Chapter One
December 20th, 3:30 PM
It was the Saturday before Christmas and all through the City Mall, many creatures were stirring: most of them human. It seemed like the whole town was on the hunt for the last of their holiday shopping, including the Mayor's daughter, Erin Steele, dressed stunningly-- but practically-- in boots, black leggings, and a knitted beige sweater dress that ended several inches above her knees.
"Oh, what about this?" she said, extending her hand toward her roommate and best friend, Margot, sporting a festive red turtleneck and tight blue jeans.
Margot sighed and took a sniff of Erin's palm. "Yeah," she muttered. "That's good."
Erin had been testing fragrances in the Bath and Body shop for nearly half an hour. She knew Margot didn't want to be here, and could see that her friend was now on the verge of losing her mind. But Erin wasn't going to leave until she found the perfect gift.
"I don't know about it," Erin said, moving her hand to her face, testing the aroma again. "It's too... I don't know... sickly sweet. Almost like chloroform, or something."
Margot couldn't help but giggle. "Yeah, and you know a thing or two about that."
Erin grinned. It was true-- she had had more than a few experiences with the knockout drug in the past couple of years. It was one of the primary hazards of Erin's peculiar hobby: fighting crime under the guise of the Blue Lynx. As a superheroine, she prided herself on her fighting skills, her quick decision making, and her sense of right and wrong. But even the most cautious crimefighter can be ambushed, and for some reason, Erin's foes seemed particularly interested in locking her in bearhugs and applying chloroform-soaked rags to her lips...
There was no need to think about it too much. Especially the week before Christmas, and with so much shopping to do!
"So no on the chloroform scent, then," Erin said with a laugh. "How about..."
"Erin, could we please leave," Margot said. "This place gives me a creeps."
"Alright, alright," Erin said. She played a quick game of "eeny meeny miney mo," settled on lavender, and went to the register. After five more excruciating (for Margot) minutes in which Erin debated gift wrapping, the young women left the store and were back out in the main corridor of the mall. A river of men, women, and children coursed both ways, sweeping the two friends into its waves, carrying them past shops bedecked in lights and garlands. Erin laughed as she moved along-- it excited her to be part of the pre-Christmas action. Margot, her eyes wide and her mouth set in a grimace, was noticeably less thrilled.
The girls moved through the corridor until they eventually arrived at a large open concourse. A twenty-foot tall tree stood in the center of the space, with a large, wide stage extending around its substantial trunk. On the stage sat a throne, and in the throne sat a skinny Santa. On and around the stage, children, families, and people dressed as elves milled about, gawking at the elaborately decorated presents clumped underneath the tree. It looked like an event was about to start. Erin grinned.
"You want to ask Santa for anything?" she said to Margot.
Margot shook her head. "What I want, Santa can't get me."
"So what do you want?"
"I want to get out of here."
Erin chuckled. "Okay, okay. We'll leave real soon. There's just a couple more places I want to hit up."
Suddenly, a screech of feedback tore through the mall. Erin winced and looked up at the stage. A woman was standing up to a stand, tapping impatiently on a microphone. She was a slender woman dressed in a tight red outfit fringed with white fur. She was obviously going for a Mrs. Claus look, but she had one feature that ruined the effect: long bleached blonde hair that made her seem more like a punk rock singer, or a model, or a...
"Wait," Erin said, nudging Margot and pointing at the stage. "Is that who I think it is?"
Margot squinted through her thick-framed glasses. "Oh shit," she said. "Is that... Sunny?"
"Ho ho hello everybody," Mrs Claus said, her voice booming over the sound system. "Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, etc. Welcome to the first annual Claus Cares event, sponsored by your Speaker of the House, Brent Hammerson."
The concourse broke out into a light round of applause. Erin kept her hands to her side. What the heck was this?
"As you know, Mr. Hammerson has made it his mission to rid the community of crime and drugs. By donating today, you'll help us achieve our goal of safe streets throughout the city. And you'll get a picture with Santa, too!"
There was more applause. Sunny was clearly loving it, smiling broadly and bowing and gesturing at the red-suited man in the throne. Erin gritted her teeth.
"This can't be good," she murmured. She and Margot were standing about twenty yards from the stage, two people in a crowd of hundreds. Hammerson did fundraisers like this all the time. They were always bullshit, but they never involved people getting hurt... But then again, most of them didn't feature Hammerson's right-hand woman as the star of the show.
"What do you want to do?" Margot asked, looking Erin in the eyes.
Erin pushed her hair back and smiled. "I think we should give the people a show."
Margot nodded.
And without another word, the girls dashed out of the concourse, making their way to Margot's car, where they could get changed.
On to Chapter Two
White Elephant: Chapter Two
Chapter Two
December 20th, 3:55 PM
Though they were both beautiful girls dressed in skin-tight costumes and masks, Erin and Margot experienced little resistance as they ran through the thick crowds and arrived back in the concourse. Five days before Christmas, and the city seemed to have no time for superheroes. Which was fine by the Blue Lynx and the Black Bobcat, who has a general rule avoided such densely populated areas.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Margot had asked as she stuffed herself into her spandex. "It's probably nothing."
"With Sunny, it's always something," Erin had replied. "And besides, don't you want to put on a little holiday spectacle for the kids?"
The kids-- seemingly hundreds of them-- were lined up in front of Santa now, eager to get their turn with the uncharacteristically thin man. The elves-- mostly squat men with mustaches and beards-- flanked the sides of the stage. Sunny did a little dance to herself before walking up to the microphone again.
"Hey, does anyone want to, like, sing a Christmas carol or something? I'd do it but, you know, there's kids here."
There was a smattering of laughter through the room. Sunny looked around for a volunteer, her smile big and white until she locked eyes with the Blue Lynx, now standing just a couple of yards away from the stage.
"I'll hum a few bars," Erin announced, vaulting up onto the stage. She turned to the side, faced Sunny, and placed her hands on her hips. It was her best superheroine pose, and standing there in her blue spandex, mask, and white boots, she inspired more than a few whistles of appreciation.
For a split second, Sunny's face seemed to crack, but she rapidly re-gained her composure as she stepped back up to the mic.
"Well look at this, everybody," Sunny said, waving her arms at the superheroine who now shared her stage. "It's the Blue Lynx! What are you doing here, Blue? Come to wish us a... Blue Christmas?"
Erin shook her head. "No, Mrs. Claus. I just came to make sure there's no naughty people in the crowd today."
"Oh yeah?," Sunny said, with a slightest bit of a sneer. "So you've made a list and checked it twice? Don't you know that's Santa's job?"
"Well, sometimes Santa needs help," Erin stated, her voice clear and confident over the crowd. "And some people deserve coal, this year."
Sunny gasped with phony outrage. "Wow! Do you hear that, everyone? The Blue Lynx is trying to take Santa's job!" She looked around the stage at the elves. "What do you think of that, boys?"
Erin heard a few snickers of laughter behind her. She quickly scanned the stage. She estimated there were fifteen elves. They were just men in silly costumes... But she'd need help if they attacked.
"Black Bobcat!" Erin said. "Get up here!"
Margot sprang from the crowd up to the stage. She stood back to back with Erin, facing the other direction. There were more cheers from the audience. Were they rooting for the girls? Or for a big fight?
"Lookee here," Sunny said into the mic. "It's the Blue Lynx's sidekick! They're trying to steal our show! They'd better watch out!" She waved her hands at the elves, and pointed at Santa. "Elves! Nick! Show these young ladies what happens to children when they don't play by the rules."
Santa set the child in his lap on the stage. "You all go now," he said, pushing a few of the children in line. "Go on, get." He stood up from his seat looking skinnier than ever. He was probably the most miserable Santa Claus Erin had ever seen. Could Hammerson seriously not find a fat man for the task?
"Come on!" Sunny said, pointing at the Blue Lynx and Black Bobcat. "Get them!"
The elves moved with cautious steps across the stage, forming a tight circle around the two superheroines. Some wielded candy canes, others carried spools of ribbon and wrapping paper. No of them looked particularly threatening.
"Don't hurt them too bad, Margot," Erin whispered. They still stood back-to-back, their fists now in front of them. They rotated around, taking stock of their situation. "They're probably just people. And we don't want to turn the stage into a bloody mess."
Margot nodded. "Right. It's Christmas, after all."
The concourse was mostly silent as it watched the band of elves descend upon the pair of costumed crimefighters. Was this real, or all an act? No one seemed to know. And no one seemed ready to leave until they found out the answer.
When the elves got got within a few yards, Erin made her move. She ran up to her first elf-- who was at least a foot shorter than the Blue Lynx-- placed her hands on his shoulders, and gave him a hard shove to ground.
"Stay down!" she yelled. Her voice was met with audience applause. Good.
She spun around. There were two elves lunging at her. She raised both hands and stiff-armed them, catching them in their chests with open palms. They too hit the floor, and once again, there were cheers.
Suddenly, the audience gasped. Erin looked up. Across the stage, Santa had ensnared Margot in a headlock. The Black Bobcat kicked and squirmed, her gloved hands frantically clutching at Santa's jacket, but couldn't break free. A few elves had come over to wrap themselves around Margot's thighs, weighing her legs down, eventually rendering her motionless in the grip of the tall, skinny man.
"Black Bobcat!" Erin shouted. But no sooner had she done this than a heavy blow cracked across the back of her skull. Erin cried out and fell to her knees. Through her blurred vision, she saw shards of candy cane, and knew that somehow one of the elves had gotten the drop on her. From her grounded position, she turned around, and was met with a small fist to her cheek. Erin toppled over to the floor, the exclamations of the crowd following her to the stage.
"Quick," Sunny hissed. She had stepped away from the microphone and was barking orders to the elves. "Tie up the little bitch!"
The sound of Sunny's voice provoked a strong reflex, and Erin immediately got back to her feet. But before she could find her bearings, an elf tossed a spool of red ribbon at her legs. The ribbon twisted around Erin's thighs like a bolo-bolo. "Hey!" Erin cried, digging her fingers into the fabric. It was tight, and tough-- much tougher than traditional ribbon. Erin tried to pry herself free, but before she could make any progress, she felt a jerk, and was suddenly lifted off her feet. She again tumbled to the ground, catching most of the impact with her butt. A cry of surprise rang out from the concourse, as a nearly motionless Blue Lynx now lay on the stage, seemingly defeated by Christmas elves.
Dazed from the fall, Erin could only watch as a group of them gathered around her, each with their own spool of ribbon. With the speed and efficiency of experienced pros, they trussed her up: one of them wrapping her boots together, another her thighs, another binding her arms around her upper body. Working together, the elves flipped the helpless superheroine over, pulled her forearms behind her, and knotted up her wrists. Satisfied with their work, the elves slapped their hands together and stepped away from their captive, leaving her face down on the stage, her slightly wriggling ass the only thing in motion.
If she hadn't been so embarrassed, Erin could've broken out into laughter. This was so ridiculous, all of it. But it was also incredibly serious: Erin felt the ribbons digging into her bare skin and could sense-- without having the strength to try, yet-- that these bonds were going to be difficult to break.
"Alright, flip her over," Sunny commanded. With zero hesitation, the team of elves grabbed Erin by her arms and legs and forced her to face the ceiling. A fleeting moment of peace looking up into the mall's impressive central cupola was interrupted by Sunny's grinning face.
"See what happens when you try to interrupt my show, Blue Lynx?"
Erin furrowed her brow. "I don't know what you're up to, Sunny. But whatever it is, it's going to fail."
Sunny giggled. "That's pretty smart talk coming from someone who was just beaten by elves and ribbons."
Erin didn't have a response to this one. Indeed, she felt terribly humiliated by it all, and her face couldn't help but flush red. Sunny laughed.
"Well done, boys," Sunny said. "But we're missing one crucial thing."
Sunny removed a roll of labels from her pocket, peeled a large rectangle from the paper, scribbled a few words with a marker, and placed the sticker with brash fingers onto Erin's lips, smothering the Blue Lynx's cry of "No!" into a moan of "MMMPH!"
"There," Sunny said, examining her work. "What a perfect little package."
Erin gave Sunny her meanest, most threatening glare, but that too only provoked a chuckle from her adversary. "Haul her up, boys," she said. "Bring her to the microphone."
The audience had fallen into almost total silence as they watched the elves pull the bound-and-gagged Blue Lynx to her feet and drag her-- like a life-sized doll-- to the center of the stage.
"Keep her still," Sunny said, and a few of the elves dropped around Erin's legs, pinning her thighs in place with small but surprisingly strong hands.
Erin looked out onto the crowd for the first time since she'd arrived on the stage. There were still hundreds of people there, all of them watching the "show" intently. Were any of them even thinking about calling the police? Or were they all convinced that this was just part of the day's entertainment?
"I suppose I could look really worried," Erin thought. "And then maybe a few of them will get the idea." But "really worried" wasn't a great look for a superheroine. So she'd wait, helplessly, and see what Sunny planned to do, and hope someone would help her.
Someone... Margot! What had happened to Margot? Erin craned her neck as far as it could go. At the far right side of the stage, she saw Santa and a few elves. Behind them, tied to a large white crucifix with strings of Christmas lights, was the Black Bobcat, her head hanging down, most likely unconscious.
Erin gulped. This wasn't going very well.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls," Sunny said, once again speaking into the microphone, "As you can see, the Scrooge has been captured." She looked at Erin with an evil gleam in her eyes. "She tried to ruin our Christmas fun. We showed her, didn't we?"
Scattered hoots and hollers rose from the crowd.
"She's a very, very naughty girl, this Blue Lynx," Sunny continued. Her hand had crept behind Erin's back. "Always... sticking her butt in places in doesn't belong." Her fingers clamped down hard on Erin's ass cheek. She pinched until Erin let out a label-muffled whinny.
Sunny chuckled, and two adversaries again locked eyes. Beads of sweat had formed on Erin's brow. She knew what was coming next.
"I say we put an end to her little superheroine career," Sunny said, her voice rising to a cackle. "I say we take off her mask."
The phrase alone caused Erin's body to spasm, but the elves' hands and the red ribbons kept her securely in place. "Mmph!" she cried, staring at Sunny, and then at the crowd, and then back at Sunny. "Mmph!"
Sunny's hand slid around to Erin's front and slowly crawled up. "What do you say, mallgoers?" Sunny said. She placed her hand against Erin's cheek, flicking her index finger at the corner of Erin's mask, wholly delighted by the look of sheer terror in the Blue Lynx's eyes. "Should we do it?"
On to Chapter Three
December 20th, 3:55 PM
Though they were both beautiful girls dressed in skin-tight costumes and masks, Erin and Margot experienced little resistance as they ran through the thick crowds and arrived back in the concourse. Five days before Christmas, and the city seemed to have no time for superheroes. Which was fine by the Blue Lynx and the Black Bobcat, who has a general rule avoided such densely populated areas.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Margot had asked as she stuffed herself into her spandex. "It's probably nothing."
"With Sunny, it's always something," Erin had replied. "And besides, don't you want to put on a little holiday spectacle for the kids?"
The kids-- seemingly hundreds of them-- were lined up in front of Santa now, eager to get their turn with the uncharacteristically thin man. The elves-- mostly squat men with mustaches and beards-- flanked the sides of the stage. Sunny did a little dance to herself before walking up to the microphone again.
"Hey, does anyone want to, like, sing a Christmas carol or something? I'd do it but, you know, there's kids here."
There was a smattering of laughter through the room. Sunny looked around for a volunteer, her smile big and white until she locked eyes with the Blue Lynx, now standing just a couple of yards away from the stage.
"I'll hum a few bars," Erin announced, vaulting up onto the stage. She turned to the side, faced Sunny, and placed her hands on her hips. It was her best superheroine pose, and standing there in her blue spandex, mask, and white boots, she inspired more than a few whistles of appreciation.
For a split second, Sunny's face seemed to crack, but she rapidly re-gained her composure as she stepped back up to the mic.
"Well look at this, everybody," Sunny said, waving her arms at the superheroine who now shared her stage. "It's the Blue Lynx! What are you doing here, Blue? Come to wish us a... Blue Christmas?"
Erin shook her head. "No, Mrs. Claus. I just came to make sure there's no naughty people in the crowd today."
"Oh yeah?," Sunny said, with a slightest bit of a sneer. "So you've made a list and checked it twice? Don't you know that's Santa's job?"
"Well, sometimes Santa needs help," Erin stated, her voice clear and confident over the crowd. "And some people deserve coal, this year."
Sunny gasped with phony outrage. "Wow! Do you hear that, everyone? The Blue Lynx is trying to take Santa's job!" She looked around the stage at the elves. "What do you think of that, boys?"
Erin heard a few snickers of laughter behind her. She quickly scanned the stage. She estimated there were fifteen elves. They were just men in silly costumes... But she'd need help if they attacked.
"Black Bobcat!" Erin said. "Get up here!"
Margot sprang from the crowd up to the stage. She stood back to back with Erin, facing the other direction. There were more cheers from the audience. Were they rooting for the girls? Or for a big fight?
"Lookee here," Sunny said into the mic. "It's the Blue Lynx's sidekick! They're trying to steal our show! They'd better watch out!" She waved her hands at the elves, and pointed at Santa. "Elves! Nick! Show these young ladies what happens to children when they don't play by the rules."
Santa set the child in his lap on the stage. "You all go now," he said, pushing a few of the children in line. "Go on, get." He stood up from his seat looking skinnier than ever. He was probably the most miserable Santa Claus Erin had ever seen. Could Hammerson seriously not find a fat man for the task?
"Come on!" Sunny said, pointing at the Blue Lynx and Black Bobcat. "Get them!"
The elves moved with cautious steps across the stage, forming a tight circle around the two superheroines. Some wielded candy canes, others carried spools of ribbon and wrapping paper. No of them looked particularly threatening.
"Don't hurt them too bad, Margot," Erin whispered. They still stood back-to-back, their fists now in front of them. They rotated around, taking stock of their situation. "They're probably just people. And we don't want to turn the stage into a bloody mess."
Margot nodded. "Right. It's Christmas, after all."
The concourse was mostly silent as it watched the band of elves descend upon the pair of costumed crimefighters. Was this real, or all an act? No one seemed to know. And no one seemed ready to leave until they found out the answer.
When the elves got got within a few yards, Erin made her move. She ran up to her first elf-- who was at least a foot shorter than the Blue Lynx-- placed her hands on his shoulders, and gave him a hard shove to ground.
"Stay down!" she yelled. Her voice was met with audience applause. Good.
She spun around. There were two elves lunging at her. She raised both hands and stiff-armed them, catching them in their chests with open palms. They too hit the floor, and once again, there were cheers.
Suddenly, the audience gasped. Erin looked up. Across the stage, Santa had ensnared Margot in a headlock. The Black Bobcat kicked and squirmed, her gloved hands frantically clutching at Santa's jacket, but couldn't break free. A few elves had come over to wrap themselves around Margot's thighs, weighing her legs down, eventually rendering her motionless in the grip of the tall, skinny man.
"Black Bobcat!" Erin shouted. But no sooner had she done this than a heavy blow cracked across the back of her skull. Erin cried out and fell to her knees. Through her blurred vision, she saw shards of candy cane, and knew that somehow one of the elves had gotten the drop on her. From her grounded position, she turned around, and was met with a small fist to her cheek. Erin toppled over to the floor, the exclamations of the crowd following her to the stage.
"Quick," Sunny hissed. She had stepped away from the microphone and was barking orders to the elves. "Tie up the little bitch!"
The sound of Sunny's voice provoked a strong reflex, and Erin immediately got back to her feet. But before she could find her bearings, an elf tossed a spool of red ribbon at her legs. The ribbon twisted around Erin's thighs like a bolo-bolo. "Hey!" Erin cried, digging her fingers into the fabric. It was tight, and tough-- much tougher than traditional ribbon. Erin tried to pry herself free, but before she could make any progress, she felt a jerk, and was suddenly lifted off her feet. She again tumbled to the ground, catching most of the impact with her butt. A cry of surprise rang out from the concourse, as a nearly motionless Blue Lynx now lay on the stage, seemingly defeated by Christmas elves.
Dazed from the fall, Erin could only watch as a group of them gathered around her, each with their own spool of ribbon. With the speed and efficiency of experienced pros, they trussed her up: one of them wrapping her boots together, another her thighs, another binding her arms around her upper body. Working together, the elves flipped the helpless superheroine over, pulled her forearms behind her, and knotted up her wrists. Satisfied with their work, the elves slapped their hands together and stepped away from their captive, leaving her face down on the stage, her slightly wriggling ass the only thing in motion.
If she hadn't been so embarrassed, Erin could've broken out into laughter. This was so ridiculous, all of it. But it was also incredibly serious: Erin felt the ribbons digging into her bare skin and could sense-- without having the strength to try, yet-- that these bonds were going to be difficult to break.
"Alright, flip her over," Sunny commanded. With zero hesitation, the team of elves grabbed Erin by her arms and legs and forced her to face the ceiling. A fleeting moment of peace looking up into the mall's impressive central cupola was interrupted by Sunny's grinning face.
"See what happens when you try to interrupt my show, Blue Lynx?"
Erin furrowed her brow. "I don't know what you're up to, Sunny. But whatever it is, it's going to fail."
Sunny giggled. "That's pretty smart talk coming from someone who was just beaten by elves and ribbons."
Erin didn't have a response to this one. Indeed, she felt terribly humiliated by it all, and her face couldn't help but flush red. Sunny laughed.
"Well done, boys," Sunny said. "But we're missing one crucial thing."
Sunny removed a roll of labels from her pocket, peeled a large rectangle from the paper, scribbled a few words with a marker, and placed the sticker with brash fingers onto Erin's lips, smothering the Blue Lynx's cry of "No!" into a moan of "MMMPH!"
"There," Sunny said, examining her work. "What a perfect little package."
Erin gave Sunny her meanest, most threatening glare, but that too only provoked a chuckle from her adversary. "Haul her up, boys," she said. "Bring her to the microphone."
The audience had fallen into almost total silence as they watched the elves pull the bound-and-gagged Blue Lynx to her feet and drag her-- like a life-sized doll-- to the center of the stage.
"Keep her still," Sunny said, and a few of the elves dropped around Erin's legs, pinning her thighs in place with small but surprisingly strong hands.
Erin looked out onto the crowd for the first time since she'd arrived on the stage. There were still hundreds of people there, all of them watching the "show" intently. Were any of them even thinking about calling the police? Or were they all convinced that this was just part of the day's entertainment?
"I suppose I could look really worried," Erin thought. "And then maybe a few of them will get the idea." But "really worried" wasn't a great look for a superheroine. So she'd wait, helplessly, and see what Sunny planned to do, and hope someone would help her.
Someone... Margot! What had happened to Margot? Erin craned her neck as far as it could go. At the far right side of the stage, she saw Santa and a few elves. Behind them, tied to a large white crucifix with strings of Christmas lights, was the Black Bobcat, her head hanging down, most likely unconscious.
Erin gulped. This wasn't going very well.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls," Sunny said, once again speaking into the microphone, "As you can see, the Scrooge has been captured." She looked at Erin with an evil gleam in her eyes. "She tried to ruin our Christmas fun. We showed her, didn't we?"
Scattered hoots and hollers rose from the crowd.
"She's a very, very naughty girl, this Blue Lynx," Sunny continued. Her hand had crept behind Erin's back. "Always... sticking her butt in places in doesn't belong." Her fingers clamped down hard on Erin's ass cheek. She pinched until Erin let out a label-muffled whinny.
Sunny chuckled, and two adversaries again locked eyes. Beads of sweat had formed on Erin's brow. She knew what was coming next.
"I say we put an end to her little superheroine career," Sunny said, her voice rising to a cackle. "I say we take off her mask."
The phrase alone caused Erin's body to spasm, but the elves' hands and the red ribbons kept her securely in place. "Mmph!" she cried, staring at Sunny, and then at the crowd, and then back at Sunny. "Mmph!"
Sunny's hand slid around to Erin's front and slowly crawled up. "What do you say, mallgoers?" Sunny said. She placed her hand against Erin's cheek, flicking her index finger at the corner of Erin's mask, wholly delighted by the look of sheer terror in the Blue Lynx's eyes. "Should we do it?"
On to Chapter Three
White Elephant: Chapter Three
Chapter Three
December 20th, 4:08 PM
"Yeah!" a booming male voice shouted.
"No! Don't!" replied a female voice.
The room gradually erupted into a cacophony of competing demands.
"Take it off!"
"Leave her alone!"
"We want Santa back!"
"Start with her mask, and then do her costume!"
"She's just a girl!"
"What the hell is going on?"
Erin's eyes darted from one shopper to the next. The room was nearly in a panic, and it had her in a panic, too: she could feel her chest heaving against her bonds, could sense her thighs quivering in the clutches of the elves. She was on display here, fully exposed: and if her mask came off, there'd be hundreds of people who'd never forget what they'd seen.
Sunny stepped away from the microphone and grinned at Erin. "The jury's out, I guess," she whispered. "But don't worry, Blue Lynx. We won't unmask you here. I just wanted to see you sweat a bit."
Erin breathed as big a sigh of relief as her gag would allow.
Sunny laughed. "After all, we wouldn't want to ruin Mr. Hammerson's Christmas gift."
Erin blinked, watching Sunny move back to the mic. "Okay everybody," she announced. "After careful consideration of your voices, we've decided to not unmask the Blue Lynx."
The crowd again erupted, about half in groans, and half in cheers.
"What we will do, however, is give her to a young man who could use some holiday cheer."
Before Erin could even process what that might mean, Sunny snapped her fingers. The elves holding her legs pushed her over, and the Blue Lynx fell backward, where even more elves were waiting for her. She fell into what seemed like twenty small hands, and they quickly grabbed her, holding her arms, back, butt, and legs, and lifted her up in the air. They carried her twitching, moaning body across the stage. Erin could hear Sunny's voice get fainter as the elves walked her down some stairs, moving toward the base of the Christmas tree.
"And that's it for this year's show," Sunny said. "Thank you for watching, everybody. Hope you enjoyed watching the Blue Lynx and the Black Bobcat get a taste of the Christmas spirit. I know I did! Have a happy holiday, everyone!"
From her tied position in the clutches of the elves, Erin could only see the ceiling of the mall. So she had no idea what was happening when the men suddenly stopped. She heard rustling, and elf mumbling. And then, suddenly, she was dropped. She hit a cold, flat surface hard.
"Okay," a elf murmured. "Let's take the belt."
Erin could only swish her hips uselessly as one of the men reached down, scurried his hands around her back, and unclasped the Blue Lynx's utility belt from her waist. The elf pulled it up with one deliberate motion, leaving Erin weaponless.
"Alright," another elf muttered. "Now get the paper."
Erin, shaken and humiliated by the removal of her belt, looked around, desperately trying to take stock of her situation. There were short walls on each of her sides. She seemed to be inside of some kind of... Trough? Coffin? She could see the elves peeking over at her, some grinning with expectation, each one of them clutching some sort of tool: tape, scissors, ribbon...
And that's when it hit her. She wasn't being buried alive. She was being gift wrapped.
"MMMPH!" she cried, but only the elves could hear her. They didn't pay her noises any mind as they affixed a lid to the box, thoroughly coated the box in glossy red and green paper, tied ribbons around the package, and topped the present off with an elegant white bow.
On to Chapter Four
December 20th, 4:08 PM
"Yeah!" a booming male voice shouted.
"No! Don't!" replied a female voice.
The room gradually erupted into a cacophony of competing demands.
"Take it off!"
"Leave her alone!"
"We want Santa back!"
"Start with her mask, and then do her costume!"
"She's just a girl!"
"What the hell is going on?"
Erin's eyes darted from one shopper to the next. The room was nearly in a panic, and it had her in a panic, too: she could feel her chest heaving against her bonds, could sense her thighs quivering in the clutches of the elves. She was on display here, fully exposed: and if her mask came off, there'd be hundreds of people who'd never forget what they'd seen.
Sunny stepped away from the microphone and grinned at Erin. "The jury's out, I guess," she whispered. "But don't worry, Blue Lynx. We won't unmask you here. I just wanted to see you sweat a bit."
Erin breathed as big a sigh of relief as her gag would allow.
Sunny laughed. "After all, we wouldn't want to ruin Mr. Hammerson's Christmas gift."
Erin blinked, watching Sunny move back to the mic. "Okay everybody," she announced. "After careful consideration of your voices, we've decided to not unmask the Blue Lynx."
The crowd again erupted, about half in groans, and half in cheers.
"What we will do, however, is give her to a young man who could use some holiday cheer."
Before Erin could even process what that might mean, Sunny snapped her fingers. The elves holding her legs pushed her over, and the Blue Lynx fell backward, where even more elves were waiting for her. She fell into what seemed like twenty small hands, and they quickly grabbed her, holding her arms, back, butt, and legs, and lifted her up in the air. They carried her twitching, moaning body across the stage. Erin could hear Sunny's voice get fainter as the elves walked her down some stairs, moving toward the base of the Christmas tree.
"And that's it for this year's show," Sunny said. "Thank you for watching, everybody. Hope you enjoyed watching the Blue Lynx and the Black Bobcat get a taste of the Christmas spirit. I know I did! Have a happy holiday, everyone!"
From her tied position in the clutches of the elves, Erin could only see the ceiling of the mall. So she had no idea what was happening when the men suddenly stopped. She heard rustling, and elf mumbling. And then, suddenly, she was dropped. She hit a cold, flat surface hard.
"Okay," a elf murmured. "Let's take the belt."
Erin could only swish her hips uselessly as one of the men reached down, scurried his hands around her back, and unclasped the Blue Lynx's utility belt from her waist. The elf pulled it up with one deliberate motion, leaving Erin weaponless.
"Alright," another elf muttered. "Now get the paper."
Erin, shaken and humiliated by the removal of her belt, looked around, desperately trying to take stock of her situation. There were short walls on each of her sides. She seemed to be inside of some kind of... Trough? Coffin? She could see the elves peeking over at her, some grinning with expectation, each one of them clutching some sort of tool: tape, scissors, ribbon...
And that's when it hit her. She wasn't being buried alive. She was being gift wrapped.
"MMMPH!" she cried, but only the elves could hear her. They didn't pay her noises any mind as they affixed a lid to the box, thoroughly coated the box in glossy red and green paper, tied ribbons around the package, and topped the present off with an elegant white bow.
On to Chapter Four
White Elephant: Chapter Four
Chapter Four
December 20th, 5:42 PM
Erin had been tied and gagged several times in her superheroine career. She'd been placed in all kinds of horrifying deathtraps by all kinds of horrible monsters. But never before had she been sealed in a box, and never before had she felt the sort of claustrophobia that she felt here, in the complete darkness of her small, decorated prison.
She tried to control her breathing, tried not to think about her situation too much. But inevitably her mind would start spinning, and all the doubts and fears would race into her head. How long would she be in here? What was happening to Margot? What would happen to her? If she didn't get out soon, would she asphyxiate? How could she let the situation get so out of hand?
She had been careless. She had been having a fun day, figured a little bit of the Blue Lynx action wouldn't hurt anybody, assumed that Sunny would be as surprised to see her as she was to see Sunny. Erin saw now that the whole thing had been, if not a trap, a plan full of contingency options. Sunny must have imagined that the Blue Lynx would show up: why else would she stock the stage full of so many elves, all of whom were apparently warriors and highly skilled in the bondage arts?
Sunny had outwitted Erin, plain and simple. And now the Blue Lynx was trapped, fettered from head to toe with incredibly durable ribbons, gagged with a "Do Not Open Till Christmas" label, gift-wrapped like the season's hottest item. They hadn't unmasked her-- thank GOD-- but they had thoroughly beaten her. And in front of all those people! Even those who thought it was all a big joke would remember the spectacle of the Blue Lynx being taken down by elves...
"You've got to focus, Blue," Erin thought to herself. "Stop worrying about the past. Focus on the present situation. Focus." She almost had to laugh. "Present situation," indeed.
She wiggled around, rubbing her boots and shoulders against the walls of the box, trying to burn away the ribbons, but there was simply not enough room to generate much friction. She twisted her arms, already aching from being crossed and tied behind her back, hoping to push up and knock off the top of the box. But when she struck the lid with her forehead, there was no give. The top had been secured as methodically as every other piece of this trap.
Erin sighed. If only she had her belt! Her fingers were in grasping distance of her waist, and it would've been possible to snatch a Lynx dart and cut through the ribbons on her wrists. Curse those elves! Had Sunny told them to take it, or was that something the henchmen did on their own? Either way, it was the right move when it came to making the Blue Lynx helpless. Without her darts, without her smoke bombs without her taser, without her grapple, without her phone (and its accompanying tracker), Erin was just a girl who was pretty good at fighting. She simply wouldn't be able to escape this situation on her own.
The thought made her shudder... Or was it the cold? They had been moving her, had picked her up, had carried her outside the mall, had set her down somewhere. She'd heard a door close and a car start. They were traveling now: she could feel them race down the highway. With no light and no sound other than the road whizzing underneath the tires, it was impossible to tell where they were going.
But, of course, Erin knew where they were going. Or rather, who they were going to. She wasn't surprised when they arrived. The car stopped, the door opened, and again Erin was lifted in the air. She felt cold air, could sense the elves walking her up a pathway, could hear the sound of doorbell. The door opened. An elf said, "Special delivery from Mrs. Claus."
And, after a long, dramatic pause, Brent Hammerson answered, "Wonderful. Bring her-- err, it-- inside."
On to Chapter Five
December 20th, 5:42 PM
Erin had been tied and gagged several times in her superheroine career. She'd been placed in all kinds of horrifying deathtraps by all kinds of horrible monsters. But never before had she been sealed in a box, and never before had she felt the sort of claustrophobia that she felt here, in the complete darkness of her small, decorated prison.
She tried to control her breathing, tried not to think about her situation too much. But inevitably her mind would start spinning, and all the doubts and fears would race into her head. How long would she be in here? What was happening to Margot? What would happen to her? If she didn't get out soon, would she asphyxiate? How could she let the situation get so out of hand?
She had been careless. She had been having a fun day, figured a little bit of the Blue Lynx action wouldn't hurt anybody, assumed that Sunny would be as surprised to see her as she was to see Sunny. Erin saw now that the whole thing had been, if not a trap, a plan full of contingency options. Sunny must have imagined that the Blue Lynx would show up: why else would she stock the stage full of so many elves, all of whom were apparently warriors and highly skilled in the bondage arts?
Sunny had outwitted Erin, plain and simple. And now the Blue Lynx was trapped, fettered from head to toe with incredibly durable ribbons, gagged with a "Do Not Open Till Christmas" label, gift-wrapped like the season's hottest item. They hadn't unmasked her-- thank GOD-- but they had thoroughly beaten her. And in front of all those people! Even those who thought it was all a big joke would remember the spectacle of the Blue Lynx being taken down by elves...
"You've got to focus, Blue," Erin thought to herself. "Stop worrying about the past. Focus on the present situation. Focus." She almost had to laugh. "Present situation," indeed.
She wiggled around, rubbing her boots and shoulders against the walls of the box, trying to burn away the ribbons, but there was simply not enough room to generate much friction. She twisted her arms, already aching from being crossed and tied behind her back, hoping to push up and knock off the top of the box. But when she struck the lid with her forehead, there was no give. The top had been secured as methodically as every other piece of this trap.
Erin sighed. If only she had her belt! Her fingers were in grasping distance of her waist, and it would've been possible to snatch a Lynx dart and cut through the ribbons on her wrists. Curse those elves! Had Sunny told them to take it, or was that something the henchmen did on their own? Either way, it was the right move when it came to making the Blue Lynx helpless. Without her darts, without her smoke bombs without her taser, without her grapple, without her phone (and its accompanying tracker), Erin was just a girl who was pretty good at fighting. She simply wouldn't be able to escape this situation on her own.
The thought made her shudder... Or was it the cold? They had been moving her, had picked her up, had carried her outside the mall, had set her down somewhere. She'd heard a door close and a car start. They were traveling now: she could feel them race down the highway. With no light and no sound other than the road whizzing underneath the tires, it was impossible to tell where they were going.
But, of course, Erin knew where they were going. Or rather, who they were going to. She wasn't surprised when they arrived. The car stopped, the door opened, and again Erin was lifted in the air. She felt cold air, could sense the elves walking her up a pathway, could hear the sound of doorbell. The door opened. An elf said, "Special delivery from Mrs. Claus."
And, after a long, dramatic pause, Brent Hammerson answered, "Wonderful. Bring her-- err, it-- inside."
On to Chapter Five
White Elephant: Chapter Five
Chapter Five
December 20th, 6:23 PM
Erin could hear paper ripping, could hear the sounds of cursing ("Fucking ribbon!"), could feel the warmth of a fire. When the top of the box came off, the light was blinding. It took several minutes for her eyes to adjust. When they finally did, they gazed on the smug, handsome face of Brent Hammerson.
"Oh boy, it's what I've always wanted," Hammerson giggled. "A little superheroine doll, all of my own."
Erin blinked. "I always knew you collected dolls, Hammerson," she said. But it came out as "Mmmph mmph mmhphh mmmph mmphh."
Hammerson laughed out loud. "Here, let me help you with that."
He brought his fingers to Erin's face and, with a single violent motion, ripped the label from her lips. Erin gasped with pain.
"Thanks, you bastard," Erin said, with a cough.
"What can I say? It's the season of giving," Hammerson said. "From what I understand, Sunny's elves gave you a real beat-down, earlier. And for a live audience!"
Erin couldn't deny it. "Yeah. Those elves are tough. Maybe if you'd hired them months ago, you'd have defeated me sooner."
Hammerson smiled. "Well, I'm glad it's happening this way, Blue Lynx. A Christmas miracle, just for me. A hot little superheroine, all trussed up and delivered right to my doorstep."
He was wearing a red silk robe and carrying a pointless old-fashioned pipe in his teeth. Erin rolled her eyes. Hammerson was the picture of phony male authority-- a second-rate Hugh Hefner. She wasn't about to be his bunny.
"I'm going to make this a Christmas you'll never forget," Erin snarled. "I'm going to take that pipe and shove it up your ass."
"Wow!" Hammerson said. He seemed genuinely stunned. "Such language! You're supposed to be cheerful this time of the year, babe! Maybe you've been in that box too long."
He reached down into the present, trying to suavely slide his hands behind Erin's back. When Erin resisted, whipping her head around and twisting her shoulders, he pressed harder, sinking his fingers into her spandex. He yanked her body up and brought her head near his chest, taking a long whiff of her hair.
"You smell... sweaty," Hammerson said. "But I like it."
"I don't give a crap what you like," Erin spat. She tried banging her head against Hammerson's body, hoping to shake off his grip somehow, but each movement brought an opposite reaction from her foe. He was now holding her closer than he ever had, in a hug that was equal parts tender and menacing.
"Okay," Hammerson whispered, moving one of his hands underneath Erin's thighs. "Out you go." With a steady, assured motion, he hoisted her up from the box and cradled her near his body. Erin was surprised how easily he had picked her up, and how gently he was now pressing her against his bulk. She could feel his heart race underneath the silk robe. It was almost... Kind of...
"Stop," Erin silently told herself. "You're in danger. Focus."
From the snare of Hammerson's arms, she looked around. They were in a garishly decorated living room. It was hard to tell which parts of it were for Christmas and which parts of it were for Hammerson's love of ostentatious wealth. There was a massive tree covered in identical golden ornaments, a massive fireplace complete with a roaring five, a massive red couch. There were several side tables on which there sat many lit candles. The light which had seemed blinding after hours of complete darkness now showed itself to be quite dim and almost... Romantic?
"Let's sit down on the sofa," Hammerson said. He carried her to the red couch and delicately placed her length-wise on its soft, plump cushions. After hours of being stiff and sore, bound and within a box, the sofa felt like a big, warm caress, and it forced a noticeable sigh of pleasure from Erin.
"You like that?" Hammerson asked, taking a seat near Erin's lower legs.
Erin's face turned sour. "You have good taste in furniture, for an evil maniac," she sneered.
Hammerson chuckled. "You know," he said, placing his hand on Erin's thigh. "Sometimes I look at you and don't know whether to punch you or kiss you."
Erin squirmed. She didn't like where this was going. But the ribbons still hadn't given an inch, and until they did, she was Hammerson's captive, plain and simple. She'd have to play along until something happened. She just couldn't play along too much. "Not too much," she thought. "Not too much."
"You usually settle for both," Erin replied.
"I know," Hammerson said. He brushed his fingers up and down Erin's leg, from the top of her kneecap to the place where her spandex leg-hole met her skin.
"You could get a lot more action if you loosened these ribbons a bit," Erin said, her eyes fixed on Hammerson's, which were fixed on Erin's lower body.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Hammerson laughed. "Unfortunately, I'm not as dumb as some of the sex-crazed fiends you take advantage of night after night."
It had been a long shot. But all of Erin's options were long shots, now. A seduction strategy still seemed like the best way out. So she slowly rocked her hips back and forth, watching Hammerson take her in, licking his lips.
"Come on, Brent. You've got me here, all tied up," she cooed. "Your little present. Now... Are you going to be nice to me? Or naughty?"
Hammerson looked up at Erin, his eyes full of desire. There was a split second of hesitation, and then, he was on top of her. He pressed his body to hers, moving his hands to her breasts, kissing her neck, grinding his groin against her sealed-tight legs. Erin knew this had been coming-- she had tempted him all the way-- but was still surprised the ferocity of it. It was overwhelming, this Hammerson onslaught, and it quickly conquered Erin's stoicism. She felt Hammerson's hot breath, the tingle of his fingertips on the skin underneath her spandex, the weight of his lower body on hers, and she gasped.
"That's it," Hammerson breathed. "Come with me, Blue Lynx..."
Erin shut her eyes and tried to focus on everything else-- Margot, her predicament, the elves-- but everything crumbled next to Hammerson's face, his body, his open mouth on Erin's, his hands pushing her V-neck off her shoulders as far as the ribbons would permit, his legs wrapping around hers. She gasped again, and then moaned.
"You're so hot," Hammerson whispered. "The only thing that would make you hotter is if we take off that mask..."
"No!" Erin thought, but it didn't come out that way. Deep in the realm of ecstasy, obeying the beck and call of Hammerson's hands, a different sound emerged from Erin's lips. A slow, breathy, barely audible "Yes."
And Hammerson, grinning manically, cupped Erin's ass with one hand, and moved the other up her stomach, between her breasts, across her long neck, and atop her mask.
"Merry Christmas, Blue Lynx," he said.
And he pulled the thin blue strip of fabric from Erin's face.
On to Chapter Six
December 20th, 6:23 PM
Erin could hear paper ripping, could hear the sounds of cursing ("Fucking ribbon!"), could feel the warmth of a fire. When the top of the box came off, the light was blinding. It took several minutes for her eyes to adjust. When they finally did, they gazed on the smug, handsome face of Brent Hammerson.
"Oh boy, it's what I've always wanted," Hammerson giggled. "A little superheroine doll, all of my own."
Erin blinked. "I always knew you collected dolls, Hammerson," she said. But it came out as "Mmmph mmph mmhphh mmmph mmphh."
Hammerson laughed out loud. "Here, let me help you with that."
He brought his fingers to Erin's face and, with a single violent motion, ripped the label from her lips. Erin gasped with pain.
"Thanks, you bastard," Erin said, with a cough.
"What can I say? It's the season of giving," Hammerson said. "From what I understand, Sunny's elves gave you a real beat-down, earlier. And for a live audience!"
Erin couldn't deny it. "Yeah. Those elves are tough. Maybe if you'd hired them months ago, you'd have defeated me sooner."
Hammerson smiled. "Well, I'm glad it's happening this way, Blue Lynx. A Christmas miracle, just for me. A hot little superheroine, all trussed up and delivered right to my doorstep."
He was wearing a red silk robe and carrying a pointless old-fashioned pipe in his teeth. Erin rolled her eyes. Hammerson was the picture of phony male authority-- a second-rate Hugh Hefner. She wasn't about to be his bunny.
"I'm going to make this a Christmas you'll never forget," Erin snarled. "I'm going to take that pipe and shove it up your ass."
"Wow!" Hammerson said. He seemed genuinely stunned. "Such language! You're supposed to be cheerful this time of the year, babe! Maybe you've been in that box too long."
He reached down into the present, trying to suavely slide his hands behind Erin's back. When Erin resisted, whipping her head around and twisting her shoulders, he pressed harder, sinking his fingers into her spandex. He yanked her body up and brought her head near his chest, taking a long whiff of her hair.
"You smell... sweaty," Hammerson said. "But I like it."
"I don't give a crap what you like," Erin spat. She tried banging her head against Hammerson's body, hoping to shake off his grip somehow, but each movement brought an opposite reaction from her foe. He was now holding her closer than he ever had, in a hug that was equal parts tender and menacing.
"Okay," Hammerson whispered, moving one of his hands underneath Erin's thighs. "Out you go." With a steady, assured motion, he hoisted her up from the box and cradled her near his body. Erin was surprised how easily he had picked her up, and how gently he was now pressing her against his bulk. She could feel his heart race underneath the silk robe. It was almost... Kind of...
"Stop," Erin silently told herself. "You're in danger. Focus."
From the snare of Hammerson's arms, she looked around. They were in a garishly decorated living room. It was hard to tell which parts of it were for Christmas and which parts of it were for Hammerson's love of ostentatious wealth. There was a massive tree covered in identical golden ornaments, a massive fireplace complete with a roaring five, a massive red couch. There were several side tables on which there sat many lit candles. The light which had seemed blinding after hours of complete darkness now showed itself to be quite dim and almost... Romantic?
"Let's sit down on the sofa," Hammerson said. He carried her to the red couch and delicately placed her length-wise on its soft, plump cushions. After hours of being stiff and sore, bound and within a box, the sofa felt like a big, warm caress, and it forced a noticeable sigh of pleasure from Erin.
"You like that?" Hammerson asked, taking a seat near Erin's lower legs.
Erin's face turned sour. "You have good taste in furniture, for an evil maniac," she sneered.
Hammerson chuckled. "You know," he said, placing his hand on Erin's thigh. "Sometimes I look at you and don't know whether to punch you or kiss you."
Erin squirmed. She didn't like where this was going. But the ribbons still hadn't given an inch, and until they did, she was Hammerson's captive, plain and simple. She'd have to play along until something happened. She just couldn't play along too much. "Not too much," she thought. "Not too much."
"You usually settle for both," Erin replied.
"I know," Hammerson said. He brushed his fingers up and down Erin's leg, from the top of her kneecap to the place where her spandex leg-hole met her skin.
"You could get a lot more action if you loosened these ribbons a bit," Erin said, her eyes fixed on Hammerson's, which were fixed on Erin's lower body.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Hammerson laughed. "Unfortunately, I'm not as dumb as some of the sex-crazed fiends you take advantage of night after night."
It had been a long shot. But all of Erin's options were long shots, now. A seduction strategy still seemed like the best way out. So she slowly rocked her hips back and forth, watching Hammerson take her in, licking his lips.
"Come on, Brent. You've got me here, all tied up," she cooed. "Your little present. Now... Are you going to be nice to me? Or naughty?"
Hammerson looked up at Erin, his eyes full of desire. There was a split second of hesitation, and then, he was on top of her. He pressed his body to hers, moving his hands to her breasts, kissing her neck, grinding his groin against her sealed-tight legs. Erin knew this had been coming-- she had tempted him all the way-- but was still surprised the ferocity of it. It was overwhelming, this Hammerson onslaught, and it quickly conquered Erin's stoicism. She felt Hammerson's hot breath, the tingle of his fingertips on the skin underneath her spandex, the weight of his lower body on hers, and she gasped.
"That's it," Hammerson breathed. "Come with me, Blue Lynx..."
Erin shut her eyes and tried to focus on everything else-- Margot, her predicament, the elves-- but everything crumbled next to Hammerson's face, his body, his open mouth on Erin's, his hands pushing her V-neck off her shoulders as far as the ribbons would permit, his legs wrapping around hers. She gasped again, and then moaned.
"You're so hot," Hammerson whispered. "The only thing that would make you hotter is if we take off that mask..."
"No!" Erin thought, but it didn't come out that way. Deep in the realm of ecstasy, obeying the beck and call of Hammerson's hands, a different sound emerged from Erin's lips. A slow, breathy, barely audible "Yes."
And Hammerson, grinning manically, cupped Erin's ass with one hand, and moved the other up her stomach, between her breasts, across her long neck, and atop her mask.
"Merry Christmas, Blue Lynx," he said.
And he pulled the thin blue strip of fabric from Erin's face.
On to Chapter Six
White Elephant: Chapter Six
Chapter Six
December 20th, 7:57 PM
Erin shut her eyes.
She could sense that her mask had left her skin. She knew that her face was bare: that Hammerson now knew her secret identity. She wasn't ready to meet his gaze. She wasn't ready for the Blue Lynx to be over.
"Oh God," she thought. "What have I done?"
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Hammerson falling off the couch, hadn't registered the crash of his body hitting the floor, hadn't detected the presence of two more bodies in Hammerson's living room.
"Blue Lynx!" a voice cried. "It's me!"
Erin opened her eyes. The face greeting her was not the sinister visage of her arch-nemesis, but the concerned, loving look of her best friend, Margot, standing proudly in her Black Bobcat costume.
"Oh my God!" Margot cried. "Where's your mask?"
A shot of adrenaline blasted through Erin's body. "Hammerson's got it!" she yelled. "You have to get it back!"
Erin couldn't see Hammerson from where she sat. Margot must have knocked him down, somehow. But where had he scrambled to?
"He fell over the couch!" Margot exclaimed. "Santa! Get him!"
Erin blinked. And that's when she saw a tall, skinny man in a red costume and white beard. He had been behind Margot, but now, he was charging around the sofa. He disappeared, and Erin heard the sounds of a struggle.
"Argh!" Hammerson cried. "Fuck you! You fucking, goddamn..."
There was a cracking sound, and a squeal of pain.
"Shit!" Hammerson screamed. "You fucker! Hey! Give me... that... back! I need... to know... who she... IS! GODDAMN YOU!"
While the Santa and Hammerson fought, Margot attended to Erin's bonds. She cut at the ribbons on Erin's wrists and arms, allowing Erin to see to her tied ankles.
"I can't believe you're here!" Erin cried, on the verge of tears. "What happened, Margot?"
"It's a long story," Margot said, tearing the ribbons from her friend's thighs. "But basically, I woke up tied to a cross. Sunny had CRUCIFIED me, you know? She left me there, on stage. But I was able to talk to Santa, who's a good guy. He freed me, and then he volunteered to help me rescue you. We talked to a few elves-- they're not all bad guys, either-- and a few of them mentioned how you were being 'delivered' to Brent Hammerson. So we drove here, busted down the door, and found you two, umm... together... Umm..."
Erin blushed. "I... I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't escape. They took my belt."
"Really? Oh shit," Margot said. "Well, I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. But anyway, the moment I saw him on top of you, I ran at him and socked him silly. He flew over the couch. I didn't even realize he had taken your mask until... You know..."
Erin was sitting upright now, caressing her sore wrists. She gulped. "He didn't see my face, did he?"
Margot shook her head. "I'm not sure. But I don't think so. I think I got him just your mask was coming off." She peered over the couch. "Santa?" she called out. "You doing okay?"
There was a pause, a few stray noises, and then, a low, plain voice. "Yeah," Santa said. "I think I knocked him out."
Margot stood up to take a better look. "Yep," she said. "He is out cold. Did you get the Blue Lynx's mask?"
"Yeah," Santa replied. "Take it."
Margot extended her arm over the couch. "Alright. No peeking, now."
Santa chuckled. "Are you kidding me? Santa? Peeking? I wouldn't dare."
Margot took the mask from Santa's gloved hand and passed it to Erin. Erin pushed her hair back and pressed the mask to her face, feeling a surge of confidence as she re-assumed the role of the Blue Lynx, unbound, ungagged, and ready to go.
"I really don't know how to thank the both of you," Erin said, brushing herself off as she climbed to her feet. "But, umm, did either of you happen to see where my belt went?"
"It's here, Blue Lynx," a voice declared from across the room. Erin, Margot, and Santa looked up. Standing in the doorway, clad in her weirdly sexy Mrs. Claus outfit, and flanked by at least eight elves, was Sunny, twirling a white utility belt on her raised index finger.
"Sunny!" Erin yelled. The sight of her foe put her in an automatic fighting pose. "Give that back, or I swear, you're getting nothing for Christmas."
Sunny laughed. "That's pretty funny, Blue! But I'm not giving you this belt back. I worked too hard for it. Have you ever put on a Christmas pageant? It's exhausting."
Erin stamped her foot. No. It was SHE who was exhausted. It was SHE who had been embarrassed in front of crowd of people. It was SHE who had been bound for hours, who had spent time in the complete darkness of a sealed package, who had to endure both Hammerson's come-ons AND nearly being unmasked. It was the Blue Lynx who had had a rough day-- and now, she was furious.
"I'm tired of talking!" Erin cried. "You guys ready?"
She turned to look at Margot. Margot nodded.
She turned to look at Santa. Santa shrugged.
"I don't know, Blue Lynx," he muttered. "You're asking me to beat up elves? That doesn't seem right."
"These aren't your kind of elves, Santa," Erin said. "They're working for Sunny, who works for Hammerson. They're little bastards, all of them. If you want to save Christmas, you have to take them down."
"Well, okay," Santa said.
"Okay," Erin agreed.
And with a boisterous scream, the Blue Lynx, the Black Bobcat, and Santa Claus stormed across the ornate living room, hungry to do battle with a twisted Mrs. Claus and her team of evil elves.
On to Chapter Seven
December 20th, 7:57 PM
Erin shut her eyes.
She could sense that her mask had left her skin. She knew that her face was bare: that Hammerson now knew her secret identity. She wasn't ready to meet his gaze. She wasn't ready for the Blue Lynx to be over.
"Oh God," she thought. "What have I done?"
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed Hammerson falling off the couch, hadn't registered the crash of his body hitting the floor, hadn't detected the presence of two more bodies in Hammerson's living room.
"Blue Lynx!" a voice cried. "It's me!"
Erin opened her eyes. The face greeting her was not the sinister visage of her arch-nemesis, but the concerned, loving look of her best friend, Margot, standing proudly in her Black Bobcat costume.
"Oh my God!" Margot cried. "Where's your mask?"
A shot of adrenaline blasted through Erin's body. "Hammerson's got it!" she yelled. "You have to get it back!"
Erin couldn't see Hammerson from where she sat. Margot must have knocked him down, somehow. But where had he scrambled to?
"He fell over the couch!" Margot exclaimed. "Santa! Get him!"
Erin blinked. And that's when she saw a tall, skinny man in a red costume and white beard. He had been behind Margot, but now, he was charging around the sofa. He disappeared, and Erin heard the sounds of a struggle.
"Argh!" Hammerson cried. "Fuck you! You fucking, goddamn..."
There was a cracking sound, and a squeal of pain.
"Shit!" Hammerson screamed. "You fucker! Hey! Give me... that... back! I need... to know... who she... IS! GODDAMN YOU!"
While the Santa and Hammerson fought, Margot attended to Erin's bonds. She cut at the ribbons on Erin's wrists and arms, allowing Erin to see to her tied ankles.
"I can't believe you're here!" Erin cried, on the verge of tears. "What happened, Margot?"
"It's a long story," Margot said, tearing the ribbons from her friend's thighs. "But basically, I woke up tied to a cross. Sunny had CRUCIFIED me, you know? She left me there, on stage. But I was able to talk to Santa, who's a good guy. He freed me, and then he volunteered to help me rescue you. We talked to a few elves-- they're not all bad guys, either-- and a few of them mentioned how you were being 'delivered' to Brent Hammerson. So we drove here, busted down the door, and found you two, umm... together... Umm..."
Erin blushed. "I... I didn't know what else to do. I couldn't escape. They took my belt."
"Really? Oh shit," Margot said. "Well, I guess you gotta do what you gotta do. But anyway, the moment I saw him on top of you, I ran at him and socked him silly. He flew over the couch. I didn't even realize he had taken your mask until... You know..."
Erin was sitting upright now, caressing her sore wrists. She gulped. "He didn't see my face, did he?"
Margot shook her head. "I'm not sure. But I don't think so. I think I got him just your mask was coming off." She peered over the couch. "Santa?" she called out. "You doing okay?"
There was a pause, a few stray noises, and then, a low, plain voice. "Yeah," Santa said. "I think I knocked him out."
Margot stood up to take a better look. "Yep," she said. "He is out cold. Did you get the Blue Lynx's mask?"
"Yeah," Santa replied. "Take it."
Margot extended her arm over the couch. "Alright. No peeking, now."
Santa chuckled. "Are you kidding me? Santa? Peeking? I wouldn't dare."
Margot took the mask from Santa's gloved hand and passed it to Erin. Erin pushed her hair back and pressed the mask to her face, feeling a surge of confidence as she re-assumed the role of the Blue Lynx, unbound, ungagged, and ready to go.
"I really don't know how to thank the both of you," Erin said, brushing herself off as she climbed to her feet. "But, umm, did either of you happen to see where my belt went?"
"It's here, Blue Lynx," a voice declared from across the room. Erin, Margot, and Santa looked up. Standing in the doorway, clad in her weirdly sexy Mrs. Claus outfit, and flanked by at least eight elves, was Sunny, twirling a white utility belt on her raised index finger.
"Sunny!" Erin yelled. The sight of her foe put her in an automatic fighting pose. "Give that back, or I swear, you're getting nothing for Christmas."
Sunny laughed. "That's pretty funny, Blue! But I'm not giving you this belt back. I worked too hard for it. Have you ever put on a Christmas pageant? It's exhausting."
Erin stamped her foot. No. It was SHE who was exhausted. It was SHE who had been embarrassed in front of crowd of people. It was SHE who had been bound for hours, who had spent time in the complete darkness of a sealed package, who had to endure both Hammerson's come-ons AND nearly being unmasked. It was the Blue Lynx who had had a rough day-- and now, she was furious.
"I'm tired of talking!" Erin cried. "You guys ready?"
She turned to look at Margot. Margot nodded.
She turned to look at Santa. Santa shrugged.
"I don't know, Blue Lynx," he muttered. "You're asking me to beat up elves? That doesn't seem right."
"These aren't your kind of elves, Santa," Erin said. "They're working for Sunny, who works for Hammerson. They're little bastards, all of them. If you want to save Christmas, you have to take them down."
"Well, okay," Santa said.
"Okay," Erin agreed.
And with a boisterous scream, the Blue Lynx, the Black Bobcat, and Santa Claus stormed across the ornate living room, hungry to do battle with a twisted Mrs. Claus and her team of evil elves.
On to Chapter Seven
White Elephant: Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
December 20th, 8:10 PM
Erin met the first elf she encountered with a hard punch across the jaw. He cried out, fell over, and Erin kept moving. She dispatched the second elf in her path with an even harder punch; he too toppled over, and Erin kept moving. The third elf she targeted was swinging a roll of ribbon above his head, preparing to toss it lasso-style. Erin had seen this trick before, though, and easily ducked the flying spool. She dashed low to the ground and moved up on the elf, knocking him over with a knee to the upper body. Already the path to Sunny seemed much less dense; in her peripheral vision, she could see Margot and Santa making quick work of their own elf opponents; it wouldn't be long before the three of them could team up on Mrs. Claus and take her down easily.
But as she incapacitated her fourth elf, Erin looked up and saw Sunny fiddling with the pockets of the utility belt.
"You've got all kinds of tricks in here, don't you, babe?" Sunny laughed. She dumped a handful of smoke bombs into her open palm. "I think I've seen these in action, before."
"Don't even think about it!" Erin yelled.
She ran at her foe, but it was too late. Sunny tossed the bombs to the floor, and in an instant, the room filled with thick plumes of smoke.
"No!" Erin cried. She coughed, pushing at the clouds, trying to remember the exact place where Sunny had been standing. The Blue Lynx had passed through the smoke bombs enough to have an idea of what to do in this situation. But there was still a major difference between being the thrower and being, well, herself in this moment, stumbling around blind, waving her arms in every direction.
She heard a squeak-- Margot!-- and a low grunt-- Santa!-- and the sounds of scuffling.
"Black Bobcat!" she said. "Where are you?"
Suddenly, a blow to the stomach. Erin brought her hands to her abdomen and doubled over. Then, a boot to her butt. She fell to her knees. She spun around, attempted to get up, and was hit hard: a group of elves lunged at her, corralling her by the neck and upper body, and brought her to the ground. They were pinning her down, an elf for each portion of her wriggling figure-- one on her right arm, and one on her left; one on her chest; one holding her head in place.
"No!" Erin grumbled. "We're not doing this again!"
With all of her strength, Erin pushed back. The elves holding her arms flew up in the air, and the one sitting on her chest rolled off her body. She sprang to her feet, kicking at the elves that had been ready to ensnare her boots, and turned in a circle. The smoke was gradually dissipating, but she still couldn't Margot, or Santa, or Sunny. Out of nowhere, an elf ran at her, and Erin downed him with an automatic chop to the neck. She followed him to the ground and noticed, laying to the elf's side, a pair of purple boots.
"Black Bobcat!" Erin said, punching through the smoke. She found Margot's unconscious body, her arms and legs spread on the ground lifelessly, her tongue slightly poking out of her lips. She went to wake her up, and a fist emerged through the a plume, catching Erin squarely in the jaw.
"Augh!" she cried. She stumbled backward but did not fall. Holding her jaw with one hand and sweeping at smoke with the other, she saw a red figure standing amidst the remaining haze.
"Blue Lynx," Sunny said, strutting toward Erin confidently. "I want to thank you for your gift." She tapped her waist. The white utility belt was hanging around her hips. "I think it looks quite nice on me, don't you?"
"I don't!" Erin said. She had had more than enough of Sunny's talk. She rushed through the room, the smoke mostly gone, and took a big swing. Sunny strafed the attack, stepped forward, and plunged her hand into Erin's side.
Erin screamed. Pain enveloped her body. From head to toe, she shook with an electric jolt. She started convulsing, started smoking, and then Sunny removed her hand. Erin instantly collapsed in a heap near her enemy's feet.
"I'd seen this baby in action, too," Sunny said, holding the Blue Lynx's pocket taser up. "I figure it would have a big impact on you."
Erin was in too much discomfort to come up with a response. She clutched at her stomach, gritted her teeth, and kicked her legs erratically. She knew her taser was strong-- she had rendered many a thug far bigger than her unconscious with its power-- but she herself had never felt it on full blast. It was... awful.
Sunny squatted down and tried to look Erin in the eyes. She patted the Blue Lynx's butt in a fake consoling manner. "There there, honey. I'm sorry. That was a dirty move. But I gotta know: how does it feel, hmm? How does it feel to be beaten with your own weapons?"
Erin coughed. She tried to ignore Sunny and concentrate on her predicament. At the moment, she didn't have the strength to fight back. Sunny had her belt. Margot was definitely unconscious, and Santa, probably, too. She looked at the Black Bobcat, who was laying just a few feet away from her. There was no way Erin could rouse her awake. But maybe... Maybe...
Erin rolled over onto her stomach. She placed her hands on the ground and started to crawl along the cold wooden floor. Sunny's hand didn't leave her rump.
"Where are you going, Blue Lynx?" Sunny said. She pinched the blue spandex that was jammed in Erin's butt cheeks. As Erin moved away, the spandex stretched, until the Blue Lynx's costume had been pulled several inches apart from Erin's red thong underwear.
"Ooh la la," Sunny said. "I'm always impressed by your sexy sartorial decisions."
Erin told herself to not pay her any attention, but in this case, she had to: her outstretched hands were still inches away from Margot. Her spandex had stretched as far as it would go. In Sunny's grip, she was essentially frozen in place.
"Why don't you stop looking at my ass," Erin said. "And try to take off my mask, or something?"
Sunny cackled. "Say. That's a good idea, Blue Lynx."
She released the spandex, letting it crack against Erin's backside, producing a "yip" of pain from its owner. It was humiliating, but it was also enough to launch Erin forward, so that her hands now lay atop Margot's unconscious body.
"Turn around," Sunny said. She dug her hands beneath Erin's stomach and tried rolling her over. Erin fought back as much as she could, but the effects of the taser had made her putty in Sunny's hands. In seconds, she had been flipped onto her back.
She stared into Sunny eyes. Sunny eye's stared into Erin's. Sunny smiled. Erin winced.
"Your belt is a truly great gift," Sunny said. "But I'm a greedy girl. I want it all, Blue Lynx. I want your most closely guarded secret."
She set her perfectly manicured fingernails on either side of Erin's face. She kneaded Erin's cheeks, pursing her lips, toying with her. Erin shut her eyes. She knew what she had to do, in this moment. She couldn't let Sunny distract her any more. She felt the long nails scratch up to her temples, could feel them gripping at the sides of the Blue Lynx's mask. She took a deep breath.
"So here we go," Sunny whispered. "At long last... What's yours... Is mine..."
As fast as she could, Erin grabbed Margot's taser from her belt, brought it forward, and slammed it into Sunny's arm. As it had been with the Blue Lynx, the result was instantaneous. Sunny leapt back, screeched out, crumpled to the ground.
"Augh," she groaned. "You little bitch!"
Erin, suddenly emboldened by her attack, moved forward. Again, she stuck Sunny with the taser, this time to her chest. Again, Sunny cried out. Feeling more confident, Erin attempted a punch. She was surprised at the velocity she achieved, and was pleased when the blow rippled through Sunny's face, spinning her around, leaving her flat.
Slowly but with purpose, Erin clambered to her feet. She now stood over Sunny, both of them breathing heavily, but one of them feeling much better than the other.
"I'll take this back," Erin said, reaching behind Sunny's waist and unclipping the belt. She felt a surge a superheroine confidence as she reattached it to its rightful place atop her hips.
"You're... an indian giver..." Sunny croaked.
"I don't use that term," Erin said. "And besides, I never gave my belt to you. You took it from me. You're a bad girl, Sunny. And a horrible Mrs. Claus."
And before Sunny could say anything more, Erin kicked her in the skull, knocking her out immediately.
Finally having enough time and strength to think, Erin scanned the room. It was simply littered: with ruined Christmas decorations, with broken furniture, with unconscious bodies. It had been a strange, wild night.
She walked over to Margot and, with a few gentle pats, woke her up. "Hey. Black Bobcat. It's me."
"Erin?" Margot said, her eyes fluttering. She sat up and rubbed her neck. "God. What happened?"
"Well, we won," Erin giggled. "I think that's all that matters." She handed the taser to her friend. "Here. I had to borrow this."
"What?" Margot said. She looked at the taser and shrugged. "Okay. Umm. I'm glad I could help?"
"You did help. A lot," Erin said. "Now let's go wake up Santa."
The young women made their way to the strewn unconscious elf figures until they found Santa. He too, was unconscious, face down but clearly breathing. After a few minutes of patient effort, his eyes opened.
"Shit. Did I get knocked out?" he grumbled. "Fuck. I'm sorry."
"That's okay, Santa," Erin said. "You did great tonight."
"Hey, I'm just glad I could help," he said. "I'm a big fan of you, and of your cute sidekick."
Margot blushed.
The girls helped the skinny man to his feet. He readjusted his beard, hat, and gloves, staring at the multitude of small bodies scattered across the room.
"Man," he said. "I've been doing this shit for years, but I've never had to fight a dozen elves before."
Erin laughed. "Me neither."
"So what do we do now?" he asked. "Just leave them here?"
"Yeah," Erin said. "We can't really call the cops. I mean, we're inside Hammerson's house. He could easily say that we initiated all this. I think we just need to call it a night."
Margot sighed. "All that work... for nothing."
"I wouldn't say it was for nothing," Erin said. "Didn't you have fun, Black Bobcat?"
Margot frowned, and then laughed. "Yeah. I guess I did."
And so the two superheroines and one Claus stepped over the elves and Sunny, wandered through the elaborate hallways of Hammerson's house, and walked out the front door. The night was crisp and cool, and tiny snowflakes floated through the air, making Hammerson's property shimmer.
"You want a ride back to the mall?" Margot asked Santa.
"No thanks," he said. "I actually live right around here."
Erin blinked. "What? Are you sure, Santa?"
Santa nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. You ladies have a good night."
He waved, and the girls waved back, and he walked away. Minutes later, he was out of sight.
"God, that was weird," Erin said, climbing into Margot's car. "Are you sure you can trust that guy, Margot?"
Margot peeled her mask off, set in on her legs, and started the ignition. "Come on, Erin. It's Christmas. He's Santa. Of course we can trust him."
The car reversed out of Hammerson's driveway, whipped into the road, and sped off, blowing by a solitary man casually strolling down the sidewalk. In his red suit, hat, and beard, he looked like any normal mall Santa Claus (albeit a little skinnier than average). But inside his head, he possessed a secret known to very few people (or elves): a secret he had witnessed earlier in the night. He believed in his mission, and that meant no peeking, but in this case, he simply couldn't help himself: he had needed to see the Blue Lynx's face. And so, he had.
As he wandered down the road, with seemingly no place to go, he improvised a little tune. "Erin Steele is the Blue Lynx, Erin Steele is the Blue Lynx." He whistled, and chuckled, and the snowflakes fell silently. It was just days before Christmas and the world felt full of possibility.
THE END
Back to the Table of Contents
December 20th, 8:10 PM
Erin met the first elf she encountered with a hard punch across the jaw. He cried out, fell over, and Erin kept moving. She dispatched the second elf in her path with an even harder punch; he too toppled over, and Erin kept moving. The third elf she targeted was swinging a roll of ribbon above his head, preparing to toss it lasso-style. Erin had seen this trick before, though, and easily ducked the flying spool. She dashed low to the ground and moved up on the elf, knocking him over with a knee to the upper body. Already the path to Sunny seemed much less dense; in her peripheral vision, she could see Margot and Santa making quick work of their own elf opponents; it wouldn't be long before the three of them could team up on Mrs. Claus and take her down easily.
But as she incapacitated her fourth elf, Erin looked up and saw Sunny fiddling with the pockets of the utility belt.
"You've got all kinds of tricks in here, don't you, babe?" Sunny laughed. She dumped a handful of smoke bombs into her open palm. "I think I've seen these in action, before."
"Don't even think about it!" Erin yelled.
She ran at her foe, but it was too late. Sunny tossed the bombs to the floor, and in an instant, the room filled with thick plumes of smoke.
"No!" Erin cried. She coughed, pushing at the clouds, trying to remember the exact place where Sunny had been standing. The Blue Lynx had passed through the smoke bombs enough to have an idea of what to do in this situation. But there was still a major difference between being the thrower and being, well, herself in this moment, stumbling around blind, waving her arms in every direction.
She heard a squeak-- Margot!-- and a low grunt-- Santa!-- and the sounds of scuffling.
"Black Bobcat!" she said. "Where are you?"
Suddenly, a blow to the stomach. Erin brought her hands to her abdomen and doubled over. Then, a boot to her butt. She fell to her knees. She spun around, attempted to get up, and was hit hard: a group of elves lunged at her, corralling her by the neck and upper body, and brought her to the ground. They were pinning her down, an elf for each portion of her wriggling figure-- one on her right arm, and one on her left; one on her chest; one holding her head in place.
"No!" Erin grumbled. "We're not doing this again!"
With all of her strength, Erin pushed back. The elves holding her arms flew up in the air, and the one sitting on her chest rolled off her body. She sprang to her feet, kicking at the elves that had been ready to ensnare her boots, and turned in a circle. The smoke was gradually dissipating, but she still couldn't Margot, or Santa, or Sunny. Out of nowhere, an elf ran at her, and Erin downed him with an automatic chop to the neck. She followed him to the ground and noticed, laying to the elf's side, a pair of purple boots.
"Black Bobcat!" Erin said, punching through the smoke. She found Margot's unconscious body, her arms and legs spread on the ground lifelessly, her tongue slightly poking out of her lips. She went to wake her up, and a fist emerged through the a plume, catching Erin squarely in the jaw.
"Augh!" she cried. She stumbled backward but did not fall. Holding her jaw with one hand and sweeping at smoke with the other, she saw a red figure standing amidst the remaining haze.
"Blue Lynx," Sunny said, strutting toward Erin confidently. "I want to thank you for your gift." She tapped her waist. The white utility belt was hanging around her hips. "I think it looks quite nice on me, don't you?"
"I don't!" Erin said. She had had more than enough of Sunny's talk. She rushed through the room, the smoke mostly gone, and took a big swing. Sunny strafed the attack, stepped forward, and plunged her hand into Erin's side.
Erin screamed. Pain enveloped her body. From head to toe, she shook with an electric jolt. She started convulsing, started smoking, and then Sunny removed her hand. Erin instantly collapsed in a heap near her enemy's feet.
"I'd seen this baby in action, too," Sunny said, holding the Blue Lynx's pocket taser up. "I figure it would have a big impact on you."
Erin was in too much discomfort to come up with a response. She clutched at her stomach, gritted her teeth, and kicked her legs erratically. She knew her taser was strong-- she had rendered many a thug far bigger than her unconscious with its power-- but she herself had never felt it on full blast. It was... awful.
Sunny squatted down and tried to look Erin in the eyes. She patted the Blue Lynx's butt in a fake consoling manner. "There there, honey. I'm sorry. That was a dirty move. But I gotta know: how does it feel, hmm? How does it feel to be beaten with your own weapons?"
Erin coughed. She tried to ignore Sunny and concentrate on her predicament. At the moment, she didn't have the strength to fight back. Sunny had her belt. Margot was definitely unconscious, and Santa, probably, too. She looked at the Black Bobcat, who was laying just a few feet away from her. There was no way Erin could rouse her awake. But maybe... Maybe...
Erin rolled over onto her stomach. She placed her hands on the ground and started to crawl along the cold wooden floor. Sunny's hand didn't leave her rump.
"Where are you going, Blue Lynx?" Sunny said. She pinched the blue spandex that was jammed in Erin's butt cheeks. As Erin moved away, the spandex stretched, until the Blue Lynx's costume had been pulled several inches apart from Erin's red thong underwear.
"Ooh la la," Sunny said. "I'm always impressed by your sexy sartorial decisions."
Erin told herself to not pay her any attention, but in this case, she had to: her outstretched hands were still inches away from Margot. Her spandex had stretched as far as it would go. In Sunny's grip, she was essentially frozen in place.
"Why don't you stop looking at my ass," Erin said. "And try to take off my mask, or something?"
Sunny cackled. "Say. That's a good idea, Blue Lynx."
She released the spandex, letting it crack against Erin's backside, producing a "yip" of pain from its owner. It was humiliating, but it was also enough to launch Erin forward, so that her hands now lay atop Margot's unconscious body.
"Turn around," Sunny said. She dug her hands beneath Erin's stomach and tried rolling her over. Erin fought back as much as she could, but the effects of the taser had made her putty in Sunny's hands. In seconds, she had been flipped onto her back.
She stared into Sunny eyes. Sunny eye's stared into Erin's. Sunny smiled. Erin winced.
"Your belt is a truly great gift," Sunny said. "But I'm a greedy girl. I want it all, Blue Lynx. I want your most closely guarded secret."
She set her perfectly manicured fingernails on either side of Erin's face. She kneaded Erin's cheeks, pursing her lips, toying with her. Erin shut her eyes. She knew what she had to do, in this moment. She couldn't let Sunny distract her any more. She felt the long nails scratch up to her temples, could feel them gripping at the sides of the Blue Lynx's mask. She took a deep breath.
"So here we go," Sunny whispered. "At long last... What's yours... Is mine..."
As fast as she could, Erin grabbed Margot's taser from her belt, brought it forward, and slammed it into Sunny's arm. As it had been with the Blue Lynx, the result was instantaneous. Sunny leapt back, screeched out, crumpled to the ground.
"Augh," she groaned. "You little bitch!"
Erin, suddenly emboldened by her attack, moved forward. Again, she stuck Sunny with the taser, this time to her chest. Again, Sunny cried out. Feeling more confident, Erin attempted a punch. She was surprised at the velocity she achieved, and was pleased when the blow rippled through Sunny's face, spinning her around, leaving her flat.
Slowly but with purpose, Erin clambered to her feet. She now stood over Sunny, both of them breathing heavily, but one of them feeling much better than the other.
"I'll take this back," Erin said, reaching behind Sunny's waist and unclipping the belt. She felt a surge a superheroine confidence as she reattached it to its rightful place atop her hips.
"You're... an indian giver..." Sunny croaked.
"I don't use that term," Erin said. "And besides, I never gave my belt to you. You took it from me. You're a bad girl, Sunny. And a horrible Mrs. Claus."
And before Sunny could say anything more, Erin kicked her in the skull, knocking her out immediately.
Finally having enough time and strength to think, Erin scanned the room. It was simply littered: with ruined Christmas decorations, with broken furniture, with unconscious bodies. It had been a strange, wild night.
She walked over to Margot and, with a few gentle pats, woke her up. "Hey. Black Bobcat. It's me."
"Erin?" Margot said, her eyes fluttering. She sat up and rubbed her neck. "God. What happened?"
"Well, we won," Erin giggled. "I think that's all that matters." She handed the taser to her friend. "Here. I had to borrow this."
"What?" Margot said. She looked at the taser and shrugged. "Okay. Umm. I'm glad I could help?"
"You did help. A lot," Erin said. "Now let's go wake up Santa."
The young women made their way to the strewn unconscious elf figures until they found Santa. He too, was unconscious, face down but clearly breathing. After a few minutes of patient effort, his eyes opened.
"Shit. Did I get knocked out?" he grumbled. "Fuck. I'm sorry."
"That's okay, Santa," Erin said. "You did great tonight."
"Hey, I'm just glad I could help," he said. "I'm a big fan of you, and of your cute sidekick."
Margot blushed.
The girls helped the skinny man to his feet. He readjusted his beard, hat, and gloves, staring at the multitude of small bodies scattered across the room.
"Man," he said. "I've been doing this shit for years, but I've never had to fight a dozen elves before."
Erin laughed. "Me neither."
"So what do we do now?" he asked. "Just leave them here?"
"Yeah," Erin said. "We can't really call the cops. I mean, we're inside Hammerson's house. He could easily say that we initiated all this. I think we just need to call it a night."
Margot sighed. "All that work... for nothing."
"I wouldn't say it was for nothing," Erin said. "Didn't you have fun, Black Bobcat?"
Margot frowned, and then laughed. "Yeah. I guess I did."
And so the two superheroines and one Claus stepped over the elves and Sunny, wandered through the elaborate hallways of Hammerson's house, and walked out the front door. The night was crisp and cool, and tiny snowflakes floated through the air, making Hammerson's property shimmer.
"You want a ride back to the mall?" Margot asked Santa.
"No thanks," he said. "I actually live right around here."
Erin blinked. "What? Are you sure, Santa?"
Santa nodded. "Yeah, it's fine. You ladies have a good night."
He waved, and the girls waved back, and he walked away. Minutes later, he was out of sight.
"God, that was weird," Erin said, climbing into Margot's car. "Are you sure you can trust that guy, Margot?"
Margot peeled her mask off, set in on her legs, and started the ignition. "Come on, Erin. It's Christmas. He's Santa. Of course we can trust him."
The car reversed out of Hammerson's driveway, whipped into the road, and sped off, blowing by a solitary man casually strolling down the sidewalk. In his red suit, hat, and beard, he looked like any normal mall Santa Claus (albeit a little skinnier than average). But inside his head, he possessed a secret known to very few people (or elves): a secret he had witnessed earlier in the night. He believed in his mission, and that meant no peeking, but in this case, he simply couldn't help himself: he had needed to see the Blue Lynx's face. And so, he had.
As he wandered down the road, with seemingly no place to go, he improvised a little tune. "Erin Steele is the Blue Lynx, Erin Steele is the Blue Lynx." He whistled, and chuckled, and the snowflakes fell silently. It was just days before Christmas and the world felt full of possibility.
THE END
Back to the Table of Contents
Rival Hero: The Spaniel Strikes: Chapter One
Chapter One
May 20th, 11:20 PM
The young man crouched behind the slot machines, his gloved hands scratching at the red carpet, his masked eyes scanning the smoky, boozy, stain-soaked scene. The main room of the Paradise Casino was nearly empty, with hardly a patron or staff member in sight. Everyone had fled once the gunshots started. Everyone except for the gorgeous girl in cerulean spandex who had swooped in, seemingly out of nowhere, to interrupt the heist. The Blue Lynx.
The man had been watching her for ten minutes now: her brilliant entrance; the cocky, sultry way that she pronounced "You boys better surrender"; her initial attacks on the Rattlesnakes, the cowboy-boot wearing, pistol-packing gang of thieves that had been hitting up casinos and banks all summer. She moved with incredible grace and speed, disarming the gunmen and making quick work of half the baddies. But reinforcements had come from another room-- the Rattlesnakes seemed to grow in numbers each time they went out-- and formed a circle around her. They closed in, and though she had held her own for a minute, they rapidly wore her down. They knocked her to the ground, picked her up, seized her. She was now struggling in the clutches of three men, each of whom had at least seventy-five pounds on her.
"Hold 'er still, boys," crowed the Rattlesnakes' leader, a short, mustached man in a ten-gallon hat. He strolled toward the Blue Lynx with patient, spur-jingling steps, his thumbs tucked into his jeans.
"So..." the Blue Lynx said, breathing heavily, tensing her muscles. "You must be Tex."
"You bet your sweet, sweet booty I am, little lady," Tex replied. "So pleased to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Blue Lynx."
"Your men have met me," the Blue Lynx said. "I've had the pleasure of punching a few of them in the face."
Tex chuckled. "That I had heard. Which is why I brung in the cavalry tonight."
The goons had her secured tightly: the tall man behind her had looped his arms around hers, so that his hands pressed down on the back of her head, locking her in place. There were two additional men keeping her feet to the ground, one for each leg. The young man watched from behind the slot machines as one of these men slid his fingers up the back of the Blue Lynx's thigh.
"Fiend," the young man thought. But he couldn't help but think, too, that the henchman was a lucky son of a gun.
"We're gettin' sick and tired of you showin up and interferin," Tex said.
The Blue Lynx grinned at him. "Don't you know? Taking out the garbage is my job."
Her eyes were glimmering with arrogance and power. Her smile was a simply beautiful thing, especially as framed by her long, black locks. She knew what she was doing. She was a true superheroine.
Tex coughed. "I think I've had just about enough of yer lip, missy."
He pulled a rag from his pocket, and the Blue Lynx's eyes flashed. She knew what this was, as did the young man. Tex placed the chloroform on the superheroine's face, and her arms and legs jumped, fighting desperately against her captors, but finally unable to create any separation. The young man watched as the Blue Lynx's fists gradually unclenched, as her body slowly fell back into her detainer's torso, as her eyes rolled back into her head. Tex removed the rag, and the superheroine's mouth hung open, her arms drooped to her sides, her boots pigeon-toed, without a hold on the floor.
Tex nodded at his men, and they let the Blue Lynx drop to the floor. Her face was now invisible, lost in a thicket of long, dark hair. In minutes, she had gone from being completely in control to completely at her foes' mercy. And Tex knew it.
"Alright boys," he snarled. "Let's go ahead and take off the little lady's mask."
Tex stepped down and reached for the Blue Lynx's face, and the young man decided it was time to step in.
He charged toward the group. By the time the Rattlesnakes noticed, it was too late: he knocked two of them down, dealt a massive hook to Tex's cheek, spun around, shoved away two more, gingerly stepped around the Blue Lynx, tripped a man, uppercutted another. No one could touch him. When Tex went for his revolver, the young man knocked it away, and then knocked Tex out. Just moments after he'd had arrived on the scene, the show was over. He was surrounded by unconscious bodies: of Tex, of his booted goons, and of the Blue Lynx, peacefully asleep on the filthy red carpet of the casino.
He crouched down to look at her. He had been watching her tonight, had watched her for many nights: taking notes, of course, but also just taking her in. She was a gorgeous woman, even with her goofy blue mask on. Seeing her on the floor, her eyes closed, her lips open, her head nested in her thick hair, he had a sudden compulsion to take her mask off.
He reached for it, brushed her cheek, and brought his hand back.
No. It wouldn't be right.
Her eyes were fluttering now; his touch had brought her back to life.
"What?" she mumbled. "What's happening..."
"You were fighting the Rattlesnakes," the young man said, pulling the Blue Lynx up to a sitting position, resting his arm behind her back. "They chloroformed you."
"Ugh," she said, holding her head. "Go figure."
She looked around, noticed the other unconscious bodies.
"What happened to them?"
"I did," the young man said.
"You did?" the Blue Lynx said, with more than a hint of sarcasm. "And just who the hell are you?"
The young man stood up, brushing himself off, letting his golden spandex uniform shine in the light of the casino.
"I'm the Spaniel," he announced.
And before the Blue Lynx could respond, he was gone, had sprinted away from the casino, running into the night, the city's newest superhero.
On to Chapter Two
May 20th, 11:20 PM
The young man crouched behind the slot machines, his gloved hands scratching at the red carpet, his masked eyes scanning the smoky, boozy, stain-soaked scene. The main room of the Paradise Casino was nearly empty, with hardly a patron or staff member in sight. Everyone had fled once the gunshots started. Everyone except for the gorgeous girl in cerulean spandex who had swooped in, seemingly out of nowhere, to interrupt the heist. The Blue Lynx.
The man had been watching her for ten minutes now: her brilliant entrance; the cocky, sultry way that she pronounced "You boys better surrender"; her initial attacks on the Rattlesnakes, the cowboy-boot wearing, pistol-packing gang of thieves that had been hitting up casinos and banks all summer. She moved with incredible grace and speed, disarming the gunmen and making quick work of half the baddies. But reinforcements had come from another room-- the Rattlesnakes seemed to grow in numbers each time they went out-- and formed a circle around her. They closed in, and though she had held her own for a minute, they rapidly wore her down. They knocked her to the ground, picked her up, seized her. She was now struggling in the clutches of three men, each of whom had at least seventy-five pounds on her.
"Hold 'er still, boys," crowed the Rattlesnakes' leader, a short, mustached man in a ten-gallon hat. He strolled toward the Blue Lynx with patient, spur-jingling steps, his thumbs tucked into his jeans.
"So..." the Blue Lynx said, breathing heavily, tensing her muscles. "You must be Tex."
"You bet your sweet, sweet booty I am, little lady," Tex replied. "So pleased to make your acquaintance, Mrs. Blue Lynx."
"Your men have met me," the Blue Lynx said. "I've had the pleasure of punching a few of them in the face."
Tex chuckled. "That I had heard. Which is why I brung in the cavalry tonight."
The goons had her secured tightly: the tall man behind her had looped his arms around hers, so that his hands pressed down on the back of her head, locking her in place. There were two additional men keeping her feet to the ground, one for each leg. The young man watched from behind the slot machines as one of these men slid his fingers up the back of the Blue Lynx's thigh.
"Fiend," the young man thought. But he couldn't help but think, too, that the henchman was a lucky son of a gun.
"We're gettin' sick and tired of you showin up and interferin," Tex said.
The Blue Lynx grinned at him. "Don't you know? Taking out the garbage is my job."
Her eyes were glimmering with arrogance and power. Her smile was a simply beautiful thing, especially as framed by her long, black locks. She knew what she was doing. She was a true superheroine.
Tex coughed. "I think I've had just about enough of yer lip, missy."
He pulled a rag from his pocket, and the Blue Lynx's eyes flashed. She knew what this was, as did the young man. Tex placed the chloroform on the superheroine's face, and her arms and legs jumped, fighting desperately against her captors, but finally unable to create any separation. The young man watched as the Blue Lynx's fists gradually unclenched, as her body slowly fell back into her detainer's torso, as her eyes rolled back into her head. Tex removed the rag, and the superheroine's mouth hung open, her arms drooped to her sides, her boots pigeon-toed, without a hold on the floor.
Tex nodded at his men, and they let the Blue Lynx drop to the floor. Her face was now invisible, lost in a thicket of long, dark hair. In minutes, she had gone from being completely in control to completely at her foes' mercy. And Tex knew it.
"Alright boys," he snarled. "Let's go ahead and take off the little lady's mask."
Tex stepped down and reached for the Blue Lynx's face, and the young man decided it was time to step in.
He charged toward the group. By the time the Rattlesnakes noticed, it was too late: he knocked two of them down, dealt a massive hook to Tex's cheek, spun around, shoved away two more, gingerly stepped around the Blue Lynx, tripped a man, uppercutted another. No one could touch him. When Tex went for his revolver, the young man knocked it away, and then knocked Tex out. Just moments after he'd had arrived on the scene, the show was over. He was surrounded by unconscious bodies: of Tex, of his booted goons, and of the Blue Lynx, peacefully asleep on the filthy red carpet of the casino.
He crouched down to look at her. He had been watching her tonight, had watched her for many nights: taking notes, of course, but also just taking her in. She was a gorgeous woman, even with her goofy blue mask on. Seeing her on the floor, her eyes closed, her lips open, her head nested in her thick hair, he had a sudden compulsion to take her mask off.
He reached for it, brushed her cheek, and brought his hand back.
No. It wouldn't be right.
Her eyes were fluttering now; his touch had brought her back to life.
"What?" she mumbled. "What's happening..."
"You were fighting the Rattlesnakes," the young man said, pulling the Blue Lynx up to a sitting position, resting his arm behind her back. "They chloroformed you."
"Ugh," she said, holding her head. "Go figure."
She looked around, noticed the other unconscious bodies.
"What happened to them?"
"I did," the young man said.
"You did?" the Blue Lynx said, with more than a hint of sarcasm. "And just who the hell are you?"
The young man stood up, brushing himself off, letting his golden spandex uniform shine in the light of the casino.
"I'm the Spaniel," he announced.
And before the Blue Lynx could respond, he was gone, had sprinted away from the casino, running into the night, the city's newest superhero.
On to Chapter Two
Rival Hero: The Spaniel Strikes: Chapter Two
Chapter Two
May 21st, 10:14 AM
"So how was last night?" Margot asked, sipping her coffee. She sat across from her friend, roommate, and partner, the mayor's fetching, perky daughter, Erin Steele, in a booth at Lucky's, the girls' favorite brunch spot.
Erin laughed. "It was pretty insane."
"Okay," Margot said. She had figured that part out. Ever since the adventure in the "Gauntlet," Erin had asked her partner to monitor her from home. Margot didn't like it, but she understood the idea: if Margot was ever captured, then Erin's hands were tied, and her secret identity would be one step closer to being discovered For the past month, she watched her tracker from the comfort of their apartment, essentially crossing her fingers and waiting for Erin to come back. Last night, Erin hadn't gotten home until two in the morning, which was pretty late even by the Blue Lynx's standards.
"I was in the Casino, right? Just hanging out. In a cocktail dress. Trying to fit in, you know?"
Margot nodded. "I know." She had been researching the Rattlesnakes since their first attacks on the city. She had asked Erin to scope out the Paradise Casino, being fairly certain it would be the next place where the gang struck. But she hadn't expected them to attack so soon.
It was a different world, this city, now that Hammerson was out of commission. The merciless beatdown the Speaker of the House had experienced at the hands of Steve had left him in a coma. The surviving members of his crew, Sunny and Todorov, hadn't been seen in weeks. At first, this had all seemed like great news. But a fresh crop of criminals had appeared in Hammerson's absence, like new acne spread from a popped pimple. The Rattlesnakes were the fiercest, and most intriguing, of the lot.
"Anyway," Erin continued, "The Rattlesnakes showed up at around eleven. Shooting around, threatening people, marching staff off to the safe. Everyone was running around screaming. I ducked into the bathroom and changed into costume."
"Wow," Margot said. "You decided to fight them?"
Erin nodded. "Oh yeah."
"Didn't I tell you not to do that?" Margot said. "These guys are dangerous, Erin."
"I know, I know," Erin said, waving her hand. She took a long sip from her coffee. "Anyway, I ran at them, and I was kicking their asses. And then, uhh, some more guys showed up..."
"And?"
"Well, they caught me. They surrounded me, put me in a headlock."
"Erin!" Margot yelled. "You need to stop being so reckless!"
"Jesus, Margot, I know," Erin said. "I know."
She didn't. The Blue Lynx had "defeated" Hammerson, and now she thought she was invincible. Margot knew better. Erin was strong, fast, smart, tireless... But she was also just one young woman. She didn't stand a chance against a gang of twenty men, even with her gadgets.
"So they caught you. Then what?"
"Well, umm... " Erin said, blushing. "They chloroformed me."
Margot put her coffee down and frowned. "Erin."
Erin brushed her hair back. "You don't have to lecture me. I know I screwed up. But it all ended fine."
"They could've unmasked you," Margot said. "Maybe they did. If you were knocked out, you'd never know."
Erin shook her head. "No, they didn't. A man rescued me."
"A man?"
"A fellow superhero," Erin said, grinning. "A young guy. Handsome. Golden suit."
Margot stared at Erin. "And does this beautiful young savior have a name?"
"Oh yeah," Erin said with a snicker. "The Spaniel!"
Margot shut her eyes.
"The Spaniel?" she muttered. "Really?"
"When I woke up, I was staring into his eyes. And I looked around, and everyone, the whole Rattlesnake gang, was on the floor..."
Erin paused as the waitress came to the table. The middle-aged woman set down a veggie omelette in front of Erin and a stack of pancakes in front of Margot. The girls thanked her and she left.
"So, yeah," Erin said, cutting up her breakfast. "He must have beaten them all. And then he woke me up. And then he left."
Margot swallowed a bite of pancake. "You seem pretty excited about all this."
Erin blushed. "No. I'm not, umm, excited. But this is something new, Margot."
"How do you know he wasn't trying to unmask you, himself? And why was he there, anyway?"
"I don't know," Erin said, shrugging. "I'm just saying, he just seems like a good guy."
"But you know nothing about him," Margot said. "Just because he beat up the Rattlesnakes doesn't make him your friend."
"Sheesh, Margot, lighten up. Stop trying to be my mom."
Margot shook her head and took a sip of her coffee. She could feel a change coming over her the last few weeks. Ever since she had been relegated to "home duty," she was becoming more and more critical of Erin's choices. She knew this wasn't totally fair: it was impossible for her to judge a superheroine's decisions, many of which had to be made spontaneously. But in a situation like this, how could Erin not be more skeptical of this "Spaniel" guy? He didn't sound like an obvious ally, to Margot. Another superhero in town seemed more like a threat.
"I'm going to look him up online," Margot said. "Make sure he's legit. It's possible the media's already reported about him and I just didn't notice."
Erin nodded. "Okay. But listen to me, Margot: I looked into his eyes. I think he's trying to help us."
Margot smiled at her friend. "You amaze me sometimes, you know that?"
Erin grinned, and the girls ate their breakfast.
On to Chapter Three
May 21st, 10:14 AM
"So how was last night?" Margot asked, sipping her coffee. She sat across from her friend, roommate, and partner, the mayor's fetching, perky daughter, Erin Steele, in a booth at Lucky's, the girls' favorite brunch spot.
Erin laughed. "It was pretty insane."
"Okay," Margot said. She had figured that part out. Ever since the adventure in the "Gauntlet," Erin had asked her partner to monitor her from home. Margot didn't like it, but she understood the idea: if Margot was ever captured, then Erin's hands were tied, and her secret identity would be one step closer to being discovered For the past month, she watched her tracker from the comfort of their apartment, essentially crossing her fingers and waiting for Erin to come back. Last night, Erin hadn't gotten home until two in the morning, which was pretty late even by the Blue Lynx's standards.
"I was in the Casino, right? Just hanging out. In a cocktail dress. Trying to fit in, you know?"
Margot nodded. "I know." She had been researching the Rattlesnakes since their first attacks on the city. She had asked Erin to scope out the Paradise Casino, being fairly certain it would be the next place where the gang struck. But she hadn't expected them to attack so soon.
It was a different world, this city, now that Hammerson was out of commission. The merciless beatdown the Speaker of the House had experienced at the hands of Steve had left him in a coma. The surviving members of his crew, Sunny and Todorov, hadn't been seen in weeks. At first, this had all seemed like great news. But a fresh crop of criminals had appeared in Hammerson's absence, like new acne spread from a popped pimple. The Rattlesnakes were the fiercest, and most intriguing, of the lot.
"Anyway," Erin continued, "The Rattlesnakes showed up at around eleven. Shooting around, threatening people, marching staff off to the safe. Everyone was running around screaming. I ducked into the bathroom and changed into costume."
"Wow," Margot said. "You decided to fight them?"
Erin nodded. "Oh yeah."
"Didn't I tell you not to do that?" Margot said. "These guys are dangerous, Erin."
"I know, I know," Erin said, waving her hand. She took a long sip from her coffee. "Anyway, I ran at them, and I was kicking their asses. And then, uhh, some more guys showed up..."
"And?"
"Well, they caught me. They surrounded me, put me in a headlock."
"Erin!" Margot yelled. "You need to stop being so reckless!"
"Jesus, Margot, I know," Erin said. "I know."
She didn't. The Blue Lynx had "defeated" Hammerson, and now she thought she was invincible. Margot knew better. Erin was strong, fast, smart, tireless... But she was also just one young woman. She didn't stand a chance against a gang of twenty men, even with her gadgets.
"So they caught you. Then what?"
"Well, umm... " Erin said, blushing. "They chloroformed me."
Margot put her coffee down and frowned. "Erin."
Erin brushed her hair back. "You don't have to lecture me. I know I screwed up. But it all ended fine."
"They could've unmasked you," Margot said. "Maybe they did. If you were knocked out, you'd never know."
Erin shook her head. "No, they didn't. A man rescued me."
"A man?"
"A fellow superhero," Erin said, grinning. "A young guy. Handsome. Golden suit."
Margot stared at Erin. "And does this beautiful young savior have a name?"
"Oh yeah," Erin said with a snicker. "The Spaniel!"
Margot shut her eyes.
"The Spaniel?" she muttered. "Really?"
"When I woke up, I was staring into his eyes. And I looked around, and everyone, the whole Rattlesnake gang, was on the floor..."
Erin paused as the waitress came to the table. The middle-aged woman set down a veggie omelette in front of Erin and a stack of pancakes in front of Margot. The girls thanked her and she left.
"So, yeah," Erin said, cutting up her breakfast. "He must have beaten them all. And then he woke me up. And then he left."
Margot swallowed a bite of pancake. "You seem pretty excited about all this."
Erin blushed. "No. I'm not, umm, excited. But this is something new, Margot."
"How do you know he wasn't trying to unmask you, himself? And why was he there, anyway?"
"I don't know," Erin said, shrugging. "I'm just saying, he just seems like a good guy."
"But you know nothing about him," Margot said. "Just because he beat up the Rattlesnakes doesn't make him your friend."
"Sheesh, Margot, lighten up. Stop trying to be my mom."
Margot shook her head and took a sip of her coffee. She could feel a change coming over her the last few weeks. Ever since she had been relegated to "home duty," she was becoming more and more critical of Erin's choices. She knew this wasn't totally fair: it was impossible for her to judge a superheroine's decisions, many of which had to be made spontaneously. But in a situation like this, how could Erin not be more skeptical of this "Spaniel" guy? He didn't sound like an obvious ally, to Margot. Another superhero in town seemed more like a threat.
"I'm going to look him up online," Margot said. "Make sure he's legit. It's possible the media's already reported about him and I just didn't notice."
Erin nodded. "Okay. But listen to me, Margot: I looked into his eyes. I think he's trying to help us."
Margot smiled at her friend. "You amaze me sometimes, you know that?"
Erin grinned, and the girls ate their breakfast.
On to Chapter Three
Rival Hero: The Spaniel Strikes: Chapter Three
Chapter Three
May 23rd, 9:14 PM
It was a warm night in the city, and a gentle breeze blew through the Blue Lynx's long black locks as she stood high above the crowds, on the roof of fifteen story parking garage, looking down at the Prickly Pear Hotel.
She placed her hands on her hips and scanned the resort's empty rooftop, licking her lips in anticipation. Erin and Margot had determined that it was here, on the tenth level of a barely-financially-viable, Southwestern-themed hotel, that the Rattlesnakes met. It was a blindingly obvious hideout, but then, the Rattlesnakes weren't known for their subtlety. When they struck, it was with brute, dumb force, as Erin had learned the hard way during their previous encounter-- the Blue Lynx's first-- at the Paradise Casino.
"I was being... reckless," Erin thought to herself, using Margot's new favorite word for her nightly superheroine exploits. "But they won't get the drop on me this time."
Tonight, stealth was the plan. Erin would swoop down onto the Prickly Pear, enter through the old rooftop door, and slink around until she discovered the precise location of Tex and his men. She'd lure them out one-by-one, taking them out quietly and efficiently, and then take pictures of the lair for the police.
"You know," Margot had said, "You could always just call the police. And tell them you've found the Rattlesnakes' hideout. Let them do the work."
Erin had laughed. "Where's the fun in that, Margot?"
Fun. That was definitely a big reason for why Erin continued to do this Blue Lynx stuff. Yes, the city needed her. Yes, she was doing her father a big favor, even if he'd never know about it. But it was the thrill of it all that kept bringing Erin back, despite all of the disasters... the near-misses... the punches to the gut... the deathtraps... the taunts... the lascivious looks and touches. She could erase all of those negative memories with just one successful night of crimefighting.
Erin's reverie was interrupted by a BANG. She looked at the Prickly Pear and saw the rooftop door swing open. From the depths of the hotel, a figure had emerged, running; a lithe young man clad in gold, his spandex shimmering in the night.
The Spaniel.
He was holding his arm, maybe in pain, and moving with long strides across the roof. He reached the hotel's edge, a three or four foot high brick wall, and turned around. He watched-- and Erin, too-- as a stream of men flowed from the open door, large men with hats, spurs, vests, and pistols.
The Rattlesnakes.
Erin gasped. The Spaniel must have figured out the Rattlesnakes' hideout just minutes before she had. He'd gone inside the hotel, probably looking to do what Erin had planned to. And now, the Rattlesnakes had forced him back out. They were spreading out from the doorway, surrounding him, pinning him down against the wall edging the roof.
He didn't stand a chance on his own.
Erin stepped up to the lip of the parking garage, pulled out her grappel, and flung the hook across the ten yard expanse separating her level from the hotel. The hook landed, grabbed the edge of the hote roof wall, and Erin jumped, flying into the night, sailing across the cars and people and businesses and traffic lights hundreds of feet below, cutting through the air until she collided with the side of the hotel, dampening some of the landing by hitting it boot first, but still feeling the impact. She scrambled up the line of the grappel, climbing the flat bricks of the hotel and vaulting over the small rooftop wall, where four or five thugs were standing around, waiting for her, grinning mischievously.
"Two fer the price of one!" one of the Rattlesnakes crowed. "That there's a package deal!"
"Blue Lynx!" the Spaniel cried. "Get out of here!"
Erin ducked, heard a shot, felt the bullet whizz over her head. She looked up. There were at least twelve Rattlesnakes within the fifty yard by fifty yard square of rooftop, about half looking at her, about half closing in on the Spaniel. She instinctively pulled a handful of smoke bombs from her utility belt.
"Come and get me, boys," Erin said, coolly, and she flung the bombs across the rooftop. They exploded on impact, and the night was instantly, thoroughly covered in smoke. Erin dashed through the plumes, hearing the familiar sounds of errant gunfire, coughing, and curses. She tripped a Rattlesnake to the ground, and brought her arm across the back of another Rattlesnakes' neck. She was moving toward the Spaniel, could hear his coughing as distinct from the rest-- it was somehow gentler, nicer, more heroic. Two Rattlesnakes gathered near her; she disposed of them with quick punches to their respective guts. She could now see the gold shimmer of the Spaniel's outfit, could see him trying to push through the smoke, as blind and helpless as their foes.
"Spaniel!" Erin called. "Are you hurt?"
"Well, I can't see shit!" the superhero replied. He was facing her now, still waving his arms.
"I'm sorry," Erin said, moving closer. "But they were all around, and..."
"I don't need your help, Blue Lynx!" he yelled. "I was doing just fine before you got here."
Erin shook her head. "No, you weren't. You were surrounded. They could've killed you."
"You have no idea what you're talking about," the Spaniel replied. "Now get out of here. This isn't your scene, Blue Lynx."
Erin paused. What had happened to him? He had seemed so kind when he'd awakened her on the floor of the Casino. But the man in front of her was acting like a whiny, ungrateful brat.
"I'm not leaving," Erin said. "I'm going after the Rattlesnakes too, you know."
"You had your chance," the Spaniel replied. "Now get out of my way!"
He lumbered toward her, reaching out his arms, trying to push her aside. Erin smacked his hands away, and the Spaniel responded with a sudden swing, barely grazing Erin's stomach before she jumped backward.
"You bastard!" Erin cried. "I'm trying to help you!"
The Spaniel didn't respond with words, instead launching another punch in Erin's direction. Erin deflected it easily and countered with a punch of her own. Hers connected with the Spaniel's chin, and he stumbled back, eventually falling to the ground with a groan of pain.
"I guess you're as pathetic as every other man," Erin said, walking toward the Spaniel's toppled body. "I guess I was--"
Before she could finish, a sharp, sudden pain hit Erin in the lower back. She winced and turned around to meet a fist, which slammed into her cheek, forcing her off balance. She looked through dazed eyes at a tall man wearing a gas mask, his dark outline popping against the smoke. He wiggled a raised index finger at her, and Erin could see his eyes glimmering behind their layer of protective plastic.
"We've done read the book on you, Blue Lynx," the man said. "You and yer smoke bombs. Why I made sure to pack my mask. And them, too."
He pointed to Erin's side, and she turned instinctively. There were four other dark outlines in the midst of the dense smoke, each one topped with a mask of its own.
They had prepared for her.
"And that ain't all," the first man continued. "Brought some special tools for the wranglin' of animals."
And Erin saw each of the outlines grow a new appendage... A long, narrow, stick-like arm, with some kind of electric hand on top. No... Not arms...
They were cattle prods.
Erin's hand raced to her belt, desperate for some Lynx Darts. But just as she grasped a handful, she felt it. A searing pain in her left arm that rapidly spread through her whole body. She convulsed, cried out, dropped the Darts to the ground, felt her knees buckle. Then, a second attack, this one to her lower body. She cried again, dropped to the ground, felt nauseous, felt her hands fall out in front of her. She was on her hands and knees, desperately trying to crawl away, when the third prod struck her in the back, making her whinny. Her stomach slumped to the ground. Her body periodically shook with electricity as she laid there, barely holding onto consciousness.
"I seen 'em work on cows," the first man chuckled. "Do pretty good with cats, too, I reckon."
"We good here?" another voice said.
"Nah," the first man replied. "Make sure she and the boy are out, and we'll truss em up. Boss'll be mighty pleased to see 'em."
Erin breathed in and out, trying to grip something, anything. She had to move, but she couldn't. The Rattlesnakes were smarter, faster, better than she thought. She had to get out of here...
But there was more pain. One, two, three more shocks to her upper back, lower back, her butt. Then shocks to the backs of her thighs, her calves. They were prodding her, again and again, their laughter growing more and more maniacal with each spasm of her healthy but helpless figure. It didn't take long for her to lapse into unconsciousness-- just a few minutes-- but as she jolted up and down, pain coursing through every extremity, her blurry eyes watching as more men jabbed the Spaniel with prods of their own, her thoughts seizing on Margot's word-- "reckless"-- it felt like a horrible, humiliating eternity.
On to Chapter Four
May 23rd, 9:14 PM
It was a warm night in the city, and a gentle breeze blew through the Blue Lynx's long black locks as she stood high above the crowds, on the roof of fifteen story parking garage, looking down at the Prickly Pear Hotel.
She placed her hands on her hips and scanned the resort's empty rooftop, licking her lips in anticipation. Erin and Margot had determined that it was here, on the tenth level of a barely-financially-viable, Southwestern-themed hotel, that the Rattlesnakes met. It was a blindingly obvious hideout, but then, the Rattlesnakes weren't known for their subtlety. When they struck, it was with brute, dumb force, as Erin had learned the hard way during their previous encounter-- the Blue Lynx's first-- at the Paradise Casino.
"I was being... reckless," Erin thought to herself, using Margot's new favorite word for her nightly superheroine exploits. "But they won't get the drop on me this time."
Tonight, stealth was the plan. Erin would swoop down onto the Prickly Pear, enter through the old rooftop door, and slink around until she discovered the precise location of Tex and his men. She'd lure them out one-by-one, taking them out quietly and efficiently, and then take pictures of the lair for the police.
"You know," Margot had said, "You could always just call the police. And tell them you've found the Rattlesnakes' hideout. Let them do the work."
Erin had laughed. "Where's the fun in that, Margot?"
Fun. That was definitely a big reason for why Erin continued to do this Blue Lynx stuff. Yes, the city needed her. Yes, she was doing her father a big favor, even if he'd never know about it. But it was the thrill of it all that kept bringing Erin back, despite all of the disasters... the near-misses... the punches to the gut... the deathtraps... the taunts... the lascivious looks and touches. She could erase all of those negative memories with just one successful night of crimefighting.
Erin's reverie was interrupted by a BANG. She looked at the Prickly Pear and saw the rooftop door swing open. From the depths of the hotel, a figure had emerged, running; a lithe young man clad in gold, his spandex shimmering in the night.
The Spaniel.
He was holding his arm, maybe in pain, and moving with long strides across the roof. He reached the hotel's edge, a three or four foot high brick wall, and turned around. He watched-- and Erin, too-- as a stream of men flowed from the open door, large men with hats, spurs, vests, and pistols.
The Rattlesnakes.
Erin gasped. The Spaniel must have figured out the Rattlesnakes' hideout just minutes before she had. He'd gone inside the hotel, probably looking to do what Erin had planned to. And now, the Rattlesnakes had forced him back out. They were spreading out from the doorway, surrounding him, pinning him down against the wall edging the roof.
He didn't stand a chance on his own.
Erin stepped up to the lip of the parking garage, pulled out her grappel, and flung the hook across the ten yard expanse separating her level from the hotel. The hook landed, grabbed the edge of the hote roof wall, and Erin jumped, flying into the night, sailing across the cars and people and businesses and traffic lights hundreds of feet below, cutting through the air until she collided with the side of the hotel, dampening some of the landing by hitting it boot first, but still feeling the impact. She scrambled up the line of the grappel, climbing the flat bricks of the hotel and vaulting over the small rooftop wall, where four or five thugs were standing around, waiting for her, grinning mischievously.
"Two fer the price of one!" one of the Rattlesnakes crowed. "That there's a package deal!"
"Blue Lynx!" the Spaniel cried. "Get out of here!"
Erin ducked, heard a shot, felt the bullet whizz over her head. She looked up. There were at least twelve Rattlesnakes within the fifty yard by fifty yard square of rooftop, about half looking at her, about half closing in on the Spaniel. She instinctively pulled a handful of smoke bombs from her utility belt.
"Come and get me, boys," Erin said, coolly, and she flung the bombs across the rooftop. They exploded on impact, and the night was instantly, thoroughly covered in smoke. Erin dashed through the plumes, hearing the familiar sounds of errant gunfire, coughing, and curses. She tripped a Rattlesnake to the ground, and brought her arm across the back of another Rattlesnakes' neck. She was moving toward the Spaniel, could hear his coughing as distinct from the rest-- it was somehow gentler, nicer, more heroic. Two Rattlesnakes gathered near her; she disposed of them with quick punches to their respective guts. She could now see the gold shimmer of the Spaniel's outfit, could see him trying to push through the smoke, as blind and helpless as their foes.
"Spaniel!" Erin called. "Are you hurt?"
"Well, I can't see shit!" the superhero replied. He was facing her now, still waving his arms.
"I'm sorry," Erin said, moving closer. "But they were all around, and..."
"I don't need your help, Blue Lynx!" he yelled. "I was doing just fine before you got here."
Erin shook her head. "No, you weren't. You were surrounded. They could've killed you."
"You have no idea what you're talking about," the Spaniel replied. "Now get out of here. This isn't your scene, Blue Lynx."
Erin paused. What had happened to him? He had seemed so kind when he'd awakened her on the floor of the Casino. But the man in front of her was acting like a whiny, ungrateful brat.
"I'm not leaving," Erin said. "I'm going after the Rattlesnakes too, you know."
"You had your chance," the Spaniel replied. "Now get out of my way!"
He lumbered toward her, reaching out his arms, trying to push her aside. Erin smacked his hands away, and the Spaniel responded with a sudden swing, barely grazing Erin's stomach before she jumped backward.
"You bastard!" Erin cried. "I'm trying to help you!"
The Spaniel didn't respond with words, instead launching another punch in Erin's direction. Erin deflected it easily and countered with a punch of her own. Hers connected with the Spaniel's chin, and he stumbled back, eventually falling to the ground with a groan of pain.
"I guess you're as pathetic as every other man," Erin said, walking toward the Spaniel's toppled body. "I guess I was--"
Before she could finish, a sharp, sudden pain hit Erin in the lower back. She winced and turned around to meet a fist, which slammed into her cheek, forcing her off balance. She looked through dazed eyes at a tall man wearing a gas mask, his dark outline popping against the smoke. He wiggled a raised index finger at her, and Erin could see his eyes glimmering behind their layer of protective plastic.
"We've done read the book on you, Blue Lynx," the man said. "You and yer smoke bombs. Why I made sure to pack my mask. And them, too."
He pointed to Erin's side, and she turned instinctively. There were four other dark outlines in the midst of the dense smoke, each one topped with a mask of its own.
They had prepared for her.
"And that ain't all," the first man continued. "Brought some special tools for the wranglin' of animals."
And Erin saw each of the outlines grow a new appendage... A long, narrow, stick-like arm, with some kind of electric hand on top. No... Not arms...
They were cattle prods.
Erin's hand raced to her belt, desperate for some Lynx Darts. But just as she grasped a handful, she felt it. A searing pain in her left arm that rapidly spread through her whole body. She convulsed, cried out, dropped the Darts to the ground, felt her knees buckle. Then, a second attack, this one to her lower body. She cried again, dropped to the ground, felt nauseous, felt her hands fall out in front of her. She was on her hands and knees, desperately trying to crawl away, when the third prod struck her in the back, making her whinny. Her stomach slumped to the ground. Her body periodically shook with electricity as she laid there, barely holding onto consciousness.
"I seen 'em work on cows," the first man chuckled. "Do pretty good with cats, too, I reckon."
"We good here?" another voice said.
"Nah," the first man replied. "Make sure she and the boy are out, and we'll truss em up. Boss'll be mighty pleased to see 'em."
Erin breathed in and out, trying to grip something, anything. She had to move, but she couldn't. The Rattlesnakes were smarter, faster, better than she thought. She had to get out of here...
But there was more pain. One, two, three more shocks to her upper back, lower back, her butt. Then shocks to the backs of her thighs, her calves. They were prodding her, again and again, their laughter growing more and more maniacal with each spasm of her healthy but helpless figure. It didn't take long for her to lapse into unconsciousness-- just a few minutes-- but as she jolted up and down, pain coursing through every extremity, her blurry eyes watching as more men jabbed the Spaniel with prods of their own, her thoughts seizing on Margot's word-- "reckless"-- it felt like a horrible, humiliating eternity.
On to Chapter Four
Rival Hero: The Spaniel Strikes: Chapter Four
Chapter Four
May 23rd, 9:50 PM
Erin awoke to the sound of jingling spurs and a low, harsh drawl whispering in her ear.
"Cock a doodle doo," the voice rasped. "That's the rooster crowin', Blue Lynx. Time to wake up."
She blinked her eyes, let them adjust in the dark, and saw a short, mustached man standing in front of her. Tex: the leader of the Rattlesnakes. His thumbs were tucked into the belt loops of of jeans, and he stared at her with a sick, toothy grin. He was short and squat but clearly not to be messed with.
"Lemme see if I can get your durn friend up," Tex muttered, stepping to Erin's left.
"Hey," he said. "Golden boy. Get up. Wake up, dammit."
Erin felt a rustle, and then realized that she was sitting against someone. She looked down, and saw that she had been tied: loops of rough rope stretched across her torso, binding her arms to her sides. The rope wrapped around her and continued around the person resting against her back: the Spaniel.
"Shit," she thought. Her immediate reaction was to kick her legs out, but she couldn't. She looked to her boots and saw why: they too had been wrapped in rope. Several yards worth covered her ankles, tied up into a series of large, tricky-looking knots.
She heard a second voice now. "Tex. You bastard."
It was the Spaniel's voice, and it made Erin feel a surge of emotion. On one hand, she was happy to at least have an ally in this obviously difficult predicament. On the other, it was the Spaniel's arrogance and ingratitude that led to this situation in the first place. The Rattlesnakes wouldn't have been able to catch her if she hadn't been distracted by her "friend's" whining.
She sighed. This night was set to be a major victory for the Blue Lynx. And now, here she was yet again: waking up and finding herself bound and in the clutches of a strange, evil man.
She looked around. They were still on the rooftop. Her body ached from the cattle prods-- she could see red welts forming on her legs, and she felt slightly dizzy. The night was dark; she could hear the sounds of traffic rushing through the streets so many hundreds of yards below. The smoke had cleared, and she could see six other men standing behind and around Tex. How did he get so many men to follow him? He had a small army willing to wear his stupid hats and boots.
"You shoulda put we away when you had the chance, friend," Tex said, to the Spaniel. "Yer not getting a second chance. Not with ol' Tex."
"We'll see about that," the Spaniel replied. He had the superhero cockiness down, that was for sure. Erin decided to let him talk.
Tex chuckled. "Nah, I'm afraid this is the end of the line for you and the lil' miss."
He took a pistol out of his belt and flicked open the chamber. "But how that end's comin... well... that's up to y'all."
He loaded a bullet into the gun. "You know I'm a gamblin' man," he said. "Havin' seen me at the casino."
Erin could hear stirring from the men behind Tex. They were looking forward to this, whatever it was. Erin cringed.
"Games o' chance," Tex continued. "It's what we Rattlesnakes are all about."
"Get to your point," the Spaniel said.
Tex smiled. "Alright, son. Hold on. Lemme explain the game. I'm puttin' four rounds in my six shooter here. And I got each one marked a little different."
Erin shook her head. God, they all had to do this... All of these villains. So into their games. Didn't they know it only bought the Blue Lynx time? She pushed against the ropes holding her arms to her sides. She could already feel them budge, slightly. The Spaniel must have been working at his side, too.
"Now, I'm gonna spin the chamber and fire one of these rounds into that there target," Tex said. He gestured over to where the rooftop door was, and Erin saw a small circular board set up, heavily marked with bullet holes, presumably from previous "games."
"And that there bullet's gonna tell me and my boys what to do next," Tex said.
"And just what exactly will the bullets tell you?" the Spaniel said.
"First one's got a little blue mark on it," Tex replied. His eyes now locked with Erin's, and she could see his mustache twitching with glee. "If it's that one, we unmask the Blue Lynx here."
Erin shuddered. Of course that was one of the options.
"Okay," the Spaniel said. "What else?"
"The one with a little yeller mark's for you," Tex said. "We shoot that one, we take off yer mask."
"Figures," the Spaniel said. He didn't seem worried. Maybe he had less to hide than Erin?
Erin gulped. Just about everyone had less to hide than her.
"Third one's got a little pink mark," Tex said. "It's the boys' idea. I shoot that one, and the boys get a bit of time alone with the Blue Lynx, if ya know what I'm sayin'..."
Erin glared at Tex. She did know what he was saying. And it was disgusting.
"Ugh," she said. "Your boys would have no idea what to do."
"She speaks!" Tex announced. "Hear that, boys? The little miss thinks y'all might be, err, confused when yer alone with her."
The men laughed and whistled.
"Enough," the Spaniel said. "What's the fourth bullet?"
Tex frowned. "Well, that's the sad bullet," he said, solemnly. "It's got an 'x' on it. Because that's the one I put through you and your little girlfriend's brain."
Erin involuntarily tensed up. She twisted what she could of her arms and legs, feeling the ropes turn, but nothing break. Her options in Tex's game were being unmasked, being raped, and being killed. She wasn't thrilled by any of these prospects.
"And what happens if nothing comes out?" the Spaniel asked.
"Welp," Tex said, his face returning to its former smiling self. "If I shoot a blank, I gotta let one of y'all go." He gestured to the Blue Lynx. "And I'm thinkin' I gotta have her stay, since she's so dern easy on the eyes."
"I'd let him go, too," Erin said. "He's less of a threat."
She felt the Spaniel knock against her back. "I was doing fine until you showed up," he muttered.
"Shut up," Erin whispered.
Tex broke out into laughter. "Are y'all havin' a bit of row? Doesn't that just beat all."
"Go ahead and shoot," the Spaniel said, to Tex. "Do it."
Erin tried to slam her elbow into his arm. "You fool," she whispered. "What are you doing? We need time. We've got to get out of these ropes."
"You might need time," he replied, sternly. "I don't."
Erin rolled her eyes. All men were idiots, apparently. They were either perverted evil criminals like Tex or bitchy narcissistic "heroes" like the Spaniel. And she was caught right in the middle of them.
"Alright," Tex said. "I've give 'er one more spin, to show y'all I'm fair." He flicked the chamber around, and then popped it back into the gun. "And we'll get goin."
Erin flexed her muscles as powerfully as she could. There was even more give to the ropes, this time. But still not enough to make a break for it, especially with so many other Rattlesnakes standing around, watching, waiting. She would have to at least endure one bullet-- one chance at being dealt a blow that would make the previous cattle prod assault seem like a pinch.
She took a deep breath.
Tex smiled and lifted his gun in the air. He held his arm straight in front of him, glanced at the target, leveled his aim, and fired. The shot rang out in the night and plunged with a small sound into the circular board on the other side of the rooftop.
Erin's heart sank. It wasn't 'nothing' that had been fried: she heard and saw the bullet. Her chance of escape was nonexistent, this round.
"Alright," Tex said, again. "Now will one of y'all kindly tell me just what mark is on that there bullet?"
Erin watched one of the Rattlesnakes scamper over to the target. He stood in front of the board for nearly half a minute before finding the fresh hole. He extracted the bullet, held in his hand, and started to giggle.
He began to speak, and Erin shut her eyes.
On to Chapter Five
May 23rd, 9:50 PM
Erin awoke to the sound of jingling spurs and a low, harsh drawl whispering in her ear.
"Cock a doodle doo," the voice rasped. "That's the rooster crowin', Blue Lynx. Time to wake up."
She blinked her eyes, let them adjust in the dark, and saw a short, mustached man standing in front of her. Tex: the leader of the Rattlesnakes. His thumbs were tucked into the belt loops of of jeans, and he stared at her with a sick, toothy grin. He was short and squat but clearly not to be messed with.
"Lemme see if I can get your durn friend up," Tex muttered, stepping to Erin's left.
"Hey," he said. "Golden boy. Get up. Wake up, dammit."
Erin felt a rustle, and then realized that she was sitting against someone. She looked down, and saw that she had been tied: loops of rough rope stretched across her torso, binding her arms to her sides. The rope wrapped around her and continued around the person resting against her back: the Spaniel.
"Shit," she thought. Her immediate reaction was to kick her legs out, but she couldn't. She looked to her boots and saw why: they too had been wrapped in rope. Several yards worth covered her ankles, tied up into a series of large, tricky-looking knots.
She heard a second voice now. "Tex. You bastard."
It was the Spaniel's voice, and it made Erin feel a surge of emotion. On one hand, she was happy to at least have an ally in this obviously difficult predicament. On the other, it was the Spaniel's arrogance and ingratitude that led to this situation in the first place. The Rattlesnakes wouldn't have been able to catch her if she hadn't been distracted by her "friend's" whining.
She sighed. This night was set to be a major victory for the Blue Lynx. And now, here she was yet again: waking up and finding herself bound and in the clutches of a strange, evil man.
She looked around. They were still on the rooftop. Her body ached from the cattle prods-- she could see red welts forming on her legs, and she felt slightly dizzy. The night was dark; she could hear the sounds of traffic rushing through the streets so many hundreds of yards below. The smoke had cleared, and she could see six other men standing behind and around Tex. How did he get so many men to follow him? He had a small army willing to wear his stupid hats and boots.
"You shoulda put we away when you had the chance, friend," Tex said, to the Spaniel. "Yer not getting a second chance. Not with ol' Tex."
"We'll see about that," the Spaniel replied. He had the superhero cockiness down, that was for sure. Erin decided to let him talk.
Tex chuckled. "Nah, I'm afraid this is the end of the line for you and the lil' miss."
He took a pistol out of his belt and flicked open the chamber. "But how that end's comin... well... that's up to y'all."
He loaded a bullet into the gun. "You know I'm a gamblin' man," he said. "Havin' seen me at the casino."
Erin could hear stirring from the men behind Tex. They were looking forward to this, whatever it was. Erin cringed.
"Games o' chance," Tex continued. "It's what we Rattlesnakes are all about."
"Get to your point," the Spaniel said.
Tex smiled. "Alright, son. Hold on. Lemme explain the game. I'm puttin' four rounds in my six shooter here. And I got each one marked a little different."
Erin shook her head. God, they all had to do this... All of these villains. So into their games. Didn't they know it only bought the Blue Lynx time? She pushed against the ropes holding her arms to her sides. She could already feel them budge, slightly. The Spaniel must have been working at his side, too.
"Now, I'm gonna spin the chamber and fire one of these rounds into that there target," Tex said. He gestured over to where the rooftop door was, and Erin saw a small circular board set up, heavily marked with bullet holes, presumably from previous "games."
"And that there bullet's gonna tell me and my boys what to do next," Tex said.
"And just what exactly will the bullets tell you?" the Spaniel said.
"First one's got a little blue mark on it," Tex replied. His eyes now locked with Erin's, and she could see his mustache twitching with glee. "If it's that one, we unmask the Blue Lynx here."
Erin shuddered. Of course that was one of the options.
"Okay," the Spaniel said. "What else?"
"The one with a little yeller mark's for you," Tex said. "We shoot that one, we take off yer mask."
"Figures," the Spaniel said. He didn't seem worried. Maybe he had less to hide than Erin?
Erin gulped. Just about everyone had less to hide than her.
"Third one's got a little pink mark," Tex said. "It's the boys' idea. I shoot that one, and the boys get a bit of time alone with the Blue Lynx, if ya know what I'm sayin'..."
Erin glared at Tex. She did know what he was saying. And it was disgusting.
"Ugh," she said. "Your boys would have no idea what to do."
"She speaks!" Tex announced. "Hear that, boys? The little miss thinks y'all might be, err, confused when yer alone with her."
The men laughed and whistled.
"Enough," the Spaniel said. "What's the fourth bullet?"
Tex frowned. "Well, that's the sad bullet," he said, solemnly. "It's got an 'x' on it. Because that's the one I put through you and your little girlfriend's brain."
Erin involuntarily tensed up. She twisted what she could of her arms and legs, feeling the ropes turn, but nothing break. Her options in Tex's game were being unmasked, being raped, and being killed. She wasn't thrilled by any of these prospects.
"And what happens if nothing comes out?" the Spaniel asked.
"Welp," Tex said, his face returning to its former smiling self. "If I shoot a blank, I gotta let one of y'all go." He gestured to the Blue Lynx. "And I'm thinkin' I gotta have her stay, since she's so dern easy on the eyes."
"I'd let him go, too," Erin said. "He's less of a threat."
She felt the Spaniel knock against her back. "I was doing fine until you showed up," he muttered.
"Shut up," Erin whispered.
Tex broke out into laughter. "Are y'all havin' a bit of row? Doesn't that just beat all."
"Go ahead and shoot," the Spaniel said, to Tex. "Do it."
Erin tried to slam her elbow into his arm. "You fool," she whispered. "What are you doing? We need time. We've got to get out of these ropes."
"You might need time," he replied, sternly. "I don't."
Erin rolled her eyes. All men were idiots, apparently. They were either perverted evil criminals like Tex or bitchy narcissistic "heroes" like the Spaniel. And she was caught right in the middle of them.
"Alright," Tex said. "I've give 'er one more spin, to show y'all I'm fair." He flicked the chamber around, and then popped it back into the gun. "And we'll get goin."
Erin flexed her muscles as powerfully as she could. There was even more give to the ropes, this time. But still not enough to make a break for it, especially with so many other Rattlesnakes standing around, watching, waiting. She would have to at least endure one bullet-- one chance at being dealt a blow that would make the previous cattle prod assault seem like a pinch.
She took a deep breath.
Tex smiled and lifted his gun in the air. He held his arm straight in front of him, glanced at the target, leveled his aim, and fired. The shot rang out in the night and plunged with a small sound into the circular board on the other side of the rooftop.
Erin's heart sank. It wasn't 'nothing' that had been fried: she heard and saw the bullet. Her chance of escape was nonexistent, this round.
"Alright," Tex said, again. "Now will one of y'all kindly tell me just what mark is on that there bullet?"
Erin watched one of the Rattlesnakes scamper over to the target. He stood in front of the board for nearly half a minute before finding the fresh hole. He extracted the bullet, held in his hand, and started to giggle.
He began to speak, and Erin shut her eyes.
On to Chapter Five
Rival Hero: The Spaniel Strikes: Chapter Five
Chapter Five
May 23rd, 9:58 PM
"Yeller!" the Rattlesnake called out, holding the bullet in the air. "It's got the yeller mark!"
Erin let out a deep sigh. The yellow bullet. The only one that didn't involve her getting punished. What luck!
"Durn," Tex said. "Not the one I wanted." He stepped over to Erin and the Spaniel, his spurs jingling. "But no one said I just got one bullet."
"Well, unmask me first," the Spaniel said. "And then you can continue your ridiculous game."
Erin blinked. What was he doing? Asking to be unmasked? Did he have a plan, or was this all just talk?
"Don't you tell me what to do, boy," Tex said. He was in front of the Spaniel now, where Erin couldn't see him. She watched as a few of the other Rattlesnakes gathered nearer to the scene, probably curious about who was behind the Spaniel's golden mask.
"You made the rules," the Spaniel said. "Now play by them."
Tex chuckled. "Pretty durn eager to have your little crimefightin' career ruined, ain't ya?" His voice was slightly louder now, and Erin could feel his hot breath wafting past the Spaniel's face.
"Are you going to do it, or what?" the Spaniel said. Erin could feel her respect for him building again. It took courage to do what he was doing. She just hoped he had an endgame...
"Alright, alright," Tex said. "So durn impatient. Don't know why." He had moved even closer to the Spaniel, his face maybe just a yard or two from Erin's.
Tex cleared his throat. "Alright, then. Here goes nothin..."
And then, the Spaniel was up. Erin felt him jump from the ground, pushing off her back, leaving the ropes loose around the Blue Lynx's body. She flicked her head around to see him lifting an uppercut into Tex's jaw. Tex let out a cry of pain as he flew into the air, bouncing off of the Spaniel's fist and then plummeting to the ground.
The next moments were a frenzy. Immediately, the Rattlesnakes moved in. Erin pushed the ropes off her body and tried to get up, but found that the bonds on her ankles were still too tight. She reached down to her boots, tearing at the knots, her field of vision alternating between her situation and the Spaniel's, who was now running at the thugs, taking them on one at a time, incapacitating them with swift punches and kicks. The Rattlesnakes were focused only on him, and Erin found enough time to remove a Lynx Dart, cut at the ankle ropes, and eventually free herself. She kicked the restraints off and leapt to her feet.
"She's free!" a voice said. "Get her!"
Erin turned around to see two men plowing in her direction, both of them wielding cattle prods. Without a second of hesitation, she tossed the Lynx Dart at one of them. The Dart sunk into the thug's wrist, forcing him to squeal and drop his weapon to the ground. Erin pulled her taser from her belt and moved toward the second man, sliding away from a swipe of his prod, and then plunging the taser against the man's neck. He howled out in pain, exposing his body to two rapid gut punches. Erin shoved him to the ground and moved back to the first man, who was still crying out over the Lynx Dart in his arm.
"Come on, it's not that bad," Erin said, before she socked him across the face with a massive right hook.
She looked up from her two defeated foes and saw more bodies lying prone across the rooftop. The Spaniel was making quick work of the Rattlesnakes, spending just a few seconds on each man. They couldn't touch him. He was annoying, and maybe not the sort of ally Erin wanted, but she had to admit: the guy could hold his own in a fight.
Suddenly, she heard a familiar drawl. "Now, now, missy... I suggest you put your hands in the air."
Erin looked to the side to see Tex, climbing to his feet and maybe ten yards away, one hand holding his jaw, the other clutching his pistol, which he now aimed in her direction.
"Guess any of these bullets can be a death bullet, providin' there's a durn fool in front of it," Tex said. He was still trying to talk tough, but he looked off-balance, unsure. The punch from the Spaniel had clearly taken a lot out of him.
Erin smiled, turning her body to face him. "Well, that's only true if you can hit me. And I don't think you can hit me, Tex."
Tex growled, thrust his arm forward, and fired the gun. Erin ducked, but it didn't matter: nothing came out. The only sound the pistol made was a small click.
"Shit," Tex said. "Forgot about that."
Erin raced forward, covering the distance between them in seconds, and pushed her shoulder into Tex's body. The small man took off, floating through the air momentarily, and then striking the brick wall edging the rooftop. Erin dashed off to his body, preparing for another attack, but found that Tex was unconscious, his tongue lolled out, his gun laying on the ground yards away from his outstretched hand.
Satisfied, Erin looked toward the Spaniel, who was dealing with one last Rattlesnake. She scanned the fallen figures behind him: there were probably twenty altogether, most of them unconscious, some whimpering in pain, clutching their abdomens. She heard a final anguished bleat from the last standing thug, and watched as the Spaniel pushed him over with a comically light tap.
"Well done," Erin said, moving casually over to where the Spaniel stood. "You're almost as good as me."
The Spaniel let out a guffaw. "Almost as good? I'm better."
Erin shook her head. "I don't think so, bud. You've only been doing this superhero stuff for... what... a couple weeks? You've still got a lot to learn."
They were standing just a few yards apart, surrounded by inert thugs, the night still warm. Erin felt her heart racing from combat. Looking at the Spaniel, tall and muscular in his golden spandex, didn't help her to calm down.
"You should have some respect," the Spaniel said. "I got you free tonight. This is the second time I've saved you this week."
"The first time, yeah, you helped me," Erin said, knowing-- but not willing to acknowledge-- that he had done much more than that, that night at the Paradise Casino. "But it was I who saved you tonight. Those men would've torn you apart if I hadn't dropped in."
The Spaniel crossed his arms. He wasn't just going to let these comments fly. Which was fine with Erin-- she wouldn't allow anyone to talk to her this way, either.
"I was setting up a trap," the Spaniel said. "I was luring them on the roof so I could take them out and not worry about any distractions. You showed up and blinded me. Because of you, I got hit fifty times with a cattle prod."
Erin laughed. "A trap? Come on. I saw you holding your arm. You were retreating. I bought you time. It it wasn't for me, you'd be lying on the ground next to Tex over there."
Erin saw the Spaniel's muscles tense. "The Spaniel never retreats!" he bellowed. "I never would allow myself to get captured. But you seem to have no problem with that, Blue Lynx."
"Excuse me?" Erin said. She felt her muscles tense, too.
"You're always getting captured, tied up, etc etc etc," the Spaniel said. "Because you never have a plan. I saw you at the Casino. Flying in there, so cocky, trying to take on all those men. I thought I admired you. But thinking about it now, I see that you're just a fool. A little girl trying to play with the big boys."
Erin squeezed her hands into fists. Her face blushed red. "A little... girl?" she stammered, furiously.
"Why don't you just step aside, little lady? I'm the hero. You go get tied up, be the damsel in distress." The Spaniel was enjoying himself. "I'll save you, I promise. So long as you shut up and do what you're told."
Erin couldn't take another second of this. She took a deep breath, let out a yell, and sprang at the Spaniel, lifting her fists high in the air, ready to make him pay for these insults.
On to Chapter Six
May 23rd, 9:58 PM
"Yeller!" the Rattlesnake called out, holding the bullet in the air. "It's got the yeller mark!"
Erin let out a deep sigh. The yellow bullet. The only one that didn't involve her getting punished. What luck!
"Durn," Tex said. "Not the one I wanted." He stepped over to Erin and the Spaniel, his spurs jingling. "But no one said I just got one bullet."
"Well, unmask me first," the Spaniel said. "And then you can continue your ridiculous game."
Erin blinked. What was he doing? Asking to be unmasked? Did he have a plan, or was this all just talk?
"Don't you tell me what to do, boy," Tex said. He was in front of the Spaniel now, where Erin couldn't see him. She watched as a few of the other Rattlesnakes gathered nearer to the scene, probably curious about who was behind the Spaniel's golden mask.
"You made the rules," the Spaniel said. "Now play by them."
Tex chuckled. "Pretty durn eager to have your little crimefightin' career ruined, ain't ya?" His voice was slightly louder now, and Erin could feel his hot breath wafting past the Spaniel's face.
"Are you going to do it, or what?" the Spaniel said. Erin could feel her respect for him building again. It took courage to do what he was doing. She just hoped he had an endgame...
"Alright, alright," Tex said. "So durn impatient. Don't know why." He had moved even closer to the Spaniel, his face maybe just a yard or two from Erin's.
Tex cleared his throat. "Alright, then. Here goes nothin..."
And then, the Spaniel was up. Erin felt him jump from the ground, pushing off her back, leaving the ropes loose around the Blue Lynx's body. She flicked her head around to see him lifting an uppercut into Tex's jaw. Tex let out a cry of pain as he flew into the air, bouncing off of the Spaniel's fist and then plummeting to the ground.
The next moments were a frenzy. Immediately, the Rattlesnakes moved in. Erin pushed the ropes off her body and tried to get up, but found that the bonds on her ankles were still too tight. She reached down to her boots, tearing at the knots, her field of vision alternating between her situation and the Spaniel's, who was now running at the thugs, taking them on one at a time, incapacitating them with swift punches and kicks. The Rattlesnakes were focused only on him, and Erin found enough time to remove a Lynx Dart, cut at the ankle ropes, and eventually free herself. She kicked the restraints off and leapt to her feet.
"She's free!" a voice said. "Get her!"
Erin turned around to see two men plowing in her direction, both of them wielding cattle prods. Without a second of hesitation, she tossed the Lynx Dart at one of them. The Dart sunk into the thug's wrist, forcing him to squeal and drop his weapon to the ground. Erin pulled her taser from her belt and moved toward the second man, sliding away from a swipe of his prod, and then plunging the taser against the man's neck. He howled out in pain, exposing his body to two rapid gut punches. Erin shoved him to the ground and moved back to the first man, who was still crying out over the Lynx Dart in his arm.
"Come on, it's not that bad," Erin said, before she socked him across the face with a massive right hook.
She looked up from her two defeated foes and saw more bodies lying prone across the rooftop. The Spaniel was making quick work of the Rattlesnakes, spending just a few seconds on each man. They couldn't touch him. He was annoying, and maybe not the sort of ally Erin wanted, but she had to admit: the guy could hold his own in a fight.
Suddenly, she heard a familiar drawl. "Now, now, missy... I suggest you put your hands in the air."
Erin looked to the side to see Tex, climbing to his feet and maybe ten yards away, one hand holding his jaw, the other clutching his pistol, which he now aimed in her direction.
"Guess any of these bullets can be a death bullet, providin' there's a durn fool in front of it," Tex said. He was still trying to talk tough, but he looked off-balance, unsure. The punch from the Spaniel had clearly taken a lot out of him.
Erin smiled, turning her body to face him. "Well, that's only true if you can hit me. And I don't think you can hit me, Tex."
Tex growled, thrust his arm forward, and fired the gun. Erin ducked, but it didn't matter: nothing came out. The only sound the pistol made was a small click.
"Shit," Tex said. "Forgot about that."
Erin raced forward, covering the distance between them in seconds, and pushed her shoulder into Tex's body. The small man took off, floating through the air momentarily, and then striking the brick wall edging the rooftop. Erin dashed off to his body, preparing for another attack, but found that Tex was unconscious, his tongue lolled out, his gun laying on the ground yards away from his outstretched hand.
Satisfied, Erin looked toward the Spaniel, who was dealing with one last Rattlesnake. She scanned the fallen figures behind him: there were probably twenty altogether, most of them unconscious, some whimpering in pain, clutching their abdomens. She heard a final anguished bleat from the last standing thug, and watched as the Spaniel pushed him over with a comically light tap.
"Well done," Erin said, moving casually over to where the Spaniel stood. "You're almost as good as me."
The Spaniel let out a guffaw. "Almost as good? I'm better."
Erin shook her head. "I don't think so, bud. You've only been doing this superhero stuff for... what... a couple weeks? You've still got a lot to learn."
They were standing just a few yards apart, surrounded by inert thugs, the night still warm. Erin felt her heart racing from combat. Looking at the Spaniel, tall and muscular in his golden spandex, didn't help her to calm down.
"You should have some respect," the Spaniel said. "I got you free tonight. This is the second time I've saved you this week."
"The first time, yeah, you helped me," Erin said, knowing-- but not willing to acknowledge-- that he had done much more than that, that night at the Paradise Casino. "But it was I who saved you tonight. Those men would've torn you apart if I hadn't dropped in."
The Spaniel crossed his arms. He wasn't just going to let these comments fly. Which was fine with Erin-- she wouldn't allow anyone to talk to her this way, either.
"I was setting up a trap," the Spaniel said. "I was luring them on the roof so I could take them out and not worry about any distractions. You showed up and blinded me. Because of you, I got hit fifty times with a cattle prod."
Erin laughed. "A trap? Come on. I saw you holding your arm. You were retreating. I bought you time. It it wasn't for me, you'd be lying on the ground next to Tex over there."
Erin saw the Spaniel's muscles tense. "The Spaniel never retreats!" he bellowed. "I never would allow myself to get captured. But you seem to have no problem with that, Blue Lynx."
"Excuse me?" Erin said. She felt her muscles tense, too.
"You're always getting captured, tied up, etc etc etc," the Spaniel said. "Because you never have a plan. I saw you at the Casino. Flying in there, so cocky, trying to take on all those men. I thought I admired you. But thinking about it now, I see that you're just a fool. A little girl trying to play with the big boys."
Erin squeezed her hands into fists. Her face blushed red. "A little... girl?" she stammered, furiously.
"Why don't you just step aside, little lady? I'm the hero. You go get tied up, be the damsel in distress." The Spaniel was enjoying himself. "I'll save you, I promise. So long as you shut up and do what you're told."
Erin couldn't take another second of this. She took a deep breath, let out a yell, and sprang at the Spaniel, lifting her fists high in the air, ready to make him pay for these insults.
On to Chapter Six
Rival Hero: The Spaniel Strikes: Chapter Six
Chapter Six
May 23rd, 10:10 PM
The punch came fast, too fast to dodge or deflect. The Spaniel could barely even brace himself for impact. The fist just hit him, square in the cheek, and he stumbled back, almost falling to the ground, but catching himself at the last moment.
He brought his hand to his face, then quickly removed it. "No signs of weakness," he reminded himself. So he spat on the ground, forced out a laugh, and resumed his standing position. He looked at the Blue Lynx, now tensed up in a fighting position, her chest heaving in and out, her eyes blazing with righteous anger. He thought at that moment that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It made him want to tease her even more.
"Not bad," he said, even clapping a bit for emphasis. "Ten or fifteen punches like that, and I might even form a bruise."
Truthfully, it hurt. He could feel his cheek throb, and he knew that the Blue Lynx was not the sort of weak-willed, limp-wristed woman he had been describing during this rather amusing war of words. She was a superhero, just like him. But he had no doubts that he was the better superhero. He couldn't lie about that even if he wanted to. Pride mattered to the Spaniel. And apparently it did to the Blue Lynx, too.
She didn't try to respond to him with words. She launched another punch, but the element of surprise was no longer hers. The Spaniel strafed the attack, and then tried one of his own, bringing his knee up. But the Blue Lynx blocked it with both hands just before it met her belly.
"Touche," the Spaniel said.
The Blue Lynx spun around, and the Spaniel felt a blow to the back of his neck, the superheroine's arm. He stumbled forward, and then felt another hit, this one to his chest. She was weaving around him now, jabbing him with her fists, and he couldn't stand still, could feel himself pitch this way and that, like a boat at the mercy of a brutal sea.
"No!" the Spaniel cried, extending his fists wildly. To his surprise, he caught something, and heard a cry of pain followed by a crashing sound. He turned, looked down, and saw the Blue Lynx grounded, slowly moving away on her hands and knees, her beautiful blue butt raised in the air. The Spaniel felt a stirring in his groin. He tried to ignore it. "That's how she wins," he thought. "Through the power of seduction."
He reached down and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her up to her feet. She kicked frantically as he locked his arms around her, securing one around her waist, the other against the back of her head. She was pressed against his body now, squirming in his grasp, emitting small sounds of discomfort, and the Spaniel could feel himself tighten up. "Focus," he thought. "Focus!"
"Sorry, damsel," the he sputtered between breaths. "I'm not coming to save you this time."
"I don't need to be saved!" the Blue Lynx cried, plunging her elbow into the Spaniel's stomach. Immediately, he released her, bringing his hands to his body, squeezing his eyes shut in pain. He didn't see the next kick coming-- only felt the Blue Lynx's boot against his face and neck, only felt himself flying through the air, only felt the cold rooftop as his back slammed into it.
"Looks like you're the one in distress," the Blue Lynx giggled. The Spaniel opened his eyes to see her standing over him, her shapely legs on either side of his lower body, her hands set confidently on her hips.
She was so unbelievably hot. Her voice, her hair, her legs, the way her costume clutched at her breasts and butt... But he couldn't let her beat him. To be defeated by a woman, any woman, even one as gifted as as beautiful as the Blue Lynx... That would be too much to bear.
So he shot his arm out and caught her by the ankle and twisted, forcing her to the ground. "Hey!" she yipped, as he tangled his arms and legs with hers. He wrestled with her, found he was easily her better in terms of sheer strength, eventually grabbed her by the hands and pushed her arms to her sides, using his bulk to pin her in place, feeling her smaller body gradually wilt under his weight, hearing her gasps of protest get louder and louder.
"Ugh!" she cried, coughing. "Get off of me!"
Her volume had increased, but her physical power had diminished, and the Spaniel could now easily hold her in place with his mass and one hand, using his other hand to pull two sets of bolo-bolas from his utility belt.
"I'm finishing this," the Spaniel said, deftly driving the superheroine's wrists together and wrapping them with his bola. She was like putty in his hands now, and he could again feel himself stiffen as he finally took stock of the scene, of the fact that this beautiful, spandex-clad babe was struggling helplessly underneath his legs.
"Spaniel!" she shouted. "Stop this!"
She was losing, and she knew it. She was begging for him to stop. The Spaniel felt like he was about to explode. But she wasn't done yet-- he reminded himself that this woman was cunning, that she was finding ways out of situations like this routinely. So he turned around, sitting himself further up on the Blue Lynx's body, and attended to her long, kicking legs. She was banging her boots against the ground, her muscular thighs jiggling, and the Spaniel had to stop himself from drooling as he lashed the bola just above her kneecaps. With each go-around, he could feel the Blue Lynx's resistance ebbing away, and by the time he was done, she was almost completely still, with just her chest pushing up and down, grazing the Spaniel's lower back.
"I think that does it," he said with a small laugh, checking to make sure he wasn't completely hard before standing up and brushing himself off. He turned around and looked at the Blue Lynx, who was staring at him silently, her mouth arranged in a taut frown, her wrists and legs securely fastened together, her blue and white figure like a neat package in the otherwise chaotic mess of strewn unconscious bodies.
"Do you need me to help you escape?" the Spaniel gloated.
The Blue Lynx was blinking rapidly. She almost looked on the verge of tears. The Spaniel didn't blame her. After all her talk, he had shown her definitively that he was the stronger, smarter superhero. It must have humbling to be laying there, tied up, just another victim of the mighty Spaniel. He almost felt bad for her.
"This isn't over," she finally blurted out. "You think you've proven something, but you haven't. I'm still the city's superhero. You're just a kid in gold."
She was goading him, again. The Spaniel felt his pride roaring back. No... he didn't feel bad for her. Yes, she could fight. But all this crap about being the "city's superhero"? After he had thoroughly beaten her? Oh, he'd show her.
"I don't think you understand," the Spaniel said. "Maybe if you just shut up and listen, you'll start to get it."
He pulled a cloth from one of his utility belt pockets and bent down to the ground. He cradled the Blue Lynx's head in one hand, and she jerked around in panic as he brought the cloth to her lips. "No!" she muttered, but it was too late: he placed the red fabric in her mouth and pulled it across her face, wrapping it around her soft black hair and tying it into a knot at the back of her head.
"MMMPH!" she cried, as he slowly stood up, his eyes not leaving her terrified expression. "MMMPH!"
"There," the Spaniel said. "So, now do you understand? I've won. You're not the city's superhero. I am."
The Blue Lynx could only writhe and make small sounds in response.
The Spaniel laughed. He really was in control now. He had beaten the bad guys, and he'd beaten the good girl. Did he want to take it further? It was his choice to make.
"I suppose I could really end this," he said, with a grin. "By taking off your mask."
A burst of energy coursed through the Blue Lynx's body. She kicked out her legs, thrashed her head around, stared at the Spaniel with a look of utter fear.
"Yes," he said. "Seeing you react like that... You obviously don't want that. Me, I'm just an average guy. If Tex had unmasked me, who cares? But you... You must be someone I know. That the city knows."
She had turned away from him as much as she could, exposing her back, her butt maybe even quivering in horror. She was so... desperate now. The Spaniel felt a tingling again. He really needed to go home and attend to some needs. But this was just too much fun.
"Imagine that. I unmask the Blue Lynx. I suddenly possess our city superheroine's big secret. Think of all the money I could make!"
"MMPH!" she cried. "MMPH! MMMMPH!"
"I could sell it to the media. No... I could blackmail you. I could force you to be my little superheroine slave. Wouldn't that be fun."
He was pacing around now, moving his hands dramatically, rapt with the possibilities of the Blue Lynx's identity.
"Oh man, I think I might do it. It would just be glorious to see your naked face. To know the thing you have so valiantly tried to keep a secret."
She had turned back around to face him. She was shaking her head. In fifteen minutes, she had gone from being an ass-kicking superheroine to his caricature of her: a true damsel in distress.
"Just who is it underneath the mask? A old girlfriend of mine? A cop with dreams of vigilante justice? A mild-mannered reporter? A celebrity?"
The Spaniel stroked his chin. Yes. It would be incredible to know the secret of the Blue Lynx. He wouldn't even have to tell anyone, if he didn't want to: it could be something held between him and her. But as he looked at her, trussed up and gagged, the very picture of helplessness, he couldn't help but feel pity rise in him, again. At the end of the day, he was on her side. They were both superheroes, both enemies of Tex and all other evildoers. Would it be right to rob the Blue Lynx of the very thing that allowed her to do this work?
"Maybe I don't have to rob her of that thing," he thought. "Maybe I can take something else, just to send a message."
"Okay, enough torture," he said, bending down to the Blue Lynx. She tried to roll away, but his hand set on her waist quickly kept her in place. She could feel her tremble against the palm of her hand, realized that this was her biggest fear.
He sighed. "I'm not taking your mask."
Her reaction was immediate. All the tension in her body suddenly relaxed. Her breathing slowed, her shaking stopped, she quit trying to fight off his steady hand.
"But I am taking this."
And with that, he reached around the Blue Lynx's back, found the clasp of her utility belt, and with a click that resounded in the night, removed it from her waist. He tossed the belt over her shoulder, letting its heavy contents settle on his chest and back, and stood up, smiling at the Blue Lynx, who now showed a look of pure anger and resentment.
"Until next time, Blue Lynx," he said, turning around and moving toward the rooftop door, leaving the superheroine alone, still bound in the bolo-bolas, still gagged with the red cloth, still completely defeated by a superior fighter, but also, still in possession of her secret identity.
On to Chapter Seven
May 23rd, 10:10 PM
The punch came fast, too fast to dodge or deflect. The Spaniel could barely even brace himself for impact. The fist just hit him, square in the cheek, and he stumbled back, almost falling to the ground, but catching himself at the last moment.
He brought his hand to his face, then quickly removed it. "No signs of weakness," he reminded himself. So he spat on the ground, forced out a laugh, and resumed his standing position. He looked at the Blue Lynx, now tensed up in a fighting position, her chest heaving in and out, her eyes blazing with righteous anger. He thought at that moment that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It made him want to tease her even more.
"Not bad," he said, even clapping a bit for emphasis. "Ten or fifteen punches like that, and I might even form a bruise."
Truthfully, it hurt. He could feel his cheek throb, and he knew that the Blue Lynx was not the sort of weak-willed, limp-wristed woman he had been describing during this rather amusing war of words. She was a superhero, just like him. But he had no doubts that he was the better superhero. He couldn't lie about that even if he wanted to. Pride mattered to the Spaniel. And apparently it did to the Blue Lynx, too.
She didn't try to respond to him with words. She launched another punch, but the element of surprise was no longer hers. The Spaniel strafed the attack, and then tried one of his own, bringing his knee up. But the Blue Lynx blocked it with both hands just before it met her belly.
"Touche," the Spaniel said.
The Blue Lynx spun around, and the Spaniel felt a blow to the back of his neck, the superheroine's arm. He stumbled forward, and then felt another hit, this one to his chest. She was weaving around him now, jabbing him with her fists, and he couldn't stand still, could feel himself pitch this way and that, like a boat at the mercy of a brutal sea.
"No!" the Spaniel cried, extending his fists wildly. To his surprise, he caught something, and heard a cry of pain followed by a crashing sound. He turned, looked down, and saw the Blue Lynx grounded, slowly moving away on her hands and knees, her beautiful blue butt raised in the air. The Spaniel felt a stirring in his groin. He tried to ignore it. "That's how she wins," he thought. "Through the power of seduction."
He reached down and grabbed her by the shoulders, pulling her up to her feet. She kicked frantically as he locked his arms around her, securing one around her waist, the other against the back of her head. She was pressed against his body now, squirming in his grasp, emitting small sounds of discomfort, and the Spaniel could feel himself tighten up. "Focus," he thought. "Focus!"
"Sorry, damsel," the he sputtered between breaths. "I'm not coming to save you this time."
"I don't need to be saved!" the Blue Lynx cried, plunging her elbow into the Spaniel's stomach. Immediately, he released her, bringing his hands to his body, squeezing his eyes shut in pain. He didn't see the next kick coming-- only felt the Blue Lynx's boot against his face and neck, only felt himself flying through the air, only felt the cold rooftop as his back slammed into it.
"Looks like you're the one in distress," the Blue Lynx giggled. The Spaniel opened his eyes to see her standing over him, her shapely legs on either side of his lower body, her hands set confidently on her hips.
She was so unbelievably hot. Her voice, her hair, her legs, the way her costume clutched at her breasts and butt... But he couldn't let her beat him. To be defeated by a woman, any woman, even one as gifted as as beautiful as the Blue Lynx... That would be too much to bear.
So he shot his arm out and caught her by the ankle and twisted, forcing her to the ground. "Hey!" she yipped, as he tangled his arms and legs with hers. He wrestled with her, found he was easily her better in terms of sheer strength, eventually grabbed her by the hands and pushed her arms to her sides, using his bulk to pin her in place, feeling her smaller body gradually wilt under his weight, hearing her gasps of protest get louder and louder.
"Ugh!" she cried, coughing. "Get off of me!"
Her volume had increased, but her physical power had diminished, and the Spaniel could now easily hold her in place with his mass and one hand, using his other hand to pull two sets of bolo-bolas from his utility belt.
"I'm finishing this," the Spaniel said, deftly driving the superheroine's wrists together and wrapping them with his bola. She was like putty in his hands now, and he could again feel himself stiffen as he finally took stock of the scene, of the fact that this beautiful, spandex-clad babe was struggling helplessly underneath his legs.
"Spaniel!" she shouted. "Stop this!"
She was losing, and she knew it. She was begging for him to stop. The Spaniel felt like he was about to explode. But she wasn't done yet-- he reminded himself that this woman was cunning, that she was finding ways out of situations like this routinely. So he turned around, sitting himself further up on the Blue Lynx's body, and attended to her long, kicking legs. She was banging her boots against the ground, her muscular thighs jiggling, and the Spaniel had to stop himself from drooling as he lashed the bola just above her kneecaps. With each go-around, he could feel the Blue Lynx's resistance ebbing away, and by the time he was done, she was almost completely still, with just her chest pushing up and down, grazing the Spaniel's lower back.
"I think that does it," he said with a small laugh, checking to make sure he wasn't completely hard before standing up and brushing himself off. He turned around and looked at the Blue Lynx, who was staring at him silently, her mouth arranged in a taut frown, her wrists and legs securely fastened together, her blue and white figure like a neat package in the otherwise chaotic mess of strewn unconscious bodies.
"Do you need me to help you escape?" the Spaniel gloated.
The Blue Lynx was blinking rapidly. She almost looked on the verge of tears. The Spaniel didn't blame her. After all her talk, he had shown her definitively that he was the stronger, smarter superhero. It must have humbling to be laying there, tied up, just another victim of the mighty Spaniel. He almost felt bad for her.
"This isn't over," she finally blurted out. "You think you've proven something, but you haven't. I'm still the city's superhero. You're just a kid in gold."
She was goading him, again. The Spaniel felt his pride roaring back. No... he didn't feel bad for her. Yes, she could fight. But all this crap about being the "city's superhero"? After he had thoroughly beaten her? Oh, he'd show her.
"I don't think you understand," the Spaniel said. "Maybe if you just shut up and listen, you'll start to get it."
He pulled a cloth from one of his utility belt pockets and bent down to the ground. He cradled the Blue Lynx's head in one hand, and she jerked around in panic as he brought the cloth to her lips. "No!" she muttered, but it was too late: he placed the red fabric in her mouth and pulled it across her face, wrapping it around her soft black hair and tying it into a knot at the back of her head.
"MMMPH!" she cried, as he slowly stood up, his eyes not leaving her terrified expression. "MMMPH!"
"There," the Spaniel said. "So, now do you understand? I've won. You're not the city's superhero. I am."
The Blue Lynx could only writhe and make small sounds in response.
The Spaniel laughed. He really was in control now. He had beaten the bad guys, and he'd beaten the good girl. Did he want to take it further? It was his choice to make.
"I suppose I could really end this," he said, with a grin. "By taking off your mask."
A burst of energy coursed through the Blue Lynx's body. She kicked out her legs, thrashed her head around, stared at the Spaniel with a look of utter fear.
"Yes," he said. "Seeing you react like that... You obviously don't want that. Me, I'm just an average guy. If Tex had unmasked me, who cares? But you... You must be someone I know. That the city knows."
She had turned away from him as much as she could, exposing her back, her butt maybe even quivering in horror. She was so... desperate now. The Spaniel felt a tingling again. He really needed to go home and attend to some needs. But this was just too much fun.
"Imagine that. I unmask the Blue Lynx. I suddenly possess our city superheroine's big secret. Think of all the money I could make!"
"MMPH!" she cried. "MMPH! MMMMPH!"
"I could sell it to the media. No... I could blackmail you. I could force you to be my little superheroine slave. Wouldn't that be fun."
He was pacing around now, moving his hands dramatically, rapt with the possibilities of the Blue Lynx's identity.
"Oh man, I think I might do it. It would just be glorious to see your naked face. To know the thing you have so valiantly tried to keep a secret."
She had turned back around to face him. She was shaking her head. In fifteen minutes, she had gone from being an ass-kicking superheroine to his caricature of her: a true damsel in distress.
"Just who is it underneath the mask? A old girlfriend of mine? A cop with dreams of vigilante justice? A mild-mannered reporter? A celebrity?"
The Spaniel stroked his chin. Yes. It would be incredible to know the secret of the Blue Lynx. He wouldn't even have to tell anyone, if he didn't want to: it could be something held between him and her. But as he looked at her, trussed up and gagged, the very picture of helplessness, he couldn't help but feel pity rise in him, again. At the end of the day, he was on her side. They were both superheroes, both enemies of Tex and all other evildoers. Would it be right to rob the Blue Lynx of the very thing that allowed her to do this work?
"Maybe I don't have to rob her of that thing," he thought. "Maybe I can take something else, just to send a message."
"Okay, enough torture," he said, bending down to the Blue Lynx. She tried to roll away, but his hand set on her waist quickly kept her in place. She could feel her tremble against the palm of her hand, realized that this was her biggest fear.
He sighed. "I'm not taking your mask."
Her reaction was immediate. All the tension in her body suddenly relaxed. Her breathing slowed, her shaking stopped, she quit trying to fight off his steady hand.
"But I am taking this."
And with that, he reached around the Blue Lynx's back, found the clasp of her utility belt, and with a click that resounded in the night, removed it from her waist. He tossed the belt over her shoulder, letting its heavy contents settle on his chest and back, and stood up, smiling at the Blue Lynx, who now showed a look of pure anger and resentment.
"Until next time, Blue Lynx," he said, turning around and moving toward the rooftop door, leaving the superheroine alone, still bound in the bolo-bolas, still gagged with the red cloth, still completely defeated by a superior fighter, but also, still in possession of her secret identity.
On to Chapter Seven
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