Chapter Two
October 22nd. 9:35 AM.
October 22nd. 9:35 AM.
Beautiful, athletic, 23-year-old Erin Steele woke to the sun streaming through the window of her apartment. She breathed deeply and stretched and pulled off the sheets, sitting in bed wearing soft pink cotton short shorts and a white spaghetti-strap top.
She felt a twinge of pain in her leg and looked down. A light blue bruise was spreading across the lower part of her thigh. That guy had gotten her pretty good, last night. On at least one hit, anyway.
She smiled and shook her head. All of this was so crazy. But it was so right, too. And so fun. A bruise here and there couldn't stop her. This new life-- this life of fighting crime as a superheroine Blue Lynx-- was an addiction now. Every night, she wanted to go out and beat some guy up. It was better than sex, better than red wine, better than just about any feeling she's ever had. And it was all for the good of the city, of course.
She heard a knock on her door. "Erin! Quick! You're on TV!"
Erin sprang out of bed and opened the door. Her roommate, Margot, stood there in her pajamas and glasses. She smiled at her broadly, and the two young women walked into the main room of their apartment and plopped on the couch. A news reporter in a black trenchcoat was interviewing a young woman. Erin immediately recognized the woman from last night.
"So you say it was the superheroine Blue Lynx who saved you from those men?" the reporter asked, leaning at the woman with his microphone.
"Yeah," the woman replied. "Well, it's complicated. I heard a scuffle in the alley over there and I went to investigate. I saw Blue Lynx fighting a couple of men. And then, as I watched, a man came up from behind and grabbed me. He started saying things to Blue Lynx, you know, like, Don't Move, or I'll... But she was on him so quick and she freed me and I ran away."
Margot looked at her friend. "You didn't tell me that that happened."
Erin shrugged. "It got a little complicated. But I sorted it out."
The reporter continued. "This is now the sixth reported instance of vigilante justice by Blue Lynx. Who is she? And what does she want?"
The news reel flashed a photo of Erin in her superheroine attire. White knee high boots. Bare thighs. Tight blue spandex outfit with a low v-cut neck. Masked. Hands on her hips. Smirking.
"You look hot," Margot laughed.
Erin laughed too. "I never get tired of that picture."
"I gotta say, I did pretty good with that superheroine costume," Margot said.
She was right. When Erin asked Margot to join her in her quest for justice, she didn't know she was so crafty. But she did know that she was brilliant. They had first crossed paths in college, in a "History of Law" class. Erin had majored in Political Science, Margot in Computer Science. They had talked and become quick friends and had fun. It was just weeks later that Erin shared with Margot her dream... Her idea for a superheroine who could right some of the wrongs of their campus, and then their city.
"You as a superheroine?" Margot had said. "But how? You've never fought anyone in your life?"
"That's what you think," Erin had replied. For years, Erin had studied martial arts. She had become an obsessive exerciser, and completely committed to a clean, green diet. She used to practice her moves on her boyfriends. "And I beat them every time," she had said.
"Well that's great," Margot said, "But you won't be fighting your boyfriends. And what the heck would you want me for? Tech support?"
That's exactly what Erin had wanted. Margot had a gift. She could invent things. She could hack things. She knew her way around technology far better than Erin or anyone else Erin knew. She could equip Erin with the tools and support she would need to be a superior crimefighter.
And she did. They started small... Campus robberies. They got more ambitious... Out of control frat parties. Allegations of sexual misbehavior. Corruption in the campus hierarchy. By the time of the girls' graduation, superheroine stuff had become a full-time job, one that neither of them wanted to retire from. So they had moved to the city and moved on to even bigger things. Last night was, in itself, a fairly routine beatdown of a couple of obnoxious thugs. But those thugs were part of a larger operation, one that the girls' had been working on for months now.
Margot pointed at the TV. "Hey look, your dad."
Erin looked up. It was her dad. But there wasn't anything special about that. Not when your dad was mayor of the city.
The TV reporter leaned toward him. "Mr. Steele, what is the city's position on costumed superheroines like Blue Lynx? Are they necessary in the city's war on drugs?"
Steven Steele cleared his throat. "The city's position is evolving. Obviously, we support the rule of law and order. But the fact is that Blue Lynx has been crucial in the crackdown on opiates that it plaguing our city and its surrounding areas."
"Looks like he's finally figuring it out," Margot said.
"Yeah," Erin replied. "Still has a way to go, though."
"You ever think about telling him who the Blue Lynx really is?" Margot asked.
"No," Erin said, tersely. That was absolutely out of the question. No one but Margot knew about the secret identity of the Blue Lynx, and Erin intended to keep it that way. She could trust Margot. She could probably trust her dad, too. But if anyone else got hold of that information, they could use it against him. Even a rumor about the Blue Lynx's alter ego could jeopardize her dad's political career, to say nothing of her life.
The TV reporter continued. "We spoke to the leader of the city's opposition party today and asked for his stance on the Blue Lynx."
A handsome man, mid-thirties with slicked back hair, appeared on the screen. He was Brent Hammerson, the city Speaker of the House, and Mayor Steele's main political antagonist. For years, he had challenged the mayor on nearly every piece of his agenda. Erin couldn't help but frown when she looked at his smug face. But Margot couldn't help but smile.
"You have to admit, he's easy on the eyes," Margot said.
"Shut up," Erin said. "That guy is horrible. Disgusting."
"The Blue Lynx," Brent Hammerson intoned, in a deep, resonant voice, "Must be stopped at all costs. We cannot allow our city's streets to turn into a lawless wasteland. Which is apparently what Mayor Steele desires."
"See what I mean?" Erin said.
"Hey, I didn't say he was smart," Margot said. "Just that... Mmm."
Erin rolled her eyes. It was true: Brent Hammerson was an attractive man. But that was beside the point. He was constantly threatening to ruin her dad's career. And now he was on the record as an enemy of the Blue Lynx. The guy was not to be trusted or admired in any way. Erin even had a sneaking suspicion that Hammerson was partially responsible for the uptick in drug crimes in recent years.
The reporter continued. "But Mr. Hammerson, don't you think times like these, with the drug crisis out of control, demand the sort of blunt action that the Blue Lynx seems to provide?"
"Listen," Hammerson said, holding out his hands, "Everyone is so into this girl. And I get it. I've seen the picture. She's a striking woman. But we can't initiate the downfall of society just because some chick in spandex is beating people up. We can prosecute this war on drugs just fine without the Blue Lynx."
"Ooh," cooed Margot. "I think he might have a crush on you."
"I'd like to crush him," Erin said. She picked up the remote and turned off the TV. "Want to get coffee somewhere?"
"Sure, that sounds great," Margot said, picking herself off the couch. "I can tell you about the research I've been doing on where these drugs are coming from."
Erin shook out her hair. "Oh yeah? You've figured it out?"
Margot grinned. "Wanna take a trip to the country?"
On to Chapter Three
She felt a twinge of pain in her leg and looked down. A light blue bruise was spreading across the lower part of her thigh. That guy had gotten her pretty good, last night. On at least one hit, anyway.
She smiled and shook her head. All of this was so crazy. But it was so right, too. And so fun. A bruise here and there couldn't stop her. This new life-- this life of fighting crime as a superheroine Blue Lynx-- was an addiction now. Every night, she wanted to go out and beat some guy up. It was better than sex, better than red wine, better than just about any feeling she's ever had. And it was all for the good of the city, of course.
She heard a knock on her door. "Erin! Quick! You're on TV!"
Erin sprang out of bed and opened the door. Her roommate, Margot, stood there in her pajamas and glasses. She smiled at her broadly, and the two young women walked into the main room of their apartment and plopped on the couch. A news reporter in a black trenchcoat was interviewing a young woman. Erin immediately recognized the woman from last night.
"So you say it was the superheroine Blue Lynx who saved you from those men?" the reporter asked, leaning at the woman with his microphone.
"Yeah," the woman replied. "Well, it's complicated. I heard a scuffle in the alley over there and I went to investigate. I saw Blue Lynx fighting a couple of men. And then, as I watched, a man came up from behind and grabbed me. He started saying things to Blue Lynx, you know, like, Don't Move, or I'll... But she was on him so quick and she freed me and I ran away."
Margot looked at her friend. "You didn't tell me that that happened."
Erin shrugged. "It got a little complicated. But I sorted it out."
The reporter continued. "This is now the sixth reported instance of vigilante justice by Blue Lynx. Who is she? And what does she want?"
The news reel flashed a photo of Erin in her superheroine attire. White knee high boots. Bare thighs. Tight blue spandex outfit with a low v-cut neck. Masked. Hands on her hips. Smirking.
"You look hot," Margot laughed.
Erin laughed too. "I never get tired of that picture."
"I gotta say, I did pretty good with that superheroine costume," Margot said.
She was right. When Erin asked Margot to join her in her quest for justice, she didn't know she was so crafty. But she did know that she was brilliant. They had first crossed paths in college, in a "History of Law" class. Erin had majored in Political Science, Margot in Computer Science. They had talked and become quick friends and had fun. It was just weeks later that Erin shared with Margot her dream... Her idea for a superheroine who could right some of the wrongs of their campus, and then their city.
"You as a superheroine?" Margot had said. "But how? You've never fought anyone in your life?"
"That's what you think," Erin had replied. For years, Erin had studied martial arts. She had become an obsessive exerciser, and completely committed to a clean, green diet. She used to practice her moves on her boyfriends. "And I beat them every time," she had said.
"Well that's great," Margot said, "But you won't be fighting your boyfriends. And what the heck would you want me for? Tech support?"
That's exactly what Erin had wanted. Margot had a gift. She could invent things. She could hack things. She knew her way around technology far better than Erin or anyone else Erin knew. She could equip Erin with the tools and support she would need to be a superior crimefighter.
And she did. They started small... Campus robberies. They got more ambitious... Out of control frat parties. Allegations of sexual misbehavior. Corruption in the campus hierarchy. By the time of the girls' graduation, superheroine stuff had become a full-time job, one that neither of them wanted to retire from. So they had moved to the city and moved on to even bigger things. Last night was, in itself, a fairly routine beatdown of a couple of obnoxious thugs. But those thugs were part of a larger operation, one that the girls' had been working on for months now.
Margot pointed at the TV. "Hey look, your dad."
Erin looked up. It was her dad. But there wasn't anything special about that. Not when your dad was mayor of the city.
The TV reporter leaned toward him. "Mr. Steele, what is the city's position on costumed superheroines like Blue Lynx? Are they necessary in the city's war on drugs?"
Steven Steele cleared his throat. "The city's position is evolving. Obviously, we support the rule of law and order. But the fact is that Blue Lynx has been crucial in the crackdown on opiates that it plaguing our city and its surrounding areas."
"Looks like he's finally figuring it out," Margot said.
"Yeah," Erin replied. "Still has a way to go, though."
"You ever think about telling him who the Blue Lynx really is?" Margot asked.
"No," Erin said, tersely. That was absolutely out of the question. No one but Margot knew about the secret identity of the Blue Lynx, and Erin intended to keep it that way. She could trust Margot. She could probably trust her dad, too. But if anyone else got hold of that information, they could use it against him. Even a rumor about the Blue Lynx's alter ego could jeopardize her dad's political career, to say nothing of her life.
The TV reporter continued. "We spoke to the leader of the city's opposition party today and asked for his stance on the Blue Lynx."
A handsome man, mid-thirties with slicked back hair, appeared on the screen. He was Brent Hammerson, the city Speaker of the House, and Mayor Steele's main political antagonist. For years, he had challenged the mayor on nearly every piece of his agenda. Erin couldn't help but frown when she looked at his smug face. But Margot couldn't help but smile.
"You have to admit, he's easy on the eyes," Margot said.
"Shut up," Erin said. "That guy is horrible. Disgusting."
"The Blue Lynx," Brent Hammerson intoned, in a deep, resonant voice, "Must be stopped at all costs. We cannot allow our city's streets to turn into a lawless wasteland. Which is apparently what Mayor Steele desires."
"See what I mean?" Erin said.
"Hey, I didn't say he was smart," Margot said. "Just that... Mmm."
Erin rolled her eyes. It was true: Brent Hammerson was an attractive man. But that was beside the point. He was constantly threatening to ruin her dad's career. And now he was on the record as an enemy of the Blue Lynx. The guy was not to be trusted or admired in any way. Erin even had a sneaking suspicion that Hammerson was partially responsible for the uptick in drug crimes in recent years.
The reporter continued. "But Mr. Hammerson, don't you think times like these, with the drug crisis out of control, demand the sort of blunt action that the Blue Lynx seems to provide?"
"Listen," Hammerson said, holding out his hands, "Everyone is so into this girl. And I get it. I've seen the picture. She's a striking woman. But we can't initiate the downfall of society just because some chick in spandex is beating people up. We can prosecute this war on drugs just fine without the Blue Lynx."
"Ooh," cooed Margot. "I think he might have a crush on you."
"I'd like to crush him," Erin said. She picked up the remote and turned off the TV. "Want to get coffee somewhere?"
"Sure, that sounds great," Margot said, picking herself off the couch. "I can tell you about the research I've been doing on where these drugs are coming from."
Erin shook out her hair. "Oh yeah? You've figured it out?"
Margot grinned. "Wanna take a trip to the country?"
On to Chapter Three
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