(Contains BBW and SSBBW, Massive and magic weight gain, and comic book nonsense)
Author's note: Okay, new story! With all comic books/movies all the rage these days, and with a lovely little story on Curvage as inspiration, I decided to make a story with some of my favorite, least-known heroines from DC Comics. Why the least-known? Because I like making people do research.
On that note, I hope you enjoy, and look forward to new updates every Wednesday!
The lunch rush was in full swing at Steamer’s in downtown Central City. Everyone was packing into the steampunk-themed joint, which resembled the insides of a massive, classical machine. One or two members of the police department were there, as well as a few staff members of S.T.A.R. Labs, but the most unique visitors had yet to arrive.
In walked three young women who were quite well-known in their line of work: Maxine Hunkel, the wind-whipping Cyclone; Jesse Chambers-Tyler, the queen of quickness; Sonia Sato, the masterful martial artist Judomaster. All three were members of the granddaddy of superhero teams, the Justice Society of America, but they were not accompanied by any of their myriad teammates; in fact, their visit to Central City was strictly off the books.
Jesse, a lithe and toned young woman, approached the hostess at the front desk and smiled. “Hi, we’re meeting up with some people from work. I think the table’s under ‘Faith’?”
The hostess did not even have to look down at her reservation list. “The table for thirteen? We’ve got you set up already; a couple others got here before you did. Right this way!”
The trio followed after the co-ed, who guided them through the busy restaurant. Jesse and Maxine had a hard time avoiding all the customers and servers, but Sonia managed to dodge around them with the greatest of ease. The Kyoto-born woman never broke her stride as she kept pace with her colleagues.
“Thirteen people in the middle of the day? Must be something big you’re putting together,” the hostess remarked to Jesse.
“We like to brainstorm together,” the blonde answered. “And yeah, it’s something really big.”
“Like, world-ending big,” Maxine chimed in. “Threat level Demon, that type of stuff.”
Sonia gave the redhead a silent nudge, warning her to close her mouth before she spilt anything else. Jesse just chuckled as she took the lead again. “She means our office’s world. We’ve got this big merger coming up, and if it tanks, so do we.”
“Sounds serious,” their guide said with a shrug, just barely interested in their affairs. “You might want to get some thinking food. Want me to get you an order of wings or anything?”
“Actually,” came a melodic voice from the table, “I just placed an order for a few things. Thanks though.”
The voice came from a petite brunette, who was even shorter than the tiny Maxine. She wore a long-sleeved white blouse and a purple tank-top underneath, as well as a pair of silver overall shorts. Her brown hair was trimmed into a pixie cut, giving her an almost boyish look when combined with her fairly flat physique.
To the woman’s left was a slightly taller blonde girl dressed in purple and indigo. Her blonde locks flowed past her shoulders, and her clothes were somewhat snug on her apparently firm physique. She gave the arriving trio a wave as she sipped from a cup of green soda.
“Hey, ’sup?” she asked the girls.
“’Sup!” Maxine replied with enthusiasm to make up for her teammates. “I love your hoodie!”
The blonde fiddled with one of the drawstrings and grinned. “Thanks. I like your shirt.”
Maxine glanced down at her Wicked t-shirt, which was all green except for Elphaba’s black hair and hat, and Glinda’s pale skin and white clothes. The gangly redhead also sported a pair of white shorts, red and white striped socks, and white tennis shoes.
“Thank you! Have you seen the new movie because oh my gosh I love it and—”
“Maxine. Stop please.”
Sonia gave her teammate another soft nudge towards the table, which put a cork in Maxine’s mouth for another minute or two. The brunette at the head glanced over the martial artist who, despite being smaller than her chatty companion, seemed much more in control and assertive. Sonia was wearing a red and yellow tracksuit which was not especially flattering, but then, that did not seem to be a problem for her.
The woman’s eyes then turned to the assumedly leader of the group and gave Jesse a onceover. Miss Chambers-Tyler was wearing a maroon t-shirt and khaki capris, and her dusty blonde hair was done up in a professional ponytail. She seemed to pay her teammates no mind as she offered a hand to their host.
“Faith, I presume? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise, Miss—”
“Just call me Jesse. No need to stand on ceremony here.”
The tiny woman chuckled. “No, I suppose not. But may I say, I have admired your work with the JSA for quite some time.”
“Well, thanks!” Jesse happily replied. “I was actually a fan of yours when you were with the League; I always wondered why you left.”
“Personal reasons, that’s all. Come, sit down! I got us some good snacks to munch on while we wait for the others to arrive.”
They both sat down, and after placing drink orders, Maxine noticed a glass sitting at an empty seat. She asked, “Is someone else here?”
“Actually, I was the first one.”
The newcomers turned and saw a fiery-haired woman walk towards them. She had pale skin, which only emphasized her hair color, and the body of a tennis player. What’s more, she seemed to have an aura about her, but of what, who could say. The woman wore a pair of blue jeans and a long-sleeved red shirt.
“Lorraine Reilly,” she greeted the trio. “And I think I have a clue who you three are.”
“Yes, well, let’s save that for when our other guests arrive,” Faith told Lorraine.
No sooner had Lorraine sat down than the table was greeted by another woman: a meek little thing with platinum-white hair and skin, who wore a pair of denim short shorts and a tied-off shirt.
“Dolphin! So glad you could make it!” Faith exclaimed. The meek girl only waved before quickly sitting down beside Maxine.
“Dolphin? Wait, you mean you’re THE Dolphin?” the chatty girl asked. “Oh my gosh, that’s so incredible! I remember learning all about you in my marine biology class. What’s it like living out in the sea? Do you hang out with Aquaman much? What’s he like? Is Atlantis really nice? Is it—”
She was silenced when Sonia gave her a firmer nudge and nodded to Dolphin, who had begun to tear up. The silent woman hopped out of her seat and made her way to the very end of the table, where no one was near her. She let out a small sigh as she composed herself, but she still sniffled now and then.
“Maxine, Dolphin is something of an introvert; you need to go slow, otherwise she’ll shut down,” Faith told the gangly girl.
Maxine bit her lip and folded her hands in her lap. This was just another example of how much she needed to control herself around others. It was something she still struggled with after all these years.
After a moment of awkwardness, Jesse cleared her throat and asked, “So, um…who else is coming?”
“Oh, just a few more. They should be coming any second now…”
Sure enough, a few seconds passed and two more people walked up to the table. One was much taller and muscular than the other, though her companion made up for it by having silver skin. The tall woman looked to be Asian-American, and she had a thick crop of dyed red hair, tattoos up and down her arms, and what were basically work-out clothes. The silver woman was more conservative, but not by much; she wore a red tank-top, white capris, and thick sunglasses.
“Grace, Alix, meet everyone; everyone, meet Grace and Alix.”
The silver Alix nodded her head politely while Grace said, “Yo.”
When the two took a seat and placed their drinks (gin and tonic for Alix, beer for Grace), Jesse gave the two of them a smile. The mathematician remarked, “Haven’t seen you two in a while. What’s going on these days?”
“We’re partners,” Alix answered. “Heroes for hire, as it were.”
“Although we practically got sued by some comic company in New York for the name, so we’re still working on it,” Grace said as she leaned back in her chair. She glanced to Faith and asked, “We still waiting on the starlets?”
“And the internationals, yes,” Faith replied. “Though I think two of them are right—”
“Here we are, bitches!”
Everyone at the table glanced up to see not one but two celebrities before them. One was the problematic party girl Stormy Knight, and the other was the classy and classic Rita Farr. Miss Knight had dark black hair that ran halfway down her back and a yellow sundress that left little to the imagination. Rita, meanwhile, had her brown hair done up like Marilyn Monroe, and she wore a red blouse with blue jeans and a white scarf.
“How are my girls doing?” Stormy asked as she walked around the table, greeting each one in the same intrusive fashion. “Good? You doing good? Yeah, you are.”
Rita sighed. “I thought after flying all the way here, you’d have calmed down a bit, but no. This is just how you are, I suppose.”
“Can’t help it, stretch,” the party girl replied. “If there’s attention to be had, I’m right there in the center of it.”
The blonde in the hoodie shook her head. “Yeah, well, we’re not exactly supposed to be making a scene here. Dial it back, Real Life.”
Stormy rolled her eyes but acquiesced. She took a seat near Dolphin and drummed her fingers as she mulled over the drink menu. Rita, for her part, maintained an aura of grace and majesty as she waltzed to her seat and sipped at the available glass of water.
“I must say, this is a rather…unique establishment,” the movie star remarked. “Wherever did you find such a place?”
Faith shrugged her shoulders. “Good Yarp reviews, that’s all. I thought it would be most fitting for our unusual get-together.”
“Yes, this is quite the menagerie you’ve gathered,” the starlet murmured. “I don’t suppose you’d like to share why us in particular?”
“I thought you said this would lead to a job, Faith,” Grace grunted as she downed half her beer in one gulp.
“And it will, it will.” The tiny girl threw up her hands as she tried to reassure her guests. “All will be revealed as soon as the last of our party shows up, which should be riiiiiiight now!”
At the snap of her fingers, two women turned the corner and arrived at the table. One was a Japanese woman of modest height, perhaps a hair taller than Sonia, while the other was an Indian woman who was among the tallest at the table. The Japanese woman wore a black blouse and a pair of white slacks, while the Indian woman wore a dress of reds and blues.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been to a place so tacky before,” the Japanese woman huffed while tossing her black hair over her shoulder.
“I think it’s charming in its own way, Kimiyo,” the Indian woman retorted. Her dark locks were wrapped in a ponytail all the way to her waist.
Kimiyo glanced to her companion and scoffed. “There is a fine line between charming and gaudy, Chandi, and this place has long since crossed that line.”
When the two reached the table, Chandi gave a polite wave to everyone while Kimiyo glared at Jesse, who glared in return.
“Kimiyo.”
“Jessica.”
Maxine glanced back and forth between the two and asked, “Do you know each other?”
“We were briefly teammates on the Justice League,” Jesse groaned. “It didn’t go well.”
“Everything would have gone just fine if you had simply listened to my plans,” the haughty woman growled.
“Or maybe you could have listened to me, since I actually consider people’s strengths and weaknesses rather than giving everyone the same strategy.”
Once again, Faith stepped in. “Ladies, we can cover that some other time, but, since we’re all here, I thought it best we finally talk about why I’ve gathered you all here.”
Kimiyo and Chandi took their seats and, once everyone had something to drink, were all ears as Faith explained everything.
“My name is Jen Grey, but I think most of you know me by my super name, Faith. I was a member of the Justice League for a short time, but an injury forced me to leave.”
“What kind of injury was that?” asked Alix.
“Vampire bite,” Faith answered. “Anyway, since then, I’ve been doing some undercover work, investigating the threats no one knows are out there. I’ve seen a lot of horrible things along the way: M’nagalah, the Cancer God; the American Scream; A, Destroyer of the 5th Dimension; so many terrible, horrible creatures and concepts that threaten the fabric of reality itself. But there was one that I came across that dates back to the Golden Age of heroes: Gluttox, Devourer of All.”
Stormy snorted in laughter. “Wow, who named that bad boy? Anytime you want to make someone sound cool, just slap a X on their name.”
The hostess ignored her. “Gluttox attacked a small, Midwestern town and burrowed deep beneath the soil, where it took roots. It took a team of thirteen heroes to stop it, but they could not destroy it; they could only hope to contain it before it could unleash its full power. They had to evacuate the town and sanction off the area, turning it into a no man’s land.”
“Sounds pretty rough. What did this thing do?”
“Well, Grace, that’s where it gets weird. You see, it tried to fatten up the entire population of the town.”
There was a pregnant pause at the table before Sonia asked, “What?”
“My thoughts exactly. It turns out that Gluttox is a beast from Apokolips, and it escaped to Earth when we seemed weak and defenseless. The thing is able to inspire ravenous hunger in people, as well as create an environment that will provide for said hunger. People gorge themselves full of food, which turns into fat almost instantly, which then gives Gluttox more power. Then, once it’s made a population too weak and slow to do anything, it conquers. It almost succeeded too, if it weren’t for thirteen heroines that gathered to defeat it. That’s why I’ve brought you all here: to end this menace once and for all.”
“Why reach out to us?” asked Kimiyo. “Surely there are other, actual teams out there who could defeat such a beast.”
Faith shook her head. “I wish it were that easy, but nothing is ever easy in our line of work. We need to have thirteen heroes, and we need to have people who best match up with the previous heroes. Since the originals were all women, this team is all women; since there were thirteen, we’re thirteen strong.”
One by one, she pointed to her guests, starting with Jesse. “Jesse, your mother, Liberty Belle, led the charge against the beast. Maxine, your grandmother, the original Red Tornado, was right by Belle’s side. Sonia, you represent the wit and agility of the original Harlequin. Chandi, you represent the Russian heroine Fireball, just as Lorraine represents the second wielder of flames, Firebrand. Dolphin, you represent the aquatic abilities of the oceanic one, Tsunami. Grace, like the original Fury, you will be our Amazon. Alix, you will stand in for the first metal mistress, Bulletgirl. Stephanie, you are a talented young trickster, therefore you will take Gimmick Girl’s place. Stormy, you will assume the role of your great-aunt, the first Phantom Lady. Rita, your size-changing powers make you the perfect legacy for Doll Girl. And Kimiyo, you will be taking the place of the team’s most powerful member, Miss America.”
The women mumbled among themselves, some excited and others confused, before returning their attention to their host. Chandi asked, “If these are our roles, then what does that make you, Faith?”
“I am taking the place of the first psychic heroine, Rose Psychic,” the young lady remarked with a swell of pride. “With that, we meet the cosmic rules and thus, we can beat Gluttox before he escapes and turns us into steamed dumplings for his enjoyment.”
Stephanie, the young blonde in the hoodie, raised the most important question. “What’s the catch? There’s always something people like you withhold from the rest of us, whether it’s not having enough supplies or understating how powerful these things are.”
When the others showed concern over this, Faith raised her hand to silence the table. “You’re right, there is one catch. And for some of you, it might be very important; almost enough to make you quit.”
“We’re not getting paid, is that it?” asked Grace.
The hostess shook her head. “Nothing like that. You will be paid and you will help save the world, but the experience will change you.”
“Define ‘change’, because I’ve seen a lot in my time,” Rita prodded.
“In trying to stop Gluttox, the thirteen heroines wound up under his spell and gorged themselves into obesity; some were even unable to walk after the incident. It wasn’t permanent and it didn’t exactly kill them, but that is a risk. If you do this, you might, no, will end up fat.”
There was another round of heavy silence before the ladies all burst out laughing, even the silent Dolphin. When Faith raised an eyebrow at the display, she was answered by Jesse. “Faith, if that’s the least of our problems, then I think we’ll be just fine!”
“I can think of far worse things to go through than getting fat,” Chandi chuckled.
“Yeah! Like getting crushed by a robot, getting fried by a dragon, getting—“
“What Maxine means is you’ve got nothing to worry about,” the speedster added.
Stormy softly elbowed Rita in the side. “You think this will hurt you on the red carpet?”
“Darling, I could be twenty pounds or five thousand pounds, but I would make it look good,” the starlet smirked as she leaned back.
Faith grinned as she felt a wave of relief come over her. She looked over her newfound allies and said, “Thank you all. I was afraid some of you would say no!”
“Please, like we’d let vanity get in the way of being heroes,” Grace snorted before letting out a modest belch.
“Well then, I think that’s enough talk about business,” the hostess declared. “I got us a table for thirteen, and we should probably use it before people get angry. We’ll talk about the details later, but for now—bon apetit!”
As the women all ate and drank heartily, the threat of Gluttox drifted to the back of their mind. Little did they know how much they underestimated the monstrosity…and how much they would grow from the experience…
Author's note: Okay, new story! With all comic books/movies all the rage these days, and with a lovely little story on Curvage as inspiration, I decided to make a story with some of my favorite, least-known heroines from DC Comics. Why the least-known? Because I like making people do research.
On that note, I hope you enjoy, and look forward to new updates every Wednesday!
Revenge of Gluttox!
by Vongola27
by Vongola27
The lunch rush was in full swing at Steamer’s in downtown Central City. Everyone was packing into the steampunk-themed joint, which resembled the insides of a massive, classical machine. One or two members of the police department were there, as well as a few staff members of S.T.A.R. Labs, but the most unique visitors had yet to arrive.
In walked three young women who were quite well-known in their line of work: Maxine Hunkel, the wind-whipping Cyclone; Jesse Chambers-Tyler, the queen of quickness; Sonia Sato, the masterful martial artist Judomaster. All three were members of the granddaddy of superhero teams, the Justice Society of America, but they were not accompanied by any of their myriad teammates; in fact, their visit to Central City was strictly off the books.
Jesse, a lithe and toned young woman, approached the hostess at the front desk and smiled. “Hi, we’re meeting up with some people from work. I think the table’s under ‘Faith’?”
The hostess did not even have to look down at her reservation list. “The table for thirteen? We’ve got you set up already; a couple others got here before you did. Right this way!”
The trio followed after the co-ed, who guided them through the busy restaurant. Jesse and Maxine had a hard time avoiding all the customers and servers, but Sonia managed to dodge around them with the greatest of ease. The Kyoto-born woman never broke her stride as she kept pace with her colleagues.
“Thirteen people in the middle of the day? Must be something big you’re putting together,” the hostess remarked to Jesse.
“We like to brainstorm together,” the blonde answered. “And yeah, it’s something really big.”
“Like, world-ending big,” Maxine chimed in. “Threat level Demon, that type of stuff.”
Sonia gave the redhead a silent nudge, warning her to close her mouth before she spilt anything else. Jesse just chuckled as she took the lead again. “She means our office’s world. We’ve got this big merger coming up, and if it tanks, so do we.”
“Sounds serious,” their guide said with a shrug, just barely interested in their affairs. “You might want to get some thinking food. Want me to get you an order of wings or anything?”
“Actually,” came a melodic voice from the table, “I just placed an order for a few things. Thanks though.”
The voice came from a petite brunette, who was even shorter than the tiny Maxine. She wore a long-sleeved white blouse and a purple tank-top underneath, as well as a pair of silver overall shorts. Her brown hair was trimmed into a pixie cut, giving her an almost boyish look when combined with her fairly flat physique.
To the woman’s left was a slightly taller blonde girl dressed in purple and indigo. Her blonde locks flowed past her shoulders, and her clothes were somewhat snug on her apparently firm physique. She gave the arriving trio a wave as she sipped from a cup of green soda.
“Hey, ’sup?” she asked the girls.
“’Sup!” Maxine replied with enthusiasm to make up for her teammates. “I love your hoodie!”
The blonde fiddled with one of the drawstrings and grinned. “Thanks. I like your shirt.”
Maxine glanced down at her Wicked t-shirt, which was all green except for Elphaba’s black hair and hat, and Glinda’s pale skin and white clothes. The gangly redhead also sported a pair of white shorts, red and white striped socks, and white tennis shoes.
“Thank you! Have you seen the new movie because oh my gosh I love it and—”
“Maxine. Stop please.”
Sonia gave her teammate another soft nudge towards the table, which put a cork in Maxine’s mouth for another minute or two. The brunette at the head glanced over the martial artist who, despite being smaller than her chatty companion, seemed much more in control and assertive. Sonia was wearing a red and yellow tracksuit which was not especially flattering, but then, that did not seem to be a problem for her.
The woman’s eyes then turned to the assumedly leader of the group and gave Jesse a onceover. Miss Chambers-Tyler was wearing a maroon t-shirt and khaki capris, and her dusty blonde hair was done up in a professional ponytail. She seemed to pay her teammates no mind as she offered a hand to their host.
“Faith, I presume? It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise, Miss—”
“Just call me Jesse. No need to stand on ceremony here.”
The tiny woman chuckled. “No, I suppose not. But may I say, I have admired your work with the JSA for quite some time.”
“Well, thanks!” Jesse happily replied. “I was actually a fan of yours when you were with the League; I always wondered why you left.”
“Personal reasons, that’s all. Come, sit down! I got us some good snacks to munch on while we wait for the others to arrive.”
They both sat down, and after placing drink orders, Maxine noticed a glass sitting at an empty seat. She asked, “Is someone else here?”
“Actually, I was the first one.”
The newcomers turned and saw a fiery-haired woman walk towards them. She had pale skin, which only emphasized her hair color, and the body of a tennis player. What’s more, she seemed to have an aura about her, but of what, who could say. The woman wore a pair of blue jeans and a long-sleeved red shirt.
“Lorraine Reilly,” she greeted the trio. “And I think I have a clue who you three are.”
“Yes, well, let’s save that for when our other guests arrive,” Faith told Lorraine.
No sooner had Lorraine sat down than the table was greeted by another woman: a meek little thing with platinum-white hair and skin, who wore a pair of denim short shorts and a tied-off shirt.
“Dolphin! So glad you could make it!” Faith exclaimed. The meek girl only waved before quickly sitting down beside Maxine.
“Dolphin? Wait, you mean you’re THE Dolphin?” the chatty girl asked. “Oh my gosh, that’s so incredible! I remember learning all about you in my marine biology class. What’s it like living out in the sea? Do you hang out with Aquaman much? What’s he like? Is Atlantis really nice? Is it—”
She was silenced when Sonia gave her a firmer nudge and nodded to Dolphin, who had begun to tear up. The silent woman hopped out of her seat and made her way to the very end of the table, where no one was near her. She let out a small sigh as she composed herself, but she still sniffled now and then.
“Maxine, Dolphin is something of an introvert; you need to go slow, otherwise she’ll shut down,” Faith told the gangly girl.
Maxine bit her lip and folded her hands in her lap. This was just another example of how much she needed to control herself around others. It was something she still struggled with after all these years.
After a moment of awkwardness, Jesse cleared her throat and asked, “So, um…who else is coming?”
“Oh, just a few more. They should be coming any second now…”
Sure enough, a few seconds passed and two more people walked up to the table. One was much taller and muscular than the other, though her companion made up for it by having silver skin. The tall woman looked to be Asian-American, and she had a thick crop of dyed red hair, tattoos up and down her arms, and what were basically work-out clothes. The silver woman was more conservative, but not by much; she wore a red tank-top, white capris, and thick sunglasses.
“Grace, Alix, meet everyone; everyone, meet Grace and Alix.”
The silver Alix nodded her head politely while Grace said, “Yo.”
When the two took a seat and placed their drinks (gin and tonic for Alix, beer for Grace), Jesse gave the two of them a smile. The mathematician remarked, “Haven’t seen you two in a while. What’s going on these days?”
“We’re partners,” Alix answered. “Heroes for hire, as it were.”
“Although we practically got sued by some comic company in New York for the name, so we’re still working on it,” Grace said as she leaned back in her chair. She glanced to Faith and asked, “We still waiting on the starlets?”
“And the internationals, yes,” Faith replied. “Though I think two of them are right—”
“Here we are, bitches!”
Everyone at the table glanced up to see not one but two celebrities before them. One was the problematic party girl Stormy Knight, and the other was the classy and classic Rita Farr. Miss Knight had dark black hair that ran halfway down her back and a yellow sundress that left little to the imagination. Rita, meanwhile, had her brown hair done up like Marilyn Monroe, and she wore a red blouse with blue jeans and a white scarf.
“How are my girls doing?” Stormy asked as she walked around the table, greeting each one in the same intrusive fashion. “Good? You doing good? Yeah, you are.”
Rita sighed. “I thought after flying all the way here, you’d have calmed down a bit, but no. This is just how you are, I suppose.”
“Can’t help it, stretch,” the party girl replied. “If there’s attention to be had, I’m right there in the center of it.”
The blonde in the hoodie shook her head. “Yeah, well, we’re not exactly supposed to be making a scene here. Dial it back, Real Life.”
Stormy rolled her eyes but acquiesced. She took a seat near Dolphin and drummed her fingers as she mulled over the drink menu. Rita, for her part, maintained an aura of grace and majesty as she waltzed to her seat and sipped at the available glass of water.
“I must say, this is a rather…unique establishment,” the movie star remarked. “Wherever did you find such a place?”
Faith shrugged her shoulders. “Good Yarp reviews, that’s all. I thought it would be most fitting for our unusual get-together.”
“Yes, this is quite the menagerie you’ve gathered,” the starlet murmured. “I don’t suppose you’d like to share why us in particular?”
“I thought you said this would lead to a job, Faith,” Grace grunted as she downed half her beer in one gulp.
“And it will, it will.” The tiny girl threw up her hands as she tried to reassure her guests. “All will be revealed as soon as the last of our party shows up, which should be riiiiiiight now!”
At the snap of her fingers, two women turned the corner and arrived at the table. One was a Japanese woman of modest height, perhaps a hair taller than Sonia, while the other was an Indian woman who was among the tallest at the table. The Japanese woman wore a black blouse and a pair of white slacks, while the Indian woman wore a dress of reds and blues.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been to a place so tacky before,” the Japanese woman huffed while tossing her black hair over her shoulder.
“I think it’s charming in its own way, Kimiyo,” the Indian woman retorted. Her dark locks were wrapped in a ponytail all the way to her waist.
Kimiyo glanced to her companion and scoffed. “There is a fine line between charming and gaudy, Chandi, and this place has long since crossed that line.”
When the two reached the table, Chandi gave a polite wave to everyone while Kimiyo glared at Jesse, who glared in return.
“Kimiyo.”
“Jessica.”
Maxine glanced back and forth between the two and asked, “Do you know each other?”
“We were briefly teammates on the Justice League,” Jesse groaned. “It didn’t go well.”
“Everything would have gone just fine if you had simply listened to my plans,” the haughty woman growled.
“Or maybe you could have listened to me, since I actually consider people’s strengths and weaknesses rather than giving everyone the same strategy.”
Once again, Faith stepped in. “Ladies, we can cover that some other time, but, since we’re all here, I thought it best we finally talk about why I’ve gathered you all here.”
Kimiyo and Chandi took their seats and, once everyone had something to drink, were all ears as Faith explained everything.
“My name is Jen Grey, but I think most of you know me by my super name, Faith. I was a member of the Justice League for a short time, but an injury forced me to leave.”
“What kind of injury was that?” asked Alix.
“Vampire bite,” Faith answered. “Anyway, since then, I’ve been doing some undercover work, investigating the threats no one knows are out there. I’ve seen a lot of horrible things along the way: M’nagalah, the Cancer God; the American Scream; A, Destroyer of the 5th Dimension; so many terrible, horrible creatures and concepts that threaten the fabric of reality itself. But there was one that I came across that dates back to the Golden Age of heroes: Gluttox, Devourer of All.”
Stormy snorted in laughter. “Wow, who named that bad boy? Anytime you want to make someone sound cool, just slap a X on their name.”
The hostess ignored her. “Gluttox attacked a small, Midwestern town and burrowed deep beneath the soil, where it took roots. It took a team of thirteen heroes to stop it, but they could not destroy it; they could only hope to contain it before it could unleash its full power. They had to evacuate the town and sanction off the area, turning it into a no man’s land.”
“Sounds pretty rough. What did this thing do?”
“Well, Grace, that’s where it gets weird. You see, it tried to fatten up the entire population of the town.”
There was a pregnant pause at the table before Sonia asked, “What?”
“My thoughts exactly. It turns out that Gluttox is a beast from Apokolips, and it escaped to Earth when we seemed weak and defenseless. The thing is able to inspire ravenous hunger in people, as well as create an environment that will provide for said hunger. People gorge themselves full of food, which turns into fat almost instantly, which then gives Gluttox more power. Then, once it’s made a population too weak and slow to do anything, it conquers. It almost succeeded too, if it weren’t for thirteen heroines that gathered to defeat it. That’s why I’ve brought you all here: to end this menace once and for all.”
“Why reach out to us?” asked Kimiyo. “Surely there are other, actual teams out there who could defeat such a beast.”
Faith shook her head. “I wish it were that easy, but nothing is ever easy in our line of work. We need to have thirteen heroes, and we need to have people who best match up with the previous heroes. Since the originals were all women, this team is all women; since there were thirteen, we’re thirteen strong.”
One by one, she pointed to her guests, starting with Jesse. “Jesse, your mother, Liberty Belle, led the charge against the beast. Maxine, your grandmother, the original Red Tornado, was right by Belle’s side. Sonia, you represent the wit and agility of the original Harlequin. Chandi, you represent the Russian heroine Fireball, just as Lorraine represents the second wielder of flames, Firebrand. Dolphin, you represent the aquatic abilities of the oceanic one, Tsunami. Grace, like the original Fury, you will be our Amazon. Alix, you will stand in for the first metal mistress, Bulletgirl. Stephanie, you are a talented young trickster, therefore you will take Gimmick Girl’s place. Stormy, you will assume the role of your great-aunt, the first Phantom Lady. Rita, your size-changing powers make you the perfect legacy for Doll Girl. And Kimiyo, you will be taking the place of the team’s most powerful member, Miss America.”
The women mumbled among themselves, some excited and others confused, before returning their attention to their host. Chandi asked, “If these are our roles, then what does that make you, Faith?”
“I am taking the place of the first psychic heroine, Rose Psychic,” the young lady remarked with a swell of pride. “With that, we meet the cosmic rules and thus, we can beat Gluttox before he escapes and turns us into steamed dumplings for his enjoyment.”
Stephanie, the young blonde in the hoodie, raised the most important question. “What’s the catch? There’s always something people like you withhold from the rest of us, whether it’s not having enough supplies or understating how powerful these things are.”
When the others showed concern over this, Faith raised her hand to silence the table. “You’re right, there is one catch. And for some of you, it might be very important; almost enough to make you quit.”
“We’re not getting paid, is that it?” asked Grace.
The hostess shook her head. “Nothing like that. You will be paid and you will help save the world, but the experience will change you.”
“Define ‘change’, because I’ve seen a lot in my time,” Rita prodded.
“In trying to stop Gluttox, the thirteen heroines wound up under his spell and gorged themselves into obesity; some were even unable to walk after the incident. It wasn’t permanent and it didn’t exactly kill them, but that is a risk. If you do this, you might, no, will end up fat.”
There was another round of heavy silence before the ladies all burst out laughing, even the silent Dolphin. When Faith raised an eyebrow at the display, she was answered by Jesse. “Faith, if that’s the least of our problems, then I think we’ll be just fine!”
“I can think of far worse things to go through than getting fat,” Chandi chuckled.
“Yeah! Like getting crushed by a robot, getting fried by a dragon, getting—“
“What Maxine means is you’ve got nothing to worry about,” the speedster added.
Stormy softly elbowed Rita in the side. “You think this will hurt you on the red carpet?”
“Darling, I could be twenty pounds or five thousand pounds, but I would make it look good,” the starlet smirked as she leaned back.
Faith grinned as she felt a wave of relief come over her. She looked over her newfound allies and said, “Thank you all. I was afraid some of you would say no!”
“Please, like we’d let vanity get in the way of being heroes,” Grace snorted before letting out a modest belch.
“Well then, I think that’s enough talk about business,” the hostess declared. “I got us a table for thirteen, and we should probably use it before people get angry. We’ll talk about the details later, but for now—bon apetit!”
As the women all ate and drank heartily, the threat of Gluttox drifted to the back of their mind. Little did they know how much they underestimated the monstrosity…and how much they would grow from the experience…
