Susan Storm-Richards, the Invisible Woman, slowly woke up
and looked around her with bleary eyes. She was totally disoriented and
bewildered. The last thing she’d been aware of was walking down a New York
street, brushing lightly against someone on the sidewalk, feeling a slight
prick in her arm, then everything had started to go dark. She’d been dimly
aware of a large black vehicle pulling up to the sidewalk next to her, then…nothing.
Until now. She became dimly aware that she was in a dark room,
sparsely furnished, with clean black and metal surfaces. She tried to move but
found that she was strapped down in a reclining chair, like the sort found in a
dental surgery. Metal clamps held her wrists and ankles firmly in place.
As soon as she realized her predicament, she instinctively
reached out with her powers and focused her powers on ripping the restraints
away. But nothing happened. She gritted her teeth with frustration and strained
against her bonds, but they held fast.
She looked around the room wildly. The only other furniture in the room was a
large bed with black sheets. There was one sturdy looking metal door with an
electronic lock, and no windows.
She knew instinctively that she was under surveillance, and
she looked around the room for hidden cameras. “Damn you, I don’t know who you
are, but you have made a stupid mistake! You won’t hold me for long, and when I
get free from this chair, I’ll make you pay!”
In a room nearby, a shadowy figure watched a bank of monitor
screens that showed the scene in the room from a variety of angles. The sight
of the beautiful blonde heroine thrashing furiously at her restraints and
cursing at the empty room was tantalizing indeed. What a glorious project her
ultimate corruption would be. The figure reached a hand forward and activated a
com-link.
“It is time. Begin phase one.”
Just as Sue was trying to break her metal bonds with renewed
vigor, she heard a metallic clunk and hiss, and looked up to see the door
sliding open. She braced herself for what was to come…