The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Shinobi panted slightly, wiping the beads of sweat from her brow. Her arms and chest held a dozen or so light scratches and cuts, but she ignored them. She scowled at the enemy before her, somewhat at a loss. Though Sakura likewise sported the same amount of minor injuries, she was undoubtedly handling them much better. Further, the girl was still fresh, not even winded, after their last sortie. True, she too was far from tired, but in the grand scheme of things, if this battle ran long, the advantage was clearly in Sakura’s favor.

Which doesn’t make any sense, she mused, bringing up her knife as the assassin dove into another barrage of attacks. Last time we fought, she was good, well trained, and well skilled, but hotheaded, undisciplined, and completely reckless. If I hadn’t been triple handicapped with having been drugged, injured, and already worn out from my fight with Katie, I would have beaten her easily. And yet now, I’m just holding my own! It’s like she’s a completely different fighter now... wait.

Wait a second, she thought, sending out a psychic probe, only to withdraw in disgust. Shit. Should have known. No wonder she’s fighting like a whole new person—the person she used to be has been damn near erased! She sighed inwardly. And I thought I had it bad when Oyabun-sama messed around inside MY head...

“Sakura, listen to me,” she said after drawing back from the younger ninja latest assault attempt. “You don’t have to do this. Remember the last time we fought? I was able to cut through the programming they used on you. I freed you from his control. I can do it again.” The assassin paused, head tilted as if considering. “I know you’re still in there somewhere, buried underneath all the mental conditioning. The Sakura I faced before was loyal, yes, but also proud, and fiercely independent. Even in defeat, you refused to simply leave, to turn your back on the clan. You went back... and Oyabun-sama repaid your loyalty by removing your free will and burying what was left of your personality behind the programming of a mindless drone!”

“Enough!” Sakura replied, charging forward, both knives at the ready. Roni gasped; in her current stance, the would-be assassin was leaving herself completely open to counterattack. If she countered, there was no way the younger girl could block or evade, and with the momentum of her charge, pretty much any counter would be potentially fatal. It was an all or nothing strike. Roni’s only choices were to evade... or stop her charge and end her attacker’s life.

But... I’m not a killer anymore... she thought grimly as she rolled to the side, dodging out of the way. Her momentary triumph of the spirit was overshadowed, however, as a fresh burst of pain exploded in her left leg. Having known her opponent would try to evade rather than take advantage of her attack, she’d followed up by launching her dagger at Roni’s fleeing backside, scoring a hit in her upper thigh. Cursing loudly, Veronica rolled back to her feet, clutching lightly at the blade in her thigh.

Fuck! This is bad. It way too close to the femoral artery. Pulling it out could slice right through it, assuming it hasn’t already! Talk about a game changer... that move was a game ‘ender’. Not only did she take out my mobility, she dealt me a potentially lethal blow. Any sudden moves, and I could bleed out on this mat in a matter of minutes.

Sakura stared at her evenly for a long moment, and then turned on her heel and walked back to the door, trying to remove the throwing knife Roni had tossed from the doorjamb. “Huh? Wait... what are you doing?” Veronica asked, taking an awkward step towards her. “Aren’t you going to finish me off?”

“No,” she replied simply, using her own knife to pry the obstacle from her path. “You are not the target. You are merely a distraction.” The damaged blade tumbled free, landing on the ground. “You have been neutralized. The wound I gave you has incapacitated you. Therefore, you are no longer important.”

“Not important? Oh, I beg to differ.”

A sudden blast of concussive sound energy shattered the door, sending the startled ninja flying back across the room, who managed a soft groan before slipping into unconsciousness. Parker strode through the wreckage walking over to kneel down beside his wife. “You okay, babe?” he asked tenderly, wincing at the blade in her thigh. “Looks kinda bad.... femoral artery?” She nodded, biting her lip. “Damn. I told you before, we need to bite the bullet and let the old man fit us both for the same FULL BODY Neuroweave outfits everyone else is sporting.” He took off his shirt, quickly ripping it into long thin strips. “And yes, you look hot and sexy with your taunt belly and lower legs showing... I certainly enjoy the view! But if you were fully covered right now, I wouldn’t be worried about whether or not I can run you from here to River City memorial before you bled out!”

“Okay, okay, I get it,” Roni winced, chastened. “I promise. When this is all over with.” She sighed. “Is Patty okay? Is she safe?”

“Yeah, she’s fine,” he said with a small smile, bandaging her legs. “Thanks to you. I ran into her out in the hallway.” He shook his head ruefully. “I was halfway expecting to be bandaging HER this way when I got here. I can’t believe after the way you always go on and on about Patricia Grimalde, and wanting to mount her head on our mantle, you go and get yourself shish-kabobbed protecting her.”

“Yes, well...” she murmured, glancing away, “I did this for you, and MAYBE for Nigel, and their kids... not for her. Especially her kids.” She sighed closing her eyes. A lifetime ago, she’d witnessed her mom and dad being killed by the self same ninja clan that abducted her and indoctrinated her into their ranks. If nothing else, she’d save Patty’s life to prevent Robbie and Justine from experiencing that same trauma.

Seeing Parker’s look, she blushed heatedly. “Hold on, now,” she grumbled, glancing down. “Don’t misunderstand me, Parker, love. I STILL plan to keep that spot on the mantle open! I just... don’t want some little upstart ninja kicking her ass instead of me!”

“Uh huh. Riiiiight,” Parker replied, merely nodding, choosing not to press the matter. “C’mon, baby,” he said lifting her bodily into his arms. “Let’s get you out of here. From what I’m picking up, things should be just about wrapped up outside...”

Devon McKinley huddled down behind the bullet hole ridden-SUV, panting softly. Her hands were starting to shake, but she simply pushed the fear away, focusing on the task at hand. It’s okay, Dev, she told herself as a new barrage of shots rang out, bouncing off the frame of the truck a few inches from her head. It’s... it’s just like a video game. Don’t think of it as people really shooting at you... just think of it as a video game. No pressure. None. And anyway... you just have to keep these guys busy for a few more minutes. That’s all. Just long enough for Rose to grab Jimmy. Then we can all get out of here together.

A strong yet delicate hand pushed her head down a little more as another ricochet sounded. “Might wanna duck down a little lower,” Megan remarked, activating her body suit’s scanners and powering up her weapons, “they’re getting better at drawing a bead on us.” Standing up from behind the SUV she fired several times with her own blasters before ducking back down again. “How are you holding up?” she asked, concerned

“I’m fine,” Devon replied, breathing hard, firing over her shoulder a few times before withdrawing her hand again. “I’m really just wanting Ghost Girl to hurry up.”

“Okay, fuck this shit!” Hugo Smith said suddenly, throwing down his weapon. “I don’t get paid enough to get shot at like this! I’m outta here!”

“Huh? Hugo, wait!” Devon called after him. “We have to stay together! The plan was—”

“FUCK the plan!” Hugo shot back, dropping into a crawl, scurrying away from the vehicle, heading towards a pair of small bushes near the gate of the compound. “I didn’t agree to this shit anyway. I should have been the one to go inside! Fucking bitch.... don’t care if you CAN turn invisible, I’m the former thief... I’m the one that’s the expert getting in and out of places unseen...”

Devon sighed, shaking her head. “Hugo, please, come back! We need you!”

“The hell we do,” Jette replied crossing her arms at her chest. “We never needed him! If the man’s too much of a coward to hold the line for a few goddamn minutes from a bunch of thugs that can’t even shoot straight, then we’re better off without him!“

Hugo stopped, bristling at the insult. “I’m NOT a fucking coward,” he stated with heat. “I just think it’s pointless to stand out here getting shot at for no good reason! Either Ghost Girl found your friend Jimmy and is on her way out, or she got caught and is dead. Or he’s dead, and this whole mission was a wash from the get go! Either way, we did our job in providing the distraction, now we need to get the FUCK out of here before one of us—most likely ME—ends up with a bullet in his skull!”

Devon gasped, shuddering slightly. “Hugo! Get down, now!”

“Listen, kid,” he growled, turning back to face her, “I already told you. I’m not sticking around while these guys play target pra—AAAHHHHHHH!” Suddenly, the ground around Malleable Man exploded in a shower of dirt and rocks. Tossed several feet, he landed in a heap back near the SUV next to the others. Where he’d knelt a moment ago, stood a young woman with long sand colored hair, dressed in a dark brown mottled skintight body stocking. Her form appeared fuzzy and indistinct, and it took Devon a second or two to realize the reason why. A soft cloud of dust and dirt continuously swirled around her body, like leaves caught in a whirlwind. Facing them, the dark haired Super smiled evilly, tilting her head to the side.

“So... you are the ones who are causing all the trouble?” she asked, her voice a low deep rumbling noise. “Three little girls, and a wimpy little coward?” She laughed. “And here I thought I might actually have to exert myself for a change.” She glanced up towards the sky. “You chicas can stay back and watch. I can handle these three myself.“

Devon let out a gasp of recognition. “YOU!” she yelled, drawing her particle weapon. “I remember you now! You’re the ones that attacked us and kidnapped Jimmy in the first place!” She fired several times, only to growl in frustration as the energy blasts deflected off the swirl of dust and dirt particles acting as a shield. The woman merely smirked, hands on her hips.

“Is that the best you’ve got, girlie?” she asked, taunting, just before a large human shaped torpedo tackled her hard, rolling in midair to pin and slam her down to the ground.

“Heh. Funny,” Ravenheart said, standing back up, rescinding her wings. “I was just about to ask you the same question! Oh, and you might wanna check your math. There are four of us, chica!“

Mimiko smiled to herself as she slipped silently into her target’s inner office, finding Grimalde on the far end of the room, with his back to her, doing chin-ups on a wall-mounted pull bar. “Ah, Connie,” Nigel called out without bothering to look up, “glad you’re back. I take it your little ‘family emergency’ is all sorted out now? Just give me a minute or two to finish up, and I’ll be right with you.”

“Sorry, Mr. Grimalde, Sir,” Mimik replied, pulling Constance’s gun, taking aim, “but I’m afraid I can’t wait. You’re finished now. Oh... and one last thing. Serpentina sends her regards.” She pulled the trigger... then again, staring in stunned surprise as the weapon refused to fire. “What the... what’s going on?” She checked the gauge again, but it showed full power. The gun merely refused to fire.

“Biometrics,” Nigel answered helpfully, continuing to exercise. “Newest innovation, and first of a new line of GrimTech weapons. It only responds to the DNA of the person its coded to. That may be Constance’s weapon, but you, my dear, are obviously not Constance. For one thing, she knows that I never use diminutives or nicknames. Calling you ‘Connie’ when you entered would have been a big red flag.” Mimik growled in frustration.

“Tch. Fine,” she answered, pulling a knife from her belt. “I don’t need some fancy high powered gun to kill you!” With a flick of her wrist, she sent the deadly blade into the aging billionaire’s unprotected back.

And straight through it into the wall. Wha... what the hell?!?

“Secondly, the real Constance is psychic,” Nigel’s voice continued to speak as the holographic image of him shimmered and faded out. “She would have known instantly that I wasn’t really there.” He sighed heavily through the speakers. “You do a pretty good imitation of her, on the surface... but do you REALLY think me so incompetent that I can’t tell my own personal assistant from a wanna-be fake?”

The girl is psychic? Fuck... that wasn’t in any of our files! Mimiko cursed silently. No wonder this went south so fast! Shit! Okay. Relax. I can still make this work. I have leverage.

“Okay, Mr. Grimalde,” Mimiko replied, dropping Connie’s persona, speaking in her own voice once again. “Fine. You outsmarted me. Or rather, your friend downstairs. I’m assuming my little performance earlier in the hallway made him suspicious, and he warned you somehow... maybe called you on your cell the minute I left?”

Nigel grimaced slightly. The assassin was correct. To his chagrin, he did indeed once again owe his life to Parker Albinn. Realizing that the Connie that had greeted him was not the genuine article, he’d called out to him, not on a phone, but through his sound based powers. Hey, Nige... not sure what’s going on here, but you’ve got trouble. An imposter pretending to be Connie is heading up to your office. With everything that’s been going on lately, I figure it’s gotta be another assassination attempt.

Before he could even question it, however, he’d received confirmation from the most unlikely source—Constance herself. Stopping a passerby, she’d managed to get a phone and called Nigel’s private emergency line.

“Mr. Grimalde...” she’d panted, breathless as if she’d been running a marathon, “you’re in... danger! Kidnapped... imposter... heading to you... looks like me... but it’s not... don’t trust her...”

More concerned about her than himself, he’d taken several seconds to reassure himself that she was alive and unharmed, then told her to stay put, that he’d send Sioban, who was out on patrol, after her. Parker, listening in on his part of the conversation, had asked Nigel how he’d wanted to handle things, if he should sound an alarm or alert security, or simply go after the imposter himself. After another moment of contemplation, he’d decided to go with the strategy he’d just enacted.

“If that’s true,” Mimik continued, circling slowly around the room, searching for the door to her target’s hiding spot, “then you’ve made a mistake letting me get so close. If you were smart, you would have had your friend take me out before reaching your office.”

“Ah, but then I would never have known for sure exactly what you were after, and who sent you,” Nigel replied. “Thankfully, you’ve already answered that with your little message from your employer. Besides, I had something more important for him to do—like taking care of the other members of your little cabal.”

A keystroke activated the hidden panels in the walls, and two monitors slid into place, each showing a room within the mansion. “As you can see, one of my house guests has already stopped the assassin you sent after my children,” he stated with an obvious edge, “and another pair of visitors managed to stop your second cohort from killing my wife. In fact, my dear, the only one left of your little group is you.”

A growl escaped Mimik’s lips before she could quell it. FUCK! Both Sakura and Maki defeated? Impossible! He’s outmaneuvered me somehow. Her eyes narrowed. This man is more cagey and resourceful than I was lead to believe. Hmmm... perhaps I should try imitating HIS personality, and see if I can find a way to salvage the assignment... Taking a deep steadying breath, she opened her eyes and nodded.

“Okay. I concede the point,” she said calmly a moment later, tapping into Nigel’s unshakable poise. “Your ‘crack security’ team may have been easy to infiltrate, but your little circle of friends proved a bit tougher than I’d anticipated. Bravo. You have worthy comrades.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, Nigel. You still have two things going against you. First of all, is your little secretary, Constance, who is still my captive.” A crooked smile twisted her lips. “You wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to her, would you, Nigel? She might just be an hourly slave wage... but something deep in my gut tells me that she means more to you than just that. Much more.”

She chuckled softly, sitting atop his desk, crossing her legs. “Maybe the ol’ ‘ball and chain’ doesn’t quite do it for you anymore? She’s in her early forties now, after all... perhaps you and dear Constance spent a few late night business meetings giving each other the business...” She paused, frowning slightly. Somehow that didn’t quite feel right.

“No... you were definitely giving it to her. You strike me as the kind of man that doesn’t just ASK for loyalty from his women... he demands it. I can just bet you had your poor little secretary so in awe of you, she probably thinks taking ‘dick-tation’ is part and parcel with her job.“

Nigel let out a breath, somewhat flustered. The girl’s insights were starting to annoy; worse, she was beginning to get under his skin. Now, now, old boy. Relax. No matter how loudly she bluffs, just remember that you’re holding the winning hand.

“Well, that was some speech,” he said drolly after a moment. “Honestly, I’m not sure if I was being praised or insulted. Either way, it’s a moot point.” Another keystroke, and a third monitor appeared in the main room behind the would-be assassin. The screen came to life, showing a view of the front door, with Ivory Angel, or ‘Dragonfyre’ as she was calling herself now, half-carrying a tired but very much alive and well Constance. Mimik gaped at the image, reeling, struggling to comprehend how THAT could have occurred.

Nigel merely smiled, flipping a switch, closing down all three monitors. “I believe that is check and mate,” he said soundly.

“Not quite,” Mimiko replied grimly, pulling a small rectangular box from her pocket. “I said before that you had two things going against you. You’re ‘Flying Dyke’ team might have taken care of the first, but there’s still my second little surprise to contend with! Did you forget I’m still here, just outside your hiding spot? The door might be hidden, but this little device can show me just where you’re hiding.” She pressed the button, pointing it around the room, scanning.

“It’s just a matter of time before I find you, and slit your throat, old man!” Her smile grew as her device beeped, pointing her towards a large portrait of Grimalde and his family. “Gotcha,” she cheered, reaching around the edge of the painting, finding the hidden catch along the side. “By the time the rest of your people get here, it’ll be too late. And it doesn’t matter to me what happens to me as long as I complete my mission!”

“Then, I’m afraid you’re about to be doubly disappointed,” Nigel’s voice spoke from the speakers as Mimik opened the door, revealing an empty room. “You seem to have done your homework on me. Congratulations. Not even Sureshot managed to actually get inside my home. You’re the first one—scratch that—the second one,” he amended, remembering his run in with Shinobi and Echo two decades ago, “to get this close to me without my permission. Unfortunately for you, I learned quite a lot after the other attempts.“

A loud clank sounded as metal bolts slammed into place, sealing the room locked. A thin mist began to fill the room, wafting in from the air vents.

“Damn! Gas!” Mimiko grunted, glancing around frantically for a way out. Shit! This can’t be happening... dammit. I have no choice but to use my trump card. Reaching up for the slender chain around her neck, she pulled loose the pendant and pressed down on the hidden switch inside. Outside, a loud explosion sounded from across the compound, and instantly the lights went out. That should buy me about thirty seconds, she thought grimly, holding her breath, sprinting over to the door.

As she had hoped, the loss of power had caused the security bolts to unlatch. Still drawn, she had to use her knife to swiftly pry them back, allowing the door to open. Damn... fifteen seconds left, she thought, counting in her head, as she slipped through the door, making her way down the darkened hallway. Ten seconds. Shit. Need to find a place to hide and lay low... probably a servants quarters... I can still make this work if they think I escaped and let their guard down—

“UUGHHHNNFF!!” she grunted as she, literally, ran into a short young blonde-haired girl running in from the opposite direction. Rolling to land in a crouch, she blinked in surprise, finding that she’d run into target number three, the young Frasier girl! She laughed inwardly, unable to believe her good luck! The force of their collision had stunned the girl senseless; she was completely helpless.

“What a stroke of luck,” Mimiko said aloud, drawing her knife, grabbing the girl by the chin from behind, preparing to cut the blonde’s throat. “I can take out one of my targets, then, using your personality as a disguise, slip in and take out that smug bastard Grimalde before he even realizes it!” She laughed again, as she felt the familiar sensation descend over her like a warm blanket—

Only to jerk away in confusion, her head stinging in a pain so fierce it brought her back down to her knees. “Ga...ga...gaa... gaawdd..” she managed, shakily, staring at the girl before her in shock even as she groaned, and began to stir. My power... couldn’t lock onto her personality... because she’d got five of them! No... wait... six? Seven? What the hell?!? She’s freaking Sybil! How is such a thing possible?!?

Sitting up abruptly, Katie frowned, scowling at her. “Ouch. That wasn’t fun. I know it’s dark in here, but can’t you watch where you’re going? I mean, I’m glowing like a Christmas Tree here... it’s kinda hard to miss me!”

Shaking her head, Mimiko continued to back away from her slowly. “Who are you?” she asked. “WHAT are you?”

Katie’s expression changed. Completely. “Well, well,” she replied in a seductive purr completely unlike her previous voice, “looks like someone’s been poking their nose where it doesn’t belong.” Her eyes flashed an irradiant purple, and a fine shimmer of black began to pool up from her fingertips, flowing up her gloves, along her arms, and chest, flowing over her entire body like a wave. As it dispersed, her costume appeared changed, the white and silver replaced with inky wet looking black. The bright yellow glow surrounding her... dimmed, pulsing with a strange grayish sparkle. Moving faster than her ninja reflexes could react, Katie struck out, grabbing Mimiko by the chin, squeezing hard.

“Look at me!” she commanded, locking eyes with the Japanese girl, pulsing black and purple boring into dark brown. Mimiko shuddered, feeling her mind, her very soul, pinned by those eyes. “So, little ninja girl,” Katie purred sweetly, “you were the one sent to take out Nigel Grimalde, weren’t you? You haven’t killed him yet, have you?” she asked, extending the slightest bit of pressure with each word.

“N... nnyy... nnnaa... no!” Mimik managed, feeling as if a steamroller was pressing over her head, slowly flattening her into oblivion. “I... I haven’t... r-reached him... I swear!”

“Good,” Katie replied, the pressure easing up just the slightest bit. “That’s good. If you’d hurt him, I would have been... annoyed.” She smirked. “And believe me... you wouldn’t LIKE me when I’m... unhappy.” The smile faded abruptly, and she blinked, scowling. “But that doesn’t mean you’re in the clear. I can’t let you go after Nigel again. And, I can’t let you tell anyone what you discovered about me.” She shrugged. “It’s a pity, really. Someone with your skills and abilities would be useful for my Master Plan... but I guess I’ll just have to make do without you.”

Growling, standing back up, Tierra glared at her two companions, floating several feet above them, laughing softly. “Well? What are you bitches waiting for? Kill them! Kill them all!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Fuega said chuckling. “So much for us not getting involved.” Before she could make a move to defend herself, the scarlet haired woman turned and pointed at Ravenheart. Extending her hands forward, she sent forth a plume of fire, enveloping the dark skinned girl completely.

Her blue haired companion, Vienta, not to be outdone, added her own power to the mix, using her wind to turn the blaze into an inferno.

“RAVEEEEENNN!” Devon screamed, drawing back in horror, glaring at the flame haired villainess. “You... you... bitch! You evil psychotic bitch!”

“Hey, don’t worry, chica” Fuega replied sadistically, raising a hand towards Devon as well. “You’ll be joining her soon enough.” A bright flash of light and energy struck, however, before she could make good on her threat. With a gasp, Fuega shuddered, then dropped from the sky, landing solidly on the ground below.

“Don’t count your chickens before they’re cooked, chica,” Ravenheart retorted triumphantly, very much alive and well, virtually unharmed. Before they’re ‘cooked’? Gawd... did I actually say that out loud? Damn, Katie was right. Super hero banter off the fly is a lot harder than you think...

“Ravenheart! You’re okay!” Devon cheered, rushing over to her. “B-but... but how? You were completely covered, engulfed—”

“I owe that to my new costume,” she said proudly, showing off the feather textured sleek ebony costume... “Jimmy-and-Katie’s father invented it. Katie claimed it was just about indestructible, cut-proof, tear-proof, and most importantly, fireproof. When Volcano Breath torched me, it must have activated some defense mode, covering me to protect me from the flames.” She sighed softly. “I’ll have to remember to thank her for insisting that I get fitted for it before coming on this trip.“

“Same here,” Jette added, lifting out the engine block of their trashed SUV, tossing it back and forth in her hands like a softball. “Can’t say I was looking forward to staring down a few hundred gun-totin’ minions... but three Super-powered wanna-be villains with delusions of grandeur? Hell, that is right up my alley!”

“SHIT! They’re Supers!” Vienta yelled, going airborne again. “Watch yourself, Tierra! That short haired one is strong, and the winged one just took Fuega out with one shot!”

“Good,” the sandy haired woman murmured softly, smiling, the cloud of sediment and dust around her swirling faster, thickening. “Looks like I get the challenge I wanted after all!”

Forming her wings, Ravenheart took to the air. “Techna, Devon, you two stay down, out of sight,” she warned, firing rapidly with her Omega Blasters, causing the two remaining villains to scatter. “Jette and I can handle the heavy lifting. And see if you can wake up Malleable ‘Sleeping Beauty’. As useless as he is, we might actually need his help!” Swerving left to avoid a barrage of small pebbles, she banked hard, barely avoiding a bullet aimed for her head. Shit! Forgot about the snipers on the roof! she grumbled, gaining altitude. That makes this little melee a whole lot more interesting. I am not liking those odds. And I’ve already experienced being shot, both in my Tear memories and real life more than I care to ever relive again, so I need to neutralize those sharpshooters first before I concentrate on those two fashion challenged bimbos!

“Hey, Jette,” she called out loud. “A little cover, if you please? The sharpshooters on the roof are cramping my style!”

“Gotcha covered, Raven!” Jette yelled back, taking aim. With a heave, she sent the heavy metal engine block rocketing across the field. Crying out in disbelief and alarm, the snipers scattered, diving for cover as the huge metal cube slammed hard against the side of the building, shattering and shearing off of the rightmost edge of stonework and brick.

Shit! Tawnya thought, whistling softly. Hell of a right arm! Glad she never pitched against us in varsity softball! Hovering for a moment, powering up her gauntlets, she dropped into a dive, heading straight towards the roof of the compound, smirking as she saw the shooters scrambling to recover and take aim. At the last second she turned, rolling onto her side, turning the dive into a strafing run, letting loose with her Omega Blast area effect. A brief flash of light, and all of the snipers collapsed en mass, as she turned and flew back towards the SUV.

“Nice try, pajarito,” Vienta said, suddenly, from behind her, “but skies are MY domain!” A gesture from her, and suddenly Ravenheart was falling, her wings no longer supporting her. She flapped and flared them as far as she could, trying to slow her descent, but her wings couldn’t catch the air. Fuck! Her power... she’s taken away the air pressure... they’re nothing for my wings to catch! Bracing herself, she tucked her body in as much as possible, hoping she was close enough to the ground to survive the hit.

“Hang on, Raven!” Megan shouted, realizing the problem, firing a barrage of energy blasts at the blue haired villainess, causing her to veer away. Grabbing an item from her belt, she took off running towards where her friend was falling. Shit. Never had the chance to test this one... hope it works! Pressing the button, she lobbed it like a grenade and hit the ground, covering her head. A dim blast of electric blue light illuminated the area, and a strange circular shaped field spread out over the immediate area, like a large ant hill made of static electricity.

With Vienta distracted, her control over the wind beneath Ravenheart’s wings dissipated. At the last second, the wind returned, and Tawnya braked, slowing, but not stopping. Seeing the strange glowing field, and Megan lying nearby, she decided to trust her partner and veered, aiming for it center of it.

At the point of impact, however, time seemed to slow, her descent slowing to a crawl, almost like a cartoon rubber band being stretched slowly to the point just before it zips back. Instead of being flung back skyward, however the glowing blue field simply popped like a balloon, and Tawnya landed on the ground on her butt, stunned, but alive and unharmed.

“Whoa... that was... freaky,” she commented, rising back to her feet. “I have no idea what that was just now, or how I’m still alive... but thank you, Techna!”

“My pleasure, Ravenheart,” the mousy haired girl replied with a grin, lifting up her goggles. “Just glad it worked! I haven’t had a chance to test that momentum displacer field generator yet; it’s still a prototype. But I’m really glad I decided to bring it along.”

“Me too,” Tawnya replied with a laugh. “C’mon, let’s get back to the others before—heeey!!” With a cry, she stumbled forward, landing nearly on her face as the ground beneath her feet turned into muck. In an instant, the dirt and grass beneath her had turned into a quagmire. and she found herself struggling not to get sucked underneath! With an additional cry, Megan joined her, struggling as well as she found herself likewise sinking in quicksand.

“Yeah! That’s it, Tierra,” Vienta cheered, dropping down lightly next to her sandy haired partner, standing just a few feet away, arms outstretched. “Bury that puta and her little nerd friend! Put them both six feet under!“

“I don’t think so!” Jette roared, charging across the field like a rhino. Seeing her approach, Tierra pointed her left hand towards her, creating a wall of stone between her and the dark skinned beauty. Grinning, Jette merely lowered her head and raised her arms, barreling straight through, shattering it to bits as she continued to charge in.

“SHIT!” Vienta yelped, leaping skyward just as the Beautiful Gem reached them both. Unable to veer away, Tierra erected a stone barrier around herself just as she was tackled, and she and Jette went rolling across the grass. The two of them lay still for several seconds... and then slowly, Jette rose back to her feet, and dusted herself off.

“Really?!?” Vienta yelled, incredulously, as Devon, Megan, Tawnya, and Julie moved together to stand below her. “Really? And now it’s just me, eh, ladies?” Shaking her head in disbelief, she lifted off a few feet higher. “Fine. I should have expected it would eventually come down to me.” Her eyes flashed bright blue for a moment, and an evil smile creased her lips.

Tawnya opened her mouth to comment, only to gasp, clutching at her throat, eyes bulging, as she suddenly couldn’t breathe. Likewise, the other girls, began clutching at their throats, gasping for air, finding themselves suddenly stuck in a near vacuum. Dizziness swept over the group, as one by one they all sank to their knees, gasping, struggling to breathe, all the while the blue haired devil continued to laugh like a banshee.

“That’s it!” she crowed, dropping down lightly to the ground, to taunt them face to face. “You’re done! No matter how big and bad you THINK you are, every human being on the planet has one key weakness. You all need air to breathe! And my power is sucking the very air from your lungs!” She laughed again, eyes flashing. “This is the end for all of you! I’d tell you to say your prayers, but I don’t think you can... ’cause I’m about to rob you of your very last breath!”

“Not if I rob you... of your ability... to be a fucking bitch!” I growled, appearing suddenly as Ghost Girl withdrew her cloak of invisibility from us both. A single tendril strike was all I could manage, but it was enough. Viente shuddered, eyes wide, as I usurped control of her brain, forcing her to reverse her powers, flooding her captives with the life-giving air she’d taken from them. All four women began gasping and coughing, the pale tone of their skin returning to normal, though I’d bet anything most of them would have acute decompression sickness for a few days.

Julie and Tawnya’s coughing settled down after a few seconds, and their breathing returned to normal. Megan and Devon settled down soon after, and at last I let myself relax. And collapse. I was spent, the last of my juice used up in that last minute intervention. My shadows withdrew, the connection severed, and Vienta blinked, glancing around in confusion. I hadn’t had enough to finish her off, but Rose took care of that for me, taking her down for the count the old fashioned way—with a left hook and a right cross to the temple.

“Jimmy!”

I turned back to see Devon staring at me, not with a look of love and affection as I’d hoped, but in horror. “Goddess Bless... wh... what did that bitch do to you?!?” She stumbled over to me, then stopped, unsure whether to hug me or not, as if I’d snap in half like a brittle twig. Which, frankly, I’d probably lay fifty to one odds for. I managed to give her a wan smile, though, even as the ground beneath my feet seemed to shift unsteadily.

“Dev... honey... sorry ’bout the mess,” I managed, reaching out a trembling hand to caress her cheek. Damn... how I’d missed that sensation. “I’ve really missed you, baby,” I said just before blacking out, collapsing face down on the ground...

“Katie? Katie! Are you okay?”

The blonde heroine groaned softly, shaking her head. Opening her eyes, she saw herself staring up into Sioban’s perfect clear blue eyes, clouded over with concern, her white and silver cape lying in Bon-bon’s lap. Wait... white? Hadn’t she been wearing black a moment ago? “Bonnie? Wher... what happened?” she asked, shaking her head to clear it. She gasped as the past half hour came back to her. “Nigel! Patty! The kids! Bonnie, is everyone okay?” she asked, sitting up.

“We’re all fine, child,” Nigel said wearily, one arm wrapped protectively around Patricia’s waist, the other around a tired, somewhat bedraggled but grinning Constance. To his side, stood Parker, helping prop up an injured but okay Veronica on one side, Karen Summers helping hold her up on the other side. Frowning, counting in her head, Katie jerked suddenly.

“Wait, we’re missing people. Where’s Darryl? And Angela?”

“Darryl’s still with the kids,” Patricia replied with a grin. “And before you ask, they’re both fine. The rooms are soundproofed, and they have no idea that anything strange even happened here tonight.” A fact for which she was eternally grateful. “As for Angela, she’s still at the lab, working late. She managed to miss all the fun.”

“Fun? You call THIS fun?” Parker groaned softly, shaking his head. “I just came over for a brief visit, and end up getting caught in a war zone.” He rolled his eyes, taking the sting out of his words. “Seriously, though, Nigel... was glad to be of assistance, and all, and glad everyone is okay... but don’t take offense if Roni and I don’t come by to visit too often.”

“None taken,” Nigel replied, letting his girls go, stepping past to kneel down next to the unconscious ninja. “Especially under the circumstances.” He frowned, peering down at the assassin. “Katherine, did you do this to her?” he asked, turning to face her.

“Me? Uh... actually... I’m not sure,” she said slowly, thinking back. “I remember running towards your office, trying to reach her before she made it to you... and I remember being really pissed off. I’d just turned the corner and...” She paused, frowning. “I remember hitting my head.

“I think I ran into that ninja girl as she was leaving your office. I fell, smacked my head on the floor... and then everything gets hazy.” Her frown deepened as a series of fractured disjointed images flashed before her eyes: a face, hers, laughing, glaring, a flash of purple, then a wave, a veritable flood of black, covering everything.... she shook her head.

“I honestly don’t know, Sir. I sort of remember someone talking, gloating, and a flash of something... but that’s it. If I somehow managed to get a shot off and blast her, I must have been going on full instinct.”

“I’d say a bit more than mere instinct,” Nigel mused aloud, standing back up. “Whatever happened to her is nearly the same as what happened to Sureshot. Our would-be assassin is practically comatose.”

Katie blinked in surprise. Wha... did I really do that somehow? Without even realizing it? I mean... my good luck has reacted to save me before without my having conscious control over it... and since Jess’ death, things have been a bit... stranger... than normal. She frowned again. Still... maybe I should talk to someone about this... maybe Aunt Eva—

«No. Actually, I don’t need Eva’s help. Everything is just fine. I’m just tired, that’s all.»

—on second thought, I’m just tired, Katie reasoned with herself, nodding inwardly. I’ve got a lot going on, after all. It’s natural to forget a few details here and there. Feeling Sioban’s hand reaching for hers, she grabbed it squeezing gently. “So, um, what now? What do we do about this? Call the police... or maybe immigration?“

“Don’t worry, I have a few contacts I can call in to handle this,” Nigel replied, stepping over Mimiko’s body, walking back to his office. “From the last update I received from Tawnya, her little group has tracked down Serpentina and was about to engage. With any luck,” he said, giving Katie a quick wink, “they already have her in custody. There won’t be any more attempts after tonight.” He let out a deep sigh. “By now, the whole ordeal is likely over and settled.”

“So, that’s Jimmy Frasier,” Tawnya asked Rose Contreras as she and Devon tended to the unconscious young man. “Not exactly the way I imagined our first meeting would be. Is he going to be all right? Is he okay?”

“It’s pretty bad,” she admitted with a sigh. “That bitch must have put him through all nine rings of hell. He’s half-starved, and probably dehydrated as well. I met him face to face before all of this, and the husk of a man lying over there in his girlfriend’s arms is not even half the man he was. He looks at least seventy to eighty pounds lighter than he was just two months ago.” She sighed. “And that... shadowy thing he did to save you four? When I got to him inside the compound, he could barely walk. I don’t know where he got the reserves to pull that off.“

“Yeah,” Tawnya said softly, shaking her head. “Last minute heroics seem to run in the family.” Shrugging, she slid a hand around to the small pouch at her side, removing a small round metallic object, and a small plastic case. Ghost Girl glanced down over her shoulder.

“What’s that?” Rose asked, drawing out a cigarette.

“Hypersonic grenade,” she replied grimly, extending her wings again. “A little something for our hosts. Serpentina is still in there. Rescuing Jimmy Frasier is only half the job, and we’re not exactly equipped to fight our way past an entire army. This little calling card from GrimTech will emit a hypersonic pulse at a frequency that will knock out everyone in a five hundred foot radius.”

“Hypersonic...” Rose scowled, taking a drag before continuing. “If you’ve had that with you all this time, why didn’t you use it earlier? We could have stunned everyone from the beginning, then strolled in and retrieved Frasier and Serpentina at the same time!”

“Yeah, well, it’s not quite perfected yet,” she said, opening the plastic case. “It’s a prototype. And in the last clinical trials, the signal caused minor to moderate brain damage in nine percent of the test animals. So I wasn’t about to lob something like this in the middle of the compound knowing there was a chance it might hurt Jimmy.”

“But you don’t have a problem using it now?” Rose countered.

“I wouldn’t say that, exactly,” Ravenheart replied slowly, placing a pair of noise cancelling earplugs in her ears, “but none of these guys showed any restraint at all. None of them had any problems trying to kill us. I don’t feel quite so bad about maybe giving one or two of them brain damage, especially if the stun effect prevents them from doing even more damage to friendlies or innocents.“

She tossed the case over to Ghost Girl, then took to the air. “Have everyone slide a pair of these earplugs in. You should all be just out of range out here, but I’d rather not take any chances.”

Circling the compound a few times, Tawnya pressed the button, then lobbed the grenade through one of the windows, pulling back immediately. A soft shiver went through her, like a small static charge, and her ears popped, but otherwise she felt no effect. “Cool,” she said aloud, dropping down to land on the roof, and down into the top floor of the compound. As expected, all of the sentries were down, having fallen unconscious where they’d stood. It was actually kind of creepy making her way through the building, like strolling through the setting of some kind of disaster movie or horror flick, stepping over and around the myriad bodies lying sprawled throughout the rooms and hallways.

Damn. I’m really glad I didn’t have to fight my way past all of these guys. This would have taken forever! Then she saw the first of the machine gun implacements and shivered. On the other hand, it might not have taken that long at all... for them.

Reaching the main floor, she headed towards the main office, but paused, hearing a soft moaning coming from the bedroom adjacent to it. Glancing inside, she spotted two women, both Latina, with long dark hair, both lying naked on a large four poster bed. One of them wore a large strap-on dildo and held a riding crop loosely in her hand. The second woman, however, was shackled to the bed, her body covered with angry red welts, a pair of painful looking nipple clamps attached to diamond hard nipples. Stepping closer, she saw it was the bound woman that had remained awake, moaning again, thrusting her hips upward in a vain attempt to make contact with the unconscious girl sleeping beside her.

“Gawd... needta... cum... need to... cum... uuuhnnn... please...” the woman mumbled mindlessly, her slitted green eyes staring up sightlessly, begging pitifully. Tawnya sighed softly, shaking her head.

“Huh. Well, that’s just all kinds of messed up,” she muttered, kneeling down and rolling the unconscious girl off. Snatching the keys up from around the unconscious girl’s neck, she unshackled the crime boss, who’s hands immediately went to her pussy.

“Shit... and I thought I was kinky,” she murmured, shaking her head. “Hey! Snake-bitch! Snap out of it! Pull yourself together!” she yelled, slapping her hard across the face. Serpentina groaned, shuddering, but her eyes regained their focus. “Back with us again? Good... ’cause I ain’t about to drag your sorry ass out of here over my shoulders. C’mon, bitch... you’re coming with me.”

“Who...” Serpentina mumbled, stumbling to her feet. She gasped aloud, seeing a costume wearing Super standing before her. “You... I recognize you! You’re one of the... Flying Dykes... one of Grimalde’s pet birds...” Her eyes narrowed. “So... he sent you after me, eh? Come to kill me, and put me out of my misery?”

“Huh. You should be so lucky,” Ravenheart muttered, grabbing her arms, pulling them behind her back, snapping on a pair of custom handcuffs. “I’m a badged Super, not a hitman. I’m taking you back to stand trial for your crimes... and from what I gather, with the drug trade, kidnapping, human trafficking, and attempted murder charges, they’ll probably bury you under the jail.”

“Jail? Really?” Serpentina laughed aloud. “Stupid little puta... I’ll never see the inside of a court room. With all my connections, you’ll do good to get me out of town, let alone all the way back to River City to stand trial! Besides... you’re Nigel’s little rabid dog—we both know you plan to kill me!“

“No, I’m not,” Tawnya rasped, her temper beginning to build, “though I am seriously considering kicking your ass. I’m taking you to jail, and that’s all. Now come on. Move it!” she added, shoving the handcuffed villainess forward.

“Really? So, you don’t plan to kill me?” Serpentina asked idly, smirking, purposely goading her now. “Even to avenge your dear beloved Nigel?”

“Wait... what do you mean by ‘avenge’?” she said, pulling to a stop. Serpentina turned to face her.

“Oh? You hadn’t heard? I suppose it probably happened on your trip down here after all.” She paused, as if considering, licking her lips.

“He’s dead,” she continued with obvious delight at Tawnya’s expression. “I sent another team of assassins to finish the job that pantywaist Sureshot failed to do. Their assignment was to eliminate Grimalde, his obnoxious bitch of a wife... and that annoying little blonde hero girl Luminaire that got in my way last time!” She chuckled. “Their leader sent me confirmation that they were in just before your little attack started.” She shrugged. “So, I guess that ruins any plans you had of bringing me back and presenting me to your beloved Master like a trophy.”

“No... you’re lying!” Tawnya growled, shaking her head in denial. “There’s no way... no way!” She’s gotta be lying! There’s no way Sioban would stand around and let some group of nin-jerks rampage through the mansion. She’d never let anything happen to Master... to Nigel. And she sure as hell would never let anything happen to Katie! She’d die protecting Katie... and since her Tear hasn’t appeared in my hand, she’s still alive and kicking. It’s not true, dammit...

“What’s wrong, little girl?” Serpentina continued to taunt her. “You don’t believe me? Try my phone over there on the counter. The answering machine light is blinking. The message is still there. Give it a listen of you don’t believe me.” The dark skinned heroine stared at the machine for a long moment, then, sighing, hit the button.

BEEP! “One message sent today at seven fifty-two P.M.” BEEP! “This is Hayabusha,” an unknown female voice spoke. “Operation is proceeding as planned. Have procured the subject Constance Yamanohana and have taken her identity. Path into Prentiss mansion secured. Have passed all three checkpoints with no problems. Now entering main grounds. E.T.A. to target neutralization thirty minutes. Once all three targets have been eliminated, subject Yamanohana will also be terminated. Please arrange for the extraction at the specified location along with payment for the job.” BEEP! “End of message.“

“Told you so,” Serpentina gloated gleefully. “One of the assassins I hired is a Super, a superb mimic and master of disguise. She can imitate a person so flawlessly their own family members couldn’t tell the difference. It doesn’t matter how careful or paranoid Grimalde might be, he’ll never suspect the one about to plunge the knife into his heart is his most trusted advisor and personal assistant!”

Tawnya shook her head again. Constance? They kidnapped Connie and used her... to get to Nigel? No... it can’t... oh gawwdd... but surely he would have... he had to... he wouldn’t be...

“Face it, slut, your family and friends are dead,” Serpentina finished, chuckling savagely. “Even if my assassin failed to kill all three, even if she was caught before she completed her mission, she had to have taken out at least one of them. And whether she succeeded or failed, your little Japanese friend is dead. No loose endssssaggaaaaakkk!”

“YOU GODDAMN FUCKING SADISTIC BITCH!” Ravenheart screamed, clutching the mob boss by the neck, slamming her hard into the wall. “You think this shit is funny?!? You think messing with the people I care about is a FUCKING JOKE?” Growling, she continued to squeeze, clutching tighter, all the while Serpentina continued to laugh, even as she gasped for breath.

“Told... ya... girlie... not gonna... see... courtroom!” she rasped, kicking out with her legs, suddenly, wrapping her legs around Tawnya’s waist, cinching her hips and putting the squeeze on her. Gasping in pain, she released her chokehold, struggling to break free from Serpentina’s death grip. “I’d rather die that go to jail, bitch,” she repeated, panting, her arms still shackled behind her. “But I’d much rather kill your skanky ass and make my escape!” She squeezed harder, grinning as Tawnya squealed, a rib cracking with the force of her clench. “Law of the jungle, little girl. The strong survive, and you weaklings perish!“

FUCK! Squeezing... too tight! Tawnya gasped, trying desperately to break free. Can’t... breathe... squeezing me like... a goddamned anaconda... no leverage... can’t get... free... Still recovering from her earlier near asphyxiation, Tawnya found herself fading fast, her struggles slowly as her oxygen starved brain began to shut down. Her hands moved aimlessly, trying to find purchase, something, anything to get a grip on...

“AAAAHHHHHH!!! MOTHER FUUCCKKK!!” Serpentina yelled, convulsing as the desperate heroine’s hand delved deep into her nether region. Still on edge from her earlier aborted fucking by ‘Mistress’ Cassandra, she’d managed to keep her raging libido in check, her desperate bid to escape her captor and turn the tables on her giving her something to focus on. But her body was still primed, and with her legs spread and wrapped so tightly around the other girl’s waist, there was nothing to prevent the resourceful bitch from sliding a finger inside, between her wet red raw lips, and pressing that most delicate of buttons, all but undoing the older woman.

Shuddering again, she released her grip, tumbling to the ground, as Tawnya gasped aloud, grabbing a desperately needed breath, stumbling away to take a chance to recover.

Goddamnit, Serpentina growled silently, pushing herself against the wall and pushing up to get back to her feet. Almost had her. And these goddamn handcuffs... must be some special reinforced steel alloy... she grunted, trying to break loose. Fuck... no use... I’ll have to find some other way out of this mess...

Her breath caught, and her heart skipped a beat as she felt the familiar feeling of cold steel against her throat. Glancing up, she saw the dark skinned vixen leaning down on her, a large Bowie knife clutched tightly in her hands, her expression twisted by barely contained rage. She glared at her, panting, her nostrils flaring, and in that moment Serpentina saw it in her eyes, something she was only too familiar with—that murderous intent, the desire to kill.

“So... this is it, then,” she said simply, grinning at her would-be executioner. “This is the part where you kill me, to make up for the lives I took from you.” She closed her eyes. “Fine by me. Go ahead and do it, chica... avenge your family and friends and spill my blood. End me. You’ve destroyed my empire... you’ve ruined me. I have nothing to live for. Do it! Kill me! KILL ME!”

Tawnya’s hand shook. Trembled. The need, the desire, was there, so strong, so fucking strong... Nigel, Connie, Patty, Katie... she could see them all in her mind’s eye, dead, lying in a pool of their own blood... blood spilled by the woman—no, by the snake, the inhuman serpent slithering underneath her right now! Gloating. Telling her to kill her, goading her, taunting her... and the Tear in her left hand pulsed, a hot tingling sensation, a warning to her not to go through with it... not to cross that line but dammit she wanted... needed... to make this bitch pay... she needed it so bad...

“No, my child.”

Tawnya turned then, and gasped, stunned. For just a moment, in her tear blurred vision, she saw Her, the Goddess Skuld, standing before her in all her divine glory, glowing with a soft pale light, the look on her face sad and sympathetic... and then she blinked, and the image resolved into Devon, clad not in a flowing soft yellow-gold robes, but a light cream colored blouse and jeans, her arms outstretched as she stepped towards her.

“No, Tawnya,” Devon said quietly, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. “Don’t. You don’t need it. You’re better than this... better than her. If you do this, then she wins. Don’t let her beat you. Please.”

Panting, nearly breathless, Tawnya managed a shaky nod, taking a step back. With all her strength and rage, she threw the knife into the opposite wall, as far away from Serpentina as she could get it. Tawnya watched stunned as the knife actually went through the wall, instead of just into it. With a cry, she clutched the older brunette, sobbing on her shoulder, letting all of the fear and pain and uncertainly simply pour out of her...

In River City an anxious father snatched up the phone before the end of the first ring.

Unable to wait, he spoke immediately, “Is he...”

Never before an indecisive or fretful man, he nonetheless could not bear to finish that sentence, to tempt fate. He’d last spoken to his son not more than an hour ago. But he was hardly home and dry then. The lad... He was afraid for his very life then. I’ve nae heard him sound so... fragile... nae like that, since he was a tiny lad! Despite his hesitation the voice on the other end quickly answered the unasked question.

He turned to his wife, Lacie, and Eva, and he smiled nodding, “Ach! Thank...” But there he was paused again. He couldn’t bring himself to thank a God he no longer believed in. Nor could he bring himself to thank the goddesses he knew existed...

No, he knew who to thank, and he did so. “Thank you. Outstanding job, Rose. I never doubted ye fer a moment. Ye’ve brought me back my boy. Anything I have, anything at all is yours for the asking!”

He paused, chuckling softly, as typical Rose, she gave all the credit to her team, challenging him to make sure ‘all her girls’ were taken care of. Not missing the slight to Hugo Smith, he let it slide. Plenty of time for a post mortem later. MY BOY IS ALIVE! He still felt the pain of not having been able to help Katie... of having to depend on others to do for her what he and Lacie had been unable to do. At least in Jimmy’s case, he’d been able to aid in the search, and equip the searchers as best he could.

That left only one more loose end. “And what o’ the She-Devil?”

He listened as Rose related the story, his frown deepening.

“Ach. I’m sure ’twas quite a test indeed. I’ve nae doubt if it were me I’d have fared much worse than the young lass. If ’twere my hand on the blade THE SNAKE WOULD BE DEAD!” He sighed, taking a moment to collect himself. “But I’m glad she didane go through with it. A wee one like her shouldnae dirty her hands with filth such as that...”

He paused, breathing deep, calming himself. And that reminds me. “Rose... So ye’ll handle her as we discussed before?“

Rose gave him that final status... And more. “Ach, Medevac then? Is he really that... No, don’t tell me anymore, lass, I can only stand so much. Verra well... thank you again lass. We’ll see you soon.”

As he ended the call, Lacie began pumping him for details. “How is he? Tell me everything!”

“US!” Eva prompted, pushing up next to him as well. “Tell us everything!“

“You mean you don’t already know?” Lacie shot back. “You’re psychic, why didn’t you just listen in?”

“Because I don’t eavesdrop on private conversations,” she replied heatedly, “and I don’t peek inside someone’s head uninvited, least of all Master’s head—”

“Hauld yer whist,” Eugene yelled, rolling his eyes. “I’ll tell you exactly what’s happening. He’s on a medical helicopter to the airport then on a fully staffed medical flight back to River City. He’s okay, but unconscious, which is perhaps a blessing considering what he’s endured.”

He sighed softly, turning to face Lacie. “Ye must brace yerself mo duinne... Rose says the boy is barely recognizable, starved and dehydrated and beaten like a dirty carpet. They’ve already contacted the hospital and let them know they’re incoming. They’ll be here by this evening.” A small twinkle lit up his sad eyes. “Jimmy... and his new girlfriend.”

“His girlfriend?” asked Lacie, shaking her head, as she and Eva laughed in delight. They had hardly expected to hear happy news about Jimmy on this call, well, except that he had been rescued from that... that...

“And what about the bitch who kidnapped my son?” she asked coldly, her earlier levity gone.

“Young Tawnya has her in custody, and she’s brought her back seperately. She’s in Grimalde’s hands now.”

“Gene... I want to strangle her. Myself. With my own bare hands... I’ve never felt like this before.”

Eugene nodded grimly. “Aye, lass, yer not the only one. I doubt even Nigel Grimalde at his worst could visit more pain upon her than I wish to right now.”

Just then the phone rang again. “Nigel!” he answered. “Speak o’ the devil... We were just speaking about ye... Aye, and about her too.” He paused, frowning as the voice on the other end continued. “Nigel... lad, ye dinnae ken what ye’re asking!” He paused, then sighed, nodding. “Ach, no, ye’re right. Ye bloody well do... Verra well. Let us know when it’s all worked out. We’ll be there... after we check in on the lad. Yes, and our love to you and yours as well. Bye.”

Putting away the phone he turned to his wife and lover, brow furrowed. “Lacie, Eva, it seems that we will all have to behave responsibly in this affair after all.”

“What? No!” Eva replied, as understanding dawned. “He’s not turning her over to us is he?!?“

“Nae exactly. He wants to call a council of sorts. He doesnae trust himself to act wisely.”

Lacie nodded. “He’s afraid that if he does what he wants to, he’ll become as much of a monster as she is.”

“Aye. And we would do well to share that fear.” He closed his eyes momentarily, then sighed. “Loves... Ye dinnae have to go. I can handle this... and make apologies if need be.”

“No. No Gene, I’ll go.” Lacie said, calm determination on her face. Then, glancing at Eva, she nodded again. “No, we’ll all go. Jimmy is a part of all of our lives. Katie handled Sureshot herself, and took care of him once and for all, but we should all have a say in what happens to that... that woman that tried to take our son from us.“