ASFR Super Special #1 - The Perils of Professor Polymer

//As night falls on Gigatopolis, strange things are afoot at the headquarters of Globocorp! Late nights! Mysterious scientists moving in and out! Straaaaaange disappearances! What could it all mean? But, whenever danger and mystery rear their ugly head in this fair city, heroes rise! Just now, on the rooftop across from Globocorp headquarters, stands that ever-vigilant gymnast for justice, Jinx! What fate awaits our hero?!? Well, that may be up to YOU… // Midnight. Jinx’s favorite time of day because it was perfect for crime-fighting. During the day, mild-mannered college student Maggie Dreyer was forced to suffer the indignities of a cold, uncaring city, but at night, and as her alter-ego, she could finally right some wrongs. And as far as she could tell, nothing was more wrong than Globocorp. Nothing had ever been pinned on the company, or its enigmatic CEO Alexandra Stout, but Jinx and the other heroines were convinced that something stank about them. Whether it was the fact that so much of their tech seemed to find its way into the hands of criminals, the fact that Alexandra’s thirst for power seemed to know no limits, or the unusual and growing collection of statues in their front lobby, the Jinx was certainly convinced something was rotten. The other heroines had warned her to back off - no one wanted to be sued by an army of Globocorp sharks - but Jinx persisted in her investigations, even roping in a few of the other collegiate members of the team. And that’s when things started to go wrong… now, she just needed a way in… [[Wait... what's that noise?]]

<img src="<a href="https://www.imagebam.com/view/MEQEF5N" target="_blank"><img src="https://thumbs4.imagebam.com/aa/d6/aa/MEQEF5N_t.png" alt="Kid Dynamo (1).png"/></a> Darlene Fox arrived in the front lobby of Globotech the same way she did everything - fast. Sprinting down the stairs, across the plaza, and through the sliding glass doors. The guards standing on either side never saw her coming. All they saw was a purple and yellow streak getting closer - before they could even raise their weapons, Kid Dynamo had laid them out with lightning-fast uppercuts to their glass jaws. Satisfied that she was alone, at least for now, Darlene decided to take stock of her surroundings. //Hmmmm… now, if I were an evil scientist, where would I hide my captives…?// Darlene’s eye immediately went to the massive steel doors at the opposite end of a long entrance hallway. //Bingo.// Darlene started to run toward the hallway, but suddenly realized this wasn’t going to be as easy as she had hoped. Lacing the hallway, moving in various erratic patterns, were a series of red laser beams, crisscrossing at a truly astonishing speed. Kid Dyanmo skidded to a stop, inches before hitting the first one. //Oooooo… yeah, that can’t be good…// Still, she WAS the fastest girl in the world. She was pretty sure that with enough of a runway, she could take a flying leap around the bulk of them, after that, it was just a series of moves and shifts and jumps and… yeah, she could probably make it. Probably. Darlene’s attention suddenly shifted to the security check-in desk to her right. No one was occupying it at the moment, but she could see a bank on monitors and computers that seemed to have eyes on the whole building. The controls to shut off those lasers were probably over there somewhere. Darlene wasn’t the biggest tech wiz in the world, but if Hillary could handle it back at headquarters, how hard could it be? Then again… maybe she was overthinking this. There had to be a way around those lasers. She could check out the rest of the building - maybe there was some other way to get in there? Darlene tapped her chin, the digit rapid-firing against her face. She needed to move quickly, of course, but which route was best? [[Outmaneuver security beams]] [[Check out the security system]] [[Try to find another way into the lab]]

<img src="<a href="https://www.imagebam.com/view/MEQEF5P" target="_blank"><img src="https://thumbs4.imagebam.com/2a/ac/a3/MEQEF5P_t.png" alt="Angelfish.png"/></a> Princess Mare Puella trudged through the dirty waters of Gigatopolis’s sewer system. As someone used the clear and clean waters of her home kingdom of Lagoa, these brackish, ugly waters were practically an insult. And yes, she had to admit, they smelled like poo. Nevertheless, Angelfish was convinced her approach was the best. The element of surprise was key to her plan - it was something that was taught to all Lagoan warriors. Hit the enemy where and when they least expect it. The only problem was that apparently, the city didn’t exactly label their sewer system. Angelfish wandered around lost for a bit until she hit upon a drain cover where light was pouring through. Figuring she was in the right place, she commanded the water to lift her up and allow her to push up the lid and see where she was. Inside, Mare found herself in what looked like a large warehouse or storage facility of some sort. Wooden crates and pallets were stacked everywhere, but some detritus was also left lying around. Cautiously, Mare picked up a scrap of paper. “Hmmm… blueprints for a ‘plaster master 3000’? That sounds intriguing…” Mare felt like she was being watched. Not wanting to be caught off guard, she clanged her bracelets together twice and extended her hands, conjuring forth her golden lance, ready for battle. Whirling around, weapon at the ready, she was embarrassed to find that no one was there. Well, no one living, at least. Instead, Mare’s bad feeling came from a group of mannequins standing up, apparently ready to be boxed and shipped. Mare looked at them curiously - there were four of them, all female, all dressed in the sorts of outfits Mare saw the “cool” girls on campus wear. To her knowledge, Globocorp didn’t manufacture clothing - why would they stock mannequins? Something in the back of Mare’s head gave her an uneasy feeling - these mannequins just didn’t seem right to her - but, then again, they were just mannequins in a huge warehouse. Based on those blueprints she saw, there were probably more pressing concerns inside of these crates. Maybe Jinx was right and Globocorp was manufacturing weapons - that was a higher priority than a bunch of creepy mannequins. And of course, the whole reason she was here was to find Lily, not to investigate imaginary crimes. Angelfish stroked her chin as she contemplated her options… [[Examine the mannequins closely]] [[Search for Lily]] [[Open crates and look for weapons]]

The mannequins were definitely bothering Mare. Far too detailed than any others she had seen in a typical surface store so far. These ones, however, had very clearly defined features and featured more variety than she would expect to see. Most mannequins were fairly standardized and mass-produced… but these four… Stepping closer to them allowed Mare to really investigate. The tallest of the group was lanky, but muscled, wearing what looked like an authentic volleyball uniform from the Gigatoplois University Gargoyles. But you couldn’t sell a team uniform so…? The mannequin’s smile was vast and her eyes vacant with her blonde hair tied in a ponytail on the top of her head and cascading down her back. Her left arm was cocked and placed on her hip, while her right arm dangled free. Mare thought she looked somewhat familiar, but then again, all surface people kinda looked the same to her. The second mannequin was almost the opposite - still pretty, but short and thick, rather than talk and lanky. She wore thick black-rimmed glasses and a sweater/plaid skirt combo with dark leggings underneath. She was posed with her arms stretched outward as if holding a book. A rather odd pose for a mannequin, upon reflection, but not everyone can be a jock, Mare thought. The last two mannequins were posed side-by-side with arms draped over each other. They were wearing bikinis, with the brunette wearing shorts over her bottoms while the redhead rocked a thong. These two were evidently “fun” girls as their expressions were goofy and silly. Mare had to admit that they had very nice bodies - one even reminded her of a girl who came to use the university pool around the same time she did. It was in examining this pair that Mare first really noticed the odd fact that these mannequins didn’t seem to have any support rods or anything holding them up. Instead, they seemed to just be standing on large silver discs of some kind. There were several empty ones in line with these plastic dummies. Were the discs somehow responsible for holding the mannequins up? How odd. Was that what Globocorp was spending its resources on? [[What was that?!]]

Creepy mannequins or no creepy mannequins, Mare had a job to do. Lily was their friend and she was in danger. Everything else could wait. Mare dropped down and crouched amongst the various shelves and stacks of wooden crates. This whole wing of the building seemed to be devoted to storage of some sort for Globocorp. She wondered what might be in these crates, but that would have to wait. Maybe there was a duty roster or something somewhere…? A door opened nearby, sending a flood of light into the room. Mare could see a pair of goons enter wearing black turtlenecks. Both men were built like dump trucks, with massive forearms, powerful legs, and, apparently, no necks. The two men entered and scanned the room, forcing Angelfish to throw herself flush against the end of one of the shelves. She was sure they hadn’t seen her yet. This could be an important opportunity to gain some intel… or it might be a great chance to knock them out while they’re still unaware… [[Listen to the goons talking]] [[Sneak attack]]

The creepy mannequins could wait - just a bunch of cheap and weird looking plastic anyway. And Lily could take care of herself. Probably. Well, in any case, the other two could help Lily. If these weapons made it onto the street, it’d be a much bigger problem, Mare reasoned. Better to make sure that didn’t happen. Angelfish made her way towards the various shelves and stacks of wooden crates and boxes. They were all fairly nondescript - just some stenciled numbers and letters on them for ID purposes. Mare shrugged. Guess the only way to found out what’s inside is to crack one open… She found a case labeled with an unintelligible code and a shipping address indicating it was bound for Brazil. Using her Lagaon strength, she peeled the sealed lid off of the crate and dropped it to the ground with a crash. Inside was looked like a massive weapon of some sort. Painted white metal, massive tanks on the back, a pull lever on the top… it seemed like it was capable of some serious destruction. But what was it? “Huh. An instructional guide,” Mare said, pleasantly surprised. “‘Congratulations on your purchase of Globocorp’s Transfiguration Gun, Model #KS2Y’ - what in the name of Galacus is going on here?” Gingerly picking up the weapon, she was surprised at its heft. It was certainly not a weapon for the skinny armed. The tanks on the back swirled with a multicolored energy that dazzled in the fluorescent warehouse light. Mare had no idea what she was holding, but she knew that if Globocorp was being this secretive about it, it was probably bad news. She could try and experiment with it and see what it was capable of… but then again, maybe it was better just to smash the thing so no one could ever use such a potentially powerful weapon… [[Examine it closely]] [[Break it so it can't be used]]

Without intel on the battlefield, the smart combatant bides their time… that was something her master had once imparted to Mare during her training back home. She didn’t know anything about her opponents - their numbers, their weapons, their training - best to wait and strike when the moment was right. But where to hide? Looking around for a place to go, Mare made the snap decision to hide in plain sight - the mannequin cluster offered a great chance to blend in. She collapsed her lance back into thin air and approached her new plastic friends. She also tried to calm herself down so that her fins would retract and she could blend in amongst the surface dwellers better. Stepping onto one of the sliver discs, Angelfish struck what she hoped was a natural pose. Her right hand was down by her side, but pushing behind herself, while her left hand rose to her breast. She leaned forward as if she were searching for something in the middle distance. //Perfect,// she thought, //now I can see who I’m up against and get the drop on them!// [[The guards approach]]

Hiding was for cowards and nursemaids and Mare was neither. She was captain of the Lagoan guard and one of the finest warriors to ever wield the golden lance. She was not afraid of these surface-dwelling baboons. Her golden lance at the ready, Mare waited for the thugs to round the corner. “So I told the professor - if this thing can turn stuff into other stuff, why don’t we just make a bunch of gold?” “No kidding, right?” “Right, and so he says…” ''CLANG!'' Mare smacked her golden lance on the ground creating a minor tremor and getting the attention of the thugs. “Hey! Over here!” The two thugs stared at her, confused. “Who the hell are you supposed to be?” “Just call me Angelfish, boys. Now, where can I find your boss?” The two thugs looked at each other, confused. “The professor? We ain’t telling you nothing, lady!” “Yeah, if you want the professor, you’re going to have to go through us!” Mare smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that.” Her normally green eyes flashed ocean blue, as she tapped into her aquamancy powers. The ground below the two thugs began to shake. “Hey, what the…?” Suddenly, a pipe burst, sending one of the thugs screaming and flailing into the massive roof of the warehouse. Smacking into it with a tremendous thud, the geyser disappeared as quickly as it appeared, sending the thug screaming back to the ground, where he crashed into a huge pile of wooden pallets. Mare laughed but suddenly dropped to one knee. Using that much power in one burst took a toll on the young warrior. Still, one thug was now out of action, but his partner was enraged. [[“You think that’s funny, girly? Come ‘ere!”]]

Discretion was the better part of valor here, Mare decided. Whatever this thug’s “power gloves” were capable of, it certainly seemed to be bad news. She needed to go find the others and let them know and fast. Backing away from the glowering thug, she tapped her earpiece in order to summon her friends. “Jinx? KD? Anyone? Need help in the warehouse, fast!” No response. “Awwww… poor little fishy-fishy… I’ll bet your little walkie-talkie don’t work so good back here, huh?” The thug cracked his knuckles and advanced on her. Mare took off running as fast as her legs could take her, but unfortunately, even her powerful legs couldn’t match the enhanced speed of Prof. Polymer’s thug. He grabbed her by the back collar of her green bodysuit and pulled hard, sending her flying onto her butt, slamming onto the concrete floor. The wind knocked out of her, she collapsed to the ground, desperate to stay awake and conscious. [[The thug smirked and grabbed her under the arms, dragging her across the floor.]]

This guy was good, but Mare was better. Or at least, she hoped she was. Gritting her teeth in anger, Mare quickly straightened up and landed an open palm strike right to the bridge of the thug’s nose, causing him to scream out in pain. “By the mighty waters of Triton, you have not beaten me yet!” She yelled in defiance. Her lance had flown across the room and was inaccessible, but no matter, she had plenty of experience with hand-to-hand combat as well. The screaming thug pulled a hand away from his face, revealing a shattered nose and a missing tooth. He was even uglier now, but also ten times more enraged. Mare contemplated this, hoping that the anger might cause him to make more mistakes, but instead, it just seemed to fuel the power in his punches instead. A flurry of rights and lefts came straight for her. She blocked them with her bracelets as best she could, but once felt like trying to stop a speeding Buick. Each time, she grunted in pain and was sent further and further backward. Mare wanted to get an opportunity to return a few blows of her own, but the thugs enhanced speed didn’t provide much of an opening at all. In desperation, she swung her right leg out for a kick to the midsection, only for the thug to catch it in midair. He smirked at her before dropping an incredibly painful elbow right into her knee. Angelfish’s world exploded in pain, as she fell to one leg on the floor. She knew the wound was temporary and her Lagoan physiology would mend quickly, but that didn’t change the intense pain she was feeling right at the moment. Her vision was darkening around the edges as she tried desperately to stay in the fight. She raised her head at looked at her attacker. In a shaky voice, she nevertheless tried to sound defiant. “Without those power gloves, you’re –” But her words were cut off by a hard right punch that sent her sprawling on the floor. “Shaddup,” was the thug’s witty retort. He stood over her, pulling her prone form up off of the floor by the collar of her bodysuit. She could feel his hot breath on her skin and it repulsed her. She waited for the knockout blow, but it wasn’t coming, for some reason. Instead, the thug simply smiled a devilish grin. “You know, a pretty young thing like you… especially one with superpowers… I bet the professor could do all sortsa neat experiments on you…” [["Please... I... I surrender..."]] [[ "You... sicken me..."]]

Mare knew when she was beaten and in her current form, she certainly was. She had no chance against this enhanced thug on her own, but maybe after some time to recuperate and after he took off his enhancements, maybe then she… Darkness enveloped Mare as unconsciousness took her. The thug chuckled, holding the limp and unconscious form of the watery heroine. Never one to miss a prime opportunity, the thug’s meaty mitts began to paw at Mare’s chest. Angelfish did not respond to these lewd gropes, as the thug teased and played with her modest breasts. The scaly bodysuit was designed to help her glide through the water and felt remarkably smooth under his hands. “Oh yeah… the professor’s gonna enjoy you… big time… wonder if I’ll get to keep you as a reward afterwards…” Rising up, the thug picked up Angelfish and threw her over his shoulder with great ease, carrying her through the warehouse and into the sinister lab of Professor Polymer… [[Into the lab...]]

Mare spit into the face of the thug who held her, causing a rivulet of saliva to drip down his face. He was not amused. He dropped her onto the ground with a painful thud as he stood up and walked over to a crate of boxes. “Ya dumb broad… ya couldn’t just keep your dumb mouth shut, could ya?” Angelfish opened her bleary eyes and tried to focus on what the thug was doing, but all she could make out was the writing on one of the boxes - “Inflate-o-matic 900” Before Mare could process what was happening or make a move to escape, the thug produced a large energy weapon of some kind. He grinned as he fired a pink beam that quickly overtook Mare’s weakened form. Gradually, Mare’s body began to vibrate under the assault of the odd weapon. She felt funny. Hollow. Lighter. [[What's happening... to... me?!]]

Jinx’s head hurt. A lot. She also felt strangely… floaty? She opened her eyes to find - to her surprise - that she WAS floating. She looked around in a panic and discovered that she was somehow hovering in the middle of some sort of glass tube in a science lab, no doubt deep within the bowels of Globocorp. She tried to “swim” over to the side, but whatever force was suspending her in midair only allowed her to rotate herself - any efforts seemed to send her spinning in space. But why? What was that sick doctor up to? And–? “Well, well, well.. Looks like the last one’s finally awake, eh doctor?” A woman’s voice that Jinx knew too well. She rotated to see the smirking face of the CEO of Globocorp. “Alexandra Stout,” Jinx spat out with venom. “I should have known it was you…” “Well, yeah, I mean it IS my company that you keep breaking into, so who else would it be?” Stout replied with a chuckle. “Aren’t you supposed to be the detective of the group?” Jinx growled in frustration “What do you want?!” Stout feigned thinking. “Hmmm… well, I had planned to just listen to the good doctor here explain to me the mechanics and purposes of his latest inventions, but then I figured, hey, we’ve got ourselves some perfectly good guinea pigs right here!” She snapped her fingers and overhead lights suddenly turned on around the large room. [[Jinx gasped]]

//Knowledge is half the battle,// Mare reasoned, //so if the thugs have no knowledge, she was halfway to victory.// Ignoring their conversation, she waited for the thugs to pass by. Raising her lance high in the air in a baseball swing, she called out. “Hey, you apes!” The two thugs turned, confused, before getting blatted across the face by the princess’s formidable weapon. The first thug took it square in the face, putting out his lights almost instantly. He slammed into his partner and sent them both sprawling to the concrete floor. Mare then too her lance and thumped the second guard in the head, ko-ing him as well. Mare surveyed the damage with pride. There, that was easy. Now to find Lily and… “Who the devil are you?” Mare quickly turned and was surprised to see a THIRD man entering the room. This man wore a labcoat and goggles, with long white hair that seemed to flow in every direction at once. He held a large object in his hand and two tanks on his back - a bit like a paint sprayer or weed killer. Oops. Mare moved to quickly throw her lance like a javelin to disarm the man, but she wasn’t fast enough. Instead, the man fired a blast of cold air and water that quickly covered Mare where she stood. Mare felt herself slowing down exponentially. The cold enveloped her, freezing her solid inside a layer of ice. Her skin turned blue under the onslaught and her pose was caught in mid-throw. Icicles stuck out behind her, blown backward by the device. Her thought processes slowed to a crawl as her world became ice and snow. Her eyes still moved, but everything else was trapped under a thick coating of ice. The man in the labcoat approached her and tapped her ice prison with his weapon, creating a loud clinking noise. “Hmmm… what a fascinating specimen. I figured it was only a matter of time before one of you costumed clowns paid me a visit. Luckily, I always bring protection…” The man laughed as he patted his weapon. “Glad to see my patented snowblower is a huge success - thanks for helping me test it out!” As the man cackled deeply and loudly, all Mare could think was that she probably should have checked to see if the door was closed before ambushing the thugs. Her combat instructor would be so embarrassed… //''Holy heroic popsicles! Frozen solid in an evil warehouse! Will Angelfish have to wait for an early thaw? How could she have avoided this chilling finale?!?''// [[Restart Angelfish's Adventure->Angelfish]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Intel is paramount. //The warrior who fails to plan, plans to fail//, Mare thought to herself. Better to listen in on what they’re saying than to jump out half-cocked. Mare waited and tried to listen in on their conversation. “So when’s Tommy bringing the newest girl by?” “Beats me. I heard him say something about the ‘Miss Gigatopolis Pagent’ so maybe that’s it.” “An actual beauty queen? How’s he gonna manage that?” “Same as always - promise ‘em fame and fortune.” “And then transform them.” “Right.” //What are they…?// “Man, what are we supposed to do with all these mannequins anyway?” “Beats me, but at least they’re easy on the eyes, huh?” “Meh, I liked ‘em better when they were actual coeds, you know?” //Could they actually be suggesting that…?// //No. No, it wasn’t possible… was it?// “At least they’re easier to handle this way.” “And they don’t say nuthin’ when you grab their tittes.” “Dude, you’re gross. Quit being gross.” “What? You were thinking it too!” Mare’s blood boiled, listening to the two monstrous thugs. These inhuman imbeciles were turning innocent people into mannequins somehow and needed to be stopped… but they were clearly too stupid to do it on their own. This must be the professor’s doing. Jinx was right! //Ugh… I’ll never hear the end of this… //Angelfish thought to herself. Part of her wanted to jump out right now and beat the two thugs into next week and demand they take her to their boss. Maybe then she could find out some sort of solution or way to turn these poor girls back. Then again… she was still undercover here. They didn’t know she was here. She could probably find an antidote on her own. Maybe it would be better to help the girls THEN beat the thugs into submission… [[Search for an Antidote]] [[Confront the Thugs]]

The goons didn’t know she was here, so that meant plenty of time to check for an antidote. Once she saved the girls, she could force the thugs to tell her more about Lily before she met a similar fate. Sneaking away from the two patrolling thugs, she began to look for a manifest or a list or something that might give her a clue where she should start looking. Finding a clipboard by the door where the thugs entered, Mare quickly slipped over unnoticed. She flipped through the pages trying to find a clue. Luckily for her, it appeared that the Globocorp bureaucracy was surprisingly detail-oriented. “Huh… here we go… antidotes… aisle H3.” Mare muttered to herself before shrugging and looking around for her destination. She collapsed her lance into nothingness, figuring it would make her less conspicuous as she worked her way through the building. Skulking quietly around the warehouse, Mare successfully avoided all of the patrols and goons before arriving at section H3 of the massive storage facility. Unfortunately, this place must go through a lot of antidotes because the stack was huge. Mare had only the slightest idea what she was looking for anyway, so she hoped that whoever organized all of this labeled things as well. “Let’s see… anti-venom… anti-stone… anti-shark… anti-ems… what in the name of Triton are these people working on here?” Angelfish mused aloud as she riffled through hanging racks of various colored test tubes. It seemed like it would take a while, but the anti-mannequin serum must be around here somewhere… [[*PSSHHHHT*]]

She could knock them out while they were preoccupied… but if they were knocked out, they wouldn’t be telling her much and there was still so much she didn’t know. Who these girls were, how they were transformed, who’s responsible for all of this… No, there would be time to bring them to justice later, but now was a time for answers! Taking her lance in her hand, Mare quickly and quietly closed the distance between herself and the two thugs. Standing behind them, she raised her weapon and called out. “Hey, you two! I’ve got questions and you’ve got answers, so let’s go!” The two thugs turned around, shocked, and quickly threw their hands up. “Aw crap! It’s a superdame of some kind!” “Aw jeez… do we get health coverage for this?” Mare pointed the lance at them aggressively. “Quiet!” “I thought you wanted us to talk?” “Not about nonsense!” “Oh right, sure, that makes sense…” the thug babbled. Clearly, they were hired for their bodies, not their brains, Angelfish thought to herself. “Now, as I was saying, I’ve got some questions for you –” [["-- Who's responsible for this?"]] [["-- Who are these girls and how did you get them?"]]

“Da professor! Da professor!” The first thug shouted, his hands in the air and trembling. “Yeah, yeah - what he said!” The second thug chimed in, also apparently moments away from wetting their pants. Mare narrowed her eyes. For thugs built like dump trucks, they sure didn’t put up much of a fight… but then again, loyalty probably wasn’t a high commodity in the criminal underworld. Or perhaps her reputation preceded her. Heh. The idea of the criminals of the city being intimidated by her gave her a happy shiver as a smile briefly crossed her face. “All right then - where is he? Where is the professor?” The first thug’s knees started to tremble. ‘We… we can take you to him! But… but…” “But please don’t hurt us!” Screamed the second thug, who looked on the verge of tears now. The cocky Mare lowered her lance slightly. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you - as long as you give me what I need. Take me to your boss!” For emphasis she tapped the lance on the ground, causing the thugs to straighten up and salute. “Su…sure thing, ma’am! Right this way!” The two thugs led Angelfish down a few different pathways in the warehouse, until they reached an unusually hi-tech door. Seemingly with an all glass front and a simple steel handle, Mare nevertheless couldn’t see much inside. The lead thug opened the door. “He’s… he’s in there.” “Oh man, da professor’s gonna KILL us…” Mare looked at the second thug sympathetically. They didn’t seem like bad guys, just misguided. She patted his hand. “Don’t worry, when my teammates and I are through with him, the professor’s days of hurting people will be quite over!” The thug looked relieved as Mare stuck her head into the darkened room behind the door. [[“Hello? Professor?”]]

“We… we can take you to them!” The first thug stammered out. “Yeah, yeah! You can see them and everything!” The second thug quickly agreed, nodding his head like a bobblehead doll. Mare narrowed her eyes at the two thugs. This seemed a little too easy… but then again, what possible harm could come from investigating the young women? She could find out who they are, how they were abducted… break up the whole opperation… maybe even figure out a cure… “Alright… lead the way,” she raised her lance up and pointed at the thugs. “But no funny business, got it?” The two thugs quickly acquiseced and marched down the aisle, hands held high in the air, as Angelfish followed behind, golden lance at the ready. The trio returned to where Angelfish had first entered and walked over to the quartet of mannequins… mannequins that had apparently been real girls at one time. “This… this is dem, ma’am.” The lead thug shook as he answered. “You kidnapped these poor girls?” When neither of them said anything, she prodded the lead thug with her lance. “Answer me! How did you find these poor creatures?” “We… we didn’t kidnap them, we swear!” The second goon begged. “They were volunteers! All of them! Local gals! Take a good look, we swear!” Mare stared at the figures, but standing behind the two of them didn’t give her a very good look. With an annoyed grunt, she pushed past them and examined the quartet very closely. [[Mare takes a closer look]]

Hmmm… Probably best not break it until she’s completely sure it won’t blow up and vaporize her or anything. Holding the weapon in her hand, Mare examined it from every angle. It was a painted white metal of some sort - steel maybe? Probably a composite mix of something… - but it was certainly built to withstand a lot of force and heat. When it discharged, it probably let out a lot of both. The swirling tanks in the back contained some sort of gassy energy, it seemed. It was an amorphous cloud that seemed to be constantly shifting and moving. The light caught it and made an almost rainbow cornucopia in her eyes. It was beautiful, but felt otherworldly… certainly like nothing she had ever seen under the sea. Feeling the top of the weapon, she found that it seemed to lack a typical trigger mechanism and instead had a most unusual pull lever instead, like unleashing a firehose. There was also a dial on the side which contained a variety of substances, including stone, silver, gold, plastic… Mare screwed up her face in confusion. What kind of weapon WAS this? She looked at a stack of empty and open wooden crates. Well, there was one sure way to find out… Aiming at the pile, Angelfish pulled back on the handle. Instantly, a beam of rainbow-colored light launched forth and struck the crate on top. To Angelfish’s amazement, the brown planks of the crate shifted and turned color, shifting from brown to red to orange to yellow to green. The surface seemed to lose its solidity and instead begin to shimmer and refract light. Indeed, the whole crate seemed to have turned from solid wood into something else entirely. [[Mare looked at the dial.]]

Even without really knowing what it was or what it could do, Mare knew that this was not something she could ever leave lying around or risk getting into the hands of a dangerous criminal. She placed the weapon on the ground and stared at it scornfully. Deciding that the glowing tanks on the back were likely a fuel source, it made sense as the thing to break - no power, no weapon. Clanging her bracelets together to summon forth her golden lance once again, Angelfish took her might weapon and aimed it straight and true. With a mighty slam, she drove the legendary lance right into the tanks at the back of the weapon. The tanks at the back of the weapon were surprisingly sturdy, but even they could not hold against the might of Mare’s weapon and anger. At the point of impact, a network of cracks began to appear, spiderwebbing out and soon encompassing the whole tank. With a flash and a deafening roar, the tank gave way, releasing the concentrated transfiguration energy into the world. The result was an explosion of energy the likes of which no one had ever seen before. The energy took its cue from the first thing it had felt - the golden lance - and generated this energy to every living thing in a three-block radius. When Mighty Gal and the rest of the heroines investigated the sight of the energy explosion later, they would find golden statues everywhere. Luckily, most of the surrounding buildings had been empty at the time, but there were still plenty of golden drivers behind the wheels of cars, golden joggers caught at the wrong place at the wrong time, golden thugs caught in laboratories deep within Globocorp, golden janitors cleaning the upper floors, and three golden heroines, including Lily, trapped in various places throughout the building. At the epicenter of the explosion stood a gleaming golden statue of Angelfish herself. She stood with her lance over her shoulder and a cocky swagger in her stance. Mighty Gal would note the supremely satisfied look on the young heroine’s face - even in her final moments, she was very confident she had done the right thing. Mighty Gal sighed and shook her head - she had warned the younger heroines not to mess with technology they didn’t understand… but they never listen… //''Holy golden Galateas! Technology gone awry and dozens of gilded statues as a result! Poor Mare… how could this terrible fate have been avoided?''// [[Restart Angelfish's Adventure->Angelfish]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

He may be a foul, odious man… but Mare had to concede he had a point. Heroines shouldn’t threaten unarmed criminals - especially not with their own weapon. It seemed dirty and wrong. Besides, she was a trained warrior and he seemed to be maybe a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet - the weapon was hardly necessary, even if things went sideways. Narrowing her eyes and the evil doctor, Mare replaced the weapon back in its crate. “You’re right, doc, I don’t need it.” She then clanged her bracelets together and used her hands to conjure forth her golden lance. “I brought my own defense if need be.” Dr. Wissenschaftler whistled, seemingly impressed. “Well done, young miss - very imposing. Now, how did one go about creating that from the ether? Hmm? You’re not from around here, are you…” The scientist began to take curious steps toward Angelfish, who took one step backward before thrusting the lance forward. “That’s far enough, surface dweller –” “ – surface dweller? –” “ – you’re going start telling me all about your evil plans and these weapons or face the wrath of Angelfish!” An aggressive poke in his direction punctuated Mare’s speech. The mad scientist gave a polite golf clap. “Very nice, very nice. Do you all practice those speeches at home for just such an occasion? That was way too prepared to be improvised.” Somehow, the fact that he was being so polite was actually more enraging than if he had been threatening her. Mare bared her teeth in a snarl as she gripped the lance tighter. [[“Enough!”]]

Mare would never stoop to his level, but he didn’t have to know that. Better to keep his weapon of evil trained on him and ready to get more info out of him. “All right, you foul monster… tell me what I need to know or I’ll turn you into a stone statue, right here, right now!” The evil scientist simply rolled his eyes at the threat. “Oh please, Miss Goldfish, or whatever your name is, you’re never going to…” Angelfish fired a blast of powered energy to the right of the doctor turning a cardboard box and turning it into a crate of stone. He watched it go by and took a step backward. “Fair enough. Tell me what you’d like to know.” “Well, for starters, uh…” Mare could feel beads of sweat appearing on her brow. Her arms shook, carrying the large and heavy weapon. She had never been nervous around a villain before, so why was she feeling so scattered all of a sudden? “Is… everything alright?” The scientist asked, condescendingly. “Would you like me to come back later?” “Shut up!” Mare snarled angrily. She pointed the gun at him again, as menacingly as she could manage. “Tell me what you and Globocorp were doing here!” The scientist began to chuckle. “You really haven’t figured it out? Honestly, do they have any kind of entrance exam for becoming a heroine? Or do they just see how good you’d look in one of those skimpy outfits?” Mare’s eyes flashed red and she fired the gun at the feet of the professor, causing him to jump back a step while rolling his eyes. “Oh wow - you turned concrete into stone. I’m veeeeeeery intimidated.” Mare fell to one knee. For some reason, her whole body felt awful, like she had been swimming in polluted waters or something. Sweaty, clammy, shaky… this was hardly the time for her nerves to get the better of her. She raised the gun again, expecting the doctor to try and take advantage of her momentary weakness, but instead, he simply watched with his arms crossed. “Obviously, our whole plan was to sell transmogrifying technology to the highest bidder, allowing them to turn their enemies into whatever their hearts desired. Imagine it - wars solved when the opposing army is simply turned to gold! Protestors turned into plastic mannequins! Opposing candidates turned into love dolls! Oh, it will be glorious!” Mare could focus on his rantings and ravings. Her head was in splitting pain now and the room was blurry and spinning. She dropped the gun to the floor with a clatter and gripped the side of her head. Something was very, very wrong - she could feel it. “But, alas, the technology just isn’t quite ready for shipping yet. What you found here were our rejects, ready to be sent to our overseas office for disposal,” the scientist continued, approaching Mare now, with little fear of reprisal. “See the trouble is that with these models, each time the gun is fired, it leaves a little something-something with the user, understand? Call it a residual effect. Sort of like working too long with radioactive materials ensures you can’t have kids, get me?” Mare, kneeling on the floor, struggling to focus and stay awake, looked at her hands. Her normally pale skin seemed to fluctuate with color before her eyes. Her hands and arms seemed to possess the same rainbow light that flowed out of the gun itself. She looked at her chest. Her green, scaly bodysuit also seemed to change wildly in the light, with the color cycling through the spectrum. Even odder, her body seemed to inflate and deflate randomly, going from stick-thin to voluptuous and back again in moments. The process was agonizing and exhausting for Mare, causing her to clench her eyes and hold herself in pain. [[“What’s… happening… to me…?” Mare forced out through clenched jaws.]]

Mercy is for the weak or for surface dwellers, is what Mare’s father used to say. This scientist had clearly created dangerous weapons and was going to unleash them on the public with no regard for anyone’s safety or well-being. He needed to be stopped and Mare had the perfect way to stop him. Without the doctor noticing, she switched the dial to stone. “All I know is that you are a terrible man who deserves to be punished.” She grabbed the handle on top of the weapon and prepared to fire. “I hope you experience the same terror your victims felt!” Dr. Wissenschaftler lowered his hands and cocked an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you…” “Yeah? Well, you’re not!” Angelfish yelled as she pulled back on the lever, launching the rainbow-colored energy right at the mad doctor. The beam shot forward, aimed square at the midsection of the sinister scientist, but as it struck him, shimmering blue light appeared around him. //A forcefield…?// “I tried to warn you…” Suddenly the rainbow-colored beam reflected back, right at Angelfish! [[Gasp!]]

Perhaps it would be best to know what exactly she was up against, thought Jinx. Bumbling and attacking what was obviously a high-tech piece of equipment would likely end badly for her. No, better to slip down into the lab and observe the professor from close up. Once she knew exactly what she was up against she would have a better idea of how to handle it. Silently as a cat, Jinx slid out of the air duct and dropped down to the floor the of the laboratory, completely unnoticed by the sinister scientist. She crept along the various stainless-steel equipment and blinking gauges, trying to get closer to see what her adversary had planned. She didn’t have to wait long. “Atomic batteries to power… turbines to speed… and here… we… go!” And with that proclamation, the scientist punched in a series of commands into his controls with a flourish. The glass enclosure that housed her schoolmate began to light up in a rainbow series of colors, causing her to back away from the wall, timid and afraid. The poor girl shrank back, holding herself in fear. But before she could utter a word of concern or beg for mercy, a gold laser beam fired out from the top of the chamber, striking her between the eyes. To Jinx’s shock and horror, the poor girl’s head began to change color quickly, from a tanned beauty to a yellowish hue to a shiny gold. She watched as more and more lasers fired, striking the coed in various parts of her body, turning her athletic form and her uniform to a solid, unmoving gold statue. [[A gold statue?!]]

Maggie had no idea what that machine was going to do, but she was pretty sure Gail wouldn’t like it. Sure, she was a bit dim and a bit bitchy to Maggie, but she certainly didn’t deserve whatever fate the professor and Globocorp had in store for her. Maggie reached down to the utility belt wrapped around her right thigh and pulled out a set of small concentrated explosive devices that Skarlette Skadi had given her. True, Skarlette had attached them to her arrowheads and Jinx didn’t have anything quite that direct, but she was pretty sure she could chuck them at the machine and cause a bit of a disruption. The question was where… the thing was so massive and obviously made out of strong stuff. It wasn’t going to be as simple as just smashing it up. And with an innocent civilian trapped inside, she had to make her move carefully. While the glass enclosure was the largest and most obvious target, Jinx wasn’t sure the explosives would be powerful enough to penetrate the thick panes. Besides, she was also afraid of showering Gail with broken glass if she was successful. There were the tanks on the back - maybe she could rupture them and cause whatever chemical was in there to leak out? Surely, that would force the evil doctor to abandon his current plans to attend to the mess. Or maybe she should be more precise? If she aimed at the power coupling in the back, she might be able to short the whole system out. That could buy her enough time to either pick the lock or break the glass, up close and personal so she could warn Gail. She rolled the balls in her hands as she contemplated her options. [[Hit the tubes on the back]] [[Aim for the power source]]

Jinx knew she was good, but she also knew she was still very new at this whole superheroine thing. There was no shame in asking for help when it was needed, she figured. Better to do that now than to stumble into something and just make everything worse. She reached down to her utility belt on her thigh and produced her official ASFR communicator. It was time to call for backup from the ladies of ASFR! But… who to call… Two names immediately sprung to mind - Skarlette Skadi and Hi-Q. Skarlette was basically her mentor (as much as Skarlette would never admit to that in public). She was a tough, nonpowered heroine like her - if anyone would know what to do, it would be her! Then again… this was clearly a high-tech facility with lots of weird science going on. Skarlette’s strategy in those situations was usually just to break stuff until the situation resolved itself. Maybe it would be better to call in the team’s resident tech gal, Hillary Quinn aka Hi-Q. Sure, she was a little… unorthodox, but Hi-Q was a master at all things machines. She must have some insight as to how Maggie could get Gail out of that machine without calling in every security guard in the place. Jinx contemplated it for a moment before pushing the button to call… [[Skarlette Skadi]] [[Hi-Q]]

The large tanks on the back were big and obvious targets - much easier than trying to aim at the tiny power coupling. Besides, you unplug the machine and he can always plug it back in. Break THOSE things and he’s not turning it on anytime soon, Jinx figured. As quietly as possible, Jinx opened the grate on the ventilation duct and took aim. With a flick of the wrist, she sent three small explosive balls flying through the air. Her aim was true and they collided with the right tank. There was a flash of light and the sound of cracking glass as the tank was impacted. “What on earth…?” Dr. Wissenschaftler muttered as his attention was drawn from his computer to the compromised container. As he saw the spider-webbing glass on the tank, his voice raised in volume and pitch. “No! No, no, no, no, no…” But it was all for naught, as the tank ruptured with a loud hiss, letting the rainbow colored gas start to fill the room. Ironically, Gail, inside of her glass enclosure was now safe as can be, while the evil doctor who had imprisoned her was now starting to panic. Indeed, Dr. Wissenschaftler was desperately typing away at his computer, apparently trying to contain the gas or unlock the door to allow him to escape. He was too slow, however, and Maggie watched in horror as the gas overtook him. It began with a strangled scream caught in his throat and then his movement slowed to a stop. Hunched over his keyboard, a look of terror frozen on his face, the scientist was now caught in time. Jinx thought that was the end of it, but to her shock, she noticed that his face and other exposed skin began to change color, becoming paler and paler, until it was an unnatural white. It took Maggie a moment to realize where she had seen that color before - the ancient busts in the Gigatopolis museum of history. [[Marble?]]

Hmmm… it’s a smaller target, but it’s probably safer to mess with the power since Jinx had no idea what the gas in tanks even is. Maggie silently lowered the grating on the vent and, with a quick flick of the wrist, launched her explosives at what seemed to be the power couplings attached to the machine. A flash of light and a burst of smoke signaled she had made an impact, while the dimming of lights and the cessation of sound indicated that the damage had been done. “Oh, for crying out loud…” Dr. Wissenschaftler muttered as his attention was drawn from his computer to the malfunctioning machine. “What’s wrong NOW?!” The professor leaves his laptop and crosses behind the machine, swearing under his breath the whole time. He discovered the damaged power coupling and groaned. “Great, just great… well, I’ve got another coupling in my lab, I think… Be right back, my sweet!” The professor called over his shoulder to the captive coed as he left the room to look for a replacement part. //Perfect! With him gone, I can get down there and free Gail!// Maggie scooted herself out of the open vent and dropped to the floor with the cat-like agility that had made her famous. Holding her pose for a moment to make sure she wasn’t spotted, Jinx quickly ran to the glass. Inside the chamber, Gail’s eyes grew wide and she began to excitedly pound on the glass, eager for escape. Jinx waved her hands and tried to shush her, but Gail didn’t seem to grasp the “secret” concept part of the escape plan. With only moments to go before the doctor returned, Jinx needed to make a choice quickly. Should she try and smash the glass to free Gail? Or would it be better to try and pick the lock on the chamber’s door? [[Smash the glass]] [[Pick the lock]]

With the captured coed inside rapidly pounding on the glass and drawing attention, subtlety may be a luxury that Jinx could no longer afford… Well, here goes nothing, thought the purple leotard-clad beauty. She reached down to her utility belt, strapped like a garter around her muscular thigh. She pulled out and extended her metal battle staff, ready to shatter the glass with one well-placed blow. Jinx motioned for Gail to stand back, lest she be injured by the incoming blast of flying glass. With a powerful grunt, she heaved her staff over her head and plunged it towards the glass, stabbing at it like Ahab and a whale. An instant too late, Jinx noticed the sparks and energy of an electrical current. The glass is still protected somehow! The instant the metal weapon touched the glass, the strong electric current traveled from the glass, up her weapon, and into her body. //Ahhhhhhhhh...!// Jinx could feel the energy flow from the glass and into her body, causing her to scream out in terror and fear. She worried she was about to be turned into a fired heroine, cooked alive from the evil doctor’s device! Instead, Jinx felt no pain from the glass. She felt nothing at all. Jinx’s entire body went numb as the electricity hit. At first, she thought it was simply adrenaline and fear causing her body to lose feeling or perhaps the electricity had caused her to lose feeling somehow… but the feeling never faded. If anything, it was growing and becoming worse. Odder still, Jinx realized she couldn’t close her mouth. Or move. Or breathe. As Jinx mentally started to panic, she could hear the sound of a door opening behind her and footsteps. The voice of the evil scientist could be heard outside of her now frozen field of vision. [["Eh? What's all this then?"]]

Breaking the glass would be loud and messy… the noise would bring the attention of security and flying glass could hurt her or the trapped coed. No… best to do this the quiet way, Jinx decided. She motioned for the excited girl trapped inside to back up and be quiet as she took out her lock picking kit from her utility belt. Looks simple enough… this shouldn’t take more than a minute… Jinx thought, happy that she had paid attention in Skarlette’s lectures. Some of the other younger members of the team had made fun of her and called her a teacher’s pet, but in moments like this, Maggie was proud to be a bookworm. //Hmmm…// This one was proving to be trickier than she thought. The doctor must have altered it or put in some extra security measures or something… a simple lock like this should have opened by now… Maggie shook her head. She wasn’t going to get beaten like this, no way. She just needed to focus her efforts. The girl inside the enclosure started to bang on the glass again, impatiently. Jinx held up a hand to silence her. “Just give me a minute, ok?” Jinx muttered under her breath, bothered by her classmate’s lack of gratitude. The banging increased in volume and frequency, prompting Jinx to look up, annoyed. “Look! I’m doing the best I can and –“ Jinx stopped dead. She noticed that the young woman was wide-eyed and franticly pointing behind the superheroine. Maggie slowly turned her head and was greeted with the barrel of a futuristic looking ray gun. [[“Well, hello there, my dear,” said the professor with an evil grin. “Let’s see some hands, yes?”]]

This was much too big for just her and her friends, Jinx realized. She needed the whole ASFR team in on this fast before this madman and his boss could unleash these devices on the city or the world at large. Still hidden from his view and unnoticed, Jinx was able to quietly move back out of the lab and over the door, which slid open quickly for an easy exit. Dr. Wissenschaftler looked up briefly, confused as to why the door would open and shut like that, but seeing no one, he turned his attention back to the gilded Guardianette in his possession. Jinx hustled down the hallway, hoping to avoid encounters with any guards or scientists. Luckily for her, Globotech did a good job of labeling its hallways. Sprinting down the corridors, she followed arrows which promised to point her towards reception, which she hoped would allow her a quick exit. A door opened to her right. Jinx had planned to power on past and hope whoever it was would simply dismiss her or be too confused to give chase, but something about the person, caused her to slow to a stop. [["...Lily?"]]

This madman needed to be stopped and stopped now. Every moment delayed was another chance for him to do something horrific. Jinx boldly stepped out from her hiding place, unfurling her battle staff. Pointing it like an accusatory finger, she called out to her quarry. “Alright, ‘Professor Polymer’ - playtime’s over! Turn that poor girl back right now or prepare to face the power of… Jinx!” Dr. Wissenschaftler slowly turned to face the purple protector, totally unprepared for visitors. When he saw her, however, his jaw dropped. “Oh, thank goodness you’re here!” Jinx’s weapon drooped. She had not expected that reaction. “Uh… yes?” Dr. Wissenschaftler ran over and hugged the very confused crime-fighter. He pulled back, tears forming in his eyes. “You’re a hero, right? A REAL superheroine?” Jinx looked around the room, expecting a hidden camera prank host to jump out or one of her teammates to tell her this had all been a test. [[“Ye…yes. I’m Jinx. Can I… help you?”]]

The doctor smiled. This was why he had minored in theater at college. “Yes, please. Just head inside, close the door, and let me know what you see! And thank you so much!” Jinx nodded happily. //What a sweet man…// Climbing inside the chamber and closing it behind her, Jinx walked over to the golden statue that had once been a fellow student. She poured over every gilded inch and let out a quiet whistle. It really was an impressive work of science. Pretty too. Sure, it was a terrible fate, but at least the nice doctor could reverse it. //Hmmmm…// “I’m not seeing anything obvious here, sir… what sort of problems would interfere with it, do you think?” ''CLICK!'' Jinx turned at the noise, only to see the locking device to the door slide into place. She walked over to the glass and knocked. “Excuse me? Sir? I, uh, think you pushed the wrong button? Or something?” Dr. Wissenschaftler ignored her, so she pounded louder. “Sir? SIR?! I need you to unlock the door now!” No response, but the device at the top of the chamber seemed to be warming up. Jinx began to sweat. “You know, I’m beginning to seriously doubt the sincerity of your offer to cooperate!” Dr. Wissenschaftler turned and laughed. [[“You know what they say about curiosity, don’t you?”]]

The doctor’s face fell slightly. He had really thought he had nailed that performance. He turned and scowled at her. “Very well then… if Miss Mohammad won’t go to the mountain, then we can just…” ''SMACK! '' Jinx swung her battle staff and smashed him across the face, causing him to drop to one knee. “Alright, that was your warning shot, professor! Now, come along quietly! I’ll let our tech genius work on how to turn her back later.” Dr. Wissenschaftler cursed under his breath. He wasn’t in bad shape, but he doubted he could go toe-to-toe with the young superheroine in a fair fight. But who said he had to fight fair? Reaching down to his ankle, he pulled out a small black device that had been strapped down there for just such an occasion… “Ok, doc, time to go…” Jinx remarked as she bent to grab Dr. Wissenschaftler’s arm. ''ZAAAAAAAAAP!!'' Jinx convulsed as electricity flowed through, causing her to fall to the floor loopy and fading in and out of consciousness. “Wha…wha happen…?”. Dr. Wissenschaftler stood up, adjusted his coat, and wiped away a small trickle of blood from his cheek. “You know, dear, I was prepared to just turn you into a statue. But you had to go and do that… now… now we get to play…” As Jinx slumped into unconsciousness, she wondered just what the evil doctor had in mind for her now… [[Into the lab...]]

There really wasn’t a choice at all. Skarlette Skadi had basically been Jinx’s mentor ever since she first decided to be a superheroine. Skarlette was just like her - just a normal person with dedication and hard work, trying to beat the odds and bring peace to this crazy city. She'd know what to do, she was always helpful like that! Jinx tapped her comm device and connected to Skarlette. After ringing around seven times, Skarlette picked up. She was grunting and out of breath. “Kid? That you?” “Yes! Yes, it’s me, Skarlette, hi! Look, I know you’re probably busy but –” “Damn right, I’m busy!” Skarlette barked before grunting in pain. “The Fabelist just robbed the natural history museum and unleashed a shit-ton of mythical creatures. Now, I’ve got some crazy half bull, half human kinda thing running around and –” “You mean a minotaur?” “Hang on, I’ll ask.” Jinx could hear Skarlette yelling at her enemy. “Hey! Are you a minotaur?” ''*CRASH!*'' “Well, they chucked a car at my head, so what does that tell you?” “True, uh, well –” “Look, kid, this line is for emergencies ONLY, got it?! Now, I’ve got to–” “This IS an emergency, I swear! I’m at Globocorp and –” “Globocorp?! What the hell, kid?!” “I know, I know, but look, there IS something going on! There’s an evil scientist and he’s got a friend of mine in a machine and –” Jinx heard a loud crash and a grunt from Skarlette. “-- are you ok?” “Fine, fine - I just tricked the bull monster thing into running into a lamp post, so that might buy me a few seconds.” “Well, look, I’m sorry to bother you, but I really need some advice here.” “Advice? You want my advice? Ok kid, listen up –” [["-- Get out of there and leave this to the professionals!"]] [["--Hit 'em hard and hit 'em fast, so they can't get up!"]] [["--You're not a bruiser, so you gotta be sneaky, ok?"]]

“Yello?” The voice on the other end of the line asked through a mouthful of cheetoes. “What’s going on?” “Hi-Q, is that you?” Jinx whispered through her comm. “Duh. I mean, who else could it be? It's a direct line, not like you could have misdialed or something.” Jinx rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine, look - I need your help. I’m at Globotech and–” “GLOCOTECH?!” Hi-Q practically squealed with excitement. “Hot damn! Now, this is the kind of action I like to see. Well, that and greased-up lesbians in a kiddie pool full of–” “Focus, Hillary, focus!” “Right, right. So, what’s up?” Jinx explained the situation, ending with the discovery of Gail trapped in some unknown machine. “So, you need to figure out some way to free the cheerleader?” “Dancer.” “Whatever.” “So, what do I do?” “Alright, hang on, pulling up the schematics of the building right now…” “Why do you have the building schematics?” “Please, I have the schematics of every building on this entire coast. You’d be surprised what you can find when you hack the CIA’s database, I mean, the stuff they’ve got on the Kennedy assassination alone would just–” “Hillary!” hissed Jinx. “Right, right, sorry…” Hi-Q shook her head and began furiously typing away at the Liberty Loft’s massive computer. “Ok, here’s what I’m thinking: screw the cheerleader.” “Dancer!” “Whatever.” “And what do mean ‘screw her’?” “I mean, you can’t do anything about it directly and would likely just get yourself kidnapped or something –” “Hey!” “-- so, focus instead on cutting power to the building.” “Won’t that just alert everyone I’m here?” “Nah, the way this place is set up, I should be able to get you to just cut the power to this floor. Now, quit asking questions and doubting my genius. Just move… two rooms down and drop in. Should be the tech and power room.” Jinx did as instructed and clambered through the ductwork. When she arrived, she dropped to the floor with a three-point flourish that she really wished someone had been able to see. [[“Alright, I’m here - what now?”]]

Red seems like stop… so, maybe it would stop the power to the room? Hey, it wasn’t much to go on, but then again, Jinx didn’t have the luxury of playing guessing games at the moment. ''*SNIP!*'' Lights dimmed in the room. Jinx could hear the sound of machines powering down all around her. She heard confused murmurs from out in the hallway. She pumped her fist triumphantly. “YES!!” Emergency lighting kicked on. An announcement played. “Power failure detected. Beginning chronofreeze failsafe.” Jinx looked up at the speaker, confused. “Chrono-what?” As if hearing her, the announcement continued. “In an effort to preserve all experiments until power is restored, chronogas will be pumped into the affected areas immediately. All personnel, please report to your designated safe zones.” Jinx had no idea what chronogas was, but she didn’t like the sound of it. She looked up at the vent, but it was too high to safely climb to in a short amount of time. She needed to get to the door of the room fast, but the aisles of identical computer banks and panels made navigation virtually impossible. //C’mon, c’mon… how do I get out of here…?// “Venting in 5… 4… 3…” the announcement blared. Suddenly, Jinx saw the exit door! “2… 1…” Jinx ran with all of her might, but out of the ceiling came a blue mist. She tried to hold her breath, but the chemical was based on touch, not inhalation. As a result, Jinx found her running speed slowing dramatically until she looked and felt like she was a toy winding down. //Noooooooooo… soooooooooo cloooooooose… // But the chronogas took its toll, slowing the crimefighter down to a crawl until she was nothing more than a time-locked pink-clad statue. Her legs extended in mid-stride, her powerful leg muscles showed off deliciously. Her arms were pumping as well, with her left in front of her, while her right trailed behind. After a few minutes, the gas stopped flowing and the air seemed to clear. But poor Jinx remained stopped in time. Her eyes still darted around inside of her head. //This stuff can’t be permanent, right? I… I can just wait until it wears off and then get out of here!// The door opened. Two goons in Hazmat suits entered. “Well, lookie what got here, huh boys?” //Oh no…// //''Horror of horrors! Timestopped and discovered by the Globocorp security team?! How could poor Jinx have escaped this fate?!''// [[Restart Jinx's Adventure->Jinx]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Uh… well… blue seems like such a calming color, so uh, maybe that’s the one? Jinx had no idea what she was doing, but she didn’t have time to mentally debate herself - she had to save her friend! Grabbing her cutters, she surrounded the blue cable and tried to cut it. Hmmm… awfully thick for an electrical cable… c’mon… c’mon… ''*SNIP!*'' The tube finally cracked from her effort, but Jinx was right - it was too thick to be a power cable, but that was because it wasn’t electricity that flowed through it, but something else entirely. As she punctured the blue tube, a pressurized stream of liquid flew out the tube, hitting her square in the face and causing her to stumble backward. Coughing and sputtering, Jinx tried to wipe the strange liquid off of her. Why did it smell so odd and feel slimy? When she put her hand to her face, it was oddly dry, as if the material had evaporated… or been absorbed… Looking down at the tube that she had cut, she noticed that the hole in the tub almost looked like it had repaired itself - there was now a clear path over the hole, almost as if the liquid had frozen over it. //Oh no…// Jinx’s teeth began to chatter as her body temperature began to drop. She looked down at her shaking hand and noticed that her skin had gone from a healthy tan to a pale blue. She slowly turned her hand over, fascinated by the sight before her. Got to… get help… quickly… But Jinx’s days of doing anything quickly had come to an end. Once her skin had absorbed the professor’s specialized coolant formula, it meant that poor Jinx’s body temperature was rapidly dropping below freezing. She turned to run, but found that all she could do was rotate in place and stick one foot out before all motion ceased. When the guards would find her, hours later after the source of the leak had been identified, they would find a beautiful icy statue of a young woman in a purple leotard and cat ears. None of them recognized her, but they decided to take her to the employee breakroom for safekeeping. //'' A frozen finale for Jinx!? Say it ain’t so! Oh, if only there was some way to avoid the terrible fate!''// [[Restart Jinx's Adventure->Jinx]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Green. Green’s a pretty color. Jinx had absolutely no idea what wire Hi-Q had said to cut, nor did she have any sort of command of electronics, but hey, she knew she was support to cut SOMETHING, so… might as well… Taking her wire cutters, she wrapped the blades carefully around the green wire and pinched them, cutting the wire and hoping for the best. ''BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP'' The klaxons sounded almost immediately. //Crud! Wrong wire!// Jinx shoved the tool back into her utility belt and began to make a run for the door, but it was quickly kicked open by a squad of five goons in matching outfits. “Freeze!” Her escape route blocked, Jinx turned back around and tried to find cover amongst the banks of computer servers, terminals, and data banks. As she ran a blue laser beam fired past her head, missing her by inches. She unfurled her battle staff and waited for a goon to give her a good, clean shot. She had her chance moments later as one passed, allowing her to slam him as hard as possible in the midsection with the metal weapon. He let out a massive groan as the air was forced from his body and he doubled over. Jinx followed up with a quick strike to the back of the head, sending the goon sprawling to the ground, unconscious. A second good turned the corner and spotted her standing over the body of his ko’ed comrade. Before he could even shout at her to disarm, Jinx hurled a flash pellet at his face. Jinx may have closed her eyes, but the goon wasn’t so lucky. He screamed as he was temporarily blinded by the projectile. She quickly sprinted to him and used her staff to swat him in the head, sending him crashing into a server. [[Two more goons appeared, hearing the commotion.]]

<img src="<a href="https://www.imagebam.com/view/MEQEF5J" target="_blank"><img src="https://thumbs4.imagebam.com/de/1c/ef/MEQEF5J_t.png" alt="Jinx color.png"/></a> Jinx was always happy for her background in gymnastics as she embarked on her heroic missions. It made things like scaling the side of Globocorp Headquarters much easier with the upper body strength years of competition had honed in her. Plus, her pink competition leotard made for a pretty snazzy superheroine outfit, she thought. All she needed was some bullet-proofing, a domino mask, and her signature cat ears and she was ready to take on criminal scum. That being said, the broader shoulders were a bit of a complication when it came time to do things like shimmy through a set of air ducts. //John McClane made this look so easy… //Jinx thought to herself as she worked her way through the heating and air systems. Getting access to the floorplans and layout of the system had been relatively easy, thanks to some brilliant hacking work by Hi-Q back at The Liberty Loft, but now it was simply a matter of finding her way into the area marked “Prototype Development” which had been marked as the workplace for “Professor Polymer” - or whatever he was up to, at least. Riding the tops of elevators and working her way through the system eventually got Jinx exactly where she was trying to go: the mysterious R&D labs. Peering through the vents, she saw mostly empty labs or random thugs milling about aimlessly - no signs of Lily or Dr. Wissenschaftler anywhere. Maggie contemplated calling the others for assistance or maybe even throwing in the towel, but then she smelled what resembled burning ozone and heard a deep, malevolent laugh. As quietly as possible, Maggie made her way through the ducts towards the laughter. Peering through a vent, she saw a man in a labcoat with wild hair standing in front of a massive machine. [[Dr. Wissenschaftler, I presume…]]

“What?!” “You heard me, kid! You’re not supposed to be there! Now, get out of there before you get hurt!” “But, Skarlette –” “No buts! I’ll swing by as soon as I take this bull by the horns! Ha!” The line went dead. Jinx stared at her communicator, her brow furrowed, fuming with rage. Who did Skarlette think she was? Jinx was more than just some junior crimefighter or cosplay fan… she was a full-fledged hero! The more Jinx thought about it, the more annoyed she got. //Fine, I guess I’m on my own…// Jinx dropped to the floor of the lab and struck her power pose, with her hands on her hips. “Unhand the girl, professor! You face the wrath of –” “Go away. Busy now.” Dr. Wissenschaftler didn’t even look up from his controls, instead pointing a small handheld device in her direction. Instantly, Jinx’s world started to grow. Everything looked so much bigger, as the machines, the shelves, and even the evil doctor seemed to rise up around her. Jinx wanted to scream out in fear and run, but she found that her body wouldn’t respond at all. Instead, her hands seemed to be permanently fused to her hips and her face was locked in her battle cry. As she shrunk further and further down, Jinx lost her balance and fell onto her back, staring up at the white ceiling and fluorescent lights. After a few agonizing moments of uncertainty, Jinx could feel the earthquake that was someone walking toward her. Dr. Wissenschaftler’s hand reached down and wrapped around her body, bringing her up face to face with him. He smirked. “Such a pretty action hero… now a pretty action figure…” He took Jinx with him back to his computer console and put her on top of it, a tiny trophy of his genius. Jinx couldn’t move, but she could watch with growing horror as Dr. Wissenschaftler turned on his machine and turned her friend inside to stone. //I guess Skarlette was right… I’m really not ready to be a hero yet…// //''Poor Jinx! A perverted plastic plaything for Professor Polymer! What a terrible fate! If only she could have avoided it somehow!''// [[Restart Jinx's Adventure->Jinx]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Jinx felt pride welling up in her chest. “Yeah! You got it, Skarlette!” “Now, get down there and kick some butt, kid. I gotta speak to a man about a bum steer.” The line went dead, but Jinx felt a surge of confidence that she hadn’t felt before. Skarlette believed in her. She really believed in her. Jinx wouldn’t let her down. Jinx dropped to the floor of the lab quietly, inching her way closer and closer to the doctor, who was hard at work at the controls of his device. Jinx confidently strolled up behind him, her battle staff at the ready. As she approached, the professor sat up and turned to look at the approaching figure. He didn’t get a chance. Jinx slammed him hard with her battle staff, sending him flying across the room, into the machine itself, causing him to collide with the massive glass tanks on the back. Jinx walked up to the dazed doctor, her battle staff slung confidently over her shoulder. “What’s up, doc?” Dr. Wissenschaftler groggily looked up at her and started to reply, when he heard a loud cracking noise. Terrified he looked above himself to see that the large glass containment tube seemed to have a spiderwebbing crack on its side… and it was getting bigger. “You.. you fool! What have you done?!” Before Jinx could respond or ask what was going on, the tank suffered a catastrophic failure. A massive plume of multicolored gas came flying out of the cracked side bathing both Jinx and the mad scientist in its wake. Inside of the machine, Gail was ironically fine, but she couldn’t see what was happening at first. When the mists finally dissipated, she saw two marble statues. Dr. Wissenschaftler laying on the floor, his hands raised in futile defense, and Jinx, still posed confidently. Their flesh had become alabaster white and there was no movement at all from them. They had ceased to be human and had instead become statuary. Gail tentatively tapped the glass. “... hello? Anyone? I’d… I’d like to get out now?” //''Oh, what a shame! A confident Jinx underestimated her own strength and is added to the museum as a result! A marble fate awaits the pink pussycat protector! Oh, how could she have avoided this?!''// [[Restart Jinx's Adventure->Jinx]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

It was true - Jinx wasn’t the strongest member of the squad by any means. Like her mentor, the shadows were her playground and she could make use them to her advantage. Scanning the room, Maggie looked to see if there was some obvious target for her once she got down. Perfect! The mad doctor was still typing away at his massive console. That laptop must control the machine. If she could just get down there and hack into it… “I think I have a plan, Skarlette. What if I just–” “Look, kid, I hate to cut you off, but I’m really, REALLY busy here. Do what ya gotta do, ok? Just don’t do anything stupid!” Skarlette’s pep-talks really weren’t that great. She could hear Skarlette yell at someone else before she hung up the communicator. “Hey! Bullion for brains! Let’s you and me rodeo!” Heeding her mentor’s advice, Jinx silently dropped to the ground and slinked through the lab, making careful not to give herself away. As she inched closer, she could smell the copious amounts of cologne the twisted genius had slathered on. She watched as he typed into his computer and the screen came to life. He muttered under his breath while he worked. “They called me crazy… they called me mad… they called me loony… and they may have had a point… but here is where I show them how wrong they were to dismiss my research, for today is the day–” He stopped dead. [[Jinx held her breath.]]

Jinx had seen this done a million times - all she needed was her trusty universal decoder USB device that Hi-Q had given her. She pulled it out of her utility pouch and plugged it into the side of the computer. //Alright… here we go…// Fingers tapping away, Jinx made her way into what seemed to be the main interface of the computer. Files, drawings, schematics, blueprints… all were laid out before her eyes. //Jeez… this guy’s into some really nasty stuff… weaponized transformation guns? Mass-production of Midas gloves? Wait a minute… what’s this one? Financial statements? With Stout’s approval? Jackpot!// Jinx smirked. She finally had the proof she needed to bring down Alexandra Stout and the whole lousy company. ERROR - UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS SUSPECTED! INPUT USER ID AND PASSWORD IMMEDIATELY! The screen flashed up the warning with a massive pop-up in the middle of the screen. Jinx’s eyes grew in concern. User ID? Password? She thought hard and decided to take a guess. //User ID… Wissenschaftler… Password… Transformation…?// She hit enter. A tiny animated Dr. Wissenschaftler appeared, shaking his finger. “Ah, ah, ah! Didn’t say the magic word!” //Huh?// Before Jinx could process what was happening the screen suddenly switched to a bright, spinning black-and-white spiral. Jinx tried to look away, to run, to scream, to do anything at all, but it was as if her mind had become disconnected from the rest of her body. //Got to… fight it… something… very wrong… feel so… sleepy… need to… stay… awake…// Her body merely tremored as her muscle activity completely shut down, leaving her with only periodic spasmodic twitches. Jinx tried to fight it, but it was clear it was a losing battle. After what felt like an eternity, Jinx heard the door to the lab open and footsteps approach. [[“Well, well, well… what have we here? One of the city’s famed crimefighters decided to pay me a visit?”]]

No, Jinx wasn’t the computer expert and there were probably boobytraps that even her skills and devices couldn’t get past. Still, Hi-Q would know what to do. Better to grab it to disarm whatever this device is and to keep the evidence safe. Maggie reached around to the side of the computer and found the various connecting wires. With a swift tug, she disconnected all of them and folded the computer shut. The lab turned red and klaxxons blarred. ERROR - IMPROPER SHUTDOWN DETECTED. DATA PRESERVATION IN PROGRESS. //Data what now?// Jinx’s question was answered by the loud venting of some sort of gas from various spigots in the ceiling all around her. She coughed and sputtered, trying to avoid inhaling the gas, but inhaling it wasn’t the issue - rather, it seemed to react to the surfaces it touched. Maggie noted that all of the desks, computer banks, even the glass chamber where Gail was held suddenly had an icy sheen to it. To her horror, so did her skin. She looked down at her hand, stretched out before her, and watched as ice crystals formed between her fingers. She shook it, trying to dislodge them, but they stuck fast to her skin - and worse, they were growing. //Oh no… got to… get out…// Jinx turned - slowly - and tried to run for the door to the lab, but each step felt like she was trying to run through a room full of jello. She grunted and groaned from the strain, but for all of her efforts, she barely made it three steps before her legs stopped working. //Wha… why… can’t… I… move?// Jinx looked down at her legs and saw that they too had taken on a light blue tint as the ice crystals collected all over her exposed flesh. She grunted with exertion, but couldn’t lift her limbs, with each feeling like they weighed thousands of pounds each. With her last efforts, she futilely extended her hand, reaching for a doorknob that was far too out of each. //No… must… get… heeeee…// All motion stopped. All thought stopped. Jinx froze solid. After a few more minutes, Gail watched as the gas was vented in the room and the door opened. Her evil captor entered the room, plucked the stolen laptop from Jinx’s hands, and slapped her icy ass as he walked by. //Oh no! Who’s going to save me now?!// //''Horror of horrors! The gentle gymnast turned into a purple pussycat popsicle?! What a chilling end for our heroine!''// [[Restart Jinx's Adventure->Jinx]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Darlene looks at the hallway full of moving and blinking laser beams and scoffs. //Psssht… piece of cake. All it takes is a little speed… and speed… I got…// Darlene took a few steps backward and got into her runner’s stance. A deep breath and… //Showtime.// Like a streak of light, Kid Dynamo took off down the protected hallway, dodging and ducking the lasers like they were hurdles at a track meet. //Won’t be long now. Almost got it, just need to – WAIT!// Darlene realized that the pattern wasn’t quite as predictable as she first thought. It must be some sort of sophisticated algorithm that caused them to change randomly. //SHIT!// Darlene adjusted herself in mid-air narrowly avoiding one that seemed to turn on right behind her. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief though, she saw one aimed waist-high turn on. She had to think fast - jump over it or try for a baseball slide to get under it? [[Jump!]] [[Slide!]]

Probably not best to just run in half-cocked, Kid Dynamo reasoned. Sure, she was fond of lightning-fast results, but this was Globotech after all - not some random thug’s back alley warehouse or some abandoned candy factory. Probably had all sorts of nasty traps and anti-theft devices lurking. Darlene reasoned that the safest play was probably to take a good look at the security system - maybe she could deactivate some measures before anyone even knew they were here? Or, even better, maybe she could spot something useful on a security camera. Leaping over the security desk like it was just another hurdle, Darlene landed with a thud. Turning to look at the setup, her confident smile faded. //Well… crap.// This setup was hardly the most user-friendly device in the world, especially for an interloper like herself. Darlene wasn’t BAD at technology like most girls her age, but this… this was some next-level stuff. Well… the monitors seemed to be active… that was as simple as switching between feeds. She could always just check out the screens and see if this professor guy Jinx was yammering about was on them. Or she saw Lily, that’d be even better, right? Then again… even if she saw something on the monitor, she’d have to get down there and find them afterward. So, maybe it would be better to try and shut down the system. There had to be a way to do that, right? And as intimidating as it looked, it couldn’t possibly be THAT complicated - after all, the goons she knocked out didn’t strike her as Mensa material. Or maybe the simplest answer was the easiest - smash the stupid thing. Kid Dynamo could always channel her natural electrical charge and just fry this mother. System breaks down, alarms go down; no fuss, no muss. The clock was ticking. Darlene needed to make a decision. [[Examine the monitors for the professor]] [[Manually shut down the system]] [[Overcharge and fry the whole thing]]

//Man, screw that…// Darlene shook her head. There was no way she was going to try and outmaneuver a bunch of dancing laser beams. Not if she didn’t have to, anyway. There’s janitors and people who work here, right? There’s got to be some other way around here somewhere… As her eyes scanned the lobby, she noted that the elevators were beyond the laser beams, so they were out of the question. There seemed to be a door to her left though - maybe a fire exit or something? Better than nothing, Darlene figured with a shrug. She slammed into the push bar and found herself staring at an unassuming-looking stairwell. No signage to really indicate which way to go. If she went up, maybe she could then access the elevators from the floor above… or maybe there were more labs up there? Who knows? Then again, maybe something in the basement would let her cut power to the lasers, letting her gain access to the main lab door. //Decisions, decisions…// [[Going up]] [[Going down]]

Blazing up the stairs, Darlene finds a locked door. With a smirk, she backs up and uses her powers to fire an electrical burst that fries the keypad keeping it shut. Blowing imaginary smoke off of her finger, she pulls open the door and steps inside. The hallway is long and nondescript. Boring, gray walls, white floor tiles… not even a potted plant or hanging picture. “Jeez… I kinda expected a supervillain’s lair to have a bit more… style? Panache?” Kid Dynamo was so focused on the hallway that she failed to notice that this hallway seemed to have no other doors, except the one at the end. She also failed to notice that one of the tiles depressed slightly when she stepped on it. INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT! //Aw shit…// Darlene mentally chastised herself for missing the obvious markings of a trap, but decided now wasn’t the time. Instead, she bent forward into a sprinter’s stance and got ready to move. Blazing down the hallway, she nearly made it to the end of the hallway before smashing painfully into an invisible wall. ''CRACK!'' With a loud, painful hit, Kid Dynamo bounced off the invisible barrier and tumbled head over ass several feet back. She sat up slowly, rubbing her temples, trying to massage away the now-screaming headache when she heard a voice crackle from a speaker above her. “Hmm? And who might you be?” The male voice spoke, sounding more bored than afraid. “I was told by Ms. Stout to prepare for the arrival of one of you costumed clowns, but… I am afraid I do not recognize you. You are new to town, perhaps?” Darlene snarled as she looked around trying to find the camera this creep was watching her from. “Name’s Kid Dynamo. Remember it, so you can tell the other inmates who kicked your ass.” The voice laughed. [[“Oooo! How feisty! I like you already!”]]

Cutting the power seemed like the best option. Blackout the building and zip in under the cover of darkness - Darlene liked the sound of that. Made her feel all cool and stealthy. Adjusting her goggles over her eyes, she took off running down the stairs. She made it down the first flight with ease, but as she rounded the corner, something happened - the stairs seemed to vanish beneath her feet! They collapsed against themselves, creating a slick ramp where the stairs had once been. //Whoooooooaaaaaa! // Kid Dynamo had been moving way too quickly to readjust her trajectory and the slick surface made it impossible for her to stop. Instead, her momentum carried her at rapid speed down the ramp. //Crap, I’m gonna wipe out into that wall!// Sure enough, Darlene found herself slamming at full force into the wall at the end of the ramp. She expected to feel the full painful impact of the wall, but to her surprise, that wasn’t what she felt at all… //The hell…? Why does this feel so… sticky…?// She planted her hand and pushed up with all of her strength, only to see gooey white tendrils grip her body and hold on with all of their might. //Ugh… like a wall… of… chewing gum or something…// With a grunt, Darlene crashed back against the surface of the wall. Panting, and exhausted, Kid Dynamo felt her body being held firm by the white, squishy wall. It was like being smothered in a bed of marshmallows or paste. She pushed hard again, but with each push, she achieved even less progress than before, as if the wall were getting stronger or the material was hardening. By the fifth attempt, she made no movement at all. Her body was splayed out against the wall, her head cocked to the side. Luckily, she slammed only the right side of her face against the wall or she might have suffocated by now. She had avoided panicking though, reminding herself that her friends were still out there and they would come looking for her soon and– ''CLICK!'' A door further down the stairs opened and shut. Darlene couldn’t see anyone yet, but she heard the slow, deliberate footsteps as whoever it was ascended the staircase behind her. [[“Well, well, well, what have we here?”]]

Darlene didn’t care how weak she felt, she wasn’t about to let this psychopath get his way. She looked down the hall at the barrier she hit before and adopted her runner’s stance. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you…” The voice taunted. She narrowed her eyes. //Oh yeah? We’ll see about that…// Darlene took off running as fast as she could, her shoulder down, ready to try and break through. Even without her superspeed, she was a track star and pretty fast, so she was hopeful that she could– ''ZAAAAAAAAAP!'' This time, not only did she hit the stiff barrier, a charge of electricity flowed through it as well, filling her body with several thousand volts. The pain was sharp and brief before unconsciousness mercifully took her. When she came to, she found herself strapped to a large metal table, her ankles and wrists bound to the corners. She struggled to move as much as possible but determined that escape was impossible. She strained and pulled with all of her might, but there was no leverage or give to be found. “Struggle all you like, my dear, but it won’t help you.” The figure stepped out of the shadows. The same voice as before. Dr. Böser Wissenschaftler. He smiled an evil smile. “My goodness… I never dreamed I would actually catch a live one of you… how perfect to run my experiments on…” laughed the evil doctor. He then held up a massive pair of scissors. “But first, let’s get that ugly outfit off of you, shall we?” Darlene screamed. //''Holy laboratory guinea pigs?! Is this the end for poor Kid Dynamo?! To be a superhuman experiment for the rest of her days?! How could she have avoided this fate?! ''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Darlene snarled at the unseen camera and tapped her earpiece. //C’mon… c’mon…// Nothing. Static. //Dammit…// But just as she was about to give up hope, the line opened. “Hello, Darlene.” //Lily?!// “Lily! Thank goodness! Look, ok, some crazy scientist has me trapped upstairs and–” “Do not worry, Darlene. All is well.” … this did not sound like Lily at all. “Lily, what the hell is wrong with you?! I need your help! Hurry!” “Do not worry, Darlene. All is well.” //Shit!// Darlene slumped against the wall, the realization of her fate finally sinking in. The voice crackled to life once more. “That’s right… your little plant friend works for me now. She’s so much happier now. As you will be soon…” //''Horror of horrors! Is this to be the fate of Kid Dynamo?! Lobotomized and pacified for all time?! Where did she go wrong?!''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Darlene hung her head in despair and defeat. The weakness she felt in her bones was such an alien concept to her that it broke her mentally. How could she possibly fight someone this powerful? Someone who could strip her of her abilities so easily? Maybe… maybe if she played along there was a chance she could get free later… A noise spurred Darlene from her self-pity. Casting her eyes down the hall, she watched the door slide open. Standing there was a smirking thug dressed in all black holding some sort of metal ring in his hand. He approached the glass barrier and it too seemed to retract before Darlene’s eyes. “I’m so glad to hear that you’ll be coming to your senses, miss.” The voice crackled over the unseen speaker again. “My colleague, Mr. Johnson, will get you ready for your new life.” //New life? What was he…?// Her thoughts were interrupted by the thug roughly pulling Kid Dynamo to her weak, unsteady feet. Darlene threw a lazy, wildly uncoordinated punch that No-Neck Johnson easily avoided. He laughed. “Kitten’s still got claws, huh? We can fix that…” The thug quickly jabbed Darlene in the stomach, causing her to squeal in pain and double over. The pain… she had never felt anything quite like it… even before the accident that had given her powers, she had never felt this weak in her life… With Darlene bent over in pain, it was an easy task for Johnson to snap the ring around the blonde heroine’s neck. As soon as he did, Darlene felt even worse, like her entire central nervous system was on fire. She moaned in pain as Non-Neck Johnson grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head backward. The lights in the hallways return to normal, but Darlene didn’t feel her powers return. She experimentally tried to fire an eclectic bolt from her fingers, but Johnson gripped her fingers so tightly she screamed out in pain. [[“What… what did you… do to me…?”]]

With no time to react, Darlene relied on pure instinct, throwing herself down and allowing the momentum to let her slide under the last few beams, arriving safely at the opposite end of the death trap. She stood up and did a fist pump in the air. “Yes! And she’s safe at home!” Breathing a sigh of relief, she looked around at where she had landed. There were other doors on the hall, but they all seemed like simple wooden doors where office drones no doubt worked. In front of her, however, was a big honkin’ set of steel doors - if she were an evil genius THIS is where she would be hiding the goods, Darlene decided. Next to each door was a frosted glass panel - not clear, but clear enough that Darlene could peer inside. All she could see was a lot of stainless steel, tubes, and wires. Definitely had an “evil lair” vibe going on. Examining the lock, she discovered a numerical keypad that seemed to be the unlocking mechanism. Seems like a simple enough way to enter, she would just need some help. She reached up to tap her earpiece, hoping to reach Hi-Q back at The Liberty Loft, but when she did, she felt nothing. Confused, Darlene looked around on the floor and then behind her. Sure enough, back in the laser-filled hallway, she saw her earpiece lying on the ground. Going back for it would be far too risky now… //Dammit… I keep telling her to make mine fit better… // But that wasn’t important now. Without tech support, Darlene’s options were a bit more limited. She could try and guess the code - it was probably something simple and stupid so people didn’t forget it. And if that failed, she could always simply run her fingers faster than light and try every possible number combo - that couldn’t take THAT long, could it? Of course, there was also the direct approach… she had seen enough TV shows to know that if she broke the keypad, the door would just open up, right? Right? Whatever she wanted to do, she needed to do it quickly. Without her earpiece, she couldn’t easily call for help or an evac. The only way out was forward… [[Brute force your way in]] [[Try random numbers at superspeed]]

//Just like a track meet, Darlene - let’s go! // Darlene threw herself into the air, her legs extending and clearing the laser with inches to spare. //YES!// Unfortunately, in her celebration, Darlene failed to recognize the laser at eye level that was now activating. //OH SH–! // The laser hit her in the face causing an instant transformation. In the blink of an eye, the lovely superheroine’s entire body had been converted into a metal statue. The momentum of her leap kept her going, slamming her into the far wall with a tremendous CLANG! When the guards found her moments later, they picked her up off the floor and examined their newest catch. Despite the impact, the metal statue was in very good condition. It now sits on a trophy shelf in Alexandra Stout’s office. //''Poor Darlene! Mutated into metal and turned into a trophy! If only she had made different choices! ''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Darlene cracked her knuckles. The keypad was electronic, right? Well, it would be much if she fried it with her powers… She closed her eyes and concentrated, sending all of the energy in her body into her fingers. The juice flowed out and into the keypad, providing a surge of electrical power that overloaded the system. Sparks flew and the lights on the controls dimmed until they finally blacked out entirely. Smoke began to waft out and Darlene heard a soft click as the door unlocked. She paused, waiting for the blare of an alarm or the call of a guard - nothing. Success! Carefully and quietly, Darlene pushed open the heavy steel doors and entered what looked like the main lab rooms. There were two identical looking doors on either side of Kid Dynamo. On her left, the sign simply read “treatment” while the door on the right said “observation” Hmmm… not much to go on… Darlene had to decide which way to go first… [[Left]] [[Right]]

Brute force would likely attract unnecessary attention, Darlene decided. Besides, what’s the point in having superspeed, if you never use it? //Alright, here we go…// 1111 BZZZT! The keypad gave her a jolt along with the red message “Access Denied - 1st warning” Darlene shook it off and snarled at the keypad. 1234 BZZZT! Another shock followed by another message - “Access Denied - 2nd warning” Darlene grumbled, annoyed. She wasn’t sure what would happen after her third failed attempt, but she was pretty sure it would set off an alarm. She wasn’t particularly looking forward to having to beat the snot out of a bunch of thugs - evil minions were always so annoying to deal with. There had to be a clue around here somewhere… Darlene spotted a painting of Alexandra Stout’s father Lionel at the founding of Globotech. He’s smiling, cutting a ribbon in front of a humble office building. "Probably made tech for the Nazis…" grumbled Darlene. Then she noticed the date at the bottom - April 1940. Hmmm… [[Try 1940]] [[Screw this, time for brute force!->Brute force your way in]]

Darlene chuckled. Too easy. 1940 BZZZZZZZZZZT!! This time the noise was much sharper, shriller, and longer. Darlene didn’t get a slight zap from entering the wrong code - her entire body was electrocuted. The pain was overwhelming, even worse than the accident that had given her powers. She felt her every muscle spasm and twitch as the energy flowed through her. After a few moments, the device mercifully stopped. Darlene expected to collapse to the floor, defeated and exhausted - instead, she found quite the opposite problem. She couldn’t move a muscle. Her eyes darted around inside of her head, trying to understand what was happening. She tried with all of her might to force her body to move, but nothing happened. She was stuck with one finger still touching the keypad, her head thrown back, and her mouth locked open in a scream. She looked as if someone had pushed pause on her most painful moment ever. After a minute of silent torture, Darlene heard a speaker crackle to life. “Hmmmm… what have we here? A costumed clown?” The voice chuckled. Darlene assumed it to be the voice of the mad scientist inside. “Strike three, you’re out, my dear…” The voice laughed harder this time. “Out of time, that is!” Darlene mentally screamed, but there was nothing she could do. The steel doors opened inward and out stepped Dr. Böser Wissenschaftler himself. The short, bespectacled man walked in front of Darlene and slid her away from the keypad as if she weighed nothing at all. Darlene watched with a look of frozen terror as the man seemingly appraised her, looking around. She felt his hands grip her backside and even pat her chest, as if he were examining livestock! “Yes… you’ll make a fine decoration for my laboratory… or perhaps bait for even more of your friends?” He chuckled. “But that’s a decision for another day. After all, I’ve got plenty of time to think about it, wouldn’t you agree?” Darlene’s mental scream failed to drown out the evil man’s foul laughter. //''Kid Dynamo - a time-stopped statue for all eternity? Bait for ASFR?! How terrible! If only she had made different choices!''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Treatment sounded good, healthy even. Maybe this is where it would turn out the doctor was working on some miracle cure for cancer or something and all of this secrecy was to protect corporate espionage. //Yeah, right…// Darlene mused as she opened the door with a sigh. Inside the laboratory, nothing was outwardly unusual. Everything looked perfectly plausible, as far as Darlene could tell. Plenty of beakers and test tubes and wires and other sciencey things. No rabbits being tortured or helpless cheerleaders strapped to tables or anything. The biggest question mark was the large clear tube in the middle of the room. Darlene approached it, tilting her head to examine it. It must have been where the treatments or whatever were administered. There was a massive base with tubes and wires sticking out of it and a rounded glass capsule on top. It reminded Darlene a little of a snowglobe, if she was honest. The base was the most interesting part. A series of lit circles that seemed to be fluctuating in color. Darlene had no idea what they did, but she decided to get a closer look. Making sure she was all alone, the dynamic speedster stepped inside the tube. As soon as she did so, the base fell slightly, reacting to the pressure. This seemed to trigger the door mechanism, which silently swung shut, trapping Darlene inside. Kid Dynamo never heard it until it was too late and the lock clicked shut. She ran to the glass and began to pound, but the material was too thick for her to make any damage - at least not anytime soon. She slumped her head forward, annoyed at how careless she had been. [[“Hello? Is someone there? Oh man, I’m going to be in so much trouble…”]]

“Observation, huh? Wonder what the good doctor is ‘observing’ exactly…” Darlene opened the door slowly, hoping not to run into any squads of guards or any other goons the doctor might have left behind. Sure enough, the coast seemed to be clear. She let out a small sigh of relief - the first thing to have gone right in a long while or so it felt. The space was cold and clinical, with only some bare security lighting illuminating the room. Darlene shivered - although not due to the temperature, just due to the creepy atmosphere. She really hoped this whole thing would prove to be a stupid misunderstanding and she could get the heck out of there. She approached what looked like a cloth-covered object standing under a direct light. There also seemed to be a security camera on the wall aimed at it. Curious, Darlene pulled off the shroud to get a good look at it. Underneath seemed to be a glass carving of a young woman. She was shorter than Darlene - maybe five feet tall? - with a short bowl cut of hair. Darlene could see the outline of glasses on her face and a confident smile. The glass statue’s hands were on her hips casually, as if she had been caught off guard. The statue was wearing a simple, modest, floral bikini that held its trim figure well. //Oh…kay? So… he’s secretly a closet glassblower or something?// Darlene was all set to keep looking when she noticed a small tag around the statue’s right wrist. Curious, she gave it a glance. //Rebecca Wallace… date of experiment… method used… Chihuly lens… client contacted…// Dropping the card, Darlene took a step back and reexamined the statue. //Wait a minute… are you saying…// The reality of the situation hit her like a ton of bricks. //Holy… this sicko made this girl INTO a glass statue?!// Overcome with emotion Darlene placed a shaking hand on poor Rebecca’s arm. The cold glass chilled Darlene’s spirit. She needed to stop this maniac fast… but what about Rebecca? Surely there had to be some way to change her back? [[Try to take down the doctor]] [[Try to help Rebecca]]

The young intern nodded her head quickly and pushed the glowing pink button, just as Darlene had instructed. ''COMMAND INPUT RECEIVED. INITIATING.'' //Uh oh… //Darlene thought. She slammed on the glass, trying to get Jennifer’s attention. “Hey! Hey, push it again or something! Hurry!” Jennifer panicked, hitting the switch over and over. “I’m trying! Nothing’s happening!” Darlene backed up as far as she could in the chamber and prepared to slam into it with her shoulder again. “Alright, stand back - don’t want to get hit by broken glass, ok?” But before she could start running, the tube began to hum and glow. Darlene looked all around herself. The lights were getting brighter and the noises were getting louder. Something was happening, that was certain. //Need to get out of here before–// [[The tube flashed a bright light, cutting her thought short.]]

“Red?” came Jennifer’s confused call. “Sure, I mean, red means stop, right? Maybe it stops the machine!” Jennifer shrugged - unsure of what to do, but without any better ideas, she pushed the button. ''COMMAND INPUT RECEIVED. ABORTING.'' Darlene’s shoulders relaxed as she could hear the machine start to wind down. Whatever process it was engaging in seemed to be over now. The door unlocked with a click and a hiss, allowing her to exit. Jennifer ran over to her. “Hey, thanks for the assist, kid. That could have been–” ''ZAAAAAAAP!'' Darlene’s words were cut off by Jennifer slamming a device of some sort into her neck. At first, Darlene thought it was a simple taser, something that her electrical body should have been able to absorb without any difficulty, but this felt very different. Her body seemed to lock up, as if it were completely stuck in time. Darlene’s eyes darted around and she forced herself to make words before her lips stopped moving entirely. “... are… doing?” Jennifer placed the time-shocker back in her pocket. “I’m sorry for this, I really am… but if the doctor found out I was messing with his stuff… he’d… he’d kill me!” Darlene lost sight of Jennifer as she moved out of her field of vision. “But, if I catch a snooping superheroine… well, I’m a hero, right? He’ll be so pleased that he’ll forget all about me being where I should be!” Kid Dynamo felt herself being tilted backward slightly as she felt Jennifer’s arms wrap around her midsection. “Don’t worry, this wears off in no time. Besides, I’m sure the doctor just wants to examine you and help you. Maybe even get rid of those awful powers entirely!” Nooooo… Darlene screamed mentally, but she was helpless to stop herself from being brought deeper into the heart of the building… where she would come face to face with the doctor himself… [[Into the lab...]]

Jennifer hesitated but nodded, unsure of what else to do. ''COMMAND INPUT RECEIVED. INITIATING.'' //Oh great…// Darlene thought to herself. “Try it again!” “I am! Nothing’s happening!” Darlene put her hands on her hips. “Well, try another one then, or maybe–!” Her words were cut off by a blinding white flash that burned Jennifer’s eyes. When she could see again, the angry form of Kid Dynamo seemed to be gone, replaced by a nude marble statue. With a hiss and a ding, the door to the chamber opened, allowing Jennifer to tentatively look closer. Sure enough, the blast had seemingly incinerated the purple-yellow bodysuit of the hero, judging by the pile of ash on the floor at her feet. Instead, the curvaceous college student was completely on display, seemingly preserved perfectly in white marble. Jennifer extended a hand to touch the cool, smooth surface. She ran her hand along Darlene’s arm to her shoulder, even copping a feel of her breast. “Incredible… he really is a genius…” Yes, Dr. Wissenschaftler’s invention seemed to be an incredible success, but that will be cold comfort to Darlene - trapped forever in a stony, silent prison… //''A rocky end to the stunning speedster! Alas, poor Darlene… if only she had done things differently…''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

“Oooo… my favorite color!” Jennifer muttered happily as she found the button. “Great kid, just great, now push it already!” ''COMMAND INPUT RECEIVED. INITIATING.'' //Well, that’s probably not good…// Darlene thought to herself. Before she could call out to Jennifer to try something else or push a different button, Darlene noticed that the floor was getting unusually warm. She danced a little, shifting her weight from foot to foot in an effort to mitigate the pain, but something unusual was definitely happening. And then she couldn’t lift her foot at all. ''CLANG!'' Her foot made a loud metallic noise as it dropped to the floor one last time. Darlene grabbed her own calf and tried to lift it, but it was surprisingly heavy. And shiny. And yellow. “Oh crap… gold! Yellow means gold!” Darlene yelled in a voice both angry and annoyed. “Crap, see if you can reverse it or something!” “I’m trying!” Jennifer called back, but the more buttons and switches she tried, the less success she seemed to have. Darlene watched in horror as the gold wave traveled up her ankles and calves and over her knees. She felt her mobility stop dead as more and more of her body became gilded. Over her thighs was the wake-up call. This… this wasn’t going anywhere. She was doomed, wasn’t she? The cold metal covered her hips, sending her into a scream of desperation. As her stomach and chest became coated, Darlene’s usually cool exterior cracked as she screamed for help. Jennifer went wide-eyed watching as the heroine’s arms froze in mid-flail, shining in the lab’s lights. “I’m… I’m sorry!” Jennifer called out. Darlene didn’t respond as the gold coated her screaming face and head, rendering the one mighty superheroine nothing more than a glittering statue. //''A golden sunset for Kid Dynamo! A shockingly rich fate! How could this have been avoided?! ''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

She hated to leave this poor girl behind, but the sooner this monster was stopped, the better it would be for everyone. After she had beaten him with an inch of his life, THEN she could find some sort of “undo” button for her and the presumably many, many others. She rubbed the poor statue’s cheek and gave a rueful smile. “Don’t worry - I’ll be back in a flash. I promise.” Turning, she used her lightning speed to head for the main door– – only to watch it slam shut in her face. “HEY!” Darlene yelled, slamming into the door. She grabbed the handle and rattled it, but it was locked tight. “Lemme outta here, you lousy–!” A voice crackled to life over the intercom. “Temper, temper, Purple Streak - or whatever your name is–” “Kid Dynamo!” “Don’t know, don’t care,” the voice replied. “I’m sorry we won’t get to meet face to face, but it turns out you’re not a terribly smart superhero. You see, when you entered the room, you tripped a silent alarm. It was fun watching you piece together the reality of dear sweet Reebecca’s statue, like watching a chimp trying to screw in a lightbulb, but now the time has come to end these shenanigans.” Before Darlene could ask what THAT meant, she heard a hissing sound. //Oh great, gas…// Darlene began to cough and sputter as the blue-grey mist began to fill the room. At first, she thought it was a simple knockout gas, but it didn’t take long before her joints and muscles felt unnaturally stiff. “What… are… you… doing…?” The voice chuckled. “My chronogas is rather unique, Miss Dynamo. It affects your personal temporal sphere by isolating your– you know what? It’s too complicated for someone like you. Just know that you are being slowed down. Way, way down.” It was true. Darlene could feel everything grinding to a halt. She raised a hand in front of her face, curious to see if there was any physical change. There wasn’t - except for the fact that she could no longer drop her hand at all. As the gas dissipated, Darlene was frozen in shock. Her eyes darted inside of her head, but she was otherwise completely immobile. Frozen with her legs apart, a shocked gasp on her face, and one hand raised in front of her eyes, she made for a most unusual statue. The security camera whirred to get a better look at her. “Perfect. Now, just stay there - not that you have a choice - and someone will be with you shortly,” the voice called to Darlene. “Hmmm… does that outfit even have a zipper? Or will i just be cutting it off? Meh, either way is fine for me.” Darlene screamed internally. Her only option, really. //''What frozen fate awaits the purple and yellow speedster?! And how could she have saved herself?!''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Kid Dynamo couldn’t just leave this poor girl here. She was a hero and that’s not what heroes do, dangit! Darlene examined the girl from every angle, running her hands along her smooth frame. There was nothing obvious that could be done, however. The platform the girl was standing on seemed to just be a typical metal stand with some mild support to keep Rebecca from shattering face first. //The card said something about a lens… maybe there’s something in here that could–// Darlene’s thought was cut short by a rough hand slapping a white cloth over her mouth. MMMPH! Darlene screamed and struggled, but the chemical scent quickly filled her lungs, making her thoughts and movements sluggish. The powerful arms gripped her tightly in a bearhug while the cloth was held firmly over her mouth. Whoever was holding her spun her around so she could see Dr. Wissenschaftler standing with arms crossed, a smug smile on his face. “Stupid bimbo… did you not think the doors wouldn’t have an alarm?” The voice chuckled. “So busy inspecting my prizes you never heard me coming…” Darlene kicked her feet off the ground, trying to break free, but the chloroform was making the room spin and she was unable to get her head together to form much of a plan. The odious doctor approached her, stroking her chin. “You seem so enamored with this one and my experiments with lenses, yes? Perhaps you’d like to see firsthand what I can do…” Before Darlene could process what that meant, her world faded to black. Poor Kid Dynamo never recovered from the chemical-soaked rag. The doctor and his associate dragged the KO’ed heroine back to the lab where they used the doctor’s inventions to transform her into a glass statue, just like Rebecca. Dr. Wissenschaftler opted to keep the reclining statue in his lab, where he liked to admire it and rub its smooth, cold surface. He says it helps him to… reflect. //''Holy transparent terminations! Kid Dynamo turned into a glass sculpture?! How could she have avoided her fate?! ''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Well, looking at the monitors seemed simple and easy. At least it didn’t require any unusual tech skills, right? Looking at the monitor bank in front of her, she saw a collection of six monitors, all looking at various parts of the building. //Hmmm… nothing obvious at least… no Lily… no professor… nothing that screams evil genius…// Darlene noticed the rows of buttons below the monitors. Pushing one, she was pleased to see that the picture switched to a new location. //Perfect! Just need to cycle through the cameras…// Using her lightning-fast speed, Darlene cycled through the cameras, one after the other, over and over… the images started to become almost a blur as she switched angles and cameras, one after the other. In her haste though, she failed to notice the one camera pointed right at the security desk. [[The one that Dr. Wissenschaftler was watching right at the moment.]]

Darlene cracked her knuckles. She’d seen Hi-Q hack stuff before - how hard could it be? She moved the mouse and got a log-in screen. Username? Uh… Alexandra Stout Password? Uh… ILikeEvil INCORRECT Uh… GlobocorpRulez INCORRECT Uh… CashMoneySkillionaires INCORRECT WARNING! POSSIBLE BREACH DETECTED! WARNING! Darlene looked around herself as red lights began flashing and klaxons blared. //Alright, so hacking isn’t my forte…// She could hear the rushing footsteps of Globocorps goon squad. She had to decide - make a run for it or fight the goons? [[Make a run for it]] [[Fight the goons]]

Darlene cracked her knuckles. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. Closing her eyes and summoning all of the electrical energy in her body, she pointed her finger at the security console. A burst of lightning flew from her finger and into the system. Everything lit up at once and all of the lights in the lobby area did as well. Loud noises and sparks started emitting from everything with a screen, creating a sensation like someone had set off a fireworks show in the lobby. And then it was done. A moment later, the room was dark. All electronics had seemingly been fried. Darlene looked around and whistled. “Whoops… as the moose said, guess I don’t know my own strength…” She heard angry shouting and stomping footsteps from the stairwell. Her little pyrotechnics show must have attracted attention from the goon squads. After that burst of electricity, it would be a little bit before her own powers were up to full charge, making a head-on fight a poor decision. That gave Darlene two choices - make a run for it or try and hide. It certainly seemed like she had knocked out the power, which meant the security system was likely down. That meant she had a decent chance at getting to the labs before the goons got to her. On the other hand, there was a large supply closet nearby. Maybe it would be best just to wait it out so she could get to the labs a little more carefully. The footsteps were getting closer. Time for a decision. [[Quick - run for the lab!]] [[Hide and avoid trouble]]

To hell with it, Darlene realized. Speed was her thing, after all, so why stick around and deal with the goon patrol? “Hey! There she is! It’s one of dem superheroes!” //Right on cue…// Darlene noticed the four musclebound apes in suits and sunglasses enter the lobby. They were trying to cut off the route to the labs, but the door to the stairwell was wide open. “So long, chumps! I’ll give your regards to your boss!” With a smirk, Kid Dynamo struck her runner’s pose and took off for the door. She noticed the goon raising up a large weapon, but she knew she could outrun anything he fired at her. But he wasn’t aiming at her. Instead, the goon fired a blue beam that coated the floor in front of Darlene. He coated the floor in ice. [[Very slippery ice.]]

Darlene cracked her knuckles. To heck with this computer stuff, she thought, now it was time to crack some skulls. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she hyped herself up, waiting for the goon squad to rush her. Sure enough, three over-muscled gorillas in ill-fitting sweatsuits entered the lobby. The biggest and hairiest of the mooks pointed at her. “Hey! ‘Dere she is! One of dem superheroes or summpin’!” //Always nice to meet a fan…// Darlene zoomed up to the goon and peppered his torso with a flurry of punches. That had no effect whatsoever. Darlene took a step back, her fists radiating with pain. //Jeez, it’s like punching a brick wall!// She looked up at the smirking mook. With a look of snarling anger, Darlene took a wild haymaker at his jaw. “Ouch! What the hell are you made of, solid stone?!” Darlene shook out her hand, the pain causing her to wince. “Funny, you should ask…” Kid Dynamo turned to see the lasers in the hallway shut off and a figure walking toward her. [[The professor?]]

The pain was excruciating for Darlene. Her body cried out in agony. The man was clearly insane and unafraid to end her. What choice did she have? “Ok… ok… I’ll… I’ll talk…” The evil doctor smirked. “I thought you might,” his icy voice dripped with satisfaction. Darlene watched as he pushed another button on his remote control. She winced expecting another painful shock, but felt something quite different instead. The machine she was strapped to began to whir and hum louder than anything she had ever heard before. A defeated Darlene was about to ask what was happening, but she felt a sudden and powerful pulling at her insides like she was caught in a massive vacuum cleaner. She arched her back and screamed out in pain, but the doctor felt no compelling reason to stop. As the pressure and pulling kept up, Darlene felt cold inside as if her very essence was being drained from her body. A core part of her being was being wrenched loose, like her DNA itself was being rewritten, extracted, and mutilated for the professor’s amusement. Unable to deal with the searing pain, her head slumped forward and she mercifully blacked out into unconsciousness. Finally, after what felt like a long, painful eternity, the machine died down. Darlene raised a shaky head and looked at the evil scientist. [[“Wha… what did…”]]

“I’ll… never… tell… you any—” Her defiant retort was cut short by another powerful burst of electricity, causing her to scream out in pain. “Oh, sure you will, my blonde-haired vixen. You may not WANT to tell me anything, but that doesn’t mean you won’t.” Darlene shakily raised her head, trying to make sense of the mad scientist’s ramblings. What was he talking about? Why would she tell him if–? The machine whirred to life again, but it wasn’t an electrical burst like before. Something else was happening. At first, it was just a low hum and vibration, causing Darlene’s body to vibrate and shake. Then it increased in pitch and speed, vibrating her more and more. Part of Kid Dynamo was nauseous, part of her was terrified, but all of her was very confused. The vibrations continued more and more, causing Darlene to start to moan in pain. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore - the vibrations reached a loud and powerful crescendo, causing her to arch her back and scream out. Then it stopped. [[Everything stopped.]]

//You know what? Maybe I’ll just sit this one out…// Darlene thought to herself. Probably best just to wait until her powers came back online, so to speak. She pulled open the door to the supply closet. Seemed like enough room. Noises from down the hall. Thinking fast, Darlene grabbed a heavy looking paperweight - a round glass ball with a ballerina inside? - and rolled it down the formerly laser-filled hallway. Hopefully, the noise would get the goons off of her tail. She stepped inside and quietly closed the door. Sure enough, she heard the heavy footsteps enter the lobby and the mooks discussing the state of affairs. “Hey! I heard sumpin’ go down da hall!” “Yeah? Well, let’s go then!” Darlene smiled. It had worked! Except for one small problem - the closet was awfully dusty. //Ahhh… ahhh… ahhh… CHOOO!// The conversation outside stopped. //Ah… crap…// The doors to the supply closet opened and the the five goons narrowed their eyes at Kid Dynamo. “Hey there, boys…” She weakly wiggled her fingers. “Uh… need staples?” The lead goon tilted his head. “Who are you and what is you doing here?” “Uh… new cleaning lady?” The goons looked perplexed. “Yeah, see, uh… needed to get some supplies… so… I thought… you know, supply closet?” The goons nodded, as if that explanation made perfect sense to them. Darlene breathed a sigh of relief. She was going to be able to– “But, wait a minute…” One of the goons chimed in. “If she’s a maid, how come she ain’t wearing a maid collar?” //A what?!// “That’s right!” A different goon shouted. “All dem maids wear a special collar to help them think better and work harder!” “Oh? Uh… well… mine just isn’t here yet, so…” Darlene rubbed her fingers together, hoping to see a spark. No luck. No powers yet. Crud. “Hang on, here’s an extra!” A goon reached over head and pulled a large metal collar off from an upper shelf. Darlene’s eyes widened. “No, no! Really, that’s ok! I’m sure I’ll get mine–” **CLICK!** The goon snapped it around her neck. Instantly, Darlene froze. Then she relaxed. Then she smiled. //RELAX…OBEY…RELAX…OBEY…// The programming went to work immediately, wiping out any thoughts Kid Dynamo might have had of her life before. Gone was Darlene Fox, college student, or Kid Dynamo, speedy superheroine - all that was left was a happy, smiley bimbo maid. “Dere… now she looks like da others!” Darlene giggled. ‘Thanks so much, boys! I’m ever so grateful!” Then the former heroine mindlessly left the closet and headed off to her new life as Globotech’s newest maid. **//Holy mindless maid service! Kid Dynamo reduced to a brainless bimbo housekeeper?! How could she have avoided this horrific fate!?//** [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

//Lasers look down… time to move!// Darlene might not have had her superspeed up and running yet, but with the security system fried, she doubted she’d need them. She turned to look at the now darker hallway, lit only by emergency lights overhead, and smirked. Piece of cake. She took off running. And immediately set off a trap. The electricity might have turned off the laser grid, but it didn’t effect the good old fashioned pressure plate traps dotting the floor. Darlene managed to step on the very first one, sending up a cloud of gray gas into her face. Kid Dynamo waved it away, coughing as she did so, but she had already inhaled far too much of it. Staggering backward, Darlene began to feel a sensation that was foreign to her - slowness. Sluggishness. Her whole body suddenly felt like it was moving through thick molasses. //Whaaaaaaaat… isssssssss… haaaaaaaaapppeeennnnnnn–?// She raised her hand up to her face and watched in horror as the youthful tan faded away into a sickeningly dull gray - the same color as the gas. Darlene gasped in shock, which was the face she would now wear permanently as the gas effected all of her body, freezing her solid. Gray and immobile, Darlene would stand looking dumbstruck in the hallway until the goons came to get her. She became a lovely addition to the front lobby of GloboCorp. Minus her uniform, of course. //''Scintillating Statues! Kid Dynamo turned into a shockingly nude conversation piece?! Horror of horrors! How could she have avoided this terrible fate?!''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Jinx’s thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of two of her companions. Kid Dynamo burst through the rooftop access door to the stairs holding Angelfish in a cradle carry. From the look on her face, it was clear that Princess Mare did not appreciate the assist. Darlene pulled off her goggles and slid back her hood before addressing the elephant in the room. “So, Jinx, got the message. What’s so important you wanted to have a spooky clandestine meeting in the middle of the night on a rooftop? Who holds meetings on rooftops anyway? Do normal people? I’m honestly asking because I have no idea.” Darlene rambled on at a mile a minute, as per her usual adrenaline and superpower fueled speech. Angelfish climbed out of her companion’s arms and stood up, commanding the respect a former member of royalty demanded. “Yes, Maggie, what is so important that you needed to seek us out on such short notice? I have pool time reserved at five am and I do not plan to miss it.” Mare strolled to the edge of the building, her ballet flats making little noise on the rooftop gravel. As she peered over the side, she looked across at the massive skyscraper glowing in the night ahead of them. Not being a local, she didn’t know it by sight, but when she read the sign, she exclaimed angrily. “Globocorp?!? Maggie!” Mare turned and yelled at Jinx annoyed, while Darlene simply facepalmed. “Aww, geez, not again…” “Did you drag us out here in the middle of the night for another wild goose chase?!?” Mare Puella stood with arms crossed in front of her chest, tapping her foot like an impatient mother telling her daughter how she wasn’t mad, just disappointed. “Look, I can explain!” Maggie protested, but Mare continued on. “Explain what? The last time you tried to ‘get the goods’ on Alexandra Stout, you tripped some security device and were coated in plaster for a week!” “Yeah, luckily Hi-Q was able to track your belt or you’d still be in a warehouse somewhere,” Darlene said while checking out her gloved knuckles. “And remember the lecture Goddess gave us after you tried to place a tracker on Ms. Stout’s limo?" “I know, I know, but come on! You both know they’re dirty. And besides…” “Besides, nothing! Come, Darlene - we’re going home.” Mare flipped her long red hair behind her head and started to storm away. Jinx called out. “Wait, please! You have to listen! Darlene, come on!” Kid Dynamo sadly shook her head, and pulled her hood and goggles back on, as she started to get ready to go. “It’s Lily.” [[Lily?!]]

Darlene and Mare both stopped dead. They slowly turned to look at Jinx, confused and worried expressions on their face. “What do you mean - ‘It’s Lily’?” Mare asked with a slightly accusatory tone. Jinx sighed and explained everything. She had recently heard about the disappearance of several students on campus who had been working as interns at Globocorp for a Dr. Böser Wissenschaftler. Maggie did her research - Dr. Wissenschaftler was also known as “Professor Polymer” for his work in molecular transformation and transmutation. Rumors had it that he had been working on devices that could turn lead into gold, flesh into steel, and more. Given the troubles that the ASFR crew had with homegrown nutjob Dr. Impossible, the prospect of another scientist doing transformation research AND backed up by Globocorp left a bad taste in her mouth. “But what does all this have to do with Lily?” Darlene asked, skeptically. “I… may have convinced Lily to go in undercover and now she’s not responding…” The stunned silence from Darlene and Mare spoke volumes. Lillian Stowe was another superpowered friend of theirs, but she was hardly a fighter. She was a passionate environmental activist who could talk to nature, but she was hardly someone who should be sent on her own on an undercover mission. “What were you thinking, Maggie?!” Angelfish screamed at her friend and teammate. “She wanted to help! She could see how worried I was about the missing girls and she volunteered and I… I…” Jinx started to tear up a little, but she tried to hide it - superheroines don’t cry. Darlene and Mare gave each other a look before Mare sighed. Walking back over to Maggie, she shook her head and placed a kind hand on her shoulder. [[What's the plan?]]

“Alright, so we need to get in there, find Lily, and get out, right?” A smile came over Maggie’s lips. She knew her friends wouldn’t let her down. “Ok, ok, ok… so what’s the game plan? Just let me zip in through the front door, biff, bam, boom some guards, grab Lily and vamoose, right?” Kid Dynamo was bouncing on the balls of her feet as she usually did when she was raring to go. “Hardly. The front door of this business will no doubt be guarded by traps and guards the kind of which your quick speed will likely not see,” Mare said as she walked over to the edge of the building, taking in the scene. “There - a sewer grate. We should go in from there, enter the building through the water supply and catch them by surprise.” “Ew, poo water?” Darlene made a childish face. “I was thinking of a similar stealthy approach - but not by water,” Jinx replied, joining Mare by the edge of the roof. “By going in through the ventilation system, we could traverse the building much faster and easier than either of your approaches.” “Hey, that might work for you, but I’m not much for sneaking in a sardine can,” Darlene snarked. “Well, I for one am not interested in getting the attention of every guard in the building by walking in from the front door, Darlene!” Mare was quite annoyed and it was up to Maggie to play peacemaker. “Look, I have an idea - why don’t we split up and tackle this each in our own way? It’s a big building, we’ll stay in communication. Everyone get in there, find Lily, and take down anything that looks screwy, ok?” The three heroines looked at each other and nodded. It was showtime. //Who should you follow?// [[Jinx]] [[Kid Dynamo]] [[Angelfish]]

The machine had a massive glass chamber and two huge tanks on the back, connected the chamber with a network of hoses. Brightly colored lights dotted the structure and tanks. Inside the tanks was a swirling colorful mass, almost kaldescopic in nature. And inside the tank was a very frightened young woman. Maggie recognized the young woman from around campus. Gail Fleur was a member of the school’s dance team - The Guardianettes - and one of the most visible members of the campus hierarchy. The perky blonde must have been grabbed right after a workout, since she was clad in a bright pink sports bra and black leggings. Jinx watched as Gail pounded against the glass, her ponytail swaying back and forth with every futile slam. The doctor paid her no mind. He was tapping away at a laptop screen, no doubt calculating and preparing for some sort of twisted experiment. Jinx had to do something… but what? The obvious move was to reach down to the utility belt on her leg and try to somehow disable the machine. Maybe she could try and sever a tube or break those tanks or… something? Then again, something like that could cause an explosion or something that would not only hurt Gail but possibly bring the whole building down. Besides, she doesn’t actually know Gail is in danger yet… right? Maybe it would be best just to stay put and see what’s going on. Ugh… Maggie hated these moments. She loved being a heroine, but the truth of the matter was that she was still pretty inexperienced. Maybe it would be better to call someone for advice or directions? Sure, they’d never let her hear the end of it, but better that than blundering into some sort of catastrophe. Maggie contemplated the situation as she hid in the duct before reaching her decision. [[Observe the Professor]] [[Sabotage the Machine]] [[Call for Backup]]

Standing in the doorway of what looked like a laboratory was her good friend and missing teammate Lillian Stowe aka Lily. The nature powered colleged activist stood silently in the doorway, looking just as she always did, Jinx noted. Maggie’s eyes travelled from Lily’s long, loose green top and skirt to her strap up sandals, checking for any signs of trouble. She looked just like she had that night when she had convinced Lily to go undercover here at Globotech, with one major exception. Her eyes were blank and white. “Lily! Are you ok?” When Lily did not respond, Jinx gripped her by the shoulders and repeated herself. “Hey, come on! It’s me, Jinx! Are you hurt? What’s going on?” But Lily didn’t respond. Her face was blank, emotionless. She had none of the kindness or energy that Jinx had grown to admire. Something was definitely wrong and Maggie was becoming increasingly frenzied in her panic. “Lily? Lillian!” Jinx’s hands began to tremble, terrified that she was responsible for her friend bening turned into a dummy or a drone or… or… “Please, Lily, say something!” [["INTRUDER ALERT"]]

“INTRUDER ALERT.” Lillian’s voice was cold and robotic, not at all like her usual self. Her arm shot up at a right angle and revealed she was holding what looked to be like a small handgun with a set of massive blue tubes on the back. Jinx released her friend and backed away slowly, her eyes growing large with fright. “Lily? Lily, please, it’s me, Jinx! Lily, I’ll get you out of here, just hold –” “INTRUDER ALERT.” Lily pulled the trigger on her weapon, sending a blue beam out at her friend. Jinx threw up her hands to ward off the beam, but it was a pointless gesture. Instead, the beam bathed her in a sudden, chilling force that caught a scream half-formed in her throat. Jinx’s vision became tinted blue as her movements stopped completely - unable to look around or even blink. Lily had no reaction to coating her former teammate in a block of ice. She had no emotions or reactions to anything anymore. Dr. Wissenschaftler had effectively drained her of all of those pesky things when he discovered who she truly was. Now, she was just one more guinea pig in his laboratory, a way for him to test his mind control devices. Lily calmly and stiffly touched her earpiece. “UNIT LILY REPORTING. INTRUDER SECURED. ICE BLOCK IN D WING. UNIT LILY OUT.” And with that, Lily stiffly walked out of Jinx’s field of view, probably forever. But, of course, Maggie had bigger problems to worry about now… //''Holy heroine popsicles! A block of ice with a Jinx inside? What a foul frozen fate! Oh, if only there was some way Jinx could have avoided such a terrible outcome!''// [[Restart Jinx's Adventure->Jinx]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Dr. Wissenschaftler hugged her again, tightly bearhugging the heroine. “Oh, thank goodness you’ve come… they… they’ve made me do such awful, terrible things!” “Who has?” “Globocorp! Alexandra Stout, of course! They’ve… they’ve perverted my science… made me do HORRIBLE things…” The doctor turned into a sobbing mess while Jinx awkwardly patted his back. Jinx smirked. She had been right all along. Globocorp WAS evil and now she had proof AND a witness. “There, there… the ASFR team and I can help you. We’ll get you out of here and protect you. All you need to do is be willing to testify. Oh, and turn your victims back, of course.” Dr. Wissenschaftler leaned back and sniffled, wiping his nose with the back of his sleeve. He nodded vigorously. “Of course, of course… thank you, thank you, sweet girl…” The doctor let her go and returned to his computer. He began punching in a series of commands that Jin couldn’t fully understand. “Hmmm… something’s not right…” “What do you mean?” “I mean, the undoing isn’t undoing as it should. I need someone to take a closer look. Something about her statue must be wrong… maybe she had on jewelry or something?” That made sense. Gail was likely covered in gold jewelry - maybe that’s why she had transformed like that. But, could Jinx really trust him? Of course, just because he’s a little… eccentric doesn’t mean that she should automatically assume he’s evil. He did say he wanted help… [["Sure thing - just go in and check it out?"]] [[“Just how dumb do you think I am?”]]

Jinx swallowed hard. She took a step back and tried to ram the glass, to no success, but she had to do something fast. That machine was up to something, that was for sure and she wasn’t eager to find out what it was… ''ZAAAAAP!'' A beam shot out and hit her square in the small of her back, causing Jinx to yelp out in surprise. She looked at her trembling hands, expecting to see gold or marble or some other odd change, but all she noted was that her hands were very, very itchy. Jinx wrinkled her nose and sneezed. And again. //Ugh… my allergies are acting up. But that only really happens around… // She looked at her hands again. Black hair was sprouting out. //NO!// In a panic, she looked out the glass at the smiling scientist. “That’s right… it killed the cat.” Jinx put her hands to her face and felt the long whiskers now coming out of her cheekbones. Her hands themselves were starting to reshape and remold, going from human hands to kitty’s paws. A tremendous pressure came from her backside, followed by a terrible ripping noise - a tail shot through her leotard! As Jinx looked back at the chortling scientist, she had a horrible realization. //I’m going to spend the rest of my life using a littler box, aren’t I?// //''Pretty kitty Jinx reduced to a common housepet!? Holy kibbles ‘n bits! If only she could have avoided her fate somehow!''// [[Restart Jinx's Adventure->Jinx]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

//Marble? He’s been turned to marble…?// As Jinx pondered the evil scientist’s fate, she failed to remember one of the basic truths about gas and physics - that they fill the space of the container they are in. In this case, that meant they would fill the room… and all points beyond as well. Maggie suddenly noticed that the multicolored gas was rapidly rising in the room and coming straight for the ventilation ducts! //Uh oh…// She tried to back up as quickly as possible, but she was unable to out crawl her floating doom. It hit her face first, causing her to inhale bits of the gas and cough. It tasted bitter and acrid and caused her to close her eyes and grimace in disgust. Unfortunately for the heroine, that unflattering expression would be permanently etched on her face. Jinx could feel her body start to slow down as her skin and insides hardened, turning her into little more than a marble statue. Her last thoughts before everything stopped were concerns that she just had just doomed everyone in the building, including her friends and teammates. Worse still, the air ducts were barely able to hold a grown superheroine, let alone a marble statue. With a loud creak and groan, the duct gave way, sending her marble shattering to the ground. Poor Jinx… even if the other heroines found a way to undo the effects of the gas, there was little to be done with the broken bits and pieces that once were the courageous crusader in pink… //''Holy smashed statuary! Jinx petrified and pulverized by gravity! Surely there was some way to avoid a crushing finale?! ''// [[Restart Jinx's Adventure->Jinx]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

The footsteps grew louder as the figure apparently approached Jinx from behind. “Oh, ho ho…” he laughed, standing directly behind the paralyzed heroine. “Seems I’ve been visited by one of the city’s many costumed vigilantes, hm? And what a fit specimen YOU are…” To Jinx’s embarrassment and shock, she felt a slap across her rear-end as the mad doctor took advantage of her frozen form. “Fascinating… not even a jiggle from the delicious rump of yours… I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised through, given that you were struck by my anti-temporal security system. Why, your whole body has simply been placed on a… timeout, hasn’t it?” Maggie could hear him chuckling to himself as she crossed in front of her, finally entering her field of vision. “But I guess you already figured that out, didn’t you, my inquisitive little one?” Jinx mentally retched as she felt his leathery hand cup her cheek. “Mmmm… quite a beauty… not as striking as Mighty Gal or Lady Justice, but pretty never the less… and young… you can’t be older than one of my students, are you? I wonder if I know you…?” //NO!// Jinx mentally panicked as she felt his hands reach up to her face, gripping the sides of her domino mask. The sticky adhesive held it well in place, but they wouldn’t be able to stop someone actively pulling it off, especially with no resistance from her at all. And just like that… it was done. Maggie Dreyer was exposed. If she could have, she would have cried, but her tear ducts, like the rest of her, were frozen in time. The professor looked at her, frowning. “Hmmm… I have no idea who you are…” he said, disappointed. But after a brief moment, he simply shrugged and tossed her precious mask over his shoulder. “Oh well, not a big problem. After all, we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other –“Jinx watched as his gaze travelled over her body “- much more intimately.” Maggie mentally collapsed. Was this her new fate? To be some perverted professor’s plaything? As Jinx watched the doctor laugh before he reached out and grasped her breasts, she realized the truth – she wasn’t a real hero after all… //''Poor Jinx! Frozen in time as a lab decoration! How could this horrible fate have been avoided?!?''// [[Restart Jinx's Adventure->Jinx]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Jinx had been so focused on the lock she hadn’t been doing a great job of minding her surroundings, allowing the professor to sneak back into the room unnoticed, and now he had the drop on her plain and simple. The tools fell out of Jinx’s hands with a noisy clatter as she cautiously raised them into the air. The professor chuckled and shook his head dismissively. “Ah, another one of Gigatropolis’s famed costumed heroines, I see. A pity, really.” The professor kept his weapon trained on her with his right hand while his left hand held some sort of remote control. He pushed a button, causing the door to the glass chamber to open. He then pocketed the remote and quickly grabbed Jinx by the front of her leotard. “If you wanted to see inside of my transmutation chamber, all you had to do was ask, sweet cheeks.” And with a rough shove, he tossed the heroine effortlessly into the chamber and slammed the door shut. Maggie ran to the glass and pounded on it, but it was no more successful for her than it was her captured coed companion. As the dancer glared at her failed rescuer, their captor returned to his console, having finished his repairs. [["It's showtime!"]]

“It’s…. showtime!” Bellowed the mad doctor as he dramatically stabbed a button. Instantly, the inside of the chamber begin to fill with dazzling lights of all colors. Jinx looked up and marveled at the sight of it all – it would have been quite beautiful, if she wasn’t very sure their lives were in imminent danger. Suddenly, out of the center of the roof, a gold beam shot out and fired at Jinx. Using her gymnastics and superheroine training, she tried to maneuver out of the way, but there was precious little room to go. She bent and contorted her body, but was unable to avoid getting struck on the ankle. She expected a burning pain, which is what was usually associated with laser beams, but instead, the attack made her feel cold, heavy, and numb. Looking down at where she had been struck, Maggie watched in horror as her entire leg was starting to turn to gold! She gripped her now golden thigh and tried to get it to move, but was completely unsuccessful. It was rooted to the ground, gilded for all time. “That’s right, heroine! You may be a lousy rescuer, but you should at least get a trophy for your efforts, right?” A second beam shout out, this time directly at the dancer. With nowhere to go in the tight confines of the chamber, all she could do was let out a scream as it struck her in the middle of the forehead. Her scream died in her throat as her entire head coted over in gold, trapped forever in a contorted frightful scream - a monument to Maggie’s failures. More beams shot out, finishing the job, turning the beautiful perky Gaurdianette into a life-size trophy. A tear rolled down Maggie’s cheek as she tried desperately to move her golden leg, to find some way to escape her fate, but it was impossible. Her fate had been sealed the second she decided to sabotage the machine. “Awww… dry those eyes, you spandex clad bimbo,” the doctor mocked. “At least this way, we can preserve your body! That’s all you heroines are really good for anyway…” Jinx was about to indignantly argue when another beam hit her in the back, turning her torso to solid, immutable gold. Another hit her left arm. Then her other leg. And then her head. And then Maggie succumbed to a world of gilded oblivion… //''Poor Jinx! A failed rescue attempt leads to TWO new golden statues for the perfidious professor! If only she could have found another way…''// [[Restart Jinx's Adventure->Jinx]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

He looked up and for a moment, Jinx thought he would turn around and see her. Instead, he tapped something in his ear. “What? She wants to see me now? Doesn’t she know I’m in the middle of–?” He sighed loudly as the person on the other end of the call seemed to yell at him. “Fine. I’ll be right there. Ungrateful know-nothing…” The doctor stormed out of the room, leaving the computer attached to the massive machine. Jinx couldn’t believe her luck. She scrambled over to the machine, only to see that the computer had been put to sleep. When she woke it up, it asked for a password. Maggie was momentarily flummoxed. Computers weren’t really her thing, but she wasn’t ignorant either. Besides, she had seen Hi-Q hack stuff a million times - how hard could it be? She could probably guess the password. Then again… maybe she’d be better off just grabbing the computer and taking it back to the Liberty Loft and letting someone else handle it - at least, he couldn’t run the machine without it. Looking at Gail trapped in her glass container, Jinx knew she had to decide quickly. [[Hack the computer]] [[Grab the laptop and run]]

She recognized the voice of the odious doctor, no doubt returning from his impromptu meeting. Jinx felt a leathery hand slap her on the butt as he walked by. “I see you met my little security system here. It is a bit crude, I admit, but effective nevertheless, as you no doubt have noticed.” Dr. Wissenschaftler reached out and inputted a series of commands to blank out the screen. “After all, it caught me an intruder.” Jinx could feel his creepy gaze scanning her rigid body. “A very attractive intruder indeed.” His hand reached out and squeezed Maggie’s left breast, causing her to mentally gag. “Now then, you there! At attention!” Maggie felt her body snap to a rigid pose with her arms at her side. //What? What is he doing to me?!// “Tell me your name.” “My name is Jinx, sir. Member of the Amazing Superheroines Fighting Rogues, sir.” Jinx answered quietly. She felt like a prisoner in her own body, watching herself doing things and saying things she would never agree to. //Oh no! How is he doing this?! Stop it!// “I see. And what is your REAL name, my dear?” //No! No, please!// “Maggie Dreyer. I am a student at Gigatopolis University.” //NO!!// “Interesting… and you know much about your teammates, I assume?” “I know everything about them.” “Perfect.” Inside her own head, Maggie screamed in frustration, unable to stop herself from answering the questions from the vile man - but the worst was yet to come. “Come here, my dear,” he commanded. She did as requested. He kissed her deeply, forcing his tongue into her mouth. Jinx mentally retched. “Perfect. Now… who do you serve, slave?” “I serve only you, sir.” //''Holy hypnotized horror! Is Jinx doomed to be a drone for the rest of days? If only she could have prevented this terrible fate!''// [[Restart Jinx's Adventure->Jinx]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

“Find the — labeled 8311XHT, open — tell me — you see.” Jinx tapped her communicator. “Hi-Q? I’m getting some interference. Everything ok?” “--- fine. Hear —. Just tell —-- see, ok?” “Uh… ok…” Jinx looked inside the panel and looked inside. “I’m seeing a red wire, a green wire, and a blue wire. So, uh, what do I do?” “Cut the — wire.” “... which one?” “---” “Hillary, I can’t hear you! Which wire?!” The line went dead. Jinx tapped her communicator multiple times and tried to call Hi-Q back, but the interference from the equipment must have been too strong. Taking out a pair of wire cutters from her utility pouch, Jinx stared at the mess before her. Well… Hi-Q said to cut a wire… but which one? [[Red]] [[Blue]] [[Green]]

“Drop it, hero! You’re coming with us!” Jinx, using her gymnastics training, quickly backflipped out of their view, heading to the next aisle over. Realizing her escape options were dwindling rapidly, she looked up. With amazing agility, she climbed on top of the massive computer tower and waited for the guards to give chase. As soon as they ran past, she lept down, grabbing their heads, and slamming them together in one swift motion. As she stood over the two slumped-over guards, Jinx did a fist pump. YES! Jinx stopped suddenly and looked around herself. //Wait… two here… one over there… and one over there… and… oh crap…// Sure enough, as soon as she did the math in her head, she heard a loud electronic noise and felt an icy chill strike her right in the back. Jinx cried out in fear, but the scream was cut off in her throat. The cold feeling caused her to arch her back, jutting her chest out and her head backward. Jinx tried to move her body, but everything had locked up. She could even blink or breathe and yet, she was somehow still able to look around and think. She could even feel the cold chill of the air around her and hear the footsteps of someone approaching her from behind. The feeling of someone slapping her ass was her first confirmation that she wasn’t alone. Then came his deep, sickening voice. “Heh, heh, heh… nice little rump you got on ya, hero…” //Hey! Don’t touch me, you pervert! // The goon stepped into her field of view with a satisfied smirk on his face. “These freeze beams of the professors work great. He’ll be real happy to see the results...” the goon muttered as he took in the frozen sight of the beautiful superheroine. Jinx was resplendent in her pink and purple leotard, her muscles being strained in very pleasing ways. The goon’s leathery calloused hands reached out and palmed Jinx’s breasts. Jinx wanted to scream. “Real happy indeed…” //''Horror of horrors! Frozen and groped by an anonymous goon! What a fate for our heroine! If only she could have been saved!?''// [[Restart Jinx's Adventure->Jinx]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

No… it wasn’t possible… was it? Flesh to gold? What had that madman created? As if in an effort to assuage any doubts she might have had, the mad doctor opened the chamber and approached the unmoving coed. He rapped her on the skull with her fist, producing only a metallic clanking noise. “Perfect! I can’t wait to inform Ms. Stout that the test was a rousing success! Mass production can begin immediately!” //Mass production?! Of those… things?!// Jinx’s eyes grew wide at the enormity of what she was facing. This was no longer just about her suspicions or her missing teammate and friend. This was much, much worse. She needed to do something – and fast! But reality set it quickly for her – what could she do? She could try and confront him, maybe force him to revert the change… but would he really listen to her? Maybe it would be better to try and sneak away and return with backup? This certainly seemed like the type of case where it would help to have a Mighty Gal or Maelstrom on her side… but did she have that kind of time? With the clock ticking ever forward, she knew she had to make a decision quickly… [[Sneak away]] [[Confront the Professor]]

“... goo?” Mare read aloud. “What sort of setting is just… goo?” A voice from behind her spoke up. “Well, I thought it was more whimsical.” Mare turned around and was face to face with an older man in a laboat and goggles, wild white hair sprayed everywhere. “I mean, sure, everyone enjoys turning their enemies into gold or stone or plastic… but there are those special someones that you would just enjoy seeing turned into a big pile of lime jello, right?” Startled and threatened, Angelfish raised the weapon up and aimed it at the man. “Who… who are you?” The scientist didn’t seem concerned in the slightest, simply smirked at the young heroine. “My name is Dr. Böser Wissenschaftler and you, my lovely young lady, are trespassing.” He advanced on Mare, taking slow, deliberate steps. Mare stepped back and shakily aimed the gun. [[“Stay back! I… I’m warning you!”]]

Dr. Wissenschaftler slowly raised his hands, but it was clear he wasn’t particularly intimidated. “Let me see… you come into my place of business uninvited - breaking in, I might add - steal my equipment, use it and destroy more equipment, and then you threaten me? Hardly heroic behavior, wouldn’t you agree?” He shook his head sadly. “No, I dare say a real hero would solve our differences without violence, wouldn’t you agree?” Mare had to concede that he had a point. Part of her - her father’s part, she thought - wanted to zap him into a stone statue right then and there and call it a night, but he knew what the other heroines would probably say. Even threatening him seemed distinctly unheroic… maybe she should just put the gun down and try to negotiate with him. Perhaps he could be convinced to give himself up? But then again, clearly, this man was a danger and this gun was her only leverage. She doesn’t have to fire it - just keep him on guard until she learns what she needs to know. [[Put the weapon down and talk]] [[Continue to threaten him]] [[Fire]]

“Hardly. You are a fascinating creature, miss fish, and I wish to know more about you. How do you breathe on the surface? Where do you come from? How do you manage your abilities? These could all be terribly useful in my research, you know - a whole new line of technology for Globocorp!” “You think I would help you?!” Mare yelled in disbelief. “No, but I also don’t think I’m going to give you much choice.” Before Mare could even utter a response, Dr. Wissenschaftler tapped a sequence of buttons on his watch. Instantly, Angelfish’s world froze. No witty response. No threatening stares. No blinking. No breathing. Nothing. [[Wha--what's happening?!]]

The mad doctor casually walked around the time-stopped heroine, no longer in any sort of fear of danger. He let his eyes wander all over the delicious form of the Lagaon protector, particularly enjoying how well her tight-fitting green bodysuit hugged her modest curves. While he had seen many… volunteers… come through his lab, this was his first experience with a legitimate superheroine and it certainly did not disappoint. Her taught muscles as she prepared for battle, her sharp, but cute facial features, her splendid little breasts barely constrained by her suit… Böser circled her like a wolf circling a sheep, licking his lips as he did. Walking behind her, he allowed his hand to trace the curve of her back from her shoulders down to her rear, pleasantly arched and on display for him. Upon reaching her end, he took two handfuls of her buttocks while sighing deeply. “Yes… what a fascinating subject you will be…” Composing himself, the doctor took out a small walkie-talkie and spoke into it. “Leonard? Tell George to bring the hand truck to the warehouse. I have something wonderful that I can’t wait to get into the lab.” Hanging up, the scientist walked back in front of Mare and gently stroked her frozen, enraged expression. “I can’t wait to see what secrets you have to tell me. A new age awaits for all criminal kind and it’s all thanks to you…” Locked in her perpetually frozen time, Mare didn’t respond or even hear. To her, she would always be moments away from apprehending the evil scientist, instead of about to be becoming his latest guinea pig… //''Holy biology class! Strapped down and dissected for the amusement of a madman! Won’t SOMEBODY restart her clock?! How could poor Angelfish have saved herself from this fate?! ''// [[Restart Angelfish's Adventure->Angelfish]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

“My dear, my holding the gun so long and firing it so much, you’ve simply absorbed the transformative energy. Your body is… well, it’s in flux at the moment. It’s malleable. Like dough even.” The smug scientist approached Mare and took her arm from her stomach. “Watch.” To Angelfish’s horror, he pulled on her arm and stretched it out like taffy before her eyes. It didn’t hurt physically, but psychologically, it broke her. “No! No, you can’t! I… I… make… make it stop!” He wrapped the arm around her body before putting her hand back on top of her stomach. “Well, I DID invent a catalyst that will stop the process… maybe if you ask me really nicely…” “Please! I’ll… I’ll do anything!” He chuckled. [[“It’s ok. This one will be my pleasure.”]]

Removing a syringe from his labcoat, Dr. Wissenschaftler jabbed Angelfish in the throat and deployed his payload before stepping back to watch the process in action. At first, Mare felt relief as the random changes seemed to slow to a halt. A cooling feeling came over and the muscle aches and pains dulled. Mare closed her eyes and sighed in relief. Then everything dulled. Then everything became numb. Confused, Mare oped her eyes again and looked down at her arms, still clutching her body. She looked right through them. They were glass. Or crystal. Or something, but not flesh. Her legs were the same way. Her whole body was becoming a solid crystal statue, kneeling before the mad doctor. “Wh… what… you said…” “I said it would stop the process and it did - by turning you into whatever substance I wanted,” the doctor explained very matter-of-factly. “I thought a fragile flower such as yourself deserved a place of honor in my lab as a wonderful crystalline statue. You’re welcome, by the way.” Mare couldn’t respond, not with anger or despair. The overwhelming situation wouldn’t allow her to process it all. As her entire body became transparent crystal, all the warrior princess of the undersea kingdom could think about was her friends and how she hoped they had better luck than she did… //''Yikes! Angelfish a crystal statue for a madman’s laboratory! What a foul end for a fabulous beauty! Oh, how could she have avoided this terrible fate?!? ''// [[Restart Angelfish's Adventure->Angelfish]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

It happened too quickly for her to do anything other than gasp and widen her eyes before being struck right in the stomach. Mare knew instantly that something was very, very wrong. She could see that her arms and hands were starting to lose their color and seemingly start to dry out, becoming a husky dark grey. Her limbs felt stiff and unresponsive, unable to even drop the weapon from her hands. She tried to run, but her legs wouldn’t respond at all. The scientists tsk-tsk’ed her and casually approached. “See, the thing about evil scientists is that we tend to think ahead for situations just like this.” Dr. Wissenschaftler pointed at his belt buckle, which was a large blue glowing circle - the same color blue as the forcefield she had seen earlier. “See, my personal protection field was created for just such an occasion, in case one of my inventions were to get into the hands of a greedy buyer or an unwelcome visitor.” Mare could barely register his words as she felt a creeping numbness invade her body. She could no longer feel her extremities and she watched as the color finally shifted to a stony grey, which they would remain. Probably forever. She looked down as far as she could, since she could no longer move her head, and saw that her chest no longer seemed to be rising at all. Her torso and internal organs had been turned to stone? No… no, it wasn’t possible… Dr. Wissenschaftler nonchalantly removed the weapon from Mare’s frozen grip and laid it back in the crate from whence it had come. Mare’s trembling voice emerged from her dry, grey lips. “He… help me…” The mad doctor simply laughed. “Oh, my dear… now why would I do a thing like that? You shall be a lovely selling tool for my inventions. Yes, a perfect traveling demonstration for the power that Globocorp’s weapons division is capable of.” He gently patted her cold cheek. “I hope you understand now what they mean about curiosity killing the cat. Or in your case, the fish, I suppose…” And with that, Mare’s eyes and ears became stone as well, cutting her off from the outside world. Where once had stood the protector of Lagoa, now stood a stony cautionary tale - a warning to fellow heroes to be careful what they touch. //''A petrified princess Mare? What a monstrous end to her tale! Surely, there was some way to avoid such a stony end?!? ''// [[Restart Angelfish's Adventure->Angelfish]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Before Mare could investigate the discs any closer, she heard the noise of a door opening and what sounded like several people conversing. Guards! And they were heading this way! Angelfish had to make a decision quickly. She was a warrior after all - she could probably take the untrained rent-a-cops of Globocorp security… but without knowing how many there were or what they were packing, perhaps discretion might be the better part of valor… [[Try to Hide]] [[Stand and Fight]]

Two hulking goons in black turtlenecks shuffled by her hiding spot. Both men were built like dump trucks, with massive forearms, powerful legs, and, apparently, no necks. Angelfish could hear the two of them conversing with each other as they passed by. “So did you check out that new intern or whatever?” “Meh, like you got a chance with any woman…” “Aw, come on, you know what they say about hippie chicks right?” //Hippie chicks? Could they mean Lily? // “Yeah, yeah, Romeo, whatever. Just a matter of time before the professor ‘retires’ her like all the others.” //What did THAT mean?!? She had to go help Lily fast…// The two thugs stopped. “Hey, how many mannequins were we supposed to have back here?” “Four.” “So how come there’s five? And how come this one looks different?” //Uh oh… time to move…// “Well, here’s why - that swimmer chick in green’s disc didn’t get turned on. She’s only mentally frozen, not plastic yet.” //Wait, what?!?// Angelfish’s thought process was halted as the first thug produced a small remote control. Pushing a button and aiming it Angelfish’s feet, the disc sprung to life, sending a powerful electrical charge through the young heroine’s body. Unable to gasp, scream, or move, Mare found herself locked into place. Her body began a most sickening tingling feeling, starting with her toes and feet. The goons watched with disturbing grimaces as the process began. Angelfish’s strong and powerful legs soon became glossy and shiny as they turned into hollow plastic. The wave crept up to her hips and under her green and scaly bodysuit, converting every inch as it went. Her chest went next, turning her breasts into hollow half-globes beneath her suit, followed by her arms and hands. Inwardly, Mare was panicking, trying to think of some way out of this mess, but nothing was forthcoming. As the wave finally covered her face and all thought processes ceased, all Mare could do was hope that her partners were more successful than she was… //''Poor Angelfish! Condemned to spend her days as a department store dummy?!? Is this the end of her story?!? ''// [[Restart Angelfish's Adventure->Angelfish]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

The thug charged, fist raised in the air, ready to smash into Angelfish’s delicate features. Instead, she used the lance like a pole vaulter and delivered a flying kick to his face, sending him sprawling into a pile of boxes. The thug sat up, shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, but looking angrier than ever. In the wreckage of the boxes, he spied something interesting. He slipped on what looked like a pair of fingerless gloves that were covered in lights and wires. Pushing a large button on top of them, the gloves lit up like the fourth of July, causing the thug to scream as a bright light enveloped him. Mare had to shield her eyes, the light was so bright. When it died down, the thug stood before her, but somehow, he looked even… bigger? As he pounded his fist into his hand, his arms looked noticeably thicker, with bulging veins and muscles. “Heh heh heh… time for round two, girly… ring da bell…” The thug charged again, but this time he was seemingly much faster - almost up to Kid Dynamo’s level! Mare barely had time to prepare her lance to block the thug’s incoming haymaker. The force of the block pushed Mare backward on her heels, skidding along the concrete floor of the warehouse. “You like it? Professor called these things Power Gloves!” Holding up a glowing glove in front of his face, Mare could see his evil smile. “It’s so… bad…” He charged again, launching another wild punch at Angelfish. This time, he managed to knock her golden lance out of her hand, sending it flying across the room. As she watched it go, the thug followed up by grabbing her long reddish-orange hair and slamming his other fist directly into her stomach. The sudden pain caused Mare to scream out. Her Lagoan skin and training usually made her impervious to surface-dwellers's attacks - how could he hurt her? This was bad, very very bad… maybe it was time to consider other options… [[Run away]] [[Fight]]

Angelfish tried weakly to protest but was too groggy to form much of a counterattack. “Wh… where are you… taking me?” The thug just chuckled. “You seemed real interested in those mannequins over there. How’d you like to see how they’re made?” //Huh? //Thought Angelfish. //How they’re made…?// The thug unceremoniously dropped Mare onto one of the silver discs on the floor next to the mannequins. She could feel the cold metal against her pert backside. Sitting up onto her elbow, she stared confused at the thug, who seemed to be clutching some sort of remote control. “Enjoy plastic life, guppy.” The remote caused the disc to send out a paralytic electrical shock that flowed from her butt throughout her body. Instantly, Angelfish was frozen and locked in a reclining pose, with a spacey and lost look on her face. The instant before all thought ceased in her mind, Mare worried about her friends. //Lily… Jinx… I failed you… // //''Horror of horrors! A plastic pinup princess for all-time?!? Surely there must have been SOME way to avoid this fate!''// [[Restart Angelfish's Adventure->Angelfish]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Looking down at her body, she noticed her grey skin starting to lighten and become shinier. Her fins and other marks seemed to melt away. Her body seemed to be getting puffier as well. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, but it was certainly strange. Laying down on the cold warehouse floor, Mare suddenly noticed her arms were raising up and forming an L shape. Confused, she stared at her hands and watched as her fingers seemed to meld together, creating just a featureless lump on the end of each arm. And were those seams…? Suddenly, Mare gasped as she felt a tremendous pressure starting to form in her chest. Her eyes went down to her modest chest constrained by her scaly green bodysuit. To her surprise and revulsion, her breasts were inflating? They were getting rounder and much larger, to the point where the Lagoan suit could barely contain them. She certainly was going to be less aerodynamic in the pool now. “What are yoooooooooooo…” Those were the last words the poor aquatic princess would ever speak as her mouth froze in an O shape. Her throat closed off creating only an empty plastic sac inside of her perpetually open mouth. Her features receded and became nothing more than paintings on a plastic surface. Mare still had sensation and could feel, but could no longer move or communicate in any way. The thug appeared over her, laughing. “Well, well, well… you know, I never played much with dolls when I was a kid, but I have a good feeling I’m gonna enjoy playing with you all night long…” His laughter echoed off of the concrete walls of the warehouse as he effortlessly picked up the life-size inflatable doll that, up until moments ago, had been one of the most feared warriors of the sea… //''Holy dirigibles! Inflated for his pleasure! What a horrifying end for the Aquatic Wonder! What could have saved her?! ''// [[Restart Angelfish's Adventure->Angelfish]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

“By now you should be feeling the effects of the chronofreeon in your bloodstream. A simple chemical really, but it has such wonderful application. For you right now, I’m sure your mind is running at a million miles an hour, but your body –” The scientist reached out and groped Anglefish’s modest chest through her scaly green bodysuit. “ – your beautiful body… well, that’s been properly frozen in time.” The scientist passed out of Angelfish field of view, but she could hear him rifling through the various vials of antidotes. He remerged holding two - one labeled “anti-freeze” and one labeled “anti-plastic”. “Were you looking for these?” He dropped them in front of her, shattering them on the ground, spilling their contents everywhere. “Oopsie. Clumsy me. I guess you’ll just have to stay my frozen plaything forever. Unlucky for you.” The mad doctor leaned in and shoved a rough hand on top of the crotch of the bodysuit. Mare could feel his rough fingers rubbing away at her most sensitive spot. The doctor chuckled and whispered in Angelfish’s ear. “But very lucky for me…” He leaned back and gave Angelfish a thoughtful look. “Hmmm… I don’t like that expression… not at all.” He reached out and pushed Angelfish’s lips and eyebrows around until her face turned from an angry scowl to a vacant and happy smile. “Perfect! No sense in being mad about something you can’t control.” He leaned in and continued his lewd groping. “And you can’t control it, my supertoy… you are mine now… you and the rest of your friends…” Internally, Angelfish was screaming. The idea of the royal princess of Lagoa being a frozen plaything for this sick and twisted pervert… it boiled her blood. And the thought that Lily and the rest would be next! All because she didn’t bother to secure the door before beginning her search… Outwardly, Mare’s face was a bright shining smile, but inwardly, she wanted to cry… //''Horror of horrors! Timestopped and groped? What an ignominious end for the siren of the sea! How could she have avoided this cruel fate?!?''// [[Restart Angelfish's Adventure->Angelfish]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

“Hey, fishbabe? You in there?” The thug holding the phone called out to her. “... yes…” Mare didn’t look away from her precious, precious spiral. “Go stand on that empty silver disc next to the mannequins.” “...ok…” Stiffly, almost robotically, Mare turned and walked next to the final mannequin. There was a gleaming silver disc sitting on the floor, just wide enough for her feet. She stood upon the disc and stared dead ahead. “Aw, come on, babe… give us a show. Strike a pose, watergal!” Angelfish had no thought other than to quickly comply. Her face turned to a vacant, but happy, smile. Her left leg bent slightly, while her right leg stayed straight. Her right hand went up into her long, curly hair while her left hand went to her hip. It was a classic pip-up pose and one that suited the princess quite well, the thugs thought. “Perfect. Now hold still. Forever…” The thug turned off the spirals and instead punched a few commands into his phone. Instantly, Mare felt a shock of electricity come up from the disc she was standing on. The signal traveled throughout her body in less than a second, effectively frying her nervous system. Permanently locked in place, the foul creation began the process of converting her flesh into hollow and painted plastic. Her strong legs, conditioned for swimming, lost definition and became useless. Under her green scaly bodysuit, her torso converted into an empty, if beautiful expanse. Her modest breasts turned into half globes, with all features obliterated. Finally, her neck and face succumbed to the foul science of the professor’s disc, leaving her a mindless, frozen mannequin. Angelfish should have been worried or scared for Lily or wondering where her friends were, but all Mare could think as the transformation hit her head was just how pretty the spiral was… “Woof! That was close, huh?” “Nah, cocky bitch like that? I figured once she agreed to come with us, it was just a matter of time.” The two thugs stared at the plastic pin-up princess. “Hot though.” “Oh yeah, no question. Hot, but stupid.” //''Curses and recriminations! Tricked and transformed! Poor Angelfish to spend her days as a warehouse decoration! If only there was some way she could have avoided this fate…!''// [[Restart Angelfish's Adventure->Angelfish]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

She cleared her throat and tried to sound impressive. “Prepare to meet Justi– HEY!” Mare’s speech was cut short by the thug shoving her through the door and slamming it shut. Mare could hear a lock being thrown. She rushed to the glass and began to pound on it. “What’s going on? What are you doing?!” The two thugs hi-fived each other. “Oh man, how easy was that?” “Yeah, they must hire these dames for their bodies, not their brains, that’s for sure…” Mare narrowed her eyes and glared through the glass. Summoning up all of her strength, she reared back, slamming a powerful fist into the door… and made no impact whatsoever. “Uh oh, Lenny… she seems kinda mad…” [[“I know, George! Let’s see if we can’t… cool her off?”]]

The two thugs laughed harder as Lenny seemed to walk to a panel beside the door. On the other side of the door, the lights suddenly clicked on. Mare looked around and realized she wasn’t in much of a room at all, but rather a very tiny space. She barely had enough room to raise her lance. She also noted, to her horror, there was no other exit. Out of the ceiling came a light blue gas, slowly emanating down from various tiny holes in the tiles. Mare quickly realized she was in danger and attempted to ram the door with her shoulder, but to no avail. She grabbed her shoulder and winced in pain. She angrily glared at the two laughing thugs. “Head’s up, fishy - you might want to pick a nicer looking pose than that! You’re gonna be wearing it for quite a while!” //Pose? What is heeeeeeeeee taaaaaaaaaalkiiiiiiiiiing ab…?// But Mare was unable to complete the thought. The gas reached her now and totally surrounded her. Breathing it in as she hyperventalated, it coursed through her body, taking the professor’s special formula of chronofreeon and sending it through her veins. Mare’s body locked into position. It was not a terribly dignified pose - a confused and contorted facial expression, holding a wounded shoulder, while her other arm hung towards he knee like an ape - but one that she would have to be content with. The professor’s forumula had done its work, turning her skin light blue, freezing her time solid, and rendering her little more than a statue. Lenny and George watched with glee as the heroine ceased all movement inside the freezer. “Wait ‘till da professor hears about dis!” George opened the door, and admired Mare’s beautiful frozen figure. “Well… I don’t think he needs to know about this one… at least not yet…” “Dude, you’re being gross again.” “Shut up! You were thinking it too!” //''Sweet seashells of mercy! Our Angelfish! Frozen for the pleasure of two random thugs! And what of her friends?! Oh, if only there was some way to have avoided this fate…!''// [[Restart Angelfish's Adventure->Angelfish]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Mare felt a sudden sharp pain in her right buttock like something had stung her or bitten her. She quickly turned around to see an older man with wild white hair, wearing a labcoat and goggles, holding an injector. “Well, hello there.” Mare’s eyes grew wide and she quickly turned around, ready for battle - except that turning quickly was something she could no longer do. Instead, she found herself slowing down. She turned gradually on her ballet flats and her face contorted into an angry growl. “Whhhhhoooooo… arrrrrrrrreeeeee…. Yoooooooooouuuuuu…?” She slowly raised her fists up, as if preparing for a fight, but the man just grinned, clearly unafraid. “I had wondered when one of your ‘superheroines’ might show up. Once I discovered that my new intern had the ability to communicate with plants, I assumed she was working with you all anyway. Was merely a matter of time before you decided to check up on her.” //Lily?!? //Mare thought to herself. //If you’ve touched a single hair on her head, I’ll…// But Mare realized that she wasn’t screaming these threats at the man like intended to. She wasn’t doing anything at all. She was frozen in time, an angry scowl etched on her face. [[The man took out a cloth and whipped his goggles.]]

The tallest of the group was lanky, but muscled, wearing what looked like an authentic volleyball uniform from the Gigatoplois University Gargoyles. The mannequin’s smile was vast and her eyes vacant with her blonde hair tied in a ponytail on the top of her head and cascading down her back. Her left arm was cocked and placed on her hip, while her right arm dangled free. The longer Mare looked at her, the more she recognized her - it was the missing team captain Halle Phillips! She was one of the most popular and talented girls on campus. And her friend was a reporter for the school paper! There was no way someone like them would have volunteered for something like this! They had to have been abducted or drugged or… “You filthy liars! These girls would never volunteer for something like this!” Mare yelled before turning around. “How did you do it?!” The lead thug was holding up a phone screen sideways. “Just like this.” The screen burst to life in a series of black and white spirals. They began to turn and gyrate in all sorts of fascinating ways. The pattern reflected in Angelfish’s eyes and worked its way into her brain. It was so pretty… So relaxing… Mare could feel her thought processes starting to slow down. Thinking was hard. It took too much effort. Effort should be used to watch the spiral. The spiral made her feel so nice. So warm. So happy. Her golden lance fell to the ground with a clatter as her posture slumped. Her arms hung free as the hypnotic spirals caused her to sway where she stood. [[Angelfish was lost in her own little world...]]

A woman’s voice caused Darlene to raise her head. Into the room stumbled a girl, not much older than her. She was wearing a white labcoat, glasses, and a brunette ponytail. She ran in, holding a clipboard, and began examining the control panel of the machine Darlene was inside. Kid Dynamo smacked the glass hard. “Hey! Hey, lady! Can you open this thing?” The girl shrieked with surprise. “Who… who are you?” “Santa Claus, obviously!” Darlene snarked back. “Look, I’m a superhero and I accidentally got myself locked in here, ok? Just open the door! Let me out!” The girl’s voice trembled as she looked around nervously. “Oh, but… but… see, I’m just an intern. I… I’m not supposed to touch the machinery - Dr. Wissenschaftler will KILL me if he finds out I’ve been touching his devices…” Darlene slumped her forehead against the glass door. “Look, kid, what’s your name?” “Jennifer.” “Great. Cute name. Look, Jennifer, I promise that if you get me out of here, I won’t tell a soul, ok? You think I want people to know that I got myself trapped in here? It’s a little embarrassing, to be honest.” “Yeah, how did–” “Not important!” Darlene yelled back. “Just open the door? Please?” Jennifer looked at the controls. “Uh… Not really sure how…” Darlene massaged the bridge of her nose. “Ok, try this, what do you see?” “Uh… four big buttons are lit up at the moment… pink, red, white, and yellow… but I don’t know which one to push!” Darlene looked down. The humming of the machine was getting louder. It must almost be powered up to do… whatever it is it does… she needed to make a decision quickly, before she got to experience the “good doctor’s” handiwork first-hand. “Alright, Jennifer, here’s what you’re going to do: Push the–” [[Pink one!]] [[Red one!]] [[White one!]] [[Yellow one!]]

Everything in the tube stopped moving. Stopped thinking. Stopped breathing. Jennifer watched with a perverse curiosity as Darlene’s skin seemed to lose its color and life. It was still a fleshy pink, but it had somehow become duller… shinier… “... miss? Are… are you ok?” No response. ''DING!'' The machine’s door opened and mist escaped. Jennifer hesitantly approached the unmoving superheroine. She touched her arm, but quickly recoiled - how cold Darlene’s arm felt! Jennifer touched it again. It definitely felt… artificial. Looking at Darlene’s exposed face, Jennifer noted that Darlene’s makeup seemed different - more vivid. Her lips were bright red and she had more blush than she was wearing before. Her long blonde ponytail was now nothing more than acrylic fiber. “... a mannequin? I… I turned you into a mannequin?” Jennifer’s eyes widened in panic. “I better get out of here before someone finds out I messed with the equipment!” And with that, the intern made a break for it. But Darlene would stay motionless. Forever. //''Holy Visual Merchandising! A plastic plaything for all-time?! If only different choices had been made!''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

The professor smirked. “Well, well, well… we have a guest, do we?” He activated a button on his computer, then sat back to watch the fun. Kid Dynamo continued to flip through the cameras, blissfully unaware of her impending fate. Suddenly, one of the cameras seemed to fritz out, giving off a blast of static. “What the–?” Darlene started to ask before the screen changed again. This time into a black-and-white spiral. A voice. A deep, calm voice. “Naughty, naughty… someone’s being naughty…” it chanted in an almost sing-song voice. Darlene knew something was very wrong, but for some reason, the spiral was so… interesting… so inviting… [[No... something's... wrong...]]

She felt her head nod forward. She jerked back, awake. Then forward again. //Something… not right… got to… stay… awake…// She jerked back and struggled to keep her eyes open. “Naughty, naughty… someone’s being naughty…” The spiral. The song. It all played on her psyche. Never one of the brightest heroines or the stronger-willed ones, it was only a matter of time. Her head slumped forward. Dr. Wissenschaftler’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “That’s right… sleep, child… my men will be there soon… can always use a good lab assistant… or concubine…” //''Holy hypnotized heroine! Kid Dynamo reduced to a mindless drone?! What possible way could she have avoided this fate?!''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

“Whooooooooaaaaa!” Darlene screamed as her lightning-fast speed hit the icy patch. With a complete loss of traction, she flew out of control. Instead of pushing her way through the stairwell doors, Darlene instead pancaked against the wall, knocking herself out cold. When she came to, Darlene found herself in a darkened laboratory deep within Globocorp. Her arms were secured by her wrists above her head in separate shackles, while her ankles were spread apart in a similar fashion. Dangling spread-eagled in the laboratory, Darlene struggled to break free until she heard the approach of someone. She narrowed her eyes. “Dr. Wissenschaftler, I presume?” The doctor smiled. “I am honored you’ve heard of me. Too bad I can’t say the same for you.” Darlene snarled. “You tried to break into our lab tonight. Why?” “I got lost. Tried to call information.” Dr. Wissenschaftler pushed a button on a remote in his hand. Darlene screamed as electricity poured through her body. “I’ll ask again.” “I… I’m missing the big GU game tonight… tried to… change the channel on your TV and–” More screams as the voltage filled her body. “Last chance. Tell me what I want to know.” [[Tell him]] [[Refuse]]

“--I do to you?” Dr. Wissenschaftler helpfully finished her thought. “Well, I’d be a fool to simply trust you to keep your word, wouldn’t I? So, my little device there just went ahead and drained all those pesky superpowers from your body.” His words made no sense to Darlene. He couldn’t really do that - could he? She tried to summon an electric bolt. She grit her teeth, flexed her fingers, and waited for that telltale spark. Nothing. Panic seeping into her body and mind, she shook herself with all of her might, trying to vibrate her molecules, hoping to break free and to prove him wrong. Nothing. Nothing at all. Her powers… were they really gone? “You… you…” “Yes, yes, I know - I’m a monster,” he said with a wave of his hand. “But the fact remains, you are now nothing more than an average, if oddly dressed, young woman.” He pressed another button, releasing the shackles. Darlene fell forward, onto her hands and knees. “That’s a good pose for you, you know.” Darlene raised her head, snarling in anger, but the scientist waggled a finger, as if correcting a naughty puppy. “Ah, ah, ah – you are still my prisoner, you know. And if you wish to remain amongst the land of the living, you had best do what you promised. Tell me everything I need to know…” Darlene swallowed hard. She hated to do it, but what choice did she have? A week later, Jinx, Angelfish, and the other heroines would be paraded through the lab and drained of their powers one at a time. Poor Darlene was forced to watch - chained to a leash wrapped around Dr. Wissenschaftler’s wrists, clad only in a purple and yellow bikini… //''Holy Harem! Darlene Fox robbed of her powers and turned into a pawn for evil?! How could this terrible fate be avoided?! ''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Darlene could feel her body go numb and hard, as if her skin was starting to dry out or freeze. Her eyes couldn’t blink, her mouth couldn’t move, her lungs couldn’t breathe - nothing worked. And yet, she could still feel. She felt the restraints loosen. She felt the doctor’s hand on her body. And she felt an incredible pain in the middle of her back - like something was… growing out of her? Her vision changed. She was being moved. She felt the doctor’s arms loop around her waist as he apparently picked her up and placed her on the ground. His leathery hands moved her limbs until she could stand on her own, posing her hands on her hips in a triumphant, heroic pose. He’s made me into a trophy, hasn’t he? The scientist smirked at his newest prize, but rather than simply turning off the lights or putting her on display, he asked a question. “Tell me now, my dear. Where are the others?” //I’ll never tell you, you sick deluded—// But rather than wait for an answer, he reached behind her and pulled on… something… “Jinx went through the ventilation ducts and Angelfish through the sewers!” Darlene happily, but robotically called out. //What?! Why did I say that?!// “And who are you? Really, I mean?” He pulled again. Darlene felt something inside of her compelling her to talk. “My name is Darlene Fox! I’m a student at Gigatopolis University!” //Oh no! He’s… He’s turned me into–// “Perfect. My little talking heroine doll works wonderfully.” She felt his hands caressing her ass. “You’ll tell me so many secrets… whether you want to or not…” Internally, Darlene screamed. //''Holy Talking Tillie! Kid Dynamo turned into a stool pigeon, divulging all of her secrets?! Oh, how could she have avoided such a terrible fate? ''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Before Darlene could zoom over to him and demand answers, she felt the hands of the goon grab her by the shoulders and lift her off the ground. Her legs kicked impotently in the air as he held her up. “Lemme go, you gorilla!” She twisted and squirmed, but could get no freedom. The chuckling professor approached her, shaking his head. “Gorilla? No, no. I did try to use my evogun on some gorillas in an attempt to turn them into loyal foot soldiers, but the results were disappointing.” The professor reminisced as he ran a hand up Darlene’s spandex-covered thigh. In response, she kicked her legs out at him, missing him by inches. “Yes, you have got some fight in you, don’t you?” “Get closer and I’ll show you just how much, jackass!” Darlene launched spittle in his direction, but if he was intimidated, he didn’t show it. “You were much closer with your previous guess, Miss Lightning Lass or whatever your name is,” he continued on ignoring her threat. “While my evogun did fail in creating an army of loyal henchmen, my matter-transmutation gun was much more successful. Imagine, if you will, soldiers without things like pesky free will but with the molecular structure of sand - capable of pushing through any boundary! Or henchmen who could flow like water into the enemy’s stronghold! Or bodyguards who can hit like stone!” Darlene’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, you don’t have to imagine, do you?” Kid Dynamo turned to look at the goon holding her. His hands of stone were… actually stone? “That’s right, you electric bimbo - I can turn flesh into stone… in fact, let me show you…” [[No!]]

Darlene gasped as the thug dropped her onto her feet, but held her firm. Before she could even mouth a word of protest, the professor pulled out a large blaster-type object from under his coat and aimed it at the heroine. A green beam struck her in the chest and instantly, Darlene felt wrong. Her entire body felt like it was on pins and needles, like it was going numb. Her strength rapidly left her. It felt like she was being disconnected from her body. She glanced down at her hands and immediately understood what has happening. Grey. Her hands were stone grey. Her body was being turned to stone. Possibly forever. The thought was cut short as the stoney wave traveled up her torso to her neck and head. Her vision clouded over until it became dark and the process finished. The professor knocked on her head and smiled when he was greeted by the sound of solid stone. “Take this one to the lab. She’ll make for a lovely decoration.” //''Galloping golems! An army of stone?! And poor Darlene transformed into an object?! How could she have avoided this ending?!''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Darlene got to her feet and brushed herself off while the man’s voice continued to taunt her. “Now, I did have some defenses ready for the real heroes like Mighty Gal or Maelstrom, but since I have no idea who you are or your powers, guess I’ll just have to go with plan B…” //I’ll show you what I can do, buddy…// Darlene pent in her sprinter’s stance again, but before she could take off running, she heard a loud humming noise. And then she felt the nausea. Darlene stood back up, looking around the room, confused. She felt terrible suddenly. Something in the pit of her stomach felt very wrong - not like riding too many roller coasters wrong, but something much, much worse. She looked at her hand. It was shaking and sweating. Her whole body was. She pulled off her hood, letting her long blond ponytail free. She wiped her head with the back of her hand. “So, this is puh… plan B? You’re gonna give me a sauna?” Darlene tried to sound brave and cocky, but there was a tremor of uncertainty and terror behind her words. “Oh no, no, no… this is far more interesting. See, in the course of my research, I have discovered a new type of radioactive isotope that does remarkable things to… enhanced individuals such as yourself.” [[What? What the hell is he talking about?]]

Darlene struggled to focus, but she felt so dizzy, so nauseous. “Yes, you see with prolonged exposure… minutes really… it will completely block and disrupt all of your wonderful powers. You will be nothing more than a blonde bimbo in a spandex suit!” The voice cackled with laughter as Darlene stared up at the ceiling dumbfounded. No… no, it couldn’t be… could it? She tried to focus. She tried to summon an electric bolt again. Nothing. Weak sparks. Shit! She looked around the hall in a panic. “That’s right, my dear… welcome to life as an ordinary girl…” Darlene’s adrenaline pumped into overdrive. What could she do? She could summon up all of her remaining power and make another run at the barrier, but who knows what might happen? She could try to call for help, but would her communicator even work and could they get here on time? Or maybe… maybe she should just surrender? Maybe there was a way to undo the damage? Darlene cast a weary eye skyward and said… [["I'll never surrender, jackass!"]] [["Just wait 'til my friends find you!"]] [["Fine... you... you win...]]

Darlene tried to fight off the overwhelming sense of pain running through her. “The power inhibitor collar will make sure you are nice and docile permanently, my dear. Or, at least until I can get you into the lab and remove your wonderful abilities by hand.” Darlene felt herself being pulled forward - attached to the collar was a metal chain in the hands of No-Neck Johnson. “Come along now. Mr. Johnson will bring you into the lab and prepare you for your new life as my maid,” the voice called to her. There was a slight pause before he added another thought. “Maid and concubine, I think.” Darlene retched at the idea but found herself being dragged along anyway. This was how her superheroine career ended… being led to her doom in chains… //'' A captive audience for Kid Dynamo?! What an ignominious end! If only there was some way to have avoided her fate! ''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

The face of a muscular man in an all-black outfit, smirking egotistically, slid into Darlene’s view. “Seems like someone wasn’t watching where they were going, huh?” “Ha, ha - get me off of here, asshole!” Darlene spat back with venom, but her words were badly muffled by the fact that half of her mouth seemed to be glued to the wall. “What was that? Couldn’t hear ya, dollface!” The thug laughed, reveling in Kid Dynamo’s discomfort and distress. To Darlene's disgust, she felt his leathery mitts start to run over her body, drawing particular attention to her curvy backside. “I swear, when I get out of this, I’m gonna–” “When?” The thug laughed. “When you get out of this? Kid, I got news for you, you just became a permanent part of the architecture. This little trap here? Wasn’t exactly designed to let you off the hook.” [[Darlene’s pulse quickened.]]

“You… you mean, I’m stuck here forever?” “Here? Nah,” the thug chuckled. “We wouldn’t just leave you down here in the stairwell forever. When the professor gets down here, he’ll make sure you get detached and placed somewhere nice. We’ll put you in the employee breakroom or the locker room - give you a nice change of scenery.” Darlene’s free eye grew large in fear. With one last panicked grunt, she tried to free herself, but her body no longer moved at all. “Well now, seems to me that the boss won’t be here for a while, so it's just you and me toots…” Darlene heard the telltale sound of a switchblade being opened. She felt a long cut being made into her skintight outfit. Right over her backside. The thug’s pants unzipping. “What say you and me get to know each other better?” //''Poor Kid Dynamo! A foul erotic wall display for misguided miscreants? How could this fate have been avoided?!''// [[Restart Kid Dynamo's Adventure->Kid Dynamo]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

To her shock and horror, she saw her friends. Strapped to a table with her arms and legs splayed wide like a starfish was the princess of the seas, Angelfish. She was bathed in a dull red light that was clearly a heat lamp of some sort. The poor girl’s body was glistening with sweat and her tongue hung out of her mouth, panting for water. “See, this lovely device of the doctor’s is designed to remove alllllll the water from your little fishy friend here,” Alexandra remarked, circling the captured princess’s body like a shark circling its prey. “But it won’t won’t fry her - no, no, no… Instead, after it dries her out, it’s going to just… keep… going…” Mare turned her head and struggled to respond to Stout’s evil boasts. “By the… the name of my father… I… I will…” But she couldn’t finish the thought before collapsing. With a laugh, Stout left Angelfish’s side and strolled across the room to another captured heroine. “As for this one… well, electricity and rubber just don’t mix very well now, do they?” [[“Darlene?! What– what did you do to her?!”]]

To her right, she saw the struggling form of Kid Dynamo. Darlene was also strapped to a device with her arms and legs splayed out, but in her case, she seemed like she was sunk inside of a bit of black goo. Darlene was clearly thrashing and struggling to break her bonds, but to no avail at all. “This little device is going to encase your friend here inside of an immutable rubber shell.” Stout said, running a hand along Darlene’s torso. Kid Dynamo made a motion to try and bite her, but she was too far away. “Oh, don’t worry - she’ll still be alive, just… trapped forever going slowly insane inside of a rubber cocoon.” Stout chuckled again before approaching Jinx. “As for you… well, I’ve heard all about your acrobatics, my dear… so, we decided to put you in a device that removes all of that from you. You can float freely here, no pressure at all…” She rapped her knuckles on the glass. “That is, until I decide to bring it all back, ten fold…” [[Jinx muffled a scream]]

Finally, Alexandra Stout walked over the grinning mad doctor who was seated behind a control board. “Doctor, I think we’re ready to begin,” Stout said with a chortle. She patted him on the shoulder. “Begin powering up the machines.” She looked at her captives. “Any last words, ladies?” [[“How do you sleep at night?”]] [[“Wait… where’s Lily?”]] [[“You’ll never get away with this!]] [[“No, please! Let them go! Take me instead!”]]

“On top of a big pile of money, with many beautiful women, thanks for asking.” [[She pushes the button to SEAL THEIR DOOM]]

Alexandra Stout’s eyes narrowed and her smile widened and became - somehow - even more chilling. “Lily? You mean that deceitful sleeper agent you tried to embed in my organization? //That// Lily?” Maggie swallowed hard. This didn’t sound good at all. Her response came out as a breathy whisper “... what did you do to her?” Alexandra looked at Dr. Wissenschaftler before they both broke out into blood-chilling cackles of laughter. “Well, doctor, I suppose there’s no point in keeping it a surprise… after all, these three won’t be around to appreciate it for very long, will they?” The doctor nodded his head and pushed a button on his console. “Lily, dear? Won’t you come in and join us for a moment?” //Join us?// Jinx thought to herself. //What did they do to her–??// Her questions were answered by the sight of her friend walking into the room robotically, staring mindlessly ahead of herself. On the surface, she very much resembled the wonderful friend Jinx knew so well, but the spirit and joie de vivre were clearly missing. Her eyes were blank white orbs and her limbs moved stiffly. She stood next to Stout, who caressed her hair like one might style a doll. “Lovely, isn’t she? All that power with none of that pesky free will…” “What did you do to her?!” Maggie screamed from inside her glass prison. “Why, the good doctor subjected her to some… re-education. Helped her see the error of her ways and the folly of opposing Globocorp… now, lovely Lily here is so much happier, aren’t you, dear?” “Yes.” Lily replied in a flat monotone. “Much happier.” “In faaaaaaaact…” Stout said, tapping her chin. “Why don’t you demonstrate how happy and loyal you are by pushing the big button here that will turn your former friends into lovely tchotchkes and souvenirs for me, hm?” “NOOOOO!” Jinxs yelled with all of her might, but Lily showed no signs of stopping. Instead, she walked in front of the console and prepared to push the button. [[“Lily, wait! Please don’t!”]] [[“Lily, it’s me! Maggie! Please, you’ve got to remember!”]] [[“Lily, you stupid idiot! Wake up!”]]

“Oh, I never get tired of hearing you costumed clowns say that…” [[She pushes the button to SEAL THEIR DOOM]]

“Were– were you not paying attention? I’m going to transform all three of you. Like… right now.” Alexandra said with a raised eyebrow. “What exactly are you offering me here?” She sighed. “Man, way to just ruin the moment, Pink Pussy or whatever…” “My name is Ji–” [[She pushes the button to SEAL THEIR DOOM]]

As she jabs the button, the room lights up in an unholy glow, bathing all of the inhabitants - secured and not - in its warmth. The master of Globocorp smiles a massive grin, watching as her millions of dollars in research and her years of painstaking research starts to pay off… Mare was the first to scream. The red heat lamps over her began to shine brighter than Jinx had ever seen before, baking the poor mergirl alive. Jinx watched in horror as her friend’s taut athletic body began to glisten with sweat and her muscles began to convulse, as she tried weakly to escape. She was clearly using every last ounce of energy she had… but there was none left… She weakly raised her head, looking at the sinister CEO, and muttering one final phrase of defiance, “Yo– you will… never… def–” But that was all she could say before her energy left her and she collapsed back on the table, finally defeated. Jinx assumed that was the end of the Princess of Lagoa… but it turns out Stout wasn’t done with her yet. As the lights continued to shine down on Angelfish’s body, Jinx noticed that the poor girl’s skin was starting to dry out. No longer glistening with sweat, it was starting to look scratchy and… and sandy? Yes, Jinx realized, sandy was the only word to describe it… all of Angelfish’s exposed skin took on the same color and consistency of a day at the beach… the former merprincess, the warrior of the sea had been turned into a sprawling sand statue… as if to confirm her fears, Maggie watched as Alexandra Stout touched the edge of what had used to be Angelfish’s hair… only to watch it slip through her fingers like sand in an hourglass… [[Suddenly, Darlene gave off a muffled scream, prompting Jinx to look her way…]]

The black goo that Darlene had been surrounded by seemed to have come alive, wrapping itself tightly around the body of the curvaceous crimefighter. Kid Dynamo now had a thick ribbon of black rubber through her mouth, gagging her, as well as the rubber manacles holding her down. Unfortunately for her, the manacles were growing! What had been thin straps to hold her down now seemed to be boots and gloves… then sleeves and pants… then finally a whole body suit made out of rubber! Darlene still struggled, but it was clear that it was a losing struggle. Still, Jinx knew Kid Dynamo would never give up as long as there was an ounce of strength left in her… which is exactly why Alexadnra Stout was going to drain her of that, it seemed. Stout walked over to the device where Kid Dynamo was secured and removed what looked to Maggie to be a remote control. Pushing buttons, she watched as the black rubber mass surrounding Darlene began to vibrate and puslate. “MMMMmmmmmmm…!” Darlene screamed, clearly unnerved by the violation of her body, but with no way to stop it. “That’s right, my little sparkplug… just sit back and relax…” Stout cooed. “Not like you can do anything about it…” Maggie silently watched in horror as the vibrations continued and even seemed to intensify in strength. Her moans stopped being ones of protest and ones of enjoyment. Jinx’s heart broke as she watched Darlene’s eyes roll back in her head as the first of many defeats roiled her body. Now, with no resistance, Alexandra could begin the second phase of her plan. Pushing buttons on the remote, she watched as the rubber shifted and moved, gliding Kid Dynamo’s limbs around. Stout clearly played with a few different options before settling on the classic heroine pose of her hands on her hips and her legs spread apart. The rubber then sealed around her, creating a skintight cocoon around the coed crimefighter, sealing her in - probably for all-time. Stout kissed her prisoner on the forehead. “And just because I’m not //completely// without mercy…” She pushed a button and Maggie noticed that the area around Darlene’s lower body began to vibrate once again… [[“Now it’s your turn, pussycat…”]]

Maggie squeaked out an eep! as Stout looked in her direction. All around her the machine she was trapped in seemed to warm up, as humming and buzzing got louder and louder. She failed and try to swim over the sides, but was unable to make any progress besides 360 degree spinning. “Oh, dear, dear, dear…” Stout laughed in a condescendingly mocking tone. “Seems like the pressure’s finally gotten to you… or it will… right about… NOW!” Maggie stopped spinning and gave Stout a confused look just as she felt it. A tremendous crushing pressure. She couldn’t see anything, but she could certainly feel it. Some force was smashing into her front and backsides simultaneously, pressing into her with what felt like the weight of a small elephant. Strangely though, she could still breathe and feel… but the pressure pushed against her more and more… until… //POP!// In an instant, everything ceased. The pressure. The floating. Everything. Jinx landed on the floor of her container, but she couldn’t move an inch. Her eyes darted around as much as they could, but she couldn’t understand what was wrong or why she was totally immobile. [[Jinx heard a wooshing noise from behind her as her container opened up]]

The unmistakably ugly chortle and snicker of Alexandra Stout filled Jinx’s ears as the corrupt capitalist stepped into her field of view. “Hehehe… look at that, doctor… your crazy inventions are a rousing success, I’d say…” //What?! What did they do to me?!// Stout looked Jinx up and down before shaking her head and tsk-tsking her. “I always knew the pressures of being a heroine could leave you a little… flat.” With that, she flicked the pink-clad superheroine in the head. A hollow noise was heard before Jinx felt herself falling backward. Internally, she screamed, trying to will her arms to break her fall - but nothing came. Instead, she landed painlessly on her back, staring up at the lights of her enclosure and the grinning face of Alexandra Stout. Stout easily picked up Jinx and held her sideways. It was then that Jinx caught her own reflection in the lass of the cage. //I’m… I’m a cardboard cutout?!// Sure enough, the gymnastic heroine of Gigatopolis had been flattened to an inch of her life. Able to see, hear, and even feel the touch of her captor, Jinx was nonetheless unable to move a muscle anymore, trapped in a 2D prison. “I think I’ll prop you up in my office… so you can watch as I order the rest of your little friends turned into my knick-knacks…” //Noooooooooooo…!// **//Holy ultimate bad ending! Three horrible fates awaited our heroines! Was there any way they could have avoided this?!//** [[Restart in the lab ->Into the lab...]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Alexandra Stout laughed at Jinx’s feeble attempt to save herself. “Oh, you poor deluded fool… is that really the best you can do?” She caressed the side of Lily’s face before giving her a peck on cheek. “Go on, dear… push it…” [[She pushes the button to SEAL THEIR DOOM]]

For a brief moment, Lily seemed to hesitate. The room became deathly still. Stout looked at the former superheroine/current zombie with a raised eyebrow. “Well? What are you waiting for?” Lily seemed frozen, her finger hovering in mid-air over the button. Jinx pounded on the glass again. “Lily! It’s Maggie! Remember? Your friend?” Lily’s finger started to twitch. She blinked rapidly. “Ma-Maggie?” Stout’s face reddened in fury. She bellowed at her hostage, “PUSH THE BUTTON NOW!” Lily hesitated before pushing on the console. The button NEXT to the button of doom [[The machine hissed as the door to the Jinx’s chamber opened.]]

Alexandra Stout screwed up her face in confusion. “Really? That’s your plan? In your last minutes as a conscious human you want to spend them insulting your friend?” She shook her head disgusted. “Jeez, you all are terrible heroes… I really deserved better nemeses…” She looked back at the unemotional Lily. “Go on, dear… push it…” [[She pushes the button to SEAL THEIR DOOM]]

Alexandra Stout’s eyes widened as she realized the betrayal that had just occurred. A quick backhand sent the young lady sprawling to the floor. Then, the enraged CEO turned to Dr. Wissenschaftler, her whole demeanor shifting from victory to bloodlust. “You!” She pointed at the cowering scientist. “This is all your fault! What kind of idiot’s brainwashing fails one pull of the heartstrings?!” “Ms. Stout, I–!” His protests were cut short by a book to the side of his head, hurled by an annoyed - but freed! - Jinx. The bad doctor fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes, while Maggie struck her customary triumphant pose with her hands on her hips. “Show’s over, Ms. Stout! Why don’t you come along quietly before– hey!” But before she could even finish her taunt, Jinx watched as Alexandra Stout took off running out the open door to the lab. Jinx had to think quickly - Stout was getting away, but her friends were still trapped in their bindings. And there was still the matter of Lily - was she ok? With only a fraction of a second to choose, Jinx decided to [[Chase after the fleeing villain - she can’t be allowed to escape!]] [[Check on Lily - is her friend ok?]] [[Free her friends from bondage - she’ll need all the help she can get!]]

Jinx knew she needed to help her friends… but she couldn’t let that crooked CEO get away! Not after everything they had been through to get here! Sprinting out of the lab, she saw Alexandra Stout walking toward the elevator. In her most commanding voice, Jinx called out to her. “Hold it right there, Ms, Stout!” Alexandra Stout - billionaire CEO of Globocorp and apparent supervillain - stopped before slowly turned to face her, her eyebrow arched in amusement. “Well, well, well… look at you… you know, I’ve seen you before on our surveillance footage, checking out my building… persistent little brat, aren’t you?” Jinx scowled at her. “It’s over! Once the police get here–” “The police?” Stout guffawed. “Half the city’s police force is on my payroll. Don’t be surprised if most of what you saw in that lab ‘disappears’ before I’m even brought up for arraignment.” “Ok, fine!” Jinx huffed. “Well, if the police don’t stop you, then the rest of ASFR will–” “-- never know a thing.” Stout finished Jinx’s sentence for her. “After all, they wouldn’t dare break into the headquarters of the most prominent businesswoman in all of Gigatopolis for no reason.” “No reason?!” Jinx was incredulous at this woman’s audacity. “I assure you, //ma’am// that I will be telling them–” [[Alexandra Stout casually pushes a button on her wrist bracelet]]

Stout was dangerous… but Jinx couldn’t just leave her friend - not after they had come so far to rescue her. Maggie ran over to the crumpled form of her friend, gently lifting her by the shoulders. “Lily? Lily, speak to me!” She gripped her friend’s shoulders and gave her a small shake, causing Lily’s eyelids to flutter open. “Ma–Maggie? Is that you?” Her voice was weak and distant, as if she were coming out of a dream. “My… my head hurts so much…” Jinx gave Lily the biggest hug she had ever given anyone. Lily could feel a warm tear rolling down her friend’s cheek. “I was so worried about you!” Maggie whispered into Lily’s ear. “It’s all my fault, I sent you in here without support and–” “Hey, hey, hey…” Lily cut her off, pulling out of the hug with a smile. “I agreed, remember? You didn’t force me to do anything. I’m a member of this team too and I know the risks we take. Trust me, what I found here was worth the risk in order to shut it down.” Maggie nodded, with a small sniffle. Of course Lily would take the noble view of things. That was just like– “LOOK OUT!” Lily suddenly screamed, her eyes wide with shock. “Wha-?” Jinx screwed up her face in confusion before a hand looped around her mouth, holding a chemical soaked cloth over her mouth. The enraged Dr. Wissenschaftler held her tightly, securing her as the heroine thrashed wildly. Jinx felt her eyelids starting to droop and her muscles starting to relax. Whatever chemical the doctor was sending into her system, it was acting fast. She had to stay awake, had to keep fighting, had to help her friends, had to… had to… “Good night, you terrible little brat…” Dr. Wissenschaftler muttered as he dropped the unconscious heroine to the ground in a heap. “I shall very much enjoy turning you into a decorative piece for my lab later.” The evil doctor then turned his gaze upon Lily, his eyes narrowing in anger. “And now, my treacherous little flower… it is your turn…” With only seconds to react, Lily decides to [[Stand her ground and fight]] [[Beg for mercy]] [[Look for a last minute miracle]]

Jinx knew she wasn’t enough to stop the evil CEO on her own - she would need the rest of the ASFR gang to help bring the rogue chief executive down. She just had to move fast… Running over to the table where Angelfish was currently strapped down, she examined the machine carefully. Mare weakly raised her head and smiled. “Ho-how did you know… that would break.. the control?” Jinx smiled as she looked over at her. “Oh, well, I just knew that deep down, Lily’s a good person and no amount of brainwashing or magic or whatever could bury it too deeply.” “But… but she’s getting… away…” “Not for long!” Jinx yelled triumphantly. “I’ll break you and Darlene out and then the three of us can bring her to–” “I don’t zink so…” Jinx stopped cold. She turned to see the rather angry looking Dr. Wissenschaftler nursing a sizeable goose-egg on the side of his head with one hand and clutching a raygun with his other. [[Jinx slowly raises her hands in surrender, desperately looking around for a solution]]

“You… you ruined EVERYTHING!” “Well, I mean, your boss is pretty much a supervillain, so, I feel like–” “QUIET!” Dr. Wissenschaftler bellowed. He looked around his laboratory, shaking his head with a sneer. “You may think you have won, but all you’ve done is created a temporary inconvenience…” “Uh, pretty sure your main benefactor just ran out the door?” Jinx smirked. “And besides, when the rest of the team hears about what you’ve been up to, they’ll take this place apart brick by brick.” “Let them come,” Dr. Wissenschaftler replied coldly. “And when they do, I’ll be ready for them. Along with four new objects.” Before Jinx could snark back, the mad doctor pulled the trigger on his raygun, sending a green beam directly into Jinx’s chest. All the heroine could do was muster a gasp and a stifled scream before the weapon took effect. Her movement ceased, along with breathing, blinking and other autonomic functions. Angelfish watched as her friend’s skin and costume were drained of their color and life, her career as a heroine cut short as she was transformed into a lifesize paperweight. Dr. Wissenschaftler chuckled as he approached the frozen statue of Jinx. He circled her admiring her new stony form, letting his leathery hands roam her body. “You… you monster…” Angelfish growled, her anger boiling. “Temper, temper, my dear…” the bad doctor replied, turning to look at her. “After all… you’re next…” **//So close and yet so far! Poor Jinx frozen in her moment of triumph! How might this have been avoided?!//** [[Restart in the lab ->Into the lab...]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Suddenly, the floor Jinx was standing on lit up with a powerful blast of electricity, causing Jinx to scream out in pain and her body to convulse rapidly. While it only lasted a few moments, it was enough to completely stun the young heroine, causing her to collapse to the floor. Jinx weakly raised her head to see Alexandra Stout standing over her, shaking her head and smirking. “Pathetic. Did you really think //you// were going to stop //me?//” “You… you’ll–” But Stout cut Jinx off by casually reaching into her suit coat pocket and producing a small spray bottle which she unloaded into Jinx’s face. The pink purveyor of justice coughed and wheezed momentarily before she looked back at her attacker. “That’s– that’s all?” She laughed weakly. “It’ll take more than– oooooo—” Jinx cut herself off as she suddenly began to moan in pleasure. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell backward to the floor, writhing in imaginary bliss. Against her own will, her hands began to explore her body, rubbing her most sensitive areas over her costume. Jinx bit her lip, trying to stop herself, but it was clear that was a losing battle. As Stout walked around her, examining her, Jinx finally worked up enough energy to ask one final question. [[“Wh– what did you– do to me?”]]

“I’m not without mercy, pink pussy or whatever your name is,” she replied flippantly. “I could have made you into a statue or a cardboard cutout or gold geegaw… but I thought you deserved something extra for all of your dogged hard work.” “My name… is… Ji–” But Jinx’s mouth stopped working as it formed an O shape and froze open. Her eyes widened in panic as she watched her arms and legs stop writhing and instead stiffly move into position. Her legs opened up, spreading wide, while her arms locked into L positions by her side. She felt her trim athletic body begin to literally inflate, causing her chest and rear to become comically proportioned. Stout pushed Jinx’s newly enlarged bust and watched in glee as it squished like a balloon. Or like the sex doll that Jinx had become. She stood up, effortlessly picking Maggie up by the arm. “Come along dear,” Stout cooed. “We’ll see about getting you into mass production. I imagine all the frat houses at Gigatopolis U. would love to get their hands on a superheroine sex toy…” **//Holy x-rated endings! Jinx plastified and defiled?! If only this fate could have been avoided somehow!//** [[Restart in the lab ->Into the lab...]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Lily was never much of a powerhouse, but she couldn’t just sit back and let her friends be transformed - especially not after they risked everything to save her! She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, balling up her fist. With an angry cry, she launched herself forward with all of her might. Only to be frozen mid swing. Realizing she hadn’t made contact, Lily opened her eyes and looked around in a panic. *What...? Why can’t I…?* “Personal temporal displacement field, my dear,” Dr. Wissenschaftler said with a smirk, tapping his belt buckle, which had a red circle glowing on it. “My own little insurance policy.” Lily grunted and tried to move, but found her body wouldn’t react to any mental commands at all. Instead, she was forced to watch as Dr. Wissenschaftler circled around her, the predator examining his prey. “There’s no use resisting,” he calmly explained. Once you touched the field, your personal mobility was halted in time - unable to be restarted, unless I chose to dissipate the field.” He leaned over into Lily’s personal space. She felt his hot, smelly breath on her ear. “And I won’t be doing that anytime soon…” His evil laughter echoed off the walls of the lab as poor Lily contemplated her fate as a timestopped doorstop in the mad doctor’s lab… **//Poor Lily! Her attempt at heroism backfired in the worst possible way! Oh, how could she have avoided a frozen fate?!//** [[Restart in the lab ->Into the lab...]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

Lily backed away, panic welling up in her chest. She had come so close. So close to being a real hero. And now it was all coming crashing down around her. But she could save her friends. She had to try. “Please…” she softly begged. “Please, I’ll do whatever you want, but just let my friends go…” Dr. Wissenschaftler paused for a moment, tapping his chin. “An intriguing idea, my dear… but the thing is…“I already *have* your friends…” He looked around the room with a sickening smile. And then he focused in on Lily’s trembling eyes. “And you *will* do whatever I want…” The mad doctor produced a small remote control, which he aimed at Lily. Before she could scream or beg him to stop, her mind was flooded with searing pain and overwhelming white noise. Lily staggered backward, gripping the edge of a workbench. She tried to focus, she *needed* to focus, but the terrible noise overwhelmed her brain, burying all thoughts of escape or ideas of free will. “You didn’t think I would let you go without a failsafe, did you?” Laughed the evil scientist. “Soon, your programming will resurface and you will be my drone again… permanently…” “No…!” Lily muttered, but she knew it was fake bravado. She could feel her grip on reality slipping away into darkness. And in an instant… it was gone. “Hello… master.” He smiled at her. “Hello to you as well… now, my little deceitful darling… I’ve been feeling very stressed after this whole episode… why don’t you come over here and… relax me…” “Yes… master.” **//Holy Happy Endings! Lily returned to a mindless drone for nefarious purposes?! Somehow… she must have been able to avoid this fate!//** [[Restart in the lab ->Into the lab...]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

As the evil doctor barred down on Lily, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth, Lily began to panic. But she knew that if she was going to save herself and her friends, she had to stay in control. As her eyes darted around the room, looking for her salvation, she tried to focus her mind. *Think, Lily, THINK! What would Jinx do…?* One thing about Jinx - she always told everyone to believe in themselves and their gifts. And for Lily? That meant– *The plant!* Her eyes caught sight of a potted plant on the doctor’s desk. She would recognize it anywhere… *Epipremnum aureum! Of course, this guy would have Devil’s Ivy on his desk…* Closing her eyes and focusing her mind, Lily reached out to the plant. Dr. Wissenschaftler stopped, tilting his head in curiosity. “What is this? What are you doing?” His voice was flat and dejected, as if he was expecting more from a final confrontation. “What, are we taking a mid-fight nap? See, this is what happens when you send a bunch of girls to do a man’s joooooooo—hey!” The doctor’s sexist musings were interrupted as a long string of ivy had wrapped around his ankle and yanked as hard as it could, sending him tumbling to the floor. He turned himself over and watched as his simple desk plant had seemingly grown to five times its original size and was now sending a mass of vines in his direction. “Hey! Hey, now, wait a minute!” Lily opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. She stepped over the writhing mass of vines that had been the evil doctor just a minute ago and walked over to his desk. She reached out and stroked one of the long vines and cooed a thank you. “You’ve done well. Thank you for helping me.” The vine seemed to nuzzle against Lily’s hand. Realising there was no time to waste, Lily ran over to Jinx and gave her shoulders a shake. The pink gymnast for justice groggily came back to the land of the conscious. [[“Huh…? Lily...? What… what happened..?]]

“Uh, well, the doctor… is a little… tied up?” At the sound of muffled screams, Jinx turned her head to see the green cocoon of vines that were holding the evil doctor in place. Jinx gave an approving chuckle. “And with a pun too? Lily, I’m impressed!” “Hey! Little help?!” Jinx and Lily turned to see Darlene still struggling against her rubberized bonds. “Ye–yes…” Angelfish croaked, the sunlamps still drying her out. “Need to— need to–” “Don’t worry, Jinx!” Lily reassured Jinx with a squeeze of the shoulder. “I can take care of them. You’ve got to stop Stout before she gets away!” Jinx nodded before bolting to her feet with a look of grim determination. “She’s not going anywhere…” But then she looked down at her thigh, expecting to see her utility belt. It was gone. Shoot. No doubt they had divested her of her weaponry to prevent her escape, but now… now, she could really use a grappling hook or a stunner… She quickly glanced around the lab, but didn’t see the belt anywhere. But she did see one of Dr. Wissenschaftler’s rayguns… [[To the roof!]]

On the roof of her headquarters, an enraged Alexandra Stout stalked over to a waiting helicopter as she barked into her cell phone. “Yes, scrub the entire program… no, I know how much I spent… Because that’s why I’m in charge, ok?” With an angry growl, she ended the call and made her way to the open door of her waiting escape vehicle. “Hold it right there, you fleeing felonious philanthropist!” Stout paused for a moment before turning back around, narrowing her eyes in annoyance. “You again?” Jinx smirked while pointing her purloined ray gun at the crooked CEO. “I’m like a bad penny, aren’t I?” “No, what you are is incredibly annoying,” Stout muttered, rolling her eyes. She checked the time on her phone. “In one hour, my team will have sanitized this entire building, destroying all records and any trace of project Eurayle, or you and your friends. There will be no evidence of any wrong doing and if you so much as *touch* me… my lawyers will sue you and all of your Super Chums back to the stone age.” Alexandra sneered at Jinx, her victory assured. “What do you think of that, Miss Kitty?” Jinx seethed with frustration. “MY NAME! IS! JINX!” [[Fire the weapon at her]] [[Don’t fire the weapon at her]]

While normally the code of a heroine would prevent Jinx from attacking an unarmed prisoner… it had just been a really shitty night and Jinx was sick of this crap. She squeezed the trigger. A beam of yellow energy fired out from the blaster, right at Alexandra. Jinx was all set to etch that sneer onto face for all eternity. Or she would have, if Stout’s personal protective field hadn’t been active. Instead, the beam simply ricocheted off of a shimmering blue energy field - and right back at Jinx. “Oh, poop–” were Jinx’s last thoughts before being struck dead on. Instantly, Jinx’s body stiffened into an immovable object. Then, slowly but surely, the crimefighter’s body began to take on a yellow sheen, not unlike the color of the beam she had hastily fired. Alexandra Stout shook her head with a chuckle as she approached the solidified heroine. She rapped her knuckles against Jinx’s forehead and was greeted with a metallic CLANG! “A golden statue as a going away present? You really shouldn’t have– Jinx, was it?” Stout let out an evil cackle as the golden wave overtook the last of Jinx’s body, turning her into a gilded statue for her nemesis. She may spend the rest of her days as a trophy for Stout’s new headquarters, but at least she remembered her name this time. That has to count for something, right? **//So close! And yet so far! Poor Jinx! But that’s what happens when heroines use guns, I suppose! Better try one last time, dear readers…!//** [[Restart in the lab ->Into the lab...]] [[Restart Story->Intro Pt. 1]]

This woman represented everything Jinx hated. She was vain, smug, greedy, and she had almost turned her and her friends into objects. But Jinx was a hero and heroes don’t solve their problems that way. Still… that didn’t mean that Jinx had to let her go… Jinx squeezed the trigger. The yellow beam shot past Alexandra Stout, going over her shoulder by a good distance. She laughed. “Your aim is terrible,” she taunted. “Almost as bad as your costume.” “Wasn’t aiming for you,” Jinx retorted with a grin. Stout raised an eyebrow as she turned to look behind herself. The helicopter, which was ready to take Stout to a non-extraditionary country moments ago, seemed to be slowing to a crawl. Its dark blue color scheme also seemed to shift into a much brighter, shinier color while its rotors were slowing to a stop. “I’ve heard of a golden parachute, Stout, but I don’t think a golden helicopter will be of much use, will it?” Jinx chuckled, spinning the raygun on her finger like an old fashioned gunslinger. Down below on the street, Jinx heard sirens as Gigatopolis’s finest seemed to be rapidly approaching the building. Lily and the girls must have been able to get a hold of the rest of the team and the police. Stout sighed. “My lawyers are going to have a field day with this… entrapment, jurisdictional issues, not to mention an unsanctioned vigilante team trespassing on my property…” “Yeah, well, in the meantime you can enjoy the view from the downtown jail, Miss Stout,” Jinx remarked as she folded her arms in victory. [[Epilogue]]

The sun was beginning to rise over the horizon, bathing Gigatopolis in a warming glow. A time of new beginnings. At Globocorp headquarters, a cadre of police cars blocked traffic as the boys and girls in blue swarmed the building. Machines, statues, and other objects were being taken out the front door, along with several bruised and angry guards in handcuffs. A hand truck wheeled out a large mass of writhing green vines. Inside, Dr. Wissenschaftler screamed various obscenities in different languages, as well as admonishments to not touch his equipment. It would be sometime before the GPD found enough herbicide to free him from his restraints, but they weren’t in any particular hurry. From the rooftop across the street, Jinx watched with satisfaction as Alexandra Stout was perp walked out, hands behind her back. The thoroughly annoyed CEO looked up and caught a glimpse of the pink protector of the city looking down on her. Alexandra Stout was not a woman who made mistakes, she learned lessons instead. Tonight, she had learned a very valuable one: those costumed cretins known as the Amazing Superheroines Fighting Rogues were not to be underestimated. As soon as her lawyers sprung her, Alexandra made a silent vow to devote her considerable time and resources to making their lives 100% miserable. *You may have won this round…* She thought to herself as she was loaded into the back of a transport. *But I have a long memory… and I will be back… and when I do, you and your friends will be nothing more than trophies in my gallery…* “Always nice to see a rich bitch get some comeuppance, eh?” Jinx turned to see Lily, Angelfish, and Kid Dynamo join her on the roof. Darlene carefully let Mare down - she was clearly still sore from her bout with dehydration - before giving Jinx a nod of recognition. Jinx looked at her friends and smiled. “Yeah… it is nice, isn’t it?” Angelfish limped over to the edge of the roof and looked down with a scowl. “That foul miscreant deserves to be dragged back to Lagoa and placed in the whirlpool of torment for all she did to us…” Jinx gave her a little side eye as she slowly responded. “Uh… pretty sure that violates her legal rights, but… uh, I get the idea…” Behind them Darlene stretched and bounced on her feet, clearly trying to get the feeling back in her body. “Oh man… you know what they say: you never realize just how you miss running around until you’re encased in a rubber suit of death, do ya?” “Literally no one has ever said that ever, Darlene,” came Angelfish’s sour reply. “Well, I’m saying it! Right now!” Darlene retorted, causing Mare to groan, annoyed. “That doesn’t count! You can’t quote yourself!” Angelfish barked as she turned around to argue with the speedster. [[Lily slowly approached Jinx and placed a warm hand on her shoulder.]]

“So… we did it?” “Sure looks that way.” A moment passed as they watched Alexandra’s police car drive away. “Thank you, Maggie.” Jinx looked at Lily, who had started to tear up. Jinx sniffled and shook her head. “Lily... Lily, I never should have– I’m so sorry— if anything had happened, I–” Lily hugged her friend tightly, cutting her off. “All that matters is that we saved a lot of people tonight, Jinx. We did good.” Jinx gazed over at the monolithic entity that was the Globocorp HQ and sighed a deep breath of relief. “Mighty Gal and Skarlette Skadi are still going to chew us out when we get home, aren’t they?” Jinx asked. “Oh, without a doubt,” Lily agreed, laughing. “We are going to be in sooooooo much trouble…” *And so, another day starts in Gigatopolis!* *But thanks to you, dear reader, perhaps it will be just a little bit calmer today!* *Join us next time for the further adventures of the Amazing Superheroines Fighting Rogues!* //**THE END!!**//