The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Light and Shadows X: Eclipsed

by J. Darksong & Gbrn32e

* * *

Ch. 10) Totality

“Okay. This is a bit... unexpected,” Jimmy Frasier commented, glancing around.

He and Sioban stood in what appeared to be a library, in an open patch of carpeted ground surrounded on all sides by heavy oak bookshelves stretching up towards the high vaulted ceiling. The room itself was dimly lit, giving the entire place a dark and foreboding feeling. A few feet away from them, sitting comfortably at a desk with her legs crossed, writing in a large leatherbound book, was the person they had been searching for.

Or... was she? This version of Katie sported a rather bizarre hair style, with various colors, black, blonde, silver, purple, and brown, all spiked up as if lathered in an entire jar of hair gel. She wore her Luminaire costume, though it likewise appeared to have been dipped and coated in dark colored hair dye. The white and silver had darkened into indigo and gray, only adding to the small girl’s menacing presence. Most disturbing, however, were her eyes, the usual clear blue replaced with an eerie alternating black and purple, which seemed to glow slowly from behind her eyes. Spying her visitors, she grinned, closing her book to rise to her feet.

“Ah, you both made it I see,” she said casually, nodding. “I was a little concerned the others might keep you from reaching me... but then again, you’re both bound and determined to show me the ‘error of my ways’” she said making air quotes, “so I guess it’s not surprising that my little distractions wouldn’t stop you for long.”

“Yeah, well, they were definitely something,” Sioban replied, shaking her head. “And when this is all over with, we apparently have a lot to talk about. But for now, let’s finish this. Show us Katie. The REAL Katie.”

Supernova glanced at them for a moment, then laughed. “Show you the real Katie? Sweetie, I’m right here in front of you,” she said, turning slowly in a circle, arms outstretched. “It’s me. Katherine Brianne Frasier.” Seeing their looks of disbelief, she sighed dramatically. ”Fine. Still don‘t believe me?” With a shimmer, the dark costume began to ripple slightly, like the surface of a body of water... and the center of her chest, a blonde head suddenly erupted forth, like a swimmer breaking the surface. Katie‘s face and shoulders were clearly visible for a moment, before sinking back down again, as Supernova‘s chest and body became solid once more. ”So you see, your precious Katie is right here, as I said. We‘ve bonded, she and I. We‘ve become one and the same.”

“Bullshit,” Jimmy growled in response. “Don’t give me that. You’re NOT Katie! Hell, you’re not even human! You’re nothing more than a walking talking blob of magical ink!” He took a step forward. “I know exactly what and what you are, Quillspawn. If you know what’d good for you, you’ll release my sister—”

Quillspawn?” Supernova cut in, shaking her head. “Oh, Big Brother... you never cease to amaze me.” Her grin turned wry. “But in this case, close but no cigar. Sorry to disappoint, but I’m NOT Quillspawn.” Walking back to her desk, she sat down on the edge, crossing her legs again at the ankles. “I suppose you could say that Yana Ritter was my mother,” she continued after a moment. “I’m definitely her offspring, though you wouldn’t exactly say I was ‘planned’. Mother was simply trying to corrupt and change dear Sylvia, and make her more like herself. But she underestimated the girl’s own ambitions, her needs and desires... and instead of an obedient thrall she created something else entirely. Me.”

“Wait. Hold on. Quillspawn? Yana Ritter? I know those names,” Sioban said slowly. “Quillspawn was a major villainess from Midas City, right, from the Chronos era? Brainwashed a number of people until Silver Girl stopped her, sent her to prison. After that she pretty much disappeared, vanished off the face of the earth...” she continued, thinking. “You’re saying what is happening now is connected to her?”

“The ink,” Jimmy replied brusquely, glancing back behind him. “Magical ink, that seeps into a person’s body, into their brain, and literally rewrites their thoughts. That’s what happened to you earlier. It was her ink that I drew out of you.” He sighed deeply. “Really. We have GOT to start keeping in touch with our Midas family after this... it would certainly help prevent any more unexpected surprises like this.” He turned to face the being inhabiting his sister again. “So, you’re what then? Some kind of parasite? After Sylvie managed to suppress you, you decided to migrate over to Katie instead? Why her? You’ve had plenty of time and opportunity to switch to someone else. And why the hell do you want to destroy the world so badly? If you destroy everything, you’ll die too!”

Rather than be insulted, Supernova laughed, amused. “Ohhh my... you just don’t get me at all, do you, Jimmy? Let me break it down for you then. I’m the manifestation of a person’s deepest desires. When Mother Dearest first created me, she wanted something special... something unique. She wasn’t looking for another mindless obedient thrall. She wanted a protégé, someone she could nurture and train, someone who would be capable of ruling beside her.” She chuckled softly. “Frankly, I doubt Quilly herself realized exactly what she wanted when I was born. People often have a hard time figuring out what they want... and often times when they get it, its not what they expect. Case in point with me. From that simple desire, I bonded with Sylvia LaSilvas, probed deep into her mind, her thoughts, her deepest desires. Her need. And there I found her strongest and clearest motivation, the thing that drove her. Her need and desire to control, to bend others to her will... and her desire became MY desire as well.”

Jimmy nodded grimly. Not privy to all the intimate details, he knew enough about what had happened to guess the rest. She’d come into conflict with Quillspawn over Aurora, and Sylvia had rebelled, using Quilly’s own ink to rewrite HER mind, and turn her into Sylvia’s obedient puppet instead. “But, as I recall, in the end, it was Sylvia’s love and desire for her sister, wanting Aurora to be herself, not another ink stained puppet, than broke your hold over her,” he stated. “And if Sylvia could do it, so can Katie.”

“Under normal circumstances, yes,” Supernova stated, kicking her legs, swinging them gently back and forth. “The difference here is that there is NO conflict between us. Katie wants exactly what I want. I was not lying when I said we’ve bonded.” She shrugged. “We kind of butted head in the beginning a few times... but we’ve come to understand that the only thing that matters is bringing Jessica back. Everything else is irrelevant. With this power we have, we can remake the entire world over from scratch. It doesn’t matter if the city is destroyed. Hell, it doesn’t matter if the entire world is destroyed! With Jessica at my side, I can remake everything I destroy, and make it even better than it used to be.”

“Except that you’ll die in the attempt!” Sioban shouted, her frustration showing through. “If just bringing one person back from the dead is putting this much of a strain on you, how the hell do you expect to rebuild an entire world?”

“It’s only a strain because I’m fighting a war on multiple fronts,” Supernova replied with a scowl. “If you were both helping me instead of trying to hinder me, I could do this with no problems.” She sighed heavily, shaking her head. “I’d make one last heartfelt plea for you to join me, to help me usher in a new brighter future together... but I already know what your answer would be. But... that’s quite alright. The time for asking is over,” she announced, as the walls began to shake suddenly, and all of the books on the shelves suddenly opened, pouring out a river of black ink. “So I’m not going to ask you to join me,” she said as the ink began to pool on the ground, quickly surrounding Jimmy and Sioban, “I’m going to ink you both until you’re nice and obedient, and you’ll offer your help to me of your own accord!”

“Gaaahh!” Jimmy yelped, finding his legs mired in black sticky ink thicker than tar. “Ugh... I can’t pull free,” he yelped, pulling with both legs as the ink continued to rise higher and higher. “Bonnie... get airborne! Don’t... ughn... let it get on you!”

“Uhhn... too... late...” the redhead winced, just as deeply mired as her partner. “I’m stuck too.” She winced, again, as she was splattered, getting drops of ink into her face and hair. “Any chance you can... uuhnnn... do something... change the environment... like you did before... with D-dust?”

Jimmy shook his head. “No dice... I’ve been trying... but she’s too strong here! This deep in Katie’s mind... she has full control...” He lifted his arms as the ink continued to rise up to waist level, racking his brain for a solution. Damn... better think quick. Sioban’s a lot shorter than I... it must be up to her chest by now. C’mon... if Katie’s not fighting Supernova at all... not resisting, because they’re on the same wavelength... then the only way to stop this and save Katie... uurpp... not to mention ourselves... is to beat Supernova at her own game!

“So, Bon-bon,” the spikey haired villainess purred, lifting her legs daintily to stand on her desk as the ink continued to rise, walking atop the flowing ink as if it were solid to stand before the visibly wilting redhead. “How are you feeling now? A bit more cooperative, I hope?”

“N... n-no,” she managed, shaking her head, eyes closed in concentration. “Won’t let... you... c-control... my thoughts... can’t let... you... do... this...”

“Stubborn to the end,” Katie replied with a giggle. “One of the things I love about you, sweetie. But its only a matter of time now. My ink is inside you... I can feel it, blotting out all those rebellious thoughts, one by one, even as you try so hard to resist.” She smirked... then frowned, whirling around suddenly to stare at her brother. “Wait. Wait a minute. Jimmy... what are you... WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?” she yelled suddenly.

“Having... a really bad... idea,” he managed as he opened the floodgates, releasing his shadow energy in all directions. His shadows and the ink enveloped each other... and withdrew, his shadows absorbing the ink like a sponge, drawing it into him. Sioban let out a shaky breath, slumping forward, as the ink trying to claim her was sucked away, draining back out of her. The young dark haired man began to shake violently, gagging, as all of the ink pouring into the room began pouring directly into him, an impossible amount, filling him to overflowing, yet continuing to pour in. Indeed, the volume of ink in the room began to descend rapidly, as if someone had pulled out the drain.

Except, in this case, Jimmy himself was the drain.

“Y-yeah... I w-w-was ri-ight,” he gurgled, slumping to the floor on his hands and knees, as the remaining ink on the ground was slurped up into him as well, leaving the room and floor completely dry once more. “This... was a... very... bad... idea...”

Supernova shook her head in disbelief. “How? You can’t have... taken all that ink? It’s impossible!”

“Improbable,” Darklight corrected, as he struggled to get back to his feet again, determination giving him strength. “Not... impossible. Unfortunately for you,” he rasped, reaching out to grab Supernova by the arm, “the only thing that would be impossible... would be giving up.... on my sister!” Supernova let out a scream, as the black ink of her costume and hair began to flow, running down her back, along her arm, and into Jimmy’s. She pulled frantically, trying to get free, to no avail. Her scream turned into a wet gurgling, as her entire form liquefied, and with one last heave, she flew forward into Jimmy, merging fully with him, as an unconscious and very naked Katie Frasier tumbled free...

* * *

Sioban stumbled slightly, wavering on her feet, momentarily dizzy. It took a few seconds to reorient herself, to realize where she was. Ugh. Rooftop? Greenish orange sky? Lot of cracks? Several unconscious Supers lying all about? Must be back in the real world again. This heavy feeling... getting used to gravity again. She shook her head, half expecting black droplets to rain down. That was... really weird. If feels like less than a second or two has passed, but it seemed like days inside Katie’s head... Gasping in surprise, she glanced around, spying both twins lying face down on the ground.

“Katie? Jimmy? Hey, are you two okay?” she asked, rushing over to their sides. For the moment, she was more concerned about Jimmy. The young man lay in a small pool of blackness, with inky black tendrils waving aimlessly all around him. “Jimmy? C’mon... tell me you’re okay,” she murmured, taking a hesitant step towards him. If all that ink inside him overwhelms him, we might end up right back where we started. No... even worse off.

Letting out a loud gasp, Jimmy arched his back, as the blackness slowly but surely withdrew, drawing back into him once more, revealing him in his normal costume. Collapsing back down again, panting, he managed a weak smile. “Yeah... Bonnie. Still here. And still me.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “Kind of intense there for a minute though... but I think she and I have... an understanding on who’s in charge.” Sioban nodded, frowning, still not entirely sure—

“Nooooooooo!”

Glancing back, she saw that Katie had come to as well. She stared at her hands, in shock, shaking her head slowly. “Nooooo! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO!” she yelled suddenly, leaping back to her feet. “You took it away... but I need it... need it...” she muttered, beginning to cry. Glancing upwards, however, she spied the fissure, the largest crack that intersected with all the others. With another wordless cry, she leapt forward, taking flight, heading directly for the crack.

“S’ban... stop her,” Jimmy croaked out, trying and failing to get to his own feet. “Don’t let her... push through! You have to... reach her!”

Airborne the moment Katie had leapt forward, Sioban intercepted her just before she reached the crack. She gasped in horror at the body in her arms! Whether it was Quillspawn’s Spawn keeping her going all this time, or merely an illusion to reassure those around her, the reality of what Katie’s efforts had cost her were visibly disturbing. The once healthy vivacious girl looked aged, her lightly tanned skin ashen and grey, her bright golden hair frazzled and brittle. Her eyes, blue again, with small flecks of grey, were hollow and sunken in, and there was so little meat on her bones she seemed little more than a living skeleton. Even now, stretching forward, trying with all her might to reach the fissure, blood began to seep from her nose.

“My goddess!” Sioban cried, pulling her into an embrace, tears coming to her own eyes. They’d all been correct all along; doing that was literally killing the girl. “Katie, sweetie, stop! You have to stop! Please!” she begged, trying to force her back away from the giant hole in space-time. “Baby... you’re going to die!” she protested as Katie pushed back even harder, struggling with a desperation born of madness.

“Doesn’t... matter...” Katie mumbled, eyes fixed only on the prize before her, hands and fingers outstretched. “Nothing matters. Have to save Jess. Have to. Can’t go on without her. Have to save her. Have to!”

Sioban felt her heart break and shatter into a million pieces. “I can’t... I can’t stop her, Jimmy!” she yelled back. “I can’t reach her! She’s not listening to me...”

“Yes you can,” Jimmy shot back, panting, just managing to sit up. Truth be told, he wasn’t far better off than his sister. Using his own powers that way had drained him of life energy as well, trying to match alone what she had done with that ink entity and Venus Satore backing her up. As much as he wanted to be the one to save his sister, he knew this was Sioban’s moment. “Katie’s... lost,” he told her, sighing softly. “Lost in the dark... in the middle of a storm inside her own head. She’s closed herself off... scared and crying, thinking she’s all alone. Be her Storm Whisperer, Bonnie!” he called out to her. “Sing to her!”

“Storm Whisperer,” Sioban said softly, closing her eyes. She nodded softly, wrapping her arms around Katie, pulling back one last time before wrapping her wings around them both, like a protective shroud. And then, she began to sing:

“Hold on to me, love...
You know, I can’t stay long.
All I wanted to say was, ‘I love you’
And I’m not afraid...”

Something inside Katie began to stir, and her struggles lessened, relaxing ever so slightly in Sioban’s arms. Encouraged, Bonnie continued to sing:

“Can you hear me?
Can you feel me in your arms?
Holding my last breath.
Safe inside myself, are all
my thoughts of you!
Sweet raptured light—
It ends here, tonight...”

Slowly, bit by bit, word by word, Katie’s struggles slowed, then ceased completely. Blinking, panting, she turned, suddenly, looking up at Bonnie as if just seeing her for the first time. “S... Sioban,” she croaked out. “You’re... really here? I thought... thought I was just dreaming you...”

Sioban let out a strangled sound, something between a laugh and a sob. “No, baby,” she said gently. “I’m here. And I’m real. I’m right here with you.”

“Bonnie... please... you have to help me,” she pleaded, turning her gaze once more towards the fissure. “Jessica... she’s so close... she’s just there, on the other side,” she murmured, straining out with a hand. “I can... I can still save her... please... just let me save her,” she begged.

“But Katie... what good will it do you if you bring Jessica back... and you die in the process? Do you think she’ll be happy knowing she lives because you sacrificed yourself?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Katie replied stubbornly. “At least she’ll BE alive. I am... was... a heroine, Bonnie. It was my job... my duty... to protect her. She was my world... my everything... and I just let her die.” She shuddered on Sioban’s arms. “If I can just... do this one thing... just bring her back... then I don’t care about my own life. Please Bonnie,” she said firmly, looking her in the eyes. “You don’t know what its like to have the love of your life taken from you and be helpless to do anything about it.”

Bonnie swallowed painfully, then sighed, closing her eyes. “If you do this,” she said softly but firmly, “then I’ll know exactly how that feels. You’re the love of my life, Katie Frasier. No songs, no metaphors, no more misunderstandings. I. Love. You. With all my heart.” She felt and heard Katie gasp. “If you... if you truly can’t live without Jessica... if her death is something you truly cannot get past... then I will help you,” she said finally, opening her own tear streaked eyes. “We’ll do it together. And if you die, then I’ll die right along with you. Because I can’t live without you.”

Katie stood still, her mind awhirl. Sioban... Bonnie... loves me? But... I mean... I thought... can it really be true? All this time... She shook her head slightly, barely daring to believe it. Sioban, who was so perfect in every way, so smart, so stylish, so beautiful and sophisticated... since the night she’d turned down Katie’s proposal to join Nigel’s harem to be a part of their group, she’d come to terms with the fact that Sioban still saw her as nothing more than an immature child, a friend, someone who needed protecting and looking after, rather than a true love interest. The idea, the very notion, that Sioban could reciprocate the deep feelings that she had for her... it was almost more than she could accept.

Except, she believed her. Staring into her eyes, seeing the sincerity in her face, and in her words, she knew that her Bon-bon had spoken from her heart. She loves me... she thought again, nearly swooning. She turned then, staring at the fissure, so close now, just inches away. She loves me... and she’s willing to sacrifice herself, her very life, to help me bring Jessica back... And she was there, before her, visible on the other side of the fissure, staring up in shock at the instant just before her death. So close Katie could reach out and touch her...

“No...” she said aloud, turning away, tears continuing to fall. “I can’t. Not if it means sacrificing you. Not you, Bonnie... never you...” She turned to gaze one last time at her former love, still so alive in the moment... and then let her go.

“You win, Sioban,” she said softly, relaxing completely in the older girl’s arms, laying her head gently on her shoulder. “It’s over. I’m... I’m done,” she said, her strength leaving her as the abuse her body had suffered finally began to take its toll. “Just... please...” she managed, as he eyes began to close. “Don’t leave me... please.... don’t... l... leave...”

“I won’t, Katie,” Sioban promised, holding her tightly. “I swear it. I’ll never leave you.”

* * *

“It would seem you have chosen well,” Fate announced as the shudders racking their world finally ceased. Vurdra, Lacie, and Devon, all of whom looked weary beyond belief, rose back to their feet, as did the younger Sisters who had aided them. “It seems that my intervention was not needed after all. Still, it was a very close thing. It seems your faith in your friends was well placed. And yet, though the crisis has been averted, the damage to the Great Weave is extensive. It will take much time and effort to heal the various rifts. And space-time itself will continue to be in flux for some time to come. There will doubtless be numerous infractions and anomalies showing up in this realm before it can be repaired.” She sighed softly. “You have a lot of work ahead of you, my children. You may soon come to wish that I had acted when the option was given.”

“What? Why?” Angela asked, frowning. “Are you saying that this could happen again? That Katie or Jimmy could go off the deep end again and threaten to tear the world apart? Or are you hinting at something even worse to come?”

“It is merely a possibility,” the young entity replied with a simple shrug. “Though very unlikely at this point. The Nesatealia ink has been absorbed into the boy, and his own unique gifts and experiences make him much better suited to controlling its more nihilistic tendencies. And the girl has finally found what she has been lacking, and has come to terms with her loss. She will heal in time, and the memory of this will most likely keep her from progressing down this path again in the future.”

“Then what do you mean, we might have been better off if you’d acted?” Tawnya asked with a scowl. “That seems like a really ominous thing to say if you’re admitting that Jimmy and Katie are going to turn out fine after this.”

“The twins aren’t the only dangers that threaten the integrity of the Weave,” Devon answered, panting slightly, getting her second wind. “Now that this is over, I can glimpse the future again. And yes... things do seem to be complicated in the future.” She shook her head. “VERY complicated. Jimmy and Katie’s actions have weakened the walls of reality, and until all the damage is repaired, its too easy for anomalies and paradoxes to turn up.” Devon shrugged. “Ah well. Complicated or not, at least we all still have a future, right? That’s what’s important.”

“Indeed. Very well put, Sister,” Isabella replied with a nod. “In the meantime, here in the present, there are still a number of things that need to be attended to. First and foremost, the main fissure needs to be sealed as soon as possible. Of all of them, it seems to be the most unstable.”

“The three of us can handle that,” Vurdra stated, gesturing to Lacie and Devon, who nodded. “What I am more concerned with for the moment is what we should do with Aphrodite. She has overstepped her bounds in these affairs, and her interference with young Katherine, altering her powers and giving the child knowledge far beyond her ken, is what caused this crisis in the first place!” Several others nodded in agreement. “Without her aid, young James could have easily neutralized his sister’s magic with his own with his mere presence. If not for her, Goddess Fate would not have to manifest herself to deal with this situation in the first place.”

“That is very true,” Fate replied with a very human smirk. “Though had I not, I would not have had the chance to interact with all of you directly. So, while I must state that the fault in this conflict is hers, I cannot be too displeased about it.” Gesturing lightly, she began to lift off from the ground, shedding her human persona, once again becoming a glowing mass of gas and lights. “I will leave it to you, my children, to decide her punishment. But know this. Her actions have indeed changed the path that the future will take. And she herself will be a part of that future. Her presence is required. I will therefore NOT allow her spirit to simply cease. The rest, I leave in your capable hands.” With a bright flash, it vanished, returning back to a higher plane of existence.

* * *

“Jimmy? Are you all right?” Sioban asked as she and Katie touched down gently back on the roof.

“I’ve had better days,” he admitted, with a groan, finally rising to his feet. “But I think I’ll manage. How is Katie? Is she...?”

“She’s asleep,” Sioban stated softly, holding the tiny blonde in her arms. A soft pale white light began to glow, enveloping the sleeping girl in her arms. “She’s okay now, I think. She was in really bad shape before, Jimmy,” she admitted, nearly tearing up again, “like death warmed over. But I’m healing her—another little benefit of the recent upgrade—and I think I have her stabilized. I think she still needs medical attention, however.”

“I concur wholeheartedly,” Jimmy mused, looking her over with a doctor’s eye. “Damn... she’s going to be laid up for a while. But I agree, I think she’s past the worst of it.” He gave Sioban a quick glance. “How about you? How are you feeling?”

“Kind of like I’ve been put through the ringer a few times,” she admitted. “Still, I guess I’m better off than both of you.” She sighed. “So... what now? Where do we go from here? And what do we do about... that?” she asked, gesturing to the glowing fissure in the middle of the sky.

“I have some thoughts on that,” Jimmy began, only to wince slightly, wavering in place. “First of all... how much juice have you got left? Think you can heal me up a bit?”

“Sure, I guess,” Sioban replied, placing a hand gently on his shoulder, sending a warm pulse of healing energy into him. “What’s your idea? What are we doing?”

“Mmmm... yeah, that’s the stuff,” Jimmy murmured softly, taking a deep breath, feeling his strength begin to return. “First of all, it’s what I will be doing,” he said, glancing around the rooftop. “Your priority right now is to take care of Katie. She needs to go to a hospital. I’ll handle cleanup here.”

Sioban frowned. “Okay, but... you’re not exactly one hundred percent right now,” she pointed out. “All of the other Supers we fought here are just unconscious. If Satore or any of them wake up, you could have your hands full. I really think I—” Suddenly, Sioban stiffened, eyes wide, staring into nothing for a few seconds, before shuddering, blinking again. “Okay... ow! That was really.. different,” she said, shaking her head.

“What? What was it?” Jimmy asked, frowning.

“I... I’m not really sure... but I think I just had... a vision of the future?” she said slowly, thinking. “Either it was a gift from Goddess Skuld, or another little benefit from the new Tear—I have no memories of the previous Valkyries ever being granted visions before. Either way, I know what I need to do now.”

Jimmy nodded. “Well, you did kind of freeze up the way Dev usually does when SHE gets a vision. So... that’s a good thing, I guess.” He shrugged. “At any rate, if any of these guys cause a problem, I’ll just shadow strike them back into unconsciosness. The important thing is to—”

“Take care of the fissure,” Sioban finished, nodding. “I agree. And don’t worry, you’ll be getting some help with that soon enough. In the meantime, you’re right. I need to take care of Katie.”

“Yeah... take her to the—”

“River City Grand Memorial on thirty-fifth,” Sioban cut in again, nodding. “Katie’s family doctor is there and his staff is discrete enough to not ask too many questions about their patients. Got it. We’ll be in room six twenty-four.” With that, she teleported away.

Jimmy merely shook his head. “And here I’d forgotten how annoying that can be. Hmph. I was never that annoying when I got visions of the future,” he muttered softly. “I at least let a person finish their damn sentences...”

“Wh... where... am I?”

Jimmy turned, his frown deepening as one of the downed Supers from earlier shook herself, rising to her feet. “What happened?” Tone Jonsdottir asked, glancing around at her surroundings. “How the hell did I get way up... here?” Suddenly, her eyes went wide, and she jerked back to her feet in shock. “LUMINAIRE!” she yelled, as her memories returned. “I... she... she...”

“Hey, hey, calm down,” Jimmy said gently, letting out a small sigh. Valkyrie was one of the good guys, a heroine. She at least wouldn’t attack him, and once he calmed her down, might actually help with the others. “It’s okay. Take it easy. It’s over. Luminaire is gone. We were able to stop her from—”

“Gone? GONE?!? Where is she?” Tone asked, eyes wide and frantic. “She... what she did to me... she turned me... and... and... she made me...” Her lip trembled, and Jimmy felt his heart sink.

Damn. Must be new to the whole ‘having your mind twisted and being turned into a puppet’ routine, Jimmy mused. She IS rather new to the hero scene after all... not even in dad’s database.

“Easy, lady, easy,” Jimmy said soothingly. “It’s okay. It wasn’t your fault. Everything that happened, it wasn’t you. You weren’t in control of your actions, okay? Just relax... I have some friends who can help you deal with this kind of trauma—”

“You’re right!” Tone snapped, fury and shame etched on her face. “It... it wasn’t my fault. It was HER! She did this to me! She did it... and... she needs to pay!”

Shit... this is starting to esculate badly. “Okay, calm down. I know you’re angry. But Luminaire is actually a victim in all this, too. She was being controlled by—”

“LUMINAIRE!” a second female voice yelled out. Jimmy groaned inwardly as he glanced behind him. A very angry and pissed off Ms. Machina now stood as well, glaring around angrily. “That bitch! Using ME as her personal little fucktoy? Turning me into a leather clad gimp? Screwing around inside my fucking HEAD?!?” She screamed, shaking her fists at the air. “I’ll kill her! I’ll fucking kill her, and her entire family, her friends, her neighbors, her pets, her neighbor’s pets!!”

“Bloody hell!” Jimmy yelped, cloaking himself in shadows, preparing a shadow strike as the furious cybernetic villain suddenly rounded on him. Before she could attack, however, he struck, sending out a tendril of shadow energy into her, stunning her, seeping directly into her brain, turning off her thoughts for the time being. He sensed the ink still inside of her mind, quiet without Katie actively directing it, and drained it out of her as well. Shit... she knows Katie’s and the angels’ real identities... as well as mine. Must have really done her homework. While I’m in here, I’d better delete that information, he mused, altering her memories before withdrawing.

“You! I remember you now!” Tone growled, grabbing Jimmy’s shoulder from behind. “You’re her brother! You know where she is, don’t you! Tell me! Tell me where she... she... uughhnn...” she gasped, groaning softly, eyes turning dark as Jimmy’s shadow strike drained away her anger with her thoughts. Jimmy sighed deeply, feeling her pain and insecurity, realizing just how badly Katie’s tampering had affected the mostly innocent young woman.

Great. Just great. She’s not equipped to deal with this... and I’m not equipped to help her deal with this. I’ll have to let Aunt Eva know to schedule a few dozen sessions with her once things finally calm down. In the meantime, the best thing to do would be to seal away her memories of all of this like I did Ms. Machina. he thought, working his magic and draining away the residual ink inside her mind.. With a sigh, Tone slumped back down to the ground as well.

“Okay... anyone else want to wake up and cause a commotion before I get started?” Jimmy asked loudly, glancing around the rooftop.

“I believe the situation is secure for the moment, son,” Lacie’s voice spoke as she, Vurdra and Devon appeared before him on the roof. Smiling grandly, she rushed over and hugged the surprised Jimmy tightly. “Oh, Jimmy.. I am so very very proud of you!” she said, barely holding back her tears.

“M-mom?” He managed, squirming. “Air... air, mom... Aaaaair!” Blushing slightly, Lacie lightened her grip. “Heh... thanks... wow... well... looks like you got your powers back...” he said, rubbing his bruised ribs. “And I’m guessing you’re the ‘help’ Sioban hinted at earlier just before she teleported away with Katie in tow?”

“Yes, we are, child,” Vurdra nodded primly, facing the fissure with a scowl. “As gallant as your desire to handle this all on your own is, you are simply too spent to deal with something of this magnitude. Besides,” she said with just a bit of her typical arrogance, “this is a matter best left to us.”

“What ‘Granny Grumpy’ there is trying to say,” Devon clarified with a smirk, coming up alongside him, hugging him as Lacie released her embrace, “is that you’ve had a very long hard day, and you should take a moment to rest and let us handle this part.” She giggled at his expression. “So, Jimmy. Surprised to see me?”

Jimmy sighed deeply, feeling content in his love’s arms again. “Yes, and no. I always had a sneaking suspicion that you were a goddess... and I’m not saying that in just the flippant sense.” He kissed her gently. “I always knew you were special, baby. That you were meant for bigger and better things.” He sighed dramatically, glancing away. “But still, this DOES present a problem or two.”

“Problem?” Devon asked, suddenly concerned. “What kind of problem?”

Jimmy turned to face her again, still smiling, revealing the teasing. “This totally changes our entire bedroom dynamic, you know. You’re a Goddess now. This will give ‘worshiping at your altar’ an entirely new meaning.” Devon giggled, while Lacie and Vurdra blushed, pointedly looking away. “And the other, ahem... ‘things’ you do for me... hardly becoming of a Goddess—”

“Perhaps we shouldn’t reveal TOO MUCH about our carnal activities with your mother and grandma standing here,” Devon remarked, blushing deeply. “Let’s just say that Goddess or not, you’re still the Master of my heart... and in the bedroom.” She kissed him again, deeply.

“Well, now that THAT is out of the way,” Vurdra said gruffly, “let us get to the matter at hand.” Stepping back from Jimmy, Devon and Lacie took the eldest Sister’s hands, and closed their eyes, focusing their powers. Slowly, bit by bit, the giant rift began to close, and the multicolored sky darkened, fading back to its normal violet night time color. After a moment, the Nornir sisters disengaged, and nodded, satisfied with the work.

“So, it’s all fixed then?“ Jimmy asked, glancing up at the sky. “Patched up and good as new?”

“Not hardly,” Devon replied with a sigh. “In terms you can appreciate, we stitched up the wound and put a band-aid on it. It’s closed, yes... but any undo stress would open it up again. It will take time for it to close completely. And that doesn’t eve cover the numerous smaller fissures.”

“In the meantime, we have one... no, two other little matters to tend to before we can consider this matter settled,” Lacie said wearily. Jimmy nodded as well, having expected something like this.

“Let me guess. You guys held a vote and decided its too dangerous for Katie and I to be sporting ‘world breaking’ powers like this. And you’re going to take them away.” He smiled slightly, sadly. “It’s okay, really. I’d probably do the same in your shoes. Being able to warp reality with a thought, and your own will? That kind of power wasn’t meant for any mortal to have.”

“My sentiments exactly,” Vurdra said, dryly. “Nevertheless, while we DID come to deliver judgement on one who’s actions helped place this world in peril, it is neither you nor your sister that we came to judge,” she stated, turning to stare at the unconscious redhead in the far left corner.

“Satore?” Jimmy gaped in disbelief. “But... but really? Katie and I are a way bigger threat than her!” he protested. “I mean, sure, she tried to take over the country and brainwashed a few hundred, er, thousand followers... but it’s the exact same thing Katie did.”

“That’s not the problem,” Lacie informed him. “Venus... has certain rights and privileges of her own. She IS a goddess, though of a lower tier. And, aside from a few certain specifications, it’s perfectly within her rights to enslave and enthrall the entire world if she wants. And we would not interfere in the slightest.”

“The problem,” Devon said with an edge, “is that she’s overstepped her bounds this time. Aside from trying to corrupt and change you,” she basically growled, “after I specifically warned her off... she gave Katie forbidden knowledge of the Key of Creation, and how to use its powers to overcome her own limitations. Knowledge of the Keys are not meant for this world; it was hard enough removing every trace of it and that unconscionable fiend Jeremiah King...”

Jimmy blinked. “Jeremiah King? Wait... wasn’t that the guy—”

“That I faced back before you were born?” Lacie replied with a nod. “Yes. And with that power, he literally DID remake the world in his own image. It was only through the smallest of margins that I was able to beat him and undo all the changes he made.” She glanced down at her right hand, and the small scar across her palm, one of the few lasting scars she’d ever had. “I’m relatively sure that the Key that I used was responsible for your and Katie’s powers... a remnant leftover from that battle.”

“Well, all the more reason to do something about Katie and myself,” Jimmy persisted. “I mean... I’m not planning to go all ‘Darth Jimmy’ the way Katie did, or anything... but still.”

“Must we spell it out for you, boy?” Vurda spat, irritated. “Your Key powers are too strong for even us to repress. We are unable to remove them even if we wanted to!” She sighed heavily. “To be clear, Destiny Herself was set to intervene, to remove the problem posed by you and your sister’s untamed powers... but the Arbiter, the person chosen to intercede in Fate’s behalf chose to give you and young Sioban the chance to deal with the crisis yourselves.”

“Huh. That seems a little bit... irresponsible,” Jimmy mused aloud. “If she could have just fixed everything herself in one fell swoop—”

“Jimmy, sweetie,” Devon said grimly, “she was going to fix the problem by erasing you and Katie from existence.”

“Ummm...” Jimmy replied, going very pale. “In that case... good call on trusting in Bonnie and I to handle things. Seriously.” He shuddered slightly. “I’m thinking that maybe when we talk to Katie again we leave out the part where she and I were nearly erased from ever existing.”

“Agreed,” Lacie agreed, walking over to the sleeping Venus Satore. “I think I’ll take Venus somewhere safe until we can decide what exactly to do with her. Eugene has a few secure rooms in his lab that not even I can teleport out of. It should serve as an adequate holding cell.” She glanced at the silver haired Norn. “I trust you and Devon can handle the rest while I get our ‘guest’ settled in her new accomodations?”

“Yes, yes, child, as you wish,” Vurda replied with a smirk, shaking her head. “I agreed to this earlier, did I not?”

“Um, agreed to what?” Jimmy asked, not sure if he wanted to know.

“The third item on our agenda,” Devon replied, wrapping an arm around his waist. “Basically, helping you with ‘cleanup’, as you put it.” Raising her free hand above her head, Devon focused her energy for a moment. A black wave of energy flashed from her hand, spreading out in all directions. Jimmy gasped, the energy tingling slightly as it washed through him. After a moment, a stream of darkness flew out from around the city, gathering in to air above them.

“Okay, that was... interesting,” Jimmy replied, curious, “but what exactly was that? And what is that... stuff you just summoned?”

“The ink still from inside everyone else in the city,” Devon replied, squeezing her fist, causing the dark globe to vanish. “You were planning to try and draw it out of all the ones that Katie infected, one by one. I just sped up the process a bit. And Granny is helping by erasing their memories of everything that’s happened.”

“Not entirely,” Vurdra clarified, the glow around her slowly fading. “I’ve altered the memories of everyone enslaved directly by your sister’s powers. Those corrupted by other mean will have to be handled by other means.” She snapped her fingers and the unconscious heroines and villains atop the roof vanished, teleported back to their homes. Vurdra shook her head in disgust. “Tch... it is so beneath me to even deal directly with mere mortals this way. But... as this situation is, at least in part, due to Nornir interference, it seemed appropriate to intervene this way... at your mother’s insistence.”

“Well... okay. That’s something, I guess,” Jimmy said with a shrug. “I’m pretty sure that will cover most of the Supers, so that at least limits the number of powers with an axe to grind against Katie going after her. We’ll deal with the rest as it comes up.”

“Indeed,” Vurda replied with a curt nod. “Now that my part has been played, I am departing back for Home. It is troubling being back in this world any longer than necessary.” With a brief flash, she disappeared, leaving Jimmy and Devon alone.

“Come on, Jimmy,” Devon said, extending a hand. “Let’s go to the hospital. You can check up on your sister before we get you admitted into your own room.”

“My room?” Jimmy protested, frowning. “C’mon Dev... I’m okay. I just need—”

“You NEED to get actual medical treatment,” Devon remarked, brooking no argument. “This isn’t a time to be macho or cavalier about your injuries, Jimmy. You spent most of the night fighting your way through the city, getting beaten and pounded into the ground, and all that was BEFORE your showdown with your sister. And you weren’t even fully recovered from your time in Serpentina’s torture chamber to begin with!”

Shaking his head, Jimmy sighed in resignation. “Okay. Fine. have it your way. Lying down in a bed right about now does sound like a good idea.” He smirked slightly. “So... will you be joining me, baby, or do you have to head back off to Mount Olympus with the others?”

“Are you kidding? I still have exams next week,” Devon replied, throwing up her hands. “Yeah, I’ll be splitting my time between Yggdrasil and the real world, but for now, I’m focusing on THIS world. Besides, now that your mom has her powers back, she and Vurdra can mostly handle things. And I can be back at a moment’s notice if I’m needed.” She sighed. “Assuming I survive this round of exams, that is...”

Jimmy chuckled. “I guess becoming a goddess hasn’t made your life any easier, has it? I just hope you can resist the urge.”

“Urge? What urge?”

“Well, Skuld can see the future, right?” Jimmy stated with a grin. “I bet it’ll be really hard to resist peeking ahead during your exams to see the correct answers.” Devon blinked, then gasped, eyes going wide as she realized what he was pointing out, the idea never having occurred to her. Seeing her expression, Jimmy laughed again.

“Gaaaaahhh! I am soooo hating you right now ,” Devon grumbled, which only made Jimmy laugh harder. “Come on, funny man,” Devon groused, taking his hand. “Let’s get you to the hospital before I’m tempted to do something to make your recovery even longer. And when we get back home, Mister, you are definitely making it up to me... worshipping at my ‘altar’ indeed...”