The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

It was one P.M. when Lacie roused from a restless sleep. Grunting, she stretched, then wrinkled her nose. Damn. Fell asleep in my clothes again. Ugh. I needed a shower AFTER brawling half the night with Stonewall; now, I feel like running naked through a car wash. Stripping off her clothes, she padded naked through the apartment into the bathroom.

Walking in front of the mirror, she paused to look a herself. Heh. Not a pretty sight. Eyes red from crying myself to sleep, bags under my eyes... hair a tangled birds’ nest... skin even more pale than usual. Ugh. I look the way I feel. Closing her eyes, she willed the change, empowering her body through the force of her own will. Opening her eyes again, she glanced at the improvement.

Long golden blonde hair now. Clear blue eyes. Skin, a healthy warm buttery tan. No tiredness or fatigue in that face. No, you look ready to take on the world. Definitely an improvement over the reality... With a sigh, she willed herself back to normal, turning from her reflection. She turned the shower on, setting it at very hot, and slipped underneath the deluge.

The sound of the water lulled her, as it always did. Lacie closed her eyes, letting the heat and noise relax her, body and mind. A soft sigh escaped her lips, and she submitted to the soothing, gentle waves of bliss as they began to flow through her. She felt it, that floaty, familiar, not-quite-there feeling as her mind began to fade, but rather than fight it, she welcomed it, welcomed the chance to slip into a mindless state, to cease all thinking, all feeling, all sensation... to simply drift away and drown all her pain and anguish for a time.

Mmmmm... yeeesss... feels good... so goood... safe and warm...

The words echoed dimly within the recesses of her mine, faded memories of earlier days... memories of mindless obedience and surrender. An image popped unbidden into her mind: her, Lacie, naked and kneeling before her Mistress, Jeanette Lafayette, aka Parfume, as she mindlessly licked and sucked the French girl’s dripping snatch. She’d felt no attraction to her captor at all, only the pleasure and bliss of mindlessly obeying the command to pleasure her. At that moment, nothing matter more than obeying, in perfecting the simple application of her tongue, her lips, her hands and fingers, to bring Parfume the most pleasure possible.

Pleasure... mindless... pleasure... ungodly mindless pleasure...

Eyes still closed, Lacie’s hands made their way between her thighs. She hissed in dark pleasure as her fingers found her clit, rubbing, stroking, diddling mindlessly... her movements so deeply ingrained within her they were instinct. Another image, and another voice echoed lightly through her otherwise empty mind: Eva Snow, her friend, her lover... her Mistress... the tendrils of her psychic power embedded deep within her mind as she slipped her finger deep within her wet naked snatch... stroking Lacie’s clit just the way her own fingers stroked it now.

Pleasure... is obedience. Obedience... is pleasure...

A soft keening whine escaped Lacie’s lips as the memory of her enslavement and submission replayed itself in her mind. The need to cum, to feel the pleasure completely obliterate her was lost, overwhelmed by the more powerful need to submit, to obey, to surrender to anyone... ANYONE, besides herself. She needed it. NEEDED it.

The darkness inside her soul pulsed with that need.

::LACIE!!::

Awareness returned in an instant, hitting her like a splash of cold water. No, she realized, it WAS cold water hitting her. Sputtering, flailing wildly, Lacie managed to switch off the water, half-stumbling out of the shower to wrap a towel around her shuddering chilled body.

::Whew! For a minute there, you had me worried.::

Eva? Lacie thought back, sitting down on the covered edge of the toilet. Is that you? What is it? What’s wrong?

::You tell me! I was relaxing in my hotel room, getting ready to go to lunch, when I felt your mind. You were thinking about me, really intently... I felt it. Then I felt you just... start to melt away... like your mind was dissolving away! I thought maybe you were under attack or something!::

Huh. I wish...

Eva’s mental image frowned. ::Lace, I can tell there’s something wrong. You’ve been acting really depressed and withdrawn ever since... since you lost the baby.:: She ignored the Lacie’s wince and continued on. ::Dammit, I’m your friend! After everything we’ve both been through, who understands what you’re going through better than me?::

“And what do YOU understand about how I feel?” Lacie shouted back. “Have you lost a child? A father? A husband? Have you saved a whole city full of strangers only to watch helplessly as the people you care for most in the world DIE needlessly? Do you understand what it means to have so much fucking POWER,” she said, rocking the room, literally the entire building as she powered up, “and yet be unable to do a damned thing when someone you love needs you the most?”

::Yes, I do,:: Eva replied quietly, breaking through Lacie’s anger. ::I may not have lost a child, and I might have been too young to remember when my dad died... but I know loss. I know what it is to be helpless to save someone you care about. And, Lacie, I know what it is to watch someone you care deeply for destroy themselves right before your eyes... and not be able to help them.::

Lacie sighed deeply, letting her gathered power fade once more. “I’m sorry, Eva. Really sorry. I know... I know you just wanted to help. I just wasn’t ready for it... I couldn’t talk about it—”

::Sweetie, with me, you don’t NEED to talk:: Eva reminded her gently.

“You know what I mean. I just... sigh The more everyone reached out to me... you, Eugene, Parker... the more sympathy you showed me, the more it hurt. The more it brought out the simple fact that I couldn’t do anything.” She shook her head. “I thought I was over dad’s death... that I’d come to terms with it. When you came back from Midas City after all those months, I really was over it. Then Eugene proposed to me... and I found out I was pregnant, and everything seemed to be going okay, you know? Life balancing death, you know? But that wasn’t the case.”

“I did everything to be the perfect first time mom,” she said wistfully. “I read all the books, took all the right classes, changed my diet. I gave up being Omega Girl because I didn’t want to chance anything happening to hurt the baby... but in the end, just BEING Omega Girl was enough to kill it.” Tears threatened to spill over, but she held them back. “I think I could have dealt with anything else, Eva... losing the child due to an accident, or trauma... or an attack. Anything... but this. My baby died... because my body’s own power, even when I didn’t use it, was enough to destroy it!”

Eva sighed sadly. She’s not known the specifics about the baby’s death, but from the sheer anguish in her friend she’d suspected. She wanted to reassure her, say something... to give her some kind of hope, to find a silver lining within the dark cloud that had surrounded her... but she knew any words would be empty ones.

“The only things that help the pain,” Lacie whispered a moment later, “are times like this... when I lose myself in submission... when I get Eugene to dominate me, hurt me, squash my will into nothingness. And he feels guilty doing it now, knowing why I want it... need it... this constant desire to be punished and dominated, when what he wants to do is comfort me. So... I start asking for it less and less, which only makes it worse for both of us.”

::And the other thing that makes it bearable,:: Eva added, seeing the truth, ::is being Omega Girl.::

Lacie nodded. “I can’t really explain it. I mean, being Omega Girl is the source of all my tragedy and pain. If I’d never been zapped by that ray all those years ago, if I’d never become Omega Girl and started fighting crime, my dad and my baby would still be alive. And yet... when I put on the mask, when I’m out there fighting the good fight, none of that matters. Behind that mask, I’m unstoppable, indestructible. When I wear that mask... nothing hurts me.”

“AAAAHHHHH!! SHIT! SHIT! That HURTS!” Super Sonic yelled, clutching his arm. Sharp spasms of pain arced from his limb to his brain, making his vision dim with each pulse. Shit! Pretty sure its broken... though I seriously doubt ol’ Rock head will stop attacking me if I say ‘Time Out’. Shit... either his head’s gotten a lot harder than before, or he’s a lot smarter than I gave him credit for.

Andrew Jackson glared at his adversary, popping his knuckles one by one. “So now what, shrimp?” he said menacingly. “I know that last hit broke something. I felt it snap under my fist! You were lucky the last time we fought... but I’m not going to let you sucker punch me again!”

“Sucker punch?” Parker replied, slowly circling around, trying to bide for time while he thought up a plan. “As I remember it, you laughed when I told you to surrender, you stood there, put your chin out and said, ‘Gimme yer best shot’. If you just stood there and dared me to punch you, it’s hardly a sucker punch.” Parker smirked. “Besides, its not MY fault if you’ve got a glass chin.”

“WHAT?!?” the huge man bellowed. He stomped a foot, causing the ground to shudder lightly. “Glass chin? Hell no! I used to be a golden gloves boxer back in ‘69, in the navy! You popped me with some kinda device or something... brass knuckles, I dunno. No way a scrawny little punk like you K.O.ed me!”

And there’s the windup, and the pitch, Parker thought to himself. “Oh really? Care to make a bet on that? Let’s try it again and see. You can even keep your eyes open this time. Give me just one clean shot to your jaw. If I can’t knock you out, I’ll let you go without a fuss. You’ll be free to knock over every bank in River City. But, if I take you down, I carry you back to jail,” he said, gesturing at the building just a few feet away from them. “And this time, you agree to stay there.”

Stonewall chuckled. “Yeah, sure, kid. If you beat me, then I’ll GLADLY stay locked up behind bars!” He extended his chin, locking his arms behind him, still chuckling. “The day a scrawny little PUNK like you beats me in a fair fight, I deserve to be locked up—”

KA-POW!!

Super Sonic’s powered up Sonic Punch struck true, sending the seven foot tall brute flying several feet off the ground. Landing with a loud crash, the bruiser tumbled, rolling several more feet before coming to lay atop a small mound of rubble left over from his explosive exit through the prison’s stone walls. Stonewall lay face down for several moments, and the guards and prisoners, watching the battle from the relative safety of the prison, began to shout loudly, the guards cheering, the prisoners booing. Parker sighed in relief.

“Look!” a tower guard shouted.

Super Sonic whirled. Sure enough, the grey skinned man rose from the rubble, getting slowly back to his feet. Ah, man, Parker groaned, as the behemoth lumbered slowly back towards him. The prisoners cheered loudly as the guards watched silently as Stonewall made his way back to his nemesis. Glaring at him for a long moment, Stonewall smiled.

“You see, I told ya... I... er... oooh... pretty lights... uuhhhh,” he babbled, as his eyes crossed. With a last deep sigh, he fell forward, hitting the ground once more with a loud crash.

Parker released the breath he’d been holding, as the guards began cheering. Whew! Too close. I nearly crapped my pants when he got back up. “Okay, guys, he’s down and out. You can come out and put the restraints back on him again.”

The warden, Jesse Taylor, stepped forward. “Good job, Super Sonic,” he said, shaking the young Super’s hand. “I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t been in the area!”

“No problem,” Super Sonic replied through clenched teeth, coddling his arm. “Happy to help. So... how did he get loose, anyway?”

The warden scowled. “Luck. Sheer luck. During the last guard rotation, one of the other prisoners caused a ruckus in the lunchroom. A couple more joined in, and the whole thing turned into a riot. When the guards went in to break it up, one of the prisoners tripped him. He fell, losing the keys from his belt, which weren’t attached because he’d just come on duty when the riot broke out. The keys literally fell into Jackson’s lap.”

Parker nodded. “Well, stranger things have happened. At least he’s being sent back to his cell now.”

The warden sighed. “Yeah. I know River City has a bad reputation as a ‘revolving door’ for super criminals... but this was just ridiculous. It’s hasn’t even been eight hours since Omega Girl dropped him off.”

Super Sonic, just about to take off, stumbled, turning back to face the warden. “Wait, wait, wait a second. WHO did you say just dropped him off?”

“Omega Girl,” the warden replied. “She caught Jackson trying to knock over the First Street Bank late last night. Dropped him off a little before dawn, I believe. I’m surprised you didn’t know. I thought you Supers kept in touch with things like that.”

“Yeah, one would think that,” Parker mumbled softly, as he began to sprint.

Well, looks like Lacie’s out of hiding, he thought to himself, turning up the volume on his iPOD. Maybe I should talk to her, let her know about what’s going on with these missing girls. If she’s really back, and going on patrols again, she could really come in handy with something like this. He winced, nearly stumbling, as the rapid fire movements of his arms sent another stab of pain through him. Ugghh! If nothing else... she can handle the slack until my arm heals up.

Skidding to a stop at River City Memorial Hospital, he pulled out his cell phone. Before he could dial, however, it began to ring. “Hello?”

“Ah, perfect timing,” Jerry announced brightly. “I was just about to touch base with you. Stonewall Jackson just broke out of prison, and he’s near your area—”

“Not any longer,” Parker replied. “I just sent him back to jail. No passing Go, and no collecting $200.00.”

Jerry blinked. “Wow... you ARE fast. Well, um... okay then. So... how’s the investigation going so far?”

“It’s not. I’m outside the hospital. Stonewall did a number on my left arm, and I think it might be broken.”

“Damn. Sorry to hear that.”

“Not as sorry as I am,” Parker quipped. “Still, all’s not lost. I was just about to call Lacie and catch her up on what’s going on here—”

“What? Lacie? No, no, no... I don’t think that’s a good idea at all,” Jerry replied.

“Huh? Why not? Omega Girl is definitely back in action. She’s the one that took down Stonewall and put him in lock up to begin with. Considering the fact that she’s a heck of a lot more durable than I am, I don’t see why we shouldn’t get her involved.”

Walking through the door, Super Sonic blinked as conversation around him died completely. “Um, okay. I was... uh... wondering if I could get a couple of X-rays taken? Of my arm?”

A red-haired nurse stepped forward. “You’re Super Sonic, aren’t you? I saw you on the news last week. You saved that busload of kids from going off the bridge when their driver had a heart-attack and crashed into the side rail.”

Parker blushed slightly. “Um, yeah, I guess I was in the right place at the right time.”

“And you are today, as well. My niece and nephew were on that bus. C’mon back in the back, honey, I’ll get the doctor.”

“Um, yeah, but, I...” he protested. He glanced around the waiting room, half-expecting to see those waiting around to be seen go ballistic at his prefential treatment. Instead, everyone was smiling, nodding softly.

“Go ahead, son,” an elderly man with his hand wrapped in bandages said, gesturing with his good hand. “We all know who you are and what you do. No one’s going to begrudge you getting looked at.”

“Um, thanks,” he replied sheepishly, following the patiently waiting nurse.

She led him into an empty room, and told him to have a seat. “Don’t worry, honey, the doctor will be right with you.”

“Sounds like you’re a bit of a celebrity, Parker,” Jerry replied from the cell phone.

“Yeah, something like that. It still takes a little getting used to, even after more than a year.” He sighed. “Anyway, Jerry, I don’t see why you don’t want Omega Girl involved in this. You’re one of her closest friends... I would think you’d know by now what she’s capable of—”

“Dammit, I DO know what she’s capable of, alright!” Jerry exclaimed. “Look, its been a hard year for her, alright? Physically, she’s pretty resilient, but emotionally... I just don’t think she’s ready for something like this. Not yet. Especially if it turns out that the hunch I have is right...”

Frown. “And what hunch is that?”

Jerry sighed deeply. “Okay... I did a little more digging. It seems like a couple of those missing girls, and a one or two of those missing Supers have showed up in Midas City, of all places. A few days ago, I saw news footage of an illegal human slave auction being held in Midas, being broken up.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember. Silver Girl’s triumphant return. She, some purple-haired babe, and another heroine... umm... what’s her name...”

“Patina,” Jerry supplied. “Yes, they managed to break up the gathering. Several rather notorious characters were captured, and most of the slaves recovered, among them several of the missing girls on my list. They’d all been deeply brainwashed, and were under extremely potent mind control compulsions. The problem is, the whole thing is too big, too well organized, and too well funded to simply end with a single bust. Who knows how many such auctions were held before this one was broken up? I seriously doubt this was the only one, and that everyone involved in this affair was captured.”

“You think they’re still out there, then? The Masterminds behind all the kidnappings?”

“Undoubtedly. What’s more, the abductions weren’t just limited to Midas, although this particular auction was being held there. No, this was merely a minor setback at best. The auction bust was a five days ago, and we’ve had three more abductions here in River City since then.” He paused. “I wouldn’t be surprised if an auction was going to be held here as well.”

Parker opened his mouth to reply, only to shut it as the door opened. A tall thin, brown haired an with glasses entered. “Ah, you must be the man I’ve been hearing so much about,” the doctor replied. “Super Sonic. A pleasure to meet you, young man. Simply a pleasure. Now, what seems to be the problem?”

Half an hour later, Parker left the hospital, a cast on his arm, and a lot on his mind. A slave auction... here in River City. Damn. I’d just started to think of this place as ‘home’, instead of just another city to protect. Something like this, though... it just seems so wrong. I mean, sure... we have crime. Bank robbers, killers, thieves, mad scientists, even half-crazed walking monoliths like Stonewall, yeah. But... an evil mind-controlling slavery ring? He closed his eyes. No wonder Jerry didn’t want Lacie involved in this. Sheesh... she’d just begun to recover from having her mind twisted like a pretzel by those Mind Five guys, only to go through it all again at the hands of her best friend. No... better to handle this myself... even with a busted arm. It’s up to me to find those missing girls.

Sprinting along again, passing several cars, he wondered. The only question is, where do I start looking?

“Looking good, Strobe,” Nancy grinned, watching the blonde beauty work her magic over their helpless ‘captive’ audience. “A few more hours of your... ‘special’ treatment, and dear sweet Veronica will be more than ready to be put on display.”

Helen Lumis merely smirked, too focused on her current task to be bothered to respond. A series of sparkling lights flickered from her fingertips, dancing, bobbing, weaving, circling in the air in front of a very dazed Veronica. With her will, Helen caused them to sparkle and dim, pulsing in a frantic subliminal rhythm, filling all of the ninja’s vision. Had she still the state of mind to try and look away, the strobing flickers of light would have followed, compelling her eyes to watch their hypnotic dance despite any resistance. Unfortunately, Veronica had absolutely no resistance left.

“You’re doing good so far, my little toy,” Strobe cooed softly. “Just continue to watch my little light show... let it empty your mind even more... bringing you more and more pleasure, even as it empties you more and more. It’s hard, I know... hard to be so empty... so completely void of thought... void of will... but it feels soooo good... so very good... that you can’t help yourself... you NEED to be this empty... no thoughts... no will... none... an empty slate...”

“Empty... slate...” Veronica whispered softly, cumming yet again, her hips twitching, held in place only by the restraints.

“She’s still at it, hmmm?” Tammi asked, eating a banana, leaning up against the glass window. “I swear, Helen probably gets off on this shit more than anyone else I know.”

Nancy smirked. “Oh come off it, Threads. We both know the only reason you’re grumpy is that you want your own crack at her.”

“Damn straight I do,” she said, rubbing her jaw. “Stupid cow nearly took my head off with that sword of hers... and my ears are still ringing from that damned glowing hand trick of hers! I owe her big time, Fade.”

“Now, now, Tammi dear,” Fade-Out replied, wagging a finger. “You know the first rule of our little club: Don’t make it personal. Keep business as business. This tasty little morsel is going straight to the Collector, anyway. She specified exactly what she wanted with this one, too—an empty slate, mind open and ready to be filled with anything she cares to fill it with. That’s it. And that means no collateral damage to the property in question.”

Threads grumbled softly. “Whatever. Not like I really care, anyway. I just want this whole thing to be over and done with, so we can leave this city and go back on the hunt again.”

“What’s wrong with River City?” Fade-Out asked, running a hand through her long raven hair. “Nice scenery, lots of adorable cuties, plenty of places to have fun at night. What more could you ask for?”

“A city without Omega Girl, for one thing,” Threads retorted. “She’s definitely one of the A-list supers. She’s strong, like Superman-strong. And fast. And smart. You remember my cousin, Lenny? He came to River City a few years ago, him and his partner Frankie. Stole some experimental mobile weapons platform from the military base, and decided to hit the River City Depository. Well, Omega Girl fought them. Lenny hit her with everything from machine guns to lasers, and from grenades to surface-to-air missiles... enough firepower to level the city.”

Nancy blinked. “And?”

“And, nothing. Didn’t even ruin her makeup, he said. Pissed her off, though. She cracked the tank open like a walnut, and tossed them both into the slammer. Cousin Lenny’s still serving his thirty year sentence.”

Nancy considered. “Well... sounds interesting. Might make hunting a bit more exciting to have another predator out mingling with the prey. Personally, I like the idea of the challenge.”

Yeah, you would, Tammi thought dismally, rolling her eyes. Of course, not EVERYONE can turn invisible and hide while OTHERS do all the fighting. Out loud she said, “Be that as it may, I’d prefer to drop off our girl, collect our pay from the Collector, and get the hell outta dodge. We can try hunting somewhere a little less off the beaten track, where the resident heroes don’t bench-press trains or semis for exercise.”

“Tch... fine.” Nancy replied dismissively. “At any rate, I’m going to call our employer and give her a status report.” She walked out of the room, muttering softly to herself. Tammi sighed deeply.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother to stick with her. Sure, we make a pretty good team, and so far, we haven’t run into anyone we couldn’t handle as a group... but there’s no need to tempt fate. Lately, Nancy keeps pushing us into dangerous situations, like earlier in that damned alley... she could have easily taken the ninja girl at her home, or in bed asleep, all by herself. There was no need to fight her to bring her down... Nancy just wanted to humiliate her.

And I’m the one who ended up with the migraine.

Staring through the window, she watched Helen complete her mental domination of their captive. Even after all this time, it was still difficult not to get sucked in, and become tranced by her light show. Although, it wouldn’t really be so bad if I did... at least for Helen. I wouldn’t trust Nancy with my wallet, let alone my mind, but Helen... yeah. I wouldn’t mind serving... under her.

Almost as if she’d heard Tammi’s thoughts, Helen glanced up at the window and smiled, winking. A soft sigh of longing escaped Tammi’s lips. A former magician’s assistant, Helen moved with a natural grace and showmanship that easily attracted the eye. Dressed in form fitting blue spandex and matching navy blue calf boots, the blonde vixen painted a very attractive picture. She found it easy to imagine that sweetly curved body clad in a one-piece sequined bikini, smiling brilliantly, gesturing with those soft, smooth, feminine hands to distract the crowds from the magic happening in the foreground.

Watching her walk towards the doorway now, Tammi reconsidered. The way she moves, SHE would be the real act, and the magician would be a mere distraction.

“All done,” Strobe announced, shaking out her blonde mane. “Took a bit longer than I anticipated. I bet she was a strong-willed girl before you and Fade softened her up for me.”

“You have no idea,” Threads replied, handing her partner a soda. “Even after Fade doped her up, the girl stayed on her feet, even made a move to grab her sword and attack.” She shrugged. “Or so Nancy tells me. I was flat on my back at the time.”

“I don’t see why she insisted on doing it that way,” Helen declared, scowling. “There was no need to put you through that when she could just as easily have taken her unaware at any time over the past week.”

“Actually,” Nancy retorted, appearing out of thin air, “I had a very good reason for doing it the way we did it.”

“Yeah,” Tammi agreed. “Because you’re a sick psychotic bitch that likes to torment your prey, as well as your teammates.”

Nancy grinned evilly. “Be that as it may, I followed our mindless little captive in there for more than a week, learning all of her habits, her fighting techniques, her strengths and weaknesses. I learned exactly what she was capable of, but more than that, I learned what kind of person she was. You’ve all read her file... you know her history with The Fist. If you want to subdue and subvert someone like Shinobi, and bend her to your will, you don’t capture her when she’s defenseless. You beat her at her own game. You challenge her, you give her the best fight she’s ever had, and then defeat her. That breaks her spirit, and a broken spirit will control a person stronger than the most intense brainwashing possible.”

Threads and Strobe glanced at each other. As much as they hated to agree with her, they both knew Nancy had a valid point. Whether or not that was actually true in this particular case, however, was still up for debate. “Since you standing here, taking a breather,” Nancy continued, leaning against the window, “I can assume our newest little toy is all prepared to meet her new owner?”

“Ready to go whenever the Collector wants her,” Strobe replied. “All she has to do is say the word.”

“Consider it said,” Fade Out replied, pulling a fax sheet from her pocket. “She was most eager to have Veronica delivered to her, and she even added a nice fat bonus to our pay for finishing the job so quickly.”

“Good.” Tammi glanced over at Nancy. “So what’s that?”

Nancy chuckled softly, shaking her head. “Oh, oh, this is rich. This is just perfect! Ha ha! We’ve hit the big time! Ladies, it looks like we’ve really impressed the right people. It seems a few friends of the Collector are trying to recoup after the incident at the last auction... trying to recover their losses a bit. With the heat still on up in Midas right now, she has been authorized to subcontract for them to resupply their stock. She just faxed over a ‘shopping list’ she needs us to fill. Here, take a look.”

The two girls looked over the list, then blinked in surprise. “Wow,” Tammi said, whistling. “Every one of them a super. Looks like we’ll be doing a bit of traveling, though... some of these people are local, but the rest of them are spread out all over the country—” Eyes widening, she shook her head. “Dammit, Nancy! We talked about this! No way... no way in HELL. I refuse.”

“Refuse what?” Helen asked, taking the paper. “What are you talking about?”

Nancy shrugged. “She means number eight on the list. Tammi’s just afraid she’ll end up like her dear cousin Lenny—”

“Shut up, dammit!” Tammi barked. “This isn’t funny! There’s a BIG difference between going after someone who shoots sparkles from their fingertips, and someone who can shatter every bone in your body with one punch!” She shook her head furiously. “Uh uh. Not us. Not me—”

“Sorry, Tammi, but I already accepted the job,” Nancy pointed out. “You know the people we’re dealing with here. We deliver as promised, no exceptions. You know what happens to people in our profession that fail to deliver.”

“We end up on one of those lists ourselves,” Helen finished. “Shit. Nancy, do you have any idea how much I want to kick your ass right now?”

“Save all that anger for our target, Strobe,” Nancy cautioned. “Okay, yeah, its foolhardy, its dangerous, but if we pull this off, we can each retire to our own private island in the Bahamas. That’s what its all about, after all. So come on. If we work together, as a team, we can take down anyone... even Omega Girl.”