Chapter 1: Bonfyre Bound

“I think you could say they’ve been… burned out!” Bonfyre brushed her hands together, smirking as she looked at the large pile of charred, twisted, metal remains. Only moments ago they’d been far more cohesive, not merely scrap but automata. Whatever their original purpose had been, before Bonfyre had arrived they’d been attacking a worker-owned co-op.

After recent movements in the city she’d been relatively certain something similar would be happening sooner or later. It turned out to be sooner than later, but she’d still been in time to stop things from going according to plan.

She couldn’t be everywhere, but she had a good track record for being in the right place often enough for it to count.

As Bonfyre basked in the sight of her victory, her short blue hair jutted proudly from the top of her skintight white-and-black costume that covered all but the space between her chin to right below her eyes. It emphasized her athletic build, and her average curves while hiding away most signs of her true identity.

In addition to the bodysuit, the heroine wore a pair of solid boots with a chunky back heel more associated with hiking than fashion, and matching leather gloves. Everything about the experienced heroine from the curve of her smirk to her stance projected confidence and strength.

One wouldn’t need to see the pile of crispy robotics to know she was capable.

“You two did good back there, girls! Never had a doubt, but you’re always rising to the occasion. You should be proud of yourselves.” Her smirk faded into a warm smile as she turned away from the junk pile to the two women standing a short distance behind her. “Without your support? That could have easily gotten out of hand. Thank you for being here! I’m sure that I’m not the only one thankful I had backup.”

Both of the younger women let out loud, excited cheers. They were dressed in outfits that matched Bonfyre’s, but the white and black on their uniforms were reversed. While their uniforms gave them the same imposing look as Bonfyre, their excitement gave away that the older heroine was their mentor instead of any more even footing.

The shorter of the two, a twenty-something woman with orange-red hair worn in loose ringlets and voluptuous curves, scoffed as she brushed off her hands in a gesture clearly mimicking Bonfyre. “Really though… You and Tinder did most of the hard work.”

“Flint?” Tinder was much taller than either Flint, or their mentor. She stood out between the two both for her height, and her Asian heritage where her allies were white. Her build was slight without being what anyone would call ‘lanky’ when slender fit so much better, and behind her back her long brown hair hung in a loose braid. “You shouldn’t fish for compliments like that. You did a good job. We all did. If it’d only been me and Bonfyre then there’s no way we could have stopped them all before they caused some real damage. Don’t make a big deal about it.”

Her only reply was a playful shrug that made her ringlets bounce adorably.

Bonfyre shook her head as she rested a hand on each of her protégé’s shoulders. “Tinder is right. Nobody appreciates false humility! But the only way to get over a problem like this is practice, and in order to work on this… failing…?” Grinning deeper, Bonfyre nudged their shoulders until her protégés were facing back towards the large crowd of gathered workers. “The two of you can help them take care of the mess, and accept their thanks for a job well done.”

“Twist my arm why don’t you…” Flint shrugged, reaching up to squeeze Bonfyre’s hand. “Taking an early night?”

“I’m not a kid anymore, and it’s not exactly early.” While hardly into the early hours of the night, or the following morning, there was only the faintest of light from the moon and streetlamps shining in through the windows. “Some of us have work in the morning. It can be tough to focus on classes first thing without much rest, but it’s even harder when you’re expected to be the one actively doing things.”

As if suddenly remembering something, the older heroine paused. It was only for a moment, but the effect was still striking, catching the complete attention of both Flint and Tinder when she spoke again.

“Come to think of it? Both of you should make sure you take care of this quickly so you can get home soon.” Bonfyre pulled her hands back after giving both of their shoulders a final, soft squeeze. “Neither of you should be staying up too late. I start work before either of you start classes, but you do still need to make sure you’re well rested. I’ll know if you aren’t!”

“You bet, mom.” Tinder feigned a melodramatic sigh as she waved towards the approaching workers. “And I thought having one overbearing mother was bad enough.”

Quietly laughing, Bonfyre began to back away as she slowly shook her head. “You didn’t seem to mind so much when this overbearing mother helped you learn how to make sense of your powers, but maybe I’m remembering poorly! Be good you two… I’ll see you soon!” With a wave of her hand, the blue-haired heroine moved towards a nearby door and escaped out into the night. Hearing her protégés’ voices behind her as she moved away drew a larger, and prouder grin across Bonfyre’s face.

Around her the night was cold, but it was nowhere near cold enough to make Bonfyre come close to shivering. Blue flame surrounded her as she ran quickly through the city. None of it spread to anything surrounding her, but it did grant her a superhuman speed in addition to protecting her from the elements.

She was paying close attention to the world around her, but during times like these it was hard for her to not end up deep in thought. Her reflexes were more than quick enough to match her speed, and nothing on her mind was so serious she risked being too distracted.

Thinking of them as kids is a little unfair. They’re both in their 20’s. I only met Tinder because I’m her professor. In college. Without deviating from her course, Bonfyre shook her head. Maybe it’s time to give them more encouragement to show just how mature they can be, and less chiding that they need me to remind them to get a good night’s sleep. Being a responsible mentor who only wants the best for the women following in her footsteps is much harder than I thought it would be when I took on the challenge!

Around her, the blue flames grew brighter, and her speed jumped from that of a car, to that of a plane. Using the burst of speed she was able to rush up to her apartment, unlock the door, and shove it closed behind her without anyone catching a glimpse of her. Once inside, her aura of blue faded away and she let out a relieved sigh

Things had gone well. Every time she left dressed in her Bonfyre costume there was always a chance she wouldn’t come back. Knowing that made every return an important victory.

It was still dark inside of her apartment and her eyes hadn’t yet adjusted. With half a thought she would have been able to illuminate it with her flames. She knew where the light switch was, and it would have been a simple thing to reach for it if she wanted to… but she didn’t.

Instead, she stood with her back to the door. Her eyes were closed as she savored the feeling of calm that washed over her. Her day had been a long one: educating curious minds by day and then protecting the innocent and the vulnerable by night. Having a chance to just breathe, to reflect, was incredibly welcome. The tension drained from her body, still held tight by so much white and black.

Every curve and contour of the athletic heroine was on full display. The roundness of her hips, the tightness of her arms, the strength in her thighs… but she was oblivious to all but the conscious act of slowing her breathing to prepare herself for what she planned to be the short remainder of her night.

Living two lives was never especially easy, but in restful moments like these it was easy for her to see the clear impact she was having on the world around her. That was what Bonfyre, otherwise known to the world as Belinda Boyle, always cared about more than anything else.

As long as I can leave the world better than I found it…? Belinda smiled as she reached up to pull her mask away from her face, revealing her blue eyes that had been hidden behind polarized lenses. That means everything was worth it. That means I’m doing the right thing… not just for Flint and Tinder, but for everyone. Hopefully we can work towards a world that doesn’t need women like us protecting it, but for now it’s a good thing we’re here.

Belinda let out a slow sigh as she reached to pull off her gloves. “Should probably at least have some toast before I try to get some sleep… but I feel so exhausted I could just pass out right here.”

From somewhere in the darkness of her apartment, a darkness her eyes were still unable to see through clearly, a hand thrust out to shove a wet cloth over her mouth and nose. “We can help with that! Don’t worry, you can pass out right here. We’ll make sure that you’re well cared for.”

On either side of her, women grasped Belinda’s wrists before she could put up much of a struggle. Sleek, high-tech bracelets were strapped onto her arms, and no matter how hard the suddenly very tense heroine tried to summon her flames there was only a quick, brief puff of blue that quickly extinguished. Her eyes widened as she screamed as loudly as she could against the soaked cloth, desperately struggling to stop herself from breathing in too deeply.

I can’t hold my breath forever, and I have no idea what’s on that rag…! Belinda tried to twist, to roll her body, to kick, but nothing she did gave her any leverage or pulled her away from the women suddenly assaulting her from within the supposed safety of her own home. How did they find me?! How did they get in here…?! Nnn… so strong…! Without my fire… I can’t…!

“You don’t need to worry about making your own food anymore, Bonfyre! Where you’ll be going, we’ll be taking care of that for you…” The women lifted her arms over her head, and the bracelets locked together with a loud resonating sound of metal-on-metal. “Not that you’ll need to worry about anything from now on. What they’ve got in store for you doesn’t really leave a lot of room for thinking…”

Women snickered, and their voices sounded to Belinda like they were coming from all around her at once. She wasn’t sure if she’d breathed in too much of whatever drug was wafting up her nose, or if her adrenalin was overwhelming her senses.

Either way it was getting harder and harder to focus her eyes or concentrate at all.

“Is calling her Bonfyre really fair when she can’t even make a spark?” The woman’s chiding tone echoed through Belinda’s mind as her head began to loll side to side on her neck as her struggles faded. “Look at her…! I don’t think she’s got enough left to be a bonfire, or even kindling. What do you call a fire like that?”

“Burned out.”

“Exactly.”

Laughter echoed all around Belinda, her panic pushing her to breathe deeper and deeper. Her whole body shook as her eyes hooded. Her screams had already degraded into quiet groans. Blue eyes turned glassy, her gaze distant.

Need… Need to fight back… Need to get free… N-need… C-can’t… Gotta…

“Aww…! She can barely move, but look at her! She’s still really trying…!”

“Not very well, but she is trying. It’s almost cute. Do you think we should help her…?”

A fingertip trailed along the side of one of Belinda’s breasts in their tight confinement. She whimpered, trying to struggle away only to find herself pressing into another hand that groped and squeezed at her hip.

Feels like they’re all around me…! Are there two of them…? Two or… more… or…? I don’t… I… Everything’s so… Fuzzy… I can’t…

“I don’t think anyone can help her, now. Where she’s going she’s not going to be Bonfyre anymore, or whatever someone might call her when she’s not wearing that silly mask…” Nails clawed down from her hip to her thigh, and Belinda let out a muffled cry. Her whole body shook as her eyes continued to hood lower and lower. “When they’re done with her, she isn’t going to be a person anymore. She’s just going to be a thing. A pet. Well… no one calls livestock pets, do they?”

“Maybe pigs, they made what… three movies about that…? But not cows.” Nails dug into her clothed nipples, pinching and twisting them as much as their tight covering would allow. “No one would make a movie about someone loving a dairy cow.”

Belinda tried to open her eyes wider, but her lids felt so impossibly heavy. The abuse of her chest only made it worse, the haze from the drugs she was inhaling making it easier and easier to feel her body’s natural response to such intense stimulation. Her thighs twitched and clenched even as she desperately tried to ignore the building heat between them.

Her vision was starting to tunnel at the same time as she was finally adjusting to the darkness of her apartment. Are there really four… six… or eight of them…? Is something… Ohhh… Wh…what’s… what’s happening t-to… to my mind… S-stop… Need them to stop…!

The only movement she could manage was to buck her hips, which only forced Belinda’s body against one of her captors. Friction sent heat shuddering through her body, further lidding her eyes and making her thighs clench that much harder. She whimpered through the rag, taking in another deep breath of the sweet smelling cloth as her eyes fluttered back into her head.

Nails clawed along the curve of her ass before fingers sank into her tight, muscular behind. “That’s right… We’re gonna deliver you, and when we do? They’re gonna make you a drippy little cow! I don’t know how they do it… don’t care. But I know it looks hot.”

Looks… hot… Nnn… As her defenses dropped, the words the women spoke threatened to gain entry to Belinda’s mind without passing through her filters. Her hips began to roll against the woman in front of her before she loudly groaned and closed her eyes tight. No…! Demeaning… Cows aren’t hot… Being made into a cow wouldn’t be good… It would be… dehumanizing…! Not…

The heroine whimpered, tears filling her eyes as she uselessly writhed. Her arms were held together above her head, and her back was arched out lewdly as her nipples stiffened harder against her black-and-white costume. Her fingers twitched as the women fondled and squeezed at her defenseless body, making it harder for her to strain and keep a tight grasp on her mind.

Not a cow…!

Belinda frantically shook her head—or at least she tried to be frantic. She was putting all of her strength into it, but her head barely moved at all. She was too weak, and too weary.

The last of her strength was draining away, replaced with an erotic haze that allowed no room for intellectual thought—only instinct. She could fight to keep her mind intact, to keep herself from being compromised, but she could do nothing to keep herself from fading away.

“Night night, cow slut! Hope we meet again so I can get a look at what a hot little milk-slut you’ll end up being…!”

Belinda tried to shake her head, to scream louder, but her voice was only strong enough for a yawn as her eyes finally melted shut. The last thing she felt were a pair of hands tight grasping and squeezing at her breasts as a voice whispered into her ear.

“That’s a good little cow…!”