The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Failure. I failed. I’m a failure.

The thought echoed inside Stephanie Brook’s mind over and over as she made the long slow return to consciousness. She’d been beaten, had lost to some mysterious ghostly girl, gotten her ass kicked... and worse, captured and locked behind bars, to wait for her eventual return, to the arrival of the actual police. She’d been given two directives—to avoid capture at all costs, and to kill Jimmy Frasier—and she’d failed in both. It was over.

No...no. It’s not over. she thought after a moment, marshalling what remained of her pride and dignity. I won’t let it be over! I’m still here. Still alive. And as long as I am then there’s still a chance to complete my objective. I just have to be patient. Glancing around at her cell, she sighed deeply. I can do this. I can pull this off. After everything I’ve gone through to get to this point, slipping out of this cell in an old abandoned prison should be a piece of cake.

Returning to the old worn out bed, she allowed herself a smile as a plan began to form in her mind. Alright Spooky. We’ll see how well you do the next time we clash.

I was beginning to wish I’d played more Metal Gear Solid or Call of Duty when I was younger.

I mean, I was Darklight, master of darkness and shadows, and doom and gloom, and all that. I exuded a shadowy aura in twenty feet in all directions around me, blinding anyone who entered yet allowing me to see perfectly. I should have been a natural for sneaking missions. And yet, I was doing terribly, somehow flubbing my approach, alerting my targets to my approach before I reached them. If anything, I was lucky to have taken out both of the guards I’d run across before they had a chance to call in an alert!

Which of course was a concern, as my luck had a habit of turning bad at the worst possible time.

I paused briefly at a small alcove, cloaking it in shadows to hide me as a guard passed by. Taking a moment to go over the layout of the area I’d taken from the guard’s mind, I considered my options. I was nearing the corridor leading to an intersection. The left fork lead towards Stacy’s cell, where she was being held captive, and the right lead deeper into the facility, towards the communications hub and Devon’s cell. The choice should have been obvious...but Stacy was closer. And despite her snotty attitude, I felt like I should at least check on her to make sure she was okay. I was in hero mode, after all, saving innocents and all that.

Okay. Fine. Just a quick little peek to make sure she’s okay. It’s not like I’ll be dragging her around the dark corridors with me or anything.

Waiting a moment for the guard to turn the corner, I stretched a line of darkness across the corridor and made my way down the left fork.

“Well, girl,” the rifle bearing guard stated as he entered Stacy’s cell, “I have some good news and some bad news.”

Stacy glanced up at him warily.“W...wh...what is it?” she asked, swallowing nervously.

“Well, the bad news is that your dear ol’ dad is being obstinate,” he said digging into his pocket, retrieving a tape recorder and a small cloth bag. “Howard finally managed to get through to the man, and told him that we were holding his daughter prisoner. His one and only precious little girl.” The man shook his head in disgust. “He hadn’t even got to the issue of price yet, what we wanted to ensure your safe return, but this guy...he starts shouting at Howard, cursing at him, telling the man who’s holding his daughter’s life in his hand to ‘fuck off’!” He laughed ruefully, “He actually said that. And when asked if he even cared if you lived or died, he said that we wouldn’t dare hurt you, because he’d send a federal task force after us to hunt us all down.“

Stacy gaped up at him uncomprehending. “H...he...my dad...he wouldn’t do that!” she sputtered. “Y-you’re lying! Just...try-trying to s-scare me!”

“I thought you might say that,” the guard responded, picking up the tape recorder. He pressed PLAY, and the familiar sound of her father’s voice filled the room:

“—bunch of impudent little maggots!” Stacy shuddered. It was definitely Daddy’s voice, the one he used when the servants were fucking up. She knew that voice well. The servants were ALWAYS fucking up. Tristan Brandt roared, disdain dripping from every syllable. “You think you can threaten me? Me?!? I’m Tristan FUCKING Brandt, you hear me? You don’t dictate terms to me—I dictate them to you!”

“Look, Brandt,” a second voice, slightly muffled and distorted by some kind of voice box, “you DO realize we have your daughter right here, right now? This isn’t an idle threat! We WILL kill her unless you pay her ransom—”

“Bullshit!” Tristan snarled back, causing Stacy to cringe in shock. “I know full well who I’m dealing with. You’re one of this peons that I laid off week ago trying to get back at me. You low brow, mouth-breathing pissants wouldn’t DARE hurt my daughter! You don’t have the guts!”

Silence for several seconds, then, “B-brandt? Are you out of your damned mind? We’re talking about your daughter’s life—”

“You won’t hurt a hair on her head,” her father retorted, sounding extremely smug, “because if you do, I’ll have a federal task force up your ass you hard and fast you’ll think you were being gang raped in whatever hellhole prison they’ll toss you into!” He harrumphed loudly. “Pay you? Fuck that. You were all overpaid when you worked for me! There’s no way I’m sending you another fucking dime. You captured my daughter? So what? This is the big leagues, son. If you want play chicken with me, go right ahead. We’ll see which one of us blinks first!” CLICK

Stacy sat on her cot, stunned beyond belief. On some level, she’d always known the kind of man her father was, a selfish, cold, ruthless, businessman more concerned with his wealthy and prestige than anything else. It was still something of a shock to hear his complete disregard for her in his own words, to know that he wouldn’t even consider paying the ransom to these people to safeguard her life. The guard merely shook his head.

“Yeah, kid,” the man chuckled, seeing the shock on Stacy’s face, “Sucks to be you right now. But, like I said, I have good news and bad news. That was the bad news.”

Stacy glanced up at him, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Maybe...maybe they were going to simply let her know that it appeared her father wasn’t going to pay up. “What’s the good news?” she asked.

“The good news,” the man replied, pulling a switchblade from his pocket, popping the blade up, “is that I know just how to convince your old man that we mean business.” Stacy cried out in terror, drawing back as the man steadily approached her, grinning all the while. “Tristan Fucking Brandt...yeah, he talks a good game, but when push comes to shove, he’ll fall like a house of cards. We just need to send him a few...trinkets...some souvenirs. An ear, or a toe. Or a finger,” he crowed, snatching Stacy’s hand, bringing it close to the knife, causing her to scream desperately trying to pull away. “We’ll see how high and mighty he is when we send him back bits and pieces of his little girl!”

“NO!NO!GODNOOOO!!!” Stacy screamed, turning her head and closing her eyes. With the pain didn’t come, she cracked an eye, glancing back to her tormentor. Then...screamed away, jerking back at the large black pulsing mass jutting out from the middle of his chest. The guard shuddered, eyes twitching, mouth agape, as he released her grip on her arm. The knife slipped free from nerveless hands clattering harmlessly to the ground. And the guard. his eyes rolling up into the back of his head, he took two steps back from the cot, turned, and collapsed to the floor like a marionette with its strings cut.

I let out a soft sigh of relief. Remembering to send shadow tendrils up to disable the room’s camera, I stepped swiftly into the cell. I’d stopped the guy just in time; Stacy looked scared enough to piss herself but still all in one piece. “Alright. Cut that one a little close, huh? Ah well...I guess we better get the hell out of here then.” I stepped toward the bed, and Stacy screamed again, backing back against the wall. I frowned, wondering at her reaction, until i realized I was still shadow-cloaked. “Oh! Sorry! Stacy, relax,” I said, withdrawing the darkness back into myself, revealing my face. “Calm down. It’s me.”

Stacy frowned, her head twisting slightly to the side in confusion. “Jimmy? Wh... what... how? Wh...” Then, suddenly, all the pieces slid into place, and she gasped aloud. “Holy shit! Jimmy! You’re Darklight!” Then, with a yelp, suddenly remembering again that she was basically nude aside from her bra and panties, she pulled her legs up to her chest, and covered herself as best as she could with her hands.

I grimaced slightly, nodding. “Gee, what gave me away? The black and silver costume, or the shadowy powers?” Kneeling down at the foot of the bed, I reached out for her left foot, only to have her jerk back in alarm.

“Hey! Quit it! What do you think you’re doing?” she yelped, drawing up into an even tighter ball.

“I’m TRYING to set you free from those chains,” I snapped, scowling at her. Dammit, had she taken all of Deidre’s talk about me being a pervert so seriously that she thought I was going to make some kind of move on her...here and now in the middle of an enemy stronghold? Glaring at her, I extended my hand, and after a moment, she extended her foot.

“Aaiiieeeee!! Don’t Tieeeeheheheheehccckklee!” she squealed as I raked my nails across the sole of her foot. Forgive me for being a bit vindictive, but she was pissing me off. But then I got down to business, gripping the shackle firmly, I gave it a sharp tug, snapping the steel apart, freeing her ankle. Tossing aside the shattered pieces of metal, I rose back to my feet.

“Okay, you’re good,” I said with nod. “As best as I recall, if you head out this door, and turn left, follow the corridor about fifty feet, turn right, and then go straight, you should reach the corridor leading to steps back to the ground floor. There are two guards outside the entrance to this place, but its night time, and there’s a lot of ground cover, so if you’re quiet and careful, you should be able to sneak out and find a place to lay low.”

“What? You expect me to make the trip out of here by myself?!?” Stacy asked. “No way! I’ll get caught! No! I need you to get me out of here!”

“It’s fine, Stacy,” I reassured her. “I disabled the guards between here and your route out of here. Just go the way I described and you’ll be fine. But I can’t go yet. I have to free Devon.”

“Devon,” Stacy said softly, closing her eyes. She’d completely forgotten about Deidre’s younger sister. “Okay. Fine. We’ll go together then—”

“You’ll just slow me down,” I told her. “Look. It’s only a matter of time before the guy in charge down here starts to notice none of his guards and checking in regularly and decides to raise an alarm. Once that happens, all bets are off. Trust me. Your best chance of getting out of this mess alive and in one piece—”

BRRRT! BRRRT! BRRRT! BRRRT BRRRT

“—just flew right out the window,” I said wearily as the alarm claxons continued to ring. “Well...shit. Okay, new plan. Stick close to me, and do exactly what I say, when I say it.” I held out a hand towards her. “I’m going to turn out the lights in here. Just hold onto my hand, and I’ll guide you out of here, okay?” She nodded silently, biting her lip. “Okay,” I murmured softly, cloaking myself, and the room, in darkness, “here goes nothing.”

Sam jerked up, glancing around in surprise at the sounds of the alarms, then cursed loudly. “SHIT! Of all the blasted...and here I was all set to show you the time of your life,” he muttered softly. He glanced over at the cell door, then over at the quivering moaning form of his dark haired captive, then back at the cell door again. With another loud curse, he pulled his pants back up, and grabbed his rifle.

“Sounds like one of your friends is up to no good,” he grumbled. “No matter. There’s no escape from this place. It’s a prison...literally.” He laughed. “Don’t worry pet. I’ll be right back, and we can continue where we left off. For now...why don’t you just play with that cute little pussy of yours, and think about what I’m gonna do to it when I get back? Yeah...I want your tight little cunt all juicy and wet by the time I return. But...no cumming, doll. Not without permission. Tell me you understand.”

“Gaahhhhh...nnnhhnnn,” Devon groaned, eyes wide, her pupils huge and black, fingers working relentlessly in her bare naked pussy. “I...I...mmmm...understand...” She sighed closing her eyes, arching her hips into her touch, losing herself into the sensation. Her head was abuzz with conflicting thoughts and ideas, compulsions and commands...but the drug induced euphoria sweeping through her body was enough to distract her, pushing all other concerns into the background. She barely even noticed when her tormentor-and-would-be-rapist left, closing the door behind him without even bothering to lock it. After all, she wasn’t in any condition to even consider leaving, let alone take the action. Even her chip, with its ever present stream of pre-programmed instructions, was no match for the drug induced, pleasure soaked haze enveloping her mind.

“Good girl,” the man laughed wickedly, heading to the door, “You just stay there and simmer like the hot little piece you are, and think about how much you need to cum. If I like what I see, maybe I’ll even grant you your wish.” Laughing again, he left the cell, leaving Devon alone in her misery.

Howard Manning sighed deeply from his post at the old prison’s monitoring station. The huge bank of monitors before her, showing views of the many cells, hallways and corridors of the prison, were going dark, one by one. When the first of his guards had failed to report in, he’d sounded the alert, prompting everyone else to radio in their status. As it turned out, the situation was even worse than he’d feared—nearly half of his men had been taken out by the unknown intruders. That in and of itself, was more than enough to completely freak him out.

Before being hired on as security for the Brandt Corporation, he and his men had served together in the military, pulling a four year tour in the same unit during the latest of the seemingly endless series of quagmires in the Middle East. Each of his men was a expert soldier. They had survived IEDs, sneak attacks, sniper fire, even betrayal by local so-called “friendlies”. You name it, his men had faced it and survived. And yet these seasoned troops were being systematically taken down in their own base! Rallying the remaining guards, he’d brought them inward, setting up a barrier against the monitoring station, and giving his people the order to fire at will, to shoot first, second, and third, and ask questions after the dust had settled.

It hadn’t mattered. His numbers continued to drop. And though the intruders were managing to avoid the cameras—as if they’d somehow known beforehand where they were placed—he was able to determine from the timing of the attacks, that he was facing a two-pronged invasion, from two different directions, slowly making their way towards the center of the complex.

Here.

I should have guessed, he mused to himself. When Tristan Brandt shut down negotiations without even hearing me out, I thought he was just being an arrogant jackass...but apparently he was just that confident in the team he’d sent in to rescue his daughter. Shit...all my careful planning, all my precautions, and he’s been three steps ahead of us all along. Just who the fuck are these guys anyway? I know all the best men in the business, and I don’t know ANYBODY who could dismantle my team this easily!

The door opened, and a masked guard entered. “Howard, what’s going on? What’s happening? Did someone slip out of their cells?”

“Huh. We should be so lucky,” he replied grimly. “We’ve been invaded, Sam,” he stated, gesturing to the monitors. “Fucking Brandt must have sent in a group of commandos or something to rescue his daughter. Over half of our guys are down for the count, and we haven’t even gotten a glimpse of the team we’re fighting against.”

“Huh...that’s...damn impressive,” Sam muttered softly. He frowned, glancing up at the monitor. “Hey...looks like Ruiz and Simpson are engaging someone now,” he pointed out. They watched the view from the camera, the two guards began firing rapidly into what appeared to be a dark empty corridor. As they continued to look, the unnatural darkness from the corridor seemed to spread, surging forward, until the view of the two guards was completely obscured, covered in darkness. A moment later, the shadow passed, revealing both soldiers lying face down on the ground, unmoving. A moment later the camera went completely dead, joining the others monitor in displaying static. Oh SHIT! Fucking supers! I HATE MOTHERFUCKING SUPERS!!

Sam scowled, thinking about what he had seen when a question popped into his head. “Hey, Howard...wait a second. If these guys are professionals sent in to rescue Brandt’s daughter, then why are they still fighting their way deeper into the grid? That’s her cell right there,” he said, pointing to a blank monitor in the upper right corner. “If she was the goal, they should be making their way back towards the surface, not deeper into the anthill. And why rescue the boy as well?” he asked, pointing to the monitor in the upper left corner. “Brandt always struck me as the kind of guy who didn’t give a shit about anyone but himself. I can’t see him going through the trouble to rescue his daughter’s friends, assuming he knew about them.”

“Hmmm...you have a good point,” Howard replied. “So, what are you saying? You don’t think this is Brandt’s work?”

“No. At least not directly. Most likely it’s the boy’s people coming to get him and his friends, rather than the other way around.” Kneeling down at the weapons cache, he picked up a pair of USP’s and slid them into the holsters at his shoulder. “I think they’re heading for the last girl’s cell, That’s their destination, not here. And I’m going back there to face them myself.” He grinned evilly. “Nobody’s taking my little fuckdoll away from me without a fight.”

Howard scowled at his companion. He definitely did not approve of Sam’s treatment of the hostages, nor of the man himself, really...but he was a friend, and had proven himself to be a reliable and deadly soldier on more than one occasion, a good man to have at your back. Besides which, now wasn’t the time for an argument. “Get back to the girl’s cell, and have Juarez and Mason meet up with you. I’ll grab Tony and head there as well. We can make out stand there.” He narrowed his eyes. “Just don’t get so caught up with the girl that you forget what’s happening here. The last thing we need is to get caught with our pants down—literally.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam grunted, dismissively, as he left. Howard merely shook his head. Well, he’s right about one thing. Brandt pushed us into this when he fired us all without notice or severance pay. It’s all or nothing for us now. And I’m sure as hell not going down without a fight.

“Hey, um, Jim...errr, Darklight?” Stacy whispered softly, pushing herself close to me. “Are you okay? You didn’t get hit in that last wave did you?”

“Yeah, multiple times,” I replied with a grimace, rubbing my very tender chest with a careful hand. “But I’m tougher than I look. Other than earning myself a few nasty bruises come tomorrow, I’m okay. How are you holding up?”

“I’m good,” she nodded, licking her lips and wiping the sweat from her brow. Despite being lead around by me in complete darkness for the past several minutes with people shooting automatic rifles at us, she was holding up remarkably well. I’d half expected her to fall apart and go catatonic, but she’d actually rallied, remaining calm and following my orders. Of course, I’d cheated a little bit during the first firefight, having to use a tendril strike to calm her down when she’d panicked, going into hysterics. Since then, however, she’d been holding herself together of her own accord. And, wonder of wonders, she was even concerned about my welfare after getting shot at.

To tell the truth, I’d felt better. I was using a lot of shadows, and while draining every soldier’s light did give me a nice little energy boost, I was starting to feel really, really cold. Like aching in your bones cold. I was using my powers a lot more than I usually did, and for much longer than normal. Add in all the physical abuse from repeated rifle fire, and the leftover drugs in my system from before...let’s just say I was not a happy camper.

“Come on,” I said after a moment, taking her by the hand again. “By my count, there should only be about ten of these guys left now. Devon’s cell is just around this corner, and with a little luck, we should be able to slip in, free her, and be out of here before the remaining guards can mobilize against us.”

About halfway there, I realized what I’d just said. Luck. The ‘L’ word. Saying it aloud was akin to tempting fate by giving her the finger and daring her to do her worst. I gritted my teeth as I darkened the hallway before us, sprinting those last few feet, expecting the rest of the guards to come barreling towards me any second. Amazingly, though, we reached her cell without incident. I peered through the window anxiously, and seeing only Devon inside, chained to the bed, I pushed the door open. Huh? It wasn’t even locked!

“Dev! Thank goodness!” I sighed, letting out the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “I’ve been so worried...about...you?” My girlfriend didn’t respond, however, as she seemed to be far too busy rubbing herself raw. “Um....Devon?” I asked, peering down to glance at her. She continued to moan and groan, babbling incoherently, pumping away at her very red pussy, very obviously on the verge of cumming her brains out. Looking closer, I noticed her face, covered in feverish sweat, and her eyes, huge and black even with her lids half closed. Scowling, I glanced about the room. There, in the far corner, was a spent hypodermic needle, confirming what I’d already assumed had happened.

“Shit...what’s wrong with her?” Stacy asked, gaping at Devon with a look of half disgust, half envy.

“She’s been drugged,” I replied, leaning down to snap the chains binding her to the bed. “If I had to guess, I’d say it was a dose of ‘O’...Orbweaver. The eyes are a clear give away.” Once released her hands returned to her body, one in her pussy, the other to her breasts, squeezing and mauling them vigorously. Shit. “Devon! C’mon, baby...snap out of it! We don’t have time for this. We have to get out of here, DEVON!” I said slapping her cheek. She gasped, eyes widening at the contact, and for a moment, focusing on my face.

“J...Jimmy?” she breathed, swimming up through the mind fog enough to take in her surroundings. Then, the trance-induced lust returned, and with a growl, she tackled me back down to the bed. “Fuck me!” she shouted, grinding herself helplessly against me. “Make me cum, please, oh god, make me cum, need to cum need to cum, need it, need it, NEED IT!” she keened, breaking down once more into incoherent rambling. I tried to pull her off me, gently and without hurting her, but she was crazed, frantic, and determined.

Well...the only way to really break through the haze of whatever the bastard did to her is to make her cum. I...well...don’t really have a choice. Sorry, baby, I thought softly, sliding my fingers down between her thighs, seeking out her wetness, this is not how I wanted your second ever sexual experience to go...

“Let go for me, Devon.” I murmured in her ear, finding and teasing her clit. “Just focus on me...on my voice. Only my voice. Let it go deep inside you,” I urged, suiting words to action, sliding three fingers deep inside her. “Listen...and obey, Devon. Cum for me baby,” I growled, pinching her clit as her pussy contracted sharply around my fingers. “Cum for me...cum now!”

She came. Hard. Brutally. And, if the look on her face was any indication, painfully. But it apparently was just what she needed, for when the shudders finally eased, she relaxed, leaning back against me, sated and content, and clear headed once more. Stacy merely grunted, turning back towards the door.

“Well, if you two love birds are done making out,” she sniffed, pushing open the heavy iron door, “let’s get the hell out of this pla—aaaaaahhhH!”

I jerked back to my feet, cloaking myself in shadow as the door jerked open, and three armed men pushed their way inside. One of them grabbed Stacy, putting her in a chokehold, while the other two stayed close, using her like a human shield. The one in front, however, scowled, glaring at me, twin USP pistols in his hands. “Hold it,” he growled tersely, guns pointed at my head. “Don’t move a muscle. Hell, don’t even breathe. One false move, one twitch...or if the room starts getting the slightest bit dim, my pals there shoots the blonde in the head and makes her even more of an airhead than she already is.” Not wanting to take a chance with the girls’ lives, I nodded, raising my hands in surrender.

“Well, well, what have we here?” he questioned, looking me up and down. “Just as I thought. Howie was sure old man Brandt had sent in a bunch of mercenary commandos or something...but instead it’s a member of the ‘cape and cowl’ brigade. Tell me, pal...how many more of you are there? Where’s the rest of your team?”

My...team? “You’re looking at him,” I told him. “It’s just me. I’m by myself.”

“Really? Then how did you get here all by yourself? How’d you even find this place? Super or not, I can’t imagine you accomplished all this by yourself without help.”

I sighed deeply, shedding my shadow cloak, but keeping control of the shadows in the room. If I got the chance, I needed to be ready to strike. “I didn’t have to track you down, dipshit,” I smirked. “You brought me here yourselves.”

Sam’s eyed widened in recognition, then he laughed, shaking his head. “Amazing. So the little rich prick was actually a Super in disguise? Impressive. But it doesn’t really help you current situation does it? You and your friends are still my captives, and if you make the slightest move against us, they will suffer for it.” He cocked his guns. “You’re a liability, kid. You’re too dangerous to have hanging around. So...will you save yourself at the cost of your friends? Or are you that rare heroic type that plans to martyr himself to save their lives?”

“How about...neither?” came an ethereal voice from outside the cell.

Along with the voice came twin thuds, as the two guards holding Stacy suddenly released her, slumping to the ground unconscious. Everyone, including me, turned in shock as a pale white ghostly female image floated into the room over the bodies of the fallen guards in front of her. The translucent image quickly resolved itself into a young woman in a dark grey body suit and light grey hooded cloak. She clutched a photonic pulse gun in her hand, though it wasn’t aimed at anyone at the moment. “Mr. Frasier? Are you okay? We need to get out of here.”

So, all things considered, you can forgive me for being a little slow on the uptake, but it took s few seconds before I figure out that she was talking to me. “Umm...okay? Who are you, again?” I asked.

“Ghost Girl,” she replied succinctly. “I was hired by your father to look after you. I have to say, you haven’t made my assignment easy. Now...let’s go.”

“Oh, well if you...wait, what?!?” I exclaimed. “My dad...hired you to keep tabs on me?!?” I was shocked! Dad was never the hovering parent type. And even if he were, if he just wanted to keep tabs on me, he’d never do it by proxy! My head was spinning, and my confusion was my undoing.

The remaining guard, Sam, took full advantage of my distraction, snatching Devon out of my hands putting a gun to her temple. And we were back where we started, only worse. Now my one true love was the hostage with a gun at her temple.

“This isn’t over just yet!”

I growled, but he merely smiled, pressing the gun harder against Devon’s head, making her wince in pain.

“Let me tell you how things are going to play out,” he said, edging towards the door. “My little cutie and I are walking out of here. Either of you ‘Capes’ even glance hard in my direction, and the girl gets free air conditioning for her brain.”

“Don’t you hurt her!,” I growled, cloaking myself again, the darkness within me flowing to the surface. Every part to me longed to strike...to pump this bastard so full of my darkness it would run out of his ears, nose, and eye sockets...to crack his every bone in body one by one. But I couldn’t do that. Even with the all the shadows in the room at my command, I couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t twinge, or twitch, that his finger wouldn’t slip and pull the trigger before I could take total control of him. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t take the risk.

My erstwhile guardian angel, however, didn’t seem to share my restraint. “I don’t make deals with criminals,” she said simply, pointing her own gun towards the guard. “Let me make one thing clear. The only reason I’m here is that I was given a job to do. I could care less about the girl. But you’re between me and the exit, so either you get out of the way, or I’ll go through you—” At which point I really think she might have made good her threat, had I not interceded, grabbing her gun hand, and placing myself between her and Devon.

“Stop it!” I yelled angrily. “What the hell? That’s my girlfriend he’s holding hostage! And correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t the good guys have a policy about protecting the innocent, not stepping over them to reach your goal?”

“Good guys,” Ghost Girl snarled, “I never said I was a ‘good guy’. I did my time in that jail. Never again. No, I said I had a job to do. Your life was the only one I was hired to safeguard.“

“Fine,” I grumbled, releasing her arm, keeping myself between her and her target. “Then I guess you’d better lower your weapon then, because I intend to protect Devon with MY life. If you attack while she’s in the crosshairs, the only one you’re going to hit will be me.”

Rose stared at the larger, taller and more determined man glaring at her, and with a sigh dropped her weapon once more. “Fine. We’ll do it your way...for now.”

The guard, watching the exchange, burst into loud raucous laughter. “Oh...oh, that is rich. The hard-core mercenary super-bitch thwarted by ‘true love’.” He shook his head. “Makes me all misty eyed...NOT! Thanks, lover boy. I’ll take any advantage I can get.” He began backing out into the hallway, dragging Devon with him. “Oh, and one other thing, Mr. Hero. Since it appears your daddy is wealthy enough to afford the service of such a one-of-a-kind bodyguard, I’m sure you can persuade him to offer up a few million to ensure the safe return of his son’s one and only twue wuve!” He laughed again. “Until then, I’ll be keeping ‘Cutie Pie’ here with me. So take one last look, pal...you won’t be seeing her again for a long, long time.”

And look I did, standing there, feeling all kinds of helpless. Mom has often mentioned how frustrated she feels sometimes, having power, having superhuman strength and speed, even having freaking magic at her command, and yet still sometimes she can’t help people who needed it. I’d never really gotten it until now. I mean, she regularly saves hundreds of lives—from the average person on the street, to stopping car wrecks, to foiling robberies and muggings, even to stopping natural disasters, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes—and yet she has always lamented the lives she couldn’t save. I never got it before...but now her words hit home. I could have torn this place apart with my bare hands, could have done the same to the person keeping Devon from me...but for all my strength, all my anger and fury, I was helpless to act without endangering her life. So I stood there, helplessly, while Devon’s tormentor laughed, wishing with all my heart that the rat fucking bastard would simply drop dead.

And...that’s when things got really...weird.

The guard’s laughter stopped suddenly, and he kind of...shuddered a bit. His eyes widened, as if in surprise, and his mouth opened, and closed a few times. He shuddered again, visibly, releasing his grip on Devon, and—GLORY BE—HIS GUN, his hands going to his head instead, clutching at his face-obscuring balaclava. My eyes were only on Devon, however, who stumbled forward, her eyes shining slightly with a strange inky blackness. Her hair...I would have sworn it was being blown by a strong wind, except we were inside, underground, with barely any air movement at all. She tumbled forward, and I caught her, clutching her close, pulling her against me, and away from whatever was happening with the guard.

“AAAAIIIIIIIIEEEE!!!” the man suddenly screamed, dropping to his knees, hands clenched into tight fists. As we all turned to stare, the man shuddered once more, then sighed, slumping forward. As he fell, I noticed suddenly how thin and bony he looked in his clothing. There was a loud hollow cracking sound as he struck the concrete floor...the sound of bone snapping, or splitting. And, horror of horrors, that was precisely what remained of the unlucky kidnapper, the hand showing through his sleeve withering down, desiccated skin flaking away before our eyes, revealing pale white bone. In less than a minute, the man had gone from healthy and alive to very, very dead and decayed...as if something had literally sucked the life out of him.

“Ohh...ohhh...my gawd,” Stacy murmured, turning away, vomiting in the corner. I swallowed uneasily, feeling a strong urge to do the same. I glanced over at Ghost Girl, wondering if she was responsible for our adversary’s sudden and gruesome demise, but the look of stunned shock on her pale drawn face answered that question all too clearly. So...it wasn’t her. And I’m pretty sure it wasn’t me. As much as I hated the guy, I didn’t sense my bad luck imps doing anything. Certainly nothing like THAT! So...who does that leave?

Devon moaned softly in my arms, still mostly out of it from the drugs in her system. As I looked down at her, her eyes back to their normal hazel green, I felt a strange sense of foreboding. Did she somehow...no. No. I can’t believe that. I mean, yeah...there is something weird going on with her. I’m pretty sure she’s receiving the visions I used to get, that that ability was actually hers, not mine, all along, and that coming in contact with me somehow jumpstarted her own powers. Still...I can’t believe she would knowing do that to anyone, drugged up to the gills or not. There has to be another explanation...I just have no idea what it is.

The trip back upstairs to the ground floor was quiet, with everyone’s mood dour and introspective. Well, almost everyone’s mood. Stacy, strangely enough, seemed pretty much unfazed, and almost upbeat, as if the whole harrowing few hours were some kind of grand adventure. Reaching the upper levels, she finally broke the silence.

“Tch...the way you guys are acting, you’d think one of US had died back there,” she said loftily, sprinting out in front of our group. “C’mon, you guys. We won. We’re the victors! You know, the good guys beating the bad guys and saving the ‘helpless damsels’ and all that shit. You should be happy!”

“Stacy, can you just shut the hell up?” Devon grumbled wearily, stumbling past her. “I have a splitting headache, and this little adventure is far from over. We’re still in the middle of nowhere, and a long way to go before we can consider ourselves ‘safe’ again.” She scowled. “Besides...considering the way your dad responded to the kidnapping threat, I’d think you would be more distraught and despondent than anyone.”

That got Stacy’s attention. “Distraught? Despondent? Fuck no, I’m pissed!” she retorted. “Rest assured, when I get back home, I’m going to give dear old dad a piece of my mind.”

“Careful, Stacy,” I quipped, finally drawn somewhat out of my bad mood, “it’s not like you have a lot of pieces to give away.” Devon giggled. Stacy rolled her eyes and gave me the finger.

Ghost Girl stopped walking, frowning, placing a hand to her ear. “Uh huh,” she replied, nodding. “I see. Yes, I have my smart phone, I should be able to log in and catch the broadcast.” She nodded again and sighed. “Yes. Okay. We’ll stay here and wait for backup to arrive.” Tapping her earpiece once again, she turned to face me. “Well, looks like it’s started. Your father is facing his...ah...nemesis right now, so whatever he has planned for you should be happening soon. We just need to hold up here for a while longer and with any luck this will all be over.”

“Okay, hold on a second,” I protested. “I’m lost here. Explain to me exactly what’s going on here. My dad hired you to watch over me? Why? And who is this ‘nemesis’ you said he’s facing? What is this all about?”

In reply, she pulled out an iPhone and switched it on. It showed an image of Armor Man and Omega Girl fighting an unknown man with grey hair. Incredibly enough, my mom and dad seemed to be going all out against the guy, who seemed to be easily holding his own. At one point, Omega Girl landed a brutal blow to his chin, only to have the man counter with some kind of blast that sent them both tumbling back. Again, amazingly, the man merely laughed, brushing off the attack.

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

Ghost Girl shut down the phone. “That fight is being transmitted to every single mobile and video device in the world. Your dad somehow plugged into a communications satellite system to transmit the battle. The details are kind of sketchy, but the important things are fairly obvious—they are fighting your father’s older brother, Duncan, who appears to be behind most of the troubling events in you and your sister’s life for the past several months. But beyond that, he set some kind of plan in motion to kill you and your sister as a blow against your father. Fortunately, your dad took steps to prevent that from happening. We just need to hold tight here for half an hour. The rest of my team will be here then, and we can get the hel—AAARRHHH!”

An energy discharge struck her from behind, sending the ghostly defender down to her knees. I whirled around just in time to take a blast of my own. Staggered, I likewise sank down to my knees, stunned, head buzzing, body tingling, as Dr. Stephanie Brooks emerged from the shadows, photonic blaster held steadily in her left hand, a plasma energy cannon in the other. Before I could make a move she fired again, the plasma discharge knocking me flat on my back.

Great. Just fucking great. And the blisters from before had just healed, too.

“You...damn...” Ghost Girl groaned softly, struggling and failing to get back to her feet. “Knew I should have...killed you...when I had the chance...”

“Yes,” Stephanie said coldly, raising the photonic blaster, aiming for the stunned Super. “You should have. Or at least taken the time to strip search me. It isn’t hard to pick a lock with the right tools.” She smiled coldly at my would-be bodyguard. “For what it’s worth, this isn’t personal either. Hey, I’m doing you a favor, Spooky, putting you out of your whiny post-brainwashing misery.”

“AAAAAHHHHHHHH SSHHIIIITT!” I yelled out, taking another damn shot as I rolled, moving in to intercept the blast Brooks intended for Ghost Girl. The mercenary gasped in surprise as I fell, sprawling atop her; apparently the idea of ME taking a bullet for HER hadn’t even entered the realm of possibility. If I lived through this experience, I’d like to find out why she seemed to jaded.

The rogue agent stood over us, and, to my surprise, handed one of the weapons to Devon, who, to my utter shock, took it calmly, and pointed it at me as well. Okay. There are a HELLUVA LOT of things I needed to talk to these girls about, assuming I survive the next few minutes.

“Thrall,” she said, causing Devon to face her stiffly. “You have done well in staying close to the target. I know this couldn’t have been easy for you. As a reward, I’ll let you be the one to end Jimmy Frasier’s life. You take care of him...and I’ll take care of his little bodyguard.”

“Of course, Controller,” Devon said blankly, an empty smile on her lips as she took careful aim. “I know what to do. I will eliminate the target.”

“No....you...won’t,” I managed, moving painfully, getting back to one knee, then the other...and slowly regaining my feet. I was panting, and sweating bullets. It felt like every nerve ending was soaking in acid, and my muscles were spasming helplessly. It was agony, pure and simple...but I wasn’t going to let my soul mate become a killer. Yeah I wasn’t ready to die by any means, but more than that I didn’t want her agonizing over what she’d done once this was all over and done with. “Dev...it’s me. Jimmy.” I tried, reaching out to her. “Your boyfriend. Your soul mate. Your dream lover. Listen to me. You don’t have to do this. You don’t have to pull that trigger. Fight! You’re stronger than this. I know you are.”

“You’re wrong,” Stephanie responded with a cold empty grin. “She is completely under the control of the chip I implanted her with. She cannot disobey its programming, or the orders of her Controller. You can beg and plead all you want...but your words with have no effect.” She nodded to Devon. “It’s time. Shoot him. Kill him now.”

“Yes, Controller,” she replied, her hand shaking momentarily before steadying. “I will...o-obey.”

I admit it. I was somewhat disappointed when she pulled the trigger. Then I was back on the ground, and disappointment something of a foreign concept. I was feeling pretty numb all over, which, in retrospect, was probably a good thing. I could smell burning flesh...like microwaved hotdogs that had been left in way too long. On the plus side, my eyes still worked, and I could see the look of horror on Devon’s face piercing through the blank emotionless stare she’d given me earlier.

She was still in there, still struggling, still fighting. That meant I couldn’t give up the fight just yet either. Ghost Girl was pretty much out it. Stacy had been caught off guard from the get go, fainting before we’d even realized Brooks was in the room. And with Devon a mindfucked zombie, that left just me. Closing my eyes...focusing a bit of my energy, I sent a wave of darkness into the shadows surrounding my body.

“Very good, thrall,” Stephanie said. “He’s completely helpless now. One more should do it. Now....finish him off!”

Devon was in the ninth circle of hell. It was like being trapped in her own body, having no control over her actions. From the moment she’d been caught in the bathroom, she’d been trying to break free, to resist the cold mechanical voice inside her mind issuing orders, instructions...commands. It was impossible, though. The chip held total sway over her, guiding her very being, She was merely a little wind up toy marching along in synch to her Controller’s drum.

But then that sadistic son of a bitch of a guard had drugged her, juicing her up with a hefty dose of ‘O’, sending her body into an erotic fervor, and turning her brain into mush. That was actually a good thing! With her mental capacity compromised, it was easy to repress and ignore the commands coming from the computer chip. Even better, or worse, depending on how one looked at it, her tormentor had ratcheted up her need for pleasure but left her unfulfilled, keeping her on the edge of climax but denying her completion. The cage housing the real Devon McKinley shook, each moment of crippling, mind-numbing, drug induced desire striking its walls like a battering ram. And when, finally, blessedly, her beloved Jimmy had found her, rescued her, and given her the release she’d so desperately needed, it forced open the door, allowing the real her to shine through. For a while, at least.

That was the rub. The drug and its effects were transitory, only temporary. The chip in her head, however, was continuous, incessant, and endless, sending its message of submission and obedience relentlessly, pushing her back into her prison even as the effect of the drugs in her system began to wane. The headache she had felt earlier was testament to the battle raging inside her own mind for supremacy. She’d managed, just barely, to resist its siren’s song...until her Controller, Dr. Brooks, had made an appearance, supplementing the chip’s commands with orders of her own. Even as Devon screamed in denial inside her mind, she saw herself draw a bead on her lover, her mouth speaking words of compliance to her Controller, as she fired, shooting the man she loved.

He’d lived. He’d survived. Barely. Just as he had in her vision. But now she was being commanded to finish the job, not to simply shoot him but to kill him. Just has she had in her vision. Jimmy was strong. Jimmy was tough. But he couldn’t survive another blast. Somehow, she had to fight, she had to resist—

«OBEDIENCE. MUST OBEY YOUR PROGRAMMING. SUBJECT MUST BE TERMINATED.»

No, she thought desperately as her hand rose, slowly, ever so slowly, taking aim once again. I can’t do this! I have to...have to resist!

«OBEDIENCE. MUST OBEY YOUR PROGRAMMING. SUBJECT MUST BE TERMINATED»

No, please, she thought desperately. I can’t, but...I have to...please, Jimmy...help me!

Jimmy...it was almost as if she could hear his voice again...like before, back in the cell, still deeply under the effects of the drug. His words...so floaty and airy, echoing in the deepest places of her mind.

«”...just focus on me... on my voice.. listen and obey, Devon... my voice... only my voice....“»

«OBEDIENCE. MUST OBEY YOUR PROGRAMMING. SUBJECT MUST BE TERMINATED»

«“You don’t have to do this. Listen to me. Fight! You don’t have to pull that trigger.“»

Devon’s grip on her gun wavered slightly. Jimmy’s words to her...she could still hear them in her head, could feel the strength of their purpose. She just needed to focus on them, focus on his words, on his voice—

«OBEDIENCE. MUST OBEY YOUR PROGRAMMING. SUBJECT MUST BE TERMINATED! YOU MUST OBEY! OBEY!»

«“Fight...You’re stronger than this...I know you are!“»

Her hand shook again, lowering slightly, even as the pain in her head grew by leaps and bounds. It felt as if her head would split wide open, but she focused her attention even more on his words. The chip...it was commanding her to obey. It was literally hardwired into her being. But...she could satisfy that compulsion by obeying Jimmy’s words instead of the computer’s! She just had to focus!

“Thrall? What are you waiting for?”

Just had to concentrate...

“You have your orders. Shoot him now!”

And block out everything else but Jimmy’s words from before...

“I said shoot him! Kill him right now!”

“NOOOO!” Devon yelled, turning suddenly, firing a blast at Stephanie. The blast missed, striking a wall, bouncing off harmlessly, but Brooks, realizing her control over the girl had been broken, retaliated by firing at her with her own weapon. The blast struck true, hitting the plasma cannon and knocking it out of the young girl’s hands. Wincing, she stumbled back, staring up in shock as the federal agent prepared to fire again.

“I’m disappointed, thrall,” she said with a scowl, “but no matter. It only means you get to die together with your beloved. in a way, I envy you. I wish you well in your next life.”

Suddenly, both she and Devon shuddered violently as twin lances of black inky darkness pulsed through them, piercing both of them precisely through the back of the base of their skulls. “Sorry, Doc,” I panted weakly, as my shadow tendrils shorted out their control chips, “but she’s not done with THIS life just yet. And, well, neither are you. Why don’t you both have a nice little nap and rest a while until the cavalry arrives.”

I released my hold, and, as expected, both women crumpled to the floor like marionettes with their strings cut. I sighed deeply, in relief and exhaustion. i tried to get up and go to Devon, but I couldn’t move. My body was trashed, and I wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon without a little help. Ah well. I could use the rest.

“Hey, Ghost Girl?” I inquired, glancing over at her, as blackness began to encroach on the edges of my vision. “Your friends...they’re on their way here, right? Just a few minutes away?”

“Y-yeah,” she managed, breathing hard, still smarting from the laser blast she’d taken. “M-maybe....fifteen more minutes?”

“Good,” I said closing my eyes. “In that case, I think it’s time...to earn your pay...watch over us. I managed...to burn out...chips. Dr. Brooks...Devon...don’t have to worry about them now. But...I’m out of gas. Anyone else comes along...they’re all yours. Just gonna...take five...for a bit. G’night.”

“Sweet dreams, Hero,” said Rose wearily to her now unconscious charge. She took out another smoke, wincing at the pain in her back. Only her reflex to dissipate had saved her from being killed by that first laser blast. Only the boy—the man—that she was being paid to protect had saved her from being killed by the second. Fucking embarrassing, isn’t it, Rose? she asked herself, Having your fat pulled out of the fire by the kid YOU are supposed to be protecting. Well, here’s your chance to make it up to him. Keep your damn guard up. Protect him now.

She put the thin stick of tobacco between her lips. She lit it. She took a long drag. Then she warily settled into a defensive posture, gun drawn and ready, waiting for her relief to arrive. It was a strange feeling, this... having a personal stake in a job. All of her previous missions she’d undertaken had remained simply that: missions. Working alone, working with a partner, she’d never let herself make a connection with anyone before. Staring at the young man’s battered form, lying peacefully next to his beloved, she wasn’t sure exactly how she felt about it.

Maybe it’s time to retire, she mused silently, tamping out her cigarette, lighting up a new one. I’ve almost reached my goal anyway. I figured one more big job after this one, but I’m probably close enough now. I’m obviously getting soft, losing my edge—five years ago and that Brooks chick would have never gotten the drop on me. So... maybe this is the writing on the wall. I’ll talk to HQ once I hand off Frasier to the rescue team. For now... we’ll just sit tight and hope for a quiet leisurely wait.