The cover shows Doctor Developer shackled and gagged as a shadowy, winged figure looms over him. _____________________________________________________________________________ Coherent LL&DD Valentine's Day Special Comics | ADY | AWFUL __ __ "Dark Cupid" Presents an |__ |__ & | \ OCTOR | \ EVELOPER copyright 2008 ASHistory Tale: |_/ |_/ by Andrew Burton _____________________________________________________________________________ [February 14, 1997 - Location Unknown] The worst thing that can happen to any inventor is to have his invention used against him, that was Cameron's opinion. If you were Thomas Edison, it would be rather terrible to have someone shank you with a light bulb or drop a cement house on you. In his case, the despicable turn of fate was that Cameron, world-renowned super-villain, Doctor Developer, found himself currently shackled by his own restraints. He could tell they were his, specifically by the plastic-lined, gel-filled envelopes keeping his fists balled to they wouldn't be able to slip out the metallic cuffs around his wrists. He would have been able to verify his guess with a quick look, but the blindfold over his eyes meant he only had his mental catalog of current restraint technology to go by. He supposed someone else could have figured out a way to inject a malleable polymer into a non-conductive envelope and then apply an electrical current to create a rigid solid, but he hadn't heard of anyone doing it. Cameron let out a petulant sigh. How embarrassing. "I can hear you breathing," Cameron said flatly. Heels clicked against the floor. Stiletto heels by the sharpness of the clack. They were moving toward him too. As the walking drew to a stop, Cameron felt something grab at the collar of his shirt. A ripping noise quickly followed, and Cameron felt air against his chest. "This is, ah, new...." His first reply came as a pair of hands, gloved by the texture, pushed against his chest, forcing him against the floor. Then there was a weight on his stomach, and a pair of...legs...thighs, maybe, squeezed his side. The hands were still on his chest, alternating between gentle, teasing strokes and firm massages. "I...feel, ah, it's only fair to warn you, I am engaged," Cameron stuttered. "You might have heard of her...Lady Lawful, she's a super-hero, and, uh, she's really strong." Whoever was pinning him down to the ground let out a sniffling chuckle. Cameron felt sure whoever was holding him prisoner was a woman. The heels and fingers were his only clues, but he felt sure they were both fairly solid evidence of a feminine captor. Unless... "Are you a cross-dresser?" he asked. That earned him a solid slap across the cheek. "That's not an answer." That oddly enough earned him a solid kiss on the mouth. The kiss tasted like cinnamon, and lingered for as long as he could hold his breath. Just as he was about to gasp for air, the cinnamon lips moved across his cheek, kissing a path down to his neck. "That's still not an answer," Cameron persisted. "I don't mind if you're as cross-dresser...in fact, the whole trans-gender movement is inspiring. I realize how limiting the randomness of genetics can be, but..." "Shhh," the captor said, putting one of her (his?) hands over Cameron's mouth. After a moment the hand moved, but before Cameron could say anything, he felt something soft-but-firm pressed into his mouth. Realization hit him as the hands moved around to the back of his head the object in his mouth was joined by a similarly textured band around his face. "Unf feh," he tried to say. The same sniffling giggle sounded off again. For a moment, Cameron's mind drifted away from his situation. He realized he was strangely enjoying his current predicament. He knew what it felt like to be on the other side of this kind of situation, but he'd never been...he wasn't sure what preposition to use. Before he could pick one, the scent-taste of cinnamon smothered him as the familiar lips returned for another kiss. It was then that Cameron felt a stabbing mix of fear and shame. Fun as this might be, he desperately wished he were enjoying it with Jennifer. Whoever was straddling his lap, kissing him, massaging his chest...he felt himself blushing and, surprisingly, struggling. The kissing stopped as Cameron tried to knock his captor off his lap. She (he?) didn't take very kindly his burst of movement, and with no warning, he felt a hand pressing down on his chest. Cameron felt the other hand against his forehead as it slid the blindfold up and off his eyes. Cameron expected his eyes to revolt against the sudden intrusion of light, but was quite surprised when the room turned out to be darker than he thought it would be. Small, flickering dots of light lit the room. He realized after a moment, they were candles. As his eyes continued to adjust, Cameron recognized the woman sitting on his chest. She was wearing a black bustier on her front; black, Cupid wings were some how attached to her back, and leather opera gloves covered her arms up to her elbows. There was a similarly black domino mask covering her eyes, but it was strictly to complete the costume. It did nothing to conceal his captor's identity. "Jnufr?" he asked. In one of the most amazing displays of someone acting out of character, Jennifer let out a high pitched, airy chortle, "Ho, ho, ho, ho!" She leaned back, and upon standing up, struck a villainous pose: legs spread apart, arms on her hips, with her head thrown back, eyes closed, and her bosom heaving as she chortled merrily. "Foolish man," she declared as she fixed Cameron with a pretend icy stare, one that was completely ruined by the twinkle in her eye. "I am the scourge of romance, the wraith of love...I am Dark Cupid!" "Drg'kupud?" he asked. Cameron wasn't sure if what happened next was in-character for Jennifer or out-of-character for Dark Cupid, but with no warning, Jennifer dropped back down to the floor so she was lying next to Cameron, with her head propped up on an arm. With her free hand, she gently ran her fingers down Cameron's chest. "So..." she prodded, "am I a great super-villain or what? You never even saw me coming, did you?" The latter part, that much he knew was true. He'd been out, shopping all morning, picking up things off a list Jennifer gave him. He had just returned home from the excursion, when someone, no doubt Jennifer, had grabbed him from behind, knocking him out... he distinctly remembered the sickly sweet smelling cloth over his mouth and nose. "Yr'prighud," Cameron nodded. "Darn right, I am!" Jennifer snickered, smiling. For a moment, her face softened, and she stopped playing with Cameron's chest long enough to hook a finger under his gag. "I didn't scare you too much did I?" Once his mouth was free, Cameron nodded. "Oh, man, did you ever scare me!" he exclaimed. He bounced as much as someone bound and lying on the ground can bounce. "I'm glad it was you," he said. "I don't mind being manhandled, but I'd sure feel like a louse if I got manhandled by someone besides you." Jennifer snorted and shook her head. "So..." he said, giving Jennifer's costume, and the contents within, a thorough examination, "What does Dark Cupid do once she's captured someone?" Jennifer smiled and rolled over, so she was one again straddling Cameron's chest. She hemmed, "I'm kind of new to this kind of thing." She leaned down so the two could share a kiss. "What would a really nasty super-villain, like Dark Cupid, do with a helpless captive?" Cameron smiled brightly. "Well, I can tell you," he offered, "but you'll have to leave the gag out." ============================================================================ Author's notes: And because Dvandom demanded it... [FADE IN] [OUTDOORS: DOCTOR DEVELOPER is standing in front of a silver sedan, LADY LAWFUL'S car. He's leaning against the hood, arms crossed over his chest.] DOCTOR DEVELOPER: Hi. I'm Doctor Developer, Detroit's number one super- villain and Chicago's number one science-hero. OFF SCREEN: Number two science-hero! DOCTOR DEVELOPER: Chicago's number two science-hero. [DOCTOR DEVELOPER stands up and walks around the car.] DOCTOR DEVELOPER: Growing up in Detroit, I had the good fortune of being able to study under Tinker Tom. Off all the things Tom taught me about cars and hotrods, the most important lesson was that you should always buckle up when you get in a car. [DOCTOR DEVELOPER stops next to the driver's side door, with one hand on the door handle.] DOCTOR DEVELOPER: Hundreds of lives are lost each year because people don't use their seat belt. [DOCTOR DEVELOPER pulls the door open and gets into the driver's seat. LADY LAWFUL is sitting in the passenger's seat, several extra belts are tied around her chest. The shoulder harness is pulled across her front, completely pinning her to the seat.] DOCTOR DEVELOPER: So remember, when you get in a car... [LADY LAWFUL chuckles and shakes her head.] LADY LAWFUL: A little restraint, can save your life. [LADY LAWFUL shakes head while DOCTOR DEVELOPER smiles at the camera.] [FADE OUT] ============================================================================ Editor's Note: I was watching the local news the other night, and they had a police officer on explaining the importance of buckling up and all that, and it struck me that Doctor Developer should do a PSA for seatbelt safety. The importance of restraints, and all that. Hence the tag scene. :) ============================================================================ For all the back issues, plus additional background information, art, and more, go to http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/ASH ! To discuss this issue or any others, either just hit "followup" to this post, or check out our Yahoo discussion group, which can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ash_stories/ ! There's also a LiveJournal interest group for ASH, check it out at http://www.livejournal.com/interests.bml?int=academy+of+super-heroes ============================================================================