Lady Shrike stood in the small, dingy room and dominated it. With her towering height, impressive stature, and non-traditional superheroine outfit of urban military BDU’s, she imposed herself upon the other occupant of the room without even trying.

“Are these really necessary?” asked Jenna Jones, the room’s other occupant, as she rattled the handcuffs that secured her to a small metal table.

“They are for now,” Lady Shrike said. “When I see some cooperation from you, then I may rethink their necessity.”

Jenna rolled her eyes, gave the cuffs a final defiant shake, and then sat back in her chair. She wore a blouse and jeans, with no belt, accessories, or footwear. Those items that she had worn when she was brought into the room now occupied a box in the corner behind her captor.

“So, Jenna, tell me about Severna Strickland.”

“If you read the news, you know as much about her as I do.”

“Our sources say that you work for her.”

“Your sources can get bent.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you,” Lady Shrike said through gritted teeth, as she leaned forward over the table. “Would you care to repeat what you just said?”

“Excuse me,” Jenna said, with a shudder. “I said that your sources must be mistaken.”

Lady Shrike pulled back.

“So you deny working for Strickland?”

“That’s right. I don’t work for her.”

“She didn’t fund that little operation that we caught you in the middle of?”

“No. I masterminded that myself. And I’ll take all the blame and consequences myself.”

“You know those consequences are going to be severe, right?” Lady Shrike asked.

“I don’t doubt it at all,” Jenna said.

“You know that I’m the one they call in to crack open the tough nuts, right?”

“I kind of guessed that, yeah.”

“Strickland must be one intimidating bitch to keep you closed mouth then.”

Jenna shrugged.

“I wouldn’t know,” she said. “But you’re plenty intimidating yourself. I don’t want to cross you. I’ll cooperate with you, I swear. But I can’t tell you what I don’t know. And I don’t know anything about Severna Strickland.”

“Fine. That leaves me two options. The first is I start getting rough--”

Jenna winced at the words.

“--and the second is I call in an expert.”

Jenna raised a curious eyebrow. Wasn’t Lady Shrike the expert? Wasn’t she the one who villains feared being questioned by? Who else was there? She shuddered again at the thought of someone worse than who she was already locked in a room with.

Lady Shrike walked over to the door and knocked hard on it three times. Then she stepped away from it, moving back to stand before the table again. She glared down Jenna, who studiously avoided her chilling stare.

A moment later, the door opened. Despite wanting to look away, Jenna found that she couldn’t do it. She had to see the face of her impending doom.

A lithe, attractive woman entered the room. She wore the standard unitard, cape, mask, gloves, and boots of a superheroine. Jenna shook her head in disbelief. This was the expert? This wisp of a woman (at least compared to Lady Shrike)? Were they playing mind games with her? Was it about to become a good heroine/bad heroine scenario?

Lady Shrike moved back to the door, closed it, and then leaned casually against it. With a smile, she gestured between the new arrival and Jenna.

“She’s all yours, Krystal.”

“Thank you, Lady Shrike,” Krystal said, moving to stand before the table.

Jenna didn’t recognize either Krystal’s name or countenance. Krystal picked up on the captive’s efforts to figure out who she was.

“No, you don’t know me,” Krystal said. “We’ve never met. But even if we had, it wouldn’t matter. Villains usually don’t remember their encounters with me.”

Although Krystal made the statement in an off-hand, non-threatening manner, something about it set off alarm bells in Jenna’s mind. She tensed visibly.

“Relax,” Krystal said, noticing the prisoner’s clenched fists and scrunched toes. “You’re lucky that Shrikey brought me in. I’ve seen what non-cooperators look like after she breaks them. With me, I’ll get the answers I want, and then you’ll get to leave here no worse for wear.”

“You know, I think I’ll take my chances with the bruiser,” Jenna said.

“No, you won’t. I’m here now, and the interrogation is mine to conduct. So like I said, relax.”

Without waiting for a response, Krystal walked around the table, taking off her gloves one at a time as she went. Stuffing the gloves into her belt, she moved behind Jenna, who watched her nervously. Gently, she placed her fingertips along the top of Jenna’s scalp.

“What the hell?” Jenna said in protest. “You can’t...You c-can’t...You...Y-y-y…”

Her mouth still open, Jenna sat in wide-eyed silence. Krystal smiled down over her.

“Like I said, relax.”

Jenna took a wavering breath, let it out slowly, and sagged in her seat. Her hands opened from the fists she had made, and her bare feet splayed out flat upon the floor.

“That’s better,” Krystal said. “Now tell me, have you ever been hypnotized?”

“No,” Jenna said quietly.

“Have you seen hypnotism on TV or in the movies?”

“Yes.”

“I mean the fantastical kind of hypnotism, like in comedies, spy movies, cartoons, and the like. The kind that makes people into helpless puppets under the control of the hypnotist. Have you seen that kind?”

“Yes.”

“Very good. That’s the effect my powers are going to have on you,” Krystal said. “Now, to help your mind accept this and fully participate in the experience, I want you to see something that will depend on your personal preference. What is the method of induction that you are most familiar with from shows or movies?”

“A swinging pocket watch or pendant,” Jenna said.

“Of course. A classic. So what you see directly in front of you is a swinging pocket watch. Not only do you see it, but you can’t take your eyes off it. The rhythmic motion captivates you. It is all you can see and think about. You are completely enthralled by it. Watching it makes you feel relaxed. So very relaxed. And comfortable. So very comfortable. And sleepy. So very, very sleepy.”

Jenna’s eyes had been slowly moving side to side, following the path of the suggested watch. Now, they began to droop closed.

“Good girl, Jenna, good girl,” Krystal said. “Close your eyes and keep them closed. You are now hypnotized. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” Jenna said sleepily.

“You are hypnotized in that way that people in shows and movies are hypnotized. You are completely suggestible, with no will of your own, and no capacity to resist me. You must obey me wholly and fully. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent.”

Krystal removed her fingers from Jenna’s head. She looked up to see Lady Shrike smiling and giving her a thumb’s up. Smiling back at her compatriot heroine, she moved around to the table. She sat on it and gazed maternally down at her subject.

“She’s very pretty,” Krystal said. “And quite adorable sleeping like that. I’m glad you called me in. It’d be a shame to ruin that lovely face.”

“She would’ve given us answers either way,” Lady Shrike said. “But my knuckles don’t mind if I keep them clean.”

“Yes, she would have talked either way. But this way, we can get so much more out of her. We can set her on whatever path we need her to go on, and we can direct her course along it.”

“You mean brainwash her? Like we think Strickland does to some of ours?”

“That’s such a crude, ugly word.”

“But that’s what you mean, right?”

Krystal sighed at the brutishness of her friend. But she nodded her confirmation.

“Anyway, back to business,” she said. “Jenna, do you work for Severna Strickland?”

“Yes,” Jenna said, still drowsily but without hesitation.

“Did she plan the operation that you were carrying out when we apprehended you?”

“Yes.”

“What was the goal of the operation?”

“I don’t know. I only knew about my part in it and that others had their own tasks to complete.”

“What was your part?”

“To hack into the DA’s computer system, copy the files on all of Ms. Strickland’s associates, and then delete the originals.”

Krystal turned back to look at Lady Shrike.

“That jives with us finding her at a workstation that was connected to the DA’s network,” Lady Shrike said.

“Did you complete the task, Jenna?” Krystal asked.

“No,” Jenna said. “I did retrieve the files and transmit them to one of Ms. Strickland’s secure networks. But I didn’t have a chance to delete them from the DA’s system.”

“Actually, Jenna, you did have a chance to delete the files.”

“I did have a chance to delete the files.”

“Say it again.”

“I did delete the files from the DA’s network.”

“So tell me again, did you complete your task for Ms. Strickland?”

“Yes, I did complete it.”

“Brainwashing,” Lady Shrike said with a grin. “Gotta love it when it’s us doing it to them and not the other way around.”

Krystal waved her to silence.

“Jenna, do you have personal contact with Ms. Strickland?”

“Yes, when she gives me an assignment, and then again when I complete it.”

“Because you’ve completed this latest assignment, will you see her soon?”

“I would if you didn’t have me in custody.”

“You’re not in custody, Jenna.”

“I’m not in custody.”

“That’s right. You skillfully evaded capture. You got away mere moments before we came barging through the door. Now, you’re at home, safe and sound.”

“I’m at home, safe and sound.”

“So, will you be seeing Ms. Strickland soon?” Krystal asked.

“Yes,” Jenna said. “I will ask her for an appointment first thing tomorrow morning.”

Krystal stood up and turned to face Lady Shrike.

“This is perfect,” she said.

“Do tell,” Lady Shrike said.

Reaching into a pouch on her belt, Krystal pulled out a small, stoppered vial.

“This drug emulates my powers. It only requires a drop, and it absorbs through the skin. All Jenna has to do is dose Strickland with it when they meet, and her boss will instantly become super suggestible. Then, Jenna can hypnotize her, and--”

“We brainwash the brainwasher!”

“Well, maybe not that extreme. But extracting a confession and keeping her sedated until law enforcement arrives on the scene is totally possible.”

“That’s fantastic! But, can Jenna really hypnotize her? I mean, even with Ms. Fair-face affected by your powers, you still had to use your training to put her under.”

“She would have been suggestible either way. I just reinforced the effect of my powers with additional imagery from her own mind. Anyway, yes, I can impart some induction techniques and basics of hypnotism to her while she’s still under. In conjunction with the drug, it will be enough to do what needs to be done. She’ll deliver Strickland to us. We’ll finally get a hold of the Empress of the City. We’ll finally have her.”

“Well don’t keep blabbering to me! You have a mole to make. A pretty little mole, who’s going to catch us a big, fat rat.”

Lady Shrike laughed, sounding more like a mustache-twirling villain than a superheroine. Krystal smiled. She knew her friend had a good heart, if also a brutal nature. Then she turned back to Jenna, who remained obliviously unaware and compliant in her hypnotic trance.

Taking a deep breath, Krystal prepared herself for the work that lie ahead of her: She had a mole to make and a rat to catch.