The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

The world was upside down and topsy-turvey.

Bethany couldn’t believe her eyes. As she stared down at the scene below her, she entirely wasn’t sure she was fully awake, that she wasn’t really still asleep in her bedroom, clutching Mr. Fuzzypants, her stuffed bear and trying to recover from the bumps and bruises she’d taken the night before. Indeed, she half wondered if maybe the knock she’d taken from Cerebrix had given her a concussion or something.

“Um, well, thanks, uh... ladies?” Lieutenant Stone said awkwardly to the two costumed Supers standing next to a large pile of unconscious would-be bank robbers, hands outstretched to shake his own. “Things could have been really bad if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”

“No problem, Lieutenant,” Minerva Munn replied with a stoic grin. “Just glad to be of help. It’s what we’re here for, after all.”

“Right, sis,” Maxine Munn nodded in agreement. “We’re just trying to help make the city a better place.” She shrugged wryly. “It’s the least we could do after all, for the bad stuff we did before.” Glancing up suddenly, she slammed a heavy booted foot down, snapping up a piece of broken rebar, catching it as it flipped, and threw it hard to the left. It struck the hand of one of the robbers, who let out a loud cry, causing him to drop the handheld plasma gun he’d been holding. “Sorry, looks like we missed one,” she said with a smirk.

The arresting officers whirled around surrounding the robber, and swiftly had him handcuffed and loaded into the back of a paddywagon. After another round of thanks, the two former criminals departed, heading across the street. Seeing more than enough, Bethany fired her grapple and swung down to intercept them before they left the scene. “Hold on a sec, you two.”

Both former villains tensed, adopting a defensive pose, ready to fight, but Maxie stepped back, putting a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “Easy, Minn. I recognize the getup. She’s Red Rocket, one of the good guys.” She sighed, then frowned at the heroine. “You have really bad manners, Red. Usually, the polite thing to do is to announce yourself before dropping in uninvited. So... what gives? You want something?”

“A straight answer would be nice, to start,” Bethany replied, crossing her arms. “What was all that a moment ago at the bank? Last I heard, you two were locked up in maximum security awaiting trial. So why take all the trouble to break out of prison, then risk getting caught just to stop a bunch of no-name criminals with high powered weapons trying to rob a bank?”

The two sisters glanced sidelong at each other. “Apparently, you’re a bit behind the times, Red,” Minerva replied with a smirk. “We didn’t escape. We were let out for good behavior, as part of a special new ‘rehabilitation program’. We’re totally legit now, kid... walking the straight and narrow. I mean, this is our city too, yanno? Things have been crazy the past few weeks, and if we’re gonna get things back to normal we all have to do our part.“

Bethany merely gaped at her, barely believing the words coming out of her mouth. She’d never faced the twin terrors before herself, but she had heard nothing but bad things about the both of them. She vividly recalled seeing an image of them both on the news, in a Mexican stand-off with police, with a school bus full of kids used as hostages. Now, out of the blue, they had simply decided to ‘turn over a new leaf’? No way. No way in hell. Something is, like, definitely rotten in Denmark.

“Hey, you know what it is, Sis,” Maxine said, a knowing smirk on her lips as well. “She’s jealous. Red Rocket is one of the ‘D-listers’... she’s nothing more than a ‘Luminaire knock-off’. All she can do is make harmless little fireworks that do exactly jack-shit!” She laughed. “She’s jealous that with two more Supers with USEFUL powers are doing the hero thing, she’ll be overshadowed again.”

Bethany growled, biting her tongue to keep from snapping. You fucking bitches! I’ll show YOU how damned useful I can be when I’m kicking your asses! Pushing aside her anger, she forced herself to remain calm and professional. “Bite me.” Well, MOSTLY professional. “Listen, ladies, I want to know what’s going on here. I’ve never heard anything about some ‘special rehabilitation’ program, but I HAVE been hearing all sorts of weird rumors around town lately. Something is going on here... and it’s not as innocent and clean cut as you two are making it out to be.“

“Look, Rocketgirl, you can think whatever the hell you want,” Minnie snarked, flipping her nose up in derision. “Just stay out of our way. We’re on the side of law and order now. You wanna go somewhere and ruminate on your paranoid conspiracy theories, go right ahead. My sister and I will be out here doing some actual good for this city.” Scowling, Bethany pointed her grapple hook and fired, lifting off and streaking across and up to the rooftops once more.

The twins waited several seconds before sighing deeply. “She could be trouble,” Minnie said with a frown.

“She could, indeed,” Maxie nodded. “We need to inform the Mistress about this.”

“I agree. Wonder what she’ll do about it?” Minnie pondered aloud.

“Who knows. But nothing and no one must interfere with the Master plan. If the little firecracker gets in her way, I’m sure Mistress Supernova will handle it.”

“How... much further... is it?” Delores asked, panting slightly as she and Ellen trudged along behind the others. Tawnya and Sioban dropped back, giving the elders a gentle push from behind as they walked.

“Not much further,” Isabelle replied in sympathy. “Sorry, Delores... I did not fully consider the effect of such a walk on you and your friend.”

“It’s... not so bad,” Ellen wheezed. “We’re just... a little... out of shape... we’ll be fine... right DeeDee?”

“Just... peachy,” Delores remarked, wiping the sweat from her brow. “Is it near... that huge wall we’re... coming up on... over the rise?”

“Hey... wait! That looks familiar,” Patricia said as they neared the top of the hill. “Wait... no way. No Fuc... er, sorry, no ’effin’ way!”

“Yes, way, Patty,” Lacie said with a grin. “I know what you’re thinking. And you’re right. That huge gray ‘wall’ up ahead isn’t a wall at all. It’s a tree.... THE tree. You’re looking at the base of Yggdrasil’s trunk.“

Indeed, as they cleared the rise, the true splendor of the Yggdrasil came into view. An immensely huge Ash tree, the base seemed to stretch nearly across the horizon, for easily miles in both directions. And tall, so tall that it easily surpassed Grimalde Tower’s maximum height. At its base sat a small village, a collection of simple huts, dwellings for its inhabitants, who stood in masse, waiting as they approached.

The Goddesses were... not what they expected. Like the three travelling with them, they all had long silvery white hair, but otherwise were all different in size and stature. Nadine appeared to be the ‘youngest’, with her childlike appearance, with several others appeared to be in their teens, and the rest of them adults of indeterminate age. Most of them wore the same loose fitting robes the visitors currently sported, though several of them were noticeably naked.

“They’re here!” Nadina yelled again, jumping up and down in place. “See? I told you they were here!”

“We know, ’Dina,” a tall willowy silver haired woman with slightly Asian features replied, stepping forward “We can see that. Greetings, friends,” she said formally. “My name is Akiko. Welcome. We have taken the liberty of preparing nourishment for you,” she stated, gesturing to the side as three other young women stepped forward, holding large silver platters filled with various sliced fruits, meats and cheeses. “Please, help yourselves.”

“Thank you,” Delores said, gratefully, glad to have a moment to rest after the hard climb. “That trek was a bit harder than I’d expected. If I’d known there would be hiking involved, I would have worn my Nikes.”

“Oh! You poor dear,” another young woman replied in sympathy. “Melody, would you fetch some leaves? I think they might enjoy some tea.”

Delores brightened. “Oh! I’d love some tea. If it’s not too much trouble, that is,” she added, blushing slightly. Laughing gently, the young woman pulled her into deep embrace, kissing her gently on the lips.

“Don’t be silly, dear child,” she said sweetly. “It is no trouble. You are our honored guests after all.” She smiled again, even as the ‘older’ woman blushed fiercely at the unexpected display of affection, and being called a child at her age. As the girl named Melody returned, she gestured with her open hand, a large silver globe filled with water materializing before her. Placing in several dried leaves, she gestured again, causing the metal sphere to heat up briefly. Once the liquid began to boil, she released her power, allowing it to cool, the poured the steaming drink into a small silver cup. “Be careful, dear. It is quite hot,” she said with a grin.

“Thank you,” Deedee replied, taking a sip, nodding in appreciation. “Mmmm! That’s wonderful,” she replied, drinking deeply. “Oh my... that was... just the best tea I’ve ever had in my life! What kind was it, if I might ask?”

“Lyxr tea,” the woman replied, pouring her another cup. “Please, have more if you desire.“

“Lyxr? Hmm... I have never heard of it before,” she mused, sipping from the delicious concoction. “Ellen! Come here! You have to try this. It’s delicious!” Handing her cup over to her friend, she turned back to the silver haired woman. “Any chance I can bring some of this home with me when we head back? I’d love to share this with the rest of my family back home.” Her smile faded slightly as a sudden wave of dizziness swept over her. “Whoa...” she moaned slightly, nearly stumbling, as the silver haired woman caught her. “Sorry... just got a little lightheaded there for a moment...”

“Holy Hannah...” Ellen breathed, staring at her friend, and former partner with wide eyes. “What the heck is happening to you girl?” she asked, taking a slight step back.

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“She means, you’re glowing!” Angela stated, pointing at her as the others gathered around to stare. Glancing down at her hands, Delores was surprised to find that she WAS glowing, her body tingling with a strange pins and needles sensation that wasn’t entirely unpleasant. The wave of dizziness swept through her again, and her vision blurred briefly as the world beneath her feet seemed to spin.

“What the HELL did you give her?” Patty asked angrily, getting into the ageless silver haired woman’s face. “You’d better not have given her something to hurt her! Did you poison her? Is that why you brought us all the way out here... to kill us?!?”

“Patty, please,” Lacie said, quickly slipping between them, “it’s okay. Just calm down. I promise you, Deedee is fine.” She smiled softly, shaking her head. “If everything goes as I expect, she’ll be BETTER than fine.”

“Better than fine? What does that even mean?” Patty scowled, crossing her arms. True, the issues between their two family had been patched up, and she and Lacie had forged a new friendship... but there was still a lingering bit of mistrust with the older woman. The fact that she was a Nornir, one of the hated Goddesses that her Tear memories warned her to be wary of kept her from being able to completely relax in her presence. And now, having her calmly tell her to simply relax when something strange was happening the woman who had helped raise her? “I swear, if you so-called ‘Goddesses’ have done anything to her—“

“Patricia... it’s... okay...” Deedee said, panting slightly, holding out a hand. “I’m all right.” Shaking her head to clear the cobwebs, she stood back up straight. She smiled. “In fact. I don’t recall the last time I felt this good!” She stretched, then frowned to see all of her friends staring at her, wide eyed in shock. “What? What’s wrong? Why are you all staring at me?”

Lacie, smiling grandly, nodded at her Sister. “Gina, I think perhaps it would be easier if you simply showed her. A mirror, perhaps?” Nodding Gina gestured idly with her hand, materializing a large silver framed mirror. Staring at her reflection, Delores’ eyes went just as wide as those of her slave sisters. Disbelieving, she ran her hands along her face, caressing smooth healthy lineless skin, and full beestung lips. A hand ran along her scalp as well, stroking her hair, dark, full and vibrant, every trace of grey gone.

“Lyxir tea,” Lacie explained gently, “or, as more commonly known, elixir, is brewed from the dried leaves of the great World Tree Yggdrasil. One drink restores youth and vitality, healing any and all wounds or injuries, no matter how severe. There are countless legends about it, about the drink, including one about a certain fountain in Florida near one of Yggdrasil’s unearthed roots. Basically, it is, for all intents and purposes, the fountain of youth.“

“I’m... young again?” Delores murmured softly, still trying to wrap her mind around the fact. It wasn’t an illusion staring back at her, or some kind of a trick. The thirty year old brunette staring back at her was truly her. “Goddess,” she breathed softly, as her eyes rolled up into her head, and she collapsed, fainting away.

“Hi honey, I’m home,” Devon called out with a giggle. As corny as it sounded, she still loved saying every evening when she returned home to the apartment she shared with Jimmy. The past several weeks had been the happiest of her life. In a way, she and Jimmy had known each other for their entire lives, sharing each other’s dreams, linked to one another mind to mind and soul to soul. Yet, despite that intimacy, it was only being with one another physically, in the flesh, that they had achieved true closeness with one another. It was one thing to love a person; it was quite another to spend your life with them, putting up with all their annoying habits, and having them point out your own, learning to compromise rather than argue and fight over every little thing. Yes, she was getting to know her boyfriend on a whole new level... and despite every weird quirk or foible, she found herself only loving him more.

I guess it’s kind of funny, if I stop and think about it, she mused, hanging up her jacket, tossing her bookbag aside, making her way to the kitchen. In my head, he was always this larger than life character, a freaking Super, a super-powered hero with the strength of Hercules, the courage Jason, and the wisdom of Odysseus. And yet, at the same time, he was this... this kid, this young man, struggling to find his way in the world just like me, kind of shy, and nervous, and unsure of himself underneath that calm cool exterior. She sighed, pouring herself a drink of water. As much as I hate her for what she did to him, I almost want to thank Serpentina. Being here to hold his hand, to let him cry on my shoulder and comfort him... helping him come to terms with his pain, and understanding that he’s NOT an invincible indestructible uber being, but human like the rest of us... I’m never felt so needed and cherished in all my life.

Whistling softly, she went out onto the patio, then sighed heavily, hanging her head. “Goddammit.. not again,” she moaned aloud. To a one, every potted plant she’d set out that morning had died, withered away into so much brown dead vegetable matter. Even the fresh flowers she’d bought earlier today and placed in the vase on the windowsill during her lunch break were wilting, just a step away from death as well. She’d tried everything she could think of for the past several weeks, but no matter what she did, all her house plants kept dying.

It’s like I’m cursed or something! she thought, aggravated, like I have the opposite of a green thumb... a brown thumb, I guess. Which sucks, since it USED to be green! Back home, I used to help my mom in the garden and never had any problem getting things to grow.

Tossing aside the dead plants, she paused, considering. It has been pretty recent, though... about the same time I first started having my visions. Maybe its just a part of my powers... another aspect of being a Super. Briefly, she imagined herself in costume, a bright yellow and brown costume, with a flower in a big red circle crossed out. Hah! Hah! Beware evildoers, or face the might of... the Wilter! Laughing aloud, she shook her head as she reentered the apartment.

Heh... the Wilter. What an idea. While Jimmy is out fighting the bad guys, I could sit on their front yard and make their grass die. Speaking of Jimmy... a quick search of the apartment revealed that she was currently all alone. A buzzing in his back pocket caught her attention, and she found he’d left her a text message: Class ran late. Impromptu study session. Be home late. Go ahead and eat, will grab a bite on the way home.

Grab a bite, huh? Damn... so much for a quiet dinner home for the two of us.

To be fair, she wasn’t truly upset. Jimmy was busting his ass to make good on his course load this semester, having taken the maximum number of course house in order to finish his degree as soon as possible. When she thought about the sheer scope of material he was trying to learn, it gave her a headache.

The guy’s like Dr. House as it is, she thought with no small measure of pride. With that perfect recall of his, he’s like a giant sponge, soaking up all this new information, and somehow retaining it without blowing all his fuses. I sure as hell couldn’t do it. Heck, I’ll be lucky to finish out this semester’s course load with a B average, and I’m only studying Elementary Education. Walking back to the door, she retrieved her jacket and purse, and headed back out.

Walking around campus, considering where to go and grab dinner, she felt a strange... sensation, like an ethereal leash tugging on her soul. Without fully knowing why, she found herself heading off campus, going downtown, heading towards the Ross Island Bridge. Drawing close, she found herself staring at what appeared to be a traffic accident. Rescue workers were racing to help the victims of a massive car crash. Several people were standing about gawking as a an elderly man was wheeled out on a gurney. Bandaged, bleeding and burnt, the man was sedated, and an oxygen mask strapped to his face, before the EMTs returned to the crash site to tend to the other victims. Yet, Devon found herself attracted to the old man, compelled, pulled every steadily to him as if he were a magnet and she an iron filing,

Poor guy, she thought sadly, staring down at him. He’s in really bad shape. And he’s probably suffering too. As badly burned as he is, he’d probably screaming if he wasn’t out cold. As she stood there watching him, however, something strange happened. Her vision dimmed and blurred slightly... and for a moment, it was if she could see INSIDE him, could see her heart beating, his blood pumping, his lungs struggling to breathe. And there, embedded within the massive inner workings of his body lay a single red strand, a thin, worn and weathered thread, running the length of his body. Curious, she stretched out her hand, grasping the thread... and it snapped.

“Gaaaahhhhh,” she moaned softly as an inrush of energy flew through her body... and a sensation of something brushing past her, like a person walking past, disoriented her. Her vision swam again, then cleared, leaving her dazed and somewhat confused. What the... hell was that? she wondered idly. That was totally weird. And that... feeling. Whatever was drawing me here, it just vanished. Strange—

“Hey, what’s going on?” one of the EMT’s asked, pushing past her, moving to examine the injured old man. “Huh... oh come on... no... ah, no... dammit... he didn’t make it.” The man hung his head. “Shit... I should have stayed with him to make sure he was doing okay...” Devon’s eyes went wide in shock.

“He passed?” the second EMT, a woman, asked. “Sorry, Blake, but you saw how messed up he was. It was a miracle that he lasted as long as he did.” She patted his shoulder gently. “We did everything we could. You know that.” She sighed. “At least he went peacefully. With the drugs, I doubt he felt any pain at the end...”

Stumbling away, Devon managed to make it to the bushes before keeling over and throwing up. Ohhh shit... what the hell... did I.... did I do that? Did my touching that little string thingy... kill him? Her empty stomach clenched again, and suddenly food was the farthest thing from her mind. Oh goooddd... I’m some kind of monster! she realized, thinking back, suddenly remembering her kidnapping months ago, the man holding her hostage with a gun to her head... and the unnatural way he’d suddenly died. First that guy... and all my plants.... now this guy.... forget the Wilter, I’m the bloody angel of death!

Sitting down on the sidewalk, she hugged herself tightly, crying, wishing that Jimmy was there...

Robbie yawned deeply, a reflex mostly, as her robotic body did not become tired or fatigued the way a normal human body would. No, she wasn’t tired at all. She was BORED! She very much enjoyed her new job with GrimTech security, and the pay and benefits were very much welcome. And the first few days were exciting enough, learning the job, and exploring the facility she was in charge of, getting to know her team and the scientists under her protection. Now, however, she found herself desperately wishing something would happen!

I know its shameful to think something like that, she thought guiltily, staring at the bank of monitors controlling the electronic survallience system, but after stopping that guy from trying to sneak in in a barrel, it’s been really quiet. I know Mr. Grimlde has something of a reputation and all, and that only the boldest and most brazen criminals would even TRY to break in... but with both he and Miss Prentiss out of the country, it just seems like this would be the perfect time to go for it. She sighed again. If this was my day off, I’d be outside right now, patrolling the city streets. Crime is on a definite down turn right now, but even stopping a purse snatcher would be better than just sitting in front of a bunch of monitors watching the same footage over and ov—huh?

Wait a second.

Jacking into the security mainframe, her cybernetic mind connecting to the stored footage reels, she quickly scanned the several thousand hours of recorded tape in seconds, analyzing and comparing them to what she was observing now. Blinking in surprise, she interfaced with the system’s power relays, scanning for any changes, and found a tiny but definite voltage drop at one of the access junction points up on the fifth floor. Second after she’d stared, Robbie disconnected, and cursed loudly.

Dammit! Here I was lamenting about how boring this was and nearly missed the fact that someone IS trying to break in! Whoever it is is good... damned good, if they have the knowledge and technological expertise to fool the sensors and reprogram the security feed without setting off every alarm in the place. She reached for her radio, to call in and notify her team, but paused considering. Hmmm. Maybe I should just handle this myself. If I call it in over the radio, there’s the chance our would-be thief might intercept the transmission. If they know enough about security here to get this far, they probably know what channel we transmit on as well. Naw... better not chance it. I’ll go it alone, but activate my remote tracking software so the guys will know I left the office. That’ll at least let them know something is up. Switching off her radio, Robbie left her office and began making her way up to the fifth floor.

Well, this is going better than I expected, Manx thought with a grin.

Adjusting the specialized lenses of her Neko mask, she scanned the hallway, noting the latticework of infrared beams criss-crossing the walkway. She sighed softly. A bit of overkill, don’t you think? Still, the old bastard never does anything halfway. Taking a moment to center herself, she stretched, gently flexing long limber and tightly packed muscles, and, with a sudden spring, leapt through the invisible laser field. In a routine that would have made an Olympic gymnast green with envy, she flipped, twisted, twirled and danced her way through the myriad beams, her literal catlike reflexes allowing her to move with an inhuman grace and flexibility. Dropping smoothly onto the landing outside the secured hallway, she paused, breath held ears cocked and twitching, listening for any sound of alarm or pursuit. After a moment or two of continued silence, she grinned, nodding to herself.

Looks like I still have the touch. From the Intel old man Van Hoffe gave me, this place should have lit up like a Christmas tree if I’d even broken a single beam. Still... can’t get cocky just yet, she told herself, sliding the card she’d liberated from the guard she’d ‘bumped into’ earlier in the outer hallway. The guard, a tiny brunette with a slim trim figure, was resting peacefully, still patrolling the halls despite her conscious mind taking a siesta. She’d been tempted to linger behind and play with the curvy little thing, but the reminder of her huge pay-off for completing this job helped her restrain herself.

Besides, with her full name listed on her ID card, she was sure she could find Ms. Taylor again if she truly needed to.

Reaching the door to the inner vault, Manx took another moment to sigh in appreciation. Nigel Grimalde apparently took his security VERY seriously. Aside from the trouble of managing to hack his survalience system without setting off the alarms, grab a section of the current transmission and loop it back into the live feed without any signal disruption or interference, and all within a fifteen-second window before the bypassed circuit reset itself and alert the fact that it had been tampered with—and all that was just to get inside the damn building. The heavy reinforced vault door in front of her was a testament to the latest in biometric security procedures. The door panel consisted of a card slot for entering a GrimTech ID card, which held not only the user’s name and ID number, but also held a digitally encoded sample of the holder’s DNA and a single drop of blood taken during the hiring process. Along with the standard handprint, voice recognition, and retina scanner, it required a complete and thorough confirmation that the person seeking entrance was, indeed, the person they asserted they were.

sigh Almost makes me nostalgic for the days of simple tumbler locks, she thought grimly to herself, as she removed the device Braxton had given her from her belt. To gain entrance to the vault required a level six keycard or higher, each use of which was logged and transmitted to the security office as well as Nigel Grimalde’s personal computer terminal. The only way of slipping inside without sending that pesky notification was to use a level ten keycard, of which there existed only two. And since she was neither Angela Prentiss or Nigel Grimalde, nor did she have said keycards, Tabby needed a way to fool the door into believing she was one or the other.

I’m really hoping this little gizmo works as advertised, she mused, attaching the probes to different sections of her body, and placing the small thin metallic strip across her throat. She winced slightly as she pricked her finger with the supplied pin, drawing the require blood droplet for the duplicate card, as Braxton’s device scanned and recorded her biological data. Once it was finished, she withdrew her handheld PDA, bringing up the menu of the medical data SHE’D managed to obtain from the local hospital—which had been a cake walk compared to this job, she mused. Beaming the data into scanner’s wireless connection, she watched avidly as Braxton’s little device overwrote the personal data she’d scanned in with Dr. Prentiss’ biometrics, overlaying them onto the blank card she’d prepared. Several second later, her level ten skeleton key was complete. Crossing her fingers, she slid the card into the slot, and, held her breath.

“Card accepted. Please step forward for biometric confirmation.” the digitized computer voice spoke.

Alright! Score! Halfway there! she thought with glee, slipping off her mask, and placing on the special right handed glove she’d had prepared. Now, I just have to hope that the voice synthesizer old man Van Hoffe included works as well as everything else. Stepping forward, she stared into the retina scanner, letting it shine into the contact lenses she’d had made the day before. At the same time, the hand reader scanned her hand, the lined transparent glove sending an image of the good doctor’s fingerprint pattern instead of her own. After a moment, the door beeped, acknowledging confirmation.

“Data recognized. Final check: Please speak the code phrase.”

Flipping the switch on the voice pattern scrambler, she took a deep breath and spoke clearly and concisely. “Open sesame.”

BZZZT! “Error, please try again,” the machine replied, a small green light lighting up in its center.

Shit! she thought anxiously, holding up the unit, adjusting the controls slightly, lining them up perfectly. “Ahem... Open sesame.“

BZZZT! the computer buzzed again, as the light flashed yellow. “Error, please try again.“

SHIT SHIT SHIT! Manx thought furiously, beginning to sweat. Fuck! Why isn’t it working? I’ve listened to a tape of that woman talking for three fucking hours last night. This blasted thing is working, I sound just like her. Why the hell isn’t it going through? She ran a hand along the metal strip along her throat, then grunted, finding it had slid down, coming loose as she’d position after the retina scan. Pushing it back into place, willing her rapidly beating heart to slow, she said the phrase one last time.

“Open sesame.”

DING! “Phrase accepted. Thank you, Angela,” the computer intoned. Manx let out the breath she’d been holding, and shook her head, laughing.Wow. Talk about cutting it close. For a moment, there, I thought I was in trouble. As she stepped forward to grasp the door handle, however, she received a shock as the flashing yellow light turned red, and a brief pulse of energy shot out, knocking her back, stunning her.

“Intruder alert. All security forces converge on inner vault door,” the computer voice spoke calmly. “All security forces please converge on the inner vault door.”

After a few seconds, the cat burglar rose slowly back to her feet, shaking her head to clear the cobwebs. “What the hell?” she asked aloud, scowling, slipping her cat mask back on. “The damned thing said ‘phrase accepted’! What the hell did I do wrong? Was I supposed to use the secret handshake or something?”

“Actually, you did everything right,” a soft female voice spoke from behind her. Whirling around, she found herself staring into the eyes of a tall, silver skinned woman, with one arm outstretched, ending in a photonic blaster where her right hand should have been. “Excellent work hacking the system, bypassing the lasers and trip wires. And I don’t know where you got an actual access card to get this far, but that impression you just did of Ms. Prentiss was spot-on.” She grinned, powering up her weapon. “The only problem was your data on the password. ‘Open Sesame’ was last week’s password. This week’s code is ‘fosgail an doras’.” She shook her head. “Too bad you didn’t study up on your Gaelic.“

“Hi honey, I’m home,” Jimmy Frasier said jovially as he stepped into his apartment. His mood quickly shifted, however as he spied his girlfriend sitting alone in their kitchen. “Um... Dev? Sweetie? Are you okay?”

“Um, oh. Hi, Jimmy. Yeah, I’m okay.”

“Riiighhht,” he said slowly, walking towards her, eyebrow raised in curiosity. “You’re just fine? You simply decided to build a barricade of chairs here in the kitchen and isolate yourself in the center? And... that half-empty bottle of Caorunn lying on its side on the table? A little early in the week for a party, don’t you think?” She merely shrugged. “And Dev... have you been crying?”

“It’s my party, so I can cry if I wanna,” she said in a drunken sing-song voice. “Cry if I wanna... cry if I wanna...” Sighing heavily, Jimmy stepped forward, reaching out to move aside one of the chairs, only to jerk back as Devon screamed. “NO!! Stay back! Please! Don’t come near me!”

“Dev?” Jimmy asked, confused, taking a few more steps back until she calmed down. “Baby... you’re starting to freak me out here. What’s wrong? Why don’t you want me to come any closer?” He swallowed uneasily. “Look... if you’re mad... if I did something wrong—”

“No, no, Jimmy baby, not you,” she said softly, shaking her head, reaching for the bottle of gin once more. “It’s me. All me. I’m the one that’s wrong... all wrong.” She turned to face him, her expression sad. “Did you notice all our plants died? Again? I can’t get them to grow. Water, sunlight, plant food... doesn’t matter. if I touch it, it dies. Plain and simple.”

“Uh huh,” Jimmy nodded, taking a single step forward. Something told him this was about more than just some dead houseplants. “Plain and simple. Got it. But... well, that’s okay. I’m not so big on shrubbery anyway.” He took another hesitant step while she was distracted. “C’mon, babe. You have to tell me what this is about. What happened after class? Why are you so sad?”

“You wanna know what happen’d?” she asked him, tilting slightly, as if about to fall over, catching herself at the last second. “You wanna know? Okay, fine. I wen’ for a little walk... yanno... to get sumin’ to eat. ’Cause you said you was gonna be late.” She nodded, frowning. “Went for a walk... but then I had this feelin’... like sumin’ was calling to me. There was sum kin’a traffit axey-dent. Car crash. Some ol’ guy... he was all banged up and burnt and shit...” Devon shook her head again, the tears starting to flow. “The ambulance guys.. they had him all bandaged up. He was doin’ okay. And I... I dunno... I was like drawn to him, yanno? I had to get closer. And... when I was lookin’, I saw this... this... string. Dis’ bright red shinin’ string. And, well, I like... plucked it. And... and... and th’ man DIED! He DIED Jimmy! I killed him! I dunno know how... or why... or what... but I killed him. Ahm a murder... er... ess... A murdrrrereess... a killer!“

As she broke down, Jimmy moved in, pushing his way by the chairs, determined to get to her, to hold and comfort her the way she had comforted him so many times. “NO!! Jimmy, no, no, no, stay back!” she cried, getting unsteadily to her feet, trying to back away. He caught her before she could face plant, however,and pulled her close, tightly but gently. “Please Jimmy!” she continued to plead, struggling to pull free. “I’m the Harbing’r o’ Doom... th’ Angel o’ Death! You gotta... stay back.. don’ wanna kill you too...”

“Shhhh... it’s okay, Dev,” he murmured softly, his own eyes wet, sharing in her pain. “It’s okay. Listen to me... LISTEN, dammit,” he said, twisting her head to make her look up at him. “Baby... it’s going to be fine, alright? I know you’re scared. I know you’re confused. But it’s going to be fine. I’m with you, Dev... and I’m going to help you figure this out. And don’t worry... I’m not afraid. I know you won’t hurt me. Whatever new thing this is... I know you won’t let it hurt me.” He sighed softly. “As much time as we’ve spent together, as much as we’ve been sleeping together, if you could have done something by accident that would kill me, it would have happened by now. Right?”

She sniffed, shrugging. “I dunno... maybe?”

“Definitely,” Jimmy replied with a nod. “Look. I don’t know everything there is to know about our powers. Hell, I’m still trying to learn how my own work! But I know we have a special connection, you and I. Something beyond just the physical. When I am with you... I’m calmer, more in control. My little ‘bad luck gremlins’ as I tend to think of them... they don’t act out when I’m with you. It’s like just being with you suppresses them, keeps them from going out of control. And maybe it’s the same with YOUR powers... that being around me helps you keep them in check.” He shrugged. “All I know for sure is that I have absolutely no fear of you hurting me. And I need you to have that same level of confidence in yourself.”

Devon merely nodded mutely, clutching him tightly. Jimmy held her gently, nuzzling against her, stroking her hair, all the while his mind was racing. Damn. Angel of death? Seeing ‘strings’ inside a dying man? That sounds way too familiar to just be a coincidence. Mom is always talking about ‘threads’ and the Great Weave. And if I remember my Norse Mythology correctly, it was the youngest sister, Skuld, that was the one who cut the threads of life, and sent a person to his maker. He frowned, feeling Devon finally relax against him, having cried herself out. Gently pulling away, he saw that she’d actually passed out cold, falling asleep in his arms.

Damn. Maybe I should tell her about my suspicions. Come to think of it... I should probably explain about mom, the Norns, and Yggdrasil, and all of it as well. I keep meaning to, but something always seems to happen to interrupt. If nothing else, talking to mom about all of this might give her some perspective. He considered, then shook his head. No. Better to let her sleep it off for now. We’ll talk in the morning, when she’d had a chance to recover... and to work the alcohol out of her system. Lifting her into his arms, he walked back into the bedroom., and gently undressing her, lay her in the bed.

Hmmm. Skuld, huh? Well, Sioban and Tawnya both swear she’s the spitting image of their patron’s Lady and Mistress. Seems farfetched... but stranger things have happened. He chuckled to himself at the thought. My girlfriend is a true life Goddess, eh? I suppose I’ll have to brush up on my supplication and groveling skills. Ah, well... she already likes the way I ‘worship at her altar’... He chuckled again as he shut off the lamp, closing the door behind him.

“Dammit!” Manx growled, leaping to the side, dodging a photonic blast, tossing out a pair of smoke pellets from her belt. “This wasn’t supposed to happen! I planned everything out so well, to the last detail!”

“Apparently not EVERY detail,” Robotica yelled back at her, waving a hand at the smoke. “And your little tricks won’t work on me, little kitty,” she replied, switching her visual sensors to infrared. “My sensors can track you wherever you go. You can run, but you can’t hide.”

“Yeah? Well, you can’t blame a gal for trying,” Manx replied, leaping over another blast, bouncing off the side of the wall, vaulting over her enemy’s head, and sprinting back down the hallway towards the factory floor. Robbie blinked in surprise.

Wow... nimble little minx, isn’t she? “Hey!” she yelled, turning to follow after her, “come back here!” Entering the fabrication room, she had just began to scan for the cat girl’s heat signature when motion from above her caught her eye. She had just enough time to brace herself and place her arms over her head before a heavy wooden crate dropped down on her from above. “Uugghnn,” she grunted, brushing off pieces of shattered wood and debris. Empty, the crate had weighed a mere two to three hundred pounds, enough to jar her certainly, but not enough to do any real damage. It did, however, succeed in pissing her off.

“Okay! That’s it, bitch!” Robotica yelled, powering up her weapon systems, firing up her targeting scanners, “No more Miss Nice Robot! The kid gloves are coming off!” Locking onto her in the far left corner, she turned and fired, sending in a stream of pulses at the fleeing cat girl. Manx let out a surprised yowl, dodging the blasts, but unable to continue forward, forced to retreat back into a corner.

“Ahhh! Quit it!” she hissed at her silver skinned opponent. “Dammit... what’s the deal? Why did you have to show up here, anyway?”

“I’m the new head of security for this office,” Robotica announced, firing a pair of mini heat-seeking missiles from her shoulders. “And Mr. Grimalde doesn’t abide thieves on his property!” Eyes wide, Manx ducked down, preparing for the impact... but at the last moment, a blast of bright yellow light shot out, destroying the missiles just before they struck true.

“Mr. Grimalde is ALSO not a big fan of having his property destroyed by overzealous Supers fighting it out,” I said loudly, drifting down lightly from the upper floor. “Geez, Robotica. Ever hear of the word ‘restraint’?”

“L-l-luminaire?!?” Robotica yelped, embarrassed. “Wh.. what are you doing here?”

“Oh, not much,” I said idly, “just happened to be in the neighborhood, and thought I’d drop by.”

“Oh great,” Manx muttered loudly, picking herself up and dusting herself off. “This just keeps getting better and better. Listen Light Bulb... not that I don’t appreciate the last minute save and all, but I’m afraid it’s getting just a little bit too crowded in here for me, so I’m just gonna leave—” Or rather, she attempted to, only to grunt in frustration as a beam of my Light cocooned her, leaving her restrained, and fit to be tied.

“Sorry, Manx,” I replied archly, lifting her bodily, bringing her back down to the ground level with me, “but we need to have words. You see, I’ve been looking for you for a while now. You’re hardly the most powerful Super out there, but you’re quick, you’re clever, and resourceful. You have a really keen mind, and you know how the criminal element thinks. In short, you’d be just perfect for this little ‘team’ I’m creating.”

Struggling fitfully, ears back flat against her head in anger, she snarled at her captor. “Thanks, but no thanks! I’m a capricious kitty that doesn’t play well with others. And anyway, Glow Stick, no offense, but I’d rather work with Robo-bitch than work with you!”

My expression darkened. I’d expected something similar in response, of course, but it didn’t make me like it any better. “Oh, I’m sorry, Manx,” I replied, holding out a softly glowing hand, carefully controlling the intensity of my Light to burn away her costume without hurting her, “I’m afraid you misunderstood me. That wasn’t a request.” As the catgirl squealed in surprise at finding herself completely nude, I gestured with my other hand, creating a dimly glowing orb of flickering black light, sending it slowly towards my intended victim. “I wasn’t asking you to join me. I was telling you what was about to happen.” With a flick of my wrist, the orb flew, penetrating her mind, causing Manx to scream in pure horror as her mind was rewritten one thought at a time.

“Luminaire! Stop! What are you doing?” Robotica cried, moving to stand between me and Manx. “What is this? You berate me for going overboard trying to take her down, and then you capture her, have her pinned down and helpless, and then start torturing her?”

“Torturing? Hardly. I’m doing no such thing,” I replied with a smirk. “But the name’s not Luminaire. That was a weak-willed little girl, more concerned with playing nice and having a good reputation as a hero to do what needed to be done. You can call me Supernova. Justice is only for dreamers... there is no true justice in this world. My Light is a cleansing light of peace, of absolution! And through my work, this city will know peace again!“

Roberta gawked openly at the young heroine. Supernova? Peace and absolution? Oh my... the girl’s completely lost it! I heard from her father that she was taking the death of her girlfriend really hard... but this is ridiculous! “Um, okay. Peace sounds good,” she said cautiously, reconfiguring her weapon systems to deliver a stun blast if needed, “but I think you’ve kind of lost sight of what’s important here. You can’t just force everyone in this city to be nice and kind to each other! It... it just doesn’t work that way.“

“Oh, really?” I replied with a sadistic grin, turning to gaze at Manx, who’s screams had quieted into soft moans and sighs. “I think our little feline friend might disagree with you.”

“Oooohhh... nno... no, please,” Manx moaned, shaking her head fitfully, her eyes moving rapidly behind closed lids. “I’ll be good... please... no more... no more... uuhnnn... ooohh gaawdeesss... oooohhh yeesss... sssooo goood...” Her hips began to move within the confines of the cocoon, my Light seeping into every part of her, teasing, and stroking every pleasure point even as my black light continued to warp and manipulate her psyche. From the way her body was jerking, I knew it wouldn’t be long now. Good obedient girls were allowed to come, and come hard, and Manx’ climax would cement all of my changes to her thoughts firmly in her mind, making her my loyal and obedient girl. A few seconds later, the buxom catgirl let out a scream of pure toe-curling delight, and slumped, weary and worn, as the cocoon holding her captive faded away.

“Manx!” Robotica cried, glancing from the empty gazed villain, up to me, and back. “What did you DO to her, Luminaire?” she asked, angrily, turning her blasters on me.

“I told you before, it’s Supernova,” I replied, bristling, “and you should know about my luck powers. You’re guns won’t work on me.” I turned to glance at Manx. “As for the sweet little, kitty, I did a little rewrite inside her naughty kitty brain.” I smirked, considering. “Actually, I guess I should say I ‘edited’ what was already there. Mom was more of the writer. Creativity was her thing. My specialty it seems is revising. All I did was edit the naughty little kitten’s thoughts a bit, making a few word choice changes... like removing ‘free will’ and substituting ‘obedience’, scratching out ‘independence’ and scribbling in ‘submission’.” I shrugged. “You know. that sort of thing. And you can see the end result before you right here.” I held out a hand, and Manx padded naked over to me, rubbing against me and purring loudly in contentment. “You see? She’s a lot happier now, aren’t you, kitty girl?“

“Mmmmmmrrrrroww... yes, Missstresss,” she purred, staring up at me with intense devotion and love. “Much better now. Thank you for showing me the Light.”

Roberta was seriously freaking out. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, she thought feverishly. This is worse than I thought! The girl hasn’t just lost it, she’s gone completely postal! I have to get help, tell someone about this. She’s right about her damned luck too—my weapons have power, but my targeting system refuses to lock onto her. And... if the stories are true, if I DID try and fire point blank, something catastrophic would happen to keep me from hitting her anyway! She’s too powerful for me to take head on... I need to stall for time and send a quick SOS while I have her distracted...

Aloud, she replied, “Okay, so, you’ve gone over to the dark side, then?” She shook her head dramatically. “Luminaire... or Supernova... or Darth Katie, whatever you choose to call yourself, I thought you were better than this. What would your mom and dad think about this? I noticed you decided to wait until the rest of your extended family had left town before you started this foolishness—”

“You can cut the act, Roberta,” I said with a sigh, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed. “You can’t talk me down like some hysterical little girl crying for her mommy. And you can’t guilt me into backing off either. I know perfectly well what I’m doing.” I whistled loudly. “And I also know when someone is trying to stall for time. You’re a walking supercomputer, right? Probably trying to send out a wireless SOS or something?” I shrugged at her expression. “Sorry. I planned ahead. See, I’m not the weak wimpy little girl I used to be, I don’t just charge in without thinking anymore. Now, I plan. Now, I consider the alternatives. And that’s why I had a friend set up a jamming signal around this area just before I made my grand entrance.” I chuckled. “Haven’t you wondered why Nigel’s other guards haven’t rushed the scene yet to figure out what’s going on? I have the entire alarm and communications systems jammed. Right now, they’re searching the entire building one floor at a time trying to find you, but they have no idea where you are, or what’s going on.”

Robbie growled in frustration. “Fine. You’re clever... just like your dad. But your little hypnotic light trick won’t work on me. My brain is a quantum digitized computer matrix, so I can easily filter out anything you throw at me. So, I’m walking out of here. I’m going to get help... get backup. I might not be able to stop you, Supernova, but likewise, you can’t stop me either.“

Suddenly, a pair of strong arms closed around Robotica from behind, lifting her bodily off the ground. “Aaahh... what the hell?!?” she cried, glancing behind her. “What the fuc... Spice Girl!?! What the hell are YOU doing here?”

“I invited her,” I stated, walking over to her now. “I told you. I think ahead now. I know you’re stronger than me. Someone that can MAYBE lift a Buick versus someone who can tear apart a tank with her bare hands? No contest. So...I brought along some muscle.”

Robbie struggled. But it was no go. Spice Girl was easily her equal in strength, possibly even stronger. She tried sending out an electric pulse through her skin, to try and stun the woman into letting go... but the volts merely rolled off the heroine like water. Damn... why did it have to be Spice Girl... practically invulnerable... maybe in a straight up fight, with all my weapons, I could beat her... but not held down and pinned like this!

“Listen, Katie,” she tried desperately, “this isn’t you! What you’re trying to do... it isn’t right! I know you’re upset about what happened to your friend Jessica—”

“DON’T SAY HER NAME!” I shouted suddenly, furiously, shaking with barely restrained rage. My light flared dangerously for a moment before I could restrain myself, the anger, rage, despair of her loss hitting me hard. Goddess... what the hell was that? I thought... thought I was past this... thought I was in control of my emotions now... Shaking it off. regaining my composure, I continued on as before. “Look, Robbie... this isn’t JUST about... my friend that died. This is about making this city... hell, making the whole WORLD a better place. Do you know how many people are killed daily throughout the country through violent crime? Through automobile accidents? Through war in other countries? All those people dying... and they didn’t have to...if people would just simply choose to obey the laws, and treat each other decently, the way they want to be treated! It’s simply common decency.” I sighed. “Well, if the people as a whole can’t simply DECIDE to do what’s right, then it falls to us, the city’s protectors, to MAKE them do what’s right and decent, no matter what.“

“You’re talking about taking away people’s free will!” Robotica argued back. “You’re talking about doing the same thing the villains and evil mind controllers try to do all the time! By doing this, you’re sinking to their level!”

“You’re damn right!” I countered back, surprising her. “This isn’t about good or evil, right or wrong. It’s about what’s necessary! It’s like finding a baby with a loaded gun in its hand, giggling and playing and laughing. You don’t consider whether the baby will WANT the gun taken away, or whether you should let it keep it so it won’t cry. You just take away the damned gun! It can cry and scream all it wants, but at least it won’t shoot itself or someone else with it!”

Robbie shook her head in despair. There was no reaching her. “You won’t get away with this!’ she protested, still struggling to get free. She had one last alternative, one last trump card to play, She still had her ‘weapon of last resort’ a little upgrade that Eugene Frasier had given her in case she ever got into a situation like this, where she was outmatched and outgunned. The Omega Blast generator in her chest would knock everyone in a hundred yard radius unconscious, including her and any nearby guards outside the compound... but if nothing else, it would stop Katie from getting away and continuing her mad plan.

“Oh, but I think she will,” a familiar voice called out, coming down the stairs from the upper landing. Robbie’s eyes widened in shock as her friend Megan Tanner made her way slowly towards them. “Sorry I’m late. Unlike Mistress and Spice Girl, I don’t fly. I had to repel down through the skylight once I deactivated the security screen.”

“No problem, Techna,” I said with a grin. “I kept Robbie entertained, monologuing my great Master Plan to her to keep her occupied and buy you some time. Are you able to do it?”

Techna nodded, eyes glowing faintly. “Yes, ma’am. Its kind of a strange feeling, talking to a living machine this way, but yes... I can definitely overwrite our friend Robbie’s techno organic brain.”

“WHAT?! NO! Megan please! You can’t!’ Robbie yelled, struggling with renewed vigor, feeling her systems being hacked. “You can’t do this! Stop! Please! Pleeee...aaaahahh...uuhnnn...” she moaned as a warm soothing sensation began to spread through her body. “Nooo... stop it... making it feel so good... mmm...but it’s wrong... no... can’t... can’t let you... hack my brain...”

“Shhh, it’s okay, sweetie,” I said gently, running a hand gently along the metallic girl’s cheek. “It will be okay. We’re just trying to help you. I know you’re confused right now, Robbie...but it’s okay. I promise, in a few minutes, you’ll feel all better.”

“I... I will?” she asked, her dazed voice sounding almost childlike in wonder.

“Yes, sweetie,” I answered gently, letting my light arc deftly along my fingertips as I stroked them idly along her smooth metallic chassis. Whether it was some facet of my incredible luck, somehow being able to make her feel the sensation, or that she was actually capable of actually assimilating sensation there, she let out a deep loud moan of arousal. I smiled deviously, wondering again just how much of my sweet little robot girl was mechanical, and how much of her was still human. Her body was completely human in appearance, even down to the gentle cleft between her legs. I slid a fingertip down there experimentally, and she groaned again, grinding down against my hand, seeking more contact, more sensation.

Huh. Well, her file DID say that the Mad Professor that had transformed her had originally designed her to be his robotic sex slave, I mused, gently forcing apart the surprisingly soft, humanlike membrane, noting with interest the wetness between them.

“Well, Robotica,” I said cheerfully, letting my fingers delve deep within her synthetic yet amazingly humanlike depths, “you were wrong about one thing. I might not be able to scribble thoughts of obedience and submission into the margins of your mind directly,” I said, glancing at Techna, who gave me a thumbs up, “but I do have a little trick with my light that will affect you, nonetheless.” Creating a thick, hard nimbus of light between her legs, I forced it to pump and pulse and vibrate at a frequency that caused her to shudder with such force that Spice Girl would barely hold onto her. All too soon, it was over, and she came loudly, actually jerking free from the powerhouse heroine’s grasp to slump to the floor, dazed. Giving her a moment to recover, I knelt down at glance into her peaceful tranquil face.

“Roberta? Sweetie? Are you okay?” I asked her. Her eyes opened, and she blinked for a moment, before locking onto my face. Then she smiled.

“Mmmmm... I feel wonderful, Mistress,” she said with a sleepy grin. “Thank you. Thank you for showing me the Light.”