by DopplegangerX
Becca cursed under her breath as she eased her car around the winding country road in the downpour. A friend had recommended this "short cut" to her, and the notion of avoiding the traffic on the interstate had appealed to her at the time. Now, however, she was stuck on a road that almost seemed to have disappeared into a mud pit, the area was in pitch darkness, and she had no idea how close or far she was to her destination. She vowed to never take another shortcut as long as she lived. Just as she thought this, she heard a load pop and a wet slapping sound in the mud. The car began to pull to the right, and Becca groaned as she realized that she had a flat tire.
The sexy blonde eased the car off the road as far as she could, and peered through the driving rain. Off to the side, perhaps a hundred yards ahead of her, she could make out a small farmhouse with lights burning in the window. Becca had no desire to stand in the pouring rain changing a tire, so she decided to run for the farmhouse. Maybe she could call Triple A or a tow truck or someone to help her out. She snatched a newspaper off the seat beside her, and held it over her head as she opened the door and ran for the house.
By the time she reached the front door and stood on the stoop under the small overhang, Becca was soaked to the skin, and her makeshift newspaper umbrella had all but disintegrated into a soggy pulp. She knocked on the door and waited for what seemed like ten minutes before the door was opened by an elderly woman who was leaning on a gnarled wooden cane.
"It's about time you got here," the old woman said as she threw the door open wide. "Come in out of the rain before you catch your death!"
Confused by this welcome, Becca followed the woman into a small, cozy kitchen with an old fashioned look to it. "I'm sorry," she said. "I think you have me confused with someone else. My name's Becca and I'm only here..."
"I KNOW why you're here," the old woman said matter-of-factly. "Probably better than you do! What, you think just because old Minerva's got gray hair, she's got Alzheimer's or something?"
"Well, no..." Becca began defensively.
"Good," Minerva said, cutting her off. Becca was beginning to wonder if she would ever finish a sentence with this strange old lady. Minerva started to head into the living room. "We can talk in front of the fire. You make yourself a cup of tea to warm yourself up." She waved at the stove, which had a teakettle on it, and a mug and tea nearby.
Becca sighed. She really didn't need this kind of aggravation tonight. Then again, Minerva seemed harmless enough, and Becca had to admit that a cup of hot tea to get rid of the wet chill would feel good. She made herself some tea and carried it into the living room, sitting in a large armchair on the opposite side of the fireplace from Minerva.
"Look, miss," Becca began again. "I really think that you're making a mistake. I'm not supposed to be here..."
Minerva, who had been sipping her tea, cut her off. "When you've lived as long as I have, missy, assuming that you DO live that long, you'll realize that EVERYTHING is EXACTLY where it's supposed to be!"
"But, really," Becca insisted, desperate to make this old woman understand, "I just had a flat tire!"
"Flat tire, huh? I was wondering what it was going to be. For me, it was a wrong turn late at night. The gal before me, had her horse throw a shoe while she was out riding."
Despite her frustration, Becca was intrigued by what the woman was saying. Something in her made her want to hear more. "I'm not sure I understand," she said. "What gal before you? What was a wrong turn for you?"
Minerva sipped her tea again and smiled. "You're starting to ask questions. That's good. It will save us some time, and it means that you've got a brain! That will serve you well. Now, why don't you drink your tea before it gets cold, and listen to what I have to tell you?"
Becca wasn't too happy with the situation, but a loud clap of thunder reminded her what her alternative was. As odd as Minerva was, she seemed harmless. The fire was warm and the tea felt wonderful going down, so Becca took another sip and settled more deeply into the comfortable chair, listening to the old woman.
"Back when this country was just forming, there was a powerful shaman who wanted to create balance and good in the world. So, he put all of his energy into weaving a magic fabric. The fabric would protect the one who wore it, and give them great power to do good. It would make a warrior invincible, but no warrior would ever wear it."
"Why not?" Becca asked.
"Because," Minerva countered, "like I told you... he wanted to create balance. He was an Indian man. So he had woven the fabric such that it could only be worn by a white woman. That way, no energy would dominate. Then, all he had to do was find someone to wear it."
"That must have been hard," Becca said.
"Not as much as you would think. See, he KNEW who would wear it, and had woven more magic into the fabric. The magic would draw the right woman to where she needed to be, just as you were drawn here tonight!"
Becca couldn't hide her skepticism or disdain. "So some Indian blanket has been waiting for me for almost 200 years?"
"No! Don't be daft, girl! I told you there were others. The magic of the fabric doesn't wear out. When it is time for a new wearer to be chosen, she is. Then she is drawn to the fabric. It was about 60 years ago that I was driving along and made a wrong turn and... Don't look at me like that! Don't you think I had the same doubts when I heard this story?"
"So what changed your mind?" Becca asked.
"Seeing the fabric. Touching it. Feeling it's power in my body! The fabric was originally woven into a blanket of sorts, that the first wearer wrapped around herself. Over the years, however, it's been cut, shaped and sown into clothes that changed to keep up with the times. I just had to put that outfit on, and when I did... Well, lets just say that it was a feeling I'd never felt before. Strong, powerful, able to do things that nobody's ever done before!"
"Look, this is all very interesting," Becca said, "but I just need to use your phone."
"Ahh, you don't believe me," Minerva said with a wave of her hand. "But I got something you want! So, I can use that to my advantage. You want a phone? Fine. All you have to do is try on the outfit in the next room."
Becca stood up. "This is nuts. I'll just walk to a neighbor's house and use their phone!"
"Hope you don't mind getting wet," Minerva said. "My nearest neighbor's about 5-1/2 miles away! And that rain seems to be coming down even harder!"
Becca had to admit that she had NO desire to go out into that rain. Perhaps if she reasoned with the old woman... "Look, Minerva, be reasonable..."
"NO!" Minerva snapped. "YOU be reasonable! I'm an old woman who offered you my hospitality, my tea and my phone during a terrible storm. And all I ask in return is that you put on some clothes to see if they fit! You may not believe my story, but you don't have to. What would be the harm in putting on the outfit?"
Becca sighed, knowing she was defeated. "Fine," she said. "I'll try it on and show you, but then I'm taking it off and you're giving me the phone, right?"
"Exactly," Minerva agreed. "The outfit's waiting for you at the foot of the bed. I think you'll look quite good in it, actually..."
Becca walked into the bedroom and looked at the outfit waiting for her. She groaned inwardly; it was worse than she thought. The "outfit" was a skintight blue affair with high red boot, red miniskirt and a red cape. "You've GOT to be kidding!" she said.
As if she heard the complaint, Minerva called from the other room, "Sorry about the boots and the mini! They're from when the outfit was redesigned back in the '60s. Try it anyway!"
Becca peeled off her slacks and blouse and slid into the blue bodysuit with the attached cape. It had red cuffs, red shoulders and a symbol on her chest, that looked like a gold shield with a red "SB" in it. Next came the miniskirt, held in place by a wide yellow belt. Finally, the boots went over her legs. She turned to look at herself in the mirror.
Becca hated to admit that Minerva was right, but she DID look great in the outfit. The tight fit showcased her magnificent figure well, and the short skirt showed off her fabulous legs. Even the silly red cape seemed to add something, giving the impression of power and movement even while she stood perfectly still. And, to be honest, Becca DID feel a sense of power in her body, as if she had somehow been "plugged in" to a power source she'd never encountered. She felt silly doing it, but she couldn't stop herself; she spread her legs shoulder width apart, rested her fists on her hips and posed like Supergirl in the comic books she'd read as a child. Her reverie was broken by Minerva's call.
"Hey! You coming out or not?"
Becca stepped out into the room and noticed Minerva standing there, with her left hand on her cane and her right behind her back. The old woman studied the blonde from head to toe. "See? I told you the outfit would look great on you! How's it feel?"
"Pretty good," Becca admitted. "But I'd really like to get going. Can I take this off now?"
"One second," Minerva said. "I just want you to see this." Before Becca could react, the old woman brought her right hand forward. In it, she held a gun that she fired three times at Becca.
Becca lunged forward, snatching the gun from Minerva's hand. "Are you crazy?" she shrieked. "You shot at me!"
"No," Minerva said matter-of-factly. "Actually I shot you. But you're not hurt, are you?"
Becca, amazed, let the woman's words sink in. "No. No, I'm not!"
"And did you notice that you covered the twenty feet between us in less than a second?" Minerva asked.
Becca turned and looked over her should to where she had come from. It had happened so fast that she didn't realize how far it was, but it had only seemed like two steps! "What's going on?" she asked.
"It's the suit," Minerva said. "Take a look at the gun."
When Becca looked at the gun in her hand, she saw that her fingers had bent and crushed the metal as if had been made of wax! "Oh my GOD!" she whispered. "I've got super powers!"
"No, you don't," Minerva said. "The SUIT has the powers, and it gives them to the wearer. Without the suit, you're the same girl you were when you walked in here. And the powers aren't invincible, no matter how they feel."
Becca nodded. "But the speed, the strength, the invulnerability…"
"That's not all," Minerva said. "There's also the sensory powers."
"Like what?" Becca asked.
"My favorite was always Crystal Vision," Minerva said. "Think of someone you'd like to see, right now."
"My daughter," Becca replied.
"Okay. Now, focus on her and look at the window."
Becca did as she was told. Suddenly, the window seemed to grow lighter, and she could see the image of her daughter, fixing herself a snack. It was as if the window had become a closed circuit TV, with her daughter on the screen! Becca gasped.
"You can do that with any reflective surface," Minerva said. "If you have something belonging to the person, you can focus in on them even if you don't know them. It's quite useful!"
"What about the symbol?" Becca asked. "Am I supposed to be Super Becca now?"
Minerva laughed out loud. "Actually, that mystic symbol is what powers the suit! I never noticed before that it DOES look like an S and a B, doesn't it? But that brings up an important point. If the symbol is damaged, you will lose your powers until you can repair it. And if it's covered, your powers will be just a fraction of what they are now. Your powers will also be diminished if you're not wearing the full outfit."
Becca suddenly realized the way she was talking. As strange as it sounded, she was going to keep these clothes and use these powers. Somehow, it just felt RIGHT, as if it were what she was MEANT to do. "You win," she told Minerva. "Let me use the phone and I'll get out of here. And I'll become the new wearer of the suit." Minerva grinned. "You can use the phone if you want," she said. "But do you really think you need it? I guess I should have told you that the suit also lets you fly."
Becca grinned. "I can fly?" She took two steps, leapt upwards, and soared gently around the room! "This is incredible!"
Minerva smiled. "Let me fix you something to eat. By then, the storm will be gone and you can take care of your car on your own."
"You're on," Becca said. "Just let me call home and tell them I'll be late."
Later that night, a strange site would have been observed by anyone who happened to be looking up. It was the sight of a stunningly beautiful blonde in a sexy costume, flying through the air and carrying a car over her head. Becca had the feeling that tonight was the beginning of a new life for her. A life of adventure, thrills and romance. She had no idea how right she was!
"There, my dear, let's see you escape from THAT!"