Ch. 01: The Golden Child

CHAPTER 1:

THE GOLDEN CHILD

Amber loved being naked.

Standing there in her penthouse suite without a strip of clothing she savoured the feeling of the night air caressing her flawless skin. Running her polished nails through her tousled blonde locks she swept the hair out of her eyes to gaze out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the panoramic view of the LA skyline. Millions of tiny lights twinkled across the city -- her city -- as it ceaselessly churned with activity, the bustling metropolis practically crackling with energy as it sparkled like a jewel in the night. And above it all stood the world's hottest and most famous super heroine -- the vivacious Amber Jonze!

Her stunning green eyes drank in the view for just a moment longer before sliding down to the collar she held in her hands. A simple yet elegant device, the collar appeared no more than a black rubber ring. But this accessory was more than mere decoration -- the silicon kinetic interface network (or S.K.I.N. suit) provided real-time vital sign readouts and GPS tracking on-mission -- but that was for the eggheads at HQ. Placing the collar around her neck, Amber took a breath in before the clasp engaged with a slight click. Instantly the nanites contained within the collar began to spread down her skin, the corners of Amber's luscious lips curling upwards at the tickling sensation she experienced every time she suited up. In a moment her entire body was wrapped in her form-fitting black and yellow uniform leaving only a window to her impressive bust and her taught, supple thighs exposed.

"My compliments to your tailor" a voice said, behind her.

Turning around, Amber's wedge heels clacked on the tiled floor as she brought her attention to her playmates. Admiring her from the bedroom doorway stood Dae; a slim k-pop star with pink hair in a boyish pixie cut, and Marko; a chiselled boxer with a shaved head and stubble adorning his granite jaw. Dae leaned lazily against the door jam with her arms crossed, her tongue sliding across her teeth as her hungry eyes poured over the super heroine's every curve.

"That suit leaves nothing to the imagination" Dae said, "but then I can see why BUXIM made you their cover girl of the year...five years running."

Basking in their attention, Amber pivoted her hip to one side as she reached her right hand behind her back to grasp her left bicep. "Yeah, well - being twenty-one forever helps..." she said with a cocky grin.

Dae shook her head at the blonde bombshell, "Bitch" she said, smiling. Emerging from the doorway, the Korean songstress strolled up to Amber before reaching out and grabbing a handful of the heroine's golden hair, giving it a playful tug. Emboldened by the pleasured squeal that she received in return, Dae brought Amber's mouth to hers, savouring one last sweet taste of her. "Promise you'll call this time" Dae growled warmly.

"I promise" eked Amber, biting her lip as her body gently writhed in the smaller woman's clutches.

Taking measure of her answer, Dae's face split into a wolfish grin. "Liar" she said.

Suddenly, a set of powerful arms closed around Amber's nubile body, trapping her own arms and pinning them to her sides as Marko scooped her up in a warm embrace, his massive chest pressing into her back as he hugged her close. Squealing at first, Amber laughed warmly, giggling as the adonis' mouth pecked at her neck before he nuzzled into her. "Maybe next time, I can be on top..." the boxer whispered into her ear.

Locking eyes with Dae, Amber clasped Marko's wrists before slowly, firmly prying his trembling arms apart, unlocking his vice-like hold on her as she easily overpowered the man twice her size. Looking back over her shoulder, the heroine teased him with her million-megawatt smile. "In your dreams, bitch!" she said.

Releasing the boxer from her iron grip, Amber began to cross the room before turning back to her guests. "Tonight was fun" she said, "we should do it again sometime! But I'm about to go on duty -- the private elevator will take you to the garage. A car will take you wherever you want to go."

Turning on her heel, Amber made her way to the front door while Dae and Marko entered the lift on the opposite wall. Stopping at an alcove on the wall, Amber folded her hands behind her as she arched her back to present her bosom before bowing her head reverently to the statuette before her. Whispering a quick litany to herself, Amber stood easy again. Dae and Marko watched from the elevator as Amber turned to leave. Despite holding each other in their arms, both of them nonetheless followed Amber with their eyes, enjoying one last look at her ass as she sauntered out the sliding door.

**********************************

"Speak of the devil" said Violet as the electric chime announced the arrival of the team's fourth member.

Amber stepped out of the elevator into the futuristic briefing room of the citadel's inner sanctum. There, she was greeted by the three other women who made up her squad.

The bubbly Latina seated at the briefing table was Dixie West, the cowgirl from San Antonio. The red and blue fringes of her white leather chaps flared as she crossed her legs, the gold trim catching the powerful overhead lights while her spurs gently spun on the back of her boots.

The brunette trying very hard to hide how bothered she is was Violet Valentine, the girl next door from Aspen. Her pleated miniskirt and form-fitting bodice (complete with heart-shaped window over her bust) complimented her generous figure while leaving plenty to the imagination. Looking over her purple-clad teammate, Amber admired how Violet kept a delicate balance between sultry and demure.

Across the circular table, their team leader stood bent over a monitor. A tall exotic beauty, Aurora Starr's sky-blue eyes scanned the last of the day's intelligence briefing before standing up to a full 5-foot-10. Crossing her strong, toned arms in front of her the warm brown of Aurora's skin contrasted sharply with the wild shock of snow-white hair that dangled halfway down her back. A silver sash slung across her hips accessorized her blue leotard, and the heels of her thigh-high boots caused her to further tower over her teammates. Coming to The Agency's attention at a young age, Aurora hailed from Morocco and was widely considered F.A.T.H.E.R.'s strongest agent.

"I hope the gala was fun, Amber" said Aurora, "But it's time to get-"

Before she could finish, an alarm sounded and the soft white light of the briefing room turned to red. After three electric pulses the alarm fell silent and the lighting returned to normal. With quiet swish the door behind Aurora slid open and a bespectacled middle-aged man trudged into the briefing room.

"Emergency, girls" said Director Stone, adjusting his glasses as he lazily looked over the contents of the file folder he was holding, "explosion in Laguna Beach. First responders report a transhuman threat wreaking havoc and we're needed ASAP to pacify and apprehend. No time for the full press conference today, but we're going to let the media get some quick content on the way to liftoff." The quartet of curvaceous heroines spilled out of the room as they hurriedly followed the director through the door.

"Why do we have to do media at a time like this?" Asked Violet as they power-walked down the hallway to the rooftop launchpad, "And why do we have to take a jet at all? All of us can fly!" She needn't have asked -- the toy had been all the rage at Christmas.

"It's important that people see us working hard to ensure their safety" said Director Stone, gruffly.

Violet cocked an eyebrow. "You mean 'they have to know they're getting value for their tax dollars'" she said. Violet had always begrudged the amount of focus the Agency placed on optics. She had even voiced reservations about promoting Amber, but then second-in-command also served as the team's 'media liaison.'

"Come on, now" Director Stone said under his breath as they passed through a windowed hallway that instantly lit up with the strobing flash of press corps cameras, "You know the routine..."

Fixing a well-rehearsed smile upon her face, Violet watched as Amber cranked up her charms - blowing kisses and striking a pose for the adoring paparazzi who eagerly snapped shots of her bright eyes and beaming face.

"Yeah" said Violet, "I think I do..."

Walking through the sliding double doors, the team stepped out onto the rooftop landing pad where a sleek, chrome-plated jet sat with a dozen flight crew members doing final prep work for takeoff. Giving final instructions to the others, the deck chief, Rex, sauntered up to the team and warmly gave his leave to take off.

"She's fuelled up and purring like a kitten, ladies" chuckled Rex - as always supremely proud of his work, "she's ready to rock whenever you are."

One by one the statuesque heroines filed their way up the loading ramp until Rex was finally alone with Amber.

"Good luck out there, babe" Rex said with a sly grin, "What say when you get back, you finally let me buy you that drink?"

The corner of Amber's glossy lips piqued up as she cocked her head to one side. "Rex" she purred before leaning in and giving the deck chief a peck on the cheek, "You're sweet! But you know the rules about workplace romances..."

Taking her leave, Amber made her way inside the plane as the loading ramp hissed shut behind her. Taking her seat, Amber strapped herself in as she snuggled into the cushioned chair.

"You know the rules about workplace romances!" said Violet from the co-pilot's seat, the words dripping with sarcasm. "Honestly, what co-worker haven't you hooked up with?"

"That's funny, Vi" cooed Amber "You never said no."

Violet's cheeks flushed beet red and the brunette quickly buried her nose in the dashboard instruments to avoid the eyes of her teammates.

With a devilish smirk Amber turned to peer out the window at the cheering throng of spectators assembled on the adjacent rooftop. Screaming fans cheered and waved signs proclaiming 'WE ♥ U AMBER,' as the engines powered up and slowly lifted the jet into the air. Shrugging off the burly bonds of earth the plane made a tantalizing pass over the crowd to give their camera phones the glory shot they craved before zooming off towards the black pillar of smoke rising off the horizon.

Standing there on the landing pad Rex silently followed the plane with his eyes as it soared away. He knew what Amber would say before he asked. She had shot him down a thousand times - why should tonight be any different? Still, he felt better about giving her one last chance. Looking down at his phone he tapped out a message;

They're en route. Detonation in t-minus 10

Within moments, the phone chirped with his response;

We have their transponder --

funds have been wired to your account

By night's end, the media was abuzz with the headline; 'Plane crash in Orange County - Amber Jonze and team missing.'

Rex never returned to work.