The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

I slept.

And I dreamed.

What I dreamed about... well, it doesn’t bare repeating in polite company, but it revolved around this girl. A beautiful girl, with soft pale porcelain skin, long dark hair, as black as my own, that ran down the small of her back, and piercing green eyes. She had these incredible breasts... D cups, not porn star big, or anything, but as small and petite as the rest of her was, it made them seem all the more huge. And her hips... and legs... she had legs that seemed to just go on and on...

Ahem. But I digress. While it’s not too unusual for guys my age... hell, for guys of just about ANY age, to dream about attractive sexy young girls, and doing all sorts of... unmentionable things to them, it IS a bit unusual to dream about the SAME girl, over and over again. Particularly a girl that you’ve never seen or met before.

I woke to the sunlight shining through my window, groaning, pulling the covers up over my head. Snatching up my sunglasses from the nightstand, I slid them on before daring to poke my head out again. My eyes are extremely light-sensitive, whether it was whatever caused them to turn black, or some other quirk of my powers, and I always wear sunglasses, even at night. And yeah, it does nothing to help the weird image I’ve cultivated for myself over the years.

Finally up, I dressed in some fresh clothes, then made my way down to the kitchen. It was about noon, so I was the only one home. Not that I had anyplace in particular to go. Luckily, my parents were financially sound, so losing my job wasn’t THAT big of a deal. And most likely, they’d call and ask me to come back after a few days anyway—despite the ‘accidents’ I was really good at my job. Frankly, the biggest problem with not having a job was the boredom. At least when I was going to school, I had a reason to get up in the morning, someplace to go, and a set time to be there. I almost wished I was back in high school with Katie.

Almost. Now that I think about it, high school wasn’t exactly the most... enjoyable experience of my life. I was shunned by pretty much every social group there was, as well as the population in general. Which was only put in perspective by the fact that my twin sister was the most popular girl in the entire school, despite having me for a brother. I’d actually had a crush on her best friend Jessica a few years ago, had foolishly attempted to express my amorous feelings towards her, just the two of, with no other people around. I’d gotten it into my head that it would be romantic... a declaration of love, in some place private. I pulled her aside after the bell rang for fifth period one day, when the halls had cleared, and it was just the two of us. I held her hand. I looked into her eyes.

And promptly threw up all over her.

I was nervous, okay? Yes, I admit that. I was a bit scared about trying to pour my heart out to a relative stranger, and lunch hadn’t exactly settled well on my stomach. Add to that the fact that I was completely frazzled trying to keep my bad luck jinx in check, trying very hard not to cause the object of my affection to spontaneously combust the minute I touched her. Frankly, in retrospect, I’m kind of surprised that she HADN’T gone up in flames. But the end result was nearly as bad. She shrieked, grossed out at being covered in puke. I panicked, losing my tenuous emotional control, and my bad luck aura went into overdrive. The fire suppression system kicked on, and all the sprinklers went off, flooding the school. All of the lockers in the hallway we were standing in exploded outwards, their contents tumbling out into the deluge. Students and teachers alike ran out of their classrooms, scrambling to get out of the indoor rain, and at the center of it all stood me, sad, humiliated, and heartbroken.

Needless to say, Jessica made it a point to never be in close contact with me after that.

Plopping down in my recliner in the entertainment room, I switched on the big screen, and booted up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Nothing relieves frustration and angst like amassing numerous headshots in taking out imaginary bad guys with a sniper’s rifle. I’m not advocating anyone take out their frustrations that way for real, only in virtual reality. There’s a word for people that play first-person shooters with real guns, and if the police don’t take them out with ‘extreme prejudice’ they usually end up in a psych ward or the electric chair.

In case you’re wondering how I can play video games, or use a cell phone, or other kinds of things without them exploding, the short answer is... I don’t know. My bad luck aura is kind of funny that way. It doesn’t affect me personally, and on the few times I get hit with an effect of ill fortune, it’s usually backwash from the effect hitting someone or something else around me. As for my cell phone or video games... when I own something, something that is specifically mine, my aura seems to... I dunno, accept it, like my property is a part of me, and therefore safe. My first three cell phones lasted about two days, until I got the one I gave the girl yesterday. As soon as I saw it, held it, I knew I wanted it. It just felt like it was mine from the get go. And my bad luck demon left it alone. The same with my iPod, the stereo in my room, and my XBOX 360. Everything else in the house, however, was suspect, which I was reminded of when I put a couple of Hot Pockets in the microwave and the microwave blew up.

Oh well. I was becoming fond of having cereal for lunch anyway.

Around three o’clock I turned off the XBOX and decided to go out for a bit. School was about to let out, and Katie would be arriving soon, most likely with her bestest best friend in tow. Jess and I don’t get along very well, even now, and truth be told, I haven’t exactly done much to improve on the situation. Still, she is my sister’s best friend, for some inexplicable reason, and being a Friday, they no doubt had plans to hang out. Little sis has taken to the whole heroine thing in a big way, and now that she’s about to graduate, the folks have been giving her a bit more responsibility, letting her patrol on her own, and stay out to ungodly hours of the night, providing that she keeps passing her classes. Consequently, she’s had less time to spend with her friends... consequently, she tends to be a bit more possessive about her free time, like say, on a Friday after class, when she can catch up with them again.

Consequently, I decided to be somewhere else when she and Jessica came in.

I opened the garage door, and backed my Camaro out into the driveway and onto the road. I smirked slightly to myself, listening to the purr of the engine as I revved it once, twice, three times, before taking off. And Jenny took off like a shot, like a missile launched from its silo. Aside from my mom and my twin sister, Jenny was the only girl in my life that I loved unconditionally. She put up with my moods, my temper, and all my shit, and she’s never complained. And unlike other women, Jenny’s never let me down.

Let me describe her to you. Jenny’s a beautiful, curvy Nubian beauty, a Camaro with a heavy steel frame and black leather interior, bucket seats, power steering, power windows, manual transmission, and a totally sweet sound system. She’s powerful, too, with a 496 v-8 engine under her hood, with a recorded six hundred horses when push comes to shove. A ‘69, I found saw one day when I was passing the junk yard, just lying there, crying out for someone to come and rescue her. She was old, battered, bruised, and much abused, a mere shell of her former beauty... but I saw beyond her exterior, to the beautiful girl she was underneath. It was love at first sight, and like with my other few possessions, I just knew she was mine. My dad agreed to get her for me for my sixteenth birthday, as a graduation present, a bit surprised at my request but perfectly willing to oblige. Most likely, he’d been expecting me to ask for a BMW, a Benz, or a Jaguar, or some other more modern vehicle. My choice was much better; not only did I end up with the baddest ride in the entire city, if not the state, working to restore it together was a real father-son bonding experience.

I let Disturbed’s ‘Forsaken’ crank on my sound system as I cruised along the streets, no destination in mind, just driving aimlessly for the sheer enjoyment it gave me. I had few true joys in my life, and being able to feel the wind blowing in my face with the sound of music mixing with the purr of my girl’s engine revving was one of them. I have three distinct powers, and unfortunately flight is not one of them. Nor is super speed. Basically, when I need to be somewhere, I have to get there the old fashioned way. River City is a big place, and walking starts to get a bit tedious after a while.

We have public transportation, but the subway and bus lines refuse to carry me. Do I even need to explain why?

Pulling to a stop at a Chevron Station along the outskirts of town, I stopped at the Full Service pump and blew my horn, then got out. “Fill ‘er up, will ya?” I said to the attendant as I passed, heading inside the store. He gave me a strange look, like he had stomach issues or something, but I mostly ignored him. Full service gas stations were pretty much a fading commodity these days, but there were a few still out there. And I’d learned early on that it was just easier, all around, if I let someone else pump my gas for me while I waited, usually as far away from the other customers’ vehicles as possible.

I emerged a few minutes later with a couple of snacks, and a soda, and paying the attendant, I was on the road again in a matter of minutes. Coming up on the exit to Redburton, I turned off, on a whim. I hadn’t driven this way before, and the idea of visiting someplace new appealed to me. Snacking, drinking, listening to some tunes, Jenny and I made our way to the town.

Redburton is a town. Not really much of one, as it turns out, they all have the necessary components that a town needs to survive, like a general store, a couple of gas stations, a post office, and grocery stores, but not much else. Still, it had a kind of homey feel to it, kind of like Mayberry from the Andy Griffith show I sometimes caught reruns of. Slowing down to the normal town limit of thirty-five miles an hour, I made my way through to the center of town, and then pulled off, parking in an empty spot at a local Winco store. I made my way across the street, smirking despite myself, walking across an empty grassy field, the normally flat ground pot marked and uneven.

Mr. and Mrs. Albinn had described this site to Katie and I in one of their stories about ‘the good ol’ days’ before they’d settled down and gotten married, back when they were young fledgling super heroes themselves. The site apparently used to be a Key Bank, more than a decade ago, until the fateful day when a group of super powered miscreants decided to rob it. Parker and Veronica, along with another heroine, had stepped in to foil the robbery attempt, and things had gotten a bit dicey when the robber, a vocal villainess named Banshee, decided to fight back. Things apparently got even more complicated when a fugitive from River City with a stolen mind control device turned up to be hiding in the same bank, and brainwashed two of the combatants into his obedient thralls. Then, things erupted into total chaos when four OTHER notorious super powered villains arrived at the same bank, intent on killing the hiding fugitive, causing a super powered metahuman battle royale to break out.

And this is the site of that battle, I thought to myself, dropping to one knee, surveying the area. From up close, you could tell the places where explosions of great power had struck, blasting the ground, creating craters and huge pot marks. It was a little bit overwhelming. I mean, even as a super with powers of my own, in a family of heroes with powers of their own, as part of a community where super powered villains and villainess sometimes popped up out of the woodwork to wreak havoc and chaos on the tranquility of normal life... it was still sobering to see firsthand the after effects of the kind of destructive powers some of us had.

As I rose back to my feet, I caught a glimpse of someone staring at me. She was quite a distance away, but close enough that I could tell she was female. She had long dark hair, and was wearing a red jacket and blue jeans. She stood back across the street, and she was staring at me. Then, she apparently noticed me staring back, because she turned on her heel and started walking away.

I debated going after her. After all, it’s not often that you visit a strange town you’ve never been to before, and find yourself being watched by a stranger than resembles a woman you’ve dreamed about but never met before. Or maybe they do. I don’t know. At any rate, I considered chasing after her, but then reconsidered. What would I saw if I caught up with her? ‘Are you the woman of my dreams?’ Men in bars usually get drinks dumped in their faces with corny lines like that. ‘Why were you staring at me?’ Well, aside from any sinister schemes she might have had in the works for a complete stranger she’d never met, the fact of the matter was, I was squatting down in the middle of a grassy field, looking at scorch and pot marks. She was probably just curious as to what I was doing. So, given that there was really nothing I could say that wouldn’t make me look like a complete and utter fool, I let it go.

Back at my car, I found a nice little surprise waiting for me. My car had been ticketed! I stood there for a few minutes, stunned, trying to wrap my head around the fact that I’d been given a parking ticket for parking in an empty parking space, in a parking lot. I re-read the ticket... fire hydrant? I glanced over next to the cracked and broken sidewalk, peered through the unkempt bushes adorning it, and sure enough, sticking out from behind the shrubbery and uncut grass, sat a fire hydrant. Old, paint peeling, half covered in rust, all but covered by plant growth, I was pretty sure the hydrant hadn’t been used since the civil war, yet I was ticketed for parking in a legally marked parking space next to it!

I’m a pretty easy-going person at heart, Live and let live, is my motto. Aside from rare occasions like yesterday, I don’t go looking for trouble. I have more than enough troubles of my own to go looking for more. I’m an honest law abiding citizen. And I have every respect for the boys in blue, and the tough job they have trying to maintain law and order in a world where the driver you pull over for speeding is as likely to be some super powered bad guy with atomic laser vision and a chip on his shoulder as a it is to be a normal drunk carrying a .45 caliber gun.

But forty-five dollars for parking next to a hidden and unused fire hydrant is so cliché it might as well have planted there by Roscoe and Boss Hogg.

You know. From the Dukes of Hazard. It was a show back in the seventies and early eighties. They even remade it into a movie with Burt Reynolds, Jessica Simpson, and that guy from ‘Jackass’.

Yes, I know I watch entirely too many late night TV reruns.

The point was, I wasn’t going to pay such a bogus ticket. The money wasn’t the issue, though I thought forty-five bucks was a bit steep for a parking violation anyway. It was the principle of the thing. Pulling up to the Redburton City Hall, I parked in a clearly labeled visitor parking spot, and made my way into the office.

Inside the doorway, I stopped, and composed myself. I needed to relax, and reestablish my calm. While it was impossible not to be somewhat pissed off about the ticket, I needed to restrain my emotions. I was entering a public place, and if I didn’t want my errant bad luck demon to bring the entire building down around my ears, I needed to go to my happy place. Taking a deep breath, focusing my mind inward, I approached the county clerk’s window.

“Name?” she asked in a bored tone. I guess being on the receiving end of everyone’s ire about having to shell out money to the local commissioner wasn’t exactly a fun job. Clearing my throat, I answered, giving her my name. “What can I do for you, sir?”

“I’d like to contest this parking violation I just received,” I said, handing her the ticket. “The space I parked in had no markings at all to signify—”

“Traffic court,” she said, again in her bored tone. “Down the hall, on your left. Judge Evans is holding court right now. Sign in with the clerk inside the door, and wait for the bailiff to announce you.”

I nodded, my eyebrow twitching slightly at her aloof manner. Well, what did you expect, anyway? I thought to myself as I turned down the hallway. I doubt she decided back when she was a little girl that she wanted to be a gloriously underpaid civil servant when she grew up. Still... she could be a bit more civil. It was even in her job description. And as if that tiny thought had acted as a catalyst, I heard a loud shriek behind me as I turned the corner. Not a shriek of pain or terror, more akin to a cry of frustration or anger. So, I didn’t bother to go back and see what happened, I just smirked slightly and continued on down the hall.

Hmmm. Might wanna rethink that whole villain gig if I keep having thoughts like that.

Signed in, I took my place in the third row, and waited for the judge to call me forward. I’d never been in court before, but I’d caught a few moments on CNN, enough to know basically what was going on. I zoned out, tuning out everything going on, remaining in my happy place, waiting for my chance to talk to the judge. I wasn’t sure how long the wait would be; the court room wasn’t exactly packed, but there were at least a dozen or more people waiting when I walked in. I yawned, stretching, cracking my knuckles, wishing that I’d brought my iPod or a handheld game, or something to pass the time. Not that the judge would probably allow something like that in his court. They tended to be real sticklers on protocol. The point was, I was getting kind of bored. I was starting to hope something exciting would happen, just to liven things up.

And then, the door burst open, and three women in bright orange and red costumes swept into the room, two of them wearing what appeared to be canisters strapped to their backs. The third, a tall willowy redhead, peered back through a crack in the door, growling loudly. “Dammit! She’s coming down the hall! Stupid bitch just doesn’t know when to give up!” She turned, then gasped in surprise, apparently not expecting to see a room full of people staring back at her. “What the FUCK?” she hissed, taking a step back. She glared at one of the other girls, a short brown haired girl, who stood there, wide-eyed, clutching a small hose extending from the canister behind her as if it were her lifeline. “Dammit, Kendle! Of all the places in this fucking building, you had to pick one room with a crowd of people in it to hide in!”

Fugitives. Armed fugitives. And possibly a super villain to boot. Always be careful for what you wish for, folks, you might just get it.

“Sorry, Inferna,” Kendle said, blushing furiously. “I... I panicked! This was the closest door I saw!”

“Excuse me!” Judge Evans said, standing up, banging his gavel loudly. A big mistake. I groaned inwardly. Did this guy have a death wish or what? “Excuse me, ladies! This is a court of law! My court! And I’ll not have you interrupting these proceedings! Bailiff! Please escort these... WOMEN... out of my court room!” The bailiff took a step towards the women, one hand on his holster. Kendle, and her blonde friend turned as one, spraying out a plume of fire from the hoses they carried, causing the audience to break out into panicked screams, and the judge and bailiff to hit the floor

“Sorry, Judge,” Inferna retorted with a sneer. “I don’t recognize your authority. We’re the ones in charge here, now! And if you know what’s good for you,” she said, facing the crying, cowering audience, “you’ll shut up, every last one of you! I don’t want to hear a peep out of you, or my two ‘flames’ will roast you all like stuck pigs at a luau! Do we understand each other?” Silence. “Good. Now then... I need everyone to toss me their cell phones! Right now! Cell phones, iPods, MP3 players, anything electronic, toss them into the middle of the room, right now!”

As the frightened people began tossing their belongings into the center of the court room, Inferna gestured with her hands, causing them to burst into flame. I found myself somewhat glad that I HADN’T brought my iPod with me. I continued to sit there, sighing, trying to contain my frustration at this unforeseen turn of events. I hadn’t brought my cell phone with me. I’d given mine to the girl last night, and hadn’t even considered picking up one of dad’s spares before leaving home. If I had, I could have dialed my parents before tossing it over... or Mr. and Mrs. Albinn, or Auntie Eva... someone equipped to deal with this kind of thing. But no... I just assumed that everything would just be all right—

A loud cracking sound caught everyone’s attention. Glancing up at the ceiling, I saw a huge spider web of cracks form along the plaster, pieces of which began to sprinkle down over the crowd. Dammit! Lost my temper for a second, and now I really WAS about to bring down the house. Considering the fact that this was the first floor of a three story building, that would definitely be a BAD thing. Cursing silently, I forced myself to relax, reigning in my little gremlins once more, trying to stay calm. The girl mentioned something about hiding from a ‘she’ that was coming down the hallway, searching for them, a ‘someone’ that didn’t know when to give up. Maybe my luck had finally turned. Maybe it was a heroine stalking these women, someone strong, sleek, powerful, capable of trouncing these three with a simple wave of her hand.

The door opened, and young girl, about my age, with long dark brown shoulder length hair dressed in a shiny silver bodysuit stepped inside. Around her waist she wore a belt full of small packs, most of which had small lights blinking and beeping randomly. I groaned inwardly yet again. I’d never met her before, but I knew Techna by reputation. A minor heroine of local distinction, her powers revolved around the manipulation of electronics and computer components. She was a skilled hacker, and an innate inventor, the like of which would even put my old man to shame. She could make virtually anything out of just about anything, a regular gadgeteer. Still, she left a lot to be desired when it came to actually taking on criminals.

“Inferna! Give it up. You’re trapped in here, with no way out,” she said in a loud commanding voice. “Tell your henchwomen to throw down their weapons and surrender, and no one will get hurt.”

“Surrender?” Inferna said with a laugh. “Are you bluffing, kid, or are you just that stupid?” She gestured around the court room. “Look around you, Techna! I have a whole room full of hostages at my mercy. There’s even a judge in here! If you don’t want to see them all barbecued, then I think YOU had better surrender!” She gestured to Techna’s belt. “Your enhanced body suit might protect YOU from my flames, but not the rest of these innocents. Dump the belt Techna, or I roast them all. I swear I will!”

Watching the poor girl debate on whether or not to surrender, I actually felt bad for her. The poor thing looked like she might actually cry. Maybe I’m a bit more cynical, or hard-hearted or whatever, but in her situation, I would have entered the room blasting away, trying my best to stop Inferna and her two ‘flames’ before even offering them the chance to give up. Once you’ve established yourself as the victor in the battle, THEN you can let yourself be magnanimous. If you let your enemy gain an advantage, you better be prepared to deal with it, because you KNOW they’re gonna use it.

After a moment’s hesitation, she stripped off her belt, and tossed it to the villainess. Inferna caught it in her hands, igniting it instantly. “That’s a good girl. Now... I have YOU at my mercy as well! Without your little gadgets, you’re powerless!” Her grin grew. “And don’t think you can use any of the electronics in this room as a makeshift weapon either, dear Techna... I took the liberty of confiscating everyone’s cell phones and iPods and melting them all into slag before you entered!”

“Dammit,” Techna hissed, head hanging low. As the two henchwomen moved to restrain her, I felt my frustration at this insane situation reach critical mass. I tried to reel it in. I really did. Considering how long I’d been stuck in this room with all these people, I was actually doing rather well. But as the villainess’ minions grabbed the plucky heroine, I felt something inside me slip. The cracks in the ceiling expanded, and the sound of wood snapping and metal bending rang out like a shot. Everyone glanced upwards as a large part of the ceiling began to buckle.

“What the fuck did you do?” Inferna yelled, suddenly frightened of the prospect of being crushed. “What is this? Some kind of hidden weapon? Are you trying to kill us all?”

“It’s not me!” Techna screamed back, eyeing the ceiling with just as much dread as the others. “I swear! I’m not doing this!”

I sat up from my spot in the third row, and rose to my feet. The cracks were nearly connected, and time was running out. Cursing loudly, I leaped to my feet, sprinting into the center of the room, where the ceiling was set to come down. With a final savage crack, the roof caved in, and lowering my head, I braced myself, and raised both arms high into the air.

The crash from the impact stirred up a wind of dust and debris. My ears rang, and I felt something wet and thick splashing into my shoes, a sign that either the plumbing had also ruptured during the collapse... or I’d just wet myself. Nope. Dry undies. Good. That would have been embarrassing! Nevertheless, when the smoke and dust settled, the astonished inhabitants of that room glanced up to see me, standing there, muscles bulging, holding up the fallen roof with my bare hands.

They all knelt there in stunned silence for several minutes, some whispering in awe, some of the women, including Inferna’s blonde minion, were staring hard at my chest, exposed by the rip in my shirt from falling debris. I blushed uncomfortably for several seconds before yelling, “What the HELL is wrong with you people? Get the hell out of here before my arms give out! RUN! Get out of here! GO!”

That seemed to break everyone out of their trances. Inferna, huddled on the ground with her hands over her head like everyone else, suddenly remembered her role as villainess and stood up. “Hold it! No one’s going anywhere! I’m still in charge around here!”

Okay. I was seriously losing my temper now. For one thing, this woman’s claim to be ‘in charge’ was completely ludicrous. If I let go of the slab of wood metal and concrete I was holding, she would be in charge of butter and syrup, because she’d be a pancake! For another thing, my arms were beginning to get tired. I hadn’t come here expecting to perform deeds of daring do, per sae, and frankly I was a bit out of shape. While I was reasonably sure I wasn’t holding up the ENTIRE second floor of this three-story building, the amount of weight I was holding up had to be approaching my current comfortable limit. Third, and most importantly, my favorite Slayer shirt had just gotten mangled, shredded beyond repair!

Okay. I mentioned before that I have three distinct and separate powers. I classify them in three separate categories. The first, my super strength, is an innate power, a part of my genetic makeup, thank you, Mom. It’s active all the time, and I don’t have to consciously use it, I just have to consciously NOT use all of my strength for simple things, like opening doors or shaking hands. The second, my aura of bad luck, is a passive ability. It’s an involuntary reaction like a reflex, and while it’s active ALL THE DAMNED TIME!!! I can control it to a certain degree. I don’t consciously use it, if anything IT uses ME. It simply is.

My third and final power, however, was an active ability, one that I controlled fully. I rarely used it, preferring if at all possible not to use it at all, saving it for a kind of ‘last resort’. But now, I was fairly well pissed off, and I decided to use it now.

My skin darkened, going something akin to pitch black, while my eyes went completely white. The entire room darkened noticeably as well, still light enough to see for the most part, but the light illuminating the room grew very dim, as if my very presence was drawing in and sucking up all the light. With a thought, I sent summoned a network of shadow tentacles from my body, making me look like some dark, human-shaped octopus. I lashed out with my tendrils in all directions, striking everyone in the room multiple times, injecting them with a small bit of my own personal darkness. Likewise, I absorbed a bit of their personal ‘light’, a bit of their life force, into myself. That ‘power exchange’ served two very important functions. First, I was empowered a tiny bit from all the energy I’d absorbed from my targets, which immediately negated the fatigue I was starting to feel in my arms. Squatting down slightly, I gave a big heave... and propelled the ruined slab of concrete up and out through the hole in the ceiling, to land, hopefully, safely outside.

Bending down, I retrieved my sunglasses, placing them back over my eyes. Satisfied, I glanced at the crowd of onlookers, staring blankly up at me. I smirked, feeling more than a little bit evil, as I contemplated what to do next. The second aspect of being struck by my shadow tendrils was a bit more... diabolical. The tiny speck of darkness injected into them rendered them all very suggestible, and extremely submissive towards me. I thought of myself as something like a ‘psychic vampire’, as the overall effect was very much akin to being bitten by a vampire... if you go by popular literature, anyway.

Aunt Sarah mentioned once that she actually knows a ‘real live’ vampire... which seems like an bit of an oxymoron to me, but whatever. My mother once got up close and personal with a werewolf. Considering some of the things I myself have personally experienced, I don’t doubt anything anymore.

“Alright,” I said loudly, after a moment. “Let’s try this again. In just a moment, when I say ‘Go’, I want everyone to run out of here, and escape outside. But before that... you, Judge Evans, you’re going to take care of my bogus parking ticket, and personally have a word with the chief of police to make sure this kind of thing never happens again!”

“Yes, of course, my Lord,” the judge said in a thin monotone voice. “I shall see to it personally.”

I kind of grimaced at the phrase ‘My Lord’. Still, it could have been worse. He could have referred to me as ‘Count’. Glancing around, I spied Techna, Inferna, and the two minions, sitting docilely, staring obliviously up at me. “As for you guys... Inferna, you and your two little helpers have decided to surrender to Techna, and will go along with her quietly and submissively.” The darkness I’d brought to bear was a corrupting influence, on myself as well as my victims... er, targets. On a whim, I also added, “Techna, you and your captives will accompany me back to where you live, for a very thorough... debriefing.” I chuckled softly.

“As for the rest of you... once you get outside, you’ll return to your normal state of mind. However, you will not remember me, or anything that occurred after the ceiling fell. It will all be a fuzzy indistinct blur, but you’ll all be convinced of one undeniable truth: that Techna, the young heroine, is responsible for saving all of your lives.”

I wasn’t above helping out a fellow super’s reputation. Especially one like Techna, who really needed the boost. Who knows? Maybe after word of today’s heroic deed spread around, the girl might gain the attention of some of the more established heroes in circulation. I think she’d do really well as a sidekick, or junior partner to another, more experienced hero or heroine. At any rate, if nothing else, today would be a big boost to the girl’s ego.

And as I dismissed everyone, and we left the building, I led my lovely young thralls back to my car, and soon to Techna’s home, where, hopefully, the lot of them could do something to help boost my ego...