The first sensation Morgan Cross could feel was her body being pulled as if through water, her tongue heavy and rough as she found herself regaining consciousness, which was upsetting. Not just because she could feel restraints around her arms and something between her legs keeping her upright, nor because she couldn't remember what had knocked her out in the first place. The real problem for Morgan is she remembered exactly where and what she was doing last, and that sensation of being submerged was in line with what the few civilians she had interviewed experienced when dealing with the supervillain Arcadia.

Captain Price, head of Freedom City Police 15th precinct, had told her to drop her investigation into the villain. 'Let one of the capes deal with it, they have the resources.' was his normal response whenever anyone wanted to go off-the-books, but the tired resignation in his voice meant he knew the young detective wasn't going to leave the case alone. Morgan wasn't stupid; she didn't leave the academy with the highest marks seen since her dad had gone through it or pass her detective exams before her 25th birthday because she didn't know better. In fact, she considered herself one of the more agreeable detectives when it came to giving up a case when supers got involved. The problem was that the villain Arcadia had made her mark on the city by making fools and victims out of civilians and heroes alike, the capes proving useless in tracking her down.

No one knew what the supervillainess really looked like or exactly what her powers were, but Morgan had begun putting some of the pieces together before she had broken into the Warehouse District of the marina to look at a lead. The woman (and they at least knew she was a woman) was known for hosting elaborate games and broadcasting them over dark network channels, with her contestants ranging from big business executives to cashiers to the superheroes and occasionally villains that stalked the city. Her goals were completely unknown as well. The CEO of one of the largest banks in the city had come out as one of her victims after depositing funds into an untraceable off-shore account while being none the wiser of doing so, and more than one hero had gone missing only to turn up half-the-world away hanging off the arm of someone wealthy and untouchable.

The strange thing were the witnesses, people who had been forced into playing one of her games and coming out the other side mostly unscathed. The heroes thought they were red herrings, the department thought they were making things up, and for Morgan it was the one thing connecting all of them that she held onto during late nights in the records division or evidence locker. Each one had a different story to tell, a different game, and different backgrounds, but in every single case they had managed to play AND win the game, their villainous hostess abiding by the rules she had set at the beginning even when it became clear her victims might get away.

And if she can be beaten at her own game, she can be found. That was what she told herself, digging through an almost insurmountable pile of missing persons reports, financial information, and real estate contracts to find what she was looking for. It took months of her free time, and if she didn’t have both the access to all of that information and a background in forensic accounting she never would have found what she was looking for.

For starters, huge sums of money being paid for large open spaces like empty studios, storage units or warehouses preceding many of her potential victims or witnesses going missing from the surrounding area within days. That money came from more than one location or shell company but the one thing those companies and the massive sums of money being stolen by potential victims had in common was an account on the small island of Nevis.

An account which was a dead end outside of a loose connection to a missing persons report from a few years ago. Right when Arcadia had her first appearance, a former comp sci and finance student at the local university who had belonged to more than one club dedicated to making and playing games had gone missing weeks earlier. Interviewing those that knew her wasn't too helpful, she wasn't too popular but known as wickedly intelligent and forced everyone to play by her rules. Two days ago, Warehouse D23 was cleared under the direction of a very lucrative contract, the money being paid for by a shell company like all the others and connected to the Nevis account… and a local credit union account owned by the missing student.

It was bait. For someone that was normally quite proud of her intelligence, Morgan cursed her eagerness underneath her breath as she worked at the restraints covering her arms. The brief chill of the port was familiar against her naked skin, being one of the last things she remembered as she quietly picked the lock of the warehouse was confusion at opening the door and discovering it totally empty before… before…

Stage lights flashed, waking the detective the rest of the way up as tilted her face away from them, letting her sight slowly return as she opened her eyes and shook out her short brown hair to take in her surroundings. Morgan discovered she wasn't alone, as two other women were lined up next to her and struggling in a manner similar. The older brunette in the middle made her distinctly aware of her own stocky frame, her attractive and mature face familiar along with her curvaceous bust and clear fair skin. On the other side of her, a young freckled woman looked fresh out of college as she tried to get her long red hair out of her eyes, her face the picture of innocence if not for the sharp and angry green eyes or the aggressive way she looked around.

 "Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" The clear voice of a male announcer boomed out from all around them, startling the women on stage as cheery game show music began to play. "Please put your hands together for the one, the only: Arrrrrr-cadia!"

The lights flickered and flashed as neon brilliance began to dance across the stage aflame in reds and pinks and blues, blinding anyone who tried to look out past its edge as large spotlights spun around before finally centering on a figure standing across from them by another podium. The young woman cut a brilliant figure in her sharp pantsuit, the brilliant white enhancing the dark color of her skin clearly visible by the deep V of the blazer. Full lips were parted by a large smile underneath a white domino mask hiding her identity, while her long dreads were dyed silver and piled artfully on her head.

Morgan could feel a chill across her skin as even with the mask blocking her eyes, she could sense the smug gaze of the villain, the sound of vibrant applause and cheers shocking the three naked women. Despite not being able to see past the edge of the stage though, there was a strange hiss underneath that sounded like speaker noise to Morgan, dismissing the pumped-in sound to really look at their captor. The familiar angles of her jaw and frame matched the photos of one Aniyah Alvarez, whose account had led Morgan to this trap.

Got you. She calmly returned Arcadia's gaze, letting the initial shock roll off as she delivered her best cop look, and was rewarded with a slight freeze in the villain’s walk out from center stage before Arcadia continued showing off for the 'crowd', grabbing the microphone being lowered from the ceiling. Morgan couldn't help a twitch of excitement despite her situation as the target of her investigation smoothed a slight wrinkle out of her blazer, knowing how close she was…

She just had to survive the game.

"Thank you one and all, as tonight you join us for another thrilling episode of-" Arcadia points behind her as the words 'Hapless Heroines' buzz to life in all their neon glory, the crowd shouting out the name of the show to cheers and whoops as Arcadia mimed a motion for them to settle down before continuing.

"That's right! Hapless Heroines! The number one rated game show on Villain TV, brought to you by the lovely people at EVL Inc. and Dastardly Dave's Megalomania Machines and Materials! I am your host Arcadia and with me as always are the stars of our show; three hapless heroines! Say hi hapless heroines!"

The silence was deafening as the three restrained women blinked at her, Arcadia standing nearby with a brilliant smile on her face despite no one going along with her bit.

"Well then. Now you may not recognize them-"

"Fuck you, you crazy bitch! Let me out of here and I'll show you how helpless I really am!"

The young redhead at the other end had been struggling to escape the restraints keeping all of them stuck to their podiums, her legs and arms flexing uselessly as another stream of vulgarity fell from her cupid-bow mouth.

"First off it's 'hapless' not 'helpless'… although in the state you're in I suppose it's hard to know the difference." The young black villainess shot a sharp smile at the other girl. "But as I was saying you may not recognize them now but by the end of our show you’ll know more about our heroines than even they might suspect! Starting with our first contestant, Riley Cunningham may look like a baby-faced co-ed but make no mistake, with a shot of a chemical concoction she designed herself she can transform into the vigilante Mighty Miss!"

Everyone watched Riley freeze as her bright green eyes went wide, her mouth falling open in shock as she took in Arcadia's words. "H-how? No, wait. There's no way-"

"It wouldn't be much of a show if we didn't know who was playing, but have no fear you're not alone." Arcadia chuckled to herself as she moved in front of the podium of the familiar older brunette at the center. "Do you want to introduce yourself my dear or shall I?"

"I think most people recognize the CEO of Steele Industries…" Morgan's eyebrows climbed as she finally clocked who the other woman was. The shock of nudity and lack of makeup had made it difficult to put two and two together, but she had seen enough interviews of Evelyn Steele to recognize the attractive woman now. "and when I get out of here I look forward to using all my resources to find out who you really are."

"Best of luck with that, but that's not all is it?" The fierce smile grew on the villainess as she planned to shock another one of her contestants. "That's right folks! You may recognize the lovely Evelyn Steele and that wonderful chest of hers, but throw on a red costume of the Femme Force Five and a mask and maybe you'll also know her as the powerhouse pro-heroine Vanguard!"

Riley or Morgan both looked wide-eyed at the stunned woman between them, the latter feeling a few links click into place like the mysterious benefactor bankrolling the Femme Force since the city couldn’t be bothered to pay for it’s own team and the CEO of one of the wealthiest tech companies in the world being on the team. It had to make board meetings interesting when the head of the company could throw a city bus 300 yards.

"And last but certainly not least-"

"Detective Morgan Cross, Freedom City PD, 15th Precinct, badge number D17-150." She locked eyes with Arcadia, a slight smirk crossing both of their lips as they sized each other up. "I don't dress up in tights."

"Well here on Hapless Heroine, never say never aye Detective?" Morgan watched her turn off the microphone as Arcadia's smile turned predatory, her voice barely above a whisper so only Morgan could hear her. "and I think you’d look lovely in them."

The detective didn't have time to respond as Arcadia spun around, long dreads whipping as she tapped delicately on her heels back to the center of the stage.

"That's right! We know everything there is to know about our three lovely ladies, perhaps even better than they know themselves, and now it’s time to share that with the world! Now I'm sure you all know how the game is played but for those of you joining us for the first time it's simple. Each round our heroines will be given a little game or task which they will have to complete to earn points. Failure to complete the game will result in a penalty-"

The invisible crowd cheered and whooped again as a large wheel was rolled out on stage under its own power, Arcadia nodding with a smile towards the audience. "That's right folks, failure will not go unremarked upon as these three powerless princesses will want to avoid a spin of the Wheel of Punishment, lest they find it even harder to complete their tasks with each new handicap. There are three physical and mental selections-"

Arcadia walked next to the wheel, pointing to each multi-colored symbol to explain what they represented. "-and I think the physical ones are self explanatory and will provide each of our contestants with a new pair of tits, lips, or ass to contend with for the rest of our show and beyond. In addition we have brains to help keep their smarts in order, morality to make our heroines a little less heroic, and lowering their inhibitions will have them squirming for more."

The villainess began moving back to center stage as screens came down, one lighting up with a scoreboard and their names all next to a large number zero. "That isn't the only way they can get points though, as in-between rounds we'll learn a little bit more about our contestants with some friendly, easy questions. There's only one right answer here on Hapless Heroines though. We’ll see if we can help them figure out which one."

"And why the fuck would we play along with your stupid game?" Riley's long red hair was in the way as Arcadia walked over to her, helping clear it out of her face and dodging a wad of spit as the young woman growled at her, Arcadia just laughed and smiled broadly as she moved back to her place on the stage.

"Well if you don't play along, you can't win can you?" Morgan stiffened slightly, the actual game so far seeming straight forward but none of it mattered if she couldn't get out of here. "Your reward of course will be your own secret identity. Me, your contestants, and even everyone watching at home or their lairs or secret headquarters will all have any memories of you wiped and you'll even find yourself safe and sound after the show. Lose and well… I'm sure we'll have a good time regardless."

The implication was clear, as Morgan and Evelyn both tightened up while Riley continued to angrily swear, all while their captor smiled brilliantly for the camera.

"With that out of the way, let's get this show on the road with… Round One!"

* * * * *

Holographic screens came to life in front of the three restrained women, all flinching and closing their eyes, Morgan slowly opened hers and breathed a sigh of relief as it flashed to reveal a series of letters, with two of them boxed and centered with green lights with three empty boxes besides them. Some of the letters outside of the center were outlined in yellow, but it was clear that she was looking for a 5-letter word.

"For Round One we like to keep things easy, an amuse-bouche if you will, to start off on the right foot. Can I assume you ladies are familiar with the game 'Wordle'? If not, the rules are simple: I need you to provide me with a five letter word that matches the letters you've been provided. The two outlined in green have been given to you and are in the right location, while only three of the yellow letters surrounding them make a word. So easy a baby could do it… so let's make it a little harder as we put thirty seconds on the clock starting… Now!"

Morgan blinked as the letters started spiraling around the center word, immediately closing her eyes as she had in the brief introduction memorized the board and didn't want the distraction or worse as a slight look beside her saw Evelyn entranced as her open eyes tried to follow the now spiraling image, while Riley continued to keep her face screwed up and tight. I don't have time to worry about them. She didn't like it, but if she really wanted to help the other women she was the only one who knew Arcadia's secret identity and… she had to win.

Luckily for her, she was extremely familiar with the game, and there weren't many words that began with 'P' and ended in 'Y' and… Morgan grimaced as she put all the yellow letters together and began discarding them and other words leaving her with one rather crass answer. She should have expected it considering the rest of the game but she just sighed deeply as she waited for the timer to tick down.

"And… time! Ladies, pencils down." Arcadia chuckled to herself at the joke, the invisible crowd joining in at the idea of the restrained women being able to do much of anything and leaving Morgan to wonder if it was annoying or sad that she pumped in fake crowd reactions like that and coming away with 'both'. She opened her eyes, the screen now blank except the provided green answers, Evelyn blinking quickly and shaking her head as she tried to clear her head of spinning letters, while Riley's eyes remained stubbornly closed.

"Now I will say 'Not looking at the screen at all' certainly was an interesting strategy Riley… Mighty Miss? Which one do you prefer?"

"Fuck you."

"Maybe after the show." Arcadia chuckled as the other woman twitched in shock. "Well, in the interest of fairness I will tell you that your word started with the letter 'D' and ended with the letter 'Y'. Any guesses?"

"Yeah, when I get out of here I'm going to-"

A loud buzzer sound radiated throughout the studio and interrupted Riley's retort, finally shocking her into opening her eyes before glaring at the smug villainess standing in front of her.

"Ooooh, I'm afraid that was incorrect. The answer we were looking for was 'Dolly', which means you've earned a spin of the-"

"WHEEL. OF. PUNISHMENT!" The crowd yelled from oblivion, Arcadia chuckling to herself as she strode over to the large wheel and set it spinning.

"Wheel of Punishment, turn, turn, turn. Tell us the change our heroine has earned."

"God, you're so fucking-" Riley was interrupted as the stuttering arrow clicked and clicked before finally landing on the colorful cartoon image of a brain. A yelp escaped her as a miniature laser gun popped out of the front of her podium, its coils humming to life as it lit up, pointed right at the restrained Riley. Before she could let out another string of vulgarity a pulsating stream of light exited the laser and hit her square in the forehead. Her mouth went slack and eyes hazy as her body slowly relaxed. A soft moan exited from her as Morgan watched her hips slowly work against the part of the podium between all their legs keeping them standing upright, grinding her body in time to the pulsing beam as she released a slightly louder moan.

"Yes audience, the Brain Drain 3500 is the latest in superhero smarts siphoning available in all Dastardly Dave's catalogues! With a flick of the switch, your victim will find their intellect diminished with every pulse but have no fear! The experience is perfectly painless… in fact as you can tell by our hapless heroine’s reaction it is quite the opposite! Every point of IQ diminishment now comes with double the amount of dopamine distribution compared to the 3000. How are we feeling Riley?"

It took the dazed, young woman a moment to realize she was being spoken to, not even realizing her hips were still moving. "Good…" Even as the device retracted back into her podium Riley struggled to come back to her senses, even diminished as she tried to regain any composure.

"I'm happy to hear that! Especially considering the question I now have for you." Arcadia made a show of pulling a stack of cards out from her blazer packet, shuffling them slightly before stopping at one to read. "I'm sure our audience would love to learn a bit more about the vigilante Miracle Miss, so Riley… Pain or pleasure?"

"Pleasure?" In comparison to the violent buzzer from before, the dinging bell signifying a correct answer shot through Riley with a moan. Morgan and Evelyn watched in horror as she again began humping the restraints, the formerly fierce and violent heroine forgetting her complaints as she pleasured herself on her podium.

"That is correct, putting a point on the board for you!" Arcadia chuckled to herself as Riley just moaned, moving over now to Evelyn. "Now… Evelyn… Vanguard?"

"Evelyn." The milf-y brunette's voice was tight as the reality of the game they were stuck in was starting to sink in.

"Evelyn. Thank you. Now do you have a word for me?"

".… whore."

"What was that?" Arcadia had obviously heard her, but it was also clear she was taking delight in the discomfort of her victim as Evelyn squirmed before answering again slightly louder.

"Whore."

The soft dinging of a correct answer rang out through the stadium, as Evelyn released a tense sigh as her score on the far screen scrolled up to '1' as well.

"That is absolutely correct!" Arcadia and the fake audience in the void both clapped while a few boos permeated from the noise. "Much like Riley over there, tell us a bit about yourself Evelyn… Smart or dumb?"

Evelyn looked angry as she went to answer, and Morgan was concerned as the older woman flinched in obvious pain, doubling over her podium as her teeth clenched together. Arcadia seemed amused as she watched the heroine struggle through trying to say what she wanted to say rather than what the villainess wanted.

"SMART." Evelyn made a pained sound as she managed to say it clearly, but a thin sheen of sweat had broken out across her body as she heaved in breathes of air, flinching hard as the harsh buzzer radiated through the studio.

"Sorry there Evelyn, that wasn't the answer we were looking for… and that's a point off the board." Arcadia ignored the outburst of complaint from Evelyn as she walked over to the still form of Morgan whose mind was processing everything she had just seen. It was probably for the best that Evelyn had answered the way she did, because Riley may have the lead but it was clear from her mindless humping she had gotten more than just a point out of her answer.

"Now Detective… you also closed your eyes but-"

"Pussy, the word on my screen was 'Pussy'."

Arcadia looked at her, clearly annoyed that she wasn't allowed to continue her usual routine but it only lasted a moment before that sharp smile returned, teeth brilliantly white like her outfit against her dark skin as the bell of a correct answer rang out.

"Correct! Although I'd like to add to the game rules that interrupting me will earn you a spin of the Wheel of Punishment." The crowd cheered for the wheel as the two women glared at each other. "Enough of that though, let's learn a little bit more about our interfering investigator shall we? Tell us Morgan… Men or women?"

Morgan knew what answer she'd give normally, having grown up in a cop family with brothers and despite her rather prickly attitude and tomboy looks she had a boyfriend. As the word started to form in her mouth she felt the beginnings of what Evelyn had clearly gone through, as though the very idea of saying 'Men' was about to put her body through the wringer, twisting her with pain and agony. In comparison, the other option felt so much easier to say, the very thought sending ripples of pleasure through her as she tried to focus. Whether she liked it or not, Morgan knew that in order to win the game there were times where she had to play along so…

"Women."

The satisfying ding of a correct answer vibrated through her body, up from the part of the podium between her legs and up her spine right to her brain as she shuddered in bliss, trying to focus back as Arcadia smiled smugly back at her.

"That is correct! Tell me Detective… What do you think about your fellow contestants?"

Morgan licked her lips as she tried to steady herself, eyes glancing over at her fellow restrained victims as she blinked and worked at resetting herself. What do I think? She thought to herself, eyes glossing over their bodies as Morgan shivered in pleasure. Evelyn, even looking like she had just run a marathon of pain, was amazingly attractive for her age. Generous breasts and a trim waist made Morgan’s mouth begin to water wondering how she would taste. The unfamiliar thought was even stronger looking at Riley, who seemed to have lost any interest in what was happening in favor of the pleasure she could feel, the young redhead was near Morgan's age and she began to wonder what noises she could get out of the co-ed vigilante if she was the one eating out her soaked-

The snap back to reality was harsh, as Morgan realized what had happened and began to work through the changes forced into her mind. She tried to think of her boyfriend Alex, he was exactly her type with gentle eyes and a fit body and… it wasn't doing anything for her. Even Arcadia, the smug bitch, in her tight suit and skin on display was sending flushes of heat through her as realization turned to horror.

Arcadia chuckled malevolently, looking her body up and down with a smug smile as she watched Morgan shudder with a reaction she never would have given another woman before. Evelyn looked between the two of them as a dawning realization hit her, head whipping around to look at the still masturbating Riley. "Well then. Now that everyone seems to know the game, it's time to start Round Two… right after a word from our sponsors!"