“I’ve got something to show you,” Mischief Max said, doffing his top hat and pulling out a photo with a flair. He passed it across the table to Malware, who scanned it thoroughly with her optics to ensure the super villain was on the level before picking it up. She frowned.

“It’s a knock-off Guardian Girl doll, so what?” She said, tossing it aside.

The old magician grinned. “Don’t you recognize her? Your nemesis? Look again.”

Malware snatched the picture, her algorithms running…checking. But before they could complete, she saw it. The face was more real, more detailed than a cheap doll’s should be. And it had Tricia’s lips, her nose…but it was the eyes, those sparkling blue eyes that Malware could…she gulped.

“What did you do?” She growled.

“Only,” Max said with a smile and laugh, “what you never could. I trapped that meddling maid in a plush prison. Oh, she’s still nigh indestructible, but can’t hurt a fly with stuffing filled fists. Besides which, she’s only six inches tall.”

The supervillain couldn’t believe it. She had been sparring with Guardian Girl since they were both teenagers on opposite ends of the super person divide. Malware was probably the only supervillain to know her true identity. And yet, she had never managed to trap her in all those years. But this…this one track, two-bit, third rate jokester did this? She ran her finger across the picture, tracing Tricia’s smiling, vacant face.

“It’s not her invulnerability you have to watch out for, or her strength. It’s her tenacity. You’ve turned her into a doll, but she won’t stop until she’s won.”

Mischief Max’s laugh only grew. “Oh, not this time. This time, I’ve figured it out. See, she’s filled with enchanted plush that not only warps her body, but her mind. Poor Guardian Girl thinks like a doll. She wants to sit still, wants her Owner’s attention, and wants to protect her dolly friends. Those feelings only grow whenever she’s played with.”

Played with. The idea echoed in Malware’s nano-enhanced mind. She had always thought of her run-ins with Tricia as games, ones which she inevitably lost. The hero would break through her traps, push her against a wall, and growl a threat in Malware’s ear. Now, she had a chance to turn those games around…Malware bit her lip.

“Won’t work, not long term,” she said finally.

“What! It’s already worked! She’s stuck like that forever.”

“You said the spell is enhanced through play. Dolls aren’t always played with.” Malware glanced at the photo. Though, they should be.

“Don’t you think I haven’t thought of that? After I transformed her, I sold her. For $5 dollars! To a ten-year-old with an annoying imagination and an obnoxiously large dollhouse.”

“Oh, a ten-year-old? Someone who’s known for playing with toys all the time, and will never grow bored, or forgetful, or just plain grow up? I calculate you have two weeks to hide before Guardian Girl breaks the spell and comes looking for you.”

“You…calculate….?”

“With my good processors. With 99% accuracy. Within two weeks, she will get out of this and kick your ass. Have you ever been in a direct fight with her? You can’t afford that hospital bill.” Malware said, sitting back. “So you have that to look forward to.”

Her words struck a chord with Max. “Two weeks?” he squeaked, looking around as if she might already be there. He never had been the hardiest of supervillains, and he was old now. “You have to help me! She’s your nemesis.”

Malware played it cool, inspecting her fingernails. She didn’t want Max to clue in on her plans. “I can help you,” she said. “But you’ll need to tell me everything, starting with where she is. We’ll need to keep a constant watch on her.”

The supervillainess glanced down at the photo, scanned it, and pinned it to her internal HUD. As Mischief Max gave her the details, Malware kept staring at Guardian Girl’s picture, at those useless plush hands, at her cuddleable body, and most of all at that dopey, vacant smile of a toy that was begging to be played with. On one hand, she could simply do nothing, stay out of it. On the other, she couldn’t stand that someone else owned Tricia.

Sure, the nature of the spell meant that Malware would have to play with her nemesis regularly to keep her dollified. But for her, that seemed more like a feature than a bug.