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Chapter 13: The Start of Something Evil

Aisha

As the slit finally cracked open, letting a sliver of light through, she looked up in hope with tear filled eyes.

She couldn't handle this, the constant blackness and silence, she had no idea how many days she'd been left in the box but she'd definitely been convinced of one thing, she wanted out.

As Midas looked through the gap, she stared up at him in desperation.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean any of what I said, I'll behave, please don't make me spend another day in here." Aisha started, pausing as he started to laugh, a dry chuckle echoing through the room.

"Another day? That'd be rather difficult considering you've only been in there for… six hours and twenty three minutes." Midas said dryly as she stared up at him in shock and disbelief.

"That's… that's impossible, I've been in here for-"

"You haven't been fed, or needed to go to the toilet once, that's why I'm here, to give you your meal. I was going to leave you in here for three days… but I have a feeling you wouldn't survive a single night." Midas said, sighing as he opened the cell door and stared down at her in amusement.

"Please, I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything I said, I just wanted you to pay attention to me." Aisha admitted tearfully, if that was six hours then three days would destroy her.

"Hmm, I suppose we can try a different method. Get up, follow me, if you try to run you'll be put back in the box." Midas said calmly as she nodded rapidly, jumping to her feet.

As he left the prison, she moved behind him and stayed close, not wanting to give him any reason to put her back in the box, reaching what seemed to be his office as he took a seat in a comfortable armchair and stared at her as she shuffled from foot to foot in front of him.

"What am I going to do with you, Aisha?" Midas said to himself, staring at her blankly.

Not responding, she fidgeted in place as Midas moved to his computer and typed something before moving back to his seat.

"Come here." Midas ordered, watching as she moved closer until she stood right in front of him. "You've never actually been punished for all your mischief, have you? Brian is too busy, your mother is too high and your father has no idea how to handle you does he? Plus, you constantly skip school and I'm not sure Winslow even notices beyond putting an absent mark in your record." Midas said idly, as she nodded uncomfortably.

He was right, her mother didn't give a shit what she did, her dad had no idea what to do with her so he just let her get away with anything and Brian was busy playing villain.

"Bend over my lap." Midas ordered as her eyes widened. "Someone needs to discipline you, unless you'd rather go back to the box." he deadpanned as she quickly moved, laying her body over his lap.

She felt tiny as she laid across his lap, looking up at him as he moved his hand and rested it on her surprisingly supple booty. She was pretty proud of her ass even if it'd drawn some unwanted attention before, and as he pulled his hand back, he brought it down on her ass with a firm clap, her booty jiggling as she yelped.

"Count them." Midas ordered, moving his hand back again.

"O-one… Two!" Aisha yelped, the sting of his hand slapping her bare backside making her jump in his lap, she'd never been spanked before, and it was humiliating to lay there and count as Midas gave her chocolate ass a red glow.

Two quickly became ten, which became twenty then thirty and as she reached forty he finally stopped, her ass burning from the repeated strikes as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

She figured if he decided to punish her, he'd just fuck her and that was something she could handle, she even reluctantly enjoyed sex if she had a partner with decent stamina, but this was just embarrassing.

To make it more embarrassing, she couldn't feel his erection, so he wasn't even remotely aroused as he spanked her, and that was just insulting.

"Stand up." Midas said calmly, watching her rise as she rubbed her ass gently, hissing in pain.

As the door opened and the thong and corset wearing rabbit girl strutted in, she grinned at them both holding a bag.

"I have your order right here boss, did I come too early? Ooh, that's a nice shiny glow her ass has, are you gonna fuck it next? I bet she'd squeal so good~" Rabbit asked, looking at her in unrestrained curiosity.

"Not quite, pass me the bag please." Midas said easily as he rose, accepting the bag as Rabbit hung off him, pressing her body against his. Pulling out something thin and black, he looked over at her calmly. "Aisha, lift your chin."

As she did so slowly, she watched as he held out a collar, the name Aisha embroidered in gold.

"Aisha, you have two choices. You find the prison cell boring? Then I'll put you to work, and as long as you behave I'll give you some leisure time and more freedom to move around, you won't have to go into the box. If you would prefer that, put this around your neck." Midas ordered as he held the collar out towards her as she paused before she slowly accepted it.

Placing it around her neck, she locked it with a click and stared back up at him. She didn't know what he meant by 'put her to work' but it had to be better than the box.

Holding out the bag with a smile, she pulled out the outfit inside it and stared in disbelief at the clothing in her hands.

"…wouldn't you prefer me to just be naked? Do I really have to wear this?" Aisha asked, making him chuckle as she sighed and started to dress.

How the fuck was this bow supposed to go on?

After some help from a far too amused Midas, she looked at herself in the full-length mirror he had in his office for some reason and stared in horror which quickly morphed into disgust.

The black and white dress with ribbons and bows decorating it was unmistakably a maid uniform, with stockings and a little frilly hat thing, whatever the fuck those were called.

She should never wear this many frills, it didn't even show any cleavage and while the skirt was short it still covered everything.

"No seriously, can't you just chain me up in your bedroom naked instead?" Aisha asked, completely seriously as he smiled at her.

"Oh don't be like that, you look wonderful." Midas laughed, ruffling her hair as she scowled up at him. "And no, because you'd like that, this is a punishment Aisha, not a reward. Rabbit, why don't you take Aisha to her first assignment."

The rest of the day was filled with cleaning, dusting shelves she could barely reach, making beds and washing dishes, all while Rabbit cooed over how cute she was. As much as she hated it when faced with the box she put her all into cleaning, doing chores for the first time in years.

As she was taken to a final room, she went in expecting another mess to tidy, instead she found a very neat bedroom with her name on the door.

"And done! Little Aisha's first day at work finished, how adorable~" Rabbit teased as she scowled at her. "Enjoy your rest, little maid, because the base will be nice and messy for you when you wake up~" Rabbit laughed as she left the room.

Aisha headed into her new room and looked around, a reluctant smile growing on her lips.

A tv, games console and a small pile of games were waiting for her, along with several changes of clothes ranging from 'proper clothes' for a girl like her to the trashy stuff she preferred…

And several copies of her maid outfit which she blatantly ignored.

Next to the tv was a small mini fridge with a sticky note attached to it.

'Good work deserves a good reward, well done today Aisha.'

Opening it, she grinned at the sight of cans of various pops, and chocolate bars.

Stripping naked, she tossed the uniform into a waiting laundry basket and dropped into the loveseat, turning the tv on and grabbing a can and chocolate bar.

There was a small MP3 player and some wireless headphones on the side, apparently to make work more bearable, so that was cool.

She could see a schedule on the wall telling her that she had 'work' at 9am tomorrow morning, but it was only 7pm so she had time to relax as she turned the console on, grabbing the controller and picking a racing game out for the pile.

It looked like she was connected to an internal server and a few other people in the base were playing it.

An hour later she turned it off with a scowl, she didn't know who the fuck 'Bob the Beast' was, but he could go fuck himself, he could fuck his stupidly fast car as well, and with that she loaded up Netflix and threw on a movie, laying back and relaxing.

Work sucked, but she could definitely enjoy the benefits of behaving.

She could never afford a high end games console, and they didn't have Netflix at home, plus she didn't have to go to school and cleaning dishes was definitely better than doing maths.

Watching some shitty action movie, she quickly changed her mind and went back to the racing game, cursing the name Bob with venomous hatred as he lapped her three times then simply rammed her off the track.

Jin

Brian can betray me all he likes, but Aisha is easy to please and easy to control now she knows the consequences of misbehaving.

I'll make it so that even if Brian manages to bust her out, she comes crawling back to me.

She's not the first brat I've trained, in my old life I had an intern assistant similar to her, an attention seeking brat who thought she was hot shit and that the world revolves around her.

It took me a month before her world revolved around me, and she learnt her place under my desk with her bitchy mouth wrapped around my cock.

The only reason I accepted her into my business is because her father was a fairly important man and I wanted an in with him, by the end she cloned his laptop hard drive for me and betrayed her family just so I'd pat her on the head and tell her she was a good girl.

Aisha will meet the same fate, turning on Brian just to please me.

Heading down to the prisons again, it's time I take care of my last prisoner, the drug tinker and his green skinned assistant.

As I enter the prison, they both straighten up in their respective cells opposite one another, and I realise I should have been more specific to my men as I look over them both.

The Drug Tinker himself is still wearing his plague doctor mask, but it's the only thing he still has on as the tiny man fidgets in place, naked from the neck down, and his assistant is completely naked, soft green skin on display.

I supposed my gaze wandered for a moment too long as the tinker coughs, getting my attention.

"I accept!" he says, making me pause.

"Accept what, exactly?" I ask, making him laugh an awkward laughs

"Hehehe, whatever threat/deal you had planned to make me join you, it's why I'm still alive right? I don't care about the Merchants, I just wanted funding for my experiments, so I don't mind changing employers." he says easily, occasionally gigging to himself.

"Ignore the laughs, he tested a few too many of his own creations on himself, he can't control it." his assistant adds, drawing my attention.

"Hmm, you know of all the capes in the Merchants, I know the least about you two, even with Sherrel and Whirligig under my employ. Who are you two, and what can you do that makes you worth keeping around, let alone funding." I ask, looking between them.

"I'm Mona, I'm Plagues assistant. I'm not actually a cape, I'm just green because of a slight alchemical accident. It's also why he's green." Mona admits, crossing her arms over her breasts.

"Hehehe, and I'm Plague Knight, alchemical tinker extraordinaire! Plague Doctor was taken." Plague admits. "I don't actually know my real name! I breathed in a few too many fumes in my early days, I'm pretty sure it's also why I'm so small!" Plague admits happily, Mona groaning. "Oh wait, I wasn't supposed to admit that part, but never fear, hehehehe, I'm a master of chemical tinkering, making potions and drugs with ease, and I'll do it for you, on two conditions. One, Mona stays with me, and two, I get a cut of whatever profits you make selling my drugs, not much, just enough for me to work on my own projects." Plague offers, making me chuckle.

"How pragmatic. You realise you'll be closely monitored?" I point out making him laugh again.

"Of course, Skidmark was dumb enough to leave me to Tinker away but I can already tell you're more cautious, observe away, hehehehe." Plague agrees, watching as I open his cell and let him out.

"My men have already moved your equipment down to my slowly growing research section, a lab has been put aside for you that's quite a bit more… sanitary than the basement you were working in, better ventilated as well." I deadpan, making him giggle as I open Mona's cell and watch her walk out.

I want to watch her frankly thicc green hips sway, but I don't need to see under his mask to see the jealousy in Plague's eyes.

"Excellent! Mona, research awaits!" Plague cheers, making Mona roll her eyes as she looks down at her naked body.

"I don't suppose we can have our clothes back, can we? I liked that dress." Mona asks, one hand covering her breasts as the over covers her pussy.

"Oh right, can't experiment in the nude, think about the splash damage! Well… maybe if you stood further back you could stay naked?" Plague offers making Mona stare down at him. "No? Aww…"

"Your clothes are in that box, and my minion will lead you to your new lab, but I'm needed elsewhere. I'm glad you were so reasonable, Plague." I say, offering him my hand, which the four foot tall man takes and shakes enthusiastically.

…as I leave I make a note to make sure the ventilation system down there is fucking flawless, and that all the fire prevention systems are in place.

Now I need to meet with my other crazy chemical tinker, because who doesn't need a mad scientist or three.

On the lowest floor of my base, there's an entire heavily protected section of my base dedicated to research and development. Aside from my own tech minions and the labs they work at, I've built a specialised room for each Tinker I've acquired.

Heading down to the labs myself, I enter one of the rooms and pause as I see a middle aged man in a suit fussing over his lab equipment.

Hard to believe this is the Scarecrow, and as he turns to me I can see a hint of madness behind his glasses.

"You know, it's almost uncanny how well prepared you were for me, impressive work your highness." Johnathan Crane says with a slight smirk, making me chuckle.

"I like being prepared, I've no doubt you're excited to be able to work in a proper lab, instead of out of the back of a van." I say idly, making him chuckle in return.

I can see his Scarecrow outfit on the side, the cloth mask stitched into a gas mask and the ragged outfit with empty canisters around the waist.

"Indeed, it will be nice to work in a proper laboratory again. Which raises the question, what do you want me working on? My Tinker speciality is simply Fear, my gas being my greatest creation though it's far from finished." Crane asks, making me smile.

"Then finish it, and ensure we have ample amounts of it for… emergencies, I've already acquired some test subjects for you." I say, making him nod with a growing smile.

"Yes, I had seen the cells attached to my lab, may I ask who they are?" Crane asks.

"Just some Neo-Nazi's who wanted to hit one of my businesses to impress their boss, they won't be missed and they weren't on an official mission so Kaiser isn't going to come looking for them." I explain, making him laugh.

"Ahh, the typical strong arm tactics of the Empire, I take it they were on an unofficial mission then? Kaiser would want to test your response times." Crane chuckled.

"Oh definitely, they seemed to think Stormtiger would show up and bust them out, but somehow I doubt that's going to happen. They're expendable nobodies that won't be missed, so it only makes sense that we put them to better use." I say as he smiles.

"I do believe this will be the start of a long and mutually beneficial agreement." Crane says with a dark chuckle, staring towards the cells.

"I have a meeting coming up soon, and I want you to attend. I doubt anything will come of it, but I want a show of force." I say, making him nod easily.

"Then I'll wear my best suit." Crane says easily, patting the Scarecrow outfit.

Helena Bertinelli (Huntress)

"I really can't advise this, Huntress." Oracle said into her ear as she looked over the building she'd been observing. "The risk outweighs the reward."

"Sorry, O, but I don't agree. I've watched a dozen Independent villains enter that hotel, that hotel that was a run down building not a week ago, something is happening here and we can't get caught off guard."

"I know that, but like you said… there's a dozen villains inside that building, and I can't access their security from the outside. We have no idea what's lying in wait and even with the whole team I'm not sure we have the firepower to pull you out if anything goes wrong." Oracle said warningly.

"Don't worry, I know how to be subtle. This isn't my first stakeout, and I haven't seen anyone with enhanced senses. I'll be in and out before they know I'm there." Huntress said as she waited for the latest Villain to enter the building, a tall woman in a black and purple uniform.

"That's Star Sapphire, a villainess from California, not sure what she's doing so far from home. Fine, I'll have Ravager, Black Canary and Cassandra ready to assist if everything goes south, but you'll have to retreat out of Midas's territory since this just stinks of him, I've sent you the fastest route to the PRT territory and I should be able to call in some favours to have some additional firepower, but that hinges on you getting out of the building, if you are captured it could be… difficult to extract you." Oracle warned.

"I know, it's just an occupational hazard." Huntress said as she ended the call, looking over to her side.

"This is some serious shit, you know your boss knew I was here, right?" Shadow Stalker said, looking down at the hive of villainous activity.

"If she doesn't acknowledge you, she can't get in trouble for letting you come along. You realise if we get captured the PRT won't let you out of the Rig for months?" Huntress asked, making her scoff.

"And if I get information on what's going on there, they'll celebrate while giving me a slap on the wrist as punishment. Fuck them, they're too busy dealing with the new transfers." Shadow Stalker said coldly, making her nod.

She knew Shadow idolised her, her weapon of choice wasn't a coincidence, but they made good partners even if she didn't like dealing with the PRT.

"You sure you don't want to back down, I won't think any less of you. There's some serious powerhouses hiding in there." Huntress said, making her partner in crime shake her head.

"I'm a hero, not a pussy. Ready when you are." Shadow Stalker said, making her smile.

This city had enough problems without whatever the fuck this was supposed to be.

Jin

Sitting at the head of the table, I watch as the capes I invited start to take their seats in the large conference room.

It took a lot of digging to get all their locations, and some smooth talking to convince them all to come and listen to what I had to say.

I couldn't convince all of them, unfortunately. Deadshot, Killer Frost, Livewire and Mr Compress all turned down my invitation, among others.

Still, I got more than I was expecting.

Scarecrow is sitting to my left, and White Rabbit is on my right as I look over the table of villains.

The room is massive, deep underground with a large conference table as the main feature, dozens of seats surrounding the oval shaped table, there isn't really a single spot that screams 'the leader sits here' and that's intentional. I don't want to look like I'm trying to Lord over them, so I simply settled for having the table be made of black oak with golden inlays.

There's isn't really designated seating, because they aren't children and they can pick their own seats without me condescendingly telling them where to sit.

"Well, the free drinks were nice, but I think we emptied the bar so why don't we get started, I'm a busy girl you know…" a woman with short blond hair says, a black strip of warpaint over her eyes. She's wearing a short vest and trousers made of snakeskin, and has it unzipped showing off most of her cleavage, and the tattoo she has on her upper chest.

Copperhead, assassin with a speciality in poisons and the power to control snakes, along with a ridiculous amount of flexibility and agility, and an immunity to poisons.

She's also already on my payroll, because stacking the deck in my favour is important for a meeting like this.

"Agreed, my time is worth more than most people can afford." a man with white hair tied back in a ponytail says, wearing black and orange armour with a pair of swords attached to his back, a blond teenage girl sat next to him.

Deathstroke and Terra, master and apprentice, also lovers if rumours are correct.

She's not the first girl to get convinced an older man cares about her, and she certainly won't be the last.

"Let the man speak, I doubt Midas would have called us all here for no reason." an Asian woman in a long red dress says, giving me a light smirk. The cut up the side reveals her long legs as she goes to sit down, a eastern dragon tattoo starting on her lower leg moving all the way up to her shoulder.

Veronica Sinclair, also known as Roulette. A minor villain but one who excels at making money, also bought off before the meeting started.

"Thank you." I say calmly, suppressing the slight nervousness I feel at having so many villains paying attention to me. "And you're right, I didn't call you here for no reason. For those who don't know me, I am King Midas, the leader of the Golden Syndicate, a new gang that has claimed a chunk of Brockton Bay for myself."

"Heh, and now you're painting your big shiny symbol all over the city, overcompensating for something?" the smirking woman in a red and black leotard giggles, white paint on her face.

"Not quite, I just prefer banners to graffiti." I say easily, ignoring Harely's taunt even as a pink haired wo/man in a little hat elbows her and another clown themed woman in purple and green glares at her. "Now, as I was saying. I've claimed a chunk of this city for myself and I have grand ambitions for it."

It seems Circus and Punchline understand the importance of being serious for once, even if Harley seems determined to cause trouble.

"And what does this have to do with us? I didn't travel all the way to this little town to hear you stroke your ego." a woman in a black and purple leotard says coldly, a pink gem in the centre of her head piece and flowing black hair going down her back.

Star Sapphire, she's an unpredictable one.

"Originally, I planned to gather the various Independent villains of Brockton Bay into one alliance to prevent us from getting dragged into the growing war between the Empire, the ABB and the PRT. I planned to use my newly claimed territory as a stronghold from which we could act without having to worry about Lung or Kaiser trying to force us into serving them, or the PRT deciding they need to capture a villain to make themselves look better." I start, seeing the agreement on the faces of the Brockton Bay based capes.

Even Harley seems to agree that it was a possibility, it's just not safe to be an independent villain.

"You're forgetting something, you're not an independent villain." a woman in a tiny black and white bikini says, wild white hair swaying as she looks around. "You're the leader of your own gang."

Dusty Ash, a thief who used to be a part of the Volcano Thieves before their leader, Volcano, accidentally killed a couple dozen civilians in a robbery gone wrong, when he was Birdcaged and she went solo.

Her power is rather unimpressive, she just makes dust which she uses as a distraction like a discount Grue. I can make her better.

"I am, because I made my own faction to prevent myself from getting dragged into another gang, but it's still a potential threat. If Lung wasn't busy fighting Kaiser, he'd have already done his whole 'You're an Asian cape so you're ABB' thing." I deadpan, making her nod after a moment.

"Fair, he does like that speech." Dusty Ash agrees.

"That's all good for the people from Brockton Bay, but why are the rest of us here?" a woman with long red hair, a tight pair of red leather pants and an equally red crop top with a hole cut out of it to show off her cleavage.

Volcana, also a thief and possibly related to Volcano but I couldn't confirm that.

"As I said, that was my plan at first. Then I thought bigger, why settle for making an alliance of Independent villains from Brockton Bay, when I could make a league of villains from around America, and then the world. Let me be clear, I'm not asking anyone to work under me, this isn't a gang with a leader, but a league of capes working together for the benefit of us all." I explain, spotting a mixture of interest and suspicion throughout the room.

"What's in it for us?" a gravelly voice asks, it belongs to a man with grey scales covering his body and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth staring at me.

Waylon Jones, Killer Croc, fortunately his services were for hire and I bought him off before the meeting started.

"First of all, this hotel is the first in a chain I plan to spread far and wide, primarily to serve as hideouts for League members, it's still under construction of course, my final design is far more grandiose than this." I say idly. "My entire territory will be a safe haven for League members, of course, as long as you don't cause trouble while you are here, I also intend to open up the services of the three Tinkers I have access to, with more to come hopefully."

"That's all well and good, but calling your territory a safe haven won't matter when the heroes come knocking." A woman in a form fitting leather catsuit says, it's nice to see she has a spare, but she's been glaring at Rabbit this entire time.

"True, but you're forgetting something. Why do the heroes leave Lung alone? Why have some villains gone unbothered for years? Power. I'm sure the PRT would love to put us all behind bars, but the simple fact is that they won't take fights they can't win, and there's enough of us to force them to back off, besides… I'm a Trump, a power upgrader, and I'm willing to offer my services to League members at a massive discount, we can make the heroes leave us alone simply by being so strong they don't have a choice."

"Bullshit." the humanoid cat woman hisses, cheetah spots covering the light brown fur she has all over her body as her tail swishes, she isn't wearing any clothes and she seems perpetually pissed off.

"Not quite, Rachel." I say, making Bitch perk up from where she'd been ignoring us all to play with Brutus. "This is Rachel Lindt, better known as Bitch, or Hellhound if you prefer the PR friendly version. Those from Brockton will know that her power is the ability to boost her dogs." I say, watching as Brutus literally grows to the size of a van, impressing some of them. "However, I can modify powers, giving them alternate uses or improved abilities, though it has to keep to the theme of the original power." I say, and as I do, Rachel's body twists and deforms as she grows into the eight foot tall nightmare werewolf, looking over the group with glowing yellow eyes, panting. "For instance, as Rachel's power was so connected to canines, I was able to give her the Changer ability to become one."

I can see the doubt fading, Rachel is somewhat well known because she's one of the few villains that doesn't have a secret identity, and her power is equally well known because she isn't exactly subtle.

"Well damn…" Dusty Ash mutters as Rachel calmly goes back to playing with a now shrunken Brutus, not bothering to turn back herself, it's a good job I made this room so damn large.

I love underground bases.

"One question though, if you want to stay so neutral then why is she here?" Punchline asks, gesturing to the end of the table where a silent Poison Ivy is sat with Hookwolf stood behind her like the loyal attack dog he is.

"Because while she has made an enemy out of the Empire, she only did so because they attempted to do the very thing I wanted to make this group to prevent. Yes, she mastered Hookwolf, after he tried to force her into the Empire, besides he's an asshole and I'm happy to see him so well collared." I admit, Hookwolf is not even able to speak up in his own defence.

"And how do we know she won't try to do the same to us?" a large woman with a long red ponytail asks, a pink dress and golden jewellery not quite covering her body.

Giganta, and that nine foot tall body is as small as she can go, which is why she has a bigger chair.

"Because I have minions in gas masks armed with guns and flamethrowers ready to scorch her if any of us show any signs of being mastered, it's not exactly subtle after all. Even I can't stop them, so mastering me wouldn't save her." I deadpan. "I'm no fool, I wouldn't call a Master here without taking lengths to counter her."

"He's right, my power is pheromones, I can't get through gas masks, and I'm not stupid enough to try and master someone in a meeting filled with capes. I'm arrogant, but not that arrogant." Ivy deadpans, staring at them with a light smirk.

"I can take them, Mistress." Hookwolf adds in, making a rumble of laughter go through the room.

"Sit boy." Ivy orders coldly, Hookwolf actually backs off and sits down to the amusement of the group. "As our host said, it isn't exactly subtle."

"I still don't buy it, we'd have heard of a Trump of your level by now." Cheetah growls, my file says she hates humanity after her change.

"Then would you like to volunteer to help me prove it? I don't work for free however, and when I prove my word, I want a favour to be called in whenever I deem fit." I say as I rise, staring her down challengingly.

She pauses, but with so many capes watching she can't back down, and rising herself she approaches me, moving very much like you'd expect from a big cat stalking its prey.

Placing a hand on her furred shoulder, I focus and find exactly what I'm looking for, an off switch. I don't even bother asking before I access it, watching her eyes widen in shock as her fur retracts, her tail shrinking as a beautiful redhead stares back at me in shock.

She's too in shock to even care about her nakedness as she looks down at herself in awe.

"Will that be proof enough?" I deadpan, staring her down as I remove my hand from her shoulder and sit back down.

"I… yes, of course." Cheetah says quietly, her fur regrowing quickly as she realises she's naked in front of a dozen capes, sitting back down very quietly.

"What rules would we have to follow?" Roulette asks, getting us back on topic as I smile.

"Very few, no fighting in the hotels, if you're gonna fight each other do it away from my territory and don't let it come back to bite the League, and a general agreement to assist any member who is being forced into another gang. We'll only have to do that last one once or twice before the rest get the hint and back off the League. I might want to hire some of you from time to time, but I won't even expect a discount. I'm far from a cheapskate." I say easily. "If any of you need money, I'm sure I can arrange for a well-paying job and I'll always prioritise giving jobs to League members first."

One member has been very quiet, violet eyes looking around the room silently. Luring Blackfire back to Brockton was easy enough, she's not the most cautious cape. Megalomaniacal, convinced she's always the strongest person in the room.

The grey skinned, pink haired gothic teen hasn't said much either, but Jinx is obviously uncomfortable surrounded by some many big names.

"Ahh, but I think I've allowed our uninvited guests to hear enough."

Sophia Hess

As Midas spoke, her well honed danger sense screamed at her as she turned to her shadow form in her hiding spot inside the vent above their meeting room, and then she immediately turned back as the vent's formerly ordinary lining became electrified.

She couldn't get out that way, and the way she crawled in had just slammed shut as it opened up and dropped her right onto the conference table, a dozen villains all staring her down in surprise, turning to amusement.

"Oh, Huntress? You might want to just give yourself up, I promise neither of you will be harmed as long as you behave, I wouldn't suggest fighting your way out however, I don't think it'd end well for your little protégé." Midas deadpanned as she looked around desperately, every single wall was electrified.

And there were a lot of annoyed villains glaring at her, ranging from anger to amusement to even concern, Catwoman looked outright worried for her safety.

It only took a minute before the door opened, Huntress entering at gunpoint, her hands in the air as several guards pushed her inside.

"Heroes are so predictable." Midas chuckled as Huntresses hands were bound, her crossbow taken away as Sophia was pushed to join her, it took her a second to realise that the cuffs themselves had a small electrical current…

They were expecting her.

"Then why did they get to see so much?" Blackfire asked, staring at the two heroes in disgust.

"Because it benefits us in the long run for the PRT to know about us, to know what we can do." Midas deadpanned. "I had snipers watching them when they were sitting on the rooftop across the road, seriously why do heroes like rooftops so much?" Midas mumbled. "Now then, what shall we do with you two?"

She was a badass cape, a predator, but looking around the room at the staring villains, she could barely stop herself from voiding her bowels.

Bonus Scene - Taylor

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Topic: Midas the Builder, can he fix it?

In: Boards ► Places ► America ► Brockton Bay Discussion

Feychick (Original Poster)

Posted On Mar 10th 2011:

So, I live in the middle of the Trainyard, and anyone who has actually seen what that area looks like knows just how bad it is.

Every other building has broken windows and gang signs sprayed on it, there's a crack house on every street and a drug dealer on every corner, or at least the ones that don't have pimps on them.

You literally can't go out past a certain time unless you want to be mugged, raped or shot by some drugged up Merchant.

Or that's what it was like a week ago.

A week ago, my street was covered in garbage, had a road that had was more potholes than road, there was gang signs on every house (including mine) and more broken windows than fixed ones.

Today, the road has almost finished being repaired, all the houses and walls have been repainted, all the litter has been gathered up (and new trash cans have been installed) and some nice gentlemen in black and gold jumpsuits came by and fixed our window.

Then they put a black banner on one of the now working street lamps, with a golden crowned skull on it, installed some cameras and left without ever mentioning us paying for it.

So, what's the endgame? Midas is a supervillain and no matter how good he makes it look, I doubt he's fixing everything out of the kindness of his heart.

(Showing page 1 of 1)

►Lolitup

Replied On Mar 10th 2011:

It's more than just that as well, when's the last time you saw a hooker or drug dealer on the street corners?

I'll tell you when, right before Midas wiped the Merchants out, because the streets have been pretty empty lately since then.

Where they've gone is anyone's guess. I know that a lot of the dealers died in the failed attack on Midas's base, but the hookers just vanished into the night.

…you don't think he's kidnapped them do you?

►MissMystery

Replied On Mar 10th 2011:

Okay, I can actually answer one of those questions, specifically where the hookers have gone.

I should know, I was one of them.

After the Merchants got wiped out, a lot of us had no idea what happened now because Midas had either killed or driven off our pimps, and even though most of us were forced into this life, we didn't really have any other options at this point.

Then word spread that Midas was offering free healthcare and a chance at employment, and while it sounded like a trap we went there anyway because what else could we do?

I never actually spoke to Midas himself, but his assistant (a beautiful caramel skinned woman) took us to this room that had rows of weird pods, and after convincing us it was safe we stripped and got into them.

I know, bad idea but like I said, we didn't really have any other option.

The pods are amazing, I'm guessing it's some Tinkertech that I'd never be able to understand but an hour later I got out feeling like a new woman.

My skin and hair was much healthier, and then I found out what their purpose was, the pods get rid of addictions and stds.

I haven't touched any of the drugs the Merchants used to keep whores like me in like days, and I haven't felt so much as a bad craving, and for the first time in years it doesn't burn to go to the toilet.

Afterwards, we were all given a meal and a choice, if we wanted out of this life we could just leave, no questions asked (and I know they meant it because I know a lot of people who did just that)

Or we could stay behind and move onto the next stage, where we were interviewed quite thoroughly.

My interviewer was a lovely man called Bob, self proclaimed minion of King Midas, and after it was done I was offered a position at a newly opening brothel which I accepted, that's why you haven't seen any hookers on the streets.

King Midas is taking control of the prostitution business and running it like an actual business.

From what I know, there's three brothels/strip clubs opening up soon in his territory, I'll be working at the Silence is Golden club in the Trainyard.

I think I talk for every former street corner hooker when I say this is a massive upgrade, I get a regular pay check (with bonuses depending on my performance), a lot more safety and a fucking dental plan.

Plus our uniforms are much sexier than the shit we had to wear before. He's going for classy, not trashy.

So yeah, King Midas is a villain but damn if he hasn't done more for me and a lot of people I know than the PRT or government have.

At this point he could put a golden collar around my neck and I'd wear it with pride, my only regret is not getting Bob's number but he was…

Well, he had a busy day ahead of him.

►Bruce Lao

Replied On Mar 10th 2011:

Ooh the ABB are probably not gonna like that, brothels have always been their thing.

Of course Midas's brothels seem to be filled with willing and even happy girls if MissMystery is anything to go by, and the reports from the ABB brothels are horrifying to say the least.

Did you guys see the report Lois Lane did on them? It's terrifying to know theres sex trafficking going on literally a block away from me, underaged sex trafficking at that.

The only surprising thing about the big green explosion that destroyed one of them recently was that it didn't happen sooner.

All I'm saying is that if Midas and Lung fight, I'm rooting for the Golden one.

I'd definitely rather sleep with a willing and eager escort than some poor girl who's been forced into prostitution at gunpoint…

Not that I'd ever pay for sex

►La Brava (Verified Midas Fangirl)

Replied On Mar 10th 2011:

I hate to say I told you so…

Oh wait, no I don't. I told you all when he first arrived that Midas would be good for the city, and you all doubted me.

Also, it's not just hookers and drug dealers, he's also built a number of homeless shelters where the frankly ridiculous amount of homeless people in this city can sleep safely and get a hot meal.

Word is spreading through the homeless so fast that they've started heading to Midas's territory from other parts of the city, which is why there aren't so many beggars on the Boardwalk anymore.

Not that Midas didn't see this coming, given just how many beds he apparently has waiting.

►DownButNotOut

Replied On Mar 10th 2011:

La Brava's right

I'm using the free wifi at one of the shelters to type this, and this place is basically a sanctuary.

You can show up at any of them and get a bed a hot meal, no questions asked.

Plus, I got a job from it as well, and I have more money now than I have had in along time.

And before you all start shouting that I joined a villain… I'm picking up litter and repainting walls.

Apparently his men were doing it before, but Midas realised he had a lot of desperate men and women who'd happily take the job of their hands and free them up for… I dunno, super villain shit?

It's minimum wage, sure, but I'll fucking take it.

Instead of begging on the streets and probably getting my ass beat three times a day by Merchants, I sleep in a warm bed, get a free breakfast then go and do a proper days work, then I get another free meal and go back to bed in a warm, safe bed.

I dunno why Midas is doing all this, but honestly? I don't care.

►XxVoid_CowboyxX

Replied On Mar 10th 2011:

You're all stupid, he's obviously using the shelters to make a mastered army of super slaves.

Wake up sheeple!

►Aloha

Replied On Mar 10th 2011:

Wanna bet the PRT is gonna start sounding like Void soon?

Having a villain look so good to the public isn't going to sit well with them, you know how they love their PR, and right now Midas is making them look like incompetent fools while he looks like a benevolent Godfather.

Of course he's probably going to make us all an offer we can't refuse sooner or later

►Kriketz

Replied On Mar 10th 2011:

I think I met Bob.

So, I was walking home from work after my manager had made me stay behind late, and I live in the Trainyard so I don't need to tell you that being out that late is dangerous for anyone, let alone a woman (thanks boss, you decrepit old bastard)

Which is why is wasn't surprised when a pair of men, probably ex-Merchants from the smell, grabbed me and pulled me into an alleyway, I was completely terrified but not surprised.

I thought I was fucked, literally, and after taking my purse they started to take my clothes off.

And then a car pulled up at the edge of the alleyway, four guys in black and gold jumpsuits got out and rushed in, beating my two would be assailants to the ground.

Then the lead man gave me my purse back, apologised for the disturbance and went back to beating on the two assholes.

Then they dragged them to the car, threw them in the trunk, wished me a good night and drove off.

The Leader had a name tag, with the words Bob, Head Minion written on it

I got home safely, and suddenly looked at all those security cameras Midas set up around his territory in a whole new light because nobody had been around to see me get grabbed.

►Bagrat (Veteran Member) (The Guy in the Know)

Replied On Mar 10th 2011:

Okay, so this is big

A black van has been seen pulling up behind the Brockton Bay Police Departments precinct, and Midas's men were seen handing men over to the police, who were clearly expecting them.

Some of the men match the description of men who had been grabbed by Midas's men after trying to commit crimes in his territory.

So unless I'm very much mistaken, I think Midas is cooperating with the local government to keep the people who break the rules he enforces off the streets.

Which means the local government aren't just allowing him to police his own territory, they're helping him do it.

Even if the PRT call Midas a villain, the fact that the local police is working with him is massive, because do you know who else they do this for?

The PRT, New Wave and some registered Independent Heroes like Huntress, they're treating Midas's organisation the same way they treat the heroes.

End of Page. 1

Sighing, she closed her browser and moved away from the old family computer.

She wanted to be able to call bullshit on Midas's claims of wanting to help the city… but she'd gotten close enough to his territory to have her insects check for her and he seemed to be everything he claimed to be.

He wasn't trying to hide the fact that he was a villain, but he was doing more for the city than the heroes had in years.

It made her choice harder than it should have been, because the PRT had made it clear they'd were interested in her joining up with them, but-

Mentally shrugging, she admitted she didn't know what was stopping her, she wanted to help the city and… they just hadn't.

The PRT had been around for ages, and they hadn't changed anything, they just maintained the status quo, protecting the rich areas while they left the poor areas in the hands of the gangs.

But she wanted to be a hero, now more than ever.

She still had nightmares about what would have happened if Midas hadn't been there, short grubby fingers groping at her body, the feeling of his penis starting to push into her.

Shuddering, she shook her head as she remembered the calm smirk on Midas's face, a light blush growing on her face.

She knew it was just princess syndrome, she was saved from a terrible fate so it was just human nature that she was crushing on the well dressed older man who saved her.

He was still a villain though, ruthless and dangerous.

Heading into the kitchen, she started dinner even as she watched her father driving home through the eyes of a wasp, she had her street and the surrounding area covered in well placed bugs, she couldn't be too careful with the gang war going on.

As her dad entered, she immediately noticed that he was in a much better mood than usual, work must have gone well.

He was only like that when he'd found jobs for more of his men, so she was happy for him even as she mentally frowned.

She was supposed to meet the wards tomorrow, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to go wrong.

It was supposed to be sooner, but apparently some out of town heroes were arriving and it had been delayed.

Next chapter