Army Ant said nothing for almost a full minute before slowly raising her arms. I was taken aback for a moment. Definitely expected a little more resistance.

"Are ya done now, bugbrain?" I heard Jess ask and turned to see the only other still standing drone raise her hands in surrender as well.

"I don't know. Are you?" The beaten hero replied.

"Witchling, use the Incapacitator to immobilize her. One should be hanging from her belt." I ordered, still a bit wary, but mostly relieved.

"Roger that, MC."

"You know, MC," Army Ant started, venom dripping from her words. "This situation may look bad for me, but I think during my staredown with your little friend over there..." She nodded over to Jessica. "...I found something out that could turn this whole thing around for me."

I smiled weakly, calling her bluff. "And what is that?"

"I think I know where your real body is."

I opened my mouth to reply but was interrupted by a loud scream. Panicked, I spun around to look for the source.

While Jess had bent down to take the Incapacitator off her belt, Army Ant had taken the opportunity to quickly grab Jess' wrist and, from what I could see coupled with her scream, break it.

"Witchling!" I yelled out as Army Ant dove to grab the discarded wand. It only took her a second to realize it was just a prop, and she discarded it with a huff as she took off for the dumpster.

"Oh, leaving already, my dear? I must insist that you stay." Smooth Criminal slid forward with the attempt to intercept but the hero swiftly dodged under his attack and continued unabated.

I stepped forward but felt myself being grabbed by the cowl and pulled backward. "Nighty night, scum." I heard the still-trapped drone behind me whisper into my ear before she began choking me. I felt my airways close and uselessly pawed at the appendage constricting my neck. It was no use. I had to relinquish control.

As quickly as I could without being reckless and leaving lasting damage, I disentangled my mind from her body. The world around me grew dark....

--------------------

".... back down here, ya hear me?!" was the first thing I heard after coming to again. My surroundings were still blurry but things were rapidly clearing up.

I could see the ridiculous trio and Jessica, but they were smaller......No, not smaller. I was looking at them from above. Not that high up, but high enough that none of them could follow. Jess' broken wrist rendered what would normally have been an easy task near impossible, and none of the three others had any good methods of vertical traversal. I looked around me.

It seemed like I was being carried by Army Ant, and not very gently. She had a tight grip on my cape and was dragging me upwards at a surprising pace, my whole weight being solely supported by that silly little fashion statement. They are easy to grab and very unpractical, but I didn't have one as a hero and really wanted to immerse myself in the lifestyle as a villain. Plus, I thought it looked pretty cool.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

I had read up a bit on Army Ant after she and I had that little talk when she found and "consoled" poor, little, traumatized me after the Leotigris/Angelica situation, and I faintly remembered that she had reportedly sprung for wall-climbing costume modifications fairly early on, as most bug-themed Capes did, good or bad. Still, climbing up a flat surface while bruised, beaten, and carrying a heavy load was pretty impressive. Her super-strength made it possible, but from everything I read it wasn't enough of a boost to make this easy. Her grunts and heavy breathing made that very clear.

I could jostle loose, I'm pretty sure at least, but I wasn't really all that keen on falling from any height higher than ground level. I glanced back down.

Jess was trying her damndest to get her bracelet working, pointing at me and making her usual gestures before flinching from the pain and trying again. I clenched my fists.

It hurt to see her like that. More than I imagined it would.

On a happier note, the Army Ant that had choked me out was lying unconscious on the ground, a piece of the bar wall still stuck to her back. She must've freed herself after I was out and held up the others while this drone scooped me up and dragged me away.

This was fine. A single Army Ant was left and she was bound to underestimate me. I had been trapped in scenarios like this one on many occasions as a hero. For the first time since I started my criminal career, I was fully in my element.

At this rate, it would take less than a minute for us to reach the roof of the building. Excellent. More than enough time.

Not enough to Possess her, which would always be preferable, but enough for the next best option. I looked up at her, her face strained from the effort and established a link.

Her active thoughts turned out to be very simple.

You have to get through this. You're a winner. Winners don't give up.

And repeat.

This was something of an old-school trick heroes used to be taught during their first apprenticeships. A Desperation Mantra.

Three short sentences that are simple, build on each other and are tailored to motivate you specifically. It had already fallen out of favor by the time I first started out. The only reason I had one myself was because my first mentor was close to retirement when he took me on and very much old-fashioned regarding his teachings.

Satisfied I....or rather, we pushed her this far I dug deeper, achieving Thought just in time to be pulled up on the roof.

A cascading violent torrent of emotions assaulted me. Rage, Fear, but most of all Anxiety. I felt like a nervous wreck, barely holding together, cracks littering the fragile surface. And even more critical, pain. I could feel faint traces of pain. The Armor Solution was beginning to run out.

A sly smile crept on my face. This was perfect.

She let go of my cape and plopped down on the roof. Her thoughts conveyed her intentions. A quick 1-2 minute breather, then down to the police station. No need for reinforcements and the resulting split in pay.

"Tired already? Pretty pathetic, if you ask me." I said while getting back on my feet, the distortion of my voice changer making it sound more cold and cruel than the playful arrogance I was going for.

Army Ant scowled and a new emotion rose to prominence within her. Frustration. She had hoped I'd stay out for a while. And had I not abandoned my puppet before she passed out I probably would have.

She jumped to her feet and squared up. "Well, not all of us can laze around in a dumpster all day. But hey, you Mental types aren't really known for your physical prowess, so I'm not all that worried." she lied between huffs. She was confident that she could beat me without much of a struggle, but her worries came from the fear that even the small amount of effort needed to reign me in would push her over the edge of exhaustion.

I chuckled. "Of course you aren't. Why would a hero ever show humility? It's simply not in their nature. But only when away from prying eyes of course. In front of their adoring fans they may as well be saints."

Army Ant frowned and took a swing. "Shut your mouth, scum! You know nothing about heroes!"

I could read her like a book, her intentions clear as day. A quick hit against the solar plexus to get me to my knees and end the struggle immediately. I gracefully stepped to the side, making her tumble forward a step. She had put a lot of power in that punch.

"Tell you what, hero. I am a reasonably fair woman at times. Me in perfect physical condition against you at the end of your rope wouldn't feel right to me. It'd be like taking candy from a baby." I could feel both her frustration and anger spiking to new heights. People like her were so easy to wind up. Like clockwork. "So how about this: If you manage to hit me once, no matter where, I'll concede and come with you willingly. Would you like that, princess?"

"Don't patronize me! I'm a warrior! A one-woman army! I don't need your condescension!"

I dodged blow after blow. A straightforward punch here, a fake-out there, an attempt to go for my legs....it was almost like a dance. With each miss, her desperation grew. I hadn't felt this alive in ages!

"Why.....why can't I hit you?!" she blurted out, more directed at herself than me. But I, gracious as I was, decided to answer her anyway.

"You said it yourself. You're an army. And an army reduced to a single soldier can hardly be called an army, can it?" I watched with glee as self-doubt slowly fought its way up within her. But as fun as this was, an extended rooftop brawl carried a high risk of being spotted by a patrolling flying hero, so I had to begrudgingly wrap this up early.

I waited for her to throw another punch, dodged to the side, and, after bracing myself for the pain, delivered a hard kick against the arm that had been broken when Jess smashed her against the wall.

"AAAAAAÀAAAAÀHHHH!!!!"

Her agony was intense. Luckily, whenever I experienced someone else's pain through Thought it was filtered through my own pain threshold. I couldn't imagine how this must've felt to someone who hadn't ever gotten used to feeling pain at all. I felt a twinge of pity rush through me.

It did not take long before the collapsed and writhing hero came to a stop. Our link was severed, confirming what I suspected. Passed out from the pain.

I breathed out a sigh of relief.

Finally, it was over.