“How about you and me have some fun for a little while, right here? Just the two of us?”

It was all Trinity could do to stop herself delivering the hyena-like villain laugh she had sometimes practiced in front of a mirror. She couldn’t believe her luck. The captured supervillain had been wracking her brains to come up with some kind of escape plan, and here, one had just fallen into her lap - all thanks to the miraculously foolish horniness of one woman.

Trinity never would have guessed that salvation would have come to her in a bathroom cubicle in a dyke bar, or that the angel of her deliverance would have been Daisy, a tall blonde with wandering hands and a lecherous stare. Or perhaps she had. She’d always hoped that if she met an angel, they’d have high, handsome cheekbones and great tits. After a few moments, she made herself stop staring at them. This still wasn’t a plan. Not yet. Just an opportunity. And she had minutes at the most to make use of it.

As Daisy advanced on her, hips swinging, smile dancing, Trinity wracked her brains harder than ever before. What was she actually going to do? How was she going to use Daisy? It wasn’t like two on one would make it any fairer of a fight. Not given Radiance’s strength. She’d have to be a distraction, then. But how? However begrudgingly, Trinity had to give Radiance some credit. If something was obviously wrong, especially if it was distracting, she was sure to pick up on it right away. She couldn’t doubt the superhero’s instincts. It would have to be a distraction that didn’t look like a distraction. A distraction that didn’t look like it had anything to do with her at all.

Within seconds, Trinity seized on an idea. It sounded crazy. It was crazy. But the more she turned it over in her head, the more she started to grin like a wildcat. It was exactly her kind of crazy. And it just might work.

Grinning at Daisy, Trinity lifted her hand and let mind-warping purple sparks fly between her fingertips. God, it felt good to see that again. She had almost been scared to try, after feeling powerless for so long. But now that she could see and feel them once more, all her old, swaggering confidence was flooding back. Yeah. Oh yeah. She could do this. 

“Sounds good to me,” Trinity said, her voice as even as she could manage.

Her grin only grew wider when she saw an uncertain look pass over Daisy’s face.

“What’s that?” the tall femme asked. “Are you, like, some kind of-”

She trailed off into utter incoherence as Trinity pressed her fingertips to the poor girl’s temple and hit her with it, full blast.

“Shut up,” Trinity told her, quietly but firmly. “No more talking.”

Instantly, Daisy was silent. She nodded; an odd twitching motion. This time,  Trinity’s mind-controlling shimmer poured into her system, there was nothing slow or gradual about how her eyes turned purple. They flared bright all at once, the edges of her irises threatening to bleed out with bright violet as the woman was emptied of everything but the compulsion to obey. Trinity grimaced at the sight. Not her finest work. In all likelihood, Daisy would be seeing stars for weeks. But there was no helping it. Trinity didn’t have the time to be subtle.

Her power wasn’t like Radiance’s. Mind control came in all shapes and sizes. Trinity had made herself something of an expert on it, naturally. Radiance’s seemed to be all about rules. Giving people a command, and making sure that no matter what they wanted, they couldn’t disobey. Trinity’s power was, she liked to think, a little more subtle. She worked her way into people’s heads, rewiring their beliefs and desires, until doing whatever she wanted felt perfectly natural. There was always a certain amount of push and pull to it, as they struggled to integrate the new pieces Trinity added to their personality. It worked best with simple things, or if she had the time and the patience to slowly pull their mental house of cards apart and gradually fit everything back together around whatever she was inserting. It was far from an exact or perfect science.

But if she was desperate, instead of that, Trinity could form her power into a sledgehammer and simply ram something into someone’s head so deep and so hard they couldn’t do or think or feel anything except what she made them.

“Daisy,” Trinity began, and she immediately commanded the woman’s full attention despite the vicious, mind-warping sparks coursing through her body and mind. “You’re a dominant, right? A top. You like control. You like to be the one in charge.”

Daisy nodded again, this time with frantic eagerness. Trinity was telling something she already knew, something she wanted to hear, and along with Trinity’s shimmer, that left her bubbling with euphoria. That euphoria soon crashed back on itself like a wave, reinforcing everything, and soon Daisy was shaking and simmering with dominant urges. That was good. But Trinity was only just beginning.

“Yeah.” Trinity pushed Daisy up against the wall of the cubicle. She was far too deep to resist, or even to notice. “You’re hot shit, Daisy. You love being dominant. And everyone else loves it too. You make people feel so good. They crave it. They need it.”

The tall femme’s enchanted, purple eyes went wide with awe at her own swelling pride and magnificence. Trinity could easily imagine what was going through her head. The rawness of true self-esteem and ego was as intoxicating as any drug, and almost no-one ever had the opportunity to experience an utterly pure taste. There were always itching doubts, and buried insecurities. But Trinity’s shimmer could smother all of those like they were nothing, especially when she was forcing such a heavy dose of it into Daisy’s head all at once.

“Yeah, good, that’s it,” Trinity encouraged, at the look of dawning, awestruck comprehension in her victim’s eyes. “This is who you are. A domme. You’re powerful. Commanding. You’re in control. Always. That’s what matters. That’s all that matters.”

Daisy was nodding, nodding, nodding like a metronome. But it wasn’t an empty or automatic gesture. Trinity could sense her full, devoted agreement to each word the supervillain poured into her mind. Every poisoned, potent line that Trinity fed her was pounded deep into Daisy’s consciousness and subconscious. She was picking apart the threads of Daisy’s identity, seizing the one she wanted and magnifying it, while letting all the rest fade. Daisy was helpless against it. No-one - almost no-one - could resist her. Not once she really tried. Trinity had never been so blunt and forceful before. She’d never needed to. She felt like she was creating a monster, but maybe that was exactly what she needed.

“You understand, don’t you?” Trinity kept it all flowing, words and shimmer both. She didn’t want to give Daisy a single moment to catch her balance. She wanted the woman to tumble helplessly into her brainwashing. “You’re the best. The strongest. You’re always in charge. Who’s more dominant than you?”

“N-n-no-one,” Daisy panted. She sounded drunk, but her voice was overflowing with conviction. “Me. Me. I’m the- ah!”

She interrupted herself with a ragged moan as Trinity pressed her hand under the hem of Daisy’s dress, running her fingertips against the tall woman’s panties. They were already soaked. Thoughts of dominance had Daisy painfully aroused. That was good. In Trinity’s experience, nothing was as potent as pleasure for reinforcing new ideas.

But that wasn’t all. Trinity was turned on too. After all that Radiance had put her through, it felt so good, so gratifying to have power again. She needed to feel it. To revel in it, even if it was just for a few minutes. It was like a drug for her, one she’d been without for far too long. She wanted to see Daisy with that blissful, mind-fucked expression on her face, the one Trinity so loved giving people. She wanted to feel this powerful, confident dominant shuddering and slumping and clinging to Trinity for dear life as her mind re-wrote itself according to the supervillain’s desires. It was the ultimate pleasure. The ultimate trip. The ultimate-

“Hey! Sh- Trinity!” came an all-too-familiar voice, followed by a hard, rude knock at the bathroom door. “You better be out soon! I’m waiting. Don’t make me come in and get you.”

The reminder of her unfortunate circumstances brought Trinity, unfortunately, back down to reality. She didn’t have time to indulge. The mere sound of Radiance’s voice had the villain grinding her teeth. It did, at least, provide an ideal illustration. She jerked her head meaningfully towards the door.

“Hear her?” Trinity said to Daisy. “She’s a top too, isn’t she? A dominant.”

Daisy just nodded. She was too overwhelmed to speak unless Trinity made her.

“But,” Trinity continued, hand still at Daisy’s pussy. “Not like you. Right?”

“N-no!” Daisy moaned passionately, when she realized Trinity wanted an answer from her. Her eyes were almost nothing but purple now, and sparks danced under her skin. “I’m… the… b-best! Stronger… more d-dominant.”

“Good! Good.” Trinity nodded, and rewarded her victim by pulling her panties aside to rub her fingertips against the bare lips of her cunt. “But you need to prove it, don’t you? Everyone should know. Everyone should see. They have to see that you’re in control. Not her. Not Rad- I mean, Vi. You.”

Daisy was still nodding, and her eyes were wider than ever before. The look in them was different now, though. Through all the shimmering violet, Trinity could see something new. It was an absence, a need. Suddenly, the perfect, self-satisfied ego Trinity had given her was under threat of being undermined. She had something to prove. Something she needed to prove. It was already gnawing at her and eating her alive. Just like Trinity wanted.

“Do you know how to prove it?” Trinity let the question hang in the air, as Daisy twitched.

“H-how?” Daisy begged, and Trinity could see how much it chafed at her to beg, but she needed the answer even more than she needed her pride. “Tell m-me! How. How, how, how?”

“It’s easy,” Trinity assured her. She was starting to tire from the torrent of power she was pouring into Daisy’s mind. But she couldn’t stop. Not until it was through. “Especially for you. All you have to do is dominate her. Dominate Vi.”

Daisy went still for a moment as she contemplated the task Trinity had put before her. It wasn’t hard to see why. Radiance was indomitable. In combat, she seemed like a force of nature, and Trinity didn’t doubt that she was any different when she was cruising at dyke bars. But that was why Trinity was taking such pains to make sure Daisy was absolutely fearless and determined.

“You can do it,” Trinity told her firmly. “You can do it. You can seduce her. You can make her yours. Nothing will feel as good as that. Nothing, not ever. You crave it. You have to prove you’re better than her. You’ve seen her around. You know how she acts. How she flirts. How she fucks. You can use that. You can dominate her, Daisy.”

Daisy started nodding again, at first slowly, but then faster and faster. Trinity smiled.

“You’re so fucking turned on just thinking about it, Daisy,” Trinity whispered. “Nothing gets you hotter. Picture her on her knees before you. Don’t you want that? I know you do. It’s yours. You just have to take it. Show me, Daisy. Show everyone what you can do.”

That was it, Trinity decided. Just a few more little suggestions, and her weapon was ready.

“That’s it!” Radiance cried out furiously from outside. “You’re going to regret whatever stupid prank you think you’re trying to-”

The superhero broke off when the bathroom door opened, and Trinity was standing right there. The villain made a big show of rolling her eyes and wearily offering herself for Radiance to cuff, hoping the sheen of arousal didn’t show too clearly on her forehead.

“Jeez,” Trinity complained. “Can’t a girl get two minutes to freshen up?”

Radiance said nothing, but her displeasure was plain to read on her face. She surreptitiously summoned her golden chain out of the air again, and deftly fastened it back just as it had been, around Trinity’s neck and under her clothes.

“Same rules as before,” Radiance told her sternly. “I know you know them. Don’t try anything.”

Trinity nodded and let Radiance lead her back out into the bar, and waited for her weapon to appear.

Casey and Ruby were both still waiting for them at the bar, chatting to each other and looking bored. Once Trinity and Radiance returned, though, they brightened up considerably.

“Took you look enough!” Ruby exclaimed, smirking and leaning back on her bar stool. “What’s with the hold-up? You two getting busy without us?”

“Hardly,” Radiance replied coolly. “Don’t worry. She’s still fresh, and all yours.”

“Perfect,” Casey purred, taking Trinity by the arm and guiding her over.

Trinity felt suddenly timid, despite herself. After the dizzying, dominant headrush she’d just been blessed with, being under Radiance’s control once more was like the worst kind of ice-cold shower. She was keenly aware of her own powerlessness. All the tiresome rules Radiance had given her were lurking around in the corners of her brain, waiting to bite the moment she threatened to step out of line. Trinity hated it, and she hated the way it made her feel, all on-edge and hypersensitive. She was determined not to let Radiance’s sick brainwashing sink into her an inch deeper than she had to. Trinity had given Daisy a few last-minute instructions before leaving the bathroom, just so nothing seemed so suspicious. She hoped it wouldn’t be too long before her ace-in-the-hole dropped in.

“So, you’re all ready for us to have some fun.” Ruby pressed herself up to Trinity, fingertips already toying with the hem of the villain’s shirt. “That’s what I’m hearing, right?”

Bound by the obligation to ‘follow Radiance’s lead’, Trinity made herself give a small nod.  Casey and Ruby both laughed at her shy, silent, nervous demeanor.

“God, she’s like a deer in headlights,” Ruby commented. “Yeah, Vi, I bet you had fun with this one. She probably never knew what hit her.”

That was kind of the understatement of the century, all things considered.

“For a minute, I figured you two were waiting for us to follow you out back,” Casey said. The black woman was already getting just as handsy as Ruby, her deep eyes, ringed by makeup that made them seem all the bigger and deeper, were shining with amusement. “I’m glad you weren’t. More fun out here, where we can get a nice audience going.”

Trinity threw a quick glance around the dyke bar. It had gathered a few more patrons in the time she’d been in the bathroom. The place was still far from crowded, but it was obvious that the spectacle of some public action was going to attract more than a few eyes. Now, though, Trinity could hope that she wouldn’t be at the center of it.

“We weren’t waiting,” Radiance told her. Now that they were back on schedule, all her irritation and fury was once again submerged under ice-cool calm. “Like I told you, this one enjoys being watched. She loves the attention.”

There was nothing Trinity could say to that, so she just nodded again.

“Then let’s get going already,” Ruby said impatiently, leaning in to kiss Trinity’s neck. “Daisy wants to let us ‘warm her up’? Fine, she can miss out on some of the action.”

“Oh, I hardly think I’m missing out.”

All heads turned as Daisy made her entrance. Trinity took advantage of the moment to allow herself a smile. Daisy looked perfect. She hadn’t been wanting for confidence before, but now, it shone from her like the sun. There was a particular strut in her step that hadn’t been there until her visit to the bathroom, and everyone could sense it. She was turning heads as she moved through the bar, treating it like it was her own personal catwalk. Even Ruby and Casey looked impressed. Trinity couldn’t tell with Radiance, but the fact the hero was staring seemed like a good sign. 

“You waited for me after all?” Daisy ran a hand through her hair as she reached the group. “How kind. You shouldn’t have. Really, you shouldn’t have. But if you’d like, I’d be more than happy to show you how it’s done.”

That absurd level of conceit should have grating, or perhaps simply laughable. It wasn’t. No-one was laughing at Daisy, just staring at her, captivated. As prideful as her words were, they didn’t feel like bragging. They felt like statements of fact. There was a kind of utter, self-assured serenity to Daisy’s demeanor, and it was impossible not to get swept up in it. Trinity knew exactly what was running through the tall woman’s head. The certain knowledge that she was the best, the strongest, the most dominant. The knowledge that she was in control.

“Well, uh…” Ruby glanced at Casey briefly, as if trying to judge from her whether this was a joke, and whether she should be laughing. “Hey, you’re more than welcome to take first crack at Trinity, if you want.”

“At her?”

Daisy looked straight at Trinity, and for a moment, the supervillain thought everything was going to fall apart. Daisy’s veil of self-assurance slipped, and she went very still as an odd look of recognition and remembrance passed over her face. Trinity balled her hands into fists and prayed. She had made sure to erase Daisy’s memory, naturally, but her mind control wasn’t a perfect science. It left traces, and the brief, intense encounter they’d shared in the bathroom was difficult to forget. Daisy blinked like someone just waking up, and Trinity could have sworn she could see a thin but distinct shimmering, purple ring around her pupils.

But then, the moment passed like it had never been.

Daisy sniffed, and waved a dismissive hand. “Thanks, but no thanks. Where’s the fun in that? Oh, she’s cute and all. But I don’t need to take leftovers. Casey, Ruby, why don’t you show her a good time? We have better things to do.”

“We?” Radiance was looking bemused by Daisy’s theatricality.

“You know,” Daisy replied playfully, looking up at Radiance and grinning like that was exactly what she’d been waiting for. “You and me, Vi.”

Radiance raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure I see what you mean, Daisy.”

“Come on,” Daisy purred, drawing closer to the superhero. “What exactly were you going to do while the three of us were ravishing your little pet here? We both know sitting back and watching isn’t your style. I wouldn’t want you to get lonely, sitting on the sidelines all by yourself.”

“There’s a first time for everything,” Radiance retorted, cool and calm as ever. “And I don’t need anyone to hold my hand.”

Daisy rested an elbow on the bar next to Radiance, leaning in close to her. Ruby and Casey had both fallen silent and were just watching, astonished. Everyone could sense what was going on. There was an energy in the air, like the two women were a pair of rival fencers stepping up to a duel. Shackled to Radiance, Trinity was mere inches away from each of them, and she could practically feel the heat coming off them.

“Of course not,” Daisy’s voice was low, sultry and flattering. “I know that better than anyone, believe me. I can’t remember a single night you’ve been here that you haven’t taken home a new piece of tail. Which makes me wonder… losing your taste for it, Vi?”

Radiance offered a thin smile, and laughed ruefully. “Daisy, what the hell are you talking about?”

“There’s no need to be shy about it.” Daisy made her voice soft, almost intimate, except that she was still managing to project it across the bar. A perfect stage whisper. “Everyone gets curious, right? Even you, for all your big, bad, tough-girl reputation. Ever thought about trying it out? Taking a dive on the other side of the slash?”

“No.”

Daisy brought her lips to within inches of Radiance’s ear. “Liar.”

That certainly got the domineering superhero’s hackles raised. She glanced sharply at Trinity, as if weighing something up. Trinity did her best to look timid and defeated. With Ruby and Casey flanking her on either side, it seemed to work. Radiance turned her attention back to Daisy, and Trinity could sense her stoking a furnace within her. She still looked calm enough, but she was wrapping the chain binding Trinity to her around her wrist to free both of her hands.

Perfect.

“Everyone gets curious, huh?” It was strange to hear Radiance sounding so like her superhero self, after watching her masquerade as a normal person for an evening. “Everyone. How would you know about that?”

Daisy shrugged, an easy, confident smirk on her face. “Experience. Never met someone I couldn’t get curious, with a little trying.”

“That includes you, then.” Radiance’s hands flexed.

“No,” Daisy corrected. “Not me.”

Radiance laughed a little. “Really. And what makes you so different?”

“Who knows?” Daisy shrugged again, and smiled wide enough to show teeth. “But, hey, someone’s gotta be the best, right?”

The way Radiance was resting against the bar still made her seem nonchalant, but after how many times they had crossed paths, Trinity had a sense of when something was pissing Radiance off. “And that’s you?”

“Yes.” Daisy’s eyes were unnaturally wide, and blazing with self-assurance.

Again, if anyone else had said it, it would have sounded obnoxious and ridiculous. But Daisy, in her current state of mind, carried it off effortlessly. She made it feel true. Everyone could tell, although it was certainly hitting Trinity differently from the others. To Trinity, it was a weird little power trip by association. Daisy looked magnificent, but only because Trinity had made her that way. She was a magnificent tool, sitting in the palm of the supervillain’s hand. She could get used to playing puppet mistress like that.

The only person who seemed entirely unmoved was Radiance, naturally. The superhero just sniffed.

“No,” Radiance scoffed. “It really isn’t.”

Even she, though, couldn’t remain completely impassive when Daisy surged forward and kissed her.

It was a hungry, passionate kiss, full of fire and need. Daisy looked like she was trying to devour Radiance, forcing her tongue into the superhero’s mouth to try and invade her as deeply as possible at the same time. Even with her superhuman reflexes, Radiance ended up faltering, pulling away awkwardly in instinctive surprise before stopping herself and trying to catch her balance. She ended up yielding far more than she had intended; clearly, Radiance hadn’t been expecting Daisy to be quite so insanely bold. Daisy, by contrast, looked energized by her own forwardness, snaking a hand around Radiance’s body to trap her against the bar.

“You see?” Daisy whispered teasingly as she broke the kiss, drawing back slowly and biting Radiance’s lip a little as she did. “The best.”

“D-Daisy… what are you doing?” Radiance faltered. She actually faltered. Trinity could hear it in her voice, and see it in the way her eyes were darting back and forth, confused. Trinity delighted in it. So this was what the great superheroine Radiance was like when things didn’t go according to her perfect little plan. When she encountered something she couldn’t control.

“What’s the matter?” Daisy, by contrast, looked - ironically enough - radiant as she teased Radiance, her success only confirming all the ideas Trinity had already put in her head. “Don’t worry, babygirl. It won’t hurt. You’ll love it.”

“What the fuck…” Radiance kept turning to glance sharply at Trinity, gears turning her head as she tried - and failed - to figure out if this was, somehow, her captive’s fault. Daisy seized on each lapse in attention, using it as an opportunity to draw closer and further envelop Radiance. Radiance simply didn’t have time to think.

When Daisy kissed her again, Radiance was a little more ready for it. But only a little, only enough to pull back before Daisy could slip her tongue past the hero’s lips. Daisy merely giggled.

“What are you afraid of, Vi?” she taunted. “Afraid you might like it? Afraid your tough-girl reputation might take a bit of a dive? How cute. I promise I’ll make it worth it for you. Let me take the lead, and you won’t be afraid of a thing.”

Maybe that was the wrong thing to say, or maybe Radiance had simply reached her limit. Either way, though, it seemed to awaken something in her.

“I’m not afraid of anything!” Radiance hissed. “Go fuck yourself, Daisy.”

And then Radiance kissed her back, every bit as passionately.

The kiss truly was a duel. Both of them were fighting to set the pace and stay in control, and both of them were fighting to make the other yield to them. Radiance slipped her arms around Daisy’s waist, using them to pull her rival into a tight embrace. Daisy was clearly just as eager for it, pressing back against Radiance fervently. They kissed until they ran out of air, and both of them were panting as they drew back. Radiance still looked a touch confused and uncertain, but it was clear that her pride wasn’t going to let her take this lying down. Daisy, meanwhile, didn’t seem at all discouraged by Radiance’s sudden fire. Quite the opposite. This was the fight she’d expected. The fight she’d wanted. The fight she intended to win. Nothing could be more energizing.

And though it all, the chain around Radiance’s wrist grew looser.

Trinity shouldn’t have been watching her captor. She shouldn’t have been paying such close attention to the micro-expressions passing over their faces, or hanging on every honeyed word that dripped from Daisy’s lips. None of that mattered. All that really mattered was the golden chain around Trinity’s neck. All she had to do was wait for Radiance’s attention to slip far enough, and she could slip away before the hero even noticed. It would be easy. A few gentle tugs, and the chain was sure to unravel from Radiance’s wrist. All she had to do was wait for the perfect moment. But instead, she was glued to the spot, a single question running through her head.

What if Radiance actually lost?

It was almost unthinkable. That hadn’t been part of the plan. Not really. Daisy was only ever meant to have been a temporary distraction. But now? Now, Trinity had seen Radiance pant and pull back, and had heard her voice turn higher-pitched, just a touch.

Maybe the heroine wasn’t so invincible after all.

And if that was true? Trinity had to see it. She just had to. It was like hearing that an eclipse was happening, and that you were right there in its eye. You couldn’t not go outside and look up, and watch the sun disappear.

“You know,” Radiance panted, after she had caught a little of her breath. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”

“To kiss me?” Daisy was grinning maniacally. “Dreaming of my lips, babygirl?”

Radiance laughed. “I’m not your babygirl. And no. I’ve been thinking about putting your cocky ass in its place.”

“That so?” Daisy licked her lips. “Cause, it feels like I’ve got your ass exactly where I want it.”

Illustrating her point, Daisy shoved Radiance back up against the bar again, and surged forward for another kiss. Radiance made as if to meet her - only to end up throwing her head back in shock as, instead, Daisy snuck a hand up Radiance’s top and started groping her perky, shapely tits.

Trinity’s eyes were bulging halfway out of her skull. She wished she had popcorn.

Daisy’s assault didn’t stop there. Instead of putting her lips to Radiance’s, she instead moved them to her rival’s neck, kissing and biting her there. The furious, strained, animalistic noises that leapt from Radiance’s throat made it clear she had caught the hero off-guard again, and maybe, just maybe, touched on a weakness.

“See, lover?” Daisy teased. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”

“Not…” Radiance grunted. She seemed unsure what to say. Trinity wondered if she was aware of the fact that, by now, the whole bar was watching. “God! Fuck off.”

“Make me,” Daisy replied, in a sing-song voice, and kept kissing her.

Trinity kept leaning forward further and further as Radiance squirmed - actually squirmed! - and panted. She couldn’t believe this. Fuck, no-one would believe this if she told them. Unless… unless she showed, them, instead. What if she didn’t run? What if she got Radiance’s hateful collar off, and then used her shimmer to flip the script a little? Sure, it had never worked before, but she had never seen Radiance in such a state before. Maybe Daisy was her skeleton key into Radiance’s head. The mere possibility had her rubbing her thighs together with glee. It seemed like more than a possibility, too. It seemed close. It seemed real.

“C’mon, babygirl.” Daisy’s tone was growing ever-more triumphal, and she was practically twitching with the thrill. “I know you want it. Why not just give in already? You better not wait too long. Or else, maybe I’ll have to show your cute little pet here a good time after all. As a warm up, you know?”

“No.”

That was it. That was all Radiance needed to say. She sounded like a different woman, full of iron and backbone. There was so much unbreakable sternness packed into that one word that even Daisy had to pause.

And that one little pause was the end of her.

Flexing her superhuman strength, Radiance hefted Daisy in her hands and spun her around, setting her down on the bar. Daisy made a little squealing noise; clearly, she hadn’t been ready for this at all. Before she could say or do anything at all, Radiance’s hand was slipping between her legs and up under her dress, finding her just as wet as she had been for Trinity earlier.

“Listen,” Radiance said calmly, as Daisy dissolved into weak, twitching moans under her skilled fingertips. “Daisy, I don’t know why you felt like pulling this kind of crazy stunt. But it’s not going to work. Not on me. Not tonight. I have more important things to deal with. So, if you apologize like a good girl, I’ll let you pretend this was all some big joke and we can both walk away with our dignity intact. How’s that sound?”

Trinity caught glimpses of some of the other dyke bar patrons fanning themselves, impressed. She couldn’t blame them. Radiance’s raw power and dominance was magnetic. Trinity couldn’t look away any more than anyone else could.

It was clear to everyone that the little contest going on between Radiance and Daisy was over. Radiance had ended it. Daisy, though, seemed to have trouble accepting that. “N-no,” she whimpered, clearly distressed. “I’m in control!”

Radiance scoffed. “No, you’re not.”

“I am!” Daisy wailed. “I’m the b-best!”

Radiance’s hand went still, and the expression on her face started to turn concerned. “What are you talking about, Daisy? Are you OK?”

“Stronger!” Daisy pleaded, breaking down to the point of incoherence. “Stronger than a-anyone!”

Trinity felt bad. That was a rare thing, but when it hit, it hit. She’d been rough on Daisy, and now, all those ideas she’d hammered home into her psyche were unraveling. It was like being told your parents weren’t really your parents, or that the sky looked purple to everyone else. It was destabilizing. Trinity started backing away. She would just have to hope her shackle was loose enough.

“The fuck…” Radiance drew closer to Daisy, and everyone else looked away, embarrassed. Everyone except Trinity. “Daisy, did you take something?”

Daisy couldn’t reply.

“It’s… this is… wait.” A look of dawning comprehension was growing on Radiance’s face, and it was making Trinity’s heart sink. All too late, she started to back away, Radiance’s golden chain unraveling from around the hero’s list. “Someone… someone did something to you, didn’t they? Someone like…”

Trinity ran.

And immediately, the chain snapped taut around her neck.

The force of it jerked Trinity backwards, sending her crashing to the ground. She didn’t try to get up. There was no point. She was mad at Radiance and mad at the pain, but mostly, she was mad at herself. She should have tried to slip away earlier, when Radiance and Daisy were still exchanging saliva. But no! She had to stick around, just so she could rub it in the big shot hero’s face. Great going, Shimmer.

A few seconds later, as Trinity contemplated her misery, Radiance appeared, standing over her, a very, very nasty expression on her face.

“You’re really, really going to regret that.”