The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Light and Shadows V: Shadowed Past, Brighter Future

by J. Darksong

2.)

“Ooooh, baby,” Jessica DuMont panted softly, lying back in the center of her bed, grinning ear to ear. “You should dress up that way more often.”

I preened slightly at the compliment, striking a pose, twisting on the ball of my foot, causing the skirt to rise before fluttering back down, covering my upper thighs. “Really? And here I was thinking you wanted me spending all of my time completely naked instead.”

Jess laughed. “Well, yeah, baby, that IS the preferred form... and yes, I’m certainly glad to be making up for lost time after all the weeks we spent apart, both of us mad at each other—”

“Um, you mean, YOU being mad at ME,” I pointed out with a smirk. “I was ready to apologize on the second day.”

“—both of us mad at each other,” she repeated, as if she hadn’t heard my statement at all. If I didn’t love her so damn much, I’d probably slap the back of her head. “Anyway, it’s great having all this great fucking sex.. but we do have to leave the bedroom eventually.”

“Yeah, I guess you have a point,” I admitted, buttoning up my matching black silk blouse. “And you’re right. It is high time we had a night out on the town, just the two of us.” I was still a little shy about openly dating Jess. Not that I had any problems accepting who and what I was now—I was a card carrying lesbian and proud of it. My nervousness came from the fact that I was, basically, a ‘dating virgin’... in that I’d only been on a date once or twice growing up, and neither had gone well. I loved Jess with all my heart, but I knew diddly squat about how to act or what to do when we went out together!

Oh well. The best way to learn to swim is to just jump right in...

Swimming. I remembered my Dad teaching me how to swim when I was four years old... the way he held me up under the water, letting me kick and splash and flail around until I learned. One of the ironies of my existence is that I am exceedingly clumsy, and uncoordinated. As I child, I used to trip over my feet all the time. By the same token, my extremely good luck always kept me from falling or getting hurt. I was a ‘natural’ at everything I tried, even though I was terrible at it. Jimmy was just the opposite; no matter how perfect his form, or graceful the technique, his luck wouldn’t let him succeed at anything.

“Katie? Hello... earth to Katie?”

I glanced up, finding Jess fully dressed now, staring at me with a look of concern on her beautiful face. I forced a smile, shaking my head. “Oh. Sorry. It’s nothing. Just... lost in thought it all.”

Jess nodded slowly. “Worried about family again, aren’t you?” she guessed. “Which one? Your Dad? Your brother? Or your cousins?” I sighed inwardly. I guess it’s true what they say about intimacy breeding familiarity. Jess and I have always been close, always best friends, but now that we were sleeping together, she seemed to be able to pick up on my thoughts or feelings with exceptional clarity. I half wondered if maybe she had suddenly developed psychic powers.

Hey, it DOES happen, you know.

I shrugged, turning away. “Kinda... all of the above, I suppose. I mean, I told you what mom called about yesterday. And, well... it’s been a really rough couple of days. Jimmy’s trial, Dad losing his company, now Nebby and ’Rora disappearing... you’d start to think my entire family tree is cursed or something.” Jess nodded softly, coming up to clutch me from behind, and I melted into her, needing the comfort.

“Yeah. But, well, I’m sure it will get better,” Jess added hopefully. “Jimmy was found not guilty. He’s free as a proverbial bird now. And your Dad... well, it obviously sucks having your life’s work taken away from you and all... but he’s still a freaking billionaire. He can pretty much do whatever he wants, even start a whole new company.” She sighed, clutching me a little tighter. “And yeah, I’m worried about your cousins too, and the way the disappeared. But sitting around worrying won’t help. Sylvia’s strong and smart and resourceful, and if Aurora is anything like you and she made her out to be, then the two of them can handle anything that comes their way.” She squeezed me gently. “I’m sure we’ll hear from them again in a few days.”

“Yeah. Yeah!” I agreed, nodding, feeling a strange sense of certainty. “You know what? You’re right. Hell, Aunt Sarah and Auntie Val have taken down nearly as many bad guys and saved the world almost as much as Mom and Dad, and really, between the two of them, Electrum and Nebula have more power than their parents combined. And if anyone can rescue Silver Girl and escape unharmed, they can.”

“Yeah! Now THAT’S the spunky, hyper, looks-on-the-bright-side girl I fell in love with,” Jess said with a grin, before swatting me on the butt. “Now come on, The dinner reservation is for six, and I don’t wanna be late.”

* * *

“Hey, mom.”

Lacie glanced up as her son walked into the room. She smiled, pushing aside mixing bowl she’d been stirring, and, wiping her hand on her apron, walked over and gave him a big hug. “Jimmy! You’re just in time. I was about to try out this new recipe I saw on the Food Network this morning. Would you like to try some?”

Barely managing to keep from wincing at the thought of another of his mom’s ‘experiments’, Jimmy managed a contrite and sincere shake of his head. “Maybe later, Mom. I was... I mean... I wondered... can we talk a bit?” Lacie’s smile faded seeing the serious look on his face. Taking off her apron, she walked over to the kitchen table and sat down, nudging back the chair across from her.

“Sure, son. What do you want to talk about?”

Taking a deep breath, he sat down across from her, staring down at his hands. “I, um... I wanted to apologize... you know? For the other day, outside the court house?”

“Jimmy, baby, it’s okay,” Lacie replied gently. “You don’t have to apologize. You were absolutely right. I should have been there for you and your father... for all of you. If anything, I should be apologizing to you—“

“No, you don’t need to,” Jimmy cut in, shaking his head. “Mom, I was acting like an ass. And Dad was right—angry or not, right or wrong, or whatever, you’re my mother. I should never have acted that way. You deserve respect, and I didn’t give it to you, and I’m sorry.”

“Oh, baby,” Lacie murmured softly, leaning over to hug him tightly. It tore at her heartstrings to know how deeply he’d been hurt. She’d been blissfully unaware of everything that had happened until shortly after she’d returned to Europe, coming home to find her son on trial for killing a mom and her children, as well as resisting arrest and assaulting a policeman, among other charges. She knew Jimmy, knew his heart, as well as his penchant for unlucky situations, and knew it was all a horrible mistake. Even then, it wasn’t until the trial itself that she found it firsthand all of the pain and trauma he’d endured alone on the run.

“Uhhh... Mom?”

He was practically a man grown now, almost twenty years old, a physical powerhouse with a strength nearly equal to her own. Of her two children, he was the oldest, the most mature, and most grounded and down-to-earth. And yet, she was the one she worried about the most, the child who’s welfare kept her up at night. The life of a costumed hero was more often than not a lonely one, with few people beyond close friends and family ever truly understanding what it’s like. For Jimmy, who’s powers came with their own particular burden, that life was even more solitary, creating a rift between him and even those closest to him.

“Mom? He... hey... Mom!”

And he doesn’t have anyone that he can really connect with, Lacie Frasier lamented silently. Katie has Jessica... not EXACTLY the match I would have picked, but it works for her. I’ve had my share of girl-girl encounters over the years. And anyway, they’ve known each other all their lives, and it’s a good fit. Jimmy? The closest thing he has to a relationship is the imaginary girl inside his head that he dreams about. I’d hope he would make a connection with young Megan... but between the unresolved issues following that incident in Portland, and just bad timing, things never really worked out...

“MOM! You... are... CHOKING... me!!”

Lacie blinked, breaking out of her introspection, finding Jimmy squirming in her grasp. “OH! Sorry, sorry,” she said, quickly releasing him. “Sorry, Jimmy... I kinda... zoned out there for a minute. Are you okay?”

“Yeah... I’ll live,” he chuckled drily, panting. “Wow Mom. I’m getting pretty damn strong myself these days... but damn! I don’t hold a candle to you.” He shook his head. “It felt like i was pinned in a vice.” Flexing his arms a bit, he paused to look at his mom. “So. Um, are we okay now? We both forgive each other?”

“Baby, I forgave you about two seconds after it happened,” Lacie replied with a warm smile. “And yes, we’re good.” Sighing softly, she stood up from the table. “As for nearly crushing you just now... c’mon Jimmy. I thought you were stronger that that! Maybe you need another training session downstairs in the basement. You know, a little exercise? You have been a bit lazy since your arraignment,” she teased. “Let’s say we go down and spar a bit.” Jimmy let out a loud grown, hanging his head. “Okay, fine. Then you can stay here and act as my official taste-tester while I work on this new recipe—”

“Hey! Mom!” Jimmy said suddenly, getting to his feet. “On second thought, a nice energetic workout sounds like just the thing. Come on, let’s go! Last one downstairs is a rotten egg!”

* * *

“Hmmm,” the short black clad Asian beauty mused, glancing around the training area she’d requested during her stay in the US. The room was a near perfect recreation of her dojo back in Kyoto, with the same banners and scrolls decorating the walls. Walking across the room, she slid open the rice paper doors, peering into the adjoining rooms, which had likewise been prepared exactly as she’d specified. Nodding to herself, she stepped back, closing the door once more, and turned back to face the anxiously waiting crowd of assembled minions. Turning on her heel, she stalked her way across the room to Sato, the man from the car. He flinched, unable to read anything from her emotionless face, fearing that at any moment she might unsheathe the twin blades at her side and separate his head from his shoulders. Her hand gripped the handle of her katana, and he went still, closing his eyes.

“The arrangements are... satisfactory,” Sakura replied with a slight smile, turning away casually, walking back towards the main entrance. “See to it that everything is ready when I return with the target.” She paused, glancing back over her shoulder. “You have done well, Sato. I’ll be sure to mention your skill of going above and beyond to Oyabun-sama when I report back to him.” She turned and continued on towards the door, smiling inwardly as she heard the telltale thump of Sato passing out cold from sheer relief at having his life spared.

Of course, Elder gave strict instructions to limit the number of killings on this trip, she thought with a grin, once she was back in the limousine. With the sheer number of Super powered beings in the vicinity, remaining unnoticed until it’s time to strike is paramount, and killing someone out of spite would jeopardize my mission. She chuckled drily. Of course, I see no reason to inform Sato of that fact,

As the vehicle began moving, Sakura’s mind returned to business. By now, her men had the target fully surrounded, keeping back a respectful distance as not to arouse any suspicion, merely awaiting her word to move in. Once she arrived at the target capture point, they would swoop in and take the target unaware, capturing, restraining, and disappearing before the locals had any idea of what had happened. Oyabun-sama had decided it was the best course of action, and naturally Sakura agreed. Best course of action did not mean most honorable, however. Abducting the traitor out in the open, in her civilian guise, unarmed, with no proper warning greatly reduced the chances that anything could go wrong, but it lacked the satisfaction of the one-on-one confrontation that Sakura very much craved. Hence, the intricate preparations she’d demanded of her America-based agents prior to her arrival.

She would capture the traitor just as Oyabun-sama had specified, and in the matter he had detailed, to prevent anyone from knowing the Yakuza was involved. Once she had her, however, it fell to her to mete out the woman’s punishment, and she chose to settle the matter in the traditional way, like in the days of old. She would fight her, one-on-one, a duel to the death, the former generation’s best ninja assassin against the new generation’s top killer. Taking a sip from a glass of champagne from the limo mini-bar, she let out a satisfied sigh. Finally, after so many years, she would be the one to avenge her clan’s greatest shame. She would be the one to bring the traitor to justice. Taking the picture of her target from the file, she stared at the woman she’d come to kill.

“Veronica Albinn,” she said softly, ripping the photograph in half, “or whatever name you are going by these days... your date with destiny has arrived.”