Hypnotia and the weird heist 1
Routines, however reassuring they are, always need to be pushed aside from time to time.
This was the thought that had kept on popping up in her mind as Hypnotia was still working through another intricate plan in which she was a part of. The super-villain, still serving the Mandarin loyally, had begun to see a certain pattern emerge from her day-to-day cycle. Plan, act, one of her allies would make a mistake, get beaten by Iron Man and his allies, rinse, repeat. While she did have her small victories from time to time, nothing seemed to conclude in a way that could be deemed satisfactory for her. Things had to change.
Getting away from her partners for one single night, the villainess strutted in the streets of New York City in civilian clothes. With her costume hidden underneath, she began to ponder about what could potentially excite her. A fight with another super-hero, perhaps? There were, after all, a very vast selection of capes and tights in the big apple that would surely be vulnerable to her powers. Moon Knight, Punisher, Daredevil, Spider-Man, the list went on as she began to think that maybe, just maybe, going after someone who had allies and a certain standing in the super-hero crowd would not be a really good idea. That had been her problems when dealing with Iron Man, after all, with Hawkeye, War Machine, Spider-Woman and Scarlet Witch always available for help. What she needed was satisfaction, not trouble.
Getting lost in a huge crowd, the light-filled streets made her think as she sat on a bench to decompress. Was it time to simply lose the tights for a few years, to rethink her game? She did love how she could use her powers and how superior it made her feel, yet she could not stand another loss. She had to do something or else she would explode in fury. Considering that her powers were all about control, being angry would not help her in the slightest.
Sitting silently and contemplating her options, Hypnotia looked around to see if perhaps an opportunity for some small mayhem would present itself. Anything would do at this point, even a simple robbery to allow for some small measure of excitement. Seeing nothing for a few minutes, a simple poster took her interest as she saw an advertisement for an exhibit. On it were a collection of vases, bottles, urns and other such objects that looked ancient, with one being particularly preeminent on the poster. A beautiful glass bottle, one made as if gold had been polished and molded to form a curvaceous object. Shown on one side, tiny flames were shown on a pattern near its base, as if to show that this was a hot item. Curious about this, the mesmerizing woman rose as she got closer to the poster, if only to read what it said.
*See priceless artifacts from an ancient era. Pottery and glasswork from time past available for all to see at the Richards museum!*
Not bothering with the rest of the text, all that she needed to understand was right there in both of these sentences. Priceless, available, museum all rang in her head as she tore the poster away from the nearby wall. Smiling at the prospect of a simple, yet stimulating museum heist, she had finally found what she was looking for as her blood boiled in excitement.
Arriving at the museum thanks to a ''friendly'' cab driver, Hypnotia looked at the building while trying to restrain a smile on her face. It was simple, almost boringly so, yet stealing a priceless artifact and getting away with it was probably the most satisfaction she would get for months if her life went on as it did normally in the near-future. This was the time for petty, yet ultimately joyful moments of power-trip and mayhem. Ditching her civilian clothes, she was now fully committed to looking like the super-villain that she was. Her grey outfit with multiples colorization of white, yellow, orange and red made it all the more pleasant for her, indicating that she was part of the secret world that everyone seemed to want to be a part of. She was a super-villain and she was proud, but now was the perfect time to show it to herself just how efficient and powerful she really was.
Trying to think of a plan, she began to wonder if she could perhaps slip inside the ventilation system. Maybe there was a way through an open window, or a way inside on the roof? Thinking hard about it all, she suddenly had a simple realization: through the front door. Smiling at the audacity of this dangerous, yet most potent plan, she felt alive again as she approached near the entrance.
With luck being on her side, a guard was right there, having a smoke. His cigarette barely lit, the man, armed with a pistol, a radio and some small accessories, seemed to be bored to death. It was, of course, a mostly long and tedious job that required to be vigilant for potential crimes that mostly did not happen, if ever. With a grin on her lips, Hypnotia approached the lone black man as she tried to make herself as visible as possible. While her outfit did help in that regard, her desire for an extravagant victory, however symbolic it might seem, made her move in an alluring manner. Swaying her hips with every steps and with a sultry smile on her face, she made her presence known to the guard as he looked at her with a mix of confusion, interest and a hint of fear.
It was clear he knew not who she was, yet the fact that she was costumed and approaching a closed museum did not mean anything good for his near-future. Picking up his gun, he nervously pointed his weapon at her as his cigarette dropped to the ground. ''Don't get any closer,'' he said, trying to put up a confident appearance before the costumed woman.
''Why not?'' she quickly retorted, her tone half-between mocking and flirting. Her confidence in her abilities clearly showing in her demeanor, she looked at the guard in the eyes as rings of yellow emanated from them. Keeping her mental pressure on him, she walked toward him as she could see him already faltering. If powerful and skilled heroes like Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch usually became powerless when she used her hypnotic skills, she was fairly certain that a mere guard like him would not stand much of a chance either. ''You don't really want to shoot me, don't you?''
Already overwhelmed by those yellow rings, the guard began to have trouble with his vision. Everything around him was wavering, shaking as if he could not perceive anything but the yellow ring and their source. The power behind those eyes and the rings compelled him to simply be more attentive, to listen more carefully. As if his body and mind were being influenced by an outside source, all that he could really feel was that it was okay, that everything was alright. Somehow, he was okay with this as his eyes began to reflect those yellow rings. His arms lowering, he replaced his gun in his holster as a previously unknown instinct told him that the costumed beauty was right in her statement. She would always be right. ''No, I do not want to shoot you, mistress.''
''Good. Would you be a good boy and let me inside?'' she asked, her question sounding much more like a command than an actual query. Removing the pressure of her yellow rings, she already knew that it would take at least several hours before he would be free from her mental grasp. Savoring this moment where she knew he would do anything for her, she went closer to him before he could even answer her. ''Do pick up your cigarette, though. You do need to feed your habits, right?''
The guard obeying her command, he kneeled down to pick up his barely-lit cigarette as he tasted it like never before. It was even better than he anticipated due to the fact that he had done so under her command. Obeying her made everything more satisfying, as he soon learned while he unlocked the door for her.
''You have never seen me. I was never there. If someone asks you if there was an intruder, say that you have seen no one and that you never knew that an intruder went inside the museum. Understood?'' she commanded, letting him have another wave of her yellow hypnotic rings.
''You were never there. No one intruded the museum,'' he calmly replied, letting the sensation of her power wash over him without any resistance. Continuing to smoke, he acted as if no one was there as he locked the door behind her.
Smiling at this particularly satisfying session, she remembered how much fun it was to see people so utterly helpless and powerless before her. Doing this to unpowered people put things in perspective for her. While it was different when facing Iron Man and his friends, most civilians were unable to even resist the appeal of her mesmerizing abilities, which was always a thrill for her to see. Observing the area, she saw a camera on the ceiling as she approached it. Pointing her hand at it, she threw more yellow rings at the contraption as she began to talk. ''There is no problem with me being here. I am no threat and you will edit the footage after I am gone to make it so I was never here. You never saw me, nor could you recognize me if you saw me again,'' she said, putting a very strong pressure on the camera with her powers.
Confident in her ability to get results, she remembered how she had recorded a brief hypnotic sessions through a video tape once. While she would not see the face of those she had hypnotized, she was confident enough that she simply strutted along, leaving the entrance while she examined the poster that she had recently stolen. Looking at the map inside the building, she giggled lightly as she felt like a simple tourist despite the illicit nature of her activities and her entrance. The contrast between her methods and her goals making her smile, she relaxed as she walked around without any worry. Hypnotizing every guards she met, she soon had one guide, then two, followed by more as she finally arrived to the heart of the exhibit where she would get what she desired in this venture.
With many of the items on the poster being visible in this room and protected by various layers of glass as well as some security system, Hypnotia looked at each of them as if she was shopping. Any of them would do to send some kind of message as well as satisfy her craving to show off a little for her own sake, yet she did not want to carry all of them. She needed to choose. Would it be the broken urn, the sculpture or perhaps the ancient Greek vase? Pondering on the subject for a few seconds, she stopped kidding herself as she knew quite well which one she wanted: the beautiful glass bottle that was at the very center of the poster that she carried with her.
Approaching it, she saw how much more beautiful it looked before her. It begged to be hers, to make it so she would keep it in her room as a trophy, as an achievement and a reminder of a night filled with good fun. Motioning for a guard to get closer, one of them did so quickly as if he knew that only he could help her. ''Disable the security. I want to get that bottle. Now,'' she said, her own desire surprising her as her eyes were kept on the bottle. The guard obeying her command right away, the glass lid was then moved by other guards as they made everything they could to make sure their mistress would get her wish.
Seeing them work together to make sure they would get results, Hypnotia began to wonder if she should do the same with her partners working with the Mandarin. Things were so much easier when there was a commanding voice to control everything from what she could see. Perhaps it would be easier to beat Iron Man if she was in charge in a more literal way? Lost in these thoughts while the guards worked together, she snapped out of it as she realized that her objective was finally accessible.
Getting close to it, she began to ponder upon what she should do with the guards. Should she let them leave? Should she make it so they would simply fall asleep? Should she make them snap out of it a few minutes after she was gone? Lost amidst her thoughts, she shook her head as she regained focus on what she wanted. Letting the satisfaction sink in, she realized that she had done exactly as she wanted. Happier than she had been in a long while, she grabbed the bottle as she observed the material it was made from.
Her eyes wandering on the prize, Hypnotia began to smell something peculiar, yet utterly sweet and pleasant. Her vision hazing a bit, she began to wonder just what exactly had happened as she looked around. Could it be that another villain had been tailing her, hoping to steal her loot at the last second? Seeing no one except the guards was present, Hypnotia was puzzled as the scent simply got stronger and stronger.
Unable to advance any further due to the scent overpowering her other senses, Hypnotia began to sway in place, as if controlled by an unseen puppeteer that knew not what to do with her body. Her head getting lighter and her thoughts now fuzzy, she had no idea what was happening to her right now. All that she knew right now was that this sensation slowly but surely went from scary to reassuring, as if her mind made it seem not only natural, but pleasant as well. Her vision getting even more hazy, she could not even distinguish anything anymore from her surrounding save for herself and the bottle she was holding very tightly. All that she could feel was the bottle in her hand, how it felt between her fingers and the smell that became even more pronounced as the seconds ticked away.
Unable to pinpoint anything else, her long-term planning abilities, her perceptions and her appreciation all got twisted around. Unbeknownst to her, her eyes began to spiral around as they got hazier, indicating something that ironically happened to her. Due to her over-reliance on her powers, her own resistance to effects similar to them were unfortunately lacking as the scent invaded her.
Lost amidst a power that was not hers, her control over herself began to dimmer down as she had difficulty standing up now. Instinctively, she knew that it would be far easier to let go, to make it so her body permitted what was happening. However, another faint part of her refused to obey that particular suggestion, holding on as best as it could. Her hazy eyes trying to look past the bottle, all that she could see now was a faint pink smoke that began to envelop her in a safe cocoon.
The smoke caressing her, she could feel it as if tiny raindrops were touching her, making her feel reassured and complacent. Dissolving part of her clothes, it twisted what remained into something else altogether. The grey part all but vanished as the red, yellow and orange parts began to move and morph to form a bra and some panties for her to wear. Her long leg, once covered in long fabrics, were now left half-covered due to some see-through silk-like fabric that made her reveal far more of her body than her skin-tight costume ever did. Sensing something cold form on her wrists, ankles and her neck, she soon saw that objects of gold simply appeared out of thin air, making her look far more beautiful due to their shining radiance.
Inspecting this new uniform, she began to realize that she was now clothed in a style reminiscent of harem fantasies, like a western rendition of a belly dancer. Left unalarmed by this change, her mind was now too weak to even try to resist this. Unable to see anything negative in what was happening to her, she was losing it far more quickly than she could even have calculated when she was subconsciously trying to fight this change.
The smoke now visibly invading her nostrils, the sweet sensation got even more overwhelming as her vision got twisted around between hyper perceptive and unfocused. Her eyes wandering on the bottle, the only clearly visible object, Hypnotia saw two eyes form on the surface of the bottle. Feminine from the look of it, the red pupils emanated power, dominance, but also otherworldly beauty as they fixed her own eyes with a focus that seemed impossible for the super-villainess to compute. Being now too much for Hypnotia to even understand, there was a power far higher than her that tried to make her subservient, succeeding in her attempt as the hypnotic woman finally succumbed completely to the ordeal as her jaw went slack. A white stone appearing in her navel and a spiral of red, orange and yellow forming on her midriff, Hypnotia could do naught save obey the incomprehensible urges flooding her brain.
''You are mine now...''