Barefoot Heroines, Part IV

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

By Mongoose750 (mongoose750@yahoo.com)

"There's nothing like a drive in the country," Jon said as he cruised the outskirts of town in his candy apple red 1965 Ford Mustang convertible. He had the top down, letting the wind blow through his hair as the tender strains of the Temptation's classic, "My Girl" played on his custom stereo. The car was his pride and joy. Even Betty, who had a rebuilt blue one just like it, marveled at the way he kept it in good shape.

The Whispering Hills subdivision was located in one of the few areas in Central Indiana that has hills worthy enough to earn the definition. Even though Jon had the exact address, he knew these hills would give him a good and safe vantage point to take a few pictures without getting caught. After parking the car on one of the higher hills, Jon grabbed a bottled water, and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and aimed the camera lens at the front doors of the councilman's house.

Jon was no stranger to surveillance. A friend asked him once to check up on a girlfriend he was going steady with to see if she's been faithful. Feeling a little bit like a peeping tom at first, Jon reluctantly agreed. Taking a camera and taking pictures, Jon saw that his friend's fears were justified when he saw the woman leave some guys house wearing a flannel shirt ' and not much else. His friend was distraught for a while, but at least he knew this wasn't the woman he should be settling down with. From time to time, an occasional customer would come over to get a car repaired and "to ask a favor." When he started charging a fee for this service along with leaving his name out, regardless of the result, Jon pondered if he should be a private eye as well as a mechanic.

The particular road he was on was not traveled on often. If someone stopped and asked him what he was doing, he'll just tell them he's bird watching.

I'm bird watching, all right, Jon thought excitedly as he adjusted his camera, dirty birds.

The councilor's house was an elaborate three-story mansion, complete with a privacy fence, and a few men walking around the grounds like they had nothing better to do. Jon counted four bored men making their rounds. If she's thinking of breaking in, I don't see how she'll do it without alerting attention, he thought. Looking again, he realized the fence was only covering the front yard. The backyard was only guarded by deep woods; a possible way to get in if they didn't mind getting a little dirty.

Jon thought his work was finished and prepared to walk back to his car when he saw a red sports car pull into the driveway. His curiosity renewed, more by the car than the driver (he was a mechanic after all), he picked up the camera again and took a closer look at the car as it parked. The occupant was a tall, muscularly built woman with short blond hair, wearing a yellow sports bra and matching tight shorts. She waved at the bored men who waved back, and bopped into the house while one of the men got behind the wheel and drove it into the garage.

Is that Storm? Jon asked himself. If so, that answers a lot of questions. Being the councilman's main squeeze can take you a long way in your career in this town. It would definitely explain her quick comeback from that steroid scandal in her fight with Susan.

Jon quickly glanced at his watch. He needed to be going soon. He had cars to work on, and a few arrangements to make at home to later that evening. Ten seconds later, another car pulled up, this one being more of a luxury vehicle. As another bored man got behind the wheel, the councilman walked to the front door, where Storm came back out and gave him a kiss on the lips. She was now wearing a clear see-through short gown that displayed everything and hid nothing.

Yep, no doubt about it, Jon thought, the two have a thing going on. Now to get out of here before this becomes R-rated. He waked back to his car, and as he started it, he checked the number of pictures he taken. As soon as he hooked the camera up to his photo printer at home, he'll have more ammunition for LS to use besides the recordings.

On the way back home, Jon was a little disappointed that his part of LS's plan required him to stay at home. It would've been nice to hang around with Betty, Rini, or Michelle where the action was, but that would mean having to deal with an overprotective sister breathing down his neck. Oh well, he was almost through with his latest project; if things go smoothly, he should be done before the fun begins.

"It seemed like it was only yesterday that we've last been to LS's place, and now it may be a potential war zone," Betty said as she drove the van into LS's neighborhood.

"That's because it was yesterday when we were there," Janelle replied. "Wasn't it?"

"Day before yesterday, but I understand," LS said. "I just hope they did not trash the place."

"And remember, I was the one who got the "warm welcome' when I arrived there ahead of you," Cao reminded the crew.

"Sorry Cao. But I know I'd be angry too if somebody did that to my house," Betty remarked.

"She also has a thousand dollar damage deposit that she'd lose if any major damage occurred," Kim said.

"What?"

"That's ridiculous!" Janelle said.

"With all due respect, LS, your place looks nice, I mean it is nice, but not that nice," Susan replied.

"I agree Susan, but this was the best deal Lewis and I could find," LS said. "We finally had to settle on this apartment building that had our apartments right above the other."

"So why would you have to do it that way, having your apartments close by . . . right. Okay, never mind," Susan finished, blushing.

"Tell you what, Susan; after we finish this whole mess, you can play the shrink with my cousin all you want. She stomped me a long time ago," Kim said.

"Your turn is coming, you know," LS remarked, "and the payback will be huge."

"We'll see."

Janelle, looking out the front window, said, "This all looks like a bad spy movie."

"Yeah, your street is never this busy, is it?" Betty asked LS.

"Only around Christmastime," LS replied.

The streets and alleys of the immediate area had quite a few suspicious characters on them. The regular residents either stayed inside, or hurried to their cars, apartments, or homes. There were quite a few phone calls to the police, but no responses were made.

"I think this would be a good spot to get off," Cao said. "I see Sharon and the others waiting to make their move."

"What strategy do you have in mind when you lead the troops?" Janelle asked.

"To phrase what one of your mixed martial artists, Randy Colture said, we're going to go and impose our will on them."

"In other words, you're going to go and kick the crap out of them," Kim said.

"Works for me," LS replied.

"I'm going to let you off right here," Betty said as she pulled over. "You can motion to Sharon and the others to come over, and you can hit this group from behind. They'll have a hard time recovering from that."

"Thanks Betty. Hit them hard, ladies!" Cao jumped off, and immediately waved to Sharon, who already saw her, and motioned to her group to meet her.

"That was pretty good, Betty; I didn't see that," Janelle said.

"There was this world-domination board game I used to play, called Risk, and eventually I learned how to damage the other teams' armies bad enough to eventually conquer their country," Betty replied. "It also had some application for the real world too."

"How good were you?" Susan asked.

"Good enough that the other players knew never to turn their back on me. I always moved slow and steady, and reinforced whatever countries I won. Used to drive my brother nuts."

"Why was that?"

"Because he thought because he was going to be an engineer, that meant he was smarter than everybody else. Plus everybody has this idea that mechanics are stupid."

"And yet he's dating your employee."

"By now I proved to him over and over that engineers aren't the shiniest pennies in the drawer. He may be able to design stuff, but I can put it together. Later, remind me to tell you some stories about some clashes I've had with engineers, along with how I kicked my brother's butt; figuratively, of course."

"Looks like Cao's and Sharon's team have struck already," Kim remarked, looking out the back window. "That should draw some attention.

On the street, Cao, wearing a black tank-top leotard with a blue sash wrapped around the waist, led one half of the team to one corner while Sharon wearing a army camouflage tank top with green khaki shorts were leading a team to the other corner. By the time one woman turned and started to shout an alarm, she received Cao's bare sole in her face. Soon, the sight of flying bodies, and pummeled faces appeared and went, just as quickly as it started. Kim saw Sharon point to another cluster of people who were more aware of them. With battle cries, both women led their army toward the enemy forces.

"Offhand, I'd say we're off to a pretty good start," Kim said to LS, who nodded in agreement.

Next, Betty drove the van to the rear of the apartment complex, where a seldom used back door was slightly open.

"That's definitely a sign that says, "Hey, we bad guys are here, come and get us,'" she said.

"Actually I don't think they care, but that's okay. They will soon enough," Kim replied as she, Susan, and Janelle prepared to climb out of the van.

"We will meet you on the floor of my apartment," LS said. "I imagine we'll both be a little "detained,' so no need to rush."

"Almost like the old days, huh?" Kim remarked.

"Yes, I almost forgot how exciting it was. Never thought I would be leading a gang and have friends fight with me though."

"Well you know, times change, and we need to change with them. Susan, Janelle, come on, we need to teach some people a new meaning of pain."

With some brief farewells (or more like "see you later"), the three ladies left the van and walked toward the back door. Betty finally drove the van to a safe place where it wouldn't be harmed, and her, LS, and Rhonda climbed out and made their way to the front of the apartment.

"Nervous?" LS asked the two women.

"Excited," Rhonda said.

"Same here; I'm just wondering how soon the party will start," Betty replied.

"It could be as soon as I open the door to the apartments, it could be as soon as we reach my apartment. Either way, I imagine I don't need to tell you two to be ready for anything," LS said.

It just so happened there was a group of strangers, men and women hanging around in the lobby. Upon seeing the three women, they stood up in attention, but did not attack. Instead, they stared at them in silence for a moment until a woman ' a woman Rhonda subdued and dragged back to the dojo a while ago when she was a part of Storm's gang [The Thrill of the Hunt ' Mongoose], who just pointed upwards and said, "You're needed upstairs."

"Looks like they made themselves at home already," Betty said.

"No, not up there, upstairs," the woman repeated.

"What do you mean, upstairs? Like on the roof or something?" Rhonda demanded.

"Precisely."

"Oh I see; our showdown is going to be up there."

"Interesting," LS remarked.

"You sure you wouldn't like to come along?" Rhonda urged the woman.

"No, I'm afraid they have first dibs, but I'll tell you what, I'll arrive to take care of what's left after they finished with you."

"Oh I'll have plenty left for you, believe me."

LS touched Rhonda's arm. "Rhonda, as much as you would like to shut this woman up, let us see what they have in store for us upstairs on the roof."

Rhonda looked at LS and nodded. The three entered the elevator and waited for the doors to close.

"Before we do anything, we will stop by my place," LS said.

"You don't think the others are up there already?" Rhonda asked.

"No, but I want to check my place, and put on something a little more combat worthy." She was dressed in a red T-shirt and jeans.

"I was wondering how flexible you were going to be in that getup," Betty remarked.

"I remember Kim told me how well you dressed for fighting, and she was right." Betty was wearing a Khaki olive drab pair of pants that was Capri-cut, a black sleeveless T-shirt, and just for this special occasion, black toenail polish. She also carried a black sweatband in one of her pockets in case the weather or she was warmer than usual.

"Thank you; it's just something I started doing."

Rhonda, who was wearing blue jean cut-offs and a tank top, said, "I'll have to start doing that."

"My mother always told me when you dress for a particular occasion, it should be in a way that makes an impression to strangers, or in other words, makes a statement. I don't think this was what my mother intended, but if you're going to be whacking heads, you might as well look your best while doing it."

"That's it! LS, I know we're different sizes and all, but do you have anything I can wear other than this tired outfit?"

LS laughed and said, "I think I can find you something. Whoever they are on the roof, they can wait. What are they going to do, come down and get us?"

"I think we miscalculated a little in our plans," Kim said.

"How's that?" Janelle asked.

"We assumed there would be only one entrance to the main hallway, but LS never takes this way to her place, so she had to make an educated guess. So we actually have two different entrances to deal with."

"And there's three of us," Susan replied.

"Right. So you and Janelle take the one on the right, while I take the one on the left. I'll meet you in the middle." And with that, Kim trotted off.

"So she's going to tackle the thugs by herself on her side while we do it as a team. I don't know if I should feel honored or insulted," Janelle said.

"Well she has done this type of thing before," Susan replied, "so she would be the experienced one. Myself, I'm looking at this as a time to let loose."

"To "let loose?' You mean you don't get enough of your jollies punching and kicking your opponents into unconsciousness?"

"No, it's the fact that I have to exercise my stamina as well as my power, or I'll find myself exhausted, and easy pickings in the final rounds. Plus I'm trying to win, not kill the other woman. The commission, many fans, and fellow kickboxers don't think highly of those who fight like that."

Janelle laughed. "So since we're not in a ring, feel free to punch, kick, and maim to your heart's content," she said.

"That's right. And what about you?"

"I'm going to see how many I can throw, hit, and choke out, that's all. I'm sure the good councilman has adequate medical care for his goons. By the way, I like these boxing shorts, they're really comfortable." The boxing shorts that Janelle wore were black with one thin red stripe down the middle with a red tank top, contrasting with Susan wearing red boxing shorts with a black tank top.

"Thanks, you can have them."

"Really? You'll still have enough of these to get by?"

"A whole suitcase of them."

"Why so many?" Janelle asked.

"The truth is I hate doing laundry. And after you go a few rounds, doing laundry is the last thing on your mind when you get home."

"Never thought of that. Makes sense to me."

They opened the door to the other entrance, and saw a group of men and women hanging around in the hallway. Upon seeing the two women, they stood up and started to advance.

"I guess we'll find out about their coverage," Susan said as she fell into a boxing stance.

The three barefooted women warriors opened the door to the roof, where they saw three equally barefoot women clad in black outfits waiting for them.

"At last," one of them said.

"Okay, I can see the councilman getting somebody special for you," Betty said, "but where do Rhonda and I fit in? Did he assign one for each of us?"

"I believe Johnson made the assumption that Kim and Jasmine would be here with me, and these women are supposedly "especially designed' to take us on," LS replied.

"Quite true," the apparent spokesperson of the group said. She stood 5'6," of Asian decent with a short black hairdo. She wore a loose-fitting, thin long-sleeve black top with matching pants. "And we are a match for you; each one of you. We've been trained by the great Qiao herself."

"Qiao, the homeless sensei? I thought she was a myth," Rhonda responded.

"No, she's quite real, and so are her techniques, as you'll soon find out."

"Since I'm not from around here, who is this "Qiao,' and if she's so good, why is she homeless?" Betty asked.

"Qiao is supposed to be a sensei of the highest order who travels around the country, or the world, according to some people, training women in several martial arts, particularly those in need, like recent victims of rape or violent crime. She not only trains them to be efficient, she trains them to be deadly. It is said that once Qiao trains you, you'll never be a victim again. There are allegedly accounts of the former aggressors hospitalized to prove that fact. But if this is true, I cannot see her taking sides with the councilman on this," LS explained.

"All that "honor and virtue' stuff is nice, but it doesn't pay the bills," the spokeswoman said. "Therefore, we went to the Power Broker to sharpen our skills to the biggest extent."

Rhonda looked at LS. "The "Power Broker'?" She asked.

LS shrugged. "You got me."

"I need a book to keep track of everybody over here," Betty muttered.

"I need to track down this "homeless sensei' and have a few words with her."

"All you need to know is that your battle with the councilman ends here," the spokeswoman declared. Perhaps in your remaining bits of consciousness, we'll explain the Power Broker and Qiao to you. But now, prepare yourselves."

"Right. So do we choose a dance partner, or do you have that part handled too?" Rhonda asked.

"I, Qu Lin, will take care of the judoka. I have been specially trained to take care of your close-up attacking," she said as she walked toward LS. "I have heard many things about you, but now it's time to meet your match."

"Myself, I am looking forward to the part where I shut you up," LS replied.

Betty and Rhonda looked at the two remaining adversaries for a moment, until Betty said, "Okay, Kim's not here, but I'm one of her students, so who's my opponent?"

"That would be me, I'm Jody," a 5'5" woman with short black hair and medium complexion said. Her build was similar to Betty's, except it was more muscular. Not quite like a bodybuilder's, but similar to what a collegiate wrestler who's never missed a day at the gym. But what caught Betty off guard was the husky voice she used, like she seemed, nah, not that. She wore a black bikini with a black lace cover-up.

"So Jody, what's with the get-up, you plan on going to the beach afterwards?"

"No, uh, your name?"

"Betty."

"No Betty, I love wearing this lace cover. Sometimes when I wear it, and my friends advised against me doing it, I wear it covering up ' nothing at all."

"Ewww!"

"I was told how attractive Kim was, but oh my, I didn't know she had such an attractive student." Jody ended that remark with licking her lips.

"You must be crazy! We're going to fight, and you want to make a "love connection?' Woman I'm going to ' uh!"

Betty's remark was cut off by a flying tackle from Jody.

"Jody was always an impulsive person, always wanting to jump right in and get started; not much for waiting," the last woman said as she watched the two combatants roll on the ground. She stood about the same height as Rhonda, except she was full-figured with a big muscular frame, a fair complexion and long blond hair. She wore a black leotard with black shorts and what seemed to look like a white thong over that. That last part struck Rhonda's curiosity until the woman answered that unasked question for her. "I'm Tania, and I'm a sumo wrestler."

"A woman sumo wrestler," Rhonda repeated. "I've heard of them, but I've never seen one. Well I'm Rhonda, and you're going to be disappointed. Obviously I'm not Jasmine nor one of her students. I wasn't even one of her classmates. I'm just one of LS's students, a humble judoka."

"Too bad, I was looking forward to taking on the Magician. It would've been interesting to see if she could throw me," Tania remarked.

"Magician, oh that's right, that girl has so many nicknames, it's hard to keep count. Well don't worry, I can throw you a few times if you like; that won't be a problem."

"That's what the last judoka I fought said," Tania giggled.

"Look, you seem to be the most sensible person out of this trio. Why are you playing on the councilman's team?"

"The money's good, plus I get to see some action in-between matches."

"I see. I suppose settling this with a handshake or a hug isn't going to work, is it?"

"Maybe if you surrender, I might listen, but there's no fun in that."

"Very well, let's go."

The two took a moment to bow to each other before engaging each other in battle. By this time, her two partners were already in the thick of battle. Qu Lin was delivering a lightning-fast, sometimes aerial approach to the shorter and stockier LS, who managed to block and parry, but at the moment could not get any closer than arm's length. Betty finally managed to escape from her ground battle with Jody, delivering a side kick to her stomach in the process, but the blow didn't seem to even phase her as Jody stalked the tae kwon do practitioner like a bear cornering a deer.

At this time, the sun was high up in the sky, increasingly making the makeshift battlefield hot and humid.

When Susan told Janelle she planned to "let loose," the judoka had no idea about the destruction the kickboxer was about to wreak on her victims. Normally accustomed to seeing her only in the ring, she saw her friend plow through the thugs like bowling ball through bowling pins or like a tornado through a trailer park. The tornado analogy would've been more accurate for the carnage she left behind. The first foe that approached Susan was downed with a hard right to the jaw. The second who came up behind the first one was struck with a left kick to the solar plexus, upon which the person folded up like a lawn chair and fell to the ground wondering if breakfast and lunch would appear. Not every blow Susan struck was a knockout, but with the power behind each blow, they didn't have to be. A rib-shattering punch here, a near leg-breaking kick there took out any who would dare to face her. One man fired a right jab at her, to which Susan avoided the blow, and like a ballerina twirled around on her left foot, delivering enough velocity not only to strike the man's head with her right foot, but to slam that same head into the wall, creating a hole. With a head clearly encased in plaster, the body hung from the hole like some type of macabre gallows.

That last sight left Janelle a little concerned. It also distracted her from seeing a man jumping her. Almost absentmindedly, she nearly dislocated his arm and delivered a choke hold that knocked him out in seconds. Dropping the man, she punched out a female opponent and thrown her hard to the ground as she prepared to address Susan.

"Susan, that man hanging from the wall, don't you think you hurt him too hard?" She asked as she threw another foe high over her back.

Susan finished delivering five punches in two seconds to the face of some woman who was big, husky, and looked like a biker. The tall woman slowly fell to the floor like a downed redwood tree. The man next to her looked at them in shock until Susan delivered a side kick to his face that sent him bouncing against the wall before he too fell to the floor.

"That guy? No, he's fine. The walls here have cheap plaster. LS and Lewis really pay too much for living here," she said. "When he wakes up, he'll be fine."

"You sure he'll wake up?" Janelle persisted as a man came at her with a flick blade. She caught him in an arm bar, and without hesitation dislocated his arm, then put him in a guillotine choke to shut him up.

"For a very confident woman, you worry too much," she replied as she sent a left hook into the face of another opponent. Blood flew from his face to decorate the wall as he fell down.

"Just want to make sure our stay isn't longer than it should be." Janelle said this after she threw her last foe for a second time on the carpet. The thug rose unsteadily to her feet to attack again, and not being in the mood to throw her a third time, punched her in the stomach and kneed her in the face when she bent over. The woman flew up and fell down, this time staying down.

"If you want to brush him off, I'll check his pulse for you," Susan said as she looked over the landscape of unconscious and wounded bodies lying on the floor.

Janelle wiped her hands and feet on the body of the last person she choked out, noticing for the first time all the plaster dust that started floating around from people hitting the wall. "Never mind."

They started to walk down the hall when suddenly they saw a spike-haired woman with pink hair who was almost their height covered in chains. Rather, it was one big chain with a metal ball at the end. She took a suitable length of chain from around her shoulder, and started twirling it over her head. Without warning, she sent the end of the chain like a snake toward Susan. She hopped out of the way as the ball made a small hole in the wall. With skill, the woman jerked the chain back where the ball returned to its orbit over her head.

"Susan, you remember that movie that had somebody use a weapon like this a few years ago?" Janelle asked, carefully watching the woman with the ball and chain.

"I do, but right now, that doesn't help me any," Susan replied, wondering when the ball was going to strike next.

Glancing around the hallway, Janelle briefly considered hefting a downed thug and throwing it at their opponent, but seeing something else, she had another idea.

"I know just the thing; don't go away," she said.

Janelle jumped forward and went into a modified version of a breakfall, except this time, she appeared on her feet, a foot away from a discarded wooden chair against the wall. As she expected, the woman slung her ball toward the judo practitioner, but Janelle kept her head low and thrust the chair upwards. The ball and chain wrapped around the chair, surprising the user, who tried to jerk it loose. The woman however, wasn't aware of Janelle's arm strength, and inertia working against her. Janelle's sudden jerk won the tug of war, but the other woman wasn't letting go of her weapon, even as she went along with it. Janelle was counting on that, and Susan knowing her cue, waited as the woman came to her so she could deliver a crushing right cross that made stars spin around her head instead of balls and chains.

"Yes Janelle, I do remember that movie, but I wasn't too crazy about it," Susan said as she stood over her downed opponent.

"You wasn't too crazy about it, why not?" Janelle asked.

"Too violent."

Janelle turned to give Susan a strange look when Kim appeared at the end of the hallway.

"There you are! What took you so long? We need to get upstairs!" She said.

"How many people did you run into?" Janelle asked.

Kim glanced at the people knocked out and groaning, and said, "About the same number you two did. Let's go!"

This time it was Susan's turn to give Janelle a funny look as they started to follow Kim. Janelle just shrugged. As well as they did, they had to remember that she has done this type of thing before.

It's said that besides providing you with strength and balance, judo also provided you with stamina and endurance. At first glance, that's what LS seemed to be using a great deal while fighting Qu Lin. She kept forcing LS back with her flying kicks and punches. To make things worse, the woman would not stop talking! Yet, as annoyed as LS was getting, she didn't attack, not yet. She remembered what her sensei said when someone asked him how you take on a faster opponent.

"Have you ever watched a cat fight a rattlesnake?" The sensei asked.

One person, who lived on a farm, raised their hand.

"The cat jumps out of the way when the snake strikes, then runs around it. Then it waits for the snake to strike again, then dodges and runs around the snake again. The cat keeps this up until the snake is exhausted, then it strikes."

Watching as Qu Lin kept launching her assault, LS noticed that while she had speed, she didn't have accuracy. She had power, but no direction. If she were a novice or a mugger, then Qu Lin could bring her down just by the number of her multiple kicks and punches. But unharnessed power had a way of wearing out its user. So to that end, LS could play this game of avoidance a little while longer. If only she would just shut up!

Kim, Janelle, and Susan arrived at LS's apartment to find it empty, though it appeared that one of the three changed clothes.

"Well someone was here, but where did they go?" Kim asked.

Susan found a hastily made sign made out of printing paper with an arrow pointing up. "According to this sign, they went ' up."

"Up where, Lewis' place?" Kim asked.

"The roof?" Janelle suggested.

It was like a light turned on in each of their heads as they turned and ran out of the apartment. They ran to the stairs, and then almost skidded to a halt when they heard the ding of the elevator. They waited patiently and smiled when the kind old lady smiled at them, then shot into the elevator as soon as she entered her apartment.

What is it with these wrestlers I fight? That's what Betty thought to herself as Jody raised her up in a bear hug with her arms pinned. First, there was her former gym teacher who actually wanted to have a fling with her, and she was engaged at the time [The Gang's All Here, and Irena's Story, - Mongoose]. Now there's this weird woman who mainly held her and just gazed at her. To make things even worse, she knew she delivered a couple of shots that would have stunned anyone else, but they seemed to have no effect on her.

"I can't wait until this whole mess is over, then I'll take you home," Jody breathed, giving her a hungry look.

And she won't stop making passes at me! Betty thought again. She'd told her several times her doors don't swing that way; maybe they don't use colloquial terms like that here.

"I'm . . . not . . . gay!" She grunted.

"That's too bad. We'll see if we can fix that when this is over," Jody said.

"Let . . . me . . . go!"

"No, I'm not going to let someone like you go. You're just the person I've been looking for."

Betty in the midst of her struggling had pushed her arms out as much as she could to prevent having the air crushed out of her. To make her next move, now was as good a time as any. The woman was awfully strong, and she did not want to contemplate what would happen next after she was squeezed unconscious. Jody had her lifted up in her bear hug so she couldn't use the usual defenses. So it was time to try one of the unusual. . .

She planted the toes of her right foot right above the waistband of Jody's bikini bottoms, and suddenly pushed upward. Betty squirted free from her prison like toothpaste, and tumbled along the floor of the roof to a standing position. Jody looked at her hands as if wondering how her prey escaped, then shrugged and walked toward Betty.

Yeah, come and get it, weird girl, Betty thought. I'm going to whack you across the head so hard! As soon as Jody got within range, she let go with a spinning roundhouse kick. The blow struck Jody on the side of the head, which succeeded in moving it slightly to the left.

Betty was shocked. With that kick, she'd knocked out people much taller and bigger than she was. If not knocking them out, the blow would at least knock them silly. Jody just looked at her and smiled.

"Iron shirt. My chi is stronger than yours," she said.

The battle between Rhonda and Tania was more of a chess match. The two circled around each other, looking for a time to strike. During that time, Rhonda kept wondering. She knew of Jasmine's abilities, and have heard of the amazing things she'd done within her discipline, earning her the nickname "magician" because she always seemed to pull a new move out of her hat. Why would they send a mere wrestler, a sumo wrestler to fight her? She soon found out.

Rhonda seeing her chance dove for a move that would lead to a throw. Tania intercepted it with a reversal and a vicious forearm. The blow knocked Rhonda back, but she was able to recover. Checking her lip to see if it was busted, she said, "You know more than just sumo, don't you?"

Tania laughed. "Of course! You didn't think I could take on a master of aikido by just pushing her around, do you? I'm a mixed martial artist, trained in the arts of kickboxing, freestyle wrestling, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I'm trained in enough of those three disciplines to take down anybody, even an accomplished judoka like you."

"We'll see about that," Rhonda replied.

"If it wasn't for the fact that it would wear us out, I would've recommended the stairs," Janelle said.

"Why, this elevator is moving fast enough," Susan replied.

"No, it's this stupid Muzak# that's being piped through the speakers. Whoever thought "Stop in the Name of Love' should be played like it's a waltz should be shot."

"I've visited LS too many times to pay any attention to it; but I do agree with you, the arrangement is all wrong," Kim remarked.

Susan was actually humming along with the selection, and even on the verge of saying she liked the arrangement. However a conflict with Janelle's finer appreciation of the arts did not sound like a good idea at the moment. "Well the song's over, and here we are at the top floor," she said. "Kim, do you know where the door to the roof is?"

"Susan, I've never been to the roof of my own place, much less this one. My question is what are they doing up there in the first place?"

"I think they answered both questions for us," Janelle said, pointing at another hastily made sign with an arrow pointing in the direction of the roof door, and a written remark that said, "The bad guys are up here!"

"Then that's where we go," Kim replied as they broke into a trot for the door to the roof.

LS stood in the middle of the roof, her bare feet shoulder-width apart while she was bent over about ninety degrees. Draped over her back was the still form of Qu Lin. Her left arm was anchored around the woman's legs, while her right hand had a claw-like grip on her windpipe, shutting off her air supply. LS was also pulling downward, turning what she had into an unique backbreaker hold. Early in her judo experience, LS discovered her height, or rather the lack of it, carried an advantage in producing submission holds. She found that it was a painful experience for taller opponents when she brought them down to "her level."

Qu Lin's mistake among many was she assumed the judoka had never ran into anyone like her before. Anyone who even skimmed the background information knew that LS didn't gain her reputation by fighting only grapplers. Though she was no slouch in the speed department, LS decided to fight Qu Lin with experience. Once the woman's high-flying moves and just plain showing off had slowed down, it was an easy matter to rush in, subdue her with a throw, and finish her off with this wicked hold with her name on it.

"That should shut you up," she said, then dropped Qu Lin to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

She looked around to see how her friends were faring, and to help out if she could. What she saw was a little bizarre.

Betty was throwing just about every punch and kick that was in her tae kwon do arsenal, and maybe a few others at the woman called Jody, yet she kept coming. Betty hit her in so many places with so much force, LS was amazed this woman wasn't injured, knocked out, crippled, or dead. LS wasted no time in trotting over; if this woman was impervious to pain, wore body armor, or a cyborg, they could find some way to beat her.

Suddenly, Jody took a step forward, and fell on her face. Simultaneously, Betty fell to her knees, panting.

"Are you all right?" LS asked.

"I'll be . . . better . . . if she stays down," Betty replied.

"I do not think she will be rising real soon."

"Good."

"You stay here, I am going to check on Rhonda," LS said as she trotted off.

"No . . . problem," Betty squeaked off between breaths.

Rhonda and Tania were locked in a tight battle on the rooftop. Punches, kicks, elbows and knees were thrown at their target, and that was in-between the times they attempted chokes, joint locks, and everything else. To Rhonda, Tania reminded her of a taller version of LS, only meaner. Among the few times she performed a throw, she would run over and deliver a blow or stomp that would've sent Rhonda to the hospital if she didn't have any defense of her own. What Tania didn't have in a wide variety of throws, she made up for them with a wide variety of reversals. That with the sumo training of being immovable, made her a hard person to throw or place in a submission hold. It was like wrestling a tree that kicked like a mule.

Finally, Rhonda clamped a hold that would normally slow the female behemoth down. Tania just grinned, and picked Rhonda up to slam her to the ground. This was the opportunity that Rhonda waited for as she suddenly switched her hold to a guillotine choke. Driving a knee into the solar plexus for emphasis, and to drive any existing air out of her stomach, Rhonda held on for dear life for the proper amount of seconds it took for Tania to become unconscious. As she finally crumbled to the ground, Rhonda slumped to the ground and laid there.

"Are you okay?" LS asked as she approached.

Rhonda turned her head to LS. "The next time somebody get someone who's "custom-made' to fight your cousin, you bring her here, I don't care if you have to airlift her to do it," she said. "The next one is all hers."

"It looks like you did fine enough," LS commented and grinned as she looked at Tania's prone form.

"What I want to know is what was the deal with that woman Betty was fighting. I never saw anyone take that many shots and remain standing."

"She called it "Iron Chest,'" Betty said, walking slowly to where they were. "She said her "chi' was stronger than mine."

"I heard of it, but refresh my memory."

"The "Iron Chest' is something you normally hear in kung fu circles," LS explained. "It involves focusing your chi to where it makes your body more resilient to harm. But you only see this with kung fu masters who have practiced for years. The fact that a young woman has accomplished this is incredible." She looked at Betty, "Unless you are fighting her of course."

"So if her chi was stronger than yours, how did you beat her?" Rhonda asked.

"I figured for her to exercise that much personal power, it must take a lot of concentration. I wasn't going to get anywhere near her lest she grab me, so I did what Kim calls "hammer and chisel.' If she didn't fall when she did, I was going to start sprinting for the exit, maybe find something to bang her on the head," Betty said. "But that wasn't the worst thing."

"What could be worse than fighting someone who can take all your hits?" Rhonda asked.

"She tried to ask me out!"

"Oh."

"There was a woman who approached Kim like that once," LS said.

"What happened?" Betty asked.

"Jasmine and I, and a few others had to hold her back to keep her from killing this woman. I do not remember her ever getting that angry before."

"Well Jody thought I was cuter."

"That might make Kim feel better," Rhonda laughed.

"Doubt it," LS remarked.

Suddenly, the roof door opened, and Kim, followed by Susan and Janelle ran out.

"I thought it was more of these "super fighters' for a moment," Rhonda said. "I don't want to fight right now, I'm beat."

"After this is over, I am going to seek out this Qiao and have some words with her and this so-called "power broker' too," LS replied. "To have her students rented out as common thugs is destestable."

"Looks like you've been busy," Susan said, looking at the bodies. "Are you okay, Betty, I've never seen you so ' exhausted."

"You should see the other girl," Betty replied.

"What's next?" Janelle said, looking curiously at Cody and Tania.

"Hold on," LS said, making a call on her cell phone. "Sharon and Cao have now declared this block safe for regular citizens again. They are to do a little "clean-up,' and that should be it. Let us go back to my place so we can rest for a moment."

"If it's all the same to you," Rhonda said, placing a weary arm around Betty's tired shoulders, "we're going to stay here a bit longer, until we feel our legs again."

"No problem Rhonda, take a rest; you two have earned it. The rest of you, let us go."

"Hey, it looks like two of them are waking up," Janelle said.

"Which ones?" Rhonda asked, suddenly alert.

"The black-headed one and this large blond one."

"Hang on ladies, we're coming!" Betty replied as her and Rhonda suddenly sprang to life, trotting across the roof, and dragging a confused Janelle with them.

"What's the hurry? It's not like you had to fight iron women or something like that," Janelle said.

"Oh you have no idea," Betty remarked.

Taina awoke with a headache, and the sight of Rhonda and Betty rushing toward the exit, pulling a taller, larger woman with them.

"Careless, I was careless!" She muttered to Jody, who was slowly rousing. "I should've known she has a black belt in judo for a reason. Next time, I want the Magician!"

"I think I'm in love," Jody said, watching Betty's derriere as she departed from the roof.

Back at LS's apartment, LS called Sharon and Cao to tell them that there were a few people in the main lobby of the complex that needed to be taken care of.

"Wait a minute, there's that woman who wanted a rematch with me," Rhonda objected.

"That will need to wait," Kim said. "You look like you went through ten rounds with . . . everybody. You need to rest first, gather your strength, and drink some more water. Betty, that goes for you too."

"No need to tell me twice," Betty muttered as she started to get up to get another drink of water. Janelle stopped her and brought the pitcher to her.

"So this woman, Jody, mustered her concentration to the point of where no blows could hurt her? It sounds hard to believe," Susan said.

"Well believe me, those weren't love taps I was giving her," Betty replied, then took a sip of water.

"I have heard of this "Iron Chest,' and even seen demonstrations of it, but for someone to master it so soon, it was probably to the exclusion of everything else," Janelle observed. "What was her fighting technique?"

"I'm not sure, I've spent most of my time hitting and running. She did have a wicked bearhug though."

"Hey, what about me? I just took on my first mixed martial arts sumo wrestler," Rhonda interrupted. "That woman was mean!"

"And very limber," LS said. "I wish I had your sumo wrestler; my foe would not shut up."

"If you spoke earlier, I would've traded with you."

"There was a reason they lured you to the roof," Kim commented. "They were also counting on you three also becoming dehydrated and tiring early."

"I should have thought of that, but then, my opponent was so occupied with gymnastics and hearing herself speak, I was more than happy to let her burn out," LS remarked.

"Rhonda, I thought that was a good move you did on this sumo woman, but I would've loved to see this fool take on my sister."

"Has she ever taken on anyone this big?" Rhonda asked.

"There is Big Billy," LS replied.

"I think I hear another interesting and exciting story coming on," Susan said.

Kim smiled. "Big Billy Bronson, or BBB as they called him, was 6'3" and 333 pounds. He also liked to throw that weight around. One day he made the mistake of swatting a couple to the floor. For some reason, he had a hatred for bookworms and "geeks,' especially those who date each other. Anyway, Jasmine was nearby when he did this, and demanded he apologize."

"Which of course he didn't," Janelle said.

"Are you kidding? It was said he never apologized to anyone ' until that day. His next mistake was daring to lay a hand on Jasmine. After she nearly broke his wrist, she told him of the error of his ways, and let him go on the condition he'd apologize."

"I got this one, he still wouldn't do it," Susan said.

"Hey, you're learning," Kim continued. "After she let go, he made the third mistake of attacking her. LS, was it five or six times she threw him?"

"Six, I believe," LS replied.

"After throw number six, he begged that couple for forgiveness. He straightened up after that. As for the couple, they got married, and had Jasmine as their maid of honor."

"Who knew our little tenderfoot had such an illustrious history?" Janelle remarked.

"Tenderfoot?" Rhonda said.

"Shoe wearer."

"Oh, good name. It's not fair; I hear all these stories from LS and Kim about Jasmine, but I never got to see her fight except for one time, and that was all of three seconds."

"That's better than us. We live in the same town with her, and none of us seen her in action," Betty complained.

"When we get back home, I'll remind Jasmine to come running the next time we have a situation like this, and to forget the exams," Kim remarked, smirking.

"If it helps, since you seen Rini and Michelle in action, I can tell you the way Jasmine fights is similar, minus the sticks," LS said. "Now that I think of it, her being here would not be a good idea; she made that vow with Caroline too."

[Author's Note: More details on that vow can be read in the story No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. You know where to find it ' Mongoose.]

"So what do we do now?" Janelle asked.

"I'm going to call our troops downstairs and have them return to the dojo. From there, the question will be: pizza or Chinese? They earned it. Then we, this immediate circle, will return to "headquarters' and quickly go over our final plan."

"Headquarters?" Kim asked.

"Your parent's home. Your mother feeds us, so that is our command center."

"Can't fault logic like that," Betty replied. "So teacher, I have to ask, how would you have fought that woman?"

Kim was a little taken back at the sudden change in title, but she recovered and said, "I would've done the same tactic you did except in one concentrated area. Either she'd had to channel to bulk of her chi to cover the weakened area, or from channeling it, her other areas would be exposed. We'll talk more about it later."

"Okay."

"Meantime, we either have to buy you and Rhonda some clean clothes, or sneak you two through the back door. Mother will chase you through the house with a scouring pad."

LS giggled. "She will too."

"Yes, LS could tell you about that. She had a run-in with some punk, only to slip and fall in a puddle after she beat him. When she dropped by our house, mother said that she wasn't leaving without taking a shower and getting some clean clothes. LS tried to explain to her that she'll clean up when she got home, but mom wouldn't hear any of it. Next thing you know, she was chasing LS through and around the house with a washrag and soap. My oldest sister said it was more entertaining than what was on TV that day. Even Jon and Jasmine rode her about it."

"Well you were a kid back then, so she wouldn't do that now," Janelle said.

"I was a senior in high school, about to graduate in a month," LS corrected. "And she moves very fast, let me tell you. I do not know what hold it was she clamped on me, but I could not break it when she dragged me to the shower."

"What did your dad do?" Betty asked Kim.

"What everybody else did, laugh his head off. He knew better than to get in her way," Kim said.

LS slowly shook her head. "I still remember her exact words after she finished, "Your parents will never hear a word of this if you do one thing for me.' If I knew what it was, I never would have done it."

"So what was it?" Susan asked.

"Guess."

They all (except Kim and LS) looked at each other, and then slowly smiled.

"She had you help out in the garden, didn't she?" Susan said.

"Yes, and after that day, I never laughed at anybody in that family sentenced with garden duty again," LS replied.

"I'm going to count my blessings that my mother never thought of punishing me like that," Betty said.

"If you do not mind wearing a gi for a little while, Betty, we can get you cleaned up at the dojo. Rhonda, I know you have a few designer gi to wear, so it should be no big deal for you. I do ask for you, and Cao and Sharon as well, not to eat too much. Kim's mother will still have a big dinner planned for us, and I do not want to face her if I already have a full stomach."

Although Johnson was a man who could be bold with his emotions, he generally did not let them show in the form of vulgar vocabulary. When he finally heard the news that LS suddenly had a team come from nowhere and beat everyone to a pulp, he was not happy. When he heard about the three fighters he hired (who wisely decided to be paid up front for their services) were beaten, he hit the roof. With the door to his office firmly closed, and no one but Stacy to hear him, he delivered a profane tirade that was designed to make sailors blush and melt paint off the walls. When he finished, he sat back in his chair breathing heavy.

Stacy, who actually had some office mischief on her mind when she came by, shelved those plans for the moment, and asked the councilman, "So what will you do now?"

"I can't send any more people without the whole community knowing about it. It took time and a good deal of money for the authorities to turn a blind eye, and have the phones tied up, and have reporters chase a newsworthy item on the other side of the city, to keep the public out of it. I do have a trump card to play though," Johnson said.

"What's that?"

"This evening, LS's parents are going to get a little visit. Then I'll contact LS, and we'll make a little deal. She wasn't home when I sent some people over to visit her the other night, but I don't think her mom and dad have any plans for this evening. They won't anyway after we're through. And just to be on the safe side, I'll send someone over to visit her cousin's folks too."

"I think that would've worked better than sending these gangs out to get her."

"I wish I thought about it earlier," the councilman said in reflection, "but it's not a move I like to do too often; besides, the last time I targeted a family, the cop got beat up by an innocent bystander of all the crazy things."

[Author's Note: Again, you'll find that in No Good Deed Goes Unpunished ' Mongoose.]

Stacy came over and started undoing his tie. "Speaking of crazy, I have a few ideas of my own with this office visit," she cooed.

"My word, woman, you've been on fire the last couple of days. Because of you, the last time I got some good night's sleep was during last night's committee meeting."

"What can I say, sugar, you light my fire."

"Well put it out, we're in my office."

"Behind closed doors, with a lust-crazed woman. There's no escape."

"Looks like I have no choice. I'll pull the shades down to cover the windows."

Stacy suddenly grabbed him and practically threw him bodily onto the sofa.

"They won't see you from here."

"You're wearing those hose again, aren't you?" Johnson sputtered.

"Yeah. Something about them puts me in the mood, you know?"

Johnson made a mental note to have a pair of those hose checked to see it the Daughters of Athena or whoever they are somehow put any aphrodisiacs entwined with the nylon. Until then, a man's got to do what a man's got to do.

The scene at LS's dojo was reminiscent of a victorious army having a victory feast. Courtesy of the local Chinese restaurant (where the owners were good friends of LS and Lewis), food and soft drink flowed, and talk of how they trashed the enemy almost sounded like the battle of Troy. LS was welcomed by a roaring cheer when she arrived, and it took almost five minutes before she could calm them down to deliver her "victory speech."

"My students, I thank you for all you have done today, because the battle we fought has gone a long way to ensure the future safety of the city. We will still have evening classes tonight, but any classes earlier than that will be canceled for tonight," LS said, receiving more of a rousing ovation. "Later, I will tell you the full extent of what our efforts have done tonight; but for right now, let's eat, drink, and be merry!"

After circulating around the crowd, gradually, LS assembled her initial team, and brought them into her office, along with an addition.

Closing the door, LS asked, "May, have you ate quite a bit?"

"I'm not stuffed, if that's what you mean," May replied.

"Good. First, let me invite you to Kim's mom's house for dinner. Second, I want to include you on a special mission we are doing tonight."

"Tonight? How very cloak and dagger of you, Love," Cao said.

"I'm in, teacher. Do I need to bring anything?" May asked.

"Do you have anything in black?"

"I have something perfect for this occasion."

"Does this mean I need my black gi?" Rhonda asked.

"Yes. Janelle, I know you have something in that color scheme, so we will stop by my space so you can bring it along. Kim, I know you do; Betty, Susan, Cao, how about you?"

The three ladies muttered answers of "yes," "sure," and "I think so," a little confused as to the reason for their clothing's color scheme for that evening.

"Excellent; we will meet around Kim's parent's house around dinnertime, and talk about our plans then," LS said.

Later that evening at the Chang's household, dinner was a success, which would be believed without any doubt from Jacqueline Chang's point of view. Her house guests dug in and ate almost greedily, just remembering their table manners so they wouldn't be perceived as total savages. She wondered about her latest houseguest, May. She came by earlier, dressed in a sleeveless black T-shirt, black leggings, and barefoot (she already liked her taste in footwear). She was polite, well-mannered, and sounded like the excellent student that LS said she was. But Mrs. Chang's burning question was she did she put all that food? She knew LS could be a hearty eater, but then again, LS had a stocky muscular build that needed a hearty meal. May on the other hand, was an inch shorter than her teacher, and much more petite, with leaner muscles like a cat. Oh well, that wasn't an important point. The point was her special casserole was a hit! Everybody liked it, and her husband complimented her on it, and gave her one of those "thank you" looks that indicated that he'll be expressing his appreciation for the meal later on that evening.

As for the others, there was not much in the way of conversation, besides asking to pass particular dishes of food to them. But if dinnertime was quiet enough, after dinner was even quieter. Susan stayed behind to help Jacqueline with the dishes, and to glean more marital advice. Janelle, who also had her nuptials coming soon, stuck around to pick up those bits of wisdom. Jon discreetly made his way to his mother's office and had prints made of the pictures he took earlier that day. Betty, Rhonda, and Cao, went to find a spare sofa or bed, and crashed. In fact, Betty was so oblivious to the world, a car race, one of her favorite sporting events, was on TV, but she never heard a thing. Jon, who watches races as well, was kind enough to record the event so she could watch it later or take it with her. May, who normally preferred her sporting events to involve more flesh and blood, regarded the race as no more than background noise as she read a book she brought with her, and performed some flexibility and strength exercises while she was reading it. That left LS and Kim, who were sitting by the garden (or "the dreaded garden," as Janelle started calling it, jokingly). More precisely, LS was sitting in her lawn chair, looking at one of Mrs. Chang's roses, sipping an ice tea, while Kim watched the rose, the surrounding garden, the neighbors next door, and everything else before launching from her chair and pacing about. Finally she stopped in front of LS.

"All right cousin, what are you planning? What are you thinking about?" She demanded.

"Kim, have a seat. We have had a busy day," LS said kindly, gesturing to Kim's chair.

Kim did, but not before she took her chair, and placed it at an angle where she would face her cousin, but not obstruct the view of the rose.

"We have just had a big battle with the councilman's goons, plus some picked to fight you, me, and Jasmine in particular. Then you gave your "troops" a big feast and sent them home, except for May, and your evening classes. Now you want us to dress in black for some occasion that you have told us nothing about. Excuse my impatience, but I'm not sure I can wait until this evening to find out what's happening," she said.

LS turned to her and smiled. "Why I am surprised, Kim. First, I learned not to voice your plans until you have thought them out; that is why I have been silent. Two, for someone who claims to know me even better than my own mother, father, and brother, I thought you knew what I was going to do next."

Kim paused. "Maybe I wanted to hear you say it," she said.

"The councilman had just sent his army to get us, but we won. But you and I both know that this was the battle, not the war. And as great a help you, Betty, Janelle, Susan, and my students have been, we also know we can't spend however long it takes fighting skirmishes with each other. It's time for an endgame, Kim. And since you know me so well, you should know what I'm doing next."

Kim stood up, and slapped herself in the head before sitting back down. "Of course! It's so obvious!" She exclaimed.

"I would say so. May knew what I was doing when I asked her on this mission, and I never invited her on one before."

"I am not questioning your judgment, I'm just curious. Why did you choose May?"

An evil grin spread across LS's face. "Because she's petite and deadly."

"I think I'm satisfied now. I'll just wait until we're all gathered to hear the rest. I'm very curious to hear what you're going to do with the "big' people."

LS lounged her head back in her chair. "I think you will like it."

To be concluded . . .

For suggestions, comments, or story ideas, email the author at shrewsberry@juno.com.

#Barefoot Heroines, 2008.