His fist came at her quickly, but her gloved hand was quicker, deflecting it away from her beautiful face. This movement left his midsection open, which she knew it would, allowing her to bring her knee into it, knocking the wind out of him. As he begins to fall, she brings her left hand in a judo chop to the back of his neck, making sure he is unconscious when he hits the concrete alleyway. His partner pulls a knife and lunges, but her booted foot extends out and takes him in the chest, well away from harming her. His head bounces off the brick wall behind him, so he slumps to the ground slowly.

Her blonde hair brushes over her shoulder as she turns her head to check on the family that had been attacked. The parents are hovering over their children, trying to protect them, with all of their suitcases spilled out along the road. Reaching into her short, leather jacket, she pulls out a cell phone and hits the "emergency call: police" button. Holding it out in front of her, she faces the family with a smile, "MPD, this is Black Canary. I've got two thugs on the ground that need overnight accomodations, and I have a family that needs a lift to their hotel. Thanks!" She closes the connection and walks over to them, her short boots clicking against the ground. Another night of being a hero, she thinks proudly.

Back in her apartment, she showers off the hard work of being a hero. She spends a little extra time in the hot steamy shower to loosen her tight muscles. Being single may not be for everyone, but it is nice to not have to share the bathroom with anybody. Finally refreshed, she steps out of the shower, just as her JLA app on her phone goes off. Wrapping her soft robe around her, she reads the following message: "Meet me at the Culture Museum on 5th Street. You should probably cancel your plans for tomorrow. G" Staring at the screen, she wonders what Guardian needs tonight that she should cancel her plans tomorrow. Taken out of context, he might be saying something completely different, she thinks with a grin. However, she knows the "boy scout" assigns missions on a regular basis, but not usually like this. Her curiosity piqued, she heads back to her closet for another costume. Obviously, she will wear a different one from earlier tonight, but, she thinks with a grin, it looks just as good as all the others.

Later that night, they both stand on a roof, about a block from the museum, staring at it with binoculars. He stands stiffly in his blue and gold costume, his helmet tucked under one arm and his shield slung over his shoulder. "They are after the Gem of Estonia, which supposedly has mystical powers, but more importantly, it is worth a fortune. The Syndicate does not normally work out of Metropolis, so we think they are branching out, and this heist will finance their operations here."

Pulling her binoculars down, she rests her arm on her knee that is propped up from her foot being on the raised ledge of the rooftop. "So, we want to find out where they are working out of, so just swooping in and capturing them is not a real option." She does not look at him, still eyeing the large museum from afar. That would be my first thought, she says to herself, go in quickly and bring as much pain as possible.

He nods, "Interrogations can get long and messy, and they don't always remember all the details. Catching them in the act and letting them take it back to their hideout is what we want to do." So stealth and undercover work, she thinks, interesting...

She turns to him, "So, why me? This sounds like a job for a dozen other heroes."

Guardian shifts his weight, awkwardly answering this question, "Well, there are others that could do this, but this situation needs a particular female to make it work, and you are the closest we have available." Folding her arms in front of her small waist, she feels the wind from the night air brush against her fishnet wrapped legs. Her look made Guardian feel even more uncomfortable. How can a raised eyebrow be so intimidating?

"So, here's the deal: the villain is using some sort of tech that turns his minions into statues or mannequins. He then releases them to steal whatever, then gets them shipped out to be reanimated later. The display he chose was the JLA exhibit." Black Canary recalls hearing of that exhibit, but then does not recall her mannequin being included. Trying not to sound disgruntled, she adds, "But I was not included, as only the original members are in that exhibit." I would not have been asked, even if they had branched out further, she tells herself, despite what people think of heroes, they are still human and have the same petty competitions.

Guardian holds up one hand, "Right...right, and neither was I, but you are the closest, available superheroine to...uh, fit...this mission." She raises one eyebrow (again, why does she keep doing that to me? he moans silently), asking him to continue without actually asking him to continue. He gulps slightly, and presses on, "So the Syndicate sent in three guys to do this. One is Batman, one is Aquaman, and the other is the Flash. We don't know exactly what happened, as they were able to obscure the cameras without actually obscuring them, but they did not get the gem. We intercepted their transmission out, asking for the lady that can break things with her mind."

Black Canary nods her head, understanding more of what is going on. The gem is under a security system that has cameras along the walls, a motion sensitive hook to hang it on, and an impenetrable clear container around it that sits on top of a narrow pedestal. The museum was pretty bold in broadcasting its "latest security measures". Evidently, she figures, the one can disable the cameras, the other the motion sensor, but the third guy could not get through the "clear steel", as they call it. "Since they called for a female that can break things, you thought of me, but that still doesn't explain why not ask Wonder Woman, as it is her mannequin in the exhibit."

Guardian explains further, "The museum has superpower-detecting sensors all along the exterior that run 24/7. Wonder Woman would set off every alarm if she were to enter. But, you only would set off that alarm if you used your powers while walking in. You can get in as a regular person, even though you are actually a superheroine." The way he smiles at her, she reasons this was his idea. Not a bad idea, she thinks in agreement, but not going to tell him that.

"Alright, that makes sense, I guess, so what is the rest of the plan?"

"Their message never got out, so you are going to dress up as Wonder Woman, and we are going to place you where the Wonder Woman statue is. You can be the teammate they are expecting. You help them steal it, and we will track you back to their hideout. All you need is a black haired wig and her costume, and you are set." He says that last part with another smile, having thought of everything, he tells himself.

"Well," she begins, not wanting to hurt his feelings too much, "While I may be one curvy, sexy hero, I'm not as tall or muscle-defined-looking as Wonder Woman. There is no way they will mistake me for her, and what about the real lady, I doubt she looks anything like me."

Guardian holds up his hand, "We know they don't know what she looks like, based on their message. Also, the mannequin is not a full body model of her, so your curves in red high-heeled boots should be perfect. Trust me!" While not convinced, she wants to help the JLA, and it would be good to show the Amazon that her looks are no better than her own. And I doubt he knows this, but I have a long black wig that would be perfect for my disguise, she recalls, this is not my first undercover mission.

An hour later, Black Canary is in a storage closet inside the museum. Her outfit is a simple workout bra and shorts, as she waits for her costume to arrive. In her ear, she hears Guardian whisper, "Got the work order changed from here, so all you need to do is wait for them to bring 'Wonder Woman' to you. Quick change and then the robot should return you afterwards. You okay?" She nods her head and replies, "Yep, not the first time I've hidden in closets in the dark." He starts to ask what she meant by that, but decided that he really didn't want to know.

She can hear the robot coming before she can see it. Looking around the shelves, she sees a figure in the darkened room gliding effortlessly along the ground, making no motions to be moving. As it nears a yellow-painted area, she can see the platform where the statue stands is on wheels with a crane-like arm. It holds the statue by the waist as it moves. Black Canary steps out to meet the robot, as it says, "Wonder Woman Model 1701 returned. Is Wonder Woman Model 23 ready for delivery?" Black Canary replies, "No, Model 23 will need to be dressed with the costume from Model 1701. Please stand by." The robot responds with "compliant" and "place Model 23 on black square when ready", then sets the Wonder Woman mannequin on the black square within the yellow-painted area.

Black Canary quickly strips the mannequin, which is closer to her height than she thought. Having worked with the real Wonder Woman many times, she knows how tall she really is compared to her. The roving robot does not seem to care that she is there, and simply waits for when it can return the latest Wonder Woman to its rightful spot. Have to hand it to the Guardian, she thinks, this seems to be an air tight way of sneaking in without raising suspicion.

The costume is not Wonder Woman's real costume, but it is made well and fits Black Canary tightly. As she buttons up the corset, which is not unlike hers, she can see her chest filling the red and gold top nicely. Smoothing the white stars on the blue field along her butt, she dons the high-heeled-with-platform boots. She figured they might be too big for her feet, so she brought some foam to put in the toes to help with that. Zipping them up, she snaps on the bracelets and tiara. Grabbing the mannequin, she dresses it in her outfit and puts it back in the storage closet with some other mannequins. Stopping in front of a mirror near a sink, she takes a quick look at herself. Hmmm, not bad at all girl, not bad at all. A little too flashy for me, but I look amazing as usual. She had already attached the black wig and eyebrows, so from a distance, one might mistake her for the real Wonder Woman.

She starts to move onto the yellow-painted area, but notices a compartment that opens on the robot's side. She sees a small white envelope inside. Bending down, she pulls it out. Inside the plain white envelope is a note and what looks to be a small button taped to the inside. The note is handwritten with blue ink: "If you are reading this, the three knuckleheads couldn't get it done. Whatever I told you I would pay you, I'll double it again if you finish the job. Put the button under your chin and my latest tech will do the rest. Can't wait to see you again!" She flips the page over, finding no other markings. Hmm, she ponders, no signature, but this has got to be the crime syndicate leader. He mentions three, like Guardian said, so the story seems to match what we already knew. Evidently, he suspected the original three might not be good enough, so he had a back-up plan in place.

Deciding she is already in too deep to pull out, she puts the envelope back in the compartment and closes it up. Balancing the button on her index finger, she presses it gently under her chin. Not wanting to keep the robot waiting, she walks over to the black square in the middle of the yellow-painted area. Huh, she thinks, it just holds...right...there. The tech begins working almost immediately, and Black Canary finds it hard to think. What...is...happening...to...me. Her thoughts slow down, coming to a near halt. Her body begins to stiffen yet move on its own. She spreads her legs apart slightly, and then puts her fists on her hips. She straightens her back and makes a slight smile while looking ahead. I...feel...feel...mannequin...hold...pose...mannequin...hold...pose...

As the mantra plays in her head, the roving robot easily picks her up, now that she is just plastic, and holds her onto the moving platform. Like the previous mannequin, which is still standing next to a group of mannequins where Black Canary had placed it, she is driven away slowly back into the museum. There is very little sound in the museum, as it is well past closing hours, making the distinctive sound of the wheels and motors of the robot echo slightly off various walls and exhibits. Past all of the many displays in the near dark museum, it eventually finds the right exhibit. Picking her up again, she is placed just off center in the JLA exhibit. The magnets in her platform boots lock onto the magnets in the floor, holding her in place. Having completed its duty, the robot returns to its charging station. The exhibit hall grows quiet again, as nothing in the room moves. The JLA mannequins hold their heroic poses like they always do.

In a few hours, the Sun rises on the city. Like the rest of Metropolis, the JLA exhibit is lit with brilliant light. Superman, with one hand on his hip and the other held high in a greeting, stands center stage to the immediate left of Wonder Woman. On the other side of him is Batman, who is in the motion of throwing his bat-a-rang. Next to him is Aquaman, with his arms folded across his chest. And finally, next to Wonder Woman's right, is the Flash, poised to start running at super speed. Each mannequin looks like the superhero team, but they are not quite right. For Black Canary, no one notices she is anything but a mannequin dressed as Wonder Woman. Throughout the day, people take pictures of her and the rest of the mannequin JLA. There are captions and pictures along the wall, detailing some of their exploits as a team. In her mind, everyone moves past her so quickly, as she only knows two things: her identity and what she is to do. She is a mannequin, and she must hold her pose.

That night, with the museum dark again, the security guards make their rounds, noting nothing out of the ordinary. At exactly 1 am, Batman moves his left arm and then stretches. "Ugh," with his thick Australian accent, "This caper gives me the stiffs, eh?" A moment later, the Flash starts to move and replies, "Agreed, this stinks!" His accent is American, but maybe more midwestern. At this point, Black Canary finds her brain clearing and her body able to move, "I feel like I've been asleep for a year." Batman turns to her and replies, "Not a year, but at least a day, from the likes of it. You must be Crusher, eh." Black Canary has to really restrain herself from laughing at the voice coming from Batman's costume. Just as funny is the deep voice coming from the Flash as he walks up, "Yeah, I see the digital clock on the wall has the date on it, so it has been three nights since we tried this."

Three nights? Black Canary thinks to herself, for me or just for them. She remembers her mission, but she had no idea she would be gone this long. "Not much of a talker, eh," Batman says, "No bother, we got a job. Come on, we don't have much time." As Batman and Flash walk away from her, Black Canary decides to do the same, stretching her stiff muscles as she breaks the magnetic connection of her boots from the display floor. Whatever tech that crime syndicate is using, it really works, Black Canary tells herself, I felt like a mannequin and had no idea I was anything but that.

Walking through a few of the exhibit halls slowly, they come to the display area of the Gem of Estonia. "Here it is, again," Batman states. "But this time," The Flash responds pointing a thumb at Wonder Woman, "We got her." Black Canary is not too sure about that, but she can probably handle these two if need be. Batman turns back to her and remarks, "Indeed we do, and let me just say, you look as good as the real article." Black Canary realizes he is talking to her, so she responds honestly, "Thank you...", she pauses for him to fill in his name. "Oh crikey, forgot...I'm Weightless, and this Illusionary. Boss picked us based on the security system." Illusionary, or the Flash as he looks like, steps closer and adds, "And our third team member was Edge, who was supposed to cut into the case and get us in, but he couldn't do it." Black Canary nods, making note of these guys' names, as she has only heard of Edge before.

"Well," she says in a slow sultry way, "It's nice to get to show off a little bit in public. I like being the center of attention." She decides to spin around and put her arms out, showing off her curvy Wonder Woman costume. Both men whistle in unison, but then shush the other one for being too loud. "Boys, boys," she begins, knowing she has put almost enough flirting into it, says, "Let's get going, there will be time later for other things." They both cut their eyes at each other, like there is one cookie left in the cookie jar, so only one of them will get it.

They stop outside the room that has a dozen cameras along the walls at least 12 feet in the air, aimed towards the middle of the room. There are no decorations in the room, save for signs posted on the walls of its history. There is no place to hide, and even with super speed, it is hard to imagine you could cover all the cameras before being seen. The fake Flash steps closer and holds up both hands. Black Canary can see two walls rise up in the room alongside the pedestal in the middle. As she leans over, she can see that the outside of each wall has what you would see normally if you stood there, but on the inside, it is just a gray wall. "Illusionary builds us a place to work, so we can get in and out without detection from the cameras."

"But," Illusionary adds with a wink, "It is an illusion, so don't put any part of your lovely body through it."

Following Batman's lead, they walk side by side to the gem. The green gem is cut perfectly and looks to glow, even though the light in the room is darkened somewhat. It sparkles more with every step, catching Black Canary's eye. "That gem is gorgeous", she exclaims. Both guys chuckle, "Now she speaks...they say 'diamonds are a girl's best friend', right?" Playing her part, she replies, "Or anything shiny worth millions." As they near the pedestal, they take a quick look back to see the Flash still holding his arms up. He nods, as if to say, "I got it...go."

"Right, so the motion sensor will be disabled by me when I turn off the gravity on the pedestal. That will reset the sensor, so when I remove the gem, it won't know it's gone, and then when the gravity is back on, it will think it is still there." Black Canary was wondering how they would get past that part, and so far, they have thought of it all. "And all you need from me is a way in, am I right?"

"Right! She's all yours." He flourishes his cape and steps back for her to access it.

She has not had much time to make a plan, but she thinks she has an idea. She feels confident she can scream and break the case, but that would give them away and reveal her identity. Reaching out, she touches the clear case with her hands, feeling its strength. How do I break this with my superpowers but not look like it was Black Canary? As she steps even closer to the pedestal, she is immediately self-conscious. She turns around to see both of her "teammates" looking at her star-covered butt. Grinning, she fights off the blush to say, "Guys, you need to find somewhere else to look, because now ain't the time." They both look away sheepish, but then as she turns away from them, she gives herself a playful spank on the right butt cheek. She hears something from one of them, and the illusion walls start to fail, blinking in and out of view, only to "solidify" quickly.

Hmm, she giggles to herself, probably shouldn't play this up too much. Getting back to the gem, she knows that the cameras cannot see her, and while she appears to be enclosed on both sides, she also knows the guys are watching her (or at least watching her behind). I've been working on quieter uses of my powers, she says to herself, maybe now is the time to try them. Putting both hands on the "glass", she puts her mouth almost on the glass. Activating her powers yet holding back its projection, her hands begin to vibrate as her high pitched whisper starts to shake the case. The frequency should be above what her "team" should be able to hear, so she continues to increase the frequency, yet holding in the full projection (just in case), focusing it at one point on the case.

After a few seconds, it cracks on the one side facing her. Moving to the left and then right, she makes more cracks along its side. Once a few small pieces fall down, she stops. With a careful touch, she pulls out large chunks of the glass to set on the ground by the pedestal, revealing the gem easily. As she stares at it, she whispers, "I could just swipe it now, alert the authorities and be done." Knowing there is a bigger fish to catch than these two, she turns around with a grin. "It's all yours, Weightless. I'm done." Both of them grin broadly, cheering quietly. Batman gives her a thumbs up as he walks past here carefully, so he can stay behind the Illusionary-made walls.

Putting his open palm under the hanging gem, he closes his hand an inch or two under it. Nothing seems to be different, except for the light under the gem goes from green to yellow. He then pulls the gem out with his other hand. Once he has it, he opens his hand and the yellow light turns back to green. More importantly, no alarms go off. The sensor resets itself, so the weight of nothing is the weight of the gem, as it could not have been removed. "Got it!"

He walks back to them, tucking the gem into one of the compartments on his utility belt. "Right, real winner of a job there!" Black Canary sees they have done what they came to do, but how do they get out of here without tripping the camera alarms? Surely they won't leave Illusionary standing here, but now that he has served his purpose, why get him out? "So, you keep the walls up for another 12 minutes, then we have to get back to our spots fast." Illusionary then chimes in, "While we hold our places, the guards will see the break in and come running, right past us. By the time they start looking around, we will be mannequins again." Batman nods, "Right, then the boss will see what we have done on the news, and come get us out of here."

Hmm, the only person who needs to get out of here is Batman, she figures, and the boss may not decide to get everyone, especially the Edge who failed. None of this will matter if I can't be taken with the gem. "How long do you think we will have to wait for the boss?" She asks innocently. Batman answers, "See, we had to wait 3 nights between attempts due to the camera servers being reset every 2 days, but in getting us out, he can probably do it tonight. He just has to get us moved off the floor and back to the storage room." Black Canary doubts it will work like that. She knows the gem is in Batman's utility belt, and there is no need to get the villain team back to the hideout. They just moved the gem to a location that anyone can just take...if you knew where to look.

As the minutes go by, she is determined to get that gem hidden on her somewhere so that they will have to take her back to the hideout when they cannot find it on Batman. If she could tell Guardian where to look, maybe he could see whoever gets the gem from Batman and follow them. However, the best plan would be to get freed at the hideout holding the gem. They make small talk, trying to keep it light, and then Black Canary makes her move. Putting her hand on Batman's shoulder, she says, "So, we got a few minutes, right?" Batman looks into her eyes, and sees what she means, and he is definitely interested. Sliding both of his hands around her waist, she feels them slide further down onto her butt cheeks. "Right, plenty of time." He moves in for a kiss, when the Flash interrupts them, "No and no, don't even think about it you two. We've been stuck in here all week, and if you go and mess it up, it will all be for nothing. He'll kill us all, or worse, leave us trapped as mannequins. So, don't!"

The sound of the utility belt compartment opening and closing goes without notice, as Batman turns back to face her. "He's right, but maybe just one..." She pulls away and says while pointing to the wall, "Is that clock 2 minutes fast?" Her words set Batman off, as he frantically thinks, wait, was it? no, but why would she say that if it wasn't? was it? "No, I don't think so, but it's close enough, drop it 'Flash' and let's back into our places." He drops his arms, rubbing his shoulders having held them up this entire time. "Oh, that feels good, I'm tired...never held an illusion that long before." As they walk, they can hear alarms going off: the cameras have seen the gem is missing.

Knowing she only has a few more moments, she shoves the gem down into her cleavage. The guys are distracted by walking ahead of her, so she takes time to shove and twist and reposition herself, so that the gem sets mostly beneath them. Although, if you look closely, you can tell her chest is a little uneven, but hopefully, no one will notice. Getting back to the exhibit, they step inside and wait. She can barely hear the magnets in their boots "locking" them in place. "Remember, they don't know we aren't mannequins, so hold your poses."

And with that, rapid footsteps come closer, as guards round the nearby corner. Each of the "heroes" return to their original positions as 2 guards run right past them, not even looking. Within a few moments, another two come running by, and again, they never even look at them. Wow, that was easier than...I...thought...it..would...mannequin...hold...pose...

As 2 am strikes on the clock, all three of them shift slightly, as the tech positions them exactly as they were originally, and then converts them to plastic. Each finds their thoughts come to a near halt, as even the lights and sounds of a robbery cannot grab their attention. They stand like any mannequin would, even though tens of people with lights and scanners begin looking everywhere for the gem. It does not take long for flashlights to be put into their faces, as the guards want to make sure they are not people faking it. But it does not take long for them to see that these mannequins, like all the others in the museum, are not real people.

Later the next day, guests were allowed back in, even though the other part of the museum remained closed due to the ongoing investigation. The police wanted to keep the museum closed until they found the gem, but the curator of the museum said he was going to need the revenue from the people coming in to pay for the lawsuit of losing the gem if the police do not find it. He was joking...maybe.

Sometime just before lunch, a regular looking man walks by the JLA exhibit. He then walks by again a few minutes later. He comes by again and carefully steps close enough to open the utility belt of Batman discreetly. When he does not feel what he was looking for, he tries the other compartments. Although he leaves and comes back several times to throw off any onlookers, he cannot find what he was looking for. Whipping out his cellphone, he makes a call while leaving the exhibit. The JLA mannequins continue to stand there as they have all day and night, unaware of anything out of the ordinary.

By that evening, each of the JLA exhibit mannequins were changed out. Using the same process as before, except new uniforms were ordered and put on the new mannequins. For whatever reason, the mannequins that are being removed from the display are kept clothed in their original costumes. They are loaded into an old van in the loading bay of the museum that looks like it barely runs. However, it makes the trip to the edge of town without issue, with all five mannequins bouncing around in the back. The two guys driving it have no reason to suspect anything, so they are unconcerned whether anyone follows them or notices them. Each turn is taken without concern, as the mannequins slide to the side, banging into the metal sides as well as each other. Their costumes pick up a little more dirt with each opposite turn, sending them across the floor of the old van.

Like before, Black Canary feels the ability to move coming back to her. Her muscles are stiff, like the day after a hard workout. As her vision and hearing begin to focus, she can immediately tell she is somewhere different. Using her detective skills, she would say they are underground and probably on the outskirts of town. The large room has windows all around it, but they seem to be blackened out. Around the room are lots of couches and tables for people to congregate and relax. Sitting in front of her is a man who clearly gives off the "I'm in charge" vibe. His bald head glistens in the sharp lights from the ceiling. His suit is crumpled, like it is the end of the day. The ladies on either arm have the same smile on their lips, but their eyes seem vacant. Not concerned with them, she starts to take in the 8 other guys in the room, who look to be packing some type of weapon and walk like they could handle themselves in a fight.

"Let's get this over with," he says with boredom, or perhaps weariness. "Who are you, and where's my gem?" Black Canary decides to play her act, just in case the other guys have already told their story. "Well, sugar," she says in a sweet accent, "I'm Crusher, and I have your gem." His reaction is not what she expected, as he replies, "For one, you aren't Crusher, and two, I have no time for this. Dump her!" Woah, she thinks quickly, this escalated quickly.

"Wait, wait, hang on, baby," she exclaims, keeping her new persona perfectly, "Ask the others, they know who I am." He reaches forward and grabs a remote, "Oh, we did...see?" He pushes a button and the room's lights dim, while the windows seem to get brighter. At this point, she sees the room they are in is underwater, as lights outside light up the bottom of a lake or the ocean. She does not swim underwater this deep, so she is not sure where they are. But, her thoughts of finding where she is are broken by the objects dangling in the water. She can clearly see three men wrapped in chains and floating under the water just outside the windows. To her left is "Flash", while in front is "Batman", and then to her right, ironically, is "Aquaman". Each one is clearly dead, having been drowned by being tied up and sunk to the bottom of the water. While she did not know them very well, their facial expression of terror make her feel a little guilty that it was her fault they were killed. They did what they thought was right, but so did she.

Noticing her facial expression, he presses on, "They each had the same story...everything went according to plan. Well, once you showed up, that is. Any last words?" The goons coming close to her are almost on her. I could probably take them all, but what if there are more waiting outside? So, as they get closer, she swings her right leg into the one, and then flips back in a handstand, taking the other's head in between her boots. Flipping back over, he lands on top of the other one.

"Nyet, nyet," she says, switching her accent to a more eastern European one, "wait while explain I can." Her quick moves and sudden change of personality has him hold up his hand, stopping the goons from coming back for more. "Continue", he says softly, "But do not waste my time again." Removing the more sultry stance from before, she almost stands at attention. "I am Evetlana Kryskiev, also called as, the Red Glove." She has used this name before in her undercover work, so hopefully he knows this minor thief from a branch of the Russian military before hiring out her services. He nods his head, as if to say 'continue'.

"I hired to steal jewel. I watch museum and see your men. I block their cry for help and showed up like this." She points down at her costume, which looks a little rough from being brought down here. "I plan to get jewel from them and escape. I found note by you in robot, which worked too good. But, you caught Red Glove." The man seems to buy this story, nodding his head. Patting the knees of the ladies on either side, their expression changes and they stand almost in unison, walking slowly out the only door in the room. "Stan, take your team and check the perimeter, while I finish my interrogation."

The room nearly empties, save for one guy at the door, facing away from them. The villain stands up and walks closer to her. He is not very tall, but his thick arms and legs stretch the suit slightly as he walks. "So, tell me," he says softly, "Where is my gem? And, don't try to be cute or funny. There's only one way out of this room alive."

"I am Russian," she says flatly, "Funny is not what we do." He smiles for the first time at that. She hopes Guardian knows where she is and is sending help, because this could get really messy real quick. He holds out his hand, as if to say, "put the gem here." Reaching behind her, she unbuttons some of the corset costume she is wearing. She begins to put her hand down into her cleavage, now that they are not held so tightly anymore. He smiles and says, "Wait, you hid it in there? I'm impressed, and turned on at the same time." She smiles slightly, "Dumb hero costume has no pockets for thief." And for the second time, he smiles. Hmm, she wonders, he might be warming up to me afterall.

"We alone," she says gently, "Would strong man want to find his jewel?" He seems to think about that, not sure he can trust her just yet, but he is also intrigued. He steps back and says, "Take everything off but the costume. Let me see this Red Glove." She nods her head and takes her wig off slowly, unhooking it from her real hair. She takes an extra minute to run her hand through her hair to free it up. He cannot hide his surprise at the gorgeous blonde hair that she is sporting right now. She knows he likes what he sees, so she only needs to keep stalling. Sitting down close to him, she slowly unzips each boot. With slow and careful movements, the boots come off and fall to the floor with loud thunks. Turning her back to him, she stands up, showing off what the other guys seemed to like and removes the fake lasso and arm bracelets. Finally, she gets on her knees and comes in close to him on the couch. "How this, hmm?" She looks up at him with as much submission as she thinks the Red Glove might show.

He puts his arms around her, undoing more buttons on the back of her costume. Bringing his hands under it, she lets him feel his way to the front, nearly cupping her, until he finds something hard. "Ah, this is perfect." She thinks he might mean her, but then he quickly retracts his hands, holding the gem in his palm. The sharp lighting having returned when the others had left the room, which thankfully put the outer underwater lights out, makes the gem seem to have a new sparkle. Okay, she thinks, everything has gone to plan to get the gem into his hand, now we need to bust them.

"You know," he says with slow pleasure, "It is said that the person holding this gem holds the power over those around him. I'm not saying that is true or not, but I do believe the $25 million dollar price I can sell this for." Looking at her, he decides to try something. "Let's test it shall we?" Black Canary is not sure what he intends to do, but she has no intel on whether the "mystical properties" of the gem are true. However, she is sure of one thing: she feels good, real good. She cannot remember when she ever felt this good, so she cannot help but smile as her whole body feels tingly all over. It is like every good feeling she has ever had is now happening to her body. She smiles broadly and genuinely, standing up smoothly. Her head tilts back as she basks in the wonderful feelings going all over her body. Her arms come out to her side and up slightly, like she is praying to the ceiling she is now gazing at happily.

What she could not see is her body taking on a slightly golden look. Her whole body begins to change from the healthy skin tone to a shiny gold sheen. Her hair, which was freely playing down her back is stiff and heavy, yet now keeping its natural shape. Her thoughts do not slow down as she continues to feel only pure ecstacy in this moment. She wants this moment to never end, like she has reached heaven. Within the next few seconds, her body is solid gold, glistening in the spotlights around the room. Her mind had finally given over to its fate, stopping all thought as each molecule in her body has been converted to gold.

Our crime syndicate leader whistles as he stands. "I had no idea this would really work. I just imagined you becoming a happy gold statue to worship, and you did just that." He walks around her, admiring her every golden curve. He tugs roughly on the costume still on her golden body. The satin material slides off the smooth shiny metal easily, pooling at her feet. "I don't know who you really are, Red Glove, but you might have the most perfect body that I have seen. Now that you are immortalized like that, perhaps I should call you Gold Glove, huh?" He laughs at his own joke. He sees that he left fingerprints on her waist in pulling the costume down. Pulling a pocket scarf from his jacket, he wipes the smudges off her perfectly golden hip.

Touching his phone, he says, "Get the Broker on the line. I got what he wants, but I'm gonna want more money now...why? Because I said so...but more importantly, I now know what it can do." Ending the call, he sits back down on the couch to admire his latest decoration. He cannot help but smile at how perfect this day turned out, maybe not as perfect as this statue, but close. And to think he thought all was lost when the gem could not be obtained earlier in the week, and now he has it and magical power over others and lots of money to come. The question now is: can I keep the magic and still get paid?

As he ponders all this while taking in the goddess of gold in front of him, he unknowingly begins to slump to one side. As he drifts off into sleep, he dreams of gold statues throwing gold bars at him in a field of golden grass with a golden sky above him. Back in reality, the gem falls gently from his grasp to the floor as he is now laying down on the couch. The room that was already quiet becomes even more quiet, as all sound from anywhere else in the facility goes silent. The one strange sound is that the ventilation system seems to be making a more high pitched sound than before.

The "Gold Glove" cares not of this sudden change in noise or that it is no longer being gazed upon, as it is only a statue, and has no interest in human things. Of course, as a statue, it has no interest in anything. But if it did, it might notice a blue clad figure walking in the room with a gold helmet and wearing a rather large gas mask. The hero walks confidently over to the couch and checks on the crime lord. Satisfied he is unconscious but alive, he picks up the gem. The gem seems to sparkle, like it knows it is being held by someone new. So this thing really does have power, he says to himself while looking at the statue of Black Canary.

Tapping the back of his hand, he holds it up to his gas mask, "The gem is secure. Start pulling everyone out. We don't know innocent from guilty, so everyone gets taken back to Cadmus HQ. We will let the Interrogators figure it out." Ending the transmission, he says to the statue in front of him, "Speaking of figuring it out, let's see if we can undo what was done." He does not sound too concerned, because he figured if the gem could do the deed, then it could undo the deed.

That night, Guardian lays beneath the sheets of his large bed, resting comfortably on his back staring up at the ceiling fan above his bed. What a great day, he says to himself, I love my job. His smile takes up most of his face as he thinks through how well the operation went. "Mmm,"  a woman's voice says softly in the dark, "Must have enjoyed that...not sure I have seen you smile that much." Her hand reaches across his chest, as she pulls in closer to him. He turns to her and thinks, I really love my job. "Yes," he says, "This day could not have gone any better." Black Canary snuggles into him and kisses him sweetly.

"I couldn't agree more." She wraps her warm body around his, as she continues, "You saved me today." He starts to say something like, "Well, I put you in that situation." but he does not get to, as she continues to kiss him. "And then, I never realized how attractive and kind you are." He then feels a little guilty, so he starts to say, "Well, the gem did all the work." But, she is climbing on top of him while kissing him, so he does not get that out. "And single? This makes today the best turnaround story ever, so maybe we shouldn't let it end just yet." Guardian is not sure if he used the gem correctly or not, as Black Canary seemed normal physically, and while she said she felt completely fine, he wonders if he did something not quite right. She has never been interested in me...oh...that is...real nice...I should...oh...tell her...tomorrow...maybe...oh...mmm...