Primary Force - Chapter 5 - The Sorority Hostage

The Sorority Hostage

The day started out like any other day at Sim State University. As the sun rose over the horizon, the girls of Hoh Oresha Fruhm sorority woke up and started their daily routine of making themselves presentable for the campus. Unaware of what dangers awaited them that day, they cordially joked and gossiped over their morning meal, preparing for the day's grueling lectures.

The hour had come for classes to begin, and as usual, the three young ladies, Mary Perry, Suzie Alioto, and Caryl Zarubin, set forth from their campus establishment to face the new challenges their professors had in store for them. Minds sharp and primed, they headed for their appropriate lecture halls.

When Caryl and Mary returned home that afternoon, it did not strike them as unusual that their sister Suzie had not met them earlier and returned with them. Since Suzie was a campus cheerleader, she might be staying out with the other members of her squad, hanging out at the coffee bar, or flirting with handsome young men at the dance club. Such things were not unusual activities to her roommates, as Suzie was sometimes know to come home in the late hours of the night.

Suzie, however, was always very good keeping the other girls in her sorority informed of her whereabouts if she was going to stay out late. In an age where miscreants prowled the streets on helpless citizens with ease, it was always a good idea to check in from time to time. So when it started getting late, and Suzie hadn't checked in, the girls became concerned. Mary got on the phone and began calling all their friends around campus to see if anyone had seen or heard from her.

Caryl called a taxi to take her to the quad. As a central hangout for the student body, and a central hub between the library, the student union, the lecture halls and the administration building, the quad was always full of people. Mostly students hanging out by the local coffee bar while others sat under trees studying, hanging out, or engaging in mating rituals. The quad was a safe central zone to search the local campus area. But even after a couple hours of hanging out and talking to friends and strangers alike, Caryl could find no evidence of what had become of her sister, Suzie.

The night came and went without incident or the return of Suzie. With the morning sun rising once again over the edge of the world, Mary and Caryl once again got out of bed and started making preparations for the day. Disturbed by the lack of one of their companions, however, the morning preparations seemed to take longer, as if a dark cloud hovered above their habitation. Caryl was still getting her hair ready when she heard a scream from Mary that could wake the dead. Running downstairs she found Mary in the kitchen and a letter lying on the floor, a letter that had mysteriously appeared during the night. With an ever darkening concern, and a look of dread in Mary's face, Caryl reached down and prepared to read the letter.

Upon reading the letter, Caryl turned pale as a ghostly shiver ran down her spine. She looked up to see Mary still looking at her in horror, nearly on the verge of a complete breakdown. Caryl calmly placed the letter on the dining room table, then went to her sister and gently hugged her.

"It'll be alright, Mary," soothed Caryl. "Everything will be alright." Holding Mary for a minute longer, allowing her to sob softly on her shoulder, Caryl straightened herself up and slowly walked to the phone. Punching in the number for emergency services, Caryl took a deep breath as the operator answered on the other line and responded, "I want to report a kidnapping."

Several hours and police detectives later, Ebon Huntress quietly approached the house. Walking calmly and taking in the surroundings, she studied every detail, looking for any clues to the crime that brought her to Sim State University. But even as an expert tracker, she could not even find a single blade of grass out of place, and with great contemplation, she entered the household to speak with the girls.

Ebon carefully reviewed the letter that appeared mysteriously during the night. Caryl thanked Ebon Huntress for coming out, and mentioned how she appreciated everything that Team Rainbow does for society, but she questioned how such an event had come to Team Rainbow's attention.

"Surely people get kidnapped everyday all over the world," pondered Caryl. "And you certainly can't be everywhere at once."

"There are several factors that brought this to our attention," explained Ebon Huntress. "One of which is that this sorority house was once inhabited by the now world famous Gatti Bianchi members, who are still alumni members."

"Yes, of course," replied Caryl. "Many who come to pledge have dreams of one day becoming a new member of the band and joining them on stage. But surely that doesn't warrant any special treatment?"

"We are on good terms with your sister band mates, but no. Suzie's father also happens to be on the university board of trustees," informed Huntress.

"Oh, my!" shouted Mary. "We never knew."

"Which is probably how she wanted it," assured Ebon.

Returning back to the Bunker, the headquarters for Team Rainbow Super Force, Ebon Huntress quickly sought out Chromed Avenger. Finding him in a nearby hallway, she handed the note over to him for analysis. She then tracked down Violet Haze and the rest of her teammates to return to Sim State University and began carefully searching the campus.

Captain Crimson and Azure Maiden proceeded to the quad, where they would be able to spring into action at a moments notice. Being centrally located, they were also able to watch all of the pedestrian traffic coming to and fro through all the campus buildings. The presence of Team Rainbow seemed to be having a calming effect on the student body as word of Suzie's abduction had quickly spread all over campus.

High atop the new Sim State Tower, Ebon Huntress and Violet Haze kept an ever watchful gaze across the entire campus. Being the tallest structure at Sim State University, they were easily able to keep track of all the movement in the area, especially with Huntress' hawk-like eyes.

"I don't like this," stated Huntress. "There are no clues, no traces, yet my instincts tell me she is near. It's almost like I am looking right at where she is located, but there's nothing there."

Meanwhile, in a very dark and damp basement, Suzie woke up to find herself trapped inside a cage. In her shock and anger, she feverishly attempted to shake herself out of her captive bars, and upon failing began screaming at the top of her lungs in the hope that someone would hear her. But after several minutes of yelling, soon finding her self hoarse from lack of liquids, and sore from sleeping in an uncomfortable position, she let out a sad sigh and carefully leaned back upon the structure of her imprisonment. Closing her eyes, Suzie began to quietly think to herself about the state she was in, if anyone knew she was missing, and how she would get out of this situation. She had almost drifted back to sleep in the silence when a single voice spoke jarring her back to consciousness.

"I could have told you that would be useless."

Suzie opened her eyes to find her captor smirking at her from the other side of the room. In the dark, it appeared to Suzie that her captor had appeared seemingly out of thin air.

"Well, well, well," started her enslaver. "Aren't we just daddy's favorite little girl. All grown up now, but I've had my eye on you for years. Yes, your father will pay handsomely for your release, he will indeed."

"Who are you?" stammered a frightened Suzie.

Turning to face her prisoner, a crooked smile formed on her face as she replied, "Since there is no harm in you knowing who I am, you may call me Negat. Negat Eve. And now I must return you to your solitude, as it is time to call your daddy and make my demands." And with almost a flicker, Negat seemed to vanish from Suzie's sight, returning her once again to being alone in the dark.

Shortly after hearing about the ransom demand, Ebon Huntress returned to inform the girls of Hoh Oresha Fruhm sorority of the current situation. Mary became frozen with shock, and Caryl nearly fainted out of fear.

"Ten Million Simoleons?" gasped Caryl. "Does her father even have that much money?"

"Just barely," answered Huntress. "But we are leaving that as a last resort option. Unfortunately, we are rapidly running out of options, and the deadline is quickly approaching."

"But if he pays, will she let her go?" interjected Mary.

"That's what I intend to find out," replied Huntress.

Chromed Avenger greeted Ebon Huntress on the view screen in the briefing room of the Bunker. Avenger explained that after careful analysis of the letter, there was a high probability the culprit was indeed Negat Eve.

"I have been compiling all reports we have available on her," reported Chromed Avenger. "Negat has been kidnapping high profile individuals for over a decade. The authorities have never caught her. Since no one has ever been able to find her or her captive's location, the ransom has always been paid, and her prisoner returned primarily unharmed."

"So, if she is paid, the girl will be set free," pondered Huntress. "This doesn't make a lot of sense. Surely with all of these abductions the authorities all over the world would have a description of her on file. She would have a hard time entering and leaving any country. Something doesn’t add up."

"Reports from former captives after they have been returned are all a bit sketchy," replied Avenger. "But there is a common theme. They have all described their captor as being female, seeming to appear and disappear almost out of thin air, and a skin tone that many have described as almost looking at a photograph negative. You say your instincts have been telling you she is practically right in front of you?"

"Yes," answered Ebon.

"Then follow your instincts. You are the best tracker in the known universe. Your instincts are probably right. But I have some instincts of my own. I am going to meet briefly with Emerald Guardian in his lab. Gather the rest of the team and we'll meet you at your location."

Emerald Guardian welcomed Chromed Avenger as he entered the lab. Avenger quickly explained his theory to Emerald.

"I believe she has some kind of ability to bend light around objects at will," theorized Avenger. "Possibly like a cloaking device."

"Yes, but the energy signature required for such a device on a small scale would be enormous and detectable," conjectured Guardian. "I think what she may be doing in this case is almost more of a visual spectrum shifting. Making objects appear invisible by reversing their visual polarity. There are several species of fauna on my world that have this ability. In the dense regions of my world, it is wise to take some spectrum shifting goggles so you can avoid the more dangerous variety. I happen to have a pair here. I'll grab them and we can meet up with the rest of the team."

Emerald Guardian and Chromed Avenger soon joined Ebon Huntress and the rest of Team Rainbow Super Force at what appeared to be a vacant lot on the outskirts of Sim State University campus.

"My instincts have led me here," informed Ebon Huntress. "All my senses tell me there should be something here."

"Interesting," replied Emerald Guardian taking out his goggles. "Let's just have a look." Upon putting on his goggles, Emerald Guardian was ever so slightly surprised that the lot was not vacant at all, but in fact housed a building that was on the verge of falling apart. "You were right. It's definitely here."

Under the direction of Emerald Guardian, Tangerine Mistress used her magic to reverse the visual polarity of the building. Within seconds, the members of Team Rainbow were standing in front of the dilapidated building.

Ebon Huntress instructed everyone to stay alert and to begin searching the structure in pairs while she and Violet Haze stayed outside to secure the perimeter.

Tangerine Mistress and Tawny Bimbo discovered a door leading down to the basement, and carefully descended into the darkness. The rickety stairs creaked and moaned as their weight settled on each step.

In the darkness they heard a quiet sobbing coming from the far corner. After their eyes adjusted, they were able to make out Suzie trapped in her cage. Startled by the sudden movement, Suzie looked up to see the approaching intruders and then smiled at her rescuers.

"We're Team Rainbow," informed Tangerine Mistress. "We're here to rescue you."

"Oh, thank you," exclaimed Suzie. "I know it probably hasn’t been that long, but I feel like I have been trapped here forever."

"It's alright," soothed Tawny. "Do you know if Negat is still here?"

As if on queue, Tawny felt someone brush past her, she turned to look and was surprised to see Negat running up the stairs, and starting to disappear right before her eyes as well. Getting a hold of herself, Tawny quickly informed Ebon that Negat was attempting to escape.

Having already secured the area, Ebon quickly caught Negat as she attempted to flee the domicile. Violet Haze brought in the local authorities and Negat Eve soon found herself hauled off to jail.

"Curse you, Team Rainbow," swore Negat. "You haven't seen the last of me."

Ebon Huntress escorted a very tired yet very relieved Suzie back to her home. Her sisters greeted her return with tears of joy and warm hugs.

"Thank you, Team Rainbow," exclaimed Caryl and Mary. "We will never be able to thank you enough."

Returning to the Bunker, the members of Team Rainbow met in the briefing room where Ebon Huntress congratulated Chromed Avenger and Emerald Guardian for the creative deductive reasoning in helping to bring such a terrible criminal to justice.

"If I had medals to give," rewarded Huntress, "I would be honored to pin them on both of you."

Meanwhile, in Pleasantview City Jail, Negat Eve stood behind her jail cell bars, fidgeting almost impatiently when a surprise guest arrived.

"Guard, release this prisoner at once," instructed Happy Birthday as she gallantly strolled into the room. The officer on duty, without out any will of her own, walked over to the jail cell and unlocked the door, allowing Negat Eve to freely escape her prison.

"It's about time you got here," grunted Negat. "I was beginning to be concerned I might be in there for a long time."

"Nonsense," replied Happy. "You know all to well I would never allow you to be locked up like this. After all...

"I would never allow the person I love to be locked up for any minute longer than I could." And then Happy embraced Negat in a long kiss.

So concludes the fifth chapter of Team Rainbow Super Force. Stay tuned for Chapter 6: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

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