The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Arriving at the proper coordinates, Sabrina Cross took a moment to assess the situation. She and her group were in a large expanse of arid desert a few miles outside the city, far enough that any battle that took place wouldn’t risk innocents getting hurt. Further, it was a moderately flat, level area far enough away from the more mountainous region and far removed from the ocean. In short, it was the perfect spot for a group of super-powered individuals to let loose without fear of destroying the environment around them.

With her were her loves, her slaves, and as she’d come to consider them, her friends. In a short time, they had all come to mean so very much to her. Yes, they were her slaves, her thralls, their wills bent, and their minds literally, physically remade to feel only absolute love and utter devotion to her. And yet, that connection worked both ways. Because of their complete love and acceptance of her, she loved them in return. They were all truly her precious, beloved girls, and she was bound and determined to protect and keep them ALL! And she would be... DAMNED if she’d let anyone take them away from her!

“Looks like we arrived first, my Goddess,” Karen Summers commented, glancing around. “I don’t see our opposition anywhere nearby.”

“Still a few minutes out,” Eva Snow remarked grimly, her hands clenched into fists. “I can sense them coming now. Over on our left.”

“Yeah... I got ’em,” Rose Contreras replied, peering through a pair of special binoculars. “Definitely Frasier and his group. I’d say at their current speed, they should arrive here in about two minutes.”

Sabrina nodded, her mind already working, considering her strategy. Thanks to her genius-level intellect and her higher-order thinking, she did have a game plan in mind, but it was... uncomfortably reactive. After conferring with the older and more experienced heroines in her group, she’d determined that it was simply impossible to predict every single point and counterpoint Armor Man could come up with, and that the best strategy was to simply use the forces she had with her as creatively and fluidly as possible, with the idea that even if Frasier managed to take out or incapacitate one or more of them, she could simply back them up with someone else. Simply put, she would have River City’s powerful, experienced superheroines fight to defend their own enslavement and the young woman who had made them hers. You want to call her a greedy, evil villain? Fine. But, have no doubt, she would fight hard to protect the slaves, the... women she now genuinely loved and cared for.

“Goddess,” Bethany Van Hoffe spoke up, causing her to turn. “Forgive me, my Mistress, Megan and I have finished outfitting the others with hand weapons and defensive gear,” she said hesitantly. “And... far be it for me to question your wisdom,” she added quickly even as she bit her lip, “but... I... I still don’t...”

“But you question why I decided to bring Melissa, Jessica, and especially my mother out here with us,” she finished. Sighing, Bethany nodded silently, staring down at her feet... only to gasp as Sabrina lifted her chin, looked into her eyes and kissed her deeply. “Now, now... there is no reason to be afraid of voicing your opinion. I told you and the others before... I may be in charge here, but I am also still very much a novice at this. I happily welcome and appreciate any and all input from my beloved slaves.” She sighed. “That said... I understood how Eugene Fraiser knew that we were staying at the Waldorf, but, then he showed me that he knows where I live and has the capacity to slip in and out of my home, undetected and at will, as he did when he stole my computer hard drive. I wouldn’t put it past him to treat this whole battle as a diversion, and have another group set aside to take them all hostage while we were busy fighting.”

“Very true, my Goddess. That’s definitely a tactic Eugene would use,” Veronica Albinn agreed, coming up beside them. “I do agree, sister, bringing them here with us to a battlefield is a significant risk... but no bigger a risk than leaving them unguarded. At least with them here, we can make sure they are protected and safe.”

“Plus, we are our Goddess’ devoted slaves as well,” Jessica announced as she and the others came up to them. “We might not have special powers or anything, but we’ll fight to protect you as well, Goddess. Anyone that tries to take us away will do so with us kicking and screaming all the way,” she stated, cocking the portable particle weapon Techna had supplied her with. Morgan and Melissa, holding their own guns, nodded in full agreement.

Morgan walked up to her daughter, looked into her eyes, then at the weird sci-fi gun in her hand, then back to her, smiled, and kissed her. “And you want to know something else, Mistress? I thought... going down on my own daughter was... weird.” She looked at the famous, beautiful, superheroines in their colorful costumes, the women she knew and loved as her sister slaves, then at the desert that she knew would soon be a literal battleground, then back to her daughter, “But this..? No matter what happens next, this already feels pretty damn... surreal to me, Goddess.” Sabrina kissed her mother as they laughed together.

Looking at all of her slaves, Sabrina couldn’t help but smile at their devotion. “I know, my beautiful ones. I’m very thankful and glad for your love and dedication. If it were possible, I would have it so that none of you have to lift a finger to fight, that I could simply dispense with Eugene Frasier and his people in an instant and be done with it.” She sighed softly, resigned. “But... I am not arrogant, selfish, or foolish enough to believe he can be taken down so easily. There may indeed come a time when you will have to fight to defend yourselves. If that happens, then I will expect you to do what you can to defend yourselves and make me proud.”

“And we will keep them safe, Goddess,” Rose replied, with Bethany and Ella nodding in agreement.

She glanced around at the assembled group. “And that goes for all of you. Our objective here is simple: defeat Eugene Frasier and stop him once and for all. Do that and we can go home and live in peace TOGETHER!!”

“Yes, Goddess!” they all shouted in unison. “We will make you proud!”

“You are insane! IN-SANE!!” Parker Albinn’s voice buzzed incessantly in Armor Man’s earpiece as he flew aloft, skimming several meters above the ground. “This plan of yours... it’s all over the place! And... it’s all in pieces. Literally! Talk about the right hand not knowing what the left is doing—none of our people know what their jobs here are! They only know what you’ve told ’em, and that sure as hell ain’t very much!”

“Aye, I ken,” Gene replied succinctly. “That’s the point. There are two very capable and powerful psychics on their team, remember? If Eva or Roni were to read someone’s mind and get the battle plan, I’d prefer she only get part of the puzzle instead of the entire thing.” He smirked. “Which of course you already know. You’re just upset because you’ve been sidelined.”

“Which, again, I still think is ridiculous,” he grumbled. “Sidelining your most powerful ally—”

“Yer not the most powerful, Parker.” Gene cut in.

Parker blinked, frowning. “Huh. Fine. Your second most power—”

“Sorry. That’s not you either, lad,” Gene replied with a grin.

“Goddammit, old man!” he yelled with a scowl. “This is serious! You don’t go to the playoffs then put your best quarterback on the bench during the finals! Not if you want to win!”

Gene sighed softly. “Rest assured, lad, yer precisely where ye need to be. Ye all are. This lass... she’s smart. Damned smart! In terms of sheer, bloody, offensive force, she absolutely has us beat. Honestly, the only advantage I actually have over her is experience. And the best play I can make is to use her inexperience against her. Regardless, I’m playing this one close to the vest...”

“Of course... just like always,” Parker grumbled. “Well, whatever. I’m set and standing by.”

“Good. Just be ready to go when I need you,” he replied as he and the others drew near. Signaling the others, he took point, dropping the teammate he was carrying a few yards away. Manx, of course, landed nimbly, on her feet, sprinting after him the rest of the way. Behind them, Spice Girl released her own cargo, the special ops agent, Solo, who rolled with the momentum, coming to his feet and breaking into a run as well. Finally, the fifth member of their team, Robotica, cut her own boot jets, landing a bit behind and to the side of Armor Man, walking after the others, but keeping her distance for now...

“Here they come,” Sabrina announced as their adversaries drew close. “Everyone, it’s time. Get into your positions.” Obeying, the others did as commanded, with Omega Girl, Whitewash, Techna, and Luminaire moving into position around their Mistress. Further back, her mother, Morgan Cross stood, with Jessica and Melissa at her side, with Red Rocket, Ghost Girl, and Ella, serving as guardians. Between the two groups stood Ultra Girl and Shinobi, both of them close enough to move between either group as needed. All in all, they were ready and waiting for whatever they were about to face.

“Sit-rep?” Sabrina called out glancing to her side.

“Huh. Strange. It looks like just five of them...” Megan replied, frowning as she tapped away at her wrist computer. “But... aha! Thought so! Make that thirty opponents, Goddess.”

“T-THIRTY!?!” Sabrina asked, shocked. “Are... are you sure?!”

“Pretty sure. I uplinked into one of Frasier’s orbiting satellites and got an overhead scan of the area. He noticed the hack and kicked me out, blocking me, but not before I was able to download a snapshot of the scan. Besides the five of them, I count at least twenty-five other heat signatures spread out around us on all sides, hidden in small boltholes and gullies along the ground.”

“No, scratch that, sister,” Eva interrupted, eyes closed, one hand stretched outward. “It’s actually closer to ten.... yes. Ten. I can sense ten active minds within a two-mile radius of our position. As for the satellite... this is Eugene Frasier we’re talking about. I wouldn’t put it past him to EXPECT you to hack in and have it feed you false information when you did.”

“Yes, that’s definitely something he’d pull,” Lacie nodded in agreement, frowning. “But your numbers are off as well, Eva. Push that up to thirteen. Don’t forget Robotica, and Eugene himself. And... huh?” she said, blinking in surprise. “That’s... interesting. They brought that thief, Manx, with them. Their minds are all shielded, but my Goddess Sight shows me where everyone is, including several automated dummy locations set up, no doubt to give off those fake heat signatures.” She frowned, slightly. “But it’s strange. Parker Albinn’s not with them. I can See him—he’s back in River City, more than five miles away, watching TV of all things.”

Sabrina scowled at that. “Hmph. So much the better for him. After what he pulled with Eva the other day, he would have been my first target, after Frasier himself, that is.” She sighed, forcing herself calm again. “So, it looks like we know what to expect and who we’ll be facing...”

“Tsk tsk tsk,” a synthesized male voice spoke, causing everyone to glance skyward. Eugene Frasier, Armor Man, hovered just a few feet above them. “Checking out my entire roster before we even take the field, hmm? Talk about cheating. I bet you also used to check your Christmas presents before they were placed under the tree, didn’t ye, lass?”

“Shut up!” Sabrina snarled, furiously. “I am NOT in the fucking mood for any of your so-called witty hero banter, Frasier! We’re only here before you delivered another threat against my mother!”

“Now, now, let’s nae exaggerate,” Armor Man chided her, as he landed. “My letter simply stated that it was time that you and I settled this matter between us once and for all. You were aware of where I lived... and as I demonstrated, I knew where you lived. I advised you to meet me here at this place, at this time, to discuss yer surrender—”

“...Otherwise you would have that same... discussion face to face with my mom instead,” Sabrina snapped. “So don’t try and fucking sugar coat it. That was a direct threat. If I didn’t show up here today, you planned to kidnap my mother, an innocent woman with NO special powers or abilities! The person I care for most in this world... HERO!”

“Aye!” Eugene fired back, indignant. “And as ye say, let’s nae sugar coat it! It would be more than apt if I DID snatch yer mother... considering that ye’ve already taken MY BLOODY WIFE AND DAUGHTER!!” He sighed softly, forcing himself to calm down again. Things were already too volatile. He needed to keep a cool head. “We’ve both got legitimate grievances with the other, lass,” he said after a moment. “The difference is, yer the one in the wrong. You started this... but I intend to finish it.”

Sabrina scowled, glancing subtly to the women at her side. “Oh really? Well... let’s see you try!” At her signal, they all attacked simultaneously, with Ultra Girl, Omega Girl, Luminaire, and Techna opening fire on Armor Man, hitting him with everything they had—

All to no avail. Sabrina watched grimly as the beams struck and fizzled out, hitting some kind of invisible barrier six inches from the target. As the others drew back, Cinema herself surged forward, going for a physical attack, striking the barrier as well, though the impact was enough to send her and Armor Man skidding back apart several feet. “Huh. Force field, really?” she stated aloud. “Why am I not surprised you’d be hiding behind some high-tech shield instead of facing me straight on?”

“Because I’m nae a bloody imbecile,” Armor Man replied, raising his hands. “I came into this knowing full well what I was up against.” He fired, sending a barrage of pinpoint blasts at Omega Girl and Cinema... only to grunt, lowering his hand as both women continued to stand, completely unharmed. “Great. I have a force field, and yer both invulnerable. Methinks this is going to be a long, drawn-out battle.”

“Not quite,” Techna announced, grinning wickedly, glowing slightly with her hands extended outward. “Did you forget about me, Armor Man? With you this close to me, I can hack into your armor directly and deactivate all of your systems and render you completely helpless in a matter of seconds!” Indeed, the lights on Armor Man’s suit began to flicker off and on, his stance faltering slightly.

“Ugh... dammit,” he said aloud, reaching for a round bulb on the side of his waist, pulling it free. “Of course I knew about your powers,” he grunted, as his systems began to flash red with alarms. “I just didn’t think even you were this good... or this fast...”

“What can I say?” Techna replied, glancing at her beloved Goddess, smiling grandly. “I was highly motivated!”

“Dammit! Cover him!” Robotica yelled, stepping forward, her hands shifting, transforming into sonic blasters, as she pointed towards Megan. Seconds later, Solo stepped forward as well, taking aim with his own weapon.

“I don’t think so,” Omega Girl replied, appearing suddenly in front of Megan, blocking the blasts, which deflected harmlessly off her body. She moved to return the favor, striking out with a twin blast of Omega Beams from her eyes... only for her blasts to likewise be blocked by Spice Girl, who’d zipped in at the last minute to shield her own teammates. The two heroines glared at one another, an old grudge coming back up again. It had been debated hotly for a few years, off and on, as to just which of them was the strongest. Heroines, both, they’d never really fought one another, other than a minor disagreement several years back and even that hadn’t actually came to blows. Now, however, standing on different sides, it seemed the time had finally come to settle the argument once and for all.

“Sorry, Ginger, but you should give it up,” Lacie remarked, smirking. “You can’t beat me.”

Ginger Lee smirked back. “Funny. I was just about to say the same thing to you.”

In a flash, the two women were fighting, trading blows, zipping and swishing across the field in a blur. Careful not to injure their respective teams, however, both women soon took their fight up into the sky, trading blows that sounded like peals of thunder. Meanwhile, down below, the other battles continued, with Megan focusing her talents on shutting down Armor Man, and the others trying to take her down before she managed it. Robotica, not wanting to get too close to Megan herself, instead went after Cinema, firing blasts at her to draw her attention away from the others.

At the same time, Solo, having broken away in the confusion, went for an end-run, trying to sneak unseen towards Sabrina’s mother, and the other meta negatives. Frowning, he paused, suddenly, his senses on full alert, reacting instinctively, launching himself backward just as a blast of energy flashed right through the place where he’d been standing. A second later, Ghost Girl appeared, scowling. “Damn, Clint... still have those lightning-quick reflexes, I see.”

”Yeah, lucky thing for me,” he commented, drawing his own gun. ”Any chance your gun’s set to stun like mine?” Chuckling, Rose shook her head no. ”Yeah... I kinda figured. Well, shit. This was all set to be a sneak attack... but with the element of surprise lost, I guess it will just come down to which of us has the better skill set.”

Ghost Girl smirked. ”I’ve never had the chance to go up against you before, Solo,” she said, cracking her knuckles.”But I can’t think of a better time and place!”

On the other side of the field, Manx was facing off against Whitewash, who looked to be less than happy. ”Ugh! Dammit!” she cursed, wincing as the catgirl’s claws struck a glancing blow on her arm, drawing blood. “What the hell is that blasted mask of yours made of anyway? I can’t read your damned mind at all!”

“Well, of course, Pretty One,” Manx smirked, taking a moment to lick the blood from her fingers. “Reading someone’s mind is cheating. And cheating’s only allowed when it works in MY favor!” Sprinting, she jumped up, preparing to deliver a brutal kick to the face. Eva, however, ducked, bending forward—just as Manx had hoped. Twisting in mid-air, she planted her feet as she landed and bounced, springboarding straight back towards the surprised psychic. Eva managed to deflect the blow somewhat, using her low-key telekinesis to shield herself from the worst of it, but the impact still sent her flying.

“Gotcha! Now for the brainy, little, Mouse Girl!” she said, leaping towards Techna, who was vulnerable, fully occupied with hacking Eugene’s Armor. “Time to say good nite, little mouse!”

TWWWAANNNGGG! ZZZZAAAAAPPPPP!

“Aaaaaaahhhh!” Manx yelped, falling away, twisting in midair as only she could to land back on her feet. Growling, she pulled her cat’s face mask off, revealing her real face. Glancing down, she spotted the scorch mark, the deeply blackened area along the ear. “Hmph. Lucky shot,” she said aloud, glaring at Ultra Girl, who stood, hands still outstretched from when she’d fired. Karen grinned back at her.

“Lucky? Sorry, you’re mistaken. I think you’re thinking of her,” she said, gesturing to the side. Manx’s eyes went wide as Luminaire flew in, catching her with a rising uppercut, connecting with her jaw hard enough to take her off her feet.

{Warning! Warning! System integrity breached! Core shutdown imminent!} the computer flashed its warning klaxons. {Total system shut down in fifteen seconds. Fourteen seconds. Thirteen—}

“Aye! I ken! I ken!” Eugene Frasier yelled out, struggling to move as more and more of his suit’s systems locked up on him. “I dinnae need a bloody countdown to remind me!”

“You’re done!” Techna announced triumphantly, her powers rapidly sucking the very life out of Armor Man’s high-tech suit. “You’ve only got a few seconds left before your famous tech is nothing more than a hunk of scrap metal!” She was happy, practically giddy with anticipation. She was about to take out her Goddess’ main enemy, all by herself! For all his planning, and scheming, for all his grandiose words, deep down, Eugene Frasier was just a man. Granted, a damned smart man, but still a man! Without his armor to protect him, he was as helpless as a newborn! And the one who would have taken him down... would be her! Megan Tanner! She sighed softly, thinking about her Goddess’s gratitude, and how pleased and happy she would be...

“Well, lass,” Eugene grunted, managing to raise his right hand, still clutching the orb, “I have to... give ye credit... where its due. Yer the first person in twenty years to hack my armor...” he said, just as his power finally died. “Aye... but with any luck... you’ll be the last to ever do so...” With that, his hand opened, and the orb fell to the ground.

BZZZZZZZZZRRRRTTTTTTT!!

A bright light suddenly lit up the area, and Megan let out a loud terrifying scream. Everyone turned, then glanced away, shielding their eyes from the glare. Several others yelped as well, crying out in sudden and unexpected pain. When the glare finally faded, Techna lay facedown on the ground, unconscious, her body twitching slightly, small arcs of electricity rolling over her silver bodysuit. Cinema, stunned, shocked to see the young beauty go down, rushed to her side.

“Megan? MEGAN! No! Wha... what happened?” she asked, glancing around, her eyes landing on Armor Man. “You! You... bastard!!” she snarled, rushing forward, grabbing him by the neck, slamming him into the ground hard enough to crack his armor plating. “WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST DO TO MY MEGAN!!??!!”

Gene’s laughter came through a bit strangled. “Isn’t it obvious, Cross? Yer a verra smart girl... ye noticed the flash... felt its effects like everyone else. You tell ME what I just did...”

Sabrina’s eyes widened in stunned amazement. “That was... an EMP?!?” she realized, glancing over the battlefield. Indeed, her opponent, Robotica, the woman she’d been fighting, stood completely still, almost lifeless, her body paused in mid-swing. And around them, Jessica, Melissa, and her mother, all of them were rubbing their hands, the guns they’d carried discarded and tossed to the ground, smoke and sparks issuing forth. Ghost Girl cried out as well, dropping her useless gun, shaking her tingling hands... only to slump to the ground, unconscious as Solo, knowing the blast was coming, took advantage of her distraction to strike her from behind.

“You used an EMP blast to take out all the tech on the battlefield? Why? Your armor... all of your weapons... you just deprived yourself of everything that allowed you to face me! Why?”

“Because it was the single best way of opening up the board,” Eugene replied, as the lights on his suit suddenly flickered... flickered again, then resumed their normal brightness. “Ah... that’s a mite better,” he said, pushing away from Sabrina, regaining his feet. “That EMP was only a minor blast, with a radius of only about half a mile. No one in the city should even be affected. And aye, it was enough to knock out my suit and deactivate Robotica there,” he said, gesturing as the cybernetic maiden suddenly lurched, shaking her head. “But yer wee lass was kind enough to shut down all of my systems beforehand,” he replied with a smirk, “so none of them were fried in the blast. And Robotica... well, the lass is a lot tougher than she looks, A minor blast like that merely caused her systems to reboot. She’s back up again, and ready for round two,” he stated, raising his fists, powering up. “And so am I!”

Sabrina nodded, grinning grimly. “Clever. Very clever. I’ll give you that one. I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting anything like that. You’re a lot more dangerous than I thought.” She cracked her knuckles. “I guess this means I can’t afford to hold back anymore.” She yelled, surging forward, a brutal punch aiming to knock his head clean off his body. Frasier winced, knocked back, his force field deflecting the blow, but unlike before, this time, Cinema kept coming. Lashing out again, and again, she punched and kicked and swung with all her strength, battering at the energy field, determined to shatter it.

“Goddess! Move!” Whitewash suddenly called out.

Surprised by the yell, Sabrina reacted immediately, swerving to the side, just as a loud gunshot report sounded from afar. A split second later, a bullet streamed past, passing through the space where she’d just been standing. Without the warning, the bullet would have struck directly through Sabrina’s right eye. “A sniper?! Seriously? You chicken-shit, mother... FUCKER!!” Scowling, she charged back in, redoubling her efforts against Frasier, hitting him with everything she had. Satisfied that her Goddess was fine, Eva turned her attention outward, seeking out and finding the mind of the sniper that had fired, and stunning him so deeply into unconsciousness she rendered the poor man practically comatose. Then she began to seek out the others, one by one.

On the far side of the field, Solo met his own fate, slumping to the ground, his costume sizzling and smoking... and covered in a light layer of frost. Thinking Sabrina’s mother vulnerable and for the taking, he sprinted towards her from behind... only to suddenly find himself skidding and sliding on a patch of ice! Startled, he was completely unprepared when a blast of sparkling fireworks exploded directly in his face and chest. Red Rocket and Snow Bunny grinned, high-fiving each other as their target hit the ground.

At the same time, Ultra Girl and Luminaire were having issues with the restored Robotica, who had gone on the offensive. Their combined firepower, while formidable, was proving completely ineffective against the robotic maiden. Indeed, the more energy they threw at her, the stronger her counterattacks seemed to become.

“Aaaaahhhh!” Karen winced, knocked back by a sonic blast. “Grrr... what the hell? This is crazy! We’re hitting her with everything we’ve got, and she’s not going down! She’s a damned robot! Between my heat and your solar energy, she should be melting into a puddle of shiny, silver sludge by now!”

“Y-yeah!” Katie grunted, knocked back by the force of a second blast. “Instead, it’s like we’re recharging her somehow! We get weaker, but she just keeps getting... stron... ger... wait a minute!” She drew back, thinking rapidly, even as she dodged Robotica’s follow-up. “I think that’s exactly what’s happening here! I remember my dad saying something about working on an energy-absorbing device, a while back... something that could absorb high-energy particles and convert them into usable energy! I’d assumed it was something he would put in his own armor, but maybe...”

“Maybe he installed it into little Ms. Robot Girl instead!” Ultra Girl finished.

“Clever,” Roberta replied, drawing back, frowning as the two heroines stopped firing. “Or maybe I should say, ‘Lucky guess’? Either way, you gals have a bit of a problem on your hands. Your attacks only make me stronger... but if you don’t attack me, I’ll take you both down. Kind of a lose-lose situation, don’t you think?”

“Not quite,” Shinobi replied, suddenly stepping forward, drawing her katana. “It just means that we need to think outside the box... and more importantly, switch opponents.” She grinned. “Luminaire, you go help Omega Girl take down Spice Girl. Ultra Girl, you’re with me. Between the two of us, we should be able to handle her.”

“Well... shit,” Roberta Bayport murmured, taking a step or two back. “That didn’t figure into my calculations... at all!”

“You see that, Armor Man?” Cinema sneered, continuously punching, forcing her foe steadily back across the plateau, keeping him locked into defense mode and unable to fight back. “My girls have adapted to your strategy. Your people are on the ropes. It’s only a matter of time..,” she growled, smirking as Eugene’s Armor sparkled, electricity crackling along its exterior now, “before you...” another solid punch causing smoke and sparks to issue forth, “and your people..,” with one last massive blow, the force field shattered, shutting down as Armor man’s systems overloaded from the strain. “FALL!!” she yelled in triumph as her fist finally connected, sending him rocketing across the field like a stone skipping across the water.

Landing in a heap, Armor Man struggled to stand, warning lights blaring from the damage he’d taken. The minor cracking of his chest plate from earlier was now a split, with wires and servos open and exposed. Grunting, getting back to his feet, he changed his strategy, shifting from defense to pure offense now, letting loose with his entire payload at the charging Cinema. Sabrina grunted, struck hard multiple times, bombs and missiles exploding against her body as she pushed onward, her dark purple and black costume sizzling and smoking as lasers lit her up, deflected by her body’s energy field somewhat, but continuing on, as relentless an attack as the one she’d just dealt out. Regardless, she continued onward, pushing past, pushing through... reaching out towards her target, the source of her pain... until...

“GOT YOU!!” she yelled, grabbing Armor Man by the neck, lifting him off the ground one-handed. With her other, she grabbed his damaged chest plate and pulled, tearing and ripping it apart. “THIS IS OVER!!” she screamed as it finally pulled free, exposing—

Nothing.

“What the..?!?” she gasped in shock. Indeed, the armor she’d been fighting and struggling so hard against was completely empty. Before she could even begin to fathom what was happening, however, a hidden failsafe within the suit activated, causing the self-destruct to activate. Sabrina, caught completely off guard, took the full brunt of the explosion, sending her flying back across the plains, hitting the ground hard enough to leave a large crater.

“GODDESS!! NNOOO!!!” Eva screamed out in horror, staring in shock at the still form of her beloved Mistress, her love. For a moment, it was as if time literally stood still, as if the universe had come apart at the seams. She knew that it was impossible, that her Goddess wasn’t dead, that she wasn’t truly even hurt. She was like Lacie, practically invulnerable. And yet... if there was anyone truly capable of doing the impossible, it was Eugene Frasier. She turned, moving towards the crater, to go to her Goddess... when she felt it. A sharp stinging pain. Wincing, her hand went immediately to her backside, to her right thigh... finding a small slender dart embedded in her skin. Suddenly, the world beneath her feet began to shift, sliding and slithering as if it had suddenly turned to fluid. Darkness crackled at the edge of her vision, becoming more and more pronounced by the second. Reaching out again towards her Owner, she managed only a soft “Oh Goddess... I love... you!” before tumbling to the ground, unconscious.

“Goddess! Eva!” Omega Girl cried out, watching them both fall within seconds of each other. Growling, enraged, she drew back, dodging as Spice Girl moved in after her, catching the red-headed heroine by the arm. With a savage snarl, Lacie spun in mid-air, whirling around like a top, creating a small but powerful tornado in her wake before releasing her, flinging Spice Girl down into the ground. The hapless heroine struck with the force of a meteor, causing a minor earthquake that knocked those on the ground off their feet, as well as sending out tremors felt several cities away. Spice Girl, winded, managed a gasping breath, then collapsed, going still. Satisfied, Lacie quickly flew down towards Sabrina’s crater.

Before she could reach her, however, she felt herself caught, grabbed from behind. Gasping, Lacie stiffened glancing over her shoulder at the shining silver helmet of her husband, Eugene Frasier, fully clad in his armor. Glancing down, she also noticed the long slender needle embedded in her thigh. “G-gene...” she murmured, as her strength began to fail, a deep lethargy overtaking her as the drug made its way through her system. Struggling with the last of her strength, she managed to pull free, dropping down to land next to the crater... and crawled forward, reaching out for her Goddess just inches away before collapsing into unconsciousness as well.

“Parker! Go!” Eugene barked over his comm unit, frowning as Cinema let out a groan, sitting up, picking herself back up off the ground. Glancing about, he linked to his overhead satellite giving him an overview of the battlefield. Things were hardly even between the two opposing forces; they’d succeeded in taking out Techna, Omega Girl, and Whitewash, three of his four primary targets, but in the process, he’d lost his autonomous combat armor, and all of his sniper units spread out in the valley, as well as Solo and Manx... no, wait. He glanced across the field to be sure, but yes, Manx was actually beginning to stir again, her eyes fluttering open, then closed again, a slow smirk creasing her lips. Gene noted that, sending it to the back of his mind for later, his main focus being on the current situation unfolding before him.

“Not... Uuugh... not bad, Frasier,” Sabrina admitted as she rose to her feet, flexing her neck and shoulders, taking a moment to breathe deep as she got ready to face him again. “I felt that. I mean, that actually... hurt. I hadn’t expected your little tin suit blowing up to pack that much of a punch.”

“Aye, Ye should feel honored,” he quipped. as several ports on his current suit opened up as his targeting systems locked on. “You forced me to blow up my power core, lass. I hope you appreciate that. It was an experimental prototype version with enough power to supply electricity to all of River City for three months. A lesser person would have likely been vaporized... but I figured that if Omega Girl could survive the explosion then surely you could as well.” With that, he fired, sending out a barrage of tiny rocket-propelled dart-like missiles in all directions. Cinema, expecting an attack, tapped into her speed, zipping out of the line of fire, only to scowl in consternation as the missiles turned, tracking her motions and following her.

“Heatseekers, Goddess,” Ultra Girl called out, leaping skyward. “Don’t worry, I know how to deal with them!” Hovering several feet off the ground, the blonde began to glow brighter, her body putting out waves of ambient heat. As expected the missiles locked onto her, tracking her larger heat source. Smirking, she flew off, leading the missiles away from the combat area, gaining altitude before turning back, unleashing her microwave blasts, causing the barrage to explode harmlessly in midair.

What happened next, however, was anything but expected. Amidst the sound of the missiles exploding was another boom... similar but a lower tone, more of a bass drum sounding. Before Sabrina or her girls could register it happening, a red and gray streak zipped across the field, a line of light and dust and sound, making a beeline straight at Morgan, Melissa, and Jessica, the three non-superpowered combatants. In the blink of an eye, all three had vanished, the blur disappearing as the line of smoke and dust it had stirred up enveloped the area.

“No! NOO!! NNOOO!!!” Cinema cried in fury, glancing around in shock. “They’re gone!” she yelled, turning her gaze on Armor Man. “YOU! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO WITH MY MOTHER!?! YOU FUCKING COWARD!!! Your fight... is... with... me..!!”

“Relax, lass. She and the others are safe,” Armor Man replied calmly. “They’re just temporarily in ‘time out’. Now then, why don’t ww—”

TWWUUNNNGGG!!

Eugene gasped, stunned, his head ringing as he found himself suddenly rocketing skyward. Sabrina’s blow, coming from out of nowhere, had not only lifted him off the ground, it had also sent him flying. Even his suits inertial dampeners were unable to compensate for the suddenness of the attack, leaving him momentarily dazed.

“Eugene!!” Roberta called out, seeing her boss get flattened. Things were still in flux, the plan was working so far, but it absolutely required Armor Man in order to bring things to a close. Making a tactical decision, she turned away from her own opponent, focusing her sonic blasters on Cinema, firing at full capacity to knock her away, hopefully giving Eugene a chance to regroup. An instant later, as expected, she felt a slash across her unprotected back. Warning lights lit up her displays, signaling that her main power coupling had been damaged. “Damn,” she managed, stumbling back as her systems began to power down. “not bad, Shinobi. It took a pinpoint... strike to hit such... a vital area... in a... single... strike. I’m... impressed...” she murmured as she powered down, collapsing to the ground.

“Finally! She’s down!” Karen yelled out in triumph. “Quickly! Rally around our Goddess! If we can take out Armor Man, this whole thing is over!”

“Not yet it’s not!” a new female voice called out, running forward. Ultra Girl glanced up in surprise as a young woman in a red and blue costume charged at her, leaping up to punch her square in the jaw. Stunned, she fell back hitting the ground, glancing up in annoyance at the newcomer. “Okay, kid,” she growled, powering up, “I don’t know who the HELL you are, but you just made the biggest mistake of your life!”

Shinobi frowned, glancing at the youngster, seemingly unphased by the blonde heroine powering up a few feet away. Curious, she reached out with her psychic powers, reading the girl’s mind... only to gasp in shock. “Karen! Ultra Girl! Stop! Don’t fi—”

Too late, Karen unloaded on the hapless youngster, blasting her with a full barrage of her Ultra Beams... only to scream out in shock and agony as her own energy reflected off the girl, blasting her back at twice the intensity. Ultra Girl groaned, stumbled, then fell, collapsing to the ground, unconscious, smoke rising gently from her body.

“Karen!” Katie Frasier cried, dropping out of nowhere to join the ninja. “What the hell... I’ll make you pay for that!” she promised, powering up as well.

“Don’t!” Shinobi warned her, placing a hand on Katie’s shoulder. “The girl’s code name is Rebound. Any force we use against her just gets reflected back.” She leveled her sword at the girl, who frowned, noticeably taking several steps back. Roni grinned. “I’m guessing your powers only work against energy, huh? So no reflecting back a sword slash to the gut or a kick to the face?”

Rebound grunted, assuming a fighting stance. “Huh. Maybe not. But I’m not too worried. I’m pretty sure I won’t lose to you in a contest of martial arts.”

Veronica blinked, then laughed aloud. “Oh my, the sheer... arrogance! If you had ANY idea of who you’re facing, you’d be shaking in your boots. Do you honestly think you can beat me?”

Surprisingly, the girl smiled. “Me? Oh no, not a chance. You’d wipe the floor with me for sure. The thing is—”

Suddenly the grey and red blur returned, Shinobi, her psychic sense kicking in, had just enough time to leap back out of the way, avoiding a brutal barrage of punches, as the blur solidified, resolving itself into the form of her husband, Parker Albinn, aka, the speedster Echo.

“—I won’t be fighting you,” Rebound finished. “Sorry, but I never get involved in a lover’s quarrel.”

Husband and wife stood glaring at each other. “Parker. This won’t end well for you,” she said, slowly circling around, keeping her blade at the ready. “I know what you tried to do to Eva. How you tried to fill her head with doubts, trying to sow dissension between us.” Her eyes narrowed. “You have no idea how deeply your words affected her... how much she suffered believing that she had betrayed our Goddess! For that alone, I will take great delight in making you suffer before I end your life!”

“Oh, darling, you say the sweetest things,” Parker replied grimly. He removed the baton from his belt, extending it into a full-sized bo staff, twirling it around idly in his hands. “You and the others make a habit of saying that even though you’ve clearly been brainwashed, you remember everything from your lives before your “Goddess” claimed you. Then you must remember what we were to each other, how much we love one another.”

“I do,” Roni admitted, still circling, adjusting the grip on her blade. “But that doesn’t change anything. I belong to and serve my Mistress. Her wants and desires are ALL that matter to me now! You and Eugene are bound and determined to interfere, to take us away from our beloved Goddess? Well, we’re just as bound and determined to stop you. And we’ll do whatever it takes.”

Parker frowned, taking a step forward... only to suddenly veer to the side, dodging a blast of rainbow-colored lights, followed by a trio of... snowballs? Glancing at his side, he found two more of Cinema’s minions advancing at him, Red Rocket and... some blonde girl he’d never seen before. “Really?!?” he growled, annoyed. Scowling, he raised a hand, preparing a sonic blast, but Luminaire acted first, pulling them both aside.

“C’mon guys. Stay back,” she warned, keeping her eyes on Parker the entire time. “These two have a personal grudge to settle. We need to let them handle this themselves—”

“No! No way!” Bethany snarled. “It’s him... Parker Albinn! He’s the one responsible for... we have to... he... he...”

“He’s the blur that, like, totes snatched up our Sisters!” Ella replied grimly. “He’s the reason we... failed...!”

Katie nodded softly, understanding completely. Their Goddess had charged Ella and Bethany to look after and protect the others while they faced off against Armor Man and his group. The fact that Echo had zipped in and snatched up Jess, Morgan, AND Melissa faster than the human eye could see, or that there was no way they could have stopped him, didn’t matter. In their minds, they had failed their Goddess. They had been unable to perform the one task she’d given them. Katie herself understood that pain and self-loathing all too well, having felt it herself. But she also knew that with all the chaos happening around them, they needed to stay clearheaded if they had any hope of bringing their Goddess victory.

“Listen to me! You haven’t failed yet,” Luminaire told them forcefully, regaining their attention. “Jess and the others are alive and well—Parker just has them hidden away somewhere. Once we take him and my father down, this will all be over, and we’ll be able to rescue them. For now, we just need to remember the plan. Echo is too fast and too powerful for us to take on. Shinobi is the best possible one to defeat him. If we get involved, we’ll just be getting in her way.” She glanced meaningfully at Rebound, who went pale, taking another step back. “In the meantime, there’s still the girl that took out our sister, Karen. If we take her down, Armor Man will be out of allies to help him. Then we can all combine our powers to put him down once and for all!”

“FUCK YEAH!!” Ella exclaimed, thrusting a fist into the air. “Let’s totes take this bitch down!” But Katie shook her head.

“Sorry, Ella. Bethany and I can handle this. You stay back for now.”

“But... I wanna help!” she pouted. “I’m, like, totally able to kick butt too, yanno!”

“We know,” Bethany replied with a small smile as she took the time to kiss Ella. “But we need you to hang back for now. Besides... you’re our ‘secret weapon’ remember? We’ll need you for the final battle against Armor Man.” Sighing softly the blonde bimbo girl nodded, retreated back away from them, giving them their space.

“Huh. Secret Weapon, huh?” Rebound replied, eyebrow raised. “She does, what.... throws snowballs? Unless she hides a rock in one of them, she’s not really much of a threat, you know?”

“Shut up, bitch!” Bethany growled, her body beginning to glow. “Ella might not be the most powerful of us, but she’s still our Sister! Our Goddess brought her here because she knew she would be useful. And I’ll not have her slandered by some... bitch rookie wanna-be!”

“Careful, Rocket,” Luminaire cautioned. “Remember what happened to Ultra Girl! You can’t use your powers against her—she’ll just blast you with them.” She assumed a fighting stance. “We’ll have to do this ‘old school’.” Smirking, Bethany followed suit, assuming a stance of her own.

“Huh. Well... shit,” Rebound murmured, taking another step or two back. She’d honestly hoped to provoke one or both of them into attacking her with their light powers, giving her something to use against them. Facing them hand-to-hand was not something she was looking forward to—her two years of Karate and Tae Kwon Do almost certainly didn’t match up to whatever level of fighting skill the two established heroines had. “Thiisss... could be a.. problem...”

Tabitha Coleman groaned softly, flexing and clenching her muscles, a subtle shifting of her limbs. She hurt all over a lot more than she cared to reflect on. Hmph. Damned little Glow Worm sure packs a punch when she’s pissed, she thought with a smirk. And that sexy firebrand MILF too, for that matter. She singed my mask. Not sure if the psychic insulation will hold after that hit it took... probably best if I do not cross paths with their so-called Mistress then. Fingering it slowly with her left hand, taking care that her movements weren’t noticed, she smirked again. Hmmm... seems like the filtration system is still intact, though. Good. Looks like I can still play my trump card and fulfill my part of the contract after all.

The sounds of a scuffle nearby caught her attention. Shifting her eyes to her right, she saw the object of her affections fighting with the new kid, that girl... what’s-her-name, working her over pretty well. Huh. Guess it figures. The kid’s a total lightweight anyway... a one-trick pony. If you’re not packing some kind of energy-based power, she’s a pushover. Her smirk deepened, however, as she watched the battle heat up. Still... this might just be my chance. They’re pretty damn close. I just need them to get a bit closer... just a little... more... Closing her eyes, she began channeling every bit of her focus, her concentration, trying to tap into her chaos ability. Not nearly as defined as Luminaire’s famous ‘luck powers’, her own chaos talents were nevertheless potent. One didn’t become the premier cat burglar in the world without an uncanny amount of luck on her side.

As for the blonde heroine herself... Armor Man had relayed two very important pieces of information. First, though Luminaire’s good luck was always ‘on’, she couldn’t actually control it. It basically did what it wanted as far as protecting her, often in unusual and unpredictable ways. Second, and more vitally, her luck only kicked in to protect her from actual threats, attacks against her person that would cause her harm. A man pointing a loaded gun at her would find it miraculously jammed and unable to fire, but a child pointing a plastic NERF gun would easily be able to hit her. Which, again, made Manx’s little scheme all the more diabolical.

Rebound let out a cry of pain, backing away clutching her right arm, still stinging from blocking the kick to her face. Panting, she glanced from side to side, both of her opponents still fresh and unharried, while she herself sported any number of cuts and bruises. “Ugh... this... sucks,” she remarked, backing slowly away as the two light-powered heroines approached her. “Uh... um, hey? Hello? Anyone on my side still around?! How ’bout a little help?”

“Just the words I was waiting for!” Manx replied, suddenly popping back to her feet, rising up behind Bethany, causing her and Katie to whirl around. Sliding her cat face mask back on, she greeted the surprised heroines with a sidelong glance. “What’s the matter, Kitten?” she asked, smirking. “You didn’t think you laid me out for good with that sucker punch, didja? I’m afraid our dance has only just begun!”

“Shit! Manx!” Luminaire cried, rushing at her, lifting off the ground to fly at her at top speed. The nimble catgirl, expecting Katie to do exactly that, merely bent backward, allowing Katie to zip right over her. At the same time, she opened her hand, sending the small vial she’d been holding at her partner. Red Rocket gasped in surprise as it exploded, showering her in a fine gray powder.

“Aacchh! acchhoo!! What the... achhoo!! hell?!” she yelled, dusting herself off. “What is this stuff?!?”

“Oh, nothing much, sweetie,” Manx replied fingering her belt pouch, readying a second vial filled with a finely ground navy blue powder. “Just a few exotic specialties that I picked up on the black market. I’m afraid I don’t have my own tech-savvy slave slut like you,” she said gesturing at the unconscious Megan, “or access to my daddy’s high tech company, to whip up a bunch of fancy toys for me!”

Bethany, stung by the insult, glared at her attacker. “Okay, that’s it!” she growled, powering up herself. “Maybe I can’t blast that Rebound chick with my fireworks... but your ass is... your... your ass... is... it’s...” she said, stumbling over her words as a sudden euphoria swept over her. “Whhooaaa...” she moaned softly, eyes going wide and glassy, staring down at her hands, which suddenly seemed to be moving in slow motion, leaving glowing tracks with each movement. She blinked, then blinked again, but instead of clearing, her vision only grew more cloudy. “You... drrruuggg... mmeee?” she said, wavering slightly in place.

Manx laughed, grinning gleefully. “Uuhh..., yeah! Of course, you made it only too easy!” A tingling in the back of her head warned her of danger, and, again, with surprising agility she leaped skyward, from a standing position, vaulting six feet straight up into the air, tossing the blue-colored vial at the ground at her feet just as Luminaire swept past again. The vial smashed open, sending out a cloud of powder, catching the surprised heroine in passing. Katie inhaled as a reflex, coughing wildly for several seconds as she crashed back to the ground, colliding with and knocking over Red Rocket in the process. Manx of course, landed nimbly back on her feet, grinning triumphantly. “Speaking of easy,” she continued, stalking like a predator towards the two downed heroines, “How are you feeling, my dear, little Luminaire? Nice and dazed I’d imagine. Well, don’t worry. It’s only a little puff of Blue Dreams. And I’m sure you probably recognize that other scent drifting from your delicious-looking partner, Red Rocket as well... a nice bit of Icarus Dust.” She grinned sadistically as both girls let out a deep, soulful moan, their struggles to regain their feet subsiding as they collapsed back atop each other.

“Heh.Yeah... very nice. I admit I haven’t actually tried using both of them in combination this way,” she admitted, reaching down to run her hands idly along the dazed girls’ cheeks causing them both to moan again. “For one, it’s a bit of overkill, since either one is potently effective by itself. Secondly, those little vials are outrageously expensive.” She grinned, letting her hands slide down the unresisting girls’ bodies, teasing and tweaking expansive breasts through their skintight costumes, their nipples hardening in response. “Mmmm... very nice,” she said in approval. “Still, with what I’m being paid for this job, I felt I could splurge a little. In fact,” she said, glancing around the battlefield, “since things seem to be pretty much sorted out, I might as well indulge myself a bit while I can.” She grinned, taking a moment to enjoy the sight of Bethany and Katie, both dazed and blissful, each drugged out of their minds, and horny beyond belief. She commanded them to strip, and instantly they obeyed, practically ripping their costumes off, despite their clumsy, drunken movements. Tabitha nodded again in appreciation.

“Yes, oohh fuuck... yes! Mmmm, yummy! I guess your all-powerful ‘Goddess’s’ power doesn’t protect you from drugs, does it? Looks like your both MY pets, now!” she murmured softly, unzipping her own costume. As part of her contract, she’d been given the chance to spend some ‘private time’ with Luminaire, to play with the hot, sexy blonde that had dominated and humiliated her in their last encounter. She’d honestly been surprised, given the heroes’ usual moral objections to such things, but Armor Man had agreed nevertheless. In retrospect, that very likely meant that he probably planned to renege on the offer, to free Luminaire and the others’ minds BEFORE she had the chance to claim her prize. Which was why taking advantage of the situation and indulging in a bit of hot girl-on-girl action now seemed like the perfect way to kill some time until the fighting was finally over.

“Now then, my horny little Super sluts,” she husked as she slid her hands down between their bare legs and began rubbing their hot, slick pussies, causing both heroines to moan again, “time to show me some love. Let’s see just how well your little, teenaged Goddess has trained you!”

“Stand still, damn you!” Cinema growled, zipping back and forth, chasing her quarry around the battlefield. She was pushing her strength and speed to her very limits, but she was still unable to connect. For his part, however, Armor Man had been unable to do much either, his few attacks doing less than nothing to her, not even slowing her down. Looking at things logically she surmised that it wasn’t simply chance, or a well-thought-out bluff. They’d both expended a wealth of resources and forces into their “private” one-on-one battle, both giving it their all. That he was largely ineffective now only confirmed her hypothesis—that he had already used up his best offensive attacks in their previous sorties, and that he actually had little left in the way of attack measures.

Not that I’m counting him out, just yet, she thought grimly, swinging again, missing him by millimeters. I know that he’s got something else up his sleeve... some final ace in the hole. A last-ditch surprise weapon he’s holding onto when everything else fails. It’s why I’m still holding onto my own trump card for the moment... at least until my girls can do something about that one remaining enemy of theirs!

Indeed. A lucky break that had been. Sabrina made a mental note to thank Karen again for her sacrifice once this battle was over, perhaps even spending the entire night alone with her blonde heroine. Pushed to the brink by the abduction of her mother, she’d nearly lost it, preparing to use her psionic blast to enslave everyone in the entire area at the same time. It was only by the slimmest of possible margins that she’d held back, that she’d witnessed Ultra Girl attacking the one called Rebound, blasting her full force, only to have her own attack thrust back at her. That was when she realized Eugene’s strategy—that he’d held the girl back until then, specifically for that purpose, hoping that Sabrina would lash out with her enslavement powers.

‘I honestly have no idea what would have happened if I’d attempted to enslave her, she mused silently, ducking as Armor Man lashed out at her with a kick, launching one of her own, only landing a glancing blow. ‘At the very least, it would have no doubt stunned me, maybe knocked me unconscious. At worst, I could have ended up enslaving myself, turning me into a mindlessly obedient thrall to that girl... or worse, to Frasier himself!’ She shuddered at the very thought. She wasn’t nearly so arrogant to see herself as a perfectly flawless being, or anything, but she knew herself. Knew she was a true dominant at heart. The idea of being made into a weak-willed submissive, to have her will yanked away, especially by some... man... terrified her! Yes, yes, she freely acknowledges her own hypocrisy!!

And if not for Karen, that might have very well happened. Yes, I definitely need to reward her when this is done. Hmm, maybe I should even let Karen choose and have her own slave for a night? Hell, I may do it anyway just to see who she chooses. And, as a true reward, this time, I’ll even put myself on the list! Allowing herself a moment, Sabrina laughs as she pictures Karen’s expression when her Goddess thanks her as only she can.

For his part, Eugene was nearly at the end of his rope. Things had played out more or less as he’d expected. His satellite scans kept him appraised of the situation around him; of all the combatants, only he, Cinema, Echo, and Shinobi were still going. Manx had played out her assigned role, taking out not only Luminaire but Red Rocket as a bonus. Rebound was still active, thankfully, preventing the young Cinema from using her enslaving powers. Though, to be honest, he didn’t know if Rebound’s physical ability would actually work against Sabrina’s psionic ability but he DID know that he didn’t want to find out the hard way. The board was set up for the endgame to take place. He just needed a way to finally take her down for the count.

Aye... the problem being that I dinnae have anything left that can do the damned, bloody job, he lamented, dodging away once more. Sabrina’s assumption that he’d already played his best hand was completely accurate. His combat armor had been made for a long-drawn-out battle and was designed to be able to go toe to toe with Cinema, and even Omega Girl, as a pair if needed. Unfortunately, he’d had to sacrifice it a LOT earlier than expected, thanks to Techna’s rather surprising skill and finesse. Even then, dealing the teenaged villainess a dire blow, she’d managed to not only endure it but somehow actually healing and recovering in record time. Aye... THAT would have been bloody, damned useful to know the strength and effectiveness of her regenerative powers BEFORE this battle started, he thought ruefully. The problem was, that while his first suit had been designed for combat, his second suit, the one he currently inhabited, had been chosen and designed for stealth, speed, and quickness. It had allowed him to take out Omega Girl easily enough, despite her Goddess Sight and insane reaction time, as well as Eva, with her psychic awareness.

And it was allowing him to stay one step ahead of Cinema’s attacks, demonstrated as he dodged yet again, leaping away from a brutal punch that missed but shattered the stone side of the plateau on which he’d been standing. Evasion was his only recourse at the moment. His stealth armor was simply too weak to withstand repeated blows of the strength and sheer power that Cinema was displaying. And until he could think of something that would incapacitate her, weaken her, or at least... fucking slow her down, all he could do was keep dodging...

Echo slid back, panting, his hands stinging from the impact of the last barrage. His opponent simply stared back at him, impassively, though he knew her well enough from their years together to know she was just as tired and frustrated as he was. “Are you getting tired of this stalemate yet?” he asked her, twirling his staff again. “You know, you can end this at any time just by surrendering. Despite all that bullshit you were spouting earlier, I know you don’t want to hurt me. You’re just following orders... being the obedient soldier. I get that. But still... if you just back off... just lower your guard, I can end this. And we can all go back to the way things used to be. The way they should be!”

Veronica smirked. “I see. Your fighting skills can’t get the job done, so now you’re trying to talk me into submission.” She shook her head ruefully. “You disappoint me, Parker. On so many levels. You’re pathetic.” His expression darkened. “You are! As you said, we know each other very well. I know your powers... I know what you’re capable of. And yes, despite your speed, with my psychic awareness, we are evenly matched. And yet, I will still come out on top. Do you know why?”

“No,” he replied archly, “but I’m sure you’ll tell me.”

“I’ll win... because you’re too weak!” she yelled, suddenly charging forward. She lashed out with a sword strike... the same special technique she’d demonstrated to her Goddess during training, her phantom sword strike. Amazingly, however, Parker dodged it, his own form blurring just as her own did, both images blocking both attacks. Growling, Roni drew back again. “You see? You’re so fucking powerful! Probably more than anyone out here on this battlefield, except for... possibly my Goddess herself! And yet, you handicap yourself! If you truly went all out, holding nothing back... then honestly, I don’t think even my... Goddess herself could stop you.” Her lips curled into a smirk, her hands sliding down to her belt. “But you won’t do that. You won’t fight to win... because you refuse to kill. You hold yourself back... but us? We don’t have that restriction!”

With a snarl, she surged forward again, lashing out with her sword, a direct forward thrust. Gasping, Parker moved, lashing out with his staff, deflecting the sword tip downward... only to wince in pain. Veronica, expecting his counter, had released her grip on the sword—the one move Parker never saw coming—allowing it to fall to the ground as it was blocked. With her hands free, she grabbed a kunai blade from her belt, closing the small distance between them, embedding the blade deep into his thigh before he could draw back. Parker immediately riposted, striking Roni in her unguarded chest, sending her sprawling backward. Growling, he pulled the blade free of his leg and brought his staff back to bear... only to gasp as a tremor ran through his body.

“Uugghh... Gaaaaahh... wh-wh-whaaa...” he managed as he shuddered, his body randomly vibrating, shaking. The staff tumbled from his fingers, and his eyes widened, as his legs trembled, then folded inward, dropping him into a kneeling position. “Can’t move... muscles... locking up...” he managed through gritted teeth as Veronica calmly rose back to her feet. “That blade... poisoned?” he hissed.

“Botulinum toxin,” she replied succinctly, retrieving her sword. “A potent paralytic. Not enough to be fatal,” she added archly, “especially for you, Parker. With your enhanced metabolism, the poison will burn up in your system long before it causes any real damage. But then again, poisoning you was never the goal.” She smiled then, a calm, composed, and serene smile. “My Goddess is a genius. Even though you weren’t here at the start of this fight, she knew you would be here, eventually. And like me, she knew how big a threat a speedster could be. So she came up with the perfect method to neutralize your speed, and render you powerless. Not permanently,” she stated, standing above him, raising her sword, “but just long enough...”

“Just one thing,” Parker gasped out, causing her to pause. “Before you make that last strike. I... just wanted to ask you... what’s next?”

“What do you mean?”

“After you kill me... after Eugene falls... what then?”

Roni frowned, raising her sword again. “What kind of foolish question is that? We all happily go home with our Goddess and live with her in joy and bliss as her loving and devoted slaves, serving and obeying her in any way she desires forever!”

“And... our daughter?”

Roni gasped, eyes wide. “Our... daughter?” she said slowly, the sword lowering slightly, Her mind raced as the one thing she’d pushed aside, had forced herself not to think about, was suddenly thrust back into the forefront of her mind. “Lucy...” she whispered softly. “I’d... forgotten. She’s staying with your mother right now... while we deal with... I mean... while we were going to... going to...”

“While we were going to help Eugene stop Sabrina Cross,” Parker reminded her. “Yeah. It was YOUR suggestion... making sure Lucy didn’t get dragged into this, that she couldn’t be used as a bargaining chip in case the worst happened. Well, love, the worst DID happen. You’re now the very enemy you volunteered to defeat.” His left hand twitched, fingers flexing idly as the muscles in his arm struggled to respond. “So, Roni, what exactly do you plan to do once I’m dead? Will you go bring Lucy back to live with you and your beloved Goddess? And what do you plan to tell her when she asks you what happened to Daddy?”

Roni, eyes wide, shook her head. “I... I... I mean... I don’t...” she babbled, her mind in turmoil. Lucy, her daughter... she’d meant more to her than anything in her life before. Now, her Goddess was the most important thing... but Lucy was almost as important to her. That incongruity, that paradox, that someone could mean more to her than her own daughter, tore at her. What kind of mother was she? How could she love anyone—even her Goddess—more than her own flesh and blood? Her programmed reasoning warred with her maternal instincts, leaving her confused and dazed.... so dazed that when Parker’s hand suddenly surged forward, driving the tranquilizer dart into her thigh, it was almost a blessing when the darkness enveloped her.

Grunting, Parker collapsed next to her, breathing heavily. It had taken all of his strength to inject Roni. He had nothing left. “Dammit... old man...” he grunted, glancing up at Armor Man, still fighting. “I stopped the telepathic ninja, but, looks like I’m done. Gonna take a few hours... to work this crap... out of my system. Guess the rest... is up to... y-you...”

“Damn,” the young woman watching whistled in genuine appreciation, shaking her head. “That was crazy. You both have serious skills!! The whole thing was like some kick-ass anime battle or something. Samurai versus ninja. And damn... even at the end, it was a draw.” She shook her head. “Well, guess things are just about over. I, for one, am more than ready to get out of here. I just hope Armor Man’s right, and that this whole thing goes down the way he—OOOHHHH!!”

Rebound groaned, slumping to the ground, eyes rolling into the back of her head as she went down. The back of her head, covered in white snow, now sported a nasty-looking lump, while the rock buried inside the snowball now sported light flecks of red blood. “Hmph! Totes serves you right, bitch!” Ella snarked, glaring down at the unconscious heroine. “I, like, totally heard your comment earlier. ‘Unless she hides a rock in one of them, she’s not really much of a threat’, you know?” she said, imitating Rebound’s voice. “Shows what you know! Although,” she said, frowning, “I guess I did, like, totally prove your point, by, like putting a rock in that snowball I threw.” She sighed. “Still, it was like a totally mean thing to say about a girl!”

Stepping free, she glanced into the sky. “Hey! Goddess!” she yelled, throwing her hands up. “We’re, like, all done down here! It’s all you, now!” she screamed, using her powers to send up a small plume of fluffy white precipitation into the air.

“YES! FINALLY!!” Sabrina yelled in triumph.

“DAMMIT!” Eugene cursed loudly, drawing back, hovering in mid-air.

Cinema and Armor Man stared at one another, both winded, and tired. They were the last ones standing. Granted, Manx, Red Rocket, and Luminaire were all still conscious, but in their current condition, none of them could be classified as... combatants. “It’s over, Frasier. You’re out of options... out of offense, and out of allies!” Her grin widened. “By my count, you’re also just about out of time.” Eugene blinked in surprise. “Yes... my dear Megan has extensive knowledge of your suit’s technology. And by my calculations, your armor only has about seven more minutes of reserve power left before you’re completely out of energy.”

Grunting, Gene checked his display, scowling at the readout. “It’s actually closer to five minutes,” he replied grimly, “but aye, you’re right. I am out of time.” He sighed heavily. His options for victory were nearly depleted, and his choices were few. “But I wouldnae say the victory is yours just yet. I still have an ace or two up my sleeve.” Sighing deeply, knowing this would likely push his power reserves into the red, he set his plan into motion. Switching his sensors entirely into scanner mode, he closed his eyelets and activated his chest cannon. “Smile for the birdie, lass!” he yelled, as his chest laser emitted a bright flash—a beam of harmless, but extremely bright red light.

“Wah—AAAAHHHH?!” Sabrina yelled, closing her eyes and throwing up her hands against the glare. Immediately, she felt herself pulled, grabbed from behind. Struggling, she twisted reflexively, pulling with her full strength against her captor... only to find herself solidly held. “You... can’t hold me... for long!” she snarled... only to gasp, wincing at a sudden pain in her chest. Blinking from the glare, she stared down at the long silver dart embedded in her upper chest, just above her left breast. A sudden inexplicable weakness swept through her, causing her to sag in Eugene’s grip. “N-no... wha.... you... this can’t...” she gasped, dizziness fluttering through her. “How could you... my skin... no way you... could...”

“Aye,” Eugene murmured, releasing her, sagging down as well. “It wasnae easy. That dart... as well as the one I injected Lacie with? They’re Nth metal... a rare metal alloy of iron, titanium, and an even rarer, as yet still unidentified metal found only in a few meteor fragments from space. Harder than diamond, one of the few metals that can pierce anything, even a nigh-invulnerable lass such as yerself. Insanely expensive as well, both in rarity and the complicated process of working the material.” He grunted, dropping down to one knee. “As for the dart ye were injected with? Turns out I did have one last ally left. An old army buddy of mine, a sniper, armed with a verra special rifle.”

“But... Eva... took down... all of your... sn-snipers...” Sabrina protested.

“Oh, aye,” he nodded. “All of the ones in the area. Just as I knew she would. But Sgt. Matthews wasnae IN the area. He was back in River City. When Eva was finally taken out, I signaled Parker to put phase two into motion. He then grabbed up the Sargent and carried him out to the bunker position, replacing the lead sniper that Eva had dispatched. He then made his way over and picked up the three non-combatants—Melissa, Jessica, and yer mother, Morgan—and took them back to the city as well. Finally, he picked up Rebound and dropped her off back here at the battle site, before he engaged his wife Veronica, in a one-on-one duel.”

Sabrina nodded, actually laughing aloud. “Perfect. So... well thought out. You... had it all... planned out... perfectly... didn’t you? Damn..., you are... f-fucking good at this.”

Eugene sighed, shaking his head. “Are ye bloody daft, lass? This cacophony of chaos? It’s about as far from my original plan as things could possibly be and still be called a success. I had alternatives set up for certain eventualities, aye... but ye managed to counter my counters as quickly and as well as I did yours. My suit running out of power at this point was merely the icing on the cake.” Forcing himself back to his knees, he withdrew a pair of shiny silver restraints from his armor. “Now then... I just need to bind you up nice and tight... and we can bring an end to all of this...”

Sabrina’s eyes widened. “No! NO! I won’t... c-can’t... let you...” she growled, struggling. Her body felt heavy, her limbs numb. The drug, whatever it was, had definitely sapped her strength. If he got those restraints on her, if he managed to get her completely helpless, then it was all over. She’d lose it all... she’d lose... everything!! All of her beloved slaves... would be taken away from her. “STOP! I won’t let you... do this!” she yelled, struggling, yelling at her body to move, forcing herself to push past the numbness, past the lassitude, trying to tap into her power, her strength. She was literally fighting to keep everything she’d gained over the last several weeks, everything good in her life. But as Armor Man grabbed her wrist, forcing it into the metallic shackles, she felt it all begin to slip away—

“NOO! NNOOO! NNNOOOOO!!!”

“Eh?” Eugene glanced up sharply, staring in confusion at the other member of Sabrina’s team, the young blonde he’d dismissed as unimportant. She glared at him, her expression twisted in fear and anger, refusing to accept what she was seeing. “No! You can’t take our Goddess away from us!” she yelled, standing firmly as a vortex of wind began to form around her. “Mistress Sabrina... my Goddess... she was the first one to EVER see the value in me...” she said, the wind whipping higher, causing her pixie cut hair to dance freely. “She was the first to see past my shy exterior... to see the REAL me beneath the surface!” Her hair, yellow blonde, began to lighten, going nearly white before taking on a clear iceberg blue tint. “And now, you... you... METAL MORON! You think you can take her away from me!” she yelled, as a wave of intense cold suddenly swept across the plateau, causing the temperature to drop dramatically. “I WON’T LET YOU!!” she screamed, as the mental block she herself had subconsciously placed within her own mind, the limiter on her powers, suddenly shattered. And Ella unleashed the full brunt of her powers.

“Oy shite!” Gene yelled, activating his suit’s emergency reserves, creating a barrier around himself and his captive, just as a blast of nearly absolute zero enveloped them. Snow Bunny screamed, her emotions pushing her powers beyond her limits, bombarding the area in a layer of sheer ice, leaving the ground and surrounding hills looking like an Arctic landscape. Shuddering, her energy drained, the young woman collapsed, dropping down into a snowbank, unconscious from the expenditure.

For his part, Eugene Frasier was in a bad way. Having taken the brunt of the attack, he’d pushed his suit’s energy cells past redline and into exhaustion. As luck would have it, with all of their fighting, they’d ended up far enough away from the others that they were spared the worst of the blast, meaning the only ones in any actual danger were he, and Sabrina. Still, extending his energy shield to protect Cinema as well as himself had caused his systems to completely fail, including his life support, and though his armor’s automatic heat regulators had compensated for most of the effect, he was still left with at least first-degree frostbite. The exterior of his Armor, already battered and damaged from all the fighting, was cracked, shattered in several spots, and virtually falling apart. Which, strangely enough, was perhaps a good thing, as, without power, the suit itself was little more than a heavy metal casket.

‘Ach... what a shock, that,’, he muttered silently, pushing himself back to his feet. ‘And to think, I dismissed that one as a non-combatant. The lass was a whisker away from flat out killing me! Groaning aloud, he turned to survey the battlefield, and take stock of everyone’s condition... only to find himself suddenly slammed down hard into the still-frozen ground. Looking up, he found himself staring into the reddened, frosty, but quickly healing face of Sabrina Cross, grinning savagely at him. ‘Ach...no! Impossible! There’s no way! No damned, bloody way!! The lass was down for the count! There’s no way she could have recovered like this!

“I... win!” she managed, cracking his armor like a peanut shell, peeling it off him. “It’s over, Frasier. You... you put up a HELL of a fight. But you’re fucking done!” She sighed heavily. The battle had indeed taken a serious toll on her. True, she was healing, but the strain of everything she’d endured left her very tired and weak. She was still very close to passing out, fighting it off with sheer willpower alone. Yet, despite everything, she’d beaten the great Eugene Frasier. She wasn’t about to drop out now, so close to final victory. “Now... give up. Say that you surrender... and I’ll let you keep your mind.”

“Sorry... lass,” the old man rasped, struggling uselessly in her grasp. “Not gonna happen. This tale has only two outcomes. Either I win... or we all lose. So it’s you that needs to surrender... and right now!”

Eyes flashing in anger, Sabrina ripped away more of his armor, his helmet cracking, revealing half of his face. “Don’t you fucking get it?! You can’t threaten me! You have nothing left! You’re beaten!” She growled in frustration. “You goddamn fucking son of a bitch! You stole away my mother!! You hurt her before in that stupid attack at the restaurant! And now you’re trying to take away every good thing in my life! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA how FUCKING HARD it is for me NOT to kill you with my bare hands right now?!? Do you?!”

Gasping, pulling at his throat, struggling to breathe, his free hand slid down to his side, clenched into a fist. “Lass... Ye... dinnae understand...” he gasped out, breathing deeply as Sabrina finally lessened her grip. “Yer... thank ye lass... yer... not the only one... that’s struggling. All this time... I’ve been fighting as well... to NOT kill you, either.”

Sabina blinked at that. At the sheer... ridiculousness of the statement. “You’re... insane,” she barked. scowling at him. “Your people are beaten. Your armor is destroyed. How the hell did you plan on killing me? Huh? Tell me? Prove to me that you’re not fucking bluffing!”

In response, Eugene pulled away briefly, raising his right hand. With his other, he pressed and twisted an indentation on his metal gauntlet. Immediately, a long narrow pin emerged from the glove, a thin needle, with a single drop of green liquid dripping out. “This compound,” he explained, removing a canister of liquid, “is a recombinant mixture that bonds to the subject on the genetic level, and completely suppresses any and all anomalies. In other words, it permanently deactivates a person’s superpowers, rendering them a normal human being once again.”

Sabrina gaped at him in stunned surprise. “Wait... you had something like that... this entire time? Then why the hell didn’t you use that from the very beginning?”

“Because the serum isn’t... perfected yet,” he responded grimly. “It has only been used in laboratory tests and computer simulations thus far. It’s completely effective in negating a Super’s powers... unfortunately, it has a ninety-six percent mortality rate.”

“Geez,” Sabrina whispered, shaking her head. “And that was what you were planning to use on me as your fucking trump card?”

“Nae, lass, it was only meant to be a weapon of last resort! And for that matter, it was designed with a... completely different person in mind,” he murmured. He stood up then, stepping out of the remnants of his ruined armor. “Oh, and just in case all of that failed, or in case you simply decided to kill me outright, I had one more backup plan in place.” Opening up his shirt, he revealed a medical EKG monitor pasted above his heart. Then he removed the remaining part of his helmet, showing the small net of wires and probes attached to his temples. “I have an orbital satellite monitoring us as we speak, keeping a steady lock on my vitals. If my heart were to stop beating, or my brainwave pattern had changed in any significant manner, it would have concluded that I was dead or compromised, and bombarded the area with a barrage of spent uranium shells coated in Nth metal.”

Sabrina literally went pale. “An orbital bombardment? Are you... are you saying that if you’d lost, you would have actually killed everyone in this entire area?!?”

Eugene gave her a sad smile. “Not everyone, lass. My tracking system is state of the art. It would have been a pinpoint strike centered only on you and me.” At the stunned and horrified expression on her face, he softened. “Sabrina... lass. I never wanted to take things this far! Believe me when I say I understand yer motivations... the reason why ye did all this. But... ye HAVE to know that there was never any chance for you to win. I simply COULD NOT allow that to happen!”

“WWWHHHYYYY!!??!!” Sabrina asked him, tears in her eyes. “Why?! Why is my happiness such a terrible thing? All I’ve wanted for so long was just to... to have... someone... someone that loved me for... me! I grew up watching my mother be alone and I swore I wouldn’t live like that! I would have someone in my life.” She sniffed, shaking her head. “And then I met Eva, and Megan and Katie and all of these stunning, sexy, beautiful women and I... I... yes, yes, OK, I enslaved them! I admit it!” she said defiantly. “I won’t bother making excuses. But..., you have to believe me!! Oh God.., Gene. I would NEVER have hurt ANY of them!! Honestly, Gene, I love them! Every one of them!”

Eugene sighed heavily, glancing down. “What? Is that so hard to believe?” Sabrina challenged, angrily. “That I could honestly fall so deeply in love with all of them?” She sniffled again, a small smile on her lips as she took a deep breath. “Yes... I fell hardest for Eva... and Megan and Katie. Gene, I want you to know..., to understand that I fell in love with Eva. Truly and fully in love with her!! I would give almost anything if I could go back in time, meet Eva “normally” somehow, and just... maybe have a normal relationship with her. I’d give anything just to have that chance.” Her expression fell, and she glanced down at her feet. “But... it didn’t happen that way.” Unbelievably, with all of Gene’s dodging and Sabrina’s chasing him all over the desert, they had somehow landed only several dozen yards from where Eva was lying unconscious. Sabrina looked at the beautiful, sexy woman she had truly fallen in love with. Seeing her unconscious and laying on the ground caused Sabrina’s mind to flash thru every minute, hour, day and week she had spent with her in the span of a few seconds.

“Oh God, Eva! I love you so damn much, baby!” Turning back to Gene, she looked right into his eyes. “This is the part I don’t think you can truly appreciate, Gene. My powers came to me in one very sudden and totally unexpected moment of sheer, absolute... agony! In less than five minutes I went from being “me” to having multiple, incredibly powerful and unbelievable abilities! I was suddenly super strong. I stabbed myself with a large knife and felt... NOTHING!! No pain at all! I didn’t understand ANY of it! How could I?! My God, Gene, I literally enslaved my own mother!! So, yes, of course, I used them... used them to get what I so desperately wanted. I took everything I always wanted! And... now, here we... are...”

“Aye, and here we are,” Eugene replied solemnly. He was beginning to understand this girl. To see things from her point of view. Taking a deep breath, he held up a hypodermic needle filled with the same tranquilizer she’d been darted with before. The last one. “I told ye before, lass. I do honestly sympathize with ye. And for what it’s worth, I dinnae think of ye as a villain. Misguided... but not evil. But this... It was never going to last, Sabrina. It couldn’t have! Look at what ye have... who you have. Several of the most powerful beings on the planet are under your control, as well as your own very impressive powers. Even if it wasn’t me, or Parker, both of us having lost our loved ones to you—how long before the government began to see you as a potential and serious threat? Before someone high up considered the fact that if you simply decided one day that you wanted to rule the country, that there is no one who could actually stop you.”

Holding his hand up, he shook his head before she could retort. “Aye... it doesn’t matter that you wouldnae do that... that you only wanted to be left alone. It would only take one irate or grandstanding politician leaping to conclusions, and suddenly you’re fighting the entire world. It nearly came to that several years before ye were even born, lass... but I still remember.” He approached her, holding out his hand. “This is the only way it ends, lass. But I swear to you, on my life—I’ll do what I can for you. Ye willnae be able to keep the women ye’ve enslaved... but it doesnae mean yer happiness will end just yet. I... we... won’t just abandon you, lass!”

Nodding, resigned, Sabrina took a last, heartfelt look at Eva, took a deep breath and accepted her fate. Looking her enemy in the eye, she extended her arm, placing it in his hands. “Do it,” she said grimly. He nodded, and she felt a tiny prick of pain, a moment of dizziness... and then blackness enveloped her, sweeping away all of the pain and sadness, leaving behind only blessed peace...