Superheroines Bk. 07

Using her power she soon had Caroline telling her all about Joy, and like Mort, she wished she could be universally loved as Joy was. Little did she know that Joy had a big problem that was growing quietly into an enormous one. Alexandra Armstrong, Alias Verity, was taking her turn in the HQ.

She was currently scanning the weekly report on the fan mail for the Super Heroines and Heroes. All the Super humans that had chosen to fight crime and help the people had a fan club. Americans loved fan clubs, and although certain Super humans were only well known in and around their home cities, some had a world wide following.

Shiva was a world-renowned Super heroine, her demonstration of power in lifting the President on board the Aircraft Carrier had been shown on Television around the world. Her fan mail was enormous, far too much for any one person to read let alone answer.

However thanks to the Federation, SHHQ (Superhuman Head Quarters) had a department solely dedicated to reading and answering this mail. This was financed by those in the Government that wanted to keep their home grown Super humans happy. The Government also used the feedback from the general public as an indicator as to their future posture regarding Super humans. Like all Governments they had their own agenda.

Verity noticed a strange trend in the volume of feedback; one of the lesser-known Super humans was getting more mail every week. This was a gradual increase, but very noticeable to someone with all the data at her fingertips. The strangest thing about this Super human's mail, was that all of it was positive.

No hate mail, no death threats, and no envy at all. Every other Super humans mail was a mixture of all these things. It was just accepted, and even normal human celebrities had to endure this. However Verity noticed that the Super human known as Joy, was becoming inundated with what she could only describe as Love mail. Alexandra had yet to meet this Joy, and made a note to do this as soon as practicable.

The next day, Shiva found a message from the Special Agent that had taken the recorder for analysis. There was a note that accompanied a transcript of part of the conversations of the terrorists. Shiva read this note and then read the transcript, by the time she had finished reading this her normally placid countenance was almost snarling with suppressed rage.

The transcript of the terrorist's conversations was chilling; it proved that the Super humans were being targeted specifically. All terrorist cells were kept separate, and usually this meant that one cell didn't know what the next cell was up to.

However men being men; one of them couldn't help but brag about the women that they had captured, and the fun that they had with them before they were executed. The Note expressed the sorrow and regrets of the NSA as regards the deaths of these girls, and suggested that the Super humans investigated this story and retrieve the bodies of the girls for burial.

Shilpa did something unheard of, 'Fuck it, this is my responsibility they are my girls and I will be the one to clean up this mess,' she swore. Shiva knew more than any other about the Super humans. The Government knew a great deal but not everything. Shiva made an executive decision and decided to visit one of the Super humans most closely guarded secrets. She contacted Verity and asked her to meet with her at the care home where Catharine lived.

Catharine was a Super human female with a very singular power. She could travel in time and space by the sheer power of her mind. Tell her any moment in time and she could jump you there. The duration of the jump depended on the traveller. When they wanted to return they just had to concentrate and say Catharine's name loudly.

An envious power some would say, to be able to send people and things backward and forward in time. Yeah right, Catharine was blond, beautiful and had the large breasts of the female superhuman.

She was also autistic and paralysed, except for her neck upward and one arm. She had spent her life in care homes, and was in a wheelchair for most of it. She had been discovered by Verity when she had visited the home on another matter.

Verity was probably the most powerful telepath in the world and made a habit of lightly scanning all those she met as a matter of personal security, and to be honest feminine curiosity. When her scan brushed over Catharine she stopped in her tracks. Catharine wasn't so much autistic, as preoccupied with the flood of information her brain was receiving from whatever time it was observing.

Verity was astounded; at the moment she joined minds with this girl her mind was back in the Middle Ages watching a medieval joust. 'Hello Catharine my name is Verity,' she sent to the mind of the young girl. There was a blast of sheer surprise as Catharine realised that someone was talking to her. The next thing Verity knew was that she was standing by the side of the lists back in the middle ages, watching two knights charging down towards each other lances lining up for that elusive strike.

'What the fuck is going on' gasped Verity, as the sights sounds and above all smells of this scene assaulted her mind. 'Welcome friend come and join me, isn't it exciting?' sent Catharine happily. 'Where am I and where are you?' asked Verity still stunned by her transition. 'Oh no one can see me here, but they can see you,' replied Catharine.

As Verity was in Catharine's mind, she knew what she meant. Catharine was merely a mental observer with no physical presence, but her mind had the power to bring Verity physically to her. There was an almighty crash as the lances of the knights slammed into steel breastplates and shattered. 'It's a draw' declared Catharine, and jumped back into her body pulling Verity with her. Needless to say Verity spent the rest of the visit silently communing with this marvellous girl, and becoming friends with her.

Shiva went to her locker and filled a small bag with items that she thought might be useful. Tucking the note into her belt, she went to the window and looked out east towards the coast. The NSA had pinpointed the location of the terrorists, and Shiva punched the co-ordinates into her GPS and with no effort lifted off the floor and flew out of her office window. Before she went to confront the terrorists she had to visit Catharine.

Shilpa was a very nice girl, kind considerate and very polite. She had been brought up well by her parents. However since she had come into her power, she had found herself in situations where she had to be forceful and sometimes outright violent. Moving silently through the air over the city, she was unaware that the normal people going about their day were looking up at the tiny golden gleam in the blue sky.

There was already a group of people who collected sightings of Super humans, much like collecting sightings of birds and airplanes. Some of these people were jumping up and down with glee when they definitely recognised the small golden gleam as the most powerful Super heroine in the world, Shiva. Shiva couldn't care less what those below were thinking, she was totally concentrating on her plan of action.

The note from the NSA had told of a small group of superhuman females being held captive in a farm towards the coast. Shiva didn't know of any Super heroines that were missing. She had to assume that these were budding Super heroines, that had yet to declare themselves to the federation. This had made them vulnerable and alone in an inimical world.

The terrorists had somehow managed to capture four of these young girls and had held them for their own nefarious purposes. When that purpose had been served they had been killed. Shiva was wondering what powers these girls had, and how they had been captured. She was a sensible levelheaded girl and had no intention of barging in.

Shiva floated down onto the lawn of Catharine's care home and saw Verity and Catharine waiting for her under a tree. She greeted Catharine warmly via Verity. The reason that Catharine's powers were a secret was that she couldn't communicate with the rest of humanity even if she wanted to. It was only because Verity was a telepath that she had discovered her. Catharine was very happy to talk to Verity, and found that she could also communicate with Shiva as long as Verity was there.

Shiva explained her problem to Catharine and asked for her help. She needed Catharine to jump back to the place and time when the four girls were held captive. Once there she was to pull Shiva back to that same time and place, so she could try and rescue the girls.

Catharine was over the moon to be asked to help such a powerful Super heroine as Shiva. She readily agreed to do this and Shiva and Verity watched as her body went limp in what her carers thought was a petite-mal. In fact her body relaxed because her mind was elsewhere and else when. 'Best of luck Shilpa,' whispered Verity just before Shiva disappeared from view.

To be Continued.