Shackles Ch. 10

As Trinity watched Radiance succumb to her mind-controlling shimmer, she felt something close to rapturous, religious ecstasy. Even in Radiance's weakened, distracted, tumultuous state of mind, it took every bit of Trinity's strength to overpower the superhero's fierce will. Trinity found herself sweating and shivering for several long seconds as she strained herself like never before, pouring every last drop of her power into Radiance's mind in order to try and quench the outraged, defiant impulses fighting to well up inside of her. Normally, subduing someone who was as off-guard as Radiance had been would have been child's play, but the hero was still, despite everything, living up to her reputation and giving Trinity the fight of her life.

But it was all worth it.

When Radiance started to succumb, the image of her eyes slowly changing color was immediately seared into Trinity's memory. It was the kind of thing she'd barely dared to fantasize about. Even when she saw her glowing, purple shimmer start to bleed under Radiance's skin, spreading unevenly but inexorably through her own fingertips and into her rival, she couldn't bring herself to believe that it was really happening. But once Radiance's eyes started to flicker, her irises turning purple bit by bit as she stared up at Trinity with a shocked, disbelieving expression, a thrill raced down Trinity's spine. Filled with adrenaline and emboldened by success, Trinity kept pushing. She could feel Radiance's mind shrinking and crumbling underneath her.

This was real. This was actually happening.

She was winning.

That realization prompted a nausea-inducing whirlwind of different, conflicting feelings within her.

The giddy euphoria of victory was carrying Trinity into blissful, intoxicating domspace. She felt more powerful than ever. This was the dominance she'd craved, after so long under Radiance's control. Brainwashing a helpless civilian in the bathroom of a dyke bar was nothing compared to this. Radiance was perhaps the most powerful superhero in all of Future City, and now she was in the palm of Trinity's hand. The intense submissiveness she'd felt towards Radiance moments ago was utterly forgotten. Trinity's mind was racing with the prospect of all the things she could do. She pictured Radiance, wearing marks of Trinity's brainwashing openly, ripping apart a bank vault and delivering its contents to her new mistress. Then she pictured Radiance in an altogether different kind of situation, naked and mewling, ready to be used however Trinity pleased.

The supervillain was instantly wet.

But then, there was the other part of her. The part Radiance had created. She couldn't suppress it, no matter how much mind-controlling Radiance made her feel like her old self again. That part of her simply wanted to be good. It wanted to obey, protect and serve. Taking advantage of Radiance in any way was wrong. It was against the rules. Those things were now concrete mental barriers in Trinity's head. The very thoughts she was having about Radiance were unthinkable, and she couldn't help feeling a reflexive disgust with herself. She was supposed to be a hero now! She wanted to help people!

So why did taking control of Radiance send these delicious shivers down her spine?

It felt just as wrong as it did right. For as much as Radiance had warped Trinity's mind, perhaps some part of her subconscious remained beyond the reach of even Trinity's own shimmer. Perhaps her body itself was rebelling against the conditioning, insisting on the kind of sinful pleasure she couldn't stop herself from daydreaming of, even as it made her stomach turn.

And then there was yet another voice in Trinity's head, this one tinged with a strange kind of regret. Did she really want to see Radiance like this? Did she really want to do this to her? It felt wrong, somehow. Not morally wrong. Something else. Trinity couldn't put her finger on it.

In the end, though, the force of what Radiance had done to Trinity won out. The commandments she'd forced into Trinity's head were iron. They were buckling under the weight of her urges, but they wouldn't break. Trinity let out something of a sigh of relief as the storm inside her settled, and a single, simple idea grew to fill her mind.

She needed to be a hero.

"G-gguh," Radiance groaned. She seemed to be trying to stir, but she was moving like she had lead weights wrapped around each of her limbs.

"Shush now," Trinity soothed. Now that she'd figured out what she wanted, she couldn't let this opportunity slip away. She focused herself on subduing Radiance. "No need for that. It's too late. I'm already in your head. Just relax."

"N-no," Radiance protested. Her slurred, labored words betrayed how little resistance she had left. "S-stop."

Trinity shook her head. That act of refusal, as she looked down at Radiance and held her head between her hands, felt unbelievably powerful.

"I'm sorry," she explained. "But I have to do this. You made me that way. Don't worry. You can trust me. I'll do the right thing. I'll help people. Remember?"

Radiance's flickering eyes flashed with concern and confusion. They remained piercing and brilliant, but they were slowly, inexorably, being filled with purple shimmer. Glowing little pools of infection spread and expanded, joining up with one another until almost none of Radiance's true eye color was left. Then, even her pupils started to change color, until after a few moments more, her eyes were nothing more than glassy, shimmering, purple disks. She slumped, arms going limp as the part of her mind that worked her muscles gave up. Trinity's breath caught in her throat at the sight of her superhero rival going as limp as a rag doll.

That was it. It was over.

Now that she had Radiance completely entranced, Trinity could afford to take a moment to think about the enormity of what she'd just done. Once again, the siren call of her former life as a villain reared its ugly head. Until minutes ago, she wouldn't have hesitated to take ruthless advantage of the situation. Somehow, the knowledge that Trinity's mind had been altered against her will did little to undermine her resolve. It just didn't seem to matter. What Radiance had done to her felt like revelation. She couldn't close her mind to it, no matter what.

She had to embrace it.

"You're going to let me be a hero," Trinity told Radiance again. This time, Radiance didn't struggle. She just nodded dully. Trinity could barely contain her excitement. "Say it."

Radiance twitched a little, but she no longer had the mind or will to keep her mouth from obeying. "I'm going to let you be a hero."

Trinity let out a giddy little giggle. She couldn't believe how lucky she was. Becoming a hero was her dream. The fact it only been her dream for several minutes did nothing to diminish her enthusiasm for it. She wanted to enforce the law and the rules. She wanted to help and protect people. She wanted to make people feel good. Surely being a hero was the apex of each of those things, wasn't it? That was clearly what Radiance had been driving at. She'd been instructing Trinity in her own code of morals. It only made sense that she would now want to follow in Radiance's footsteps. She just wished Radiance had seen it that way herself. Mind-controlling her was wrong, but it was also necessary.

It was for the greater good.

As her fantasies of heroism started to blossom, though, Trinity realized that she was missing something.

She had absolutely no idea how to be a hero.

No matter. She had the best possible teacher, sitting right here in front of her.

"OK." Trinity perched on the bed next to Radiance, but kept a hand on the back of the superhero's head just in case she needed a shimmer top-up. "Also? You're going to teach me how to be a hero."

This time, Radiance didn't need any prompting. "I'm going to teach you how to be a hero."

Trinity shivered. Just hearing Radiance echo her like that felt sinful, in the best possible way.

"S-so," Trinity continued, trying to keep herself focused. "Um... how do I be a hero? What am I supposed to do?"

"Go out and save people," Radiance replied, unblinkingly.

"Right," Trinity replied slowly, nodding and frowning.

It wasn't a helpful answer. Of course, Trinity wanted to save people. She needed it. The need was burnt into her brain. But it wasn't as simple as that. It couldn't be. There were so many people in need, out there in Future City. How was she supposed to help them? Where was she supposed to start? What kinds of rules did she need to follow?

She needed to follow the rules, after all.

For a moment, Trinity was tempted, once more, to simply revisit her first impulse: to make Radiance feel good. Wasn't that so much simpler? Radiance had refused her, of course, but now that her shimmer was in her head, that could be undone with a single word. But... could she really do that? She wasn't allowed. Was she? She was almost sure she knew what Radiance wanted, deep down, and she was even more certain she could show her heights of pleasure she'd never even dreamt of before. Wouldn't it be simpler that way? So, why shouldn't she? Just because it was a rule? A law? Trinity shook her head, frustrated. She wasn't used to these strange, foreign, moral dilemmas.

So, she decided not to think about it. Radiance and her inhibitions could wait. Becoming a hero was definitely the right thing to do. Everyone knew that. Superheroes were the embodiment of the law, and they were idolized for the good they did. With the importance of those things fixed firmly in her mind, Trinity couldn't help but be desperate to become one.

"When you go out and save people," Trinity asked carefully, "what do you do? What do you actually do?"

"I go and track down a villain," Radiance answered, in a slow, dreamy voice that seemed utterly alien to her. "Or I respond to a crisis. Otherwise, I just go on patrol."

"Patrol?" That sounded like a good place to start.

"Fly around," Radiance explained. "Wait until I see something happening."

"Right." That made perfect sense. Trinity could do that. Or at least, she could walk around. But she wanted to make sure she did every little step properly. She wanted to be a good girl. "When you're going to go out on patrol, what do you do? Step by step?"

"I pick a time and a place," Radiance said. "Usually around dusk. Usually somewhere out of the way. A neighborhood no-one else is covering. Then, I put my costume on and go."

Trinity snapped her fingers. That was it.

She needed a costume.

Trinity needed to do good. Heroes were the people who did the most good. And heroes wore costumes. In her hypno-addled mind, it all made sense. She'd always disdained flashy costumes, especially for villains, but getting one of her own was rapidly shooting near to the top of her hierarchy of needs.

"A costume," Trinity breathed. "I need one. We need to get me a costume."

Radiance said nothing, but she shivered as the urgency of Trinity's words were transmitted to her through the shimmer. That thought was now as deeply embedded in her as it was in Trinity.

"Where do you get one?" Trinity demanded.

"Custom-made," Radiance replied, her weak, dreamy voice now tinged with regret. "Takes time."

Trinity's heart sank. "Fuck."

"But," Radiance added, after a few moments. "I have spares."

"What good is that?" Trinity replied unhappily. "There's no way they'll fit."

It was true. Radiance stood several inches taller than Trinity, and her figure was entirely different. Trinity had nothing on her broad shoulders and visible muscles, and she doubted her curves would look particularly flattering crammed into anything of Radiance's.

"We can try?" Radiance added hopefully. "They're pretty adjustable."

Trinity was skeptical, but she couldn't quite dismiss the idea out-of-hand. She pictured herself, resplendent in the same gold that Radiance wore, looking every bit her equal - or perhaps even her partner. The thought made her blush. Radiance had become her idol. She was the very embodiment of heroism. Trinity was desperate to emulate her, and the opportunity to try and walk in her shoes was too much to resist.

"OK," Trinity said, blushing faintly at the prospect that now filled her daydreaming. "OK. Yeah. Let's try it. Where are they?"

Radiance showed her. Taking Trinity by the hand, she led her to a large closet in her safehouse's bathroom. Opening it revealed not just Radiance's civilian clothes, but dozens of superhero costumes, all tucked away neatly on hangers. Trinity had to restrain herself from fangirling at the sight. She felt sure that even if she hadn't been mind controlled, it would have done something to her. Seeing all of Radiance's costumes like this felt oddly intimate. She could only imagine how much some of the collectors or hero superfans out there would have paid for the experience.

"Wow," she breathed. "Why so many?"

"Some of them are spares," Radiance explained. Trinity's shimmer was keeping her placid, and she was happy to answer. "Some are for special situations."

Trinity nodded. That made sense. It was pretty normal for heroes to have some gear specially made to deal with a particular villain or threat. Usually something defensive - stealth gear, energy resistance, heat protection, et cetera. Trinity realized that if she was going to be a hero, she would need to think about that too. She very much wanted one of Radiance's suits so that she could go out on patrol right away, but she was inevitably going to need something of her own. That thought, in turn, led to more fantasies. What kind of costume would be right for her? She wanted very much to have something like Radiance, striking and sleek, but perhaps that wouldn't suit her. She didn't have Radiance's superhuman strength and endurance. Perhaps she'd need something more heavily armored, like The Peregrine, or maybe something stealthy.

"Wait, what's..." Trinity had been idly sorting through Radiance's suits as she daydreamed, but she was brought out of her reverie by the sight of something unusual. "What the fuck is this?"

"That's..." Even in trance, Radiance managed to sound a little embarrassed. "It's just an old prototype."

"Huh."

The costume was markedly different from any other Trinity had ever seen Radiance wear. The overall design and cut was roughly similar, although it seemed a little shorter and a little less body-confirming, and gold was still a prominent color. But instead of white, the remaining panels and trims were all a rich, vibrant purple. The color scheme was certainly striking - far more brazen and less austere than what the hero had landed on. Trinity shot Radiance a look that demanded further explanation.

"I had it made up in the early days, when I was still figuring things out," Radiance explained, shifting a little. "It was meant to look regal. Purple and gold. That was the kind of theme I was going for."

Trinity let out an amused little snort - amused not so much by the costume as by Radiance herself. The suit really wasn't that bad, by superhero standards. A little bright and gaudy, yes, especially compared to her current image, but bright and gaudy wasn't exactly unheard of for hero suits. It came with the territory, to some extent. Some would even argue it was a good thing. Superheroes were meant to be larger than life and all that. And that wasn't even touching the topic of some of the costumes supervillains went for. There was a fine line between 'edgy' and 'deplorably tacky'.

No, the amusing part was just how embarrassed Radiance must have been about this. It was a little surprising she'd kept it at all. Then again, it wasn't like it was smart to throw a costume away in any old trash can. Maybe it was for memory's sake. Either way, getting to see it - and Radiance's reaction to it - was kind of cute. It was like watching someone squirm over old baby photos. If it was showing through even in trance, Trinity could only imagine how much she'd squirm out of it.

The more she looked at the gold-and-purple prototype suit, though, the more Trinity started to like it. The colors were perfect. Purple, representing her shimmer, and gold, representing Radiance, the hero she aspired to be like. What could possibly serve to better represent the way she was turning over a new leaf? Plus, given the size, it might be the closest thing they were going to find to a good fit.

"I want to try it on," Trinity announced, and plucked the suit from its space on the hanger rack.

She couldn't tell if Radiance was pleased by that idea, or mortified. Probably, Radiance herself couldn't tell either. Probably, she was both. But it didn't really matter. She wasn't in any position to refuse anything. All she could do was nod obediently.

Trinity turned and stroked her hand down Radiance's face, to make sure she was thoroughly topped-up with mind-warping shimmer. Then, she started hurriedly dressing herself in her newly-chosen hero outfit.

The first obstacle was her hips. Even this slightly-looser suit struggled to accommodate them. Trinity was forced to tug harder than she would have liked as she tried to fit herself into the leggings. After a few moments of effort, though, the material stretched, allowing her to slip the waistband up over her hips. The extra length should have provided some more slack, but it seemed that Trinity's curves needed all of it and more. The next obstacle was her tits. They were bigger than Radiance's, and it showed. Trinity was forced to bend and contort her body a little in order to slip the chestpiece over them comfortably. It was more than a little embarrassing, especially with Radiance standing right there, watching her. She was in annoyingly good shape, and while she was in no position to gloat now, she was sure to remember everything later.

Once the suit was in place, it was, predictably enough, loose in a few places too - mostly the shoulders. Fortunately, as Radiance had promised, the suit was adjustable. Trinity had to check over it a few times to figure out how, exactly, but once she got to grips with the right straps and fasteners, she was able to get everything how she wanted it. The result felt snug, certainly, but it wasn't absurdly baggy or suffocatingly tight. There was only one thing left for Trinity to do: step back, and take a good look at herself.

It wasn't quite the vision of heroic perfection it had been in Trinity's fantasies. If she'd been in a more lurid state of mind, she might have realized that it looked completely obscene. On her curvy body, the suit fit more like a slutty Halloween costume than anything else. The way it stretched over her hips drew a shocking amount of attention to them, and made it look like the material was threatening to split at any moment. It was also so tight around her chest it ended up conforming almost completely to the shape of her tits, lifting them up on her chest like one of the many, perennially-popular fake hero costumes for strippers. All over her, it highlighted each and everyone one of Trinity's soft curves, baring every line of her body for all to see, and squishing some of her well-placed fat in ways that were sure to leave people drooling. The contrasting gold and purple colors didn't help matters, with the purple panels along her sides drawing even more attention to the shape of her body. Anyone impure-minded who saw Trinity was sure to find themselves wondering what it would feel like to sink their hands into those curves.

For someone like Trinity, who normally liked to keep her body under wraps, it should have been a deal-breaker.

Instead, it barely registered.

All Trinity saw were the sweeping panels of burnished gold and rich purple. All she cared to notice were all the little flairs and details that reminded her of Radiance. To her, that was blinding. It overshadowed everything else, and filled her with awe. Now, at long last, she was stepping into her idol's shoes. In her mind's eye, Trinity truly looked the part. She looked like a hero. Nothing could have been better, and she couldn't keep a glowing smile from her face.