The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Samuel James Aaron coughed briefly as he adjusted his position on his bed, sitting up a bit to better see the TV screen before him. The volume was set low, not to disturb him in case he simply nodded off and fell asleep, but still loud enough that he could, barely, make out the words if he listened closely enough. Not that it mattered that much. Television was merely a distraction, something to fill the endless void and pass the time away. And time was, pretty much, the only thing Samuel had.

He was dying.

Oh, he’d had a good run, if one were to suppose. He’d lived a full long life. Time had leeched away all the black from his hair—what remained of it, anyway—and had turned it white. He’d come by all of his wrinkles honestly and naturally. Every bump, every bruise, every scar was a memento, a reminder of the life he’d lead...

The totally, completely boring and uneventful life he’d lead.

Sam sighed heavily, glancing to the left, at his window. It was something of a bitter pill to swallow, something that now, at the end, he could look back at his life and see clearly just how much he’d failed at. He had regrets, of course. Everyone had them. No one lived a perfect life from beginning to end without SOMETHING they regretted doing, or not doing. That was just a part of life. But what made his heart so heavy was the fact that he’d failed to leave any kind of mark in the world. Everything he’d done during his life, at the end, it had all amounted to nothing at all.

Huh. Guess it’s really only fitting that it end this way, he thought dimly, closing his eyes. All alone in a retirement home, with no family, or friends... no one to remember I was even here at all...

He was dreaming again. Dreaming of the past.

Life had seemed so bright in the beginning, so full of promise and hope. He’d been an average kid, not too tall or fat, or handsome, just all around average. Unlike a few of his classmates, he’d never developed any super powers or special abilities. He was, in actuality, the epitome of normal and average. Still, he wasn’t just another face in the crowd. While he wasn’t a genius by any means, he’d done well in his classes. And despite his somewhat average physique, he turned out to have magic hands when it came to handling a football. He’d led his high school team to a championship every year he played as quarterback, and when he’d obtained a scholarship to River City University, he’d lead them to two bowl games as well.

With fame had come romance. His high school crush, Sally Daniels, had followed him to RCU, and they’d gotten very serious. Sam had a bright future ahead of him and was being actively scouted by the NFL. He’d even moved them to an off-campus rental house, and were enjoying the time together, preparing for the next part of their lives.

But alas... fate is a very fickle mistress, and a person’s fortunes can change like the wind. Arriving home one night late after practice, he noticed his next door neighbor’s house ablaze. And while he hadn’t known them for very long, he had grown to like the young single mother and daughter. Without thinking of his own safety, he’d rushed into the burning house, braving the fire and smoke. He’d even managed to bring out the young girl, but when he attempted to go back in for the mother, the fire had spread too far and too fast to reach her. In the end, his attempt at heroism had ended in failure, the young mother apparently burning to death in the blaze, leaving him with severe smoke inhalation... and a pair of badly burned hands.

Things had fallen apart quickly after that. The damage to his hands, while not debilitating, was serious enough that he ended up spending the rest of his senior year on the bench. His prospects for the NFL dried up, as the backup quarterback took center stage in the spotlight. Worst of all, however, was Sally’s reaction. His beloved Sally, the girl of his heart, revealed her true colors all too soon, losing all interest in him once it was evident that his rising star had begun to fall.

”Sally! C’mon!” he’d pleaded with her the day she’d broken things off with them. ”Don’t do this! I know things are tough right now... but its just a setback. Once my hands heal—”

”Then what, Sam?” she’d challenged, glaring at him. ”This was your chance. Your shot at the big times! And because you wanted to play ‘hero’, that shot its gone. Time doesn’t wait, Sam. It moves on. And the coaches that were looking at you as a prospect have moved on as well.”

”Okay, fine!” he’d yelled back. ”So my chance to play in the NFL is over. So what? It’s not like I’m going to become a bum or anything. There are other things I can do. I’m getting a degree in Business Administrations. I can get a job somewhere. You don’t have to leave. I promise I can support us, take care of us—”

“But not the way I WANT to be taken care of,” she’d shot back, cutting him off. ”I thought I was with a future superstar. I thought I was with someone special Sam. But you’re not special. And I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with someone so... average.”

Average...

Sam jerked awake at the sound of a muffled explosion. Eyes bleary, he could just make out the scene on the TV before him. Scowling, he slid a shaky wrinkled hand over to his bed table and tapped the remote, turning up the volume of the news report.

“...can see here before us, Tom, the crisis has been averted.” the reporter, a blonde girl in a peach colored blazer stated. “The standoff between the police and recently escaped criminal Nytro has come to an end, thanks to the intervention of the city’s newest heroine, Divine.” The scene changed, showing a brief altercation between a redhead in a red and brown skintight outfit and a second redhead in a mask and silken red gown with matching heels. “Nytro was holding the police at bay with a threat to blow up a bus full of young grade school children that she’d kidnapped moments before, but Divine was able to convince Nytro to release the children unharmed and surrender herself. In other news...”

Sam let out a soft sigh. He loved River City, had lived his entire life here, but he knew as well as anyone how dangerous life in the big city could be. Aside from the usual craziness of the normal everyday criminals, muggers, bank robbers and the like, there were also the occasional supervillain, mad scientist, or wanna-be overlord, causing chaos and destruction. He’d even run afoul of a super-powered criminal himself once or twice. Glancing away from the TV, he thought back on a time years ago...

Life after college hadn’t been easy. He had graduated with his degree as planned, however, the job market of the time was oversaturated with Business School graduates, and jobs were scarce. Eventually, he managed to find work at a small local bank as a teller, thanks to an old friend of his father’s. It wasn’t exactly the glamorous career he’d envisioned in his youth, but it did pay the bills. And in his eagerness to forget about Sally, he poured his time and effort into his job, basically moving from home to work, with nothing of a social life.

He certainly hadn’t been looking for romance when he’d literally run into a lovely young woman in the grocery store months afterward, knocking her off her feet. “Oh! Oh my goodness,” he’d exclaimed, extending a hand. “I’m sorry. It’s completely my fault. Are you all right?”

Rather than be angry, the girl, a deeply tanned brunette, had chuckled. “I’m okay, thanks. And it was partially my fault. I was in a hurry and not looking where I was going.” Rising back to her feet, she’d grinned at him. “Sorry. Lousy way to make a first impression, I know... but, um, hi. My name’s Misty,” she’d said, extending a hand.

“Samuel, but you can call me ‘Sam’.” he’d replied, shaking her hand. “So... you said you were running because you were in a hurry? I hope I’m not holding you up from anything...”

Misty had laughed then, a soft tinkling sound that Sam immediately found endearing. “Oh, well, not really. I was just stopping in to grab a few things for dinner, then rushing back to my apartment. I was trying to make it back home in time to watch ‘Dallas’.” She’d smiled, looking him up and down. “But you know, I suddenly don’t mind so much missing it for one night. What about you, Sam? Do you have anything special planned for tonight?”

Blushing slightly, Sam had shrugged. “Not really. Kind of like yourself, I was just going to grab something for dinner and head back home to watch television.”

“Huh. Imagine that. Two young people in a big bustling metropolis like this with nothing better to do on a Friday night that sit at home alone and watch TV,” she’d stated with a grin. “Aren’t the two of us a pair?”

Debating briefly with himself, Sam then made a snap decision. “Well, we’re not exactly a pair... but we could be. If you wanted, we could head back to my place and watch some TV together. I was planning on making pasta for dinner, trying out this new recipe for Tuscan Chicken Pasta... and I could definitely use a critic to let me know if I got it right.”

Misty’d responded by giving him a dazzling smile. “On one condition.”

“Okay. What is it?”

“That the next time, you let me cook dinner, and YOU serve as the food critic.”

Things had proceeded quickly then. Over good food and wine, they two had talked and talked, completely ignoring the television buzzing in the background. They’d learned much about each other, their likes and dislikes, and how much they both had in common. When they finally glanced at the time and discovered it was two o’clock in the morning, Sam offered to let her spend the night, with him sleeping on the couch and her in the bedroom. Misty had surprised him by agreeing... but on the condition that he sleep in the bed with her.

It was a true whirlwind romance. In a short amount of time, Misty had become the center of Sam’s entire world, filling the hole Sally had left in his heart and more. After a few months, she’d moved into his apartment, living together. Things were as close to perfect as they could possibly be. But, as with most things in life, just when things were at their best, fate stepped in once more to shake things up.

They were actually walking together at the mall, peering through the window of a local jewelry store, Misty taking a moment to admire a diamond heart necklace on display when an alarm sounded. Surprised, she and Sam whirled around just as a young blonde woman in a black skintight leather jumpsuit, high heeled boots, and black eyemask stepped forward. “Hmph! That was stupid, hitting the alarm like that,” she called out as she backed slowly out of the store. “I would have simply taken my haul and left... but now I think I’ll have to punish you for that.” Frowning, she gestured with her hands, which began to glow and flicker slightly. “Now, Mr. Manager, why don’t you be a good boy and go into the back, slide down your pants... and see how far you can shove that little wooden name placard up your own ass!”

The store manager’s eyes widened, and his lip trembled, but he stood up stiffly, and turned for the back room, plucking the placard from his desk as he went. The black-clad woman giggled at that before turning away. “Well, that should keep him occupied for a while,” she said aloud, only to pause, frowning at the sight of Sam and Misty gaping at her. “Huh. Innocent bystanders, huh? This could be fun. I haven’t taken home any new pets in a while.” She looked at Sam, wrinkling her nose. “You... not so much,” then turned to Misty, grinning, “But YOU my sweet little peach... I could just eat you up!”

Scowling, Sam stepped forward, pushing Misty behind him protectively. “Listen, Miss, whoever you are. The alarms are ringing and the police will be here any minute. You have whatever you stole from that shop. Leave us alone, take it, and go!”

The woman scowled. “Oh, no, no, no. You don’t tell Dominatress what to do! I tell YOU what to do!” Her eyes flashed, and her hands began to glow. “Let me tell you how this is going to go down,” she said locking eyes with Sam. “You are going to wait here for the police to arrive, and when they do, you are going to confess to robbing the jewelry store.” She smirked, turning to gaze at Misty. “As for you, my little peach... you’re coming home with me. It’s been far too long since I’ve trained a new pet... and I’m looking forward to breaking you in.”

Misty shook her head feebly, even as she stepped forward to step next to Dominatress. “No! I’m not... not your pet! You can’t... do this to us!”

Dominatress’ smirk turned cruel. “Telling me what I can and can’t do? Oh, sweetie, I am SO going to enjoy playing with you.” With the sound of approaching footsteps, she sighed and turned. “Come along, little peach,” she said, gesturing with her fingers for her to follow.

Sam stood there, stunned. The expression on Misty’s face as she glanced back at him, begging wordlessly for him to help her even as she followed along obediently after her Mistress. Yet, all he could do was stand and watch them walk away, As much as he longed to go after them, the words the villain had spoke kept echoing inside his head: he had to stay there where he was and wait for the police to arrive. And when they arrived moments later, yelling for him to freeze, the words he most needed to say, to tell then his lover had been kidnapped and taken away, were replaced by the words she had commanded him to say.

The next several hours were frustrating, to say the least. Once arrested and brought to the station, the command lifted enough for him to tell the police about Misty being taken away by Dominatress; however, his insistence that the police focus on finding her was marred by the implanted need to take full credit for the robbery. Every time the conversation turned to the diabolical villainess being at the scene of the crime, a denial escaped his lips before he was even aware he’d spoken. Worse, the police detective questioning him was upset about his continued insistence that he’d stolen several thousand dollars worth of diamonds and jewelry, yet the goods were nowhere on him when he was arrested, nor hidden anywhere near where he’d been captured. So despite having no physical evidence to tie him to the crime, they locked him up on the strength of his confession alone.

He spent ten days in jail. He would have likely spent the next several years locked up if not for the intervention of one of the city’s costumed heroes. A young woman calling herself the Scarlet Shroud managed to capture and subdue Dominatress, recover all of the stolen loot, and rescue all the women she’d taken captive as ‘pets’, including Misty. After a lengthy explanation to the police, the heroine arranged for all the charges against Sam to be dropped, and he was finally allowed to reunite with his love.

Yet, rather than improve, Sam’s happy life continued to decline. His job at the bank was terminated following his arrest. And despite being cleared of all charges, the fact that he’d confessed to robbery had been made part of public record. The bank manager, despite being sympathetic to his plight, had had no choice but to let him go. It would take several more years before legislation was passed to protect the rights of victims of Super-imposed mind control; in Sam’s case, it would be ten years too late to be of any true benefit.

But losing his job was not nearly as important to his as the issues between himself and Misty. The night she had returned, they’d kissed and coupled and hugged, grateful to be reunited again. Both of them had spoken to a crisis counselor in the aftermath of their run-in with the Supervillain, and while there had admittedly been some trauma, he had pronounced them okay to return home and resume their normal lives. Misty had told him about what she had endured at Dominatress’ hands, being forced to serve as her personal sex slave. And despite her assurances that she was fine, her time with the blonde dominatrix had definitely left its mark.

“Misty, what is it?” he’d asked her a week later when he moved to kiss her only to have her turn her face away. “What’s wrong? You’ve been acting weird all week. Every time I try to kiss you or touch you, you stiffen up. It’s like you can’t even stand for me to TOUCH you anymore.”

She’d sighed, glancing away, taking a breath before responding. “I’m sorry, Sam. But... you’re right. I just... it feels...” she began only to shake her head. “I don’t think of you... sexually anymore,” she admitted finally. “Whatever Dominatress did to me... it hasn’t worn off. I don’t think of myself as her pet or her slave or anything anymore.” she said with a scowl. “I can say and think that she is a total bitch. I have no love for the woman at all. But...” she sighed. “I am attracted to her. And, well... other girls as well. Sam... I’m a lesbian now. I’m attracted to women. And... you’re not a woman.”

Heartbreak. For the second time, a woman that he’d given his heart to had spurned him. In Misty’s case, it was actually worse, as they both still cared for each other. The awkwardness between them only grew, with both of them unsure of how to react to the other. Finally, to spare them both more grief, Misty decided to break things off cleanly, moving out of their shared apartment to live on her own again...

That had been the start of things. Lying there in bed, he couldn’t help but think about that time and sigh heavily. For years, he’d thought about that time in his life, and the way he’d lost Misty, wondering what he could have done differently. Because it wasn’t as if he hadn’t fought for her, called and visited and sent flowers, sent music, done everything he could think of to try and stay connected to her. All for naught. She’d moved on, and within a few weeks, she’d hooked up with a busty young woman with short cropped black hair and body piercings, claiming that she was in love.

After that, he’d had a lot of pent up anger. Stinging from the injustice of his situation, he’d tried out for the police force, wanting to fight the good fight himself and dish out a bit of payback to the criminal element. He was turned down, however, failing the physical due to the previous injury to his hands. The nerve damage had been minor, but enough that using a sidearm was more difficult than expected, enough to disqualify him. It was unfair. He’d wanted to help people, but because he had no Superpowers, because he was just a NORMAL average man, he wasn’t able to contribute? And others, people with special abilities, they were allowed to do whatever they wanted, to basically run rampant over the normals, with no one to tell them differently!

That anger against Supers had stuck with him for a while, smoldering deep within him, until one day roughly three years later. He’d obtained another job, working as a security guard, ironically, in the same bank that he’d been fired from as a teller years earlier. Not the most prestigious job, but it allowed him to carry a gun, and the likelihood of him running into a super-powered villain was significantly higher than normal. He found himself actively wishing someone would try to rob the bank while he was on watch for the chance to dish out some ‘justice’. And then, one day, he got his wish.

Sam chuckled ruefully at the memory. It was actually kind of sad, really. He’d been so fired up, so sure of himself, so ready to prove himself. And yet, when the moment had come, he’d choked. Worse, the robbers weren’t even Supers, merely some old gray haired mad scientist with delusions of grandeur. He and his minions had come in brandishing high tech weapons and proceeded to start blasting people, somehow turning off gravity and making them float up to the ceiling. Frozen in fear and indecision, he’d hidden behind a pillar watching with dread as the doctor sent one young man up through the skylight, careening out into the atmosphere, no doubt to fall to his death. He’d been so shocked that he’d cried out, attracting the attention of the doctor and his minions. Instantly, he found himself staring down the barrel of the deranged doctor’s ray gun, fearing for his very life, not sure if he would survive this encounter.

And that was when THEY arrived.

Sam sighed softly, closing his eyes again in memory. So many years ago, yet he still remembered the faces of those angel-winged heroines that had saved him and the others that day. The elder of the pair, a dusky skinned Latina, had swept through like a falcon, knocking out the minions before streaking out through the skylight after the man who’d been lost. The younger girl, a fresh-faced blonde, looking not a day older than eighteen, had challenged the doctor himself, moving like greased lightning, somehow dodging his every blast before subduing the old man and rescuing all the people pinned to the ceiling. Watching a young girl easily half his age do HIS job, stopping the would-be robbers and protecting the innocent customers, while he had cowered in fear, had shamed him greatly. And yet, the youngster, somehow sensing his inner turmoil, had pulled him aside after everything was secure.

“Don’t let it bother you too much,” she’d told him. “Everyone gets scared when their life is on the line. A person never really knows how they will react until they’re in that kind of situation. I know I’m young, and I’ve only been doing this for a few weeks now... but I’ve been training my butt off since day one.” She shrugged. “And just so you know, on my very first mission, I froze, too. But I didn’t let it stop me, or hold me back. Eagle Woman says its good for a person to know their limits, to know what they can and can’t do. Everyone gets afraid sometimes. Fear is a natural response. The key is to not let it hold you back from what you need to do.”

He’d taken those words to heart, and more. He’d learned a lot that day, about himself, and the kind of people that patrolled River City fighting the criminal element. For every low down, despicable, blackhearted villain there were still shining beacons of goodness and light out there willing to face them to protect the innocent. He’d felt that he had something to prove, railing against the unfairness of his life, trying to make a name for himself. But that wasn’t him. Samuel Aaron wasn’t a hero. He was a simple man with simple limits. And slowly, over time, he learned to be satisfied with his limitations.

He was dreaming again.

It was years later, and he was sitting at home watching TV, wondering idly if Cheers was going to make it another season when suddenly the program was interrupted. A local scene happening downtown at the Capitol Building, with some strangely garbed Asian man surrounded by pretty much every policeman in the entire city. ”Good evening everyone!” he said with a flourish. ”So glad you could join us. My name is Brian Chang. I call myself Brainstorm... but all of you will come to know me as your Lord and Master!”

Sam had grunted, scowling, reaching for his remote. He’d lived in the city long enough to know when some crazy Super was revealing a take-over-the-world plot when he heard one. Frowning, he watched as changing the channels had no effect—the pompous prick was on every channel! Sighing deeply, he moved to turn the TV off instead, willing to simply recline in silence rather than listen to this drivel. Only at that moment, the man on the TV had spoken again, staring directly into the camera, almost as if he were talking directly to Samuel himself.

”Kneel!”

The entire world seemed to twist around him, his body jerking, muscles spasming in an uncoordinated jumble of movements that ended with my lying on his living room floor on his knees. Blinking in shock, he tried to get up, tried to move, to do anything BESIDES kneel like a damned brainwashed slave, only to find himself completely helpless. Again.

Just like that time at the mall with that damned bitch Dominetress...

Almost as if summoned by the thought of her, the dream shifted again, and Sam found himself staring at the black-clad dominatrix. Ah, but this time, she was far from the controlling arrogant bitch she’d been decades earlier. He recalled it clearly, the day of the big parade, when some super villain had, once again, managed to brainwash and control just about all of the city’s heroes and villains alike. He was part of the crowd watching the procession, as they made their way to City Hall, and he’d spotted her in passing, following just behind that granite bodied villain Stonewall Jackson, and a pair of heroines, Thunder and Lightning. In reality, he’d merely locked gazes with Dominatress in passing, as she and the others followed the parade up til the point that a high pitched squeal rendered everyone unconscious. But in this dream, she paused, recognizing him, and the parade and everyone else faded away as he stepped forward to confront her.

“My, how the mighty have fallen,” he stated, taunting her. There was a momentary flash in her eyes, anger, and denial, that quickly faded as she turned her head away. “No, really,” he persisted, grabbing her by the chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Look at you. Your hands and wrists shackled... and a heavy metal collar around your neck. You don’t seem quite some dominant right now, Dominatress. So what happened? Tried to bite off more than you could chew?”

“Yes,” she replied softly, lowering her gaze. “It was... she was just so... powerful. A true ‘goddess’ in every sense.” She sighed softly. “I thought I could tame her... make her mine. But she’d merely laughed at me. She said... said I amused her,” she mumbled, blushing heatedly. “Me, a mere human girl, daring to try and enslave a goddess. So instead... she made me her... her... pet,” she managed, at last, finally raising her gaze back to his again. “She made me her slave. Her toy. Her plaything—”

“Yes,” Sam snapped, righteous fury rolling off him in waves. “Just the same way you did to Misty! You changed her... twisted the person she was so deeply that even after she was freed she could never go back to the way she was before. So... how does it feel to be on the receiving end of it yourself? How do it feel to be the one dominated this time?”

Tears began to roll down her cheeks. “It feels... good,” she admitted shamefully. “So good. I hate it... hate it so much... but I can’t... can’t NOT love it. She MADE me love being a slave.” She groaned softly, as the tight black leather catsuit began to melt, dripping down her body like candle wax, pooling at her feet. “I know the truth now... I’m not a Domme. I’m not a Mistress. I’m just a weak-willed little slut,” she confessed, her bare skin showing now, the melted suit flowing down around her thighs now, baring her pussy as well. Seconds later, she stood nude before him, clad only on the collar and manacles around her wrists, her bare feet standing on a small patch of rapidly vanishing black.

With a soft groan, she fell, slipping to her knees in supplication. “I’m... I’m not Dominatress anymore,” she stated as the light faded from her eyes, leaving them wide and glassy. “I’m not even Samantha... I’m sammi, the Slave Slut,” she said meekly, head bowed. “I need... to obey. I live to obey.” Her head raised briefly to glance up at him, “Please, Master? Command this slave? She’ll do anything you ask. Anything you command. Please? Command her! She... she begs it of you!”

An object appeared in Sam’s hands, and he presented it to the girl: a thick, hard, plastic dildo, a twelve-foot-long monster the thickness of a baseball bat, with rounded metal studs all along the sides. “Here’s a command for you,” he said savagely, shoving it into her hands. “You remember the jewelry store manager, and how you punished him? I command you to stuff this fucking dildo as far up your ass as it will go!”

The girl smiled vacantly. “Yes, Master! sammi will obey,” she said, reaching around behind her, plunging the dildo inside her. She gasped, then groaned, shifting her hips, struggling. “Oooohhhh! Aaahhh. It’s... so big,” she panted, straining, sliding it in another inch or two. “So big... god... feels like... it’s splitting me apart,” she said, high voice going higher, almost a keening whine. “But... sammi must obey! Must obey... must... get it in...” sliding in another inch, sweat beginning to pour from her now. “Aaaahahh ohh gaaawwd... so much... can’t... can’t.. but must obeeeeeyyy! Aaaaahhhh! Aaaaaahhhh! AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHIIIEEEEEEE!”

EEEEEEEEE! EEEEEEE! EEEEEEE!

Sam jerked awake again, glancing around in alarm, only to sigh softly. The TV was blaring some loud action show, a movie of some kind, and his arm had shifted in his sleep, hitting the volume button on the remote. He turned it back down to its normal level again and glanced over just as the door opened. His attendant, Nurse Johnson, walked in, carrying a small tray with her.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Aaron,” she said brightly. “How are you feeling today?”

Sam merely grunted. “Same as always. Dying.”

Rather than be put off, the nurse merely chuckled. “Well, we’re ALL dying, bit by bit every day. And all things considered, you seem to be handling things well enough. Are you having any pain?”

He shook his head. “No. Not today,” he lied convincingly. “Doing just fine.”

Nurse Johnson raised an eyebrow at that. “Uh huh. Well, just in case, I brought your afternoon pills. I’d like you to take them with your lunch—”

“Not hungry,” Sam replied, turning his head away.

The nurse sighed. “Sam, I know you don’t have much of an appetite. All the meds and the treatment you went through... I know its hard to even WANT to eat anything anymore. But you have to at least try.”

“Why?” Sam asked, glancing back over at her. “What’s the point? I’m dying, Miss. Nothing is gonna change that. I’m old. My body’s shot. And the doctor’s say I have days, maybe just hours, before it just gives out. The only thing I got going for me is that I still have all my marbles,” he said, tapping the side of his head. “And now, you’re trying to take that away from me with these damned medications,” he grumbled, gesturing to the small cup of pills in her hand. “So, no. I don’t want anything. No food, no medicine. No nothing. All I want is to be left alone.”

Nurse Johnson sighed heavily. “Very well. If you don’t want it, I can’t force you to take it. But I’ll leave the cup of yogurt and some ice water in case you change your mind,” she stated, placing it on his table, easily within reach, before turning to leave. “And remember, I’m just down the hall. Buzz me if you need anything.”

Sam merely lay there, staring at the door closed behind her. Truth be told, he hadn’t meant to come off so harsh. But he’d spoke the truth—well aside from not being in pain, anyway. There was nothing anyone could do to prolong his life. And really, he didn’t WANT to live any longer. He’d had a good run. He’d loved and lost, and loved again. He’d traveled the world in his later years. He’d seen interesting sites and met interesting people. He’d done some good, helped some people, not in any meaningful or lasting ways, but he’d always tried to do the right thing. If that didn’t ensure he went to ‘the good place’ after he died, well, it was too late now to worry about it.

All in all, though... he was just tired. And he was lonely. He’d never really made any real lasting friends. Sure, he’d had comrades and people at work that he talked to... but no one that he was truly close with. And he’d never married, never had children or raised a family. Being burned by Sally, then Misty had left a permanent scar on his heart. All other relationships with women after them had been... brief, transitory at best. One of them, a lovely black girl named Jane, had confronted him about it the day they broke up, forcing him to recognize the truth: that he held people at arm’s length. Because of what had happened to him before, he refused to let anyone else into his heart.

“You’re a great guy, Sam,” she’d said tearfully at the end, “but you’re also cold. You won’t let yourself love me. You won’t lower that wall around your heart enough to let me in. And I can’t be in a relationship like that. It’s not fair to you... and it’s not fair to me. I love you, Sam... but until you can learn to love me... or anyone else... I can’t be with you...”

It had taken him a long time to come to terms with that truth. He HAD kept people at arm’s length, keeping them from getting to know the real him. True, it had kept him from getting hurt emotionally, but now, lying on his deathbed, he realized that it had also kept him from making any meaningful connections in his life. His parents were long dead and buried. He had no cousins or other relatives that he knew about, not that he’d ever felt the need or desire to search for or seek them out. He had no friends. In truth, he had no one.

Huh. Kind of sad, really, he thought to himself, dismally, closing his eyes. All these years of life, everything I’ve been through, all the things I’ve seen and endured... from a meteorite nearly crashing into the city, to some madman trying to blow it up and burn it to the ground... to some crazy chef turning everyone into sex-crazed bimbos, and a cute little blonde girl trying to rip apart the universe... and after all that, I end my life here in this room, all alone, like the saying goes, not with a bang but with a whimper...

He drifted off again for a bit after that, his mind fading into a soft haze even as the pain in his chest made its presence felt again. Sam groaned softly, hands tightening slightly in the bedsheets. He was close now. He could feel it. It would be so easy now... to just let his mind drift back again, back to happier times...and let his spirit fly free with it. There was nothing tethering him back in this world anyway...

“Mr. Aaron?”

A voice, unfamiliar, but definitely female broke through the fog. Sam groaned softly, fighting to stay in the dream a bit longer. He didn’t want to wake up. Ughn... damned nurses... they know they’re not supposed to wake me when I’m sleeping... He kept his eyes closed, trying to recapture the blissful embrace he’d had moments before.... but when he felt a soft slender hand take his own, he finally surrendered to the inevitable and opened his eyes.

“Huh? Wh... who are you?” he asked, sitting up sharply. He frowned slightly, as his eyes adjusted. “Wait. Wait for a second... I know you! I saw you on the TV earlier! You’re one of them costumed heroes... the girl that saved that busload of school kids from the bomb lady!”

“Oh, you saw me on the news?” the redheaded heroine replied with a smirk. “Yes, that was me. My name is Divine, and I’m one of this city’s protectors, though I have to admit I haven’t been doing this for very long.”

Sam nodded. “So... what brings you here, Miss Divine? If you’re looking for a supervillain,” he said with a weak chuckle, “I’m afraid you’re in the wrong place. And even if I WAS a criminal,” he said, gesturing to his room, “I’m afraid its a bit too late to think about bringing me to justice. You’re looking at a dead man. It’s just a matter of time.”

Divine nodded softly. “I know, I spoke to your nurse outside earlier. Prostate cancer, she said.”

Sam sighed. “Yeah. Stage four. Funny thing is, the docs caught it early. Cut it out, thought it was gone, but it came back with a vengeance. Went through chemo and the whole nine yards, but it just kept coming back. Damn near hollowed me out trying to get rid of it, and it the end it still came back.” He shrugged. “Ah well. Guess it was just the way I was meant to go out.”

“Yeah,” the redhead remarked with a sigh. “A friend of mine... huh... well, really more of a colleague, we’re not exactly friends... but she would probably agree with you. She always says that when something is Fated to happen, it happens. And when your time is up, it’s up.” She sighed, giving him a wan smile. “Still, it was good that I was able to find you and meet you after all this time. I’ve been searching for you for so long.”

That caught Sam’s attention. “Huh? Me? Why would a hero like you be looking for me? It’s like I said before. I’m no super villain. I’m not a criminal. I’m nothing special at all, just a normal guy.”

But Divine shook her head. “Nothing special? Nonsense! You, Sam Aaron... you’re a true hero! That’s why I had to meet you—”

“Now THAT’s nonsense!” Sam cut back in. “People like you... you’re extraordinary. You’re heroes! You save lives and help people.” He chuckled ruefully. “People like me are the ones who GET saved by people like you. Trust me, Miss... I’m no one’s hero. Everything in my entire life has been a failure... always falling short of the mark. I’ve made no impact in my life at all... and when I pass on, no one will even remember I ever lived.”

The redhead stood for a moment saying nothing. Then she sighed and moved to a chair across from the bed. Then, reaching up, she removed her mask, showing him her face. “I want to tell you a story. Once, a long long time ago, there was a very brave and selfless man named Samuel James Aaron. He was a mundane, born without any special powers or abilities. By his own admission, he was a very ordinary person, with no special skills, and nothing to make him stand out at all. He did, however, have one thing going for him.” She reached out and took his hands into her own. “His hands. He was an ace with the football... could throw it as accurately as an archer could notch a bow, delivering a perfect bullseye.”

She sighed softly, standing up to walk around idly. “He had a bright future ahead of him. Coaches for the NFL were scouting him. The life of a highly paid professional athlete was his for the taking. But then... one day he came home to find his neighbor’s house ablaze. A neighbor he barely knew, that he’d probably had words with two or three times in passing. And yet, in that moment of crisis, with no thought to his own safety, he rushed into a burning house and pulled out the young girl inside, whisking her away from the flames, saving her life.” She paused for a moment, and when she turned back around again, Sam was stunned to see tears running down her cheeks.

“That brave... selfless man,” she continued softly, “went back in again for the mother... trying to save her as well. He had no way of knowing that she was already dead,” causing Sam to blink in surprise, “that she was beyond saving. He risked his life, again... and ended up burning and scarring his precious hands. He lost the bright future he’d envisioned, threw it all away, to save the life of some strangers he barely knew. He saved the girl... and yet in his mind, all he thought of was the life he didn’t save, the one that was already beyond saving. The man was a true hero, and he didn’t even realize it.”

“Wait!” Sam said suddenly, taking in the woman’s face. The features. The brilliant red hair. “You’re... you’re that little girl!” he finally realized.

“Venus Satore,” she said with a sad smile, nodding gently. “The little girl all grown up. You gave up everything to save me that night. I found out later you even tried to find me afterward, tried to take custody of me rather than have me go into foster care... but the judge wouldn’t allow a college student with no job and a possibly debilitating injury of his own to take me.” She shook her head, wiping the tears. “I never got the chance to thank you. I owe you everything. And it’s taken me so long to find you again.” She sighed, looking away. “After losing my mom, I was... I went down a dark path. I did really bad things. I was so full of hate and anger... I was angry at the entire world.”

Sam nodded softly. “Yeah, I know that feeling... only too well.”

“Yeah... but luckily, some very good friends managed to turn me around. I finally managed to realize the one that I was the angriest with was myself... for not being able to save my mom. It’s taken a long time, and I’m not quite there yet, but I am learning to forgive myself. And... I’m trying to be a better person... to make up for the bad I did before by being a hero now and helping other people.” She went over to the bed again. “Sam... you said that you didn’t think you made an impact in your life. Well, to that six-year-old girl, you were everything. You were the one shining beacon in this dark dark world, the one thing good that even at my worst times, I never forgot. And now, I have the chance to use this life you gave me to do some good. And every life I save, every person I help, it will be because of YOUR sacrifice.”

Taking him by the hands again, running a fingertip gently along the long ago healed burn scars, she lifted them gently to her lips and kissed them. “Samuel Aaron. You’re my hero. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for my life. And I swear, you will never be forgotten, by me or those that I love and care for.”

Decades later, the rain fell gently at Cloverfield Memorial Cemetery as a long black car entered the main gates. Parking next to the grave sites, a smartly dressed man slid out, walking around to the side to open the side door. Unfolding an umbrella, he held it aloft as a tall strikingly beautiful redhead emerged, followed moments later by a young auburn haired girl. The woman took the umbrella from the chauffeur, nodding to him. “Thank you, Jeffrey. We won’t be long,” she said, before turning to her daughter. “Can you manage the flowers by yourself, sweetie?” she asked.

“Yes, Mama,” young Jala Satore replied with a nod. “I have them okay.”

“Good girl,” Venus replied with a smile. Holding the umbrella above both of them, they made their way through the cemetery, pausing to note the headstones of various people she knew. The years had been kind to her, more kind that it had to others, and she over the last year she had attended more than one funeral of someone she’d care for. Today, however, was a special day, and she felt the same familiar ache fill her as she approached the small carefully tended gravesite she’d commissioned all those years ago. Nodding to her daughter, she watched as Jala lay the small bouquet of white lilies at the base of the grave.

Standing back, Jala frowned, reading the engraved words aloud: “‘Samuel James Aaron’,” she sounded out, reading the date as well. “‘He touched more lives than he knew. Beloved, and missed. He was a true hero.’” She turned to her mother. “Mama? Who is this man? Was he one of your hero friends, like Father, Aunt Roni and the others?”

Venus sighed softly, eyes wet with unshed tears. “Yes, and no, sweetling. This man wasn’t a Super. He had no special powers. But yes, he was still a hero.” She took her hand, leading her back down towards the car. “Let me tell you the story of the bravest man I’ve ever known...”