J e n n i f e r E s t e p

Intelligal didn’t seem to have any superpowers of her own, but she really didn’t need them. Her Intellichair did the work for her. The device was a flying, open-topped tank that wrapped around the ubervillain’s legs and torso. Equipped with heat-seeking missiles, machine-gun turrets, and a force field, the chair was like something out of a James Bond movie. Only better. The Intellichair was also scratchproof, fireproof, and virtually indestructible. Most things made out of solidium were. I knew. I’d been trying to melt and smash the chair to pieces for months with no success. I hadn’t even been able to put so much as a dent in the dull gray metal.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m terribly sorry if I frightened you, but I’m afraid my invitation to the wedding got lost in the mail,” Siren cooed into the microphone she’d taken from the band leader. “And I just couldn’t miss the social event of the season.”

Her voice was low and husky and throaty. To the men, it whispered of sexual fantasies come to life. To the women, it was the conspiratorial tone of a trusted friend and confidant. Just about everyone in the crowd nodded their heads, accepting Siren’s explanation for her lightning storm. Siren’s dulcet tones curled through the air, seeking out everyone within hearing distance. I felt the humming melody in her voice coiling around me like a boa constrictor, trying to squeeze my will into hers. Trying to make me one of her mindless lackeys. But I was too strong willed and too temperamental to be manipulated by the likes of Siren. I grabbed on to the roaring fire inside me and concentrated on the heat. The coils burned away, and my head cleared. So was Carmen. The blushing bride eyed the busty ubervillain with open hatred. Soot streaked her white dress, and her auburn hair had tumbled out of its elegant updo. Carmen’s fingers twitched, and I knew she wanted to tap H o t M a m a

31

into Siren’s powers and give the ubervillain a taste of her own medicine. But she couldn’t. Not without blowing her cover as Karma Girl and ruining what was left of her wedding. I looked for the other members of the Fearless Five. Sam and Henry both wore slightly vacant, dazed expressions. Sam’s tie had come undone, and Henry’s glasses dangled on the end of his nose. They’d been getting better at resisting Siren’s call, but her hypnotic voice still affected them. I snorted. Men. Please. They really were the weaker sex, in every sense of the word. The first time we’d gone up against her, Siren had convinced Sam aka Striker to attack me. It had taken one of my fireballs to the chest to bring him back to his senses. But since Striker regenerated, the only thing my fireball had really hurt was his pride. My father looked bemused and a bit pained by the whole thing. Siren purred into the microphone again, and the chief massaged his temples. With his psychic powers, he was well beyond Siren’s call, although her voice always left him with one hell of a headache.