The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Eva scowled slightly as she eyed the dilapidated old wreck of a house from a distance. Perhaps it had once been a rather remarkable old Victorian, the house of a wealthy socialite in a bygone era. Now, it was simply a wreck. She glanced again at the numbers on the surrounding properties, then sighed. “19305 Walter Lane. Damn. If this is the place these missing girls were sent to, it’s no wonder they’ve turned up missing.” Closing her eyes, she scanned the area, then sighed again. “Hmm. No one home, though I would have been surprised if they actually had been someone here.” Taking out a flashlight, she made her way up the ruined remains of the stairs, to the entryway, which stood wide open.

The interior of the house was just as rundown as the outside, and Eva pinched her nose closed as she passed one particular area that smelled of vomit, urine, and something else she didn’t wish to dwell on. She hurried past, moving into the area that most likely once served as a kitchen. Here, she paused. Like her twin sister, Anastasia, Eva possessed a number of psychic gifts. In her case, telepathy was her strongest, most prevalent gift, but in this case, she decided to use another, most subtle gift.

Putting herself into a light trance, Eva let her eyes glaze over and go out of focus. Her vision wavered slightly, and she had to concentrate on NOT focusing on the blurry images that began to dance in front of her eyes. Later, she would be able to look back through the myriad images, and decipher what had abilities had showing her, but for now, she shut down her conscious mind, and let her psychic senses record everything they could.

Her feet began moving of their own accord, following the trail her subconscious was leading her to, down the surprisingly well cared for cellar stairs into a large empty room. She continued to stare blankly for several minutes, her eyes slowly panning from one side to the next, before focusing on a site near the far wall. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as she continued to stare at that one spot for several minutes, before turning, and making her way back up the stairs again. Moving back down the hallway, she turned, this time heading upstairs to what had no doubt served as the bedrooms. Unerringly she made her way to the far end of the hall, to the last door on the right, and stepped inside. Again, she stood for several minutes, staring sightlessly at nothing, before making her way back down the hallway, and down the stairs again.

Outside the house, she walked slowly but steadily back towards the rear of the property, where she stood for several more minutes, before finally, closing her eyes. Stiffening, Eva shook her head, blinking rapidly as her conscious mind returned. Glancing about her surroundings, she scowled. “Ah, bloody hell,” she muttered glancing down at her white kid leather boots, as she made her way over to the grass. “Next time I decide to play ‘Scooby Doo’ I’ll have to remember to bring my hiking boots.” Then she knelt down closer to the ground, squatting to keep from getting mud on the rest of her. Smirking, she took out her cell phone and snapped a picture of the pair of tire tracks still visible in the muck.

“Gotcha. You can run, my friend, but you’ll no longer be able to hide.”

Parker took a long deep breath, and let it out slowly. He let his mind clear, pushing away all distractions, until there was nothing left but him and his opponent. He shifted his stance slightly, twisting on the ball of his left foot, as he brought both his hands up to the ready. His eyes narrowed, as did the eyes of his opponent. He waited, standing completely still, not moving a muscle, completely open to his surroundings, but ignoring them, focused only on the opponent before him. He was ready, ready for the slightest move, the slightest twitch, the barest hint of a muscle flexing—

The breath caught in his chest as the edge of a sword pressed lightly against his throat.

“And, you’re done,” Veronica said needlessly, removing the blade, sliding it easily back into his sheath.

Parker growled, kicking the wall. “Dammit! That’s five for five! And this time, I didn’t get distracted! I kept my eyes on you the entire time, Roni! So tell me... how did you do it? I mean, one minute, you’re across the room, bare handed, and the next, you’re behind me, with your sword at my throat! How did you do it? I’m one of the fastest guys around when I’m fully charged, and even I can’t move that fast!”

“Ancient Chinese secret, love,” the ninja quipped, giggling at the look of frustration on his face. “Seriously, though, it’s part of my training. It’s kind of like momentary hypnosis. If I can get my target to focus completely on me for a few seconds, and meet their gaze, I can put them into a slight fugue. It only lasts for a few seconds... kind of like a slowing down of time, but if you’re good, a second or two is all it takes.” She shrugged, “The hardest part is actually learning to move quickly and quietly at your target without breaking their trance. It’s a very delicate technique, and the slightest noise, a wrong footstep, and they come out of it fast enough to react.”

“I see,” Parker said, thoughtfully. “You know, we’ve never really talked a lot about your past. Sure, we talk about me all the time. You’ve met my mom and my aunt, and they’ve completely mortified me by sharing embarrassing stories of my childhood with you... but you’ve never really shared much about your own childhood with me. I’d like to where you got all of your skills from, where you trained to be such a kick-ass fighter.”

“I...” Roni started, turning away. “Um, well, there’s really not much to tell. Boring actually. Besides, our time is better spent on the here and now than in dredging up the past.”

“Actually, I think it would be kind of nice to sit back and reminisce a bit. Roni, I love you, but I honestly don’t know a lot about you. Like, who are your mom and dad? Are they still alive?”

“Parker, enough,” Roni said, still facing away from him. “I don’t want to talk about it, that’s all. Let it go.”

“C’mon, Roni. You always change the subject every time I bring it up. I wanna know—”

“I SAID ENOUGH!” Roni yelled, nearly screaming, as she whirled around to face him. Parke blanched, taking a step back at the sight of her. Roni’s face was deep red, her eyes nearly bulging with barely contained rage. At him. Because he’d asked her a question. “I don’t want to talk about my fucking past! Not now! Not EVER! Am I going too fast for you? Do you NOT understand the words coming out of my mouth! E-NOUGH!”

Parker stood there, dumbstruck, not sure what to say or do. Roni took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, only then realizing what she’d just said. Realized the hurt she’d caused. Eyes wide, she shook her head. “Parker... I... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean...” Turning abruptly, she ran to the door, and left the dojo.

“What the hell? Roy’s alive? When did THAT happen? Ah, man... and... what’s this? Hmmm... they were de-powered? Geez, at least Black Mage doesn’t have to worry about turning his bodily organs inside out anymore. Hmmm... what’s this... HUH? Oh, man, Cecilia’s dating the weird green haired guy? Fairbanks is poor, and in a coma? And... Harmony’s a doctor again, and they’re all living with HER? Wow... looks like I’m not the only one that stepped through the looking glass into Wonderland.”

Jerry glanced over as his cell phone rang. He tapped a button, then slid across to the room to the computer across from it, his eyebrow twitching slightly as the I.D. popped up. He slipped his headset over his ear, and answered. “Um, hi, Ms. Snow. What can I do for you?” He listened, still typing away at his keyboard, shaking his head once more. “Oh, not really busy. I’m just getting caught up on all my anime and web comics. I have several months of issues to catch up on, yanno. Like, on the Nuklear Power site, did you know that the evil bad guy is actually Sarda, the guy that sent Light Warriors on all those quests to begin with? Heh... interesting twist. I have to admit, I didn’t see that one coming—huh? Oh, sorry. Sorry. Yes, I’ll try and focus.”

He listened again for a moment, then slid across the room to another computer terminal. “Uh huh. Yeah. The file is coming through now. Got it.” He frowned slightly. “Well, I’m not a forensics expert or anything, but I do know it’s a bit difficult to track someone down from just a pair of tire tracks. I’d need more... like the make and model of the vehicle, and the color, if possible...” He blinked. “Really? Well, yeah, that would help. Hold on a sec, I need to hack into the State DMV, BTS, and DOT databases, and see what I can come up with.” His fingers flew across the keyboards, and he leaned back idly as he waited for his information requests to be processed.

“Incidentally, I was wondering... how did you manage to find out so much about the vehicle they used to transport those poor missing kids? I was under the impression that they were all long gone.” He listened for a while, then shook his head. “Heh. Psychic after-images, huh? Sounds freaky... um, I mean, freaky in a good way, though,” he added quickly. “I mean, well, um, it looked cool enough in The Dead Zone with that Anthony Michael Hall guy. I recently got the last season on DVD. You’re kinda like him... except you don’t just see gloom and doom all the time—huh? What? Oh. Okay, yeah, I’ll stop talking now.”

Sighing softly, he slid back across the room to his main computer console, opening up a new window, typing a few lines of code. “You know,” he said after a few minutes, “it’s going to take a little while before I get a hit back. We’re basically searching through every registered green Ford van in the State as well as checking that specific license plate you saw. It could take anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of days. You want me to send a call out to Lacie and Gene, and bring them up to speed as well?” He frowned slightly. “But why not? If this is anything like that last time, won’t you need to have Omega Girl involved? I... hmm, I know, but... well, yeah, you do have a point. After the way her last pregnancy turned out so well, I doubt she’d want to do anything to put her baby in danger. Still... shouldn’t we at least keep her in the loop, and let her know what’s going on, just in case?” He sighed deeply, shrugging. “Alright. If you say so. You are woman, hear you roar, and all that. If you think you guys can handle this without her help, then I say go for it. Anyway, I’ll send you a text message when I get the results back. Okay. Later.”

Turning back to his console, he finished typing in the lines of code he’d been working on, then saved the file. Well, I’m not as cute as Pauley Perrette, but I get the job done. Tapping one last keystroke, he maximized the main monitor in front of him, resuming the episode of Girls Bravo he’d been watching before the call. Hmmm. I wonder what kind of anime Abby Sciuto is into...

Eva groaned inwardly as she hung up her cell. Every time she had a conversation with Jerry, she always ended up with a headache. The man was the epitome of the stereotypical nerdy computer geek—he even lived at home in his grandmother’s basement! Half the time, she had no idea what he was talking about, most of his pop culture references going completely over her head. Still, Lacie swore by him, and even she had to admit that when it came to gathering information and doing research, he was the best.

So, it basically comes down to a waiting game now, she mused, as she made her way back across the street to her car. I never really liked this part. Makes you feel useless... sitting around, twiddling my thumbs, while the bad guys get further and further away. I know at this point, a few minutes, or even a few hours, won’t make much difference... but still, I wish I had something a bit more concrete... something I could act on right now. I just wish something would happen to give me a lead...

Eva pulled to a halt as the street around her suddenly vanished, leaving her standing in a dimly lit room of black shadows. Huh. Careful what you wish for, girl, she chastened herself, you just might get it. Aloud, she sighed dramatically. “Illusions, huh? Interesting. A nice touch, but a bit mundane. Lacks imagination.” As she spoke the words, the scenery changed, and Eva found herself standing in the middle of an open grassy field full of flowers, atop a hill, at midday. She rolled her eyes. “Okay. Imaginative, I’ll grant you that. But if you’re expecting me to break into a bad rendition of the theme to ‘The Sound of Music’ then you’re about to be disappointed.”

Hmmm. Very realistic illusions. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I had actually been transported to a real hilltop on the side of a mountain. I only know of one person with the power and skill to create something like this, but I thought Chrome was locked up maximum security, over on Riker’s Island in New York. What’s he doing all the way here on the West Coast?

Eva closed her eyes, placing a hand to her forehead. “Nice try, Kline, but you should know by now that your mental powers don’t compare to mine. I can banish your illusion with a simple... simple... what?” She opened her eyes, blinking in surprise. “This... this is impossible! How are you doing this? The last time you went mind-to-mind against me, you folded like a house of cards! How can you be resisting me enough to keep this illusion going?”

A tall, long-limbed woman appeared, dropping lightly down from the sky. Her hair was fiery red, and her green eyes sparkled with mischief. “Perhaps, it’s because I’m not Alex Kline,” the woman said, planting a hand on her hip. “Oh, I am familiar with the infamous Mr. Chrome, even though I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting him myself. Still, I guess you could say I wouldn’t be the woman I am today, if not for him.” She smiled wickedly, licking her lips. “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Wyldcard, and like the Joker in a deck of playing cards, I’m here to bring a little chaos to your nice orderly world.”

“Wyldcard, hmmm?” Eva said with a smirk. “Interesting moniker. And nice work with the mental fakery, too. I’m actually impressed. Still, I think you’ve just tipped your hand by showing yourself. Now that I have a target to focus my powers on, I—what the devil!” Eva took a step back, in shock. “You’re an astral projection?!? How... how in the world are you able to project your mental essence here, AND keep this illusion going?” She frowned, placing a hand back to her forehead. “AND keep yourself hidden from me! I don’t sense the real you anywhere within a five mile radius! How are you doing this?”

Wyldcard merely grinned. “Sorry. Trade secret. I’d tell you, but then I’d have to kill you. And the whole reason for me showing up here tonight is to warn you off so I wouldn’t HAVE to kill you.” Her eyes narrowed. “Back off. Those missing people you’re so concerned about... are not your concern. Just let it go.”

Now it was Eva’s turn to scowl. “Uh huh. So, I take it this isn’t just a random occurrence then? You’re involved in all of this. Well, sorry, but I don’t intend to just walk away. It’s going to take a lot more than a few illusions to scare me into backing off.”

The fiery haired woman sighed, shaking her head in mock sadness. “Oh well. I tried. You can’t say I didn’t try and be reasonable. You’ve forced my hand in this, Whitewash. Hmmm... ‘white wash’. That’s really fitting.” The illusionary terrain began to slowly fade, along with the woman herself. “Once I’m done with you, that’s all that will be left of you... a blank slate ready to be filled.”

“We’ll see about that!” Eva yelled out defiantly, finding herself back in the street across from the empty abandoned house. She pulled her cell phone from her hip, then paused, considering. No. I can handle this myself. I don’t want to get Lacie involved in this unless it’s absolutely necessary. She slid her cell phone back into her pocket again. Glancing around, she made her way back to her car and headed back home.

“What’s wrong? Why did you stop!”

Wyldcard groaned softly, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Master. It was too much of a strain to hold it together any longer. Besides, she got my message, and she’s not backing down. If you wish me to remove her from the equation, I will have to do so in person.”

Dr. McDonald scowled. “Yes, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? A chance to be out and about, unsupervised, where that independent streak of yours can have free reign. No way. As long as you continue to resist the mental conditioning, you are going to stay here and receive treatments. Speaking of which, it’s time for you to return to the chair.”

The girl’s eyes widened, and she shook her head slightly even as she rose obediently to her feet. “No! Please, Master, I’ll be good! Really! I’m trying! I swear I’m trying! Please, don’t make me go through another session. It... it hurts! Please!” She sat down in the seat, spreading her legs apart, moving her wrists into position even as her hands clenched into fists. “Please! Don’t do this to me anymore!”

“Quiet,” the doctor replied gruffly, moving over to his computer consoled. A key press caused a bowl-shaped helmet to descend from the ceiling, sliding gently over the girl’s head. Another key press, and wrist and ankle restraints slipped into place, securing her to the chair. “Now, my dear, let’s see if I can teach you to obey,” he growled, switching on the brainwashing program, “and let’s hope that it actually STICKS this time!”

Elise groaned softly as the helmet came to life. Bright flashing colors swirled to life, dancing before her, assaulting her senses. Her eyes were shut tightly, as they always started out, but the colors would not be denied, the light shining through her closed lids to reach her brain, softening her resistance. Soon she would begin to yearn for the light, need to stare hopelessly deep into their mind-altering depths, a realization that only served to hasten her eventual defeat, but as hard as she tried to resist, she knew what the eventual outcome would be. The words, whispered so softly, so indistinctly she couldn’t discern them but that her mind would easily and eagerly accept them, continued to flow over her like a physical wave, building then withdrawing, taking a small part of her resistance with each pass.

“Ahhhh!” she cried out as the lights poured into her mind, unfiltered. Somehow, without realizing it, she’d opened her eyes, and now the hypnotic spell was taking full hold of her. Conscious thought slowed, not quite stopping, but slowing down enough that the doctor’s words, his instructions, his commands were pouring into her mind once more, filling the empty spaces between her thoughts, wearing away her will and replacing it with HIS will. The fight left her, her battered and bruise psyche accepting its new reality as a mindless, obedient thrall, subservient in every way to the Doctor. To her Owner.

To her Master.

Time ceased to have any meaning whatsoever. Elise existed only in the moment now, in this eternal existence of submission and complete obedience. No will. No thought. She would only obey, only respond as commanded. Resistance? A meaningless collections of consonants and vowels strung together without meaning. The computer verified her compliance and acceptance of its programming with a thorough scanning of her brain activity. Finally, some three hours after the process had begun, the program shut down, releasing the girl from its hold. The restraints opened, and the helmet lifted slightly, revealing Wyldcard’s tranquil emotionless face, staring straight ahead, vacant and waiting.

The doctor, alerted to her state by the computer beeping, stood up and approached her. “Subject Zero Three Eight, imprint. I am your Master. Designation, Doctor McDonald. You are my obedient thrall. Designation, Wyldcard. You will obey my every command. You will not resist. You will not disobey. You will carry out any and all orders to the best of your abilities. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Doctor,” Elise replied in a soft flat tone. “You are my Master. I understand. I will obey. I will not resist. I will not disobey. I will carry out your orders to the best of my abilities. I will obey.”

The elderly doctor smiled. “Good girl. Very good. I think we’re finally ready for you to leave the nest.” Moving back to his computer, he activated a playback from the hidden security monitor he’d left in the evacuated laboratory back at the old rundown house. A picture of a white-clad blonde appeared, and he froze the playback, zooming in on the woman’s face. “Thrall, take a good look at this image. This is your target. Name: Evangeline Snow. Designation Whitewash. She is a hi-level psychic.” His smile turned sinister. “Your objective it to eliminate her, by any means necessary. She must not be allowed to interfere with out plans. You will des...” He considered for a moment, then his smile grew wider and crueler. “On second thought, you will NOT eliminate her. You will instead capture her, and bring her back to me. She is a threat to us, and our organization, and your purpose, your reason for being, is to eliminate all threats. And the best way to eliminate a threat... is to make her an ally. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Doctor, I understand,” she replied, focusing her gaze on the computer screen. “I will eliminate all threats. I will obey your orders. I shall capture her and bring her to you.”

“Alright. Guess we’re done for the night. See you guys tomorrow!”

Karen Summers sighed deeply, shaking out her long blonde hair as she stepped out into the daylight sun. Work never seemed as long as it did on nice sunny days like today, and five o’clock seemed to take forever to arrive. Not that I’m underpaid for sitting eight hours in a cubicle, she thought to herself as she made her way through the parking lot, still, when I got my Bachelor’s in Communications, I never really imagined myself taking a nine-to-five job in middle management.

A loud noise caught her attention, and she turned, spying a large plume of smoke rising in the distance. Huh. Now what in the world might that be? she pondered, heading in the general direction of the disturbance, when another loud crash sounded. Frowning, she started jogging towards the commotion, then running as she drew close enough to hear the sounds of screaming. Coming from behind a building, she drew to a halt. Crowds of people were running away from what looked like a warzone in the middle of Fairview Road. The road, normally choked with traffic at that time of the day, was virtually empty, not from a lack of motorists, but because nearly all of the cars had been tossed aside into the surrounding buildings!

“What the hell?” Karen gasped, standing in shock as another vehicle, a silver and black taxicab, went flying over her head, crashing into the second floor of the Chatnum Building behind her. Several yards away, a large brutish shape in an overly large hat and trench coat let out a loud bellow, grabbing a small red convertible by its rear, lifting it over his head. “Okay, that tears it!” Karen said, slipping back into the alleyway between buildings. Thankful that she’d worn her costume underneath her work clothes, she quickly slipped out of them, slid her small black eye mask over her face, slid on her thigh high boots, and emerged as her alter-ego, Ultra Girl.

Rocketing out of the alleyway, heading towards the source of the disturbance, she let out a yelp, throwing up her hands just in time to deflect the impact of a large navy blue Buick that had been thrown her way. The impact stung, but she managed to catch the car by its bumper and let it down gently to the ground before turning her attention to her adversary. “Alright. That’s about enough of that. I don’t know who you are, or what this temper tantrum is all about, but it ends here!”

The figure paused, and he lowered the car he’d started to toss back to the ground. “Well, well. I figured if I caused enough chaos in a crowded area I’d eventually draw you out. You’re a bit late, though. I was just about to move on to someplace else and try again.”

Karen frowned. “You did all this to attract my attention? I don’t know if I should feel flattered, or deeply disturbed.” She crossed her arms at her sides. “Well, you got my attention. Now, why don’t we take this conversation to someplace a lot more private?”

The figure chuckled, a dark gravelly sound that put Karen’s nerves on edge. “You mean someplace less fragile. You’re afraid of some innocents getting caught in the crossfire and getting hurt, is that it?” He laughed again, gesturing about. “I think it’s a bit late for that! Not all of those cars I tossed were EMPTY, you know? I’m pretty sure the minivan and the station wagon I tossed a few minutes ago had a couple of people in them. If they’re still alive, I’m pretty sure they aren’t doing so well right now.”

“You... sick bastard!” Karen yelled, anger overcoming her normally calm demeanor. “If you’re hurt anyone, I swear I’ll make you pay for it!”

“Big words for such a small girl,” the bruiser challenged. “If you think you can back ‘em up, then go ahead.” He raised his chin, still have hidden in the his overly large coat and hat. “Give me your best shot!”

“Gladly!” Ultra Girl shouted, landing a huge haymaker in the center of the big man’s chin. The cloaked figure flew back, knocked off his feet and carried several yards further down the street. She immediately let out a yelp, clutching her hand in pain, shaking it gently. “Damn! What’s your head made out of, concrete?” Glancing down, she saw that his hat had fallen off during the punch, and as the figure rose back to his feet, she received her first good look at his face. She gasped, then averted her eyes, wincing slightly. The man merely shrugged, running a massive finger over his grey-skinned cheek.

“Yeah, yeah. I know, I’m not much to look at these days,” the man said with a chuckle. “To quote Danny Devito’s character in Batman Returns, I think the phrase you’re searching for is, ‘Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!’” He smiled, an expression which seemed to split his misshapen face even more, as rows of jagged impossibly white teeth came into view, more of a skeletal rectus than a grin. He snapped his neck sharply to the left, then to the right, creating two loud brutal snapping sounds, like knuckles being cracked over a microphone. “Nice punch, buttercup,” he taunted her. “Unfortunately, I’ve been hit harder by raindrops during a summer storm. Is that all you’ve got?”

“Not hardly,” Ultra Girl declared, taking flight. The sun peaked from behind a pair of clouds, shining down on her as she began powering up. Her body began to blow brightly as she absorbed more and more sunlight, until she her light was nearly blinding. “Let’s see if you can shrug this one off!” she yelled as she fired down on the brute with her strongest laser blast. The misshapen man stood there, not even attempting to dodge as the beam of light struck him fully. Nearby light poles began to melt, sagging slightly from the heat, and several wooden power line poles caught on fire. Through it all, she could hear a strange sound, barely audible above the rumbling of her power, yet clearly coming from her opponent. Finally, drained, her power finally expended, she stopped the beam, and dropped wearily back to the ground. It was then that she realized what the sound was.

It was laughter.

“Bravo. Excellent!” the man said, clapping softly, as he stepped out of the huge burnt crater of melted asphalt and stone, walking over to the stunned heroine. “That was a really nice try. I can see how you took down someone as powerful as Lodestone with a blast like that.” His eyes narrowed, and he ran a hand across the sparse dull yellow shock of hair dotting lightly across the top of his head. “In case it’s not immediately obvious, girly, I’m still here, still alive and kicking. That’s strike two. But, my patience is gone, now, so I think we’ll skip strike three... and just call you OUT!” He reared back, as if to punch her from five feet away, but before Karen could question what he was doing, he blurred out of her sight just as powerful blow rocked her very being.

“Eerrrrkkk,” she gasped as the man’s massive fist connected, sending her flying back, hard. She slammed into the side of a building, going through the brickwork, support beams, the interior of the building, several plaster and sheetrock walls, and out through the other side of the building. Her impact slowed her momentum enough that when she connected with a second building, she stopped, cracking the brickwork slightly, but not penetrating. Blood flew from her mouth, and trickled from her ears and nose. Her vision swam, and everything seemed to sound as if it was underwater. She realized dimly that she was on the ground now, having slid down the side of the wall. She needed to get up, needed to get back to her feet, but she seemed to have forgotten just how to do so.

“Pathetic,” the man said as he towered above her, looking down at her. “I expected more of a challenge from you, Ultra Girl. But, then again, Lodestone, Hotshot, Torque, Banshee and Strobe weren’t much of a challenge to me either. Hell, I got more of a fight from the guards at the prison when I broke in to take them all on.” He knelt down on one knee, glaring at her, his eerie red eyes looking deep into her blue ones. “It would be child’s play to end you right now... but frankly, I’m hoping you live. I can already hear sirens in the distance, so I imagine you have a fifty-fifty chance.” His grin widened. “Before I go, however, I want you to know who it was that beat you. I want you to think about it, while they’re patching you up in the hospital after this, mending your broken body, fighting to keep you alive. I want you to know that there’s someone out that who kicked your ass, who whipped your sorry butt without even breaking a sweat, and who’s STILL out there, just waiting for you to recover so I can do it again. I want you to remember my name.”

Karen’s eyes widened in surprise. This close, hearing his voice, seeing his face, she was able to put it all together. The clues he’d given her fell into place, and despite the obvious changes he’d gone through, she knew without a doubt that he was the same person. “Phelps,” she managed, blood pouring out of her mouth again, as her eyes fluttered closed.

“Not quite,” the man said, rising back to his feet. “The man you knew as James Phelps is gone. He died in the lowest level of a hell you couldn’t begin to imagine... and I was born in his place. I’m the lowly nobody that you super powered capes and cowls trampled over, the nothing left behind in the aftermath of the carnage you reek! Well, I plan to show you... to show you all... what’s left behind when you destroy a person, when you take away EVERYTHING from them! My name is Zero... and when I’m through, nothing is all that will be left of anyone that gets in my way!” Turning, he walked away, leaving behind the destruction he’d caused, his thoughts already focusing on his next target.

Jerry sat up with a start, blinking, glancing around blindly in the darkness of his room for the sound of the disturbance. He swatted at his alarm clock a few times before his brain woke up enough to discern the beeping sound as the computer alert he’d set up for the results of the search Eva had asked for. Groaning, scratching his side, he reached for his glasses, swinging his legs out of bed. He hissed at the cold floor beneath his feet.

“Damn! That’s fin cold!” He slid his feet into his fuzzy bunny slippers and slid on a bathrobe before making his way across to his command center. Hmm. Guess I’m still not quite used to having full and total use of my legs again. Oh well, a small price to pay for mobility, I suppose. He purposely kept himself from thinking about the true price he’d paid in order to regain the use of his legs. Thinking too much about the details gave him the willies. Moving his mouse, he deactivated the screen saver, bringing up the multiple monitor screens that served as his information center. He glanced at the lower right monitor, then frowned. Uh huh. Kind of figured. Still, I guess I’d better be sure before I call Ms. Snow back with the news.

Flicking the mouse to the opposite corner, he opened a minimized window he’d been working in earlier, the several hundred lines of computer code he’s written on the fly, and ran it. Alright. Hopefully that should deflect any trace back programs monitoring the server I intend to infiltrate. With that, and that sweet little app that ‘Lyssa sent me running, I should be able to slip in and out before anyone even knows I’m there... The lopsided grin on his face freezes solid, as does his blood. Taking a step back, he glances at the results, then again, just to be sure, then shakes his head.

“Damn. Should have known. Why is nothing I’m asked to do these days ever simple?” he said rhetorically, slumping down into his chair. He shook his head briskly, then closed down the search program. He glanced at the results for the green van that Eva had asked him to locate, and his hand reached for the Delete key, but stopped. He sighed again, closing his eyes. Okay. Fine. I’ll tell her what she wants to know... but DAMN if I’m digging any deeper into this mess. For Lacie, yeah, I’d risk my life in a heartbeat. I owe her more than I can ever repay... her and Gene both... but THIS shit is major league. Way above and beyond the call of duty... and she wants me to keep Omega Girl out of this? He hit the Print Screen key, then made his way back to his bed.

I’ll give Eva a call in the morning and give her the bad news. It can keep ‘til then. He yawned deeply, pulling the pillow over his head. Might as well let her have one more good night’s sleep before I tell her how deeply screwed she is.