Barefoot Heroines, Part II

LS enlists the aid of new friends to help her fight a corrupt politician

By Mongoose750 (mongoose750@yahoo.com)

The female quintet traveled to their destination, chatting about a little bit of everything, from Betty's greatest "hits" (literally speaking) to Kim reminding LS and telling everyone in the car that she was right about LS and Lewis getting together. To change the subject, and save LS from further embarrassment, Susan announced she was hungry. Janelle followed this up by agreeing and announcing she needed to go to the little girls' room. Seeing a nearby truck stop, Betty pulled in by a gas pump and parked. In front of them was the ever popular sign at truck stops and restaurants everywhere that said "no shoes, no shirt, no service."

"This may present a problem," Susan said. "Did anyone bring any shoes?"

Betty looked at her and said, "You don't need to ask me that question."

"I always have an emergency pair for situations like this," Janelle replied.

"Oh really? Where are they?" Susan asked.

"In the trunk of my car."

"Very funny. Kim, what about you?"

"Are you kidding? One of the reasons I joined this trip was to be away from the accursed things!" She said.

"I don't suppose you have any, LS?"

"No, I have a thick pair of socks, but I do not think they will fit you," LS said, smiling.

"So we have five women without a pair of shoes between them, and a place that don't serve people unless you have them."

"Well while you're figuring that out, I'm going to put some gas in the van," Betty said as she started to slide out. Janelle placed a hand on her arm.

"Oh no you don't, not like that," she said.

"Why not? Nothing happened," Betty protested.

"Then I guess you didn't see that car full of college guys almost drive off the road trying to get a closer look at you."

Kim nodded her head. "She's right; they almost took another car with them."

"So that explained that honking that woke me up from my nap," Susan said.

"Yes, I remember. I finally got Kim quieted down, until that noise started her up again," LS remarked.

While Kim looked at her cousin, thinking of the appropriate comeback, Janelle slipped her oversized white oxford shirt off, revealing her black tank top and massive biceps to hand to Betty. LS, who never seen Janelle without wearing long sleeves was surprised.

"Whoa," she said.

"I have a T-shirt," Betty complained.

"That thin thing? It's almost transparent! I'd offer you my sweats to replace those worn shorts too, but I need to be appropriately dressed myself," Janelle said, practically dressing her.

"Yes mother," Betty replied as she got out of the van.

"So what about the restaurant here? Do we still go in and take a chance, or go through some drive-through?" Susan asked.

"Go in," LS and Kim said at the same time.

"Relax Susan, it's no big deal," Janelle said, reaching for her purse.

"It is to some people," Susan replied.

"I expected this situation to happen on our little trip. But unlike Susan, who would wimp out and put on some flip-flops or something, I brought along these," Janelle said, pulling out a few strands of necklace-type objects.

"What are those?" Kim asked.

"Barefoot sandals, the perfect cross between wearing shoes and wearing nothing at all on your feet. They're perfect for situations like this. Just lace them around the second toe on each foot and put them around your ankle, and you're ready to go. Fools them every time too."

"I always wanted to try one of those," LS said.

"Here's one with blue stones. It'll go perfect with that royal blue kimono you wore the other night. Try it on."

Janelle handed the strands to LS, who for the trip was wearing a long-sleeve white T-shirt and blue jeans cut off at mid-calf.

"Thank you," she said.

"If you like them, you can keep them. I have a lot of them. There's a website that practically knows me personally because I order from them so much. I almost order by bulk."

"You should wear a pair of these with your business suits, Kim," LS said.

Kim looked down at her feet, sporting the pair Janelle loaned her. "Yes, you're right; I'll need to try some when I get back to work."

"Oh!" LS said suddenly.

"What happened?" Susan said, alarmed.

"She said I was right about something! Our mission does not matter anymore, for the world is going to end now."

"You two are terrible," Susan said. "I'm going to have to sit between you two. Does Lewis have to keep you two in line?"

"No, our "handler' is back at home studying for her exam," Kim giggled.

As Susan and Janelle were surprised by the actual fact that Kim actually giggled, Betty returned. "I paid at the pump; so what's the verdict, are we eating here or not?" She said.

"We're staying; here," Janelle said, handing Betty a pair of barefoot sandals.

Susan was holding up Betty's shorts like someone would hold a dead rat. They were faded jean shorts that were threadbare and riddled with a few holes. "Betty, when was the last time you wore these shorts in public?" She asked.

"Uh, I don't know; I think when Loretta and I went out of town to look for something," Betty confessed.

Janelle went pale. "You mean to tell me you pumped gas in nothing more than your, I mean my shirt and your bikini bottoms?"

"It's no big deal, your shirt covers everything."

With the speed of a striking snake, Janelle hit the button that opened the trunk door.

"What are you doing?" Betty said.

"Fishing you out something else to wear. Susan, throw those shorts away."

"No problem," Susan said.

"Hey! Those are the only shorts I have!" Betty said.

"Fine, I'll possibly buy you a pair at the store inside. Really, Betty, I expected better from you. Meanwhile, I'll hand you another pair of my sweatpants."

"She wore an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny, little yellow polka-dot bikini," LS and Kim sang together. Betty looked at them strangely.

"Is Kim okay? She looks - happy?" Betty asked.

Back at Betty's garage, Irena was sitting at Betty's desk figuring an estimate for what was about to become close to an engine overhaul. This will cost the customer some big money, she thought, but he told him that money was no object when it came down to maintaining his 1976 AMC Pacer. A Pacer? Even in Russia where the automobiles weren't necessarily the most sophisticated and stylish in the world, that vehicle was one that even the most destitute avoided. There was no doubt about it; the best way to fix this car would be to get a new one. She sighed, and reached for the phone to give this customer the sad news when she saw a car pull up front.

She knew instinctively that whoever they were, they weren't here for car repair. Of course, that wasn't a hard guess. Generally, most customers, especially repeat customers show up in better quality cars and trucks. The two mechanics generally drilled into their clientele that maintenance would save them a whole heap of trouble and money in the long run. The thugs who want to fight usually show up in vehicles that have seen better days, and this one was no exception. This was a beat up white custom van with four women and two men in it. The van had one of those "cosmic" pictures painted on it, like most custom vans of the late 1970's and 80's displayed on their side. This one had an Indian warrior holding a spear while standing on the surface of the moon, with the stars of the universe in the background. Irena's trained ears told her that whenever the van came off the assembly line, was probably when it received its last tune-up. The same could be said for the muffler that sounded close to the verge of collapse. Looking at the van, she could tick off so many improvements it needed; it was starting to make the Pacer look good.

The six occupants at least didn't look as bad as the custom van. In fact, the women looked like they worked out some. She had to admit to herself, she was getting tired of these women who either looked like scarecrows, tubby, or ladies of the evening challenging them. The two men didn't look bad either, but Irena suspected that they arrived to just watch. The big question was were they going to fight her if Betty's not here, and were they planning to do so if that was the case. Though it's been a few years since she fought the cage matches (not counting fighting the thugs with Betty), she still got that sense of excitement when a fight was about to come about. Some things never go away.

Two of the women looked like they either played beach volleyball or basketball. One was black, 5'9", with her long hair in a ponytail. She wore a black sports bra and black basketball shorts with a gold stripe down the side. Black and white cross-trainers with a white stripe along the side, and short black sports socks completed the outfit. Her abs was a washboard six-pack, matching the rest of her toned body. Aside from ethnicity, the blond woman could stand as her twin. She wore the same outfit as her friend, the same build, and the same haughty expression on her face.

The other two women were shorter, more around Irena's size, but unlike the first two who looked similar, the second duet were like night and day. The first woman in this pair, an Indian woman, looked skinny, upon a casual glance, but upon closer inspection, it could be seen that her physique had well toned muscles, not unlike a yoga instructor she saw on television recently. The second woman was Samoan in decent, and heavy set, but well muscled, reminding Irena of someone who throws the shot put. Both of them were wearing the same outfit of a black sports bra and black basketball shorts, but instead of cross-trainers, the shorter women were wearing black flip-flops that looked new, but that translated to Irena as not being worn very much.

Why even waste your time with those things, Irena thought, just take them off and be done with it. As if they heard her thoughts, the heavy set one, then the skinny one both took off their sandals and threw them back in the van, one of them almost hitting one of the guys in the face.

The guys looked like they could be jocks, but if so, not football, wrestling, or basketball. When Irena took a closer glance at them, they looked like they were more likely to be armchair quarterbacks instead of real ones. One of them, about as tall as the "twins" had a noticeable gut, while the other one the same height was skinny as in bean pole skinny. No threat at all.

Finally, someone comes by who would make a suitable opponent, and Betty had to be out of town, just her luck. Oh well, that's more for me, Irena thought idly. Then again, they could be members of the college track and field team asking for directions or a sure fire cure for their ailing van; which if that was the case, taking it out back and shooting it through the engine block to put it out of its misery would do it. All speculation ended when one the black woman rang the doorbell.

"Come in," Irena said politely.

"Hello, is Betty around," she asked, equally politely. Maybe this was some people from the track and field team.

"No, she's out of town right now; she'll be back in a couple of days. Is there something I may help you with?"

"I understand she has the reputation of being the "toughest woman in town.' Is that true?"

"That is the title she was given, but not by choice." Wow, she gets right to the point, Irena thought.

"We don't always choose the titles we've been given, but that's the way it goes. In any case, we've found a title like that unproven, and in need of a more strenuous test."

"In other words, you want to challenge her," Irena said. If she could get right to the point, so could she.

"Yes, that's correct. Unfortunately, there are four of us here who would be likely contenders for this title."

"So if you defeat Betty, you four would then turn on each other to see who got the title?"

The black woman laughed lightly. "No, no, we would not do something like that for something as silly as a title. We've been friends for years. Besides, this brings up the uniqueness of our position. Your coworker, boss?"

"A mixture of both; but it's her garage, so let's say boss for now."

"Your employer would have a choice at fighting any of us to keep her title."

Irena paused for a moment. This was new.

"I also understand there's a reward for beating her as well," the black woman said.

"There is, but I would not count on the person who put that out to be paying on it; besides, if you decided to split it four ways, it wouldn't be much anyway," Irena replied.

"We also heard from the same sources that you fight in these battles as well."

"Yes, I do, uh,"

"Diana, like the huntress in Greek mythology, and you're Irena, correct?"

"Yes."

"This is Leah, my closest friend. We're kickboxers. The two other women are Shelly, the one of Indian origin, and Mia from the lovely island of Samoa. Both of them used to be on the wrestling team until they were kicked off."

"Kicked off for what?"

"Using illegal holds, tactics, and striking."

"Wrestling isn't good wrestling without using good holds," Mia said.

"Maybe you two or all of you should check out some of the many underground fighting organizations around this town. There's quite a few," Irena said.

"Perhaps. We also have a second proposal for you. Betty is not here, but you are, and if you fight alongside her, I figure you must be pretty good. In fact, I hear that you two have a number of friends who are fighters," Diana continued.

"Well yes, but I would call them martial artists, not fighters exactly."

"Martial arts were designed for war, so of course they're fighters. You already heard my first proposal, so here's my second. You get to chose who to take on. I think that would be exciting."

Irena couldn't believe what she said next came out of her mouth. "Yes, I suppose it would, but I don't do that type of thing for myself anymore," she said. Maybe Betty was right, she was "whipped." In either case, Diana's skeptical look told her she wasn't exactly falling for it.

"No, you're still a fighter, I can see it on your face, in the way you carry yourself, and I've heard too much about you," she said. "You'll fight."

"I am also the only one running the garage at the moment. I currently don't have time to manage both functions by myself, especially right now."

"Then this brings up my third proposal, and it's the one I like. You gather together a group of your fighters to take on my group."

Irena looked at the two men in the van. "Are they in your group too?"

"Oh, they're Bob and Tom, our boyfriends of Leah and me. They're just here to watch."

You could've done better, Irena thought. Out loud, she said, "Of course I would need to ask my friends if they would be up to this challenge."

"I for one can not wait," the Indian woman said as she and Mia ventured closer to the desk where Irena was sitting. Mia bent down and looked at Irena's eyes.

"Let your boss and Leah and Diana perform their fancy kicks and such; I've heard of what you can do. It would be an honor and a pleasure to grind your face in the mud."

No, she wasn't completely whipped, Irena realized; for at the moment, nothing would've made her feel so good than to take both their faces and grind them in the mud. She also noticed that while Diana was the spokesperson, and she and Leah may be good kickboxers, these other two women, Shelly and Mia, were the dangerous ones here. The taller pair may like a challenge, but the shorter two have that look in their eyes that tells you they take great joy in hurting their opponents. Their expulsion from the wrestling team may have been a matter of saving the team from them as well as a disciplinary measure.

"Shelly, Mia, behave," Leah said. The two women backed up and occupied themselves by looking at the calendar on the wall with classic cars on it.

"You have to excuse them, they can be most uh, eager," Diana said.

"Diana, I've only known you for a short while, about five minutes or so, but level with me; you didn't come here for a title or a reward, did you? You just want to fight," Irena said.

Diana laughed out loud. "Oh Irena, you are very perceptive. Leah and I, well we like the thrill, and lately we started running out of opponents. We're in a fight club east of town, and we like what we do. It makes life more exciting, and it keeps Mia and Shelly happy, else they start finding someone to uh relieve themselves with. But that's neither here nor there. I've gave you three proposals. I understand you like to schedule your bouts, so I'll give you a few minutes to do so."

"And I assume you won't take "no' for an answer," Irena replied.

"That's correct. Shelly and Mia would get a little antsy, and we would not be able to control them if you didn't take us up on our challenge."

"So what do you all do when you're not fighting?"

"Leah and I are about to graduate with our degree. Mia and Shelly have one more semester. We do have a life outside of fighting; well, Leah and I do, anyway," Diana glanced at Mia and Shelly, who gave her a dirty look back.

"So you want one big fight before you go out and start a career, eh?" Irena asked, a little curious about this female "fight club" she just heard of.

"Yes, except we're not stopping. But I feel you may be stalling for a bit. Come on, Irena, what will it be? The natives are getting restless," Diana said in a sing-song voice.

"Did somebody say something about a fight?" Came a voice from behind Irena as Loretta came out of the not-quite-finished-yet expanded part of the garage. Her 6'4" size and muscular build they could see despite the white overalls and blue work shirt she was wearing. Even Diana and Leah took notice. "That sounds interesting."

"Yes Loretta, these ladies said they come from a fight club east of town. And I thought I knew all the combative organizations around here. Anyway, their gang here wants to fight our gang sometime. You want to do it tonight?" Irena asked.

"Well sure, I ' wait a minute, tonight wouldn't be good. I uh have something. How about tomorrow night?"

"I'm going out with William tomorrow night. I guess that leaves, no wait, I can change our date-"

"You don't need to postpone your date for this. Two days from now, ladies, take it or leave it," Loretta said.

"We'll take it. Now here's where we'll do it," Diana said as Leah handed her a map that looked like it was drawn and displayed on the internet. She handed it to Irena. "Does seven o'clock sound good for your group?"

"I believe so. What website did you get this map? It's looks nice?" Irena said, looking the map over.

"I drew it, thank you," Leah said.

"Here are the ground rules; we go at each other, no weapons, winner is the last woman standing, or woman who represents their group, that is," Diana said.

"Sounds good. Now if you'll excuse us, I have a business to run, Loretta has construction to do, and isn't it about feeding time for your two watchdogs over there?" Irena asked.

A wave of Diana's hand kept the two women from advancing on Irena's desk. "I'll see if I can feed them a frat boy or two before our fight," she said.

"Whose van is that?"

"It's Bob's," Diana said. "Did you want to look at it?"

"No, I want to bury it. I'm amazed you made it into town with that rust bucket."

Diana for the first time in the conversation was speechless for a few seconds. "You'll have to take that up with the owner," she said.

"Perhaps I will after I'm through a few days from now," Irena said as she leaned back, indicating the conversation was over. Diana and Leah waved and took their leave, each one guiding Mia and Shelly back to the van. The last two gave Irena a look like a lion would view its next meal.

After the van started up and left, Irena turned to Loretta. "You know, I used to think that Betty for some strange reason attracted these strange people. If I had ever mentioned that to her, I would owe her an apology," she said.

"I have actually heard of this "fight club," and it's a little unusual to say the least," Loretta replied. "It's like somebody threw all these women together, they form groups, and then proceed to beat the living daylights out of each other. Amazingly enough, they seem to attract only the more skilled fighters, not those cat fighters that only pull hair and rip clothes like what you and Betty been fighting lately. I haven't had any personal dealings with them myself, but I can assure you of one thing."

"What's that?"

"There's more than four of them. That was probably the "welcome wagon.' I would have to admit, out of those four, the two tall ones aren't your biggest threat."

"The two exiled wrestlers? Oh yes. And I thought Betty was the popular one. They kept eyeing me like I was raw meat. I thought Leah or Diana would have to get their leashes to drag them out of here."

"Good thing we have a contingency plan for something like this."

"Yeah. Hey, would you mind giving the others a call. I have to call this poor customer, and tell him that he needs to give his beloved car a proper burial. There's only so many times you can raise Lazarus from the dead."

"No problem, I needed a break anyway. I just thought of something; there would only be four of us against however many they have."

"A nice challenge for us, my friend," Irena said with a wink.

"And Betty thought you were whipped. Ha!" Loretta remarked as she walked over to the other phone on Irena's desk and made some calls. When she finished, she saw Irena slowly put down her phone and shake her head.

"What's wrong?" Loretta asked.

"I hate to hear a grown man cry," Irena said. "I feel like I should call the funeral home instead of the junkyard for a proper burial."

"Wow, he was really attached to his car."

"Since he graduated high school, college, got married and had kids. I know his wife will be dancing in the streets, so I'll tell her to be gentle with the man for the next couple of days. Anyway, who were things on your end?"

"Velvet said she'll be happy to help out, and Jasmine said that would be great, she had some excess frustration to let out."

"I didn't think that woman ever got frustrated or even angry for the most part. I've wanted to see her in action anyway; Kim had told me some interesting stories about her."

Both women looked up as a couple of cars pulled into the garage.

"Maybe it's none of my business, but perhaps Betty should look into getting a third mechanic to help you two out," Loretta said.

"We talked about it; maybe it's time to talk about it some more," Irena said with a sigh as she got up and greeted her customers.

Meanwhile, the five ladies were back on the road after having enjoyed a good lunch and a chance to stretch their legs. Their stay at the truck stop went without incident, aside from some grizzled trucker from a faraway table taking occasional glances at Janelle's arms whenever she flexed them. The barefoot sandals worked like a charm, even receiving compliments from several women as they saw them. Janelle just smiled, and gave them the website web-dress, wondering what their reaction will be when they realize that what they saw of the sandals was what they got. Maybe they'll even like it, she thought, with a sinister-looking grin on her face as she told another admirer where to find the site on the Internet.

"So how big an "army' will we have by the time we take on the counselor's forces?" Susan asked, sounding like she was preparing to enter the Civil War.

"There will be a good number from my dojo who will help us out," LS replied, "and we probably could get the help of others. Speaking of which, let me give Rini and Michelle a call."

"Who's Michelle?" Janelle asked.

"Another close friend of Jasmine," Kim said. "Her, Rini, and Jasmine received their black belts in aikido at the same time. Besides knowing aikido and tai chi like the other two, she also knows Jeet Kune Do. Like Rini, she also teaches privately during the evening while working as a secretary part time."

"I'm beginning to think Jasmine knows as many martial art teachers as me."

"Well, she does, and she manages to keep in touch with them. To me, that's the amazing thing."

"I spoke a little too soon. I called both Rini and Michelle, and their receptionists both said they are away on some mission,"

"Receptionists?" Kim asked. "Business has been very good for them, I see. The closest thing Jasmine has to a receptionist is me."

"I thought Jasmine's classes were going well," Susan said.

"They are, very much so. She just doesn't think she needs a receptionist yet. Yet she's talking about switching to a bigger gym. Go figure."

"Maybe this is the wrong time to bring this up," Janelle said, "but I hear all this fanfare about how good Jasmine is, and what she's done, but I just don't see it. Plus, I know about tai chi, and how effective it is as a martial art as well as exercise, but aikido, I just don't get it. I'm sorry Kim, LS, but, but I guess I'm not convinced."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence before LS spoke.

"We are not offended, Janelle, nobody believes Jasmine can do the things she does at first glance. If we were not related to her, we would have problems believing it. Now if you look at Kim, you can tell from her disposition that she will kick your butt," she said.

"Perhaps I'll start with yours," Kim replied, with an evil smirk.

"I have been told by Lewis I have a stare I give sometimes people who . . . make me unhappy that can melt wax. But Jasmine is so sweet and considerate, I am amazed she has enemies as much as how deadly a martial artist she can be."

"And concerning aikido, you are not the only one who's skeptical of what it can do. There's still a few people, martial artists included, who have their doubts on its effectiveness," Kim commented. "We had our doubts too."

"So what convinced you, seeing her in action using it?" Susan said.

"Yes, that's what it took. We thought it may have been because of her physical talent, but the more we saw her use it, the more we were convinced. Her friends Rini and Michelle aren't slouches in that department either. As you know, we have "Betty' stories that we share with LS ' don't let it get to your head, Betty ' concerning her encounters; well with our other friends we have "Jasmine' stories to share. I guess we now use an equal blend, a Betty story, then a Jasmine story," Kim explained.

"Well now I feel deprived," Susan remarked. "Tell me a Jasmine story."

"Yeah, it'll be nice to see somebody else share the spotlight for a while," Betty yelled from the driver's seat. "My exploits have been repetitive lately."

"Well cousin, can you think of any?" Kim asked LS. "My mind is blank at the moment."

"I know what you mean, there are so many to choose from," LS said. "The only one that comes to mind involves that football player."

"Oh yes! Okay, our high school had an excellent football team when we were attending, partly because of our star quarterback. As you know with jocks, sometimes they start to believe their own press clippings and think they're great. Unfortunately, our quarterback was no exception. Well, one day, he was walking down the hallway, pushing other students out of the way, saying "Out of the way, the king is here!' No one opposed him either because they were scared of him or they thought he was great as well. On the opposite side of the hall, LS, Jasmine, and myself were walking to class; Jasmine just happened to be the lead person. He walked up to Jasmine, tried to push her to the side, and ' nothing happened, she didn't budge. He tried again, and still nothing happened. He tried a third time, and still nothing happened. Jasmine just stood there with a slight smirk on her face looking at him.

""If I don't want to move, I can't be moved,'" she said.

"He just walked away dumbfounded as we walked to class. As all of us here know, having a strong center is very important in the marital arts, and Jasmine already had it honed to a fine edge. Outside of a speeding truck, she couldn't be moved if she didn't want to be. Our football player thought if she could do it, he could too, so he tried it for the game that weekend."

"Oh no," Betty said.

"Oh yes; to say they got slaughtered would be an understatement. The team suffered their biggest defeat in years, and our quarterback was in the doghouse," Kim continued. "He was so embarrassed, he didn't leave the house, except for school and practice. The second string quarterback played for a while until our star quarterback "came back to his senses.' He was sitting at home doing his homework one afternoon when there was a knock on his door. He opened it, and Jasmine was standing there.

"It only works if you know what you're doing," she said.

"Why are you here?" He said.

"I'm here to keep you from getting yourself killed."

"She then told him to come out to the front yard, and she gave him some impromptu lessons in Tai chi. He's normally pretty graceful out there on the field, but it was like teaching a dinosaur ballet, so for his sake she brought him around to the backyard," Kim giggled. That caught another strange look from Betty, who's not used to seeing her teacher smile, much less giggle.

"How did you know all this?" Janelle asked.

"I drove her there," Kim said. "I suppose she felt sorry for the poor guy, and sought to teach him a few things before he became a laughingstock."

"Did the lessons work?" Susan asked.

"Yes they did. We won the state trophy that year, and the two years after that. Along with his regular practices, he would get private instruction from my sister. He also became much more humble during that time too."

"So was he thankful for the lessons?" Janelle said.

"Thankful? The boy was in love! He practically begged and pleaded for Jasmine to go out with him near the end of his senior year," Kim said. "Jasmine told him kindly, "I don't go out with unbelievers.'"

"I guess that took care of that," Betty said.

"Not so," Kim said, shaking her head. "When Sunday morning came, he was at our church on the front pew. When the time came for the invitation, you didn't want to be in his way. He almost ran over an usher getting to the altar."

"Well that was a nice ending," Janelle replied.

"That's not the end," Kim said. "He received a full scholarship to college, Purdue, I believe, and after he graduated was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts where he stars today."

"Wait a minute, is this guy Barry Liberty?" Betty asked, white-faced.

"The one and only," Kim said, leaning back folding her arms.

"Oh my," Susan replied. "So did she ever go out with him?"

"I don't know. After he graduated high school, that was the last I heard of him, from Jasmine or anybody. I can tell you that Jasmine and I are dedicated Colts fans now."

"So that explains why you two sometimes leave the restaurant so quickly after church," Janelle commented. "I thought you had to get Jasmine home so she could take off on another one of her ' where does she go, anyway?"

"When Jasmine does not want to move, she can not be moved, and when she takes off, she does not want to tell," LS said. "She has always been a private person regarding her coming and going."

"So sensei-ah, I mean Kim, LS, how early did you two start in Tae Kwon Do and Judo?" Betty asked.

"Since we were kids. It was the family custom for everyone to learn whatever martial art the family was practicing. I'm not sure how it started. Maybe one of my ancestors was being pestered by a bully, and wanted to make sure it didn't happen to anyone else. As you can guess, it was Tae Kwon Do for a large bulk of my family. Jasmine and LS were the family "rebels' by choosing another discipline entirely," Kim said.

"Tae Kwon Do is nice, but look at me! My legs are too short to do those kicks! Judo was good for me because you can get up close and personal, and size doesn't matter too much. Jasmine chose Tai Chi and Aikido because it's hard to master, and she wanted a challenge," LS added.

"Sound like you two took to the family custom like a duck takes to water," Susan said.

"Not always," Kim said. "But I grew to love it."

"I remember my parents saw my grades were not as they should have been, so they threatened to take away my judo lessons unless I improved my grades," LS reflected.

"That worked?" Janelle asked.

"I love judo, so it worked like a charm."

"I remember I challenged my parents by saying that we're feeding into the stereotype that Asians were bookworms, brainy (except I said nerds), and instant martial artists. My dad just smiled at me and said, "Some stereotypes need to be maintained,'" Kim said. "I couldn't think of a comeback to that, so I studied, and now I'm the smashing success you see before you."

"With me, my dad threatened to hang up my tools. I never slacked on my homework after I heard that," Betty replied.

"Anyway, that was a good story, Kim, but I actually wanted to hear a story where she kicked some butt," Janelle said.

"I have to admit I do too," Betty said.

Susan didn't say anything; she just looked at Betty and Janelle, then turned to LS and Kim and smiled.

"It is not a problem, we have plenty of those," LS said. "In fact, there's this one time when she was really angry."

"Angry? Your sister gets angry? The closest I've seen Jasmine to getting angry was when she didn't get sprinkles on her sundae; and even then, all she did was sigh, shrug her shoulders, and grab a spoon," Betty said.

"True, my cousin is in control of her emotions, much better than I," LS replied, "but the few times I have seen her lose her cool regarding a combat situation, those were moments to behold."

"It's almost scary," Kim said. "It's like the more angry she becomes, the more focused she becomes. And the more focused she becomes, the more formidable she is."

"We could tell them that story where she barged into that crackhouse," LS suggested.

"She went into a crackhouse?" Betty exclaimed, eyes wide open. "Why would she do that?"

"That," Kim said, "is an interesting story. . ."

It was a pleasant summer day, and Kim had recently arrived home from her first semester of college. Her father in a rare generous mood gave her permission to drive his new white convertible, in exchange for running some errands and as long as some fuel was put in the gas tank. Upon hearing this, Kim wasted no time in calling LS, picking her up, and finishing the errands in record time. After they finished the last errand, which was dropping Jasmine off at a local park to play tennis, they spent the afternoon cruising the neighborhood. Both wore white T-shirts, blue jean cut-offs, and dark sunglasses. Kim had her right hand on the wheel while leaning her left arm on the car door, while LS reclined in her seat, resting a bare right foot on her car door as they cruised.

"Hey, you know what sounds good right now?" LS said.

"What's that?" Kim asked.

"A double-scooped ice cream cone with sprinkles. There's an ice cream shop a few blocks from here."

"That does sound good. This wouldn't be the ice cream shop where Dion works, is it?"

"Maybe," LS said with a sly grin.

"You know, I bet Lewis could make a fine ice cream cone too."

LS lowered her sunglasses. "Kim, how many times do I have to tell you that Lewis and I are just friends, that is all," she said.

"Okay, but one of these days you'll see that I'm right," Kim replied.

"You and everybody else," LS grumbled. "Here it is, turn here."

Later, the two ladies spent their time leaning on the car, eating their ice cream, flirting, and trying to look cool at the same time. Dion, a 6'0" black man who worked at the ice cream shop during the summers when he wasn't at college, poked his head out of the shop to greet them.

"Hey there ladies, what's going on?" He said.

"Not much, we were just cruising through the neighborhood, and decided to drop by for an ice cream cone," Kim said between licks.

"You know what the best thing about ice cream is?" LS said in a low voice as she moved close to the counter so only the three of them could hear.

"What's that?" Dion asked.

"It tastes better with chocolate," she replied, drawing out the word "chocolate" while staring directly at Dion. Kim nearly dropped her cone.

"Is that a fact?" Dion said with a sly grin.

"Yes it is."

Looking at the two ladies' muscular bare legs, he said, "I also understand the best part of a chicken are the legs. They're delicious."

LS looking down at hers without missing a beat, said, "Well they do have plenty of meat on them."

Before the conversation could go any further, some new customers drove up to the shop. Dion excused himself to tend to them. In contrast to LS's grin, Kim had a look of shock on her face as she confronted LS.

"Chocolate? Cousin, you're awful!" Kim said.

"And you are ornery!" LS giggled.

"Well at least I don't consider myself a chicken!"

"Kim, you need to relax; it is just a little playing around, that is all. Besides, look at that skin. Does that not remind you of the color of French Mocha?"

Before Kim could respond, a couple of friends also pulled up to the shop. Francine and Barbara, two old high school friends greeted LS and Kim and talked a little about old times.

"Hey, where's Lewis?" Francine asked.

Before either LS or Kim could respond, Barbara said, "Don't you remember? He's going out with Tiffany tonight. Anyway, we were on our way to the store. We thought we'd stop by and say hi. See you later."

As they drove off, LS wheeled on Kim, and said, "He is going out with Tiffany of all people? And he didn't tell me?"

Kim involved herself in getting the last licks of her cone. "Well I myself don't see the big deal. After all, you two are just friends, right?"

LS saw the smirk growing on Kim's face, and was about to address it when suddenly Kim's cell phone rang.

"Hold that look, LS. Hello? No, she's at the park, playing tennis. We'll go get her right away. Bye." Kim ended the connection. "LS, you can stop trying to burn a hole through me with your eyes now; we need to pick up my sister."

"Jasmine? Is she all right?" LS asked.

"Yeah; it's a friend of hers that's in trouble. Let's go."

With barely enough time for LS to wave goodbye to Dion, both women jumped in the car and sped back to the park. Jasmine was taking a swig of bottled water when she saw the white convertible pull off with a screech of its brakes and both women jumping out of the car.

"Look Yuki, it's the Duke girls," Jasmine quipped. "I think that show has already been done, though."

"Jasmine, did you forget your cell phone again?" Kim demanded.

"No, I left it at home, there's a difference. I didn't need it."

"I beg to differ. Yolanda has been trying to get a hold of you. You need to call her back. It's about Alice."

Alice was a woman that Jasmine befriended and helped her out of the dark world of drug abuse. Alice's recovery to some had been nothing short of miraculous. But despite the dark hole that Alice had dug out of, some people wanted to pull her back in. One person in particular was her former boyfriend, Tony. While coming to make a so-called social visit while she and Yolanda were eating their lunch outside at a fast food restaurant, Tony abducted her, practically dragging her to his car, and driving her back to the crack house where she used to spend her time. As Yolanda relayed the latest news to Jasmine, the easygoing woman's gentle features started to darken into a twisted mask of rage. Yet her voice was still at an even level.

"Thank you Yolanda, I'll get her. I'll let you know when I have her. Goodbye," she said as she ended the call and handed the phone back to Kim. She turned to Yuki and said her goodbyes, and then she turned to her sister and cousin and said, "Let's go." The two women found themselves trotting to keep up with their younger relative as she walked briskly to the convertible.

Fastening herself in her seatbelt, Jasmine tossed a paperback book up front to LS. "Could you put that in the glove compartment please?" She said. LS catching the book, took a peek at the front cover. It was a book on pressure points of the human body.

"Jasmine, before we go, we need to come up with a plan of action," Kim said. "We don't want to rush in recklessly."

"The plan is this; we go to the crack house, I go in and get her. You two can go in with me or wait for me when I bring her out. The place is off Sixteenth Street; do you know where that is?" Jasmine said.

"Well yes, I know-"

"Then go! We don't have time to waste."

Both Kim and LS were about to say something to Jasmine, but as they glanced at the determined expression on her face in the backseat, they both thought it would be wise to keep silent. When they arrived at the address, Kim barely had placed the car in park before Jasmine got out of the car and was headed toward the front door, where two burly looking men stood out front as bodyguards. LS and Kim scrambled to release their seatbelts and rush out of the car to assist her and to prevent her from rushing into possible peril. As Jasmine approached the door, the two men demanded of her what she was doing there. When she ignored them, they reached forward to each grab an arm and yank her back. The two older women had no reason for concern they discovered as she grasped the fleshy part between the thumb and forefinger of the man on her left, and twisting in a clockwise motion, lowered him to his knees. She struck the other man on a spot on his leg, and suddenly all feeling went out of it. Alerted to the sudden lack of support, the man squealed in terror as he fell to the ground with a dead leg. Jasmine turned and gave the first man a blow on a point of his arm and let go, but not before delivering an aikido throw. As he landed on the ground, he was desperately trying to rise up with only one good arm. Not giving the men a second thought, Jasmine opened the door and went in. Kim and LS walked by the men on their way in wondering what just happened.

"What did she just do?" Kim asked.

"I recognize the throw, but the technique with the making arms and legs go numb is a new one to me," LS replied.

Both women shrugged and walked in. The crack house was a poor excuse for a house with a few pieces of broken down furniture scattered around the living room. Aside from a few people so stoned out of their minds that they wouldn't acknowledge the entrance of God, much less three strange women, the populace were either sitting or lying along the floor or on the overpopulated sofas and chair. The only sober people there were some big men who apparently were there to make sure no one got violent or intended to oppose the man who ran the crack house, Alice's ex-boyfriend. Jasmine was headed down the hall when one of these men blocked her way.

"I'm here to get Alice, do not detain me," Jasmine said in a firm voice that meant business.

"Hey you don't tell me what to do, I'll just kick your-"

The man was interrupted by a two-fingered strike to his midsection. It didn't hurt, but suddenly he didn't feel too well. The room started spinning, and he felt a need to sit down somewhere. Jasmine just pushed him to the side where he fell down along the wall. A second man ran and grabbed her from behind. Actually for him, it seemed like he never stopped moving as he found himself sailing over her shoulder to land on the floor below. Jasmine gave him a small kick in the leg just for good measure. He soon found himself screaming about not being able to feel his leg and crying for help. Kim and LS walked by, looking at the man trying to use the wall to stand.

Jasmine was stalking through the hallways of the house like a hungry cat trying to find its owner. She dispatched of any opposition with a jab of the fingers in some inconspicuous spot, causing them to either lose the use of one of their limbs, grow dizzy, or a combination of the two. She rarely used any of her normal tai chi and aikido skills. Finally she found Alice and her former boyfriend. She was curled up in a corner, a red spot on her cheeks while Tony was smoking a joint and ranting at her about leaving him, and what would happen if she did it again, among other things. Jasmine stood in front of him and addressed him.

"Tony, Alice is coming with me. She does not want to see you anymore. Stand out of the way," Jasmine said.

Tony had his face an inch away from Jasmine's, as he cussed and threatened what he was going to do with her and everybody else who came between him and his woman. LS and Kim appeared, ready to give Tony a beating if he harmed their younger relative. They didn't need to worry. Jasmine delivered another two-fingered jab to Tony's body, and suddenly, he felt out of control of his bodily functions. He crunched down, trying to control what would be an embarrassing loss of bodily fluid.

"The bathroom is down the hall to the right," Jasmine said, pointing to that direction.

Tony didn't argue, he loped down the hall to the bathroom, threw out someone who just came out, and shut the door. A few people nearby scrunched up their nose.

"I think I would have preferred it if you hit him," LS said, holding her nose.

Alice rushed and hugged all three of them, crying and voicing her thanks.

"It's okay Alice, we're leaving now. You'll never see this place again. Come on," Jasmine said.

Even stoned people recognize a fight when they see it, and the people in the crack house gathered around to see what the commotion was, only to find it was already over. When Jasmine, Alice, Kim and LS emerged, it was like the parting of the Red Sea. Everyone moved to the side to let Jasmine and her crew leave, lest they get in the way and be touched by Jasmine's "magic hands." Even the bouncers pulled themselves out of range.

Once they got in the car, Jasmine took Kim's cell phone and called Yolanda and told her Alice was with her safe and sound. She then asked if they could come over and use the shower and if she had some extra clothes they could borrow.

"Extra clothes?" Kim asked.

"I don't know about you, but I don't want to explain to mom and dad why my clothes have the scent of marijuana on them," Jasmine explained.

The other three unanimously agreed as they drove to Yolanda's place.

"So what happened to Alice?" Betty asked.

"She teaches high school math," Kim said. "You ask her any time about Jasmine, and she'll tell you she saved her life."

"Jasmine and Tony had one more encounter," LS added. "He ran into Jasmine a few weeks later, and threatened to beat her for what she done, blah, blah, blah. Jasmine just looked at him and said, "Don't make me touch you.' He slowly backed away and left."

They all laughed.

"Kim, did you really have to tell them about the "chocolate' part? Was that really necessary?" LS asked.

"Well of course; it added some spice to the story," Kim remarked.

"You mean it added some embarrassment for me in the story. I still can't believe I said that."

"Oh I don't know, I rather liked it," Janelle said, smiling.

"And you and Ben are engaged, so it would not be as bad. I barely knew that man. I can not say hello to him now without inwardly blushing."

"Regarding men, some of us have done rather embarrassing things."

"That is okay; I have a few Kim stories I could share with you."

"Not today, we're almost here," Kim said, pointing at the city limits.

"I'm still soaking this in. So Jasmine walked straight into a crack house, knocked the thugs out of her way, and pulled Alice out just like that?" Susan said.

"Once you're a friend of Jasmine, she'll move heaven and earth and fight the devil himself if you're in a jam," Kim said. "She's much braver than I am. By the way, don't tell her that."

"Your secret is safe with us," Janelle replied.

"I myself will admit it freely. We have a lot of stories of how she walked into the mouth of danger and came out unscathed," LS said.

"I'm starting to miss her myself on this mission, and we haven't even started yet," Janelle said. "Pity we can't turn this van around and get her. We could also have gotten Betty some more presentable clothing. Or maybe we can get you a string bikini to wear." She turned to LS and Kim. "Please, don't sing that song again."

"Hey! I have some decent clothing in my bags," Betty protested. "Anyway LS, where do you want to go first?"

"I would like to stop by my apartment first, check on Lewis' place for good measure, and then I would like to visit my dojo to see if anything out of the unusual had occurred. I also would like you to visit my students. In fact, Betty, there is a student there that reminds me a lot of you."

"I don't know if that's good or not. Does she work on cars?"

"No, she is a gardener."

"The judoka gardener. Sounds like it should be a TV series," Susan giggled.

"Hey LS, don't you think they would have your place watched?" Janelle said, concerned.

LS displayed a wide smile. "Janelle, my dear, I know they have the place watched. So we might as well get the ball rolling, shall we?"

The two thugs managed to break into LS's apartment with no fuss. Apparently the nicest apartments don't always have the toughest locks.

"So what is our plan now that we're here?" Thug number one said, a tall heavyset man with a blonde ponytail.

"According to the boss, we wait until our little victim opens the door, we beat the daylights out of her, then we can take anything we want," Thug number two said, an average sized man a little less heavy than the first thug, but not by much, and had a military "buzz" haircut of his blond hair.

"Isn't our "victim' a master of unarmed combat or something? She might be a handful."

"Not if she doesn't see it coming. Hold on, I hear footsteps now. I'll hide behind this potted plant, you stand beside the grandfather clock."

"Not much to hide behind."

"It is when it's dark. Come on, let's go!"

With the thugs in their hiding places, the door to the darkened apartment opened slowly. Without a moment's hesitation, a wave of a hand hit the light switch. After a couple of steps were made inside, the thugs attacked. As they descended upon their victim, they found that the victim did not fit the description at all. The descent and gender was correct, but that was all. Instead of seeing a stocky, 5'2" barefoot woman, they saw a 5'6" woman in a gold lace cover-up transparent enough to reveal the gold bikini beneath. She had long black hair, but what stood out was her build, which was very muscular, like a bodybuilder. The thugs never saw LS in person, but the description being a little off was no big deal. After all, the woman was shorter than them, had long black hair, and was of Asian decent, so what if she wore flip-flops, and was a few inches taller? She unlocked the door and walked in, so it must be her.

Regarding the alleged "victim," when she saw two large bodies hurdling toward her, she did what most people did when large objects flew toward them; she stepped out of the way. The two attackers stopped themselves just short of colliding into each other. They glanced over to the side and saw the woman in a ready stance. There was no disputing that part of their information; the woman was going to put up a fight. Though the advantage of surprise was gone, they still figured it was a piece of cake. Their instructions were to beat this woman and beat her up bad.

Thug number two advanced on the woman, delivering a right hook. The woman pivoted and delivered a double hammerfist block to the thug's right forearm. Not daunted by the move, the thug followed up with a left hook. The woman blocked it with a right outside hammerfist strike, which she quickly converted into a right straight punch to the jaw. Thug number two's back hit the wall as his eyes rolled up into their sockets and he slid down the floor, knocked out. The woman expected to follow her move with hooking the head and delivering a blow with her knee, but she can live with one less move at the moment. She quickly turned to face her other attacker.

Thug number one saw the information they received on this part was correct. She was a good fighter all right, at least while she was standing up, but what happened when she was sent to the ground? The thug moved close, hands up like he was going to box with her, and then shot low for a single-leg takedown. The woman moved her right leg (the leg he appeared to be aiming for) back, dropping her right elbow to the base of his neck. As she did the maneuver, she noticed something didn't feel right, so as she hooked her right arm underneath his neck, she took a quick glance back at her right foot. Her flip-flop broke! The part that held the straps to the sole popped out. This annoyed the woman, who tightened her grip even more while her left hand grabbed the thug's left armpit. She stepped back and spun, ripping his throat upward. She lowered her weight into her stance, driving the thug down to his knee. From there, she waited until Thug number one stopped flailing around and lost consciousness. She dropped the body once that was done, and stood up.

She pulled her shoe off her right foot and looked at it. The shoe was ruined; and she just bought them too! In a huff, she pulled the other flip-flop off and walked to a nearby wastebasket, throwing them both in. She plodded back to the front door and closed it, then stood over the two unconscious bodies wondering what to do. With a sigh, she dragged both bodies to the living room, and then sat in a recliner and waited. For what, she didn't know, but it should be interesting.

As the five women approached LS's apartment, LS halted to see her welcome mat pushed a little to the side. LS stood there, puzzled.

"What's wrong?" Susan asked.

"You would figure if someone was going to break into your apartment, they would be a little more-"

"Professional?" Betty suggested.

"Yes, the way this mat was left, a blind man would know something was up."

"Unless they didn't care," Kim said.

"Maybe," LS continued. "In either case, stand ready, I am going to open the door."

The door, to LS's surprise, opened freely. It wasn't locked; actually it wasn't even closed all the way. As the crew cautiously walked inside the apartment, they noticed there wasn't much disturbed, aside from a pair of flip-flops in the wastebasket.

"A pair of thongs, I didn't know you owned a pair," Kim said in a low voice.

"I do not," LS replied. "You can see they are not my size."

"If someone was supposed to be lying in wait for you, wouldn't they had jumped us at the front door already?" Betty asked. "That's what happens in the movies, anyway."

"Maybe they're waiting for us in the living room," Janelle joked.

"Well let us go there anyway. We can at least stretch our limbs, and figure out what to do next," LS replied. "If we have a burglar who wore flip-flops around here, they will show up soon enough."

They entered the living room, and saw the unusual sight of a 5'6" muscular Asian woman sitting at the end of the room with crossed legs and a bemused look on her face. At her feet were the unconscious bodies of two rough-looking men.

"Love," she said in smooth English with a delicate British accent, "we need to have a serious talk about the company you keep."

"How about that, someone was waiting for us in the living room," Janelle remarked.

"This is my cousin Cao from China, although she spends so much time over here in the states, she might as well change her citizenship," LS said. "And open door access to my apartment."

"There happened to be a few contests this month; one in particular in Indianapolis. Since it has been a bit since I've seen one of my favorite cousins, I'd make a visit," Cao said.

"I'd figured you'd be beating up your fellow bodybuilders right now," Kim said.

"Oh, I'd already done that. There were two bodybuilders who claimed to be kickboxers. One was a mature fighter with excellent skills; it was an honor to take her on, and a bigger one to defeat her. The other one was some eager beaver who was starting to get a little too big for her britches. Taking her down was a little more, eh, well for her, it was a little more painful."

"I heard the rumors, but I wasn't sure if they were true," Susan said.

"What rumors?" Betty asked.

"About the Event."

"What event?" Janelle asked.

"No, the Event, that's what they call it. According to hearsay, after a female bodybuilding competition is over, some of the bodybuilders and fitness models get together and have a match, pitting their fighting skills against each other. It circulates from place to place in some circles, or it is held after every competition, depending on the contest and such. It's not advertised by media, and that's the way they like it. There are no big cash prizes, just a cheap trophy, and the thrill of victory. I believe that's it," Susan explained.

[Author's Note: And what Susan summed up in a nutshell was The Event, one of my shorter stories (eight pages!), which is also located in my bookshelf. Check it out now. ' Mongoose.]

"Well I'd say you've got it down pat, my dear," Cao replied. "I'm sorry, but my relatives seem to be a little lax in their manners."

"I am sorry, Cao. In the order that they are standing, this is Janelle Edwards, Betty Conrad, and Susan Davidson," LS said.

Cao rose and went to Susan. "I've heard so much about you! It is truly an honor to meet an actual kickboxer of your caliber."

"I didn't know my fame was worldwide," Susan replied.

"LS and Lewis have told me so much about you, and I have even had the chance to see your matches."

"Sorry to interrupt, but we seems to have two men who are taking a nap on LS's rug," Janelle said. "And it looks like one of them is waking up."

"Oh, this one?" Cao said, sitting back down and resting a dainty bare left foot on top of Thug number two's head, then suddenly slamming his head on the hardwood floor, knocking him out again. "We need to talk about that."

"Cao, don't do that so hard!" Kim warned.

"Why, because I might scramble his brain more than it already is?"

"No, because you might damage LS's hardwood floors."

"Oh, don't want to do that."

"Cao, I do not know who these men are, although I have an idea. Why don't we start with what happened to you," LS said.

"I arrived at your place and unlocked the door when these brutes jumped me. And in subduing them, I broke my shoe. Now I have to do without."

"And this comes from a woman who spends all day walking around in her bathing suit," Kim remarked.

"Posing suit," Cao corrected. "In my livelihood, you get so used to them, it's nothing to go about conducting your daily routine."

"Like driving, for instance?" Betty suggested.

"Oh, of course, especially on those hot summer days."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Betty exclaimed. Kim, Susan, and Janelle gave her a stern look.

"You're not allowed. On the drive back home, you're wearing regular clothes like everybody else," Janelle said. "When you become a famous bodybuilder, then maybe we'll let you walk around in public wearing your bikini."

"Yes mother."

Susan started to absently hum the polka-dot bikini song.

"Oh please don't start up that dreadful song," Cao protested. "I had to endure that tune when I started bodybuilding."

"Allow me to summarize what has happened. Wait, the other one is stirring," LS said.

"Are we ready to interrogate them?" Betty asked.

"Not yet."

"Allow me," Janelle said, and performed a lapel choke on the other thug. He was out again.

"You know judo?" Cao asked.

"Yes, black belt. Not as high as LS here, but I'm working on it," Janelle replied. "What about you?"

"A few styles of kung fu. Can't say I'm a master of any of them yet. Susan's style I know, but what about you, Betty?"

"She's my proud pupil in tae kwon do," Kim said, hugging Betty around the waist and smiling. Betty was surprised by the show of emotion.

"So you have a strike force on your hands here. This should be good."

LS explained in a nutshell what had happened, and what she planned to do about it.

"Well I see you have a strike force, what are you going to do for espionage?" Cao asked.

"I am still working on that," LS said.

"I've been thinking so much about the beat down, I forgot about that little detail," Janelle remarked.

"Maybe I can help on that," Cao said, thinking.

"Excuse me for being dumb, but why is espionage needed?" Betty asked.

"For finding proof that the good councilman is behind all this nonsense," Janelle said. "And no, you're not dumb; I can't call anyone who can customize a van like that dumb. A little na#ve when it comes to wearing swimwear in public, perhaps, but not dumb."

"I'll just say thank you for most of that. The Daughters of Athena wear swimwear in public."

"They also shave their heads too. Do you want to do that?"

"So when do we interrogate the prisoners?" Susan asked.

"Good question. Jasmine was the master of that art among the three of us," Kim remarked. "LS and I were always too brutal."

"I would say I find that hard to believe, but after hearing that story about the pressure points, I can see why she would be," Janelle said.

"So what do we do with them?" Cao said to LS. "We know they mistook me for you, so what else do we need to know? We know who sent them."

"Maybe. There is a possibility they could be remnants from one of the gangs you've taken apart," Kim suggested.

"I will wake them and find out what they know," LS said with a sigh.

"I'll question them," Susan said. All five women turned to look at her.

"You?" Betty replied.

"You want to interrogate them?" Kim asked, not sure if she heard correctly.

"You, Miss Sweetness and Light, want to ask these manly men some questions?" Janelle said. "They may ask you out, but I doubt if they'll tell you anything."

"My dear Janelle, you underestimate me," Susan replied, smiling. "I can be most persuasive."

LS shrugged. "It could not hurt. Sure."

"This I've got to see," Janelle remarked.

"Thank you, LS," Susan said. "Now I need two sturdy chairs, no, make that three so I can be seated, a few things moved out of the way, and some rope."

"Do you need a tree too?"

"Nah, three chairs should do it. I also like the three of us to be alone. The rest of you could watch from the hallway if you like."

The crew quickly grabbed a couple of hard wooden chairs that belonged to a dining room set that LS didn't use anymore, along with a comfortable computer chair for Susan. They managed to find some rope, but decided on duct tape instead to bind the men's hands behind them. After they cleared the living room a little, Susan requested a glass of ice water, primarily to drink, but some of it she sprinkled on her captives to help revive them. When the men woke up, they found themselves bound in their seats. They also noticed in front of them a six foot blond woman wearing a sleeveless white T-shirt and blue jean shorts sitting in front of them, her muscular bare legs crossed, sipping a drink.

"Ah, good, you're awake. Now we can begin," Susan said.

"Who are you?" Thug number one said gruffly.

"You don't know who I am? I'm touched. Let's just say for right now I'm a good friend of LS; you know, the woman you tried to attack some time ago. Now I don't plan to keep you long. I just want to ask you a couple of questions. If you answer these questions, you can go, it's that simple. Ready?"

"I don't plan on telling you nothing!" Thug number two replied.

"Uh huh. So, what are your names?"

Neither man said anything.

"Very well, I'll call you Romulus," Susan said to Thug number one, "and I'll call you Remus," she said to Thug number two.

The thugs just gave her a strange look.

"Now let's begin. Romulus, why are you here?"

The thugs gave her a confused look.

"You're Romulus, and you're Remus," Susan said, pointing to each one of them. "Get with the program. Now Romulus (that's you), why are you here?"

"Why are any of us here?" "Romulus" (formerly Thug number one) said, philosophically. "Why are you here?"

"I was invited here. You two weren't. How come?"

"You got me," Romulus said, shrugging.

"I know why I'm here," Remus said. "I think it's to get between those long legs of yours and-"

"Remus! Speak when you're spoken to!" Susan barked. Remus sat back with an amused grin on his face. "Now Romulus, let me ask you one more time. Why are you here?"

"Look lady, neither I nor my friend here are going to answer any of your questions. You're just wasting your time," Romulus said.

Susan rose from her chair and sipped her drink. "Is that your answer?" She asked taking a stride toward him.

"Yeah, that's my answer."

"I see," Susan replied. She took one more step toward Romulus, then suddenly spun clockwise, and landed a right roundhouse kick to Remus. The bare sole of Susan's foot struck Remus's face so hard, he found his face moved to the left, surprised his head was still on his shoulders. The move surprised everyone, including Romulus, who stared in shock, and the ladies watching from the hallway.

"Whoa," Betty whispered, "I didn't see that coming."

"None of us did. I think it did its job," Cao replied.

"I'm impressed," Kim remarked.

"I concur," LS said.

Susan walked back to her seat and sat down, taking another sip of water as she did so.

"Now Romulus, just to let you know, I'm a kickboxer. I've been told my kicks are very powerful. I don't know that myself, I've never been on the receiving end of them, but that's what people tell me. I broke a man's thighbone once. So why are you here, Romulus, and who sent you?" She asked.

"We're both pretty tough guys. It'll take more than a few fancy kicks to make us do anything," Romulus said. Remus was still shaking off the effects of the first kick.

"Would you say you both were paid well?"

"What?"

"Would you say both of you were paid enough money for this job?"

"What's it to you if we're paid enough or not for a "job?'"

"I'm just curious if it covers medical care."

"Why?"

Susan got up, and walked a couple of steps toward Romulus. She suddenly turned and took three steps toward Remus. On the third step, she made a small leap, kicking her left leg high over her head. As she landed on her right foot, her left leg descended, with the left heel landing on Remus' collarbone. A loud blood-curdling scream came from the attacked thug. The ladies were speechless, while Romulus was showing signs of a cold sweat.

"I created that move myself. That's my flying axe kick. I never had an opportunity to try it out in the ring, because I thought it has potentially lethal implications to it. From the looks of your friend, it appears I was right," Susan said, once again sitting down and sipping her drink.

"'Potentially lethal?'" Janelle exclaimed. "Does she realize what she did?"

"That's why she asked if they were adequately covered," Cao replied.

"True, because I am not paying for it," LS said.

The ladies (except for Janelle) stifled a giggle as Susan continued.

"I, I'm still not telling you nothing!" Romulus managed to say, though with not as much bravado as before.

"That's fine; your friend still has some good spots left. Besides, I think it's time for me to work on my punches," Susan replied. "But I did that kick with my left foot. I need to try it with my right foot on the other collarbone. Who sent you, Romulus?"

"It was the councilman! He's the one who-" He was suddenly silenced by Susan's backhand slap. The blow caused even more pain.

"I was not talking to you," Susan said. "Now answer me Romulus, who sent you? Was it this councilman fellow, or was it somebody else?

Romulus was momentarily at a loss for words. "I, I, I," he stammered to say.

"That's not an answer," Susan sang as she got up and headed for Remus.

"Yes it was the councilman! He paid us to beat this woman bad! We were supposed to send her to the hospital. He paid us $500 each. Please don't hurt him anymore!" Romulus blurted out.

Susan stood there and looked at both men. Romulus was still in a cold sweat, while Remus was turning pale and on the verge of passing out.

"What a shame. After I was finished with a few more vital spots, I wanted to work on you next. But if I did, I wouldn't be able to get any answers now, would I?" She said.

"You're crazy, lady," Romulus said.

"No, I'm fine. I could show you what I did when I was really angry, but I don't think Remus is up to it. LS, any other questions?"

LS emerged from the hallway. "No, I think that is all. Kim, could you call 911 and have them send an ambulance to the north alley?"

"Sure, no problem," Kim said.

Romulus was being raised to his feet. "The alley? Why can't we be sent to the lobby-"

Susan's right cross-eliminated any further argument.

"That's why," she said. "LS, could I have another glass of water?"

"Sure," LS said as she and Cao picked up Remus carefully to be taken out the back door to eventually be deposited in the alley below. "Help yourself."

"Susan, was that really necessary?" Janelle asked as she propped Romulus up on her shoulders to take him out. "I believe you broke the man's shoulder!"

As she returned from the kitchen with a fresh glass of water, Susan said, "Janelle, I may be "sweetness and light' when I do my normal affairs. I'm even always respectful of my opponents in the ring, no matter who they are. But when it comes to missing with my loved ones, friends or family, that's a different story."

"Well I'm glad to be your friend," Cao said, smiling warmly.

"Any friend of LS's is a friend of mine. You two need a hand with that guy?"

"No, we just want to make sure he does not wake up on his way to the alley," LS replied. Remus had long since passed out from the pain of Susan's blow. "Just sit down and take a break."

"What made you decide which one to ask for information?" Betty asked as she helped move the furniture back into place.

"To tell the truth, I wasn't sure which one to ask and which to hit, until that man made that rude remark. I figured even a hardened thug would not want to watch his colleague suffer because he wouldn't answer questions," Susan replied.

Kim with growing impatience was waiting on the phone, ready to give a remark when someone answered. "Oh, yes, I need an ambulance," she said as she gave the location of the apartment complex. There's two men hurt, one a little badly; I think they've been mugged, in a gang fight, or something. Oh you can't miss them. By the way, tell Lisa that it's a code 5.2. Thank you."

"What's a code "5.2?'" Susan asked.

"That's LS's height, and also her code to the some of the crew who know her that she sent them another victim. I guess technically it would be more of a 6.0 that clobbered them, but she can explain that to them later."

"You mean LS has connections with the local hospital?" Betty said.

"Also with the mayor's office and the police department," LS said as she and Cao came from the alley. When I worked with politicians, I have made a few friends who agreed with me as far as cleaning up the streets. As long as I do not get out of control, there is no problem. And that is a good thing, because before I am through, there are going to be quite a few going where those two men are."

"What I'd like to know is where did you come up with that kick?" Betty asked.

"Oh that? It actually was an idea I had after I talked with a fellow kickboxer, a featherweight, actually. She is skinny as a rail. Anyway, she is well known for being a knockout artist, though you wouldn't know that from looking at her. On the subject, she told me, "Susan, I may not be able to break boards or do things that require super-strength, but give me a little momentum, and I can be a bullet.' So I tried a little experimenting, and there you go. It's the first time I've done that on somebody. Good to see that it's a success," Susan explained.

"Huh, and I thought that boxer would be built just like me," LS reflected, grinning.

"No Love, everybody knows how powerful you are," Cao said. "Most of what you do doesn't involve striking anyway. Now what can we do about the councilman?"

"I have an idea about that," Betty said.

"Can you make any micro recording devices to put on the man?" Janelle asked.

"That's a little bit out of my area. Now if you wanted his car rigged, I'm your girl."

"It is just as well. I do not think I can come within five feet of the man without trying to hurt him," LS said.

"That won't be necessary either. I'll explain on the way to the dojo. We're still going there, aren't we?" Betty asked, looking over the room making sure it was the same way it was before the interrogation.

"I almost forgot in all the confusion. Yes, we need to go and take care of a few things. Is everybody ready?" LS said.

Everyone loaded themselves into the van and drove to the dojo. LS was glad to see it again, but she noticed something was odd, out of place about the surroundings, but couldn't put a finger on it. She told the other women of her suspicions.

"It could be you just have a busy day," Janelle said. "After your exploits of clearing gangs off the streets, I'd expect you to be an instant celebrity."

"You could be right. We have been increasing in customers, it just looks like we have a lot more than we normally do," LS replied.

Betty parked the minivan and the women made their way to the dojo, only to find their way blocked by three Hispanic men, all about six feet in height, and looking like they came from a spaghetti western movie with long bushy mustaches and long black hair slicked back. They wore saggy, baggy jeans, except for one who wore saggy, baggy khakis, and oversized sweatshirts. The one in the khaki pants swaggered up to the sextet and addressed them."

"Ah, senora Kim and the short one, we meet again," he said.

"Who are you?" Janelle asked, looking at the trio with disgust at their attire.

The three men reared back in a prideful stance. "We are the Capoeria Brothers, senorita, the toughest dudes in the land," one of the other two men said.

Janelle turned to LS and Kim and asked, "Who are they?"

Kim said, "Yes, that's the name they call themselves. They claim to be the toughest fighters in the neighborhood. They also claim to be masters in obviously capoeria."

"Capoeria, great," Janelle remarked. When LS looked at her, she replied, "I have a little issue with that right now."

"Ah yes, Kim told me about that. I liked your solution," LS said.

"Thank you."

"Where is your sister?" The man in the droopy khakis demanded.

"She is at home taking her final exam," Kim giggled.

"What is so funny, woman?"

"I'm just remembering what she did to you last time."

LS turned to the ladies and said, "The last time we tangled, they tried to beat us using some fancy moves they just learned. Jasmine duplicated the same moves and knocked him out. They have been demanding vengeance since."

"Jasmine hasn't given them a rematch?" Betty asked.

"Jasmine hasn't considered them worthy of a rematch," Kim said. "After she beat him, she told the others to go to Brazil where they really know how to practice their art."

"You tell your sister, chica, that I am more than ready for her, and that she will not defeat me again," droopy khakis said.

"Oh drop the "bandito' act, Burt. We know you guys are from here. You're Hoosiers just like LS and I."

"What you three claim to know is an African-Brazilian art, anyway. I don't see what the fake Mexican accents have to do with it," Janelle said. Susan and Betty giggled behind her.

The three men shook with rage. "How dare you!" The third one said.

Cao raised her hand, interrupting the exchange. "Excuse me, but I want a drink of water. Can you just let us by, and we could continue this later?"

"No; there's some unfinished business between us and these two," the lead man, said, pointing at LS and Kim, "and we will take care of it now!"

The lead man suddenly burst into a spinning circular move, almost resembling break dancing, and drawing near to LS. The judoka started to prepare herself when Susan stood in front of her.

"Let me take care of this, it won't take long," Susan said.

Susan walked near to the spinning man, observing him, dodging punches and kicks. She suddenly took a breath, and fired a straight right hand punch into the center of the maelstrom. The result ended up in the man rolling along the sidewalk rubbing his stomach.

"What did you do?" Kim asked.

"I just punched center mass," Susan said. "Besides, his form was so bad, I don't know how he could fight anybody effectively."

As the other two helped their leader, one asked the other, "Do you recognize that woman?"

"Yes, she's the kickboxer," the other said.

"I don't care who she is," droopy khakis replied. "No one does this to me!"

"I do not have time for this!" LS said, "If you three want to take up where we left off, you can wait until we come out. I have business to deal with."

The women walked into the dojo, except for Betty and Cao, who lingered behind for a moment. The Capoeria Brothers were yelling at the women to come back and fight when the two women snuck behind the two other men, and pulled their pants down, revealing their boxers. Laughing, they trotted into the dojo, while the men hastily pulled their pants up, looking around to see if anyone saw their embarrassment.

"You don't know how long I've been tempted to do that," Betty said.

"Since you first saw them?" Cao asked.

"Yeah, that's about right."

The dojo was nicely adorned as far as a dojo goes, but there was one particular wall that had a few holes and marks.

"Those look like bullet holes," Cao said, glancing at the wall.

"That was before I had security pat down gang members at the door," LS replied.

"Why haven't you patched it up yet?"

"It's a reminder."

"Oh, like that little dent I have in my dojo," Janelle said, getting a grin from Susan and Betty.

"I always thought the life of an instructor would be boring. Maybe I should get into a new line of work," Cao remarked.

"I thought you liked strutting around, showing off your physique," Kim said.

"Ah yes, but that's why a few of us attend the Event; we actually get to do something with them."

"Are the rest of your classes always this big?" Janelle asked LS.

"No, and that is what concerns me. I will talk to Rhonda, my second-in-command about this. I like to think enrollment does not increase every time I leave town," LS answered.

Rhonda was leading the class through their regular exercises, and had just finished their last set when she saw LS and company. Upon doing so, she suddenly yelled, "Madam Sensei is here!" Everyone in the room turned facing LS and bowed. LS returned the bow as well as the others, and then motioned for them to be at ease. She motioned for Rhonda to come over. Rhonda motioned to another woman to lead the class, and then padded her way over.

"You have this class whipped into shape, Love," Cao said.

"It was not my idea. Rhonda's father was in the military, so she borrowed a few of their ideas and put them here. A nice bow is good enough for me," LS said. "Rhonda, this is Betty and Susan, who I have told you about. This is Janelle, a fellow judo instructor. Cao and Kim you know."

After giving Kim and Cao a hug, she rushed over and shook hands with the rest, especially Betty.

"I've heard so much about you!" She said.

"I hope you heard about my automotive knowledge as much as my fighting skills," Betty quipped.

"Yes I have; in fact, I have a vehicle I use for work that is acting a little funny."

"Right now, I would like to know how my classes suddenly became so popular overnight," LS said.

"It's strange; the day after you left, we suddenly had an increase of first-timers and visitors for every class. I admit it sounds fishy too, but what can you do?" Rhonda said, shrugging.

"Leave that to me."

LS suddenly walked out to the middle of the dojo floor and clapped her hands. Everyone abruptly stopped what they were doing, and faced the master teacher. For a long moment, she looked them over.

"To all my students, I give you my welcome. To those of you who are visiting, I welcome you as well, and I hope you will join us. There is so much more to learning the art of judo besides throwing people. You will not be disappointed.

"However, it is the other group of people I am addressing who really needs to heed my council today. I know why you are here, and who sent you. The answers you are looking for you will not get from here today. I do not tolerate spies who try to infiltrate my dojo. Leave now, this is your final warning," she said.

While Janelle and Kim looked on impassively, Betty, Cao, and Susan looked on with horror.

"What does she think she's doing?" Susan asked in a low voice.

"They'll think she's off her nut!" Cao remarked.

"Teacher, I don't understand," Betty said to Kim, not even realizing she switched back to teacher/student mode when she set foot in the dojo.

"A good teacher knows her students," Kim explained. "Watch carefully, you'll see." Janelle nodded in agreement.

Betty refocused her gaze on LS. It turned out while she addressed the class, her sights was not at all of them, but at a certain segment of the class. In one corner of the room sat a small group of people who looked out of place somehow. One woman in the group was 5'7" with dirty blond hair and was wearing a yellow track suit with a black racing stripe down the side. She always seemed to always have her black duffle bag nearby. She also had a perpetual scowl on her face that would not be expected to be worn by a student. Though her and the rest might have realized they'd been discovered, they made no move to leave. The other students started to realize where their teacher was looking, and started to eye the strangers with suspicion.

Putting an end to the staring contest, LS said, "Jenifer, Paul, Lotus, take your groups and come over to my right against the wall. Anthony, I see you have been given the task of teaching the beginners and visitors today. Take the first four rows and join the others. You there, in the green sweats by the woman with the yellow track suit and duffle bag, what is your name?"

"L-Lois," a nervous sounding black woman of average height and build said.

"You can join the others, Lois; I did not mean to accuse you." LS paused while Lois skittered over to the other side. "As you can see, I know who you are, so you can stop pretending."

The six individuals who were left, three men and three women, started to look at each other slowly. The woman in the yellow track suit started to finger the zipper of her duffel bag nervously while unzipping her top, revealing a white tank top T-shirt.

"Would should we do now?" One of the men, 6'5" with a blond Mohawk and a bulky upper body said.

"I say we take her out," a black woman of six feet with dreadlocks and a build similar to the first man replied. "Only a few will defend her, the rest will be too scared."

"We lost our chance to walk out of here, we might as well fight our way out," a man of 5'11" with a slimmer build said.

"Just look at her, acting like she's so important; all these jokers worship her. I want to squash the little pipsqueak," replied a 5'8" stocky woman who spent a lot of her free time in the gym.

A 5'7" man silently banging his fists together like he was preparing for a boxing match said, "How do we do this?"

"Just follow my lead," the woman in the track suit said as she unzipped her bag and pulled out a katana sword, "but I'm going to filet a little judo instructor first!"

She moved menacingly toward LS, flanked by the other henchmen on each side. LS didn't move.

"Interesting; I have never been attacked by someone with a sword before," LS remarked.

"I'm going to carve you like a turkey," the swordswoman said.

Before the gang, the swordswoman, or even LS could make another move, a small crowd came between the two parties. LS recognized most of them as being from the gangs she took over and reformed.

"You ain't going anywhere with that pig-sticker," a black man in a judo gi with a white belt said.

The man with the blond Mohawk scoffed. "You think we're afraid of a dinky white belt like you?" He said.

"I know I can take care of a no-belt like you. I owe my life to this woman, and you're not going to touch her; now leave."

"Maybe I'll carve up a piece of her for you," the swordswoman said.

Betty found herself performing the unusual task of having to push her way through the crowd to get to a fight. After ducking under two women who had a solid front, she popped up in front of the swordswoman.

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" She asked. "I've seen people hold swords before, and you look like my aunt Josephine trying to use an axe." That gathered a few giggles.

"You little snot, I could cut you so fast, you wouldn't even know you're bleeding."

The next sound that came was a loud crack. Those who were lucky enough to see it saw Betty pull her right hand out of her pocket, slap the swordswoman across the face with it, and place it back in her pocket. The swordswoman and even the henchmen were taken off guard.

"You look so tense," Betty continued. "I know just what you need ' a whack across the head! Normally I would let LS, or even her students handle you, but my friends and I have been pestered by you idiots ever since we got here. I have a burning need to whack someone, and you're elected. Your playmates can help out if you need it, or you can sober up and leave; but the only way you'll use that sword is to cut me first, and that's not going to happen."

The swordswoman shook with anger as she raised her sword. "I need no help to take care of you, you little-" Her words were cut off by a lightning left jab from Betty. She also snapped a left kick into the face of the black henchwoman who came to her aid.

The only thing that kept the whole scene from breaking into pandemonium was some of the crowd calling out their opponents. The blond Mohawk man tried to grab Betty, but the man who spoke first (whose name was Jamie) jerked him away. The blond Mohawk man responded by lunging at him. The one who banged his fists together danced around in a boxing stance against a green belt who wasn't sure how to defend against boxers. Susan came over and politely asked to step in. The green belt, knowing who she was, stepped back and let her take over. The large stocky woman in a sense exchanged one "pipsqueak" for another, taking on a 5'1" Filipino who looked like she would weigh a hundred and twenty pounds if she was soaking wet. Cao didn't want to be left out of the action. She called dibs on "the woman on steroids with a bad haircut." The 5'11" slim man figured the best way was to get out of there. Couldn't these idiots see they're outnumbered? As he ran to the door, narrowly avoiding the flying tackles of some of the students, he practically skidded to a halt when he saw Janelle and Rhonda waiting for him.

"We figured one of you would tell the good councilman what was going on, but we're not ready to let you leave yet," Janelle said.

"Not in one piece, anyway," Rhonda added.

"Rhonda, would you like the honor?"

"No, you're our guests, I insist."

"Okay, where would be the best place to throw him?"

Rhonda pointed to a spot, and as Janelle looked, the man took that opportunity to attack.

Everyone else watched, rooting on their classmate or one of the ladies to win.

One of the biggest lessons Janelle remembered when here sensei taught her, and she in turn taught her students was to never take your eyes off your opponent. Even if you have to look elsewhere, always keep your quarry in your side view. The tall slim man remembered his hands outstretched for Janelle's neck one moment, the next, he was slammed against the wall, the view of the world upside down, to be further aggravated when his head hit the floor.

"Rhonda, my assistant Velvet is an expert with chokes," Janelle said as she walked toward the downed man."

"Really?" Rhonda asked, checking the wall to see if there was a dent.

"Yeah; she can knock a person out just like that. She has a special knack for it. I'm not as accomplished, but I get by."

At that moment, Janelle grasped the tall slim man's head and neck, and applied a rear naked choke. The man struggled hard, but he was out in a few seconds.

"Huh, looks like he still had some life in him when you choked him," Rhonda said.

"Yeah, they always make a fuss before you knock their lights out," Janelle replied.

Being a white belt, Jamie's knowledge of judo self-defense was limited, but he applied what he knew. When the blond Mohawk man attacked him, he converted that attack into a textbook over the shoulder throw. At the end of that throw, he then placed him in a hold that trapped his head and one arm. Not knowing what to do next, he used a tried and true street fighting technique: he punched him several times in the face. His foe was out after the first ten blows. One of the senior teachers came by, and checked his handiwork. Jamie just shrugged and smiled about his last move. The teacher just laughed, patted him on the shoulder, and helped him up.

Before she fought, Susan took a moment to reach into her back pockets, and pull out a pair of fingerless gloves, and put them on. Her opponent grinned.

"That's nice sweetheart, but you won't lay a hand on me," he said.

"Well I still need to protect my knuckles; I have an important fight coming up soon," Susan replied.

"What you supposed to be a real boxer or something?"

"Nope, kickboxer." Susan then delivered a left kick that was only inches from the man's nose. As the man jumped back in surprise, she smiled and said, "Now I'm ready."

The fight that followed was interesting only for the first twelve seconds. The man threw a right jab that Susan ducked. She replied with a left shin kick to the underarm area, a left punch to the solar plexus, and a right cross to the jaw. And that was it.

As he faded into unconsciousness, Susan stood over him and said, "By the way, your guard was faulty, you telegraph your punches, you have no footwork, and you're as fast as a turtle. When you're actually serious, you can look for a rematch."

The green belt, along with several others cheered, and someone yelled, "our new champion!" They wanted to place the kickboxer on their shoulders and carry her around, but Susan refused, saying that others may need their help.

LS was still standing in the center of the dojo, watching the action. She still had a few men and women standing around her acting as her bodyguards. Kim came up to her and asked, "So when did you teach your students to be your bodyguards?"

LS turned to her with a shocked expression on her face. "I did not," she said.

"Wow. So what's the scoop on this one guy who took down the man with the Mohawk?"

LS shook her head. "All I know is he used to be in one of the fiercest gangs I took down. Him, and some of my "guard' here. I will need to ask him myself what I did."

"If these former gangbangers dedicate themselves to you and the cause that much, it gives even further reason why the councilman needs to be put down."

At first glance, it may look like Cao was facing off with a larger, more formidable opponent. As her black foe leaped toward her, she just sidestepped out of the way. When she found out she missed her, in an attempt of intimidation, she struck a double biceps pose, letting her upper body muscles show themselves through her olive drab tank top. Not to be outdone, Cao shed her cover-up and gave a pose that displayed muscle through her whole body.

"Now that we have shown each other what we have, let's have a go of it, shall we?" Cao said.

Being a muscle woman herself, Cao wasn't concerned about the size of her foe's biceps (at least mine are real, she mused to herself). Being a regular participant of the Event, fighting powerful opponents of all sizes was not a problem, especially with her kung fu skills.

Her attacker threw a right punch that Cao knocked to the side with a right outside block. Grabbing the wrist, she used her left hand to deliver a vicious chop to the upper chest. At the same time she delivered that chop, she used her left foot to kick the back of her left foot. As expected, the woman moved her foot to keep it from being bothered, which fell into Cao's trap. As she caught the right leg, Cao shifted her weight forward, dumping her. Stunned, the woman roared back to Cao in response as she scrambled to get up.

"I say old girl, you need to go off the "juice.' You're starting to sound like that Arnold fellow who's governor of California," Cao said.

"Aah! I'm going to rip your arms off!" The woman roared, taking another swing at Cao, this time with her left.

Cao casually blocked the punch, and then delivered a punch of her own to some nerve clusters on her left side around the underarm area. She stepped back and paused, while her quarry stumbled around, trying to regain feeling to her left side.

"Arrgh! Aah!" She said.

"Egad! Did those steroids affect your power of speech as well?"

The woman, deciding not to be deterred by the onset of temporary paralysis, limped her way toward Cao, trying to grab her by the throat with her good hand. Cao stepped around and chopped her on the neck, knocking her out.

"I thought I saw a water fountain nearby; where would it be?" Cao asked a nearby judo student. He pointed to a wall on the other side of the dojo where the device was.

"Thank you good fellow," she said as she walked away, stepping over Susan's foe on the way to the fountain.

There's over a hundred different types of throws in judo, and May, the 5'1" Filipino had so far executed ten of them on her bigger opponent. She was gracious enough to perform her throws at half power, so her foe wouldn't be knocked out on the mat. In return, May had been called roughly every name that made reference to her size, like "gnat," "rat," "ant," "flea," and what must be the woman's personal favorite, "pipsqueak," usually prefaced by "dinky little." But despite her size, May was anything but dinky. While the woman called her names, May maintained a quiet demeanor. But underneath the quiet exterior, May was having the most fun she's had in a long time. When she started taking up judo, she ran into a number of skeptics in her neighborhood, and those who wanted to take her on. After she developed an excellent proficiency of the martial art, no one, not even the worst punks she had on her street wanted to mess with her. After she threw her opponent once again, she slowly shook her head. These were the thugs who were going to beat up her teacher? If so, ten of them wouldn't be enough.

"When I finally get my hands on you, I will tear you apart," the larger woman wheezed as she got to her feet, a little slower than she had been. May sighed. This has been entertaining, but now it's become a little old. This woman has become too predictable, and her tirades had become belligerent and boring. Besides, she had "gotten her hands" on May several times, right before she threw her.

She charged May like a stampeding buffalo, a tactic she used on her several times before (didn't she realize by now this didn't work?). May grasped her arms and threw herself backwards, taking the woman with her. On the way, she shoved her dainty little right foot in her midsection. For a split-second, May noticed from glancing at her foot she needed to repaint her toenails when she got home. Using her momentum, she rolled on her shoulders, pushing up with her right leg, sending the woman flying and landing hard on her back. Having completed the tomonage, or circle throw, May rolled herself onto the large woman and looked at her for a moment.

"You little ack!" The downed woman croaked before May applied a lapel choke on her.

"Shh," May said softly as the woman lost consciousness. "Pipsqueak."

This left one battle remaining, the one between Betty and the swordswoman. Normally, it would be concluded that whoever held the sword had the advantage over the unarmed participant, but such was not the case. In fact, the battle has been mainly one "strategic withdrawal." Betty had pursued the woman, throwing lightning quick punches and kicks at such a furious pace, the other woman had not had a chance to use her weapon. Instead, she found herself backpedaling, maneuvering away from the other judo students as well as Betty. Finally, her back hit something soft and hard. The swordswoman thought it was another student who didn't move out of the way. A quick glance told her it was something worse. It was one of the padded walls of the dojo. She was pinned, trapped; and to add insult to injury, Betty knew it.

"I knew you didn't know how to use that thing," Betty said as she slowly advanced on the trapped swordswoman. "You hold that thing like a caveman uses a club. "Carve me like a turkey,' huh? I don't even think you can carve a turkey! Tell you what, I'll go ahead and sock you now, and when you wake up, you can go watch some episodes of Highlander or some samurai movies on what you can really do with a sword."

"Stay back!" The swordswoman yelled with as much panic in her voice as there was in her swing. As quick as the swing was, Betty was faster, ducking beneath the slashing blow. Or rather, most of her did. A collective gasp rose from the students and teachers alike. Betty herself didn't know what was going on until she noticed something felt different, and the saw a familiar looking long black object on the floor.

It was her ponytail.

Betty looked at the object in horror. It may have been a simple hairstyle, but she liked her long hair, and the ponytail she wore it in. It had also been with her when she officially started her auto garage, and also in the many battles she's fought since then. Granted, it was a part of her until a moment ago, but after going through so much, it became sentimental, like an old friend, sort of.

"Y-you cut my ponytail," Betty said softly, as she backed away slightly, and then bent down to pick it up.

The swordswoman was about as surprised as everyone else that she sheared off a part of Betty's hair. The swing was supposed to keep her back. However, seeing an advantage when she saw one, she gave Betty an evil grin and a low chuckle, meaning it as a warning as she waved her sword menacingly. This though had the opposite effect.

"You cut my ponytail!" Betty said, glaring at her. "You better learn how to use that thing real fast, because after I beat the crap out of you, I'm going to take that sword and stick it ' no, I have a better idea, I'll pin you down and give you a haircut! How would you like that, huh?"

"Get back, I'm warning you!" The swordswoman held her sword in more of a samurai combat pose. She also noticed the exit on the other side of the dojo, and some of the students moving her downed comrades by it. Everyone else was watching them intensely.

The swordswoman decided to deliver a forward slash that should rip Betty's shirt, deliver a sufficient cut, and make a break for the exit. She'll have to deal with the problem of collecting her comrades, duffel bag, and shoes later. Her opponent looked angry enough to spit nails. She started to move her sword, only to get it knocked away by Betty's left backhand. She didn't have much time to mourn the loss of her weapon though, as Betty followed that up with right to the stomach. The swordswoman tightened her stomach muscles in time to soften the blow, but she didn't realize it was a setup for Betty's next move, which came in the form of a flying roundhouse kick. The swordswoman was an excellent dodger though, and that fact was the only thing that saved her jaw from being broken. Meantime, she slammed against the wall, and fell down, face first on the dojo floor. Betty stood over her, waiting for her to get up so she could hit her again.

"Uh Betty, I think she's out. I don't think she'll be getting up anytime real soon," Janelle said.

"If that kick didn't decapitate her first," Kim said with a little smirk.

Betty slowly moved away from the body of the swordswoman, and turned toward Susan as she picked up her decapitated ponytail. "Well, looks like you got what you wanted," she said.

"Not like that," Susan replied.

"Look at my hair, it's ruined! Somebody wake Miss Samurai up so I can knock her out again. I want to show her how I pull teeth without Novocain," Betty ranted.

First, Betty received a round of applause, which surprised her and calmed her down a little. Then LS came forward and placed her hand on Betty's back.

"Do we have some hair stylists among this group?" She asked. Three ladies rose up their hands. Two of them had their scissors and accessories with them and volunteered to help out on the spot.

Betty was a little reluctant at first to receive the sudden aid, but the three hairdressers, normally used to the hesitance of customers when it came to a new hairstyle, grabbed Betty and escorted her to one of the dojo's backrooms. LS came to the visitors and new students.

"I am sorry you had to see this," she said. "This does not normally happen here. If you want to leave and never come back or receive a refund if you just enrolled, that would not be a problem, I understand."

One student, a young man fresh out of high school said, "Are you kidding? I want to sign up right now! Even before the fight, this place was more exciting than the karate place down the street!"

"If you can teach me to keep men like them from bothering me at work, I'm staying," an older woman said.

Lois pointed a finger at May, who was on the other side of the dojo. "I want to learn to fight like her," she said.

LS smiled and said, "May has an encouragement to everyone who joins us. She is known as our "Giant Killer,' because she is very good. She will be up for her second-degree black belt pretty soon. She will also be more than happy to help any of you out with your techniques. Since everyone plans on staying, let me personally welcome you to my dojo. You will not forget the experience; although I think what happened not long ago already left that impression."

After leaving the visitors or soon to be new students, she called the class's attention and ended class early for the day. A large chunk of the students stuck around. Many of them asked Susan for autographs and asked her questions, while some out of curiosity wanted to see what Betty was going to look like after her "transformation."

"Ending class early was a good idea, LS," Rhonda said. "If would've been very hard to regain their attention after all that just happened."

"Speaking of which, what are we going to do with these blokes? Should we let Susan interrogate them again?" Cao asked.

"And ask them what? We know who sent them. I say we throw their carcasses out in the alley and leave it at that," Kim said.

Janelle picked up the katanna sword the swordswoman wielded earlier and brought it to the group.

"I suppose Betty would want this for a souvenir or to break over her knee when she gets finished," she said. "I'm not an expert on weapons, but this sword is a lot less intimidating when you look at it."

"What do you mean?" Kim asked.

"You know when she cut Betty's ponytail off? Well, from the looks of it, that's about all the damage she could do, aside from a superficial cut or two."

LS took the sword and looked at it. "She is right; this sword is a replica."

"A replica? How did she get that?" Cao said.

"You can turn to the back of any martial arts magazine and order one. If you're smart enough to read the not-so-fine print that tells you it's a replica and not the real thing, it's no big deal," Janelle replied. "I take it our "Lady Samurai' over there either didn't read that fine print, or she just wanted to scare LS long enough for the others to get their hands on her."

"That would explain why she was swinging it like a stick when Betty attacked her," Kim said.

"I believe our councilman needs to get his money back. Where is he getting these losers anyway?" LS asked.

"I thought I heard one of them mutter something about New York City, but I'm not sure," Cao added.

"Huh, that woman who Betty is looking for is supposed to be from there. Maybe they have thugs for rent," Janelle joked.

"Well from what I have seen, we do not have much to worry about if that is the case. If they cannot fight, we can take care of this matter in no time. In the meantime, I want to go home. As soon as they finish with Betty, we will need to see about sleeping arrangements and all that," LS replied.

"I already figured that out. Betty and Susan are coming with me, while Janelle stays with you," Kim said.

"And how have you come to that decision?"

"Strikers and grapplers, of course."

"I suppose I could stay at the hotel a few more days," Cao added.

"No need to spend any more money than is necessary, Cao, we have an extra room for you," Kim replied.

"Why thank you, Kim. I'll come by later; there's some more people I'd like to visit."

"If you're talking about Rini and Michelle, they're out doing something."

"Oh. Well, I may come by sooner then."

Susan, along with a few of her fans trotted over to the group.

"Hey gang, I believe it's time for the unveiling," she said.

The three hairdressers ran out of the room, and after humming some fanfare music, opened the door, and after a little prompting, pulled Betty out. The female mechanic tentatively stepped out onto the dojo floor, feeling less confident than she did earlier in battle. The look she saw on everyone's faces did not help either.

"What's ' what's wrong?" Betty asked.

"Nothing's wrong. Nothing's wrong at all," a male student said staring, until he noticed his girlfriend glaring at him.

"Betty, do you remember that remark I said about doing your own thing?" Janelle asked.

"Yes I do." Betty answered.

"Forget it; you look absolutely beautiful."

"Uh, thank you."

"And you are definitely not wearing any swimsuits in the van while driving on the way home. We do not want to contribute to the number of traffic accidents in the Hoosier state."

"Oh thanks a lot. Are you going to be my chaperone too?"

"I thought about it. Of course we'll need to get you some dates for that."

"What?"

"It looks like I was right; you do look like Halle Berry," Susan said, changing the subject.

"Except Halle Berry can't kick butt like you can," Kim remarked.

"I don't know; in that one Bond movie, she looked pretty good," Betty said.

"Ah, they were children playing with knives, though at least they acted like they knew how to use a sword."

"That reminds me, where is that woman, I still have a few things to tell her."

Betty was about to stalk over to rouse the downed swordswoman until LS raised her hand, stopping her.

"That will not be necessary. There is nothing more we need to get from them. Soon, we will throw them out in the alley. I must thank you for two things. I thank you for taking on one of the intruders, and before your ' transformation, those three hairstylists never agreed on anything since they enrolled here. Your plight has brought them together."

"Wow."

"And you do indeed look beautiful. Why have you not tried it before?"

"Well I . . . I don't know."

"Well in the meantime, here is the sword that woman attacked you with. You can keep it or break it over your knee. The choice is yours," LS said, handing the sword to Betty.

Betty picked up the sword, giving it a close look and turning it over. Finally, she said to the rest, "You mean she cut off my ponytail with this?"

"That's about it. You can't even cut your wrists with that blade," Kim replied. "It's a replica."

"I have faced people with real knives, and I come here and I run into some loon with a toy sword?" Betty looked toward the swordswoman who was starting to come to and was about to head her direction before Cao grasped her shoulders.

"Let it go, old girl," Cao said. "You laid her out, let's go on."

"All right," Betty sighed.

"So what are you going to do with the sword?" Susan asked.

"In my shop, I try to use the finest parts made with good materials. I don't have to be a blacksmith to know that this sword isn't much better than tin, unless you sharpen it for half the day. In other words, this thing isn't worthy to hang in my shop. Let her have it," Betty said, handing the sword back to LS, who in turn handed it to one of her students to toss lightly on its owner.

"I need to do a few things before we leave. Jamie, May, could you come over here please?" LS said. As the two came, she said, "May, thank you for your contribution. Once again, another person joined us from your example."

"Domo (Japanese for "thank you')," May said as she bowed quietly.

"Jamie, I thank you as well. I was delighted by your plan of attack. You knowledge of judo is limited at this time, but you used what you knew, plus you were rather ' creative on your finishing move. You will be an excellent student."

"Thank you, sensei," Jamie replied, bowing as well.

"I must ask, though. You mentioned something about "owing your life' to me. All I remember was you used to be in one of the gangs I conquered. Did I miss something?"

"My brother and cousin were in that gang. Both are in prison now. I was headed that same direction. When you took us over, you revealed to many of us that there was more to living your life than standing on the street corner, planning your next heist. One of my buddies, one of the two that escaped, was shot in an attempt to rob a liquor store. He's in a coma now. I couldn't help thinking that could've been me. I started classes at the community college in town, and I now have a part time job along with being at your dojo three to four days a week," Jamie said.

"And many of the others feel the same way?" LS asked.

"Yes, sensei. We knew that you could've taken care of those thugs today, but we didn't think you needed to waste your time with them. We wanted to do it for you."

"Why thank you, Jamie, I am very touched. Thanks again." LS turned to the others. "We need to go. Rhonda, I will see you tomorrow. You know how to take care of the trash."

"That's right, I'll see you tomorrow. Pleasure meeting you," Rhonda said to LS and the group.

On the way out, LS said to Betty, "You said you had an idea regarding surveillance on the councilman. I would be very glad to hear it. I really feel like nailing that man's hide to the wall."

"It's not a problem, LS. All we need to do is to make a visit at the local Radio Shack#.

After a visit to Radio Shack#, and dropping off LS, Cao, and Janelle at LS's apartment, Betty, Susan, and Kim drove to Kim's parents house on the outskirts of town. After five minutes of silence, Betty spoke.

"Teacher, uh Kim? I've noticed that when you and LS are together, you seem to be, uh, well uh," Betty struggled to say.

"Happy?" Susan suggested.

"Yeah? Well yeah. I've even seen you smile. You never smile!"

Kim smiled again, further dumbfounding the two women, and said, "LS and I, we bring out the kid in each other, for lack of a better term. One minute we're fussing over something, the next we're-"

"Singing novelty songs in the backseat of the van?" Susan remarked.

"Yeah. Jasmine used to hang around us to make sure we behaved ourselves. It normally worked, except for those times we'd hide her shoes," Kim replied, stifling a giggle.

"You two used to hide her shoes?" Betty said.

"Yes; we'd ' hold it, turn right here!" Kim pointed at a street.

The street led into a pleasant looking neighborhood, with nice houses. They passed by a public playground where some white, but mainly black and oriental children played with each other.

"This was the "rough neighborhood' you, LS, and your sister watched over? It looks fine to me," Susan said.

"It is now," Kim said smugly. "This neighborhood has an unique blend of whites, blacks, and Asian-Americans. For the most part, everyone got along, except for the people we dealt with. It was on its way to being like this by the time we left."

"So where did those gangs that LS got rid of come from?" Betty asked.

"Downtown, where we were. When LS moved down there to be closer to work when she was in politics, she saw the same thing there that she saw here years ago. After banging her head against the wall trying to get politicians to do something, she decided to take care of things the old-fashioned way. And it worked. Turn left here."

"So what brought Lewis to move downtown?"

Kim smiled again. "Because LS moved downtown, or maybe the other way around. Those two have been almost attached at the hip since ninth grade. They wouldn't even move into an apartment complex unless they had two vacancies there."

"And these two are just now seeing each other? I don't get it," Betty said.

"Not many do. But now I can spend a good part of my free time telling her, "I told you so.'"

"Weirder things have happened," Susan reflected.

"Perhaps, but this was too weird. They should have been married a long time ago. Second house on your right."

The residence of Sonny and Jacqueline Chang was a large ranch house, tastefully decorated, particularly the gardens and landscaping outside.

"Nice place," Susan remarked.

"My mother watches all the home and garden channels on satellite TV," Kim said as the van pulled in the driveway. "If it has anything to do with home improvement or gardening, she's seen it and done it. She also made a nice looking deck in the back."

"Wow," Betty replied.

"It also was a nice incentive to leave home."

"How is that?"

"Whenever she started on one of her major projects, she recruited help. Even our father was not safe. We learned to be busy or someplace else when she got the "fever' as one of my brothers called it."

"What did you do?"

"Took off with my dad. I probably have him to thank for getting me into accounting. All that hanging around while my dad worked late got me interested in the career."

"How did Jasmine escape?" Susan said.

"Who said she did?" Kim smiled. "She's not crazy about numbers like I am, and being younger, she didn't have the experience to avoid mom's requests."

"That probably didn't turn out too bad."

"That's a matter of opinion. If you mention mom's latest project to Jasmine, or anything to do with gardening, you can see her slightly cringe. It's very funny."

Kim's parents met them at the front door. Both of them stood the same height as Kim, and were as athletically fit as their daughter, being black belts in tae kwon do as well. Sonny was a handsome mature gentleman with a small touch of gray sprinkling his short black hair. He was still in his business suit, except for his suit jacket that he just took off. He followed the ancient Japanese custom of taking one's shoes off when entering a house as he stood there in his stocking feet. Jacqueline was the older splitting image of Kim, except her hair was long and black, opposed to Kim's hair being medium length and dyed blond. Between home projects and raising the household, Jacqueline worked as a successful realtor. But on this day, she worked as a gardener. She was dressed in a white sleeveless blouse, blue jeans that had some smatterings of dirt and white dust on them, and barefoot. They both greeted Kim with a smile and a hug.

"Daughter, where are your shoes?" Sonny asked Kim, glancing at her feet.

"Why, they're at home, father," Kim replied shyly.

"Just like your mother," Sonny replied, receiving an elbow to the side from his wife.

"So who did you bring with you?" Jacqueline asked.

"This is Susan Davidson, the famous kickboxer, and this is Betty Conrad, the prize pupil I've been telling you about," Kim replied.

"Famous kickboxer?" Susan said.

"Prize pupil?" Betty said.

Both parents reached out and hugged them both, Jacqueline apologizing for her appearance as she did so.

"What project are you working on now, mother?" Kim asked as she looked at her mother's jeans.

"A Zen rock garden. Would you like to see it?"

"Why yes, I'd love to see it," Susan replied.

The group took a brief tour of the backyard, which held a variety of things, ranging from rose gardens to rock gardens to vegetable gardens. A small pathway of smooth stones separated each display.

"My mother does some gardening," Betty said, "though it's not to this much of an extent."

"That's wonderful. You know, it's been said that gardening is wonderful exercise; it builds up your arm strength," Jacqueline said, directing the last part of her remark to Kim.

"She's right, her arms are getting larger than mine," Sunny joked.

"Mother, I teach tae kwon do several times a week," Kim protested. "How much exercise do I need?"

"I think I'll stick with weights; I barely remember to water my fichus," Susan said. "Last year, I killed my cactus."

"I'll think I'll stick with cars, I have more of a green thumb with that, or rather, a greasy thumb," Betty said.

"Ah yes, you're the mechanic. I'd like to ask you about some car advice later on," Sonny said. "Kim, Jasmine couldn't make it?"

"No dad, she had one last exam to take. She'll visit later," Kim answered. "We're here as a favor to LS, so we'll be around for a day or two."

"That's fine. Betty, Susan, you both are welcome here. In fact, we'll be delighted if you would have dinner with us," Jacqueline said. "You can stay in the two guest rooms. Kim, you know the drill."

After they unpacked, the three gathered in Kim's and Jasmine's old room.

"Kim, your mother's backyard is fantastic!" Betty said, then replied in a stage whisper, "I can see why you made yourself scarce, that's a lot of work!"

"And this comes from someone who thinks nothing of overhauling an engine over a weekend," Susan replied. "For me, this has been an interesting day. First, I'm internationally known, then in some circles, I'm known as just "the kickboxer,' and then I come here and find out I'm famous. I guess I should be flattered."

"You have big fans in this household. Before we leave, your visit will be the talk of the neighborhood. I guess we need to be finished before the local news and/or nosy neighbors come by to visit," Kim said.

"Hey, your mom won't . . . put us to work, will she?" Betty asked.

Kim laughed. "Not this time. On your third visit, I'd be careful. It's not all bad, though. You could be staying with LS's parents."

"Why, are they cruel or something?"

"Not at all. Her dad teaches law and history at the local college, but her mother is an English grammar teacher."

"Oh," Susan and Betty both said.

"So that explains why she talks the way she does," Susan commented. "She'll get along great with my mom; just let me leave the room first."

"Your mom is that way too?" Kim asked.

"Not with grammar, but with other things. As I said before, my mom would help God orchestrate the Second Coming if she had a chance."

"One time LS's brother had an argument with his mom. After he argued his case, she pointed out all the grammatical flaws in his argument. He got so flustered, he forgot what he was arguing about."

All three laughed.

"That's embarrassing," Betty said.

"Yeah, but it helped in his choice of a career."

"How's that?"

"He became a lawyer."

The women laughed again when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Kim said.

The door opened, and a young man, a few years younger than Kim, slowly poked his head in. He stood about 5'8", slim, and had long black hair, a strand of it kept falling in his eyes. He wore a plain black T-shirt and blue jeans with cross-training shoes.

"It's okay Jon, you can come on in. Susan, Betty, this is Jon, my youngest brother . . . so far. Jon, this is Susan, the kickboxer, and this is Betty, the mechanic I've told you about," Kim said.

"Hi," Jon said, shyly.

"Jon is our resident mechanic. He loves cars like you, Betty, only he wants to go more into engineering and design, right, Jon?"

"Yeah."

"He spends a lot of his time restoring cars that used to be old wrecks. He'd love to do classics, but they're too hard to obtain."

"Yeah."

"Jon plans to finish the vocational school he's attending, and then he, well he's not sure at this point. He just knows he plans to go into business for himself one day."

"Yeah."

"A man of few words," Susan remarked, giggling.

"Yeah Kim, he talks so much, I can't get a word in edgewise," Betty remarked.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kim flushed. "Unlike most of us in the family, Jon is the quiet one in the family. The rest of us siblings used to perform the role of his spokesman. I guess it's easy to fall into that pattern without thinking every time I come home. Sorry Jon."

"That's all right," Jon replied, shrugging.

"I thought Jasmine was the quiet one," Betty said.

"No, she's the second quietest one," Kim corrected.

"Are you working on any cars right now, Jon?" Betty asked.

"Yeah. Somebody sent a 1965 Rambler to the local junkyard, and the owner of the place asked me if I would be interested in tinkering with it. Right now, I'm replacing the upholstery, but I plan on dropping a bigger engine in it, and adding some extra features. Uh, you want to see it?" Jon said.

"Yes Jon, I would love to see it. I didn't see any garage or anyplace you would work on a car around here."

"Oh, it's in a garage I own down the street. We could drive or walk, whichever you like."

"I've drove enough today, let's go for a walk. I'll see you two in a bit," Betty said as the two left the room.

"Kim, what did you mean by the remark, "so far' when you said Jon was your youngest brother?" Susan asked.

"Well as a soon to be married woman, I imagine the experience won't be foreign to you. I just noticed while I was introducing my parents to you, mom was giving dad "the look.'"

"The look?"

"Yeah. Over the years, we've managed to notice the signs, so we've have it down to a science. First, mom would start looking at dad with those long gazes you see in the movies. She doesn't look too long, but just long enough. Then there would be something in the way she speaks to him, a little bit of syrup in her phrases."

"Really? Please go on, this is exciting stuff!" Susan exclaimed.

"Then at the dinner table, everything would be normal except for under the table. Mom's toes would be running up and down daddy's legs. The fact I found amazing is they manage to eat their food as usual while that's going on," Kim giggled.

"How did you find that out?"

"One evening, one of my brothers dropped his fork. Naturally he managed to keep his peace until we finished eating and he told us about it. Then they would sit together on the sofa to watch TV or do whatever for about half an hour, when suddenly, they yawn and say that they're going to bed early. The next morning, they're both a little more tired than usual and smiling a lot."

"Huh, you do have it down to a science."

"If you ask my older brothers and sister, they can tell you when the rest of us came about. I believe I was conceived after one Sunday dinner after church. Jasmine was during tax season," Kim giggled.

"And they follow the same pattern. What happens if one of them has a, a headache or something?"

"My mother has excellent timing. I've known dad to be in the middle of filling out important tax forms, only to practically toss them aside when she comes calling. I can't believe I'm telling you this."

"Well I am an engaged woman, after all. It's nice to ah, take notes for future reference. It's a good thing Betty isn't here right now, her light brown skin would turn a lovely shade of red. Aside from the fight at LS's apartment and the dojo, I'm glad I came. At least I know you smile and laugh like the rest of us," Susan said.

"Hey, I'm an accountant and a martial arts instructor, I'm not allowed to smile," Kim laughed. "I'll need to start being serious again, Betty doesn't know what to make of me."

The two talked about a few other things when Betty returned. "Looks like you two have been doing fine without me," she said.

"What did you think of Jon's handiwork?" Kim asked.

"Pretty neat. Your brother is rather gifted with a wrench. He's pretty cute too."

Kim's expression suddenly darkened. "How "cute?'"

"Well I'm just saying he looks nice, and his uh, personality is sweet; you know, a real nice guy. Susan, help me out here."

"Help you out? I've never seen you go gaga over anything unless it has four wheels and an engine," Susan replied.

"I'm not "gaga,' I just said he was cute, that's all," Betty protested.

"So you think he's "pretty cute,' huh? Is that all you think of him?" Kim drilled Betty.

"No, I mean, he's-" Betty stopped stumbling when Kim suddenly started laughing out loud.

"You have to excuse me, I still suffer from "big sister syndrome' when it comes to Jon," Kim explained. "Everybody in the family has a tendency to look out for him. He has such a sweet personality, everybody wants to hang around with him, including the wrong kind of people."

"He doesn't hit me as that type," Susan said.

"He's not, but that doesn't keep them from trying. Mostly its women who want to hang around with him and be his girlfriend, particularly the wrong kind. We sisters used to screen his dates," Kim continued, looking at Betty.

"Hey, don't look at me; I only said he was cute!" Betty pleaded.

"A few years ago, he called the family together to tell us he considers himself a pretty good judge of character, earning a living, and he's a black belt in tae kwon do now, so nobody needs to stand up for him anymore. We agreed, but it's still hard at times, especially when it came to women paying attention to him," Kim gave Betty another glance as she finished.

"Will you stop that! I just said he was cute, that's all! I didn't say I wanted to bear his children or anything like that!" Betty protested.

"So you're claiming he wouldn't make a fit father?"

"Aaaah! No! And you called me your prize pupil, now I'm the wrong kind of woman?"

"Kim, I can now agree LS was right about you," Susan said, grinning.

"Right about what?"

"You are ornery!"

"That's right, and don't you forget it!" Kim said, laughing.

Susan laughed as well, while Betty considered if it would be proper etiquette to smack your sensei across the head with a pillow outside the dojo.

Meanwhile, at LS's apartment, Cao found another relative she could stay with for the duration of the mission (she didn't want to take any chances on the possibility of being "recruited' to help with gardening at Kim's parent's house). After Cao left for the hotel, LS and Janelle returned to the apartment.

"I trust all your days aren't always this exciting, are they?" Janelle asked as they reentered the apartment.

"At an earlier time, I would normally say no. The biggest problem I would get would be getting an occasional challenge from some student who did not think I was for real. After I became a "gang leader,' things have gotten a little more unpredictable. Thankfully, the majority of my days are routine," LS replied. "I hope you find the guest room to my apartment to your liking. I trust you would rather stay here than at my parent's house."

"What's wrong with your parent's house?"

"Oh nothing, they have a wonderful place. My mother is an English grammar teacher."

"Oh I see. I avoided grammar majors when I was college. A friend of mine dated one once. She told me during dinner, she felt like she was back in fifth grade again. Not that I meant-"

"I understand; I had to live with it for many years," LS said, grinning.

"It does explain a few things though."

"Like the way I speak? Thanks to her, I can only speak in contractions when I am angry. It took me a few years to tone down my vocabulary so I would not sound like my father."

"Who is?"

"A college professor of law and history."

"That's fascinating. Hey, did they know that you three used to fight for justice on the streets?"

"No, and we want to keep it that way. Kim's parents do not know either. It was not the easiest secret to keep, but my mother would have my hide if she knew what I did. She would do that if she knew about my gang fighting activities now. Would you like an iced tea?"

"Yes, thanks. Is it sweetened or unsweetened?"

"Oh sweetened of course. Is there any other way?"

"There is if you're from the New England area. After I discovered sweetened tea, I seriously wondered what was wrong with that part of the country."

The women walked into the living room, where both ladies rested their bare soles on the coffee table.

"I must admit, Janelle, as you know, I have heard about Susan's successes in kickboxing, and my cousin is determined to make Betty an urban legend from the way she talks about her adventures," LS started.

"Really? I never would have guessed," Janelle replied. "Then again, I didn't know she smiled or laughed until earlier today."

"Oh, so she had you fooled, eh? Kim is actually a fun loving person. She carries her stern demeanor when she works or teaches so people can take her more seriously. I have to admit I am rather serious myself when I teach. We both blame it on our individual sensei. The one-day mine smiled at me, I thought the world had ended. But Kim and I tend to draw the mirth out of each other when we are close to each other. We were actually rather sedate in the van; normally Jasmine has to keep us in control."

"I never would've known that if I didn't come down here. I thought things would be very serious all day long," Janelle said, brushing her hair back and drinking her tea.

"Which comes to what I wanted to talk about. I have heard and now seen the prowess of the other two, and I've seen Kim fight enough to make an action movie, but I must admit aside from a few things, I do not know much about you," LS said, giving Janelle a curious glance.

"Don't know much about me? Kim never mentions my name?"

"Oh no, nothing like that. I was talking about your combat skills, I know you are a black belt in Judo like myself, and you run a dojo like myself."

"Let me guess," Janelle interrupted, "You're wondering if I've seen some actual "combat time,' is that it?"

"Yes. I am not saying you are incompetent or are lacking, I do not know, er, anything."

Janelle leaned back on the sofa and thought for a minute before she spoke. "I can see you do have a point. I don't suppose Kim mentioned that story about my battle with a Daughters of Athena woman, has she?"

LS slapped herself on the forehead. "I am sorry, she has, I forgot. My apologies, this has been a long day. This was a woman who knew capoeria, was it not?"

"Yeah."

[Author's Note: This epic battle can be found in the latter part of the tale, "Declaration of War," located like the others in my bookshelf. I would say it's a long one, but if you've read this far in this story, I already have it beat. ' Mongoose.]

"From what I was told, it was a pretty big battle."

"First off, I have heard of capoeria, but I have never seen it done, and I never expected to fight against it. The style is so esoteric; it's hard to know what to do with it. I almost had a couple of ribs broken before I came up with a strategy to beat her."

"And you beat her by catching her in one of her movements and throwing her against a wall?"

"It was the best thing I could come up with at the time."

"No, no, I am not criticizing you; that was a good move on your part. It is my understanding in taking on "high flying' opponents, you need to do something to slow them down before you can finish them off. I am sorry for sounding like I doubt your ability. I have heard many things about the Daughters of Athena in my area. I have heard that there are two particular members of that group in an adjoining neighborhood who do the same things I do in cleaning up their neighborhood, except for the gang part. I believe they gather a few of their girls together and decimate any gang that exists. I found out they used my tactics as their model. I must admit that is flattering. Their names are Aurora and Tara, I believe. But I have also heard most of the bad about them. None have come over to my neck of the woods as of yet, but I understand they're strong, and at the very least well-grounded in whatever discipline they use."

[Author's Note: If those two names ring a bell, it's because those two characters are featured in To Find a New Dawn, and To Find a New Dawn, Part Two. The two members of the Daughters of Athena's Elite Guard adopted their strategy for cleaning up their streets from LS. If you want to know more about them, you know where to find them. ' Mongoose.]

"It doesn't surprise me that they have extended over here."

"Well winning a battle like that gives you a "thumbs up' in my book."

"It doesn't in mine," Janelle reflected sadly.

"How is that?"

"Like yourself, I teach judo in its purest form, and that's as a fighting art, particularly in self-defense. On a regular basis if not everyday, I seek to learn more about the art that can help my students and to reach, whatever it is you reach when you become grandmaster. Part of that is running strategies and scenarios in my mind on how to use it against anyone."

"I think I know what you are getting at, but please go on," LS replied.

"I love my friends, and I respect their discipline as much as my own, let me get that out of the way. But I also sit and think, "how would I fight someone like that?' When I see Susan kickbox or Betty use her tae kwon do against someone for example, a part of me asks, "if that was me fighting a kicker, what would be the best way to counter their attack?' When I see demonstrations at the Martial Arts Festivals, I ask that same question. When I come up with an answer, I find a way to teach it to my more advanced students."

"So you play a game of virtual chess in your mind when you see other disciplines. No harm there, I have done it plenty of times myself."

"When I started taking judo, it helped return what I had lost before, my confidence. I've have it told that was one of my more outstanding qualities."

"I believe my sensei told me once, "if you go into a battle believing you lost, you have.' And you had this type of confidence before? What made you lose it?"

"It's a long story. When I fought Huntress that day in my dojo, she attacked me first emotionally. She couldn't effectively insult my intelligence, social standing, or anything else, so she hit the one spot I would be vulnerable ' my boyfriend. And I knew there was no way Ben was going to leave me to run off with her, but she kept saying what she was going to do with him after she beat me and took my dojo."

"Your dojo? To take by combat? That only happens in those kung fu movies they run late at night; what kind of nonsense is that? There are laws preventing that!" LS exclaimed.

"I know that, but back home some years ago, there were some instructors dumb enough to make a bargain like that. Anyway, she had me so rattled; it was all I could do to keep from having my head kicked off. I won, but I felt like some green kid walking into a dojo for the first time. All this stuff about maintaining your composure, and I almost lost it and my ribs to some bald-headed woman who felt cocky enough to take everything away from me."

"Janelle, to hear about this fight from you is a little surprising. I mean, no offense, but you are huge! You could have pulverized this woman with your arms alone. I would think that would be enough to intimidate some people."

"Yeah, you would think," Janelle said quietly.

"So Janelle, why did you come?" LS asked.

"Two reasons; the first one was you needed help, and the idea of some jerk like that in office willing to let the city fall in ruin just so he can gain a higher position in government makes my blood boil. The second reason is to regain my poise, my confidence. I didn't lose it all that day, but sometimes I think about what happened, and ' well, I need some thugs to practice on, to beat up. I have plans to take on the Daughters of Athena, and I can't do a good job if I'm not at the top of my game," Janelle answered, feeling a little out of breath from her explanation. She paused for a moment before taking a sip of tea.

"Attacking the Daughters of Athena? Well one can not say you are not a woman of great ambition, Janelle. I thank you for being kind enough to take time out of your busy schedule to help me, it means a lot. As for your second reason, don't worry, they'll be plenty of punks for you to throw against walls, cars, or anything you like. As for your confidence, do not worry, you did not lose it, you suffered a small setback. You did win in the end, after all. Look, we are roughly the same age, but I have practiced judo since I was a small child. After God, and my loved ones, you could say judo is number three. Those things you went through, I have several times. I faced opponents in pouring rain, near blizzards, and while I suffered from the flu. I had people face me who were my height, two times my height, and armed and unarmed. I have been outnumbered, and before Kim and Jasmine left for college, some idiot thought she would give us a "going away present' by sending opponents against us that she thought would beat us royally. In my case, it was some man who was near seven feet who was supposedly a street fighter and a kickboxer or both. My point of me saying all this is not to blow my own horn, because there were some times I almost lost, but to tell you sometimes in the end, out of all the techniques and strategies you use, confidence is the most important thing you need, because sometimes, it is all you have."

"Thank you, LS. You really fought people in blizzards and with the flu?" Janelle asked.

"Yes; the blizzard was a bit of a challenge because of all the snow the wind swirls around, but your eyes can adjust. I forgot to mention this was at night too. When you get going, being warm was not a problem. In fact, my feet were melting the snow from all the heat I generated."

"Oh, you did this barefooted?"

LS grinned. "You know of a better way to do it? Fighting with the flu is something I would not want to do again. Some moron found out I was sick, and jumped me when I was trying to get back home. It was a mistake for him because when you feel that bad, you want to end it quick. And I did, leaving him on the ground with a dislocated arm. The crazy thing about it was he idolized me, so he thought it would be an honor to defeat me with his own two hands."

"Huh?"

"I do not understand it either. I told him an autograph would have been much easier."

As Janelle laughed, LS continued. "I can offer you a few tips for fighting on the street if you like. I know you teach self-defense like I do, but I have a feeling the foes we'll face will be better trained than your typical mugger or rapist."

"I would be honored to receive some tips from you. You can learn better about war from a soldier who's been fighting in the trenches than the generals directing the deal in my opinion. Changing the subject, I did want to ask you another question."

"Sure Janelle, anything."

"About you and Lewis, how-"

"Except that. I do not know why it took so long for us to get together; I do not know why we never really looked at each other for companionship when it was so obvious. All I know is there are some wealthy people out there who are happy because they won the lottery on whether we would eventually get together, and my cousin Kim who looks at me with that "I told you so' look on her face. The annoying thing about it is she has been right all along and I have to live with it. Now, how did you and Lewis end up together?"

"Er, long story on that one. Some parts are kind of embarrassing. I'll just say we met in college, I saw he was it, I asked him out, and the rest was history."

"Well gee, that takes all the romance out of it. But I am sure you have your reasons, and I will honor them, for now."

"It looks like we'll both need a time to sit down and spend some time talking about how we ended up with our men," Janelle remarked.

"True, but right now, I am hungry. I cannot promise you my cooking is as good as Lewis', but I do okay. Let me heat up some lasagna I made the other night. If you are still with us, I will know it must be some good," LS said as she walked to the kitchen.

"Sounds good, LS, all this action has made me ravenous," Janelle replied as she downed the last of her tea.

Despite the "distractions" he had that morning, Councilman Johnson went to work after all. He remembered there were a few things that had to be taken care of that day. The stay at his office would also give him the chance to revive his energies for the night ahead if Storm was planning to wear those hose again. Near the end of his shortened day, he received a call from the local hospital. It was from one of the two men he hired to ambush LS at her apartment. Finding the news less than ideal, he made a discreet visit to find out the details. Truthfully, he expected as much from encountering a superb fighter like LS, but sometimes you have to do some things to keep the woman happy. Claiming to be a "family friend," he made his visit, and received his report.

Later that evening, Stacy was in the kitchen fixing dinner. After her normal workout at the gym, she was humming a happy tune ' until she heard on the TV news about two men who mysteriously appeared at the hospital bruised up, one of them with a broken collarbone. She was about to dismiss it as a slow news day until she realized it was the two men her boyfriend hired to beat up LS at her apartment. Both men claimed they were mugged. In order to relieve some stress, Stacy gave the cook the rest of the night off, and decided to cook dinner herself. Unlike the gym, there wasn't a punching bag around, and there were too many items of value in the councilman's house to be randomly punching walls. While she chopped onions and other vegetables, she pretended she was chopping LS's face.

"Take that, you runt," she said as she diced some more onions.

The councilman came home a little later than the usual time to see his girlfriend in the kitchen preparing food while wearing a very transparent baby blue nightie that displayed her muscular figure very well. She appeared to be rather engrossed in her task.

"Hello," he said. He took a quick glance down at her bare legs and feet. No hose. Maybe I'll be able to sleep tonight, he thought.

"Okay, just say it, my idea was a bad idea," Stacy replied without looking up.

"What was a bad idea?" Johnson asked.

"The idea that sent those two men to the hospital; that idea," Stacy said crossly. "Dinner is in five minutes."

"Actually honey, it wasn't a bad idea after all," Johnson said. "Even though it didn't have the desired effect of LS lying in a bloody pulp, it did tell us a few things."

Stacy halted her mutilation of the vegetables and turned to look at her politician boyfriend.

"Like what?" She asked slowly.

"She's not alone. The first woman they encountered was of Asian decent, but she was taller than 5'2", and she looked like a woman bodybuilder."

"Last time I saw LS, she wasn't a slouch in the muscles department."

"True, but LS looks more like a weightlifter, not a bodybuilder; there's a difference."

"I see."

"Plus this woman wore a bikini underneath a thin cover-up, and flip-flops."

"Okay, there's not a pool nearby that apartment complex, and LS doesn't wear shoes outside, much less inside. So what else did you find out?"

"This woman also knew some type of kung fu that knocked them out. The next thing they knew, they were tied up and they were both interrogated. Interesting method too; ask one person questions, then beat the other person bloody if you give the wrong answers. That's how that one man got his collarbone broken. But here's something else of interest. LS, nor that other woman they mentioned was the one who questioned them."

Stacy put her kitchen knife down and hastily added the finely cut vegetables into her salad. "LS didn't? Was she even there?" She asked.

"Yeah, they finally saw her, or rather one of them did before he was knocked out. But their interrogator was a pretty six-foot muscular woman with long blond hair."

Storm's eyes lit up. "Susan Davidson!"

"We don't know that for sure," Johnson cautioned. "She never gave her name, but she allegedly said she was a kickboxer."

Storm gave him an incredulous look. "A six-foot blond comes by and beats up your two men, and you're not sure who it is? How did that guy's collarbone get broken?"

"Some kind of weird kick. He thought she was going to-"

"It's Susan all right," Storm interrupted. "I felt her kicks before. They aren't something you soon forget."

"Well this puts a new spin on things," Johnson mused.

"Yeah."

"I guess you want a rematch with her too?"

"Not if I can help it."

"No? I know you've wanted to wreak revenge on LS since she gave you a "clinic' some time ago, especially that kick she gave you. Yet at the same time, you don't want to face Susan again?"

"I don't have to face LS in the ring. She's much faster than she looks, and I'm ready for that the next time to meet in a no-holds barred street fight. Susan, on the other hand, I'd rather have something tragic happen to her before I take her on again. Did you know other fighters and some martial artists speculated how powerful her legs are? Some think she could break boards like a karate master can with one good kick. Her breaking a human bone doesn't surprise me. In our match, she stung me good with those kicks. Yet I knew if she let loose with one good kick, she'd break something."

[Author's Note: The last two quotes described some of what happened in a bigger story involving our judoka heroine and our favorite kickboxer. The title is The Thrill of the Hunt, and it's in the same location as the other stories I've mentioned so far, my bookcase. ' Mongoose.]

Johnson paused in thought. "Tell you what, after we take care of LS, let's see if we can implicate Susan of some illegal activity. We could wait until she won her title; that would make the fall more damaging."

"I like that idea. So what are you going to do now, since LS has some help other than her students?" Stacy asked.

"Pour it on, my dear. In cases like this, it's not a bad idea to have a little overkill. I have many of my "troops' if you will ready to descend upon LS's world like a dark cloud. She won't know what hit her. Can we have dinner now? I'm famished."

To be continued . . .

For suggestions, comments, or story ideas, email the author at shrewsberry@juno.com.

#Barefoot Heroines, 2008.