Whiteout Ch. 08

"Yes, Madame..."

"Whenever you feel that pull, that little tug at the back of your mind that comes when you fall into trance, you'll want to follow it all the way down. Even if you're in costume, even if you're with your allies, you won't be able to resist that wonderful feeling of blankness and obedience."

"Yes, Madame..." Violet gasped.

"And..." Madame paused. She sighed and then pulled away. "No, that's all."

She stood back up. "Lay down on your back, Violet."

"Yes, Madame..." Slowly, Violet moved off her knees and onto her back.

Madame looked at Sky and motioned for her to stand. The pop star rose to her feet, swaying like she was drunk and drooling absently.

Weiss kissed Sky's cheek. "Sleep, pretty girl."

Sky's body instantly went limp. Madame caught her and laid her down next to Violet. Then she looked at Violet and smiled warmly.

"Sleep, my dear."

* * *

"Now then. I think we've kept each other waiting long enough."

Weiss held up the red crystal. Val's eyes locked onto it like a magnet.

She was back in the bar now, the night Weiss first brought her here.

She felt so nervous. She was here alone with a woman she knew was secretly a supervillain who'd hypnotized over a dozen people, including her, to do God knows what. But while feared what Weiss could do to her, at the same time, she was excited by those same possibilities.

Weiss looked nervous too. Her eyes studied Val's face, her body language tense, a hint of hesitation in her voice. What's she so nervous about? Hasn't she done this a million times before?

"Now..." Weiss said. She paused, as if still figuring what else to say.

Val waited with bated breath.

Weiss said... something. Val couldn't make it out. But whatever she said, it made Val's head swim. She closed her eyes and let her neck go limp, her chin resting on her chest. All her dread and anticipation vanished in an instant.

She heard Weiss breathe a sigh of... relief? No, it wasn't quite that. She didn't seem entirely happy. She sounded both satisfied and terrified. Like a lingering doubt had been cleared away, but the answer she received was the worst outcome she had imagined. "Holy shit," Weiss said. "You really are her."

Val didn't respond. She didn't know what to say. In this moment, she may as well have not known anything at all. She heard something being shuffled around, and then the sound of liquid pouring into a glass.

"Okay, okay." Weiss took a deep breath, steeling her nerves and trying to remain calm. "Valerie, I want you tilt your head up and open your eyes."

Val complied, her eyes empty and glassy.

"Now," Weiss continued, "I want you to imagine your mind as a building with five floors. The fifth floor is where you are when you're awake. But right now, we're on the ground floor. This is where you go when you're blank and open. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Madame..." Val murmured.

"Good. Now, you're in an elevator within your mind. You're on the ground floor now. But we want you to be on floor three. Still open for me, still obedient, but able to speak clearly and honestly, and think a little bit when I need you to. Understand?"

"Yes, Madame..."

"I'm pressing the button for floor three now. You can feel the elevator rising, taking you to two. It keeps rising, up and up... now the elevator doors open. What floor are you on, Valerie?"

"Floor three, Madame." A tiny spark of life returned to Val's eyes. She spoke at a normal volume, but her voice was emotionless and slightly slurred.

"So... your team. What do they know about me?"

"I gave them a description," Val said. "They have a sketch of you based off that. It doesn't do you justice, though."

"Fucking hell," Weiss chuckled, "she's flirting with me even when her mind's gone." She took a sip of her drink. "Alright, what else?"

"We know the names and addresses of the other victims. And we know you and Raymond Hawthorne are seeing each other."

There was a moment of silence. Then, Weiss started laughing. "Christ, he really went with that? Well, I guess that's one way to silence a conversation. Nothing like bringing up kinky sex to make a bunch of old white guys squirm. What else do they know?"

"That's all."

"Wait, seriously?" Weiss set her drink down. "Well, were you close to catching me?"

"Not really. The only person who seems to know anything is Raymond Hawthorne, and he probably won't talk to us."

"Well, he's not the only person..." Weiss trailed off. After a moment, she said, "They're using that word? 'Victims?'"

"Yes."

Weiss took another sip of her drink. "And... what do you think of me?"

Val paused. "I think... you make me really horny. And you're really pretty."

"That's not what I'm asking, Valerie. What do you think of Madame Blanc?"

"I..." Val stirred, squirming uncomfortably on the barstool. "I think... she's..." Finally, she sighed. "I don't know..."

"Why not?"

"Blanc is Weiss and Weiss is Blanc. Blanc did terrible things. But Weiss makes me happy."

"I do?" Weiss leaned forward.

"Yes."

"Would..." Weiss took a deep breath. "Would you tell your team about me? About us?"

"No."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really. I don't want this to stop. I want you to keep playing with my mind and making me feel good. I want to be yours, Madame."

"You mean that?"

For a moment, Val's eyes looked completely clear. "Absolutely."

Weiss smiled. "Thank you, Valerie. Now, I'm going to press the button to bring you back down to the ground floor. You feel the elevator going down again, bringing you down to two, and then one."

"Yes, Madame..." The spark of awareness faded from Val's eyes; her head swayed loosely on her shoulders.

"Now, Valerie," said Weiss, carefully sliding over the top of the bar, "you know that whenever I do or ask you to do something that makes you uncomfortable, you can wake yourself up. You can always wake up when you need to. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Madame..."

Weiss nodded. "Take off your shirt, Valerie."

* * *

"Get us out of here!"

Yun-hee yanked on Val's arm as hard as she could, sending Val stumbling forwards off the couch.

She blinked rapidly, trying to clear the spots from her eyes. She could see Weiss sliding down the living room wall, a look of intense pain written across her face. She looked forward and saw Yun-hee's terrified expression as she dragged Val towards the door.

Val opened the portal that would take them to her apartment.

But then Weiss said something.

Val closed her eyes. Her legs turned to jelly, and she collapsed on the floor.

"Fuck!" Yun-hee shouted. She dragged Val across the carpet, trying to at least get out of that room.

Val heard movement behind her. The sound of Weiss groaning, stumbling to her feet, using the wall for support as she limped forward. "That hurt," she growled.

"W-Weiss..." Patti gasped. "What the fuck..."

"I'm fine, Patricia." Weiss didn't sound fine; her voice was hoarse and pained. "Just hang back and let me handle things."

"Don't come any closer!" Yun-hee shrieked. "I'll fucking fry you!"

Weiss laughed, then coughed. "Ugh..." she groaned, "that's a bad idea."

"What's so funny?" Yun-hee's grip around Val's wrist tightened, her nails digging into her partner's flesh.

"Valerie..." Weiss said. "Come over here, love."

"No..." Yun-hee whimpered.

But Val was already getting up, her body moving like a puppet on a string. She walked towards Weiss, but Yun-hee held firm, holding her back. "Snap out of it, Val!" Yun-hee cried. "Wake up!"

Val ignored her. She had to go to Madame. She pulled away with the strength of a woman possessed, breaking Yun-hee's grip and sending the other woman tumbling to the ground.

The hypnotized girl walked towards Weiss. She could see now that Weiss' shirt had been singed black, the skin underneath a worrying shade of red. Weiss smiled at her, blood dripping out of her nose. "That's a good girl..." When Val was close enough, Weiss grabbed her waist and pulled her close. "Go ahead. Fry us both."

Yun-hee stared at the two of them, tears welling up in her eyes. "What did you do to her?"

"Weiss." Patti spoke up again. She did not sound happy. "What did you do to her?"

Weiss sighed and closed her eyes. "Patricia, bodylock."

Patti gasped and froze, a look of terror in her eyes. "You..." And then her mouth hung open, her body completely still.

"Forgive me, Patricia," Weiss said. "But we don't need you mucking things up right now."

"Wake up, Val!" Yun-hee cried. "Don't listen to her!"

"It's too late for that," Weiss replied. "It's way too late. There's only one way to help her now."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

Weiss paused for a moment. "You... have to join her."

Yun-hee scoffed. "Are you out of your mind? Why would I ever agree to that?"

"Because... because if you don't, the second you run out that door, we'll go somewhere far away. New names, new identities. She'll believe it, too. She won't even remember being a part of your stupid club. And anytime you get close, we'll be gone again."

"N-No..." Val mumbled. Don't... want this...

"Shh," Weiss whispered, gently stroking Val's cheek. "It's okay, love. Just go back to sleep."

"Stop... Weiss, please..." Val stirred, straining against Weiss' grip.

"Fight it, Val!" Yun-hee shouted.

Snap! "Down," Weiss growled.

Have to... fight... "I won't..."

Snap!

"I..."

Snap!

And then Val was quiet again. She hung loosely from Weiss' arm, threatening to topple both of them onto the floor.

"God dammit!" Yun-hee spat.

"You see?" Weiss groaned, straining to hold Val up. "She's powerless against me. Whatever I need her to do, she'll do it. Which means you really have no chance of finding her if you leave."

"So..." Yun-hee sighed. "So what if I did submit to you? What would you make me do?"

"For now?" Weiss paused again. "I'd just... leave you and her on call. Sleeper agents, ready to do my dirty work."

Yun-hee glared at Weiss. "You know, Madame Blanc, you may be a good hypnotist, but you're a bad liar. You're just making all this up on the spot, aren't you?"

"Oh? And why would you think that?"

"I'm not an idiot, Blanc. Even if I didn't spend years getting a criminal psychology degree, I could still see through you."

Weiss sighed. "So what if I am lying? Do you think that means I'm bluffing? Do you really think I'd just stick around Prism City if I knew four superheroes were on my ass?"

"Oh, I don't doubt that. But let's be honest here, you're not using either of us for any Manchurian Candidate crap. What would you really do with me if I accepted your terms?"

"In all honesty? I'd just wipe your memory of tonight and send you on your way."

Yun-hee blinked. "...Really? That's it?"

Weiss shrugged. "Imagination was never my strong suit. Besides, my plan is already finished. No dirty work left for either of you."

Yun-hee rolled her eyes. "Alright, then," she sighed, "get on with it."

"You agree to let me hypnotize you? Just like that?"

"Just like that. Wanna know why?"

"Not especially, no." Weiss shifted uncomfortably on her feet, unsure where Yun-hee was going with this.

"Because you're going to tell Val about all of this. Maybe not right away. I'll give you... let's say a week, tops, before you crack."

"Somehow, I don't think that's likely."

Yun-hee cracked a wry grin. "I'll bet you fifty bucks otherwise."

Weiss furrowed her brow, discomforted by Yun-hee's oddly casual tone. "Just get over here."

"Very well." Yun-hee slowly approached Weiss, holding her arms up in a sign of surrender. When she was within Weiss' reach, Weiss carefully laid Val on the floor and touched Yun-hee's face. Snap! "Sleep."

Yun-hee's eyes closed. Her head dropped onto her chest.

Weiss leaned in and whispered something in her ear. Then, with another snap! Yun-hee awoke. She wordlessly found her discarded clothes, got dressed, and left Patti's apartment. Weiss sighed and leaned back against the wall. "Patricia, unlock."

Patti gasped as her body came under her control again. She stumbled slightly, needing a moment to regain her balance. Then she started walking towards Weiss.

"Now," Weiss said, "I know you're upset-"

Smack!

Weiss tumbled to the floor with a groan, clutching her eye. "Okay, I probably deserved that."

"'Probably?!'" Patti shouted, pure rage running through her veins. "Bitch, you deserve way more than that! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Other than the lightning bolt I took to the chest?"

Patti swung her leg into Weiss' stomach. The other woman yelped in pain and doubled over, coughing a bit of blood onto the floor.

"You know what I fucking mean!" Patti yelled. "This is not what we agreed on, Gwen! You were supposed to know when to fold, and when you've got superheroes hunting you down, that's when you fold!"

"I told you," Weiss growled, struggling to sit up, "not to call me that anymore."

"And I told you," Patti retorted, "not to violate my boundaries! And what did you do? You locked me in my own body, and you dropped Val while she was trying to wake up."

"I had to find a way to get rid of Yun-hee. She would've blown the lid on all of this."

"So you think this stupid plan is more important than Val's safety? Than mine?"

Weiss held her head in her hands. "I panicked. Christ, Patricia, do you have any idea how fucking terrified I was?"

"How do you think I felt? Locked in my own body, unable to move or speak? All I could do was watch as you backed Yun into that corner. I didn't know if you'd actually get her or if..."

Patti trailed off, but both women knew what she was about to say.

"...I'm sorry," Weiss said, breaking the silence. "I fucked up. God, I fucked this all up."

"Sorry's not gonna cut it this time, Gwen." Patti took a deep breath. "We're done."

Weiss looked up at Patti, a mixture of sorrow and fear on her face. "Patricia, don't-"

"I don't want your money. I don't want to see you around the Mansion anymore. Hell, I don't want to see you anymore, period. Find some other shitty bar to move into."

"Patricia, please! I'm sorry! Let me make things right!"

"You've done enough!" Patti snapped. "I never should've gone along with this anyway. Just... go."

Weiss fell silent. Slowly, she got to her feet. "Val, get dressed. We're leaving."

* * *

Val pushed Weiss away. She panted for air, her heart racing at a million miles per hour. The rush of memories felt like they were playing on fast-forward on twenty different screens at once, a whirlwind of emotions all hitting her simultaneously. You fucking idiot.

Weiss sighed. "I'm sorry, Valerie."

Did you really think she loved you? Val stared at Weiss in horror, her friend's face taking on a sinister quality in the dim lighting of the attic. You thought she was your friend? Her hands reached for the collar, yanking on it in a frenzy. "Get this thing off me!"

"Valerie, please, you need to calm down."

Val's fingers fumbled with the buckle. She never really cared about you. She flew right past your boundaries without a care in the world.

Finally, the collar unclasped. Val threw it off the bed. She played you, Val. She sat there, breathing heavily, staring at the woman she thought she knew.

"Valerie," Weiss pleaded. "Talk to me. Please."

Val didn't know what to say. There were all sorts of questions racing through her mind. In the end, all that came out was a meek, terrified, "Why?"

"Why?" Weiss sighed. "Why was I Blanc, you mean?" Weiss' question was met with nothing but wide eyes and short, shallow breaths. "The short answer is money. The Pink Mansion was on the verge of closing. Patricia and I tried everything. That's why I branched out into online stuff. None of that money was going to me, it was all going back into the Mansion. But it wasn't enough.

"So," she continued, "I broke out an old pet project we'd been working on. I wasn't entirely lying about the software thing, you know. I do have a degree in that, not that it did me any good. Throw in Patti's day job as an electrical engineer and our mutual knowledge of hypnosis, and we were able to slap together something special. Those flashes you saw back at Hammer Records? That was our baby. Quick, easy, painless. Faster than any induction either of us could do, that's for sure.

"All I had to do was get into someone's house or business, flash them a few times, and before they knew it, I'd be gone. They'd forget the whole thing and go on with their lives." Weiss took a deep breath. "Until the first of the month. At which point, they'd deposit five thousand dollars in an account they didn't consciously remember before the transaction, and which they'd forget about again right afterwards. Five grand isn't nothing, but for the people I was targeting? That's pocket change. No one would notice an amount like that going missing. And when you're getting thirteen different deposits every month, it adds up fast."

"So..." Val said, struggling to comprehend what Weiss was telling her. "You did... all of that... just for money? You're just a... a thief?"

"Thief?" Weiss glared at Val. "That money was already stolen. I was just taking it back."

Val stared in disbelief for a moment. Then she started laughing. "Oh, what?" she scoffed. "You think you're Robin Hood or something? Taking from the rich, giving to the poor?"

Weiss shrugged. "Sounds a little childish when you put it like that, but yeah. Basically."

"But you're not giving to the poor, are you? You're using that money to run a sex dungeon, Weiss. And let's be real, all this?" Val motioned to the room around her. "This didn't come from nothing."

"Alright, fine," Weiss replied, "I got this stuff from the money I repurposed. But-"

"'Repurposed!'" Val laughed. "Weiss, listen to yourself! You're so full of shit!"

"It's more than Team Rainbow has ever done!" Weiss snapped. "You 'post-humans' or supers or whatever, you never go after the people causing real damage. Bank robbers and mad scientists aren't the ones making people suffer."

"So brainwashing people into embezzling money for you and using them to get off is somehow making the world a better place?"

"I didn't use anyone!" Weiss shouted.

"You used Sky! You used-" Val paused, choking on her own words. "...you used me."

Weiss turned her eyes away from Val. "I..." She crumpled up into herself, holding her knees close to her chest. "I know," she said, holding back tears. "And I'm so, so sorry, Valerie."

"Why should I believe you?" A part of Val felt awful for interrogating Weiss like this, but her feeling of betrayal outweighed her misgivings. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt seeing Weiss so torn up.

"You shouldn't," Weiss sniffled. "After what I did to you? I know I wouldn't trust me."

"What do you mean?"

Weiss hugged her knees tighter. "I knew... well, I suspected who you were right away. I mean, the domino mask isn't fooling anyone. But when I met you at the Mansion, I didn't want to believe it. You seemed so different. So shy, so nervous. It wasn't until back in Raymond's apartment that I really started to think about it. I saw that same look in your eyes there that I saw in the Mansion. I tried to write it off as you being intimidated, but..."

She sighed. "Then you called me 'Madame.' And that's when I knew. I should've called it off then and there, shouldn't have led you on, but I couldn't help myself." She looked back at Val. "I still can't. There's a part of me, even now, that wants to drop you and make you forget all about this. To just keep you all for myself, never letting you back up. And that terrifies me."