There is a New Villainess in Town
© 2011 by: Mr. David R. Dorrycott
Chapter Twenty-Two
Rebecca Feinstein, aka Captain Fluffball, stood quietly in her lair without seeing it. She was, the fur covered woman realized, lonely. Very lonely. So lonely that the monthly communications with what she thought of as home base were the highlight of her month, that and the rare visit to the Panchal Diner in the worst of weather was her entire social outlet. She had thought about the various MMO’s out there, but most were combat related and even the social ones were childish to an extreme. She had even taken up building balsa models for a hobby, a tedious delicate work that ate up the hours and left her with a sense of accomplishment that she couldn’t share with anyone really. It was just so much more fun if you could share something with someone else.
Last night she had gone to a movie of all things. It had been a serious calculated risk, but with the weather now at occasional blizzard levels she could bundle up and with gloves covering her hands her differences were not even commented upon, other than the gloves themselves. Watching an old John Wayne festival had been a delight, not that she liked the actor that much, her choice would have been Bogart but nothing was showing this week. Watching McLintock!, Fort Apache, The Quiet Man and Stagecoach again had turned her mind away from the fact that she was no longer human. So had the buttered popcorn, cola, hot dogs and malted milk balls that she had consumed to a level that last night had been rather painful. Her stomach was still reminding her that going out again tonight might not be the best of ideas.
Yet even with that night out and the ability to converse with the two women setting to either side of her it had only driven home that she was alone. Completely alone with no social chances of meeting anyone else. “If I had minions I would be yelling at them right now” she said to no one. “But, if I had minions like in the movie Despicable Me it would be a lot better, or children. Children would be worth getting arrested for, but that’s impossible now isn’t it.” She shook her head no, realizing that this path of thought was self destructive. She did have the Panchal’s to talk to now and then, at least they accepted her and there had been letters from Mist and her husband waiting for her the last time she had visited. Thinking of that again drove home her situation. Mist was pregnant, something that Fluffball could now only dream about. She had waited to have children, waited until she met that special someone who would share her life and that wasn’t going to happen now.
Walking back to her living quarters she undressed, taking out a brush meant for animal fur. Looking into the full length mirror Fluffball saw a human sized feline staring back at her. Bobcat and human, Pat’s husband Jake had explained to her that her DNA had been so altered that even the best Geneticist wouldn’t be able to prove that she was originally born of a human mother. Quietly she began to brush her fur, straightening the uniform twisted hair into a uniform pattern. Considering how pleasant the job was, Rebecca wondered if she shouldn’t have taken a snow leopards form. Still she had to admit that Jake and Pat had been dead on, that massive a tail would have been a serious liability in a fight and none of them had thought about modifying it out. ‘C'est la vie’ she thought as she worked at a tangle on her back, but she really could use help with her back fur.
Sometime later in the still bitter cold that always seems to follow any blizzard a figure made its way to a small, out of the way diner near the river. Freeze dried snow crunched under fashionable boots as the figure struggled against the cold and wind to reach her destination. Finally a door opened, allowing the bundled, snow covered figure to enter a blistering seventy degree Fahrenheit heat that was the Thoughts of India Diner owned by Mr. And Mrs. Panchal. It was today an empty diner, as even the most hardy super heros were remaining indoors, that didn’t matter to the woman who slowly unwrapped her heavy clothing. Super Villains never allowed the weather to interfere with their plans, especially when those plans included fresh made Curry among other things.
“We expect you” Mr. Panchal announced from his place behind the counter. “Same thing?”
“Same thing sir” the feline evil do’er agreed. “And some of that hot spiced tea of yours please.” She made her way to the back corner that kept her invisible from those entering or simply walking by, waiting patently until her meal arrived. Unlike normal customers Fluffball paid when her meal arrived, as she would have to slip out the side door in order to lesson the chance that someone would see her. “How is your wife?” she asked as Mr. Panchal finished setting things down.
“Very good” the elderly Doctor answered. “She is missing India. It is the cold. Every winter she misses India. I will tell her you asked.” Wiping his hands on his apron he left his customer alone to her meal.
As she was eating her meal Fluffball heard the diners door open, the aluminum doorframe had a series of brightly polished brass bells hanging from it making opening any door in the building impossible without being noticed. Raising her guard the feline listened, relaxing a bit when she recognized one of the voices. As luck would have it Mist was here today as well, with a friend it seemed. A few minutes later she watched as her super-hero-on-maternity-leave came around the corner with another woman in tow.
“May we join you?” Mist asked after stopping next to Fluffball’s table.
“There is always room for you Mist” the villainess answered, to be greeted with a giggle.
“Not for very much longer” Mist explained, patting her stomach. “These booths don’t have enough room for a woman carrying a baby.” Settling in she allowed the second woman to sit directly across from the feline. “Fluffball, I’d like to introduce Gloria Simons. Gloria Simons, this is the infamous Captain Fluffball, scourge of New York Cities finest superheros.”
“Very pleased to meet you” Gloria said in greeting. She then reached up to pull the hood of her heavy coat down, exposing a head of reddish brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders. “I’ve looked forward to meeting you.”
“Pleased to meet you too” Fluffball managed, stunned at the face now framed by such luxurious hair. “Natural?”
“Very” Mist answered before Gloria could speak. “I checked.”
This caused Gloria to blush. “She wanted to be certain” the redhead explained. “Nothing happened.”
“It couldn’t” Fluffball said before giggling. “I made the biggest most serious live with me forever pass on Mist only to have it completely ignored. So, what do I owe the delight of this meeting to?”
“Mr. Panchal” Mist explained. “When he saw you coming he called me, he can tell who you are by how you walk. Most people couldn’t stand up to that wind out there, you just plowed your way through and you have an odd gate with those hips of yours. I was afraid we wouldn’t make it before you left. Ah, here is our food.”
After Mr. Panchal had left Fluffball picked at her own food a bit. “I seem to have some habits that I must adjust” she observed. “And Miss Simons? Why are you here?”
“It’s Mrs. Actually” the redhead corrected. “He died last year in Afghanistan so I am a childless widow. As to why, well I’m a fan of yours certainly but there is another reason.” She leaned forward slightly, “I wanted to meet the woman who could run the cities heros ragged.”
“Let me guess, you’re a reporter or a psychologist.” Fluffball replied. “You want an inside look at what I am and what I am doing. I think I will bet on reporter.”
“True” Gloria agreed. “Just like Mist told me, you are smarter than the average bear.”
Fluffball gave the woman a big smile. “Intelligence has nothing to do with it, but my name isn’t Yogi. There are only a few types of people that would want to meet me, other than law enforcement. I just took a guess, you do somewhat look like a reporter.” She turned her attention to Mist, who had been quietly eating her own pastry while the two talked.
“Mist, what are you doing” the furred evil mastermind asked.
“Eating” the super-heroine answered. “I’m pregnant remember, I need to keep my strength up you know.”
“I know and I envy you more than you can understand” Fluffball admitted. “But please don’t change the subject, the longer I’m in the open like this the more chance that one of your idiotic brethren will stumble across me and that will be painful because I won’t be ready for them. Why did you bring this woman?”
“Because she asked me” Mist answered in a low voice. “And lower your voice Fluffy, there may be some of the Professors microphones around. If he ever discovers this is your get away he’ll flatten it just to get at you.” She took a drink of her coffee before continuing. “Gloria and I are friends from kindergarten days. When I told her that you and I occasionally meet she begged me to bring her one day.”
“On hands and knees” the reporter added.
“Get serious” Mist shot back. “You offered to clean my master bathroom with a toothbrush, I took you up on it and now your where you paid to get to.” She checked her watch and grimaced. “My husband will be picking me up in about ten minutes so you two better decide where your going next, because my home is out of bounds.”
“So is my evil lair” the feline agreed. “All right Mist, for your friendship I’ll talk with her but only for a little while. I’ve serious world domination plans to look over tonight.”
“Might and Magic?” Mist asked with a sly smile.
“Minecraft, a server I play on” Fluffball corrected. “It’s my social outlet but I really hate those Creepers. sssSSS BOOM and everything I’ve built is tiny little blocks.”
Mist snickered, grabbed her sides and fought not to laugh. “You play that game” she finally managed to ask.
“Since Alpha, I have a lifetime account I shall let you know” the feline admitted. “I’ve been on your planet quite some time, researching.”
“Oh dear. Look, let me finish my pastry then I’ll have to go. Where you two end up I don’t want to know. Minecraft, the most intelligent villain in years comes along and kicks my butt and what does she do for entertainment? Play a JAVA based game made in Sweden.”
“That crashes a lot” Fluffball groused. “You’d think the programmer would address that fault as a primary need to get fixed yesterday, not shove it aside for more content.”
“Then you are a programmer?” Gloria asked. She had taken out a pad and pen while Mist and Fluffball had sparred, obviously taking notes.
“No, I’m a professional thief” the feline corrected before putting a gloved hand to her short muzzle. “Opps, that was supposed to remain a secret.”
“Really” both her companions gasped. “In space there are thieves?” Gloria asked.
Sighing in defeat Fluffball leaned back in her chair. “Anything you have on Earth we have” she explained. “You had a movie series Star Wars, remember the big battle moon?”
“The Deathstar” Gloria corrected. “Your thinking of Han Solo’s statement ‘That isn’t a moon’ and your wearing a uniform from the series as I recall.”
“Okay then” Fluffball accepted. “Well that is about the size of my homeship, a little small but close enough. Relax though, I can guarantee we don’t have any energy weapons capable of blowing up planets. As I understand it those things take way too much energy.” She sipped her drink a moment. “And take up an awful lot of critical resources.”
“So when do we get invaded” Mist asked. Her phone took that moment to ring, glancing at it the superhero groaned. “My rides here, Gloria you fill me in tomorrow. Understand?”
“If she says anything else, sure” the reporter agreed. “Be careful out there, you may be a Super but that husband of yours certainly isn’t.”
“Right, tomorrow. Good to see you again Fluffy.” Mist stood, grabbed the last of her pastry then hurried out to the waiting jeep.
Gloria waved goodbye to her friend then turned her attention back on the alien she had been talking with, only to find that Fluffball too had stood. “Where are you going?” she asked, grabbing her last pastry and her purse, almost forgetting her notepad and having to juggle pad, pastry and purse for a moment.
“It is dangerous to the people who own this place for me to stay more than a short time” Fluffball explained. “It is time I must leave.”
“Let me go with you, I have a lot of questions still.”
“Not to my home Mrs Simons” the feline answered. “No one comes to my home.”
“To my home then, its not exactly in the expensive part of town but its safe enough and the subway has a station about six blocks away.”
“Which station” Fluffball asked.
“Pelham Parkway, my home is a 1930's Tudor style on Muliner Avenue” the reporter answered. “The number five runs twenty four hours.”
“Worth a try” Fluffball decided. “This storm is forecast to end about sunrise, very well then lead the way please.”
“Delighted” the reporter agreed, almost bursting with excitement. Sometime later as they finally reached the closest subway station Gloria Simons was not quite as gleeful, in fact she was down right freezing.