The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Lacie Frasier sat up with a gasp, her mind completely clear and lucid again for the first time in two days. “Wh...where?” she mumbled, shaking her head to clear the last of the cobwebs. I’m...home...no. Not my home...I’m at...at Eva’s house. Yes, that’s we went back to her place to have sex with Melissa...and anyone else along the way. She sat up, then frowned, sniffing. Ugh...is that me? I smell like a barnyard goat. I guess that’s what happens after about forty-eight continuous hours of sex. Slipping out of bed, trying not to wake the other occupants, she made her way into the bathroom, stepping over the still snoring bodies of the girls tangled and sprawled on the floor. Wow...how many of us are here? I vaguely remember Eugene...and Eva...and...Angela Prentiss...wait...did that really happen?

Frowning, she made her way to the bathroom sink, and splashed some water on her face, waking her the rest of the way up. Ahhh...much better. Let’s see...now I remember. Angela Prentiss...she was working with Katie trying to find an antidote for the bimbo epidemic that was sweeping the city. She came by shortly before midnight with what she believed to be the antidote...but she was feeling the effects of it as well, and ended up joining the orgy.

She smiled at that. Despite the bad blood that had existed between their two families for so long, she’d born the young woman no ill will, and had frankly enjoyed sampling a bit of what had so intrigued Nigel Grimalde to make her his slave all those years ago. Angela had even managed to keep things light and fun even while they were getting hot and heavy. I know Eva didn’t get that joke about “gravitational anomalies” and “spherical bodies” that Angela made while she was playing with my tits, but I sure did. Even now, despite the animosity that Patricia, Angela’s former partner and current harem sister, still felt towards the Frasiers and the Albinns and the Snows, Angela had taken it upon herself to trust Katie enough to work together, and she had taken the trouble to deliver the antidote to her personally, somehow managing to slip it into their drinks during the night to make sure everyone received it.

Stepping into the shower, Lacie washed away all the grime and grit from the day and night of debauchery, letting her mind drift idly even as she expanded her Sight. I need to see what’s going on in the world. I’ve been out of my blessed mind for far too long, and there’s too much happening right now... She paused, frowning, spying her daughter and Grimalde’s “Angels” facing off against the mastermind of the bimbo epidemic, as well as his three super powered minions. She sighed, turning her vision elsewhere. Katie is doing well. She and her new friends should be able to handle things. Let’s see...Jimmy...hmm...facing problems of his own, it seems, but again, nothing he can’t handle. Now, to gaze at what I’m most concerned about...oh...oh dear.

Oh, shit!

Jumping out of the shower, just barely remembering to switch off the water, Lacie toweled herself dry, willed her Omega Girl uniform onto her freshly cleaned body, and closed her eyes, envisioning her husband, preparing to go to him.

“He does not need your help, Sister.”

Lacie turned then, spying the unwelcome visage of Ethyria, clad in her resplendent silver robes. “Are you here to stop me from going to him?” Lacie asked in challenge. To her surprise and relief, the younger woman shook her head.

“Stop you, no. Attempt to reason with you, yes. Lacie...you know you can’t interfere with his fate.” Stepping into the bathroom, she placed a soft hand on Lacie’s shoulder. “Sister...my heart rends in my chest for you, knowing what you face...but it must be. Eugene Frasier is fated to face his brother, alone—”

“And die at Duncan’s hand,” Lacie finished, grimly, hands clenched. “I know. You told me already. And you expect me to simply stay here and just let it happen, even though you know I can prevent his death! And you tell me your heart ‘rends for me’?” She pulled away from Ethyria’s grasp. “It’s not bloody fair, ’Ria...none of this! You can’t tell me that the world is better off without him in it! His brother Duncan? Definitely...but not Eugene! He’s important, ’Ria...to the world, as well as to me!”

Ethyria sighed softly, clutching her hands together. She hated this, she truly did. She was not so far removed from the world that she didn’t remember love, and heartbreak, the pain of losing a loved one. But they both knew that the issue here was what was best for them all as a whole.

“Sister,” she said slowly, “my vision of the future...it is not given that Eugene will die in this confrontation. There is a chance he might survive. As you know, the future shifts and changes, depending on our actions. In a few of the possible outcomes I witnessed, he did, indeed triumph and...live...through the experience...” her voice trailed off, prompting a look from Lacie.

“You paused when you said he lived through it,” she accused. “What are you trying so hard NOT to say, ’Ria?”

Finally turning to meet her gaze again, she spoke. “In each of the visions where he lived, he was...maimed. True, he lived, but his body, pushed beyond its limits, was brutally ravaged in the fight.” She shook her head. “Look, Lacie. I know you don’t want to accept it, but it is simply the way things are meant to be. Don’t you think we would have personally stepped in and stopped Duncan ourselves if we could? There’s a reason why the Great Weave contains immovable threads—threads that cannot be altered or changed by we Goddesses of Fate, despite our desire to do so. We are meant to protect the Weave, not try and guide it towards whatever outcome WE desire.”

“Immovable threads...” Lacie mused softly. “Is that why he was hidden from my Sight all this time, why even now I’m only able to sense him at all because Eugene is so close to him?” Ethyria nodded. “But...immovable or not, surely we can at least affect it in some way? You said that in every version of the future where Eugene faces him, whether Gene survives or not, he does kill Duncan. Which means his thread DOES end, meaning you do eventually cut his thread, right?Right, ‘Sister’?”

Ethyria glanced away, uncomfortable with this line of questioning. It was beginning to border on strictly taboo subjects. “Sister Lacie, please,” she tried, pleading with her. “Just let the matter drop, okay? We do all that we are allowed to do, and nothing more. Please, for your own sake—”

“Allowed to do?” Lacie breathed, as that final piece of the puzzle slipped into place. “Meaning, what we are permitted to change, and what we’re supposed to allow? Ethyria...you’re the one who’s been blocking my Sight of Duncan all this time, haven’t you?“

“Lacie, please...I...”

“I knew it!” she yelled angrily, turning away. “I always thought it strange that I couldn’t sense him at all! I can’t affect other immovable threads, but I’ve always been able to see them at least!” She scowled at her Sister, who steadfastly avoided her gaze. “You should have been honest with me from the beginning, ’Ria.”

“It wouldn’t have made any difference,” she replied bitterly. “We all saw THAT future timeline clearly. If we hadn’t blocked your Sight of him, you would have gone after Duncan the very day he attacked and tried to kidnap your children. And that would have been a disaster! You would have died, Lacie. He would have killed you, and with you, any chance of preventing the Great Weave from unraveling.” She finally looked up at her then, eyes red, cheeks wet. “I didn’t want to lose you, Sister,” she said simply.

Lacie smiled sadly at that, all her anger and hurt gone. “I know, ’Ria,” she murmured gently, pulling the younger girl close, giving her a soft kiss on the forehead. “I know why you did it. But don’t you see? The same way you couldn’t lose me is the same reason I can’t lose Eugene. He’s my LIFE, ’Ria. My whole world. I can’t let him die. And...if I can’t save him, if he IS fated to die tonight....then I can at least make sure he doesn’t die all alone.” Closing her eyes, Lacie slipped silently into the spaces between spaces, and vanished.

Ethyria let out a soft sigh and turned away. Of all the outcomes she’d seen, she knew this one would be how things played out. All of their planning and pleading had availed then naught, just as she’d feared. They’d even tugged Charles Sweets’ thread a bit, guiding him to this point, hoping he would provide enough of a distraction to keep their Sister too occupied and busy to concern herself with other matters. She’d half hoped that the plague ravaging River City would have affected Lacie for just a little longer, until Eugene’s fate had been truly decided.

But Katie’s wild luck had thwarted THAT little plot. Katie found the serum. Katie gave the serum to the scientist. The scientist, caught in Katie’s web of distorted probabilities, had found the cure immediately, had given the cure to Katie herself, and then for reasons not even Angela knew, she took the cure straight to Eva Snow’s house, so that Lacie would receive it in time. So, despite all our planning, despite all our scheming. Lacie was entering the fray after all. Ethyria knew it was unfair to put Lacie into such a situation. She had tried everything she could think of to keep her out of the conflict, but Destiny, it seemed, decreed that it happen this way. That Lacie be forced to choose the fate of her beloved husband over that of the entire world.

“Please, Sister,” she whispered softly, as she, too, slipped into the spaces between spaces, “just this one time...think with your head, not your heart.”

Shaking my head, I couldn’t help but laugh aloud. “You know, Duncan,” I said at length, “you certainly do talk a good game. I admit it. If this was a war of words, I ne’er would have stood a chance against ye. If it were possible to literally talk someone to death, our feud would have ended decades ago. That said...for all of your high and mighty praise, for your acknowledgement of me ‘rising to the challenge’ of facing you? It’s complete and utter blather. I call bullshit.” I crossed my arms. “All of this was naught more than a way of wearing me down...of causing me as much damage as possible, to ensure that I would be at my lowest point possible when ye finally slithered out from underneath yer rock.” His haughty expression changed instantly into a scowl of pure hatred. “If ye intend to kill me, brother, go ahead and give it yer best. But dinnae try and deny the simple fact that for all yer posturing, ye’re naught but a bloody coward!”

“Coward?!?” he hissed, eyes flashing, crossing the distance to me in an eye blink, a heavy hand crushing my throat, easily lifting my three hundred pound armored bulk off my feet one handed. “You insignificant little worm! I let you face all of my minions for the simple fact that you, in your little tin-plated suit, are beneath my notice, let alone my consideration! I am destined to become the ruler of this entire world! You think my five Omega Girl clones were hard to beat? Try five hundred!” I blinked in surprise, feeling a cold hard feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Yes, that’s right! These five were just the early prototypes. I have five hundred more simmering in my lab, just waiting for the final genetic infusions...more than enough to conquer the world ten time over! Not to mention the genetic alterations to my own body, giving me the powers of the twenty most powerful Supers in the entire world! The facts are clear. I am destined for greatness. And you...dear brother...are destined for the scrap heap!“

With a shrug, he flung me back hard, rocketing back towards the Cyprus coast lines once more until my rockets slowed my flight, bringing me back under control. I’d just managed to regain control when I found myself held once more, this time by the two clones, as Duncan floated slowly towards me. He raised a glowing hand towards me, preparing a blast of deadly plasma energy to cook me inside my armor. “Alas, it seems our little feud is at an end,” he said in mock sympathy. “And I did so want our final meeting to be something special.”

“Ach, well, it’s the thought that counts,” I quipped, slowly turning my wrist, angling my right palm towards my brother. “For what it’s worth, Duncan,” I said, targeting him mid-chest, locking on, “I prepared something special for you, too.” With that, I fired, sending twin Nth metal darts at my brother’s chest.

And groaned inwardly as the darts froze in midair, hovering an inch from the target.

Duncan’s laughter pierced me like a blade as his clones slammed me back down to the ground, hard, holding me there, pinning me in place. “Interesting. And these,” he mused, plucking one of the dart out of midair, examining it in idle curiosity, “would be your ‘ace in the hole’, I presume? Sorry to spoil the surprise, but I was prepared for it. A few days ago, I received a very interesting phone call. A little bird warned me to beware of sharp pointy needles, and the experimental serums contained within.” A snap of his fingers, and both syringes exploded in a bolt of fiery plasma, dropping to the ground, ruined. Glancing at me again, he raised an eyebrow. “Please tell me that you had a Plan B?“

Growling softly, struggling to break free of the clones’ grip, I replied hotly, “Aside from paying a certain ‘little bird’ a visit when I get back home again, yes, actually...I did have a backup plan. On the off chance that my well wrought out plan to lure you out into the open and undo yer genetic alterations failed, I jacked in to a nearby satellite, linking its communications array into my own.” I granted myself a wry grin. “Since the moment I disabled yer wee attack from the skies, I’ve been transmitting everything that’s happened here to the rest of the world, over every news channel and internet server on the grid. Every conversation, every arrogant utterance ye’ve made about yer grand scheme has been broadcast to the entirety of creation!“

“NO!” Duncan raged, latching onto me through his telekinetic grip, jerking up away from his minions with a ferocity I’d yet to experience thus far. “YOU STUPID LITTLE MAGGOT! DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’VE DONE?!?”

“Aye, I ken...full well what I’ve done!” I managed to gloat, laughing weakly. “Yer biggest asset in all this was that no one realized ye were alive, or what a threat ye posed! Now, ye’ve been outed. Even if ye kill me here and now, the entire world knows about yer plan, and just where to find ye. I also happen to ken that ye’re several days from being ready to unleash yer ‘clone army’ upon the world.” I laughed again. “Any way you slice it, brother, I beat ye. Game over.”

“RRRRRGGGHHHHNNN!!” Duncan roared, pinning me down to the ground yet again, pressing down harder and harder, intent it seemed on crushing me flat. I cried out in alarm as all my systems began to crash, and my helmet’s heads up display cracked, going offline. “I’ll kill you for this!” he hissed, raising his fist, preparing for the final blow.

“Like hell you will!” Lacie Frasier replied furiously, batting my brother away with a savage blow, sending him flying back, releasing the pressure pinning my form to the ground. My display was down, wrecked, beyond repair, but my sensors still worked, transmitting the data directly to my brain via the interface. So I ‘watched’ as my lovely beautiful, disobedient wife began fighting on my behalf, attacking the mindless automatons bearing her face with a ferocity that made Duncan’s earlier temper tantrum seem like a tickle fight in comparison. In less than a minute, both clones were simply...gone...with less left over material than my disintegrator had left behind. Finally, strong, gentle hands carefully dug me out of the crater my armored form had created, lifting me back to my feet once more.

“Gene? Eugene? Are you okay? Baby, please! Speak to me!” she pleaded, staring into my cracked and dented helmet with hope. “Please! Say something!”

“Blast it, woman! I told ye not to come here!” I replied heatedly, landing behind her a few feet away, dispersing my cloak, revealing my true self. She whirled, surprised, staring at the wrecked and damaged form of my XO armor, and the clean, shining, undamaged stealth suit, housing my actual body. “I told ye to stay away for a reason, lass. The busted hunk of junk Duncan has been wasted his time and energy on all this time...it was my unmanned suit. I paid a visit to Tina Patrick on the way here, and convinced her to lend me her new remote neural interface device to link to my armor’s systems, letting me control both suits at once. Did ye think me daft enough to simply charge straight in and take Duncan on head-on when I had perfectly good stealth technology at my disposal?” I asked, glaring as she had the good sense to blush in embarrassment.

“I’m...I’m sorry...I, just...I thought...I mean,” she said helplessly, gesturing to my XO armor. “When I saw him crush you that way...your armor damaged...broken...”

“I let them beat on me like that to lure the bastard out! I could have blanketed the entire area from above with Omega Blast orbs and shut down his entire fortress in one fell swoop, but risked him escaping, sneaking away to lick his wounded pride and emerge again unexpected months later, when he again had the advantage.” I sighed shaking my head. “Listen, love...I ken why ye came. I ken ye were worried about me...but I had a plan. I really did. You showing up here, now, kind of puts a bit of an unknown twist on things.“

Lacie nodded, swallowing painfully. “I’m sorry, I’d better leave. I wouldn’t want to wreck your carefully sculpted plan—” I grabbed her arm before she could turn away.

“Nae, lass,” I said, forcing a smile. “It’s not your fault. I suppose I should have told you flat out what I was planning. And yer NOT wrecking things by being here. I merely need to...adjust my strategy slightly to compensate.” I muttered softly to myself for a few seconds, altering my calculations slightly. The outcome would be a bit messy, but was still doable. “Okay. Here’s the plan,” I said, quickly explaining what I needed her to do. “Basically, just follow my lead, and do exactly what I tell you to do, alright? Even if it doesn’t make sense at the time. Got it?”

Smirking slightly, she nodded, something of her old fire back again. “Sir, yes sir,” she said, giving me a small salute. “Your wish is my command. Just tell me what to do.”

“Umm...you can start by hitting Duncan,” I replied as my Stealth suit’s long range scanners picked him up, returning at supersonic speeds, and mad as a hornet. “Coming up on your left in three...two...one...now!” She turned, connecting with a right cross just as he appeared, creating a shock wave that sent me back several yards. Duncan, somehow sensing the blow, had faltered slightly, reacting faster than thought, activating a secondary power, his flesh hardening to a golden metallic shimmer an instant before Lacie’s fist made contact. Grunting, reeling but not falling, he responded with an attack of his own, channeling Ultra Girl’s powers to deliver a point blank microwave energy blast to Lacie’s face. Hitting the ground at roughly the same time as I, we both stood up as Duncan hovered above us, the same cocky smirk on his face, the harness on his chest flashing malevolently.

“Nice try, Sister-in-law,” Duncan crowed, “but it will take more than THAT to down me. At our last encounter, I wielded the power of five Supers. Now I have the power of twenty more! Neither of you has what it takes to stop me!” He held up a small PDA. “But before I crush your bodies, allow me a moment to crush your spirits! With a simple press of this button, your children and your dearest friends are no more. At my command, my agents will carry out my will and reduce them and your city to ashes!” He laughed. “Look on me and know despair! Know that everything you know and love is being destroyed while you look on, weak and helpless, cowering before me!” I glanced at Lacie, but she merely nodded at me in reassurance.

“You sure do talk a lot,” Lacie sighed, shaking her head, running her fingers through her hair. “And I have a news flash for you too. Our friends and family are a lot stronger than you give them credit for. Our city will still be there long after you’re dead and buried! Oh...and one last thing. The last time we fought...you weren’t the ONLY ONE that was holding back.” With a flourish, Omega Girl began to glow brightly, powering up to her fullest. “I don’t have to try and shield my kids from you now, Duncan. I’m free to let loose completely now. I’ve taken down tougher tyrants than you, Duncan Frasier. Come on...let’s see what you’re made of!”

All throughout River City, fires and explosions rang out, prompting fire trucks, ambulances, and rescue workers to mobilize. True to his word, Duncan’s agents had attacked in force, launching coordinated attacks over most of the city’s most vital areas; however, those attacks were met with appropriate force, forewarned by Eugene Frasier and a number of his contemporaries. Of the sixty-four bombs planted throughout the city, fifty-seven had been located and neutralized before the attack commenced, and of the remaining seven, six were in low impact areas of the town, non-residential areas with few civilian casualties.

The seventh and last bomb, however, had been planted, per Duncan’s instructions, at the base of Grimalde Tower, the thirty story skyscraper building housing Nigel Grimalde’s main office and residence. As the explosion and resulting fires rocked the building’s inhabitants, Nigel himself, and the people under his care, found themselves trapped, caught in a burning, badly damaged, and—quite possibly—failing structure, with no way of escape. Nigel, in his main conference room, stood calmly, shouting to get the attention of the frightened Board members and corporate officers he’d been meeting with before the blast.

“Everyone, relax,” he repeated loudly. “Calm down. Panicking now will not solve anything! I’m sure the situation is well in hand. River City is only home to several dozen superheroes and heroines, any one of which must be on its way here now to see to our safe egress. So just try and stay calm, and relax, and let the authorities do their jobs.” That said, he made his way to his front door.

“Wait! Nigel! Where are you, going?” one of the board members asked.

“I need to speak to my assistant,” he responded tersely, “and check on my family. We actually live in the building. I need to see if my wife and children are okay.”

«Constance!» he yelled mentally, knowing she would be monitoring his thoughts...if she were able. «What’s going on? What is this? Is everyone alright?»

“Yes sir,” her thought voice came back to him. “We’re fine. Everyone is fine, though Delores fell and twisted her ankle during the shock. Angela is still out after attending to the ‘job’ you gave her for the Frasier girl, and she apparently found Omega Girl too. Sioban and Tawyna are out as well, cleaning up after the one behind it all. As near as I can tell, it was a bomb going off in the main lobby of the building. And no, we’re not the only ones hit—news reports coming in say there were six other explosions going off at the same time all over the city. Sir...that meeting you had with Eugene Frasier...you don’t think...?”

«Yes, unfortunately, I DO think, Constance,» he thought back wearily. «He took the trouble to broadcast Duncan’s sinister plot to the entire country moments before his signal was cut out as a warning, after all. The old man said his brother was a sociopath. I guess this is his way of ‘thanking us’ for the heads up Patricia gave him earlier. Damn...if this is happening all over the city, then rescue workers are going to be spread out all over the place. Who knows how long it will take to get here. We need to get everyone up to the roof as soon as possible. Constance, contact Ivory Angel and Ebony Angel, and get them back here immediately. And contact the heliport, and get my personal helicopter over to the roof. If nothing else, we can transport people down one load at a time.»

“Yes sir, I’m on it.” she replied. “Will you be joining us, Sir?”

Nigel sighed. «Not just yet. I have to get the rest of these people out of here as well. You and the other girls see to Patricia and the kids, Constance. They are your priority. I’ll do what I can to get the rest of our people headed towards the roof. »

“But Sir—”

“That’s an order, Constance!” Nigel shouted, knowing the thought would be picked up. He had no time to debate the issue; the fire was growing, slowly but steadily, making its way up the building, lead by a growing cloud of deadly black smoke. Even now, the tell tale smell of burning was coming up through the vents and it would only be a matter of time before the entire building was uninhabitable. Stepping back inside the conference room, he gestured to the board members. “Alright everyone. New plan. We’re heading up to the roof. I’ve called my private helicopter to shuttle as many of us out of the building as we can manage.”

“The roof?” Joan Korbin, his CFO groaned. “We’re on the twentieth floor. We’ll have to go up ten floors to the roof!”

“Very good, Joan! You’ve passed this morning’s pop quiz in math,” Nigel replied drily, “I knew there was some reason I put you in charge of the numbers. Now where did I put my gold stars? While I check my pockets, shall we get a move on? I’d rather NOT be here when the flames get here! Joan, you can stay if you want, but I don’t recommend it. Now, MOVE PEOPLE!”

It was then that a secondary explosion rocked the building, and the floor shifted beneath their feet. Several cries and screams rang out, as the ceiling cracked and fell in several places, signaling a collapse. “Move it! MOVE IT!” Nigel cried, gesturing to the door, as a wave of heat billowed forth from underneath the floor, and smoke began belching forth from a wall vent. They’d just left the conference room, crossing the threshold just as the floor collapsed, and a huge blast of flame erupted from the hole. Safe for the moment, Nigel let out a sigh of relief, only to cry out again as a wall in front of him exploded, showering him and another board member with debris. Stunned, he fell, caught and pinned under a heavy chunk of concrete...

“Nothing quite like a game of battle chess, is there, lass?” I asked lightly, deflecting a powerful microwave energy blast with my shields, even as I brought my suit’s repulsion blasters online. Unlike my XO battle ready suit, my stealth suit was equipped with minimal armament, most of its systems being conscripted to rendering it virtually undetectable. It had served me well, allowing me to enter the area unnoticed while my remote piloted suit took all the attacks. It even allowed me to enter Duncan’s fortress and his lab unnoticed, once he departed. Indeed, if Lacie Ann had nae shown up when she had, I wouldnae have shown myself at all until after I’d made my final play. Still, as it were, I was lucky that she was here now to keep him occupied and busy while I concluded my final arrangements.

“Battle chess?” Omega Girl snorted, blocking a photonic discharge from Duncan with a shot of Omega Beams from her eyes. “Should I be insulted, being used as a pawn?”

“Pawn?” I quipped back at her, activating the stealth function, vanishing from sight. “Dearling, trust me, on my chess board or off, ye’ll always be my Queen.” She smiled at that, melting a little inside. Focusing myself at the task at hand, still powering up my repulsion blasters, bypassing the normal safety protocols, reaching one hundred twenty percent and climbing. It was futile, of course. My strongest blast would be the equivalent a bee sting to Duncan’s augmented physiology, assuming, of course, I could even score a hit with all his other powers. Seeing Aurora’s metal coming out to protect him was a bit of a shock, though, to be fair, considering that Duncan had appropriated Lys’ research data to create his clones, it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility that he would have taken any DNA samples accumulated as well.

“Playing the invisible card, brother?” Duncan scowled, shifting forms yet again, his body bursting into fire, causing Omega Girl to retreat back several feet as he sent a plume of superheated flame at her. “Don’t think I’ll see you coming a mile away? You forget...I hold the DNA of Midas City’s strongest mentalist, Psyche, as well as that of your dear friend, Dr. Eva Snow. You can’t sneak up on me when I can read your every tho-aaaaahhhh!!”

I suppose even a bee sting can be devastating if it strikes you in a vulnerable spot. Point blank attacks seemed the way to go, and a contact repulsion blast three centimeters from his eyes without any warning was enough to shake my brother’s arrogant self assurance. “AAAUUUUGGHH!! FUCK! NO!” he roared, stumbling back, flailing wildly in all directions, lashing out at someone who was no longer even there. “Impossible! No way...how could you get so close without me sensing you!”

“Problems, brother?” I taunted him now, flitting in and out of his range, blasting him indiscriminately now, not truly trying to hurt him as much as egg him on, and enrage him further. “It seems my psionic scrambler is preventing yer purloined psychic powers from working on Lacie and myself. I ken what ye’re thinking...there is nae any existing technology capable of blocking psychic transmissions. And until seventeen hours ago, ye’d have been right.” I shrugged. “I had a few wee moments on my hands on the flight over, and a spare part or two lying around...I thought maybe it was time to whip one up. It’s not exactly patent-pending, but it does the job.”

“Eugene, dear,” Lacie said tersely, flying in to deliver a serious haymaker to the blinded Duncan before sweeping back out of range again, “not that I don’t enjoy seeing your brother get the crap beat out of him, but is there an actual plan here? Or are we just trying to make him so mad that he blows a blood vessel in his brain and bleeds out?”

I glanced down as I received the coded prompt from my agent inside Duncan’s organization, signaling the all clear I’d been waiting for. “Actually, loveling, we were waiting for the message I just received. Now that the Duncan’s base has been evacuated, we can move on to the endgame.” I gave her a soft look. “I took yer message about crossing certain lines to heart, mo duinne. I wasn’t going to destroy Duncan’s lab until I was sure all of his people had been evacuated and removed from the property.” I glanced up as Duncan regained his feet. “A bit of poetic justice, don’t ye think, brother? Ye set in motion yer plot to destroy my city, my family...everything important to me, with the push of a button. Allow me show you the same courtesy by destroying yer own life’s work with a button press of my own.“

A simple click, and the explosive charges I’d set during my trip through Duncan’s compound went off like clockwork. His vision cleared just in time to see his fortress, and his laboratory, erupting in a huge fireball. I admit, I expected him to go berserk, to rant and rave, to foam at the mouth and scream bloody murder. Instead, he let out a deep sigh, and shook his head ruefully. “Well played, Eugene,” he said with actual sincerity. “Well played. I willingly admit it. You bested me. Despite all that has happened here, you kept your mind focused on your actual goal, to stop me from conquering your world. Bravo. With my research facility destroyed, it will take me...oh...several decades to rebuild. At least another twenty years, and that’s just in materials. The costs of rebuilding, of reacquiring what was lost...you’ve dealt me a major blow here today, my brother. You’ve earned my respect. And...my ire.”

“GGaaahhhhkkk!” I gasped as a power discharge enveloped me, striking me from behind, sending my senses reeling. Dropping back to the ground on my knees, I turned to find Dr. MacDonald leering down at me, a large particle rifle clutched tightly in his hands. As I struggled to regain my feet, he took aim, pointing the barrel straight at my head.

“Ah, the good doctor,” Duncan said idly, walking around to joining him. “I’d wondered where you’re wandered off to. Care to explain where you were while my facility was going up in flames?”

“Sorry, Sir. He managed to infiltrate under the cover of invisibility,” MacDonald growled, glaring at me. “By the time we discovered the bombs, he had already departed. It was all we could do to evacuate before they blew.” He sighed. “Regardless, I knew you would want to take out the loss of your life’s work by taking his life...and that you might require my assistance.”

“Require? No, doctor,” Duncan replied, wrapping me up in a powerful magnetic field, holding me immobile, while generating a huge gravity well on Lacie, pinning her to the ground in a field of ten times normal gravity. “But your assistance is appreciated. Now stand there and watch.” Turning to me, he nodded simply. “Any final words before I crush you?”

“Just one, Duncan,” I managed, glancing over at the gun toting doctor. “Sassenach.”

“NOOOO!” Patricia Grimalde screamed, tears leaking down both cheeks, struggling against the arms of Darryl, the family’s chauffeur/bodyguard, as she fought to make her way back into the building. “NO! Let me go, dammit! LET ME GO! I have to go to him! I have to help my husband!”

“I’m...sorry...Mrs. Grimalde,” he replied, struggling to keep her back from the entrance. “There’s nothing you can do! The way back downstairs is blocked: heat, smoke, cave-ins...you wouldn’t make it anywhere near him. Please, Miz G, please...just, just stay here.”

“He’s right, Patricia,” Delores said sadly, favoring her right foot, but reaching up to place a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We can’t get to him. Master said to keep his FAMILY safe. You and the children are the priority. He told Constance that, and he meant it.” She sighed, pulling her into a deep hug. “Honey, baby, I understand how you feel. I want to go after him myself! But we wouldn’t stand a chance. If we still had our powers, then maybe...but as normal women, no way. Nothing that’s ‘only human’ is going to make it through that hell. All we can do is wait for help to show up. AND NOT PANIC.“

“Speaking of help showing up,” Echo quipped, landing lightly on the roof, his partner and wife, Shinobi, landing beside him, swinging in on a line. “Looks like you could use some. Unless you’re planning to escort us off the property for breaking the restraining order?” he asked, staring pointedly at Patricia. “OW!” he hissed as Shinobi punched his arm, hard.

“He’s joking, as always. Not a good time for it,” she murmured. “We ARE here to help, though. At last call, fire trucks are on the way but still five minutes out. Do you have people trapped inside?” At Patty’s recalcitrance, Delores limped forward, nodding.

“Yes, please! Our M...um, Mr. Grimalde is trapped inside, with a number of other employees and board members, including his assistant, Constance. We’ve, um...been in contact with her, and according to her, he’s trapped on the twentieth floor, with his legs pinned under some debris.”

Parker and Veronica glanced at one another. “Do we know for sure how many others are trapped with him?” he asked pointedly, retracting his rappelling line, glancing around at roof for a place to secure it. “Bringing everyone up here to the roof is good for the short term, but if we’re looking at a few hundred or more—”

“There are seven executive board members, four company officers, and thirteen junior staffers still trapped.” Patty said stiffly, finally finding her voice. “I not sure what good a speedster and a ninja will do against a wall of fire,” she added, snippily, from habit more than actual antagonism, “but please...please do what you can.”

“Hey, I always give it my all!” Parker snapped back, planting the edge of his pole firmly into the concrete side of the roof. “I have never discriminated when it comes to saving people, and I’m NOT going to start now. I’m going to get him out of that inferno or die trying.” He sighed softly, nodding to his wife. “We can argue over things once the deed’s done. Oh, and one more little thing. We good guys...we tend to travel in packs,” he added, gesturing to the sky above, as Wyldcard and Ultra Girl swept in, followed closely by the new Tearbearers, Ivory and Ebony Angel. “It’s pretty amazing what you can do when you work together as a team.“

“You asshole,” snapped Patricia, “You think Angela and I weren’t a TEAM? You think Sioban and I weren’t a team? I...I...” Standing behind Echo, Delores was looking at Patricia, shaking her head, her eyes wide with fear. Patricia covered her mouth and began to sob, “Oh, God, please, Parker. I’m sorry. Please help us!“

Parker was shocked into silence, surprising even himself. He always knew Patricia to be someone who gave as good as she got. The last thing he expected was for his angry banter to be met with abject surrender.

Karen, however, still had some snark that she hadn’t used up yet. “I just hope you don’t bill me for the damage to your building,” Karen replied, firing a microwave blast at the roof, burning a small circular hole through the stone. Used to the heat, she dropped nimbly down through the hole, followed close behind by Echo and Wyldcard. Shinobi, meanwhile, flipped over the side of the building, drawing her sword as she dropped. Counting floors in her head, she thrust out, embedding her katana in the stone just above the twenty-first floor. Slicing through the concrete wall like paper, she opened up a large gash, large enough for the winged heroines to fly through. Spying the trapped members, they began flying them down, one by one.

“Where’s Nigel?” Shinobi asked one of the executives, before handing her off to the Angels.

“He’s...trapped...in the next section over,” she replied coughing. “The entrance is blocked...no way to reach him...” She started to cry, “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t slowed him down...”

“Lady, you can’t worry about that now,” said the ninja, “Just let us take care of it. And MOVE.”

“Ughnn...shit, it’s hot in here,” Parker grumbled to his party, moving swiftly from floor to floor. “Not the best environment for a full body rubber suit. Feels like I’m cooking in here.”

“You know what they say, Echo,” Karen replied with a scowl, “if you can’t stand the heat...”

“Uh uh. No fucking way. No way I am letting Nigel fucking Grimalde buy the farm like this...not on my watch!” he growled. A section of ceiling creaked, and a beam fell, coming down at them, but he caught us, pulsing and vibrating his hands rapidly, shattering it into splinters. “That bastard has too much to pay for. He doesn’t get to die until I’ve told him off to his face!“

“Yeah, great,” Elise replied, creating crystal pillars, bracing and supporting the damaged roof, preventing further damage. “Nice to know your motivation in this is so...altruistic. Your mother must be so proud of you, Mr. White Knight.”

“Hey...shaddup a second. Listen...I hear them,” Echo stated, closing his eyes, using his sonar. “They’re just below us...on the other side of that debris!”

“Alright then, I just need to blast through and we’re there,” Ultra Girl said, taking aim.

“Wait! Stop...you can’t blast,” Echo cut in, waving her off. “This section is too damaged from the fire. That wall of debris is about the only thing keeping this section from collapsing. Worse, the fire is eating away from underneath as well. One wrong move and the whole floor is going down.”

“Great, so what do we do, then?”

He turned to Wyldcard. “Tell me you’ve gotten more accurate with your shadow-teleport trick since the last time I saw it.”

“Huh? You want me to teleport into the next section blind, in the middle of a burning building, without any knowledge of where I’m going?” She shook her head. “Sorry, I’d need to have an accurate idea of where I’m ’porting to for it to work. And I’ve never been in this building before.”

“Uh huh,” Parker said with a sigh. “Hey, Connie? You there?” Parker called, using his sub-sonics to transmit his voice directly to the small bones of her inner ear. “If you’ve been in contact with Patty, then you know we’re here to help. I have a partner here that can teleport us in to help your boss, but she needs to know the lay of the land before she teleports. Gene mentioned that you were a psychic.”

Suddenly he could feel the girl’s panic «Oh GOD! Does EVERYBODY KNOW?»

“Hey! Take it easy, Connie! We can keep a secret.” God, thought Parker, I don’t have TIME for this!

«Keep a secret? That’s funny coming from YOU, Mr. Albinn.» but Constance’s emotional edge was angry, not humorous.

“Good GOD!” Parker cried aloud, “Will I ever live that DOWN? IT WAS TWENTY-TWO FREAKING YEARS AGO! Look, forget that! I need you to connect with my friend, act as her eyes, and let her see through you. Can you do it or not?!?”

“Okay,” Wyldcard said a moment later. “Got it. Kind of weird...like double vision to the extreme, but I know where I’m going now. Grab on.” Parker held onto her shoulder, and a second later they were inside the hallway. A thick haze of smoke fluttered about the room, and the heat was noticeably more intense. They spotted Constance instantly, squatting beside a ruined section of wall, littered with debris. It took a second more to realize the gray, dust and soot covered form she knelt next to was a person.

“Shit!” Parker yelled, rushing over, digging away several layers of plaster and stone, revealing the heavy concrete slab pinning Nigel down. “Hey! Grimalde! C’mon, guy...wake up! This is no time to catch up on your beauty sleep! Open your eyes, dammit!”

Groaning. Nigel opened his eyes. “Ugghhn...cough cough Damn. Fire? Pain? And Echo’s lovely visage staring down at me? Yes...no doubt about it. I’m in Hell.”

“Not yet, Blackfinger...though I’m sorely tempted to send you there myself.”

“Could you please not call me that in front of the civilians, blabbermouth?” said Grimalde.

“I’d hardly call your own secretary and personal psychic a ‘civilian’, Nigel!” he retorted. “And it’s not like there’s a crowd sitting around in the middle of this burning building!” God, I wish I could kick his ass right now! thought the hero.

“Wait, no civilians? Constance, where’s Richard Fitznagle. He was right in front of me!”

The young Asian secretary shook her head. “Sorry, Sir. I can’t sense him. I...Mr. Grimalde, I...I don’t think he made it.”

Echo nodded as well, hanging his head. “She’s right. I can feel a body underneath the rubble just to your right, but I’m not hearing a heartbeat. He’s gone.”

“Oh God, not Richard,” whispered Nigel, then louder, to the hero, “Well, Albinn, you actually did manage not to out me. A good man had to die for it, but so it goes.”

“What the FUCK!” shouted Parker, “YOU MISERABLE BAS—”

Grimalde coughed weakly, and held up his hands, “I’m sorry, Parker. You’re right. I am a bastard. It’s a reflex. Thank you for coming to my rescue. It’s just that...never mind.”

“As tempted as I am to just leave you right now...I’m not. I’m gonna get you out of this if it kills me. Close your eyes and cover your face. This block is too heavy to lift, so I’m going to have to drill my way through.” Holding up a hand, he began vibrating it rapidly. “Wyldcard, pull Connie back out of the way...better yet, shield the both of you with some of your crystals. This is gonna be kind of intense.” Once they were away, he placed his hand against the stone, revving up the oscillations, creating a supersonic jackhammer. Stones and small rock fragment shot away at incredible speeds, and Echo winced as ricochets struck his chest and legs painfully. Grunting, ignoring the pain, and bleeding, he powered through, finally shattering the block, freeing Grimalde’s legs.

Constance was back at his side at an instant. “Oh, Sir! Are you hurt? Bleeding? Can you walk?”

Huh. Devoted little minx, I’ll give her that. And yes, I’m fine too, thanks for asking... “He’s a bit banged up, bruised, and probably gonna be sore as hell,” Parker stated after a quick pulse of Nigel’s lower body, “but I don’t feel any broken bones. My sonar’s not an MRI, though, so he’ll definitely need to get checked out at the hospital to see if there’s any internal damage. All things considered, Bla—, uh, Grimalde, you’re damn lucky.” He glanced around. “So...not wanting to assume anything at this point, but is there anyone else trapped in here besides you two?“

“There was just...Richard. Wait! What about the others? The ones in front of us? Did the rest of my people make it out? And...Patricia, Justine, Robbie! Are they safe? Did they get out?”

“Easy now, old guy,” Wyldcard said gently, moving over to help him to his feet. “Your family is safe and sound, and waiting for you up on the roof, though they nearly had to tranquilize your wife to keep her from diving back into the building after you.”

“As for the rest of your people,” Parker added, “Shinobi and the, ah, Angels are rescuing the rest of your staff, flying them down to the street below.” He pauses, listening intently. “Hmmm...the last of them are on their way down now, and the numbers add up. The only ones left now are you and Connie.”

“Parker!” Constance said suddenly, getting his attention. “We have a problem! Your friend Ultra Girl just noticed that the fire is about to spread up over the barricade any second. We need to get out of here, now!”

“And on that note, ladies and gentlemen,” he replied, taking Constance and Nigel by the hand, as Elise grabbed him by the shoulders. “It’s time we made good our escape. Can you handle four people at a time, Wyldcard?”

“I’m not sure,” she said grimly. “Never tried it before. Three is kind of a strain...but I think we can manage.”

“In that case,” he replied, releasing their hands, stepping back, pushing them into Elise’s grasp, “get them out of here first and come back for me, if you can. Worst case, I can blast my way through a wall or something, and rappel my way down to the street.”

“Parker...I...”

“Do it!” he ordered, as the building began to shake once more, and smoke filled the hallway. “I’m right behind you. GO!”

Not bothering to argue, Elise closed her eyes, and drew her two charges into the shadows, teleporting away. Parker sighed, then coughed, covering his mouth from the smoke. Yeah. This was a really bad idea. Sound waves versus fire? Huh...like that will work. Shit...think. If I did try and blast a hole in the wall, I’d likely collapse the ceiling down on me. But if I stay here much longer, it will likely come down on me anyway. And then there’s all this smoke and fire...I can’t stay here. I’ve got to move...but where do I go?

“HEY! HERO!” Ultra Girl called out from just behind and to his left. The building shuddered again, as a wall collapsed, revealing Karen, surrounded by flames, holding up a section of the roof. “Your wife said to tell you she’d travel to the afterlife and kick your ass if you keeled over and died in this blaze. I suggest you use those fancy-dancy powers of yours to make a fire break and scurry on through here while I keep this section from collapsing.”

“Damn...talk about a sight for sore eyes...but are you okay? You’re costume’s on fire!”

Karen rolled her eyes. “Echo, my powers generate microwave energy nearly as hot as the sun. A little building fire isn’t going to do much more than singe my eyebrows. Now quit gawking, and get moving. I can’t hold this damn ceiling up all day!”

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied with a chuckle, spinning his arms around rapidly, creating a whirlwind. The resulting vacuum momentarily doused the flames, giving him a clear path to the window. I hope someone’s ready to catch me, he though dimly, running full tilt for the egress, diving through the window just as the fire erupted once more into the section he’d just vacated. He fell, arms out, counting the seconds, confident that someone would catch him, any second now.

Any second.

Really...any time now...

“Gotcha!” Ultra Girl announced, swooping up to grab him just before he hit pavement. “Sorry to keep you. You weren’t worried were you, Mr. Hero?” she teased.

“Not...really...” he managed, trying not to vomit. He hated flying and heights with a serious passion. “Still...you did take your own sweet time.” Noting the soft smooth bare skin, the soft breasts and hard nipples, pressed up against him, he chuckled. “Ah. I get it now. You must have stopped to look for a change of clothing on the way down. Let me guess...you couldn’t find anything in your size?”

Blushing furiously, fully aware of her nakedness, she paused, hovering over the building. “I could always drop you, you know,” she threatened, dangling his feet over the proverbial fire.

“Okay, okay, point made,” he chuckled, as she circled the building once before flying over to a nearby adjacent building rooftop, where all the others were waiting. “I was just joking. When this mess is all cleared up, you should stop by and visit Eugene’s workshop and have him hook you up with a new costume. Seriously, though...thank you. If you hadn’t swept back in, I would have been toast.”

Ultra Girl shrugged. “It was a team effort. We all did our part. And, speaking of, we should probably get going. I need to do a quick wardrobe change...and there are other fires still burning in this city, and more people in need of help.”

Echo nodded, glancing at the crowd surrounding Nigel Grimalde. “Go on ahead. We’ll join you once things are settled here,” he stated, walking towards the group. “I just have one little piece of business to conclude first.”

“Ma’am?” said a deep voice from off to the side.

Karen turned to see a...dark, gorgeous, giant of a man in a white tank t-shirt holding out a coal grey uniform jacket to her. “Oh, no need,” she said, already embarrassed, but now uncharacteristically shy too, “I’m, ah, going to get a change of clothes right now.”

“Sure, ma’am,” said Darryl, “but there are all kinds of gawkers and paparazzi down on the street right now. It would be, um, unfortunate if one of them got a lucky shot, y’know?”

The heroine smiled and took the jacket. It fit like a tent, but it covered the small powerhouse almost to mid-thigh. As she rolled up the sleeves, she looked back at that mountain of chisled muscle and thought Damn, he’s too young for me. If only...Oh, what the hell, Karen. Go for it! She looked up at him, smiled coquettishly, and said, “Thank you, Gallant Sir. I’ll try to get this back to you in good condition. You work for Grimalde, right? Mister?...“

“Darryl. My name’s Darryl Jeffreys. And don’t worry about the jacket, Ma’am,” he said, smiling in return, “I’ve got a dozen of ’em.”

As Darryl watched Karen fly off, admiring her lovely legs, there was a sudden commotion behind him. “WHAT THE HELL?” shouted the young bodyguard, turning back towards the crowd in time to see someone punching his boss hard in the jaw!