The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Omega Girl

* * *

Author’s note: I have to say, there were a LOT of influences for this story, er series of stories, actually: A Nony Mouse’s “Black Kat...” stories, Master Miller’s “Not Your Normal...” story, Krazy Kay & PsiLance’s very creative “Witchgirl...” Matrix-like story, Decker’s “Psyche v/s Lash” story, and of course, Madame Kistulot’s “...Silver Girl” series. Those... and that my sweet Shelley-girl bought be Spider-man 1 & 2, X-men 1 & 2, Daredevil, and The Fantastic Four, all on DVD. shrugs Go figure. Anyway, this story is more ‘setup’ than actual MC, but it is in there... kinda HINTED at, but its there. Enjoy!

* * *

“Hey! Ms. Gilbertson! Wait! Wait a second!”

Lacie Ann Gilbertson sighed deeply, eyes rolling skyward in a silence entreaty to God for the virtue of patience. Moments later, David Krantz sprinted into view, gasping slightly with the exertion. The 42 year-old Administrator was never seen without his trademark pipe, preferring the old fashioned way of smoking to cigarettes or cigars; years of continuing that vice had given him chronic emphysema, and as a result, his thin, gasping, whiny voice always sounded wet, as if he were about to hock up a gob of phlegm at any many. Indeed, catching up to her, David turned to the side and spit, leaving a large yellow-tinged spot on the sidewalk. Lacie cringed in disgust.

“Ms. Gilbertson,” he said again, panting. “Surely... you did not think... I wouldn’t notice... your attempt to leave?”

Taking a deep breath, pushing back a strand of long black hair, Lacie spoke. “Mr. Krantz, we’ve been through this before. I have to go. You know that. I told you the circumstances... I have a very sick father on home care, and occasionally, I have to leave to tend to him.”

The balding Administrator scowled. “Yes, yes, so you say. Ms. Gilbertson, this is an institute of higher learning! Such learning can hardly take place when the teacher of Quantum Physics just suddenly decides to up and leave—”

“I’ve already explained the circumstances, Mr. Krantz,” Lacie interrupted, losing patience. “I left explicit lesson plans for the rest of the week, in case anything unforeseen happens with my father. Jamie, my TA, has been fully briefed, and is more than capable of taking over the class for a day or two.” Crossing her arms, she glared back at the older man. “I have covered all the bases, Mr. Krantz. Just as I always do.”

“That... that is not the point!” David sputtered indignantly. “I know you had an ‘understanding’ with my predecessor,” he said distastefully, with a sneer, leaving little doubt as to what circumstances he believed accounted for such leniency, “but he has retired, and I am now the head Administrator at this facility! I simply will not abide having you come and go as you please!”

Losing patience, Lacie leaned forward, peering directly into his face. “Yes, you will,” she said coldly.

Blinking, he jerked back. “What?!?”

“I said, YES you WILL. Read my contract, Mr. Krantz. It’s a ten year contract, carefully worded and negotiated with your predecessor, Mr. Ahlquist, an honorable man. Knowing of my qualifications and my standing at graduation, he was VERY happy to have me signed to this school, willing even to include the stipulation that I CAN, indeed, come and go as I please, to care for my ailing father, as long as I make arrangements to have my classes covered in my absence.”

David opened and closed his mouth a few times, completely at a loss for words. Lacie Gilbertson had the reputation for being a gentle, soft-spoken teacher, good with her students, and whip-smart, but, shy. Which, in his mind, had translated to being a pushover. ‘Looks like there’s a bit of backbone underneath that lovely exterior after all,’ he thought dimly.

“I need to go,” Lacie said with a sigh. “I’m sorry if I’ve been less that respectful or courteous,” she added, generously, having made her point, “but you have to understand the situation. It’s in my contract, it’s iron-clad, and it can’t be helped.” Her pager went off again, and she checked it, reflexively. “Damn. I’ve got to go. We can discuss this later.” Pocketing her pager, she sprinted across the parking lot to her car, leaving David Krantz standing, still trying to come up with something to say.

Sighing deeply, Lacie flipped open the dashboard console of her car as she speeded off. “Sorry about that, Jerry. What have we got?”

A pale, thin, scrawny black-haired man appeared on the screen. “It’s nothing major, just a bank robbery in downtown. These guys were a bit creative, though. Seems they’re packing some serious heat.” He shook his head. “If my information here is correct, these idiots are using a couple of Dr. Atom’s pulse cannons for weapons.”

Lacie gasped. “Pulse cannons?!? Damn! Are they suicidal?”

Jerry shook his head. “No, just stupid. Background checks show these two robbers are just a couple of low-level thugs, juvenile hall graduates that decided to upgrade from simple convenience store robberies to bank heists.” He frowned. “The real question is, where did they get hold of firepower like that?”

“We can deal with that later,” Lacie replied, dismissively, pulling her car off the road in an abandoned stretch of highway. “For now, I just better get there and stop them, while we still have a city to save. Keep in touch, Jerry, and let me know if you come up with anything new.” Shutting off the monitor, she slid out of the car.

Checking the area carefully to make sure no one is coming, Lacie moves into the grass. Then, focusing her concentration, she summons the incredible power within herself, the awesome power lurking just beneath the surface. A soft nimbus of light begins to glow, surrounding her, glowing steadily, becoming brighter, until finally, with a sharp crack like thunder, the light dissipated, revealing... Omega Girl.

The transformation was startling. Standing an even six feet tall, Lacie’s pale white flesh had changed to a soft butter tan, her jet black hair now a startling golden honey blonde. Her modest clothes had changed as well, transported into a pocket of subspace instantaneously as her costume appeared on her. The baggy, concealing clothes had hidden lusciously sculpted body underneath, the same body that her skin-tight, jet black costume revealed so tastefully. Her body was firm and tone, muscular, but not to the point of excessive, a perfect balance between strength and femininity Many a criminal had underestimated her, to their peril, distracted by her appearance, her soft, firm, 44DD breasts, her sweet, full lips, and her bright sapphire blue eyes.

‘Well, if you have it, you might as well use it’ she thought to herself with a grin as she extended her powers, leaping into the air, using her Omega Force to propel her like a rocket towards downtown. ‘I only hope these two criminals are as easy to distract as most men are.’

* * *

“Is that all of it?” Marvin asked, shoving the barrel of his weapon menacingly at the bank teller. “I said, is that all of it? Speak, bitch!!”

“Ye-ye-yess!” the terrified girl cried, shaking to herself. “It’s everything! I swear!”

Marvin smiled evilly. “Good. It better be. Otherwise, I’m gonna be pissed. And if I get pissed...” he gestured over at the Jeffrey the security guard. Or rather, the REMAINS of poor Jeffrey. Not believing that the two would-be robbers were in fact carrying real weapons, he had pulled his revolver, ordering them to put their hands up. Marvin had reacted instantly, firing the stolen pulse cannon, sending deadly lasers streaming at the surprised security guard, cooking him from the inside like a hotdog in the microwave. That small display of power had guarantied complete and total obedience from the employees and patrons, each remembering Jeffrey’s screams of agony before he died, and each fearing to be next.

“I’ve got everything I could carry outta the vault,” his partner, Lance, said, a large bag in one hand, his own pulse cannon in the other. “This has gotta be the best haul we’ve ever had. C’mon, Marvin. Let’s get the hell outta here!”

Marvin laughed, backing away from the teller slowly. “Didn’t I tell you, man? All we needed to hit it big was the right kind of firepower! The cops won’t be able to touch us with these things! Hell, we could fry the entire police force from fifty feet away!”

Lance chuckled. “Yeah, I know. After all the times they came and busted us, I almost wish they WOULD try and swarm in here!”

Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and Omega Girl landed inside the bank from a hole in the ceiling. “Sorry to ruin your fun, but I decided to come instead.”

“Shit!” Lance cried, dropping into a crouch, firing his weapon at the same time. The beam struck the heroine squarely in her chest... and did absolutely nothing. “It’s Omega Girl!” he cried, continuing to fire uselessly.

Omega Girl sighed. “Why do you villains always do that?” she asked. walking forward. “You try something, firing a weapon, and it doesn’t work, so instead of doing something different, or running away, you KEEP SHOOTING.” She shook her head. “Just drop the gun and I’ll go easy on you.”

“Never! You fucking bitch!” Lance turned the weapon up to full power, seeing Omega Girl’s eyes widen. “You ain’t taking me in without a fight!”

Damn! Lacie thought quickly. That damn fool pushed the weapon to full power! I’m going to have to take him down after all! Raising a hand, she fired a carefully focused bolt of Omega Beams at the man’s head. The energy blast struck squarely, disrupting the electrical impulses in his body temporarily, stunning him. With a gasp, he slid bonelessly down to the floor, the weapon clattering to the ground beside him.

“Hold it!” Marvin cried. Omega Girl whirled around, to find the second robber holding the frightened bank teller from behind, another pulse cannon aimed for her head. “Stay cool, hero,” he said, sweating. “I’m getting out of here, see? The girl comes with me, and unless you want her brain boiled from the inside, you’ll back the fuck off!!”

Omega Girl watched him pensively. It would be so easy to release an Omega Burst, a wide area blast of Omega Beam radiation throughout the entire area, and stun the criminal like his partner. Unfortunately, the main problem with Dr. Atom’s prototype weapons was their instability. As she’d learned the last time she had fought him, her Omega Beams tended to speed up that instability, resulting in a chain-reaction that always ended explosively.

Still, she couldn’t let the robber get away with his hostage.

“Alright, okay,” she said, backing away slowly. “You win. You’re holding all the cards. Just take it easy. There’s no need to hurt anyone, alright?”

“Yeah,” Marvin said smiling. “Yeah. Just be cool. Everyone, be cool. I’m just going out the back, here, and if no one makes any sudden moves, this girl won’t be hurt.”

Omega Girl nodded, watching patiently, keeping an eye on the robber, waiting for her moment to strike. Backing away slowly towards the back entrance, Marvin frowned, trying to open the door behind him. Keeping his eyes on Omega Girl, he fumbled anxiously for the door handle with his free hand, the other keeping a tight grip on his weapon. “Dammit, where the fuck is that doorknob,” he muttered. Finally, he turned and glanced to the side, finding the knob, gripping it with his free hand.

Glancing back up an instant later, he gasped in surprise.

“I’ll take that,” Omega Girl replied, holding tightly to his wrist. She twisted slightly, and with a cry, dropped the pulse cannon into her hand. Freed, the bank teller scrambled back into the bank. Marvin, holding his aching wrist, glared at her.

“How the fuck did you do that?”

“Super speed,” she said deftly, tapping him lightly on the side of his head. The man gasped, then sighed, his eyes rolling back in his head, slumping to the ground from the contact-based Omega Beam. “Well, that takes care of the danger. The police should be able to come in and clean up the rest of this mess—”

“Omega Girl! Look out!”

Turning, Lacie cursed softly. Lance, the first bank robber, had regained consciousness, and had retrieved his weapon. Aiming straight for her, he smiled. “Die, bitch!”

“NOOOO!!” Omega Girl cried, too late to stop him.

Too late indeed. Dr. Atom’ eccentric madman that he was, had designed his weapon with a sliding power scale, from one to ten, ten being the maximum. However, there was an ‘eleven’, an overload setting, labeled as ‘FULL POWER’. Why he’d included an overload state on his own weapons, the demented doctor had never stated; nevertheless, the weapon held by Lance was so positioned. And activated.

Lance’s smile of victory turned to a grimace of discomfort, then a gasp of horror. A bright light had enveloped him, a light that seemed to seep into his very being, eating away at him, cell by cell, atom by atom. Less than a second had passed, but as the pain hit, it seemed like an eternity in slow motion. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened in a silent scream, as he felt himself, literally, dissolving.

Omega Girl was already moving, streaking across the floor so fast a line of sparks flew behind her from the friction. Lance was already dead, she knew it. She was fast, but not faster than the speed of light; even taking the pulse cannon away wouldn’t stop the physical degeneration once it had started. Taking the cannon in hand, protected in a field of Omega Force, she leaped high through the hole in the ceiling, streaking higher and higher into the sky. Half a mile over the city, she turned and threw the device as far away as she could. Two seconds later, a huge explosion lit up the sky, like a second sun, then dissipated.

Crisis averted, she thought dimly, dropping back down towards the bank. Now there’s just the aftermath to deal with.

* * *

Five shadowy figures stood around a large screen monitor. The first figure, holding the remote control, clicked it off, then turned to face his comrades, an evil grin stretched across his lips. “Didn’t I tell you she was magnificent?” he asked rhetorically. “The things we could do with this little filly in our stable.”

A round of consensus flowed about the group.

“I quite agree,” a male voice spoke up. “She could be very useful to our plans. She is obviously very powerful, as well as very clever. Her track record so far speaks for itself.”

“Too true,” a seductive female voice spoke, “but then again, she hasn’t come up against the likes of US before, has she?”

Laughter. Then...

“Not that I consider myself the calm voice of reason,” the male voice spoke again, chagrined, “but do we know everything about our target? Her powers, her abilities, her allies? I mean, we know the OBVIOUS things: she can fly, she is incredibly fast, and strong, and she can fire laser beams. But, well, what else can she do? I would hate to try and use my powers on her, to control and enslave her, only to find out they have no effect on her.” He shuddered. “I don’t much appreciate the idea of being pounded flatter than a pancake by the very target we are trying to acquire.”

“Ooh, laa, laa,” a second female voice with a strong French accent spoke. “You are afraid of ze cherie?” She shook a finger, tsking loudly. “I have always zhaid you were more BRAINS zan BALLS.”

“Listen here, Frenchie—”

“Now, now, people,” the holder of the remote control spoke again. “Stop the infighting. Our successes thus far have been ONLY because we have worked as a TEAM. If you start fighting before we even put our plan into action, it is doomed!” Silence greeted him. “Good. Okay, now, our cautious colleague here has a very good point. We need to do a few more tests before we actually try to acquire her... just to make sure. Now, are we all agreed?”

Four of the five nodded their consent. The fifth, the most VOCAL of the group, quiet until now, finally spoke. “Yo, yo, like, I agree with this, and shit,” he said after a moment, “but, like, I think we outta keep it on the down-low. For real. If we’re, like, gonna do this, we need to use punk-ass busta off da street, ya know? Let him do the dirty, so we stay clean. Ya feel me?”

The two girls looked confused, and the cautious man merely glanced at the leader. “Yes,” he replied after a moment. “He has a point. We should test her... but by proxy, using an agent of our own to do the work. If she succumbs, good, but if not, well we haven’t lost anything, and we’ve gained information.” He chuckled. “That’s called, ‘a win-win situation’, people. Okay. Let’s get busy.”

* * *

“Good work, Omega Girl,” Police Chief Donald Anderson said briskly, standing outside the First Federal Bank building. “Fine work. You saved all these people... hell, the whole city. I think everyone on the west coast saw that explosion.”

“Yeah,” Lacie said dismally, “everyone but the security guard, and that hapless burglar.”

Donald shook his head. “Now, now, my dear. You can’t blame yourself for that. You’re a super heroine, now God himself. You can’t be everywhere. No one is to blame for their deaths but the criminal himself, Lance Wilson, and he’s already paid for it.”

“No. There is someone else to blame,” Lacie said in a low voice. “These guys were small timers, no doubt. They never could have put this little plan together by themselves, and none of it would have worked without Dr. Atom’s pulse cannons.” She glared back at the Chief. “Speaking of which, where the hell did they get those things, anyway? I thought the police confiscated all of Dr. Atom’s inventions when he was arrested!”

The Chief averted his eyes. “Yeah, well, um,” he stammered, “we’re still checking into that. We have a list of all dangerous weapons consifgated from the supervillians you’ve brought in, all of which are locked into a titanium strengthened vault. When this whole incident was discovered, we checked the vault... and the two pulse cannons were missing.” He sighed deeply. “It’s quite disturbing to think that we have a mole within our police force... but there’s no other explanation.”

Lacie sighed softly. Her heart went out to the Chief. It really did. Still, it was up to him to keep track of those weapons. It came with the job. It was his RESPONSIBILITY. And if there was one thing she knew about, it was responsibility.

“Look, Chief, I have to go. I’ll check back with you in a few days and see if you’ve turned up anything. Meanwhile, I have a few leads of my own to check out.” Forming an Omega Force around her, she leapt into the air, streaking across the sky. Donald watched her go with a deep sigh.

Well, she did the hard part, actually stopping these crooks. I guess its up to me to do the rest. Sliding into his car, he headed back towards the precinct to begin searching for the mole.

Airborne, Omega Girl tapped the earpiece receiver in her costume and spoke. “Jerry, did you turn up anything else about those two bank robbers?”

“Yeah, actually,” his voice responded instantly. “It seems that they were serving a two-year sentence for a misdemeanor... speeding with no driver’s license. They’d served about sixty days before being released... but under strange circumstances.”

“Strange? How so?”

“Well, they basically have rap sheets longer than your legs, Lacie, and the judge originally wanted to throw the book at them, make them serve the maximum sentence. But then, three days ago, some hotshot lawyer made an appeal on their behalf, and the judge did a complete 180, setting them free with time served.” He chuckled. “The DA was livid. He filed an official protest on the matter, which I found only with a lot of deep and thorough searching. And you know our District Attorney—Matt does NOT like to lose. Well, apparently, after meeting with Wilson and Weaver’s lawyer, he also did a complete about-face. He even made motions to have the charges dropped, and begin the process of esponging their criminal records, saying they were simply ‘...victims of a harsh and unforgiving society’.”

Lacie bit her lip. “That is strange. Do you have any info on this lawyer?”

“Well, that’s the thing. The name he gave—Richard Nixon, of all things—was an obvious alias. There’s no match of anyone with his description with that name in any database. He’s basically a ghost, Lace... doesn’t exist. However, I did find a mention of a ‘Richard Nixon’ visiting the city lock-up yesterday. He even signed in. Funny thing is, there was no one being held yesterday... all the cells were empty. So... who was he there to visit?”

Omega Girl landed lightly in the side of the road near her car. “Hmmm. Interesting. I’d be willing to bet this Mr. Nixon is the one that took those two pulse cannons from the secured vault at the jail. Whoever he is, he seems to be a very persuasive man. The real question is, WHO is he? What does he want? Why go through so much trouble to let loose a bunch of small-time crooks and give them such firepower? It doesn’t make any sense.”

Seeing the coast was clear, she focused her powers again. The nimbus of light returned, growing brighter and brighter, as she transformed back into her normal persona once more. The black, skin-tight satin dissolved, slipping back into sub-space, as her original clothes returned. Her beautiful hair darkened, going black, and as the power slid back down inside her once more, her skin lightened, going pale once again. Only her eyes remained the same, glimmering a perfect sapphire blue.

Sliding into the front seat of her car, she sighed again. “Well, its getting late, Jerry. I need to get home and check in on dad. Keep me apprised of the situation, and let me know if you come up with anything.”

“Will do, Lace,” he replied. “Don’t worry. I’ll have something for you before bedtime, at the latest.”

Lacie smiled. “What would I ever do without you, Jerry? You’re the greatest.”

The dark haired geek merely chuckled. “Well, far be it for me to argue with Omega Girl. After all, Superman has Lois Lane at the Planet, doing his research. Spiderman back in New York has that photographer at the Bugle. You, well, you got the best computer hacker in North America on your side.” He grinned. “I think you came out a lot better.”

* * *

Lacie stepped into her father’s house with a tired sigh. It always depressed her, using her father’s condition as an excuse to leave the university early to fight crime. Anyway, it wasn’t a lie, not really. Her father WAS infirmed, and did need her to check up on him, repeatedly, during the day. Still, she felt a surge of guilt whenever she did, finally, return home to check on him. You’d think I was still ten years old, caught playing hooky from school, she thought ruefully.

“Ms. Gilbertson? Is that you?”

A short, chubby black nurse entered the living room. “Ah, it is you. Thank goodness you’re home.”

“What? Why?” Panic gripped Lacie suddenly. “Is something wrong? Susan, is it my dad? Is he—”

“Land sakes, child,” the older woman tut-tutted. “Relax yo-self. Take it easy. Everything is fine. Your father’s fine. He just missed you, that’s all.” She smiled softly. “She asked for you, Miss.”

Lacie’s heart skipped a beat. Dropping her coat and purse, she rushed down the hall into her father’s room. Susan, shaking her head but smiling, picked up her coat and hung it neatly on the coat rack.

Twenty years ago, Professor James Gilbertson had been a famous scientist, a genius in the fields of Physics and Quantum Mechanics. Divorced, living alone with his daughter, he’d received a huge government grant to help develop a new type of radiation shield, a vital component of the United States’ aptly named ‘Star Wars’ project. One day he discovered what he hoped to be a new and effective type of radiant energy, which he termed, Omega Rays, and hoped to harness as an energy source. So caught up in his experiments, the professor hadn’t noticed his curious eight year old daughter sneaking into the lab, to see what all the excitement was about. Noticing at the last minute, James left the protective lead shielding to rescue his daughter... just as the device fired.

The result... eight year old Lacie Ann Gilbertson had been blessed, her body enhanced, empowered, gifted with extraordinary reflexes, speed and strength, phenomenal endurance, and the ability to recover at an astonishing rate. The strange energy transmuted her cells in a way that allowed her body to generate and use Omega Rays naturally, to store up and even project concentrated bursts of that energy at will.

Her father, on the other hand, had suffered greatly. The negative aspects of radiation exposure: he’d been poisoned, his body’s cellular structure changed, not beneficially, but to cancer. EVERY cell of his body had been affected, giving him nearly every type of cancer known to man, and several more previously unknown. The project was abandoned, and the research discontinued. He received the best medical treatment available, and slowly recovered, but the damage done had been extensive. A robust man of thirty-five, he now had the body of a man twice his age. Most of his cancers were in remission, but one or more would randomly return, flaring up suddenly, leaving him weak and drained.

“Daddy?” Lacie said, timidly, standing in the doorway. Her gray haired father, now fifty-six, looking ninety-six, opened his eyes and stared at her. Her heart beat painfully in her chest; on a good day, her father was almost like his old self, joking, smiling, telling her how proud he was of her. On a bad day... Alzheimer’s, yet another curse of that most memorable day, often robbed him of all memory of everything beyond that day. Most days he didn’t recognize her, still thinking her an eight year old, alarmed and confused as she explained, patiently, again and again, that she was Lacie, his little girl grown up.

James smiled warmly, holding up a withered, bony hand. “Ah, there’s daddy’s little superhero,” he chuckled. “C’mere, and give yer old man a hug.”

Lacie did so, gratefully, hugging him tightly but gently. “Old man, indeed,” she teased. “You always told me, you’re as young as you feel. If that’s true, you’re younger than I am.”

Her father laughed, which served as a balm to her very soul. “You always did like my sayings, sweetheart. Contrary to popular belief, I am NOT the all-seeing, all-knowing fountain of knowledge.” He yawned. “So... what did you do today? Susan wouldn’t let me watch TV, you know—”

“Now, daddy,” Lacie began, “you KNOW the stuff on TV is upsetting, and the doctors said—”

“Yes, yes, I know,” he said dismissively. “The doctors say I need to avoid all undue stress. The doctors... the doctors,” he muttered. “The same doctors said I wouldn’t live past my fortieth birthday. That was sixteen years ago, Lacie Ann.”

Turning away, she sighed. “Can we not talk about you and dying in the same sentence?”

His hand, still strong, gripped her arm. “Now, now, daughter of mine,” he chided her. “We both know its going to happen, eventually. Death comes to everyone, you know.” He smiled when she turned back to face him. “I taught you about responsibility at a young age... first when your mother left us... and then again when I became... unwell.” He sighed. “I think maybe you took my lessons too close to heart. It is one thing to choose to use your powers for the good of all, to become a hero, and save people that need you. It’s quite another to expect to save everyone... to win against every single challenge.”

Lacie blinked, tears beginning to form. “You heard... about the bank robbery.”

James patted the radio walkman beside the bed. “Susan lets me listen to the radio when I’m especially good. Omega Girl saved the day, saved the city... but I knew that my little girl would be focused only on the two deaths.”

Lip trembling, she knelt next to her father, burying her head in his chest like she did when she was young, and let the tears fall. Her father held her, as always, whispering words of encouragement and understanding to her, and slowly she cried herself out. It was strange. Of the two of them, Lacie was physically the most powerful. She could easily have snapped the older man like a twig. And yet, emotionally, he was her rock. No matter how confused or how distressed she became, her father’s presence always calmed her.

They spoke for a while longer, just talking, Lacie simply enjoying a day spent with her father in which he was lucid and remembered her. She tried not to reflect on the fact that the bad days were starting to outnumber the good days. When it became time to say goodbye for the night and return to her own apartment, she hesitated. “Hey daddy,” she said, lingering at the door, “have you given any thought to my suggestion? You know... about moving out of the suburbs and into my apartment in the city, with me?”

“No, darling,” he said shaking his head. “I told you. This is my home. You have your own life now, baby, your own space. You’re finally moving forward, and the last thing you need is to take a step backwards by moving back in with your ailing father.” He smiled. “I’m fine here. I have Susan to take care of me, and you can come by to visit me whenever you want.”

Lacie opened her mouth to protest, but nodded. Her father was stubborn, and very, very independent. Rather than stay in a nursing home, he’d insisted in staying at HIS home, and having a live-in nurse to care for him. If he wanted to spend his last remaining years in his home, then she wouldn’t push him on it.

Back out in the car, her pager went off again. Checking the number, she cursed softly. “Damn. Lost track of the time.” Taking out her cell phone, she quickly called the number back. Unfortunately, the voice mail picked up.

“HI. This is Eugene Fraser’s voice mail. I’m not here right now... because I’m standing around outside The Loft waiting for my errant and late girlfriend to show up for dinner. Please leave a message... unless you are Lacie Gilbertson... then please leave a long and involved apology.” BEEP.

Dammit “Okay, Gene, I know I’m late. Really late. I was at Daddy’s, okay? You know how I lose track of the time. But just hang on, alright? I’m on the way now. I’ll be there in a few minutes. I swear! Just wait for me, okay?”

Clicking off the phone, she pressed harder on the accelerator. Entering the city limits, checking her watch, she let out a small sigh of relief, only to groan as police lights came on right behind her. “Oh, man, and I was only five miles per hour over the limit!” Sighing deeply, she pulled off into the side of the road, reaching for her registration, when the police car streamed by doing better than seventy. Seconds later, three more patrol cars roared by. Frowning deeply, she turned into the nearest parking lot, parked, and ran into a nearby alleyway... emerging moments later as Omega Girl.

Taking to the air, it wasn’t hard to find the location of the disturbance. Bright flashes of light lit up the evening sky just to the right of fifth street downtown, near the new construction site. “Great, just great. Another looney with a super weapon of some kind. And this started out to be such a nice day.”

The young man standing atop the unfinished building laughed gleefully, firing randomly down at anyone and anything that moved. With the body of a champion weight lighter, Sirus moved easily in the heavy backpack which served as the power source for the plasma gun he carried. The thick body armor he wore hampered him virtually not at all. Switching on the helmet’s microphone, he shouted down to the people scurrying like ants below him. “That’s right, vermin! Crawl away! Flee before me, like the putrid roaches you are! I’m the Exterminator, and anyone that gets in my way is gonna get EXTINGUISHED!!”

Spying a police helicopter coming into range, he whirled, firing his weapon. A blast of hot white light enveloped the chopper, and it burst into flames. Sirus cheered gleefully as the damaged vehicle dropped like a flaming rock, heading towards a particularly populated stretch of road. “There! See! You are all like insects to me! I warned you to stay away... now feel my wrath!”

People below screamed in fear. Several people ran wildly, looking for cover and finding none. One woman, knowing herself dead, merely closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable. BZZZZZTT! A soft yellow glow lit up the sky above them, and the woman opened her eyes to see... a young woman? Flying?

Omega Girl grunted with exertions, keeping her Omega Beams focused on the helicopter, keeping it aloft. The pilot and officers inside were unconscious, but alive; carefully guiding the still-smoking copter, she set it down on an empty stretch of street. Another beam of power knocked the door away, sending it, crumpled, to the pavement. “Get those guys out of there,” she yelled to the police and firemen on the scene. “Warn everyone else back as well. I’m going to stop this maniac before he can do more damage!!”

Heading towards the top of the building again, Omega Girl swerved quickly, dodging blast after blast of energy as The Exterminator fired, trying to knock her out of the sky.

“Damn, you’re pretty quick,” he said, grunting, as he turned around and around, trying to keep up with her. “Persistent, too. Still, you’re nothing but a flea, compared to me!” He turned again, this time, anticipating her, and fired where Omega Girl was dodging to.

Outflanked, she fired back, her Omega Beam blocking the plasma blast. A Mexican stand-off, or so it seemed. Moving closer and closer, Omega Girl made her way towards the madman, slowly but surely pushing his beam back. Perturbed at this development, Sirus pulled something from his pocket, and lobbed it at the floating beauty. Reacting quickly again, Omega girl fired a second Beam from her eyes, destroying the object... only to gasp and cough as the container burst, releasing a pale white cloud of smoke.

Dizzy, Lacie fell to the roof of the building with a thud, shaking her head, trying to clear it. Stars danced before her eyes, and the whole world seemed to spin wildly. “Ugh... what... was that... some kind of... poison?” she asked weakly, struggling to get back to her feet.

“No, not poison,” Sirus said grimly, making his way across the roof, his weapon at the ready. “Just a little something cooked up by a friend of mine.” He stared down at her. “You really are out of it right now, aren’t you?” Rearing back, he kicked, hard, in her ribs. Lacie gasped, rolling over, still trying to shake off her wooziness. Sirus merely laughed, moving over to kick her again. “This is fun! I never had the chance to kick a person when they’re down before. It’s usually me that gets all the kicking.”

Down, but not out, Omega Girl rolled early, grabbing Sirus’s leg, and pushing, sending him flat on his back. Unsteadily, she regained her feet. “I don’t know what that stuff was, but it didn’t finish the job. I’m still here, pal, and now I’m ready for a little payback.”

The Exterminator reached for his weapon, but a blast of Omega Beams disabled it. “You’re coming with me, Bug-man,” she said, firing again, this time at the man’s chest.

“Maybe later, bitch!” Sirus snarled, leaping back up, before Lacie’s stunned eyes. “I my suit insulates me from your little stun blasts. I came prepared, bitch. Too bad you weren’t prepared for me!” Pressing another button on his suit, a piercing noise issued forth from the speakers in his helmet. Lacie tried to put her hands over her ears, only to find herself, frozen. Paralyzed. Panic welled up inside her, straining with all her power to move a finger or toe, but finding her body completely unresponsive. The only things that she could move were her eyes.

Of course! Her eyes!

“Well, this has been fun, Omega Bitch,” Sirus sneered, coming up to stand right in front of her. “I could spend the rest of the night squashing you like the insignificant gnat you are... but I’m afraid I have other plans.” He raised a handgun, a .45 caliber, and aimed for her heart. “It’s low tech, I know, but sometimes the old ways are the best ways.”

NOW! Lacie thought to herself as she fired. A focused blast of Omega Beams shot form her eyes, striking him squarely in the face. This close, she could sense, could FEEL, the negative charge running through his suit, deflecting her powers. The helmet, on the other hand, was NOT insulated. The moment she had become frozen, she realized the helmet couldn’t have carried an electrical charge AND allowed the sonic devices embedded in it to function, both at the same time. Caught completely unprepared, Sirus groaned, falling back, head over heels, to land face down on the roof. The helmet struck hard, and suddenly the loud rhythmic pulse ceased.

Able to move again, Omega Girl grabbed the unconscious evil-doer and flew him down to the street below. “Here, gentlemen,” she said to the policemen waiting to take him into custody. “Lock this one away someplace dark and damp... and preferably infested with roaches.”

The officer nodded. “Thanks again, Omega Girl! We couldn’t have...” But she was already gone, streaking across the night sky.

* * *

Gene Fraser sighed heavily, glancing at his watch again. “Okay. This is ridiculous. I give up.” Turning to walk away, he bumped into a startled Lacie.

“Gene!” she said, breathlessly. “I... I’m here. I made it.”

“Aye,” he said stiffly, holding her at arms length. “Just in time to see me head for home.”

“No! C’mon! Please?” she begged. “I know I’m late, but you have no idea what I had to go through just to get here! There was... a disturbance downtown—”

“Aye, I ken,” he said with a deep sigh, his Scottish burr coming out as it always did when he was upset. “Lacie, its ALWAYS a disturbance. There’s always some emergency, some crisis, that keeps us apart! I’m no one to go on about predestination... but it seems to me that maybe the fates dinnae wish us to be together!”

Lacie barely hid her frustration. This day just kept getting worse and worse! “Look, Gene, I’m sorry, alright? I don’t know what more I can say. It wasn’t my fault. My life is... what it is. I have a sick father to take care of, and that takes a lot of time. I have duties... RESPONSIBILITIES. I love you, Gene... but there are going to be times where things just... well... happen.”

She placed an arm around him. “Besides. I’m here now, aren’t I? It seems a waste to be here together, all dressed up, and not go in and eat... just because you’re mad.”

“And rightly so!” he retorted. Still, seeing the earnest look in her face, he subsided. “Ye ken... if you TRULY wished to make it up to me... to make amends... we could skip dinner and go back to my apartment.”

Eyes rolled skyward, Lacie shrugged away. “Why is it that every time we have an argument, sex is your way of ‘making amends’? Is that the ONLY reason you go out with me? Because of the sex?”

Crossing his arms he scowled. “Well, gee, lassie... I wouldnae ken... since its been more than a month now since I’ve had any!”

“Dammit!” Lacie yelled, stomping a high-heeled foot down hard. The crowd of people milling about outside the restaurant stopped and stared. Lacie, blushing, shook her head. “Listen, Gene... its been a really shitty day for me, okay? I don’t think tonight is a good idea to get together. I’m sorry you wasted your whole night here waiting for me, but I just don’t think its going to happen right now.” She turned to go. “I’ll call you in a few days, okay? I just need some... private time.”

Eugene stood stiffly watching her walk away. “Aye,” he said after a moment. “Private time.”

Back at the parking lot where she’d left her car, Lacie was fuming. She knew it wasn’t Gene’s fault, that if anything it was HER fault. Still, she was so angry she was seeing red. “Damn him, and his stubborn Scottish hide,” she mumbled under her breath. Things hadn’t been the same between them since the last night they’d slept together. He’d wanted to try something... kinky. Just a little D/s play, nothing really unorthodox. When he’d suggested she play a submissive, she’d refused. He’d pushed, saying it was only play, but she’d been adamant. What had started off as an enjoyable night had quickly deteriorated into a shouting match, complete with broken vases and smashed lamps. It had taken her three days to swallow her pride and call him again. They patched things up, and the incident was forgiven... if not forgotten.

Now he sees every missed date, or every reschedule as me avoiding him! she thought, seething. As if I’m afraid to face him again! Me? Afraid? Ha. If he really knew how I spent my spare time, he’d have a cat! She muttered softly to herself as she drove back to her own apartment. The worse thing is, its NEVER my fault, and I always end up being the one to apologize! She felt sorely tempted to let her secret identity slip, to show him who she really was. He’d probably be all over himself to apologize then, she thought with satisfaction. Oh, but I’d make him squirm for it, first, before I forgave him.

The dashboard computer beeped, and she slammed a hand down on the receive button. “What?” she yelled, testily.

Jerry blinked, pushing his owl-eyed glassed further on his nose. “I take it your date with Gene didn’t go so well tonight,” he said dryly. Lacie just glared, so he continued on. “I have news for you. I was able to find a definite link for you on our mysterious Mr. Nixon, and the two bank robbers. And our luck must be holding out, because I even found a link to this evening’s little snafu with Sirus Foutz, aka, The Exterminator.”

Eyes narrowed. “A name, Jerry. Give me a name.”

“Er... okay. Everything points to a Brian Chang, a recent graduate of Harvard Law, and MIT, your old alma mater, I believe. The guy’s only twenty-one, some kind of uber-genius, he could probably but even your old man to shame.” Seeing the look that comment drew, he hastily continued on. “Took forever, but I found an address on him: 165-A North Gehkler Way. No job, no parents—he was adopted by a Mr. and Mrs. Chang who died five years ago. A real ghost, Lacie.”

Knuckles white from the grip on her steering wheel, Lacie nodded grimly. “He just might be when I finally get my hands on him.” Turning left, she set out for Gehkler Drive, on the other side of the city.

* * *

“Well, I take it you’re all satisfied?”

The shadowy figures nodded vigorously. The leader, holding the remote control, moved back to his seat and sat down. “As you can plainly see, she is remarkable in every way. Clever, resourceful...” he grinned evilly, “and completely luscious, if the body underneath that painted-on outfit is any half as lovely as it appears to be.”

“Mmmm, yeah,” a female voice agreed, licking her lips. “We should take for that reason alone, even if she wasn’t going to help us take over the city.”

“Hell, yeah, girl,” a second male voice agreed. “She’s da bomb, yo! I can’t wait to tap that ass!”

“Oui, it is all well and good,” the French-accented woman piped in. “Just as long az we are all agreed zat zis is primarily about ze plan to take over ze city? I, for one, do not choze to waste ze effort just to capture a zex partner for all of you, non?”

“Just because you prefer Dick to Bush doesn’t mean the rest of us should look a gift horse in the mouth, ‘Par-fume’,” the first girl shot back.

“Hmph! I would expect somezing like zat from ze likes of you! What do you expect with a name like ‘Peep-show’!” Parfume retorted.

“Oooh, girlfight,” the third male voice finally spoke up. “Hey, FX, I told you we should have brought a camera the next time the five of us met!”

“Yo, for real, tho’, Brainstorm,” the young black man agreed. “Who do you thinks gonna win?”

“I put twenty on Peep to win,” Brainstorm responded immediately.

Indeed, the two women were circling one another, with the clear intent on fighting one another. As members of the Mind-Five, they were forbidden from using their powers on one another. Still, disagreements happened, and there was nothing in the rules to prevent them from beating the hell out of one another.

“Whore!” Peepshow yelled angrily.

“Tramp!” Parfume answered back.

“Slut!”

“Bitch!”

“Cunt!”

“ENOUGH!!”

Everyone turned to find the oldest member, Dr Reginald Mathews glaring at them all. “What the hell is WRONG with you people?!? I know you’re young, in your twenties, but dammit, act your ages, not your shoe size!” He gestured back to the monitor, clicking the remote. “The homing beacon Sirus was able to attach to her before being captured shows she’s on the move... on her way here!”

That information brought everyone to attention. “Here? Now?” Brainstorm asked, wide-eyed.

“Yes, here, and yes, now. Don’t sound so surprised. It was YOUR idea to lure her here with a trail of breadcrumbs and a link to your old identity after all. We’ve all seen she’s not stupid. She would have found us eventually... she just did it a little sooner than expected. It doesn’t matter. We’re ready for her, and she knows nothing about us.” This mollified the anxious faces in the crowd.

“I recommend we do it just as we rehearsed, just as we planned,” Brainchild spoke. “We do this by the numbers, each of us hitting her with our all, leaving her no chance to recover. You go first, Parfume, then you, Dr. Feelgood,” the older man nodded, “then you FX, then you, Peep. I’ll finish her off with a mind blast that will take her down for the count. Then,” he said gleefully, “she will be ours... to do with as we please.”

((to be continued...))