The tension in the Airbnb living room was thick enough to choke on, mostly for Edward alone. He watched as the masked woman stood like a statue of pure menace, arms crossed over her portable sized chest as she watched Maya with clinical patience. Ten long minutes dragged by while they waited for Maya’s condition to stabilize. After waiting for so long, even though it was only a short while in actuality, her breathing slowly evened out, the violent pounding in her head reduced to a dull throb, and some color finally returned to her face.

During that period of waiting, Edward tried his best, using every second of that agonizing wait, trying to find an advantage. While sitting perfectly quiet, he mentally dove into the system store, desperately scrolling through page after page of available abilities. With approximately $600,000 available, he hoped, prayed even, that there would be something, anything, that could help him in this nightmare situation.

While he found hundreds, perhaps even thousands of options, from enhanced strength packages to temporary invisibility boosts, minor elemental manipulation, pain resistance, even low-tier regeneration, he couldn’t find anything that would be useful for the current crisis.

Most combat-oriented abilities started in the low millions, and the few that seemed remotely relevant relied on variables he couldn’t confirm, like how strong physically his opponent was, or how fast. He already saw how devastating her ability was. While he had only seen a fraction from his own estimation, he was sure there would be more... he had read enough fiction to know how formidable shadow related powers could get. He would have even mistaken the lady for a well known hero named shadow, if not that that shadow was a man.

At the end of his search, he could only clench his jaw in frustration. ’What the hell is wrong with my luck?’ he thought bitterly. ’Of all the times to be useless...’

As the minutes ticked by, he also kept a discreet eye on the masked intruder using his ’Intuitive Pleasure’ ability. The special perfume he had sprayed on earlier was still working its magic on her, thankfully. He could sense the growing heat slowly emanating from different spots of her body. Her arousal was rising steadily, though not as explosively as it had with others. Perhaps Maya’s exhausted state was somehow dampening the overall atmosphere.

By contrast, Maya’s signals remained relatively stable and low. Perhaps she was too drained for the perfume to push her into desperate need right now.

"Alright, that’s enough waiting," the masked woman finally declared. She produced a strange, dark rope from a hidden compartment in her suit. The material looked organic yet metallic, shimmering faintly under the lights. It was clearly not ordinary rope and was certain to be tough to break even by people with heightened strength.

Before that though, she first made Maya change. "Put these on," she ordered, tossing Edward’s spare black joggers and oversized sweater at her. Maya complied without argument, dropping the towel briefly to dress. Even in baggy clothes, her thick curves, plump ass cheeks, and ample breasts were impossible to fully hide.

Looking at her, the lady couldn’t help clicking her tongue in hate.

She then tied them up. She bound Maya’s hands tightly in front of her body, then secured Edward’s hands behind his back. Finally, she connected them together with a short length of the same resilient rope, forcing Edward to walk directly behind Maya.

"Move," she commanded.

They had both expected to be taken to a vehicle, most likely Maya’s car parked outside. Instead, the masked woman brought them to a more spacious area of the house, stepped behind them and they waited.

The floor beneath their feet began to change rapidly.

A perfect circle of shadow spread outward, dark tendrils swirling like living ink. Maya’s eyes widened in genuine shock. ’Since when did she have this kind of ability?’ she thought.

"What is this?" Maya asked out loud, trying to sound calm.

The lady chuckled softly behind them. "Neat, isn’t it? I gained this ability recently. The activation speed is frustratingly slow, but it functions as a teleportation portal, basically."

Almost immediately, her thoughts connected. This had to be connected to the enhancement drug she had heard about recently. She made a mental note to question her later when Edward wasn’t around. Revealing top-secret information in front of him would only put him in even greater danger.

Edward stared in fascination despite the danger. They continued sinking into the shadow, slowly swallowing their feet, then their calves. The sensation was incredibly strange, like sinking into thick, viscous mud mixed with warm goo. It wasn’t hot or cold. It simply felt... unnatural, heavy, and clinging— as if the shadow itself had weight and texture.

Having no top on, Edward could feel the strange substance pressing against his body, almost like it was tasting him. When they sank to their necks, the masked woman spoke sharply.

"Hold your breaths."

Both Edward and Maya obeyed instantly, drawing in a big one, heads facing the ceiling, as they sunk completely a few seconds later. The shadow rose over their heads, completely submerging them.

For five long, disorienting seconds, it felt like being trapped underwater in extremely thick, syrupy liquid. Movement was nearly impossible. Edward’s heart hammered in his chest as darkness pressed against his eyes, nose, and mouth. The pressure was immense but not painful.

Then, suddenly, their heads broke through a slanted surface.

They emerged from what looked like a shadowed, angled wall, leaning forward at a sharp angle. The process of fully coming out was faster than sinking in. Gravity helped pull them forward as the shadow released them.

They stumbled out into a dimly lit concrete corridor that smelled of metal. The walls were reinforced, industrial, clearly part of some hidden facility.

A fully armored guard rushed towards them, almost as though he was already waiting nearby, standing at attention, with his face was hidden behind a tactical visor.

The masked woman grabbed Edward by the back of his neck and shoved him toward the guard after separating him from Maya. "Be careful with this one. Take him to Cell 108."

"Yes, ma’am," the guard replied without hesitation. He seized Edward’s bound arms with a firm grip and began marching him down the corridor.

As they walked away, Edward glanced back once. The masked woman was already dragging Maya in the opposite direction. Maya looked exhausted but defiant, her eyes meeting Edward’s for a brief, worried moment.

"Come on," the masked lady said to Maya, her voice almost casual now. "Let’s go meet the boss."

Edward was led deeper into the facility.

’Who the hell are these people? What kind of organization has shadow teleportation and secret underground bases? And why is Maya involved with them? Fuck! All I wanted was good pussy, now this...’

The guard finally stopped in front of a heavy metal door marked "108." He scanned his wrist against a panel, and the door hissed open with a pneumatic sound. Inside was a small, sparse cell that contained a metal bed bolted to the floor, a toilet in the corner, and a single dim light overhead.

The guard pushed Edward inside roughly but not violently.

"Behave yourself," he warned before slamming the door shut before the locks engaged.

Edward stood in the center of the small cell, hands still tightly bound behind his back, heart pounding as the reality of his situation finally settled in.

"God damn it."