The Paragons

Chapter 14: Research & Development

Oh, my head.....wait, what? What happened to me? Where am I? The Viper thought to herself confusedly as her eyes slowly fluttered open.

When she fully awoke, however, she found that she was strapped to a long, rectangular, metallic table inside a dark, dreary warehouse, with firm leather restraints keeping her wrists and ankles confined, rendering her unable to act. Two blurred figures were at her sides; one on her left and one on her right.

The one on her left stood at a computer setup and appeared to be typing important information onto the screen, while a tray with several syringes, gauze pads, bandages, and anesthetic bottles was propped up nearby. The Viper also noticed that her left arm had been injected with an intravenous needle that was hooked up to an IV pump which was constantly administering a seducing agent to keep her both fatigued and vulnerable, despite now being awake and somewhat alert.

The one on her right was preparing an anesthetic tank for use; a tube was connected to it by one end, while the other end was attached to a mask which the figure held in their hand.

The next thing the heroine realized was that she wasn't in her costume anymore; she had been turned back into Hailey---her normal identity---with her transformation watch lying out of her reach on a countertop next to the left figure's computer. Now, she was back in the outfit she had been in previously, before she started her patrol that night; a black t-shirt with "NEW YORK CITY" imprinted on it in all-caps with white coloring, a pair of short, blue-green shorts, and gray sneakers.

"What.....what's going on?" Hailey asked, her voice trembling with fear. "Where's everyone else? Who are you two, and what are you doing to me?!"

"Ahhh, so the Little Snake is finally awake," the figure on her left spoke. "I was beginning to think you'd never come to."

Hailey's eyes widened as she realized the voice almost immediately. "N.....Nic'qura?!"

The chief scientist turned away from her monitor to face her unwilling patient. "That's right.....it's me. And we've got unfinished business, you and I. But before we get to the fun, perhaps you might recognize the person to your right as well.....?" she asked, gesturing to him.

Hailey turned her head to her right and was met with an all-too-familiar face; of all the former members of the Opulent, he was no doubt the creepiest one.

"Y.....You're.....no.....no.....NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she wailed.

Sin'lazo laughed with glee, obviously pleased at the fear and terror he was causing her at the moment. "Right! I'm back! And may I just say that you're beautiful both in and out of the costume.....such a sight for sore eyes indeed."

"I'm going to give you a pair of 'sore eyes' the moment I get out of here," Hailey shot back.

Nic'qura smirked. "Tsk, tsk, tsk.....I suppose it's a good thing we have you restrained, then," she commented, tightening the leather straps on Hailey's wrists even further.

"Nic'qura.....what are you doing? I thought you were cool.....you did try to kill me before, in order to get back to the Shimmering Plane.....but I thought you came back around.....? Saw that it was better to save Earth rather than continue your.....quest....? You sacrificed yourself to save us.....how are you even here?!"

"Yes, that was my entire motivation, once upon a time.....but after I was brought back to life, I developed a very different take on you."

"What do you mean?" She then turned to Sin'lazo. "And didn't I kill you on a Hawaiian cliffside already? How'd you return?"

"We don't know," Nic'qura lied. "When he and I awoke, we found ourselves back in the Shimmering Plane, the same place we had been determined to return to after almost two centuries trapped on Earth. Having achieved our goal of returning home, we immediately started putting together our plans for revenge."