Chapter 1: Introduction
“Power levels at 99.98%. All systems functioning optimally. Teleportation protocol successfully concluded.”
I looked good in the mirror. The short red cape, the same shade as my bodysuit, flowed from the right shoulder of my suit, shimmering as it swirled around me. Itremoved all evidence of a middle-aged paunch – a nice side-effect. I felt invincible in this outfit, and, truth be told, I was, for all intents and purposes.
All except for that pesky, little secret shame.
Tickling.
Silly, I know. And it wasn't even determined by any chromosome or sex assignment, but yes, I, this superior version of a being, possessed an inexplicable, and unexplainable, weakness: a ticklish spot under my arms, which made me wriggle and giggle until I was uncontrollably gasping for breath.
As I strode through my headquarters, holding my head high, message alerts streamed in from Moonbase, Jupiter Command, and the Neptune Detention Center. The cosmic cogs were operating smoothly, and I couldn't resist a self-satisfied smile before I descended to a hidden underground chamber. Its dimly lit, mysterious ambiance, glowing crystals affixed to walls covered in ancient symbols, evoked a lair-worthy atmosphere.
My footsteps, muffled by red slippers, echoed off the cavernous, damp walls. Powering up the scanner, I ran it along the walls, the floor and the anomaly in question, an alien artifact exuding an unusual energy signature.
My gut clenched, anticipating the power surge. Every device and dial on the scanner blinked yellow, steadily increasing to a hot, warning red. Swirling custard hues of energy, illimitable and intangible, wove around the alcove, pulsating faster, pulsating stronger.
I didn't need to touch the artifact to feel the tingling eagerness of the power that thrummed through it, urging me to connect, to bond. It was a strange sensation, raw and untamed, a wild thing barely contained by the chamber and the very air around it. Bracing myself, I pressed my fingertips to its surface as an expansive ripple of intensity traveled from the charged alien substance into my very being.
Then, immobility.
I couldn't movee, nor speak, nor raise an eyebrow at the irony that the unmovable woman could not escape her destiny, literally being frozen in time. The alien artifact, previously a mere curiosity, now held me captive, and despite my immense strength, I could not move a single muscle.
My senses were alert, my mind as sharp as ever, but the rest of me was rendered immobile. Sprawled out like a helpless rag doll, my cape flowed around me, no longer a sign of power and dominance but rather a mockery of sorts.
As I hung there, I listened to the ancient symbols murmuring a low, musical melody, the magic behind the incantations I could scarcely comprehend. The invisible strands constricted around me, not painfully so, but enough to render me helpless.