All That Glitters Part-8

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All That Glitters -
Part Eight

by:
Enemyoffun

Mike Carter is the man about campus who lives life in the fast lane. He's quarterback of his college football team, well liked by the student population and quite a ladies man. But due to gambling, Mike has a money problem. To make ends meet he takes a job at as a security guard at a museum and things go down hill from there all thanks to a gold orb.

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Author's Note: Here's the nightclub scene I promised and finally some action. I always knew this story was going to be action light from the beginning but I never realized how light until I started writing it. But besides that, I'm in love with this chapter. I'd like to thank djkauf for editing it so fast and DC for their wonderful characters.

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Chapter Eight:

“You need to wake up now,” said an annoying voice floating somewhere above my head.

I groaned and opened one eye. A normal person would have freaked out to see a gold orb hovering over their head. But I’m not normal, not anymore. I opened my other eye and batted Skeets away, not wanting anything in my face when I woke up. I moaned and slowly sat up. Skeets hovered over to the window, a little arm coming out of his body and pulling one half of the curtains aside. The morning light streamed through, hitting me in the face. I put up one of my arms, shielding my eyes and turning away. I looked at the clock and moaned. It was eight in the morning, far too early for me to get up. I looked back at Skeets as he pulled the other curtain open, more light streaming into the room. What the hell is wrong with this thing?

“You’re asking for an ass kicking.”

“I don’t technically have an ass for you to kick,” he said as he moved away from the window, deftly dodging the pillow I threw at him.

Hey at least he was learning.

I threw the covers off, noticing my jersey. A part of me wanted to scream at the sight but another part was kind of glad. Who the hell wanted to be on a team with a bunch of cowards anyway? They were all dicks too; none of them had enough spine to tell me how they really felt. I got frustrated and pulled the jersey over my head, tossing it into the corner. All men were scum, I’m glad I wasn’t one anymore. Ok so that’s technically not true. I’d give anything to have a penis again.

Skeets floated over to the jersey on the floor, using one of his arms to pick it up. “Would you like me to put it down the laundry chute to have it washed?”
“Burn it for all I care, I don’t want to see it again.”

Another arm came out of his body and he quickly folded the jersey, carrying it over to a pile of folded clothes in the corner. I shook my head. Ever since Skeets showed himself, the room was ten times cleaner. I used to just drop everything, clothes and garbage included. But Skeets was like my own personal maid. My clothes were all folded and the clean ones neatly put away. All my garbage was gone too, either in the trash bin that I didn’t even know I had or in bags ready to take to the dumpster in the parking lot.

“Clearly you’re still upset from last night,” he said, dodging the other pillow I threw at him. “Taking out your frustration on me isn’t going to solve things.”

Damn straight, I was upset and why shouldn’t I be. I kissed Rick last night and I liked it. I shouldn’t have done it but I needed to know as much as he did. I’m not sure who it shocked more, me or him. The worse part, I acted like a girl. I didn’t even wait around to get his reaction. I just freaked and ran away, blubbering the whole time. I looked down at my boobs, wanting to scream. Instead, I cupped them and shook them violently. Who in the hell’s idea was it to give me tits? I definitely didn’t deserve them and even if I did it was a cruel joke. Ok, so I know I’m a bit of an ass and I treat women like crap. Ok, see, I admit it. But don’t you think I’ve suffered enough. It was bad to make me a chick but its worse to make me one that’s attracted to my own best friend.

I wanted to cry but I forced the tears away. Never again. I don’t care what happens; I’ve decided I’m never crying again. I’ve also decided that I’m not going to let this chick thing get the better of me. I’m still Mike Carter, even if I don’t look like it on the outside.

I slipped off the bed and trudged to the door. It never occurred to me that I was just wearing panties. It didn’t matter much anyway. When I opened the door, I found the apartment deserted. I expected as much. But I was surprised to see that nothing was missing. I wandered into the living room and looked about. The broken coffee table was still there, I forgot to tell Rick what happened. But apparently he noticed because all the glass was cleaned up. On the little table next to the couch was a note, I recognized Rick’s handwriting: Mike, I’ve done some thinking. I still want to be your roommate but I think I need some time to cool off. I’m going to book a hotel room for a few days and clear my head. I’ll give you a call when I’m ready to talk.

I crumpled the note and tossed it onto the couch. Typical man, always running from the problem. I groaned. I did not just think that.

“You should cover yourself up,” said Skeets, floating into the room behind me, carrying my bathrobe.

I ignored him. “I’m going to take a shower. If anyone knocks on the door, don’t answer it.”

I didn’t wait for a response. Instead, I went right for the shower. I closed the door and locked it, going over to the toilet. There is one thing I like being about a chick and that’s getting to pee sitting down. You never realize how much easier it is until you’re not standing up to do it. I know it’s kind of a gross thing to think about but it’s true. I will never again be yelled at for accidentally forgetting to put the seat up and peeing all over it. Which reminds me I still really need to call my mother.

I finished relieving myself and got into the shower. This early in the morning I like cold showers. But as soon as I turned the water on---to a nice freezing temperature, I might add---I screamed at the top of my lungs as soon I stepped in. Who knew that girls had far more sensitive bodies than guys? I cranked the water to lukewarm, but the damage was done. I touched my nipples; they were so pointy they could shred flesh. I groaned as I touched them but there was no way I was going there. Not today anyway. I showered quickly and when I got out, I walked naked into the living room. Hey, no one was home to complain and if no one was around, I liked to air dry.

“You’re not covered up,” said Skeets, who was busy dusting.

I thought he said he was some kind of police robot or something.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, do you have eyes?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he dropped the feather duster and floated over to the little table by the door. There was a thick manila envelope sitting there, he picked it up. “While you were washing, this arrived for you. There was also a call on the machine, from your mother I think.”

I groaned about the mother call as I took the envelope from him. I tore it open and looked inside. There was a lot of papers and something else. I dumped the contents into my hands, the smallest of which was a new ID. It wasn’t a driver’s license, I’d have to retake that, but it was a new school ID. It showed a picture of the new me, listing my name as Myka Carter and my age as 18. I groaned at that. What gave whomever the right to name me and make me a year younger? The most shocking of all was the fact that it listed me as a freshman. I didn’t like that one bit. I threw the ID on the couch as I walked over to it and sat down.

I scattered the rest of the envelope’s contents on the cushion next to me. There was a new birth certificate and a new social security card. There was also a form for me to fill out, requesting a new passport, not that I ever got an old one. The most important sheet was a letter from Jenet. She basically told me how she rushed my credentials through because she wanted to make sure I could start back to school as soon as possible. I was now officially re-enrolled in Northwestern as a freshman, a Civics major apparently. Whatever the hell that was. Included in the packet was my new schedule and some of the other things I would need to make my new life believable. There was a sealed envelope as well, addressed to my mother. I smiled; wondering if that meant I wouldn’t have to break the news to her after all. Which reminded me…?

“Skeets, can you play that message my mother left?”

He floated over to the answer machine and pushed play. My mother’s shrill and angry voice filled the room. “Michael Jon Carter” I cringed, she was serious when she used my middle name. “I am your mother, shouldn’t I have been the first person you called when you found out you were a Metahuman.”

Shit, busted.

“I got a call from a nice lady doctor and an Agent Faraday.”

Why did that name sound familiar? ‘They informed me that you transformed a few days ago and now you were Myka Michelle Carter. I find that hard to believe but I’ve seen the picture. You make a very beautiful girl, a daughter that would make any mother proud, except this one. If you ever keep anything like this from me again so help me…” Her voice trailed off and she sighed. “I hope to see you soon, sweetheart, so I can meet my darling new daughter in person. I’m so excited, your aunt and I are going shopping this afternoon so we can redecorate your room. You are still coming home for summer break, right?”

The machine beeped, telling me the message was done.

I groaned; that could have gone better. I scooped up all my new stuff and stuck it back in the envelope. My mother was the most important person in my life and I couldn’t believe how cowardly I’d been in avoiding her. I quickly ran my stuff back to my room and found some clothes to wear. Rick only got me a couple of outfits---God, I’m even thinking like a girl now---so I found a pair of my old sweats and a t-shirt, they were a little big, but seeing as I was going to veg around the house it didn’t really matter. I left the envelope on my bed then rushed back out into the living room.

I went right for the phone. I took a deep breath as I picked up the handset and dialed. It only rang twice before someone picked up.

“Hello” her voice always made me feel better.

I took a deep breath. “Hi Mom, it’s me, your new daughter.”

We talked for hours. Ok, so it was only two but it was still longer than I’d ever talked to my mother before. Back when I was still me, we had a good relationship but let’s face it we didn’t have much in common. Now, well it was kind of obvious. She asked me all sorts of questions and I didn’t hold anything back. I told her everything and I mean everything. She wasn’t too happy about the whole gambling thing and me almost stealing the gem from the museum and she knew I didn’t do those other things. How cool is that? She wanted to meet the new me as soon as possible. You know what else I broke my promise to myself and cried, a lot. She cried a bit too. I guess it’s inevitable, being a girl and all. Ok so new promise: I will never cry in public again.

Toward the end of our conversation, my stomach grumbled. “Mom, I have to go or I’m going to starve.”

She sighed. “I really miss you honey and don’t worry, everything is going to work out in the end. You take real good care of yourself and don’t do anything stupid.”

“I won’t Mom, I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetheart.”

We both hung up about the same time. Ok, so I didn’t tell her everything. I left out the part where Bea and I were going to confront Ballard tonight. Yeah, I decided that last night. I didn’t just want to know where this bastard operated; I’m going to confront his ass. I’m going to put an end to all this shit too. I don’t care if he breaks both of my arms; there is no way that Mike Carter is going to be treated like crap anymore. I puffed up my chest and smiled. Then sighed heavily. Of course, it would help if I was actually Mike Carter.

I picked up my new school ID. Myka, I suppose I was asking for that one.

______________________________

“How did you convince me of this again?” I asked, tugging on the hem of my extremely short skirt.

Bea laughed. I think she enjoyed torturing me. “Have you seen the way girls dress to get into this club?”

I groaned. I knew exactly how girls dressed to get into the club, I’d brought a few here myself. But that still didn’t make things any better; in fact, it made it one hundred times worse. Because I knew how girls reacted to the way girls were dressed. I looked down at my outfit again and groaned. There was no way I could walk around in this place without every dick in the joint feeling me up or rubbing against me. Some might call it poetic justice, I just call it plain mean. The worse part, I think that she did it on purpose.

Ok, so a recap is in order.

After getting off the phone with my mother and hightailing it to Sal’s. That was kind of fun as I had to reintroduce myself to a guy I’ve known for about a year and a half now. I told him I was Mike’s sister and that I was staying with my brother for a few days. The great thing about Sal, he believed in his friends. He told me that he thought Mike was being framed and that there was no way he could do the things they said he did on TV. Besides Rick and my mother, of course, Sal was the only one on my side. Bea didn’t really count because I barely knew her.

So after Sal’s, Bea gave me a call. Apparently, the boss man gave her the day off. If I ever meet Mr. Wayne, I need to shake that guy’s hand. I might have to strangle him, too---I’ll get to that in a second. Bea met me a few blocks away, outside of a little salon. Yeah, I know. She was convinced that in order for me to be presentable I had to look the part. I’m not going to bore you with all the gory details but suffice to say, salons are torture. First the hair then the nails and the makeup, ugh. We went shopping after that and boy did we shop. You would have never guessed that she’d been anything other than a girl. She made a confession after the third store that we went to that she might have been a closet you-know-what. Hey, I’m not one to judge. Suffice to say she knew a lot about women’s clothes long before she became one.

We spent hours shopping. Then we spent a couple more hours in her apartment. It was a tiny thing. She might have been a student at Northwestern too, but dorm life wasn’t for her. Apparently she tried it after the change---it must suck going from twenty-five back to eighteen---but she felt she was too mature for the girls there. So with her modest salary she could afford a nice little place. Her building was no Tides but it was nice. But she tortured me when we got there. She said she needed to make sure that I passed as someone who belonged at that club. So she made me practice for hours and hours. Have you ever walked back and forth in four-inch heels wearing a dress so tight that you black out if you move wrong? Ok I’m exaggerating a bit but it was nuts.

After what seemed like forever, Bea announced it was time to go.

What am I wearing, you might ask. Besides the shortest and tightest skirt I’ve even seen, I’m wearing a tube top that would make a hooker blush and so much makeup that a clown would laugh. Ok, so it’s not that much, but it sure felt like it. I felt ridiculous as I stood in line, towering over a lot of girls there due to my massive heels. How in the hell was I going to run in stilettos if something bad happened?

“Stop fidgeting,” said Bea softly as the two of us moved up in line. “You’re making people stare.”

"This is nuts, I look like an idiot and those guys are staring.”

I gestured my head toward a group of frat boys. There were four of them and they couldn’t do anything but stare at me. It was really starting to creep me out. I hated the way their eyes were on me, it made every part of my body feel as if it needed to be washed a hundred times over. Bea turned her head slightly and smiled.

“They’re looking at you, girl, because you’re smoking hot.”

I groaned. I didn’t want to be smoking anything. Ok, remember how I was proud that I was gorgeous, well not anymore. I’d never been a modest anything as Mike, but now standing here in as little clothes as possible, I wanted to crawl into a ball and cry. This was the most embarrassing moment in my life and we weren’t even in the club yet. Wait until these people saw me dance. That’s right, I said dance. Bea spent a good portion of the day teaching me how to move my body the “proper way” as she called. I was a pretty good dancer as a guy---at least I thought so anyway. But apparently, female dancing was completely different.

It was all about the body. She tried her hardest to show me how to move as sexily as I could. But no matter how much she tried, she failed miserably.

“Pay attention, we’re next,” she whispered in my ear.

I took a deep breath as the couple ahead of us was let through the velvet rope. We were so close to the club now that I could hear the pounding music. The bouncer was a huge black guy, not much unlike the one that Ballard had at Billiards. But this guy looked like he could eat the other. When we got up to him, Bea smiled.

He looked her up and down. Then he turned to me and smiled too.

After a few seconds of intense eye searching, he said. “Ok Red, you and Legs, go on in.”

I shuddered at the name. I was tall before but with the heels, I was apparently a giant freak. Bea took my hand and pulled me inside.

The 1000's was like most clubs. The music was loud, you could barely hear yourself think and it was so cramped that it was hard to walk. We slipped through a pair of drunks flirting with one another. Two guys, hey I’m not here to judge. Then we pressed our way toward the dance floor. It was standing room only with a crush of people. Someone stepped on my foot, which kinda hurt. The whole time Bea never let go of my hand as my stomach did flip flops. She pulled me along, acting like a concerned mother dragging her small child through the mall. I held onto her hand as tight as possible. I think this place was once a warehouse, it was huge and even though the smell was greatly masked, you could still smell the lingering aroma of something un-clublike in the air.

Through the dance floor and the flashing strobes, Bea got me to the bar in one piece. There was a crush of people there, too. She ordered some drinks and handed me one. It was pink, in a martini glass that seemed to be glowing. I looked at it and shook my head.

“What the hell is this?” I asked, having to shout over the music.

She shrugged and downed her drink.

I took a deep breathed and downed mine too. Don’t ask me what it was but it sure tasted good. Bea ordered us another pair. I took my time with my second. I didn’t want to get drunk; I needed to remain focused. I looked around, trying to see if I could spot the perfect place where Ballard would hide. At first, I could see nothing in the dim light of the dark place. But as my eyes adjusted, I spotted something that looked promising. There was a large guy in a black shirt standing by a door. It was right next to the bathrooms and marked PRIVATE. That had to be the place. Now all I had to do was figure out how to get through it. I looked around, sipping my drink as I did so.

“Are you having fun?”

I turned to Bea. “I used to be a guy and I used to troll for chicks like me in places like this.”

She laughed. “Maybe we should dance?”

She didn’t wait for my response. She took my land and started to pull me toward the dance floor. I downed my pink drink and let her lead the way. As soon as we got onto the floor, it was like there was a whole new Bea. She came alive and was on fire---not literally, because that would have been bad. She moved as if she was a whole new person, slinking and sliding all about me. There were a lot of guys bouncing around, rubbing up against girls like I used to. They took one look at us and one of them actually licked his lips. My skin crawled. I grabbed Bea’s hand and got into the groove too. Before I knew it, I was taken away by the music as much as she was. It was incredible and so damn sexy. I didn’t even know I could move that way.

One thing led to another and two of us were kissing. It felt so damn exhilarating. Neither of us held back, our tongues battling in our mouths. I felt so alive. My nipples were like daggers and I was wet below. If this was what it was like to be aroused as a girl then I’m never wishing to be a guy again. My whole body tingled and I did everything I could not to drag her off to a dark corner somewhere and have my way with her. I think she felt the same because she was moaning as much as I was.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder, ending all the fun. I pulled away from Bea, feeling slightly flushed. I turned and saw a frat boy grinning at us.

“That was so hot, mind if I cut in?”

Bea answered for me. “Get lost, dick, she’s mine.”

He looked as if she ripped off his sack. All the color drained from his face and the crowd seemed to swallow him as everyone crushed in around us to dance. We did finally stop but not because we wanted to. Exhaustion set in and Bea led me over to one of the tables that seemed to pop up out of nowhere. It seemed strange that she was taking charge. When I was male I was definitely the dominant one in all my flings. But for some reason it felt kind of nice to be led around by the hand. Bea pulled a chair out for me and I sat in it as daintily as possible, just like she showed me.

The good news in all of this, the table was close to that door.

A waitress wearing a black tank top and a pair of neon yellow hot pants walked up to the guy. He didn’t even look at her. We were close enough to hear what she said:

“Vinnie, I need to go up.”

He nodded, stepped aside and opened the door. I smiled because I think I knew a way up there.

Another waitress walked over. She was blonde and big breasted. But her hooters didn’t seem to interest me as much as they would have. Bea looked at me and smiled. Then she ordered some more drinks. The girl scribbled the order down and teetered off.

‘You paying attention?” asked Bea, looking sideways at the door.

I nodded. “So that’s why we sat here.”

“I saw you looking over here before. I figured if we got close enough you might overhear something. You figure out a way to get through that door yet?”

I nodded again. “I’m going to need one of those waitresses alone though.”

“Leave that to me.”

She waited a few seconds for our waitress to return then she stood up, pushing her chair back in the process. She timed it so the chair hit the poor unsuspecting girl in the legs, causing her to drop her tray of drinks. Most of them hit the floor but one fell all over her. She gasped and looked like she was about to cry. I got to my feet after that as Bea apologized again and again. The lump by the door didn’t even move, fricking piece of work.

“Here sweetie” I said, taking her arm gently and helping her up. “Let’s get you cleaned off.”

“What about my tables?” she asked as I led her toward the ladies.

“They can wait for a few seconds. You’re drenched.”

I wouldn’t let her protest any further. I walked her into the ladies room, surprised there was no line tonight. Usually the damn line was longer than some lines at a roller coaster. I pushed her inside first, taking a deep breath and entering No Man’s Land for the first time. It was surprisingly the same except there were no urinals. There was a plush red couch though which was kind of unfair and of course, the tampon dispenser on the wall---I can’t wait to use that, ugh.

The waitress went to the hand dryer, turning it on. The not too bright girl bent down under it, trying to dry her boobs off. I rolled my eyes and reached for my little clutch purse. Yeah I’ve got a purse, how annoying it that. I rummaged around inside until I found what I was looking for. I made Skeets stay home tonight but not before, I asked him for a few things. He had a lot of little gadgets buried inside of his body, there had to be something to help. Luckily for me there was. I pulled out the little sliver cylinder, it looked kind of like a tube of lipstick. I walked up behind the girl and stuck her in the side of the neck with it.

One moment she was standing there, drying off her boobs and the next she dropped to the floor. Holy shit, it worked a lot faster than I thought. I left her there for a second, ran back to the door and waved Bea inside. She slipped in quickly and looked around, shaking her head.

“Your little friend was right; she did drop like a ton of bricks.”

I nodded. “I was hoping to use this on Ballard but I guess when the opportunity presents itself, you take it.”

Bea didn’t say anything. Instead, she helped me as we dragged the poor unsuspecting girl to a stall and then started to strip her.

_________________________________

I took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom. If I thought the skirt and tube top were bad, they’re nothing compared to these little shorts. There wasn’t anything to tug down and they were riding up so badly. I’m just glad Bea forced me to wear a thong tonight or else I would have looked ridiculous. But there is one good thing about this outfit, the shoes. They’re black ankle boots with only an inch heel instead of those neck breakers I was wearing before. I suppose an outfit like this helped the girls get tips but I’m glad I didn’t have to wear it every single day.

I minced over to the door, looking right at the guy, Vinnie. He didn’t look at me, exactly like I was hoping.

“Vinnie” I said, trying to sound like an oversexed bimbo. “I need to go up.”

I held my breath and waited. It felt like an eternity but he finally stepped aside, opening the door for me. I let out the breath after the door shut behind me. There was a narrow staircase before me. I didn’t waste any time as I went up, taking it as slow as I could. Hey, I’ve never climbed stairs in heels before. When I got to the only floor, I sighed and stopped a second to get my bearings. I was now in a long hallway, doors dotting each side. At the end of the hall, I heard the faint thumb of music and laughter. I assumed that’s where Ballard would be. I’m guessing all this area was where he did most of his shady business, whatever that might be. I know he’s dirty but I’ll be damned if I know what’s he’s in to. I’m guessing whatever it is it’s shady enough that he hides it all up here.

But was it shady enough to incriminate the bastard.

I took off in the opposite direction of the noise and went to the first door. But it was locked. I tried the next one but it was locked too. In fact, all the doors leading away from the noise were locked. So I turned around and went toward it. The first door I found opened up into what looked like a simple supply closet. The next door was a grungy looking bedroom with a heart shaped bed and awful smelling incense. I did not want to know what happened in that room. The third door, the one closest to the noise looked the most promising. Partially because it was made of solid oak and it had a name plate on it: DIRECTOR. I groaned, how much of an ego does this guy have?

I tried the lock and surprisingly found it open.

When I went inside, I found myself in a swanky office. It looked like something a scumbag might have. There was a large desk in front of an even larger window. Shelves filled with books lined one wall and the other was covered with flat screens, at least six forty inchers. The most promising thing in the room though, had to be the open laptop on the desk and the two filing cabinets. I went to the cabinets at first but they were both locked. So I went to the desk and tried the laptop. It was password protected though. I cursed and looked around the room some more. All the drawers in the desk were locked too. On the desk was an assortment of pictures, most of them of Ballard with important people. There were more of those on the wall too. There was also a paper on the desk; today’s in fact, the headline big and bold: PRESIDENT TO VISIT CHICAGO. It was kind of big news, seeing as he was from here and all.

I was about to give up when I noticed a manila folder stuck under the laptop. I smiled and slipped it out. When I opened it, I found that it was a criminal file of some sorts. The guy in the picture looked like a real thug: baldhead, face all scarred. I looked for a name but the only one that was there was an alias: Chiller. Who the hell calls themselves Chiller? I shook my head and continued to read. There was nothing else in it, just a list of the guy’s criminal record. That wasn’t going to help me at all. There was one thing that puzzled me. At the bottom of the last page there was a note, indicating that Mr. Chiller showed promise of rehabilitation, it was signed by Lex Luthor. How impressive is that?

I put the folder back. As soon as I did the door to the office opened, I froze.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” It was that big black guy, the one who hassled me at practice a few days ago. The one who threatened me and my mother.
I felt my anger rise, the lamp lifted off the desk slightly. I put my hand on it and calmed myself. Then I bit my lip and remembered that I was supposed to be working here. “I got lost,” I said in that airy voice I used with Vinnie. “Isn’t this the VIP Room?”

The black guy’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve never seen you here before.”

I smiled. “I’m new, I just started working here.”

He stepped into the room. He was on me faster than I could move. He grabbed my arm. “I don’t think so. I should know, I hire all the girls around here.”

I bit my lip. Son of a bitch. The bastard dragged me out of the room and down the hall. He didn’t bother to knock on the closed door that led into the noisy room. He pushed me inside. I landed on a sticky floor. When I looked up, I saw half a dozen faces looking at me. Ballard was one of them, another belonged to a face I never thought I’d see again, my own. The color drained from my face. How in the hell can I be there when I’m here? It wasn’t possibly. The black guy grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. I looked at the rest of the people in the room. One of them was too fat to sit on the couch he was sitting on, there was a girl sitting on his knee, the same one I saw come up here earlier.

Ballard was sitting on another couch, two girls on either side of him. The last person in the room was me or more accurately a fake Mike Carter. It was kind of eerie, looking at my former self. But how was it possible.

There was a little coffee table spread out in front of them, beers and other assorted drinks laid out there. Ballard grabbed his drink, took a sip and then set it back down. When he looked at me, it was with hungry eyes. I didn’t like them one bit.

“What do we have here, Hertz?”

The black guy put a vice-like grip on my arm. “I caught her snooping around your office, boss.”

I was pushed forward, landing on my knees at Ballard’s feet. He reached down and grabbed my chin, smiling. “What’s a pretty little thing like you doing snooping around here?”

I said nothing. The fake Mike spoke up, laughing. “Let me have her, she looks like fun.”

I gasped, he even sounded like me. But he sure didn’t act like me.
Ballard smiled. “What do you say cupcake, do you want to play with Mr. Chiller…I mean Mr. Carter?”

So he was Chiller. How in the hell did he look like me. The guy in the photo was bald and ugly. I took a gamble because frankly I needed to get out of here alive. “I can’t.” I said, looking at Chiller or rather the Fake Me. I’m confused. “You see it would look pretty bad if a brother screwed his own sister.”

Ok, so I was improvising. I was hoping it’d get the response I was looking for, it did. Something happened to the fake me. He started to change. His face started to twist and turn, morphing back into its old self. I gasped. So that’s how he was doing it. He was some kind of Meta shape shifter. Oh shit, that’s brilliant.

“Oh dear, I believe we have a problem” said Ballard with a smile. “Did that cowardly brother of yours send you to spy on me?”

Everyone in the room laughed, including the girls who were clueless as to what was going on.

I said nothing. Ballard got to his feet and grabbed my arms, pulling me up too. I was a whole helluva lot weaker than before. It kind of sucked. If I get out of this in one piece, I’m definitely hitting the gym or taking self defense classes or something. Ballard pushed a strand of hair out of my face and then gently guided me over to Hertz’s strong arms.

“Mr. Hertz as much as it shames me to say this, why don’t you take our little spy here out back and show her why they call you a blackguard.”

He smiled real big.

“You want me to go too?” asked the fat guy, stuffing cashews in his mouth.

“No Mr. Pruett, Hertz can handle one little girl” He thought about it for a second. “To be on the safe side though, take a couple of the guys from downstairs with you.”

Hertz nodded and dragged me from the room. I fought and squirmed but it was no use. I screamed out and crawled at the bastard, my newly manicured French tip nails digging into the flesh of his arm. But it was no use; it was like the man didn’t even feel it. Before he dragged me out the door, I shouted at Ballard.

“Why have him pretend to be Mike?”

Ballard held up his hand, stopping Hertz. “Practice, my dear. Your brother pissed me off a few months back and then failed to do what I asked of him. So I had Chiller here drag him through the mud a bit. I always like to test my new employees before I pay them for anything big.”

“Practice for what?”

Ballard smiled. “Now why in the hell would I tell you a thing like that?”

He waved his hand and Hertz dragged me the rest of the way out the door. I screamed and kicked but it was no use. He was too strong. He carried me down the hall and toward the locked door at the end of the hall. It led to a staircase. He carried me down it. I tried my hardest to get free but it was no use. When I got down the stairs, he pushed his way through another door. We were outside, in an alley behind the nightclub. There were three other guys there and someone else. I gasped when I saw Bea on her knees. One of the guys was the bouncer from the door.

“Who’s this?” asked Hertz, indicating Bea.

“The two of them came in together. Mr. Ballard just called, the security camera in the bathroom caught them knocking out one of the girls and taking her clothes.”

Bea looked up at me and I mouthed sorry. She smirked, apparently she wasn’t as down as I was. I was defeated. I had powers but what good would they do in this situation. But Bea. I looked at her and widened my eyes but she shook her head. What the hell was her problem? Then I saw it. One of the guys had a canister of gasoline in his hand, ready to dump it all over her. Had they discovered her ability? No, I noticed a few seconds later that they had another one for me. Oh God, they were going to burn us to death. How unrealistic was that?

“You do her,” said Hertz as he threw me to the ground. “And I’ll do this bitch.”

The bouncer laughed, tossing Hertz the canister. I looked around, panicked. The alley was secluded and out of the way. Even if I screamed, no one would hear me. There was only one light, which flicked above Hertz’s head and only one way in and out. Even if I managed to get away, the other guys were blocking the only exit. I was screwed. I looked over at Bea, we were both screwed.

One of the goons was already raising the canister over her head. I closed my eyes because there was no way I could watch my friend burn to death. But as soon as I closed my eyes, I heard a smashing sound. I snapped them open and just caught the streetlight blinking out. Something sharp and metal landed in my lap. I snatched it up and swung it Hertz, using it like a knife. I cut across his face and this time he felt it. He screamed and stumbled back. The others screamed too. I snapped around, hoping to see Bea in action. But she was on the ground, crawling away.

Someone else was there though. I only saw a bit of him because everything was black. He moved fast though. He took out all three guys in a matter of seconds. Then he snapped around, moving toward Hertz. There was a flap of black fabric as he leapt through the air and slammed hard into the son of bitch’s chest. He dropped the big bastard, landing a hard blow to his face, breaking his nose and probably his jaw. But Hertz was down for the count.

The shadowy stranger turned toward me. “The cops will be here shortly. You two need to get out of here.”

“What about Ballard?”

“He’s too connected. Find out what he’s got his hands into and then take him out.”

I nodded. I turned to Bea to see if she was ok. She was slowly getting to her feet but she looked otherwise fine. I turned back to thank the stranger but he was gone. What the hell? I looked around, hoping to see him. But there was nothing. How in the hell? I didn’t wait around long enough to find out what was going on. Instead, I ran quickly to Bea, took her by the hand and the two of us got out of there as fast as possible.

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Comments

Okay, THAT was clearly the Bats

or "Mr Bat Man, Sir." If you value your teeth and life.

Ah, so now it makes sense, a shapeshifter/doppleganger framed our former boy.

Um, Myka had better wise up and bring the goldguy thingy with her in future, And Bea has some limitations as a super as well but then I guess both are still learning. And I think Bea has a *thing* for our new heroine.

BIG Q, why would Lex Luthor give a glowing testimonial to this nasty shapeshifter? Is he involved? Or just waiting to pick up the pieces when assasinating the Pressident blows everything to hell?

So happy mom still loves and trusts her new daughter. Hope mom is safe.

Got my attention on this one. Damn you are good at this.

John in Wauwatosa

John in Wauwatosa

Not Ballard's MO

Character Assassination is more likely to be his gambit. Get photos of an indistinguishable doppleganger in a highly compromising situation then use those photo's to leverage their way into whatever it is they want.

The query here is...

is the Newspaper a red herring?
Is the President Ballard's target?
Or maybe it is Senator Hunter?
Does the Batman suspect what is really going on?
Do our intrepid investigative trainees have the chops to see this one through?

Tune in next time to find out :p

-sb

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Coordinated
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Msot likely Batman arrived,

Msot likely Batman arrived, because he was shadowing Bea and Myka for safety. I do believe that this Ballard person has ideas of using Chiller to impersonate the President or someone in his party when they arrive in Chicago. That is why the paper was opened to that article. Ballard did mention he liked his employees (Chiller) to practice. Jan

Not too surprising

After all Bea works for Mr Wayne after all!

I am surprised it did not occur to Myka for her to use her magnetic powers to take control of the canisters, if they were metal of course or bring loose metal objects towards her so they can hit those thugs.

She had the only powers that could have helped out in that sitch. I did not follow booster gold in the comics but I wonder if she can be a lower powered version of Magneto.

Hmmm

Kim

Newbie mistake

It seems Myka is not used to think in terms of weaponry yet. Otherwise, bringing a few knives or throwing stars and using them as guided missiles would work great.

Or maybe a "spinner" like Jade from the Whateley universe uses...

the man in black....

the one and only Caped Crusader? hmmmm.....

"Life isn't all butterflies and rainbows"

dorothycolleen

DogSig.png

Ah...

Their Knight in totally non-reflective, matte black armor.

Smart move on Bea's part... keep her powers under wraps. I think it's time for our little metal mover to start thinking about how to move hemoglobin around.

-sb

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Coordinated
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Batman

Enemyoffun's picture

I originally was going to give him his own Retcon with this convoluted back story and make him go from male to female then call her Batwoman. But the more I thought about it I realized there was no way that you could do that to Batman. So I decided to make him a minor character and have him serve as the shadowy figure I loved so much from the old Batman Animated Series show from when I was a kid.

I'm glad everyone loved his introduction. The original plan for this scene was going to have Bea aka Fire fight off the goons and save the day but as cool as that sounded it didn't really work.

As for the two of them not fighting here, both of them were a little buzzed and a tad bit scared. Besides, they're young Metas and don't have full control over their powers yet. It would have been a mess and I think Bats knew that and that's why he interfered.

So what do you think? Should Batman make anymore appearances here?

Absolutely!

But Batman could potentially still be an important part of the retcon universe as a man. I mean, what would happen if errr ROBIN changes, eh? I mean the character's name would not even need to change also *snort*. Plus there have been weird things shall we say written about Robin in the past any way? eh?

Well Robin is an acrobat so Robin(female) could just be just an enhanced acrobat. I don't know, I am just throwing out ideas here I guess.

Kim

Robin

Enemyoffun's picture

Not that I plan on going this route but I wonder if anyone plans on doing a Retcon of Robin?

My next Retcon is going to be about Laira, a Green Lantern that turns bad.

Of Course

Honestly Batman is one of the top heroes to most people. If you can do him justice, add him in liberally :P Only problem is that he is almost at Chuck Norris status in the DC universe: Mortal, yet the penultimate manly guy. If not written carefully, he can take over the spotlight from Booster (or whatever you had planned).

Reappearance

Enemyoffun's picture

If he reappears it will be at the end of the story, in a small part just like he appeared here. I have an idea for it but I'm not sure if I'm going to use it or not yet.

What I like is how...

Bats is mentoring these two. His instructions to Myka, for instance.

He could be the gruff loner and tell them they have no business playing with thugs in dark alleys, but instead he plays safety net while they learn to do what they need to do.

Keep him as a mentor... have him drop subtle hints on what and how they should proceed. Have him help them both learn to think and then make them think, like a good detective must. They can't take Ballard down unless they manuver him into making a prosecutable mistake. Bats is the master of making the bad guys do what he wants them to. Bea and Myka need to learn some of this.

At the end, Bruce needs to drag the two of them into his office at Wayne Enterprises (or Bats needs to drag them into some out-of-the-way conference facility) and have them do a full debrief of every mistake and point at which he had to pull their fat out of the fire.

Have him be the Bats from 'Brave and the Bold'

-sb

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Network for
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Coordinated
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I like how you think

It's really a good idea. After all, Bats has to realise that one masked crimefighter is not going to win the war, while more of them can prevent one.

Also, I wonder, if it's possible to get some tape of Chiller changing into Carter or someone else... Better yet, if the conversation between the Ballard and Myka was recorded somewhere, then it's a perfect evidence for using as basis of a thorough investigation.

Faraway


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Big Closet Top Shelf

Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!

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On rights of free advertisement:
Big Closet Top Shelf

Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!

Bisexual?

Does this chapter show that Myka is Bisexual I wonder, or is it just alcohol and getting lost in the music?

"he that dares not grasp the thorn Should never crave the rose."
--Anne Bronte
Efren Rose

Both I think

Enemyoffun's picture

I'm going to cover it in the next chapter as the two of them talk a bit about things. It should be interesting to note that Bea was a lot more drunk than Myka was.

All That Glitters Part-8

Booster Gold's power is the ability to control metal or magnetism. Seems that she needs to learn control as Magneto is one of the most powerful Metas n Marvel, and his daughter who has greenhair is his equal in power.

    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine
    Stanman
May Your Light Forever Shine

Very good, interesting

Very good, interesting story.

But like Mike, Myka is a little dense or maybe she is still off balance because of the change.

Hard to believe she hasn't more fully tested her power.
She should be able to unlock any lock.
And those gas cans ? If they were metal, then they could have been dumped on the goons at the end of the alley.
There must have been dumpsters, garbage cans and lids in the alley, lots of ammo for our girl powered rail gun.

Looking forward to the next chapters.

D

A bit scared

Enemyoffun's picture

She was a bit scared in the alley. I talk a little about it in the next chapter. But I guess I could have had her do some more. I just wanted to make the two of them damsels so Batman could save them.

I would imagine it would be

I would imagine it would be incredibly rare for someone to use their power in a life threatning situation when they haven't even practiced. Using magnetic powers when pissed to lock the door is not the same as a life threatning situation when one is tipsy. Honestly, I think most of the "heroes" in this universe are written to progress in skill much too fast. You can't bench 250 lbs for ten reps just because you have muscles, you have to train.

I think Enemyoffun is spot on in this case. Plus who could possibly have a problem with a certain "Knight" showing up?

All That Glitters..

I'm loving it so far. I normally wait till I get 8 or 10 parts so I have a good run to read before starting a story but I started into this one at part 5 and I've been eagerly awaiting each part since. lol Keep up the great work!