Untold Tales of Superheroines

Psylocke’s puzzle

by

Skytower

It was hard to lie in a bath. Lillith Crane had found out very early in life that it was easy to lay in a bath, to let the warm soapy water ease the strain of gravity on your body, but it was hard to to lie. That was only one of the reasons she liked to have meetings with her Sally’s, the group of women whom she had saved from unfortunate lives and pressed into her service, in a bath. The other was that the running water and steam made it very hard for a listening device to work. Not that there was much of a chance of a bug being planted in her private mansion, but there was no sense in taking chances. Besides, tonight’s meeting was special.

The others were already in the bath. Sally Prime, the first girl Lillith had broken to her will, stood half in and half out of the water. Sally Prime stood 5 feet 9 in her bare feet, her body a temple of her daily workout. She had taken to letting her auburn hair grow and it now discreetly covered her breast. Her face was a juxtaposition of angles that was not unattractive, but not strikingly beautiful. Both of the Sally’s beside her stood quickly as Lillith approached. Sally’s 41 and 41.5 were twins, the only twin Sally’s that Lillith had. They stood at exactly five feet tall, with similar round bodies. Heavy set, the girls were not fat, but would never be called thin. The twins were 21, found at age 16 when Lillith had built a factory in the midwest. They were the daughters of a devil worshiping cult. Abused from an early age they had little to look forward to until Lillith had rescued them, killing their parents in the process. The twins had taken to her rule quickly, and usually did odd jobs for her.

"At ease." Lillith said, removing her own robe. Her body, while not as hard as Sally Prime’s, was hard enough. She wore her brown curly hair in a bun, enchanting her faces stern appearance. She eased into the water, thankful for the warmth after a cold day of business dealings.

"Tell me."

"She’s been back for a month." Sally 41 said.

"And there hasn’t been anything to tell really." 41.5 finished. They often did talked this way and Lillith nodded for them to continue.

"She got back, without the tatoos..."

"Or at least the ones we would have been able to see.."

"But she hasn’t gone near the Batgirl stuff."

"She spends a lot of time cooking."

"Cooking?" Lillith asked.

The twins nodded.

"She’s been getting a lot of Martha Stewart stuff in the mail."

"We keep smelling chocolate chip cookies..."

"And once we followed her to an homeless shelter and she had a big bag of cookies and things."

"You followed her?" Lillith asked.

"Just once." Sally 41 said, shrinking under Lillith’s narrowed eyes.

"But it was an accident." Sally 41.5 said quickly. "We were going to see if the latest "Strangers In Paradise" had come out and the homeless shelter was right next to the comic book store."

Lillith nodded and the twins looked relieved. Lillith didn’t want any of her Sally’s near Barbara Gordon, at least not openly. After Lillith’s torture the former Batgirl had vanished for a few months, and in the interim Lillith had worried. If Barbara could ever piece together what had truly happened, identified who had tortured her, Lillith’s life would be over. She had taken all the precautions she could, even to the point of buying Barbara’s building and installing the twin Sally’s in the apartment bellow.

"She’s had some really strange visitors." Sally 41 went on.

"Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl..."

"They had a threesome one night." Sally 41 said.

"We don’t know that for sure." Sally 41.5 said. "They had the stereo on and it was hard to hear."

"But there was a lot of shouting and crying."

Lillith nodded again. Though Barbara Gordon had every electronic scrambling device known to man covering her apartment, it could all be defeated by a drinking glass pressed against the ceiling.

"All we could be sure of was that she did a lot of crying." Sally 41.5 said.

"Batman’s been to see her a few times. Also some weird guy in a cape, and another in a wheelchair."

"Mystics and mentallist." Lillith said. "That is why I don’t want you getting close to her. These people read minds easily."

"Last night this woman came to see her." Sally Prime said, handing Lillith a photograph. A serious looking Asian woman with blue hair stood in profile. A red mark covered one of her eyes. "Her name is Betsy Bradock, also known as Psylocke. She is, or was an X man."

"They had some sort of seance or something, her the cape guy and the guy in the wheel chair and in the morning Barbara shouted out: "Evergreen st". Sally 41 said.

"It was just a name, but everyone got exited and Psylock said she was going to check it out tonight."

"Evergreen." Lillith said. The name of the street that abutted the warehouse she had tortured Batgirl in. She floated over and gave each of the twins a hug. "You’ve been great girls. Relax a while, then head back to the apartment. Stay sharp, and start making noises that you have to move out soon."

"Yes Mistress." the twins said.

Lillith sat at her desk, a robe loosely covering her body. The view from her home window was a dark one, the night covering all of the flowers in her garden. It matched her mood perfectly.

"We are in trouble Sally." she said, turning her chair to face the other woman. "They can and will trace the warehouse back to us, and all it will take is a simple mind scan to betray our guilt in the matter. I thought I had solved the problem by pretending it was a dimensional abduction, but somehow Batgirl found a name."

"I checked Psylocke in the SuperVillain Database." Sally said. She had pulled on a shift rather than a robe, and it clung to her still wet body. "According to the read out Psylocke possesses many telepathic abilities, enabling her to read minds, communicate mentally with others over long distances, stun the minds of others with "mental bolts," control the minds of others, and create illusions in the minds of others. Psylocke can intensely focus her psionic powers into her "psychic knife", with

which she can stun or kill an adversary. She is also highly skilled in Far Eastern martial arts."

"Wonderful." Lillith sighed. "The database pronounces our doom Sally."

"It could be wrong." Sally suggested.

"At a subscription price of one million dollars per year? Not likely." Lillith had known about the database for years. It had been set up by a former supervillain who had realized that the information age was a true path to wealth. He and his agents traveled the world and interviewed defeated supervillains. From those villains they built a database on heroes and heroines, complete with powers, weaknesses and personality quirks. Lillith had subscribed to the service long before her encounter with Batgirl, more out of curiosity than anything else. Now she was beginning to realize how valuable it could be.

"We have to kill her Mistress." Sally said. "I know you don’t like to kill, but do we have a choice?"

"Sally killing a superheroine is like killing the president. Had we killed Batgirl or kept her captive we would have had to face Batman, if we had defeated him we would have had to face Superman and on and on. Despite their protestations of beings loners superhero’s are a very close knit group."

"But if they do not know..."

"They didn’t know about Evergreen St" Lillith cut in, getting out of the chair and began to pace. "Sally, remember the McClork serial murder case that Batman solved last year?"

"Yes."

"Do you know how he solved the puzzle?" Sally shook her head. "He found one strand of McClork’s hair in the middle of the football field." Lillith held up her finger. "One strand. Two months after the kidnapping." Sally’s mouth opened in a silent "O" of amazement. Lillith started to pace. "We can not win directly Sally. Our only hope lies in their ability to believe almost anything. With Batgirl I hoped we had succeeded."

"What shall we do Mistress?"

"They know the street." Lillith said, walking back over to her desk. "Let us base our actions on what they know." She sat down on her desk and pushed a button on the edge of it. The bookcase behind Sally split apart, revealing a giant computer screen. At the same time a computer keyboard slid out from a slot on Lillith’s desk. She tapped some keys and a map of Gotham city appeared. Another tap and Evergreen st was highlighted and zoomed into. The street ran north to south in a straight line. On one side was the warehouse Lillith had used, on the other was a collection of smaller warehouses. An arrow cursor appeared on the screen and Lillith slowly moved it down the street, highlighting each building. As each building was highlighted ownership and other information appeared beside it. Sally said nothing, knowing that her next move depended entirely on her Mistress.

"There." Lillith said, stopping on one of the largest buildings. As she stopped information appeared on the screen next to the building. "Owned by Istern Inc, a subsidary of LexCorp."

"He is dangerous Mistress." Sally warned.

"Yes, but far less dangerous than a horde of superheros. Luthor can be dealt with by a single assassin, and few would care. Also his is the warehouse that this Psylocke person will check out. His reputation will see to that. Call Sally’s 12 and 14 and Sally 4."

It was dark and raining in Gotham City. Psylocke pulled the hat down over her head and the long raincoat closer to her body. Beneath them she wore only her costume. Blue spandex boots that ran up past her knees, a blue one piece, French cut so her legs could move freely and running up to her neck. Above her boots was a blue band also of spandex. Similar bands rested above her long blue gloves. She shivered slightly the moist air working it’s way through her coat. She had curled her long blue hair up under her hat, pulling the hat slightly out of shape. The rain ran over the edge of her hat and trickled down her back. For two hours she stood in the shadows, watching the street. For two hours nothing happened save the rain. At last she started to move. From shadow to shadow, she flowed, barely disturbing the rain in it’s path toward the ground. When she reached the warehouse another shadow trip brought her to the roof. While one part of her mind worked on the alarm system, Betty let another part remember the wreck that was Barbara Gordon. Superheroing was a dangerous business, and Betty had seen many a low deed. But what had been done to Batgirl was different. Barbara had spent months on Paradise Island, and still was only superficially cured. They had removed the tattoos from her wrist and ankles, healed the peircings of her breast, but Barbara refused to let them take the bat tattoo from her chest and back. She gave no reason, but Wonder Girl had told Betty that late at night Barbara talked to the tattoo.

No one was sure what had happened to her, least of all Barbara herself. She remembered the villainess, a witch no one had ever heard of, being defeated, but her memory wasn’t clear. Psylocke was going to find out. Dimensional villain or one of the homegrown variety, no one tortured a superheroine without paying for it.

The warehouse was empty as Psylocke lowered herself to the floor. All her senses were alert, she could hear the hum of the electrical current though the wires, smell the dust disturbed by her passing. Her eyes sorted the gray forms of wooded packing crates from the darker shadows. Her mind eased outward, cautiously searching for other minds. For a few moments she stood there, getting the feel of the place. At first there was nothing. Then she heard a slight hum. Low toned almost indistinguishable from the background hum of the building. But there. She moved toward it, cautiously. Behind a crate there was a small black sphere. It hovered over a round platform covered with arcane symbols. Cautiously Psylocke probed it with her mind. Nothing.

Suddenly Psylocke realized that she wasn’t sensing anything because she couldn’t any more. The background buzz that filled her waking hours, the low level flotsam and jetsam of a million Gotham city minds, was gone. Even as she realized the loss, lights erupted in the warehouse. From every direction and in every color they flooded the chamber. Startled she pulled back, but the shadows were gone, or at best changing position every second. Harsh sound filled her ears, nearly pounding her into the floor with it’s power. Psylocke staggered back and leapt instinctively toward a corner of the warehouse. Even as she leapt the superheroines felt three points of pain blossom on her body. One on her leg, another on her arm and a third on her breast. Looking around she saw insect-like creatures emerge from the shadows. She pulled a dart from her skin, realizing with horror that it had been a trap. That realization was dragged with her into darkness.

The music stopped, the lights returned to normal. The insect creatures turned transparent and faded from view. One of the packing crates trembled for a moment, then opened. Lillith stepped out, holding the dart gun ready. Cautiously she walked over to Psylocke and turned her over. The heroine didn’t even moan as her limp body was turned.

"It’s safe." Lillith called, visibly relaxing.

Two more of the crates opened. Sally Prime and Sally 12 stepped out.

"The charges are ready Mistress." Sally Prime said, bending down she started to tie Psylocke’s arms and legs.

"Good." Lillith said. "And very good work Sally 12, that gas did exactly as it was supposed too."

"Thank you Mistress." Sally 12 said, her face beaming under the compliment. "It’s used in neural surgery to deaden parts of the brain. I wasn’t sure it would work for her telepathic ability."

"I had faith in you." Lillith said, giving the woman a hug. Sally 12 flushed red. Lillith pulled a small communicator out of her pocket and activated it.

"Did it work?" Sally 14’s girlish voice filled the room, almost shouting the question.

"It worked." Lillith said. "The holograms were fine Sally."

"Thank you Mistress." Sally said. "I hope she’s never played Starcraft before, I had to lift them from the game."

"I doubt it." Lillith said. "Prepare the next stage."

"Yes Mistress." Sally 14 said, signing of with a click.

"The charges are in place Mistress." Sally Prime said. She had tied Psylockes arms and legs with a web pattern of rope. Once we leave this place will be a smoking patch of glass."

"As will most of the street." Lillith said. "Has it been cleared?"

"Yes Mistress." Sally Prime said. She and Sally 12 rolled Psylocke onto a two wheeled dolly and strapped her to it. "There was only one homeless man, he’s been taken to your shelter, the rest of the warehouses are all electronic alarms."

"Good." Lillith nodded. "Let’s go then."

With Lillith in the lead the helpless superheroine was wheeled out of the building and into a plain panel truck.

Psylocke struggled awake, her will pushing her subconscious mind to the side and letting her conscious mind view the world once more. Her first feelings were of being stood upright, but tightly bound. Ropes, smooth, almost soft, but unbreakable, crisscrossed her body in a pattern that made movement impossible. Her arms were locked parallel with her spine, completely immobile. A mask of some sort had been fitted to the bottom half of her face, holding her jaw closed tightly enough that her teeth ground together. Another strap ran over her head, between her eyes and ended at her nose. To hooks had been placed just inside her nostrils and pulled tight. Betty was puzzled, she’d been tied and gagged before, but having her nose pulled up was a new experience. Betty’s ears were filled with clicking/humming noise, irregular in pattern. The air was fetid, barely breathable. Her telepathic powers were returning, but very slowly. Betty strove to cast her mind out, either as a call for help or as a probe of her surroundings, and failed. With no other recourse the captive superheroine opened her eyes. She wondered if her captors were the same ones who had abducted Batgirl.

At first glance they didn’t look like the faceless witches Barbara had described. They did not even look human. Twenty or more of them filled the small chamber. They balanced on twelve sharp legs, with long segmented bodies. Their heads were wedge shaped, with small red eyes and wide alligator like mouths, filled with sharp teeth. They all wore jewelry to some extant. Braided gold was looped around their legs, and diamonds were studded into their bodies. The chamber itself was a corridor. The walls, floors and ceilings were covered with a dull brown paste, colored here and there with deep shades of red. One of the creatures walked toward her, studying the heroine as if she was a bright bauble in a curiosity shop. The clicking/humming noise increased as he did so.

Betty fought a rising tide of terror as the creature examined her. One of his feet, sharp as a spear and covered with tiny hairs reached up and poked through her costume near the breast. With a few deft slices her nipples were exposed. The humming increased again for a moment, then decreased. More of the clicking sounds were heard and Betty wondered if she wasn’t being laughed at. With her breast partially exposed the creature split her costume, being careful not to touch any of the ropes that bound her. Pieces of her costume were pealed away, and Betty couldn’t stop herself blushing as the bottom of her costume was pulled from her. She shuddered and screamed through the gag as one of the creatures legs touched between her legs. The clicking became louder as her fear became more evident. Clicking a little himself the creature turned away.

A long table was brought up from behind her and Psylocke was pushed onto it. Betty felt her breast mashed as more ropes were used to fasten her tightly to the table. Her hair was grabbed and pulled back, then secured, forcing her face up. Then the table was slowly pushed foreword.

Psylocke strove with every ounce of will she had to use her mental powers, but they were sluggish. Like a leg or an arm that had fallen asleep, they moved but reluctantly. A light came on suddenly, revealing that Psylocke was moving toward a plant. The plant was a complete anomaly in the chamber. It was potted, about four feet high. Brightly colored blue and green blossoms, shaped like small bells hung from the stems. From the blossoms small stems, covered with dust poked out. Inexorably Psylocked was moved toward the plant. The closer she got the more she was able to pick out details. The colors were more of a mix, blended subtly together. The stems were covered with small stiff thorns. When she was about a foot away the plant moved. The heroine’s eyes widened as one of the blossoms turned toward her face. It lifted slightly, the stem in the center quivering.

Impotent and terrorized the helpless heroine was moved closer to the plant. She squirmed and tried to scream, but managed only a muffled squeak. The blossom covered her nose and the stem slowly worked its way into her nostril. She felt it, her eyes filling with tears as it snaked it’s way past her nasal cavity. It moved further into her head, ignoring her silent sobbing. She felt an electric shock as it reached her brain. It was like a pin prick, or as if someone had snapped their fingers next to her ears. A part of her mind seemed to fail, and she nearly blacked out.

Suddenly the lights dimmed, electric circuits crackled and exploded into smoke and fire. The creatures and the plant, infact the entire chamber vanished. Psylocke found herself laying on a metal table, infront of her, it’s mechanical arm just retracting was a medical instrument of some sort. Standing around her was a group of women. The leader, a smallish woman with dark hair stood infront of her. Pyslocked recognized the woman.

Surprise and shock flooded Lillith’s mind as the holograms faded. Psylocked looked up at her and the business woman knew horror as the heroine recognized her.

"Put her out!" Lillith snapped.

Psylocked struggled as a needle was plunged into her but, then slumped down unconscious. Around the lab the electrical sparks continued for a few moments, then stopped. Dead silence filled the room.

"Sally 14." Lillith said coldly, her voice causing a few of the Sally’s to tremble. "Come here."

A door at the far end of the lab opened and a small woman with a round face and gold hair stuck her head out. She looked ashen, tears in her eyes.

"Come here." Lillith repeated.

Like someone walking to death Sally 14 walked silently across the lab. The other Sally’s stepped back from her, looks of sympathy on their faces. Sally 14 stopped in front of Lillith and kneeled, her head down.

"What happened?" Lillith asked.

"There was a lightning strike." Sally said, choking back tears. "The power surged, the hologram generators burned out..."

"Why wasn’t the lab safe from this?"

"I..." Sally 14 started to talk, then stopped. The room waited in silence for her to continue. "I didn’t have time Mistress."

"You knew the storm was going to last through the night." Lillith insisted.

"Yes Mistress."

Lillith bent down and took Sally 14’s throat in her hand. Slowly she lifted the girl up, at the same time bending down so they were eye to eye.

"Did you have the time Sally?"

"No Mistress." Sally 14 said, tears flowing freely from her eyes. "I had too much to do, and we’ve never had a lightning strike before."

Lillith released Sally’s neck and slowly hugged the girl. Sally 14 collapsed, crying and Lillith comforted her until the sobs subsided.

"You can’t foresee an act of the gods Sally." Lillith said, easing her back. "Even in my service."

"Yes Mistress." Sally said, wiping her eyes.

"Now go get cleaned up and inspect the damage."

"Yes Mistress." Sally 14 said, scurrying away.

Psylocke lay on the floor, still bound and unconscious. Lillith leaned back in her tub and let Sally Prime massage her shoulders.

"We must kill her Mistress." Sally said.

"If we do they will contact her spirit and learn what happened." Lillith said.

"We must keep her prisoner then, for the rest of her life."

"And how long until she escapes? How long before a mental probe finds her? We have shut off the part of her brain that provided her mental powers Sally, but we have not prevented another mind from reading hers. If the plan had worked we would have taken her on a journey of terror, and then faked our own defeat. It might have worked. But she knows me Sally."

"The explosion will give us some time Mistress." Sally Prime said. "Already the news is focusing on LexCorp."

"Time to do what Sally?" Lillith asked, hugging her knees to her chest. "I can’t believe the work of my life is being put in jeopardy by exhibitionist who don’t know that underwear goes on the inside of clothing."

Taking a deep breath Lillith plunged beneath the water, staying there for nearly two minutes. Sally stood and waited, worry etched into her face. The worry did not fade as Lillith surfaced.

"Your right Sally, we will have to kill her and take our chances."

"There is another way Mistress." announced a small, scatchy voice. The owner of the voice hobbled into the bathroom.

"Sally." Sally Prime said, leaving Lillith and trotting over to help the other woman.

Lillith smiled inwardly. Sally Mystic, the only other of her Sally’s to have a last name, was also the only person who could have caused Sally Prime to leave her side without permission. They were lovers, as remarkable as that would seem to any who saw them. Sally Mystic was a tall gaunt woman, with ivory white hair that flowed to her waist. Once that hair had been jet black. She wore the hair draped over her left shoulder and down her body, partly to hide it. Sally Mystic had been the only survivor of a Soviet experimental laboratory. The Soviets had spent years capturing people or families with even a hint of para-normal abilities. When the Soviet Empire had collapsed the scientist had gone into business for themselves. They had captured and sold many poor souls until Lillith discovered the operation. Sally 6 had led an armed squad into the facility a day ahead of a UN rescue mission. The scientist were in the process of destroying the place. Sally Mystic (her real name, strangely enough) was the only survivor, and she was set on fire as Sally 6 entered her room. Sally 6 saved her, brought her to Lillith’s mansion, along with four of the surviving scientist.

Lillith kept the scientist prisoner while Sally Mystic hovered between life and death, and watched as Sally Prime fell in love with the tragic victim. When Sally Mystic was strong enough Lillith allowed her to kill the scientist. They did not die peacefully, a fact that Lillith appreciated. That had been nearly a year ago, and Sally Mystic was still not fully recovered, she might never be. One arm was a charred stump. Sally 12 and Sally 14 had built her a pair of bionic legs, but she was still unsteady on them. They had so far failed to perfect an artificial arm. Her left breast was gone, infact the left side of her body was a horrible mass of burn tissue. Sally 12 estimated at least five years of skin grafts before the woman looked anywhere near normal again. She wore a loose fitting robe of frictionless Teflon fabric; it was the only thing she could stand to touch her skin. Her face had been untouched by the fire. It was the perfect model of Asian beauty complemented by deep green eyes. She was the one Sally Lillith had never needed to train, her gratitude made her loyalty as absolute as Sally Prime’s. Lillith waited silently as Sally Prime helped her lover to a chair.

"I can help Mistress." Sally Mystic said, grimacing against the pain that any movement caused her.

"Are you sure?" Lillith asked. "Your still not very strong Sally. I won’t have you risking yourself for me."

"I know a spell."

"What sort of spell?" Lillith asked.

"It’s a spell that requires only minimal mystical energy to start it." Sally Mystic said, coughing and quickly hiding the cough. "It’s a combination of potions, enchantments and needs only a little of my strength. The spell will turn her into a small creature, with no memory of what she is now, or was before."

"A curse?" Lillith looked at Pyslocke, helpless on the floor. "I suppose there is no other way."

"No Mistress." Sally Mystic said, a smile returning some of the life to her face. "I know of your benevolence, you would not tolerate a curse, not to one such as her. This spell is a blessing."

"A blessing?"

"A blessing Mistress, she will live as a queen in paradise."

"Tell me more." Lillith said, stepping out of the water.

Psylocke woke slowly, painfully, but no longer confused. She could guess now what had happened to Batgirl, if not why. But there was also the stomach sinking sensation that such knowledge was fatal to it’s owner. Why she was waking up at all puzzled the heroine. Her telepathic powers were gone, she could feel only a numbing ache from that part of her. But the rest of her was ok. Betty could feel the warm moist air around her body. Her nude body, but that didn’t really worry her. She was upright, still tied with the same intricate web of soft yet strong ropes.

A gong sounded and Psylocke opened her eyes. She was in the middle of a circle. In the circle was an intricate design of some sort. It was drawn with different colored powders. Raising her head the heroine looked around. Beyond the circle was a collection of mirrors, giving her a full view of her body. Suddenly Psylocke realized that apart from her head she couldn’t move. She was tied to nothing, but immobile and perfectly balanced. The gong sounded again and infront of her one of the mirrors shimmered, rippling like the surface of a lake. A woman stepped through. She wore a loose fitting robe of gray, her long black hair streaked with white. She was Asian; perfect in body, with fathomless green eyes. The woman began to dance, her feet never touching the powder drawn designs. Psylocke looked into her eyes and was held by them, if only for a moment. Then the woman was moving past her head, around her body. The gray robe faded, revealing a slim body, breast that were slightly upturned with bright red nipples and a neat triangle of black hair between her legs. The body was somewhat like Psylocke’s body, differing only in that Psylocke had larger breast and her nipples were not as red. The woman danced to a music Psylocke could not hear, but it was a gracefull dance all the same.

Betty became aware that the woman was starting to touch her. First with her long hair, as she moved it whipped around and softly flayed against Betty’s arms. Then her legs, her thighs, stomache, breast, neck and finnaly her head. The hair felt like warm breeze on a cold winter’s night, or the warmth of a fireplace. Betty felt almost comfortable for a moment. The woman stopped infront of her and kissed the helpless heroine on the lips. It was a hot kiss and Betty found her mouth opening and her toungue reaching out to accept it. She was aroused. It shocked Betty to realize it, but she was sexually aroused. Her breast had grown hard, the nipples more sensitive. Moisture started to collect between her legs.

When the kiss ended Betty found herself once more held captive by those green eyes. The woman started to dance again, this time running her hands all over the heroine’s nude body. But she didn’t actually touch. Where ever her hands flowed Betty felt the static electicity left in it’s wake. Every hair on her body stood on end. Betty was more aroused than ever now, rapidly loosing herself in lust. She tried desperately to hang on, like a drowning woman clutching to the rocks even as the tied carried her out to sea.

Again the woman stopped and kissed her, and again Betty reveled in the kiss. This time the woman left her mouth, moving down to her neck, her breast, her stomach and finaly her pussy. For a few minutes her tongue played both inside and outside the entrance to Betty’s most sacred place. She played the captive heroine like a piano, driving her to an orgasm. Then the woman stopped.

Betty opened her eyes, not realizing that she had closed them. The woman held up her hands, and they slowly revealed themselves to be brushes. She allowed Betty a long look at them, then started to dance once more.

This time the woman actually did touch her. Betty could feel patterns being drawn on her body. They rested against her skin, first warm, then hot, the cold. With each pattern the heroine felt a part of herself slip away. They crisscrossed her body, rippling her skin with their energy. The orgasm did not fade, it intensified.

Betty’s world started to look different. Colors faded, smells and sounds became more pronounced. Her breathing slowed, then stopped. Her heartbeat slowed, then stopped. Not dead, yet far from alive the heroine watched the dance end. Then she was floating, being carried to a waiting vat of what looked like molten amber. She floated over it, her mind numb but her spirit strangely calm. Though she could not feel her body anymore the resonance of her orgasm still fed her soul with pleasure.

The Asian woman opened Betty’s mouth and poured a potion into it. Betty wasn’t sure if she swallowed it or not, nor was she sure it mattered. Nor did it matter that the woman was no longer of black hair and full of limb. Betty was in a state of bliss that allowed no worry, or thought. Even as she was lowered into the amber liquid there was nothing but peace within her mind. She felt her body fade away, and herself merge into the liquid. The universe beckoned and Betty went willingly.

Lillith watched as Sally Mystic knelt on the floor. She had been in a trance for hours. She made no noise, no movement. She barely breathed. Lights and music came from the circle of mirrors they had constructed around Pyslocke. Sally Prime had carried her lover as Sally Mystic drew the circle of power and enchantment. Now she stood between them, clearly concerned. Suddenly there was muffled explosion in the circle of mirrors and they shattered, revealing a solid block of amber. Psylocke’s body could be seen in the amber, still nude and bound. Sally Mystic opened her eyes. She groaned and started to fall.

"Sally!" Sally Prime shouted, moving toward her.

"SALLY PRIME STAND STILL!" Lillith shouted.

Only the obedience of years of slavery halted Sally Prime in her tracks. Lillith reached out and took hold of her oldest servant.

"If we break the circle she’ll die Sally."

"Yes Mistress." Sally said, letting Lillith hold her in place.

Sally Mystic rallied herself, bringing her body erect once more. Then she began to chant.

Pyslocke stood in the middle of a peaceful grove. It was late spring, she could feel the life in the air. Beside her ran a brook, softly bubbling it’s way to a small pond. The scene was perfect, but false.

"Where are we?" she demanded, knowing who would answer. The Asian woman who had danced before her rose out of the ground. She wore nothing, nor did Psylocke. Cloths weren’t necessary in this place. The woman bowed.

Psylocke didn’t.

"I only bow before an honorable opponent." she declared when the woman looked at her quizzically. "Where are we?"

"You already know." the woman said. She started toward Psylocke, hands and feet flowing from one combat stance to the next. "This is the locus of your being Betty Bradock. From here your soul leaves, and to this place your soul returns."

Psylocke answered the moves, matching them. For a few minutes the two danced around each other. It was a contest beyond the physical, beyond the mental.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"My Mistress is threatened by you." The woman said. Her stance changed, arms arched above her head, her body balanced on her toes.

"Because I know her name." Betty said, countering the stance. She raised herself on one foot, drawing her arms behind her.

"She is too benevolent to seek your death." The woman replied, collapsing into a sitting position, her legs crossed her palms flat against the ground. "So we are here, and we shall leave."

"It’s not that simple." Betty guessed.

"Your soul shall leave, this part of you shall remain, and I will take another part to live through this lifetime."

"A part that doesn’t know Lillith Crane." Psylocke said.

"Your life shall be long and pleasant." The woman countered. "My mistress is generous to her servants and pets."

"I am not a pet!"

Psylocke struck first. In a blur of motion her leg arched around and caught her opponent in the side of the face. It was a mistake, and Psylocke knew it. Her anger had dictated the move. The woman rolled with it and came up, wheeling to hit Psylocke at the knees with her foot. Psylocke was down and up in the same heartbeat. The woman met her, grabbing the heroine’s arms and pulling them straight. She jumped up, wrapping her legs around Psylocke’s stomach and pulling backwards. Psylocke moved with the flip, but couldn’t prevent the jarring landing. For a moment she was stunned and the woman jabbed her fingers into each of Psylocke’s temples. Pain erupted in the heroines head and her sight was lost.

Psylocke threw the woman off and rolled away, massaging her temples to clear her sight. The woman allowed her to finish before moving in once more. She slid between Psylocke’s legs and brought her feet up, ramming her toe into the base of the heroine’s spine. Psylocke gasped as her legs went numb and she fell to the ground. Roaring with rage she swung her arms and caught the woman in the neck, sending her sprauling.

"You will be a well looked after pet." the woman said, coming toward her.

With another roar Betty dove at her, forgetting that her legs were nearly useless. The woman dodged her and took hold of Betty’s legs. Four sharp blows to her ankles numbed the heroine’s feet. Desperately Betty bent her legs, catching the woman in the side. She fell back gasping and Betty rolled away.

The woman knelt on the ground, trying to breathe while Betty rolled her feet into the brook. It worked, the cool water bringing them back to life. Still she could barely stand as the woman recovered and came toward her once more.

"You have been a pet to someone before." the woman said. "It is a peaceful life."

"It’s not a life!" Betty screamed, letting her legs collapse she used the momentum to roll into the woman, knocking her down. They rolled on the ground, wrestling. Betty struck out savagely, fear and anger driving her. The woman defended herself, taking hard blows but deflecting he worst of them. When she saw an opening she took it, bringing both arms up under Betty’s arms. The blow stunned Betty as her ribs cracked. The woman followed up with a blow to each breast, then she lashed out savagely into Betty’s stomach. She doubled over and the woman used Betty’s momentum to throw her over and roll on top of her. Quick blows to Betty’s thighs followed, numbing her legs.

Urgently Betty brought her fist together and slammed them into the woman’s back, knocking her off. The woman rolled up, ready for the next round. Desperately Betty tried to work her legs while the woman circled her. She managed to get to her knees before the next attack. The woman leapt clear over her and before Psylocke could react she felt sharp blows down the center of her back.

Psylocke’s arms fell limply to her side. Her legs buckled once more. Lying face down in the grass she breathed deeply, trying to force her body to move.

"She who strikes the first blow in anger is she who will often loose." the oriental woman said, picking Psylocke up. "I am surprised that you forgot that."

"I never had a chance." Psylocke said, gritting her teeth. "You bitch, this is your arena. Why play with me?"

"You had a chance." The woman said, laying Psylocke down beside a tree. From nowhere she produced rope and began to tie the heroine’s arms behind her back. "Had your spirit been strong enough, wise enough, I would have lost. But now I will bind you with your own anger, and that anger will keep you here."

Betty’s arms were tied from wrist to just above her shoulders. The woman then began to lace the rope around her body.

"If I’m here what’s going to live out my life?" Betty demanded. "Or was that a lie?"

"There are no lies here." The woman insisted. "What will live your life will be a part of you." She pulled her captive into a sitting position and began to tie her legs bent. "But fear not, my Mistress is benevolent."

"Like she was with Batgirl?"

"Batgirl lives, as will you." The Woman said. Betty was now sitting on her knees, legs apart. Her legs were tied behind her, her wrist tied to her ankles. A network of ropes ran from her body into the ground. More ropes criss-crossed her body, framing her breast and keeping her arms helplessly behind her back. The woman fitted a mask over the lower part of Betty’s face. Then tightened it.

"Mmmph!" Psylocke tried to swear. It was a futile gesture and it aggravated her that she couldn’t do more.

"Here you shall stay." The woman said, standing. "In peace and safe, for the life of your body, and when that body dies your bonds will fade, allowing you to continue the journey of your spirit." She reached over and placed her hand over Betty’s breast. The hand turned to smoke and faded into the skin. Betty felt an icy hand reach into the warmest part of her heart and take hold of it. She stiffened, tears flowing from her eyes. The woman drew her hand out, holding a small golden ball.

"Mmmmph?" Betty demanded, looking at it.

"This is the part of you that will live your life." The woman said, cradling it to her stomach. She gestured toward the pond. "In the pond you will see the life you now will lead. I will leave you now."

The woman bowed and faded into the ground. Betty tried to scream but the gag silenced her. She tried to move, but the ropes held. At the end the only thing she could do was sit and breath. A small whimper escaped the defeated heroine.

Sally Mystic could barely stand the next morning, but she insisted on doing the job herself. Taking a hammer she pounded on the now solid amber. It cracked at the first hit and shattered at the third. Within the dust and debris a small form moved. The creature that had been Betty Bradock, nee` Psylocke looked at the world anew. She now stood about a foot high. The bottom half of her was a cat, with wide paws and black fur. Where a cat’s neck should have been there was the torso of a human woman. A tight stomach, upturned breast with red nipples, long arms ending in three fingers. A mane of purple hair flowed down the back and merged with the rest of the body. Her face was an combination of cat and human, with Betty’s nose being combined with a cat’s set of whiskers and the all-knowing eyes that cats possess. Two large ears moved independently of each other, straining to hear the world. Lillith walked over and picked up the creature, marveling to hear the purr. Sally Prime handed her a small collar and there was no objection as it was fastened around the former heroines neck.

"Welcome Sally Kitty." Lillith said, stroking the creatures fur.

Sally Kitty meowed and nuzzled Lillith’s breast.

End.