The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Aurora had trouble sleeping. She’d always found it effortless to sleep when she lived in Midas. Every time she closed her eyes she thought of Rebeca. At some point during the night her hand found itself between her legs, teasing her sex as she thought of Rebeca in the changing room of their old headquarters. It was hard to stop thinking about her flawless curves, and the way her panties clung so tightly between her thighs.

I want to let Hope . . . Rebeca . . . protect me. I need her to keep me safe and warm. Goddess she keeps me so warm down here. Sticky, too. For her . . . Aurora’s fingers moved faster along her slit as she imagined Rebeca’s smile.

The way her lips curved, the always-knowing look in her eyes, the way they were so deep and wet, made Aurora shudder. She’d do anything to lose herself in those eyes. She imagined Rebeca’s hands pressing down on her shoulders to hold her against her bed, and had to bite her lip to keep from screaming.

She’d never felt herself get so wet without at least a little spark, but she’d kept her fingers flesh. Rebeca’s fingers were always flesh and those were what she dreamed of feeling. She wanted that massage she’d asked for after she’d been turned into a ravenous slut. A massage meant Rebeca’s hands went everywhere and took their time rubbing and kneading. She wanted that, and to thank Rebeca with her lips.

Aurora whimpered as she rubbed her fingers in desperate circles against her clit. She wished she knew how Rebeca would touch her. She wanted to know how Rebeca’s pussy felt when she came. She wanted to know how it felt to wake up with Rebeca’s thigh between hers. She wanted to belong to Rebeca.

Without Rebeca close, the fantasy was unfulfillable. Her fingers kept moving, so slick and warm with her own need, but the peak didn’t feel any closer.

She didn’t give up, groaning in frustration and desperation as she continued to stroke herself until her vision faded, and she finally passed out to dreams of swirling colors with Rebeca’s voice.

Aurora took the coldest shower of her life when she woke up. Her body still ached for an orgasm, but the thought of struggling again to meet only failure was a powerful buzzkill. Her ass was still sore, but so was between her legs. That ache was louder even if the one at her ass was more humiliating.

Stumbling out of the shower, she dressed and collapsed on the couch. She closed her eyes tight as if they were closed tight enough she might disappear. “Just stop thinking about her. just stop . . . Please . . .”

“Aurora . . .? What’re you doing up this early? Are you crying . . .?” Aurora didn’t know how long Julia had been standing over her. She felt like she’d missed a chunk of time. Julia was wearing what looked like silk pajamas, and her eyes were barely half open. “Wanna tell me what’s wrong sweetie?”

Taking a deep breath, Aurora explained. She explained everything. Everything meant Proximiti and Hope, but didn’t include how she wanted to get off so bad and nothing worked. Halfway through the explanation Julia slid down onto the couch beside Aurora and wrapped her arms around the young heroine.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Juj- Julie . . .” Aurora clung tighter to her aunt as her sobbing temporarily softened. “I shouldn’t feel like this. I’ve never felt like this about anyone, and she rejected me . . . so what . . .? Why does that even start to matter? I’m not the kind of woman that breaks down like this! I shouldn’t even want what she refused to give me. Something in my head must have snapped or . . .”

Julia pulled Aurora tighter and slowly stroked along her hair. “Because you love her? It’s not a bad thing to feel this way, sweetie. You’ve been through a lot today. She wasn’t rejecting you—she was trying to protect you. Are you really ready to move in with Rebeca or is it something else?”

“I wanna be close to her all of the time, Julie. All of the time. Sometimes I’ll just be thinking about nothing, like the weather, or if Sylvia is okay in New York, and I’ll want to be with Rebeca. Even when I’m with her, I have that feeling. Sometimes I want to walk wrapped around her arm just so I can feel how real she is and how close she is. I’ve never felt this way about anyone besi—” Aurora hesitated, interrupting herself with silence. Not only did she want to avoid telling Julia all of the sordid details of her tumultuous affair with her own sister, she found those feelings softer than she remembered them.

She clung tigherr, heaving a sigh that quickly fell into broken sobs. Her head shook silently as she pulled herself tighter against her aunt. Sylvia and I . . . I never needed Sylvia quite like this. I’m not aching for her like I used to. Maybe I just needed to grow up. Maybe Rebeca really is what I needed to get past the dysfunctional incest that this family is so good at perpetuating. I just . . . don’t think what we had was wrong. Sylvia never really supported what I wanted to do, anyway.

Wordlessly Julia continued to rock her niece. Aurora’s sobs felt so familiar, and she found herself biting her lip more than once to resist calling her Olivia. Stroking her hair helped—Olivia had never cut her hair so short.

“I’ve never really felt this way before. I just thought I did. Rebeca is so . . . and we even have the same passions. We have the same dreams. Is it because I try to act so tough? Am I intimidating? Am I not intimidating enough?” Aurora’s sniffles turned incomprehensible as she shook more. “I just need her, Julia. I need the way she makes me feel when I’m with her. I need the way she makes me feel better than I am when I’m not with her. Is that so wrong? Is that as fucked up as it sounds?”

Julia shook her head, and held her tighter. “You know, when Olivia was right around your age I remember holding her this exact same way. It’s almost eerie how much you sound like her. There was a girl she cared a lot about, just like how you care about Rebeca, but she was making some very bad choices that Olivia couldn’t let herself be a apart of.”

“Really . . .? Who was that . . .?” Aurora’s sniffling quieted as she slowly looked up to Julia’s face.

“Her name was Monique. She was a sweet woman, but some bad things happened to her and she lost her grasp on caring about right and wrong. She started taking whatever she wanted. Olivia had to tell her no, and it hurt her. A lot. That was before Olivia got her powers, and then . . . then they had to be enemies, even if Monique never took her seriously.” Julia forced a smile as she ruffled Aurora’s hair. “But Rebeca is trying to look out for you. You’re pretty vulnerable right now, sweetie. What that woman did to you . . . I never understood how Sarah could bounce back from those things so well.”

Aurora smiled back and leaned up, planting a kiss on Julia’s cheek. “Thanks, for putting up with me being like this. I guess I’ve just never . . . really been in love before. The Spiral got into my head, but all she did was take the reins for awhile and it wasn’t really that bad. Proximiti . .. What she did was a lot worse.”

Julia softly smoothed Aurora’s hair before leaning in to kiss her forehead. Her smile was such a serene smile, as if nothing Aurora could tell her would matter. Quietly Aurora wished that meant she could talk about Sylvia. Instead she hugged a little closer to Julia before standing. Sightseeing didn’t sound like the worst thing in the world. She needed to feel more at home. She needed to tear up the streets. She needed to go out as a solo heroine. Aurora was the one desperately craving Rebeca.

Even if Electrum was desperate for Hope, it was easier for her to forget about that and focus on her job. Her uniform was still under her clothes. All she needed to do was get to her bike.

Last she’d seen Aureus it was in Rebeca’s garage. She smacked her hand into her forehead. “I need to go pick up my bike and . . . I kinda wanna do some sightseeing as my alter-ego. Anything I can do for you?” She really didn’t want to see Rebeca. She did, but she knew it wouldn’t lead anywhere good. The group’s reunion was already scheduled for nine o’clock. Aurora would have to see her then, but then she’d probably see Hope.

Strange half-images of Hope’s helmet and part of the night’s odd psychedelic dreams swirled nimbly in her consciousness. Unable to discern a meaning she shook her head to clear it, and smiled down at Julia. Even though she was eager to meet her cousin, she was exceptionally glad she wasn’t in the house. If Julia was that pretty . . .

Another head-shaking, and a brighter, though more forced smile spread across her lips. She didn’t feel like encouraging old habits by thinking on them too hard. Let the past stay in the past . . .

“No, not really. We really should spend some time just us this weekend. It might be good for you to spend some time with family not worrying about that alter-ego of yours. She is a little too linked to Rebeca to be a perfect distraction.” Julia’s smile wasn’t forced, but it was very concerned. “Aurora is more important than Electrum, all right? Olivia used to say if she wasn’t Olivia, Aureus would’ve done some pretty bad things. You have to be the angel on your own shoulder.”

Images of Proximiti’s hands full of metal shards made Aurora shudder. “I . . . You’re right. She was right . . . I need to spend some time alone . . .!” Aurora ran to her cousin’s room before sliding out of Aurora’s clothing, revealing Electrum’s. Carefully she slid open the window, hopped out, and then closed it behind her before letting her metallic coating smooth its way over her body.

She really was right. The part of me that was lost in that moment, she didn’t want to stop. A part of me felt like Proximiti was getting what she deserved. Maybe she was, but mercy is more important than revenge. I guess that’s what tempers revenge into justice. Silently, Electrum began to explore.

She had her cellphone so if she wound up miserably lost she knew she could always beg Julia to give her directions. She resisted the temptation to go right to Rebeca’s and instead just walked down every path that didn’t look familiar. If she intended to stay somewhere, she reasoned it would be a good thing if she was at least able to find her way around. Midas was a huge city, and she’d explored every last part of it, even the places Sarah had told her not to.

She’d done more than just fuck her sister behind her mother’s back.

Heading towards the rising sun, Electrum learned the layout of her city.

Flower Chylde smiled to herself as she caressed a finger lazily along the rose’s petals. The shop around her was quiet and empty. The soft smell of roses that flowed from a slowly smoking stick of incense gave the loneliness an almost romantic edge and added another layer of calm over the plant-woman. Her tie-dye shirt hung loosely over her, hiding her curves as did the long flowing skirt with its pair of bells that hung from her waist. Sandals were all she wore over her feet, and the bright violet sunglasses she wore were perched halfway down her nose.

Though she was always part plant, but unless emergency called for it she wasn’t Flower Chylde. She was Flora Taggart. Flora was half a joke by the woman that had rescued her from her ‘creator’, and the last name Flower had insisted on taking to honor her savior.

Around Flora was a seemingly endless supply of incense in sticks and cones, tarot cards, ornamental cups and knives, modern tomes of pagan ritual, and funny refrigerator magnets. It wasn’t a big shop, and Flora was one of only six employees. Working early meant on sunny days if she wanted she could spend a little time working in her garden or just sunbathing.

It felt cliche, but she loved sunbathing.

Cute little flower, all pretty and loved in your little pot . . . Are you lonely? Do you miss your fellow seedlings? Do you know there’s anything more than water, sunlight, and a silly woman lavishing you with attention? Do you hunger for more? Do you envy flowers that aren’t trapped in a pot, and are able to spread their roots deeper?

She usually wasn’t so melancholy. She didn’t like it. Being a flower meant she was a symbol of love and life. It meant that she was supposed to be happy and lively. It was why she loved dressing like she did. She loved bright colors.

Stupid Spiral woman. Things were a lot simpler before her. Very slowly she caressed a fingertip along the underside of a leaf. She could feel the life inside of it and it should have made her feel content. Just a happy flower. I was happy. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. I even made a new friend after she pinned me down and did . . . something . . . to me. Now I’m just confused. Well enough to help Hope and the others, but not happy as I was before.

The bell on the door rang, and Flora stood up straighter and plastered her usual calm smile across her face. It didn’t feel genuine, but part of her job was being that pleasant little flower she always was. “Welcome to Earth Mother’s Bount—!”

“Hello, Flora. I thought I’’d never find you. You moved a long ways to get away from the past, didn’t you?” Flora could hardly believe her eyes. The woman approaching her had the same gentle green hue to her skin. She had flowers sprouting from the top of her head just behind her ears. Her smile was serenity itself. “I looked all over for you. I was so lonely. Then I heard about a pretty plant lady named Flora that worked in an occult shop. I was about to give up hope!”

“Who . . . who are you?!” She didn’t know if she should feel excited or afraid. She’d been the only experiment—the only successful experiment—her creator had made. She’d never been cloned that she could remember. Nothing made a lot of didn’t make any sense.

“Those in the know call me Chlora. I’m your younger sister! I hope you aren’t too upset that you aren’t an only child anymore.” She didn’t look very “little” at all. She was tall with long legs, curvy sides, and a well-endowed chest. Her face didn’t look a day under twenty, or over twenty-three. Flora never remembered ever looking younger than sixteen. Looks didn’t mean much with women born in a lab. “You don’t look very happy to see me, sis. I’m hurt. I track you down all the way in California from Montreal. That bus fare isn’t cheap!”

Chlora smiled a little brighter as she stood right in front of the counter. She looks like she has everything I lost. All the way from Montreal . . .

For a temporary forever, there was nothing but silence. There was meaningful eye contact, and Chlora was just barely starting to lean over the counter. Flora imagined her cheeks would burn if she were able to blush. Everything about the woman seemed to confirm the truth in her words. No one knew Flora was from Montreal. She’d never met anyone but the doctor there, and the doctor was from New York.

“But moth—. . . But the doctor only ever had one success, and then they stopped her experiments. She’s in prison.” Flora’s voice quivered. Against all logic she was hopeful that the woman’s words were true, even with the weight they carried.

“She is now. Again. She’s comfy in a nice neat little cell. I don’t know how she got out, but she was out for awhile. Maybe a month. Maybe a few years. She had one last success before they nabbed her up again.” Chlora pressed a finger to Flora’s cheek and began to slowly trace it along the curve. “Me. But she was overconfident. She thought I’d be a tool for her to use. She thought that spending time with me, ingratiating herself on me as my mother would make me protect her.”

Her eyes told Flora that had worked for the doctor just as well the second time as it had the first. A part of her shuddered remembering them pulling her away. It was harder and harder to remember her face, but she always remembered that green lab coat, and her pitiful screams for her “daughter” to help.

Chlora leaned closer, moving subtly as a vine, until the tip of her nose touched Flora’s. “But if a seed lands too near its mother, it may never have a chance to sprout at all. She should have really known better. But, for being made of meat . . . she made two right choices in her life. You certainly turned out gorgeous. You’re the prettiest flower on this entire hunk of rock.” Chlora’s fingers slid up along Flora’s arm before moving up along the back of her neck and through her hair. When they reached her flowers they stopped and began to slowly stroke at the petals. Flora’s eyes fluttered, rolling back as her lips parted with a sharp gasp. “With such sensitive petals! Has no one ever touched you here, sis?”

“Nnn-not since mother-the-the doctorrr . . . Touched other places but never . . . never there . . . oooh!” Flora fell forward against the counter as her sister’s smooth finger traced the very insides of those petals. As she fell, Chlora caught her lips with her own. They felt so soft, even softer than a flower petal, and she let herself melt into her sister’s kiss.

Eyes rolled into the back of her head, Flora couldn’t see as Chlora’s other hand trailed up along her arm in the same way, but when it reached the back of her neck the nail of her middle finger pressed hard into her flesh. Flora hissed sharply in the kiss, for a moment trying to pull back, but then she was too dizzy and heavy to move anywhere but down against the counter.

At the very tip of Chlora’s nail, a very small, curved point glistened. Her lips stayed pressed to Flora’s until there was no more pressure beyond the vibration from quivering mewls. Slowly and tenderly she caressed along a flower on the other side of Flora’s face, and sighed lovingly. “Sorry sis. There’s just so much I have to explain that you need to believe. You’re older, and probably smarter. But right now, all you can do is listen! That’s all you need to do for awhile. Stay right on the verge of consciousness, while I tell you some very important little truths. Then we can be so close, and so happy . . . Sound good sweet sis?”

“Sssssoundsss good . . .” Flora mewled out her words slowly and almoost drunkenly as her eyes continued to flutter, and her body slackened more and more against the counter.

Electrum paused halfway down an alley as her belt started to vibrate. The thug she’d been slowly stalking had already dropped the purse, and she’d returned it, but a little intimidation never hurt. Deciding it wasn’t worth pressing any further, she pulled out her phone, flipped it open, and sighed dreamily when she saw Rebeca’s face, quickly shaking her head, narrowing her eyes, and then taking the call. “Heya Hope, caught me on a patrol. Just got done teaching an idiot that purses aren’t for stealing. What’s up?”

“Not much . . . Are you feeling any bett- never mind, we can talk about that in person. It’s not really a good conversation topic for the phone.” Hope’s voice was dripping with worry and obvious concern. “Meeting’s in an hour. Need me to pick you up?”

Electrum paused at a street corner and examined the sign. “How far are you from . . . Fifth and Seneca?”

“I suck with giving flight directions. I can be there in ten minutes. That okay?” Electrum had never heard Hope sound so amazingly apologetic, but she did. It was oddly uncomfortable. “I know it’s a little early, but I want to have a little time to make sure the base is okay one last time. We did stop The Spiral, but the last thing I want is her ghost getting the last laugh on us.” Hope paused. “Even though she’s still alive.”

“I knew what you meant. That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Look, about last night, I . . . I’ve done a lot of thinking . . . and I . . .” Electrum sighed, and desperately wished she was somewhere private so she could let her metal melt away. “I’m sorry. You did the right thing. I’ll be waiting.”

Before Hope could even begin to respond, Electrum hung up and resisted the urge to throw the phone against the pavement to avoid a callback. She’d tried not to think of Hope all day, and she’d managed to do a good job—for the most part. As soon as she’d seen Rebeca’s face on her phone it all came flooding back. She’d been so stupid. Rebeca was trying to be sweet and gentle with her during a fragile moment, and she’d begged her for sex? The thought made her feel dirty.

It wasn’t any easier to stop thinking about offering again, but she was afraid, even though she felt a lot better, she’d still be rejected. She probably doesn’t want anything to do with me now. At least, not as a lover. Maybe she’ll reconsider that leadership role. I just want her so much. I can’t believe I feel so strong about someone that’s not Sylvia . . .

Nothing answered her thoughts. No thugs stole any purses to distract her. The world was cruelly boring when she most needed it to be exciting,. Every five seconds she found herself wanting to see if another minute had gone by.

An eternity of minutes later, Hope’s white car pulled up in front of her, and Hope popped open the door. “Going my way?” Hope’s tone was just as flirty as it had ever been, and her grin only seemed to hide the slightest bit of worry. Aurora would be worried if Hope seemed carefree, but the fact that it was so incredibly dimmed compared to her voice helped her breathe out a cool sigh of relief.

“You bet. Let’s go detect some traps.” Hope blinked in confusion, and Electrum blushed as she slid in and closed the door behind her. “My mom is a horrible nerd. It’s some kinda video game reference she said only rogues could do or something.”

“That’s Dungeons and Dragons, sweetie. And honestly, with full knowledge that you would never talk to me again if I did anything less than polite, and knowing she’s married, you really have to introduce me to your mother some day.” Hope winked as they drove off.

Aurora melted back into the seat with a smile. “I’ll think about it. But first, you have to buy me more than just a croissant or a burger. Dinner.”

Hope smiled a little more and shrugged. “I’ll think about it.” Stopping at a red light Hope turned to Electrum and raised an eyebrow. Aurora laughed, and Hope laughed with her. The tension in the car evaporated more by the moment as Hope rested her hand over Electrum’s and gently squeezed. “But for now, we’ve got work to do.”

Electrum, Hope, Aurora, and Rebeca had each given the headquarters a thorough inspection for any lingering treats from The Spiral. There was nothing. Rebeca couldn’t even locate a single file in the computer’s hard drives that was out of place. That in itself seemed to worry her, but she couldn’t explain why to Aurora in any way that made sense, so she dismissed it as techie insanity.

With a little more time to kill before their friends arrived, the two sat in the same room where they’d had coffee and croissants what seemed like only yesterday. Aurora was the first to speak, metal melted deep under her skin. “My aunt wants to do something this weekend, so whatever we do’ll have to be after that. How’s lunch on Monday?”

“Monday’s no good for me. I might not seem it sometimes, but I do have a job. A couple projects are nearing completion, and I have to be there.” Rebeca bit her lip apologetically and sighed. “I might need to stay late. Why don’t we leave it open? The night we finish the project, I’m going to want to celebrate. I’d even wear that blue dress, or something equally classy. Take you out to a fancy restaurant . . . or we could go out all dressed up and order burgers. Whichever sounds more fun to you.”

Aurora blushed and stared down at her boots as she replied. “I . . . Kinda like the thought of being taken somewhere fancy. But I really don’t have any clothes for it . . .”

Rebeca grinned almost wickedly, sighing as she slowly shook her head. “Well, then I’ll just have to find something for you. You don’t seem to really mind my contributions to your wardrobe. It’ll be fun. I know this might be a little predictable, but how does Italian sound?”

“Sounds . . . perfect!” Aurora giggled and then blushed furiously as her hands rose up over her cheeks. “Damn, woman. The things you do to me . . .”

“Are you doing sordid things to pretty girls in the HQ? You really have to stop doing that.” Tunnel Vision stepped in with a soft smirk and lazily waved her hand just once. “Hey you two. Rebeca told me about what happened to you at that job interview. Yikes. Besides, eyes are kind of my thing. People should show more respect.”

Rolling her eyes, Aurora waved back. “Because I’m just so sure that villains respecting heroines is par for the course. So, you know my name, when do I get to know yours? A little lopsided.”

“Fair enough. My name is Heather. Heather Gage, if the last name matters any. No important parents. No important acquaintances ‘cept you gals. I’m pretty low on the radar, and I like it that way.” Heather took a seat near her friends and slouched comfortably. Her shades hid her eyes, but her pleased expression was more than clear with he crooked grin on her lips.

“Just waitin’ on two more, but they’ve got plenty of time still to be late. I hope everyone’s okay.” Aurora looked at the clock on her cellphone and sighed quietly to herself. “Thanks for that, Heather. Or Tunnel. Or Vision. You know, whatever you prefer.”

With a shrug the femme fatal reached up and wiggled her glasses over her nose. “In private I really don’t care. I wear these all the time, so . . . Tunnel Vision is more to fit in than because I feel the need to have an alias. Heather doesn’t really do a whole lot. My day jobs vary based on what my eyes qualify me for. It’s an honest living if my employer remembers everything, I guess.” She forced a grin, and when Aurora looked concerned Heather rolled her eyes. “I’m on the level. I just make surprisingly good security.”

Something in Tunnel’s expression made Aurora wonder again about what happened between her and Rebeca. Had it happened between Hope and Tunnel, or Heather and Rebeca? She couldn’t find a non-jealous way to ask so she stayed quiet.

Even safe in an unmodified base, something gave Aurora a bad feeling. Is it the fact that Psiona and Flower aren’t here or is it because I’m jealous and paranoid? I can’t really rule out either possibility. Plus who else has Rebeca outfitted? Are there a host of ex super heroine girlfriends just waiting to come out of the woodwork? It sounds unreasonable, but that doesn’t make me feel all that calm. That was what I said at that job interview. . .

“Hey everybody.” The wall slid open with a woosh, and Psiona stepped into the room. The illusion of long red hair and an mpossibly wispy blue outfit were in perfect fashion hiding the mousy girl beneath. “Sorry I’m on time.”

“Don’t worry. You barely missed anything. It’s still just us.” Tunnel grinned a little more as she waved back. Elegantly she crossed her legs and adjusted her glasses on her nose. “You okay? What with the whole . . . You really weren’t ready to talk after what happened with The Spiral and well . . . Me.” Though there was concern in her voice, it had the same level of devil-may-care that it usually did lingering right behind.

Aurora and Rebeca both glanced back and forth between the two heroines curiously. Aurora’s brows creased with concern, while Rebeca’s narrowed with a hint of frustration.

Psiona shrugged as she stepped over to lean against a console. “I’ve been better. Kinda not a lot of fun to be used and pawed at by an overconfident super villain. You did what you had to do, I’m not upset with you Tunnel. But come on Hope. You can glare at me all night or you can just ask. I don’t need to read minds like Tunnel to know you’re upset. Come on. Let’s get it out before Flower shows up.”

Aurora bit her lip, hard. Resist the urge to tell them to stop acting like children. You’re the youngest one here. Probably. They just need to blow off a little steam.

“Why not. Sure.” Rebeca adjusted her mask, pulling it over her face before setting it down in her lap. “When were you going to do that? Would you ever have? You know who I am. You’ve seen under Tunnel’s glasses. You’ve seen Aurora under the metal. We’ve visited Flower at work. When were you going to take off your mask, Psiona? When were you going to show a little trust in us and—”

“—I’m not the one that doesn’t trust anyone, Hope. That little helmet of yours is just one huge experiment in truth, ain’t it? We all know so damn much about who you are. But that’s not why Amy left, is it?” Psiona’s too-deep blue eyes shimmered, glistening with impossible depth. “Heard from her since? Ever heard back from Salve?” Rebeca turned rigid, sitting so stiff that if she were shoved out of her chair she would fall in the same posture. “That’s what I fucking thought. Good job being in the news last night, by the way. Wonder if they ever watch? I bet you don’t even think about them.”

Metal melted back out over Aurora’s body as she rose to her feet and stepped between the two before Hope could interject. “Settle down. Both of you.” She turned to Rebeca, raising an eyebrow. “You have a lot to explain, later. I hope you know that. And did you ever think maybe there was another reason she didn’t want to show herself off? That sometimes people are a little more complicated than that?” She turned to face Psiona, expression soft and apologetic. “But you’ve been with them for how long now . . . It’s only natural she’s going to be pissed.”

Tunnel rolled her eyes and pulled out a cigarette from her sleeve. She didn’t light it, but she did twirl it between her fingers. “Girl’s got a point. She’s a smart one. Common sense, chicas. It’s common sense. You hid from us, Psiona. Hope, you’re a control freak. Do you not remember why we didn’t work out? It wasn’t the sex.” She paused, and slid the cigarette between her lips. “That goes for both of you.”

Looks like those negatives for being surrounded by attractive women are worth reexamining. For one, we’ve all got issues. Aurora sighed and shook her head. “Tunnel . . . That doesn’t really help.”

“What doesn’t help? Can I help?” The wall slid open, and revealed Flower Chylde. Everyone breathed a visible sigh of relief as she stepped into the room. “Sorry I’m late . . . I met someone, very very special.” There were many things odd about Flower. Her clothes seemed tighter. Her skirt was shorter, and so was her top—both showing off plenty of light-green skin. Her eyes were hooded more than usual, and her casual smile was much warmer than it usually was.

Before the wall slid closed, Chlora stepped in. She wrapped an arm around Flower and kissed her cheek as she looked among her sister’s friends. “Aww, I don’t know if I deserve two verys. One should do just fine, sis.”

“Sis . . .?!” Psiona looked horrified as she openly gaped. Hope looked alarmed, her mask moving up over her face. Tunnel’s expression barely changed. Aurora simply stared. “But you said the doctor that made you . . . That you were the only . . . Is the doctor out of prison? I thought they threw her into the darkest deepest hole they could find after what she did.”

“They did! Deep dark hole. Flowers don’t like the dark. Thankfully I wasn’t with her.” Chlora grinned as the hand wrapped around Flower rose and began to caress the back of her neck. “She got out. How? I don’t know. I don’t care. She made me while she was out, and I wanted to meet my special big sister. Wasn’t too hard to find a plant lady. Especially when I just had to say she looked like me. Then she invited me to meet all of her friends!”

Hope and Aurora stiffened anew as Chlora spoke. Slowly rising to her feet, Hope adjusted her mask over her face. “Sorry, but this is kind of a secret club. Secret base. You need more than just a sister’s okay to drop by. You should have called ahead, Flora.”

Flower sighed and slowly shook her head. Tiredly she nuzzled into her sister’s neck and let out a long drawn-out sigh. “Too important. Couldn’t ask. Had to tell . . . Chlora doesn’t want to join. Sis wants us to join her.”

From both the flowers atop Chlora’s head, a thick green mist began to spread through the air aided by the recycling system. It washed over the heroines before they could react. Psiona held out her hand and the mist in front of her began to move back towards Chlora, but her body was already lightly coated with a wet layer of green.

Hope groaned as her knees gave out from under her and she slid down to her knees. Tunnel’s hands pulled her glasses away for them to fall to the ground. She melted into her chair with a faint groan, trying to rise only to slide out of her chair and onto the floor.

Psiona gritted her teeth, trying to stay on her feet, but soon joined hope and Tunnel. Electrum looked quizzically at Chlora, her fallen friends, and then to Flower. “You know I’m immune. Or you should have guessed that I would be.”

“Did . . .” Flower smiled, looking so tired and fuzzy around her edges. “Plant-based toxins . . . Probably fully immune . . . But Chlora said that didn’t matter. She said she had a trick even a strong girl like you wouldn’t be able to fight your way out of . . .”

Chlora nodded as she pulled away from her sister and stepped towards Aurora. “Pretty Flora told me you were made of metal, but I didn’t really believe it. Doesn’t matter. I learned from Mommy. She was full of yummy scientific tidbits. Like this one. Chlora reached into her top and pulled out something that looked like a very swollen seed with just a hint of plant starting to peek out. “I think you two will get along just fine.”

Aurora moved, leg sweeping out for Chlora’s, but the woman agilely jumped high and then quite gracefully fell right atop the metal heroine before she could pull her leg back. Her extra weight only added to the momentum of Chlora’s assault, and she slammed hard into the floor.

The metal maiden opened her mouth to speak, but was silenced when Chlora closed her hand over her mouth and shoved the seed into her ear. Electrum’s mouth clamped shut, but then her eyelids began to flutter and twitch. Dim light shined from inside her, and she groaned against Chlora’s hand as her body began to clench on its own. Her mouth opened as her eyes shut tight and then opened wide. Furiously her head shook for a moment, and then her body melted limp.

“You might not be the most hospitable environment, but this pretty seed doesn’t need water or sunlight. It feeds off of thought. So if your pretty metal head is capable of independent thought, you’ll make a very pretty meal.” Chlora giggled like a schoolgirl as she trailed fingers along Electrum’s twitching face. “Don’t worry. It’ll pace itself. You’ll be delicious for probably months to come. After that it might need to spread its roots deeper and start siphoning at your mind itself. Then . . . Well . . .”

“Chlora . . . You didn’t say we’d hurt her . . . She’s nice . . .” Flower’s voice was full of genuine distress. “Don’t wanna hurt her . . .”

Chlora sighed and crawled off of the fallen woman. Very meticulously she dusted herself off before stepping back to Flower and looked deep into her eyes. “Flora . . . They don’t really feel like we do. They’re just animals. Metal sparkle girl is particularly resistant, but still an animal. Trust me, sister. She’ll be better off a simpler, more obedient animal.”

Flora frowned and shook her head. “Friends . . . They’ve taken care of me. They’ve been there for me. They’re more than jus-nnnnn!” Chlora’s hand reached back behind Flora’s neck again and pressed her nail into the still-red spot.

“These are bad thoughts, sister. These are very, very bad thoughts. You might be the older sister, but you’re confused. You’ve learned a lot of very silly, very incorrect things.” Chlora sighed as she stroked her sister’s blond hair and kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry though. I’m a very very good teacher. I’ll make sure you learn everything that’s important. For now though, Flora needs more nappy time for this to sink in a little deeper. You just sit down and go sleepies for your little sister, okay?”

“Dnn’t . . . wanna . . .” Flora pooled into the chair as Chlora pushed her down, and her eyes fluttered. “Stooop doing this to meeee . . .”

Chlora just rolled her eyes as she petted her sister’s hair. On the floor, the four heroines writhed, covered in a thin layer of green. A devious grin slowly spread across the younger plant girl’s face. Wordlessly she began to one by one drag the helpless women out into Hope’s car.

When only Electrum remained, she knelt beside her and whispered into her ear. “You’re beaten You’ve lost. You’re Chlora’s statue girl now. I think naked, you’d be a gorgeous slave to have mindlessly watering my nursery. When not being used, you could be a decoration. How does that sound to you?”

Electrum whimpered quietly, mind too fragmented to make any solid words. Inside her mind, the seed was suckling and pulling at the energies that helped her process. It was so hard to do anything at all, even understand what was happening. All she knew was that Chlora’s voice was powerful, and her thoughts were barely held together enough to be called weak.

“Good. Now, melt back to flesh. I know you can’t exactly walk yet. You’ll need to learn that all over again. That’s okay. For the moment, I’m more concerned with getting you home.” Chlora grinned as she traced along Electrum’s face with a gentle sigh.

. . . Melt . . . Flesh . . . Can’t walk . . . Learn over . . . Getting . . . Home . . .

Aurora moaned as her metal melted back inside of her body. Not sparing any time at all, Chlora began to lift her up, and slid her in right beside her fallen friends.

When Flora woke, she found herself lounging on a plush green couch. She felt exhausted and her neck still stung from her sister’s pointed nail. When she had awoken the last time she felt dizzy and languid. Now, her head was clear. She was very, very unhappy with her sister.

She’s just like the doctor was . . . Cold, ruthless, insane . . . I can’t let her hurt my friends . . . Flora forced herself to her feet. She must not know how quick I can metabolize poisons. She’s just as overconfident as the doctor, too. Her neck pulsed and ached, and it took no small degree of self-control to resist scratching. Trying to remember why she’d let her sister follow her to the meeting made her head spin. However quickly she was recovering, she couldn’t argue her sister’s toxicity.

Stumbling, and hooding her eyes to play the role of the still-affected, Flora made her way out of the small room she’d awoken within to find herself inside a greenhouse. Beyond the green glass were ultraviolet lamps. Beyond them was darkness. That was far less disturbing than the sight of her friends. Hope, Tunnel Vision, and Psiona were stripped bare and strapped back against elaborate trellises. The vines that bound them were adorned with long petaled white flowers.

Each of them had a flower positioned just below their noses. Their weakened, sleepy mewls spoke volumes about the purpose of those flowers. The vines held their legs spread and acted as a shelf for their breasts.

“Such a pretty garden, hmm? My sweet lover-vines wanted to play, and I can hardly deny then when I’ve been indulging myself.” Chlora’s voice startled Flora and brought her fiercely back to reality. “Once the garden is done savoring them, I think they’ll make good help, don’t you? They’ll be devoted to attending to every petal, every leaf . . . understanding their place in the world. You find the cutest pets. If you’re not as big of a fan of the experimentation side . . . maybe you can just find pretty girls.”

Flora barely managed to suppress her shudder of revulsion. There were too many parallels to count. It’s almost as if the doctor experimented on herself. Chlora doesn’t look anything like her, but I saw the girls she used to make me. I didn’t look like any of them, either . . .

“Awwww, are you still a little groggy, sis? Sorry about that. I hope you feel all better soon.” Chlora wrapped her arms around Flora and pressed so close with a tender sigh. “Mmmm . . . Your pretty metal ‘friend’ is proving very . . . fun . . .”

“Fun . . .?” Flora fought hard to make her voice sound sleepy and confused instead of sickened. The result wound up somewhere near disoriented-neutral. “How is Electrum . . . fun . . .?”

The younger sister grinned as she slid her fingers along her older sister’s curves. “She has such . . . Fortitude. Come, I’ll show you. She’s really something else.” Chlora laughed as she grasped Flora’s hand and led her through the greenhouse. Countless varieties of plants flowered and grew. The sweet feeling of the light against Flora’s skin made her feel recharged and vibrant. If not for Chlora’s insanity, the feeling would have edged closer to euphoria.

There was more in the greenhouse than just plants. High-tech sensory apparatuses seemed to watch everything. Devices were ready to inject various plants with different strange serums. There was no doubt that the greenhouse was very advanced, and had been around for days, weeks, months . . . maybe even years.

Behind a door at the far side of the greenhouse hung a very inarticulate Electrum. Vines coiled around her wrists, holding her up by her arms. Her feet hung above the floor, swaying faintly as she twisted and groaned. Like the others her clothes had long since been torn away. Her naked body glistened with pale flesh and patches of shining metal. The vines holding up her arms had curled around her similar to the others as well, though they had no flowers. They did however possess thorns, but each thorn Flora’s eyes could spot was broken or chipped beside metal flesh.

“Even without cognizance, that metal gets in my way. She literally can’t stop it. She wants to. Oh how she wants to. It just won’t pull back if that puts her in danger . . .” Chlora stepped closer to the bound heroine and traced her finger along the patches of metal like she was connecting dots. “It’s inside, too. Stops the toxins . . . Hardly fair.”

“No . . . it’s not . . .” Silently Flora thanked Aurora’s gray-gold for keeping her safe. Flora was sure whatever Chlora wanted that she hadn’t already gained from Aurora’s helplessness was something she didn’t want to happen.

Chlora sighed as she kissed Aurora’s cheek. As her lips withdrew, silver-gold was visible beneath. “The seed will do its job, eventually. It just needs to absorb enough of her to be able to, well, think for itself . . . Then it can learn how to use her body . . . probably even learn how to stop whatever makes that metal get in my way. But right now, she’s not important. None of them are. Her other hanging friends will be mine sooner . . . They all just love how the flowers smell . . .”

Flora shuddered as a hand reached up, touching one of her own flowers hesitantly. “Sis . . . What’re you planning . . .? What is all of this for . . .? We’ve got each other . . . what else do we need?”

Chlora’s eyes lit up as though she’d been waiting for Flora to ask. “This is not a matter of what do we need, sister. This planet is all out of whack. I can’t fix the whole thing. Our mommy couldn’t fix the whole thing, either . . . but she could try to tip the scales a little to fix everything up just a tiny bit. We can make the world a little greener. We can make the world worship nature again! The more we learn scientifically about the earth, the more we see that it is so fragile, and its thanks to thousands of living organisms that it continues.

“Animals are undermining the order. Forests cut. Air filled with toxins. Oceans filled with oil. If you are part of the problem, you are not the solution. We are, Flora. We are that solution. We are what will restore the true order. We will put right what has gone so horribly wrong. We will show these humans their ‘Eden’ . . . and they will serve it until the end of their days, and their progeny will do the same. We will make a new world!” Chlora’s eyes were wide, and her grin was deranged.

Eden . . . The doctor used to mention Eden all of the time, she mentioned that I was the first daughter of the new Eden, of the new world . . . Flora couldn’t contain the horrified look. Chlora was looking up to the ceiling with her arms outstretched. The lamps from above illuminated her pose of triumph, but the almost-reverence the posture gave was wholly undeserved.

Aurora groaned hanging from those vines as her eyes shot open wide. Her hips bucked, thighs clenching as shudders spread over her. Slowly metal melted over her eyes, and then her lids fell shut. Chlora sighed, slowly shaking her head as she turned to Aurora and caressed her cheek. “You poor, poor animal. Here I am, trying to grant you a new beginning . . . You’re immune to the love of my neurotoxins, immune to physical modification . . . I can’t even start to get a needle into your skin. Now you’re starting to fight the seed, aren’t you?”

The bound heroine groaned as slickness ran down her thighs, but she gave no intelligible reply. Her lips fell closed and only faint mewls resonated from within. “What’s happening to her . . .?”

“The seed is trying to take control of her body. Since she is unable to experience what her friends will, I tried to give her something. Being at the constant mercy of the seed within her would be nearly the same gift as reshaping her body and mind.” Chlora sighed and tapped her fingertip at Aurora’s closed eyes. “She’s resisting that too. This metal is most fascinating . . . If only I knew something about it . . .”

Flora silently thanked every deity she knew that Chlora did not know. “Maybe we should just leave her alone. The seed renders her mind powerless, doesn’t it? The metal can’t do anything on it’s own. We can just leave her hanging here . . . It won’t do any harm . . .”

Chlora raised an eyebrow as she stepped back from Aurora and glanced instead at her sister. “Hmm. Perhaps. Wasting too much time on her wouldn’t be worth the effort. Let’s take a moment then to visit your other friends. I’ll tell you a little more about what’s happening to them and then we can get to work on fixing up our little utopia. Mmmm follow me . . .” Chlora stepped ahead of Flora as she led the way back into the main room of her nursery.

Again, Aurora whimpered. Flora bit her lip and mouthed “soon” before running slightly to catch up with her sister. She was becoming increasingly sure that her sister was more than just her sister, but asking the questions that would reveal the answer would put all of them in danger.

Flora tried her best not to examine anything too closely. The mental sight of Aurora’s skin dotted with metal patches where thorns had tried to penetrate sent shudders down Flora’s spine. If she could amputate her metal, she would. After this is over . . . Aurora, pull through this, please. I’ll stop her, and you’ll be okay. The rest of you, too . . .

Tied to their trellises, the others were still faintly mewling and squirming. Their cheeks were all more flush than before. Their bodies were squirming more. The rosy nipples that capped their breasts were all so much tighter than before. It had only been a matter of minutes but the sheen of sweat that had begun to form over them looked wholly new. Psiona’s form was again the mousy girl from the cave beside the ocean. Tunnel looked so much more pale everywhere that wasn’t shining red.

“They’re moving along very nicely. They should be ripe soon . . .” Chlora grasped one of Hope’s breasts and gave a firm squeeze. Hope half-whimpered in response, and Chlora laughed loudly. “Beautiful. Very ripe. You find good stock. All that should be left now is a few injections . . . The late doctor perfected the most ingenious serum, you know. It makes a woman physiologically addicted to just about anything, depending on how you modify it.”

“What . . . what will you be addicting them to?” Flora knew the answer before she asked. The doctor was always trying to perfect it back before she’d been arrested, but it always met with failure.

Chlora sighed as she traced a finger along Tunnel’s inner thigh and suckled the slickness from her hand. “Me, of course. They’ll need me to function. Without a taste of me a day, they’ll descend into delirium and madness . . . and then a drop can bring them back from it. Oh Pavlov, how much you’ve done for us . . . Only I can make the bitch drool without a bell.”

Hanging against the wood at their backs, none of her friends looked particularly heroic. They looked defenseless and vulnerable. They were at Chlora’s mercy. If the doctor’s formula finally worked, they would be doomed to a life of lusting for the woman who did this to them. If the formula failed . . . Flora remembered the madness those women descended into. They always looked so pleading for some glimpse of a return to sanity.

The madness was never the part of the experiment that failed.

With a satisfied squeal, Chlora pulled a syringe from a nearby table and held it up to the light. Her long fingers slowly caressed the tube’s length with a twisted longing before she nuzzled it with her cheek. Her lips pressed to the place just below where the needle itself emerged.

Not allowing herself a moment to hesitate, Flora tackled her sister against the table. Her hand clasped around the syringe as she tried to wrench it free of her sister’s hand. “You’re not my sister! You’re her! You’re my mother! You’re the doctor that when I misbehaved threatened to lock me in a dark room and pluck my petals until they grew back the color you wanted! You’re not doing this for anyone but yourself! You’re not trying to save the world! You’re just trying to make a part of it yours!”

Chlora laughed in the same thick, mad way that her mother used to. It had such a twisted cadence that always made it sound otherworldly. Coming now from someone else entirely gave it an even more frightening feeling. Chlora began to writhe and struggle in her sister’s grasp, though her heart obviously wasn’t in it.

Her eyes hooded for a long moment as she started into Flora’s eyes. Then Chlora’s eyes slid shut, and she arched against her sister. Her leg slid along Flora’s. Her chest pressed against Flora’s. The heroine had to bite her lip to resist a shudder.

“Should have known you would have built up a quick resistance . . . and no . . . I am your sister. But the late doctor had a harder time finding victims. Too many people knew her face. She didn’t have the cash to relocate. So she did the only reasonable thing she could do.” Chlora’s eyes flashed open as she began to struggle more powerfully, and Flora had to strain to keep her held down. “She used herself. Her notes told me that if the process failed she didn’t see much of a future anyway . . . She survived, but her mind . . . well that was a donation she made to nature. Parts of her heart and soul . . .”

Flower narrowed her eyes. “You’re close enough. Sorry, but any guilt I would have felt about doing this just went out the window.” A burst of pollen flew from the flowers directly in front of Flora’s ears and covered Chlora’s face. The golden film quickly melted into Chlora’s flesh. Her eyes opened wider, and her lips slid apart.

She was limp in Flora’s hold, her body faintly writhing but otherwise barely moving. Her breathing slowed. Her pupils shrunk to pin pricks. Sounds of pleasure trembled out tiredly from her throat.

As the pollen melted through her, toxins mingling with her own, Chlora’s mind grew weaker and weaker. The paralysis was nearly instant, but the slowing of her mind took longer. She could feel as her body stopped responding to her desperate pleas. It was more intense than she had ever felt anything in her short life. She could viscerally feel each neuron that failed to fire, until her perception itself began to fade.

“Couldn’t hurt you if you were another victim, if she’d done to you what she did to me, just better . . . I couldn’t . . . Would have tried to stop you, but never could have done that . . .” Flora shuddered as she grabbed the syringe from the loose fingers of Chlora and set it down carefully. “Mommy’s last little discovery will go to waste after all . . . such a shame . . .”

Chlora couldn’t even whimper as Flora pulled away from her and began to tear the vines away from her friends. Hope groaned in fuzzy half-cognizance as she was freed and dropped roughly to her knees. Her eyes fluttered half open as she inhaled deeply, desperately, and then began to whine at the loss of the flower’s familiar scent. Hope’s every thought was languid. It was hard to focus on anything when she still possessed such a powerful and overwhelming desire for that scent.

More carefully, Flora began to untangle Psiona. Once the flower’s presence was gone from her nose, the psionic heroine’s form grew blurry around the edges as she attempted to don her more familiar guise. Initially, she looked as though she were in constant motion squirming between the two, and Flower found herself wincing and finally closing her eyes as she helped lower the woman down to the floor. Like Hope she began to mewl pleadingly with seemingly just as little direction. Her hands tried reaching out, and the plant nearest to her toppled with the pull of her mind.

Hearing her friends whimper made it hard to focus on getting Tunnel Vision down. She looked so strange without her sunglasses. She was pale, so they could hardly be called tan lines, but paler skin stretched along the sides of her face and surrounded her eyes. Careful not to make eye contact, Flower held Tunnel as she finished freeing her, and lowered her beside the others.

“Enough time and you’ll be over it . . . You’re all strong-willed enough . . . Coffee might help . . . Alcohol too . . .” Flower trembled faintly as she moved away from her friends and back to the incapacitated Aurora. The vine looked as though it had shifted its coils, and there were more little patches of metal visible across her skin. “Sorry, Aurora.” Very carefully Flower began to pull the thorny vine off of her new friend. The vines holding her arms were thankfully smooth. She didn’t think she could catch the young woman while she was even a little metallic.

As the vine fell away, more and more of Aurora’s skin melted back to pale flesh. Her eyes didn’t show any spark of intelligence, but it seemed clear that somehow some part of her understood she was safer than before. Apologetically Flora caressed her fingertips along the remaining metal spots as they melted away. Her encouragement seemed to hasten the softening process, and Aurora’s expression softened.

Moving a chair close to the suspended heroine Flora wrapped an arm around her as she began to tear the vines off from her arm. She had no clue how honest her sister . . . mother . . . had been about the timetable for the loss of Aurora’s mind. Instinctively as the first vine fell away, Aurora’s freed arm wrapped around her green-skinned savior. Not wanting to take advantage of her vulnerability, Flora was careful to stay as quiet as she could while tearing away the second vine. Some of the things Chlora had said while she was fighting off her toxins still resonated more powerfully than she liked.

Once she was free, the last of Aurora turned back to flesh. She hung almost limp against Flora, except for her arms pulling her closer. " . . . vie . . . syl . . .” Aurora faintly muttered under her breath before even her arms went limp.

“You are a very, very resilient woman . . . I guess this sort of makes us even, considering how we met . . . Even if you don’t remember.” Carefully Flora carried the smaller woman out and set her beside the rest of her friends. “I need to get you four some clothes . . . I’m sure Chlora kept them somewhere . . .”

Aurora was the only one of the four that seemed oddly at peace as Flora began her search.

Half an hour later Hope, Tunnel, and Psiona were dressed. It was weird to watch Psiona put on clothes over her illusion that faded as she did so, but it seemed to make her more comfortable. Tunnel’s sunglasses were nowhere to be found, and thus she was averting her gaze at every opportunity. Hope was shaken, stuttering faintly when she spoke, but hesitant to try.

Aurora was reclining on the same couch where Flora woke. She had a calm expression, almost looking like she was asleep if not for her heavily lidded eyes and her occasional faint mutterings.

Her friends stood over her, exchanging worried glances. “I could try to pull the seed out of her, but if it’s found any way to take root . . . I’d pull something else too. You’re pretty good at healing and everything, Flora, but I don’t know how ‘Rora would fare without a frontal lobe.”

“Might be sexy. Higher reasoning just gone?” Tunnel blinked as she noticed the others staring at her. “Look, I didn’t say it was a good thing, but are any of you going to tell me she doesn’t look good like that?”

“Wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t asked her to join the team. She was doing pretty good for herself, but she’s . . . just such an asset . . . We’ve really needed someone like her for a long time . . .” Hope sighed as she wrapped her arms around herself and kicked faintly at the floor. “We should get her to a hospital. Maybe back to Midas. Her mother is a doctor. There might be some kind of treatment . . . something only a little toxic or—”

Flower, who previously had been feeling more to blame than even Hope, grinned. “That’s it! Poison!” Grinning almost madly the plant woman ran out of the room and began to search.

The others followed her, Psiona raising an eyebrow as she moved to stand beside her. “What’re you looking for? Poison? Uhm . . . I don’t know if you remembered just where that seed was, but you told us she shoved it into her head. I admit I was a little busy trying just to string coherent thoughts together to see it, but she’s only got one head, and brains are a little sensitive.”

“Usually.” Flora grinned as she held up a small vial and carefully read over the ingredients. “Aurora is unusually resilient. She had her hanging from vines, wrapped up in thorns. None of the thorns could pierce her. You couldn’t keep up your illusion, but she kept her metal. Chlora said that even if she tried poison another way, she was turning metal inside, too. So we just pour some of this in there . . . maybe with you making sure it goes where it needs to, then pulling it back out . . . and she should be okay. Her metal won’t let her withdraw it if she’s still in danger.”

Hope brightened as Psiona’s grin began to rival Flora’s. She glanced to the vial and blinked. “What is it? I can do it, sure, it’s just liquid, but . . .”

“Poison. Pretty lethal. The doctor used to use it on failed experiments. Some of them got violent.” Flora’s face softened apologetically. “Not something I really like talking about, but well . . . You know who made me. She made Chlora out of herself. Chlora took after her pretty well . . . I don’t think she would have been above using this on any of us.”

Psiona just nodded and took the vial. “Sounds good to me. If that doesn’t work Hope, I can fly, but not fast enough to get her back to Midas . . . Can’t her other mom teleport?

“Yeah! And she’s on her cell . . .” They moved back into the other room, just as Aurora began to sit up. Squealing, Hope almost tackled her down on the couch as she squeezed her tight. “Aurora! Aurora you’re okay . . . you’re okay . . . Was so afraid it was going to take control or kill you or . . . Feels good that we don’t need to shove poison into your ear, even though it probably would have worked just fine . . .”

Aurora’s eyes shot wide as she tried to sit up again, pushing up against Hope as she rose. “Wait, poison in my head?! What the . . . kill me . . .? What the hell . . . Uhm . . . We were . . . Did I pass out or . . .? I feel like I missed something.”

Flower stared in amazement as she moved to stand over the dazed heroine. “My sister, Chlora, she shoved a seed into your ear that was supposed to be siphoning away your mind. You resisted all of her poisons. She had you hanging from vines . . . You don’t remember any of it? You said a name . . . Veesyl? Something like that? You . . . really are resilient. You snapped out of it all on your own. Somehow.”

Aurora’s eyes widened the more Flower spoke until she mocked passing out and closed her eyes tight. Slowly shaking her head she let out a very deep sigh. Her body did feel very exhausted, and she had a killer headache, but nothing that would account for what Flower said.

“I . . . Veesyl . . .? Oooh. Maybe I know who . . . what that is. Maybe. But I’m uhm . . . Fuck I missed all of the action, didn’t I? Did I miss the meeting? Hope was going to say I’d make a good leader or something, I think. Damn my head feels like a car ran over it. I remember trying to get you two to stop arguing, and then . . . blank till I woke up here alone. Cliffnotes don’t sound like they’re going to cut it . . . any chance someone could fill me in? Where’s the bitch who did it?”

“We can tell you on the way back to HQ. Flower’s bitchy sister is tied up very thoroughly in the next room. Figured we’d call the cops once we were on our way out. I don’t like being seen like this.” Tunnel spoke, but still didn’t look in Aurora’s direction. “Glad you’re feeling better. Was worried about you for a minute there.”

Aurora grinned as she kissed Hope’s cheek and stretched her body out slowly. Her arms then rested over Hope’s back as she squeezed her tight. “Bah. Too stubborn for a plant to take me down—no offense Flower!”

“None taken . . . I’m just glad you’re all right. Maybe we could hang out sometime soon, off duty? Psiona, Tunnel . . . Hope . . . I think it could be fun. I know I could use it.” Flower was not at all in a mood to be solitary. “I don’t want to take another sabbatical from the whole heroing thing, but It might be fun just to spend some time together doing something a little calmer. Like lunch. Does that sound good to anyone else?”

“Count me in.” Psiona smiled and gave a thumbs up. “Maybe a little bit of a team meeting might lead to a little more understanding of each other as people, huh?” She raised an eyebrow as she looked to Hope, and then slowly to Tunnel Vision. “How about you, Tunnel? Want to break type? You’ve gotta look cute in a pair of thin-rimmed sunglasses and a sun dress.”

Tunnel rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically. The way her face contorted as her eyes rolled instantly made Aurora certain she did that all the time hidden behind her sunglasses. “No thanks. Besides, I’ve got work. Lots of it. Anything you need to know about me from some ‘bonding’ Hope can tell you. We went to school together, and a lot more. In fact, I’m kinda just going to scoot now. You know how to reach me if you need to. I need to get a new pair of shades. And you will never, ever see me in a god damn sun dress.”

Everyone laughed as Tunnel waved and left without fanfare.

“Sure you can’t break away from work, Hopey? I know I’d love a little time together, the four of us, no masks, no metal, just . . . being us. Maybe a date? I’d love it if you could find a way . . .” Aurora already knew the answer, but she had to try. After what might have just happened, a little time with Hope sounded lovely. “I’d like to make some memories with you I don’t end up forgetting later.”

Psiona smirked faintly, and Aurora did her best to ignore it. Hope . . . Rebeca won’t be able to come, and I’ll get to ask some questions behind her back. I’d rather ask her, but if she’s too busy . . . Knowing everything I can about her, that’s not a bad thing, is it?

“Aurora . . . I can’t do that even more now. I’m glad as hell you’re okay, but . . . This is important, my work. I can’t let Chlora set me back.” Almost nervously Hope pulled away and stood over Aurora. “It’s important stuff. It’s important to me, and the company. Sorry. You three should do something. I’ll cover it. That, I can do. Easy. That okay?” Without Aurora to worry over, Hope seemed very unsteady. She couldn’t quite manage to stop squirming and fidgeting. “I know that’s sort of lame but—”

“Shit happens. It’ll be okay.” Aurora tried to sound a little less like her age and failed miserably. “You don’t need to—”

Psiona grinned just a little and wiggled her fingers between Hope and Aurora. “Uh, no. She’ll cover it. A free lunch from a billionaire? Yeah. I can take that. Sounds awesome. I think we should get some lobsters.”

Even Hope laughed. Aurora started to sit up, running fingers through her hair. “Well . . . who’s in the mood to get some cops in here so we can all relax in a little place less villainous?” Time gaps were becoming a disturbing trend in Aurora’s mind. Even if she couldn’t remember, knowing the basics made her want to go anywhere else.

“Sounds great to me . . .” Hope reached down and squeezed Aurora’s hand as she looked deep into her eyes. Something about her expression made Aurora feel concerned. She almost looked guilty. “Let’s go.”

Chlora fluttered open her eyes with a scream. Her eyes were wide as she tried to process where she was. She wasn’t in the greenhouse. She wasn’t in her laboratory. She wasn’t in her bedroom. The walls were white. The wall opposite the corner she was desperately pushing herself against was glass. Looking around at the walls she saw vents, but could feel the breeze flowing in.

They know my flowers can . . . Flower . . . You . . . Betrayed me . . . Just like you betrayed Mother. Chlora’s arms wrapped tightly around her body as she began to rock. I’ll find a way out of here, someway, somehow . . . and then I’ll get that stupid metal bitch . . . I’ll break her . . . don’t care how, but I’ll break that metal bitch . . . then I’ll break you. I wanted to share paradise with you, make the world an Eden just for us, maybe a few more, and you . . . you . . . more concerned about your human ‘friends’ than your sister . . .

The glass was mirrored, showing Chlora only her own disheveled appearance. Her hair fell sloppily over her face and her petals. Above her, the light bulbs weren’t regular bulbs. They felt too warm, and their light was far too white. It made her feel better physically, but her mind was abuzz with rage.

Her own green-tinted skin in the reflection upset her. It was too much like her sister’s. The metal surrounding the lamps in the ceiling seemed to taunt her. I don’t know which upsets me more . . . that the stupid metal bitch was resisting, or my sister was?

Chlora glared into her own reflection’s eyes. Their eyes looked so much alike. In the mirror the reflection quivered faintly, and just around the edges of her own face she could imagine the face of her mother, of her creator, and it sent shudders down her spine. “I need to fulfill your legacy . . . I must . . . fulfill your legacy . . . Promised . . . Meant it . . .”

Her eyes fluttered as she stared at the parts of her that looked most like her creator. She could remember the first voice she ever heard. The recording had been playing on a constant loop. It made her promise. It had begged her to promise.

Surrendering to the request had been her first words.

Her eyes hooded as she began to faintly pant, staring more intently at the reflection until she saw the doctor instead of herself. The differences were far too minimal, but so important. She lost herself in a reflection of her own eyes as she mewled and began to wiggle her hips.

On the other side of the glass, pink lips slowly curved into a grin. It was dark on the other side of the glass, and a shadow fell over the rest of the woman’s face beyond those lips. Slowly a hand gracefully adjusted a pair of glasses before the woman walked away down a long corridor filled with similar cells. They were all brightly lit, mirrored glass walls, and of the twenty or so she stepped passed half of them were filled with a single female occupant.

The door at the far end of the dark corridor opened for a moment, light shining through, before it closed loudly and locked with a loud click.

More things revealed, more questions to ask. Wouldn’t be much of a story without those would it? I hope you enjoyed. Check out the Kistublot later today/tomorrow for more updates, and thank you for reading. Fanmail, email encouragement, pokes to write faster, are always appreciated!