The first week I spent as Hypnoman’s puppet superheroine, I was in Chinatown looking for a big fish that I knew would please my master. There was someone I had my eye on even before I became a Sleepwalker, but I’m not planning on handing her over to the police. Not anymore at least.

Shao Zhenya was an enforcer working for a triad based in Nanjing. The group she’s part of isn’t just some street gang, they rake in tens of billions every year from the drug trade, weapons sales and gambling. Zehnya was who they send when they want to make sure an operation goes off without a hitch. Rumor has it that she was ex PLA special forces before deciding she wanted to go freelance. She’s a real wild child. When she’s not using a rifle, she’s capable of breaking bones with her hands and feet. She was barely older than me, but had a body count to take seriously.

She might even be a challenge for me if I ain’t careful. The Sleepwalkers with connections to the police gave me all the information they could about her hangouts in the area but I’d be going in alone. I couldn’t be seen with the Hypno Harpy or Somno Siren.

I still needed to keep up the illusion that I was a hero. I stopped muggings, robberies, even a hostage situation or two. I always had a smile on my face but it wasn’t because I was helping make the city safer. It was because the people who bent over backwards to thank me had no idea it was all an act. I didn’t help them because I cared about them, I did so I could fly under the radar. Hypnoman, genius that he is, wanted people to think that Miss Might was acting on her own. The idea of duping so many people made me almost giddy.

I followed a truck heading for a garage in the northern part of the district and grinned when I saw men with guns waiting for them to show up. I smiled when I saw Shao near a few of them, tapping her foot on the ground. She looked like she’d throw a fit if the drop off wasn’t quick enough. The building they were hanging around was made out of brick, so I decided to move around the side to punch the wall down. Some of the guards were still shaken by me coming in, so I was able to knock them both out before breaking their guns. Shao seemed to recover a bit quicker and started shooting an uzi at me. I lobbed a tool box at one of her guards and threw the other one into a wall before turning to Shao.

“Whadduya want, bitch?” She spoke English well enough, but she still had a pretty noticeable accent.

“I want you.” I said, smiling. “We’re gonna be spending the night together, Shao.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“What, you wanna wine me, dine me, and fuck me? Do you usually do that with criminals? Cause you’re not my type, plus I’m on top no matter what.”

She started shooting at me again. I had to serpentine to avoid the bullets as I closed the distance, getting the hypnotic projector out of my belt. I couldn’t see any video cameras in the room so I had a free hand to proceed. I took the uzi out of her grip and put her in an arm bar as I turned on the projector. She stiffened.

“Wh-what are yo-”

“Shhh, just watch.”

I blasted her square in the face with the light from the projector and while she still struggled a bit, the fight was draining out of her.

“You love bein’ an attack dog, Shao, and that’s fine. But I think you’ll love having a supervillain hold your leash instead of some dime-a-dozen mobster. Doesn’t that sound wonderful?”

She nodded slowly.

“Yes…wonderful.” I ran my fingers through her hair.

“Good, now listen closely. You serve Hypnoman now. You are a Sleepwalker, a woman whose mind is utterly in his grip. You live to do his bidding, you are both his attack dog and his lap dog.”

“Attack dog…and lap dog.” She began to smile.

“Just like me.”

“Just…like…you.” I laughed.

“That’s right, sugah. Now come with me. Your new master awaits.”