Lillian pulled into the garage and began unloading the latest batch of boxes. The movers had already gotten most of their stuff, but some things were too important, or too connected to their costumed identities, to be entrusted to anyone else.

She opened the inner garage door and headed through the laundry room into the house proper. The layout of the place was familiar, but it didn’t quite feel like home. Not yet. That would come in time, she thought.

It was as close to perfect for their needs as they could have hoped to find. Parts of the interior needed work, but both the home inspector and Cycloblast’s X-ray vision confirmed that the basic structure was sound. It was big enough for all four of them to have their own personal spaces and to accommodate their things once they finished deciding which duplicates to winnow out.

The best part was the location, mostly concealed behind a ridge at the end of a cul-de-sac. Beyond the back yard was a lightly wooded park, underneath which Doc Vivotron’s robot excavators were discreetly digging a concealed entryway from a little-used alley. For now, Red Lynx and Kestryl left their distinctive bikes at League headquarters and set the Prowler’s camouflage function to look like a mundane car during departures and arrivals.

Her train of thought was interrupted as Jill stepped into view around the corner. “Need a hand?”

“If you don’t mind.” Her housemate headed for the garage and returned with two boxes. As she walked into Lillian’s bedroom, she said, “Cycloblast called. He said that Commissioner Harris wanted to talk to you about a robbery at the University last night. The missing stuff was on a list of things you asked him to keep an eye out for.”

“Cycloblast told you all that?” He’d been a hard-nosed skeptic about Psiductress’ turning over a new leaf. Even as the city’s rackets fell like a house of cards thanks to her help, he’d been suspicious that it was all a trick.

She couldn’t really blame him. Villains pretending to reform in order to set a trap were an old familiar story. But it had been a strain on their working relationship.

“Yes, he did. I think Meson Man finally convinced him I was on the level.”

Last week, Meson Man had chased Phantaslord into a trap. He’d managed to escape, but the psychedelic energies he’d been hit with had scrambled his aim and intensity control, making his powers unusably dangerous. Acting on a hunch, Psiductress had convinced him to let her hit him with one full-force suggestion—a reassurance that there was nothing at all wrong with him. And from that moment on, there wasn’t. It had all been an imprinted mental block. The suggestion wore off as usual, but Phantaslord’s illusion could not reestablish itself now that he knew it for what it was.

Jill put down the boxes and pulled a slip of paper out of her pocket and handed it to her. “Here’s the list of the stolen equipment.”

She read the note. “Exactly what I was expecting. Everything on this list matches what was found in the wreckage of Doctor Trimuphis’ lab. So does everything from the other two high-tech robberies this past week.”

“You think somebody is continuing with whatever he was working on?”

“I think he’s continuing what he was working on. They never found his body.” She looked thoughtful. “But we have a clue pointing to where he might be holed up. Two of his henchmen turned up working for Jack Barchell at the Funtime Lounge. That’s one of the last Mob-connected businesses—excuse me, alleged Mob-connected businesses—left in town these days.”

She put the note aside. “I think Red Lynx and Kestryl will be paying the place a visit before the customers start showing up. With luck, we’ll dig Doctor Triumphis out of his hidey-hole, and catch Jack Barchell red-handed aiding and abetting.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks.” She stood up and headed for the door. “But for now, there’s still some more boxes to bring in.” Grinning, she continued, “And then we’ll have a few hours to kill before it gets dark. Got any suggestions?”

-----

The Prowler’s camouflage was set to look like an rusty old clunker that wasn’t worth stealing. The average car thief would never get past its security system, but sometimes the best defense was to avoid being attacked in the first place.

Red Lynx and Kestryl made their way around back of the Funtime Lounge. There was no sign of activity around the loading dock. However, an infrared sweep showed that something was drawing power deep within the basement. It could be a bulk refrigerator, but the energy signature didn’t look right. It was hard to be sure, though; the reading was behind several walls and a cinderblock exterior.

The only way to find out was to go in and take a look.

The lock and alarm on the back door were hardly an obstacle. They put on their night-vision goggles and stepped inside, into a large open area with several sets of double doors. One of them was labeled “KITCHEN DELIVERIES”. Behind it was an infrared signature, but much too weak to be what she’d detected earlier.

Red Lynx grinned. She was on the right track. The main energy signature was behind a smaller unmarked door at the other end of the dock. She cautiously approached it and waved Kestryl to follow.

Taking her time, she picked the lock. She didn’t spot anything unusual, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Slowly, she opened the door.

Inside was a short hallway. The infrared lenses in her mask showed beams crisscrossing the floor. A bit elaborate for a strip joint, even if the proprietor was involved in money-laundering and prostitution and all the other things the authorities suspected but still couldn’t prove.

They carefully stepped between the beams toward the door on the far side of the hall. Red Lynx began examining the lock. This one looked like it was going to be tougher—

Suddenly, something hit her in the back, and grey streaks whooshed around her body. The next thing she knew, she was encircled from shoulders to knees in silvery bands. She turned toward Kestryl, who was lying on the floor and wrapped up even more thoroughly.

They strained against the straps, but it was no use. Their arms and legs were tightly bound. Red Lynx’s struggles only seemed to tighten the bands, and it was all she could do to remain upright while trying to loosen their hold.

The door opened. Jack Barchell stood in the doorway, and behind him Red Lynx saw the face of Doctor Triumphis. This was not a good time to be proven right.

“Hello, old friends,” Triumphis said. “I’m so glad you volunteered to serve as test subjects for my latest invention.”

He lifted Kestryl into his arms and carried her into the next room. A moment later, she felt Barchell do the same to her. They were set down onto a couple of folding chairs. Their captors strapped them into the seats.

Doctor Triumphis stepped into a closet and brought out two helmets. Red Lynx futilely dodged as Jack lowered one of them over her head. It settled into place, and the padded interior pressed against her ears. There was nothing but darkness and silence, and then there was a soft click and a faint humming sound.

Suddenly, she heard Triumphis’ voice. From the sound of it, there were headphone speakers built into the helmet. “Red Lynx and Kestryl, listen closely as you receive your instructions. You will carry out each instruction to the letter. You will make no attempt to avoid doing exactly as you are instructed. As you carry out your instructions, and forever afterwards, you will believe that your actions were entirely voluntary.”

Once again, there was nothing but the faint hum. She strained to hear exactly what was expected of her.

Doctor Triumphis spoke again. “This establishment will open for business in one hour. At that time, you will perform in front of me and Mr. Barchell and a paying audience. You will perform acrobatic feats to demonstrate that you are indeed Red Lynx and Kestryl. You will perform a strip tease, removing your costumes and underclothes bit by bit until only your masks remain.”

Images of herself and her partner performing these acts appeared from out of the darkness. They began as vague shadows, and then clear likenesses, and finally became so real that she felt like she was floating in space watching her own body. She pictured the duo doing flips and contortions as they tossed aside their tunics and tights and bras and panties.

“You will kiss each other and caress each other and fondle each other. You will engage each other in lesbian coitus until each has brought the other to climax. You will make it clear to the audience that both the physical contact and your reactions are genuine, not simulated.”

Red Lynx pictured herself standing, facing the audience with legs spread wide, as Kestryl’s fingers slid into her exposed slit. She saw herself buckling at the knees and moaning. The vision blurred and shifted and became a scene of Kestryl standing in a similarly exposed pose as Red Lynx moved in to return the favor.

“After you have carried out these instructions, you will return to these seats, put on these helmets, and await further instructions.”

She stared into space, imagining herself passively seated under the helmet, waiting to learn what she was supposed to do next. It was so much easier than figuring that out for herself.

A moment later, she blinked as light struck her eyes. The helmet was gone. The next thing she knew, the straps around her body were falling away.

Jack still looked uncertain. “Are you sure they ain’t gonna snap out of it?”

“Absolutely.” Doctor Triumphis finished Red Lynx from her bonds and moved on to Kestryl. “They have been instilled with an unbreakable compulsion. They may fight the compulsion for a little while, perhaps as much as ten or fifteen minutes. However, once the commands have echoed through their minds for an entire hour, they will be quite irresistible.”

Red Lynx knew that it was true. Already, she imagined herself on stage with Kestryl, entertaining the crowd and enjoying their appreciation, catching the gaze of her two captors as they sat front and center. She remembered that her original objective was to capture these two, but that seemed much less important, and she couldn’t do both.

Or could she?

“Put your mind at ease, Mr. Barchell. It is absolutely impossible for these two to disobey—”

With one quick lunge, Red Lynx pinned Doctor Triumphis against the wall. She shouted, “Kestryl! Get Barchell!”

Reflexively, Kestryl obeyed the order. She seized the strip-club owner and bound his hands behind his back with a set of flexicuffs from her gear belt.

“Impossible! This can’t be happening!” Triumphis continued protesting until Red Lynx used one of the chair straps to gag him. She then bound his legs together and tied a strap around his wrist for good measure.

She then looked at Kestryl. She was holding Jack pinned to the floor, hands bound behind him. Kestryl was still, her face blank as if she had no idea what to do next.

“Kestryl! Tie him up so we can take them with us!”

“I... I need to... we need them...”

“Stop babbling and follow my lead!”

Jack laughed. “She ain’t following your lead anywhere except up on stage to strip and screw. Like the doc said, you can fight it for a little while, but not for long. Not for a whole hour.”

Kestryl started fiddling with the flexicuffs. “I said tie him up!” Red Lynx snapped.

“You might as well just give up and do what the doc said,” Jack said. He leered. “I always wanted to watch a couple of goody-goody cape-dykes goin’ at it—” His comment was cut short as Red Lynx gagged him.

Red Lynx took a quick step over to Kestryl and put a hand on her shoulder. “Kestryl... trust me. Just hold on a little while, and everything will be all right.”

Kestryl looked up. There was desperation in her eyes, but her attention was focused on her partner.

“I have a plan. I’ll explain as soon as we get loaded up and on the road.”

Red Lynx got Jack secured, then applied blindfolds and earplugs to each prisoner. She then put the now-inert helmets on their heads to make sure they couldn’t see or hear anything. “Now, help me get these two back to the Prowler.”

They loaded the prisoners and the folding chairs into the back of the car. As they drove off, Red Lynx activated the secure line back to the house.

“Synergia? Is Psiductress there? No, I don’t need you to get suited up. I’m using codenames because I’ve got a couple bad guys in the back who probably can’t hear me, but I’m not taking any chances.”

“You’re bringing bad guys here? I think we’d better suit up just in case.”

“Maybe you’re right. The important thing is, I need to make sure you’re both at home. Here’s what I’ll need you to do....”

-----

Red Lynx was trembling as she pulled into the garage. Kestryl had had to remind her to reset Prowler’s camouflage to look like the car the neighbors expected to see in their driveway.

But it was all right. They’d made it in time, with almost ten minutes to spare on the one-hour deadline.

Psiductress and Synergia were waiting for them. “Everything’s ready just like you asked,” Psiductress declared as she helped Red Lynx unload Doctor Triumphis from the Prowler.

In a few minutes, the prisoners were seated on sturdy chairs in a corner of the basement gymnasium. With a few additional flexicuffs and some duct tape, they were secured to their seats. Meanwhile, Red Lynx and Kestryl sat on the folding chairs they’d brought from the Funtime Lounge.

Psiductress stared intently at Red Lynx and Kestryl. She pointed at the bound and helmeted captives. “Jack Barchell is here in front of you. Doctor Triumphis is here in front of you.” She touched her hand to her chest, then waved toward Synergia. “And we’re the paying audience!”

She slipped a dollar bill under the waistband of Red Lynx’s tights. Synergia did likewise to Kestryl.

They both grinned. “It’s showtime!” Psiductress declared.

The knots in her gut loosened as her last doubts faded. This was going to work. The voices in her head weren’t refusing to let her wriggle out on a technicality, weren’t insisting that she go through with what her former captors had clearly meant.

Doing exactly what they’d said was good enough. She was about to carry out her instructions to the letter. She was making no attempt to avoid doing so. She certainly wouldn’t have any problem believing that she was acting voluntarily. She was perfectly willing to put on a sexy show for her friends and lovers, who now qualified as a “paying audience”, provided that the two villains whose presence she had to accept didn’t get to watch.

She smiled. “Well, then... enjoy the show!” She then glanced over her shoulder and caught Kestryl’s eye. “C’mere, darling,” she said, tilting her head fetchingly.

Kestryl sidled up against her. The tension was gone from her face and posture. Her body relaxed as it leaned into hers. She was completely confident in the loophole her mentor had figured out.

Their hypnotically imposed compulsions were as irresistible as ever. But now they could be indulged in a safe and friendly environment.

“You remember the ideas talked about on the drive home?”

Kestryl nodded.

Red Lynx bounced from one trampoline to another and did and a quick flip, landing in a flawless handstand. She bent her legs a bit to place her feet at a convenient height for Kestryl to remove her boots and socks. She did so, grinned mischievously, reached into a gym bag hanging from the wall, and took out a feather duster.

“Hey! No! Stop!”

“Sorry, none of those are the safeword.” Kestryl said in a mocking sing-song, waving the business end of the wand just above her mentor’s bare feet.

“I’ve got your safeword right here!” With one quick motion, she leaped to her feet and pivoted to smack her protégé on the behind. Kestryl jumped clear and somersaulted into a handstand of her own.

Red Lynx approached and raised her hand as if to continue the spanking. She acted indecisive for a long moment, finally administering two more quick slaps in response to Synergia’s urging to “Do it!” Then, she got down to the business of removing her partner’s boots and socks.

She took a long look at the younger woman’s bare feet, snickered, and reached into a conveniently placed little bucket.

Kestryl squealed as the ice cube touched her toes and escaped with a quick backflip. The duo then engaged in a brief sparring session, pulling off each other’s tunics in the process.

Having satisfied the compulsion to demonstrate their distinctive acrobatic prowess, they paused and struck poses to show off their bra-clad bosoms. Their audience gave growls and murmurs of appreciation.

Next, the duo wriggled their hips as they simultaneously hooked their thumbs under their waistbands and began pushing their tights downward. Slowly turning around as the garments slid down their legs, they bent over to present their rear ends to their housemates as they pulled their feet free of the fabric.

Now down to masks and underwear, they took a moment to double-check that Jack Barchell and Doctor Triumphis were securely bound and blindfolded before proceeding further.

Red Lynx made a show of waggling her tongue. She then moved in behind Kestryl, quickly undoing her bra clasp and taking hold of both sides with her teeth. She then reached around to gently jiggle Kestryl’s tits. She then released the bra strap, giving the impression that she’d undone the catch with her mouth. Maybe one of these days she’d figure out how to do that for real, but faking it was a good enough party trick for now.

Kestryl tried the same maneuver but botched it, letting Red Lynx’s bra fall away as soon as she undid it. The viewers didn’t seem to mind.

They removed each other’s panties without any such subterfuge, each taking her partner’s waistband in her teeth and tugging downward.

Red Lynx sighed as she felt her partner’s hand settle on her shoulder. She winked at her watching friends, and finally turned toward Kestryl. They stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment, slowly drawing closer. She felt Kestryl’s other hand against the small of her back, and her own hand reached behind her companion’s shoulders and up to tousle her hair.

Her lips brushed Kestryl’s cheek, and then they exchanged a quick peck. Kestryl glanced toward the spectators and murmured, “Hmmmmm....” The next thing Red Lynx knew, Kestryl’s lips and tongue were pressing aggressively against hers. Her mouth opened before she had a moment to think... not that it would have made any difference, she realized as she returned the favor.

She felt a pinch on her butt and began sliding her other hand down her companion’s back to reciprocate. Out the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the other two staring at the spectacle. She lifted one leg and wrapped it around the back of Kestryl’s calves, and felt her mirror the maneuver. They balanced on one leg each, bracing against each other and maintaining a firm grip on each other’s buttocks.

Finally, they came up for air and stood up straight. It lasted only a moment as they dived into another kiss, tongues darting back and forth into each other’s mouths.

“Niiiiice.” Synergia murmurred. Red Lynx turned away from the kiss long enough to pucker up and blow one at Synergia, and then picked up where she had left off. She raised her hands to Kestryl’s hips and drew her close. Shimmying her body, she wiggled her butt while rubbing her crotch against her companion’s.

Synergia wolf-whistled. From the day Psiductress had awakened her buried lesbian cravings, she’d been utterly unable to keep her eyes off a cute girl’s ass. The approbation sent a tingle through Red Lynx’s body, adding to the sensations that were building between her thighs.

Red Lynx pulled back, just slightly, then leaned in to suck and nibble at Kestryl’s neck.  She felt her companion stroking her hair with one hand while continuing to grope and squeeze her behind with the other.

She moved lower, licking her way down to her partner’s left shoulder and beyond, finally setting her mouth into place over her left nipple. She licked forcefully, sucked firmly, and nibbled gently, thrilling to the squeals and thoroughly insincere protests she drew in response. She raised her hand to grasp and squeeze Kestryl’s other breast. In the background, she could hear the other two women breathing heavily as they enjoyed the show.

After a minute or two, she pulled away and stood upright. She gave her companion a look that put her on notice that she was expected to reciprocate.

Reciprocate she did, with an enthusiasm that almost made Red Lynx’s knees buckle. She enjoyed Synergia and Psiductress’ wide-eyed open-mouthed stares almost as much as she enjoyed the physical stimulation.

For a moment, she wondered if her friends were exaggerating their reactions to help reassure her that she was fulfilling the imprinted directives. She decided that they probably weren’t. Neither of them was that good an actress.

Finally, she decided it was time to proceed to the climax, so to speak.

She led Kestryl to a pile of exercise mats. “Now, lie down and spread your legs wide.”

Kestryl obeyed. Knowing where this was headed, she began a bombastic oration. “Gather round and see for yourself: no tricks, no mirrors, nothing up my sleeve, nothing up her sleeve, just her fingers sliding deep inside my cu—” She gasped as her partner lunged forward and thrust a finger into her. “Hey! I wasn’t ready!”

“Oh, please. You’re practically dripping.” Red Lynx chuckled as she slid the finger in deeper. The other two women gathered to watch. As per the hypnotic instructions, they could see that the sexual penetration was unmistakably genuine.

So was Kestryl’s response. She sighed as the fingers slid deeper and deeper, and gasped when a second finger joined the first. Soon, her hips began to quiver. The motion soon became more energetic, and then downright convulsive as she moaned.

Red Lynx gave her a bit of time to enjoy the afterglow, then beckoned her to her feet. “Your turn,” she declared as she lay spread-legged on the mats.

Kestryl knelt between her mentor’s thighs. She licked the tip of her index finger, slid it between her partner’s folds, and popped it into her mouth to taste. “Sweet!” she cooed. She repeated the steps over and over, each time probing just a bit deeper, sucking her finger just a bit longer, and offering a fresh assessment of her lover’s taste.

“Don’t tease me like this!” she complained as the process dragged out. Was Kestryl going to keep her on pins and needles forever? No, she couldn’t—bringing her to climax was one of the imperatives she had to satisfy in order to free herself from the programming. What was she waiting for?

“If you insist!” With no further warning, the sidekick bent down to put her tongue to work. The sudden shift from gentle intermittent stroking to firm relentless licking sent her reeling. Her body shivered, and she felt herself beginning to clench down below as she careened toward orgasm.

“Oh... oh... oh!” she gasped as she went over the brink.

The next thing she knew, Kestryl was smiling down at her. “You’re delicious when you give me time to get your juices flowing properly!”

“Sorry if I’ve been rushing you,” she said, making a mental note to try letting her sidekick take full control of the pace and the action once in a while.

Somewhat shakily, she rose to her feet. Her partner stood at her side.

There was just one more thing they had to do.

They walked back to the chairs they’d brought from the Funtime Lounge, the very ones they’d been seated upon when they were originally brainwashed. They picked up the helmets and placed them upon their heads.

She heard the same soft click and quiet hum she remembered from her earlier experience.

Psiductress’s voice sounded in her ears. “Red Lynx and Kestryl... Jennie and Lilli... from now on, you will disregard any instructions you received while these helmets were on your heads. I repeat, nothing these helmets have done will have any further effect on your thoughts or actions. You are to ignore any commands imposed on you by these helmets.”

She blinked as light struck her eyes again.

“Are you two all right?”

Red Lynx nodded. “Just a bit hot and sweaty.” She gestured at the chairs. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, we need to get dressed and deliver those two to jail. I hate to go running off like this, but duty calls.”

“Are you sure you don’t want us to do it?”

“Oh, no, I think we want to see for ourselves that these two are behind bars.” Kestryl nodded her agreement. “We’ll be back in a little while. Try not to get bored while we’re gone.”

Psiductress reached out to gently slap Synergia’s ass. “Oh, I think we’ll manage all right on our own.”

-----

The duo walked in through the inner garage door and exchanged a quick peck on the lips. After tonight, that was enough for now.

“Good night, Jennie,” she said.

“Good night, Lilli,” her partner replied as she turned toward her own bedroom.

As she walked down the hallway, she glanced into the open door of Jill’s room. Jill and Diana were entwined on top of the bed. Their clothes were strewn on the floor, along with most of the bedding. She grinned. Obviously, they’d worked up a roaring sexual appetite from watching the show.

She flopped down on her bed and began pulling off her Red Lynx costume. There’d be time to put it away properly in the morning.

Never mind that now. She was exhausted, and glad to be home.

This was home, she knew. Home is where you can just relax and let yourself go.

FINIS