Chapter 5

This week of school was as dull as last week, not counting the date with Jack, but it was more interesting on Tuesday when I started my Krav Maga lessons. Oh, Man, this was not one of those fancy to-dos where there there was a lot of bowing and formal carrying on. This class was run as a strictly business operation where one was expected to perform or get out. I loved it.

I was no stronger than the average girl when the class started, and I often would be paired with boys stronger than me. I had to remember that I was here to learn and not to show off, so I had to be sure that I did not use TK to enhance my physical abilities. That meant that I was usually the loser in a contest of strength, but I was often the winner when it came to a contest of finesse or skill.

By Thursday, I was better acclimated to the routine, and I did better, but I was still no match for the larger and heavier boys when it came to the strength skills. Later on, I would start using my TK to balance out my lack of strength, but I was gaining the respect of the teacher and the other members of the gang as I learned how to wiggle out of some of the strength holds.

There were seven boys and I was the only girl, so I did take a lot of teasing at first, but it didn’t bother me because I could see that it was in good natured fun. Boys just had different ideas of what was funny, sometimes. Once I learned that, I got along well with the boys.

I could feel my strength build as I worked, and I do mean worked, my way through the class. Well, I had asked for it, and I was getting it. Later on in the year, I actually wound up teaching some of the skill moves as the bigger boys had trouble grasping what they were supposed to do. All in all, the Krav Maga class was great fun, and it damned well taught me how to fight.

I got to use some of that knowledge about six weeks into the school year. I found that I was able to regulate the temperature of my body armor, so that I was never too cold nor too hot, and that made it easier to get around in my pseudo clothes. One Wednesday as we were riding the bus home, we had to come to a stop. There was something wrong with the bus, and we were stuck in a somewhat less than respectable neighborhood.

The bus driver said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have what seems to be a drive shaft problem, and this bus ain’t going anywhere under its own power. I’ve radioed for another bus and for a tow truck, but the other bus will not be here for at least an hour. My guess is more like two hours at the minimum. Any of you who want to get off and find other transportation home please feel free to leave. There certainly is nothing that you or I can do to improve the situation.

Well, by this time, I had enough strength and stamina to walk the rest of the way home if I did not try to set any records. Muffy was not going to join me; I think that she was still thinking of the last time we walked through such a neighborhood. I set out and figured to walk as far as I could. When I got too tired, I would teleport myself the rest of the way home. I was no longer using the walker; that would not be in the way.

I had gone about four blocks when I almost literally ran into four boys who blocked the sidewalk. One of them said, “Well, well, look what we found, my friends. Fresh meat all done up in a schoolgirl package. What more could we ask for, and she might even be a virgin.” I presumed that sort of talk was supposed to scare me, but it just jazzed up my adrenalin supply. I did give them a chance to escape by saying, “You guys have no idea what your are heading for. I recommend that you back off while you still can.”

I guess that was the wrong thing to say because it did impugn their macho self-image. All the four did was laugh, but I felt like I had done what I could to ease their suffering. I could understand their feeling of superiority because they were all bigger than me and there were four of them, so my efforts at a peaceful solution were probably doomed the moment they saw me.

Anyway, the spokesman grabbed my arm, and that was a far as I was prepared to let them to. I immediately transformed my clothes into the Avenger uniform and attacked. The one who had grabbed my arm was the closest, so he got the first taste of what I could do. I went into full battle mode and slammed my fist down on his extended arm. I don’t know how hard I hit him, but there was TK strength added to my own. I aimed for his wrist, and my blow shattered it immediately. He screamed and tried to jump back, but I grabbed that arm with the broken wrist and held on to give me some leverage when I smashed his opposite elbow. I then jammed my fist into his solar plexus and let him fall to the ground.

The next man tried to hit me in the chest. I’m not sure where he was aiming, but he would have hit my breastbone if he had completed his jab. I let him get very close with his jab before I grabbed his fist with my left hand and squeezed. Again, I used TK to help. I simply crushed his fist. I also kneed him in the crotch, and he was out for the duration.

The third man tried to grab me from behind while the fourth man moved in to grab one of my tits and rotate it. That would have been very painful if he had been successful. However, I dropped to my knees so that the two heads crashed into each other. I don’t know if any bones were broken in either skull, but they did hit hard enough to generate a mild concussion. I straightened up and kicked each man in the crotch and then broke all of the elbows and knees that were still in one piece.

I searched the men and found a cellphone which I used to call 911. I reported that four men had tried to rape me, but I had been saved by a woman dressed in a red outfit and who called herself Avenger. The dispatcher wanted me to wait until the cops showed up. I asked how long the wait would be, and I was told that it might be thirty minutes. I said that I was not going to wait around that long alone in this neighborhood. I would wait 10 minutes and then I was leaving. I got a whole lot of static from the dispatcher, but I finally hung up on her.

After 10 minutes, I left. I dodged into the alley and changed back into the Avenger uniform and took off to fly home. I went straight up about 500 feet and headed home. I figured that no one would be looking in the sky, and anybody who saw me would figure that his eyes were playing tricks, and I was just a bird.

I landed behind the garage on the side where nobody was home, changed to normal clothes, and walked around to the front door. I used my key and went inside. I went to my room and used the shower in the attached bathroom. I felt dirty from contact with those creeps.

I dried off and changed into my “painted on” clothes before going downstairs. Mom was in the kitchen, and she said, “You are running a little late. What happened. All I said was, “The bus broke down and I had to walk partway home. When can I get a car?”

“I’d like to get you a car, but we don’t have the money right now.”

“I think from what Dad said to me the other day that he could come up with the money if you would okay it.”

“Well, I’ll talk to him, and maybe we can get you a used car.”

“Thanks, Mom.” I headed to the TV to see what the news might have. This must have been a slow news day, but about an hour later, the TV news reported that four men had been found on Anderson St. badly beaten up. They refused to say who had done it, but there was a 911 record of a woman calling in to say that a woman dressed in red had rescued her from four rapists. The reported address was where the four injured men were found.

That was really more of a report than I had expected from the TV, so I was happy with the first report of an Avenger strike. I was not out to get a reputation, but the public did need to know about me before they could ask for my help. I was going to discuss the situation with Dad when he got home.