Othala was quiet. The whole warehouse was quiet. She stayed docile while Krieg and Valefor finished the business transaction.

"So just a year then?"

Valefor nodded, "We'll brainwash her, keep her quiet. And you can rent out these three until the spring."

Valefor nodded to his other Fallen members. Rosie, a tall girl in Simurgh costume, and Eligos and Grassil, two boys in Behemeth Endbringer styled costumes. All three of them stood in various positions around the area, obediently following Valefor's orders however need be.

Krieg looked over at Othala. He said, "no hard feelings, it's just business. I'll make it look like Bakuda killed you so that Victor can properly marry into a stronger alliance. You were never suited for the E88 anyway."

She stayed quiet. Powerless from Krieg's drugs and Valefor's mastering, she was getting sold off against her will. There was a lot she wanted to tell him, to curse at him and call for help, but every fantasy was trapped within her mind as she couldn't move.

There was a knock at the warehouse entrance. All five of them looked over. With the five-yard radius mostly deserted, none of them expected trespassers.

"Rosie," Valefor ordered.

Without needing to say more, Rosie already began unleashing her shadow embers around her. These small critters startled around the room, dancing outside through the darkness to touch the person on the other side of the door. Victor kicked the door open.

Rather than let the embers touch him, he rushed toward Krieg. Gressil waved his hands at him, lighting Victor on fire. He crashed into the ground next to Krieg, burning in pain. Krieg ordered for Gressil to stop.

When Gressil stopped, Rosie and Valefor mastered him. Rosie's powers worked by giving her body control when her embers touched someone in the dark. Valefor's powers worked by having mind control over whomever he imposed his hypnotic stare into.

With the two of them together, Krieg could ask him, "how did you find out?"

"You bastard," Victor cried out. His heart thumped rapidly as Rosie induced pain inside of his body. Even though Valefore ordered for him to hold still, he still spoke as freely while he could. "You said the Merchants kidnapped her, those bastards don't have the balls!"

Krieg gestured at Valefor. Valefor said, "forget you saw anything tonight. Forget you ever loved your wife. When he tells you she died tomorrow morning, you're going to feel overwhelming relief."

Victor held still. His mind morphed as he processed the command. "It's for the E88," Krieg said aloud. "Believe me, if you were in my position you'd do the same thing. Between Marquis's Teeth and the ABB, we need as many alliances as possible. One of Heartbreaker's daughters are better suited for you. You'll thank me in the long run."

Valefor relayed those exact words to Victor, "you'll thank him in the long run." He didn't need to manipulate his emotions so explicitly, but he figured he owed Krieg a favor. =

After finishing the trance, Valefor nodded to Krieg. "Alright, Gressil, Eligos, Rosei, you three-"

Lightning struck through the roof. The lights went out. Pieces of the rooftop fell, a fire spread. It expanded slowly and methodically for everyone to see. The flame danced gently, giving it a slow-motion effect while it covered the floors. Nothing it touched burned.

The fire was black. Rather than wrap fire onto everything flammable, it spread slowly in a course directed path. It surrounded the walls while blocking off all the exits.

Walking through the black flames from the entrance, a woman in a mask stood out. She wore a long white wavy dress with black stripes across the hips. The wings behind her back came in sets of two, one set angelic, another bat-like. The masquerade mask gave a level of eloquence to her presence.

She pointed to Krieg, "you have until the count of two to let them go."

Rosie's embers already walked towards her. Gressit waved his hands forward but realized the fire powers didn't touch her. "Who the hell are you?" Eligos said aloud.

"I'm a real fucking angel." Her voice came out in a howling screech. All four of them covered their ears as pain as hallucinations overwhelmed their minds. Victor and Othala were unaffected. They could only hear her slow methodical voice. She counted at a pace so slow it seemed the whole world was slowing down.

"O-O-O-N-N-N-E-E-E-"

The world around them was melting. Sounds echoed while their vision shifted and morphed into a liquid-like state. They dropped to their knees in terror as the earth seemingly dissolved.

"T-T-T-W-W-W-W-W-O-"

Their insides practically burned. Their mouths opened to scream but no sound left their lungs. Crippled and terrified, they closed their eyes. It took one more second before they fell to the ground unconscious.

Natasha smiled.

"Talk about overkill," Gaiana said over their mind-link. "You could've at least let them use their powers on you."

"She has a point," Elisha said. "Could you at least pretend to fight like the rest of us? We're supposed to be one hero you know."

"All of you are pussies," Natasha grumbled. "I have the powers of a God, why the hell wouldn't I use them?"

Liliana nonchalantly said, "I think they shat their pants."

"That's their fault, not mine."

"Not really," her four sisters rebutted back.

Natasha walked up to Valefor. She kicked his sides in triumph, savoring the pain of a villain that deserved it. She crouched down and grabbed him by the chin. With his eyes still closed and his mouth murmuring in fear, she said to him, "not so tough now, little biiiitch."

"Natasha," Elisha yelled over their mind-link, "hold on, don't risk-"

Valefor's eyes opened. He uttered a single phrase, "free me."

Natasha's mind went blank. In an instant her vision trap released. He stood up and yelled, "free everyone, and don't move."

She removed her powers from tall of hem, allowing them to return to normal. The rubbed at their heads as they looked up at the girl. Egilos asked, "Christ, how many powers was that?"

Krieg stepped forward and looked down at the girl. She was still while Valefor's trance took root. "Make her join the E88."

"Hell no," Valefor said spitting at the ground. "One Othala to rent three members, that's what I'm here for. A bitch like this'll make perfect Fallen wife material."

Krieg almost argued, but a crashing noise stopped his words. Four figures broke through the warehouse windows. The moment the villains caught glimpses of them, time came to an abrupt stop. Shadows skimmed passed them all while holding still in motionless space.

One by one each of them disappeared. Only Natasha and the two hostages remained in place.

Time warped back to normal. Elisha walked up to Natasha and flicked her on the forehead. "You. Are. A. Dunce."

Natasha blinked. The mind control dispersed and she slapped her own cheeks awake. She rubbed at her eyes and growled, "it wasn't my fault."

"Yes it was," all four of them said together.

"God you're an idiot," Elisha already began tugging at Natasha's hair. "Just because you're superpowered, it doesn't mean you're immortal."

Natasha responded by tugging at Elisha's cheeks, "stop bitching at me. You were on precog duty tonight, you should've fucking warned me!"

"I was using precognition based on what you said you'd do, you didn't say you'd be a nitwit!"

Natasha tugged harder at her cheeks while Elisha still pulled her hair.

Angela yelled, "knock it off! We're lucky they didn't have backup, I read that Valefor would've turned you against us if we were a few minutes later."

The two of them let go of each other. Natasha crossed her arms and turned the other way, refusing to look at any of them. Angela said, "look, Accord arranged this. Me and Liliana are going to going to interrogate Krieg. I blinded Valefor, so Elisha and Gaiana can go drop the Fallen off at the PRT headquarters. Natasha, can you mind wash those two and drop them off somewhere safe?"

Victor and Othala were still quiet. They heard and understood everything, but didn't say anything to the team that had just arrived. Natasha didn't look back when she replied, "giving me the shit work?"

"Yes," Gaiana, Elisha, and Liliana said together. Angela answered, "someone has to do it."

"Fine."

The other four vanished. Natasha back looked over at Victor and Othala. Othala was still tied down, and Victor still couldn't move due to Rosie's powers causing a lack of muscle control in him.

Natasha took the time to bind rope around Victor's arms and legs before healing him. When finished, he brought him over to Othala to sit next to her.

"Leave the E88."

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Victor snarked. "You might've saved us, but that sure as hell doesn't count for much."

"Your boss literally tried selling your wife, you still okay with that?"

"Krieg betrayed me, not Kaiser."

"And if Kaiser was in on this?" Victor stayed quiet. Natasha turned to his wife, "Othala, are you really going to fucking stay with him after all this?"

"He's my husband," Othala said softly. "I go where he goes. If he leaves, I'll leave. If he stays, I'll stay beside him."

Victor added, "the E88 has given us more than you can understand. We're not giving that up over something Krieg did."

Natasha frowned. She tapped a thumb on Victor's forehead. "Did you know I could brainwash people?"

Othala yelled, "Christ, how many fricking powers do you have?"

"More than you can imagine." Natasha glared into Victor's eyes. "I've lobotomized people before. Turned them into bumbling idiots so that their powers don't hurt people. If I wanted to, I could brainwash you right here and right now. Turn you both into goddamn hippies to get you to leave them."

Victor glared back at her, "you might as well then. Because no way in hell am I turning my back on them."

The two watched each other silently for a full minute. Natasha groaned as she rolled her eyes away from him. "Christ you're stupid. Fine, you wanna stay with the fuckwits who sold you out, be my guest. Just don't forget, I gave you an out. The E88 sold her off like cattle, and you stuck with them despite that. I don't know where your morals are, but they're lower than I thought if fucking over family isn't a deal-breaker to you."

Natasha turned away from them leaving them tied to the pillar in the warehouse. She waited outside with her arms crossed while her sisters finished. Liliana and Angela returned first.

Liliana asked, "did you brainwash them again? Hold on, I should go check on them."

"Not this time," Natasha grumbled, "Like you guys said, slavery is illegal." Her body tilted and she groaned upon saying that.

Angela said, "Accord wants to break apart the E88. He knows that the E88 are only as strong as Kaiser, and thinks there'll be a civil war the moment the chance comes up. It can be contained if he orchestrates it now rather than sooner. Krieg, Hookwolf, and Purity lead potential subgroups that would betray him. Krieg selling off Othala tonight was a way to take power away from Kaiser."

"Ugh," Natasha murmured, "politics. Can't we just… You know?" The made a thumb gesture moving across her neck.

Liliana answered, "no Natasha, murder is illegal too."

"Laws exist to make life harder, don't they?"

"Yes," Liliana said the same time Angela said "no."

Elisha and Gaiana reached the group next. Gaiana made a salute sign at them, "enemy has been neutralized!"

"Miss Militia saw us," Elisha stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"Us?" Angela asked.

Elisha nodded. "Gaiana went invisible as soon as we noticed, but when I talked to her, it was obvious she was pretending she didn't see Gaiana."

Natasha coughed aloud. Elisha yelled, "shut up!"

Natasha raised her hands back, "didn't say nuttin!"

"You were thinking it, shut up!"

Natasha pointed a finger toward her chest, "you just read my mind again, the fuck is wrong with you!?"

"What did Miss Militia say," Angela interrupted, forcing them to focus.

Elisha turned toward her and said, "she just asked if I was playing it safe. If I understood the risks of being on my own."

"And what did you say?"

Elisha shook her head, "I said I did, and that we could always use help when offered. Miss Militia gave me a card with her phone number. She said if I ever needed help, just give her a phone call."

Angela rubbed at her chin. Natasha asked, "You didn't ask about mom?"

"Too risky," Liliana answered. "Us asking, they'll figure out we're her daughters."

Angela said, "we can't trust anyone in the PRT just yet. For now, it's good to keep in contact, but let's still assume she's under Coil's thumb."

They all nodded. Without saying more, the rest of them vanished from plain sight. Gaiana stayed behind longer to ask, "did you mindwipe them?"

"Not this time," Natasha said with a sigh.

"Pussy," Gaiana stuck her tongue out. She went inside to finish the job.