Superpop (closed)

[charitybimbo]

Supralose wasn’t her real name, but it was what everyone called her since she moved to the City. She stood backstage, listening to a crowd chanting her name. She took a deep breath. This wasn’t the big one. Not yet. It wasn’t the Coliseum or the Megadome, but it was Jazzy’s, and it was sold out. Thinking of the names that had played this same room was enough to make her head spin. Peeking out at the crowd made her heart pound, and she focused on her breathing.


“In. Out. In. Out. Deep and slow.” She giggled. Her manager had taught her the deep breathing technique months ago, but she had made some joke about starting in and out deep and slow, but ending fast and hard, and now every time she centered herself, she giggled. It wasn’t how it was supposed to work, but it worked. It distracted her from the anxiety and let her focus on thinking about sex.

One day, she supposed, she’d have sex again, but this wasn’t the time. She couldn’t afford to be connected to anything or anyone with even a hint of dirty. Her image was everything, and her image was of a bubbly, wide-eyed innocent. Yes, lowcut tops showed off her cleavage and short skirts displayed her perfectly toned thighs. Occasionally a dance routine gave a glimpse of her pretty little panties, but it always looked like an accident. It was all carefully calculated.

Over the past five years she had gone from tiktok to this, playing before hundreds at one of the hottest clubs in the city. Just three days ago she had been interviewed on one of the more popular local music sites.

“Why Supralose?” the guy had asked. He was wear heavy-rimmed glasses and not trying very hard not to stare at her cleavage. She didn’t notice. It was part of her job never to notice when guys stared at her cleavage.

“Well, I was Sugar at first, you know, on tiktok, but you know, sugar’s really bad for you,” she answered, bright and perky, pushing her chest out a little.

“So, you decided to go with an artificial sweetener?” he said, trying to restrain his delight. He was a serious music geek, and her bubblegum pop style was clearly beneath him. Did he care that she could sing like an angel? No, he just didn’t like unironic love songs and people who smiled. And now he got to imply that she was fake.

“Well, yeah,” she said. “It’s just as good, and it’s good for you.”

“Isn’t that their slogan?” he couldn’t keep the sneer out of his voice. Now she was the victim, now a ton of hipsters would be thinking he’s kicking a puppy. Their hearts would go out to the puppy. The puppy was hot. They’d download her songs - ironically, perhaps, or in some sweaty-palmed moment of cool shame.

“It is,” she said brightly, leaning into her role as the dumb puppy. “They’re my biggest sponsor.”

“You don’t have a problem with coming on my show and being a corporate shill?”

“You brought it up,” she said, cocking her head to the side, puzzled by his attack. “You know they’re my sponsor, we talked about how hard it is to do this without sponsorship before the show. I never would have said it if you had told me it was bad.”

His glee had soured then, She had come off looking like an honest airhead, while he looked like a sleazy, gotcha journalist.

And then the lights on stage went dark. The beat began to throb. She walked straight ahead, ten steps, and the spotlight hit her perfectly, lighting up her face only as she sang the first note. This was diva territory, a slow, sweet ballad about a boy who broke her heart. Dazzle them right off the bat. Melt a heart or two. In. Out. Deep and slow.

The second song was pure dance fun, it gave her a chance to strut her stuff and rest her voice. The choreography was perfect, it was a huge tease, but cute, not slutty. In. Out. Faster. Harder. They didn’t have to know what was making her giggle. They just had to know how cute it was when she did.

That was when the roof fell in. Literally. Heavy lighting frames flew down towards her, and she barely missed being crushed. Electricity flashed, broken glass flew, the rain outside came pouring in. Smoke and dust was everywhere, and then there was a hand, grabbing her by the hair, pulling her up.

She screamed. He laughed, pulling her headset off.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the voice said, speaking into her mic, booming through the night club’s PA.. “I’m just here to pick up some sweetener.”

It was The Butcher, one of the city’s most notorious supervillains. He hooked one of his arms around her waist and hoisted her over his shoulder like she weighed nothing. Now the whole room could see her panties, she thought, kicking helplessly. He laughed again, and leapt up through the hole in the roof.

She screamed, but without the mic, hers was just one of hundreds of voices screaming. Terror stole her breath. He wasn’t called the Butcher because of his day job.

 

[ERedBoyd]

Burke McKenzie sat in one of the third rows of tables at the Jazzy quietly studying the curtains and listening to the casual conversations going on among the fans of this singer Supralose. Occasionally the large heavy curtains shifted about as the band and crew for the concert made their last minute adjustments. This club they sat in was one of the largest clubs in the city, but no where near concert arena levels. He figured there were about at least a hundred or two hundred people here to watch this up and coming star on her rise to fame.

Burke was not a man who particularly enjoyed the arts or music or movies. He was in enough of them as Titan to appreciate the quiet anonymity that came with being out of his suit. In his ear, he could hear a man's voice chirp over his comm.

"Hey Burke. I am in place." The voice said.

He glanced up at the ceiling of the building, knowing it would not take long before things hit the fan. He picked up his cell phone so anyone that glanced at him thought he was talking on it and said, "How is the suit holding up?"

"It's itchy. My crotch itches in it and it smells like stale booze." The voice said.

"Well, you decided to wear the suit tonight. Now, let her sing a couple of songs and then do your thing, Butch. Next time you might consider Black Arrow when you choose the villain again. Good luck." He said calmly and then hung up the phone and relaxed.

Truth was, the super-villain field had been growing a little thin after the corporation reorganized the various teams and it had been starting to effect the bottom line of the company so someone on the inside got the idea to create these artificial bad guys that would come in, make a scene, get beat up and bring glory to the superhero on scene and thus the corporation. The company had hired a dozen of the most fit fighters in the world to slide their bodies into super villain suits and go around causing damage. They would be seen getting arrested and hauled away only to secretly released and sent back to the corporation for their next role. Today, the role of Butcher was going to be played by Ryan Leer, former SEAL with a dishonorable discharge on his wrap sheet. Butcher had quickly become the city's most terrifying supervillian with energy based cleaver knifes that would appear in his hands, a rocket jet built into his suit to help him leap great heights and lengths, and superstrength. Butcher had a horrible reputation for kidnapping and raping women that caught his eyes.

He smiled as the show began and the star came out and started singing. She was absolutely stunning to the eyes. He had seen her briefly as own alter-ego Vanquish. He had found the next chick he intended on claiming... and claim he would, but first he needed an entrance.

That little cunt was such a cock tease and she knew it. Dancing about teasing the crowd with her panties and cleavage. Oh yes... Vanquish would have her.

"Attack in 3.... 2.... 1...." Butcher said as all hell broke loose! Burke leapt back and raced towards the back of the crowd and during the chaos and smoke and dust, he hit is own suit activation switch. It was like watching a magical act. One second, he was Burke, the next, his nanite powered suit exploded over his body covering him up and preparing him for battle!!

Immediately, he hit the jet packs and flew up towards where the Butcher had leapt to. He held the woman by the shoulders and was screaming something at her! One of his hands had transformed into the power ridden cleaver knife that he held near her throat! He yelled, "BUTCHER!!! Your days of terrorizing this CITY are OVER!!!"

"That's what you think you fool!!!" He raised his cleaver hand towards him and a half a dozen blasts of energy shot ouf of the knife before he threw the girl over his shoulder and leapt with the girl far across the intersection to a taller building and then leapt straight up the side of the building before Vanquish spotted him again! He lifted off the roof and began to fly once again towards the villain before him as the scaled the walls!

 

[charitybimbo]

Her kidnapper had just reached the roof when she heard another voice calling out. She lifted her head to see, but at the same moment, Butcher turned to face whoever it was.

"That's what you think, you fool!!!" Butcher said, and she could feel him doing something. All she could see was the city behind him, and the edge of the building he was backing towards. She started to squirm, terrified that he would walk off and they would fall. He was wearing some sort of armor, he might be able to take it. She would break bones and whatever trajectory her career had would be over.

But there was something else.

His voice.

She'd heard it before. She knew it, and it wasn't in some news report. The news never interviewed the super villains. There were always plenty of eye-witnesses and a few badly shot videos of them bursting into something, and then a much better video of them being brought to the authorities.

No, she knew him, somehow. Not personally, necessarily, but his voice was too familiar. She had a good ear.

She screamed as he whirled and his shoulder pushed up against her belly as he leapt. She saw something fly out of the gaping hole in the roof of Jazzy's.

"Vanquish!" she screamed, holding both hands out towards him. For a moment, the famous hero stood, looking around. She waved frantically.

Then the wind was knocked out of her as her captor landed. She looked down and saw the street far below, and he started climbing, up, far too fast. The street below grew further and further, and her chances of surviving a fall grew more and more remote. If Vanquish didn't see them...

She had heard stories of what Butcher did to girls. She had seen the images stolen from crime scenes. She started to sob. Then she started to kick. At least the fall would be quick, she thought.

 

[ERedBoyd]

Vanquish's eyes shifted immediately up to the sound of the scream of his name! The sounds of police, fire, and ambulance were also growing louder by the moment as well as people escaping the collapsing building. Butcher laughed as he pointed past Vanquish towards the building saying, "What is more important to you Vanquish!?! The life of one woman or ..."

A terrible snapping sound broke through the Jazzy club and the building began to shake. It was about to collapse! There was at least a hundred or two citizens inside! He hesitated and turned back a moment considering his options!

The Cleaver knife caught him on the side of the shoulder gashing into the armor and caused his armor to short a moment! The jet packs that controlled his flight flickers causing him to fall a few feet! Butcher laughed as he raised his hand and the cleaver raced back to his hand! He said, "Save the many Vanquish, not the one!" The Butcher leapt ever higher up the side of the building and growled, "Don't worry sweetheart, you and I have some plans. Going to have some fun with you I am..."

Just as Vanquish was about to fly back to save the masses, Speedox's flash raced into the building and faster than could be humanly possible grabbed people a few at a time and started pulling them from the building as it began to collapse! "Go save the girl!!!" Speedox yelled out as he raced along

Vanquish nodded and then turned and flew back towards Butcher! The tyrant saw his little distraction wasn't working and began to calculate his odds and said, "Sorry sweetheart. Guess you are going to have to be my distraction now!" He stood at the top level of the Banner Building, nearly 80 stories in the air, lifted her high into the air and then flung her screaming off the edge!

Vanquish watched the girl falling and though it hadn't been in the script, it was brilliant! He turned and flew towards the falling woman as she screamed! He could have caught her in a couple of seconds time, but then where is the drama in that? His jet pack flickered once and caused his own control to stagger as he raced towards her! 50 floors.... 40 floors!

He pushed harder and harder! Thousands were screaming below watching this up and coming music star plummet to her certain demise!! 30 floors.... 20 floors!!

Vanquish caught up with her as got to about 10 floors and caught her by the legs and back of the head. No sense if having another Gwen Stacy incident. He threw the thrusters down beneath them and fired them again slowing them down till they touched the ground, Supralose in his arms. She felt really good in his arms.

He looked to her and said, "Butcher may come back and try and snatch you again." Speedox raced up and nearly stumbled over himself as he saw who it was Burke held. He said, "The rest are out... umm..." The crowds quickly began to surrounded them as thousands... tens of thousands photos were taken of Vanquish saving this up and coming mega star!!

He looked down at his damsel and felt her trembling so badly in his arms from the shock that he realized leaving her with crowd was an even worse idea. He looked to the crowd and said, "Give... give us a little room folks. Thank you! Excuse me folks."

He launched once more into the air still holding her tightly and he looked to Supralose and said, "Miss. You are safe now. I swear. I won't let anyone harm you. Do you have someplace away from the crowds and private I can deliver you?"

~~~~ On top of the Frederick Tower ~~~~

A man cloaked in the shadow, wearing a black suit and red tie, a black and crimson flaming head and hands stood and watched as Vanquish, yet again, saved the woman with the photo ops. A smokey column circled around him as he studied the man flying off with the girl once more. The corporation had run out of super-villains and had stooped to bringing in fakes like this ... Butcher... to cause a carefully choreographed attack on the city. It sickened him and what was more, it sickened him that the entire city was duped into this con job.

He turned his head towards the fleeing butcher. He smiled as the villain watched from afar as well, not seeing him. The man in the black suit opened a small portal of shadow and stepped through. He immediately appeared a few feet away from the Butcher just as he was shutting down the armor. That had been the plan the entire time. Make a scene in the suit, then get rid of the suit and walk away. It wouldn't work this time. The man turned to walk down into the door on the roof to head down the stairs and froze when he saw the man.

The man in the suit threw his hands out and five tentacles of shadow lashed out, two coiling around the man's feet, two around the man's hands spreading the wide and preventing him from reactivating the Butcher costume, and one around his throat, choking out any scream that may come from him.

The man in the suit spoke with a smoky electric voice, "What... is your name?"

The struggling man said, "F...fuck you.... I ain't telling you ... nothing!"

The shadow man in the suit just laughed saying, "I will know soon enough." a sixth tentacle came from the man's head and pushed into the mouth of the Butcher! After a moment, the man's struggling ceased. The tentacles vanished and the man stood before the shadow man saying, "My name is Reggie Hilton." There was no fear in the man who played Butcher's shadowy eyes anymore.

The man in the suit owned this man now and said, "Good. Now here is what you are going to do. We are going to destroy the Corporation and every super hero attached to it. It is time the truth be revealed."

 

[charitybimbo]

The Butcher was yelling something, and he gave an evil laugh. Something about saving the many. Supralose twisted in his grip to see Vanquish looking back. The roof of Jazzy's was collapsing. People were pouring out the exits, but there was no way to evacuate that many people in time.

"Save the Many." Even a girl like Supralose, who only paid slight attention to the doings of the world's superheroes, knew that was part of Vanquish's code. He would never, in a million years, let hundreds of people die to save one wanna-be popstar.

She screamed in desperate, abject terror as the Butcher began climbing higher, and Vanquish turned back to Jazzy's.

"Don't worry sweetheart, you and I have some plans. Going to have some fun with you I am..." her captor growled as they moved higher and higher. She struggled, but he was a super, there was no real chance she could escape him. Even if she did, it would be the last thing she ever did.

But were a few more minutes - maybe hours - of life worth the hell that he put his victims through?

They reached the top of the building, and the Butcher turned. All Supralose could see was a giant billboar there, advertising SuperPop, the newly released range of sodas sweetened purely with Supralose. The Banner Building, she thought. 80 stories, he had climbed in a manner of a minute or so. The billboard depicted a muscular Vanquish bursting through a wall with a bottle of the cola held forward. The image changed, and then it was Speedox with the lemon-lime flavor. She found some distant part of her mind thinking about the song that was being used to push her image to the national stage "Thirst Trap." Ironic, that she had been captured by a supervillain.

"Sorry sweetheart. Guess you are going to have to be my distraction now!" The Butcher said.

"What?" she gasped.

Her answer was to be lifted over head, and thrown. She saw the edge of the roof flash past her, far out of reach, and then she was over the street. At this height, the cars looked tiny, too small even to be toys. Blue flashing lights were racing towards Jazzy's, and there was the first red of a fire truck leaving the station. She would be dead, splattered over half the block, before any of them reached the scene.

It was so unfair.

The ground rushed towards her. The air whipped at her as she fell faster and faster. The cars grew. The people streaming out of the club were... They were being carried, by Speedox? A few looked up, she saw the look of curiosity on their faces as she streaked towards them. What if she killed one in her fall? Could she aim herself?

Of course they did it all the time in action movies, but those were trained professionals falling from tens of thousands of feet. And then something flashed towards her and again, the wind was knocked out of her. Her body strained, but she was cushioned. It wasn't the fatally abrupt stop of hitting the pavement, but it still hurt.

Vanquish had her in his arms, supporting her head and spine with one arm, her legs with the other. She was trembling, still screaming as his feet touched the ground. Flashes, hundreds of phones turning her way. She forced a thin smile. This was the best publicity she had ever had. Her heart was pounding, and she was amazed it didn't stop. She had already had the rush of being on stage, and then terror after terror, ending with what should have been her death.

"Butcher may come back and try and snatch you again," Vanquish said.

She turned to hide her face against his chest. It was too much. She vaguely heard him talking to Speedox, a gajillion phones clicking images of her. This was the moment she had been dreaming of, this was going to put her into the national conversation, and it was all she could do not to throw up.

Then she was in the air again. Vanquish was flying. She gave a soft whimper of fear, but he was holding her and she knew he was a hero.

"Miss. You are safe now. I swear. I won't let anyone harm you. Do you have someplace away from the crowds and private I can deliver you?"

Away from the crowds? She shouldn't. Her publicist would kill her for not making some kind of statement, a better appearance than just whimpering in Vanquish's arms. But she shuddered. Who knows what she looked like? She probably couldn't even stand up if he put her down.

"H home," she stammered. But not her childhood home in Hicktown. "On 198th, by the Castleton Bridge."

It was a working class neighborhood, a real melting pot of cultures. It was at the edge of Sketchville, but it was all she could afford for now. She was a little ashamed not to have a posher address, but it wasn't like Vanquish was going to tell the press where she lived. She clung to him as he flew them through the night, her fear slowly fading, the rush turning into a hollow, emptiness.

Back to her dumpy 5th floor walk up, with nobody there to look out for her but Phil, the fire escape peeping Tom.

 

[ERedBoyd]

As she provided the address, a scan was initiated using his interface through the monitors to locate the address. He said, "I got it. Just relax, you are almost home."

The flight itself, compared to what they had just gone through was very mundane considering she was flying home in the arms of a metal man. However, as they got to the address, he lowered quickly to the small balcony on the outside of the apartment and set her on the decking gently.

He then ran a few scans of the place, validating it did appear to be secured and locked. He gathered all the data tied to the apartment, like utility bills, power intake, water and sewage bills, and rental contracts which were immediately secured in his files. He knew that much about her at least. He knew she was an up and coming star, but somehow he expected something more in the area of her personal life. A 3 bedroom ranch or something.

'Boss, you should see the news.' The AI called 'Monday' said in his ear and began to see article after article appearing on nearly every channel in the city about Sucralose's horrifying kidnap right of the stage she was performing on and how she was caught in the middle of a battle between Butcher and Vanquish. He looked to her as she was gathering herself and said, "The news is your fan it seems."

As an answer, he heard a phone begin to ring inside. Running a trace, he knew it was from the ABC news network... along with about 12 more calls she had gotten already which was on her voice mail if she had one.

He looked to her a moment before raising his hand, palm up and a holographic article appeared of the news talking about the attack and her salvation including dozens of never seen before pictures by those who had actually been there of him carrying her and then flying off with her. He said, "Is there anything I can do for you before I go?" He hadn't revealed his secret identity to her yet. He really was a big fan of her songs, owning multiple copies of her singles but he kept that to himself. He looked to her, almost expecting something else from her.... something more.

 

[charitybimbo]

When he landed on the balcony and set her down, she clung to him. His armor kept her from really feeling him, but it was solid, reassuring, and she knew there was a heart beating underneath, somewhere. He was quiet, distracted apparently, but it was fine. Her heart was still racing too hard to think clearly.

When the phone rang, she reached for her purse, before she realized it was in the green room at Jazzy's, along with her phone. It was the antique landline the sponsors had put in that was ringing, so she wouldn't ever been completely cut off. She turned to go in and there was the door. Glass, yes, with a view into her tiny apartment, but with a sturdy iron grille to keep out whatever kind of scum climbed up the fire escape. Her keys were also in the green room at Jazzy's.

"Shit," she whispered.

Then Vanquish raised his hand and the news appeared, hovering in the air, and she was distracted. The news images... he was holding her like a classic damsel in distress, so strong and powerful. She looked so weak and helpless. She had been. She looked terrified, which she also had been. It seemed like every shot was from an angle where her panties were showing, and she blushed.

He asked if there was anything he could do, as her phone began to ring again.

"I... I don't have my keys," she said. "I don't know if the super's downstairs, or... can you?" She nodded towards the door.

 

[ERedBoyd]

Vanquish glanced at the door once more and then back to her and said, "Umm... sure. I can help with that." If something was not kosher though, he could be helping with a breaking and entering and after such a great performance just now.

He turn and raised a hand to the handle and smiled as he magnetically opened the lock from inside, then the door slid open. Vanquish watched her step inside saying, "Well, this looks like a nice place you have here." He glanced around a bit thinking it wasn't all that nice at all but no way he would say anything about it. However, two things caught his attention that were mounted in shadow boxes on the wall. The first was a microphone with someone's autograph on it. He walked to it and read the autograph, "Lil'sista '17 ". He said, "Impressive." The other was a poster of all the Corporate heroes with a few signatures on it. He always liked that poster too as it had be the first one to frame him as the lead of the team after MetalFist's untimely demise in the mortician's incinerator a few years back. They had only found a lump of steel and titanium that had once been his fist after it was all done.

He said, "Well, I guess I should get going. I think you are about to get very busy I think."

Almost as a response, her front door chimed and he scanned through the wall saying, "Told ya." He turned to leave and then hesitated and said, "May I ask a favor of you?"

He pulled his arm up and revealed a small barren piece of plating without any markings on it and said, "Would you sign this for me? It would mean a lot to me. If you want, I will add my signature to your poster if you wish." He knew she couldn't see his face at all, but he held a smile and let his eyes wander up and down that luscious body. What he really wanted was her autograph on those cute little panties, but thought it was a bit forward to ask for those.

 

[charitybimbo]

Supralose watched as he did something and then she heard the lock slide, and the door opened. She stepped in, nervously, noticing everything out of place. As if she was bringing a guy home for the first time. Dishes from breakfast in the sink, her dresser drawers open, she had been frantic to find the right outfit to wear when she left, there were skimpy panties on the bed that she had considered and discarded.

Of course the outfit she had so carefully chosen was buried in the rubble of Jazzy's, but at least her stage costume had made it.

"Well, this looks like a nice place you have here." He didn't sound sarcastic, but it was hard to imagine he was serious. The neighborhood was not the worst, but that was about the best you could say, and her apartment was tiny, a studio with a miniature kitchenette and a bathroom barely big enough to move in. She did have a nice old claw-foot tub and by some architectural stroke of luck, a balcony. Maybe he was just being polite, or maybe he liked enclosed spaces.

"Impressive." This time she was sure he was messing with her, until he saw what she was looking at.

"Oh, yeah," she said, looking at the autographed mic. "I got to be her back-up back-up singer one time when the regular girl was too wasted. Still the biggest audience I've ever sung in front of. She said I had a lot of talent. That was like two weeks before she died."

"Well, I guess I should get going. I think you are about to get very busy I think." Almost as a response, her front door chimed and he scanned through the wall saying, "Told ya."

She felt her whole body stiffen. She didn't want him to go. Part of her knew she was in no real danger, but she had been kidnapped, almost killed, by a notorious villain. And the Butcher had gotten away. What if he had followed them? It wasn't like the flying man with the girl in his arms would be impossible to follow. And even leaving him aside, could she really face the press right now?

He turned to leave and then hesitated and said, "May I ask a favor of you?"

"Anything," she said. As long as it meant he stayed a little longer.

He pulled his arm up and revealed a small barren piece of plating without any markings on it and said, "Would you sign this for me? It would mean a lot to me. If you want, I will add my signature to your poster if you wish."

She stared at him. At his armored arm.

"I don't... I'm not sure how to... what will make a mark on that?" she mumbled. And then she looked up at his face. Well, his helmet. Jesus, she thought. You're Supralose. Why are you acting like a stupid girl? He's a superhero, but he's a man, too. You know how to make a man stay.

"I'd love your autograph," she said, and started unbuttoning her skimpy top. "But... I don't want to be alone right now." She slipped her top off her shoulders and let it fall. The bra she was wearing was a similar lavender shade, lacy around the edge for that accidental glimpse the audience might get, but mostly an engineering marvel designed to keep her tits pushed up and together no matter how athletic her dancing was.

She reached back to unhook it.

 

[ERedBoyd]

He raised a hand as she reached back to unhook the bra saying, "Wait.... just... wait a minute."

Burke saw her eyes shift to him curiously. He heard another rap on the door and someone yell her name again. Maintaining the silence, he took a deep breath and offered his hand to her. Waiting for her to take it, he led her back towards her bedroom away from the front door. As they stepped inside, he said, "Sentry mode. Silent mode."

Slowly, the Vanquish armor began to melt off of Burke as he stepped out of it showing her his real identity for the first time. A tall handsome man with bleached blonde hair, a dimpled chin, and deep blue eyes stood before her. The suit of armor returned to it's initial shape and then turned and headed to the doorway, facing out. Slowly, the armor began to review the area and room. Burke still wore his suit and tie and said, "Now..." He smiled down at her unblinking eyes and said, "Where were we?"

Walking towards her, he turned her to face him, letting his fingers slide around her body and finding the clasps of the bra. With a flick of his fingers, the bra lost it's tension. He said, "I really don't want to be alone either, though I guess I never really am alone..." The Vanquish armor was biogenetically bonded to him through an implant that was placed in the back of his skull years ago.

His hands moved up and along the shoulder straps and gently slid them off her shoulders, revealing that magnificent woman's breasts! His eyes slowly moved down her face along her neck to her mounds and let both his hands cup each of them. Oh god they were real! He had been worried they had been implants. Giving each a gently squeeze, he lowered down to his knee, looking up at her. His lips moved to each of those breasts and suckled each nipple into his mouth. He smiled when he thought he head a gasp. His hands moved along her sides down to her hips. He followed the waist band of her skirt to the back. His eyes looked up at her waiting on permission of sorts. He wasn't going to rip them off her and quite frankly, at this point, he could do anything he wanted with her. His sentry had blocked all signals in and out of the area. Even the sounds of the knocking and the voices outside would be completely muted from being heard.

 

[charitybimbo]

Supralose stared at the handsome man revealed by the armor. On some level, she realized that she hadn't really believed that there was really a man under there, but now he was here. The armor was... patrolling, it seemed. There was another knock on the door, and she seemed to shrink, cowering from the mere thought of facing the press right now.

It would be best, she thought. Her publicist would want her to answer them. She looked towards the door. Wouldn't it make sense to let the tension build? Nobody actually knew she was here, did they? Had they managed to track Vanquish?

The phone rang again, but it was cut off mid-ring. Everything was quiet. She looked at him, terrified, but he smiled. He glanced towards the armor. She could hear her own breathing, and his voice as he said somethign about not being alone. Then he unclasped her bra. She gasped, startled back into the moment, as he pulled it away, baring her full breasts. He started to suck her nipples, and she moaned, but she knew she had to stop this.

His hands slid down to her skirt, and she shook her head.

"Please," she whispered. "I... I can't."

She knelt, too, so they were kneeling in front of each other. She wasn't on the pill, and she couldn't risk getting pregnant. She reached down, caressing the front of his pants.

"You saved my life tonight," she whispered. "Let me take care of you."

 

[ERedBoyd]

"I... I can't"

Slowly, his eyes shifted up to her, need and desire replaced by irritation. No one told Vanquish... I can't. He was mildly surprised to find her lowering to her knees in front of him as well. Well... this was awkward. He smirked and said, "You want to take care of me. Good. I want to you to take care of me too. Sentry, scan Sucralose for me."

His suit was linked to him so when the report came in, he said, "Ahh... I see. You are fertile right now. I don't think having a baby is something either of us wants right now soo... "

Burke stood up and peeled his top off tossing it on a chair nearby. He then unzipped his fly and pulled out his rather significant cock, thick and long, a slight crook near the head. He looked down at her and said, "I accept your offer. Open that pretty mouth of yours."

He stepped one step closer while holding his cock. He pulled his cock back showing the underside of it and his thick balls which hung underneath like a secret treasure and said, "Take them into your mouth, one at a time."

He moaned as she began to please him.

 

[charitybimbo]

There was no mistaking the annoyance in his eyes when Supralose told him she couldn't. She actually flinched at the glare he gave her - not that he blamed him. Here he had saved her life, she had come onto him, and now she was denying him. But she was really only denying him the one thing. He seemed to understand when she told him she wanted to take care of him.

He told his suit to scan her, and then he knew. It was a little creepy how quickly he was able to find out where she was in her cycle. What else did that thing tell him? But it made it easier in some ways, not to have to explain, and he accepted her offer. Even before he said he accepted, he whipped his cock out.

She cringed when he told her to open her mouth, like she as some kind of whore. But wasn't she? She didn't even know his name, and she was offering him a blowjob... her publicist would shoot her if this got out. Her image would be destroyed.

"Yes sir," she said, partly teasing at the precise order he gave, but also excited by it. Being in the music business since she could remember, most of the guys she hooked up with were either dopey, stoned, passive couch potatoes or middle aged Peter Pans desperate to prove they still had it.

Vanquish was cold, but he was hot, and he knew exactly what he wanted and wasn't afraid to tell her.

She slipped her tongue out and tipped one of his heavy balls into her mouth. She sucked, eagerly, and when he moaned she purred happily. She let his first ball slip free of her soft, warm lips and sucked the second one in greedily.

 

[ERedBoyd]

As he studied her, he had to admit, her mouth felt amazing on his balls. Who would have thought that this music star would be sucking his balls? He had planned the entire event, even her kidnapping and rescue. He had planned it as nothing more than a corporate backed stunt to make sure the citizens of this stupid city believed in their heroes. If the truth were to ever get out though, those same citizens would burn the Corporation and all their heroes down. Then all that would be left were the real villians still in hiding out there.

"Fuck... your tongue... Shit...." He growled to himself before she popped the second ball from her mouth. If she was this good with her tongue on his balls, he couldn't wait to try other things on her. He chuckled as a momentary flicker of his manager, Jess Whitman, popped into his head. Yeah, once she learned about what happened here, she would probably stroke out in anger. Truth was, that was about all she could do though. The Corporation was like those sports management teams. They were only as good as their superstars and baby... he was the King of the hill. So all that cunt could do was dream of having his dick... again.

He lowered his cock to her and smiled as she opened her mouth to him. He let his cock slide in a few inches, resting the mammoth manhood on her tongue. He snapped his fingers as her eyes started to move down and said, "Eyes on me... Always on me..." He snapped an image using his internally built camera embedded in the eye itself. Yeah... he would jack off to this picture for years to come.

He slid his cock down into her mouth, past her gag point and down her throat a bit. His hands clamped on her hair as she seemed to struggle with the sudden invasion in her throat! He growled, "Eyes on me... on me now." He snapped a few more pictures. All these photos would go on his private server. Another thing the citizens would probably want to attack him about. But then again, he was only a hero because they loved him. If they stopped loving him, he had other options available to him.

He felt her starting to struggle, drawing his attention back to her and he let her head go and said, "Sorry about that hun... Catch your breath. I plan on having a lot of fun with you. There are still a few holes we can play with even if one is off-limits for now." He smiled at her as she reacted to him.

 

[charitybimbo]

Supralose felt Vanquish's cock slide into her mouth at last. She had to open wide, pushed her tongue out to tease him as he pushed it in. She halfway closed her eyes to savor the heat and taste of him when he snapped his fingers.

"Eyes on me... Always on me..." God, he sounded impatient, and she opened her eyes wide, looking up at him as he fucked her mouth.

In the position she was in, hands and knees in front of him kneeling, that's really what it was. She could have sucked his dick if he'd let her, but he was taking control, holding her head while he rocked his hips. It was somehow more degrading than a regular blowjob, but it was also easier. Just relax, suck, let him do what he wanted.

Then it got harder when he pushed his cock down her throat. Reflexively, she tried to pull back. He actually growled, grabbed her head, held her there while his cock choked her.

"Eyes on me," he said again. "on me now."

She looked up, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to relax her throat. If she could find that calm, she could do it - she'd done it before. Never with a cock as big as his, but still. Then the fear got her. She couldn't breathe, and he didn't seem to care. She tried to pull away, but he held her too tight. She was starting to see red at the edge of her vision before he let go.

She sat back on her heels, gasping, perfect breasts heaving as she filled her lungs. He was smiling. God, there was something cold and terrible behind his eyes.

"Sorry about that hun... Catch your breath. I plan on having a lot of fun with you. There are still a few holes we can play with even if one is off-limits for now."

She stared at him. What the fuck had happened, exactly? She had offered a hero a blowjob because she didn't want to be alone, and now he was looking at her like she was an ant. And what choice did she have now? Take that cock in her ass or hope he didn't forget to let her breathe so long she suffered brain damage?

But she was a singer. She didn't need her asshole to do her job. She needed her throat. Lip trembling, she tugged her skirt and panties down.

 

[ERedBoyd]

Burke smiled as she slid out of the remainder of her clothes. He reached down and grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up. He glanced over to the bed and said, "Now you are singing my tune darlin... Come on."

As Burke walked over to the bed, he slid out of his pants and briefs, leaving him in just his unbuttoned shirt and undone tie. He turned and looked over at his pretty little singer as she stared at his cock a moment. He patted the bed and said, "Come on, I don't bite... much."

He studied her as she hesitantly sat down on the corner of the bed. He said, "A little closer... come on. Just a little more."

His sentry unit walked back into the room, turning to stare at the two of them saying, "Sir, Corporation has been called to this address. They shall arrive in about 20 minutes."

Burke growled, "Fuck. Just FUCK! Can you belay that?"

The suit said, "Negative sir."

Burke looked to his new toy saying, "Well darlin, I guess we will have to take a raincheck on this one." He slid off the bed and began to dress once more. Once he was fully dressed, he looked to her again saying, "I... think it would be best if you forget what I look like. I can't have that getting out." He kissed her once, then created a small nanite origami of a dragon that shifts into the shape of his superhero emblem of a big V and set it on the nightstand for her. It was like a calling card from him that most of the ladies loved. It was also a built in camera and microphone should he ever want to peep in on her later.

He stepped to his suit as he looked at her naked body on that bed. Oh how he wanted to fuck her raw. Perhaps another time... The suit opened up and he walked into it and the suit resumed it's normal form. He turned and raised a hand to her and a thin beam lanced out catching her eyes. She seemed to freeze in place staring at the beam. He didn't say anything, just accessed the short term memory in which fuzzied his face in her memories. The beam ended and he said, "Thank you again and I will see you soon." He knew that she would recall the entire events that had happened, however, when she goes to try and recall his actual face, it would be hazzy and un-recollectable.

A minute later he turned and headed towards the balcony and launched up and on his way back to headquarters.

 

[charitybimbo]

It wasn’t that Supralose didn’t want to take care of Vanquish. She’d been perfectly willing to give him a blowjob, even excited. Not only had he just saved her life, but she was a little star struck, too. Whatever fame she might have was small and local, where he was practically a national institution. She didn’t even mind him getting rough, so much, except she did need her throat to sing, and he was big enough that she wasn’t sure he could use her throat that roughly without fucking up her vocal cords.

When he pulled her hair to drag her to her feet, just a little quicker than she was already moving, she gasped. He stripped from the waist down, his cock hard and thick, coated with spit and snot and tinged lavender from her lipstick.

He was impatient as she moved to obey him, maybe he had mistaken her for Speedox, or maybe he was just the kind of guy who needed to be unhappy with things. She sat, she scootched closer to him, even though it meant she had to lean away or push him to the side.

Then the empty armor stepped into the room, and announced that corporate would be coming.

He was so angry that she flinched away, as if it was her fault that corporate would be coming.

“Twenty minutes is….” Before she could finish, he was up, telling her he had to go.

He put on his suit and then did something to her. Then he was gone. For all that he had insisted that she look at him, she couldn’t remember what he looked like.

Her phone rang again, and she looked at the caller ID. It was Dani at Superpop, her publicist. She picked it up.

“Thank God you’re ok,” Dani said. “Are you home, of course you are, this is your home phone. Honey, you need to make a statement. NBS and CBC are already at your building and god knows what internet content providers have drones in the air.”

Drones. She wondered if any of them saw Vanquish leaving. She looked towards the balcony doors. There was a narrow gap where the curtains had been pulled aside. Was that there when she was blowing Vanquish? Was there a drone out there now, streaming her naked body? She closed the curtain.

“OK, give me a minute, I almost died,” she said.

“I know, isn’t it awesome?” Dani said. “Not that we want anything to happen to you, but the images of you in Vanquish’s arms is publicity you can’t buy. That’s why you need to make a statement. Just be grateful, relieved and your usual bubbly self, ok?”

“OK, just let me… um… fix myself up,” she said. She started dressing, the same clothes she had been wearing on stage. No reason for anyone to think she had been naked, after all.

“Someone from his organization is coming to talk to you,” Dani said. “If you can, patch me in. This could be gold.”

Supralose looked in the mirror. Her makeup was fucked. It would take her most of the twenty minutes to get it fixed up. She hoped Ken, her make up guy, was ok. God, he’d been backstage when the roof fell in.

 

[ERedBoyd]

The top tier legal team stared at the footage of Vanquish heroically battling the Butcher up the side of that skyscaper and groaned.

"How many times... How many times did I tell them not to fight on the side of the buildings? Do you realize how much damage we are going to have to fix now?" The dark skinned woman Ellen Jacobs said as she flicked from channel to channel seeing that every news media outlet station was talking about the rescue of this jazz singer Supralose.

"I know Ellen, but look at this..." Peter Noggins said as he pulled open his laptop and showed an upload from TicToc showing Vanquish clearly landing on the balcony of one of the residential apartment complexes holding the singer still in hand. Someone from down on the street showed Vanquish clearly breaking into an apartment and walking in with the woman. He said, "That is breaking and entering at least."

Damon Masters looked over saying, "The media is already there. Still working on the location and ... wait... " He flipped his laptop around and clicked on a link. "Vanquish had a search done on the residence. Opening Vanquish's recordings."

They watched as Burke stepped out of the uniform and began to get a blowjob from the woman. He said, "Another lawsuit coming. Didn't you tell him NOT to do this kind of shit anymore?!?"

Ellen looked to Mary Schumer and said, "Prepare your standard compensation package with the standard NDA. You and Philip ... Joan, you go too since we are doing this. Need to start getting used to this."

Joan was a tall brunette woman who was the newest hire on the team. She shifted a bit but nodded. "No problem." She went over and gathered her her steno and recorder into her briefcase.

Mary, a shorter blonde woman smiled saying, "Just remember, smile and don't talk. Burke likes women who are not of the ... most intelligent variety. This shouldn't take long."

Philip, Joan, and Mary sat in a Mercedes in downtown traffic not far from the turn off into the parking garage when Philip got the call, "Vanquish just left. I think we saved that girl from sodomy. His suit alerted him to us and he left."

Joan looked shocked and mouthed the word, "Sodomy? I thought he was one of the good guys?"

Mary only laughed saying, "Sweetheart, you got a lot to figure out with this job. None of these so called good guys are really good guys."

"Well, 'The Prince' and 'Professor Macaw' are pretty decent." Philip said.

"'The Prince' was busted walking into a museum and stealing the Emerald Thorn Pendant." Mary said, "And Professor Macaw... he has a thing for Lemon Jello, Midgets wearing crow masks, and Weed Eater Trimmer Line."

Joan snickered in disbelief, "Lemon Jello?"

"The point is, none of these guys are good. They all have their sins and our job is to hide those sins. This girl, we offer her the $100K to sign the NDA, she gets some free publicity, we keep Vanquish from being sued." Mary said calmly as she turned into the parking garage and drove up to the floor Supralose lived on and parked.

The three of them waded through the press and was glad to see the police had been called to keep the press down at the elevators. Mary knocked on the door, staring at it, then waited for entrance.

 

[charitybimbo]

The knock on the door came just as Supralose was putting the finishing touches on her makeup. Her hair was not great, so she pulled it back and fixed the ribbon in her hair as best she could, and then opened the door.

"Hi," she said. "Come in. I'm sorry about the place, I...." Wasn't expecting super heroes and corporate lawyers to be in her life, at least until she'd made it a little bigger.

They didn't seem the least bit interested in what the rest of her sentence was, so that made things easier. They looked around, and the man - Phillip - pulled the two chairs from her dining nook over to the couch so there were places for everyone to sit. She sat on the couch, carefully not flashing her panties. You never know who might go to the press and start telling the world she was a slut or a cocktease.

They seemed to be waiting for something, so she stood up. "I'm sorry. I don't really have anything to offer you except tea, or water."

"We're fine," Mary, the blonde said, in a tone that sounded impatient.

"OK, well, I should probably go downstairs, then."

"Larissa Alvaro," the brunette - Joan said, using her birth name, letting her know they meant business. The name the press had been unable to uncover in the months since they'd started paying attention to Supralose - her secret identity, as it were - these people had found in less than an hour. "Before you go down and say something you can't take back, we'd like you to consider our offer."

"Your offer?" Larissa said. "Did I miss...?"

"Not yet," Joan answered, and Philip opened his briefcase. He pulled out a sheet and set it on the coffee table, but it was Joan who spoke. "This is a standard NDA. By signing this, you agree not to speak to the press about your encounter with...."

"No," Larissa said, laughing. "No. Don't be... I'm going downstairs to talk to the press. They're out there, and they're going to ask me about Vanquish."

The lawyers exchanged glances. Mary took a checkbook from her purse and opened it. The phone rang.

"The thing is," Joan said, uncertainly now. "If anything were to tarnish Vanquish's image...."

"He saved my life," Larissa said. "How is talking about that going to tarnish his image?"

More glances. "There is footage of him breaking into your apartment," Phillip said, diplomatically.

"My keys are backstage at Jazzy's," Larissa said. "I asked him to help me get inside."

"The suit has cameras, Miss Alvaro," Mary said, brusquely. "The feeds go to corporate. We saw everything." She mimed a blowjob, in case her point was missed.

Larissa blushed a deep red. "That... That will be as bad for my image as it is for his," she said. She took a deep breath, getting used to this new information. "My image is a fantasy. I'm diet soda. Bubbles and artificial sweetener. Two thirds of my audience is preteen girls, and the rest are creepy dudes who think I'm saving myself for them. I'm not going to go downstairs and tell the fucking late show that I gave Vanquish a blowjob."

She was trembling. "I am going to go downstairs and talk to whoever's out there, before my publicist shits herself. I'm going to make your guy look like the hero that he is. You want to write a check, I'll cash it, but I'm not signing an NDA."

She grabbed Dani's card off the fridge and handed it to Mary. "You want to figure something out, you call her. I have to go to work now."

When she came out of the elevator into the lobby, there were police. There was a crowd of press, cameras popping, questions being screamed at her.

"Hi everyone," she said, brightly, into the biggest cluster of microphones. She flashed her bubbliest smile. "Some of you might know I had a rough night, but I'm fine." She did a quick spin and flashed another smile. "Thanks to Vanquish, I didn't suffer anything but a bad scare."

She held up both hands, first two fingers raised in a V sign that used to refer to peace, but was now associated with the hero. There was a roar of questions.

 

[ERedBoyd]

"Sir, Supralose is on the news again..." Sentry said through the speakers inside his super suit.

"Put it on screen." Vanquish said as he flew back to the main city.

He studied her as she stood in front of the news reporters saying in her most bubbly voice, "Hi everyone! Some of you might know I had a rough night, but I'm fine. Thanks to Vanquish, I didn't suffer anything but a bad scare." They had been showing the same interview for at least 3 hours now.

"Damn that girl is hot. I think I want to go back." Burke said as he landed in the alley a few blocks from where he had fought Butcher up on the sky scraper. He landed without making a sound and glanced about. He said, "Reggie?"

He shifted the suit back into the nanite casing on his back so he didn't quite stand out. No one knew Burke, only Vanquish. He looked about. Other than a few dumpsters and a couple of homeless guys at the end of the alley standing in front of a barrel that had wood burning inside it across the dark shadows, there was no one.

Burke reached for his phone and made a call and waited.... as the phone rang, he heard a phone begin to ring in the darkness behind the alleyway. He went to alert as he walked down the alley saying, "Reggie? You here?"

Slowly, he turned around the edge of the alley... and found Reggie's phone on the ground ringing. He spun around looking about for some kind of ambush. He tapped his casing once again just like that, he was Vanquish once more. He said, "Scan alleyway for life Reggie Hilton."

Sentry, his AI, said, "He is not here Burke." He turned his eyes towards the homeless. Sentry said, "Scanners show they are John Burke and Peter Franks, two homeless vets." The two men had turned and watched Vanquished nervously while trying to stay warm. The night had a little bit of a bite to it.

He picked up Reggie's phone, tucking it into his casing, then fired his launchers, sending him up into the sky once more. It was late now and he turned his eyes back towards Supralose apartment. He couldn't see it from there, but he could listen with his little gift to her. He smiled as the camera revealed her into the bathroom and turning on her shower. She stepped back into her bedroom and began to strip. His cock quivered once more. He said, "Should I go back?"

"Sir, you know what Corporate thinks about this kind of thing? You have been warned 5 times now." Sentry said in his annoying little neutral voice.

"The Corporation would be bankrupt without me. I am their fucking posterboy. No... I think I am going to go join her now." Burke said as he turned to fly back the way he had come.

"What about Reggie sir? We should probably locate him." Sentry said.

"He is probably got his payment and is getting drunk right now." Burke said as he shifted his flight to stealth mode so no one could track him.

He landed quietly on the balcony and slid the back door open once again and headed inside. He glanced at his camera and saw her standing in just a towel now near the shower getting ready to go in. He smiled when she stopped and listened. She had heard him. He said, "Sentry mode. Silence mode."

Burke stepped out of his suit once more. He saw her peek around the corner and see him and he smiled saying, "It's just me. I had to leave in such a... hurry and I felt things had been left unfinished so, I thought we could finish now." He slid his shirt off once more and began to walk her way. He smiled at her saying, "You look sexy as fuck in nothing but a towel..."

 

[charitybimbo]

She stayed in front of the press for almost an hour, answering their questions. She knew what to say, what part to play. She was America’s undiscovered sweetheart, just rescued by America’s Favorite Superhero. So grateful, so lucky, so scared by the bad guy, I owe him my life, blah blah blah. When someone asked what he was doing in her apartment for that long, she laughed.
“He was just waiting for me to stop bawling, I think,” she said, lowering her eyes, embarrassed. “It was pretty traumatic and… well… I was a little… hysterical, I think.”
She bit her lip, she looked up, so vulnerable, melting hearts across the country.
And just about then is when Dani showed up, swept through the reporters, telling them to leave her alone.
“She’s been through enough,” she said, and pulled Larissa back onto the elevator.
They both stared at each other, and as the elevator started to rise, they burst out laughing. Dani lectured her on doing publicity with no preparation, and then congratulated her on knocking it out of the park. She wanted to know what happened when Vanquish was in the apartment, but Larissa wouldn’t say.
“You scared the shit out of his lawyers,” Dani said, and then looked at her phone. “They’re cool now, though. They said they’re preparing another proposal, and would like you to refrain from making any further statements on the subject for the time being.”
Larissa raised her eyebrow.
“They’re not stupid,” Dani said. “They’re going to make it worth our while. A Vanquish flavor of Superpop, fully licensed, with one of your songs in the ad.”
“Really?” Larissa said, slightly disappointed.
“I don’t know,” Dani said. “They haven’t made the offer yet, just the ask.”
They went into Larissa’s apartment, and talked about terror and market position, and when Dani was assured Larissa was going to stay out of sight at least until tomorrow, she left. Larissa was drained, but she went to take a shower.
She was just about to start the water when she heard the back door slide open.
She froze, but she went to peek, ready to dash for the phone if it was a burglar. For a moment, she thought it was. The face was unfamiliar, but when he spoke, she knew it was Vanquish.
She shivered at what he said, but she stood in front of him. She remembered what he had wanted when he was here before, and blushed fiercely. Had he really come back for that? She was afraid of him, but grateful, too.
“Y you can’t let your suit send video to anyone,” she said nervously. “There’s butter in the kitchen.”

 

[ERedBoyd]

Burke stopped halfway to Supralose with the most curious expression on his face. 'There is butter... in the kichen? Can't let my suit video anyone?' Had she lost it in the head?

He turned and looked at his suit, the Vanquish which just stood there watching and said, "My suit? What are you talking about? Sentry, are you recording anything?"

"Of course not sir." The suit lied. Of course it had orders to record everything at all times from all directions and store it in the Corporation databases but not to inform Burke about it. The suit turned and walked back to the sliding door and looked outside once and then added, "The area is clear sir."

Burke turned back to her saying, "See. Not recording. Nothing to be afraid of..." He finished pulling off his shirt and tossed it on the chair. He kicked off his boots as he got closer saying, "I don't know what butter has to do with what I got planned, I can think of much better lubricant than butter if you are having a hard time in that department."

Sentry turned around once more and stood in the corner, monitoring the situation. If danger was detected, the suit would inform him.

As he closed the distance to her, he gently took the towel she had tucked under her and opened it up to get a full delicious view of her naked body! He took his time as his eyes hungrily slid down every curve of her delicious body. He kept the towel spread open and used it to keep her wrangled near him. He licked his lips and muttered, "Delicious. You are going to make me very happy you are."

He looked back up to her eyes and saw her glancing towards Sentry once more and he turned and looked back to him and rolled his eyes and said, "Senty, cover your eyes please."

In a near mocking gesture, the suit literally did as commanded and put both hands before the unit's face. He looked back to his girl and said, "Come on..." He tucked the towel around her body once more but kept a pair of fingers hooked in it to pull her into the bedroom. He closed the door behind them and locked it. He said, "See." Of course, he wouldn't tell her of his little spycam either in the ornament that was his Vanquish emblem.

He pulled her to him with the towel and kissed her lips hard. He felt her tremble and he said, "Relax. It is going to be wonderful." He really didn't give two shits if she enjoyed it or not, but it would be wonderful for sure. He opened her towel once more and this time tossed it to the side. He smiled and said, "Now, where were we?"

He took her hands to his pants saying, "Ah... I believe we were right here."