The New York harbor was bustling with activity when Storm and Kitty arrived. The pair were still in their contented daze, overjoyed with the prospect of boarding the BLISS Pleasure Cruise. They got their suitcases out of the back of the taxi and then Storm, with an almost-permanent smile on her face paid the driver. The man looked at her quizzically, wondering why she wouldn’t stop staring at the immense luxury liner, before shrugging and driving off.
Glancing excitedly at one another, Storm and Kitty made their way to the embarkation area. They walked through the large crowd that had gathered, full of people trying to board the ship or to see loved ones off, as well as the usual hustle and bustle of the city. Dockworks sweated and cursed as they maneuvered large cargo containers; street vendors eagerly hawking their wares, street foods and knick knacks from a dozen countries. Eager as they were to finally get their cruise started, the pair waded through the large mass of mingled humanity along the pier, and took their place in line at one of the gangplanks that led up to the ship.
When Storm and Kitty got to the front of the line, they were met by a handsome man wearing a crisp white naval uniform, with a BLISS logo sewn into the left side of his jacket. “Welcome to BLISS!” The man smiled at the pair. “Can I have your names, please?”
“My name is Ororo Monroe and this is Kitty Pryde. I won an all-expenses paid vacation on the BLISS Pleasure Cruise for two!” Storm announced cheerfully.
“That’s wonderful, Ms. Monroe. And Ms. Pryde, you are very lucky to have a friend like Ms. Monroe,” the charming man said as Kitty laughed lightly at his casual remark. He glanced down at the electronic tablet in his hands, “Please give me a minute to check your reservation.”
Storm and Kitty watched on as he tapped a few buttons on the screen. A few seconds later he grinned and said, “Here you are! Now, please may I see your IDs to confirm you are who you say you,” the man said with a wink, “and sign in.”
They did as they were told and in no time at all were signing in to take their place as guests aboard the BLISS Pleasure Cruise. The man explained to them that when they board the cruise they will be given their key cards and have their pictures taken for security purposes. He went onto say that the picture taking is just a security precaution. He could have went on and on. Kitty and Storm simply listened to him in their daze.
“If you have any questions our staff will be delighted to answer them for you. Ms. Monroe, I see you have a free visit to one of our many salon and spas on board the ship. They can set you up with an appointment if that is what you desire. On board a BLISS Pleasure Cruise, your wish is our command,” the man said, giving a slight bow. He then extended his arm to usher them to walk up the gangplank to board the ship, “I feel I’ve taken too much of your time. I will bid you adieu and say once more welcome to BLISS!”
Storm and Kitty thanked him and walked up the plank. They passed the threshold and entered the interior of the ship. This part of the ship was like a hotel lobby to the mutant pair. It was just as the handsome man had said. The other guests of the ship were waiting in line to get their key cards or were getting their pictures taken. Ororo Monroe and Kitty Pryde for a moment didn’t know what to do and simply stood there taking the scene in when they were approached by a heavily tanned young blonde. Her ultra-curvaceous body had been squeezed into a tight white spandex mini dress.
“Welcome to BLISS, ladies!” the girl cooed in her high-pitched, flashing a wide, caring smile, “My name is Holli and I can get you your key card and your picture taken. There’s, like, an open desk over there and I can have this done in no time at all. I wouldn’t want you ladies to miss going on the main deck to see the ship, like, leave the dock! That’s soooo fun!”
“That will be wonderful, Holli,” Storm murmured, noticing the gold necklace around the blonde’s neck and the pendant that read ‘Holli.’ She once more introduced herself and Kitty and followed the girl to an opened desk. Holli began typing their names into the computer, which was no small feat thanks to Holli’s long, perfectly manicured French-tipped nails.
“There you are! It looks like you’ll be sharing a room!” Holli chirped, and read some more. She fluttered her extra-long eyelashes and glances up at Storm’s serene-looking face.
“While the key cards are being coded to your room, let’s get your pictures taken. How does that, like, sound?” Holli offered and Storm and Kitty quickly accepted.
Storm was first to move behind the desk and in front of a white background. Ororo was told to smile and Holli began taking the pictures. The first flash of the camera was surprisingly bright for the African mutant and to Storm. Holli then began to take picture after picture and the flashes only grew in their sheer brilliance with each rapid snap of the camera. Ororo began to rapidly blink to clear her eyes, and with each fluttering motion the clouds around her mind, which had kept her thoughts fixed on the thought of coming to this place ever since she had been subjected to the BLISS website, began to clear. Her brow furrowed and she looked around the room, confusion evident on her face.
“Wait, what? What’s happening?” Ororo asked, trying to shake whatever fog she had been under, “Holli, is it? What… what’s going on?”
“Of course it’s Holli, Ms. Monroe,” Holli giggled, “We’ve just, like, met. And it’s Ms. Pryde’s turn! Almost done!”
Ororo watched as Kitty went through the exact same thing as she had just been through, noticing how Kitty’s pleasant, almost eager expression changed to confusion after the flashes from the camera. From time to time, the African mutant’s eyes flickered to Holli. While she wasn’t familiar with how cruises normally worked, it seemed that the crew member’s attire and attitude were a bit on the skimpy side to her.
“Ororo? W...what’s…” Kitty started, but Holli interrupted her staring intently at the computer.
“Oooooooh! Ms. Monroe! It says here you’re, like, our big winner of an all-expenses paid vacay! Like, how exciting! You’re just going to adore our salon and spa! I’m just, like, soooo excited for you to experience all that BLISS has to offer!” Hollie exclaimed, raising her perfectly-arched eyebrows at the chocolate-skinned woman.
Kitty and Ororo glanced over at one another with looks of disbelief on their faces. They couldn’t believe Holli’s pornstar-esque figure and how it managed to be contained by the skintight dress she wore. They then looked around the room for the first time since their minds cleared and saw other women of various nationalities who all had similar figures and wore the same tight white dress and golden necklaces assisting the other recently-arrived guests. To the heroic women it all seemed so strange to see that BLISS apparently only hired women that had their bodies augmented through plastic surgery. The idea began to sink into both Storm and Kitty’s mind. What had they gotten themselves into?
But their stay on the cruise was free and they’d already come this far.
“Ladies, your key cards are ready!” Holli announced, handing them the two cards, “You’re both in Room B-52. Enjoy your stay, and welcome to BLISS!”
Storm and Kitty both looked and one another and shrugged. They accepted the key cards and thanked Holli. The bubbly blonde flashed an unbelievably wide, giddy grin to the pair and then sashayed over to another guest of the cruise that needed to be checked in. Storm and Kitty watched the little tart as she breezed past them, her hips swaying with each mincing step of her high-heeled sandals.
“Those can’t be practical at sea,” Kitty whispered to Ororo, “I’d hate wearing those lady-stilts.”
“Perhaps, Kitten,” Ororo laughed, “But if the ship sinks we can use her as a flotation device!”