With the loud clank of metal, a suit of black armor stood up and marched through the museum.
"The Night Watchman," Goo Girl yelled.
The helmet's voice came out deep with an electronic echo that Paragon recognized. "Time to go, Goo Girl."
Goo Girl yanked her tentacles back into herself, and turned her arms into swords. "Bring it on, metalhead!"
She shrieked as she swung her sharp arms at the Night Watchman, who jumped back, propelled by jets. At the same time, the Night Watchman's arm came up and she fired a glowing blue ball from her wrist at Goo Girl.
The ball plunged into the villain's chest, sank a few inches, and burst open.
It spread a crystalline web inside Goo Girl that grew quickly, expanding from her torso into her arms and legs. As it spread, she started to cry out but her voice cut off. Within seconds, she had turned into a solid blue statue of herself.
The Night Watchman looked at Paragon and held up her arm. "Liquid nitrogen grenade. Always come prepared."
***
Police officers gathered around two police vans nearby. One group of officers carried Goo Girl's frozen body to the van. Another group of officers had Gunslinger in a straitjacket while they walked him through a gauntlet of guns into the second van. The straitjacket had his hands encased in metal spheres that seemed to keep him from making guns.
Gunslinger snarled at Paragon while climbing into the van. "See you real soon, hero."
"Not if I see you first." Paragon turned away to look at the others. "Did Aphrodisia get away?"
"Not quite." The Night Watchman held up her arm where a small screen showed a map of the city. "I put a tracking device on her. It will lead us right to her."
Alley Cat rubbed the bandages around her hip from where she had been shot. "Shit, I don't know how we ever did this without you, baby."
Heavenly Hawk lowered her voice and whispered, "Nora, is that you?"
The Night Watchman nodded while lowering her head. "Um, yes."
Hawk reached out to rest a hand on the blocky shoulder of the armor. "I'm so happy you came. But what changed your mind?"
The Night Watchman looked up at her, and seemed to shrink a little. "Well, I guess I just needed to know that we could be something more. Losing the city and my partners were one thing. Losing you was something I couldn't stand."
She broke into a smile. "Besides, after I fought you, I really needed to know if I still had it."
"And you do." Alley Cat gave her a high five. "That was fucking awesome. Ow."
She winced and rubbed her bandaged hip again.
Heavenly Hawk giggled. "Yes, you always knew how to make an entrance, Watchman."
Detective Grant charged over to the Night Watchman with a big smile on his face. "The Night Watchman, I can't believe it. Am I glad to see you. This city's been falling to shit without you."
The Night Watchman looked at Paragon. "On the contrary, it seems like this young man has done a good job in my absence."
Grant shot Paragon a glare. "Are you kidding? This little fucker couldn't hold your metal jockstrap."
Paragon wanted to argue with Grant and stick up for himself, but Heavenly Hawk took his hand and squeezed it.
The Night Watchman's glowing eyes narrowed. "That's assuming I have a jockstrap. And I think Paragon has succeeded where I failed."
Heavenly Hawk added, "Grant, I've been working with Paragon for months. He's only grown more skilled and more powerful. He's a worthy ally."
"Fuck Paragon." Grant braced his hands on his hips. "What I really wanna know is where you've been, Watchman."
The Night Watchman looked up. "I just had some work to do to make sure I was worthy of this armor."
"You could've just asked me. I know you are." Grant waved a hand. "Look, I don't care where you've been or what happened. We're just glad you're here."
He thrust a fist into the air. "The Watchman's back!"
Cheers made the Night Watchman look up at the crowds surrounding the museum. Her mouth pricked up in a slight smile as she swept the faces of the men, women, and children yelling, whistling, and calling his name.
"Thank you," the Night Watchman said in her artificially deep voice. "I am back, and I'll never leave Eros City again. That's a promise."
She looked at Paragon. "Let's go find Aphrodisia."
Chapter 19
SWEAT RAN down Doctor Horne's face as he worked in the living room of Aphrodisia's hotel penthouse. He sat at a carved wooden table that probably cost more than his car, and worked on the outside of a modified open-face motorcycle helmet that had been connected with tubes and electronics to his exact specifications. All of it fed to a small container of a very powerful drug mounted on the back of the helmet. It was delicate work, especially since he wasn't really an engineer, but he almost had it right.
He was amazed at how quickly the parts and equipment had been gathered for him. Then again, when Aphrodisia could just walk up to any man or woman and tell them to give her what she needed, that made things easier. At the same time, she seemed to crave chaos because a lot of it was just stolen by her gangs of followers.
His hands trembled thinking about how close he was to his true goal. In his pocket was a vial of another formula he had created alongside the one to boost Aphrodisia's power. He thought of it as "the cure," but it wasn't really. It wouldn't take away her power to control minds, but it would activate the latent pleasure sensors that had been deadened when her ATLAS implant was awakened. At the same time, the awakening would unleash a wave of desire in her for the one who returned her joy.
That would be him.
The formula could have been given directly to her, but Horne had a better idea. He had tweaked the formula so when he ingested it, the cure would be excreted from his body fluids. Once he drank the cure, he would become a living syringe, capable of injecting her with it through semen.
He would drink the formula and tell her the only way to cure herself would be to have sex with him. He thought she would be desperate enough to do it. Once he cured her with his semen, she would become his love slave, and she would do whatever he wanted. Her power would become his power, and he would rule this world.
Doctor Horne felt like he had become more powerful in the last few days than during his entire life, and he didn't want it to stop. He could have all the women and money he wanted, and become a near god. Aphrodisia squandered her power making people fuck when she could walk into the White House, and literally dictate commands to the President of the United States. He would take her to a new level.
Besides his ambition, Horne saw how Aphrodisia treated people like a child treated toys. Human life meant nothing to her. He was disposable, and knew once he gave her what she wanted, he would be a dead man. If he didn't take control of her, she would make him blow his brains out or walk into traffic. It was self-preservation.
Of course, the fact that his plan meant forcing Aphrodisia to have sex with him only made it better. He wanted her, but she refused to even let him get near her. Now all that would change.
The only flaw in his plan came from the fact that the formula would only last thirty minutes, and could only be used once. He had to wait until the perfect moment to take it.
He heard the hum of the penthouse elevator grow louder before it stopped, the doors opened, and Aphrodisia walked in with a pink crystal cradled in her hands. She looked heart-stoppingly beautiful as she came over to him and held out the crystal.
She smiled. "Is this what you needed, sweetheart?"
"Absolutely." Horne took the crystal and carefully brought it to the table where he worked.
Using a hammer and a screwdriver as a makeshift chisel, he chipped away a small piece of the crystal. A few more taps to shape the edges left him with a shard of aphroditium that fit perfectly into a slot on the front of the helmet.
He flipped a switch and held out the helmet to her. "There, it's done. The boost formula is in this container, here. The mechanism will feed
it into these needles inside the helmet. Putting on the helmet and flipping this switch will inject the formula directly into your spinal column. The formula will allow you to produce the aphrodisiac energy at a far greater strength, and the crystal will enhance and focus that energy."
She took the helmet and turned it over in her hands. "And how long will the formula last?"
"Not long, merely a few seconds, but that's why I've designed it this way. You only require a small amount, but the helmet will deliver this at a steady rate that should last for six months straight."
Aphrodisia giggled. "Oh, that's wonderful. Although I don't imagine there will be much left of the Earth after six months of my rule. Anything else?"
"Uh, yes. I've noticed that your power tends to be increased by crowds. It seems that every mind you control will affect other minds within its range, each feeding on each other like an infection or a feedback loop. For the best results, you should activate the device somewhere with a lot of people to build the best chain reaction."
Her smile widened. "I know just the place." As she stroked the helmet with her fingers, the crystal in the forehead glowed softly.
Behind his back, Doctor Horne slipped the vial out of his pants pocket. He had the chance to put the next phase of his plan into place, but wanted to wait until she had put on the helmet and was most powerful before he used it.
He raised a hand. "Now as far as your cure for physical pleasure, I should explain--"
"Not yet." Aphrodisia beckoned him with a finger. "I have something very special for you, doctor. A gift for all your hard work."
She led him to the hotel bedroom where the five women she had given him waited in the nude. He felt his cock swell at the sight of the five bodies that ranged from slender to thick, and tall to short. They smiled at him with the same empty look in their eyes as always, one that turned him on. Still, he had seen and touched and explored them before. As much as he enjoyed sex with the harem, he wanted to get Aphrodisia instead.
He turned to her. "Aphrodisia, I can help you. And you promised you would let me have you if I wanted."
He reached for her.
She took a step back. "Not yet, doctor. These women will give you my reward, and then you'll have the greatest pleasure of all."
He tried to speak again, but she touched a warm finger to his mouth. "Shhh. I want to watch you with them, feel you with them, one last time."
"Oh, all right," he said, trying not to sound disappointed. He wanted her, not the five ladies again. He needed to have sex with Aphrodisia in order to put his plan into action.
Still, having sex with five women never really got old. Once he had finished with them, he could move on to Aphrodisia.
The five women leaned forward to take him into their arms. Their hands pulled on his wrists and shoulders, leading him onto the bed. The blonde woman pushed his chest to lay him down on his back.
As the other four women smiled down at him, they worked together to peel off his clothes while the blonde woman kissed him. He heard the clink of the vial in his pants as they hit the floor, and hoped it wouldn't break, but he had other things on his mind. The blonde's hands slid across his bare chest as it was exposed, and down to his rigid cock as his pants came off.
"Yes, girls," Aphrodisia moaned as her eyes glowed brighter. "I know you want him. You need him. Take him."
The smiles melted away as the women all took on looks of hunger. The blonde crawled onto his body, spreading her legs so she could slide down onto his erection. He groaned as her pussy wrapped around his throbbing cock. The other women surrounded the bed, stroking his arms and legs as they watched.
The Asian woman planted gentle kisses on his forehead and cheeks as Aphrodisia said, "And now, it's time for your reward."
The blonde placed her hands on his chest as she bounced on top of him harder and harder, and her movements made him wince. Her small breasts jiggled in his face, but the pleasure of her depths stroking him began to fade into pain. Pain from her fingernails digging into his flesh, and pain from the way she rode him harder and harder with greater force until the impact of her thighs and ass slammed onto his legs.
He put his hands on her hips to try to slow her down. "Hey, easy--"
His legs began to ache as she pounded them, and he cried out from a sharp pain that told him she had cracked one of his hips. He wanted to sit up and throw her off, but the Asian woman by his head grabbed his chin and pulled him into a kiss. She pressed her mouth against his and her tongue went in so deep that he gagged.
"No, he's mine," he heard the black woman scream as she shoved the blonde off him.
The blonde stumbled and grabbed his right arm, pulling it so hard that it felt like it would come out of his shoulder. The black woman climbed on with her ample ass grinding on his cock even more than the blonde, and the pain of bruises forming on his legs made him scream into the Asian's mouth.
When the Hispanic woman yanked on his left arm and screamed "I need him," it just made it worse.
"Mine," the fifth woman yelled as she pulled on his right leg hard enough to make him yell out more, and he felt like the three women would tear him apart, but he couldn't break free. He wanted to scream again, to beg them to stop, but the Asian woman had her mouth so tight against his that he could barely breathe.
Through it all, Aphrodisia's laughter echoed through the bedroom, and he knew she had won.
Chapter 20
THE LIGHTS of the city glowed below him as Paragon flew alongside Heavenly Hawk and Electronica in the cooling air. He held Alley Cat close to him while looking back at the Night Watchman roaring behind them on her jetpack. It seemed unreal for him to be working with the legendary hero, especially after finding out her true identity. The Night Watchman moved the same, walked the same, and talked the same, but he could imagine Nora inside the armor instead of the square-jawed man he'd always imagined.
The tracking device led them to the Pink Hotel, one of the fanciest hotels in Eros City. He didn't see any signs of people in a sexual trance outside, but trusted the Night Watchman's equipment. He let her pull ahead to fly up to the penthouse.
They approached the balcony with a huge outdoor pool, and Paragon looked past it to a set of glass doors leading to the living room inside. He expected to see an army of Aphrodisia's men and women waiting for him, but he didn't see anyone.
Heavenly Hawk's eyes glowed as she called out, "It looks like there's no one inside."
The Night Watchman looked at a small screen on her right forearm. "I'm only picking up one lifesign, but we should still be careful."
He felt a little relief at the lack of other people, but knew Aphrodisia had already recruited two supervillains to fight them. She could have summoned Deadlift or the Iron Cross or any other supervillain to face them. One villain might be enough to take them down.
The pool rippled as they flew over it and landed on the balcony, and Paragon saw through the double glass doors to a luxurious living room inside. He walked up to the doors and snapped the lock with a jerk to force it open.
The penthouse had beautiful tapestries, expensive oil paintings, and luxurious carpeting on the floor. He clenched his fists as he stepped into the living room, ready to be attacked, but there was no one there. The huge couches and armchairs encircling the living room were empty. The only sound came from a big-screen TV playing a football game.
"It's quiet," Paragon whispered.
The Night Watchman walked over to a table where it seemed like lab equipment had been used, and bits of wire and metal remained. She knelt down to pick up a shattered pink chunk of aphroditium, and pulled a small black chip off the crystal's surface. "Well, we know she was here. And this is the homing device."
"If the homing device is here, where's Aphrodisia?"
The Night Watchman pointed to a nearby hallway. "I'm picking up a heartbeat over there. It's faint."
A groan came down the hallway.
Alley Cat popped her claws out of her fin
gertips and led the way down the hallway with slow but steady footsteps. Paragon took her by the shoulder and gently moved her behind him so he would take whatever Aphrodisia or whoever was inside at them. Knowing Aphrodisia's power no longer worked on him didn't make her any less dangerous.
They came to a bedroom with a closed door. Paragon tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. He counted to three, then burst into the room.
Piles of clothes and underwear lay scattered everywhere, but there was only one person in the bedroom; Doctor Horne lying on a huge and dishevelled bed. His naked body looked like he had been through a meat grinder with cuts and bruises covering every inch of his flesh. His arms and legs lay at angles that told Paragon they were clearly broken.
"Doctor," Heavenly Hawk yelled as she ran over to the bed.
When Paragon reached for him, Horne managed to shake his head.
"No," Horne croaked. "It's too late…to save me."
The Night Watchman held out one of her hands and a laser played over Doctor Horne's mangled body. "He's right. Multiple internal injuries, massive internal bleeding. He wouldn't make it to a hospital."
Paragon crouched beside him. "What happened?"
"I was attacked...by five women. They literally killed me...with sex. Aphrodisia...didn't need me anymore."
"Death by Snu-Snu," Paragon murmured, then felt badly about it. Making a joke about Futurama didn't seem right given the moment.
"The power booster." The Night Watchman leaned closer. "It's finished."
Horne managed to gasp, "Yes."
Alley Cat closed her eyes. "Holy shit, we're fucked."
Horne shook his head. "No. I-I can help you. Aphrodisia has a weakness. She can't feel pleasure."
He pointed a crooked finger at some pants lying in the floor. "There is...a vial. Bring it."
Alley Cat ran over and pulled a small tube out of the pair of pants with a blue liquid inside of it.
Horne pointed at it. "Th-this formula will cure Aphrodisia. Bring back her pleasure. But I designed it...to be secreted...from my body fluids. A kiss would start the process, but it is best injected through the semen into the mucus membranes of the vagina."
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