Maria shifted her weight from one foot to the other and back again, hoping to stave off the winter night’s chill while she waited. Her rubber body gave her some enhanced thermal protection, but still she found the bracing cold unpleasant. Nonetheless, she had promised Asuka And Freya that she would meet them out front of the Rockwell‘s department store, so wait she did.

She glanced once again at her watch. It was already five after. “Late,” she muttered with a puff of frosty breath. “How can someone with super speed be late so often?” In truth Maria expected this from her speedster pseudo-girlfriend by this point in their relationship, if you could call it a relationship. She loved spending time with Asuka, but anytime Maria got within a hundred mile blast radius of labels, the girl went running. Nonetheless, Maria was happy, maybe the happiest she’d ever been. The life of a superhero could be quite lonely. While the people of San Angeles appreciated the elastic hero, Twister, they didn’t know her, not really. No one did, at least until the Valkyrie, Freya, had turned up in her basement one night.

Freya at least had the decency to signal that she would be late, while she finished wrapping up a carjacking ring. Part of Maria couldn’t believe that she was real life friends with THE Freya, one of the most famous heroes in the world. Not just friends, but teammates. The former gymnast couldn’t help but laugh as she considered how far she had come, Little Maria Fernanda Espinoza had been working alone out of a gymnastics studio basement. Now she shared the mantle of “Guardian” with a Valkyrie warrior, a cyborg, a genius scientist, a psychic, a demon, and a goddess. “Hemos Llegao,” she mused as she waited. She truly had arrived.

“Excuse me, do I know you from somewhere?” a bubbly voice asked. The short young woman had curly blonde hair, a round face and big blue eyes that stared intently at her. 

“I doubt it,” Maria answered politely. “Not unless you’ve got a kid in one of my gymnastics classes.”

“Oh, I’m a little young for that,” she said with a laugh. “Still, you look so familiar. That’s it!” The girl leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “You’re the stretchy girl from the news!”

Maria stayed calm. “The news? I mean the studio featured on the local news when it first opened, but that was a while ago now.”

“No, silly! Not that kind of stretchy. You know. The wham, kapow kind!“ she said, miming punching.“You’re her!”

“Really I’m not.”

“It’s OK, I understand. You can’t just go revealing your secrets to every fan girl who wanders up to you. You can trust me. I’m Kelly.” The woman said, extending her mitten clad hand.

Maria eyed the mitten, ultimately deciding to shake it. “I’m Maria. Just Maria, not Twister or whoever you think I am.”

“Of course you’re not,” she said with a wink. “But if you were Twister, I would just wanna tell you that you’re, like, totally my favorite hero. No matter what happens, you always roll with it and that’s so cool. Anyway, that’s what I would say if you were Twister, which we both know that you’re not, but I should get inside. I’m working tonight. If you come find me at the perfume counter, I’ll totally hook you up.”

Then, just as suddenly as she had appeared, the bouncy blonde blew past Maria, and into the glowing jewel box of a store. Maria stood stunned for a moment. She didn’t know whether to be flattered or frustrated. This sort of thing had been happening more often now that she was appearing in public with the rest of the team. It was seeming more and more like keeping her identity secret would be a challenge with her growing levels of fame. She made a mental note to ask Freya how she handled all the attention.

As if on cue, the Valkyrie warrior came striding down the street. Grease stains marked her leather armor, with one even smudging her cheek. Her normally taught, brown braid had a few loose strands sticking out. “Maria!” She bellowed from nearly half a block away. “Apologies for my tardiness. I had to catch a ride,” she said, placing her hands on her generous hips with a self satisfied expression.

“Did you just make a joke?”

“Indeed I did. I have endeavored to learn more of your modern rituals.”

In truth, the joke was not funny, not even a little. But the mighty warrior just looked so proud of herself, Maria couldn’t help but laugh. Freya had really been trying to loosen up ever since the incident with Fractal, and Maria wanted to support her friend.

“Now let us advance to the next of your modern customs, holiday shopping! To think I’ve lived in your time for all these years and never paused to indulge this ritual,” Freya said as she approached the display window.

The display was a veritable menagerie of consumerism. While most department stores had struggled lately, the San Angeles Rockwell’s remained a strong bastion of late stage capitalism. That miraculous feat was due, at least in part, to the store’s incredible Christmas dioramas. This year’s starred a tiny Santa Claus driving a train, but no ordinary train. The tracks wound their way up a miniature snow covered mountain, before spiraling off into the sky, suspended by nearly invisible wires. The little engine made its way around a winter wonderland of wears, from scratchy sweaters to luxurious leather bags. It even looped between the legs of a mannequin that sported a matching red and white lingerie set. Something for everyone.“I suppose I kept too busy proving my strength.”

Maria couldn’t help but admire the warrior’s innocence. Here she was, fresh from a crime scene, admiring a shop window like a child seeing one for the first time. “Maybe you just needed the right group of girls to go with.”

“Indeed. Now shall we enter and commence the frivolity?”

“Not yet. We’re still waiting for…” At that moment, Maria felt a quick tap on her shoulder and turned only to find the sidewalk empty.

“Who are you waiting for?“ A familiar voice called from the opposite side. Maria spun, but was again too late, finding only air. When she looked back in front of her, she came face-to-face with a pair of warm hazel eyes. “Miss me?“ Asuka asked. Her pixie cut, shaved on one side and long on the other was a wind whipped mess. Her usual green sweater for once looked perfectly seasonably  appropriate. Her manifold piercings glittered in the electric white Christmas lights.

Maria thought she looked stunning. “Always,” she said as she leaned in for a kiss. Asuka returned it happily, her lips felt soft and warm against the chilly winter air. “What kept you so long?”

Asuka just shrugged.  “I just lost track of time, I guess. Now, should we start this girls night or whatever you wanna call it?”

“Varily so! To girls night!“ Freya called out raising Laevateinn, her magical sword, into the air as she did so. Many of the casual passers by had already been watching them, but at that point, most of the bystanders were actively talking and pointing, or even taking video.

“Wow, that’s kind of a lot,” Asuka whispered.

Maria buried her head in her hand. If Kelly had any doubts about her identity, they would certainly be erased now, but Maria resolved not to worry about that. Hero work had been so busy lately, they all needed a good night out.“Girls night!” She cheered, raising her arm beside Freya‘s sword as both heroes turned towards Asuka expectantly.

“What? I’m not doing that. That’s so lame.”

Maria eyed her essentially-a-girlfriend with a look that almost said, is that a challenge? Maria didn’t know why, but she had been feeling much more dominant in the bedroom lately. Her relationship with Asuka, young as it was, had always been one of equality, simple, uncomplicated, vanilla, even. But recently, Maria had wanted to bend the petite Asian over and give her a good spanking, which she had done on several occasions.

The speedster shivered, apparently getting the message. “OK, fine. Girl’s night. Just stop looking at me like that.”

Watching her basically–girlfriend obey stirred something deep in Marie’s belly, a visceral satisfaction. She had a strange urge to grab Asuka by her pixie cut, force her down to her knees and . . . Snap out of it! Maria coughed and caught her breath.“Yeah, let’s get inside.”

The trio treated the store like a carnival. They stopped in the jewelry section first. It took a little prodding, but Asuka finally agreed to try on some new earrings. She seemed quite taken with a pair of simple diamond studs. Asuka didn’t care for dangly earrings because they whipped around too much when she ran, but she did like these studs. She couldn’t begin to afford them of course. As far as Maria could tell, Asuka had no money to speak of and lived a simple life that could be packed up at a moment's notice. Still, the Latina filed the earrings away as a potential Christmas gift. They did really bring out the sparkle in her might-as-well-be-a-girlfriend‘s eyes. 

Next they stopped at the shoe section, where Maria tried on some stilettos, jet black affairs with winding straps and red soles. The shoes were almost a game to her. She enjoyed testing the limits of her balance, and the 4-inch strappy numbers did just that, although they also played another game. While Asuka tried to feign indifference, Maria could see the way that her unofficial-girlfriend watched her walk up and down the aisles. Freya had been distracted signing an autograph for the clerk, so Maria’s full attention was on Asuka. She had half a mind to make the woman kneel and lick the soles of those shoes, lower herself and worship . . . Stop that! Maria shook her head and snapped back to reality. She had no idea where those urges were coming from, but she certainly wasn’t going to do that . . .  At least not in such a public place. She did still buy the shoes though.

“Well, Freya,” Maria said. “Looks like it’s your turn. We each got to pick something, so what do you want to look at?”

Freya blushed, actually blushed. “I can select whatever I desire?”

Maria was shocked. Freya, THE Freya, slayer of the nether beast, champion of the umbral arenas, hero beyond time, looked as nervous as a school girl with a bad report card. “Yeah, of course.”

“Swear to withhold judgment?”

“Obviously,” Maria said.

Asuka opened her mouth with a mischievous grin, no doubt imagining some snarky retort. But after a quick look from her let’s-call-a-spade-a-spade-already-girlfriend, she just said, “yeah, totally.”

“I would like to look at the lingerie,” the Valkyrie said in the smallest voice Maria had ever heard her use.

“What was that? Asuka asked with glee.

“I would like to look at the lingerie,” Freya repeated a little louder.

“For sure,” Maria said, still confused. “Why were you so afraid to say that?”

There must’ve been something truly fascinating on the tiled floor with how intently the brunette was staring at it. “Well, I’ve just been feeling like a tricycle of late.”

“You feel like a bicycle for children?” Asuka asked.

“Indeed it is so. You two have each other, Sam and Allison have been inseparable, even Emily and Elizabeth have been more openly affectionate. It just leaves me, the tricycle.”

“Third wheel! You feel like a third wheel,” Maria gasped.

“Yes, as I said. I thought perhaps some more fetching garb could help me attract a partner of my own,” Freya said, finally mustering the nerve to meet Maria’s gaze.

“OK, first of all, you do not need help in that department,” Maria prodded. “You are one of the strongest and most beautiful, most capable women that I know. Second, you’re like a mega celebrity. I’m pretty sure if you just made a Hinge account the Internet would, like, explode.”

“You would recommend that I fasten a door?”

“I see. You also don’t know what Hinge is. We’ll work our way up to that. For now don’t worry about it. Let’s start with giving you a little confidence boost,” Maria said. She hooked one arm under Freya‘s and the other under Asuka’s. The rubber woman led the group to one of the gleaming escalators that crisscrossed the store's atrium. Fitting on the escalator three abreast proved tricky, but Maria was flexible and managed to squeeze between her dear friend and her dear-God-just-be-my-girlfriend-already. The tight proximity did feel nice. Fantasies of a threesome leapt unbidden to her mind, one eager mouth for each of her breasts and . . . stop it!

As the group reached the top floor, discreetly chosen to be furthest from the street, they were greeted by yet another sign of the Rockwell's quality, a live pianist, dressed in a Santa Claus costume, complete with hat and beard. The keys wrang out with jazzy, pensive versions of holiday classics. The dexterous workings of the man’s fingers seemed to infuse the music with a melancholy air far beyond the typical big box jingles. It seemed to take the man almost no effort. He flashed them a winning smile, hardly looking at the keys.

Maria pointedly did not make eye contact with him. She had seen enough charming smiles from enough strange men to know what was on his mind and she wanted no part of it. Instead, she focused on the various racks of scandalous outfits and the mannequins displaying scandalous racks of their own. “Anything speaking to you Freya?”

The Valkyrie pulled away from Maria’s embrace, careful to control her immeasurable strength as she did so. She wandered towards one of the mannequins that wore only a red and white teddy. The whole design revolved around crisscrossing exes of white ribbon delving between swaths of translucent red lace. “This one looks fearsome.”

“Oh, yes. I see you have a discerning eye, miss.”

The group turned to face the approaching salesman. From the first glance, something seemed vaguely familiar about him. Still, if they knew the man from anywhere, it was hard to tell. He had a long, thick beard that obscured the delicate lines of his thin face. He wore his hair in a long, tasteful ponytail that fell over the back of his black suit. "That's one of our finest pieces. I selected it for this winter line myself. Peter Hambright, department manager. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” The man extended his hand, and when Freya went to shake it, he placed a delicate kiss on her knuckles.

Admittedly, Maria found it odd that a man was running the women’s lingerie section, but he seemed to have a genuine passion for the work and to mean well. Something just seemed so familiar about him, but she couldn’t quite place it and didn’t want to spare too much thought for him on girl’s night.

“Shall I fetch one for you to try on?“

Maria cleared her throat. “I mean that would be great. Is it OK for her to try on merchandise when she’s… you know… covered in grease and stuff?“ Maria asked

Department manager, Peter Hambright, raised a demure hand. “Please, madam, it is no issue. I’ve been trying to act discreet, but of course, I recognize the fair lady. Why Freya has saved our city countless times. I shall personally cover anything from my department that she may wish to purchase as well as any associated cleaning fees.” 

“That is most kind of you,” Freya said.

“Well, it’s not entirely selfless. To know that one of the world’s mightiest heroes is wearing something from my department, one of my… selections, well that would truly be a day worth waiting for. Now may I show you to a fitting room?” With that, he turned and led the hero to a well appointed changing room complete with a pedestal and a tri-fold mirror. He returned moments later with the garment.

Maria and Asuka waited outside while Freya changed with just the haunting melody of the music as company.

“Hey, Maria? Would it be OK if I wait by the piano?”

Maria tilted her head to the side. “You don’t wanna see Freya in her outfit?”

“It just feels weird. She’s really your friend. She keeps making these awkward jokes. I just don’t feel like I know her that well, and the music is . . . something else.” 

Maria wanted to say no. Would it be so bad for Asuka to just wait with her. The girl could never stay put. She almost asked her not-technically-girlfriend to stick around and talk, but she knew it would go like all the other times. She wouldn’t be serious, wouldn’t even entertain the girlfriend question. Heck, she was trying to wander off now, before Maria could even bring it up. So she just said, “Yeah, sure. That’s fine. We shouldn't be long.”

And yet, long they were. For the second time in the span of a few hours, Maria found herself standing around waiting. What was taking Freya so long? Maria looked over towards the shining grand piano, to see her just-be-my-girlfriend-already making idle conversation with the pianist. She had a chuckle at that. She felt sorry for the guy if he thought he was gonna get anywhere with Asuka. Just when Maria finally decided to go in and check on her friend, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Smiling already, she turned expecting to see her-let’s-just-admit-that-you’re-my girlfriend. “Just couldn’t stay away, huh?”

Instead, she found herself looking down into a beaming round face with gleeful blue eyes.“I guess not,” Kelly said happily.

“Oh, Kelly. I wasn’t expecting to see you again.”

“If I didn’t know better, I would say you were avoiding me.”

“What? No, of course, not,” Maria said with a laugh. “We just hadn’t made it to perfume yet.” In truth, that was exactly what Maria had been doing. She had hoped to prevent Kelly from seeing her with Freya and connecting the dots.

“You know, your friend in there looks familiar too, a certain swish swish sword lady, if I’m not mistaken,” she said, proudly miming the motion of a slashing blade.

Maria recognized the futility of maintaining her charade any longer. She was, after all, holding onto Laevateinn for Freya at that very moment. She leaned down and whispered“ OK, yes you’re right. That’s Freya, and I am who you think I am, but don’t tell anyone.”

Kelly flung herself at her hero, wrapping her arms around Maria’s chest. “Wow, I can’t believe it. You're really Twister, THE Twister. I’ve been looking for you for so long.” 

“Let's not say that so loud,” the hero said, looking around to find the whole floor luckily deserted. But she did return the hug. Having a secret identity meant she didn’t get moments like this very often. It was touching to see how much she meant to someone.

“Right, right, sorry. You just have no idea how badly I wanted to meet you.”

Maria tried to think of how she had seen Freya handle situations like this before. “Do you want me to, like, sign something or something? I’m afraid I can’t let you take a picture for obvious reasons, but I could do a signature.”

Kelly blushed and shook her head.“Oh no, you don’t have to give me anything. In fact, I got something for you. She held up a little pink bag and extracted a small bottle. It resembled a pair of diamonds cut into the shape of hearts, and rotated around, giving the whole thing a look of both intertwined hearts and an hourglass.“I picked this one out special just for you. It’s my most favorite scent.”

“Well really, that’s very kind, but you don’t have to get me anything. Just knowing that people like you appreciate all the risks I take is a gift.”

“Too late! I already checked it out of inventory, so it’s yours now. Just try it, I promise you’ll love it as much as I do,” the petite blonde said, raising the bottle.

“Really, that’s quite alright…” Then the smell hit her lungs. The little bottle filled the air with a fine pink mist. It smelled of honey distilled with a blend of wild berries. The cloying sweetness filled the air, easily overpowering the trademark department store blend of fabric softener and carpet fumes. Every breath sucked more sweetness straight into her veins. The sugary rush swept across her body, bringing a lightheadedness with it. “That’s…… Really something,“ she stammered.

“I know right! It just gets better the more you use too,” she said with another squirt.

“I’ll take your word for…” The second pump was longer than the first. The honey taste coated the inside of her mouth, covering every surface and clinging to her tongue. As Maria breathed in the giddiness grew, stronger and stronger. It was all she could do not to giggle. Something was wrong, even through the haze she knew that, but it was so hard to think, so hard to remember, so hard to do anything but bask in this delicious feeling. “Kelly, you need to stop.”

“Sorry, no can-do. I’m on strict orders,” she said, as she continued misting the helpless heroine.

Orders? “I said, stop!“ Even straining for breath as she was, Maria managed to stretch out a hand and snatch the bottle. She could barely concentrate. The lightheaded giddiness had bloomed into a soft, sensual pleasure “Kelly,” Maria said with another giggle.“Who’s orders?“

Kelly just grinned. “I’m sure you already know who my mistress is, but if you’re confused, you can always just read the bottle.”

Careful to keep the clerk in view, Maria lifted the hourglass and read the label. It said “Olor de, Euphoria.”

It all came rushing back to her, the sweetness, the pink, the traitorous feeling of joy. This is how it felt when Euphoria had taken control of her. As the memories of surrender invaded the hero’s mind, her finger twitched on its own, instinctively pressing down the sprayer. Another wave of pink mist crashed against her senses, washing vertigo over her. “Why did I?“

“Oh gee, I guess I should’ve warned you. It can be pretty addictive.”

The warning, of course, came far too late. The hero's hand already had a mind of its own and had decided on what it wanted. And what it wanted was another helping of blissful surrender. Another press, another squirt, another low moan.

“No, I have to stop.” Press, squirt, giggle. She just felt so hot. 

“OK, this is the last one.” Press, spray, mewl. 

She was panting now, only hastening the poisonous perfume's potency. “I have to… Have to… Do something?” The overpowering sensation was making it so hard to think that Maria could barely remember how she even got here, yet alone what she was supposed to be doing . . .or not doing . . . or doing? It was hard to remember, easier to breathe and giggle.

“I know just what you have to do,” Kelly said with a smile, wrapping her hand around Maria’s. “Here let me help you.”

Maria nodded gratefully, so happy that someone would help her, tell her what to think, what to do.

“You just need to sleep,” The blonde said firmly, as she held Maria’s finger down on the pump, emptying the rest of the bottle and her victim’s resolve along with it. As the sweetness finally claimed the last of her thoughts, the hero fell forward into Kelly’s waiting arms, letting the sword and the shoes tumble to the ground, eyes rolling back before they finally slammed shut.

And then Maria slept.

******

Asuka wandered away from her am-I-serious-enough-to-finally-call-her-a-girlfriend and back towards the piano. She was grateful for Maria’s understanding. She had barely met Freya and didn’t really feel like watching her try on underwear. Besides, shopping wasn’t really Asuka’s vibe anyway. It all just seemed so opulent and unnecessary. Who needed fancy lingerie when Maria’s ass looked so spectacular naked? 

She could’ve waited anywhere on the floor, but something drew her back to the piano. It was like the music was echoing in her mind ever since she first heard it, calling her, begging her to come and listen. She walked absentmindedly, not really paying attention to or looking at anything, each foot falling effortlessly in front of the other, carrying her on. She practically bumped into the instrument’s smooth, lacquered wood.

“Careful, pretty girl. It may not look it, but this piano is a very sophisticated piece of equipment with all sorts of technology. The owners wouldn’t like it if you scratch the merchandise,” the piano player said with a friendly smile showing from beneath his costume.

He thinks I’m pretty. The thought formed on its own in her mind before Asuka could question it. “Oh sorry, the music was just a little distracting,” she said, returning the smile.

“I can certainly understand that,” the man agreed, fingers still idly teasing the keys as he spoke. “But tell me, pretty girl, what are you doing here with me? Shouldn’t you be with your… Friend?”

Asuka picked up on his meaning. He was trying to discern if she was single. She thought about telling him that she had a girlfriend, but the word stuck in her throat. Was she ready to commit to that? Maria was wonderful. Easily the most wonderful woman Asuka had ever been with. She was kind, and sweet, caring almost to a fault sometimes. It just seemed somehow too perfect, like one day Maria would wake up and not want her anymore or reveal it was all an act, or that she had some horrible secret. Even the girl's recent Dom streak had caught Asuka by surprise. Who knows what other secrets she could have? No, it was better not to commit, not to say things like that. “Do you ever wonder if something is too good to be true?” She asked softly. 

“You know I never used to,” he said with a rueful smile. “But maybe I should have.”

“There’s a story behind that.”

“There’s one hiding in your question too.”

She chewed her lip. “It just feels like it can’t be this good. My life just isn’t this good. It never is.”

“Take it from me. Your fortune can change in an instant.” 

“That’s what really scares me, like I’ll just blink one day and it’ll all be gone.” 

He nodded sagely. “You’re smart to be worried about having it all taken from you. I used to play arenas and now here I sit, crooning to shoppers who couldn’t care less.”

Asuka swallowed hard. She knew she was right to be worried. Her old life had vanished in an instant and now she was always running. It was only a matter of time before she had to run again. Still hearing about the stranger’s story pulled at her heart. “Well I think your song kicks ass, dude. It’s so soothing.”

He flashed that smile again. “It does my spirit good to hear that a beautiful girl liked my song.” He returned his attention to the keys, unleashing an onslaught of chords and harmonies across the mall floor.

Asuka didn’t know why, but she did feel like she could tell the stranger anything. She just felt so mellow. Normally her mind was as loud and active as a fireworks show inside of a dryer, but for some reason, it felt more like a peaceful lake right now. The music was just so soothing and relaxing and infectious. The melancholy melody marched through her mind, making it too hard to lie, even to herself. “Forget shopping anyway. This is just a bunch of people buying stuff they’ll throw out by next year. I used to be like them, weighing myself down with baggage, but those were just gold chains tying me down.”

“You have a way with words, beautiful. I’m so glad we talked. It’s hard when one day you feel like you have everything, and then suddenly it’s all taken away from you!” His jovial tone turned to righteous scorn as he finished and he pounded the keys with a discordant bang. 

The sudden noise partially stirred Asuka from her trance. The incredible strangeness of her situation suddenly dawned on her, but as she was processing, the music returned to its calm, tranquil cadence, and her thoughts went right along with it. Still it left her with a lingering curiosity. “What’s your name Mr.?”

“Who, me? You don’t have to worry about that. In fact, you don’t have to worry about anything at all. Just relax and enjoy the music. I’m just some no- name-has-been. What about you? I can’t just keep calling you pretty girl, not unless you like that.”

Asuka did like it, though she couldn’t really say why. Still, she was relieved not to worry. She had been worried about . . .  something. It was getting hard to remember. The melody was just so soothing. She was absently aware of her body swaying back-and-forth in time to the music. Still that little ember of curiosity hadn’t completely gone out. “I’m Asuka.”

“Asuka,” he sang the name with a voice as soft as fresh sheets and as smooth as ice. Asuka practically swooned. “That’s a lovely name.”

The man’s silky praise sent a shiver through the speedster. Words were coming slowly to her now, as if the raging torrent of her mind had been reduced to a dripping faucet. Still, she managed to eke out a question. “Has-been? Were you, like, somebody famous?” she asked in a dreamy, distant voice.

He gave a sad smile and began to play faster. “It’s very kind of you to take an interest in me. There was a time when everyone did, but no one has cared for a long while. And you’re such a good listener, Asuka. You’re doing such a good job, listening to the music and listening to my voice. Just let all of your focus narrow down to those simple sounds, guiding you deeper and deeper into this wonderful state of relaxation. Tell you what, I’ll make you a deal.”

“Mmm?“ Asuka asked. In truth, his last string of words had somewhat washed over her, blending with the music. She didn’t really remember what he had said, she was too relaxed, too sleepy.

“Since you’ve been such a good girl, I’ll tell you my story. You just have to do one little thing for me first. I want you to dance.”

“Dance?“ she mumbled.

“Yes, exactly. I just want you to lose yourself to the music. Let go completely and let my words guide your thoughts and move your body. You’re listening so well, I know you can do it.”

Asuka wanted to say that was ridiculous. She wanted to say that she wasn’t about to start dancing in the middle of a department store, that she would make a fool out of herself. But when she opened her mouth, all that came out was, “OK.” She looked down and her foot was already mindlessly tapping in time. The movement made its way up, flexing across her knees. The rhythm continued moving north until it reached her hips, which started seductively swaying from side to side. From there, her whole body picked up on the beat. Before long, she was all shoulders and hips, rolling, and rocking, like the man’s fingers on the keys told her exactly how to move.

The more she danced, the louder the music in her head became. Before the first song even finished, the faucet of thoughts had turned off completely. Now she was simply a part of the music.

The piano man smirked at the sight of her, moving helplessly to his tune. “Asuka, you never told me you were such a talented dancer.”

In truth, she didn’t know if she was dancing well, or not, even as her body rolled on its own. That level of thought was beyond her at the moment. She just knew that the music moved her.

“Well, you wanted my story and so I’ll share it.” He cleared his throat and began to sing.

There once was a boy so young and naïve,

He had a voice that you wouldn’t believe.

The word simply drifted over Asuka. She was too busy spinning and swaying.

People would come for miles to hear him sing and watch him dance. 

His fans were enchanted, watching on in a trance.

The word trance felt vaguely resonant to the runaway, though she didn’t know why.

The ladies lined up to take off their pants.

Those words flowed straight to her fingers, which immediately undid the button and zipper on her tight, black jeans. The denim clung so tightly to her thighs that she had to adjust her dancing to get it off. Her movements went from long, graceful spins to tight compact wiggles as she shook her hips and slowly shimmied the fabric down. She jiggled and shook her ass until the pants fell free. 

But then one day, he met a man so mysterious 

With his new lute things finally got serious 

At last the boy had the power he craved

His most beautiful fans, naked, enslaved 

The words “naked, enslaved“ echoed in Asuka‘s mind, and somehow she knew they referred to her. The words filled her mind, instantly becoming her purpose. She didn’t question how or why she was enslaved, she simply knew that she was. But she wasn’t naked and that seemed wrong. Within a few beats her thread worn sweater had fallen to the floor, exposing her pierced nipples to the stranger and anyone who cared to look. After a few measures more, her panties joined the rest on the floor. Peace returned to her as she knew she obeyed, just like a good slave.

The musician eyed his conquest with a barely masked hunger. He knew he had her now. All that was left was to put a bow on his little gift.

No one can comprehend the game that he played.

He could turn a rebellious bitch into a maid

Dancing through a dream, Asuka made her way to a nearby rack of maid costumes. Seeing without thinking, she pulled one off its hanger and began to slide it on. The red and white frills fit tightly around the lean muscle of her thighs as the thing slid on, she felt her own wetness as the panties hugged her pussy, but that awareness only lasted a couple of notes. The piece also had a frilly skirt which bounced playfully as she moved, and at the moment that was much more important. The split top framed her chest in a lattice of lace, presenting her modest cleavage like an offering. The two pieces left her stomach exposed, showing off the substantial definition that her insatiable metabolism had left her with. All together, the look was a fusion of punk piercings and submissive subservience, although, in truth, the speedster wasn’t thinking about how she looked or anything at all, really.

But then our hero's beautiful life came tumbling down.

A cunt made of rubber knocked him to the ground

Across the floor, her eyes saw the image of Maria slumped in some strange woman’s arms, but that image couldn’t reach her brain through the wall of enchanting music. She had stopped dancing, and now stood at attention, listening dutifully for her next command.

The man turned his attention to the keys, whipping up a storm of sound as he built to a crescendo.

She locked him away, doomed him to rot

Until a helpful young blonde said, ‘I think not’

But do not fear, this isn’t where the story ends.

It’s just the beginning for your old friend Dorian.

***

Freya stalked  around the red and white garment, sizing it up like an opponent in a wrestling match. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. It was just underwear after all, and hardly even that. Really the thing was little more than shreds of Scarlet fabric held together by white ribbon. So why was she so nervous? Deep down she knew the answer, though she didn’t want to admit it.

It was because she had lost.

She had lost to The Mind Hacker of all people, a foe she traditionally trounced without trying, and yet, with the help of an artifact, he had wrapped her so completely around his finger that she begged for the privilege of sucking his cock. Her, Freya, THE Freya, reduced to a simpering whore, so desperate to please her Master that she betrayed her friends without a second thought. She kept up a strong face for the others, but in truth, the defeat had shaken her confidence. She was a champion, an invincible winner. She saved others, not the other way around.

And yet here she stood, staring down some satin fabrics with a nervousness she hadn’t felt in years. Not only had she been bested in combat and had her own desires hijacked, but she was the only unattached member of the Guardians aside from Saphira, who occupied her own category as an immortal goddess. The Valkyrie warrior had never felt like she needed a man, but then again she had always worked either alone or with Saphira. Now she was surrounded by couples, all day every day and it had started to wear on her. She had figured a new sexy outfit would be just the thing to bolster her confidence. But as she found herself alone with the teddy, she only felt more nervous. What if it didn’t fit right? What if it hadn’t been designed for women as muscular as her? What if it didn’t make her feel sexy?

Slap.

The Valkyrie raised her hand and struck her own cheek. Get a hold of yourself. She was a mighty hero, not some cowering babe. She had defeated the Ashen Lords, foiled the dimensional invasion of Zantar, and vanquished the great Klausaurus. She would not be bested by a simple undergarment!

With no further hesitation, she released the ties holding her leather armor in place. The grease stained clothing fell to the floor, leaving the hero completely bare. She stood naked in the changing room, all shapely muscles and curves, her lean biceps flexing as she reached for the lingerie. She slid it from the hanger and began to step into the thing. Her courage was rewarded as soon as the fabric grazed the inside of her thigh. Wherever it touched, tiny shockwaves of pleasure pulsed across her skin.

Incredible. Simply incredible to think just touching it would make her shiver so. She pulled the slip of lacy fabric up her legs. A small moan escaped her lips when the electric tingles touched her entrance. She tugged the teddy securely into place, holding on for an extra moment and savoring the tension against her tenderness. The steady, ecstatic buzz persisted as she slipped her arms under the straps. The sensation didn’t fade after the first brush, but rather blossomed across each new inch of skin the fabric touched. 

She bit her lip as the crimson cloth connected with her nipples, and they instantly hardened. Her whole body practically vibrated as the lingerie wrapped around it. She felt so eager to tie it on and let the warmth envelope her completely. That was when she encountered a problem. This thing laced up the back. 

She tied the first bow by her neck easily enough, but couldn’t run the white ribbon through the other holes without taking the teddy off, which she was certainly not about to do. After a few minutes of futile squirming, which only served to rub the delightful tingling back-and-forth across her breasts, she concluded she would need help. “Maria, I may require your assistance.”

No answer came. 

“Maria?“

A few seconds later, shuffling feet stopped outside the changing room door. “Do you need help, Miss Freya?“ came the department manager‘s voice.

“Yes, I fear this garment is challenging to secure. Could you summon my friend?”

“Ah the young woman who came in with you. I’m terribly sorry, but she wasn’t out there when I came by.”

Freya cocked her head to the side. It wasn’t like Maria to just wander off. Had something happened? She tried to think, but the persistent buzzing of her nerves made that difficult. “I suppose I shall await her return.”

“If you require assistance, miss. I would be more than happy to oblige you. It’s not anything improper. I would simply be doing my job“

Freya opened her mouth to refuse, but caught herself. She felt simply wonderful and knew she’d feel even better with more of the fabric touching more of her skin. She wanted the teddy on, needed it on, now. All her hesitation had been buried under the electric thrumming that coursed across her body. 

“Miss?”

She didn’t need to fear this man anyway. If she so desired, she could crush him like one of the wraiths of Maleketh. Besides, it would be nice to be seen, objectified, lusted after. That thought caught Freya by surprise. Maybe her new outfit was affecting her more than she realized. “I’m just thinking,” she said in a breathy gasp.

Perhaps she was going too far, letting her feelings cloud her judgement. Maybe this was all too much. She reached for the bow by her neck, but even as she went to untie it, another surge of tingling joy pulsed through her hands. Why should she fight her feelings? Just because the feeling surprised her, that didn’t change how she felt, after all. The thoughts burst into her mind seemingly from nothing. But once they surfaced, they played on repeat. Freya longed to be objectified, used, fucked. For once she didn’t want to be treated like some revered hero or mighty warrior. She just wanted to be a hot, sweating body, a doll to be played with, a raw writhing instrument of pleasure. Her hand twitched, sliding down her neck and falling to the full curve of her breast, where it began to rub small circles, unleashing a vortex of electric delight. Almost on instinct, her other hand unlocked the door. “Yes, please come in.”

Department Manager, Peter Hambright, slid into the room like a shadow, locking the door behind him. “My goodness. You look breathtaking.”

She flushed, as though his praise amplified the vibrations pulsing through her blood. With the storm of strange sensations, she hadn’t actually looked at her reflection. Freya started to turn towards the mirror. 

“Wait, let me secure it first. I want you to have the full effect.”

Freya obeyed instantly, turning her back towards the stranger. She felt a dampness building between her legs. It felt good to obey him, like a good doll. Another strange thought sprouted in her mind, but before she could consider it, his hands were on her back. They felt warm and she leaned into his touch. He responded by edging closer still. Suddenly her ass was pressing firmly against him, as his hands worked on the ribbons. She should pull away, she knew she should, and yet. . . she could feel him twitch. He was getting hard. She was making him hard. She liked that. Freya leaned in, tilting her hips to grind herself slowly against him. He grew harder still, and a dopey grin spread across Freya’s face. She was pleasing him so much. 

The fabric of the teddy tensed as he tied the last knot, a large white ribbon directly above her shapely ass, wrapping it like a present. Maybe it would be a present for him. She giggled at the thought. 

“Now, you can look,” he said softly, placing his hands on her hips and turning her gently towards the mirror. 

Again Freya obeyed, and again it unleashed a wave of pleasure. Good dolls obeyed. Another strange thought, but the sight of herself took her attention away. Peter still had his hands on her bare hips, and she could see why. The stark contrast of the red lace drew all the more attention to her wide hips and sturdy legs. She feared they might look too masculine, but now she saw those fears were for nothing. The outfit made the flare of her hips downright enticing. Her strong legs looked sinuous and scrumptious. No wonder the manager had slid his hand down to cup her ass. She couldn’t blame him. 

The vague outline of her sex showed faintly through the translucent lace, which normally would have bothered the warrior, but now it just made her feel sexy, like a good doll. That thought triggered another surge of delight. The crisscrossing ribbon allowed a series of windows to her skin as it traveled up her chest, just enough to show off her toned stomach, while still presenting a smooth seductive silhouette. The windows only grew as her heavy cleavage strained against its confines. The ribbon pressed her breasts together, exaggerating their already substantial size. Then the fabric parted, revealing an even more generous view of the supple valley. She moaned as the full beauty of her reflection washed over her. It was everything she hoped for and more. 

“You like?” Peter asked, grin audible in his voice. 

“I love it. I look like such a beautiful doll,” Freya answered. 

“You’re the most beautiful doll. You always were,” he said softly. 

“Do we know each other?” she said, trying to recall the man’s image through the throbbing arousal playing her brain like a drum. 

“Only professionally,” he said. “Now there’s just one more thing,” he reached up and untied the end of her braid, unwinding the plaits with tender care. 

Freya watched in fascination as her hair fell loose around her face. Her shoulder length locks held a slight wave from the braid, and framed her face beautifully. She hardly recognized herself. She never let her hair down, never wore things like this, never let a stranger touch her like this. Or was he a stranger? “What do you mean professionally? I’ve never shopped here before.”

“Does this jog your memory?” he asked, as he slid his hand down between her legs and began tracing gentle circles on her clit from behind. 

She trembled from the sudden move and the even more surprising intensity of the pleasure. “OoOoOhhh,” she gasped. “It stokes the fires of my desire, but not my memory.” 

“Pleasure can be its own memory. Have you ever felt this good before?” 

“No, never,” she said in a breathy whisper. Then the memories of her enslavement to the Mind Hacker came drifting back to her through the fog of arousal. The pleasure of his touch had overwhelmed her senses, binding her every movement to his will with a thousand invisible strings. “Well, once. But that was different.”

“Different? Tell me about it.” 

She leaned back into the steady rhythm of his touch, happy for an order to obey. “It was at the hands of a most heinous villain. He twisted my own pleasure, turning it against me, making me long to obey him, to serve him.”

“How interesting. He sounds like a truly dastardly villain, incredibly clever and charismatic.”

Freya had always looked back on those memories with shame, but why? Why feel shame at experiencing such complete joy and purpose? The thoughts whispered into her mind. “He was my Master. Wait, why did I say that?”

“Maybe you just liked having a Master. Maybe you’re just a natural submissive,” the man offered. 

Freya found herself nodding. “Yes, I need a master to command me, like a good doll,” her voice answered before she could think. That set off a loud enough alarm to pierce the thrumming electricity dancing across her skin. “No. What? No, I don’t feel that way. Something is wrong.” She tried to stumble forward, but his hand held her firmly. Despite her incredible strength she couldn’t bring herself to pull away. He clearly wanted her to stay, and a good doll wouldn’t disobey. 

“Nothing’s wrong. You’re exactly where you were always meant to be, my prize, back in my arms.”

“Back in your arms?” The recognition dawned on the dazed heroine. “It’s you. I should have known. You’re Master.” She shook her head, as if trying to get that word loose. “No, you’re not my Master. You’re just that awful villain, Master. Damnit Master! I’m trying to say Master, not Master.” 

The Mind Hacker seized her breast and pulled her backwards. She leaned into him, unable to resist despite her strength. “Sounds right to me. I can’t believe you didn’t even recognize me. Just a little facial hair and a new hair cut, and I’m a new man. You heroes really do look down on us.” 

“I’m sorry, Master. I’ll pay more attention next time,” her voice answered on its own again. 

“There won’t be a next time,” he growled. 

“I have to… Get away.”

“That’s just it, my pet. You don’t have to do anything anymore. It’s already too late“

Freya's thoughts raced as she tried to understand what had happened. The Mind Hacker controlled his victims by placing microchips in the back of their neck, so how had he gotten her?

“Now, now, don’t think so hard, my little toy. It ruins your pretty face.” He raised a hand and stroked her cheek with it, instantly melting all the tension from her body. “I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

Freya sighed as her thoughts relaxed. Of course, her Master would take care of her. Wait … That was wrong, wasn’t it?

“After our last encounter, I realized I would have to get a little more creative. The same technology that powers my chips is woven all throughout that wonderful outfit you’re wearing. Even now, the circuits are interfacing with your nerve endings, rewiring your thoughts, guiding them back to their proper place.”

A wave of relief washed over the warrior. It was so helpful of Master to correct her thoughts like that. She had been so worried and stressed for some reason, but now she could just focus on pleasing her Master. Wait, no! That was wrong, that was the lingerie talking. She had to get out of this thing. Her hands seized the fabric by her breasts, ready to tear the teddy in two. Yet instead of pulling the cursed garment apart, she found her hands returned to kneading her breasts, sending more spirals of pleasure spinning through her. 

“Yes, it is my masterpiece if I do say so myself,” he gloated as his hand drifted back down to tease her pussy once more. “Although I suppose that’s unfair to you, my doll. You’re the real masterpiece.”

She squirmed and twitched in his arms as she tried to fight off the programming. And yet, his praise filled her heart. To think that she was his masterpiece, his favorite of all the dolls he had made over the years. She had been so worried about feeling wanted, but all she had to do was submit to her Master. It was all so simple.

“That’s it, I just can’t wait anymore. I’m going to fuck you right here in the dressing room.”

A tiny flash of hope sparked to life in Freya’s mind. If he was going to fuck her, that meant he would take the lingerie off. She would be able to think clearly again, able to escape, able to…

Pop

The sound came from between her legs. She hadn’t noticed the little button, concealed amid the patterns of lace, until her Master had opened it. A thin band of the fabric fell away, leaving an opening that perfectly presented her pretty little pussy. Of course, Master had thought of that. Master thought of everything. She didn’t know why she ever thought she could beat him. After all, he was her Master, and she was just a pretty little doll. That thought only made her wetter. She could smell it now, her own arousal filling the small room. 

She didn’t resist as he bent her over. She simply gripped the garment rod on the wall and spread her legs to provide better access. Her master wasted no time, unzipping his pants and ramming forcefully into her from behind. 

His fingernails dug into her hips as he pulled her forcibly back against him. Of course, his pull was pathetic, compared to her superhuman strength, but in this moment, the Valkyrie found herself helpless to resist. Wherever her Master guided her, she would follow. Her hips effortlessly matched his rhythm, pushing back just enough to drive him deeper inside of her with every thrust.

“You’re going to be a good doll for me now won’t you, Freya?“

“Oh, oh, yes, Master. I’ll be whatever you want me to be.” Freya gritted her teeth, desperate to stop the words pouring out of her mouth. She was losing again. She could feel it, all her strength, all her experience meant nothing before the insidious thrumming, bending and twisting her thoughts, she had to do something, had to…

He yanked her hair, hard, making her head snap back and her eyes roll up into her head.. “I can see you thinking again. I thought I told you not to do that.”

“I’m sorry, Master,“ her traitorous mouth whimpered on its own.

“Don’t worry, my doll. We’ll fix that for you,” he said with another pull of her hair. “Repeat after me. ‘Mind empty, pussy full.’”

Freya’s last vestiges of freedom rebelled at the indignity. She was a proud Valkyrie, a hero, a Guardian. She would not spout such demeaning . . . “Mind empty, pussy full.” Another wave of pleasure at having obeyed. Damn, she couldn’t control her mouth anymore. 

“Mind empty, pussy full,” she repeated it every time he slapped her ass. 

“Mind empty, pussy full,” she screamed it as her convulsing grip tore the garment rod from the wall. 

“Mind empty, pussy full,” she moaned it, lost in the throes of an orgasm that seemed like it would never end. 

“Mind empty, pussy full,” she whispered it on repeat as a sticky heat slowly spread within her. Of course, Master would fill her with his seed. She had to escape. Had to have her pussy full. Had to warn the others. Had to be used. Had to have her pussy full. Her Master filled her pussy. She obeyed her Master. Master filled her pussy, Master filled her mind. Her mind . . .she had to think, had to resist, had to be empty. Mind empty. Master wanted her mind empty and she obeyed her Master. Her mind should be empty so he could fill it with whatever he wanted. Mind empty. Mind empty, pussy full. Mind empty, pussy full. Mind empty, pussy full. 

By the time Master released her and told her to stand once more, all trace of her thoughts had vanished. She straightened as she was told, feeling the gratifying weight of his cum shift within her as she did. Her eyes came to rest on her own reflection. The smile that played across her lips spoke only of peace and serenity. At last the storm of her resistance had broken, leaving only the clear sky of surrender. 

She had lost

And it felt so good. 

***

Squelch, squelch, squelch

The steady rhythm of wet, slapping sounds roused Maria from sleep. She blinked her eyes open, trying to shake the spinning sensation from her head and failing. She looked for the source of the sound, and found it quickly, a set of fingers, delving in and out of a sopping wet cunt. She appeared to be in some kind of stock room, full of shelves and boxes. 

Kelly sat naked on the floor, leaned against the plain wall with her legs spread wide and her hand busy at work. “Oh, I obeyed so well, Mistress. I did it. Just like you wanted,” the girl whispered under her breath. Every so often she would grab the perfume bottle beside her and spray her own face with it, each time leading to another round of fervent masturbation. 

Maria tried to stand, but met resistance wrapped all over her body. She looked down at herself and found that her clothing had vanished. In its place was a tangled network of red ribbon, holding her arms and legs too tightly for even her to stretch out of. The whole thing culminated in a massive red bow, slapped across her chest. “Kelly,” she whispered. The girl ignored her. “Kelly, you have to untie me, before . . .” 

“Before what?” A woman’s voice asked from behind her back, oozing with condescension. A moment later, Maria felt the wedge of a tall heel digging into her side as a foot came to rest on her. 

“Euphoria, I take it this whole trap was your doing?” 

The blonde bent forward, bringing her pouting red lips and hungry eyes into Maria’s field of vision. Even from here she could see that the villainess wore her trademark white lingerie, stockings following her long legs up to a garter belt that connected to a white corset with a bow and arrow strong across her back. “Who, little old me? Whatever makes you think I’d go through all this trouble, just to get revenge on the woman who foiled all my plans and somehow continues to escape my control at every turn.” The pressure of the heel intensified on Maria's side. “Actually, now that you mention it, that does sound like something I would do.” 

“You’ll never get away with this. Just let me go before my friends find you.”

Euphoria let out a high cackling laugh. “Oh no, not your friends! Whatever will I do?” She dug her heel in, rolling the Latina over so she faced the opposite side of the room.

The site that greeted her turned Maria’s blood ice. Seated atop a crate was Dorian who she now recognized as the piano player from earlier, with her now-I-really-wish-I-had-asked-her-to-be-my-girlfriend perched on his lap. Across from him sat the department manager, who supported a scantily clad Freya in his own lap. “Guys, snap out of it.”

“Oh, please do snap out of it!“ Euphoria joined in with gleeful mockery. “Please wake up! Isn’t the strength of love and friendship enough to break their control over you?” Neither woman responded. They both just continued staring ahead with glassy eyes and plastic smiles. Euphoria turned back to Maria. “Hmm, shoot. It doesn’t seem to be working,” she said with an exaggerated pout. Both Dorian and The Mind Hacker snickered at the display. “I guess you’re on your own, dear.” 

Maria fumed. She tried to lunge up and strike at Euphoria, but the ribbons held her too tightly to do any more than turn her neck. She took a deep breath. She needed to calm down. Freya and Asuka needed her to save them . . . somehow. Granted she hadn’t the faintest idea how she’d accomplish that. 

Euphoria clapped her hands together, and practically skipped over to Maria. “Oh there it is. That’s the look I've been waiting for. Despair looks good on you, my sweet.”

“So what, you left me for last, so you could watch me give up?” 

“Oh no, dear. Do you think so little of me?” Euphoria answered with over the top sweetness that vanished a moment later. “I want you to beg, beg to be mine.” 

“Well then we’re going to be here a long time, because that’ll never happen.”

“Oh but it will,” she said, rising to her feet and walking over to Asuka. Maria could only watch in horror as the villain placed a tender kiss on the speedster’s lips. She lingered, taking her time to make a show of shoving her tongue down the girl’s mouth. When she finally pulled away, her red lipstick had left a scarlet smudge on Asuka’s lips, Asuka who just continued staring blankly ahead as if nothing had happened at all. 

Jealousy burned within Maria, but all she could do was writhe and squirm. There had to be something. Then an idea came to her in a flash. “Dorian, are you ok with her treating your conquest like that? Are you just going to let her strut around here like she owns the place?” She turned to the Mind Hacker. “What about you? Don’t you want to get revenge on me yourself? Why let her do it for you?” This could work. All she had to do was turn them against each other, and she could find an opening to free her friends. 

The two men exchanged looks. “Do you want to tell her?” Dorian asked. 

“I’m honestly enjoying her not knowing,” said the Hacker with a smirk.

“Aww, is poor Maria confused?” Euphoria said, turning to Asuka. “What do you think, whore, should I explain?” 

“Whatever you desire, Mistress. I’m just a humble maid,” Asuka said flatly. 

“Good answer,” she said, turning back towards Maria. “Well it is the holiday season and I’m in a giving mood. So I suppose I’ll fill you in.” She walked back to the bound heroine, and crouched beside her once more. 

“Fill me in on what?” 

“You see, you’ve got the wrong idea dear,” she said as she began gently stroking the Latina’s cheek. “You think this is some sad, unsteady alliance of common enemies, but nothing could be further from the truth. You see, every person in this room serves me, everyone but you that is. Watch, kneel.”

Without a moment's hesitation, Freya and Asuka both dove to the ground, followed by their respective Masters. Even Kelly fumbled her way into a kneeling position without ever withdrawing her hand from her pussy. 

This was a nightmare. It had to be. 

“I’ve been plotting this ever since you escaped me. I have dozens of girls like sweet little Kelly here, all over the city. They’ve all been conditioned to love you, to find you at any cost.”

Maria swallowed hard. So even Kelly’s adoration of Twister had been part of Euphoria’s plan. 

“Still I knew finding you wouldn’t be enough. After this little twink ruined my plans, I wasn’t about to face you alone again. You had put together a team, and so I figured, I’d do the same.”

“So what? You formed a Twister’s Enemies Club in prison?” 

“Didn’t have to. You see, I never went to jail. Asuka here is cute, but not too bright. When she threw away Fractal’s artifact, it broke the hold she had over me, well before I could turn myself in. With my gifts for persuasion it was easy to get these two released and under my spell. Then once we had your location, separating the three of you and picking you off was child’s play. Face it, dear. You lost before this game ever started.”

Maria swallowed hard. Her eyes desperately scanned Asuka and Freya’s face for any sign of recognition, but found none, only dreamy surrender. Maria worried if she would look like that in a moment. There was only one thing left to try. “Ok, you win,” she said softly. 

Euphoria squealed. 

“I’ll beg to be your slave. Please just send the other villains away. You’re the one who did all this. I want my moment of surrender to be just for you,” it was a desperate ploy, but she prayed the villain’s ego would blind her. 

“Oh, that is a lovely idea. Boys, leave us. I want to savor my conquest.” Both men grumbled, but complied. “Don’t look so dour. You’ll still both get to fuck her, once I’m finished. Maybe even at the same time.”

Maria breathed a small sigh of relief once they had gone. “I’m ready. Please come closer. I want to whisper it in your ear.” 

“I didn’t realize you were such a romantic,” Euphoria cooed, as she leaned over the hero’s body. 

Maria took a deep breath and then concentrated her stretching power into her neck, shooting her head forward like a rubber bullet. Her forehead slammed into Euphoria’s, sending the villain tumbling backwards. 

The blonde fell to her knees, vision spinning, but managed to cling to consciousness. “You bitch!” She said, spitting blood onto the concrete. 

Shit, Maria had really hoped to knock Euphoria out with that. 

Euphoria shot an icy glare to Asuka. “Restrain her neck.” In the blink of an eye more red ribbons were tied securely around Maria’s neck, making another maneuver like that impossible. “I tried to be nice. I wanted to have a sweet moment together, but you just have to ruin everything don’t you?” she hissed. Patience gone, the blonde lunged at Maria and tried to drive an arrow head into her arm. 

Still, the point bounced harmlessly off her rubber skin. So long as Maria had calories to work with, she could keep dodging Euphoria’s arrows at least.  

“Fine, you want to do things the hard way. That’s what we’ll do.” Euphoria stumbled to her feet, walked up to Asuka and slapped her in the face. The speedster flinched to the side, but otherwise she barely reacted. “If I can’t hurt you, I’ll hurt them.”

Regret filled Maria at the sight of her hoped-to-be-girlfriend’s flushed face. “Wait, Euphoria, don’t.”

“Oh looks like I struck a nerve this time.” She slapped Asuka again. “I owe this one for stealing you away from me anyway.” Another slap. 

“Euphoria, please.”

“That’s getting better, but still not good enough.” The blonde growled. “You, whore, punch her for me.” 

Freya’s plastic smile never wavered as she rose and struck her friend squarely in the stomach. Asuka flew backwards, smashing through a cardboard box and slumping to the floor, amid its spilled underwear. 

“Asuka!” Maria cried out. Asuka wasn’t moving. 

Euphoria ran a hand possessively up Freya’s side. “You know, I hear you’re good with a sword. Maybe you could demonstrate on this one. You’d kill her for me wouldn’t you.” Her eyes didn’t leave Maria the whole time she spoke. 

“Mind empty, pussy full,” Freya said, with a nod. 

“Right, I forgot how hard he drilled those words into you. It’s rather uncouth. I’ll have to have words with Peter about that. Oh well, first kill her for me.” She walked slowly towards Asuka’s crumpled form.

“I SURRENDER!” Maria gasped on the floor. “Please just stop it. I’ll cooperate.”

“You didn’t say Mistress,” Euphoria prodded coolly, as Freya raised her sword. 

“Please, Mistress. Don’t hurt her. I won’t resist anymore,” Maria said, biting back tears. 

“Stop,” Euphoria said as she paced back towards Maria. Freya froze, sword arm still suspended in the air. “Now, beg.” 

“Please, Mistress. Please enslave me. Do whatever you want to me, just leave them alone.”

Euphoria crouched beside her, slowly lowering the arrow head, tip shimmering with its love potion. “I hope you understand what’ll happen if this bounces off.”

“It won’t. I promise.” Maria closed her eyes and let her powers go, returning her skin to normal. She would just have to trust the remaining Guardians to find some way of freeing them. The pin prick hardly hurt at all, little more than a gentle pinch and then it started, a languid, lazy warmth dripping through her veins. Every beat of her heart carried Euphoria’s control further through her body. The warmth melted away all the tension in its path, as Maria began to relax. Already she felt dizzy, numb, sleepy. 

The warmth washed away all her troubles, her disappointment in herself, her fear for Asuka’s life. It all just faded beneath the persistent glow of Euphoria’s drug. Euphoria. What a pretty name. What a pretty girl. Maria realized absently that she was staring. Euphoria was staring back at her too with a look of intense scrutiny. Had her eyes always been so big and shiny and inviting? Maria felt like she could look into them forever, well if her lips weren’t equally enticing. Maria found herself leaning forward, trying her best to inch her mouth closer to the tantalizing temptress before her. 

Maybe she had been too hard on Euphoria. If Maria had just cooperated, her Mistress would never have had to go through all this trouble. But, she did. She did all this just for Maria. She felt so flattered. This whole elaborate plan, all the other enslaved people, all just for her. Maria blushed, to think that Euphoria cared about her so much. Someone so captivating wanted her that badly. It sent a different kind of warmth pulsing through her. Maria truly felt loved, so loved that a thought she’d had all day bubbled to the surface, a question that had been bouncing around her mind. “Mistress Euphoria?” 

The blonde’s scowl turned to a smirk as she heard Maria’s docile tone. “Yes, what is it, dear?” 

“Will you be my girlfriend?” 

“Aww, that is so sweet.” Euphoria raised a hand to her heart. “But, no. No, of course I won’t.”

“Oh.”

Euphoria took her victim’s hand softly. “But I’ll give you something even better. I’ll be your owner and you can be my devoted slave.” 

“Oh, good.” Relief washed over her. Her Mistress did want her. Of course, she did. For some reason, she’d been fixated on having a girlfriend, but having an owner sounded nice too. 

“Now if I untie you, will you be a good girl?”

“Yes, Mistress. I’ll be such a good girl.” 

“You, cut some of these loose,” she said briskly to Freya, who complied immediately. The ribbons were still all Maria had for clothing, bright red cloth, wrapped tightly around her breasts and hips and stomach, but at least she could move again. As soon as she could move her arms and legs, she flung herself at Euphoria, diving in for a kiss. 

Euphoria stopped her with a tender finger on her lips. “Say please, Mistress.” 

“Please Mistress.” Euphoria withdrew her finger and at last Maria could reach the lips that had been calling to her for as long as she could remember. She tasted like flowers, so sweet and heady. 

Between kisses, Euphoria broke into laughter. “I’ve waited for this for so long.” 

“Oh, me too, Mistress,” Maria echoed, which only got more laughter from the angel beneath her. She ran her hands across the lace of the angel's body, savoring every sensation of her skin. Maria loved her so much, so deeply. “I love you, Mistress,” she just had to say it. She didn’t care if they’d only been together for seconds, or if Freya was watching or if Kelly was still masturbating in the corner. She had to say it. 

“Of course you do,” Euphoria said, kneading Maria’s ass while she spoke. 

Still it wasn’t enough. Maria needed to show her how much she loved her. Fantasies of Euphoria began to flood her mind. Euphoria bent over, being spanked. Euphoria tied up, hanging from the ceiling. Euphoria being choked begging Maria for air. The same twisted urges she had been beating back all day, now ran wild and free. “Mistress, please let me show you how much I love you.” 

Just when Maria thought Euphoria’s smile couldn’t get prettier, it did just that. “Yes please, slave.” 

Maria’s primal instinct grew stronger. The warmth in her veins broke out into a raging fire, a fire that would not be denied. She needed to give her Mistress pleasure, needed to show her the ultimate pleasure, submission. Her arm stretched out, wrapping around her Mistress’s wrists and pinning them to the ground above her head. 

“Slave, what do you think you’re doing?” 

“Pleasing you, Mistress,” she said innocently, as her other hand snaked its way under Euphoria’s panties and began to play. 

The blonde sucked in a deep inhale. “Ok, ok. Just be gentle.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Of course, she knew she couldn’t be gentle. She needed to show her Mistress her love, that called for intensity not timidity. Her hand began to pump faster, as Euphoria squirmed in response. 

“Do you like that, Mistress?” 

“Oh yes, very much.”

“I can make it even better,” she offered sweetly. 

“Please do.”

Positively beaming, Maria withdrew her hand from Euphoria’s entrance and shot it across the room. The elastic arm easily reached Kelly, once more snatching the perfume bottle from her. At this point, the poor girl was so spent, she could hardly even try to hold on to it. She raised a limp hand to try and grab it back, but ended up slumping onto her side and seemingly falling asleep. 

“What are you?” Before the blonde could finish, Maria blasted her in the face with the addictive elixir. Euphoria’s eyes rolled back as the giddy gauze fell over her perception. Maria remembered how wonderful the perfume had made her feel. She was so happy to share that with her Mistress. “What do you think you’re doing?” Euphoria finally managed to gasp. 

“I’m pleasing you, Mistress,” Maria cooed as she pumped the bottle again. She saw her Mistress’s eyes dart towards Freya as she inhaled the second puff. The Valkyrie was still standing at attention, like the doll she had become, but Maria knew it would just take a few words for her to interfere. She couldn’t have that. So she coiled the hand pinning Euphoria’s wrists around and stretched it back to cover her mouth and nose. 

The goddess beneath her began to thrash. That was understandable. Pleasure could be painful after all. A wicked smile crossed Maria’s lips. Ever since the battle against Saphira, where she had used a corrupted artifact Draupnir, something had shifted for Maria. Something had awakened in her, a hunger, a need for control. At that moment she loved Euphoria more than anything in the world, and that meant she needed to dominate her. “Do you want another breath, Mistress?”

Euphoria gave a frenzied nod. 

Maria withdrew her hand for a moment. In the same instant, she pressed the sprayer down again, filling her idol's lungs with more honeyed delight. Then before she could call out, Maria covered her mouth once more. Maria could only imagine how wonderful Euphoria must have been feeling, experiencing her control and the perfume. It gave her a shiver of delight to know she was doing such a good, good job for her Mistress. After a few seconds more, she offered another breath. 

She released her Mistress’s mouth. Euphoria tried to speak, but the words dissolved as the pink mist invaded her airways, turning her words into a stuttering moan. Her eyes had grown heavy, staring up at Maria with hooded blankness. Her thrashing was losing its strength. Now just her hips had started to mindlessly buck against her servant. She was losing herself to the pleasure. 

“You’re going to be a good girl for me, aren’t you, Mistress?” Maria whispered sweetly. 

Her Mistress mumbled something into her palm, leaving a thin trail of drool as she did. 

Maria released her, so she could answer. 

This time, Euphoria was ready. “Stop her!” she croaked in a hoarse, desperate gasp. Maria clamped her hand closed again, but just too late. Freya’s fist came barrelling into her shoulder and dislodged her from her Mistress’s lap. Maria went tumbling across the ground, managing to break her fall into a somewhat elegant roll. “8.5,” she whispered idly to herself as she landed in a crouch. 

“How?” Euphoria demanded between panting breaths. “How did you resist? I saw the arrow pierce your skin.”

Resist? “I could never resist you, Mistress,” Maria answered sweetly. “I only want to please you.” she began stretching a hand across the space, ready to grab her Mistress by the hair and drag her back. 

Euphoria’s eyes went wide. “Don’t let her touch me!”

“Mind empty, pussy full.” Freya grabbed Maria’s arm and flung her across the space. She skidded to a halt, next to Asuka. 

Asuka. Something tickled at the edges of Maria’s devotion. Then she looked up and saw her Mistress scrambling towards the exit. “Mistress, come back.”

“You stay away from me!” Euphoria snapped, as she stumbled away. “You’re a monster.”

Maria charged, but Freya interposed herself. “Mind empty, pussy full.” Just then the stale air in the room whipped itself into a frenzied whirlwind, making a tornado of panties from the broken box and blasting the hero backwards.

“That feels like it shouldn’t work,” Maria complained as she tumbled to the floor. When she looked up again, her mistress, her goddess, her purpose, had fled. She rushed for the exit, but only found Freya’s fist waiting for her again. She braced, letting the force ripple through her rubber body and twisting all the momentum into her hips. Then she spun herself back, slamming them into her friend with all the force she had redirected. The powerful hip check caught the Valkyrie completely off guard and knocked her off her feet. She slammed into a rack of boxes, and began clamoring to her feet. 

But Maria was too fast. She pounced, pinning Freya down with predatory agility. It had become clear that she would have to deal with her friend, before she could pursue her Mistress. “Freya, I’m only trying to please our Mistress. Please let me go.”

“Mind empty, pussy full,” she answered, still straining under Maria’s weight. 

Maria growled in frustration. Then as they struggled, she felt something wet brush against her leg. She looked down to see her friend’s vagina on full display, plainly visible and accessible through an opening in her teddy. 

“Fine, you want your pussy full so bad, we’ll do this the fun way.” Maria stretched her hand and parted Freya’s lips, easily sliding her hand between Freya’s wet folds. 

The instant she did, the brunette completely stopped struggling. A happy sigh escaped her lips, and she began spreading her legs wide. “Mind empty, pussy full.”

Realization dawned on Maria, as well as a fresh surge of hunger at the prospect of a new conquest. “That’s it. You’re so full for me, so empty, so ready to obey.” Maria stretched her hand, using her rubber powers to sculpt it perfectly to fit her friend’s cavity. She began pumping her hand slowly, in and out. 

“Mind empty, pussy full,” Freya said, nodding in time. 

“You serve me now. I’m your Mistress.” Absently Maria knew that her Mistress probably wouldn’t like Maria taking one of her other slaves, but she’d been left with no choice. She couldn’t have Freya interfering with her efforts to please and torture her Mistress. She was only doing this to be a better slave, not because the image of a Valkyrie warrior naked and bowing down to her filled her with delight. 

“Mind empty, pussy full.”

“Right. My first order is for you to stop saying that. It’s creeping me out.”

Freya blinked slowly. Then blinked again. It was as though she’d forgotten all other words and had to search for them, but after a time she finally said, “Yes, Mistress.”

“Now you’re not going to interfere with me again, are you?” She said softly as she continued her steady pumping. 

“Never, Mistress.”

The thrill surged through Maria at seeing the mighty Freya, meekly comply. The Freya, her role model when she’d started out, lay here with her legs spread, obeying Maria’s every command. It was simply too much. Surely, she could take a little time to enjoy this before following her Mistress. “But first, you and I are going to have some fun.”

“Oh yes please, Mistress,” Freya cooed. 

Maria licked her lips. “You look so hot in your little outfit. I can’t wait to peel you out of it.”

“Mistress, are you sure you want to do that? If you do that . . .”

“Are you questioning me?” Maria said with an icy glare. 

“Never, Mistress.” 

Maria helped her friend to her feet. Freya dutifully turned around and presented her back, rows of ribbons wrapping her skin, like a present, and for Maria it was Christmas morning. Maria untied them with tender care, savoring the way the teddy parted a bit more with each loosened knot. She could have sworn that just the touch of the ribbon was sending shivers through her body, but knew that must have just been her anticipation. At last she reached the massive bow above the warrior's shapely ass. Maria couldn’t resist giving it a slap. The taught muscle hardly jiggled at all, but Freya still responded with an adorable whimper. With a flourish, Maria pulled the bow loose and the teddy flopped to the ground, leaving Freya exposed. 

She looked like a sculpture of a Greek goddess, or maybe a Norse goddess. Still every curve was perfectly sculpted and then there was the hair. Maria had hardly seen her friend with her hair down. She looked so feminine, so enchanting. She cupped Freya’s perfect breasts and pulled her back into a warm, tender embrace. Freya responded by gently swaying her hips, rubbing her ass back and forth across Maria’s pelvis. 

“Now I want you to kneel and swear yourself to me,” Maria whispered 

“With pleasure,” Freya whispered back. The Valkyrie sank to her knees, staring up at her new Mistress with utter devotion. “I hereby swear my fealty to you, my Miss. . .” She blinked. “My miss. . . “ she shook her head. Then shook it again. “My, Maria!” Suddenly the ardent devotion behind her eyes turned to exhausted relief. “Maria, you did it!” The Valkyrie surged to her feet and swept her teammate up in a naked bear hug, lifting her into the air and swinging her around the room.

“What did I do?” Maria asked, confused. 

“You’ve broken the spell and set me free.”

“I did?” she stammered. “I mean, yes, of course, I did.” 

“Oh, Maria. I’m so grateful, I could kiss you.” And she did, placing a wet, sloppy kiss on the Latina’s cheek. Freya pulled back, staring deeply into Maria’s eyes. Maria stared back. Freya inched her head closer. Maria did the same. Freya softly parted her lips and leaned in further. Perhaps this situation could be salvaged after all, Maria thought as she slowly closed her eyes. 

Just as their lips were about to touch, Freya’s eyes shot open. “Asuka!” She yelled, dropping Maria and rushing to the speedster’s side. 

Asuka? Something rumbled in Maria’s mind, buried deep below her fantasies of a subservient Freya and a delighted Mistress. Then it burst free, her concern for her desperately-hoped-to-be-girlfriend. “Asuka!” She still loved her Mistress more of course. How could she not? But she loved Asuka too, at least she was pretty sure she did. She hustled over and joined Freya by Asuka’s crumpled form. 

Freya had hoisted the girl into her lap, and was feeling her pulse. “She’s still breathing.” Freya gave her a gentle shake.

Slowly her rich, hazel eyes opened. “Freya? Why are you naked?” She rose to sitting, slowly taking in her surroundings. “Holy, shit. What am I wearing?” Then she saw Maria. “What are YOU wearing?” 

Maria wrapped her arms around her not-officially-girlfriend. “It’s ok, we’ll explain everything. I think Dorian turned you into one of his maids.”

“Pfft,” she snorted, sitting fully up. “Can you imagine me as a maid? That’s ridiculous.” Then she saw the disaster area of a store room, shelves overturned, boxes broken, Kelly passed out in the corner, panties everywhere. “Actually this place is a mess. One sec.” In a burst of wind, the speedster vanished and the room returned to order. The racks stood back up, panties returned to their box. She had even propped Kelly up and put a blanket over her. Where did she even find a blanket? She skidded to a halt between her teammates, self-satisfied smile on her face. “There, that’s better.” 

Maria opened her mouth to say that she thought there may still be some lingering effects, but the opening door caught her off guard. 

Dorian and The Mind Hacker came racing into the room. “What’s going on here?” The Mind Hacker asked, before his face turned pale, seeing Freya without her costume. 

“Maria, one of your holiday customs is the merciless beating of a creature until it spills its candied entrails, correct?” Freya asked. 

“I think you’re talking about a pinata. Yes, my family always did that at Christmas growing up.”

“Perhaps we could practice that custom, next,” The Valkyrie said, rising to her feet and cracking her knuckles.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea,” Asuka added, coming to stand beside her. 

Maria felt torn for a moment. These were her Mistress’s servants after all. Still they might try to get between her and pleasing her Mistress, just as Freya had done. “Yeah, let’s do it.”  The three women stood side by side, and closed on the villains. 

A few minutes later, the two men sat back to back, unconscious, wrapped tight in red ribbons and covered in bruises. 

“I feel much better,” Freya said with a sigh, as she pulled on one of the spare sets of panties from the store’s inventory. 

“Same,” Asuka agreed. 

“Same,” Maria added. “Now we can get back to what’s important, catching up with Mistress and pleasing her.” The room went silent. “What?”

Asuka and Freya exchanged a look. 

“Guys? Guys? I don’t like that look,” Maria said, eyes darting between them. 

Before she could blink, Asuka had cocooned Maria in the red ribbon, binding her so tightly that she couldn’t move a muscle. She tried to protest, but the speedster had also covered her mouth. Then Freya scooped Maria up and hoisted her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. 

“Fear not, Maria, I’m sure Elizabeth or Sam can cure you of this affliction.” 

Maria tried to say that there was nothing to fix, but still couldn’t speak. 

“You know, you’re not so bad,” Asuka said to Freya, offering her fist. 

“I was never bad, simply being controlled the same as you,” Freya answered, returning the fist bump with confusion.

Asuka broke into a fit of laughter, as they headed for the exit. 

“Is something humorous? I have not told a joke.” 

***

Screech

The table’s metal leg made a horrible noise against the concrete floor as Asuka and Maria dragged it into place. The gymnastics equipment and floor mats had all been cleared away in preparation for the dinner. A couple weeks had passed since the notorious girl’s night, and Maria, determined not to let Christmas be ruined, had offered to host a dinner at her studio for all the Guardians. 

“There, that’s the last table. Hosting everyone sounds like such a great idea, until you have to get ready,” Maria said, wiping sweat from her brow. “Now we just have to set the table before everyone comes over.” Maria blinked and the table was set. “Asuka! You didn’t have to do that all by yourself!”

Asuka shrugged. “I wanted to. I feel like I owe you after I got suckered by Dorian so easily.” 

“Don’t beat yourself up about that. We all fell into Euphoria’s trap,” Maria said. Even still she felt relieved to not automatically say Mistress. Luckily Elizabeth had been able to devise a counter serum to Euphoria’s love arrows. She’d even been able to use it on Kelly, though the girl still seemed obsessed with Maria. 

Asuka looked down, clutching one arm to her side. “No, it was still my fault. I was distracted. There’s something we should talk about.”

“Yes, of course, what is it?” Maria asked, perplexed. 

BUZZZ

At that moment the doorbell rang. “Looks like someone’s early,” Maria grumbled. “Wait right here, I’ll go let them in.” She crossed to the door of her gymnastics studio. Even through the glass, she could see the mound of presents beyond. She opened the door to find a cart, loaded down with all manner of sweets, chocolates, and pastries. “Hello?” Maria asked, confused. 

Freya stepped out from behind the gifts. “Hello, Maria.” 

“Freya, you look gorgeous!” The Valkyrie had dressed in a bright red cocktail dress, beneath her winter coat. The low cut gave a generous view of her equally generous cleavage, while a high slit showed off her toned thigh. Not only that, but she had worn her hair down again, and had even done her makeup. The warrior looked so, well, feminine. 

“You truly think so?” she said, blushing.

“Well yes, I have eyes, so I think so,” Maria answered. “And what’s with all the gifts?”

“I felt terrible about striking Asuka and about being tricked. I had to make it up to you both somehow and our pinatas did not produce much candy.”

“You didn’t have to do all this. Please come inside.” Maria directed Freya to wheel her cart of goodies into the kitchen and then wait there while she returned to Asuka. “Ok, sorry about that. What’s up?” 

“I wanted to say sorry.” 

“Asuka, we’ve been over this. You don’t have to apologize. If anything you’ve been keeping your place way cleaner since, so that’s a positive.” 

Asuka rolled her eyes. “No, not about Dorian. About us, or whatever.” 

“Oh.” Maria felt herself flushing this time. “Look, it’s alright. I know I was pressuring you for a commitment and I should have given you space.”

“I don’t want space,” Asuka said, taking a tentative step closer. “I talked to Dorian before everything that happened. I told him I was afraid, afraid that things seemed too perfect, afraid you’d just walk out some day.”

“Auska, I . . .”

“Let me finish,” Asuka cut in with another step closer. “I’m still afraid. I don’t know if I’ll ever truly feel safe or comfortable or like things won’t blow up tomorrow. But that’s not a reason to run away,” the speedster paused, taking a deep breath.

Maria almost spoke, but thought better of it. 

“I finally saw how easily everything could fall apart. Who knows what could happen to you or to me? It made me realize I’d been thinking about things all wrong. All I know is I don’t want to have any regrets, no matter what happens. When we met, I told you to try running towards something instead of away from it, and maybe I haven’t been taking my own advice. So this is me running towards something.” She paused as if trying to summon all the courage she could. “Maria, would you be my girlfriend?” 

A tear welled up in the corner of Maria’s eye. “You really mean that? You know you don’t have to?” 

“I know, I know. Just give me an answer already. You sure know how to keep a girl waiting.”

“Yes!” Maria cried out, as she grabbed Asuka and pulled her close. The speedster melted into her arms. Finally, at long last, Maria kissed her girlfriend, her honest to goodness girlfriend. In spite of everything, she couldn’t imagine a better Christmas.

***

The molding of the doorway cracked under Freya’s grip as she watched Maria and Asuka kiss. With a resigned sigh, she turned away and headed back to the kitchen. It looked as though the dress and the hair were all for naught. Freya knew it had been a long shot. She knew Maria and Asuka were together, but with their hesitance to be official, she’d thought perhaps Maria’s heart had room for Freya too. 

Her Maria. She hadn’t been able to get the image out of her head since that night. She told herself it was just the influence of the cursed lingerie, but kneeling naked before Maria had just felt right. Totally unlike The Mind Hacker’s control, Maria’s command had felt tender, caring even. She longed to experience that again. The Valkyrie had stayed up many a night, imagining her teammate’s breath in her ear, her lips on her skin, her touch on her . . . well, no matter. These were but childish fantasies. 

Moving slowly, she plucked a small card from atop her mountain of gifts. It said “Maria” on the front in the most elegant script Freya could manage. She crumpled the card and threw it in the trash. Now she had lost three times. Sighing once more, she made her way to the bathroom to begin the process of rebraiding her hair. Keeping it down seemed pointless now. 

Oh well, she had been through worse. She had survived the battles of Dorregon, weather the fires of Mt. Helskarg, and endured the blistering cold of Niflheim. She would get over a broken heart too, at least she hoped so. 

***

Meredith Reynolds stumbled through the door of her suburban home, head still spinning from the effect of her own drugged perfume. She closed the door behind her by flopping her weight against it, and then sank to the carpeted floor, rough fibers scratching against her exposed legs. She took long, labored breaths, desperately trying to clear her head with the clean air. As she did, a blend of heady floral aromas swept into her mouth. The scent had come from dozens upon dozens of lit candles in all shapes and sizes. They had the added benefit of bathing the space in a soft amber light. The familiar sights and smells went a long way to calming the former chemist's nerves. Still, she was shaken.

“That girl is a monster,” she mumbled between panting breaths. What had happened to the Twister that she knew? Her rival had always been kind, shy, if anything, a little awkward. The creature who foiled her plans tonight on the other hand was a ruthless, cunning predator. She shivered, just remembering the cold fire behind Maria’s eyes. The way she had held Meredith up, controlling her very breathing. A part of her still wanted to throw herself down and worship that indomitable Mistress, though that was just the perfume talking, it had to be. When she saw that look, she knew she had to run. It was primal, automatic. She knew it the way a rabbit knows to flee from a fox. She’d left her pawns behind and fled, but at least she had escaped. 

 Meredith took a deep breath, trying to absorb peace and calmness from the flickering flames around her. The Supervillain had been a researcher in her former life, developing new scents of candle, when she stumbled across the formula for her now infamous love potions. Even now the synthetic aromas soothed her rattled mind. Already she could start to think again. She felt glad the candles were lit. Wait. . . 

The candles hadn’t been lit when she left. 

Meredith jumped to her unsteady feet, wobbling just slightly despite her heels, and began to take in her surroundings. This could only mean she wasn’t alone. No one had attacked her the moment she entered, which she reckoned would prove fatal for the intruder. She had no clue what moron had chosen to break into her stolen mansion this evening, but whoever they were would make an excellent outlet for her frustration. She stalked quietly through the living room until a faint rustling caught her attention. The blonde whipped around and rushed to find the source of the sound in her dining room.

She expected to see masked burglars rummaging through her drawers, but instead, found an older gentleman seated at her dining table. The man had mischievously twinkling eyes framed by deep, crinkling lines. A mane of silver curls wreathed his wrinkled face. One of her nicest bottles of merlot sat open beside him along with two glasses, one half full and one empty. Then she saw the source of the sound, as the figure's fingers deftly shuffled a deck of cards. The man looked up as she entered with a warm smile. “Ah, welcome home, Meredith. Or would you prefer I call you Euphoria?”

“You’ll be calling me Mistress in a moment,” she snarled, quick-drawing a collapsible crossbow from her garter belt. The compact weapon snapped open, and she leveled it at the intruder.

The man only smiled. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, but then again, I would bet you won’t listen to me.”

“Good bet,” Meredith pulled the trigger and loosed a miniature arrow at the stranger. Even with her head spinning as it was, she couldn’t miss at this distance. The bolt flew straight for his face, before it vanished in a blur of shining metal and red light. A woman had appeared from seemingly nowhere, and caught the bolt in her hand. A metal chassis, etched with joints and screws hugged the figure’s curves. A series of glowing red circuits shone from under her metallic plating and bathed the room in a sinister glow. A visor of red glass wrapped in front of the woman’s very human looking eyes. Those and the shock of frizzy hair were the only signs that this thing was any amount human and not just an android. 

“Thank you, 02. Excellent work as always,” the man said to his companion. 

“Affirmative, Master. The scenario has proceeded within expected parameters,” the metal woman answered flatly. 

“Indeed it has,” he agreed. “Now Meredith, please be sensible. Come have a seat. You look like you could use some wine.”

A strange wave of calm had washed over Meredith the moment she had fired. She should listen to the man. She should do what he said. Perhaps the excitement had pushed the drugs through her system faster, but regardless she felt much calmer and more agreeable than before. Without a word, she approached her own table. It surprised her when the robotic woman pulled out a chair for her, but she didn’t protest. She simply sat down across from the stranger, like it was the most normal thing in the world. 

“You do have a lovely home, if you don’t mind me saying,” the man noted, as the cyborg poured another glass for her. 

“Thank you. A lovely couple lived here until I convinced them to part with it.” Meredith didn’t know why she was explaining that. She just felt oddly at ease all of a sudden. 

The stranger gave a bellowing laugh that caused the candles around him to flicker. “That’s what I like about you, Meredith. You never waste a good opportunity, or at least I hope you don’t.” 

“Not that it’s done me much good,” she said, swirling the wine in its glass and reflecting on yet another bitter defeat.

“Now, now. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You’ve done quite well bootstrapping this whole operation yourself. Imagine what you could do with proper resources at your disposal.”

The whole situation bordered on absurdity to Meredith. She laughed before taking a sip. “And let me guess, you’re just the man to give me those resources?” 

“Where are my manners? I’ve come into your home and made myself comfortable, and I haven’t even introduced myself. The name is Noah Barton.” 

The blonde practically sprayed wine across the table, but managed to contain herself to a choking cough. “You’re Noah Barton? THE Noah Barton, the CEO and founder of Barton Technology is in my house?”

That only seemed to amuse the man further. “So you have heard of me. That will make this easier,” he said, shuffling the deck of cards again, before flicking one across the table towards Meredith.

“But what do you want with me? And what’s the deal with the cards?”

He dealt a card to himself and then sent her another, this one face up; seven of hearts. “I just thought we could play a little game while you consider my offer. I would’ve thought you enjoyed games with the way you play with your food.”

That comment should’ve gotten a rise out of her, but it couldn’t pierce the strange veil of calm that had settled over her mind. “Fine then. I presume we’re playing blackjack.”

“So you do like to play! I think we’re going to get along just fine.” He dealt himself a ten of clubs.

“So what’s this offer? I presume it’s something beyond another card.”

Another chuckle. “How did you put it before? I’m just the man to give you those resources? Well perhaps I am, although the resources in question may not be quite what you’re expecting.”

She studied her face down card, a jack of diamonds. Not a great position, risky to hit, riskier still to stay. “Please, enlighten me on your mysterious ‘resources’”  

“Do you know why you failed today?” 

In truth, the answer to that question was ‘no’. As far as Meredith could tell, everything had gone exactly to plan, and been ruined by some dark side hidden in her nemesis’s mind, but she wasn’t about to say that. “Because I relied on incompetent help.”

“It’s a poor craftsman who blames her tools, you know. No, we all work with what we have. You certainly have no lack of decent servants. Hit or stay?” 

“Please go on about my shortcomings. It’s what every girl loves to hear,” the villain huffed, still feeling annoyed, despite her unusual calm.

“It’s power, plain and simple.”

Euphoria scoffed, “My dear, you are aware of how easily I can bend people to my will.”

“Yes, were it not for that, I wouldn’t be here talking to you right now. But that’s just stealing power from others. I’m talking about something visceral, primal. True power comes from your darkest desires.” At those words, all the candles blinked at once, as if blown by a spectral wind. In the momentary darkness, Noah’s eyes almost seem to glow with the predatory yellow glint. “So what will it be, hit or stay?”

True power? Darkest desires? The villain hadn’t the faintest idea what this man was on about, but she did feel something from him, a cold, twisted hunger that radiated from across the table. Still, she would not be intimidated. “Hit me.” He did so, shooting her another card with practiced ease. Meredith was visibly relaxed when she saw the three of hearts staring up at her. “Well, let’s call it then.”

“Yes, let’s.”

Meredith flipped her card, revealing her total of twenty.

“Not bad, Meredith,” Noah said with another smirk. “But that’s the thing about working on your own. You’ll always come up just short.” He flipped over an ace of spades, revealing an unbeatable hand.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. “Did you stack these cards, just so you could make that point?”

Barton simply shrugged. “Maybe I did, or maybe I’m just lucky. I suppose we’ll never know. I have quite enjoyed playing with you, but I’m afraid I do need a decision. Will you take the gamble and receive the gift that I’m offering, or will you stay put and stick to your same old tricks.”

Euphoria glared down at the splayed cards, as if they were mocking her. She still couldn’t think clearly, but one image refused to leave her mind; the ruthless lust behind Maria’s eyes. Something had happened to her, and if Meredith ever wanted to claim her prize, she would need new power of her own. Making up her mind in a flash, she tossed back the remainder of her wine, and brought the glass to the table hard. “Listen, sweetie. Just because you’re some famous rich guy, doesn’t mean that I trust you or that I’ll do as you say. But if you’re offering power, I’ll take it.”

Noah’s smile grew into a wolfish grin. “I knew you would make the right choice. Looks like I’m in luck again.” With that, his gaze turned down to the shadow of the dining table. “Would you take us back to headquarters? We have work to do.”

“I’m not your personal chauffeur service,” a voice answered, seemingly coming from the shadow itself. Barton did not respond and simply continued to stare. “Fine,” the voice said tersely. The shadows in the room began to stretch towards the light before they spread, falling over the floor, like a blanket of oblivion. The darkness swallowed everything as if the candles’ pinprick light meant nothing to it.

Meredith started as her chair lurched into the shadows, and then began to sink into the abyss. Her feet felt cold as they dipped into the void. “What the hell?”

“You’ll get used to it,” Noah reassured her.

She went to speak, trying to ask him to at least put out the candles first. Before she could respond, the darkness swallowed her completely, chair and tables at all, and she fell into the black. Then the shadows returned to normal, leaving the dining room just as it was, sans occupants and furniture, with rows and rows of small candle lights flickering in the dark.