PART ONE – Tours and Check-ups

This was the first time Jack had ever been inside a superhero headquarters. He used his power to influence the thoughts of others to good effect while exploring the base. He was pretty sure he would have been able to gain access during a normal operational day, but with all the extra supers visiting for the Superhero Conference, his presence was even less suspicious than it should have been, and thus easier to take advantage.

The hero headquarters was as impressive as they come. There was the public area built into a plateau on the side of the mountain, which consisted of the main building, a VTOL pad, and the vehicle hangar. And there was the underground multilevel complex that took a significant amount of the mountain's volume. There was the command center, a cafeteria, a larger vehicle bay connected to the hangar by lift, enough housing to make a decent hotel, an infirmary, labs, supervillain holding cells, staff offices and a trophy room.

Of course, most of these areas had restricted access, but with a few choice comments, the staff and supers were happy to let him explore. He also took the opportunity to introduce himself to every visiting super he came across. They all came away from it with a very positive impression of Jack. He made sure of that.

At the moment he was checking out the infirmary. The base doctor, Emma Reynolds, M.D., was giving him a cursory examination. He sat on the exam table while pressed a stethoscope to his back. "And deep breath in," she instructed, then after a second, "and out." After Jack complied, she removed the instrument from her ears and draped it on the back of her neck. "And that's the last thing I would check, assuming nothing turned up." She smiled. "Satisfied?"

"Very," he replied, not hiding the fact he was ogling her body.

Dr. Reynolds placed her hands on her hips and arched her back slightly. "You know, it's traditional that the patient get undressed for the examination, not the doctor," she tipped her head toward her lab coat, scrubs, and underwear that were neatly folded on the counter.

"Well, thank you for indulging me," Jack fondled one of her breasts. While in her late 30s, Emma obviously took care of herself. Her body was toned and her modest boobs showed very little sag.

"Mmm, anything for you, Jack." She leaned slightly into his ministrations.

"Ahem," the sound of someone clearing their throat came from the door to the exam room. Both tuned to look.

"Mia!" Emma exclaimed, slapping Jack's hand away as she stepped back. She then shifted her stance several times, before awkwardly smiling at her coworker. "Is there anything I can help you with?" she asked in what was almost a casual tone, as if hoping Mia hadn't noticed she was naked.

Jack just smiled, not the least bit embarrassed, and hopped off the exam table. "Hello," he said. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Jack." He held out a hand to shake.

Mia didn't return the handshake, holding the doctor's gaze for several more seconds before regarding the man as if he were an insect. "I know who you are, Dr. Garrison. There are some things we need to discuss. Please follow me." She began to step out before turning back to address the other woman. "Doctor, you may want to think about putting some clothes on before your next patient comes in." She then led Jack out the door.

After a moment of stunned silence, the doctor scrambled to get dressed.

In the hallway, Mia led Jack through several corridors until they reached a staff elevator. Once the doors shut, Mia turned to face Jack. "So, is this where you seduce me?" she asked.

He regarded her with a pleasant smile. "You said you had some things to talk to me about?"

She narrowed her eyes, then sighed and tapped the bottom floor.

As the elevator descended, Jack watched Mia. She was about 5' 6" tall, with a slender build, a pageboy haircut, and wire-rimmed glasses. She kept her eyes on the doors, trying to ignore his scrutiny. As they opened, she exited while remarking, "I thought you were dating Sigil Seraph."

He followed, smirking at the back of her head. "I am."

"And how would she feel about you screwing Dr. Reynolds?"

"Okay, one," Jack replied, "I wasn't screwing her. Emma was just exercising a little in-office nudity. My clothes stayed on." Mia scoffed. "Two, what happens between Dr. Reynolds, Sigil Seraph, and myself is just that: between us.

"Is that what you needed to talk about? To lecture me on my social activities? Because that's none of your concern." Jack was only feigning offense. He had been careful not to directly influence Mia, except to prevent her seeing what he was doing as influencing others, as he was curious what she wanted.

Mia stopped before a door and turned to face him. "One," she replied, mocking his own turn of phrase, "all of the staff on base are here to support the supers. To help and protect our heroes however we can. If you're doing something that will break Seraph's heart, it is my concern, and the concern of every staffer in this facility.

"Two," she unlocked and opened the door, "no, that's not what I wanted to discuss." Jack noticed the nameplate on the door read, "Mia Turner, Records." They entered her office. "Have a seat, this will just take a minute," she nodded at a chair by the desk while seating herself on the other side.

As she busied herself pulling something up on her console, Jack looked around. It was a small workplace, barely able to hold six people without difficulty. Aside from the desk, with two monitors, chairs, credenza and coatrack, the only unusual feature was a frame on the wall behind the desk, four feet high and five feet wide (1.2m by 1.5m), that housed a lifelike video feed of Auburnville as seen from the base above. The image gave a sense of natural light coming in as well as depth. If someone were unaware of where they were, it would be easy to think they were at the top of the mountain rather then deep beneath it. It was framed by vertical blinds, completing the illusion that it was a window.

"Ah. Here we are," Mia noted. She turned the second monitor to face Jack, then played a video. "This is from the Ad Finitum Labs security feed a couple weeks ago. From the workspace of one Jack Garrison, Ph D."

The screen showed Jack working at a computer in his lab. As the timestamp reached 09:56:21.50, there was a massive distortion in the video, as if a strong magnetic field affected the camera. It cleared a second later with nothing changed, except Jack getting very excited about the readings showing on his console. Mia fast-forwarded the video three minutes ahead, to show several other scientists and EMTs rushing in, to find nothing amiss. Jack remembered their consternation: they couldn't understand how the room was not on fire, much less how he was still alive.

"Concurrent measurement logs showed an energy spike at the time of the camera glitch. According to them, the levels were comparable to a low-yield nuclear weapon. Generally, when something like that happens, it results in one or more of three things: death, a lengthy hospital stay, or the development of superpowers. Although the first two are by far the most common, it is vanishingly rare to experience such an event and have none of them be the result.

"Undocumented superpowers are not illegal," Mia continued. "Although the law may have harsher penalties when powers are used in the commission of a crime, having those powers is not itself prohibited. Further, the U.S. government does not keep an official database of supers. At least, not American supers." She rolled her eyes. "Officially.

"So. Is there anything you'd like to share?"

Jack sat back. As he was about to speak, something occurred to him. "Are you recording this, or are we otherwise being monitored?"

Mia shook her head "No, the room is secure."

"Yes, there was a massive energy release from my workspace. A result of my work, specifically."

Mia's eyes lit up. "I knew it!" she exclaimed. "You did get superpowers! What are they?"

Jack shrugged. "I've become very persuasive."

"Persuasive?"

"People have a way of seeing things my way."

"So... mind control," Mia deadpanned.

He nodded. "I've been doing some reading on hypnotic and mind control theory. From what I have been able to determine, the nature of my power seems to be deeper and more complete. It's like I alter the reality of a person's thoughts to fit my desires."

She frowned. "Are you using your power on me?"

Jack tilted his head to a side. "Yes, but you're not mad at me for using my power on you, and you have no reason to distrust or dislike me."

Mia smiled. "Okay. You'll let me know if there's anything I can do to help you test out your abilities, right?"

"Of course. You'll be happy to let me make changes to you. Whether for testing, or just recreation."

She closed the video file. "Well, it's getting close to lunch. Why don't we join the rest of the staff? We can grab a table with Dr. Reynolds and talk about what you'll be needing to know about the base."

"Sure. But there's something I'd like to do first." He stood and stepped around the desk.

Mia stood as well. "What would you like to do?"

"Why don't you crawl under your desk?" he asked.

"Okay."

As Mia crawled under her desk, Jack pulled his chair over. He opened his pants and pulled his cock out. He stroked himself to full hardness as Mia watched, then fed the member to her. "That's a good girl," he encouraged, "take my dick." She opened her mouth wide, then wrapped her lips around his shaft and slowly sucked him into her throat. As she worked her head back and forth, Jack relaxed and leaned back, letting her do all the work. As he approached his climax he added, "I'm gonna blast my wad on your face. You don't mind, do you? I don't care either way, but I like it. Don't worry, I'll make it feel like a great idea."

After a few more minutes of sucking, Jack pulled his cock from her mouth, aiming it at her face. "Pucker your lips for me," he instructed. As Mia complied, he started stroking, rapidly approaching his peak. Finally, his cum shot forth, landing on her cheek, then her nose, then her glasses, then her mouth. When he finished, Mia's face was a gooey mess. He smiled, taking the moment in. "That's a good look on you. Now clean yourself up and let's go."

PART TWO – Lunch and a Summit

At the cafeteria, the pair spied Sigil Seraph at a table with her fellow super, Zephyr, and moved to sit with them.

"Hello," Seraph said, a smile growing across her face.

"Hi," Jack replied.

"Oh, hey, Mia," Zephyr nodded to the other woman.

"Hi," she replied, "How's the conference going?"

"Not bad," the black woman replied. "Still, it's nice to get away for a while. Have you been keeping Jack entertained?"

"Yes," she glanced at him, her smile mirroring Seraph's. "I've been showing him around, trying to get him familiar with the base."

"That's very kind of you."

"Not a problem."

Jack looked at the women, then at Seraph. "So what were you and Zephyr talking about when we came over? Anything exciting?"

Seraph shook her head. "We were just discussing the conference. Zephyr was asking about the panel I'm on."

"She's leading the 'Emerging Threats and New Perspectives' panel," Zephyr explained.

"Well, you'll definitely want to attend," Jack said. "She's an expert on the subject, having studied the histories and cultures of so many different groups of supers. It'll be fascinating to listen to her talk.

"Oh, but I wanted to ask you," he continued to address Zephyr, "could you tell me about your powers?"

The women around the table chuckled. "My powers aren't very interesting," Zephyr replied.

"Come on," he encouraged, "everyone likes talking about themselves. Be honest. And complete."

She smiled. "Everybody thinks I just move air around, but I'm actually able to become one with the currents in the air. I can disappear into the wind and reappear anywhere on the planet. It's a pretty standard powerset for my people."

"Your people?"

She nodded. "We're called the Aeroki. Air elementals. There's a portal to my world in a collapsed cave in Japan."

"I thought you didn't know where you came from, hon," Seraph said softly.

"I found out a couple months ago. Remember the bullet train incident in Kyoto? I met another of my kind."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"It didn't relate to the investigation. He noticed me and introduced himself. Then he showed me the portal, then launched into a rant about how far below him humanity is. Asshole."

"How did he 'notice' you?" Jack asked.

"We can sense each other's influence over the air, and presence when we dissolve into it." She grimaced. "I haven't detected another one since then."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Jack said.

"Thanks," she replied, "but it doesn't matter. My home is here."

They finished their lunch, discussing the conference and other small talk. Mia excused herself to get back to work, and Jack joined Zephyr and Sigil Seraph on a walk around the base.

"You know, you never did say what your powers were," Seraph teased.

"True," Jack replied. "But, of course, I never said I had any powers at all."

"I know what his powers are," Zephyr smiled.

"You do?" Seraph was surprised.

"Yep. They're very... subtle. But powerful. If you didn't know what he could do, it would be easy to miss."

"Do tell," Jack replied. "What do you think my powers are?"

"Hypnotic and mind control."

He blinked. "I'm impressed. How'd you figure it out? You're the first to have guessed, except for one of the lab techs."

Zephyr looked him over. "I'm the Wind. The currents and eddies in the air, both natural and super, are part of me. When you're in the room, there's an odd eddy surrounding your mind. I can feel you working on people's heads. It's subtle, but the currents are unmistakable.

"You're a strong one," she continued. "Even without looking for it, I've felt your influence around the base. I even felt your influence over me back at lunch, when I talked about meeting that other Aeroki. I didn't even realize what you were doing until I thought back on it later."

"I'm sorry," he apologized, "I wasn't aware of your ability. I was just curious about your powers. I hope I didn't cause you any discomfort."

"None," she smiled, "and you did it again, didn't you? As I said, the effects are subtle." She and Jack held each other's gaze for several seconds, waiting to see who would make the next move.

Finally, Jack glanced at Sigil Seraph. "Sweety, why don't you go to Command and assist on monitor duty for a bit. You don't need to give this conversation a second thought."

"Okay, Jack."

As she turned to leave, Jack turned to see Zephyr step right into his personal space and disappear into a blast of wind that engulfed him. After a mere instant of disorientation, he found himself standing outside on a grassy plain. Zephyr appeared ten feet away a second later.

She gestured about. "Serengeti plain. There's nobody within ten miles. We can speak privately here."

"So, why are we here?" he asked.

"To find out what your endgame is. Are you planning to use your power to take over the world?"

Jack chuckled. "I hadn't planned on it."

"But would you?"

"Why would I?"

"Why not? You can."

"Could I, though? I have to be physically present for my power to work, so I can't just make a televised speech saying 'Worship me.'"

"You can't tell me it hasn't crossed your mind. You obviously don't have any qualms about putting people under your control."

"Of course it's crossed my mind. But it feels like it would be more trouble than it's worth."

"How do I know you're being honest with me? How do I know you won't try to take over the world the first chance you get?" She paused. "And since you know you can affect me, why haven't you made me trust you and not worry about it?"

"I don't think there's anything I can say or do to satisfy the first two questions. But the third, that's the crux of the issue. Do you know how many psychic alarms and defenses Seraph has shielding her mind?" When Zephyr shook he head, he continued, "Nineteen. Nineteen spells, enchantments, magic items or outright technological solutions that will block mind control attempts or alert her to an attack that she can stop with her magic. She is as close to immune to mind control as is realistically possible."

Zephyr raised an eyebrow. "Wow. That's impressive."

"Yeah. Now how many of those safeguards do you think my powers trigger?" he asked. She shook her head. "None."

"That can't be right."

"You would think. But my power can pass through her defenses like they weren't there. So she has no way of knowing when I affect her mind, unless I tell her."

"Unless someone tells her," Zephyr put in.

"Unless someone tells her," Jack nodded. "But you can tell when I affect you. Which means you can possibly resist it. Do you know why you can sense what I do?"

"Sirocco said the Aeroki are gods of the spirit of the air."

"Sirocco?"

"The asshole Aeroki I told you about at lunch. My powers involve sensing the patterns of energy in the wind and manipulating or riding them. People have a pattern about them that I think equates to their spirit. I can sense it, but I can't affect it. At least, not yet."

"Not yet?"

"Sirocco said I haven't fully come into my powers. I didn't know how to merge with the wind until he showed me. And bringing you here was the first time I carried someone with me."

Jack tapped his chin in thought. "So, we have a stalemate between a young wind goddess..."

"...And a new mind god," Zephyr completed the thought, then peered at him more intensely. "You're being manipulated, too. Aren't you?"

"I think so. I was paid to do something... nefarious. But they made me think I didn't have a choice in the matter.

"Tell me," Jack looked around, "have you ever heard of an organization called The Roulette?"

"No. But you know who probably has?" Zephyr replied. "Seraph. You need to talk to your girlfriend, or I'll talk to my teammate."

He smiled. "Fair enough."

A minute later they were back at the base.

PART THREE – Two Confessions and a Plan

Jack approached Seraph in the Command Center. "Hey, sweetie. Can we talk in private? I need to come clean about some things..."

Seraph sat on the bed in her quarters, listening to Jack. He paced, explaining his research at Ad Finitum, what happened in the accident, and how The Roulette had contacted him and seemed to know more about his power than he did. When he finished, he stopped and looked at her.

She looked back, tears in her eyes. "Is any of it real?" she asked.

He nodded. "Most of it. I was trying to get you in bed before the conference. And I really do care about you."

"You're still using your power on me. Because I really feel that I should be reacting to this with something lethal. Or at least... permanent. But I don't want to. I want you to stay."

Jack took a breath, then concentrated, pulling his control from her. She stepped up and kicked him in the balls. Hard.

For several minutes, he couldn't do much more than stay on his knees, hands on his crotch and forehead touching the floor, breathing ragged.

Seraph watched him with a hard expression for a while, then left the room for a moment, returning with a glass of ice water. She touched it to his ear lightly. He turned to see what it was, slowly forced himself upright, then took the offered drink.

Before taking a sip, he groaned, "I know deserved that."

"You're damn right you did."

"Do you hate me now?"

She sighed. "I really, really want to."

"I don't want you to. You have no idea how much I don't want you to. You're a great person, and you're so important to me."

"I think what I really hate is that I really don't hate what we did when you were controlling me." That brought him up short. "Don't get me wrong: the fact that I didn't consent to it is a major sticking point for me. On the other hand, I couldn't know I wanted it before you did it to me.

"Then there's Roulette. We still don't know what their scheme is. The good news is they're not as all-powerful as they like to appear. If I were to guess, they have access to some technology that is either magical or from another dimension. It might be giving them information they shouldn't have, or providing abilities they shouldn't have."

"That would track with my interactions with them."

"We may have to proceed without letting them know we know about them. As much as it kills me, that means leaving your alterations to Mel for the time being."

"Mel? Oh, you mean Apogee."

"What do you call her when she's not in uniform?"

"Mindy."

Seraph actually gasped. "If there were any doubt she was under mind control, that would clinch it. She hates being called that. 'Mel' as a shortened form of Melinda is fine. 'Mindy' is sacrilege."

Jack chuckled, then sighed. "Where does that leave us, Julia?"

She held his gaze for several seconds. She slowly brought her hand between them, glowing with magic energy. As she did, the glyphs floating in her hair traveled down her back before spreading out in shimmering wings of light. Her hair and eyes were illuminated as well, completing the runic angelic aspect from which she drew her name: a Sigil Seraph.

"Does this answer answer your question? 𐑣𐑰𐑤 𐑦𐑯𐑡𐑼𐑰," and she thrust her hand into his gut.

Jack flinched in dread for a moment before realizing she was not, in fact, about to disembowel him, the pain in his groin fading. "Does this mean you forgive me?"

"On one condition," she replied as the wings faded.

"Anything."

She bit her lip and whispered in his ear. "Fuck me stupid."