There is a New Villainess in Town

© 2011 by: Mr. David R. Dorrycott

Chapter Twenty-One

It would be nearly two months before Fluffball made her next appearance. She had wanted to be certain that her leg was fully healed and dependable, then several rather interesting devices had arrived that she needed practice with. Using various abandoned buildings to test in the young feline was now quite comfortable with her new weapons, not one was deadly though if used incorrectly or against the wrong opponent they would easily cause injury. So it was up to the Villainess to decide when, where and how to deploy them.

One item though was an absolute delight, it appeared as nothing more than a common smoke bomb but it blocked all infrared light from passing through it and of course stained human flesh a wonderful shade of International Orange. It would be highly useful against several of her targets, especially Bouncing Boy believe it or not. At first she had been surprised when she had read that he had the ability to see heat signatures then realized that with his main power it was almost the perfect addition. Mother Nature had a serious sense of humor, but mainly she managed to balance things out.

Her new uniforms were a bit thicker than her old ones, they had to be because of the extra protection that they gave her from fire, electricity and bladed weapons. Because of the extra thickness they weighed a bit more and restricted her movements a bit, advantage - disadvantage. With Winter coming she happily accepted the disadvantage, they were water resistant like her old uniform and the extra thickness helped keep her warm. They were also a little easier to get in and out of.

In the meantime her targets had calmed down, apparently thinking that Flash had either killed or crippled her. That would change tonight, her target was again Speedster so she had made her way to Nagle Avenue again. Though the feline, with her copies of the Government secret files was well aware of exactly where Speedster and all the other heros lived, she preferred to keep that bit of information close to her chest for now. Ignoring the crowd that slowly gathered as she set up her little trap Fluffball soon settled down to wait, leaning against a building while chatting with the occasional on-looker brave enough to approach her. Of course a couple of bystanders called the police, who simply called the Professors special number. Fluffball wasn’t certain who had teemed up with her current target but it should be interest what with her new weapons combined with the old ones.

“Everyone” she called out suddenly when the detector set for fast moving objects on her belt beeped. “Please move further back, I don’t want anyone hurt. Thank you.” She was amazed when the crowd followed her request, then many of them had experienced her first appearance and wanted nothing to do with that cloud of sleepy gass.

True to her careful planning Speedster came from upwind, thus negating her use of the sleepy gass that he most likely thought was her favorite weapon. Behind and above him flew a black clad man with a cape, how foolish she thought looking at the cape as a half dozen ways to turn it against him came to mind. He was Black Diamond, so called because following behind him as he flew was a trail of black diamonds that quickly faded away. It made sense Fluffball thought, Black Diamond was one of the very few supers that could keep up with Speedster after all.

Her mind, faster now thanks to the genetic manipulation in that tank, quickly brought up the flyers major abilities. He liked to do what comic books called a move through, simply flying through the space occupied by his enemy since he was physically tougher than the average hero though not near as strong. He also could fire energy beams that carried a sizable electrical current, those would prove useless against her new uniform though. Quietly she activated a toe switch in one boot, causing a very thin short titanium spike to slide out and dig into the dirt she was standing on. Best to be grounded after all.

Speedster stopped a half block away, looking around him carefully for traps. He easily spotted the six dark green rods that she had placed on two building across from each other.

“Oh come on Captain” he nearly groaned while looking at one of the rods less than ten feet away from him. “Certainly you can create a better trap than this.”

He was, Fluffball realized, actually disappointed. “Far be it for me to disappoint you Speedster” she answered as she triggered one of six switches hidden in her gloves palm.

Instantly one of the three rods nearest Speedster flared into a brilliant light. It was actually a standard magnesium flare the feline knew and though it would barely affect Black Diamonds sight Speedster was effectively blind now. Almost apologetically she threw one of her polymer spider web traps at the staggering hero, just a moment before twin black beams struck her chest as Black Diamond screamed a curse at her. Not even feeling a tingle thanks to her new uniform and its woven in conductive wiring she drew her weapon from its holster.

“You really have bad manners Black Diamond” she said, disappointment heavy in her own voice “A gentleman always warns a Lady before he assaults her. “ Diamond though easily dodged her shot, letting the little black ball of conductive poly-glob sail past him to eventually impact some of the watching crowd. They wouldn’t be going anywhere soon now.

“You are going to jail woman” the mans high, reedy voice declared. He then accelerated towards the feline, aware from the Professors research of exactly how long it took the aliens weapon to cycle. Though his intention was to make what the comic books called a move by, effectively clotheslining the cat with one arm as he passed, he was caught by surprise when she simply dodged him. He hadn’t been aware of exactly how fast she was, having depended upon the Professors weapons research only and not realizing that her Martial Arts training would improve her already accelerated reaction speed.

Diving below the fast approaching hero Fluffball drew what looked like a short length of pipe from its place on her left thigh, triggering it to fire behind and above her. When she did a glittering black and copper colored cloud quickly formed directly in front of the flying electrically charged hero. Its effects as Black Diamond entered it were instantaneous and devastating to the hero. Made of equal parts powdered copper and tenorite it short circuited the delicate balance Black Diamond maintained within his own body. At the speed of electricity the mans own power turned against him, leaving him a stunned, motionless body laying against a building by the time he came to rest.

Standing from the street where she had landed Captain Fluffball brushed herself off before walking up to the moaning man. Almost as an afterthought she lifted the barrel of her weapon, sending a sticky black blob of conductive plastic material to envelope Black Diamond. While that material did its job of trapping him in its expanding body she jogged over to her flares, recovering and disarming the remaining remotely triggered devices before stopping by Speedster, who’s own webbed body was still being bathed by the slowly dying flare.

Kneeling before him she reached out and checked his pulse first. “Try vibrating very fast after it hardens completely” she suggest when the still partially flare blinded man looked at her. “I read in one of the old FLASH comics while I was recovering that he could get out of traps like that.”

“Why tell me?” Speedster asked, blinking his water filled eyes in an attempt to clear them.

“My intention is to teach you who is the better, not leave you to be beaten to death by the criminal rabble that you fight” she answered. Her voice was soft right now, almost motherly.

Sirens began to fill the air, New York’s finest arriving to stand against her, proof of their bravery Fluffball realized. “You know how to get Diamond out of his own trap right?”

“Alcohol” Speedster agreed. He was trying to vibrate, but the still flexible sticky stuff was a lot better than the comic book traps. “We will catch you one day.”

“No” Fluffball said as she stood. “One of you will kill me first and call it an accident, just like Flare tried to do. My life span might only be counted in months, perhaps weeks.”

“Then why continue this if you believe that?” Speedster asked.

“Because if I fail here, it’s a long walk out of an airlock for me. Naked” the feline explained. “Now I really have to go, best of luck.” She turned and ran towards the crowd that was between her and the nearest subway station, grateful when they opened a path for her.

Behind her Speedster’s eyes finally cleared after the flare burned out, probably because of it he knew. Fluffballs last words ran through his mind though. She expected to die, in fact it was apparently a foregone conclusion so then why play with them? It hit him hard then, she was playing with them. Each time she had placed a hero in a compromising, even humiliating position where she could very easily have ended every one of their lives she hadn’t. Why? He really needed to talk to the Professor about this, it meant something. Something important.