The following is a work of fiction created and written by Jim Robert Bader, with ideas and suggestions provided by my good friends, Bill Guiroff and Kate Norcross (the REAL-life Katie). No other persons living or dead are intended to be reflected here (save for purposes of obvious parody and/or social commentary), and any resemblance to other creations of popular fiction are purely coincidental. This property is the work of Jim Robert Bader and is a rough draft copy, to be revised and altered should I one day find a friendly publisher willing to help me out. It is presented here for the express purpose of gaining friendly recognition and/or creative commentary and may not be duplicated or published elsewhere without express permission of the author. Mar-Sa The Ultra-Girl Book One/Part Two The Girl of Tungsten Steel by Jim Robert Bader September 4, 2001 f (First Copyrights Only) 00000000 000 000 000 vvvvvvv 000 000VVVVVVVVVVVVVV000 000 VVVVVVVVVV 000 000 VVVVVV 000 000 VVVV 000 000 VV 000 00000000 Mar-Sa, The Ultra-Girl by Jim Robert Bader Book One/Part Two The Girl of Tungsten Steel Chapter Seventeen. Close Encounters Mar-Sa was discovering that posing in the nude was not as simple as merely sitting around waiting for her picture to be taken. Despite this she was surprised to learn that it was also a lot of fun, letting Luigi coach her into posing in such a way that she found herself being treated like a living object of art. Though the man was clearly eccentric and often changed his mind or contradicted himself, she could appreciate how he was allowing his abstract genius (which he curiously termed his "Muse") to guide him as he directed her to present her body in such a way that she even she came to appreciate the significance of what he was attempting to achieve. In truth it was an astonishing revelation to read in the minds of the people around her how they were appreciating her efforts almost as much as her body. Phoebe and her roommate were both sharing comments and making observations off to the side as if not aware that Mar-Sa could easily overhear them. Heather was smiling and nodding a lot while Cathy was openly cooing her approval. The other people on hand, the manicurists, cosmeticians and hairdressers who had worked so hard to give Mar-Sa the benefits of their "beauty enhancement" techniques, were equally delighted that their laborious work was having results of which Luigi clearly gave approval, a high mark of praise in their world since they all but worshipped the man and considered it an honor to bask in the glory of his genius. And genius the man had in abundance. Mar-Sa had never truly appreciated the artistic potential in the human mind until now, observing first-hand the thought processes of this Luigi character and finding herself quite amused as he wrestled with the sun, attempting to "capture the light" at just the right angle. His camera was snapping near-constantly and he was going through cartridge after cartridge of film while the "grips" made adjustments to the umbrellas and mirrors that helped modify the camera angles and an assistant stood to one side using a digital camera to add the curious element of capturing the "Artist in his element." Heather had explained that the footage would be added to a "Making of" documentary that would accompany the release of the magazine that would contain her pictures, and it all seemed somehow unreal that the object of so much intensive activity was none other than herself. Mar-Sa was learning to appreciate herself more as she saw how others perceived her, and the longer the photo-shoot went on the more she started to relax and actually enjoy the experience, considering it as a new high point of her existence. "We're gonna make a fortune on this," Cathy murmured to Heather, "She's such a prize...and the way she's almost flirting with the camera now, it's like she's been doing this for years." "For a beginner she is showing a remarkable learning curve," Heather agreed, "I find myself more and more impressed the more I get to know her, and for that I feel supremely honored." "I'm still trying to figure out why an alien picked you out for her unveiling," Katie remarked, "Heck, this whole thing is just so unreal. I mean...a golden skinned alien bumps into my Phoebe and winds up on the cover of Playmate? And you say she's been on this planet for how long?" "Just a few weeks," Phoebe replied, "And we've been together the whole time. Marsha's come to mean a lot to me, Katie, and yeah, it does seem a little unreal at times, but she's very real where it counts." Katie eyed her longtime domestic partner and said, "Just how close are you two now? Is it...that serious?" "Oh yeah," Phoebe nodded, "It's serious. Fact is...she saved my life, brought me back from the dead even, and ever since then...it's like we have this psychic bond together. I can feel what she feels, and she knows what I'm thinking even without having to think about it. In fact I often get these...pictures in my mind...like I know what Marsha's doing when she's being Ultra Girl..." "Ultra Girl," Katie sniffed, "My girlfriend's dating an honest-to-Kami superhero..." "Yeah," Cathy smiled, "Really kicks you where it counts, huh? Can't believe you haven't heard about her until now, though. I mean...where have you been, in a monastery or something?" "Ah...something like that," Katie said evasively, "I was...kind of busy until I flew back from Kyoto just this morning." "May I ask doing what?" Heather asked as she eyed the shorthaired brunette. "You can ask," Katie smiled but did not elaborate. "What, you'd have to kill us if you told us?" Cathy joked, only to see that Katie's smile took on a slightly less friendly connotation. "Then may I ask what it is that you do for a living?" Heather wondered. "I'm...a software technician," Katie replied, "I work in connection with a Japanese firm." "But I was given to understand that you are Jewish," Heather pointed out. "Hey, there are Jews living in Japan," Katie noted, "Not that many, and not so openly as the Christians, but enough to be a respectable presence." "Phoebe also says that you have dual citizenship in both America and Israel," Heather continued. "I've got friends and relatives in Tel Aviv, among other places," Katie replied, "And I did some time with the military back in my days as a Nurse. I make a lot more money now, though, so I'm...pretty much Tri-National. Got a problem with that?" "Not in the least," Heather smiled, "We all have our secrets, and you are more than entitled to keep yours. I was merely indulging my curiosity since you seem to have lived quite an interesting life. A colorful background such as yours does lead one to imagine all manner of exotic mystery stories, nothing that could be taken seriously, of course." "Of course," Katie quietly agreed, then both women, by mutual consent, silently agreed to change the subject. "I confess that I am nearly as taken with the mind of our friendly alien here as I am with her quite obvious physical attributes," Heather admitted, "She is exceptional in ways that even she seems not to recognize, and her mind is so sharp that she has already acquired an impressive understanding of both our world and culture. The more I hear about her world, the more intrigued I become, especially since it confirms so much that I have only speculated about in my own writings on what extra-planetary civilization might resemble. How sad to learn that the model her people conform to is the same sad path that we seem to be heading down even now. Greed, recklessness, overconsumption and despoiling of our planetary resources. What a terrible price is paid for the shortsightedness of men, how reckless is the path of those who refuse to heed the warnings and the writing on the wall when the planet itself is telling us to slow down and seek an alternate way of doing things..." "You saying women could do things better?" Phoebe asked with a smirk. "Hey, could we do a worse job than the guys?" Cathy pointed out, "Only a guy would refuse to ask for directions when he's headed for disaster, and they've been taking us right with them like a bunch of damned lemmings." "Yeah, that's what you get when you let men run the place," Katie shrugged, "'Course, they wouldn't run so much if we didn't let 'em." "Here we go again," Phoebe rolled her eyes as if hearing a tired and familiar subject. "So, you agree that women might do a better job if given the chance?" Heather asked. "Well, why not?" Katie asked, "After all, God herself is a woman." "Excuse me?" Cathy blinked. "Fascinating," Heather remarked, "You mean that you, a Jew, believe that God is a woman?" "Well, who else do you think could create everything?" Katie replied, "Men can't create life, only we can, but when she created Adam on the sixth day and left Eve in charge of him, she made the mistake of turning her back on them while she went off and did some shopping. By the time she got back she found out that Adam had gone off on a partying binge with the snake and ate some of the apple while Eve was left at home doing all of the housework, and what did the lazy bastard do when confronted with his own irresponsible behavior? He blamed it all on the woman! So, as punishment for her having let herself be sweet-talked by her husband, woman was given the assignment to be a man's eternal watchdog, and that's why she next created Mothers." "You're joking, right?" Cathy asked. "You wish," Phoebe said in mild amusement. "That's why men are often snakes in disguise while inside every woman there's a Goddess waiting to come out," Katie continued, "And Evolution is just God's way of trying to straighten out the mess. As for the creation, God had an orgasm and gave birth to the world, and that's why they call it the Big Bang theory." "Now I know that you are pulling our legs," Heather mused, "That is an amusing story, but hardly Orthodox." "So, who said I was Orthodox?" Katie turned to Phoebe, "What have you been telling them about me?" "Only the truth, honest!" Phoebe made a sign with three fingers raised with thumb and little finger touching, "Scout's honor! They just never believed me." "So?" Katie sniffed, "You were never a scout." "So," Heather mused, "If you are not a traditional Jew, may I ask what you call yourself?" "Born again Pagan," Katie replied, "A little bit of a mix of Eastern and Western philosophies, both Wicca and...well...Japanese Shinto." Cathy raised both eyebrows, "That sounds...awfully confusing..." "Not really," Katie replied, "It's just that when Phoebe and me celebrate Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, we do it Sky Clad." "Fascinating," Heather turned to Phoebe, "And what does that make you?" "Hey, I'll have what she's having," Phoebe pointed to Katie, "Don't get me started about Organized Religion. It's like Crime and the Military...you organize it, it starts to fall apart." "Bad religious experience growing up?" Cathy asked. "Oh yeah," Phoebe replied, "You could put it that way..." "And yet you describe your relationship with Mar-Sa in terms that sound fairly mystical," Heather remarked with a sidelong expression, "And Mar-Sa herself describes a fairly mystical experience that she had when saving your life. I find all of this quite...intriguing." "You wanna talk about intriguing," Cathy nodded towards the photo-shoot, "You ask me, everything about our golden lady here is downright miraculous. Look." They turned to see that Mar-Sa was now levitating above the deck of the ship, giving Luigi both a display of her powers and a source for gleeful commentary as he joyfully snapped away for more pictures, murmuring to himself about special effect tricks and digital effects and how the real thing blew away every modern trick that was done with computers. "I see your point, Darling," Heather mused, "Seeing her do that almost makes me feel religious." "How does she do that?" Katie asked with a curious expression. "Marsha describes it as a 'Golden Glow' that's within her, making her powerful and able to do stuff," Phoebe explained, "It's like levitation and telekinesis...y'know, all that fancy stuff they can do in the movies, only real." "I can see that she's got plenty of gifts," Katie said testily, "What I want to know is...how?" "We ran a few tests using an EKG to study Mar-Sa's brainwaves," Heather replied, "Truly incredible, the activity of her mind, and Magnetic Resonance Images show that what she proposed is the truth, that most of her incredible ability is focused in the enlarged pineal gland that rests above the brows and between the two hemispheres of the fore-brain. Somehow it absorbs the life-giving energy and channels this into power that is stored within the cells all throughout her body. The truly incredible part is what effect this has upon her cellular integrity...imagine an egg that you hold in your hands...seemingly fragile, but try squeezing it and you discover that the forces of equilibrium fortify the shell through equal distribution of the pressure." "Yeah," Cathy said, "It's like very cell puts out a tiny forcefield that acts together to create a heuristic net that multiplies her physical power like a living exoskeleton over a thousand times normal. It also means she can't be hurt by any conventional force you might aim against her, like bullets and knives and stuff. They just bounces off her hide like a duck sheds water, and while it may sting her a bit, it would probably take something on the level of a sixteen-inch shell to actually hurt her." "Meaning that she probably could not survive an armor-piercing round that would go through tank armor," Heather concluded, "Though this limit is purely arbitrary and has never been tested for obvious reasons. We don't actually know what her upper limits are, only that she generates an intensive telekinetic field that she can extend by touch to any object in order to lift great masses over her head. We can only theorize what her upper limit there is because we don't have the equipment to measure such tremendous forces. We do know that she can easily dead-lift a tank over her head, though she is still having a bit of trouble with balancing heavy objects using her levitation." "But she's a fast learner, and fast at everything else," Cathy added, "She can break the land speed record, jump a quarter of a mile without her levitation boost, and she's got other neat abilities that I can barely pronounce, like Clairvoyance, Clairaudience, Pryokinesis, Telepathy, that healing power of hers..." "Whoah, back up a minute," Katie said, "Pryokinesis?" "Yes," Heather replied, "By focusing intensely upon a single point and thinking of the element of fire she is able to generate a state of molecular excitation in an object roughly equivalent to several thousand calories of heat, and if she unleashes it all at once she can generate a force equal to twenty sticks of dynamite, which is enough to blow a hole in the side of a building." "Really?" Katie remarked as she studied the golden girl with an abstracted expression, "Sounds pretty much like Ki to me." "Huh?" Cathy asked. "Ki, or Chi," Katie explained, "Is the force of spiritual power that Asian mystics believe gives us life and can be channeled to increase your health or use it as a weapon. There are psychic centers in the body that are connected in a line that is sometimes called the Serpent, or Kundalini. Properly harnessed this Ki can allow a martial artist to bolster their physical abilities beyond what is considered normal. I wonder what our golden lady there could do if she had a bit of training...?" "Oh?" Heather asked, "You know of someone who would volunteer for such an assignment?" "Could be..." Katie mused, but once again she did not elaborate. Mar-Sa half-listened to these comments while dutifully complying with Luigi's ever-shifting list of instructions. Bend here, look there, turn your head at this angle---no, more than that, no, back up a bit, yes, just right! Now hold it! It was all quite amusing in a way as she did her best to relax and feel natural under the circumstances, all the while marveling at how good it felt to sit naked under this alien sky with the warming sun that kissed her reflective skin and raised a faint sheen of perspiration over her body that would then prompt Luigi to call for someone to dampen it out with a talcum pad, then the process would start all over. And all the while the "grips" and assistants would be arranging mirrors and umbrella-like shading surfaces over parts of the deck that would cut down on the superfluous glare while giving highlight to the textured surfaces of her body. She had not appreciated before just how much work went into modeling, and that it truly was a skilled profession and not a simple matter of sitting still while someone took your picture. She most admired and appreciated the small army of women (and a few man) employed by Heather Holberg for the purpose of enhancing Mar-Sa's natural looks to make her appear even more inhumanly beautiful, and such a diverse selection of humanity they were at that! Different races representing the diverse branches of humanity that were to be found upon this planet, from the brown skinned "African American" manicurist named (curiously enough) Ivory to the yellow-skinned "Asian-American" pedicurist, Tammy, who had helped reshape Mar- Sa's steel-hard nails into a more natural configuration. Erika, the red-headed hair stylist who ran the whole show with an almost military precision, had complained bitterly about the "steel mesh wire" that she had been given the duty of shaping into a stylish coiffure, but Mar-Sa had to admit that the woman had worked a minor miracle of unsnarling the tangled split ends that her now- unusually-long hair had fallen into. The problem had been that the same fortification process that made her body thousands of times tougher than normal made even the "dead" cells of her nails and hair much harder to trim, and they had broken several pairs of scissors attempting to cut off the damaged ends before resorting to industrial strength wire cutters and steel files to accomplish the process. Somehow they had prevailed in the end and had worked her hair and nails into a testimony to the stubborn professionalism of their trade, Erika herself having declared it a victory when Luigi himself gave enthusiastic approval to the resulting product of their intensive efforts, being a Mar-Sa that he deemed worthy to display before the public. Never having spent a day of her life being this much concerned with her personal appearance, it was quite a revelation for Mar-Sa to comprehend how important it was for these people to look good and be presentable, and for Mar-Sa to become the figure of human "perfection" that they were seeking to achieve. The light hints of make-up used to bring out the structure of her face had enhanced the shading of her cheekbones and given highlights to the contoured planes of her face. When she had looked into a mirror she had trouble even recognizing herself through these results, and yet their work was not overdone in any way and had been tastefully applied to enhance rather than embellish those qualities that were her natural endowments. And speaking of which she found that she was more than a little amused at the thoughts that she was picking up randomly from the people all around her, little comments and observations appreciating various parts of her body, or just the entire package, and the ones directed at her breasts made her blush profusely, especially when she overheard the audible comments from Katie, "Kinda big for somebody who claims she grew up on a heavy gravity world don't you think?" "No kidding," Cathy agreed, "I'm surprised she doesn't have back problems or something. How in the world did she carry those jugs without them sagging to her knees?" "It would seem that she is the beneficiary of an extraordinarily good eugenics program," Heather remarked, "Mar-Sa herself believes her endowments are the result of centuries of tailoring and refinement that have given her breasts a naturally firm bounce that does not require an ounce of silicone, and it figures that it was a man who probably designed her overall genetic construction." "Yeah, she's so lucky I could bust from envy," Cathy smiled, patting her own bikini top as though to indicate her somewhat more modest endowments. Heather smiled and put her arm around the other woman, hugging her closely as she murmured softly into her ear, "You know what they say, Darling...it's not the size that counts, it's how loud you squeal when I tweak your nipples." Cathy smiled at this without the least hint of taking offense, and from the way Phoebe was also smiling it was plain to Mar-Sa that such affectionate "pillow talk" was not just reserved to their own private lovemaking. "So in other words," Phoebe said, "Marsha's not just a heavenly beauty, she's made for LUV-ing...." she chuckled with a lascivious expression. "And...just how old is she again?" Katie then asked. "About twenty-seven cycles in her world's measuring system," Heather replied, "Which equates to nineteen Earth years, a cycle being roughly equivalent to about 267 Earth days..." "Nineteen?" Katie blinked, "But that means...she's just a teenager!" "So?" Phoebe asked, "I was a lot younger than that when I came to stay at your place." "Yeah, but..." Katie paused, then she took a different tactic, "Who taught her how to use all of her abilities? It can't be entirely by trial and error..." "Yes it was," Phoebe smiled, "Mar-Sa taught herself how to do most of that stuff, and the rest she figured out with Mark's help." "Who's Mark?" Katie frowned. "A rather curious individual," Heather replied, "Believes himself to be the living manifestation of a comic book character and tends to live his life by that standard, but otherwise quite a pleasant fellow to be around." "Yeah, if you can ignore his atrocious fashion sense," Cathy shuddered, "So many clashing colors in one get-up..." "He's an all right guy, Katie, you'd like him," Phoebe assured her roommate, "You just have to get used to his tag-along side-kick. He may not look like much, but he's got a lot where it counts." "Great," Katie frowned, "Not only have you been shacking up with a Super-Goddess but the whole Justice Pantheon to boot?" "Well, we didn't exactly shack up with Mark," Phoebe said, "But I know the guy had the serious hots for Marsha. But hey, it's like you always told me, if you want to make your mark on something, why not go for the gusto?" "Or the brass ring as it were," Heather remarked, "A curious fellow indeed, I do hope that he does well wherever he travels." "I wouldn't worry too much about him," Cathy remarked, "From what I saw, that Action guy is a natural born grifter. Guys who live by their wits on the road usually get good survival reflexes, and with all those enhancements that Probe of his lends him he should manage to cope, unless he runs afoul of those government boys chasing after him." "Uh...yeah, about that," Katie frowned, "Is anybody seriously chasing after Mar- Sa?" "You mean other than your old boyfriend, Ari?" Phoebe asked. "Ariel's involved in this?" Katie frowned, "That Limey bastard...he's been holding out on me again..." "You do seem to know some rather interesting people," Heather remarked with a side-glance. "So," Katie decided to answer that comment with a question of her own, "What exactly is your interest in Mar-Sa anyway? I mean besides making a ton of money merchandising her..." "Now Katie," Heather smiled back, "I know it must seem to you that profit is at the center of my being this directly involved, but I assure you I have other interests here that simply demand immediate presence." "Do tell," Katie said, "Such as?" "Quite simply, I admire Mar-Sa and all that she represents," Heather replied, "If she were a simple refugee who fled from a tyrannical government that is bent on ruthlessly suppressing those rights that we here in America take for granted, then she would have my sympathy, along with the millions of other poor souls dotted throughout the world, but as it is she can embody so much more than the hopes and dreams of the poor huddled masses yearning to breath free upon our shores. She has the potential to be a symbol of hope that everyone can look up to and admire, regardless of their social background." "So you're looking on her as a charity case who you can turn into an idol?" Katie asked. "Hardly a charity case," Heather assured her, "I have entered into a contractual arrangement with dear Mar-Sa for the express purpose of a meaningful exchange, her services for my support, and what she has offered to me is far more than a chance to sell a lot of magazines and splash her name across a thousand merchandisable items. She has a story that is crying to be told, and knowledge of an advanced science that is truly unearthly, and a warning that we might be headed down towards the same bleak future that now haunts her world. She is our first real proof that extraterrestrial civilization is not only a reality but that there was another, earlier civilization long before our own that rose to a lofty height and fell from its own excesses. She is also a proven heroine who inspires the best that is in human nature, to say nothing of a voice for human freedom itself, a voice that I do not doubt that some would rather see silenced." "Nice speech," Katie said, "Did you write it yourself?" "Oh you cynic you," Cathy smiled, "Heather means exactly what she says, and you can take that to the bank from me. She's helped a lot of people since becoming the head of Playmate Industries, and I don't just mean the charity work she does either, feeding and clothing the homeless..." "All right," Katie changed tactics again, "So you're a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize. That still doesn't tell me all your reasons for making a contract with an alien. You gotta know that you'll be running up against real problems from the government for interfering in something they consider their own business..." "I have no doubt that some in the government will try to cause me trouble," Heather said, "But this is far more important than any of their petty concerns, which is why I have taken the extraordinary step of placing Mar-Sa under the protection of my best legal team. Among the various difficulties that she will be facing in the near future is the question of her immigration status. I think it fair to say that she has a good case for pleading political asylum, and as there is no way to deport her back to her own world..." "You're serious about this?" Katie frowned slightly in thought, "You really mean to put your neck out for her, and not just for the hype or the money?" "Won't be the first time for us," Cathy replied, "And we've got some pretty sharp lawyers. Believe us, if there's a way of getting Mar-Sa here a Green Card, they'll find it." "Okay," Katie nodded, "So I'll buy all that...but are you really sure this is the way you wanna go about establishing her bonafides?" "It was Marsha's decision, Katie," Phoebe assured her, "She thought doing this would be the best way she knew how to establish her sense of freedom and independence from her world." "And besides which," Heather's smile deepened, "She shares with me the firm belief that personal freedom is a virtue worth pursing, and that the freedom of our own bodies is as essential as any other form of expression. By posing nude she is making a political statement about the value of such freedom. After all, as history has well established, the degree to which any civilization gives practice to the lip-service of freedom can be determined by the way in which they treat the poor and disenfranchised, which all too often means women." "If a society treats women with respect and dignity, then they've got freedom," Cathy translated, "But if they chain up their women and force them to wear body- covering robes because they can't handle the sight of a naked body, then they're probably a dictatorship, usually run by men who can't stand the very idea of any woman being allowed the luxury of her own opinions." "Cathy knows from where she comes on this subject," Heather explained, "Her family was very strict and conservative during her upbringing, but the strongest memories she has is of the dichotomy between the talk of family values and the way her parents behaved in the privacy of their own home..." "No kidding?" Phoebe turned to look at Cathy, "You too?" "Oh yeah," Cathy lost the usual exuberance that she tended to display and said, "A close friend of mine committed suicide. She was being raped at home since she was thirteen, and the sick bastard doing it turned out to be our very own preacher. So you know what the Church did? Shucked the bastard around to another parish." "I hate hypocrites," Katie said with some sympathy in her voice, "I'm sorry to hear about your friend. It must have hurt a lot." "It did," Cathy paused before adding, "She was...the first girl I ever slept with, and the one who taught me that I was a Lesbian. I don't hate the church per se, but I can't forgive the patriarchs who keep pretending nothing's wrong while beating the drum for conservative social values." "So you see," Heather noted, "Mar-Sa's struggle for acceptance on our world is emblematic of the sort of struggles women throughout the world are going through, and not just women either. Yes, I stand to make a considerable fortune in marketing her image and story, but I'd just as soon donate it all to charity if I could have the opportunity of doing something good and noble by carrying her message to the world. I know that some will claim that she makes a poor role model because she is defying some idiot social taboo that many people would rather not have crossed, but it is exactly because of that attitude that I intend to go through with this even if I have to print out leaflets from a basement laptop." "You mean it's a personal crusade?" Katie nodded slowly, "Yeah, I can work with that." "So, will you consider posing for Luigi if he asks you?" Cathy asked with a grin. "Pose for Luigi Cozi?" Katie grinned, "Sure, if you'll show me some money. Heck with that, I think I'd pay you for the privilege myself." Meanwhile, unknown even to Mar-Sa, a pair traveling in a smaller boat were drifting behind them at several nautical miles distance, the two posing as not- so-innocent tourists while conducting long-range surveys with the Ambercastle clear in their sights... "Can't we get any closer than this, Raphe?" Gabrielle asked as she peered through her binoculars, "Can't see a damned thing this far away." "You know our instructions, Gabby," Raphael replied, "We maintain distance from the subject of our investigation and use other means to make a study of her and the activities taking place upon that vessel." "Sure that won't conflict with those high and mighty personal beliefs y'all are always going on about?" Gabrielle frowned as she lowered her binoculars and gave a level stare at the distant Ambercastle, "Better be wary, Pardner, you might be putting your eternal soul at risk gazing at those naughty heathens." Raphael did not reply but he smiled obliquely at his companion. Just being near to Gabrielle was certainly a strain on his beliefs, especially since there was no one on hand to chaperone them, let alone a relative. The matter was hardly made any simpler by the fact that his fellow agent had deliberately chosen to wear a provocatively revealing (read: skimpy to near-nonexistent) bikini that displayed so much appealing feminine flesh that he was tempted to think one of the Houri had possessed her. He knew it was Gabrielle's way of teasing him, but if she actually were serious about seducing him then he would stand a better chance with the sharks, swimming back to shore rather than give in to temptation. Aloud what he said was "Let us get to work setting up the equipment. Magnus will want hard data upon the alien and we must provide him with the best reading that can be obtained without giving away our presence." "Sure thing," Gabrielle ceased leaning forward against the railing and said, "Might as well deploy the telescopic imaging system, Raphe. Looks clear enough that we could probably bounce an image off the Ionosphere." "Laser imaging refraction unit...deployed," Raphael said as he worked the controls and caused a panel near the front of their speedboat to deploy, revealing a high-tech device closely resembling a small stargazer's telescope, mounted upon a complex platform. "That tracer unit still working as advertised, Hon?" Gabrielle asked. "Apparently so," Raphael replied, "We should have a strong enough signal from here to listen in on what they are saying." "So what are we waiting for?" Gabrielle asked, "They're in international waters, so we don't need to worry about a warrant." "There is something disturbingly familiar about the logic you are employing, Gabby," Raphael mused, "I am sending down the buoy to inform the others that we are setting up operations. Let us attempt to keep things working smoothly on a business like level from this point on, shall we?" "Sure, no problem," Gabrielle asked as though she did not represent a walking, talking affront to half of the things that Raphael had been taught to believe in his homeland, beliefs he---thankfully---had left behind long ago in his past, "Tell the boss-man we're itching to get started." More and more a good dip in the ocean was sounding like a wise career move. In contrast to the way he was feeling Raphael opened up a com-line and said, "Marlin One to Eagle, we are commencing operations..." "...Understood, Marlin One," Michael replied on his end of the com-line, turning to the men beside him and saying, "It's started." "Good," Ariel nodded, then touched his own com-line and said, "Lion One to Captain Land. Are we in position to receive telemetry from our agents?" "Coming into position now," a woman's voice responded, "We will wait until signal strength is at optimal, then hold position and await receiving the data." "Excellent," Ariel replied, "Notify us the moment we are ready, Lion One out." "Still sounds to me like we're going to a lot of trouble with all this cloak- and-dagger stuff," the gruff voiced man sitting at a monitor control station remarked, "What exactly are we expecting to get out of this besides some naughty photos that'll probably wind up at a zillion websites by the end of the week?" "Do you know a better way of achieving our objectives, Uri?" Michael asked. "Naw, I'm just grousing out loud," grim-faced Uriel remarked as he checked his equipment settings, "You can't expect a player like me to just sit back and take it easy like you, Mike. I'd rather be the one out there taking the shots just so's I can have something to do with myself..." "Are you sure it isn't because you're worried about Gabby?" Michael asked. "Naw, I ain't worried about her," Uriel replied, "It's Raphe I'm in a fit about." "He is entirely a professional," Ariel replied, "He will not make a move against her, no matter how much she likes to flirt..." "You got me wrong there, Ari," Uriel snorted, "I ain't worried about him trying anything with her, it if he did Gabby'd eat him alive. Wouldn't be nothing left of my little Arab buddy but a pile of bones while she picks her teeth over the leftovers..." "Palestinian, not Arab, and don't you think that's a bit of an exaggeration?" Michael asked, then answered his own question, "Well...all right, not by much..." "If you are quite through behaving like adolescents," Ariel said archly, "Then you might care to restate your case before Magnus when he gets here..." "Hey, lighten up, Ari," Uriel snarled, "Don't act like a stuck up Putz. Besides, we all know Gabby's got it bad for you..." "Heads up!" Michael touched his throat mike, "We're getting a signal. Tell the Captain to hold position right where we are. Uri, start recording the data." "Already on it," Uriel replied, "Coming in good and strong now, just take a second for the computer to defrag the image and give us something useable to watch..." "...And that's something else I've been meaning to ask," Katie was remarking, "If she's as powerful as you say, then how come she hasn't crushed you like a walnut between her legs, Phoebe?" "Katie!" despite herself Phoebe was shocked by the bluntness of that question, glancing at Heather and Cathy before saying, "Do you mind? It's kind of personal..." "Oh?" Katie shot back, "And you agreeing to make out with her in front of a camera isn't personal? Come on, how did you do it?" "Hey," Phoebe sniffed, "I haven't been around you all these years without learning a few things. You taught me pretty good, remember?" "Oho," Cathy said in amusement, "Should we add a special column to the article, 'Love Techniques for Surviving Being in Bed with a Super Babe?'" "Cathy..." Heather chided. "Whoah!" Katie said as she turned her attention back towards the subject of their discussion, "What the heck is she doing now?" Luigi himself was about to ask this when he stared in amazement at the beautiful object occupying the focus of his lens. Mar-Sa was now not only fully into the spirit of the assignment but positively glowing with an inner light that was more than figuratively speaking. Her body aura was growing ever more intensive, and all at once she raised her hands and rose from the deck, levitating into the air as the sun was shining down on her from near-directly overhead, so close that she felt as if she could touch it without half trying. The warming light and the freedom of feeling the wind in her hair and against her skin was far too inviting for her to refuse this summons, and as she stretched out with all of her senses she could feel the rays of Bioenergy filling her very being to the brim, her forehead itself glowing as she assimilated ever-more life energy through her pineal gland, her cells now suffused with raw power as she felt the urge to fly, knowing that the entire world was now her oyster. For those on board the large yacht the sight of the naked Mar-Sa levitating in a glorious ecstasy, giving off a radiance that was far greater than the mere reflection of light off her gleaming skin, was certainly eye-filling, but for those even far away the sight was awe inspiring, especially when she lifted her arms and held them out at her sides, unconsciously embodying a sacred image whose significance was beyond needing explanation. "Holy Mother of Cain," Gabrielle averred as she studied the enhanced image being displayed on a flattop monitor screen, "Is she for real?" "She looks like one of the Seraphim," Raphael murmured in wonder, making a holy sign as he added, "Allah Akbar..." "Make that a big Madre de Dios from me too, guys," they both heard Uriel remark over their com-line, "I'm seeing it down here, but that don't mean I believe it..." All at once Gabrielle noticed a proximity alarm going off on their dash board, but she only had time enough to say, "Raphe...we got company...!" and then all at once something rushed past their boat, just missing them by a few dozen meters, moving so fast that it kicked up a wave in its wake that nearly capsized their own small vessel as both man and woman held on to the first thing near enough to grab and fought desperately not to be thrown into the ocean. The Rover probe-droid barely took notice of the small Terran surface craft, its goal being locked into its sensors as it rushed to carry out its mission objectives, all the while relaying messages back through E-Space all the way over six hundred light years, near instantaneously being decoded and displayed on planet Wolframa... "Incredible," Councilor Jon-Hul remarked with undisguised reverence in his voice, "Sensor readings of rich mineral deposits, large scale Biodiversity and a thriving ecosystem that appears to be self-sustaining and renewing. It's almost like gazing upon a historical archive..." "Yes, if you can ignore that odd blue sky and that intense green sunlight," Che- Ne observed, "A planet such as this would have everything we would need to sustain ourselves for a thousand years or more. Any signs of advanced intelligence, other than that primitive craft we detected?" "Nothing at our level of development, your Eminence," Gas-Ton frowned slightly, "There are odd radio-wave transmissions...very primitive but regular, possibly of intelligent origins..." "Never mind that, fools!" Dar-Kem snapped, "The probe is on the verge of discovering the whereabouts of the rebel!" "She lives?" Kas-Par found himself oddly affected by this news, as if he had been prepared for an entirely different revelation. "Look there...another ship!" cried Has-Tur, "The signal is strong in that direction---what in the name of the Cosmos...?" "W-What?" gasped Che-Ne as he and Jon-Hul stared in disbelief at the image that formed in the space before them...the image of a hovering naked Mar-Sa surrounded by some manner of energy field and giving off Bio-readings well off the scale of the probe's onboard sensors... The people on board the yacht were not aware of the impending crisis until they heard the low sound of a Doppler shift, the sound increasing from a whine directly ahead of its arrival, which barely gave anyone time enough to turn and see it coming. Mar-Sa, on the other hand, had a stronger sense that something was amiss and had just begun to open her eyes in time to make out the shape of a metallic ball bearing down at her at great speed, and before she had time enough to form a coherent thought, such as to recognize it as a Wolframan probe-droid, it opened fire upon her at nearly point-blank range with an energy blast that struck her broadside with the force of a jackhammer... (Chapters 12-19) (First Copyrights Only) Created and Written by Jim Robert Bader, all rights reserved, characters and situations are purely fictitious and are not based on persons living or dead (with the sole exception of Katie, whose voluntary contributions are deeply appreciated). Mar-Sa, the Ultra-Girl, is the creation of Jim Robert Bader with ideas and suggestions provided by his friends and collaborators, Katie Norcross (the REAL Kate Cross) and Bill Guiroff, with additional ideas and suggestions provided by Ed Dear III, who took a liking to Mark Daniels. All rights reserved; the characters and situations here are fictitious and are not intended to depict persons living and dead (other than Katie that is). This is a rough draft, subject to future alterations if I should find a publisher friendly enough to sponsor this series. Any resemblance to copyrighted or trademarked ideas belonging to other authors is purely coincidental. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- If you wish to check out my other works, Please check out my Fanfiction webpage at: http://s11.sexshare.com/~jbader/jimbader.html All related chapters of this series can be found there along with my other works.