The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“Um, no. Nope. Uh-uh. I don’t think so. Sorry.”

“What?” I snapped, a bit perturbed at being shot down so easily. “What do you mean no? This is what all these weeks of training and exercise have been for! You said yourself that I’m finally ready to hit the streets. So why are you suddenly putting the kibosh on me going out tonight?”

Parker Albinn sighed deeply. “I said you were ready to head out, yes... but with a senior partner. You know, another established hero or heroine to have your back in case you get into trouble?” He crossed his arms at his chest. “You’re finally ready to go out, but not solo. It takes time for everything we’ve taught you to translate into instinct and for learning to become knowledge. The first six weeks of a hero or heroine are always the hardest, trying to learn what works and what doesn’t.” He sighed again, glancing away. “Right now, Aunt Eva is helping a young woman at the hospital recover both physically and mentally from HER attempt to go heroing solo. After getting her badge, she went out a few times by herself, got lucky, and thought she knew what she was doing... until she ran across a supervillain a little bit smarter and better prepared than her.”

I frowned slightly at that. “And what happened to her?”

“Just what you’d expect. He brainwashed her and turned her into his obedient minion, used and abused her for weeks at a time. He practically remade her into his evil henchman and used her to abduct and enslave other helpless young women, until Robotica managed to take down her and her boss. If it wasn’t for a friend of hers coming forward to tell the police how she herself had been abducted and enslaved, she might have very well gotten sent to prison instead of a hospital to get treated and deprogrammed.”

“And you think that’s going to happen to me?” I asked archly, eyebrow raised. “That on my first time out, some nefarious super villain will knock me out, take me back to their lair and turn me into his slave?” I groaned, rolling my eyes. There was concerned, there was protective, then there was freaking Parker Albinn. “Look, Parker, I’m not a child, okay? I might be a bit new to this hero thing, but I am waaaay older than the lot of you combined. I have centuries of experience. And, hell, not that it’s something to be proud of or anything, but I WAS a successful supervillain in my own right for quite a while,” I said with a smirk, “until some fool in red tights came along and wrecked everything.”

“Har de har har,” the fool in question replied with a smirk of his own. “Still, my point stands. I wasn’t exactly a rookie when you captured and turned me. And this kind of thing happens to experienced Supers more often than anyone would like to acknowledge, That’s why working in pairs is the best option, especially when you are just starting out.”

“Okay, fine! Then you be my partner tonight,” I said, looking him right in the eye. “If you’re so worried about me doing this my first time out then come with me and watch my back. You do it for Roni all the time... it shouldn’t be that big of a stretch—”

“I can’t,” he replied tersely, shaking his head. “Not tonight, anyway. I promised to go take Lucy to her practice session at the school in preparation for the school recital on Wednesday.”

I couldn’t help but laugh aloud at that. “Recital? Parker, it’s a bunch of grade school kids playing cheap plastic recorders in a gross approximation of actual music. No offense to dear Lucy, who I love like my own daughter... but listening to her practice for ten minutes was slightly less painful than having a root canal... and I hear that she’s one of the best in the group! An hour-long ‘recital’ will be nothing short of torture.”

“Hey, you don’t have to tell ME about it,” Parker grumbled. “I’m a human sound sponge remember? I know how bad this is going to suck! But... as a responsible father, I have to support my daughter in each and every pursuit.” He sighed softly. “Besides... I promised her I’d show up, and I can’t back out now... though I’m sure having ‘Auntie Venus’ there beside me cheering her on would actually make my suffering a little better—”

“Heh. Nice try, but no,” I cut him off smugly. “I already had a talk with little Lucy and told her that tonight was my debut as River City’s newest heroine. She said she was really excited for me, and she said, and I quote: ‘...to go out and beat up lots of bad guys and save lots of people. Coming to my recital isn’t as important as being a hero.’ So, you see, I got a pass.”

“Dammit, wish I’d thought of that first,” Parker swore, causing me to chuckle again. I did feel a little sorry for him. Again, I loved that adorable little pigtail wearing girl, but she was definitely no Orpheus. “Still... the fact remains that I can’t go out with you tonight, so we’ll have to postpone your first outing until tomorrow night.” I sighed, hanging my head. I didn’t like it, but if there was no other option...

“We could go out with her.”

Parker and I glanced up as Chloe Andrews and Rosella Contreras entered the room. I couldn’t help the small smile that creased my lips at the sight of them. And really, what’s not to like? Physically, they were very different—Chloe, with her short pixie-cut blonde hair, lithe slender athletic form, clear blue eyes, and slightly crooked smile, and Rosella, with her olive skin, long dark hair, soulful brown eyes, and her sexy, carefully sculpted curves that made her voluptuous but not fat. Both women were incredibly beautiful, and, as I knew from personal experience, fucking dynamite in bed.

They were also both extremely talented and experienced heroines. And after all the time we’d spent together, we knew each other like the back of the proverbial hand. Going out on patrol with one or both of them watching my back would be perfect—

“Going on patrol with you two acting as chaperones?” Parker replied with a scowl. “Uh-uh. No way. I don’t think so.”

“What? Why the hell not?” Chloe demanded, scowling back, hands on her hips. “Are you trying to say that Rosella and I aren’t capable of looking after our Goddess on her first night out?”

“Frankly, yes,” Parker replied evenly. “I can accept that you both care about her, and would even give up your lives for her. But Venus really wants to prove herself, and being a chaperone also requires you to decide if she’s facing someone beyond her capabilities, and if necessary, to make her pull out if she’s getting in over her head. You are both enthralled to her,” he pointed out, causing them both to glance down, avoiding his gaze. “Can you honestly stand there and tell me you could actually stand up to her and defy her if she were bound and determined to take on who or whatever she was facing?”

No one spoke. Including me. I have to admit to loving the man but hating his damned logic. Chloe and Rosella WERE both my deeply devoted slaves. I’d given them an unprecedented amount of autonomy and freedom in most things, but they were still completely beholden to me. Particularly my lovely Rosella. Yes, they would protect me as best they could, but if I got carried away and my stubborn streak kicked in, I highly doubt she or her partner would openly defy my wishes. A real catch-twenty-two situation...

“Um, Parker,” Rose said after a moment, taking a deep breath. “Could I have a moment alone with you? Please?”

“Er, sure,” he said, as Rose led him by the arm back down the hallway to the master bedroom. I glanced at Chloe, who merely shrugged.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” the blonde said with a small smile. “I know how much you want to do this tonight, my Goddess. Rosella will convince him. In the meantime, we should go down and check on your costume and see if it’s ready.” She, like her partner, guided me away by the arm, leading downstairs to the basement and training area...

Well, that was a fruitful trip, Janet Shaw thought to herself in satisfaction as she pulled her old battered SUV up into traffic, heading for the interstate leaving Crescent City. The back was loaded with a veritable shitload of equipment and devices that would help her with her plan, as well as a few very special cocktails that would no doubt aid her in the acquiring of the last few pieces of the puzzle. She glanced back one last time at the large but relatively nondescript house at which she’d been parked and sighed. In the end, it had really been all too easy.

Locating the dwelling of the formerly notorious Gadgeteer, or simply “Beth” as she was now known by, had actually been the most troubling part of the entire endeavor. And even that had only required a few hours of detective work, questioning the local riff-raff and tossing in the occasional threat to make them spill the beans. Once there, it had taken only a little bit of her usual method of persuasion to convince Beth to give her the equipment she needed.

Of course, taking down her two little bodyguards without breaking a sweat didn’t hurt negotiations any, she mused silently. It’s actually kind of a shame. I heard the Gadgeteer used to be pretty formidable back in the day... until her boss, the Anesthetist, screwed her over and brainwashed her, turning her from a strong, smart and confident villainess into a weak-willed, submissive, and unsure minion with no confidence in her own abilities. And yet, even with all that inside her brain, she still somehow managed to escape becoming a slave herself, saved and recovered her likewise brainwashed lover Joanne, and created an android bodyguard to watch over and protect them both.

Not that Stephi-bot had proved much of a deterrent to Janet. She grinned a bit at the memory of the look on the gynoid’s face when she’d taken its strongest plasma blast without a scratch, and countered by crushing its robotic form with her bare hands. And I suppose I should give ol’ Glue Girl props... she saw what I did to the robot, and she still stood up to me, trying to protect her Mistress. If I’d been serious, a broken arm’s the least she would have ended up with.

After that, Beth had conceded, offering her whatever she wanted to make the carnage stop. Nearly all of the equipment rattling around in the back of the SUV were items she’d generously ‘donated’ to aid Janet in her cause. Even better was the inside information she’d given her about the two former Crescent City heroines she’d faced back in the day. The most valuable contribution, however, was the small wooden box held safely in her jacket pocket, containing the last of a very special compound created by that most diabolical of villains, the Confectioner.

Just enough for three doses, she thought dimly, as she pressed down on the accelerator, eager to make it back to River City as soon as possible. Not enough to take out all of Satore’s circle of friends, but enough at least to cause some confusion, and take some of the more dangerous ones out of the equation—

She frowned slightly, as a thought occurred to her. She was, in effect, about to take on an entire group of Supers, experienced heroes, and heroines, most of whom had taken on foes more powerful and with better resources than her. She did have the element of surprise working for her, yes... but it was still one against many. What she truly needed was to add a few more numbers to her side, to help even out the odds a bit more. The frown faded, replaced by an evil smirk.

Seems to me that what I REALLY need is to go on a recruitment drive, she decided firmly. And since I’m definitely not a technology or engineering specialist, the first person I need to recruit would be someone able to put all this junk together. And I think I know just the woman for the job...

“All right,” Parker said once he and Rose were alone. “So. How do you plan to ‘convince me’ that you and Chloe can keep Venus in check and protect her from herself if the need arises?” He sat down on the bed, legs crossed idly. “I hope it’s not sex. I never thought I’d say these words as a man, but between Venus’ over amorous attention, the occasional fling with you and Chloe, and Roni’s amped up hormones, I’m just about sexed out!”

Rose laughed aloud. “I see. The pregnant wife keeping you on your toes, eh, Parker?”

Groaning softly, he lay back flat on the bed. “Rose, you have NO idea! None! I mean, I kind of expected it... the time she was pregnant with Lucy, she stayed perpetually horny up to the day she delivered. She gave a completely new meaning to the term ‘bed rest’,” he added ruefully. “But Venus... I don’t know if it’s the fact that she bonded with me through Roni, or if they’re just feeding off each other, but she’s just as bad as Roni! And I swear they’ve got it synchronized somehow... like they’ve set up a damned rotation or something.”

“Um, well, uh, that’s something,” Rose replied noncommittally, glancing away, blushing, Point of fact, the girls actually HAD set up a rotational chart to keep track of who was fucking Parker and when. Not that they planned to disclose that little tidbit of information any time soon. “But, er, no... I wasn’t going to try and bribe you with sex. I was planning on convincing you by arguing your logic with mine.”

Parker raised an eyebrow at that. “Oh really? So you expect to convince me that it IS possible for you to defy the will of your Goddess, to get up in her face and tell her to back off if necessary instead of folding like a house of cards if she so much as scowls in your general direction?”

“Is that... is that what you want, Parker?” she countered, finally meeting his gaze directly. “And be specific. You want Chloe and I to be able to confront Venus Satore and keep her in check if she gets into a situation she is not prepared for, even if it means defying her will?”

“Well, uh, yes,” he said, taken aback. “That’s the whole point. I’m not asking you two to micromanage her or anything... or to be in charge of everything. She needs to learn the ropes, and figure this out for herself. I just want you two to be able to step in if you honestly judge the situation to be out of control, no matter what SHE happens to think. And if, god forbid, she ends up entranced and enslaved by some devious mind controller, I need to know that you two won’t just follow a corrupted Venus’ orders blindly merely because she is your Goddess!”

Rose stood there silently for a moment, deep in thought. Then, closing her eyes, she nodded... and Parker let out a startled gasp as the Latina beauty dropped gracefully to her knees before him. “Then, my Master,” she said humbly, “that is what we shall do.”

Parker stumbled back so suddenly, he flipped over the side of the bed. “Gaaahh...” he yelped, before getting back to his feet. If Rose found the display humorous, she managed to keep a straight face. “Okay, first of all, don’t DO that! It weirds me out when you call me ‘Master’ like that. Venus had her fun sending you two to look after me while she and Roni were out of the country, but that’s over and done with now. You and Chloe belong to her, not me. Secondly, if Eugene Frasier EVER hears you say that out loud, he’ll disembowel me with his bare hands.” He shuddered slightly. “And lastly... what the HELL does that even mean?”

Composed, completely non-plussed, Rose answered. “Basically, Master, it means that I’ll obey your wishes over that of my Goddess. And before you get all up in arms again, that IS what you are here, Parker. You ARE my Master,” she said with a smirk. “My Goddess will likely make me pay severely for telling you this, but her little ‘joke’ about you being in charge of all of us wasn’t actually a joke. You are, for all intents and purposes, Venus’ Master, just as much as you are Veronica’s. She kind of downplays it, but if you ever truly pushed it, believe me, she would drop to her knees in front of you almost before you could utter the words.”

Parke stood there, stunned, trying to wrap his head around this revelation. “But... I... she said...” he began.

“She’s a very proud woman, Parker,” Rose said gently, rising back to her feet again. “And as much as she would love to submit to you completely, there is a strong part of her that has difficulty letting down her guard that much... even with the people she loves the most.” She let out a soft sad sigh, which Parker picked up on immediately.

Heh. She probably means for her and Chloe as well as me, he realized. Damn. I guess I’ll have to have a nice long heart to heart with my little ‘slave’ about her difficulty sharing her feelings sometime soon...

Pushing the thought aside for the moment, he turned back to Rosella. “So basically you’re saying, that because I’m Venus’ ‘Master’,” he said making finger quotes, “I can technically order you and Chloe around as well?”

“No, not just technically,” Rose replied, still smirking. “In every way that matters. Granted, you’re not the Master I... envisioned... in my head belonging to,” she admitted, her smile fading slightly for a moment, “but you’re a good man, Parker Albinn. A girl could definitely do worse than belonging to you.” She sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Basically, it all comes down to a question of priorities.”

“Priorities?”

She nodded. “At the end of the day, I serve my Goddess’ will. But... it was her will that I serve YOUR wishes first and foremost. She made it absolutely crystal clear to us before she left for Japan that YOU were our Master... and that if there was ever a conflict, or that her own judgment couldn’t be trusted, that we were to side with you. And that, Parker, gives me my loophole, the way to fight against the overwhelming need to bend to my Goddess’ will on everything she desires.” She chuckled ruefully. “I actually have your niece Katie Frasier to thank for that insight. During the Incident, she’d taken control of my will, but left my mind intact. I was torn between my desire and need to serve my Goddess but compelled to obey Katie’s will instead. In the end, it was when they fought and Katie enslaved Venus that my torment finally relented—both Mistress’ and Goddess’ wants and needs coincided, so there was no longer any conflict.”

Parker nodded slowly, catching on. “So, in this case... you can play hardball with Venus despite being her obedient servant by doing what she wants in another way... by obeying her compulsion to follow my rules, you’re still technically doing what she wants, and making it possible for her to become a heroine, which is her goal anyway.” He sighed, nodding again. “Well... you’ve made your point. You’ve convinced me. Just promise you’ll both take care of her.”

“Of course,” Rose replied easily. “And Parker? Thank you for this. It means a lot... both that you worry this deeply about my Goddess, and that you trust me enough to let Chloe and I watch over her.” She leaned up on her tip toes, kissing him gently.

“Er, um, yeah,” he said, blushing heatedly, “don’t mention it. Now, go on. Scoot! I need to get changed for Lucy’s recital,” he stated, going over to his closet. “Though frankly, with all of us in this household, it’s kind of odd that only Veronica and I are attending.”

Rose’s smirk returned. “Oh, not that odd, really, Master,” she added, walking to the door. “I overheard Goddess’ conversation with young Lucy the day before, after her last practice session,” she said, wincing slightly, “and Chloe and I decided then and there to have a similar talk with her, to remind her that if Auntie Venus went out tonight, that Auntie Rosella and Auntie Chloe needed to go out with her to keep her safe... since mommy and daddy would be busy at the concert!”

Parker whirled around to glare at the Latina beauty, but she’d already departed, the door closing shut after her. “Goddammit,” he grumbled, turning back to his closet once again. “Everyone keeps telling me I’m the Master of this supposed harem,” he said aloud, taking out a navy blue suit and tie, “but it seems to me that I’m the one constantly being manipulated like a puppet on a string.” Sighing inwardly, he removed his shirt and began getting undressed.

So... patrolling the city as a costume wearing heroine wasn’t nearly as exciting as I’d thought it would be.

“Is it always this boring?” I asked my two partners as I stared down at the streets below us from the rooftop of the building we were hunched over. “I mean, after all the extensive physical and mental training, I’d expected it to be a bit more... well, action-packed.”

Discharge shrugged from my left side, just behind me. “You know the old saying: a quiet night is a good night. If there’s no crime going on, that’s generally a good thing. It means the heroes and the police are doing their job.”

“Well, that’s all well and good for them,” I grumbled sullenly, “but if no one does anything, it makes it a bit hard for me to do MY job.”

“Sorry,” Ghost Girl replied from my right side, “but we did say that it’s not always about fighting super villains. Besides, you already took down one criminal tonight!”

“Hmph. If you can even call it that,” I replied back with a sigh. Not that catching that purse snatcher wasn’t important. It certainly mattered to the poor woman who’d been robbed. What rankled was that the guy was little more than a scared kid. When I’d dropped down in front of him, blocking his escape, he threw down the purse and surrendered without me having to utter a word! On the one hand, it was kind of flattering, having a criminal so scared of you that they give up instantly at your very appearance. On the other hand... it kind of robbed me of the chance to test my skills!

“Maybe we should move on to another part of the city,” I suggested, straightening up, taking a moment to stretch. “I’m pretty sure there’s something going on somewhere in a city this size.”

“That’s probably true,” Discharge pointed out, “but the problem with that is our relative lack of mobility. None of us can fly. Generally, heroes tend to watch over and protect their own little section of the city, mostly because it’s convenient and less haphazard than running around aimlessly in a city this size trying to find a crime to thwart.”

“Some Supers use a vehicle of some kind to get around,” Ghost Girl added. “But its usually a special vehicle devoted just to crimefighting, not what you drive around in during the day in your civilian guise. Back in the day, Ampere rode around on a state-of-the-art motorcycle, and I had a high tech car I used to get around in.”

I nodded softly at that. I hadn’t considered that, but it made sense. River City was huge, a metropolis with a few hundred thousand people. Trying to cover the entire thing on foot would be impossible. I smirked slightly at the thought of my own hero car... the Venus Mobile, perhaps? What would be the appropriate theme for a modern day Greek Goddess? A horse-drawn chariot? A giant seashell? A mobile throne carried aloft by four broad-chested, scantily-clad bronze skinned men in loincloths?

My musings were cut short, however, as I noticed movement coming from above and to my right. Glancing upwards, I gaped at the sight of a scantily clad woman in a pale blue and white leotard flying across the evening sky. My eyes narrowed as the costume and face jogged my memory. “It’s Tempest,” I said in a soft voice to my two companions, gesturing upwards. “Let’s go! We have to follow her...” I paused as Discharge and Ghost Girl shared a look. “Okay, what is it?” I demanded, crossing my arms. “This is what we were waiting, for, right? Tempest is definitely bad news. She broke out of prison last week, and if she’s flying towards downtown instead of lying low out of sight, then she must be up to no good!”

“Okay, that’s true,” Ghost Girl said, a bit hesitantly I noted, “but there’s no way of knowing where she’s heading. If she’s flying, she could be heading literally anywhere, and following her on the ground, on foot, she could be long gone before we could ever catch up with her...”

“Or... maybe she could land just two blocks from where we are right now,” Discharge replied with a sigh, pointing down at the street as Tempest did just that, descending and dropping down behind a large grey nondescript building just two blocks down, still within our view. “Um...” she began as I moved to the fire escape, pausing as I turned to glare at her.

“Will you two cut it out already?!?” I snapped, exasperated. I knew Parker had put them up to this, but goddammit I refused to have them treating me like a child and second-guessing my every decision. “You’re supposed to be my partners, my backup, not my babysitters! We’ve spotted a known and wanted criminal, a fugitive from the law, and she’s right here within our grasp. So either I’ve trained enough and I’m ready to do this for real, or this has all been one big waste of my time! Either way, I need you two to decide!”

Rosella sighed deeply, hanging her head. “You’re right. Forgive us, Goddess. It’s hard... trying to resist the urge to keep you safe and secure from any and all danger. But... you’re right. You are ready. So... lead on. We’ve got your back.”

“Good to hear. Now, let’s move before she gets out of sight,” I ordered, as I slid smoothly down the ladder to the ground below.

A few short minutes later, we arrived at the sight of the building which, up close and personal, I recognized as the River City Diamond Exchange. Little wonder what Tempest had come HERE for. More disturbing, however, was the OTHER Super she was speaking with, another familiar face in a darker earth brown colored sleeveless costume. Shit. First Tempest, now Wrecker. I should have guessed it though. They’re always together, anyway... between the two of them, they barely have one working brain. I waved the others back, and we watched as Tempest waved her hands, conjuring a wind strong enough to lift Wrecker off the ground, and float her up to the roof.

“Looks like Tempest is playing lookout, while Wrecker ransacks the place from the inside,” G.G. observed. “Well, Goddess, this is your show. What’s the game plan?”

Mmm. I took a moment to bask in that. I was finally, FINALLY, taking the plunge. And not against some little penny-ante mugger or purse snatcher. I was about to take two established and dangerous super criminals—

Hold it. Calm down, Venus. Don’t get ahead of yourself.

I needed to be smart about this. I had Ghost Girl and Discharge here with me after all. No need to charge in like Rambo and try to do it all myself, as tempting as the idea was.

“Okay. We split up. Discharge, you and Ghost Girl take down Tempest. Between the two of you, you should have no problem countering whatever she can come up with. And while you’re handling her, I’ll slip inside and take down Wrecker.” Discharge opened her out to object, but I shook my head. “It’s fine. I know she’s the stronger of the two by far, but it also limits her options—all she has going for her is her strength. And with my powers, I can enchant her mind from long range and have her enslaved to my will before she gets within five feet of me.”

“Okay,” the blonde heroine conceded. “Sounds like a good plan to me. We’ll provide enough of a distraction for you to slip in unnoticed.” She nodded softly. “We’ll leave the rest up to you. Good luck, Goddess.”

“Thanks, you too,” I replied with a smirk, sliding the full-length white butterfly opera mask over my face. “But we’re in costume now, so call me... Divine!”

I have to say that now I definitely saw the appeal of this kind of lifestyle. Which was strange, in a way. I knew what it was to be a hunter, stalking its prey... though previously it was on the side of evil, for my own sinister purposes. This was different, though. Making my way through the darkened building, moving quietly from shadow to shadow, drawing ever closer to the one I was seeking, it was a thrill I had never felt before! I knew very well that if Wrecker saw or heard me coming before I was ready she could very easily crush me like an aluminum can in her bare hands. I was stronger than any normal human, but this girl far outclassed me. Yet I found the danger aspect to be a huge turn on.

Roni always said that said taking down a bunch of heavily armed thugs always got her in the mood so much so that she usually jumped Parker the instant they were back home afterward. Maybe it was another side effect of the bond I’d created with her and Parker, but I certainly planned on dragging Parker into the bedroom and fucking him senseless the minute I got back home!

Home...

My movements suddenly slowed as I considered that last thought. Home. Sure, it was where I slept, ate, operated, and fuc—er, made love... but when did I suddenly start thinking of the Albinn house as my home? I mean, I’ve lived in a lot of different places in this lifetime. The orphanage, the house with those fucking, abusive adoptive-parents, various penthouses and condos... hell, even the mental asylum where I’d spent twenty years of my life!

But none of them had been ‘home’. Home wasn’t just a place you lived, it was where you had an emotional attachment to. And recently, the only place that came to mind, the only place that really felt like home, was Parker’s house. I sighed softly, closing my eyes, shaking my head. And really... the last place before that was my mom’s house... and that had burned away nearly half a century ago.

“Dammit!” Wrecker’s voice shouting out, followed by a loud clang of metal against steel caused me to pause, jerking me out of my introspection. Glancing carefully around the corner, I saw the russet-haired woman holding the remains of a steel vault door in her hands, glaring angrily at the cascade of boxes in front of her. “She didn’t say there would be a bunch of different boxes! Which one am I supposed to grab?”

I chuckled silently at that. Had she expected them to be in a huge black velvet bag or something? Hadn’t she ever seen a bank heist movie before? Diamonds and other jewels were always secured in safe deposit boxes. If she was looking for a specific rock, her best bet would be to grab them all and hope it was in the stack somewhere. Not that I planned to give her the time to do that.

Okay. Remember your training. Step 1: Assess the situation. Heh. Easy enough. One very perplexed and pissed off Wrecker, standing around scratching her head in confusion. Even without having committed most of Eugene Frasier’s database to memory, I knew enough of her from personal experience during the Incident to know what I was facing.

Step 2: Be mindful of your surroundings. Again, easy enough. We’re in a large but closed room. I’m in the only hallway leading out, so if she wants to escape, she’ll either have to go through me or through one of the reinforced walls. Not that it was impossible, mind you. I’m pretty sure that if she lowered her head and charged, she could bust straight through the wall. It would have probably stung a bit, though. Again, I wasn’t about to give her that option.

Step 3: Come up with a plan of attack, instead of charging in blindly. Duh. My first option was my best one. I was a goddess of beauty and love. My eyes captivated, my voice enslaved, and my body inflamed passion. The best and easiest way to stop Wrecker was to wreck her will to resist me. Taking a moment to gather myself, I stepped forward, heading straight towards her, heels clicking loudly on the shiny marble floor.

“Ah, fuck it,” she mumbled aloud, shaking her head. “I should just rip all the stupid little boxes out and take ALL the jewels!”

“Wow. Good plan,” I said, smirking, rolling my eyes. “And it only took you five minutes of staring in confusion for you to come up with that! You’re a regular Einstein, aren’t you, Wrecker?”

Turning around, the brawny woman gaped at me in stunned surprise for a second, before her expression darkened. “YOU! What the hell are you doing here, Red?” she asked, eyes narrowed.

Pumping up my aura a bit, I gazed at the burly behemoth, giving her a smile. “Why, I’m here to subjugate you, sweetie,” I said with sugary tone. “I’m here to bend your will and convince you of the error of your ways. You’ve been a bad girl, Wrecker... but you can make amends by being a good girl and kneeling before me right now.”

Blinking, the large girl frowned deeper. “What? What did you just say?”

Frowning myself, I pointed at the floor in front of my feet. “I said, kneel down. Now!” I added, pumping my aura up to eleven. The girl looked momentarily stunned as if she’d taken a blow to the back of the head, but within a few seconds, she’d shaken it off, and was looking extremely pissed off again. She took a step towards me, and I took one back. “That’s enough! Stop! Kneel! Dammit, submit!” I shouted, before groaning inwardly, leaping back out of range as a large beefy hand struck out to grab me.

Shit! SHIT! SHITSHITSHITSHITFUCKFUCKSHIT! Goddammit... Step 4: Be prepared for the unexpected, indeed! I thought furiously, only now having noticed the small but distinct plastic tubes in the woman’s ears, barely visible beneath her hair. I must be getting senile in my old fucking age! The reason I knew Tempest had broken out of jail was because Parker mentioned having fought her and Wrecker earlier this week, but that they’d managed to get away by putting a bunch of innocents in danger to cover their escape. He’d even mentioned that he thought he’d blown out the brown haired girl’s eardrums with a stray sonic blast. Guess his parting shot was more accurate than he’d thought!

I backed away, giving myself some room to breathe. The game plan had definitely changed. My enthralling powers were only marginally successful in stunning her since she couldn’t actually hear any of the commands I was giving her. Which mean the only way I had to take her down was the old, tried and true method. I’d have to kick her ass.

Wrecker paused, tilting her head to the side, as I raised her arms, assuming a fighting stance. “Oh really?” she said loudly, her raised voice making more sense now that I understood about her hearing loss. “Planning to fight me hand to hand, Red? Hahahaha! You’re dumber than I thought!”

“Wait, wait a second. You are actually calling me dumb?” I replied, before slapping my forehead. “Tch. Right. I’m talking back to someone who can’t hear a blessed word I say. Maybe I really AM dumb after all.” No matter. I was about to let my fists do the talking for now.

Fifteen minutes later, and it was over. I had to give the girl credit, though. She was every bit as tough as she was strong. My obvious advantage in speed and agility kept her from landing a telling blow, while I nailed her repeatedly with everything I had. Yet she kept getting back up, kept swinging and punching like a damned woman possessed. In the end, it took a snap kick to the chin, lifting her completely off her feet, sending her spiraling back into the shattered remains of the vault door, to finally put her down for the count. I was completely unharmed, though I seriously needed to soak my fists and my feet in some Epsom salts after all the fighting—I swear the woman’s head was as hard as granite.

I’d just finished slapping a pair of special reinforced tungsten alloyed handcuffs on her when the lights suddenly came on, blinding me. “Freeze!” several voices yelled out, and I threw my hands up as a reflex, finding myself staring at several uniformed police officers with their guns raised.

“Hey, hey, easy, officers,” I said gently, slowly but carefully lowering a hand to my chest. “Easy! Relax. I’m not going for a weapon. I’m just showing you my badge, okay?” When they didn’t open fire, I slid my hand down into the valley between my breasts, bringing out the small golden shield on a silver chain around my neck. “The name’s Divine. I’m new to the badged Supers program, but I’m on your side—”

“Hold it! Don’t fire! She’s okay! She’s one of us!” Chloe’s voice called out as she and Rosella burst into the room, moving to place themselves between me and the police. The sergeant in charge chuckled ruefully, nodding to the men, all of whom holstered their weapons, walking over to take custody of the unconscious Wrecker.

“You’re actually a bit late,” I pointed out with a smirk. “I’d already shown them my badge and talked them out of blasting me. Thanks for the confirmation, though. What kept you girls? I’ve been in here for a while now. I half expected you both to burst in when I didn’t come out with Wrecker in tow.”

“We had a bit more trouble with Tempest than we expected,” Rosella admitted sheepishly. “It was all bad luck, really. I was invisible, all set to stun her from behind when a car coming around the corner startled her, and she moved back out of view just as I struck. Once she knew we were there, all hell broke loose.”

“Still managed to take her down, though,” Chloe replied with a smirk of her own. “The city probably won’t be happy about the damage to the front of the building, but at least we kept her from using her little ‘ace in the hole’ as her escape plan this time.”

“Ace in the hole?”

“Hostages,” Ghost Girl replied with a scowl. “She grabbed a couple of innocent bystanders across the street and sent them flying through the air to try and keep us too occupied to chase after her. Luckily, they were doing construction one block over, and Discharge was able to hack the crane’s electrical system and scoop them up before she released them.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” the blonde heroine replied, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “The thing was more mechanical than electronic. Working it remotely like that on the fly gave me a serious headache...” She glanced over at the battered and bruised form of Wrecker as she was being carried out. “Still, it looks like we had an easier time than you did. What happened in here?”

I shrugged. “Rule four,” I said simply.

“Ah,” they both replied nodding. “Same with us, really. They say no good plan ever survives the first engagement. But the important thing is that we’re all okay, the innocent bystanders are safe, and the thieves are in police custody.”

“Great! So what’s next?” I asked eagerly, nearly jumping in place in excitement, my earlier fatigue forgotten.

“Well, after all this, it’s a sure bet that this side of town will be quiet for the rest of the night,” Rosella pointed out, “so if you’re up for it, we could head over to the south side of town.”

“That sounds... oops! Never mind!” I said, glancing at my watch. “It’s ten after ten. Parker should be home by now. I think we should call it a night.” I said, stretching slightly, my body still tingling with nervous energy. “I wouldn’t want to overdo it on my first time out, after all.”

This time the glance Chloe and Rosella shared was a knowing smirk. “Suuuurrre...” Chloe drawled, nodding smugly. “And I bet you’re all eager to report back in to him on how the night went.”

“We might want to stop by the store and pick up a few energy drinks on the way,” Rosella added, “in case the ‘debriefing’ ends up running a bit long and involved.”

I said not a word, but I couldn’t hide the telltale blush coloring my cheeks. Ah, hell, they both shared a bed with me anyway—it’s not like I had a reason to hide it. Yes. The Albinn house was home. And I was deeply, helplessly, head over heels in love with Parker and Veronica. Having Rosella and Chloe there just made it even better, and I adored Lucy as if she were my own child. I sighed softly again.

The only black spot on this otherwise perfect picture was the fact that it was still Parker’s home. Not mine. And while I didn’t for an instant doubt his love for me, I knew where his loyalty lay. I was his friend, his student, his lover, his confident... but Veronica was his wife. As much as all three of us loved each other, I was still the outsider.

Things had worked out great with all of us so far, five adults living together in one house, without talking about what the long-term living conditions would be. But Parker had another kid on the way. And kids took a lot of attention. The last thing I wanted to do would be to interfere with that, detract from the love and nurturing of that family unit. Parker would never ask Chloe, Rosella and I to move out... but I wondered if I should simply take the matter into my own hands and move us out pre-emptively...

It would be hard. Really hard. I wasn’t sure I could handle that... emotionally. Not yet, anyway. Of course, there was no rush. We still had at least six more months before the new arrival. And maybe by then, I’d be a bit more... prepared. In the meantime... I intended to enjoy every moment with Parker, Veronica, and their precocious little daughter that I could!

“C’mon,” I said, making my way back out of the building. “Let’s get the hell out of here. And... just in case, let’s stop by the convenience store on Fifth Street for, ahem, some supplies...”