Synaptic Overload
by Brandy Dewinter and Tigger
(Copyright 1999)
Chapter 8 - Capturing the Queen
If Entropy had known how long it would take to care for her thick
mass of golden hair, she would have insisted it be cut short when she
first wore her costume. As she sat there, letting Maui put in row after
row of rollers, she sent a silent message of thanks to Angie who must
have done this a dozen times already in the intervals between Entropy's
appearances. Those times though, Entropy herself wasn't welded into
the wig. This time she had no choice but to sit there while Maui worked.
"There," Maui said, eventually. "That's finished, now for the rest."
"Rest?" Entropy asked weakly.
"Yes, Milady," Maui said, her words respectful but her tone full of
snickers. "Your, um, combat makeup just won't do for a state dinner."
She reached for Entropy's mask, but the crimefighters gloved hand
caught the young girl's smaller one before it could be removed.
"My mask stays on," Entropy insisted.
"Oh, Milady, I could do so much better if I had no obstructions!"
pleaded Maui.
"Not at this time," Entropy said implacably.
"Very well, Milady," Maui said with a sigh. She moved Entropy to
another table, this one laden with cosmetics. Hooking a hair dryer bonnet
over Entropy's curlers - a very large bonnet - Maui set it to work while
she considered her options for Entropy's makeup.
Despite Angie's undoubted expertise, Entropy watched in amazement as
Maui's delicate touch made the eyes behind the red mask grow and glow, and
the lips below it fill out to a full, sensual depth. Even her cheeks
showed enough below the slim domino to get a bit of Maui's attention.
Like the best masterpieces, most of what Maui did was too subtle to
discern, except in contrast with the lesser glory that Entropy had worn
before Maui's ministrations.
It took a while, the task made more difficult by the need to work
around the mask. But when Maui finally pronounced herself satisfied, she
also decided that Entropy's hair was dry enough for styling. That was
another long task. Even removing the rollers seemed to take hours, at
least to Entropy, and then Maui began combing and brushing and tucking and
on, and on.
"Would you let me add a few combs?" she asked Entropy.
"I don't think so," Entropy said, "but thank you for suggesting it."
Entropy had known she was pretty, at least in costume. In her mind
that was due in large part to the mask that she thought hid some of the
features she considered less attractive. But the depth and richness, the
understated elegance, the flat-out glamour that Maui's art had created in
her face and hair lifted Entropy, even in her own mind, to a standard she
had never considered possible.
Entropy was standing before the full-length mirror, amazed and
pleased at the trim figure she saw before her, now with hair that was
alive with bounce and shine, and eyes that seemed to glow with an inner
light bright enough to put the stars to shame.
She was chiding herself for getting all poetic about her own
appearance when her musings were interrupted by a pair of slowly
clapping hands.
"Very nice," Synapse said from the doorway, when Entropy turned
toward the noise.
"Uh, thank you, um, Synapse, um, Queen," Entropy stammered. She
felt a strange surge of, well, pleasure when she looked at Synapse, as
though it were a special treat.
"Since you have monopolized my handmaiden all afternoon," Synapse
said, smiling to show that she was not angry, "I'm afraid the men have
had to cook. But, they are sufficient for simple things. Come, let us
go to the dining hall."
She waved the wand she carried, or scepter, in a graceful invitation.
Entropy demurred and with her own gesture insisted that the would-be queen
go first. Synapse gave a regal smile and nodded, striding with proud
dignity to the dining room, a dignity undermined by the orbiting
sensuality of hips swaying over her own towering heels. As they strolled
down the short hallway, Synapse motioned for Entropy to follow closely so
that they could talk.
"I do not plan to stand on formality with peers of the realm, as you
will be," Synapse said. "But with the commoners we must maintain an
appropriate distance. I would appreciate it if you support me in this."
Her words were easy and familiar, but the look in the slim brunette's
eyes said that she expected obedience.
*Well, I can do a little bowing and scraping, if it gains me the time
to figure something out,* thought Entropy. She nodded, confirming her
agreement by falling back again as they reached the dining room. Again
she felt that surge of pleasure, thinking, *It makes you feel good to make
a pretty woman happy.*
It was hardly a hall, actually it was barely a room. It was open on
three sides to let the soft breezes waft through, though Entropy could see
provisions for screens. The table was laden with pork chops, as close to
roast pig as the men could come, apparently. Sweet potatoes replaced the
traditional poi and it seemed that pineapple would grace every dish.
Still, it smelled delicious and Entropy hadn't eaten since the night
before.
She had eaten while wearing her corset, though, as Janie when she
went out with Janice and Angie. So she knew she would have to take small
portions despite a feeling of hunger that demanded greater attention.
Synapse sat down immediately in her wicker throne, brought in from the
verandah for the occasion though Entropy didn't know this. The others
all remained standing, so though Entropy moved to the unoccupied place
at Synapse's left hand, she remained standing as well.
It turned out that there were introductions to be made before they
could eat. As hostess, perhaps Synapse should have made them, but she
was also (in her mind) a queen. Entropy wasn't familiar with the proper
protocol and didn't figure Synapse would let herself be limited by it
in any event.
"Milady Entropy, may I present to you the Duke of Oahu, General and
head of Her Majesty's armed forces," Maui said, indicating the thick-bodied
man who had that very morning been firing rocket-propelled grenades at
Entropy.
"Your Grace," Maui said, turning to the man called Oahu, "may I
present the Lady Entropy."
"Pleased to meet you," he growled, in no way matching his words with
any other form of welcome.
"And I to meet you," Entropy replied graciously.
Maui continued, "I am Her Majesty's handmaiden, Maui, as you already
know. And the fourth member of our party, before you came I mean, is
known as Hawaii, or sometimes as Big Island."
The huge man standing near the foot of the table nodded happily at
Entropy, who couldn't stop a return smile from peeking out from under her
mask. Then she looked back at Synapse.
*That is one incredibly pretty woman,* Entropy thought. *It makes
you feel better just to see such beauty.*
At a nod from Synapse everyone sat, and there were a few minutes of
passing of food, made strange by a combination of familial informality and
formal language. It wasn't, "Please pass the pork chops." It was, "If
it pleases Your Grace, could I trouble you to move the platter of pork a
bit nearer?" Still, before long everyone had as much as they cared for
and conversation resumed.
"What did you do to my armored car?" Oahu asked gruffly, though at
least he had the grace not to talk with his mouth full.
"Oh, just a handy trick I know," Entropy said breezily. But she
looked at Synapse to see what reaction the leader would have.
Instead of supporting her general, Synapse leaned conspiratorially
close to Entropy and whispered, in a voice loud enough for all to hear,
"You'll have to excuse our general. He wanted a tank, and we finally
consented to keeping an armored car from one of our recovery operations.
He was quite upset to find that you had destroyed the engine."
"Perhaps," Entropy said unapologetically, "if he hadn't been shooting
RPGs at me, I might have aimed a bit better."
Maui snickered, earning her a sharp glance from Oahu, but the sight
of the humor on Synapse's face made Entropy feel good all over.
"We had already determined to elevate you to the peerage," Synapse
said. "But we are mindful now to elevate you to royal rank. Tell me,
which of our islands do you find most desirable?"
Entropy had to remind herself that Synapse was talking about the
Hawaiian Islands, for all that they were 5000 miles away and not really
in Synapse's possession. She noticed also a tightening in Oahu's eyes and
realized that this was a test on several levels.
Turning to the sable-haired monarch, Entropy said, "I have always
thought Kauai was the most lovely of all the, um, your islands."
The reward of another smile from Synapse made foregoing the pleasure
of yanking Oahu's chain a small price to pay. The blonde superheroine
didn't know if she could have pulled Oahu out from under the general and
Duke, but her apparent willingness to fit in with Synapse's court was a
better tactic anyway.
"Very well," Synapse said with a pleased smile. "An excellent
choice. Kauai has traditionally been the site of the monarch's residence
within our islands, and we are pleased to have you liege lord of our own
home. We name you Duchess of Kauai, with full honors thereto. We shall
install you immediately after you swear loyalty to us as your liege."
"Hmmm," Entropy murmured, distracted by a strange sensation. It
seemed like she should feel moistness in her panties, but why would that
be? She roused from that distraction to face a bigger problem. Playing
around with fancy titles was one thing, but swearing allegiance was going
to have to wait. Entropy wasn't going to start out her so-far limited
career as a crimefighter by lying. She'd have to figure out a way to
delay that oath.
Synapse noticed her hesitation and the flicker of frown on her face
almost made Entropy reconsider. It was such a shame to see such a
beautiful woman unhappy.
Then, Entropy realized what was happening, *She's using her power
on me! She's trying to condition me just like one of Pavlov's dogs.
Every time I make her happy, *I* get a pleasure surge. And when I
disappoint her, it goes away. But she thinks that I'm a woman! The
sensations she's sending me are tuned for a woman and they're not
quite working for me.*
The thought of a raging, unstoppable erection within the crushing
confines of her gaff almost caused Entropy to moan with imagined pain.
It triggered another smile on Synapse's face though, as she considered
that it was the result of turning off Entropy's stimulation. Now that
Entropy knew what to expect, she was able to sense the rise and fall of
pleasure in tune with Synapse's mood. It took almost as much
concentration not to surrender to that lovely feeling as it took to
manipulate entropy, and the superheroine was grateful for all the
practice she had had in mental control.
Entropy knew she was walking a tightrope, a dangerous one. If she
failed to respond as Synapse expected, she might get suspicious and
cease her gentle inducement in favor of more brutal methods. Yet, if
Entropy just let herself go then the powerful conditioning Synapse was
using would captivate her despite the nagging discordance of signals
for which her body had the wrong receptors. Entropy had to "taste" each
sensation as it intruded on her mind so that she could know what was
expected of her, yet never take a full bite and succumb to the power.
*Sort of like this meal,* Entropy thought, trying to distract herself
from Synapse's huge dark eyes.
Her self-imposed distraction caused her to drop her eyes to her
plate, a motion that batted those long lovely lashes that Maui had
created in a flirtation as old as womankind. Synapse noted the movement,
and misinterpreted the meaning in a way that helped Entropy's cause.
"You are quite lovely, my dear," Synapse said to Entropy in a
condescending tone. "Yet quite powerful as well. How did you come by
your powers?"
*Another test,* thought Entropy. She let her fingers reach toward
the red jewel that hung below her throat, as though it were an unconscious
reflex. But her words were deliberately vague without being totally non
responsive. "I have determined a way to control factors that are normally
random, hence my chosen name."
Then Entropy followed up with a question of her own, once again
reaching toward her own red jewel, "And you, Majesty? How did you come to
understand your own powers?"
Entropy's little play-acting with the red stone in her necklace was
meant to imply that it had something to do with her powers. In truth, it
was only ordinary sensor electronics hidden behind a decorative front.
Yet when Synapse thought of her own powers, her eyes dropped to look at
the purple jewel hanging from her golden belt. It wasn't proof, but it
was at least a hint that the jewel had some relationship to her powers.
Entropy's last clear image from the brief battle of that morning had been
Synapse pointing the scepter with yet another purple jewel in it at her
during her aborted escape attempt. The scepter clearly seemed to have
added range and focus to Synapse's special abilities. Yet, Synapse had
shown power before she stole the scepter, so that alone wasn't the source
of her strange abilities. The coincidence of similar jewels in the
scepter and the belt might have been just that. Or it might be
significant.
Synapse had started to answer the question while Entropy was
considering the significance of the purple jewels, but the caped
crimefighter quickly tuned back in to what Synapse was saying.
"We have always taken a special interest in providing pleasure to
our companions. In time, we came to realize that our abilities were
beyond those of commoners. Our research showed that the royalty of
Hawaii were reputed to have this same ability, which is what identified
our true lineage. The Scepter of Kameha'aloa'h," she said waving it as
she named it, "confirms that, of course."
"Of course," Entropy agreed, though she wasn't entirely sure just
what was confirmed. Taking advantage of Synapse's willingness to talk,
Entropy followed up with another question, "It is reported that you
arouse women, but confuse men. Is this deliberate?"
Synapse smiled the predatory grin of a lioness with a cornered prey.
It seemed to distract her from her own self-important royalty affectation.
"I enjoy many kinds of pleasure, but I found - and gave - my first and
most intense arousal with a woman. When I tried to use the same ability
with a man, it only confused him. In time, I have learned to provide
either sensation to either sex, but it still amuses me to arouse women. I
save my arousal of men for . . . special occasions."
*So much for the idea that her confusion power doesn't work on me,*
thought Entropy. *If she finds out I'm not what I seem, I'm history.
I won't be able to manipulate entropy if I can't concentrate.*
Before Entropy could think of another probing question, the "state
dinner" came to an abrupt end.
"Thank you, honored guests," Synapse said, standing as a sign of
dismissal. "Duchess Entropy, would you care to accompany us to the east
verandah? The moon is just now rising."
Then she stopped herself as she noticed the frown on Oahu's face.
"Oh, it *is* Tuesday, isn't it?" The dangerously silky smile showed on
her full lips as she continued, "And you had your pretty toy damaged this
morning. It has been a very disappointing day for you, hasn't it? Well,
never let it be said that your queen is not sympathetic to the needs of
her subjects."
Oahu grunted, and once again bent just a bit from his erect posture,
trading one sort of stiffness for another. With visible discomfort, he
straightened up, at least most of the way. His distress distracted
Entropy for a moment from the reaction displayed by Maui. Her cheeks were
flushed, and through the thin island dress she wore it was clear that an
arousal at least as great as that consuming the general had captured the
handmaiden.
"Have a nice night, my people," Synapse said airily, drawing Entropy
out with her into the moonlight.
When they reached the long porch, Entropy saw a soft mat spread near
a row of glowing candles. On the decking near the mat a bottle of wine
cooled in an ice bucket, two crystal glasses standing guard nearby.
Synapse swayed her sensual way to the mat, sliding down to lie on it
in a graceful slither that Entropy knew she could never duplicate. She
saw the dark-haired beauty, her mane a pool of midnight against the
lighter mat, and realized that she was either in real trouble or in for
that really good time that Maui had promised.
*It's a tough job,* she mused to herself, *but I guess I'm the, um,
person to, uh, handle . . . things.*
She moved as sinuously as she could to lie beside the reclining
beauty, tossing her own thick hair over her shoulder to keep it from
dropping in Synapse's face.
"I assume you didn't call me out here to discuss, oh, a long-range
economic forecast," Entropy said, then continued before Synapse could
reply. "Though I must say, your stock is certainly looking up in my
account."
That breathtaking smile broke over Synapse's face again, with a
surge of pleasure breaking through Entropy on the rebound.
*Tough, tough job,* Entropy thought, as she bent to kiss the full
lips of her captor and enemy. *I have to remember that. Synapse is the
enemy. Remember that. Don't get distracted. By her soft lips, or her
silky smile, or her luminous dark eyes. Or the sleek curves that seem to
flow under my gloves like a cool river. Or those incredible sensations
that are singing through every nerve in my body, lifting me in the most
exquisite flight I've ever enjoyed.*
Somewhere in there, Entropy lost her concentration. Again. And let
the sensations consume her until even breathing was beyond her power. It
didn't matter. At least for a while nothing mattered except the
incredible sensations that were surging through her. Finally her
inability to breathe became sufficient distraction that even Synapse's
power couldn't hold it at bay. Entropy collapsed gracelessly across the
smiling brunette, gasping desperately for air from within a corset that
had never been more challenging.
Entropy didn't - quite - pass out from the lack of air, but she was
in no shape to do more than gasp for what seemed like several minutes.
Eventually, she was able to lift herself off Synapse and focus again
on those deep, dark eyes.
"Your, uh, Majesty, ah, that was, uh, unbelievable."
"I think, under the circumstances, you can call me Syn," the brunette
replied.
"If that is Syn, then let me be condemned," the blonde said, finally
managing to get her lips closed enough for a smile. She took that
opportunity to kiss the waiting lips of the woman who had made her feel
like no one had ever done before. It was vastly more consuming than
her previous intimate experiences, and less finite in time. Aftershocks
roamed through her body as overloaded nerves settled back into merely
intense excitement.
"Syn, I would be, um, thrilled to do my best to return the gift you
have given me," Entropy offered.
Synapse smiled and said, "Thank you, dear. That is the one thing I
never require of my subjects. Many of them choose to give as good as they
get, though."
"Allow me to disagree," Entropy murmured in the other woman's ear.
"It is simply not possible to give as good as that was. I am willing to
do the best I can, though."
With that, Entropy's hands began a more intrusive reconnaissance of
the queen's body. After a few languidly inquisitive moments, she had
confirmed Maui's report that all was not quite as it seemed behind the
upper parts of Synapse's costume, but she found herself impeded from
a thorough exploration of the nether regions.
"Um, Syn, there seems to be a bit of a problem here, for those of
us who need to use more, um, traditional methods."
"Don't worry," Synapse chuckled, "I think of everything."
Hidden snaps parted to allow the leotard to move out of the way,
and it appeared that the royal tailors had run out of material for
Synapse's purple leggings in a most strategic place. Entropy took
advantage of that opportunity, first with gentle fingers, then with a
gentle tongue. Then, gentleness gave way to aggressiveness, rewarded with
a series of arched-back bucks that made it seem as though the brunette
were trying to throw her light-haired rider away from her. Entropy kept
her place in the saddle, though it was the legs of the one who bucked that
held her in place, not her own. She granted Synapse a return share of
gradually diminishing aftershocks, before finally sliding back to entwine
her arms in those of her supposed captor.
Both dark and light hair swirled together in the candlelight, a
cloud of light and a cape of night fighting without anger for the
privilege of pillowing the reclining heads of the well-used and using
women. There was something almost like regret in Entropy's heart when
she took advantage of Synapse's slumber to capture her.
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