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A Momentary Lapse of Ethics 01

By: FinalStand



*It isn't a matter what you can do, but a matter of what you are prepared to do*

A little background: In the mythical place called the Tri-Cities which are a combination of New York, San Francisco, and Las Vegas.

-The Midnight Mask (deceased) the Tri-City's former defender; killed by the Eternal Flame.

-The Crimson Veil – Female leader of the Tri-City Alliance; former sidekick of the Midnight Mask.

-Technetronic – inventor and bankroll for the TCA; uses non-violent means to stop evil.

-Jackal Girl – Mystic female sleuth with the ability to turn into an Egyptian Jackal.

-T-Rex – Paleontologist with the ability to turn into a variety of dinosaur-like creatures.

-Lady Dynamic – newest member; a young, flying, super-strong heroine; sort of protégé of the Crimson Veil

Prelude:

"Veil, are you okay?" Lady Dynamic asked her mentor as the woman stumbled away from the punch. She'd never been able to land a solid blow on her before. Lady Dynamic went from elated to horrified in a matter of a second. Crimson Veil was superhuman in that she's at the max of human potential; she's not superhuman like bulletproof or anything like that.

"I'm okay. I slipped," she wheezed. "You go work out on the machines. I need to look over some of that data on that rash of robberies hitting the South Side."

Even Lady Dynamic could see that this is a dodge.

"Something is wrong with you, Crimson Veil. In the past few fights I've noticed you having ... problems, like you are dizzy or confused. Please, you can trust me."

Crimson Veil leaned against the wall and took off her trademark veil and hood. Lady Dynamic can never get over how stunningly beautiful she was with her dark skin and silky black hair with red highlights. Though I'm only a few years younger, 22 to 26, there is a gulf between them. Lady Dynamic was a product of an accident; the Crimson Veil has been training for this profession more than half her life. 

Normally she was so intense and full of energy but for the past few months had seen to be getting more and more fatigued. Lady Dynamic was sure I'm not the only one who has noticed. Crimson Veil's gaze bore into her young protégé.

"Lady Dynamic, I'm dying. I have an inoperable brain tumor; I've maybe three months before I lose muscle control; in three more months I'll slip into a vegetative state. They say I can last a half year before I totally shut down," Crimson told her. "I don't want to go out like that."

"We can help you," Lady Dynamic pleaded. "We can pay for something, Jackal can search magical tomes; we have to do something."

"Been there, done that Kid," Crimson smiled at her. "Technetronic has been working on my problem and there is no good news. Apparently bunches of old Egyptian gods don't have anything invested in my well-being either. I have to accept that this is one thing I'm not going to beat. That is why I want you to be ready. One day I hope you can lead this team."

"Me?!? I just got here," Lady Dynamic gasped.

"Think about it Lady Dynamic; even with their more experience, who has leadership potential. Leadership is more than a padded job resume. It is a spark you have to possess inside, and you have it. Believe me, if you keep your confidence, you can lead them and do a good job. Trust your gut."

"I ..."

"If you aren't going to listen to me and head to the machines I suggest we get back to your training. I'm feeling better now and don't even think of taking it easy on me," she grinned. Lady Dynamic backed away from the Crimson Veil and got ready for my next lesson. Crimson Veil cleaned her clock like she normal did. On her best day did Lady Dynamic feel that she was not half the woman Crimson Veil was.

(Present Day's Night)

Lady Dynamic plowed RazorClaw into the support beam and heard something make a satisfying crunch. Her costume was toast because Razor transformed into a living equivalent of razor wire, but her skin was tougher. She smashed her fist into what looked like his face and he squealed. Somewhere off to her left Crimson Veil was dodging Psychic King, leader of the Regents of Wrath.

T-Rex was outside dealing with their standard army of minions conjured by Ghost Wail because fighting inside wasn't his forte. Jackal Girl and Princess Bloodstone were behind Lady Dynamic, mystic energies arcing across the room. She knew that fight wasn't going well; Jackal was a subtle sorceress while Bloodstone had the Fat-Crackling Power of the Dark Gods. Like Lady Dynamic, Technetronic was stomping on the Digital Duke. All they needed was a little break.

Jackal Girl screamed and Lady Dynamic felt a soul-burning fire rip through her – and RazorClaw. He turned into a smoldering coil of wire and twisted metal at her feet. Lady Dynamic spun around to see Jackal Girl slumped down in front of Princess Bloodstone. Lady Dynamic rushed to Bloodstone but the bitch lashed out and a red lash of energy constricted around her neck and lifted her off the ground.

Lady Dynamic caught movement out of the corner of her eye. There was a costumed person in a faceless fully white bodysuit with a strange red symbol on his chest. Lady Dynamic was still trying to figure which side this guy was on when Bloodstone noticed him. She gave him that much, the guy had a bit of stealth.

Princess Bloodstone lashed down at him with her ruby nailed fingers encased in her Bloodstone mystic energy. He blocked the blow at the wrist and Bloodstone howled. The fire on that hand went out. She lashed with her other hand with identical results.

"What have you done to me?" she screamed in rage.

The man in white responds by putting his hands on her over-sized breasts and leaving them there.

"How dare you!" she screamed, "I ll ...ll ... aha ...ah ... uh, uh ugh ...ugh ... Goddess's!!!!" 

Princess Bloodstone fell to her knees. The energy holding Lady Dynamic collapsed and she landed in a crouch. She started running toward Princess Bloodstone for a finishing blow when the man in white held up a hand to stop her. Considering he'd just saved their lives she halted. He helped Princess Bloodstone to her feet with way more kindness than she deserved.

"It is time for you to go now," he whispered to Princess Bloodstone who gave him a weak nod and staggered for the hole in the wall.

"What ... we can't just let her go," Lady Dynamic declared to the man. He looked at her then knelt over Jackal Girl. He ran a hand down from her ear to her collarbone and she stirred. Jackal Girl looked up him and stared at the man then past him to Lady Dynamic.

"What happened?" Jackal asked.

Lady Dynamic looked around and saw that the fight had ended during her confusion. They'd won the day but the villains had exited minus a good number of minions.

"Thank you," Jackal told the stranger as he helped her up.

Lady Dynamic put a hand on the man's shoulder who then turned and regarded her.

"Okay now, who are you and what did you do to Princess Bloodstone?" she demanded.

"Well, I blocked her powers to her hands then because her mind was shielded from sleep effects so I gave her an intense orgasm instead," he says in one of the best bedroom voices she'd ever heard and she got the feeling he normally talked this way.

"Doctor Life," Crimson Veil said by way of a greeting.

"Crimson Veil," he bowed.

"Doctor Life senses life energy and heals people. It's his thing; that and he tries to never harm anyone, be they heroes or villains. That's got him in trouble in other places," Crimson explained.

"That's right; I never turn down a person in need," Doctor Life added. "Sometimes the authorities take a dim view of that. The villain profession sometime takes exception as well. Somehow crippling a nemesis for life means a lot less when I'm around and you know how villains can be about their vengeance."

"Do you want to join the team?" asked Jackal girl. "My shoulder feels great."

"I'm not sure how much of an asset would be," the man joked.

"You have my vote," Technetronic piped in.

"Are you an actual Doctor?" T-Rex asked.

"You would be welcome," Crimson Veil offered.

"I want to keep my private life private, T-Rex, but I'd like to consider the offer if I may," Dr. Life answered.

"Doc, what is that symbol on your chest," Lady Dynamic inquired.

"The Caduceus, the adopted symbol of the healer," he 'grinned' behind his mask. 

"What brings you to the Tri-Cities," Crimson asked.

"Big enough to live in peace, the right size to do some good," Life answered as sirens close in the distance.

"I should be going," Dr. Life told them. Crimson gave him the nod and the man slipped away.

"Man he's quiet," T-Rex commented.

"He controls his own life energy," Crimson said. "It allows him to be extra stealthy as well as regenerate. Now let's figure out how to explain all this damage after we set an ambush." There were groans all around.

(Later at Alliance HQ)

"So that is our HQ Dr. Life," Crimson told him. "We are still putting things together. This place is a bit more advanced than the basement the Midnight Mask and I worked out of."

"I know the feeling. I started by sneaking out of my home during high school. My secret lair was a scrap book underneath my bed." Crimson laughed which was the first real laugh Lady Dynamic had heard from the Crimson Veil in weeks.

"Those were good times," Crimson chuckled. "I remember my first mugging. Boy was that embarrassing and painful. Hell, I was twelve."

"I was thirteen when I started," Life informed her, "I also remember when I ran into my first robot."

"Robot?" Crimson asked then shook her head, "Not much life force to use, eh?"

"Nope; I had to bury my clothes they were so messed up. There was no way I could convince Mom that I'd been in a bike-riding accident," Life joked.

"Let's talk in private for a moment please," Crimson asked. They moved off and Lady Dynamic found herself sneaking behind them. That she succeed is evidence that Crimson was not at her best.

"What do you think?" she inquired out of the blue.

"Oh those ... four months at the outside; I'm sorry," he responded.

"Is there anything that you can ... to ease me along" she hesitated.

"Since you know about me you know that I can't; I just can't," he confessed. 

"I understand, believe me. We all live by our Codes. Thanks for your honesty Dr. Life. Do you think you can stick around and help out ... you know," she asked.

"I'll do my best," he replied. "I know this can't be easy. If you need help coping with the pain, I can help with that." Lady Dynamic couldn't hear a response, but she had a nucleus of a plan.

"Jackal Girl!" Lady Dynamic all but shouted over the phone, "I need a favor."

"What's up, Lady Dynamic?" the super-sleuth grinned.

"I want you to find the home of Dr. Life."

"1029 Morningside Lane," Jackal said without preamble.

"How did you know?"

"He's in the database Dynamic. We put it in his vitals this afternoon. He doesn't have a secret identity as much as a private life. Are you going to disturb him," Jackal Girl asked.

"I need to talk to him about something," Lady Dynamic sort of told the truth.

"You aren't going to piss him off are you? He only agreed to join us this morning."

"I ... I don't think so," Lady Dynamic lied. She planned to get some answers.

"Do you need help?" Jackal offered.

"No, I think I need to handle this alone," Lady Dynamic answered. If Jackal Girl knew why she was going, she's probably was going to try and stop her.

(Later)

"Hey Lady Dynamic," said the handsome man who answers the door at 1029 Morningside Lane. It is a nice dwelling that was either a large house or a small mansion. Since she was in her civilian identity she was a bit surprised.

"How did you know?" she blurted out.

"I sense life energy – it is sort of like a fingerprint; unique to the individual," he explained. He stepped by and lets her in. Lady Dynamic walked inside and looked around the place. He's had an understated sense of wealth. He noticed her gaze.

"I'm a successful doctor."

"Well, that's not why I'm here. Doctor Life ..."

"Conrad; my name is Conrad St. John," he told her.

"Conrad, I want to know why you aren't helping the Crimson Veil. I have the feeling you can."

"Is this were you prove to be the plucky, optimistic grad-student who was caught in an explosion and now is being mentored by the experienced yet doomed veteran?" he stated.

"What? How did you ..."

"It happens more often than you would believe," Life sighed. "Still, to answer your question I will ask you one of my own and I want you to think it over, because I know you are a smart woman. If you had the power to save a life, any life, where would you stop?"

"What? I ... so you really can save her but you've decided not to? But she's a heroine. She saves lives," Lady Dynamic begged.

"So Crimson Veil gets to live but Timothy Vernon doesn't because she's heroic and he's a normal kid dying of leukemia," he informed her. She was clearly conflicted.

"So now I'm saving Crimson Veil and Timothy – what about Kate Winslow, who was hit by a drunk driver and is in a coma? Lady Dynamic, where do I stop?" he continued.

"Oh ..." She had no answer to that because, damn him, she could see where he's going with this.

"And Crimson Veil knows this and is willing to die knowing that you can save her?" She nearly cried.

"She's a hero. She understands my code of ethics. She knows what it will cost me. I choose to save things done to people, but not what happens naturally, so Kate will awaken from her coma in a few days when my powers have worked on her subtly enough for no one to suspect. Timothy – and Crimson Veil will die unless some other force intervenes.

"I know you don't know me, and you don't owe me, but I'm begging you, please save her," Lady Dynamic pleaded.

"And if I save her, what do you do the next time you find someone else who I can save if only you beg me for help. Do you beg for their life as well? Do I listen? How do you feel about it if I let them die after saving her?"

"You have been at this a long time, haven't you, and I'm probably not the first person you've have had this conversation with, right?" Lady Dynamic asked sadly.

"Lady Dynamic, I've been living with this knowledge since I was thirteen and I'm now older than I look. Yes, you are not the first person to have this conversation. When I started out I gave in a lot and I saw what that got me – many angry desperate people."

"Because if you save that guy's loved one, why don't you save mine ... well fuck," she groaned. "Is there anything I can do to save her?" He reached out and stroked her arm and for a second she wondered if he was hitting on her.

"You are a good friend and I want you to know that you've proved that by coming here. Don't feel bad about not succeeding," he comforted her. 

She saw a well of sympathy in his eyes. Damn it, how many people had he let slip through his fingers because he knew he had his limits? Lady Dynamic was suddenly glad all she could do was punch things.

"I haven't driven you off the team, have I? I'd hate to do that to my teammates."

"No, we are good. I half expected it: spunky grad-student and all," he smiled. He showed her out with kindness and she couldn't find it in herself to be angry with him. Instead Lady Dynamic felt like someone has stomped on her soul. She felt she could save Crimson if she was only smarter.

(A month later)

It has been a bad night. The Regents of Wrath had beaten them pretty bad. Technetronic and Crimson Veil were in the hospital. Lady Jackal and Dr. Life were also beaten pretty badly. Lady Dynamic was face-planted into the Bay and by the time she got back to shore it was pretty much over. They had lost some sort of nano-tech project that bordered on Artificial Intelligence – not something they wanted to see the Regents with. 

Once they got Dr. Life conscious he healed himself and then Lady Jackal. Technetronic took some time for Dr. Life to heal. The team was talking to the cops when Crimson Veil came staggering down the hallway. Lady Dynamic ran to Crimson and caught her before she keeled over.

"What happened?" she asked weakly.

"We got taken down," T-Rex confessed. "We couldn't stop them."

"Crap; what is our status? I passed Technetronic in the ICU. He'll be out in a minute. Where is Doctor Life?" she inquired.

"We left him with you," Jackal Girl told the Crimson Veil.

"How bad was I?" Crimson Veil asked suspiciously.

"You were pretty bad," Lady Dynamic responded. "You ..."

"I had an episode?" she asked.

"Yes," T-Rex answered. Crimson Veil staggered. "They said ... you had a brain ... the impact caused things to progress faster than we thought."

"Oh crap," she whispered. 

"They weren't sure you would wake up," Lady Dynamic told her.

"And you let him heal me?" she groaned.

"What's wrong?" Lady Dynamic questioned.

"Lady Dynamic, Doctor Life doesn't just heal wounds; he's an empathic healer. He takes on the wounds of people he helps and then his own life force fixes the damage," Crimson Veil informed the team.

"But ..." Jackal Girl said softly.

"I had a terminal condition. He took that on to himself in order to save me," Crimson Veil murmured. Suddenly Lady Dynamic felt like a total heel. He'd told her there was a price for healing; she had thought it was psychological, not physical. She'd never asked. Now she had to find him and figure out a way for him not to die.

They sent Lady Dynamic on to his place while the others spread out over the city trying to find places between the hospital and home he might have ended up. She was wondering where he'd placed his key when she noticed him leaning against the porch beside her.

"Dr. Life ... Conrad ... let me take you ..." she stammered.

"There is no place to take me that would do any good," he ground out through the pain.

"Why in the hell didn't you say something to me?" Lady Dynamic accused him.

"And what; make you have to decide between my life and the Crimson Veil's? That hardly seems fair to you. She's your friend and you hardly know me, yet if I die could you possibly forgive yourself?"

"Oh, you bastard," she whispered. "You always planned to heal her. You let me go through all those mental convolutions for nothing."

"Not for nothing, but if it makes you feel better the deception was never aimed at you," he confessed. "I had to get the Crimson Veil in a position where she couldn't resist my efforts. Taking away her tumors took a great deal of time – something you know she would never have given me willingly."

"Thank you," Lady Dynamic told him.

"Can we get inside now? I really feel like crap," he told her.

"Are you going to die?" she asked.

"I don't know. I've never done anything so critical; I sort of need my brain to function. I figure the next hour will decide things. I can tell you this much: the Crimson Veil is something else for working with this much pain."

"I agree with that. She's something else."

"Help me inside please and let the others know you've found me and they can stop looking. I don't want a great deal of company right now," he requested. She took his keys and led the good doctor inside his house to the closest sofa.

"Can I get you anything?" she inquired.

"A few aspirin and some milk."

"You drink milk – really?" Lady Dynamic teased him. He tried to smile but he was clearly in pain.

"When you can see the effect that food has on the body, you tend to eat healthy," he told her.

She head to the kitchen and make some calls. Crimson Veil wanted to come over, but Lady Dynamic asked her what the point would be and for the first time in Lady Dynamic's career she told her she was right. They had to track down the Regents of Wrath now but she wanted Lady Dynamic to stay where she was. He was unconscious when she got back to the den. He was burning up and unresponsive. Lady Dynamic didn't know what else to do except put his head in her lap and stroke his hair.


A Momentary Lapse of Ethics 01



"Hey," he murmured. She stirred to wakefulness not sure how long she'd been asleep. He was looking up at her.

"You didn't die!" Lady Dynamic squealed and pulled his head up into a mighty embrace.

"Mmmphf," he mumbled. She gave him some air. "Nice breasts Lady Dynamic," he grinned weakly. Seeing as he's not going to die, she got back to smothering him in her over-sized tits.

"Hey, you aren't gay are you?" it suddenly dawned on her ask. She'd never thought about him in a sexual way because of their misunderstanding, but now that he was laying there all weak and vulnerable she see him in a different light.

"No, but I am more than twice your age," he sighed.

"Seriously; you don't look a day over twenty-five," Lady Dynamic noted with some admiration.

"Hello; Life Force manipulation. Learning to regenerate myself on a cellular level was one of the first tricks I picked up. Learning to actually grow up came later," he informed her.

"How long were you thirteen?" she wondered.

"Four years," Dr. Life confessed. "Let's leave it at my senior year being a growing experience."

"That's adorable," she grinned. He looked less than amused.

"Can I take a shower now? I have a ton of toxins I'd like to purge from my system."

"Okay," Lady Dynamic moved so that he could sit up. He moved slowly with deliberation as he headed into the back of his house. 

While he was gone, Lady Dynamic called the Crimson Veil and told her the good news. She promised to come by as soon as she could. She went to the kitchen to get some food for both of them when the doorbell rang. 

'Man,' she thought, 'Crimson must have been right around the corner. She must really have been worried'. Lady Dynamic was eating a turkey sandwich when she opened the door.

There was a woman at the door in a trench coat and her long red-hair pulled back in a ponytail. That was Lady Dynamics's reason for not recognizing her, she later swore. The stranger opened her coat and Lady Dynamic was looking right into the rack of Princess Bloodstone. If she was more on the ball she would have been putting Princess Bloodstone through the porch – across the street.

Instead a bolt of blood-red energy was slamming down the hall. She felt like her lungs were on fire – that would be the blood-side of her bloodstone powers; she sets your blood on fire. Lady Dynamic got back up but not soon enough to dodge the second blast. She went through the wall into the kitchen and did a number on the refrigerator. There was no way her student loans were covering that.

Lady Dynamic rolled aside when the third bolts wrecked that side of the kitchen. That reminded her how tough she was. Lady Dynamic lunged back down the hall toward Princess Bloodstone but the witch rose up a dome of force to block her. The barrier fractured but held. Princess Bloodstone lashed out but Lady Dynamic managed to cross her arms in front of me to absorb the impact. She was still pushed back.

"My house," growled Doctor Life as he entered the room. Lady Dynamic could tell he was in no shape for a fight.

"Run," she screamed. He did the opposite; he came across the den toward the entryway. Princess Bloodstone lashes out with both hands. Lady Dynamic tried to block again, but The Princess wrapped her up in a glowing snake of energy. She grabbed hold of Dr. Life too.

In Lady Dynamic's experience she knew she could break through these bonds in a little over ten seconds. She didn't think she would have that much time. Princess Bloodstone created a swarm of Blood Knives and aimed for her eyes.

"Don't!" Life shouted.

"Would you prefer to take my blades yourself?"

"Okay," he responded with icy calm. 

"If it is any consolation, Dynamic-Slut, you led me right to him," Princess Bloodstone grinned. Her knives transformed into a hammer. Right as Lady Dynamic broke free of her bonds she got pummeled through the back wall of the kitchen. All she could think was that she'd left a drained Dr. Life to face that psycho-witch alone.

There is no one there when she got back. She went for her phone; it was not there, so Lady Dynamic thought it had probably been pulverized. She found Dr. Light's phone in the wreckage and called Crimson Veil. Crimson Veil took the news stoically and told her to sit tight. The cops beat Crimson to the ruins of his house but not by much. All they were left with was wondering why him and not one of the more established members.

(Dr. Life)

"Strapped to a table; seriously?" Doctor Life said softly when he woke up.

"Would you prefer to be on your knees before me?" Princess Bloodstone sneered.

"Lying on a sofa actually, but a chair would do," he smiled.

"You find this amusing do you?" she snarled.

"Are we alone?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"Then yes, I find this amusing," he joked. Princess Bloodstone clenched her fists and blood red energy crackled from them.

"We could go on for hours about your overwhelming power and superior intellect but why don't you tell me what you really want," Doctor Life sighed. Princess Bloodstone looked ready to kill.

"I want you to do what you did to me before," she seethed.

"Oh ... crap," he breathed painfully. "How about you give me a few days to recover?"

"Why should I?" she growled.

"Well, you did put me and most of my team in the hospital, Princess Bloodstone," Dr. Life explained. Bloodstone stomped in frustration. "I do know the nature of your problem," he continued, "and I know what I can and can't do for you." She eyed him suspiciously.

"Your body is wracked with pain from absorbing the bloodstone energy. You think I can find a way to override that pain."

"Then do it," she insisted.

"I can't right now ... all the things you've put me through today," Dr. Life pointed out.

"You are lying to me," she snarled.

"Princess Bloodstone, why would I lie to you? I'm the one strapped to the table, and I know you will no doubt torture me if you so desire," he said patiently. The brought her up short.

"I'll make you do this for me," she threatened. "I can break you."

"So you are going to rob me of my precious life energy healing myself in order to make me use my precious life energy to help you ... have you thought this through?" Dr. Life pointed out. Princess Bloodstone screamed.

"I think can manage a little relief though. It will probably knock me out, but it will give you some peace," Dr. Life offered.

"Do it," she barked.

"Release me," he sighed. Princess Bloodstone looked suspicious. "I have to touch you."

"Do something wrong and I'll kill you," she answered.

"If thinking that makes you feel better," Dr. Life quipped. Princess Bloodstone released him with a flick of magical might. He sat up and stood on wobbly legs. He studied Princess Bloodstone for several seconds.

"Come here," he whispered. She did so carefully. He placed his hands on each cheek softly and took a deep breath.

"You are going to lose the ability to work complex spells," he informed her. Princess Bloodstone flinched.

"Why?" she asked with concern.

"I'm going to remove the effects of the Bloodstone magic on your head which will ease your headaches and nightmares, but will also cause you to lose your ability to access more complex Bloodstone magic," he explained.

"No nightmares," she murmured.

"I can give you about twelve hours. Normally I can't work anything this long but since you are allowing it, I can do more," he said. "By the way, expect me to pass out."

"Do it," she whispered.

His powers coursed through him and into her replacing her pain with his contentment. He staggered back and slumped down. Princess Bloodstone grabbed his shoulders before he hit the ground. She was dumbfounded with the quiet in her head. For the first time in years she felt totally in control of her own mind. She curled up with him and revealed in the peace and quiet.

Sometime later something had changed in Princess Bloodstone's wards allowing Jackal Girl to pinpoint her location. She and Crimson Veil closed in and ghosted through her defenses to find her lying on a table arms wrapped around a still Dr. Life. Jackal Girl gave a curious look to CrimsonVeil before closing in.

Princess Bloodstone and Dr. Life woke up simultaneously. She rolled off and had blood-red energy aching off her hands.

"Doctor Life?" Crimson Veil asked. She noted he looked like hell warmed over.

"She can't full defend herself. Let Princess Bloodstone go," he rasped.

"What?" Princess Bloodstone and Jackal Girl said as one. Jackal Girl looked to Crimson Veil.

"Let her go," Crimson commanded. Princess Bloodstone back out of the large room and ran away. Crimson Veil went over to Dr. Life and helped him stand up.

"Why did we let her go?" Jackal Girl inquired.

"If I block people's life energy I feel it is wrong to exact vengeance on them," Dr. Life answered weakly.

"But she's a bloodthirsty murderess," Jackal Girl seethed.

"Jackal Girl, we each live with our own limitations because of what we do. You obey the dictates of entities that have existed for thousands, I follow the ethics that the Midnight Mask taught me, and Doctor Life has developed his code after years of difficult experience," Crimson Veil pointed out.

"I think this is a mistake," Jackal Girl griped.

"All this talk is nice," he yawned, "But I really need to crash." Crimson Veil helped him to the door. Jackal Girl wove a shadow portal to the Egyptian Halls of the Dead and from there they made the short trek to the team HQ.

(One week later)

Jackal Girl was in her antique shop when she felt the mystique wards she placed on the Tri-City Alliance HQ triggered. She sent out a warning to the various members because at the time no member was actually present at the building. Lady Dynamic was teaching a course at the university when she got the call, but was trapped by her secret identity for ten more minutes.

Crimson Veil was asleep at her home in Old Town, T-Rex was also teaching, and Techtronic was running his financial empire, and Doctor Life was at the hospital. Lady Jackal slipped through reality and arrived only a few rooms away from the intruder. She ghosted to the door, opened it and came into contact to a pacing woman in a hat and trench coat.

With her Eye that Pierces the Veil she stripped away the illusions around the stranger and knew her invader as Princess Bloodstone. Jackal Girl's first thought was why she wasn't flying painfully through the door propelled by a Bloodstone blast.

"Hi?" Jackal Girl asked. She needed to stall for time.

"I need to see Doctor Life," she blurted out to Jackal Girl.

"Ah, well, I'll see what we can do," Jackal Girl responded. "Can I get you ... something to drink," she added, "like human blood," she finished with a whisper.

"Just him," Princess Bloodstone answered.

"Can I ask why?" Jackal Girl inquired.

"No. It is between him and me," Princess Bloodstone snapped. Jackal Girl was thinking about her next option when Techtronic arrived. The odds had shifted.

"Why are we still talking with this crazy bitch," he grinned.

"She's here to see Dr. Life," Jackal Girl explained. Princess Bloodstone didn't take the 'crazy bitch' comment well.

"Why?" he asked Jackal Girl.

"I haven't a clue," Jackal Girl answered him. They both looked at the villainess who glared back.

Crimson Veil arrived, took one look at the situation and said,

"She's here for Doctor Life?" she asked. Everyone nodded. "Okay, Princess Bloodstone, come this way." The two Alliance members cast a glance to their leader.

"Why?" Princess Bloodstone questioned.

"Well, do you really want to meet Dr. Life in our lobby?" Crimson pointed out. Princess Bloodstone followed along cautiously. There was an awkward gathering until Doctor Life arrived.

"Hello ... Princess Bloodstone?"

"We need to talk," Princess Bloodstone insisted.

"Fine, promise me you won't start anything while you're are here," he asked. She resisted but when he turned to leave she nodded her agreement.

"I've got it," he told his teammates.

They had to drag Jackal Girl from the room but once in the hallway Crimson Veil reminded her that they could monitor the setting from the Control Room. Once the other were gone Dr. Life looked the Princess over while she impatiently waited.

"I might as well ask," he sighed. "Why?"

"I want you to do it again," she told him.

"The whole thing? It will leave you powerless," he pointed out.

"Only for a little while right?" she asked.

"Of course," he answered.

"Take off your clothes," he instructed.

"What?" Princess Bloodstone said while back in the Control Room Jackal Girl and Techtronic said the exact same thing.

"I find it much easier to influence bodies with the fewer clothes in the way," the Doctor said while Crimson explained the same thing to her two compatriots.

At that moment Lady Dynamic came flying in. She took one look at the monitor and said 'WTF?' Crimson brought her up to speed. Meanwhile Princess Bloodstone was stripping out of her costume. Techtronic whistles and Lady Jackal

shot him a dirty look.

"One line and he gets a girl out of her clothes," he commented.

"It gets better," Crimson Veil joked, "next he gets to run his hands all over her body."

"When do we jump her?" Lady Dynamic urged.

"Do you remember that whole part at the beginning when we asked him to join that there would be problems, well this is one of those problems he was trying to warn us about," Crimson Veil stated.

"We can't pass up this opportunity," Jackal Girl pleaded.

"Is taking Princess Bloodstone worth making Doctor Life our enemy? I don't mean him leaving the team but a down right enemy, because we will have betrayed his trust," Crimson Veil countered. Lady Dynamic thought about her experiences with the healer.

"He's got a plan," Lady Dynamic suggested. "I've never known him to act without one."

Crimson Veil secretly grinned to Lady Dynamic. Meanwhile back with Doctor Life Princess Bloodstone had finished stripping down to her panties. He brushed her hair off her shoulders then ran his fingers along her scalp line. Princess Brimstone began to moan and wobble. Jackal Girl was fascinated by the transformation of the Princess into a 'normal' person. Lady Dynamic noticed the other side of the exchange.

"Doctor Life is really beginning to sweat," she noted. 

"He's taking on her pain," Crimson Veil clarified.

For Princess Bloodstone it was a wave of coolness washing away the raging flame that constantly consumed her. 

His touch was magical in its own way. Even though she felt her Bloodstone magic fade it was a small price to pay for the first real peace she'd felt in almost ten years. Her burning sensation coursed down her neck and into her chest she felt his hands caressing her body. She felt arousal for the second time from this man.

When she opened her eyes he was kneeling before her running his hands along her waist, hips, lower back and buttocks. She sensed his gentle touch where it excited her the most but he did not linger; something she found almost disappointing. He ran down each leg in soft strokes before finishing with each foot.

T-Rex came into the Control Room.

"What the hell?" he asked when he saw the monitor.

"Doc," Technetronic grinned, "we are in the wrong line of work."

"Why is she ... almost naked?" the paleontologist asked.

"Best one liner ever," Jackal Girl sighed. "He told her she had to strip for him to use his powers properly."

"And it worked?" T-Rex gawked.

"Like a charm," Lady Dynamic pointed out.

Back in the room with Princess Bloodstone Dr. Light stood up and looked at her.

"What now?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" the panting sorceress responded.

"Princess, you are powerless in the headquarters of your enemies; certainly you have planned ahead," he stated. Princess Bloodstone looked uncertain. She reached for her clothing.

"I don't suggest that," he said. Princess Bloodstone didn't care for his tone.

"Princess," he explained, "If some policeman sees you like that he will shoot you and now that you are powerless he will either wound you or kill you." Her mouth gaped. "Maybe I can get Lady Dynamic to give you some of her civilian clothes. She is the only one in your size. "

"I don't want anything from that idiot," Princess Bloodstone snapped. Back in the Control Room Lady Dynamic growled in response.

"Princess, your only other option is to wear the string tied underwear you are wearing, which I guarantee you will get you arrested. Nice choice in underwear by the way," Life smiled. Princess Bloodstone glared then sighed.

"Get me some clothes," she commanded.

"Please," he added.

"What?" she asked.

"It helps if you say please," Light pointed out. The Princess seethed at him but Doctor Light wouldn't flinch.

"Please," she growled.

"I'll be right back," he said. Doctor Life stepped out in the hallway and waited. Crimson Veil chuckled at the fact that he knew they were listening in.

"Lady Dynamic, go get the Doctor some of your spare clothes; he's waiting," she told her protégé. Lady Dynamic muttered as she headed off to obey.

"I'm going down to see if she's okay," Jackal Girl said. Crimson Veil gave her the nod and the team mystique was off in a flash.

"Guys, do you have something you could be doing besides ogling Princess Bloodstone?" Crimson Veil asked T-Rex and Technetronic. They had good sense look busy elsewhere.

Doctor Life had gone back into the room with Princess Bloodstone when Jackal Girl stepped in. The Princess shot Life an evil look before turning on her magical nemesis.

"Oh please make a move," Jackal Girl glared. Bloodstone eyes shone with hate.

"Are you going to let her kill me?" Princess Bloodstone brutally asked Doctor Life.

"She won't do anything to you," Doctor Life assured her. "She respects me and my work." The Princess gave Jackal Girl a disbelieving look.

"He's right," Jackal Girl snapped, "but if you step out of line I will drag you off to the Sunless Realm."

"I won't forget that threat," Bloodstone promised.

"Princess please don't abuse my hospitality," Doctor Life cautioned. "You asked me for a favor and I delivered. If you appreciate my help I ask you to respect those I call friends." Once more the Princess seethed but didn't say anything. There were several moments of intense glaring before Lady Dynamic showed up with some clothes and there was another awkward moment.

"We'll exit the room while Princess gets dressed," Doctor Life commanded while making sound like a request. He held the door as they left. 

"Doc, you can't trust her," Lady Jackal warned him.

"I'm not worried," he smiled. "I'm sure you and Lady Dynamic will be following at a discreet distance."

"Are we that transparent?" Lady Dynamic said.

"This is not the first group I've been in and this is not the first questionable decision I may that I needed to be saved from," Doctor Life joked.

"You can count on me," Jackal assured him. "I've got a lifetime of payback with her name on it."

Princess Bloodstone stepped out looking out of sorts. She had worn tennis shoes, faded blue jeans with holes in the knees and a cut off gray tank top with 'Property of Westside University' on it. It barely covered her ample bosom. Princess Bloodstone kept yanking it down while simultaneously trying to keep her costume in the clothes bag.

"Are these clothes a joke?" Bloodstone accused Lady Dynamic.

"Hey, these are my spare clothes. I didn't plan for anyone else to wear them," Dynamic grinned.

"Princess, I think you look nice. Now why don't we take a walk out in the world," Life said.

"Fine," groused Princess Bloodstone. Doctor Life put a hand on Princess Bloodstone's arm and led her away. The Princess glanced down at the hand with hostility.




A Momentary Lapse of Ethics 01



"Good luck Doc," Lady Dynamic wished him. Once they were safely down the hall Lady Dynamic turned to Lady Jackal and said, "Let's go and change."

"I can handle this with a simple illusion Dynamic," Lady Jackal informed her. After a few incantations the two women looked to be in normal street attire and took after the hero and the villainess.

(Walking the streets)

A man bumped into Lady Bloodstone and she turned viciously on him. He glanced at her salaciously then shrugged and went about his day.

"You can't go atomizing everyone who is rude to you," Doctor Life whispered. Bloodstone growled. "What do I call you?" he asked.

"What?" she snarled.

"I can't call you Princess Bloodstone, Princess, or Bloodstone without drawing attention," he pointed out. Her look went from angry to contemplative.

"Terra; call me Terra," she stated. "What do I call you?"

"Conrad," he smiled.

"What now?" Terra grimaced.

"How about a park or maybe a library?" suggested Conrad. "May I hold your hand?"

"Why?" she asked suspiciously.

"If we are seen as a couple you will have fewer interactions with people seeking your affections."

"I am not afraid of any possible suitors. Many have tired and all have failed," Terra boasted.

"Since we don't want to start a series of fist fights ..." he began but as they rounded the street into Hero Plaza a host of birds took light and Terra was brought up short as she stood in awe.

She turned to Conrad with a sense of adulation on her face. Like everything else Princess Bloodstone did, power equaled pain. Flying wasn't something she enjoyed. Nothing was free to be enjoyed for what it was. She grabbed his hand and beginning pulling Conrad toward some vendors.

"I want some of that ... and that ... and that!" she shouted. It had dawned on her that food would no longer turn to ash in her mouth. Terra was going hog wild. All the time Doctor Life watched over her and indulged her. Finally they were sitting on a park bench downing a pizza. She said to him.

"How much longer do I have?" she asked sadly.

"About two hours," he informed her.

"NO!" she sobbed, "there is so much I still want to do."

"Then you come back to me," Conrad promised her.

"You are with the Alliance and I am with the Regents; we are enemies," Terra proclaimed.

"Am I your friend?" Conrad asked. Terra hesitated.

"You confuse me. This is not over between the two of us. If we meet again in battle expect no mercy," insisted Terra.

"Come to me when you need help Princess Bloodstone. I will help you as much as I'm able," Conrad stated. Terra lowered her head. She had started the day so condescending and proud and was now reduced to mere minutes before her insanity would overtake her.

"I think there is a way to permanently reduce your pain and suffering while maintaining your powers, but it will take a lot of work and research; mundane and mystical. Do you want me to try?"

"What will be the cost?"

"I'm a doctor; I treat people based on what they can afford. In your case I would ask for magical talent to be put to use by the Alliance," he suggested.

"I won't do it!" Terra insisted. 

"Well, the offer is open if you change your mind," Conrad said.

After walking for about thirty minutes Conrad made notice of something.

"It is strange to be regarded with neither fear nor loathing, isn't it?"

"What ... what do you mean? These people would be wise in fearing me," she countered.

"Not right now; you are an exceptionally beautiful girl, you are drawing some male attention, and people are smiling at you. Is that so bad?" he said. Terra muttered by way of reply.

"I hate this traffic," she griped as they walked past some stalls on Center Street. "If I want to get around I can either fly or open a Blood Portal to where I want to go. This sucks. I can't even remember why I am doing this."

"Reach your hand up," directed Conrad. When she did so he added, "what do you feel?" It took her a moment to catch on.

"The Sun; I can feel the Sun warming my body," she whispered.

"And the press of these bodies is not something you can enjoy, or get irritated by, on your own. You can buy stuff at normal tables getting actual people get things that look right for you."

"I don't need anyone's fashion advice," she mumbled.

"Because you always wear the same style of costume," he finished. "But what if you want to go out on your own?"

"I don't need that," she snapped.

"Yet here we are," Conrad pointed out. Terra stomped her foot in frustration.

"You did something to me," she accused him.

"You know precisely what I did to you; I took away the pain. The rest of this is only you. I have to say that you are somewhat of a bitch." Terra glared hate at Conrad. "You claim to despise these little people yet here you are trying to lose yourself among them."

"I'll never do this again. This had been a colossal waste of my time," she declared.

"Pity because I think you are secretly enjoying yourself. Next time if you give me some advance warning I can take us to thing you might enjoy more." Terra looked at Conrad for signs of deception.

"You would betray me," she stated.

"Am I betraying you now?" he replied. "We both know it is within my power yet I have done nothing to you. You are my guest and my teammates respect my desires on your behalf. You are safe with me." They walked on in silence for over a minute.

"What would we do?" she asked.

"I figure hit a few clubs then an underground rock concert – something hardcore and more to your tastes than a walk in the park," he offered. Her eye got a glint in them.

"You don't look like the hardcore type," she commented.

"I go to all kinds of places. You would be surprised," he explained. They walked along for a bit longer.

"How about next Saturday night?"

"Consider it done," he nodded.

"I still won't join your super team," Terra stated.

"I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you to give us mystical help if something arises that Jackal Girl can't handle alone; to simply be a neutral party." She thought that over for a moment.

"I might – might be able to do that," Terra conceded.

They spent the rest of the afternoon experiencing so many of the little things in life that too many people take for granted. When she felt the pain coming back on they made their way to an alleyway and he helped her change back into Princess Bloodstone. The transformation overcame her and she found herself looking into his eyes with the rage returned.

"This is worse than ever," she seethed as Bloodstone energy crackled around her fists. Lady Dynamic and Jackal Girl got ready to intervene but Doctor Life remained stoic.

"It will take time to get used to," he informed the Princess, "but you will find it easier to deal with the more time you spend as a normal person."

"I don't want to be normal," she insisted.

"Are we still on for Saturday Night?" he countered. She hesitated, torn between watching his flesh ripped away with her awesome might and some mysterious desire to do things her normal powers wouldn't allow.

"Fine," she allowed before she created a portal in space and stepped away. Lady Dynamic and Jackal Girl walked up to him as he came out of the alley.

"She could have annihilated you," Lady Dynamic noted.

"People want what they don't have," Doctor Life answered.

"That is your plan?" Jackal Girl scoffed.

"Sometimes you don't need to overthink these things," he grinned.

"Are you really planning convert her with kindness?" Lady Dynamic questioned.

"That's not the hard part. The hard part is getting her legally rehabilitated. Making her a 'good guy' and disrupting the Regents of Wrath isn't doing us much good if she ends up in prison," he pointed out. The two women didn't say anything for a few moments.

"Does Crimson Veil know about this?" Jackal Girl asked.

"I'll tell her when I get back to HQ," he admitted, "but I would imagine she knows."

"I have to see this," Lady Dynamic grinned. It was with some surprise that Crimson Veil gave it her nod right off the bat. Dr. Life had been right about her figuring him out.

"Why?" Jackal Girl wondered after the good doctor had left Crimson Veil.

"She hates us but not him and face it; the Regents are our biggest foe. If we can weaken them we go a long way to making this city safer. If we can do it with kindness so much the better," Crimson Veil pointed out. Lady Dynamic had to admit it wasn't something she hadn't thought of, but then she thought of Princess Bloodstone as an egotistical, blood thirsty slut.

(Saturday) 

Lady Dynamic (Sarah Beltran) was adjusting some of the largest pieces of Conrad's furniture as Jackal Girl (Alisha al Ryahda) was establishing the last wards when there was a knock at the door. Conrad St. John opened it and after a moment stepped side. Jackal Girl looked over to the door and grimaced at Princess Bloodstone. There was a stand off until Jackal Girl informed Conrad of a most pertinent fact.

"There is a ward that only allows accepted visitor – you have to invite her in."

"I could knock down this pathetic barrier if I wanted," Princess Bloodstone scoffed.

"But thank you for not doing it," Conrad grinned. "Please come in."

Princess Bloodstone stepped in with a tote bag and looked around clearly disrespecting her surroundings.

"Being a hero doesn't pay well," she commented.

"How did you find us, you witch?" Lady Dynamic asked.

"I am one of the most powerful sorceresses that have ever existed; finding one mere mortal is no hard task," bragged the Princess.

"I invited her over," Dr. Life informed them. Jackal Girl shook her head and looked down.

"Why do I bother?" Alisha groaned.

"I promise she's the only one," Conrad assured his team mystic.

"I'm ready," Princess Bloodstone declared as she began stripping down. The other two women stared at her.

"Body conscious much?" Lady Dynamic asked Jackal Girl as Princess's clothes went down into a pile on the ground.

"Pardon me, but are those tits real?" Jackal Girl wondered. Lady Dynamic looked down at her own abundant rack.

This time Princess Bloodstone took off all he clothes then Conrad began working his own peculiar form of power once more. His touch brought instant relief to her features turning anger to happiness. When he moved his hands around her neck she smiled at him.

"I'm sorry," Princess Bloodstone stated.

"What?" the three heroes all said

"I was bitchy last week and I shouldn't have been. Sometimes when you are superior to everyone it is easy to forget lesser people have feelings too," the Princess explained.

"Princess Bloodstone, remind me when we next meet time to knock your superior ass into next week," Lady Dynamic smiled. Bloodstone didn't take that well.

"Let's leave next time to next time and not ruin the moment," Conrad requested. Right then his hand reached round the Princess' shoulders and over her back. She pressed herself against the doctor.

"Mmmm ..." she murmured. "That feels nice."

"Please," muttered Jackal Girl sarcastically. Lady Dynamic nudged her. She was getting turned on by watching the two supers interacting. The Doctor had a sensuous touch and the Princess was either enjoying it entirely too much or over acting well. By the time he finished Lady Dynamic felt the need to find someone herself.

Conrad and 'Terra' dressed and headed out to the first club of the night leaving Jackal Girl and Lady Dynamic at his place.

"Do you know any other-worldly amulets that can possess me?" Jackal Girl asked.

"That's her problem? I thought she was having permanent PMS," Lady Dynamic joked.

"You know if Technetronic touched me that way I'd punch his lights out, so why is it okay if he does it?" Jackal Girl asked.

"Did you get turned on by watching him with Bloodstone?" Dynamic countered.

"Yes," Jackal Girl admitted.

"If he can do that without trying, imagine what he could do if he put his mind to it," Lady Dynamic sighed. "They only thing is he's apparently a lot older than he looks. I'm not sure he regards us in the same light as we regard him. We are only kids to him."

"Maybe I can change his mind," Jackal Girl mused. With that thought the two heroines left for their own night on the town.

(Saturday Night)

"Terra," Conrad called out to her over the noise, "How do you like it so far?" It had been tough initially. Terra was used to a wall of sanctity that surrounded her. It had been weakened in their first outing but totally torn down here in the club where bodies everywhere pressed against bodies. Terra turned to him and smiled gleefully.

"Paige," she shouted over the noise, "my name is Paige."

"Well Paige, do you like it?" She nodded her head and went back to dancing. When they moved to the sides after the current band had finished Paige pulled him close.

"I could never do this before. Ummm ... thank you."

"No problem Paige. You really brighten up when you are having fun like this," Conrad responded.

"Do you really think you can let me keep my powers and feel like this too?" she said in a quieter tone.

"Yes," Dr. Life nodded. "I can handle the channeling of life force but you need someone to handle the magical shunting of the power. Do you know of any magi you can trust with this?"

"No," she sighed as she shook her head. "I haven't made many friends in my line of work. Sure there are a few who fear me, but I would hardly put my power in their hands."

"Fine, Jackal Girl it is," Conrad assured her.

"What? No way. First off, she's not powerful enough. Secondly, she hates me."

"She's powerful enough if you help her," Dr. Life pointed out, "and she doesn't hate you so much as she stands against what you have been standing for – the unrestrained use of magical power. I think the two of you can work something out."

"I don't hate what I stand for, Conrad. I like the way I am, I just don't like the price I have to pay to keep what I have," she stated. Dr. Life looked at her for a long minute.

"Why should I help you then?" he asked.

"I've looked you up; you help good and bad alike, so why won't you help me?"

"I try to save lives, Paige. How am I saving lives by helping you?" he countered.

"So you won't help me because I won't change who I am," she stated angrily.

"I never said that. What I said was what is in it for me?" he answered. Now she studied him.

"What do you want?" she asked. "We could be allies ... or lovers," she offered.

"Thanks but no thanks," Dr. Life laughed. "I have enough psycho-ex-girlfriends as it is." Paige glared at him. "I want you to think about what you are doing. What are you going to do when you rule this dimension? What is going to happen to all the people, street vendors you liked, or this club? Won't you destroy them too?"

"Sacrifices have to be made," she declared with conviction.

"But will having it be worth whatever shell you have left?" he asked. "Sure you are powerful, but what you do with it is up to you. Do you protect the pieces of reality you treasure, or do you keep destroying what you value until you are left with only the things you don't care about?"

"I can have it both ways," Paige replied.

"It never works out that way," Dr. Life warned her. He put his arms around her waist and drew her to him despite some resistance. "I don't want you tossing away all that you are about to gain because of something some other entity has pushed you to do."

"The Bloodstone does not control me," Paige responded.

"Then why do you want to control the world?" Conrad asked. She had no immediate answer.

"It is my destiny," she finally managed to say.

"How are you supposed to lead this world then?" he inquired.

"Huh?"

"Couldn't you rise up to lead the superhumans?" he suggested. "Be the greatest superhuman of them all."

"What do you mean?" she murmured into his shoulder.

"I'll let you think about it, Paige. The new band is on and we have some serious partying to do," he said as he pulled her face to face with him. He led her back onto the floor where the music and the press of bodies drove other worries from her mind.

(Two Weeks Later)

Lady Dynamic flew into HQ for her share of watching over the city. If everything remained quiet it would also give her a chance to put in some work on her Master's project. As she came in she saw Crimson Veil and Doctor Light laughing and talking. They had run the night shift and since Conrad St. John had set aside his practice, Dr. Life and Crimson Veil had been scouring the town together.

The two superheroes did what they did because it was their calling. Lady Dynamic knew she had stumbled across this line of work and while one day she would be good at it, she was still so new. Jackal Girl had suddenly been handled her family's destiny one day out of the blue. T-Rex, like Lady Dynamic had been part of some accident. Only Technetronic had grown up with his power, but to him superheroing was something he did for fun.

"Hey Boss," Lady Dynamic called out, "anything happen I need to know about?"

"We put twelve members of the Leonard Street Gang away, so keep your ears open for any activity with the twelfth precinct," she sighed musically. It was a strange noise for Dynamic to hear from her mentor.

"Care for a bit of sparing," Crimson Veil asked Dr. Life.

"Sounds good to me," he answered. They made their way to that side of the complex while Lady Dynamic settled in. After a little while curiosity got the better of her and Dynamic took a look see into how things were going on between the two heroes.

Right off the bat Lady Dynamic could tell that Crimson Veil was the better combatant, but Dr. Life had his own way of fighting that revolved around taking a blow and then transferring the energy back on his attacker so they were more closely matched than it initially appeared. When it ended it was over in a flash. 

Crimson did a nearly impossible acrobatic move that resulted in her sweeping Dr. Life off his feet. She did a quick roll and ended on top of him, curved blade to his throat. They were both panting heavily. Dr. Life pulled back his face covering.

"You win," he smiled. "That was one hell of a work out." Crimson Veil sheathed her knife, pulled back her hood and looked down on him smiling just as much as he was.

Then she kissed him and not in a way that could be misconstrued as friendly or platonic. Lady Dynamic, Crimson Veil, and Dr. Light all seemed surprised.

"I'm sorry," Crimson Veil said in a panicked voice. She tried to stand up but Dr. Light stopped her.

"I'm not," he whispered to her and kissed her back. Crimson rested herself against his chest and kissed him for what seemed like the longest time. Lady Dynamic felt as if she was intruding on a special moment but couldn't turn away.

"What now?" Crimson asked.

"We take it one step at a time," he answered. "Face it, our jobs take up most of our time, but at least we get to work together. Maybe we can take a night off here or there and go do something more normal.

"There is one thing I need to know," Crimson sighed. "What happened to Jennifer Morales?"

"She died; she was murdered," he clarified. Lady Dynamic made a note of the name.

"What happened to the man who did it?" she persisted.

"The Corrupter; I haven't finished him yet, but I will," he confessed. The name wasn't a familiar villain to Lady Dynamic.

"Oh," Crimson said in a small voice.

"What are you going to do when you catch up to the Eternal Flame?" he inquired.

"I've dreamed of killing him," Crimson Veil admitted. Lady Dynamic knew how strong Crimson Veil's code against murder was. To hear her put it aside for anything or anyone ...

"What does that make us? Are we really any better than they are in the end?" she sighed.

"With them it is a way of getting through the day; for us it is a momentary lapse of ethics," Dr. Life told her.




A Momentary Lapse of Ethics 01



"A momentary lapse of ethics; that's a funny way to put it?" Crimson Veil questioned him.

"We aren't required to be perfect Crimson, we force ourselves to try and be as good as we can be. The one thing I regret I will have about the Corrupter's death is that she would have been ashamed of me for slipping up the way I did," he confessed to her.

"She was before my time. What was she like?" Crimson asked.

"The Golden Swan ... she was wonderful. She was so much better than me. She'd never have become bitter like I've become," Dr. Life said in a far off voice.

"You are not bitter Conrad, only more practical. We've both had some distance to travel. From what I've heard she was one of a kind," Crimson said.

He reached up and stroked her cheek. 

"Is that what you are being right now with me; practical?" he said softly.

"No," she admitted. "No I'm not, but I'm doing it anyway."

"So am I."

Lady Dynamic turned away. She let her mentor and newfound friend have their moment. She had some names to look up. Golden Swan ... Corrupter ... Jennifer Morales ... who were these people?



A Momentary Lapse of Ethics 02



*The difference between friendship and passion can be a matter of perception*

(A Week Later)

Crimson Veil danced past one of the shadow puppets conjured by Shadow Glove to launch a bola at the super-thief. The device wrapped around Shadow Glove's legs causing her to sprawl over. Jackal Girl leapt on the prostrate form and slammed a Sealing Ward onto the thief, taking away from the woman the ability shadow step as well as keeping the woman from pushing past the existing wards.

"Crap," Shadow Glove laughed. "You caught me."

"You are taking this awful well," realized Jackal Girl.

"It was only a matter of time before I would get caught if I kept played this game, Jackal Girl. Besides, catching me and holding me are two separate things," Shadow Glove pointed out.

"We will see," Crimson Veil responded. "Now let's get you to the police." They hoisted Shadow Glove up, wove another set of mystic bonds over her hands and led her out of the museum she'd come to rob. "Good job Jackal Girl," Crimson Veil said.

"I've been hunting her long enough," Jackal Girl sighed.

"Cheer up," Shadow Glove piped up. "You caught me."

"Your good attitude only makes me worry more," Jackal Girl replied.

"Good for you; it should," Shadow Glove agreed.

"Don't let her get under your skin. She's been caught and we've always know she's been a bit crazy. This is all part of her attempt to keep playing with our minds."

"Damn it," Jackal Girl gripe, "it is working."

(Two Days Later)

Princess Bloodstone, Paige, sat back laughing at the movie between mouthfuls of popcorn and sips of Coke. A few people looked her way with annoyance but she ignored them.

"This is great," she told Dr. Life aka Conrad. He tilted his head toward her.

"Speak quietly," he whispered carefully. She looked at him with similar annoyance but nodded.

Despite herself Paige found her eyes gravitating to Conrad as she watched the movie. The man was an enigma. He gave her so much but asked so little. For the moment, he asked nothing at all except for her to think about things she would consider anyway. The only perplexing thing about him was that that he was friendly without being overly friendly. She prided herself on her looks but he appeared to be able to ignore them.

When they were walking out of the theater and heading to the subway she opted to find out.

"What's her name?" she asked.

"Her? I'm not sure I feel comfortable talking to you about my girlfriend," he responded.

"Oh, well tell me what she's like. There is no harm in that," she smiled. Inwardly she congratulated herself for getting inside his shell.

"She's a lot like you," he said. "Confident, smart, independent and mysterious while still being uniquely human; someone that intrigues me."

"I intrigue you?" she grinned.

"Of course you do," he replied. "You are important to me, Paige. Am I important to you?" Paige had to think about that because no one and nothing had real valuable to her before.

"I think so," she allowed, "but don't get used to it. I find you useful is all."

"Of course," he nodded.

"... so what's next?" Paige asked

"How does Arabic food sound?" he smiled to her.

"Great; I've never had that before," she beamed. Important or not, Dr. Life always found things to make her few hours of peace more and more savory.

When they got back to Conrad's place and Paige had become Princess Bloodstone again she stared at him. Dr. Life knew this was his most vulnerable time, when the pain came seeping back in. Energy arched around her and anger beamed from her eyes.

"Dr. Life," she growled.

"Yes?"

"I would meet with Jackal Girl ... to discuss things," she said.

"I will let her know. Are we still on for next Saturday?" he asked. 

"Of course and you had better entertain me," she snapped. She opened the door and created a crimson portal outside the wards to somewhere else.

"Princess, did you have a good time tonight?" Conrad inquired. She hesitated and looked back over her shoulder.

"I did," she admitted then was gone. He shut the door and got suited up so he could find Crimson Veil.

(Regents of Wrath)

"Princess Bloodstone, where have you been?" Psychic King demanded.

"I didn't know I was at your beck and call," she sneered.

"Watch yourself," Corpse Wail threatened. She was always ingratiating herself with the Regents of Wrath's leader, Psychic King.

"You are part of the Regents because I brought you in Princess; don't you forget it. Without me you would still be only another maniac with delusions of grandeur and a desire for a soliloquy," Psychic said in a condescending manner. She ground her teeth in anger. "I am the only option that exists to remove the Tri-City Alliance forever," he reminded her ... again.

"Exactly how do you plan to do that? It isn't like we haven't been able to defeat them a half-dozen times already without any grand strategy," challenged Bloodstone.

"Defeated them; yes, but that is not the same thing as getting rid of them all forever," he chuckled.

"We will grind them down to nothing," claimed Corpse Wail.

"As if Psychic King would confide his plans in you, you necromantic moron," Princess Bloodstone laughed. The pale ghost-like villain seethed but did nothing. There was little doubt she feared the superior sorceress.

"My plans will become clear soon enough, but when the time is right, I need you to be ready Princess Bloodstone so you will curtail your personal projects," Psychic King demanded.

Princess Bloodstone felt her furor boiling but knew to openly defy him would court disaster. Then the realization hit her; if she helped bring down the Alliance she would be throwing her best chance to regain her sanity and a life without pain. Suddenly she felt trapped and she had no one to talk to, no one she could trust.

(Lady Dynamic)

Sarah Beltran was getting a little tired of doing all the talking with her date Russell What's-His-Name. Like too many guys she knew he was spending too much time ogling her tits and not enough making eye contact – or even making conversation. Finally she had enough.

"Hey Russell," Sarah began, "this has been a blast but I have a project I have to take care of."

"Wait, do you want to go out for a drink?" Russell blurted out. Sarah had little doubt that a drink wasn't what he had in mind.

"Sorry Russell, I really have to be going," she smiled, got up and left. She didn't feel the least bit bad about sticking him with the bill.

She walked home, thought about it, suited up and headed out over the city. She was in awe of her ability to fly and be free of the ground and all its troubles, but she was still lonely and there were few people she could talk to about it. Well, she figured, that was what mentors were for. Catching up with the Crimson Veil didn't take long.

"What's the problem?" Crimson asked her while they sat on top of a building.

"Men ... relationships, people in general," Lady Dynamic sighed. "If I had known that a secret identity was going to be so hard on my social life I'd have gone public from Day one."

"Do you really think that would be any easier?" Crimson questioned.

"This is going to be one of those questions I'm not going to like the answer," Lady Dynamic groaned.

"When you are public, everyone you know is in danger from super-villains, everyone wants you to do favors for them, and you worry about every man you meet only wanting to nail a super-heroine. Trust me you are doing the right thing. Give it time and things will get better," Crimson Veil promised.

"You have it easy on one regard," Lady Dynamic let slip and immediately regretted it. Crimson Veil titled her head toward Dynamic but her facial expression was hidden from view.

"Yes?" Crimson Veil asked. Lady Dynamic grimaced. "You know about us," Crimson stated.

"I looked in that night ... to see how good he was," Dynamic admitted. "As a fighter!"

"When did you look away?" Crimson Veil inquired.

"After the second kiss," Lady Dynamic replied. "Did I miss more?"

"None of your business," Crimson Veil chuckled. "I'm a big girl now."

"That still doesn't change the fact that you have a relationship and I don't," Lady Dynamic stated. "What do you think of Technetronic?" 

"He's a playboy and voyeur, but I'm not sure how much you have in common. He's an engineer and you are a theoretician. He's also a bit more sexually liberated than you are," Crimson pointed out.

"That doesn't leave much of an opportunity for me," Lady Dynamic admitted.

"Well, do you want us to shop around for you – sort of a super-hero's dating service?" Crimson asked.

"You can do that?" Lady Dynamic perked up.

"Sure. Many of us keep tabs on one another in various cities. That is how I knew Dr. Life and he knew me. Neither one of us can openly advertise after all," Crimson informed her.

"How does this work?" Lady Dynamic asked.

"We circulate a picture of you and put up a 1-900 number," joked Crimson Veil. "Actually I've never done this before so I'll see what I can figure out."

"Do you know how surreal it is to be getting dating advice from the Tri-City's greatest crime fighter while sitting on top of a building?" Lady Dynamic chuckled.

"I won't spread the news if you won't," Crimson Veil suggested.

"Mums the word," Lady Dynamic answered. There was something else she felt she needed to do. "There is something else I want to ask you about; whatever happened to the Corrupter?"

"Oh ..." Crimson Veil muttered.

"He disappeared fifteen years ago shortly after he killed Jennifer Morales aka the Golden Swan. Are you sure he's not dead? I mean, if Life wanted to kill him ...," Dynamic hesitated.

"The Corrupter is in a deep dark hole. He may be deathless for all we know, but Dr. Life crippled him and broke his power in such a way that he can never fix his body again," Crimson Veil said quietly. "Midnight Mask told me all about it."

"See, the Corrupter, Golden Swan, and Dr. Life were all Life Force controllers. The Corrupter wanted to unite all the other controllers under his leadership so they could sell life and death all over the globe. The Golden Swan resisted him and he managed to kill her after a terrible fight. Dr. Life came upon her lifeless body and the drained form of the Corrupter and did something to him that has forever warped that villain's body."

"After that, the government put Corrupter in a maximum security facility that most of us don't like to talk about because its Constitutional authority is questionable. Dr. Life regrets what he did to the Corrupter and he also regrets not trying to kill the man," CrimsonVeil informed Lady Dynamic.

"He always seems so mellow," Lady Dynamic observed.

"He has lost it once, seen what horrible things he could do and it has scarred him. To his credit he hasn't forgotten about it. He's lived with what he's capable of every day of his life and because of that he had worked very hard at not caring for anyone as much as he cared about Golden Swan," Crimson stated.

"Were they close?" Dynamic asked. Crimson Veil looked at her.

"They were husband and wife."

"Damn it ... wait, if he is an empathic healer, how did he hurt the Corrupter?" Dynamic questioned.

"He ripped the power right out of him. In the same way he can heal, he can give pain and he tore the weakened Corrupter's power right out of him and claimed it for his own. While he lives, the Corrupter can't recover and they both know it. He is constantly causing that man agony and he shares that pain. That is a burden I don't want to bear," Crimson answered.

"Could he ever lose it again?" Dynamic inquired.

"Anyone of us could lose it, Lady Dynamic. If you ask me if he is more prone to it I would have to say 'no'. Besides if he does, we can stop him – I can stop him."

"Even though you care about him?" Dynamic asked. Crimson Veil stared at her for a long time.



(Morning)

"Mmmm," murmured Crimson Veil as she lay on the bed. Dr. Life ran his fingers over her back from midway to the shoulders and back again. The aches literally drained away. As his hands rolled over the top of her shoulders to her collar he reached down and kissed her neck. "Are you expecting to get something," she moaned.

"I certainly hope so," he said as he kissed her right beneath her ear. Crimson Veil propped herself on her elbows so she could lean back toward Conrad and started to kiss him.

"Say it again," she whispered.

"Dakota," he responded. There were very few people who knew the real name of the Crimson Veil. 

She was a much hidden individual and trust was a rare commodity for her. She rolled on her side so that she faced him.

"Why me?" she asked. She was rarely unsure but she was unsure now.

"I can't put it in words. I know I've admired you for some time, but since I've met you I've felt you were special," he told her.

"I barely know you," she admitted, "but I've known about you for a long time. Even though the Midnight Mask was leery of you, I always admired you for your convictions if not for your code," she said.

"That's a polite way of saying you don't agree with me," he laughed.

"Does that mean I'm not going to get any more attention," she inquired coyly.

"I think I'm in this for the long haul," Conrad confessed.

"That's a polite way of saying you like me," Dakota responded before kissing him. He slowly rolled her over while keeping the kiss. She rose up one leg while his hand roamed over her body. For Dakota it was electric and for Conrad it was a matter of feeling more than alive.

(Central Plaza Justice Building 3 Days Later)

The reinforced concrete wall exploded inward knocking over the closest guard. Three other guards on the level knelt and leveled their pulse rifle at the sudden opening. Unfortunately for them, the Psychic King didn't need to see their targets to hit them. Two guards fell to the ground stunned but the final one got a shot off. A pulse of electrical energy lashed out at the dust-shrouded forms.

The blast crackled around the crimson shell and a second later the guard heard the distinctive whirring of Razor Claw. The guard turned and ran, but didn't make the door. Now the first level of the detention block was open to the Regents. Alarms were also going off all around the city. The Regents were on the attack.

The door guarding the way to the basement High Security lock-up, their goal, was torn down by Razor Claw. The rest of the regents followed. Ghost Wail dropped down the stairwell and used her trademark wail to disable the guard waiting for the team. Even at this 'safe' distance, the eerie call rattled the Regents.

Now the Digital Duke took over. Outside the vault he connected with the electronic systems that independently kept the High Security area screened. In under a minute the huge door swung open. Two bolts of energy came flailing out. One staggered Corpse Wail and the other bounced off of Princess Bloodstone's shield. 

This time the Princess could see her targets and she lashed out at both of them, catching them in her coils and crushing them in mid-air. She then slammed them into the wall at the end of the hall while the Digital Duke and Psychic King entered. They walked up to one cells. The Digital Duke worked his powers once more and the prison cell opened.

"Hello Shadow Glove," Psychic King announced.

"Hi there," she quipped in return.

"Come with us if you want your freedom," he told her.

"Isn't that supposed to be 'come with me if you want to live'?" Shadow Glove taunted with a grin on her face.

"Don't mock me criminal," Psychic King growled.

"Fine, fine, what's the offer?" she asked.

"You are going to perform a mission for us and you will be richly rewarded," Psychic King informed Shadow Glove.

"What's the mission? Who am I going against and what is the chance of death, primarily my own?" Shadow Glove smiled warmly.

"You will be told the details when they become relevant to you," the King responded.

"Can I think about this?" Shadow Glove inquired.

"No," was Psychic King's angry reply.

"Do I have a choice?" she asked.

"Are you coming or not?" snapped Princess Bloodstone.

"Come now if you don't want us to kill you," the Digital Duke threatened.

"Now that is an offer I can understand," Shadow Glove agreed. She hopped up off her bed and walked to the door then skipped down the hall bracketed by the villain group. With the containment energy field down, Princess Bloodstone was able to open a Portal and the team exited as the first response guards arrived on the scene.

At the Regent's safe house, Bloodstone grabbed Shadow Glove by the wrist and twisted.

"Ow," whined Shadow Glove, "I was planning to use that arm."

"We don't' want you stepping into the shadows Shadow Glove," Psychic King sneered. Razor Claw stepped up and cut open Shadow Glove's palm.

"What part of 'OW!' do you people not understand?" she screeched. Princess Bloodstone put her hand over Shadow Glove's open wound. Shadow's blood felt it was still on fire and she writhed in pain.

"Now if you betray us," Princess Bloodstone promised, "I'll be able to find you and exact vengeance."

"And here I thought we were all friends," joked Shadow in a pained voice. Psychic King backhanded her, rocking her head to the side.

"Cease your insolence," he commanded. Whatever replies Shadow had she kept to herself.

"Fine then," she said, "what is it you want me to do?"

(Back at the Central Plaza Justice Building)

Lady Dynamic was the first on the scene and she didn't' like what she saw. She could tell by the police response that she was too late. She landed outside the hole in the wall and waited for the closest person in authority to approach her.

"Lady Dynamic," a Police Officer said, "we were attacked by the Regents of Wrath. They broke Shadow Glove out of Max Security."

"How long have they been gone?" she asked.

"Five minutes; we have units out but frankly we are waiting on you. Princess Bloodstone opened a gate when they exited the Max Sec. They knew how to take out our secondary interference grid," the officer told her. Lady Dynamic started pacing and looking introspective. This wasn't the part of the mission she was trained for.

Jackal Girl arrived next and Lady Dynamic immediately brought her up to speed. The two went quickly to the crime scene and Jackal began calling upon her Egyptian magic and impressive sleuthing skills to start figuring out what happened.

"Shadow Glove didn't go willingly," Jackal Girl stated.

"What makes you say that?" Lady Dynamic asked.

"She left all her belongs here. Had she wanted to leave she would have brought along her personal effects," explained Jackal.

"What would they want her for?" Lady Dynamic wondered.

"They want her to steal something," Crimson Veil answered as she came up to the other two super-heroines. Her stealthy appearances always gave Lady Dynamic the willies. 

"What do they need her for? What can't they just break in to?" Lady Jackal pondered.

"That would be the question," Crimson Veil concluded. "What indeed? We need to create a list of targets in the city that have that high level of security."

Technetronic arrived and began examining the damage that Digital Duke had done.

"They blew out the security cameras in the vault, but not elsewhere in the facility so they don't us to know what was said to Shadow Glove. The only thing I can tell you right now is that Digital Duke did a quick job on this. He must have some new toys."

"Those nanites they stole a month ago?" Crimson Veil inquired.

"Not directly, but maybe a variation of that technology," Technetronic answered. "By the way, Dr. Life and T-Rex are up top.  Life is healing the wounded guards and T-Rex is examining the damage to see if he can figure out what exactly their plan was."




A Momentary Lapse of Ethics 02



"Jackal Girl, is there any chance you can track Princess Bloodstone's portal?" Crimson Veil asked.

"I can try, but I'm more likely to be one step behind them," she admitted. "Hang on." Jackal Girl took out some small statues from her pouch and began arranging them in a circle.

She intoned the ancient spirits of Egypt for assistance and this time Anubis didn't answer; Ma 'at appeared instead of her patron. Ma 'at was miniscule, maybe ten inches tall and ghostly, but she laid out a series of hieroglyphs for everyone to see. That done, she returned into the dust from whence she came. Jackal Girl seemed disturbed. 

"She tells us we have four days before we face ruin," Jackal Girl prophesied.

"Does she tell us what we are going to be facing?" Lady Dynamic asked. Jackal Girl shook her head.

"Well, of course not. That would actually be useful," shot Technetronic angrily. Jackal Girl looked at him with a hurt expression on her face. 

"Gods are rarely forthcoming with direct answer – something about us having free will. They gave us a timeline so let's use it," Crimson Veil directed. "Technetronic, start assembling a list of all the places the Regents might need Shadow Gloves help getting into. Dr. Life and T-Rex will take Day watch from here on out. We can make excuses for a five day absence from affairs." 

"Lady Dynamic, you are with me on the Night watch. Jackal Girl, go after the magical angle. Shadow Glove is slippery where magic is concerned, so what sites can't Princess Bloodstone not blast her way into? Why would she need a thief?" Jackal Girl gathered up her idols and nodded. "Then let's get moving people," she ordered. The team split up and began counting down the last four days before something happened.

(Saturday Night 4 Days Later)

"Dr. St. Johan," an older woman with short white hair said, "it is pleasure to see you. Who is this wonderful woman on your arm?"

"Mrs. Whitaker, this is Paige. She's a friend of mine," he answered smoothly. Paige worked hard not to glare at the woman. Conrad had asked her to be polite and the performance was fantastic.

Of course if the high society types knew they had one of the Tri-Cities most notorious villainesses in their midst they would panic like so many chickens with a fox in the coop. She grinned inwardly at that. She also wondered how many of the she had robbed at one time or another.

"I have a rare medical condition that requires the doctor's personal attention," Paige smiled.

"Nothing terminal I hope," Mrs. Whitaker sympathized.

"Death is something we all must face," Paige grinned.

"I think we are making great strides in getting Paige to a state she can live with," Conrad clarified.

"Paige, I wish you all the best of luck," Mrs. Whitaker smiled and moved off.

"If you had told me that socializing with these people was part of the itinerary I would have come as Princess Bloodstone," Paige whispered.

"Do you like the ballet?" Conrad countered.

"It's wonderful, but intermission is driving me nuts," she hissed back.

"Let's return to our seats then," Conrad offered. The made their way back to their seats and waited for the show to resume.

"So, why didn't you bring your girlfriend here instead of me?" Paige asked.

"Still fishing eh? Saturday nights are for you Paige," he explained. That made Paige's heart twinge.

"Do you want to be with her right now?" she said softly.

"Of course, but I want to be with you too, so I'm here," he smiled to her.

"Maybe you, me and your mystery woman could triple date some time?" she suggested.

"Triple date involves three couples so what I think you meant is a three-person date and wouldn't that be awkward?" he answered.

"I'm still not sure she exists," Paige pouted. "Maybe she's a dodge you created to not have to be with me all the time."

"Paige, we are enemies six days out of the week," he chuckled. "You have a hard enough time putting up with me one day a week as it is. I'd like more time, but I don't see how as things stand now."

Paige kept quiet after that. The show was beautiful, elegant, and breathtaking just like she'd hoped it would be. Part of her wanted to round the whole ballet company and keep them for her private pleasure but another smaller, newer part of her knew that would taint their magic and eventually consume them. Not everything you grabbed you could hold on to.

Back at Conrad's place Paige had two choices to make and both involved matters of trust. One was something entrusted to her, and the other was entrusted to him. Before she transformed she put a hand in Conrad's knowing that created a bridge that he could use to destroy her.

"Conrad – Dr. Light, I want you to leave the Alliance. Go away somewhere and let tomorrow pass without you being here." There, she'd done it. Now he could take her down easily.

"It's okay Paige," he smiled knowingly. "We know tomorrow is the big day for whatever you have planned. I can't leave; you can't leave. Each of us will do the best we can."

"Don't you get it? We are going to destroy you. Tomorrow is it!" she shouted.

"I understand. You've warned me and I thank you for that, but that's not why we are here tonight," he responded calmly.

"Didn't you hear me?" she sputtered.

"Of course I did, but tonight Paige I'm here for you, and only you. If tomorrow you feel you have to destroy me, well, that's tomorrow. Do what you have to do. I've never put constraints on you concerning your deal with the Regents."

"You are an idiot," Paige declared.

"No, I'm a hero. Heroes don't betray people. Heroes do their best, especially when things look their worst. Being a hero doesn't mean you are going to win, but it means you won't give up trying," he informed her.

"Trying? Like how you are trying to help me?" she sighed.

"Precisely," he confirmed. "I help you because I think you are a good person, because I think you could use some help, and because I can be of use to you, but in the end all that matters is what you are willing to do."

Paige felt the transformation coming on. Even she could tell the pain was diminished somewhat after each 'normal' time. Each time she felt alive a little longer and she knew she was throwing that all away. She removed her evening gown and donned her costume. Once more she noted how the doctor watched her exquisite body move. She'd miss that.

"I could take you with me now," Princess Bloodstone announced.

"That would break our deal," he responded.

"I am Princess Bloodstone and I decide what deals I will and will not keep," she declared. "You are coming with me."

"No," replied Dr. Life.

"Conrad ... I want to keep you safe," surprised that she found herself pleading.

"I know, but that can't happen," he answered. Princess Bloodstone lashed out with twin energy tentacles, but Dr. Life dodged them both. Two pieces of furniture paid the price. She notices that he was trying to get to something in the kitchen so shot a blood red blast in that direction.

Only when he popped a cylinder out of a vase did she realize he'd faked her out. Before she could stop him, he slammed the object into the ground and the whole world started shrieking. Bloodstone managed to erect a sonic barrier after several long and painful seconds. Now she wanted to punish Dr. Life. 

She saw him moving to one of the glass windows and she thought she had him ... right until he threw himself out of the nonexistent barrier. The sonic grenade has shattered the surrounding glass and now there was nothing to stop him from leaving the building except for the fact they were eight stories up.

While not of much use in the fast paced world of combat, Dr. Life had the ability to channel energy into exposed body parts he knew were going to get hurt. It took time and concentration and he had enough of both as he sprinted out the window and dropped to the ground. Instead of breaking both his legs, amongst other things, he felt a sharp slap to his feet and he was off running.

Princess Bloodstone looked out of the broken window and saw her quarry running away. She screamed in rage. She wanted to hunt him down and make him suffer for defying her. She also hoped he would somehow get away. She tried opening a portal but it failed; Jackal Girl's wards still held. Instead she summoned up the energy and flew into the night sky. The Regents' plan was too close to completion to waste time on a pointless super-powered struggle.

(Alliance HQ – Sunday Morning)

Any lump-head with a stealthy superpower could imagine themselves a thief, but a true professional honed both natural and supernatural talents. Shadow Glove was one of those exceptional people. Anyone of the multi-million dollar high tech thieves could have found a way past Technetronic's defenses. A few could have found their way past Jackal Girl's wards, but only Shadow Glove could do both.

Mind you, Shadow Glove was hardly inspired to do this performance. It had no grace and charm, it wasn't particularly profitable – she doubted the Psychic King would reward her with anything but a slow and painful death – and well, there was that matter of dying. She wasn't afraid of the defenses killing her; Technetronic was famous for his non-lethal gadgets and those would be the front line of defense. 

She was afraid of the implications of what she was doing. For one of the few times in her life she was worried about the moral implications of her work. She knew she wasn't doing the right thing; she was rarely doing the right thing, but now she was worried about doing the wrong thing. Unfortunately life wasn't being kind enough to throw her a morally ambiguous bone, so she did what she did and moved on.

The first target was a real bear and it took her four hours to get to. She set up the timer and moved to the second location. She had two hours to get there and it took all of her not-inconsequential skill to pull it off in time. She set the large bloodstone into the heart of the Egyptian octagon and watched the fireworks begin. Actually, she began running for her life.

At the center of the Alliance HQ the team had gathered as a reaction force to any attack on the various guarded facilities around the city that could be the focus of the Regents of Wrath's attack. The alarms went off and Crimson Veil turned to Technetronic.

"Where is the attack going down?" she barked. Technetronic check his systems.

"Here," he answered right as the main power went down. Emergency lighting kicked in but Technetronic's systems were mostly blank.

"Crimson," Jackal Girl whispered, "I've lost control of the magic in the area."

"What? How bad?" Crimson Veil asked hurriedly.

"I'm checking," Jackal responded.

"All my systems seem to be compromised," wondered Technetronic. "That could only happen at the core."

"Shadow Glove," muttered Crimson Veil. "People, we are in the wrong place. We need to get out of here."

"Wait," Technetronic called out, "I can fix this. Give me a second."

"Lady Dynamic, Dr. Life, move out and check on civilian personnel. We need everyone out of this building." As they moved to the doorway, the large metallic blast doors slammed into place.

"I don't like the look of that at all," T-Rex said at which point he turned into small swift two legged creature with big eyes and a darting head; a creature built for agility and speed.

"What about the door?" Lady Dynamic asked.

"Break it down," Crimson Veil ordered.

"Wait, I can ..." Technetronic began.

"No time," Crimson Veil responded. "Something is going on and we can't learn about it staying here." Lady Dynamic flew at the door with all her might. Her first blow stung her hand and dented the door but she kept at it.

"Crimson, all the magical wards have been turned against us. I can dismantle them as we run across them, but the only way to reverse the process is to get to the shrine," Jackal Girl reported. 

Crimson Veil now had three things to do; get to the computer core, the shrine, and get the people out and her instincts were telling her she was missing something. She cursed under her breath.

"We are going to gather people as we go along, but we are all getting out of here now," she ordered. Technetronic blanched.

"How are we going to get back in?" he asked.

"They've taken the building away from us. We have to get and figure out how they did what they did before we can attempt to get back inside," she explained. "We don't want to get captured by our own defenses."

The door came crashing down and the heroes began exiting the control room. Lady Dynamic hadn't covered five meters before five grabbling wires surrounded her and held her fast. With a quick flex she snapped them.

"That wasn't so bad," she started to say as a blast of gas hit her in the face and made her crash to the ground.

"Sorry," Technetronic shrugged. "This place is loaded with defenses and they seem to be turned against us."

"Technetronic, you designed the system. Navigate us through it," Crimson told him. Technetronic took point but they hadn't traveled ten meters more before he barely managed to miss being seared by his own creation.

"It is not supposed to do that," he exclaimed. Lady Dynamic attacked it and tore it out of the wall. Technetronic examined it and his brow furrowed.

"Holy shit this thing is lethal. Something has ... the nanites! We are infested with nanites," Technetronic growled.

"What does that mean?" Jackal Girl asked.

"It means the systems in this building are being altered," he answered.

"And that means we have to get out of here," Crimson Veil said.

"We have company," pointed Dr. Life at a section of the wall. Lady Dynamic ripped open the section and a slightly singed Shadow Glove rolled out.

"Pleasure to meet all of you here," Shadow Glove chirped happily. "A funny thing happened on the way to the office – it tried to kill me."

"What was your role in this and what did the Regent's promise you?" Crimson Veil snarled.

"Why are they trying to kill us in our own home?" Lady Dynamic added.

"Oh, they don't want to kill the rest of us, Lady Dynamic; they only want to kill you. It seems that no matter what they throw against you they can't beat you, so they are hoping this building can do it for them," Shadow Glove grinned. "Sucks to be the rest of us though, since this building is going to try and kill all of us while trying to kill you."

"Why me?" Lady Dynamic moaned.

"The bad part about being unkillable is that people create new ways of trying to kill you," Crimson Veil answered.

"Give the lady a cigar," beamed Shadow Glove. "Everyone else they've taken down, but they've never been able to take down Lady Dynamic and what's the use of taking over the city if she comes along and takes each one of them down in turn."

"So they are really getting my building to kill her," muttered Technetronic.

"Well, it is the most heavily fortified building in the city," Jackal Girl consoled him.

"But I designed it to be non-violent," he groaned.

"Thus the need for the nanites," Dr. Life pointed

"Technetronic, what is the least defended section of this complex? That will give us the best chance of survival," Crimson said.

"The closest place would be Food Storage," he immediately answered.

"Let's go there then," Crimson Veil states and the team moved off. Two more near-death traps later and they were safely absconded in the larder.

"Shadow Glove, is there any contingency for Lady Dynamic leaving?" Crimson Veil asked.

"That derails the programing I think. They wanted to take over the complex once she was dead, so if the system can't find her for any reason, it should deactivate," the thief informed them.

"We need to split up. Lady Dynamic and I will make for the lobby. Once she escapes the program trying to kill her should stop and we will need to regain the facility before they attack," Crimson Veil decided.

"No," Dr. Life countered, "I go with Dynamic. I'm better at keeping her alive so she gets out." Crimson and Life locked gazes for a moment then she nodded. Lady Dynamic and Dr. Life raced from the hidey-hole.

"We aren't going to make it are we?" Lady Dynamic asked the veteran once they were moving.

"Not likely," he observed.

"Why did you come with me?" Dynamic chuckled as she ripped another water cannon turned into a hydraulic drill out of the wall.

"I wanted her to have the best chance to survive," he told her.

(Aftermath)

Psychic King kicked the deceased body of Lady Dynamic and smiled. His perfect plan had been executed with precision. Princess Bloodstone knelt by the body of Dr. Life.

"He's not dead yet," she told him. Razor Claw whirled in anger.

"Spare him," the King commanded. "He may yet prove to be an asset once he is brought around to my way of thinking." Princess Bloodstone carefully hid her smile.

"Let's go round up the rest of them," Psychic King laughed. The rest of the team surged into the complex. Corpse Wail's minions would stand watch over the bodies until the Regents returned. They caught up with Jackal Girl and T-Rex in the Control Room where they fought ferociously buying time for Technetronic to ... almost get to the computer core and thus regain control of the system. 

Only when they had him in custody did Princess Bloodstone note that Crimson Veil had gotten away.

"Want me to go after her?" Shadow Glove asked as she stepped up behind the group. Psychic King and Razor Claw rounded on her angrily.

"Why didn't you stop her?" King growled.

"You didn't ask me to go toe-to-toe with her," Shadow Glove said with a Cheshire cat grin. "So, when do I get my reward?"

"Consider your life reward enough," Psychic King scoffed.

"Can I go then?" Shadow asked. Psychic King returned his attention to the captured band of heroes and gave a regal dismissal. Shadow Glove made to step away but found Princess Bloodstone barring her path.

"Can I help you with something Princess?" Shadow Gloved beamed up at the taller woman. 

Bloodstone glared at her for several seconds then dismissed her as well. Shadow Glove ghosted out of the fallen fortress, noticing the still bodies of Lady Dynamic and Dr. Life. She didn't stop shadow stepping until she was safely hidden. She was still coming to grips with what she'd done and what she was planning to do.

Princess Bloodstone shook Jackal Girl's head by the chin. The young mystic's hands were bound behind her back with bloodstone energy. Jackal Girl's eyes struggled to focus. When she finally did her eyes crackled with hate.

"He trusted you," she seethed.

"He's alive but Dynamic is dead," Princess Bloodstone whispered. "You would be wise to obey me if you want to stay alive. Once Psychic King has no more use for you, he'll end your life."

"Save it for the man who cared about you, Witch," Jackal Girl spat. "If I get the chance I'll claw your eyes out and exile you to the Western Desert." Princess Bloodstone backhanded her and instantly regretted it. Jackal Girl licked the blood from the side of her mouth but the intensity of her eyes didn't dim.

"Listen to me Dog Girl, I'm trying to save your life," Bloodstone hissed.

"Why?" Jackal Girl snorted.

"Because he'd want me to," she said before the words really impacted on her. Jackal Girl gave no response and Princess Bloodstone went back to watching the rest of the prisoners.