PRICELESS POSSESSIONS
A super-heroine adventure by InterestingLife featuring FELINA, based on an image by Exit-Zero (294).

DISCLAIMER : This story is a work of fiction. It may contain scenes of violence, sexual imagery and may depict scenes of non-consensual sexual activity, as well as torture and many other illegal activities. It is intended as literary entertainment only.
All characters used in this story are property of their respective owners.
This story is part of the continuity established by myself and my interpretations of the Exit-Zero universe, presented with his permission, and may not work in continuity with other stories. 

Direct any comments to : youngasuq@yahoo.ca

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They called themselves the Duo. Just that. Their real names were Allan and Rick, and they were brothers. Allan was the oldest, blonde, athletic up to a point, and a face only a mother could love. Rick had sleek long black hair down to his shoulders and sported a mustache and goatee, scruffy looking. They had the same mother but different fathers. Ever since they had left highschool, they had gone from menial job to menial job, hoping for a big score, a quick fix, hoping to finally make it big without having to do any work. The revised American dream.

It was purely by chance that they were hired, one day, as factory workers. They found themselves on site very early in the morning and were made witness to quite a shocking display of valuables sprawed on a table, and their employer, Mr. Vincent, a fat man in a grey suit, hiding his eyes behind thick sunglasses, had quickly explained the nature of the work he had for them. It wasn't the assembly line.

They had spent the rest of the day packing illegally obtained goods into crates ready for shipping overseas. After that, things had pretty much started going their way. As time passed, they moved up to bigger and bigger responsibilities; they started using the nickname only after they successfully performed their first jewelry heist, nothing fancy, just a snatch-and-grab at night in a secured store. The Duo was running for six months now, operating under the radar, keeping their distance from the police and moreso from the many heroines that now patrolled the city. It didn't make their job any harder; it just meant there were new forces to contend with. The brothers loved a challenge.

It was the start of summer when Mr Vincent called them up for a new hit. They had laid low for the past month, avoiding making waves because their previous heist had drawn too much publicity, despite their successful endeavour. They were eager for something new, so they rendez-vous'd at the factory in Conaughton district, just north of the Harbor and east of AsiaTown. There, Mr Vincent, plump as ever, greeted with his usual banter.

"Well, my two favorite boys... how ya doin'? Your mom okay?"
"Never better, Mr Vincent," Allan replied. "Still at the old lady's home."
"Good for her... good for her."

He wobbled back towards the table, continuing the conversation as they followed along.

"So it's been hangin' low, then..."
"Sure is. Quiet as mice, you know us."
"Yep. Sure do. Nice and squeaky."

He laughed, then leaned forward against the table.

"Gots a tricky one for you two boys... if ye're up to it."
"Always game for a challenge, right Rick?"
"Amen, bro."
"Excellent. What I want to hear from the Duo... ya still go by that name, right?"
"You know it."

Mr Vincent looked down at the various papers on the table. Blueprints, security charts, street maps, the works. His contacts were always thorough.

"We gots a buyer from all the way... uh... Korea... the good one. Anyway, he wants something fierce... paid a ton of moolah fer it, and I thoughts of you guys to pull the heist."
"Sweet. What's the cut?" inquired Rick.
"A hundred thou each..."
"Damn. That puts a lot of potatoes on momma's plate!"
"Diamond-studded potatoes!" laughed Allan.

All three men had a good laugh, then got down to business, examining the layout of the place, the security grid, the patrols, anything else that might come up.

"What's the thingamajig we gotta get?" asked Rick, caressing his mustache.
"Precious statue, like real old. Here's the pic."

They examined the picture, showcasing a representation of three topless women walking along, carrying buckets over their heads.

"Statue porn!" said Rick. "The best. Like that chick missing two arms."
"It looks nice,"Allan said in a quieter tone.

Mr. Vincent pointed to a mallet under the table.

"You can carry it in that."

Allan examined the case, but returned to the floor plan.

"So here's the jist of it...we get into the backrooms of the exhibit, peruse the wares until we find our thing."
"It's not on display, then?" Rick asked.
"Not yet. And it's better if we get it before it goes in the exposition halls, otherwise it makes our job a whole lot harder."

They worked 
on other details for a few more hours, then decided to wait for the next night to pull it off, in order to get all the equipment they would need. Mr. Vincent let them operate at their discretion; he knew better than to interfere. The Duo's methods weren't perfect, but they were non-violent and didn't draw too much attention, and that kind of discretion was what kept them above the rest and why he always called on them for sensitive assignments.

Rick parked their van in the alley just outside the target building, the Asian Museum of Culture, an old-looking structure of brick and wood. Like most buildings in the area, it had a long history dating back to the just before the Depression era and the expansion of Eve City. But the interest in history stopped in knowing how it was built, and how it had been renovated when being converted to a museum. This information gave the brothers the layout of the area. Allan, in the back, was getting ready with his electronic equipment and various tools of the trade. As soon as they were done with the preparation, a little past 10 at night, they exited the vehicle and headed for the alley exit, a security door that normally shouldn't open from the outside.

Despite being jokers of some kind, when they were on assignment, the Duo were consumate professionals. Efficient, quick and well-coordinated, they moved about with the grace of experience, despite having been at this for only six months. They had found their calling.

Allan went and plugged himself into the electrical system; he used the portable machine to bypass some of the basic security measures at the door; he then turned to his brother who took out his lockpicking equipment and started prying the door open gently. It took him a full minute, but he managed to do it without triggering any alarms. They made their way into the backrooms and storage areas of the museum. Once inside, it was simply a matter of finding the needle in the haystack. They split up to cover more ground, trying to locate the shipment number. The item, having only recently arrived, was still in its box. There was many trinkets, valuable items of all sorts, but the brothers knew better than to deviate from the plan, and stuck to finding the item they sought.

It was Rick who came up the crate with the correct tag. He examined the wooden box; it was still sealed shut. He immediately make his way back towards the entrance to get his brother. While a guard patrolled the exhibit halls even at night, the backroom was pretty much left to the electronic surveillance, all of which had been disabled by Allan. Rick found his brother and signalled him; as they went back, Allan picked up the mallet he had left near the entrance.

Getting to the crate, Rick took out the necessary tools to open it while Allan stood watch, tazer gun in hand. It was a bit noisy, so they couldn't be too careful. Working meticulously helped diminish the sound they made until, inevitably, Rick was able to remove the top of the crate and look at the artefacts inside. There were many small stone statues, but only one of interest to them. He reached down, lifted it out of its protective sheathing and examined it.

"Damn, bro... look at those lines."
"We can look at it later, bro. Get her in the case."

Rick was about to do just that, but then, the brothers hit an unexpected snag, one they could hardly have foreseen.

***

Four months in and it was already paying off. The crime rate in Conaughton district had dwindled considerably, at least as far as visible crime went, and it was all thanks to a little feline persuasion, as she liked to call it. At barely twenty years old, Lisa Lohan was making a difference. Not as herself, mind you. Lisa Lohan was a party girl, daughter of Dane Lohan, criminal defense attorney and Mary Smiths, city counselor. No one, not even her parents, took Lisa seriously, and it was better that way. Lisa was aloof, independant, free-spirited and uncaring for the world around her, at least, that's what everyone believed. She had been so ever since the death of her brother, about a year ago. The fondest memory she had of him was his graduation from police academy. He had looked so impressive in his uniform. She had been so proud of her brother.

And then, he was gone. Shot down in a gang retaliation for doing his job. It wasn't even a hit. It had been a random firefight. Lisa had slumped into a depression of booze, partying and meaningless sex for several weeks, until her mother had enough and forced her into rehab. She would never say so to her mother, but it had been the best move. She had met psychologist doctor Herbert Pryde. He had woken her up from her crisis, not mindful of how much she hurt at the time, and broken through her defenses. She still consulted him from time to time now, though not on a regular basis, only when she needed to talk. Getting out of the clinic, she had stepped out with renewed purpose, and into a new world. A world full of heroines, defending the city. A strange sentiment overtook her, and she went on a trip to Asia, to get away from herself so she could relearn how to be herself. It worked great, and it had led her to some unique personal discoveries. She was gone for many months.

Upon returning to Eve City, she had a plan and she it in motion. She had always loved the color purple, so she chose it for her costume. Besides, the color worked well with her pale skin and her brown flowing hair. Inspired by the looks of the various heroines in the city but not wanting to be just a pale copy, she hatched out small 'ears' on her eyemask, and the name just popped into her head. Felina was on the prowl.

Very early on in her crime-fighting career, Felina realized she would never look at sex the same way again. It had always been sort of casual, non-committed in her case. It was a release, and little more.

After her brother's death, she had lost her bearings and, within a span of a month, had cumulated fifteen different lovers, men and women, it didn't matter. She'd even been involved in an orgy of sorts at an after-party, only watching at first, then dragged somewhat forcefully into it by two strong men who had proceeded to take her every which way they could. A few more men had their way with her, and at least two women had sat on her face, and one between her legs. It was after that incident that her mother had her committed, when she returned home the next morning smelling of sex and drugs. Her mother tried to call for rape, but her father dissuaded her from continuing the proceedings. Being a criminal lawyer, he knew the kind of publicity it would bring to their family.

One of Felina's first cases was at a strip joint in Asia Town, where dancers were supposedly getting bad drugs. She had investigated the scene, managing to talk to some of the dancers who confirmed her suspicions. One of the dancers, however, betrayed her to the drug dealer in question, and she ended up on the receiving end of a nasty beating and an even nastier rape as the dealer violated her ass while his goons watched. Somehow, she had managed to turn the tables on them, and the police had sorted out the rest. Afterwards, alone in her Conaughton apartment, paid for by mommy's money, she had considered calling it quits as she nursed her sore ass. Instead, she went out clubbing, met a nice gentleman with whom she had never spoken to again, and had enjoyed the pleasure of his company at his place. Clearing the air, she called it.

A month later, looking into a gun smuggling operation, Felina had been intercepted by the female runners, motorcycle bandits roaming the country and selling their wares. The six girls had tossed her around, forcing her into all sorts of lewd behaviors, from the simple humiliation to outright insertion and rape. Defeated, she had crawled back to her apartment and, after taking a long shower, had gone out to the HoneyBun, a well-known lesbian hangout in The Scene entertainement district, where she had joined in a lesbian orgy with four other girls whose names she forgot to take down. Air cleared again.

In the meantime, she had met KnightHawk who had sought her out to provide some minor assistance in her dealings with criminals. While thankful for the assist, she didn't want to operate with anyone, so KnightHawk's emergency number was always the farthest thing from her mind.

Not too long before the theft at  the Asian Museum, Felina was on the docks, finalizing her operation. The thug who had been bringing in the tainted food was in handcuffs, knocked out and tied up to a post. The police were on their way. Having a few minutes to kill before they got here, Felina investigated the warehouse a little further. She heard a faint sob from behind a crate. Carefully, she made her way around and spotted a scantily-clad asian woman, Korean from her traits. Her dress was torn in many places, her hair was soiled with oil and unidentified, and she seemed to be bleeding from her side. Felina immediately raced up to her.

The woman cringed as she saw the heroine come up, in her purple mask, long boots and gloves, and tight swimsuit-like body caste, open low on her neck.

"It's okay..." said Felina. "I'm here to help."

The Korean woman did not seem to understand a word. Felina knew five words of Korean from her trip to Asia; she knew a lot more Chinese, so she tried that.

"I'm friend. Here to help."

The language barrier was broken. The woman understood.

"You are heroine of city?"

The woman's Chinese was as bad Felina's, but at least they understood each other.

"What your name is?"
"Sungya name is."
"My name Felina. Get you away from here."

She helped the woman stand and they retreated away from where the bad guy was sleeping handcuffed. She didn't want to expose the woman to him.

"Did he hurt you?" Felina inquired.
"Hurt me, yes."

She pointed to her crotch. Felina asked no more questions.

"Need to get you to hospital..."
"Ok... wait!"

The woman searched through the folds of her torn dress and took out a small piece of paper.

"Important..." she said. "Steal from man when hurt me..."

Good work, Felina thought to herself, feeling pride at the woman's resolve.

"What is it?"
"Don't know. Numbers. Man say more important than me."
"You came in boat?"
"Yes... boat."
"...slave?"
"No. Cook. But man go crazy when get here, hit me, hurt me..."

Felina pocketed the number and decided to take the woman directly to the emergency room to get her wounds adressed, and possible have them run a rape kit. Sungya. A name she would not forget.

Much later, a whole lot of deciphering Korean symbols later in fact, Felina identified the numbers on the paper as tracking numbers. It only took an internet search to see they were part of a shipment manifest. Finding which one proved quite a pain, as she had to return to the port authority, sneak into the building without being seen and access the computers. Timing had played in her favor, and she was able to determine that the shipment in question had come in from Korea, on the same boat as the tainted foods. Tracking its whereabouts, she found the crate to be destined for the Asian Museum of Culture. Something in that crate was worth a lot of money, possibly illegal. It required further investigation.

She arrived at the building via the roofs. One thing that KnightHawk had provided for her was a swingline, and she had quickly learned how to use it. It was always a dangerous prospect, swinging from one building to the next, but she found it exhilirating. It made her feel even more feline.

From the roof, getting into the building was simply an issue of managing the door access without triggering the alarm. Getting there and getting ready to disable it using some acquired techniques learned in Asia, she was surprised that it was already turned off. Curious, she went to the side of the roof, and that's when she spotted the van, parked in the alley. It only took her a moment to figure out the events unfolding inside. She raced back to the door, jimmied the lock and crawled her way in, down to the storage area where the crate with the illegal contents was presumably stored. Sneaking in from above, she was able to position herself on top of shelves. That's when she saw the two burglars. They weren't that impressive at first, but they seemed to be professionals, given the tools they carried : an electronic control pad to disable security, low-tech and high-tech lockpicking tools. They wore jeans; one of them, the one in the mustache and go-tee, was in a grey t-shirt behind which several tattoos were hidden. The second one wore only a whitish camisole, and he seemed to be on the lookout. She saw the tazer in his hand : not a good idea to be hit by that thing, she remembered from past experiences.

Luckily, she had her own long-ranged weapon.

Alan never saw it coming. The grappler edge of the swingline hit him in the chest with all its might; and as he toppled backwards, he fell onto his brother's leg while he was trying to secure the statue in the case. Domino effect sent Rick to his knees, and the statue flying out of his grasp. Horror set in as both brothers, barely able to recover but fully aware of what was happening, saw the figurine travel into the air, towards the ground, where it struck - shattering into tiny fragments of rock. Heartbreak and anger set in, just as Felina hopped down from her perch and steadied herself, a few feet from them.

Rick immediately raced towards the remains of the statue, desperately picking up the larger shards and feeling their value evaporating like the money he was about to make. Allan, however, turned his full attention to the newcomer, as the grapper reeled back into its socket. A heroine. A fucking heroine, he thought. She was gorgeous, brown flowing hair, dark purple-costumed, lovely mask, shapely athletic figure... but his thoughts were as far from contemplation as could be. He cast a quick glance at his distraught brother, then at the fragments of the statue. He looked at the tazer, less than one metre from him where he had dropped it, but didn't bother retrieving it. He rose to his feet, his angry stare never leaving the heroine's form. In six months, they had never failed in any assignment. Reputation was at stake - if not ruined. A perfect record broken by the interference of this... this...

"I suggest you surrender now before you do more damage!" she stated.

They did more damage, thought Allan. It was her fault the statue was broken; had she waited a few more seconds, the statue would have been secured in the case. Had she done it a moment earlier, it would not have been in Rick's hand. She had deliberately waited, he knew.

"Do you know what you've done!" he yelled at her, not caring that a guard might be attracted to the scene by loud conversation or sounds.
"I won't say it again," she replied, "surrender now!"

Rick was getting up, leaving the fragments of the broken statuette on the floor, looking at her, then his brother. They didn't have to exchange a single word. The bitch was going down.

Like one man, they charged. Fortunately for Felina, she was ready. As quickly as they rushed her, she bent her athletic form and was ready to move; Allan was closer so he got to her first, but she sidestepped his lunge and he ran into the shelf, almost knocking it over. She rolled away from Rick as well, back to her feet in a flash, smiling. The two men were further enraged by her bravado, and assaulted her once more. Felina's agility and grace again allowed her to sweep away from them as they tried to punch and grab empty air.

"I can do this all night, boys..." she scolded them.

The Duo looked at each other, understanding that this heroine was expertly trained in the martial arts, and it would be quite a feat, even for the two of them, to take her down using conventional means. Together, they had never faced a heroine, and compared to many of their colleagues who might relish the opportunity, they had never wanted to. They did their best without having to raise a ruckus, and this was clearly not their best work.

"Got a name, hero?" Allan spat at her.
"Felina. And I got yours. Larry and Moe. Where's Curly?"
"Funny..." Allan replied.

Rick had retreated towards the crate and retrieved the case where the statuette would have been stored, had it not been smashed into a thousand pieces. Meanwhile, Alla kept talking.

"Do you know what you just did, Felina?"
"I'm thinking you're about to tell me..."

He took his time before entering into the diatribe; he needed to give his brother time to prepare something. He knew that she would keep him in his line of sight, but that didn't matter, as long as he kept her mind - if not her stare - occupied with him.

"That statuette you so fortuitously made us drop was a one-of-a-kind piece, unique, worth probably over half a million... Korean in origin, at least nine hundred years old... we were hired by a third party to retrieve it and were going to be handsomely paid too, a nice bonus for our ailing mother in the nursing home..."
"I'm all tears..." she joked, keeping an eye on both, waiting for him to get to the point.
"So now, we're empty-handed, with a lot of money we're never going to get, and we don't like that at all. So... we're thinking, how are we going to get our money back?"
"Try applying for a loan," Felina smirked, "although with your credit..."
"Haha. Very funny. But here you are... and suddenly, I'm thinking... yeah, she must have some money, or at least something of worth on her to be able to pay a fancy costume like that..."
"This little thing? Bought it at the SuperMart, a steal."

By now, Allan hoped his brother was ready. It was time try something bold.

"So... we're at an impasse, are we Felina?"
"Not for me. Only one wait out for you buys... surrender and I take you to the cops."
"I don't like that option," Rick said, and he tossed the case in her direction.

Felina was ready for it; in fact, she had expected them to pull a stunt from the moment the camisoled one had started talking, so seeing the case fly in her direction didn't take her by surprise at all. What made her afraid was that it wasn't locked so as it flew in her direction, it opened, and a vast array of lockpicking tools, some of them very sharp, toppled out of the case and into her direction. Because there were many projectiles, she couldn't focus on a single one, so she had to dodge them al in bulk. She quickly started side-stepping to her right, getting some distance between herself and the falling objects. She noticed, from the corner of her eye, that Rick was pouncing again in her direction, going full throttle. She waited until the last second to flip in the air, rolling on his back, and putting her elbow against his collar bone, pushing him into the ground and breaking his momentum. Rick coughed hard as he sprawled against the floor. The clang of the case and the various metallic items that hit the floor resonated in her ear.

She was about to turn around and face the other one when the two tazer bits poked through her costume just between her shoulder blades and sent the electrical ark into her. Her muscles seized instantly and her entire body shook from the surge as he fell to the floor besides Rick. Allan quickly raced up to her before she could get her bearings and wrapped his strong hands around her throat, choking her.

"This is what you deserve, bitch! Two hundred thousand!"

The charge had subsided, but Felina was still momentarily paralyzed, unable to defend herself. The two hands around her throat were preventing air from reaching her lungs, and she felt herself fading, unable to hold on to consciousness.

Suddenly, Allan let go and went to his brother who was barely able to stand.

"You ok, bro?"
"Yeah... damn she hurt me bad..."
"Can you stand? Can you walk?"
"Yeah... did it work?"
"Oh! She's out!"

She wasn't completely gone, but her awareness was only partial. She heard voices and saw shapes, but the nervous shock as much as the lack of oxygen had number her entirely.

"What do we do, man?" Rick asked, trying to nurse his injured back."
"We gotta get outta here. Too much noise, someone's bound to come look."
"What about her?"
"We take her with us... look, maybe there's a way we can salvage this op..."
"How?"

Allan paused, contemplating the fragments of the statuette, then the defeated heroine beside him.

"We'll think of something."

Rick did his best to gather all of the scattered tools that he had placed in the case before throwing it, while Allan focused on Felina. He slumped her over his shoulder after extracting the prods from her back; two small drops of blood formed where the spikes had pierced her skin. He then gathered his own equipment, and the two brothers exited the building the same way they had come in.

***

"What are we gonna do, man?"

Rick was panicking and there was no way for his brother to truly calm him down. Their reputation was on the line. Their livelihood too. Perhaps even their lives. Allan was taking a more pragmatic approach, considering his options.

"Panicking will not resolve the problem, Rick."
"Mr. Vincent is gonna kill us..."

They had retreated to one of their disused lairs, one they used only for storage. They had taken their captive with them. She was currently tied up to a wooden chair with strong tie-wraps. There was no way she was getting out. She had not yet come to; Allan had made certain she would sleep for at least an hour so she wouldn't see where they were going and also so she wouldn't bother him while he was thinking. But she was slowly coming to. He was considering if he should sedate her again, but there was no immediate need.

Allan sat down and told his brother to do so. Rick complied, still very anxious.

"So the bottom line, we lost the item. It won't matter how to Mr Vincent."
"But... if we show her to him, explain how she interfered, maybe he'll forgive us."
"I doubt very much he'll kill us, Rick," Allan plainly stated. "But he'll be pissed. At her. At us... I'm more worried about the customer who wanted the item in the first place. He'll be the one after our heads - and hers probably."
"So... so... maybe if we hand her over?"
"Maybe... I may have another idea. We still have the picture of the item, right?"
"Yeah, we do... Why?"

Allan was thinking fast.

"Oh no, man! Not a fast one..."
"It would fool Mr Vincent, I think, but not the customer at the other end... at best, it would buy us time. No, you're right Rick, it's a stupid idea."

Allan's gaze turned back to the heroine.

"All we really got from this gig is that Felina girl..."

Allan got up, walked her to her slumbering form. He hesitated for a moment, then removed her mask and examined her face.

"Don't know her... damn..."
"Maybe we take a picture, find out who she is?"
"No..."

He put the mask back on; she started to stir even more. She would wake up in a few moments.

"No... that's not a good idea either."
"Why not?" Rick inquired.
"If we unmask her publicly, it may cause more harm than good. There's a... stalemate kind of thing going on with the heroines."
"I don't understand."
"Look, I don't either. It's just... you've heard the stories about them, right?"
"Heard a lot of stories."

Allan moved back to the table.

"Bottom line is... the masks have to stay on. LIke... protection or something. If you don't go after them in their daily lives, you get a beating... if you try to take them down outside of the field, at home for example, that's when they nail you hard. At least, that's what I heard."
"Yeah but... ok. Fine."

Finally, he heard her voice as she was coming to.

"Shit..."

He got up, motioning his brother to do the same.

"You said it, babe."

She shook her head, chasing the cobwebs from her perception. She didn't recognize the place, but she recognized her two kidnappers.

"Great... it's still. Larry and Moe."

Allan burst out laughing.

"You got spunk, I'll give you that."

He turned to Rick, an idea entering his mind.

"Hang on, bro... I got a plan. Get a camera."

His brother carried out the order, while Allan went to retrieve pen, paper and a good knife. Felina watched him sit down at the table, then write something on the piece of paper. He got back up, bringing the knife close to her.

"Wait... wait..." she pleaded.
"Relax, babe. If you stand still, I ain't gonna cut you."

She obeyed; he slipped the knife under her costume, the blade pointed outward. He started slicing through the thick cloth of her reinforced spandex all the way down her sides, from the underarm to her waist. He then cut the cloth over her lower region; he finished with the straps on her shoulders. Without effort, he pulled the costume off of her, exposed her entire chest, abdomen and crotch. For a moment, he admired the gorgeous view. She looked away, dejected.

"Relax, babe... I'm not gonna do you unless you give me a reason to. This just makes it look real."

Well, small wonders for that, she thought, not really buying it. Rick came back and as he neared, he froze.

"I found the... holy crap, she's naked."
"Yes she is. Set up the camera on the table, facing her."

Rick obeyed, and started filming.

"What are we doing bro?"
"Home video project for Mr. Vincent."
"Oh! Nice... that way we can show you him the goods without showing him the goods."
"Yeah... and there's a bonus... we put the video on the internet and ask for a ransom."
"A ransom? Who's gonna pay for her?"
"Someone will... I'm sure of it. These girls, they all know each other."
"Yeah, but how are we gonna get them to contact us."

Allan showed him a piece of paper with a telephone number on it.

"Who's number is that?"
"A burner phone, GPS turned off."
"Man, bro, you're wicked genius."
"I have my moments."

The two of them headed back to Felina. She had heard everything but said nothing. She didn't want them to know how alone she operated, and how no one might come to her rescue. She still had hope of turning the situation around. Allan recovered the knife and told his brother to set himself behind her.

"I'm gonna cut the tie-wraps now, Felina," Allan said. "If you cooperate and do as we say, we won't rape you. If you fight back, it's gonna get messy. Capiche?"

She nodded her understanding. He cut one foot loose first. Rick was behind her, ready to take hold. He released her left hand; immediately, Rick grabbed hold of her arm, twisting it back so he could control her movements. Allan then went for her right foot; as it got free, she kicked him in the face. His arm was in the way, so it took the brunt of the hit. Before she could do more, however, Rick punched her in the back of the head; the pain numbed her reactions for a moment. She suddenly felt the blade against her neck and she froze.

"That's going to cost you, bitch..."

He cut off the last remaining bond. As Rick lifted her off the ground, securing her arms behind her with his strong grip, Allan kicked the chair off of her. Rick squeezed hard, making sure she could not ignore the pain. She bit back against the sensation so she would not give in to it. Allan walked up to the camera, talking to it.

"So here's the deal... this here is Felina, one of the heroines of Eve City. As you can see, we have her, exposed and secured."

She strugged to get free, but to no avail. Rick was much stronger than her, and he had secured his hold tightly. Allan came back towards her.

"I told you not to fight back, and you tried to kick me... you didn't hurt me much, but you still deserve a punishment for your lack of cooperation."

He placed one hand against her belly, gently caressing her around the navel. She was able to sway her legs to the side, barely, so Rick made a sign for Allan to help secure her. He wrapped his right hand around her throat, squeezing it. It made her suddenly more docile. Hanging on tight, he slid his finger down to her sex, teasing her shaved opening gently with his finger.

"Don't..." she whimpered through the choke.
"Should have thought of that before you resisted, Felina..."

With his hand around her neck, he was able to tilt her head slightly; he pushed it back a little, while his left index slid carefully along her slit, caressing the edges of her labia. She wanted to hold back the moan of stimulation, but her lack of breath prevented it, causing it to come out as a grunt. It made Rick laugh.

"Man, we ain't ever done anything like this..." he added.
"You like it, bro?"
"For real man... you're really playing her like a video game..."

He leaned in and gently bit her nipple. She squirmed.

"Pushing all the right buttons, you mean..."
"Yeah..."

She wasn't very reactive to his touch. Allan wasn't very surprised, and he didn't really need her to be. The idea was to humiliate her, not rape her. Now, if she had managed to cause him severe injury, well... that might have been a different matter. Allan looked at his brother and could see his fascination with the entire affair. This kind of thing didn't really turn Allan on, truth be told, but it was having quite an effect on his brother.

Allan felt confident enough to slide the tip of his index in-between the pursed lips of the heroine's pussy. She grunted again as he started gliding up and down, teasing her without violence. His finger ended up at the top, resting against the tightness of her clit. He played a little with it...

"All right..." she pleaded as best she could with his hand still wrapped around her throat. "You've made your point... I'll cooperate. Just... stop..."
"Give me a reason to,"he replied.

It wasn't that what Allan was doing was very humiliating to Felina, although being videotaped while he was teasing her did a certain element of discomfort. It was mostly that he was being gentle about it, despite his sadistic smirk. Allan wasn't a beautiful man by any standards. Even his eyes were cold, but he emanated control and power, as opposed to his brother. By toning down the violence to a minimum, he was eating away at her resolve. Her body was slow to react to his touch, but her mind was already racing to all the things he could do to her - past experiences flooding her memory - and that was stimulating her. In fact, she could feel herself becoming wet, not really from his touch, but from the memories. And as long as he kept at it, the memories remained vivid. As for an answer to his question, a reason to stop, she had none, other than it was too much for her to handle.

"I can't... breathe..."

He actually relaxed the choke on her neck, but kept his finger navigating just at her entryway. Allan realized she was starting to get aroused. This puzzled him a little bit; he didn't think it would happen, to be honest. Perhaps there were circumstances in her he was not aware of. He wondered for a second if he should take advantage of it, but quickly decided against it. At least, in front of the camera.

She was so thankful when he pulled his hand away, she whispered it to him. Rick still held her tight, but when Allan let her go to move back to the camera, she remained docile again. Allan picked up the piece of paper, placing it in front of the camera.

"If anyone out there cares for Felina, call this number, ASAP... We want half a million dollars or else she may never see the light of day again."

With that, Allan turned off the camera.

"Your faces are on that tape..." Felina said.
"Yeah. So?"
"So they'll know you have me," she replied, wondering why she was telling them.
"Sure. And they'll try to find us, only they can't. We've been off the grid for months, nothing to trace, nothing to find."

Allan moved towards Felina. She cringed at his approach.

"Will you relax, babe? We want the money, that's it. If no one pays, you'll pay in kind eventually. If not to us, then to someone else, but someone will get paid, one way or another..."

He turned to his brother.

"Drag her to the bathroom, in case she needs to go, and tie her up to the heater."
"Got it. What are you gonna do?"
"Once she's secured, I'll head out to meet... the guy... while you keep watch."

Rick dragged her to the room but Allan came along, just to make sure nothing funny happened. Rick sat her down on the toilet and told her to go about her business. This was actually more humiliating than before, having them watch as she relieved herself. Rick was still very nervous but Allan remained cool as she performed. Once she was done, Rick grabbed her left arm and handcuffed it to the heater, a solid structure. She wouldn't be able to tear it off. To secure her even further, he then wrapped a tie-wrap between her two wrists, binding them together. Allan seemed satisfied. They left her there with the door open and returned to the main room.

"I'm taking this to Mr. Vincent," Allan whispered, "retrieving the tape. I'll explain everything to him and tell him we got her in custody, if he wants her."
"You gonna post the video?"
"Only if he gives it a go..."

As Allan grabbed his jacket, he paused, staring at his brother.

"Listen up good, Rick... she's gonna try something while I'm gone. You'll be alone with her. She'll try to get you to release her somewhat, complain about something, heck! she may even try to seduce you. Keep away from that girl until I come back. Got it?"

Rick nodded his understanding, and Allan hurriedly walked out, dialing the number of their contact to set up a meeting. With luck, he would not be gone for more than an hour. He trusted his brother with the package, but he wasn't certain how he would react if she started using diversionary means to escape. Still, he couldn't let his brother talk to Mr. Vincent. Words were his strength, not his brother's. This was the way to do it.

***

It took about an hour for Mr Vincent to get to the factory once he got the call. He was concerned. Allan's voice told him something had gone wrong, but he insisted on meeting him personally. It was almost morning now, but that was no problem for the businessman. He usually slept in the afternoons.

Arriving, he allowed his bodyguards to precede him as he joined a very nervous Allan at the table where they had previously made the plans.

"I don't like your face, Allan. What gots you?"

Allan had rehearsed the words many times in the hour he had been waiting. His speech was ready, and he knew that hanging on to the truth would not serve his interests.

"The statuette is destroyed."

Mr. Vincent froze, his eyes darting left and right with concern. Allan kept talking.

"We had an unexpected run-in. Somehow, one of those heroines that patrol the city fell on us while we were transporting the statuette, and it broke. Not salvageable."
"This is tragic..." murmured the businessman.
"We managed to capture her, though."

Mr Vincent examined Allan with intense scrutiny, but he did not seem to be lying, and he certainly felt remorseful, unlike he had ever seen him before. This was no ploy. Allan was telling the truth. In fact, the thief handed his cell phone to his boss.

"We filmed a proof of life..."

Mr. Vincent took a moment to watch the short video of the two men teasing the costumed girl.

"I'm not familiar with her," he said.
"Her name is Felina. I'd never heard of her."
"Did you unmask her?"

The truthful answer was yes (although he had no idea who she was), but in this instance, Allan lied.

"Nope."
"Good. Our employer does not want them unmasked."

Allan was relieved internally. That lie had been the right one. Everything else, all true, had allowed this one to slip by.

"So... you want to exchange her for ransom?"
"It was all I could think... you said the value of the item was half a million, so I figured we'd at least compensate the buyer for his loss by giving him the amount. I know it's not really the..."
"It's actually a very interesting idea, Allan."
"It is? I honestly wasn't sure."

Mr Vincent was impressed.

"It speaks to your quick wit, something I've always admired."
"I failed to get the item, sir... I have no excuses."
"You don't need any. We have her now. We can trade her for money. If no one pays, we can sell her into slavery."

That part Allan didn't like, but truthfully, it was simply because he had no interest in that kind of business, not because he felt it morally wrong.

"If you say so..."
"Where is she now?"
"One of our hideouts. My brother's watching her."

Mr Vincent cast a sinister grin to Allan.

"Did you have some fun with her?"
"Well, yeah, you saw the video and... oh... no. Nothing like that."
"Why not?"

Allan had no answer, so Mr Vincent played it up.

"You should. They expect it."
"What?"
"So I've been told. When they're caught, it litterally explodes their sex drive."
"uh...."
"Some people say that's exactly why they put themselves in harm's way. It's a fetish, like bondage. They get off on it. We only aim to help them along with it."
"I guess so."

Allan wasn't buying. True, he had seen some reaction from her while he was teasing, but he didn't think this woman - this Felina - was the type to want to submit. She did it so she could control her environment and avoid the stronger humiliation and violation that might come with resistance. Still...

"Maybe I will," he replied, still unconvinced.
"Here's how we'll proceed. Leave your phone to me. I'll edit the video and make it presentable, and then, we'll distribute it where it will get the most exposure."
"Fine. I'll head back to my brother."
"Do that... have fun with her, then bring her around tonight, around 7PM. I'll have someone take her off your hands."

He acknowledged the order and got up. All in all, it had gone much better than expected. His truthful remorse, not to mention that he didn't try to blame it on someone else, had played in his favor. As he walked out, he only hoped his brother was following orders.

***

Rick was getting restless. His mind was trailing back to the humiliation Felina, their captured heroine, had endured at their hands less than an hour ago. It had made him hornier than ever. She was practically naked in the bathroom, both hands tied up to the heater... what could she really do to him if he wanted to take advantage of her predicament?

Ah! but there were the orders of his brother, Allan, the one who had an answer for everything. Don't do this. Don't do that... it made Rick sick to know that he couldn't indulge his urges just because his brother didn't want to. Then again, he would not come back for at least an hour, and if he timed it right, Rick could be done in minutes...

He put the idea on the backburner. Allan was right. She was dangerous. He remembered her fighting moves, how she had avoided his charge, her elbow in his back. It still hurt a little, even after all this time. He wanted to hurt her back... maybe just rough her up and not...

She wasn't make any noises. The door to the bathroom was completely open and there was no noise coming from there. He got up, concerned, and peered into it. She was still there, still exposed, still bound... not getting away, obviously. She was planning something, he knew it.

"You'd better not try anything!" he defiantly called out.

She looked up at him, raising her shoulders. It brought his eyes straight on her large mounds, and he felt the tightness in his pants. Damn her! Why'd she have to be this hot?

He walked away, back to the table and he sat down. Maybe just jerk off... he unzipped his pants and slid a hand into his underwear, gently stroking it for a second. What a waste, though... Better to use it on her, maybe jerkoff at a distance, keep it safe, watch her writhe... yeah... but his brother had said to wait for his return.

Rick wanted to turn on the television or the radio but there were none in this storage space. He let out a long sigh, and he heard her do the same. She was as bored as he was. Maybe she'd enjoy some company... the thought, and his hand still in his pants, made him feel warm inside. He really wanted to fuck her good...

Time crept as he tried thinking of other things. The game, for instance. He had watched the local university teams play each other recently. He enjoyed women's sports especially. Seeing them in their tight costumes as they ran across the court... he loved the University bombshells. Their court was just in the Oxford district, north of here, but he'd never actually gone. He imagined how it was in their locker room, right after a hot and sweaty match and... fuck! He was thinking about sex again.

He got up, his pants still unzipped, walked back to stare at the naked form of the heroine. She looked up at him. He was really pissed now.

"All right, babe..." he hazarded.
"Yes?" she wasn't playing coy. He could read her hatred. Good.
"My brother's not here to protect you, so I'll make this simple for you. I'm gonna get you out of my system good..."
"Don't even try it."

Her arrogance was music to his ears. He slipped out of his pants but kept his underwear on. Felina braced herself, knowing full well what he intended to do to her. Despite having her hands bound to her side, she still had full access to her feet. She was ready. He seemed to realize it because he hesitated. He wisened up for a moment and grabbed two items from various containers : a set of tie-wraps, which he slipped into his underwear, and a metal pipe, to be used as a weapon. He returned to her, feeling more confident.

"You're gonna spread your legs and let me fuck you or, Devil as my witness, I will bash your head in with that."

He was intimidating, but Felina was not impressed. She would rather take the improvised club to the head than be raped. Still, she might use his arousal to her advantage. She made herself look dejected, as if she was accepting her fate and spread her legs slightly. Because of the way her body was positioned, both of her arms tied in front of her and to the heater, she was on her side. Attempting to penetrate her at this angle would be practically impossible unless he himself got to his side. What she did was twist her lower body so her ass touched the floor, assuming as best as she could the infamous 'brokeback' picture so common in American comics. This made her pussy seem readily accessible.

He inched over to her, still very careful. As he got to his knees, just beyond the reach of her feet, he raised the pipe and reached into his underwear for a tie wrap. Given the length of the heater, it was possible for him to try to wrap her ankle (if she bent her leg) to the machine in question. She surmised that was his plan. With one leg and both hands bound, she could not resist. He grabbed her ankle, with the hand holding the tie-wrap and tried to set it into position. She bent it. It was hard for him to do everything with a single hand and she knew it. He was trying to get her right leg immobilized; her left remained unhindered. She needed to calculate her opportunity.

Finally, he was able to set her right ankle, having bent her leg far enough to do so and therefore having crawled close enough, to attempt to secure her leg. As he tried to circle the tie wrap around the heater and her leg, she pounced. Her free left leg darted up and connected with his head, once, twice, three times. His head bumped against the heater and he was quite stunned. She flipped him to the other side with her right leg and sent the heel of her foot into his chest,  then wrapped her knees around his throat, choking him. He tried to wail about with the metal pipe but was only able to hit the water heater and the counter with it. She applied the pressure on him for as long as it took for him to stop wriggling. Only then did she take a moment to pant a sigh of relief. Using her flexible legs, she pulled him up on top of her, close enough so she could get a good look at him. But there was nothing usable on him.

She almost screamed out of rage. He had been taken out, but she was no closer to getting free. At least, now, she could try to fight against the water heater without running a chance of being interrupted. She pushed him back to her feet, getting the metal pipe to her restrained hands, hoping to use it as some sort of leverage to either break the handcuffts, the tie-wrap of the heater itself. Thankfully, it wasn't turned on high, so there was little chance she would get burned.

She worked over the items for as long as she could, straining herself as none of them showed signs of breaking. Time was passing; she kept kicking her jailor in the head every time he made a motion to stir.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a door opening. The other one was back. For a second, she considered taking the brother as a hostage but, for some reason, she chose not to. Ultimately, she thought, it would not make any difference.

Allan walked in and didn't see his brother. He got scared and raced to the bathroom and saw the scene.

"You stupid moron!" he called out racing in to drag him out.

She didn't stop him. Felina felt defeated. A full hour to escape and she had failed. She saw them disappear from view.

Allan checked on his brother. He was still alive, bruised and unsconscious... and in his underwear.

"Man! Why'd you have to be such a prick sometimes?"

It was not hard to figure what had happened. He returned to the entrance of the bathroom and stared her down. She tried to seem defiant, but her heart was not in it anymore.

"He tried to rape me..."
"What makes you think I won't?"

She didn't answer. He actually crouched down in the entrance and looked into her eyes.

"The things we hear about you girls out there... you wouldn't believe."

Why was he still talking to her? She had beat his brother to an inch of his life. He should be attacking her, punishing her... violating her. It only seemed appropriate at this point. He was talking.

"Do you enjoy getting captured?"

The question was direct. She decided to be as upfront about it as possible, suddenly empowered by her own emotions. But she didn't answer. She answered another, unspoken question, the real question that she felt was being asked.

"Last year, I was so high on drugs I got dragged into an orgy... I must have had sex with seven or more people, and they ravaged me... they weren't kind. That was before I took up this costume - what's left of it. Before, you understand!"

He listened, not certain why it was important.

"On one of my first outings, I got captured and raped. This drug dealer, he undressed me, had his goons beat me up, then jammed his dick inside me and pumped me full of his cum. That's when I got a contraceptive implanted."

She was ranting, she knew it, but it didn't matter.

"There were six girls after that... biker chicks, and they swapped me from partner to partner, and they stuck things inside me... all my holes..."

Her statements were full of emotion, but stated as matter-of-fact, like they'd happened to someone else.

"Do I like getting captured? More like, do I like being raped? Do I get off on it? What do you think?"

He dropped to his ass, contemplating her. He wasn't sure what to make of her. She was gorgeous, desirable, but why was everyone fantasizing about them, he wondered.

"There's this place in town, I heard about it... the women dress up like you... people pay extra to simulate taking them down and having them..."
"I'm not surprised," she replied. "City's full of degenerates."
"It's not about you," he suddenly concluded.

She didn't understand. It didn't really matter to him. The notion of her, the fact of her existence as a heroine had transformed the expectations. Those humiliations they had suffered had altered how the criminal element saw them.

"You became whores..." he stated.
"How dare you?" she spat at him.
"No. I don't mean you are whores... I mean, that's how people see you. Like porn stars. They've changed the way they talk about you girls."

What was he mumbling about, she wondered, and why wasn't he simply jumping her, like she knew he would? She had beat up his brother. It only made sense that he would take it out on her.

"When Andromeda first appeared, people were all about how powerful she was, and how good she was doing. And then others arrived, and pretty soon, you became... expected. Normal. And then, you were shown to be human. Weak. Like us. Suddenly, you lost that edge and became victims... damn."
"What are you saying?"

She was getting irritated by his monologue. He finally turned to her.

"You're thinking I'm going to rape you, aren't you?"

She could not lie at this point. Her admission made him smile, but not for the reason she thought. He got to his feet.

"Holy crap! You've come to expect it. You don't want it but...you anticipate, and that's what got you riled up. And if it doesn't happen, my God! Look at your confusion."

He wasn't going to rape her? Or was he? She couldn't tell anymore.

"Goddamn lady, psychiatrists would have a field day with this."
"So... now what?"

He stepped back and went to see his brother. He still wasn't waking up. There was an opportunity here, he thought. He went back to her.

"Do you think anyone's gonna pay the ransom?"

Again, she had to come clean.

"No. I have no one with that money."

It was only half a lie. Her parents might be able to pool half a million by liquidating a lot of resources, but for that, they would have to know it was her, and that would mean removing her mask.

"I didn't think so. My orders were to have fun with you, then hand you to my boss tonight. If no one pays, you're gonna be sold to slavery. Shanghai probably. Big market there, I hear."

Felina looked defeated.

"Well... if you're gonna have your fun."
"Oh! Believe me, Felina, I haven't had this much fun in years. I've never met anyone like you, and it's fascinating as fuck..."

She was feeling flustered now. Was that a compliment? Who was that odd, unpredictable man?

"Okay... so you're not gonna rape me?"
"I didn't say that..."
"Dammit! Stop playing with my head..."
"But Felina, that's the point. That's the only part that's gonna get to you. I could line up ten guys in a row to fuck you every which way, it'd still do nothing to your psyche. But this... me, talking... that's got your mind in a knot, and that's the beauty of it."
"Then why are you telling me this?"

Why was he telling her this, he wondered.

"Because... I don't want you to become a slave, not with a personality like yours. You won't survive. I see it. They'll try to break you, you'll fight back. They'll kill you. Or worse, they'll drug you, make you complacent, but then you'll lose that unique drive in the back of your mind. No. That can't happen."

He looked back at his brother.

"I told my bro not to try anything, but he's always been so thick when it comes to his prick. Can't think straight. Like most men."
"Not you?"
"Don't get me wrong. I think with my dick too. You're hot, and you know it. You exhude that confidence and sensuality like it's a second skin. Makes you strong. But it gets you into trouble, like this."
"Are you letting me go or not?"

What to do, he wondered again. This was turning out to be the strangest night of his life. From nobody to transient worker to goon to thief to psychologist... at least, that's what his road up to this moment felt like.

"I will let you go."

He ran back to a storage space, retrieved a small pair of scissors and, coming back, tossed them to the heroine. She hesitated for a brief moment. This made Allan laugh to no end. He ran up to his brother, tapped on his cheek to get him to stir. Rick barely moved; his head was buzzing. Meanwhile, Felina had manage to cut through the tie-wrap, but she was still handcuffed. He came back to her and noticed.

"Right... right."

He retrieved the key but, before tossing it to her, gave her a strange smirk.

"Tell you what, Felina. I'll make you a deal. Very simple. You can walk out of here, no questions asked, and we never see each other again. That's it."
"What about selling me as a slave?"
"I'm not interested in that... here's the deal. You can walk out - end of story. Or, you can try to take me down, take me into custody. Try to defeat me. Just me. My brother's still out, I checked."
"My choices?" she said, staring at the key in his hand. "Fight or flee?"
"Yep..."

He tossed the handcuff key to her. She hurriedly freed herself, standing up, massaging her wrist as she evaluated her chances. She was still naked and exposed, but she was free at least. What was the man's game? Would he follow her if she fled? Or perhaps there were people waiting outside? It was some kind of trick. Still, she stepped out of the bathroom, casting a glance at the still unconscious man not far from her.

"So?" Allan inquired. "What'll it be? If you say, leave, I'll step out of the way and let you go. No strings."

He was really an arrogant something - she didn't have a name for what he felt like. All his words were jumbled in her mind. Mostly, she remembered his finger against her slit, and the humiliation that it inspired. She was angry with him.

"You`re going down."

He was bewildered but ecstatic. She advanced on him, ready to pounce, ready to claw at his face. He was ready too. As she swung wildly, empowered by rage, he backed away towards the door. She screamed as she ran up to him, ready to pummel him senseless, to break his jaw and wipe that stupid expression on his face. How dare he make light of the events! Her punches were wild, without focus; even hitting their mark, they barely slowed him down as he spun around, leaving the door to freedom now available. But she ignored it, and kept racing after him as he danced away from her fists. She stopped for a moment, panting.

"Unbelievable," he said.

She screamed again, rushing him with more force, actually managing to push him back against the far wall with her momentum. But as she was about to punch him in the face, he moved her fist aside and slapped her cheek. The sharp contact broke her concentration and she simply fell to the ground, not even injured but completely shaken.

"You don't get it..."

He picked her up from her shoulder and slapped her again. She didn't even resist or fight back. He let her go and she fell to fhe floor, slumping over.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself."

His brother was finally stirring, grabbing his injured head. The screams and sounds of combat had finished waking him up from his daze. Allan looked at him, smiling at his sorry state.

"What you get for not listening to me, bro..."
"uh... yeah... sorry."

He could hardly say more at the moment. Allan got to his knees, grabbing the heroine by the hair, pulling her to her knees.

"I honestly wasn't gonna do it. I was truly going to let you go. I still will. Slavery's not an option for you. You deserve to be out there, fighting crime, getting caught, getting fucked... and getting released, and starting again. It's a pattern..."

He forced her on all fours. Without even holding her, he made her keep the pose as he started to unbuckle and remove his jeans. Rick looked on, still confused, and saw what was happening.

"Fuck man... what's going on?"
"We're doing our part for the betterment of Eve City, bro."
"What?"
"Just come over, but do exactly as I say, got it?"
"Yeah... okay..."

With some difficulty, his head still hurting, Rick crawled over towards them, wondering what was going to happen. He saw Felina, the heroine that had bashed his head in defeated, compliant, her ass raised as she waited on all fours, almost eager. He didn't ask how it had happened.

"So... Felina... you're gonna give a handjob to my brother, to apologize for what you did to him."

She didn't answer. She simply extended her hand. Rick was confused, but Allan told him to get closer, so he did. Once he was within reach, she pulled on his underwear to reveal his flaccid sex. Instantly, she grabbed it. All the blood was in his head, but it started to travel downwards. Allan finished removing his underwear and started stroking himself, getting ready for what had to come next. It was part of the protocol, apparently.

"I hope you get to enjoy it at least, Felina," he blankly stated. "I'd hate to be the only one getting fun out of it."

He caressed her buttocks, giving them a gentle slap. She twinged upon contact. It made him smile. He visually checked her receptiveness and was pleased with what he saw. He let a finger do a second verfiication, confirming his previous assessement. She needed no further provocation for him to do what he needed. Still, he was almost gentle about it, resting the tip against her opening, then gently squeezing it in in a slow movement that made Felina let out a long moan. He pushed in as deep as he could and remained there, enjoying the heat from her body. Felina's hand was massaging Rick's manhood well; it was now back to a fully erect state. Before Rick could act upon anything, Allan spoke up, serious.

"Bro! You let her work her magic, deal?"
"uh?"
"Don't do anything. She does the work, just relax and enjoy."
"Ok."

It was time for Allan to get under way. She had declined her chance for a clean escape. It said a lot about her, he reasoned. But the thinking was over now. Time for pleasure.

It was a long and drawn out session for Allan. Rick barely lasted three minutes before Felina's touch made him release into the air. But Allan was going at it with intent and purpose, not simply seeking to achieve his own pleasure but insuring two things : first, that she would also get some release from him and second, that she understood how she could have left and not be submitted to this, to him. Once he was sure she had come once in this doggy position, he pulled out, set her on her back, and returned to his work, staring at her face as she gently moaned and panted under his care. He started talking to her.

"Are you enjoying this?"
"No... I mean yes... no..."

Her mind was completely ravaged by his earlier words, and her body was beyond her control.

"You know you could have left, right?"
"You would have... stopped me... uh..."
"I wouldn't."
"But... you're a criminal... you have... no honor..."
"Ah... I see..."

For all his intellect and holding back, Allan was still a man, and he knew he wanted to end this on a high note for himself. She had earlier said she was using a contraceptive, so he was not afraid of burying himself inside her fully. He started to play around with that notion.

"I'm so close, Felina... I can feel it..."
"Me too... oh... damn I hate you... oh..."
"I know you do... I want you to carry my child..."
"No... not in me... please..."
"But I love you... our child will be perfect..."
"No!"

She had forgotten. She was in her mind, not here, elsewhere. That's what happened. That's how she coped. And that was it for him. He experienced a powerful release, the result both of his physical and intellectual stimulation, and he made sure that her own needs were satisfied, as he kept pumping for a long time even after taking his pleasure on her. Then, as he collapsed on her, they kissed, and he smiled. He pulled out of her, laughing. His brother, witness to the whole scene, still didn't get it. He never would.

Felina rolled on her side, panting, weak and full of despair. Allan took a moment to recover himself, then grabbed his underwear and pants.

"Felina, it's been a pleasure, but me and my brother must really be on our way."
"w-what?"

She looked up at him, confused. Rick also did not understand. Allan looked at him.

"Get your pants. We need to leave. The cops will be here soon."
"They will?"
"Yep... I'm certain of it."
"Uh... ok. What about her?"
"Leave her. We don't need her anymore."
"We don't?"
"No. Come on."

Felina watched Allan get dressed, then walk around the room gathering his stuff. He told Rick to wait for him outside near the van and to stand watch, in case the police showed up early. Rick complied, still uncertain what was happening. Allan got back to Felina, who was still on the ground, still unmoving despite the fact that she was free. He got down to her level.

"Listen Felina, I'm a screwed up guy, so you can take this with a grain of salt, but you need help. Therapy. You're not right in the head."
"But you... raped me..."
"Yes I did. Because you stayed. Because you thought taking me down was more important than getting away, catching me another time. It's all the emotions. They got you messed up good. My advice. Stop wearing those tights, not because the costume is sexy and provocative, but because you're just looking for trouble and, unfortunately, people are too eager to give you that trouble. World's screwed up, young lady. Think about your life choices before you run around half-naked at night in spandex."

He got up and walked out, leaving Felina in a worst place than she had ever been.

***

It took four months for Lisa Lohan to wear the costume again. Somehow, this single man, this low-key thief, had gotten to her. Therapy. She had followed his advice and it had actually helped. It wasn't that she wanted to get raped. It wasn't even that she liked it when it happened. It was simply something that, after a few attacks, she had come to accept as a nececessity of her job, altmost like she was asking for it. It was certainly what most of the pop-psychologists were saying on the radio and on television. That summer was a very shameful moment for the more public heroines of Eve City, with the strange invasion at Gateway Park, the mechanical monster from the industrial district and the Waterlords on the Beachfront. The public nature of those defeats and humiliations certainly did not help the heroines' reputations. Still, on her own, Lisa made progress enough that her confidence returned.

When she returned to duty, the first thing she did was track someone she had abandoned to the social services four months prior. She had wanted to follow up with her case, but the trauma from her confrontation with her agressor had left her unable to pursue. It was time to look into it, and there was some fear in her mind. She hoped she would find her well.

Her full name was Sungya Li Yao. She was Korean, thirty something, and she was now working in Asia Town, a cook in a local restaurant. She had no papers apparently, but had managed to remain in Eve City and even found employment with her local community. Lisa walked into the restaurant in the middle of the afternoon, at a time when it would not be too busy. She walked up to the clerk at the register and spoke in her imperfect Chinese.

"Hello. I am looking for Sungya."

The clerk called out to the kitchen.

"Sungya. Visitor. Make it quick!"

The cook left the kitchen and arrived in the front of the restaurant, a shy smile on her lips, an inquisitive look in her eyes.

"Yes?"

She didn't recognize Felina without her costume and mask. For a moment, Lisa wondered what she could say. It came to her.

"Hi. My friend Yu came here the other day and she told me that your food was the best."
"Thank you. Friend is nice."
"Yes, she is. Anyway, she said you looked sad. I asked around, people said you don't have much money, so I wanted to give you a gift, on her behalf."

Lisa handed her an envelope, but the cook declined.

"It's money," insisted Lisa.
"No need money. Good job here. Found my son."
"You did. You have a son? That's wonderful."
"Yes. Good kid. Makes me proud."

Lisa pushed the envelope into her hand.

"Then give it to your son... Sungya, are you ok? Are you all right?"

Sungya gave her the strangest smile, as if she didn't understand the question. Somehow, the heroine insisted.

"You were hurt... you were... assaulted."
"Oh! Yes... old history. Move on. I have a job now. A family."
"Yes... you do."

Lisa couldn't stop smiling. She ordered some take-out food and left as soon as she got it. Walking around Asiatown, staring at the buildings, she acknowledged that, perhaps, her agressor was right about her, in part at least. But it was only a very small portion of the picture.

"It's not about fighting crime," she said to herself out loud. "It's about doing good."

THE END