The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Lightning struck violently outside during the downpour, followed almost immediately by rolling thunder. Eva Snow sat up in her bed, sighing softly. Glancing over at her lover, she touched her lightly on the forehead, ensuring she would continue to sleep undisturbed. Slipping out of bed, she winced at the cold floor; slipping on a robe and slippers, she made her way out to the living room, walking to the balcony.

It hadn’t been the sound of the storm raging outside that had awakened her.

Pushing open the balcony doors, she gestured inside. “You should come inside, Lacie. You’ll catch your death of cold out in this downpour.”

Drenched, bedraggled. and miserable, Lacie stepped inside, arms clutching herself tightly. She stared down at the floor the entire time, not able to meet Eva’s eyes. “I’m surprised you even let me in,” she said softly, “after our... parting.”

Eva laughed softly, ruefully. “Yes... that was a bit rough, wasn’t it?” She sighed, sobering. “Go ahead and have a set. The recliner’s leather, so you can’t hurt it too much.” She waited while Lacie sat down. “Look... things were said... things were done, and if we could go back in time, we both probably wish we’d done things differently—”

“Not really,” Lacie replied candidly. “I meant what I said, Eva. You USED me. Betrayed my trust. I let you inside my mind because I thought you were trying to help me... instead, you were making things WORSE!” Eva winced at the tone, but Lacie continued unabated. “You used me as your own personal sex toy, then erased the memory of it. Again, and again. All the while smiling at me, laughing with me, treating me like a friend.”

“Alright. Fine. I admit it.” She moved to the couch, sitting down across from her. “There’s no excuse... nothing I can say that will make up for it. I get that. But still... I didn’t meant to HURT you! You are a friend... and I care a lot about you. I guess it sounds rather insufficient to just say I was lonely...” She shook her head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. So... are you going to tell me why you’re here if you still hate me so much?”

The anger faded, and Lacie seemed to deflate. “I... I have no where else to go,” she said finally. “There’s no where else to turn. The incident with Senator Wellsley is all over the news. It’s only a matter of time before the government gets serious and sends someone after me.” She looked at Eva, pleadingly. “I... I don’t think... I mean... I didn’t kill him. There was... someone else there, and.. I mean...” She closed her eyes, looking away. “I was so sure I didn’t kill him, that Fade out pushed him off the roof... but now, I’m just not sure...”

Eva nodded. “So, you’re starting to doubt yourself... doubt your own sanity. So, you came to me.”

Some of the fire came back to Lacie’s eyes. “I never said I doubted my sanity. Everything I’ve been doing over the past few months is what NEEDED to be done. Yes, I crossed some boundaries, pissed some people off, but I was doing good work.”

Smirking, Eva nodded. “Alright. That’s better. NOW you sound more like the old Lacie... more like the person you were before you lost the baby.” She paused, realizing what she’d just said, but if Lacie had taken offence, she didn’t show it. “Anyway... I’m not sure what it is you want from me. I suppose you can already guess that the Senator’s murder was staged, and that you were set up to take the fall?”

“I figured that much out shortly after I landed on the roof and found Fade-out and Threads hiding there, waiting to ambush me. One of them most have even had a video camera set up somewhere to capture the whole thing. I’d bet the farm that’s where the news footage came from. Still, its all beside the point. The only question on my mind, the only thing I really care about is... whether I killed him. Did I kill an innocent man with my powers?”

Eva’s eyebrow rose. “You’re asking me to dive into your mind again?”

“I don’t really have much choice, do I?” she replied bitterly. “I have to know. I NEED to know that I’m not a killer... that I haven’t just crossed that one line, that one inviolatable limit I set for myself. With everything that’s been done to my mind lately... by friend and foe,” she added with a little venom, “and a rather strange encounter with Alex Kline earlier, I have pretty good reason to doubt my perceptions of what happened.”

Eva merely nodded silently. Alright. Barbs aside, she’s basically giving me a chance to redeem myself in some small way. She has to know the temptation she’s presenting me with. Once she opens her mind to me, lets me inside... I could undo the memory of the incident that caused our rift in the first place. I could... I could make her trust me again... I could maybe even finish the job of fully integrating the two sides of her psyche back together again.

But... no. No. She’s trusting me on this. Fate may have forced her hand a bit, but she’s giving me this chance. I have ONE chance now to show her that she can trust me... that she doesn’t need to be afraid to let me in again. Even if I DID make a few changes here and there, even if she never learned about it afterwards... I’d still know.

Dammit... I need to change the pattern of my life. I’ll just do what she asked me wants me to do, no more, no less.

Closing her eyes, Eva placed a hand gently against Lacie’s forehead, expanding her awareness, sending it forward into Lacie’s consciousness. “Just relax, and let me in,” Eva prodded gently when she met resistance, then sighed as the gates of Lacie’s mind swung open. “Good. Very good. Now... I want you to think about the incident... picture it in your mind. Let your memories float to the surface of your mind...”

Lacie took one last look at Eva’s apartment building, pushing aside the small guilt she felt over what she’d done. It was getting easier and easier to justify doing the wrong thing for the right reason, something that troubled her.

Still... I needed to know the truth. She owed me this. And she said it herself—if I hadn’t done what I’d done, she’d still have her hooks in my mind even now... trying to ‘fix me for my own good’.

The rain, which had seemed to lessened earlier, had returned with a vengeance, darkening the sky. Kind of suits my mood. With Eva, I’ve pretty much burned my last bridge; when the final fight starts, I won’t have anyone left in my corner. Unbidden, Chrome’s words echoed through her mind, a subtle reminder that there was at least one other option, a way out. Damn him. He KNEW this would happen. I wouldn’t be too surprised if he was involved in all of this somehow.

If only I knew where to find it, I might get a lead on the one behind the whole mess, the ‘employer’ he mentioned pulling his strings.

“Omega Girl!”

Lacie glanced to the side, pausing in mid-air, hovering. A few feet away, a familiar face came into view, clad in her red, blue, and yellow costume. Her long blonde hair whipped wildly in the wind, and combined with the stern, solemn expression on her face, gave the impression of a warrior queen ready for battle.

“Karen,” Lacie nodded in acknowledgement. “Sorry. I don’t have time to chat. I’m looking for someone.”

Ultra Girl flew up in front of her, cutting her off. “Well, you’re going to have to MAKE time to talk.” Lacie sighed deeply, shaking her head. “What? Don’t tell me you didn’t expect this?” Karen snapped. “You kill a US Senator in front of an audience... they get the whole thing on tape... and you think everyone’s just going to let you fly around freely, without any conflict?”

“No,” Lacie replied sadly, “I didn’t. I just didn’t... expect this so soon, that’s all.” She took a deep breath. “Look, Karen, I know how this all looks. Really, I do. But you have to believe me—I DIDN’T kill Senator Wellsley! I was set up—”

“Oh, come on!” Karen broke in. “You don’t REALLY expect anyone to believe that, do you? He’d been going on and on for days about having you arrested, locked away, ever since the incident in Columbia—”

“It was Brazil,” Lacie corrected. “I know. That’s the point. It was done with him specifically to draw me out and make me the fall guy! I mean, geez, did everyone forget how he happened to be the roof in the first place? Did everyone somehow FORGET that Strobe showed up in the middle of a congressional hearing, tranced the entire room, and walked off with the Senator?”

Ultra Girl frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Nobody mentioned anything to me about someone else being there.”

It was Lacie’s turn to frown. “Are... are you kidding me? It happened LIVE on CNBC! She walked into the room, dazzled everyone with her light show, and walked off with Wellsley! She made him walk off the roof—I saved him when I caught him and brought him back to solid ground!”

“Er... well... um, I don’t really watch the news... that much,” Karen admitted sheepishly. “Especially not boring old Senate hearings. Sheesh. I’m not like I’m in my fifties, or something, yanno?”

“Okay, fine. Just trust me on it, then. She was there. She was the reason I showed up... to stop HER, not to kill Wellsley. C’mon, Karen. You KNOW me. I don’t kill people. That’s not the way I do things.”

“I THOUGHT I knew you,” Ultra Girl countered. “Before you went all psycho, and started frying the brains of everyone that pissed you off. I used to look up to you... like a big sister... a mentor. I even chose the name ‘Ultra Girl’ because of you!” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. When you attacked Scarlet Dynamo, you bankrupted all the trust you’d built up with people over the years. Killing Wellsley... whether it was an accident or not—and I’ll give you the chance of a doubt that it MIGHT have been an accident—you are responsible for his death.”

Lacie tried again. “No. You’re not GETTING it! It was a SET UP! I didn’t kill him! Strobe, Fade-out, and Threads orchestrated the encounter on the roof to make it look that way! Despite what you and everyone else saw on television, Senator Wellsley was pushed!”

“STOP IT!” Karen yelled. “Dammit... this is hard enough as it is, alright! Just... just come down with me. Just turn yourself into the proper authorities, explain it to them... own up to what happened. At least show everyone that you’ve still got a sense of honor and integrity—”

“Honor?” Lacie’s voice, devoid of emotion carried across Karen’s, and she winced, instantly realizing her mistake. “Integrity?”

“Okay, that came out wrong... I’m talking about... setting aside your pride, sacrificing your—”

Suddenly, Lacie’s hand was around Karen’s throat. “Don’t. DO NOT talk to me about sacrifice.” She began to squeeze harder, causing Ultra Girl to pull at her fingers. “I’ve already given up everything I had to try and protect this ungrateful world—my parents, my husband, my chi...” she shook her head, “my family, my friends... everything that was important to me. Now, because three evil manipulative BITCHES manipulated the media, turning everyone against me, you expect me to give up the only thing I have left... my identity as a heroine?”

“Let... GO!” Karen gasped, rearing back, kicking hard, shoving Lacie away, and breaking her grip. Rubbing her throat, eyes narrowing, she pointed a finger towards her. “Alright. I tried talking to you nicely... I tried to reason with you. You didn’t want to do it that way. Fine. Fine by me. Easy way, hard way... whichever way we do it, you’re coming back with me to stand trial for what you’ve done!”

Scowling, gathering up her power, she laughed softly. “Give it up, kid. You can’t beat me. You’re pretty strong, pretty powerful, in your own right, but you’re not in my league. You can’t take me alone!”

Eyebrow raised, Karen slid two fingers into her mouth and blew shrilly. Instantly, a number of other costumed supers appeared in the sky, all closing in on their location. In addition, a squad of military Apache helicopters rose up from the ground, each armed with a complete payload of missiles, lasers, and guns, all trained on her. Gesturing behind her, the young blonde super nodded softly.

“Who said I came here alone?”

Melissa rolled over in bed, her arm stretching out naturally, instinctively seeking out her lover’s warm body... and finding only cold linen instead. Yawning awake, she opened her eyes, glancing around. “Eva?” she whispered softly, then again, louder when she didn’t receive a reply.

“Shhh, it’s okay,” Eva said a moment later, touching her gently on the leg. “I’m... I’m down at the foot of the bed. I couldn’t sleep anymore. I just had to... I had to think.”

Mel sat up, scooting down to the edge of the bed as well. “What is it? What’s wrong?” Wrapping the sheet around herself, she slid down to the floor beside her lover, pulling the sheet over Eva’s naked frame as well. “Sweetie, what is it? Your body’s like ice! What are you doing just sitting down here on the floor instead of in the bed?”

Eva shook her head sadly. Her face, previously red and puffy from crying, was hard, unreadable, nearly immobile but for a slight trembling in her lower lip. Her mind whirled, disbelief warring with sadness and anger for dominance. Only Melissa’s soft touch and heartfelt plea turned her away from her inner turmoil.

“Loveling, you’re scaring me,” Melissa said with a tremble in her voice, causing Eva to turn and face her. “Talk to me. Please! Tell me what happened to freak you out so badly?”

“I...” She closed her eyes. “We had a visitor tonight. Lacie... Omega Girl stopped by.”

Melissa’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really? Well... where did she go? What happened? Why do you look so torn up inside? I thought you wanted the chance to see her and talk to her again?”

“I did. She came to me... because she needed my help.” Sigh. “You remember what they showed in the news about Senator Wellsley’s death? Well, she came to me... because she wasn’t sure whether or not she was responsible for his death or not.”

Melissa frowned. “Um... okay. Well, I know she is your friend... that you probably know her better than anyone else alive—”

Eva shook her head violently. “No. That’s the point. I don’t know her. Not now anyway. I thought I did. Maybe I did, once... but she’s not the same woman I knew.” She looked Melissa in the eye. “She asked me... asked me to look inside her mind... to look at her thoughts, experience what she experienced on the roof that night. And she was right... her conscious mind was too focused on saving the Senator at the time to notice, but her subconscious memory took in and recorded everything going on.”

Melissa listened, raptly, as Eva paused, seemingly to gather enough strength to continue.

“Fade-out,” she continued after a moment, “this woman... she has the power to turn herself and anything around her, invisible... she was holding the Senator at the edge of the roof when Omega Girl fired. She turned invisible at the last second then moved away... but the blast never hit Senator Wellsley. Someone else was there, someone who was able to block her power, someone who then shoved the Senator over the edge, someone who’s very movements clinked with the sound of metal-on-metal. Someone who could create an illusion powerful enough to convince the security people arriving moments later that Omega Girl was the one who’d killed him.”

“And you saw this inside Omega Girl’s mind?” Melissa asked, confused. “So... she didn’t kill him then. That’s good news. So... why are you still so... so... freaked out?”

“Because... because of what she did to you... to BOTH OF US!” Eva yelled, slamming her fist on the carpeted floor.

“Me?” Melissa blinked, even more confused. “I don’t... what do you mean?”

Eva touched Mel lightly on the forehead, and whispered a single word: Remember...

Eva awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of tapping, loudly, coming from her bedroom window. When Mel started to stir as well, Eva patted her leg. “Just go back to sleep, love,” she said with a yawn, “probably a loose shutter. I’ll fix it.” Sleepy, fuzzy headed, she slipped naked out of bed, yawning, reaching for the blind. Raising, she gasped in shock, taking a step back at the sight of Lacie floating there at the window, drenched to the bone from the rain. “Lacie! Oh my GOD! What are you doing up here?”

Hearing her cry, Mel rose up from the bed, looking out at the window as well. “Holy Hannah! Lacie? But... she? It’s... it’s OMEGA GIRL!” Inching back towards the nightstand, panicked, she’d reacted as anyone else would at the first sign of surprise and danger. She reached for the phone.

“NO!” Lacie shouted, pressing a hand to the window pane glass. The hand started to glow, and Eva, sensing what was going to happen, yelled at them both to stop, Melissa, to drop the phone, and Lacie, not to fire. Regardless, Lacie continued her attack, burning a small hole in the glass as she fired an Omega Beam at Melissa, taking her full in the chest. However, rather than shudder, and slip to the ground unconscious like previous victims, Melissa froze in place, her body glowing slightly as the energy of the blast was slowly absorbed into her body, flowing forward like electricity, gathering, pooling up about the girl’s head, before melting inward.

Watching in horror, Eva ran over to her lover, she sat, idly, eyes empty and vacant, the phone hanging limply in her hands. She tried touching Melissa’s mind, trying to sense her consciousness, only to be repelled energy field inside Mel’s head. Turning towards her once-friend, she could only stare at her in confusion and pain. “Why? What did you do to her? She was just scared... scared you were going to hurt me!”

Lacie sighed softly. “I’m sorry, Eva. I don’t mean to put you into the position... I really don’t. I’d expected you to be home alone... I just wanted this to be between us. But... maybe its better this way. If I can use this to help convince you, then I will. I need your help.”

Eva laughed harshly. “Help? You want my HELP? You have a hell of a way of asking for it!” Eva’s hair began to stand up on end as she focused her powers on Lacie. “Right now, at this moment, I’m seriously considering doing the world a big favor and mind wiping you, here and now.”

Lacie grimaced as her head began to hurt. A lot. “Wait... stop,” she said, holding up a hand. “If you... care about your friend... you should listen...” The pain vanished. “Thank you. Now. Your friend isn’t dead, or comatose, or anything like that. I’ve just temporarily overloaded certain areas of her brain synapse network. I can wake her with a snap of my fingers, and she’ll be completely fine.” Her eyes narrowed. “On the same note, with a snap of my fingers, I can burn out her cerebral cortex and turn her into mindless vegetable... permanently. Keep that in mind when I make my proposal... because as much as I hate the idea of killing someone, the world already considers me a killer, so I don’t have much to lose.”

Nod. “Okay. I’m listening.”

“I want... no. I NEED you to go into my mind. I have to know if I killed Senator Wellsley myself... or if someone else did it.”

A golden eyebrow raised. “Someone else?”

“It’s complicated. And before I give you free access to my mind, I want to make absolutely certain you do EXACTLY what I want you to. No more. No less.”

Eva crossed her arms. “And I suppose saying ‘I promise’ isn’t going to cut it?”

“No. So I want you to give me open access to YOUR mind.” She held up a glowing hand. “As you just saw, I’ve learned a few new tricks with my power. Let me send my Omega energy into your mind, let me put you into a suggestible state without you fighting me, to make sure I can trust you with my mind. When this is all over, I’ll remove the energy, awaken your friend, and leave. What do you say?”

Eva sighed deeply. “What can I say? You have me backed into a corner. If I want to help Mel, I’ll have no choice.”

“I know,” Lacie answered back, raising a hand towards her. “And I’m sorry. But I don’t have a choice either.” Eva shuddered briefly, then froze, her eyes empty and vacant as the energy slowly bled into the deepest recesses of her mind. “Good. That’s good. Don’t fight it, just relax, and let it sink deeper into you. I’m in a moment I’m going to talk... and you’re going to listen... very very closely. To do what I need you to do, I need you to be clearheaded... and to NOT be so pissed at me right now. So, I’m going to alter your memories of what just happened, rewind things back to when you still thought of me as a friend.” She closed her eyes.

“Whether you believe it or not, despite all this, I do still think of you as my friend. If there was any other way we could do this... that I could believe you wouldn’t do more than just take a quick look around and tell me what I need to know...” She shook her head. “Never mind. It’s time. Now, Eva, listen closely. This is what happened...”

Melissa’s eyes shot opened. Her hand went to her mouth as she stared at her lover. “When I came to, I was back in bed, sleeping next to you,” she continued softly. “At the time, I thought sensing her presence had awakened me. I got up, thinking you were just asleep, and walked out into the living room. I let her inside, we talked a little while, made small talk... and she convinced me to dive into her mind.”

“And... you found what she needed you to find?” Mel asked after a moment.

“That, and more. I also saw the memory of what she’d done to us a few minutes beforehand. And all the others she’s done this kind of thing to.” She laughed harshly. “I have no idea where she learned to do this kind of mental manipulation, but apparently she’d had a lot of time to practice.”

Mel nodded silently. In the past few weeks, she’d come to know Eva Snow intimately, in both senses of the word. She knew how deeply she worried about her, how she blamed herself for not being able to help her... and now that she knew Lacie Gilbertson and Omega Girl were both one and the same, other things now made sense: the reason she read the paper and watched the news so religiously, looking for any mention of Omega Girl’s latest activities, and the reason she was always so sullen and withdrawn immediately afterwards.

And deep down, she’s still in love with her, Mel realized suddenly. It all fits. That’s why what happened in here tonight has affected her so much. She feels betrayed... by the one person she’s still holding a torch for. Is that why... she never told me Lacie was Omega Girl? She was keeping the secret out of loyalty to her... and the hope of reconciling with her someday?

“She’s not the same person anymore,” Eva said suddenly. “She’s changed. Whatever trauma she endured when she was kidnapped by the Collector pushed her over the edge. She’s not Lacie. She’s not Dark Star. She’s... she’s some twisted combination of both... clinging desperately to the idea that she’s still a heroine, that she good she does outweighs everything else. But it doesn’t... not by a long shot.”

“Then... then you should go after her then,” Melissa said after a while. “She is still your friend. If she’s in trouble...”

“The kind of trouble she’s in now, I can’t help her with,” Eva answered back, rising to her feet. “Mel... I’m sorry. This whole thing... it wasn’t fair to you. I should have told you from the very beginning.” Wrapping her arms around her lover, she managed a weak smile. “I can see it in your eyes, love... even without peeking into your head. Thank you, baby. And... it’s okay. I tried my best. I really did. Even after realizing what she did to us... to you... I still offered to help her. Offered to try and fix the decline I sensed with her psyche. She refused. She just flew off to Goddess knows where without a word.”

Kissing Melissa gently, she added, “And you, loveling... concerned about ME in the face of all this. No... I don’t feel guilty anymore for anything she had done, or will do. The only thing I feel guilty for now is for putting you in danger in the first place.” Nibbling lightly on Mel’s neck, making her gasp, she purred softly, “If ONLY there was SOME way I could make up for it...”

Sighing deeply in pleasure, letting the sheet drop from around herself, Mel groaned softly, “Well, love, this is one hell of a start.”

Duane Johnson swirled the ring of keys idly on his index finger, whistling softly as he strolled down the hallway. After long last, his day had finally come. Daniels had (FINALLY!) retired, and control of Cell Block D rested squarely on his shoulders. While the salary bump was nice, it was the fringe benefits that concerned him the most. The junior officers saluted him smartly as he passed by, a protocol he’d insisted on upon taking over. Though the warden still (technically) ran the institution, everyone knew who was REALLY in charge.

And I’m just the guy to remind them of it, he thought with glee as he entered the D Block’s control center. Clearing his throat loudly, he chuckled inwardly as his subordinates snapped to attention. “Sanders. Report. What’s the status of my Block?”

“All inmates secured and accounted for,” Sanders replied, reading from his checklist. “Jensen and Barnes put Davidson in solitary confinement for starting a fight with Griggs... again. Prisoner Creswell is back from the infirmary, looks like he has the flu, so we’ll probably want to move his cellmate Fender to an unoccupied cell to keep him from getting it...” Seeing Johnson’s look, he added, “By your approval, of course, Chief.”

“Of course,” Johnson agreed magnanimously. “But I think Fender can stay where he is for now. I’m not much inclined to care overly much is scum sucking vermin like James Fender gets the sniffles. Get on with the report. What about our ‘special guest’ in Cell 32? Anything new to report?”

The subordinates glanced from one to another. “Well? What is it? Spit it out!” Johnson barked.

“Um, well, sir, yesterday was your day off so you weren’t here... but Williams had a visitor.”

Johnson frowned. “Visitor? What the HELL are you talking about, Sanders?”

“A Doctor Maddison Jeffries, some VIP from the Pentagon, sir. She had official papers, signed by the President. They’re... they’re having him... released.”

“WHAT?!?” Johnson yelled, his entire face going red. He clenched his nightstick tightly. “Released? Are you out of your mind? That prisoner is a certified freak of nature! That... that abomination killed more than a hundred people... including a bus load of school children! There’s no way in HELL the government would let someone like HIM out!”

Sanders, sighing deeply, merely handed his boss a copy of the order. “Sorry, Chief. We all know you have a ‘thing’ with Williams... but its all legit. We figure with the government being involved, it probably has something to do with Omega Girl and Senator Wellsley’s death. Williams may be a psycho, but he’s a powerful psycho. They probably figure he’s their best chance at taking her out once and for all.” He sighed. “At any rate, they’re sending someone within the hour to pick him up.”

But Johnson didn’t hear his words. He started at the paper held in clenched hands, growling, feeling his rage, barely held in check for years, pushing to the edge of his control. That... fucking... bastard! Think you can escape me, do you? It’s been fifteen years now... fifteen years since your little rampage across the city took my parents from me... and now, now that I finally have you in my grasp, you think you can slither away? No way in HELL! Pentagon be damned... I’m not letting you go before I get the chance to settle up with you!

“Chief? Chief! Wait... where are you going?” Sanders asked as Johnson strode to the door. Reaching out, he grabbed Johnson by the shoulder. “Hang on a second, Chief. I know you want this guy to pay, but—”

Johnson replied with the butt of his nightstick, bringing the blunt end hard into Sanders’ ribs, sending the smaller man to the ground. “Get your hands off me!” he snarled, face crimson with rage. “Listen up, every last one of you! I’m going into D Block to have a little... chat... with Mr. Williams. If any of you mother fuckers care the slightest about your jobs or your asses, you’ll stay the hell away from Cell 32 until I check back in.” Eyes narrowing, he added, “And if any of you are damned stupid enough to say anything to the warden, you’d better hope to God they arrest me and lock me up somewhere and throw away the key... because if I get the chance I’ll rip you apart with my bare hands!” Taking their silence for agreement, he turned on his heel, storming off down the hall.

Turning the key savagely in its lock, Johnson stormed down the maximum security wing, grumbling angrily under his breath. Stopping outside the cell, he considered for a moment. This will finish my career here. Shit... I’ll probably end up locked up in a cell down here myself. Heh... that’d be ironic... being locked up among my own former prisoners but taking out a low-life criminal scumbag that the courts didn’t see fit to just execute when they had the fucking chance! He drew the gun from his holster, withdrew a clip of special carbon bonded slugs, and loaded them, cocking the trigger. “Doesn’t matter,” he said softly, lowering the heavy lead security screen, giving access to the door. “This is all for you, mom and dad.”

Opening the main door, he stepped boldly inside the cell. “WILLIAMS! You piece up shit! Get up!” The inmate, sitting in the center of his bunk in the lotus position, ignored him. “On your FEET, you murdering son of a bitch!” Walking over to the bunk, he grabbed Williams by the arm and pulled, hard, sending the man to the floor.

“I set get up, bitch!”

Williams opened his eyes, and smiled. “Ah, Officer Johnson. What a pleasant surprise. Is there something I can do for you?”

Johnson took aim with his gun, cocking it. “Yeah, you can do something for me. You can fucking DIE in a pool of your own blood!” He pulled the trigger and fired, emptying the clip. Panting softly, he lowered the gun, turning away. “There... now... all those poor bastards you killed can rest easy now... even if they give me the chair for this... at least I avenged them!”

A soft green glow illuminated the room as he reached the door. Turning back in surprise, he watched in shock as Williams slowly rose to his feet. “I hate to disappoint you, Mr. Johnson,” Douglas stated, reaching underneath his jumpsuit, taking out a bullet-riddled copy of Catcher in The Rye, “but I can’t let you kill me just yet. I have too much important work to do... and as much as I’d like to accommodate you, I can’t let you stand in my way.”

“AAHHH!” Johnson screamed, shielding his face with his arms as the glow increased in intensity. “FUCK! How... how is this happening? SHIT!! The... the rods...”

“Oh, you mean the carbon control rods in the ceiling?” Doug asked, walking over towards him. “Those aren’t working right now.” He paused, pulling a second book from inside his jumpsuit. “Or, do you mean THESE?” he asked, opening the book, taking out a small round piece of hard black stone. “Books don’t really do much to stop lead, but they work wonders on hard, brittle carbon.” He sighed. “Against any other guard, I might have been worried... but you, Johnson? I know you only too well. I knew you’d come in today. I knew you’d be packing. And I knew just how to be prepared.”

Johnson, gasping, sank to the floor, crawling towards the doorway. Without the carbon shielding in the ceiling he was being irradiated mercilessly. He had to get out, and get out quickly, before it was too late!

“Oh, don’t leave now, Johnson,” Doug said, grabbing the fleeing man by the leg. “You did all this just to get the chance to confront me. You can’t just walk away now before you get the chance to teach me a lesson.” The glow brightened slightly more, as he flooded the room with more radiation. “After all, I killed your parents, remember? Mommy and daddy ended up taking a big dirt nap because of me. Surely you have something to say to me, face to face, after all this time?”

Duane Johnson, gasping, wheezing, turned about to face him. His face was a painfully swollen mess of red blisters and oozing scabs, his thick black hair having fallen out in clumps. He was dying, he knew that now. No matter what happened next, his life was over. Reaching down to his gun belt, he drew his stun gun. “Fuck... you...” he rasped weakly, pressing the sparking device into William’s chest.

Doug shook slightly, gritting his teeth as the high voltage shock ran through him... then straightened up as the stun gun stopped working, the metal leads melting away under the nuclear heat of his body. Shaking his head, he grinned evilly down at his foe. “So... that’s it? That’s all you have for me? I have to say, I’m actually kind of disappointed.” Reaching down, he lifted the rapidly wasting guard to his feet.

“Sorry Johnson, but it’s the end for you. I might not have learned anything from you... but I think I can help you see the light.”

With that, Doug went full blast, glowing like a small miniature green sun. Johnson’s body began to smoke, then burn, crumbling away to ash in his waiting hands, until even his bones had dissolved away into nothing. Satisfied, he amped down on his power, letting the glow fade dimmer and dimmer before fading away completely. The energy burst had destroyed most of the room and his belongings, including his clothes. Squatting down naked in the middle of the floor, he assumed the lotus position once more, and closed his eyes to meditate and wait...