She’d been pounding in vain against the walls of her prison for several minutes before Doctor Pandemonium deigned to reveal himself, chortling in glee at her predicament. “It’s like I’ve always said, my dear Fireborn, there’s a creative solution to every problem. Are you feeling comfortable in there?”

Whatever retort the beautiful superheroine had to offer was lost beneath the confines of the breathing mask strapped in place over her nose and mouth, not to mention the thick glass of the containment tube in which she floated. It had been specifically designed to counteract her pyrokinetic abilities, and she’d awoken to find herself suspended in a watery prison, like some exotic fish placed into a holding tank for further observation. There’d been no need for any bonds: unlike many of her teammates in Spire City, she lacked any kind of superhuman strength needed to escape, and there was nothing she could do to stop him from cutting off the air hose running down into the breathing mask if he so desired. Behind her red mask, stylized to resemble the aspect of some predatory bird, azure blue eyes glared at him with a hatred born of helplessness, her long red hair floating in a halo around her. “I’m glad to hear it,” the supervillain mocked her, drinking in every inch of the lithe figure in her tight-fitting red and gold costume. Time and time again, Fireborn had ruined his schemes, wrecked his labs and sent him to prison, and if each defeat he’d endured at her hands, his fascination only grew. “And don’t worry about your friends, because they’ll be joining you so enough. I think you’ll find what I have to keep the beautiful Nightshadow contained quite… interesting.”

At mention of a threat to her lover, Fireborn’s frantic pounding only increased, the impression of a helpless scream forming beneath her breathing mask. “Yes, you will be the perfect bait,” Doctor Pandemonium muttered darkly, momentarily indulging in the thought of the rest of the Spire Guardians in his power. They’ll be the perfect prizes for when I take my place as the city’s rightful overlord!