The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“...and then we appeared back here, in the circle,” Sioban finished, relating to the listeners what had happened to her and Tawnya. “It was so strange... everything was so foggy and indistinct, almost like it wasn’t really happening... like it was all some kind of dream.”

“But it wasn’t a dream,” Tawnya finished, holding out the palm of her hand, showing the Goddess Tear. “I’m not sure how all of that could have happened in less than the blink of an eye, but it really happened. Here’s the proof. And Skuld said that these new Tears would give us the powers the original Valkyries had back in the day.” Closing her eyes, focusing her will, she tapped into the small stone in her hand, which began to glow softly. Before their startled eyes, the young black girl grew fainter and fainter before disappearing completely. “How’s that for a new trick?” she said proudly, her voice seeming to come from the empty space she’d occupied a moment ago. “Invisibility... man, that sure would have come in handy a few times on patrol.”

“Not to mention being able to teleport instantly to wherever you want to go,” Sioban added with a grin. “Don’t get me wrong. I love flying, and I adore my wings, but being able to indulge in a nice long hot shower in the morning and then simply poof myself over to the office instead of having to leave for work a half hour early to be on time puts them to shame.“

“Yeah, yeah,” Angela replied amused, shaking her head, “just remember, Skuld added a few new ‘greater responsibilities’ to go with your ‘greater powers’. You’re going to be marching to her beat a heck of a lot more than we used to back in the day. I hope you’ve taken that into account.”

“Well, that’s true, I suppose,” Tawnya replied, becoming visible once again, “but all things considered, is that such a bad thing? She’s the goddess that guides and controls the future. All she wants is to make the world a better place for all of us. I mean, yeah, how she treated the Valkyries back then was wrong, no argument there... but she’s trying to make up for it. And if Brunhilda herself forgave her, then who are we to begrudge her?” The others nodded at that.

“I have to say, though, I am kinda jealous,” Ellen said after a moment. “Not of the new power upgrades or anything—trust me, gals, my heroing days are far over—but it would have been really cool to be able to see all that. To meet and actually touch Brunhilda... and to see how everything we Tearbearers past and present helped change the world.”

“Actually,” Isabella spoke up, reminding the visitors again that they were not alone, “perhaps we can indulge you in that. If you would follow me just a short way to Urdarbrunnr, the Great Well, then perhaps I can grant you all a vision of what your efforts have accomplished.” Interested, and more than a bit curious, the followed the silver haired goddess back towards a large stone well at the base of the huge tree.

“Oh, wow,” Patty breathed softly, staring at it in awe. “It’s actually literally glowing.”

“Indeed, it does,” Ethyria replied, stepping into view, sans robe. Shaking out her snow white hair, she smiled at each of the visitors in turn. “Forgive me for being absent, but it was my turn inside the well. I trust you have all been enjoying your time here with us so far?” She glanced at Isabelle, and tilted her head slightly. “You are showing them the well, then, Sister?”

“Of course, Sister,” Isabelle replied, waling over to her. “If you have no objections?” She paused frowning slightly. “’Ria? You seem pale. Is everything all right?”

“N-no,” she said, forcing a smile. “It is fine. I am merely tired.” She glanced sidelong at the visitors, staring intently as the tiny redhead for a moment before nodding. “The results of trying to untangle the large knot approaching is somewhat taxing... but it is a matter for a different time. Have you explained to our visitors what they will see?”

“Not yet, we have only just begun,” Isabella replied, still frowning with concern. That Ethyria was downplaying the severity of the tangle in the Great Weave in and of itself was disturbing, but the drawn pale way she looked spoke more. She was not merely tired, she was exhausted; likely if their visitors were not present, the young girl might have simply collapsed. Still, if this is how she wishes to proceed, then so be it. I will respect her wishes in the matter.

Gesturing, the silver haired goddess manifested six tiny silver cups, all about the size of a thimble. “Each of you, gather around and take a cup. You must drink from the well, but only the amount that your cup holds. A mere sip is sufficient to purify your minds, and cleanse your thoughts to discern the vision you will see.”

“A sip?” Delores mused, holding up the tiny silver container. “More like a drop. Is the water from the well really that dangerous?”

“Not dangerous, no,” Ethyria sighed softly, coming around to lay a hand gently on the dark haired Latina’s cheek. “But you’ve heard the stories of Urdarbrunnr, right? Drink more than a few drops, and you’ll go back home with a permanent bleach job to match our own.”

“Ah, well, in that case, one sip it is!” DeeDee replied with a smirk. “I just got my hair back the way it used to be. I think I’d rather keep it this way a bit longer.”

“Mmmm... goddess, that’s good!” Patty noted with surprise. “That’s almost worth getting a new hair do for a deeper drink!”

“Better not, Patricia,” Angie replied with a grin, “your husband would have a fit!” She sighed. “He’ll have enough of a shock when he sees how young we all look now! I... I hope he likes it...” And hopefully, it won’t matter once I figure out how to make him young again as well.

As the six visitors drank the water, Ethyria glanced over at her Sister, standing apart, watching silently. “You are not drinking as well, Lacie?” she asked tenderly.

“Why bother? I’ve visited the well a thousand times,” she said with a shrug. “I’ve swam in it. I already know what everyone will see.”

“Still... perhaps you should try,” Ria encouraged, squeezing her shoulder. “It might... help?”

Lacie glanced at her sharply. “You mean... I might be...” She swallowed, not wanting to get her hopes up. “Did you See this happening, ’Ria? Will drinking the water return what was taken from me?”

“I... honestly, do not know,” Ethyria replied glancing down. “My vision of the future is very clouded right now. I can’t say for sure if it will or not. But... Big Sister, shouldn’t you at least try?” She held up a large silver cup. “Shouldn’t you explore every possible way to regain what was taken from you if you can?”

Lacie smiled, leaning forward to kiss the young girl. “You’re right. I guess I should try. Thank you, ’Ria.” Moving to join the others, she filled her own cup and drank deeply.

“Very good,” Isabella replied, smiling, nodding at Lacie as well. “Now, everyone, clear your minds. Let your thoughts go silent. Do not think, simply stare down at yourselves for a moment, at your body, or your chest, or your hands. Let your inner eyes open... and see the thread of your life.” After a moment or two, a round of surprised gasps sounded. “Good. Now, look into the well. Follow your thread, see it flow into the well, down deep into the softly glowing light far below. That is the Great Weave. Let your mind unfocus... let your thoughts slow even more... let them fade... you are merely an observer, following your own life thread into the Weave, watching as it flows and crosses over other threads, intersecting them as well...”

And just like that, they were each pulled into the Weave. Ellen gasped, seeing herself, her entire life, from her birth to this very moment, laid out before her, seeing her mom and dad, gone so long now that she barely remembered their faces, now alive again, so close she could almost reach out and touch them. Tawnya, in particular, was caught off guard, unprepared for the experience of seeing her family again, so vivid, so alive, as if she were actually THERE, with them at home, sharing Sunday dinner. Then, the threads branched out, the vision showing them each not only their lives, but the lives of those people they’d impacted over the years, people they’d helped, lives they’d saved, even in some cases, the villains they’d stopped, arrested and sent to jail, many who, surprisingly, had turned over a new leaf, going on to make something of themselves. Delores found her cheeks wet with tears, reliving again the moment she’d saved a young Eugene Frasier, remembering his kind words to her in the hospital, knowing that she was indeed the driving forced that had lead him to become the hero he had been.

And moreso, on and on. The vision expanded even more, showing how the lives they’d impacted had gone on to change and shape other lives... how a young man Ellen had saved had gone on to become a doctor who saved the life of a young woman, who in turn, grew up to become a teacher for the deaf. Or how a young girl Angela and Patricia had saved had grown up to become a homemaker and mother with a daughter of her own who was now a costumed heroine in their very city! So many lives, all changed for the better, many of which would not even be alive if not for their efforts.

And so on and so on... until with a cry, Ellen and Patricia both turned away, closing their eyes. “Ahhh... goddess... too much!” Patty gasped, panting heavily. “That was... wow... never even imagined... so many... but it’s too much... in my head...”

“It’s okay, child,” one of the Goddesses, Gina, said gently, holding her, placing a hand gently at her temples. “You did well to see as much as you did. Only a goddess can truly take in the enormity of the Great Weave, the complex tapestry of all the lives that have, are, and will ever be.” She smiled. “And only someone as special as you could have managed to See even such a small part of the whole.”

Patty blushed hotly at the kind words. That small lingering part of her, that seed of distrust, had finally died. She had seen, firsthand, what these women, what these Goddesses, worked so hard to protect and cultivate. She understood now a bit more why Skuld had been so narrow minded and focused on the end result of her shaping of the Weave rather than concerned with the ones making it happen. It didn’t make it right, but, as a goal-oriented woman herself, having used ruthless methods herself more than a few times, and now, having literally SEEN the big picture, she could sympathize with her.

“Ohhhh... holy FUCK am I hot to trot,” Ellen groaned, rubbing lightly at her chest, not even fully aware of her actions. “Why am I feeling this way? If Herb were here right now, I’d probably pounce him and fuck him blind!” She blushed, covering her mouth. “Um, pardon my French.”

Patty nodded in sympathy. Now that it was mentioned, she noticed that her own errant hand had been idly rubbing her very wet and needy crotch through her robe. She was horny... as horny as she’d ever been in her life, and getting moreso by the second. “What... is this?” she asked weakly, pressing herself enticingly against Gina. “I’m sooo fucking hot... I can’t stand it!”

“Oh, I am sorry,” Gina said in sympathy, removing Patty’s robe with a gesture. “Isabella must not have warned you. As a side effect of the purifying waters, interacting with Urdarbrunnr tends to... heighten one’s libido. It affects even we goddesses that way, though such a short contact usually does little more than ‘get one in the mood’.” She started to say more, only to be silenced as Patty’s tongue invaded her mouth, soft tender lips pressing against her own in need. She chuckled inwardly as the other visitors turned away from the well, one by one, overcome by the visions they’d seen, and the uncontrolled arousal surging through them.

Well, it has been some time since a new goddess was brought in and initiated by the well, she thought gleefully, as she and Patty sank gently to soft grass below. And nothing bonds together new friends like a good old fashioned orgy. I just hope the rest of my Sisters arrive before the fireworks begin—Akiko in particular has been waiting for a chance to caress that dark skinned beauty’s curves.

“Lacie? Sister? Are you okay?”

Lacie turned to stare into the concerned face of Ethyria. Shaking her head, she turned away again, letting the tears continue to fall. “The well... I... this was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come...”

“Why? What did you see?” Ria pressed, moving to look her Big Sister in the eye. “What did Fate reveal to you?”

“Nothing!” Lacie moaned, as despair gripped her. “I saw nothing. Everyone else was granted a vision, a glimpse of the Weave, but not me. Even this was denied me!” She shook her head in defeat. “It’s no use, ’Ria... I should have stayed home.”

It was all finally coming together. My plan... my crazy, hopeless, insane sounding plan. It was nearly done. As I floated over the peaceful city streets, looking down like a guardian angel, I had time to reflect on the fruits of my labors.

All in all, nearly two-thirds of the city was under my sway. Several of the city’s Supers with mind altering powers had been converted to my cause, and were, even now, helping to spread my influence through the rest of the city. I had a number of my people even working in the prisons, converting them into members of my cabal. And of course, the effects were being felt throughout the entire city. People were just nicer to each other now. They smiled at one another, and greeted them in passing. Heck, even the weather was seemed clearer, with sunny days and few overcast skies. Life was good in my city, and getting better by the day.

We’re almost there, Jess, I whispered softly, hoping she could hear me wherever she was in the afterlife. It’s been a long hard road, but the end is almost in sight. Just one more day, two at the most, and River City will be safe. Goddess... I’d give anything if you could be here to see it..

A loud explosion down below and to my left caught my attention, and I scowled as the huge plume of smoke coming from the center of the financial district. Huh. Guess I spoke too soon, I thought grimly. It was inevitable, I supposed. With most of the cities criminals cowed into submission or converted into model citizens, the way was open for the boldest of the ones still left to try and make a play. I’d actually expected something like this to happen as we came down to the final few Supers still left roaming around. I’d even been proactive in assigning my most trusted people to cover different sections of the city in case an attack occurred. It was just my luck that such an attack would happen in MY section, with me all alone and no backup...

Just my... luck? Ahhhh... shit.

Little known fact about my ‘good luck fairies’, as I call them. The universe LOVES balance. It craves it. Don’t believe the hype, the universe is ALL about karma, folks. You roll the dice enough times and you WILL get snake eyes eventually. With my supernatural good luck, I tended to roll sevens more than most people, but eventually even MY luck ran out. And the same way my brother’s bad luck tended to eventually balance itself out by him having something amazingly lucky happen to him, my good luck occasionally countered itself by dealing me a dose of really really bad luck.

I thought I’d pretty much balanced the scales for the rest of my life by losing Jess, but apparently Lady Luck had a little more ill will left to send my way.

Peering down through the smoke and debris, past the injured and screaming citizens, I spotted a familiar face scurrying about, clutching several large heavy bags marked with the First National Bank’s logo on the side. Damn. Nytro. I thought they buried you UNDER the prison after that last fiasco you caused! But you don’t work alone, do you? You almost always have a partner, someone to help with the heavy lifting... AH! There she is... Bringing up the rear, just leaving the bank with an armful of bags of her own, a surprisingly strong slender sandy haired vixen made her way after her partner. Wrecker. Should have guessed. Guess I’m just lucky Tempest was already converted two days ago, or I’d be facing the three of them. Ah, well... better get to work.

Before I could make my presence known, however, a sharp pain exploded in my back, sending my hurtling down towards the street below. With an effort, I managed to regain my wits, and twisted, summoning up enough of my power to lessen my fall. I still hit, hard, landing atop someone’s car, utterly crushing its roof, but other than a few bruises and cuts to my person, no worse the wear. Glancing back up. however, I felt a sense of dread at the sight of yet ANOTHER familiar face glaring down at me. Short, snow white hair fluttered lightly in the breeze, and static electricity seemed to dance along her skin as she floated in midair, arms crossed at her chest. “What’s wrong, Luminaire?” Voltaire smirked, eyes narrowed in derision. “Did I catch you at a bad time? I guess a girl as busy as you, with all you little...extra-curricular activities... might not have time in your busy schedule for a pow-wow session, but I suggest you make some time. You and I have a score to settle, and THIS time, that little pussycat won’t be around to save you!“

“Yah! You got her!” Wrecker replied, coming up alongside the crushed car, Nytro right behind her, both Supers sporting evil grins. “I told ya, if we pulled something nice and flashy, she’d show up.” She ripped the bumper off a nearby Oldsmobile, and tapped it lightly against her palm, like a club. “Now I’ll get to pay you back for what you did to Tempest!”

“Yeah, and with me supplying the flash,” Nytro gloating, holding up a gloating orb in her left hand, “it’s no wonder she got here so fast.” She held her blast bomb up menacingly to my face. “Hey, Glow Stick, I hear you’re the sister of that walking ink blot Darklight? Well, I have a bone to pick with him... so I was thinking why not use one of yours! How about your femur... or maybe a rib?“

Oh shit. Nothing worse than a trio of pissed off super villains with an axe to grind. This was bad. One on one, I could hold my own. Two against one, I could probably deal. But three against one were bad odds, even for someone as lucky as I usually was. Each of them with potentially lethal powers, and no regard whatsoever for using them. So, basically, right now, luck was my only out. If I didn’t get some backup, and fast, my goose was cooked!

“Hey! What the—yyeeeeaaahhh!” Wrecker suddenly yelled out as a bolo wrapped around her from behind, swiftly cocooning her. “What the hell?” she growled, struggling. “What is this, some kind of titanium wire line or something? Get this shit offa me!” Before they could react, however, Voltaire and Nytro suddenly found themselves likewise trussed. I let out a small sigh of relief as my savior, a red clad heroine, swung down from the roof on a grapple line.

“Wow. Talk about perfect timing,” I said, pulling myself free from the roof of the car, “things were just about to get ugly there. Wait... I know that costume... you’re Red Rocket!” I smiled. I didn’t know the girl that well, but I was kind of her idol. We’d spoken once or twice, and she’d admitted that I’d saved her life a while back, and that had inspired her to take up the mantle of the costumed heroine in her own right. She was generally low-key, protecting her small corner of the city, taking down mostly robbers and thieves, and the occasional Super. Still, every little bit helps, and frankly, she’d just saved my bacon. Dusting myself off, I extended a hand. “Thanks for the helping hand. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come along when you did.”

To my shock, she pulled a pair of metal batons from her belt, and assumed an offensive striking pose. “Lucky for you I was in the neighborhood,” she said with a scowl. “Unfortunately for you, Luminaire, it’s BAD luck. Oh, excuse me... maybe you’d prefer to be called by your new code name... Supernova?“

“Nnhhh,” Sioban groaned softly, coming back to her senses. The intense all-consuming need that had consumed her and the others had finally abated. She giggled slightly at the sensation on long silver white hair stroking idly against her bare skin. Heh heh... looks like we all became a LOT closer to each other than we thought. She sighed softly. The only thing that would have made if better is if Katie had been here as well. Slipping loose from the tangle of limbs, she walked back over to the well once more.

Peering into the softly glowing waters, she thought back to what Isabella had told them before. Clearing her mind, she stared into the light, trying to will herself into Seeing the Weave as she had before. It was more difficult than the first attempt, and despite knowing what to expect, she just couldn’t seem to reach that utterly relaxed state from before.

“Concerned about your friend?” Sioban glanced over to see Nadira, the smallest of the Goddesses, staring up at her. “You can see her from here, if you wish,” she added. “You just need to find her thread. It’s kind of hard, especially since you’re not a Nornir, but if you want, I can help you.“

“Thank you... um, Nadira, right?” Sioban said gratefully. “I appreciate any help you can give me.”

At the same time, Tawnya and the others were stirring as well. Remembering only too well how out of control she’d felt before, the way she’d practically raped the lovely girl with the Asian features in a desperate need for sexual release, she found herself blushing in embarrassment finding the young Goddess still lying beside her, staring up at her with a look of idle amusement and deep satisfaction.

Damn. What is the protocol for something like this? I hadn’t really planned it, it just kind of happened. Do I apologize, or thank her? And how do I do either without it sounding as if it was some kind of mistake? Because unplanned or not, that was... heh... well, calling it ‘heavenly’ is too much of a cliché, even if it is fitting. She was pulled from his musings, however, by the voices speaking softly to her left.

“...should just go back now, across the Veil,” Lacie was saying softly to the others. “There’s no reason for me to stay.”

“Come on. There’s got to be something else we can do,” Delores replied, her own frustration showing. She turned to Isabella. “Can’t you see how much this is hurting her? Yeah, she broke one of your laws. Big whoop. She’s paid for it, and then some. Can’t you guys show a little mercy and just give her back her powers? I mean, you call her Sister, and treat her like you care about her, and still block her from being able to regain her powers? How fucked up is that?”

“No, no, Delores,” Isabelle replied with a sigh. “You misunderstand. We did not take Lacie Anne’s power away. She is Verdandi’s reincarnation, the embodiment of her spirit. Such a thing would be beyond us. Were it up to us, our Sister’s power would have been restored long ago.” She shook her head. “No, dear one... the one that blocks Lacie’s connection to her power is Destiny Herself... the personification of Fate, the Goddess that WE all serve.“

“Alright,” Patty said, crossing her arms, “then by all means, summon this Destiny person, and ask her to give Lacie back her powers! If she’s the one in charge, then let’s take it up with her. Lacie is Verdandi, right? She’s the main Goddess that helps guide the Great Weave and handles the present, but with her out of action, the rest of your Fatespinners have been working to try and pick up the slack. And, as I understand it, the girl that’s supposed to be Skuld’s reincarnation is missing, and hasn’t appeared, so the ones from HER bloodline are working like crazy to handle the slack in that department as well. And wasn’t there some big concern about an upcoming cataclysm... some major apocalypse that may bring about the end of the world, that you are all trying to prevent? It just seems to me that keeping Lacie on the bench like this when you’re already short-staffed is just stupid!”

“A sentiment shared by all of us,” Vurda stated firmly, making her presence known. “And, for what it’s worth, we have all entreated with Destiny on Lacie’s behalf,” she said, turning to stare at her granddaughter in sympathy. “But we are servants of Destiny... Her stewards, assigned with the task of guarding and shaping Her grand design. We cannot dictate to Her, only serve best as we can through Her direction.”

“Man... that is so unfair,” Ellen grumbled, shaking her head. “She needs you, and needs you to do your job, but because you defied her, she’s punishing you out of spite.”

“Many of us feel the same,” Ethyria replied, still hugging Lacie close, “though not many would voice such concerns aloud. In a way, we are as much Destiny’s servants as the Valkyrie were ours, though we have been given much more latitude.” She shook her head. “And you are right. Usually, we can at least sense Destiny’s design, Her plan, in some way. But this... defies all explanation. And without Skuld’s reincarnation to help us maintain the Great Weave... it is almost as if Destiny WISHES for the world as we know it to end!”

“Wait... wait a second,” Tawnya said slowly, something just occurring to her. “It’s been bothering me for a while now, and what you guys said just reminded me of something. Now, you Goddesses are, like, trying to find Skuld’s replacement, right? The living breathing person that is Skuld reborn after she entered the big tree and did that whole ‘merge with the Lifestream’ thing.”

Ethyria grinned. “I wouldn’t have put it that way exactly, but yes.”

“And you’ve been looking for her for about how long now?”

“About twenty-one years now,” Lacie answered, wiping her eyes, “since Gertruda, the last one to hold Skuld’s powers, surrendered her life to Yggdrasil.” She sighed softly, remembering the last time she’d seen her beloved Gertruda, who’d made it possible for her to regain her past and leave Home in order for Jimmy and Katie to be born. She’d promised her that she would return, that she would see her again, but by the time the kids were weaned and she’d been able to return to Home, Gertruda had gone.

“Twenty-one years,” Tawnya mused, her clever mind putting the pieces together. “And, one last thing. This girl, this Goddess-to-be... you can’t sense her at all, can you? Is it because she is hiding herself, hiding her power, or is it because she has no powers for you to detect?“

“More the latter than the former,” Isabella explained. “She would not be hiding, per se, though she should have some measure of her powers by now. Usually, during puberty, when a woman’s powers first manifest, they hear the call of Yggdrasil... feel an intense feeling, a connection to it. It calls to her, as deeply as it calls to us, and when they respond, one of us is sent to retrieve them, and bring them here, to teach and indoctrinate them into the family.” She tilted her head to the side. “It is curious that she has not reached out to us yet. It is very rare that a reincarnation goes so long without hearing the call.”

“Or... maybe she has, but just doesn’t know it yet,” Tawnya said aloud, the final piece falling into place. “I always thought she was the spitting image of her! Now... I’m sure its her!” Glancing up at those around her, she nodded in confirmation. “Your missing Goddess, Skuld? I think I know who she is... and WHERE she is!“

Okay. What did I do to deserve this?

I mean, yeah, maybe taking away people’s ability to do anything and everything they want was kind of bad... even if it was for a good cause. Technically, doing something bad for a good reason isn’t any more morally bent than doing something good for a bad reason. And I wasn’t doing this for fun or for kicks, yanno. I hadn’t stayed behind from my family and friends alone, crying or dusting myself to sleep at night, just to turn this city into my own little empire. I was doing what I had to do... what was necessary, to make the city safe! And I was so close to doing just that... so close to the goal that I was tripping over the freaking finish line!!

“Hey, come on,” I growled, struggling against the titanium bindings holding me. “You’ve got this all wrong, Rocket! I’m not the bad guy here!”

Bethany shook her head. “Not the bad guy? You’re the mastermind behind a plot to turn this city of more than a hundred thousand people into a bunch of brainwashed zombies, and you’re saying you’re NOT the bad guy?” She shook her head. “I can’t believe I used to look up to you... used to idolize you! You were my inspiration, dammit! But I was wrong... you’re nothing more than just another criminal!”

I bristled at the insult. “Hey! Dammit, I’m trying to do a good thing here! The world is not black and white, it’s a bunch of different shades of gray.” I struggled again, flexing my muscles with all of my considerable strength, to no avail. “Or... maybe you’d prefer things... uughhnn... the way they were before... dammit... with all the chaos and violence... crime rampant... people scared to walk the streets at night...”

“Well, no,” Rocket admitted, crossing her arms. “I didn’t say that. I understand what you’re trying to do. If there was a reward for good intentions, you’d win first place.” Her expression hardened. “But right is right, Supernova, and wrong, no matter how you try and dress it up, is still wrong! Hypnotizing city officials, brainwashing the citizens... no matter what your reasons, what you’re doing is criminal. And it’s my job to stop criminals trying to take over this city!“

Okay. Enough of this. I tapped into my powers, shining with a bright flash of light. “Fine. You want to do it this way? Fine with me.” I shifted my Light to laser light, melting through the steel mesh bindings holding me like butter. “You like things in simple terms, so allow me to simplify things for you: You’re either with me, or against me.”

“Gee, when you put it that way,” she replied cattily, extending her arms, palms out. “Flash bangs!” she yelled, sending a pair of brightly flashing strobic red sparkles my way. I stopped, staring into the glowing, spinning, spiraling lights for a moment, entranced by their beauty.

“Huh... what?” I asked, watching the way they flickered.

Rocket smirked in triumph. “Not bad, huh? My, uh, supplier, he cooked up a little something special. These gauntlets turn my fireworks into hypnotic, will-draining light shows that force anyone who sees them into compliance. A bit of irony in that, huh, Supernova—getting a taste of your own medicine? So just stare deep into my hypnotic little lights... and let yourself go deeper and deeper under my spell!”

“Deeper... under your... spell...” I slurred, staring into the sparkling dazzling lights.

“Good. Very good,” Rocket crowed, walking over to me, a pair of reinforced shackles in her hands. “Now here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to come with me to the police station and tell everyone about your ‘Master Plan’ to take over the city. You’re going to release all the officials you’ve brainwashed from your control. And you’re going to undo what you’ve done to the other heroes of the city, and turn them all back to normal. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mistress Rocket,” I moaned softly. “I understand... I will ob.... obee... hee hee hehehe... hahaha,” I burst out laughing so hard I nearly doubled over. Rocket jerked back, stunned as I wiped the laughing tears from my eyes. “Sorry... sorry about that,” I said a moment later, finally composing myself. “I wanted to mess with you a little longer, but I just couldn’t say that with a straight face.” I snapped my fingers, and her little lights went out with a poof. “Rocket, Rocket, Rocket.... did you forget who you were dealing with? Luminaire or Supernova, I shine brighter than the sun! I can stare directly at it for hours without hurting my eyes. Did you really think your dim little light show would have any effect on me?“

“Dammit,” she swore, pulling her batons back from her belt. “So, you’re tough. That’s fine. I knew this wouldn’t be easy. But you’re not invincible, Supernova. I’m not going down without a fight. I can’t afford to let you win!”

Twin blasts of plasma energy struck from behind, sending both Rocket and myself to our knees. I screamed as the heat swept over me, as every pain receptor in my body lit up like a Christmas Tree. My only satisfaction was in seeing that Red Rocket had taken the blast worse than I had, slumped facedown and unconscious in the street. Shuddering, glancing up at the entity towering over me, I groaned inwardly, as a twelve foot tall robotic mech glared down at me.

“Aha! Finally found you, little firefly,” a female digitized voice called out. “Now I can finally pay you back for what you did to my brother!”

Okay, seriously... what the FUCK did I do to deserve this shit?!?