The clean-up had gone fine. We had great crews at the BSH who were used to working on the cleanup. After everything looked settled and civilians were all cared for, we got ready to head out, and that was when the issues arose.
The entire time, Venus was rooting around in my mind, noting my wants and concerns. I knew she was going to cling tightly to me, especially after having just allowed her to restore the connection.
She was incredibly concerned with keeping me happy and with ensuring that she could keep the connection. When I thought of leaving the site of the attack, a panicked response came from her mind, and she was looking for any and every way to stay by my side.
You can come stay with us, I offered, knowing she would probably have started camping out in the bushes outside the manor if I denied her.
I didn’t need her creeping around, staring in my windows. Better to let her in and give her a room. The girl could use the comfort, anyway.
“But you always carry him. I should be able to.” Venus stomped as Stella clung to my arm.
You said I could stay with you, she pleaded into my mind.
Yet at the same time, Stella looked like she was about to fight over this.
I sighed. “Stella, let her carry me. Venus, you need to calm down. I’m not going anywhere. You can come stay with us. First, we need to stop by your place and collect your things.”
“She’s coming to live with us?” Melody raised an eyebrow at that and the implications. “She knows?”
I nodded. “More later. And, Venus, you’ll have to take the mask off at home.”
She gripped it as if it were a life raft.
I knew there were issues with her identity. Given the memories I saw, she was likely highly recognizable, given that she used to be a famous popstar. The idea of Stella finding out later made me smile.
You need to calm yourself. This is a safe space. Nothing will happen to you, I tried to smother her in thoughts of comfort.
Venus’s mind curled around those thoughts of comfort, soaking in them.
Poor thing. I understood her need to connect to another mind for these positive thoughts, but it broke my heart knowing that she needed it.
Venus scooped me up, having won the argument with Stella, and shot into the air, flying us over the city. Stella pouted, seeing me being flown away. But we needed to go see Venus’ place and collect her things.
Her suit flapped in the wind along with her bouncy, auburn curls. "I'm thrilled to move in with you, but I don't have much. I... uh..."
Venus' mind swirled. She was clearly embarrassed about where we were heading, and she was trying not to focus on it in her mind.
I guess we'd see soon enough. "It's fine. I'm doing well, and with Stella and Melody's income, we don't have to worry. It can't be that bad, can it?"
Venus wilted. "Yeah, it can be."
She floated towards a rundown apartment building that was clearly in the center of the slums. The whole area was in disrepair. A pothole had taken over the entire street outside the apartment, and there were signs of water leaks down the side of the building's cracked concrete.
"You live here? On a hero's salary?" I asked in complete disbelief. Her hero salary and the royalties on her songs should set her up far better than the current mess of an apartment in front of me.
"My mother took out a lot of debt in my name when she had control of everything." Venus couldn't meet my eyes. "I barely am able to keep the collectors away."
Rage and sorrow filled me. After everything she’d been through, her mother had found a way to keep messing up her life even after the former singer was free.
"She's dead." Venus felt my thoughts. "When I stopped performing and stepped out of the spotlight, the money dried up in months. They found her dead of an overdose. I think she found a new dealer and thought it was trash, so she used too much."
Wrapping Venus in a hug, I noted that her thoughts towards her mother were quite cold. She felt far different about her parents’ deaths than I did, but both affected us. "I'm sorry."
Feeling her mind shift from coldness to self-blame, I fiercely pulled her to my chest. "Don't you dare fucking blame yourself. What she and the manager did to you, they didn't look after you. They used you and tied a fucking anchor to your ankle."
Venus sniffed and pushed off me as we landed. "Let's get this over with. But I'm sorry for any trouble I'll bring you."
I waved her concern away. "I want to see a collector come and try to hassle me for money." There was a vicious grin that spread across my face at the idea. I almost hoped they’d try.
They might be legal, but the businesses often seemed far from fair or good. They made their money off those already struggling, pushing them down when they could barely get back up, anyway. I knew if people didn’t have to pay, there would be chaos, but profiting off the debt of those struggling to pay was close to villain territory in my book.
Venus fumbled for a key and had to brace the door as she turned the key to even get it to open.
"Door bad?"
She shrugged. "Sort of an extra security layer as far as I'm concerned... I normally don't come in openly with my costume."
"This'll be the last time you are ever here. Don't worry about it," I encouraged her, pushing her forward.
The entire trip up the stairs made me angrier about what had been done to Venus. As we walked, the hallways were more bare walls than paint. And the entire place was covered in a patchwork of stains, some of which I was sure would glow in a black light.
When we stopped at the fourth floor, a few female thugs turned to regard me. But when they saw Venus, they held their hands up and disappeared into an apartment.
"Safe place," I commented.
"I'm not a dude. They don't care about me." Venus rolled her eyes and opened apartment 407, stepping inside and habitually taking off her shoes.
"Put them back on. Point to anything you want to keep." I reached out with my power, and with a flick of my wrist, all her cabinets opened and their contents spilled out, along with a few startled roaches.
The roaches I made disappear while everything else I wrapped in individual kinetic bubbles. "We aren't taking the mattress."
It might be the most expensive thing in the apartment, but it was on the floor. And I wasn’t looking to bring any passengers back into the manor.
I realized that the manor was probably going to feel ridiculous to her. She may have grown up wealthy, but clearly, she had been living on very little recently.
Wanting to help her focus on something else, I took everything into a floating mass in the center of the room and then wrapped it all so that light bent around it.
"Can you try this?" In my mind, I showed her what I was doing.
"Oh. Why didn't I ever think of doing that?" Venus gasped.
I smiled. “My mentor pushed me to expand and experiment with my power. This was one use we found,” I explained.
"Emma was a big part of your life, working closely with you to help you understand and use your powers," Venus replied with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure you can handle her now that she's out of prison?"
I knew Venus was right. Emma knew me incredibly well. And she used that to her advantage when she needed it. "I'll manage with a little help from all of you. Now if you don’t mind, I feel like I need a tetanus shot after being here.” I winked at her as she smirked.
“Are you ready to go? You can call the manager later and cancel your rent." I waited while she looked around, taking in her place one last time, before she nodded and floated.
Feeling playful, I ripped her out of the air, enjoying the little yelp she gave. Then I pressed her to my side and wrapped more light around us. "Let me."
Opening the door again, we left, invisibly, with the contents of her apartment. Lifting her into the air, I shot us across the city, just under the speed of sound.
"Thank you." She was quiet. "I know how I lived disgusted you."
"Stop that. Stop beating yourself up because you were handed a deck stacked against you. Stand up for yourself and fight back." I got angry. "I'm not disgusted with you. I'm disturbed by how your mother could treat you like this."
She picked around in my mind, trying to understand me better. "Okay," she replied with more confidence in her voice.
"Where's the Venus that stood up to me and demanded that I find the augmenter?" I tried to tease her.
"You stripped off my Venus mask, I— I am just Mona, now."
I realized that her Venus identity was a shield for the fragile woman she had become. And then I winced, because she could read my thoughts. "We are going to make you strong again."
I focused on the future she could have, a life filled with confidence as we fought crime and lived together. Trying to solidify those ideas, I built them into my mental defense practice so that they would be there for her to see all the time.
As I finished, the manor came into view and I landed, opening the door and dumping all of her stuff into the one room we barely used.
"Go say hello to the girls. I have a project to check on." Turning, I started over towards one closet, the one where I had put Obsidian.
Mona hurried ahead of me, opening it for me with a smile.
I stopped mid-stride, staring at Venus standing with the door wide open and a tied-up Obsidian inside.
I really was a glutton for women who needed healing. “Thanks, Venus, but I’ve got this. Go find the others.”
She nodded, glancing into the closet. I saw her face catch for a moment as she looked at the tied-up clone dangling from the rod. She’d seen my memories tied to Obsidian, I was sure, but it was one thing to know and another to see it. I waited, and her face went back to normal as she headed off.
She’d dug through my mind and decided it was okay based on what she found.
"Hello, Obsidian." I faced the dangling clone.
"Hello." Her hand had swollen where the twine had been tied slightly too tightly, circumventing blood flow.
Lifting her out of the closet, I broke the twine and grabbed her hand, massaging it loosely as I held all her weight.
She could barely stand after being tied up for so long. While I knew she enjoyed it, I felt guilty for leaving her this long. The day had gotten away from me. I brought her with me into the kitchen and sat her in a seat.
Mona was in the kitchen with Stella and rushed to fill a glass of water for the Obsidian clone. She’d plucked that idea straight from my head, wanting to help me. Angelina and Melody were sitting at the table.
"Miles!" Stella bounced over and crushed me in a hug. "We didn't have an Obsidian when we got home. I was worried." She stuck her tongue out. "I forgot about the extra from this morning."
"Smells good. What are you cooking?" I sniffed the air.
"Pancakes, but I'm putting herbs in them so that they are savory to go with some barbecued pork."
Stella came up with some interesting dishes, but that sounded fabulous.
"I'll finish." Mona grabbed a spatula from the counter and tried to take over cooking.
I froze, knowing this would not end well.
Stella whirled, grabbing Mona by the back of her super suit and hauling her away from the stove. "I'm cooking for Master."
"I can see that, but I will cook for my fated.” Mona glared back through her mask.
"She knows?" Stella asked me.
"Everything. I let her into my mind."
Stella grinned before whipping around Mona and snatching her mask away. Then Stella paused, frozen as she took in Venus’ face.
"You're MONA! AHHH!" She jumped up and down. "Sing ‘Super Dreams’ for me!" Stella transformed into a rabid fangirl.
"No." The unmasked Mona glared at her. "I don't want to sing."
Stella bounced from foot to foot behind Mona. "Pleeeeeeease."
"Don't push her. I got to see her past, too. It doesn't surprise me she doesn't want to sing," I warned Stella.
"Then she doesn't get to take over my cooking." Stella replied matter-of-factly, using her power to snatch back the spatula and forcefully remove Mona.
"I want to cook for him. He likes it!" Mona replied, as if that would sway Stella to give up the task.
I went to speak as Mona blasted Stella away with a blast of light.
Angelina raised a slimy eyebrow at me from the table. "Going to stop that?"
"Both of you, don't fight in the manor with your powers," I scolded them.
Their struggle evolved into physical form, and I heard the pan clank before tipping over and spilling over the side of the stove.
I reached out with my powers and caught the food before it hit the floor. Then I picked up both the girls, forcefully separating them.
"Stop acting like children. Sit down." Pulling out chairs from the table, I sat them both down and locked them to the chairs while I used my powers to finish dinner.
"So, she's the other one on your super team. Venus, was it?" Obsidian watched the interactions curiously.
"Yes," Melody said. "She's also changed." The blonde bombshell was frowning at Mona.
"I'm reconnected with my fated. Of course, that would change me." She stared down her nose at Melody.
Part of me was glad Venus was getting some of her sassiness back now that she was upset. It felt more like her than the overly servile female. She picked up those feelings, turning her nose up even more at the rest of them.
There would be an adjustment period as she settled back into herself and the new situation.
I sighed, getting frustrated. "I want you to get along with them, Mona. Stop reading into every single thought I have and changing yourself to it. The woman you are is the woman you should be. I'm sure we can work with that."
"But—" she started to complain.
"So, she's in your mind?" Angelina asked, clearly intrigued.
"Yes, and she’s quite attached to what I think of her." I would go into more detail with my love and therapist later. "She was in danger today, and I used my powers to save her. She then tried to quit the BSH and forced my hand to speed up the plan."
Mona was picking through my mind for 'the plan', and while I felt bad that she'd see what I’d had planned particularly for her, I also knew that, even if I wanted to kick puppies or kill her, it didn't matter. She was so engrossed with the idea of pleasing me now that she seemed to ignore any of her personal feelings.
Or rather, she was making my feelings into her feelings.
Angelina nodded as plates settled themselves around the table, followed by the herbaceous pancakes that Stella had been experimenting with that were topped with barbecue meat.
Trusting in her cooking abilities, I took a bite. It was unexpected but delicious.
"So, how do you like the food, Obsidian?"
"Good. I get to pick what I want for breakfast tomorrow, right?" she asked, a small edge of excitement bleeding out of her.
"Yep, wait until tomorrow and surprise me. I'm probably going to kill this clone tonight."
She agreed while digging into her food.
I immediately felt Mona rifling through my mind, trying to understand why I killed the clones. I sent her enough that she relaxed.
Checking the clock, it was six, and I knew Kim normally stayed until seven. If I wanted to catch her, I didn’t have long.
"So, with Mona in on everything, I want to use my powers more freely when we are out and about. These mutated supers are a problem." I realized I hadn’t checked in with the scientists since they had gotten the sample. I added it to my mental list for the next day.
"I'll remind you," Mona quickly said.
The frowns around the table told me that the other girls were confused. "I had a stray thought to talk to the BSH scientists,” I clarified.
Stella narrowed her eyes. "So, she's in your head all the time?"
"Pretty much," I said, knowing that it would cause problems. "But don't worry. You are still my lovable succubus, and I'm your Master."
Stella narrowed her eyes before seeming to accept it, wiggling in her seat, and she went back to happily eating.
Don't try to mimic that. Find your own place, I told Mona as she started sifting through my memories of Stella.
She pouted, but she nodded.
I knew her power had twisted the idea of love. Our connection was love to her, and I wasn’t sure how to help her see that she had a choice in it, that she could be her own woman.
She started reading my thoughts and growing confused, so I shifted to something simpler. She was an incredible hero on my team, and having her know my secret meant that I could be better at helping in the field. Those thoughts seemed to settle her. She knew how to be a hero.
"Back to what I was saying. Scientists tomorrow morning. I'll get more information. I want to go hard after these people. Angelina, I would like your help if we can get one alive."
"Can do," she confirmed quickly.
I noted that Obsidian had finished her meal and was watching me expectantly. Nodding, I used my power to kill her.
"You really don't enjoy that, but it also isn’t awful to you," Mona replied. "It’s like killing her is the same as drinking water."
"A necessity. I think of it more as returning her memories to the rest. If I mix the pain with moments of care, like massaging the injuries to her wrist, I’m hoping to help the Obsidian sending me the clones to see that there are other options."
"Help her?" Melody asked.
"Find satisfaction in ways other than pain. And maybe win her to our side in the process. We could use her help.” Really, I did not know what the main Obsidian’s mental state was, though.
Standing, I pushed back from the table. “I need to get going before it gets too late, so I can visit Kim as Void.”
I paused and looked at Mona. "The guest room is all yours tonight.”
"But—" she was about to argue, and I held up my hand.
"No. Not now. We are going to take this slow."
She was in love with me, but it was completely one-sided, and I still didn’t understand how the connection fully worked. I would help her, and I was attracted to her, but I needed to see what more there was between us before I invited her to join the other women and me in the bedroom.
And at the moment, Stella seemed a little touchy about Mona. They’d all need more time to settle in with each other to make sure it would work.
Realizing they could very well go at each other again while I was out, I pushed a thought, letting Mona know that I wanted her to be nice to the other women and get to know them.
Satisfied that the manor would still be standing when I returned, I left and flew through the night to BSH, wrapping myself in twilight.
As I approached, I could tell that Kim was still in her office. I knew that, if I waited a little longer, I could catch her in the parking garage again, but I decided to have a little more fun.
Stepping up to the main entrance, the security guard felt startled as I approached.
"Hold there. Show me your ID," she ordered, reaching below the desk.
"No." I froze her with my power and pushed the light away from all the cameras. "I have a meeting with Kim Smith."
She shook, and I let up my pressure on the security guard enough so that she could grab the phone and dial a few numbers. "Uh. Hello, Director. There is a very scary man here for you... he's all dark, and he blocked the cameras. I can only move my body enough to call you."
There was loud squawking on the other end of the phone before Kim clearly hung up.
"Please head upstairs. The Director said she'd be out to meet you in a moment."
"Good, now don't do anything stupid." I released her but kept the cameras dark.
While I waited, I spread my power out further, blocking more cameras and creating air gaps around them. I wasn’t sure what other sensors they had, but with the mad scientists, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had additional sensors.
Kim was panting as she burst out of the office building and met me at the top of the steps. "There you are. Please, come in."