GAM 4: Mirror Girl: Kidnapped

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Prior Appearances of Mirror Girl   The Golden Age Origin of Mirror Girl   Read all the chapters in the introduction to   'The Greatest American Movie'   Chapter 1: Blue Fire in: Out of Circulation   Chapter 2: Black Zero in: Submarine Sabotage   Chapter 3: Lady Fairplay in: Mississippi Mayhem   Chapter 4: Mirror Girl in: Kidnapped   Chapter 5: Dr. Diamond in: War Zone Fort Rosecrans   Chapter 6: Fearless Flint in: Intrigue in Washington   Chapter 7: Willow Wisp in: Cold Justice   Chapter 8: Master Mystic in: The End of the Beginning (Read me last!)

A Break in the Daily Routine

The shrill ring of the phone interrupted the morning routine of Deann Adler, the Headmistress of the Alder Academy for Young Ladies, located in downstate New York. She was dressed in her usual professional attire - a sharp black business suit and black heels. Morning light streamed through her office windows, casting a warm glow on her desk and the awards hanging on the walls. It was Ken Harvey, the Director of the New York office of the FBI, asking her to drop by the office at her convenience. Deann was a bit bemused, as usually when Ken called her, he needed Mirror Girl to assist on a case, right now! "Maybe he's finally going to ask me on a date? Whatever, in any case, this will give me a chance to see how comfortable my new 'utility belt' is," she thought.

After she finished her coffee, Deann transformed into Mirror Girl by donning her magical Gossamer Garment - red tights and boots, a doublet with long sleeves and gloves, a hood and cape all in vibrant red trimmed with black, and a black leather belt. The garment had magical seals which allowed her to change quickly, and its magic went beyond just a quick change of costume; it gave Deann mystical powers such as becoming intangible and invisible and traveling instantly between pairs of mirrors.

But in her previous adventures, Deann had often found herself facing situations where she needed to return to normal tangibility in order to take action in the real world around her. However, she would then struggle because she couldn't carry anything with her through the mirror, and you can't always count on finding a pistol just lying around in a strange setting when you need one! So, she had been reworking the magical leather belt into a magical utility belt - adding pockets to the inside so she could carry small items in the pockets. Just yesterday she'd made an important addition - Ken had managed to obtain one of the new, single-shot F45 Liberator pistols from the Army, which was small enough to insert behind the belt buckle - and now that all the pockets were filled, she had been looking forward to a chance to wear test the 'new and improved' belt.

She cautiously approached the full-length mirror in her dressing room, worried that the changes she had made to the belt would prevent her magic from working, but she was pleased when she easily stepped into the mirror, and then out of the mirror in Ken's office. But she wasn't ready for what she found! Deann's satisfaction turned to alarm as she stepped out of the mirror in Ken's office to see Ken lying unconscious on the floor surrounded by 3 armed intruders! She followed, intangible and invisible, as they carried him down the service elevator and out of the building. She saw that everyone else in the office was also unconscious, likely due to some kind of gas attack.

Ken Kidnapped

As they drove away from the FBI headquarters, Deann listened to their conversation. They were speaking German - which she had been studying since joining forces with the FBI. They must be German spies! Her suspicions were confirmed when she heard them discussing plans to take Ken to their hideout and torture him for information before killing him. Deann knew she had to act quickly to save her friend. As they drove through the South Bronx, Deann made mental notes of street signs to help rescuers find Ken. They arrived at a warehouse labeled Baronet Trading Company. Deann used her ability to walk through walls to enter the building unnoticed and followed the spies to the office area where they entered an inner office and then tied Ken into the office chair. She quickly scouted the rest of the warehouse and noticed lookouts positioned near each outside door, confirming her suspicions about this being a spy ring hideout. In the restroom, she found a large enough mirror to use for her transitions.

She debated where to go - she had no idea if the FBI folks were still unconscious or not and she needed to contact the police as quickly as possible and then get back here to try to protect her friend. She made an instant decision, then she leapt through the mirror and emerged in the office of Drew Thorne - her close friend and warden of the Downstate Reform School for Girls. Drew wasn't surprised to see Mirror Girl appear out of thin air, as she had specifically installed a full-length mirror in her office for this exact purpose.

"Drew, hurry and call the NY FBI! If someone answers,  tell them that Ken Harvey has been kidnapped by German spies and they plan to torture and murder him!" she yelled urgently to her friend. "If the FBI doesn't answer, call the New York police!" As a warden of a reform school, Drew should have instant credibility with the police. "Let them know that all of the agents in the New York FBI office were knocked unconscious with a gas bomb. They can check for proof there, but they need to hurry! Ken is being held hostage at the old Baronet Trading Company Warehouse on 1st Ave on the waterfront in the Bronx, and there are about half a dozen armed men guarding him! I saw some of them carrying machine guns!" 

She quickly thought through her options; her single-shot Liberator pistol wouldn't be enough against so many enemies. "I'm going back, I need your pistol, now! I have to get back there fast!"

Drew didn't hesitate; she knew that Mirror Girl was serious. As she reached for the phone and jiggled the hook to contact the operator, she slid open a hidden drawer in her desk. Deann grabbed the pistol from the drawer and hurriedly stuffed it under her wide belt buckle, making sure it wouldn't interfere with the Garment's powers. She spun around and dove back through Drew's mirror, appearing instantly in the bathroom of the Baronet Trading Company warehouse, intangible and invisible again. She raced through the warehouse floor at top speed, easily passing through the empty, dusty shelves and closed doors as she searched for anything that could aid her in the upcoming battle. The stale air was heavy with the musty scent of old cardboard boxes and machinery. She located every other person in the warehouse - three in the room with Ken and the three lookouts she'd spotted earlier. 

There was nothing on the shelves that would help her fight the spies. "Unless..." she thought sardonically, "I can somehow turn dust into a weapon. Doesn't seem too likely!"

She smiled grimly as she noted fire alarms sprinkled around the building. She hoped they were still working! "I'm going to make them think the place is going up in smoke!" she thought in satisfaction. 

Another passage through the restroom mirror and she returned to her solid form - now just as visible and vulnerable to bullets as any other person. She would have to rely on stealth, surprise, strategy, her quick thinking skills, Drew's pistol, and whatever tools she had in her utility belt to protect herself and Ken until help arrived from the police.

With cautious steps, Deann navigated her way through the rows of empty shelves in the dimly lit warehouse. She reached a safe spot near the front and pulled out a small candle, firecrackers, and matches from her new utility belt. Carefully, she placed the candle on the ground and wrapped the fuses of the firecrackers around it, ensuring they were positioned just below the wick. She lit the candle and quickly made her way back to the office suite.

Here Goes Nothing!!

In the outer office, Deann took a deep breath and steeled herself for the upcoming action - she hoped!. "Here goes nothing!" she said to herself as she ignited a flare and a smoke bomb, filling the room with thick clouds of dense grey smoke. The harsh flickering flare light flashing inside the smoke cloud gave the illusion of a furious fire. She triggered the fire alarm, instantly setting loud fire bells ringing throughout the warehouse, hopefully adding to the chaos and confusion among the spies!

In a panic, the three spies rushed from the inner room into the thick smoke, and at that instant, like a burst of gunfire, the firecrackers went off, further panicking the started spies. She took advantage of the perfect diversion and slipped into the inner room where Ken was being held captive. She quickly cut him free from his restraints.

"Can you walk? We have to get out of here before they figure out it's all a stunt!" Deann urged, leading him through the smoke towards the river exit. He was somewhat unsteady on his feat, still woozy from the earlier gas attack.

They could hear the spies arguing loudly in German near the front exits to the street, then 4 closely spaced pistol shots rang out. “Cowards! You deserved to die for attempting to desert the Reich!" one shouted. "We need to kill the prisoner also before we escape!"

They didn't have much time left! Deann slowed just long enough to ignite another smoke bomb before continuing to hustle Ken towards the exit at the rear of the building to the docks. But their escape was no longer unnoticed! They could hear an angry voice shouting commands behind them: "I see someone! After them!"

Deann and Ken were almost at the exit when the loud voice spoke again, this time close behind them. "Stop right there!" They turned to see the two remaining spies aiming pistols at them. "Don't move or we'll shoot!"

With desperation born of panic, Deann pushed Ken aside just as one of the spies fired a shot. Ken fell to the ground while Deann quickly fired back while diving behind a row of shelves. Once again her stuntwoman skills paid off - she’d learned to shoot while she'd been a stunt double for Helen Christian in the movie Zorro Rides Again, starring Buster Crabbe as Zorro. One of the men fell to the floor, screaming in pain, with a hole in his stomach.

But her victory was short-lived as disaster struck - Ken blindly reached for her, knocking her pistol from her hand and sending it skidding across the floor. As she scrambled to retrieve her gun, she felt a bullet graze her cheek and watched in despair as the gun disappeared under a nearby rack. She rolled desperately behind the next row of shelves.

The remaining spy taunted her as he approached. "You might as well surrender now - I know you're unarmed!"

But she wasn't! She quickly worked the Liberator out of her belt. She only had one shot, she'd better not miss! "This always worked in every movie I was in!" she thought desperately as she dove through the row between the shelves and rolled and fired and kept rolling! The other spy was now screaming in pain along with his partner. She got to her feet and grabbed both their guns, handing one to Ken. They backed away and covered the bad guys.

That's a Wrap!

“The police should be on their way by now. Maybe you should greet them and explain the situation so they don’t come in shooting!" Deann suggested.

“Thanks for the rescue. Sorry for the trouble I caused you - that gas left me woozy, but I’m back to normal now,” Ken assured her. “Keep them covered, this shouldn’t take too long.” He hurried out the front door to the street, where he awaited the approaching police cars, unarmed, both hands in the air.

The lead police car squealed to a stop nearby, and the officers got out, both with pistols drawn. One took cover behind the car while the other approached cautiously. “Who are you? What the HELL is going on here? Who pulled the damn fire alarm?” Ken could see several more police cars approaching, along with a couple of fire engines.

“I'm Ken Harvey, Director of the New York office of the FBI," he spoke quietly in his most unthreatening tone. "The situation in the building is under control. There are 6 wounded men inside, but they are all German spies. They were trying to kidnap me, but Mirror Girl stopped them!" He thought for an instant. “That’s all the ones we know about, at least, but there might be more rats around, so be careful!”

The officers looked at each other in surprise before speaking into their radios to confirm this information. They were relieved when the next police car and the first fire truck to arrive disgorged both a police captain and a fire captain who immediately took command of the chaotic scene!

Three of the four spies who had been shot in the backs by their fellows were dead by the time an ambulance arrived; the other 3 were taken to a hospital under heavy guard. Several FBI agents arrived and confirmed that Ken was indeed who he said he was, and several of the cops recognized Mirror Girl. Finally, Deann and Ken were able to get away from everyone else for a few minutes. 

"Thanks for the rescue! If it hadn't been for you, my last few moments of life might have been VERY painful!" Ken was sheepish; he wasn't used to getting rescued - especially by a girl!

"I'm glad you called, then," she smiled as she replied. She looked a bit puzzled as she asked, "So, why DID you call, anyway?"

"Oops! Almost forgot! I'm supposed to give you..." he paused and reached into his jacket pocket, pulled something out, "...this." He handed her a small envelope.

Next Appearance of Mirror Girl
The Greatest American Movie