The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Jimmy let out a soft groan, and closed his eyes. A soft feminine giggle sounded from above him.

“You okay down there?” Dragonfyre asked, holding the dark clad hero aloft.

“Yeah... never better,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I don’t have any problem with heights or anything... at least not as much as my Uncle Parker.“ He swallowed. “Still, considering the fact that we’re flying a few thousand feet up in the air above the city, and that you’re basically carrying me like a sack of potatoes... I’d think anyone would be a bit nervous in my position.”

Sioban grinned. “And here I didn’t think anything ever really got to you. Well, don’t worry. I won’t let you fall. It’s a pretty short flight back to the Towers where Katie’s located, a few minutes at most.”

Jimmy nodded, letting out the breath he’d been holding. “Thanks. It might not seem a big deal to you ‘winged avengers’, or anyone who can fly, like my mom and sister... but us ground-bound types tend to worry a bit about achieving that dreaded fifty four meters per second.”

Sioban nodded. “Terminal velocity? Well, believe it or not, it’s a pretty big concern for us ‘winged types’ as well. Part of our training when we first received our Tears was learning how to handle ourselves in a freefall, training to flare our wings automatically, even if rendered unconscious.” She chuckled grimly. “Patricia was a particularly vicious and vindictive teacher. I remember she once gave me a ‘pop quiz’ by smacking me in the back of the head with a two by four, knocking me off of the training tower at the mansion. Said it made the test ‘more realistic’ if you don’t expect it...”

Jimmy shuddered. “Sheesh! And I thought my Civics instructor was brutal.” When Sioban didn’t respond, he glanced up. “Hey. Earth to Bonnie. You okay?”

“Huh?” she asked, blinking. “Sorry, I was just...” she sighed softly. “I was just thinking... right here, where we’re passing just now? This is where I first met Katie.” She smiled sadly. “How long ago was that? It feels like a life time ago... yet it feels like it was just yesterday. T and I were fighting the Piper, and he got off a lucky shot. I was knocked out of the window, stunned, unable to focus, barely able to breath. I would have fallen to my death if Katie hadn’t swooped in and saved me.”

Jimmy nodded softly. That sounded exactly like his sister, diving to the rescue, not caring whether or not the person she was saving was, at the time, one of her family’s most bitter enemies. THAT was the Katie Frasier he knew and loved. The person that had enslaved their hometown, converted the city’s heroes and villains into her obedient pawns, and was threatening to destroy the entire universe to bring back a lost loved... THAT person was a complete and total stranger. It worried him... this close, he should have been able to read her better, sense her, feel her. Yes, he COULD sense her presence. She was definitely at the top of high-rise building ahead of them. But that was about ALL he could sense.

That damned ink..., he mused, scowling, it’s hard to guess how much of what’s leaking through is actually her, or the corruption that’s overwhelmed her. Aloud, he voiced the question centermost of his mind. “So, Dragonfyre, what exactly are we going to be facing when we get up there? Just how far gone is she from the Katie we both know?”

Sioban bit her lip, considering. “Well... I am still a bit fuzzy on some things. Think that, ink or whatever, it scrambled a lot of my perceptions. As for Katie? She’s still mostly herself... still Katie Frasier. But whatever is controlling her, guiding her... it’s unstable. Um, in every sense of the word.” She shook her head. “Techna mentioned it earlier, that she will sometimes mumble aloud, as if she is literally arguing with herself. I’ve only been here a little while myself, but even I have noticed it.”

“Well, that can either be very good or very bad for us,” Jimmy said, musing aloud. “If she’s still in there, still fighting against the ink’s dark urges, then maybe we can actually reach her. It just depends on how strong it’s hold over her is. I doubt she actually wants to hurt anyone. If we can just get her to understand what’s at stake...” He shrugged, then winced as he felt Sioban’s grip loosen ever so slightly. “H-hey!” he yelped, grabbing hold of her by the wrists. “Watch it up there!”

“Sorry, Darklight,” Sioban replied stiffly, narrowing her eyes. “I just glanced over at the roof from here... and it looks like we have a bit of a welcome party waiting for us: Ms. Machina, Voltaire, Valkyrie, Spice Girl, Ultra Girl and Tempest. Stupid ink stained memories... forget they were all nearby. Seems like we may have to fight our way over just for the chance to talk to her.”

Jimmy blinked, narrowing his own gaze. “Talk about ‘eyes of the hawk’... you can really see that far?” He sighed softly. “Well. Guess there’s no two ways about it. Looks like we’re gonna fight. Just... er, let’s try and do this on actual solid ground, okay?”

Where... where am I?

Devon stood up, glancing around herself in confusion. She stood in the middle of a large fog covered clearing, surrounded on all sides by huge trees. Glancing down, she let out a small squeak noting that she was completely naked as well. “Well, I guess it doesn’t matter that much as I seem to be here all alone, by myself,” she mused aloud.

“Indeed, Devon McKinley, and so you are,” a familiar voice spoke from behind her, causing her to whirl around. She gaped in shock at the woman standing before her. She was dressed in an ornate cream colored version of the robes the other Norn goddesses wore, but aside from that, she looked exactly like her! For a brief moment, she wondered if she were staring into a mirror, or having a hallucination... but then the reality of her situation struck home, and she took a step forward.

“You’re... you’re HER, aren’t you?” she asked, spellbound, staring at the embodiment of Norse mythology that wore her face. “You’re Skuld.”

Skuld laughed, a soft giggle that sounded exactly like Devon’s own amused laugh. “Yes, I’m Skuld,” she answered, smirking ruefully. “You seem surprised. After everything that’s happened to you in your life, after the past few weeks—nae, the past few HOURS, is it really so surprising to find that everything everyone has been telling you is actually true?”

Devon shrugged sheepishly. “Well... l mean, kinda,” she admitted. “It’s like living your entire life poor then waking up one day to suddenly find out that you’re a millionaire. It works well for books or movies, but in real life that kind of thing doesn’t happen too often. And even when it does, it takes a while for the reality to set in.”

Skuld nodded. “I understand the analogy. But yes, this is real.” She smirked, that same familiar twisting of the lips that Devon knew to be her own. “Well, as real as can be, under the circumstances. We’re currently in a kind of ‘mental nexus’... a world created by our minds. When you drank from the well’s sacred waters, your heart and mind were purified, and thus, you were able to finally meet me,” she said with a slight bow, “your other self.”

“Great,” Devon replied, pinching the bridge of her nose. “So, ‘other self’, what happens now? Do we trade places? Do you take over my mind and body, and I get shunted off into limbo or something? Or... will I simply disappear altogether?” She wrapped her arms around herself, shuddering. “Because I’m not okay with either of those options.”

Skuld chuckled again. “Oh, oh, my dear... not to make light of your concerns... but your fears are completely unfounded. You. Are. Me. And I am you. I can’t think of any better way to say it!” She sighed, frowning, biting her lip, trying to think of some way to explain. “We’re connected, you and I. You’re basically me, if you’d gotten amnesia, and had forgotten the first part of your life. What’s happening now is you being allowed to remember your past—ALL of your past, your past lives, everything.” She sighed. “You won’t disappear. You will... no, WE will become whole again.”

“Whole again?”

“Yes. You’re a part of me as well... without you, I’m nothing more than a shadow, a remnant of the goddess we once were.” She sighed, and Devon found herself feeling sympathy for the girl.

“Okay,” she said after a moment. “Let’s say for a moment that we, um... merge? What does that mean for me? I mean... I have a life back home, in the real world. Assuming the world doesn’t end in the next few minutes, I’d like to go back to Portland with Jimmy. Am I supposed to live here in this, um... mystical magical world with all the rest of the girls here? Or will I be allowed to go back and forth like Lacie?”

Skuld frowned slightly, considering. “Well, ultimately it’s up to you, er, us, to decide that. None of the Nornir are held here against their will...” her frown deepened slightly. “The only one ever held by force was Lacie Ann herself... Grandma Vurdra overstepped her bounds and tried to bind Lacie’s will to keep her here. But Lacie broke her hold... and punished Vurdra for breaking that taboo.” She sighed again, glancing down at her feet. “Ancient history now, but big sister Lacie truly meant a lot to our previous incarnation. She promised Lacie that they’d meet again,” she said, finally looking up again, meeting Devon’s gaze. “And its only through you, Devon, that that promise can be kept.”

Devon sighed again. “You know, its really hard to argue with one’s self. And well, the bottom line is, I’d already accepted this when I came here. I guess I’m just a little nervous, is all.” Nodding, she forced a smile. “So, how do we do this?”

“Simple. Just embrace me,” Skuld replied, stretching out her arms. “Give me a hug. Welcome me into your very being, your soul.” Doing just that, Devon stepped forward, and embraced her mirror image...

“Are you okay?”

Devon opened her eyes, blinking, finding herself back at the well in Yggdrasil with everyone again. The youngest of the Nornir, Nadira, was peering up into her face, curious. Devon paused, considering that answer. She felt... completely herself. Unchanged. She was still just the same person she’d been before drinking the water. At the same time... her mind was open. She knew so much now... remembered so much of what had happened before, all her previous lives and incarnations. With that knowledge came a certain change in perspective, in outlook... but mentally, emotionally, psychologically, she was unchanged.

“Yes, little one,” she said with a grin, mussing the smaller girl’s hair. “I’m fine. Actually better than I’ve been in a long time.” She sighed, glancing around at everyone. “So, Sisters... what did I miss? What’s happening?”

“The good guys regrouped,” Tawnya replied, nodding slightly. “Jimmy managed to beat Techna and Robotica and somehow managed to free Bonnie from whatever Katie had done to her. Looks like the two of them are heading to the tower now for the final showdown.”

“Great! That’s good, right?” she asked, noting the grim look on her friend’s face. “Why doesn’t everyone look any happier about the situation?”

“It’s still pretty bad,” Lacie replied in a tired voice, coming up to join them. “Katie has a small army of Supers there atop the roof guarding her, all of them pretty strong and potent heroines and villains in their own right. They’ll have to get past all of them just to get to Katie.”

Devon sighed. “Why can’t Bonnie simply turn them both invisible and mask their presence? I gave her that ability after all...” Tilting her head to the side, she sighed. “Oh, wait. Right. She gained that ability only a few hours ago, and hasn’t had time to fully learn how.” She shook her head. “And, just to be clear, we’re still regulated to spectator status, right? We can’t just teleport over there and, you know, HELP them in some way?”

“That is correct, child,” Fate responded, gently, nodding to her. “Things are happening as they were meant to. All any of us can do now is watch and wait,” she said, glancing again at Angela, “until it is time for the Arbiter to make her decision.”

“So,” Darklight asked, as they neared the roof, the large circle of female Supers awaiting them coming into view, “what’s our game plan here?”

“You’re asking me?” Dragonfyre asked, glancing down at him. “You’ve been doing well on your own so far, while I ended up captured and brainwashed! I was planning to follow your lead!” She frowned, “Can’t you just, I dunno... send out a few hundred shadow tendrils and stun them all into submission? Or just draw the ink out of them the way you did me earlier?”

“It would make things easier, wouldn’t it?” he replied grimly. “But no. I’m not currently up for either of those things just now. Being this close to Katie’s location is taking its toll.”

“Toll? What do you mean? How is being close to your sister putting a strain on you?”

“On my powers, actually,” he said with a grimace, as several of the waiting Supers, having spotted them, took to the air. “Not that we advertise this to everyone or anything, but my and Katie’s powers operate on the same exactly bioelectrical frequency and amplitude, just on diametrically opposed phases—”

“Meaning that your powers cancel each others out,” Sioban summarized with a sigh. “I understand the physics involved, you don’t have to be so technical. So... what does this mean? Are we talking completely powerless or what?”

“Sorry, I tend to get a bit wordy when I get nervous,” Jimmy replied. “And no, not COMPLETLY powerless, but much much weaker than I was back on the street. I’m probably at about one-tenth of my normal strength right now,” he said, flexing his arms a bit, “but that weakness will increase exponentially the closer I get to her. On the plus side, Katie will lose most of her power as well, meaning as long as I’m close by she won’t be able to go through with her plan to breach the walls of space-time.”

“As long as her guardians don’t simply carve us up into little pieces, in the meantime,” she murmured, shaking her head. “Well, not much of a plan, but it’ll have to do,” she said in resolution, tucking in her wings, bringing them into a steep dive. Jimmy, groaning again, held on tighter as their speed increased, as they actually flew PAST the startled Supers rising to meet them, flaring her wings at the last moment to break their descent. Gasping from the extra strain due to her passenger, Sioban managed to toss the slightly airsick hero down safely onto a clear section of the roof. “Okay, Darklight, it’s up to you!” she called up, turning in mid air, heading back towards Katie’s guardians. “I’ll try and keep these guys busy.”

“What? No, wait!” Jimmy called after her. Dammit. She’s right. This wasn’t much of a plan! She’s good, really good, but it’s seven to one odds. And none of them are pushovers—any of them alone would be a handful. Worse, they all seem dead set on an aerial dogfight, which leaves ME out of it completely. Sighing inwardly, he nodded. Okay. The only way to help her is to confront Katie now and get through to her, and make her call this all off. Walking towards the blonde figure in the center of the roof, he had just enough of a warning, to turn and throw his arms up just as the small glowing orb landed at his feet.

KA-THUUUM!

“Ugghnnn!” Jimmy grunted, tucking and rolling as he was knocked back by the explosion, hitting the edge of the roof, but managing to keep from going over the edge. Female laughter caught his attention, and he carefully rose back to his feet as a very familiar figures stepped up from behind his sister, who continued to stand there, impassive, seemingly unconcerned about the events happening just a few feet away from her. His attacker, still chuckling in amusement, tossed and caught a small glowing orange sphere in her left hand as she approached him.

“Oooh... looks like you felt that one,” she teased wickedly, licking her lips. “And that wasn’t even a big one. Mistress was right—you’re not the man you used to be, are you, Dork Light?”

Scowling, Jimmy ran a hand lightly along the edge of his chin. Blood. His power and strength had indeed dropped dramatically since landing on the roof. “Always nice to see you too, Nytro,” he rasped, hands clenching into fists. “I can’t say I approve of the company my sister has been keeping these days. So, what’s the deal Nytro? Not much of a high flyer? Or were you just not invited to the main event happening above our heads? “

“Neither,” she said smugly, waving her empty hand, creating another small glowing bomb in that hand as well. “The others are busy keeping the traitor busy,” she said with an obvious edge, her feelings for anyone choosing to side against her Mistress crystal clear. “But Mistress Supernova was wise enough to anticipate that you’d make it this far. Even with your strength diminished, you are still a thorn on her side. And I just happen to specialize in removing thorns!”

“Given your temperament, I’d have guessed you specialized in pulling the wings off flies and kicking small puppies,” Jimmy shot back, leaping back as a bomb was tossed in his direction. Rather than explode, however, the glowing orb bounced and rolled, before coming to land a few feet away. Dammit. Delay effect bombs again. Still as tricky as ever. Guess I can’t underestimate her. And I’m not as sturdy as the last time we fought. I can’t let this go on too long. Frowning, Jimmy tossed caution to the wind and charged forward, rushing towards the startled redhead.

Or... perhaps not so startled. A few seconds before he reached her, the mad bomber flashed a grin, taking a step back, snapping her fingers. “Gotcha!” she yelled, causing the small ring of tiny explosives at Jimmy’s feet, each smaller than a pebble, to glow brightly and detonate. Caught completely off guard, the dark haired hero was thrown for a loop, sent flying and crashing over the edge. Stunned, in pain, Darklight could do nothing but watch as the ground approached him at a frightening pace. Glancing up, he saw Sioban, his only ally and savior, struggling against her own battles, too busy to swoop down to his aid. There was no way she could reach him in time. He was about to become a street pizza...

No. No way! I don’t think so. Not like this. Now when I am this close!

With an effort of will, and a bending of space-time, Jimmy landed, hard, not on the asphalt but back on the roof, down on his hands and knees, panting and sweating with the effort. Nytro gaped in total shock as he calmly dusted himself off and rose back to his feet. She shook her head in disbelief, her red hair fluttering as she backed steadily away even as he advanced towards her. “No. NO! That wasn’t...you can’t...that’s impossible!” she protested.

“Not impossible,” Jimmy growled, grabbing her by the arm, slipping around and putting her into a chokehold. “Improbable? Yes. Definitely improbable. But not impossible.” He increased the pressure against her carotid artery until she went limp in his arms. Still panting, banged up and bruised, more than a little sore in several tender places, he finally turned to face the blonde standing only a few feet away, staring off into the distance. “So, Katie,” he breathed, causing her to finally turn and face him, “any other of your flunkies you want to throw at me? Or can we dispense with this foolishness and finally, FINALLY have a heart-to-heart?”

Katie frowned slightly, tilting her head to the side. “A heart to heart? You mean a chat? A conversation? Or did you actually mean where you tell me what to do, and me, being the young, shy, naive, know nothing about anything sibling, would simply submit, go along with it and obey her older wiser brother?”

Jimmy frowned in return. “That wasn’t what I meant at all... but in this particular case, yes! Knock this craziness off! What you’re trying to do won’t work. It will only get you killed, the city destroyed, and quite possibly end existence as we know it!”

Rather than take offense, Katie merely laughed. “Geez, Jimmy... you make that sound like a BAD thing,” she said easily, shaking her head. “I mean, just looking back on the past several months, it really hasn’t been that much of an existence, has it? Think about it. I lost Jessica,” she stated, her smile fading, “the city gets ransacked and blown up—by our own UNCLE of all people! Dad nearly dies, mom loses her powers, you get kidnapped and tortured by a psychotic mob boss... and no matter what you might say differently, I can tell you haven’t fully recovered yet.”

“Okay... so things have sucked lately,” he conceded, moving closer to her. “Things have kinda sucked all around. Aunt Sarah, Sylvia and Aurora have been through the wringer quite a bit too, not to mention what happened to Uncle Parker and Aunt Roni with Venus Satore showing up again out of nowhere. Sometimes life just sucks. But that doesn’t mean you just chuck it all away, the good with the bad!” he protested angrily. “What you are attempting to do... it will not work!”

“How do you know?” she shot back at him angrily. “How do you fucking KNOW it won’t work? Have YOU tried to bring someone back from the dead?” She turned away, crossing her arms. “You said it yourself, bro... there’s a very thin line between improbable and impossible.” Her face suddenly changed, twisting into a wicked smirk. “Maybe... what you THINK you know isn’t the whole truth.” She gestured with her hand, and a soft yellow light show out, enveloping Jimmy. Crying out, closing his eyes against the sudden brightness, he found himself restrained, bound tightly in hard light constructs, chains made of yellow light. “You see?” she said, laughing even as he struggled to break free. “You thought my powers would be neutralized by your nearness to me... but as I’ve recently discovered, a person’s limits exist only if you allow them to. I’ve already bypassed mine, Jimmy... but you still hide behind yours.”

Jimmy scowled, his temper rising. Something was seriously wrong here. In fact... something had been wrong with Katie from the very beginning. The way she was acting... the things she was saying. Something simply didn’t add up.

“What’s wrong, big bro?” she asked tauntingly, walking slowly around him, looking him over with a strange expression on her face, something akin to... hunger? “You’re usually much better at banter than I am. Why so quiet? ‘Katiecat’ got your tongue?” she asked with a giggle, stepping forward to kiss him.

Fully.

On the lips.

“Gaaaahhhhh!” Sioban yelled out, clutching her chest, but gritting her teeth past the pain. A second stinging electric bolt fired, but she reacted this time, narrowly dodging her pursuers. She twisted in midair, firing her gauntlet blasters behind her as she did, hoping for a lucky shot—no such luck, as Voltaire countered her Omega Blast with another electrical discharge, causing the two blasts to dispel each other. Her attention switched back to her front, however, as one of the two heavyweights streaked directly towards her. Yelping slightly, she reacted instinctively, flaring her wings to break her momentum even as she used one of her new Tear’s granted powers, teleported out of Spice Girl’s outstretched grasp.

Whew! Close one! Dragonfyre thought to herself. Definitely don’t want to get caught by her or Valkyrie again. Either one of them pins me, and I’m done. Channeling her Goddess Tear again, she made herself invisible, and gained some altitude, trying to catch her breath and think of a plan... then yelped, taking a blast from Ms. Machina, coming up fast from underneath in her mechanized transport pod, knocking her out of her invisible state. Owww! Dammit, again? This is beginning to get on my nerves, Bonnie groused, as she was forced yet again into an aerial dogfight against superior numbers.

“Hahahaha! Niiiccce try, little birdie!” Larissa crowed loudly, “but my tech trumps your magic! You can’t hide from my sensors!” Still laughing, she fired off a round of small heat seeking mini-missiles.

“HEY! Watch it!” Ultra Girl cried out, sending out a flash of microwave energy, destroying the barrage before they connected with Dragonfyre. “Cool it with the pyrotechnics, you psycho!” she yelled angrily. “Mistress just wants her taken down, not blown to smithereens! We’re trying to capture her ALIVE and in one piece, remember?“

Larissa merely shrugged. “Hey, Mistress ALSO said she has a healing factor. We can afford to be a little rough with her. And considering that she took out six heavily armed and trained Supers by herself the last time we faced off, I’d rather not take any chances this time around!”

Sioban growled softly, diving down, letting her superior flight training and instincts serve her. Just as her pursuers began to fall behind, she veered up, trading speed for altitude, flying up above them. Grinning, she began raining down Omega Blasts on the others, forcing them to scramble back out of the line of fire. Hah! Take that! I need to remember, my Tear gives me more than just my strength and powers... it also give me knowledge and experience, like all of Lady Britannia’s flight and combat expertise. And even if they all can fly, I’d be willing to bet none of them has ever lived through an actual aerial dogfight with a dozen BF 109’s.

Sighing, taking a moment to regroup, she considered her options. Okay. I’m badly outnumbered and outmuscled here. But the biggest problem is Ms. Machina. With her tech tracking me, I can’t lose these guys, or even get more than a moment to breathe. She’s also the least stable of the group—none of the heroines like her, and I’m pretty sure Voltaire would fry her in a heartbeat if she thought she could get away with it. Maybe I can use that to my advantage somehow...

Jimmy, wide eyed, stumbled back. “Wha... wha... the hell?” he sputtered even as Katie laughed, having a very vivid flashback of the week before, his encounter with a shapeshifting demon named Meridianilith. He’d likewise ended up bound by magical chains, held helpless and vulnerable, while she’d exploited the complicated and unresolved feelings about the women in his life, including his twin sister. Having Katie kiss him that way, the hungry look on her normally innocent face... it was bringing it all back in spades.

“Surprised, Jimmy?” she purred, circling around him again. “Didn’t think I knew about your naughty little secret? Well, I did. We’re connected, after all, you and I. The same way you learned all about Tawnya and Sioban from my dreams, I learned all about your encounter with that succubus from yours!” She ran a hand lightly against the crotch of his uniform, and giggled, feeling him respond against his will. “Ooh. You really are my ‘big’ brother, in every sense of the word,” she teased, before moving up behind him.

“Katie! Stop this right now!” Jimmy growled, shaking his head. “I know this isn’t you talking! Goddammit... you can’t trick me or distract me with little tricks like this! And there’s nothing you can say or do to convince me to go along with this crazy plan of yours!”

“Oh? Are you sure about that, Jimmy?” Katie husked, pressing herself lightly against him, grinding ever so lightly against him, again, causing him to react against his will. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can’t offer you in return for your help?” Jimmy began to visibly sweat. “I told you, big brother—I know all about what happened with you and that succubus.” Her grin turned wicked again. “I’m hardly an expert on male ejaculations, but the way you reacted... I’d have to think that was a bit stronger than usual.”

“Stop this,” Jimmy said in a low deep rumbling voice. “Don’t push me this way...”

“Or what?” Katie taunted, still grinning. “You’ll ‘unleash the beast’?” She giggled. “Oh, Jimmy, I know all about how forceful you can be! Dear Megan told me all about how you were with her... how you even broke the bed one time!” She shivered slightly. “The roughest Jess and I ever got was a bit of spanking... but I think with you, it might be good, Jimmy. If it was you...”

Jimmy groaned loudly, eyes closed, shaking his head fiercely. Something was seriously wrong. Katie’s words were affecting him deeply, far more than they should have. Memories of his encounter with the succubus were beginning to merge with the present, with what was happening now. Worse, it was all he could do to keep from acting on those feelings, from indulging in that most forbidden of taboos. His head was throbbing. Both ‘heads’, actually. And his heart was racing in his chest. He felt as if he could literally explode any second.

“Think about it, Jimmy,” she purred, pulling him into a tight embrace, smiling wider as she felt his hardness against her. “You and I, together. The way we both always wanted to. I know what you’re thinking... how wrong this is, how it can’t work, what mom and dad would say... but that doesn’t matter. None of it matters! That’s the beauty of what I’m trying to do, Jimmy. In the world I’m trying to create, we will be the ones that make the rules! And we can do it, remake the entire world, in whatever way we want. Together.” She leaned forward to kiss him again...

“Aaaaahhh! Fuck! You maniac!” Spice Girl yelled, shrugging off the blast she’d taken to the face. “What the hell? I said I HAD HER! Why the hell did you shoot anyway?” she growled.

“What are you complaining about anyway, Red?” Ms. Machina groused back, recalculating her aim, as her systems continued to track the swift moving Dragonfyre. “You’re practically invulnerable! I could have dropped a building on top of you and it wouldn’t have even made a scratch!”

“Invulnerable doesn’t mean invincible,” Ginger grumbled loudly, shaking her head. “It might not have done any damage but it still hurt!”

“Whatever, ya big baby,” Larissa shot back. turning again, letting the matter drop, “Ah hah! There you are!” she yelled, turning suddenly and firing a blast, this time, shooting Valkyrie in the back. The Norse demigoddess yelped, then whirled around, furious. “Whoops... sorry. She’s really fast. But I’ll get her yet—”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Tone yelled back. “You shot me... and Dragonfyre wasn’t even near me!” She pointed several feet over, where Ultra Girl and Tempest were battling the green clad heroine. “Admit it! You did that on purpose!”

Larissa blinked, then frowned. “No, I didn’t, I shot at Dragonfyre. You must be cracked, or something... my sensors clearly show her circling back around towards Spice Girl on her right side! She’s cloaked and invisible, but my finely tuned sensors can still track her—”

“Your ‘finely tuned sensors’ are about as useful as you are,” Ultra Girl cut in, flying over to join in. “Which is to say, not at all! Tempest and I were clearly engaging her. I actually managed to get a shot off on her shoulder before she teleported out again. Are you trying to say we spent the past five minutes fighting an illusion? Because she got close enough to land a glancing blow,” she added, rubbing her chin, “and she sure packs a punch for a figment of my imagination!”

Ms. Machina scowled. “Hey! Don’t blame me for your own shortcomings. We’re all on the same team here... all trying to take down this little redheaded pixie for the service to our ‘glorious Mistress’. I’m doing my part. It’s not my fault if you fools can’t get the hell out of my way fast enough—”

“Fools? So now we’re a bunch of fools?” Voltaire replied, angrily. “You’re the one who’s the screw-up here! You even started out using live rounds in the beginning until Valkyrie called you out on it!” Her eyes narrowed. “Maybe all these mistakes aren’t really mistakes after all. Maybe you’ve been purposely keeping us from catching her all this time!”

Larissa blinked. “WHAT?!? Are you crazy? Why the hell would I do that?”

“Voltaire has a point,” Tempest added, flying over as well. “You’ve made no secret that you’d rather kill her than capture her... that the only reason you’re doing things this way at all is because Mistress ordered it.”

Tone nodded, frowning as well. “And you’ve often voiced your desire for revenge against her, even before we brought her to Mistress. After all, wasn’t it her partner that handed you that embarrassing defeat that landed you in jail a few weeks earlier?”

“That’s right!” Spice Girl chimed in. “And we all know how you ended up as Mistress Supernova’s thrall in the first place. You tried to KILL HER in revenge against what she did to your brother, that assassin, Sureshot. Blinding and maiming your older brother. It wouldn’t surprise me if this was some kind of token rebellion against our Mistress—since you can’t vent your anger against her, you’re trying to take it all out on Dragonfyre, to hurt Mistress in some small petty way!”

Ms. Machina glanced from face to face, her six comrades in arms each staring at her with looks of suspicion and distrust. Lousy bunch of ingrates... I’m as loyal to Mistress Supernova as the lot of ’em... just because I have more class than the all of them put together, they try and gang up on me? Try and make me the scapegoat? Fuck that! I’m not going out like this. No fuckin’ way...

“Well, ladies,” she said aloud, silently deactivating the safety protocols on all her weapons, and powering them up, “I guess this is where we all show our true colors, isn’t it? You think I’ve turned traitor, that I’m following my own agenda? Fine, Believe it if you want, if it makes you feel better. The old me—that would have definitely been the case. She would have double-crossed and triple-crossed the lot of you the moment your backs were turned. But our Mistress has remade me into a better person. I’m loyal to her will and her vision,” she added, as she fired, point blank, blasting each of the stunned heroines and villainess with the maximum allowed output, stunning them all into unconsciousness. “But loyal to the rest of you? Hah! As if!” Firing a barrage of her capture pods, she caught each of the falling women, safely depositing them onto a nearby roof.

“And, just for the record,” she added with a edge, “the fact that I didn’t let your sorry asses go splat on the pavement just now should prove just how much of a ‘team player’ I really am! Now then,” she added, retuning her scanners, “back to business. Where did that pesky little bird fly off to this time?”

“Right here.”

Larissa yelped, whirling around, her scanners notifying her that her target was hovering right behind her, less than a foot away. Before she could react, Sioban attacked, punching straight through and shattering the crystal lined dome covering the villainess’ cockpit. Ignoring the pain, she flicked her thumb, firing her gauntlet’s Omega Beam directly through the breach, past Ms. Machina’s shielding. The villainess let out a short cry before dropping into unconsciousness like her teammates. Sighing, Sioban withdrew her hand, and carried the damaged pod back down to the roof with the rest of the fallen.

Well, that worked surprisingly well, Sioban thought wearily, as she rose aloft once more, heading back towards the Tower. I’m not NEARLY adept enough at using all these new abilities as I should be, but I guess it worked well enough. It wasn’t very hard to alter everyone’s attitudes towards Ms. Machina. especially since they were already on the fence about her to begin with. Add in her reckless shooting, and my purposely dipping in and out of the other’s range, and its surprising they didn’t simply gung up on her from the beginning!

Okay, better check up on Jimmy and see how he’s doi... what the HELL?!?

CRAAACK!

“Aaaaahhhh! What the hell?” Katie yelped, stumbling back, clutching her bleeding, possibly broken nose. “J... Jimmy? You fuckin’ head-butted me? What the shit?”

“I warned you, didn’t I?” he rasped, chest heaving, fury written on his face. With a loud growl, he flexed his arms, shattering the light bonds holding him captive. “I TOLD you not to push me. But you did. He pushed and pushed and pushed, and this is the result. NOW I’m PISSED!”

Katie, gulping slightly, backed away. “B... but... wait Stop! You can’t do this! I’m... I’m your sisterrrgaaaakk!”

“NO! YOU ARE NOT!” he growled in her face, holding her by her throat, squeezing. “Do I have ‘STUPID’ written or tattooed on my forehead somewhere?” His hand gripped tighter, and the blond struggled, pulling at his fingers, gasping, her face starting to turn red. “Did you think I wouldn’t realize what you were doing? What you were TRYING to do? I’m a lot of things, Katie... but an idiot isn’t one of them!”

“Darklight!”

Jimmy glanced sidelong as Dragonfyre landed deftly beside him. He nodded. “Took ’em all down by yourself? Nice. I’ll have to remember to have dad bump up your ranking in his database when he gets back in town.”

Sioban swallowed, fingers twitching at the sight of Katie being choked, struggling to breath. “Is... is that really necessary?” she shouted, a bit harsher than she’d intended. “Choking her that way? I... I know we need to stop her... but I thought the plan was to talk her down, not beat her into submission... Jimmy, for god’s sakes she’s your sister!”

“WRONG!” he snarled, finally releasing his hold, tossing the barely breathing girl to he ground. As she fell, a dark globe of darkness withdrew fro her, and her form shifted slightly, her blonde straight hair giving way to a mass of auburn curly hair, and her facial features shifted slightly. Sioban gaped in astonishment as she realized the identity of the girl—the missing Red Rocket!

Before she could question how he’d known, Jimmy quickly pulled a small tube shaped device from his belt, pointed to the side and fired twice. A third flash lit the area briefly, striking at him, and he winced, dropping the destroyed stun blaster. His shots had apparently hit the mark, however, as four women suddenly appeared out of thin air only a few feet away, where they’d obviously stood hidden the entire time, watching the spectacle unfold. On the ground before them lay and unconscious Rosella Contreras, who had no doubt been shielding them all from detection, and Regina Baker, no doubt playing sentry, whose own blast had disabled his blaster.

“Venus Satore,” Jimmy spat, glaring at the startled redhead standing next to his sister—the REAL Katherine ‘Katie’ Frasier. “I should have guessed. Everything I was feeling, my overamped libido, and over the top lust... it had your signature stamped all over it. I have to admit... you almost had me. Good plan, too, by the way—using Red Rocket here,” he said, gesturing to the nearly unconscious heroine, “using her as a stand-in for the real Katie. Same basic powers, they even look enough alike to fool the casual observer even without any tampering. And with the REAL Katie close by, with me feeling her, and sensing her, yeah, it was almost enough to make me think your puppet was the real deal. Almost.”

“Almost. But not quite,” Supernova replied with a nod, “We’re twins, after all. Even blindfolded in a room with a group of one hundred perfect look-alikes, we could tell each other apart instantly.” She grinned. “Yes, Jimmy, I knew this wouldn’t fool you for long. But, well, that was never really the plan. I knew I couldn’t beat you face to face... certainly not with Sioban helping you. Fortunately, the plan was never ABOUT beating you... just delaying you. Keeping you away long enough for me to do this!” she stated, gesturing with her right hand.

Jimmy and Sioban gasped in horror as the sky above them shimmered... and shifted, revealing what appeared to be a giant crack floating in the middle of the air. As they watched, the crack widened and spread a bit more, as the entire city began to shake a shudder, as if under the effect of a massive earthquake. “All this time,” she said triumphantly, “I’ve been plugging away, digging and digging at this one spot, this one section of reality, trying to dig my way back to the past, to that one night. I’m almost there, just a few more layers, and I’m through. You see, Jimmy? It’s already too late! You can’t stop me now. In just a few more seconds, I’ll have everything I ever wanted and more!” She laughed, a loud strange laugh tinged in madness. “I’m about to remake the entire world! And everyone in existence will see the Light!”