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“But since then, five more people have gone missing.” Oz continued. “The most recent was a little girl taken from a convenience store yesterday.”

“Oz wants them back.” Mull finished for him.

Oklahoma looked at Mull. “And you?”

“I don’t really care.” Mull made a face. “I’m just coming with, because there’s nothing good on TV.”

“I believe they’re trying to kill Natalie as well, for some reason.” Oz added.

“Why would kidnappers want to kill you?”

Mull shrugged. “People are assholes.”

“But why kidnap everyone else, but murder you ?”

Mull scoffed. “Do I seem like the type of girl who gets kidnapped? I’m strictly in the ‘potential kidnapper’ bracket on that.”

“Do you have any idea who could be behind this?” Oklahoma inquired, more from politeness than from any apparent interest.

“We’re looking for these two men.” Oz laid two more photos on the table. “August and Anton Masterson. They did wetwork for the Freedom Squad security forces, and have been underground since.”

“Okay.” Oklahoma’s expression remained the same. “Anyone else?”

“Well, your boss is at the top of our suspect list.” Oz told her flatly, watching to see what her reaction would be.

Whatever he was expecting to find there, he didn’t see it. The woman’s excruciatingly perfect cover model face didn’t so much as twitch. “Mister Welles’ name comes pre-printed at the top of all suspect lists. He’s rarely responsible though.”

“How do you know?”

“Because if he were responsible, I would have been the one to hire these men.” Oklahoma picked up the photos, then shook her head. “And I’ve never seen them before in my life.” She dropped the photos back to the table. “Plus, if he wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”

Oz carefully moved the photos so that they were in an even line on the table, unable to stand the disorderly pile Oklahoma had left them in. “I believe it’s somehow related to Mercygiver and the Agletarians.”

“Uh-huh.” Oklahoma smiled as the waiter brought her a strawberry malt. She took a careful sip from the straw, somehow not smudging her vampy blood red lipstick, but impossibly still leaving a perfect sexy little lip smudge on the plastic. “And have you told Mr. Montgomery of your suspicions?”

Mull snorted at the idea. “Why would I tell Montgomery anything ?”

Oklahoma took another sip of her treat. “I’m just wondering what he’d like me to do here.”

“He wants you to help us.” Oz reminded her.

“I think you’ll find that when a Welles is involved, things aren’t always what they appear to be.” She made a circular motion using her fingers. “’Gears within gears,’ and all that.”

Mull heaved a sigh, sick of the runaround. “Do you know anything or not?”

Oklahoma thought that over, obviously debating the matter and whether or not she should say something. “As it happens, yes, I am missing one of my clients. An aspiring heroine who is striped like a zebra.”

Mull squinted at her in confusion. “If she’s a Cape, why is she a client of yours?”

“Because, as surprising as it seems, having stripes has limited crime-fighting applications.” Oklahoma ate the cherry from her dessert.

“But can you even imagine how much men would pay to see her spread eagle and glorious? Just out of mere curiosity, if nothing else. All those interesting lines tracing her flawless curves? She’s a work of art.

Hell, even I kind of want to see her naked.

” She took another long sip from her straw.

“Cape erotica provides so many opportunities like that, to see the unique forms which the human body can take, and marvel at the wonder that is life. God has an incredible imagination and we can best admire His work by looking at it unadorned by clothes, seeing us as He intended.” She brightened.

“Incidentally, if you’re curious, she will have a starring role in a pornographic Lion King parody movie that I’m producing. I’m calling it: ‘ The Loin King .’”

Mull chuckled in spite of herself.

“She hasn’t called in a week and her apartment is now vacant.” Oklahoma continued.

Mull was entirely unconcerned. “Maybe she thought twice about becoming a prostitute for Montgomery Welles.”

“She is a nude model and aspiring actress, not a prostitute.” Oklahoma corrected, sounding insulted on the other woman’s behalf.

“Whether she decides to expand her repertoire or not is entirely up to her , not Mr. Welles, you, me, or anyone else. I’m a manager and producer, I simply help people in whatever career decisions they make.

But I can tell you that if you’re only using your superpowers to save the world, you lack imagination. ”

“So…,” Mull summarized, “she was a prospective whore for Montgomery Welles.”

“She worked with me , not Mister Welles.”

“But you work for Mister Welles.” Mull pressed.

Oklahoma shrugged.“Sometimes.”

“And the other times?”

The woman’s perfect green eyes narrowed. “Are my business.”

“And you’re happy with this relationship?” Mull leaned back in her seat. “Letting someone like Monty do this to you?”

“To be clear,” Oklahoma’s voice took on a harder edge, “this is my business. It’s a side enterprise I occupy myself with when I’m not needed at home.

Mr. Welles provides me free manpower and support when I need it, but I make the decisions in my company.

” She took another sip of her beverage, talking around the mouthful of strawberry malt.

“He disapproves of it. Intensely. Finds it ‘ unseemly,’ if you can imagine that.” She nodded in approval, obviously pleased with that.

“ When a supervillain tells you you’ve gone too far, that’s how you know you’re good at your job. ”

“Technically, he’s just a ‘villain,’ not ‘ super villain.’” Oz corrected. “He has no powers, he’s just a particularly evil Mystery Man.”

“I’ve always considered the ‘super’ to mean more that the villain in question is exceptionally dangerous,” Oklahoma thought aloud, “not that they possess any sort of super-power.”

“Well, you’d be wrong.” Mull deadpanned.

“Nice argument.” Oklahoma stirred her dessert. “You have real skills in debate, has anyone told you that?”

“Just a bunch of people who are now dead but still wrong.”

Oz got the talk back on topic once more. “I think Montgomery has sent us to you because he thinks the disappearance of your friend is part of our investigation, and he wants us to help you.”

The other woman considered that while stirring her malt. “If he did, then he must have a lot of faith in you.”

“So it would seem.”

“Okay.” Oklahoma nodded, the situation apparently settled in her mind now. “As it happens, I have a lot of faith in him .”

“Why?” Mull asked, genuinely both confused and horrified by the mere idea. “He’s the most selfish person I’ve ever met.”

“You just say that because you didn’t know his little sisters.

” The woman winked at her. “I think what you seem to be misunderstanding about Mr. Welles is…” The woman’s phone unexpectedly rang to the “Heigh-Ho!” song that the dwarfs sing in Snow White while working in the mine.

She held up one graceful finger again, asking for a pause.

“Would you excuse me for a moment, please? Irregulars business.” She pressed a button on the phone.

“ Speak .” She was silent for a moment.

“Why hasn’t he been released from custody?

” She listened to something, then rolled her eyes, making an exasperated sound, as if she were the most mistreated person in the world.

“Oh, fuck the law, I work for Montgomery Welles! ” She reminded the person on the phone, like that excused her from such trivialities.

Her voice became hard as she started shouting.

“And if my friend isn’t released within the hour , I will send a dozen Irregulars to your house and I will put your entire family into a fucking blender, one tiny bloody chunk at a time , then use their liquefied remains to water board you!

Do you understand me!?!” She held the phone away from her face to scream into the microphone.

“ I will drown you in your wife and kids!!! ” She was quiet for another beat.

“ No. No, shut your goddamned mouth! NOW! I don’t want excuses or a lesson in legalities which don’t apply to Mister Welles, I’ll have my associate released or I’ll have your blood .

Pick one! ” She listened for a moment, then her voice became flirty and calm again.

“Mister Welles thanks you for seeing reason, Judge Elliot. Always a pleasure. And have a wonderful Thanksgiving.” She jabbed one perfectly manicured fingernail into the display, hanging up the phone.

“People think that just because you’re a hero now, that they can push you around. ”

Mull nodded.“Word.”

Oz frowned at her in amused disbelief. “’Word’?” He repeated.

“I got a lot of shit going on in my head, Oz.” She gestured to her temple and made a vague swirly gesture. “I have to go with what I got and sometimes weird stuff comes out. Gimme a break.”

“Word.” He nodded in agreement.

Natalie snorted in amusement, swatting at him playfully. Then she paused, hoping that touching him didn’t cause him to freak out because she’d be spreading her germs or whatever.

She had to remember not to touch him, no matter how much she loved it or how hard it was for her to keep away.

She didn’t want to trigger him or make him uncomfortable.

“Sorry.” She said softly.

Oz simply frowned at her in confusion. “For?”

Oklahoma refocused on the conversation. “Where was I?”

“I believe you were about to defend your boss, the megalomaniacal madman.” Mull reminded her. “We were in the process of thinking you’re brainwashed and crazy, while trying not to pity you, because you kinda seem like a slutty bitch anyway.”