SSV: Project STATIC Part 3: Game Over

Chapter 5

Pam rode on Jake's bike clutching her arms around him as he sped through the city streets. She tried her hardest to keep her emotions from spilling over as her mind raced with possibilities and potential disasters. She knew Beth could take care of herself, hell she'd shot her weeks before taking up the mantle of The Feral! Still, her collar was more than just a sentimental piece and decoration. It was a safety net for Pam to keep her at ease. Beth knew this, and she had always kept it around her neck. She'd only ever taken it off to change the band or shower, and she always put it back on the minute she was able. Throughout all of their battles, it was the one thing that she'd never let someone take. Even whenever Beth was furious with her, she never removed it. The fact that it was gone and sitting in fifth was unnerving and concerning.

Pam had reluctantly tapped back into the runestone to find where Beth had been. She'd had to push aside the residual energy left in the collar as she scanned the subway for anything definitive. Her heart ached as she forced herself to power through for the sake of her beloved Kitten. Thankfully, Jake had managed to piece together where Beth's collar was from what Pam described. Of course, it was tied to the Brunswick family, and that meant that this Ingrid woman was working with, or for, them. While Pam had never met this girl, she swore that she would make her suffer for stealing what was rightfully hers. If even a single hair on Beth's adorable head was harmed, she'd see this girl torn to shreds personally.

Jake skidded to a stop outside of the stairs leading underground. He hadn't been to this part of the city in months, not since he started his investigations into his company. It was a proverbial ghost town with little more than echoes of days past hanging around. Warehouses, abandoned offices, a corporate subdivision built for the Brunswick workers littered the surrounding area. It was a section of the city that Jake had simply never bothered trying to rebuild and rework. Emily and her family had bought the lands, and they'd started building on it with the premise of founding a corporate town that would one day encompass all of Metropolis. It was a dream that was snuffed out by Emily's hubris, and Jake wondered just what secrets lay beneath the surface here.

"This is it," Jake said, taking his helmet off and switching the bike off, "I don't know why Beth came here of all places, but this is the subway station you described. Let's move."

Pam didn't need to be told twice as she got off the bike and pushed past him. Jake wasn't an empath, but he didn't have to be to see how upset she was. "I hope you're prepared for what might be coming," Ashley sighed, watching Pam storm down the steps.

"I'm hoping that it won't come to anything major," Jake replied, following after Pam.

"You've seen the lengths she'll go to when Beth is in danger," Ashley pointed out, "That girl doesn't know the level of fire she's playing with."

Jake shook his head and hurried after Pam. She was already at the base of the stairs when he made his way down. He found her kneeling at the base, and he knew that she'd already found Beth's collar. The train sat on the tracks with the doors open. Strange considering that this wasn't a stop that was still programmed into the system. Then again, Ingrid was a renowned hacker who could have easily infiltrated and rerouted it. Jake was about to check on Pam when she stood up and shook with rage. Jake instinctively took a step back as Pam clenched her fist and screamed out her fury. A wave of energy shot out of Pam, and the platform shook, the windows shattered, and the metal on the train folded inward. Pam was panting and shaking as she quieted down, still clutching the torn collar of her beloved tightly in her hand.

"Where. Is. She?" Pam asked through gritted teeth, "Where is the woman who stole my girlfriend?!"

"Pam, breathe," Jake said, his tone firm as he walked over and looked at his friend, "I don't know, but we'll find her. She's not going to get away with this, I promise you that."

"You're damn right she's not!" Pam snapped, "Nobody takes what belongs to me, nobody!"

"Calm. Down," Jake said, hardening his tone, "We will find her, and we will find Beth. Let me work, and you just try to calm your nerves, alright?"

"Fine," Pam sighed, reigning herself in and reminding herself that this wasn't Jake's fault, "Just…please, work quickly, Jake."

"I will, I promise," Jake assured her, grabbing a small device from his utility belt, "Can you scan the area for any signs of life? Maybe try to find some trace of where they went while I look into a couple of things?"

Pam nodded, as happy as she could be to help, "Yes, I can try. It might take me a bit longer since my emotions are more than a little rattled right now."

"Take your time, Pam," Jake said, "Remember, we'll find her, I swear."

Jake went to work once he was sure that Pam was calm enough to be left alone. He walked over to the open doors of the train and paused to look back at Pam. She sat herself down on the floor and crossed her legs. He saw her run her fingers over Beth’s collar one final time before slipping it into her pocket. He hated seeing her like this, but he knew the only way to help would be to try to figure out how Ingrid had managed to hijack his train. As long as the command console hadn’t been too damaged from Pam’s outburst, he should be able to check the coding. It wouldn’t be anything too concrete, but he could see when it happened and possibly ping the source that it came from. If he could just find a way to track whatever tech Ingrid was using, then they’d have something to use to find her and Beth.

Luckily, the console remained undamaged from the shockwave that Pam had let out. Jake nodded to himself as he set the small box down on the console and unclipped the side hinge. He pulled two wires out before opening the main compartment for the console. With the circuits exposed, Jake connected the two wires to it and looked down to his wrist computer. The two were synced together, and Jake quickly started surfing through the commands from the last twelve hours. The code had clearly been tampered with, and this was the train that typically ran to the station near Beth and Pam’s house. Ingrid had to have been tracking Beth for a while now to know that, but that raised another red flag for Jake. If Ingrid knew where Beth was staying, that meant that she probably knew that Beth was in a relationship with Pam. Considering Beth’s reason for turning Ingrid down had been not being into girls, she knew this didn’t bode well for his friend.

As he located the source of the tampering, an image flashed across his screen. An eye with black makeup and five lines running down it came up and winked at him repeatedly. A red iris flashed before a message came across his screen, “You are attempting to access the systems of 3VIL3Y3, AKA the greatest there ever was. Sorry, not sorry, you can shove off and get bent!”

The message flashed again and again across his screen, and Jake sighed as he disconnected from the console. Ingrid had covered her tracks, and he shouldn’t have been surprised. As frustrating as it was, he should have known this method wouldn’t work. He’d have to get more creative and rely on older tactics if he was going to find Beth. That was fine by him, or at least as fine as it could have been. He folded up the device and walked back into the train car. Maybe there was some sign of a struggle that he was missing. The car just outside of the control room was empty, and he couldn’t see anything amiss. There were no signs of gunshots, no scuffs, and the only damage was from Pam’s explosive outburst.

Jake flipped a switch on his wrist to switch his goggles to infrared vision and to scan the area. He made his way through the empty car to the second one, and that was when he saw Beth’s duffle bag. He frowned as he walked over to check it for any clues. It sat untouched tucked under a seat. Unzipping it, he found her rifle folded up and disassembled, one of her pistols, and surprisingly a couple of boxes of hair dye. That was odd, but he remembered Pam mentioning an argument they’d gotten into about Beth trying to change her appearance to keep safe. So, Beth had been scared enough to give-in. Reds, blues, blonde, brown, black, a number of different colors were tucked under a change of clothes. No doubt, Beth had been planning on running them by Pam. He also noticed her helmet was tucked and folded beside the boxes of dye.

Jake looked around the car, but again there were no signs that any sort of confrontation had taken place. Beth had left her bag unattended, meaning she hadn’t been sure she’d need her other weapons. She’d gotten up to investigate something, probably why the train had stopped here of all places. The two of them had used the subway system a ton early in their vigilante careers, so Beth would have known this particular area just by the tunnels. Why had Ingrid brought the train here of all places? He wasn’t surprised to learn that she was working with Emily, but was her base somewhere in this part of the city, or was this some sort of message she was trying to send? Jake frowned as he grabbed the bag and walked out of the car. He was missing something, and he intended to figure out exactly what that might be.

Jake could see Beth’s boot prints from where she’d walked, and he followed them back to the other car. She’d checked the control room, probably having forgotten about the automated systems knowing her. Her footprints led back to the first car he’d walked through and onto the platform. Jake walked out and tried to follow the trail as best he could. He ignored Pam who was busy focusing on trying to scan. He kept his focus on trying to figure out what happened. Beth's footprints stopped at a point not far from the steps, and he paid close attention to the way her toes were facing. She'd stopped and pivoted to look at someone, his guess was Ingrid. He walked forward a few steps, and sure enough, he found a second set of footprints in the dirt. Now, he just had to piece together what had happened.

Once again, there were no signs of a struggle between the two of them. It looked like Ingrid had simply walked up to talk with Beth. Following the footsteps, Jake noticed that when he got back to where Beth stood, it looked like she'd tried to attack only to stop short. That was strange, and he couldn't figure out exactly why she'd do something like that. Maybe Ingrid had spooked her, but that seemed unlikely. Jake squatted down in front of where Beth had stood seemingly frozen in place. It looked like Ingrid had circled her a few times, but again he couldn't understand why Beth hadn't been bothered to move. He spotted something on the ground as he switched his infrared off. He reached down to pick up whatever it was.

A small piece of metal rested between the cracks, and Jake frowned as he rolled it around in his palm. He held his hand open as he flipped a switch on his suit to zoom in on whatever it was. It could have just been some debris from Pam's episode, but it was close to where Beth had been standing. Better safe than sorry, especially since he couldn't try to track Ingrid's tech. Looking down at it now that it was magnified, he snapped a quick picture to run a check on it. He knitted his brow as he realized it was a match for the same metal that made up Beth's pistols. She'd dropped her gun, and that was something he knew was wrong. Beth had a sure grip, even before she'd taken to using ballistics. Based on where it had landed, she hadn't been forcibly disarmed either. Jake frowned as he stood up and went to let Pam know what he'd found. Knowing how protective Pam was of Beth, he'd be surprised if she hadn't put some sort of tracking magic on her pistol.

"Pam," he called as he stood up, "It's not much, but I think I've got something here. I need you to take a look at this."

Pam sighed as she stood up. She'd been trying to regulate her breathing and clear her mind, but she was having a hard time with how frazzled she was. She was simply too fraught with worry to focus on casting a locating spell. It was shameful that she couldn't manage something as simple as this, and she could hear Rebecca chiding her in the back of her mind. Love was as much a strength as it was a weakness, unfortunately. Still, she wouldn't trade what she had with Beth for anything. She just wished that her beloved could be more careful.

Jake held out his hand to Pam, and she frowned as she looked at the sliver of silver in it. "What am I looking at, Jake?" she asked.

"It's a piece of one of Beth's guns," Jake answered as he summed up his findings, "Checking the console for tampering was a bust, so I tried to trace out what happened. I found Beth's bag in the second car unattended. She picked up some hair dye, but her weapons and helmet are all still tucked away. She keeps her pistols on her, though, so it makes sense that she would have had them. Beth got spooked by something, probably because of the wrong stop, and she was surprised by Ingrid when she stepped off the train and onto the platform."

"There's no casings from any of her shells, though," Pam pointed out, gesturing to the ground.

"I know, and this is where it gets weird," Jake sighed, "Beth stopped and stood here, and she didn't move the entire time Ingrid approached. Ingrid circled her, and it looks like Beth tried to attack for a split second before stopping short. I don't think she'd have outright attacked Ingrid without good reason, and she didn't know that Ingrid was our primary suspect. She had to have said something to her, but it's still odd that Beth stopped herself. Even stranger is the fact that Beth dropped her gun. My guess is that Ingrid grabbed it after it fell, and then she ripped her collar off."

"Why would Beth let her do that?" Pam asked, more confused than ever.

"That's the big question, isn't it?" Jake countered, "With everything that's been happening, and the fact that Ingrid brought the train here of all places, my money is on her having a new trick up her sleeve outside of her tech. Here's another thing, though, this is the same train that usually stops at the station near yours and Beth's apartment. That tells me Ingrid knew where Beth lives, which also means-"

"She knows that she's in a relationship with me," Pam finished his thought, "From what you two have told me, this girl was close to obsessed with Beth. Learning this would have pushed her over the edge."

"I'm afraid so," Jake shook his head as he looked back up at the stairs, "Beth walked away with her without a struggle. I know Beth, and I know how much you mean to her. Beth wouldn't have just gone walking out, especially without her collar, without putting up a fight. I'm guessing you didn't have any luck with your magic, did you?"

"No," Pam admitted, frustration evident in her voice.

"What about tracking Beth's pistol?" Jake asked, "I know you had it engraved back at Rebecca’s castle. You warded her collar, but did you place any enchantments on her guns?"

Pam's eyes lit up as she remembered the night she'd worked on Beth's firearms. She'd almost forgotten about the spell she'd placed on them. Seldom did she have to use them since Beth kept her collar on at all times, but she'd placed the same enchantment on it as her runestone. "You're right," Pam said, putting her hands together, "Jake, you're a genius!"

"Just using a little old fashioned detective work," Jake shrugged, "If Ingrid still has her pistol, it should lead us right to her. Now, we don't know what's going to be waiting for us when we get there, but it's still a lead."

"Whatever it is, it won't stand in my way," Pam argued, already tapping into the connection to Beth's pistol, "She's in this part of the city, Jake. We need to move. I don't want her left alone with this woman longer than necessary."

Jake nodded and gestured for Pam to take the lead, "I'm right behind you, Pam. We'll get her back, I swear."

—---

Beth walked behind Ingrid through the large doors of the warehouse that she’d taken for herself. She hadn’t been able to take her mind off of what was going on, how it was happening, or why it was happening. Somehow, Ingrid had managed to learn about her relationship with Pam, but more troubling than that was the level of control that she had gained. Beth had knocked the teeth out of countless men and women who tried to mess with her collar, but Ingrid had been able to stop her with a single word or phrase. It was unnerving and terrifying at the same time. Truthfully, Beth hadn’t wanted to fight the crazy techie, but that had been before she’d learned that she had some hand in the disappearances and deaths within the city.

“Ah, it’s good to be home, isn’t it?” Ingrid asked with a smile as she walked over to her couch, “Come on, Beth, my feet aren’t going to rub themselves, are they? Get over here, get on your knees, and take my boots off!”

Once again, Beth felt a spike of anger rush through her, but something kept her in complete compliance at Ingrid’s command. The only person that she let speak to her like that was Pam, and her mistress only ever did it when they were playing. Against her wishes, Beth’s body moved of its own accord and she sat on her knees as Ingrid put her feet on the coffee table. Beth unlaced them, and recoiled from the potent stench that wafted off of them. Pam’s could get bad, but she hadn’t expected anything on this level from her stalker. Despite her instincts, Beth pulled the boots off one by one before grabbing her socks to remove them as well. This was disgusting, but she’d endured worse from the likes of Goth and countless other villains over the years.

“How are you doing this?” Beth managed to force herself to ask.

“I didn’t tell you to speak, did I?” Ingrid snapped, surprising Beth a bit with her hostile tone.

Beth’s mouth closed as she held in her anger and outrage. What the hell was going on? The most she could manage was a disgruntled frown and glare as her hands started rubbing Ingrid’s soles. Her thumbs had been trained by Pam to know exactly where to go and how much pressure to use. She knew what she was doing, and she could stomach the sweat that had clearly formed on Ingrid’s feet. However, that didn’t mean she had to be happy about it. Whatever was going on here, Ingrid had changed for the worse. She kept her eyes locked on her stalker’s foot as she rubbed in and tried to will it to burst into flames. Sadly, that was a power that only Pam had.

Ingrid watched Beth closely for a moment before sighing. What was she doing? She’d dreamt of this moment for a long, long time, but she was berating Beth like she was one of those sad little substitutes. “Let’s just say I got tired of being cheated and lied to,” she said before adding in a softer tone, “You can talk, Beth, but watch how you talk to me. I’m still not completely over you lying to me about being into women.”

“I never lied to you,” Beth said, narrowing her eyes at Ingrid, “I didn’t have a choice when Pam and I got together, but she was the only person who treated me with kindness and respect for the six months that I was locked in a prison. You try being beaten, abused, berated, spit on, and humiliated every day and see what happens to you. You find some form of safety, and you cling to it when you can, but even that comes at a fucking price. She and I wouldn’t have worked out if she hadn’t softened up on me.”

Ingrid studied Beth for a moment in tense silence. She was telling the truth, she could see that. The way she spoke, her tone carried a hint of sadness and bitterness to it. It was something that couldn’t be faked. “You still lied to me about being a vigilante,” Ingrid pointed out.

“No shit, because I didn’t want you getting involved and hurt,” Beth spat, “I lied to a lot of people about that, Jake and I both did. We did it because we didn’t want people getting involved that didn’t need to be. You want to tell me why you’re doing this, Ingrid?”


“Because I can,” Ingrid answered honestly with a shrug, “I have power, I got tired of being stepped on, and I decided to do something about it. Why wait for what I want when I can just take it, babe?”

“Don’t fucking call me that,” Beth glared, “Whatever the hell you have going on here doens’t make us a couple. You can keep dreaming about that, but there’s only one woman that I love. You’re not her, and you’ll never be her.”

That did it. Beth wasn’t prepared for the sudden shift in Ingrid’s mood as she reared back and kicked her in the face. Beth hit the ground and bared her teeth in defiance. She might not be able to fight back physically, but she wasn’t going to let Ingrid believe a lie. Ingrid stood up and pushed the random collection of papers and electronics off the table she’d been resting her feet on. She marched around the table and planted her bare foot on Beth’s face. “Lick it!” Ingrid shouted at her, “Stick your tongue out, and clean my fucking feet, Beth!”

“Fuck…you…” Beth managed to get out before her tongue came out and started running along Ingrid’s sweaty sole.

As Beth was forced to drink in Ingrid’s rancid footsweat, Ingrid sighed and shook her head, “This is only going to be as difficult as you make it, Beth. You’re going to love me, and I’ll spend the next year breaking you down if I have to. It took that blonde bitch six months, I bet I can do it in one. You’re never leaving here, and you’re going to be my girlfriend. I have been screwed over again and again, and I am tired of getting the short end of the stick. You think I care if that idiot Blackridge and your dumbass bimbo of a girlfriend show up? No, I’m counting on it. In fact, I have something special planned for the two of them when they arrive. Between the toes to, honey, don’t miss a fucking inch!”

Beth knew that she could easily break Ingrid if her body would only cooperate with her. She could see at least six different ways to break this hold and punish her, but her mind and body seemed to be working on separate frequencies at the moment. Somehow, Ingrid had managed to steal control of her limbs and everything else. Maybe it would have been better if her mind wasn’t still trapped in this defiant state. Whatever feelings of sympathy she had were quickly getting snuffed out as she shook and ran her tongue between Ingrid’s toes. The thick layers of gunk between them filled her mouth, and she felt like she was going to be sick. She was transported back to that evening at Goth’s feet, and despite herself she started to tear up.

Ingrid glared down at Beth in a hateful way. She looked away for a second when she saw a tear roll down her cheek, and she doubled down on her efforts and attempts to punish her defiant crush. “Open your mouth!” Ingrid snapped, and Beth complied to allow Ingrid access to jam her foot into her mouth, “Suck it, Beth, get a good taste!”

Beth shuddered and gagged as Ingrid rammed her foot down her throat. This was worse than anything Pam had done to her in the beginning of their time together. Even Goth had waited several months before exacting public humiliation on her. Degrading, humiliating, and disgusting were just a few words that came to mind with what Ingrid was doing to her. Beth cried as Ingrid’s toes scraped the back of her throat and made her gag. What happened to the girl she’d known years ago? This was cruel, even by standards of the likes of Alexis and Rebecca.

Ingrid was lost in a cloud of sickness and sadism as Beth gagged on her foot. This was what a bad girl got and deserved. She was going to push further, but then she heard Beth sob and it was a spell that was suddenly broken over her mind. She froze and shook her head as she stared down at Beth. She was hurting her; she was scaring her. This wasn’t what she wanted. She pulled her foot out of Beth’s mouth, but Beth’s body tried to follow after it. “Stop,” Ingrid said quietly, “That’s enough, Beth. On your feet, now.”

Beth was officially scared and confused by what had just happened. Ingrid had suddenly switched from hateful and vindictive to, unless Beth was mistaken, almost remorseful. The gothic techie looked away, seemingly ashamed at what she’d done. Beth was relieved that she’d been allowed to stop, but she was almost more afraid now than she’d been at the train station. Was this what Jake had to deal with when it came to Alexis? She got to her feet, and she made it a point to hold her tongue unless Ingrid spoke to her. Still, she watched the techie with interest and intent. What was she playing at?

Ingrid shook her head as she grabbed Beth’s hand and led her deeper into her compound. Beth followed without needing to be told. The last thing she wanted was to earn herself more punishment. Ingrid led her into her bedroom, and Beth could tell that the girl was messier than usual. Panties, leggings, skirts, tops, socks, and other clothes littered the room. The bed was cleared although the covers were messy. Ingrid let go of her hand and walked over to the dresser. She opened the top drawer and grabbed something before walking back to Beth. Beth saw a leather collar with a glistening silver charm at the end of it. Unlike Pam’s, this one was metalic and Beth assumed there was probably a tracker or something inside of it. Ingrid didn’t look at her as she fastened it around her neck.

“Lay down, Beth,” Ingrid commanded, gesturing to the bed, “You…you should get some rest. You’re tired and scared, and I don’t want to push you too far too fast. I’m not a monster, Beth.”

Beth wanted to try to talk, but her body moved of its own accord once again. She walked over to the bed, removed her coat and shoes, and laid down. “Ingrid,” Beth said, her throat a bit hoarse from the torture she’d started to receive, “Please, please, stop whatever this is. Whatever is going on, we can fix it together. I’m not looking to leave Pam, but I can still be your friend.”

“I’m done living in the friendzone,” Ingrid said, her tone cold and serious, “I am not going to be second fiddle to anyone anymore. You’ll come around, I know it. I promise, I can take care of you and make you happy. I need…I need a little bit of time to collect myself, and you need to rest a bit. You don’t have to sleep, but do not try to escape, Beth. I’m not going to tell you what all I can do, but I can make your life a lot harder if you are a bad girl. Be a good girl for me and try to do as you’re told.”

“You can’t make someone love you, Ingrid,” Beth tried to reason with her, carefully keeping her tone even and gentle, “Please, I’m not trying to fight or argue with you. What Pam and I have was born out of care, comfort, and fire. She’s nearly given her life for me on more than one occasion.”

Ingrid was quiet for a moment as she considered Beth’s words. “Then, she’ll do it again,” she finally said, “This time, though, she won’t be walking away. I’ll be here to comfort you and help you move on, Beth. Get some rest, honey, I’ll check on you in a bit, and maybe we can watch a movie or something, okay?”

Beth didn’t bother trying to respond or argue further as Ingrid left without another word. She waited until the door was closed before thrashing around on the bed. Try as she might, Beth couldn’t make herself get up out of bed. She was furious at her situation, and she was becoming increasingly terrified by the second that Ingrid was going to try something heinous. She settled down after a moment, but she laid on the bed in silent contemplation. What was going on with her old friend, and where the hell had she gotten these powers?

Beth had paid careful attention to the path to get to Ingrid’s base. They’d never left the ruins of the Corporate town, and Ingrid had taken one of the old establishments for herself. That meant that she had to be working with the Brunswicks, or whatever was left of them. The question remained why? Had she really been pushed this far over the edge because of her? If that was the case, then that meant that the blood of all those girls was partially on Beth’s hands. After what she’d seen of Ingrid recently, she shuddered to think what those poor women had to endure. Moreover, she dreaded to think what else she was going to be in store for. Beth reached for her collar out of instinct, but she stopped when she felt the metallic box dangling from the end. She didn’t even have her charm for comfort anymore. All she could do was lay there and wait for Ingrid to return, or for Pam to show up and save her once again.

Ingrid walked through her base and back to her control room. She stopped once she was in her seat, and she looked down at her hand to find it shaking. What was happening to her? She’d silenced one of her old toys by scraping their throats, but she had never wanted to do that to Beth. It had been fun, sure, but seeing how afraid Beth was made her heart ache. This wasn’t like her, and it wasn’t what she wanted. Maybe she’d been up for too long, and maybe a night of solid sleep would put whatever was going on with her to rest.

She had meant what she’d said to Beth. If she had to break her down, then she would do it. However, she also knew that it would take a careful balance if she was going to achieve what she really wanted. She briefly wondered if the nanites inside of her were influencing her, but that couldn’t have been the case, could it? Ingrid glanced over at one of the pieces of biotech that Eva and Anna had gifted to her. It was meant to analyze her subjects, but Ingrid knew it served more than one purpose. She frowned as she got up and grabbed a syringe off the table in the distance. She carefully drew some blood from her arm and inserted it into the centrifuge.

It would take time, but she could run a diagnostic to see if maybe something else was influencing her. It shouldn’t have been possible, but she didn’t get as far as she had without being careful and cautious. She could run the analysis in the background while she tried to calm herself down and check in on her latest player. Besides, sooner or later Jake and that bitch Pam would show up to try to take Beth from her. She was also scheduled to have a visit with that crazy Anna woman regarding her procedure. She hated being busy, but it would all be worth it in the end. Besides, she had Beth to play with and keep her occupied. She just hoped that she could keep herself in check when she was having her fun.

“You will be mine, Beth,” she muttered to herself as she sat down and turned on her computers, “I’m not losing again, and your girlfriend is getting a game over before this is all said and done…”