Page 83 of Hercules

Toy soldiers.

No. No.

She mentally seized the word, but it slipped away as swiftly as her other efforts to right this wrong. The evidence, in the obscure chains around these men and her own muscles, couldn’t be fought. They were all rats, in thrall to Natasha’s upgraded pipe.

The string that was accomplishing everything Apollo claimed it could.

Apollo!

The thought was such a zap, her legs almost cooperated with a full stop. But not enough. She did collect enough fortitude to slow to a shuffle, contrasting wildly with the persistent flashes in her mind.

Apollo.

Where are you?

It’s here. Right here! In her hand! Can’t you see—

But then the flashes became explosions. Hot. Hideous. Spewing acid that rivaled even the agonizing pool in her gut.

Hercules.

Oh my God.

Herc?

What was happening? To both of them? And why weren’t they acting on this, right the hell now? They were still here, close enough that Herc’s wind-and-wood scent was prominent in her awareness. But they weren’t even thinking about moving. There wasn’t a single frustrated snort from Herc or a telltale creak from Apollo’s jacket.

What the living crap had Nat done to them?

She was helpless to turn and look, with every muscle newly enslaved to Nat. She could only call on her imagination for such an answer—but with friends like this, who needed enemies? Her mind was bombarded with more horror movie imagery, Frankenstein and The Thing colliding with gruesome impact in her synapses. Had the string’s vibrations impacted their supernatural blood? Were they more sensitive to its muscle and mind control…or markedly less? If so, had Nat taken precautionary measures and eliminated their ears—or worse?

The suppositions got worse as she was forced to tromp in Nat’s wake. Outwardly, she was a dutiful disciple of the goddess Korra, but inwardly she remained a furious rebel.

Which was responsible for the blood-red haze that encroached the edges of her eyesight? And soon, the bitterly metallic taste that invaded the linings of her cheeks? It felt like she’d slurped a B-negative smoothie, and not in any good way.

But if that were the case, she prayed it was Natasha’s blood.

Even now, after everything they’d been through together. All the experiences that turned Ms. Korra into Nat for her. All the late nights and traveling and struggling, through times that had given Lois some rare insights to the woman…

Views that still hadn’t led her to predict this.

The conclusion, piling on top of the others in her mind, had her staring at Natasha’s regal stride and princess posture with new eyes. Hardened, resentful ones. But was Nat really the monster here? Or had Lois tried to force lightning into the woman’s cold soul, igniting something that never existed? If so, which one of them really deserved to burn here?

Knock it off.

Of all the times to waste brain space on bullshit literary allegories, this wasn’t it. Damn it, she was made of tougher stuff than this. She’d had to be. She’d eluded the yakuza for seven years. Been Mom’s rock, even as the woman finally uttered shikata ga nai—it cannot be helped—and surrendered to the next world. Then she’d moved to LA and started all over again. Moved toward a dream of succeeding in one of the world’s most competitive fields. All of it had dinged her a bit, but she was not broken.

Obviously, Natasha hadn’t paid attention to that plot note. But she’d have to.

The biya might be able to control her movements, but she’d never conquer Lo’s spirit. Would gleefully invade her mind but would never claim her heart.

Someone had beaten her to that part.

Herc.

Where are you?

Her chest panged and her senses blazed as she fought to stretch out her mind, searching for a psychic sign from her Lion Man. It was agony, but it helped her survive the next agonizing steps at Natasha’s back. Weirdly, hearing Uncle Ito and his men, now falling in line behind her, didn’t bring any of the satisfaction she should’ve expected—and that was the moment that hit the hardest. Her soul sobbed with the tears she miraculously kept out of her eyes.