Chapter 6 - A Complication or Two....

            The tree in the backyard of the mansion shuddered from the impact of the man that landed up against it.  The weapon he was holding slipped out of his hands as the green uniformed man fell unconscious from the impact.  About fifty feet to the left, the night sky was lit up with the beams of high energy weapons as they fired again and again.

             "Stand still, you transforming witch !  I'll teach you to change me into a living ice cube!" Viper hissed as she depressed the trigger on the huge laser weapon she was holding.  Around her, three of her subordinates were also firing weapons into the sky towards the buxom target floating there while several others were lying on the ground writhing from blows inflicted on them from Shapeshifter directly or objects thrown at them by the object of their hatred.

           To emphasize the latter point, Shapeshifter uprooted a large pine tree from the ground nearby and hurled it at her attackers like it was a toy.  CRASHHH!!! The tree landed in the midst of Viper and her cohorts sending them flying in all directions from the impact.  Shapeshifter nodded in grim satisfaction as she settled back on the ground and started towards her opponents to put an end to the battle.  However, her confidence was short lived as she found herself being hurled backward from a powerful beam of energy hit her unexpectedly in the back.

           "Good going, number fifty.  Keep that bitch busy while I prepare to end this fight right now!" Viper yelled out to the subordinate who had fired at Shapeshifter from a mobile tank that had just arrived.  The icy villainess nodded to another lackey who started to power up an odd looking apparatus near his leader.

           Meanwhile, the object of their collective hatred was pulling herself to her feet.  "Damn, this outfit is ruined.  I guess I'll have to take out my anger on you, buddy!"  Shapeshifter snarled as she noticed the cloth had been torn away from the mid section of her costume just below her breasts revealing a well toned physique and a brief indication of her fantastic tits.  She leapt to her feet and flew like a bullet toward her attacker, who started firing wildly at the rapidly closing Shapeshifter from fear more than trying to strike the rapidly closing attacker.

            Unfortunately for him, his bursts missed by several feet and, within a few seconds, he found the vehicle was in being torn to shreds by his enraged foe.  Before he could clamber out of the wreckage, he found himself being lifted aloft by Shapeshifter who looked at him with a sneer.

             "Ground or air..?" she rasped.

             "Huh..?" the visibly frightened man said while trying desperately to work his way free of her grasp.

             "Ground or air...?" she asked again forcefully with malice dripping off her voice.

             "Ummm...ground?" the man said weakly, trying to placate his enraged opponent.

             "No..AIR !!!"  Shapeshifter snarled as she reared back and hurled the man like a shot-put high into the air way up in an arc and watched him land with a sickening thud several hundred feet away.

             The buxom transmuter barely had enough time to see the man land before the sound of increasingly loud rumbling made her turn around and see a most ominous sight in front of her.  A large green and black machine was glowing bright with a long metal barrel pointed towards her.  Standing behind the machine with her arms inserted into it was Viper, who had stripped off her armor save for her boots and stood looking like she was reveling in the scene of carnage around her.

             "Well, Shapeshifter, it is time I ended your dance with death.  The machine you see before was invented by scientists working for me to function as a harnesser of the elements of nature and focus these elements into blasts of incredible strength.." the vengeance seeking killer said before being tapped on the shoulder by a subordinate.

              "Umm..Mistress Viper.. there are signs on the instruments of a possible energy feedback building within.." the man started to say before falling silent upon seeing the angry look on his superior's face.

              "As I was saying, the machine will focus the essence of what you turned me into and blast you into a frozen state in the blink of an eye.  However, that won't last long as I'm going to shatter your frozen body into a million pieces before your brain has a chance to comprehend what's happened," Viper cackled as the machines' vibrations built to a deafening level.  The sinister madwoman ignored pleas by her lackeys to notice the alarms that were now sounding.

              Shapeshifter sneered as she backed off instead of charging at her crazed opponent.  "You might take a quick look around you before talking about someone freezing solid," she said as she saw Viper's cronies creeping away with a great sense of urgency.

              Viper's look of utter hatred quickly changed as her target's words sunk in and she looked at the computer board in front of her.  Seeing all sorts of DANGER warnings flashing in front of her, a note of panic crept into her voice as she tried to extricate her arms from the machine with no success.
 
               "Get back here, you sniveling cowards, and fix this worthless machine!  Did you hear me?  Get over here, now!" the desperate woman screeched as her lackeys were now in full retreat with some actually running away as fast as they could.  The ground itself was now rumbling with the vibrations from the machine as Viper saw it was close to reaching full power.

              Whipping her head back and forth and seeing there was no one answering her call, Viper looked forward at her hated foe Shapeshifter with eyes blazing intense malice.  "Well, you genetic freak, if things are destined to turn out badly, let us embrace death together.  Prepare to spend the rest of eternity frozen solid, Shapeshifter!"  Viper screamed maniacally.

               A split second before the machine fired its deadly beam of cold at the target,  a loud explosion lit up the machine and smoke obscured the machine's remnants.  Shapeshifter, who has thrown herself behind a corner of the house at the last second, peered around the corner once the noise settled down and was surprised by the sight she took in as the smoke dissipated.

              Bits of metal and glass lay strewn in the crater where Viper's weapon once stood and in the center of it was the figure of Viper herself encased completely in ice instead of being killed by the explosion .  Judging  by the expression of anger mixed with shock, Viper was aware of her entombment only at the last second.  Her arms were still extended forward as if there was still a machine there with her breasts pushing outwards as a result.  Her legs were spread slightly apart with her waist twisted slightly in the direction of an opponent she was no longer aware of.

              Nodding in grim satisfaction, Shapeshifter walked over to the carnage around her and saw that all of Viper's troops had deserted the area leaving their equipment behind.  She looked at the entombed woman who desperately wanted to see her dead and contemplated what to do with her.  Shapeshifter noticed that Viper, perhaps as a bit of vanity after their first encounter, had painted her pupils, nipples and fingernails a bright green color which shone through the icy prison she was now in.

             "I could take her to the edge of a cliff and drop her onto the rocks below, shattering her into a million pieces. However, that would probably make this psychopath happy.... hmmm..."  the buxom woman stood pondering over how to handle the disposal of her bothersome and now immobilized nemesis.  Suddenly, as if she had been struck by something,  Shapeshifter's face twisted into a broad smile and she moved towards the block of ice with a new purpose.

              Over the next few minutes, pieces of ice flew fast through the air as Shapeshifter's hands whittled away at the shards in front of her.  While her powerful hands started to mold the ice, her employer, Puppet Master, and his father looked on both in disbelief at the destruction and puzzlement over the blonde hair woman's ultimate motive as she worked away.

           After a short period of time, the air that had turned into a thick cloud of white crystals gradually dissipated and shortly afterward Shapeshifter stepped forward carrying an item that looked beautiful and frightening at the same time.  She had shaped the ice into the shape of a giant orb that stood just over seven feet in height and a couple of feet across with the icy figure of Viper clearly visible embedded in the middle.

           The two men looking on quickly stepped to one side as Shapeshifter strode into the house carrying her icy burden. When she got to the two, she stopped and looked at her employer with a look of sadistic glee written on her face.

            "Carl, do you have a walk-in freezer where I can store this until everything is wrapped up?"  Kara said with a voice that dripped in sweetness.

            "Uh..uhh...in the basement, Kara.  Down the hallway... second door on the left... there's a freezer at the far end.  The new maid Monique can show you where it is if you can't find it,"  the villainous puppeteer said without the usual bravado and arrogance evident in his voice.

            Kara nodded in smug satisfaction and walked boldly down the indicated hallway.  As she went, she knocked over several vases that were on tables on either side sending them crashing to the floor where they shattered into a million pieces.  However, Kara never even let on what had happened and quickly disappeared out of sight.

           Carl, looking first at his destroyed antiques and then at the carnage in his backyard, shook his head slowly.  "This plan is getting more and more costly all the time.  I'll probably have to sell my home in the French Riviera just to get back to some sort of financial security,"  he muttered out loud to his father, who shook his head in disgust.

           "Of all the muscular thugs you could have hired, you picked a clone who has a personal problem with just about half the people on the planet.  Didn't you hear about that Auctioneer incident a while back?"   Phil asked of his son while looking out the window at the twisted carnage once more.

           "Well, I did wind up buying most of his assets once he disappeared and the government seized his property including his labs in lieu of back taxes.  As far as Shapeshifter goes, once everything has been resolved to our satisfaction, she'll be taken care of.. .once and for all," the younger man replied running his right hand through his hair.

           Phil nodded as he saw some of his son's hired men start to clean the mess up out back  "I just hope you haven't misjudged her.  If she gets wind of what you have in store for her, your problems will increase a hundred fold,"  he said sternly.

           "Never gives me a lick of credit for anything I do... well, you'll soon see..."  Carl thought to himself while simultaneously smiling warmly at his father. "Don't worry, Dad, if she gets too far out of line, we can always take care of her ourselves.  After all, we aren't regarded as super villains for nothing, eh?  Ha!  Ha!"  he said with a big laugh which was joined by his father's own evil laughter a few seconds later.

           Meanwhile, Kara was just coming upstairs from storing her frigid foe away when she saw a familiar figure waiting for her at the top of the stairs.  It was Jill, the designer for the gallery, looking for a change like she wanted to talk to Kara instead of hiding when the buxom villainess walked by.  " So the little mouse wants to talk instead of scurrying off... maybe I'll hold off turning her into my private sex toy... for now..."  Kara thought to herself as she reached the top of the stairs and glared at the brown haired woman in front of her.

           Jill did not flinch in the slightest when she saw the anger directed at her.  "Before you head off to do Puppet Master's bidding once again, Shapeshifter, you might want to take a look at information I found on my computer this afternoon which pertains to us all,"  she said with a steely resolve.

           Kara looked at the woman and was ready to keep on walking by but there was something in Jill's face that caused her to pause and think.  "Ehhh... what could it hurt?..... besides, if she bores me or ticks me off, I'll head off to rest a little with a new playmate...."  the villainess thought to herself before nodding in agreement and following the brown haired woman into Jill's working area.

           "I was busy processing Puppet Master's latest purchases that he listed on this CD-ROM when I clicked on a folder on it labeled 'FP'.  When I looked at the contents in the folder, it was a projected list of expenses for his 'unusual' plan of revenge on those who have wronged him.  As I scanned through the various lines of data, I came across the one that pertained to salaries to be paid out for staff other than the house's own.  Have a look at what's listed..."  Jill said as she clicked several times before turning the monitor sideways for Shapeshifter to look at closely.

           The villainess bent over and looked at the computer screen for several long seconds before turning her gaze back to Jill.  "Ummm..the only thing listed is the name Gunther Kreznick with a sum of $100,000 listed next to it.  This must be an older set of records before I was hired and you were..... convinced... to work here,"  Shapeshifter said with a nasty edge to her voice.

            Jill ignored the venomous attempt to provoke her.  "Ah, no.  These are dated two days after you were hired by Puppet Master.  I did some checking on this Kreznick fellow and it seems he works at a genetic engineering laboratory owned by our employer but was previously owned by the Auctioneer.  Ring a bell?"  she said with a steely look.

           Seeing Shapeshifter's icy glare, Jill continued,  "There's a fair bit about this laboratory work listed here especially with regards to the cloning work.  It seems there was a few flaws in the early experiments so they had to synthesize a compound to stabilize the long term survivability of the clones,"  she said finally with a calm voice knowing what a reaction she would provoke.

           However, she was unprepared for being literally shoved aside by an enraged Shapeshifter, who bent over and started clicking furiously.  "Lemme see... compound X213.... synthesized in sufficient quantities to stabilize all genetic duplications.... next order date is..."  she muttered out loud before her eyes widened and she grimaced in pain and anger.  The villainess then blanked the screen and walked around the desk in a deliberate manner before turning to face Jill.

           "Tell our employer that I've gone out on personal business and should be back in time to take care of the final part of the plan.  Don't tell him anything about our little conversation otherwise you're going to wish you wound up like some of his possessions.. in one piece!"  the villainess snarled before leaving the room abruptly and with a purpose.

           "Ungrateful bitch.... I try and help her out and she storms off without so much as a thank you... sheesh.."  Jill thought to herself as she turned off the monitor and looked over the newest batch of receipts and invoices.  When she examined them, she saw her boss had ordered a set of bleachers, a speaker's dais and had been granted permission by the city to put on a fireworks display which was in keeping with what he had mentioned to Jill earlier.  However, he had added a few items which made no sense whatsoever and she figured to talk with him fairly shortly about them.  Jill stood up from her chair and left the room to get things in order for her boss leaving the invoice from Bob's Motors on the top.

             Later.....

            "....and if you hadn't showed up, Supergirl, I don't know what we would have done to get those people out of the building.  The way you flew in there and plucked out that family just before the fire engulfed the whole floor they were on was truly amazing,"  the fire chief said as he pushed up his soot covered helmet and looked at the blonde heroine dressed in a blue top and skirt with a large S on her chest.

             Supergirl blushed slightly at the compliment.  "I'm just glad that no one was seriously hurt in this fire.  Now that everyone has been safely evacuated and the fire is completely out, I have another place to get to.  Farewell, chief!"  she said before launching herself into the sky with her blue and red knee high boots and blue cape all that was visible after just a few seconds.

             The heroine was flying at a very rapid speed towards her intended destination when she noticed another female figure approaching her from behind that looked a lot like Power Girl.  Supergirl slowed down and halted just on the edge of the city and allowed the other figure to approach her.

            "Supergirl, it's been a while since we talked.  I was wondering if you can give me a hand putting a stop to an international crime ring I've come into contact with recently.  They managed to escape me the last time I came into contact with them though they managed to damage my eyes somewhat.  That's why I've got the shades on,"  Power Girl said, tapping on her dark sunglasses with her right hand as she floated in front of  the heroine.

           Supergirl's eyes narrowed momentarily before she nodded in agreement.  "Sure, Power Girl, I'd love to give you a hand with the crime ring.  In fact, I have an idea how to start off tangling with them if you'd like to hear it..."  she said with a sweet smile.

           Seconds later....


           BOOM!!!  


           The sky echoed with what sounded like a sonic boom followed by what people on the ground thought was a large object hurtling to earth followed closely behind by a blue streak.  People saw the object hit the earth near the area where some of the more expensive houses in the area and simultaneously setting off numerous car alarms around the impact area.  Seconds after that thunderous impact, the same witnesses saw a blur that looked strangely familiar head to the crash area.

          At the area of impact, slabs of broken concrete and upended earth marked what was left of a recently constructed home foundation.  Rising out from the middle of the debris was a white leotard-clad woman holding her right hand to her head.  "Ouch, what hit me..?  That was..."  she started to say before being knocked back suddenly by the impact of a powerful blow.  

          The deliverer of the blow, Supergirl, watched in satisfaction as her opponent crashed into a nearby brick wall. "Give up, Shapeshifter.  Did you honestly think that ' blinded by laser' bit was going to work with me?  Wonder Woman told me about that little stunt you pulled before with her.  If you give up now, I'll....WHOOF!!!..."  the blonde heroine started to say before suddenly flying backward as her opponent flew into her mid section with both fists.

          However, Supergirl quickly recovered and the two exchanged blows for several minutes that shook the ground they were standing on.  After one particularly powerful strike,  Supergirl sent her opponent slamming into a nearby brick wall, which disintegrated and buried Shapeshifter totally in the debris.

          "Well, now that we've managed to settle our differences, it's time, Miss Shapeshifter, for you to tell me who you're working for and why you attacked me like you did.  Once that's done, we'll..we'll..cough..cough..."  Supergirl started to say before she found herself surrounded by a cloud of green gas that she instantly recognized as being kryptonite in origin.  The element of kryptonite was one of Supergirl's few weaknesses in any form and, within seconds, the blonde heroine fell to her knees gasping for air as her strength rapidly drained away.

         As Supergirl struggled to maintain her equilibrium, she found herself being grabbed from behind.  "Well, Super broad, since you put such a value into your words, why don't I arrange it for YOU to be as valuable as your words?"  a harsh and yet familiar voice said to the gasping heroine.

        "Shimmer!!!"  shouted the struggling Supergirl who normally would have shrugged off the lesser powered villainess without much of an effort.  However, the combination of the fierce fight she had just been in and the debilitating effect of the green gas surrounding her undermined her strength to the point that  the heroine was finding it difficult to break free.

       "Ugghh!!...you won't succeed, Shimmer... I'll stop you..uhh..and whoever you...work..uggh...for..."  Supergirl gasped even as her struggles started to slow considerably and her body started to grow rigid and unresponsive to her thoughts.  The blonde haired heroine saw her limbs starting to change color from the normal flesh tone look to a very shiny look that was almost metallic in appearance.  Supergirl had the distinct feeling of something around her as well but could barely move her head at all to see more than up and down.

          As the seconds ticked by, the heroine saw the metallic look on her skin was spreading rapidly and she could feel it spreading to the rest of her.  She felt her hands, which had become completely unresponsive , being forced down to her sides and her body being leaned up against the remnants of a wall next to her.  It was getting extremely hard to think for the blonde heroine although she could still see Shimmer , who had moved around to stand in front of her, holding onto her upper arms still with a malicious smile visible on her face.

      If someone had walked by within eyesight, they would have taken in the amazing sight of the heroine Supergirl merging with what appeared to be a large ingot of silver as it formed completely around her body.  Supergirl felt her breathing slow to nothing in just a few seconds while the silver insinuated itself into every opening and pore of her body. She felt the silver merge with had already appeared on her body and transform her look to one of a silver figurine just out of a molding press.  Her mouth, frozen wide in shock, quickly turned from pink to silver as did the rest of her body.

      Shimmer smirked as she looked at the metallically transformed heroine.  "Well, honey, if Carl doesn't come through with my money when this is all said and done, maybe I'll melt you down to get my reward that way.  I suppose I should call.."  she started to say before she heard footsteps close behind her.

      "Ouch... forgot.... look, Shapeshifter, I know we've had our differences in the past but if you'll let me explain...UUUHH!!"  Shimmer started to say with a hopeful look on her face before staggering backwards from a powerful blow to her mid section.  Before she could recover enough to defend herself, a purple gloved fist delivered a powerful uppercut that caused the red haired villainess to fly through the air for several feet before hitting the ground unconscious.  A slight trickle of blood  seeped out of the edge of Shimmer's mouth as she lay motionless on the rocky ground near where the silverized Supergirl stood propped against the wall.

     " Blah, blah, blah... if you're going to have it out with someone, swing first and talk later.  Now, where's the busty ingot's playmate gone to?  I've got a score to settle with her and her boss Puppet Master for how they screwed with my head before and I intend to pound my anger right into both of them again and again."  the purple unitard clad Titania said with a sneer as she whipped her head around looking for her next opponent.  Spotting Shapeshifter pulling herself out from under broken concrete and bricks, Titania stomped towards the woman with her hands curling up into her tight fists.

        However, just as she got to the battered woman, Titania found herself being spun around and staring into the face of the last woman she expected to see at this moment - Shapeshifter!

        "What the hell..?"  Titania sputtered in disbelief.  Her mind refused to comprehend that the woman glaring at her from behind a black visor was the same one on the ground and she hesitated for just a second.

        "Well, I can get you started on your trip to Hades right now!"  Shapeshifter snapped while simultaneously picking up Titania by the front of her outfit.  Seconds later, the temporary calm was shattered by the force of a powerful blow as Titania was sent hurtling skyward from Shapeshifter's strike where she soared quickly out of sight.

    After watching Titania hit the ground far off from where she was, Shapeshifter turned her attention to the woman dusting herself who was glaring at her with eyes that had no visible pupils.

   "I hate to paraphrase a bad movie, but in the end...."  the visored villainess said as she stepped forward.

   " ....there can only be one...!"  her identical foe shouted before the two started to rain blows down each other with such force that the ground shook stronger than it did before.  People walking down along streets nearby wobbled noticeably and feared it was an earthquake or much worse as the rumbling went on and on....

    

       Elsewhere at that moment.....    

      "Something  pretty huge is going on down there.  I hope whoever or whatever it is doesn't come up this way... not when the plan is almost completed,"  Phil muttered as he peered through his binoculars.  "I wonder where Carl has gone to... he was out with those workmen supervising the clean-up of the back of the property before.  He's so irresponsible at times...."

      "Excuse me, Mr. Masters. Is there a particular area you wish me to clean in now?" a woman who Phil recognized as Carla, a new maid his son had hired, inquired of the elderly man.

      "Yes, Carla, make sure that the game room as well as all the artwork and other items on the ground floor are cleaned please. We are expecting quite a gathering here tomorrow and I want everything to look spotless for our guests at that time.  Is that understood?"  Phil told the maid, who nodded quickly before scurrying off to start her task.

      Watching the young twenty something servant dash off with her skirt fluttering up revealing her shapely ass and slender thighs, Phil thought to himself that he should try and find a way to knock about 30 years off his age so he could chase down all these hot young women that were everywhere these days.

      After an undetermined amount of time staring wistfully into the house's quiet interior, Phil was interrupted by the hurried approach of his son, who looked a little flustered and excited at the same time.

      "Dad, you've got to... pufff... see what..huh..is coming..phhh...  One of our problems looks to have been solved for good,"  Carl said as he held his hand to his chest in obvious exhaustion.  Nevertheless, a broad smile crossed his face as he gestured towards an outside window.

       Phil was about to ask why his son was so winded even with this supposed good news when he heard a loud WHOOSH!! outside the window question and several hurried steps towards the back door.

       Intrigued, Carl turned his head towards the back door in time to see the familiar figure of Shapeshifter open and stride through carrying two objects.  The two men could see the silver ingot that contained the still form of Supergirl under one arm and the other looked like one of those promotional cardboard stand-ups you would see in a department or video store.

       However, when Phil looked at the stand-up closely, he saw that the flat image on it was that of the busty Shapeshifter with a look of surprise visible on her face.  Her left hand was on her hip while her right hand was portrayed cupping her right breast with her legs splayed apart almost obscenely.

       Phil looked at his son with a puzzled look as to what was going on.  Carl walked over and patted Shapeshifter on the shoulder in appreciation.

       "Well done, my dear, well done indeed. Why don't you put the Supergirl brick in the basement safe and then put the cardboard stand-up in my room?  After that, get changed into something sexy and come to my room for the night," Carl said while openly fondling and squeezing the villainess' right tit.

       Carl's father was flabbergasted by his son's words and actions and fully expected to see him flying across the room and into something with deadly force.  However, to his shock, Shapeshifter just turned and nodded in agreement to Carl's wishes while showing no reaction to his sexual advances.  She then marched swiftly out of the room with not even a back glance leaving Phil looking at his son with a "What just happened?" expression on his face.

        "You see, Dad, when I realized Shapeshifter was the unstable individual that she is, I arranged for my labs to produce another clone that would be much stronger in combat but also much more subservient to my wishes and desires.  Once I received word that the clone was completed, I told the lab to instruct her to head to this area and seek out Supergirl as a target. When the real Shapeshifter showed up (as I asked her to), my new clone would subdue her and transform her into the stand-up you saw.  Once Shimmer gets back here, we'll set up the grand finale for everything just the way you want, ok?"  Carl said with an arrogant smile.

        Phil nodded slowly as he absorbed what his son just said.  "Well, it sounds like you've thought of everything.  Let's go check to see if the bleachers that were ordered have arrived yet,"  Phil said as he put his arm around his son's shoulders and they walked towards the back door and outside.

         "I have thought of everything... as you'll soon see, Mr. Perfect Dad... " Carl thought to himself as he went outside into the clear air of a mid-summer day....

         Back in the house.....    


         "...clean the whole ground floor including all these bizarre objects... sheesh... I'm only one woman..."  Carla muttered in a low voice in case anyone was in earshot. Feeling a little weary, she stopped working near a statue of what looked like two women engaged in lesbian intercourse and put her broom up against a nearby wall.  Pulling out a small flask she kept hidden in her uniform, Carla took a small swig of her favorite whiskey before going to put it away.

         CRASHHH!!!  The broom slipped down from the wall and struck the base of the statue with a loud thud.  Carla's eyes widened as she bent down and hurriedly scooped up her broom.  She looked around and saw a noticeable hole in the feet and base where the broom had struck the statue. Panicking, Carla shoved the pieces back in the hole as best she could looking around to see if anybody heard and was coming to investigate.

          "I don't know why the owner would want a hollow statue in the middle of his home; it cheapens it but..."  Carla said softly before scurrying off leaving the area quiet and devoid of people....

          Though that would soon change...

  Next: An End to All Plans...Big and Small....