Into X'ara's memories

"We are heading out now," Kori told MJ as they and Jean left the apartment, preparing to pick up X'ara from Titans Tower for their upcoming meeting.

MJ had her phone out, in the middle of texting. "Be with you girls in a moment -- just wanna send something to Cass."

MJ had sent Cassie a picture of her, Kori and Jean naked in bed they'd taken the night before. She captioned it:

MJ: Secret hot lesbian redhead club. Second Tuesday night of the month. See? It's a real thing! xoxoxo ;)

On the way to Titans Tower, Cassie texted her back, telling her:

Cassie: That's it, I'm starting a lesbian blonde club

MJ chuckled loudly. Maybe these clubs should be a real thing, she thought. She was sure she and Cassie could plan some pretty great interclub activities.

MJ: DO IT

Cassie: I totally will. I'm gonna mention it to Gwen tonight

MJ's laughing got even louder, prompting curiosity from Kori & Jean. "What are you laughing at?" Kori asked.

"Just having some fun with Cass," MJ explained. "It's kind of an in joke. I'll explain later."

The trio arrived at Titans Tower, where a very nervous-looking X'ara awaited them on the ground floor. MJ, Jean & Kori took turns hugging her, then escorted her to the Looker agency, where Emily and Betsy were waiting.

"You're sure you want to do this?" Emily asked X'ara, still worried about the Tamaranean girl's mental state.

Scared, yet resolute, X'ara nodded. "If I can help, than I will."

"All right then," Jean said. "Betts & I will be as gentle as possible, but this may still be painful."

"Do what you must," X'ara said, determination in her eyes.

"All right, then. Close your eyes..."

Jean and Betsy established a mind link with X'ara, probing her memories from the time she signed with Kingsley. They saw all the **** she had suffered at the hands of his cronies, the awful conditions she worked and lived in, the lack of any real control she had over her own life -- it was awful. And Kingsley's men believed they could get away with it, as X'ara was an alien with nowhere else to go. On more than one occasion, she was told that nobody cared about her; she was expendable and nobody was coming to save her, so she had **** but to obey like an obedient little ****.

And then they came across the source of X'ara's trauma -- she had witnessed Roderick Kingsley mercilessly kill two young aspiring models without blinking. He murdered them with an inhuman strength, and even though she was Tamaranean, X'ara would have been no match for him. He then turned to her with a crazed look in his eye and coldly stated, "They disobeyed me."

It was at that moment when X'ara felt truly helpless, like there was no way out of her situation. Kingsley quickly and neatly had the murders covered up, and even though X'ara was a witness, she was too scared to come forward. After all, he was a billionaire fashio mogul, and she was an alien who wasn't even supposed to be on this planet. Who would have believed her? This led to feelings of serious guilt, sending X'ara into an even worse downward spiral. So she suppressed the memory. Still, she was a witness, and Kingsley became increasingly paranoid and obsessed with her, tormenting her as the Hobgoblin.

"Oh god..." Jean whimpered, tears in her eyes as they ended the mind link. "X'ara, I'm so sorry."

Jean tightly hugged X'ara, who was sobbing herself after recalling those painful memories. "I failed them... I was too afraid to speak up..."

"It's not your fault," Betsy said comfortingly, stroking X'ara's arm. "Kingsley killed those girls, not you."

"You were scared, powerless and alone," Jean added. "There wasn't much you could have done. But you're not alone anymore. You have us. You can speak up now."

Emily, MJ and Kori looked at the trio, worry on their faces. Clearly whatever Jean and Betsy had uncovered, it was seriously awful.

Jean and Betsy explained the situation to the other women, and MJ & Kori began to cry themselves. Who could do those horrible things to such a sweet young woman? They walked over to X'ara, who was still shaken, and gently held her. Kori whispered reassurances to X'ara, telling her: "We will make sure Kingsley pays for what he did. We will see justice for those two poor women."

A tearful X'ara nodded her head. "Thank you..." she whispered.

Emily place a comforting hand on X'ara's shoulder. "Thank you, X'ara. This is an excellent starting point for our investigation into Kingsley. We'll bring him down, I promise."

Betsy also patted the Tamaranean girl's shoulder. "And just so you know, we care about you."

"Damn right we do," MJ agreed. "You've got friends here now."

X'ara smiled tearfully. MJ & Kori had been so good to her, and she felt more than gratitude towards them -- she felt love. She felt safe, as though control over her life was within reach once again. She hoped that some day she'd be able to repay MJ & Kori's kindness, and maybe... just maybe... they could become lovers someday too? The thought certainly appealed to X'ara. They were so in love with each other... could X'ara ever be a part of that?

Even as X'ara felt herself starting to yearn for MJ & Kori, she knew those personal feelings had to take a back seat for now. She had to sort our her own trauma before even thinking about her love life. And what was more, Roderick Kingsley needed to be dealt with.

MJ's phone vibrated, and she pulled it out and read the message. it from Gwen:

Gwen: Got a lot of info on Kingsley and his Oscorp investment. Let's meet up now to talk about it

Gwen: Also, I spoke to Cass. We're totally starting our own lesbian blonde club now

MJ chuckled at the joke and then turned to the rest of the group. "I gotta go -- my friend Gwen's turned up a bunch of info on Kingsley and wants to discuss it."

"Sounds helpful. Let me know what you find," Emily requested.

"Sure thing, boss," MJ said before saying her goodbyes to the rest of the group. She hugged X'ara gently, and gave Kori a loving kiss. As she prepared to leave, Jean pulled her in for a amorous kiss of her own. Betsy was shocked by the sudden display of affection -- where had that come from?

L'Euphorie nightclub

The night had been an unbridled success for the Essence modeling agency. They were the highlight of a very well-received fashion show, and the a crowd full of high-profile models, celebrities, socialites and industry insiders were enjoying a very exciting after-party... until the Hobgoblin struck. Screaming in to the club on his glider, he began tossing pumpkin bombs indiscriminately, causing partygoers to flee in terror. He continued his frenzied **** until he was tackled by the Looker agency's rep at the party; Mari McCabe, also known as Vixen. An successful model and fashion designer in her own right, Mari didn't need any convincing to join Looker after Emily explained her intentions; she didn't hesitate at lunging at Hobgoblin, slamming him to the ground and barraging him with claw swipes. Hobgoblin was taken by surprise, and with a swift kick from Mari's heel , he was sent crashing through a nearby table.

Hobgoblin quickly retreated, seeing no point in a prolonged brawl; he wasn't going to risk any other heroes getting involved and a possible arrest. Besides, he'd made his point; anyone he saw as competition to Kingsley's fashion empire was no longer safe. Mari chased him for several blocks before he got away; she then called Emily and informed her of the situation. Kingsley was becoming even more unhinged, and it wouldn't be long before he targeted Looker.