The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Hero of the Day

by J. Darksong

* * *

(Chapter 3: Having A Blast)

Close your eyes... and kiss yourself goodbye...

The explosion sent me flying back several feet, skidding across the pavement. Damn. Blown up twice in two days... the start of a very bad trend...

Shaking my head again to clear it, I regained my feet and glance around. Damn... no sign of the guy at ground zero... poor guy. Hope he didn’t feel it... hmmmm, no one else was around to get caught in the blast, thank goodness... not too much damage overall, but the building in front of the bus stop is on fire. Better call it in.

Flipping over my cell, I dial 911, giving them the details and the location of the explosion, then I call Lieutenant Steele.

“This is Steele, what can I do for you?”

“Hi, it’s me. Listen, you might want to send some of your people down to the bus stop on the corner of Seventh and Maxwell. There’s been an explosion—”

“An explosion? Sonic... don’t tell me you’ve been engaging in... er, extracurricular activities?”

“Hey, it wasn’t my fault!” I protested. “I was just waiting for the bus—”

“Hang on,” he said, talking to someone else out of earshot. A moment later, “Someone just called in a 911 call for that same area a second ago.”

“Yeah, that was me. Listen, Lieutenant, this was an assassination. Someone rigged the natural gas pipeline beside the building in front of the bus stop to blow. I smelled the gas just a moment before the blast. I’m lucky I wasn’t that close when it went up... but some other guy wasn’t so lucky...”

“Casualties, huh? How many?”

I sighed deeply. I could just hear the sounds of sirens approaching. “Just one guy, the target of the whole thing, I’d guess.”

“Wait a minute. How do you know whoever did this wasn’t after you?”

“Well, I don’t know, per sae... but it’s pretty unlikely. I mean, I’m in my civilian clothes, for one thing. For another, I sat at the bus stop for six minutes, alone, before I sensed something was up, and started to walk away. If someone wanted to take me out, they had more than enough time. And besides... if anyone wanting to take me out knew enough about me to spot me without my costume, then they could just as easily walk up behind me in a crowded room and put a bullet into the back of my head. A lot easier, and a hell of a lot less messy.”

“Hmmmmm. You’ve got a point.” The sounds of sirens were loud enough to reach through the phone. “At any rate, sounds like the cavalry has arrived. Time for you to make yourself scarce. Don’t forget you’re on the Mayor’s shit list right now.”

I started to agree, when a loud scream caught my attention. A woman waved frantically from the window on the fifth floor of the burning building, screaming hysterically for someone to save her. Ah, shit! So much for these buildings being completely deserted!

“Sonic, what the hell was that?”

“A woman screaming. She’s trapped in that burning building I mentioned earlier. Sorry, Lieutenant, looks like I’m going to have to go play hero today after all.”

Steele merely sighed deeply. “Alright. Do what you have to do, kid. Just do it quick. I won’t be able to guarantee the kind of reception you’ll get if any police units show up before you’re out of there.”

Hanging up the cell phone, making my way across the street towards the burning building, I could only think, I’m walking into a burning smoke filled building... if I actually make it out alive and in one piece, I’ll probably be too thankful to care too much about the cops taking me downtown.

I unbuttoned my shirt as I stepped inside, kicking off my shoes, leaving them beside the stairwell. By the time I’d reached the first landing I was once again clad in my familiar scarlet. I was also extremely fucking hot!! “Hello?” I yelled out loudly. “Is there anyone there? Hello! I’m here to help! Just let me know you’re there!” Closing my eyes, I extended my sonic senses to their maximum, trying to determine if there were any more people trapped in here besides the hysterical woman on floor five.

Hmmm... nothing to the north... nothing south... east clear... hmmmm... what’s that? Is it... no... television set... alright, only living people in this place are above and to the left. That makes it easier, at least.

The fire, however, wasn’t making anything easy. Making my way to the second floor landing, I paused, nearly walking right over the edge of a huge gap. The explosion and resulting fire had destroyed most of the second floor walkway, and the parts that were still standing were reefed in flames. I stepped back from the edge, glancing around for an alternate route, freezing in place as floor beneath my feet began to creak eerily.

Crap! Time’s running out, this place is going to collapse around me if I don’t move quickly. Except I can’t, not really... one wrong step and I’m toast—literally. Sonic blasts aren’t much good in this case... so what else do I have? Shit... what I wouldn’t give to have Ice Queen’s ice gun right about now... hmmm... okay, in a building this size, there have to be plumbing lines, carrying water. Even if the fire sprinkler system was damaged in the blast, there still has to be water running through some pipes in this place somewhere. I just need to focus and find them.

Of course, it HELPS if there’s someone around actually USING the damned water to make it run, so I can hear it—

And then, as if my prayers had been answered, the sound, the unmistakable sound of water running through pipes, faint, and far away, but audible with my enhanced sonic senses. I traced the source up to the fifth floor—yes, the woman! Good. She must be trying to protect herself with the water in her apartment to buy enough time for a rescue. So... if I follow the sound... tracing it along the areas showing through the half-burnt walls... there’s my target! Crossing my fingers, I fired off a tight, narrow shaped sonic blast at the far wall facing me.

As hoped, the pipe burst, and a flood of water shot out, spraying across the burning landing. Taking a few steps back, I sprinted up to the edge of the gap and jumped, again crossing my fingers, hoping my weight and momentum didn’t collapse the rest of the landing. My luck held, and I landed safely, continuing up the stairs in a run, wanting nothing more than to reach the woman and get her, and myself, out of this miserable hellhole.

The fifth floor offered a new and deadly challenge. While the top floor was virtually untouched by the fire itself, the smoke, lighter than the normal air, had migrated there, blanketing the entire floor in a thick and deadly fog. Coughing, struggling to breath, I dropped to the floor, gasping at the thin layer of clear and precious air left in this area. Making my way to the woman’s apartment, I knocked loudly.

“Open the door!” I yelled, continuing to knock when she didn’t respond. “Hey! I’m here to rescue you! Let me in!”

I listened at the door, frowning. There was no movement inside the room, and the water had stopped running. Sharpening my senses, I picked up the sound of coughing... shallow breathing... and a rapid heartbeat. Damn, she must have breathed in too much smoke. I need to get in there and get her out quick... not that I’m in much better shape. Few more minutes of this, and I’ll end up croaking right along with her.

Sound blasting the lock, I pushed the door open, staying low to the ground, crawling over to the woman. Her eyes were closed, and her skin was hot to the touch, covered in sweat. “Hang on, lady,” I whispered, glancing around, “I’ll get us out of this mess... somehow.”

Exactly how I would manage such a feat, I had no earthly idea.

I crawled over to the kitchen sink, which was still turned on; however, only a tiny trickle of water dripped from the nozzle. Perfect. The water line break I created to get me this far sabotaged my chances of getting back out again. Not to mention the ever thickening smoke.

Coughing deeply, I sank back to the floor, turning my head to the side, gasping in what breathable air there was left in the room. It was getting harder to breath, harder to think, harder to see... I couldn’t tell if things were hazy from all the smoke, or if I was on the verge of passing out. Probably both.

Looking at the woman, I knew we had to get some fresh air, and now, or we’d be long gone before the fire reached this floor. If we could reach the window... no. Not enough strength left. Not enough TIME left... too much smoke. If only... if only...

I slowly raised my left hand towards the ceiling, wondering when my arm had gained another three hundred pounds of weight. Putting the rest of my failing strength into it, I fired a sonic blast straight up.

Plaster and wood shattered, metal fragmented, and stone crumbled. With a whoosh, fresh air began blowing through the window as the smoke continued its upward rise, flowing out through the new hole in the ceiling. I coughed, gasped, sputtered and choked, my lungs trading smoke for clean air again. I still felt pretty much wasted, but my vision and my head was clearing. Okay... one crisis averted... but not out of danger yet... we still have to get out of the building...

Standing up now, I made my way to the window. A crowd of people had gathered below, kept a safe distance away by the police. Several fire trucks had arrived, and fire fighters were working to remove the cap from the nearby fire hydrant. Great. By the time any of their people make it up here it’ll be too late. Looks like we’ll have to jump... I hope they brought along one of those trampoline things they carry in the movies.

Pitching my voice carefully, I broadcast instructions down to the firefighters. I waved when they looked up in surprise, then grabbed the unconscious woman carefully by the waist, dragging her to the window, and fresh air. I wasn’t exactly sure this would work, the idea of me throwing her limp body out a five story window... but I was out of options. I couldn’t shoot sticky threads from my hands or climb down the side of the building... so I waited for the firemen to set up the net, crossed EVERYTHING, including my eyes, and shoved her as hard as I could.

“Yeah! We’ve got her,” one of the firefighters yelled as they lowered the catch-carry gently to the ground. “She’s not breathing. Get the EMT’s in here now, hurry!” Stripping off his gear, the man began CPR, breathing for the woman until the rescue workers arrived and took over. The other firefighters set the net back up, gesturing for me to jump down as well. Grabbing onto the window sill, I closed my eyes, forcing the vertigo to pass.

Did I mention that I absolutely HATE high places?

“C’mon! Jump!” the firemen yelled out. “You can do it! We’ll catch ya! Just jump!”

Opening my eyes, I stood there, half-in, half-out, contemplating my chances if I headed back down to the stairway now and tried backtracking my path. At that moment, the floor, creaking like a rusty hinge, buckled, collapsing into the fire pit below, belching out a wave of intense heat and smoke. My decision made for me, I jumped, resisting the urge to scream like a little girl as I tumbled head over heels through the air—

—landing in the very center of the catch-carry, safe and sound.

* * *

“Hey, kid, take it easy,” the EM worker, Robert, cautioned, holding the oxygen mask up to my face. “Don’t rush it. Just try and breathe slow and deep, and let yourself recover.”

Nodding, I gently pushed the mask away. “Never mind me. What about the woman? Is she okay? I saw you guys doing CPR on her...”

“She’ll be just fine with a bit of rest,” Robert responded, pressing the mask back to my face. “She stopped breathing for a little while, but you got her down to us in time. She’s breathing again, and conscious, but we’re taking her in to the hospital overnight for observations anyway, just to be sure.”

“Good.”

“Step aside,” a gruff voice grunted, pushing Robert to the side. A tall uniformed police officer stood, handcuffs in hand. “So it IS you after all, hmm? Sorry kid, but you know full well the Mayor has an injunction against you. I’m going to have to take you in.”

I groaned, shaking my head. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mumbled through the mask.

“Hey, hold on a minute, Sergeant,” Robert protested, shoving the officer back. “In case you haven’t noticed, this kid just saved that woman’s life! If he hadn’t been here to help her, she would have died in that fire. As it was, it was a very close thing!”

“That may very well be, but its not his JOB to go around, sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong—”

“So what are you saying then?” Robert fired back. “That the poor dying girl should have sat there in her burning, smoke-filled room, and waited for the ambulance, police, and fire department to show up? Too bad we didn’t get stuck in traffic, then we all could have gone back home and just called the city coroner!”

“Hey, I don’t CARE what you think!” the cop hissed back. “I personally have nothing against the guy, alright? I applaud what he did here. The fact of the matter is, the mayor of this city has branded him a vigilante, and put a price on his head. He could be helping a little old lady cross the street and I’d still arrest him!”

“Alright, fine,” Robert conceded after a moment, “but look at him. He went through hell to bring that woman out of that fire. He’s in pretty bad shape here. He’ll need to sit here and rest a bit before it’s safe to move him.”

Actually, I was feeling much better, all things considered. Not up to racing up and down the city streets at eighty miles an hour, or taking on a super villain, but more than capable of handling being bundled off to jail in handcuffs.

As Robert knew only too well.

I groaned again, hunching over, trying to make myself look pitiful. Either I’d overplayed the part, or the officer had known Robert was trying to cover for me; whatever the reason, the officer reached out and pulled the mask away from my face, and grabbing me by the shoulder, jerked me to my feet. “Enough of this crap. You’re coming with me. And if you,” he said, turning to face the EMT, “try any more of your bullshit, you can ride downtown with him.”

I sighed in defeat, holding out my wrists in front of me. Even if I decided to run, I had no strength for a prolonged chase.

A white ‘67 Chevelle SS convertible spun out across the street from us. “Quick! Get in!” Jennifer Penfield yelled, gesturing wildly with her hand. Just as surprised by the sudden appearance as the police officer, I nevertheless reacted faster, twisting out of his grip, running for the car with one hand free, the other cuffed. I managed a tired leap into the back seat, and a moment later the car peeled rubber, speeding back onto the street.

“Freeze!” a second officer yelled, pulling his gun.

“Don’t shoot, you moron,” the first officer admonished, jerking his fellow officer’s arm down. “That’s the Mayor’s daughter! If you hit her, you might as well put the gun in your own mouth and pull the trigger.” He shook his head. “Idiot... get on the horn and call it in. Let the higher ups decide how to handle this one.”

Mumbling to himself, he made his way over to his patrol car. “I’m getting too old for this shit...”

* * *

“How are you doing back there?” Jennifer yelled back over her shoulder.

“Just... peachy...” I managed, bouncing up and down like a pinball machine on ‘tilt’. “You know... we’re not being followed... you can probably slow down to under ninety.”

Jennifer merely laughed. A smirk creased my lips. The part of me that wasn’t deathly afraid of ending up splattered on the highway had to admit that she looked red hot. I dunno what it is exactly, but there’s just something about a woman going fast, barreling down the highway like a bat out of hell, long hair flying in the breeze, perfectly content, perfectly in control, of herself and her machine... something earthy. Primal.

Sexy.

“We certainly do seem to keep meeting up in the strangest places, hmm?” I said casually, as we took a left hard enough to slam me to the opposite side of the car. “Thanks for the rescue, by the way. I wasn’t in the mood to go to jail today.”

“You’re welcome,” she responded, smiling. “I owed you, after all, for saving my sister and I the other day.”

“And your father,” I reminded her.

Jennifer sighed, shaking her head. “Yeah, I know. But I guess I can forgive you for that one.”

I blinked for a moment, caught off guard, unsure how to respond, but when Jennifer burst into laughter again, I joined her. “I take it you’re not exactly ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ then?”

“Hardly. Let’s just say my sister and I were more in tune with mom’s side of the family.”

Nod. “Speaking of which, where is your sister Jasmine, anyway?” I asked, taking a moment to strap on the seatbelts.

Jennifer turned around to glance at me as we pulled to a stop at the intersection. “Jazz? She’s out with the girls, as usual. I think she has a hot date planned later on. I was actually on my way home for the night when I say that crown of people watching the firefighters work. Yeah, I know... rubbernecking is a pretty bad habit, but everyone does it.” She giggled. “And it was a good thing I did, or you’d be locked up in the clink right about now.”

“Speaking of which, look!” I said, pointing at the next lane over. A police car pulled on the other side of the street, staring directly at us.

“Shit! We’ve been made,” Jennifer yelled, hitting the gas. “You need to get out of that costume til we get someplace safe.”

Blink. Remove my costume?!? “Um...”

“Good. They can’t turn around and come after us because of the median,” Jennifer informed me, glancing back every few seconds. “They’ll have to go on about another half block before they clear it and can cross over into our lane.”

“Okay... but I can’t exactly take off my costume... here... in the car?”

“Don’t worry about your secret identity,” Jennifer assured me. “I owe you my life. Your secret’s safe with me.”

“Yeah... well... er...” My face was starting to turn the color of my uniform.

“What? You don’t trust me?” Jen asked, a hurt expression on her face. “Believe me... I wouldn’t turn you in, or anything. And anyway, its a big city... I probably don’t know you anyway. I doubt I’ve even seen you without your costume on.”

“It’s not that!” I blurted out, blushing all the while. “Well, kinda.. its IS that, to a degree... but... it’s just that... I wear this UNDER my normal clothes, yanno?”

“So?”

I sigh deeply, almost crimson. “So... except for a pair of boxers, there’s nothing underneath my costume.”

“Oooooohhhh,” she replied slowly, a wicked smile creasing her lips. “I see. Well... um... it’s still only a matter of time before the police spot you again with that bright red uniform. You might as well take it off anyway... you’ll be less conspicuous.”

“Really? You think a half-naked man riding around in the back of a convertible is LESS conspicuous than a guy in a bright red suit?”

“Hmmm. Good point.”

A burst of static sounded from the front of the car. I glanced down at a portable CD unit. “...spotting traveling south on Franklin, heading towards 11th.”

“Police band,” Jennifer prompted when I glanced her way. “I try and keep abreast of what’s going on around me.”

I hide a chuckle of my own. So it was just LUCK that you met up with me at the fire? Heh. Bullshit. She was looking for me to show up again. Sweet... I have my own stalker. But since she’s sweet, sexy, beautiful, and actually LIKES me, I can let it slide.

“...car five-seven-niner, just passed escapees in white convertible, heading east onto the parkway, unable to pursue at the moment. Need to send units to intercept at Parkcenter and Dixie Avenue...” the radio blurted out.

“Uh oh,” I groaned softly. “Sounds like this date is about to be over.”

“Wrong on both counts,” Jennifer replied with a wink, speeding back up to ninety again. “First of all, this isn’t a ‘date’. Believe me, handsome, you’ll KNOW when we’re on a date. Secondly, they’re not going to catch us. Trust me, I’ve been doing this for a while now, whenever dear ol’ dad gets into one of his insufferable moods. My mom’s brother, Uncle Patrick, he and I restored this car together a few years back, before he died... he used to be on the force. He taught me everything he knew about cars and driving. This baby is in a league of its own... but we won’t need to outrun them. We’ll outsmart them. Hold on!”

With that bit of warning, she turned sharply just before the parkway bridge entrance, sending the car into a flat spin three hundred sixty degrees, onto a small service road junction. Gasping, clutching tightly to the seatbelts, I closed my eyes tightly, waiting for the inevitable crash... only it never came.

“You can open your eyes now, hero,” Jennifer teased.

Warily, I cracked an eyelid, then opened both, blinking. “Wha... what the... how in the world...?” I babbled. We were UNDER the bridge, parked in that narrow stretch of ground between the supports holding the front section of the bridge aloft. The area was positively tiny; land ended and water began less than a foot from the car’s front bumper. Seeing that, I instantly closed my eyes again, trying to steady my racing heartbeat, listening to the sound of other cars racing by overhead.

Jennifer laughed. “Are you okay? You look a little green around the gills. All I did is exactly what I said—find us a nice safe hiding spot for a while. Not that I expect a thank you, or anything—”

“Lady,” I gasped, shaking my head, “thank you for getting me out of that mess... but I think you’re freaking NUTS! That little stunt scared me more than being trapped in that towering inferno—and I was sure I was gonna die in there!”

Rather than be perturbed, Jen merely laughed harder. “Oh come on! I’ve followed you for a while since you first arrived in River City. You mean to tell me that after everything you’ve faced, nothing scares you more than my driving?”

“Absolutely,” I say without a moment’s hesitation. Seeing her smile begin to falter, I quickly add, “At least when you’re facing a twenty foot tall killer robot, you know what you’re up against! You have some control over it. When you drive, and I’m the passenger, I lose the control aspect...” I frown slightly thinking, hmmm... maybe that’s a bit closer to the actual truth than I really wanted to reveal.

Jennifer also looked thoughtful. “...five seven niner, dispatch...” the radio cut in again, “no sign of them... might have turned north back on Amity before reaching the parkway... no sign of them... yep... they’re gone...”

Sighing deeply, she turned the CB off. “Well. Looks like we beat ‘em,” she said after a moment, staring straight ahead. “I suppose you need to take off now... on foot... while they’re searching the Parkway Bridge for us?”

Shit. Guess I kinda hurt her feelings. Dammit, Parker, quit being such a spaz! The girl likes you... and you like her... so just bite the bullet and show some fucking backbone!”

Taking a deep breath, I reach up and carefully grab the edge of my cowl, peeling it back up over my head, revealing my face. Touching her softly on the shoulder, I smile slightly as she turns with a gasp. “I don’t have to run off just yet,” I say softly, feeling my stomach tie itself into a knot. “Besides... you thanked me for saving you from the kidnapper, but I never really thanked you for helping me escape the police.”

“Your mask! You... wait! YOU!?! At the psychiatric office...” I nodded. “The doctor’s nephew?”

“Parker. Parker Albinn.”

“Parker,” Jennifer said, breathing the word, eyes half-closed. “Wow. Maybe... maybe it WAS fate after all...”

“What?”

“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head. “Just something my sister said after we left... never mind.” She smiled again, hesitantly. “So, you’re sharing your secret with me?”

“Yeah, seems as if.”

Jennifer looked down. “You know... I could be a villain in disguise... and this might be a plan to lull you into a false sense of security so I can attack you later, when you least expect it.”

Okay, so banter isn’t exactly her strong suit. Leaning forward, I lift her chin gently, turning her face to my own. “Well, if I have to go, I’d rather be taken out by someone as beautiful as you.”

Jennifer smiled despite herself. “That was kind of nice. See? You can be eloquent when you put your mind to it.”

I smiled back, leaning even closer. I was taking a chance here, but all the signals I was getting from her told me this was the right move. “Sorry. I could simply go back to being shy and tongue-tied again if you like?”

She shook her head, slowly, her eyes locked onto mine. “N... no. I like you this way. Strong. Confident. Able to sweep a girl off her feet in a single bound...”

“In control, you mean,” I whispered softly, inching ever closer. Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t pull away. “Its weird, in a way, trying to find just the right balance... being confident but not arrogant... and being mild-mannered, without being spineless... of knowing when to back off,” I said, less than an inch away from her face. Her eyes were soft, slightly glazed, and her lip trembled. Sink or swim, Parker. I thought to myself.

“And, of course, knowing when to go forward.”

I quickly closed the gap, brushing my lips against hers. The kiss was soft, gentle, testing her response, ready to back off at the slightest sign of resistance... but no, after a moment, her lips welcomed mine, parting slightly, seeking mine with a hunger and desperation I wouldn’t have believed had I not glimpsed something of it in her eyes. I pulled her close, my arms caressing yet restraining, comforting, yet dominating, trying to find that balance I’d spoken of before. I knew, instinctively, what she wanted, what she needed of me, and yet what she feared from me. For a moment, she pressed her hands hard against my chest, as if to push me away, but I broke the kiss, staring into her eyes, not speaking, merely letting my want and my desire show itself in my gaze. Her hands moved, circling around to my back, then, pulling me closer instead of pushing me away.

“Take me,” she whispered fervently, guiding my hands, pressing them hard against her body. “Take me for your own. Use me. Use all of me! Make me yours... just yours... and no one else... just yours...”

I needed no further encouragements. Moving carefully, slowly at first, I proceeded to do just that. Under the bridge, hidden away from prying eyes, Jennifer and I joined in that oldest and most primal of dances. As we ended together, me for the second time, she for the fifth, we merely held each other, lying back in the small cramped seats of her car, looking up at the stars.

I leaned forward to kiss her again. “I take it this was our first date?” I asked cheekily.

Sighing contentedly, she nuzzled her head against my bare chest. “Told ya, you’d know when we were on a date.”

I yawned, holding her gently, feeling more content and relaxed than I’d ever felt before. Things were still bad, I wasn’t out of the woods yet, by a long shot, but for now, for this moment, I was perfectly happy. Smiling, I closed my eyes, wanting this joyful, peaceful moment to last forever, to hold onto this single moment of perfect bliss for as long as possible.

Well, I thought as I began to drift off to sleep, if nothing else, this is a sign that my luck’s changing. I have a girl of my own now... if everything else goes wrong, at least I have this. That will make things a little bit easier at least...

I had not the slightest clue of how wrong I was.

((end of chapter 3...))