Femforce - Perfect in Plastic

by Northern Chill

    Author's note :  This is the fourth part of a serial that pits the shapely members of Femforce against Cosmetica, a villainess unlike any they have encountered in the past.  There are scenes of violence, sexuality and foul language so if this bothers you, please move onto another story. 

  Otherwise, enjoy!

[Read this series from the beginning, or review the last chapter. Ed]



         Chapter 4 - Another confrontation.......


      There were a large amount of people gathered around the outside the warehouse that was supposed to be one of the staging areas for the big parade that day.  However, judging by the large number of police barricades that had been erected around the building and the refusal of the officers on the scene to give any details to the press, something had gone wrong inside and it may have involved one of the legendary crimefighting group Femforce.

      Inside the building, several members of the Femforce were examining the interior of the warehouse for clues to Cosmetica's whereabouts as well as their missing friends.  From the information given by eyewitnesses in the area as well as Garganta's silence when messaged repeatedly from the team's HQ, the Femforcers concluded that their giantess comrade and friend was the latest to fall victim to the machinations of Cosmetica.

      "I'm getting real tired of coming to these scenes after all the fighting has been done and find that psychotic bitch Cosmetica has kicked our butts once again,"  She-Cat snarled as she pounded on a nearby wooden crate in frustration.

      "Take it easy, Jessica.  We'll find the clues we need to track down Cosmetica and rescue our friends from her clutches,"  the green and white leotard clad Tara called out as she, in her own giantess state, searched the rafters as well as scanned the length of the warehouse for anything out of the ordinary.

      "Yeah, Jessica, I mean, I''m bummed out about Laura's disappearance but I figure we'll find her soon enough.  She always told me 'Patience before....ummmm....before anger' , I think,"  Synn murmured as she looked over the remnants of Garganta's bathing suit.

      A visibly angry She-Cat was only slightly mollified by her teammates comments and started to search herself for clues.  Suddenly, she stopped upon hearing a faint noise coming under the debris of several destroyed crates and other materials.  Calling over her fellow Femforcers, the heroine started clawing away the debris to get to what laid beneath.

      "Uhhhh...darn, did anybody get the name of that truck?"  Ms. Victory moaned as she finished pushing off the rest of the debris that She-Cat hadn't yet cleared away.

     "Joan, are you all right?  What happened here anyway?"  Tara asked as she resumed her normal size and rushed over to check on her friend's condition.

     "Well, what happened was Cosmetica showed up along with Laura, who she seems to have some sort of control over.  We scuffled briefly while Garganta seemed to have been immobilized by some sort of energy.  Next thing I knew, I got slammed into the wall by a punch from Cosmetica which knocked me unconscious.  The next thing I knew, Jessica was pulling all sorts of junk off me,"  Joan muttered in disgust as she rose to her feet.  Her legs wobbled slightly as she stood and there was an odd shine visible on her thighs as well as around her face and cleavage.  However, the Femforce members were too preoccupied by the situation to notice the odd look.

     "I hate to interrupt things, everyone, but shouldn't we get after Cosmetica sometime today?"  Jessica snarled before turning towards the entrance of the warehouse.

     "What's with Jessica?  She seems a little more on edge than usual even for her,"  Joan inquired of her fellow heroines as she slowly made over to where they were gathered.

     "Oh, she's not real comfortable with being indoors and just standing around.  Oh, I should tell you, a few of our auxiliary members have contacted our base and have told us they have a few leads they're checking into.  Miss Masque has found some info on the internet which pointed to an informer she talks with regularly.  Kitten is looking into a rumor that Cosmetica is trying to bring other criminals, super powered and ordinary thugs alike, into her circle.  Beyond that, we're going to look into our first substantial rumor of where Cosmetica has set up her base: a mansion on the edge of town.  We're not sure if the mansion is indeed her base or where she might have the people she has abducted.  We think a night time raid with just us Femforcers might give us the answers.  What do you think, Joan?"  Tara said to the heroine's leaders expecting Joan to ask for more details.

      To the surprise of her fellow heroines, Joan seemed disinterested in what she had been just told.  "Ok, that sounds good.  I've got some stuff I've got to take care of.  I'll meet up with everyone back at HQ later on,"  the heroine murmured before turning and leaving the warehouse in an urgent manner without giving her stunned comrades a chance to reply.

      "Whoah, things are just too weird around here,"  Synn murmured to no one in particular.

  
      Elsewhere.......  

     Cosmetica walked through her main living room and glanced up at the ceiling, where the inflated form of Garganta had been installed for her to admire and look at.  The villainess was about to head into the computer room when she suddenly stopped and clutched her right hand to her waist in obvious discomfort.

      Bending slightly over, Cosmetica pulled the straps of the leotard she was wearing off her shoulders and pulled the shiny material down to her waist to see what she knew would be there.  Sure enough, her stomach area was taking on a smooth plastic look as was part of her left breast.  The patches she had observed had spread and were more rigid than before indicating her condition was advancing.  She reckoned that the amount of time she had before she completely transformed into a soulless, inanimate hunk of plastic was only a matter of days or even hours.

      "This can't be..... this won't be..... if I have to test every damn woman I encounter, I'll find a cure for this...."  Cosmetica thought to herself as she pulled up her leotard back over her torso and headed out to the main entryway of her mansion.

      "Ummm... boss... could I talk to you for a second ?  It's about that ad you placed online for a person to work for you,"  Lipgloss said trying not to agitate her increasingly volatile employer.

      "Ah, yes, someone to take the place of your colleague Facial, who is now serving me well as a stress toy.  Do you have the applicants' names and resumes printed off for me?"  Cosmetica  said with a friendly smile that was unnerving in its sweetness.

      " Uhhhh.....yeah..just give me a minute or two and I'll go print a copy of them all.  Is there anything else I can get for you, Cosmetica ? "  Lipgloss asked while slightly relaxing mentally as she heard the calmness in Cosmetica's voice.

      "No, thanks for asking.  Just get me those responses and I'll be happy,"  the villainess said with a nod of appreciation.

      Five or so minutes later, Lipgloss returned with a brown folder that had several sheets of paper sticking out of it.  "Here you go, boss.  If you want, I can make a few suggestions as to the best candidates,"  the woman said stepping closer to Cosmetica.

      Cosmetica's serene look quickly faded as she glanced at the sheets handed to her to be quickly replaced by one of extreme rage.  "Suggestions?  SUGGESTIONS ?  I'M LOOKING AT DAYS OR EVEN HOURS AND YOU BRING ME PEOPLE WHO SAY THEY CAN GET HERE NEXT WEEK FOR AN INTERVIEW!  WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?  GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I DECIDE TO HAVE TWO STRESS TOYS TO TAKE MY FRUSTRATIONS OUT ON!!!!"  the villainess shouted at Lipgloss, who quickly retreated out of sight.

      Alone again, the villainess started to go through the sheets given to her and tossing the ones that displeased her on the floor.  After a minute or so, Cosmetica came across one piece of paper that she stared at for several moments.  As she did, the look of anger on the villainess' face quickly reverted back to one of happiness  as she walked over to a nearby coffee table and started dialing on the room's telephone.

       "Hello?  Is this Lindsay?  My name is Mandy and I'm calling in regards to the resume you sent the other day.  I was wondering if you could visit with me in person first thing tomorrow.  I'll send you the address and pay for your expenses if you can guarantee getting her no later than 10 am,"  Cosmetica said while jotting down a few notes on a nearby notepad.

       After another minute or two or discussing what she had in mind, Cosmetica hung up and headed out in a positively radiant mood.  She walked by Nightveil, standing in a typical mannequin pose awaiting her mistress' commands, without so much as a glance. If she had looked, Cosmetica might have noticed the sorceress' fingers on both her hands were starting to flex back and forth ... as if she was trying to cast a spell...


        Elsewhere..........  


        The streets were fairly quiet in the downtown area with only a few people walking up and down the sidewalks.  The commotion of the last few days had convinced many of the residents to avoid the area until the TV or other media indicated that Femforce had regained control of the situation.

        Although most of the store fronts were deserted of onlookers, there was one store which had one person looking in the window.  With a red cloak clutched around her head and body, anyone passing by would have thought the person was just another customer of the adult shop who was afraid to be seen by people she knew.  However, the truth was much more than that and was far more serious than nervous sex toy buyers.

        The cloaked figure was, in fact, Ms. Victory, the leader of Femforce and whose face was known worldwide.  However, her current physical appearance would have raised a few eyebrows as well as shocked many.  As the heroine pulled the cloak tighter around her (which was actually her cape), Joan struggled somewhat with the folds as her fingers seemed to melted together somewhat.  Even more bizarre, the solid mass they formed seemed to be artificial in nature as if they were made out of latex or rubber.

        "I don't remember much of what happened during that fight with Cosmetica or afterwards.... in fact, it's like I'm forgetting more about with each passing minute.... it seems like I'm forgetting who I am and focusing more on the dreams I've had where I'm a love doll once again...... oooooohhhh.... I would be a good doll.... I need to be held and give pleasure......"  Ms. Victory thought to herself as she pressed her face against the store window while looking at the displays inside.  As she did, her right hand slid upwards and cupped her right breast, which resulted in a soft moan of pleasure to issue forth from the heroine's lips.

        Seeing that there was only a few customers lurking inside the business, Ms. Victory quietly slipped inside and, being careful not to be seen by the staff or other people, slowly walked towards the storeroom.  As she moved, the blonde heroine failed to notice that her legs were spread wide apart in a V shape as she walked and they seemed perfectly natural to her in that position.

        Once she had slipped into the storage area, Joan quickly doffed the cloak she was wearing and threw it onto a nearby shelf.  When she did, the results of her previous encounter with Cosmetica became apparent to say the least.  Seams were visible on her arms and legs with a smooth, glossy look to her skin now evident.  The heroine's breasts had noticeably swelled and were poking out from behind the uniform she was wearing.  If anyone had seen her in her current state, they might well mistake her for one of the many love dolls available for sale in the store with one dressed like it was Ms. Victory.

        As it happened, Joan's reasons for entering the back room were somewhat similar to the buyers of dolls like she now resembled.   Grasping a pen from a nearby table with some difficulty, she quickly wrote out a shipping order with an address she didn't even know until just a few minutes ago.  Once that was done, she quietly attached part of the order to the outside of a large cardboard box that had styrofoam partitions inside it.  Judging by the clear plastic window visible on the box's front, it was a generic box for shipping love dolls that were of the more expensive variety and were not deflatable.

        "This looks to be a good place for me.... wait a second... why am I doing this?... this is wrong..... ooohhh... I'm a good dolly... NO!... I'm Joan Wayne, known to the world as... as... Victory Doll.... oooohhh..."  the heroine thought to itself even as she stood the box up against a nearby wall.  Checking one final time to make sure no one was on the verge of intruding on her in the next few minutes, Ms. Victory slowly settled her body into the styrofoam putting her arms and legs into the corresponding styrofoam molds being careful not to damage them.  As she did, she felt her body getting stiffer by the moment and knew it may be only a matter of minutes or even seconds before her transformation into an inanimate love doll yet again.

         "I hope I'm shipped to my new owner soon...... mmmmmmm........."  the heroine thought even as her mouth pulled into a perfect O and her breasts slightly inflated pushing out of her outfit.  Her eyes changed to painted features that stared straight ahead at the shelves that lined the storage area as Ms. Victory finished her change into a sex toy in silence.

         Five or ten minutes later, the door to the room swung open and a mid 30's man with thinning hairline and a waistline showing the results of too much beer and pizza on the weekends walked inside carrying a clipboard.  He started shuffling through the various cardboard boxes and other items piled on the shelves muttering softly to himself as he located the items he was looking for.

         "I gotta tell Hank to get his inventory organized better if he doesn't want me wandering around here for hours picking orders.  I don't know why he doesn't have it all inventoried on a computer....' don't trust something that can't work when the power goes out!'  he says...sheesh...."   the man muttered as he placed  the items selected into an empty box.  He was about to walk out of the room when he spotted the box containing Ms. Victory.

          Walking over to the box, the clerk gazed at the shipping info stuck on the front for a few seconds before shifting his attention upwards to gaze upon the lustful doll face staring back at him.  The dark haired man ran his right hand through his hair for a few seconds as a perplexed look appeared on his face.  His left hand absently scratched his groin as he tried to figure out what he was seeing.

         "Geez, I thought we didn't have any of those Victory dolls in stock.  The boss must have ordered this one special from a collector or something to fill an order.  Judging by the address listed on the slip, someone must have paid a pretty penny for this dolly.  Hmmm... if only I had that kind of money,"  the man said softly as he reached over and tapped the front of the box with his right forefinger.

         The sensations of the box being tapped on awoke the transformed Ms. Victory from the mental slumber she had drifted into.  "Ooooohhh..... I wonder if this is my new owner....."  the doll thought as its hollow body trembled in anticipation.

         However, the store worker was oblivious to the doll's thoughts and after a few more moments, he went to a nearby shelf and retrieved a roll of packing tape.  He then taped the box securely and after one final checking of the packing slip, the employee took out his cell phone and dialed the number for the shipping firm that the store employed for delivering out of town or expensive deliveries.

          "Well, I hope your new owner appreciates you, dolly.  Maybe in a week or two, when I get a chance, I'll give her a call and see if she might be willing to sell you privately to me.  I can hope, can't I?"  the man said softly as he gazed at the box one final time before heading back into the store.


          
         Elsewhere....later that night......


          The parking area outside Cosmetica's mansion, usually empty save for a rental car the villainess allowed her hired help to use for errands, was occupied by two other cars that arrived within minutes of each other.

          The first, a delivery van owned by Quick Parcel Pick-up, pulled up near the front door and out jumped a man in his late 20's.  He quickly moved around to the back of the van, opened the doors and pulled out a long cardboard box.  The delivery man, after closing the doors, hurried up to the mansion's front door and rang the doorbell.

           Two or three minutes later, the door swung open to reveal Cosmetica, with a bath robe wrapped around her, standing in the entranceway.  After jerkily writing her signature (well, the name she was going under) on the shipping form, she snatched the box from the delivery man and slammed the door in his face without a tip or a thank you.   Puzzled by the reception, the delivery man shrugged his shoulders slightly before going back to his vehicle.  As he drove off to his next delivery destination, his leaving monitored closely by the occupant of the second vehicle.  Once the delivery van had disappeared from sight, the waiting individual stepped out of the car and headed for the mansion's front door that was more a strut than a walk.

          Meanwhile, inside the mansion, Cosmetica had quickly whisked her package to the lab that she was working in to find a cure for her condition.  Cutting away the packing tape, the villainess was delighted to find a latex love doll that bore an uncanny resemblance to her recent foe Ms. Victory.  The sex toy was even dressed in a replica of the heroine's costume right down to the short blue skirt and matching boots.

          "Geez, when I put that order in with the local store, my intention was to taunt those Femforce bitches with a love doll dressed like Ms. Victory so they would realize what was happening to their team mate.  Of course, there's nothing they can do about it..... like me and my condition......"  Cosmetica exclaimed as she ran her hands over the doll's soft features.  She was unaware that the doll was the heroine in question but if she was, Cosmetica's mood would have been much better than it was.

          The villainess was about to set aside her newest plaything and resume her work on finding an elusive cure for her condition when she heard the chimes of the front doorbell for a second time.  Grumbling out loud about needing some sort of DO NOT DISTURB sign on her home, Cosmetica stormed over to the intercom button and jabbed a few buttons quickly.

          "Lipgloss!!  Get off your ass and answer the door NOW!!!!"  Cosmetica shouted into the speaker as loud as she could.  A few moments later, she smiled as she heard the rapid clicking of Lipgloss' boots as the hireling quickly moved to follow her instructions.

         After the doorbell rang once more, the house seemed to go silent for a few seconds though Cosmetica did hear the start of what seemed to be a conversation from where she just was.  Stepping out of her lab area, she was halfway to the door to see for herself who was visiting when the conversation ended abruptly.  The villainess stopped and waited for Lipgloss to walk her way and tell her about the visitor and what he or she wanted.  After a minute or two passed and with no sign of her underling, an increasingly annoyed Cosmetica resumed walking towards the front door with the idea of hiring two new aides surfaced in her mind.

         However, when Cosmetica got within a few feet of the doorway, she saw something that made her put aside thoughts of hiring temporarily.  She saw Lipgloss seemed to be stopped in mid motion with her arms in front of her body and her legs positioned as if she was about to take a step.

         When the villainess drew closer, she saw her initial observations were indeed true.  Every part of Lipgloss' body was frozen in motion and not even an eye blink or breathing could be detected.  Her right hand, curled slightly as if holding something, hung suspended in the air with her left hand slightly raised upwards as if to protect herself from an unseen weapon.  Lipgloss' ample sized chest seemed to be straining to break free from her pink and red costume with her lower abdomen looking like she had been surprised in the middle of taking a breath.   Her eyes were slightly widened in shock and/or horror as if she recognized what was happening to her at the last second.

          "What's going on with Lipgloss?  It's like she's in suspended animation.... stuck in...."  Cosmetica exclaimed in a truly bewildered voice before she was interrupted by a loud coughing noise that was coming from behind her.  The villainess turned around to see an auburn haired woman leaning against the staircase that led to the upper floor of the mansion.   The woman was dressed in a skin-tight dark blue and white spandex outfit that covered her from shoulders to toes.  Cosmetica saw what looked like small clock faces decorating the woman's outfit all over her body to just above the ankle-high shoes she was wearing.  In the mystery woman's right hand, she was holding what seemed to be an oversized hourglass.

           "Ahhhh..... you must be Cosmetica.  Allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Clock Queen, Mistress of Time, as it said on the resume I sent you earlier,"  the woman said with a sly wink.

           Cosmetica nodded as she recalled the name almost immediately.  Glancing back at the still figure of Lipgloss in the open doorway, she raised her right eyebrow slightly with a puzzled look flashing across her face.  "I gather this....'action' you took against my employee was a way of proving your power,"  the villainess said simply.

            "Well, in my past dealings with people that work in these type scenarios, more than a few people have been skeptical about my claims to affect the passage of time so I figure a demonstration of my talents right away would save the hassle of that little problem,"  Clock Queen said confidently as she glanced at the slowing falling sand in her hourglass.

            "Oooh..kay.... so I gather that your demonstration is set to end when the last of the sand drains in your hourglass, yes?"  Cosmetica asked, glancing at the confident woman to see how much she could learn of her abilities.

            "Heh.  No, this hourglass has nothing to do with the woman's immobility.  If you take a closer look at the front of her outfit, you'll find what looks like a miniature hourglass stuck to her just below her tits.  It should be glowing bright orange in color, which means she'll able to move in about... oh....55 minutes or so,"  Clock Queen cooed softly and somewhat smugly.

            Cocking her head slightly, Cosmetica made her way closer to the transfixed Lipgloss.  Bending over, she saw what Clock Queen had hinted at: a tiny glass hourglass that would go unnoticed if she wasn't specifically looking for it.  The villainess was about to reach over and touch the item when she was interrupted by Clock Queen's cough once again.

             "Whoah!   Don't do that!  If you touch that while it has been activated, you'll be frozen in time just like your busty friend is,"  Clock Queen called out urgently.

             Stopping her fingers within an inch or two of the object, Cosmetica stepped back and made her way back to the time stopping villainess.  "Well, you've managed to convince me.  Why don't we step into the living room and discuss my plans for the future?....... I think your abilities are going to be very helpful,"  the villainess said as she beckoned her guest to follow her out of the room.  As the two left, neither gave any further thought to Lipgloss and her static position in the doorway. 


             Elsewhere........  


             Jack slumped against the brick wall of the alleyway and wiped a tattered jacket sleeve across his dirt stained brow.  It had been almost a day since he had his last sip of bourbon and his hands were already starting to tremble from the shakes he got.  With no money and the cops actively discouraging begging on the streets in Jake's area, the homeless man figured his only options were to beat up one of the other bums that made the alleyway their home or rob the liquor store that was a few blocks.  As he checked the rusty knife he kept concealed under his coat for protection purposes, Jack mulled over his options unaware of the figure rapidly approaching him.....

            "Jack, Jack, I hope you're not planing to do anything that would be considered illegal.  You know me and my friends tend to frown on things like that,"  a female voice called out from behind the disheveled man.

            "Oh yeah, why don't ya stay the heck out of my business, bitch?"  Jack shouted as he whirled around and tried to shove his knife into the chick who was putting her nose where it didn't belong.  However, before he could complete the violent downswing and bury his knife in the woman's chest, Jack had his wrist clamped onto and the knife was wrenched out of it with a violent twist.  Moments later, he was flung through the air and crashed into a pile of crates piled against an alley wall.  Shaking his head, the bum looked upwards to see a woman dressed in a red outfit with bright yellow M's visible on her chest and hat.

           "Ya know, Jack, you really should be careful where you try and put these things like this,"  Miss Masque said as she snapped the knife in two before flinging it into a nearby dumpster.

           "Ummm.... uh.... sorry bout that, Masque.  A guy who makes his home in this neck of the woods has to be careful or he winds up on a concrete slab in da morgue,"  Jack muttered as he pulled himself slowly to his feet.

           "Right.... and sticking a blade in someone who gets near you is a day to day thing.  Look, I got word you might have some information on this Cosmetica woman.  What have you heard?"  the heroine asked Jack while crossing her arms in front of her in an expectant manner.

           "Well, what's in it for me?  I mean, I ain't no good samaritan and I gotta make a living somehow,"  Jack muttered as he wiped his mouth with his coat sleeve.  The man quickly received an answer to his question as he found himself grabbed roughly by the collar and thrown against the wall.

           "Listen, you little rat, a couple of people I know have disappeared after encountering that psychotic bitch.  Unless you want to tick me off, I suggest you tell me what you know NOW!!!"  Miss Masque exclaimed while leaning in closer to the man.

           "Ok, ok, ok, don't hurt me, please!  Look, all I know is that the word was out that this Cosmetica broad was looking to hire some people with super abilities quick.  I heard from one chick that Cosmetica plans to blow town after one or two more jobs and....."  Jack muttered quickly before trailing off at the end.

           "And WHAT?  Don't hold out on me, Jack, because I'm not in the mood to wait until you feel like telling me everything or ask for money,"  Miss Masque hissed in anger with her eyes becoming as fiery as the red color of her outfit.

           "No!  No, I'm not holding out anything... the chick said Cosmetica was gonna leave after she figured out how to fix a problem she had and take care of the Femforce once and for all,"  Jack said rapidly with his initial bravado fading quickly.

           "Hmmmm, a boast I think Cosmetica will never succeed in achieving.  One last thing, who's this woman that you heard all this stuff from and where does she live?"  Miss Masque asked as she released Jack from her grip.

            "I don't know the broad's name.   She goes to Tony's tavern a few blocks from here late at nights and buys drinks for anyone who is nice to her.  I got rid of a few guys who was hassling her one night and she bought me a few drinks.  Blonde, about 25-30, nice figure, dresses  a bit on the expensive side..... can I go now?"  Jack rasped as he tried to edge away from the heroine.

           "Oh, we're done now but you aren't going off to some alley to figure out how to get your next bottle of booze.  A friend of mine operates a nonprofit AA clinic on the other side of town and I'm sure he'll be more than willing to take you in and get your life straightened out.  You can either agree to that or I haul your butt into the nearest police station and have you arrested for attempted murder and anything else I can think up.  What's it going to be?"  Miss Masque asked with her eyes narrowing to give the impression what answer SHE wanted.

           "Uh....uh..... how long does that AA thing take?"  Jake muttered quickly in response.  The bum found himself grasped once again around the back of his shirt collar as Miss Masque quickly pushed him out of the alley and in the direction of the clinic.  As the two walked in silence, Miss Masque started to think over what she had heard and how she could use this against Cosmetica along with the other members of Femforce.  A plan began to form in her mind.........




             Later..........



          "I must admit, Cosmetica, that you have very nice tastes for somebody who clashes with authorities as often as you do.  Of course, the amount of money you've offered me helps in that opinion as well,"  Clock Queen said as she wandered around her host's living room before stopping to stare at a wooden grandfather clock that stood in one of the corners.

          "Heh.  Thanks but the credit for the house's layout has to go to the original owner.... whoever she formerly was,"  Cosmetica said trying to project a level of malevolence that she knew was a good attitude when meeting with criminals that had more experience than her.

          "Hmmm..... looks to be from 1830's to 1840's era.... handmade..... clock hands appear to have been replaced sometime in the last twenty or thirty years.  Very nice!   Very nice indeed!"  Clock Queen muttered softly as she ran her hands up and down the sides of the antique.

          Cosmetica tapped the ground impatiently with her right foot.  "Ummmm, I hate to interrupt you, darling, but if it's not too much trouble, COULD YOU GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE NOW?!!!!!!"  she called out with a voice that rose tenfold in decibels at the end.

      "What?......oh, sorry about that.  I tend to obsess over items that are timeless like this.  Shall we start the clock on my working for you?"  Clock Queen replied as she turned and walked over to where an increasingly irritated Cosmetica stood.

      "Fine, fine...oh, and please tone down the time references.  You're starting to sound like an insipid idiot from a 60's TV show,"  Cosmetica snapped with her patience clearly running thin.

       "Ooops, sorry....I tend to do that at times.  Well, tell me what your plans are and how I'm going to be able to assist you in achieving your goals,"  Clock Queen said apologetically as she took a seat opposite her new boss.

      Mollified somewhat by Clock Queen's apology, Cosmetica spent the next thirty minutes or so going over her plans and which member of the group of heroines known as Femforce she was targeting next.  To her great relief, she found that Clock Queen was a keen listener and asked sensible questions after Cosmetica had finished outlining her plan.  In contrast, Lipgloss and Facial seemed to have very limited attention spans and Cosmetica found herself repeating key elements over and over.

      "Hmmm, I see that it's close to the... ahem.... 'time' for our departure.  Is there any other questions before we leave?"  Cosmetica said as she turned and went over to her computer to turn it off.

      "Actually, I have no questions at all...just THIS!!!"  Clock Queen exclaimed as she whirled and pointed the oversized hourglass she was carrying in Cosmetica's direction.  No more than a second later, a tiny projectile shot out of a concealed compartment in the timepiece's top and flew in the direction of its intended target.

      "OOHHHH!!!......"  Cosmetica gasped upon being struck by the tiny projectile.  Currently bent over her computer desk, she went to straighten up to see what had hit her but succeeded only partially.  Her arms, which were both bent slightly at the elbow, seemed to freeze in mid air with their lack of motion matching the rest of her immobile body.  Her eyes were opened extremely wide with shock and surprise and her mouth slightly pursed as if she was about to shout her anger.  If she could see the reflection of herself in the computer monitor, Cosmetica might see her current pose as being one very similar to the immobilized Lipgloss.

      "You know, Cosmetica, you must be relatively new at this villain business.  Heh.... or incredibly naive when it comes to hiring people to work for you.  If you had checked around with a few others in our line of work, you might have found out that when you go to bring people into an organization, a detailed background check is in order.  In my case, you might have found out that I tend to be a bit unpredictable in my actions during battle and such.  In fact, Valkyra offered a fairly large bounty on my head for anyone who could collect it, though that won't be happening anytime soon,"

      "In case you're wondering, there's a small time stopper attached to your leg that is responsible for your current immobility.  However, this one is a little different than the one currently planted in your lackey at the front door.  You see, in your case, the one on you doesn't stop time completely but slows it down considerably.  You'll blink your eyes every few minutes and maybe move your arm or leg an inch in an hour but nothing that resembles the normal activity you're used to.  The reason I've done this is with my time stopping devices set to full stop, they deactivate due to burning out of key circuits after only two or three hours at most.  For you, though, the slightly lower setting means that you'll kept like this for many more hours than that.  This will allow me to go out and undertake your plan for robbing the place you showed me.  Of course, I might not try and look to take on the Femforce bimbos like you were planning to do.  Tell you what, though, I'll see if I can pick up something that might take a few pounds off that figure of yours.  If you plan on fighting the spandex set regularly, you have to something resembling a typical, well, hourglass figure,"  Clock Queen uttered with a broad smirk crossing her face upon saying her last few irony filled words.

      With that, the time obsessed villainess turned and left the room leaving Cosmetica, surrounded by a faint white glow thanks to the tiny hourglass attached to a bare spot on her back, alone to contemplate her situation in a very, very, very slow manner.  Clock Queen made her way back to the front of the mansion and saw Lipgloss' immobile body was still in the doorway just as she was before Clock Queen had followed Cosmetica out of the area.

       Clock Queen glanced at the oversized watch on her wrist and nodded to herself.  "10 minutes, 35 seconds until this bimbo returns to her normal clock speed.  I think I'll wait for that and see how agreeable she is,"  she muttered softly to herself.

       Roughly ten and a half minutes later, Lipgloss suddenly shifted out of her rigid pose.  "......if you want to work for Cosmetica.  Huh?  What's going on?  How did you get behind me?"  the woman sputtered as she whirled around to confront the bemused villainess.

       "Look, I haven't got the time to answer question after question.  My name is Clock Queen and I'll be running things around here while your boss is incapacitated.  If you wish to continue working for your new boss, namely me, I can assure you that you'll be compensated financially at a level equal to or better than what Cosmetica was paying you.  However, if you might have a problem with this new arrangement, let me tell you that you've spent the last sixty minutes out of sync with everybody else ('frozen in time' if you want to use cliched  phrases) much like Cosmetica is right now.  I suggest you make your choice right now!" the villainess snarled while turning her hourglass in Lipgloss' direction in a threatening manner.

       Lipgloss blinked several times rapidly as she tried to absorb what she had just heard.  Walking to her right, she peeked around the corner into Cosmetica's computer room and saw her boss was bent over in such a way that even if the tiny hourglass on her back couldn't be seen, it was obvious that something was very amiss.  With no real powers of her own other than above average athleticism, Lipgloss knew she only had one real choice to take......

      "I guess my response is.... where do we go first, boss?"  Lipgloss replied which resulted in a loud boisterous laugh emanating from Clock Queen.  With that, the two departed the mansion and left in Clock Queen's car with the time worshipping crook explaining to her new employee the plan she had in mind.  Once the car had disappeared from the house's vicinity, everything was quiet with Cosmetica frozen in time and the mannequin that Nightveil was standing by itself in the atrium.....

       Although the left foot of Nightveil was starting to move...... ever so slightly....


            Several hours later.......  


        The street lights started to flicker on as a fairly quiet night descended over the business district of the city.  Given the recent incidents involving super powered women clashing with members of the famed Femforce that resulted in heavy property damage to the buildings where the battles took place, many of the business owners opted to increased their security forces by as much as ten times the regular amount.

         However, in the case of DJ & S Diamond Merchants, the guards working the night shift were the same as any other night of operations.  In fact, the only thing out of the ordinary for the force working on that particular evening was the majority of the security personnel were women.

         "This sucks!!  A nice warm night like this and we get stuck in here with nothing but metal boxes and lots of locked offices.  I should have taken up the fellows and agreed to go the bachelor party they're holding for Brian," a red-haired woman muttered while taking a sip on a styrofoam cup of coffee.

         "Uhhh, Diane, I think you should remember that the guys were looking to bring women to the bash to act as strippers or something along those lines.  Considering the fact that we're all getting paid overtime for working the extra shift tonight, I think we're doing quite well being here tonight,"  the woman's fellow security guard muttered as she poured herself another cup of coffee and plucked another glazed cup of coffee out of a nearby box of donuts.

         "Yeah, I suppose you're right, Connie.  Besides, if we have any serious problems, we can always call on good old Ernie working at the main desk,"  Diane replied while resulted in great laughter from both women.  Ernie was an older guard who was six months shy of mandatory retirement and acted like it more and more everyday.  On these late night shifts, he was prone to doze off in the middle of the night but everybody pretended not to notice.

         "I guess it's about time to start off on the hourly rounds.  I wonder where Colleen and Maureen are.....,"  Connie started to say before falling silent upon seeing Clock Queen and Lipgloss standing before them.

         "Sorry, ladies, but your friends are taking a short time out,"  Clock Queen said with evil glee.

         Twin miniature hourglasses emanating from the time-using villainess' weapon flew across the room......

         And for Connie and Diane, their shift was about to stop abruptly.... stop for some time, it seemed.....


          To be continued...... with some Time and Changes


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