Action!

“…I’m not sure why she’s still going ahead with this shindig when everybody knows what she’s going to announce.”

Several other attendees nodded knowingly. After the video of Ethrienne pleasuring herself as she psychically monitored the Trusty Twosome’s onstage performance had leaked onto the Internet, it had become accepted wisdom that the psychic heroine was on the verge of becoming Baroness Blackleather’s third superheroine sex starlet.

“I’m glad she didn’t cancel. I’d hate to have to come up with replacement material for my show on short notice.” Meghan Firrello replied. After popping an hors d'oeuvre into her mouth, she added, “Besides, the food here is a lot better than the trail mix they served at the last press conference I went to.”

There was a group of chairs arranged at one side of the stage facing a lectern at the other side, but nobody was sitting down. The guests mingled, snacked, and one-upped each other with claims about how early they’d picked up on the hints Ethrienne had been dropping and predicted the heroine’s plunge into pornography.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the Baroness’s voice sounded over the speakers, “please take your seats.”

There was a final brief buzz of conversation, and then the media representatives settled into their chairs.

The lights dimmed until the audience could just barely make out two figures each pushing a large object onto the stage. After a brief pause, the lights slowly brightened again to reveal Vindiatrix and Shield Lass standing at the sides of the lectern, each wearing an extremely abbreviated version of her superheroine costume. A bit further from the lectern at each side stood a portable display kiosk.

Baroness Blackleather emerged from backstage and moved into position behind the microphone. “Thank you for coming. I have three announcements for you this evening.”

She waited as people whispered to their neighbors, speculating on what the additional announcements might be.

“First, I’d like to announce that our Fan Choice Special Feature scheduled for next month has been completed sooner than expected and will be released ahead of schedule.”

The display kiosks lit up, as did several wall-mounted monitors. They showed an image dominated by the Baroness, standing tall and proud in her black leather outfit and holding a pair of leashes. Kneeling in the foreground were Vindiatrix and Shield Lass, wearing thick black leather collars to which the leashes were attached. They appeared to be otherwise naked except for their masks but were situated low enough in the frame that the XXX—ADULTS ONLY—XXX banner concealed their nipples.

Above the three women the title of the Special Feature was revealed: Costumed Champions in blocky lettering followed by Conquered Concubines in dainty feminine script.

“As with all our video releases, a high-resolution version of the unobscured cover art has been posted to our SpandexGirlsex dot com website, making it available to members free of charge. This release also has an alternate cover.” The screens flickered and displayed a new image with the heroines standing at the Baroness’s sides with their hands and feet in shackles and their breasts and crotches covered by censor bars. “The version on the website includes the chains but not the bars,” the Baroness quipped.

“Costumed Champions, Conquered Concubines will be available for download from SpandexGirlsex at midnight tonight. Pre-orders of physical copies will begin shipping tomorrow morning.” She paused. “Before I move on to the next topic, are there any questions?”

“I understand that the winning Fan Choice entry called for you to personally perform onstage, not just narrate an introduction and a conclusion,” someone asked. “Exactly how extensive was your performance?”

“There’s no need to be so demure about it,” the Baroness replied. “Admit it, you’re asking whether or not I appear in the nude and whether or not I engage in lesbian sex acts on camera.”

There was an awkward pause before the reporter said. “Yes… and yes.”

“Now that the questions are clear, I can give you a clear answer.” She smirked. “You’ll find out tomorrow.”

After the snickering died down, Meghan Firrello spoke up. “Was the leaked video of Ethrienne masturbating…” She looked quite pleased with herself for stating it so bluntly. “…filmed while she was monitoring Vindiatrix and Shield Lass during the production of this feature?”

“There are several candid-camera recordings of Ethrienne masturbating in the observation booth while on monitor duty,” the Baroness smoothly lied. She heard murmurs from the audience as they reacted to the news… and no doubt found it a bit more believable that the psychic heroine had found herself drawn toward pornographic performance. “I don’t blame her for that; if anything, I’m surprised that she wasn’t doing it every moment she was telepathically sharing the Trusty Twosome’s sensual pleasure.” She looked thoughtful. “Does this recording have a timestamp?”

“Not as far as I know.”

“Well, then, finding out the answer to your question would probably be more trouble than it’s worth.” She paused. “Are there any other questions about Costumed Champions, Conquered Concubines?”

The room was silent for a long moment.

“Well, then, it’s just as well that the previous question lends itself to a smooth segue to my next topic. I’m sure you’ve all heard rumors that Ethrienne was considering following in the footsteps of Vindiatrix and Shield Lass and accepting a position as an adult entertainer for Baroness Blackleather Productions. I’m pleased to confirm that the rumors are true.”

After giving that a few moments to sink in, the Baroness spoke. “Ethrienne, if you’ll please join us onstage.”

Ethrienne came into view from stage right, approaching the lectern with a hip-swaying sultry strut. She exchanged a quick, almost chaste, kiss with the Baroness, then approached Vindiatrix and Shield Lass. The three heroines stood with arms around each other’s shoulders and swayed their hips from side to side with perfect synchronization.

The kiosks and monitors now displayed a naked Ethrienne discreetly obscured by the words “SHE’LL BLOW” stamped across her breasts and “YOUR MIND” over her crotch. Above the image was the title Psychic Pussy Pleasure in bright purple lettering; below it was the standard XXX—ADULTS ONLY—XXX disclaimer.

“This is a preliminary cover art design for Ethrienne’s upcoming video debut. Filming is currently underway; we hope to have the Psychic Pussy Pleasure ready for release by the end of next month. I’m confident that fans of the Trusty Twosome’s erotic performances will be just as excited to see another superheroine embarking upon her own adult entertainment career.”

She stepped back. “I will now turn the microphone over to Ethrienne and let her take your questions.”

Ethrienne turned to her left, and then her right, giving Vindiatrix and Shield Lass quick pecks on the cheek. She then moved behind the lectern.

Several people tried to speak at once. Ethrienne pointed at a woman in the front row. As the clamor died down, the chosen questioner asked, “Are you a lesbian?”

“Yes,” came the blunt reply.

Meghan Firrello got in another question. “Isn’t it true that you were in a relationship with MagnoMan for almost a year before you broke up?”

“It’s true that I used to think I was straight,” Ethrienne replied. “I started psychically monitoring Vindiatrix and Shield Lass during their sex scenes to prove that they weren’t being manipulated or coerced somehow. As I shared their experiences, I felt myself enjoying it and realized that I wasn’t really straight after all.”

“You mean that deep down—"

“Excuse me,” Ethrienne cut her off. “I like you, and if you didn’t already have a girlfriend I might make a pass at you, but I think it’s time for you to let someone else have a turn.” She pointed at one of the others trying to get her attention.

Perhaps inevitably, the question was the same one that had just been cut short. “Do you mean that you always had repressed lesbian feelings?”

“Yes, exactly. Judging from some of the stray thoughts I’ve picked up sometimes, I think that quite a few apparently straight superheroines are at least bisexual, if they were willing to be honest with themselves. Obviously, I’m not going to name names, and I can only speak for myself.”

The Baroness managed to keep a poker face, squelching the temptation to smile. That comment was sure to generate a lot of gossip and speculation, especially given how well it meshed with the “kinky bulldyke” superheroine stereotype. Encouraging such thoughts about women in spandex would squelch any remaining suspicions about her “voluntary” recruitments and encourage people who found the idea arousing to patronize her studio.

“Why pornography? Don’t you think it’s degrading?”

“Not at all. I don’t see how using my sex appeal to make movies to entertain people is any more ‘degrading’ than Crimson Crag using his super strength to make steel-girder balloon animals to entertain people. I wish people would be rational instead of prudish; they’d be a lot happier that way.”

The room was quiet for a long moment after that; apparently the way that question had been shot down made everyone reluctant to call attention to themselves. Finally, someone asked, “Are Vindiatrix and Shield Lass going to appear in this video?”

“After I signed on with Baroness Blackleather Productions, we decided that my video debut should feature me as the sole leading lady.” She paused. “I hope that doesn’t make me sound like a prima donna.”

As the chuckling died down, she turned to the Baroness. “Can I give them a teaser preview of our plans for my second film?”

The Baroness nodded.

“After Psychic Pussy Pleasure is finished, we’re planning to shoot a double-length feature showcasing all three of us, Vindiatrix, Shield Lass, and me,” she said. The heroines took a bow, showing off even more cleavage.

“Any more questions?” Ethrienne asked as she stood upright abruptly enough to make herself jiggle.

While most of the men and several of the women stared, one of the non-distracted minority spoke up. “How will this affect your crimefighting? How do your ParaPatrol teammates feel about this?”

“If anything, making a living as an adult actress will make it easier to find time for heroics,” she replied. “It’s a job that lends itself to flexible scheduling, and the Baroness assures me that protecting innocent people comes first. Vindiatrix and Shield Lass can confirm that.”

The other two heroines nodded.

“As for ParaPatrol, I haven’t told them yet.” She waited for the reactions to settle down before continuing. “I expect the Palladium Paladin will react logically, the way he reacts to everything, and agree that it’s my decision. Crimson Crag will probably be weirded out—I remember how he reacted the Vindiatrix and Shield Lass went public—but I think that he’s basically an easygoing live-and-let-live type of guy who will learn to deal with it.” She smirked. “I wouldn’t be surprised if I eventually catch him watching one of my movies.”

The audience erupted in laughter.

As the guffaws faded to giggles, the Baroness stepped up to the microphone. “If there are no further questions, I’d like to announce that yet another superheroine who has chosen to join these three lovely ladies as a Baroness Blackleather Productions adult actress.”

The room became utterly silent.

The Baroness smirked. “Superheroine erotica seems to have become something of a trend.” With any luck, that would become a viral sound bite, further reinforcing the notion that her recruitments were perfectly normal and voluntary and in no way suspicious.

A loud buzz of chatter erupted from the audience as everyone started talking with their neighbors, exchanging reactions and speculation.

“And now, allow me to introduce…”

The lights turned off. The room was dark and silent. Finally, a light shone as a door opened at the far end of the stage. A glowing figure that dazzled the audience’s dark-adjusted eyes stepped through the doorway, rose from the floor, and slowly glided through the air.

The glow dimmed and vanished as the stage lights slowly brightened. Once their vision readjusted, the spectators recognized the figure at the same time the Baroness announced her name.

“…Quantress!”

The heroine’s costume had become skimpier than ever, little more than a minimal spandex bikini with high-heeled boots and a domino mask. As she took a bow, her top seemed on the verge of a wardrobe malfunction.

People talked over each other. The Baroness raised the speaker volume to talk over everyone else. “Quantress will be making a brief statement and taking your questions shortly. However, first I’d like you to bear witness as she signs a long-term contract with Baroness Blackleather Productions.”

She turned toward stage left. “Kristin, if you please…?”

The tall redheaded Leathergal pushed a miniature wheeled desk onto the stage. At one corner was a gooseneck attachment holding a camera pointed toward the writing surface. The desk was rolled toward Quantress, and Kristin kicked a pedal to lock it into place in front of her.

As the Baroness handed Quantress a pen, the displays lit up to show a closeup image of a legal document. A moment later, they showed the heroine applying her signature at the bottom line. A text scroll appeared at the left side of each screen, outlining the terms of the heroine’s contract in words that translated the legalese into advertising bullet points for her future performances.

There was a brief delay as Kristin removed the table and Quantress took her place behind the lectern. Meanwhile, the screens changed to show a nude photo of the heroine with the heroine’s name at the top and further text formed of glimmering quantum energy obscuring her chest and crotch:

Quantress
SCINTILLATING
SAPPHIC
SPARKLE-SLUT

A line of heavy white block lettering in a black bar along the bottom carried the standard XXX—ADULTS ONLY—XXX warning.

“Thank you for coming,” Quantress began. She paused a moment and quipped, “That might be a good tagline to put in the closing credits.”

As the laughter quieted down, her tone became somewhat more serious. “Sooner or later, most heroes and heroines find some personal cause to support. My cause is sex-positivity. I’ve been getting a lot of pushback since I started speaking out on the subject.”

There were a few murmurs from the media, suggesting eagerness to hear more along these lines, the more sensationalistic the better.

Her tone became more serious. “It got worse after I went on Tongue Waggers last week to show off my latest costume…” She paused, thrust her chest out, and waved her hands from neck to thighs to call attention to her body. “…and talk about the harm done by repression and prudery. The personal attacks I started getting were a lot more ‘obscene’…” She punctuated the word with finger quote gestures. “…than any of the Baroness’s videos.”

Quantress showed the sort of determined expression she often displayed in battle. “Well, guess what, haters? You convinced me to take the plunge and sign up to do porn! I hope you’re happy!” Her face relaxed into a grin. “I guess you are happy, if it was all a reverse psychology thing to get me naked on camera. Well, congratulations, it worked!”

The audience chuckled. So did the Baroness. The speech fit both Quantress’s long-standing reputation for flippant irreverence and the fetishized public image she’d cultivated, especially after her capture and attitude adjustment. It would make it easy for people to believe that she was joining the studio her own accord.

“Now, if anyone has questions…?”

Hands were waved. The heroine pointed at someone who kept a straight face while raising her hand.

“Do you really think it’s ‘sex-positive’ to let yourself be labelled a ‘slut’?”

“If people want to call me a ‘slut’ because I like having sex and don’t feel like I need to hide it, I don’t really care. You can call me a ‘dyke’ because I like doing it with other women, or call me a ‘whore’ because I get paid for doing it on camera. I don’t care about that either.”

The blunt statement hung in the air for a moment before people started trying to get chosen to ask the next question. “Did Shield Lass influence you to sign up with the studio?”

Quantress grinned. “Well, she definitely seemed satisfied!” She waited a moment while the audience reacted to the double entendre. “I’m certainly looking forward to getting closer to her and working with her on future projects.” The two heroines exchanged a sultry glance.

“Next question?” She pointed toward a cluster of people all trying to get her attention.

One of them jumped in quickly and loudly, verbally overpowering the others. “Is that silver hair color of yours natural?”

Shield Lass smirked and nodded.

“Yes it is,” Quantress responded matter-of-factly as the snickering quieted down. “It started to turn this color about the same time my powers kicked in. Back then, I was worried about looking weird, so I dyed it to look more normal. I went through a phase where I dyed it colors like you’d see on an anime character. I think I was trying to get girls to pay attention to me, even though that was when I still thought I was straight.”

She paused. “These days… well, I’d rather not give out clues to my secret identity. Next question?”

“When are you going to be making your video debut?”

The Baroness stepped up. “I’ll take that question. With the other projects in the pipeline, it will be a few weeks before we can give Quantress the attention she deserves and produce a video feature that takes full advantage of her visual appeal—both her obvious good looks and the visual appeal of her power set. We’re not ready to give a timeframe yet, but it will be within the next few months.”

She gestured. Vindiatrix and Shield Lass stood at her right side, and Ethrienne and Quantress on her left. “I’m afraid that’s all we have time for today, again, thank you for coming.”

Some of the guests tried to shout out more questions. The Baroness ignored them as she led her starlets offstage.

The first rule of show business was to always leave them wanting more…

The Baroness watched Leslie strap on the Newbie Kneepads for her initiation into the Leathergal ranks. She knelt to service Kristin as the other henchwenches lined up in order of seniority to await their turns. The line was long, but a followup Remodulator session had reinforced the recruit’s eagerness to earn her new colleagues’ approval.

Of course, her enrollment would not be official until she’d spent the night earning the Baroness’s approval. Judging from the look on Kristin’s face, she would pass that test with flying colors.

Business was good. Costumed Champions, Conquered Concubines was on track to outsell even the Trusty Twosome’s Intimate Initiation debut and was generating almost as much attention. Even the respectable highbrow Counterpose Magazine had published a review that described in dry pedantic prose the ways the film’s plot mocked, or, in their terminology, “deconstructed”, the initial suspicions that the heroines had been captured and brainwashed. The Baroness was amused by the way the writer tap-danced around the pornographic nature of the production.

Ethrienne and Quantress would soon be featured in their own debut productions. The public, the authorities, and even their fellow capes mostly accepted their “decisions” to become adult actresses at face value. The Baroness’s coverups and message management had been effective; nobody wanted to be lumped in with the “conspiracy theorists” who still suspected the truth.

It also helped that the media was preoccupied with chasing a different shiny object.

Midas City heroine Pliabelle had started a risqué OnlyCapes fan page. The videos were more sex comedy than outright porn, featuring naughtiness on the level of “accidentally” flashing her boobs by stretching out of an outfit that wasn’t made of power-conforming metamaterial or pinching somebody’s ass from across the room and retracting her arm before she got caught at it.

She’d had her contacts investigate the story when it first broke. There was nobody manipulating Pliabelle either openly or behind the scenes, and no sign that anyone else had stolen or duplicated the Remodulator. There was only a spontaneous decision by the heroine to parley her sex appeal for fun and profit. Having people accept that sort of thing as normal, even trendy, suited that Baroness’s plans very well.

She made a note to inquire about advertising on the site. Pliabelle’s fans certainly seemed to be interested in more hardcore content, judging from the number of comments urging her to film a “Man of Steel, Woman of Rubber” sex scene with some super-strong hero. Somebody using the handle “2GalHeat” proposed that she should instead demonstrate the flexibility to accommodate a “Dyke of Steel” and suggested MightyGal or Bronze Valkyrie for that role.

The Baroness didn’t know offhand if either of those heroines were gay. Midas City had more than its share of lesbians in spandex, but there were exceptions. Pliabelle herself was an equal-opportunity groper in her onscreen antics, but that didn’t necessarily prove anything about her actual inclinations.

Of course, her actual inclinations could be changed…

It was only a stray thought. For now, a harem of four superheroine porn starlets and fourteen—now fifteen—supporting Leathergals were sufficient for her purposes. However, there was no harm in contemplating future possibilities.

Pliabelle would be a natural for bondage scenes. She would be bondage, stretching and wrapping herself around her partners. A thought occurred to her. Strategic application of colorful makeup to the flexible heroine’s body could mark her sexy bits for identification even when she had extended herself into a long thin cord. Observant viewers could note that Pliabelle had specifically applied her tits and crotch to her partner as titwrap and crotchrope, adding an extra dash of kinky spice to the proceedings.

The Baroness recorded the idea on her phone. Later, she’d add it to her “power perversions” brainstorming file of concepts to use if and when she obtained the services of superheroines with the necessary powers to bring her fantasies to life.

Eventually, she resolved, Pliabelle would be hers. The fact that she’d already demonstrated an exhibitionistic streak was just icing on the cake.

She idly noticed that Leslie had finished with Kristin and had moved on to the next Leathergal, a crewcut butch enforcer named Tasha. There were a dozen more in line: tall, short, sleek, voluptuous, but all delightfully feminine.

She let herself daydream and imagined a dozen superheroines in line waiting to serve her, to lick her cunt, to perform in her videos, to use their powers to entertain and arouse. She felt a thrill at the thought that she could have any of them she wanted. Even the most defiant could be conditioned into compliance with the Remodulator; even the most prudish could be manipulated into reinventing their public images until shameless public sexualization because plausible.

The Baroness wasn’t going to act on that thought just yet. She’d gained too much to risk losing it all by overplaying her hand. However, when the time was right she would start preparing the groundwork for future acquisitions.

In a few years, she’d be in a position to bring a wide range of superpowered sexual fantasies to the screen. She imagined Duplidame presenting a one-woman lesbian orgy, Adaptrix sporting an impressive erection on an otherwise voluptuously feminine body, Grey Streak making herself into a full-body vibrating massager, and a plethora of other possibilities.

She recalled the comment on Pliabelle’s fan site and conjured up a mental image of MightyGal and Bronze Valkyrie chained into an industrial-strength double body harness to limit the collateral damage of their passion. To make the premise pay off properly, she thought, the harness would have to fail. It couldn’t be shot on set without wrecking the studio, but there were always plenty of empty warehouses and abandoned industrial sites…

It was just one of the fantasies that could eventually become reality if she proceeded slowly and carefully. She didn’t want to cause another flareup of suspicion or glut the market with superheroine porn to the point of making it passe. She imagined outlining a five-year plan and snorted at the irony of applying the term to her decidedly capitalist enterprise.

One thing she would be careful about was to avoid letting the spotlight drift away from Vindiatrix and Shield Lass. The non-powered but impressively limber and athletic heroines struck just the right balance between impossible fantasy and human reality. Perhaps she’d establish a sub-brand of videos each featuring one or both of them co-starring with a superpowered partner and demonstrating that vitality, flexibility, and creativity could produce as much erotic heat as any parahuman perversion.

She definitely intended to continue releasing videos focused specifically on the Trusty Twosome, though she was mulling the introduction of an appropriately naughty nickname to provide a distinctive brand identity for those particular erotic escapades.

The Baroness sighed and turned her attention to the here and now. After pausing a moment to watch Leslie start going down on the next Leathergal in line—Daphne, the group’s expert on lockpicking and hacking—she retreated to her office to review the latest footage for Psychic Pussy Pleasure.

Tomorrow would take care of itself, as long as she kept her wits about her and took care of each today as it came.