#32 - "Who Called the Destruction Crew?"

It seemed to be a typical mid-morning in Los Angeles. The sun was high in the clear sky and the temperature was quite pleasant. The millions of city inhabitants were out and about taking care of their business. A few dozen found themselves doing their banking at the local branch of the First National Bank of California. For them, that was when their typical day suddenly took a turn for the worst.

The first thing that attracted the attention of the bank customers and employees was when a sports car came flying through the front doorway. The silver Jaguar, top down of course, easily blew through the glass and metal doors before crashing onto the marble floor. Shards of glass and metal went flying every which way. The sports car slid across the polished surface, sparks shooting out from underneath where metal was gouging groves in the marble floor. The customers scattered wildly to get out of the vehicle's way. Finally it came to a rough unceremonial stop upon colliding with a support pillar.

After the screeching of the car had died down, an eerie silence came over the inside of the bank. Looks of amazement and befuddlement were everywhere. Cautiously, a few brave souls moved closer to the sports car, bank guards following behind them. Perhaps they assumed that the driver needed assistance. Unfortunately, in their haste they failed to note that the twisted and heavily damaged Jag had no driver. Indeed, the engine was not currently running either.

"My car!", a man in a three piece suit shrieked in realized exasperation. He had been busy conversing on his cell phone when everything had happened. A look of pure disbelief came over his face. The cell phone fell to the floor absentmindedly. "My car! What the hell happened to my car?"

"All right listen up, you dweebs!", called out a large man who entered where the front doors to the bank used to be located. He was a tall man, standing 6'3" of solid muscle and shaven bald. He wore only well-worn work jeans and work boots. In case anyone didn't recognize him, the word "Bulldozer" was tattooed down his right arm.

"We're the Destruction Crew and this here is a bank robbery," Bulldozer continued to shout out. "Now get your candy asses down on the floor and you won't get hurt!"

The Security Guards pulled their weapons and fired at the Bulldozer. The impacts of the bullets stung the big man, but didn't bring him down. "Didn't you hear me, you pencil-necked geeks? I'm the Bulldozer! The Bulldozer! Time to teach you clowns some respect!"

Bulldozer lashed out and grabbed the nearest guard. He easily hefted the man into the air with one hand and in a quick motion flung the flailing guard into two of his astonished buddies. All three went down in a pile and were unconscious.

"Who wants their ass kicked next?" No one took Bulldozer up on his offer. The remaining guards dropped their weapons and everyone in the bank dropped to the floor. "All right, boys let's get to work! If these losers had any brains they'd just hand over the cash to us right now! Don't they know who we are? We're Bulldozer and the Destruction Crew! Don't give us no lip or we'll tear this place down!"

Three large men moved around Bulldozer and advanced further into the bank. With the guards out of the way, the three men split up and went their separate ways. No further resistance was met.

One man moved off to Bulldozer's side to the area behind the teller counters. The black and gray costume he wore completely covered his body and was not the most impressive outfit ever to be seen. The man was also quite muscular, but here in LA such men were a dime a dozen. However, this man had something that no one else had. His right hand had been surgically removed and replaced by a large hammer. Small wonder that this addition led to the man's villainous code name: Sledge.

The other two men made their way over unconscious security guards and trembling and pleading bank customers towards the bank vault. At the first sign of trouble, specifically the Jaguar being thrown into the bank, the guard on duty had sealed the vault locking it tight. It was an annoyance, but had been expected by the Destruction Crew. It would only delay them a few minutes at best.

The first of the two men arrived at the vault and reached out with his left arm. This man wore a blue and white costume, but his head was uncovered. He had shoulder length brown hair and an evil sneer on his face. A tank of some type was strapped to his back, with a hose coming out of the bottom. This hose curved around his body and extended towards his left hand. Or rather where his left hand would have been were it still there. In its place was a pneumatic power piston. This particular member of the Destruction Crew went by the name of Pile Driver.

Pile Driver's pneumatic piston fired striking the bank vault with a resounding clang. It was almost painful to hear. More than one person in the bank winced from the god-awful noise. The attack had hardly nicked the solid metal vault door.

"Let me give it a try, amigo," the last man suggested. He was a seedy-looking Hispanic man wearing mostly normal clothes. He wore blue jeans, an open leather jacket and t-shirt with a scarf mask covering the upper part of his head. As he spoke, his right hand began to vibrate at super speeds. In moments it was just a blur. Then Buzzsaw reached out and began to cut into the vault with his vibrating hand. It was slow going, but the youth was making progress.

Long minutes passed and Bulldozer's patience was being severely tested. He fidgeted and paced near the main entrance. He kept one eye on the street. The cops were going to show up any minute now. "Come on! Open that damn thing up already! Are you a bunch of wimps or what?"

"I'm doing the best I can, boss," Buzzsaw shot back. "This door is very tough!"

Pile Driver continued to pound the vault door with his power piston, but was also only having minimal success. This was taking way too long for his tastes. They were only inviting trouble now. Someone was bound to try and stop the Destruction Crew.

"Hey chrome dome!", a voice suddenly called out from nowhere. "Let me send some of that light you're reflecting back at you!"

Hovering near the front entrance the colorful garb of Spectrum suddenly appeared. The hero wore his traditional costume that broke the color spectrum down into primary and secondary colors. Bulldozer spun towards Spectrum, eager to stomp anyone stupid enough to get in his way. Spectrum was faster and tagged the large man with an orange-colored energy blast! The force of the blast sent Bulldozer flying back almost a dozen feet.

"I'll break you in half, you wimpy geek in ballet tights!" As Bulldozer made his threat, he waved his massive fist around in anger for effect. "No one sucker punches the Bulldozer!"

"Hey, I didn't punch you! I blasted you. Get the facts straight, chrome dome!"

While Spectrum kept his eye on the enraged Bulldozer, a chair sailed through the air and struck him from behind, courtesy of Sledge. "I'll take care of this goofball for you, boss!"

The chair slammed into Spectrum's back and shattered upon impact. Spectrum was hurtled forward and collided with the bank wall before landing on the floor. Groggily, Spectrum regained his wits only to find Bulldozer ripping up a bench to use as a giant flyswatter.

"I'll crush ya like a bug," the big man sneered. "No one dares mess with the Destruction Crew!"

"X-Factor dares, criminal!" This time the speaker was a woman. Once more everyone glanced towards the front entrance of the bank. Standing there was a gorgeous woman in a lavender and purple costume. She was easily recognized as the famous heroine Morning Star. Her long brown hair nearly fell to her waist.

Standing beside Morning Star was a man in a gray costume with blue accessories. While not as well known as Morning Star, Sabre was no lightweight either. His trademark weapon was currently held in its sheath. "Here we come to save the day!", Sabre sang in the voice of Dudley Do Right.

What did startle everyone was the identity of the third person standing behind Morning Star and Sabre. She was a small girl, just barely over five feet in height wearing a blue and white costume. This last person was none other than the infamous Icicle, a known criminal!

"Now put that bench down and no one will get hurt!", Morning Star commanded.

"I don't take orders from some stupid skirt!", Bulldozer countered. As he did, he slammed the bench down hard on Spectrum, just managing to clip the colorful mutant. Spectrum was sent flying once more and hit the marble floor hard. This time he didn't immediately rise. "Women like you should be barefoot and pregnant!"

"Leave him alone, you pig," Icicle screamed in anger. The icy mutant generated an ice ram that struck Bulldozer in the face. The force of the cold attack sent Bulldozer sprawling backwards. While Icicle had been nervous about helping out against the Destruction Crew, the sight of seeing Spectrum getting pummeled just made her mad. Maybe trashing bad guys wasn't going to be so bad after all. Especially ones who were male chauvinist pigs like Bulldozer.

"Good shot, Icicle," Morning Star complimented. "Just hang back and pick them off as best you can. Sabre and I will deal with this lot."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Seeing that Pile Driver and Buzzsaw were too far way to be much of a threat just yet, Sabre rushed after Bulldozer. "I'll take Mr. Chauvinist here," Sabre called out as he closed in, "and teach this ruffian some manners."

The large man was a bit groggy, but he still managed to evade Sabre's punch. Sabre however wasn't as fortunate and caught the business end of Bulldozer's fist.

"Get away from me, you pansy!" While he didn't show it, Bulldozer was startled to see that Sabre hadn't been thrown back from the force of his punch. Whoever this guy in the nerdy tights was, he was tough!

Sledge had leaped over the counter to go on the offensive, but Morning Star was waiting for him. 'Star moved in fast and hard. She landed a powerful left that sent Sledge hurtling back. The hammer-handed man collided with the other side of the bank, bounced off the wall and landed on the floor.

Sledge hit the floor but was right back on his feet. He started to move towards Morning Star, but she was already coming towards him. As she approached, a purplish glow surrounded her right fist. Sledge couldn't help but notice the effect.

"You're not going to hit me with that," Sledge announced as he stepped back. He had heard that energy was some kind of strength boost for the heroine and wanted no part of it.

Morning Star swung, but just narrowly missed Sledge. "You can't avoid me forever," the heroine promised. She took after Sledge again.

Spectrum shook the cobwebs out of his head once more. Fortunately, his forcefield had protected him from grievous bodily harm, but he was going to be sore in the morning. As Spectrum rose to a sitting position he took in the battle scene around him.

Close by Sabre and Bulldozer were going at, while Morning Star and Sledge were duking it out on the other side of the entrance area. Icicle stood in the doorway, just waiting to get a clear shot at either criminal. That was no surprise as it had been agreed to keep Icicle out of harm's way until her combat skills could be better gauged. Running up from the vault were Pile Driver and Buzzsaw. Behind the villains, the bank customers and workers were rushing to the side entrance to hastily escape the building.

Bulldozer took a clumsy swing at Sabre and missed the Blood swordsman. It was obvious to Spectrum that Bulldozer had no particular skill in fighting. He simply just tried to hit his enemies with all his might. It was easy for a skilled warrior like Sabre to deal with the blowhard. "Stand still, pajama boy!", Bulldozer cried out in frustration.

Sabre moved in and connected with an uppercut. Bulldozer was rocked and lifted up into the air. He landed flat on his back about half a dozen feet away from Sabre. "I'll have you know that I'm not wearing pajamas, you vociferous hooligan!"

"Nobody calls me that!", Bulldozer screamed in spite of the fact that he had no idea just what he had been called. The large man got to his feet once more and was going to go after Sabre when Spectrum interrupted. Another blast of orange energy intercepted Bulldozer knocking him off of his feet once more.

"I don't know, Sabre," Spectrum called out. "He looks more like a raucous browbeat to me."

"How about a rasping brigand?"

"Look out!", Spectrum called out to his teammate. Buzzsaw, followed by Pile Driver were coming in from behind Sabre to attack. Spectrum flew up into the air once more and started to move towards Icicle. He would join her as a fellow sniper and let Sabre and 'Star go toe to toe with these crooks.

"Fear not, fearless leader," Sabre calmly replied. "I heard him buzzing from a block away." True to his word, Sabre easily sidestepped Buzzsaw's clumsy attack.

"Here, let me put him on ice for you, Sabre!', Icicle called out. She gestured at Buzzsaw and a thick coating of ice came from her hands and completely covered the vibrating villain. Buzzsaw tried to shake free from the icy shell, but was unable to escape.

"My thanks, my charming comrade," Sabre congratulated as he glanced back at Icicle. "You've neutralized the lad."

Icicle couldn't help but blush in response. She had forgotten what it was like to receive such praise. "You're very welcome."

"How dare you ignore me?!," Bulldozer screamed as he got to his feet once more. Just standing was now an effort, but no wimp in tights was going to get the better of the Bulldozer! "I'm the Bulldozer! I eat punks like you for breakfast!"

"Oh shut up, you-- you boisterous mollusk," Spectrum growled. He tagged the big man one more time with an orange energy blast. But this time, Bulldozer stayed down. "Finally, some piece and quiet. I wonder if this clown is related to Pulsar?"

"Did you just call him what I think you just called him," Icicle questioned, an incredulous look upon her young face. "A rowdy clam?"

Spectrum just shrugged in response. "Hey, sometimes you say dumb things in the heat of battle."

A few dozen feet away, Morning Star and Sledge continued their battle. 'Star connected with her purple power punch sending Sledge rocketing back and onto the wrecked Jaguar. The villain hit the hood, putting yet another huge crease in the Jag's top. Then he continued backwards, shattered what remained of the windshield before coming to a stop in the passenger seat.

"My poor car," one of the few remaining bank customers whimpered.

Remarkably, the villain remained coherent. He pulled himself out of the Jag, ripping the passengers door off in the process. Sledge hurtled the makeshift missile at Morning Star, but the veteran heroine just slapped it away.

"You're going down, bimbo!" Sledge vowed. He bent down and lifted what remained of the Jaguar into the air holding it over his head. "Choke on this!"

With a great effort, Sledge hurtled the ruined sportscar at Morning Star. But 'Star was ready. She couldn't simply smash the makeshift projectile in fear of any remaining innocents being struck by the flying debris. Instead, Morning Star braced herself and tried to catch the incoming car. 'Star was only partially successful but did re-direct the missile, causing it to land harmlessly to her right.

"You're all out of things to throw, Sledge!", Morning Star noted. To her surprise, Sledge had used the diversion to draw closer.

"Not bad, toots! Let's see what kind of pounding you can take!" Sledge wound up and struck Morning Star in the chest with his hammer. To his immense surprise, not only didn't Morning Star not even appear hurt by the impact, but she was unmoved as well!

"Hands off the merchandise, you creep!" Morning Star landed a powerful uppercut that lifted Sledge right up off the floor. In fact, the hammer-handed thug collided head first with the ceiling and kept on going until he was halfway buried in the ceiling. Remarkably, Sledge remained in that position, feet dangling, unmoving.

Satisfied with her efforts, Morning Star dusted off her gloved hands. "That'll teach you to keep your hands to yourself and not ruin an exceptional machine like this! Now to help the others."

Turning back to the rest of X-Factor, Morning Star saw Sabre being pummeled by Pile Driver's pneumatic piston. The Blood swordsman crumbled to the bank floor in a daze.

But before 'Star could rush to rescue her teammate, Spectrum and Icicle went on the attack. Spectrum blasted Pile Driver while Icicle covered him with ice, much like she had with Buzzsaw. Just like that, the combat seemed to be over.

However, the ice sheet covering Buzzsaw began to vibrate rapidly. Chunks of ice started to fall away to reveal the man underneath. Likewise, Pile Driver fired his piston once more and easily smashed through the ice. It was only a matter of moments before either criminal were free once more.

"Oh no you don't!" Spectrum flew forward and hit Pile Driver with his stunning light. The attack noticeably weakened Driver, but didn't harm the ice still coating him. "You stay put!"

"I'll make sure he doesn't go anywhere, Spectrum," Icicle vowed. As she made her promise, she generated more ice and re-coated Pile Driver, imprisoning him from the shoulders down in a solid cocoon of ice.

"Cool!", Spectrum quipped in response as he continued to move closer to the criminals. Icicle couldn't help but roll her eyes at the bad pun.

Morning Star rushed towards the imprisoned villains to lend aid. However, the lavender clad heroine wasn't fast enough. The remaining ice around Buzzsaw fell away and the criminal was free once more!

"I'll take care of this one," Morning Star called out. Morning Star rushed Buzzsaw and put him down with just one punch. "That seems to be all of them."

A short distance away, Sabre was regaining his feet. Between Bulldozer and Pile Driver, he had taken quite a bit of punishment. He still felt a bit shaky.

"Not quite heroes! Not if Airhammer has something to say about it!"

Startled, Spectrum, Morning Star, and Sabre all turned towards the doorway of the bank. Standing in the entryway was a woman in a dark blue costume. Key portions of her body were protected by ceramic armor. On her back Airhammer wore her pneumatic power pack. This wondrous device allowed the villainess to fly at incredible speeds and amplified her natural strength into jackhammer-like attacks. Airhammer had wrapped her left arm around Icicle's neck and had her right fist held up to the side of the icy mutant's head.

"I'm sorry," Icicle whimpered. "I..."

"Shut up!", Airhammer command. "This is the way this is going to go down, you see. You let me and the rest of the Destruction Crew go or I'll ram my fist right though her head! What's it going to be, heroes? Who wants to see her brains first hand?"

Spectrum held his hands up and spoke first. "All right, you win! Just don't hurt her."

"You harm one hair on her head...", Morning Star started to say before being interrupted by Airhammer.

"Oh, spare me the threats, you lavender floozy! Let's see some action or do I get my gloves dirty with brain juice?"

"Calm yourself," Sabre stated. "We shall comply with your demands."

"That's more like it. Now move it!"

In short order, Sledge was pulled down from the ceiling. Pile Driver was freed from his icy prison while Buzzsaw and Bulldozer were pushed towards the exit. While this was going on, Airhammer had dragged Icicle out of the bank and now was standing outside on the sidewalk.

"What the hell is going on here?!", Bulldozer demanded. He was still woozy and had trouble remaining on his feet. If you didn't know better you would have thought the large man to be drunk. "What happened?"

"I'm making you look like a genius," Airhammer explained. "By holding me in reserve I was able to save all your butts."

"Maybe you skirts have other uses after all," Bulldozer grunted. "Let's roll before more of these geeks show up!"

Bulldozer piled into a large van, followed closely by Sledge, Pile Driver, and Buzzsaw. The engine was started up and the van quickly put into gear. With tires squealing, the villains sped away from the bank leaving Airhammer behind with her hostage.

"We've done what you asked," Morning Star stated as she cautiously approached. "Now hold up your end of the bargain."

"Of course I will, dearie," Airhammer sneered. Suddenly her pneumatic power pack was activated and Airhammer streaked straight up into the air carrying a screaming Icicle with her. "I just need to make sure that you don't try to follow us!" At about a hundred feet up, Airhammer unexpectedly released Icicle and flew off!

"Icy!", Spectrum cried out as he shot into the air.

Icicle couldn't help but scream as her body plunged back towards the ground. Desperately her mind tried to figure out some way to survive this. Perhaps she could soften the impact somehow by creating a mound of ice.

However, before Icicle could act on her thoughts, she felt herself being caught by Spectrum. He drew the screaming and crying Icicle into his arms. "It's okay, Jen. I have you."

Icicle didn't respond; she just wrapped her arms around Spectrum and held on tight. Silent sobs wracked her body. Gently, Spectrum flew her back towards the sidewalk. Reaching a point about ten feet above Morning Star and Sabre, Spectrum hovered.

"I think Icy's had enough excitement for one day. I'm going to take her back to the base."

"Agreed," Morning Star told Spectrum. "We'll finish up here and catch up with you later."

Spectrum nodded in agreement and then flew away, Icicle still tightly cradled in his arms.

"I blew it," Jennifer stated dejectedly as she plopped down on her bed. Spectrum had flown Icicle the short distance back to the concealed X-Factor base and they were now both inside her private room. It took nearly half an hour for Jennifer to come to grips with what had transpired. "I ruined everything."

"Don't talk like that," Spectrum countered. "All things considered, everything turned out pretty good. I mean, no one got hurt and nothing was stolen. Just some property damage and a smashed sports car was the worst that happened."

"But they got away because of me!"

"Hey, we didn't know that they had another member in reserve either," Spectrum answered in a soothing voice. "So any one of us could have been taken by surprise like that. Besides, you're not used to working this side of the street. Fighting criminals is a little different than trying to avoid being captured by a hero, you know."

"You really think so?"

"Sure it is. After all, how many heroes have you seen go around taking hostages?"

"I suppose you're right," Icicle finally relented, a slight smile coming to her face. "I just feel so awful."

"Stuff happens. It's just a matter of learning from this experience and turning it into something positive. Looks like we're going to have to give you some combat training. Probably wouldn't hurt the entire team either. Why don't you relax a bit and we'll talk later. Okay?"

"Okay," Jennifer agreed as she plopped on to her bed. Perhaps she could unwind by lying down for a little bit.

Spectrum waved goodbye as he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. He silently closed the door behind him and walked away. Morning Star was waiting for him in the adjacent hallway propped up against the wall.

"How is she?", the lavender clad heroine inquired.

"She's being hard on herself right now, but I think that Jen will be all right. This is just all new to her. New to all of us too."

Morning Star stepped into place beside Spectrum as they walked along. "I think we should come up with a combat training program for her. For the whole team, for that matter."

"I agree, 'Star," Spectrum concurred. "You're the expert in this area. What did you have in mind?"

"Quite a few things actually," Morning Star admitted. "I was just going up to the kitchen to make myself something for lunch. Would you like to come along and we can fully discuss the matter?"

"Sounds like a plan. Besides, I could use a bite to eat myself. Only had English muffins for breakfast."

"Very good," Morning Star answered with a grin. The two heroes reached the elevators and traveled to the top level of the base and its kitchen area. Hopefully this was going to be a productive lunch.

"Pretty impressive, huh guys?" Blizzard proudly gestured towards the far end of the large hall. The runway for the models to walk up and down on had already been completed. The set had been decorated and the audience chairs were already in place. "We pull this off and it's the big time for us."

Following behind the icy hero were the stoic Empress and the crestfallen Impact. The idea of playing security for a bunch of scantily clad supermodels just didn't excite the Empress as it did her co-workers. Still, the money for this particular assignment was more than worth whatever aggravations were bound to arise.

"Yes, yes, very nice," Angie simply stated. She had worn her new costume to this fact-finding mission. It was Blizzard's suggestion to scout out the Fashion Show's location for security concerns. Become familiar with the hall's layout and hopefully spot potential concerns. More than likely they were here to check out the models instead.

Surprisingly, Impact was low-key about the whole thing. In his own excitement, Blizzard hadn't even noticed. Bryan still didn't know what to make of the current situation that he found himself in. He had spent a night with Angie, thinking that she had broken up with Blizzard. He was quite surprised when it turned out that while Angie did plan to split from Blizzard, she actually hadn't yet. While he found Angie to be attractive and desirable, the idea of sleeping with his boss's girlfriend didn't sit well with the young man. His parents had raised him better than that.

Further complicating the issue was that Bryan and Angie also had a past relationship from when they were both in high school. So, to be technical, Bryan was actually Angie's boyfriend before Blizzard. Not that it really mattered as that was the past and this was present. Even worse Blizzard was his boss. It gave Bryan a headache just thinking about it.

"Hey, you okay?" Blizzard finally noticed Impact's silence and had spoken up. "You look like you've just lost your best friend."

"Oh, sorry 'bout that boss," Impact muttered in response. "Just got a lot on my mind right now."

"Is there something wrong?", Angie innocently asked, a wolfish grin on her face. It was as if she knew the turmoil that Bryan was going through and was taking advantage of it. "Perhaps we can help?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Thanks for asking."

"Nothing my foot," Blizzard interrupted. "It's obvious something's bothering you. You're part of the team now and I'm going to need you at the top of your game. So what's the problem?"

"I appreciate that. You guys have done a lot for me already. I don't want to go and burden you with my personal problems. I mean you've already given me a place to stay."

"You could always sleep on my couch," Empress quickly offered. "I certainly wouldn't mind. I can't imagine the office being that comfortable. Lots of nice and soft things to sleep on at my place." The true meaning of Angie's words was not lost on Impact.

"Well, with the money he made from LawTech, Impact could easily get his own place," Blizzard diplomatically chimed in. While Angie's offer was nice, Blizzard would prefer that they were alone in Angie's apartment.

Thinking fast, Bryan came up with an alternate explanation for his troubles. "Getting an apartment could be a problem right now. That reporter guy has been bugging my old buddies trying to track me down. I can't even visit my pals in fear that this clown is going to corner me! I mean, it's ridiculous to keep hiding like this but I don't know what else to do."

"I can see where that would be a concern," Blizzard answered, his hand resting on his chin. "Best thing I can suggest would be to lay low and just wait for this to blow over."

"That was my idea, but the waiting is driving me nuts."

"Maybe you should change your look then," Angie suggested after a short pause. "Change your hair color or get a wig. Grow a beard. Do something like that to change your appearance."

"Hey, that's not a bad idea." The more Impact thought about it, the more he liked that notion. At least he could go back out in public again instead of living like a hermit. "Thanks. Thanks a lot!"

With Impact's problem seemingly resolved, Blizzard turned and led his charges deeper into the hall. Slowly they made their way along, checking the place out. There were balconies lining the outer walls of the hall. It would be a good place to station a guard.

Reaching the backstage area, Blizzard unexpectedly came to a stop. The small area was a whirlwind of activity. Numerous beautiful bikini clad models were present as outfits were tried out with various fashion accessories. "Oh my," was all that Blizzard could get out of this mouth. Too bad he hadn't thought to bring his video camera.

"I've died and gone to heaven," was Impact's comment. Just a dozen feet away were women he had only seen on his swimsuit calendars at the frat house. Now they were here up close and in living color. Pictures did not do them justice.

"Men," Angie muttered under her breath in annoyance. They acted just like kids around a pretty face. Something that Angie had taken plenty of advantage of before. Instead of standing out, in this backstage area, the Empress would have blended into the background if not for her costume.

"Ah, Mr. Blizzard! How good of you to make it!" The trio turned to find Sheila Grace approaching. Her brother Adam was walking beside her. Both Blizzard and Impact were lost in the beauty that was Sheila Grace. Truly, her reputation as the most beautiful woman in the world was well deserved.

Much to her surprise, the Empress couldn't help but stare at Sheila's brother Adam. While not possessing the traffic-stopping looks of his sister, Adam was a very handsome man in his own right. His light brown hair and eyes matched his sister's. Adam was also one of the very few men that Angie had met who placed a 'ten' on her hunk scale. She couldn't help but fantasize about spending a night in his arms. Perhaps this job wasn't going to be so bad after all.

"Guys, this here is Sheila Grace, our boss," Blizzard explained after recovering.

"It's an honor to meet you, Ma'am," Impact managed to stammer out. His eyes had yet to stray from Sheila's fabulous figure. If she had noticed, Ms. Grace didn't show it. "I've got all your posters!"

"How do you do," the Empress responded in a neutral voice. Suddenly being around Sheila didn't seem so bad when her brother was near.

"The pleasure is all mine," Sheila answered in her honey-filled voice. She flashed her million-dollar smile for good effect as well. "This is my brother and business manager Adam."

"Hi," Blizzard said as he shook the man's hand. Another round of introductions followed.

"I trust everything is going well," Sheila inquired of Blizzard. "The show is tomorrow afternoon after all."

"That's why we're here, to check the place out. Get the lay of the land, so to speak."

"Very good," Sheila said. "I'll let you carry on with your jobs then."

"We'll see you tomorrow," Blizzard added. "Come on, guys, let's take a look around back here. I don't want to miss anything." Blizzard moved past the backstage area to get a look at the rear of the building. Reluctantly, Impact and the Empress followed and were soon lost from sight.

On the other side of the backstage area, Sheila and Adam watched the Heroes for Hire depart. "So what do you think, Adam? Would you agree that the Empress would fit in nicely with our plans?"

"Possibly," Adam admitted with a shrug. "She has that arrogant edge about her and has a very vivid imagination. It might behoove us to get to know her better before taking any risks. I don't want this to blow up in our faces."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Sheila laughed. "If you want high gains you have to take high risks. I know her type. She'll be very interested in our proposal. Very interested indeed."