Also known as "Supergirl's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day"
"30 girls in the last two months Alex, that we know of!" Kara can't help but look at her sister again, hoping for a different answer.
Turning away and shaking her head, Alex moves towards the door "They were all human Kara, it's horrible yes, but it's a matter for the police or FBI, not the DEO".
As Alex finishes putting on her jacket and grabs the door she doesn't react to Karas last plea "Well I never put a limit on who I'd protect, so I'm going to investigate and find out what's happening."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is 5 minutes later that J'onn receives a text:
Agent Danvers: "Kara is going after them, we need to increase our efforts to track that missing shipment"
"Does she know we suspect them of stealing that shipment of Kryptonite?" :Director Henshaw
Agent Danvers: "You know damn well she doesn't know we still have any Kryptonite at all, much less that some has gone missing"
Agent Danvers: "Besides, the clubs and gangs at the dock is an interconnected nightmare, there's no telling what any of them are up to without a lot of surveillance"
"Which we have tried for weeks now without getting anywhere" :Director Henshaw
"She might help us out, her attempts at subtle tend to be a bit like a bull in a China shop" :Director Henshaw
Agent Danvers: "That's what I'm worried about, put Winn on surveillance full time and I'll prep some agents she doesn't know to go undercover and keep an eye on her if she tries to imitate Lois"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking through her wardrobe, Kara ponders what to do "Flyover with super sight and hearing, or the investigative reporter bread and butter, undercover work?"
Deciding to go as ace (undercover) reporter Kara Danvers, she hurries over to her bedroom.
'Now, what to wear?' She roots around in her wardrobe, throwing dresses, skirts and shoes about until she finds the little black dress she wore under the influence of red Kryptonite 'Perfect!'
After finding the right heels to match, she goes to her jewelry box and finds a silvery bracelet with some multi-colored stones stuck through it so it touches the skin on the inside as well as looks pretty on the outside.
'Ugh, I really don't want to wear this'
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few days earlier:
Kara fiddles with the bracelet, looking at it much the way she'd look at a kale salad if someone called it dinner, before handing it over "I really appreciate you doing this Zatanna, the whole point of appearing human goes out the window if anyone recognizes this or tries to steal it thinking it's valuable"
"No problem Kara, but isn't it a bit risky, taking your powers away and then heading into the lions den?"
She then holds the bracelet for a moment before saying "!elbacitonnu eB" and handing it back to Kara
"Well, after the latest alien invasion attempts and all the meta-humans starting to show up, a lot of the clubs acquired L-Corp power-detectors. And while they aren't as bad as the alien detectors Lena suggested a few years ago, they'll still give a good indication of a persons, or their possessions, relative power to a human."
She puts the bracelet in her jewelry box and closing it before continuing "The bracelet is made out of Nth-metal and has a mix of blue, light red, light green and light golden Kryptonite that takes away my powers with skin contact, but I'll get them back almost fully within a minute or so of removing it, and with your little cantrip neither pick pockets, bouncers or power sniffing machines will notice it."
"And what if say, you're captured and don't have your hands free to remove it, or you get caught in the crossfire at a strip-club and shot, and ignominious ending for Supergirl"
"Pfft, no one is going to catch on that I'm anything but a normal club patron, having a good time. Besides, the machine does however not care much about durability, so the bracelet is designed to only take away my strength and offensive powers. If you stabbed me, I would bleed, but you'd also break the knife before reaching more than skin deep, at least unless I wore the bracelet too long."
She opens the box again and takes out the bracelet "And as for being unable to remove it, it pops into 4 pieces if I touch either of these two places for more than three seconds" She points to two smooth areas between the stones "And if I can't reach that, there's a microphone in it and a tiny chip tuned to my voice, so if I say the magic word, it also pops apart. I've tested it and it works, it took an hour to put it back together again though, it's not the most reusable design, oh, and the magic word isn't actually magic, obviously"
"Obviously. Well, I guess you're all set, but just to be safe" Zatanna grabs the bracelet and says "!ylbmessassid fo em mrofnI"
"There, now I'll know if you ever do break apart your bracelet, and I'll know where it happens."
"Thank's Zatanna, that does help me feel safer"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Hmm, where to go, there was no single place all the girls had been too, or even most, but there were two that stood out, a bar and dance club named Blaze's where 4 of the missing women had been shortly before going missing, and then there was The Gilded Cage. Only 2 of the missing women had been there their last day, but as it was a bondage themed sex club they already tied people up and hit them, so it'd not be a big leap to just not let them go again'
Kara knew that was a bit narrow minded, but well, the things she'd heard about that place had her... curious.
Taking a deep breath, Kara picks up the open bracelet and puts it on her wrist. She hated the feeling when she blows out her powers, but the feeling when all the crystals press against her skin after she closes the bracelet with a click is something else entirely.
Everything changes, even with filtering out most of it and pushing it to the back of her mind, her super-hearing makes her constantly aware of the city and it's going ons; shouts for help, doors slamming, the ding of an elevator several blocks away. With the bracelet closed, all she can hear is her own breathing, and a few cars outside. The darkening city looks like some sort of fairy tale without her enhanced sight letting her see into every shadowy corner.
The biggest change though was her sense of presence, normally gravity didn't really touch her and nothing she lifted felt in any way solid, her clothes were on her but she didn't really notice them. Now she could feel her own weight, and the clasp of the bracelet, the pressure of her bra ('I really should have gotten that fitted and now just bought one that was close enough') and the touch of her clothes when she moved. She wasn't sure if that was just the way people normally felt, heightened Kryptonian sensitivity or if she just temporary felt more due to the novelty of it all.
"Slightly more people went missing after visiting Blaze's so I guess I'll go there, some music and dancing without having to be afraid I'll hip check someone through a wall would be nice too."
Having decided, she orders an uber and heads on out, finding the car waiting on the curb by the time the infuriatingly slow elevator has gone down the 4 floors.
"Where too ma'am?"
"Blaze's, it's um, I don't actually know the address, I just fl... take the bus to the docks normally"
"No worries ma'am, I know exactly where it is, I didn't know any bus routes went there from around here though. So, out to have some fun or do you work there?" He for some reason nods towards her as he says the last part.
"Oh, no, no work, I'm all about the fun tonight!"
The driver just nods and hums and drives on in silence he drops her of at the club "Good luck with your fun, that's quite the line."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 minutes later, Karas position in line has hardly moved, she's still at the buildings corner as she watches a gaggle of people dressed up in a variety of super-hero suits walk up to the bouncer, and quickly get let in.
'What the heck! I guess I should've come in my red skirt instead and I could've just walked in too' Looking around she spots two girls wearing almost identical dresses to herself entering the building through a back door.
'Oh, I guess that's why he thought I might work there, I guess this is close to their uniform or something'
'To sneak or not to sneak... no, be strong Kara, all these other people wait so you ca-'
"They budged! The hell, here I've come dressed to the nines and a bunch of rejects from a superhero cosplay party budged the line, gah!" The tall blonde that's stood next to Kara for the last 5 minutes throws her hands in the air in apparent exasperation at the world. She then holds out her hand toward Kara "Uff da, how rude of me, I'm Emma."
"I'm Kara, and that's ok, I got quite miffed at those wannabe capes too" Kara shakes Emmas hand "Wow, that's quite the handshake"
"Ah, sorry there Kara, I grew up with 3 older brothers and the only acceptable handshake was one that left the other person grimacing, at least that what they kept telling me"
"So I'm all alone here because I'm just in town for this weekend and don't know anyone, but you seem to be a local girl born and bred, how come you're here all alone?"
"Oh no, I'm definitively not from around here, I was born somewhere a lot warmer" Karas eyes un-focus as she's lost in thought
"Oh? I'm here about a job, and while I like my childhood home a lot, I don't think I could ever consider moving to somewhere colder, well, not unless the money or company was really excellent" Emma looks at Kara with a small smile.
"I don't normally care too much about the temperature, and I ended up around here through adoption, not work, so it wasn't really voluntary. Not that I have any complaints about where I ended up, except for my sister being a bit of a b-word my first year on E.. uh, in Midvale both she and her mother have been wonderful. It's always nice when we fly out to see her."
"Aww, now I'm both sad and jealous. While my brothers are great and I even work with them at times, my mother and I don't really get along. Even so though, I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have my family, though I guess if I was young enough I'd not remember anyway. Anyway, enough downers, this slow as fuck line is enough of a downer as it is, it's been 20 minutes and we're not even half way there!"
"Ugh yeah, I had no idea it could take this long, I don't usually go clubbing, and whenever I go to a bar it's usually with my sister, but when I was trying to get her to come along she refused, and just ended with an argument."
Emma looks over at Kara rubbing her bare arms and starts to shrug of her light jacket "Here, you take my jacket, my top is long armed and growing up in Minnesota this is borderline balmy"
A Blushing Kara shakes her head "Oh no, I couldn't possibly, it's not that cold and.. hey, I said.. no don't give it, ok, ok!" giving up quickly, it is after all pretty cold without her powers to keep her warm, Kara puts on the jacket
"Thanks, I've known you for two minutes and you've already been more considerate than my ex boyfriend"
"Hah, they don't call it Minnesota nice for nothing, and he sounds like a bit of an ass if the bar was that low" while Kara looks off towards the entrance Emma gives her another once over and nodding to herself
"So Kara, this is taking forever, and I mainly came here because I heard this place was great not because I absolutely had to go to a club, what do you say we go and find somewhere a bit less popular so we can continue this talk in-doors?"
"I don't know" Kara looks around, then back at the entrance and the line that's standing still yet again "I kinda wanted to go to this place, but going to the docks area was more important than it being this specific club, so hmm"
"Whether or not you want to change venues, we could always start the party here" Emma makes a pointing movement towards Kara's left breast "If you check the inner pocket there, you'll find a little pocket flask there"
Fumbling around a bit Kara finds the flask and pulls it out "Oh, I guess you came prepared"
Emma grabs the flask "Jupp, regular old girl scout here, got my merit badge for knots and all." Unscrewing the top she lifts the flask and leans her head back, drinking down some of the contents while pressing her finger at a small divot mid way up the flask.
"Ah, yeah that hit the spot, here" Emma holds the flask out towards Kara
"Sure, thanks" Kara grabs the flask and drinks from it, making a face at the strong taste "Whoa, that was some strong stuff."
"Hehe, yeah, special home made blend, my older brothers recipe" Emma grins and pulls out her cellphone, hitting a button, then puts it away again "My ride should be here in about 5 minutes if you want to join us."
"I don't know Emma, I really did want to get in here, and now the line seems to be moving again." Kara is feeling all tingly and stares a bit at her hands as she flexes her fingers 'That's kinda weird, maybe it's colder than I thought, or maybe I don't just Like Emma, but like-like her. I've never really done anything when I've felt things for girls before, having to appear 'normal' at all cost, whatever that means'
Emma is studying Kara, and her smile turns cruel as she watches Kara flex her hands, waiting a bit as the bimbo seems lost in thought, she decides it's time to start moving to the rendezvous.
"Come along Kara, time for us to head on to bigger and better things" She starts moving while reaching around Kara's waist with her right arm, and grabs a small loop on the end of the arm of the jacket she's wearing, and then pulls it over and hooks it to a carabiner on the side of the jacket, effectively tying Kara's right arm to her body. In a move borne from long practice, she does the same with her left hand just after and just as fast.
"Um, wha..?" Kara can't seem to move freely, and Emma is pushing her along in a direction she hadn't quite decided if she wanted to go yet, but any protest she tries to voice comes out slurred and muffled.
"Don't worry your pretty little head about anything Kara, you just put one foot in front of the other and everything will be just fine" Emmas voice is calm, but both the sweetness and the Minnesotan dialect seems to be completely gone.
"Nuh, shtop, cant" Kara tries to stop, she tries to move in a different direction, but her body doesn't seem to be listening to her and her walking is now more along the lines of falling in the direction Emma is guiding them with only her arm preventing it from becoming an actual fall.
As they round a corner and (unbeknownst to Kara) enter an area where none of the CCTV cameras work, a blue van with the logo of a plumbing company comes up besides them and stops.
"That's our ride, upsy daisy" As the side of the van opens Emma grabs Kara by her waist and pushes her towards the opening, just as two pair of hands reach out to pull her in.
Emma immediately follows her in before the door closes and the van speeds off.
"Elp! Leht ghoh!" Kara wants to shout, she wants to fight, but her body seems to not want to follow orders.
"Her name is Kara, she might not be a virgin, but I'm sure she's next to untouched, she doesn't have many friends and she's adopted so probably not much family either. She does have a sister but they've just argued so I'm fairly sure no one will notice her disappearing today, maybe not even for a few days." As she's talking, Emma has undone her handiwork with the carabiners and stripped Kara of the jacket.
"She should fetch a good price, as blonde and blue eyed all Americans are still very popular, she didn't seem particular smart or at least stupidly naive, accepting drinks from strangers."
Kara opens her mouth to protest, but one of the men seems to have been expecting that as he grabs her jaw in a huge hand pushes a ring into it to keep it open, before buckling it around her head.
"Whathh, noh, do-glck" any protest gets cut of as he starts pushing some sort of sausage into her mouth, then as he keeps pushing, it starts going further and her minimal fighting gets a bit more frantic. 'Oh Rao, why didn't I put a heartbeat trigger on that damn bracelet, I want it OFF!'
"And let's shut you up for a while" The big man pushes a button at the end of whatever it was he pushed into her mouth, and there's a sudden sound of rushing air as it expands to fill whatever it can fill, and then some.
Kara feels her knees buckle at the sudden and intense pain as the inflating gag hit's her capacity with a ferocity that feels like it'll unhinge her jaw.
Emma rips of her own wig and throws it in a small box, followed by Kara's purse and phone before she picks up a wicked looking knife "Ok slut, stand still or I might accidentally take your nipples as well"
She grabs Kara's dress at the top, and unceremoniously starts cutting it all off, any attempts at stopping it from the drugged and gagged woman is too ineffective to even be noticed, as she gets to them, she quickly cuts of her bra and panties too and ending by pulling her shoes off.
"Natural blonde, nice, you got the air and eye things?" Emma asks one of the men as she throws the remains of Kara's clothes into the same small box that holds her purse. 'Bitch! I can't believe I actually liked you, I hope you fall on your damn knife!'
"This will be the last time you hear or see us Kara, I'd wish you a nice life, but honestly, you won't have that and I don't really care either way" Emma lifts up her cellphone, where she's been writing down the capture info on Kara, and takes a picture for her profile.
The smaller of the two men comes over carrying what seems like two sticks and a small case for contact lenses.
He grabs Kara's head and bends it to the side, taking one of the sticks and pushing it in her left ear, there's the sound of a button being pressed, and a sudden intense pain explodes from her ear as whatever was showed in there suddenly expands violently. He then turns her head the other way and does it again to her other ear.
She can see his mouth moving as he looks at her, the only thing she can read from his lips are the words "tears" and "good", then one of the men forces her eyelids apart, as the other one takes out the first black contact lens from the case and puts it in her eye, blacking out all sight there. She's starting to show signs of severe panic as he puts the other lens in, effectively cutting Kara off from the world, she hears nothing, sees nothing and can say nothing.
As soon as the last lens goes in, the larger man does a response check to see if she'll react to any sight or sound, but there is no response at all besides the constant low level movement of Kara trying to get out of his grasp. "Ok, she's safe. Good work Michelle" he nods at the woman who'd introduced herself as Emma "I'm glad this is the last one in this city though, the heat was getting a bit much."
"Yeah, agree, get her ready for storage" she presses a rivet in the floor, and a hatch opens up, showing a roughly human outline, a bottle of air and a cut out on the side the size of the box that Kara's clothes and purse were put in.
"Sure 'sister'" the bigger of the men chuckles as he grabs a belt with shackles from the hatch in the floor and fastens it around Kara's waist, shackling her arms to the side before grabbing some bigger shackles and fastening her legs together.
They then lift her and lay her down in the foam hole, before connecting the flask to a hole in her gag and closing the hatch again, removing all traces of her ever being there.
Inside the hatch, Kara is experiencing one of her worst nightmares, she can't move, she can't see, she can't hear, it's as if she's trapped in the phantom zone all over again, or maybe she never left, maybe it's all been just another dream.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few hours later, a question goes over the DEO comms, repeated to every location they've got under surveillance at the moment, until it comes to the team outside Blaze's:
Agent Danvers: "Seen any signs of my sister or the Dodo?"
Agent Vasquez: "Nada, we've seen neither hide nor hair of her."
Agent Danvers: "Good, this is enough of a cluster fuck without her here too."
Topic: Snatch and grab, accidental victim (Read 14952 times)
