around her neck and Naomi cursed as she found herself staring down Metalhead’s wrist cannon.

“Now, let’s turn the intensity up. See how powerful this thing needs to be to put a hole in your face, sweetheart,” Metalhead laughed.

“Fuck!” Naomi growled and tried to get free, but Mandrill was strong, just like Harmony said. The barrel on the cannon began to glow, but just before it fired, a foot kicked it away and the blast went wide, damaging the building behind Mandrill. Naomi used the confusion to break free and flipped Mandrill over her shoulder. He and Metalhead recovered and Naomi found herself standing next to another woman. She was tall, with brown skin and dark hair down to her shoulders. Her features told Naomi she was of Arab descent. She wore a skintight white outfit that hugged her generous curves and she held a scimitar in front of her.

“Hi. I’m Mirage,” she waved.

“Superia…” Naomi nodded. “I was keeping your buddies here busy.”

“Uh huh...that’s what you call getting your ass kicked? Is Alicia all right?”

“Who?”

“Sorry, Harmony.”

“She’s resting,” Metalhead pointed to the unconscious heroine. “You’ll be joining her soon enough,” he promised as the two sides charged each other. Naomi tackled Mandrill and their fight spilled into the street. Mirage went after Metalhead, attacking with her sword. When he threw a punch, Mirage dodged left, but went right at the same time. Suddenly there were two of her and they both attacked Metalhead. He blocked the one on the left only for her sword to pass through his arm while the one on his right scored a deep cut in his side. The robot growled at her and attacked again, only for her to make more after-images and continue confusing him.

At the same time, Superia locked Mandrill in a chokehold and pulled tight. “I gotta say, this isn’t what I want to be doing when I choke the monkey,” Superia said as the villain gagged under her hold. She then yelled out as Mandrill bit her arm and then grabbed her and slammed her on the ground.

“I hate that fucking joke!” He spat. He looked back to see Metalhead overwhelmed with Mirage’s attacks and eyed the woman closely, noting which of them cast a shadow on the ground. He then grabbed Naomi and threw her at that Mirage, and the two heroines collided and tumbled across the ground. Mirage’s after-images all vanished when Naomi slammed into her.

The two busty woman lay sprawled on the street, groaning, and Metalhead and Mandrill stood over them.

“We should take them in, add them to the ring,” Mandrill said.

“Indeed. They’ll both go for top dollar,” Metalhead said as his arm shifted into a massive hammer. “We’re going to have to pound the fight out of them, though.” He then lifted it and brought it down, only for it to bounce off of a square made of light. Off to the side, a blonde woman in a white and gold outfit with matching cape stood with her hands out, controlling the shield that protected the two. Naomi glanced at her and immediately recognized Madeline Smith, the heroine known as Dr. Hope.

“So that’s what solid light is…” Naomi said.

Metalhead turned to go attack Hope as a car engine roared. Mandrill grunted and went flying when Delphi ran her car into him. She then skidded to a halt, only for Metalhead to turn to her and reconfigure his arm back into a cannon. He took aim, Naomi and Mirage both got up to stop him, but before either of them could, a mace flew through the air and hit him in the head, sending him flying. He tumbled across the ground and landed in a heap as another woman descended from the sky. She was even taller than Naomi and Mirage, with dark hair tied into two braids under a shining metal winged helmet. She wore a dark blue and silver outfit that exposed her muscular arms and thighs and a long cape trailed behind her. She held out her hand and her the mace flew to it. She then pointed the weapon at Metalhead.

“Don’t get up.”

“Who the fuck…?” Naomi said.

“That’s Valor. The Battalion’s leader,” Delphi said after getting out of her car. The hood was dented, but the car was fine otherwise. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah…” Naomi said. “Thanks for the assist.”

Delphi smiled and put her hand on Naomi’s shoulder and then looked up as Hope came running toward her with her arms extended.

“Anisa!” Hope beamed whole hugging her friend. “I’m so glad you made it!”

“We headed for the airport the minute I got your call,” Delphi said. “Hope, this is Naomi. Superia,” she introduced them.

Naomi held out her hand, only to get a hug in turn.

“So good to finally you,” the cheery Brit said to her. She was taller than Delphi but not quite Naomi’s height, and her blonde hair was cut to shoulder length. Her costume had a plunging neckline that went all the way to her belly button with matching gloves and boots.

“Hell of a first meeting, huh?” Naomi said. “Thanks for the save.”

“It’s all right,” Hope said with an infectious smile.

“That was sloppy, Mirage,” Valor said, chastising her teammate. “These two almost had you,” she pointed to Mandrill and Metalhead, who lay at her feet, tied up.

Mirage stood before Valor, with Harmony’s arm over her shoulder. “We can do this later, Val. Harmony’s hurt.”

“Mmm,” Valor grunted. She then looked at Delphi, Hope, and Naomi. “We’re taking these two to the police. Are you staying with your friends, Hope?”

“I am,” she answered.

Valor nodded and grabbed the two villains, dragging them away with Mirage and Harmony in tow.

“She’s a real fucking charmer…” Naomi said.

“She’s under a lot of stress,” Hope said.

“Well,” Naomi shrugged. “I’m starving.”

“Right, let’s get to the hotel,” Delphi said, walking back to the car.

“Oh! Shotgun!” Hope quickly said before running to the car.

“I...dammit!” Naomi said, realizing she was banished to the backseat. She walked to the car when she heard someone clearing their throat. She turned to find the wife staring at her with her hands on her hips.

“Can I have my coat back please?”

Naomi blinked and then looked down at the now ruined coat. She shrugged and took it off, leaving her in her ruined top and hoodie. She threw the coat back so that it covered the wife’s head. Her husband was behind her, with their teen son, and Naomi quickly flashed the man and his boy before jumping in the back of the car.

“You’re terrible!” Delphi said as she pulled off.

IV

The expansive, two-bedroom suite at the Star City Regent Hotel overlooked the skyline, and the living room had been taken over by all manner of charts and documents on many of the surfaces.

“Sorry about the mess,” Madeline said, walking in and carrying several plastic bags. “Since I’ve been staying here, I’ve been taking care of the kidnapping victims we managed to save so far. All of these are police reports and medical charts and what not. I really should tidy up.” She switched out of her costume and into a tanktop and shorts that did nothing to hide her figure. She put the bags on the table. “Anyway, I called for takeaway while you were in the shower, Naomi. Is Korean barbecue okay?”

Naomi sat in a plush chair to the side while Delphi was on the couch. She changed her sweatpants for a pair that hadn’t been ruined and a different sports bra. “It’s better than okay!” she said while going through the food. Delphi joined her and began grabbing food.

“Now, Madeline, catch us up on what’s happening here.”

“Right, so, there’s been a string of kidnappings of young woman, many superpowered, a few with the Aphrodite gene. We know who’s behind it. He’s a local crime boss called Simon Forrest, aka The Leech. Metalhead and Mandrill are two of his goons. The girls in the Battalion have been having a tough go of it, because Leech’s people have been taking down some of them. Who you met tonight, Valor, Mirage, Harmony...they’re basically it. There’s another girl, Phaze, at their base, but she’s in no shape to fight. That’s why I called.”

“Del,” Naomi said. “We really should round up the troops here. At least get Asa and Bombshell out here. They can help handle any other superpowered goons.”

“Delphi sighed. I know, but...if we do that, we’re undermanned back home. We still don’t know when Thera will be coming back and we can’t count on Nocturne, as you know...Let’s see what you and I can do, first.”

“All right,” Naomi sighed. “At least we took the monkey and the robot off the board. That should make things a bit easier.”

They all looked up when the phone rang, and Delphi got up to go get it while Madeline and Naomi stayed at the table.

“So, Anisa’s told me all about you,” Madeline said. “You’ve been busy these last few months, yeah?”

“To say the least,” Naomi answered. “This life’s never uneventful, is it, English?”

“Someone has to do it, love,” Madeline said as she and Naomi shared a toast.

“All right, let me ask you something,” Naomi said. “We don’t have a team name and Del says it’s because no one can agree on one. What do you think we should be called?”

“Oh!” Madeline said. “I said Fem Force.”

“No, that sucks. It sounds like a porn parody.”

“Aw…” Madeline frowned.

“That was Mirage,” Delphi said, returning to the table. “We’re to meet tomorrow at Battalion HQ to go over strategy.

“Is their base as nice as ours, Hope?” Naomi asked.

She shook her head with a mouth full of short ribs.

“Good,” Naomi said. “How much does this hotel room run a night?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” Delphi said while eating vegetables and rice. “I own it.”

“Of course you do.”

***

Some time later, Madeline lay in bed with the light on and a book in her lap. She peered over the book when the door opened and Naomi poked her head in.

“Oh good, you’re still up.”

Madeline smiled and put the book down. “I always like to do a bit of reading before turning in. What’s wrong?”

“That couch out there is too stiff,” Naomi said while walking in. “Like it’s barely broken in. I can’t sleep on it and Del’s locked herself in the other bedroom. I’m sleeping with you. Scooch.” She said while approaching the bed. She had changed into a simple t-shirt that barely contained her tits and shorts that rode all the way up her thighs and barely covered her ass.

Madeline lifted the covers and slid over. She was wearing baggy, comfortable flannel pajamas. Naomi climbed in and pulled the covers over her, looking at the book on Madeline's lap. “What do you have there?”

“Moby Dick,” Madeline held it up and smiled. “It’s one of my favorites. I like the symbolism.”

“There isn’t any symbolism in that book,” Naomi scoffed. “It’s a simple tale about a man who hates an asshole animal. Don’t overthink things, Maddie,” she said while rolling over.

Madeline shrugged and went back to her book. “Goodnight.”

***

At the same time, Delphi sat up at the table in her room with her laptop open in front of her. She brought up a chat window and typed into it.

OracleofDelphi: One hand washes the other

A few moments later, the reply came.

MindsEye: And the Eagle flies at midnight. Good to see you again. It’s been a while.

OracleofDelphi: It has. A lot has happened. I’m in Star City with two of my team, looking into recent disappearances of superhumans. Have you heard anything? 

MindEye: Rumblings. Shadowy players moving in the background. Superhuman criminals have been disappearing from custody. Traces of chatter go back to Delta. Some of it runs through Star City and other majors.

OracleofDelphi: Anything related to these Panopticon people?

MindsEye: Nothing solid. Still digging but my gut says yes. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find much about the late Dr. Evers. Most info on him seems to have been scrubbed. Could be the government wanted him to go away.

OracleofDelphi: Do you think the government is behind Panopticon?

MindsEye: No. I’ve been watching Sentinel chatter. Nothing about it there. It’s something else.

OracleofDelphi: Okay. We’re going to investigate this ring alongside the Battalion. I’ll let you know if I find anything.

MindsEye: Be careful of Valor.

OracleofDelphi: Why?

MindsEye: Volatile. Rigid. She’s old school. Black and White. Right or Wrong. Not above killing. Who is with you in SC?

OracleofDelphi: Superia and Hope.

MindsEye: They can’t beat Valor if she turns against you. Superia might last a little while, but Valor is too strong. Almost on Star Woman’s level. Watch her. Mirage is favorite among SC citizens. She’s Battalion’s voice of reason. Ally with her if you need.

OracleofDelphi: Understood. Thank you.

MindsEye: Good luck.

Delphi then closed her laptop and leaned back in her seat, sighing. “I really hope I made the right choice by having the others stay home…” she said to herself.

***

Morning light crept through the window and Madeline stirred in bed, moaning softly as a gentle touch explored her body underneath her pajamas. She opened her eyes to see it wasn’t a dream, and looked down to see Naomi’s hand under her top, fondling her tits. She bit her lip, her skin tingled at Naomi’s touch, and she could feel herself growing wet between her legs. She moved her butt back, against Naomi’s crotch and put her hand on top of Naomi’s as it continued playing with her tits.

“Naomi,” Madeline whispered. “Wake up.”

A sleeping Naomi continued fondling her.

“Naomi!” Madeline tried again, to no avail. She simply exhaled and resigned herself to it. She reached back behind her and found Naomi’s other hand. She then guided it around her, to her front, and slid it down her pajama bottoms. Naomi’s fingertips tickled Madeline’s pussy lips, exploring until it found the opening and began toying with it. Madeline let out a light gasp. Her nipples hardened as she felt Naomi breathing on the back of her neck while continuing to toy with her. Naomi continued squeezing, groping and fondling and panting in her sleep. As a smile crossed Madeline’s face and the pleasure welled up, she blinked when she heard Naomi utter a name in her sleep.

“Thera…” Naomi said.

“What…?” Madeline mouthed to herself, only for the thought to get pushed aside as Naomi continued. She breathed heavily, moving the sheets off of her when she started getting warm, and she wiggled in place as Naomi started getting more aggressive. She then felt her bedmate stir and rise up behind her.

“Huh...what?” Naomi sat up and then looked down. “Wait...you aren’t Thera.”

“Just pretend I am,” Madeline said. “I’m almost there!”

Naomi shrugged and continued, only she rolled Madeline over and straddled the busty blonde Brit. She lay on top of her, muscular thighs spread, and leaned in to kiss her, and Madeline lay back and let Naomi take control. Naomi sat up just enough to begin unbuttoning Madeline’s top, and her pale white globes spilled out for Naomi to do with as she wanted. She took one in each hand and began massaging the supple flesh, causing Madeline to moan lightly as Naomi chuckled. She leaned in and took one into her mouth, biting the nipple and licking the flesh. Madeline squealed at the sensation. Her thighs twitched, and she bit her lip while running her hand through Naomi’s hair. Naomi slide her hand back down Madeline’s tight stomach and slipped two fingers into her snatch.

Madeline spread her legs, wrapping them around Naomi and pulling her in. As she did, Naomi continued biting and fingering, causing Madeline to moan as Naomi worked on her. Madeline reached up, putting an arm on Naomi’s back, and a particular push of Naomi’s fingers made Madeline jump and scratch Naomi’s back, and Naomi bit her nipple in response.

The two of them laughed at the exchange before Naomi continued sucking Madeline’s tit and fingering her, worming her fingers around inside Madeline and toying with her insides.

Madeline arched her back. “Yes...yes..!” she breathed, closing her eyes as the pleasure mounted.

Then a knock came at the door before it creaked open. By the time Delphi poked her head in, they were both back under the covers.

“Ah, Naomi...I was wondering where you disappeared to. Trouble with the couch?”

“Too stiff,” Naomi answered.

“Ah. Sorry. Well, as long as Madeline is okay sharing a bed...Anyway, both of you get dressed. We need to leave for Battalion HQ soon,” she said before leaving the room.

Madeline and Naomi lay in the bed, Madeline with her top still open as she twiddled her thumbs. She and Naomi stared at each other for several seconds.

“Want to continue in the shower?” Madeline asked.

“Okay,” Naomi said as both of them got up and went into the bathroom. Madeline was in front and Naomi slapped and squeezed her ass, pushing her into the bathroom.

Next: The Casino, The Speedster, and the Girl Who Hears Voices