The next steps

It wasn’t very often that Derek made it to school on time. With a power like his, it was easy to get distracted. But for the first time in his life, he was genuinely glad to walk the pristine, ornate halls of Gotham Academy. Various students milled about as the filed into their first classes of the day, but he couldn’t catch sight of the one he wanted to see.

Maybe she’s already in class.

Nodding to himself, Derek changed direction and headed down another hallway towards his first class of the day. Artemis and he shared much of their schedule, including their morning history class.

He peaked his head in the doorway and frowned.

No Artemis.

It wasn’t like Artemis to skip school and she looked just fine when he’d dropped her off at her apartment. Something must have happened.

Barbara Gordon leveled a concerned, blue-eyed gaze at him. He stared back. The shapely redhead looked away quickly.

Derek glared at the back of her head.

Two years of friendship and now they were trading glances at each other like strangers.

He prepared a minor illusion and watched as it settled over the rest of the class. To everyone in the room, it would seem he was sitting at his desk dutifully taking notes while the teacher outlined the lesson for the day. He felt a familiar tingle in the back of his mind that told him his abilities were working as they should.

He whipped out his cellphone and brought up Artemis’ contact. He typed a quick message.

“I’m in class right now. Everything ok?”

He sent the text off to his pseudo-girlfriend. Despite the fact that the blonde was unerringly self-reliant and likely even better adapted to Gotham than he was, she didn’t have any metahuman abilities. He knew she at least had some martial arts training. The way she walked and analyzed the world around her were clear tells that she’d had professional instruction. Worry nibbled at him like small fish in the ocean.

Derek shook his head. He thought back to his time with Artemis and then Harleen. He’d fucked two hot blondes within the last twenty-four hours, but he still wanted more. He wanted Artemis to be with him all the time, fully aware of what he could do and accepting of it. It was an unlikely fantasy, which only made it more appealing. He cursed how limited his ability to manipulate others was.

He sighed.

I did learn that I can affect people in their dreams. Artemis seemed to treat me almost completely different from the way she did normally, and that was after one night of controlling every aspect of her dreams. I wonder how much I can affect a person after weeks, months of constant dream manipulation.

A small smile played at his lips as he imagined the willful Artemis growing practically obsessed with him to the point of not being able to live without his influence inside her mind. He glanced at Barbara again. Maybe if he was successful with Artemis he could start with his former friend. The redhead was stunningly beautiful with perfect pale skin and a fantastic body honed from her participation in school sports.

He settled into his seat, letting the teacher’s lesson drone on in the background. He periodically checked his phone to see if there were any messages, but Artemis didn’t reply.

The bell buzzed nearly an hour later. Derek picked up his things and moved to leave the classroom.

“Hey, Derek.”

A familiar feminine voice made him look up at Barbara Gordon. The redhead’s eyes were firm. She gave him a smile that didn’t quite reach her ears.

“Babs. It’s been a while,” he quirked an eyebrow. “So how’ve you been?”

“I’m well, thanks for asking,” she glanced at the desk next to Derek’s. “Is Artemis home sick for the day?”

“I’m not sure,” Derek shrugged. “She seemed just fine last night. And this morning.”

He waggled his eyebrows and smiled.

Barbara winced.

“I see,” she sighed. “Derek, we need to talk. Can you meet me during lunch?”

“I don’t know. You see, my schedule’s pretty busy. I might be able to get back with you in about… how long’s it been since you started ignoring me? Oh yeah, I’ll get back to you in two years.”

He grabbed his bag and stood up.

She moved in from of him so quickly he almost blinked in shock.

“Derek, please. It’s important,” she said.

Barbara stared at him, her pretty blue eyes imploring him. Where had this concern been over the past two years? Why was it manifesting now?

I can try and find out.

He took a step towards her, letting an illusion settle over her senses. Reaching out with his hand, he grasped her left breast through her blouse. It was big and perky and only partially protected by whatever bra she wore under her outfit.

“Alright, I’ll meet you in the cafeteria. But this had better be important,” he grasped her other breast with his left hand, relishing in the way she couldn’t even perceive what he was doing to her. How would she react if he stripped her of all of her clothes and dispelled the illusion, he wondered.

Barbara nodded, a small smile on her face.

You think you’ve won. That’s funny.

“It is. And Derek… thanks,” she nodded before turning to leave. He stared after her skirt-clad bubble butt. It swayed enticingly as she walked, daring him to grope it.

He smirked.

“No. Thank you.”

Barbara was waiting for him at the door. She tapped her foot impatiently, which was so unlike her. Whatever she wanted to talk about must have been eating away her for her to act like this.

She couldn’t see him, of course. No one in the cafeteria could, not unless he wanted them to.

He’d always known she was beautiful, but he’d never really looked at her in that way. Maybe it was their history together holding him back, but using his powers on her the same way he did other women had seemed wrong.

Derek reached a hand underneath Barbara’s skirt and grabbed a handful of her ass. It was surprisingly soft and juicy considering she was very much an athlete. He gave it a pinch, delighting in the free reign his ability gave him over her body. Her ass was so pliant and yielding to his touch it was almost as if it had been sculpted for that very purpose.

He reached lower, tracing his fingers over her delectable ass until he brushed against her panties. He slipped his fingers underneath her garment, looping around until they rested over her pussy. He teased her lips, letting her feel it.

She jolted in place, glancing down between her legs. Seemingly unaware of him, she shook her head.

“Where is he?” Barbara muttered. The tapping of her foot had grown even more intense. He wondered what it was that causing her to act like this.

He gave her a smack on the butt before dropping the illusion.

“Hey Babs!”

The redhead whirled around so fast her skirt rose up and exposed the barest hint of her black panties. Her blue eyes scanned the area, as if looking for a threat. They zeroed in on him and narrowed.

“Derek. What the hell?” she said. Her fists clenched and unclenched. Her body had taken on a weird martial arts pose for a few moments before relaxing.

“What? I thought we were meeting for lunch,” Derek smirked. She glared at him for that. “Oh come on. You can’t still be mad at me for whatever it is I did to make you stop talking to me.”

She sighed. Her glare subsided, her eyes giving Derek a more complicated look he couldn’t decipher.

“I was just wondering how you got into the cafeteria without me noticing,” she shook her head. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter now. Let’s go get our lunches and then we can talk.”

Derek nodded and followed her to the other end of the cafeteria. Students were beginning to line up there. He grabbed a tray for himself and decided on two slices of pepperoni pizza with a bag of chips. He smirked. Angela would probably have scolded him on his meal choice.

She would have looked much more kindly on Barbara’s choice of lunch. A large salad with lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and cucumber. She dabbed on a little dressing. Just enough to alter the taste, but seemingly not enough to negatively affect whatever diet she was on.

A perfectionist like her probably counts calories.

She couldn’t be more different in personality from Artemis if she tried, but he was still inexplicably drawn to her. It probably had something to do with the familiarity of her presence, but right at that moment he knew he wanted to get her under his thrall like he did Artemis.

His thoughts were so distracting that he barely realized that they’d sat down before Barbara spoke.

“So… how are you? I’ve been wanting to check in on you and see how you were doing for a while now.”

Derek quirked an eyebrow, taking a bite out of his slice of pizza. It was cheesy and delicious. He swallowed.

“So why haven’t you? Why ignore me for two years only to start talking to me now?”

Barbara picked at her salad with her fork, but didn’t eat any. Her blue eyes stared into his.

“I can’t tell you that,” she flatly. Before Derek fire off a barrage of questions, she continued. “Please, Derek. If our friendship meant anything to you, you'll trust me on this.”

Derek bit down on the reflexive barb he wanted to throw at her. Insults bubbled within him like magma before a volcanic eruption. He calmed himself. Yelling at Barbara wouldn’t get him the answers he wanted. She was too strong and stubborn for that, and any persistence on his part would only cause her to throw up more walls between them.

“Fine,” he took another bite of his pizza. He stared at her meaningfully.

Barbara nodded.

“Thank you. So I couldn’t help but notice you and Artemis Crock have been spending a lot of time together lately. Is there something going on between you two?” she stared at him pensively, as if searching him for an answer she already knew.

He frowned.

“Is that what this is about?” he asked. “Why does it matter if I’m close with Artemis or not?”

“Because she’s seeing someone,” Barbara bit out. After a few moments, she continued. “He’s a good guy and one of my friends. I don’t want to see him get hurt. So please. Whatever it is you and Artemis have going, drop it.”

Derek snorted.

She’s friends with Wally? What the hell? She cares about him getting hurt, but not me?

“Are you serious?” Derek dropped his pizza back on the plate. He suddenly didn’t feel like eating anymore. “You ghost me for two years and the only reason – the only reason you even talk to me again is to tell me I might hurt some other guy’s feelings. How do you think I felt when you ditched me, huh? You think that was fun? Why don’t you take your own fucking advice?”

He’d been cautiously optimistic when their conversation had first started. There had even been the slight spark of hope that they could rekindle their friendship. Now that hope had been smothered like last stubborn ember of a withered candle.

Barbara glared at him, her eyes like chipped sapphires. He should have known she wouldn’t back down. She nodded.

“You’re right,” she almost whispered. “What I did was wrong, but so is what you’re doing.”

Derek smiled at her, relishing the hurt look on her face. The naked regret on her face was a stark contrast with her usual self-righteousness.

“I don’t care. Maybe if you’d been nicer to me I would have listened, but you threw away our friendship years ago. You still won’t tell even tell me why,” he shook his head and stood up from his seat. “You know, when you said you wanted to talk I was hoping you wanted to be friends again and hang out like we used to. I miss those days.”

Barbara merely stared at him. He waited for her to say that she felt the same way or that she was sorry, but she stayed silent.

She really hates me, doesn’t she?

Derek ignored the hurt that welled up in his chest.

At least now I won’t feel bad when I eventually start really using my powers on her like I did Artemis.

And he would, if for no other reason than to finally get answers out of her, to say nothing of having regular access to her beautiful body.

“See you around, Barbara.”

He took a certain amount of pleasure when she winced at the use of her full name. With a small smile, he turned around and left the cafeteria. He felt her eyes boring a hole in the back of his skull as he walked.

His phone rang as he entered the hallway. He retrieved it from his pocket. His heart quickened when he saw Artemis’ caller ID.

“Hey, what’s up? I didn’t see you in class this morning. Everything alright?” Derek answered.

There was a long pause on the other end of the call, and for a moment he was worried he might have come across as too clingy.

It’s Babs. Our little talk took me completely off-balance.

He needed something stable to hang on to. Or someone.

“Derek,” Artemis replied, her voice strangely neutral and far away, like she were speaking from the other end of a tunnel. “Some guys… they… they hurt me and I need your help. Please, Derek.”

Derek’s eyes widened.

“Where are you?”

She told him.

Artemis blinked. Her forehead itched. She tried to move her hand to scratch the itch, but it wouldn’t budge.

“What the hell?” she glanced down at her hand only to find it fastened tight in a pair of handcuffs. “Why the fuck am I naked?”

Her brown eyes were wide as she beheld her nude form. Her dusky skin was slick with sweat, chilling her in the cool air of the room. Her nipples were hard, standing straight up thanks to the cold.

She grimaced. She was on some kind of hospital bed. Her arms and legs were fastened to it. She tried the restraints. They wouldn’t budge.

This is bad.

“How did I end up here?”

“Oh, that’s easy. We drove here, and you were oh-so-cooperative,” a woman’s voice said. The room was very dark, so it was hard for her to see anything, but she just barely glimpsed a feminine silhouette on the other side of the room.

A light above her flicked on. She groaned and closed her eyes, the pure white light near-blinding her.

Slowly, she opened her eyes as they adjusted to the room’s new lighting. The area was sparsely populated. It looked like it had once had a decent amount of furniture if the faded markings on the carpet were any indication. The windows were closed and barred by some kind of hardboard that had been drilled into the walls.

Her eyes flicked upward to study her captor.

“You. You’re the woman I met on the street. The one who followed me in the sedan,” she furrowed her brow. Her head felt heavy, like she’d gone a full day without sleep. “Why can’t I remember anything after that?”

The blonde woman grinned at her. She still wore the damp blouse and skirt she had on earlier. She was beautiful and had a voluptuous body that would certainly have drawn Derek’s gaze, but there was something off about her eyes. The way she looked at her.

“You were in a hypnotic trance, happily obeying my orders. I didn’t allow you to remember anything while that was happening because it would spoil the fun we have planned for Derek,” she said.

Artemis blinked. She could remember hearing the woman say a few words before she’d woken up on the bed. A small tremor of fear coursed through her. Oliver had told her little about the time he’d been brainwashed by the Light, but she could tell it had left a scar upon him that he bore years later.

Derek? Is she talking about my Derek?

The mention of her pseudo-boyfriend caused her heart to quicken. Her pussy pulsed and moistened and despite the seriousness of her situation, she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of him.

“Derek? Who’s that?” she muttered.

The woman’s smile only grew. She tapped an until-then hidden remote control in her hand. A television screen positioned at the foot of her bed flicked on, displaying an image of her and Derek kissing outside her apartment.

Her eyes widened. She stared imploringly into the eyes of her captor.

“Okay, that Derek. Look, I barely know him. He doesn’t have anything to do with this so just leave him alone!”

Her captor laughed. It was a cackling, maniacal sound that grated on her ears and made her wish her hands were free so she could plug her ears.

“What’s so funny, you freak?” she ground out through clenched teeth.

The woman walked up to the side of her bed. She looked down on her, blue eyes gleaming even as her head partially eclipsed the ceiling light. Her smile was gone now.

“You know, just this morning I was a brilliant, upstanding psychiatrist. Sure, I had a... let’s just say unhealthy fascination with the boy you like so much, but I was slow. Careful. I let him use me to his heart’s content because I knew he deserved nothing less.”

What in the world is she even talking about?

“Then the PI I hired sent me that disgusting picture. I knew I had to act fast or risk losing him forever,” she muttered.

Artemis narrowed her eyes at the woman, something finally coming into focus.

“You’re his psychiatrist. Doctor Quinzel.”

Her captor chuckled, causing her large breasts to jiggle underneath her blouse.

“Oo, you’re a sharp one. I’d ask you to call me Harleen, but my sweet Derek is the only one allowed to use my first name…” Harleen leaned over her. She massaged her own breasts. “You see these stains here? That’s Derek’s cum. Smell it! It’s soooo good.”

Harleen pushed her breasts upward and inhaled loudly through her nose.

“Oh god…” her body quivered.

“What the fuck…” Artemis was nearly at a loss for words. She tried at her restraints again while her captor was distracted.

The clattering noise only seemed to get Harleen’s attention again.

“Trying to escape is pointless. Even if you somehow got free, I’d just put you under again. Have you dance to my tune. Hm,” she stared at her. “You’re not bad looking. Maybe I’ll keep you around as a blank, mindless fucktoy for Derek. He’s on his way here now, by the way, thanks to your invitation.”

Her heart skipped a beat.

Oh god. What did she make me do?

“That’s right. I made you bring him here. See, he thinks you’re hurt. He’s going to come and try to ‘save’ you,” she said.

Hope blossomed in Artemis’ chest. The idea of Derek rushing in to rescue her sounded like a dream come true. She pictured him charging in, completely shirtless of course, and wielding a sword?

Okay, that’s a little strange. I do think he’s hot enough to pull off the look, though. But why would Harleen want him here?

Her hope turned to worry.

“Why bring him here?” she asked. “Why do any of this?”

“Because Derek is my soulmate! He’s mine, not yours! No one will ever understand him like I do!” Harleen screamed. Her blue eyes grew wet, shimmering with unshed tears.

Artemis shook her head. The woman was clearly mentally unstable. She’d seemed to have developed an unhealthy infatuation with Derek, too, which was very bad.

“Then try me. Make me understand,” Artemis replied softly.

Harleen glared at her as if she’d tried to snatch away her toy.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you, you little wannabe hero? Well, I can certainly do that. If nothing else, it’ll vilify him forever in your eyes. Actually, that’s a great idea. Thanks for the suggestion,” she moved to the other end of the room. She picked up a chair and placed it at the side of her bed. She sat down.

“Now. Let me tell you a little something about Derek Taylor and his metahuman abilities…”