Crimes of Passion
Disclaimer: All familiar characters belong to DC or Marvel. I own Farrah/Persiana, Lance/Diablos, and Bast.
Chapter 36: Change is Afoot
After much debate, Superman and the other founding members of the Justice League invited Thor and Bast into the main conference room. The goddess of felines was still relishing her recent romantic interlude with Wonder Man. She smiled and graced the blade of her scimitar,
"Wonderful."
Thor asked,
"And what was so wonderful, fair maiden?"
Bast purred,
"I just had the most irresistible man invite me into bed. He had so much in common with Diablos, I almost shouted his name."
Diana asked,
"Why are acting like this?"
Bast looked at the Amazon warrior,
"Cuz I'm a cat, sweetie. I do what I want, when I want, how I want. It all depends on the mood."
Superman cleared his throat, changing the subject,
"Thor, we understand your secret identity is a doctor."
Thor nodded,
"Aye. Dr. Donald Blake."
John commented,
"It would be nice to have another doctor on board. We already have Mid-nite and Jannissary."
Flash shrugged,
"I thought she hadn't decided."
Hawkgirl rolled her eyes,
"Where were you when we sponsored her?"
The Scarlet Speedster scratched his head,
"Maybe I was in the bathroom or fighting Grodd or something."
Shayera raised her hands in frustration,
"You were hitting on her!"
Diana looked at Thor,
"Persiana told us a lot about you, Thor. From the way you look, you are a strong warrior."
Thor nodded,
"Aye. Along with Iron Man, Captain America, Wasp, and Yellow Jacket, we founded the Avengers."
Superman looked at everyone,
"Well?"
Batman glared silently. Although he was not comfortable having two very powerful members join up, he could not deny they had potential.
Since there were no objections, Superman declared,
"Congratulations, you two are in."
Suddenly, Bast touched her head. She nearly collapsed,
"Something is wrong."
Thor came to her,
"What is it?"
Bast looked up,
"I don't know. Something is wrong, though. I sense a great evil."
The god of thunder helped her up,
"Let us get some air."
The scimitar user nodded and walked away. J'onn said,
"I did not sense anything."
Batman shook his head,
"I'm going to look into it."
Meanwhile…
Persiana was dressed in black costume, similar to her red one, except everything was black, including her image inducer. Her eyes were closed as she appeared to be sleepwalking on a ledge. She stood on the edge and her eyes opened. Persiana looked down and was frightened. She jumped back, but found herself jumping further than ever. Using her instincts, she twisted and somersaulted her body until it landed on the other side of the building ledge. She had landed on two feet instead of like a cat. Farrah looked up and was breathing heavily. She said out loud,
"Did I do that? That's got to be a hundred feet!"
She felt looser, more willowy than before. It was as if her body had become almost liquid in motion. Farrah was always limber, but this felt like her body was unbreakable. She looked down at her costume,
It's black. But, I don't remember changing. Hell, I don't remember even designing this.
As the lioness looked around, she noticed it was night. Her green eyes were glowing, kicking in some sort of natural night vision. Persiana looked down and saw she was at least a hundred feet on the roof. Her senses picked up a clothing store on the building across the street. Persiana shook her head,
There's no way to make that…
Something in her mind said she could, so Persiana got a running start. Soon, she found herself sailing across the street, landing on all fours like a cat on the building across the street.
Farrah was stunned she was able to move so fast, and so far. She stood up and calmed herself,
Wow, I knew I was strong, but this new outfit. I feel…better…more capable than I ever imagined. I'm a goddess.
Farrah reared her claws and smiled at what she saw,
Oh, yeah. I can get used to this.
She jumped down and looked at her reflection. She tilted her head slightly and purred at her appearance. Farrah noticed how tight the costume fit her, like a glove. She smiled,
You must be the ooze Grodd threw at me. It's some sort of…symbiote.
She shook her head,
No, it can't be. It's just my imagination. Still…this new look suits me. I think I'll keep it.
Just then, her heightened hearing picked up a silent alarm. Jumping into the shadows, she darted from each shade to her destination.
Three masked men were robbing a small bakery that had closed for the night. One of them said,
"Tommy, grab the cash from the register. Harry, the safe's in the back."
This particular goon then went over to the back of the counter and pulled out a large cookie. He took a bite.
"Nibble, nibble, like a mouse…"
Two of the three goons looked up and saw Persiana, in her black costume, striking a seductive pose against the door frame. She continued,
"Who's nibbling in my house?"
She did a flip and playfully placed her hands under her chin, staring at the first robber playfully. The were-lioness smiled,
"Now, what are you three young, scrapping looking men doing here?"
The first robber, the one munching on the cookie, was staring agape at the lioness. The second was feeling a bit awkward, wondering why Persiana had not pounced yet.
The lioness took a bite out of the cookie and swallowed it, grinning,
"I'm waiting for an answer."
The robber at the cash register silently moved away, picking up a baseball bat he had found. He slowly made his way behind her and took a swing.
Just then, Farrah's foot shot out and caught the bat. She remarked,
"Nice try, but I saw you coming."
She flipped in the air and slammed her free foot into the goon's face.
She then turned back to the first goon, not knowing or caring that the one she just beat was unconscious. She traced a finger on his face, seductively remarking,
"Now, you know what you're doing is wrong. Trying to steal the money and sweets."
She got closer,
"But, between you and me, I can be a bad girl too. Wanna see?"
The first goon nodded eagerly. Persiana leapt over the counter and brushed up against him,
"Close your eyes, and I'll give you a big surprise."
The goon did so, and could feel her hand traced down near his pants.
Suddenly, he shrieked and fell over in agony. He looked down and saw his pants bleeding profusely, his manhood shredded. The goon screamed,
"Crazy bitch! You're insane!"
The third goon emerged from the door way,
"Guys, keep it down-."
He then noticed Persiana, staring menacingly at him. He swallowed nervously and bolted out the back. The lioness grinned,
"Oh, look. A fleeing mouse. This'll be fun."
With that, she bolted after him.
The third robber did not get far when he was backed into a corner. He turned and was face to face with Persiana. The goon pleaded,
"Please, don't kill me."
The white-haired feline heroine placed a hand on the brick wall behind him, smiling,
"What makes you think I want to kill you? I mean, it's not fun, or entertaining. I'd much rather torment you."
In the next few moments, there were blood-curdling screams from the alley.
Persiana sat on the roof, having finally finished a demonstration of this new costume. She smiled,
"You know, I think I'll keep you."
Persiana smiled to herself,
I can't wait to see what I can do next with this thing.
Next Chapter:
Introducing the New Persiana!