"All the lights should be green for you," Sweet Note says in her ear as Mega Meka drives the van of precious cargo into the outskirts of town, "I'll open the door as soon as I see you pull in." Mega Meka acknowledges her team leader's instructions, as she checks her rear view mirror again to make sure Sakura Dark is still breathing on the floor behind the passenger seat after her incredible ordeal. Mega Meka had been saying as much as she could to describe what little she knew about the execution of the mission, hoping that Sweet Note will have a solution to make this all work right. Confidently, Sweet Note says she will be ready when they arrive. The early morning city life is almost non-existent during this weekday, as everyone has work the next day. The darkened streets whisk past the van's windows, with all of the occupants unaware of the rescue mission that is still underway. Shooting Star remains in her blissful mannequin state, Sakura Dark is nearly in a coma from mental exhaustion, Mega Meka drives with a single, solitary purpose, with Sweet Note anxiously waiting for their arrival.
The room of mannequins is quiet and dark again, as it should be. Each plinth keeps guard over its prize by immobilizing it. To the casual observer, it might seem odd to have a device to transform a hero into a mannequin, preserving and immobilizing them, then having another device that immobilizes them further. But for Mercy, she does not believe in being too careful with her plans. Like Sakura Dark noted, the plinth slowly works its way up the object or person resting on it until the immobilization energy has encompassed whatever is in contact with the top. There was a problem logged in the system with the Shooting Star plinth as it was turned off temporarily. This was an unscheduled power down, so it has been recorded for later, just in case there might be a maintenance issue.
Annabel, who firmly believes she is a mannequin from the power of the Spiral Eye of Andromeda, does not notice the numbing sensation working up her leg that Sakura Dark did. Mannequins do not notice things like that, she tells herself, maintaining her pose perfectly. Mannequins display, she tells herself. But her hypnosis is being interrupted by an overwhelming sense of pleasure, making it hard for her trance to keep her locked. What is that feeling, she asks herself, and why am I feeling it? Mannequins have no feelings.
Magic and technology do not mix cohesively. One can be fooled into believing one is the other, but in general, they do not work well together. Annabel is a magic user, so she always has some level of magic in her body. The plinth is trying to complete its technological "magic" on her body. There is no conflict, as neither are fighting against one another, but there is a very unfortunate side effect of them both occupying the same person. Well, Annabel might disagree that it is "unfortunate", but given that she is supposed to not be moving, then what is about to happen is not a good thing.
What is happening? Annabel asks herself, as a tingling sensation begins to radiate up her body. It feels so warm, like every part of my leg is being lightly touched. That sensation eventually finds its way up near her waist, encompassing everything below, and the magic contained within her interacts with the technological energy coming into her, and the effect is...pleasurable. And not just "this feels good", but rather "this feels amazingly great". And this is not a "making out on the couch" great, but rather a "bed rocking, animal grunting" awesomeness.
Annabel had not really known anything like this before, as she spends most of her time in combat or preparing for the next confrontation. The good feeling she gets from those events make her happy, but this feeling surpasses even that. Her arms come down as she hugs herself, curling up slightly while still standing on one leg. Her eyes close tightly, embracing this amazing moment. She does not notice the sudden snap in her costume, or the increased rigidity of her movements. She only has one, clear thought. I would give up anything for this...woah, what is that...like I'm reaching the top of a mountain...
"Ooooohhhhh," Annabel moans so loudly that it echoes off the walls around her. The sound from her reaction is so loud that the security guards who are one floor down hear it, even though they had just gotten settled back into their office from their last interruption in that very room. The other person who hears is a maid, one floor above the main area. Pausing in her polishing of the candelabra, she sets her rag and spray down on the table and walks with slow, small steps to the stairs. The security guards, who had been in this room not long ago, arrive at about the same time as the maid. Both have been instructed to ignore each other, as there is no reason for them to ever interact in any capacity.
The security guards step in the darkened display room, their flashlights out, looking for the source of the noise. The maid walks to the left and activates the track lighting in the room. Each display becomes instantly lit by a single spotlight. "We should have thought of that," the one guard says to his co-worker. "Yeah, but we aren't authorized to turn on the lights, remember?" They both nod as they continue checking the room. It does not take the three of them long to find something out of place with the room.
Standing on the floor in front of the same plinth looking up, they each look at the pose of this superhero, knowing she was not like that before. "Shooting Star", the one guard reads. His friend says, "Looks like she had a really, really good time." The maid makes a mental note of the wide-open mouth, curled back slightly in a sort of smile. Shooting Star's eyes are closed very tightly, and the way her left leg is pulled in close around her right, the maid knows for certainty the moaning sound came from this superhero. Her thoughts drift to asking questions, but then her conditioning begins to override that. She feels like she might should observe this anomaly more, yet her simple mind does what it has been trained to do. She turns around to arouse her mistress, even at this late hour. She will want to know of this break in normalcy. The guards, on the other hand, take turns holding onto "Shooting Star's chest" as it has popped completely out of her top. They can feel the numbing sensation as their hands touch the beautiful mounds sticking out towards them, but they know they can hold on for a few seconds without any lingering effects. Even though cell phones are not allowed, they find they each have theirs with them. Knowing their time is short, they take as many pictures as they can, before returning to their office to begin the paperwork to file this irregularity report.
Turning the wheel while braking, Mega Meka pulls into the parking garage that Sweet Note's condo high-rise is built upon. She pulls in faster than she would normally, as she tends to "drive like a granny". She negotiates the maze of the many parked cars to a blank wall near one corner. As she nears it, she can read the painted instructions of no parking, as the seemingly concrete wall rotates up like a garage door to accept her van. She pulls in and brakes almost immediately in the complete darkness. She shuts the van off as the "wall" closes them in. As soon as it latches in place, lights come on, revealing Sweet Note standing next to the van with a strange gurney and medical equipment.
The sliding door of the van opens. "Leave the van," Sweet Note says while looking at Sakura Dark, "We'll move it later." Mega Meka exits the vehicle slowly and clomps around the van on the hard concrete floor. By the time she gets to the other side, Sweet Note has Sakura Dark on the gurney. She has an oxygen mask on her face and a bright orange rag, folded on her forehead. Before Mega Meka can ask, Sweet Note says, "We got to get her oxygen levels back up, and the rag has been soaked in my special high-electrolyte liquid. Other than that, we will have to wait until she wakes up."
Mega Meka opens the back of the van with the fob, as Sweet Note says, "Get on the front of the gurney here." Mega Meka had noticed there was a lowered section of the gurney, as if you could put a person on one part and boxes or equipment on the other. "It will be faster for me to wheel you all up at once." Mega Meka knows time is limited, so she awkwardly steps up onto the cart-part of the gurney. Her boots are secured tightly to the cart. "Uh, is that..." but Sweet Note is already unloading Shooting Star to lock her right next to Mega Meka. Without closing any of the doors, she walks to the elevator, to which the gurney-cart follows her automatically. Hmm, Mega Meka thinks surprisingly, this is definitely easier than walking.
In Sweet Note's headquarters, which is one level below her penthouse, Sakura Dark is placed on an actual medical bed, and hooked up to various devices. Mega Meka and Shooting Star wait on the rest of the gurney in the hallway, as it somehow separated into two pieces. Sweet Note checks a screen that has scanned their teammate laying on the bed. "She has some internal damage to her feet and knees, but nothing serious. Her near-coma-like-exhaustion must be from extreme mental fatigue. She must have teleported down the entire hill a few feet at a time." Stepping out into the hallway, she does not acknowledge the contents on the cart, even with Mega Meka trying to make eye contact with her.
Down the hall, Sweet Note removes Shooting Star's utility belt. Placing it on the table in her workshop, she removes the surgical gloves she had been wearing, and puts on a shiny, latex lab coat. As the door starts to close, Mega Meka asks, "Hey, what about..." Click. The door closes and locks. Mega Meka crosses her arms in front of her as she rides with Shooting Star further down the hallway with an obvious pouting face. Ugh, she thinks, I feel like a piece of furniture.
The early morning hours roll by quickly for Sweet Note. Locked in her research lab, she begins studying the device from Shooting Star's utility belt. It appears, Sweet Note observes, that Mercy uses two types of technology to capture her prey. Noting the pose that Shooting Star was in, Mercy must have some time of gun or distance weapon to "freeze" her opponent. The mannequin process requires something more, and that is where this device comes in.
Sitting it on the lab table, Sweet Note stares at what looks like a silver jellybean, cut in half lengthwise. The curved, silvery side looks like it is made of polished steel, yet it feels almost like a jellybean with its flexible nature. The flattened side is a dull dark color and has several "pins" or "electrodes" sticking out of it. "Obviously," Sweet Note says into her recorder, "The device has tech in it that transforms the person it was placed on. Current hypothesis: nanites." Returning to her scanner, she continues to study the device.
Around 5am, Sweet Note emerges from her lab. She does not bother to remove her long, shiny lab coat as she steps towards her break room. Getting a cup of espresso, she goes to check on Sakura Dark. Her boot heel sounds echo off the walls of the empty hallway. She would expect there to be more noise, since she has 3 guests at the moment. Of course, she thinks with a frown, one of them is a human-turned-mannequin in storage.
Opening the door to the infirmary, she immediately sees it empty. With a curious look on her face, she turns to the wall display. There is a flashing icon of an envelope. Touching it while she sips her coffee, the screen changes to a video. Sakura Dark stands there on the screen, her face showing fatigue, but she must be well enough to stand. "Meka is giving me a ride home, so I can rest up in my own bed. Thank you for your emergency care...I feel much better now, and as you can see, I'm walking again! Let me know if I can help anymore with the mission. Remember, Annabel is counting on you to figure it out quickly. SD out." The screen goes dark, then switches to its regular default screen.
Smiling to herself, that experimental mental stabilizer must work really well. As to Annabel, she can survive for a couple of days in that hypnotic trance due to her magical abilities, so while I'm in a hurry, it is not dire yet. Walking back in the hallway, she heads towards her personal storage area. The double-wide doors open as she nears it. Turning left, she sees the cart used earlier and laying face down on a large table is Shooting Star. Like any mannequin, she cares not for her orientation, so face down or faceup, she holds her pose perfectly. Checking the room's video feed, she sees the cart coming in with Mega Meka and Shooting Star on it. Mega Meka unlocks her boots from the cart, while Sweet Note's android "Forklift" removes Shooting Star to put her on the table. Mega Meka walks out awkwardly, mumbling something inaudible to herself, while the Forklift goes back to its charging station. The room returns to how Sweet Note found it just now.
Examining Shooting Star's body, Sweet Note takes in the plastic sheen of her darker skin. Her tactical boots look worn from use, while her uniform looks to be brand new: shiny like her skin. Tapping her finger against the mannequin's thigh, Sweet Note observes that the superhero is not hollow. "Good," she mumbles, "That means her bio information prior to transformation is still there, just in a different state." With a smile, she lightly pats Shooting Star's butt then moves to her neck.
Pulling back her hair, she can see the obvious addition to her body. On the back of her neck is a silver "jellybean". Sweet Note touches it, noting that it is hard, like the polished steel it resembles. Hmm, she thinks to herself, the one I have in the lab is malleable, not rigid. There must be some physical change once it is placed in contact with someone living. She resists the urge to try and pry it off of her. The device must still be active, so ripping it off would not be the way to return the superhero to normal. "I got to disable it first," she mumbles between sips as she walks out of the storage room, "And then I can reverse its effects." The lights go out as she leaves, plunging the room in darkness, making it seem like nothing living remains within.
Back in the lab, she pulls out her micro-tools. Her delicate-looking hands deftly use these tools designed for very, very small work. Pulling her lighted magnifying glass stand over, she begins to work on the flattened side of the "jellybean". There must be something that can DISPLAY to me if I keep working carefully. Switching to a fine-tipped tool, she notes how STIFF the one wire is. Hmm, she thinks, I don't want to move it too much without MERCY.
I think I need to check for electricity and whether it is NOT MOVING. She stands and goes over to her other work bench. Grabbing the tool she needs, she turns to come back to the table. STOP. She stops in mid-step, holding her pose. Seconds tick by, as she stands there, unmoving yet breathing. After about 30 seconds, she continues walking. Got what I need, she tells herself, let's try this POSE.
She reaches the table and pushes her butt out as she lays her upper body on it. Spreading her legs somewhat, she stretches out her hands, then arches her back. WAIT. So she does, and another 90 seconds ticks by. She holds that pose perfectly, like she was waiting for someone to come up from behind her, but no one does.
She slides over and sits back down in her rolling chair. Okay, she tells herself, I'm thinking it makes a connection up top, uses the body as a circuit, then completes the PLASTIC on the bottom. Busy with her work above the table, she does not notice her legs beginning to look shinier, as if they are trying to match her all-latex outfit. The stiffness that starts to come with it only seems natural, as she has been working all night for MERCY.
For Sweet Note, the next few minutes to her takes hours in real time. She continues probing the device, manipulating all of the pieces she can, pausing without realizing it. Her instincts tell her she is close, and that her scanning devices have already determined the frequency it operates, so she can jam the signal and start her own. This means, I can POSE LIKE SHOOTING STAR and free her. Wait, what did MERCY SAY just now? I mean, what did I just DONT THINK.
Sweet Note realizes something is wrong. I should CROSS MY LEGS and see what is going on. I feel like LEANING BACK. I did not detect any traps, so HOLD THAT POSE FOR MERCY. Sweet Note hears a sizzling type of sound, as the device she was working on hardens on her fingertip. Her body now becomes a solid mannequin like Shooting Star and the other captured superheroes. As hard as she tells herself to think, she tells herself not to think. For every thought to move forward, she has one to put her back where she is, like she was conditioned to equally resist herself. She pushes hard, then she pushes hard back. She tries pressing softly, and she presses back against herself softly.
Later that morning, the lab door opens, and Mercy walks confidently in the room. The room seems to brighten with her presence. Her beautiful full-length dress fits her perfectly, like it was a second skin. The sound of it flowing behind her, gives her a magical presence, even though she is not using any magic. Her smile showing her perfect white teeth is one of "I knew this would happen, but I'm still very happy about it". Putting her perfectly manicured fingers on her hips, she says, "Hello, Sweet Note. It appears you figured it out."
Sitting in a rolling chair, leaning back and facing the door, a mannequin of Sweet Note sits there. Her legs are crossed seductively, just as her leaning back seems very inviting to anyone who looks at her. Her facial expression is one of disgust, not matching the rest of her body. Like it was her last bit of will she could exercise, she holds her scowl tightly. Mercy laughs, filling the room with melodious yet maniacal laughter.
Two henchmen come in behind her. The big, oversized men move like they know what to do if you attack them. "According to the tracker, Shooting Star is just down the hall," she says without turning around, "Load her first, then come back for this one." They nod as they leave. Reaching out, she touches Sweet Note's cheek, "So close, weren't you...so close." Another presence enters the room, a smaller woman in all proportions steps behind her. The oversized glasses seem to dominate her face, while her clothes look completely average, like her. "Go upstairs and look for Annabel's costume. I want her properly displayed when we return this afternoon." The smaller woman bows and turns to leave. "And if you can, see if that magic sword of hers will come with you...I got the perfect pose for her and the sword." The smaller woman's shoes make little sound as they retreat from the room and carry their owner to the penthouse. "You know, I must thank you," Mercy says tenderly while running her hand up the lab coat, making it squeak in the quiet room, "Which is hard for me to do. You see, your other accomplice that did your hero swap has been entered into my collection. Her brief time on a plinth was all it needed. I'm not sure who she is, but I look forward to completing the collection process." With her hand now caressing the lovely locks of Sweet Note, the room is filled again with laughter of the beautiful conqueror of another superhero, and the exquisite collector of rare, one-of-a-kind mannequins.