happiest_in_shadowsThis story contains adult content though no out right sex…yeah I know don’t worry it is coming in later chapters. Anyway if you dislike general fondling and bath scenes go read something else. If you want to give some feed back which is welcome you may get in contact with me at happiest_in_shadows@yahoo.com Done with input from Animike and anterion2000 .
Kate sat in the chief’s office watching as Mark paced the room clearly deep in thought. Her little incident with Copperhead hadn’t gotten to the press just yet and Mark was determined to think of a way to handle the situation. Kate lowered her eye feeling more then a little upset with herself she had let herself get out of hand. She had systematically destroyed another persons life even if Copperhead did live despite the blood loss and damage she had dealt out she doubted he would ever return to normal. This guilt was however very moderate as she also recalled what he had done to the security guards and to several other people during previous escapes from prison. The bastard had deserved to die as far as she was concerned and this knowledge did a great deal to relieve her guilt.
In truth she was mostly concerned with what kind of trouble the department might be in as well as if this would hold any consequences for her. She had taken a life after all when not required to and that could get her in a lot of trouble. As she looked up though she was at least relieved to see that Mark didn’t show the least bit of anger on his face. Rather he seemed determined to put as good of a spin on this as possible. It actually seemed he wanted to plan things out as he had sent Eddy to retrieve Jack as he wanted to have a group session. “ Alright you acted in self defense after all he attacked you first. While you did kill him it wasn’t not cruel and indeed it was a accident.” A curious looked appeared on Kate’s face as she looked over at Mark.”
“ Umm Mark I sort of tore his hands off.”
“ No you didn’t he did that while trying to escape from the bonds you had placed him in. Though if we can that won’t be mentioned in the report I will go down and have a word with the coroner I don’t think smoothing things will be too difficult. Of course the big thing is do we really wanted to tell them about you or not?” Kate seemed to think of this for a moment they did have some options after all. They could say that the blood had accidently been thrown on Kate and they hadn’t actually seen who mangled Copperhead. The crooks that where alive from the seen where so scared Mark doubted it would be hard to get them to cooperate.
Mark took his seat and took out a moment to fish out a pack of cigarets as he took a draw from one he seemed to relax visibly and lean back into his chair. “ If we tell them you did it we can just say you where acting in self defense and announce that the city has a new protector. It would be good for some pr I imagine and you could put your abilities to better use. However that is going to bring some extra attention to your friends and family as well so it is up to you. There is of course the option of just telling them that you didn’t see who had done it.”
Kate gave a slight nod of her head. “ I suppose the big issue is if Copperhead lives to tell his side of the story.” Mark almost immediately burst into laughter as the words left Kate’s lips curiously she looked up at him. “ What is so funny?”
“ Oh trust me I doubt that is going to happen you mangled him pretty bad from what Eddy told me. Anyway I took some extra steps myself the hospital he was sent to well you remember that plague he a few of his buddies and that damn amazon helped to release a while back.” Kate gave a slight nod. “ Well the doctor there lost a family member to it no I doubt Copperhead is going to live.” A worried look appeared on Kate’s face while she was grateful for Mark’s help she couldn’t help but worry.
“ Sir don’t you think that is going a little to far.” Mark immediately turned a hard look on Kate.
“ Kate listen you killed a murdering bastard there is no reason for you to feel bad. Now if you worrying about my methods.” A long sigh came from Mark. “ We have to watch out for our own every once in a while now belief me if you had beaten some graffiti artist, shoplifter or most repeat felons to death you would be on your way to jail but you didn’t. You seriously mangled someone who had not only killed several people but several good officers and I will be damned if I see my precinct or any of my officers get a bad name or tried for that.” Kate felt a little better she was glad that Mark was on her side and she was pretty sure Jack and Eddy would be as well. The sound of rushed foot steps got her attention turning her head towards the door Jack came in a few moments later Eddy following shortly behind.
Jack didn’t even look towards Mark though as he rushed to Kate and threw his arms around her. “ Kate are you alright did you get hurt any?” At first Kate was a bit shocked after all Jack knew that bullets would bounce of her skin. Still as she listened to his voice and heard the concern in it she imagined why he would be worried. Eddy had probably told him that she had a fight with Copperhead and for all her power that was her first fight with another super powered being. Her arms closed around Jack a few moments later.
“ Don’t worry I am just fine you don’t need to worry about me.” Jack leaned up a bit and was quite relieved to see Kate smiling at him.
“ Sure I do your just plain reckless.”
“ I will second that.” The two turned towards Eddy who had moved to stand beside of Mark’s desk. Kate immediately stuck her tongue out at him which gained a collective chuckle from the group it seemed to lighten the mood. Jack pulled up a seat next to Kate and took her hand a few moments later.
“ Alright now that most everyone is here I think we should get down to just what should be done. Now we are going to treat this as a case of self defense where Kate responded with lethal force to a lethal threat the same deal as when you draw a gun on an officer. That is if we want to let it be known that it was Kate at all. That is why I had Jack brought here actually I figured you two would want to consult one another since he is serving as your doctor.” Jack looked around the room for a few moments unsure of just what to say.
“ Well I am just going to leave that up to Kate of course I mean it is her life.” Kate leaned over her seat and gave Jack a quick kiss on the cheek.
“ That is sweet but you know this is going to bring attention to the people I care about as well. So you need to have a say in this as well.” Jack leaned back in his seat seeming to concentrate on the question. He knew that Kate would eventually end up going public they had decided on that a while back however he wasn’t sure if she was powerful enough to ensure her own safety just yet. His line of thought was disrupted for a moment as Mark spoke up.
“ Now I have to say first of all that I am for Kate coming out. She would be a lot more useful if she didn’t have to always hide her abilities. Also people are already beginning to ask questions and I tend to fell it is best to announce something before some nosey reporter bitch comes out and announces it first. After all it is always best to get your own spin on a situation them allow someone to put theirs on it.” There was a nod of agreement from everyone within the room.
“ I will have to agree with you there really the only thing that keeps me from saying she should come out now is I worry she isn’t powerful enough just yet.” Eddy, Mark and Kate all gave Jack a look of disbelief she had taken apart had mangled a extremely dangerous villain like he was nothing and here he was wondering if she is powerful enough. Jack quickly took steps to defend his position. “ Well while Copperhead is err was dangerous he is still considered a fairly low level villain over all they are a lot of things out there that are more powerful.” Kate decided to speak up at last.
“ That is true but if we always go with that logic it could be said there may always be something more powerful out there. It has been over a year now and I have come a long way I am beginning to think that is time to come out. Hey Eddy you haven’t said anything what is your feelings on this?” Eddy rocked on his feat for a moment.
“ Well it would be nice to get rid of that darn back seat driver she can be kind of annoying always wanting me to speed up.” The men couldn’t suppress their laughter at the annoyed look that appeared on Kate’s face.
“ Is this a planning session or are you all just going to set around and point out my faults.” Mark and Eddy continued to laugh while Jack at least made a visible effort to suppress his own. Kate endured the joke with good enough humor at least.
“ Anyway yeah I think it would be good if she came out then she would be able to put herself to some real good use instead of always hiding.” Mark took another long drag from his cigarette the cancer stick nearing the end of its length.
“ Well then I suppose I am for it to be honest I think it will be kind of nice to see you on the news every once in a while. Perhaps you could show what those muscles can really do.” Jack turned his head smiling fondly at Kate who grinned and flexed her right arm showing off her impressive biceps.
“ Well then I guess we have all weighed in with our opinions and now for the only one that matters. Kate just what do you want to do?” Kate actually felt a little timid as every eye in the room came to rest upon her. Looking around at the men she bit down on her lower lip for a moment dwelling on her situation. She would be increasing the danger that her parents and friends lived in however she could do a lot more good if she came out. She wasn’t about to put on a mask and run around never letting anyone know who she was. That was actually some of the behavior that she disapproved of. Of course her parents could take care of themselves her father might have not been the wealthiest man of all times but he could indeed higher a few bodyguards.
Then their was Jack to worry about however she didn’t know how much of a concern that was either. Just put him in a safe area with a computer connection and she doubted he would want to leave let alone rush off to put himself in danger. Mark and Eddy as well as the rest of the force weren’t really concerns either since well they where already the target of such threats. “ Yeah I think I would like to let them know who took him down. Anyway I don’t think he is going to be recovering to try and get revenge.” This got a agreeable nod from everyone in the room even if Copperhead did manage to pull through which was unlikely considering the care he was getting. His injuries and the memory of what happened would seem enough to insure he didn’t make such a move again.
“ Anyway this change perhaps we can get you some better equipment. The stuff we have been using simply isn’t going to hold up for much longer.” Mark and Eddy both gave Jack a shocked look before turning their attention to Kate who just let out a slight giggle. Raising her arms above her head she flex both of her arms as well as her abs making her muscles stand out.
“ Well it was bound to happen eventually.” Mark was the first one to find his voice.
“ Yes I suppose it would well then yeah perhaps we can actually help with that. I imagine your training equipment must be growing some what costly.” Kate gave a slight nod of her head though so far her father had paid the bill she knew if her strength continued to increase her training equipment would eventually become a notable drain upon his company. “ Anyway I imagine you two want to go get some rest I know I sure do. It isn’t exactly pleasant being woken up in the middle of the night though I admit the news took most of the stress out of it.”
“ Hey you’re the one that gave us the late shift.” Mark’s attention turned to Eddy.
“ Watch it Kate isn’t your partner anymore so I could give you a even later one.” Eddy shut up immediately. Kate let out a slight giggle but was cut short when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Looking up Jack was smiling down at her.
“ Well lovely lady you ready to head home? “ Kate smiled and stood up allowing Jack to place his arm around her.
“ Oh one thing about how long do we have ready.” Mark looked up for a moment as he was getting ready to head back home himself.
“ I think I can keep the press content for a few days you should take the time to inform your family and make any arrangement. You know things are going to get pretty hectic once you go public.” Kate gave a slight nod and leaned on Jack.
“ Yeah I know so we will make good use of these next few days.”
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Kate turned over in her bed her eyes wide open. She had been smiling when she had left the police station however that wasn’t truly how she felt. She had wanted to explain her situation early on to Mark however she hadn’t gotten the chance he had done to much of the talking. Even though she had a smile on the outside she was still feeling down though she was glad to see the guys where going to help look out for her. That got a giggle from her the thought that despite all her power her friends still tried to look out for her. Still the main thing that was really worrying her was the fact that she had enjoyed what she had done. Slowly mutilating that bastard had been such a thrill to her the realization of just how powerful she had become.
As she lay there a sound got her attention setting up in bed she slipped into the living room. Looking over on the sofa she was surprised to find Jack setting there seeming to be waiting on her. “ Couldn’t sleep?” Kate was more then a little shocked as Jack seemed to know she was there curiously she stepped forward.
“ No how about you?” Jack grinned.
“ Yeah I could sleep after all sleeping pills still work on me. I noticed you took some from the bottle more then the recommended dose to but oh say half the bottle.” Jack blushed for a moment. “ I was going to take a few myself to help myself rest but then I noticed what had happened something is wrong isn’t it?” Kate smiled and shook her head in the negative about to reply but Jack beat her to it the tone of voice he used some what scolding. “ Naa now Kate don’t you going laying to me you killed someone today or about did and you just took half a bottle of sleeping pills. Now I realize your body can handle far more then normal but that is still a clear sign something is up.” As the stunned look went away from Kate’s face a new one appeared one that was both sad and much like a child who had got caught laying to a parent.
Walking over to Jack she climbed into the chair with him. As Kate got closer Jack placed his arm around her and pulled her down so that she was leaning on him. “ Now come on Kate what is wrong?” At first Kate didn’t answer however as a few tears began to come from her face she looked up.
“ Jack, I killed another person I killed another human being.” Of course he had figured this was what was wrong with Kate still at least she had the words out.
“ Kate, it was self defense you had no choice in the matter.” A loud sob and a few more tears told Jack that wasn’t the case.
“ Yes I did I had a choice if I killed him or not. Jack he couldn’t even hurt me I could have simply restrained him and it would had been no harder then holding a child no it would have been even easier then a child at least if I was still normal. I killed him not because I had to but because I was angry and because I could and now I am going to be putting you and my parents in danger.” Jack sighed and continued to stroke Kate’s hair.
“ Kate why where you angry?”
“ Because he killed those people, he tried to kill me and he has killed people before some good cops and more then a few civilians. It use to make me scared however when I realized that he couldn’t hurt me that I was so much powerful then him all the fear I had turned to anger. No my anger started building before that.”
“ I suppose you where tired of hiding then Kate I can’t imagine how tough it must be to be a cop with those over powered monsters running around. You must have spent a lot of time feeling quite helpless despite all your physical training.” Kate gave a slight nod of her head.
“ But I let that fear turn to anger and then murder I abused my abilities.”
“ Funny that isn’t how I see it. Kate it isn’t like you killed a innocent just think if you hadn’t mangled him he would have just been arrested. At which time he probably would have broke out before he even came around to trial or if he did make it through and got the death penalty he would brake out again long before it would have been carried out. You saved quite a few lives today.” Kate smiled a bit of course what Jack had told her was the very thing she had been telling herself still it made her feel much better to hear it coming from someone else’s mouth as if she wasn’t just trying to lay to herself in order to feel better.
“ Now you said that you are worried about the danger you are putting me and your family in as well by going public.” Kate gave a slight nod of her head.
“ Kate think about it think how hard it would be to really keep who you are a secret. I don’t know how some of those yahoos do it running around all the time but I can’t imagine it is easy and you don’t want to be like them. Kate the only way to truly keep us entirely safe from being discovered would be if you never used your power at all and that would be such a waste you can do so much good.” Jack opted to leave out and have so much fun. “ At least with you going public your family will already know and can take steps to protect themselves.” Kate gave a slight nod of agreement leaning more closely to Jack.
“ Still I can’t help but be worried I mean if I can kill one person couldn’t I kill another.”
“ You are just going to have to do your best and do what you think is right. I trust you and I am sure your parents do as well.” Kate proceeded to wrap her arms around Jack pressing her face against his chess a soft sigh came from her.
“ Someone has been doing their exercises.” Jack just grinned and continued to run his fingers through Kate’s hair. He would simply stay there and let Kate fall asleep he could get his Z’s later on. Absently he wished he was as relaxed about all this as he made himself out to be. He didn’t like the idea that he might be the target of some super powered mad man’s attempt to get at Kate. Still he didn’t want her to live her life from behind a mask either then again if she handled most situations the way she had handled the last he wasn’t sure he would have to worry about that.
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As Kate’s eyes slowly drifted open she was some what surprised at what she saw. Jack slumped over on the side of the chair sleeping though not soundly. Setting up she realized what had happened. Jack had set up petting on her until she had fallen asleep then stayed awake after that until he couldn’t take it anymore. Smiling she noted how uncomfortable it must be to set in only a slight reclined position. Slipping her arms under him she easily lifted him from the chair and carried him to his bed room. Placing him down Kate set down next to his sleeping form and once again began to consider her options. She could get a hold of Mark still and let him know she didn’t want to go through with it that she wanted to keep her powers a secret.
That would only be a temporary solution to her problems though. The Medea already knew that there was a red headed police officer going around or at least they had an idea and she doubted the medics would hesitated a red headed police officer leaving the building covered in blood. No not only would backing out of things be a temporary solution but it would be an extremely short lived one. She needed to think of something that would last longer. At least she hadn’t made any enemies as of yet unless she could count Copperhead which she doubted. Absently she made her way over to Jack’s computer. Turning the machine on she waited for a few moments and logged onto the local paper.
What she saw confirmed that she didn’t have to consider Copperhead an enemy. Right on the head lines his death was announced. Curiously Kate began to read the article as she did she felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders. She didn’t know how Mark had done it but he had managed to keep the fact that his hands and feet had been severed what truly surprised her though is that he was actually able to keep out that his jaw had been torn off. The picture they used while of his bloody and lifeless body had the jaw back in place. She imagined they had simply put it back in place though she wondered how they had gotten it to stay.
While the report did make mention of a several beaten body the image didn’t show the actual damage and their was no mention of the more extreme details. As she read on, she found that no mention of her was made or how Copperhead had died simply the police where going to have a press conference in a few days where they would announce their findings. At least this meant she had a few days. Standing up and making her way out of the room, she ran through her options. She could go ahead and call her parents and tell them the news perhaps her father would even have some ideas on just how she could keep herself from drawing too much attention. Looking at the clock she decided to let him sleep in considering their differences in time zones. She decided to let him sleep in considering how much stress she would soon be bringing him.
Rather Kate opted for her second option walking into the kitchen she flipped on the hot water. Running her hands under it she weighted for it to heat up to scalding hot before actually putting some soap on her hands and washing them off. A frustrated look appeared on Kate’s face as she waited for the water to warm up to a sufficient level that she would define as warm. This of course didn’t happen as even standing in pure steam the heat didn’t really get to Kate. At last she withdrew her hands and figured if their had been any microbes living on them they where burned off by now. Flipping off the water she began to rummage through the fridge she would call her parents after she and Jack ate breakfast.
Even though no one had mentioned it she doubted the chief expected her to be coming in to work today so she had some time to burn. So she wanted to make Jack a nice meal after setting up with her so late into the night even if he hadn’t really needed to. Waking up and seeing a friendly face even if it had been asleep helped to settle her down. As Kate was working with the food she found her way over to the medicine cabinet and located the sleeping pills. Looking them over for a moment, she snorted. “ That is more like 1/3rd then half of the bottle and I bet they didn’t completely fill it either.” Chuckling to herself and replacing the bottle Kate didn’t bother rushing through breakfast preparations she would let Jack sleep for a while before waking him up. After all she didn’t know how long he had been up and she needed far less sleep then him.
Jack would actually wake up around two hours later slowly setting up he still felt sleepy however his internal clock kept telling his body to wake up. As the scent of bacon and eggs hit his nose thoughts of sleep where pushed aside as even though he didn’t mind his meal getting cold he truly liked it hot. As he walked into the kitchen he couldn’t help but grin as he watched Kate preparing breakfast. Two large pots set cooking one of oatmeal and the other of chocolate. A large pan covered in several slices of bacon and eggs where also laid out all in all enough to feed quite a few people or in the current case one male and a super fem. Jack let out a bit of a sigh as he watched Kate reach down and use her fingers to turn over the bacon while she didn’t perform this task with the eggs as she wanted them runny.
“ I swear I better not get to use to seeing you do that or I might forget just how capable you are and think I can do it one day.” This got a chuckle from Kate who looked up at him.
“ Well it is about time you woke up I have been cooking for a while now.” Jack gave his head a slight nod.
“ Yeah looks like about a hours worth.” Kate gave her head a slight shake.
“ Look at the table.” Turning his head Jack’s mouth nearly hit the floor as he saw several large plates already holding a pretty decent stack of various items.
“ Don’t you think you over did it a little bit?” Kate gave her shoulders a slight shrug.
“ Well I couldn’t think of anything else that I wanted to do and I figured the smell of warm food would hurry you waking up. It is just when it started to get cold I decided to make some extra. Don’t worry I will eat anything that you can finish.” Jack gave a slight nod.
“ You know they are some nations that would consider you a real dilemma thanks to food shortages.” This got a giggle from Kate who actually agreed she had over done it a little bit still she wanted to eat well for the up coming days.
“ Well enjoy a big meal while you can who knows what will happen when it comes time to talk to the media.“ Jack took a moment to think walking over to the table and snacking on a few bits of bacon.
“ Hey Kate I was wondering just what are you going to tell them?” Kate looked up as she began to get the last of the items off the stove. “ You know about your powers just how much information are you going to give.”
“ Only what I think they need to know. Don’t worry I won’t mention that it was your serum that gave me my abilities I am not that dense. I suppose they will end up asking just how I got my abilities but I got a suitable answer.” Jack grinned a bit.
“ And that is?”
“ None of their darn business of course. If they want powers like mine they can just go out and find their own secret.” Jack couldn’t help but chuckle as he wondered just how the press was going to respond to that one. “ And if they begin to imply that I am being selfish by not sharing my secret I can just tell them they are being lazy by not developing their own powers.” A lopsided grin appeared on Jack’s face.
“ True but neither did you.” Kate grinned as she walked over to Jack and planted a kiss on his cheek.
“ Yeah but I made friends with the person that did. I suppose if they want to they can go and try to make friends with a mad scientist who knows maybe they won’t end up a pile of goo.” Jack just rolled his eyes as he took a seat beside of Kate this time taking a rather generous amount of various items it hardly dented the huge volumes of bacon and eggs that Kate had prepared. Kate for her part didn’t bother nit picking but simply started eating knowing good and well Jack couldn’t eat everything or even come close to it. As Jack watched Kate eat he couldn’t help but wonder if all the food was really necessary though. With Kate’s current strength level he wasn’t sure if even that much was enough to meet the energy needs of her body. Which if that was the case she would have to be getting it from somewhere else. He decided to push these thoughts out of his mind when Kate’s hand shot across and stole some of his bacon.
“ Hey that is mine.” Kate grinned taking a moment to swallow.
“ Then stop looking at me and eat.” Jack started to return to his food but looked up a moment later.
“ But your so much more pleasant to look at.” This got a giggle from Kate as well as a rather large grin. It also helped to insure the safety of Jack’s food for the remainder of the meal even if he did take his time looking at Kate.
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Nathan was just getting settled in when his phone began to ring. Grumbling as he made his way to his desk he was sure to change his tone as he picked up the receiver. As much as he didn’t like phone calls when he just got in he couldn’t risk offending a client now if the company was bigger that would be a different story. “ Hello Stonecutter speaking.”
“ Hi Daddy I was just calling to tell you some news.” All desire to grumble and gripe quickly left Kate as he set down at his desk.
“ Sure Sweety so what are you calling me for.” Nathan grew a little nervous when his daughter took a few moments to answer his question. Absently he began to tap one of his pins against his desk. “ Kate is everything alright there hasn’t been a turn for the worse has there? You didn’t accidently snap Jack in two while hugging him.”
“ Ah nope that isn’t it he is still in one big peace. I was just calling you to let you know that I plan on announcing my abilities to the world sort of need too after yesterday.” Nathan didn’t bother asking why she would need to do that it had been all over the news. He hadn’t been sure it was his daughters handy work as of the time however between the phone call and the reports of Copperhead’s death he simply decided it was a reasonable assumption that Kate had a hand in that one.
“ So you where calling to let me and your mother know that we need to take some extra steps incase a crazed monkey shows up at our house?” Nathan’s tone had more then a little humor in it he didn’t want to get to series. After all even if it meant some extra danger for him he didn’t like the idea of forcing his daughter to hide what she could do for the rest of her life.
“ Yeah I suppose so though. It isn’t to late now I mean if you want I could back out of it.
“ Oh no no nope no need to do that sweety. Who knows maybe you can get the company some extra publicity hmm I hope known one assumes that it was any of our creations that gave you your abilities though. At least I don’t think I do I wonder what kind of government contracts that assumption could get us.” Kate couldn’t help but roll her eyes as her father suddenly seemed more interested in making money then he did about his own life. “ Tell me though is Jack alright with this.”
“ Oh yeah he is fine in fact I think he is eager to see me start making appearances in the news.” Nathan laughed slightly at the idea.
“ So is there anything else you wanted to talk to me about?”
“ Well yeah actually even though I am going to admit to being the one that took down Copperhead. I was wondering if you knew of anything that might keep peoples attention away from me for a while longer. You know buy me some extra time got any suggestions?” Nathan took a few moments to think about this one. It didn’t take him very long though.
“ Perhaps you could try downplaying the fight. I mean was it a hard fight?”
“ No it was actually pretty darn easy.” Kate didn’t bother telling her father that Copperhead hadn’t stood the slightest chance against her.
“ Alright that isn’t what you tell the media. You need to show up and let on that it was a extremely close fight one that you barely walked away from if you can.” Kate took a moment to consider this remembering the medical personnel even though they had largely cleaned her off she had still come out a bloody mess. Perhaps some that just got a glimpse could even speak on how messed up she seemed to be.
“ Hey thanks for the advice that just might work. I will need to talk it over with the others and you sure your going to be okay?”
“ Yeah just fine we can talk about this later on I kind of need to get to work..”
“ Alright bye and take care.” Kate hung up shortly after giving her father time to say his good byes. As she did this she tapped her chin a few times her father’s idea seemed like a pretty reasonable one as far as she was concerned. She would need to talk about it with Mark and Eddy of course but she would wait until later to do that though. Mark wasn’t suppose to give out any more information for the day and she would prefer to speak to them face to face. Absently she made her way into the exercise room. Walking over to the bench press and turning the machine up a sigh came from her lips as she had to bring the device up to near its absolute max. Her current exercise equipment was pretty darn over sized but it wouldn’t last her for much longer.
“Hey why didn’t you tell me you where going to work out you know I like to watch.” Jack entered into the room a few moments later walking over to Kate he took a look at the side panel. Reading the amount of tons the machine was currently putting out he bent down and took a look at the floor. “ How the hell did your father make this place so the concrete wouldn’t simply shatter. Curiously he began to look closer and noted several bolts he had noticed them before of course but assumed they where there to keep the thing from falling over now he wasn’t so sure. “ Do you suppose these bolts might actually be supports as well and be reaching down to some steel reinforcement.” Jack was a bit surprised as he turned his head and noticed the faked irritation on her face.
“ Now just who is the scientist here.” Kate face immediately returned to a smile as Jack chuckled.
“ Alright point taken I guess I will just have to ask him later on. Still these things aren’t going to last you much longer.”
“ Well I know that silly that is why you should get to work trying to improve them.” Tapping his hand on the side of the machine Jack seemed to dwell on the situation for a moment.
“ Yeah I suppose I am going to have to actually I have a few ideas though it couldn’t be used by a human at least not with current technology. I suppose that was inevitable though.” Kate’s curiosity was brought up for a moment.
“ Just what do you have in mind?” Jack grinned a bit.
“ You will just have to wait and find out I want to talk it over with your father first. We would need to move you out of this building though to provide enough power though that might not be such a issue once you go public. Until then this thing is just going to have to hold you.” Kate stuck her tongue out at Jack as he took a seat a little way off from her and simply watched her work out.
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Kate tapped her finger against the wall lightly as she looked herself over in the mirror. While she was in her police uniform she was more dolled up then usual something she had decided to do since she would be appearing on tv. She had talked it over with Mark, Eddy and Jack and resolved that the fight with Copperhead will have been considered a close one not a absolute slaughter. Further more if the media asked she would lie about just how capable she truly was. They had resolved that she would be the one to decide on the final details of just how capable she truly was. This was one of the major things she was having trouble deciding upon at the moment.
She had decided on telling them she could lift 300 pounds in one arm and run at 120 mile per hour though both of these figures where actually far below what she was capable of doing. After all she could support several tons in a single arm well provided the weight wasn’t to oddly displaced other wise it would simply pick her weight up. Then there was the little matter of having her feet drove into the ground if she got certain things over head. She figured this would be a believable sum considering such strength would allow her to easily lift most men and out run quite a few vehicles. This would also be good incase she got to actively use her powers in the city.
Even if she couldn’t use her true speed being able to run around at 120 would be far better then having to drive around. Of course she still couldn’t use the side walks considering what would happen if she accidently bumped into anyone. Kate gave her head a furious shake realizing that she was allowing her mind to wonder to far into the future. First she had to get through the press conference then she could think of all the fun things she would be able to do. There was also the little matter of what Jack and Nathan had been talking about. It surprised her but Jack had actually managed to keep her in the dark though this meant no phone calls at least not many after all she could hear them easily then.
Instead he had stuck to talking to him over the computer and the few times they did talk on the phone they where both careful to use discrete terms. It was clear that this was all meant to be a surprise. Kate pouted for a moment and finally forced herself away from the sink. “ All right all you have to go in there answer a few questions and two or three hours later.” Kate visibly groaned at the idea. “ The news will be out and then we can deal with what comes.” This thought brought Kate back to thoughts on her family and wondering just how her father was going to deal with the situation. As of yet he hadn’t told her what steps he was going to take to protect himself she hoped he wasn’t just going to depend on dumb luck.
At last Kate managed to get herself away from the mirror and into the halls. Making her way down them she found Mark standing next to the door where the press would get to question them. As she looked at him she realized that she wasn’t the only one that was nervous. “ Hey that is the matter?” Mark gave a slight start and turned in her direction.
“ Oh nothing much I was just thinking how I am about to tell a few reporters that I actually have someone with super human abilities working in my department. I just hope they give me time to prove it before some people show up to take me away in a strait jacket or I get fired.” This got a slight giggle from Kate.
“ Well don’t worry if they try and take you away in a jacket I can prove it simply by tearing one apart. By the way just what are we going to do to demonstrate my abilities?” Mark grinned a little bit.
“ Well I figured you would just pick up a few of the reporters for a starters. After that if you don’t mind we can take things on down to the driving course. I have a few things that you could do some lifting to show off.” Kate gave Mark a concerned look. “ Don’t worry they are all within your lifting ability at least the one we have planned. Though I would appreciate it if you went there on foot while everyone else drove.” This got a chuckle from Kate who gave her head a slight nod.
“ It will be a heck of a lot better then having to ride there with you slow pokes. I swear everyone drives so slow it about drives me up the wall.” Mark nodded and glanced at his watch again tapping his finger against it. It was only two minutes before they where to go in and begin speaking on the matter. It was some what amusing to Kate but Mark seemed to be even more nervous then she was. Then again as the one that would be speaking first if she decided not to play along he would seem like the crazy. That wasn’t an issue though she was quite willing to show off. Though she regretted Jack couldn’t be around to see it at least not at the police station they wanted to keep any knowledge of him a secret. He was just going to have to stay at home and watch the video feed a task that he was already working on.
The moment the final minute ticked around Mark opened the door and made his way into the room all hints of how nervous he was quite well hidden. As he made his way to the podium in the center of the room Kate followed close behind her nervous reaction not as well hidden. Taking her seat a little to quickly she was glad at the moment all the camera’s where focused on Mark. She knew that wasn’t going to last a extremely long time but at least then she could show off maybe being in her element and actually getting to reveal her strength would help her relax she hoped it would. Kate’s eyes focused on Mark as he began to speak.
“ Gentleman, ladies and members of the press as you are all where aware of four days ago the criminal known as Copperhead was apprehended. A process during which he sustained injuries that lead to his death approximately two days ago. We have since concluded that these injuries where a direct result of one of our officers acting in self defense.” Mark went quiet for a few moments as a few pictures where taken though he refrained from answering any questions directly. Kate noticed that as Mark confirmed it was a police officer that had delivered the damage a few eyes had fallen on her for just a moment.
“ We had up until this point kept this officers identity a secret though some have speculated about just whom it was. I would like to introduce you to that officer now and she will proceed to answer any further question you have.” Kate could have strangled Mark at that moment shooting him a rather aggravated glance as he took her by the hand and partly pulled her from her seat. Now standing up several of the cameras took pictures of Kate as Mark retreated back to the safety of the seat Kate had just been forced to give up. Looking around Kate took a few moments to clear her throat something that she would regret.
“ Excuse me miss just who are you and did you really apprehend Copperhead as we have just been told.”
“ Umm yeah my name is Kate Stonecutter and yes I did apprehend the criminal err former criminal known as Copperhead.” Kate’s voice showed that she was more then a little nervous despite her impressive build she wasn’t doing a good job of projecting a aura of strength especially like the strength she had at her disposal.
“ Pardon me miss but you don’t exactly seem the type that could take down such a dangerous criminal normally such events have required the league to be called it. Perhaps you could tell us just by what means you apprehended him.” Kate instantly decided she didn’t like the tone of the reporter at all.
“ I used my fist.” The looks on the reporters face told Kate that her answer was smart enough to at least give him a smack to his ego.
“ Well while I see that you are a fit woman I don’t see how…” Kate didn’t bother waiting for the question to be asked as she turned around and took hold of Mark’s belt easily lifting him out of his seat and holding him at arms length.
“ I can support roughly 300 pounds in a single arm so I am pretty darn strong. On top of that I have a remarkable ability to heal and can move at extreme speeds. Does that answer your question?” A few of the reporters fell silent while it was clear some didn’t believe that Kate was doing what they saw rather it may have been a trick. Kate wasn’t about to give them a chance to ask though her actions had taken the floor for her and she was going to run with them. Setting Mark down she turned to the reporters. “ Of course I would be happy to prove that wasn’t just a trick if any of you have some suggestion I would be happy to hear it.
“ I will take you up on that.” Kate gave one of the reporters an odd glance as he made his way over to her. She didn’t recognize the man but he looked like a healthy enough build probably weighing in around two hundred pounds or so. Good that meant she could lift him without having to fake any strain. Looking him over for a moment she bent down and placed her hand on the floor.
“ Step on.” As the reporter took a moment to find his balance Kate proceeded to stand up being careful to keep her arm steady. The crowd seemed shocked enough as Kate easily raised him into the air though she didn’t make it too fully standing had she did so she would have slammed his head against the selling. Despite the windows and lights being on the room seemed many times brighter as several camera’s flashed at this display of strength. Though they had seen better from those more powerful then her it still a very nice shot. Especially since Kate was more or less posing for it.
Placing the man back down he didn’t say anything simply grinned as he made his way back to his seat. It was kind of strange though as Kate had expected him to at least look surprised. She couldn’t let this distract her too much though she has some power flaunting to do. “ So does anyone else need some proof?”
As several reports approached Kate she took turns lifting them into the air though she had to remember to pretend to strain when a particularly large fellow came up even taking the time to comment on how he needed to diet. At last when the crowd seemed to be content with just how strong she said she was.
“ Okay Miss Stonecutter you also mentioned that you could move at extremely high speeds. Would you mind giving us a demonstration?” There was a rush of air throughout the entire room as Kate quickly moved along the wall from one side to the other. A few papers flew into the air and it took everyone’s heads a few moments to turn around to see her leaning against it.
“ Sure thing.”
“ Actually.” Kate and the reporters turned their head to Mark who had taken the podium. “ We had planned on putting on a better demonstration later on today. If no one objects I would like to move everything to the police academy training grounds a few miles out of town where Officer Stonecutter may show us a better demonstration on a wider plain of course she will be traveling there on foot.” Kate simply grinned and gave her head a slight nod starting for the door. “ Not yet please allow us a head start.”
“ Oh sure thing.” Taking a moment to open the door, Kate went to the back of the room and allow people to file out of it. Being sure to ignore any questions that came her way until they got to the training grounds. After everyone had left Kate made her way outside and took a look at her clothing noting she would have to be sure to keep things under 120mph other wise she might end up damaging her clothing. Slipping off her shoes, she opted to hold onto them while running around realizing that the force of her feet impacting the ground would probably tear them to shreds. Letting the various vehicles get a head start on her Kate finally fell in with the rest of the flow of traffic and it was made clearly almost right away that people had been watching the news.
The traffic was even heavier then usual and she noted a few cameras already snapping pictures. Kate rolled her eyes in response as she made her way along at moving along slowly so the reporters could see her then speeding up and easily passing them. After all as a pedestrian she didn’t have to worry about the speed limit laws. It was only a short while later when she caught up with Mark. Tapping on the window she matched the car’s speed. “ Traffic slowing you down?” Mark sighed and gave a slight nod. “ Well see you later.” Kate didn’t wait for an answer before accelerating to roughly 100mph easily passing him. As Kate ran along getting ahead of any of the media vehicles she began to play around.
She could easily pass anyone provided that weren’t speeding too much and unlike those that where driving she didn’t have any trouble finding enough room to pass someone. As she moved along a pickup caught her eye not the truck itself but the rather large dog riding in the back of it barking quite loudly. “ Ah you’re a big boy aren’t you.” The dog gave a visible start as suddenly Kate appeared in his line of vision. The moment the shock whore off the large beast went to barking quite loudly getting a giggle from Kate who reached up to pet it only to have the animal jerk back clearly it wasn’t use to someone running along sides its master’s vehicle.
Kate was forced to move rather quickly when at last the driver noticed her and swerved the vehicle a bit luckily he regained control rather quickly. At first Kate was a little shocked but kept pace running alongside the vehicle she smiled at the driver and mouthed. “ Sorry” Before speeding off again. As Kate had her fun Jack set at home watching the news feed and wishing that he could have been there. He didn’t see why he had to stay home after all it isn’t like it would take long for them to identify who her friends where. Grumbling for a moment it at least meant he had some time to get some future plans together for Kate’s next generation of exercise equipment. That is provided it would have been a worthwhile investment. The next series of equipment she would be working with was going to cost to much for Nathan to simply pay the bill without getting something in return.
Taking his mind off Kate’s current antics he turned his thoughts too just how they could go about acquiring some extra funding. Kate could make use of her abilities to start earning some extra money now of course. After all while she wasn’t the most powerful person in the world yet and down played what power she did have she could still probably do well for herself. A few media adds who knows it could even get her some equipment. He doubted the city could spring the bill after all while she was capable she wasn’t revealing how capable she was and at her current levels it probably wouldn’t be considered worth it. Anyway it would also run the risk of someone finding out how strong she truly was too easily.
The phone ringing got Jack’s attention a few moments later. Dashing into the kitchen and retrieving it from the wall, he was surprised to hear Kate’s voice on the other end. “ Hi sweety and how are you doing?”
“ Kate, where are you calling from? I saw you running around on tv just a few moments ago.”
“ Yup well I already made it to the training center it doesn’t take me nearly as long as anyone else. That and well to be honest I sort of took a short cut once I got away from the main road and began to use some of my real speed.. Kind of wish I hadn’t though.”
“ Huh what happened?”
“ Tore my clothes a little bit but that wasn’t to much of a issue. I just slipped into one of the uniforms that they keep here. Hey Jack about how long do you think it will take everyone else to arrive?”
“ Oh a little while traffic has them slowed down.”
“ Rats I was hoping they would get here sooner all well I am going to try and find something to amuse myself maybe take a look at the course I am going to be running. Talk to you later.”
“ Sure thing.” Hanging up shortly after Kate had Jack once again return to the tv. Absently he began to wonder just what steps would need to be taken after this. There was no way that Kate was going to be able to continue working as a regular officer. Thinking for a moment Jack forced himself away from the tv and back into his room picking up the phone he dialed Nathan’s number.
“ Hello Jack surprised to hear you calling. I figured you would be watching my little girl on tv.”
“ Well I was going to but I was calling you to discuss that new training equipment we had planned for Kate. As I recalled you mentioned the price would still be to steep for your company to cut even if you didn’t have the maintain the equipment. Well I think we might have something that we could sell to cover the cost of construction and perhaps even maintain it for a while.” Nathan turned down the tv so that he could hear Jack better.
“ Oh and just what is that?” Nathan’s voice was more then a little curious.
“ We would have to talk it over with Kate first but what about the data I gathered while studying Kate in her early stages of development back when I could still get a darn blood sample from her. I mean do you suppose there might be some branch of the military interested in it?” Nathan didn’t respond right away but took his time running it through his mind. Kate would most assuredly be getting the military’s attention eve if her abilities where limited compared to some of the other beings out there especially the way she was down playing them they where still far more then human.
“ You know you might have something there though we are going to have to play our cards right. Listen talk it over with Kate and we can decide what to do later whatever you do don’t get a hold of any military or government Personnel we need to let them contact us if we are going to get any real money.” Jack was quite pleased as Nathan seemed to think his idea at least had some merit to it. He didn’t mind leaving it in Nathan’s hands either after all Jack didn’t have any real skill with business himself and negotiations where not his strong point.
“ Alright well then I am going to get back to the tv then I don’t want to miss a minute of Kate showing off.” This got a chuckle from Nathan.
“ Yeah my daughter is quite a wondrous site most assuredly her mother’s daughter.” Jack didn’t bother asking about that one knowing so little about Kate’s mother. Rather he waited a moment for Nathan to hang up before hanging up himself. Dashing into the living room he turned the tv back on and watched as the news vans began to pull up. Kate was of course already waiting outside seeming as if she had been waiting for a very long time. Actually he couldn’t help but wonder if fifteen minutes was beginning to seem like a wrong time to someone that could move so quickly. He knew if Kate remained in her accelerated state for to long she could about drive herself insane just trying to microwave some food.
“ Well I am glad you all could make it.” Mark grinned at Kate as he climbed out of his car it was obvious that she had relaxed quite a bit once she got to flaunting her power. That seemed to be her element though so long as she remained in the physical realm she would remain extremely confident. Walking up to her Kate rose to her feet before she could be helped out as reporters began to file out of their various modes of transportation a few shots where taken.
“ This way please after this lass demonstration you may ask any questions you want.” Mark lead the way through the building and out back where a rather large parking lot was. This would normally be covered with cones and be used for new recruits to practice various driving maneuvers. As Mark lead the way Kate noticed he was carrying a radar gun her smile faded a bit but returned quickly she would have to be careful not to go over 120mph but she figured she could do it. “ Hey Kate what happened to your shoes?”
“ Took them off they would end up getting shredded at the speeds I am going to be moving at.” Mark gave a slight nod as they finally reached the training area. Indeed quite a few cones covered the parking lot however they where to close together and the turns where far too tight for a vehicle to take. Taking his position Mark set the radar gun up before turning to Kate.
“ Ready when you are.” Kate gave a slight nod and took her time walking to where she imagined the starting point was. Looking at the reporters she gave them time to ready their equipment the moment the last camera was ready Kate seemed to vanish from the spot. Though this wasn’t the case it came from the fact that her powerful legs could easily accelerate her from 0 to 120mph within less then a second and faster had she wanted to move that quickly. It was clear from the reaction of the reporters and even Mark that they weren’t prepared for such a sharp jump in speed. While to the reporters Kate seemed to be nothing but a blur to Kate the world seemed to move in slow motion having only accelerated her body to a small amount of her true speed her senses however where at full ability.
This had the effect of making her run seem like an extremely slow walk. Indeed she found herself absently looking around as she approached every curve in the corse easily holding herself to the center of the cones. Absently she began to play around actually hopping every once in a while to help keep her boredom down. She could afford to play around though as only a very small amount of the reporters had proven they had the reaction time to keep up with her. The only major issue Kate had is while the entire course only took her a few minutes to run it seemed to take a great deal longer to Kate thanks to her reaction time.
Mark for his part was stunned he had planned on tracking her with the radar gun as she increased in speed but he had moved too slowly and only had the starting speed of 111mph. They where a few cameras that had managed to follow Kate though at least after a few moments. Though most of them had only followed her through the start, a few brief glimpses, and then focused on her at the end. “ Ta da.” Was the only think Kate could think of saying as the eyes finally all focused on her. Taking a moment, she proceeded to flex some of her upper body as well as her legs.
Kate enjoyed the shock look on a few of the reporter’s faces though some of them where clearly handling it better then others. Kate dumped her head to the side for a moment as she instantly felt quite silly realizing why some of the reporters probably didn’t react at all. They had probably been around when one or more battle between enhanced or altered life forms had broken out and thus where well adapted to handling such situations. Still, at least she was still able to put on a good show for a few of them. “ Would you mind doing that again we weren’t able to follow you to well.” Kate turned her attention in the direction of the reporter who had asked giving her head a slight nod.
“ Sure thing though this is going to be the last time.” The man nodded and once again Kate was shooting through the course at least to everyone’s eyes except her own. To Kate the 5 minute walk felt like it took a hour as in truth she could move nearly 10x as fast as she currently was going which gave her a distorted view on time. At least it gave her time to think about other things as well as dwell on past memories. The situation reminded her of the time she had decided to see how it felt to heat up some pop corn and remained in her enhanced state. She had resolved to never do that once again as at the time her senses and thoughts where reacting twenty times faster then a normal human. That turned the 3 minutes it normally took to get done into another hours’ wait she most assuredly would never be doing that one again.
As Kate made her way through the cones she found herself weaving in and out around them. Looking over at the camera’s for a moment she wasn’t sure if she should be acting up at the moment but she couldn’t help herself she was bored. She wasn’t moving fast enough for this to be really considered an exercise though it may have more of a result then just moving at normal speeds. For a moment she wondered what it must be like for the people trying to video tape her. While to her she was moving at a remarkably slow speed to them she was moving fast incredibly fast. It made her want to speed up even more to really show them what she was capable of doing. However she had talked it other with Jack and both resolved it would be best if no one knew how capable she truly was.
A visibly sigh of relief came from Kate’s lips as she made it to the other end of the corse and turned her attention back towards the cameras. The world began to speed up or seem too as Kate relaxed and force herself to keep her movements down to a human level. “ So any questions?”
“ Why aren’t you wearing any shoes?” Kate snapped her head in the direction of the voice seeing the rather young reporter. Looking down at her feet she couldn’t help herself as she began to chuckle out of all the questions he could have asked.
“ Because moving at those speeds Nike doesn’t make a pair that could withstand the force especially taking corners like I did.”
“ So you haven’t been able to afford equipment suited to your abilities?” Kate considered mentioning the special training equipment and other things she had made. The fact that she had to wear clothing meant for motorcycle racers to avoid running naked at least if she moved from a spot. While running on a treadmill it wasn’t a issue the only thing that was destroyed was her pants which was easily solved by not wearing them. At least at the speeds she was keeping herself down to her normal clothing such as her uniform didn’t get torn apart.
“Not yet.” Kate made her way over to the rest of the reporters and took up her position next to Mark who was keeping silent for now. Figuring he would just go with whatever answer Kate offered them.
“ And how long have you had these abilities?” Kate considered this question just how far back did she really want to go.
“ They manifested roughly a year ago I was so surprised and worried about my health that I even took a bit of a vacation from the force to try and figure out what was going on.” A few more notes where scribbled down.
“ Any idea of just what caused these abilities to form.” Kate couldn’t help but grin.
“ Sorry but that is one question I am not going to answer.” Immediately Kate was assaulted by the exact same question as she had just refused to answer.
“ But miss the public has the right to know, just think of what good it could do if scientist could figure out what caused this change in you.” Kate’s face turned stern the moment the words left the reporters mouth.
“ Not as far as I am concerned and as far as scientist learning just what caused this. Are you already trying to get me to turn myself into a lab rat?” Kate rebuffed several more questions as far as the origins of her abilities refusing to tell the smallest detail she even opted to keep the information of just where she had been vacationing a secret. Curiously she wondered if the hospital would keep her visitors list a secret as well as just what she had been in the hospital for. At last after several refusals to answer any questions as far as her powers went, they got into other subjects.
“ Now miss from what you told us earlier you killed Copperhead with your fist. Now I can’t help but wonder if people as powerful as superman has avoided killing him up until this point what happened with you. You’re clearly quite strong and fast but not nearly as fast as him.” Kate snorted for a moment wishing that she could show her true power. As much as she wanted to keep herself out of the spotlight for a while longer, she didn’t like her abilities being looked down upon.
“ Well it was my first encounter with someone on his level at least since I have gotten my abilities. I reacted much the sa