FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

It was a beautiful morning in Cosmopolis, aside from all the screaming. Gwen, better known to the public as Red Rodent, did her best to watch for the source of as she swooped past buildings. She let out a quick prayer to the Master that it wasn’t another Trickster attack.

“Robbery on 8th, nothing the precinct can’t handle.” The voice of her teammate, Violet Vole, buzzed in her earpiece. The smaller rodent ran mission support from their base downtown, her superhuman genius being less suited to combat roles. Even now Gwen could hear the wailing sirens of a dozen blue cars, freeing her to continue their search.

“Acknowledged, any word from the others?”

“Uh, Jo-”

“Blue Beaver. Codenames, remember?”

“Right right.” Violet stammered, her tone apologetic. “Uh, Blue and Indigo said they haven’t found anything in the Trickster's old base. I’ll check back with them in a few minutes in case something changed.”

“Understood, keep me posted.” She tapped the button on her headset, and the sounds of the city rushed back to greet her. Gwen wished she could be on the ground, clearing secret bases with the rest of her team. But as the Rainbow Rodent’s only remaining flier her place was in the sky, looking for traces of their friends.

“Hey Gw- Uh, Red Rodent?” Violet's voice was tinged with fear, not unusual for the smallest member of the team. “Blue and Indigo aren’t reporting back.”

Fuck.

“Can you still track them? I’m above downtown, I can get there faster than the precinct.”

“Yeah, it looks like they’re moving… North? I’m linking you in to their locator, hopefully it’s just a comms error.” Violet’s tone held the same doubt that Gwen felt herself. It had only been two days since the rest of the team vanished on a routine capture mission, and their absence weighed heavily on the remaining heroes.

She pushed away the nagging doubt at the back of her mind and spun to follow her friend’s pings. Someone on the ground shouted as she whooshed overhead, excited to see the colorful hero above. She had to remind herself to slow down a little, so as not to cause a sonic boom in the middle of downtown.

“Red!” Vi’s voice hissed, deep breaths interrupting her words. “Red I found the Trickster, she’s-” Gwen winced as static buzzed in her ear, slowly fading just enough to catch Violets words again. “-locked down the base, don't know if it can stop her.”

“Get out of there, I’m almost at the others!” Gwen pushed down the panic in her own voice. She could see her teammates signals now, they were just a few hundred meters away in… a mansion? That can’t be right.

She soared to the front of the building, just in case she was missing something. The house was huge, carved stone walls and small windows giving it an almost medieval feeling. She landed, looking around the area before checking her HUD again. Two bright pings, Blue’s and Indigo's, hovered in the center of her vision. She paused, confused as she noticed another ping on the screen. The colorful circle was fuzzy, but unmistakable. Is that Green? Why is she here?

“Bzzz-_ed, be care-_fzzzzz She’s gonna-” A sharper buzz, and a hiss, and the static cut out.

Fuck fuck fuck. They were out of time, she needed to get everyone out now. Pulling her blast wand from the discreet loop at her back, Gwen pointed it to the enormous wooden door. Please don’t be a family inside.

A flick of her wrist, and the entryway exploded in a rain of splinters. Gwen stepped back, waiting for the dust cloud to settle. She almost had time to recognize the brightly-dressed ostrich in front of her before the world vanished in a flash of white.

~

Consciousness crept slowly back into Gwen’s head, and for a moment she wondered had bad the bender last night had been. No, not a bender. Where am I? She peeked through her lashes, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light.

Whatever the superhero had been expecting, it wasn't this. She was strapped against a wall, her limbs and torso bound by metal constraints. For a moment Gwen almost laughed at the idea of someone trying to tie her down with metal. She tugged the bar effortlessly and-

“Aaah!” Pain shot through her body as elaborate runes flared to life across the restraint. The pain stopped as her body fell limp, now only a dull soreness up the length of her arm. How on earth…?

“Oh good, you’re awake!” Gwen's heart sank as she recognized the familiar voice behind her. From the corner of her eye she noticed The Trickster, tapping away casually at a computer.

“You! Let me go this instant!” Anger flashed through Gwen, she tried to rush forward only to be met with another wave of pain. Her nemesis ignored her, continuing to type. After a few moments she turned her head to look at the verminous superhero, amusement in her eyes.

“What, after all that? Come dear, we haven’t even had dinner yet!” She reached for a tall glass, inspecting the crimson within for a moment before taking a long sip.

“Though I hope you’ll forgive me if its late, I had a very large breakfast this morning.”

“Dinner? What are you talking about! Give me back my friends you monster!”

The ostrich gave an exaggerated sigh, rolling her eyes and glancing at the now-empty glass. Shrugging, she set it down and stumbled to her feet.

Gwen could finally see her enemy, the avian’s pink head feathers drifting back in a casual tuft. The villain stepped forward, a sway in her step that Gwen hadn't seen before. Did she get… drunk before our fight?

“Please, call me Linda. And don’t worry, I’ll let you see your friends -huuurp- soon! After all these years of fighting, it’s only right to unite the team again.” She snickered, leaning back against the wall.

“What do you mean? Where are they?!” Gwen was shouting now. The Trickster had always been one of the Rainbow Rodents most aggravating foes, and she was in no mood to deal with any more of the villains antics. The ostrich just glanced at her with a pitying expression, and Gwen felt something snap.

“If you don’t tell me where they are right now, I swear to the Master I’m going to-” Gwen screamed as another surge of pain shot through her body, the restraints glowing a fiery orange.

“Oh darling, what’s the rush? You’ve been looking this long, surel- Uuuuuuurp.”

The belch practically echoed through the small room, and Gwen flinched as a rain of spittle hit her. She didn’t notice the flash of color from the birds mouth until it splattered onto the floor. A verdant mask, soaked with something that sizzled on the cold floor. It can’t be, is that…

“Whoops, I guess breakfast wants out a bit earlier than I thought.” Trickster laughed, finally stepping around the desk so Gwen could see her body. The slim red dress caught her eyes first, its sleek lines all drawing her eyes towards the villains stomach. And what a sight the ostrich’s stomach was, an enormous fleshy orb sagging under its own weight. As Gwen stared she noticed imprints, ridges where bones pressed against the walls tightly enough to be visible from outside. She saw shattered ribs and twisted limbs jumbled together, and near the top a vulpine skull stared into her with empty eye sockets.

Gwen could hear the sounds of bones jostling as Linda reached down to pick up the mask, and a meaty crack as something within her swollen gut gave out.

“Oh perfect, I was worried I wasn’t going to have anything left of your squirrel friend here.” She smirked, before tossing the mask to her desk.

“w-what did you… how did you…?” Gwen squeaked meekly, her voice barely above a whisper now.

“What, your teammate? She was my guest for breakfast this morning, though I think she’s overstayed her welcome by now.” She was giving Gwen a wicked smile as she strode closer, her belly swaying with every step.

“Don’t worry, you and the rest of your insufferably colorful team will be joining her soon enough.” She smirked, reaching out a hand to trace Gwen’s face. “You know, out of all of them you were always my favorite, it’s a shame to end it this way.”

“W-wait!” Gwen found her voice again, panic creeping through her body. Linda stopped, the smile on her face morphing into a look of surprise.

“If you do this the others are going to find you! We aren’t the only Magical team you know!” She needed to stall, give herself time to think of a plan. If she’s only eaten Green now, that means the others must still be alive. If I can find them I know Vi will have a plan. It was a long shot, but she needed to keep Linda talking.

But to her surprise the villain only laughed, a cruel thing that send shivers down Gwen’s spine.

“Good, I’ve been meaning to expand my collection!”

“Wh-” Before she could finish asking, Linda tapped something on her desk. Gwen’s stomach lurched as the wall she was strapped to began to turn, slowly facing into a dark room. The light blinked on unsteadily as Linda stepped through a door, and with horror Gwen saw what she meant. Rows upon rows of cases sat filled with colorful capes, tattered masks, and other unmistakable trinkets. Just in the front row she saw one of the distinct gauntlets The Magpie used to wear, the cybernetic spine that had had given Dr. Squid her superhuman strength. And sitting right in front of her, next to a string of ominously empty cases, were the acid soaked costumes of the Ginger Gerbil and the Sunflower Skunk. She had finally found her team.

“W-wait. You can’t mean…” She stammered, watching as Linda casually strolled to the nearest case and placed the mask gently in.

“You heroes always think you’re going to be the one to take me down. It’s honestly rather endearing.” She chuckled, closing the glass door and turning back to her captive with a smirk. She strode close enough for Gwen to smell the rotting meat on her breath, and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

“More for me.”

The ostrich laughed as she turned back to the door. Violet should be here any minute, just need to stall a little longer.

“Wait, please!” She shouted. Linda cocked her head, smug look vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

“What, you want to try your hand at begging now?” Gwen mentally crossed the option off her list.

“No, I just want to know why.” She was grasping for anything that might buy her friend a little more time now. “Why do you do all of this, how could this possibly help you?”

Linda paused, giving the rat an inquisitive glance. Then, wordlessly, she stepped out of the room. No no no. Gwen fought the urge to scream at her enemy, beg her to come back. Is she going to kill the others? Am I already too late?

She was almost relieved when the wall lurched, spinning to face the other room again. Linda sat at her desk, but this time Gwen was surprised to realize she had another guest. The Blue Beaver sat propped into a chair, bound with cuffs that looked identical the ones restraining Gwen. She was awake and shifting, but her mouth was tied with a thick cloth. She seemed to perk up when she caught sight of her friend, and Gwen wanted nothing more than to run to the other rodent and sweep her up in a hug. But that would have to wait, for now they still needed to get out of here.

“Blue! You’re alive!” She couldn’t hide the relief from her voice, ignoring Linda’s rolled eyes. Why would Linda bring her here, unless she wanted to… No, she couldn’t. Gwen’s heart sank into her gut. She’s going to eat her, and make me watch.

“What are you going to do with her! Let us go already!”

“Oh come now little mouse.” Linda’s voice had a sultry quality to it now, sending a chill down Gwen’s back. “Don’t you want to see what I do with heroes like you?”

“I-I…” She stammered, thinking over her next words carefully, crossing out possible plans in her mind. “Why are you doing this? Just let us go!” She cursed the tears leaking down her cheeks, the fear dripping from her voice. She couldn’t save the city, she couldn’t save her friends. She couldn’t even save herself.

“please” She was whispering now, resigned to her fate. The room was still for a moment, even Blues muffled cries seemed to have died out. Linda simply stared at her, her expression indecipherable. She braced herself for another shock, or maybe some horrible new spell the ostrich had thought up.

But nothing could have prepared her for The Trickster's next move. Wordlessly, Linda hoisted Blue Beaver up and dragged her towards Gwen. Dropping the beaver unceremoniously to the floor, she gently cupped the hero’s face. Gwen shuddered as she felt her rivals bony belly pressed against hers, smelled her meaty breath wafting out.

“Do you know what power tastes like, little mouse?” The Trickster's voice was a soft whisper, a far cry from her usual theatrical tone.

“W-what do you m-mean?” Gwen stammered, as confused by the sudden shift as everything else today.

“You will.” Linda chuckled ominously. She grabbed Blue by her collar, holding her up to Gwen’s face. She barely had time to register the terror in Blue’s eyes before Linda thrust her forward, shoving her face into Gwen’s mouth.

“Mmmph!” Gwen cried out as her mouth filled with the taste of fur. She recoiled back, only to feel shocks of pain through her limbs again as the restraints activated. Blue’s head was past her jaws now, and she could taste the fear radiating from the larger hero. She tried to cry out, only to be muffled by her friend's mass.

But Linda was relentless, and had a strength belied by her slim form. With another shove, Gwen felt her friends shoulders press into her reluctant mouth. Oh god, this is going to kill me. Her jaws ached from stretching well past their sane capacity, and the obstruction was making it difficult to breath. She tried to push back, ignoring the pain in her limbs.

To Gwen’s surprise, and horror, something shifted. Her throat rippled, an involuntary gulp pulling her friend further along. Her eyes widened as she realized what was happening, but it was too late. Her body was taking over, another swallow easing the massive beavers shoulders past her jaws. She could see the excitement in Linda’s eyes as the villain continued to press forward.

This can’t be happening, this is impossible. Gwen tried to shake herself out of the nightmare, but it was to no avail. The taste of fur on her tongue was gone, replaced with the silky feel of the uniform dress, thoroughly drenched with sweat. She tried to push away the pleasurable taste of salt, the smell of the beavers body oil exciting her palette. She needed to focus on getting out of here, getting all of them out of here.

Another taste couldn’t hurt. She pushed away the thought, but her throat tugged at the beaver again. By now the other hero's chest was in Gwen’s mouth, and Linda had moved to elevating her legs. Gwen met her eyes, pleading silently with the villain to let them go. But all she saw in return was excitement, her enemies grinning face a twisted mirror of her own fear.

“Look at you! A natural.” The Trickster chuckled. She shifted her weight, hoisting the captured hero with one hand while another trailed over to Gwen. For a moment the rat through she was going to receive another shock, but the feathered hand instead rested on her lower lip. Soft fingers traced down, reaching the bulge in her throat as Linda let out another chuckle.

“Just relax, your body knows what it wants. Even if you’re still struggling with it.”

Gwen felt her body lurch as Blue’s head slipped into her stomach, her slim dress straining against the sudden intrusion. The other hero's legs were the only part of her left outside now, waving helplessly as Gwen swallowed again.

Her stomach ached as it stretched again, already nearly as large as Gwen herself. The seams on her dress were buckling under the pressure, and pale fur was beginning to peek through the strained threads. With another gulp the center of the dress gave out, the ornate golden symbol on the red belt clattering onto the floor.

Gwen felt a flush of relief as the pressure on her midsection eased, followed quickly by a pang of guilt. That lump in her gut was her friend. Her friend, who trusted her to get them all home safe. Just need to go with this until Linda slips, and then… She would have to figure that out later.

“Good work little mouse!” Linda eased off the pressure on her friend, stepping back and letting gravity take over. Gwen tasted fur again as the end of Blue’s dress slipped past her lips. Gwen’s stomach was now twice her size, squirming and shifting off her midsection. How am I going to get her out of here? Is there someone else I can call?

She was going to find a way, Gwen knew that much. The beaver had tasted amazing, sure. And the exhilaration of having an entire person trapped inside of her was like nothing she had ever felt before. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying this a little, right?

A final swallow, and the Blue Beaver disappeared from the world. Gwen's head lolled back, blissfully taking in the sensation of fullness. Her stomach shifted and kicked, cries from inside muffled by the thick flesh. Her body lurched as something heavy slammed into the wall, and for a second Gwen worried she was going to vomit.

Fuck, why do you feel so good in there Blue? Gwen let her body hang limply from the restraints, still catching her breath from the exertion. It took her a moment to notice Linda standing next to her, inspecting her enormous stomach with a terrifying excitement.

“All of that on your first try! Your master was right, you really are something special!” Her voice was giddy, an emotion that felt somewhat unsettling coming from the her. Linda’s own stomach had shrunken considerably by now, only a handful of bones still pressed against the feathered walls. Without another word, she leaned in. Slowly she wrapped her wings around the rat’s body, listening gleefully to the struggle within.

“You feel it, don’t you? All that power flowing through you?” Gwen shifted, trying to move her stomach away. She wasn't going to let that monster enjoy this! Even if, she had to admit, she wasn’t having an unpleasant time herself.

“OK, you’ve made your point! Now let us go!” Gwen shouted, her voice a little less determined than last time.

“Let you go? Why my dear, you’ve barely finished the first course!” Linda stepped back, feigning surprise. Before Gwen could process her words she was out the door again, leaving the hero alone to stew in her doubts.

“I’m so sorry Blue, I’m going to find a way out of this.” She whispered to her stomach, unsure if her friend could even hear her anymore. The other hero had slowed down considerable since entering the rats stomach, only an occasional feeble punch to remind Gwen that she was alive. For how long, if we can’t get out of here?

No, we ARE getting out of here.

“Oh little mouuuuuuuse!” Gwen jumped as she heard the door open again, followed by a familiar singsong voice.

“You do know I’m a rat, right?”

“Does it matter?” Linda asked with a shrug, hauling a bag with something squirming inside. Gwen didn’t even have time to question the sight before Linda unceremoniously dumped a hamster onto the floor. Indigo hadn't been in the team long enough to figure her codename before the others had begun to go missing, and now it seemed she might never get the chance. Can’t think like that, we’re going to get out of here soon.

“Don’t worry, this one’s a lot smaller.” Linda chucked.

“Wait, what do you-” But Linda didn’t give her time to finish, shoving the hamster feet-first past her jaws. Gwen was surprised at how naturally swallowing came to her this time, her gullet eagerly tugging at the smaller hero. Linda sneered as she pressed against Indigo’s shoulder, and within a moment the hamster was in to her waistline.

“Red?” It took Gwen a moment to realize that the sound was coming from Indigo, the hamster’s voice groggy and confused. Her head was tilted slightly, eyes unfocused but facing her old friend.

“Red is that you? What's going on?” She tried to shift, her feet tickling Gwen's throat as she continued to descend. Gwen wanted to reach out to the smaller hero, to reassure them that she had a plan to get them out.

But that would be a lie.

“Red? Is everything alright?” It seemed the other hero had begun to grasp her situation, and she began to shift her body. “Red?”

“Hush dear, you know lunch isn't supposed to talk back.” Linda laughed condescendingly, placing a single finger on the hamsters head and pressing her down again.

“You! What did you do to her?!”

“Who, me?” she turned to the trapped hero with a smirk. “I'm just making sure your friend here doesn't go hungry.”

“Get away from us you-” Indigo's words were cut off with a terrified squeak as Linda pressed down again, slipping her head into Gwen's waiting mouth. Gwen swallowed mournfully, but to her surprise the lump in her throat didn't move. She swallowed again, and again the bolus remained. What on earth?

Something hit her windpipe, and Gwen's head lurched forward. She grabbed at her throat, hacking as the air cut off. Linda looked on surprise as the bulge in her throat shifted again, then began to rise.

“please. help me.” Gwen begged, her voice ragged as her lungs screamed for oxygen. Her words stopped as something poked at the back of her mouth, and the hamsters face slowly peeked back into view. The tiny hero’s face dripped with slime, her fur matted down by saliva and sweat.

“I said.” She stammered, clearly exhausted by her climb. “Let. Us. Go.” Gwen’s jaws stretched further as Indigo continued to climb, her head now almost completely free. Gwen glanced between her friend and Linda, her body shrinking back in fear of the ostriches reaction.

But Linda merely folded her arms and leaned back against the desk, watching silently. Gwen felt another stab of pain in her gullet as the hamster continued to climb, one saliva-slicked hand stabbing triumphantly into the air.

“Help me Red! Fight her influence!” Her influence. The pieces snapped together immediately, and Gwen would have gasped if she could breathe. Trapping us here, making me swallow Blue, and now Indigo. Surely this was all another one of The Trickster's plots, and she'd fallen for it completely.

Fury rose in her chest, an anger that Gwen had rarely felt before in her life. She wanted to spit her friends out, tear her restraints right out of the wall, and stop the Trickster once and for all. She felt a newfound strength born of adrenaline and hatred pumping through her veins.

She wanted to.

Instead, she swallowed.

Indigo let out a terrified squeak as she began to sink again. Tears poured down Gwen’s face as her teammates face was framed by her teeth again. This was madness, all of this.

“Red, p-please.” Indigo stammered, her voice despondent now. “Please, you have to fight back.” Her cries were muffled as another swallow dragged her further down Gwen’s esophagus. Her arm still stretched out, a last desperate act of defiance. With a final gulp that too vanished.

Gwen let out a gasp, her throat finally free from its unwelcome intrusion. She tried her best to ignore the tiny lump thrashing in her gut. Stifled thoughts of the much larger hunk of meat, now lying completely still underneath. She had to eat them, it was the only way they were going to get out of here. She didn’t have a choice, surely they could understand.

“You really are full of surprises.” Linda finally uttered, resting a hand gently on the thrashing bulge. Gwen winced as she felt the villain press in, the screams from inside growing louder as something gave out with a Crack.

“Stop! Haven’t you done enough!”

“Me?” Linda gestured to herself with mock outrage. “Why, all I’ve done is give you and your friends a memorable evening. Well, almost all of your friends.” She glanced down at her watch, then smiled.

“Three, two-” Before she could finish the countdown, the nearest wall exploded in a flurry of concrete splinters. A few slashed across Gwen, tearing at the tattered remains of her uniform.

“Gwen!” The unmistakable voice of The Violet Vole was music to the tired rat’s ears. “Er, Red, sorry.” The tiny rodent had donned the mechanical loading suit they normally kept at base, albeit with a few hasty modifications. An enormous pulse cannon was fused where the manipulator arm had been, its smoking barrel pointed directly at Linda.

“You! No funny moves or this thing is going to blast you into the next time zone.” Keeping the gun trained on Linda, Violet turned her head slightly towards Gwen.

“Red, where are the others? And… what happened to you?” Gwen noticed the confusion in Violet's eyes as she got her first real look at the rat since she’d busted in. “Is that? Are you alright?”

Gwen opened her mouth, then closed it, unsure what to say. I can’t tell her what happened, not yet. She won’t understand what I had to do. Violet was her oldest friend, they had been close long before either of them joined the team. She would understand of course, she would realize that Gwen had to do this.

“What did you do to her!” Violet twisted her head back to glare at the villainess, who was starting to pick herself off the floor. No, wait.

“Me? I didn’t do anything dear.” Linda smirked, leaning against the desk casually despite a noticeable limp. “I just helped our friend here realize her true potential.”

“She’s lying! Don’t listen to her!” Gwen yelled to her friend. The Vole turned back to her, horror in her eyes. No, this is all wrong.

“Red, what did you do?!”

“I didn’t do anything! She’s lying!” Linda merely shrugged when Violet turned back to at her, clearly enjoying the confusion. Gwen shifted, and to her surprise the bands that had held her wrists gave way. It seemed the attack on Linda’s base had cut whatever power she had been using on them.

“Red… Gwen. Tell me you didn’t hurt the others.”

“I…” No no no no. This is all wrong. They needed to do something, she needed to do something.

“Gwen.” The barrel of Violet’s arm cannon still pointed to Linda, but the rodent had pulled a small pistol from somewhere in the cockpit, pointing at the ground in front of Gwen.

“Vi, please don’t make me hurt you too.” The words stabbed Gwen’s almost as much as the sight of her friend raising the pistol. A stun blast jolted across the room, narrowly missing the spot where Gwen had been standing.

Gwen would never forget the scream her friend let out as she tore the mech’s cockpit off. The vole was lighter than she looked, barely struggling as Gwen lifted her out by her neck. Vi tried to fight back, but she was no warrior. Her feeble scratches hurt far less than the fear in her eyes when she looked at Gwen.

They stood there wordlessly, a moment that seemed to drag on forever. They were free, together they could defeat Linda. They could get out of here. They could be heroes, everything could go back to normal.

But as she stared into her friend's eyes, tears dripping down onto her distended stomach, Gwen knew that was a lie.

Closing her eyes, she dropped Violet. The vole didn’t have time to gasp as she plunged into Gwen’s throat, her panicked shout turning into a muffled scream. Violet was the smallest member of the team by far, and with a single swallow she was in to her shoulders.

I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.

She didn’t notice Linda standing again, the ostrich quietly making her way to Gwen’s side. The villain didn’t speak, didn’t gloat over her inevitable victory. She didn’t even help Gwen, she just watched. Another swallow left only the tips of Violets feet sticking past Gwen’s jaws, but still the smaller rodent didn’t fight back. If not for the muffled sobs, Gwen would have thought Vi was already unconscious.

With a sigh, she swallowed a final time. Vi’s legs twitched as they slipped down, and Gwen was left with only the vole’s taste on her breath. Muffled sobs turned into screaming as the smaller mammal entered her stomach, thrashing and kicking in the tight confines. Gwen’s stomach churned as the liquefied remains of Blue and Indigo sloshed around their newest companion. Gwen tried not to think about how recently both heroes had been alive and solid. How soon Violet would be joining them as sludge.

“Incredible.” Gwen didn’t bother turning to face Linda. She wasn’t sure that she could. “Such power, and you’re just starting out.” She was surprised to find that the hunger was gone from Linda’s voice, replaced with something she’d never seen before. Excitement, desire? It felt good, in a perverse sort of way. She felt something like pride swelling her chest.

Buooooooorp.

The small room shook as Gwen let out a thunderclap of a belch. Scraps of brown fur and blue fabric splattered to the floor, boiling acid sizzling as it hit the cold concrete. She licked her lips, enjoying the taste of meat that it brought back up. Turning to face Linda, she heard the tear of fabric as the last scrap of her dress finally gave out.

“So this…” She parsed her mind for the words to say, but Linda beat her to it.

“This is power, little rat, can’t you taste it?”

“What did you do? Why do I feel this way?” Gwen wanted to scream, though she didn’t know if it was the anger or the pain.

Linda just smirked, doing a very poor job of keeping her eyes off Gwen’s naked chest.

“I didn’t do anything to your mind, I truly didn’t. This was all you dear.” She reached a hand down, gently placing it on the rat’s chin. She leaned in, and despite her better judgment Gwen found herself shifting closer as well. Her eyes closed, bracing for the feeling of flesh engulfing her. She knew this moment had been coming since the villain stepped into the room, but to her surprise the fear was gone now.

Linda kissed her.

Gwen’s eyes opened with shock, then closed again as she leaned in. She felt the ostriches wing’s wrap around her chest, pulling the two of them together. The moment seemed to stretch into an eternity as the two pressed into each other. Then Linda slipped back, and time started again.

“I-” Gwen didn’t know what to say. She wanted to scream, to shout in anger and fear. She wanted to cheer, to sing in excitement and joy. So instead, she stood silently, wondering at what they had just shared.

“Apologies, I seem to have gotten a little ahead of myself.” Linda murmured, turning her face to hide the blush. Gwen wanted to reprimand her, to reassure her. But again she was silent.

“Truth is, I’ve been looking for someone to share… this. For a while, actually, but you’re the first person I’ve found who really seems to get it.”

“You mean… this base?” Gwen stammered, confused again.

“The base, the vision, the hunger.” Linda salivated as she said it. The hairs on Gwen’s neck bristled, though she no longer knew if it was fear or desire.

“Join me, help me take over this city.” Her eyes glittered with excitement as she grabbed Gwen’s hand. “Together we could rule this entire world!”

There was no hesitation in her voice as she placed her other hand gently on Linda’s and nodded. The ostrich cackled as she pressed another button, unfolding the walls around them to reveal the rest of her lair. Their lair.

“We’ll need to find you a new costume, something fitting for a future queen.” Linda was at her computer again, pecking frantically at the keys.

“Oh, I can take care of that.” Gwen smiled. Closing her eyes, she began to focus. She reached a hand out to the stars, drawing from the cosmic force that fueled her team.

But the stars were silent.

Wrinkling her brow Gwen reached out again, feeling the universe twirl and dance around her hands. She gasped as something pushed back, the cosmic force itself seeming to reject her call. It seemed the powers that be had no interest in her new quest, and she could feel her old bond beginning to fade.

Despair tugged at her mind, but Gwen pushed it away. Already she could feel a new power, one from within her. She focused again, drawing now from the lives her body had just snuffed out. Her friends, now little more than fuel for her new journey.

Gwen reached out a hand, pale energy starting to swirl around her. She began to twirl, sparkles floating as her body began to glow. But the glittering rainbow of colors that had accompanied her previous transformations were gone, in their place only a place a dark crimson. The energy that swirled around her was a sickening shade of bile green, clinging to her skin as she rose into the air.

She spun in a silent melody as her body rose. Lines of red began to twist through her hair, giving it a sanguine appearance. The green light that danced around her finally settled on her stomach, leaving it with an ethereal glow. And where her old uniform had been little more than colorful fabric, her new one seemed almost to be an entity of its own. Lines of muscle and tendon stretched around her body into a twisted mockery of her old skirt, seeming to pulse and throb with every movement. As her dance ended, she placed a hand on her head and felt ridges of bone stretching out, a skull adorning her head where her crown had once sat.

The miasma of colors vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and Gwen’s feet drifted slowly back to the ground. She turned back to Linda, feeling a hint of pleasure at the ostrich's lascivious stare.

“How do I look?” She smiled, doing a little twirl to show off her new outfit again.

“You. You’re incredible.” Linda gasped, her eyes giddy with excitement. “Are you ready, my Ravenous Rat?”

Gwen just smiled, feeling the newfound power flow through her body. This is going to be so much fun.