Daughter, Lover, Superheroine Ch. 04

Barbara reached over and hugged the both of them tightly, and the three of them shared a warm embrace again.

Inwardly, Cindy reflected that she was lucky, so lucky - her mother would never get sick or poisoned, and had super-powered defenses and resistances. She would be spared many of the travails of ordinary citizens, in this regard, at least.

Of course, her mother's chosen path would of course mean that she would expose herself willingly to many uncommon dangers, but that was what they did. And she knew her place would be by her mother's side, facing those dangers together, unflinchingly.

The future would always be uncertain, for ordinary citizens and superheroines alike. But for her part, one thing seemed sure. There was at least one confrontation she knew loomed in the horizon, in her future. In her mind, she saw it as an entity represented by a skyscraper office tower - the emblem of corporate evil.

Crey Industries...

***

The next day, Barbara and Cindy paid a visit to the hospital to call on Genevieve Sanders, who rushed out to meet them and offer Cindy her gratitude.

"You're even more wonderful than I'd thought!" she gushed. "She's told me all about it, and she thinks you're an inspiration - rightly so, I'd say! I've managed to pull a few more strings - what you told me over the phone was very concerning indeed. The supernatural world is nothing to sneeze at, I know that for sure! But I've managed to convince my friend Mercedes Sheldon to take Debbie under the protection of the Midnight Squad.

"Well... well, alright, 'friend' is a bit stretching it. But the Midnight Squad is pretty much the only organization in these parts capable of keeping Debbie safe from demonic reprisal. In return, though..."

Genevieve scowled a little, and sighed. "Cindy, I'm sorry, but I've had to make a promise on your behalf. Mercedes wanted something in return for her help. 'Quid pro quo', she said to me. She didn't want to 'give something for nothing', especially when it involved protecting a... a 'no-account plebeian dilettante' from 'the consequences of her own ignorant amateurish blundering'. That snobbish... snobby... snob." Genevieve's scowl deepened.

"Are you sure this Mercedes is the right kind of person to entrust Debbie's safety to?" Cindy said, wrinkling her nose.

"Oh, yes. She'll be as good as her word - these stuffy aristocratic British types might be insufferably self-righteous, but they have moral scruples, at least. But in any case... I'm afraid that she specifically requested your aid at some unspecified time in future, Cindy. Luckily, I didn't mention your mother, or she'd have strong-armed me into throwing Battler Babe in the bargain as well!"

"Well... that's no matter," Cindy said, folding her arms, "because we're a team. Anyway, it's fine, don't worry about it - I'm willing to see what she wants, if she thinks she needs some brawn in her line of work. I bet Mom and I would be more than up to it."

Genevieve smiled brightly at Barbara. "It's very good to see you again, Battler Babe. I wonder if you remember, but the last time I saw you was when you were part of an escort dropping off some much-needed supplies right here at the hospital, during the invasion."

"Well, I don't know if I saw you back then, but I've definitely heard of you and all the good things you did at the time," Barbara graciously replied. "And of course, you've continued to do likewise since then. You're one of the most admirable citizens I know of."

"You're too kind, Battler Babe!" Genevieve blushed. "Kings Row has more than its share of troubles - but with you and your daughter around, I think it's going to be okay in the end!"

After some more small talk and pleasant exchange of compliments they bid Genevieve farewell and continued their patrol.

"I'm just glad to know Debbie will be okay," Cindy sighed. They were standing on top of the abandoned factory again, since it served as such a good vantage point for the neighborhood. She nestled against her mother, nuzzling her mother's neck.

"You did wonderfully, honey," Barbara told her, her voice thick with pride. "It's not every hero who can take on a demoness alone and win."

"Well, I didn't actually win, Mom - Debbie landed the finishing blow, after all. I'm just glad I survived it. I was a bit worried without you there!"

They hugged tightly, kissing each other tenderly on the cheeks.

Barbara's mind was awhirl. When she had received her daughter's call, she had feared with a mother's fear - but she also recognized that her daughter was strong in her own right. With a mother's instincts, she wanted to hold her daughter close and protect her always, and never let her out of her sight - but as superheroines, they would sometimes have to work apart from each other, and that was the only real way Cindy could come into her own.

The double-bond between them would only serve to make her irrationally possessive or even smothering - since they made love almost nightly, the oxytocin was practically flooding both their systems. If Cindy was to realize her full potential, Barbara would have to find a way to let go soon. She could not always be an overprotective mother (or lover) to Cindy...

... or a liability. Deep down inside, even though they had talked it out, she still felt as if she had been one, during the encounter with Sensualita. And based on her daughter's account of the fight with the succubus Salacia, Barbara privately wondered: if she had been with her daughter then, would she have helped... or hindered?

As she held Cindy in her arms, she considered all these things, and she knew that the best way forward was to have her daughter join a supergroup - an alliance of like-minded heroes working out of well-equipped facilities, with adequate resources of all kinds. But at the moment, good prospects were thin on the ground. Only several were forming recently, and many were disbanding after only a short time - compatibility between supergroup members was vital, and commitment as well.

They would need to ask someone respected in the local superhero community, familiar with how things were on the street, and well-connected with the authorities in City Hall.

She knew just whom she could ask... but the thought somehow failed to make her feel glad.

Perhaps this was not yet the time. She wanted to cherish their precious partnership for a while longer... as long as she possibly could.

***

Michelle pursed her lips and whistled.

"Hot diggety-damn, that is something!" she exclaimed. "A fully-fledged succubus, you say? A Daughter of Lilitu? I've seen some of them taken down only with full teams of supers! That is some daughter you've got there, Barb!"

Cindy blushed. Barbara simply nodded. "She makes me prouder every day. She's growing so strong and capable."

"Just to clarify, Michelle - I didn't actually manage to defeat the demoness..." Cindy started.

Michelle cut her off. "But you held your own against her, and you survived! That's already quite something. I know a thing or two about that kind of enemy. You need some mighty tough mental defenses not to go knock-kneed just from a succubus's mere presence. Looks like your strength isn't just in your muscles, huh," she said playfully, poking at Cindy's upper arm. Cindy laughed and flexed playfully. Michelle's eyes widened theatrically and she poked again at Cindy's flexed biceps.

"Yes, that's true," Barbara said, involuntarily sounding a bit curt. She bit her lip, trying to quell her irrational pangs of jealousy. "Well then, we'd best be getting on with our patrol. Hope we're not keeping you from any pressing business."

Instead of taking the proffered hint, though, Michelle seemed to have something else in mind.

"Hey, you know what? There's something I've been wanting to show you, Cindy. Do you think your mother could spare you for the afternoon?"

"Oh..." Cindy looked intrigued but a little uncertain, glancing at Barbara for approval. "Where do you have in mind?"

"Perez Park. There's a place you should see, at least once. It's about the right time in your career, I think. Barb, you know the place I'm talking about?"

Barbara's instinctive reaction was to decline Michelle's invitation. Perez Park had been a notoriously dangerous part of town ever since the Rikti invasion. It had been a huge central connecting region for the government center of Atlas Park to the east, their own neighborhood Kings Row to the west, the concrete jungle of Steel Canyon to the north and the highways of Skyway City to the south. Nowadays it was surrounded round the clock by SWAT teams because it had become a hotbed of villain activity, including the notorious Circle of Thorns and the vicious Hellions, and even the mysterious creatures dubbed "Hydra" that resembled golems of some kind.

What on earth was Michelle suggesting?

Then it clicked, and she cottoned on to what Michelle had in mind. And immediately, even more than before, Barbara wanted to turn her down flat. She had no right...!

But there it was - she was on the verge of overreacting, and Cindy was starting to look concerned. Of course her girl would always be able to sense even tiny shifts in her moods.

So she smiled at the well-meaning Michelle White and said, "Actually, I think Kings Row can do without us for a day. Local street crime has been way down ever since my daughter started being active. Why don't we all go together?"

"Sounds good to me, if you can spare the time, Barb," Michelle cracked a grin, and nodded an assent. "Ayup. Your comeback and your daughter's debut have definitely had a powerful deterrent effect on local crime, sho'nuff."

"As has your presence here, of course," Barbara returned graciously.

Cindy was bursting with curiosity. "Mom? Michelle? What're you both talking about? Are we going into Perez Park today?" She pounded her fist into her palm; she was the very picture of readiness. "I've been itching to see that place for myself for a while now - I've heard so much about how it's been overrun with evildoers. Do we get to punch some of them today then?"

Barbara smiled indulgently at her. "It's best if we don't meet too many of them today, honey... but if we run into any trouble, well, with all three of us there shouldn't be a problem."

"Not 'if', 'when', more like," Michelle cut in. "But your mom's right, Cindy. We'll be more than fine in there." She grinned again.

Cindy returned the grin. "Damn right! Let's go, Mom!"

Barbara sighed to herself. She had wanted their first time in Perez Park to be together, just the two of them... and especially for what she knew Michelle had in mind...

It was to have been a quiet, intimate occasion - she had wanted to show Cindy that special place when the time came. It would've been a fitting mother-daughter bonding session.

But the brief window of opportunity had passed - if she insisted now that she wanted it to be just herself and Cindy, she would seem graceless and ill-mannered.

So she stayed quiet, and went along, as Cindy chattered with the celebrity superheroine about this and that.

"By the way, Michelle... I forgot to ask over dinner last night, but do you operate under a superhero name?"

"Well, I'm registered, but around these parts I haven't had much call to go around flashing my name card, you know. My cousin's Back Alley Brawler, I'm Back Alley Fury."

"Wow! That's a really cool name! I love it - it sounds wonderfully strong, but not overdone, you know? It's just right."

"Glad you like it," Michelle chuckled. "I like yours too. Your mom's given you a fine legacy. Born in battle, indeed. Mm-mm." She grunted in approval, sounding almost as if she were savoring a gourmet dish.

Cindy swelled with pleasure and glanced over her shoulder at Barbara, who smiled back, close-lipped.

They were strolling along, instead of running or jumping - there was no particular hurry, after all. Still, it was not too long before they approached the perimeter of Perez Park.

To Barbara, Perez Park was perhaps the greatest stain of shame on Paragon City. Before the war, it had been one giant park filled with families and laughing children, an idyllic retreat from hectic life right in the heart of the city. Everett Lake had been a favorite haunt of lovers; Barbara herself recalled some fond memories of the boathouse and the old dock, although for many years now those memories had been sadly tainted.

After the war, however, this little corner of tranquility had been neglected in the rebuilding efforts. Founder's Falls, the opulent upscale district of gated communities and townhouses and lofts, had been given priority. Then, of course, came Atlas Park, the administrative nerve center. Next in line came the tech hub of Talos Island and then the finance hub of Steel Canyon, with their towering skyscraper offices and high-level laboratories. There'd been little in the way of resources left over for the rest of the city, after that.

Perez Park was now overgrown, in dire disrepair, and an officially designated hazard zone, chock-full of Skulls, Hellions and far worse, each faction with their own nefarious reasons for occupying the region. There was no telling if it would ever return to its former condition. But even now, it still possessed an eerie sort of beauty - as the poem had it: "The woods are lovely, dark and deep..."

They were accosted at one of the barricaded entrances by a SWAT officer, who took one look at the three of them and stepped aside respectfully, waving them through. "Call on us if you need help, ma'am, though I suppose the other way round's more likely," he chuckled, addressing Michelle. "Battler Babe, Battleborn," he said, tipping his head respectfully. "Have a pleasant day, ladies."

"Where're we going exactly, Michelle?" Cindy asked, when they were out of earshot of the officers. She looked around, seeming a little apprehensive. Barbara supposed that the sight of the police presence had driven home the fact that this was a place of considerable danger.

She felt stung that Cindy hadn't asked her instead.

"You'll see when we get there, kiddo," Michelle replied. "Hey, maybe your mom can tell you a bit more about this place. You've lived here all your life, right, Barbara? And I'm guessing you might've seen some action here during the war."

"Actually, I was never assigned here specifically... but I did do disaster relief nearby, in Kings Row," Barbara said. "I did come here quite often... but that was before the war."

"Mm-hmm," Michelle grunted absently, scanning the immediate vicinity. Shadowy forms approached, but retreated quickly when they saw the three powerfully-muscled paragons of womanhood taking an afternoon walk in the park. With any luck, Barbara thought, they wouldn't meet any villains lacking any sense of self-preservation, so that they could enjoy the afternoon peacefully without having to bash any faces in.

"I came here once or twice before the war, too, with family," Michelle supplied. "My cousin showed me around. We had a grand ol' time, I can tell you, cleaning up some of the trash in these parts. You did some walking around Everett Lake? Long romantic walks and boat rides, kinda thing?"

"Something like that, yes," Barbara replied, unable to keep the curtness out of her voice this time.

Cindy tugged urgently at Michelle's arm, and waggled her eyebrows. Michelle took the hint this time. "Ah... well... sorry. Don't mean to be digging up old memories. No offense meant."

"That's alright," Barbara had to say. Cindy dropped behind then, and took her mother by the hand, squeezing it. It comforted Barbara greatly.

They walked on in silence for a while, but soon the irrepressible Cindy was asking questions again. "Do you have much experience with the Circle of Thorns, Michelle? I've heard they operate in this area too. After what happened with Debbie, I'm thinking maybe I'd like to work off some of my frustrations on them," she said grimly.

"Atta-girl," Michelle laughed, before Barbara could respond. "That's the spirit! If we meet any of them today we'll have a nice light workout. Yeah, I been down in a few of their caverns in my time. Creepy places, with weird-ass glowing crystals and them eldritch runes and whatnot. Bashed in my fair share of cultist heads. I'm sure your mom has too, eh, Barb?"

Barbara had to grit her teeth a little before replying. "Actually... my experience with them has been a bit limited. Also... I've not been really successful with them in the past." She had to be honest - her daughter was listening.

She wasn't that sanguine about having to recount her experience in detail. There'd been only one foray she had made, with a pair of other novice Heroes, many years ago, into one of the aforementioned cultist lairs. She couldn't remember their names - and wasn't aware if they had continued operating after the war - but one of them had been a young woman capable of channeling energy blasts from her hands and some limited hovering, and the other had been a cocky scientist in a lab coat who had made grandiose claims about the capabilities of his force-field generating devices.

To put it simply, the three of them had been creamed in the lair - the Circle of Thorns mages had caused the earth itself to rise up around their feet, rooting even Barbara in place, despite her immense strength; blocks of ice had encased her suddenly, immobilizing her; the energy blaster girl had inadvertently knocked foes out of range of Barbara's most powerful punches; and the force-field guy had been singularly useless all-round. If it hadn't been for the timely intervention of a few other more veteran superheroes, the three of them might have become hapless victims of the Circle of Thorns.

Fortunately, Michelle didn't seem minded to press further. "Ah, I'm sure your mom's just being modest, Cindy. She'd have done fine with them. Here's a tip, for a novice like you: if you see any mages with darkness swirling around their hands, go after those first. They can sap your energy and transfer it to their friends, and that's the last thing you want. Also, if you only have your fists and feet, you'll need some extra oomph to deal with the ghost demons some of them summon. We'll cut your teeth on them some day - a nice training run. How about it?"

"I'd love that!" Cindy's reply was enthusiastic.

And Barbara couldn't help noting that her instinctive reply was "I" instead of "we".

Silly, irrational, possessive old woman, she chastised herself. But it was no use - the feelings were there and wouldn't go away.

They were near an old run-down theater. Michelle perked up, and pointed. "There! You see that stage? Used to be they'd do Shakespeare in the Park, on the weekends. I remember Mike and I caught a production of Hamlet this one time. Gotta soak in some culture, you know.

"Man, that scene with Ophelia's death - it was some tearjerker, I can tell you! They always used to do that scene right there, where the stage hangs above the stream," she reminisced, pointing out the place. It was where the stream began to widen and feed into the lake. "The girl playing Ophelia would just float there, you know, all drowned and shit, but not for real of course, she would hold this bunch of flowers in her hands like that painting or something, while her mother the queen, what was her name again..."

"Gertrude!" Cindy supplied helpfully. "Queen Gertrude."

"That's the one. She'd stand right above, on the corner of the stage there, and do her weeping and lamenting and why didst thou do this shit and all that. Man, that Hamlet guy was a nasty-ass piece of work," Michelle shook her head disapprovingly. "Pretending to be nuts just to get back at his uncle, and drove his girlfriend nuts for real. Ain't nobody got time for that!"

Barbara was silent. That scene was not one of her favorites from the play - no mother wanted to mourn the death of her daughter, ever. And for most people... especially after the Rikti war, and with the destruction of Galaxy City still fresh on their minds... death and loss were not distant, abstract concepts, but stark realities they had to grapple with on a daily basis. It wasn't something one could just dismiss with a blasé wave of the hand.