Passion's Torment

Everyone is having issues, it's Valentine's Day, and a new succubus makes the scene.






Sarah, Katia, Dawn, all of the girls, including Barbara, were standing in front of a large golden throne, which was being sat on by someone, though the shadows made it impossible to tell who or what.  Jake was standing a ways behind the girls, a heavy ball and chain manacled to each of his wrists, preventing him from moving.  The shadowy figure made a slight motion with his hand, and all of the girls dropped to their knees, outstretched their arms, and bowed to the throne, like how ancient Egyptians worshipped their gods and pharaohs.  “Everyone, please, you don’t have to do this!” Jake yelled.
No one responded.  Then the figure spoke.  “Servants, do you hear his words?”
One of the girls, Jake couldn’t tell who, looked up and spoke to the figure, so quietly that Jake could barely hear her.  “No, lord.  His pleas fall on deaf ears.  All that matters to us is your will.”
From the way she spoke, Jake could tell she wasn’t hypnotized.  She didn’t have the monotone speech speed, or any of the other vocal characteristics.  It was as if her will, her spirit had been broken.
The figure chuckled.  “Very good.  You shall all live out the rest of your lives in servitude to me.”
They all responded as one, “Yes, lord.”
In a scream of rage, Jake broke free from his bonds and rushed at the figure.  Without even being told, the girls stood and formed a barrier between Jake and their lord.  But Jake’s rage gave him strength, and he pushed his way past the girls, receiving many punches and scratches trying to breach their gauntlet.  Soon, he was in front of the throne.  He grabbed the figure by his clothes and hauled him up and out of the seat so he was face to face with Jake.
“You bastard!” Jake screamed.  “Whatever you did to them, I’ll fix it!”
“Are you sure?  Are you sure you can help them?  How can you fix that which no longer exists?”
Jake pulled back his fist, ready to beat the figure down.  “What did you do to them?!”
“The question is,” the figure said, light suddenly illuminating his features, “what are you doing to them?”
Jake was looking at himself, a perfect mirror double.  Jake let go and staggered backwards.
“You, you, you can’t be, I couldn’t...”
“You would be amazed at what we’re capable of.”  The other Jake stepped back into the shadows, and for a moment, Jake thought he could see the outlines of maybe three or four women behind him.  “Come, servants.”
Jake turned around, and saw all the girls stand up.  He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw they weren’t following the other him, and that turned to a gasp as he noticed that they were starting to disappear.  He ran towards them, hand outstretched, yelling, “No!  Don’t go!  Don’t leave me!”  And just as he reached them, they vanished completely.  He looked around, and saw that he was now all alone in a large, empty, dark room.  Throwing his arms back, he screamed, “NOOOOOO!”
****************
With a start, Jake sat upright in his bed.  He was all sweaty and his heart was pounding.  Massaging his temples with his fingers, he tried sorting through his dream.  “That was one creepy nightmare.  Was it some kind of warning about the future involving my clone?  An analysis of my mental state and ego?  Or maybe it was just a sign that I shouldn’t eat nacho cheese chips and play RPG’s right before bedtime?”
A slender pair of female hands suddenly placed themselves on his neck and started massaging him.  “Maybe you should just learn to relax some more?” a quiet voice suggested.
“Yeah, maybe you’re right, I-“  Jake stopped talking as he realized he wasn’t alone.  Glancing to his side, he saw Lucia, wearing a skimpy nightgown that still showed her wings, was lying under the covers with him.  He gave a very loud yelp and scrambled away from her, though still remaining in the bed and under the covers.  Thank goodness I’m wearing boxers tonight, he thought.  Taking a second to gather his wits, he asked the confused Lucia, “What are you doing here?  And how did you not wake me up?”
Lucia answered innocently, “You were probably exhausted after fighting that fire demon that was plaguing the sasquatch people in the arctic.  And then from the party they threw in your honor.  And then how their women kept dragging you in each direction, asking to bear your children.  As for why I’m here, I was feeling lonely, and Dawn recently told me that you wouldn’t object if I ‘climbed into the sack’ with you.”
Jake groaned and started rubbing his temples again.  Again, why did I convince that succubus to live here? “Lucia, what you have to understand is-“
Suddenly Jake’s door was thrown wide opened, and in rushed Katia and Yuta.  Simultaneously, they said, “Beloved/Big brother, we heard you yell, so-“   Then they saw Lucia.  They did a double take, glanced from Jake to Lucia several times, then grabbed each other by the arms and screamed, “NOOOO!!!!!”
Before Jake could try and explain the situation to them, there was a clatter of footsteps, and within seconds, the entire household, minus Dawn, was gawking at the scene.  Jake blushed a scarlet red and Lucia just looked confused.  Then the professor cheered happily.  “This is quite the occasion!  We must have a momento!”  He pulled out a remote control, rapidly pressed some buttons, and there was the flash of cameras.
Again, Jake gave a loud, anguished scream.
Back in Dawn’s room, Dawn heard the scream and started giggling and grinning wickedly.
*************
It took several hours, but Jake was at last able to adequately explain to everyone the actual innocence of the scene.  Everyone except Mato, who kept beaming and proudly saying, “He’s finally become a real man!”
Just another day in this wacky dimension, Jake thought when he was finally alone again.  Looking out the window, he saw that it was going to be a dark, gloomy day that threatened rain.  He checked his clock and it was almost time for breakfast.  He got dressed and checked his calender.  Apparently, Valentine’s Day was coming up soon.  I wonder...
He headed to the kitchen and saw Sarah heading the same way, not far behind Dawn.  Jake walked up to her.
She turned to him and smiled.  “Quite the excitement last night, huh?” she said teasingly.
*Jake sighs visibly.*  “It’s going to take a long time for this to go away, isn’t it?”
“Yep.”
Jake mentally prepared himself for the day ahead.  “By the way. Sarah,” he whispered, not wanting anyone else to hear, “I noticed Valentine’s Day is coming up.  In my dimension, we have a holiday of the same name.  Here, does it mean the day of hearts and candies and romance and bad poems?”
“Actually, it does,” Sarah told him.
Interesting, Jake thought.
It was breakfast.  The only ones at the table were Jake, Katia, Yuta, Sarah and Dawn.  Jen wasn’t there to make breakfast so they had to fix their own.  Jen had been by herself a lot lately, claiming she had to work out some issues herself.  Katia and Yuta were seated on either side of Jake and were just staring at him, a bit of resentment in their faces.  Though they believed him, they were still upset.
Jake had toyed with the idea of using his pendant to give them an ‘attitude adjustment’, but given his recent nightmare, he decided to cut back on hypnosis, at least for a little while.
Sarah just kept staring expectantly at Dawn.  Weird, Jake thought, recently, I always seem to see Sarah following Dawn, even more so than usual.
Dawn suddenly stood up, walked to behind Jake, and drapped herself over him.  “Jake, why didn’t you tell me you had a thing for winged girls?  Forget about the little angel, imagine what I could do for you,” she breathed in his ear.  Despite himself, images flashed through Jake’s head and he blushed.
Kaita and Yuta got up in a fury and tried to punch Dawn.  Dawn was quicker, avoided their blows, grabbed their arms, twisted them behind their backs, and pressed them both face first against the table.  Physically, she was no match for Yuta, but Dawn knew a thing or two about using pain to cause immobilization.  Jake didn’t notice, images still flashing through his head.
Dawn twisted their arms a little further.  “Girls, girls,” she tsked.  “You know he’s eventually going to join me, so just give it up.  Just say he’s mine, and I’ll let you go.”  Despite their pain, Yuta and Katia didn’t say anything.
Sarah spoke up.  “Unfortunately, Dawn, I’m obligated to inform you that if you don’t release Princess Katia this instant, you will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Dawn applied a little more pressure to both girls, then let go.  They stood up and glared at her, rubbing their arms.  Katia and Sarah exchanged a quick glance, then everyone resumed their seats.
Within a few minutes, Jen, Lucia, Jessica, and Fawn arrived at the breakfast table.  Everyone seemed in a gloom and doom attitude.  It seemed they all had problems they were unwilling to talk about.  Jake decided to strike up a conversation.
“It seems Valentine’s Day is going to be soon.”
“Yeah, yeah,” everyone mumbled.
“When it gets here, I was thinking I’d go around town and-“
At his words, all of the girls except Yuta and Lucia slammed their hands down on the table and stood up.  “You can’t go out on Valentine’s Day!” they yelled.
Jake was perplexed.  “Why not?”
Katia looked at him horrified.  “You don’t know!?”
Sarah nodded.  “He knows not.”
“Will someone please explain what’s going on?” Jake asked.  Lucia and Yuta nodded.
“Valentine’s Day used to be a good holiday, when people would go out and buy candies and take friends out and get gift cards and all the other happy stuff,” Fawn said.
“Until five years ago,” Jen added.
“What happened five years ago?” Lucia asked.
“Incidents started to occur,” Dawn said.  “For the past five years, people have been attacked each Valentine’s Day.”
It was Jessica’s turn.  “Romantic couples were assualted by an unknown person, who has been given the alias of ‘Passion’.  When the victims were found again later, it seemed as if they were drained of their energy.  The general assumption is that Passion is a succubus.”  Jake, Lucia, and Yuta stared at Dawn.
Sarah shook her head.  “It can’t be Dawn.  The police are fairly certain that the attacks are caused by a single individual, and Dawn has unbreakable alibis during some of the attacks.”
Jake shrugged his shoulders.  “So?  All I have to do is go by myself and I won’t be targeted.”
“You still don’t understand,” Jessica said.
“I can help with that,” Sarah said.  In a minute, everyone was gathered in the living room.  Sarah was just walking back from her room.  “I keep a copy of some evidence videos in my room.”  She threw the tape into the VCR and pressed play.
What appeared on the screen was a camcorder recording.  According to the date on the screen, it was evening, Valentine’s Day, five years ago.  The cameraman seemed to be following a young male neko high school student walking downtown.  “This was taken by a high school student, doing a video project on the behavior of non-humans,” Sarah said.  Suddenly, walking in the other direction, a female elf high school student appeared.  The two students stopped, each on the other side of the entrance to an alley, and stared at each other.  They scoffed at one another and then kept walking.  Sarah paused the tape.  “Notice their attitude?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Yuta said.  “They don’t seem to like each other.  They should learn to play together.”
*Mass sweatdrops.*  Everyone knew what Yuta’s ‘games’ were like.
“It was more than dislike,” Sarah continued.  “Their families were business rivals, and they hated one another.  Now watch.”  She continued the video.  As the two students were about to pass each other, a pair of female hands reached out from the shadowy alley and grabbed them both by the shoulders.  They struggled to get free, but they couldn’t.  Then the hands started to glow yellow.
“Now, now, dearies,” a soft, seductive voice from the video spoke, “don’t fight me.  Just relax.”  Their struggles lessened, and their faces became relaxed, their eyes glazing.  The arms gently pulled them into the alley, and they followed.  Still holding the camcorder, the cameraman ran off, and the video ended.
Sarah ejected the tape.  “The student reported to the police, and we hurried to the alley.  When we arrived, the only two there were the students, weakened from an energy drain.  But the interesting thing was, they didn’t hate each other anymore.”
“You mean...?” Jake asked.
Sarah nodded.  “They were hypnotized into falling madly in love with one another.  They were nearly disowned by both their families when they declared their undying devotion.  It took a LOT of counseling, therapy, and help from Mato, but we were eventually able to return them to normal.”
Jessica added, “Ever since then, there have been attacks on romantic couples a few times throughout each year.  But on Valentine’s Day, Passion both attacks romantic couples and turns nonromantic couples romantic in mass numbers.  Sometimes it’s same sex couples.”  Jake was both turned on and horrified.
Sarah grabbed her head.  “You wouldn’t believe the amount of manpower and paper work that has to be done.  And all the impulsive marriages that have to be anulled.  And we don’t even know what Passion looks like.”
“So, beloved, you must now realize why you must not go out on Valentine’s Day,” Katia begged Jake.  “You can’t be forced to fall in love with someone other than me.”
“Why don’t people just stay home, then?” Jake asked.
Jessica shook their head.  “They’re unwilling to be frightened into hiding.  And the town leadership refuses to enforce a curfew.”
“So, unless something happens about Passion, we will not let you leave this house on Valentine’s day,” Jen said.
Seeing that arguing would get him no where, Jake decided to change the subject.  “Why don’t we go check on Mato?  Maybe that will make things interesting around here.”  Since no one had anything better to do, they all headed down to the lab.
******************
As they entered the lab, they noticed that they didn’t see Mato anywhere.  However, they did notice that the Mato #2 remote controlled android body they’d attacked was still lying in pieces on the floor.
“Grandpa?” Yuta called out.
“Everyone!  Please, help me!” Mato screamed from somewhere unseen.  They all hurried further into the lab and found Mato locked inside some kind of glass capsule.
“Professor, what are you doing in there?” Fawn asked.
“I’ll explain later!  Please, hurry and let me out!  Use that console!”  He pointed at a terminal near the capsule.  Grumbling, Jake walked over to the terminal and tried to figure out the controls.
“What’s going on here?” said Mato, though from further away this time.  Everyone glanced to the side, and they saw Mato entering from another side of the lab.  Before anyone could make sense of what was happening, the second Mato noticed the trapped Mato, and also saw Jake by the console.  “Jake!” he yelled.  “I’d advise you against opening that capsule.  It would be a VERY bad idea.”
Jake glanced from Mato to Mato.  “Professor, did you create another android?”
The trapped Mato yelled, “Don’t listen to him, he’s an imposter!  You have to let me out, hurry!”
Quick as a wink, Jessica pilferred a pair of Sarah’s handcuffs, made her way over to the free Mato, and cuffed his hands behind his back as only a soldier could.  “What are you doing?!” he demanded.
“Sorry,” Jessica said, “but until we know what’s going on, it’s probably best not to take any chances.”
“So what is going on here?” Sarah asked.  Both Mato’s started rambling incoherently, until Sarah held up her hand for them to stop.  “Okay, so one of you is an imposter.  Do you both agree on that?”  They both nodded.  “So all we have to do is figure out which is the real Mato.”
“No, you think?” Dawn said sarcastically.
“This is even more bizarre than the time Dawn and Sarah switched bodies,” Lucia said.
In an instant, Sarah was standing in front of Lucia, holding a legal contract with all of their signatures on it right in front of her face, angrily saying, “Which, according to this contract, you are to NEVER speak of again!”
“Putting that aside for the moment, I have an idea,” Jen said.  She faced both Mato’s.  “Which one of us was born in this lab?” she asked.
The free Mato pointed at Yuta.  “It was her, Yuta!”
The trapped Mato said, “Yes, but technically, she wasn’t born, she was created.”
Everyone tried to come up with questions.
“What is the name of your lab assistant who we haven’t seen in a while?” Sarah asked.
“Barbara,” both answered.
“Who was the last roommate to join the household?” Katia asked.
“You were,” the trapped Mato answered.
“Yes,” the free Mato said, “but Yuta was the most recent one to rejoin the household.”
“What’s the password to the home security system?” Yuta asked.
“BOOBIES!” they both yelled.  *Everyone falls over.*
“This is hopeless,” Fawn mumbled.
“Wait, I’ve got it!” Jake yelled.  “Professor, I’ve decided that, given your lack of ethics, I will never again assisst you in any experiments that will potentially cause harm to anyone.”
The trapped Mato said, “I’m very proud of you, Jake.”
The cuffed Mato was crying.  “No, Jake!  Please, you can’t do this to me!”
“Bingo,” Jake said.  Jessica uncuffed the real Mato.
The imposter Mato snapped his fingers.  “Damn.  Almost had you.”
“So who are you?” Jake asked.  “And why in the world would you want to impersonate the old man?”
“Hey!” Mato yelled.  “Show some respect for your elders.”  He walked over to the capsule and stood beside it proudly.  “Everyone, let me introduce you to the Valentine’s Day culprit, Passion.”
*Everyone’s jaws drop open, and they are all shocked.*  “That’s quite a coincidence,” Yuta stated.
“Never underestimate the power of science!” Mato declared.  He faced his imposter.  “You may as well drop the disguise.”
The imposter smiled ruefully.  Then there was a flash of white smoke that filled the capsule that dissipated within a second.  When it cleared, they could see Passion’s true form.
She wore a one-piece bathing suit like black leather leotard that hugged her form so tightly that it left very little to the imagination.  It showed all of her legs and most of her rear.  She was barefoot.  She had red, form-fitting sleeves that covered her arms, and she wore red nail polish on her sharpened nails.  She possessed a full chest, and her leotard showed an ample amount of her cleavage.  She was maybe three inches taller than Dawn.  She also had black wings that were slightly different in shape and color from Dawn’s on her back.  There was no seeable tail.  But her face was her most striking feature.  She had long, silky black hair that reached 2/3’s down her back.  Her features were smooth and beautiful, with attention instantly going to her bright red lips.  And her eyes, they were an ocean of blue that you could drown in.
She was easily the most drop dead gorgeous woman Jake had ever seen.  *Jake develops big hearts in his eyes as he takes in her figure, and he was drooling.  Katia and Yuta knock him to the floor with a couple of blows to the head, angry #’s on their faces.  But even with the two large bumps, Jake was still staring hearts at Passion.*
“Eros?” Dawn said.  “Eros, is that you?”
Passion smiled.  “Yeah, it’s me Dawn.  Been a while.”
“You two know each other?” Sarah asked.
Dawn laughed.  “We’ve known each other since we were little, but it’s been years since we’ve talked.”
Sarah looked at Mato.  “Professor, I’m sorry to tell you this, but without any conclusive proof that this is the Valentine’s Day fugitive, I can’t legally let you hold her against her-“
“But I have proof,” Mato said.  He pulled out his multipurpose remote control and started pressing buttons.  A TV screen descended from the ceiling in front of everyone.  “If you’ll just watch this...”  He pressed another button.  The screen became a swirling mass of rainbow colors, instantly captivating all of the female housemates, who stood at attention, yet not affecting Jake.
“How may we serve you?” they all asked.
“OLD MAN!” Jake yelled.
“Oops, heh heh, sorry, wrong button.”  He pressed another button, the colors disappeared, and the girls snapped out of it.  Before they could say anything, an identical recording of the video Sarah had just showed them appeared on screen.  As soon as the female voice spoke, two voice analysis bars appeared lower on the screen, one of them creating a pattern to match the voice.  The other remained flat.
The professor asked his prisoner, “Could you please say the same thing in your current form?”
Knowing that he already had a recording of her voice, she obliged him.  The second voice analysis bar assumed a pattern identical to the voice from the video.  “No two people have the exact same voice pattern,” Mato continued.  “The probability of such a thing is almost as bad as Jake acing his history test.”
“HEY!”
“So do we call her Eros or Passion?” Lucia asked.
“Though I didn’t intend to be given an alias, I’d prefer if you called me Passion,” she said.
“How did you catch her?” Sarah asked.  “We’ve been trying for years.”
“Oh, he was so clever,” Passion said complementary.  Mato smiled.  “I’d tell you, but I could probably never match his eloquence.  Go ahead, professor.”
In an instant, everyone somehow found themselves seated in school desks in front of the TV screen wearing school uniforms.  “Someday, I’m going to find out how he does that and break it,” Dawn muttered.
Mato appeared at the front of the class.  “As you probably know, all of Passion’s victims were drained of their energy.”  On the screen their appeared a male and female outline that was filled with a glowing blue color.  “This energy is linked to a persons physical as well as mystical and unnatural abilities and strengths.  Succubi like Dawn feed on this energy, though they don’t need it in order to survive.”  The blue color in both figures drained to practically nothing.
Already knowing all this, Dawn was bored and started throwing spitballs at the back of Sarah’s neck.  Sarah did her best to ignore them, though she was obviously incensed.
Mato continued.  “Given time, this energy will replenish itself.”  The figures filled to full with blue again.  “Now, not too long ago, I discovered that humanoids produce another type of energy in addition to this kind.  The best thing to call it would be romantic energy.”
After the tenth spitball, Sarah had had enough.  She stood up, ripped her desk out of the ground, and threw it directly into Dawn’s face.  *Dawn lies on the floor, dazed and spiral eyed.*  Sarah resumed her seat.  “Please continue,” she said.
“Right.  Anyway, when one person holds feelings of attraction for one another, their body exudes this romantic energy.”  The outline were now holding hands, and there was a faint red color emanating from them.  “When the feeling is mutual, much more of this energy is created.”  The figures were now awkwardly making out, and the red color intensified.”
“Professor!” Katia yelled, running over to Jake and covering his eyes.
“Sorry.”  He turned off the screen and Katia retook her seat.  “So, anyway, given that all of Passion’s victims were either romantic couples or couples that had been hypnotized into wanting each other, I theorized that what Passion really desired was not their common energy, but their romantic energy.  Draining their normal energy was just a cover.  Making people fall in love was just a way to produce more of this energy.”
“And he was right,” Passion added.  “Though I did enjoy creating some chaos.”
“So I decided to set a trap.  Given all the hypnosis and arguments that goes on in this household, there was plenty of romantic energy for me to study and gather.  There seems to be one particular person who holds a very strong attachment for another.  I think it’s from Sarah towards Daw-“ he cut off as he saw an angry Sarah waving her heeled foot threateningly.  “Uh, I mean, I don’t know who it belongs to.  Also, Katia, you remember those earrings I asked you to wear to your ball with Jake?”  She nodded.  “In addition to being able to gather data, they also gathered some of the romantic energy that was produced by everyone at the ball that night.  With all that gathered energy, I was able to set my trap.  I set the earrings to exude this energy, and left them in a remote area.”
Passion continued for him.  “I sensed more energy than I could bear to resist, and I followed it.  I saw what appeared to be a young couple in love, alone, so I went for them.  Unfortunately, they were only holograms, and I walked right into a capsule like this one.”
“As soon as she stepped in,” Mato finished, “she was transported right to where she’s standing now, a prison that is impossible for a succubus to escape from.  She also can’t hypnotize anyone from in there.”
The entire classroom applauded Mato, who bowed appreciatingly.  A moment later, the desks were gone and everyone was dressed normally again.
“You have the thanks of all of Yoto,” Sarah said, shaking the professor’s hand.  “So, when do you want me to take custody of her?”
“Oh, not for a while,” Mato said.  “It will take me some time before I can design a prison cell outside of the lab capable of holding her.  She’s very strong.  Here, let me show you.”  He asked Yuta to pick up a short yet heavy steel girder and place it in his Virtual Reality/short-range transporter machine.  He then transported it into Passion’s capsule.  “If you would please demonstrate,” Mato asked.
Passion picked up the girder with ease.  She then slammed it against the capsule, yet she didn’t cause the slightest crack.  She smiled weakly.  “Sorry.  You can’t blame me for trying.”  Then, with a little effort, she folded the girder into a crude circle.  The girder then glowed molten hot and disintegrated.  Everyone applauded again.
“As you can see,” Mato continued, “it’s best if she remains here for now.  I assure you it is impossible for her to escape.  Also, I can’t bear to part with her just yet.  She’s a great conversationalist and a fellow brilliant mind.  She’s already given me ideas on how to improve my inventions and ideas for new ones.  Here, look at these.”  He picked up a pair of sunglasses and put them on.  “At her suggestion, I created this pair of mirror sunglasses.  You can see through them perfectly as if you’re wearing regular sunglasses when you have them on, yet to everyone else, all they can see are reflections.”
“Uh, what’s the point of such a thing?” Fawn asked.
“They’re perfect in case you get into a situation involving lasers,” the professor answered.
“Though the professor is brilliant, I feel I should warn you that if you don’t release me, I will escape and make you all suffer horribly,” Passion said warmly with veiled threat in her tone.
Jake walked right up to the cylinder and smiled mockingly at her.  “I really doubt that.  The professor may be crazy, but I don’t think you’re getting out of that thing.  So what can you possibly do?”
In response, the capsule became shrouded in white fog.  When it dissipated a second later, Jake got a full frontal view of a naked, seductive looking Barbara licking her lips.  *Jake’s eyes shoot wide open and he falls backwards in shock, a fountain of blood erupting from his nose.*
Passion transformed back into her true form.  “Count yourself lucky,” she said.  “I could just as easily have been a man.”
“Thanks,” Jake muttered, standing up and rejoining the others.
Dawn laughed again.  “I see you finally got the hang of transformation.  How’d you manage it?”
“Oh, simple,” Passion responded.  “I did intensive studies of the ancient texts and discovered that many of the old and powerful succubi techniques are powered not from one’s own energy, or from the normal energy drained from others.  They are fueled by the romantic energy the professor just spoke of.  That’s why I keep draining couples.  It opens more and more abilities to me.”
“Interesting,” Dawn said mischievously.
“Don’t bother,” Passion told her.  “It takes a great deal of training to become able to sense the energy, and even more to drain it.”
“Oh, never mind then.”
“How did you know so much about all of us?” Jen asked Passion.
“Oh, you can thank Dawn for that.  Her website is very helpful.”
Everyone turned to Dawn.  “Website?”
Dawn tried to look innocent.  “Well, it sometimes gets boring around here, so I occupy my time by posting all my experiences in this house at hellspawn.com.org.  I also write everything I know about all of you and post lots of pictures.”
“WHAT!?”
“It’s a good site,” Passion told everyone.  “There’s even a picture of blond boy here standing naked in a hallway with the professor after being tossed out of his room by all you girls...”
“YOU BASTARD!”  Jake was strangling Mato.  “HOW COULD YOU GIVE HER THAT PHOTO?!”
“It’s a very interesting read,” Passion said.  “Let me see if I can identify you all.”  She thought for a minute, then pointed to each appropriate person.  “You’re the grandson with the hypno powers who will eventually turn to Dawn’s side, you’re the spoiled princess who foolishly loves him, the naive angel, the equally naive organic robot with hypno eyes, the large-breasted soldier,-“ Jessica gasped and covered her chest, “-captivated by shiny things cat girl and screw up witch aren’t here, you’re Siren, loved your last record by the way-“ Fawn blushed, “-the revealing genie, and...”  She paused at Sarah and thought carefully.  “Oh, right, you’re the cop who pretends to hate Dawn in order to hide her intense feelings of love and devotion.”
*Sarah starts becoming red from her feet up until the color reaches her head, which erupts in fire.*
“Fire!” Mato yelled.  He pressed another button, and Sarah was soaked in water dropped from the ceiling.
“Well, it’s been a fun reunion,” Dawn said, laughing, “but I’ve got to go.  Geezer, I suggest you pick at her brain while you can, because you won’t hold her for long.”
“Are you implying that you’re going to...?” Mato asked.
“Oh, no, I don’t have to bother.  She excels in everything she does, and she’s quite observant.  Also, when she took her intelligence test, she got the highest score ever recorded.”  Passion smiled appreciatively.
“What are you saying?” Jake asked.
“I’m saying, she’s easily more clever and resourceful than the lot of you combined.”  With that said, Dawn made her way past the group towards the stairs.  Before she got past Sarah, however, she seemed to hesitate, then turned to face the cop.  “By the way, you’re looking nice today.”
Sarah exchanged a quick, surreptitious glance with Katia, and she became filled with joy.  She was so overwhelmed that on impulse she grabbed Dawn’s head and kissed her passionately on the lips.
Everyone stared in shock at this scene, except for Jake, who was shocked and a little turned on.
Sarah disengaged herself from Dawn and said, smiling, “Thank you, Dawn, you just made my year.”  Thoroughly creeped, Dawn rushed up the stairs and out the door.
“Have you gone insane, Sarah?” Fawn asked.
“Yes,” Sarah said, still smiling, “insane with joy!  Excuse me, I need to make a call.”  She moved with such enthusiasm that she was back in less than half a minute.  “Anyway, concerning Passion-“
“Which you obviously have a lot of,” Jessica joked.
“-someone should always be on guard to make sure Dawn doesn’t let her go.”
“Oh, that’s impossible,” Mato assured her.  “A succubus cannot release the lock on that capsule, neither can anyone hypnotized by a succubus.”
“Still,” Sarah continued, “it would probably be a good idea, considering how dangerous she is.”
“Oh, very well.  Yuta, dear, would you be willing to take first watch?”
“Of course, grandfather.”
“Very good.  And everyone, remember, no matter what she says, what she does, or what she looks like, DO NOT UNLOCK THAT CAPSULE!” Mato yelled with a force they never heard in him before.
******************
Everyone except Yuta left, and she and Passion were left alone together.  Yuta occupied herself by watching a soap opera on the professor’s TV.
“Is that the most recent episode of Life of Love?” Passion asked.
Yuta was surprised.  “Yes, it is.  You watch it too?”
Passion shrugged.  “I’m familiar with it.  Think I could watch, too?”
“Sure.”  Yuta operated the remote, turning the TV, and sat beside Passion’s capsule.
After watching for five minutes, Passion asked Yuta, “What’s wrong?”
Yuta blinked.  “What do you mean?”
“Remember what Dawn said.  I am very observant.  You’re not enjoying yourself as much as you should.  Something’s on your mind.”
Yuta fidgeted for a moment, then spoke.  “It’s just, well-“
“It’s big brother Jake, isn’t it?”  Yuta nodded.  “He seems to be a little afraid around you and doesn’t share your interests?”  Another nod.  “Maybe this will help.”  A flash of smoke later, Passion had assumed Jake’s form and voice.  “Is this any better?” s/he asked.  Yuta smiled and nodded.  “So, I missed the last episode.  Why don’t you tell me what happened.”
This was very fun for Yuta.  “Well, Jason just realized that his fiance Samantha has been replaced by her evil identical step-sister Sandra, and in the meantime, Tommy, who has fallen in love with the mermaid who actually loves the monkey that scams people out of their money in order to fund banana research-“  It took several minutes for her to finish.
“Thanks for the recap,” s/he said.  “You know, I think this would be even more fun if we were ‘playing’ while on a loveseat.  If you just let me out?”
“Okay,” Yuta replied eagerly.  She made her way over the the console, then stopped her self.  “Hey, wait a minute,” she said angrily.
“Sorry.  But still, you can’t really blame me.  How would you feel if you were locked up?”
Yuta thought about that for a minute.  “I guess I wouldn’t.  But I’m still not letting you out!”
“Fair enough.  Still, you obviously are troubled about some things.  Would you like to talk about them?  I do have some expertise in the field of human-organorobot relations.”
Yuta thought about it, then decided that since it would kind of be like talking to Jake, it might be a good idea.  “Ok.”  She set the professor’s tivo to catch the rest of the show and took a seat facing Passion.
Several hours later...
“So, in conclusion,” Yuta was saying, “in order for people to be more comfortable around me, I have to refrain from hypnotizing them to play my games, despite how fun it is, and play different games that they are interested in?”
“Exactly.  I suggest you start with the angel.”
“That is so insightful.  Thank you.”
Just then, Jen entered the lab.  “Yuta, it’s my turn to stand watch.  Everyone else except Jake has left.”
“Ok.  Thanks again, Passion.  I think I’ll go out and have some fun.”  Yuta skipped happily away.
Jen was a little surprised.  “I haven’t seen her that happy in a while.”
Passion resumed her normal form.  “Oh, she just needed someone to talk to.”
“Right.”  Jen took a seat and started thumbing through the latest issue of Genie Magazine.
After several minutes, Passion said, “So, is something troubling you?”
*******************
Not much later, the front door to the Mato residence opened, and in walked a soaking Mina and Diana.  It was pouring rain outside.
“Diana, I told you, we wouldn’t have gotten wet if you let me cast my barrier spell.”
“If I had let you,” came the polite but firm response, “you might not have been able to dispel it and we could have suffucated.”
“Oh, that only almost happened once.”
“Twice.”
The two were recently having a slight tiff in their friendship, though they didn’t want to talk about it.
“It was so nice of Mato to trust us with the password to the household,” Mina said.
“Yeah, it was.  But I hate saying ‘boobies’.”
After drying off with some spare towels, the two looked around the immediate household.  “Anyone home?” Diana called out.  There was no answer.  “Maybe we should leave?”
“Nah,” Mina replied.  “If we were trusted with the password, surely we can be trusted to be left alone.”
“I guess.  But let’s at least check the lab for the professor.  Maybe he can help me with my assignment to develop a better scratching post.”  They headed for the lab.
*******************
Jake stepped out of the first floor bathroom, wrapped in a towel.  He had been taking a shower, which was why he didn’t respond to Mina and Diana.  He was about to go to his room to change when he noticed several things.  First, Yuta’s raincoat was gone, which meant that she was out.  Second, Jen’s enchanted umbrella that only she could use was also gone, which meant that for some reason, Jen had abandoned her guard of Passion.  And the wet trail that must have been left by Mina and Diana was in the direction of the lab.  If no one's guarding her, and no one has told Mina and Diana about her...
As fast as he could, Jake, towel clad, rushed to the lab.
*****************
Mina and Diana entered the lab, and soon they saw Sarah, a law official they knew and trusted, banging her hands against a capsule she was trapped in.  They hurried over to her.  At her insistence that one of the professor’s experiments had gone wrong, she told them they could let her out by using the nearby console.  As Diana was about to enter the proper commands, Jake rushed onto the scene, still clad in a towel, yelling, “Don’t let her out!  Don’t-“  Suddenly, his feet tripped on the towel and he fell face first onto the floor.  He got back up to his feet and kept yelling, “Don’t let-“  He then noticed that Mina was starting to cast a temporary blindness spell on herself and that Diana’s fur was standing on end as she stared at him.  He looked down and noticed his towel had come off.  He dove behind a nearby machine to cover himself, then poked his head out over the side.  “Uh, could one of you pass me my towel?”
“Mina, give Jake his towel,” Sarah spoke quickly, “Diana, keep entering-“
“No!” Jake screamed leaping out from behind the machine.  Seeing their faces, he ducked behind it again and meekly said, “Uh, why don’t you hold off on letting her go for just a minute and both of you come over here?”  They look horrified.  “With my towel,” he added.  That relieved them.  After wrapping himself up, Jake explained the whole Passion situation.  Seeing that she had lost her chance, Sarah changed back into Passion and snapped her fingers again.  “Again, so close,” she said.
“So this is the Valentine’s Day fugitive?” Diana asked.  Jake nodded.
“And she knows everything Dawn does about us?” Mina asked.  Again, Jake nodded.
“Indeed I do.  Diana, you have an abnormal fascination with shiny objects that makes you susceptible to hypnosis, and Mina, you’re spells have a tendency to backfire.”  They were both flattered and creeped.
“Why are you over here, anyway?” Jake asked.
“We wanted the professor’s suggestions on some school projects,” Diana answered.
“Ok.”  He turned to Passion.  “What happened to Jen?”
“Oh,” she said innocently, “we just had a nice conversation about her past.  I helped her to realize that the reason she’s been gloomy lately is because she has some unresolved issues with her long dead masters, so she left to find a medium to communicate with them.  I think it will be a big help to her.”
“Whatever.”  He now faced Mina and Diana.  “The professor won’t be back for a few hours, so do you think you could do me a favor and keep an eye on her?”
“I guess,” Mina said.  Diana nodded her agreement.
“Thanks.  I need to go to the library to do some studying.  Feel free to do or watch whatever you want, but remember, DO NOT LET HER OUT!”
“No need to yell!” Diana complained.
“Sorry.”  Jake left.
The girls decided to ask Passion a few questions.  “So you can change into anything?” Mina asked.
“No, not anything.  I can only assume the exact shape of something alive that I’ve seen.  Also, the minumum size of a form I assume can’t be smaller than, say, a small girl, and the largest size can’t be much bigger than, a bear.  At least, not yet.  I also assume the physical characteristics of those I assume.  So, if I turned into a dog person, I’d have great smelling, and as a fish person, I could breath underwater.”
“That is so cool,” Mina said.  “Could you teach me?”
Passion smiled.  “Only if you’re willing to do things that even Dawn would consider wrong.”
“Never mind.”
It was Diana’s turn.  “How do you hypnotize people?”
“Outside of this capsule, I can hypnotize people with either my eyes or physical contact.  Would you like a demonstration?”
“No thanks.”
Mina and Diana started to strike up a friendly conversation with each other.  In five minutes, the friendly conversation had turned into a name calling contest that threatened to get physical.  “Unskilled, underachieving witch!”  “Catnip loving tree climber!”
Passion gave a loud, piercing whistle that got their attentions.  “Girls, girls.  From what I know, you’re supposed to be best friends.  Why are you fighting like this?”
“It’s nothing,” they both said.
“Obviously it is,” she countered.  “Is this about the time Mina got to go to the Siren concert and you didn’t, Diana?”
“No, I’m past that.”
“Than what is it?”  Both girls were silent.  “I understand.  You don’t feel comfortable talking about your problems to a demon.  Maybe this would help.”  One white fog flash later, Star Katana was in the capsule, flashing his trademark movie smile.
Mina and Diana nearly screamed fanatically, but they soon remembered it was still Passion.
“Look,” the new Passion said, “if you can’t deal with this now, your friendship is going to sink faster than Mato’s floorless boat.  What have you got to lose by talking to me?”
Seeing the point she made, they both nodded to each other.  “Well, I guess it started...”
***************
Several hours later, the entire household was back and gathered in the kitchen.  Jake filled them in on what happened while they were gone, and Jen received some serious glaring.
She was so happy she couldn’t help but smile.  “I’m sorry, but after talking with Passion, I realized I had to talk to my deceased masters.  After going to that medium, it feels like the weight of the world is off my shoulders.  I couldn’t wait for my shift to end to go.  I thought she’d be safe.”
Sarah was smiling, too, though about something else, and she was still upset with Jen.  “I understand, Jen, but I assure you that if you ever do something like that again, I will charge you with criminal neglect.”
“Oh, and Yuta, where did you disappear to?” Jake asked.
“After talking with Passion, I realized I needed some more understanding about friendship and games.  So I walked around, found some kids having fun in the rain, and I played with them.”
Sarah, Jake, Fawn, Jessica, Jen and Katia suddenly froze, a feeling of dread building in their stomachs.  Jake was the first to risk asking, “What do you mean, ‘played’?”
Yuta was quite happy recalling.  “Oh, we played jumping in a puddle, rolling in the mud, hide-and-seek, and other things like that.  It was just so interesting playing a game without hypnosis.”
*Huge, visible sighs of relief all around.*
“Dawn, did you post every single detail of what’s happened in our lives on that website?” Fawn asked.
“Well, I did leave out the part about Jake’s clone.  I’d be a laughing stock if it was found out I was tricked and hypnotized at the same time.”
“Well, it’s getting late,” Mato said, yawning.  “Maybe we can leave Passion unguarded tonight.”
“Actually,” Lucia spoke up, “I’m feeling wide awake thanks to that restful sleep last night.”  Katia and Yuta glared at her.
“Okay,” Sarah said.  “Lucia, you go relieve Mina and Diana.”  Lucia left.
A minute later, Mina and Diana walked upstairs, arms drapped over each others shoulders, crying happily.  “Oh, Mina, I’m so sorry.”  “So am I.”
“What happened?” Dawn asked.
“We talked about our problems with Passion,” Diana cried.
“And I’m so glad we did,” Mina cried.
“I’m glad everyone is feeling better,” Sarah said, smiling towards Dawn and winking at Katia.  “I suggest you all get some good rest.  I have the feeling it’s going to be a crazy day tomorrow.”
*******************
Lucia was engaged in a conversation with Passion, who had assumed the form of a female angel she had seen in an old book to help Lucia feel more at ease.
“I only climbed into bed with Jake because I was feeling lonely,” Lucia continued.
“Yes, I understand that, but the question is, why were you feeling lonely?” Passion pressed on.
“I was alone in my room, and it was dark.”
“Then why haven’t you climbed into bed with him before?”
Lucia took a moment.  “I guess because I never felt lonely like this before.”
“Why?  You’re surrounded by good friends who care about you, as well as Dawn.”
“I, I don’t know.”
“I think I have an idea.  How long has it been since you’ve been in contact with another real angel?”
Lucia thought about her long time in that egg.  “A very long time.”
“You must miss contact with your own kind.”
Lucia was almost crying.  “Maybe I do, but I love my friends.  I know that just because people are of a different species doesn’t mean you can't be as good of friends as if you were the same.”
Passion was seeing the problem.  “You know that, but do you accept that?”
Lucia was silent for several minutes.  “I guess I never really did.  What should I do?”
“First, you have to find out for yourself the best mindset to have.  Then I would suggest spending a lot of time with one of the girls, getting to know her and her interests.  I’d suggest Yuta.”
“Maybe you’re right.”  Lucia smiled.  “You know Passion, I really think I can trust you.”
“Does that mean you’ll let me out?”
Lucia shook her head.  “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
“That’s alright.  Now, let’s keep talking.”
***************
Early the next afternoon, Sarah had gathered the entire household, as well as Mina and Diana, in the living.  There was even a videofeed so Passion could watch from the lab.  A smiling Sarah was standing next to a confused Dawn with her arm over Dawn’s shoulder while everyone else was sitting.
“Any idea what this is about?” Jake whispered to Jessica.
Jessica shrugged.  “Maybe she’s about to announce she and Dawn are eloping.”  And she wasn’t joking.
With everyone gathered, the incredibly happy Sarah began speaking.  “Before I begin, professor, could you please make a video of this?”  Mato nodded, pressed  some buttons, and a camera appeared and began recording.  “Everyone, I just want to say that living here, with all of you, has been the best experience anyone could ever hope for.  We’ve laughed, we’ve cried, we’ve tried to kill each other, and we’ve helped each other grow.  But, sadly, as we all know, things must eventually change with time.  And so, it is with great sorrow that I must announce that this household is about to be deprived of a member of this family.  It will be a great loss, yet not one to be mourned.”
All those seated were shocked.  Dawn smiled.  “You mean you’re leaving?”
Still smiling, Sarah removed her arm from Dawn, gave a very quick wink to Katia, and playfully tapped Dawn on the nose.  “Noooooo.  You are.”
“Eh?”
Sarah suddenly pulled out her walkie-talkie and yelled, “NOW!”
In less than a second, all the first floor doors, closets, and bathrooms were thrown open, and three dozen well armed and trained police and army officials burst into the room.  In five seconds, Dawn had been subdued, her hands manacled and gloved, blackened goggles placed over her eyes, dozens of weapons trained on her, and Sarah was reading her her rights from a sheet of paper.  The Mato residence just watched, except for Mato, who was saying, “Those goggles are an invention of mine.  They’ll prevent Dawn from hypnotizing anyone with her eyes.  And those gloves will keep her from producing those orbs.”
“What do you think you’re doing, you stupid tramp?!!” the infuriated and humiliated Dawn yelled.
Sarah just kept on reading Dawn her rights.  When she was finished, she knelt down until she was face to face with the helpless Dawn.  “Succubus Dawn, I am very happy to inform you that you are under arrest for the robbery of the Yoto Third National Bank and the draining of energy from its occupants.”
Dawn spit at Sarah’s face, but Sarah blocked it with a gloved hand.  “That’s ridiculous,” Dawn said, smirking.  “You have no proof.”
“Oh?”  Sarah held out her hand, and one of the officers placed a folder in her hand.  She opened the folder and took out a series of photos and showed them to Dawn.  “You mean to tell me that that isn’t you putting on the outfit worn by the burglar?  And that the alley you put the outfit on in isn’t the one right outside the bank you can see in the background?  And that the bag you’re holding isn’t the same one used by the same burglar?  And that that isn’t you hiding the money?”
Dawn was speechless, her face drained of all color.  Sarah was crying now, savoring her victory.  She handed the folder back, stood up, patted Dawn on the head, and said, with great relish, “Take her away!”
Dawn was escorted out of the house, and now there were only eleven people in the room.
Deciding to determine whether they were happy or sad about this later, everyone applauded Sarah.  She smiled even tighter.
“Congratulations,” Jake said, patting her on the back.  “How did you get those pictures?”
“Well, thanks to-“ Sarah saw Katia shake her head, “-an anonymous tip, I found out when Dawn would be striking next.  So I hired a ninja to be on standby to follow Dawn and gather evidence.  The warrant I needed came in less than an hour ago.”
“Hey,” Jake said, offended.  “Why didn’t you ask me to follow her?  And why didn’t you just hire a ninja 24/7?”
“First, Jake, you suck as a ninja.  Second, ninja’s of that calibur are damned expensive!  I had to spend a whole month’s salary for just a few hours of this ninja’s service.”
“What are they going to do with Dawn?” Katia asked.
“Oh, she’ll be taken to the police station prison until her trial is over.  With the pictures and these new hypnotic restraints, she won’t get away this time.  Then she’ll be spending the next 25 to life in a real, maximum security facility.”  She clapped her hands.  “I’m still so happy, I feel like celebrating.  Everyone, we’re going out to eat, right now, on me!”
There was more clapping.  “Sounds good,” Jake said, “but I think I’ll stay and keep an eye on our other prisoner.  You all go have fun.”  At Sarah’s prodding, everyone else was quickly out the door.
“By the way,” Mato said, “the recent weather is making both two and one way wireless communication impossible for the time being, so you won’t be able to reach us.”  He walked out with the others.  “Sadly, it also means none of my listening devices will provide any juicy conversation,” he muttered.
****************
“So they got me,” Passion said in Dawn’s form as Jake entered the lab.
“Yeah, Dawn’s gone,” Jack said, not letting himself be bothered by her appearence.  He sat down and started playing videogames.
Passion transformed back to normal.  “You’re sad,” she said.
“Yeah, well, Dawn did make things interesting around here,” Jake replied.
“No, it’s not about Dawn, this is something more personal.  Is it the case that you’re missing your home dimension, Jake?”
Jake froze, then continued playing.  “Yeah, I miss my hometown.”
“No, I said your home dimension.”  Jake paused the game, then turned to face her, ready to deny it.  “Don’t bother.  It’s been clear to me for a while.  First of all, I can tell that you are not the old man’s grandson.”
“Maybe I’m adopted,” Jake countered.
“It’s not just that.  There are plenty of references on Dawn’s website about how little of our history you know that even a preschooler could recite.  And how you keep asking about our holidays and customs.”
“My home is very different,” Jake countered.
“No relations make any contact with you.”
“My parents are very busy.”
“And the professor told me with pride that he had successfully tested his time-space-dimensional transporter, yet he refuses to tell me what he transported.  He’d only refuse if he was protecting someone, so who else could it be but you?”
Jake sank back down into his seat, defeated.  “Okay, you win.  Please don’t tell anyone else, I beg you.  I’m not from here.  And sometimes I do miss home.  But there’s nothing I can do about it at all, and I’ve learned to live with that and start a new life here.”
“Then what’s really bothering you?”
Jake hesitated, than spoke about his nightmare, though he made no mention of his evil clone.
Passion listened carefully.  “So, basically, a double of you turned all your friends into mindless, souless servants?”
“Yes.  I know I would never do that to them, but at the same time, I worry that each time I hypnotize them, I’m stripping more and more of them away until there will be nothing left, and that I won’t be able to stop myself until it’s too late.”
“I see your problem.  And my advice is this.  Put it out of your head.”
“Huh?”
“Jake, there are bad people in this world, people who would and probably do use hypnosis and other methods to try and turn other people into what they want.  But you’re not like them.  You don’t alter your friends personalities, you don’t rob them of important memories, you haven’t turned them into your slaves on a permanent basis, or anything like that.  Remember when Katia moved in?  With a little effort, you would have been able to make her leave you alone and get out of this house forever, or make her less annoying, but you didn’t.  Why?  Because you are a decent person who is unwilling to alter the core of someone’s personality to suit your own needs.  As long as you remember that, you will know that you can never do what happened in your nightmare to your friends.”
She finished, and Jake soaked in all her words.  “Wow,” he said.  “I, I never thought about that.  You’re right; I’m not that kind of person.  I could never do that to them.”  Jake suddenly felt as if a great weight had been lifted off his chest, and his soul.  “Thank you so much.  I owe you.”
“Does that mean you’ll -?”
“I’m not letting you out.”
****************
Just before bedtime that night, Fawn walked up from her watch over Passion, looking happy.  “What did she do for you?” Jake asked.
“She helped me to realize that my fan’s love me because of me, not my hypnotic voice,” she said, crying.
“I must say, professor, capturing Passion is one of the best things you’ve ever done,” Jake said.  Everyone except Katia, Sarah and Jessica agreed with him.  Katia was looking sullen, and Sarah was too happy over the whole thing with Dawn.
Everyone went to sleep except Mato, who was taking his turn watching over Passion.
**************
The next morning, Jessica switched shifts with Mato.  It was now Valentine’s Day, and everyone was discussing what to do on this Passion-less day.
“Dawn’s trial starts tomorrow,” Sarah was telling everyone.  “With all the evidence we’ve got, it’s an open and close case.  It will probably take less than a week.”
“Will the ninja be testifying?” Jake asked.
“No; secrecy aside, I don’t have the ninja’s identity.”
“Darn; I was hoping to ask for a few pointers.”
A few hours later, after some shopping (at which Sarah, in her good mood, was carrying everything, sparing Jake), they returned home and were watching a romance movie, to Jake’s dismay.  Katia was still looking depressed.
Shortly into the movie, Jessica came up, and, like almost everyone else, she looked happy.  “What’d she talk about with you?” Jen asked.
Jessica smiled.  “Sorry, my business.”
“I guess it’s my turn,” Katia said, getting up and going into the lab.  Everyone else kept watching.
As Katia entered, she heard her father’s voice.  “Katia, dear, please help me.”  She rounded the corner and saw what appeared to be her father in the capsule.  “Please let me out of this horrid thing.”  There was a TV on in the distant background.
Katia was angry.  “Drop that form NOW, Passion.”
Passion did so, and assumed Jake’s form.  “Beloved, let me out of here and I will be yours forever.”
Now Katia was even more pissed.  “Stop it!”
Passion assumed her true form.  “Okay, but listen to this.  If you let me go, I will make Jake fall in love with you.  You must realize that he will never come to feel the way about you the way you do about him.  But I can make that happen.  I can make him love you without altering who he is.  I give you my word.  And I never break my word.  Ever.”
Though Katia cast the idea aside, she knew she was sorely tempted.  “I’m not like that, Passion.  I don’t play games with people’s lives and hurt them.”
Again Passion turned into Harold Gravetree.  “Oh, you say so, my dear?  Then, what about Dawn?”
Katia hid her surprise.  “What about her?”
“Weren’t you playing games with Dawn’s life when you turned her over to Sarah?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Yes, you do.  Given all the advice I’ve been able to hand to your friends, did you really think I wouldn’t notice?  The look Sarah gave you when Dawn told her, ‘you’re looking nice today’.  Dawn would never give a true compliment to someone like Sarah unless she were forced to.  And the look on your face when they took Dawn away.  And most telling, how you shook your head ‘no’ when Sarah was about to tell everyone who gave her that tip.  Somehow, at sometime, you hypnotized Dawn.  And you left a suggestion in her to tell Sarah, ‘you’re looking nice today’ when she was about to go commit her next crime.  Do you deny it anymore?”
“....no.”  As she said it, Katia admitted to herself that this is what had been bothering her.
Still in Katia’s father’s form, Passion berated her.  “That’s very unbecoming of a princess.”  Hearing that from her father’s voice made Katia feel all the worse.
“But I did a good thing,” Katia defended herself.  “Dawn’s a criminal, and I helped people by putting her away.”
“Your argument is flawed,” Passion countered.  “First, you didn’t do it to help people, did you?  You did it because she kept trying to seduce Jake, and you wanted her out of the way.”  Katia’s silence was answer enough.  Passion again changed back to normal.  “Second, was Dawn truly hurting anyone?  Oh, sure, a little drained energy here, some stolen money there, a sprinkling of humiliation for Sarah.  But have you ever known her to beat someone, or kill someone, or use her powers to ruin another’s life?”
“...no.”
“Do you know what captivity does to succubi like me and her?  I’ve only been here a few days, and I’m almost at my wits end.  Dawn is going to jail for maybe her entire life.  I’d give her at most a year.  After that...”  Another transformation, and Passion had assumed the appearance of a pathetic looking Dawn, stress wrinkles on her face, huddled in a ball, muttering to herself.  Raising her head, Passion used Dawn’s eyes to drill holes into Katia’s soul.  “Why, why did you do this to me?  This is hell, and it’s your fault...”
“Enough!” Katia weakly cried.  She fell to her knees, tears pouring from her eyes.  To Passion, she whimpered, “I’m sorry, Dawn.  I’m sorry I played with your life.”
Passion stood up and resumed her true form.  “I’m glad you’re getting this out, but truth be told, it’s not me you should be apologizing to.”
“What can I do?” Katia cried.  “What must I do to make things right?”
“I don’t think you ever can, princess.  But at the very least, shouldn’t you take everyone upstairs to go see her one last time and try to make her feel better?  And maybe visit her when her trial’s over on a regular basis?”
“You’re right, I should.  Wait, no.  Someone has to watch you.”
Passion jerked her thumb behind her.  “You think I turned that TV on myself?  Two of your friends are already down here.  Now, why don’t you hurry and go before visiting hours end?”
Feeling better, Katia thanked Passion and hurried upstairs.  Smiling, Passion watched to the still hooked up videofeed of the living room, waiting for everyone to leave.  At last, I’m almost out of here, she thought.
***************
It hadn’t taken much convincing on Katia’s part to get everyone upstairs to go and visit Dawn.  There were only five hours left until Valentine’s Day was over, so it was dark by the time they got to her cell.
Dawn was strapped against a wall in strong restraints, her eyes still goggled, her hands gloved, behind bars, and she was really pissed.
“So, Sarah, have you brought everyone here to gloat!?” she screamed.
Sarah was still smiling at seeing her nemesis like this.  “Actually, coming was Katia’s idea.”
Katia nodded.  “I just wanted to say Dawn,” she bowed in respect, “I’m really glad you were a part of my life.”
This unexpected display of friendship brought a slight bit of warmth to Dawn’s literally black heart.  “You are?”
Katia nodded again and smiled.  “You kept things very interesting.  And you made me realize that I don’t rule the world and that things don’t revolve around me.  I thank you for that.”
“And you helped me gather great data,” Mato added.
“I’ll probably get hit for this, but, thinking back, I really enjoyed all those times I saw you topless,” Jake said.  And he was right, Katia did hit him.
“It was fun having another supernatural being around,” Jen put in.
“And you did let me take a look at your book of Forbidden Dark Arts,” Mina said.  “I think I’m getting better at turning good food into brussels sprout.”
“And I have to admit you did give me a few good laughs with all the humiliation you put Sarah through,” Diana said, chuckling.  “And great advice on how to keep my nails sharp.”
“You taught me to not place so many restrictions on myself and my abilities, and I thank you,” Fawn said.
Jessica smiled.  “It was because of the pain you caused Sarah that I moved in to help her and because of that I met everyone else.”
Dawn allowed a very slight smile to come to her lips.  Then everyone turned to Sarah, expecting her to say something.
“What?  Oh, right.  You’re a foul, misanthropic, manipulative, conniving witch and you deserve the contempt of all society.”
“Ah, thanks, Sarah,” Dawn said.  “I guess now I won’t hunt down you and your whole family and wreak bloody vengeance.  Now I’ll just hunt you.”
Before anyone could say anything else, a thought suddenly struck Jake.  “Hold on a minute,” he said, trying to do a head count.  He gave up and said, “Could all the girls, from left to right, please call out their name in an orderly fashion?”
“Katia.”  “Jen.”  “Mina.”  “Diana.”  “Fawn.”  “Jessica.”  “Sarah.”  “Sarah’s living nightmare, literally.”
Jake did a mental checklist.  “So, if we’re all here, then that means the only ones left to guard Passion are...”  He and everyone else, except Dawn, widened their eyes in fear.
Dawn was laughing.  “I warned you she was clever.”
As soon as she finished talking, the stone wall several meters behind everyone collapsed and dust filled the room.  When everyone had finished coughing and the dust had settled, in walked Passion in all her beautiful glory, dragging Lucia and Yuta behind them.  She smiled.  “Hello everyone.”  She tossed Yuta and Lucia in front of the others.  Immediately, the two girls began hugging, kissing, and fondling one another.
“What did you do to them?!” Jake yelled.
“And how did you escape?!” Mato demanded.
“Well, I guess I do owe them, so I’ll release them.”  Passion clapped her hands, and the two snapped out of it.
Jessica charged Passion, preparing for close-quarters-combat.  Passion effortlessly parried Jessica’s blows, then reached forward, grabbed her by the shirt, and lifted her into the air.  Jessica struggled to get free.
Passion held Jessica so that they were face to face.  “If you don’t stop,” she warned, “it’ll be you and Mato in their place.”
Mato started cheering, “Come on, Jessica, you can take her!”
“I’ll stop!  I’ll stop!” Jessica screamed hysterically.  Passion tossed her back to the others.
“What happened?” Yuta muttered.
“Let me remind you,” Passion said.
Flashback.
Back at the lab, Passion waited until the monitor showed that everyone upstairs had left the house.  Then she called out, “Hey, Lucia, Yuta, could you please come here?”
The TV screen turned off, and the two girls were conversing as they walked over to Passion.  “You were right, Yuta,” Lucia was saying.  “I never looked at soap operas that way before.”
“You were right, Passion,” Yuta said.  “We’re having so much fun together.  I wonder what we should do now?”
“I’m glad you two are enjoying yourselves,” Passion told them.  “You seem a lot happier.  I have an idea.  Why don’t you two play hide-and-seek?  When it’s over, you’ll both get a prize.”  They both agreed that that sounded like fun.  “Okay, Yuta, close your eyes, Lucia, you hide in the lab.”
It didn’t take too long for Yuta to find Lucia.  They walked back over to Passion.  “That was fun,” Lucia said.  “What did we win?”
Passion smiled.  “Well, Lucia, Mato said I could have that pair of sunglasses on the table.  I’m giving them to you, and I think you should try them on for a while.”  Lucia picked up the sunglasses, put them on, and started looking around the room.
“What about me?” Yuta asked.  Passion motioned for her to come closer, then whispered in her ear.
“I think you’ve been such a good girl that you’ve earned a treat.  Why don’t you hypnotize Lucia with your pretty spirals and have some fun when she comes back here?”
“But-“
“You need to indulge yourself every once in a while.”  Yuta found herself agreeing with Passion.
When Lucia wandered back by the capsule, Yuta tapped her on the shoulder and Lucia turned to face her.  She caught a full view of Yuta’s spiral eyes.  However, the mirror sunglasses reflected the spirals back into Yuta’s eyes, and they both became entranced.  Not long after, they stood ready to obey.
Passion smiled.  “Lucia, take your glasses off.”  Lucia obeyed.  Her eyes were now spirals like Yuta’s.  “Now, girls, you are both thoroughly entranced and ready to obey your mistress Passion, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Mistress Passion,” they both replied.
“Excellent.  Now, if you could both come over here and operate the capsule mechanism for me...”
End Flashback.
Passion shrugged.  “After they let me out, I realized I needed a power boost, so I used my own talents to make them realize they were perfect for each other.  Then I came here.”
“But you gave me the idea for those glasses days ago,” Mato said.
She smiled.  “Yep.”
“You mean you’ve planned this entire thing from the beginning?!” Jake yelled.
“Yep.”
*Everyone except Dawn shrinks to chibi size, and a DUNCE/BAKA hat falls on each of their heads.*  They felt so foolish.
“I will admit, though, that talking to you all about your problems and helping you with them was pretty fun, and I guess I won’t be so much with the vengeance seeking.  But if you’ll excuse, Valentine’s Day is almost over, and I’ve got work to do.”  Her face assumed a thoughtful look.  “But I can’t possibly cause enough chaos on my own with such little time.  I know!”  She walked over to Dawn’s cell.  Several of the girls and Jake tried to stop her, but she just flexed her arms and knocked them away.  She then bent the cell bars, creating an opening, and walked over to the captive Dawn.  With a few quick movements, she removed all of Dawn’s restraints.  “So,” she told the smiling Dawn, “it seems you’re free.  Would you like to join me in some holiday mischief?”
“Don’t do it!” Jake yelled.  “She’s evil!”
“I know she is,” Passion replied, “but I don’t have a lot of options here.”
Dawn shook her hand.  “Sounds interesting.”  She turned and smiled forebodingly at Sarah.  “I’ll see you later.”
As everyone watched, Passion punched a hole in the wall to the outside, and she and Dawn flew out.  In seconds, there were loud screams coming from civilians.
Sarah and Jessica got to their feet.  “Looks like we’ve got work to do,” Sarah sighed.  She turned to everyone else.  “Go home and activate the security system, and don’t come out for the rest of the night.  You too, Diana and Mina.”  With that, she and Jessica rushed off.
“I feel stupid,” Jake said.
“I think we all are,” Katia replied.
“Not me, because I’m a-“
“DON’T SAY IT!” everyone else yelled.
“Still, even though she did manipulate and use us,” Yuta said, “I am happier for having known her.”
“So am I,” said Lucia.  Everyone elses responses were the same.
*****************
They gathered for breakfast the next morning.  Jessica looked upset, but Sarah was absolutely distraught.  She was crying, and nothing could console her.
“What happened?” Jake asked.
“Oh, the chaos, the chaos those two caused last night,” she sobbed.
“We’re going to be piled in paper work for months,” Jessica muttered.
“And that’s not the worst part!” Sarah cried.
“What is?” Katia asked.
The kitchen door opened, and in walked Dawn.  “Good morning all.  I had a lovely time last night.  If you need me, I’ll be freshening up.”  She walked out of the kitchen.
Everyone but Jessica turned to Sarah.  “Shouldn’t you be arresting her?”
“I should, but I can’t.”  More crying.
“Why not?” Jen asked.
Jessica spoke this time.  “Somehow, someone got into the evidence room and destroyed all the evidence Sarah had gathered against Dawn.”
“Don’t you have copies?” Fawn inquired.
“I did, but then she got to me and hypnotized me into destroying them myself while remembering the whole thing!”  The worst crying yet.
“It’s too bad she didn’t get a chance to talk to Passion,” Yuta said.
****************
It was night.  Sarah was trying to sleep in her room.  The window was open.  She left it open every night now, because of Dawn.  If she closed it… no, the window was always open now.  A figure appeared outside.  Could it be her?  A form, female, floated into the room.  “Well precious, why don’t you come and say hello?” Dawn asked.
Oh, please, no, not again, Sarah thought.  She cringed in fear.
Dawn started laughing.  “Just kidding.”  Dawn transformed into Passion.
“YOU!!”  Sarah rushed to her uniform to get a weapon.
“Do you really think you can take me alone?”
Sarah stopped, realizing the turth of those words.  Sighing, she turned to face Passion.  “What do you want?”
“Truth be told, I was feeling a little guilty.”
“About the chaos you caused last night?”
She chuckled.  “Oh, no, I had a wonderful time.  What I mean is, I helped out everyone over the past few days except for you.”
“I don’t want your help,” Sarah growled.
“Maybe not, but you’re going to get it, so sit down.”  Sarah pulled out a chair and sat.
“The truth is, you helped me by arresting Dawn.  If you hadn’t, I might not have been able to pull off my escape.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“I know you hate Dawn.  You have every reason to.  She’s humiliated you, and-“
“I’m familiar with what’s she’s done, thanks.”
“Well, than, think about this.  Ever since Dawn came into your life, haven’t you been trying to improve yourself, hoping to catch her?”
Sarah thought about it.  “I guess.”
“And how many other criminals have you caught thanks to those new skills?  Without Dawn to keep you on your toes, you’d get rusty and your career would suffer, as would innocent people.  As long as you keep your hatred of Dawn, you’ll keep improving as a cop.  Eventually, you’ll be the best on the force; then, and only then, will you catch her.  And then the whole criminal world will fear you.”
Sarah realized that Passion made a  good point.  “But I don’t know if I can hate her anymore.  Recently, I’ve been having such strong emotions for her-“
“She did that to you.  She told me.”
“THAT BITCH!”
“Don’t worry, Jake can help you with that.”
“Thanks.”  Sarah smiled.  “Maybe someday, I’ll get good enough and catch you.”
Passion smiled back and waved her finger in a no-no style.  “You’ll never be that good.  Do you feel any better now?”
“A little, I guess.”
“Would you feel even better if I told you some of Dawn’s most embarassing childhood secrets?”  Sarah beamed and grabbed a notepad and pencil.  An hour later, Passion finished.
Sarah was so happy again.  “You mean, as an adolescent, she was actually caught using her tail to-“
“Yep.”
“Now I’m really happy.”
“Then my job here is done.  Sweet dreams.”  With that, Passion flew off into the night, and Sarah went to sleep a much happier cyborg.
************
Epilogue.
Passion flew into her apartment through the window.  When she landed, she transformed into her secret identity, an attractve blond, Samantha Sandra.  I’ve been gone too long.  At least my cleaning lady has been bringing in my mail.  It was easy for her to afford such things by being a liscensed psychiatrist.  Maybe my new dark tome has finally come in.
She looked through the mail on her table.  Bills, appointments, sweepstakes.  Then something caught her eyes.  It was addressed not to Samantha Sandra, but to Eros, a.k.a. Passion.  Curious, she opened the letter.
‘Miss Eros, first of all, let me say you have nothing to fear.  I have no intention of releasing your identity.  Even if I did, I’m sure you could find another.  You have recently come to the attention of a very, shall we say, selective, group and society.  It is known as the Viper’s Illustrious Circle of Excellency.  I am sure that someone with your talents, expertise, and knowledge would be a welcome addition to this elite group.  The rewards can be quite enjoyable.  Instructions follow.  We hope to see you.’
Passion looked over the letter.  Normally she would pitch such a thing, but the fact that they had learned who she was did intrigue her.  She looked over the instructions.  They seemed pretty straightforward.  She figured she might as well go.
They have an unusual name, as well.  Viper’s Illustrious Circle of Excellency.  V.I.C.E.