Valerie turned the car onto a straightaway, scoffing as the lingering night traffic prevented her from simply speeding past and running every red light. The problem with being Valerie and not The Countess was that Valerie still had to pretend to be a law abiding citizen, both to keep up the image and because no one wanted to deal with city cops. So few of them were willing to take bribes these days. Valerie rested a palm on the steering wheel while placing the back of her other hand to her cheek, sighing in annoyance. It was good that her windows were tinted, she really didn't need some citizen trying to get buddy-buddy. 

Her phone rang twice before she picked it up. Nicky was on the other line. She had to give him credit, he did work fast when he had to. "What've you got, Nicky?" Valerie asked, rolling her neck as she slowly moved the car upward in the traffic line. 

"The number's legit, Val, did some digging on the owner of the number. Amelia Smith, twenty six years old. Hails from Maryland - New York must be like a new foreign country in comparison. Couldn't get much about her father, probably ran out after her mother said she was pregnant. Mother's named Adele, so clearly the women in the family have a fetish for names that start with the letter 'A'. School records are clean. She ran track in high school, and she's a nurse so she passes your brain test at least. Unless you only go after MENSA members now." 

"I'm not going after anyone, Nicky." Valerie was quick to correct him on this point. "She's going after me. There's a difference. Anyway, anything on our mysterious Stripper Girl?"

"Nothing beyond what you experienced today. She's an unknown because she's new. At best, I can tell you that the internet is rallying behind her already. She's a crowd favorite, possibly because she didn't wind up mangled and bloody like all the others. It's gonna take time to get more concrete information. But don't worry. People are gonna start talking soon enough."

Valerie shook her head. That wasn't good enough. This wasn't a popularity contest, that information was useless. "Regardless, I'm installing an infra-red sensor into the suit. That bitch isn't going to get off so lightly next time." 

"So when are you gonna call your nubile nurse, Val?" 

"When I want to, Nicky. When I want to."

Valerie hung up the phone and made another turn. The rest of the trip to her manor was uneventful.