Shadowgirl
By Hiker Angel



Chapter 1

I slipped out from behind the boxes in the corner, creeping just inside the
wall of the empty warehouse. A man dressed in a strange, shimmering uniform
stepped into my field of vision and turned to look in my direction. Giving him
a sidelong glance, I froze.

Not that I needed to.

Freeze, I mean.

This guy couldn't see me. Not when I cloaked myself in invisibility.

Stopping like that was instinctive, I suppose. Some remnant of animal instinct
buried somewhere in the depths of my DNA. My body didn't seem to know when it
became invisible. It just acted as it always did. These days, though, stopping
like this only slowed me down. Stopping did have the benefit of silencing any
sound I might make, I guess. My power only seemed to remove me from sight. I
could still be heard. But with soft shoes that made no sound on the concrete
floor, the reaction was pretty silly.

I grinned wryly and shook my head quietly, realizing I was giving entirely too
much thought to the subject. So I mentally shrugged and continued moving, even
as the armed man continued to scout my corner of the warehouse. I had a
mission to perform and didn't have time to waste right now.

As I crept behind the next stacked pallet, I glanced downward. My slender form
was clad in the tight, black, form-fitting Shadowgirl costume that my sister
had helped me make when I'd turned eighteen. Progressing along the warehouse
wall, I remembered the day that I'd been accepted into super.org, my older
sister's look of pride. We'd been placed with a different set of foster
parents seemingly every year of our childhood, so my sister Andrea had been
the one constant in my life. Her approval that day had meant everything to me.

I'd been surprised to get in the highly selective fraternity of superheroes.
As powers went, invisibility was not particularly powerful, but it did make me
a natural for stealth and reconnaissance operations. Personally, I would have
preferred a more tangible power like strength. Or flight. Or even laser eyes.
But alas... no such luck. Stuck with invisibility was I.

Everything else about me was normal. At best. Normal strength, normal
toughness... okay, so maybe below-average toughness. I tended to burst into
tears when I bumped my shin on the occasional piece of furniture or when I
pinch my thumb in a kitchen drawer. Some superhero, right?

I wasn't even particularly gifted in terms of normal human abilities. I was a
C-student, barely making it through art class by convincing my teacher that my
stuff was intentionally abstract. I couldn't hold a tune to save my life and
could only manage the second slowest 100-meter time of anyone on the track
team. In other words, take away my power, and I was pretty much average or
worse in every other capacity.

There was only one thing I had going for me besides my invisibility power. My
looks.

Not to brag or anything, but I was beautiful. Maybe not fit to grace the
posters in the display at Victoria's Secret. And I probably wouldn't be
replacing the latest spokesactress at the Dior counter at department stores,
but I was good-looking. When I entered a bar, my ginger hair curled and
shimmering, I was""more often than not""the hottest girl in the place. Gazes
tended to be cast in my direction when I entered the room, and, thoroughly
unremarkable in every other way, I enjoyed the attention. Sue me.

So it was more than a little ironic that my only superpower basically negated
the only non-super thing I had going for me. I was pretty, and I had the power
to make sure that no one saw me. This, I took as proof that the universe had a
sense of humor. A twisted one, apparently.

To make matters worse, I had joined one of the few organizations on earth
where I wasn't even among the best-looking women. Even in super.org, I might
be better than average, but when every super-powered woman around seemed to be
hyper-fit, hyper-endowed, and hyper-gorgeous, I wasn't even exceptional in the
looks department. Even when I wasn't invisible. No, at super.org headquarters,
Sapphire Valkyrie's were the curves that every male eye roamed. Never mine.
But the gorgeous amazon was so freaking powerful and heroic and all that, that
I couldn't even manage to hate her for making me invisible! When I, um, wasn't
trying to be, I mean.

Even Raven, the leader of super.org that had been the object of many""ok,
most""of my teenage fantasies, was clearly smitten with her. Dark, mysterious,
and brooding, he was exactly the sort of sexy bad boy I always found myself
attracted to. I had even drawn inspiration from him when choosing my "super"
name, Shadowgirl.

When I had first arrived at super.org headquarters, I had been so excited to
meet him. And I did. For all of about three seconds. And I was pretty sure he
didn't remember any of them. Certainly not like I did, replaying that firm,
knee-weakening grip of his every time I drifted off to sleep.

Yeah. I don't think he even knew who I was. There were a couple of hundred
members of super.org, and I had only been in the group for a few months. And
it wasn't like my power was particularly memorable. Anything but. If the group
hadn't had a need for an infiltration talent, I probably wouldn't have been
allowed in at all!

The last time I'd seen Raven in person, I had watched his rapt attention
focused on Sapphire Valkyrie the entire time. Which wasn't exactly a surprise.
The world's media and tabloids were obsessed with her as well. I suppose it
was warranted. When the most gorgeous woman on the planet can toss around cars
with ease, it did tend to make her a natural attention magnet.

I felt a surge of jealousy slide up my spine. Why couldn't I be more like her?
Effortlessly sexy, unbelievably strong, virtually invulnerable""basically, the
consummate superhero. Clad in her tasteful-but-revealing armor, each time she
descended from the sky, her would-be adversary instantly knew that the
situation was hopeless. Most never even challenged her. Sapphire Valkyrie had
never been defeated. Far more powerful than any other hero, Sapphire had
always been viewed as completely invincible.

Which made the sight that met my eyes when I slipped into the back room of the
warehouse so jarring.

Sapphire Valkyrie""earth's most powerful, undefeated champion""was slumped
against the far wall, bruised and battered, blood trickling from her lips. My
jaw dropped in absolute disbelief. I hadn't even realized that she could
bleed!

I watched as Sapphire Valkyrie rose shakily to her feet, set her jaw in
determination, and marched toward her opponent, a guy. Or rather, a huge,
hulking block of chiseled muscle. The guy was built! He wore a black,
shimmering uniform, just like the guy outside. His arms were as big around as
I was. And those abs of his? They were so developed, I could see them through
the material of his shirt!

The guy looked incredibly strong, but it was Sapphire Valkyrie he was up
against. Still, his lips curled upward in amusement at Valkyrie's actions.
Amusement!

Sapphire Valkyrie pulled back her fist and launched it with hypersonic speed
at the man's stomach, giving a desperate scream as she did. The massive man
made no move to dodge or block. I smirked. Muscular or not, cocky bastard was
in for a world of pain!

Anyway, the guy simply let her fist impact his insanely cobbled abs. The blow
landed with a concussive force that nearly knocked me to the ground. I
stumbled backward, then glanced back up, expecting to find a hole in the wall
behind where he'd been standing after a punch like that.

But there was no hole. Or any sign that he had just been struck by a punch
that could level a building. Valkyrie's attack hadn't seemed to do a damn
thing to this guy!

The huge man casually reached down, grabbed Valkyrie's wrist, and snapped it
backward. I cringed as I heard the sharp sound of cracking bone reverberate
through the otherwise silent room.

Sapphire Valkyrie's azure eyes widened, and her full lips twisted open. After
what seemed like an eternity but was probably only a second or two, a shrill
scream burst from those lips to fill the room.

Valkyrie had screamed! In pain!!!

The corners of the man's mouth turned upward into a gloating smile, and he
used his other hand to lift her off her feet by the throat.

Valkyrie's slender fingers rose to clutch at the man's massive hand, trying in
vain to loosen its grip. But it was useless. She was clearly as overmatched
against this man as her opponents usually were against her!

I gaped at the sight. How was this possible?

This was Sapphire Valkyrie, for goodness' sake! There was no WAY that she
could be overpowered so easily...

...except that it was undeniable. She was. As hard as it was to believe, It
was happening right before my eyes.

After a moment, the huge man tossed her against the wall, a patina of cracks
forming upon impact. The battered hero slid down the wall until her shapely
derriere hit the ground. The woman gasped for air as she stared dumbly at her
limp, rapidly swelling hand.

The huge man turned toward a smaller but equally fit man standing to his left.
The smaller guy's uniform looked almost identical to the big guy's. The man's
voice was incredibly deep and raspy as he spoke for the first time.

"Xymon, our intelligence about this world was obviously incorrect. This woman
is not an adversary worthy of my attention. You will be able to easily handle
this planet on your own. Take charge. It is yours to do as you see fit." He
cast one more condescending look in Valkyrie's direction before continuing.
"Be available when I call on you next."

The smaller man bowed his head in a gesture of respect. "Of course, sir. Thank
you, sir."

With that, the larger man rocketed upward, puncturing the warehouse ceiling as
if it were made of tissue paper as he ascended into the sky. Valkyrie, seeming
to regain the usual glint of confidence in her eyes now that the impossibly
formidable opponent was gone, pressed her good hand to the ground and stumbled
back to her feet. She was still breathing heavily.

The other man""Xymon, the large dude had called him""smiled. "Think you'll
stand a chance against me, do you?"

"I am Sapphire Valkyrie. I will prevail." Her eyes were defiant.

It was one of her trademark lines, and it had always felt like a solid,
immutable truth. Until now. I hoped she was right, but the ease with which the
big man had dispatched her sent a sliver of doubt into my heart. Still, this
was Sapphire Valkyrie! I couldn't quite comprehend a scenario where she didn't
win the day.

I felt my eyes widen as she rushed toward him, admiring her grace, her
determination. Surely, she would have a better chance against the huge man's
underling, right? But he nimbly dodged out of the way, smashing an elbow into
the side of her head. The strike knocked her entire body sideways, head
whiplashing as she cratered into the concrete floor. The most powerful hero in
the world crashed to the floor, her body limp and unmoving. I watched her face
carefully, but her eyes were closed, and she appeared to be unconscious.
Hopefully not dead!

My attention rose to the alien who had taken her down this time. To Xymon. The
guy was incredibly sexy, with sculpted cheekbones and a delicious-looking
body, its tight swells and valleys made all the sexier while it was tense and
ready for action. Shit! Why was I thinking these thoughts?! This was hardly
the time to be admiring a dangerous enemy!

He watched Valkyrie's limp form closely for several seconds before his taut
muscles began to relax. I couldn't help but let my eyes roam a little more. I
mean, this guy's ridged arms, chiseled pecs, and carved abs made even Raven's
steel-hard muscles look soft and mushy by comparison. As my eyes traced the
bold curve of the man's ultra-masculine jaw, I felt my cheeks flush with heat.

What was wrong with me? This was the enemy! A serious threat to my planet! I
didn't need to deal with stupid teenage infatuations right now. It was going
to be difficult enough to help Sapphire Valkyrie in this fight as it was!

But he was just so heartbreakingly gorgeous! I had to fight the urge to lick
my lips.

Attempting to shake the thoughts away""without much success""I slipped behind
him. As I neared his deliciously muscled body, unsure what I was going to do
exactly. I mean I was a less-than-athletic twenty-year-old girl. Without super
strength. Or any other offensive ability. What was I going to ...

As I neared him, I felt a strange tingling sensation wash over my skin.

I paused, willing the feeling away, but it only became stronger. I could feel
myself begin to sway with unwanted desire and all-consuming weakness as I
watched Raven emerge from the shadows to stand before Xymon. My knees buckled,
and I fell forward into Xymon's back. Xymon whirled as I fell to the ground,
his eyes widening as they took in my collapsing form.

As my vision faded to blackness, I heard Raven's deep voice seemingly from a
distance.

"So what are your terms for earth's surrender..."

The words chilled my racing heart as I lost consciousness.

________________

Chapter 2

I awoke with a start, my eyes popping open with a surge of adrenaline. Was I
still in the warehouse? Had Xymon done something to me?

I shot up, belatedly realizing that my head had been resting on a pillow.
Clearly, I wasn't in the warehouse.

Where was I?

The thought evaporated as my surroundings suddenly struck me with their
familiarity.

I was home.

I searched my memories of the moments before my blackout for any clues as to
how I had ended up back home. I remembered the strange alien, Xymon. In my
mind, I relived the strange tingle of sensation that the close proximity to
him had generated inside me. I concentrated on my body for a moment, how it
felt. Slowly, I came to the realization that the tingle was now gone.

Frankly, that was a relief. What had that been about, anyway? Did the alien
have some sort of weakening field? Maybe that's why Sapphire Valkyrie had been
so ineffective against him!

I thought back to the moment of my collapse, recalling Xymon's eyes widening.
Had he seen me or just felt me fall behind him? Had I willed away my
invisibility power? No, I didn't think so. Even in my distraction, I hadn't
ceased the use of my power. I should have remained invisible.

But maybe he had nullified it somehow? As he had nullified Valyrie's strength?
Did these aliens have some sort of power-dampening field?

And what had Raven said when he appeared from the shadows in that mysterious
(and sexy) way of his? Something about the surrender of Earth? A tingle spread
across my skin once more, but this tingle was one of horror. As goosebumps
rose from my flesh, I wondered what had come of that conversation. Was earth
now under the control of that Xymon guy? Had Raven truly surrendered the
planet without so much as a fight? Well, without more than Sapphire Valkyrie's
fight, anyway...

Ugh! Why had I not been able to remain awake?! I'm there for one of the most
important events in the history of the world, and I pull a complete freaking
wussification and faint! I should probably be kicked out of super.org for that
alone.

Frowning, I shook my head. Sitting in bed feeling sorry for myself wouldn't
bring me any answers. I needed to find out what was happening! I swept my feet
from under the covers and placed them on the floor. Cautiously, I stood. I
expected wooziness but instead felt surprisingly strong.

I strode through my bedroom, eyes scanning for any clue as to how I had
arrived back here, anything out of the ordinary. As my gaze fell to my desk, I
saw a paper. Walking over to it, I saw handwritten scrawl.

Hope you're okay. Call me. 847-555-1234.

-Raven

I couldn't help but smile. Raven was obviously a believer in word economy. I
supposed it was appropriate for his dark, brooding image.

My train of thought was interrupted by the sound of my apartment door opening.
A lightning bolt of fear jagged through me, and I crept to the doorway of my
bedroom, peering trepidatiously into the main room of my one-bedroom
apartment. I watched the door swing open to reveal a bright, blonde-framed
face wearing an expression of worry.

"Andrea?" I intoned, relief dropping my tensed shoulders.

"Samster?" my sister returned, a hopeful smile beginning to form under glassy,
frightened eyes. "Are you okay? When I got the call that you were unconscious,
I was so scared. You never even told me I was your emergency contact, and when
I got the call from super.org, I just wasn't expecting it, and I didn't know
what to do, and I just froze up! It took me a minute to recover, and then I
grabbed my keys and came straight here, but I didn't know what to expect, and
I... I'm babbling aren't I?"

She paused for a moment to consider, then continued. "Whatever. I'm just happy
that you're okay!"

Andrea rushed over to me and enveloped me in a huge hug.

A moment later, as she pulled back, she straightened slightly, an odd smile
gracing her lips as she took in my appearance.

"What? What is it?" I asked as I looked down at myself, still in my Shadowgirl
costume. I wondered if I had been disfigured somehow, fear fluttering my heart
as a burst of adrenaline fizzed through my veins. Omigod! What if that
tingling had wrinkled my skin? What if I had turned purple? What if I looked
like a complete freak or something?

I raced over to the floor-length mirror in my bedroom to examine my
reflection. As my mortified face looked back at me, I searched to see what had
caused Andrea's reaction. I didn't see any obvious deformities or
discolorations. I didn't see any extra limbs growing out of me. It didn't look
as if I had gained fifty pounds...

I watched my features melt from worry into curiosity in the reflection.

Not only did I not look hideous, I actually looked... better.

"Sam? WTF?" asked my sister, leaning against my bedroom wall with a quizzical
expression. "I ask how if you're okay, and you just run away?"

"Sorry," I offered sheepishly, tearing my gaze from the mirror. "You just gave
me a funny look, and I thought I turned into some kind of freakazoid or
something."

"No, it was just my look of wry amusement, I suppose. It's just that you get
into some kind of superhero scrape and somehow come out looking better than
ever," she laughed. "My sister, the supermodel superhero. I should be
jealous."

"Yeah," I snorted. "Says the brilliant, amazing Andrea who's headed to Yale
Law in the fall. Do you know how many times I've heard 'Why can't you be more
like your older sister'?"

I gave a hollow laugh then continued.

"I'm an average-at-best-looking superhero with a below-average power. I should
be the jealous one." I winked. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that Ivy League
lawyers are paid far better than minor-league superheroes."

"Well, there is that, I suppose," Andrea said, flipping her hair over her
shoulder with feigned arrogance before erupting into giggles.

"Scratch that," I corrected, slumping. "I'm not even minor league. I have,
like, the lamest power ever. Now if I were Sapphire Valkyrie, you'd be right
to be jealous."

Andrea's expression turned grave at the mention of the powerful superhero.
"Well, maybe not so jealous of her now. I saw the pictures on the news with
Raven carrying her out of that warehouse. She looked like she was in pretty
bad shape. They're not even saying what happened! Were you there? Did you see
anything?"

I tried to keep my expression neutral, but I could feel my lower lip begin to
quiver with emotion. Andrea, observant as ever, noticed immediately and spoke
before I came up with any words.

"You were there!" she exclaimed, eyes wide. Her lips formed just two words.
"Spill. Now."

I let out a breath. "Okay, okay. Geez, And!"

I eyed my sister, and she stared at me expectantly, crossing her arms
resolutely.

"So, yeah. I was there." I paused, unsure what I should tell her. Should I
share how easily the aliens had dispatched Sapphire Valkyrie? Was super.org
attempting to keep that a secret? Andrea was my sister, but her lips tended to
be loose.

After my uncertain pause hit about five seconds, Andrea's eyes bulged.
"Freaking hell, Sam. You are NOT going to leave it at that."

I smiled. Couldn't help it. Maybe I could just play this off as messing with
her? That had the upside of keeping me from having to divulge any
earth-shakingly important super.org secrets through sisterly tickle-torture.

She glared at me. "Is that how you got hurt?"

"I didn't really get hurt. I'm not entirely sure what happened to me. I was
fine until I approached the cute alien guy, and then I just..." I trailed off.

"Cute alien guy?" Andrea asked, an edge of eager curiosity to her voice.

"Okay, yes. I ran into the ultimate evil badass. He's trying to take over
earth. And I think he's a total hottie. Sue me," I huffed. Then I raised an
eyebrow. "But he was..."

If I looked in the mirror again, I was pretty sure I would see a twinkle in my
eye. And Andrea was an expert at picking up on my twinkles. And she clearly
picked up on this one, biting her lip at this tidbit of juicy gossip.

"So is that why you're looking so dolled? Going to see Mr. Badass Alien
Hottie?"

"Dolled?" I remembered my reflection and turned my attention back to the
mirror.

I wasn't sure whether dolled was the right word, but awesome... or amazing...
or even gorgeous would probably fit.

My eyes looked brighter, their emerald hue more vivid. My skin looked as if it
had a layer of foundation, perfectly applied. Except that there was no
foundation. I raised a finger and ran it down my cheek to be sure. No makeup.
My skin was just that perfect.

My lips were redder, more sensually shaped. My hair? Thicker, its rusty dark
red more vibrant somehow. My gaze fell to my body. I was still wearing my
Shadowgirl costume, but it seemed to be stretched thinner than normal. My
breasts seemed fuller and more dramatic, my waist smaller. Tighter. I dropped
my hand from my cheek to feel my stomach. I had always been thin, but my
stomach felt firmer now. I could feel ridges of definition under the thin
fabric of my costume that I knew hadn't been there before.

I swept my fingers downward to run them over wider, more supple hips. I cocked
my head as I tried to tell whether my legs""always my best feature""were
longer and more shapely than before. I was fairly certain they were.

"Yay, narcissism!" laughed Andrea, snapping me out of my mesmerized
self-exploration.

I felt my cheeks flush.

"I... I just..." I stammered, unsure what to say. I was just so surprised. I
had always been pretty, but the woman in the mirror could give Sapphire
Valkyrie a run for her money! I was completely freaking gorgeous! A whirling
mix of pride and fear spun through my stomach. What had happened to me?

A fleeting look of knowing approval flashed across Andrea's features before
her smile returned. What was that all about?

Before I could finish the thought, Andrea's eyes dropped to the desk before
her.

"What's this?" Andrea asked, picking up the note on my desk.

I glanced at the paper, remembering Raven's note.

"It's nothing..."

"It certainly looks like something to me! So my gorgeous sister has two
super-sexy supermen in her life, eh? Raven's asking you to call him now...?"
Andrea's face turned to mine once more, her eyes flashing, her grin Cheshire.

"Look, it's not like that. He just..."

"So what'd he say when you called him?" Andrea interrupted, placing the note
back on the desk and clasping her hands together.

"I haven't actually called him yet."

Andrea's smile turned instantly to a frown. "Seriously? What are you waiting
for? Call. Now."

Again with the doubled-word Andrea commands!

She marched over to my nightstand, picked up my phone, and dangled it in front
of me with a smirk. Sighing, I accepted the iPhone from her manicured fingers.
Glancing over to the note on the desk, I punched in the number, taking a
moment to save it into my contacts.

I punched the "send" button, then listened to several rings before Raven
picked up. As his deep, gravelly voice came on the line, I felt my stomach
lurch in girlish excitement. I was talking to my celebrity super-crush
himself""Raven!

"Shadowgirl?! Are you okay?" came Raven's deep, gravelly voice.

He was concerned! About me! My stomach did another flip. I closed my eyes
before I spoke in a vain attempt to quiet my emotions.

"Yes. Fine. You asked me to call, right...?" My voice quivered slightly. I
hoped he didn't notice it.

"Yes, I need to see you. Right away if possible. Are you free?"

Oh, God. My stomach might never recover from this acrobatics routine. I had
fantasized many a late night about hearing those words from Raven's lips. 'I
need to see you?' *Sigh*

"Y-Yes. Sure!"

"Great. I'll send you the address. Meet me as soon as you can."

"Okay."

I didn't say goodbye because I really didn't want the conversation to end. But
the connection ended from his side before I could think of anything else to
say. Damn. But I guess it didn't matter. I was on my way to see him anyway.
Like, in person.

Holy shit!

My eyes slowly rose to meet my sister's sparkling blues. "Gotta go."

Andrea simply stood there, stunned, as I rushed out the door. Closing it
behind me, I heard her finally speak.

"Wait! You never actually told me what happ"""

As the door closed, I pondered my sister's words. I wish I knew what happened,
myself!

Lifting my hand from the doorknob, I noticed indentations in the metal from
each of my fingers. My eyes went wide as I lifted my hand to examine it,
finding nothing out of the ordinary.

Had I become stronger? I really needed to know what happened back in that
warehouse! Thoughts racing, I hustled out of my apartment toward the address
in my text message. I needed answers, and I was headed to the one person I
knew would have them.

Raven.

________________

Chapter 3

As I neared the address from Raven's text, my mind raced through recent
events. They lingered on the part where I had apparently become stronger and
more beautiful. My extremities buzzed with suppressed joy at the thought of
being able to crush metal in my bare hand. It was what I had always desired, a
dream come true. A real, legit superpower! Super strength!

The only problem was that it came in a context of awfulness. Remembering the
other events that had transpired at the warehouse, I felt a bit guilty for my
internal joy. I mean, the fate of my planet was hanging in the balance, and
here I was doing cartwheels over a newfound superpower.

I knew what I had heard Raven say before losing consciousness. All morning, I
had been attempting to deny it, to dismiss it as the meandering delusions of a
mind shutting down. I knew in my heart, however, that it had happened. I knew
what I had heard. The words had been real. Raven had been ready to surrender
our planet to those alien invaders.

And I needed to understand why.

I walked up to the front door of a nondescript, cookie cutter, suburban house
and looked around. Was this seriously the place I was supposed to meet Raven?
I had imagined a dark gothic mansion, or some high-tech secret underground
lair. With a name like Raven, I'd always imagined him hanging out someplace
Edar Allan Poe-ish ... or at least comic book-ish, you know? Not a generic,
lemon yellow house on a freaking cul-de-sac. I checked the map on my phone,
comparing the address once more to Raven's text. It matched.

Shrugging, I rang the doorbell, peering into the picture window to see a
living room that looked like something out of a Crate & Barrel showroom. A
moment later, steps approached, and the door swung open. It was Raven, in
costume, lines of worry etched around the visible portion of his dark, masked
eyes. If I hadn't known what was at stake, what he had faced yesterday, the
sight of the dark hero in such a prosaic setting would have been comical.

Shoving semi-amused thoughts of the incongruity to the side, I felt the
familiar warmth of attraction radiate from my center, as I always did when in
the man's commanding presence. However, this time his presence seemed less
authoritative somehow. I wasn't sure whether it was caused by something in his
posture, or simply the knowledge that I might be able to match his strength
now.

Wordlessly, he stepped back to allow me inside, and I accepted the nonverbal
invitation and entered. His eyes scanning briefly for any other movement
outside the house, he slowly, deliberately shut the door behind me.

As I looked around the white walls and beige furniture, I mused aloud with a
crooked smile. "I never took you for a suburb-dweller, Raven. Do you mow the
yard in full body armor?"

"Cute," he said simply, turning to face me.

"Safe house?" I asked, surmising his reason for using the place.

"Yes," he replied simply. There was that trademark word economy again!

I turned to face him as well, sensing my features harden slightly as
something""maybe my overwhelming curiosity, maybe my newfound powers""welled
from within to give me the courage to speak the challenging question that had
been on my mind to the de facto leader of super.org.

"Raven, did you surrender to that super-strong alien, Xymon?" I blurted out.
As I spoke the first few words, my resolve seemed to instantly dissipate, my
voice trembling slightly by the time I reached the word "surrender". Despite
my instinct to lower my gaze, however, it remained intently fixed on his.

The normally stoic Raven blanched visibly at the question. He didn't seem
prepared for it. I couldn't blame him. I was shocked that I'd had the courage
to ask it, especially in so blunt a manner.

"So you heard," he said softly, his perfect posture slumping nearly
imperceptibly in concert with his words.

"I only heard you asking about terms before I passed out," I told him,
managing to keep my voice from wavering this time. "What happened after that?
Did you actually surrender?"

Raven stared at me for a long moment, then seemed to melt downward onto the
living room couch, as if he were a deflating balloon. His eyes dropped from
mine, searching the floor as he spoke.

"I did," he said simply, his voice barely above a whisper.

A cold shiver passed through me. Raven, my childhood idol and secret crush,
the man who always had a clever plan to conquer his enemies, was here, in
front of me, admitting his first true defeat. And it was one that came at the
cost of the entire planet!

"But why? Without even a fight?" My voice took on a pleading tone as if it
wanted some reason to continue to believe in the man before me.

His eyes darted to mine, instantly bubbling over with defensive fury.

"Fight?" he admonished, his posture stiffening in his seated position as he
became more animated. "FIGHT?!"

"Did you see what they did to Sapphire Valkyrie?" He rose and took two steps
toward me, leaning forward until his face was inches from mine.

"She is ten times stronger than I am, and I'm the second strongest member of
super.org," he hissed. His smoldering eyes seared mine with barely contained
anger. "And they threw her around like a fucking rag doll!"

"Fighting would have been a slaughter. Would we really have been in a better
position with you dead, Valkyrie dead, me dead, and countless civilians and
supers all dead." He paused to let those words sink in.

I considered his words. He had a point. Those aliens had overcome Valkyrie's
prodigious strength as easily as if she had been a powerless child. I imagined
their insurmountable power unleashed against lesser supers and regulars and
shuddered.

Seeming satisfied with what he saw in my expression, Raven drew back, his ire
fading as quickly as it had appeared. He began to pace the room.

"Do you really intend to let them have Earth? I mean, do you even know what
they're going to do?" I asked, my voice coming out timid. So much for my
newfound confidence...

Raven's expression darkened.

"No," he said. With that one-word reply, I let out a breath I didn't know I'd
been holding.

He continued. "But I needed to make a tactical retreat. Fighting them then
would have resulted in nothing but meaningless death. That doesn't mean that I
intend to give Earth over to them. They are preparing terms to send to the
planet's elected leaders, but nothing permanent has been agreed or signed at
this point."

"Then what's your plan," I asked, intrigued. I wondered what ingenious scheme
he had concocted to combat so powerful a foe.

Raven's eyes began to simmer with anger once more. "I don't have one," came
his hushed reply, full of enough venom to frighten away a rhinoceros.

I took a half step backward before realizing that the fury in his anguished
eyes was not directed toward me but toward himself. I stood there blinking for
a moment, attempting to comprehend the full import of his words until a
tsunami of fear crashed over me.

Raven had no plan!

Raven had no fucking plan!!!

Dropping my eyes from his, I felt myself begin to hyperventilate. Lowering my
long lashes, I took a moment to attempt to slow my breathing and relax my
shoulders. As my thudding heart began to calm, it was my turn to pace.

"So do you know what they plan to do?" I asked, my eyes affixed to the patch
of cream-colored carpet immediately in front of me as I strode back and forth
across the mundane living room.

"I don't. They weren't very forthcoming on that point, and it's not as if I
were coming in from a strong enough bargaining position to demand answers."

"So we can't actually surrender, right?"

"It would be unwise to do so unless their terms are explicit as to their
intent, correct."

"And we can't fight them..." I trailed off. I stopped and turned to face Raven
once more. "I think I see your dilemma."

He nodded, the boiling fury in his eyes tapering to mere frustration for the
moment.

I continued to search my mind for a solution but found none. After a moment,
my thoughts wandered away from the fruitless task I had given it and back to
the other train of thought that had dominated my consciousness on the walk
from my apartment to the safe house.

"Unless my new powers are, like, really super awesome..." I mumbled under my
breath.

"Your new powers?" Raven replied, interest evident in his rising tone.

Shit! Super-hearing. Should have remembered that it was one of Raven's powers.
I hadn't really meant to share that little tidbit of information. But maybe it
wasn't all bad. Maybe he could give me some insight on what had happened to me
in that warehouse.

"Yeah. When I left my apartment, I was able to dent the doorknob with my
fingers." I confessed. It felt strange saying it aloud. Made it more real
somehow. "I've never had super strength before. And my body looks fitter than
it used to be. I'm a little prettier too." I probably hadn't needed to
volunteer the latter, but it just sorta came out. Maybe my subconscious was
trying to make sure Raven noticed it.

Raven gave me an appraising glance, his eyes lingering on each part of my body
for a split second before continuing to scan downward. Heat rose from my neck
to my cheeks. I hadn't been prepared for Raven to check me out. It felt all
kinds of delicious""and decidedly uncomfortable, at the same time.

When Raven finished his visual exploration of my new and improved body, his
eyes snapped back to mine. "Follow me."

So he was back to the two word sentences, eh? I wondered what that meant.

Attempting to hold Raven's gaze as my cheeks burned made me yearn to turn on
my invisibility power. But I managed not to. Instead, I simply made an
embarrassingly squeaky sound of assent and followed his purposeful march
toward the back of the house.

Making a series of odd motions with his hands, a portion of the hallway wall
slid up to reveal a secret downward staircase. Scarcely pausing, he descended
the stairs. Looking around in wonder, I followed.

When we reached the bottom, I glanced around the secret room. It was a large
space with stainless steel walls and a number of metal cabinets and devices
lining its sides. It looked like some sort of high-tech laboratory. Now this
was far more along the lines of what I'd expected in a Raven lair.

Raven motioned for me to take a seat on an examination table in the center of
the room. As I plopped on the cold, stainless steel table, I saw him grab a
syringe from one of the metallic countertops along the walls and approach.

He jammed it into my arm before I could ask what he intended to do, but the
needle bent before it could penetrate. I smiled. I was invulnerable! Or at
least LESS vulnerable. Haha! I grinned. No more worries about stubbing my toe
on the corner of the bed in the morning for me!

Raven frowned, then grabbed another syringe, this one with a much longer and
robust-looking needle. It looked more like something that was meant for an
elephant than a person.

"Hey wait! You're not actually going to stick me with THAT, are"""

And he stuck me with that.

This one did penetrate my skin, and I watched as his hand pulled back the
plunger, gradually filling the cylinder with warm, red liquid.

Still silent, he removed the syringe from my arm and took it to some sort of
machine with a computer monitor attached. I glanced down at my arm, seeing
blood bubbling up from the prick.

"Aren't you going to give me one of those little gauze pads like they do at
the doctor's office?" I questioned. Raven, however, seemed too engrossed in
his work to notice my query. Jerk.

I hopped off the table and found a box of tissue on the counter at the far
wall. Pulling one out, I pressed it to my arm, then joined Raven in front of
the large monitor.

As I leaned over his shoulder to see what he was doing, he gasped. "That's not
possible!"

"What's not possible?" I asked him, wondering whether this was a good
impossible or a bad impossible. I wasn't used to being involved with
impossible things, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

"Your DNA! It has patterns that I've never seen anywhere except..." he trailed
off, seeming lost in thought.

"...Except..." I attempted to prompt him. It wasn't cool to leave me hanging
like that!

"...Except from the DNA sample I was able to obtain from one of the aliens""a
hair that they left behind," he finished, gaze distant.

My stomach plummeted as the words rocked me. Had Xymon's weakening field done
something to me? Changed me? At a cellular level?

"Do you think proximity to the alien somehow changes DNA? Is that why I passed
out? Did this happen to Sapphire Valkyrie? Did her DNA start to look like
theirs too?"

"I don't know," said Raven, stunned.

"So am I going to turn into a clone of this guy or something? What the hell is
going to happen to me?"

Raven took a deep breath, collecting himself, and considered. "I don't think
so," he finally said. "But I can't be completely certain."

"Oh my God! I'm going to turn into an alien freakazoid!" I screeched, panic
rising in my chest.

"Calm down, Shadowgirl. I said I didn't think that was going to happen," said
Raven in a soothing tone, my anxiety seeming to bring out the opposite in him.

"But you said you couldn't be certain!" I said hysterically.

"Of course not. Not when dealing with new alien life forms. There are still
substantial differences in your DNA. Just a few similarities, that's all."

I turned away from him, feeling tears begin to fall, my emotions unswayed by
Raven's attempt to course-correct. This wasn't what I'd expected him to say
when he'd taken that sample. Not by a long shot. So it turned out that my
blessing was actually a curse in disguise. Kind of like my power invalidating
my attractiveness. Fuck! Why was there always a catch!

Raven frowned, his eyes intent on me as I returned to my seat on the
examination table. His dark irises shone with an unidentifiable emotion as he
watched the waterworks from my internal pity party.

"Damn it, Shadowgirl. You're being given a gift here. Many gifts, actually.
Your physical form has some similarities to the most powerful beings that
we've ever encountered in the universe. And you somehow think that's a bad
thing?"

He placed his hand on my lycra-clad thigh in a gesture that was intended to
comfort. As his touch lingered, however, I found myself hoping it would lead
to something more. My welling tears ceased as I saw the glimmer of attraction
in the comforting look he gave me. It reminded me of the other apparent perks
of the alien DNA, like the longer, more toned leg that Raven's warm fingers
now caressed. My eyes searched his for several silent moments before he broke
eye contact, retracted his hand, and turned away from me.

"We're going to have to test your powers," he said matter-of-factly,
apparently deciding to go all businessy now that I wasn't crying. Damn. Maybe
I should have kept the tears going. If that's all it took to get him in the
mood, then...

Lost in thought and beginning to pace once more, Raven mumbled. I couldn't
hear most of his muttered words, but I did catch the last few. "This could be
the key to""" Then he stopped suddenly, as if he'd given away too much,
looking at me in sudden alarm.

"I've got to go," he announced loudly, his eyes distant, body stiffening in
urgency.

What the hell? Did he suspect something that he didn't want to tell me?
Something that involved me, maybe? What was it?

I was about to ask, but he swept out of the lab before I could manage to utter
another word. I heard the door at the top of the stairs open then shut, and he
was gone. I slumped, questions whirling in my mind. At least I had his number
now. I'd give him a call in a bit and try to get more information out of him.

I smiled slyly. I was pretty sure that Raven found me attractive now. I could
use that to my advantage. Guys were always easier to persuade when they were
into me. And I wouldn't mind cultivating his attraction for all kinds of
reasons...

I got up, climbed the stairs and strode through the banal living room of the
safe house to go home, when the front door opened to reveal another
breathtakingly handsome man clad in a tight, shimmering uniform.

It was Xymon.

________________

Chapter 4

As Xymon approached, I attempted to put on a brave face, but as I felt my body
begin to tingle as it had in the warehouse, the icy chill of fear whirled into
me. I could sense my jaw tighten and eyes tremor with the onset of the
unwanted sensation, and I began a mental mantra: "Don't faint! Don't faint!
Don't freaking FAINT!"

"I tracked Raven here, but what do I find instead? It's the pretty girl from
the warehouse," the devilishly delicious alien said, amusement dancing in his
eyes. "I can't say that I'm disappointed, though. You're much closer to my
usual choice in companionship."

The alien moved in an arc around me, appraising. "You are a little skinny
maybe. I know that I have an intense effect on Earth females, but none of the
others have fainted just by approaching me. You must REALLY have a thing for
perfect bodies and unbelievable strength."

He paused to let his words sink in for a moment, a smug smirk forming on his
perfect lips. "Not that I can blame you..."

I fought to remain standing, the decreasingly solid world seeming to ripple as
he came to a stop before me. Xymon gave a lilting laugh at my swaying form. I
was vaguely aware that my expression was now completely transparent, revealing
my distress, but I couldn't muster the energy to care. For all my newfound
strength, it was all I could do to remain standing, bolstering my weakening
knees with just barely enough willpower to prevent another epically
humiliating collapse at his feet.

The man MUST have some sort of weakening aura. That MUST be his secret. Right?

"There's something about you, pretty girl..." he whispered absently, seemingly
to himself. His grin faded, the amusement in his eyes melting into something
that looked more akin to desire.

Funny, I might have said the same to him! Lord knows, I probably had the same
amorous look in my eyes. The man was just so ridiculously well-formed. His
body was like a Bernini sculpture made flesh""almost too perfect to be real.

I attempted to speak, but only a soft, aroused squeak managed to escape my
lips. If my whimpering little sound were any indication, I was in for further
humiliation in the very near future.

I opened my mouth to speak a second time, still determined to make a strong
showing this time before earth's would-be conqueror, but no words came out at
all. Bloody freaking hell!

I felt my eyes widen as I stared up at him, at his smiling lips, and I licked
my own involuntarily.

"Jesus, Sam! Get ahold of yourself!" I admonished myself mentally.

What was it about this man? Why did he have such an effect on me? I mean, I
felt an attraction toward Raven, yes. Always had. But it was nowhere near this
strong. My feelings for Xymon""this sculpted, muscular, achingly sexy
alien""were completely overpowering, shorting out my every attempt to control
myself, to even stand upright! Was this attractiveness related to his physical
weakening power? Some sort of mental enfeeblement power to go along with the
physical one? I sure hoped not. At some point, unless we were actually
prepared to surrender Earth, we were going to have to stand against this man.
That wasn't going to be easy if I couldn't think properly, or, well, stand.

As I was attempting to think my way through this whole situation, my body
seemed to act of its own accord. Before I knew what I'd done, I had stepped
forward, pushed up onto my tiptoes and pressed my lips into his.

The feeling was absolutely orgasmic. Heat radiated from my womb, bursting
through me, instantly scorching away all the thoughts and feelings that had
been warning me that this was a really bad idea.

His eyes widened briefly in surprise, I think. Then, they closed, his
impossibly strong arms reaching around to envelope me. His body felt
unbelievably firm against mine, as if it were sculpted from steel then left
outside to bake in the afternoon sun. He was warm but his thick muscles were
completely unyielding.

The feel of that perfect body against mine was too much. I felt, more than
heard, mewlings of desire escape me. My knees buckled, but his arms held me
tightly to his delicious body, keeping me from falling. Our kisses became
deeper, hungrier. I couldn't get enough of him. My body wanted to be near his,
and my mind, swimming in pleasure, was more than happy to allow it.

We went on like that for seconds that seemed like hours, my slender form
lapping up his sumptuous nearness with utter abandon. All I could focus on was
the pleasure, far beyond anything I'd previously experienced.

Adrift in the overpowering sensation of his body against mine, I was vaguely
aware that I was changing once again. As we continued our torrid make-out
session, I sensed that my face was inching upward toward his, the stretch to
reach to his lips lessening by the minute.

As the seconds ticked by, my body began to feel stronger, until I could stand
again. I locked my still-weak knees, the act pushing my mouth harder into his.
Lost in a sea of passion, my hips rose, sliding up his upper thighs as my
already long legs lengthened further.

My arms, initially dangling weakly, feeling as jelly-like as my legs, seemed
to gain strength. I snaked them around Xymon's iron physique, my fingers
gliding over the thin fabric of his otherworldly uniform, taken on a
breathtaking journey of sensual topography by the delicious bulges of his
rock-hard body.

For a second, a glimmer of thought returned. Sensual topography? Rock-hard
body? What the fuck? My thoughts were starting to sound like a freaking
romance novel!

The wispy train of thought quickly evaporated, though, when Xymon picked me up
effortlessly to lay me gently on the couch in the living room. Our mouths
parted only long enough for Xymon to pull off his shimmering uniform, then
tear open my tight top, before his mouth found mine once more. We devoured
each other hungrily, as if possessed.

When his lips began to descend my neck, I rolled my head around, squirming in
pleasure. My hand rose to the back of his head, fingers clenching his hair as
desire made my hungry body manic. As my head continued to toss about with the
pleasure of Xymon's lips on increasingly sensitive flesh, my eyes caught our
reflection in the window across the room.

I pulled back my outer leg, sliding my rounded calf along his leg until my
foot came to rest against his hip. Xymon's tongue flicked over my nipples, and
I watched the muscles of my leg tense with the rapturous sensation. I watched
as my costume, already stretched thin, began to tear along my thigh to reveal
tanned, healthy silky skin beneath.

As smooth, feminine muscle swelled, the lower part of my costume gave way
entirely, falling away from my bent leg to the cushion of the couch below. I
gasped as I took in its defined shapeliness, its impossible length. Was this
perfect limb really MY leg?

"Sapphire Valkyrie, eat your heart out," I thought, the hint of a smirk
gracing the increasingly full lips of my reflection.

Continuing to examine the window's reflection, my gaze flowed from my
improving lips to my stunning eyes, now a nearly iridescent green that glowed
with health, radiating vitality. My cheekbones seemed regal, my eyebrows
rising into dramatic arches, as my visage continued its ascension toward
perfection.

Roaming the rest of my body, it was difficult to tell whether my breasts had
changed, mashed as they were, beneath Xymon's godlike body. A moment later,
however, I felt the snap of my already torn costume as it gave way completely
to my burgeoning chest and had my answer. My smile widened to Cheshire
proportions with the knowledge that my breasts had grown. I couldn't wait to
see them. If they had improved as much as my legs had, they were going to be
spectacular!

Before I could properly appreciate that aspect of my changes, however, my
expanding hips burst through the last remnants of my black uniform, leaving
their firm, rounded curves naked to the simmering air.

Like the curtain dropping to reveal an artist's masterpiece, the rest of my
uniform fell away, leaving my phenomenal body bare. My moist skin was no
longer separated from Xymon's by even the thinnest of cloth. Xymon seemed to
sense the change and moved more urgently against my naked body.

Uttering a sharp gasp, I felt Xymon's steely hardness enter me. And omigod, it
felt AMAZING!

I had never had sex before, but I would never have waited if I knew it felt
like THIS! My friends had always told me that it was painful and messy and not
as much fun as it was cracked up to be.

They were wrong.

Seriously fucking wrong.

I released a long, deep moan as his iron cock sent jolts of painful ecstasy
lancing through my body, filling me in a way I couldn't properly describe. I
felt wetness flowing from me, covering his hot, unyielding flesh, lubricating
Xymon's manhood as it drove relentlessly into me, turning my breathing into
increasingly urgent gasps and whimpers.

He was so strong, his muscles so unbelievably dense. He drove into me with
such power and control that I felt myself bucking into my first climax before
he had pushed all the way in.

My fingertips clutched at the sculpted ridges of his popping triceps as he
crashed into me. I closed my eyes as his godlike body undulated over mine,
delighting in the feel of his hardness and my own increasingly firm form as
its changes accelerated.

Breathless as a second climax rocked me, I squeezed my eyes shut, my vision
dimmed by the pleasure. I tried to open them again, but was racked by another
burst of pleasure, then another, as he thrust into my depths again and again.

I orgasmed hard. Again and again. A dozen times. Maybe more. I lost count,
adrift in an ocean of rapture, too far gone to look again at my reflection and
see what I'd become.

I didn't entirely lose consciousness, but neither did I entirely have it for
hours afterward. At some point, Xymon left, but I simply continued to writhe
on the couch, basking in the feeling of my body's continued transition into
its new shape. After the feelings finally faded, I simply lay there, half
awake in a fog of semi-consciousness.

When I finally came to my senses, I managed to swing my shaking legs off the
couch, set my feet on the floor, and rise. Turning toward where I had lain, I
saw the tatters of my costume, broken by the voluptuous curves of my body. I
searched through the house to find a proper mirror, until I found it,
unsurprisingly, in the bedroom.

I took a step back, physically moved by the sight that greeted me. Waves of
silken tresses fell over my shoulders, sparks of copper and orange, embers of
crimson and scarlet all caught the sunlight as I moved. The shimmering mass
was full, thick, and so utterly vibrant that the swirl of rich color was
completely mesmerizing in its cascading ripples.

My eyes seemed to glow like emeralds placed over a jeweler's lamp. Large and
looming, they were bordered by the longest eyelashes I'd ever seen, then
surrounded again by the milkiest skin. My complexion was perfect, flawless and
fresh, all traces of imperfection washed away like a watercolor painting in
the rain. Sculpted cheekbones, sensual lips, and a feminine jawline gave me a
face that could make any cover model jealous.

My arms were much slimmer but just as defined as those I had felt on my alien
lover hours earlier. My breasts were full, proud, and sure to be
drool-inducing when eyes dropped to my cleavage. Was it possible for
'perfection' to be an understatement? If it were, my breasts took that
hypothetical into literal territory.

But that was before I saw my stomach. Sleek definition, etched obliques,
beautifully defined ridges of abs, visible crevices between each defined
muscle... and that without bothering to tense them. When I actually clenched
my midsection, it exploded in a network of striations that could put any
fitness model to shame.

My slim, firm waist flowed outward into the rounded muscle of my hips and a
devastatingly gorgeous ass. My legs were toned, defined, and endless. Dancer's
legs, though so exquisitely shaped that no dancers actually had a pair that
looked anywhere near this good.

I felt my knees go weak once more as the full impact of the prodigious beauty
I now possessed hit me like a locomotive.

My God. I might be the most beautiful woman alive!

Correction, I thought to myself. I am the most beautiful woman alive.

And it wasn't close.

I was about as far beyond Sapphire Valkyrie in the looks department as she had
been beyond me yesterday morning. Maybe further.

My thoughts progressed to what else that might mean. Last time, my physical
power had grown with my beauty. Was that the case again? If it was, how much
stronger was I now? I looked at the mirror with a burgeoning grin. My guess?
With this RIDICULOUS body?

Pretty. Fucking. Strong.

Then another realization hit me. This one sent my stomach plummeting downward
as quickly as the breathtaking reflection of my new body had set it aflight.

I had just slept with the alien badass who was attempting to force Earth to
its knees. I had slept with public enemy #1.

Great. Just freaking great.

"Good thinking, Sam! Way to give your virginity to the worst possible man
imaginable. Now you're a traitor to super.org and basically the whole rest of
humanity. And even earth's animals. And plants. Yay, Samantha! You've managed
to actually redefine the concept of sleeping with the enemy, taking it to a
freaking planetary scale!" The thoughts, which I spoke aloud to no one but
myself, were so shocking, so deeply disturbing that I simply stood there
blinking for a moment.

I slumped to the perfectly made bed and cradled my head in my hands. Tears
welled. I remained in that position for a few moments, my stomach and mind
competing to see which could out-somersault-in-horror the other.

Then, I began to laugh. What I had done was so absurd""and so utterly
awful""that it suddenly struck me as hilarious. It began as a light, hissing
wheeze; progressed to a giggle; then to a belly laugh; before I broke into a
full-on guffaw, rolling back and forth on the never-before-used bed until
tears of a different sort streamed from my eyes.

Gradually, my inappropriate moment of levity passed, and I sobered, still
lying on the bed with my gorgeous hair splayed over the covers like a river of
copper.

My thoughts turned to the last unknown outcome of the afternoon with my alien
super lover. How strong was I? Was I stronger than Valkyrie? Than Xymon? I
doubted it, but ...

I rolled over and raised my head to sneak another curious glance at the
mirror.

Damn, I looked good!

A glimmer of hope lodged itself in my soaring heart. Could I really be among
the strongest people on Earth? I couldn't hide a smile at the thought. Maybe
I'd grown strong enough to actually help in the fight against Xymon? To make
up for this sorta-betrayal of my team and my planet? My brilliant white grin
was like the sun coming out from behind the clouds.

I popped up from the bed, grabbed my phone, and found Raven in my contacts. I
strolled out the front door of the cookie-cutter house as I waited for Raven
to answer.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a neighborhood teenager falling
off a skateboard. Turning to him, I saw that his eyes were wide, pupils
dilated, glued to me. Why was he...?

Oh, shit! I was freaking naked! My costume was in tatters, still on the living
room couch! That little detail had eluded me as I'd been concentrating on what
I would say to Raven.

I turned invisible before the crimson had even fully blossomed on my cheeks.
For perhaps the first time in my life, I was truly and completely grateful
that I had that power.

Raven answered with a gruff, "What is it?"

Flustered from my unintentional peep show (see if you can match THAT body in
your lewd internet surfing, kid!), I paused for a moment, blinking rather than
responding to Raven's question.

"Shadowgirl?"

Oh, yeah. I remembered what I was going to tell him.

"Got something to show you. I think you're going to like it..." I said, a
smirk curling my transparent lips.

"As long as I don't tell you how I got it..." I thought to myself.

________________

Chapter 5

I proceeded to the new address Raven sent me after our brief conversation. As
I trudged to the warehouse district where he was apparently now located, I
wondered idly how many safe houses he had around town.

Deciding to put my longer, stronger legs to the test, I ran all the way there.
My speed was such that wind whipped at my cheeks, but the usual chill I would
have felt was not there, my invulnerability protecting me from its bite. With
a grin, I added super speed to my growing list of powers. When I neared the
location, I slowed to take in the surroundings, then shivered. The last time I
was in this part of town, I'd met Xymon ... and promptly fainted.

I had arrived at the address in seconds, far faster than Raven probably
expected me, so I decided to remain invisible and sneak inside to see what
exactly Raven was up to in here. He was always so secretive that it just
seemed a good way of getting some insight as to his activities""especially
after he had hinted at some sort of knowledge that involved me back in the
last safe house. Maybe if I snooped a little, I would find out what he was
actually up to.

Slipping into the door, leaving a mangled deadbolt in my wake, I never tripped
the motion detectors. They failed to detect my invisible body. I also evaded
the top-of-the-line laser security system by walking straight through it. The
beams passed right through me, undisturbed, to their receptors on the other
side. Yay, invisibility! I guess that my original power did have its uses from
time to time.

I looked around to find a spotless, stainless-steel interior with blue LED
lighting and what looked like very high-tech and extremely heavy-duty gym
equipment. The place was pretty rad. Way cooler than the other safe house.
This must be Raven's gym or something. This stuff certainly looked like it was
heavy enough to give him a heck of a workout.

At the far side of the vast room, at one of the machines, sat Sapphire
Valkyrie, pumping out bench presses with solid metal weights the size of cars
on each side of the bar. She looked as gorgeous and healthy as ever, clearly
having fully recovered from her beating at the hands of the aliens the day
prior. Raven stood next to her, looking on as she worked out.

As I neared, I moved with absolute silence, knowing that Raven's super-hearing
would detect even the slightest sound. I began to hear their conversation.

"I don't understand it, Lisa," said Raven. "She seemed to be weakened just as
you were by the alien's presence, but I've tested your DNA, and you don't show
the alien sequences that she does."

"Yeah, well I'm probably made of tougher stuff than she is," Valkyrie smirked.
"I'm glad not to have anything in common with those filthy alien bastards."

"Well, I don't know that it's such a bad thing! She seemed to be affected by
the proximity to the alien in other ways as well. Denser musculature,
increased strength and speed, enhanced invulnerability. The proximity of the
alien to you didn't seem to have the same effect at all. Your powers are the
same as before."

Valkyrie gave an annoyed grunt. "Well goodie for her. Maybe she'll manage to
actually take a hit next time before she collapses like a wet noodle."

I felt a frown form on my lips. Sapphire Valkyrie was kind of a jerk when out
of the public eye. Wet noodle?! Was that really what she thought of me? I set
aside the sting from her comment, however, to listen to Raven's reply.

"Her new powers are still nowhere near yours, but they probably rival mine,"
he continued, nodding his head toward the LED display on the machine.

"I'm actually beginning to wonder if Shadowgirl was somehow infected by them.
She may be becoming one of them," he finished.

My stomach clenched, bile's bitterness rising inside me at those words. Had I
been infected by Xymon? Was that why I found him completely irresistible? What
if our lovemaking had accelerated the changes? They had clearly changed me
again. Was I more alien than human now? The thoughts rattled me to the core.
What was happening to me?!

Sapphire Valkyrie lowered the massive weight a final time until it came to
rest on the platforms on either side of her. She slid out from under the thick
bar and sat up. "Well, if my invulnerability protected me from being infected
with their DNA, then that was about the only good it did. I've never been
completely overpowered like that in my life! Their power was incredible."

Her eyes became unfocused, looking at some distant point as she continued.
"There is no way anyone could actually be that strong. They must have a way of
weakening me. What I need from you is your help in figuring out how to shield
me from that effect. I need to be able to fight them."

"I know!" replied Raven emphatically. "That's exactly why I'm studying the
impact of their proximity, their ability to weaken when close. And right now,
it seems like Shadowgirl's DNA holds the key to learning how it works."

"Well at least the little brat might be good for something. I don't know why
you ever let invisi-girl into super.org. Invisibility? Pfft. It's almost as
worthless an ability as that prankster on social media has. You know, the one
whose only power is the ability to make articles of clothing vanish?" Valkyrie
said, rising to her feet.

What?! Little brat? That bitch! Was that why Sapphire Valkyrie had never
spoken to me? Why she had always seemed so standoffish? It wasn't just that
she was busy doing superheroey things; she just didn't respect me in the
least!

Anger replaced the uncertainty inside me, beginning to boil the blood in my
veins.

"Come on, Lisa. That's harsh," said Raven. "She's been able to gather some
good intel for us on her infiltration missions."

My anger cooled slightly as Raven came to my defense. At least he thought I
was worth something.

"Ha. I'll show you how infiltration should be done," replied Valkyrie, her
tone dropping to a husky purr as she stepped into Raven and gave him a deep,
probing kiss.

There had always been talk of Sapphire Valkyrie and Raven being an item. They
had never confirmed them but neither had they denied any of it when reporters
brought it up. The looks they occasionally gave each other continued to fuel
the talk at headquarters, however. Now, I knew for a fact that the rumors were
true.

The not-entirely-unexpected revelation pushed my simmering anger back to a
full boil. How dare this bitch badmouth me, then make a show of snogging
Raven""my crush since childhood""right in front of me!

A more rational part of my mind attempted to inform me that she didn't know I
was here, that the action wasn't intended as another personal insult to me.
But screw rationality. Anger's red haze crept into my vision. I didn't need
Sapphire fucking Valkyrie. I might even be as powerful as she was now. I was
damn sure that she couldn't hold a candle to me in the looks department now!
Let's see who Raven truly liked better now. I had seen the stirrings of
attraction in his eyes back in suburbia. And I was far sexier and more
powerful now...

"Ahem," I said, dropping my invisibility, except for a cloak of transparency
over my private parts. The result was something like a chameleon bikini. I
appeared behind Valkyrie, who was still locked in an embrace with Raven.

Raven's eyes darted to mine at my sudden appearance, then widened as they took
in my ridiculously gorgeous face. As his gaze dropped, his dark eyes opened to
epic proportions as they drank in the rest of my perfect form.

That's right, Raven. Check me out! I felt smug delight at the effect my
newfound beauty was having on the man.

Valkyrie""Lisa, as Raven had called her""seemed to sense the change in Raven's
posture as he tensed involuntarily. She followed his eyes to me.

Her jaw dropped. She was clearly as surprised as Raven about my new
appearance.

"W-who?" she stammered in an awed whisper.

"It's your friendly neighborhood Shadowgirl, of course! You know, the one with
the abilities that are as useless as the underwear-vanishing punk's?" I
replied, my voice bitter with sarcasm and hurt. "At least my ability let me
see what a bitch you really are, though."

Doubt flickered across her features. I had never seen that before. Not even
with the aliens who had kicked her ass in the warehouse. Maybe they had
overpowered her, but she had probably never felt like the least attractive
woman in the room before. I felt a smile twist my lips upward. And I was the
one making her doubt herself. Me! The realization set my spirits aflight. In
an instant, I felt confident, unstoppable.

"Care to back up those words, Valkyrie? Right here? Right now? Think I'm going
to collapse like a wet noodle in front of your sorry ass?"

Holy shit! Had I just insulted her? And, um, challenged Sapphire Valkyrie to a
fight? Omigod. That probably hadn't been a wise move. I'd better be right
about at least being in her league after my latest round of changes.
Otherwise, I might be living the final moments of my life right about now.

The doubt, which had lasted only an instant, completely disappeared from
Valkyrie's expression. Her full lips fell into a frown. Her cobalt eyes
narrowed. Her hands clenched into fists. I could almost hear her thoughts:
"How dare she...!"

I flicked my eyes toward Raven, whose countenance looked so utterly shocked at
the sudden turn of events, that I instinctively wanted to go comfort him.

In that instant, however, my attention on Raven, Valkyrie struck. She was so
fast! As my eyes zipped back to her, I saw her fist accelerating toward me.
Time seemed to slow, but her fist was already less than an inch from my
stomach and even now, with my enhanced physical abilities, I wasn't fast
enough to dodge out of the way or block from that distance with so little
warning.

Shit!

I tensed my abs and waited another instant for her fist to connect, bracing
for impact. God, I hoped I survived this. I really, really didn't want to die
right now. I squeezed my eyes shut.

Then her fist connected. I heard a series of sharp cracks. Oh, Lord. Had her
fist gone clean through me and snapped my spine? So much for the hope I'd held
out of not dying...

...Except that it didn't hurt. At all. Was that good? Or bad? When one's spine
snapped, could they no longer feel pain? Wow! At least if I had to go, maybe
the nature of the injury would keep me from hurting too badly. Maybe I would
only be paralyzed from the waist down and could survive this thing?

After a moment, my eyes still squeezed shut, I worked up the courage to check
out my gruesome injury. I popped one eye open to look down at my stomach. It
looked fine. My too-perfect-to-be-real eight bricks of impenetrable muscle
didn't show so much as a red mark. So what had made the cracking sound?

I looked up at Valkyrie, who was cradling her hand next to her own stomach,
grimacing in obvious pain. It took my surprise-addled brain a moment to
realize what had happened.

Sapphire Valkyrie had struck me in the stomach... and broken her hand against
my apparently super-er abs.

A massive grin burst out on my face as I realized the ramifications of that
fact. Not only was I out of Valkyrie's league in beauty now, I was out of her
league in strength as well?

Hell, yeah!

I thought back to all the time I'd spent wishing I were like her. Unbelievably
beautiful, unimaginably strong. But I wasn't like her. I was beyond her. Far
beyond. In both ways. Pride surged within me. I was the strongest. I was not
only superior to Sapphire Valkyrie, I was far superior.

Just like... the aliens.

As the thought occurred to me, it must have occurred to Valkyrie as well. She
looked at me with glassy eyes and spoke, her tone hushed. "You're just like
the invaders..."

The thought put a quick damper on my rapidly inflating ego.

Maybe my DNA was even more like theirs now. It certainly appeared that way.
Was I more like them than myself now? Had I become one of them? SHOULD I
become one of them?

That final thought sent another shiver down my still-fully-intact spine. If I
were more alien than human now, should I join them? Did I belong with them?

Before I could complete the line of thought, Raven seemed to have a thought of
his own, and he pressed some sort of device against Valkyrie's shoulder.
Valkyrie cast him a meaningful glance, glared at me, then disappeared in a
whoosh of superspeed, leaving Raven and me alone in the supergym. Raven looked
down at the display of the device, then looked up, staring at me thoughtfully.

"She wasn't weakened at all. Her strength registered the same as always. You
are actually that much stronger than she is." His voice held a note of
something I'd never heard in his voice before. I couldn't tell if it was awe
or desire, but either seemed a possibility. Maybe both.

"Did all of these changes just... happen... after we parted?" asked Raven,
eyes glued to me, roaming the masterpiece that was my body.

"Um... yeah," I said, choosing not to elaborate. I still had aspirations of
hooking up with Raven, my teenage crush, someday""especially looking like I
now did. I didn't think that telling him I'd just gone full-on slutbomb with
Earth's archenemy would help me achieve that end, especially not after I'd
picked a fight with Valkyrie.

"Fascinating..." Raven trailed off. I caught shimmers of desire in his eyes. I
had only seen him look at Valkyrie like that previously. Never me. Not until
now. And the fire within his gaze burned with more intensity than I'd ever
seen before. Prickles of heat goosebumped my flawless flesh.

Raven shook his head as if clearing away unwanted thoughts. When he spoke
again, he was almost his usual disciplined self, though I could still see the
lingering heat in his gaze. He wanted me.

"I doubt I'll be able to get a blood sample anymore," he said wryly. "Would
you mind plucking a hair for me? That might be the only way I can get a new
sample of your DNA..."

"What?" I said, momentarily confused. I needed to get used to this whole
super-powerful status. "Oh... yes, of course."

That hadn't been what I'd expected him to say. But it made sense. He wanted to
see what was happening to me. I had to admit that I was more than a little
curious, myself.

I plucked a strand of vibrant red hair and handed it over to him. He took it
gingerly, as if it were an item of extraordinary value, then walked it over to
another DNA scanner at the side of the room.

"How many of those scanner things do you have, anyway?" I wondered idly aloud.

He ignored me, too intent on examining my sample to notice anything else.

"So what's the what?" I said after a few minutes of silence. Before I could
stop myself, I asked another question as well""the one that had been lingering
in the back of my mind. "Am I more alien than human now?"

Raven turned toward me, locked eyes, expression stony, and spoke gravely.
"Yes. Your DNA is very much like Xymon's, except magnified somehow. There are
dissimilarities still, of course, but I would say you are now more like him
than like me."

Something about the way he compared me to himself rather than humans in
general made things more personal. More real. More... heartbreaking.

I felt tears well and roll down my cheeks. I still wasn't sure I wanted to
become an alien, despite its clear benefits.

I wasn't sure what to do. Valkyrie clearly didn't like me. Raven seemed to be
distancing himself from me as well, telling me I was more like them now. Was I
one of them now? Did I have a choice in the matter? What if super.org didn't
trust me anymore? What if they kicked me out? Pissing off Sapphire Valkyrie
might result in exactly that.

Confused, hurt, and angry, I wasn't sure where my loyalties should lie
anymore. I slipped into full invisibility and left the building at
hyper-speed, deciding to go back to my apartment and regroup.

When I got back, I opened the door to find Andrea still there. When I dropped
my invisibility, she turned to face me.

When she saw my new appearance, I expected shock. I expected surprise. I
expected awe. But written over her features were none of those. Instead, she
simply gave me a knowing smile.

Then she knelt on the floor, bowed her head, and spoke in reverent voice. "My
queen."

Um, what? I had been ready for a number of different reactions from my sister.
But not that one.

Queen?

________________

Chapter 6

"Quit screwing with me, And. I've had just about enough craziness today, and I
really need someone to talk to right now." I walked over to where she remained
bowed, grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet.

Andrea continued to avert her eyes, keeping them locked on the ground before
her.

"WTF, Andrea? Enough already!" I seethed, exasperated at her odd behavior. I
didn't have the patience for her antics right now. I seriously needed to talk
through what had happened today. She always picked the worst times to mess
around.

At the vehemence behind my words, Andrea's eyes darted to mine before quickly
dropping to the floor again.

"It wouldn't be appropriate for me to converse casually with you any longer,
now that you have taken your rightful place as our queen."

Okay, who was this person in front of me? She certainly wasn't acting like the
Andrea I knew. She wasn't talking like the Andrea I knew either. So formal.
Converse? Since when did Andrea use words like "converse"? Since when did
anyone use words like "converse"?!

"I don't know what the heck you're talking about! I know I look a little
different, but you don't have to keep calling me a queen! Now talk to me like
you're my freaking sister, already. A lot of shit happened today, and you're
the only one I can trust to talk to about it."

I really just wanted a safe person to confide in right now, but from her
continued un-Andrea-like behavior, I could see that I would need to deal with
... whatever this was ... first.

I sighed, closing my eyes to gather my patience. "Okay, Andrea. You win. Now
tell me what this queen business is all about."

Andrea sucked in a slow breath of her own as she considered my words
carefully, eyes darting about as she thought. After a moment, she began to
speak, her gaze still averted from mine.

"You have assumed your mantle as Queen of the Xyr. Now that you have both
assimilated the power of and consummated a relationship with another Xyr, you
have announced your presence as our rightful Queen."

What the hell was she talking about? Xyr? Was that what the aliens were
called? How the heck was I their Queen? Just because my DNA had morphed from
that Xymon guy's presence, and when I had, um, bumped uglies with him? That
made no sense.

"Huh?" I replied like a dumbass, my confusion proving too great for my typical
loquaciousness to overcome. I paused, then tried again to articulate any of my
million questions.

"Okay, so... huh?"

Yeah, so my second attempt was just as lame as my first. I'm not proud of it,
but you try communicating after a day in which you passed out, fucked earth's
greatest-ever archenemy, had half your DNA replaced, turned completely
gorgeous, became super-strong, and got into a one-sided dust-up with earth's
most powerful superhero, only to find out from your goofball sister than
you're some kind of alien queen. It's a lot to take in, alright?!

Andrea looked sheepish. "I'll start from the beginning..." she replied in a
soft voice.

"Yes. That," I managed to get out, hoping that this explanation was a little
more complete than her last.

"The Xyr Empire has been expanding throughout the galaxy for the last several
million years. The Empire is over a thousand planets strong now, and Emperor
Xoron is on a mission to conquer more planets during his rule than any of our
previous leaders ever have. He is the strongest emperor we've had in
generations, with a particularly effective combination of powers."

"You see, every Xyr is born with at least one power. Mine is invisibility.
Emperor Xoron has three: immense strength, perfect invulnerability, and the
power of flight. He also does not like to be challenged. He is a despot and
has abused his power during his reign, putting down anyone that might rise as
a rival. He has built an imperial security division loyal only to him and has
countless operatives constantly scouring the Empire for dissidents."

"Of particular interest to his security operatives are those who show Queen
potential. For someone to develop into a Queen is extremely rare, even among
those who show the genome of potential. The emperor is unusually powerful, so
the only real threat to his continued rule would be the emergence of a Queen,
and he knows it."

"So Queens are more powerful than emperors?" I questioned as my mind struggled
to keep up with the ramifications of this information. Did this mean Andrea
and I really were aliens?

"Not inherently. Queens develop no powers of their own. Their power is the
ability to replicate those of other Xyr that they come into contact with and
amplify them."

"Amplify them?"

"Yes. For example, you replicated my invisibility power when you matured.
However, you can hide parts of your body selectively, like invisible clothes,
just as you are doing right now. I can't do that. For me, invisibility is
either all or nothing. I also can't hide the clothes I'm wearing over my body
like you can. I have to be naked to be properly invisible."

"So you can turn invisible too?" I was stunned. I was learning more about my
sister in the past few minutes than I had ever suspected there was to learn.

She vanished, her clothes still visible, looking as if they were draped on a
transparent mannequin. After a brief moment, she popped back into existence,
the slightest hint of amusement on her lips as she studied my astonished face.
The emergence of the old, mischievous Andrea was a welcome sight.
Unfortunately, it didn't last. She seemed to catch herself, eyes dropping once
again to my feet, her expression turning stony once more.

"I smuggled you away from our Xyr planet when you showed the genetic markers
of a potential Queen. I knew that someone would be coming to kill you when I
saw your test results. They kill anyone with Queen potential. Queens only
appear every ten thousand years on average, so almost no one with the
potential actually develops that way, but the emperor doesn't care. To him,
it's not worth the risk of leaving any possible challenger alive. Because
Queens can replicate and magnify powers, they have the capacity to become far
more powerful than others of our species. Even him."

"But Raven said my DNA was only partially like Xymon's! Only partially alien!"
I said, unsure how I felt about being told I had always been an alien.

"Our DNA shares similarities with that of humans. Before you began to
replicate more powers, your DNA may have been similar enough that the
differences went unnoticed. As you adopt more powers, however, it will
transform your DNA at a molecular level. Since powers are not something that
normal human genomes possess, yours will appear more and more different from
that of normal humans with every power acquisition you make."

My mind whirred through the implications of Andrea's words, but before I could
ask about anything else, there was something I had to know.

"Andrea, are you actually my sister?"

"I am," she replied. I could see pride in her eyes as they flicked upward to
connect briefly with mine.

"So you took me here... to save my life?"

"I did." Her eyes remained on mine this time.

I strode over to her, my long legs covering the distance in two steps, and
embraced her in a huge hug.

"Easy! Easy!" she begged as the air whooshed out of her lungs. Oops! I needed
to remember my newfound strength! I immediately eased off on the intensity of
the hug, but I didn't let her go.

"Thank you," I whispered into her ear, feeling tears of emotion well in my
eyes. I thought about what she had done. My big sister had left her home, her
people. For me. It was difficult to imagine the scope of that sacrifice. She
would have had to leave behind everyone she knew, adapt to a new culture, a
new language. And we had just been kids!

Kids. In a flash of insight, I realized that she must have had help. "Do we
have any other family here? Real family, I mean?"

Andrea's brow furrowed, and she looked conflicted, as if she were reluctant to
tell me something. Before she could, the door burst open and in strode Xymon.

"So you're the traitor to the empire," accused Xymon, staring directly at
Andrea. "The one who defied the emperor's orders."

I moved between them, worried that Xymon would do something to her.

Xymon didn't seem to care that I had blocked his path, continuing to speak.
"After our little encounter earlier," he said, eyes shifting to focus on me.
"I did a little reading on the phenomenon that drove our actions and realized
what must have happened. That I had awakened a Queen. Now I've come to remedy
that little mistake."

Suddenly, without any further words, he leapt forward, launching a fist
directly at my head. Time seemed to slow, just as it had in my confrontation
with Sapphire Valkyrie. This time, however, I was paying attention and able to
react in time. I dodged to the side, twisting my core to evade his heavy
swing. As I sidestepped, his forward momentum carried him toward me. I threw a
hard elbow into his temple, sending him through the wall of my apartment,
flying across the street.

Whoa! Had I just done that? Xymon had dispatched Sapphire Valkyrie with ease!
I knew from my encounter with her at Raven's gym that I could too. I had been
less certain how I would match up against Xymon. Judging by how time had
seemed to slow, how his movements had seemed relatively slow to me, I seemed
to be faster than him. Could I be stronger as well? Andrea had said I could
magnify the powers of other Xyr. But I didn't know exactly what that meant.
Xymon had quite a bit more muscle mass than I did. Would the magnification be
enough to allow me to beat him?

It would have to be, I decided. This guy was clearly out to hurt Andrea and
me, and no one else was going to swoop in and be able to save the day. Not
Raven. Not even Valkyrie. They were far too weak to do anything about Xymon.
It was up to me.

I ran through the newly created doorless entrance to my apartment, chunks of
plaster and wood dangling from its ragged edges and looked around for Xymon.
There was a crater in the brick of the building across the street where he
must have struck. Sheesh, I'd hit him HARD! But no sign of""

*BAM!*

Before I knew what had hit me, I was hurtling through the air in a
rainbow-shaped arc, head over heels. Stunned by the power of the fist that had
struck me, I barely comprehended what was happening as the ground grew near. I
struck the pavement of the street below face-first.

Pain radiated from my jaw, now buried in shattered asphalt. Collecting myself
for a millisecond, I proceeded to push myself up from the impact crater and
wiggled my jaw back into place.

Okay, so this guy's punches definitely hurt. I'd been half-hoping that I would
be as invulnerable to him as I was to Valkyrie. Now I knew that I wasn't. This
was a real fight. And I had to win it. I couldn't afford to mess around here.
He was after my sister!

I felt the concussions of Xymon's steps striking the asphalt as he ran toward
me, alerting me to incoming danger. He was probably coming to finish me off,
so I'd better get ready. I bounced to my feet, squaring my shoulders and
shifting my weight to the balls of my feet. "There," I thought with
satisfaction. "I was ready to dodge whatever he was about to throw at me
next."

He swung. This time, he didn't catch me off guard. I flung up my slender,
muscled arm, intercepting his fist and knocking it to the side. The impact to
my arm hurt, but far less than his uppercut to the jaw had. I launched a front
kick into his hard, cobbled stomach, but those muscles couldn't stand up to
the power of my strike, and I buried my foot into his abdomen. He flew
backward, body collapsing in on itself, his limp feet digging a trench into
the street to bring him to a stop 100 meters away.

He rose, slightly wobbled, spit out a mouthful of blood, and came at me again.
This time, I decided I was going on the offensive. I sprang forward as he
neared, swinging my fist with the momentum of my entire body before he could
counter, feeling my stomach tighten, hips twist, and arm sail upward as I
willed every ounce of my power into it. I connected with his jaw at hypersonic
speed, and his head whipped back as I struck. I felt the jawbone crack under
my clenched fingers, then he was flying upward, just as I had moments before,
except higher and further. I was stronger than he was!

"Take that, alien scum!" I thought with a satisfied smirk.

Then I thought about that sentiment. I was an alien too. The same race that he
was. His Queen, actually, if Andrea were correct about my royal status.

This was going to take some getting used to. I had yet to internalize the fact
that I was an alien, not a human.

I swallowed hard.

I was fighting my own people. I didn't know what to feel about that. Should I
be fighting my own people? I'd sworn to defend the people of earth when I'd
joined super.org. Which people meant more to me""those from the place I'd
grown up or those who'd provided the DNA that made me up?

My mind swirled with questions that I had no answers for. Not yet. I didn't
know who to consider my people, whose side I was on anymore. This was all
happening so fast...

Xymon crashed into the ground half a kilometer away, momentarily jarring me
away from my reverie. He lay there motionless, at least for the moment.

Thank goodness! I needed time to think, to figure out who I should be
defending. I needed time to decide my course of action.

So of course, I wouldn't get it.

"So maybe there is a worthy challenger on this planet after all..." said a
deep voice echoing from somewhere behind me.

Shit! Why was the universe conspiring to keep me from properly digesting the
earth-shattering information dump Andrea had given me? Who was it this time?

I whirled to find the huge man from the warehouse""Xymon's boss""behind me,
holding Andrea aloft by the throat. She squirmed and struggled, eyes wide in
fear, but she couldn't budge the man.

My stomach sunk as I realized who the man must be.

Emperor Xoron.

The guy that wanted me dead. The most powerful man in the universe.

Monkey balls.

I took a cautious step toward him, drawn forward by my concern for Andrea. A
second step. I began to feel a familiar weakness in my knees.

No, no, no, no, no!! I sure didn't need that right now...

The massive, bulging alien grinned darkly, eyes glued to mine, and squeezed
his fingers. I heard a loud snap. Andrea's head lolled, her eyes going
instantly dull.

I stood, blinking uncomprehendingly for several seconds before a wave of
horror tore through me. It rose from my toes, rolling upward until it reached
the top of my head. I felt myself begin to shake, and a scream gurgled upward
from somewhere deep inside, ripping itself torturously from my lips.

"Noooooooooooooo!"

Muscles twitching into adrenaline-fueled rigidity, all ability to think
instantly drowned in a whirling sea of snarling hatred, I launched myself at
him.

________________

Chapter 7

My fists slammed into his face with unsatisfyingly soft thud. I expected him
to fly backward as Xymon had. Instead, my attack barely managed to knock him
back a step. Still enraged, I poured my anger into repeated strikes to his
face. They barely seemed to affect him. My knuckles ached, feeling as if they
had been slammed repeatedly into a moss-covered rock. The tough, tanned skin
of his face had probably been the only thing softening the impact with his
bones, preventing me from breaking my hands.

I began to breathe heavily as my rage-fueled outburst went on without doing
any serious damage. As my attacks began to slow, his surprise at the
unexpected speed and ferocity of my attack turned to smug confidence. He had
realized exactly what I had: I couldn't do any damage to him.

The strength that had allowed me to eclipse Sapphire Valkyrie and defeat Xymon
didn't seem to be in Xoron's league.

Just how powerful was this guy?!

Recovered sufficiently from the surprise of my sudden flurry of blows, Xoron
pulled a huge fist back and launched it into my abdomen. The blow hammered
into me, plowing through the sculpted abs I'd been so proud of with ease. My
eyes bulged as my stomach exploded in unbearable agony, and flew backward into
the sky from the force of it.

Reeling in agony as I sailed through the air, he didn't give me any time to
regroup from the aftereffects of his immense power. Launching himself into the
sky, he accelerated after me. I saw him coming, but there was nothing I could
do. I flailed helplessly with my limbs, but there was no hard surface to push
off against. I was helpless. A sitting""er, flying""duck. There wasn't
anything I could do about his approach except brace for another devastating
attack.

As he cocked his fist again, I squeezed my eyes shut, attempting to ready
myself for the pain I knew was coming. Sure enough, a microsecond later, it
arrived. My throat erupted in excruciating pain. He had punched me in the
throat! I attempted to swallow, then to breathe. I could do neither.
Preoccupied with these difficulties, clutching at my nonfunctional trachea, I
didn't even notice as the ground raced toward me, his blow driving me back to
earth at breakneck speed. Another detonation of agony rattled my bones as I
smashed into the street below. My movement stopped only when I was at the
bottom of an impact crater a good ten feet under the surface of the road
above.

I had thought I was such a badass after beating Sapphire Valkyrie and Xymon
with relative ease. Writhing in pain at the bottom of the crater, unable to
breathe, I realized that I hadn't truly risen above my usual level of failure.
I was still below expectations. Below what I needed to be. Below Xoron.

The realization stung. Not because of my ego""I was accustomed to failing to
meet expectations""but because I knew that I was letting Andrea down. Just
moments ago, she had given me hope. She had made me realize that I had the
potential to be incredible, to be a Xyr Queen""likely, the most powerful woman
in the universe. She had sacrificed, first, her home for me to have that
opportunity. Then, her life. I desperately wanted to live up to the potential
she saw in me, to make her sacrifices worth their cost. But I was beginning to
realize that I would never have the chance to become what she must have wanted
me to. Just as I hadn't been able to save her.

With two punches, Emperor Xoron had taken the fight completely out of me. The
thought sent a jolt of anger through me. I had to do better than that. For
Andrea. Uncaring that I still hadn't been able to manage to suck in any oxygen
after the vicious strike to my neck, I set my jaw and struggled to my feet...

...just in time to see Xoron swoop down from the sky to land in front of me
with a dark smile. "Ready for more?" He smirked. "Excellent!"

Massive, iron fists flew into my head, my stomach, my hips. I felt the heat of
bruises forming on my face, the crunch of ribs breaking, the slapping sounds
of my muscles being obliterated under Xoron's shower of might. But the blows
just kept coming. The man was merciless as he shattered my gorgeous body.

As Xoron smashed a fist into my solar plexus, the expulsion of air finally
opened my trachea, allowing me a few ragged breaths at least, as I continued
to be rocked by ever worsening bursts of absolute agony.

Limp, held up only by the earthen wall of the crater that would probably, I
thought wryly, become my tomb, I felt Xoron's attacks suddenly cease. One eye
was swollen shut, and I felt liquid, blood probably, trickle down my face. I
looked around uncomprehendingly, my brain too preoccupied with the shrieks of
pain from my raw nerves to properly process information. I didn't understand
what was happening. Where had Xoron gone? Why had he stopped.

Finally, I had the presence of mind to look up.

Flying at breakneck speed, massive fists outstretched before him, Xoron
screamed toward me. His hands impacted my upper chest, just above my breasts
and under my damaged, burning throat. My already bruised back crashed into the
side of the crater, yielding a fresh flare of pain. I smashed back-first
through the ground, tunneling until I cracked through the foundation of one of
the surrounding buildings.

Xoron again swooped upward into the sky, leaving me crying and whimpering,
half-buried in the ground. As my vision began to dim from the severity of my
wounds, the building, whose concrete mooring had been pulverized by my broken
body, collapsed on top of me.

I felt nothing but burning agony as ton after ton of steel on concrete rained
down on me. When it was finished, a strange silence descended over me, a
welcome relief from the cacophony of sound from the building's collapse.
Everything was dark. When I made the slightest motion, pain jolted through me
like electric current, and I felt the shifting of broken bones. The
realization that I was going to die settled over me. I couldn't muster the
energy to care. Nothingness would be a welcome relief at this point, a break
from the torturous agony that seemed to radiate from every part of my body.

As I awaited death, trapped under thousands of tons of twisted steel and
glass, unable to breathe again, my heartbeat gradually slowing, I began to
hear a faint scratching sound. As my consciousness began to wane, it grew
closer, until blazing light suddenly blinded me, searing me to alertness,
tearing me away from the peaceful detachment I'd begun to drift toward.

"Come on, Shadowgirl. You don't get to wuss out now, like some common
clothes-vanisher. Let's go!" The voice belonged to Sapphire Valkyrie. She'd
made a joke! I didn't laugh. I did, however, feel her slender fingers reach
under me and pull me free of the rubble.

"Play dead," she whispered as she dragged me into the open. As she continued
to pull me along the rubble-strewn ground, I heard voices growing closer.

"Enough, Emperor Xoron. We already agreed to surrender. We've been trying to
work out a deal with this Xymon character you left in charge, but he's never
around to talk! Now that we finally find him, he's taking a nap in the middle
of the street! Not very professional!" came the deep baritone of Raven's
voice, tinged with the slightest bit of sarcastic humor.

"Napping?! He was attacked! He's injured and unconscious!"

"Yeah, attacked by one of your own people! You guys really need to get on the
same page here. How can I negotiate when your people are in such a state of
disagreement that they're fighting each other!"

Despite my overwhelming pain and the fact that I was supposed to be playing
dead, I was tempted to smile. Leave it to Raven to bully an alien overlord
five zillion times powerful than he was while negotiating terms for earth's
surrender. No one else would have the nerve...

I suddenly realized what he was doing.

Buying time.

I felt the movement of my body cease as Valkyrie lowered my head and shoulders
gently to the ground close to where Xoron and Raven continued to argue back
and forth. I began to feel the now-familiar tingle of my body's absorption of
the power of another Xyr. She had gotten me close enough to the alien overlord
to duplicate his power. And magnify it, I hoped.

Respect for Raven and Sapphire Valkyrie filled me. They were teaming up
against impossible odds to help me. Despite being ridiculously outclassed in
power, they were finding a way to help Earth escape the clutches of the Xyr
emperor. To help me! But how had they known what to do? Did they know I was a
Xyr Queen? Were they just hoping something happened to me in the presence of
this, the most powerful of Xyr, as it had with Xymon?

I attempted to keep my labored breathing quiet as I felt my bones knit back
together, my swelling go down, and my bruises fade. Strength began to flow
into my muscles. Every time Xoron looked down at me, perhaps wanting to ensure
I was actually dead, Raven chimed in with another comment that rattled the
hulking, uber powerful emperor and drew his ire""and attention""back to his
clever eyes.

This process went on for at least fifteen minutes before Xoron finally put an
end to Raven's banter with a frustrated roar. "ENOUGH! You will not dictate
terms to ME! I can crush you and everyone else on this pitiful planet. The
only one with the potential to challenge me was..."

He turned to where my body lay, less than ten feet away, words trailing off as
his face went pale in terror.

"Her injuries! They're gone!" he gasped.

Oops! The game was up! I popped open my eyes, able to see clearly now, feeling
far better. Better, even, than I had when I started this fight. An intense
attraction to the massive emperor rolled through me in tingling waves, just as
it had with Xymon in Raven's safehouse. I was not about to give in to that
now, however. Chiding my aroused body, I clamped down on my growing desire.
Xoron wouldn't hesitate to slam a fist into my lips if they moved in for some
kissing action. And I did not want to be on the receiving end of that man's
fists any more!

"Don't forget about that shitty invisibility power of yours..." whispered
Valkyrie with a wink as I leapt to my feet.

Except that I didn't. Leap to my feet. Instead, I leapt into the sky without
making the return trip. I just kept rising!

Holy shit! I could fly!!!

I concentrated on moving faster, launching myself upward in earnest,
accelerating quickly, leaving a stunned Xoron far below. I must have picked up
his power of flight!

Sweet!

Take that Valkyrie! This was the best power of all! I did a few spins and
somersaults in the air, joyfully testing my new power, before deciding I
needed to get back to business. I glanced below me once more to find that
Xoron was no longer there.

Damn me and my need to goof around at the worst possible times! In the middle
of a fight, I'd managed to lose track of the most powerful""

*BAM!*

The clap of Xoron's fist pounding into my stomach was loud enough to shatter a
few windows below. It hurt. Bad. But it wasn't quite as devastating as last
time. My abs had held up to his earth-shattering power this time, though they
ached like hell. Hurtling through the air once more, this time I was able to
use my newfound power of flight to stop myself. I was no longer helpless in
this airborne arena, though from the feel of his latest punch, he was probably
still stronger than I was.

"This time, I won't take it so easy on you. This time, I'll finish this!"
Xoron yelled accelerating toward me, his face approaching mine with an
intimidating snarl twisting his features.

My stomach plummeted in terror, as raw, all-too-recent memories of my recent
bloody-pulpification danced through my mind. Think, damn it! I needed to spend
more time near Xoron to finish duplicating his power. But how could I do that
without being pounded into oblivion again?

Wait! What had Valkyrie told me? Don't forget about my shitty invisibility
power!

Of course!

I winked out of sight, dodging to the left to float, undetectable, in the air
as Xoron sailed by. He stopped, confused by the lack of contact, searching the
sky for me. I snickered as his eyes darted frantically about, using my power
of flight to zoom in behind him, so that I was close enough to him to continue
absorbing his phenomenal levels of strength and invulnerability.

As I closed on his position, I once again felt my libido wrestle my willpower
for control. I mentally uttered pet-speak repetitiously, like a mantra, as I
struggled to control the burgeoning arousal that seemed to accompany my
rapidly ascending power.

No! Bad libido! Down girl!

Finally, I felt the knee-weakening, tingling desire for my enemy subside. In
its place was a crackling torrent of power that seemed to roar through every
square inch of my body. I felt incredible. Invincible.

I clenched a fist, watching deep grooves appear in my tensed arm. Hard,
defined muscles quivered with unimaginable strength. As I remembered Andrea's
lifeless body dropping from this man's fingers, fury boiled anew within my
chest. Emotions surging, I let out a powerful scream that sent a shockwave
rippling through the city below. Dropping my invisibility, I launched my fist
at the hulking figure before me.

This time, when my fists met with his face, it caved under the force of my
knuckles. Bones cracked beneath my clenched fingers.

He launched a counter strike, but I was on him by then, creating very little
distance between our bodies as I busily pounded on his face. His fists struck
me on each side, just above my hips. I barely felt them. He continued to rain
blows into both of my obliques, only to have them bounce off the impenetrable
muscles of my abdomen harmlessly.

Our faces close, I smiled at his frustrated expression, my righteous anger
shining through. I snaked my sculpted arms around him and squeezed as hard as
I could. Xoron looked confused for a moment. Then I saw something new in his
eyes.

Fear.

I pulled him toward me with every ounce of strength in my supercharged
muscles. I felt his body begin to give against my impossibly hard physique. My
breasts pushed his huge pecs inward, bowing his ribs. I redoubled my efforts,
shifting my position for more leverage, then pulling him toward me once again.
I felt his muscles give under my relentless pressure. His ribs creaked, then
began to snap, one by one. My hands pulled against his smooth, sinewed back
until I felt one more loud pop. His eyes held shock, widening in response to
the cracking of his spine. He looked at me in disbelief for several long
moments until the life faded from his pupils, and they locked on some distant
point on the horizon forever.

A pang of regret touched my heart as I dropped his body from the sky. As I
watched his limp body plummet to earth, I felt strangely hollow. I had never
killed anyone before.

He'd deserved it. For Andrea. Still, the act left me with a strange, vaguely
horrified feeling. I tried to tell myself I had done the right thing, that he
had been a threat to the lives of everyone on earth. I believed it even.
Truly, I did. But there was something in the depths of my soul that remained
unconvinced that my action had been entirely just.

Conflicting emotions warring within me, I descended to the street, where Raven
and Sapphire Valkyrie awaited, beaming at each other and slapping high fives.
Their celebration was at once warranted and wholly inappropriate. I had just
killed a man.

As I neared, I saw Raven's eyes bulge before he averted his gaze. Sapphire
Valkyrie's jaw hung loose as if dangling from an over-greased hinge.

What were those reactions for? I wondered.

Then I remembered. When I'd removed my invisibility this time, I'd forgotten
to leave my woman parts cloaked. I was naked as the day I was born, floating
down from the sky. Must be quite a sight! I looked down at the bare, flawless
skin of my breasts, which seemed even larger than before, debated whether to
create a costume of invisibility, then shrugged. Screw it. I didn't have
anything to be ashamed of. I was completely freaking gorgeous!

"Rockin' the minimalist fashion look, I see," said Sapphire Valkyrie attempted
to joke, but her voice was shaking and slightly hoarse. She averted her gaze
as if afraid to look me directly in the eye. I glanced at Raven, who was
trembling as he looked into my eyes, his own open abnormally wide. He seemed
to want to speak, but when he opened his mouth, no words came out.

Oh no! Was I disfigured somehow? Maybe my previous injuries hadn't healed
right? Or had my interaction with Xoron changed me to become even more
gorgeous? Either possibility could explain their reactions. I cast about for a
mirrored surface, finding one on the surface of an office building on the far
side of Raven. I stared at my reflection in the mirrored glass window, seeing
my current self for the first time.

I sucked in a sharp breath. Before me stood a proper Xyr Queen in all her
significant glory. Bearing regally tall, muscles chiseled and powerful, ginger
tresses catching the glow of the afternoon sun like a banner of fire in the
billowing wind, I was devastatingly magnificent!

My body had bulked up a bit, not to the point where I looked like a
bodybuilder, but as if I had been an extremely sexy model who had gotten
pretty serious about her weight workouts. Not even the most religious
gym-goer, however, had ever looked quite this defined. And no model had ever
looked this sexy, I decided.

My curves had grown more voluptuous than before, despite the ripped muscles
that popped into defined relief with every movement. My lips, now naturally a
vivid shade of rose, burst into a heart-stoppingly brilliant smile. My body
moved with leonine grace, my posture unconsciously broadcasting my newfound
status as royalty. I looked every bit the part of a mind-bendingly powerful
alien Queen.

My smile disappeared and tears welled, however, as another thought returned.
My Queendom, wonderful as it was, had cost me Andrea.

I ran to Raven and hugged him as tears began to stream down my cheeks. The
danger passed, I needed some emotional release. My sister had just died, and I
couldn't contain my sadness any longer. Now that I didn't have Andrea, I was
turning to Raven to be my support.

"He killed Andrea, Raven. He killed her," I sobbed. Raven stood tall, hand
rubbing circles on my back as he waited for me to cry myself out. Valkyrie
came over and put a hand on my shoulder.

"I killed Xoron too! I killed somebody, Raven!" I gushed, tears bursting forth
with renewed vigor from the other traumatic experience I'd just been through.

"What a way to go, though," replied Raven, finally speaking. His voice was
flat but his lips held the barest hint of a smile. "Crushed against the most
gorgeous body in the universe? I can only hope I go out like that!"

As I absorbed his words, a bubble of laughter gurgled its way upward. It
exploded in a sort of half-laugh, half-sob. A hysterical bout of a dozen more
laugh-sobs followed before I could speak again. "Damn you, Raven! I'm supposed
to be feeling properly horrible right now."

"Hey, that's my motto: here to screw up a perfectly horrible moment."

A couple more laugh-sobs escaped from my lips. Valkyrie smiled as well.

"Which you did, by the way," Sapphire Valkyrie interjected. "Back there, with
the big guy. Nice work on the distraction. You kept that going longer than we
ever dared hope! I thought I was going to lose it and start laughing about a
dozen times..."

Raven nodded, accepting her compliment graciously.

"How did you guys know that putting me near him would allow me to absorb his
powers?"

Raven looked sheepish. "I may have accidentally planted a small transmitter on
you when you left the gym warehouse."

"You planted...?" I trailed off. So he had heard Andrea's explanation. He knew
everything""or at least as much as I did.

I wasn't sure whether to be angry or happy. Considering that they had used the
knowledge to save my life, however, I supposed it should be the latter. How
could I be angry at them after that?

Before I could respond to Raven, however, Valkyrie squeezed my shoulder. "I
want to apologize. About before. I'm just... not used to being upstaged by
other superheroes, I suppose." Sapphire Valkyrie's expression was one of
sincere contrition as she looked me in the eye for the first time.

"You don't owe me an apology. You saved my freaking life back there!"

"And you saved the life of everyone on the planet," she fired back with a
wink.

"Oh, yeah. There is that." Not a very humble response, I know. But I hadn't
really been prepared to accept a comment like that, being a really new
galactic super-empress and all.

Valkyrie smiled, then flew away, leaving me alone in Raven's comforting arms.

The moment was too much. Unable to resist any longer, desire joining joy and
guilt in my dizzying maelstrom of emotions, I leaned forward and kissed him.

As quickly as I had done it, I drew back, my eyes going wide. Oh, no! That was
not appropriate. Raven and Sapphire Valkyrie were a thing! And I'd just made
up with Valkyrie too! Now I'd given her reason to go all bitchy on my ass
again! And this wasn't the time for such things anyway. I hadn't even properly
mourned Andrea.

"It's okay. Valkyrie and I moved on from each other a long time ago. We're not
together any more." Raven said, seeming to read my mind.

"But back at that warehouse gym! You two ... " I objected, the memory of their
kiss replaying itself in my memory.

"...may still see each other from time to time, but only when we're both
single and need to share something that only a super-strong companion can. A
bit of a friends-with-benefits situation."

My shoulders dropped, and I let out a shaky breath. "Thank God! I didn't want
her to go breaking her hand trying to slap me again!"

I really did need to work on the whole humility thing again. When I had simply
blurted the truth of my situation before, it had always been humble enough.
Somehow, that didn't work so well as a super-alien Queen.

Raven grinned, then gave me a long, passionate kiss. When we came up for air,
I gave him another long, lung-compressing hug.

"Thank you," I said as I released him, my eyes glassy with coming tears. "I
need to take care of Andrea right now, but maybe afterward, I can see you?"

"It's a date," he winked, then turned to take command of the cleanup effort.

I sighed, then turned to find my sister's body near the hole in my apartment.

When I got there, however, she was gone.

________________

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