The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“Are you sure about this, Rose?” Billy asked for the fifth time in as many minutes. “I mean... are you REALLY sure? There’s no other way we can do this?”

“Goddamit Billy,” Rose barked, hands clenched tightly inside her cloak, “if you ask me that one more fuckin’ time, I’m going to hurt you. A lot! Now man the fuck up and shut your goddamn mouth!”

“Okay, okay. Sheesh,” Billy grumbled, hands in his own pockets. After a few seconds of silence, however, he added, “Because, you know, it’s not like I don’t trust you or anything... but this is a fuckin’ psychiatric hospital, you know? And people have been trying to get me into one of those places for a while now. You know, as a patient?”

“Billy...” Rose growled.

“And, I mean, it’s not inconceivable that someone paid you to drag me here, slip me inside, and then just walk away, and leave me here as a patient so that can do all sorts of damn experiments with my brain—”

“BILLY! I swear to fucking GOD, if you don’t shut the FUCK UP, I’m going to beat your sorry ass so black and blue you’ll beg me to take you to a fucking hospital!”

Billy blinked. “O-okay... okay... I get it. Sorry.”

Rose let out a loud noisy breath. “I can’t fucking believe I get to this point, and now the entire plan hinges on a strung out paranoid junkie. I am so damn fucked...”

“Hey! It’s fine, Rose,” Billy insisted, reaching for her hand, only to back off as she glared at him. “I’m fine. I... it’s just nerves, that’s all. Seriously, I can do this. I even made sure I took my meds so I could focus on this.” He sighed as well. “Look, Rose... all bullshit aside, I owe you. A lot. If not for you, I’d probably be dead, lying in a gutter somewhere. All this time, you’d looked after me, got me work, and believed in me when no one else did... not even myself. Well, this is where I pay you back. I can do it, Rose. Believe it!”

Rose blinked in surprise. It was probably the most coherent the boy had ever sounded for as long as she’d known him. Huh. Maybe... maybe he CAN pull this off after all, she mused. And it’s not as if I have any other choices. He’s the only one that can do this. And time is of the essence. If he hasn’t already, Master WILL figure out what I’m up to, and once that happens, he WILL try and stop me. It has to be now. This is my last chance!

Taking a deep breath, Rose turned to the far wall. “Stay here and stay quiet. I need to make sure the coast is clear.” With that, she phased through the wall, entering the small outside courtyard designated as the smoking area. Invisible and undetectable, she watched silently as the two employees chatted idly for a few seconds before tamping out their cigarettes, tossing the butts, and heading back inside the facility. Rose sighed softly, nodding. Damn, I could use a smoke myself right about now, she thought as she phased back through the wall to her waiting partner.

“Okay. We’re good,” she said, taking out the folding rope ladder she’d brought with her gear, attaching it to the edges of the wall. “Come on. Up and over. And remember the plan,” she added scowling as the junkie began climbing over the short wall. “Those clothes I got you will let you pass for an orderly, so as long as you don’t say or do anything to draw attention to yourself you’ll be fine. Just follow the instructions I wrote down for you to the letter. Got it?“

“Yeah, yeah,” he panted, dropping down lightly on the grass on the other side, “I got it.”

“Good,” Rose replied, slipping her hood down over her face as she vanished from sight. Entering the compound, she swiftly made her way to the guard’s station. Checking the clock, she mentally reviewed the details of her infiltration plan. Okay. The guards for D block should start their rounds in another two minutes. So in another ten seconds I need to disrupt the security cameras for the C block entrance. Once the guard sends security over to check it, I signal Billy... and take care of this guy. She sighed softly, fingering the small bottle in her pocket. Sorry, pal. Nothing personal. I actually kind of wish it was that bastard Jake working tonight instead of you. Oh well... it can’t be helped.

Moving over to the main power box for the security cameras, she moved to exactly the circuit she’d scouted earlier, and carefully phased her hand through the junction line. Immediately, the cameras at the guard’s station went dead. Frowning, the guard tapped the monitor a few times, flipped some switches, then growled, pulling his radio. Nodding to herself, Rose pulled away from the junction, allowing the power to resume and the cameras to come back online. The desk guard paused, frowning at his monitor, then pressed the radio key.

“Hey. Station C? This is Brian at the front desk, over,” he called.

“This is Station C, Nick speaking, Go ahead, Brian.”

“I had a camera down in your section just a moment ago,” he replied. “It was down for a good thirty seconds, too long to be a simple glitch. Is everything okay over there?”

“Affirmative, Brian,” Nick replied. “No problems here. All’s quiet.”

“Good. Still, considering who we have residing there in C Block, you guys should probably make the rounds and make sure everyone’s where they’re supposed to be.”

A soft sigh responded on the other end. “Roger that. We’re on it. We’ll check back in in twenty. Station C out.”

Perfect, Rose thought with satisfaction. Just as predicted. Block D houses Supers, but Block C houses the more violent patients. And since no one wants Hannibal Lector roaming around free, they’ll do an extensive check over there. Moving back to the guard station, she removed the vial of liquid, and as the guard turned to the side, she quickly emptied into his cup of coffee. Counting in her head, she wait ten seconds after he took his next drink, then, standing back, pressed the signal device in her pocket, alerting Billy that it was time to move.

“Uhhhnn... ooooh... ohhh shit,” Brian suddenly groaned aloud, holding his stomach. A loud rumble sounded, followed by a loud burp, and suddenly the burly guard was on his feet heading towards the bathroom. “Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!” he grumbled, carrying his radio with him. Rose let out a sigh of relief as the men’s bathroom door slammed closed, peering down at the monitors showing the outside doorway swung open and Billy stepped inside.

Still invisible, Rose went to work quickly, taking advantage of the momentary lack of security, planting the devices she’d brought with her along the power grid, and in the vents, as well as securing her escape route. Satisfied, glancing at the clock again, she took off, heading towards the D Block, hoping against hope that Billy followed the damn instructions she’d given her.

“Can I... can I touch it, Jimmy? Please?” the shapeshifting demon currently portrayed as a naked version of my twin sister Katie asked, staring up at me with her clear blue eyes.

At which point I completely lost it. Seriously. Picture a volcano erupting. Or a firehouse. Or that geyser at that national park. Any of those. And that was without even being stroked or touched of anything. All from visual and audible cues. You have to give credit where it’s due. The succubus really knew her shit when it comes to pushing a guy’s buttons.

“Damn, big bro,” faux Katie replied with a giggle. “What would mom and dad think if they could see us now?” Glancing at the mess dripping on the far wall, she whistled. “But really, that’s impressive. That’s got to be a world record.” Her expression turned evil, and she held up a softly glowing hand. “But no matter. You’re definitely at your peak. Now it’s time to feast on all that yummy sexual energy—”

And let out a cry of alarm as she was suddenly flung backwards. The suddenness of the attack stunned her, and she dropped her disguise, revealing her true form, that of a beautiful woman with jet black hair, but this time in her more traditional succubus form completely with small demon horns, fangs, and leathery bat wings emerging from her back. She knelt sprawled on the ground, looking up at me in stunned surprise, and an inkling of fear as well.

She wasn’t the only one, by the way. As much as I’d have liked to take credit for it, having struck out in desperation, lashing out with a last ditch effort of strength and resolve, I frankly had no bloody idea what had happened. One minute I was recovering from having spent my load in perhaps the most perverted way possible—and don’t even get me started on THAT, just imaging the awkward conversation between Katie and I the next time we met was giving me a headache.

The next thing I know, Meri the demon was trying to drain my energy, a strange tugging sensation from inside me, like my essence, or my soul, or something, being stretched. And then, suddenly, snapping back like a rubber band. I hadn’t planned it, had no way of even knowing what to do. If I’d done anything at all, it had been purely instinctual.

Meridianilith, however, was even more freaked out than I was. “W... wha... what ARE you?” she hissed, scuttling back crablike on her hands and feet, not even bothering to get back to her feet. “That... that can’t happen. Can’t! I had you... had you completely in my grasp. My magic has you completely helpless. There’s no way you could repel me that way... unless...” She suddenly gasped, eyes wide in horror. “No. It... can’t be... you’re... you’re... not human are you? You’re a fucking god?!?“

And with those words, everything clicked into place. Even as I dismissed her claim, the truth began trickling through the doubt in my mind, revealing the truth. Me? A god, a deity? Hardly. But... a demigod? Maybe. My heritage was a pretty complicated pedigree after all. I mean... my mother WAS a goddess, the reincarnation of Verdandi, one of the three Nornir sisters that maintained the frame and canvas of time and space, the Great Weave that encompassed the whole of reality. And if that wasn’t enough, there was the fact of HOW I was conceived. I’d heard the story often enough growing up. Mom and dad, unable to conceive naturally, went to visit their friend and mage, Sarah LaSilvas, who used her magic to join mom and dad’s essence together... somehow. I don’t know from magic. Bottom line, she used her powers to make mom pregnant, and roughly ten months later, Katie and I were born.

And, as I was already aware, there was more than a little ‘LaSilvas’ blood in my sister and me as well. While our life forces were distinctly different, I’d reignited ’Rora’s dying spark with my own back in Midas. And Katie and Sylvia had shared some kind of weird Vulcan mind-meld/soul binding thing when she’d come to visit her in River City. As much as I hated to admit, as much as I’d tried to deny it even to myself, I was NOT truly human. Not completely. If this was D&D, I’d be classified as a magical creature, or at the very least, an outsider.

With acceptance can knowledge. Intrinsic, instinctual knowledge. With a flexing of my will, the magical chains encircling me shattered, leaving me free once more. “Me? God?” I said, scowling, as I walked over to the cowering succubus. “That’s the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard. Do you have any idea how crazy and chaotic my life is?” I grabbed her by the arm, jerking her to her feet. “If I were some kind of ‘supreme being’, do you think I’d have let myself get captured so easily? Do you think I’d have gone through the past three months of my life? And do you honestly think I’d let you play games with me this way?” I snarled at her. “My fucking SISTER? Thanks for that, by the way. I’d just started to get over my night terrors, and now I’ll be going back in therapy all over again!“

“Ulp!!” Meri squirmed, struggling, panic starting to set in. Suddenly the situation had changed, the tables turned, and now SHE was the one in over her head. In desperation, she reached out with her powers, reawakening her two slaves. “Ge... get him... off me!” she yelped. “Defend your Mistress!”

Emily and Christy snapped up, eyes open, though glassy and vacant, as they grabbed me by the arms. Yeah... just great. I was beginning to regret not taking the time to free Emerald’s mind when I had the chance. And I didn’t want to hurt them in the struggle, both merely innocent pawns in this twisted demon’s little game. Nevertheless, I wasn’t quite done either. “We’re in here, Devon,” I said loudly, causing the succubus to whirl around, staring at her basement door.

Sure enough, a very angry and pissed off Amber and Devon charged down into the room seconds later. Amber used her powers and bound Meri in a tight cocoon of glowing yellow amber, while Devon helped me disengage the two women trying desperately to hold me down. “Emmy... cut it out! Stop fighting me,” Amber yelled as she joined in, trying to restrain her brainwashed naked girlfriend. “Jimmy... what the hell... how do we snap them out of this?”

I have no idea where the thought came from, but I suddenly knew exactly how to end this. “Her necklace,” I said suddenly. “That big purple jewel! Destroy it! She’s a demon from another dimension—that jewel is what anchors her here, and allowing her to manifest in this realm. Shatter it and it should break the spell.” At least I hoped.

“Got it!” Amber cried, placing a hand against the cocoon, softening it enough to draw out the necklace. Dropping it to the ground, she stomped it with heel of her boot, shattering it into pieces. A bright flash of violet energy erupted from it, filling the room. Once again, I lamented not having my sunglasses on, as I winced, averting my gaze. It was worth a little eyestrain, however, as when it cleared, the situation had resolved itself. Christy and Emerald collapsed once more, falling limp as the force controlling them disappeared. Likewise, the human shaped cocoon that had contained the succubus was empty, Meri having fled back to her dimension with nothing to keep her here. Amber rushed over to her beloved, cuddling her close, nuzzling her, tears running down her cheeks.

“Don’t worry, Amber. She’s fine now. She might be a bit disoriented from everything that happened, but she should recover fully in a day or two,” I assured her, rubbing my wrists lightly. My skin was pretty damn tough, but the girls in their desperation to protect their mistress, had really dug in with their nails. And Emily was a pretty strong Super in her own right.

“Thanks, Jimmy,” she replied sincerely. “Really. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t found her. But, um... do you think you could put on some clothes now?’ I blinked, then went bright red in embarrassment. Suddenly remembering I was naked, I activated my Neuroweave constructs, summoning my costume again.

“Good timing, by the way,” Devon replied, standing up again from having checked on Dr. Winstead. “We were just wondering where you were when you called out to us. It would have taken at least another five or six minutes to search the house in order to find you. How did you even know we were here?”

I shrugged. I hadn’t really known. But I’d felt Devon was close, that she was nearby. “Lucky guess,” I said glibly. “Besides, I knew that when you hadn’t heard from me after a while, you’d get worried and start looking for me with your Foresight. And that eventually you’d See where I was and come to my rescue.“

“Pffft, rescue,” she said with a small sigh. “Some rescue. You looked like you had everything all sorted out when we got here. All we did was basically play clean up...”

I pulled Dev into a warm embrace. “That’s not true baby,” I told her. “Yeah, I tracked down the kidnapper and found Em, but she was using her and Dr. Winstead as a human shield. If you and Amber hadn’t shown up when you had, I don’t know what I would have done.” Which was the truth. This confrontation had unlocked something new inside me. My powers were different now, and until I got a handle on exactly what was different, I was afraid to use my shadows. The last thing I wanted was to hurt anyone, especially a pair of innocents.

“At any rate, I think we should head out of here,” I said wearily, lifting Dr. Winstead in my arms. “Let’s put the Doc back upstairs in her bed, and then just head back home—”

“What? Just leave her here?” Amber yelled. “Are you KIDDING me? She kidnapped and brainwashed my girlfriend, and was trying to do the same to you. Not to mention however many others she’s done this to before you! She should be hauled off to jail for this!“

But I merely shook my head. “It wasn’t her, Amber. It was that demon controlling her. Christy Winstead was just as much a victim of this as we were. That necklace... I have no idea where it came from, but from the moment she put it on, she was every bit as much a slave to that succubus as any of her victims.” Turning, I made my way back up the stairs, the others following along. Laying her down atop her bed, I sighed softly. I had no idea how much of this she would remember, if any. If she remembered any of what had happened, then Emily and I were outed as Supers. Still, I guess I’d deal with the aftermath, if any, later. All I wanted for now was to get back home.

Billy sighed softly to himself, panting slightly, leaning flat against the wall just outside the intersection of C and D Blocks. He glanced down at the handwritten instructions Rose had left him, then glanced at his watch. At exactly the fifteen seconds since arriving, he walked towards the corridor, and turned left. Just as he passed, two guards emerged from the corridor behind him, into the now empty corridor. Ahead of him, a door closed, signaling that whomever was in the hallway moments ago had just left. Billy let out a noisy breath as he entered the D block section, shaking his head.

Shit. Talk about cutting it close. If I’d been a second or two off of my timing, I’d have been caught. Damn, Rose... why do you always have to shave everything so close to the edge?

Following the instructions given, he made his way through the small maze of hallways, dodging and avoiding the guards, finally arriving at a small supply closet. Hmmm...the instructions say to wait here for five minutes, and that she’ll meet me here. But, I can see the medical office just across the way, over there. I should probably just head on over and get things set up for her... but hell, she’s so anal, she’d probably throw a fit. Shaking his head, he slipped inside the closet to wait.

Four and a half minutes later, foot tapping anxiously, Billy pushed the door open a crack and glanced outside. Shit. Where IS she? I’m getting tired of waiting. It feels like it’s been forever! And... I really need to go! I’m so nervous I feel like I’m about to pee my pants. Hmmm... I passed a bathroom just around the corner to the left on my way here. I can dash in, take a quick leak and be back before she arrives, he thought to himself, exiting his hiding spot. A few seconds later, he let out a deep sigh of relief as his bladder drained, releasing its pressure.

“Taking a leak, eh?” a male voice spoke from behind, coming out of a nearby stall, causing Billy to jerk slightly. “You’re a new face here, aren’t ya?” the worker said, frowning slightly. “What’s your name, kid?”

“I...” Billy began, only to close his mouth again. Fuck! Rose told me not to talk to anyone! And it sounds like this guy knows all the other workers on this floor. What do I say? What do I do? Fuck... Rose is going to lose her shit for this...

The man’s frown deepened. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue? Out with it, kid... who are you, and what are you doing on this block?” Billy quailed as the man moved towards him, a hand outstretched... but after a single step, the man grunted, stumbling, falling to the floor in a heap. Billy let out another startled yelp, then screamed as he felt a hand wrap around the back of his head.

“It’s ME you fucking retard!” Rose hissed, slapping a hand over his mouth as she reappeared. She squeezed tightly, cutting off his breath for several seconds, making his squirm before releasing him. “You ass. You incredibly stupid fucking ASS! All you had to do was follow my instructions. All you had to do was sit still and WAIT! And you couldn’t even do that!” She grunted in disgust, glancing down at the unconscious man on the floor. “You’re lucky I came when I did, before he decided to raise the alarm. But I had to waste one of the tranquilizers I brought to sedate my target to save your sorry ass...”

“Hey, okay... I’m sorry,” Billy said, rubbing his throat. “But I had to pee. And you were taking forever...” Billy went silent at the heat of Rose’s glare. “B-but, yeah, you’re right. Absolutely right,” he conceded, backpedaling. “I shouldn’t have left. I should have stuck to the plan.”

“C’mon,” Rose growled, grabbing his arm, dragging him down the hallway. “Go to the medical room and get the goddamn device hooked up. There shouldn’t be anyone heading this way for at least half an hour, but I don’t know what change the tranquilized guard being missing will cause to the roster.” She turned to head towards further down the hall. “I’ll be back with my target in five minutes. Five. Have the device ready to go... or I swear to god, I’ll gift wrap you and leave you here for doctor to experiment on you.“

Billy nodded, swallowing. “Hey, no prob. I’ll be ready. Believe it.” Rose merely grunted, heading down the hall.

Techna pulled her motorcycle to a halt, parking it alongside the back edge of the bank building. All her data showed this was the most likely spot for her target to show. It also helped immensely that the crime rate in River City was dropping dramatically, both from her Mistress and the other heroes doing their jobs to stop criminals and bring them to justice, as well as the spreading rumors among the criminal underground about some crazy cult ‘converting the criminals into good law abiding citizens’. Most of the low level thugs were too afraid to go out committing crimes for fear of being taken, leaving on the bolder more brazen criminals to worry about.

And she should definitely be showing up here any time now, Megan thought excitedly. I’ve been tracking her movements for a while... which wasn’t easy considering that she pretty much comes and goes like the wind! Sliding down her visor, she activated her suit’s telemetry scanners, frowning at a vague indistinct area in the northern quadrant. Clearing up the field didn’t help, but when she checked the buildings power grid, she discovered a circuit shorted around the window to the back entrance.

Aha! That’s got to be her! she thought, making her way to the window. Sure enough, the window has been pried open wide enough for a small woman to slip inside. Huh. Looks like a tight fit, she thought, glancing at the space. Too small for me, anyway. Ah, well, I’ll take the direct route, she said, using her technopathic abilities to tap into the building’s alarm system and disable the alarm for the door. Listening carefully, hearing no one inside, she swiftly slipped through the door into the bank.

The inside was dark, so she shifted her visor to night vision mode. With the security system deactivated, she had no worry of setting off or tripping any alarms, and walked boldly towards the main vault. Reaching the main room, she paused, crouching down at the sound of mumbling softly nearby. A moment later, her target walked by, muttering softly to herself as she approached the vault. Megan pressed herself flat against the side of the wall, and withdrew the Neural Implanter she’d created. All right. I just need to catch her off guard for a bit and flash her. Once she’s drawn by the light, the machine should download all the programming I created directly into her brain.

Megan sighed softly, taking a deep steadying breath. She felt really nervous about this operation. Even moreso than usual. She didn’t want to fail. True, she was usually more of a behind-the-scenes heroine, more at home behind a desk using her computer than fighting other Supers face to face. But this wasn’t her first time in the field. Closing her eyes, she took another steadying breath... only to open them again wildly, with the realization that she was frozen in place, unable to move!

“Well, well, aren’t you the nosy little thing,” Vapria chided her, walking across the room to peer down at her at her hiding place. “You thought you could sneak up on me without me noticing, hmm? Nice trick shutting off the security system like that, by the way. Wish you’d done that BEFORE I spent the past half hour working my way through the system, poking and prodding for a weak spot to enter that wouldn’t set off every alarm in the building.” Techna swallowed, shuddering slightly, the most her muscles could accomplish. “Oh, you might as well save the effort,” Vapria said with a laugh, walking over to the vault again. “That paralytic gas I hit you with won’t be wearing off any time soon.”

Raising her arms, she let loose s spray of thick white gas. A soft sizzling sound came from the vault as the mist began to eat through the metal. She chuckled idly, glanced back at the crouching heroine. “You’re lucky I only dosed you with a paralyzing agent. If I’d hit you with what I just used on the vault door, you’d be nothing but a little puddle on the floor.”

Oh, shit! No... this is bad! Megan thought in despair. She had no fear for her life—Vapria may have been a villainess, but she had reputation for a strict zero-kill policy. No, what troubled her more was that she’d failed her Mistress! She’s been so proud of herself, thinking that she could do this all alone, take down a few Supers and convert them into service to Mistress Supernova. And instead, I end up caught by the bad guy myself, she thought miserably. If Mistress finds out... she’ll dismiss me, call me useless, toss me aside... no! There has to be a way I can still do this!

Vapria glanced at her again as she struggled, wiggling fitfully, trying to force her body to respond. Rolling her eyes, she walked back to the heroine, shaking her head. “Ever the feisty one, huh? You just don’t know when you quit, do ya?” She extended a hand, sending out a plume of mist at her, and Megan gulped, for a moment concerned that perhaps the villainess is about to erase her no-kill record after all. Instead of dissolving her away flesh, Megan found herself feeling strangely sleepy. She blinked, and blinked again, her eye lids drooping, as she struggled to stay awake.

“That should settle you down a bit,” the raven haired Super replied in satisfaction. “That little bit of gas should make you nice and sleepy... and make you docile and obedient.” She chuckled softly. “Long before you drift off to sleep, you’ll be so docile I’ll be able to turn you into my eager little pet.” She gave Megan a nice long once-over. “Hmmm... that bodysuit is kind of bulky, but something tells me you’re a real hottie underneath.”

Shit... not this... can’t let myself... go out this way... Megan thought frantically, feeling her thoughts starting to drift. The gas was making it so hard to think... hard to focus. She knew she had to do... something... that she had to beat this woman... for some reason. Her fingers twitched, and she remembered: the device! It was there in her hand, right there. All she had to do was hold it up and press the button. Just... just move her hand... lift it... Megan groaned softly, eyes fluttering. It was taking all of her strength just to keep her eyes open. There was no way she would be able to accomplish something as ridiculous as lifting her arm. In fact, the strength leaving her hand, she heard the device tumbling from her grip, clattering helplessly to the ground before her.

“Hehehe... you’re just about done now, aren’t you sweetness,” Vapria taunted her, kneeling down next to the discarded device. “Just close your eyes now, cutie, and let yourself sleep,” she whispered, as Megan let out another soft groan, and obeyed, eyes slamming shut. Chuckling, she glanced down at the handheld device, picking it up. “Hmm. This looks interesting,” she mused aloud, turning it over and around. “I wonder what this thing is supposed to do?” Finding a button on the side, she flicked it lightly with her thumb.

The bright flash stunned her, dazing her slightly. As the device continued to pulse, Samantha found her gaze drawn in, like iron to a magnet. Unable to glance away, her pupils shrank, dilating as complex visual data streamed unfiltered through her optic nerves, slamming into the soft gray matter of her brain. She knelt there helplessly for several seconds as she effectively brainwashed herself, shuddering slightly as her mind shut down, overloaded with information. When the light finally faded, the girl’s eyes rolled up into her head, and she shuddered again, her brain taking a moment or two to reboot...

Consciousness was slow in returning to Megan Tanner. The first thing she became aware of was that she felt sore, and her neck hurt, as if she’d fallen asleep with her body in a bad position. The next thing she realized was that she wasn’t at home, and the memory of the past several minutes struck her. Gasping, she stood up abruptly, only to fall over, her muscles cramping up from being frozen in place for so long. “OWWW! Shit shit shit shit...” she grumbled, rubbing her arm and legs, trying to will them to respond. Then she froze, looking up slowly to find Vapria, the villainess that had done this to her, staring down at her, saying nothing, a look of quiet expectation and curiosity on her face.

“Wha... what...” Megan sputtered, unsure of what was happening, until she noticed the device clutched in the raven haired woman’s hands. “My... my gadget,” she said slowly, the gears in her head turning. “I dropped it... just before I passed out. And... you picked it up, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Vapria replied, handing it back to her. “I looked it over. And now, I understand. I’ve seen the Light, and I know what I need to do.” Leaning down, she helped Megan back to her feet. “Incidentally, I’m impressed with this little gadget of yours,” she said, holding up the device. “Not too shabby... for a nerd. How many more have you got?”

“Twenty-two on hand, currently,” Techna replied with a scowl. “And I’m not a nerd.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, nerd,” the dark haired woman replied dismissively. “You really were lucky this worked, you know. Coming after me alone this way? Seriously? You must have been out of your mind.” She shook her head. “If you’d been up against anyone else, you’d be toast.”

Megan sighed heavily. “Yeah, I suppose I have a point.”

“Of course I do,” she said with a knowing little smirk. “Okay, come on, we’d better get the money loaded back into the vault, and then have you call the police,” Vapria stated, taking out a pair of handcuffs as she made her way back to the vault, and the puddle of melted slag that used to be the vault door. Megan paused, blinking in surprise. “What?” the villainess asked, eyebrow raised. “The best way for this to work out is for me to surrender to the police, saying that you caught me here robbing the place and subdued me. It improves your rep, and lets me get in touch with my friends in the criminal network.”

Megan nodded in amazement. “Wow... you have a good point. You really did a lot of thinking about this huh?” She sighed. “A pity the Neural Implanter didn’t make alter your personality when it altered your priorities, thought.”

Far from being insulted, Vapria laughed. “Yeah, well, too bad for you. Once a bitch, always a bitch. Still, I have to say, all things considered, it nice to have my mind altered and changed and NOT end up as a bleached blonde bimbo with a double digit IQ.” Satisfied that the cuffs were properly placed, she moved to the center of the room and lay down. “Alright... let’s do this. I don’t have all day. Let’s get the police out here...”

Let’s see... D22, D24, D26... hmmm... ah, here it is. D27, Rose thought to herself. She paused in front of the doorway, considering. This was it, the culmination of the last several weeks of preparation. The target was just inside, only a few feet from her. Yet, she found herself questioning herself at the end. The woman inside was incredibly, impossibly, unbelievably dangerous. Releasing her from her captivity was the epitome of recklessness. Even if she was able to help the woman—and that, in and of itself, was a big ‘if’—and IF the woman in turn felt grateful enough not to simply dispose of her out of hand, she still had to try and convince her to use her abilities to heal Chloe.

It’s a longshot, she admitted to herself. But it’s the only shot I have. I’m come this far... I have to see this through to the end. Taking a deep breath, fingering the last tranquilizer in her pocket, she used her powers to turn herself invisible and phased through the door.

Inside, the room was far from what she’d expected. The walls were, of course, padded, to protect the more violent or uncontrollable patients from hurting themselves, or others. Instead of the white bleak colors, however, the room was decorated in bright pink and pastel colors. In the far corner of the room sat a huge four poster bed with a bright sheer pink canopy. The walls themselves were covered with various drawings, all done in crayon, as if made by a little girl. And, in the other corner of the room, sitting at a small table watching TV, sat the ‘Princess’ herself.

Her target sat gleefully, clad in a scarlet silken dress to match her hair, head bopping back and forth to the playful tune of whatever show was currently playing on Toon Disney. Rose sighed inwardly, rolling her eyes. She’d never been that girly herself growing up, much more a tomboy than anything else, and she’d never been into Disney. Huh. Guess she really MUST be brain damaged if she likes watching this crap, Rose thought with a smirk, sliding the needle from her pocket, prepping it silently. Ten minutes of watching ‘High School Musical number 19 and a half’, and if I weren’t already brain damaged before, I would be afterwards.

“That’s very rude, you know.”

Rose froze, gasping in shock. The red haired woman at the table continued bopping her head back and forth, staring at the TV. “Entering a Princess’ room unbidden? That’s the very height of bad manners. I should report you to my mom, Her Royal Highness the Queen,” she said matter-of-factly.

WHAT?!? No. This can’t be! I’m invisible, intangible, virtually undetectable! Rose thought frantically. How can she even know I’m here? Her hand tightened around the tranquilizer. If nothing else, this proves it—this girl is the real deal. She really must be a goddess...

The young woman finally turned away from the TV, turning to stare directly at the invisible intruder. “Well? Are you just going to stand there without speaking? Did my threatening to tell my mom the Queen scare you? Or... did you come here to play with me?“

Oh shit! Rose thought frantically. From everything she’d heard, the Princess had the ability to ensnare and entrance anyone in her vicinity, turning them into a simple, ditzy, child-minded individual interested only in playing games with their new Mistress. Not wanting to share such a fate, she moved quickly, sprinting the few feet across to where the redhead sat, jabbing the needle into the side of her neck. The young woman let out a gasp of surprise, then sighed, slumping forward as the fast-acting drug rendered her unconscious.

“Oh... shit... oh... shit...” Rose panted, turning visible again, nearly collapsing in relief. “That was close.” Turning back to the unconscious woman, she blinked again in surprise. Up close, able to see her clearly now, she was shocked at her appearance. Aside from a healed but noticeable jagged scar running down one side of her face, and an additional bit of scarring on her hand, the woman looked incredibly young, as if barely in her twenties. No way... and this ‘girl’ is in her mid-fifties! Hell, she barely looks old enough to have her license! Shaking her head in disbelief, she lifted the unconscious woman up over her shoulder, and made her way to the doorway.

And cursed loudly as a flash of pale yellow light enveloped her and an alarm started buzzing loudly.

Shit! SHIT SHIT SHIT! The goddamn alarm! she realized suddenly. Fuck... the FrasierTech security scanners... my powers might make ME invisible to the scanners, but here in her room, they were set to register if the Princess tried to leave her room! I didn’t stop to think... should have disabled the goddamn door scanner first... FUCK! Sprinting along the hallways, she made her way towards the D Block medical bay, counting silently in her head. Shit... from their response time, I’ve got about forty-five seconds before they arrive at her room and find her missing... and maybe another minute to ninety seconds before their searching reaches this room! I am so utterly fucked right now!

Bursting into the room, Billy glanced up in alarm as Rose made her way to the tale, laying the unconscious redhead down carefully before stripping her of her red satin dress. “R-rose? What the hell? What is this? You hear those alarms blaring out there? We’ve been made! We have to get the fuck outta here!”

“Calm down, Billy,” Rose said tersely, folding the dress, placing it aside, walking back to the door to lock it, pushing a chair up against the doorjamb. “Yes, things aren’t going... as well as I’d hoped, but we’re fine. I had a backup plan in place just in case; I have an exit strategy. Just tell me that you got the damn device set up and ready to go.”

“Y-yeah, it’s ready,” he said dubiously, glancing at the patchworked X-ray scanner array with the stolen device attached like a laser welding torch in front. “It will do just what its supposed to, yeah... but that’s beside the point. This place is going into lockdown Rose! We have to leave now, while the getting’s good! I do NOT want to end up locked up in this place as a patient—”

“BILLY! Shut yer fucking mouth and calm the fuck down!” Rose snapped, hands clenched in anxiety. She hated nothing more in her entire life than things Not going according to plan. It was taking a supreme effort on her part just to keep her old shit together, let alone trying to reassure Mr. Paranoid. By her count, the guards should be arriving at room D27 any second. Taking a breath, forcing herself to speak calmly, she turned to her friend again. “Look, Billy. I know this is stressful. I understand. This isn’t what you’re used to. But I am. And I can get you out of this safely. I promise. But I need your help here. I need you to focus and help me finish my mission. I need to know how to use the device. Once I use it on my target, we can leave. Now... tell me what I need to do.”

Sighing, nodding, Billy gave her a quick rundown. “I have the main power on. Basically, it works kind of like a laser, you just aim it at the affected area, and sweep it over a few times. You click it on with the switch on the side and shine it like a flashlight. And again, the specs I downloaded on it says you should only need to sweep it over for about thirty seconds or so for each affected area, longer if there’s been extensive damage, but no longer than a minute. And since that lady doesn’t look like a burn victim, that should be fine.”

“Good,” Rose said, bring the device into play, taking aim at the side of the sleeping girl’s face. “Go stand by the door, and keep watch, okay? Don’t panic, don’t jabber, just give me a heads up when they get to our door.” Focusing on the task at hand, she activated the device, shining the narrow green colored beam of light on the damaged girl’s cheek, highlighting the narrow jagged scar. As she watched, the ray did its work, causing the rough crinkled skin to smooth, the slight discoloration to fade, changing from a darkened tan to a bright pink, then a slightly lighter pink before finally becoming a soft slightly pale white to match the surrounding tissue.

Holy shit... it’s working! Rose thought, encouraged, moving the beam down now to the woman’s hand. The hand itself had healed long ago from the injury, giving her full mobility and dexterity. The only damage to it at all was purely cosmetic, a fact that Rose’s little stolen medical wonder was quickly remedying. Uneven flesh shifted slightly, smoothing and evening out, the discoloration gradually fading. The sound of footsteps approaching, and Billy’s shouted warning were filed away, her focus intent on the task at hand. It had to be perfect. No mark or dimple, no matter how slight, could remain. It was all or nothing. And she only needed a few more seconds...

“ROSE!” Billy yelled again, as the doorknob began to shake, the guards on the other side of the door attempting to get in. “We’re out of time!”

“Done!” she announced, pulling a small remote from her pocket. Quickly, she flipped the first switch, activating the charge she’d set earlier. A small explosion sounded from deeper inside the facility, and suddenly the power went out, lights flickering for several seconds before the emergency lighting kicked on. “Okay, Billy,” she said, flipping two more switches before swiftly removing her cloak, beginning to disrobe. “Here’s the plan. I’ll create a di—TURN AROUND AND FACE THE DOOR, YOU PERVERT!” she barked, causing Billy to yelp, and avert his eyes. Mollified, she quickly stripped naked, kicking off her boots as well before slipping on the Princess’ silken dress.

“I’m going to cause a diversion. I just blew the circuits for the D Block’s security grid. Their cameras are down, and they’re on emergency lighting.” She flipped another switch. “And for good measure, I just activated several smoke bombs I placed in the vents, and disabled the fire suppression system. It’s going to be chaos out there.” Placing a scarlet colored wig on her head, she quickly stuffed her own clothing into her pack and handed it to Billy.

“In just a second, I’m going to head out and grab their attention,” she added, lifting the unconscious girl up, slipping a standard issue paper gown over her naked form. “When you hear me scream, I want you to count to ten, then put Sleeping Beauty here in that wheelchair, and calmly and carefully roll her down the hallway to the fire door down the hallway. Take a left, head down past the intersection, then a right, and go straight through the fire door. You’ll come out in the parking lot.”

“Um, okay, but what about you?” he asked, helping place the redhead into the chair, strapping her in.

“Don’t worry about me,” she said grimly, finishing the scenario by placing a small blonde wig onto the sleeping girl’s head. “I’ll made my escape as soon as I can. If I’m not there at the rendezvous point in twenty minutes, go ahead and take off.” Her expression narrowed. “But give me my full goddamn twenty minutes. If you get scared and take off early—”

“I know, I know, you’ll pull my spleen out through my asshole,” he murmured. “I got it. I’ll wait. Just... don’t take too long, okay?”

Rose nodded. “I’ll try my best,” she stated, holding tight to the remote, the last switch unflipped. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and sprinted out into the hallway. Moving quickly through the darkened, smoke-filled hall on bare feet, she nearly screamed for real as she turned a corner, nearly running into two guards armed with tranquilizer guns. Letting out a loud squeal, she turned and ran, keeping low as she’d been trained, not giving the guards as large a target. Darts zipped past her, and she crouched even lower, using a staggered, seemingly random back and forth pattern as she ran, heading towards the interchange between Blocks D and C.

“HEY! Come back here!” one of the guards yelled, as he and his partner took off in pursuit. “Station D, this is James! We’ve spotted the escaped patient in section two. Get everyone over here!

C’mon, boys... just keep following me, Rose thought furiously, straightening up to increase her running speed. Just need to keep you guys busy for a little while longer. She was taking a huge risk, she knew. Hell, everything about this mission had been a huge risk. But especially now, running around the corridors, purposely trying to attract the attentions of the guards, she was playing a dangerous game. As long as she remained in Block D, her Master’s... sigh FORMER Master’s technology was negating her powers, meaning she couldn’t phase or turn invisible. If she ended up getting cornered too soon, she was caught, plain and simple.

Of course, always prepared, she had one last trump card. The last switch on her remote led to a collapsible circuit she’d inserted into the power suppression system controls. Knowing the kind of people housed here, she wasn’t quite willing to simply blow the system completely, allowing forty super powered and criminally insane patients access to their powers and the opportunity to escape and wreak havoc on the city again. The breaker she’d placed in would thus give her a fifteen second window of opportunity, allowing her to use her powers to try and escape the compound before the system restored itself.

“Eeeeep!” she yelped, skidding to a stop as she turned left into a blind corner, finding a pair of other guards waiting for her. Turning, she sprinted to the right instead, as a pair of soft ‘pffts’ sounded. Instinctively, she dove, dropping into a roll, before bounding back up onto her feet, a move that saved her from being darted. Fingering the remote again, she struggled to recall how much time had passed since her first encounter. Damn, they’re closing in. I’m almost out of time. Surely it’s been long enough now? They have to have made it to the fire door by now. I... I have to do this now... or the next time I run into a guard will be the last. Picturing the layout of the compound in her head, she flipped the switch, tossed the remote, and ran flat out to the left.

Straight into a waiting patrol.

“There she is! Shoot now!” the head guard barked. Time seemed to slow as a barrage of tranquilizer darts came flying at her. Rose instinctively tried accessing her powers, trying to phase, and allow the darts to go through her, but the telltale tingling didn’t flow through her. For half a second, she wondered if her implanted sabotage had failed, if somehow Eugene had anticipated this might happen and had included a bypass, or that another guard had discovered her tampering and removed it, or any other dozens of scenarios.

And then... at the very instant the darts entered her flesh, she felt it... as the steel slipped into, and through her, embedding harmlessly into the wall behind her. Before the startled guards could react, she moved, running through the wall, through the pipes and support beams, into another room, past a startled patient, and into another wall, mentally counting down the seconds. Emerging into an empty hallway, she leant forward, head down, bare feet slapping the cold hard floor as she ran as fast she could. Just... gotta... make it... through... one last wall... and I’m... out! Counting down, she pushed herself to her limit, leaping straight into the wall as the count reached zero. She screamed loudly, feeling a tingle sweep over her just as she phased through the wall...

Billy glanced at his watch again for the third time, before sighing deeply. Okay. Twenty minutes. Shit... Rose, c’mon... you have to okay. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with this... this... girl, he said softly, glancing at the redhead sleeping peacefully in the back of his van. You went through all of this trouble to rescue her... but you never let me in on exactly what this is about. What am I supposed to do now?

“Billy...”

The dark haired junkie glanced up at the sound of his name, and let out a sigh of relief at the familiar but bedraggled woman approaching him. “Rose! You made it! Thank goodness... I was just about to start freaking out here.”

“Yeah... me too,” she replied with a smirk, leaning up against the van in exhaustion. “Man... that was... rough. I’ve had some close calls over the years, but...” she shook head. “Never mind. Is the package secure? Any problems?”

Billy shook his head. “See for yourself,” he replied, opening the side door. “She’s been asleep this whole time.”

“Great,” Rose said wearily, climbing into the van, sitting down next to her. “Okay, let’s get out of here. It won’t take them too long to determine that she’s not in the building. We need to get out of here quickly, and get to the safe house I prepared.”

“Yeah, before the cops show up,” Billy replied, slipping into the driver’s seat. Rose merely shrugged.

“The cops would be trouble, yeah, but I’m actually MORE concerned about the target waking up again before we get her secured.” She shook her head. “I used the backup tranquilizer I’d brought just in case on the guy in the bathroom. So step on it...if she wakes up before we’re ready, we’ll probably wish we’d got caught back in the hospital.”

That brought Billy up sort. “R-really? Geez, Rose... I thought you were rescuing one of your friends or something. Who is this crazy broad you went through all this to save, anyway?”

“She’s definitely NOT a friend,” Rose murmured softly, staring into the youthful redhead’s face. “In fact, she might just be the biggest threat this city ever faced.” She sighed softly, closing her eyes. Yeah. And I just released her. Went out of my way to let loose someone who could very easily conquer this entire city and turn us all into her drooling, obedient, simple-minded thralls. But... it’s the only chance I have at restoring Chloe back to her former self. She let out a soft sigh. Venus Satore... I hope you appreciate all the trouble it took to get you out of there. And I hope to god that you’re feeling grateful when you wake up again...