Miasma, Chapter 1

Pena Duro, Santa Prisca

While Mary Jane Watson, Barbara Gordon, Kitty Pryde, Koriand'r & Gwen Stacy were sharing a blissful night together, elsewhere in the Caribbean one of their most formidable foes was sitting in solitary confinement, safely locked away after his transfer from the Raft. Or so the warden of Pena Duro thought.

Santa Prisca was a hotbed for the venom trade. Created from the DNA of an alien life form, venom was developed into a highly dangerous, highly illegal steroid that could amplify the user's strength exponentially... if they survived the process. Eddie Bane, a once prominent journalist who covered the dealings in Santa Prisca, had volunteered himself as a test subject for the venom injection process years ago; after the Batclaw had solved a case on the island and exposed one of Bane's stories as a lie, Bane was fired and disgraced. Vowing ****, he saw venom as his opportunity to "break the Batclaw". Being the only one who could handle the alien steroid, he quickly took over Santa Prisca's underworld, and not long after, became a feared name in Gotham as well. After his first defeat at the hands of the Batclaw, in which he pushed Gotham's protector and his proteges to their absolute limits, he resurfaced in New York City and ran roughshod over its underworld until a group of heroes, including Spider-Girl subdued him. He had been locked up at the Raft for the past couple of years until an agreement was reached to return him to Pena Duro in his home country.

"Eddie Bane. I've been waiting a long time to finally meet you," said the prison warden, eyeing up his new prisoner with disgust. "I wanted to look you in the eye before your execution and tell you what a disgrace you are to our island."

"Perhaps to you," Bane answered defiantly. "To many here, I am a hero. I know you, warden. You are one of the island's elite. You are corrupt. You look down on those of us who have suffered and attempt to rationalize your treatment of us. You say we deserve our suffering."

"In your case, it's true. You are wretched refuse, tarnishing the good name of our island. But that ends with your execution. You will not be missed."

"You're wrong. I am Santa Prisca's redemption. And soon, you will know our true potential."

"'Our true potential? You're all alone down here, fool."

Bane looked at the scared prison guard who had accompanied the warden. "Guard. You are little more than a child, are you not? You work a thankless job for people who consider you beneath them. We see your potential. We believe you are capable of so much more."

"You've become delusional, Bane. There is no one else down here."

"Oh, but there is," Bane retorted as a black tar-like substance began to seep through the vents of Bane's cell. The substance made its way into Bane's veins, causing immense muscle growth. Meanwhile, Bane's teeth deformed into razor sharp fangs, and he smiled at the now terrified warden, who realized that that black tar was venom. Somehow, Bane was summoning it...

"Do you understand now, warden? Venom is much more than a simple steroid. It's alive. And we share a unique bond... you know that venom and bane are synonymous, don't you? They can both mean poison... and we are a poisonous cloud, ready to purge our home of its pompous aristocracy. We... are Miasma."

Bane tore apart the bars of his cell. As the warden attempted to escape, a tendril shot out of Bane's wrist, grabbing the warden and pulling him helplessly towards the hulking beast.

"It's been a while since our last meal," Miasma growled in a monstrous voice. "the elite of Santa Prisca will make for a great buffet."

"All right! All-you-can-eat brains!" A symbiotic voice echoed inside Bane's head.

The prison guard turned his head and shut his eyes, terrified to look at the grisly sight of Miasma devouring his boss. He opened his eyes once the screams and gnashing sounds stopped and saw Miasma towering over him.

"We are Miasma. We are the future of Santa Prisca," Miasma told the guard. "You have a choice, boy. Pledge allegiance to me, and you will no longer be bound by the shackles of those who profit from your suffering."

The terrified young man looked at Bane, and paused for a moment. The Santa Priscan elite had always looked down on him and his family. No matter how hard they worked, no matter what they did, they were always considered little more than dirt. Maybe he'd be able to carve out a better life for himself working for Miasma.

"I accept your offer, Mr. Bane..."

Manhattan

Months later

Barbara Gordon's eyes fluttered open and she awoke with a wide smile on her face -- it was hard not to for her these days, since she'd gotten engaged -- first, to longtime girlfriend Mary Jane Watson, then to the polyamorous trio of Kitty Pryde, Koriand'r and Gwen Stacy, who she and MJ befriended after an attempted **** by Jervis Arcade. Smiling, she gave the sleeping MJ a kiss on the cheek. As she did, MJ's eyes opened and she began to stir, a blissful smile on her face. "Hmmmmm. Morning, babe," MJ cooed, happily turning to face her fiancee and kiss her.

It wasn't long before both Barbara and MJ felt lips on their neck and shoulders and hands exploring their bodies. MJ turned to kiss Kori, and Barbara did the same to Kitty. Eventually, the entire group were exchanging good morning kisses, casually stroking and groping at one another.

Since the unexpected proposal, their lives had been utter bliss. Any worries or doubts they had about their relationship were quickly erased -- as it turned out, their biggest challenge was looking for a place with a shower big enough to fit five people comfortably.

The group chose to settle in New York -- Gotham, as always, was under the Batclaw's watch, and Nightcat's old territory of Bludhaven was now being watched by her close friend and fellow Batclaw protege Anna Marie, also known as the Rogue Hood. Gwen joined Barbara in working at ESU, while MJ & Kori continued to work as models, now working closely together; meanwhile, Kitty proceeded to work as a full time vigilante. Officially, though, she was an employee at Wayne Logan Industries. The arrangement ended up working out better than any of the girls could have hoped -- they were tremendously successful in keeping the streets safe, and they'd never enjoyed it more.

"Mmmmm... morning, fiancees," Barbara purred. "I still feel weird saying that. I have four fiancees -- none of this feels real."

"I know," Gwen agreed. "It was really awkward explaining everything to my dad..."

"Same here," Barbara echoed. "My dad kept on asking if MJ & I had joined some sort of cult. In the end, though, he basically told me 'if you're happy, I'm happy', so it all ended up fine."

Gwen grinned and kissed Barbara's cheek. "Sounds like my conversation with my dad... I still don't think he gets how this all works, but he's been supportive. And he thinks all of you are great."

"All Logan said was 'A five-way marriage? I don't get you kids. You coulda done a lot worse, though -- I'm happy for ya.'" Kitty said in her best Batclaw impersonation, causing the group to burst out laughing at her attempt at a guttural growl.

"Now say 'I'm the best at what I do. I'm Batclaw'," MJ chuckled.

"Forget it, bub. I ain't yer puppet... I am vengeance. I am the night," Kitty growled again, causing the group to crack up once again.

"OK, that was even better," MJ smiled, bringing her lips to Kitty's and grabbing one of her breasts. She began kneading and massaging the tit as the pair began to make out, feeling the nipple grow hard against her hand; Kitty responded by groping at MJ's ass, clutching it tightly in her fingers. Seeing Kitty and MJ getting so affectionate, Barbara and Kori both pounced on Gwen and took her nipples between their lips, the blonde eagerly moaning her approval.

A couple of hours and a lot of orgasms later, the group decided to get up and walked hand in hand to the shower, once again spending far too much time cleaning one another. Since moving in together, marathon orgies between the five fiancees had more or less become a nightly thing, and provided they had nowhere to be at the time, were frequent in the morning as well.

"Anyone got anywhere to be today?" Kitty wondered, hoping the group would have the full day to themselves.

"Kori and I have a fashion shoot at 3," MJ answered. "And I think Babs has to stop by the library for something."

"That's right. It's a meeting that should last a couple of hours... I should be home by 6."

"Alright... I guess I'll see you girls then," Kitty said, slightly disappointed that the group fun wasn't going to last the entire day.

"Hey, I'll still be here," Gwen purred before planting kisses across Kitty's clavicle. "And I don't think anybody has any plans for tomorrow..."

Kori, MJ & Barbara confirmed Gwen's assumption, and the group made plans for another romantic evening.

That night, the fivesome were curled up on the couch, drinks in hand. Candles were lit to set the mood, and all five women teasingly stroked and teased one another affectionately as they talked.

"Anyone here think we're still a little overdressed?" Gwen remarked.

"I think that whenever we're wearing clothes around the apartment," Kori agreed. "The human need to remain clothed, either alone or around one's lovers, has always confounded me."

"Oh?" MJ asked, her curiosity piqued. "You'd prefer to be naked all the time?"

Kori nodded and confirmed MJ's assumption. "Privately, yes. Many Tamaraneans, prefer to spend their time with their lovers in the nude when not in public. We feel it creates a more intimate bond with our sexual partners."

"Nice... I kinda want to do a trial run now," MJ approved. "How about the rest of you?"

"Hey, we spend a ton of time naked together anyway. Why not go all the way with it?" Kitty agreed.

Gwen echoed Kitty's sentiment. "Kitty's right. And I can't think of a better team bonding exercise for us..."

Kori grinned widely, clearly overjoyed by her fiancees' eagerness. "Of all the Tamaranean practices I've wished to share with you, this is the one I've been most excited about."

"Not that I'm against the idea, but the five of us, naked all the time... how're we going to get anything done?" Barbara wondered.

"Very slowly, I guess," Gwen mused. "With a lot of distractions."

"Ehh, I'm sure I'll manage. I'm sure the morale boost will more than make up for any drops in productivity," Barbara joked.

MJ looked at Barbara and chuckled at her comments. "God, you're a dork. Now get that top off -- I wanna start this whole 'always naked' thing right away."

Barbara stood up and began teasing her increasingly excited lovers, slowly unbuttoning her shirt,

Unfortunately, before Barbara could get too far into her striptease, the group's amorous mood was ruined when a figure crashed through the girls' apartment window, and the girls' amorous mood gave way to horror as they recognized the badly beaten young woman lying on their floor.

"Oh my god... Laura?!" Kitty shrieked. The woman was Laura Logan, the daughter of Wayne Logan... the Batclaw. Laura had taken up the mantle of Starling, working alongside her father. A vicious, aggressive brawler who was as tough as nails, Laura rarely lost a fight, and here she was, beaten badly . Whoever did this wasn't someone to be taken lightly.

The girls were quick to react, providing first aid and calling medical help, Laura's father Wayne, and her stepmother Mariko.

"Stay sharp," Gwen cautioned. "Whoever did this is probably going to be here soon..."

"...Eddie Bane..." Laura muttered weakly. "...Eddie Bane's back..."