Female Inflation

Aether Price flew through the afternoon sky, her blue eyes tracing a route along the rooftops toward the building targeted in her police scanner’s latest dispatch. Already she could see the halo of emergency vehicles surrounding it, and with a swish of her arms, another gust of air filled her gold cape and propelled her swiftly onward.

She landed beside a flashing squad car, her blonde bobcut swishing in the breeze. The police captain ran over to greet her.

Act I

Nikki looked out the window and blew out a bored sigh. The early autumn sun beat down on the campus. Nikki looked at the stack of printouts before her, then at her watch. Three hours until quitting time, six to party time. She ran a hand through her black hair and blinked her clear blue eyes with exaggerated slowness. She adjusted her slightly-too-tight red and black horizontally-striped shirt. She lifted the next printout from the stack.

Last time in Action-packed comics: the malevolent League of Bad People has taken over the city. A state declared martial law has been declared  to keep peace, order, civility, and all other things that people somehow believe exist under normal circumstances under the rule of law…but whatever. Heroes and villains, cops and criminals go all out on the streets. It is in these times of distress and uncertainty that certain heroes rise, when honor, hanging by a thread, pushes on to defeat evil!

However, such heroes are all pretty busy, so we will have to make do with copycats.

Mario was a simple balloon salesman of humble means. Each day, Mario would push his cart up and down the street, and sell balloons to whoever wanted them. The Italian immigrant didn’t discriminate.

Roxanne was a high-powered advertising executive. She walked past Mario’s cart each day on her brisk walk to work. Every morning she barked orders into her cell phone, coffee in hand.