Chapter One

ALTAWOMAN APPEARS WITH KIND PERMISSION OF LEEE

Allie West clicked the send button on her internal email and leant back into her seat with a satisfied sigh. She took her circular horn rimmed spectacles from the bridge of her nose and began to polish the lenses with the corner of her white blouse. It was Friday afternoon. All her work had been completed-- reports submitted, notes and minutes logged, cases closed and filed. Everything was squared away. Happily, Allie closed down her desktop computer and picked up her phone. She’d put it face down and on silent so as not to be distracted whilst she finished her work, and saw that she had several messages. She swiped away three which were chain messages from colleagues, and not particularly relevant to her. She smiled to see a message from Jason, and tapped it open.

Hey! Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow for the big reveal. Lunch?

Allie thumbed a confirmatory reply. She was looking forward to seeing Jason. Even though they had split up after he was offered a job at MIT, they had remained good friends. It had been almost a year since she’d last seen him in person, and she was looking forward to a proper catch up with the handsome scientist. 

Allie went back to her other unopened messages and her light-brown eyebrow raised when she saw the name of the next one-- a singular letter ‘J’. Feeling her heart race a little, Allie opened the message.

I’m in town tonight. Looking to have a little fun! Txt?

Okaaaay…. Allie rubbed the back of her neck ruefully. Jennifer Walters was in back Cyberville, and that likely meant some interesting times were ahead. Allie chewed her bottom lip anxiously. She and Jen had a relationship that was uniquely complicated. They were… friends? Maybe ‘frenemies’ was a better term. They were butting heads more often than not. They enjoyed each other’s company-- until they didn’t, and that was usually when things got messy. Like serious property damage messy. Like tossing cars at each other messy. There was respect between them but it was competitive, like a friendly rivalry between two top atheletes. Actually it was really only Jen that felt like she was in competition with Allie, because she was a ball-breaking lawyer from Los Angeles with a big chip on her shoulder. “A big GREEN chip”, Allie thought to herself. So yes-- it was complicated between her and Jen, and to make it even more screwy, there was the sex. Admittedly, the sex was incredible, but it usually took place after the fighting (which in it’s own way was also incredible, Allie was ashamed to admit). That’s why a text from Jen asking if she was looking for fun filled Allie with a sense of anxiety and trepidation as much as excitement. 

Allie shifted a little in her seat. The combination of anxiety and carnal feelings was a heady cocktail. Her finger hovered over the reply button. It was Friday night, and although she had a busy day ahead on Saturday, Allie could use a little excitement. It’s just that the excitement Jennifer Walters might bring could prove to be a bit more than she was prepared to ride out. Having said that, it was unusual for Jen to ask to hang out like this. They usually encountered each other through work-- either their day jobs or their… extra-curricular activities. 

It could be fun or a real headache. Or both. Either way, Allie decided she couldn’t pass this up. She hit reply.

Your offer intrigues me! Will you be bringing our mutual friend?

Allie sent the message, and waited for a response. After a minute, her phone buzzed and a reply from J appeared in the message chain.

Mutual friend is safely under lock and key. And yours?

Allie grinned.

The same, but that can always change. Shall we say 7pm at Hot Chip?

Allie thumbed send. After a few seconds, she recieved a thumbs up emoji. 

“Game on”, she said softly. She gathered up her jacket and purse and headed out of her office.

Hot Chip was a smallish bar on Cyberville’s harbourside. It wasn’t quite obscure enough to be considered hipster, but also not a dive bar for binge drinking office workers either. It was conveniently close to some good restaurants, and within stumbling distance of a few night clubs. A good place to pass through on your way to somewhere else, and a perfect rendezvous point. 

Allie placed her gin and slimline tonic on the table and took off her jacket. She patted down the rear of her short red dress and sat down, crossing her smooth slim legs. She was about to reach into her jacket pocket for her phone when she saw Jen approaching. Allie watched her striding past the large front facing window, clad in a black leather jacket with tight black jeans and wicked looking black stillettos. She swept in through the door and she paused there, scanning the room with her smoky eyes. When she spotted Allie, she smiled and strode over towards her table. 

“Hel-looo”, she crooned in a tone that instantly filled Allie’s senses with that inimitable…Jen-ness. Mischief. Wild humour. Danger. 

Jen tossed her dark shoulder length bangs over her shoulder and peeled off her designer biker-style leather jacket. Everything about her was uptight and  pointedly stylish. Cool, but with a hard edge, a frisson of unpredictability. She wore a crisp white short sleeved blouse underneath, buttoned up all the way to the neck. A silver pendant hung like an icy smile beneath the corners of her collar. Allie grinned up at her.

“So. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Jen took her seat and idly picked up the drinks menu.

“I’m here on business. My clients have invested heavily in the Science Expo and I’m managing paperwork, contracts and so on.” Allie frowned quizically. The Science Expo to which Jen was referring was a year long event celebrating the 70th anniversary of Cyberville’s founding. Honouring the city’s famed contributions to science and technology, the exposition was a sprawling world fair of art and science in Cyberville’s Franklin Park. How Jennifer Walters, a criminal prosecutor, could be involved in any professional capacity was a mystery to Allie. Jen caught Allie’s look and second guessed what her next question would be.

“I switched from criminal law to corporate”, she laughed. “A lot better paid, a lot more boring… and a lot less confrontational.”

“Less confrontational is good”, said Allie. “Less confrontation means fewer appearences from You-Know-Who.”

Allie saw Jen’s jaw almost imperceptibly tighten and her posture become slightly more rigid, but otherwise her expression didn’t change. She decided to clear the air and address the big green elephant in the room. “Do you see much of our, ahh, mutual friend these days?” Jen shook her head and laughed.

“I have her under control now. She only comes out when I want her to, and that’s not often.”

Allie raised her eyebrows, which caused a quick flash of irritation to pass over Jen’s face.

“I’m not making it up! I haven’t changed in months. What are you, my sponsor?”

“Well, if there’s a program for what you’ve got then I guess I would be the best candidate for one”. Jen nodded slowly at Allie. 

“If there was a program for what I’ve got they’d have to keep repairing the building if they got me mad.” The lawyer tossed her dark hair back and reclined in her seat, drumming her fingers on the table in a way that put Allie slightly on edge.

“How about our other mutual friend? The blonde?”

Allie smiled and took a sip from her straw, keeping eye contact with Jen. “Oh, she’s around a lot. Not this past fortnight though, I’ve been snowed under with paperwork, and it’s been a little quiet on the whole super-crime front.”

“Well then,” said Jen with a wicked smile. “We’ve both earned a little r and r, plus we have lots to celebrate. Mai-tais?”

Before Allie could protest, Jen sliced away in a blur of black denim and mascara, returning a few minutes later with two tall and tropical looking drinks. She set them down, plucking the large slice of pineapple from hers and munching on it. 

“Always good to line your stomach before a session”.

Allie arched an eyebrow.

“A session? What are we, college students? Some of us have things to do tomorrow!”

Jen took a swig of her Mai Tai.

“It’s not tomorrow, it’s this evening. And all you have to do this evening is drink that.” She pointed a black varnished fingernail at Allie’s drink. Allie sighed and took a sip. It was delicious, and reminded her of a particularly steamy adventure in the Caribbean with Jason and a rather jealous Atlantean prince. Good memories. Allie took another sip.

“OK, but I’m only having one!”

Jen grinned wickedly.

Allie’s one Mai Tai was about to turn into her third, but she’d barely even noticed as the rather handsome barman placed two more cocktails on Jen and Allie’s table.

“Um, did we order those?”

“I did”, said Jen. “I opened up a tab when I got here to save time. Plus, I think the barman likes you.” Allie looked over her shoulder and gave him a small yet sultry smile.

“Hmmm, he’s cute alright.”

Jen popped an olive in her mouth.“You’d know better than me.”

Allie chuckled and looked back at Jen. She really shouldn’t be drinking like this, because booze always made her feel amorous, and that was risky for Allie in a public place. If she felt better able to manage the situation she might be tempted to pick up the guy behind the bar, but her current state might lead her to make sloppy mistakes with her secret identity. She looked at Jen, with her gorgeous smoky eyes, tousled bob of almost black hair and slim figure. The evening was going a lot better than she’d expected. She and Jen were getting on a lot better than expected. The amnosity and antagonism that had peppered their relationship until now had been put aside and they were just two friends having a few drinks. In a way, it wasn’t really surprising-- after all, despite their differences over the years, Allie realised that they both had a lot in common. They swapped superhero stories-- what villain had come back on the scene, which friend had miraculously come back from the dead, embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions. That had proved to be a rich seam of comical reminiscences, which was also unsurprising given the shapeshifting nature of their powers.

"Do you still hulk-out in your sleep?” Grinned Allie mischieviously

“Every now and again, yeah. I don’t have so many nightmares now that my ‘Other Half’ is under lock and key. The only thing that’ll set me off right now  is sexy dreams.”

Allie raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Oh? Do tell”

Jen reclined in her seat, a sly smile spreading across her lips. “Right, I’m forgetting that you’re the cosmic princess of pleasure!” Allie snorted on a sip of her drink at that quip.

“So, the Other Lady has some pretty wild sexual escapades herself. And sometimes, when I’m dreaming, those memories come floating up into my mind. A lot of it is gross stuff she does with dudes, but sometimes I get images of the stuff that’s…more to my tastes, if you catch my drift.”

Allie held Jen’s gaze and suddenly recalled the aftermath of an intense battle with the She-Hulk. In the middle of a forest, in a clearing of felled trees created by their titanic, superhuman struggle, Allie remembered placing her hands on sculpted green thighs. The sound of She-Hulk’s breathing quickening as she’d smoothed and caressed, tracing her way upward. Hearing a sensual sigh quite unlike the usual gutteral growls, and watching that normally harsh expression soften into a kind of savage beauty. Moving forward, feeling the heat of that awesome, muscular body against her own. The thrill of feeling She-Hulk’s swollen green breasts press against her own . The long kiss, and then the first tustles of their lovemaking…

Allie crossed her legs, trying to free her mind of that vision. Jen’s smile grew wider and more wicked.

“Were you thinking about what I was just thinking about?”

Allie waved her hand dismissively. “That was between Her and…Her.” Jen laughed out loud.

“Don’t worry, Allie, I’m not here to hit on you.”

Allie bristled at this. “ Being hit on by you wouldn’t worry me in the slightest. But it just so happens you’re not my type”. Allie hated being made to feel like a prude, even though she tried to project a certain sense of modesty to divert any suspicion about her secret identity. Another thing that was irritating her was the noisy group of men who had just arrived at the bar. They were drinking beers with whiskey chasers, and their tone of voice was rising with the amount of alcohol they consumed. Sensing Allie’s irritation, Jen smiled and rose from the table. 

“Next rounds on me, and after that how about we find some place a little more interesting?”

That sounded good to Allie-- the leaving part anyway. Jen’s idea of ‘interesting’ was unlikely to intersect with Allie’s own interpretation of the word. 

At the bar one of the men noticed Jen and drunkenly invited her to do shots. Jen smiled sweetly at the man and curtly refused his offer. Feigning offence in a humorous way-- or more likely, feigning humour to conceal his offence, the guy drunkenly bellowed after Jen:

“What? You a lesbian or somethin’?”

Allie closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. 

Oh my God, not here!

She swivelled round in her chair, and caught Jen’s icy expression as she returned to their table with two glasses of white wine. She smiled tightly at Allie as she sat back down, and turned her head back to face the drunk guy at the bar, fixing him with a deathly stare. Not to be perturbed, the guy decided to shout some more.

“What? It’s OK! You can be a goth lesbian if you want! Why should I give a fuck?”

Jen continued to silently stare. One of the guys buddies put a hand on his shoulder, which was aggressively shrugged off. 

“Jen…” Allie whispered warningly to her friend. 

“I’m OK”, replied Jen flatly. Somebody put another shot in front of the drunk guy at the bar. Turning back to the braying of his buddies, he appeared to forget Jen entirely. She turned back to face Allie, who quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Not so quietly that Jen couldn’t hear it, however:

“You think I should just let that guy speak to me like that?” She snapped. Allie fixed Jen with a hard stare of her own.

“It’s not about that, Jen. You know it’s not.”

“Then what IS it about?”

Allie let Jen’s last sentence hang for a few seconds. She did NOT want this to turn into a real argument. 

“What it’s about, Jennifer, is what I KNOW can happen if you lose control of your temper.”

Allie thought she caught a brief flash of green appear in Jen’s dark eyes, but it could just have been a reflection of the lights from the bar. Jen’s face relaxed suddenly, and she laughed, knocking back her chilled white wine.

“Allie, please! I’m not gonna Hulk-out on account of that little worm over there.” Allie tensed as Jen’s voice became more raised at the end of that sentence. She quickly glanced over to the group by the bar, who were clearly within earshot. They were too engrossed in their backslapping and drinking to hear or even care about what Jen was saying. Even so, Allie felt the tension of Jen’s combative nature becoming increasingly uncomfortable. She got up from her seat and picked up her coat.

“You’re leaving? Really?” Jen snorted. 

“WE are leaving. I want to have some fun, not watch you self-destruct over some sexist prick.” Allie held Jen’s gaze for a few seconds. Jen turned to face the drunk guy at the bar, and as she locked eyes on him again, a few of his buddies began to hoot and egg him on. Not to be challenged by Jen, the drunk guy leaned back in his stool a little to affect an air of insouciance.

“If you’re lookin’ for the cure, I got it right down here”. The guy languidly pointed down at his crotch, and his friends cheered. This riled Allie enough for her to whip round and glare at the group herself.

Without realising, Allie’s latent psychic abilities lashed out in a fork of anger towards the asshole at the bar. The pitcher of beer next to him suddenly shifted, and then tipped itself all over his crotch, soaking his white denim jeans. The other guys howled, and the asshole reddened as he saw the whole room erupt into laughter at him. He sat up from his chair and whirled around to face a woman stood directly behind him at the bar. 

“You think that’s funny?” He snarled accusingly. The other bar staff rallied round the poor woman, jabbing their fingers at the guy and telling him he needed to be more careful. 

Allie gritted her teeth, cursing herself for not controlling her temper better. Now those poor bar staff were going to have to deal with a potentially violent patron. Feeling duty-bound to step in, Allie strode towards the bar.

The guy had grabbed the woman, who was a lot smaller than he was, by the collar of her black shirt.

“I’m gonna have your job for that, you little bitch!” 

Swearing at him, the woman tried to loosen his grip by digging her nails into his wrist. Allie appeared by his side and shoved him away from the bar with surprising force.

“Leave her alone. You tipped that jug all over yourself when you moved your arm! I saw the whole thing, that girl didn’t do anything to you”.

Momentarily caught off guard by the power behind Allie’s shove, the guy blinked before rising up to his full height. Towering over Allie, he drew his face close enough to hersfor Allie to smell his hot, beery breath and cheap aftershave.

“Don’t you fucking touch me, you little whore. People like you and your girlfriend make me sick!” To emphasize his last word, the guy jabbed a finger into Allie’s collarbone. Feeling her ire rising, Allie balled her fists and locked her gaze onto his. She began to summon the Alta-energy. She reckoned she could give herself enough power to knock this guy senseless before she’d have to duck out and hide somewhere to let the process take over. She was shuddering, feeling the power starting to pulse inside of her when a hand tapped the guy on his shoulder. A split second after he turned to face this new interlocutor, a black clad foot hoofed him with vicious strength into his chest. He went sprawling into his gaggle of pals, knocking over a few barstools on his way down. 

Before Allie had any time to react, she felt a hand around her arm pulling her. Dragged along by Jen, the pair ran towards the side door of the bar, just as two ruddy faced bouncers were rumbling in the direction of the bar. 

Running out into the night, their high heels clacking against the tarmac, Allie and Jen put a few streets between themselves and the bar before checking to see if they had been followed. 

Panting, the pair looked at one another for a second before bursting into laughter.

“What was THAT?” Gasped Allie. 

“Krav Maga”, grinned Jen. “I find it helps to channel my anger”.

“It doesn’t look like it helped that guy too much!”

Jen shrugged. “Except to maybe help learn not to be such a jerk all the time”. 

The pair heard raised male voices coming from the bottom of the street they had just run down. They looked back at each other.

Jen smirked. “More trouble, I hope?” 

“Maybe,” grinned Allie. “You know, that guy could press charges for that little high-kick you did back there, Jen. He could sue!”

Jen scoffed. “That guy? Bringing a lawsuit to the toughest litigator in California? I hope he does! I could do with some fun!”

Allie shook her head and laughed. “Well, he’ll have to find us first. Come on-- I know a place we can go.”

The Boiler Room was a club based in a section of the old coal-fired power station that used to provide all of Cyberville with electricity. After the city had pioneered renewable energy technology in the late nineteen nineties, the building had been converted into a very fashionable three-level nightclub. It was a destination favoured by a lot of Cyberville’s nightlife and it would be so busy on a Friday night that Allie knew she and Jen could get lost in the crowd. 

The music on the top floor was already pounding, and after their little escapade in the bar, Allie was in the mood for some dancing to work off the adrenalin. She knew that Jen was in the mood too as she took her hand into the writhing throng of the dancefloor. Flashing lamps span in the vaulted ceiling, casting light over the crowd in spasmodic beams. The mass of people shone in purple neon before being cast back into shadow. Then a strobe lit up the whole room in stark and stuttering light. The music-- frantic, booming electronica, pounded and throbbed from tall speakers either side of the DJ stage. Huge arched windows with gothic wrought iron frames adorned the walls on the left hand side of the room. They were blacked out, but occasionally holograms of mountain ranges, science-fiction citiscapes and deep sea reefs appeared in the windowpanes to create illusionary vistas.

It wasn’t Allie’s kind of place, usually. Being Altawoman gave her enough real danger and excitement to contend with-- she much preferred to curl up on the sofa with a good book. Tonight however, had awoken something inside her that craved the nightlife of a big city like Cyberville. The company of a wild-child like Jen and the many cocktails she had consumed had clearly brought out Allie’s inner party animal--and she liked it!

Allie led Jen by the hand through the undulating crowd. She didn’t want to be out on the edges with people self-consciously trying to be cool and aloof, or the introverts trying too hard to be extrovert. She wanted to be in the heart of this mass of people dancing and grinding. The music pulsed louder, the tempo increasing. She heard a few whoops go up from the crowd as the beat dropped, and then a rush of euphoria as she heard the music took new, exhilarating shape. She looked back at Jen, who was starting to move with the music, shoulder-shimmying to the beat. 

Here would do. They had both reached the centre of the dancefloor. Many bodies were close by, moving quickly and rythmically. All sense of inhibition and self-consciousness melted away. It didn’t matter what you were doing and why-- it only mattered now that you were here…now.

Allie and Jen both began to dance. Allie raised her arms and shimmied up and down, bumping and grinding. She could feel Jen’s eyes on her body as she moved. The lust and desire in that gaze were palpable. Allie could feel them like warm sunlight on her skin. She liked it, and wanted to feel it more, so she drew herself closer to Jen, making her dancing more sensual. In response, Jen’s own dancing became more provocative. 

All around her, Allie could feel the heat of strangers. She could smell perfume and aftershave mixed in with dry ice and fruit-flavoured spirits. The air was hot and close. There was the distinct tang of euphoric abandonment… of wild thrills… of sex.

Jen leaned in and said something in Allie’s ear, but she didn’t hear it. The music was too loud, and the psychic blanket of emotion and feeling was intoxicating Allie, along with the alcohol in her bloodstream. She merely grinned at Jen, and she grinned back. Their eyes remained locked on one another’s. They danced closer. Allie’s heart began to beat faster, a warm thrill of excitement mushrooming in her stomach. She felt hands slide around her waist, drawing her body nearer to Jen’s. Allie could smell Jen’s sweet vanilla perfume… the lingering essence of pineapple and almond on her breath. Then Jen’s lips met her own, and everything else melted away.

They kissed, caressed and grinded against each other there on the dancefloor. Jen traced her hands down Allie’s slender back, and gripped her rump before running down the backs of her thighs. She was excited and turned on, and wanted to see how far she could push things. She ran her hands back up, pushing the hem of Allie’s dress up her bare legs.

Allie sighed, feeling her own lust starting to grow. She kissed Jen deeply, flicking her tongue against hers. She reached under Jen’s leather jacket and smoothed her torso, fondled her small but shapely breasts. The air seemed teeming and electric with sexual  energy to Allie…and that’s when she knew what she had to do. She stopped dancing and making out, and placed her hand gently but firmly on Jen’s wrist. Jen stopped too. Confused as to why their very pleasurable intimacy had suddenly ceased, she looked quizically at Allie. 

Allie smiled wickedly at Jen, and without a word, began to quickly lead her away from the dancefloor. Bewildered, but excited by the prospect of where Allie might be leading her, Jen obediently followed. She thought that Allie might be leading her out of the building and to a taxi rank, and from there to somewhere private where they could make love. But Allie was not leading her out of the nightclub. They descended past the first floor and then crossed the ground floor. Jen shivered with nervous anticipation. Something about Allie seemed different. It was the way she was moving…the shape of her even. There was a power in her stride and her clothing seemed to fit differently, her dress adhering to her hips a little more closely. Jen watched Allie’s rear, noting that her jacket seemed not to be covering as much of it as she’d previously thought-- not that she had been consciously checking out Allie’s ass. She was definietly checking it out now, though, and Jen noted appreciatively the firm and taut buttocks that bounced ever-so-slightly beneath the material of Allie’s dress… the faint but thrilling impression of her thong strap visible. Jen realised that she wanted sex with Allie right now. She was making her so horny, and she didn’t care who was watching. She took Allie and pushed her against a wall, kissing her forcefully, passionately.

Allie gasped and groaned, at first allowing it but then pushing Jen away with surprising strength.

“Nnno! No--not out here…not right now!” Allie’s voice seemed hoarser…deeper. She took Jen’s wrist again. “We can’t do that out here, Jen. Follow me.”

Allie led Jen towards the bar on the ground floor. Later, Jen would shake her head at her own ignorance, at how she had been so unable to put two and two together about what was about to take place. For now, the alcohol and the arousal were clouding her reasoning, and all she wanted to do was follow Allie. 

The two women moved past the bar to the toilets. Allie paused, pressing her back against the wall, and looking intently in the direction of two bouncers who loitered near a door with a sign saying ‘No Entry To Patrons’. As if obeying some strange psychic suggestion, the two bouncers--a burly shaved headed man and an equally burly looking woman with cornrows-- sloughed off to a different part of the floor. They didn’t give Allie or Jen a single glance. Satisfied that they were no longer under any observation, Allie moved with speed towards the door and opened it.

As she was ushered through, Jen thought she could hear Allie saying something like “quickly! I can feel it happening!” The music was still too loud for Jen to make out the words properly.

Jen needed no encouragement from Allie however, and she swiftly put herself on the other side of the door. As it closed behind the pair, the boom and bustle of the club was stifled, and Jen’s ears rang. Allie pulled her down a cool brick walled corridor, lit by one naked light bulb. Her breathing sounded heavy as if she had just been running or working out. She paused by a door, looking up and around before resolving on her destination.

“Here” she said huskily, pushing it open. 

They enetered a storeroom used for spare glasses and old furniture. The corridor had been chilly, but this room was warm due to being situated next door to the boiler. Cosy…private…perfect. Now was the right time!

Jen locked the door and made a beeline for Allie, tugging off her leather jacket. Allie too wriggled out of her own coat, and shuddered as she felt Jen push up her dress to around her hips. Then Jen tore down Allie’s panties, causing her to cry out in ecstatic shock--”OH!” 

Her heart roared…her pulses hammered… she knew she wasn’t going to be able to contain herself any longer.. Moaning with excitement as Jen kissed and fondled, Allie was pushed back against a large wooden crate. As the backs of her knees made contact with the wood, Allie fell onto it in a seated position, and Jen moved her kisses down Allie’s neck. She pawed at her breasts and torso…parted Allie’s naked thighs…buried her face in Allie’s most intimate parts.

Then Allie West began to transform.

TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW!