The Case of the First Necktie

by Shon Richards © 1999

Ten years after the death of the Blonde Widow, six years after the break up of the American Legion of Crime-fighters, and only six months after the death of Commissioner Robert Williams, I was summoned to the offices of the new commissioner by the use of the unique Spectre Phone. Feeling a slight strain on my back as I climbed down to his office window, I tapped on the glass to let him know I was here. At my age, I probably should have just met him on the roof, but I was a little self conscious about my reputation.

"Night Spectre?" asked a gawking Commissioner Fox.

"Who else?" I asked a bit brusquely. As I stepped in, I watched him cower back from the purple glow of my ultraviolet goggles. I regretted scaring him, but a small part of me was pleased. He had been reluctant to call on me for cases, and I resented how I no longer enjoyed the cooperation of the police. Maybe a better explanation was that I resented him for replacing Williams, although the only person to blame for that was Dr. Vile. It was his death ray that slew Robert and I found myself displacing that anger to Fox. Remembering my promise to myself to be nice, I relaxed my body language a bit. Besides, it had been a bizarre day of crime fighting, and I was hoping he could shed some light on today's events.

"I'm glad you arrived Night Spectre," he said as he seated himself defensively behind his desk. "We just suffered the worst crime wave Chicago has ever endured. Over one hundred arrests were made today as perfectly ordinary citizens robbed banks, stores and sometimes even their own employers! Even our own police officers were involved, we caught three trying to steal rifles!"

"I know," I said, my gravely voice carrying across the room. "Men with no criminal records have suddenly turned to crime, yet not one of them used a mask, or tried to conceal their identity in any way. I know I stopped forty people myself, yet when I questioned them, they claimed they had no memories of their crimes. I was hoping you could tell me something new."

"Sorry, Night Spectre, but there isn't much else to report," he said reluctantly. "We arrested most of our suspects at their homes. Eye witnesses were able to help us track down everyone who decided to rob a store today. Almost all of the suspects came home late, and without their loot, yet none of them would answer any questions! What's worse, is that every single one of them passed out shortly after coming home. We're still waiting for them to wake up before we can examine them again."

"Exhaustion?" I asked. "Tell me Commissioner, were all of these men extremely weak, and have bloodshot eyes?"

"Why yes, yes, they all were. What does it mean?"

"It means the Silk Succubus is back in town," I answered. His confusion told me he was completely unaware of who I was referring to. "The Silk Succubus was an ordinary woman who claimed her spirit bonded with a female demon. I was never sure if she was telling the truth, but she did possess the power to drain the strength of men through draining their fluids."

"Like a vampire?" Commissioner Fox asked.

"No," I answered a little amused by his naivety. "She would drain men through the act of sex. They would then be weak for forty-eight hours, while she would be able to use their full strength and vitality."

"That's, that's so monstrous!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, the Silk Succubus was so abhorrent a villain, that Commissioner Williams and I had to suppress it from the press. When she captured a group of weight lifters, she was almost unstoppable. I discovered that she had a weakness to a rare Grecian plant called Ambromia, and I was able to coat her body with the powdered plant. Her powers disappeared, and I watched her wither before my eyes. While I rescued her captives, she made her escape. That was eight years ago, and I assumed she was finished."

"But you think she has returned?" Commissioner Fox asked. Before I answered, I couldn't help but draw comparisons between him and Williams. There was that same desperate need for me provide the answers, and the pressure that came from watching a strong man look to another for help.

"I don't have any proof, but it's my suspicion," I said, trying to offer hope to the young man. "The Silk Succubus had many schemes, but in every one of them she always drained her victims whenever she could. I don't know how or why she is able to make law abiding citizens commit foul crimes, but I'll soon find out. I'll return to the Spectre Lair and see what I can find."

Comforting Fox was easy. When you wear a cape, a mask and large gauntlets that can zap a man at twenty feet, people take what you say seriously. I just wished it was as easy to solve crimes as it was to impress people. A long night ensued where I searched through newspaper clippings, police reports and my own files in order to find a connection. When I took a break to clear my head, I checked my arsenal. I looked for my remaining Ambromia supply, but all I had were a few dry petals. My special weapon was gone, which just turned on the pressure higher for me to find a solution.

There was a police report about various chemicals being stolen, but I was able to attribute them to Chicago's local mad scientists. It was really becoming sad when I could recognize the criminal by their shopping list.

Another report described different electronic components that had been stolen. It looked like Iron Menace was making another battle-suit. I made a personal note to prepare some more Spectre Rust-Sprays, and then moved on to the next report.

The only other unusual report I found was a robbery at a museum. The world's oldest known necktie had been stolen, after only being discovered two weeks before. Unearthed in Cairo, the necktie was made of solid gold and was dated at being at least two thousand years old. Most people believed it to be a hoax, and several authorities have already written papers denouncing it. Why would someone steal a historical item that no one assigned value to?

The rest of the report closed the matter for me. The guard was found unconscious and extremely weak. He claimed a beautiful woman approached him, and that he doesn't remember much after that. The museum assumed he had been drinking, and dismissed him. Of course, they weren't expecting to be robbed by a woman who could destroy a man's willpower. The Silk Succubus had struck, and I had no idea why.

An ancient necktie made of gold, and a crime wave that turned normal people to reckless thugs; where was the connection? I flipped through the names of the arrested men, and let my trained mind make it's own conclusions. They were all men, they were all successful and worked in various office buildings across town. Most of the time they robbed their bosses, although several of them were more ambitious. What did this have to do with an ancient necktie?

As soon as I asked myself that question, a chill went through me. All the suspects worked in offices, which meant they all needed to wear ties. If the Silk Succubus really did have knowledge of magic, maybe there were magical properties to the ancient necktie. It was a long shot, but my instincts told me that she could somehow control men if they wore ties.

The next day confirmed my fears. I had called Fox and told him to prohibit his officers from wearing ties. He was hesitant, but he gave it a try. Crime was still rampant, but no police men joined the corruption. After chasing newly corrupted criminals all day long, it occurred to me that I was losing ground. If the Silk Succubus was behind this, a serious situation was developing. By my records, the Silk Succubus had 'drained' at least two hundred men, which would make her strength phenomenal. Even if I did find her, it didn't seem likely that I would be able to stop her. I realized it was time to call on an old friend before the night came.

In a tucked away corner of Chicago, lives a former American Legionnaire. Unknown to anyone passing by on the street, a quiet warehouse was the home of the largest garden on earth. I came in through one of the dozens of skylights, but as soon as I hit the ground, she knew I was there. One day, I was going to figure out how to sneak up on her.

"Hello Night Spectre," the lovely Green Nymph said from her tree. How did she know I would land here? Looking at her, I suppressed a sigh at her always exotic beauty. She was six feet tall, and had the same familiar green skin that absorbed the sunlight. Her hair was a lucious brown, thick and falling around her body, easily long enough to reach to her waist. The elfin face that charmed the press back during the War. Leaves covered her body in strategic places, something I'm sure she did for my sake.

"Greetings, Green Nymph, it's been too long," I answered as I walked up to her.

"Not my choice. If you remember, I offered for you to move in last year, and I haven't heard from you since."

"I'm not one for moving in, I still believe in marrying the woman I live with," I answered, not unkindly.

"I offered that too, but you turned me down," she laughed. A leaf fell from her bosom, and despite it's erotic appeal, I became concerned.

"I don't think I've ever seen a leaf fall in your presence, are you all right?" I moved closer to her, and tried not to let the pleasant scent of pine distract me from my questioning.

"It's nothing you can do," she answered, her green lips glistening in the fading rays of the setting sun. "My eternal life appears to be slowing down lately, but I have hopes for my recovery."

"Is there something I can do?" I asked, my stomach turning at the thought of another friend leaving me.

"I think not, unless you have a cure for pollution."

"Pollution? I'm not familiar with that word?" I responded.

Her smile was sad, and a thousand years of regret behind those brown eyes. "No, I don't suspect you will be familiar with that word for another decade at least."

"Enough of this, she declared and she pressed closer to me in a hug. "You aren't here to watch my leaves fall from my body, unless you've changed your mind about us?" Laughing at my discomfort she asked "Why did you come here?

I uncurled my hand, and revealed the last few leaves of Ambromia that I possessed. She took one in her hand and for some reason, she sniffed the leaf.

"I need more of these. The Silk Succubus is back and I need to stop her. Can you grow it back?"

She laughed again, and not releasing her hug on me, she crushed the remaining leaves in her hand. When she opened her hand again, the leaves had taken root in her hand. Within seconds, three separate plants grew from her hands and I had to stop myself from pulling away from her. As much as I loved her sometimes, the Green Nymph has never made me completely comfortable.

"There you go, need anything else to grow?" she asked impishly.

"No thank you, these might be enough to defeat her," I said as I gave her a friendly kiss on her head. "You are amazing, no one else could have helped me today."

"I just hope to truly realize that before it's too late," she said as I left. The Green Nymph claims she isn't human, but she knows us too well not to be.

A week passed by, and the peaceful city of Chicago was still in the grip of the Silk Succubus's evil scheme. Commissioner Fox told the press our theory on neckties, and it helped cut down on the number of men turning to crime. It still wasn't enough. It was impossible to make all respectable men not wear ties, it was too much in their nature. Why, it would as impossible as asking housewives not to cook, or asking young boys not to chew bubblegum. No matter how much we warned people, it was inevitable that the Silk Succubus would find some poor man who merely trying to be professional.

During that tense week of crime, I exhausted every method I had for tracking the Silk Succubus down. Her usual hideouts were empty, the usual stool pigeons were baffled, and so far, she hadn't made any demands. Following the criminals after they had committed their crimes didn't work, each one was instructed to drop off their loot at remote locations. For that matter, I still wasn't sure how she corrupted her victims, or if they received their instructions personally. All I could do was maintain a perpetual watch over the city, and after seven days, I was exhausted.

Tired and frustrated, I welcomed the distraction I over heard on my police scanner. The Dinah Lance Private school for Girls had reported a peeper, one that apparently was wearing a costume. None of the villains I dealt with were voyeurs, but that didn't mean someone new wasn't in town. A quick ride in my SpectreMobile, and I was on the outskirts of town, ready for a new challenge.

Ms. Doolan, the headmistress for the school, greeted me at the door. I was impressed with her professional demeanor. Even though it was three in the morning, she was wearing her school uniform, complete with skirt, jacket and shoes. It made me feel secure to know our children had the opportunity to learn at such well disciplined schools. There was hope for our country yet.

"Night Spectre, I am so glad you came!" Ms. Doolan said as she led me in. "There is a strange man wearing a cape in the gym. Several girls reported seeing him peering through their windows. Night Spectre, you must stop this deviant before on of the girls is traumatized!"

Reassuring her that everything was under control, I had her guide me to the gym. I didn't understand why he would hide in an unoccupied part of the school, but I didn't discuss this with Ms. Doolan. The poor woman was already very quiet, and I suspect that the stress of protecting all these young women must be very tiring. When she opened the door to the gym, I instructed her to wait outside, these fights could become dangerous.

Dashed into the dark gym, I activated my Spectre Goggles immediately. Instead of an empty gym, the ultraviolet rays revealed the entire gym was packed with silent waiting young students! All the women were sitting on the bleachers, and as a group, they all rose. They were all in their school uniforms- plaited skirts, white button down shirts and ties! The trap became obvious, and I wasn't really surprised when the lights came on.

"Finally, Night Spectre, we meet on more even terms," The Silk Succubus said from her throne at the end of the gym. Her body was adorned only by her flowing black hair that covered her like a cloak and a glittering tie around her neck. I could see the malice in her soulless eyes, even from here. The Silk Succubus stood up, and arched her back in the decadent manner of her kind. She glowed in her nudity, and I felt a moment of shame as I contemplated her indescribable beauty once more.

"If only a creature so beautiful was a force for good," I sighed as her minions came closer.

Surrounded by young teenage women in their school uniforms, I felt despair. My Spectre Gauntlets were too powerful for the delicate constitutions of women, one blast could kill these innocent girls. They flowed around me so quickly, there was no chance for me to run away. I tried using some of my martial skills, but it was too difficult. It was one thing to punch a grown man, but it was impossible for me to fight girls in the flower of their womanhood. They closed around me, and with their sheer numbers and relentless attacks, they beat me unconscious.

When I awoke, the situation was very grim indeed. My arms and legs were bound spread eagle on a bed frame that they had dragged into the gym. The mattress had been removed, and the bed tilted so that I was bound at a ninety degree angle to the floor. I tired to flex my hands, and discovered that my Spectre Gauntlets had been removed, and that wasn't all. I could feel the points of the springs against my naked back and legs. This sick villainess had stripped me of everything but my mask!

"You don't know how long I have dreamed of this occasion, Night Spectre," I heard the Silk Succubus say. "When you nearly killed me with the Ambromia bomb, my beauty and youth were stolen from me. Only the most degenerate and loathsome of men would sleep with my decrepit body, but I endured, because only by draining her fluids could I regain my former glory. Every time I would suck at some low life in an alley, I would think of how I wanted to do my revenge, and now that dream is finally realized!

"I refuse to take the blame for your loose morals," I said defiantly. "You could have escaped and hidden yourself forever, but instead, you had to return to Chicago where I am going to defeat you again."

"What?" she said with a mocking tone. "Why would I run away when I saw that foolish men had unearthed the Necktie of Atlantis?" She stepped closer to me, holding the golden tie around her neck so that I could see her prize. Of course, she placed the inscribed gold artifact between her generous breasts, forcing me to study this important item in the most indecent manner. The necktie was gold, yet woven almost like chainmail. I could read small sigils on it, though I had no idea what they could mean. It impossible to study it further, as the Silk Succubus kept squeezing her breasts around it, obviously trying to corrupt me with their unmentionable beauty.

"Long ago, before Atlantis fell, the Atlanteans needed a way to control their legions of slaves. The great Warlock, Zandar, created this item of apparel, and instructed all the slaves to wear imitations of this tie. Wrapped around their necks, ties became conduits for the mind controlling power of the artifact Zandar manufactured. For a century, Zandar was able to control the slave force of Atlantis, until of course, the Great Cataclysm."

"Humans being the foolish creatures that they are, they quickly forgot this period of their history. Maybe some part of their minds remembered wearing ties during the glory years of Atlantis, or maybe a wizard sought to control the earth through a sinister plan, I don't know why, but men began wearing ties again, never knowing they were wearing the marks of slavery."

"So what do you plan now? Are you going to force me to wear your slavery?" I asked, my disbelief in her fairy tale visually angering her.

The dark hair almost floated away from her body as she became angry, and I began to wonder if she truly was magical. "No, for those who wear the ties loose all memory of their bondage. I want you to suffer, and I want you to remember every moment of it. I plan to drain your strength personally, and then break your weakened spine with your very own stolen strength!"

She reached down and touched my flaccid manhood. "But it looks like before I can drain you, I first have to inspire your cooperation. It seems that you are as sexless as you are heartless."

I wasn't about to tell her the real reason for my condition. The Blonde widow was the last person I had had relations with, and that was only because she had me captured. The similarities to that situation was too close to this one, and I felt only a sickening revulsion to those memories. Although helpless, I was confident that there was nothing the Silk Succubus could do to make me participate in her schemes.

"I did suspect that your willpower may be enough to resist me," the Silk Succubus said. "That is why I choose this place as my location. Girls, strip off your clothes except your ties! We're going to give the Night Spectre a little treat."

"No, Silk Succubus!" I shouted. "These girls are all innocents! You can't abuse and molest them like this!"

"It appears that I am," she laughed. She was right, to my horrified eyes, the girls were removing their clothes. Over a hundred young women, all of them becoming nude, and without any idea of the horrible role they were playing. With only their ties on, the nubile young women approached my helpless body. I struggled in vain against my bonds, but the mind controlled women were already upon me. Young, flawless skin pressed against me, while inexperienced mouths kissed my clumsily in forbidden places. I yelled for the Silk Succubus to stop this madness, but she only laughed as the horde of women sought to touch me.

The crowd reminded me of ants, as they were crawling over each other to touch me. I could feel the pressing of young thighs against my legs, while some would even place their small breasts against my clenched hands, trying to make me grope them. Flesh, and sometimes the fabric of their slave ties were the only things my mind could sense. One even did a horrible act and climbed over her sister in peril to wrap her legs around me. I was horrified to have her young womanhood pressed against my face, and I tried to shake her off by tossing my head.

Meanwhile, the hands of a dozen women were touching me below my belt. Griping me, stroking me, pinching me, all of them were trying something different and they were slowly driving me insane. Oh, how I wanted to let myself go sink to the hedonism that the Silk Succubus offered me. It had been nearly ten years since the Blonde Widow's death, and that was ten years that I didn't even consider the charms of other women. Yet now, with my senses over whelmed with the smell, sounds and touching of these virtuous women, I was so close to submitting to temptation. Only the sight of the Blonde Widow dying in my mind's eye was keeping me back. For once, that tragedy served a good purpose, as it restrained me from making an immoral mistake.

"Enough of this!" The Silk Succubus screamed, pushing her way through the crowd to examine me.

"Impossible!" she said as she held my shrunken member. "there is no ay you could resist all of their charms! Are you a man or some sort of half-man who prefers other men?"

"Neither," I said with pride. "I'm simply a man who doesn't sink to the level of the animals just because he is able."

She slapped me, a very hard blow for a woman of her size.

"I know how to force your compliance," she said as she held my jaw. "Your options are now limited. With a single command, I can force these ladies into the sin of lesbianism. Each one of these rich sheltered women will be violated, at their own hands! Their maidenhoods penetrated not by their lawful husbands, but by consorting with their own sex! This is what will happen unless."

"Unless what?" I said tersely, knowing full well I would have to comply if I wanted to save these unfortunate girls from a life of shame.

"Unless you agree to make love to me willingly," she said with a mocking laugh. "Give me your word that you won't try to escape, and I'll release you. I'll command the girls back to their rooms, and then you shall make love to me you, which shall be your doom."

"I give you my word I will not try to escape, and I shall submit to your wicked deed," I said slowly, cursing the situation.

With a clap of her hand, she sent the young hostages away. With them safely away, I pondered different ways to get around my promise, but I knew I was trapped. The Silk Succubus undid my arms and legs, and ordered me to follow her to the bleachers. I chafed under her haughty attitude, but I knew the consequences if I refused. As easily as she sent the women away, she could bring them right back. It was for the safety of the poor students that I walked behind the nude and beautiful Succubus.

"Kneel, Night Spectre," She commanded as she sat on a higher bleacher. The gold from her ancient tie shimmered in contrast to the stark paleness of her body. She sat above me, her hips in line of sight of my face. There was a feminine softness to her body, though the dark patch of fur that covered her sex was almost sinister in it's implications. Her hair was tossed back, allowing her body to be revealed in all it's obscene beauty. Looking down on me with contempt, knowing that I would have to look up at her full breasts in order to see eye-to-eye, she gave her request.

"Place your mouth over my sex, and show your obedience with your kisses," the Silk Succubus commanded.

This was beyond sick, but I had to obey. Keep in mind, this was the early fifties, and the thought of doing such a thing to a woman was pretty abhorrent. It wasn't till the drugs of the sixties had tainted the morals of America that such acts were considered normal. Reminding myself of the safety of the mind controlled students, I placed my mouth upon her and obeyed her deviant wishes.

I kissed her nether lips as lightly as I could. I had no desire to get the taste of such a disturbing place in my mouth. The Silk Succubus didn't allow me that basic decency, however. She wrapped her limber legs around my head and forcibly brought my mouth to her sex. Her powerful smell choked my senses, and I had to gasp in order to breathe. That brought her juices into my mouth, and I was forced to choke down her womanly secretions.

When my humiliation was enough for her, the Silk Succubus commanded me to rise. She wiped off a wet spot on my cheek with her finger, and laughed as I flinched. The wanton villainess then placed the finger in her mouth, noisily sucking off her own wetness from her finger. The look on my face must have shown my revulsion.

"Oh my, Night Spectre, you are a sour looking man," she said as she circled one of her nipples with her wet finger. "I think it's time we sealed your fate."

She leaned back on the bleachers and reached out to my hips. Placing her hair in her hands, she wrapped my manhood in a silken embrace. The Silk Succubus lewdly stroked me, her hair producing an irresistible friction, as the pink of my penis was engulfed in the inky blackness of her hair. I knew it was useless to prolong it any further, as long as she had the girls I couldn't dare refuse her. Free of my restraint, my erection grew in her hands, and she laughed as she thought she accomplished the impossible.

"Now, you shall spill you life into my waiting legs," she said with a purr.

Pulling me down on top of her, the Silk Succubus guided my hardness into her malignant sex. God forgive me, but it was sweet heaven when I entered her. My erection was instantly gripped by powerful and exotic muscles, and for a split moment, I would have gladly died in that embrace. Pulling from her was always with sorrow, but thrusting back in was always a thrilling joy. She no longer had to hold me with her legs, I was willing participant now. Holding her hips intensely, I rammed myself as deep as I could possibly get inside her enchanted delta.

Her body writhing under me, the smell of her power filling the gym, the Silk Succubus was never more beautiful than when I was inside her. The gold necktie was nestled between her breasts, and I had to resist the urge to bury myself in those plentiful globes. The flailing of her head caused her impossibly long hair to whip around us, and I cherished every time those lovely locks covered and revealed her body. Our hips flowed together, as we each sought our own oblivion. The lusty moans she screamed mixed with my own throaty growls as the climax of our mating drew near. I was definitely cursed at that moment, for I almost warned her of what was to come.

My manhood ejaculated, and my knees nearly collapsed from the sudden loss of strength. The Silk Succubus's skin glowed with an unholy fire as I felt her sex contract around my spasming erection. A smile crossed her lips, but quickly turned to a frown, and then finally a scream of terror.

"What have you done?" she screamed. Free of her seducing spell, I held her hips with an iron grip, forbidding her escape. I kept thrusting my hips, discharging every once of my seed, making sure she took every thing I gave her. She screamed, twisted and flailed at me with weakening hands, her scratches barely harming me. Reaching out, I grabbed her golden tie, and almost as if I was holding a leash, I prevented her from fleeing. As I finished emptying myself into her, her body was already aging, and I slipped out of her dry orifice.

I collapsed on the bleachers. Both exhausted from the sex, and the ghastly act of her dying, I fought to remain conscious. I had to explain to the woman with the rapidly shrinking skin and falling hair how she died. Even a villain deserves that much.

"I knew you would be prepared for another Ambromia bomb," I said to those accusing dark eyes. "So along with a few Ambromia darts, I also took the precaution of ingesting one of the leaves each day that I hunted for you. I didn't know if the Greeks ingested the herb, but considering the herb was non-lethal, I gave it a try. My hope was that it would cancel out your ability to drain my life. You have to believe me when I say that I didn't know it would kill you."

"Fuck you," she gasped with her dying breath. I didn't blame her a bit.

After gathering her the ancient necktie, I sat on the bleachers alone with her corpse. In the course of a decade, I had had sex twice, and killed both women afterwards. There was remorse in my heart, even for someone as evil as the Silk Succubus. The smell of her husk reminded me of poor Williams, and for that matter, it reminded me of at least six people who have died recently that have worn a mask. If it wasn't for my planning, it could have been my body rotting here in the school's gym.

After adventuring as a hero for close to fifteen years, I became aware that the end for anyone involved in the war on crime, was going to be a lonely one. Looking at her black hair that was already wilting, I shook my head at the loneliness of her death. The Blonde Widow died without ever suspecting it, much like Silk did. Williams died without me being there, I wonder if he expected me to rescue him at any moment? As much as I knew what I did was for the common good, I felt this over riding fear. I didn't want to die, alone, cursing my enemy with my dying breath.

I put my clothes back on, and placed the crumbling remains of the Silk Succubus in my Spectre Mobile. First I dropped her body off with Fox, and then I explained the importance of the ancient necktie to him. When he assured me that it would be sent to Washington for safe keeping, I headed home. Halfway to the Spectre Lair, I changed my direction.

She answered the door, a little sluggishly, but then, the night time isn't her time. She was still beautiful though.

"Nymph, I've changed my mind," I said to her before she could speak.

In the quiet of the city, with the moon watching over us, and with the first beginnings of happiness I have felt in a long time, the Green Nymph and I kissed.

This page was created with graphics from Machabit's Graphics Addiction and Crimson Editor 3.4.