Part Eleven

The boss is right; we really need to get some sort of air transport for our office, thought Vic, as she drove her wagon - code three the whole way - to the subject mall. Her boss had called the police dispatcher to let them know Vic was on the way. At least this time the drive was in daylight. Though this also meant much more traffic.

The police bands were not very informative. Those actually engaging Dare were too busy to do much talking. The rest could only say they were on the way or urgently occupied elsewhere. Paramedics were already on scene, and were talking about the wounded and what care they needed. The dead they didn't mention.

According to the initial reports and the scarce updates Vic gleaned from the radio, mall security and a few cops had already tried to stop Dare, and failed. Disastrously. In some cases terminally. Far more police were on the way, including two SWAT teams. Vic had little hope they'd settle the matter before she got there. Dare was a small, fast target, and if she had overcome her previous fear of getting shot, and if she actually was bulletproof...

Like most cities, Detroit had traffic lights which could detect approaching emergency vehicles and change to accommodate them. This included Vic's Corolla, through an arrangement with the city's emergency services. With that, and the dispatcher actually vectoring a couple of squad cars to run interference, she reached the mall in record time.

Vic waved her thanks to the drivers of her escort, as she hurriedly parked outside a service entrance and ran into the mall through a door labelled STAFF ONLY. The officers were following, but falling behind. Vic adjusted the radio in her new helmet to pick up the appropriate police bands, but kept the volume low. Vic had never been in this mall before, and wasn't sure where she was in relation to the trouble. She slowed as she approached the doors into the public part of the mall. As it turned out, she was in a service corridor which let out beside the Men's restroom off the food court. According to the pedestal map at the entrance there, she still had a ways to go to reach the main atrium, where the reports said the confrontation was taking place.

Vic was disturbed to see that there were still many civilians in the mall. The gawkers she could understand, especially those using their phones to record things. What completely baffled her were the customers in stores who seemed completely oblivious to the emergency, despite frantic workers trying to get them to leave. Gunshots and other sounds of violence were clearly audible, but those customers seemed determined to complete their business, even becoming angry when the staff tried to hurry them.

As Vic moved closer to the confrontation she could also hear shouting, and... a woman's laughter?! Oh, that was not good. Vic altered course and headed for the stairs. Despite her unfamiliarity with the layout her brief glance of the map gave her an idea of what was where, and important things were labeled. Vic charged up the stairs, past several people on their way down and presumably out, through the doors onto the balcony (dodging a couple of idiot bystanders in the way) jumped onto the safely railing and then out into space.

Vic already knew Dare was tough and had decided to go all out with her. She had a good idea of the rogue's location from what she was hearing. The bizarrely-dressed woman had paused for a moment - hanging by one hand from a piece of abstract art suspended from the ceiling - to jeer at the impotent ants below her. Vic's approach was almost completely silent and should have been completely unexpected. However, right before impact Dare turned and stared at her.

What saved Vic's attack was that Dare was still very clumsy with her powers. She raised her right hand in a crude and ineffective attempt to block the martial artist. That was just enough to throw off Vic's aim. Instead of a side kick to her throat - which would likely have ended the fight and maybe Dare's life - her foot struck Dare on the left side of her collarbone. Vic could hear and feel the bone snap. Dare continued her movement, trying to grab Vic, the pain not yet registering. However, the kick shoved the two apart. Vic dropped to the faux marble floor, rolling to help soak up the impact. Dare lost her grip and fell, hitting hard, jarring her broken bone. Now she felt the pain.

Dare screamed once; the sound shattering windows and a few other items and temporarily deafening everyone in the atrium not wearing hearing protection. Then she passed out. However, when Vic hurried to the woman...

"What the Hell..."

The woman on the floor where Dare had fallen was older, with a different build and different hair and fewer tattoos. The outfit, while still some sort of fetish wear, was also different. She appeared to be unconscious. As well as having a broken collarbone.

"Hey," said one of the officers who had cautiously walked up to join Vic. "That's not her."

"Now, hold on," said another officer. "Don't some powers come with a physical transformation?"

"Oh, yeah..." said Vic, wincing as she recalled her own, permanent change. Then she frowned. "This... it seems different from that. She still has a broken collar bone and still needs medical aid, though. Oh, and do you have a neutralizer?"

"Nope," said another - and older - officer. "After the lawsuit a few years ago - before you came to Detroit - it takes a court order."

"I know that, actually," said Vic, nodding. "Given how dangerous Dare is, doesn't the department already have a court order against her? I know I heard something about that."

As it turned out, there was a neutralizer on the way with each of the SWAT teams. The first of which arrived in short order. Vic stepped well back as the beam was turned on the fallen woman. Paramedics were already at work on her.

Vic didn't have a counter unit with her, but her armor was supposedly shielded against the neutralizer's effect. She didn't feel like testing that shielding just now.

* * *

The bureaucratic requirements Vic needed to fulfill before she could leave the mall took far longer than the fight had. Worse, this was just the beginning. She could look forward to a long session with her boss, and another with the police officers' superiors, likely at their headquarters with Chief Sovereign in attendance. As she finally exited the mall Vic sighed, but also smiled. Whatever the truth behind Dare's abilities, however long it would take to finish the required reports - written and verbal - this was a major step in solving yet another major problem. She had decided on this path in her life in large part because she liked solving problems.

There was a sound of distressed metal from above her. Vic reflexively leapt away, going into a diving left shoulder roll and popping to her feet, facing in the direction of the sound, a tonfa now in each hand. A large airconditioning unit from the roof crashed onto the pavement where she had just been walking.

That had to have come from the building's roof, but Vic couldn't see anyone. She quickly backed further away from the building, deeper into the employees' parking lot. Trying to get a view of what - and who - was on the roof.

Another industrial heat exchanger box came sailing into view, on a high arc. It was headed for Vic, but clipped a light post, causing a shower of electrical sparks. This diverted it a bit; Vic didn't need to dodge much. However, she now had a good idea of at least the general area of roof which was the source of the attacks. Vic ran for the building, intending to climb a drain pipe to the roof, stowing the tonfa as she moved.

She was about halfway up when Dare came leaping from above, a ways along from where Vic was. She glanced at the parking lot, then grabbed the vertical support for a parking lot light and used that to swing around and change course for the door. Still well off the ground, she put her fists out to burst through it. She had just noticed Vic above her on the wall when the martial artist jumped off. She landed on the back of the distracted Dare. Again, the criminal super's inexperience aided Vic. Most supers as physically enhanced as Dare seemed to be would have rolled to try and dump Vic off, or even turned to ram back-first into the wall. Dare reached clumsily around to try and grab Vic.

Just before impact Vic bailed, tucked and slapped, hitting the wall on one side of the door in a controlled manner. This allowed her to divert Dare into the wall on the other side the door. Dare hit head-first. They both dropped to the pavement, Vic on her feet. Dare was face-down, and obviously dazed.

Tonfa again in her hands, Vic hammered at the rogue super as she tried to push herself up from where she lay. The martial artist focused her ki through the weapons, also applying the Purple Art. Vic was determined; this woman was going down!

After several seconds of frantic activity, Dare suddenly collapsed. Vic immediately stood and backed away. This time she saw the change.

There was no dramatic glow, or even a shimmer. The form simply was suddenly different. What seemed to be a girl in her late teens now lay face-down on the pavement. Her outfit was a bit risqué, but not nearly as much as it had been just moments before. Her only tattoo appeared to be a tramp stamp - stylized lips with fangs, one with a drop of blood - in the small of her back.

"Now I'm getting worried," Vic muttered.

* * *

"That is making me very worried," said Drake, after Vic finished her report.

"The paramedics said her injuries were extensive, but mostly superficial. Haven't heard from the hospital, yet."

"There are unconfirmed accounts of supers who are able to, well, possess others. Until now I thought they were just myths."

"Me, too," said Vic. "I've got calls in to people who might know about this."

"I will forward this directly to Doro," said Drake. "Hopefully, the Bureau has someone who can give us a clue as to what to do next."

"The problem is," said Vic, slowly, "while we should assume both these women are innocent, they might not be."

"Maybe we can get a Bureau telepath in to check," said Drake.

* * *

"So you're saying there were two Dares," said Chief Sovereign, glaring at the two feds from his seat at the head of the meeting room table.

"No," said Vic, who was in civilian garb for this meeting, "there's probably just one, who can... project her power into others."

"So... Which one do we arrest?"

"Neither, since both may be innocent victims."

"We have to arrest one of them!"

"Why?" said Vic, honestly confused. "Just wait until we straighten..."

"We've already told the press we caught her! We have to charge someone!"

"I don't know anything about that," said Vic, honestly. "My suggestion is - and I've already made this recommendation to Captain Miller - that the police investigate any connection between the two women. If they do have something significant in common, that could lead us to Dare."

"We already have Dare!" yelled the Chief. "Stop trying to confuse the issue!"

"She's not confusing the issue," said Drake. "The issue is confused. Time is required to straighten it out."

"Well, you, young lady, are off the case. Either you're deliberately trying to ruin our success, or you're admitting that you assaulted two innocent women, seriously injuring each!"

"I... What?!"

"That's absurd," snapped Drake. "Both options are divorced from reality, as verified by mall security videos and witness accounts. Vic responded in each case appropriately to the situation. Stop trying to blame her for something which happened before she even arrived on the scene!"

The meeting might have deteriorated into a shouting match, except that Drake now announced he and Vic were finished and started gathering his items. Vic was caught a bit by surprise, but smoothly rose when he did and followed him out.

"Wow," said Vic, once the two of them were alone in Drake's government-issue car.

"I'm a bit surprised at his reaction," said Drake. He looked at Vic. "I'm starting to be more and more certain those swords are still in Detroit."

"Even if they are," said Vic, as her boss put his car into motion, "how do we find them? Were you able to get the main office to agree to send a magic expert?"

"Not yet," said Drake, appearing uncomfortable.

Vic decided to put the matter aside for now.

* * *

"Wait," said Michelle. "You mean Dare is a franchise, too?!"

"Not... exactly," said Vic, as she sank onto the couch with a tired sigh. "More like she's a serial squatter in other peoples' bodies."

"'Serial squatter...' That would be funny if there weren't people getting hurt and even killed because of Dare. Now she's 'borrowing' other folks' bodies, too."

"We're still not sure exactly what she doing," said Vic, shrugging. "The 'borrowing' might be consensual. Or it could be some sort of hive mind type of thing, or a gestalt, where all the members can call on Dare's powers, but have their own minds and memories. Which would clear up the mystery of why she sometimes knew who I was and sometimes didn't."

"I'd be a lot more comfortable if they all didn't remember you," said Michelle. "Especially after you beat two of them senseless."