The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“I found him! I know where Jimmy is!” Megan yelled as she and Julie burst into the room, her laptop clutched under her arm. “I finally managed to track down Serpentina’s main base of operations!” She grinned cheerfully at her other two companions, who merely sat, waiting expectantly for her to continue. “Um.... didn’t you hear me? I said I just figured out where Serpentina is holding Jimmy! You know, the thing you’ve been trying to do for the past two months?”

“Yeah, Megan, we know,” Tawnya replied, nodding to Devon. “In fact, we were just talking about that—”

“I managed to track him down using a modified KMP algorithm,” Megan continued, going into full geek mode, “set to find any and all mentions of titanium alloys—because our boy is mega strong, and run of the mill iron or steel wouldn’t hold him—sold within the past year cross referenced with newly appropriated real estate purchased within the last three years in non-residential spots, i.e., warehouses, buildings, offices, and the like,” she stated as every eye in the room glazed over, “compiled the data, extrapolated the necessary parameters, i.e., seemingly ‘deserted’ locations with active electricity and water, active heat sources showing multiple occupancies—”

“Techna, hon, please,” Tawnya cut in, holding her head. “We’re not computer gurus like you, but we get the gist of it. You did your magic and found out where Serpentina is hiding. Good job. On a related note, Devon here just had a vision, one that told her exactly where Jimmy is being held as well.”

“He’s at an old, recently renovated low rent apartment complex,” Devon replied, seeing the image in her mind’s eye. “They’re at 82751 Shoal Creek Trail Rd, on a flat stretch of land just off the Colorado River.”

Megan gaped at her a long moment, then glanced down at the address showing on her laptop: 82751 Shoal Creek Trail Rd. “Goddammit,” she muttered, shaking her head, getting a chuckle from Julie and Tawnya both. “You couldn’t have gotten your vision before I spent two and a half hours writing that custom algorithm to sift and sort through all that data?“

“Sorry, sweetie,” Devon said with a shrug. “It’s like I said before, it’s like using a flashlight with almost dead batteries in a pitch black room. I don’t so much control it as aim it in the general direction I’m looking and wait and hope it flickers on.” She gave the mousy haired girl a smile. “Still, you did good work, Megan. And thanks to you, we were able to take out nearly all of Serpentina’s illegal operations in this city. It was definitely NOT a wasted effort, okay?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Techna replied, somewhat mollified. “All right then. I’d better send a message home and update Mr. Grimalde and Mr. Frasier that we have Jimmy’s exact location. We’ll want to coordinate with the rest of Mr. G’s people coming in from Utah. Do you remember how far out there were at last check, Tawnya?”

“I believe they were still about three hours away,” Tawnya replied, arms crossed. “Three hours to get here, and then probably at least an hour or so to coordinate and strategize a plan of attack, THEN mobilize and head to the site.” She sighed heavily. “Any idea on how many soldiers ol’ Snakey has with her? If it’s less than fifty, I say we go in ourselves, and let the cavalry handle cleanup instead.”

“Hmph. I agree with you, T,” Julie replied with a nod, “but our ‘Squad Commander’ might have something to say about it. She is really ‘by the book’ you know.”

“Gimme a sec to tap into and reconfigure our eye in the sky,” Megan said, tapping rapidly on her keyboard. “If nothing else, I can help us get a better idea of what we’ll be facing.”

At that moment the door burst open, and Hugo and Rose entered. “Hey guys! Big news!” Rose replied, her normally calm and composed features showing actual excitement for a change. “We got a call from HQ as we were pulling in. Mr. Frasier finished the adjustments to his satellite scanning program, and was able to pinpoint his location. We have an exact address!” She said, practically buoyant with the news. “He’s at—”

“82751 Shoal Creek Trail Rd,” the others answered in unison, causing the two older Supers to gape. Julie shrugged. “Your boss is a little late. Devon, our resident psychic, had a vision about the same time Megan, our resident hacker, was able to pin down the spot using nothing but real estate listings and sales receipts. We’re basically just debating on whether to go in now as a group, or wait until the backup from Utah arrives in roughly three hours.”

“Hmm, I see,” Rose murmured softly, moving over to stand against the wall on the other side of the room. “Well, luckily, we’re not on the debate team here, kids. It’s not a democracy. It’s a dictatorship. And after discussing all the options, I will decide what we’re doing.” A bit of murmuring sounded at her sharp tone, but a silent glare at each occupant one by one rendered them all mute. “Now then,” she said after a moment, “first off, we need Intel on what we’re looking at. I assume, Megan, that you’ve already taken control of the Boss’ private satellite and have it positioned directly above the compound. Let’s get an idea of what Serpentina has in the way of forces, and see whether we go in hard, or wait for backup...“

It was a simple enough matter to restore my clothing with the return of full access to my own mind again. I noted, with dismay, how loose and baggy they were... I was pretty much a Caucasian version of the dark skinned Ethiopian children from the commercials. I looked and felt very much like my two month long torture sessions at the hands of Serpentina. She’d wanted to humiliate me, punish me, torture me, and break me after what I’d done to her back in Utah all those months ago, and she’d succeeded on all of those goals but the last one. Even then, it was a close thing. I again had to wonder at my Aunt Sarah... having endured THAT not for just two months, but two entire years!

Granted, her torturer had had a different goal in mind—to break her mind and spirit rather than her body—as Lia still needed her half-sister alive and remotely well in order to do what she needed her to do. Nevertheless, I couldn’t fathom having to endure what I’d experienced for an entire YEAR. Not without breaking down into a slobbering, drooling, mindless zombie. Sarah, I’ve always admired and looked up to you... but now I have even more respect for you!

Speaking of slobbering, drooling, zombies... I glanced back at the bed at my FORMER Mistress, lying there silently, eyes closed, muttering softly in her sleep. Entranced, she’d helpfully removed all the programming she’d placed in my head, as well as informing me of what had been happening in the world the past month I’d been locked up. Through contact with her spies and informants, she’d learned that both of my parents had survived their encounter with Uncle Duncan. Eugene Frasier had returned home to River City after an extended stay in Midas City, alive but not exactly whole. He was, apparently, confined to a wheelchair, bereft of the use of his legs. Mom was, apparently, back as well, no worse the wear, although Omega Girl had most notably NOT made an appearance. The information Serpentina been able to obtain was sketchy at best, leaving me to wonder if Omega Girl’s absence was due to her staying with Dad, giving him her constant attention now, or if Aunt Eva’s assumption was correct, and mom’s powers were gone for good.

Katie, it seemed, was also alive and reasonably well at the moment, all things considered. She and Nigel Grimalde’s people had apparently survived a second attack from Uncle Duncan’s assassin, though there had been some injuries. Again, information was sketchy, but luckily with Katie in the mix, they’d all somehow managed to survive. I’d been considerably concerned about my twin sister, however, especially after some of the deeply disturbing emotional feedback I’d been getting from her. With the distance between us, I wasn’t able to tell exactly what was up with her, but even though she ‘felt’ stable for the first time in weeks, I could still sense a feeling of... wrongness with her. With any, dare I say, ‘luck’, I would be able to see her soon with my own eyes and figure out what was up.

I was, however, more than a little pissed about the revelation that Serpentina had knowingly used Katie as a lure to hire an assassin to take down Blackfinger, Nigel Grimalde’s criminal persona, and, failing that, had recently sent another to finish the job! That Katie had managed to come through the incident unscathed thus far was beside the point; snake-bitch needed to be taught a lesson.

As a “reward” for being so helpful, and such a gracious host, I’d given Serpentina a few deeply hidden, potent and powerful suggestions to keep her occupied while I made good my escape. The first one was really the only one I needed to give her: that she would be completely and hopelessly obsessed with her reflection, with her beautiful face, unable to resist the urge to glance at herself in any mirror or reflective surface she came across. Already extremely vain, it hadn’t taken much pushing to lodge THAT one firmly into place. Combined with my earlier hypnotic suggestion, she would find herself regularly and repeatedly falling under the spell of her own hypnotic gaze, reinforcing the commands I’d given her over and over with each additional trance.

The next two, however, were purely for spite. Secondly, she would from now on, feel the deep seeded need to be dominated... humiliation in any form, verbal, mental or physical, would turn her in ways nothing else would. The arousal she would get from being mistreated or abused would become like a drug to her, leading her to seek out such gratification on a regular basis. That alone would be a huge blow to her ego, as well as the knowledge that, every time she gave in to the urge, it was I that had implanted it within her mind. If I read her correctly, most of her hostility and arrogance came from the compulsive need to prove herself superior to everyone around her, particularly the men. This insidious little command would make that virtually impossible from now on. And, thirdly, just to add insult to injury, she was now forbidden to cum without express permission from the person dominating her, and NEVER by her own hand.

Yeah. I’ve got a bit of a dark side to me. Sue me. Compared to the shit she’d put me through and what she’d done to Katie, this was... this was nothing!

Opening the door to her chambers, however, I was met with an entirely different kind of challenge. The two guards, having been instructed not to react or interfere with anything happening inside the room, nevertheless had heard everything that had gone on during the three hour session. And while they hadn’t been able to react to what was happening inside, once I’d stepped outside, the session was considered over. Rounding on me, pulling a pair of nine millimeters from their holsters, they started firing without a word, trying to perforate me. As stated several times before, bullets don’t penetrate my skin, or do any real damage, but DAMN do they fucking HURT! Reacting in kind, I unleashed a wave of shadow tendrils, stunning them into submission.

“HEY! WHAT THE FUCK’S GOING ON?”

“WAS THAT SHOOTING? IT WAS COMING FROM THE BOSS’ ROOM!”

Yep. With the return of my powers came the apparent return of my bad luck fairies. Wonderful! Deciding that I needed to make myself scarce, I took off down the hallways, using the knowledge I’d shadow-drained from the guards to guide me to a hiding spot. The first order of business was obviously making it out of this compound and figuring out exactly where I was. The second order of business was in contacting my folks and letting someone know I was alive, if not exactly well, and to let them know exactly where I was, on the off chance that something happened and I ended up recaptured. I had no idea how many people Serpentina had at her disposal at this site, and at my best, I could maybe handle about fifty armed thugs before I ran out of steam. And I was hardly at my best right now.

Okay. Escape, and call for help then. That’s the plan.

Basically, I just needed to lay low, hide out here in this storage room until the guards passed by, then make my way upstairs to the main level. From what I gathered, the compound’s main communications hub, and Serpentina’s office, was located there. I just needed to hang on a little longer, and it would all be over. The worst was definitely behind me.

“Shit! It’s bad, kiddies,” Ghost Girl grunted, peering down at the real-time satellite feed shown on her iPad, “and it’s only going to get worse. I’m counting sixty—no, scratch that—ninety hostiles roaming the top floor of this place, carrying everything from semi- and fully-automatic weapons to plasma guns. And that’s just the perimeter. The complex itself seems to be shielded, either with lead lined walls, or some kind of electronic signal jamming equipment. There’s no telling how many people she has inside.“

“So, you’re basically saying we’ll be going in there blind?” Jette replied grimly.

“That’s even assuming we can even get inside the compound at all,” Malleable Man replied with a groan. “Dammit... I knew we should have called for more backup. The six of us against an entire army? Uh uh. No way. We’re waiting the three hours for the other team. There’s no way we can pull this off without backup.”

“We have to,” Devon said, determined. “Jimmy needs us. We’ve been searching all this time, and we’ve finally found him. Don’t tell me you’re chickening out now that we’re finally here at that woman’s very doorstep?!?”

Hugo grunted. “I’m not a coward,” he said heatedly. “If that’s what you’re implying! I’m a realist, and realistically, we’re outnumbered, and outgunned. Going in there with just the six of us would be suicide.” He scowled, glaring at Devon. “Or should I say, the four of us. Because, let’s face it, kid, you and geek girl are not really that useful in a fight! Yeah, your ‘seeing the future’ shtick helped out a little previously, and it got us here, but unless you can somehow ‘foresee’ kicking all of their butts with some kind of mystical kung fu powers then you’re not a real big help right now.“

“Hey! Cut her some slack, all right?” Tawnya shot back, glaring down at the smaller man. “She’s part of the team. She did her part by getting us here. You and Ghost Girl are the ‘professionals’ around here, anyway, remember? This is your gig, Devon and the rest of us are just here to assist you—“

“Quiet, all of you!” Rose shouted, silencing them all with a glare of her own. “I’m trying to map out a strategy here. The way I see it, this is basically a stealth mission anyway. And while I’m not saying that I doubt your powers, Devon, or the Boss’ Intel, I want to be absolutely sure that James is actually in this compound before we all head inside what could be a really big trap set up by Serpentina. She’s been really clever so far, and more than one lead we followed ended up being nothing more than an ambush.”

“He’s in there,” Devon insisted, arms crossed. “I know he is. Believe me, I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”

Rose sighed softly. “Alright. Fine. We’ll go on that assumption for now. The question then would be how to extricate him from the situation... how do we get him out of there, past all those guards?” She paused for a moment. “This requires stealth and guile. And misdirection. I go in alone, by myself, and locate our boy. In the meantime, you five cause as much of a ruckus as you can, try and draw out as many of Serpentina’s people as you can. The more of them out here dealing with you, the less I will have to worry about inside the compound.“

Julie and Tawnya glanced at one another and nodded. Hugo sighed. “Diversion tactics. Okay, that I can handle,” Malleable Man conceded. “I suppose we could keep them busy for a while. Just make sure you hurry back out of there, GG. These guys are packing serious heat, and we can only hold out for so long before we’ll either have to stand and fight or book it out of here and save our own skins!”

“To hell with that,” Ravenheart growled, activating the new Neuroweave costume Katie had created for her before leaving River City. In just moments she was covered from neck to knees in streamlined, shiny, jet-black feathers, with sturdy, but flattering black boots, and long black gloves showing off her muscular forearms.

“We’re not retreating, or running off to save our own skins. We’re staying to make sure Ghost Girl and Darklight make it out of there in one piece.” She flexed her fingers inside her gloves, smacking her fist into the palm of her other hand, making a loud, resounding pop. “I have my own mission to complete as well, once this is over and done with. So make no mistake, I’m seeing this through to the end, even if I have to hold them all off by myself!“

“Hey kid, what do I look like, chopped liver?” Jette frowned, pulling off her blouse, revealing her own costume underneath. “I owe Jimmy Frasier my life, and I sure as hell ain’t taking off now that we’re this close. I’ll go in and fight my way through every guy in there if I have to!”

Devon swallowed nervously, but nodded. “The same goes for me,” she said resolutely. “I might not have fighting powers like the rest of you. I might not be as experienced as you either. But that’s MY boyfriend in there, and I’m staying put. So hand me a gun, and tell me where to stand. I can’t fly or throw cars around like softballs, but I’ll give you all the support I can.”

“Y-yeah... m-me too,” Megan said after a moment. “I’ve done all the technical stuff in locking in the location, but I’m... I’m more than just the ‘tech girl’. When it comes down to it, I’ll fight with the rest of you.”

“Really? You, fight?” Hugo said with a laugh. “That’s funny. Four-eyes computer geek is gonna go head to head with a bunch of armed killers?” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Yeah right. Let’s see what you’ve got, buttercup,” he challenged, assuming a stance, putting up his hands. “C’mon. Hit me... if you caAAHHH!!” With a sudden movement, Techna launched a trio of rapid punches, following up by an armlock, and flip, sending Hugo to the floor on his back, stunned. Jette and Tawyna whistled in appreciation.

“I’ll have you know I’ve trained with the most evil, sadistic, and competent martial artist I’ve ever known,” Megan said proudly, wincing a bit as she recalled her last session with Roni Albinn. “I may not be as good as Shinobi herself, but I can hold my own.”

Hugo groaned dramatically, rolling his eyes skyward as he stretched and elongated his body back into shape, and rose back to his feet. “Owww. Dammit... well, never let it be said that Hugo Smith bailed out and left some lovely damsels in distress on his watch to fend for themselves.” He shook his head ruefully. “This boyfriend of yours?” he said to Devon, handing her a particle beam rifle, “he’d better be worth all this trouble. Seriously. If I get killed by some mook with bad aim and luck on his side, I’m gonna be so pissed...”

“Yo, Connie,” Parker Albinn said cheerfully as he entered the room, dressed in casual wear instead of his usual business suit. “You’re looking especially lovely today. How are you feeling? I heard you were shot recently... but from the looks of it, it must not have been a deep wound.”

Constance gaped in surprise for a moment, not sure what surprised her more—the fact that Parker Albinn, of all people, was here inside their home, or that he was being friendly. A quick scan of his mind showed the truth; he WAS actually concerned about her health, not merely giving lip service. “I... er... good!” she said after a moment. “I’m, um, good. It was just a flesh wound, a through-and-through in the shoulder.” She patted her right shoulder gently, bandaged still underneath her blouse. “Thank you for asking. So... um... what brings you here, Mr. Albinn?”

“Oh, please, call me Parker. I just decided to swing by and have a talk with your boss. If that’s all right with you?” he asked, eyebrow raised, smirking slightly.

Constance adopted a brow-furrowed, lip-pinched expression that he had seen many times on his own aunt. He grinned. She had clearly decided that she didn’t trust her surface reading of Parker and was giving him a deep scan.

“Take your time,” he said, “I’m not in a hurry. Is Nigel even in? It’s just a friendly little visit, nothing earthshaking, and definitely NOT business oriented, so I wouldn’t want to impose. I can certainly wait if he’s busy.”

“Um,” she said, hesitantly, finally satisfied that, while no one would call his motives ‘pure’, they at least were not hostile. Registering what Parker had just asked, she establishing a link to her Master, reporting on the unexpected visitor. Parker merely chuckled.

“Go ahead and confer,” he said idly, sitting down in an empty chair. “I know this is a surprise. By now you know that I’m not here to fight or hurt your boss. As I said, I just want to have a conversation with him.”

Constance nodded, sighing softly. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to hold you to that,” she said uncertainly, gesturing to the door. “Mr. Grimalde will see you now. Go right in.”

“Thanks, Connie,” he replied, still grinning. “Yanno, normally here I’d make some kind of cute or witty comment, or something a little risqué, to make you blush.... but that kind of thing is wasted on psychics. You guys always know what I’m going to say—”

“Before you say it. Yes, very funny Mr... ah, Parker,” Connie quipped, smirking. Parker chuckled.

“Hah! Got a smile out of you anyway. That’s a good sign!” He sighed softly. “Let’s hope I have as much luck with ol’ Nigel.”

Constance merely shook her head. Huh. It’s strange how much things can change in such a short amount of time. Just a week ago, I would have circled the wagons and called in the troops if Parker Albinn has set foot on the property. Now I’m cracking wise with him, and letting him in to see Mr. Grimalde, and without having the snipers on full alert. A flashing red light on her switchboard phone pulled her from her musings, however, as she answered the phone getting another shock.

“C-c-connie?” a sobbing weeping voice spoke into the phone, “Is that y-you? It’s me... Margaret.”

“Maggie?” Connie answered in surprise. “Wait. What happened? What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

“I...” she began only to descend into further sobbing. “He... he... left me... we had a fight... and I... he...”

Connie sighed inwardly. From the last time they’d talked, her younger sister had been dating a young man from school, one a few years older than her. They’d seemed like a good match, and from what she knew of the man, he seemed a real stand-up guy. Apparently things between them had gone awry, however, from the way Maggie was carrying on. Her baby sister tended to be a bit dramatic, but nothing like this.

“Maggie, sweetie, calm down,” Connie said gently. “Take a breath, and tell me what’s going on.”

“We... we had a fight,” she said after a moment, sniffling. “It was stupid... don’t even remember what it was about... we were driving... and then... I don’t know... he just wouldn’t listen... so I told him to stop the car and let me out. And... and he did... he pulled over and let me out... and then he... he just drove off!” She let out a loud wail. “I didn’t think he’d really do it, Connie...but he just left me here... on the side of the road...”

“Okay. It’s going to be okay, Maggs. I’ll come get you. Where are you?”

Her sister sniffed again. “I dunno... on Seventh Street, near the old Freemont Building...”

“No problem, I know where that is. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Just stay put, okay?”

“Okay, sis. I will,” Maggie sniffled. “But please... hurry.”

Nodding, Connie hung up the phone and grabbed her purse. She paused, glancing back at her boss’ door. «Sir, sorry, but I need to run out for second. Family emergency—my sister is having some kind of crisis with her boyfriend. Will be back in just a few minutes.»

All right, Nigel sent back, but take one of the security guards with you. Darryl still can’t drive with his shoulder, and I’d feel better with someone else with you, just in case.

«Will do, Sir,» Constance thought back, heading down the stairs, her thoughts already turning to her sister’s plight, more concerned with the younger girl’s safety than her own...

Stepping inside the office, Parker nodded appreciatively, whistling. “Hmm... nice set up you have here, Grimalde. Not quite as spiffy as your place back in the Tower, but very nice, nonetheless. It very much balanced the lived-in feel of a home with the clinical, businesslike aura of an office. Kudos to your decorator.”

“That would be Patricia,” Nigel said stiffly, gesturing to the seat across from her. “I’ll be sure to pass along your praise.” Parker merely shrugged, sitting down. “So, Albinn... nice to see you again. A pity you couldn’t attend the dinner Eugene set up for all of us last week. As I recall... you were ‘busy’ that day?”

Parker sighed softly. “Hey, I’ll have you know, Roni and I were on patrol that night. We stopped a theft, three muggings, one rape, a would-be cat burglar, and some guy who decided to rob a grocery store.” He smirked. “If it makes you feel any better, I nearly got blown up on the very first call. And besides... Gene mentioned that Lacie was making dessert. Can you honestly blame me for wanting to be somewhere else?”

Nigel chuckled in spite of himself. “Touché. I’ll concede that point. She really is... god awful, isn’t she?” He shook his head ruefully. “At any rate, Constance tells me that you wish to have words with me. Very well. What shall we discuss?”

“Well, as I said, I didn’t come here to fight or argue with you. I came here today simply for an apology, and a thank-you—”

“An... apology?” Nigel bristled, glaring at the younger man. “You must have some nerve! A thank you, I could understand, even though I gave you a heartfelt and sincere one when you pulled my proverbial fat out of the fire during the bombing! But I have NOTHING to apologize to you for—“

“No! Stop! Wait, wait,” Parker said, shaking his head. “Nigel, Nigel... you’re misunderstanding me. I didn’t come here to GET an apology... I came here to GIVE you one.” That caught him by surprise, and he settled back down into his recliner. “Nigel... I came here to simply say... I’m sorry. About everything. I already apologized to Patty... er, Patricia, when you and Gene conspired to get us together to talk out our differences. Now, I need to apologize to you as well.” He sighed softly. “You probably already know why, if you’ve spoken to your wife about it...” he smirked slightly, “or more likely, have watched the video feed from our conversation, because, let’s face it, you record EVERYTHING!”

“This is starting to sound less like an apology, and more like a cheap shot,” Nigel replied stiffly.

“Yeah. Sorry. Old habits die hard. Listen, Nige... you gotta understand where I was coming from back then. Patty... Patricia... she meant the world to me. She was my first real love... the first girl to actually love me... to reciprocate the feelings I had for her. And yeah, I know the timing and the setting behind our relationship weren’t exactly the best... but it didn’t change the fact that we very much loved and cared for each other. She was the reason I was able to break Satore’s hold over my mind. My mom and my Aunt managed to speed up the process when they dove into my mind, but I only resisted and fought Satore’s control at all because I couldn’t reconcile what she’d done to Patty.“

“Yes, well, that’s all well and good,” Nigel replied with a sigh, “but that doesn’t change the fact that in the end you abandoned her. Yeah, yeah, I listened to the tape, and Patricia and I talked about it. But while she accepts your reasoning behind it, I still think you were a coward. If you truly cared for her as much as you claimed to, you should have stormed Satore’s castle the way you stormed MINE all those years ago! You shouldn’t have let ANYTHING stand between you and the woman you CLAIMED to love!“

Parker merely nodded. “You’re right,” he said softly. “I should have. I screwed up. A lot. And sometimes, late at night, I wonder how things would be different today if I had done just that. Lacie always tells me that hindsight is always twenty-twenty. There a lot of things in my past that I wish I could do over. I know you feel the same. I know about you talking to Sarah LaSilvas, and having her undo the voodoo you did to your girls. You obviously regret the way you treated them, how you brought them into your fold... but mistake or not, the end result made up for it. You did you best to learn from those mistakes, and you did right by Patty, and Angie, and the rest of them. That’s what matters... and that’s why, given the choice, they chose to stick by you.“

Nigel sighed heavily. “You know, Albinn... you take all the fun out of arguing with you when you counter by using my own argument against me. Okay... fine. Neither of us is perfect. We both made mistakes and hurt people. So... what now. Where do we go from here?”

Parker shrugged. “Well, Nige, I guess that’s pretty much up to you at this point. I came here to apologize to you, not to Patty. I’ve already made my peace with her... and hopefully, in the future, she and I might become friends again someday. I was hoping that the same might happen between you and I as well. I admit it freely... I was an ass. I’ve hated you all this time... but it wasn’t really YOU I was angry with. It was myself... for failing to protect her. For failing to live up to her expectations as a hero, as a lover, as... as a man.

“When you came on the scene, when you abducted her and Angie... I didn’t care about anything else, I just needed to save her. I just... I had to save her THIS TIME... I couldn’t let her go through all of that same old shit again... her mind and body violated, used and abused all over again just like before. I couldn’t let it happen!

“And then... when Roni and I fought our way up to your office, when I saw her there, kneeling at your feet...” He shook his head. “I just lost it. I grabbed you, slammed you against the wall, holding you there by the neck, with my free hand raised.” He sighed softly. “I can still remember it like it was yesterday. I was vibrating my hand at a few thousand cycles per second, ready to plunge it into your chest... to literally drill a hole through you if you didn’t release her. I wasn’t thinking. I wasn’t even really aware of anything, I just saw red...acting on pure unfiltered anger and hatred... towards the man who had had hurt my Patty.“

Nigel swallowed. He, too, remembered that incident only too well, that uncommon feeling of total helplessness, the certain knowledge that the scarlet-costumed maniac was going to kill him and take his girls away from him. At the time, he hadn’t yet fallen in love, he hadn’t developed the deep empathy he felt for them today... but it was at that moment, when Patty had screamed, leaping to his defense, fighting Parker with teeth and nails, clawing, biting, hitting him, doing everything in her power to save her Master, to protect him, the man that had done such terrible things to her... that moment was the seed that started the change in his entire outlook, that blossomed into compassion, and caring, and love.

“When she threw herself at me that way,” Parker continued softly, “when she called me all those... things... when she made it clear that she loved you, cared for you, and needed you... that you were her entire world... something inside me just died. I knew it even back then... somehow. It wasn’t the brainwashing, it wasn’t anything you had done... it was me. She wasn’t as much as accepting YOU, at least not at that moment... it was more that she was rejecting me. And I hated you for that... so much... because you were the constant reminder of how I had failed.“

Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. “Anyway... that was in the past. Twenty years of maturing, and we’re both different men than we were back then. You grew a heart and I grew a spine. We’re both happily married, with kids, for pete’s sake! Out of that tragedy, Veronica and I grew closer together, and eventually fell in love. We’ve had a great life together, and I wouldn’t give it up for anything. The main regret I had over the years was not being able to clear the air between Patty and me... and thanks to that little set-up you and Eugene pulled off, I finally got that chance. So, again, an apology, and a sincere and heartfelt thank you.“

Nigel blinked, staring at Parker’s outstretched hand. He smirked, eyebrow raised slightly. “Is this legit? You’re not planning to suddenly vibrate at the speed of sound and slam me into a wall, are you?”

Parker smirked as well. “The thought never occurred to me, Nige... although now that you put it into my head...”

The two men stared at each other for a long moment, then chuckled, shaking hands. “Parker... I can pretty much guarantee that we’ll never be bosom buddies. But I think in time I might grow to accept you as... some guy I know that doesn’t completely bug the hell out of me.“

“Same here, old man,” Parker said with a laugh. “Same here. But tell ya what... just to show there’s no hard feelings,” he said standing up, arms open wide, eyes closed, “I’ll give you a free shot. No strings attached. Go ahead. Hit—uuurrrrkkk!”

Parker landed hard on the plush carpet, blinking, rubbing his jaw. Nigel said nothing, merely rubbing his fist idly. “Er, okay... not bad,” Parker remarked, running his tongue idly over his teeth, checking to see if any were loose. “A bit unexpected... the punch as well as the skill. I would have thought an old geezer like you would have been a lightweight, more inclined to do yoga and calisthenics than boxing and martial arts.”

“Where I grew up you didn’t grow up unless you could fight,” Nigel said with a grin. “I learned to deck bullies before I learned my ABC’s.“

Parker laughed. “Damn... you know, Nige, you might be wrong. We might just learn to like each other after all.” Sighing deeply, he turned for the door. “Well, old man, I’ll get out of your hair. I came here with my wife, and I don’t feel comfortable leaving her here in ‘Casa Grimalde’ alone for an extended period of time.” He shrugged. ”We may have cleared the air, but she still holds a grudge against Patty. And I’d hate to have them run into each other and start a cat fight...” He paused, considering. “Huh. Well, okay, I actually would like to see those two in a catfight... but in the interests of peace between us, and preventing my wife from being arrested for murder, I think I’d better go get her and head out now.“

“Um, Miz Y, are you sure this is the place?” Albert, the security guard queried dubiously, glancing around at the dimly lit alleyway where they’d parked. The street light above them flickered off and on, shedding a thin weak beam of light over the otherwise blackened area. Across the street, the old broken neon sign from the Freemont building was no illumination at all, and with the moon hidden behind the clouds, the whole scene felt like something out of a horror movie.

“This is the place,” Constance answered, frowning, glancing around, reaching out with her psychic senses as well. “I’m sure she’s around here somewhere. I told her to stay put...” She paused, as a flash of red caught her eye. “Look, over there! Just off to the right side. There she is!” She took off, sprinting across the street towards the small woman in the red blouse and skirt... only to draw to a stop as her psychic probe made contact with the other woman’s mind.

Huh? Wait a sec... that’s not Maggie! Turning around, she opened her mouth to yell out a warning to her guard, just as she felt a sharp stinging sensation in the side of her neck. Connie’s eyes widened, and she had just enough time to recognize the presence of the tranquilizer dart before she slid bonelessly down to the ground, unconscious.

Albert, for his part, fared no better. Seeing the woman he’d been assigned to protect fall, he drew his weapon, glancing around for the source of the assault, as he pulled his handheld radio free from his belt. A sharp stinging pain struck his arm, however, and his hand went numb, his thumb refusing to press down on the button.

Grunting, struggling against the wave of dizziness sweeping over him, he managed to raise his weapon as a young, attractive Asian girl dressed all in black, approached him. The girl paused, head tilted to the side in surprise.

“Interesting. That dosage of the drug should have dropped you instantly. You’re tougher than you look,” Mimik replied, twirling the blow gun lightly in her fingers before slipping it back into its pouch on her belt.

“It’s really a pity. Under normal circumstances I would commend your strength and applaud your fortitude.” She reached out to grasp his face, looking him deep in the eye. “However, you’ve seen my face—my mission is a covert one, and my orders are clear. No witnesses.” With a savage twist, she snapped his neck with a loud crack, then stepped back, watching with satisfaction as his body hit the ground.

Sighing softly for a moment, she turned back, contemplating the unconscious woman lying just a few feet away. Huh. Cute little thing. Nice taste in clothes too. I almost feel bad about impersonating her sister on the phone earlier... she sounded really concerned, like a good older sister would. She whistled briefly, and her three fellow kunoichi emerged. “All right. Time is of the essence. No telling how long she was expected to be gone. Mika, dispose of the guard’s body, but take his uniform. That’ll be your way in. Sakura, you and Chiyome, strip Miss Yamanohana of her clothes, then tie her up securely. She’ll be our ‘insurance policy’ in case we run into any trouble before we reach the target.” She began slipping out of her own clothes, easily discarding the form fitting jet black costume.

Closing her eyes, she placed a hand gently along Constance’s face, tracing gently with her fingertips. Her mimic abilities were largely a mystery, even to herself. Where a person might be able to easily mimic a person’s voice or mannerisms to a certain degree, her powers enabled her to copy a person’s very self, becoming a veritable clone of the other person. While her physical appearance didn’t change per se, with a wig and the right clothing, she’d proven to be adept enough to fool strangers that she was a member of their own family. Indeed, as she continued to touch as caress the young Japanese girl’s face, she felt a sense of the girl’s personality sweep over her, like a warm blanket. Opening her eyes, she grinned wickedly.

“Okay, people,” she said in Connie’s voice, “let’s get a move on. Chop-chop.” Slipping into the secretary’s clothes, she sighed comfortably, feeling as if she were putting on her own clothes. Drawing the gun from his holster underneath her jacket, she twirled it idly around her finger before snapping it up, and drawing a bead on an imaginary target.

“No, Mr. Bond,” she rasped, a wicked smirk on her face. “I expect you to die.” Then, she blinked, shaking her head. “Huh. Okay... that was weird,” she murmured, placing the gun back into its holster.

A quick glance at her subordinates showed that they had accomplished their assigned tasks. And if they’d noticed her unprompted response earlier, they showed no reaction to it. Not that they would, anyway, Mimiko mused dourly. It’s rather hard to get disapproval from a blank slate.

“All right. We’re ready. Chiyome, take Ms. Yamanohana back to the safe house and await my call. Maki, Sakura, and I are going in. If things go wrong, and I need to use her as a bargaining chip, I’ll let you know. If things go as planned, we’ll all meet up at the rendezvous point in one hour.”

She glanced down at the unconscious girl for a moment. “And once we take out the target, we won’t have any more need of a hostage. When I give the word, kill her, and dump her body with that security guard.”

Marissa Gutierrez sat up with a start, glancing around at the sound of an explosion coming from somewhere nearby. “¿Qué?” she asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Another explosion sounded, causing the building to shake slightly, wiping away the fog from her mind. Jumping up, she made her way to the doorway, and glanced out into the hall. Spying a familiar face, she reached out and grabbed the man as he was running by. “What is going on? What’s happening? Are we being attacked?”

“Sí, sí... yes, attacked!” the man said, breathless, eyes wide in shock. “It’s a couple of Supers... I think it’s the ones from the warehouse job the other day! Somehow, they tracked us down! And what’s worse, we cannot find Serpentina! No one knows what to do! It’s completely loco out there!”

Marissa scowled. “Pull yourself together! The Boss would want you to defend her turf, not run around like a bunch of fucking cowards! You said it’s a couple of Supers, eh?” She tensed up, cloaking herself in a nimbus of red hot flame. “What do you think we have on OUR side, esse?” She blinked, and the flames died back down again. “Go and pass the word to Consuela, and Aria, to meet me out front in five minutes. We’ll teach these fucking putas to mess with Serpentina!“

“Yes! Yes’ ma’am!” the man replied, heading back the way he’d come. Marissa nodded, stepping back into her room, retrieving her costume, and quickly slipping it on.

I don’t know who you are, she thought furiously, her anger and pride a smoldering flame just beneath the surface, but we’ll teach you to mess with Las Diablas! When the devils are done with you, there will be the hell to pay, I guarantee it!