Electrum Volume 13: The Return of Silver Girl
Chapter 3: House of Cards
“Thank goodness I was ready to run into supers. Hauling a metal woman around . . . That? That would not have been fun. It’s too bad I couldn’t have had you drive me home on that motorcycle of yours, but you seem to be entirely too strong willed for a quick conversion. That’s fine. We have all the time in the world.” The magician’s voice echoes through my head like a water on a metal roof. I’m strapped down to something. My eyes were open when I woke up, but I quickly fixed that.
Conversion. Brainwashing. No one can hold out forever. Drugs, those cards, constant smashing of her will against mine, and its only inevitable that mine will break. I’ve felt it before. I’ll hold out as long as I can, but I don’t even know for sure how long she’s already had me.
Wait. I was wrong. One woman could hold out forever. It’s kinda funny to remember that now, considering the uniform I can still feel myself wearing.
Silver Girl could do it just fine.
She might have had lots of mind control experiences that had her falling under the influence of another woman’s’ control, but that was almost twenty years ago. I haven’t been silver girl for two months, and already I’m going to tarnish her reputation.
If I screw it up too bad, there’s always the chance I could get someone to make me a Patina uniform. I can’t top what Yana must have done under that name. I hope Sylvia is enjoying riding her namesake when she gets the chance . . .
“You know your mom has a reputation for smarting off to her captors. I was prepared for that. I was hoping for that. Are you really going to be boring?” I can feel her lean close. The scent of her arousal flowing from her and mint on her breath is oddly intoxicating. Her earlier work on me must not be as far away as it feels. I couldn’t struggle at all then. Did she just turn it off so I could struggle now? Her hand connects with my cheek, which turns metal at the moment the blow hits. “Fuck! Worse than smarting off. Your damn body is booby trapped.“
“Heh.”
Her hand tightly grasps my chin, tight enough that it would hurt if not for the whole instinctive metal coating bit. “That’s not very biting. How droll. I put on a big show and everything. I was going for someone who gets more headlines to take another place in my deck, but . . .”
“Stage show rejects can’t be choosers?”
“Something like tha-ha! Good girl. Very good girl.” Her hand strokes along my cheek, along my neck, and my whole body shudders in response. I arch into the hand cupping my breast, groaning as she kneads the metal flesh. Even if they’re harder to hurt, they’re still breasts, metal or not. Her hand feels so . . . good. Not just the pleasure, the nerve endings firing off, but like bubbles of loving giggles popping all over the inside of my head.
I try to groan and shake it off, but it lingers like a foggy haze. Nothing she did went away, it just burrowed. It’s probably not supposed to change me into a mindless drone, just make me a part of her deck. Worse. It’s a lot easier to fight off the former.
Thinking, trying to remind myself how this isn’t me, how I don’t like my nipples being twisted by tacky street magicians, it doesn’t work when I do. It doesn’t work when she’s changing who I am. It doesn’t help that she’s already done a good job of convincing a little too much of me that I like the idea.
The Ace of Hearts . . .
My body shudders, and my metal melts back inside of me. I don’t want to push her away. I don’t want to be alone. I want love. Need love. Need contact, need . . .
My captor laughs, kissing along my neck with the softest pair of lips I’ve ever felt. “I wondered how long it would take with you. There’s always a bit of disorientation, the first time they wake up. The technology isn’t perfect yet. It takes a little long to start hitting after the mind . . . reboots. My thought is it buries into long term memory but not short. Honestly, I don’t know. Don’t care. It’s not like I designed them anyway. Mmm but my ace of spades was so helpful . . .”
A woman I don’t know moans. I know I shouldn’t open my eyes, but I don’t know why. Without a reason that feels solid, I let them melt open and glance down to see that street magician petting a woman with black hair dressed up in white lingerie with a black translucent spade over both of her nipples, and along her slit down between her legs.
She must have been the one who . . .
My thoughts stop dead when She pulls a card from between Her breasts and holds it in front of my eyes. The ace of hearts. “I’d love to claim to be real magic . . . but you, you’re the real magic in this room. That is how your powers work, isn’t it? Magic? I know I heard something like that about your mom somewhere. Ever seen the pictures of her that circulate online? The vids? Pretty explicit. I wonder if you’re half as memorable. We’ll have plenty of time to find out since you’re coming with me. I don’t like to stay in one place for too long.”
“Counter Spell . . . She’ll find us . . .” Do I sound as disappointed to her as I think? “She’ll stop you . . .”
“If she finds us, you’ll help me stop her sweetie. Funny thing about these cards . . . Till the brainwashing sets in? Your mind doesn’t remember it when it first starts up. Really amazing tech, but you’ll need to be broken in.” I can imagine that won’t be hard. Staring at the card feels familiar, but it’s so hard to think past her. Past loving her. Past needing her. Past . . . how amazing everything about her is.
She tugs down at the top of my uniform hard, and I moan as her hand finds my bare breast. It feels so good to be held by her . . . touched by her. I need what she wants. I need to be what she wants. I need to be her ace.
She laughs, and twists my already stiffened nipple so hard it turns to metal. “Mmm I wondered if that would happen. Fun. Very fun. Sadly, I won’t be able to start your real conversion tonight. You’re just a light snack while I wait for a visit. I don’t want to stay in Midas any longer than I have to. Too many capes. Too many cloaks. Your crooks are just as dangerous as your badges I swear.”
The card pulls away, tucked back between her breasts. I want to bury myself along with that card, nuzzling, kissing, sucking, oh everything I can do. I can imagine so many things.
A loud knock on the door is followed shortly by another of her slaves approaching her. The slave whispers into her ear, making my owner roll her eyes. Owner . . . I don’t want to think it, to feel it, to need it, but it feels like that card between her breasts may as well be a deed.
“Seems that company of mine is already here. Sigh. Life as the Deck Mistress is never dull. Send her in, girls!” My owner is the Deck Mistress. Such a powerful name. I love it. I love her. I love the Deck Mistress!
“I don’t like being kept waiting, Deck. You know that. I also don’t like when you can’t put your toys away before we talk.” The woman she’s meeting . . . I know her voice, but I can’t place it. And quickly enough, my owner is holding that card in front of my face again, and then everything else besides her drips away.
Nothing is so perfect. Nothing is so erotic. Nothing is such euphoric . . . Mmmm . . .
Deck Mistress laughs, her voice so rich and dripping in all of the best ways. “Yes, yes that’s just who she said she was. I didn’t believe it at first, but oh how I look forward to riding that magic mouth of hers. I’m sure you’ve seen the vids of her mother. If she can do half of what she can she’ll be worth all the risk. Plus, buns of steel. Silver. Whatever. I could barely keep my hands off of her on the way here. You didn’t expect to meet me in Midas without another card for my deck, I hope?”
Mistress is talking to the other woman, but she doesn’t matter. Ruby and scarlet spirals spinning inside of that heart, spirals that I couldn’t see until I stared this long, are so much more perfect. The deeper I look, the more twists I can see. The more twists I can feel.
Red. Love. Hearts. Need. Obedience. Should be fighting this, but she owns me. Possesses me. I’m her ace of hearts. I can’t fight it. Can’t fight it. Can’t . . . fight it . . .
“So you know her, huh? Small world. I only even know the name Silver Girl because I grew up in the area. Funny how things work out.” The card moves closer and my eyes cross to keep staring obediently into its mesmerizing pattern. “Sorry. I don’t sell or trade. I buy to own. She’s mine now. Probably means coming back to Midas won’t be safe, so no using this meeting spot again. Oh well, right?”
I can barely see the card with it so close, but I can feel it twisting and twining with my thoughts. I wish the other woman would leave. I just want the chance to obey. I need the chance to obey! She was using me. I want her to use me more! I want to wear lingerie covered in hearts, for her!
If she doesn’t want that, I’ll want whatever she wants. That’s how these feelings work. That’s how I work.
My owner laughs louder, and the perfect sound makes my thoughts tremble. “Yes, that’s how it is, skittles. Now let’s talk business. I have information, and you want it, right? That is why we’re here. So, start asking quest-mmmmph!”
My card falls from her hand. It would look so beautiful for it to be caught on a breeze and slowly drift down to the floor, but it’s heavier than it looks. It hits quick, and the sound makes something inside of me flutter. Sounds of struggle surround me, but I can’t focus on it. The card’s spirals gone so quickly have my eyes seeing blue and green lights in the air where it was.
The straps holding me down feel so much more restrictive, and the air across my exposed chest feels so cool. My passion burns hot, but the air makes it easier to breathe. If only that passion didn’t make my flesh so sensitive . . .
The card rises back up, filling my vision. The hand holding the card is different. It isn’t Deck Mistress. The nails are colored to look like . . . rainbows . . .? When the card pulls away, a face takes its place. Kelly. Prism. She’s the one holding the card, holding me, holding . . .
She grabs it in both of her hands and tears it in half. Sparks shoot out from the card, but nothing dramatic. A small puff of blue smoke follows, and she tosses the card to the floor where she found it.
“Should have fucking known you’d make my job here in Midas harder. I swear you LaSilvases live to make my life harder.” Something about her holding the card makes her so much easier to focus on. Something inside of my head is short circuiting, breaking, crumbling, but focusing on her makes it feel a lot calmer. “I come here to schmooze with a contact, and she’s got you strapped down on her table. Just a day. She would have left Midas tomorrow. Monique just had to send me here, didn’t she?”
Nothing she’s saying is making any sense. The spirals, so red, so strong, aren’t making any sense. Deck Mistress doesn’t have my card. No one has my card. My card . . . me . . . I . . .
Prism rolls her eyes with a sigh. “You’re passing out now. The card forms a powerful association between owner and owned. Destruction of the card has a very powerful affect. You’re holding out pretty well, but I don’t think even you can stay conscious through this. It’s going to hurt. A lot. When you come to, you won’t have anything too powerful lingering. Then we’ll talk.”
She’s right. I don’t want to admit it, but she’s right. All of that passion, all of that need, all of my lust, my desire . . . it’s burning up. Hard. Hot. Fire. Sizzling through me. My body shudders, and I try to close my eyes tight to hide from the pain. It’s everywhere. Every thought. Every breath. Even color flashing so vividly in my closed eyes.
Everything burns away in a burst of white flame.
The straps are gone when I flutter open my eyes. One of the girls in lingerie is bringing Prism a drink. My head hurts more than I can remember it ever hurting. It feels like something exploded inside of it, or . . .
“Faster than the girls we tested it on back in the lab. Prox’s tech, by the way. Modded. We don’t know how she got ahold of it. She says one of her slaves made it for her, but she didn’t invent it. It’s too much a carbon copy. That’s why it worked on you so well. You’ve felt it before. It only gets stronger. Pattern based. It draws you in. Doesn’t let you go.” Prism takes a long slow drink of whatever is in her glass before sighing in such an incredibly satisfied way. “The bitch is still running free, but the tech isn’t any more refined than her first prox cards. I doubt Deck Mistress even knows that her tech is a hand me down.”
“What . . . the hell were you doing here? She was expecting . . . slow the fuck down. Ow.” I grab my head in both of my hands, sitting up quick as a sharp jolt of painful sensation shoots down my spine. “Ow! Fuck! I don’t remember Prox’s tech smarting like this!”
Prism shrugs, and smiles to one of the girls in lingerie as she takes another sip. “Its a different application, but is no different than making a black and white tv show shades of green instead. At least, that’s what the techs say. That isn’t my scene.”
Nothing makes sense. Deck Mistress was expecting her. She only stopped brainwashing me because Prism was coming to meet with her. Prism was here to get information. At least that’s what Deck Mistress said. But Prism recognized me. Techs . . . Monique . . . Mourning Frost’s associates. She’s been working with them, for them. She’s some sort of double agent like Monique is I guess. It hurts to think about that too much, but everything is pretty painful at the moment.
I wasn’t supposed to be involved. This was completely random. I was in the wrong neighborhood at the wrong time. I was just . . . there.
A heroine nabbed because the visiting villain threw out her net.
I think this is a new low.
I want to say just a little more work and I would have helped her stop Counter Spell . . . but that isn’t very honest. If she had time to say anything before Prism stopped her, I would have. The stage magician reject is in the corner, tied up in rainbows. A gag of light is filling her mouth.
They’d met before. This was planned. They knew each other. Monique, or Kelly chose Midas for this meeting.
“Okay, so, the pain is a bit much so give me a bit of a break if I’m not completely up to speed. You’re working with Mourning Frost’s not-official spook squad . . . She was one of your contacts . . . And you’d already managed to test some of her tech on innocent women to know how to break the spell she weaves.” The pain is already a lot less than when it started. I like the way that feels.
“Bingo.”
“Thanks . . . Guess this explains why you were in town. Not to see me or to leave me with a bruise. You’re here to follow up on a lead . . .” I don’t know how to feel. The parts of me that feel are in a lot of pain. Confusing pain. “Sorry I never asked. I’ve been . . . Wrapped up inside of myself.”
Prism rolls her eyes, and takes another sip. “From what I can tell, this is nothing new for you. You’re lucky I was here. Though, I would have preferred to do this without compromising a lead. Too risky to let her loose again after something like this. Even if the girls back at the lab have a go with her there’s a chance she’ll remember tonight. She deserves a cell somewhere, but it would have been nice to not lose another contact so soon. If you could have kept out of her clutches—”
“Then another girl would be going with her to wherever her next destination is?!” The pain takes a back seat to my anger. “If you didn’t know me, if I wasn’t anybody special, you would have waited?! That’s what you’re saying, isn’t it?!”
“Yes.” Kelly stands up, and drips water around her glass before surrounding it in a solid rainbow. “But you are a heroine. You’re somebody special. People would notice. Things would be worse for me, for you, and for a lot of other people too. I know you don’t like to admit it, but this is the way the world is. Running rooftop to rooftop doesn’t fix everything. Detective work isn’t enough to right every wrong. Her slaves would be freed eventually.”
Eventually. Maybe I’m naive, but what she’s doing doesn’t sound any more right than what the Deck Mistress is doing. She doesn’t sound any more ‘right’ than her.
It makes me even more glad that Counter Spell is with me and not Kelly.
I shake my head, running my fingers through my hair. I can’t believe it. This can’t be how things really are. The good gals are just as corrupt and twisted as the ones they’re trying to take down? Is everyone as bad as Hope was in her worst moments?
Tunnel must be loving her new job. If all she has to do is schmooze, take to the shadows, and occasionally gets to indulge her darker urges I’m sure she’s happy as she could be. She get’s to live the dream without any consequences.
I clench my fists so tight that they hurt even when they inevitably turn to metal.
“Get out of Midas. Get the hell out of my city! You bring women like her here, you let them go . . . I don’t care how far up this goes, and how much I’ll lose. I will catch you, and whatever super powered bitch you’re meeting with, and I’ll turn you both in. I’ll make it stick. I can’t . . . I can’t believe you’d be so . . . This isn’t why we have powers. We’re here to right wrongs, not tolerate them to get ahead!” The words won’t come to me. There are so many things I want to say, but they all fall flat.
Kelly steps closer to me, and picks up the ripped pieces of the ace of hearts. She holds them in my face as I instinctively wince away. “And that’s the only way I knew how to save your sorry ass. Not everyone can count on the seat of their shorts saving their ass every time. Not everyone wants to. We save a lot of women, Aurora. Silver Girl. Do you think your mom never bent a rule here or there? No one really knows the whole story behind how she ended up in the auction where she met your other mother. No one got an invitation for being a do gooder.”
Tears well up in my eyes, even as the sight of that card makes something in the back of my mind want to kneel and obey. I know exactly how my mother got into that auction, but she doesn’t deserve the respect in having her argument refuted. “Get . . . get the hell out of my city. I wanted to apologize to you. I wanted to try to make it up to you. I wanted to be the one who made all of the mistakes. I’d feel better about that. This . . . This . . . I don’t know how to deal with this. Just . . . go away. Take your loose morals with you.”
I tug my top back up over my breasts, flushing at the fact that I hadn’t done it sooner. She’s already seen me naked, but being angry and half naked isn’t a fun combination. I don’t want her staring at my tits while I feel so . . . confused. The door feels too far away, but I stumble to it anyway.
“Think your sister has never done something questionable? We’re on the same side. We stop a lot more than we let happen. If you ever grow up, give Monique a call.” Prism is still frowning at me when I take a look back from the doorway. “I had a girlfriend back home, you know. I had a life back home, that wasn’t there for me when I went back. Nothing explained it away. Nothing fixed it. Everything was wrecked, and ruined. Not everyone walked away unscathed from being nabbed up by the project. Not everyone can just brush it off so easy. Not everyone gets to just move on.”
I slam the door behind me, and wrap my arms around myself. Times like this I wish my cape was the big engulfing kind that I could hide inside of. White soft fabric wrapping me up tight and safe and warm sounds so . . . alluring right about now.
Not the slightest bit because of that lingerie. Of course not. That would be ridiculous and stupid.
A hotel. She took me to a hotel. Of course. I stumble my way out, each step a little bit easier. I need to be better. I need to be more alert. She took me in public. She took me in public . . . That won’t happen again.
I recognize the street once I’m outside. Either I took my time coming to, or it was later than I thought when she grabbed me. Or something else. I’m not thinking very clearly. My mind still feels a little slow. All it took was a deck of cards to make me nothing. Then it just took Prism to make everything better, and then worse. I can learn from this.
My bike is probably right where I left it. She didn’t want me using it, and for some reason I doubt she did. I plot out a quick path, and start heading that way. Maybe I should try flying more but now would not be a good time. Flying when you’re dizzy and wrapped up in metal can lead to expensive collateral damage.
Kelly is a lot different than I thought she was. I guess I never really knew her, but I thought she was better than that.
Without realizing it I’ve found my way to Aureus. She really is an awesome bike. I should probably get some kind of tracking beacon or magic sigil so I can find her in a pinch. Counter Spell could probably help.
“Auro-Silver Girl!” Counter Spell runs up to me, and I hardly even recognize her voice as I feel her embrace. I must be having tunnel vision and a one track mind. “We’ve been worried sick. I didn’t want to come looking for you, but then your cousin got a call from Kel-Prism. She told us where to look. Mina is waiting back at home, worried sick.”
I return the embrace, and just melt close. She’s taller than me. Most people are. I’m kinda small. I don’t mind. Most of the time it’s nice. It means I get to be the little girl nestled up to someone nice and warm even if I’m supposed to be the strong one.
Apparently even if Kelly thinks I’m a young idealistic brat she still cares enough to make sure Counter Spell found me. She did lose a lead to help me, but I cant know if that was really her choice. She seemed pretty upset.
I nuzzle into Counter’s shoulder and sigh. No matter what happens, I wont compromise myself like that. Now and then I might need to do something not on the level, not perfect in every way, but most rules have exceptions. I won’t let someone die because my morals are too important, but I won’t sacrifice others to make my life easier. Thinking about it like that, I actually feel a lot better. Without knowing it, Kelly gave my ego a little boost. “I’ll . . . I’ll explain everything. Just give me a moment to get together, I’ll drive home, we can all chat . . .hoped Mina wouldn’t need to know, but there’s no changing that now.” Of course Prism had to make things complicated.
“Of course . . . of course. Take all the time you need.” A girl being raised by elves being taller than me feels so strange. It’s nice, of course, but it still makes me giggle to myself in my head where only Sylvia might be able to hear it.
What was almost one really horrible night is turning around pretty quick. A nice little elven session after explaining everything will make it easier to get a good night’s sleep.
Counter Spell’s arms around me feel comforting. Her body at my back is warm, and a nice reminder of one of the biggest perk of a sidekick you’re attracted to: functional eye candy. The city around us is starting to settle in for the night, but we’re only just getting started.
Street lights are flickering on as we ride, the sky turning a deeper purple from its more casual blue. Midas City is mine to protect. I have help, but it’s still my responsibility.
A year ago, that would have weighed down on me like a ton of bricks. Now, it just lifts me up higher. The city is right beside me, every day. Prism might have stopped the Deck Mistress, but only because I was there. If I hadn’t been, she’d still be walking the streets with her hypnotic cards. I just have to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Considering she’s the first woman to make me forget myself since the whole Brighter Future mess, I think I’m doing pretty good.
“You feel a lot happier tonight, Silver Girl!” Counter Spell’s lips are so close to my ear and I can still only barely hear what she’s saying.
“How can you tell?”
“Because you’re not obeying the speed limit, but you aren’t growling every time you make a sharp turn! If you would mind maybe driving about fifty miles per hour slower I’d appreciate it!” Counter Spell’s voice is only half serious, so I don’t feel bad at all as the laughter starts pouring from my lips.
Even if I can never find out what’s happened to mom I still have her city and the people who matter to me.
Come home soon, Sylvia.