The Mighty Aphrodite

Throughout the 1970's a wave of criminals hit the metropolis of Sledge City hard. The corrupt and paid off police force were ill equipped to protect the citizens. So a bold few stepped forward, operating above the standard of an average hero. Instead, through noble duty they claimed the rightful title of Superhero.
Being one of these heroes was and still remains a dangerous job. Many have tried and many failed to protect their beloved city. But among the throng of failed heroes that popped up three stole the heart and respect of the Sledge City citizens. Supreme: a hulk of a man with super strength. Blue Streak: the teen wonder with extra speed. And finally the most remembered of all, The Mighty Aphrodite!
She was skilled, dedicated, spring loaded with gadgets, and the only heroine to step up. Standing at an impressive 5'10 and donning a patent white leather cat suit with a heart shaped mask covering her eyes, nose, and mouth; she was hard to forget. The Mighty Aphrodite had something for every demographic. Her strong willed feminine ways inspired the women of Sledge City. That smooth ebony skin gave the African Americans pride. The cat suit...well that made men go speechless at the sight of how she filled it out.
Yes! The Mighty Aphrodite was a force to be reckoned with. By the late 70's a criminal would not think twice about stepping foot in Sledge City. The police force was once again pure and the city became so peaceful that the heroes could happily retire and live normal lives once again. They were free to marry, have children, and grow old. Which is what they did, gladly living with the secret that every citizen was now allowed to live that way because of them. It was a secret the would take to their graves. Or at least they would have if the world did not take a turn for the worse.
Now, in the new millennium, the country is at war and has plunged into a recession. Jobs have been lost and homes foreclosed. People are desperate, they don't know where to turn, so many turn to crime. The easiest way to make a dollar. With the heroes Sledge City once loved long retired and approaching old age, devious minds felt comfortable penetrating the city again. Organized mobs infiltrated the police precincts and Sledge City returned to being a hard place to live. The resident were afraid and even though aged and out of shape the heroes would not stand by and allow their city to fall in to dark hands. So they broke the rules they set for themselves and revealed their identities. But not to just anyone, a handpicked apprentice. One who could protect the city the way they once did. One who possessed the natural athletics the job demanded. And one who was smart enough not to get themselves killed by some random punk like so many others they witnessed. For the original crime fighting heroine only one person was suitable, and she knew the girl was willing.

-----

Aleshia Scott had just celebrated her twentieth birthday with a quiet dinner at home with her new boyfriend and her mother. She met Damien at Catawba Community College where she was taking a few classes to occupy her time. He was decent looking and didn't ask her why someone who receive a full scholarship to an Ivy league school chose to slum it in Sledge City. The truth was she stayed for her mother even though she was in perfect health. Aleshia was not scared for her just concerned, she was 55 and lived alone since her father died. Also she refused to move from the crime ridden area of the city though she could easily afford the biggest house northern Sledge City had to offer. So instead of leaving she stayed to keep an eye on her.
They gave Damien a tour of the converted warehouse they lived in. The old offices on the second level had been demolished to make room for their spacious condo and the wide expanse underneath was just a garage and home gym. But Damien wouldn't see that part, the tour was a sign Aleshia's mother did not like her new beau and it ended at the elevator doors. If she liked him her mother usually offered dessert and privacy. Aleshia hugged him and offered a dry promise to call later in the evening. She watched the doors close out of courtesy and followed her mother into the den.
Various trophies, plaques, and awards decorated the den walls. Aleshia was an only child so she sank all of her time into over achieving. She and her mother joke that she waited until the last possible moment before her eggs dried to have a baby. But it was worth it, her mother was established and stable enough to afford her over achieving. Basketball, Track, Volleyball, Gymnastics, and Cheer leading weren't cheap activities. Especially with the way Aleshia jam packed them all into one year. But she never complained, she loved all of it, except for the cheer leading; she was too tall for the uniform.
Besides that she never had a problem with her height, in fact she liked it. Her mother was tall also and she liked looking like her mother. She was beautiful and classy, her flawless brown skin still youthfully smooth across her face. She always joked while swirling her red wine in its glass, "a cup a day keeps the grave away". Aleshia would die happy if she turned out a fraction as well as her mother did, she was truly special. Only one other woman she could think of had as much grace and poise. A woman she only knew through video footage and photographs, her idol, The Mighty Aphrodite.
Though the heroine retired before she was born Aleshia still admired her. Who wouldn't? The Mighty Aphrodite was the perfect role model. She was smart, resourceful, morally fit, and gorgeous. Everything Aleshia wanted to be. Once, she was entering the condo through he garage and found a heart shaped throwing blade! the exact kind The Mighty Aphrodite used! She didn't know where it came form and she didn't care, she had a piece of the legend. But little did she know it wouldn't be her last piece, not by far.
"Have a seat dear," her mother offered as she entered the den.

"What's this?" Aleshia smiled, looking at the beautifully wrapped gift her mother pulled from under the armchair.

"Happy Birthday!"

"Momma you didn't have to. Dinner was enough."

"Nonsense! Plus this is special."

Aleshia saw the anticipation in her mothers face and eagerly ripped the shiny silver wrapping. She tore the top of the box off and stared disappointed in the box. "My throwing heart?"

Her mother nodded, "now look under it."

She picked up the silver throwing heart and peeled back the white tissue paper. "No way!" She looked at the white heart shaped mask that lay in the box. A perfect replica! Picking it up, she examined it closely even holding it to her face. The eye slits rounded her almond eyes, the nostril holes nestled in the right spot, and the bottom tip of the heart that ran over her lips fit in the right spot, unhinging to allow her jaw to move. "Where did you get it?" She excitedly asked, marveling at the mask.

"I have more," she responded, very much enjoying her daughters' delight. "Come."

Aleshia carried the mask with her as she followed her mother across the condo. She stopped at the elevator and turned to the security keypad on the wall. After punching in a code Aleshia did not recognize the elevator promptly opened.

"What was that?"

Her mother did not answer but stepped inside the elevator and signaled for Aleshia to do the same. Without question Aleshia did as she was told. The doors snapped shut and the elevator dropped much more smoothly than it usually did.

"Did you have the elevator serviced?" She lightly inquired.

"Nope."

The dropping ceased and the doors behind the two women whooshed open, an unusual action. "Momma what's going on?" She asked, realizing her mother was keeping more than a present from her.

Again she didn't answer, just swished from the elevator with easy grace. Her stilettos echoed down the long metal hallway until she stopped at the silver double doors. She place her hand in the bio sensor on the metallic wall and an automated voice boomed, "welcome back."

Aleshia stood in shock as the double doors zoomed open and a warehouse sized room spread before her. Her mother took her hand, leading her inside. A silver heart, the emblem of The Mighty Aphrodite was printed on the far wall above an expansive computer console. A number of weapons, all carrying the colors of the heroine, were fastened to the walls. But Aleshia couldn't take her eyes off of the object her mother guided her toward.

"Honey, do you remember our conversation about Sledge City needing a hero again? Well I agree." She dropped her daughters hand in from of the mannequin dressed in a patent white leather cat suit.

Aleshia shook her head, hoping to shake the facts in order. "Wait, just wait! Are you trying to tell me...NUH-UH!"

"Yes."

She looked down at the mask she held. "This-this is real then! Its the real thing!" Overloaded she stumbled backward. "Momma, you're The Mighty Aphrodite?...what the hell?!?"

"Not anymore dear," she told her daughter calmly. "That's why I brought you down here, gave you the mask. I want you to take the name, come here Aleshia," she gently took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "This city needs you to be The Mighty Aphrodite, will you be her?"

Aleshias' head was still spinning with the revelation that her idol and beloved mother were one in the same and the dynamo just asked her to reclaim the legacy. It was so much to take in but yet a wide smile spread across her face and she said in a firm, confident voice, "yes!"