Gaslight (Part One)

Prologue

Tempest has to be on his way by now. It's going to happen. He's gonna come get me, and--

"You do realize, Gaslight," Doctor Lucille Ellian hissed, "That this is finally the time for me to succeed. You and your silly underlings have ceaselessly annoyed me all these years, and now, finally, all of you will pay."

"And how exactly are you gonna do that if you don't win?" Gaslight replied cooly, her frozen body stiffening her expression. Her knees felt shaky as she stood above the pale concrete floor, held up by a strength that was not her own. Head pounding, she wished she was anywhere but in this...weird bunker thing Dr. Ellian apparently thought was the epitome of Villain Hide-out.

"Hmm. You still have hope, then." The deep purple of Dr. Ellian's cloak rippled as she paced in mock-contemplation. Her heels made a quiet click as they connected with the floor, turn in turn. "That's a shame." She paused, moving into the light to allow the heroine to see her neutral expression.

The lamp flickered, and Dr. Ellian's deep brown eyes flicked up to glance at a young woman at Gaslight's side. The brick wall behind Ellian was illuminated for a moment as the light reached its apex. Gaslight blinked blearily, the light causing her eyes to burn. (Is that a sign of a concussion? When did I get a concussion?) "Krator is able to hold you captive in my merciful hold without lifting a finger. The rest of my creations are already finding your 'Tempest' and his cronies. What could you possibly have to fight me with?"

"Dr. Ellian, I'm not completely useless." Gaslight replied, a humorless chuckle escaping her busted lip. Krator, the blonde supervillain sitting behind her, jerked Gaslight's arm uncomfortably off-balance. It swiveled in front of her, twisting backward in retaliation from the remark. Gaslight bit her lip again, tasting iron. "Despite being held like a puppet at the moment." She glared as hard as she could at the blonde telekinetic at her side, but Krator made no notice.

Though, she noticed something.

Krator didn't do that as fast as last time. Is she getting tired? Narrowing her pale eyes with a pained swallow, the heroine returned her gaze to Dr. Ellian in front of her.

Dr. Ellian let out a quiet chuckle, watching the young heroine with a glint of self-satisfaction in her eyes. "The fact is, you don't have as much power as you think."

"What?" Gaslight replied quietly, finally breaking her neutral expression. She stared intently at the cloaked doctor in front of her, wishing she would just get on with it already. What's your fix, doc? You really think I'm going to sit around and wait? I'm literally-

"My superior specimen, Krator here, has perhaps the most useful code I've ever created."

Dr. Ellian hummed to herself, and Gaslight rolled her eyes. Get on with it, old woman. I get it, she can incapacitate me. Big deal. "I'd like to think you're a product of my genius, actually. Krator does have the genetic code of your mother, after all."

Gaslight paused, eyes stinging at the mention of her mother. Okay, hitting where it hurts. Don't let it get to you. You're a superhero; you're better than that.

"You thought my corporation's tech wasn't good enough to clone? Think again." Dr. Ellian went on, cackling in (mentally unstable) self-satisfaction.

Gaslight merely blinked, before bursting into surprised laughter. "My-my mother's dead, Dr. Ellian." She closed her eyes, smiling weakly. "You're crazy."

"Oh, but she isn't! She's right next to you!" Dr. Ellian spun around Gaslight's still frame, moving behind Krator to rest proud hands on the blonde's shoulders.

Krator said nothing, only closed her eyes in concentration to keep her telepathic hold on Gaslight. Her fingers curled together in her lap, revealing her true anxiety.

The hold on Gaslight's twisted arm (which had long ago gone numb) loosened, and it swung back to her side. The sharp pain that resulted snapped her attention back into focus.

"My mother is dead." Gaslight repeated after a moment of sobriety, expression blank, still staring forward at the brick wall in front of her. "Dr. Ellian, genetic codes mean nothing."

"Do they, or don't they?" Dr. Ellian replied, voice dancing. "You're telling me that this beautiful young lady looking exactly like your mother doesn't bother you at all?"

Gaslight winced as she felt her body shift uncomfortably in response to Krator's command. Her knees were falling forward. She knew now the only thing keeping her from falling (and probably crushing her kneecaps) was Krator's hold (that, if she was right, was probably about to fail). "I-I...uh...it's..." She let out a harsh breath, wishing her cloth mask didn't cover her mouth. "I don't-I don't care. Nothing will ever bring my mom back."

Dr. Ellian shrugged, tracking back in front of Gaslight, crossing her arms. "What if I told you I could?"

Krator stiffened, and Gaslight felt the feeling in her legs return for barely a moment. She's scared. Glancing back at the villain at her side, Gaslight wondered if she had been misjudging Krator all along.

"You can't." Gaslight raised an eyebrow, pretending to be unaffected by Dr. Ellian's threat. "It's impossible."

Ellian clenched her jaw, stepping back to punch at a...switch in the brick wall?

"Oh come on! There was a secret passageway this entire time?!" Gaslight groaned, closing her eyes in frustration. "You're telling me I could've-"

"Shut up if you want to live." Dr. Ellian hissed threateningly, stepping back to lock Gaslight's arms in a pair of handcuffs previously hooked to her waist. "Krator," She turned to the still-seated villain. "I've got this."

Krator hummed, releasing Gaslight from her hold. The heroine herself let out a grateful sigh, knees buckling as she fell to the floor. Thank goodness she let go of my entire body at once...no knee crushing today!

Dr. Ellian tapped her foot impatiently against the concrete, but said nothing. Scooping up the limp hero at her feet, she glared at Krator out of Gaslight's view.

"You know, Doctor..." Krator began, and Gaslight looked up, surprised to hear her speak. Her voice was grainy, tired. It did sound a bit like her mother, sure, but this girl was different. She was tired. Angry.

"I've been thinking. You only ever compare me to my predecessor, and while Gaslight is rather annoying, she has a point. I'm not her mother."

Dr. Ellian paused in surprise, letting Gaslight fall limp again. "Krator, whatever do you think you're-"

"You know, maybe I should start taking Gaslight's example." Krator hissed, hands clenching into fists at her sides. "Maybe being annoying is the only way to get through to you. How do you like that?!" She stood up, eyes meeting Ellian's in a stare of unusual defiance.

Her eyes gleamed, seeming to relish in response to Ellian's shock. "You need to start giving me the respect I deserve. How many times have I saved your pathetic ass? No, really." Shaking her head, she pushed Ellian away from Gaslight's shocked frozen form.

"I perform all your major missions, save all your other villains, and really, I just carry the team. And what do I get for it?! A pat on the head and a 'good girl'? That's not fair, and I won't tolerate it." She turned, reaching down to pick Gaslight up (with a surprisingly gentle grip, considering how many times she's tried to kill me). "We're leaving. Don't try to stop me."

Huh. Maybe I don't need Tempest to save me after all.