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
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