During the following months, Quinnie and Marjorie, a.k.a. Liberty and Freedom Lass, took the country by storm with their acts of heroism, helping of the average citizen and their sisterly teamwork. Together, they have been working hard to fulfill their duties as Champions of the United States government.

At first, Marjorie tried using her gift without taking a shot from either the Apple juice or the Bourbon. The results were far from encouraging; without it, her gift granted her strength barely superior to that of a peak condition athlete. But Marjorie kept at it, doing all she could to assist anyone in need and completing missions without harming anyone. However, whenever the odds were stacked too high for her, she would drink from her apple juice flask and unleash her super-strength.

And it was just enough as most of the time, Marjorie was assigned peace keeping missions through the mainland assisting local police departments, fire fighters, and ambulances under Quinine’s supervision.

Due to her bright-eyed optimism, good manners and determination, it wasn’t too long until she had become a favorite of the people especially of children and teenagers across the United States. In the eyes of the public, Marjorie had become the plucky but courageous sidekick to the great Champion Liberty!

But Marjorie was worrying about not having more access to her gift. Could her principles one day prove fatal? What if the use of her full super-strength would be made necessary but incredible circumstances? If she can’t push her current form to its limits, will she ever be able to unlock her Teen form? Will her refusal to use her spirits flask prevent her from growing up?

Father used to say that remaining idle in the face of great evil and misery is a sin…Maybe she would have no choice but to get the Spirits Dizziness to save people. Or someone she really cares for…

During one such mission in the state of Colorado, Marjorie was sent in on her own. Her role: assisting firefighters with a particularly intense fire ravaging an apartment building.

“We have to hurry up! The fire has damaged the structural integrity of this building! It will crumble any time now!” said the fireman chief.

“Don’t worry, lads! I am here!” said Marjorie as she jumped from her motorbike.

“Freedom Lass, thank God! Huh…Where is Liberty? We need her to hold the building’s structure long enough for our men to rescue the last remaining tenant up there!” said the Fire Chief

“You gotta save my Brian, Freedom Lass! My son, he is all alone up there! He didn’t listen to me! He is on the 10th floor!” said a frantic old woman.

“Liberty is busy on another mission, chief. I am here to help!” said Marjorie.

“Are you sure you can handle it on your own, Freedom Lass?” asked the chief.

“Trust me, Chief! I will not let you down!” said Marjorie

“Please Freedom Lass, save my Brian! He didn’t listen!” said the old woman.

Marjorie ran in the flaming building. It was standing on a prayer! Looking around, Marjorie quickly found the stair. However, they had been heavily damaged by the fire.

“I have to find a way to save the last tenant up there…But I can’t use these stairs. There has to be another way!” thought Marjorie, resolute.

Marjorie ran out and looked up at the building’s top. Maybe she could jump up there.

“I can avoid having to climb up from the inside with one jump. Once in, my durable body won’t be damaged by the fire, so I’ll be able to search the place...” thought Marjorie.

Marjorie concentrated, thinking about drinking a shot of Apple juice. And then she did. Immediately, her gift was unleashed; her super-strength was here! Marjorie crouched down and propelled herself up with the strongest jump she could muster. She easily cleared the building’s 10 floors in her single leap. While in mid-air, Marjorie tried to orient her fall to land on the roof.

She didn’t account for the velocity of her fall and bashed right through! She continued falling, crashing through floor after floor; her fall coming to a stop at the building’s fifth floor. However, the strength of the impact weakened the building’s structure even more.

“That could’ve gone better…” said Marjorie as she looked up the hole she fell through.

The building started collapsing. It was a matter of minutes until it completely crumbled upon itself. Marjorie got back on her feet and jumped up from floor to floor to reach the 10th.

“I wish that old lady gave me her son’s apartment number…” though Marjorie.

She ran around bashing in door after door. A few minutes later, she found Brian’s apartment. The man was lying unconscious on the floor.

Marjorie picked him up. As she was looking for a way out, the ground caved in and she fell! The building was collapsing! Hopefully, Marjorie managed to grab a half-burnt girder. Marjorie quickly looked around for anything that could help her escape her precarious position hanging above an inferno.

“There is no way out! I must bash through the wall and make an exit!” thought Marjorie.

Marjorie was in quite of a pickle; one hand was holding Brian while the other was grabbing the girder. She couldn’t punch her way out!

“The only thing left to do, kick my way out of here! Please, God; see me through this!” prayed Marjorie.

Marjorie started swinging her body to create some momentum. She then let go of the girder towards a nearby wall.

“Colorado Kick!” Marjorie shouted as spun on herself and kicked through the wall.

As it were, Marjorie often named her attacks or techniques after the state in which she devised and performed them for the first time. The Colorado Kick, which consists in a powerful spinning mid-air kick, was now part of her repertoire.

She landed on a relatively still stable portion of floor. Quickly noticing a window, Marjorie ran to it, Brian in tow. He seemed to have been largely unharmed by Marjorie’s high flying impromptu action. Once at the window, she looked down to assess how high up they are to the ground.

“How am I going to get down without getting Brian hurt?” thought Marjorie as she looked down.

“Jump into the Life-Net! My men will break your fall!” shouted the chief.

Marjorie broke the window and after climbing on the sill, jumped down, Brian on her back. They both fell into the Life-net held by the firemen.

A minute later, the building collapsed on itself.

“Thank God! I made it! And nobody was hurt! Thank you, Freedom Lass!” said the Chief.

“No need for thanks, Chief. It was you and your men who saved the day here,” replied Marjorie.

Marjorie laid Brian down. Paramedics converged to take care of Brian. Marjorie stepped away. Around her, the neighborhood was cheering. A couple men picked her up and carried her on their shoulders and chanting her name.

“Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!” chanted the crowd.

Marjorie got down from her carriers to talk to the firemen.

“Good job, lads!” said Marjorie.

“You did quite well yourself, Freedom Lass. Sorry if I doubted you back there…” said the Chief.

“No problem, Chief. I am just serving the good people of America, sir. Has everyone been evacuated?”

“Yes. No serious injuries or, God forbid, deaths,”

“I am relieved! Say, have you found out what caused the fire?”

“I doubt we’ll be able to find all that much now…Our forensics guys will comb the place as soon as we are done here,”

As Marjorie was about to leave, she noticed something in the burned ash. She reached down and picked it up.

A pair of yellow shades.

Marjorie is sure she had seen these before. The color, the shape…Ms. Esquire? Yes, Marjorie recalled her particularly flashy eyewear. But Ms. Esquire had been killed! She saw it with her own eyes: Liberty had pulverized her in an instant with her Patriotic Flames.

Marjorie also remembered that she mentioned something about fighting the State Machines. What the heck were these?

“Have all the tenants been accounted for?” asked Marjorie to the Chief.

“All of them are here. Oh wait, not all; one of them seems to be out of town,”

“Out of town heh? Thanks for your help Chief,”

Marjorie couldn’t shake the feeling that this missing tenant might be related to the fire. Theses shades she found had to be Ms. Esquire’s. And given her affiliation with terrorists, it made sense that she might be responsible for the fire. But why? Where they trying to eliminate evidence? Marjorie pocketed the shades and left the area.