Mob-Girl – Chapter 01-03

by Dru

Chapter 1 – Not the Same

It was a dawn much like any other on a midsummer day in Metropolis. The sun breached, the pre-dawn glow turned pink and blossomed into a blue sky. Clark Kent watched the whole thing from the beach, drinking in details that other people missed with his extraordinary eyes. Smiling, his soul warmed by the Earth's source of life, he turned his back to it and walked leisurely up the beach to climb the stairs and return to the city. His mind was at ease … he had no idea what was waiting for him at work.

The Daily Planet building was only a block-and-a-half from Goldland Beach, and Clark was soon dipping his hat to the doorman.

"Good morning, Mister Kent."

"Good morning, Tom. How are the kids?"

"Just fine, Mister Kent." Without loosing eye contact, old Tom smoothly opened the door to let Clark into the lobby.

"Good to hear. You have yourself a good day now, okay?"

"I'm already working on it."

As usual, he rode the elevator alone. It would be half an hour before anyone else showed up. Metropolis Now FM was tuned in somewhere, coming softly from the speakers. The DJ was busy endorsing a new restaurant, so Clark didn't get to hear any music.

Being a top investigative reporter had not given Clark the keys to his own office. He was on the floor, with a gossip columnist to the left and a sportswriter to the right of his cubicle. If he pushed Perry hard enough, Clark could get a private room to work in. But he enjoyed just being one of the gang. That was the whole idea of being here after all … to blend in with the crowd.

Usually the room was empty this time of day. But this morning there was a small group of men inside, waiting silently outside the door to Perry's office.

Playing his role as humble Clark Kent, the timid reporter walked to his cubicle and opened his case on the small desk. The whole time Superman was checking the group of strangers out with his super-senses. They weren't carrying guns, which was strange in a city as violent as Metropolis had become. The thing that concerned him most of all was the fact that his X-ray eyes could not penetrate the lining of a briefcase one of them held. He decided a trip to the bathroom was in order. Protecting his identity as Clark Kent had been his greatest concern since childhood.

Moving toward the bathroom door, the chances making a safe change were dramatically reduced.

"Hey guy!"

"Yea?"

The group approached quickly.

"You might be able to help us out."

"Sure … uh, how?"

"We're looking for someone. We have something that needs to be returned to him." Finishing his sentence, the apparent leader of the group tapped the man with the briefcase.

As the open case was lifted and popped, Clark felt the effects of the kryptonite it contained. The four men smiled as Superman stumbled backward, his body bent and his head down. This dag reporter had to be their man.

"Strap it on him and let's go."

When Superman woke, he was stripped of his disguise and strapped on a cold steel table. Looming above him was a large crudely constructed device, about the size of a phone-booth. The mechanism looked vaguely familiar.

"Hello, sleepy."

Superman turned his head to see another table six feet away, identical to the one on which he lay. Except the occupant of the other table wasn't strapped down. She was sitting up with legs over the side, watching him.

He tried to say, "Free me," but only managed a feeble murmur.

"Don't worry, I'll free you, Clark. Soon you won't have to pretend that you have no super-powers."

Swinging her dangling legs up onto the table, the woman propped herself up on an elbow to look at him again.

"I guess you're wondering why you're here. I know you don't remember me, but you busted my father last year for racketeering. Nowadays he takes magazines from to cell to cell up at the state pen. Did you know Lex Luther's up there too?"

Superman was so weakened by the Kryptonite that he couldn't answer.

"Anyway, they got talking and realised that your name came up an awful lot in their conversations. Turns out that they both have a problem with you existing. So they did some research together. Remember how you took care of those three rogues? That machine that makes you Kryptonians normal? Well Lex is a very smart man. He sent people to your fortress of Solitude, and he got the plans for that thing. And there it is!"

The young woman indicated the device above Superman.

"Except someone changed the plan along the way. Me. When we were building the thing, we realised that it possible to not just strip you of your powers, but to transfer them to someone else." Enjoying the look of horror Superman gave her, she continued. "Of course my dad would never approve of what I'm going to do. He would want this for himself. But he's not here … is he?"

She waved her hand at someone Superman couldn't see, and the machine buzzed into life. It rattled and wound up into a fierce metallic hum before shooting out a red beam. It hit his forehead, and a particle stream formed between Superman and the noisy device. The chamber system he had been subjected to previouslyhad certainly nauseated him, but the equipment being used now was far more painful in its approach. While the Kryptonian device gently enveloped the body, the mobster version was more direct. It drilled into him, and worked from the inside out. He quickly lost consciousness as the red glow spread over his body.

When the beam stopped, a lever was pulled and the machine moved sideways on its makeshift rails to stop over the woman, who had her eyes firmly closed and her hands tensed on the edge of the table. The beam flashed onto her exposed abdomen, and the particle stream began to work on her fully tensed body. She screamed and passed out while the glow of the beam spread.

The two technicians stared in fascination as the machine did its work. They weren't sure this process wouldn't kill her, but they were sure her father's thugs would kill the pair of them if it did. They sweated it out until finally, running on the energy it had stolen from Superman, the beam cut out.

"Go check her."

"You go fucking check her."

The first to speak rose slowly, and opened the door into the sealed room. Entering and shutting the door behind him, the overpaid technician took several cautious steps to the table. Glancing at Superman, he saw his chest rise and fall. Looking at his boss, he felt a bit of a chill as he realised her chest wasn't moving at all. He held a hand above her mouth, but felt no movement of air.

"She's not breathing."

"Check her pulse!" his co-worker impatiently snapped back.

Taking a hold of her wrist, the technician felt around for a pulse, but couldn't find it.

"Get in here! I think she's d …"

Her wrist was suddenly pulled out of his grasp.

"Hey! What the fuck are you doing?"

"But … I was making sure you were still alive. You weren't breathing."

"Well I'm fine so get the hell away from me." Giving him a little shove, the mobsters daughter discovered that the experiment had been a complete success. The man flew into the wall so hard and fast that there was no need to check his pulse to know he was dead. The blood pooling out from underneath his crumpled, awkward, form was evidence enough.

"Oh my." Raising the hand she had used, she looked it over. Her eyes wandered down her arm as she rose smoothly and swang her legs over the edge. Running her hands over her body she began to sense the power she now possessed. Her eyes went wide as her fingers embedded into the steel table as though it were dough. "First things first." She declared, standing up on the table and reaching for the device.

"No!" the technician cried, concerned by what she was about to do more than he had been for his friend.

"I don't want anyone using this thing on me," she explained. Grasping the large barrel of the device she crushed it in her grip before tearing in two different directions. Closing a hand on the main support she squeezed it until the whole thing dropped to her feet. Giving it a good kick she was rewarded with an explosion so violent it shattered the glass divider and exposed the control room. The machinery had disintegrated, but the woman had to do a lot more than destroy the prototype.

The technician was hypnotised by the power his gorgeous boss now possessed. Her clothes had sagged on her before, but now her breasts threatened to tear through the seams. He felt a chill as he realised she was watching him.

"You're a very smart man, Tony. You've given me Superman's strength." She hopped off the table, landing softly on the cement. "I wonder if I have all his powers." She breathed in long and deep, ruffling Tony's hair and scattering his already messed up paperwork, then puckered her lips and began to blow. Tony's hair ruffled the other way, then he was lifted up and slammed into the wall behind him and held there, chair and all as the force increased to a tremendous level. There was creaking sound, the leg of the control console was bending, then there was loud crack as the cheap bolts broke. Tony's wide eyes watched the large console grow larger until it crushed him, making a hole in the concrete wall.

Closing her lips and smiling, the woman looked around at the room. It looked like a tornado had been through it. A sense of power overwhelmed her, arousing in its intensity, and her hands roamed her body. Unfortunately her clothes were still just normal clothes, and her massaging hands tore through them as through they were rice paper.

From within her rolling hills of pleasure, the deadliest person on Earth heard footsteps. She was startled by how loud they become a moment later when she concentrated on the sound, trying to gauge the distance. They sounded like they were in the same room with her, but she knew she was alone … except for the comatose Clark Kent. When she stopped concentrating on them, they faded. She shook her head back and laughed. "I have got all Superman's powers."

Staring at the wall, she stepped back as it loomed in front of her. Her new ability to zoom in her vision took a moment to adjust to. Focusing on the sound of the footsteps, she stared in that general direction. The wall vanished, making her smile confidently. The next wall faded, and the next, until she found the source. A man walking along the footpath, passing the warehouse on the far side of the street. Astounded by the power of her senses she returned her attention to the immediate surroundings.

Focusing on a spider that scurried up the wall, she couldn't help but recoil as it grew to fill her vision. Its head was hideous, but the overall design of the arachnid was beautiful. A blink of her deep blues flashed her vision back to normal. She looked at the spider again, squinting and biting her lip. It took a moment, but she stumbled across her mental trigger. The spider disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving only an imprint where the wall had been scorched less by the intense blast of heat.

"This is better than I ever dreamed," she declared, stretching her powerful body.

Clark stirred. He let out a low moan as consciousness sluggishly returned to him. His synapses were not super-charged as they been just moments ago. Opening his eyes, he looked around in confusion. The kryptonite on his chest still glowed, but its effects had been greatly reduced. Struggling with the steel bands holding him down on the table he found them too strong. He realised a moment later that he was as good as human now.

"Having trouble, Clark?"

He turned to look for the source of the question, and felt a chill as he saw the woman. She walked slowly over, looking at him thoughtfully.

"Let me help." Hooking a finger under one of the steeling bands, she jerked her arm back at the shoulder and snapped the cold steel as though it were Styrofoam. Clearly startled by the ease of it, she removed each of the remaining three with a flick of her wrist.

Clark was staring at her in open-mouthed horror. To do what she just did required Kryptonian levels of strength. What amazed him more was the fact that the kryptonite around his neck didn't seem to be affecting her. Yet he could tell that it wasn't hurting him anymore. So whatever it was within him that caused his extreme reaction to pieces of his home world had gone with his superpowers.

"What's wrong, Clark? Do you miss being Superman already?"

"Who are you?"

"My name is Emily. Your's is Clark, right?" she held out her hand, but he was smart enough not to shake it.

"You have no idea what you're doing, Emily. Those powers need to be controlled sensibly."

"Clark, do you have any idea how good it feels to have your powers? If you're thinking about taking them back forget it! It's out of your hands now. Superman is dead, Mr. Kent." While she spoke Clark slyly unclasped the kryptonite from around his neck. "You're nothing but a reporter now … though I think you'll have to work harder to get your stories."

She looked away a moment, and Clark grabbed the green stone and thrust down the remained of her shirt. He knew it the direct contact of the kryptonite against her skin would do something. He hoped it would be enough to let him escape.

Emily was amused at first. Then she felt pain as the kryptonite against her skin reacted with her new molecular structure. Her muscles cramped, tensing with millions of tons of pressure.

Superman wasted no time. If she screamed, he didn't want to be in the same room. He dashed over the rubble, his sluggish speed filling him with dread. He got out into the hall and found a window. Fortunately they were on the ground floor, so he leapt through it. He had gone through armour plating on many occasions, but this four-pane window hurt more than anything he had experienced before.

Back in the warehouse, Emily was bunched up in pain, her body glowing dull red and the air around her shimmering. She tried to conquer it, but found it impossible to overcome the pain. Her tensed body heated rapidly, the distortion of the heat waves grew around her until the ragged clothes she wore burst into flame against her skin. As her blouse fell away in tatters, and the contact with kryptonite was broken as it dropped away. She fell to the floor exhausted as the cramping instantly ceased. Even with super-charged synapses Emily took several moments to recover.

"That bastard."

Getting to her feet, Emily checked herself. She felt fine. Better than fine … she felt magnificent. She'd always been a healthy person, but no-one from Earth had ever felt this healthy.

Remembering how much the little stone next to her foot had hurt her, she stepped away from it. Clark Kent would have to pay for his little trick. Emily started to run after him. He must have used the hole she made earlier. Then she stopped.

"What am I doing? Superman never chased anyone on foot." Looking up at the ceiling Emily leapt up with enough force to crack the concrete beneath her feet. Emily found herself rocketing up through the warehouse and into the open air, the industrial estate growing small under her feet.

Chapter 2

Emily was a long way up before realised that she had only done a super-jump. She wasn't actually flying. Gravity reasserted itself, and she began a twelve-thousand foot swan dive. She'd arced up so high that her descent took into the mountains north of Metropolis. Emily panicked, forgetting all about Superman as the ground rushed up toward her. Branches were shattered from the massive trees, doing little by way of slowing her down, and then she hit the ground explosively … chunks of rock and earth flying in all directions as a cloud of smaller particles billowed up to form a dusty haze.

Sitting up in the crater, Emily happily inspected her undamaged body. She pushed down with her hands, launching herself two hundred feet in the air. She came down neatly on her feet, her strong legs taking the impact easily. Drawing a deep breath, aware that the leaves disturbed all around her, Emily stretched her arms and closed her eyes. Concentrating hard, she willed herself into the air. The pressure of the ground on her soles fell away, and Emily exalted in unaided flight. She opened her eyes, and grinned at the ground as she rose higher and higher above it. Looking around, she was dazzled by the fact that she really was flying.

"Let's see you hijack me, Osama!" she declared, accelerating upward.

Emily spent the next three hours mastering her power of flight. At first she had trouble steering, and when she worked that out she had trouble slowing down. But after some thinking and experimenting she was performing loops and barrel rolls. After a bit more work at it, Emily was soaring low through the mountains dodging tree and outcroppings. Ducking into a canyon she stopped her rapid descent and flew along inches above the river. The river disappeared into a cave, the canyon having caved in her centuries ago. She smiled and reached forward with her fists. Accelerating into the ancient pile of rocks Emily blasted through them like a torpedo through water, the boulders violently destroyed by the impact. Watching the larger pieces fly for many miles up the canyon with her, Emily was once again astounded by the sheer power Superman had once possessed. No wonder her father had trouble killing him.

Pulling up into drifting clouds Emily passed through them at mach three, and accelerated west. She was astonished by how small the world had become in the last few minutes. The terrain rolled by seventy thousand feet below, her super-sight marking landmarks as they flashed by far below. She crossed state after state, her passage causing dramatic turbulence and confusing the weather patterns.

"Alright Superman. Now I'll deal with you."

Heading back out to the coast Emily followed it south. Realising she was going need some new clothes she stopped over a small town. Spotting a trendy surf-shop, she plummeted through the roof and landed in the ladies wear section. The explosive entrance knocked over everything that wasn't bolted down, including the people.

Ignoring them, not wanting to introduce herself to the world naked, Emily picked out a simple string bikini and tied it onto her body with great care. Looking at the closest man, who was drooling at her phenomenally healthy curves, she asked him: "Does this look good on me?"

The blank eyed surfer said nothing, just standing there with his mouth open salivating over her beautiful form.

"Pervert," she accused, dropping him across the room with a punch to the gut. Grabbing a short skirt, Emily put that on as well, then left using the door. It was quite a while before anyone in the shop spoke.

As soon as she got outside Emily stepped up into the air and accelerated a few thousand feet into the sky before turning toward Metropolis. Reaching the city in moments, Emily was dismayed to realise how long she'd been gone. Superman's tracks were very cold. He could be halfway to Mexico for all she knew.

Making several sweeps of the city and the surrounding suburbs, Emily scanned the area thoroughly for the red cape, but it was no good. He must have changed into civilian clothes by now.

"He's not going anywhere," Emily thought aloud, slowing to drift over the bustling business district.

There were a lot of cars and infinitely more pedestrians, every one of them going about their own little business. It amazed Emily how much it all looked like a giant ant hill. From such a distance there seemed very little sense to the lines of streets or the chaotic sprawl of suburbia. As she drifted about, thinking up a way to introduce herself to the world, Emily spotted the prison.

"Why not?" she thought, dropping down low above the rooftops and turning toward the gaol. Her father had been locked up for nearly a year, so rescuing him was overdue really.

The thick stone walls became transparent as she blinked them away. Her father was at work in the library, sorting out his next load. The other inmates were working too, all of them slaving away at menial tasks. The number of guards surprised her. There were none watching her father, but the video camera sat still and quiet in the corner. Following the wiring through to the source, she discovered two men in a secured room watching a wall of monitor and eating peanuts.

They were on the top floor, so Emily thought it easier to take them out first. Hovering over the roof, she lowered herself down slowly, and stamped a foot down. She was careful not to put much into it, but the hole extended all the way to the wall as the pieces fell hard on the two men and their equipment. She was about to go in and take on the two guards, looking forward to testing her new strength in a fight. But she saw that her kick had done all the work: the chunks of cement and rebar had destroyed the computers, killed the guards, and blocked the security door.

Flying over to the library Emily landed on the roof. She didn't want to kill her father … that was no way to free him … so she was careful not to go too fast as she pushed down with both feet. The concrete cracked under her scrunched toes and her feet began sinking as she slid through the roof to land gently on the floor.

The five prisoners on the library roster stared in stunned amazement as a gorgeous full bodied woman came feet first through the thick ceiling. Their erections pulsed harder when they saw her smiling face. Except for one … her father's.

"Hello daddy. Look what I did!" She put her hands on her hips and stood proudly on a half foot of air.

Her father stepped back, gawking at her. He found no words until one of his fellow prisoners moved forward and reached for her with lust.

"Hey!" Moving to stop the aroused man, who hadn't seen a woman in five years and never one as perfectly built as the one in front of him now, Carlos "The Breaker" Lahey saw that his daughter needed no protection. She moved her arm up, and the guy who had tried to jump her was thrown up into the roof. He didn't pass through it as she had done.

"Emily …?"

"It's me, dad. I defeated Superman and stole all his powers." She looked at the biggest man in the room. No doubt her fathers hired protection. "Watch this," she said, giving her father a wink. Two tiny beams shot from her eyes as she tested her heat vision on a man for the first time. Her victim held up his hands to hold off the searing beams, but they disintegrated along with his upper body … leaving his legs to fall in two different directions.

As the unique odour of overcooked human drifted to his nostrils Carlos had to sit down. One of the other men puked while Carlos tried to understand what was going on.

"No time to waste, Dad," Emily told him, getting behind his chair. Grasping it she lifted her father into the air, and then hovered carefully through the hole in the roof.

Carlos gripped the seat in terror as he found himself soaring up and away from the prison he'd been trapped in for ten months. The city spread out around him, growing smaller as daughter climbed and turned toward the family compound. Carlos felt the warm arm of his daughter at his side and a sense of pride welled up in him. Before Emily put him down on the estate lawn Carlos was making plans.

The ability Clark was missing the most right now was his super-speed. It had taken him an exceedingly long time to get home and change out of his super-suit, and his body was exhausted from the effort. What would have taken just a few seconds took nearly an hour.

Grabbing the phone and punching numbers he hesitated before entering the last two digits. He guessed them wrong, and had to apologise to the lady who answered. Picking up the phone book he looked up the number for the Daily Planet.

"Good afternoon, you have reached the Daily Planet. How can I help you today?"

"Put me through to Mr. White."

"May I ask who's calling?"

"It's Clark Kent."

"One moment please … "

The phone clicked and cheap chimes rang out a subdued version of Blue Moon in his ear until Perry's voice ended the on-hold torture.

"Clark? Where the hell are you, son? It's after two … "

"Something's happened, Mr. White. Something's happened to Superman."

"What in blazes are you talking about, Clark?"

"I met him this morning and we were both abducted by thugs."

"Thugs? Superman abducted by thugs?"

"They had kryptonite."

"Kryptonite?!"

"Mr. White … it gets worse. They had some kind of machine. It drained his powers and gave them to someone else. A criminal."

"You better come into the office, Clark."

"No … she'll be looking for me."

"She?"

"It's a woman. A young woman. We have to warn people, Perry."

"Are you at home?"

"I'm getting some things and going to Jimmy's. I haven't got time to call him; can you tell him to meet me there within the hour?"

"Sure thing, Clark. Don't forget your lap-top. I want a list of the facts at least by four, or we'll get nothing out for the morning edition."

"I'm on it, Mr. White."

"Call me from Jimmy's."

Chapter 3

Looking over the morning paper Carlos realised that if he was dreaming it was the most detailed dream he had ever experienced. It was still a little hard to believe that his daughter had flown him through hole in the prison roof, but the headlines lessened the growing doubts he had about his sanity.

"Sorry to disturb you so early, Mr. Lahey, but Mr. Kirkland and Mr. Rudall are here. I believe you were expecting them?"

"Yes." Carlos dropped the paper to the coffee table and took a cigar from the box. His butler politely nodded and went out to fetch the visitors.

"I didn't believe it until just now," Marcus Kirkland declared as he entered, whipping off his sunglasses and stretching out his hand.

"Welcome back, boss," Rudall greeting Carlos with the hug of a very old friend.

"It's good to be back, let me tell you." Taking a long puff of his Cuban, Carlos sat down on the comfortable leather lounge he had missed so much.

"So, Breaker, how did you get out?"

"You guys don't read the papers? I'm the story of the day." He poked his cigar at the coffee table. "Check it out."

There was a picture of Carlos, the photo taken the day of his court appearance, but it was smaller than the picture of Emily that was printed above it. The headline widened Kirkland's eyes.

SUPERMAN DEFEATED BY MOB-BOSS DAUGHTER

And lower, beneath Emily's photo

BEWARE! MOB-GIRL?

HAS THIS WOMAN STOLEN SUPERMAN'S POWERS?

"Is this a joke?"

"Gentlemen I tell you this is all very real. My plan to destroy Superman has been more successful than I could have dreamed."

"What plan?"

"I didn't want you guys in on it. It was too dangerous. I had to use expendable people in case it went south."

"Emily stole Superman's powers? How?"

"I don't know for sure. Lex Luther was the brains behind that one."

"Speaking of Luther," Rudall interrupted, still reading the paper. "They've moved him last night to a military prison in Bergville. 'Says here that they think he'll be broken out next."

"Really? Well they have nothing to worry about. That guy gives me the creeps."

"So Emily is like Superman now?"

"I saw her melt a guy from across the room with her eyes. She can fly and I don't need more proof than that."

"Where is she?"

"She took off before I woke up … told security she was going for a joy-flight."

"So what's the plan, Boss?"

"We already have control of the east and south here in the city. We're going to expand our operations all over metropolis, then we're going to Gotham City. After that, who knows? Right now I want you guys to tell me how well you held the fort. Where exactly do we stand?"

Emily flew past the Daily Planet building, her eyes penetrating the walls to search for the face of Clark Kent. But he wasn't home. Scanning the offices with her enhanced ears she listened in to several conversations but found out little useful information. A few of them were talking about her, and how dangerous it would be if Clark Kent's latest story was true.

Luxuriating in the freedom of flight, Emily soared over downtown Metropolis thinking about what she should do. Her father had asked her, for the first time in his life showing his daughter genuine respect, to see him in the morning. No doubt he had big plans, but Emily wasn't sure if she should let herself be held back by her father. A whole new realm of possibilities had opened for Emily now.

Shrugging her shoulders she went low and flew through the buildings. She could sense an immense power flowing through her veins and teeming in her muscles. Emily knew at that moment she was capable of anything. Who could stop her? She had all the vaunted powers of Earth's mightiest superhero. She went high and accelerated gently as she flew out over the mountains. She went up, until the curvature of the Earth became blatant. Looking down she used her super-eyes to map a huge region of the country. Looking deeper she examined a thousand cities and towns that dotted the land. She watched the planes cruising far below and marvelled at the vast number of cars that filled the impressive highway system linking every town in a chaotic network of black ribbons.

Emily did a dive, accelerating down toward the ground and arcing slowing up until she flew at about three thousand feet above the highway. The ground flashed by, but she could still make out every little detail. Her mind had been enhanced as equally as her body, and could easily handle the pace.

Spotting a police car, and remembering how cops had always treated her like a whore because she was her fathers child, she decided to have some fun with them. Her first memory of a policeman was when one had picked her up as a four-year-old, during a raid, and told her: "You sure are an ugly little thing. You know, those parents of yours are garbage … you'll never be nothing but garbage yourself … " So Emily thought it would be fitting to test herself against a few cops, and let them be the first to feel the might of Mob-Girl.

Landing beside the road ahead of them and putting her thumb out, she waited a few moments for them come around the corner. After they went by, both cops taking a good look at the hitch-hiker that flashed past, Emily sprang lightly into the air and flew high above them for a moment before surging forward and touching down beside the road to stick her thumb out again. The cops drove right by, but they were clearly startled.

"Must be twins," one of them explained hopefully.

Emily listened in as she jumped up a thousand feet and overtook them again and touched down a few miles up the road.

"Yea. They dress the same sometimes."

"Okay. I'm not buying this. Triplets?"

They stopped this time, and got out as she stepped toward them.

"Hello there. Care to give a girl a lift?"

"What's the game here? Is there another one of you up the road?"

Emily feigned confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She was a poor actor, and the cops smelled a rat. She was wearing an expensive outfit, but no shoes.

"Alright. Let's see some I.D."

"I left my purse at home," she told them. It was a lie. Her purse was still at the warehouse, and she didn't care anyway. All her credit cards were in the glove box of her car, and they were all she cared for.

"Okay. I'm going to have to cuff you. Do any of your sisters have I.D.?"

"I haven't got any sisters. Just brothers, and they're both at university." While she spoke, the younger cop tried to cuff her. He slapped on one but couldn't drag the hand close enough to the other until Emily wanted him to.

Going along with it for her amusement, Emily let them push her head down into the car. They did a U-turn and started looking for the other women they'd seen. Of course they didn't find them.

"They've taken off and left you, Love. But don't worry, you'll get a good meal and a roof for the night. Then you can tell us about that fancy outfit you stole."

He turned around, but not for long. There was a loud metallic crack from the back seat and he snapped his head back around to investigate. The prisoner had her hands out front, crossing them over her breasts and winking at him.

"Hey! Stop the car, Bill. She's gotten out of her cuffs."

"You must be illiterate," Emily suggested, looking out the window at the worlds going by. "Don't you read the paper of a morning?"

"Huh?"

Emily put her open hands against the steel cage that protected the officers and closed her fingers. The thin bars bunched in her hand, making a bizarre racket as she pulled a large section of it down.

The driver slammed on the breaks and pulled up on the side of the road. Both cops got out, pulled their guns and moved around. Before they could think to call in Emily pushed the locked door of the squad car out wit her hand. It bent dramatically before she punched her other fist through the Detroit steel. Manipulating the steel like putty, Emily stood up through the roof and walked firmly forward through the side of the car, her hands parting the way with obvious ease. A cop was reaching for his radio, staring at her. She moved so fast that she appeared to teleport herself right in front of him. The cop went to push the button on his handset, only to realise he didn't have it anymore. In fact. He didn't have a hand anymore, just a broken bleeding pulp with a lead dangling from it.

His screams made the other cop shoot. Emily was sure bullets wouldn't hurt her. If steel was so soft … handcuffs so very easy to remove … then weak little lumps of lead that didn't move as fast she did couldn't do much. But she dodged them anyway, all twelve bullets missing her as she calmly avoided them. Blasting the guns with her eyes, Emily set both cops on fire.

"You guys are pathetic."

One of them rushed her, trying to knock her over. While she laughed at him the other guy got in the remains of the car and squealed off down the road.

"Your friend's a lot smarter than you," Emily observed. "But don't worry. He won't get far."

Emily dazzled the wounded cop by launching into the air and pursuing the squad car from above the treetops. She caught him before he made a quarter mile, coming down beside the drivers window and smiling at him as she matched the V-8's best speed without remotely straining herself. Enjoying his panic a moment, she went up over the roof and pushed her fingers into the windscreen at the edge. She proceeded to peel the big Ford like a can of sardines.

"Aren't you supposed to take me down to the station?" she asked.

He was so startled that he missed a turn in the road, ploughing into a tree with his foot still on the accelerator. Emily saw it coming, and instantly stopped in the air. She was disappointed when the vehicle didn't explode. It just crumpled into the tree with all tyres off the ground for a split second, then bounced back a mere inch or two before settling uneven on the springs.

Returning to look for the other cop, Emily found he had fled. Hovering over the place she'd last seen him she span in the spot scanning the area around for miles in every direction. There he was, cowering behind a tree. It took her a moment to find him because she had been looking too far away. He hadn't run more than fifty feet into the undergrowth. She circled around and came down behind him.

"What are you doing back here?"

He cried out, taken completely by surprise, and ran back toward the road. Emily was standing on the double white lines, a big grin on her face, when he cleared the bushes. Horrified, he turned to run again, but as he left foot fell toward the ground he felt himself hoisted in the air, his first step unfinished. He watched the branches flash by, then looked around in awe as thousands of trees came into view all around him. His awe turned to fright as the trees began to shrink, the landscape looking more like a scale model with each passing breath.

"I could play all day," Emily told him, her lips beside his ear as she floated lazily into the clouds. "But you probably have things to do, so I'll let you go."

Emily opened her hands and the officer tumbled toward the ground screaming. She watched him fall, until he impacted with the soft ground. Looking down at her unsupported feet she stretched her toes and wiggled them. The power to defy gravity was proving to be Emily's favourite. Darting past the sound barrier an instant later, she soared back to Metropolis.

Despite her extreme power, Emily decided that she didn't want to go it alone. She was old enough to now how the world worked, and she knew that whatever she did to help her father would benefit her in the long run. And so Emily went back to the compound and landed in front of a door.

Even as careful as she was, Emily still twisted the knob all out of shape and cracked the door-jam as she pulled closed. Smiling, she walked into the house to find her dad, who was talking with his two highest ranking men. Emily didn't like either one of them … she especially disliked the way they tried to hit on her. She'd been fending of their 'witty' approaches since she was sixteen.

"Good morning, Emily. You look terrific."

Carlos wasn't just being a proud father. Even the butler had an erection, the first the aging man had managed without viagra for seven years. She was bursting with health and vitality, her curves artfully displayed by her expensive casual-wear.

"I feel terrific, Dad. What's for breakfast?"

"I had something already. If you're hungry …"

"That's okay," Emily assured him, lighting up the room with a smile. "I haven't felt hungry since yesterday."

Rudall and Kirkland exchanged looks and shuffled uncomfortably.

"We have a lot to talk about. Shall we go outside? It's a good day to do business outdoors." As he spoke, Kirkland loosened his tie.

"Good idea," Carlos agreed. "We'll talk by the pool."

Emily got a little excited as the group went out into the grounds. She had never attended a 'business' meeting before. She had always been curious to know just what went on all those days she was banished from her father's presence.

Taking a shady spot by the pool they gathered to discuss the Lahey empire.

"Before we expand we have to stabilise," Rudall began. "You've been gone a long time, and other families have been looking into our interests."

"They smelt death," Carlos observed grimly, remembering how hollow he had felt being separated from his business. "Those jackals didn't waste time. How bad has the damage grown. Be honest with me … I don't want one of those over-the-rainbow shitfests you indulge in Rudall."

"We've still got control, but more and more people are paying late. We had to kill three people last month. And when I say we have control, I mean generally. There are pockets of our territory where the dealers don't respect you, Breaker. We're losing income to Chinese sources … and I didn't want to say anything to you in prison, since you had enough …"

"What?"

"Well, some of the guys have betrayed us."

Carlos looked at Kirkland.

"He's right, Breaker. Two down south and one here. They're collecting money and not dropping it off. I've sent three people out there, but none of them came back … and I'm not going down there and getting killed myself. Most of our best gunmen have broken their contracts and joined other organizations. Mostly interstate."

"You were right not to go down there, Kirkland. I need you too much. Anyway, now we have a new enforcer it won't take long to get back on track. Who's this guy out here?"

"He's on Maple Street, about six blocks away."

"That close and you haven't killed him Marcus? What's wrong with you, man?"

"Let's go."

Everyone stopped and looked at Emily. With those three evil pairs of eyes looking at them, most sensible people would shrink away. But Emily was confident. She was very self-assured.

Carlos nodded. "She's right. We'll take care of these three grubs today, and the rest of the worms will wriggle right back into the can by tomorrow morning."