The "girl detective" was a cliché.


"Phanny, surely you're hungry."


It probably had a case of divergent evolution alongside the "gal reporter" stereotype. Lois Lane and Superman would probably have gotten along with Nancy Drew and Ned Nickerson just fine.


"Perhaps you would like a bite?"


That it was a probably a cliché as far back as the Prohibition era in America did nothing to stop its prevalence. Other variations would introduce further aspects; more independence, more supporting characters, the damsel in distress scenario.

"I won't be this nice all day, Phanny."

"Phanny," as she was temporarily named, was curious as to just how nice her captor, the Evil Dr. Mauser would be. While giving one of his front operations in Granite Falls an exploratory perusal, Phanny had fallen prey to Mauser Industries and its henchmen. It wasn't long afterwards that she was grabbed, captured, brought before Mauser.

  He had a particularly devious high-backed ceramic chair, covered in leather straps. He had his henchmen lock her into every strap possible, and some she didn't see; her wrists, forearms, elbows and biceps; her ankles, calves, thighs; her waist, above and below her now-compressed breasts, her groin and even a great big collar. It truly immobilized her; oh, she could move every muscle, but getting anything done was completely out of the question.

"You can't move a muscle, Phanny. You really shouldn't be this difficult."

Dr. Mauser's taunting, aside from being a semantically wrong, was truly devious to Phanny. He held in his hands a simple English muffin, toasted to a golden brown perfection. On it was slathered a liberal slice of butter and a delectable sprinkling of honey. It looked delicious, but of course, the tight bonds that held the poor Girl Detective kept her from doing much more than squirming in her seat.

Her hands rippled with anticipation, tugging at the bonds that held her wrists. Her arms were so snugly bound that she could not get much slack at all; she didn't have the force to break them or the momentum to try it. So she was forced to sit, squirming in her schoolgirl outfit, looking back on the fact that she had fantasized and set herself to this situation, listening to the page over the loudspeaker...

"Phantom, we have him. Meet us in the dock upstairs for debriefing."

'Phanny' blocked these messages out. Distractions, nothing more. "Dr. Mauser, please, let me go. I have some sway with the mayor - I could get out the good word for you. Of course any of your evil operations would be forgiven. I could make you into a paragon of just-"

Phanny mouth watered as Mauser slid the muffin beneath her nose.

"...just what? Just another businessman? Don't you see? I already AM the community. I've got the whole town in my pocket, and I can promise you, if I wanted someone to disappear, I could make them with only a modicum of bureaucracy. You don't bite the hand that feeds you. Well, YOU might, but it's really just bad form.

Mauser left the muffin Phanny's lap and strutted about the bondage chair, sharp glares from the light shining off his glasses.

"Speaking of disappearing, that's exactly what I think is going to happen. I love my test subjects, you know. It's really convenient, too; willing test subjects are in a decent supply, but they're never interested in long-term commitment to the company. And so, they become unwilling test subjects - and eventually turn into loyal employees. Very loyal, might I add. Loyal enough to go around capturing and recruiting other test subjects. See? It's the circle of life."

Mauser finished off the muffin in the girl snoop's lap and picked up another off the plate - another delicious, warm, honey-speckled and buttered muffin. Phanny's mouth watered.

"Well, more like a circle of vice, since it often involves pretty young girls getting strapped up to chairs and begging, thinking this is the worst that could happen."

Mauser gently brushed his hand against Phanny's cheek, causing her to recoil and coo.

"It also involves such girls finding themselves as leather-bound slaves and assistants a week or two later, possibly serving me dinner or joining me as a guest. With all the kink, I'd definitely call it a circle of vice."

"I want no part in your circle! You might think me weak and young, but your whole lot is failing! Villainy, the way you see it, is at an end! Organized crime never lasts at its peak- ask the Mafia, the pirates, the highwaymen, the Populates - your days are numbered!"

"With that attitude, so are yours."

An icy chill swept over the room. Phantom's squirming continued, her teats growing firmer and her mouthwatering slightly - in anticipation of many things. She clenched her body up, straining and feeling the straps digging against her sensitive thighs.

"I've played with you for how long now? It must feel like hours. I bet you're feeling hungry, tired, maybe a little aroused. I'll make you a deal."

Mauser picked up the muffin, still warm and gooey, flaking slightly, and held it up to Phanny's ungagged mouth.

"Join me as a willing test subject. Take a bite. You know you want to, and I promise, my little girl detective, snooping will be in your future. Among other tasks for me, of course.

Or don't. Reject my delightful gift. Reject me, though, and I can't make the same promises."

Phanny opened her mouth and drooled slightly. Her lips trembled.


"Phantom, your captive can wait all day, but we can't. Your orders were to alert you the picosecond we completed our mission."

"Phanny" disappeared, as did the evil Dr. Mauser. The Artificial Reality trideo ended. Phantom was wearing her costume and sitting in an ordinary chair. Mauser was nowhere to be seen.

"He turned off the program..." Phantom mused.

A high-quality voice emitted from a speaker in the wall. "Phantom? It's Rich. Was it too intense for you?" he said with a chuckle.

"No..." Phantom said. "I enjoyed 'playing' as Phanny. I would enjoy trying it again." Phantom let a tiny smile creep across her pale white cybernetic visage, her dark lips just barely upturning. "Very much so."

"Do you really need to run now? I'm not always this free." Mauser's voiced had a certain glee in his double entendre.

"Yes. I will contact you some other time. We can try the program again. Save a little money on travel expenses."

Phantom stormed out of the room, intent on punishing her subordinate for shaking her out of her fantasy.

The muffin lay on the chair, a single bite freshly taken of it.