Now she had my attention.
And apparently, the attention of everybody around us as well.
The crowd gasped and stepped back, horror in their eyes.
All it had taken was a few words from Omnigirl, and in all of their minds, I was now officially a villain.
Their faces were masks of shock, barely hiding the disgust that rode beneath.
"Omnigirl, what the hell are you doing?"
I was pissed.
I did not appreciate the way the crowd had turned on me so quickly at her words.
This was bullshit.
And it was triggering memories I so carefully kept buried.
My superpower rode just at the edge of my awareness, ready if I needed it.
"If you come quietly, I won’t have to use force."
She pulled a pair of zip ties out of her utility belt and handed them to me.
"Put these on."
I stared at them for a moment, really considering squashing her like a bug right there on the pavement.
But a part of me was also curious about what she was after.
I knew she was pissed about earlier, but I wondered if there was more.
I had a feeling she was going to take me away somewhere, somewhere quiet.
Likely, it wouldn’t be any prison or actual system for criminals.
No, this was personal.
I’d rather not show my powers anywhere that had so many eyes, anyway.
Bringing me to a secluded spot was going to be her biggest mistake.
Ripping the zip ties out of her hands, I played my role, pretending to accept my fate.
I was certain she thought I only had some physical enhancements.
She was really going to be surprised when she learned what I could do.
"Good."
She grinned, seeming proud of herself before she turned and addressed the crowd.
"Everyone, the villain is apprehended. Please clear the area."
Grabbing my collar, Omnigirl ripped me off the ground, hurtling both of us up into the air.
"Having fun?" I asked casually.
"You..."
She squeezed the collar of my shirt just a little more than a warning.
"Be quiet. You only talk when I tell you to."
Twiddling my thumbs, I wondered if I should just knock her out of the air right then and there.
But then I wouldn’t know if others were involved.
Her manager could likely be in on whatever this was.
"So, do you normally abduct people who turn you down for a date?"
I decided to poke the bear and see if there was anything else I could learn.
Omnigirl’s hand flashed at my head, slowing down significantly at the end and slapped me hard enough to jar me.
"Shut up. When I’m done with you, you will be nothing but a thrusting piece of meat for my pleasure. When I get bored, I’ll sell you off for pennies."
She gave me an ugly snort.
It was like someone had just torn her hero mask off and showed me the festering piece of rot she was underneath.
She was no longer a hero.
The rot of power and prestige had spread too far inside of her.
My face hardened with resolve.
So I waited, biding my time.
Heck, I might even be able to clean out the riffraff from BSH for them.
They would owe me big time, even if I was sure they wouldn’t see it that way.
As Omnigirl flew, I noticed the position of the sun in the sky.
I cursed.
I was missing my date with Stella.
Her trust in me had already been tested.
If I stood her up, I wasn’t sure if she’d give me another shot.
But I had to hope that she’d understand.
I needed to see this through.
Those thoughts were cut short as Omnigirl descended towards a nondescript warehouse.
I smiled, glad that I’d been right.
She landed on the roof and pulled the lever for a hatch.
Once it opened, she carried me down on her shoulder.
As she landed, my gut drove itself into her shoulder.
I let it happen, not quite ready to show my hand yet.
The warehouse was dark with only a few lights on, leaving large pools of inky darkness between the racks.
"You got him?"
Omnigirl’s manager stepped out of the shadows and into the light under one of the lamps.
I ticked off another win for myself, listening to see if there was anybody else.
"He doesn’t look so special," a slippery smooth voice stated.
A puddle of swirling pastel colors ran out into the space next to the manager, and then a woman rose out of it.
Her body was a strange alternating color of lavender and a pastel green.
Her hair, her eye shadow, and even her lips switched between those two colors.
"Who’s Puddles?" I joked.
"I’m Mindfuck, you twat."
She snapped at me, before rolling her eyes at the superhero, who still held onto me.
Clearly, she was in a bad mood.
I knew that name.
Mindfuck was a famous villain in the area, known for altering and manipulating people’s brain chemistry and turning them into small-time robbers and thieves.
In the end, the mindless drones would be caught, but the valuables they had stolen would be nowhere to be found.
She had managed to stay in the shadows, but now I knew why.
Mindfuck was working with Omnigirl.
Currently, the two of them were having a stare off.
"After this one, we are done. You said one, and you’d leave me alone. He’s the third. I’m not doing this anymore."
Mindfuck glared at Omnigirl.
"Sure you won’t, and I won’t keep forgetting to remember where your little base of operations is."
Omnigirl sneered.
Mindfuck huffed and turned to me, her face softening.
"Sorry, I don’t have a choice. Just come to mommy. I’ll fix you all up."
She held out her arms to me, and I watched as small drips came off of them, like she wasn’t entirely solid, even now.
She puckered her wet, liquid lips, and I grimaced hard.
As much as that was tempting, even with my powers, I was not going to risk losing my mind to her.
"It’s just you three? No more coming out of the shadows?" I asked.
Omnigirl’s eyes narrowed suspiciously before she went to throw me at Mindfuck.
But I refused to let Mindfuck touch me.
It looked like it was time to take my powers out for a spin.
I halted myself midair, a savage grin curling on my lips.
"You’ve made a big mistake."