BUT MAYBE YOU’RE RIGHT…

GERRY

After giving it some thought, I decided on BUT MAYBE YOU’RE RIGHT… as the lovely Captain’s new trait. Like with Supergirl, this trait gave me much more direct control over my victim, and it would make manipulating her and gaining Submission Points much easier. Which was ultimately the goal at the end of the day, to make these supposedly all-powerful, high and mighty bitches my submissive little slaves.

Besides, this particular trait gave me a few ideas. A few naughty, clever ideas.

My eyes flickered over to my computer screen, where a transcript of Carter’s ‘mental health evaluation’ was being transcribed in real time. She was expressing her frustrations quite… colorfully.

I hacked into the psychologist’s personal system. For their part, it seemed as if they’d already completed their assessment of Carter’s mental health.

Evaluation: Captain Carter exhibits elevated levels of irritability, but psychologically appears to be near baseline. Stress might be a factor in her current mental state however. Records indicate that Carter has been working non-stop and taking every field mission available. Recommended that she be given a one month leave of absence to unwind.

Apparently they were just letting the good Captain vent before sending her off and sending the evaluation to Hill.

I grinned to myself. Such a shame that the evaluation that Hill received would be quite a bit different.

PEGGY

“You’re benching me?!” I shouted.

Once again, I found myself in Hill’s office. Seething.

“I’m doing what the evaluation recommended.” Hill stated calmly. “I’m no mental health expert. I’ll defer to their judgment on this.”

“This is bullshit! You need me!”

“Do I?” Hill quirked an eyebrow. “Supervillain activity is non-existent these days, and almost all of our international incidents can be handled by standard shield agents. We’re at peace, soldier. It’s okay to rest.”

She wasn’t wrong. I said nothing.

“As I’ve said,” Hill continued. “I’m deferring to the experts on this. You can take a look at the evaluation yourself.”

Hill turned her monitor to face me. I leaned forward and read the evaluation.

Evaluation: Captain Carter exhibits signs of elevated stress and irritability. Records indicate that Carter has been working non-stop and taking every field mission available. It is clear that she is overworked and could possibly be suffering from a mental break. Recommended that she be given a one month’s leave of absence and receive further therapy from specialist. Contact information on a reputable and dependable specialist below:

“A bloody mental break?! That’s what they think happened?” I was about a half second away from driving my fist through the wall.

“It’s what they think happened.” Hill confirmed blandly. “And I’m rather convinced that they might be onto something. Your behavior today has been erratic to say the very least, captain. You look about ready to put your fist through my wall.”

“That’s because this is all bloody ridiculous!” I growled, before taking a deep breath. Getting angry clearly wasn’t getting anything done. “I don’t need a therapist. I don’t need time off. I’m perfectly in control of all of my faculties.”

“Even if I did believe you,” Hill said, “I’m not going to supercede a trained professional’s recommendation when it comes to the mental well-being of my subordinates. I’m scheduling you for a month off and I’ve already set a date for your first session with the therapist.”

I sighed. There was no point in arguing with her. Hill was hardly going to budge anytime soon. “When?”

“You can meet him at his office two days from now.” Hill got to her feet. “And don’t even think about skipping the appointment, because your leave of absence is getting extended until I receive an ‘all-clear’ from the specialist. Now, unless you have any questions, Captain Carter, you’re dismissed.”

GERRY

I listened to Hill and Carter’s conversation with a perverse sense of glee. Things were going exactly to plan. Granted, the plan required that I scrambled to maintain the illusion of Carter’s fluctuating mental health plausible, but so far, so good. Carter herself even seemed to be going along with it just to get the ordeal done with. Which was a mistake she’d live to regret soon enough…

So, that gave me two days to set up my little rendezvous with the good captain. Two days to set up a fake office, establish my fake identity, and make my way from National City to New York. It would be a bit of a time crunch, but I should have the resources to make it all work.

I picked up my phone. Might as well get started.