The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Light and Shadows VI: Blinded By The Light

by J. Darksong

Ch. 7: Remind Me How We Used To Feel

Lacie Frasier wiped the blood from the side of her face with her left hand. In her right, she clutched a long metal bo staff, the thin telescoping weapon Parker favored as a weapon. Having trained on it with him, she’d discovered that she had a real talent for it, not a natural, like Parker, and certainly not nearly as good with it as he... but with a lot of training and hard work, she’d become quite adept.

Which was good, because that skill was currently the only thing keeping her alive.

“Well, well,” Siphon noted, idly, swirling the spiked weight of her kusarigama over her head, “looks like someone has picked up a few new skills since our last encounter... and I’m not talking your ‘goddess-blessed’ abilities to fuck around with time and space. I half expected you to be nothing more than mincemeat by now... but you’re actually doing pretty well.” She smiled evilly. “Of course, you are bleeding from a couple dozen cuts, and I have yet to be touched.“

Lacie scowled back at her nemesis. “Well, not from a lack of trying,” she admitted sourly, “but then again, I’m not trying to kill you, just subdue you. Maddy... you have me here. You have what you wanted. Why not just let my daughter go? She’s not a part of our feud.“

“Shut up!” Siphon growled, lashing out suddenly with the bladed kurai end of the chain, forcing Lacie to dodge to the right. A narrow line of red opened up along her thigh, signaling that the near miss was a lot nearer than she’d thought. Siphon veered to the left, jerking hard on the chain, and the kurai arced in its trajectory, coming back at Lacie from behind. Sensing its approach, she spun, twirling her staff to deflect the blade, then ducked again as the spiked end of the chain came flying towards her. Planting her heels, she pushed up off her toes, and, planting her staff into the ground, vaulted up, lashing out with a kick, finally connecting with Maddy’s chin, sending her back into a sprawl.

The brown haired girl teetered back, then recovered, shaking her head to clear it. She smiled evilly, licking her lips. “I guess I stand corrected. Nice hit. But it’s going to take more than that to stop me!”

Lacie sighed, panting slightly. She wasn’t in bad shape, all things considered, but this was a battle of entropy. Siphon’s powers had neutralized her own to the point that she was forced to fight her naked—— her Neuroweave costume, which would have protected her from the worst of Maddy’s attacks, had vanished with her powers. And her enemy had the advantage of reach, not to mention the fact that she was handicapped with trying to take her down without killing her. Siphon operated under no such restriction.

I need to take her down, and quickly, while I still can, she thought grimly. The longer this goes on, the less likely the chance of me coming out on top. Plus... I’ve got to get to Katie. If things start going badly for her, I have no doubt Maddison will try and use Katie’s position as a hostage to her advantage. I have no idea where she’s being held, or what kind of trap Maddy set up to keep her busy... but if she’s as powerless as I am, then I need to get to her as soon as possible!

Circling around each other, both women wary of the other’s next move, Omega Girl decided to press for an opening. “You know, Siphon,” she said, casually, twirling her staff, “I don’t understand this obsession with getting revenge on me. I really don’t.” Her dark haired opponent said nothing, merely twirling the kusarigama’s spiked weight over her head. “I mean, we’ve been doing this song and dance now for more than two decades now. All this time, you could have moved on, could have made a life for yourself... started a family... made some actual friends.” Siphon’s brow creased slightly. “Instead, you’ve spent your entire adult life obsessed with me, clinging to the memory of an withered up, old—”

“Don’t!” Maddison hissed angrily, eyes flashing. “Don’t talk about Him that way! Don’t you even DARE!”

“—crusty, filthy, insane, demented—”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Maddison growled, gritting her teeth, the chain circling above her head swinging faster and faster.

“—evil fucking psychopath!” Omega Girl finished triumphantly. “He was a mentally disturbed man who kidnapped a young innocent college girl and warped and twisted her mind until she became as crazed and demented as he was!”

“I’ll fucking KILL YOU for that!” Siphon roared, lashing out wildly with her weapon. Lacie ducked the spiked weight, bringing up the staff, letting the chain wrap around it, then pulled, twisting it hard to the left. Maddy was jerked forward, but again recovered, loosening her grip in the chain, and lashed out with the other end, wielding the bladed kunai like a switchblade, slashing and stabbing at her enemy in a berserker rage. Lacie dropped the staff, dropping back into a defensive stance, dodging and twisting nimbly, avoiding slash after slash after slash, even as her opponent began backing her into a corner.

Damn. Looks like my ploy worked a little TOO well! So too damned good with that blade for me to disarm her... and I’ve got nothing to use as a shield or a deflector! In desperation, she feinted, then lunged forward, grabbing for Maddy’s arm. Steel met flesh, and flesh parted. Lacie grunted, a deep gash opening on her forearm and along her side, but she held tight to Maddy’s wrist, keeping her from withdrawing the blade back for another strike.

“Fucking bitch!” Siphon screamed, wrestling with the older girl for the weapon, finally resorting to biting her arm. Lacie screamed, losing her grip, then doubled over, falling to the ground as Maddy followed up with brutal kick to the gut. Standing over the winded, bleeding heroine, she raised the blade high. “You took my Master’s life from me, Omega Girl,” she announced loudly, eyes alight with madness. “Now I’ll avenge Him by taking yours!”

Just then, the sound of metal hitting metal sounded, as the main cell block door slammed closed...

* * *

“Finally!” the young thief grumbled as a soft yellow flash filled her vision. Blinking, pulling back from the panel, she noted with satisfaction that she’d managed to fool the biometric scanner despite its exacting specifications. Grinning, she watched as a second panel opened up, and a monitor and keyboard slid into view. The lights dimmed, and a three dimensional holographic display of the Earth formed in the center of the room.

Whoa, she thought in awe, glancing at the displayed images dancing before her eyes. I take it back. NASA’s got nothing on this guy. Inserting her PDA into the newly exposed panel, she began downloading. While it worked, she pulled out her cell phone, and made a call.

“Hello? It’s Xirix,” she said quietly, walking around the room, glancing idly at the different projects. “Yes, I’m here. I’m in.” She paused, leaning forward, staring into a large clear jar filled with bubbling liquid. “No, no real problems. Some girl was here house sitting, but the hypno-orb you gave me took care of her.” She laughed softly. “She’s floating her way through dreamland as we speak. As for the lab itself... security outside was as good as you suspected. I never would have found the entrance if I hadn’t known where to look, and even then, it took the scanner a few minutes to locate it.”

Continuing on her tour, she paused at what appeared to be a storage locker of some kind. Opening it, she frowned, finding what appeared to be several unmarked aerosol spray cans. “The security on the inside of the lab, however,” she continued, taking out one of the cans, shaking it idly, “was both really easy and insanely tough. The satellite monitor you are after was guarded with biometrics, but the main computer itself had been left on... no, really! Whoever was in here last time left it in standby. I didn’t even have to run the decryptor program!” The can slipped out of her hand, clattering to the floor. “Huh? What? Um, no, I’m not messing around in here,” she said defensively, walking back over to the computer again. “My foot just, um... knocked over a tray, that’s all.“

Checking her PDA, she grinned, finding it finishing up at one hundred percent. “Okay. I’ve finished downloading all the files. It’ll just take a moment to remove the control unit for the scanner, and then I’m out of here.” She sighed. “Kind of a pity, though. This place is amazing. If we had more time, I’d love to catalog and download the entire hard drive—” She sighed, rolling her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m just saying... yeah, Okay. Fine. I said, okay, didn’t I? I know this little mission of yours is time sensitive, but...” She frowned, then blinked. “Really? Omega Girl? Er, no, I would rather NOT run into her here. All right, I’m getting out of here.”

Moving quickly back to the satellite control module, she carefully, felt around the edges until she found the plug-in, and removed it, then, using a small pocketknife, pried the module away from the rest of the console. Wrapping it carefully with a linen cloth, she place it into an electrostatic bag, then place that into the small backpack she’d brought with her. Picking up her cell again, she walked quickly to the lab door. “Okay, I’ve got it. I’m leaving this place now. I’ll be at the rendezvous point in about fifteen minutes.” She listened, then nodded “No problem. By the time they figure out what’s missing it will be too late, and they’ll have no way to track it back to me, or to you, anyway. Just have my money ready when I arrive.” Hanging up the cell, she slipped it back into her pocket, and made her way back upstairs.

The brunette, Jessie, was right where she’d left her, staring mindlessly at the glowing spinning orb. Tapping a few buttons on her PDA, Xirix stepped back into the room, catching the orb as the light faded and the device powered down. The girl merely swayed slightly, still lost in la-la land. The thief started to simply depart, leaving the girl to awaken on her own time... but seeing her that way, noticing the state of her dress, and seeing her so open and vulnerable, she decided to have a little fun before leaving.

“Jess,” she whispered softly into the girl’s ear in Katie’s voice. “Can you hear me?”

“Mmmm... yeeaahh... Katie,” she moaned softly in reply.

Xirix giggled softly. The girl must have been completely totally gone! “Jess, sweetie, I want you to listen to me. Listen very closely,” she purred, sliding a hand down into the open waistband of Jess’ pants, smiling even wider at the wetness she felt. “You’ve been having naughty thoughts, haven’t you, baby?”

A soft slow blush spread out from Jessica’s cheeks, coloring her entire face. “ye... aaahh... naughty... thoughts...”

“Yes, I know. Naughty thoughts. Sexy thoughts. The kind of naughty sexy things that make you wet...”

“Mmmmmm... sooo... weeettt...” she slurred in agreement, her hips beginning to move into Xirix’s gentle probing. The young thief chuckled.

“God girl. Now... this is what I want you to do. When I leave here, you are going to go back to the couch, spread your cute little thighs wide, and play with your sweet hot little pussy. You’ll close your eyes and replay those dirty, naughty thoughts you were having just before I arrived, over and over, until they become more and more real to you, more and more powerful, irresistible. When you reach the point where you can’t possibly resist that fantasy any more, to where you’d do ANYTHING to fulfill it... only then will you cum.” Her mouth twisted wickedly.

“When you do, it will be the biggest, strongest, most powerful orgasm you will have ever had, and you will pass out, drifting off to sleep. You will not remember my being here, or my words guiding your actions... but you WILL remember that deep dark fantasy that made you cum, locking those dirty, naughty thoughts permanently into place inside your mind. And you’ll act on them as soon as you possibly can. Do you understand?”

“Uuuhhnn... mmm... yeah... Katie... ’um understand...”

“Good girl,” Xirix said with a chuckle. Placing the rest of her gear into her backpack, she turned and headed for the front door. Stepping through the doorway, a telltale shimmer flowed over her, as her appearance changed once more, adopting the form of a young man, wearing the face of Pablo, the pizza boy that delivered on her block. Whistling softly, ‘he’ made his way across the street to the delivery truck, heading out towards the rendezvous with the client.

* * *

“MOM!” I yelled out loudly, as Whitney and I burst into the room. Siphon glanced up at the sound, and I cringed, seeing the expression on her face. Her face was covered in blood, and something deep in my gut told me it wasn’t hers. Then she turned slightly, and I saw my mom move, and the icy feeling in my stomach melted. I wasn’t too late after all!

“Hmmpgh!” Mom grunted, kicking out with her legs as she spinning in a circle on her back. Siphon cried out as she fell, her legs knocked out from under her. The weapon-thingy she’d been holding fell to the ground beside her, knocked further away as my mom leaped atop her, forgoing any resemblance of tactical or martial arts fighting, turning into a no-holds-barred cat fight!

“C’mon, let’s go!” I told Whitney, sprinting across the cold stone floor towards the combatants. Seeing all the blood droplets all about floor, I was a bit nervous. From the brief glimpse I’d seen of my mom, she’d been rendered just as naked as myself by Siphon’s powers, but with all their rolling around and wrestling, I couldn’t tell my mom’s body from Maddison’s red and brown leotard clad form. All I knew was that she was bleeding, and bleeding badly.

“Let Omega Girl go right now!” I yelled out, grabbing the fallen kunai, holding the small short blade ahead of me like a samurai sword. “I mean it, Siphon! Let her go right now!”

The two stopped rolling, ending up with my mother, lying on her back with Maddison Jefferies behind her, a thickly muscles arm cinched in tightly around her neck, choking her. She smiled at me, a baring of teeth without the slightest bit of humor. “Hmm. Looks like some naughty little kitty got out of their kennel. So... what now, ‘kitten’? You want me to let your mommy dearest go?” She clenched the hold tighter, causing mom to gasp, clutching frantically at the stronger woman’s arm. “And what will you do if I don’t? Are you prepared to use that blade in your hand? You’ll have to kill me to make me let go. I’ve wanted this for too long, and nothing short of a killing blow will make me release her!”

“We’ll see about that!” I retorted, eyes narrowed. If there was ever a time to be lucky, this was it. Forcing myself to focus on my mom, not to think about what I was about to do, or the consequences of it all, I gripped the blade tightly by the handle, and slashed out, making a deep jagged cut.

“Aaaaaahahhhhhhh!!” Siphon screamed in agony, jerking back, as my mother slipped out of her hold, gasping for breath, rubbing at her sore and likely bruised throat. I dropped the blade, slick with her blood, and turned away, promptly vomiting on the ground. I’d never really liked the sight of fresh blood, and seeing it spurt out as I cut into the woman’s bicep, getting an up close view of muscle and tendons... I gagged, vomiting again.

I heard, rather than saw, the blow, a vicious hit that apparently snapped the screaming woman’s chin back. By the time my stomach had settled, a subtle tingling feeling had worked its way through my body, that tiny electrical zip-zap feeling that foretold the return of my powers. I glanced over to see my mom, still naked, bleeding sluggishly from more than a dozen cuts and gashes all over her body, kneel down beside her unconscious tormentor. “Can you give hand me the cloth you’re wearing, Baby?” she asked me, hand outstretched. “We need to wrap up her arm and stop the bleeding. You got her pretty good.” I just stood there, gaping at her for a long moment, her words not fully sinking in, considering the situation. “Katie? KATIE!” she barked, getting my attention again. “Give me that cloth you’re wearing. Please.”

Frowning slightly, I untied the knot keeping my makeshift sarong in place, and obediently handed it to her. “Um, Mom?” I asked, bringing back my costume again with a thought, “you’re really going to try and save this crazy psycho that just tried so hard to kill you?” Tried, and almost succeeded, I thought, but didn’t say. Mom looked back to me and sighed softly.

“I know it’s hard to accept, honey, all things considered,” she said slowly, as she wrapped and bandaged the wound, “but I just... I have to help her, or at least try. Part of it is simply that we’re the good guys, and we don’t sink to their level,” she said, glaring angrily at Maddison, “no matter how much we might personally want to.” She closed her eyes, and sighed. “But part of it is... well... I’ve always kind of felt like I failed her. Dr. Feelgood captured her, warped her mind, and, basically, made her into what she is now as a way of getting to me. Before he came along, she was just a normal college student. He kidnapped her, tortured her, brainwashed her...” She shook her head. “Maybe if I’d tried harder to find her when she’d been reported missing all those months ago... if I’d tried harder to HELP her instead of treating her like another super villain... if I’d sought her out after her Master died... maybe she wouldn’t have turned out to be the bitter unhappy woman she is today.”

I shook my head. “Momma, you can’t look at it like that. You’re always telling Jimmy and me, hindsight is ALWAYS twenty-twenty,” I reminded her. “All we can do is to try and do the best we can. Even Omega Girl can’t save everybody.” I glanced down at the unconscious form lying just a few feet away from me. “I know a little bit about her back-story too, Mom. She is where she is right now because of the choices she made. Yeah, that old creepy guy messed with her head, and turned her into his slave. But, well, he, like, DIED more than twenty years ago! He’s not pulling her strings anymore. He’s not telling her what to do. If she truly wanted something more for her life, she’s had more than enough time to try and find it.“

Lacie smiled gently, reaching out a hand to caress my cheek. “Ah, sweetie,” she said softly, “you don’t know what it’s like to lose someone who you love and care for. Loss... is a very powerful emotion, It changes a person, sometimes in real and very dramatic ways. No, you’re right about Maddy making bad choices. I don’t deny that, and I won’t defend her either. But... well... sometimes things aren’t always so black and white.” With an intake of breath, she restored her own costume, rising back to her feet as Omega Girl. “It’s my deepest dearest wish that you never have to experience such a loss in your life, baby,” she said, lifting Siphon gently up into her arms, “but if you do, I hope you remember this moment, and where surrendering to grief and despair can lead you.”

I nodded slowly, not understanding why she was telling me this. Did she think I was going to go off the deep end or something? Okay, granted, I’d stabbed the girl lying motionless in her arms... but that was only to save her life. I’d severed the muscle tendons that enabled her keep the chokehold on, but that was it. I wasn’t actually trying to kill her. And even then... doing what I’d done had made me physically sick to my stomach. Of the two of us, Jimmy was more likely to turn ‘dark’ and go all ‘evil super villain’, and if everything he’d gone through the past few months hadn’t broken him, then nothing would.

“All right! I’ve got cell coverage again!” Whitney called out from across the room. “Hell, I have, like, seven missed calls.” Dialing her voicemail, she sighed. “Hey, Mrs. Frasier... oops, er, um, sorry, Omega Girl. You want me to call 9-1-1 to send the police out to pick up Psycho Bitch for you? Or, like an ambulance or something? You kind of got shredded a bit in that fight.“

“No thanks, Whitney, dear,” she said with a small smile. “I’ll be fine. The gash to my side was the worst of them, and with my powers back, it’s already started to heal.” She patted her side gently, wincing only slightly. “Besides, I can zip by and drop Maddy off at the maximum security prison before they get here, and I’d rather have her locked up some place secure before she comes to. Can you girls hang tight while I run and drop her off? I should be back in about ten minutes, tops.”

“Sure mom,” I said with a grin. “We’ll be fine. And, worse case, Whitney’s cell is working again, so we can call for help.”

“Okay. I’ll be back soon as I can,” she remarked, lifting off gently from the ground, before vanishing in a streak of yellow and black.

With her gone, I let out the breath I’d been holding. My hands were trembling slightly and now, now that everything was okay, I could deal with just how freaking scared Id been through this entire ordeal. Partly for myself, yes, and for Whitney... but I’d been really really scared about my mom. I mean, yeah, she’s freaking Omega Girl, and all that... but she’s also my mommy, the person I turn to when everything is wrong, the one who knows how to make it all work out somehow... the one with all the answers. She’s always seemed so... larger than life. Kind of... invincible, you know? And yet, just now, she’d met her match, a woman with the ability to strip her of all her powers, to turn my larger than life hero into a normal flesh and blood woman.

Flesh and blood. She’d spilled a lot of her blood in this room, fighting to save me, I mused, glancing down at the floor. What was THAT she was trying to warn me about with all that talk about loss, and how it affects you? I shuddered inside. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose my mother like that. I had a hard time even wrapping my head around it—but, no, scratch that. No, actually, I did know what that felt like.

I’d felt that pain of loss just recently, when Nebby had come to visit. I’d shared her emotions, her feelings, through her mist... perhaps even more than she’d wanted or intended to share, and then again during that freaky mind-meld thing. Both she and Aurora have lost a mother, in a way. And then, with Sarah still missing, it was hitting Nebby so hard she could barely stand it, yet she did... she puts on a brave face, and a smile, for ’Rora, and her bandmates... even for me when she was here visiting, because she didn’t want to bum me out! Yes, looking back at it now, I could see how losing someone you love could warp you... if you let it. Her other mom, the infamous Domina Argenti, was a prime example; an alternate nightmare version of Auntie Sarah, so broken by the loss of her Mistress that she went total evil supervillain and tried to enslave the entire world.

I guess maybe I’d have to re-evaluate my mom’s words after all.

Footfalls sounding behind me signaled Whitney’s approach. “So, everything okay at home?” I asked her without turning around. “Six missed calls... sounds like someone was worried about yooouuuu—gggrrraaaaaaacckk!!”

I gasped, my hands reaching for the chain wrapped tightly around my throat, pulling hard, trying to relieve the intense pain and pressure as Whitney continued to pull harder and harder, strangling me. “Wh... whi... whit... neee...” I gasped, gurgling, slapping at her ineffectively with my left hand while my right struggling to pry the garrote around my throat loose. Besides the intense panic threatening to overwhelm me, I was genuinely confused as to why she was suddenly trying to kill me. Luckily, she decided to clue me in.

“How’s that feel, Katie?” she asked me savagely, emphasizing the word with an extra hard yank. “Scared yet? Frightened? Trying hard not to piss yourself? Good,” she replied, letting up just the tiniest bit, letting me gasp a quick and painful breath. “Master said I had to wait and play nice with you... at least until His little sneak thief managed to get into your parents’ house and steal that satellite thing He wanted.” She laughed cruelly. “It’s all kind of ironic. I’d planned to hang out with you and Jess, drug you, take you both back to my apartment and keep you under wraps for a while until your mom left to come looking for you. It was just some kind of insane cosmic coincidence, pure rotten luck, that the both of us got kidnapped by some psycho freak enemy of your mom’s from the olden days.” She shrugged. “Either way, Master’s thief took advantage of her being gone and slipped in and out with the device He needed.” The chain began tightening again. “He said I had to keep you occupied until the job was finished. Those six voice mails were Him letting me know the job is done.“

“Oh, and guess what?” she added, as my vision began to darken. “For doing such a good job, Master said rewarded me by giving me permission to fucking KILL YOU, and get you out of my fucking life forever!”

I dig in with my nails, scratching at my own flesh, trying to pry up the rings of the chain up far enough to slide my fingers underneath them, my mouth open wide, desperate for air. The blackness tingeing my vision surged, and I felt the world withdrawing. This was it. I was fading—

And then the chain snapped in half, sending me forward, landing on my hands and knees. Whitney, leaning back to fully utilize her weight in choking me stumbled back, then skidded as she stepped into the barf I’d vomited up moments before, hitting the ground hard. Recovering, breathing in that life giving element known as oxygen, I rolled to the side, facing my murderous friend, and fired a quick light blast before she could recover, wrapping her up tight in a glowing brilliant cocoon.

“NO! NO! FUCK! LET ME GO! BITCH! LET ME GO!” Whitney screamed, struggling as much as her bonds would allow. Which was, pretty much, not at all. I was still mostly in shock over this. I’d been completely blindsided. I mean...we’d been adversaries, if not enemies, before, but shit, we’d just cleared the air! We’d become friends. Hell, we’d almost fucked back in the cell half an hour ago!

As her rage finally wound down and the screaming stopped, I looked up at her, unable to keep the hurt and betrayal from showing. “Whitney,” I said, my voice breaking, “this isn’t your fault. This Master guy, whoever he is... he... he’s brainwashed you... he made you this way. But, it’s okay. We can get you some help. We can...” My little speech faltered, however, as Whitney began to laugh.

“You’re going to ‘help’ me?” She asked, derision dripping off every syllable like acid. “You? Help?” She laughed again. “Katie, you just don’t get it, do you? I know I’m being controlled. I know... because I let it happen. I surrendered to Master voluntarily when he explained that you would be my target.” She sighed, shaking her head. “Tell me, sweetie... do you remember Jessica’s seventh birthday party?“

Um, actually I did. I remembered it quite well. She’d only recently moved into the neighborhood, and, having recently returned home from visiting the cousins in Midas City, I was feeling a little sad and lonely. When I found out that the neighbor girl was having a birthday party, and that she’d invited me, I’d begged my dad to take me to the store so I could get her a birthday present. I hadn’t really known Jess all that well before then, we’d seen each other a few times and had hit it off, but it wasn’t until that birthday party, when I’d revealed the present I’d gotten her—a Powerpuff Girls Bicycle with removable training wheels—that she’d really noticed me. I’d gotten one for my birthday a few weeks before, and I’d noticing her watching with envy from her yard while Jimmy and I rode up and down the block. After that day, we’d all rode our bikes together, Jess, Jimmy and me.

“Well, I remember it all too well,” Whitney continued without pause. “Jessica and I used to be good friends back then. Really good friends. Maybe even BFF’s. Back then, I lived on the same block as you. My house was on the other side of hers, and I was the first person she met when her family moved in. Back then... my mom was a stay at home mom, and my dad was a truck driver, the sole bread winner. Well... being on the road all the time... kind of soured their relationship.” She shrugged. “She cheated. He left. The money dried up. And I... was caught in the middle.“

“Um, okay... sorry. But I still don’t see why you hate me so much!” I still didn’t see it. “What did I ever do to you?”

“YOU TOOK JESSICA AWAY FROM ME!” Whitney screamed back, stunning me. “Before that night, Jessica was MY best friend. That night, I... I didn’t have enough money to get her a birthday present... so, I took my favorite Barbie doll, my favorite toy... put it in a box, and wrapped it up to give to her. It was my favorite toy in all the world... the best thing I owned... and I was going to give it to her as a present.” She glared at me. “And then YOU came along... with your fancy expensive bicycle... and my gift, and me... were forgotten...”

I gasped. I remembered now. At the party... we were having cake, and ice cream... and one of the kids sitting down almost sat on it. She picked it up, and snorted, laughing, making some comment about how shabby, scuffed up and dirty it was. Jessica was occupied, talking with another girl, and didn’t even notice. I’d barely noticed myself at the time... but now... I remembered, Whitney, red faced, eyes wet, getting up from the table and leaving, going home.

“I hated you,” Whitney continued, eyes boring her me like daggers. “You, with your shiny blonde hair, and green eyes, and pretty smile... and your happy home life... and your money! You, who all the good things in life always seem to happen to... while others... while I... have to deal with a bunch of crap!” She sighed, closing her eyes. “So, after everything we’ve been through, after Florida, after... today... I understand you. What we talked about in the cell... I wasn’t lying. I do... like you. Want you, even.” She licked her lips. “Whatever happened in Florida... had an effect. So, yeah, I really would like to be your friend.” Her expression hardened. “But, I’m sorry—I’m afraid I hate you too damn much to EVER be your friend!”

I shook my head sadly. What... could I say to that? With a deep sigh, I sent a small light blast at her, stunning her into unconsciousness. Then, gathering my power, I flew, lifting her, still in her cocoon, upwards, out of the prison, and out into the night sky. After everything today, I really wanted nothing more than to get back home. I really just wanted to cuddle up with Jessica and unwind, and vent, and... and cry. I just needed to forget... for a little while.

* * *

Eugene frowned slightly, glancing at the digital readout display from his suit’s onboard computer. Sighing softly, he activated his suit’s sat-comm. “Hello? Honey? Aye, it’s me. Where are you?” Sigh. “I see. Well, while you were out slam dancing with an old friend, someone made a move on our home. The laboratory has been compromised. The DNA sequence scanner was taken.” He listened. “Aye, I’m sure. I set up security protocols for just such an occurrence beforehand.”

A soft groan sounded from behind him, and he stepped away for a moment, not wanting to be interrupted. “Ach, well, it’s complicated,” he admitted. “Suffice it to say, I anticipated such an action, if not the timing. And aye, it IS a verra good thing that the thief made off with it. I’d actually planned on it. The scanner has a microtransmitter embedded in its circuit board so I can track its location. As unlikely as it is that it would end up in Duncan’s actual hands, wherever it is taken, he’ll no doubt be close by. That I can promise you.”

A small compartment opened along his thigh, like a metal ‘pocket’, and he removed a long, thick line of silver coated wire. Moving back to the unconscious form on the ground, he knelt down briefly, and placed the line of wire around the man’s throat, watching in satisfaction as the ends melded seamlessly together, creating a collar.

“Aye, love... I know it was a risk,” he said after a moment, “but finding him requires taking risks. I didnae expect wee Jess would be home when Duncan made his big move, but she’s alive and well, and completely unharmed. Trust me, if the thief had been packing any weapons larger than a pocketknife, she would have never even gotten past the front door.” He nodded gently. “Yes, I know. But again, this is the way it has to be. We can explain it to them all once this is over and done with.”

The man at his feet groaned again, louder. “Well, lass, I have to go now. I need to follow up on a lead, and it’s a wee bit time sensitive. I’ll keep you updated. Give the children my love.” Disconnecting, he rose back to his feet, and removed his helmet, just as the man opened his eyes.

“So, Mr. Chang,” he said pleasantly, checking the readings on a small LCD display on his wrist, “did you have a nice nap? I’m looking for some information, and I’m hoping you will indulge me. Where can I find Duncan Frasier?”

Brian Chang scowled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. You have the wrong man. Now, please...” he said, eyes narrowing, turning a milky white, ”let me go.“

Eugene frowned slightly, considering. Then shook his head, tapping a few buttons on the wrist device. “Um, no. I dinnae think so.” A short electric burst shot from the collar around the Asian’s neck, causing him to yelp. “Sorry. I may have neglected to mention something first. Three very important things. First, I know exactly who you are, and what you’re capable of. Brian Chang, aka ‘Brainstorm’, a level B psychic specializing in mental manipulation and domination.” Gene grinned. “Well, Mr. Chang, I happen to have a dear friend who is also a psychic, one who has trained me quite rigorously to resist psychic intrusion, and shrug off the effect. While a strong enough mind, given enough time and force, could certainly break through my mental barriers, the collar around your throat will make sure you don’t get the chance.”

Chang smirked. “Heh. A nice bluff. But there’s no technology that exists that can block psychic emanations. Now, release me at onc—gaaaaaaahhhh!!” he screamed, as another electric shock flooded his body. “What the hell?“

“That’s the second important thing you need to know,” Eugene stated, arms crossed. “It’s true, there is no current technology capable of defending against psychic attack. Not yet, anyway. The project is on my to-do list, though. However, there IS technology capable of scanning the parts of the brain responsible for psychic powers, and detecting when that section is accessed. That collar around your neck is one such device. Every time you attempt to use your mental gifts, the collar ‘discourages’ you by delivering a small shock to the system.“

Growling, Chang rose back to his feet. “All right. Fine. Have it your way.” He placed his hands out in front of him, wrists together. “Take me in. Toss me in jail and throw away the key. Doesn’t matter. I have friends in very high places, and I’ll be out again before the ink on my arrest warrant dries. But let’s get one thing straight, ‘Rust Bucket’,” he sneered. “I’m not telling you a goddamn thing!”

Eugene sighed, closing his eyes. Then, he calmly placed his helmet back on, and raised a metal clad hand towards Chang. “I beg to differ,” his digitized voice announced, as a glowing yellow beam shot forth from his gauntlet. Bathed in the light, Chang let out a blood curdling scream, sinking back down to the floor, writhing, shaking, shuddering as if having a seizure. After a few seconds, he stopped, gasping, glancing up at him in shock. “That was my Theron ray. It emits a very specialized type of energy, on an extremely narrow spectrum that... well, in non-technical terms, it activates the pain receptors in the human body. All of them.”

Chang, panting, sat up, shaking his head. “You... can’t do this. You’re... Armor Man... you’re a goddamn Super. You’re a fucking law enforcement agent! This... this is... illegal!”

“I work with River City Law Enforcement, laddie, not for them,” he chided. “Very important difference. Do you know the nice thing about this Theron ray? It’s effect is transitory, meaning the pain you feel under its effect, while excruciating, is completely in your mind. Rather ironic for a psychic, don’t you think? I could beam it at you all day and all night and never do any real physical damage. Might leave you more of a basket case than you already are, Chang, but again, no physical damage. And what you just experienced was the lowest setting. There are five others.” Chang visibly cringed.

“You... you’re bluffing,” he said, desperately, trying to crawl back away from him, towards the doorway. “You’re one of the good guys. You’re a hero! I’ve already surrendered! You can’t really do something like this. It’s...it’s torture!”

“YES it bloody damn well is!” Eugene shouted at the cowering sniveling man. “It’s torture. It’s despicable. It’s barbaric. And if it gets you to tell me what you know, then it’s bloody well acceptable!” He stepped forward, closing the distance between them. “I mentioned earlier that there were three very important things you needed to know. I’ve told you two of them already. The third thing you need to know, Brainstorm, is that Jimmy Frasier, the boy you tried to have convicted for murder... he’s my son.” Chang’s eyes went wide. “You hurt him, Chang... maybe not you, yourself, and not physically” he said, again stressing the word, “but you did hurt him. Badly. I have more than fifty different potentially lethal weapons in this armor, any number of which I could use to erase you from this world permanently.” Chang again flinched. “But... because I am a ‘good guy’, I’ve decided to go with something less... messy. For the moment.“

Taking a single step towards the frightened psychic, he raised a glowing gauntlet covered hand towards him again. “That third important thing you need to understand,” his digitized voice announced, “is that I am a father first, and a hero, second... and I will do whatever it takes to protect my family.” He fired again, bathing Change in yellow light, forcing the Asian psychic to scream, once more. “Believe me, Mr. Chang. You WILL tell me exactly what I want to know. It’s just a question of when.“