Part Nine

Part Six

Bless modern technology, thought Vic, as her brilliant phone found a useable cell tower and connected, in spite of being on an island in a lake in a large park. The only place she had found to get a signal was standing on the front porch of the old house. Something the FBI agents had told her about. As she waited for someone to answer, she watched the sun moving slowly towards the mountain to the west. She hadn't thought to call her office until late in the working day for the office in Detroit. Partly because there was still plenty of daylight here.

Part Four

"What in the Hell are you watching?" said Michelle, as she came into their apartment's living room after some post-dinner cleanup in the kitchen.

"Hot Box Office Special Program," said Vic, grinning. "It's featuring the famous X-Rated comedienne, Cherry Crosby."

"Is she the one who performs in the nude while pretending to masturbate?" said Michelle, sounding dubious.

"That was one time, for a stage play," said Vic, mock seriously.

"Think I'll pass."

Part Two

"I'm glad you told me about that guy who woke up on the body farm and walked away," said Special Agent in Charge Drake, when Vic entered his office in response to a summons late that morning. "I just had a talk with the director there and she was very glad - if a bit startled - to hear the explanation for what happened. They were thinking someone had stolen one of their subjects."

He laughed.

Masks XXV: A Conflict of Expectations

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part One

"You feeling all right?" said Mesa, noticing his team leader working her shoulder, as the third - and junior - member of their group watched silently.

"Just pulled something in my workout this morning," said Steel Lace, with a wince which he could see through her armored veil.

Last one!

Part Seventeen

As if to spite the local police, Dare made multiple, all brief appearances over the next three days. None lasted long enough for Vic or even the air mobile Lady Green to reach the scene in time. However, the new metro still blamed Vic and the Bureau for Dare repeatedly appearing and escaping. She claimed that Vic's previous "attacks" on Dare had made her shy and wary.

"Wary, yes," said Vic, sourly, to Michelle that Thursday night, as she did fingertip pushups while on her toe tips. "Shy? Has Lady Green even seen what Dare wears?!"

Part Fifteen

Alvin woke slowly, feeling horrible. Even before he opened his eyes the smell told him there was something very wrong. As soon as he was able he made a thorough evaluation of his situation, including an inventory of what he was wearing. He was in a third-full dumpster, and as for what he had on...

"Buckles," said Alvin, sourly.

Part Thirteen

"We let some of the fire fighters in so they could make sure the fire was actually out," said Vic, when she reported to Drake and the local heads of the FBI and Marshals' Service that afternoon. She was in her armor - hastily cleaned though still smelling of smoke - with her helmet in hand. She grinned. "Our evidence people had a bit of trouble keeping them from throwing everything in those rooms off the balcony into the part of the lawn outside the hotel which they had cleared, though."

Part Eleven

The boss is right; we really need to get some sort of air transport for our office, thought Vic, as she drove her wagon - code three the whole way - to the subject mall. Her boss had called the police dispatcher to let them know Vic was on the way. At least this time the drive was in daylight. Though this also meant much more traffic.

Part Nine

"I remember when some important people were wondering if I would ever be able to adult," said Vic, wistfully, as she and Michelle cleaned their dishes after a nice supper in their own dining room, that evening. "These days I sometimes feel like I'm the only adult in the room."

"I know what you mean. People - customers and even people I work with - just seem not only short-tempered these days but... irrational!"

Part Eight

Part Six

"Has he started puberty early, or something?" said Randy (Template) Devon, pacing irritably around the kitchen.

"He's ten years old," said Karen (Colossa) Devon, patiently, as she stood by the central table, hoping her husband would be reasonable about this bit of childhood mischief. "You have to expect some rebellious periods. As well as needing time to learn which pranks are going too far."

"Sarah is five, and a lot better behaved!"

"Well, since she got over the Terrible Twos," said Karen, trying to use humor to bring her husband's mood down.

Part Four

"This time it was a sound attack of some sort," said the Detective, as Vic came hurrying onto the crime scene of yet another "super drive-by."

Unlike the previous two attacks, this one had been during business hours. Additionally, the target was not a crowd, but a downtown real-estate company. This turned out to be one of the business working to refurbish and resell abandoned houses in the Detroit area.

Part Three

Vic - in her old armor, the helmet in her left hand - got out of her Corolla wagon at the scene of another "super drive-by" attack. This time, what was apparently the same black SUV from which the energy blast had been directed at the theater crowd days earlier, had made a different type of attack. Vic found it odd that even though there had been several more-traditional drive-by shootings lately in Detroit during that same period, the energy blast attack - and now this one - were "the" drive-bys on the minds of most police and civilians alike.

Masks XXIV: Establishing a Balance

by

Rodford Edmiston

Part One

Part Eight

Part Six

They grilled him for over an hour more, getting some additional details, though frustratingly few of them. All of this information was served with a large helping of self-aggrandizement and matter-of-fact bragging. Fosworth clearly found the entire process boring and not worth his time, but was determined to make the most of it by making the most of his contribution in stopping the monster. He made clear through his attitude that he was cooperating for the good of the c\o\m\p\a\n\y\ team.

Part Four