The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Peepshow dreamed.

It was expected, really, the old nightmare of Her youth. Long before She became the villianess known as Peepshow, back when She was just a young girl named Penelope Jean Larson, She had been raped. Daughter of a Boulevard Walk prostitute, Her mother Laura was held in the iron grip of her pimp, Ted, an overweight low-life who treated her like his own personal slave. When she died shortly before Penelope’s twelfth birthday, Ted had taken over guardianship. The very night after the mortician had buried the mother, Ted had taken young Penelope into his bed.

Peepshow twisted in her sleep, thrashing slightly, remembering that night so long ago. Her chest heaved, and her arms flexed, as if she could still feel his heavyset body pinning down her weak eleven-year-old body. Even sleeping, she could taste the stale sweat of his huge beefy hand as it clamped down over her mouth to keep her from screaming. Terror ran anew through her veins as her mind perfectly recreated his voice in her ear: You’re mine now, doll, my sweet little ‘Nelope... my pretty little Nel. All mine. Now, open up for Uncle Ted like a good girl. Uncle Ted knows how to make good little girls like you feel REAL good!

“Nooo... noo... please...” Peepshow whimpered, still fighting her dream. “Don’t hurt me... please... don’t make it hurt...”

But the dream Ted performed again as he had so many years ago, slapping her hard enough to draw blood, ripping her clothes away, being violent merely for violence’s sake, to cower the girl and make her more complacent. Testing her virgin hole with his fingers was enough to break through her trauma, and young Penelope thrashed anew, fighting him with all the strength in her young pre-adolescent body, to no effect. Angered at this defiance, Ted struck her hard, this time with his fist, nearly breaking her jaw.

Stupid bitch! he had hissed at her, reaching back for something behind his back. You’re a fighter, huh? Just like your mother? Well, I knew how to keep her in line, how to keep her under control, and I’ll damn well keep you under my controll too!

Peepshow’s back arched in sympathetic pain as She remembered the needle going in. Laura had continued to use throughout her pregnancy, encouraged by Ted, who had hoped the injections would kill the child. Straangely enough, the baby had been born perfectly healthy, with neither deformities or an inborn addiction, only a slight sensitivity to light. The heroin Ted had pumped her full of ran through her system like wildfire, a deep burning in her blood that only slightly offset the pain of her rape. She had cried, begged, pleaded, fought, bit and scratched, but in the end he took her, violently and brutally, leaving her lying there on the floor of her mother’s apartment, violated, crushed, and alone, floating disjointed in the drug-induced haze...

Waking, Peepshow sat up with a gasp. She glanced around the room, trying to calm her breathing and slow down her racing heart. She glanced around, confirming again that She was in her private chambers, still in the high rise building downtown, instead of on the floor of her mother’s rented one bedroom apartment. The sound of soft snoring reached her then, and she glanced down at lacie, the enslaved Omega Girl, sleeping soundly on the floor at the foot of the bed. Smirking slightly, she rose to her feet, stepping over the sleeping girl, padding silently on bare feet to the bathroom.

That damn nightmare again. Lately, it seems to be coming on more and more, the closer we get to executing our Master Plan. I guess its just the stress. She splashed cold water on her face, then glanced at her reflection. As always, she stared back at her face, beautiful, attractive, normal looking face. Normal looking, except for the eyes. Beneath her human eyelids shone hard, crystalline globes, which seemingly glowed with multicolored lights. The after effect of her night of torment at Ted’s hands, the heroin in her system had reacted srangely with the cells making up her eyes. Awakening from a terrible headache, she had found her eyes changed, crystallized, transmuted into perfectly functional and working but vastly altered organs.

Reaching out gingerly, she touched them, just as she had that day. Hard, and smooth as glass, she felt no pain, only a vauge sense of pressure at the touch. Her expression turned rueful; in a strange twisted way, she owed everything to Ted. Yes, he had taken everything from her: her childhood, her mother, her virginity, and nearly her life—but in the process, he had gifted her with those extraordinary eyes. She smiled inwardly as she remembered the encounter the next night, when Ted had tried to rape her again, the night she had discovered the power of her new eyes.

Walking back into the bedroom, she paused again at the bed, staring down at the sleeping girl. “Ah, just what I need to help brush away nightmares of the past,” she murmured softly. Reaching out with her left bare foot, she lightly prodded lacie in the side with her toes.

lacie came awake instantly, glancing up at her Mistress. her eyes widened, then glazed over as she stared into the twinkling hypnotic brillance of Peepshow’s eyes. “How sweet,” her Mistress chuckled, keeping eye contact as She walked back to Her bed. “I woke you up just to put you back to sleep again. But, then again, pet, you don’t really need to be awake to serve me, do you?”

“No... Miss.. tress...” lacie breathed softly.

Guiding the deeply entranced girl over to Her, Penelope lay back on the bed, spreading Her soft golden tanned thighs wide, relaxing as Her slave dove deep into the center of Her sex. Erotic tingles swept over Her, like softly breaking ocean waves, stroking Her pleasure with each crest, and sweeping away the last lingering traces of Her nightmare with each trough. It felt so good, being in control, being in charge, knowing that the slave between Her legs existed only to serve Her needs. The thought washed away any trace of helplessness, and as lacie’s talented tongue struck just the right spot, the eleven-year-old girl Penelope vanished, washed away in the titanic flood of sheer pleasure experienced by the fully grown woman, Peepshow.

“YEEESSS!” She screamed out, going rigid, legs clamping tightly around lacie’s head, as the mindless slave continued to lick and suck and please her Mistress, sending pulse after pulse of joy-induced bliss through Her spasming cunt, shaking Her body like a rag doll. “Ahhh, ahhhh, ooooohhh gaaawwwdddessss nnnnngggggghhhh!! Ahhhhhhh ahhh oohhhhh, oooooohhhhh... ohhh my gawwdesss... uhhh... mmmmm... ooohh! OHHH! OH! OH! OH SHIT! AGAIN! AGAAAIIINNNN!! AAAHHHHHH!!”

White lights danced before Her eyes as the pleasure overwhelmed Her. Unable to take anymore, She collapsed back down flat against the bed, panting softly. Pushing lacie away gently, Peepshow glanced at the clock and sighed. “Two A.M.,” she mused. “Better get some sleep. I’ve got an early morning meeting,” She said, yawning, “and you, My pet, have an early flight to catch. Brian will be on My case if you’re not ready to go, sooo...” Focusing Her tired but sated gaze on Her slave, She commanded, “Sleep.” lacie dropped instantly, sprawling back down to the ground, landing almost exactly in the same position as before. Chuckling softly to Herself, the girl’s Mistress closed Her own eyes, following suit, drifting off to sleep to the sound of lacie’s soft snores, and sweetly mumbled words.

The girl always talks in her sleep, Penelope mused, resting just on the edge of true slumber. One of these days I’ll have to listen and try to figure out what she’s mumbling about. The way she moans and writhes, it must be pretty hot...

Donald Maynard Anderson frowned, glancing at his watch again for the third time. Elevators always made him nervous, and this one seemed to be tsking forever to get to where it was going. The heavy suitcase in his left hand banged lightly against his thigh, reminding him again of his reason for being here in the first place. Maybe that’s the problem. Knowing that I’m carrying around a highly unstable energy weapon is what’s making this elevator seem so much... smaller. Damn. I’m psyching myself out. Come on, Don... just relax, and breathe. All I have to do is get to the to top floor, meet with the researcher, and turn this thing over to him...

The elevator dinged, and the Police Chief sighed deeply as the doors opened. I shouldn’t even be here, he grumbled to himself. I SHOULD be back at the precinct, trying to figure out where the security leak is. I’ve kept things pretty quiet so far, trying to lure the mole out, and I’ve been able to narrow down the list of likely suspects to three. He sighed, glancing down the hallway for the correct room. Instead, I’m reduced to playing errand boy because I until I catch the mole in my department I can’t trust any of my own men to deliver this dangerous technology.

He toyed with the idea of turning the whole situation over to I.A. again, but as before he decided against it. It was his city, his precinct, and his problem. Besides, there was always the chance that the higher ups on the city council would put the blame over this on him.

Finding the right door, he knocked twice and walked inside. “Here’s the suitcase, as promised,” he announced, stepping into the room. “The Quantum Shrink Ray, confisgsted from Shrink Wrap last year... huh? What the...” Glancing around in confusion he saw, not the weapon research laboratory he had expected, but a tastefully decorated sitting room, with a thick Persian rug at its center. A young blonde woman dressed in red with rose colored shades sat on a couch in the far corner, but the person that immediately grabbed his attention knelt calmly in the middle of the expensive rug.

“Omega Girl!” he cried, dropping the suitcase, grabbing his service revolver. “What are you doing here? Where’s Doctor Phillips? What the HELL is going on here?”

Omega Girl merely smirked. “Don’t you know yet, Chief? You’re delivering the package you were supposed to bring, just like a good little boy.” She rose to her feet as Peepshow emerged from the couch to stand beside her. “Poor ol’ Donny... still haven’t figured it out yet, hmmm?” Gesturing to the beautiful blonde Goddess, she continued. “Mistress Peepshow brainwashed you a while back, and has used you to transport all those horrible super weapons taken away from the super villians I caught for you over the past few years.” She laughed at Chief Anderson’s expression. “Stunned? Surprised to find out that you, yourself, are the mole you’ve been looking for in your precinct?”

“Now, now, pet,” Peepshow replied, walking forward, taking the suitcase from the floor, “don’t tease the poor fool. After all, it wasn’t so long ago that you were in the same position, completely in My power, and fighting it with all your heart and soul.” She smiled evilly. “Just the same way the good Chief is fighting right now.”

Indeed, Donald was fighting. His entire body quivered, and his face was starting to turn red. He had drawn his gun upon recognizing Omega Girl, but despite the danger he was in, he was unable to pull the trigger. Furthermore, he was unable to move at all, to aim at either woman, to lower the gun at all, even to turn tail and run out of the room. His mind had obviously been under the blonde girl’s control for a while; now, it seemed, even his body was no longer his.

“Yes!” Peepshow grinned, removing from the suitcase a small silver tube with wires hanging from it. “The quantum field stabilizer. Just one more piece to go.” Walking back to Her couch, She sat down, crossing Her legs. “Very good, Chief Anderson. You’ve fulfilled your assignment. Now, however, I have no further use for you... so it’s time to say goodbye.”

“What? No!” he yelled as his arms, seemingly by themselves, slowlt turned, aiming the gun towards himself. “Please! NO!! Stop! Don’t do this!” Slowly, the gun rose to the old man’s temple.

“Mistress, wait!” Lacie blurted out.

Frowning, Peepshow turned to face her. “Do you disapprove with My decision to kill this worthless man, slave?”

Shit! “No, Mistress,” Omega Girl said easily, shifting her dark personality into the forefront. “Of course I do not disagree! The man is a worm... a slug... he deserves whatever fate You deem fit for him! However,” she purred, moving over to wrap a black leather-clad arm around her Mistress’ side, You MIGHT wish to consider keeping him alive a little while longer. As long as You have control of him, he remains a spy for You, and You never know when having a friend in a key position like Police Chief might come in handy. Or not,” she added, offhandedly, moving over to circle the trembling policeman. “But either way, Mistress, surely you do not wish him to ruin Your carpet with his blood?”

Penelope laughed. “A very good point. Very well. Anderson, lower the gun.”

Donald’s arm lowered, his fingers relaxing their death grip. The trembling man nearly fainted with relief; had he retained full control of his body he would have sank to the floor. And yet, he knew he wasn’t out of the woods yet. He was still a prisoner in his own body. He had to think of a way to escape—

“Eyes front, Chief.”

Anderson’s posture relaxed completely, his eyes fluttering closed as he dropped immediately into trance. lacie caught him as he started to fall over. Penelope, gesturing to the hallway, commanded, “Listen closely, and obey, Chief: when you leave here, you will remember only bringing the device to Dr. Phillips, entrusting it to his care, then leaving. Once again, you will forget that I am your Mistress, that you live to obey Me, and yet you will remember all My commands, and My voice, the Voice that you MUST obey. My voice, Chief... and My eyes.”

“Eyes...” the entranced policeman slurred, moaning softly in dimly remembered pleasure, the twin colorful sparkles that dominated his subconscious mind as well as his dreams.

“Yes, My eyes,” She continued, “the Eyes that entrance you, that control you, that dominate you. You will surrender to My Eyes, Donald, and obey My Voice. Do you understand?”

“Yes... surrender... obey...”

Satisfied, Peepshow sent him on his way. Brainstorm entered just as Anderson left. Frowning, he gestured to the policeman. “I thought you were getting rid of him after he delivered the component we needed?”

Shrug. “Changed my mind, He might still be useful later on. Besides... this is a new rug.”

Brainstorm rolled his eyes. “Say, ‘Nel, you seem a bit run down this morning... like you didn’t get enough sleep again last night.”

Peepshow stiffened. “And how would you know that from all the way across the room? Did you see the bags under my eyes—through my sunglasses?”

Brian sighed. “Look, ‘Nel, I’m just concerned about you, alright? Yes, I took a quick peek inside your head... but only because it’s been obvious for the past few days that something has been wrong.” He took a deep breath. “I know you don’t want to talk about your past, but—”

“You’re damn right I don’t wanna talk about it!” Peepshow snapped back angrily. “It’s none of your goddamm business! You can try and pretend you’re concerned, that you’re my FRIEND, but you forget... you can’t bullshit a bullshitter! You’re idea of ‘helping me’ is for me to give you free access to my head so you can go inside... to deal with my ‘issues’. Well, forget it, Brian. I’d rather give that slimeball Ted full reign over my thoughts than you—at least with him, I’d know where I stood!”

Brainstorm stood there, frozen, a scowl on his face. For a moment, he looked on the verge of an explosion, but with an effort, he forced a smile on his face. “I think you’re just a bit overly paranoid,” he managed, “but if you don’t want my help, fine. I’m not going to press you about it. Just so long as you continue to shoulder your part of the work, its not an issue.” Taking the electronic component from her hands, he turned on his heel. “I’ll take this to the lab to begin the proper recalibrations.” Turning back to her, he frowned. “We are expecting you down in laboratory twelve to supervise the harness construction, and to give your personal measurements. As for your little ‘pet’, she was supposed to be downstairs in the lobby five minutes ago. FX is already down there, and you know how Frank gets when he has to wait.”

Peepshow grunted, but gestured at Her slave. “Alright, pet. It’s time to get back to work now. Collar ‘off’.” Lacie blinked rapidly, then shook her head. “Now, get down to the lobby. FX is waiting for you.” Sighing, the enslaved heroine exited the room, heading to the elevator.

“Thank ye all, gentlemen,” Eugene Fraser said with a nod to his board, closing his briefcase. “Let us hope next quarters numbers look as promising as this quarter’s. Enoch, keep up the good work. Eric, likewise. Roger, yer department is on schedule, but I’d like it better if ye made this new project of yours the top priority. I hear Stark Industries is working on a similiar project, that they’re plnning to release next month.” He grinned. “I want us to release ours next week.”

“Aye, we could,” Roger said slowly, thinking aloud. “We’d need more manpower, both in the manufacturing and in the quality checking sections... at least twenty more in each.”

“Ian’s department is running nothing too important at the moment. We can pull what we need from his group. They’re all qualified to do the manufacturing, and you can use the surplus in yer own department to do QC.” Standing up, Gene picked up the briefcase and placed it under his arm. “If there’s no further business, gentlemen, I’ll see you all next week.”

“Going to visit your sweetheart Lacie again, are you, Eugene?” Ian asked, sliding into his overcoat, as the board room emptied out.

Gene sighed softly, turning to stare out the window of his high rise office. “Aye, I plan to be seeing a great deal of her in the next few days.”

“Sounds serious,” Ian chuckled. “Take my advice, sir. Girls like her don’t come along very often. You should go ahead and commit to her, make it official. After all, you don’t want her running off with someone else just because you were to shy to make your move.”

“How are things with you and Moira these days?” Gene asked, turning to face him. “Still strained, or are you two speaking now?”

“Well, we do talk now and again, but yes, things are still strained between us,” he admitted. “If we hadn’t had little Karen, then I don’t think we’d be communicating at all.” Sigh. “Even though she was the one that cheated on me, I still feel like its my fault... that if I hadn’t taken her so much for granted, if I’d said ‘I love you’ more... showed her that I do care for her...”

“Aye, I ken,” Gene said softly, placing a hand on the older man’s shoulder. “Ye always think, ‘I should have done this’, or ‘I should have done that’. The fact of the matter is, hindsight is always twenty-twenty. Once the deed has been done, ye cannae undo it, ye can only go on from there and try yer best to learn from the mistake. For what its worth, Ian, I think she does love you, as deeply and truly as you love her.”

“Yeah,” Ian mumbled, pulling free, buttoning his jacket. “Well, we both still have a bit of soul searching to go through before we even consider living under the same roof again. I’ll talk to you again when you get back from your trip, Eugene. And don’t forget my advice! You don’t want to let that one get away from you!”

Gene watched his friend leave the room, and turned again to stare out the window at the city skyline. A weighty problem, that, me lad. The object of my affections is as likely to try and kick my arse as to kiss me. I cannae even begin to anticipate what kind of state she will be in when we finally meet, if she will be aware of what’s happening to her, or if she’ll be simply a mindless automaton. I hope to be able to stop her, to capture her unharmed, or at least with a minimum of damage... only problem is that she, most likely, willnae share that constraint.

Turning away from the peaceful setting, feeling no more peaceful than before, Gene pressed a small button on his custom fitted Rolex, opening a small hidden alcove in the far wall. Removing his shirt and tie, he stepped inside, remembering Ian’s words.

You were only too right, laddie, he thought with dismay. For good or for ill, I cannae let Omega Girl get away from me this night... no matter the cost.

Lacie smirked to herself as she exited the airport terminal. As loathe as she was to admit it, being the thrall of a evil mind-controller DID have its benefits. With the country’s current terrorist alert level, airline travel had become a major hassle. Between the problems with the standard terrorist attacks from irate nationals and power-mad super villians causing havoc, it now generally took from two to three hours to get from the ticket counter to the cabin of the plane through all the redundant security checks. For that reason, when given a chance, Lacie preferred to fly under her own power, no matter how draining it was.

Traveling with FX, however, was much more enjoyable. Bedecked in his usual ‘street’ attire—sunglasses, heavy gold chain around his neck, black stocking cap, basketball jersey, khaki dockers (two sizes too big, of course) and a pair of Lugz boots—he’d attracted security from the moment he stepped inside the outer doors. Lacie had tensed, ready to make a move to defend her Master, if commanded, but Frank had merely placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Chill, baby,” he had said with a wink. “I got this one. No problem.”

Glancing around the airport for a moment as the security guards asked him to come with them, he found the airport P.A. junction. Focusing his power, he Pumped (his own expression for using his unique power) the terminal, sending his subsonic signal streaming through all the nearby speakers. “What’s wrong, Officers?” he asked, innocently. “Is there a problem?”

The first guard, a tall, thin, dark haired man, frowned. “Are you here to catch a flight, son?”

FX had immediately bristled. “Son? SON? What the hell kinda racist shit is that? You might as well have said, ‘Boy’ if you were gonna go that route! I’m in a mutha-fucking airport, ain’t I? I’m carrying LUGGAGE, ain’t I?” He took out a small envelope from his pocket. “I’m carrying two goddamm tickets in my mutha-fucking pocket, ain’t I? And you gonna ask me, am I here to catch a flight! Fucking assholes!”

Instead of taking offence or becoming beligerant, the two security guards had blanched, taking a step back. “Um, I, uh, I didn’t mean...” the first guard began.

“Oh hell-fuck-yeah you did!” FX had cut in, moving forward, keeping the same distance. “You assholes think just because a black man walks into an airport that there’s some shit about to go down!” He glaneced to his left. “I don’t see you harrassing Abdul and Malik over there... probably gonna hi-jack half the damn terminal. And I know you ain’t giving no grief to them red-headed IRA Irish mutha-fuckers over there at the front of the line. Nah! Ya’ll gotta come over here and harrass the black niggaz soon as they walk in. This is fuckin’ bullshit!”

By now, an entire crowd had gathered around, watching the debacle. Despite their size and obvious physical superiority, the two guards were visibly wilting under the tirade. Indeed, the second guard, a short, burly, barrel-chested man, seemed on the verge of tears. The head of security, a young woman with close-cropped blonde hair, finally arrived, pushing her way through the crowd. “I’m terriby, terribly sorry about this, Sir,” the young woman gushed placatingly. “Please accept our deepest apologies, on behalf of myself and the entire airport. Please, follow me, and we’ll get you get you to your flight as fast as possible.”

Lacie had watched, amazed, as they were ushered past all twenty-three security checkpoints, their luggage checked and stored away, their tickets upgraded to VIP First Class status, and led first onto the plane to wait for boarding to begin, instead of being forced to wait in the terminal.

“Did You have to pick a fight with those guards to set all this in motion?” Lacie had asked, afterwards. “Is that how Your... powers... work?” She remembered all too well the effect of His sonic powers over her, first during a battle with The Exterminator, a minor nuiscance armed with major firepower, and secondly during her failed attempt to capture Brian Chang, the man who would later become her Lord and Master, a living diety that she could no more resist that gravity.

“Nah” FX replied dismissively, sipping His glass of Dom Perignon. “That was just fun. I coulda just told security to let us pass through, and they would. But, shit—this was a hell of a lot more fun.”

Lacie lad laughed, despite herself. Despite His evil twisted nature, the fact that He had just ruined two innocent men’s lives, had caused massive chaos—and the fact that she was completely in His thrall—still, she found herself liking the Man. He was funny, and personable, and had she not been compelled to obey His every command, Lacie though she might have liked Him as a friend. The only true fault she found with him was his taste in music, when he Pumped the cabin PA system.

Landing several hours later in La Guardia Airport, Lacie knew every lyric to EVERY DMX and Eminem song. She also learned a lot more about Him. Frank Xavier had never known His parents; he had grown up in an orphanage, a product of the state welfare system. He had been born with his power; He never really recalled the day when He’d first realized He was special, only that he’d always known that he could make people do what he wanted simply by telling them to. Rather than explot His newfound powers, young Frank hid it, not wanting to be thought of a ‘freak’. Indeed, it wasn’t until soon after He was adopted, taken to live with the Chang family, where He met another adopted boy with special powers, that He wilfully used His powers again.

“Yo, grab one of them newspapers when you go by ‘em,” Frank said dismissively, as He waited by the baggage claim for their luggage. “Need to keep current, ya know?”

Lacie shrugged, picking up the latest copy of USA Today. Scanning the headlines, she noted with interest a few stories, including the dismantling of a citywide female slavery ring over in Midas City. No specific references were made, and none of the resident Heroes in the area had taken credit... all of which pointed to a freelancer, someone young and still relatively minor league.

Someone like Silver Girl, perhaps, she mused. Haven’t heard much about her since the last global conference a few years ago. It’s not as if the supers of the world had lot of time to keep up with the mailing lists, but I do remember her... was just really starting to get into her powers.

The thought of other superheros and heroines suddenly made Lacie uneasy. Scanning the paper again, closer, she noted with dread a story about HER on page three, and her robbery of the horizon Telecommunications office. Several hundred thousand dollars of damage to the store, several dozen people seriously wounded, though none killed. Thank goodness for small favors, she thought to herself. Damn. This seriously complicates things. In my city, I’m a pretty major heroine... well, WAS a major heroine... but in a city the size of Manhattan, the supers are pretty much crawling out of the woodwork! With the news coverage and the bad press I’m getting, any supers I might run into here will likely blast away first and ask questions later.

“Yo, girl, c’mon!” FX yelled out. “Grab our shit, so we can get gone!”

Taking the luggage, Lacie followed along, obediently, her mind racing. By testing her boundries in small, inconspicuous ways, she had determined that she COULD act independantly, within reason, as long as one of her Masters or Mistresses did not SPECIFICALLY forbid her to. For example, she had been commanded, in the very beginning, not to tell anyone what had happened to her, to never speak of it to anyone besides the five of them. She knew what it mean, that she wasn’t to let anyone know that she was being controlled; however, despite knowing what the command MEANT, she had been able to work through that loophole. After defeating her dark side, and regaining control of her own psyche, she had taken a chance and sent a brief but detailed message to Jerry’s computer. She hadn’t thought her bobby-trap laden mind would allow it, but to her surprise and relief, since she hadn’t SPOKEN directly to Jerry, she had managed to relay the message.

“Yo! Taxi!” FX whistled loudly, louder than humanly possible. Every empty taxi within a block radius pulled to a halt, then turned, lining up one after the other, pulling up to the young couple. Grinning, He picked the third in line, and He and Lacie slid inside.

Maybe I can use this to break free, she thought desperately. Just need to attract the right kind of attention... preferrably from one of the psychics. Who’s in Manhattan that I know? Hmmm. Overmind? No... he moved recently to Chicago. Mister Mystery? Hmmm... last I heard he was still laid up after tangling with some new super villian. Damn... who else do I know? Psyche? Damn, she’s over in Midas—

“Yo, shorty,” FX whispered in her ear. “We’ll be arriving at tha building in about 20, yo! Don’t you need to, um, I dunno, power up and shit? Change into your costume? Or something?”

Lacie blushed. To maintain a low profile, she had flown from Oregon to New York as Lacie Gilbertson, normal average citizen. She was still dressed in her normal clothes, dark slacks, blue blouse, and sneakers. She could, of course, slip into the pocket dimension between the molecular universe and retrieve her costume at will, but...

“In here?” she asked, gesturing to the driver in thr front seat. “He’ll be able to see me!”

“So?” FX countered. “Shit, not like he knows who you are, anyway. And forget all about that shyness bullshit—you never even knew about Us until a few days ago, and We’ve seen more of your tits and ass than a bus full of OB Doctors. Now go on, change,” He said, making it a command. “And if you’re STILL buggin about the cabbie seeing you, check this out.”

The radio volume increased, as if by its own account, and the rhythmic sounds of Fifty Cent began to fill the car. The driver frowned, reaching out a hand, as if it turn it down, only to pause. Driving along steadily, he began to bob his head slightly, a smile growing across his face. Lacie, sliding out of her clothes, glanced at Frank to see him mouthing silently along with the music:

All a nigga really needs is a lil’ bit...

Not a lot, baby girl, just a lil’ bit...

We can head to the crib, in a lil’ bit...

I can show ya how I live, in a lil’ bit...

I wanna unbutton your pants, just a lil’ bit...

Take ‘em off and pull ‘em down, just a lil’ bit...

Get to kissin’ and touchin’ a little bit...

Get to lickin’ and fucking’ a little bit—

“Yo, we’re here.”

Lacie blinked. Looking out the window, she saw that they had indeed arrived. The skyline had changed from early dusk well into the dark of evening. Glancing down at herself, she let out a yelp; somewhere on the ride, sometime during the song, her clothes had changed into her costume. Sliding out of the cab, she peered back at the cabbie, to gauge his reaction. The driver, a thin, pale, punk rocker with a spiked mohawk and several ringed piercings in his face, still bobbed slightly, side to side, his eyes half-closed. “Yo, dawg,” he slurred, facing FX, “that was the tightest ride I ever dun had in a long time. You want me to wait for you and your bitch, or should I go and cum back when you call for me?”

“Well, my nigga, just go park down the street somewhere and wait. This shouldn’t take too long.”

“Word,” the driver responded, driving his taxi half a block down the road, parking on the side of the road, to wait as instructed.

Turning back to Lacie, Frank gestured upwards. “Alright, O-Girl. What we want is up on there, in the penthouse. So come on... it’s time to act like George and Weezy, and get to movin’ on up!”

In the interest of saving time, and avoiding and security patrolling inside, Lacie decided to simply fly them both up to the roof. Landing gently, she quickly found the entrance. Leaving FX to guard their escape, she streaked down the stairs at super-speed, entered the laboratory, retrieved the final component, and made her way back onto the roof, in less than thirty seconds.

“I’ve got it,” she said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Piece of cake. It was almost too easy.”

“Aye, it was.”

Omega Girl and her Controller both turned at the synthesized voice. Stepping out from behind a large vent stood a tall being, easily six foot five, clad in a suit of blue-gray tinted armor. Moving easily, the armor seemed to bend slightly, flexing, almost as if it were rubber or plastic instead of metal, and the man inside moved nearly soundlessly, without the telltale clink of metal. Omega Girl frowned.

Armor Man. Shit, this can’t be good. He falls into the catergory of ‘shoot first, shoot again, and keep shooting til there’s nothing left and THEN ask questions’. Damn. Not good.

“Why don’t you two be sensible and put that stolen device back where you got it, hmm?”

FX laughed. “Damn. You look just like that big ass wind-up toy I wanted for Christmas back when I was ten years old.” His eyes narrowed. “Bet you break just as easily as that one did, too.” Clearing his throat, FX Pumped up his power, sending a pulse of sonic waves towards Armor Man. “Now, big man, show me how you dance. Let’s see if you can do the ‘Robot’.”

Armor Man shook his head, raising an arm, palm out. “I don’t think so. Too retro for my tastes. I prefer the more modern steps.”

“Shit!” Frank exclaimed, jumping back as the Metallic Wonder fired. Omega Girl interceded, easily deflecting the laser blast. “What the fuck?!? You should be doing what I tell you? Why the hell isn’t it working?”

“Sorry, pal, but I did my homework on you two. My suit’s equipped with a sound harmonic disrupter and resequencer, so your little ‘Sound Effects’ are blocked.”

Frank scowled. “Says you. Omega Girl, kick his shiny metal ass!”

Lacie hesitated for half a second. On the one side, she had to obey; his command left no room open for misinterpretation. On the other, this was Armor Man! His toughness and ruthlessness was nearly legendary, and well deserved. Sure, she had saved the city time and time again from the occasional mad plot, but HE had saved the entire planet! To say she felt intimidated would be an understatement.

Besides, there was always the chance that a genius of his caliber could find a way to break her out from the Mind Five’s control...

Such musings lasted less than a second, but it was a second too long. Brian had warned Frank of his suspicions, that their control of Omega Girl was waning, that despite the compulsions put on her she continued to squirm and fight, taking advantage of any minute lapse in control, any loophole in the commands she was given. Having prepared for such an eventuality during the long flight and in the short taxi ride, FX resorted to plan B.

“Excuse me,” Frank continued on, “I meant to say, ‘Dark Star’.”

Lacie shuddered, her eyes glazing over, as her consciousness took a back seat to the programming embedded inside her mind. Her hair and constume changed, and in the blink of an eye, Dark Star returned. An evil smile formed slowly on her face, and her eyes, still glazed and empty, crackled with power.

“Dark Star,” FX yelled out, “Beat the shit outta this punk ass busta!”

Gene was taken aback at the sudden change in Omega Girl. Before, she had seemed pensive, even nervous about facing him, acting more like a wild philly about to break free of her reigns. He had managed to scan and analyze the subsonic signal FX had attempted to use on him, sending the signal back to Jerry via his satellite communications link, in hopes the computer genius could decipher it create an inverse signal modulation he could use to free Lacie completely. He had hoped that, like most villians, his opponent would be caught off guard, would rant and rave, shouting out his own superiority, or better yet, blurting out his entire plan, emphasizing how it was imposible for him to lose.

Unfortunately, FX did none of the above.

Faster than he could blink, Omega Girl—or rather ‘Dark Star’ as she was now called, was on him. Her strength was less than his own in his bionically inhanced armor, but combined with her super speed, the blow she dealt was enough to knock him off the room. He’d fallen nearly thirteen stories before he’d recovered enough to activate his boot jets and fly back to the roof.

“Okay, I felt that one,” he admitted aloud. “I had hoped to avoid combat if possible, but you’re not giving me any choice here.”

Dark Star, completely consumed by her implanted evil personality merely laughed. “Give me your best shot, Tin Man!”

Gene grunted. I almost want to oblige ye, darling. Sometimes that attitude of yours really gets me goat. Locking on to her body’s heat signature, he raised both his arms, launching a pair of small, heat-seaking missiles from his guantlets.

Cursing loudly, Dark Star flew off, the missiles following closely behind. Weaving back and forth, trying desperately to lose them, she finally turned and fired his Omega Beams, point blank range. The missiles exploded, rocking her back, enough to stun her but do no serious damage. Floating in mid-air, shaking her head, she glanced up just in time to see Armor Man taking aim from his shoulder-mounted cannon.

Expecting another attack, Dark Star threw her hands up, to guard her face. The cannon fired, and she tensed, only to find herself wrapped up in thick netting. Cursing, she struggled, trying to break free, only to find herself wrapped up even tighter. Armor Man reeled her in, slowly, like a champion fisherman, preparing to stun her completely once she was in range. Once she was close enough to see her expression, however, he received a suprise of his own.

“You gave me your best shot,” Dark Star quipped, smirking, “now its my turn.”

With a heave, she broke free of the netting, and bringing both hands up, fired her strongest Omega Beam blast at her enemy. Armor Man took the blast full on, crashing backwards into a nearby billboard. The suits internal systems fluctuated for a moment, then resumed their normal functions.

Whew. Close one. I’d hoped going with a ceramic frame and a positvely charged exoskeletal plate would cancel out the energy draining effects of her energy blasts, Gene thought, as he regained his feet. Hell of a way to test the theory, though.

Dark Star had been streaming towards the fallen hero, ready to finish him off, but pulled up short when he stood up again. “Well, aren’t you just full of surprises,” she murmured. “My blasts should have shorted out every system in that walking scrap heap you’re wearing.”

“Insulated,” Armor Man replied, tapping his chest. “As I said earlier, I did my homework.”

Dark Star grinned. “Impressive. No wonder my goody-goody side admires you so much. But I still must destroy you, Armor Man. My Master commands it, and I must obey!”

The fight commenced, hand-to-hand, in mid-air, Dark Star trying her best to destroy her opponent, and Armor Man trying desperately to disable and capture her without seriously hurting her. Within moments, the light flashes and explosions had attracted unwanted attention, and Armor Man was further handicapped with relaying hurried messages to the other Supers in the city, telling them to stay back.

“Yes, yes, I ken well enough who I’m fighting!” he yelled through his communicator, while fending off a rain of blows. “Aye, I KNOW what she’s done back in—OUCH! Damn, felt that one too—trust me, I can handle this myself! I have to. Believe it or not, she’s the victim in all this—blast ye, woman!! I outta—I’m a little busy here, Steve, I’ll fill you in on the details later, just tell the others gathering up near the harbor to clear out, alright?”

Another loud beep sounded, signalling yet another transmission. Gritting his teeth, Gene switched channels, ducking under a roundhouse, responding back with a kneebutt to the head that sent Dark Star rolling back a few feet. “Dammit, whoever you are, I’m only going to say this once: Aye, I’m fighting Omega Girl, no I don’t need any help. Aye, I would appreciate it if you stayed out of it, and aye, I’ll call back later to explain—”

“It’s me, Jerry!” the computer tech burst in. “I’ve completed the analysis on that sonic carrier wave you sent me. I’m sending the inverse wave to you now... should be uploaded in about two minutes.”

“Glad... uhn... to hear it!” Gene grunted, as Dark Star hit him with a flying tackle. The momentum took them both to the outskirts of the city, close to the harbor. Flipping over, he grabbed Dark Star by the boot and yanked hard, flinging her into the side of a nearby building. Windows shattered from the impact, and Dark Star slumped, sliding down the side of the building a few feet before shaking it off.

God, I love her stamina, Gene mused to himself, as he began recalibrating his voice synthesizer to emmit the carrier wave. If this works and we get her back to normal, I’m going to enjoy our time together. All this time, and I never guessed she was this strong. Frowning, he glanced up as Dark Star pushed off from the building at full speed, rocketing towards him. Bloody hell! I need to slow her down if I’m going to have a chance at using this on her. I’ve used just about everything non-lethal in my arsenel... I’ve taken way too many hits as it is when I could have ended this with a single blast. Shit, no time. I may just have to risk using the Big Gun to put her out, and hope she survives it.

Powering up his chest plate, Gene opened his suit’s solar panels, charging up for what he hoped would be the final attack. Knowing of Dark Star’s speed and maneuverability, he opted for a wide angle blast, hoping the diffused effect would help to soften the blow. His helmet readout tracked her, showing the distance between them decreasing rapidly. Please, Lord, Gene prayed softly, just let her survive this.

Dark Star was nearly ten feet away when got the feeling she was being set up. It was painfully obvious to her, from the beginning, that the Metallic Wonder had been pulling his punches, trying to capture or subdue her, without actually harming her. Lacie had followed his battles thoroughly in the news, and at the global council meetings, and knew just what he was capable of. He had hurt her, that much she had to admit, but she had caused much more damage to his armor than he had to her. Now, even though it was obvious that neither of them could stand another direct attack, he was leaving himself wide open, not even bothering to defend himself.

It’s a trap, she realized just as Armor Man let loose.

The evening sky lit up bright as day as a huge blast of energy was let loose, seen from as far away as Chicago. Dark Star’s momentum was checked, hovering in place as the unstoppable force wore away at the immovable object, both at equilibrium for an instant. A split-second before the flash, Dark Star had pushed every last joule of energy into a concentrated Omega Burst, firing instinctively in all direction. Energy hit energy, and as the moment of equilibrium passed, the sky exploded. Both combatants were flung away from the impact, falling freely into the water.

The splash of water in his face brought Gene back out of his stupor. His armor, shattered by the final impact, was falling away, sinking into the water, leaving him clad only in his blue, skintight neural-interface lining, and his guantlets. Sputtering, nearly choking, he swam quickly to the surface. Glancing around, not seeing Lacie, he checked the tracker in his left guantlet, and cursed loudly. Taking a deep breath, he dove under the murky waters after her.

It took twenty long, agonizing seconds to find the naked girl slowly sinking in the river, her costume burned away in the blast. Grabbing her under the chin, he swam back to the surface then over to the edge of the shore. By the time he pulled them both onto dry land, he was beyond exhausted. Still unconscious from the fall, Gene began CPR on Lacie, and was rewarded moments later, when she sputtered and spit up water, breathing on her own.

Guess there’s no better time to try this, Gene thought to himself, panting. Tapping a few keys on his right guantlet, he focused it at Lacie’s head, and pressed the button.

Lacie’s eyes opened, and blinked. “Wh.. wha? Where... Gene? Is that you, Gene?”

“Aye, its me,” he replied, wearily. “Bit of a surprise, that, eh? Finding out that the both of us have our own secret identities.” He sighed softly as she sat up. “Don’t worry. It’s all over now. Just relax. Jerry and I have figured it all out. You’re safe now. Everything’s going to be alright.”

Lacie smiled. “You are so right about that.”

Twin blasts of Omega Beams shot from Dark Star’s eyes, catching Gene completely off guard. She caught him as he fell, holding him by his wrist. “Thank you ever so much for saving me, sweetheart,” she said nastily, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. “Pity, there’s no one around to save you this time.”

With a heave, she tossed the unconscious hero back into the river, watching as he sank slowly out of sight. Tired, bruised, battered, bloody, Dark Star garnered her waning power, reforming her uniform about her again, and, taking to the air, flew back to her Master. She knew the sleeping part of her, deep inside, would mourn the loss of her former lover, and the thought caused a strange feeling inside. Only for a moment. With a shake of her head, Dark Star headed back to the rooftops, putting the matter out of her mind.

After all, she and the Masters had a world to conquer.