Hex And Violence
by Autolycus, maynlinz@earthlink.net
A super heroine battles a coven of witches.


Witchcraft Meets Bitchcraft In A Battle Over Cal!

NightFox, Vol. III

HEX AND VIOLENCE

(c) 2002 Autolycus

Genevieve Patsy Tucker, known as "Vixen" to her friends, since she has no
family, was just an average street punk...until she stole the Seal of
Erishkigal from her old gang and bonded with the Sumerian Goddess of the
Underworld. Now, each night the Goddess inside her takes control, transforming
her into NightFox, Los Angeles' newest super heroine. Along with her sidekick,
Raven--In reality, her roommate and Erishkigal's lover Catherine "Pandora"
Driver--they protect the City of Angels from all evil. This is the story of
their battle with a coven of witches who have set their sorceress sights on
the man Vixen is interested in dating.

For Janet

After their epic battle with Vibra, NightFox and Raven were only too happy to
call it a night and go home and get some sleep. Well, to go home at least.

As the pair changed into their street clothes in the storage units where they
kept their motorcycles, Erishkigal said, "You know, Catherine, we can't keep
coming here and changing or someone will quickly put two and two together and
we can kiss our secret identities goodbye." While in control, even though the
Goddess retained the face of her host, her body was more powerful than Gen's,
with well-defined muscles and a much more feminine figure.

"Yeah, I know that, Eri, and I've got something in the works that will take
care of that aspect of our problem, although it will be opening the door for a
whole host of others, I'm afraid," Pandora replied, wiggling into her tight
jeans, much to the Goddess' delight. She was an attractive blonde in her early
twenties with a generous chest and a body that was in better than average
shape thanks to her membership in a local gym.

"A regular 'Pandora's Box', eh?" smirked Eri, who'd had to merely will her
outfit to change and was now wearing a loose-fitting dark blouse and a pair of
white slacks that hugged her perfect ass.

Oh, that was bad, Eri! said Vixen inside her head.

"Very funny." Catherine stuck her tongue out at the Goddess as she slipped her
shoes on.

"Seriously, though, I'm a bit worried for yours and Genevieve's safety if one
of our enemies should discover who we really are," she said as they exited the
unit.

"Yeah, well, it's just something we'll have to deal with," sighed Pandora,
locking the sliding door of the storage facility. "Besides, right now the only
enemy we have is Vibra and she won't be bothering anyone for a while."

"But we will have future enemies, and if one of them should-"

"I know! I said I'm working on it, okay? Just drop it, Eri," Catherine said
wearily as she slid into her car. "Can't we just go home and make love until
the sun comes up and not worry about it tonight?" Erishkigal smiled warmly and
leaned over and kissed her. "I'll take that as a yes," grinned the blonde and
floored it out of the parking lot.

Needless to say, neither got much sleep once they got home.

* * * * *

Next afternoon as Vixen waited nervously for Cal at the coffee shop, she was
grateful she'd been able to grab at least a couple of hours of sleep once
Pandora had gone to work, but still had trouble stifling yawns. She hoped the
caffeine-charged drink she was about to have would jolt her awake enough to
carry on a decent conversation.

I'd tell you to relax, but you might doze off, Eri said in her head. So I'll
just remind you that Cal was the one who initiated this meeting so he
obviously likes you.

"Thanks, Eri," Vixen whispered. Without the Goddess in control, her appearance
reverted to its natural state, that of an attractive young woman in her early
twenties with a ragged tangle of black hair and soft blue eyes. Her body was
fit, but not particularly well-defined, with smallish breasts and a bit of a
potbelly that was the result of a steady diet of junk food and an aversion to
any exercise other than fighting.

"Who's Eri?"

Vixen looked up and saw Cal standing next to her table, holding two steaming
cups that smelled of chocolate with just a hint of vanilla. He was a
good-looking young man in his mid-twenties with short, spiky blonde hair and a
good build. He wasn't terribly tall or muscular, but he wasn't a ninety-eight
pound weakling, either.

"Huh?" Vixen asked as he sat down and handed her one of the cups.

"Eri. You said 'Thanks, Eri' just now," he said, looking around to see if she
could have been talking to anyone, but no one was close enough to have heard
her.

"Oh, Eri..." Vixen said, stalling for time while she tried to think of an
explanation that wouldn't make her sound like a raving loony. "She's, um, kind
of my patron Goddess. Well, not really, more like my personal name for the
Goddess, you know?" she asked hopefully, ignoring Eri's giggling as best she
could.

"Sure. I've heard of stranger things," he smiled, taking a sip of his drink.
"What were you thanking her for?"

"Oh, just for being alive. Not for getting to see you again or anything petty
like that. I don't really think deities need to be thanked for the little
things, just the major deeds, like the creation of the universe and things
like that," she said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Okaaaaay," Cal said slowly, arching an eyebrow thoughtfully.

"Not that we shouldn't be grateful for the little things--I mean, I'm totally
grateful for getting to see you again. I just don't think we need to bother
thanking the deities for things like that." She smiled awkwardly and took a
long drink of her mocha, wishing she were a million miles away.

"Riiiiight. Anyway, Vicki, about-" he began.

"It's not Vicki, or Victoria."

"What isn't?" he asked.

"My name. Vik isn't short for Vicki or Victoria."

"It isn't?"

"No."

"Okay, I give, what is it short for, then?"

"Vixen."

"Your name is Vixen?"

"No, that was my nickname growing up. My name is Genevieve, or Gen for short,
but most people call me Vik."

"I see."

"I suppose Cal is short for Calvin or Caleb, right?"

"Not exactly."

"What's that mean? Either it is or it isn't."

"Okay, it isn't."

"Well, what is it short for, then?"

"I'd rather not say. My parents are a bit unusual, as I suspect yours are with
a name like Genevieve. Not that it's not a lovely name, but you have to admit
that it's not a very common one."

"I don't really remember my parents, they died when I was four."

"I'm sorry. Maybe they were just fans of Ms. Bujold?" he suggested.

"Who?"

"Genevieve Bujold. She's an actress. You've never seen Anne of the Thousand
Days?" Vixen shook her head with a bemused look on her face. "What about Coma
or Dead Ringers?"

"Sorry, I don't watch a lot of movies. Just sci-fi and fantasy stuff mostly."

Cal took a long drink form his mocha and stared thoughtfully at the young
woman sitting across from him. "Are you a fan of Star Trek?" he finally asked.

"Oh, yeah! She was never in any of the movies or TV shows, though, was she?"

"Not exactly, but she was all set to play the part of Captain Janeway on
Voyager and then bowed out at the last minute."

"Can't say I blame her for that. I never really got into Voyager, but I still
don't know who she is."

Before Cal could say another word, a group of four young women walked up and
one of them, a big-chested brunette, said, "Well, well, if it isn't our dear
classmate, Cal, and a little friend. Why don't you ask her out for a night of
dinner and dancing, Cal? Or maybe a midnight swim? How about a drive-in?"

The four girls laughed and walked off before Vixen or Cal could respond.

I've got a bad feeling about that quartet of bitches, Erishkigal said, her
voice having a definite growling quality to it.

"Who were the Miss Manners rejects?" Vixen asked, her eyes narrowing as she
watched the girls walking away.

"Just some fellow students," Cal said.

"Journalism majors?"

"No, I doubt they'd bother with anything that required so much thought.
They're in a women's studies class I'm taking."

"Is that what you were reading those books about witchcraft for?"

He suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Uh, yeah, sort of. Don't pay any attention
to Darlene and her crew."

"They don't seem to like you too much."

"No, they don't," Cal agreed. "Listen, I'd love to catch a movie or do dinner
sometime--I'm not too keen on midnight swims, though; I always seem to almost
drown every time I get near the water--but school is in high gear right now,
what with finals coming up next week, so..."

"So not the problem. I've got tons of stuff begging for my time, too. No room
for a social life. But I can work in a coffee break now and then. Next time
it's my treat," she added with a smile.

"Sounds like a plan. But right now I need to get going. Studying and all
that," he said, glancing at the sky.

"Right. Me, too. I've got... stuff to do, too," she said awkwardly.

"I'll email you," he said as he got up and slung his book bag over his back.

"You can call, too, if you suddenly find yourself with some free time and an
overpowering mocha craving," she smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind. See ya, Vik." He walked off without so much as
offering his hand and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Where are you going? Eri asked when Vixen took off in the opposite direction
at a brisk trot.

"I didn't like the looks of Darlene and her cronies. I just want to see where
they went," she replied, scanning the area for some sign of the four girls.
"Gotcha, babe!" She trotted over to a new age shop she'd caught her quarry
entering and looked nonchalantly in the front window. Sure enough, there was
Darlene and her three friends. Now that she had the opportunity to get a good
look at them, she saw that Darlene was a bit taller than her and quite a bit
bustier. She had the sort of face that all but guaranteed she wouldn't have to
work very hard for anything she wanted, short of lying on her back and
spreading her legs, of course. She seemed to be in good shape as the tight
shirt and pants she wore revealed some definite muscle tone. Speaking of her
outfit, Vixen guessed that it cost roughly the same as NightFox's motorcycle
had, and that was without adding in the cost of her numerous pieces of
jewelry.

She reminds me of the priestesses who used to serve me, pampered and
pillow-titted with minds full of nothing.

Vixen grunted her agreement and turned her attention to the other three girls.
One was a blonde and the other two had dark hair, one coal black and the other
only slightly lighter. The blonde's body was the best, but still paled in
comparison to Darlene's, although she certainly gave her a run for her money
in the looks department with big blue eyes and a mouth that was made for sin.
The two brunettes were attractive, but their bodies were nothing to write home
about. And while the clothes of all three were nice enough, they were far from
the designer creations Darlene was wearing. The four of them were talking to a
woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties, although it was difficult to be
sure since she had pink hair and a very baggy outfit on. Sitting at her feet
was quite possibly the ugliest, meanest looking dog Vixen had ever seen. It
was huge and black, with a brown mask and paws, and its mouth was full of
large yellow teeth, which were plainly visible as its mouth hung open and a
constant line of drool ran to the floor.

What kind of shop is this? Eri asked.

"One of those herbal remedy places, I think," Gen replied, backing up and
reading the name over the window. "With a name like 'Pagan Penchants' what
else could it be?"

"What's the matter, sweetie, did Cal run off and leave you all alone?" Darlene
asked as she exited the shop, catching Vixen off her guard.

"He had some studying to do, not that it's any of your business," she replied,
glaring into the other girl's dark eyes.

"I'll just bet he did. Cal is such an industrious young man," she said,
winking at her three associates, who immediately began giggling. She stepped
close and very deliberately took Vixen's jacket cuff between her fingers and
examined the material critically. "Not even one of the better quality
knock-offs."

"Look, Darlene, I don't know what your problem with Cal is, but I'm warning
you right now to stay away from him. And from me, for that matter," she added,
jerking out of the girl's grasp.

"You brassy little slut, you've got me at a disadvantage. I didn't get your
name."

"It's Vixen, but don't bother remembering it since we're never going to see
each other again," she said and then turned on her heels and walked away
without looking back.

"Oh, yes, we will, Vixen," Darlene said softly. "We will be seeing each other
again very soon indeed." She looked down at the strands of dark hair in her
hand and grinned malevolently.

Nicely done! You told that busty bitch off, but good. I'm very proud of you,
Gen.

"Yeah, but I just hope I didn't get Cal into more trouble with them," Vixen
said as she walked down to the bus stop.

* * * * *

Later, as Vixen and Catherine were on their way to pick up their motorcycles
so they could patrol, the sidekick suddenly asked, "Say, wasn't today your
date with Cal?"

"I wouldn't exactly call it a date, Pandy. We just had espresso."

"Yeah? Well, what did you talk about?" the blonde asked excitedly.

"Names and Star Trek, of all things," she laughed.

"Cool. So he's a Trekker, too."

"I'm not sure about that. He knows about Star Trek, but he didn't really sound
like a fan. He seemed more a fan of movies than television," she said
thoughtfully, bracing herself for the nightly transformation as they pulled
into the storage unit facility and the sun went down.

"I still wanna hear all about what else happened tomorrow," Catherine said as
she parked the car and then leaned over and kissed Erishkigal. "And if she
won't tell me, I know you will."

You wouldn't dare! Vixen exclaimed inside the Goddess' head.

"I would never violate Gen's trust like that," Eri said, as they made their
way to their storage unit. Vixen sighed loudly. "At least, not for nothing.
You'd definitely have to make it worth my while." She changed into NightFox's
outfit with a thought.

Traitor! Ooh, you rotten...

"I think that can be arranged," Pandora said as she changed into her crime
fighting attire. She slipped the helmet on and switched on the police band.
"Uh oh. Sounds like we might be needed."

"So I heard," nodded NightFox, gunning her motorcycle to life.

* * * * *

LAPD Officer Ray Parker inwardly scowled as he kept the small crowd behind the
perimeter established by the Tactical Weapon Assault Team. Even though he knew
he was performing a necessary service, he would much rather have been one of
the officers in on the action, so to speak. Ordinarily, Parker didn't mind
being left out of the spotlight. Truth be told, he actually preferred
anonymity; it allowed him to do his job without anyone looking over his
shoulder, including both his superiors and the media. He really didn't
understand people who actually liked media coverage in that regard, the way
they seemed to feed off of exposure, like plants that flourish in sunlight.
Parker considered himself more a mushroom kind of person in that he prospered
better in the dark. But this particular group of thugs had crossed a line in
his mind when they took an innocent family hostage after the police had forced
their getaway van off the road following their robbery of a bank. Parker had
been patrolling nearby when the robbery went down and it was his car that had
initialized the chase. But when the robbers sped into a heavily populated
family neighborhood, he'd backed off in his pursuit to avoid any civilians
getting injured. Besides, there was little chance of the thieves escaping with
one of the force's helicopters following them from the air, not to mention
half a dozen airborne news crews.

Unfortunately, one of the other cars that got involved in the pursuit hadn't
backed off when Parker did--It was driven by one of the hot dog cops the
precinct had: Officer Ben Lawrence. Young, handsome, arrogant and too lucky
for his own good, he was one of the up and comers in the precinct and appeared
to be on the fast-track to detective. The result was that the perp's van ended
up crashing through the fence and into the garage of a large house. Before the
officers in the car could stop them, they had forced their way into the home
and taken the family hostage. When TWAT arrived and took over, Parker had been
relegated to crowd control while Lawrence played at being the hero and
sticking as close to Commissioner Miranda Yates, who had arrived with TWAT to
personally oversee this operation, as possible.

So far, the crowd had been behaving itself and the mostly scared, but
understandably curious, neighbors hadn't tried anything unruly. The media was
the real problem as their camera crews sat perched on the top of vans and
their reporters all vied for the best, i.e., closest, position from which to
deliver their up-to-the-minute information. Still, they hadn't really given
him any trouble he couldn't handle and had thankfully been more interested in
talking with Lawrence and Yates than him.

Just when he thought his night would go by fairly smoothly, however, NightFox
and Raven arrived on their hopped up motorcycles.

"Oh, great," he groaned as the scantily-clad pair of vigilantes approached
him. He was an older man, past his prime but still handsome enough, with light
hair and blue eyes that continued to attract younger women. His build was fit,
but he was beginning to gain a bit more fat than he wanted around his waist.

"Evening, Officer Parker," NightFox said, waving to the throng of reporters
and the civilians. She was wearing a tight-fitting outfit made of dark blue
spandex which wrapped itself around her like a python, fitting so snuggly as
to be almost indistinguishable from her own flesh. The suit left her back and
midriff exposed while covering her breasts and pubic area. Her hands and feet
were encased in gloves and boots, both of which climbed past their respective
joints before ending in thin strips that attached to the main costume, and her
face was concealed by a dark mask which flared at the corners of her eyes,
giving the impression of ears. A golden belt encircled her waist and a similar
band encased her ivory throat. "Anything Raven and I can do to help?"

"Yes, you can get back on your bikes and leave this one to the professionals,"
Parker said flatly. Even though he had to admit that the pair had helped in
the past and had certainly saved more than a few people during their brief
careers, he didn't like them butting in on delicate situations like this one.
And he definitely disagreed with the department's official position of letting
them do their thing since he knew it was just a public relations ploy on their
part to take the citizens' minds off of LA's other problems.

"Still got that attitude, huh, Parker? And after all we've done for you,"
Raven said a bit mockingly. She was wearing what was basically little more
than a backless once-piece bathing suit with a plunging neckline that was
covered with sparkling rhinestones. A light blue 'R' in a horizontal oval was
emblazoned on the upper left cup and a silver belt hung loosely around her
waist. Matching boots, stockings, gloves and a black mask completed her
outfit. "When are you gonna show us some respect?"

"When you lose the costumes and join the force so you can fight crime
legally," he replied as a swarm of reporters converged on the trio.

"NightFox, can you tell us anything about you and where you come from and how
you got your amazing powers?" barked one of the journalists, a busty blonde
from the local NBC affiliate.

The super heroine turned so the cameras could get a good shot of her and said,
"I'm here to protect the denizens of this fair metropolis from the scurrilous
thugs and arch-criminals who brazenly transgress the principles of freedom and
democracy this great country was founded upon and my sole mission is to see
that justice is served. Unfortunately, sometimes that means working outside
the strict confines of the law." She glanced over at Parker meaningfully. "As
for my powers, well, all I can say about those is that it's a Goddess thing
and leave the rest to your imaginations. Now, if you'll excuse me, Raven and I
have work to do."

Parker rolled his eyes as NightFox and Raven walked over to where Commissioner
Yates was talking with the leader of TWAT while Lawrence lingered at her side,
like a dog waiting for a bone. "Okay, people, move back. You never know what
to expect when those two get involved," he added, making sure everyone,
including the reporters and their crews, were well back from the house where
the hostages were being held.

"Good evening, Commissioner Yates. I don't believe we've met. I'm NightFox and
this is Raven," the super heroine said, extending her hand.

"I know who you are. What I don't know is what you're doing here," she
replied, pointedly ignoring the outstretched hand. Police Commissioner Miranda
Yates was a slightly overweight woman in her late-forties or early fifties
with salt and pepper hair and blue eyes that commanded respect. Her figure was
still good, despite the extra meat, and she had an attractive face; both had
hurt more than helped her career.

"We're here to help bring this to a successful resolution and make sure none
of the hostages are harmed," NightFox said, withdrawing her hand and placing
both of them on her hips.

"My people have everything under control. We don't need any costumed whacko
messing things up," growled the TWAT leader. He was a big man with a lantern
jaw and cold, almost dead, light green eyes. Even through the black body suit
he was wearing, his impressive build was evident.

NightFox, however, wasn't impressed. "We're not here to belittle you or your
team, Lt. Rank," she said, reading his name off the tag on his outfit, "We
just want to do whatever we can to help."

"Then get back on your scooter and get the hell out of here," snapped Rank. He
turned on his heels and walked away.

"I have to second that suggestion, I'm afraid," Yates said sternly. "This is a
tricky situation and we can't have amateurs getting under foot or someone is
going to get hurt. And no one here wants that." She looked straight into
NightFox's dazzling blue eyes.

The super heroine was about to reply when a commotion at the front door of the
house suddenly commanded their attention.

"I'm only gonna say this once: Clear the pigs out of here or we start wasting
people!" shouted a man in a dark ski mask. He had his left arm around the
throat of a terrified woman in her mid-thirties and a gun in his right hand
was pressed to her temple.

"Do you have a shot?" Yates asked into her two-way.

"Negative. Civilian is in the line of fire," was the terse reply.

Yates ground her teeth in frustration and glared at Lawrence. "You and I will
be having a long talk, regardless of how this finishes," she promised him.

"Maybe you pigs have too much dirt in your fucking ears to hear me? I said to
clear out of here or people are going to start dying!" the man on the porch
yelled.

"Tell your marksmen to stand down, I'll handle this," NightFox said and sprang
over one police car, did a handspring off the roof of another, and then landed
on the front lawn of the house. She drew a glowing golden sword from thin air
as she walked purposefully towards the gunman.

"What the hell is she doing?!" barked Rank from Yates' radio.

"Just keep your men on alert and take any shot that presents itself," Miranda
replied, glancing over at Raven. The sidekick just scowled and watched to see
what NightFox was up to.

"What are you supposed to be? A Strip-O-Gram to distract me?" snarled the bank
robber. "Back off, lady, or I whack this broad right here and now."

"No, you won't," NightFox said, tensing her sword arm. "If you kill her, a
dozen snipers will take you out before you can so much as blink. Your only
chance to survive this is to release the woman and surrender."

The man's eyes narrowed and he blinked furiously as sweat ran into them. "We
didn't want to hurt anyone," he said softly. "We just wanted the money."

"That hardly matters now, does it? I'm going to walk up there and take that
woman's place, just so you can be sure that the police won't shoot you once
she's released. Then, you and I are going to walk out of here and you're going
to surrender," NightFox informed him, slowly walking forward.

"Back off, you costumed bimbo!" shouted a female voice from within the house.
Several bullets ricocheted off the ground at the super heroine's feet. "We've
got three kids in here, so that means no one is surrendering. You tell those
pigs to back off or one of these brats is gonna get their brains splattered
all over these pretty walls."

"Maybe we should give up, Francine," the man suggested, noting the men with
guns positioned on nearby rooftops. "There's an awful lot of cops out here."

"Shut up! Don't fold on me now, baby! We got the money, we can get through
this, too," Francine barked. "Just come back inside, Jay."

Jay looked helplessly at NightFox and then removed his arm from the woman's
throat and lowered his gun.

"What the fuck are you doing?!?"

"It's over, Francine. Time to cut our losses," he replied as the woman rushed
down the steps and practically into NightFox.

A hail of bullets suddenly tore into Jay and his body jerked from the dozens
of projectiles slamming into him.

"NOOOOO!!!!" screamed both NightFox and Francine as he tumbled down the steps
of the porch in what looked like slow motion.

Before he'd hit the bottom step, Francine started firing at NightFox and her
former hostage, but the Goddess used her sword and deflected all of the
bullets. When she heard the robber's gun clicking on empty chambers, she was
about to rush the house when their getaway van suddenly roared to life and
backed out of the garage at full speed, crashing into several police cars and
sending a dozen officers scrambling to get out of the way. Then the van
screeched as it was slammed into gear and took off, plowing through more
police cars before it reached the clear road.

"You bastards!" shouted Francine. She grabbed one of the kids, a boy of about
seven, and held him tightly by the neck.

"Looks like your friends left you to take the fall, Francine," smirked
NightFox, ascending the steps as quietly as she could. "Did they take the
money, too?" An infuriated roar from within the house answered the Goddess'
question. "No point in putting those kids through any more than they've
already been through. Surrender now and you've still got a chance to live
through this."

"Like Jay lived through it? He'd still be alive if you hadn't tricked him!"
she shouted. NightFox could hear the child in her grasp struggling to breathe
and cautiously peered into the window Francine had shot at her from and saw a
young woman in her mid-twenties with a red dye job and a skinny body choking a
little boy with one hand while she reloaded a revolver with the other. Two
little girls, who NightFox guessed to be about five and three, sat in a corner
of the room, sobbing quietly.

"I just got him to see how futile his situation was, I didn't mean for him to
get killed, Francine, honestly. And I don't want to see you get killed,
either," she said, pulling back out of sight and tensing to spring through the
window.

"It doesn't matter what either of us wants anymore," Francine said, tightening
her grip on the boy's throat as she finished loading her gun. "Nothing matters
now that Jay's dead." She raised the pistol to her temple.

Before she could pull the trigger, though, NightFox had leaped through the
window and knocked the gun out of her hand while simultaneously wrenching the
boy loose from her grasp. "You really are pathetic," the super heroine
snarled, rocking her with a solid left to her face. "Bad enough that you put
innocent people at risk when you decide to rob a bank." She let fly with a
right that caught the woman on the left side of her jaw and snapped her head
around. "But then you threatened children." The Goddess grabbed her shirt to
hold her steady and crunched her knee up into her gut. "And if I hadn't
stopped you, you would have killed this child and then taken your own life."
She rammed her knee up between her legs and Francine's eyes crossed and she
let out a high-pitched scream. "People like you make me sick." She drew her
fist back to finish the wreck of a woman wobbling unsteadily in her grasp but
then just let her go and she dropped to the floor as TWAT members rushed into
the house.

Rank glared at NightFox as one of his people put handcuffs on Francine and the
others attended to the children. "We could have secured the hostages and
recovered the money," he sneered.

"I'm not done yet," NightFox said, racing out of the house. She leaped over
the wreckage the van had caused and was on her motorcycle in a matter of
seconds. "Where's Raven?" she asked Parker, who was still keeping the crowd
under control as best he could.

"Where do you think she is? She took off after the van," he replied, rolling
his eyes.

"That's my girl," NightFox grinned, laying down rubber as she zoomed away. It
was relatively easy to follow them between the radio updates in her helmet and
the sound of the sirens of the pursuing police cars, and in no time at all she
was rocketing by the cops and had caught up to Raven. "So, what's your plan?'
she asked, grinning at her sidekick as she sped along next to her right behind
the van.

"I don't really have one," Raven confessed. "I just figured I should follow
it."

"Mind my bike and don't let any of them get away," NightFox instructed,
climbing up onto the seat of her motorcycle and lowering herself into a
crouch, her thighs bulging as the muscles grew taut.

"Mind your bike? Why? What are you-" she began and then had to reach out and
try to steady the super heroine's chopper when NightFox launched herself at
the van. "Are you out of your mind?!" She squealed.

Meanwhile, the Goddess did a triple forward somersault and landed lightly on
the roof of the van. She knew from the reports that there were two men and a
woman inside and she was determined that the cowardly, opportunistic crooks be
brought to justice... once they got out of the hospital. She reached up and
pulled her golden sword from the air and then plunged it into the roof of the
speeding vehicle and began shearing an opening in the thick metal as if it
were made of aluminum.

"Holy shit! Some crazy bimbo is carving her way in here!" exclaimed one of the
men. He was a big blond guy with a hard-bitten, unattractive face and muscular
arms that were covered with garish tattoos.

"Yeah, and we've got another one right behind us. Greg, you deal with the one
on the roof. Paula, you take care of the one on the bike," barked out the
driver, a shabby man in his late twenties with dark hair and an unshaven,
angular face. "And hang on. I'm gonna try to shake those cops before they get
close enough to join this party." He suddenly wrenched the steering wheel and
the van swerved, tipping briefly up onto two tires, before it righted itself
and shot down a narrow alley, forcing Raven to follow, instead of ride next to
them.

"Thanks for the warning," grumbled Paula as she made her way to the back doors
after being slammed against the side of the vehicle. She was every bit as big
as the two men with dirty brown hair and pale blue eyes with dark circles
beneath them. Her arms were also muscular and also covered with gaudy designs,
mostly snakes and horned demons. She flung open the back door and started
shooting at Raven.

Meanwhile, NightFox had been forced to use her sword to deflect the bullets
the man had fired at her, leaving the makeshift opening only half-completed.
Hearing the shots coming from the back of the van, however, she made her way
to the rear of the vehicle and was relieved to see Raven relatively safe
behind the bullet-proof glass of her bike's windshield. With a determined
scowl on her lovely face, she stood with her back facing Raven and crouched
down and grabbed the top of the door's opening and then did a handstand.
Looking at Raven upside down, she grinned broadly and winked at her sidekick.

Are you insane?! Vixen shouted inside her head.

NightFox ignored her and swung her feet down and into the opening, striking
Paula square in her big tits and sending her flying backwards and into Greg.
She was on them before they could stand, pulping their faces with hard lefts
and rights.

"Who the fuck are you?" demanded the driver, grabbing a gun from the dash and
pointing it at her.

"The name is NightFox--That's one word when the reporters ask--and I'm here to
protect the denizens of this fair metropolis from your scurrilous kind. So,
you can either surrender and make it easy on yourself, or we can have some
fun. Your call," she said without her usual bravado or customary grin.

"You're crazy," he said, firing off a shot.

"Better keep your eyes on the road," she cautioned, easily deflecting the
bullet with her sword.

The man glanced forward and in that instant NightFox knocked the gun away with
one hand and crushed his jaw with her other hand, sending blood and teeth
splattering against the windshield. When he let go of the wheel to grab his
broken face the van veered wildly and crashed through a fence and then flew
into a private swimming pool.

Raven skidded to a halt near the ruined fence just as Paula climbed from the
pool, her face wet with both water and blood. "Going somewhere?" she asked
with a smirk, adopting a fighting stance.

"I'm having a really bad day, bitch. I suggest you keep your distance if you
want to keep your tits," Paula growled, shaking her hair and striking a double
biceps pose that showed off her stunning physique.

"Muscles don't mean a thing unless you know how to use them," laughed Raven,
darting in and landing a hard shot to her gut that just bounced off it as if
she'd punched a brick wall. "Yeowch!"

"Not necessarily," sneered Paula as the sidekick shook her hand almost
comically.

"Crap! The money got out of the bags," Greg said from the water as he tried to
retrieve the floating bills.

"Just get as much as you can while I deal with this little pest," Paula said,
reaching out and grabbing Raven's left tit. "I warned you," she smiled, giving
it a vicious squeeze.

"The cops will be here any minute!" the man exclaimed, stuffing the soggy loot
into his pockets as fast as he could.

"This won't even take a minute," Paula said, drawing her other hand back and
making a fist that was roughly half the size of Raven's head. "Lights out,
sweetie. URKH!!!" She suddenly gasped and doubled over when Raven's boot shot
up and nailed her in the crotch.

"Keep your mitts off my tits, bitch!" the sidekick snarled, leaning into
another cuntbusting kick. As Paula toppled forward her face was met with a
double-fisted blow that stood her straight up on her tiptoes before she fell
to her back like a Redwood. "You want some, buddy?" Raven asked, walking
across the prone body of the unconscious woman, making sure to dig the heels
of her boots into the robber's tits.

Greg reluctantly climbed from the pool and took a wild swing at the sidekick.
"Man, you crooks are dumb," she laughed, driving her fist into his side. He
cringed and she powered another shot into the same place, this time being
rewarded with the sound of at least one rib breaking. "Give it up before I do
some serious damage." In response, he kicked out and his foot connected with
her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. He quickly punched her in the face,
but there wasn't much force behind the blow and he yelped in pain when his
body twisted to deliver the shot. Still, he was strong enough to at least
smash her lips against her teeth. "Fucking Hell! I just had this costume dry
cleaned!" Raven swore as blood from her split lip dribbled down her chin and
onto her chest. She reared back and then jumped up and kicked him in the same
spot on his side then used the momentum from that kick to propel herself up
and snap his head around with a strike from her other foot.

Greg spun in the air and then flopped onto the cement next to the pool like a
landed fish. A trickle of blood pooled beneath his face. "Serves you right,"
Raven said, dabbing at the blood on her costume.

Meanwhile, when the van hit the water NightFox took a deep breath and quickly
grabbed the gun before the water washed it away. Once the van had settled on
the bottom, she fired into the windshield, shattering it, and then grabbed the
driver by the scruff of his neck and swam for the surface. Several police cars
arrived as she pulled the coughing and bloodied man up and out of the pool.
She unceremoniously dragged him around to the other side, where Raven was
standing proudly over her two victims and gave her partner a high-five.

"Nice work," the super heroine smiled, nodding approvingly at her sidekick.

"What were you thinking, jumping off your motorcycle and then that stunt you
pulled on the roof of the van?" Raven demanded. "You scared the fuck out of
me!"

Me, too! echoed Vixen.

Before NightFox could answer, Commissioner Yates stormed up and shook her head
at the condition of the robbers. "These people have rights, you know?" she
said, exasperated.

"So do Raven and I. Lefts, too," she added with a half-smile.

"This isn't funny," Yates snapped, causing Raven to practically bite her
tongue in two to keep from laughing out loud. "Your antics have crossed the
line tonight, NightFox, and cost a man his life."

"Her antics?!" Raven shouted angrily, getting right in the Commissioner's
face. "It was your trigger-happy goons that killed that guy, not Fox! And
don't forget that she saved all of the hostages, no thanks to you and your
Keystone Kops."

"Do you intend to press charges?" NightFox asked simply, holding her hand up
when Raven opened her mouth.

"Not tonight. But the DA might once he reads my report," Yates said.

"If that happens, I will gladly turn myself in and stand trial." NightFox
stared into Miranda's tired blue eyes without blinking until the other woman
looked away.

"That probably won't be necessary," she finally admitted. "Just try to be more
careful in the future. The last thing this city needs right now is more bad
press."

"I could offer you and your people the same advice," NightFox said. "But I
won't." She turned and walked away.

Raven looked from Yates to her partner and then back again before rushing
after the super heroine. "You knew she was bluffing?" she asked as they
climbed onto her motorcycle.

"Of course. Being a super heroine has some political advantages that aren't
all that different from those I enjoyed as a Goddess," she explained.
"Besides, she knows as well as I do that a trial would clearly prove that it
was Rank and TWAT who were responsible for Jay's death. They'd much rather
handle that in-house and avoid any messy press embarrassments."

"You're amazing, Fox," Raven laughed as they pulled to a stop near NightFox's
motorcycle. "A-fucking-mazing."

"It's a Goddess thing," NightFox replied with a toss of her head, hopping onto
her own bike.

* * * * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of town in a darkened, familiar shop, four girls
and an older woman were seated at the five points of a pentacle, chanting in a
language long dead while a small cauldron bubbled in the center of the evil
symbol. The four girls were wearing blood red hooded robes while the older
woman's was white. All of their faces were hidden in the shadows of the robes,
but the voice of at least one of the girls was familiar. A large dog looked on
the ceremony from a stack of pillows sleepily, its half-closed eyes seeming to
glow red as the numerous candles in the shop reflected in them.

"This is petty, even for you, Darlene," a voice hissed from the shadows. "I
barely know her. Just leave her out of it."

"She threatened me. I can't have that, now can I?" Darlene replied, removing
the hairs from her pocket that she'd gotten from Vixen earlier and dropping
them in the bubbling cauldron. "Now, hush up while we finish the summoning."

The chanting resumed and a sliver of reddish smoke rose from the pot and
snaked its way through the shop until it found the crack beneath the front
door.

"Shouldn't be long now," Darlene said, smiling smugly.

The large dog's tail thumped loudly on the floor as it wagged.

* * * * *

"Where are you going, Fox?" Raven asked when the super heroine suddenly turned
sharply. "The police band said the break in was this way."

"I-I don't know. I just fell compelled to go this way," NightFox replied,
visibly struggling to alter her bike's course, but without success. "Stay
back, Raven. No telling which of my old enemies is behind this."

"Old enemies, as in Gods, Goddesses, demons, and the like?" the sidekick
asked, keeping pace with her partner.

"I'm afraid so," nodded the Goddess. "So maybe you should clear off and let me
handle this."

"I don't think so. If whoever is doing this can make you go somewhere against
your will, they also might be able to prevent you from fighting back once you
get wherever they're forcing you to go. Face it, Fox, you might need me."

"I'll always need you, Catherine," NightFox said with a smile. "Uh oh... Looks
like I was wrong."

"Huh? Wrong about what?" Raven asked as she followed NightFox into a shopping
district.

"It's not one of my enemies behind this. It's one of Vixen's," she said,
pointing to the darkened 'Pagan Penchants' shop. "I'd better change," she
added, instantly switching from her NightFox costume to an oversized T-shirt
and tight jeans.

Oh, no! I'm sorry, Eri, Vixen said in her head.

"Sorry? For what? Standing up to that bully? I would have been disappointed if
you hadn't, Gen," Eri replied with a smile.

"What are you talking about? Vixen doesn't have any enemies," Raven said as
Eri pulled to a stop near the shop and got off her motorcycle.

"I'm afraid she made one this afternoon. We'll tell you all about it later,
Raven, in the meantime, stay close but don't interfere unless it looks like
we're in danger. I suspect our little friends in there just want to play. Of
course, once they've had their fun, it will be time for us to have ours,
right, Gen?" Eri grinned as she approached the door to the shop.

I hear that!

Raven scowled but held back as Eri entered the store and then searched for
some other way in, or at least some place that would afford her a better view
of what was going on inside.

"Welcome to our little party, Vixen," grinned Darlene, pulling her hood back.

"What's the meaning of this, Darlene?" demanded Eri.

"Now, don't get all bent, dearie. I'm doing you a favor," the girl replied,
standing up and walking over to her.

"What kind of favor?" asked Eri suspiciously.

"I've gone to all this trouble just so you and Cal could have a date. Come on
out, Cal, and say hello to your friend," Darlene laughed. The other four women
laughed, too, as a hulking, misshapen form shuffled from the shadows.

Cal?! Oh, dear Goddess! What have they done to you? Vixen cried.

"Cal?! Oh, dear Goddess! What have they done to you?" Eri exclaimed, echoing
Vixen's horrified reaction.

"Hello, Vik," Cal said softly. He was a monstrous vision of his former self,
with rolls of flesh hanging off his face and body, as if he'd suddenly lost
hundreds of pounds of fat and his skin hadn't had a chance to shrink onto his
frame yet. Not only that, but his face had become decidedly pig-like, complete
with a snout and large, floppy ears.

"Now, Vixen, we haven't done anything permanent to dear Cal. This condition
only affects him after sundown," Darlene explained, playfully poking her
finger into his jowls.

"Why?" asked Eri, stepping forward and cautiously touching the quivering
flesh.

"He pissed me off. Just like you did today. No one pisses me off, Vixen,"
Darlene said, her eyes flashing with fiery malevolence.

"How did you..." Eri began and then her voice trailed off when Cal looked at
her and she saw the hurt in his eyes.

"The magic was courtesy of Nana Nina here," Darlene said, indicating the
pink-haired woman. "But the power came from Circe, her familiar." She pointed
to the large dog.

"Circe?" Eri questioned, turning her gaze to the dog. "Is that really you?"

"Hello? It's a dog, you dumb bitch. Do you expect her to answer you?" laughed
Darlene and the others.

"Enough of this charade," the dog suddenly said, standing up and shaking its
coat vigorously. It was enveloped by a red glow and a moment later had become
almost human in appearance, with the exception of its canine face and tail.
Darlene and the others backed away fearfully. "I've been patiently feeding
these fools with enough energy to fulfill their petty desires in the hope that
they would stumble on a spell to reverse my cursed form, but I see now that
all such as these will ever do is engage in the simple magics of revenge and
minor curses. But in you I sense something I've not felt for centuries...
Power." She looked into Eri's eyes and licked her lips hungrily.

"What the hell is going on here?" shouted Nana Nina. "You're a dog! You don't
talk."

"In the first place, I'm not a dog. I'm the sorceress Circe, daughter of
Helios and Perse, cursed by Poseidon a thousand years ago to assume the shape
of a bitch for all time for aiding the hero Odysseus, who had blinded his son,
Polyphemus," she snarled. "And in the second place, I obviously do talk, you
idiot."

"You always were a bitch, Circe, you can't deny that," laughed Eri.

"That's twice now you've spoken as if you know me, woman," Circe said, turning
baleful eyes to the Goddess. She raised her snout and sniffed deeply. "No, it
can't be... Erishkigal?"

"See, being a dog does have its uses," the Goddess smirked.

"Erishkigal? The Sumerian Goddess of the Underworld?" Nana Nina asked
incredulously.

"Former yadda, yadda, yadda, but, yeah, that's me," Eri said.

"You're a Goddess?" Cal questioned.

"It's a long story, and since you won't remember any of it tomorrow anyway,
there's not much point in telling it to you," Eri said with a half-smile.

"My darkest prayers have been answered at long last!" Circe exclaimed.

"How so?" the Goddess asked.

"Your power can free me from this cursed state," the sorceress said.

"So you can resume torturing and seducing men to your heart's content? I don't
think so," Eri laughed. "Besides, if you don't have more sense after a
thousand years than to endow bimbos like these with powerful magics, you've
obviously not learned enough to play nice in today's society."

"Who are you calling a bimbo?" Darlene demanded.

"I had hoped we could resolve things peacefully, old friend, but if I must I
will simply take what I require from your battered, unconscious body," Circe
growled.

"If you two are going to fight, kindly take it outside," Nana Nina said
sharply.

"I would strongly suggest you shut up right now and use what little skill you
have to restore Cal or Circe won't be the only one getting her ass kicked
tonight," Eri snapped, grabbing the startled woman by her robe and pulling her
face close. "Do we understand each other?"

"Of course, Goddess. Forgive me, Goddess. I shall do as you command
immediately, Goddess," Nana Nina said, backing away and raising her arms in
supplication.

Is that what you had to put up with when you were worshiped? Vixen asked.

"Yeah, revolting, isn't it?" sighed the Goddess.

"She might be cowed by your being some sort of washed-up has-been big shot
Goddess, but I'm not," Darlene announced, shoving Nana Nina aside and puffing
out her chest defiantly. "And me and my girls like Cal just the way he is,
don't we, girls?" The other three nodded. "So, Miss Scary Underworld Goddess,
I guess that's that."

"No, it isn't, you little tramp!" Eri snarled, punching her in the nose and
knocking her to her back. The other three girls jumped her and started
pounding on her while Circe looked on and laughed. "Raven! Now would be a good
time to help!" the Goddess shouted.

The sidekick burst through the front window feet-first, her boot striking one
of the brunettes in the face and sending her flying into a display case. "You
called, Fox?" Raven grinned, grabbing the blonde by the hair with her left
hand and punching her in the face with her right.

"Took your sweet time," the Goddess grunted, elbowing the other brunette in
the gut and then snapping her fist up and into her jaw. She also changed back
into her NightFox costume. "Much better," she said, launching her foe across
the shop with a kick to her full chest. "I'm going to take care of Circe, you
can play with these three but leave Darlene for me to deal with."

"You got it, Fox," nodded Raven, popping the blonde in the tits and
simultaneously kicking the first brunette in the stomach when she got up and
charged at her.

"You may be a Goddess, Erishkigal, but I'm no slouch in the power department,
even in this ridiculous form," Circe warned her, crouching low and baring her
teeth ominously.

I don't like what Circe did either, Eri, but maybe after a thousand years as a
dog--A really ugly dog!--she got a little desperate. Doesn't she deserve a
second chance? Like you got from Nan? Vixen reminded her.

Before Eri could reply to either Circe or Vixen the sorceress leaped at her,
knocking her to her back and snapping at her face and throat viciously. It was
all NightFox could do to hold her at bay while she worked her legs up
underneath her and then kicked out, sending Circe flying out through the
broken window. In a flash, NightFox sprang out after her and punched her in
the face, snapping her head around and sending a spray of spittle flying from
the dog-like muzzle. The Goddess stepped into a knee-lift that crunched her in
the belly and then drove both arms down across the dazed sorceress' back,
impaling her stomach across the Goddess' upraised knee. She slowly rolled off,
gasping for breath and shaking her head to clear the cobwebs.

Didn't you hear me? Vixen demanded.

"We'll discuss what to do with her once I've finished some long overdue
obedience training," NightFox grunted, reaching down and hauling the winded
sorceress to her feet by the scruff of her neck.

"You're the one who needs more training, Erishkigal!" Circe exclaimed,
powering her fist deep into the Goddess' belly. "You really should know by now
that the most important thing in any battle is concentration." She rammed her
knee up and into the bottom of NightFox's jaw, knocking her to her back. Circe
gleefully plopped her ass down on the Goddess' chest, driving the air from
her, and proceeded to land a flurry of rights and lefts to her face.

Meanwhile, Raven was finishing up with Darlene's three followers and failed to
notice that their leader had regained her feet and was approaching her from
behind, a heavy candleholder held over her head. "I don't know who you're
supposed to be, but this is a private party, bitch!" she cried and then
brought the holder down in a wicked arc...

...only to have her attack stopped when a hideously deformed cloven hoof
reached out and grabbed her wrists. "How right you are, Darlene," Cal said,
using his other hand to wrest the holder from her grip. "Now, let's just let
the nice lady finish while we wait for Vixen, shall we?" He held her tightly
against his bloated frame, his extra layers of flesh easily absorbing her
furious struggles.

"Let me go, you freak!" she shrieked, kicking and punching vainly at the
monster she had created, but to no avail.

Raven looked back and smiled her appreciation before laying out the last of
the trio with a nice right-left-right combo to her tits followed by an
uppercut from the floor that launched her atop her two unconscious comrades.
She was out cold before she landed on them. The sidekick then made her way to
the window to see how NightFox was doing.

"Ready to give me what I want?" Circe asked mockingly, pausing in her facial
assault long enough to bounce up and down on the Goddess' chest.

"No, but I'm ready continue giving you what you need," NightFox said, arching
her back and pitching the sorceress off of her, "a good ass-kicking!" She
flipped up onto her feet and spun around just as Circe was getting up on all
fours after being sprawled on her stomach. "Bad doggie!" she cried, kicking
her across the snout hard enough to flip her onto her back. "Too bad I don't
have a rolled-up newspaper, guess my fists will have to do." She jumped up and
landed heavily on her gut, trapping the winded sorceress' arms beneath her
thighs and then peppered her face with hard lefts and rights until Circe was
barely conscious.

"No more," she gasped out plaintively.

"On your feet, bitch," NightFox said, grabbing her collar and forcing her to
stand up. "Now, are you going to work whatever magic you have to in order to
restore Cal, or do I need to continue your lessons"? She thrust her fist into
the pit of Circe's stomach to illustrate her seriousness and then yanked her
upright by her collar when her knees buckled, effectively choking her. The
beaten sorceress wheezed pathetically and clawed at the collar. "Was that a
yes?" NightFox asked mockingly, shaking her a bit.

I really think she's had enough, Eri, Vixen said in her head, sounding a bit
miffed.

"Spoilsport," sighed the Goddess, lowering her arm so that Circe could catch
her breath. "Now, are you prepared to be reasonable?" The sorceress nodded
emphatically. "Good, that leaves just one more person to convince..." She
looked meaningfully over to where Darlene was still ineffectually struggling
against Cal's grip.

The girl stopped trying to escape and said, "Keep away from me, you crazy
bitch!"

Say, Eri, is there any way you can let me take control for a bit? Vixen asked.

"Not full control, no, but enough that it will be you kicking her skanky ass,
yes," Eri grinned. She then closed her eyes and emptied her mind and when the
eyes opened a moment later they no longer blazed with the light of the
Goddess. But they still burned with rage at the cruel way this girl had abused
her friend. "Thanks, Eri, I owe you. Speaking of owing... Let her go, Cal."

"You really think you can take me, you silly cow? I was a cheerleader in high
school, babe. Head cheerleader. Plus, I was the boxing champion at Camp
Omigosh for four years running. So I've been in more than my fair share of
fights," Darlene said, slipping out of the robe and revealing that she was
wearing a designer white silk blouse that was tied up under her tits, a pair
of black leather short shorts and very expensive white tennis shoes. "I think
I can handle a street punk like you." She put up her fists and started to
circle Vixen.

"Gee, I'm shaking in my boots, Darlene. I was only in a DC street gang for
four years, so I've never had the benefit of fighting with gloves or against
scary cheerleaders," Vixen smirked, likewise raising her fists and circling
the other girl. "So, what exactly did Cal do to you anyway?"

"He insulted me," she replied, landing a light jab on Vixen's face.

"How? Exactly," Vixen pressed, ducking another right only to catch a left that
struck her jaw. She swung her right fist at Darlene's head.

"He ignored me." She easily blocked the punch with her left arm and slammed
her right into Vixen's belly.

"OOOMMMMPHHHH!!!" Vixen gasped as the air was driven form her body.

"I didn't ask you out, Darlene. I'd hardly call that ignoring you," Cal said,
wincing as Vixen doubled over, holding her gut.

"Keep your guard up! Stick and move and watch out for her jab," called Circe.
When Raven gave her a puzzled look, she replied, "What? My people invented
boxing."

Meanwhile, Darlene straightened Vixen up with an uppercut and then proceeded
to batter her face with a series of unanswered lefts and rights to her pretty
face that had her backpedaling desperately until her back struck the wall of a
building. "Did you hear what I said?" Circe cried out as Darlene gleefully
snapped her fists into Vixen's face, causing her head to strike the wall
behind her, doubly dazing her.

Vixen, seeing stars and very nearly out on her feet, could only stand with her
arms limply at her sides as Darlene switched targets and began to flatten her
tits with hard shots that brought agonized grunts and groans from the clearly
overmatched streetfighter. "Yeah, I guess all those fights with scary
cheerleaders don't mean shit, huh, Vixen?" laughed Darlene, powering solid
blows to her heaving tummy.

When Darlene stepped back to catch her breath, Vixen toppled forward and
wrapped her arms around the other girl just to keep from falling to the
pavement. Um, Gen, why exactly are you boxing this bitch anyway? Eri asked in
her head. Just because she adopted a boxing stance doesn't mean you have to do
the same. Don't you think it's about time you showed this busty bimbo what
real fighting is?

"Aww, is the poor little gang banger all tuckered-URKH!!!" Darlene grimaced as
Vixen's knee shot up between her legs and nailed her in the crotch. She tried
to back away but Vixen tightened her grip and proceeded to pulverize her pussy
with repeated cuntbusters until she was sure she'd softened the big co-ed up
enough to have evened the score for her earlier beating. When she finally
stopped banging her knees into the tender region and let go, Darlene's eyes
were closed tightly and her knees were pressed together to keep her on her
feet.

Much better. Now it's time to give this sassy slut a lesson in streetfighting,
Eri said. Vixen nodded and stepped back and then planted her right foot and
drove her left boot, heel-first, into Darlene's already sore pussy, bringing a
strangled cry from the other girl. Vixen smiled and then powered a right
uppercut into her tits and watched with eminent satisfaction as Darlene's
pretty mouth opened in a silent scream and she backed away fearfully, trying
to catch her breath.

"Oh, I don't think you're going anywhere yet, bitch. We're just getting
started," Vixen said, reaching out and grabbing tow handfuls of her dark hair
and then pulling her face down while brining her knee up at the same time. The
point of Vixen's knee struck sharply against Darlene's chin and as the
ex-cheerleader stumbled backwards, Vixen doubled her over with a right fist
buried deep into her pussy.

"YIIIIEEEE!!!" screamed Darlene as her love lips were once again crushed.

Vixen just smiled and stepped in close and thundered her left fist into
Darlene's ribs, just below her breasts and then delivered a straight-armed
right to her mouth, smashing her lips against her perfect white teeth. "Time
to get creative," Vixen smirked, dropping to her hands and mule-kicking the
underside of both of Darlene's tits, sending her flying to her back. As she
lay on the ground moaning and holding her battered boobs and tortured tits,
Vixen walked over and shook her head. "You're a real mess, Dar. No wonder Cal
never asked you out. I guess you've just about had enough," she said, reaching
down and grabbing her by the crotch and the throat and lifting her over her
head. "Time for you to go night-night." She threw her down on back and then
dropped her ass onto her face and leveled punch after punch into her tits
until she passed out from the abuse.

"Wow. Nice going, Vik," grinned Raven, walking over and smiling as she looked
down at the human wreckage beneath her friend's ass.

Indeed, Gen, I don't think she'll be bothering anyone for a while, added Eri.

"Nice work, kid," Circe said. "She definitely had it coming."

"Now what?" Raven asked as Vixen reluctantly got up and straightened her
outfit, pulling the thong bottom out of the crack in her ass. "It's not like
these bitches have broken any laws."

I will erase tonight's events from their minds, as well as any memory of
having cursed Cal, and without Circe to supply them with the power to create
more mischief, they will essentially be the harmless brats they were before
they met her, Eri said.

"Okay, then, it's time to get them to change Cal back," Vixen announced,
bending over and slapping Darlene sharply across the face until she stirred.
"On your feet, Dar, time to undo your little spell. Raven, go get her cronies.
I trust you have no objections, Nana Nina?"

"None at all. To serve the Goddess has always been my only desire," the
pink-haired woman said.

"What about you, Circe?" Vixen asked the dog-headed sorceress.

"I'll do whatever Erishkigal wants, providing she uses some of her power to
remove my own curse," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

As Darlene slowly and painfully made her way to her feet, Raven walked over,
dragging her three friends by their hair. "Okay, so what do we need to do?"
Vixen asked.

"Cal, you come and stand in the center of us," Nana Nina said. "Good, okay now
we join hands and recite the spell of reversal." She looked at Darlene and the
co-ed scowled but nodded her head and took the hands of the women standing
next to her, completing the mystic circle. As the five women began to chant in
Latin, Circe's misshapen form began to slightly glow and a radiant tendril of
power snaked from her to the circle of women. A few moments later Cal's
grotesque figure likewise began to shimmer and transform back into the
familiar form of the young man with spiky hair and a kind face.

"It is done," Nana Nina announced unnecessarily.

Okay, Gen, it's time to give me control again so I can erase their minds and
restore Circe, Eri said.

"Sure, sure, but there's just one thing..." Vixen said. "Cal won't remember
any of this either, will he?"

Not a thing, Eri assured her, chuckling.

"In that case..." She walked over and gave him a big kiss while Darlene and
her posse turned away in disgust. Nana Nina, Circe, and Raven, however, could
barely refrain from cheering as the boy kissed her back just as passionately.

When they finally broke apart, before either could say a word the blue
brilliance returned to NightFox's eyes and everyone except for Raven and Circe
froze. "Okay, Circe, you kept your end of the deal, what do you need from me?"
the super heroine asked.

"Just a little boost," the sorceress smiled, walking over and kissing the
startled Goddess.

"Eww," said Raven, making a horrible face as she watched her lover lock lips
with the dog-headed woman.

But after a minute, the canine features dissolved and were replaced by a
stunningly beautiful woman with black hair that had highlights the same color
as the mask and paws of the dog had been. She pulled back and looked
appreciatively at NightFox with emerald eyes that glowed every bit as brightly
as the Goddess' blue ones and said in a husky voice, "Thank you, Erishkigal. I
hope this doesn't get you into too much trouble with Poseidon."

"I can handle that overgrown guppy," she said with a laugh. "And I'd forgotten
just how beautiful you were, Circe. It was a crime for him to have done that
to you in the first place."

"No arguments there, Fox," said Raven, nodding as the sorceress waved her arms
and adorned herself in a tight-fitting tube top and hip-hugging jeans. "This
is a definite improvement."

"What will you do now?" NightFox asked, a bit of concern tingeing her voice.

"I'm not sure. I've been someone or another's pet for the last thousand years
so it's not like I've been able to save up any money or have any place to
stay," she shrugged.

She could stay with us, Vixen offered.

"Um, why don't you stay with us until you get on your feet?" NightFox
suggested, holding her breath until she saw what Raven's reaction was.

"That's a great idea, Fox!" the sidekick exclaimed. "We could help you adjust
to life in the 21st century and even train you how to be a super heroine, like
NightFox here."

"Well, that's very generous. Are you sure I won't be imposing?" Circe asked.

"Not a bit. We've got enough room and it will be great to have another living
myth in the house," Raven added with a broad wink.

"All right, you've got yourselves a roommate. A temporary roommate," Circe
stressed. "I've been living with other people for too long and I can't wait to
get my own place again."

"Cool! That's settled, then, now to finish our business with these people,"
Raven said, glancing at the five women and Cal.

Almost before the words left her mouth, however, the five women had begun
walking back into the shop, even as the glass from the front window magically
repaired itself--"It's the least I can do," Circe shrugged--and Cal headed for
the street and the nearest bus stop.

"Okay," laughed the sidekick, "I guess all that's left is for us to take our
new roommate home and get her settled in."

"You take her home, Raven. I'm going to make sure Cal gets home safely,"
NightFox said, walking over to her bike.

"Whatever you say, Fox, but I hope you can trust me with this gorgeous babe,"
Raven snickered as she and the sorceress climbed onto her motorcycle and Circe
wrapped her arms tightly around the sidekick's waist.

"I'm sure you won't do anything I wouldn't do in the same situation," NightFox
grinned. "Have fun, but not too much fun."

"No promises, babe," Raven laughed as she and the sorceress zoomed off.

Thanks, Eri. I really appreciate this, Vixen said as the super heroine revved
up her bike and rode over to where Cal was standing beneath a bus stop sign,
looking blankly into the night.

"Climb on," NightFox ordered and he lifelessly obeyed. "Hold on tight," she
said and he dutifully wrapped his arms around her middle.

Oh, that's nice.

"Where do you live?" NightFox asked, smiling at Vixen's reaction. Cal told her
in a flat voice and the pair took off and in no time at all had arrived at the
house he shared with several roommates. "You know, Gen, I could let you take
control again and you could do a lot more than kiss him this time. He's not
going to remember it anyway."

Exactly, Eri. So what's the point? I'd rather wait until he wants to and we
both have the memory to share. But thanks for the offer, she added with a
mischievous giggle.

"Okay, Cal, go in and go to bed," NightFox instructed.

Oh, wait! Before we turn him loose ask him what Cal is short for?

"Hold on a minute," NightFox said and Cal stopped and turned to look back at
her with unblinking eyes. "What is Cal short for?"

The boy seemed to be waging an internal struggle for a moment before his mouth
croaked out, "Calliope."

NightFox and Vixen both burst out laughing. "Okay, you can go in and go to bed
now," the super heroine eventually managed to gasp out. Cal slowly turned and
walked into his house without a word and NightFox gunned her bike and sped
into the night with Vixen's laughter echoing in her head.

No wonder he didn't want to tell me what it was short for! she giggled.

"Yeah, that's almost as bad as Genevieve," snickered NightFox.

Hey!

Fin

(NightFox Will Return)

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