The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

The Past, six years earlier:

“Hahahahaha! Yes! YES! This is awesome!” Priscilla Hedetie Rutherford exclaimed with glee, standing astride her floating hover platform. Floating about a hundred and fifty feet in the air above the city skyline, she laughed, watching all of the people down below her, scurrying like ants. To them, they WERE ants, all of them meaningless and worthless, the kind of beings you could crush underneath your heel and not give a second thought about. Indeed, the people of River City were little more than entertainment for her, in all possible ways.

It wasn’t that she was psychotic. Priscilla, or ‘Priss’ as she was more widely known, was an elite. Daughter of Danielle and Ethan Rutherford, she had been born into wealth, raised from birth, and given the best of everything—the best clothes, the best food, the highest skilled and best-trained servants, and provided with the best education money could buy. With a lineage that traced back to actual ‘Old World’ European aristocracy, she was an actual blue blood, an elite, and just simply better than the peasants that populated the pitiful little hamburg she resided in.

Most of all, Priss was one of the Gifted. She had been born with an extraordinary power, an ability far more fitting for an elite that shooting laser beams or changing size, or super speed. No… she had been graced with a superior mind… an unprecedented intelligence! As her private tutors soon discovered, the girl had an incredible aptitude for mathematics and science. Complex equations and formulae were like playthings for her, and it was clear from an early age that the little prodigy was meant for great things.

Alas… as is often the case, along with her exceptional talent came excessive ego. Priss came to believe that she was a superior woman, an elite among the very elite. Everything came easily to her academically, and with her parents’ money and influence, she could have literally anything she wanted or desired. Unfortunately, despite having everything a person could possibly desire handed to her on a silver platter, Priss desired MORE. She desired that which she lacked—power, fame, and notoriety. Growing up in River City, she was very familiar with the large number of heroes and villains that made the city their home. Watching their antics shown on the nightly news, their faces shown across the TV to millions of people across the country, she decided then and there that she would join their ranks.

No… not just join them. She would be first among them. She would take her rightful place in society and reign supreme among them. As their Supreme Queen.

“Hahahahaha! That’s it! Run… run before my unparalleled might,” Priss, the Supreme Queen bellowed, laughing imperiously as her automated weapons systems fired down at the people scurrying before her. “Scurry along, vermin! Cower before your Supreme Queen!” With a gesture of her hands, the remote-controlled guns fired again, sending forth blasts of laser energy down upon her targets. Buildings crumbled, large blackened craters formed from her shots, and cars and trucks exploded when struck. She cackled menacingly in the face of such destruction. It was all gloriously cathartic, to be able to express her disdain and contempt for all those around her. Earlier, some costumed weirdo had flown up to her, trying to stop her, shooting lasers from her eyes and hands. Her armored platform had made short work of her, sending the hapless blonde bitch flying back, crashing into a building hard enough to leave an imprint.

Which had only served to prove the obvious. She was invincible! Unbeatable! No one could touch her! Best of all, no longer did she have to pretend to be polite and social. No longer did she have to kowtow and bend to her parents’ will. Now she didn’t have to bow to anyone! Everyone would bow to her!

“Hey! Lunatic!” a strange female voice called down to her. Blinking, Priss glanced up in surprise, finding herself staring at a large redheaded woman, floating in midair in front of her platform. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Spice Girl demanded, hands on her hips. “What are you even after? You’re just causing random destruction and chaos!”

“So?” the Supreme Queen replied imperiously. “This attack is meant to show my superiority. To make a name for myself. To show the lowly citizens of this pitiful burg to fear me!”

Spice Girl scowled, shaking her head. “Pathetic. And I have seen enough. I am putting an end to your rampage here and now,” she announced, suddenly flying forward, fists outstretched before her. With a loud THWUMP she charged straight into Priss’ floating platform… only to rebound heavily, bouncing back from the invisible forcefield surrounding the mechanism. Stunned, shaking her head, Spice Girl glanced up, only to gasp, finding one of the platform’s plasma guns pointed directly at her. Before she can react, it fires, sending the hapless heroine flying back, streaming across the city sky. Priss laughed gleefully at the sight.

“YES! Heroine ejected!” she crowed triumphantly. “Stupid peasant! Did you think I didn’t anticipate that one of you stupid do-gooders would attempt to stop me? My forcefield is powerful enough to stop any attack. And my weapons are powerful enough to take down anyone who gets in my way!” Continuing on, she turns the platform, heading for the downtown financial section, laughing all the while as she fires at will, basking in the rampant destruction and confusion. “No one can stop me now!”

“Oh yeah? Well, call me ‘No One’!” another young female voice called out.

“Huh?” Priss asked, frowning, glancing around. Seeing no one in the immediate area, she turned on her scanner’s tracking mode, locking onto a small figure atop an adjacent roof, dressed in a bright yellow, white, and pink costume. “What the… who the hell are you supposed to be?”

“The name’s Paper Doll,” the heroine answered proudly, gesturing with her hands, as the backpack on her back suddenly opened up, unleashing a wave of white sheets of paper. “And I’m going to stop you from destroying my city!”

Priss grinned, shaking her head. “Paper Doll, huh? And you’re throwing actual paper at me? You must be a moron!” Turning her guns towards the heroine, she locked onto her and fired—

Only to let out a loud scream as her platform shuddered and rocked suddenly when her plasma cannons suddenly exploded. “Aaaahhh! Fuck! What th… what happened? How did you… ooh! Dammit!” she growled, incensed, glaring down at the smirking face of her adversary. “I see. You used your stupid paper to clog up the intake ports of my guns. Clever. I suppose you’re not quite as useless as you seem.”

“Smart enough to stop you,” Paper Doll remarked, smugly. “Without your cannons, you’re basically little more than a floating lead balloon. You can’t cause any more damage now.”

But Priss merely chuckled. “I’m not defeated that easily, bitch! I am the Supreme Queen! I am an elite… the cream of the crop. And I am far too smart to be outwitted by a dimwitted buffoon such as yourself!” Tapping rapidly on her control panel, a new port opened up beneath the platform, and a long thin tube emerged, pointing down at Paper Doll. Caught off guard, the heroine, drew back in fear, expecting another energy blast of some kind… only to blink in surprise, instead finding herself staring into a large glass monitor, showing a rainbow kaleidoscope of colors. Her eyes widened, her thoughts slowed, then stuttered to a stop, as she stood wavering slightly in place. Priss laughed wickedly.

“Ha! Weren’t expecting that little surprise, were you, Paper Bitch?” she crowed. “Now I have your mind under my control. So listen closely. Your Mistress commands you to leap off the building you’re standing atop and dive down to the ground below!”

Paper Doll nodded blankly, hands stretching out in front of her. “Yes… Mistress,” she replied blankly, sleepwalking forward, moving towards the roof’s edge. “Must… leap off… the roof… must obey…” she murmured, climbing atop the edge, wavering for just a moment… before toppling over the side.

“Hah! That takes care of her,” the Supreme Queen remarked, completely unconcerned about the peasant she’d just gotten rid of, turning back to her control panel again. “Stupid little bimbo bitch… wrecked my plasma cannons. Now I’m forced to make do with my missiles instead,” she grumbled, arming her reserve artillery. “But I only have five of them… so I’ll have to use them sparingly, for the biggest impact…”

“What’s that? You want to make a big impact?” a new mysterious voice spoke then, causing her to glance up. Priss actually winced slightly at the sight of the city’s main heroine floating there in front of her, arms crossed at her chest, a look of annoyance evident on her face.

“O-Omega Girl?!?” she hissed, tapping rapidly on her keypad. “Well… n-no matter! My forcefield is impenetrable! You won’t be able to stop me, no matter how hard you—”

At which point, Omega Girl, annoyed by the girl’s antics and overall bad attitude, simply grabbed hold of the platform, thrusting her hands through the forcefield, sending out arcs of electrical energy in her wake, grasping the edges of the metallic bubble, and pulled, ripping it apart like tissue paper. Priss let out a loud scream, as the ground beneath her feet dissolved away, causing her to plummet down towards the ground far below.

At the last second, however, Lacie’s strong hands grabbed her, holding her up several feet from the pavement, before placing her back gently onto solid ground. Priss, scared shitless, hyperventilating, face tearstreaked from fear, immediately doubled over, puking her guts out, to the laughter and amusement of the assembled crowd watching. Omega Girl merely sighed, shaking her head. “Not quite the impact you were looking to make, I assume?” she quipped before turning back to the other person she’d saved from falling. “Hey, Paper Doll? You okay?” she asked, gently slapping the still-dazed girl’s cheeks. Blinking, Claire gasped, glancing around in alarm, only to sigh, shaking her head.

“Oh, um… I guess, you, um… managed to stop her, huh, Omega Girl?” she said sheepishly. “Sorry, I wasn’t much help.”

Lacie merely shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, Miss Doll,” she said gently. “You did just fine on your own. You held her off until I arrived. And you even managed to stop her from rampaging.” She sighed softly. “The only thing I’d fault you on would have been thinking she was beaten and letting down your guard. Just remember… the fight’s not over until your adversary is down and restrained, and being taken into custody.” Claire nodded, taking those words to heart.

“As for you… Supreme Queen was it?” she continued, facing a vomit soaked, and humiliated Priss. “I don’t know what this was all about, but you did a lot of damage here today. Your sheer disdain for innocent life is completely inexcusable! I intend to see to it personally that you pay for what you did here today.”

In response, Priss growled, cursing loudly. She couldn’t believe she’d been beaten, that her flawless, perfectly laid plans had been thwarted so easily! Worse, reporters and various news crews were scattered all around, filming her covered in sweat, snot, and vomit. “You… you think this is over, Omega Girl?” she yelled back, defiant once again. “Hah! This isn’t over! I’m the Supreme Queen. I’m an elite!” She struggled weakly as the uniformed officers forced her into the back of a waiting police cruiser. “This isn’t over!” She repeated, even as she was forced inside. “You’ll see! I’m better than all of you. I’ll make you all respect me! I’ll show you all one day! I’ll show you all…”

The Present:

Priscilla Rutherford stood by stoically, waiting patiently as the attendant calmly counted out her belongings from the large manila envelope before passing them over to her. Not that there was much there; after her arrest, they’d taken the few belongings she’d had on her person and stored them away. And now, being released from prison after six long hard years, those belongings were all that she had in the world.

It still stung, even after all these years. Her arrest and conviction. The fact that she had been tried at all had been a great shock; she had assumed that her parents, her father at the least, would have come to her rescue, and used their considerable wealth and influence to get her off. But no… instead her mother and father had sneered at her, staring across at her from the other side of the bars. “You’re nothing but a big disappointment,” her mother had told her to her face. “After everything we’ve given you, all that we’ve done for you, this is how you repay us? Going out as some crazed costumed villain, wreaking havoc on the city? And tarnishing our good name?!?”

That had been the crux of the issue. Her mother and father hadn’t cared a bit about her actions, only how her arrest had sullied the Rutherford name. Not that that should have been a big surprise to her at that point. Neither one had been what one might call a ‘loving parent’. Ethan and Danielle had been content to leave her raising to her nursemaids and her tutors, treating her more as some kind of exotic pet than a daughter. Indeed, even her successes, her achievements in scholastic aptitude had been looked on with only novel interest at best… as if being smarter than the average person was simply expected as their offspring. No love or consideration was ever shown to her by them… so of course, now that she’d proven herself a disappointment it was foolish to expect something different.

Still, it had hurt her greatly. Her parents had abandoned her, discarded her, and officially disowned her, cutting her off from all support. In dire straits, she’d been forced to rely on the legal skills of a public defender, one who had been earnest in his defense, but woefully out of his league. The evidence against her had been damning and plentiful, and merely the fact of her young age and no prior entanglements with the law helped her escape a much harsher sentence. That, and the fact that, despite all the devastation she’d caused, no one had actually died from her rampage. Thanks to the efforts of several of the city’s costumed heroes.

And yet… standing outside the prison gates, a free woman after six years, Priss felt no sense of gratitude towards those heroes. She felt only anger, a burning hatred, and rage that bubbled just below the surface. They were responsible for her defeat after all. They were the reason she had lost everything important in her life. THEY were the reason her parents had turned on her, had discarded her like useless trash… because she’d failed. She had lost. And if there was one thing her mother and father hated, it was a loser.

Still, there was one good thing about her time in prison. Priss’ outlook had changed dramatically. She’d grown up believing herself perfect, untouchable, unbeatable. She’d believed that she was meant to rule, merely on the merits of her breeding and lineage. But that fragile little dream had been shattered into bits within her first night in jail. Forced to share the same room, the same cell, as the criminal scum of the city, she’d soon found that her prestige and title meant absolutely nothing. She’d literally had the pride and arrogance beaten out of her. And lying there, bloody and bruised, her eyes, though swollen shut, had been opened.

She was still superior to others. And yes, she was indeed meant to someday rule. But not because of her family name or her genetics. No… her parents’ betrayal had shown THAT to be a fallacy before her trial even occurred! No… she was meant to succeed above all overs because of her intelligence. She was smart and determined. True, she’d been defeated before, her ‘invincible sky platform’ had been destroyed. But only because she’d woefully underestimated her opponents. She’d believed them all to be inferior and less intelligent simply because of her better breeding, but now she realized the truth. And now that she was free… when she faced the so-called protectors of River City, she would NOT underestimate them. Next time she would be properly prepared. She would be ready. And she would defeat them all and prove her superiority over them all!

Hmmm… but to do that, I need supplies, she mused to herself, stepping out of the main gates, and glancing around.

I need money and tools, and a headquarters to work out of. She scowled. Of course, I could have simply obtained all of those things before by returning home… but Mother and Father have disowned me. They have effectively cut me off! A slow smile began to creep across her face as a taxicab pulled up to the front entrance. But… that also means there’s nothing preventing me from simply taking what I want from them now, she reasoned. I’m basically just taking back what’s mine. Hell, I won’t even feel guilty about it. They abandoned me when I needed them the most! So they deserve everything they have coming to them! Chuckling darkly, she approached the taxi, gave the driver her destination, and then sat back to contemplate her next move as they drove back towards the city.

“Duck!” Sunbeam yelled out, grabbing her partner’s arm, and pushing her down just as a large heavy concrete block went flying overhead, right through the space they’d bust just occupied a second before. Grunting, dusting herself off, she peered back up at the battlefield they were entrenched in. “Well, you have to give the guy credit. He’s persistent if nothing else.”

Splash grunted, shaking her head, raising her goggles up atop her head. “I’ve got a lot more to say about the guy than just his persistence. We’re really in a bad spot here.” She winced, ducking again as another large chuck of the building across from them went sailing by. “We’re really just lucky this guy has such bad aim… and is kind of stupid. If he decided to just come charging at us, we’d be roadkill.”

“Hehehe… well, I’d imagine ol’ Stonewall is probably a bit gunshy about charging at us, considering what happened the last time,” Sunbeam quipped. “Turning the ground into a virtual Slip n Slide and sending his granite-covered self careening down the road unable to stop seems to have shaken him up a bit.”

“Yeah, that was more of the oil and tar from that newly paved road mixing with my water, than the water itself,” she admitted. “I wouldn’t be able to pull that same trick here.” She yelped, wincing as another flying block of stone struck the ground behind them, a piece of debris bouncing and striking her in the shoulder. “Dammit… HEY! We could use some backup here!” she yelled out loudly.

“Ugggh… same… here… actually!” Sanguine grunted, busy fighting her own opponent. “If you’d… ugghh… want to trade… I’m game…”

Steelskin merely chuckled menacingly, slowly tightening his grip. “What’s wrong, little vampire girl?” he taunted her, grinning evilly. “I’d think you would be flattered by all the attention I’m giving you. After all… isn’t it obvious I’ve got a CRUSH on you?”

Indeed, the chrome-skinned villain had her in a tight chokehold, and the plucky heroine was hard-pressed to resist, let alone break free. “Gaaahh… you’re… only… talking so tough… because of that… damned… harness…” Sanguine managed through gritted teeth.

Steelskin merely chuckled again. It was true enough. The device strapped to his chest and back effectively doubled his strength making him easily a match for the vampire girl, preventing her from helping her friends or moving in to stop the final two members of their team from looting out the federal gold depository. His new harness was thanks to his new partner in crime, the tech genius Leopard Moth, who at the moment, was involved in an aerial battle with his own nemesis, the valiant Armor Girl, successor to the famed hero Armor Man.

“Face it, babe,” Steelskin taunted her, “you’re outclassed. You and your little friends are just out of your depth.” He increased the pressure, causing Gwen to gasp in pain. “But that’s what happens when you send a bunch of second-string heroes against the Lethal Enforcers!” He chuckled aloud. “Too bad there’s no one around to bail you and your little friends out. Hah! Likes like the little heroines are the ones that need saving now!”

“Did you mention someone needing saving?”

Glancing up sharply, Steelskin frowned, spotting another young woman hovering in midair just above them. The woman was young, with deep, copper red hair, and brilliant green eyes, hidden behind a dark-colored Mardi Gras style domino mask, and wearing a rather risque deep purple corset, tight, black leather pants, black, thigh-high, leather boots and matching fingerless, elbow gloves. Her arms were crossed over her rather ample chest as she stared down at him with a look of mild annoyance.

“Huh. What the hell are you supposed to be?” the metal-skinned gangster asked, smirking. “Some sorta magician’s assistant? You planning to do a magic trick?” he teased, laughing at her. “How about you make like a leaf and disappear!”

Scowling for a moment at his attitude, the heroine forced a smile on her face. “I have a much better idea.” In the blink of an eye, the villain found himself across the street, slammed hard against the side of the building. Steelskin’s eyes bulged out in shock and pain, gasping, staring down at the petite curvy redhead holding him lightly by his beck. “How about I make YOU disappear instead?” she asked sweetly, before tossing him back across the street, colliding into his stone-skinned partner, sending them both barreling through the empty building, out the other wall, and landing against a large green trash dumpster.

Cinema chuckled, shaking her head. “And mom used to chide me for not taking out the trash,” she quipped, before floating back over to the panting, gasping heroine lying on the pavement. “Hey, you okay?” she asked, helping Sanguine back to her feet. The vampire girl shook her head slightly, clearing out the cobwebs.

“Y-yeah, thanks. That guy was a total pain in the ass.” Gwen shook her head again. “But you seem to have made quick work of him.”

“Yeah, and our guy as well,” Splash noted, as she and Sunbeam came over to join them. “You must be pretty damn strong to take those two out so easily. I mean, Sanguine’s no slouch in the strength department either, but with those new bioelectric harnesses they were sporting, both Steely and Stonewall were twice as powerful as usual.”

Sunbeam nodded, frowning slightly. “By the way… I don’t recognize your costume. Are you a new heroine?”

Cinema shrugged. “Pretty new, I guess. And forgive me, but I don’t recognize any of your costumes either. And I thought I knew most of the main heroes in River City.”

“Well, I wouldn’t imagine we’ve made THAT big of an impact so far,” Sanguine remarked ruefully. “Splash and Sunbeam have only been back in River City for little more than a year, and I’ve lived here my whole life, but only been doing the hero thing for about six months.”

“Oh, and just to clarify,” Splash chimed in, “I’m not a local. I’m originally from Midas City, relocated here with my buddy ‘Beam after college.”

Sabrina nodded. “Good to meet you all. I’m Cinema. And I’ve been doing this for… hmmm… about three, four weeks so far? Something like that.” She gave them all a dazzling smile. “It’s nice to meet other hot attractive women out here fighting the good fight. Maybe we could… I dunno, meet up sometime and talk, compare notes… maybe catch dinner together?”

Splash and Sunbeam both blushed at the compliment, seriously considering the offer of hooking up, but Sanguine’s attention was elsewhere. “Sounds great,” she murmured, frowning, “but maybe we should save that kind of thing for AFTER we’ve dealt with the current situation,” she said, pointing at the depository. As the others turned to watch, a group of masked women exited, all carrying heavy gold bars, loading them into the back of a waiting black SUV.

“Oh, right… the robbery,” Splash muttered, shaking her head. “And Armor Girl… she’s still fighting that Moth guy!”

Cinema nodded, frowning again. “Then let’s split up. I’ll help AG take out the bug creep, and you guys stop the girls looting the gold. If you need my help, just give me a yell,” she said, lifting off from the ground. “My hearing’s pretty sharp, so I’ll come flying in!”

Perfect timing, as just then, Armor Girl let out a loud cry as she was struck, Leopard Moth finally landing a telling blow against her. Blasted away, the hapless heroine spiraled downward, stunned from the energy blast, unable to recover, heading towards a hard landing on the concrete… only to find herself caught. “Gotcha!” Sabrina told her friend with a smirk. “No going splat for you today, AG. Your boss would raise a fit if you got his nice shiny armor all dinged up.”

Shaking her head, Erika glanced over at her rescuer. “Nhhh… Cinema? Huh… took you long enough to get here,” she murmured as the cobwebs finally cleared. “What kept you?”

“What else? I was helping someone,” she replied with a frown. “You think you guys are the only ones that need help in this city? I saved two guys from a nearly fatal car crash, stopped a bridge from collapsing, and rescued a window washer that fell from his scaffold about twelve stories up, all on the way here.”

Armor Girl chuckled. “Damn. Sounds like you’ve had a busy day. Fine, I guess I forgive you for being a little late then… especially since you just saved my sorry ass as well.”

“HEY! You bimbos forget about me?” Leopard Moth growled, firing off a barrage of mini-missiles at the pair of heroes. “Goddammit! I fucking HATE being ignored! If you’re not going to take this seriously, then I’m going to stop holding back and hit you two BITCHES with everything I’ve got!”

“Oh, shit!” Armor Girl yelped, as her armor’s telemetry lit up like a Christmas Tree. “He’s not kidding around. He’s packing enough firepower in that suit of his to blow up half the city! Cinema—”

“I’m on it!” Sabrina replied, releasing her, letting Armor Girl rocket away under her own power, tracking and blasting the missiles before they could strike their intended targets. Seeing her friend occupied, Sabrina turned and focused her attention back on the villain… who had another trick up his sleeve. Her eyes widened in shock as the bug-themed villain’s suit opened up, revealing a large energy turret, building up power for a massive blast!

As Leopard Moth let loose, she sighed deeply, steeling herself. She was mostly invulnerable, but she’d learned early on not to underestimate her enemies. As Leopard Moth let loose, firing down on her with his main super weapon, she grunted, crying out as she was blasted back, the beam actually stinging a bit, smoke and steam rising from her as she was forced all the way back down to the pavement from the sheer force of the blast. Asphalt began to melt around her feet, sizzling and bubbling, as even the stone and concrete beneath the asphalt level began to burn as well. Gritting her teeth, however, Sabrina planted her feet, and pushed off, slowly but surely flying back up towards the haughty villain.

“Hahahahaha! I’ve got you now! I’m… I’m… wait… what… WHAT THE HELL!?!” Leopard Moth exclaimed as Cinema drew steadily closer to him. “Th… this is impossible! You… you can’t… there’s no WAY you could be withstanding that blast!” he shrieked. Growling, he increased the power, adding in all his suit’s reserve power, sending Cinema back several feet… only to gape in disbelief as she regrouped, barreling back towards him again. Reaching him, her face tense with pain and fury, she stretched a hand around the turret, blocking it. The blowback caused Leopard Moth’s suit to explode, leaving the defeated villain completely powerless.

Panting softly, Cinema briefly considered letting the moronic buffoon hit the pavement as he plummeted towards the ground below… but ultimately decided that a real heroine saves EVERYONE, even those that don’t deserve it. Sighing deeply, she zipped down, snatching up the smoking charred villain inches before making contact with the ground. Glaring at the stunned and dazed, villain, she set him roughly back onto the pavement once more. “All right, Bug Boy,” she smirked, “you be a good boy and stay there while I go help my friends wrap up the rest of your little group.”

Moth scowled up at her. “Damned arrogant little bitch,” he grumbled. “You think you’re hot shit. But just you wait. This isn’t over. I’ll be back. And next time I won’t—”

::SILENCE!:: Cinema intoned, tapping into her psionic powers. The villain’s eyes widened, nearly bulging, as his mind was assaulted. Unable to resist, his eyes rolled up into the back of his head, and he collapsed onto the ground, stunned, his mind shutting down completely. “Now, you sit there and shut up,” she commanded the mindless thrall, “and contemplate your actions. And when the police show up, you go with them peacefully. Understand?”

“Yes, Mistress,” Leopard Moth replied blankly, a line of drool running down the edge of his broken and ruined mask. “I understand. I obey.”

Cinema nodded. It wasn’t nearly as rewarding using her power on men as it was on hot sexy women, but being able to shut down annoying little pricks like that more than made up for it. Now then, she thought to herself, turning back towards the depository, I’d better go and check on the others, and see how they’re doi—

Only to find herself skidding across the ground, skipping and rolling like a pebble, coming to rest against the side of a parked car. Shaking her head, sitting up, she groaned inwardly at the sight of Stonewall Jackson staring down at her, smirking, cracking the knuckles of his heavy ham-sized fists. “Nice cheap shot earlier, kid,” he grumbled, his voice deep and gravelly, “tossing that living tin can at me. But it takes more than THAT to take ME down.”

He chuckled darkly as she rose to her feet. “I’ve gone toe to toe with the biggest heavy hitters this city has! I’ve taken shots from Omega Girl herself!” he bragged as Sabrina dusted herself off. “So if you think you’ve got any chance of stopping me, you’d better—”

WHAAAMMM!

The ground itself shook with a minor earthquake as Stonewall hit the pavement hard, and stayed down. Cinema winced, shaking her fist which stung with pins and needles. “Ow… ow ow ow… fuck, talk about a damned hard head,” she muttered, rubbing her aching fist. “Lacie wasn’t kidding when she said that guy had a hard head! I’ve smashed concrete and steel in my bare hands, no problem, but I swear that guy’s head is harder than Nth metal.” Sighing, she turned her attention back towards the depository once more.

Inside the vault, the trio of heroines were having more than a few problems. Splash and Sunbeam were holding their own for the moment, fighting against a mob of brainwashed civilians, normal women under the hypnotic control of their Mistress, who merely stood by watching avidly as her minions fought on her behalf. A normal enough situation under most circumstances, facing off with a villain’s henchmen, their hands were basically tied in trying to take down their opponents without actually hurting them. Of course, the brainwashed girls were under no such stipulations, all of them unskilled novices at fighting, yet attacking with a zeal and fervor that more than made up for their lack of training.

That, and the fact that they were fighting no less than fifteen of the villainess’ minions.

“Mhuahuahauhua!! Having trouble, heroes?” Lady Enthalla remarked, sitting down on the kneeling form of one of her minions, using the brainwashed girl as a chair, crossing her legs idly. “Too bad. Just say the word, and I’ll be happy to end your suffering by adding you to my collection of obedient slaves.”

“Yeah... ughh… not gonna happen!” Janika grunted, ducking a fist, striking a blow of her own, downing the hapless girl, and knocking her unconscious, only to gasp and stumble back from a kick from another minion stepping in to take her place. “Ugh… dammit… this is getting us nowhere…”

“Hmph… you guys have it easy,” Gwen called out from across the room, struggling under the weight of her OWN crowd of brainwashed thralls. “At least you guys are… look… only fighting one or two... uhh… at a time!” she grunted, tanking a hit to the chest, lashing out with a punch of her own. “I’m fighting all the rest in a virtual dogpile! And I’m having to hold WAY back to keep from hurting any of ’em!” She sighed, panting, feeling majorly drained. The fight against Steelskin and Stonewall had tired her out more than she’d let on, and the fact that she hadn’t had a chance to feed properly before the battle had begun meant that she was in a little bit of trouble. Normally, a crowd of mere humans would have been less than an inconvenience; even holding back, she could have zipped across the room, knocking each girl out with a simple ‘love tap’ in less than the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, she was running on fumes. And getting weaker and weaker by the moment.

“Y-yeah,” Tina groaned, dropping down to her knees, dazed for a moment from the kick to the side of the head, she’d taken. Rolling to the side, she managed to avoid the follow-up, swinging out her legs to footsweep her attacker, nailing her with a short jab to the chin before getting back to her feet. Groaning as two more opponents swarmed in to attack her as well. “We could use a bit of backup at this point!” she called out in frustration.

Suddenly a bright blast of light lit up the room, causing everyone to cry out and shield their eyes. When the light faded, however, all of the brainwashed women were down, groaning softly, twitching, as small arcs of electricity flowed over their stunned bodies. “Ask and ye shall receive,” Armor Girl quipped, lowering her gauntlets, and striking a victory pose. “Nothing like a wide dispersal stun beam to thin out those pesky crowds, eh, ladies?” Turning to face the villainess in charge, she raised a hand towards her again. “So, Mesmo-bitch, wanna make it easy on yourself and just give up now?”

Frowning, bristling at the insult, Lady Enthralla stood up, glaring back at the armor-clad heroine. “Hah. Big talk coming from a walking tin can! I dare you to try saying that in my face, Metal Mouth!”

“Hah! Gladly,” Erika announced, stepping boldly up to the villain, and staring her down.

“What the fu… Armor Girl, No!” Sanguine called out. “You freaking idiot! She’s a mind controller!”

“So?” Armor Girl replied back, smugly, grinning at the blonde-haired villainess. “My helmet is shielded to protect me from… from… any kinds… of… hypno… hyyypppnooo…” she trailed off, eyes widening as she stared deeply into Lady Enthralla’s gorgeous green eyes. Eyes that seemed to sparkle and glow like emeralds… a green glow that seemed to reflect in her own eyes, blotting out everything else, including thought. A soft sigh escaped her lips, as her mind skidded completely to a stop, and Lady Enthralla laughed gleefully in triumph.

“Goddammit,” Sunbeam muttered, as she and her team stood up warily, as the now hypnotized Armor Girl turned to face them. “I guess someone failed to realize tech tends to fail when going against magic. Now we have to face down one of our own… one equipped with a goddamn arsenal of weapons at her fingertips!”

“Too true,” Lady Enthralla chirped. “So, about my previous offer for you to surrender peacefully… care to reconsider?” she asked, gesturing with a hand, as Erika readied her weapons, locking onto all of them.

“Hmmm… I’m going with ‘No’,” Cinema replied, walking into the room to stand in front of the others. Lady Enthralla’s smile faded, turning into a frown. “So… just to give you the same courtesy you showed my friends… would YOU like to consider surrendering peacefully?”

Scowling, the villainess shook her head. “Not a chance. Not sure who the hell you THINK you are, but Lady Enthrall bows down to NO ONE! Indeed,” she said, smirking, eyes beginning to glow, “all of YOU will bow down to me—uuurrrkkkk!” Her taunt was cut off, eyes going wide, glazing over, the emerald glow fading from them as she stood there, utterly stunned.

“I have a better idea, bitch,” Sabrina replied, smirking wickedly. “How about you drop to your knees right now, crawl over here, and start kissing, and licking my boots?”

Lady Enthralla nodded, smiling vacantly. “Yes… of course, my Love, my Mistress, my Owner,” she babbled submissively, falling to her knees, and crawling forward to obey, kissing and licking the tall redhead’s thigh-high boots with pure love and devotion. Sabrina couldn’t help but laugh with glee, the rush of dominance filling her, the sheer joy of having a haughty arrogant bitch reduced to submissive pandering at her feet. But… in a moment of clarity, she brushed away such feelings, remembering herself. Grimacing slightly, embarrassed at the looks the other girls were giving her, she drew back from the brainwashed villain.

“Okay, that’s enough,” she stated with actual regret. “Just sit there calmly for now.” As the enthralled Enthralla’s submissive reply, she grinned sheepishly at her comrades. “Sorry. Got a little… carried away there.”

Gwen merely chuckled. “No need to apologize. Believe me, I understand all too well. I’ve been known to get a little… ahem… carried away when subduing an enemy. Or, in some cases, even a comrade,” she added with a smirk, glancing notably at Tina and Jan, both of whom blushed deeply. At any rate, I think this is a wrap. We just need to convince Enthralla to release all of her slaves, along with our metal-clad friend over there,” she added, gesturing to the still mindlessly obedient Armor Girl, and we can call it a day—nnnhhhhhhh!” she broke off, wincing slightly, clutching the side of her head. Sabrina frowned, spotting Splash and Sunbeam reacting the same way, just as a wave of sudden dizziness swept through her as well.

“Now, now, ladies,” a new voice spoke up as a pair of heels click-clacked loudly on the tiled vault floor as a young woman slowly strode into view. “I think it’s still too soon to say this encounter is decided just yet.” A dusky-skinned dark-haired Latina stepped into view, smirking slightly at the group of heroines. “Looks like you seem to have miscounted,” Empathy continued, walking over to the kneeling Enthrall, tapping her lightly on the cheek. “There are FIVE Lethal Enforcers. And you’ve only defeated four of us so far.”

“Hnnn… f-fine, then,” Splash grumbled, rallying, shaking her head to clear the cobwebs. “You’re the last one, Empathy. And we both know you’re no fighter. Should be easy enough to put you on your ass!”

Rather than be intimidated, the dark-haired woman merely laughed. “Really?” she mused, eyebrow raised. “Then let’s test that theory shall we? C’mon, then,” she said in challenge, raising her fists, and turning to face Splash. “Show me what you’ve got!” She took a step towards the blue-clad heroine, who gasped, eyes widening, taking a step back. “Well?” Empathy taunted her, taking another step towards her, grinning wider as the heroine began to shake, continuing to back away. “Aren’t you going to fight me?”

“I… I mean… t-t-t-that is…” she stuttered, eyes still wide and dilated. Smirking, Empathy suddenly advanced another step, and Splash yelped, jumping back in obvious fear. Laughing gleefully, her enemy raised her hands simply saying ‘Boo!’ and Splash lost it, screaming in abject terror, scurrying back to the far corner of the room, clutching herself, shaking, completely overcome.

“Fuck! You bitch!” Sunbeam growled, angry. “What the FUCK did you do to her?”

Empathy simply grinned. “Isn’t it obvious? I scared her.” She continued to grin as Sunbeam snarled, utterly enraged, powering up her powers, charging for a major blast. Cinema blinked, taking a step back, however, as the angered heroine was pointing and glaring, not at Empathy, but at Her!

“H-hey! Sunbeam? Whoa! What the hell are you doing? Why are you targeting me?” she asked, stepping back again. “I didn’t do anything! It’s her! The girl with the pink highlights!”

“You… you fuck… fuck… bitch… fucking bitch, fucking bitch, FUCKING BITCH!” Sunbeam continued to chant, her entire body glowing now, both hands extended, her mind utterly consumed with rage, reason, and logic having long since departed. “I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!” she screamed, letting loose, firing a massive Sunbolt that sent Cinema flying across the room… through the wall, and back out into the streets above. Sagging back, drained literally to the dregs, Sunbeam collapsed, panting heavily, before passing out from the strain.

“Dammit! ‘Beam!” Sanguine yelled, frustrated and confused, not sure what to do. She growled, hands clenched tightly. Her friend was obviously out of control, being affected by Empathy’s emotion-warping powers. She’d already induced intense fear and terror in Splash, and uncontrollable rage in Sunbeam. And… it felt like she was being affected as well, though she was still in her right mind. She knew what was happening, and that she needed to act, to do something to stop Empathy and snap the others out of their crazed states. But… for the life of her, she couldn’t figure out what to do!

Ugh… what do I do? Should I check on Cinema? No… no, she’s fine. Hell, she’d practically invincible. She’s probably not being affected like the rest of us. Should I… should I wait for her to come barreling back in? Should I let HER deal with Empathy? She frowned. No, I should help Splash and Sunbeam somehow… try and snap them out of this… but… which one? Who do I go to first? Or… should I try and wake up Armor Girl? Erika’s practically out on her feet… but if she snaps out of it, one of her gadgets could fix all of this! Dammit… I can’t decide! What do I do? What do I do? Gaahhh! WHY CAN’T I MAKE A DECISION?!?

Empathy laughed again. “Uh oh! Looks like someone’s frozen in indecision,” she taunted Gwen, walking around her, reaching out to caress the vampire girl’s cheek. “That must really suck, huh? All that strength and speed, all that power and ferocity… yet you can’t act because you can’t even make a simple little choice about what to actually do!” She sighed, shaking her head. “So sad. So so sad.”

She glanced up, eyebrow raised, however, as Cinema returned, stepping back in through the hole she’d made earlier. “And then there’s you. Haven’t seen you before, but from the way you manhandled our muscle and brain-blasted Enthralla, I’d say you’re the real deal.” She grinned, tapping her chin idly. “Let’s see… what’s a good emotion to force upon you, hmm?”

Sabrina blinked, then scowled, eyes narrowing. “Emotions, huh? So you’re an empath, then.” Taking a deep breath, she began focusing her own power. “Then I need to take yo… tak… ooohh.... take you down… down… mmmmm…” she mumbled, trailing off, her mind swirling. She shook her head, struggling to clear the fog, even as she found herself actually sinking to her knees. Her vision swam momentarily, but when it cleared, she found herself staring up at the single, most stunningly beautiful, ravishing, amazing, and sexy woman she had ever seen in her entire life. Her jaw visibly dropped, and before she’d even realized it, she had started crawling forward on her knees, her head perfectly level with Empathy’s crotch… which was quickly exposed as the Latina deftly slid down the tight, black leather pants of her costume to reveal her panty-less and clean-shaven pussy.

“Ohhhh yeessss!” she purred, sighing in pleasure as the heroine surged forward, diving in, licking and slurping at the V between her thighs with fervor. “OOhhh fuuuccckkk yeesss! Mmm… I just KNEW hitting you with uncontrollable LUST was the way to go!” she crowed in triumph. She sighed softly, closing her eyes in contentment. This was the way a true villainess conquered her foes and reaped the rewards of conquest. And even though she knew she would eventually have to wake that snooty bitch Enthralla up and have her program these so-called heroes to be their properly obedient and permanent slaves and have them finish loading up the gold for them, for now, she was more than content to simply to bask in the pleasure being given to her.

“Ohhh yeaah… fuck, you’re damn good at this,” she stated with a laugh, spreading her legs, giving the lust-addled hero more room to work. “Good girl… that’s a good little fuck slave! Really get your tongue up in there… mmm… YEAH! Just like that! Yes, eat me, hero!” she groaned, head going back in pleasure. “Mmmm… you make an excellent slut-slave… Ooohh fffuuuuck, I might just... have to keep you when this is all said and done…” she chuckled softly as she took the broken heroine by the back of her head and pushed and held her face tight against her juicing pussy.

For her part, Sabrina merely grunted, anger and frustration warring with the unbridled lust consuming her. Empathy’s pussy was a fountain overflowing with the nectar of the gods, and she was a woman coming out of the desert after a week without food or water. Gripping Empathy more firmly by the hips, she physically could not restrain herself from licking and lapping endlessly at the pussy before her, her own needy pussy enflamed by the sheer desire and satisfaction she felt as she sucked at Empathy’s clit. Her own fingers found the hidden seam within her costume, slipping deftly through to tease her own wet dripping pussy, a deep soulful moan escaping her lips in pleasure at the contact.

Empathy laughed gleefully. Her control over her subjects was only temporary, and rather limited as opposed to her partner Lady Enthralla’s hypnotic abilities, controlling their emotions instead of actually controlling their minds. It forced her to be a bit more creative in the use of her powers. But in cases such as this, it could be much more useful and fun than simply hijacking someone’s will and forcing thoughts into their minds. No, people could actively resist and fight brainwashing, but very few possessed the discipline to resist having their own emotions turned against them.

“That’s it, Cine-bitch!” she crowed, chuckling again, spreading her legs wider. “Really get up in there! Eat me out really good. Make your Mistress cum like the hot horny little slut you are!”

She sighed, groaning. Not that her slut needed such encouragement—with the amount of sheer lust she had pumping into the girl she would be unable to do anything BUT fuck and suck as if her life depended on it.

“Uhhh… uhhh… yeah… yeah, just like that,” she moaned, grabbing Cinema’s face, ramming it harder and deeper into her pussy. “Eat your Mistress, you goddamn slut! Fuck yes! Ooohhhh man! Nhhhhh! Oohhh yeess!” she hissed.

“Mmmm… after a few more minutes of this, I think I’ll have you eat my ass as well… make you fuck my asshole with that fucking thick hot tongue of yours! Then… uhhh… then I’ll have you… make you... kiss my feet… suck on my toes… mmmmmm… and if you do a really REALLY good job… I might even let you cum! Hahahahaha!”

“Oohhhhh fffuuucckkk yesss!”

Cinema hissed, her mind little more than a bowl of mush, Empathy’s degrading words merely stoking the fires of her lust. The idea of being controlled, being forced by a villain, by this bitch… angered her on some level… but that anger was merely channeled into the all-consuming lust, not gaining any traction. She couldn’t stop licking, couldn’t stop fucking her own needy pussy with her own fingers, couldn’t even bear to THINK about tearing herself away. Slitting her own throat would be easier.

“Oohhh fuck… so hot... so good… soo… soo… fuccckkk!!”

Sabrina knew she was in trouble! She knew she was losing herself in the moment. Surrendering herself to her desire. Submitting to her lover’s need, giving her best, her all, simply needing to make her cum, needing to please this divine beauty of a woman!

Succumbing to her own inner slut, reveling in her decadence.

Serving her lover’s seemingly bottomless pleasure.

Serving… serving…

“Grrrrrr…” Cinema finally managed, fingers clenching tightly, curling inside her, letting her body go on autopilot, no longer trying to fight or resist, giving in to her lusts, all the while channeling her anger and frustration into her will and the momentary bit of clarity to remember who and what she was.

With a sudden surge of pure willpower, she lashed out, zapping Empathy with a psionic blast, stunning her, and rendering her a mindless zombie. Triumphant, she then grabbed the haughty woman, pushed her to the ground, deactivated her Neuroweave costume, and slid her naked pussy over the stunned woman’s face. “Uhhh... I don’t… serve ANYONE… bitch!” she rasped, even as she spun around into a sixty-nine position, lowering her face back towards Empathy’s pussy once again. “You… serve me! Now… fuckin’ make me cum, you goddamn slut!” she roared before diving back in, tongue first.

“Mmmmmm… yffth… Mtthrrsss…” the entranced Empathy replied, obediently licking away at the still lustful heroine, as they both began an endless cycle of mind-bending orgasmic bliss…

Ah. Home sweet home, Priss mused silently to herself as she tossed a few bills to the cabbie, walking to the front gate of her parent’s mansion. Or so they say. Sighing heavily, she pressed the buzzer and waited patiently. After a few seconds, a familiar voice spoke up.

“Rutherford Residence, Wadsworth speaking,” the butler replied to the speaker. “How may I help you?”

“It’s Priss, Reg,” she answered. “I’m out. Open the gate will ya?”

Pause. “Miss Priscilla? Is that truly you?” the butler replied, shocked.

“Yeah, it’s me. Can you buzz me through now?” she asked, frowning.

Again, another pause. “Forgive me, Miss Priscilla… but your parents… they would not be happy at your, ah… rather sudden and unannounced visit—”

“Like I said, I was released earlier today,” Priss cut him off. “The taxi just dropped me off. Do me a favor and let me in. I’m tired and irritable, and I REALLY don’t want to have this conversation through the speakerphone!”

Another pregnant pause… then:

“Very well, Miss,” Reginald replied wearily, buzzing her through, as the heavy wrought iron gate swung open. Nodding to herself, Priss made her way up the driveway to the mansion’s main entrance. Before she could knock, the door swung wide open, and the familiar face of Reginald Wadsworth greeted her. “Welcome home, young Miss,” he stated formally, stepping aside to allow her in. “I regret to inform you that your parents are not here at this time.”

“Yeah, I figured,” Priss replied with a roll of her eyes. Indeed, she’d planned specifically on arriving at a time she knew neither parent would likely be home. Mother and Father were rarely in residence as it was, usually traveling abroad, or attending some kind of function or meeting. But considering the last time she’d seen them both, she had preferred to arrive when they were both away. Having them both gone would make what she had planned so much easier. “Do you expect them back again any time soon?” she inquired.

“No, Young Miss,” the butler replied, giving her a detailed once-over, noting a lack of luggage or belongings. “I do not know the details of your parents’ schedule, but I do believe they will not be returning until sometime tomorrow at the earliest.”

Perfect. “Very well. As I said, I am tired. And hungry. I’d like to have a bite to eat, a long hot bath, and then a nice relaxing nap in my own bed. In that order,” she added, yawning lightly.

“Very good, young Miss,” he replied, moving to the small intercom on the wall. “Mary, the young Mistress has returned. She will be wanting lunch. Do be a dear and prepare some sandwiches for her, along with a cup of tea, and have it brought up to her room.” Pressing a second button, he contacted the chambermaid. “Felicia, please prepare the upstairs bath. Mistress Priscilla has returned and wishes to bathe straightaway.” Receiving confirmation, he turned back to her. “Is there anything else I might do for you, young Miss?” he asked.

“No, no, Reg, that should be just fine,” she replied, yawning again. “Thank you for your concern,” she added, shocking the elderly man, having never received anything close to gratitude from the normally self-absorbed heiress before. “It has been a very trying few years. But I am home now… and I am just looking to put all that behind me. It’s time to begin a new stage in my life.”

The old man smiled, nodding. “Very good, young Miss. I will leave you to it then,” he said, walking away. “And, Miss? It is good to have you back.”

Priss smirked. “It’s good to BE back, Reg,” she replied, nodding to herself. And she had spoken true—she was indeed ready to begin the next stage of her life. Not that she was planning to change her ways and live a peaceful life. No… she was preparing to gear up for her war against the heroes of this city… specifically against those who had dared to stand up against her previously. This time, she would prevail. This time, she would WIN! And the entire world would bear witness.

Yes… and it all starts here, at home, she mused to herself, heading upstairs towards her old room. After a bit of a rest, I’ll head down to Father’s study. It shouldn’t be too hard to break into his computer and do a bit of money laundering and change of ownership to help finance my new lifestyle. She chuckled darkly. And who knows? If I’m feeling generous, I might actually leave him and Mother enough in their joint account to afford a few week’s stay at a good motel while they try and get back onto their feet. Nodding to herself, yawning again, she sighed. But first… a bit of rest.

“Hey. You back with us there, sport?”

Sabrina blinked, shaking her head a bit to clear out the cobwebs. “Huh? Wha… oh! OH!” she yelped, sitting up, realizing that she was stark naked. Blushing, she reactivated her Neuroweave and then glanced around the room. “Ah, um.. s-so, everyone seems to be okay now? We’re all back to normal?”

Sanguine nodded. “Yeah. Pretty much. Whatever you did to Empathy broke the rest of us out of her spell, and we snapped out of it pretty quick.”

“Yeah,” Splash added with a smirk. “We, ah… didn’t want to interrupt you until you were done, though. Not sure exactly what emotion she hit you with, but if it was as intense as what she blasted me with, well… I figured you needed to work it out of your system on your own.”

Sabrina blushed heatedly. “You could say that again,” she murmured, staring down at the still-dazed form lying on the ground, tongue idly licking the air. She sighed and shook her head. “Okay, first things first. Damage control. Lady Enthralla,” she barked, getting the attention of the quietly kneeling woman, “wake up everyone under your spell and set them free.”

“Yes, Mistress, of course,” the blonde villainess replied primly, getting back to her feet.

“As for you, Empathy,” she continued, scowling. “Get up, get dressed, and head outside with the rest of your crew. If any of them wake up, use your powers to keep them pacified until the police show up.”

“Yes, Mistress,” she replied with a nod. “Right away.”

Watching the sexy curvaceous villain walk away, she couldn’t help but sigh. Despite the woman’s mental tampering fading, she still felt a surge of lust watching her ass sway as she walked away. Damn. Right about now, I am really wanting to head back home to Mom and Ana in the worst way, she thought. Her thoughts were thankfully interrupted as Gwen cleared her throat, regaining her attention.

“So, um… Cinema? Thanks for helping us out,” she said sincerely. “You totally kicked ass. I was thinking, maybe we could… I dunno, hang out sometime? You know… as friends, comrades in arms, that sort of thing?” She shrugged, glancing away. “You’re kinda new to all this… and me and the girls, we’ve been doing it a while longer, but we’re still new as well.” She shrugged again. “I mean… no pressure. If you want—”

“SURE!” Sabrina replied with a smile. “That sounds great! Yeah, I’d love to get to know you guys better.”

“Heh, heh… get to know them the way you ‘got to know’ Empathy over there?” Armor Girl teased, fully awake and aware again.

“Quiet, you walking Rust Bucket!” Sabrina shot back, glaring in embarrassment as the other broke into giggles.

“You know,” Sunbeam remarked, smirking, “I actually wouldn’t mind getting to know you THAT WAY, personally,” she quipped. Erika blinked, and Sabrina grinned.

“Me either,” Splash chimed in. “Hell, I was actually kind of envious of Empathy there at the end.”

Gwen chuckled as well. “C’mon you horndogs. Enthralla’s just about done deprogramming all of her minions, who are all looking a bit dazed and confused. We can continue this later, after we get the civilians straightened out, and the bad guys locked up.” Nodding in agreement, they all filed back out of the depository one after the other, though Gwen hung back until Cinema got close. “And, well,” she whispered softly. “I agree with those two wholeheartedly. I would like to get to know you in the biblical sense as well… though we might have to discuss which one of us gets to play the ‘lead role’ in things if you get what I mean.”

Sabrina chuckled. “Well, I always take the lead,” she informed the sexy vampire, giving her a long slow once-over, “but I AM open to compromise. On occasion. We’ll just have to see.” Blushing lightly, Gwen shook her head, then followed after her.