Light and Shadows 11: Rekindling the Flame
By J. Darksong & Gbrn32e
Ch.7) Light Of The World
I was panting when I arrived at the hospital, more than a little tired. I’d done a good bit of high speed flying today, as well as using my Light in combat, which I hadn’t really used in weeks. I wasn’t really out of shape or anything, but I was technically still recovering from nearly burning out from trying to bring back my dead former girlfriend and had never really gotten back to a hundred percent. Ughhh... Aunt Roni would totally have a cow if she saw me huffing and puffing like this, I thought grimly as I entered the stairwell, flying straight up to the second floor instead of bothering with the stairs. Reaching the third floor, I took a moment to catch my breath before making my way to Tawnya’s room.
“Sorry, I’m late,” I said as I stepped inside, high heels clicking loudly on the tile floor. “I flew here as fast as I—whoa! Dad? What are you doing here?”
Eugene Frasier held up a hand, forestalling his answer, while he conferred with Angela Prentiss and another young woman, a brunette wearing a white doctor’s coat. “Aye... I concur completely. These reactions seem too uniform and widespread to me. Ye’ve a cascading degradation of enzyme production across the board. That says only one thing to my way of thinking. Whatever the malady, it is not purely biological.”
“He’s right,” Angela replied with a sigh. “While some of these symptoms might be caused by disease, there are just too many markers for it to be an infection.”
“I hate to agree, but I believe you’re both right,” the young brunette doctor chimed in, whom I now recognized as Dr. Marietta Boardman, the granddaughter of Alexis Boardman, the doctor that had treated Jimmy and me back when we were kids until she finally retired. “It does narrow the suspect list considerably, but it doesn’t really help me in coming up with an effective treatment...”
I glanced from face to face as they spoke in rapid fire technical nonsense. I might have picked up a thing or two in my college classes with Mistress, but in this, I was completely out of my depth. Not for the first time did I wish I could change places with my brother—he’d know what the hell they were talking about!
“Katie! You’re here!” Sioban said, coming into the room just then, with several others in tow. She hugged me tightly, and I sighed, wanting to melt into her, but knowing I needed to stay strong in case she needed me. Behind her, Delores, Constance, and Darryl entered as well, each moving to take vigil at Tawnya’s bedside.
As to the patient herself... I found my throat nearly closing in fear. I’d spent a lot of time with my dear Angel girls, and we’d seen each other at the best of times and the worst of times. But I’d never seen the dark skinned beauty looking so pale and vulnerable before. Her normally vibrant face was pale, her skin sweat soaked and blotchy, her hair frizzy and limp. And though she’s always been on the lean side despite her sexy curves, now she looked like little more than skin and bones. She had tubes and wires and IV’s galore attached to her, looking more machine than human. It was... it was terrible.
“What happened to her?” I asked, quietly, not wanting to disturb everyone but needing to know.
“That’s what the eggheads over there are trying to figure out,” Sioban replied with a small sigh. “Dr. Boardman is overseeing Tawnya’s treatment, but your dad was in the lab when I called Angela, and the two of them rushed over to help.”
I nodded. “Where are Nigel and Patricia?”
“They’re en route,” my Dad answered, stepping up to us, his expression grim. “They cut their trip to see the Vice President short, and are on the way back here now. It was just as well,” he added with a bit of a smirk. “Apparently Patty roughed up a few Secret Service members in her rush to inform Nigel what was going on. Luckily, the Vice President is a family man himself and completely understood.”
“So what’s the news? Do you know what happened to Tawnya yet? Why is she sick? How is she sick?”
“‘Sick’ is a bit of a misnomer,” Eugene said, glancing over at the unconscious girl. “The truth of the matter is, the lass was poisoned.”
“POISONED?” several voices, including mine, exclaimed.
“Yes. Poison. And a particularly nasty and potent one, it seems,” the brunette physician replied, joining us. “I’ve had my suspicions for a few days now, but the results from your friend’s blood draws prove it. This was no disease, and definitely no accident. Someone intentionally poisoned your friend.”
“Someone... intentionally did this to her...” Mistress said softly, biting her lip, deep in thought. I suspected that she knew something, but was still connecting the dots. And I knew better than to press her. Instead, I asked the doctor about the other concern I had.
“Wait. You said you had a suspicion for a few days now?” I asked. “How did you know this was going to happen?”
“Not to Tawnya specifically,” Dr. Boardman replied, “but she’s hardly the first case that we’ve treated for these symptoms at this hospital. In fact, she’s actually the twelfth case currently residing here now.” I blinked at that. “And that’s just for THIS hospital. I did some checking around, and there are have been five more cases reported at various hospitals of people suddenly collapsing of an unknown sickness.” She shook her head in frustration. “The worst part is that the other cases mirror Tawnya’s exactly, except that there is no clear cut connection between them all. The only connection between SOME of the group seems to be the six are attending River City University—five students and one Teacher.”
“Poison,” Darryl said with obvious distaste. “Damn. What kind of evil cowardly person uses poison on innocent people like that? This is.... this is just... insane!”
“Indeed,” Angela nodded in agreement. “And I doubt that whoever was behind this is finished.” She sighed wearily. “The very best we can hope for right now is to identify the specific toxin he or she is using, to figure out what it is we’re dealing with. Then we just have to hope it’s something that we can counteract...”
“You mean, an antidote?” Constance asked, frowning slightly. “But not every poison has an antidote. Usually, it’s just the organic ones, like snake venom, or insect poison, that have actual antidotes, right?”
“Aye, for the most part,” Eugene responded. “But we’ve advanced in the science of it a fair bit in the past few years as a necessity. There are a lot of man-made designer poisons created to kill specific people in a specific way, and most of them have counter agents in case of accidental exposure. We’ll just have to hope that if this IS some new exotic poison being spread around our city, the poisoner chose one with an antidote.”
“We can only hope,” Dr. Boardman stated. “The situation is very serious after all. Of those exposed to this toxin so far, about half of them died from it.”
Died? As in DEAD dead? “Um... excuse me,” I said, turning to the door, “I think, um, I need to get some air.”
Mistress grabbed my arm as I grabbed the handle. “Katie? It’s going to be okay, sweetie,” she said softly. “Tawnya’s a fighter. Whatever this is, it’s not going to beat her. I know it.” She held out her free hand, revealing a small glowing stone. “My Tear is telling me she’s going to be all right. Yes, she’s not in great shape... but if her life were truly in danger right now, I would know it. And Goddess Skuld... er, Devon, would be here. I reached out to her when this happened, but she told me that it would be okay, that Tawnya’s life wasn’t ending anytime soon.” She squeezed my hand gently. “It’s going to be okay. Just have some faith, okay?” I nodded, giving her a small smile, as I left the room.
I didn’t doubt Mistress’ assessment of the situation. T-baby was definitely a fighter. She was one of the strongest people I knew, and I don’t mean physically. But being alive and being well and healthy didn’t necessarily mean the same thing. Mom had told me, quietly, when we were alone, that the damage I’d done to myself using my power that way had indeed taken a toll on me. I’d definitely shortened my own life span a bit. I was fine for the most part, but I still tired very easily, and most likely would never fully recover on my own.
And even if Tawnya recovered, her Tear powers enabling her to finally shrug off the poison and go back to her old self again... what about the others? The doctor had said there were seventeen reported cases so far, and that close to half of them had died. And the one responsible was still out there. Worse, they were targeting MY school, my campus! My hands clenched into fists in frustration. I wanted... needed, to do something about this! But... I wasn’t a hero anymore. Yeah, I’d bent the rules a little bit by helping Paper Doll out of a jam... heh... hehehe... a ‘Paper Jam’... hahaha... wish I’d used THAT joke during the fight— but even then, I’m pretty sure the police would have hauled me away with Somnolence if I’d stuck around afterwards...
“Well well... someone’s deep in thought.”
I glanced up, feeling my jaw visibly drop as a familiar figure approached me from the other end of the hallway. I shook my head in disbelief, even rubbing my eyes to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. “W-Whitney? Is th... is that you?” I asked. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh? You actually remembered me? I’m touched,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “As for why I’m here?” she held up a small bouquet of fresh cut flowers. “I heard that our old schoolmate Tonya Parkinson was feeling under the weather... so I thought I’d stop by and visit her.”
My eyes narrowed at that. Something was definitely off. If I’d had a spider sense, it would be tingling like crazy. “Um, it’s Tawnya,” I corrected her, “and she was never exactly your friend back in high school. I remember you and Shani used to make fun of her during the basketball games, calling her an obvious lesbian dyke, among other things—”
“Of which I was proven right, though of course, you’d know all about that!” Whitney replied with a sneer.
I sighed deeply. “And secondly, how did you even know she was here? She collapsed less than an hour ago, and I only just got the news and rushed here myself.”
Whitney laughed. “Oh, that? Of course, I knew she was here. I’m the one that made her sick after all.”
If my jaw had gaped before, it nearly hit the ground now. “YOU?!? You did this? You poisoned Tawnya?” I shouted in outrage.
“Quiet, you dumbass! We’re in a hospital!” she snapped, glaring. “And yes, I poisoned her. Not just your friend, however... all the people that are being treated. I had to test my new powers somehow, and well, beggars can’t be choosers.” She held out the flowers clutched in her hand, and as I watched, wide eyed, the bouquet withered before my very eyes, darkening and turning into black ashes before crumbling into dust.
“Whitney... how... what did you do to yourself?”
“Your Uncle Duncan’s head flunky Dr. MacDonald gave me a makeover,” she said with an evil smirk. She placed a hand lightly against the wall, which began to smoke, the paint peeling and dissolving away. “I won’t lie. It hurt like you wouldn’t fucking believe! He told me from the beginning that there was only a fifty-fifty chance I’d even survive the process, and that even if I did that pain would probably drive me insane. But I endured it anyway... all for the chance to be able to face you again, and finally make you pay!”
I winced, pretty certain that she’d been right about the ‘insanity’ part at least. “Whitney, please! I don’t want to fight you! I never did! All I’ve tried to do is be your friend!”
“And I hate you for it!” the blonde villainess snarled. “Always the goody-goody! I tried to kill you... tried to choke you out, snap your neck like a twig... and what do you do? You go to my trial and testify on my behalf and get my sentence lowered! I was looking at twenty years, and thanks to you it was reduced to five, a mere slap on the wrist!” She spat angrily, and I blinked, the gob of spit causing the tile to smoke as well. “Always the perfect little heroine... the so-called ‘Light of Justice’. Blessed with good luck, your fucking life is nothing but sunshine and rainbows! So when I heard that you’d gone to the dark side, that the city’s beloved protector had been disgraced and shamed for trying to take over the city, I nearly laughed myself silly! I knew I had to escape from prison and take this chance to strike at you when you were at your lowest point!”
I sighed softly. There was no point in trying to reason with her. By her own admission, she was spoiling for this confrontation and had gone through hell to make it happen. Sighing softly, I vanished my professional attire, donning my Neuroweave costume once more. “I don’t want to fight you, Whitney,” I said in resignation, “but you’re not leaving me much choice. Let’s take this outside, then.”
But Whitney merely laughed. “Well well... looks like Katie’s fled, and Luminaire has shown up in her place!” she snarked, taunting me. “Well, you’re not the only one with an alias and costume,” she said, tearing off her oversized gray hoodie, revealing a green and yellow lycra costume underneath. “You can call me Toxima... the lethal beauty. And we’re doing this right here, right now. I’m not letting you move this outside, and give you the chance to run away!” She inhaled briefly, then exhaled, breathing out a cloud of thick swirling green vapor.
Wide eyed, I stumbled back, knowing that whatever that was, it would NOT be beneficial to my health for it to envelop me. Just before it reached me, however, there was a loud click, and the wall and ceiling vents suddenly clicked on, blowing the noxious cloud back down the hall towards Whitney. Scowling, she gestured with a hand, dissipating the gas. “Hmph. Should have known. Saved by your damned luck as always,” she sneered. “Doesn’t matter, though,” she replied, holding out a hand, which seemed to be literally dripping with sweat. “All I have to do is touch you, Just one little drop of my toxin, and it’s all over,” she stated, walking slowly towards me. “Oh, and don’t even THINK of running away or flying out of here,” she added nastily. “I chose this place for a reason. We’re going to settle this thing between us tonight! If you run, then I’m afraid everyone else in this building, including your dad and best friend, will end up paying the consequences. And those consequences will be fatal!”
I’d actually been preparing to leap up and fly past her down the hall when she’d made her threat. “Wh... Whitney! Dammit... you can’t be serious! You’d kill hundreds... thousands of innocent people? All just to spite me?”
“YESSSS!!” she yelled, snarling. “God!! Are you fucking stupid? Have you NOT been paying attention? Yes, goddammit, I would slaughter all of these fucking people in a heartbeat if it meant getting to you! For the nothing other than the sheer fact that knowing you hadn’t stopped me would hurt you to your fucking core!” She seethed, panting softly. “You think these people mean a goddamned thing to me? No one is innocent. The day I got my powers, I was hitchhiking back to River City, and two ‘good samaritans’ picked me up, offering me a lift.. which was a pretense to beat the shit out of me and rape me on the side of the fucking road!” She smiled, her grin having a definite insane quality to it. “So... I killed them. I hadn’t even learned about my power yet, but somehow I managed it. That’s when I realized the truth—that everyone is shit... everyone only looks out for themselves.” Her nasty smile returned. “And most of all, no matter how much of a ‘goody goody’ someone might appear to be on the surface,” she said, glancing knowingly at me, “deep down, they’re just as fucked up as I am!”
Well. If this battle was going to be purely psychological in nature, she would have scored a K.O. I had absolutely nothing for that. Not that I shared her broken nihilistic view of people in general, just the opposite. I believed that even the evilest and heartless people had SOME good in them if you had a way to bring it out in them. But, conversely, it was also true that no matter how good the person, there was also a bit of darkness in them as well. I’d certainly proved that about myself. And as she closed in on me, rather than fight back or defend myself, I found myself rendered paralyzed by my own existential crisis.
“Wah! Ahhhh! What the fuck!?!” Whitney yelled, jerking back as the fire suppression system suddenly came on, sending down a cascade of water over the both of us. Shocked out of my momentary fugue, I noticed the small puddle of oily green colored fluid leaking from Toxima, going safely down the floor drains. “Damn you!” she yelled furiously, stumbling back, shaking her hair out of her face. “That’s it! That tears it! I am SO done now! I was going to make it quick and easy. I planned to just end your life quickly, a few seconds of gut-wrenching mind rending pain, and then it would be over! But not now! NOW I’m going to give you a slow and painful death! I’m going to poison you just enough to weaken you, so that you can’t move, can’t speak, can’t do anything but lie there... then I’m going to kill everyone you love, one by one, until there’s no one else left... and THEN I’ll allow you to die!”
Just then the door to Tawnya’s room opened. “Katie? Are you okay?” Sioban asked, poking her head out. “Why is the fire alarm—huh? What’s going on out here?”
Toxima turned, a sick sadistic smile on her lips. “Perfect timing! Just the person I wanted to see!” she stated, taking a deep breath.
What happened next... I don’t even remember moving, or thinking, or choosing to act. There was a kind of... instinctive knowledge that my Mistress was in danger, that Whitney was planning to attack her, poison her, KILL her. Then there was a bright flash of light, and a loud shout, a scream of “NOOOOOOO!” that I didn’t even realize was coming from me. When it faded, I noticed my hands, outstretched, pointing down the hallway... and the shattered window that I’d blasted Whitney through.
“Ka... Luminaire?” Sioban asked, coming to my side, mindful of my costume even in the midst of all this chaos. “What just happened? Who was that?”
“Whitney Meyers,” I answered dully, still a bit in shock. “My old friend from high school… the one that Tawnya mentioned meeting before she collapsed. She... she’s calling herself ‘Toxima’ these days. She’s the one that poisoned T... poisoned everyone.” I shook my head, “All of this... it was her trying to get back at me.”
“But why? Why would she go through all this?” Mistress asked, uncomprehending. “Is she insane?”
“Possibly, yes,” I answered, pulling free to walk over to the window. Insane murderess or not, I hadn’t planned to end things this way. I supposed you could argue that my actions had been in defense of life. Not my own, but in defense of my loved ones. And she had confessed that she’d killed several people before, and wouldn’t stop anytime soon. I’d done a good thing... and yet I couldn’t help but feel Whitney had won in the end by bringing me down to her level as a killer...
Only... what the hell?!?
“She’s gone!” I yelled out, staring down at the ground below. We were three stories up, and the ground below was littered with broken glass and plaster... but there was no sign of Whitney, alive or dead. Which meant that she’d not only survived, she’d gotten up and walked away! Igniting my Light, I leaped out of the broken window, hovering above the ground a few feet before ascending, staring down at the area surrounding the hospital. “Dammit! She’s gone. She escaped!” I said in frustration as I dropped back down again.
This was bad. Majorly bad, As in Epic levels of badness beyond bad. Whitney had the power to kill, either with a touch or from a distance. And she knew my identity, where I lived, and where my family all lived. She wanted nothing more than for me to suffer, to surrender to despair and pain before she finally delivered the final blow herself. And she’d made it crystal clear that she had no problems whatsoever taking out any innocents that might get in her way.
There was no choice in the matter. She had to be found and stopped. And the sooner the better. With a heavy heart, I headed back into the hospital to tell everyone what was going on...
Whitney Meyers was pissed.
All in all, her plan had proceeded swimmingly. She’d managed to corner Katie exactly as she’d planned, had virtually dominated the encounter, emotionally ripping the girl to shreds. And truth be told, she could have killed the girl at any time with a simple touch. That she’d tried to draw it out and engage in prolonged psychological warfare instead of simply ending the girl’s life had been her only misstep.
If anything, it was a cause for celebration, in that she’d gone toe to toe with her enemy, a woman who had taken down much stronger villains before and come through unscathed, yet, she’d taken the full brunt of Luminaire’s attack and had walked away unharmed. She’d learned the depths of her enemy’s strength and how it matched up to her own.
And yet, all she felt was anger, not triumph. In her mind, she’d been bested again... robbed of her victory by the damned sunshine bitch’s good luck! She’d wanted it all to be settled tonight, to finally put this rivalry to bed for once and for all. Instead, here I am, slinking away, tail between my legs, like a goddamn whipped dog! she thought seething.
She’d at least had the foresight to plan ahead, to prepare an escape strategy in case something went wrong. While she’d been prepared to take on Katie and anything she could throw at her, Whitney wasn’t dumb enough to think she could stand up to Katie’s dad, Armor Man, who had, unfortunately, showed up at the hospital with the other Grimalde bunch. And so she knelt down in her hiding spot, down in the sewers, staring up at the sky through the water drain as Luminaire floated up above, searching for her.
Okay. I’ll concede this round to you, bitch, she thought furiously as her enemy finally flew off out of sight. But at least I know how to take you out now. My poison is unstoppable. And it doesn’t matter how high or far you fly, eventually, you WILL come to me, Her grin returned. All I need to do is get your attention... maybe a few more people falling over dead should be enough to bring you back. And this time, no more playing around. The next time we meet, Katie Frasier, you die.
Hmmm... okay... steady now, laddie... steady...
Eugene peered down at the small floor grate with a critical eye. He’d removed the cover, and donning a pair of sterile rubber gloves, had explored the grate thoroughly. The fire suppression system had done a good job of washing away all of Whitney’s toxins, preventing anyone from inadvertently coming into contact. All well and good, he mused scowling, as he scanned the inside of the narrow grate, though it does make a mite difficult to find what we need to... eh? Hold it... he paused, flicking his watch, activating the scanner embedded within. Aye... that’s what I was looking for!
“Find something did you?” Nigel Grimalde asked, peering down over his shoulder.
“It’s too soon to tell yet,” Gene responded, withdrawing a small eyedropper from his pocket, inserting it carefully to the grate, “but it just might the answer we’ve been seeking. This grate has a small groove behind the seam in which the grate rests.” Pulling it back carefully, he held up the small container of liquid. “Aye. That’s definitely not water,” he said, peering at the thick slightly shimmering fluid. He stood back up, handing the eyedropper to Angela. “Not a lot to work with here, but, do you think perhaps you can use this sample to figure out what we’re dealing with?”
“Not a problem,” the blonde scientist nodded, sliding the sample into a small secure box. “I’m used to working with small samples. It should be easy enough to break it down and figure out exactly what poison she’s using.” She shook her head, however. “That’s the easy part, though. The trick will be finding a counter agent or treatment that will work.”
“I have every confidence in your abilities, Angela,” Nigel said calmly. “But considering the situation, I think time is of the essence. Dr. Boardman said you’ve have the run of the hospital’s facilities to help with the analysis.”
“Thanks, but I think I should head back to my own lab at the Tower,” Angela replied. “Our facilities are decades ahead of what they have available here. But I could use a dedicated connection to their network, and access to the medical files of everyone being treated for the poison.”
“Done,” Dr. Boardman replied, nodding, walking along with Angela as they both headed to the elevator. “I’ll even do you one better and give you the hard files I was reviewing before you arrived...”
“Hmm. Quite a woman,” Nigel stated, chuckling softly.
“Aye. Which one were ye referring to?” Eugene quipped.
“Dr. Boardman, of course, for taking charge this way, and risking her career. I’m already aware of how amazing Angela is.”
“True enough,” Gene said with a chuckle of his own. “Speaking of ‘amazing women’, I hear yer better half had a bit of an ‘altercation’ with the Secret Service while you were out of town.”
Rather than be annoyed, Nigel merely chuckled again. “What can I say? Patricia has always been the kind of person to act first and worry about the consequences later. And, barring a few exceptions, it’s always worked for her in the past.” Eugene merely snorted lightly, saying nothing. “Ahem... at any rate, the Vice President is a personal friend, and once he heard the circumstances, he was okay with the interruption. He actually commended Patricia on her form.”
“Indeed,” Eugene replied, nodding. Nigel sighed softly, knowing his friend well enough now to know when something was on his mind. And knowing him as well as he did, he could guess to what was troubling him.
“Alright, Eugene, out with it,” he said, causing him to glance his way. “You’re obviously brooding over something. So go on and share, already. What’s on your mind?”
“Well, if ye must ken,” he said with a smirk, “I was thinking about yer daft declaration that ‘Die Another Day’ was the best Bond film when clearly the only true answer to that question is ‘Goldfinger’.”
“You’re dissembling, Frasier,” Nigel grunted. “Stop trying to change the subject.”
“I’m not!” Gene grunted back, seemingly affronted. “That was what was on my mind when ye asked!”
“Really?” Nigel asked dubiously.
“One of many topics currently on my mind,” Gene clarified with a smirk. “I can multitask, ye ken.” He sighed softly, glancing away. “And anyway, ye should leave the psychic predictions to ye wee, Constance. She’s better at it.”
But Nigel would not be dissuaded. “And you’re a terrible liar. You may be better at chess, but I’m the much better poker player. I know something’s bothering you, and if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, But at least do me the courtesy of acknowledging that something is wrong. Part of being friends is helping them with their problems.”
Gene nodded softly. “Tch... fine. I was just thinking about the one responsible for this mess... and no, I’m not talking about young Whitney. I’d fair see her locked up and the key thrown away if I had my say... but what concerns me is the one that made her such a threat... the true cause of these horrors.”
Nigel’s frown returned. “I see. And to my recollection, your brother Duncan was the only one with the knowledge and means of altering a person’s DNA and giving a normal human special powers. But he’s no longer among the living.”
“Aye. And by my recollection, that leaves only one other person alive with the same knowledge, means, and skill to pull it off. His right-hand man and henchman, MacDonald.” He growled softly, hands clenching. Blasted bloody breall... ye’d think after the mauling Wyldcard and Ultra Girl gave him he’d have slunk away to hide under a rock somewhere...
“And you feel guilty that you didn’t take care of him when you had the chance,” Nigel stated, reading his expression. Gene shrugged.
“Aye. But I suppose it’s neither here nor there. Ye cannae change the past, after all. All we can do is learn from our past experiences and try not to repeat them.” He took a deep breath. “I cannae do anything about MacDonald right now. And I cannae help Katie Ann with her problems. But I can help wee Tawnya and the other victims of Whitney’s wrath. So I intend to focus on what I can do right now, and worry about the rest for later.”
“Good man,” Nigel said in approval. “You can start by helping me arrange to have Tawnya transported back to the Tower. We have all the same amenities back home to make her comfortable, and until Angela comes up with something, there’s really nothing else anyone can do.”
I could barely get any sleep last night. Between worrying about T-baby, worrying about Whitney being out on the loose, and worrying about my family and friend’s safety, I just couldn’t drift off. In the end, tired by my restless tossing and turning, Mistress had turned to me, looked me in the eyes and simply commanded me to ‘Sleep’. The next thing I knew my alarm was going off, and it was morning.
I shut off the alarm, yawned and slid out of bed. My Mistress slept on, peacefully, for which I was very glad. She was just as stressed out as I was, and she still had to teach class today. I sighed softly. I so wanted to crawl back into bed with her, wake her gently by teasing her into a toe curling orgasm, then spend the rest of the day rinsing and repeating. But alas... duty called. I was swinging by my dresser to grab my underwear and head to the shower when my cell phone buzzed. Curious, I checked it and found a message alert from the University, saying that classes were canceled for the day. Apparently the large number of people sick from ‘food poisoning’ had caused the University heads to shut down until the matter could be investigated.
Huh. Looks like Whitney actually did something good for me after all.
Pushing aside all other concerns, for now, I focused all my energy on pleasing Mistress Bonnie. It was still a bit early for her, but once she was awake, I could give her the news that she could sleep in, and maybe convince her to play with her ‘Kitten’ a bit before drifting back to sleep. Feeling particularly cat-like, I wormed my way underneath the covers at the foot of the bed and gave my Mistress’ cute sexy scarlet painted toes a little lick. As always, my super sensitive Owner flinched, toes splaying then curling from the sensation. Had I been above the covers, and able to see her face, I knew I’d see a soft smile curling her lips.
Mmmmm... so tempting, I thought to myself, licking my lips. I so loved the sound of my ticklish lover’s sweet giggles. In fact, the only sounds that turned me on more than her husky laughter were the raspy breathless moans and groans just before she shuddered in orgasmic bliss. And as much as a part of me relished the idea of making my girlfriend shake and shudder and squeal in helpless abandon, the dutiful slave in me only wanted to please her Mistress in the way most satisfying to Her needs.
Sioban sighed softly, shifting slightly in her bed. The warm wet sucking of her toes made her pussy wet, turning the dreams running through her head erotic. A small soft hand slid down between her naked thighs, idly rubbing her wetness, only to murmur softly as another hand not her own gently but firmly pulled it away. Groaning again, fighting to stay in the dream, her eyes fluttered as the warm wet sucking sensation traveled slowly upwards from her feet and ankles, up to her thighs, lingering just long enough to coax another deep groan from her lips before delving deep within the place she so desperately needed to feel it.
I nearly swooned from the pleasure the moment my tongue hit her sweet spot. There was just something so special about my Mistress’ taste. I mean, I’d eaten plenty of pussy before, and had definitely enjoyed it every time. I was particularly fond of how Nebby tasted and smelled... and felt. And sounded. Basically, everything regarding the girl when she cums—and I wasn’t the only one to think so. I almost wondered if it was another hidden Super power of hers. That said... Sioban’s juices were like nectar to me. If it were possible, I would have happily spent the rest of my life nestled between her thighs, blissfully licking my marvelous Mistress to an endless stream of climaxes. To that end, only my innate slave nature, or more likely the programming, that kept me from going totally ballistic on her love channel, reminding myself that this was about HER wants and desires, not mine.
All too soon, however, she crossed the threshold, in more ways that one. Her thighs shuddered briefly, before clenching tightly around my head, forcing my in deeper, as a loud deep husky groan of satisfaction sounded above me. I shuddered myself in sympathy, literally cumming from getting my Mistress off, humming my pleasure, letting the vibrations be the cherry on top. As the vice like pressure on my head finally relented, and I drew back to catch my breath, the covers suddenly lifted, and I glanced up to find a slightly flushed but grinning Bonnie peering down at me. “Good morning, Reason For My Being,” I said gently, rolling over to lie next to her.
“Morning, Katiecat,” she replied, earning a purr from me. Damn... sometimes I was just too easy to trigger. “Not that I didn’t appreciate the exceptionally nice wake-up call,” she said stretching, “but I think we’re going to be late.”
“Nope,” I said cheekily, rubbing myself against her all kitty like. “We received a text message from the University Science department heads. Classes are canceled today, and the SUB is shut down because of all the students and faculty getting sick. Which means we get to spend the entire day in bed if you want!”
“Really?” she said, grinning, pulling me into a kiss. “Well, that does sound nice... but I doubt we could spend the ENTIRE day in bed. We do have responsibilities after all...” She let out a soft sigh. “I should check in with everyone, and see how Tawnya is doing, and if the police have caught up to Whitney yet.”
“Awwww,” I said with a pout. “Can’t we just stay here a LITTLE longer? Pleeeeasssee?” I begged shamelessly, jiggling my best assets for her as an extra incentive. She openly laughed, shaking her head at my antics. “Wouldn’t you rather stay in bed and play with your ‘widdle Kitten’?” I added, shaking my tail, causing her to giggle hard enough to actually snort.
“Ohhh oh, Goddess Bless,” she managed after a few minutes. “Katie dear, you are so precociously cute when you want to be. But you know we can’t stay here like this forever. Real life has a way of drawing you out. And there’s too much going on right now. It’s only a matter of time before some emergency happens.”
“That’s why we should enjoy this private time all the more,” I pointed out, snuggling against her. Goddess Bless... I swear the woman didn’t have flesh on her bones, it was pure one hundred percent silk! “Besides, it’s not even eight o’clock in the morning yet. There’s no way something could happen in the next few—”
And just like that, our romantic happy-happy fun time came to an end. The loud buzzer from the hallway outside of the bedroom cut me off, and a moment later, the intercom came to life. “Sorry to bother you, Ms. MacMillan, Ms. Frasier,” Julie, the head maid called out, “but I’m afraid there’s a bit of a problem. A Detective Reynolds is outside, requesting to see both of you downstairs immediately.”
The groan I let out then had nothing to do with pleasure...
I was more than a little nervous as we arrived at the River City Police Station HQ, hands clenched tightly in my lap to keep them from fiddling aimlessly with my skirt. Sioban riding next to me was quiet as well, her expression grim. The detective sent out to speak with us had been persistently closed-mouthed about exactly why we’d been called to the station, only that the Chief had requested ‘Sioban MacMillan’ and ‘Katherine Anne Frasier’ to meet him in his office at nine o’clock sharp. The fact that he’d requested us both was foreboding enough, but that he’s specified us by name, considering that he was one of the few in the system that KNEW both our costumed identities and our true names, made me really nervous.
I mean... it was possible that he might be calling about Whitney’s rampage through the city, and the threat that she posed. Mistress and I would be the natural ones to consult. But considering my near run-in with the cops the night before after saving Paper Doll, and the fact that I was persona non grata with the police force in general since surrendering my badge, I didn’t have my hopes up. I glanced over at my love as she drove us, parking into the visitor’s parking lot. I was grateful as always for her presence, but I didn’t really want her here for this. If the Chief planned to rip me a new asshole for my act of vigilantism, I didn’t want her getting caught in the crossfire. Worse, I didn’t want her getting blamed for my actions, or worst of all, getting into a shouting match with him trying to defend me and getting HER badge taken as well.
We’d chosen to enter the station exactly as ordered, in civies, so to speak. I actually breathed a small sigh of relief as we made our way over to the desk sergeant and no one even gave us a second glance. “Excuse me, Sergeant,” Mistress said, getting his attention. “We have a 9 AM appointment to meet with Chief Brennan.”
“Hmm...” he said, glancing down at his clipboard. “Oh! Let’s see. Are you... Saya... Seeo... Sia...?”
Mistress and I both rolled our eyes simultaneously. No one EVER got it right on the first try. “Just go with ‘Ms. MacMillan’,” she said with a sigh. Nodding, the Sergeant lead us back into the back, directly to a large office with the placard ‘Jack Brennan, Chief of Police’ etched onto it. He glanced up as we answered, then grunted, gesturing with the end of his cigar for us to sit down. We did, and he waited until the sergeant left, closing the door behind him before he spoke.
“I’m going to talk for a moment now, and I want you both to stay quiet, got it?” I glanced aside at Sioban, who nodded slightly. “Good. So Red,” he said standing up, walking slowly around the office, “here we are again. Once again, you and your little friend have gotten me over a barrel. I thought we had an understanding. I THOUGHT we had a measure of trust in each other.” He walked over to the edge of the wall and pulled the chord, bringing down the shutters, blocking us from view from the rest of the office. “And most of all, I thought we had an agreement!” he growled, letting his obvious anger show forth now. “You told me you had a handle on this!” he stated, pointing at me. “It was bad enough that you LIED to me about the Dust... that the girl wasn’t just using it but using it liberally! If I’d insisted on having her tested in the woods that day we BOTH know she would have failed it! But I gave you an out. I let it slide... because frankly, this entire goddamn city owed you heroes for pulling our collective fat out of the fryer!”
I stiffened at that. I’d been pretty much out of it that day, barely remembered most of it even now. I knew that Bonnie had covered for me with the police about what had ACTUALLY happened. But I’d never known that she’d promised the Chief to keep me out of trouble. And the fact that he was blaming her for my screws made me equal parts shameful and angry—ashamed for myself and angry at HIM for blaming my Mistress!
“And then... she decides to take over the whole city, and brainwash everyone into her bidding,” he continued on, puffing away on his cigar. “And, of course, it was TOTALLY one hundred percent legal and above board!” he growled, waving his hands. “I oughta know... I was there in the town hall when we voted on the ordinance!” He grunted, stomping back over to his seat, parking himself back in it. “As you can guess, that little stunt ate up all the good will you banked with the citizens. They see you as no better than one of the criminals you USED to protect them from!”
“Now wait a damn minute, Chief!” Sioban snapped, fed up with the accusations. “Now you’re going too far! Katie was—”
“QUIET!” Brennan barked, loud enough to put Parker Albinn’s sonic powers to the test. “You sit there and zip it, Red! You talk when I’m done! NOT before!”
“But Chief,” I put in, standing up, “She was only trying to—”
“SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!” he bellowed. Wide eyed, I did just that, stunned. “Both of you! Not another goddamn word!” I nodded woodenly, my hand reaching out and taking Sioban’s offered hand, squeezing it tight. This was worse than the scolding I got from my dad when he found out I’d failed my core subjects and would be held back a year in high school. Brennan took a few deep breaths, composing himself a bit before continuing.
“Okay. Let me interject a few positives into the scenario now. By now, we’re all aware that Luminaire was being controlled by someone else. It’s a matter of public record now, and whether people believe it or accept it, it is known. And I’ll give you credit where it’s due, Red. You and that Darklight kid were the ones to stop Supernova’s reign or terror... even though between the two of you, you managed to put a real hurting on most of the city’s police and hero population in the process. As you can imagine, the city council, my bosses, are chomping at the bit to have you arrested, and pressuring ME to find some reason to bring you in.” He chuckled softly. “Holding that press conference and apologizing to everyone was an inspired move, by the way. And offering your badge freely before they could demand it really took the wind out of their sails.” He sighed softly. “And then last night happened.”
I groaned inwardly. I was right. This WAS about the thing with Paper Doll after all.
“Refresh my memory,” he stated in a flat tone, “but I remember telling you after that little show of yours that you needed to lay low, and stay out of the public light from now on. That if you so much as got caught jaywalking in costume, I’d throw the book at you. So, what possessed you to tangle with that hypnotic nutcase Somnolence in the middle of downtown with another rookie super heroine? Hmm? Did you suddenly develop a death wish of some kind?” When I didn’t answer, he growled. “Well? SAY SOMETHING!”
“Oh. So NOW we can talk?” Sioban spoke up for me. “Listen Chief. I appreciate your position. And I know you feel a little betrayed. But you have to understand. Katie didn’t go looking for trouble, it just happened to find her. That rookie, Paper Doll, was in trouble. Would you have rather she just kept going and let Somnolence take her? Molest her, rape her, use her for any sadistic thing he might come up with? Or use her for her powers, and ruin another young heroine’s reputation by controlling her and making her do his bidding? After all, we all know how forgiving the public is about that sort of thing!”
Jack Brennan’s eyes narrowed. “And I suppose blowing out part of the wall on the third floor of the hospital was completely justified as well?” Bonnie’s mouth closed. “I never said I wasn’t sympathetic to her situation,” he protested. “Believe it or not, I’m on your side! But it’s pretty damn hard to lend you my support when you knock my goddamn legs out from under me with actions like this!”
“Chief, Sir, I’m sorry about putting you in this position,” I answered. “I never wanted to make things difficult for you or anyone else.” I sighed deeply. “And you can yell at me as much as you want. And when this is over, you can even lock me up. But right now there’s something more important going on—”
“You mean Whitney Meyers?”
I blinked, stunned. “Yo... you know about Whitney?”
“Or ‘Toxima’ as she calls herself now,” he grunted, slapping his hands down atop his desk. “I’ve been reading through the files about her victims all morning, so yeah, I know... it’s actually why I thought to bring you both in.” Huh. Damn... guess I called it right after all. “Just since this morning, we’ve had thirty more cases of people being poisoned, including three police officers that attempted to detain her. And the cheeky little bitch left a message with them before she wandered off... saying that she would continue her rampage until ‘that blonde skanky bitch Luminaire’ finally comes to face her.” He sighed heavily. “More than fifteen people dead at the last count... and no one can get near her. She asked for you by name, kid... but I can’t send a civilian into a situation like this.”
“Wait! Wait for a second!” Sioban growled, glaring at the older man. “Are you saying you brought us both here to ask for help?” Scowling, she rolled her eyes skyward, crossing her arms. “Hell of a way to ask, sitting us down and yelling and screaming at us for ten minutes straight!”
“Not exactly, Red,” he said grimly. “I do need your help... but not hers,” he clarified, turning to stare at me. “Unlike most of the people of our fair city, I have a very clear memory of what went down a few weeks before. Things that everyone else seems to have ‘conveniently forgotten’, or simply written off as a hallucination or a bad dream.” I swallowed at that, going cold inside. “Things like the sky turning orange, with red and green lightning flashing. And a bunch of cracks appearing in midair, as if the very fabric of the world was tearing apart,” He chuckled wryly at our shocked expressions. “Hey, I’m no Science geek or anything, but I do have a Master’s Degree after all. And I know what I saw. Listen, kid. You look like a sweet innocent girl. You might even be just and sweet and innocent as you appear. But you’re also goddamn dangerous. And that’s in the perspective of dealing with an insane woman with the ability to poison anyone who gets within fifteen feet of her—you’re a bigger concern for me!”
“But... I’m not dangerous!” I protested, sitting up. “Not anymore. I can’t even do anything like that anymore, unless—”
“Katie!” Mistress cut in, shaking her head. “That’s enough. He doesn’t need to know the specifics.” I fell silent, staring down at my hands. “Look Chief, she’s right. Since the Incident, we’ve taken steps to make sure that nothing like that can ever happen again. You just have to trust me when I say that there is zero chance of a repeat performance from Luminaire.”
“Just ‘trust you’, Red?” the Chief asked, eyebrow raised. “Trust is a two-way street. And in the face of all this, you’re STILL holding out on me.” He sighed deeply, leaning back in his chair. “I suppose I should tell you that, right now, I have every intention of bringing formal charges against your blonde friend over there. I’m talking actual jail time... a minimum of five, possibly ten years.”
“WHAT? No! You can’t!” Sioban protested, getting to her feet, her wings extending as a reflex. “I will NOT let that happen, Chief!”
Jack Brennan stared up at her for a long moment. “Red, I want you to think long and hard about what you do next,” he said in a low deep voice, “because it may very well affect the lives of everyone in this room for years to come.” With an effort, Sioban managed to unclench her fists and relax, ever so slightly. “Now, you said that our friend there, the ‘Light of Justice’ is no longer a threat to the world at large, that she’s a good kid, and only wants to help, to go back to being the same heroic figure she’s been all this time up to now. And I dearly want to believe that. I really do. But I also have to think of the big picture, and just what happens the next time some madman with mind control powers sinks his hooks into her and makes her go ballistic? Or someone she cares about dies, and she goes postal. What then, eh? What kind of assurances can you give me that that won’t happen?”
Sioban looked pained. This was all so hard on her, and I wished I could say or do something, anything, to ease this burden for her. Whether we fought or surrendered, either outcome would hurt her. But the Chief was making a very good point. He had the entire city to think about. And I HAD almost destroyed everything. From his point of view, I was worse than a baby playing around with a loaded gun. I was a baby playing around with a tactical nuclear bomb, which might just go off at any minute. And nothing we could say or do would be able to change his viewpoint.
Just like with Connie. I’d dug myself into a pit... and now there was no way out.
“Chief,” Sioban said, suddenly, “you want assurances? Fine. I’ll give them to you. But if you’re satisfied you have to swear that punishing Katie with jail time is completely off the table. Deal?”
“Deal,” he said with a single nod. “If I’m satisfied with what you’re about to tell me.”
“Fair enough,” she said softly, turning to look at me. I swallowed, suddenly fearful. I had no idea what she was planning... but I trusted her. Completely. “Katie,” she said gently. Then her mouth opened, and moved... but I couldn’t understand what was coming out of it at all.
“What di—”
“Whoa! What the sam hill?” Chief Brennan asked, blinking in surprise. “What did you just do to her?”
“I put her into a deep hypnotic state,” Sioban said wearily. “I effectively turned her mind ‘off’. I shut her down, Chief. She’s in a completely catatonic state. That means no Light powers, no good luck powers, and definitely no reality-bending, world-breaking powers. She’s utterly defenseless right now. You could put your gun to her temple and she wouldn’t even flinch.” Her eyes narrowed. “And that is also why I don’t want any of this going into a file, or a folder, note, or in ANY kind of media where this could be leaked to anyone else! With you included, there are a total of four people that know about this. And I don’t want that circle getting any larger!”
Jack stood up and walked over to the entranced blonde, waving a hand in front of her face. She didn’t so much as blink. “And just how did you manage this?”
“The HOW isn’t important!” Bonnie snapped. “The point is that I can, if necessary, do this to her at will. She doesn’t remember the trigger, or that it even exists. But only I, and two other people we both trust, can use it.” She sighed heavily, leaning over to run a hand lightly down Katie’s unresponsive cheek. “It was all her own idea, you know?” she said softly, again surprising Brennan. “She knew, better than anyone, exactly what her new powers could do. She insisted that she be brainwashed... enslaved to me in every possible way and that her powers be locked so that she only use them if I allowed her. And lastly... this trigger, so that if all else failed, and someone were to take control of her again, I could shut her down before she hurt anyone.”
“Damn,” Jack muttered, shaking his head. “That’s... pretty heavy stuff for someone so young.” He raised his gaze back up to the redhead. “And what about you? You have control of her, but what happens if someone were to get control of YOUR mind?”
She smirked at him. “Then I suppose rescuing me becomes your number one priority, doesn’t it? But dropping the levity, it’s part of the reason why you can’t put any of this in a file. If no one knows about my being able to control Katie, then there’s no reason to try and control her through me. And, just so you know, I have my own... safeguards... that prevent me from becoming a danger to anyone.” She closed her eyes briefly, considering.
Oh, hell... in for a penny, in for a pound....
“Katie doesn’t know this but... I went through the same mind control process as her and had a trigger of my own put in. I know about it, but I don’t remember what the trigger is. If all else fails, my partner Ravenheart could use it to stop me the way Katie’s been stopped right now. But that’s really just overkill. My own powers are magical in nature, Chief,” she said after a moment, “granted to me by a goddess. If my partner Ravenheart or I ever commit a truly evil act or kill another human being, we will lose our powers for good. And as a normal human girl, I’m not much of a threat.”
She smiled sadly at that. ”You said trust was a two-way street? Well, I’m putting a hell of a lot of trust in your right now. Chief... Jack. I’m so far out on a limb right now that I’m dancing on the leaves. Please... please tell me that I’ve convinced you that Katie isn’t your enemy in this. I don’t want to fight you on this... but... I love her. She sacrificed herself... her mind... her powers... made herself this vulnerable, out of her love and trust in me. She put herself into my hands. And I’d die before I let anyone hurt her.” She looked up at the older man, pleading. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect her... even if it meant losing my powers, losing my place as a heroine and protector of this city. Please.... don’t put me in the position of making that choice.”
Jack sat back down on his chair. “Now, now, no need to go overboard, Re... er, Bonnie. You made your point. And for what it’s worth, I never had anything against you girls in the first place. I think the city is safer WITH you girls helping than without.” He slid open his drawer, taking out a small golden badge on a chain. “You went out on a limb with all of this disclosure. Well, I guess it’s my turn to reciprocate, eh? I’m going to bat for her with the city council. I’m reinstating her and returning her badge as well.” He sighed. “The mayor won’t be happy... will probably fire my ass. But well, I’ve been meaning to spend more time at home with the Missus anyway... and we’ve talked about taking a long trip down to Florida.”
Grinning, Sioban walked over and hugged him, grateful. “You’re a wonderful man, Jack,” she said sincerely. “Thank you for this.”
Brennan chuckled. “Ah, shucks... yer embarrassing me. Anyway, you’d better wake up yer little blonde friend over there. We still need to strategize about what to do about this Toxima character, and we could certainly use her input.”
“—id you say, Sioban?” I asked, blinking in surprise. “Huh? Wait, did everyone... just switch positions?”
Mistress and the Chief laughed gleefully, giving me the distinct impression that I’d missed out on something. “Never mind, sweetie,” Bonnie said gently. “It’s not important. All you need to know is that everything is okay now.”
“Indeed,” Chief Brennan grunted, shoving a familiar golden placard across his desk. “Your friend Bonnie here was able to convince me. So here. Your badge is yours again if you still want it... though frankly, I wouldn’t blame you if you told me to shove it up my ass.”
“Really? I get my badge back?!?” I asked, snatching up the little golden charm, clutching it tightly. “For real?” I was flabbergasted. And that’s not a word normally in my vocabulary. A moment ago, I’d been contemplating spending the next five to ten years locked up in prison, away from the woman I loved, and now suddenly, in the blink of an eye, not only was I NOT being arrested, I was being reinstated as a city licensed heroine again! Something major had obviously happened within that ‘eyeblink’... but Mistress had told me not to worry about it, that it wasn’t important, so I was more than content to simply forget about it. Everything was okay now.
Bonnie sat down next to me again, wrapping an arm around my waist. I blinked a bit at the show of affection, enjoying it, but a surprised that she was doing so in front of the Chief. “Now that that is settled,” she said, squeezing my hand, “let’s get down to business. We need to figure out how to stop Toxima, and what to do with her once we do...”