Madam Maternity, Part 3 (Superhero TG Preg, Rapid/Hyper Preg) (Patreon)

By FoxFaceStories

A Commission for Planologer

Peter Avery has just discovered that he has superpowers. Enrolled into the organisation Artemis to hone his powers and serve alongside other heroes, his trajectory is complicated by the arrival of a strange villain on the scene: Madam Maternity, who has the power not only to cause instant pregnancy to female victims, but even cause men to become pregnant women as well - permanently! Soon Peter and his friends are tasked with helping end this threat, and finding out what this Madam Maternity wants, and why she is targeting so many virile heroes.

First Part 

Previous Part

Part 3: Secrets Come Out

The scene replayed out pretty much exactly as Grey Matter had experienced it. His memory was borderline eidetic, which was a damn good thing, as it allowed Peter to focus his power upon the numerous events occurring around him. Unfortunately, it also meant that he got a lot of ‘junk data’ or ‘junk skill’ as he often called it: financial transaction data and etiquette from a banker who was being impregnated, a track runner’s marathon strategy as she tried to run away, before slowing under the weight of her burgeoning belly.

‘Are you getting this?’ Grey Matter’s voice communicated.

‘Y-yes. Just trying to focus. It’s a lot of detail to take in. Not to mention not being in control. Your body feels weird.’

‘I imagine it would, for an outsider. But be warned, things are going to get weirder. I can terminate this when you need me to, but the effect may linger a little. I’ve never done it before.’

‘Understood. I’ll need you to butt out as much as you can so I can use my Adapt power, though.’

Grey Matter didn’t even respond, simply stopped ‘speaking.’ It gave Andrew time to get used to being a puppet in another’s body. It was already horrifically strange, like watching a cam recording of a great calamity, only he was plugged in sensorily as well. He hadn’t realised that Andrew was so weak: Peter was no great weightlifter, though he’d picked up the regime well from actual weightlifters when going to the gym a few times, but Andrew’s power was most clearly in his mind. His body moved sluggishly around, and Peter got to relive the experience of him trying to aim his mental incapacitation at Madame Maternity. She flitted about, teleporting and flying and shifting from side to side while battling three separate heroes. Negatron’s beam missed her by an inch, and Peter got the sense that she was toying with them. His power wasn’t even necessary for that.

‘Damn, she’s fast.’

‘Very fast. I’m not speeding anything up here.’

‘I believe you. Poor Monolith.’

‘This is not even his full pregnancy yet. He’s about to be hit.’

Indeed, Grey Matter had looked up just in time to see the former masculine hero take a beamshot in mid-air, swelling the hero’s belly to gargantuan proportions. Dangerbee sped about, rescuing who he could, and Peter felt a surge of protective instinct that must have come from Andrew.

‘You really care for him like a brother, don’t you?’

‘Of course. He’s my best friend, but also irresponsible. I feel like I failed him.’

Peter had no answer to that: he was literally viewing said failure in real time. Grey Matter was lining up the mental shot, and as he had explained to Clem and Peter and the rest of Artemis, it had somehow completely failed to do anything. This was the moment Peter likewise focused his own Adapt power. 

‘Now’s your chance,’ Grey Matter whispered in his mind. She was clearly eager for details on the person who had changed her into a woman and left her with twin babies.

Peter didn’t respond. He ignored all the other information flowing into his mind, his understanding of Paper Mache’s power (and its weaknesses) and Negatron’s technology (and how it could be potentially improved). Even Monolith’s own rippling muscles and the diet he maintained for maximum strength was something he mentally cast aside, all mental energy pouring forth to glean anything from Madam Maternity. Strengths. Weaknesses. Her power set. Her goals and plans. Her personality. Even her tactics and strategies in combat.

And he got nothing.

Less than nothing, in fact. It was like some kind of hollowness was present. A hole in the world. A voice from which nothing was communicated, not even a rejection of his power’s signal.

‘Are you getting something?’ Grey Matter asked.

‘Nothing. Shit. She must have some counter.’

‘Do you want me to pull the plug?’

‘N-no! Keep going! Maybe I can push through it!’

It was a big risk though, because it also meant that Peter had to live fully through the next part: Grey Matter getting hit by Madam Maternity’s impregnation array. Peter groaned mentally as he experienced what his friend had gone through only days before. He wanted to writhe and squirm as he felt breasts burst from his chest - large ones - and his belly balloon outwards.

‘Ohhhhhh, this is r-really w-weird!’

‘Now you know I how felt. How I feel.’

‘NNghh! Oh God, my dick! Shit!’

‘Yep. That part was not fun.’

It scuppered back into his body even as the weight increased. His hair pushed out, his hips expanded, and his shoulders slimmed. In moments Peter had gone through what Andrew had, and it was difficult to focus back on Madam Maternity. Again his power gave him nothing, though he could feel the edges of something this time. Something shielding against him. Something powerful and advanced. He couldn’t make sense of it, only that it felt almost otherworldly.

‘Time to pull the plug. You don’t want this next bit.’

‘No! K-keep going! I think I’ve almost g-got something!’

‘Dude, I lived through giving birth to twins. You don’t want that.’

‘J-just a little longer!’

Grey Matter’s annoyance was clear in his mind, but Peter was determined. He hadn’t been sure if he’d wanted to be a hero, but now with his friends’ lives changed by this evil woman, he had a chance to prove himself. To use his power for the greater good. Somewhere in the actual reality his heart was beating rapidly, but he couldn’t give up now, not when he was so damn close. He could be the hero to solve this.

But the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, and Peter sharply regretted his determination when Madam Maternity detonated her strange labor-inducing pulse. Grey Matter’s body seized up, the poor former man groaning and grunting as contractions hit her form. And now Peter was caught up in these feelings too, not only getting to know what it was like to be a pregnant woman but also one giving birth.

‘Ohhhhhh sh-shit! Shit shit shit!’

‘That was my thoughts, though I managed to control them with meditation. I don’t think you’ll be able to do the same, though you might experience some of my calmness. Can I cut the mental link now?’

Peter saw through Grey Matter’s eyes that Dangerbee was squatting and giving birth with the aid of a nearby man. It felt strangely intrusive to witness the sight, but he literally couldn’t control his actions; he was only witnessing what Andrew saw and feeling what he felt. Another contraction hit, this one even worse.

‘Y-yes! Cut it!’

‘Okay. Let me separate it.’

Another contraction. Grey Matter slid down her trousers and pulled off her underwear. Fluid leaked from her, and she began to huff as she focused on bearing down.

‘Anytime now would be great!’

‘This takes longer than you would expect. I have to sever our mental link safely. And not much time is passing in the real world. Just hold on, and try to focus on the Madam.’

But she was already gone, and all Peter could do was mentally hold on for dear life as labor pains rippled through ‘his’ form. It was unbearably strange, but he was impressed thanks to his midwifery knowledge collected the day previous how well Grey Matter was doing. He focused his power on the particles in the air left behind by Madam Maternity, and it was only then that something clear cut was twigged by his powered senses.

‘Chronotons! I know from using my power on my physics teacher how to recognise them! Her powerset uses chronotons!’

‘Time energy? That would explain the accelerated pregnancy, and her ability to travel fast. If she can manipulate time in some way . . .’

‘Ohhhh! NNGHH! Okay, I found what I could! Now g-get me out of h-here!’

Unfortunately, the mental link took longer to sever than expected. Or perhaps it was near-instantaneous, and it was just that the replay inside their link happened so quickly compared to real-time. Either way, Peter was forced to experience the miracle of life that followed, and the euphoria of a child entering the world from his body. He mentally cried out as it exited Grey Matter’s new feminine tunnel, and the next was halfway out when the connection finally cut. It had been the strangest experience of his life.

“Agggggh! Oh th-thank God,” he said when reality returned. He collapsed backwards, and it was only thanks to Clem being nearby and the speed of Dangerbee that he didn’t land flat on his back.

“Are you okay?” Clem asked. 

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” he stammered. “That was . . . something else.”

Clem looked to Andrew, who explained. “He just experienced me giving birth.”

“Holy shit,” the invisible woman said. “No wonder you look ready to faint. What the hell did you do that for?”

“Yeah, what the hell, man?” Marcus said. She gestured to her female form. “I could have told you the experience in two words: not cool. That would have been enough.”

Peter was too tired to explain. It had all felt so real. He’d never been so happy to have a penis before.

“It was part of a very heroic and very stupid act,” Andrew said calmly, crossing her arms under her breasts, accidentally emphasising them in her tight top. “Peter stayed in the mental link as long as possible to get the information we needed on Madam Maternity.”

Clem turned back, hope in her eyes. “What did you find? Do we know her weakness?”

Peter managed to stand on his own. “Sadly, no. I was blocked somehow. I can’t tell if it was because of her or because I was seeing it second hand. But I did manage to pick up something: her power, or at least some of it, uses chronotons.”

“Cool, cool,” Marcus said. “And I totally know what those are. But Clem doesn’t, so can you explain for the dumb ones?”

She slapped him. He never saw it coming, literally.

“It means she manipulates time somehow,” Grey Matter said. “It’s not a lot, but it’s a start. And it could be the lead to undoing her. We should tell Agent Fielding and Hypotenuse. Maybe even Lady Glory if she’s still around and is willing to see us.”

The group agreed, Clem most of all since Glory was her big hero. But Peter needed time to rest after that ordeal, and no one understood that better than the new mothers. 

“Take a couple of hours,” Andrew said. “I’ll use my power to massage the memories to make them more vague.”

“Don’t,” Peter said. “I’ll hold onto them for a bit. Just in case.”

“Okay.”

They escorted him to their rooms at Artemis, and he lay down on the bed for a bit, thinking on all he had just gone through. The pain of childbirth, the sheer alien nature of it, made him even more sympathetic to his friends. But his focus was far more upon Madam Maternity herself. He couldn’t quite say why, particularly since his Adapt power hadn’t been very successful, but he was unable to shake a strange suspicion about her.

“I don’t think she’s fully human,” he whispered to himself.

***

The following days at Artemis were home to a great deal of discussion, debate, and controversy. Peter and his friends brought forth the information they had discovered about Madam Maternity to Agent Fielding, and she had evidently considered it important enough to take them directly to Lady Glory and even the Director herself. It was incredibly intimidating standing in the surprisingly well-lit and classy room where the Director’s desk was. Her name was upon the plaque before them: Director Shonda Bullark. There was a reason some called her ‘the bulwark’: she was a dark-skinned, wider-set woman who gave the impression that she brooked no dissent. Lady Glory stood beside her in full costume, her figure divinely beautiful and curvaceous, her curly hair in a professional tied-back style. Her white top and golden skirt were a contrast not only to her own dark skin but the Director’s practical business suit.

“Chronotons,” the Director mused. “If we can confirm this, it is of vital importance.”

“Indeed,” Lady Glory said. “All three of you have done well in bringing this to us.”

“Four,” whispered Clem.

“Ah, sorry Miss-Appear, it is easy to forget you’re there. Indeed, all four of you. But especially you Grey Matter and Adapt. You are going by Adapt, yes?”

“Um, I suppose so, Ma’am,” Peter said sheepishly. He felt rather nervous now that he was here, especially since part of the story involved him literally going through willingly what three of their heroes had suffered most unwillingly.

“Well, Adapt, your bravery is to be commended. I have read Agent Fielding’s report on you, and it is quite glowing. With your permission, I can pass on my high praise to your mother Sarah Avery, if you so wish.”

Clem gasped. Even Marcus looked surprised.

“Um, that would be greatly appreciated. Mom is not, uh, the biggest superhero fan, but she respects the Protector’s Guild’s work. And everyone loves Lady Glory.”

Glory smirked, as did the Director.

“You hear that, Lady Glory?” the other woman said. “You don’t need to punch any jaws anymore.”

“How convenient for me,” Lady Glory said.

“Oh, I didn’t mean with villains, I just meant-”

The superheroine put up a hand. “I know what you meant, and no offence taken Peter. In truth, I had wanted to meet with each of you already, but with this latest act of heroic initiative, it has only confirmed for me what I had already been considering. Take a seat, all of you.”

They all did, though poor Clem didn’t have one. Agent Fielding had to wheel in a seat before retreating: despite her professional demeanour, she really could be quite sweet. Lady Glory apologised again for this, and Clem just about melted for being mentioned by name. But the Director cut through the moment with her harsh voice. 

“An announcement will be made shortly. Certain heroes are already aware, including Hypotenuse, Brainfuse, Scarlet Woman and so forth. We have also told those fully registered Protector’s Guild members affected by the incident at the bank, as their voices are important in this. And now you can hear it too. We are arranging a trap to catch Madam Maternity, and it will be at the Mother’s Day Parade.”

Peter gasped. A number of them did actually. Grey Matter didn’t seem surprised, but perhaps her mental powers had already allowed her to suss out this particular detail.

“I thought that discussion was still ongoing?” Clem said. “There’s a lot of civilians there. Can’t she be drawn away and -”

The Director held up a hand. The gesture was more curt than Lady Glory’s. “Believe me, young woman, I am well aware of the risks. I have been weighing them carefully. We all have. You saw the reception the other day when Lady Glory suggested the same. But these are the facts: Madam Maternity has hinted heavily that she will hit the Mother’s Day parade. In this, we can expect her presence regardless. If we cancel it, we lose our ability to predict where she will be. Perhaps her second choice of location will be even more unfortunate. It is a ‘better the devil we know’ situation. Or ‘hell’ we know, in this case. 

“Second, her hubris and confidence may be her undoing here. We are going to seed the crowd with numerous heroes in disguise to take her down. We will also have others, such as Mazerunner, whose powers can evacuate large numbers of civilians quickly and effectively. Thirdly, thanks to what you have found about her use of chronotons, we can utilise equipment from Hypotenuse and Brainfuse to bring in experimental equipment that will hopefully jam her teleportation and pulse abilities. It will render radio contact difficult, but this is our best chance to catch her.”

Peter bit the inside of his cheek. He could understand the cold logic of it, but this wasn’t the Artemis he knew. Or perhaps it was simply that such stories of necessary risks never really reached the media. Artemis was good with publicity, after all. It was Lady Glory that stepped forward, her more kindly attitude taking over.

“I can see that you all have reservations about this,” she said.

“I just don’t want what happened to me to happen to anyone else,” Marcus said.

“The same,” Andrew added, “but I can also see the logic of it. I would like to be there, then. I can help coordinate due to the lack of radio contact, and while I would prefer not to get pregnant again, I’d rather me than another civilian.”

Lady Glory smiled encouragingly. “Spoken like a true hero, Grey Matter. You are adapting very well, trust me.”

Those words hinted at something to Peter’s power. Her mind flickered, knowledge seeping in that seemed at odds with the woman. She was lying about something, or presenting something about herself that was at odds with her original nature. It was difficult to discern. Much of the information was old, and her incredible power set was what his Adapt power focused most upon by its passive nature. He scratched his temple, trying to see more.

“I’d like to help too then,” Dangerbee said, stepping forward. “I’m not letting my bro get in trouble again. God help us if he ends up with four babies. We’d never be able to manage with so many little smartasses in one place. Besides, I want to take Madame Maternity down. She took away my dick. I don’t forgive that.”

The Director actually grunted with amusement at that, and this too set off Peter’s power. She knew something. Had some experience that made her sympathetic to Marcus.

“I’ll join too,” Clem said. “I don’t want to let the team down. And I don’t think Madam Maternity will be able to see me. Literally only Peter can.”

“That’s what we’re thinking as well,” Lady Glory said. “Any power that is outside the usual bandwidth might give us an edge in countering her.”

Clem was beaming from ear to ear, and literally fist pumping the air in excitement and nervousness. She could do that quite easily, since only Peter could see her. 

“So it’s definitely happening then?” he asked. “The heroes are all agreed.”

“They are not. In fact, many are against this plan. But it has been decided, and we are taking volunteers. We cannot order anyone for such a high-risk mission. But we trust them to step up when necessary. Monolith has already volunteered.”

Marcus whistled. “Let’s hope she doesn’t end up with, like, another sixteen children.”

Lady Glory winced. “Yes, let’s hope.”

The Adapt power was almost causing a migraine at this point as it sorted through the junk data. But this latest tiny little facial expression finally tipped Peter’s perception over the edge.

“Oh my God,” he said aloud. “You’ve encountered her before. Madam Maternity.”

The Director’s usually calm face briefly took on an expression of surprise before instantly resetting itself. Lady Glory likewise gave a quizzical reaction.

“Peter, what are you saying?” she said. 

“I’m saying she’s not a new threat. You know her.”

The Director stood. “I think this is the end of our meeting. Any presumptive statements can be expressed through the proper channels instead of blasting them aloud to-”

‘Go on,’ Grey Matter whispered in Peter’s anxious mind. ‘Push it further. I’m using my power too. They’ve got mind blockers here but ever since Madam Maternity’s blast they don’t affect me for some reason.’

Peter pushed on, despite the horrified reaction of Clem. Miss-Appear was gesturing wildly at him to stop. And perhaps he should have. But he needed to know the truth. He couldn’t commit to Artemis, to any future direction, unless he had the full picture.

“You were changed by her,” he said, and it was like a bomb dropping, forcing the Director into silence. “Both of you. You were impregnated by her sometime in the past. In fact, I don’t even think you were originally-”

The Director went to hit a button on her desk, ostensibly to call security, but Lady Glory moved like lightning, almost as fast as Dangerbee, and grabbed her boss’s hand.

“Shonda,” she said quietly. “The gig is up. I’ll talk with them. The truth was going to come out eventually.”

The Director, who was looking at Peter in a way that was borderline life-threatening, simply gritted her teeth. “I’m trusting you on this, my friend. Keep it contained.”

“I will.”

The gorgeous superheroine walked around the desk to stand before them. She was a statuesque stunner of a woman, and it was hard not to fall in love with her in close up. She truly had the ideal body, and even an anxious Peter was attracted in that moment. No doubt Marcus was practically slobbering.

“Come with me to the rooftop garden,” she said. “We’ve got a lot to talk about anyway.”

They all followed, Clem shooting daggers with her eyes at Peter before returning the astonished gaze to her idol.

“There’s no way,” she whispered. “There’s just no way she used to be a man!”

***

“It’s true, I used to be a man,” Lady Glory said.

“Well, that about confirms it,” Marcus whispered to Clem, who was actually on the other side of him by that point. She jabbed him in the boob, annoying him.

They were relaxing in a private space at the highest rooftop garden on the Artemis building. It was quite an immense building, but even with its pyramidal shape there were large alcoves and jutting points where greenery thrived. Evidently, this space adjacent to Lady Glory’s office was for her own quiet and private contemplation. Peter was no tech-whiz, but he recognised auditory dampeners while Andrew noted a few mental blockers. This was not a space to be normally intruded upon, and he could see why: it was serene and beautiful, with carefully-maintained rose bushes, tulips, and other flowers, as well as hanging vines and various potted plants. There are a number of park bench-like seats for if she ever wanted to talk with others outdoors beneath the shade of the sail cloth, and this was what she was doing now. Lady Glory sat down after watering a few plants personally. With the light passing through the sail-cloth her beauty and resplendent power was even more obvious, making her appear like a true goddess. In comparison, the three junior Artemis members and newbie-Peter were feeling a lot less relaxed, though Clem was perhaps awed a little. 

“I wish you hadn’t been so brash as to announce it out loud, Peter,” Lady Glory continued. “You will have to learn in life, whether you join Artemis or not, how to be judicious in choosing your moments.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Very sorry, actually. I could have handled that better.”

He didn’t mention that Andrew had egged him on.

She smiled softly. “Forgiven,” she said. “In fact, the truth was going to come out to some of you regardless, and given how tight you have become so quickly as a group, I couldn’t hope for it not to spread a little. But this information I share with each of you is to stay with each of you only, do you understand?”

They each nodded, though Clem vocalised her agreement for obvious reasons.

“Good. Take a seat, and I’ll explain. It’ll link to something I want to talk about.”

She reached into her top and pulled out two photographs. Peter was briefly distracted by the fact that she apparently stored material in her bra, but where else on her costume could it go? She held up the photographs before them, cloistered closely around her. In one photograph was an image of a young black man, perhaps in his early twenties. A bit plain in looks, but certainly fit. In the other was an image of a costumed hero in bright colours and domino mask. It was obviously the same man.

“This is the original me,” Lady Glory said, her gorgeous voice making the statement almost impossible to believe were it not for two of their own members having had their gender transformed also. “I won’t tell you my actual old name, of course, but suffice to say I did not go by ‘Lady Glory.’ I was Mister Glory. This was back in the 70’s, a long time ago.”

Clem gasped. “You’re - you’re over fifty years old!?”

Lady Glory smirked. “I keep remarkably well for my age, don’t I?”

“I didn’t mean - I knew you aged slower - it’s just so amazing! You’ve always been my idol. You’re the reason I never became a villain. I didn’t realise you’d been such a hero for so long.”

Lady Glory actually blushed. “Well, it’s not often I feel flummoxed. Thank you, Miss-Appear, but you should take credit for your own good decisions. Still, I’m proud to have played a small part in you coming here. You have the makings of a great hero.”

Clem just about fainted. Peter put his arm around her to steady her, and she vibrated against him with enthusiasm while Lady Glory continued.

“Not many people know about Mister Glory. Those that do assume he was just a small-bit hero who retired early on or lost his powers. In truth, I was only operating as a hero for a short while - a little over a year - when she turned up. Madam Maternity.”

Peter leaned forward, as did Andrew. This was what they were most interested in.

“It was her first appearance. December 12th 1972, to be precise. This was in the very early days of superheroes and villains, when the various powers and their classes were only starting to be understood, and the atmospheric events and solar flares causing their upsurge were only a decade previous. Everything was new back then. Simpler. Cops and heroes and robbers, that sort of stuff. I was very street level. Artemis, obviously, didn’t exist in its modern form. It was a small physics outfit based on the West Coast instead of here in Star City. So you have to understand that big world-ending threats and various classes of emergency weren’t established. Villains showed up, caused trouble, and we costumed heroes responded to stop them. None of us were prepared for Madam Maternity. And if we’d lived in the age of social media at the time, we never would have been able to cover it all up. We barely managed at the time.”

“What happened?” Andrew asked.

Lady Glory sighed, causing her impressive bust to rise and fall in her costume’s top. Clem whispered in Peter’s ear. “She’s so gorgeous. At least Mister Glory hit the jackpot.”

“I have super hearing, you know.”

Only Peter could see Clem turn a bright red on her Japanese features.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’m sure you are just as beautiful, Clem.”

“Oh, I am so totally not.”

“You are,” Peter said. She blushed again.

“Anyway, she turned up in the middle of St. Gregor’s Mall during a nativity scene play. It was assumed she was just part of it, or some weird gate crasher. That was, until she began using her powers. I responded quickly. With my own super speed, flight, and superior strength, I assumed I could take her. I could not. I had never fought anyone like her, or since. She outclassed me completely, taunting me all the while with her stupid maternity puns. I distinctly remember what she said when she fired her impregnation ray right at me. She said, “looks like you’re going to experience an entirely new kind of glory, Mister. Though I guess you won’t be a mister for long, huh?”

“And sure enough, I wasn’t. Right in front of everyone, my body began to change as so many others had. I went from being the man you see in this photograph to, well, this. A highly pregnant this, actually. I have great sympathy for you, Grey Matter, more than you know. I too became pregnant with twins. Only I was luckier than you: Madam Maternity escaped, and was not troubled enough to set off her pulse.”

“How have we never heard of this?” Clem asked. “I used to research everything about you. I’ve been your biggest fangirl for ages. But I’ve never heard of anything like this!”

“That’s all thanks to Mindwipe,” Lady Glory said. 

“Who?”

“Exactly. At the time, it was causing a local panic. There was a local former villain who reformed and found work with the FBI. He had the power to take away recent memories. The incident was taken care of as far as Madam Maternity was concerned. The recordings - what little there was for the Seventies - were wiped away. The arrangement of the changed individuals was more difficult. Suffice to say that the relocation program had its work cut out for it, and the public’s income tax went to helping encourage their silence. Still, it was difficult, and I was caught up in it all as well. I was stuck as a heavily pregnant woman in the middle of the holiday season. I was angry. I was hurt. I was damn uncomfortable.”

“Preach it sister,” Marcus said, and it elicited a chuckle from Lady Glory.

“Indeed. Suffice to say I tried to tangle with Madam Maternity again, and I barely managed to escape without being impregnated again. Lucky me. By the end of her rampage, we had a number of impregnated individuals which led to over one hundred babies being born. My twins arrived on December 25th. Yes, that’s right. My own little Christmas miracle had me pushing two babies I never would have imagined I could ever carry into the world. At least it was an ‘easy birth’, according to the midwifes. It didn’t feel easy at the time.”

“I’m sorry,” Peter said.

“Thank you, but your condolences aren’t necessary. I love my children, and am very grateful I had them.” 

“You kept them?” Andrew asked. “Like I’m planning to?”

Lady Glory shrugged. “It was not an easy decision, but my maternal instincts were fairly strong. One common occurrence we found with those who had been impregnated, and even those whose gender had been changed, was that a strong maternal instinct developed. It wasn’t always strong enough: Artemis swelled with funding to study the effects upon them, and in doing so an associated orphanage began which continues to this day. But many more than you would expect kept their babies, myself included.”

Andrew nodded, understanding. Marcus just folded her arms. She’d been crying a lot lately, but Andrew had assured them her decision was final, and this was her way of dealing with it.

“And that’s why you disappeared from the record, and why no one connected Mister Glory to Lady Glory,” Peter said. “You were raising your children.”

The superheroine made the gesture of a finger gun in his direction. “Got it in one. My babies became my world, and I had to focus on them entirely, particularly since I was a new woman, a single mother - in the Seventies no less - and my children also began developing power sets.”

“They did?”

“Oh yes. That’s the thing, and what I’m willing to tell you. Given your power, Peter, you’ll need all the information backing you up that you can get. What we found was that of those who were impregnated, over forty percent of them went on to birth children who would later possess superpowers.”

“Holy shit,” Clem said.

“There’s more. Among those who would go on to have more children - and there was more than you might think, given we have also found those affected appear to have a sort of ‘breeding’ instinct that lightly nudges them. I’ve certainly felt it - anyway, among the children born later who weren’t a result of the impregnation array, there was still an incredibly high percent that developed super powers, roughly equating to nearly thirty percent.”

“She’s cultivating powers, accidentally or deliberately,” Andrew surmised. “And potentially boosting existing powers. My own telepathy is almost twice as powerful now.”

“My speed is super boosted as well,” Marcus said. “You know, when I’m not sore from giving fucking birth. Also, it makes my boobs wobble a heap, so I desperately need sports bras.”

“I can get you some good ones,” Lady Glory said. “Trust me, I get the struggle.”

“Wait, you said there were mental changes,” Andrew said. He paused before continuing. “Did they include, well, men who turned into women starting to, uh, think of themselves as women?”

Marcus coughed. It was clear that this was not a comfortable topic of conversation.

“Yes,” Lady Glory said flatly. “It happens slowly, over time. Not for everyone. But most men who became women found themselves thinking in female pronouns over time. Obviously, this was the case for me. In fact, I’ve been a far more successful superheroine than superhero.”

‘Successful’ was understating it. Lady Glory was perhaps the most famous superpowered individual on the planet, not just because of her incredibly impressive power set but also her incredible good looks and seemingly endless devotion to fighting crime and dangerous events across the globe. More than one magazine had named her ‘The World’s Sexiest Superhero’, while interviewers often talked about what it was like to be an attractive woman ‘at the top of the parahuman pyramid.’ Peter wondered now if she was ever privately amused by this, knowing her own past. Given that some of her costumes, which changed from time to time, had even been quite revealing, he had little doubt she had acclimated to showing off her perfect body in the decades since she had changed.

“It was also the case for the Director,” she said. “She also became used to being a woman, in her own way.”

Peter’s Adapt skill was working overtime, drawing connections together to form advanced conclusions.

“She doesn’t have an elongated lifespan. Madam Maternity returned between the Seventies and today, didn’t she?”

“Again, you are correct. She has returned almost every decade, and during one of those she affected a tough-as-nails FBI agent who would go on to not only raise two incredibly impressive children, but also build Artemis up into what it is today. Shonda Bullark sought me out to help, and the rest is history. We have worked often to solve the mystery of Madam Maternity, knowing that our ability to keep this crisis under wraps would become ever more difficult to manage. Impossible now, as you have seen.”

“It was bound to happen with her returning like that,” Andrew said. “And the advent of social media and mobile phone camera technology.”

“Indeed, as well as her choice of targets. In fact, she has even targeted some of the children of those who were impregnated, ensuring that they in turn are affected. The babies of those individuals went on to have an even higher rate of superpower development. Whether Madam Maternity knows this or not is unclear, but she appears to relish the challenge. My assumption is - especially now that we know her use of chronotons - that she is trying to ‘breed’ a perfect combatant to match her skills. She seemed to lament during fights how easy they are.”

It made sense, though Peter wasn’t quite sure. Something in his power had sensed a void, but without seeing the woman in person, he couldn’t be certain.

“Wait,” Marcus said. “Maybe I’m just a dumb person trying to be a smart one here, but you said that babies born to those hit by Madam Bitch’s preggo ray had a higher chance of superpowers, right?”

“Indeed.”

“Does that mean - look, does that mean us? That means us, right? Grey Matter and me? We were some of those kids.”

Andrew looked with surprise to his friend, obviously astonished he hadn’t made the connection himself. “Is it true?”

Lady Glory nodded slowly. “You were some of the ones given up by those affected by Madam Maternity’s return in the very early 2000’s.”

“That just gives me a whole new reason to wallop her,” Marcus said, putting on her ‘Dangerbee face.’ “I want in on this mission. Please. I can assist with crowd control if necessary. Getting people out of there. I feel stronger and faster now, and I want to use that against her in anyway I can.”

“Me as well,” Grey Matter said. “I can keep everyone in contact through a shared telepathic link.”

“That’s what I was hoping to hear,” Lady Glory said. “Miss-Appear, I know you said before that you would like to help, but you must know the risks. There is still a chance you could be impregnated.”

“Yeah, seriously not cool,” she said. “And I do not want another kid to suffer being permanently invisible like me. Also, getting bigger boobs is definitely not worth it all, even if they’re as big as Grey Matter’s.”

“Hey!”

“But . . . I want to help. I joined up to be a hero, and this is my chance. I don’t want to let people down. I don’t want to let myself down. Besides, Peter already took a big risk, and these two new girls have. It’s my turn.”

Lady Glory reached out, and it took Peter’s gesturing to help her place the hand on Clem’s shoulder. “Thank you, Miss-Appear. You have the makings of a true hero.”

Peter was reasonably certain that made Clem go catatonic.

“With your help, we can hopefully stop Madam Maternity before it’s too late. Not just for her future victims, but Artemis as an organisation. We can only survive on the public trust, and if there’s an enemy who we not only can’t beat, but who actively and publicly humiliates us . . .”

They each nodded, understanding. In the peaceful silence that followed, Andrew perked up. “What about Peter here? Um, Adapt I mean?”

All eyes turned to him.

“What about me?” he said.

“It was your power that gave us the information, aided by Grey Matter,” Marcus said.

“And you took a big heroic risk,” Clem said, almost admiringly.

“But I’m only a trainee. I’m not even registered like you three are!”

“It didn’t stop you before. But I wouldn’t blame you for not coming either,” Grey Matter said. “But your power could be of significant use, as we’ve already seen.”

Lady Glory stood. “Peter is right, and we won’t pressure him. This is purely a volunteer mission. Still, I would like to talk to you privately Peter, if possible. The rest of you can go, and I don’t need to emphasise that everything we discussed here is top secret and not to be shared, do I?”

They all agreed fervently, and headed for the exit.

“Oh, and Andrew? Marcus? Come in and see me sometime. In two days, perhaps. I’m free in the morning and Agent Fielding can set it in your calendars. I’d like to talk to you about how you can adjust to being women. It may be of some help, particularly since some things are a little embarrassing to discuss aloud. Trust me, you don’t want to be alone on this.”

The two former boys nodded and gave their awkward thanks, before leaving into the care of Agent Fielding who was back in the main hall. The red-headed agent asked no questions as she escorted them away, though she did confirm Clem’s presence before the silent Lady Glory continued her private discussion with Peter.

“I’ll be frank with you, Peter,” she said, turning away to look down over the wider Artemis area. “I want you on the team.”

Peter had just been admiring her butt for a moment - he was still a red-blooded male, after all, unlike two of his friends now - but he quickly looked up in surprise.

“Really?”

“Yes. I will not force you, but Grey Matter is right; you have already proven to be a bold asset. Madam Maternity’s effects do not linger, and because of the randomness of her attacks and her speed and affects, we have not been able to get good recordings of her power traces. But thanks to you and Grey Matter, we have evidence of ways to counter her, hopefully. I’ve put all my cards on the table today, something I have done previously with less people than I have fingers. I have done this in the hopes that by giving you as much information as necessary, you will be able to use your Adapt power to its fullest extent. If we fail to contain Madam Maternity this time and everything goes to hell, you may be our last, best chance at finding out what makes her tick. It could be the key to her imprisonment, or at least some form of truce and negotiation. But I will not pressure you at all. You are not officially signed on to Artemis, and would have to be so as a junior trainee like your three friends. It’s a big commitment, and it comes at a big risk. I would not ask if I were not desperate myself. So have a couple of days to think about it and-”

“I’ll do it,” Peter replied. His own answer surprised himself, particularly with how easily it came from his lips. “I’ll do it,” he repeated.

“Are you sure?”

“I am,” he said. He paused for a moment, realising something about himself. “I think I actually want to be a hero.”

Lady Glory stood to her impressive full height. “You already have the makings of one, young Peter. “Trust me. I’ve had time to recognise such things. But to make it official, you’ll need this.”

Again, she reached into the cleavage window in her costume, only this time she pulled forth a small badge. She attached it to his chest with the same reverence of a lord knighting a loyal servant.

“Welcome to Artemis, Peter,” she said. “We’re very lucky to have you.”

He grinned nervously. He really, truly hoped that this was the case. 

***

In the days leading up to the Mother’s Day Parade, the four friends trained and trained, exercising their powers to the fullest while also taking part in secret training alongside many other heroes. Some, such as Negatron, were sitting out the battle to come. She had her babies to take care of. Others, like Monolith, had given them up to Artemis’ care and were practically obsessed with making sure the threat of Madam Maternity was ended for good. The new woman was still a bulky giant, albeit a giantess now with seriously impressive boobs that looked to be larger than her own head. 

“Don’t even make a joke about it,” Peter overheard her telling one of her fellow heroic peers. “If I can’t turn back, then you’re damn well sure I’m getting my revenge.”

“I know Monolith, I know. I’m just saying that maybe spandex isn’t the best option anymore, given that-”

“What’s wrong with spandex? I’ve always worn spandex! It’s my outfit!”

Peter couldn’t help but stifle a chuckle. The reason why was obvious: Monolith now had curves for days. Her breasts were neatly outlined by the ‘cups’ of the material, colossal melons that were outrageously full and pert. Her hips were wide, practically made for childbearing (and they had born eight children, after all). Her entire figure had a ‘thicc MILF’ vibe to it, as Marcus had described it.

But then, Monolith wasn’t the only one having costume troubles. Paper Mache would be leaping back into the fold, as would Jaywalker, but both were having to have emergency adjustments made due to Paper’s large bust and wider hips, and Jaywalker’s even more so given that she had once been a he. Other heroes were taking their time jury rigging their suits and outfits with every precautionary measure as possible. Even Lady Glory herself rocked up in a different, stunningly gorgeous outfit seemingly every hour, each apparently designed to aid her abilities in a different way. Marcus had joked that it showed she had “most definitely become a total woman.” Naturally, Clem had poked her sharply in the boob again. 

Of course, now that they were officially taking part on a mission, the four friends were also in need of costume upgrades. Between training, which involves not just testing their powers but working with others and watching top secret videos of Madame Maternity (once again, Peter got little from these), they were tasked with discussing with Agent Fielding and Hypotenuse what style of costume they would like, and what features would integrate well with their powers. In this, as he had surprisingly proven with other existing heroes, Peter proved invaluable. His Adapt power meant that he could see even the tiniest incremental improvements that could be eked out with certain technological changes or streamlining.

The final result was deeply impressive. Dangerbee’s new costume not only suited her moniker, but fit her fit, lithe female form well. It was styled in black and white stripes to match the bee aesthetic, and involved a crash helmet that was also in the same colours. It could connect to feeds of information and traffic flows to find the best speedy routes to travel. Her boots looked partly insectoid, clawing at the surface of the ground for remarkable grip. And, much to a strange combination of embarrassment and relief, it also had a zipper at the front jacket so she could quickly free her breasts to pump, since they were still making milk. It had been on the advice of Lady Glory, among many other hygiene-related bits and bobs that the new woman was slowly taking to heart.

“It’s a bit tight on me,” she remarked. “I swear, if any guy flirts with me-”

Clem just laughed. “Marcus, I’m sorry to say, but every guy is going to flirt with you. You look hot, girl.”

Marcus gave an amused smirk. “Well, at least that hasn’t changed.”

“I wish it hadn’t for me,” Andrew remarked as she put on her new costume. “I liked looking average. Well, weird, but average. I’ve already had a heap of fellow nerds hit on me for being ‘exotic.’”

Peter didn’t comment that her suit choice probably encouraged that vibe. It certainly showed a little bit of cleavage, and was actually styled far more like a superheroine’s outfit than something more conservatively crossed with a male one. It was the classic leotard look along with the high boots, which left part of her grey thighs on display. Similarly, the lower neck meant her large breasts were quite obvious. She did have a longer cape though, dark grey against the purple of her base outfit, and it worked like a cloak to conceal much of her form. Evidently she was taking to being a woman much more than Marcus, though even Peter hadn’t expected her to be so daring in her outfit choice.

“What? It fits my aesthetic,” she said.

“Yeah, right,” Marcus replied. “That’s the reason.”

“This outfit is laced with all sorts of mental enhancing technology.”

“It also has cleavage. And thighs. And a thigh gap!”

Andrew rolled her eyes. “I knew I shouldn’t have shown you it early. You’re all terrible.”

“Well I think you look lovely,” Clem replied. “Though it’s not as sexy as my outfit. Observe!”

The invisible woman twirled invisibly, cackling to herself. Only Peter could see that she was wearing an ensemble she’d picked out to please him personally: a cute pink skirt and bright yellow crop top. She’d even done her hair and makeup with his help. It was hard not to stare into an apparently empty space from how pretty she looked.

“Sexy indeed,” Marcus said.

“She is,” Peter replied, getting more daring. It earned him a smooch on the cheek from her, which in turn left his cheek burning red. He really liked Clementine.

“I actually don’t have one,” she said. “No real point! But I do have a cool walkman-looking thing that jams signals to make it even harder to locate me!”

The last outfit was Peter’s, of course. Now that he was a full member, he could adopt his Adapt moniker in full. His mother had been shocked to hear it, and he was still reassuring her, but standing as he was before his friends in full costume, he knew he’d made the right call. His colour, appropriately enough, was ever-shifting. His outfit consisted of a specially-made jacket and trousers of a reflective material that altered its colour slowly over time, or shift to a colour scheme of his choice. His mask was thinner, with a pair of thick goggles integrated into the material. They allowed him to focus his power, even reduce his vision down to a particular point, in order to glean as much information as possible. The suit also had combat gloves and boots for close-quarters combat. It wouldn’t help against Madam Maternity probably, but he’d been watching a lot of martial arts tournament finales to pick up what skills were needed.

“You look very nice,” Clem said, biting her lip.

“Yeah, fucking badass, man,” Marcus said. She flipped her red-streaked black hair over to the side. There were more red streaks in it lately, and it made them all wonder if it was changing completely.

“I agree with Marcus. Fucking A,” Andrew said. 

“Cheers guys. I almost feel ready for this. Um, almost.”

“We’ll do it together,” Andrew said. “And we’ll get through it. Hopefully without giving birth again. I love Agath and Max, but their feeding schedule is enough for me. I can’t imagine more.”

“Or pushing one out again, ugh!” exclaimed Max.

Clem sighed. “Yeah, no invisible pregnancies, thank you.”

“Then we look out for each other when it all goes down two days from now,” Peter said. “We play our parts, and bring this supervillain down. We’ll be real heroes.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Marcus said, putting her hand forth. They all put their hands on his in turn.

“Let’s be superheroes,” she repeated.

“Superheroes!” they all cried, lifting their hands.

They were committed. Now all they had to do was be ready.

To Be Continued . . .