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A render for 's A Bird in the Hand - Part 1 of 2Lakeside City, 1931“This is the place.” Blackbird crouched behind a stack of crates, peering over the top at the darkened dockside building. Goldfinch ducked down beside her bustier companion, glancing nervously behind them. “Are you sure, Blackbird? That brewery looks like it’s been closed down for a decade at least.”Blackbird gave a confident smile and nodded towards a car parked outside the front entrance. “That’s Mather’s car alright.”Goldfinch raised her slim but curvaceous body to take a look herself. “And who is this guy again?”“Dr. Harold Mather. Used to be a professor at Lakeside University until he snapped. Started messing around with mind control or something. He got kicked out and put in a mental ward, but he escaped from there six days ago.”“So he’s crazy?” Goldfinch said. She wrung her gloved hands, a subtle clue that she was nervous. “No crazier than the rest of the goons we capture every day,” Blackbird said with more confidence than she felt. What she was deliberately not telling her partner was the disturbing addition that after Mather’s escape his cell had been found filled with pictures of Goldfinch. “We’ve got this, Goldfinch.”“Alright,” Goldfinch said as she straightened up. She punched one gloved hand into the other. “Let’s do this, Blackbird.”Blackbird smiled and rose from cover as well. Goldfinch wore a yellow one-piece outfit trimmed in black, cut high over her curvy hips, and fishnet stockings on her long, shapely legs. The costume covered her neck and perky breasts but left her shoulders bare. She also wore black boots, gloves, a utility belt and a black birdwing-shaped domino mask over her eyes. A goldfinch symbol was emblazoned over her left breast. She had beautiful long blond hair that fell down in curly waves past her shoulders. She was an absolute bombshell with a perfect hourglass figure, and the sexy attire that hugged her sweet curves only accentuated her lovely physique. Blackbird, on the other hand, wore a tight-fitting gray and black corset top that left her arms and shoulders bare, with black gloves and high-heeled black boots. On her left breast was emblazoned the symbol of a blackbird. Her legs were clad in fishnet stockings, and her black domino mask was winged like a bird.. Her wavy black hair fell down to her shoulders.The two shapely women moved swiftly to the entrance to the dark and silent brewery. Blackbird paused at the door, testing the handle. She nodded back at Goldfinch, then opened the door. The two young crimefighters slipped inside. It was dark, almost too dark to see anything at all. It was dim enough to make out some desks and stacked barrels against one wall. Blackbird turned to Goldfinch in the darkness. “Alright,” she whispered, “stay behind me. Mather could be anywhere in here. Let’s start with–”Blinding bright overhead lights suddenly flared to life, bathing the room with a fluorescent glare. Blackbird and Goldfinch both winced at the sudden bright light. “What the–?” Blackbird started to say.“Welcome, welcome!” a voice cackled over a loudspeaker. “So nice to have guests. I do hope you’ll stay awhile.”A steel door slammed down over the entrance they came in, and another steel partition slammed down over a second doorway on the other side of the room.“We’re trapped!” Goldfinch gasped.“Yes, my beautiful young heroine, you are!” the voice boomed. “And you both look so tired. How about a nice little nap?”A sudden vibrant hissing noise came from two vents set high in the walls.“Gas!” Blackbird shouted. She slapped a hand over her face. “Goldfinch, get your gas mask on!” She reached for her own utility belt.Goldfinch covered her own face as well and reached for her belt. “Now now,” the voice continued, “even sexy crimefighters need their beauty sleep. Just relax and close your eyes…”Blackbird got the gas mask off her utility belt, but her arm suddenly felt enormously heavy, like there were weights attached. The room around her blurred and started to spin. She felt dizzy and muddled. Her eyes were closing on their own, and she couldn’t seem to keep them open. Her legs felt wobbly and weak. The urge to sleep was overwhelming. “Blackbird…” Goldfinch sighed. She swayed on her booted feet, her eyes crossed and her face slack. Her gas mask was held loosely in her hand, and it dropped uselessly to the floor. “I don’t…feel…”Goldfinch gave a sweet little sigh. A peaceful, dreamy look came over her face and her eyes rolled back into her head. She collapsed onto the floor, lying on her side.“Gold…finch…” Blackbird groaned. She tried to take a step towards her unconscious friend, but her legs wouldn’t seem to work. The mask. Blackbird had to get the gas mask on. Didn’t she? She was so tired and confused right now. It was so hard to lift her hand to her face. Getting the gas mask on seemed like an impossible task. And it didn’t seem nearly as important anymore. It made Blackbird giggle just to think about it.“Thaaat’s right,” came the soothing voice. “Your friend is already off in lullabye land, Blackbird. Why don’t you join her? Go to sleep, my sweet little bird.”Blackbird tried to respond, but her eyes were so heavy and her tongue felt swollen and thick. She collapsed to her knees, the gas mask dropping on the floor beside her. She had been trying to do something, but she couldn’t remember now what it had been. Something…important…“Sleeeeep…” the voice said over the sound of hissing gas, somewhere far above her.It sounded like such a good idea. Blackbird could never remember being so tired. A nap was exactly what she needed. Just for a minute. She would just close her eyes…just…for…With one last defeated sigh, Blackbird’s eyes rolled gently shut and she slumped forward onto her large breasts. Seconds later, she was snoring softly. ***“Mmppphh! Rmmphh!!”Blackbird woke to the sounds of muffled grunting and screaming. Something warm and soft bumped against her right side, nudging her reluctantly but inevitably out of the comforting blanket of unconsciousness. Blackbird slowly blinked her eyes open, only to see a dark ceiling far above her. Funny, it didn’t look like the ceiling of her bedroom, and it didn’t seem like it was morning. For a long, disorienting moment Blackbird couldn’t remember where she was or what she was doing. That disorienting moment ended swiftly. Blackbird tried to move, but she found to her horror that her hands were tied behind her, and her legs were tied together tightly as well. She glanced to her right to see Goldfinch lying beside her. The blonde beauty was tied hand and foot and was gagged as well. She was wiggling and squirming, bumping repeatedly into Blackbird.“Hrrrghmmphh!” Goldfinch’s eyes were wide as she stared pleadingly at Blackbird.“Grrhmppphhh.” Blackbird tried to speak, but found her words come out as muffled nonsense. She was gagged as well, some kind of strong cloth wedged in her mouth and tied around the back of her head.This was bad. Very, very bad. Both Blackbird and Goldfinch were tied hand and foot, gagged and in the lair of some insane villain. They were both completely helpless and at his mercy. Blushing with shame at her predicament, Blackbird rolled to one side, squirming and trying to reach her utility belt with her tied hands.It was gone, of course. Glancing to the side Blackbird could see both her and Goldfinch’s utility belts slung over a nearby crate. “Well, well, it appears my two sleeping beauties have finally awoken.” A figure emerged out of the darkness, solidifying into the shape of a tall man wearing a green trenchcoat and matching fedora. The trenchcoat was disturbingly covered with yellow spirals. On his cragged face he wore a black domino mask. “My name is Dr. Harold Mather, but you may call me Mister Mesmer. Has a nice ring, wouldn’t you agree?”Blackbird continued to struggle, even though the ropes that bound her were tight and unforgiving. Their captor was wearing a costume? That did not bode well.“Now,” Mister Mesmer said soothingly as he came up next to the two girls, “I know you’re probably wondering why you’re here and what I’m planning to do with you.” As he spoke he ran a hand over Goldfinch’s pert breasts, caressing them gently. Goldfinch screamed into her gag and tried to wiggle away from Mister Mesmer’s probing hand, but she had nowhere to go. “Well,” Mister Mesmer continued as he pulled a smoky brown bottle and a thick white rag from his trenchcoat, “as much as I would love to explain things to both of you, I’m afraid that I need you both to go back to sleep for a little bit.” He popped the top off the bottle, and the stench of chloroform filled the air.Blackbird and Goldfinch, panicked anew by their helpless state and the appearance of the chloroform bottle, started to struggle even harder. Their muffled cries and gagged screams filled the rooms.“Now, now,” Mister Mesmer said as he leaned down beside them. “This will only take a moment, and then you’ll both be so quiet and docile. You first, little Goldfinch.” He pushed the rag over Goldfinch’s face, groping her round breasts at the same time. “MMPPHH!” Goldfinch screamed, but between the gag and the wet cloth over her face the sound was almost entirely lost. She tried to thrash and turn, but the ropes that bound her held her tightly all the same.“Sleep now, my little bird,” Mister Mesmer said, a spark of lust appearing in his eyes. “It will all be over soon, I promise. Just close your eyes now. That’s a good little crimefighter. Rest.”“Mmmphh? Mmm…” Goldfinch’s struggles quickly began to slow. She stopped rolling from side to side, and seemed to relax. Her eyes fluttered and rolled, then began to slowly shut. “Mm.”Blackbird felt her face grow hot. She was right beside her friend and fellow crimefighter, could feel her growing weaker as she passed out…and there was nothing she could do to help. She was bound so tightly that she couldn’t even feel her feet or her hands. All she could do was to lie helplessly beside Goldfinch as the buxom blonde was slowly drugged to sleep. Goldfinch gave one last little sigh and went completely limp beside Blackbird, her jutting breasts rising and falling evenly as she slumbered. Mister Mesmer gave Goldfinch’s bosom one last admiring squeeze, then turned to Blackbird. “You are certainly a beautiful woman, Blackbird, but I am afraid that Goldfinch is the one for me. You will only get between us.”Blackbird spat her opinion of that at the deranged criminal, but the choice comment was lost in the gag. Mister Mesmer smiled. “Fortunately, I do indeed have a plan for you. But for now…” He clamped the reeking wet cloth over Blackbird’s face, “sleeeeeep…” Blackbird felt the chloroform fill her nostrils and burn her throat. She had never felt so absolutely weak and helpless. She couldn’t fight, couldn’t even kick or scream. There was nothing but the overpowering smell of chloroform and the gradual feeling of heaviness as it crept over her curvaceous body. “Don’t fight it,” Mister Mesmer sneered. “The chloroform always wins, Blackbird. Always.”Blackbird felt so dizzy, so tired and heavy. She tried to roll, tried to wiggle and squirm, but her muscles were relaxing and her body was growing limp. Her eyes became harder and harder to open, and she soon found she didn’t want to. She was floating, floating up into a warm, fuzzy cloud that made her feel so peaceful and happy. She just wanted to give herself over to the cloud, to forget her troubles and take a nice long nap…So she did.***“Wakey, wakey, Blackbird. Time to rise and shine.”Blackbird slowly awoke to a light slapping on her cheek. She groaned, trying to open her heavy eyelids.Mister Mesmer stood in front of her, an evil smile on his face. Blackbird swallowed, but her mouth was dry and her throat burned. For a terrifying moment she couldn’t remember where she was or how she had gotten here, but suddenly it all came rushing back to her. With a scream of rage she threw herself at the villain before her.At least, she tried to. Her scream came out as nothing but a choking mmppphh, and her attempt to move was barely a slight lurch forward.Blackbird was tied and gagged again, but this time she was tied in a standing position around some kind of object. It felt curved and cold against her back. Looking around the dark cellar that she was currently in, Blackbird saw several large concrete pillars standing in the gloom. A pillar. She must be tied to it. “Grmmpphhh!” Blackbird tried to shimmy and wiggle, but the ropes that held her were too tight. She could barely move at all. “Like it?” Mister Mesmer said as he gestured around the room. “I’m afraid the only drawback is that it gets a bit wet in here, especially when someone leaves the water on.” He nodded down to the floor of the basement.Blackbird followed his glance and then realized to her horror that there was at least a foot of water on the floor already. More water was spurting out of a pipe set high into the wall, cascading down into the growing pool.The water was filling the room, and filling it quickly. At this rate it would only take ten minutes or so for the rising water to be above Blackbird’s head. “I hate to waste such a beautiful specimen such as yourself,” Mister Mesmer sighed, “but I want Goldfinch for myself, and I’m afraid I just can’t take the risk of you somehow escaping and coming to her rescue.” He started to go, then turned back to Blackbird with an evil grin. “Oh, I almost forgot. Unlikely as it may be, you might escape this little death trap of mine, and I certainly can’t have that. I know you buxom crimefighters can be remarkably tricky when you want to be.” He reached into a pocket of his trenchcoat and removed a large syringe. He gave it a little tap to clear the bubbles. “Hggmmphhh!” Blackbird’s eyes widened at the sight of the needle. She struggled harder, but the ropes held her as fast as ever. “I admit, I do like to see you struggle,” Mister Mesmer said with a grin, “but I think you need to relax a little. This should help.” He jabbed the syringe into Blackbird’s slender neck.“GMMPPHH!” Blackbird screamed into her gag, her lovely young body jerking in its bounds at the sharp stinging pain in her neck. But the pain only lasted a moment. Then there came a dull, radiating warmth that seemed to fill Blackbird’s body, starting from the point of injection and spreading through her. It felt wonderful, relaxing her body as it went. She felt suddenly peaceful and drowsy. She had been worrying about something, but she couldn’t remember anymore what it had been. She stopped struggling, because she didn’t see the point. Why would she when she felt so good?“That’s better,” Mister Mesmer said with a smile. He stroked Blackbird’s cheek. “I suppose I could just put you all the way to sleep, but then I want you to experience the end as it comes, even if you are drugged out of your mind while it happens. You just relax now, Blackbird. I’ll bet the water doesn’t even feel very cold anymore, does it?”It was true. Even though the water was already up to Blackbird’s knees, she felt so warm and heavy and happy that it didn’t seem to matter. In fact, it felt good. Everything felt good. Blackbird loved everything and everything seemed right. And she was so sleepy…“Au Revoir, little bird,” Mister Mesmer said as he sloshed through the water to the stairs. “Parting is such sweet sorrow. For you, anyway.”With a last cackle the demented villain headed up to the stairs and out the door at the top. It slammed shut behind him.Blackbird couldn’t help but giggle. She felt so delightfully happy. She was drifting between wakefulness and sleep and it felt so good. At times she seemed to float, and other times she felt herself sinking, but it always felt blissful. She was so calm and peaceful. Even as the water rose above her waist she could only sigh happily. The water was to her neck when the door above cracked open. A figure appeared above on the stairs, casting a shadow down onto the water from the light above. Blackbird didn’t turn her head to look. It took too much effort and she was far too sleepy. Besides, she didn’t really care who it was. She giggled again, the sound muffled by the gag. “Blackbird!” A man’s voice sounded from the stairwell. It sounded vaguely familiar to Blackbird, though her head was so muddled and confused that it was difficult to focus on where she had heard it before. A second or two later there was a loud splash, and a head came bobbing through the water towards her. The face was covered in a dark red scarf, now soaked with water, and there was a black fedora on the man’s head. Welding goggles covered his eyes.Blackbird wanted to giggle again, because the man looked so silly, but the water was up to her mouth now, and starting to cover her nose. She was choking, and she knew she should be alarmed but she still felt so relaxed and sleepy that she didn’t really care. “Hold on!” a voice bellowed. The head vanished underwater.Blackbird didn’t really know why she needed to hold on. It was too hard to think and she was so heavy and tired. It was easier just to close her eyes and go to sleep. As the water covered her nose and then her eyes, she felt her body and her mind surrender to her fate. Even the tugging and loosening of the ropes that bound her to the pillar didn’t shake her from her descent into the welcoming oblivion.As the water covered her head, darkness took her at last....

Description
A render for 's A Bird in the Hand - Part 1 of 2Lakeside City, 1931“This is the place.” Blackbird crouched behind a stack of crates, peering over the top at the darkened dockside building. Goldfinch ducked down beside her bustier companion, glancing nervously behind them. “Are you sure, Blackbird? That brewery looks like it’s been closed down for a decade at least.”Blackbird gave a confident smile and nodded towards a car parked outside the front entrance. “That’s Mather’s car alright.”Goldfinch raised her slim but curvaceous body to take a look herself. “And who is this guy again?”“Dr. Harold Mather. Used to be a professor at Lakeside University until he snapped. Started messing around with mind control or something. He got kicked out and put in a mental ward, but he escaped from there six days ago.”“So he’s crazy?” Goldfinch said. She wrung her gloved hands, a subtle clue that she was nervous. “No crazier than the rest of the goons we capture every day,” Blackbird said with more confidence than she felt. What she was deliberately not telling her partner was the disturbing addition that after Mather’s escape his cell had been found filled with pictures of Goldfinch. “We’ve got this, Goldfinch.”“Alright,” Goldfinch said as she straightened up. She punched one gloved hand into the other. “Let’s do this, Blackbird.”Blackbird smiled and rose from cover as well. Goldfinch wore a yellow one-piece outfit trimmed in black, cut high over her curvy hips, and fishnet stockings on her long, shapely legs. The costume covered her neck and perky breasts but left her shoulders bare. She also wore black boots, gloves, a utility belt and a black birdwing-shaped domino mask over her eyes. A goldfinch symbol was emblazoned over her left breast. She had beautiful long blond hair that fell down in curly waves past her shoulders. She was an absolute bombshell with a perfect hourglass figure, and the sexy attire that hugged her sweet curves only accentuated her lovely physique. Blackbird, on the other hand, wore a tight-fitting gray and black corset top that left her arms and shoulders bare, with black gloves and high-heeled black boots. On her left breast was emblazoned the symbol of a blackbird. Her legs were clad in fishnet stockings, and her black domino mask was winged like a bird.. Her wavy black hair fell down to her shoulders.The two shapely women moved swiftly to the entrance to the dark and silent brewery. Blackbird paused at the door, testing the handle. She nodded back at Goldfinch, then opened the door. The two young crimefighters slipped inside. It was dark, almost too dark to see anything at all. It was dim enough to make out some desks and stacked barrels against one wall. Blackbird turned to Goldfinch in the darkness. “Alright,” she whispered, “stay behind me. Mather could be anywhere in here. Let’s start with–”Blinding bright overhead lights suddenly flared to life, bathing the room with a fluorescent glare. Blackbird and Goldfinch both winced at the sudden bright light. “What the–?” Blackbird started to say.“Welcome, welcome!” a voice cackled over a loudspeaker. “So nice to have guests. I do hope you’ll stay awhile.”A steel door slammed down over the entrance they came in, and another steel partition slammed down over a second doorway on the other side of the room.“We’re trapped!” Goldfinch gasped.“Yes, my beautiful young heroine, you are!” the voice boomed. “And you both look so tired. How about a nice little nap?”A sudden vibrant hissing noise came from two vents set high in the walls.“Gas!” Blackbird shouted. She slapped a hand over her face. “Goldfinch, get your gas mask on!” She reached for her own utility belt.Goldfinch covered her own face as well and reached for her belt. “Now now,” the voice continued, “even sexy crimefighters need their beauty sleep. Just relax and close your eyes…”Blackbird got the gas mask off her utility belt, but her arm suddenly felt enormously heavy, like there were weights attached. The room around her blurred and started to spin. She felt dizzy and muddled. Her eyes were closing on their own, and she couldn’t seem to keep them open. Her legs felt wobbly and weak. The urge to sleep was overwhelming. “Blackbird…” Goldfinch sighed. She swayed on her booted feet, her eyes crossed and her face slack. Her gas mask was held loosely in her hand, and it dropped uselessly to the floor. “I don’t…feel…”Goldfinch gave a sweet little sigh. A peaceful, dreamy look came over her face and her eyes rolled back into her head. She collapsed onto the floor, lying on her side.“Gold…finch…” Blackbird groaned. She tried to take a step towards her unconscious friend, but her legs wouldn’t seem to work. The mask. Blackbird had to get the gas mask on. Didn’t she? She was so tired and confused right now. It was so hard to lift her hand to her face. Getting the gas mask on seemed like an impossible task. And it didn’t seem nearly as important anymore. It made Blackbird giggle just to think about it.“Thaaat’s right,” came the soothing voice. “Your friend is already off in lullabye land, Blackbird. Why don’t you join her? Go to sleep, my sweet little bird.”Blackbird tried to respond, but her eyes were so heavy and her tongue felt swollen and thick. She collapsed to her knees, the gas mask dropping on the floor beside her. She had been trying to do something, but she couldn’t remember now what it had been. Something…important…“Sleeeeep…” the voice said over the sound of hissing gas, somewhere far above her.It sounded like such a good idea. Blackbird could never remember being so tired. A nap was exactly what she needed. Just for a minute. She would just close her eyes…just…for…With one last defeated sigh, Blackbird’s eyes rolled gently shut and she slumped forward onto her large breasts. Seconds later, she was snoring softly. ***“Mmppphh! Rmmphh!!”Blackbird woke to the sounds of muffled grunting and screaming. Something warm and soft bumped against her right side, nudging her reluctantly but inevitably out of the comforting blanket of unconsciousness. Blackbird slowly blinked her eyes open, only to see a dark ceiling far above her. Funny, it didn’t look like the ceiling of her bedroom, and it didn’t seem like it was morning. For a long, disorienting moment Blackbird couldn’t remember where she was or what she was doing. That disorienting moment ended swiftly. Blackbird tried to move, but she found to her horror that her hands were tied behind her, and her legs were tied together tightly as well. She glanced to her right to see Goldfinch lying beside her. The blonde beauty was tied hand and foot and was gagged as well. She was wiggling and squirming, bumping repeatedly into Blackbird.“Hrrrghmmphh!” Goldfinch’s eyes were wide as she stared pleadingly at Blackbird.“Grrhmppphhh.” Blackbird tried to speak, but found her words come out as muffled nonsense. She was gagged as well, some kind of strong cloth wedged in her mouth and tied around the back of her head.This was bad. Very, very bad. Both Blackbird and Goldfinch were tied hand and foot, gagged and in the lair of some insane villain. They were both completely helpless and at his mercy. Blushing with shame at her predicament, Blackbird rolled to one side, squirming and trying to reach her utility belt with her tied hands.It was gone, of course. Glancing to the side Blackbird could see both her and Goldfinch’s utility belts slung over a nearby crate. “Well, well, it appears my two sleeping beauties have finally awoken.” A figure emerged out of the darkness, solidifying into the shape of a tall man wearing a green trenchcoat and matching fedora. The trenchcoat was disturbingly covered with yellow spirals. On his cragged face he wore a black domino mask. “My name is Dr. Harold Mather, but you may call me Mister Mesmer. Has a nice ring, wouldn’t you agree?”Blackbird continued to struggle, even though the ropes that bound her were tight and unforgiving. Their captor was wearing a costume? That did not bode well.“Now,” Mister Mesmer said soothingly as he came up next to the two girls, “I know you’re probably wondering why you’re here and what I’m planning to do with you.” As he spoke he ran a hand over Goldfinch’s pert breasts, caressing them gently. Goldfinch screamed into her gag and tried to wiggle away from Mister Mesmer’s probing hand, but she had nowhere to go. “Well,” Mister Mesmer continued as he pulled a smoky brown bottle and a thick white rag from his trenchcoat, “as much as I would love to explain things to both of you, I’m afraid that I need you both to go back to sleep for a little bit.” He popped the top off the bottle, and the stench of chloroform filled the air.Blackbird and Goldfinch, panicked anew by their helpless state and the appearance of the chloroform bottle, started to struggle even harder. Their muffled cries and gagged screams filled the rooms.“Now, now,” Mister Mesmer said as he leaned down beside them. “This will only take a moment, and then you’ll both be so quiet and docile. You first, little Goldfinch.” He pushed the rag over Goldfinch’s face, groping her round breasts at the same time. “MMPPHH!” Goldfinch screamed, but between the gag and the wet cloth over her face the sound was almost entirely lost. She tried to thrash and turn, but the ropes that bound her held her tightly all the same.“Sleep now, my little bird,” Mister Mesmer said, a spark of lust appearing in his eyes. “It will all be over soon, I promise. Just close your eyes now. That’s a good little crimefighter. Rest.”“Mmmphh? Mmm…” Goldfinch’s struggles quickly began to slow. She stopped rolling from side to side, and seemed to relax. Her eyes fluttered and rolled, then began to slowly shut. “Mm.”Blackbird felt her face grow hot. She was right beside her friend and fellow crimefighter, could feel her growing weaker as she passed out…and there was nothing she could do to help. She was bound so tightly that she couldn’t even feel her feet or her hands. All she could do was to lie helplessly beside Goldfinch as the buxom blonde was slowly drugged to sleep. Goldfinch gave one last little sigh and went completely limp beside Blackbird, her jutting breasts rising and falling evenly as she slumbered. Mister Mesmer gave Goldfinch’s bosom one last admiring squeeze, then turned to Blackbird. “You are certainly a beautiful woman, Blackbird, but I am afraid that Goldfinch is the one for me. You will only get between us.”Blackbird spat her opinion of that at the deranged criminal, but the choice comment was lost in the gag. Mister Mesmer smiled. “Fortunately, I do indeed have a plan for you. But for now…” He clamped the reeking wet cloth over Blackbird’s face, “sleeeeeep…” Blackbird felt the chloroform fill her nostrils and burn her throat. She had never felt so absolutely weak and helpless. She couldn’t fight, couldn’t even kick or scream. There was nothing but the overpowering smell of chloroform and the gradual feeling of heaviness as it crept over her curvaceous body. “Don’t fight it,” Mister Mesmer sneered. “The chloroform always wins, Blackbird. Always.”Blackbird felt so dizzy, so tired and heavy. She tried to roll, tried to wiggle and squirm, but her muscles were relaxing and her body was growing limp. Her eyes became harder and harder to open, and she soon found she didn’t want to. She was floating, floating up into a warm, fuzzy cloud that made her feel so peaceful and happy. She just wanted to give herself over to the cloud, to forget her troubles and take a nice long nap…So she did.***“Wakey, wakey, Blackbird. Time to rise and shine.”Blackbird slowly awoke to a light slapping on her cheek. She groaned, trying to open her heavy eyelids.Mister Mesmer stood in front of her, an evil smile on his face. Blackbird swallowed, but her mouth was dry and her throat burned. For a terrifying moment she couldn’t remember where she was or how she had gotten here, but suddenly it all came rushing back to her. With a scream of rage she threw herself at the villain before her.At least, she tried to. Her scream came out as nothing but a choking mmppphh, and her attempt to move was barely a slight lurch forward.Blackbird was tied and gagged again, but this time she was tied in a standing position around some kind of object. It felt curved and cold against her back. Looking around the dark cellar that she was currently in, Blackbird saw several large concrete pillars standing in the gloom. A pillar. She must be tied to it. “Grmmpphhh!” Blackbird tried to shimmy and wiggle, but the ropes that held her were too tight. She could barely move at all. “Like it?” Mister Mesmer said as he gestured around the room. “I’m afraid the only drawback is that it gets a bit wet in here, especially when someone leaves the water on.” He nodded down to the floor of the basement.Blackbird followed his glance and then realized to her horror that there was at least a foot of water on the floor already. More water was spurting out of a pipe set high into the wall, cascading down into the growing pool.The water was filling the room, and filling it quickly. At this rate it would only take ten minutes or so for the rising water to be above Blackbird’s head. “I hate to waste such a beautiful specimen such as yourself,” Mister Mesmer sighed, “but I want Goldfinch for myself, and I’m afraid I just can’t take the risk of you somehow escaping and coming to her rescue.” He started to go, then turned back to Blackbird with an evil grin. “Oh, I almost forgot. Unlikely as it may be, you might escape this little death trap of mine, and I certainly can’t have that. I know you buxom crimefighters can be remarkably tricky when you want to be.” He reached into a pocket of his trenchcoat and removed a large syringe. He gave it a little tap to clear the bubbles. “Hggmmphhh!” Blackbird’s eyes widened at the sight of the needle. She struggled harder, but the ropes held her as fast as ever. “I admit, I do like to see you struggle,” Mister Mesmer said with a grin, “but I think you need to relax a little. This should help.” He jabbed the syringe into Blackbird’s slender neck.“GMMPPHH!” Blackbird screamed into her gag, her lovely young body jerking in its bounds at the sharp stinging pain in her neck. But the pain only lasted a moment. Then there came a dull, radiating warmth that seemed to fill Blackbird’s body, starting from the point of injection and spreading through her. It felt wonderful, relaxing her body as it went. She felt suddenly peaceful and drowsy. She had been worrying about something, but she couldn’t remember anymore what it had been. She stopped struggling, because she didn’t see the point. Why would she when she felt so good?“That’s better,” Mister Mesmer said with a smile. He stroked Blackbird’s cheek. “I suppose I could just put you all the way to sleep, but then I want you to experience the end as it comes, even if you are drugged out of your mind while it happens. You just relax now, Blackbird. I’ll bet the water doesn’t even feel very cold anymore, does it?”It was true. Even though the water was already up to Blackbird’s knees, she felt so warm and heavy and happy that it didn’t seem to matter. In fact, it felt good. Everything felt good. Blackbird loved everything and everything seemed right. And she was so sleepy…“Au Revoir, little bird,” Mister Mesmer said as he sloshed through the water to the stairs. “Parting is such sweet sorrow. For you, anyway.”With a last cackle the demented villain headed up to the stairs and out the door at the top. It slammed shut behind him.Blackbird couldn’t help but giggle. She felt so delightfully happy. She was drifting between wakefulness and sleep and it felt so good. At times she seemed to float, and other times she felt herself sinking, but it always felt blissful. She was so calm and peaceful. Even as the water rose above her waist she could only sigh happily. The water was to her neck when the door above cracked open. A figure appeared above on the stairs, casting a shadow down onto the water from the light above. Blackbird didn’t turn her head to look. It took too much effort and she was far too sleepy. Besides, she didn’t really care who it was. She giggled again, the sound muffled by the gag. “Blackbird!” A man’s voice sounded from the stairwell. It sounded vaguely familiar to Blackbird, though her head was so muddled and confused that it was difficult to focus on where she had heard it before. A second or two later there was a loud splash, and a head came bobbing through the water towards her. The face was covered in a dark red scarf, now soaked with water, and there was a black fedora on the man’s head. Welding goggles covered his eyes.Blackbird wanted to giggle again, because the man looked so silly, but the water was up to her mouth now, and starting to cover her nose. She was choking, and she knew she should be alarmed but she still felt so relaxed and sleepy that she didn’t really care. “Hold on!” a voice bellowed. The head vanished underwater.Blackbird didn’t really know why she needed to hold on. It was too hard to think and she was so heavy and tired. It was easier just to close her eyes and go to sleep. As the water covered her nose and then her eyes, she felt her body and her mind surrender to her fate. Even the tugging and loosening of the ropes that bound her to the pillar didn’t shake her from her descent into the welcoming oblivion.As the water covered her head, darkness took her at last....