Shackles Ch. 11

Unfortunately for her, Candace wasn't oblivious to the way Trinity was looking at her.

"Hey," the brainwashed girl said, tilting her head curiously. "Are you a lesbian?"

"Y-yeah," Trinity replied thoughtlessly. "Wait, um, what?"

A coy smile spread across Candace's face. "That's perfect. Now I know exactly how to make you feel good."

Trinity was thunderstruck. It was impossible to mistake Candace's meaning, but this wasn't what Trinity had intended. "N-n-no!" she protested. "No way, that's-"

"Aw, c'mon." Candace was affecting a light, playful, girlish tone of her voice, but her eyes reflected a deep, growing hunger. "Why not? I can make you feel good. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"F-fuck no!" Trinity tried to insist, but her confusion and indecision came through in her voice. What did she want? It was so confusing. Her own, natural desires were at war with Radiance's brainwashing, and with Candace trying to seduce her, neither the angel nor the devil on her shoulder had time to catch their breath. "T-that's not... I'm a hero! It isn't right! It'd... it'd be bad."

She'd hoped that would get Candace to back off, but the girl seemed to sense that Trinity was struggling to believe her own words.

"I think it's perfect," Candace countered. "The hero gets the girl, don't they? Isn't that how it's supposed to go? Don't you deserve some kind of a reward for being so brave and heroic and good?"

There was that word again, sending shivers down the spines of both brainwashed women.

"I... I..." Was that how it was supposed to go? Trinity had no idea. She didn't know the first thing about being a superhero. Not really. She tried to think it through properly. What would Radiance do? Radiance would refuse... right? She'd refused Trinity, after all. But when Trinity thought about all the other things Radiance had done to her, it started to get much, much more murky.

And didn't heroism deserve a reward? That seemed only natural. To Trinity, it was the most important thing in the world. The summit of all that was good. Heroes enforced the rules and the laws. They protected and saved people. What felt better than being saved? So, heroes should be rewarded. Of course they should.

"And," Candace added, giving Trinity a practiced, adorable pout as she pressed her advantage, "don't I deserve it? You made me a good girl, Shimmer. You saved me. Now let me be your good girl. Won't you let me be a good girl for you? Won't you let me make you feel good? It would be so very mean not to, you know. What else am I supposed to do? I need it. I need it."

Her plea struck a chord with Trinity. She remembered what it had been like, when Radiance had refused to let her act on her new desires. The denial of her new calling had hit so hard it was almost painful. Could she really do that to Candace? No. No, of course not. There was nothing good or heroic about that. She wanted to make people feel good.

This was what Candace needed to feel good.

"O-OK," Trinity agreed. It was all starting to click into place in her head, though she had no idea if she was reasoning it through properly or merely talking herself into sin. Everything was so scrambled. But she wasn't sure how much she even cared anymore. Her body was growing hot. It wanted this, even if Trinity didn't. Still, though, she decided to try and end this as quickly as possible. "Yeah. Um. Kiss me."

"A kiss?" Candace tilted her head again, and giggled. "Of course, hero."

And just like that, Candace was kissing her. Trinity didn't get the moment to steel herself she'd been hoping for. Instead, she found herself staggering backwards a step or two as Candace threw her arms around her in a deep, fierce, passionate kiss. Her lips tasted incredible, and they felt just as hungry as her eyes. It was the kind of kiss it was easy to get lost in - and so Trinity did. After everything she'd been through, her arousal was on a hair trigger, and a girl like Candace grabbing her and making out with her in an alleyway was like a match to gasoline. When Candace finally drew back, Trinity was seeing stars.

"W-wow," Trinity breathed. Candace looked more than just pleased at her response. She was glowing with a fervent, religious, inner light. "OK, um... I think I should maybe take you somewhere. Like...maybe a hospital."

Candace just giggled again. "What do you mean?" she asked. "We're not done."

Trinity paled. How did she feel so out of her depth, so powerless? She was supposed to be the one in control of this situation! She had superpowers, for Christ's sake. Instead, she felt like a deer in headlights. "Yes we are," she said, as firmly as she could muster. "You kissed me. That's my reward."

"Yes, I kissed you," Candace mused. She reached out and ran a hand down Trinity's side, making the would-be hero shiver. "But I can tell you're not the kind of hero to be satisfied with just a kiss."

She glanced meaningfully at Trinity's outfit.

Trinity's heart was pounded. She felt like she was being torn in half. "B-but," she attempted weakly. Her mind was grasping at straws as she searched for any reason she shouldn't give in. "But I made you like this! Isn't that, you know, kind of fucked up?"

"I don't care," Candace replied immediately. It was obvious from the look in her eyes that it was true. "I just want to be a good girl." She licked her lips. "C'mon, if you didn't want me this way, why did you make me this way? I'm saying yes. I'm begging you, even."

"God..." Trinity panted. She was at her limit. Candace was throwing herself at her. What was she supposed to do? She was too wet to resist.

"Look, I get it," Candace whispered, working her lips ever closer to Trinity's ear. "It's your pride as a hero, or something? Or maybe you just don't want to be in control. It doesn't matter. I'll make it easy. I'll be a good girl. Just let me touch you, and when you want more, all you have to do is nod."

Trinity couldn't bring herself to mount any protest, and so, after a second or two had passed, Candace reached out and stroked a hand down Trinity's cheek.

"Here?" Candace teased, drawing her thumb over Trinity's lips. "Or... here?" Her hand moved down to Trinity's neck, caressing her like a lover.

Trinity shivered, but she didn't make a noise. She didn't nod.

"Here?" Candace started feeling at the curves of Trinity's tits with her hand, feeling their shape before rubbing at her nipples. It was desperately hard for Trinity to keep herself from moaning. "Or..."

Suddenly her hand darted downwards, and her fingers started to pry Trinity's thighs apart.

The moment her fingertips touched Trinity's crotch, she felt her head start to move in involuntary agreement.

But an all-too-familiar voice broke the moment in two.

"Trinity?" yelled Radiance, from nearby. "Trinity! Where are you?"

***

For all the action she'd seen in her time as a legendary superhero, Radiance was approaching blind panic as she ran through the streets and back alleys of Future City, in a growing search area around her safehouse. She'd considered flying, but she didn't want to miss anything from high up. And moreover, she didn't want anyone to see her like this.

How had she fucked everything up this much? That was the one question she kept coming back to. Radiance had made insane decision after insane decision, and now her whole life was unraveling. She couldn't explain any of it. It was like something was possessing her - but in her heart, the superhero knew that wasn't true. It was just that, whenever she saw Shimmer's face - Trinity's face - she stopped thinking straight.

Somehow, she had to fix this. Radiance didn't know how. She wasn't sure how to fix the mess she'd already made, and she didn't dare to think about the mess Trinity might be out there making right now. Not that Radiance could blame her for it. Not this time. It was all her own fault.

And most of all, Radiance needed to make sure Trinity didn't get hurt.

Radiance was pretty sure she was in the right area. Trinity probably hadn't gone far, and ever since coming back to her senses, Radiance had been tracking rumors and potential sightings on social media. Mercifully, whatever Trinity had done to her had only lasted for a few hours. Radiance's head still felt like a cracked egg, but she was relatively confident she was in her right mind. All she had to do was find Trinity, shut her down, and then maybe everything would be OK.

That was what Radiance was telling herself as she rounded a corner, and found herself face-to-face with someone she absolutely didn't want to see.

As a fellow member of the Apex League, the two of them had worked together in a professional capacity dozens of times, but that didn't make the woman standing before Radiance any less intimidating. Normally, Radiance was always grateful for her ruthless determination and razor-sharp intelligence, but now that it might be turned against her, she was beginning to understand why her comrade was so feared by Future City's villains. Everyone recognized her gray, armored costume, with its iconic, beaked mask, and even though she didn't have any superpowers, everyone respected what she was capable of.

The Peregrine.

"Radiance." The Peregrine greeted her with a nod. "Looking for something?"

Radiance grit her teeth. She didn't have time for this, but she also knew that acting suspicious would only attract the other hero's curiosity. "Just patrolling."

"Is that so?" There was a faint whirring noise, as the sophisticated lenses built into The Peregrine's mask adjusted and narrowed. "Where have you been?"

"That's... my business," Radiance replied. "It's personal."

"Not if it affects the city," The Peregrine retorted. "Something's off with you."

"What do you mean?" Though she was trying not to show it, Radiance's skin was itching under her fellow hero's intense, inscrutable gaze.

"The charity heist, the other day. It's not like you to let a villain like Shimmer slip through your fingers. Not like you at all. And then suddenly, I can't seem to get you to take my calls."

Radiance clenched a fist at her side. "Is that meant to be some kind of accusation?"

"Accusation?" The moment the word left Radiance's mouth, she knew it was poorly chosen. "What would I be accusing you of?" The Peregrine asked. Then, her voice brightened. "We're friends, aren't we? I'm worried about you."

Radiance sighed. Now she was making an even bigger mess. She'd handled this all wrong. "Right. Sorry. I've just... been feeling a little under the weather. Haven't been sleeping right."

"I see." It was impossible for her to tell if The Peregrine believed her or not. Calling the two of them 'friends' was a distinct overstatement. They knew each others' identities, yes, and they'd fought alongside each other dozens of times. But that didn't make The Peregrine any less of a mystery to Radiance. "And what about Shimmer?"

A chill ran down Radiance's spine. "What about her?"

"I figured you'd have been looking for her. It's the reason I'm here." The Peregrine's lips curled into a smile. "A little bird told me she might be in the area."

The Peregrine often made reference to her 'little birds'. She never explained what she meant by that, but whatever they were, they were rarely wrong. Radiance was, for once, too distracted to question her.

"Leave her to me," she demanded immediately.

"Oh?" The Peregrine sounded faintly amused.

"She's mine." Radiance tried to smile. She thought she might have succeeded. "She got away from me once. You know how it is. It's a matter of pride."

The Peregrine seemed to accept that. "Just make sure you get the money back soon."

"Huh?" Radiance was more than a little taken aback. For one thing, she hadn't given so much as a single thought to the money Trinity had stolen. And for another, it was a strange request, coming from her fellow superhero. "The money?"

The Peregrine nodded. She seemed a little tense, somehow. "It was for a good cause, after all. It's very important that it's all recovered."

"Well, sure, but..." As much as Radiance wanted to get back to hunting for Trinity, her instincts were telling her something was off. "Why do you care? Surely getting Shimmer off the streets should be our priority."

The armored superhero's face twitched slightly beneath her mask. "I know what I'm talking about."

"I'm just concerned that-"

"Radiance," The Peregrine said, interrupting her firmly. "Let's just do it my way, OK?"

Radiance blinked slightly, before nodding automatically. "Right."

"Good." The Peregrine stepped past her, hefting her grappling hook, and fired it, letting it latch to a suitable anchor point on the building next to them. "I'm sure Future City can count on you."

An instant later, she was gone, her platinum hair and flowing cape billowing out behind her as she was launched gracefully into the air. Radiance blinked a few more times. The Peregrine being on her back was another headache she didn't need. She had better deal with this all as quickly as possible. Once she was sure The Peregrine was out of earshot, she started sprinting through the night, calling out her prey's name in the faint hope that she might come running.

"Trinity? Trinity! Where are you?"

She needed to find her.

And she needed to get all that stolen money back.