The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Veiled Threats

by J. Darksong

17.)

“Okay, ladies, he’s even stronger than he was before, and now he’s pissed,” Anastasia Albinn said candidly, as she and her companions backed slowly away. “If anyone has any ideas on how to live through this, I’m all ears.”

“Sorry, guys,” Veronica Mitchell said, keeping step with the other heroines. “I hit him with my best move, my finisher. I’m all out of tricks.”

“Don’t look at me,” Karen Summers replied with a shrug. “I was getting my butt kicked when you guys arrived, remember?”

“Enough talk!” Phelps roared, fury etched on his face. “Now you DIE! ARRRRGGGHHHHHNN!!”

He charged at the trio, covering the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Anastasia, having a partial glimpse of the attack coming, managed to put up a partial telekenetic shield around the group, but suceeded only in lessening the impact. All three girls were thrown backwards, hard, skipping and rolling across the ground like a couple of skipping stones. Ana was knocked unconscious instantly, sagging to the ground, not moving. Ultra Girl, the strongest and most durable of the three, surged back to her feet, rushing forward, eye lasers firing at the brute, trying to draw his attention away from the others. Shinobi, likewsise, rolled with the blow, letting her body go limp as she tumbled, lessening the damage. Slightly dazed, she recovered enough during Ultra Girl’s distraction to regain her feet, and rush to Ana’s aid. She knelt down, checking the older woman’s vitals.

“Still breathing. Pulse is good. Nothing seems to be broken.” She nodded to herself. “That nasty bump on your head seems like the worst of it. Looks like you’ll live.” She leaned forward, kissing her cheek softly. “Take a little breather and let us entertain ‘tall dark and gruesom’... but don’t stay out too long.” Sighing, she stood up again, and opened the velcro straps of the vest she wore over her costume.

“Hey! Not to complain,” Ultra Girl yelled, ducking as a massive blow barely missed taking her head off, “but I could use a little help here!”

“It’s on the way,” Shinobi replied, taking several kunai from the vest pouch, twirling them on her fingers. “When I tell you, get the hell out of the way! I promised Parker I wouldn’t ever use lethal ordinance again, but I think under the circumstances he’ll understand.” Planting her heels against the ground, placing one last kunai between her clenched teeth, she pushed off, charging straight towards the combatants. “Okay... move now!”

Karen obeyed, rolling to the side, then leaping skyward. Phelps glanced up, smirking as he saw the ninja girl approaching him, several throwing knives in her hand, and laughed. She’d tried the same tactic on him the last time, and failed to even break the skin. He didn’t consider her a threat, and he glanced skyward towards Ultra Girl, preparing to leap up and pull her back down to earth again.

“KIIIYYYYAAAAA!” Shinobi screamed, letting fly with her daggers, aiming for his vital areas. Phelps’ look of superiority distorted to a look of astonished confusion, then pain, as he found himself pin-cushioned by no less than eight razor sharp needle-thin blades. Momentarily stunned to find himself actually injured, he fell victim to the ninja’s secondary attack, as she drew the last blade from between her teeth, slashing out at him like a madwoman. Blood, so dark red it was nearly black, flew everywhere, splattering all over her costume, but she continued to slash away... until Phelps finally fought back.

Body moving even before her mind registered the coming blow, Shinobi lithely dodged, bending over backwards, then continuing over, backflipping several feet away. Her breathing was heavy from the physical effort of her attack, but she smirked with satisfaction at the bloody wreck she’d made of her foe. “Sorry, Phelps, but it looks like we won’t be the ones dying tonight.”

Phelps staggered slightly, taking a step backwards. He reached down, gently pulling one of the daggers in his chest free. He glanced at the knife, running a finger lightly across the blade’s edge. He scowled. “Nth metal knives. Clever.” He pulled them all out, one by one, gasping slightly at the unfamiliar sensation of pain. Once the last blade pulled free, he let out a small sigh. The blood dripping from the wounds slowed to a trickle, then, before Roni’s astonished eyes, stopped completely, the wounds rapidly knitting closed. He glared at her, his lip curling. “Not bad, kid. I’d almost forgotten what real pain felt like. I haven’t bled like that since before I had my new ‘makeover’. Now... how about I make YOU bleed?”

* * *

Echo tapped his foot idly against the cement, waiting anxiously for Tina to make her appearance. Geez! Will you hurry up, already? I could have run all the way back to the base and back here again in the time it’s taking you to show up! He growled softly under his breath. Worry caused his brown to furrow... worry about the love of his life, Veronica, as well as his mother, Anastasia. I know firsthand just how brutally strong this guy is. Aside from the few outings she’d had on with Roni, stopping muggers, bank robbers, and the occasional Super, mom hasn’t been out on the streets since I was a baby! Dammit... I should be there with them! It just figures that Phelps would attack when I’m all the way out here in the middle of nowhere!

A sound caught his attention, faint, and far off, but easily picked up by his enhance hearing. He glanced around, frowning, not finding its source, but then he glanced upwards. “Ah, speak of the devil. There she is.” He grinned, then blinked, frowning slightly, as the individual coming towards him seemed to be spiraling and spinning wildly, arms flailing in a panicked manner. Oh... shit! She’s lost control of it! Seeing the girl’s trajectory, he took off, moving out of the way just as the heavily armored being crashlanded to the ground where he’d been standing.

Shaking his head, Parker went back to his friend, who had just managed to get back to her feet. “Well... not the most auspicious landing I’ve ever seen, but you definitely get points for making a dramatic entrance. Are you okay in there, Tina?”

“I’m okay, just a little dizzy,” Tina’s synthesized voice spoke out from the armor’s speakers. “I’m am kind of glad that I’m only remote operating this suit, not actually piloting this flying coffin. I don’t see how Eugene does it.”

“Well for one thing, he’s a better pilot.” He glanced towards the road leading to River City. “Are you ready to try again? We’ve got roughly twelve miles to go, and no offense, but you look kind of like ED-209 from the Robocop movies. Can you keep up in that thing?”

“I can keep up,” Tina replied, activating the armor’s rocket jets. “I just hope I can keep my lunch down. I should have thought to put a trash can beside my bed before I started.”

“Good enough,” Parker said, channeling his energies into his legs. With a burst of speed he took off, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. After a second or two, Tina sent the Exo-Armor prototype rocketing off after him.

Wow. I’m impressed, Tina thought to herself. The armor’s readouts say we’re doing about 300 miles per hour, and I’m barely keeping up with him. He must be really anxious to get back to the city. I just hope we make it in time to do some good...

* * *

“Aaahhhhh!” Roni screamed as she hit the ground once more. Panting heavily, she forced her aching muscles to move, kicking back to her feet just as Zero’s booted foot crashed down on the spot she’d been lying on a split second before. He’d made good on his promise to make her bleed; indeed, her costume was as torn and tattered now as Ultra Girl’s, and they both sported as many cuts, bruises and scrapes. Far from toying with them, Phelps seemed bound and determined to try and kill them with a single deathblow, and their wounds were the results of many near misses.

Damn. We should... run... make a tactical retreat.... but Ana’s still out, and everytime one of us makes a move towards her, he goes beserk on the other. We have to keep this up somehow... find a way to stall long enough to Ana to wake up... or for our supposed backup to arrive. Come guys... we can’t keep this up forever!

Ultra Girl landed heavily a few feet away from Shinobi. “Damn. We’re getting nowhere fast. Tell you what... I’ll see if I can hold him back for a couple of seconds, while you make a run for Ana. If you can get her lucid enough to travel, then run.” She sighed. “I’ll hold him as long as I can.”

Roni shook her head. “No. That’s suicide. You’re already pretty badly banged up as it is. We need to keep doing this as a team, protecting each others’ backs, and making sure he doesn’t get the chance to focus on either one of us too much.”

Ultar Girl smirked, shaking her head. “That method’s not working for me. Without direct sunlight to recharge my power, I’m fading fast. I’m done... but you can still get out of here with your friend.” Brushing away some of the dust clinging to her skin, she sighed. “Do me a favor, will ya? Tell that boyfriend of yours that I never really thought he was that bad a guy. a little mouty, but a good guy... and I’m sorry I never got the chance to tell him that face to face...”

As she prepared to make one final charge, a loud high pitched whine sounded from behind them. A stream of shimmering waves cut a swathe between the two heroines, striking Phelps, knocking him back several yards. As the dust cleared, a familiar blad clad figure stood before them, arms outstretched towards their enemy. “Thanks, Karen, that was actually kind of sweet,” Parker said with a smirk. “It’s a shame I only get to see this side of you during these life and death crises.”

“Echo!” Ultra Girl said, blinking. She smirked. “Normally, I’d deck your smart mouth for a comment like that... but I’m so happy to see your ugly face right now I could kiss you!”

“Ahhhh... I’d just settle for a handshake, thanks. My girlfriend’s a registered lethal weapon, and she’s the jealous type.”

“Damn straight,” Roni said, getting slowly back to her feet as well. She leaned forward, kissing him deeply on the lips. “My hero.”

“Thanks, but we’re not out of the woods yet. That little love tap I gave him won’t stop him for more than a few seconds. You two, take my mom and fall back. I’ll see if I can keep him busy for a bit.”

“By yourself?” Ultra Girl exclaimed. “Look, Echo, the three of us faced him as a group, and you can see how well we fared. Do you think you can hold him’ off by yourself?”

“Who says I’m by myself?” Parker asked, pointing upwards. Several hundred feet up, a heavily armored version of Armor man circled overhead. “Took you a while to get here,” he yelled loud enough for Tina to hear him, “but I guess better late than never.”

“Yeah, sorry. I had to make a pit stop and retrieve that trash can I mentioned earlier.”

Meanwhile, Phelps, who had recovered from the surprise attack, took in the new additions. “Well, well, more bugs for me to squash,” he said with a laugh. “And is that Tina Patrick’s voice I hear? Amazing... who would have ever guessed that Armor Man is actually a woman!” He began to glow brightly, as a white light began to pool within his hands. “After I short out your electronics, I’m gonna enjoy peeling you out of that tin can!” Suiting action to words, he fired twin beams of energy at her.

“Go ahead and try it, James!” she yelled back, firing twin streams of energy of her own. The beams struck one another, cancelling each other out. At the same time, two small gun barrels popped up from the Exo-Armor’s shoulders, firing a barrage of gun fire down at him as well. Phelps grunted, bringing up a arm to shield his face. “What’s wrong, James? Is that too much? Then you’ll REALLY flip over this one! Anti-tank missiles... FIRE!”

Twin rockets fired from the Exo-Armo’s back, arcing upwards before locking onto their target. Phelps stood his ground, however, taking the brunt of the impact, and when the dust settled, he still stood, a little singed, but otherwise intact.

“IS THAT ALL YOU’VE GOT?!?” he bellowed angrily, powering up again. “YOU THINK YOUR STUPID TOYS CAN HURT ME? I’LL TEACH YOU THE MEANING OF HURT!”

Oh, crap, Parker though, feeling the waves of energy rippling off of Zero at a distance. I don’t think she’s going to be able to block this one! Glancing around, he found a mdeium sized piece of broken lumber. Holding it like a baseball bat, he turned and sprinted several hundred feet away, then turned, streaking back at full speed. At the last instant, he swerved left, swinging his makeshift club, just as Phelps fired. The blow was enough to knock the big man off his feet, sending him tumbling over several hundred yards into a nearby rivine. The blast, knocked off target by Parker’s interference, narrowly missed, and Tina breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Wow. Looks like you got him. Good job!” she said, landing the mechanical suit next to him. But Parker merely shook his head.

“He’s not done. I gave him a pretty good hit, yeah, and I knocked him for a loop. But this guy is a true monster. We’re gonna need a lot of firepower that what you’re currently packing to take this guy down permanently. Hopefully, we can buy the others enough time to regroup and rally before Gene and Lacie arrive.”

* * *

“Uhhhnnn,” Ana moaned softly, eyes fluttering. “Wh... where am I? What happened? Is the fight over already?”

“Not even close,” Roni said with a grin. “Glad to see you’re back in the land of the living. We wer starting to get a little worried.”

“Really?” she said, sitting up. “How long was I out?” Her eyes widened. “My God! You two... you look like you went ten rounds with a freight train and lost!”

“Something like that,” Karen said with a shrug. “We had to keep him off you until you had a chance to come around. How are you feeling?”

Ana frowned. “I’ll manage. Where’s Phelps? Did you manage to stop him?”

“Not even close. We were actually about to go down for the count when Parker and his friend showed up.” Roni pointed over their shoulders. “They’re fighting him right now, giving us a chance to recover a bit and think up some kind of winning strategy to stopping this guy. He’s an inhuman HULK of a man... he just shrugs off everything we throw at him, and comes back for more.” She sighed. “And it gets worse. I actually got him... stabbed him with my Nth metal daggers... stabbed him in the bloody heart... and he just pulled the bloody things out and laughed as the wounds closed up before our eyes.” She sighed. “No... I think we were right all along. Attacking him physically is pretty much suicidal. He’s too powerful. If we’re to have any chance of stopping him at all, we need to attack his MIND!”

Ana nodded. “I agree. I just wish my sister would hurry up and get here. My telepathy is my weakest psychic atribute. If we’re going to stop him, we need her help!”

“Ask and ye shall receive,” Eva replied, materializing out of thin air. “Sorry it took me so long, but ‘sleeping beauty’ here slowed me up. I was using her psychic presence to lock in on your position, but with her out cold, I was unable to find you!”

“Well, at any rate, it’s good to have you aboard, sis. Now, if Omega Girl and Armor Man will just get here...”

* * *

“Ehhhhnnnnnn!” Echo yelled out, sending out another concussive blast. “Had enough yet, Phelps? Ready to call it a day?”

“Ha! You must be kidding!” the brute replied, “All that power you’re packing, and the best you can do is make my skin itch! Quit holding back, boy, and show me what you can REALLY do!”

Heh. Easy for YOU to say, big boy... I’m trying to conserve my strength for the long run, but at this rate I’ll be out of gas long before you are.

“Hey! Don’t forget about me!” Tina yelled out, pushing back up from the small crater her impact had caused. “You’ve still got ME to deal with, James. If you want to get to him, you’re going to have to go through me!” Activating the subroutine, Tina activated all the armor’s weapons, and fired off its entire payload. Explosion after explosion bombarded Phelps, slowly but surely pushing him back, The attack lasted for more than five minutes, lighting up the night sky for miles around, no doubt drawing crowds of people from their homes to watch in awe and amazement.

When the barrage finally ended and the smoke cleared, Phelps lay flat on his back, eyes wide. His flesh of his hands, arms, and chest were blackened, and flaking off like ash. For a moment, Tina thought he was dead, that the salvo had proved too much for him, but as she watched, new skin began to form, covering the wounds, healing right before her eyes. His eyes blinked, then focused on her. “That... wasn’t... very... nice!” he growled.

Before Tina could even think of reacting, she was flying up high into the sky, her head thrown back from the impact of an uppercut she hadn’t even seen coming. Pain lanced through her, feedback from the neural interface that translated her thoughts into actions. The interface worked both ways, however, giving her tactile sensations in response to the amount of damage the armor was taking, to a lesser extent. A good thing, too, she thought idly, as her vision rolled in time with the armor’s scanners. If I’d taken such a hit myself, I’d be dead.

Phelps reacted again, leaping up to grab the Exo-Armor’s leg as it reached the top of it’s arc, spinning it in midair and tossing it down towards Echo. Parker reacted fast enough to avoid the collision, but the impact struck hard enough that it sent him sprawling to the ground. Momentarily dazed, he was unable to avoid the twin blasts from Phelps’ eyes that struck his left leg. Parker gasped, feeling it go dead, rolled quickly to the side to avoid losing control of his right leg. Quips about a one legged man in a butt-kicking contest swirled in his head, just itching to be said, but for the moment, he was more concerned with survival. A quick flip put him back on his feet once more, but he had to hop on his one good leg to maintain his stance.

Damn. He’s taken out my mobility, my biggest asset. I can dodge him for a little while like this, but if he gets in one good shot...

Which Phelps picked up on immediately. “Ha! Got ya this time, boy!” he yelled, leaping high into the air, two heavy booted feet ready to stomp the life out of his hated foe. He landed with a loud CRUNCH, but only connected with the ground. He glanced around confused. “Where are you? Where’s you go? I know you can’t have gotten too far!”

A dark spot appeared on the ground before him, and from its inky depths a familiar figure coalesced. “You’d be surprised how far that guy can run, Jimmy,” Wyldcard said, the shadows slowly pulling back, revealing her costumed form. She pointed over at the top of the hill, where she’d deposited him safely next to his mother and the other heroines. “I’ve seen the kid in action. I know what I’m talking about.”

“Wyldcard? What are you doing here?”

Elise sighed dramatically. “Believe it or not, I’m not really sure myself. I was sitting at home, resting after a long and dreary dear at the old rat race, when this busybody psychic chick pops in, literally, out of nowhere, and lays a guilt trip on me, about how I they need me, how I should use my powers for good, choosing a side, yadda yadda yadda...” She shrugged. “Maybe I’m just an old softy, but some of her words hit the mark. So, now when I saw all the fireworks, I decided to drop by and lend a hand. Good thing too... these guys look pretty well fucked.”

Phelps smirked. “Heh... so they conned YOU into helping them fight me.” He chuckled softly. “And here I thought MacDonald only brainwashed you, not lobootomized you.”

Elise’s eyes narrowed. “You see, comments like THAT are what got the Doctor taken out!” She held up a scarlet gloved hand towards her, sending out a stream of small round globes at Phelps. Exploding on impact, the surprised brute found himself knocked back, barely able to stay on his feet as the barrage continued. When the smoke cleared, he lunged forward, attempting to overwhelm her with his speec... only to find her gone.

::What’s wrong, Jimmy?:: Wyldcard taunted him, speaking directly into his head. ::Looking for someone?:: With a slight flicker, the desert landscape faded away, transforming to the deck of a ship, adrift on rough waters. Phelps gasped, twisting abrutply to the side as the deck beneath his feet pitched wildly. Elise giggled, floating in mideair before him. ::Looks like you haven’t gotten your sea legs yet, mate.::

“Stupid girl!” he yelled out, grabbing a unsecured barrel from the deck, throwing it at her. The projectile passed straight through her, doing no damage. “Your damned illusion are only making me angrier! And believe me... you won’t like it when I get angrier!”

::I don’t like you much right now, Jimmy,:: Wyldcard retorted, shifting the scenery again, this time to outer space. Phelps gasped, suddenly unable to breath, feleing himself floating weightless in empty space. ::I know what you’re thinking. You’re not REALLY in outer space. You’re not REALLY floating in an endless void, about to asphiziate. The problem with that is that it doesn’t really matter what you think. Your conscious mind may KNOW this is all an illusion... but I’m controlling the stimulus here, Jimmy, what you see, hear, taste, touch, and feel. And if your senses tell your brain that you’re in outer space... well, guy, you might as well be there for all the good it will do you.::

“Yeah...” Phelps gasped, resisting the urge to grab at his throat. “So I... noticed. But you forgot one little thing. Even though... my brain... is trapped in this illusion... gasp I can still... affect... you... out there in reality!” With a flap of his arms, he brought his hands together in a loud clapping motion, sending out a shockwave of concussive force. The illusion broke immediately, and Phelps gulped in lungfuls of air as the desert returned to normal. Several yards away, Wyldcard fell to the ground, rendered unconscious by the sudden attack. Echo limped back towards the fallen girl, shaking her lightly, to no avail. She was out cold.

“Alright. I have to give you all A’s for effort,” Phelps said, cracking his knuckles once more, “but it’s over! You’re out of tricks, kid... and out of last minute rescues! There’s nobody left to come to your aid!”

A point was immediately rendered questionable as a silver flash of light struck Phelps in the chest, sending him flying back over the horizon. As Parker looked on, amazed, the silver streak resolved itself into a familiar man-sized form. “You alright, lad?” Eugene’s synthesized voice inquired, leaning down to help him up. “Sorry it took us so long. Looks like we arrived just in time, though.”

“We?” Parker said, anxiously, glancing around. “You mean...”

“Yes, Parker,” Omega Girl replied, dropping down lightly on his other side. “We’re both here. And your Aunt Eva as well... in a manner of speaking.” She pointed over at the small group at the top of the rise behind them. “She’s Astral Projected her consciousness here to help out, and she’s over there with your mom.” She glanced back towards where Phelps landed. “So... what’s the situation? How’s it look?”

“Bad,” he replied, briskly, rubbing his leg trying to get the feeling to return. Lacie placed a glowing fingertip on his thigh, and with a slight jolt, his nerve endings came alive once more. “Thanks. Well, okay, slightly better now that I have my full mobility back, but still pretty bad. Roni, Karen, and my mom are all pretty banged up. Ultra Girl started the battle, and it looks like she’s about on her last legs with no sunlight to recharge her powers. I’m getting pretty tapped out myself. Tina’s piloting Armor Man’s spare battle suit, and doing a pretty good job for a newbie... she nailed him with every weapon she had on that thing, and put him down for a few minutes... but then he recovered and kicked our butts.” He shook his head. “It’s hard enough to do any damage to the guy at all, but even when we DO, the damage heals right before our eyes!”

“Aye, I expected as much,” Gene murmured. “We know his powers are derived from Lacie’s genetic sample, so it stands to reason all his abilities are augmented forms of her own powers.”

Lacie nodded. “Frankly, I didn’t know about the quick healing thing. I never really got hurt as a kid, so it was never an issue. Still, it does give us one undeniable advantage.” Another sparkling touch, and Elise blinked, opening her eyes, sitting up.

“An advantage?” Parker asked, incredulously. “Really? And what might that be?”

“That he has all of my strengths... AND all of my weaknesses,” Omega Girl replied, powering up as she lifted off from the ground. “And who knows them better than the group we have assembled here to stop him?”

* * *

Phelps growled in anger, rubbing his midsection. The sucker punch he’d taken had struck like an ICBM at close range. He’d cracked several ribs on the impact, and unlike his flesh wounds, his bones were healing at a much slower rate. They hurt me, he thought to himself, rubbing his sides. They fucking HURT me! His vision begin to go red as he felt his rage building again, but he fought to supress it. No! No. I don’t need to lose control right now. I need to think clearly. If I hadn’t lost my temper and started tearing up half the countryside instead of clamly and carefully planning my attacks, I could have taken all of them out one by one. Together, they’re a lot more than the sum of their parts... they’re stronger as a team. I need to break them apart, starting now, by taking out the weakest links. He sighed as he felt his bones finally set. Once I do that, the rest of the chain will come apart in my hands.

One bounding leap cross the distance he’d been sent, and he landed a calm, cool, and composed individual ready to fight. “Ah,” he said, noticing the new arrivals, “I see the playcard had changed again. Welcome back, Omega Girl. I was wondering if you’d bother to show your face again after the beating I gave you last time. Word on the street was that you’d been so mortified at way you’d been beaten that you’d left town in disgrace.” He shrugged. “Oh well, guess you can’t believe everything you hear these days.”

“And I heard the same thing about you, laddie,” Armor Man replied, crossing his arms. “As I recall, it was ME that sent YOU running off like a scared rabbit the last time we fought.”

Phelps’ eyes narrowed as his anger spiked. “Yeah. I remember you. And it seems I have you to thank for giving me the bum’s rush a moment ago as well.” He rubbed his ribs absently. “So that’s TWO that I owe you for, metal man.”

“You might as well make it three, Phelps,” Gene said smugly. “Who do you think gave your friend Ms. Patrick her new toy to wail on you til I arrived to finish the job?”

Phelps’ bristled, anger spiking again. “Big talk, Rust Bucket! Why don’t you try your luck and see how far you get?”

“Sorry, he’s busy at the moment,” Omega Girl replied, charging towards him, fist raised. She delivered a fierce body blow, striking Phelps in the middle of his hest, and again, the grey-skinned menace found himself rocketing backwards, tumbling end over end. He landed in a sprawl, facedown on the ground. He lurched back to his feet, anger barely held in check. He took a step towards Omega Girl, then winced slightly, the pain in his ribs snaping across his nerve endings like a whip. He roared in anger and pain, not fully understanding what was going on, but more than ready to make the STUPID BITCH PAY!

“Well, love, loks like the part of the plan where we work Phelps into a mindless rage seems to be working,” Omega Girl said, standing her ground as Phelps came at her headlong once more. “I hope you get what you need soon. I don’t think I can keep him busy for too long... even with my newly acquired skills.”

Any comment Gene might have made was swallowed up in the rapid-fire melee battle between Lacie and Phelps. The grey-skinned brute was just as fast as she remembered, only this time, she was ready. A soft golden glow enveloped her, and time seemed to slow. She let her gaze unfocus, allowing herself to see the threads connecting her and her opponent. She saw his movements before they landed, saw which way he intended to move next, saw every feint, every attack, every move he was about to make. Then she gave herself over to the sensation, letting her body simply follow the paths along those threads.

Phelps was beside himself with anger, and growing madder by the second. His power and speed continued to grow as his anger grew, and yet he couldn’t lay a finger on the bitch! Blows that were powerful enough to shatter granite rained down again and again, against a woman standing less than six inches away from him—YET somehow, he couldn’t seem to connect with a single one! His anger reached its boiling point, and logic and reason vanished, and with a scream of frustration, he began swinging wildly, consumed by a berserker rage.

Armor Man watched all this intently but seemingly impassively. In actuality, his armor’s scanners were mapping every detail of Phelps’ battle, his energy outputs, and his physical reactions. The sole reason for initiating this combat was to let his suit’s scanners finish analyzing every aspect of their opponent. At the same time, his mind was running through the list of heroes and heroines available, and the best way of utilizing their abilities in order to bring this behemoth down.

Still, even then, it all rests with you, Lacie love, Gene thought. I hope you’re truly ready for this.

After what seemed like several hours, but was actually a few minutes, his armor beeped, signalling the completion of the scanning process. An idea popped into his head, and though it was risky, it seemed the best option for cutting the giant down to size. He signalled Lacie, who leaped away with a flourish, but not before delivering a final parting shot to Phelps’ jaw, sending the brute tumbling. “Okay. I got what I needed! Echo, ready for round two?”

“You bet!” Parker said with a growl, charging in. As Phelps rose back to his feet, Parker attacked, landing a punch to the villian’s face as he rocketed by, turning in an eliptical pattern, and running back, catching Phelps with another strike to the back of the head. The blows themselves did relatively little damage, but Echo was running flat out, striking him in passing, hitting then vanishing before Phelps even registered the blow. Furthermore, his speed was kicking up a cloud of dust, obscurring the area, leaving the grey skinned bruiser confused as to where the attacks were even coming from.

Heh. Interesting. I wouldn’t have believed it, but it’s actually working, Parker thought to himself as he landed yet another unrestricted hit on his foe. Not only is the lumbering ox unable to counter attack, all this momentum is actually charging up my sonic energy reserves. Heh. Using my speed to fuel my sonic energy instead of the other way around... never would have thought of that myself. His fist began to glow brightly as his gathered energies reached their peak. I guess the man really is a genuis after all.

With one final blow, Echo let loose with his Sonic Punch, sending a shock wave of concussive force into Phelp’s brain with the contact. The brute groaned, staggered, waeaving back and forth on legs suddenly turned to rubber. Skidding to a stop several yards away, Echo yelled out, “Okay Wyldcard, yer on! Go!”

“Alrighty” she said, causing her body to shimmer slightly as she assumed her crystaline form. She placed a hand down on the hard stony ground, causing the ground around her fingers to change to crystal as well. The flows of crystals moved across the open ground, coalescing around Zero’s feet. Within seconds, his legs were frozen, encased in crystal the color of quartz. Still woozy from Parker’s clobbering, he merely swayed back and forth, frozen in place from the waist down. Back up on her feet again, Elise turned to the others. “Okay, he’s caught. Everyone else, rush in!”

“Huh? Wha?” Phelps mumbled as he suddenly felt himself grabbed from behind. Tina, recovered from her earlier pummeling, brought the Exo-Armor in behind Phelps, grabbing the behemoth in a Full Nelson armlock. Still stunned and dazed, he was unable to avoid the pin, not even fully realizing he’d BEEN pinned until moments later, “HEY!” he roared, trying to struggle and break free... only to find his body unresponsive. His eyes slid to the side, then narrowed at the sight of the blonde with her hands outstretched towards him again. “Damn you! LET ME GO!” he screamed, struggling against the bonds holding him in place.

“Not a chance,” Shinobi said, with a smirk as she stepped into view. She held up a fist, which began to glow as a blade of pure psychic eenrgy burst forth from it’s center. “Remember this?” she asked, locking eyes with him. “Remember how I came up on you from behind, and jabbed this blade into the center of your skull? Into the center of your mind?” She smirked wider, slowly closing her eyes and opening them again. “I got a clear glimpse inside your head, Phelps. It’s mostly anger and rage in there... at your father, at your former instructors, at me... but mostly at yourself. You hate everything and everyone, and you just want everyone to suffer the way you’ve suffered.” She slowly closed her eyes and opened them again. “But that doesn’t ease YOUR suffering, does it? In the end, you’re nothing more than a little scared and angry boy in the body of a huge beast, crying crocadile tears for the life you wish you’d had.”

“Sh... shut up!” Phelps hissed, his struggles momentarily forgotten as he slipped deepe under shinobi’s spell. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Oh, I know,” she said, taking a careful step forward, holding the same pose. “Believe me I know. Little boy lost, that’s you. You desperately want someone to take away your pain... but at the same time, you’re it’s all you know. You’re scared.” Her smiled grew as wide as it could get, and her teeth seemed to dazzle his vision. “But don’t worry... I’m going to help you... right now!”

Phelps gasped, eyes bulging as he felt a familiar sting in the back of his mind. His vision swam momentarily, and the after-image of the ninja before him wavered and vanished. He gurgled lamely, helpless, like a worm on a hook. Unlike the previous time, Shinobi had defused his anger, disorienting and confusing him with her words, until she had him truly doubting himself. Thus he had no defense against his mind probe as it battered down the walls of his mind. He could feel her there, like spider legs crawling around in the folds of his mind... no.... no, theer was ANOTHER presence, he realized, ANOTHER mind that had accompanied the ninja, taking advantage of his momentary lapse. He yelled silently, paralyzed physically and mentally, unable to protect himself as the two psychics began combing through his thoughts...

Damn! How could this happen? Me... beaten? No! I refuse! I won’t let someone else control me again... never again! Never again!

“How’s it coming, Auntie?” Parker asked, staring at the frozen James Phelps, standing bug-eyed, as still as a statue. He waved a hand in front of the brute’s face, but got no response. “Have you neutered this guy yet or what? Staring up him like this is creeping me out!”

Never... again!

“Just a second, nephew,” Eva said teresely, both hands to her temples, “this isn’t like clipping a hangnail or something... I have to tread... carefully, and... he’s trying to resist... but I think... almost... got...” Suddenly her eyes widened. “Oh no! SHIT! Everyone back!” she yelled, as Phelps blinked, his body beginning to shudder slightly. “He’s breaking free! Omega Girl!”

Lacie dropped down swiftly, rushing towards them as Phelps began glowing brightly. She felt the hairs on her head begin to stand up, and she recognized what was coming. “Everyone, scramble!” she yelled, gathering her own power as rapidly as she could, trying to build up an Omega Blast of her own. Roni, not sure what was happening but reacting the fastest, pulled free, rolling away behind the older heroine.

“Tina! Disconnect now!” Gene ordered, sending a wireless signal to the Exo-Armor from his own battle armor. The girl managed a suprised ‘What’ before the connection terminated, cutting her off from the enhanced battle suit. Knowing he only had seconds himself, he quickly activated his own suit’s shielding, polarizing the outer layer with a static charge while disabling and disconnecting all of his suit’s computer functions.

“AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!” Phelps yelled as a huge blast of energy exploded out of him in all directions. At the same time, Omega Girl let loose with her own Omega Blast, attempting to counter his effect. The two energy fields contacted, pushing against one another, each fighting for dominance. Phelps, free of his constraints, and furious at how nearly he’d been defeated, went all out, pouring all of his energy into the blast, which swelled and finally overlapped Lacie’s energy field. The wave spread out further, sweeping past the city limits and into the city itself. The residents, most of whom had returned back to their homes at the end of the ‘fireworks display’ felt a slight tingle, then nothing at all as they slumped to the floor, unconscious. The city itself went dark as electric power was disrupted, power grids for half the city frying as components exploded from the feedback. Seconds after the blast, silence swept over the area, aside from the heavy breathing of James Phelps, the only person left aware and alert.

“Well... sports fans...” he said, panting slightly, dropping to one knee, “that looks like that decides the game. The final score... James Phelps- six, the rest of you- Zero.” Stumbling back to his feet, he walked over to the attractive blonde in the red and black ensemble. “And for your parting gift...” he rasped, raising a massive booted foot, “you get a one-way trip straight to Hell!”

“Not quite, Phelps!” Armor Man yelled out, firing from both palm lasers. The grey-skinned man glanced up in surprise as he was struck, bellowing in pain as he was knocked off his feet. His ribs sang out in agony, and he realized they’d broken again.

“DAMN YOU!” he growled, rolling over to one knee again. Sweat rolled from his brow, and he winced in pain as he once again regained his feet. “You should be out like the rest of them! Especially you! That tin can of yours should have shorted out like a metal fork in the microwave, and cooked you from the inside! How are you still able to move!?!”

“I’m an Engineer,” Gene replied, amping the power back up on his weapon systems once more. “I make my living by watching, analyzing, and strategizing. When my scanners picked up the build up of energy coming from you, I knew what was about to happen. I shut down all my systems and polarized the plating of my armor to deflect most of the blast. I even disconnected Tina from the backup unit to make sure she didn’t get fried from the feedback when you shorted out my Exo-Armor Unit. And finally... I had a little ‘help;.” He raised a guantleted hand towards Phelps again. “From the moment we first met, I’ve been analyzing you, looking for the chink in your supposedly invincible armor. And when I found it, it was only a matter of forcing your hand, getting you to play your trump card... making you burn off all of your energy in one huge blast. Isn’t that right, Omega Girl?”

“What?” Phelps yelled,swiveling his head around to glance behind him. Sure enough, the heroine was floating a foot or so above the ground, glowing with a bright golden light. She smiled, lips twisting into a smirk, as she gestured towards Armor Man, a thin golden line of energy linking them together. As he watched, several other golden threads began to unspool, flowing out, attacching to the other fallen heroes, each of whom groaned softly before stirring, and regaining their feet once more.

“You see?” Gene continued, moving over to the discarded wreck of his Exo-Armor, reaching into a small port in the back. “All of your strength, your speed, your immunity to pain... it’s fueled by that power. It’s a double-edged sword. Yes, you can usually take out pretty much everyone and everything around you in one shot... but it leaves you weakened, drain, and vulnerable afterwards. It’s why my partner only uses it as a last ditch effort, when everything else has failed. And even then, she’s smart enough to know to hold just a tiny bit of her power in reserve. Just in case.” He fired again, and again, and once more, until Phelps was unable to get back to his feet. “But... I guess you didn’t know that, did you, laddie?”

Phelps glared up at him, hatred evident on his face. He spat, redness tinged with his spittle. “Fine. You bested me. You felled the giant. Bravo. So... what now? Send me back to jail? I’ll bust out as soon as I get my strength back! Then we’ll be right back where we are now... except maybe next time it’s YOU lying here on the ground with ME staring down at you.”

Lacie shook her head. “No. This is the last time you’re ever going to hurt anyone, Phelps. I’m going to make sure of that.”

Phelps laughed wearily. “Really? You’re gonna just KILL me, Omega Girl? Murder me in cold blood?” He laughed again. “My oh my. That sounds a bit dark for you squeaky clean hero types. Not that I much care either way. Come on, hero... do your worst! Kill me, and become just as bad as me... or don’t, and watch helplessly as I return someday to take up where I left off—”

“Or, option three,” Lacie said, flashing gold once more. She reached out, grabbing the ethereal thread of James Phelps’ life, and tugged, twisting it in her grip. “Option three,” she repeated, as she continued to twist, “is where I render you helpless to anyone other than yourself. Regretfully, I can’t undo what the doctors did to you, just as I can’t undo all the pain and suffering you’ve caused those around you. I can’t fix the past. But by locking your mind and body into this one moment in time, I can make sure that we all have a futre without you.” Lashing the frayed ends of the thread together, she twisted one last time before they set, fashioning a mobius loop. With a sigh, the golden glow faded, and her eyes returned to normal.

Phelps stood stock still, eyes glazed and unfocused. His arms hung limp at his side, ans a drop of drool began to form on the corner of his lip. He blinked now and again, staring vacantly at sights that only he saw, his mind spiraling inward, locked inescapably into his own personal hell.

“Bloody hell,” Gene whispered, shaking his head. “Loveling, I dinnae ken what ye did to the lad, but it worked. He’... love? Omega Girl?” Reaching out, he caught Lacie just as her eyes rolled up into her head and she passed out cold into his arms...