Slipspace dodged, somehow. Her instincts kicked in just at the right moment and Slipspace managed to portal right through the attack. Her eyes fixed on her target, and Slipspace broke into a run. With a flick of her wrist, a portal appeared just ahead of her, embedded in the floor, perfect to drop into. It’s twin hung in the air just above Arcadia’s head. Arcadia braced, defending from above. Elaine grinned. Her feint was perfect. With a diving roll, Slipspace leapt over the portal and slid into an upward kick, her boot made contact just below Arcadia’s left eye, Slipsace’s heel pressing the edge of her opponent's goggles into the bone below. For a moment the room was silent. Arcadia flew backward as Slipspace rose triumphant. She’d won. Then Arcadia recovered.

With a midair twirl, the Villainess bathed herself in light, holding her form midair for a moment, just long enough to right herself, before dropping back down. Slipspace was dumbfounded, when had Arcadia gotten this good with her powers? She was certainly still clumsy in combat, but if Arcadia continued to improve her command over her powers, the raw potential of her abilities would doubtless surpass Slipspace’s portals. Struggling to come up with something, anything to do in response, Slipspace stood gawking, helpless as a tendril of light wrapped around her ankle and yanked her off her feet. She landed with a thud, and soon she found more tendrils pinning her in place. So this is how it feels, a very unhelpful part of her brain offered. She shut that part out and tried desperately to break free to no avail, struggling against solid energy or whatever the fuck her bindings were made of was pointless. Arcadia rolled her shoulders forward, righting herself as she touched down onto the floor and strode toward her captive opponent.

“Well , I must say that was quite the neat trick with the fake out. Unfortunately for you, you still weren’t quick enough. I just barely got a barrier up in time. Still hurt like a motherfucker though.” Her hand rose to touch the place Slipspace had made contact, and Arcadia winced. She gently drew her hand in a slow, upward motion, and Slipspace’s bindings responded in kind, lifting her into the air and setting her down on her feet, pinned to the wall. Arcadia stalked toward her, stopping barely a foot away.

“You know, Slip. Despite everything I kind of always admired you. I mean, I kind of admired any and all women who I found hot and didn’t think were completely deplorable. Being trans can do that to some. But I digress, I was really hopeful today; you were listening, genuinely listening. I thought I could win you over,  guess I was wrong.” There was a sadness in her voice that was oddly surprising and almost moving. Still, it didn’t stop Slipspace from fruitlessly struggling to escape.

“You gonna do your villain monologue now?” Slipspace huffed, but under her mask she was screaming at Arcadia. If this bitch made her miss Allie she would blow a gasket. “Can we get on with this? I had plans tonight.” At that, Arcadia quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh, plans hmm? Got somewhere better to be? Well, truth be told I do too. We’ll be done soon, after I’ve said my piece and escaped with the loot your bindings will fade naturally with me no longer present. I won’t bother knocking you out this time.” Arcadia flashed Slipspace a grin. “Afterall, I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of one another, and I wouldn’t want to miss our next meeting cause you were in the hospital.”

“Well stop yammering and get on with it.” Slipspace fought hard to keep the edge of genuine helplessness out of her voice. She felt ridiculous, pinned to a wall by her nemesis, her job on the line and all she could think about was the girl she had a crush on but fuck it. The fight was lost, whatever the consequences were would come. She just wanted to go home and get ready for the date so at least one good thing could happen that night.

“I’m really not just monologuing, you know. I was being serious. I really did hope you’d change. I still hope you will. I know you can.” She leaned in close. “And, also well, yeah, I think you’re pretty hot. At least from what I can see anyway. A part of me just wants to rip that mask off and see what you really look like under there, that would be the wicked, villainous thing to do, right? To tear off that mask and see who you really are? To leave you exposed and vulnerable before me?” There was something eerily familiar about Arcadia’s tone. Elaine knew very well why someone might take on that chiding lilt, that teasing edge which promised so much more, if only she’d give in. 

Arcadia was trying to do some kind of Amatuer dominatrix routine, and to what end? To fluster Slipspace? To make her give in and join Arcadia’s side? Even if that sort of thing actually worked outside of bad porn and bedroom roleplays, Arcadia really needed to work on her presentation. It was just off, lacking that intangible je ne sais quoi that made this approach actually enticing. Still, if that was the sort of game Arcadia wanted to play, Elaine knew just how to play it. Without missing a beat, she leaned forward, capturing the villainess’ lips with her own in an aggressive, but controlled kiss. In the moment Elaine had to admit, Arcadia was absolutely delicious. Her lips were so soft and plump in a way that reminded Elaine of Allie, she tasted faintly fruity, and the little squeak which erupted from her was surprisingly adorable, then delightfully wanton as it transitioned into a low, throaty moan. The kiss lasted far longer than it should have. At least, longer than it should have had Arcadia not desperately wanted more of it.

When their lips finally parted, Slipspace was grinning triumphantly, the distraction had evaporated her bindings. She thrust her knee into Arcadia's gut, winding her and doubling her over in pain. A pair of portals manifested, perfectly placed for Slipspace to grasp Arcadia by the ankles and pull. Arcadia fell, there was no recovery this time. She lay on the floor, winded, dazed, wincing and groaning in pain in ways that actually made Slipspace feel somewhat guilty. Arcadia looked hurt, not just physically but emotionally too. The sting in Slipspace’s heart was impossible to ignore.

“I’m sorry for the dirty tactics, Arcadia, for what it’s worth I really enjoyed that kiss. And look I -- I’m sorry things have to be this way. I know you’re trying to do the right thing.” It was probably one of the strangest apologies Slipspace had ever given, but it was genuine. She still felt shitty though. Sighing, Slipspace stooped to restrain her opponent and, with a desperate look on her face Arcadia began fiddling with her goggles. Suddenly there was a click, and a blinding flash of light which caught Slipspace directly in the eyes. She stumbled, disoriented for just a moment. There were footsteps, but they seemed to be getting quieter. 

Her vision returned. Arcadia was gone. Slipspace searched the entire gallery, but there was no sign of her, not even of an exit point. She sighed, slumping against the wall. So Arcadia had gadgets now, did she? At least she hadn't managed to make off with any of the goods. That meant the guild wouldn’t be too mad at her, though probably a little disappointed Slipspace hadn’t managed to actually bring Arcadia in. At the very least, Elaine was certain she still had a job. That didn't help with the guilt though.

She rested her head backward against the wall behind her, laying a hand on her forehead and groaning. The adrenaline was dying down, and that left the inevitable full body soreness that came with being knocked around in a super-powered fight. She’d definitely need to take an aspirin or five before her date. Speaking of which, Elaine tapped her comm piece, projecting it’s visual overlay to check the time. She breathed a sigh of relief, still had a few more hours before the date. It would be fine. She allowed herself a few moments to collect herself, trying to smother the conflicting thoughts about Arcadia, the lingering flutter in her heart and tingling in her lips. 

Was kissing Arcadia also a problem? It had definitely felt good, but Elaine was hardly about to catch feelings. More than anything, she just felt bad about kissing another girl on the day of her and Allie’s first honest date. Still, it wasn’t as though Elaine could just come clean and say “hey, Allie, I’m a superheroine and just before our date I got called in to stop my arch nemesis and I made out with her.” It was possible that eventually she’d have to go ahead and tell Allie her secret, assuming they got that far, but that was a conversation Elaine was in no way ready to consider having. 

Which posed another problem, had Elaine really taken the time to consider just how difficult maintaining any sort of serious relationship would be given the fact that she had to go out and fight crime at the drop of a hat? It all seemed rather unfair to Allie if she wanted a committed long-term relationship. Perhaps those questions were better left answered when she understood her feelings and her relationship with Allie better, but in the dim hallways of her battleground Elaine had to admit a hard truth to herself: so long as Arcadia kept at it the way she had been, she would never truly be able to develop a serious relationship with Allie. Something had to give, and neither Slipspace nor Elaine were the type to take the sort of extreme measures needed to force Arcadia into ending her crime spree permanently.

Elaine lightly banged the back of her head against the wall, groaning aloud, then did her best to collect herself. There was no sense deliberating over all of that inside of some rich asshole’s private museum, and it wasn’t as though she were going to cancel her date with Allie. Not after all the bullshit she’d gone through. She patched herself through to Tic and called for a ride home. OS wouldn’t be particularly pleased to hear Arcadia had gotten away, but nobody could blame Slipspace considering she stopped the actual theft. Regardless, she’d worry about those consequences later. All Elaine cared about at that point was just finding some way to allow herself to enjoy the night.

Unfortunately for her, the guild apparently wanted paperwork and reports and all of that done right away. Usually they let her save that stuff for a few days afterward, giving her time to recover, but it seemed dissatisfaction had outweighed common decency, and when Tare’s portal appeared leading not to her apartment, but instead to the guts of guild HQ, Slipspace almost wanted to hurl herself out a window instead of step through. She decided against that though. 

Elaine hated HQ. It was a wretched, depressing building that only reminded her of all the reasons she couldn’t help but sympathize with Arcadia. Every time she went she’d see or hear something that turned her blood cold. Sometimes it would be heroes bragging to one another about the sheer brutality they inflicted in their most recent fights. On other days, she might catch a glimpse of the packed waiting rooms full of civilians, who hopelessly waded through endless bureaucracy while seeking reparation or accountability for collateral damage brought on by guild sanctioned heroes. Rarely, Elaine heard the panicked protests of some criminal being dragged off to a holding cell after being sentenced to serve time in a delta prison, or as some called them, hell on earth. 

She didn’t know what went on inside the walls of those places, she didn’t want to. Elaine would try to remind herself that was only where the worst of the worst went, but she knew mistakes could be made. Thinking too long about it all kept her up at night, wondering if she were complicit in it all. She wanted out, but she couldn’t see a way. The powers that be were ready and able to stop any and all deltas they deemed dissidents or traitors. It was practically their reason for being.  

Society had been forever changed by the appearance of deltas, and in the early days things were far more dangerous than in Elaine’s time. A world unprepared for superhumans was uniquely vulnerable to attacks from powered individuals willing and more than able to end human life or resist systemic institutions. They were a far cry from the villains Elaine was used to dealing with. That was the era that birthed the guilds, and in many ways the people running them never grew past that worldview, they simply adapted to a world where the average delta-human criminal was not the sort of threat to be met with overwhelming draconian force. 

Still, whenever or wherever they saw a threat to their ideological hegemony crop up, they were certain to stamp it out. And, in the eyes of those pulling the strings, anyone who left their ranks on moral or political grounds opposed not only the guilds, but the order they created. To betray the guilds was to be far worse than some bank robbing villain, to betray them was to be a terrorist. It was a widely known, but seldom spoken rule. And so, as she strode through the building’s long, winding corridors, Elaine simply did her best to keep her head down, and focus on finishing whatever paperwork there was that needed doing as quickly as possible, so she could get away from that oppressive place, and get on with her night.

Slumped over a desk, tapping her pen in rhythmic frustration as she poured over documents and answered question after question, Elaine couldn’t keep her eyes off the clock. Every moment not actively spent focusing on the task at hand was spent calculating minutes and hours. It was already definitely too late to properly get ready, no full makeup or pre date shower and shave, that was for sure. Elaine prayed to whatever gods there were that she didn’t smell too bad after everything, and decided to channel all of that frustration into agner.

Surprisingly, more and more that anger wasn’t anger at Arcadia. But anger at OS and his stupid rich friends that called her in to deal with a harmless burglary attempt. The people who were forcing Elaine to fill out evaluations and reports to ensure she wasn’t losing her edge. She wasn’t. She knew she wasn’t. Slipspace won, she’d stopped the burglary. She just didn’t take Arcadia in. And fuck it, she probably wouldn’t have actually taken Arcadia even if she could have. Sipspace had never once actually arrested someone. That was a line she had yet to cross, one she probably would have that night a few months ago, but now more than ever one she knew that would have been wrong. Arcadia didn’t deserve punishment, the system did. And while neither Elaine nor Slipspace had the tools or opportunity to fight back effectively, maybe somehow, someday Arcadia would. 

An hour later, Elaine was laying on her back in bed, taking what meager moments she could to relax for once that night. She was going to be late to her date. Not too late, but a little. Hopefully Allie wouldn’t be mad, but Elaine needed the moment to clear her head and make the mental switch from angry at the world to giddy lesbian going on a promising first date. She closed her eyes, filing the night's events away best she could, and focused on Allie. She thought of her smile, her laugh, her wit, the way she always managed to keep Elaine on her toes in any situation, be that simple conversation or in the midst of coital bliss. Allie was a special girl, an important girl. In spite of everything, Elaine found it surprisingly easy to let herself be excited to see her.

SapphicSounds

Hello my lovely readers! Long time no see, I'm back though. And I've got content. Over the course of today and tomorrow, I'll be posting a total of 2 more chapters to close out this story. If you're enjoying these new chapters, and want even more Restraints/Redemptions then I have news for you! There is more, a lot more. In fact, there is approximately 20,000 more words of brand  new content that is not on Scribblehub and, sadly, will not be. It was a tough decision to come to, but I've realized that right now my patrons don't have a ton of exclusive content. As such, I have published a full version of Restraints/Redemptions onto my patreon, as well as onto kindle books. This version contains 7 brand new chapters, as well as some extensive additions to two already existing chapters (namely, the chapter in which Elaine goes to confront Arcadia and Dr. DeLEXIous, and the following chapter between Elaine and Allie). It's available to all of my patrons, so for as little as $2 a month you can pick it up here. Hell, if you want, you can even pay the two dollars for the content, and then immediately stop being my patron, I won't tell anyone. 

That being said, I would really appreciate if you could join my patreon at as high a tier as you feel comfortable joining, and, or, if you can afford it (and are willing to give Amazon your money which, I wouldn't recommend), I would appreciate and sales of the E-Book version found here. If you really, genuinely do not have $2 to spare or otherwise genuinely cannot make the payment, and would still really like to read the new content, feel free to pm me and we can work something out.