Other Fan Fiction ❯ Jessica Jones Arrested ❯ Chapter 1

               The smell of oil, pressing bodies and rotten food permeated the air, everyone deeply enrapt in their phone or in not making eye contact with the people around them. The walls were stained with things I didn’t want to think about, trash tucked into corners or mashed flat from the numerous apathetic people that marched through here daily.

               Ah, the New York subway system. I should have known that when SHIELD comes to Jessica Jones with a PI job, they weren’t looking for someone to stake out the Waldorf.

               Keeping my hands in the pockets of my leather jacket, I swept my gaze around the subway platform with the bored stare I’d perfected since moving to this city. People were milling about like ants. The usual working stiffs in ties and skirts, the punks and hustlers, the wannabe artists, all walking with their heads down, pushing through the sea of humanity. A woman in overstressed sweatpants was bawling into her phone at someone named Ricky, a street musician was playing an off-key version of “somewhere over the rainbow” on the trombone and a group of punks were leaning against the far wall, a few of them eyeing me thoughtfully.

               I glanced at the punks for a moment. Nothing new there; I always attracted the classiest guys. I was hot, no doubt. Great legs, dark hair, tight butt; I know what they were looking at. Something about the tight, ratty jeans, worn out leather jacket, and the bargain bin tank top seemed to make losers think we were meant to be. It was almost enough to make me consider changing my look.

               Ignoring the tatted-up Romeos for a moment, I slipped my phone out of my pocket and made like the rest of the people in the station. But I wasn’t checking my Facebook and this doohickey wasn’t just a phone. According to the SHIELD bozo that gave me the job, it had a built-in meta-scanner along with dossiers of the super creeps I was tracking down. I keyed on the scanner gadget and made my way through the press of people, following the readings it gave me.

               I wasn’t after any big names. They had some telepathy, minor blasting powers, shape shifting and had been using them for mostly nickel and dime type stuff. Four of them, all men, all young, all escapees from low level super prison. If they had been a big threat, SHIELD would have had their own people on it.

               I didn’t care. Money was money.

               The doohickey was actually pretty useful. The screen showed colorful shapes of the people around me, sort of like a thermal scan on the movies. People were colored based on their meta human potential. The most normal person in the world would be a dark blue, while I was a bright red, but most people were somewhere in the middle. Everyone had a little bit of meta potential, I guess.

               I strolled around casually, occasionally looking up but mostly keeping my eyes on the screen. The only lead I had was these guys were working out of the subway somehow and this was the fifth stop I’d been to, walking around with my doohickey. I didn’t have high hopes that I’d run into any of them this time, but hell, I charged by the hour. If I was lucky, it would be another four stops before I saw these jokers.

               When I finally did see them, it was with my naked eye.

               Some jerk bumped into me and I looked up to scowl at him. I should have thanked the guy; if he hadn’t made me look up, I might not have seen them.

               Three men were standing just at the “subway personnel only” sign that was set in front of the maintenance doors. I recognized Alvin Caudelle, John Hutton, and Patrick Kelly from their dossiers, but in those pictures they had been wearing prison orange. Now they were dressed to the nines, in pressed suits and shiny shoes, silk ties loosened and looking utterly relaxed.

               No wonder they had been able to hide for so long. They looked so much like mid-level stockbrokers, I had to check the doohickey to be sure. They didn’t light up as red as I had, but they stood out amongst the rest of the crowd like jalapenos at a blueberry convention.

               I kept my features flat and bored, but I was thinking fast. Bringing these guys in would be great if I wanted more SHIELD contract work. I’d already handled plenty of guys more bad ass than they were and if there was just one or maybe two of them, I could strut over and conk them on the head before they knew what was up. But there were three; that could give me trouble.

               I stood still for a moment, pretending to be enrapt in my phone as I thought it through.

               SHIELD wouldn’t be happy if I tore up a subway or one of these idiots flash fried a couple of civilians. The smart thing would be to watch them, tail them and wait until one of them was alone, or just call it in.

               And so, for once in my life, I did the smart thing. I waited a second to avoid any suspicious movement, tucked the phone back into my pocket, then slowly turned on my heel towards to the exit.

               I collided with another man in a suit, lean with a thin mustache and a welcoming smile. When he spoke, it was with a British accent.

               “Careful, my dear,” he looped an arm around my waist, “You almost took a fall.”

               I’d like to say I had a quick retort, but I just gaped at him, blinking all doe eyed. The man I’d bumped into was the fourth meta, Charlie Floyd, the telepathic one.

               And he had a snub-nosed pistol pressed just under my left breast.

               I slowly looked down at the gun then back up at him. I was strong, but a bullet in the heart would kill me just as fast as anyone else.

               “Let’s not do anything rash, please,” he said, “I know you have powers. If you do anything too sudden, I’m afraid I’ll have to end your life.”

Charlie kept me close, keeping the pistol between us and smiling like we were good friends. No one around us could see the gun; it looked like we were acquaintances, maybe old flames, having run into each other on accident.

               I swallowed, “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

               “Please,” his eyes twinkled, “I expected they would send someone after us eventually. I didn’t expect someone so… fetching.”

               My brow lowered and I scowled. Right, a telepath. Kinda hard to pull off a lie on someone that can read your mind.

               “Now then,” he let his hand slip from my waist, “Stay very still.”

               I did what I was told but looked around quickly for other options. Never a cop when you need one and no one was even glancing in our direction.

               “Don’t be stupid,” I said, my voice tight, “Shoot me and cops will be all over you.”

               “Then I recommend you do exactly as I say,” Charlie dug in his coat pocket, “If we’re confronted, my friends and I will make an even larger mess.”

               I didn’t have much of a response to that. These guys weren’t exactly Thanos, but they could still handle some cops and cause a shit ton of collateral damage at the same time.

               From his pocket Charlie produced a white sticker, circular and raised. He bit the tab and pealed the back off with his teeth, then gently smoothed it on my skin, just below my collar bone.

               There had to be some way to get away from this creep…

               “Relax,” he said, “It’s just a little medicine. And I would stop thinking about escape. That’s not an option at this point.”

               I flinched, glaring at him. It was one thing to know someone was probably reading your mind, another for them to tell you what you’re thinking.

               “Listen, ass hole,” I snapped, “You’ve got a cute shtick, but the second you slip up I’m going to take your head off. This is not how you want to play this.”

               He moved beside me and hooked my left arm into the crook of his right, pressing the pistol against my ribs. It was graceful, almost like a dance move, and I was so surprised I just blinked at him like a moron.

               “My dear,” he smiled patiently, “The moment that intent enters your mind, I’ll simply pull the trigger. You are going to accompany me outside and it is in everyone’s best interests for you to do it quietly and pleasantly. Like we’re going for a nice little stroll.”

               I wanted to grab him by the jaw and turn that smug smile of his inside out. Literally.

               “Like hell.”

               “Oh?” he arched an eyebrow, “Would you prefer I pull the trigger now?”

               I wanted to tell him to get bent… but I didn’t. He was right. I could punch him into next week if I had time to swing, but there was no way I could do it before he put a bullet in my heart. Not without some kind of distraction.

               I looked around for a moment, hoping for exactly that. If I were an Avenger, I guarantee at that moment someone would have noticed the gun, screamed and threw off Charlie’s concentration just long enough for me to throw him into his buddies. But I don’t live a charmed life. No one noticed the gun, tucked under our arms. No one was even looking at us. I couldn’t even see the other three thugs anymore, which wasn’t good. They were probably taking positions, ready to hit me from all sides if Charlie messed up.

               “I assure you, you have no control of this situation,” he said, “Now… shall we?”

I’d been outsmarted and outmaneuvered. He had me, he knew it, I knew it and he knew I knew it. And so I walked, letting him lead me back towards the entrance, quietly. Just like he asked.

It wasn’t my proudest moment. As we walked up the steps to street level, I scowled at my feet like a teenager being dragged to a family reunion. I glanced around every now and then, but no one was rushing to the rescue, no one was watching and quietly calling the cops, no one was even making eye contact.

Hurray for the friendliness of New Yorkers.

“Where are your buddies?” I grumbled once we were in the open air.

“Not to worry, they’ll be along,” he replied, “And left this way.”

               We turned onto one of the less busy streets, passing less people, which was good and bad. Bad in that he would more likely getting away with shooting me, good in there’d be less chance of collateral damage if I had to throw down. I just needed an opportunity.

               I was looking around for something to use to my advantage when I noticed a strange taste in my mouth. You know how after you take some strong meds, you sometimes get dry mouth, but also kind of a taste like old pennies? That was starting to creep up on me and the sticker he’d put on my chest was starting to throb. A tingling was spreading under my skin, from my scalp to my fingertips. I blinked and shivered slightly, feeling light-headed.

               “That would be the medicine, my dear,” Charlie explained as he led me along, “You should feel a bit puny for a few moments, but it will pass.”

               I tried to glare hotly, but I had a feeling I looked more worried than dangerous. His smile broadened a bit at the look and his eyes twinkled.

               “What… the hell is it?”

               We turned into a narrow alley and the tingles spread down my legs, to my toes.

               “It’s a transdermal patch, introducing a serum into your system to dampen your powers.”

               I blanched, gaping at him.

               The ass hole just smiled, “Temporarily, of course. I have more permanent apparatus to neuter your abilities, but they’re a bit difficult to carry in a coat pocket.”

               After staring for a moment, I shook it off and scowled. I was getting really tired of this guy surprising me.

               “That’s not how powers work, dip shit,” I snapped, “If there was some cream I could put on to make me normal, I’d have used it a long time ago.”

               Charlie just shrugged, “You’ll see for yourself. Let’s stop here; this should be fine.”

               We stopped and he turned to face me, backing up a pace but keeping the gun level with my chest. He was still smiling, his eyes roaming up and down; the prick was enjoying every second of this.

               I tried to ignore my dizziness and glared back at him, feeling sullen and useless.

               “So lovely,” he sighed, “And so fiery. I shall have to thank SHIELD for sending you after us. I expected this to be much more of a chore.”

                “You’ll wish they sent someone else when I’m tearing you a new ass hole!” I snarled.

               But even as I said this, my cheeks warmed and I knew I was blushing. I scowled even harder, hoping to hide it. Goddamnit, what the hell was wrong with me?! How was this prick able to keep making me act like a fucking teenager?!

               “Charming,” he chuckled, reaching into his other pocket, “Now turn around, if you please. Face the wall.”

               Still stung and humiliated by how easily I was being handled, I just glared.

               “Please,” Charlie said, “You’ve been well-behaved so far. It would be tragic if it was all for nothing.”

               My eyes smoldered into his, furious, daring him to do it

               He cocked the pistol.

               I managed to hold the glare for another moment. In this neighborhood he could blow me away, then stroll across the street and buy an ice cream without anyone stopping him. I could keep glaring at him and die in a gutter for no reason or do what he said. I didn’t have any other options.

               Not feeling at all super heroic, I lowered my eyes. I shuffled in place, turning my back to him, face towards the wall.

               His footsteps came from behind me a moment later and I heard the ratcheting clicks of handcuffs.

               “Just relax, my dear.”

               He took my wrist and I stiffened. If he didn’t have the gun in his hand, I could turn and—

               “Ah ah ah,” the gun barrel pressed into my back, “Careful now.”

               I gritted my teeth and glowered at him over my shoulder. Goddamnit, how was I supposed to surprise a telepath?!

               “You can’t,” Charlie answered, “It wouldn’t go well for you, particularly without your powers.”

               AARGH! Ass hole!

               “Perhaps,” he answered me again, “Now stay still.”

               I shared some other NC-17 words with him, but I let my shoulders slouch, glaring down at my toes so he couldn’t see the embarrassed flush of my cheeks.

He took my wrist and I let him maneuver it behind my back. A moment later a cold, metal cuff closed into place around it and he took the other one to repeat the process. He probably took the gun off me for a second, but I stayed still, letting him cuff my other wrist. He’d made his point.

Click-click.

The cuffs held my hands tight behind my back. I’d been handcuffed before, but they had felt fragile then, like toys that would break if I swung my arm around. Now they felt uncompromising. Final. Like I wasn’t getting out of them this time. Were my powers really gone?

I started to have a sinking feeling that I was really screwed.

“Nice and safe,” Charlie took me by the elbow, “We may have to wait for a few minutes, but my colleagues should be along shortly. Then we can get out of this dirty alley way.”

He turned my arm and I followed it around to face him, my jaw working as fear started to creep up on me. He didn’t have the gun in his hands now. I flexed arms, trying to snap the handcuffs like cheap plastic.

They didn’t budge.

“I’ll have to search you,” he took my chin, tilting it up to look at him, “Is there anything you have on you which you’d like to tell me about? It will make things go a bit smoother.”

 I winced as I strained at the cuffs, the metal grinding into my skin. They didn’t even creak.

I know he noticed when my eyes widened. He was telling the truth. I didn’t have my powers. Not only couldn’t I take him by surprise, but it wouldn’t matter if I did. For the first time in a long time, I was truly helpless.

I felt very small, looking up at him, jaw slack, eyes as big as saucers, a crease forming in my brow as I struggled to fight panic.

My captor watched me with a patient smile, stroking my chin with his thumb.

“Well?” he asked again.

I swallowed a huge lump in my throat, struggling to organize my thoughts. He’d be able to tell if I lied to him or even if I was holding something back. Why was he even bothering to ask?

I considered that for a moment and decided it didn’t matter. If he didn’t already know, he’d find out. Why bother fighting it? What was the point of fighting at all?

My worry faded to resignation. The answer was there was no point. He wasn’t just right about my powers, he was right about everything.

My shoulders slumped, defeated.

“Left pocket of my jacket,” I sighed, “It’s a scanning thing they gave me. Finds metas.”

He reached into my pocket, still holding my elbow in case I tried to pull away. He didn’t have to; I didn’t move while he groped around and found the phone-like device.

“Thank you,” Charlie tucked the scanner into his own pocket. He leaned a bit closer, “Is there anything else?”

I told him. I told him where my wallet was, my keys, my actual cell phone, my notepad, everything. Every time I did, he thanked me and gave me a pleased nod, like I’d passed some kind of test. A couple of times I tried the handcuffs again, but they stayed firm and unbreakable. All my attempts managed to prove was that my powers weren’t coming back any time soon. I really was his prisoner.

Once I had nothing else to tell him, he told me to stand still and began patting me down. He moved briskly but professionally, feeling inside my coat, then down my ribs and waist, under my bra line, anywhere a wire or something small could be hidden. I expected him to take more liberties, but he stayed on task, combing his fingers through my hair, ruffling through all my pockets, checking me thoroughly and dispassionately.

I let my eyes and thoughts wander as he did. People passed by the alleyway and a few looked in our direction, but this wasn’t the type of neighborhood where anyone stopped to help. I didn’t bother calling out to them either; unless a superhero or a SWAT team wandered by, there was nothing anybody could do anyway.

While he turned me around to paw down my legs and checked my boots, I wondered what this was all about. Since he’d known I was watching them, he could have just given me the slip and moved on somewhere else. Now that he had me here, depowered and at his mercy, he could cuff me to a pipe or just shoot me and be on his way. There were tons of ways he could be done with me and go back to thieving, but instead he was going through all this trouble.

Toward the end of his search, Charlie had found a five-dollar bill in the back pocket of my jeans and I had a pressing question.

“What…” I asked slowly, “Are you going to do with me?”

He felt along the inside of my thigh, then pushed up the backside of my coat to check my lower back.

“Let’s not to think about that too much, my dear,” the thief said pleasantly, “We won’t simply be letting you go, after all.”

Finally finished with his search, he took me by the elbow and turned me sideways towards him. I looked at him warily. He was eyeing me with the same thoughtful expression my stepmom had when she perused a Denny’s menu.

“That being said,” Charlie stepped closer, “I can guarantee you that your odds will improve drastically if you prove yourself… cooperative.”

His palm slid across the tight seat of my jeans. There was nothing professional about that; he groped over one side of my ass and was crossing the taut denim to the other side. My jeans weren’t completely skintight, but I had a good butt that forced them to strain, making the back pockets round. He felt around in a slow, wide circle, clearly taking his time, enjoying it.

I flinched but stayed where I was. Him handling my ass made me want to knock his head off, but even without the cuffs I knew I couldn’t. What was I going to do, kick him in the shins? And he’d probably see it coming anyway.

I settled for scowling at him, trying to focus on that instead of how he groping me. And how I was just standing there, letting him.

He gave my butt a little exploratory squeeze.

“Oh, such a pout,” he smirked, “You do have lovely eyes, you know.”

“Bite me.” I growled.

“Charming.”

The creaking of brakes drew my attention to the street. A dark blue panel van had pulled up at the end of the alleyway and stopped. The driver tapped on the horn twice and Charlie smiled.

“It looks like our ride has arrived,” he patted the seat of my jeans, “Let’s go, then. Nice and easy.”

He started forward and drew me along with the hand on my butt. I paused only a second before I let him lead me, lowering my head to glower at my feet.

Our pace was brisk, but we weren’t really hurrying, giving me plenty of time to dwell on his hand. I could feel the halves of my rump pressing in and out against his palm, a shifting rhythm that matched my steps. I ground my teeth in frustration for letting myself get caught like this. I had made it so easy for him.

After a few more paces, he spoke up.

“Tell me your name now, please.”

I glared up at him, feeling bitter and not overly charitable.

“Why don’t you just read my mind, ass hole?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t know it,” he raised an eyebrow, “I said I wanted you to tell me.”

I glared at him for another moment, before relenting and looking away. It’s not like it mattered. He literally had my ass in the palm of his hand. Giving him my name wasn’t exactly going to make things any worse.

“Jessica.” I grumbled, “Happy now?”

“I’m certainly not displeased,” he grinned, “It’s been quite a fortunate day for me so far.”

Charlie leaned towards me, like he was sharing a secret.

“Although,” he said in a softer voice, “It would behoove you to be more careful with your tone around my colleagues. I wager they won’t find it as amusing as I do.”

We reached the van and the panel door slid open, hands reaching for me before I noticed the faces they belonged to. They took me by the arms and “helped” me inside, Charlie hopping up right after.

As soon as we were in, the door slid shut and the driver pulled away from the curb.

               The van’s interior was bare metal, the seats and upholstery having been removed or never installed. The extra room was taken up by a few plastic crates, like the kind you’d get at the Container Store to keep arts and craft stuff.

One of the men, a red head with a scar over his lip, reached into a container and withdrew a roll of duct tape.

               “Open wide.” He smiled at me.

               He’d been in the subway, one of the guys I’d spotted. Patrick Kelly. This whole thing must have been a setup from the beginning, three of them drawing my eye while Charlie took me from the side. And I’d walked right into it like a tool.

               I gave Patrick a level look, but I did what I was told. I opened and he pushed a wadded cloth inside, filling it and pressing down my tongue. My nose wrinkled in disgust and my expression got a little more heated, but he just ripped off a strip of tape and laid it across my mouth. Cupping my jaw in either hand, he placed his thumbs in the middle, then smoothed them out over my lips and cheeks, making sure the seal was nice and snug.

               “Mrrmhh…” my dark eyes flashed angrily above the gag.

               He didn’t seem overly impressed.

               “So, who do we got here?” the other man looked me up and down, “A SHIELD agent?”

               John Hutton. The dossier I’d been given was vague about his powers, but said it involved something with lizards.

               “See for yourself,” Charlie tossed John my wallet.

               John caught it and began flicking through the contents.

“Her name is Jessica Jones,” Charlie continued, smiling at me, “She’s a private investigator, but it appears she was hired by SHIELD to help track us down. On a trial basis to see if she can handle bigger jobs, she believes.”

“Wellp,” Patrick sneered, “I think you just failed this trial, sweetie.”

I scowled at Charlie first, then Patrick, but I couldn’t put as much venom into it as I would have liked. The men had formed a little triangle with me in the middle. Without my powers I couldn’t help feeling cornered, insecure, and surrounded.

The van hit a bump and we all swayed. The crooks managed to reach out for something to balance themselves, but I staggered into Charlie, who put a hand on my shoulder to keep me from falling. I glared at his hand, then at him, but I could feel my cheeks getting warm. Damnit, I hate feeling helpless.

               Charlie clucked his tongue and grinned at me in a way that only made me flush hotter.

               Goddamnit. And this shit head knew exactly how I was feeling.

               I tried to pull away but he kept his grip on my shoulder, reminding me how much stronger he was without my powers.

               “Pretty thing, isn’t she?” the ass hole looked me over thoughtfully, “And a meta human, I might add. Very strong when she’s not wearing a medicinal patch.”

               “A meta, huh?” Patrick frowned at that, “You sure she’s… under control?”

               “Positive,” Charlie replied, “But… we do have a few of those prison necklaces, do we not?”

               Patrick frowned at his partner, then at me. He looked me up and down again, but not so admiringly this time. More like he was wondering how big a hole he’d need to bury me in.

               “I understand your concern,” my telepathic captor said, “But she’s been quite cooperative. Even helpful, one could say.”

               He stroked a loose strand of hair from my forehead and I flinched, bristling.

               Prick.

Not that I could say anything in my defense. I’d been a goddamn model prisoner for him so far.

               He brushed a finger through my hair again and this time I just let him, scowling at him bitterly. So much for being a bad ass superhero.

               Patrick’s expression hadn’t changed. He slowly looked back and forward between me and Charlie, turning the roll of duct tape over and over in his hand. He started to say something but grunted and changed his mind.

               “Yeah,” he said instead, “I’ll bet she has…”

                With that he turned and dropped the duct tape into one of the containers, then began scrounging for something else.

               I looked at him, my brow furrowing slightly. Something about how he’d said that made me think there was something more significant behind the words. Like it meant something to Charlie.

               I glanced back at Charlie but he didn’t seem moved. He glided his fingers through my hair and smirked at me, his eyes twinkling. Like he was enjoying watching the thoughts bounce around in my head.

               I looked away, but my suspicion remained. What did he mean ‘I’ll bet she has’?

               Still going through my wallet, John plucked out one of my business cards, holding it up between his index and middle finger.

               “Hey, she’s a PI all right,” he read, “Alias Investigations. We got an address here too. It’s, uh… actually it’s only a couple of miles from here, I think.”

               I groaned inwardly, rolling my eyes at my own bad luck. Of COURSE, one of them would know the area well enough to be able to lead them right to my home. After everything else that had happened today, why not?

               Charlie placed a finger on my cheek and I let him turn my face towards him, staring at him flatly. His brow lowered and he looked through my eyes, concentrating. I expected him to say something smug or maybe threaten me but instead his gaze lingered, staring deep, his eyes focused on something inside mine.

               Before it could occur to me that he was invading my mind, he was already smiling again, having found exactly what he was looking for.

               “That’s where we’ll be going, then,” he said, “Her office has a few bits of valuable equipment. And more importantly, she has some documents that will be very useful to us.”

               I stiffened. Their dossiers and the other paperwork SHIELD had given me. The ass hole had reached into my mind and now he knew about everything I had there. I hadn’t felt a thing, but he’d just leafed through my memories like he was browsing a magazine!

               “Mrrrh!” I jerked my face from his hand, glaring.

               “Uh oh,” John laughed, “She didn’t like that!”

               Charlie narrowed his eyes but kept smiling, “Now, now, Jessica. Mind your language.”

               “Maybe this will cheer her up,” Patrick retrieved what he was looking for, “Some nice, shiny jewelry.”

               I looked over my shoulder to see him approaching me from behind with something metal in his hand. It looked like a wristband of chrome segments connect by a wire mesh, at least an inch thick and two or three inches wide. It had a glass face on the front, almost like a watch, but instead of putting it on my wrist, he moved to my neck.

               I flinched away and tried to face him, but Charlie grabbed my arm before I could turn all the way around.

               Patrick sneered at me and held up a hand, palm up. With a faint woosh of igniting oxygen, blue flame licked up from his skin, engulfing his hand. Unhurt, even grinning broader, he held his palm out, drawing it towards my face.

               I leaned back, my breath catching in my chest, but I couldn’t go far with Charlie holding my arm. His hand moved towards my neck and my eyes grew wide as I felt the heat under my chin. It quickly went from uncomfortable to painful, biting at my skin.

               “MMPPH!” I yelped beneath my gag, trying to jerk away.

               “Stay,” Patrick told me, “Still.”

               I swallowed and stared at him. The firelight was dancing in his eyes, making his grin seem demonic. All he’d have to do to kill me, or at the very least alter my definition of pain, was to move his hand a couple more inches. I’d have a scar for the rest of my life, if he didn’t just melt my esophagus.

               I realized right then that I wasn’t just annoyed. I was scared. I’d thought of myself as tough, even disdainful of danger, but I’d had my powers for most of my life at this point. Suddenly without them, I didn’t feel brave at all. I felt like I’d been put in the body of someone feeble, who couldn’t defend themselves, at the mercy of everything around me. How much of my confidence had come with knowing that I could bench press a cement mixer?

               The fire in his hand went out, but I continued to stare at him, shaken. I must have looked pretty scared because he and Charlie both chuckled.

               “Now lift your little chin nice and high,” Patrick cooed, “Look at the ceiling.”

                My brow furrowed for a moment, not wanting to take my eyes off him, but then I did was I was told. I lifted my chin, craning my neck back and exposing my throat. Then I stayed still, just like he wanted.

               “Good girl,” he said, then reached for me.

               I began to feel very tired as he bunched up my hair and lifted it out of the way of my neck. He looped the metal band around my throat and the mesh between the segments flexed, letting him stretch it all the way around my neck then connect both ends in the back with a formidable clack. It fit snugly without choking me and I stayed where I was, letting him collar me like a dog.

               Once the collar was in place, he let my hair fall back down and reached around to press a button beside the glass face on the front. Something inside the collar hummed and immediately the mesh went rigid, not constricting but becoming as solid as a steel bar. It went from a watch band to unrelenting metal that had been expertly fitted to my neck, something I wouldn’t be able to remove without a miracle and a diamond saw.

               “There we go,” Patrick smirked, “Welcome to our world for the past six months, sweetie. As long as you’ve got that collar on, your powers go bye bye. Try to take it off, it goes boom.”

               I lowered my chin and then just let my head drop altogether, hanging, feeling as defeated as I ever had. I couldn’t fight them, I couldn’t keep secrets from them, I couldn’t even not do what they told me.

               Charlie patted my butt and I didn’t even bother looking at him. I stood there, letting him feel the round shapes wobble beneath my tight jeans.

               “See?” he grinned, “Quite a cooperative girl. One could hardly ask for a more pleasant prisoner.”

               “Yeah, hardly,” Patrick drawled, reaching back into a plastic container. He withdrew a few black zip ties, all bunched together, “All right, hon. Let’s get you a little more secure for while you wait in the van. Don’t want you trying to run away.”

               He knelt down, pushed my knees together, then looped a zip tie around them.

               Before he finished, Charlie suddenly spoke up.

               “Actually,” one side of his mouth quirked up, “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

               Patrick paused and looked up just as he was about to cinch the zip tie shut. He squinted at his British colleague, borderline annoyed.

               “Chuck, I don’t care how ‘cooperative’ she is,” he said, “I’m not leaving her in the van with her legs free.”

               “You won’t need to,” Charlie replied, “As she won’t be staying in the van.”

               He crooked a finger under my chin and tilted it up. I wearily met his gaze, not having the heart to glare.

               “It might be suspicious if four strange men entered her office and began carrying things away,” he explained, as much to me as Patrick, “She’s going to come with us and explain everything to any nosey neighbor with a meddling query.”

               I swallowed, my eyes getting a little bigger.

               “She’s going to give us combinations to safes and passwords to computers,” he continued, narrowing his eyes, “And do everything she can to make our work as quick and efficient as possible. She’ll do this because the sooner and cleaner we get out, the less likely it will be that we need to destroy the building. You don’t want that, do you, Jessica?”

               I didn’t hesitate for long; there wasn’t any choice. Looking in his eyes, I shook my head, like a well-trained schoolgirl.

               He smiled.

*             *             *

               About 15 minutes later, I was riding my apartment building’s rickety elevator with John and Charlie on either side while Patrick stood behind me. They’d decided to remove my gag, but kept my wrists restrained, draping one of their jackets over my shoulders to hide the cuffs. Alvin, the fourth man, waited in the van in case we needed to escape quickly.

               I kept my head lowered, eyes downcast. A few people had glanced at me on our way in, but nobody seemed concerned. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or bad thing. I desperately hoped someone would notice something, but unless they had SHIELD or the Avengers on speed dial, I didn’t know what they could do. If anyone tried to stop them, they’d probably get burned to a crisp by Patrick before they even knew who they were messing with.

               I sighed heavily. As much as I wanted to escape, Charlie was right. The best thing to do was get them out of here as quickly as possible.

               The elevator rattled like it always did when we passed the 5th floor and all the men looked around warily except for Charlie. Nothing seemed to bother that prick.

               “Remember,” he squeezed my arm, “If anyone asks, you’ll tell them we’re police, if you say anything at all. And they’d better believe you. If they don’t, I’ll know. And if you try to tell them something in secret, I’ll also know.”

               I didn’t bother looking at him. I just slowly nodded.

               “I remember,” I said.

               “Good,” he stroked my shoulder with his thumb, “Let’s make this quick and simple.”

               When we reached my floor, the elevator didn’t ding as much as clunk. The doors shuddered, then squeaked before opening, old metal parts scraping. My floor was one long hallway with several doors on either side leading to other apartments. My door faced us at the end of the hallway, a milk-glass window set in its center with a brass name plate proclaiming “Alias Investigations.”

               The elevator hadn’t stopped flush with its opening, so we had to step over a slight lip before making our way down the gauntlet of doors to my apartment/office. I walked briskly, keeping my eyes on my doorway and the three criminals kept pace, Charlie keeping a grip on my arm.

               We were about halfway down the hall when the door to the left of my apartment opened. A homely, freckled face beneath a mop of carrot hair peaked out and looked down the hallway. When she saw me, her face screwed up in a glare, making her appear even more pug-like.

               My neighbor Robyn was one of the most petty people I’d ever met and she had a serious problem with me. She made it clear at every opportunity that she didn’t care for me or my lifestyle, was constantly complaining both at me and to the building super, and generally blamed me for everything bad that happened in the entire building. She’d even threatened me at one point and I’d pinned her against the wall to set her straight. Of course, that only made things worse.

               “Shit…” I quickly lowered my eyes, slowing my pace.

               It didn’t help. If anything, the uncomfortable response only made Robyn more eager, like waving red in front of a bull.

               “Well,” she rolled her eyes, “Look who finally showed up!”

                Robyn stormed into the hallway and advanced right toward us, her eyes sharp and fixed on me. She wore a frumpy sweater vest over an unfortunate orange dress, making her look like a furious carrot.

               “Do you realize how often your phone has been ringing?!” she snapped, “I can hear it every time! It’s like a fire alarm!”

               Charlie tugged me forward before I could slow down any further.

               “Keep moving,” he ordered.

               “I’ve told you a hundred times to get an answering service!” Robyn continued, “This a residential building, not downtown! We don’t want to hear your phone ringing off the hook literally all day!”

               Robyn met us before we reached the door, hands on her shapeless hips.

               “And who are you bringing in there now?” she gestured at Charlie and the others, blocking the way, “More boyfriends and drug dealers? Look at me when I’m talking to you, Jessica Jones!”

               Our group drew to a stop and I lowered my head further, biting my lip. If there was ever a time I needed Robyn to not be so… Robyn, it was right now. I could feel John tensing beside me, the heat of Patrick’s flame hand as it lit up behind my back. She might have been one of the most small-minded, obnoxious, nasty, entitled people on the face of the earth, but I didn’t want her to die. I also didn’t want Patrick to burn down the building when one of the other neighbors called the cops.

               “Robyn, listen,” I shook my head, “Just go back inside. There’s nothing—”

               “Don’t tell me what to do! I said look at me!” she cut me off, “What’s wrong with you?! Who are these men?! Explain yourself!”

               Goddamnit, Robyn.

               I glanced to either side. Charlie’s lips were pursed and he was squinting hard at Robyn, like she was a puzzle he was trying to figure out. On my other side, John’s expression was empty and cold, a killer about to strike. I didn’t need to see Patrick’s expression; judging by the heat I felt through both my jacket and the jacket they’d draped over my shoulders, he was a couple of seconds away from turning my meddling neighbor into a human candle.

               I looked back at Robyn, my expression tight with desperation.

               “Robyn,” I said slowly, “They’re cops. Okay?”

               She narrowed her eyes, her voice flat and disbelieving, “They’re cops.”

               There was a faint woosh as Patrick’s hand ignited into a flame the size of a small campfire.

               My eyes widened.

               But before I could call out a warning, Charlie threw back his head and barked with laughter.

               Time paused for a moment as everyone stopped to frown at him. John, who I was sure was just about to pounce, froze and narrowed his eyes in the Englishman’s direction. Patrick’s flame stayed ignited, but he held it where it was, restraining himself from attacking. Even Robyn blinked her eyes in surprise, though she quickly narrowed them, probably thinking he was mocking her.

               Charlie shook his head in amusement.

               “My word,” he said, his voice still bouncing with laughter, “Such a misunderstanding. Please, let’s all just calm down a moment.” He grinned at Patrick, “Gentlemen, please. I assure you, we are in the middle of the most comedic circumstance.”

               The other two men stared at him.

               “Please,” he narrowed his eyes, “Trust me. This will be amusing.”

               John looked uncertain but he eased back in his stance, his shoulders relaxing. Patrick held onto his fire for another moment, then I felt the heat vanish with a tiny hiss.

               Relief bled some of the tension out of my own shoulders, but I kept my eyes on Charlie. He had a crooked grin and a twinkle in his eye that made me suspicious. I knew he had been reading Robyn’s mind seconds ago and then he suddenly burst out laughing. What had he seen in my neighbor’s thoughts that had amused him so much?

               When he saw his colleagues had eased down, Charlie turned back to Robyn.

               “Please, madame, forgive us,” he placed an apologetic hand on his chest, “This misunderstanding is entirely our fault. It’s just now occurred to me who you are. You’re Robyn Stein, are you not?”

               Robyn stared at him. She looked him over, eyes narrowing with suspicion, then crossed her arms under her breasts. Whatever she saw didn’t immediately draw her ire, so she looked at him askance, curiosity piqued just enough for her to reserve judgement. For the moment.

               “Maybe…” she said slowly.

               Charlie smiled and turned to his colleagues, “This is the one that sent the reports on our prisoner here. Robyn Stein, remember?”

               John and Patrick stared blankly back at him. Whatever he was talking about meant as much to them as it did to me.

               It meant something to Robyn, though. She gasped and brought a hand to her mouth, eyebrows rising towards her scalp.

               “Uh… yeah,” John said after a moment, “The reports. I remember.”

               Patrick continued to stare.

               Robyn on the other hand was struck speechless for the first time since I’d met her. Her mouth hung open and she stood frozen, eyes wide with awe. It took several seconds for her to find her voice.

               “Y-you… you mean…” she squeaked, “You’re… you’re with…”

               Charlie looked around with theatric suspicion, then brought a finger to his lips.

               Robyn swallowed, taking the hint.

               “You’re with…” she whispered, “The Meta Human Control Agency?”

               I squinted up at Charlie. The what?!

               Charlie ignored me, his attention entirely on Robyn. He wore a mysterious grin, his voice lofty and conspirational.

               “I’m afraid I’m not allowed to answer that, but… let’s just say my department found your reports interesting, to say the least.”

               Robyn’s face lit up, “You read my letters?!”

               “Of course!” Charlie grinned, “They were most impressive! Your reports on Miss Jones’ dangerous behavior were so thorough, it prompted us to start our own investigation. And as you can see,” he took me by the arm, “You were right on all counts.”

               I winced as he turned me to the side and pulled my arms forward, enough so she could see the handcuffs connecting them.

               If Robyn’s face had brightened before, now it practically glowed. She suddenly giggled hysterically and clapped a hand over her mouth, her eyes lighting up with glee as she stared at my cuffed wrists. She looked at me, then at Charlie, then back at the cuffs, practically bouncing with giddy energy.

               “This is a waste of time,” I heard Patrick mutter to Charlie.

               “A minor detour that will make everything much easier,” Charlie whispered back, “Besides, what fun!”

               I sighed, getting the sinking suspicion I wouldn’t be having as much fun as he would.

               Getting over her initial hysterics, Robyn grinned at Charlie with vicious glee.

               “I knew it!” she pointed at him, “I KNEW it! Reuben said you guys didn’t exist, but I KNEW it! I was right!”

               She giggled again, then turned to me, her gaze narrowing. She looked right into my eyes and her lips drew together, her grin going from savagely vindicated to smugly, sweetly triumphant.

               “And you know what?” she drew a step closer to me, “It’s about time! You’ve had this coming for a good long while!”

               She cupped my chin and lifted my face to hers.

               “You thought you could just do whatever you wanted cuz you have powers, didn’t you?” she sneered, “You didn’t know the MHCA was out there and it was only a matter of time before they came for you!”

               My brow lowered as Robyn taunted me, my jaw working. I wanted to tell her she was an idiot, that there was no such thing as the MHCA. That it was some conspiracy theory she bought into because of her own intolerance and mediocrity. But I couldn’t. As long as she bought this story, she wasn’t going to raise an alarm or force one of the others to do something nasty. Since she thought this was some super secret government raid, she wouldn’t tell anyone at all and would probably even cover for us. It was completely humiliating, but was I supposed to just yell the truth at her?

               I lowered my eyes, feeling tired. Charlie had himself a new ally now that would do everything she could to help them cover their tracks. It was almost perfect for him.

               “Look at me, Jessica.” Robyn ordered.

               I lifted sad eyes back to hers, expression weary and defeated.

               Robyn delicately pinched a loose strand of my hair and guided it behind my ear.

               “You’re going to prison now,” she cooed, “A secret black site prison at Area 52. You’re never going to see the light of day again. And it’s all thanks to me.”

               This was definitely the worst day of my life. I don’t know what my expression was like right then, but it made Robyn grin broader, immensely pleased. She stared at me, enjoying it for a second, then looked past me to Charlie.

               “You ARE taking her away, right?” she asked.

               “Indeed,” he smiled, “She’s guilty of many crimes and we were in the process of confiscating the equipment from her office. We believe she’s been gathering… illicit information.”

               Robyn almost jumped with excitement, “Oh! I can help! I have her key!”

               Before Charlie could even comment, Robyn had whirled around and hurried to my door, digging I big key ring out of her sweater pocket.

               “You do, hm?” Charlie grinned at Patrick, “That IS helpful!”

               Patrick rolled his eyes but shrugged in concession.

               Robyn flipped through the keys one by one, “I talked to the super and had him make a copy for me. I knew she was up to no good. I’m all for privacy, but some people just need to be watched. Besides, she’s not really like a normal person.”

               “You’re very perceptive,” Charlie said, “Truly, have you ever considered getting into my line of work?”

               She looked over her shoulder and giggled, blushing pink, then turned back to keep flipping through the keys. Finally getting to mine, she stuck it into my door, unlocked it, then threw it open.

               She stepped to the side, waving them in, “After you, gentlemen!”

               I let my head hang and stared at my feet. This had to be some kind of nightmare. My life hadn’t been easy before, but I’d never imagined it could become this degrading and miserable on so many levels. I wanted to just curl up in the floor and wait for the rats to get me.

               But I didn’t even have that choice. Charlie led me forward and I shuffled along beside him, like a zombie.

               Robyn flipped on the lights when we entered.

I didn’t exactly keep things clean. I had a cheap desk covered by an old office phone, a new laptop, several fast-food wrappers and empty bourbon bottles. There was a smaller desk to one side for my sometimes research assistant, a shelf stacked mostly with more bourbon bottles and some surveillance equipment, and a small safe tucked into the corner. As no one had been in the office but me for a while, there were also random articles of clothing and more wrappers on the floor.

After stepping inside, Patrick closed the door behind us. He locked it and immediately he and John made bee lines for the desk and safe respectively, already seeing things of value.

“Check the drawers of the desk for the paperwork,” Charlie said, leading me to a corner of the room, “Her equipment is on the shelves and some of it in the far room. She also has more… important evidence in her bedroom.”

He guided me by my arm and Robyn followed us with an eager grin. Once we were where Charlie wanted me, he set me against the wall and looked me in the eyes.

“Jessica,” he smiled, “The combination to the safe, please.”

I answered immediately, voice hollow, “42 left, 12 right, 23 left.”

Charlie turned to call out the numbers to John, who gave a thumbs up in return. Then he turned back to me.

“Now,” he took my shoulders and guided me to the floor, “Sit right here, don’t move, and stay quiet. We’ll be watching you.”

I slumped to the floor on my butt and nodded weakly to let him know I understood.

“Good girl,” Charlie smiled.

He turned to take part in the looting but stopped when he saw Robyn standing in his way. Her hands were clasped in front of her and she was bouncing with excitement, teeth showing in an almost cartoonishly eager grin.

“I can help!” she beamed, “What can I do?”

Charlie frowned for a moment, considering his response.

“Hmm…” he slowly grinned, “What you can do… is go into Jessica’s bedroom and pack her a little travel bag. Clothes, basic necessities. You understand?”

Robyn blinked, so Charlie rested a hand on her shoulder.

“The police aren’t aware of our activities, you see,” he leaned closer, confiding, “Secrecy is paramount. So, rather than her suddenly disappearing, it’s important that it appears like Jessica Jones packed a bag, took her valuables, and absconded.”

Robyn blinked again, but then her eyes lit up with recognition, “Ohhhh!”

“You see?” the telepathic crook winked, “You really are very intuitive! Now, go on. And take your time.”

She nodded rapidly, blushing again, then turned to scamper towards my living area.

Charlie watched her go and chuckled to himself. He glanced at me, but I didn’t look up at him. I was busy watching Patrick pull the drawers from my desk and dump their contents.

“See?” Charlie said to me, “Isn’t this fun?”

He chuckled again and strolled away, leaving me to sit there while my life was turned inside out.

John had the safe open in no time. He flipped open his satchel, grabbed my short stack of petty cash and stuffed it into the bag. He dug out the information discs SHIELD had given me then stuffed them in as well before feeling around the inside of the safe, checking for hidden panels.

Patrick had the group’s dossiers open and was scanning through them.

“Hey, John,” he held the yellow folder out for his partner to see, “Check out your mug shot.”

The other criminal looked up, “Whatever. All those pictures are bad.”

“You look like you’re about to throw up. Or cry.”

“Eat a dick.”

John moved to my shelves while Patrick chuckled to himself, flipping to the next page.

Charlie knew right where he was going. Hands clasped behind his back, he strolled to a particular spot in the floor then crouched down. Knocking on a floorboard, he found it to be loose and turned it over. Beneath was a small compartment where I’d hidden a vial of the Purple Man’s pheromones. Having read my mind he knew exactly where it was and what it was.

“Ah,” he picked out the vial, holding it up to the light.

It was in what almost looked like a chrome cigar case, but with a small window on the side to show the purple fluid it contained. Charlie jiggled it, watching the inky purple swirl inside the vial.

“I think this will sell very well to the right sort,” he tucked the vial into his pocket, “Very well indeed.”

Done reading, Patrick rolled the dossiers up and tucked them into the back of his pants, then moved to my bedroom.

“Let’s see what she’s got in here…” he grinned to himself.

Charlie continued to wander around, perusing, while John stuffed expensive camera and audio equipment into his bag. He picked up one of my only framed pictures, one of me and my late parents, looked it over, then tossed it aside. It broke on the floor, scattering little bits of glass.

Charlie frowned, “John, it’s meant to look like she simply picked up and left. If you keep throwing everything about, it’s going to appear that someone turned her apartment over.”

“Who cares?” John said without turning around.

The Englishman scowled at his partner’s back, then looked in the direction of the bedroom, where Robyn was packing my bag. He waited for a moment, checking to see if my neighbor had heard, then turned back to John.

“I care,” Charlie said in a lower tone, “Because SHIELD may come looking for her. And after that, they may come looking for us. I’d rather not give them cause to think we’re the reason she stopped answering their calls.”

“It’s SHIELD,” John replied, looking over a set of headphones, “They’ll figure it out anyway.”

“There are options for escaping their notice, Johnathon,” Charlie hissed, “But those options dwindle if it’s obvious to the dimmest police officer on earth that we kidnapped an agent of theirs!”

While the two of them argued, I found my gaze turning towards the door. It was only about fifteen feet away; it would only take a few seconds for me to reach it, even if I moved quietly.

I glanced back at Charlie. He had crossed the apartment to glare down at John, both of them with their backs to me.

“Why are we even keeping her, anyway?” John drawled, “I mean, besides the obvious reason. I don’t care either way, but if you’re so worried about covering our tracks, why don’t we just tie her up and dump her somewhere?”

“Besides the obvious, she has uses you haven’t considered yet,” Charlie replied, “Leverage. Intel. And other, more practical uses once she’s been properly tamed.”

If I was going to make a break for it, now was the best time. Patrick wasn’t even in the room and the other two were distracted, with an exit only a dozen steps away. My hands were still cuffed and it might take me a second to unlock and open the door, but if I was quiet I could get out before anyone even noticed.

Of course, if I got caught, Charlie might decide to let Patrick charbroil me rather than keeping me around.

I swallowed, then set my jaw. I had to take the chance. Charlie’s talk about taming me sent a chill down my spine because it was becoming a very real possibility. I’d already obeyed him like a frightened little girl so far, giving up trying to defy him because it would be pointless. How long could that go on before I gave up altogether? And if I didn’t, what would keep them from throwing my body in the river?

Keeping my eyes on Charlie, my heart pounding, I brought my knees to my chest then began pushing back up. My arms were no help so I simply had to press with my legs and shimmy up the wall. My coat lightly scraped on the old wallpaper, hopefully soft enough that only I could hear it. I moved slowly, inch by inch, praying that the crooks didn’t suddenly turn around.

About halfway up, the coat they’d laid across my shoulders slipped off and plopped to the floor. I froze, wincing.

Charlie and John were still in conversation, talking rather than arguing, the Brit explaining things while John slowly nodded, starting to come around. They didn’t seem to notice.

Releasing a relieved breath, I continued rising until I was upright, then arched my back to push myself off the wall. I stayed still for a moment, waiting to see if either of them would turn, then began taking careful steps towards the door.

Facing the men, I shuffled sideways, both to keep my eyes on them and to have my hands facing the door when I got there. My leather boots were better for kicking faces than sneaking, but I knew where to step to avoid creaking boards. I just had to get through the door and onto the street, then I could blend in, find someone to get this collar off of me.

After that, I could find these ass holes again, get the drop on THEM this time.

“And then what will you do?” Charlie piped up.

My heart stopped.

I froze, almost to the door, eyes as wide as saucers.

Charlie turned to face me, resting his elbow in his palm and stroking his chin thoughtfully. His dark eyes were glinting, boring into mine and for once he wasn’t wearing a sly grin. His expression was cold, angry, lips pinched in a tight line.

John had turned as well, but he looked more surprised, frowning first at his partner, then at me.

Shit. Goddamnit. Shit. He’d been in my head the whole time. He’d heard everything I’d thought about him and he’d just waited to see if I’d obey him or try to make a break for it. Then he’d let me get just a bit further, so he could catch me in the act.

My knees went weak and I almost fell. I’d just fucked up. I’d fucked up really bad.

Charlie shook his head in stern disapproval.

“Miss Stein?” he called out, “Could you come in here for a moment?”

Something in my bedroom thumped to the floor as Robyn dropped it in her rush to obey. She hurried in a moment later, wearing a big, hopeful grin.

“Yes?”

She stood in the entrance to my bedroom, beaming at Charlie, until she saw me out of the corner of her eye. When she turned towards me, her smile immediately fell away.

“Hey!” she snapped, pointing at the corner, “You’re supposed to stay over there! I heard him tell you!”

There’s no cool way to describe how I reacted. I panicked. If I didn’t get out of here right now, if I let them catch me, I knew I was in for something terrible.

I threw myself backwards to the door, banging clumsily into it and rattling the glass. I hit the door knob and pain lanced up my lower back, but I ignored it, fumbling desperately for the lock.

Robyn stormed towards me while Charlie and John watched with the beginnings of amused grins.

“Where do you think you’re going?” she glared righteously.

My handcuffs scraped and scratched at the door as I groped around but I found the lock. Trembling with adrenaline, my fingers didn’t work like they should, which only made the animal part of my brain scream louder.

Robyn reached me in seconds, long before I could get a good grip on the lock.

“Fuck OFF!” I shrieked, throwing a wild kick to drive her away.

If I’d had my powers, the kick would have knocked her flat on her back, maybe broken some ribs. Without them, the blow scraped off her hip, made her scowl with annoyance and pause for only a split second before swinging her fist into my jaw.

It wasn’t a great punch, but with me off balance and pinned to the door, it did the trick. There was a white flash and my head banged into the milk glass window. My panic was knocked away, that and every other thought in my head, leaving me staring stupidly, unable to focus on the red head in front of me. My legs buckled and I barely managed stay upright, which turned out to be a mistake when Robyn drove her fist into my stomach.

“WHOOLF!” I gaped like I’d seen a ghost and doubled over, the air in my lungs whooshing out of my open mouth.

“Ooh!” I heard John laughing in surprise.

That was all it took. Me, Jessica Jones, bad ass super powered crime fighter. I crumpled like a wet napkin, flopping onto my face, right at Robyn’s feet. I didn’t try to get up; I was too busy trying to breathe. I wheezed and coughed, just managing to turn my face so my cheek rested on the hardwood floor, but otherwise I didn’t move.

Robyn wasn’t done, though. She drew back and kicked me, mostly in the arm, but the toe of her shoe caught me in the ribs and forced out a rasp of pain.

“You,” she kicked me again, “Never get,” another kick, “To curse at me,” another kick, “ever,” harder kick, “EVER again!”

Each shot to my ribs drew another faint wheeze, my body tensing in agony.

When she was done, so was I. I went entirely slack, no longer wanting to get to the door, no longer even wanting to get up. In fact, I never wanted to get up ever again. I’d never had my ass kicked before. I didn’t realize how utterly exhausted and hollow it left you. Especially when you get your ass beaten so quickly and thoroughly by Robyn, of all people.

Behind me I heard John sniggering. Charlie clapped politely, like he was watching golf.

Robyn walked around to my front then bent down to take me under the shoulders.

“Don’t worry,” she beamed back at them, “I got her. She’s not going anywhere.”

Lifting my arms up just enough that she wouldn’t have to hunch over, she waddled backwards, dragging me across the floor.

“You are not going anywhere, missy,” she repeated for my benefit, “Nowhere except right back to where you started.”

Being the tough, no nonsense private investigator I am, I whimpered as my boots scraped along the floor, legs brushing past a few wrappers as she dragged me back to the corner. It wasn’t a comfortable ride, but fighting would only make it worse. When we arrived, she simply let go of me, letting me flop onto my breasts and face.

To add a cherry on top, she planted her foot on my head, grinding my cheek into the hardwood floor.

John went back to work while Charlie strolled towards us, still applauding.

Robyn beamed and leaned more of her weight onto my head. I groaned weakly.

“Very well done,” Charlie smiled, “It’s so fortunate you came in when you did!”

Apparently not remembering that he had called her, Robyn squirmed at the compliment.

“Oh, it was nothing,” she blushed, “Just lucky. She’s not a big deal without her powers.”

Charlie clucked his tongue, grinning down at me.

“She’ll learn soon enough.”

Robyn removed the foot from my head, setting it down next to my ear instead.

“Maybe I should watch her so she doesn’t try to get away again,” she said, “That way guys can focus on… on… the…”

She trailed off, like she forgot what she was about to say. But she didn’t say anything else. Charlie didn’t remark on it and said nothing to fill the silence either. It lingered, stretching for long, uncomfortable seconds, neither of them moving. They didn’t shuffle or shift their weight or even look away like someone might in an uncomfortable silence. It was like someone had simply hit the pause button on both of them.

After almost eight seconds of silence, even as beat up as I was, I started to notice something weird was happening. With my face mostly pressed to the floor I couldn’t see their faces, but I got the feeling they were staring right at each other with an intensity that usually only came from passion.

It ended when Charlie released a breath, his body relaxing again.

“… focus on the important stuff,” Robyn continued like the pause hadn’t happened, “Like, hmm… actually, has she been strip searched?”

That got my attention.

“Why… no!” Charlie sounded astonished, “I… suppose we should, but we didn’t bring any female agents! It’s against guidelines for someone of the opposite gender to perform that kind of search. It’s not really an option, unfortunately.”

What the hell?! Where had that come from?!

I blinked, starting to get another bad feeling.

“Hmm…” Robyn mused, “You know, I could do that.”

Charlie paused, as if startled by the genius of the idea.

“That… that’s in fact quite true!” he gasped, “You could! My word!”

“Sorry,” she said, “I don’t want to sound like I’m telling you how to do your job…”

“No, not at all! It’s a capital idea!”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My head hurt and I still hadn’t quite caught my breath, but I squirmed, trying to turn myself onto my side so I could see them.

I didn’t get far before Robyn planted a foot on my shoulder and shoved me back to the floor.

“No one told you to move,” she snapped.

“My, you really know how to handle her!” Charlie gushed, “You’re so forceful! Very impressive!”

Eager to show how forceful she could be, Robyn moved the foot from my shoulder to drop down and replace it with a knee to my back. She leaned into it and I moaned, unable to keep one of my feet from kicking.

Not done, she tangled her fingers in my hair and yanked my head up, so she could give me a smirk of pure superiority.

“Now I’m going to strip you, Jessica,” she said sweetly, “Right down to your bra and panties. And you’re not going give me any trouble about it. Understand?”

I’d like to say I glared defiantly at her, that I refused to be intimidated, but I looked up at her with heavy, lidded eyes, already beat down and hopeless. I didn’t exactly give a good showing of myself and honestly her grin scared me a little bit. It wasn’t just that I was afraid of her, there was something else going on.

Robyn might have hated me with a passion, but this didn’t seem very much like her. I wouldn’t put it past her, but the idea of her ripping my clothes off had come too suddenly for it to have been genuine. Someone had put that thought in her head.

My gaze drifted to Charlie. He had his hands clasped over his chest and was innocently twiddling his thumbs. He stood a few steps back to give us plenty of room, but there was a sharp, eager glint in his eye. When his gaze met mine, a grin pulled at the corner of his mouth.

A chill went down my spine. I suddenly had no doubt where Robyn had suddenly gotten her brilliant idea.

When I didn’t answer fast enough, she gave my hair a jerk, making me gasp.

“Answer me when I speak to you!” she snapped.

 I looked up at her, at how certain and righteous she was. My morale couldn’t have been any lower and it showed in the sullen look in my eyes, the weary hanging of my features. I wanted to look away, knew that I looked pathetic and beaten, but I knew I better not. There was no way out of this. I embraced the humiliation.

“Yes…” I said sadly, “Yes, ma’am. I got it. I won’t give you any trouble.”

At my concession, Robyn lifted her chin, grinning down her nose at me. I didn’t have to be a detective to tell that she’d fantasized about this before.

“Good! See that you don’t Jessica!” she said, “Now stay quiet and stay still until I say otherwise.”

I was about to say something back when she thumped my forehead to the floor, done with the conversation.

Charlie chuckled, giving her another round of polite applause.

“Masterful work. Truly masterful.”

He took a few steps back to lean against a wall, settling in to enjoy the show. With my nose to the floor I couldn’t see his face, but I could feel his stare. In reality, he was the one who was doing this to me, Robyn was just his very enthusiastic puppet. I didn’t know if that made it better or worse and at that moment I was depressed to care.

With her knee still digging into my back, Robyn looked me over, deciding where to start. Now that she was upright over her knee, most of her weight was pressing into me. When she turned the knee twisted, grinding into my kidney.

I groaned and squirmed, shifting my legs to try to find a more comfortable position.

She leaned back and gave me a hard smack across the ass.

“Hush up and stay still!” she snapped, “Now, let’s see… should probably start with your boots.”

To my relief, she removed the knee from my back and turned to plop down on my butt, sitting on me like I was a park bench. It wasn’t comfortable, her weight pressing my hips and crotch into the floor, but it was better than the knee stabbing into my kidney. She lifted my foot, bending my leg at the knee, then began working my boot loose.

“You always see people hiding things in their shoes,” my neighbor explained, “And you can never tell with shifty types like this one. Probably has drugs or needles or something in here.”

She yanked the boot free, let my bare foot flop to the floor, then turned the boot upside down, shaking it out. Nothing fell out so she tossed it aside and lifted my other leg, repeating the process.

“Maybe a fake ID or something,” she mused, “I know for sure she has those. Even if she wasn’t a dangerous, alcoholic meta, she’d be a criminal. Probably be in prison anyway.”

“Spot on, I’d say,” Charlie agreed, “She’s always mucking about, disobeying, getting herself into trouble. She should be grateful her punishment isn’t more severe. It was fairly inevitable.”

“Lock her up and throw away the key,” Robyn nodded, tossing aside my other boot, “That’s the only way to deal with types like her.”

I sighed and closed my eyes, wishing I was unconscious.

With my boots gone, Robyn paused to look me over, deciding what was next. When she made her decision, she finally got off me and bent down to dig underneath my hips. Grunting with the effort of bending over, she fiddled around until she managed to unsnap the button of my jeans, then yank the fly down. With that done, she grabbed the waist of my pants and tugged, pulling them down.

“And… nhh…” she grunted with effort, “She struts around… in these skin-tight jeans…” she worked them side to side, “showing off her… little tush to… everyone…”

My jeans were tight enough that they didn’t come down easy and Robyn wasn’t exactly dexterous. Her tugging actually slid me across the floor, my striped underwear worked down a few inches as my pants came down, giving me a plumber’s butt.

“Thinks if… she shows everyone her… butt,” Robyn continued, “They’ll let her… get away with things. But not me!”

“Shameless pandering,” Charlie nodded, “Truly shameless.”

My jeans were inside out by the time Robyn got them off my legs. She turned the pockets out, shook them, then flung the jeans aside.

“All right, Jessica,” she took me by the arm, “Get up.”

I really didn’t want to. At least face down on the floor I didn’t have to look at the pair of them, see their smug expressions. But there wasn’t much choice. Robyn pulled on my arm after I hesitated, torquing my shoulder joint. It made me clamber to my knees, then push to my feet to avoid the pain.

Once up, I let my head hang, staring at my toes. I could feel a draft and knew my panties were about quarter of the way down my ass. I let my knees knock together, standing pigeon-toed and miserable. If I’d known this was where my private eye career would end, I would have chosen the fast-food industry.

Robyn jerked my jacket off my shoulders more violently than she needed to, clearly enjoying it.

“Little miss bad ass in her leather jacket too,” she scoffed, “Thought she was so tough. Well…” she paused when the jacket got caught on my handcuffs, “Hm, wait, I need the—”

Charlie tossed the keys to her before she could finish.

“Oh,” she smiled, “Thanks!”

She lifted my wrists, not familiar with the cuffs or knowing where to put the key. It took her a few seconds of fiddling before she managed to unlock them. She paused before slipping them from my wrists.

“Don’t even think about moving.”

I slowly nodded. I hadn’t planned on moving anyway.

Apparently satisfied with my response, Robyn grunted then ratcheted the cuffs loosing, slipping them from my wrists. I let my arms fall to my sides. My hands were free, but I was no less trapped than before.

Robyn held the handcuffs up for a moment, looking around for where to put them. She decided to crouch down and set them on the floor, then stood back up to take my jacket. Once again, she jerked it loose, this time off entirely.

“Hmm…”

There was rustling as she dug inside the pockets, jerked a few zippers open. She tossed out a few wadded receipts, a pen, and a book of matches.

“Just junk in this thing,” Robyn continued rummaging, “Surprised I haven’t found any condoms or prescription bottles.”

I hung my head lower, closing my eyes, trying to ignore the sound. I wore ratty jeans, shirts that more often than not had holes in them, my bra and underwear never matched, but I liked my black leather jacket. It was tough and had seen me through some things. Hearing Robyn dig around inside it was like being having Harvey Weinstein check me for lumps.

Once the inspection was over, Robyn popped the jacket a couple of times to make sure everything was out, then held it up.

“She doesn’t get to take things to prison, right?” she asked, “Can I keep this?”

“Oh, by all means!” Charlie hurriedly agreed.

Robyn made a pleased sound and I heard her folding my jacket up, then bending down to set it carefully on the floor.

I stayed where I was, arms by my sides, left in my white tank top and panties. I didn’t even move to fix my underwear. They had talked about taming me in the van and I’d been worried by it, but now I was wondering if they would even need to do much. I had learned pretty quickly there was no point in resisting.

And then, of course, things got worse.

Footsteps approached from my bedroom.

“Huh.” Patrick grunted, “Having some fun?”

Charlie cleared his throat, “Miss Stein offered to help us strip search the prisoner. I thought since we didn’t have any female personnel, she would be a good stand-in until we can bring her to the, eh, facility.”

Patrick stopped in front of me and dropped a bag of loot on the floor.

“Yeah. Good stand-in. Right.”

It was impossible to miss the prick’s mocking tone, but Robyn did. She continued her work, ordering me to lift my arms over my head so she could take off my tank top. I reached towards the ceiling to let her do her thing, but couldn’t help lifting my head too, glancing up at the man in front of me.

Patrick was looking me up and down with his lip curled, eyes vacant like a cave man’s. It was the same kind of drunk, stupid, ogling expression that would have gotten him thrown across a room if it had happened the day before. Now Robyn yanked off my tank top, smacked my butt, ordered me to turn around, and I did, lowering my eyes again.

I didn’t exactly have a porn star body, but I was slim and I had good legs. I knew where his eyes were going.

“Not bad…” he grunted.

John strode up a moment later and all three men paused to stare, watching silently as Robyn felt around inside my bra. One of the straps fell off my shoulders and I didn’t bother to fix it.

“You’re much better behaved now, aren’t you, Jessica?” Robyn whispered, “All that attitude went right out the window now that you don’t have your freak strength.”

She pushed the other strap off my shoulder with a sneer, then took me by the shoulders and turned me around. I tottered back to face the men, underwear hanging in disarray, haired mussed and staring somberly at the floor. It was pathetic. I’m not going to lie, there’s been times in my life I’d sunk pretty low, but this was definitely the lowest.

“I didn’t find anything. I guess she has it all stashed somewhere else,” Robyn said, “Hands behind your back, Jessica. Time for the handcuffs to go back on.”

I crossed my hands behind my back and Robyn clumsily fitted the cuffs back into place, clicking and rattling as she figured them out.

“Got everything, then?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah…” Patrick still sounded slightly distracted, “Turned the place upside down. She didn’t have much, but we got it all.”

“Me too,” John said, “She’s actually got some pretty nice equipment…”

Once the cuffs were in place, Robyn gave my arms a shake to make sure they were secure, then ruffled my hair with a giggle, messing it up even more.

“Well, then,” Charlie sighed, “Thank you for your help, Miss Stein! Naturally, we would ask that you keep this whole encounter a secret…”

I felt Robyn straighten up at his attention.

“O-of course!” she cleared her throat, then said in a stage whisper, “If anyone asks, I’ll tell them she packed up and left. She’s always doing weird things; no one will ask too many questions.”

“Good, good,” Charlie chuckled, “It truly is a pleasure to work with such a true, ah… loyal citizen!”

“Thank—thank you!” Robyn actually did a curtsy, “And, um, if there’s anything else you need…”

“We won’t hesitate to call.”

There was a slight pause.

“So…” John grunted, “How do you want to get her out of here?”

*                             *                             *

I left my building for the last time handcuffed and in my underwear, under the same jacket they’d draped over my shoulders when they brought me in. They gagged me again because, why not, I guess, and marched me right out the front door to the waiting van.

Robyn watched from the window of my apartment, grinning wickedly as they loaded me up. I turned once to stare regretfully back at what had been my life and she gave me a jaunty wave, smug grin firmly in place. I knew I wasn’t coming back. Whatever these men had planned for me, I was going to go along with it.

Charlie and the others took me into the van and I sat where they told me, listening idly as they talked about nothing in particular, relaxed and jovial. It had been a good day’s haul for them and they had one less problem off their backs.

They left me alone, but the way Charlie kept glancing at me made it clear that it wouldn’t be for long. I had a feeling I was going to be entertainment for the foreseeable future.

And the sad thing was, it was really the best thing I could have hoped for