A Greater Power

CHAPTER ONE: FEEL THE POWER


SUPERMAN curved through the air his face etched with determination.
His mind replayed the scenes he'd seen repeatedly on the TV news over the past few days.
No-one had any idea who the woman was or where she'd come from - yet all the reports were the same.
The tall Amazonian goddess dressed in a silver, tight-fitting costume was methodically raiding jewellery stores across the city crushing anyone who got in her way.
Twelve security gaurds had been beaten to a pulp as they tried to stop her and witnesses told the same story of a cold, taunting face as she went about her work.
He knew the alarm from the Bond depot - the biggest diamond depository in town - could mean only one thing. Whoever it was had struck again.
His eyes blazed as he landed in front of the building with the sound of police sirens screaming from adjoining streets. The door of the building had been wrenched open and lay flapping on its hinges.
He walked confidently inside and down the corridor through two mangled security gates before reaching the main repository.
There before him was the woman calmly loading boxes of diamonds into a metal briefcase. She was humming quietly to herself with an air of supreme confidence.
Superman watched her for a few seconds and then announced his presence.
"I think you'd better put those down Miss," he said. "They don't belong to you."
The woman continued with her task without even looking up.
"Ah Superman," she said calmly. "I was wondering when you'd show up."
She placed a final package into the case and then snapped it shut before turning to face him.
"Now if you'd just stand aside please," she smiled. "I must go."
The Man Of Steel raised his arms to stop her as she walked leisurely towards him grinning with an almost arrogant confidence.
She was less than two feet away when he reached out to grab her arm and then yelped in surprise as she gripped his wrist with amazing force and twisted it round throwing him to the floor on his back.
He looked up to see her shapely form sauntering away through the door - thigh-high boots clinging to her legs and her behind swaying back and forth beneath the body-hugging costume.
"Not so fast," he shouted leaping up and moving to wrap his arms round her torso.
"Ohhhhh dear," sighed the woman as she felt him upon her. "How pathetic."
Suddenly her elbow shot back and connected with his midriff. Superman grunted with pain as it sank into his muscle.
His arms sank momentarily to his side just as the woman turned and threw her fist into his stomach.
He doubled over almost retching and was met with a knee into his balls. The force of the blow seemed to make the room shake and Superman's hands scrabbled wildly in the air before he slowly sank to the ground all the colour drained from his face.
"Were you saying something Superman?" she sneered looking down at him.
The Superhero's mouth opened but only a thin, wheezing sound came out.
The woman smiled and patted him contemptuously on the top of his head before turning to leave.
"When the police arrive, do tell them Zeta called," she said.