The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“Okay, okay... I’m sorry. But explain this to me again, please,” Janika asked as she and the others exited the theaters. “So... in this world, do ALL the animals talk and have intelligence? Or is it JUST the dogs?”

I sighed heavily, rubbing my temples. “It’s not EVERY animal,” I muttered, wondering again why, after just having sat through a gruesome gore fest, we were even having this discussion. “It’s mostly the dogs. However, you later find out that the cats can talk as well. Um... certain cats. I’m not sure where the divide is,” I admitted. “I mean, the main villain, Mayor Humdinger, he has a bunch of cats that he uses to cause trouble and general mayhem... and they don’t talk. Although, it might be that they just won’t talk rather than they can’t talk. Later on, a group of nice cats form their own hero team along with the Paw Patrol, and they talk and all work together just fine.”

Tina smirked, barely holding back a chuckle as Janika asked a follow-up question. “But what about the other animals in that world? I mean... pigs? Chickens? Lizards? Cows? Do any of them show any kind of intelligence?”

“I... er... no, not really,” I grunted, shaking my head. “In fact, there’s kind of a running gag about the mayor’s prized pet, a chicken, that is so stupid it regularly gets itself into life-threatening situations that the Paw Patrol has to save it from...” At this point, both Jan and Tina burst out into laughter. I scowled back at them, arms crossed. “I see. So this was just the two of you trolling me, then?”

“No, no... well... okay, maybe a little,” Tina admitted, still giggling. “But c’mon, Gwen! You took it all so seriously! It’s kind of hard NOT to mess with you a bit about knowing so much about this kid’s show.” Her smile faded a bit as she noticed my expression... particularly my eyes flashing red, and the extending of my fangs. “But... um, y-yeah, obviously we took it a bit too far,” she said hastily, sweating slightly. “And for that, we honestly apologize, don’t we Jan?”

“Oh! Um, y-y-yeah, totally!” she added, nodding vigorously. “We’re really really sorry for picking on you! Honest!”

I continued to glare at them both that way for a long moment before nodding simply and turning around. To be fair, I wasn’t really that upset. We tended to goof on each other quite a bit now and again. Still, I AM a mother fucking VAMPIRE. And I felt it best that my two girls did remember to have at least a LITTLE fear and respect for me. Best to occasionally remind them of the pecking order, as it were.

“So, it’s still early yet. Want to go grab a bite to eat?” I asked, smirking as they immediately relaxed, knowing I wasn’t still pissed at them.

“Yeah, food sounds good. Any ideas?” Tina asked.

“Hmmm... we’re far enough uptown that we pretty much have our pick,” I mused aloud, “though we’re not exactly dressed for someplace fancy. Hmmm... how about burgers? In and Out?”

“Pass,” Jan remarked, wrinkling her nose. “We eat there WAY too much. I want something different. How about seafood?” she asked, glancing around. “Bonefish? I love their Bang Bang shrimp...”

I shook my head. “The wait time there is just ridiculous without a reservation.” I sighed. “What about a diner? IHOP or Denny’s sound good? We can pretty much order anything we want from there.” Tina and Jan just shrugged. “Okay, if you have no objections, let’s head for the diner section.”

A short jaunt later, we stood at the intersection of Reed Avenue, as the two of them debated on whether to go left to Denny’s or right to IHOP. I only vaguely listened, not really caring one way or the other. They were both pretty much the same in my book. And, really, I didn’t even NEED to eat solid food. My nutrition was obtained through... ‘other means’ if you get my drift. But I did enjoy eating for the taste if nothing else. And sharing a meal with my two friends was always a delight.

Standing there, waiting for the pair to finalize a decision, I found my attention sharply directed in another direction entirely. My eyes narrowed, my hackles raised, and my fangs emerged again as I began glancing stealthily around the area. My enhanced senses had detected the faint but easily recognizable scent of fresh blood nearby. Narrowing my focus, I turned, sniffing lightly, only to scowl as another familiar and unpleasant scent registered. Fuck, I muttered silently, glancing around. The street was mostly deserted at the moment, with no traffic in the area. Forcing myself into calmness, I turned back to my friends as they finally announced their decision.

“IHOP it is,” Tina stated firmly. “They are just more of a ‘breakfast style’ restaurant. And I for one am in the mood for pancakes!”

Janika giggled, “Fine, fine, Akechi... you and your ‘delicious pancakes’,” she teased. “I have to admit, I am kind of jonesing for a ‘Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity’ right about now. What about you, Gwen?”

“Yeah, sounds great,” I muttered with absolutely no conviction, as I stood there, mind racing. Jan and Tina shared a look, but I was beyond caring at this point. Something bad was about to go down, and I needed to get them out of the area ASAP! “In fact, why don’t you two go on in, find us a nice booth, and order. I’ll... be along shortly.”

“You’ll be along?” Janika asked, frowning. “Gwen, what is it? Is something wrong?”

“Yeah,” Tina chimed in, obviously concerned. “You’re acting strange. What’s—”

Her words cut off suddenly as I shifted my gaze to her. My eyes, pure scarlet now, bored deep into her own, into her very psyche. I’d let loose with my vampiric hypnotic gaze, freezing her mind in mid-thought. Before she could react, I shifted my gaze to Janika as well, stealing her free will and rendering her likewise docile and compliant. “Alright ladies. Listen and obey,” I ordered in a soft but firm voice. “You will both walk into IHOP and order food just as planned. You’ll sit there quietly and calmly, ignoring anything out of the ordinary happening outside. And you won’t think anything of me taking a while to get back to you. That’ll be completely normal. You won’t question it. Understood?”

Both heroines nodded woodenly. “Yes, Mistress,” Tina replied in a flat empty tone. “I understand. I will obey.”

“I understand and will obey, Mistress Gwen,” Janika replied in an equally hollow monotone.

“Good girls,” I murmured, nodding to myself as they headed into the restaurant. Sighing inwardly, I then turned, staring out at the tree line. “You can come out now,” I said loudly, arms crossed. “I can tell you’re there. Step out into the light, and let’s get this over with.”

After a long moment, the person I’d sensed did as requested. I winced slightly as they appeared, a face I hadn’t seen in a number of years, decades, really. And despite this, she looked exactly as she had the last time our paths had crossed. Well... aside from the blood dripping from her face and hands, that is. “Amber Reyes,” I muttered, shaking my head. “And here I’d thought you’d gone and bought the farm years ago in a helicopter crash during your failed attempt to enslave Omega Girl and take over the city.”

The tall dusky-skinned woman scowled back at me. Her long glossy hair, still dark, held telltale traces of silver now, her face sporting a few small wrinkles at the eyes, but otherwise, still looked young and vital. Take note of that, kids. Next to vampire blood, having the blood of a werewolf running through your veins was a great way of fighting off the ravages of time. “Ah, Gwendolyn,” she sniffed arrogantly. “I thought I smelled something foul in the air. I thought at first it was merely rotting meat coming from one of these fast food establishments...”

A growl escaped my lips. As you can guess, there was absolutely no love lost between me and this furry-assed bitch. Another fun fact. Forget what you’ve learned from the media and literature, folks. Between vampires and werewolves, the fuzzballs are the MUCH more virulent species. It’s actually pretty damn hard to convert another person into becoming a vampire. It takes a very specific set of circumstances for the change to occur, otherwise, the person would just become anemic for a while until their bodies replaced the blood lost, or they would simply die outright.

Werewolves, on the other, were more akin to an STD, easily able to infect and pass on traits with a deep enough bite or scratch. And like any other disease, it COULD actually be cured under the right conditions, if the symptoms had not yet progressed too far. As a result, there tended to be very few new vampires springing up every few decades, while you could literally be overrun with werewolves in just a matter of weeks, if you let them run amuck.

Fangs extended, I stepped forward, ready to charge at the crabby old bitch and rip her a new one, when she suddenly collapsed to the ground in front of me. “Huh... what the hell?” I mused aloud, suddenly noticing the front of her gown slowly turning crimson. “You’re... wounded?” I asked, frowning deeper, moving over to her side. “Hey, let me help you up,” I offered, reaching out a hand to her, only to have it slapped away.

“Don’t touch me, foul creature,” she hissed, glaring at me, baleful yellow eyes glowing in the night’s ambient light. “I do not need your help,” she stated as she forced herself back to her feet.

“Apparently not,” I quipped, arms crossed again. “So then, if you don’t need my help, what were you doing skulking in the shadows, watching me?”

“If you must know, I wasn’t after YOU, specifically,” she grunted. “I was after your two friends. As you... no doubt noticed, I have been wounded. I was shot... with a silver bullet,” she stated, wincing in pain. “A hunter, one remarkably well-versed in our kind,” she grudgingly admitted, “yet he underestimated my tenacity. Before he could bring me down, I escaped.” She shook her head. “This silver in my chest is poisoning me, forcing me to feed to replenish my strength.”

Amber grunted, panting heavily. “In truth, I’d actually been searching for a pair of so-called heroes that had just left my tavern over on Fifth a half-hour ago. I’d thought to seek their help fighting off this annoying gunman. Then, however, after he got a lucky shot, I became a bit less picky about who to turn to. My needs became a bit more defined as well… the main one being to replenish myself to help me fight off this accursed silver poison!”

My eyes narrowed again. “Ah huh. So that blood on your face and hands was from you feeding on some poor innocent citizen?” I snapped angrily. She hissed, hair spiking in response to the threat I represented.

“I did what I needed to do to survive!” she snapped back. “And the poor wretch I fed on was hardly an innocent!” She sighed, coughing, spitting up blood. “Damn... still weak,” she muttered. “So yes, Gwen... I wasn’t looking for you. I was looking for your two little friends… Aqua and Sunbird. And... I was hopeful that they might take me somewhere where I might find... some assistance,” she muttered softly.

“That’s Splash and Sunbeam,” I snapped, irritated. “And anyway, you’re a big girl, Amber. You don’t need them,” I pointed out, having no sympathy for the bitch. I’d tried to help her after all, and she’d literally slapped away my helping hand. “You know where the hospitals are located. Drag your sorry carcass to the emergency room and convince a doctor to remove the bullet. Simple and easy.” But Amber shook her head.

“Not so simple or easy, Gwen,” she replied with a weary sigh. “That was my first thought, yes... but this hunter, the man after me... he is no fool. He runs with a pack of his own. Arriving at the closest hospital, I spied his black van in the parking lot, waiting for me to show up. And his goons were standing by the entrances on the lookout as well.” She sighed again. “He is clever, this one. Were I at my full strength, I would not hesitate to meet him face to face... but I lost my advantage when he caught me unaware and first shot me.”

I grunted at that, debating. I really didn’t want to get involved in this. And, under normal circumstances, I probably wouldn’t. But... well, I was one of the city’s heroes now. Gwen might have taken great delight in watching the werewolf bitch bite the silver bullet and die screaming... but Sanguine was the kind of selfless hero that would save ANYONE in need... even wretched little devils like Reyes.

“Fuck it,” I growled, turning on my heel. “Come on. My truck is parked over here. I’ll drive you to another damned hospital, one on the far side of town, and on the off chance that this hunter guy has that one staked out as well, I’ll even run interference for you and keep him occupied while you’re being tended to.”

Amber growled but nodded warily. “I see. And... you would do this for me... why?” she asked.

I shrugged noncommittally “None of your business. Let’s just say I like the idea of you being indebted to me... knowing that of the two of us, I was a big enough person to help you when you needed it.” I smiled at that, feeling her glaring daggers into my back as we made our way through the parking lot... to where I’d—

Wait. Was that a black mini-van?

SNNIIIPPTTT!

A soft thud sounded as I felt an impact strike me in the back. Whirling around, I growled, spotting several men dressed in black riot gear complete with helmets, guns trained on me as they advanced slowly towards us. “What the... fuck, we’re surrounded!” I realized suddenly, glancing around at the crowd of men coming our way. Another impact and I slid a hand behind me, pulling what appeared to be a large tranquilizer dart from my right buttcheek. My eyes narrowed again. “Tranquilizers, huh? These guys must have no idea who they’re messing with,” I thought cracking my knuckles. “But they’re sure as hell about to find out!”

Or... not.

I pushed off with my right foot, intending to zip across the ground with my inhuman vampire speed, to batter and knock around the little soldier boys like a bunch of human life-sized dolls... only to stumble, gasping, panting heavily, as my vision began to swim. I shook my head, both in disbelief and to shake the cobwebs, as I felt myself getting weaker and weaker by the second. “What... the hell... why can’t I...?” I began, only to falter, collapsing to the pavement as my strength gave out completely. A moment later, Reyes followed suit, letting out a loud groan next to me, her own back pincushioned with numerous tranquilizers as well.

“Surprised?” a deep male voice spoke. I blinked, eyes bleary and tear-streaked, spotting a pair of black combat boots approaching, “It’s a little something I cooked up. Tell me, Sanguine... do you recall an incident a few months earlier, when a group of limey Brits decided to visit River City and basically run amuck?” He knelt down, and now I caught sight of the man’s face. Average face, perfect white teeth, dark brown eyes, and light sandy brown hair. No one I recognized. “Two women in particular... Vicky and Sonia. I think you might recall them having an altercation with the heroines Divine and Pinnacle a few times. And they brought with them a number of special items in preparation for anything or anyone they might have to face...”

I frowned a bit, his words tickling something in the back of my mind... until I recalled one incident in particular. “That fucking Vampire Mace,” I growled, struggling again to move, only able to whimper and wriggle awkwardly. The man nodded, clapping his hands slowly, mockingly.

“Excellent. Yes, as a matter of fact, they left behind more samples than the one your friend Frasier obtained. And, as a man of science myself, my curiosity was piqued, and I spared no expense in breaking down the compound and analyzing it. And I was able to make up something even more effective in neutralizing your kind.” He glanced over at Amber. “As for her,” he sneered, “well, I already had something prepared for her. She was the target, after all,” he added with a shrug, gesturing to his men. “Finding you, though... was a nice little bonus. Truthfully, I would have come for you eventually, but I’m grateful for having you fall right into my lap this way.”

Well... shit. This sucked. I could do pretty much nothing as the man’s goons loaded me and Amber into the back of his van. And I felt a bit conflicted, part of me wishing I hadn’t hypnotized Splash and Sunbeam to help me out of this mess... and part of me glad that they were out of it, safe and sound, and out of the enemy’s hands. That was good. Now... I just had to find a way to get myself out of this mess...

Hmmm... where the heck is it? Tawnya wondered to herself, searching around the office. She said she left it in her office, but I don’t see it on her desk, and it wasn’t in the file cabinet...

It was a bit perplexing, to say the least. Constance was always so methodical, always so organized and put together that the idea that she’d even forgotten the file at all only emphasized how much her ongoing issues with Katie were affecting her. The blonde had revealed their latest ‘date’ had ended on a less than successful note. Starting off well, Connie had loosened up and seemed to be enjoying herself. After a nice brisk lunch, they’d taken a walk out to the local park, simply talking, catching up a bit on each other’s lives, just simple innocent topics. And then at the end, before Katie was about to leave, she surprised her by pulling Connie into a hug. The dark-haired secretary had stiffened, stunned by the sudden move, which of course, Katie immediately noticed. Pouting, she pulled away, asking Connie if she was always going to react that way if she so much as touched her... which, naturally, led to a heated argument.

Thankfully, it ended quickly, with both sides apologizing, Katie for being short and Constance for overreacting. They agreed to take a short break the following week, with both of them being busy the next few days... but the incident had obviously affected both of them more than they’d been willing to admit. Tawnya couldn’t help but sigh at the whole thing.

Damn... I love them both, I truly do... but me, personally... I would have just said ‘fuck it’ to Constance long before now, she thought dimly, glancing around the room, walking over to the copying machine. Someone shuts me down that many times, I cut my losses. Seriously... Katie must have the patience of a freaking saint—Ah! Found it! she thought triumphantly, holding up the missing file folder. Looks like she put it down to make some copies and just forgot to pick it back up. Heh... I can’t count the number of times I’ve done that at the RCU English Lab during crunch time. Confirming it was indeed the correct folder, and that all the pages were intact, she moved away from the machine, preparing to teleport back home to Salem... when a suddenly bright blinding flash outside the window caught her attention.

Huh? What the heck was that? she wondered, rushing over, and peering outside. A moment later another bright flash streaked by, causing her to avert her eyes. Peering down, she spotted the source—an old ‘friend’ named Voltaire, who was fighting a woman in a familiar... pink and white costume?!?!

“Luminaire?” Tawnya yelled, peering down intently, extending her augmented sight to zoom in, only to sigh softly. “Ah... no. It’s Paper Doll. Right costume, but wrong hair. Plus the fact that Katie and Sioban are back at the capital, doing trick or treat with the kids. No way she’d be here in River City.” She sighed, debating for a moment, before placing the folder back on Connie’s desk. Paper Doll’s a really energetic and diehard heroine... but paper versus lightning’s not a good matchup. I’d better swoop down and lend her a hand. I can come by and pick up the file again when I’m done. Moving onto the balcony, she hit the window release and then stepped outside.

Down below, Claire Watson was quickly running out of ideas. She’d literally thrown everything she had at the silver-haired villainess, to no avail. The lightning-wielding woman had shot down her strongest attacks, burning her paper to a crisp. And while she felt confident that after all her training she could beat the older woman in a fistfight, Voltaire showed no signs of wanting to engage, content to merely hover in midair and bombard her with endless electric blasts.

The smug villainess crossed her arms. “Had enough, Confetti Girl?” she taunted, chuckling as Paper Doll picked herself back up off the ground, groaning loudly, hair frizzed and standing up from the discharge of a very near miss. “You’re getting a lot slower now, dear. You won’t be able to keep this up much longer. Why don’t you just give up and quit now... save yourself some pain and humiliation. You’re NEVER going to beat me.”

Panting, wiping a bit of blood trickling from her lip, Paper Doll shook her head. “No... way. Not going to... give you the satisfaction,” she said, glancing around, extending her senses for anything nearby she could possibly use as a weapon. Glancing up, she smirked. “How about... YOU surrender to ME instead?” she asked, surprising Voltaire. “Give up now, and I promise you, you won’t get hurt.”

Voltaire blinked, then burst out laughing. “Hahahahahahaaa... Oh, my gawd, that last blast must have scrambled your brains! Me? Surrender to you? Hah!” She smirked, powering up, arcs of electricity crawling over her body, as she extended her arms towards the plucky heroine. “I’m done playing around with you, Doll. It’s time for you to fry! Any last words?”

“Um, yeah, actually,” Paper Doll quipped, still smiling. “Look out behind you.”

“Look out behind me? Hah. As if I’d fall for that old tr—UUUHHMMPHH!” she grunted, collapsing suddenly as a beautiful black-haired, black-clad woman slammed into her from behind, tackling her and sending her plummeting down the last few feet to the ground below. Hitting hard, stunned by the impact, Voltaire could only glance up dazed at the sight of the raven-winged Tearbearer standing over her, grinning smugly.

“Sorry for blind-siding ya like that, Volty,” Ravenheart quipped, “but my friend Paper Doll DID give you ample warning.” Groaning, the villain mumbled incoherently for a moment, before slumping back to the ground, unconscious.

“Whew! Hey, Ravenheart, thanks for the save,” Paper Doll stated, greeting her friend with a hug. “Good to see you again! And, um, don’t take this the wrong way, but what the heck are you doing here? I thought you and your partners were out of town for this weekend?”

“Oh, well, we are... ah, I mean, they are...” she said, only to chuckle aloud. “I mean, we’re all back in Salem right now, but Constance forgot something back up in the Towers, so I offered to fly back and pick it up for her. I was actually just about to head back out when I saw you battling it out with Voltaire and decided to lend you a hand.”

“Well, I’m very glad you did,” Claire admitted. “I sort of just ran into her by accident coming out of the convenience store across the street. And yeah... I kind of bit off more than I could chew fighting her one-on-one.”

Tawnya chuckled. “Yeah, Volty can definitely be a handful if you’re not prepared. But you’re a resourceful girl. I think you still would have kicked her ass even if I hadn’t come along.”

“Thanks. That’s nice of you to say,” Claire replied, blushing slightly. She felt truly happy to have the big-hearted girl as her friend. Heh. And to think, Ally and I used to think she was just some arrogant, unfriendly snob, a brainiac we all used to call ‘The Prodigy’ behind her back. It wasn’t until we got to know the real her that we figured out that she was just shy and uneasy trying to fit in with all of us older girls. OH! Speaking of which...

“Hey, I just remembered,” Claire spoke up again, “a bit off topic but... did you do the homework for Ms. Brown’s class yet? You know, ‘the Rise and Fall of early Rome’ for her World Civilizations class?” Tawnya chuckled.

“Oh, that? Yeah, I actually finished it IN CLASS, before we left for the day.” Claire blinked, gaping at her. “Oh, well... don’t read too much into that.” She leaned in closer, whispering. “Don’t forget, we Tearbearers have a slight advantage in carrying the actual memories of the previous holders of our Tears, some of whom actually LIVED back during those days.”

Paper Doll groaned aloud, making Ravenheart giggle again. “Soooo not fair! I wish MY powers came equipped with ancient knowledge and experiences like yours.”

Tawnya sobered at her words. “Well... it’s not ALL fun and games, you know. A lot of the memories we hold aren’t exactly... pleasant,” she murmured, glancing away. “But, well, it’s just like anything else,” she added, forcing a smile, pushing away her dour mood. “You take the good with the bad.” Stepping back, she extended her wings. “At any rate, Doll, I’d better get going. I need to swing back by the office, and then head back to the capital. I’ll check in with you back on Monday before class. ’Kay?”

“Sounds good,” Claire remarked, nodding. “Besides, I’d better see about getting Miss Voltaire here carted off to jail while she’s still out cold.” Nodding to her friend, she let out a sigh and began scouting around for nearby paper to reshape and format into some useful restraints.

Airborne again, Tawnya let out a sigh of pleasure. Welp, that’s my good deed for the day, she mused, then chuckled, well, one of two, actually, I still need to bring that file back to Constance. And I do need to actually get back to studying again. World Civ might be done, but I still have plenty of other subjects to work on this weekend.

Mind occupied with thoughts of her studies, Tawnya was completely caught off guard when a sudden stinging pain registered in the small of her back. Shocked, she spun around, glancing about, senses extended in all directions, only to find no one there. Confused, she ran a hand back and pulled free a small tranquilizer dart. Realization struck her just as a wave of dizziness enveloped her.

Ohhh... oh shit! I’m being attacked, she realized dimly as her vision began to fade and weakness enveloped her body. Fuck... not good... I’m... I’m blacking out... whatever this shit is... fucking strong... healing factor... shoulda... burned it out, but... I’m... going... down... As she began to drop from the sky, her deeply trained reflexes kicked in, and even just barely conscious, she extended and flared her wings, catching the air even as she fell, turning her plummet into a lazy circling glide. Unconscious, she drifted slowly back down to earth, groaning softly as she hit the pavement, collapsing bonelessly to the ground.

Moments later, a familiar-looking man approached, surrounded by other men dressed identically in black riot gear. He sighed, shaking his head ruefully. “Not bad, kid,” he said aloud, reaching down to caress the sleeping girl’s cheek. “Not bad at all. My sharpshooter hit you straight on, and had the nets all spread out to catch you when you dropped... but even unconscious, you didn’t go down easy. Made us chase you over a city block just to catch up with you.” He smirked, shaking his head. “But no matter. You’re mine now, sweetheart. All mine.” He gestured with his hand. “Men... load her up into the van. But carefully,” he admonished, as they lifted the unconscious heroine, “and be mindful of her wings. I don’t want her damaged.”

“Okay, this is bad,” Jimmy mused aloud, scowling, he and Lana watching anxiously, as the small armed group loaded their friend Tawnya into a black unmarked van. “First she literally drops out of the sky across from us like a drunken pigeon or something... and now a bunch of masked guys show up and load her into a van? This is NOT a good thing.”

“I agree,” Lana remarked, scowling. “I’ve seen enough movies with Diane about this exact same kind of situation. We need to intervene, James. And right now!”

“I know, I know,” Jimmy said frowning. “Just give me a second to come up with a strategy.” He sighed softly. Huh... a pretty good number of guys. Looks like about ten of them, plus that guy that seems to be the leader. All of them armed... and from the looks of them with some pretty strange weapons. One guy has a... crossbow? And some grenades that definitely do NOT seem standard military issues. A bunch of glass vials and other stuff that I can’t even begin to imagine the purpose of. So... definitely not your run-of-the-mill kidnappers. Yes... this is all kinds of messed up, he concluded. Strategy—stay back and trail them covertly, and see what exactly we’re dealing with here—

“Splendida lux, caeca omnia!” Lana chanted loudly, standing up, hands extended, a circle of silver sparks floating above her head. A bright silvery flash lit up the entire area, causing the men to cry out in a panic. Smirking, Lana sprinted towards them, hands extended, already beginning another spell. Jimmy sighed heavily, hanging his head.

“—or we can just toss strategy completely out the window and just charge in headfirst,” he muttered, hesitating a moment to don his Neuroweave costume before sprinting off after the silver haired mage.

The hunters were caught completely unaware, taken down smoothly and efficiently. A barrage of silver sparks rendered a trio them a group of entranced zombies, while a spell of restraint immobilized two more. Meanwhile, Jimmy’s shadows struck and took down a pair of hunters that had shaken off the bright flash, removing them from the fight before they could counter, then showing a bit of martial arts prowess took down the last three men.

The leader, the last man standing, laughed aloud, clapping in approval as he stared down the pair, completely unfazed that his team had been taken down in just a matter of seconds. “Excellent! Excellent! Most impressive, both of you,” he said with enthusiasm. “You two make quite the powerful pair. As a River City native, I do recognize you, Mr. Darklight,” he said, nodding to Jimmy, “but I must confess, I am not familiar with your silver-haired companion.” He glanced at Lana. “Pardon me, Miss... but you are...?”

“You may refer to me simply as ‘Magus’,” Lana replied primly. “As for you, I care not what your name is. I only demand that you release the young woman you and your cronies attempted to kidnap, safe and sound.”

The man frowned slightly, tapping his chin as if considering. “Mmmm... alas, I’m afraid I cannot comply with your request,” he said with a smirk. “It took far too much effort to capture her. And with her somewhat errant and seemingly random patrols, it was a miracle to even come across her in the first place. I would be a fool to simply let her slip through my fingers.”

Lana’s retort died in her throat as the sound of multiple guns cocking sounded behind her. Turning around, she gasped at the sight of another twenty masked men in identical riot gear standing just behind them.

“And one thing you will learn about me, Miss Magus,” the leader replied smugly, “is that I am no fool.”

“Lana!” Jimmy called out, only to cry out loudly as a pair of twines struck him in the back followed by the rush of twenty-thousand volts ran through him. Shortly thereafter, Lana’s feminine cry rang out as well, as she too slumped to the ground twitching idly as the electricity worked its way through her body. Nodding, the leader gestured to his men.

“Get them loaded up in the backup van,” he ordered, stoically, barely suppressing the urge to chuckle menacingly. “Ah, yes... quite a windfall! Not only did we capture our target, but we managed to obtain two more as a bonus.” He let himself smile. “What are the odds of such elusive and necessary components just... falling into my lap this way? And on tonight, of all nights?” He chuckled aloud. “If I were a religious man, I might question what I’d done to right in my life to be granted such favor.” Shaking his head, he brushed aside such a fleeting notion. He was a man of science after all. Such thoughts of gods and goddesses were truly beneath him.

Moving to the lead vehicle, he slid into the passenger side. “Alright, men, we’re done for the night. Back to the hideout. We finally have everything we need,” he stated as his driver started the vehicle. “Incredibly, every last piece of the puzzle has been gathered. Now it’s time to put them all together... and for me to take my proper place in history...”