Shirlee Bryant

Shirlee Bryant was the beneficiary of an experiment to enhance women's mental and physical abilities. Dressed in a cat-like uniform, she was intended to be the prototype for an army of agents for Mal Donalbain.

The Chicago Connection
Shirlee came to Chicago when she was hired by Malcolm Donalbain, a well-known sportsman, eccentric, and entrepreneur who was opening a new chain of fitness centers. Unlike the gyms that had hitherto dominated the fitness industry, these facilities would be cheery, well-lit, and welcoming clubs that concentrated on a female clientele. Likewise, Shirlee was to represent the women Donalbain hired to operate his clubs: beautiful, healthy, talented, and friendly.

Rather than focus on workout regimens and exercise equipment, Shirlee found that Donalbain had made a process developed by a University of Chicago professor the centerpiece of his clubs. She had expected something like the training she had used as a high school cheerleader. She wondered what the developer had promised her sponsor? Her curiosity was soon to be satisfied, for when Donalbain received a message that the experiment was ready he took Shirlee to the lab as his choice for the, as he put it, "first lovely guinea pig!"

The potential of all womankind
Donalbain had gone to Dr. Joanne Tumolo after she published some work she had done on the nervous system and motor responses. He became fascinated by a personal experiment she was conducting. Bathing test animals in specially-tuned ultra-low frequency radiation allowed her to literally pump energy into the creatures, elevating not only their strength and speed but also their senses and mental acuity. Once conditioned to this higher level, the subjects retained their enhancements permanently. Dr. Tumolo predicted that a few weeks' treatments would be sufficient for a human subject. Donalbain made an agreement with her to fund her time and the experiment's equipment. Dr. Tumolo had exhausted her personal fortune on the project and, determined to utilize her discoveries to "allow any woman to totally fulfill their physical and mental potential, despite the handicaps that society placed on them", signed onto Donalbain's plans.

Using the funds Donalbain provided, Dr. Tumolo leased lab space from the University, excused herself from her teaching duties, and set up the experiment. Coincidentally, she was also approached by a former student, Greer Nelson, for a job. Greer Grant, then unmarried, had been Dr. Tumolo's student in a freshman physics class. She had dropped out of college after her sophomore year to marry Bill Nelson. Her policeman husband had been killed a year later and the widow had fruitlessly sought work in her field of study, biology. The doctor remembered her and hired Greer as her assistant. Over the next few months, Greer blossomed under Joanne's tutelage. She grew very fond of Greer and decided that the bright brunette was the ideal candidate for her experiment. Thus neither of them were pleased when Donalbain showed up with his blonde protégée and told them, in no uncertain terms, that Shirlee would report the next morning to begin the first test.

Secrets
Dr. Tumolo was determined to call off the experiment, but Greer argued they should continue. After an anguished discussion of all the pros and cons, they decided that while Shirlee underwent the experiment Greer would secretly be their subject as well. Both women were conditioned to receive the maximum amount of stimuli. Their intensified perceptions and mental prowess gave them incredible control of their physical power and coordination. Despite her gains, Shirlee's experiences in her daily treatments were unpleasant. She was well aware of Dr. Tumolo's and Greer's negative attitude toward her, which she attributed to petty jealousy. In reaction, she resented them for treating her as an airhead. Thus she was eager to accept Donalbain's suggestion that she use her newly-developed photographic memory to record all the doctor's equipment. Once he had a copy at his headquarters, they would dispose of the troublesome doctor and her aide and continue on their own.

Shirlee proved quite proficient at her industrial espionage. Donalbain was so pleased that he revealed his own secret to her. Using his nationwide chain of health clubs, he would recruit the top percentile of the women who, like Shirlee, would use their powers for his benefit. Pleased, Shirlee thought she was going to be a James Bond-style secret agent. Instead, Donalbain's force would wear feline-themed uniforms that were both instantly identifiable as well as completely anonymous. Shirlee immediately recognized the cat/women cliché (graceful, agile, mysterious, etc.), yet she agreed to try one. She emerged from the locker room dressed in a yellow skintight unitard, accessorized by a blue sash at her waist, with blue gloves and boots. Although covered from neck to toe, the outfit showed off every curve of her well-toned body, a fact not lost on the henchmen gathered around Donalbain as she made her debut. She was not pleased by the cat-eared mask and cowl that topped the strange garb. Her doubts were relieved when the ears and eye coverings proved to be functional rather than merely decorative, mechanically augmenting her vision and hearing. Shirlee realized that a great deal of forethought had been given to the uniforms, as no normal woman would have long endured wearing the heavy gloves and boots, or been able to sort through the overwhelming torrent of data coming to her eyes and ears.

Donalbain had a final secret, one which he kept from Shirlee. To finish off the uniform, he had her secure a studded metal collar around her neck. She wryly noted the fetish aspect of the adornment, as it completed the cat motif.

Dr. Tumolo had decided to end Donalbain's involvement in her project. She arrived at his headquarters just in time to witness Shirlee putting on the collar. The "will-nullifier", as Donalbain would later describe it to Greer, rendered its wearer totally obedient to his commands. The doctor thought it "turned you into some sort of zombie!"

Donalbain exulted over his new servant. "You see? At last -- the perfect woman!" he proclaimed. "I will have hundreds of such specimens -- !" He ordered Shirlee to demonstrate her athletic abilities by climbing the six stories of the atrium in his building, then swing across to the other side. Up climbed the feline figure, using the steel claws of the gloves and boots to dig into the walls. Dr. Tumolo noticed that Shirlee lacked the grace and power of Greer -- and she feared for this girl. Her fears were realized when Shirlee misjudged the swing on her cable claw and fell to her death.

"She was unworthy --" her master concluded, "but no matter. I can produce as many more as I need." The distraught scientist blamed herself for Shirlee's demise. Attempting to flee, she stumbled upon the closetful of Cat uniforms and took one as evidence for the police. Dr. Tumolo returned to her lab and related the grisly events to Greer.