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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

BATTLE OF STREAK (PART I)

6 March 2016

Twenty-eight minutes later

Exactly as Falcon taught me, my fist hit the thug's jaw with a perfect uppercut, snapping his head back before he fell. I caught his limp body before he could crack his skull on the concrete ground. He was knocked out for sure. That was the last one, and even though I was panting after the long battle, I was still itching for more.

I was stronger and more determined than ever before, with my shiny blue leotard clinging tightly to my lithe but muscled frame once again now that I was reunited with Falcon. There were over a dozen other thugs lying around. It didn't take much to take them out though, and this was only the latest group. Along the way, there were a few corrupt or possibly enslaved cops trying to stop me as well. I even took down three of my clones, realising Manasa had indeed been rounding them up and enslaving them. After several dozen takedowns around the area, my fists were almost starting to hurt. Almost.

But I wasn't done yet. So far, I had fought my way past the gate, through the container terminal, and I was about to enter the main warehouse. I didn't realise just how big it was until I stood here at the base, looking up at the huge structure. It was massive, practically a skyscraper for how tall it was. I could see the red glow of Manasa's magical machinations burning through the top floor windows. That's where I needed to go.

On the horizon, the night sky was starting to turn blue. That was the sun on its way. I assumed that Manasa had timed the opening of her portal with the sunrise. I guess she thought it fitting that the resurrection of her people would begin with the rising of the sun. I wasn't about to let that happen. It was time to defeat Manasa and save Beacon City, and possibly the world, from her evil. Or I'd succumb to her power and become her slave for the rest of my life, serving her obediently alongside my fellow superheroes.

"Excellent work, Streak!" said Falcon in my head. "You've learned well, but your greatest test is about to begin."

Leaping on my powerful legs, I flew into the air, aiming for the wall of the warehouse, and dug my bare fingers into the hard brick. Then I began to leap upwards, storey after storey, as I left a trail of blue energy in my wake, latching onto windowpanes to propel myself up between burying my fingers in the wall.

I was nearly at the glowing red windows of the top floor. I took another powerful leap, propelled by my arms and legs, before a window above suddenly burst open in a thousand tiny glass shards. As I flew up past the window, a sturdy cable wrapped around my waist, pulling me in. Inside, I hit the wooden floor hard, but it was nothing I couldn't take. As I stood up, grabbing at the lasso and trying to remove it from around me, I saw who my new opponent was.

"Not so fast, slave!" said Tamer, beaming with arrogance, confident in her victory today. As usual, the sinister lioness wore her black leotard with red briefs, red gloves and boots, red collar, and the threatening red emblem on the front of her outfit. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"You're not getting in my way!" I yelled back between clenched teeth as I tried to pry the lasso off, but despite my vastly superior strength, it wasn't enough to break the strong rope. I couldn't imagine what it was made of.

We were in a hallway of wood, brick, and steel beams, overlooking a cavernous chamber through a chain link fence. Inside the chamber were two huge ring-shaped machines, one on top of the other, that both slowly span in different directions around a central cylinder. Red light was oozing off the glowing panels around them. I estimated this machine was positioned directly under where Manasa was creating her time portal.

"Manasa's won," continued the villainess. "Soon her device will activate, and the minds of everyone on the planet will belong to us! Imagine it. Every superhero in the world, clad in their cute little costumes, on their knees and drooling before us, as they were all born to! We'll have so much fun!"

"Nnngh! Is that what she told you, Tamer?" I asked as she pulled me closer with her lasso. It was way too tight around my waist. "Because it's not true. She plans on overrunning the world with an army of hypnotic serpents like her. You'll be just another slave!"

"Give me a break!" she responded with a condescending chuckle. "I've known lady Manasa for over a decade. You think she wouldn't clue me in?"

"She sees you as inferior like the rest of us! You're just a tool to her!"

"Keep dreaming, superhero," she scoffed before grinning wickedly. "After all, you look cute when you're asleep."

I was about to retort, but the floor began to shake, forcing me to spread my free legs for support. The massive spinning ring-shaped machines began to glow even brighter, bathing the hallway in red while emitting a deep, loud hum. An even louder sound followed: a ghostly whine that filled the air, almost forcing me to cover my ears. The city outside must have heard it too. I could barely even hear Tamer over the sound of it. I didn't know what it meant, but it sounded like a bad sign.

"I'm stopping Manasa today, whether you like it or not!" I yelled defiantly, puffing up my chest. "If I have to send you to the hospital to do it, I will!"

"Again, keep dreaming, superhero," she said, grinning with eager anticipation as she continued to pull me closer.

I had to admit though, my odds weren't looking good. Tamer was the most skilled opponent I had gone up against thus far, and the lasso around my waist put the ball firmly in her court. I needed to escape. But Tamer herself wasn't the problem. What scared me was that she knew she didn't need to beat me. All she needed to do was keep me distracted until Manasa could enact her plan. I knew from experience that this was a task she was more than capable of. When she pulled me close enough, I likely wouldn't stand a chance.

But I didn't have to worry long. Tamer was thrown back by an invisible force, and the lasso was loosened as it flew from her paws.

"Race," I said with a sigh of relief, now the one grinning.

"There's my favourite fox!" said the cocky speedster hare, standing nonchalantly beside me, having not been there a second before. The long-ear's royal blue costume with its iconic flame pattern down the front of the torso glistened in the red light from the chamber nearby.

"I didn't think I could take her on myself," I said, tossing away the lasso and preparing for battle. "Thanks."

"Heh! Thank me in bed someday, cutie!" he responded with a wink. Typical Race, but I wasn't complaining now of all times. Though I couldn't help but roll my eyes at his usual flirtation. "Steelbadger contacted me, clued me in, and said you'd need help," he continued. "Apparently, you guys have had a hell of a night, huh? I hope those bastards didn't hurt you."

"Thanks for the concern, but I'm fine," I responded. It was good to know he cared for me as much as Ethan did, albeit in a somewhat different way.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you're in trouble again, huh?"

I shook my head, but I had to admit, I liked having his positive attitude around. "Let's finish her. Then we can take Manasa."

Tamer, meanwhile, had recovered. Standing straight, she was angry now, sneering at us. "Ah, hello, Fionn," she said, licking her muzzle. "It's been a while. I'm going to enjoy making you bleed again."

Race scoffed. Then he turned serious. "Streak, you gotta go," he said to me. "You need to make sure the sneaky snake doesn't summon her serpent soldiers. At least delay her until I'm done with the dominatrix. Steelbadger says he's too busy with some a patient to help."

He had a point. I couldn't take Tamer on, especially since she creamed me and Serenade when we last met. Race had a better chance than I did. All I had to do was stop Manasa's portal. I didn't need to beat her.

I nodded. "Alright. Good luck and be careful with her."

"Watch your own back, Blue!" he responded as he became cocky again. It was settled. "Don't die on me, okay?"

"No promises, but I'll do my best."

I ran to the right, into the nearest adjacent room. There was a hole torn in the wooden boards of the ceiling, and that was the ticket to my final battle. I leapt up through the opening to the top floor. It was almost beautiful. Several large computers and dish-shaped machines surrounded the middle of the cavernous room where a large red crystal was hovering, glowing with magical energies and standing almost as tall as me. The whole room was bathed in the red light the crystal was emitting, like a giant red light bulb. It was almost too bright to look at.

Kneeling before it was Manasa, performing some kind of incantation in a language I didn't recognise. Then she stopped abruptly.

"I'm very impressed, my pet," she said as she began to stand, slowly turning to face me. I got a good look at the long, smooth, shining red hair that extended down to her waist, and the strips of crimson fabric forming the skimpy bikini over the bright screen scales of her slender frame. "My lovely slave has come so far, ever since you somehow managed to break my control. Ahh, but this is why I love you so much. I will enjoy taking that strength and determination and wiping it away. I promise, I will see your knees quiver with submissiveness again soon."

"I'm ending this now, Manasa!" I yelled, ignoring her monologue as I approached, slowly and cautiously. "There's no hiding for you after this!"

She laughed, but it wasn't maniacal. It was like she had just heard a hilarious joke. "I won't be hiding anymore after today, pet," she said, casually, as she began to approach me too. "In a mere few hours from now, the whole world shall know my name as I lead my army forth to assume our rightful place as the rulers of all life."

"I won't let that happen," I responded, trying to sound tough.

"Ahhh, so persistent and brave. But it won't matter. Even if I don't continue my ritual, the technology here shall eventually complete the process for me. Only a few minutes remain now. Exciting, isn't it, pet?"

I couldn't deny that my heart was racing. My body, back in a fighting stance, was shivering. I was filled with anxiety brought on by the uncertainty of the imminent battle. Manasa had centuries to learn basically every martial art in the world, and her magical powers were probably immense. I couldn't know for certain, since I had only seen a tiny fraction of her powers. But I knew I didn't have to beat her. As I said, all I needed to do was interrupt her plan permanently, and my best bet was to destroy the crystal.

"These crystals are the conduits of all magical energies in the universe," she said, noticing where my gaze was occasionally focused. "It took me centuries to find one as large and powerful as this. The Crystal of Cosmic Power." Then she raised her fingers to caress the smaller red crystal pendant around her neck. "I even took a small shard of it for myself, using it to become the most powerful sorceress this world has ever seen! Now that most of Beacon City's superheroes are either enslaved or occupied, my centuries of planning are about to bear fruit. There is nothing to stop me from enacting my grand plan."

"I can stop you."

"Despite your odds, it is possible you could, yes. But we both know you won't. You don't really want to stop me. You know you want this, my pet. I've looked into your mind. I have seen your despair and anguish. This all comes from your free will. It makes you feel lonely and vulnerable. It makes you dependant on yourself, and there is nothing you want more than to be beneath the comforting wing of another. You were born to belong. You exist to be owned."

She was right, but it still made me snarl. "I don't care what you think about me. There are more important things than myself!"

"Give in," she said, ignoring me. "Surrender. You know you want to. It will be a life of unending satisfaction. Never again will you feel alone, vulnerable, or afraid. Every day will be one of great comfort and joy. You will share my bed each night, and your screams of unimaginable ecstasy will echo throughout the halls of my palace."

I stopped. Then I started moving backwards, feeling seriously threatened. "No!" I yelled.

"Yes. You will be unable to distinguish obedience and servitude from pleasure and joy. You know that this is all you could ever want. Do not resist. Submit. Let me deprive you of your free will and liberate you from the hardship of choice. Become mine, and become happy forever. Look, you're already hard for your Mistress!"

Looking down in shame, I saw that she was right. I felt the blue fabric of my leotard stretching out between my legs. Her words were affecting me, and everything she said was undeniably true. Then I dropped my tense shoulders. "You're right. There's nothing I want more than to fall to my knees right now and beg you to enslave me. It's all I could ever want." Then I turned my eyes up to look Manasa in hers. "But if I did that, I'd be just another villain like you."

The ground shook again and I heard another loud whine. A burst of blinding red energy erupted from the crystal core, heading upwards, and blasted open the roof of the warehouse. Shards of wood and metal went flying out into Beacon Bay, and the night sky became visible above us as the wave of energy continued to fly upward.

"I won't betray the people I owe everything to," I continued, refusing to let my fear get the better of me. "I won't let you ruin the world, and I'll do whatever it takes to stop you. The people deserve better than to be slaves to a witch who hungers for power!" I yelled, showing anger now.

Then, finally, she showed some anger of her own. "So be it. Then I shall beat you into submission. Only when you are locked between death and enslavement will you give yourself to me willingly. Only then will you profess your unending love for me, and you shall beg for forgiveness for these words that you will soon regret. You will scream in adoration while I force you to drench your spandex in your slave cream again and again!"

Then she ran at me, faster than I could have anticipated. She threw her body into mine, arms around my torso as we flew into one of the large windows around the chamber. The glass shattered with our impact and we fell. Panicking, I tried desperately to push her off me, but her arms were tightly wrapped around my midsection. The only other thing I could do was fall helplessly.

We hit something, hard. It was a metal roof over one of the lower warehouses around the main building. Our combined speed and weight tore a hole into the space beneath, coming down on a stack of crates enveloped in bubble wrap. The moment the sound of a loud crash filled my ears, consciousness disappeared.

20 January 2015

One year, one month, and fifteen days earlier

The thing that woke me up was the sound of a gunshot. After that, the next thing I noticed was a fire alarm and the smell of smoke.

I sat up fast and rubbed my eyes. I was startled and confused, but I cast my mind back and remembered that I was in Mr. Morton's guest bedroom. Now smoke was coming in through the gaps around the door, and orange light was visible underneath. Throwing off the warmth of my blanket, I slipped into my clothes as fast as I could. My jacket was on a hook by the door in the other room, so I had to make do with a simple shirt and pants for now.

I ran to the door and pushed it open fast, but something was exerting pressure from the other side, so I had to push hard. As it came open, a blast of smoke filled my face. I coughed to keep my lungs clear as I looked out into the hallway. It was hard to see through the smoke, but a vivid orange glow was visible from the living room.

Waving the smoke clear as I approached, the bright light of fire suddenly filled my vision. It was growing bigger and brighter, hurting my tired eyes as the inferno crept down the hallway towards me. I could tell the whole place was burning, with intense flames smelling of gasoline tearing down the apartment. I was suddenly bombarded by intense heat, causing me to sweat within seconds as I backed away. I saw my jacket in the corner of my vision, completely on fire where it hung by the main entrance.

"Matt..." said the voice of Mr. Morton.

Choking on smoke, I looked around in a hurry, searching for him, until I realised he was slumped against the door to my room. A gunshot wound to his chest was gushing crimson liquid.

"Mr. Morton!" I yelled, kneeling down to see the extent of his injuries. His eyes were barely open.

"The Mob... Briefcase... Got some cash in... in..." he stammered, with every word a chore.

Then he closed his eyes.

"No! Mr. Morton!" I yelled, loudly over the roaring fires filling the room. I put a paw on his shoulder, gently squeezing while my other checked his pulse on his neck. Nothing.

He was about to tell me where he kept some money. I could figure out that much. But I didn't care. What mattered more to me was that a guy who gave his time, effort, and probably his life to help me was gone.

"Please, wake up!" I continued to yell, desperate to have him back. My world needed more people like him.

The fires burned bigger. Judging from the way the blames covered floor, it looked like the inferno was made possible with gasoline which had been poured all over the place. With the door blocked off, I needed a different escape, but I didn't want to leave Mr. Morton like this. I grabbed him by the wrists and tried dragging him over to the window, but his legs caught fire. I didn't know how to put it out, and as the heat spread across his body, I let out a whimper of despair.

Survival instinct took hold. Reluctantly, I gently released Mr. Morton's body. I ran to the window and lifted it open, only to be met with a blast of cold night air. Apparently, the rain had become snow, and the park beyond the window had become a desert of pure white. Climbing through the window, I ignored the chill of the windowsill. I was shivering with fear, adrenaline, and cold as I exposed myself to the outdoors as fast as I could.

I intended to climb down, but a sudden blast of flame, probably from something flammable exploding, sent me flying instead. Thankfully, I only fell one storey, and the snow broke my fall. But my ears were ringing and I was dizzy. As I tried getting a grip, shaking off the effects of the explosion, I turned around to look up at the apartment. Its windows were completely obscured in flames. There was no light coming from the windows of the other apartments, so if anyone was still there when the fire started, the fire alarm convinced them to get out of dodge. At least there was that.

As I stood up, and the effects of the blast wore off, my senses clued me in on the cold. Wrapping my arms around myself, I turned and began to tread through the snow covering the park, shivering and in shock, out into the night. With no other option, all I had left was to start the long trek back to Bernie, assuming I didn't succumb to pneumonia along the way.

A few minutes later, I heard a voice.

"Come to me, young fox."

6 March 2016

One year, one month, and fifteen days later

I woke up with a splitting headache. Opening my eyes, I saw only dust in the air. Remembering the last thing that happened, I immediately stood up and prepared for combat, but I still had a ringing in my ears that refused to leave me alone. As I adjusted my senses, I saw the stack of boxes had collapsed, spilling dust and debris among shredded bubble wrap.

In one terrifying moment, Manasa burst out of the dust, charging at me. I'd never seen such determination on her face before. She wanted me beaten, and she wasn't interested in playing around. I dodged to the side, only to crash face-first into a wall that wasn't there before. Glowing with red energy, it was layered with crisscrossing beams of light resembling red string.

"Gotcha," said the villainess before grabbing the back of my skull and forcefully shoving me face-first into the magical wall

Then the world was bathed in a sudden blast of bright red light.

The next thing I knew I was falling again. For precious few seconds, I saw we were now above the roof of a skyscraper somewhere deeper in the city. It didn't take long before I hit the skylight above the room below, shattered the glass. This time, I managed to shield my head to avoid getting knocked out. Instead, my side collided hard with the marble floor. I found myself wincing and groaning as I shifted about. My new environment was a museum gallery surrounded by gold-ish walls and pillars.

A moment later, I heard Manasa's feet hit the floor. She quickly stood up straight and began to serenely approach me. I was a sitting duck, and I knew I had to get moving.

"Stay alive," said Falcon as I barely got on all fours. "I'll heal you. Give me a few minutes."

"Stand up," said Manasa. Now she was standing still, waiting for me to rise.

I barely managed to climb into a standing position when Manasa spun on the spot with a swinging kick to my face with enough force to spin me nearly 180 degrees. But she wasn't done yet. Continuing to spin, she ducked and swiped wide with the same leg to trip me up. I fell on my stomach, struggling to stand as fast as I could. Sadly, just as I got onto my paws and knees, her same leg came around again to bring her heel crashing down on the back of my skull, shoving my face into the beige marble floor and breaking my nose. In one perfect flourish, she had struck me in the face, tripped me up, and stomped on my head. This wasn't gonna be easy.

Dazed and hurting, I could taste blood, but I swallowed it down. Manasa stood back, watching as I tried to stand. I was wobbly, having difficulty keeping my balance. I shook my head to try and wipe away the dizziness. She had hit me harder than any normal person was capable of, that was for sure.

The serpent witch grinned. She crouched below me before suddenly throwing her hands up into my throat, lifting me into the air by my neck. My legs flailed on either side of her for a moment as my boots left the ground, body temporarily paralysed by the sudden suffocating attack.

She was definitely stronger than she looked. I gagged as her powerful fingers crushed the life out of me. I closed my eyes to avoid any potential hypnotic attack, even though I knew she wanted to beat me to the point of willing submission. I wasn't taking any chances.

"I don't even need my magic to beat you," she said. Behind my closed eyelids, I got the impression she was smiling still. "This is why you are destined to be my slave, not this pathetic excuse for a superhero."

Then she threw me to the ground. Once again, the back of my head rapidly came into contact with a hard surface. But, opening my eyes, I had just enough sense to comprehend that Manasa had jumped into the air and was bringing two feet down right for my face.

I rolled to the side. Her feet hit the marble floor barely an inch from my head, and I felt incredible relief in that brief moment. I continued to roll to safety, flipping through the air to widen the distance between me and my opponent. My head was still sore from her recent attacks, but I was taking it like a champ. I told myself I could still do this.

"Don't stop, Streak," said Falcon. "I'll deal with your injuries. Just don't let her beat you down."

I ceased my retreat, and I was alarmed to see Manasa had already closed the distance between us, right in my face. She grabbed me by the shoulders, leapt into the air, flipped over me using my shoulders for support, landed, and threw me over her head, sending me flying to the ground once again.

I landed on my belly, but I thankfully managed to protect my head once again. It didn't make it hurt any less though, and now I had quite a collection of injuries: ears ringing, skull aching, lungs burning, and throat sore.

Again, I struggled to get up, climbing to my knees. She kept up the pressure and struck me with a punch to the side of the face, forcing a gasp of pain from me. She instantly followed it with an uppercut, sending me briefly into the air before I landed on my backside some distance away.

"Xenrai hit a lot harder," I thought with the realisation. "But she's a lot more skilled."

"Those centuries of training, no doubt," Falcon noted. "She's a devastating hand-to-hand combatant. Get some distance to recover, or else she'll pulverise you."

Our entire conversation took only about two seconds during the time that I managed to stand up once again. Manasa was in my face again, but I was prepared, leaping backwards with a summersault through the air. I landed some distance away, back turned to her as I ran to the far side of the room.

Then I gasped as something warm wrapped around my throat. It was a tendril of magical red energy, and Manasa was pulling at it.

"Slow down, pet," she taunted as she pulled on the magic lasso around my throat, dragging me back. This was reminding me a lot of Tamer.

I grabbed at my neck, trying to tear it off, but it seemed to be attached to me. That didn't stop me from trying to pull away from her, even though I was audibly choking and struggling to breathe once again.

"Streak, take advantage of this," said Falcon.

Yes, instead of resisting and slowly choking myself out, I realised this was a chance to get a hit in. I turned around and leapt into the air, allowing the lasso to pull me towards her. I flew a few metres before landing a powerful kick right to the snake's stomach, sending her flying backwards and into a hard marble wall. I heard the stone crack loudly. In fact, I quickly noticed the crevices growing outward from where Manasa had struck it. That was a good hit.

"How's the wall taste, Manasa?" I taunted, proud of myself. The lasso was also gone, presumably as a result of her losing concentration.

"Heh. Very good, pet," she responded, as if she weren't even hurt. But she was still slumped against the golden wall. "But you are further from victory than you can imagine."

In a second, she wasn't down anymore. She ran at me. Allowing myself the rare luxury of confidence, I ran at her. I needed to get aggressive now. Playing defence wasn't working. I needed to beat Manasa now and get back to the warehouse.

We collided with a flurry of rapid-fire blows. I was giving it everything I had, throwing kicks and punches at her with all the ferocity I was capable of. But despite my enhanced speed, she had an incredible ability to avoid me, and I couldn't land one hit. However, she landed various bruises all over my torso merely using her fingers.

"UGH!" I winced as she got me in the stomach with a fist, causing me to stagger back. Then I got an idea.

I fell to my knees, Manasa barely a metre from me. She was reaching for my neck now, but I took a new approach. Rapidly turning my back to her, I shoved my paws into the ground and threw both my legs up into the air at the approaching villainess.

Both my blue boots hit her square in the jaw, and now she staggered back, but I didn't stop.

I leapt away from her, high into the air to land on a blocky marble pillar. Before I could fall, l launched head-first in Manasa's direction, bracing my forearms in front of me for the inevitable collision.

Success! I sent her across the room once again, skidding and tumbling across the shiny floor before quickly recovering. I didn't let up. I ran at her again.

"Enough!" she yelled as she raised her hands to grapple with me, moments before I could hit her. Our fingers interlocked as we wrestled. "You are quite impressive, my pet, but you cannot save yourself by resisting me. I have held back the true extent of my power."

"You're not frightening me, Manasa," I responded, every nerve ready for whatever trick she had up her sleeve. I held her grip tightly, and it looked like I got her right where I wanted her, brawn over skill.

She chuckled, seething with arrogance and pride. "Marvel at my might, slave. Look upon your goddess in all her beauty and majesty!"

A red light began to glow off her body. Becoming more and more intense, I couldn't see see her through the vivid blaze that forced me to avert my eyes. The light was warm, and a soft breeze seemed to fly in my direction.

Precious seconds later, the light was gone. Turning my head to face her again, my heart sank with fear. Something new stood in Manasa's place: a massive green-scaled n?ga. With her legs gone, her long coils extended all the way to the other side of the room, and still had to curl up to fit. She towered over me, grinning with sinister intentions as she held my paws. Now I was afraid again, and my expression of horrified awe showed it. Sweating now, I tried breaking my paws out of her grip, but she was holding on tightly. I wasn't going anywhere. So much for pressing an advantage.

"Now you're mine, my pet," she said, voice as smooth as ever, but slightly deeper. This was followed by a long hiss as she extended her tongue to lick at my face, sliding it around my jaw before suddenly plunging it into my agape mouth, smothering me with a deep kiss. As her long tongue slithered down my throat, I closed my eyes again to avoid a potential entrancement.

Then she began pushing me back, and my boots lacked the friction to avoid sliding across the marble floor. I moaned and gagged on her penetrating tongue as she picked up her pace, and in a few seconds, she shoved me through the glass of yet another window. She released the kiss as we fell from the high-rise, finally allowing me to breathe. Though she still maintained a strong grip on my paws. In a panic, I couldn't hold in a yell of terror.

She must have hooked her coils onto something because our fall had stopped and she was suddenly swinging me through the air. She shoved my back into a window, then leapt off the side of the building and shoved me into another window on the opposite side of the street. We were still high above ground level as she bashed me into building after building. Shards of glass tore the thin blue fabric of my leotard and left small cuts in my flesh beneath my fur.

As she launched us across the street again, she suddenly released her grip and threw me face-first into a wall, tearing through brick before landing on the floor of a family's living room, belly-down. Drooling blood, I looked up to see two adults and a child sitting on a couch nearby. They were watching something on television before my sudden entrance. Now they were covered in dust, choking as they stared at me in disbelief before scrambling away from their seating in alarm.

"Sorr--Urgh!" I began before Manasa's tail slithered around my throat, tightening sharply.

She pulled me back outside, dangling me helplessly over the twenty storeys below. A fall from this height would definitely kill me, and worse, she was choking me once again. It felt like being strangled by a titanium beam. I couldn't get a single breath of air in my lungs as I clawed desperately at the scaly coil around my throat. My eyes were already rolling back, and my spine was sore from being shoved into walls and windows.

"Shhhh. Don't struggle, pet," said the n?ga queen, so gently. "Surrender to me. You know you want to. Surrender, or you can die here and I shall let your limp body fall."

Her scaly hand found its way between my legs and she began to rub, once again opening up that burning desire to submit as I relished in her touch against my sensitive areas.

Then I heard a loud wooden crash. One of the adults, a male moose who I assumed was a father and husband, had just hit Manasa in the back with a chair, sending splintering shards of wood flying around us. I was angry with him. Why wasn't he fleeing to safety with his family?

Unfortunately, the serpent sorceress barely even noticed the impact. "Shoo, slaves!" she said with irritation, turning to face the brave but foolish man as he backed away.

I also glimpsed his family standing behind him, watching with fear and concern as they yelled at him to flee with them. Now I worried for their safety. I might have had only moments to react before Manasa could hurt them. I tried a new strategy, bringing my legs up to kick at her belly, hoping that maybe I could force her off me. However, her powerful body didn't even budge, whether due to her immense power and durability or my draining strength as she choked the life out of me.

The n?ga queen turned back to face me. "Oh, pet. You must try harder than that."

I kicked as hard as I could, but then her two large hands wrapped around both my ankles. Only my arms were left free, but they were too busy keeping Manasa's tail from throttling my consciousness away.

Another crash and shower of wooden shards. The two parents in the building had struck Manasa's back with another chair together. But, as usual, she was completely unharmed. I assumed they didn't have anything sturdier to hit her with. Why were they so persistent? Were they trying to save me?

Manasa sighed. "Let's go somewhere with fewer distractions, shall we?"

The pendant around her neck, a little red crystal, began to glow. Then I was then surrounded by yet more blinding red light.

Suddenly, we were atop one of the steel pylons of the Legway Bridge. We were separated, blasted apart by the sudden teleportation. The early morning winter winds roared in my ears as I rolled away. Coughing and rubbing my sore throat, I caught my breath, breathing deeply to regain some oxygen.

"Get up, Streak! Hurry!" urged Falcon, urgently.

Too late. Manasa's tail slapped me across the face, and I span into a metal wall, denting the alloy.

"Give in, pet," she said as I fell to my knees, rapidly approaching me once again.

"You must escape, Streak!" continued Falcon. "You need to get to the portal! Resist!"

Unfortunately, time wasn't on my side. "It is too late, pet," Mansa said, rising up on a spiral of her coils. "You cannot return to the portal in time to stop it from opening. You have lost. I have won. Now submit."

She was right. Looking to the glittering city skyline, I could see the warehouse far off in the distance by the docks. The windows were burning red with more intensity than ever before. It must have been half-way across the city.

I felt a deep sense of despair, and with it, rage. "NO!" I yelled as I threw myself at her, unthinking, despite the pain from my bumps and bruises.

She merely smiled further as she slapped me aside with ease, backhanding me hard on the side of my face.

I hit the metal floor, skidding briefly before sliding off the edge of the pylon, but I managed to grab the ledge by the tips of my fingers. Breathing rapidly with panic, I tried to resist looking down at the fast-moving lines of vehicles far below me. Her attack was simple, but it was damaging. I was once again dizzy, and now I had a black eye. I barely held my grip as I struggled to pull myself back up.

"So pitiful..." said my enemy as the tip of her long tail slid between my reaching arms, down my back, and between my legs. Pressing her tail into my perineum, she lifted me back up from the seat of my leotard.

Swiftly, Manasa dumped me on all fours. Her tail remained where it was, rubbing up against the bulge in my costume and eliciting a soft whimper from me between my groans of pain. I was too weak to resist.

"Is this really the best you can do? You are no superhero. Admit it, you want to submit. You cannot deny it."

Then the tail between my legs moved to wrap around my ankle and she hoisted me up by the leg, leaving me dangling upside-down. She brought me over to her, where she extended a scaly hand to stroke my package through my costume while she looked down at my tired face.

"Submit, pet. Submit and this torture can end."

Then she brought me up, face-to-face with her. She left my arms free, very aware that I was too weak to be a threat at this point. There was no reason to close my eyes anymore. I was beaten. This was the moment she wanted. All she had to do was wait for my inevitable surrender.

"Shhhh. Don't struggle. No more resistance. Only submission now."

There was nothing I could do. Red lightning began to emerge from the sky above the crimson warehouse, signalling Manasa's imminent victory. There was no way to get back in time to destroy the portal, and even if there was, I doubted I could escape from her now. I was too weak, and the desire to submit had grown to unfathomable heights. Beacon City's only hope now was that Race could defeat Tamer and stop the portal himself.

Until Falcon spoke. "Streak, her pendant!" he said.

Thinking quickly, I rapidly reached out to grab the glowing red crystal hanging from Manasa's neck. I had no idea what to do, so the next thing I did was pure instinct and wishful thinking. In a single precious moment, I thought of the warehouse as hard as I could, hoping it would be enough. Like a miracle, it was.

We were both engulfed in a flash of bright red light. The next thing I knew, we were back on the top floor of the warehouse. Manasa and I were both thrown apart, leaving me disoriented after my back hit the wooden boards of the floor with a thud. It wasn't the hardest landing, and I recovered quickly, but Manasa was already slithering in my direction. She was furious.

"The portal!" urged Falcon.

Quickly composing myself, I scanned for the floating crystal. There, bursting with light in the centre of the cavernous room, was my target. I reminded myself that beating Manasa was an afterthought. All that mattered was stopping her plan. Now was my one and only chance.

I launched into the air with a powerful leap, supercharged with a massive burst of adrenaline and the last vestiges of energy. I only barely avoided Manasa as she flew past the place I stood an instant before. Now was the moment that would decide my fate, and I aimed for the red core before me, preparing the strongest kick I could muster as I flew through the air.

"Stop, slave!" Manasa yelled. No, she screamed. "Don't! NO!"

Failure and acceptance... (Non-Canon Ending)

Mere moments before I can hit the crystal, Manasa's sudden command gives me pause, overcome with a sense of duty to obey. My hesitation allows just enough time for her long tail to coil around my torso. My boot was a mere one foot away from my target, but now the crystal is out of reach forever.

I've failed.

"Very clever, pet," says Manasa as she pulls me close, thick coils wrapped around my upper torso and arms as my legs dangle. "But you underestimated me. Do not worry though. You will never think so poorly of me again."

My eyes well up with tears. I can hear the portal revving up with another loud whine as the floor shakes, almost ready to open. I simply bow my head in defeat, eyes closed.

"Streak ends today. Now you are mine, my sweet slave. Submit, or I shall bring your life to an end in your final greatest pleasure."

It's over. I can't deny it any longer. I want it more than I care about my city, and I'm tired of fighting it. I want to submit, to give in thoroughly, and let Manasa take me. I want to do away with my free will and submit to her, let her claim me as her own. I want that pleasure and serene contentment that came with being her property, her plaything, as I know from my fond memories of being her slave before. I want that peace and closure of being empty-minded, devoted purely to being hers without so much as a thought of my own. I simply want to belong to her, and never fear or worry or think for myself again.

"I'm sorry, Falcon..." I say in my mind. "This... is what I have to do. This life isn't the one for me. I'm just not cut out for being a superhero. Go find Chad. Make him Streak again. If anyone can save this city, it's you and him."

"Absolutely not!" says Falcon, sternly, but I can sense the sadness and fear from him. He knows this is it. "We'll find another way. We'll escape, like we always do. You and I will stop her. We have come this far on hope."

"Not this time, Falcon. This time it's really over. I'm not the superhero that Streak needs to be."

There is a long pause. I feel the growing acceptance from Falcon. "I... understand," he finally responds, but he's accepting not just because this is the only way for me to survive, but because he knows this is what I want. "I'll find Chad, and he'll be a great superhero. I promise. But I'm proud of you, and I'll miss you, my friend."

My throat tightens, but I don't hold back my tears. At this point, I'm not afraid of looking weak in front of Manasa. "Thanks, Falcon," I respond. "I love you."

"I love you too, Matthew. May your new life be filled with great happiness. Farewell."

"Goodbye, pal."

Then I feel Falcon leave my mind, creating a painfully empty void. But even though I know it'll soon be filled, it doesn't make me any less sad.

I open my eyes. It feels good to let go; to choose and embrace what Manasa offers me. "Okay, Mistress," I say, purely with my own will. I speak the absolute truth from the deepest part of my soul. "Do with me as you wish."

Manasa smiles at my submission. Her power washes over me as she initiates her hypnotic power once again. I fall under that beautifully familiar wave of contentment as her eyes join with mine in that beautiful world of spiralling colour. My thoughts go silent as every nerve and muscle relaxes, and I can't help but reveal a dumb smile of mindless joy, tongue hanging.

"Finally!" she breathes, sighing with relief. Streak is now back in her possession, this time forever. "I have worked so hard to have you back, but now you're mine for good..."

My mind is hers again, and it could never feel better. But she's not done with me yet. My brain is primed for reprogramming, ready to be changed to fit the whims of my Mistress.

"All you love is me," she says as the tip of her tail brushes up against the bulge in my costume, rubbing slowly and intimately. "The mere thought of me gives you pleasure. The thought of serving me gives you even more."

It took mere seconds to become fully aroused, her words send shivers of ecstasy through me. I throb inside my costume as her tail rubs and caresses my sensitive organ through the fabric. Willing submission has never felt so good as I happily let her do with my body as she pleases.

"Every day shall be the purest heaven," she continues. "Every night you shall share my bed. Your very dreams shall be of submission to me. Every morning you shall awake to the joy of continued service. You would do anything for your beautiful Mistress. You would die for her. For your Queen."

"I would do... anything... for Mistress..." I repeat with a sigh of bliss, looking up at her adoringly as my chest heaves in her coils with the burning desire for the pleasure of service to her. "I would... die for you... my Queen"

"Dedicate your mind and body to me."

"My mind and body... are yours... Mistress."

"You are my pet. You are my plaything. You are, were born to be, and always will be my slave. Forever."

"I am your pet... your plaything... your slave... forever."

All is well in the world again, and my new servitude to my loving ruler has just begun. Soon I will be serving her with limitless zeal and determination, like a good boy. I am hers, and I know that she will soon want to assert her claim to my body and mind. I am looking so forward to it.

"There's my good boy. My good, obedient boy."

Her long forked tongue extends from her snout to lick at my own tongue.

"Mmmmnnnn..." I moan, softly humping into her tail before it suddenly slides inside the fabric between my legs to coil around my length.

My Mistress smiles further around her tickling tongue. "Yes, pet. Give in. No more fear. No more rejection. Only submission. Be my slave."

"S-Slave..." I repeat. I love that word. It feels so fitting for me. Yes, I'm a slave! That feels so right! So normal! It's just natural to be a slave to my Mistress!

Then she strokes my cheek as my panting intensifies, driven wild by her tail pumping me faster inside my costume. Nothing feels better than my Mistress having her way with me, toying with my mind and body!

"Tell me, my horny pet," she begins, weaving a spell of absolute submission into my empty mind, "who do you belong to?"

"You, Mistress... I serve you... forever...!" I affirm, gazing deep into her spiralling eyes as I breathe out the words. It feels so good to say that.

Smiling, she scratches under my ear with a scaly hand. "Yes, my beloved pet. You are mine, and from today on, you always will be. Today, I shall strip you of your free will forever, and you will know your place as my pet and plaything for the rest of your life. Forget. Forget everything you ever were. Forget Streak. Forget Matthew. Now there is only my beloved pet."

Yes. Everything I am or ever was, including my personality and values, are wiped away. The Streak I was before is gone forever, and no force can change me back, all thanks to my willing acceptance. Rapidly approaching orgasm, I know that my submission will soon be complete. Finally.

"You have caused me so much trouble, pet," she says, calmly, her long forked tongue lapping at my jaw with her words. They are like honey to the ears. "But do not worry. I will see to it that you enjoy your punishment. For now, you will cum for me, and demonstrate your total submission. Cum, slave! Cum for your Mistress!"

"Yes, Mis--Ahhhhh!" I yell, opening my mouth ever wider as I cum furiously into my costume.

It is the orgasm of total submission, and perfectly signifies the victory of my Mistress over me. Her domination of my mind and body is complete, and she takes care to coax every last drop of my submissive juices from me as my body convulses in climactic pleasure. I've never felt anything so incredible before, with ecstasy shaking my body in a way I could never have imagined! Then she muffles my long moans with a deep kiss again, her tongue penetrating to the furthest reaches of my throat as she condemns the last of my dignity and sovereignty to oblivion, but this time I don't gag. My body belongs to her, and so I welcome her forceful entrance.

My submission finalised, my eyes turn blank white as the colourful spirals in my Mistress' eyes disappear. As the orgasm ends, cream dripping from my drenched leotard, she gently lowers me to the ground, setting me down on my wobbly legs. Her tongue slithers out of my throat, bringing with it another long moan.

"You liked that, didn't you?" she teases, scratching under my jaw as I look up into her beautiful gaze. "I said I'd force you to wet your slave uniform, didn't I?"

"Yes... Mistress," I stammer between pants, looking up at her with my white eyes, a dumb smile across my muzzle. "I love... cumming for you."

"And...?"

"And my eternal regret... for ever speaking against you... Mistress." I say with regret, even though I don't remember my old life, but I know I did something very bad. Now I know better. "I am... such a fool."

"Yes you are," she says, smiling so warmly. It brings me so much joy to see her happy. "But now you're not that pesky superhero anymore, are you? No. Now you are mine, and I have claimed you completely. This is only the beginning of your new life, and in time, I will introduce you to pleasures beyond imagining. I will ravish your body every day to heights you have never experienced before. You will know true paradise as my people dominate the world and its small minds. Isn't that right, my submissive, obedient, horny little slave?"

"Yes, Mistress! Absolutely!" I say with excitement, still hard in my costume as I lewdly tent the soaking fabric, nerves on fire with unending arousal as she continues to caress me.

"Then witness. It is time for us to take a little trip."

In an explosion of shining red energy, the portal opens.

Triumph and freedom! (Canon Ending)

I did it!

With one swift motion, my body contorts to dodge the incoming serpentine tail, deftly avoiding her attempt to coil me up. Then my boot collides with the glowing crystal, and it immediately shatters into thousands of minuscule shards.

"NOOO!" screams Manasa.

Before I can even land, a massive eruption of red energy bursts out from the shattered object, sending me, Manasa, and the various machines and electronics in the room flying away. I slam into one of the walls and a crack of pain shoots up my spine as I collide with a steel beam supporting the roof. I find myself on all fours again as I fall to the floor.

"Streak, you must get up! Escape!" insists Falcon.

Dizzy and pained, I struggle to rise when Manasa's tail suddenly wraps around my body, under my arms with, with lightning speed. She coils around me until her thick bulk has adequately restrained me, pulling me up to suspend my helpless frame in the air. With her hands, she grabs my paws to keep me firmly restrained, helpless save for my dangling, flailing legs.

"You have taken my world from me, Streak!" she yells, enraged. "But you will belong to me yet, slave!"

I bring up my mental barriers, exactly as Falcon taught me, but it's no use. Her hypnotic power is beyond imagining, and she easily breaks into my mind as those colourful spirals in her eyes return. However, she refuses to go further, but my eyes are locked with hers, reflecting the spirals as my body relaxes, paralysed in her hypnotic grip.

"I may have lost, but I will defeat you today, one way or another!" she says, seething with anger as she stares me down. I can't look away. "You will give yourself to me willingly and become mine forever, or you shall die a slave's death as you cum for your mistress one last time! The ultimate punishment for your impudence!"

She glares at me with both eager hope and insanity. No doubt she cannot yet comprehend that centuries of planning have just gone to waste. Regardless, this is it. I won. She failed. I did it. I saved the day. That's what matters. I did a superhero's job.

"I'm not giving myself to her," I think to myself, and to Falcon. "The people of my city... I owe it to them to fight until I die. We've won. I'm not selling Manasa my soul. Not now."

I expect Falcon to react with grief, sadness, and denial, insisting that there must be another way. Instead, I sense different emotions, beaming off him with more intensity than anything I've ever felt from my old mentor before.

"I'm proud of you, Streak," he says. "I'm so proud of you. You're my hero. My superhero. I chose well."

"Falcon, I..." I think, struggling to find a meaningful response.

"Shhhh. It's okay, son. I promise I'll be with you until the end, whatever happens."

I want to cry. I do cry. Tears well up in my eyes, even though my body is frozen in Manasa's hypnotic power. But for this moment, there is only Falcon and me, frozen in time as we prepare to face the unknown together.

"Thank you, Falcon. Thank you for being such a good mentor, for helping me grow, and being there for me. And thank you... for being the dad I really needed."

"I love you too."

This is it.

"Kill me, Manasa," I say out loud, gritting my teeth, but with a grin. I feel only victory and pride. "You'll have to... because I'll never give myself to you willingly. As long as I live, I'll resist. Even if I have to fight you forever."

The hopeful twinkle in her eye vanishes. There is only disappointment, and she sighs. "So be it. Die for your Mistress. Cum."

A mere thought is all it takes. With a direct line to my brain, her hypnotic powers bring me to a cataclysmic orgasm, greater than anything I have ever felt before.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" I scream, arms and legs convulsing instinctively as ecstasy beyond imagining burns through my every nerve.

I can't breathe. A massive blast of pain explodes inside my skull as my nervous system overloads, but it only lasts for the smallest instant before I lose all sensation and feeling except for the indescribable pleasure. I feel myself empty into my costume, drenching the fabric in my warm fox cream, perhaps for the last time. My limbs stretch out as my muscles seize and my hips buck from the incredible experience.

But before it can end, leotard dripping with my juices, another blast erupts from the portal core where the crystals once stood. It's a bigger and more powerful wave, blasting away everything. The entire upper floor of the warehouse of annihilated, sending metal, concrete, and wood flying out into the bay. Everything, including the walls and floor, is torn asunder by the magical detonation.

Manasa and I are both struck by the blast. My body is thrown out into the night air, limp like a ragdoll as I fall to the bay far below. With the shower of debris, I hit the water, fully submerged for one quiet, peaceful moment before rising to the surface, belly-up. I let out a final sigh with my last breath, and Falcon's voice is the last thing I hear.

"I won't let you die, Matthew!" he says, firmly. "Not after everything we've been through together. Do you understand? I promise I won't let you die! Not again!"

My eyes glaze over, blank and cold, as I stare up at the night sky, which gradually turns orange as the sun rises on the horizon. But there are no thoughts now. Only the faint sound of Falcon's fading words of love and reassurance.

"Now beat your young heart for me, superhero!"