SSV: Project STATIC Part 3: Game Over

Chapter 4

"Please," a weak and broken voice whimpered, "Please, I just want to go home…"

Ingrid frowned as she walked over to the chair she'd strapped her latest playmate to. The girl was a dead ringer for Beth, but her spirit and vigor was absolutely pathetic. She'd tried having her clean her feet, but she was just too sad at that. She'd done a poor job sucking the sweat out of her panties, and she was clearly inept with her tongue. Serving as a cushion for her ass was about the only thing she was good for, but she did a lousy job sucking up her farts. No, this girl was a failure in every sense of the word.

"Ugh, are you whining again?" Ingrid asked, annoyed and sick of hearing her toy complain, "Get it through your thick skull, this is your home now. Honestly, you're lucky to get hi this close to me. Do you have any idea how many people would pay for what you're getting? You're fortunate enough to get it for free, and all you can do is cry and pout. I guess it's lucky I've got gas because maybe it'll drown out your crying."

"No-no, please!" the girl screamed as Ingrid marched over and hiked up her skirt, "Please, I'm-mmph!"

"Ah, at least your nose fits in my crack nicely," Ingrid smiled, wiggling her hips to use her toy's nose as a scratcher, "I better hear sniffing when you get air breaks!"

The nanotech that Ingrid had gotten from her new employer was incredible, but it still had room for improvement. Her subjects did whatever she wanted, but they're emotions and minds were still their own. That meant that they could cry, beg, whine, and otherwise annoy her unless she specifically commanded them to keep quiet. Unfortunately, that command didn't always work out too well. One of her first victims had died because of it, and all because she couldn't tell Ingrid she was in trouble. Truthfully, Ingrid probably should have felt more guilty than she did. She wrote it off as impatience, but some part of her felt concerned that she felt next to nothing whenever one of the girls died.

Weeks ago, Ingrid wouldn't have ever considered killing anyone, not outside of a video game that is. However, since waking from the experimental surgery with that crazy Anna Murray, she'd noticed a few things different about herself. Her sadistic side, something that used to be more of a part time kink, had become more pronounced afterwards. Having her body worshiped was incredible, and her thoughts continued wandering to Beth in various compromising positions. Her borderline obsession had turned to blatant stalking of her crush, and Beth was almost all she could think about. She wanted her, no, she needed her to belong to her.

The drones she'd modified between testing her latest software helped to quell her growing obsession, but they also served to infuriate her more as well. With them, she'd managed to learn quite a bit about Beth, Jake, and that blonde vixen that had stolen her love. It was amazing how easily people overlooked insects even though they were out of season. People were idiots; that thought still hadn't changed with Ingrid. Ingrid now knew Beth's routines, habits, friends, family, and even some of her more intimate secrets and kinks because of her spying. Most notably, she discovered that Beth wore a collar given to her by that blonde bimbo at all times. She watched several times as Beth would fiddle with the charm dangling from it as she sat idle while out in the field.

Perhaps most interesting was watching Beth go out at night. It was tempting for Ingrid to make a move now, but she had forced herself to wait and study her crush. Beth was a phenomenal shot, shockingly acrobatic and athletic, and could brawl with the best and worst the city had to offer. She'd watched replays of several fights between The Feral and various gangs throughout the city. One thing that Ingrid was learning was that Beth was driven by a single focus. Of course, her crush had always been one track minded, but this was slightly different. The gangs she'd been going after were all trafficking girls into servitude and slavery. Beth was a gallant knight for these girls, and it would have been admirable if it weren't for the fact that she wasn't Ingrid's. They could have done wonderful things together if Beth had just let her in years ago.

The rest of her footage, mostly on the blonde bitch and the billionaire simp, was sent to her employer. She could have cared less about what either of those two morons did, but Eva wanted the footage for her own purposes. Whatever, as long as her checks cleared and she got what she wanted, Ingrid didn't care. All that mattered was getting her beloved fireball, perfecting her software, and finding her happiness. Jake and that witchy freak were merely obstacles on her path to success in her opinion.

Ingrid had been sitting on her living cushion for about half an hour when she felt her start to wretch and gag beneath her. Could this girl do anything right? She'd been trying to review some of the coding for her latest creation, but that was becoming increasingly difficult with a face gagging under her. "Ugh, are you stupid or something?!" Ingrid snapped as she stood up, "Answer me, you idiot!"

"No, I-" the girl started before Ingrid cut her off and started undoing her restraints.

"Wrong answer, idiot," Ingrid growled as she hatched an idea, "Congratulations, moron, you just earned yourself a place in my newest work. Since you can't even take a few farts without being a whiney little shit, we're going to find a better purpose for you. Get up and follow me, girl."

The poor girl was absolutely terrified as Ingrid led her through the warehouse to where her prized creation was waiting. "Please, miss, I'm sorry," the girl whimpered, "I-"

"Stop talking," Ingrid ordered, calmly and swiped a card to unlock the door to a massive chamber housing multiple computers and several chairs, "I want you to keep quiet for now, and have a seat in this chair over here. You're going to be my latest test subject."

The girl whimpered as she found herself unable to ask the questions running rampant through her head. Instead, as she'd done for over a week now, she blindly did as she was told and sat down in the large chair. Her eyes darted around at the many wires and pieces of technology littering the room. What was about to happen to her? What did she mean latest test subject? Who was this crazy woman, and why was she doing this to her? She sat still and waited for her tormentor to do what she was going to do to her. She watched as this insane woman grabbed a helmet with several wires attached to it and slapped it on her head.

"There we go, nice and comfy?" Ingrid asked as she adjusted the helmet and switched it on, "Just kidding, I could care less. You're probably wondering what this is, and lucky for you, I'm happy to share. This is a gateway into a new and wonderful world that you're going to be calling home from now on. Your mind is going to interface with a system I've rigged up, and all you have to do is survive! Don't worry, I'll be watching periodically. Oh, before I forget, you die in this and your body dies in reality. Any questions?"

The girl panicked and tried to speak, but the command was still registering in her mind. "No?" Ingrid giggled, "Good deal, have fun!"

Ingrid laughed as she watched her test subject shake and convulse. She stopped after a moment, and Ingrid checked the machine beside the chair to make sure her vitals were registering. Thankfully, they were. The last three she'd installed into the game had flatlined upon interfacing, but it looked like she'd finally managed to perfect the installation process. It was a good thing too; it meant she was finally almost ready for her grand plan. Not a moment too soon, either. She'd just slotted her last toy into her game, but she needed more data before launching it on the two thorns in her side. Soon, very soon, she'd have exactly what she wanted.

—-----

Pam walked down the stairs to the Birdcage trying not to show her nerves and anxiety. It had been a week since Jake had managed to convince Beth to take some time off, and her girlfriend had finally gotten restless enough to go out despite Pam's pleading. After Jake had shared his findings from his encounter with Kaitlyn, Pam's anxiety had reached a new high. She'd been tempted to bind Beth to their apartment, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Their relationship had evolved beyond just a domme and sub, and it wouldn't be fair to Beth to do that. Still, it didn't mean she had to like that Beth was willingly putting herself in the line of fire. Her conviction was one of the things about her Kitten that infuriated her, yet it was something that endeared her to her pet.

Jake was on the phone when Pam finally crossed the last step, and he nodded at her as he finished up. She took a seat at his computer and looked over what he'd been digging into. "You're sure it's her?" Jake asked, pacing behind Pam, "I know, I know, she's hard to mistake, but this just doesn't seem possible. Can you blame me for double checking?"

Pam frowned as she felt the confusion and mild anxiety radiating from her friend. Whatever was bothering him, he'd share it soon enough. In the meantime, she noticed the webpage he had pulled up. A recent article covering an unexpected explosion at the museum in Citiville was open. One of the exhibits had apparently and unexplainably caught fire in the middle of the night, and the security cameras had gone offline shortly after three in the morning. Pam furrowed her brow as she read the item in question: the Blood Ruby. The very same one that Jake had been asking about had been shipped to the museum, and it had only arrived a few days before the incident. The gem was almost completely untouched except for a crack that had formed in the center. Experts were baffled by this discovery.

"Right, no, I understand," Jake sighed behind her, "No, nothing to report on Murray or the kidnappings outside of what I already emailed you. Thanks, Zoey, if I find anything out I'll be in touch. Say hi to Sam for me, and tell her I'm sorry I haven't called this week."

Jake ran a hand through his hair as he hung up the phone and gave his full attention to Pam. "Another update from Zoey?" Pam asked, "Or were you discussing whatever this is with her?"

"That's a story I'll get to, and I hope they're not related," Jake sighed, "She was calling to tell me about a call she got from the CVPD. Apparently, they found a woman encased in ice that matches the description of the Amazon. This is after finding three others either burned to a crisp or frozen solid. The chief of police called Zoey to confirm that she was still at large, give her the description, and to let her know they're waiting on forensics to find a way to break through the ice."

"You're joking," Pam frowned, "They think they found that monster frozen? Wait, what do you mean they're waiting to find a way to break through the ice?"

"Not sure how much plainer I can say that, Pam," Jake shrugged, "I mean, they cannot figure out a way to get through it. It's not melting, and they can't even scratch the casing."

"Don't be a dick, I'm not in the mood," Pam warned, standing up and crossing her arms as she thought aloud, "I asked because the article you had pulled up and the timing of this seems strange. I could be wrong, but that stone was used as a conduit throughout the ages. It has direct ties to the supernatural, and it's absorbed enough residual magic that even a novice could invoke something from it."

"You think someone cast a freeze spell on her?" Jake asked.

"Maybe," Pam shrugged, "If ice won't break, then there's a chance that it could be arcane in origin. The properties wouldn't be the same as traditional ice. Rebecca’s castle is still in Citiville, and I doubt that the police have touched it recently. It was warded and littered with traps to keep intruders out. Still, Abigail sent her drones in to retrieve Rebecca’s grimoire, and there are plenty of artifacts in those walls that could give someone quite a significant boost in power."

"Fucking peachy," Jake groaned, "Just what we need, more magic users."

"Careful, Jake, I'm standing right here," Pam said.

"You know what I mean, Pam," Jake said, "It's just with everything else already going on, this is the last thing that we need."

"Mm, I smell dissent and deceit," Courtney's voice came from her prison, "How utterly, delightfully, wonderful and predictable!"

"I thought you said you were going to put an intercom system in on that, Jake," Pam glared at the glass wall holding the undead ex Courtney Tellar.

"Kind of got put on the back burner with everything else we've had going on," Jake admitted, "Just ignore her."

"Easier said than done," Pam frowned, "It's more difficult when I'm already on edge."

"What's the matter, Pammy?" Courtney asked with a hateful laugh, "Worried about your precious kitty-cat getting herself killed? I can help take your mind off of that. Just step inside my lovely little home, and I'll turn that idiotic mind of yours around!"

"Filthy vermin," Pam spat, marching over to the glass, "Keep your mouth shut, you repulsive wretch! I come in there, and I'll rip you to shreds before you can blink!"

"Oh, so this is why Beth likes you," Courtney cackled, "Violent and insecure, how predictably pathetic can you get?"

"Shut up!" Pam snapped, slamming her palm against the glass and shooting a shockwave through it that pushed Courtney back.

"Oh, buy a girl a drink first, Pammy," Courtney giggled as she stumbled, "I thought you were a one woman kind of girl."

"I said be quiet!" Pam snapped again, raising her hands and letting them crackle.

"Pam!" Jake shouted, putting a hand on her shoulder, "Stop, you're going to short out the security systems. She's playing with you."

"Don't spoil my fun, Jake," Courtney glared at him, "Where's your sense of adventure, hmm? It's no wonder that we didn't work out with your boring and selfish tendencies."

"That's enough, Courtney," Jake said, gently pulling Pam back.

"Hmph, you're no fun," Courtney scoffed, crossing her arms, "I'm sick of sitting here waiting, Jake."

"Then why don't we put you back to sleep?" Jake asked, hitting a button on the side of her cage to fill the chamber with sleeping gas.

"You can't run forever, Jake," Courtney cackled as the gas slowly filled her prison, "Ticktock, Jake, ticktock, time is running out for all of you. I'll be the one standing in the end, and you'll have a new home in my belly. We'll be together forever, you just don't know it yet!"

Jake pulled Pam away as Courtney began coughing before succumbing to the sleeping gas. He shook his head and sighed, "Sorry about that."

"Next time sedate her before I come down," Pam said, glaring at the smokey prison, "You might want to save her, but you won't get the chance if she continues to mouth off to me like that."

"Breathe, Pam," Jake said, stepping back as she stormed off, "Is everything okay at home?"

"What do you think?" Pam snapped, turning and glaring at him, "Beth is out there as we speak, despite me begging her to stay in, and I'm down here meeting with you."

"Woah, I didn't make you come here," Jake reminded her, "You called me, Pam, not the other way around."

Pam sighed and shook her head as she crossed her arms, "I know, I know. Beth wouldn't let me accompany her. I was hoping you had an update on things."

"I wish I did," Jake said, walking past her and taking a seat, "All I've got is some results on the toxin sample Kait sent over. I've been pinging different servers at banks, firms, and other major businesses in hopes that I'd find some trace of Ingrid tampering with them, but I haven't had any luck. She's been silent outside of these abductions."

"I still say we should have told Beth about her," Pam sighed, "You know I hate lying to her."

"I know," Jake said, "I'll be sure to tell her that I made you do it, Pam. She can shoot me if she wants, but I'll make it clear that you wanted to be honest with her."

"Things were simpler when I could just give an order and expect her to follow without question," Pam admitted.

"Simpler maybe, but you're happier now, right?" Jake asked.

"When we're not up to our eyeballs in chaos, yes," Pam smiled, "You two are magnets for insanity, but it's worth it to wake up next to her."

Jake was reminded of Sally's point about Pam becoming a loose cannon should something happen to Beth. His friend was kind and caring, but he knew full well the danger that she could pose when pushed too far. He'd seen it first hand twice now, but this was different. Abigail had been outside of the city, and Rebecca had already turned Metropolis into a war zone beforehand. Ingrid was playing with fire and forces that she didn't understand, and his city was still rebuilding. If Ingrid were to hurt Beth, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that Pam would be a furious maelstrom of rage. He honestly wasn't sure what she would do, but her composure would only hold for so long. Jake dreaded to think what damage Pam could do if her patience reached its limit.

“It’ll be alright, Pam,” Jake assured her, hoping that he was telling the truth, “Beth can take care of herself, and Ingrid isn’t exactly a fighter. I doubt that she’ll make a move openly against Beth.”

“I hope you’re right, but we’re talking about a girl who has abducted almost a dozen girls in the last month,” Pam sighed, shaking her head, “I’ll be checking in with Beth soon. She sometimes thinks that my warding on her collar is overbearing, but it gives me peace of mind. In the meantime, what are your thoughts on The Amazon and her potential demise? I know you think that another mage is at play, but why would they attack her?”

“Wrong place, wrong time?” Jake shrugged, genuinely unsure, “It’s hard to say, but she had a history of being a bully to people besides me. It’s the timing of the fire at the museum and this that has me unsettled. The Blood Ruby is still intact, but from what you’ve told me, and what I’ve read, that thing is some kind of arcane focus, right?”

“That’s partially correct,” Pam explained, holding out her hand and conjuring an image of the stone to explain, “Imagine it like a piece of machinery, if you will. By itself, it does nothing, but when combined and exposed to various energy sources, it begins to take on new properties. As more magic has been poured into it, channeled through it, and expended from it, the stone would begin to alter itself. The base components remain unchanged, but gems have a pureness about them that makes them ideal for acting as channeling objects.”

Jake watched as strands of light swirled around and into the illusion in Pam’s hand. The stone started to glow, and Pam spread her fingers to enlarge the image until he could see small explosions happening within. It looked almost like a galaxy rendered with a red tint to it, but the stars were collapsing in on themselves before reforming into new ones. The strands of light billowed out of it before circling around the stone and back into it. Watching it, Jake felt somehow more confused than he had only a few seconds ago.

“Now, as time continues to pass,” Pam continued, zooming out until the stone was once again hovering over her palm, “The object begins to take on and produce its own arcane field of energy. It allows someone close to it, even someone without training, to feel the charge in the surrounding atmosphere. It’s like a static field, in a way, but this is where it becomes dangerous. If someone is capable and powerful enough, they can manipulate the field surrounding the stone to their own benefit. This could be using the powers within the stone to bolster their own abilities, casting more powerful spells, or even opening doors to other dimensions.”

“What do you think is happening then?” Jake asked, trying to process everything his friend was saying.

“That, I cannot say for certain,” Pam admitted, “The Ruby was left in the exhibit, so I don’t think that someone was trying to use it for their own ends. Whoever this mage is, they may have been able to tap into the field around it, or their own energy may have caused a reaction from it. Do you know where they found the body, or any of the other bodies in question?”

“I don’t,” Jake replied with a frown, “I didn’t think to ask Zoey, and I doubt that she asked the chief of police either. That’s not exactly something that is relevant considering that this happened outside of her jurisdiction.”

“That’s fair,” Pam nodded, “Whatever the case, it’s possible that these could be tied together. It’s also possible that it could be two separate incidents. The stone is volatile, Jake, and it could have simply had a cluster within itself that finally broke. The explosions I showed you on the inside aren’t exaggerated representations. Rebecca had objects similar to this that had to be kept in a specialized vault because they were likely to go off from lack of use. If the magic inside isn’t expelled, it can cause problems in the physical world. To most people, that stone is just a piece of history. They don’t realize that magic is entirely real, nor do they realize that myths and legends almost always have a root of truth at their base.”

“I still don’t like it,” Jake sighed, walking back to take a seat at his computer, “The timing just feels off, and we have continually missed things that were right in front of us. Talking with Kait gave me some insight into just how much I’ve been overlooking recently. I don't want to miss something else that could prove to be a larger threat down the line."

"I understand that, but an immediate threat takes priority over something happening in another city, Jake," Pam pointed out, "Send word to Kaitlyn and her little playmate, and let them look into it while we work on this."

"I feel like you're slightly biased given Beth is the target here," Jake countered, pulling up various grids and maps on his computer, "Still, I can't really argue against your logic. Kait even said that it's better for us to keep handling things on the front-end while they work in the shadows. I do want to ask about one more thing with what happened over in Citiville. Did you sense anything major over the last week? Something that you might consider to be a disturbance, or something like that?"

"You mean, like a disruption in the weave?" Pam asked, "I wish I was that powerful, Jake, but this sort of distance would make it almost impossible to sense anything."

"It was worth asking about," Jake sighed, "I'm going to see if anything is amiss with the electrical grids in the city. Maybe there's been a spike or something that I've overlooked that can lead us to Ingrid. It's a slim chance, but it's the only thing I can think of until I can go out tonight."

Pam nodded and took a seat at a table not far from Jake, "It's as good a plan as any, I suppose."

Pam closed her eyes and decided that while Jake was working, she'd check in on Beth. Maybe she was being overly paranoid, but she would rather be safe than sorry. Locating Beth’s collar was a simple task, but she frowned as the image came through her mind's eye. She could see a filthy subway station, but the collar wasn't moving. Furthermore, Pam couldn't sense Beth's life-force. She pushed her energy outward to see what was going on, but there was nothing there. A faint sense of fear and terror clung to the runestone, and Pam immediately closed the connection. She shot up and whirled around at Jake.

"Something wrong?" Jake asked, hearing the chair skid backward as Pam got to her feet.

"It's Beth," Pam said, her fists shaking and voice trembling, "Something's happened, Jake."

"What do you mean?" Jake asked, spinning around to face his friend.

"I mean something happened to her!" Pam snapped, "Her collar isn't on her, and I can sense dread and fear still on it. We need to move, now."

Jake's eyes widened. One thing Beth never went without was the collar Pam had given her. Ever since their time in Citiville, Beth always kept it around her neck and close by. Even when Pam and her had been fighting, Beth still never took it off. "Right, let me get changed," he said, hurrying to grab his suit and praying that his friend was okay.

—--

Beth fidgeted with her phone as she sat back in her seat, keeping her bag tucked between her legs underneath it. To say she was on edge would be putting it lightly. With the recent string of abductions and accidents involving the Metropolis subway, Beth had been purposefully avoiding the subways. Four girls matching her description had taken their lives by jumping in front of the train. All of the girls who had done it had been on the phone, pleading for their lives beforehand. However, neither Jake or her had found any strong leads. Their phones had either been destroyed in the accidents, or, the one phone that had been found had been completely wiped after the accident somehow. It didn’t make sense, but it had been affecting Beth more than she’d been letting on in front of Jake and Pam. The truth was, Beth was torn between fear and righteous anger. Whoever was doing this was targeting her; that much she knew, but chasing ghosts was more terrifying than she cared to admit.

Pam had brought up dyeing Beth’s hair, something besides its usual hot pink, but Beth had waved the idea off at first. As time went on, though, Beth had been secretly giving it more thought. Among other things hidden in her bag was a box of dye. Much as she didn’t want to, maybe Pam had a point. There was such thing as being too careful. Beth had gone out tonight in hopes of finding a lead, or possibly discovering saving one of the victims from whoever was taking these girls. After hours of searching and beating down thugs in the alleyways, warehouses, and trap houses, she'd come up empty handed. The only upside had been that she'd broken up another ring of smugglers and traffickers. Another group of girls had been saved, but not one of them looked like her.

Beth’s eyes scanned the empty subway car. One of the things that never bothered her about the subway was her stop, especially now. Her and Pam’s apartment was in a residential part of the city that didn’t see much foot traffic. Most of the time that meant when she took the subway, she was usually alone. It made it much easier to keep an eye on anyone suspicious getting on or off the train. If anyone was dumb enough to try anything, they’d be in for a world of hurt. Always ready for a fight, Beth kept her concealed underneath her jacket on her hip. Even after an evening of fighting and cracking skulls, Beth was ready for anything. The fact that she was on edge only heightened her adrenaline. Her foot tapped nervously as she waited for her stop. Did it usually take this long, or were her nerves simply playing with her head?

Beth sat back and closed her eyes, trying to shake off her previous nerves. How long had she been on the train? She was sure from where she’d gotten on to her stop near her and Pam’s apartment was usually only a ten minute train ride, but it felt like it had been longer. Beth opened her eyes, glanced out the window, and frowned. She didn’t recognize this part of the tunnel. Strange as it sounded, she’d taken the train enough times to know what the subway tunnels looked like near her stop. Combined with the fact that she and Jake had traversed the subway tunnels on foot more than once meant she had a better mental map of the subway than most. She was certain she didn’t recognize this portion of the track. Beth stood up and drew her pistol. She made sure she was alone in the subway car, before opening the front door of the car. Stepping forward with careful and deliberate footfalls, Beth made her way to the front where the conductor was located. She was going to find out where the hell they were going one way or another.

The car was empty, but she had to be sure. After sweeping and clearing another car, Beth opened the door to the control room. Nothing and nobody except a control terminal sat flashing in the main compartment. Beth frowned before she recalled that a few years ago Jake’s company had automated the trains. Blackridge Inc. software kept the trains running on time, on route, and without the risk of human error. But, then why the hell the train hadn’t stopped at her usual stop? She watched as the breaking lights switched on, and looked out the front window as the train came to the end of the line. The train came to a stop, and doors opened. Beth had a bad feeling as she took a tentative step back into the previous car. She kept her pistol at the ready as she walked to one of the open doors.

Beth stepped out onto the subway platform, steeling her nerves as she did. She knew Metropolis well enough to know where she was. This was an old Brunswick Enterprises station, but it hadn’t been in use since the company had gone under. Once upon a time, it had been used to transport workers to and from offices and warehouses, but Beth didn’t even think the train went this way anymore. Jake hadn’t appropriated any of these buildings or warehouses on this side of town since clearing them out. It was chiefly because there was nothing else on this side of town. It was separated from the rest of the city by a couple miles of thruway, and there was only one train route that went this way.

As Beth took another couple of steps forward, she checked her surroundings before heading for the stairs to go topside. Unbeknownst to her, a figure stepped out of the shadows behind a column with a gleeful smile. Beth didn't hear the sound of the figures boots until she finally spoke up, “Hi Beth. How was the train ride?”

Beth quickly spun around and aimed her pistol at whoever had just crept up behind her, but slowly lowered her gun down as she saw who it was, “I-Ingrid?”

“Aw, you do remember me- I guess Communications class left an impression after all?” Ingrid smiled and took another step closer to Beth, allowing Beth to get a better look at her.

The raven haired tech wiz never put much time into her appearance back in college, but Ingrid looked like she hadn’t slept in days, and her dark makeup was smeared down from her eyes, across her cheeks. It was clear more had been applied to try and hide the dark circles and bags that had formed under and around her eyes. The girl was never neat, but she looked positively unhinged at the moment. What was more unsettling was the wide smile on her face. Despite how rough she looked, Ingrid's face looked positively excited as she stepped forward with her hands behind her back. Beth took a step back as her nerves went into overdrive. Something wasn't right here, and she hated the feeling of uncertainty washing over her.

“IIngrid, what’s going on?" Beth asked, barely managing to keep the tremble out of her voice, "Why am I here? Why are you here?

Ingrid took another step towards her, and Beth instinctively raised her gun, but she froze as Ingrid spoke in a much more commanding tone, “Drop the gun, Beth.”

Beth's hand shook as she fought against an unexplainable urge to do as she was told. Her grip loosened, and her gun clattered as it hit the ground. Beth stared down at her pistol in disbelief. What the hell was going on? Beth swallowed as she looked up at Ingrid, "W-what the fuck?"

Ingrid couldn’t stifle a giggle at Beth’s look of shock, “Sorry, I know it’s not your usual way home, but I really needed to talk to you, alone.”

Realization was beginning to set in for Beth as Ingrid twirled her phone between her fingers. “Y-you… how did you…”

“You’d be surprised at all of the things I have control over now, Beth," Ingrid smiled sweetly before her tone switched back to that commanding one from seconds ago, "Stop looking at me like that… Smile.”

Instantly, despite how deeply uncomfortable and borderline afraid Beth was, she felt her face muscles relax. Her lips curved upward into a smile for Ingrid. “That's better,” Ingrid cooed, taking another step closer to Beth.

Ingrid reached down and grabbed Beth's gun. She smirked as she tucked it into her waistband. Beth narrowed her eyes as she tried to push her fear down. Ingrid may have somehow disarmed her, but she didn't need her guns to fight. She went to make a move at her, but Ingrid froze her in place with another command, “Don’t move.”

Beth almost instantly felt her entire body lock up, and she stopped halfway with the kick she had started to throw. Slowly, she lowered her foot back on the ground. Her fears were quickly mounting by the second as Ingrid smiled and took one last step to close the distance between them. Beth couldn’t fight the shutter at how close Ingrid was to her now. The hacker was now only a couple of inches away, deliberately invading Beth’s personal space. "Ingrid," Beth started, her voice shaking, "Wh-what is going on?

“Why didn’t you tell me you were into girls?” Ingrid asked, canting her head to the side and ignoring Beth's question.

Ingrid started to slowly circle Beth and hum to herself. Beth’s eyes went wide as memories of rejecting Ingrid back in college bubbled to the surface, “Ingrid, it’s complicated, please, I didn’t mean to-..”

“Because if I remember correctly, what you told me, years ago, was that you weren’t in to girls, and that’s why you didn’t want to go on a date with me,” Ingrid cut her off, her voice betraying just the slightest bit of anger despite somehow keeping that unsettling smile on her face, “And yet, now I'm learning Beth Thompson is really, really into girls. So either, Beth Thompson lied to me back in college… or, her tastes have changed in the last couple of years. And considering what happened to the last couple of girls who lied to me…” Ingrid paused to look over her shoulder at the tracks, “I guess you’ve discovered a new side of yourself since college, haven’t you Beth?”

Whatever terror Beth was feeling tripled in an instant as she realized what Ingrid was implying, “Ingrid, I-it’s complicated, I never meant to-…I-I mean, yes, I have a girlfriend now, a-and..”

“Great!” Ingrid exclaimed with a wide grin as she clapped her hands together, “Then I guess there’s nothing stopping us from going on that date now, right? I’m feeling a night in, just the two of us. Come on, Beth. Hold my hand and walk with me.”

Ingrid extended a hand to Beth, and Beth, once again, somehow under the command of Ingrid’s voice, did as she was told. She shook as she reached out and her hand laced her fingers with Ingrid's. Ingrid smiled as she led Beth up the stairs and into the city streets. Beth was screaming on the inside as her anxiety soared through the roof. Ingrid stopped and turned back to Beth. The look in her eyes was more unsettling than ever; a mixture of adoration and insanity. Her hand moved to Beth's throat, and she grabbed Beth’s collar. With a forceful tug that made Beth stumble, she snapped the leather strap. Beth wanted to scream, but something whatever power Ingrid had over her kept her silent. Beth felt herself tear up as she watched her collar and charm fall to the filthy steps and clatter back down to the subway station.

“You won’t be needing that. I’ve got one for you back at my place.” Ingrid said, reaching up and wiping a tear away, "Aw, don't cry, cutie, it's okay. You'll forget about that other girl soon enough, and I know just how to take your mind off of her. My feet have been killing me all day. You don't mind rubbing them for me when we get home, do you, cutie?”

Beth was still smiling outwardly, but inside she was furious and afraid. Her lips trembled as she shook her head, "N-no, o-of course not…"

"That's a good girl," Ingrid cooed, pulling Beth along and leaving her to wonder what sort of hell she'd just walked into.