Super Amy

Super Amy
by Doctor Smoke (doctorsmokemd@gmail.com)

After silencing her alarm, Amy's hand slid smoothly over to her pack of
cigarettes and lighter. Sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the
bed, she shook loose a cigarette and applied a flame. As the first puff of
the morning snuck into her lungs, her eyes opened wide. 

"Oh my god, what am I doing?" she thought. "I haven't smoked in years.
Quitting was the hardest thing I've ever done. What will I do now?" Her fears
did not prevent her from nervously taking another puff. 

Then her alarm went off. 

Amy sighed in relief after inspecting her nightstand and not finding a pack.
Relief tempered with minor disappointment. 

This dream had come with increasing frequency for the past couple of months.
Ever since she'd accepted a cigarette from Anya, her co-worker, at a bar on a
girl's night out. Just one couldn't hurt right? 

What had surprised her is that it didn't hurt... at first. But because it
didn't hurt, it made it easier to accept one the following Friday while out
with Anya again. It had since become a weekly tradition. 

This tradition was particularly dangerous for someone like Amy. You see, Amy
may just be a chemical lab tech by day, but at night she transforms into her
alter-ego, Stupendous Woman. Super strength and agility were just the
beginning. Criminals throughout the city feared her. But this superhero had a
weakness. 

Nicotine, the most seductive of molecules, left her powerless. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Several years now separated her from her college days, and the thrill of her
research had long since left her. Most days were repetitive and dull,
offering nothing to compete with the exhilaration of fighting crime. But
lately she'd been sensitive to shady goings-on in her department. 

It hardly seemed like anything at first - some strange visitors, unmarked
packages... but Amy had pieced together other clue from bits of overheard
conversation and the odd newspaper article. She still didn't know what was
happening, but she intended to find out. Stupendous Woman would have to
stealthily pay the office a visit tomorrow. 

"Coming out again tonight?" Amy's train of thought was derailed by her
mischievous pal Anya. 

"I don't know if I should. I was planning on coming into the lab tomorrow to
get some extra time in." Amy stalled. Of course, being Friday, she was
desperate for her now necessary weekly cigarette. Would her powers be back in
time for her visit to the lab tomorrow? 

"Working? On a weekend? I've always considered rarely being asked to work the
weekends one of the perks of a lab job." Anya flashed a smile saying, "of
course, hardly anyone will be there to notice you're hung-over. Not a bad
plan!" 

"I'm definitely not going to drink that much!" Amy had never been prone to
Anya's excesses, but was frequently jealous of the fun her friend seemed to
have. 

"Then you have no excuse *not* to come." 

Amy sighed. It was inevitable. "Alright, you win. See you at 9?" 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The bar was a blast. They flirted with all the guys who weren't interested,
and brushed off the ones who were. It was a silly game, but one they enjoyed
immensely. At first Amy had felt guilty about these nights off from being a
superhero, but had decided that she deserved some relaxation too. The city
could save itself one night a week, right? 

Anya had been smoking up a storm. At all times of day, a aura of cigarette
smoke clung to her slender, youthful body, and it was nights like this that
made the reason why obvious. She adored her full strength Marlboros, and
relished every puff. 

She waited until Amy had downed a couple beers before offering her a
cigarette. "I don't know... I've been feeling guilty recently about my
smoking lately..." she said as she eyed the offered pack. "I wish you didn't
smoke such strong ones." 

"Then get your own pack." Amy smiled. "C'mon, smoking's more fun with a
friend." 

The bar was smoky as usual. Amy wondered if the atmosphere alone was enough
to diminish her powers. If the damage was already done, why not enjoy the act
itself? Convinced by her questionable logic, she plucked a cork-filtered
cigarette from the pack, and placed it gently between her soft lips. Not
giving her a chance to hesitate, Anya was right there with a light. 

Amy pulled hard on the cigarette, much harder than she intended, and was
rewarded with relief from the smoke in her lungs. The sensation she had
craved ever since last Friday overcame her. It was good to take a day off. 

"I knew you'd give in. You always enjoy it too much not to." 

"Mmmmm." Amy closed her eyes and sighed out the smoke. "I have to admit I've
been looking forward to this one all week." 

"What makes you think this will be your only one?" 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Her alarm did not go off. Since she wasn't really scheduled to work, she let
herself sleep in for the day of her espionage. Amy awoke to one in the
afternoon for the first time since her senior year - and closed her eyes
almost instantly. It was going to be a rough morning. She felt a craving, and
opened her eyes once more, only to see an empty bedside table. 

She'd ended up having more than that one cigarette. She was pretty sure she
managed to stop at three, but the haziness of her memory was unsettling. She
was getting sloppy, and pretty soon she'd have to make a tough choice. 

Forcing herself out of bed, she tested out her super-speed for getting
dressed. Though she had her civilian clothes on faster than any normal human
could, she was still sluggish from her activities the night before. Her
previous indulgences had worn off by the next day. Here it was after noon and
she still didn't have her full powers. Amy cursed herself for being weak, but
her mind wandered almost immediately to a desire the fullness and lightness
that a puff of smoke provided. 

She shook her head. It was going to be a long wait until this evening. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Dressed in her full attire, Stupendous Woman crept soundlessly through the
lab. In the twilight she had searched most of the offices without success.
She would have to go closer to the top of the company, where the security
would be higher. Not eager at the prospect, she realized that there was one
office that she hadn't checked. She doubted that she'd find anything there,
but it wouldn't take much time for her to check it. 

Relieved that she'd found nothing incriminating in Anya's office, she decided
to let herself out through the adjoining office. Once inside, she noticed a
crack in the wall paneling that she'd missed on her first pass. Pressing
against it, it gave way easily and she slipped through to the concealed room. 

It was a very extensive chemical lab. But what was odd about this one were
the number of... cigarettes. Momentarily confused, Stupendous Woman was
startled when the panel slammed shut, sealing her in. Whirling around, she
noticed a gas pouring in at an incredible rate, through vents positioned
throughout the room. 

She threw her super strength against the sealed panel. It groaned, but did
not open. "That door must be lined with steel! What are they protecting in
here?" Just then a whiff of the gas was caught by her nose. It was cigarette
smoke! Her heart sank and her stomach twisted itself in a knot. If she didn't
get out soon, she'd be rendered completely helpless. Worse, the smell
intensified her cravings, and she almost wanted to give in... 

Desperately trying to focus, she gathered her strength and mounted an assault
on the panel. An amazing barrage left incredibly sized dents in it, but it
wasn't giving way fast enough. The haze in the room was getting denser, and
she couldn't hold her breath any longer due to her exertion. 

She chanced a breath, hoping to capture what was left of the pure air so that
she could pummel the rest of her way out. But then an extra plume of smoke
puffed out of the vents and caught her full in the face. She ended up getting
a super breath-full of strong smoke. 

For a moment, it relieved some of the intense stress she felt. The mounting
cravings at last had subsided somewhat. But the pleasure was immediately
replaced by terror as she began pounding at the door again, more frantically,
but with a fraction of her full power. Still out of breath, she had no choice
but to pull in another lung full of smoke. 

She began to get lightheaded, not only from the pharmacological effects of
nicotine, but also from the exertion and lack of oxygen left in the room. She
soon gave up trying to open the wall as she fell to her knees, breathing in
deep, repeatedly, trying to get some air. 

As she was about to lose consciousness, the wall swung open, letting fresh
air in again. A figure stood silhouetted in the entry. 

"Anya?" Stupendous Woman gasped. 

A blow to her head quickly knocked her out cold. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

It was perhaps the first time Anya had ever awoken still in her Stupendous
Woman disguise. She lay prone, not uncomfortable, but soon discovered that
she was unable to move. Suspended millimeters in front of her lips by a bent
wire was the cork filter of an unlit cigarette. As if sensing her revival, a
robotic arm moved a flame to the tip. 

Stupendous Woman offered weak resistance to her bonds - her strength had not
even close to returned. Feeling completely defeated and desperately craving a
puff anyways, she saw no reason not to apply her lips to the filter and help
the cigarette light. 

"I thought you'd at least put up at a fight." Anya stepped out of the
shadows, now clad in a tightly form-fitting black spandex outfit that would
befit a super-villainness. 

Amy looked guilty as she exhaled the smoke between pursed lips. "How could
you?" 

"More like, how couldn't I? I keep an eye on what goes on in this city. I
became close to you to keep an eye on you - it was just luck that I would
discover your weakness. It was like a get out of jail free card every Friday
night. What an opportunity!" 

Trying to ignore the burning cigarette in front of her (and failing), Amy
asked, "Now that you've captured me, what were you up to in here that you
went to such lengths to protect?" 

"Ah yes, the lab. You see, I *really* enjoy smoking. And I think everyone
else would too. They just need a little... coaxing to pick up the habit." 

"You were formulating a super-addictive cigarette! And... and I was your
first victim!" Any no longer felt so bad that she was so drawn to the
slightly yellowed filter in front of her. Knowing that it was smoke perfectly
formulated to addict her made it easier to give in and take another puff. 

"Not quite. I have even bigger plans. When I perfect my formula, I will
release it into the city water supply. Soon the simplest whiff of second-hand
smoke will have ever member of society reaching for a pack." As Amy exhaled,
Anya let loose the wickedest smile of them all. "The best part is, I didn't
even have to try it on you. Plain old nicotine was enough to capture and
subdue you." 

"You'll never get away with this!" Amy cried, but her words were punctuated
from the smoke of a third inhale. 

"Really? Like any super-villainness worth her salt I've got most of the city
government and police force in my pocket. And as for you, you're powerless
now. And by the time I'm done with you, I doubt you'll be quitting any time
soon." 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

After silencing her alarm, Amy's hand slid smoothly over to her pack of
cigarettes and lighter. Sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the
bed, she shook loose a cigarette and applied a flame. As the first puff of
the morning snuck into her lungs, she began to sigh. 

It had been only a month, and already the papers were reporting an increase
in the incidence of smoking. Most of the papers, which she now knew Anya
already owned, ran articles slanted in favor of this change. Crime was up,
and in this election year, it seemed that Anya, a newcomer to the stage of
politics, was already the favorite to be the new mayor. A new era was about
to dawn for the city. 

As Amy raised the cigarette to her lips for a puff, she wondered who could
stop this. But happy to finally have a break from her superhero duties, she
contentedly sighed the smoke out as she lamented "It certainly won't be me."