Sue Storm's Inhibitions Return

Sue Storm broke the kiss just as the crowd began to murmur in the darkened club. Then the emergency lighting came on, low and red. Someone shouted out:

"Nobody panic!"

Which caused a small stampede for the doors. The Invisible Woman was off of Karla's lap in a trice, and she vanished. Karla swore as she felt the weight leave her lap, saw drinks spill from the bar top as invisible feet kicked them away. She glimpsed the door to the back open, and then she was moving, as the crowd moved around her, half the club trying to rush the doors while security tried to avoid a crush.

Moonstone walked into the back of the club like she was meant to be there, still tasting those lips, heart fluttering with unexpected excitement.

"Sue?" Karla asked as she opened the dressing room. It appeared to be empty. "Are you here?"

There was no noise for a long three heartbeats. Then a raw whisper.

"I don't understand. I just...lost control."

The Invisible Woman faded into view. In the dim red emergency lights, her nearly transparent outfit looked slightly ridiculous, like an extra from a low-budget science fiction film. The kind where the actresses were hired for their tits, not their talent.

Karla offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Believe it or not, this is a good indication," the psychiatrist said.

Sue sniffed. "How do you figure?"

"Your power set," Karla said, carefully stepping closer. "Carries with it considerable capacity for abuse. An invisible sex offender could victimize people without them being aware of it. Or do so in a way that leaves no evidence, no means to track them. Someone with your powers could walk down the streets of New York City and molest everyone, follow the most powerful people in the city into their most secret places and sexually assault them, and they would be powerless to resist...and in the end, there would be no evidence left behind."

"But I would never!" Sue said.

"Exactly," Karla put her hand on Sue's shoulder. "You could molest other people, but you don't. You could have made that entire crowd out there's clothing turn invisible, but you didn't. Your sexual hangups aren't about exposing other people or hurting other people. They're all about your fear of exposing yourself."

Sue didn't flinch as Karla's other hand found the heroine's other shoulder. Karla gently began to squeeze and massage.

"You see? You made progress tonight because you let your guard down. You let yourself be seen. I don't have to worry about you hurting other people. All we have to do is get you to come out—"

Karla froze, not sure how to end that. She felt that her next words were going to be very important.