Ace of Maids 2 - Aces High (Nanoha Hypno fic) (Patreon)

And here's the second story of the week - another commission, this one part two of an earlier story!

(Contains hypnosis, maids, and villains getting their comeuppance!)

“Clean that up for me, would you blondie?” Miza Throne leaned back and stretched her legs, shifting her feet around to get comfortable on her footrest. The lair had seen a fair bit of renovation over the past few days – having a pair of magical menial maids serving at your beck and call meant you didn’t feel need to be restrained about any heavy lifting that needed doing.

“Of course, Mistress.” The former Fate T. Harlaown had answered to many names over the years, but now found it much simpler to respond to ‘Blondie’, ‘Slut’, or an impetuous snap of her mistress’s fingers. She obeyed the order without complaint, setting down the wine glass tray she had been holding at her mistress’s side on a nearby counter. Then she pulled a cleaning rag from one of her apron pockets, before mincing over to the table to clean up the spill. Just as her training instructed her, she bent at the waist to get scrubbing, giving her owner a good show as her short skirt rode up, exposing that she wore nothing beneath.

“Mmm.” The head smuggler grinned, drinking in the view. “That is a wonderful ass. I can see why you got her locked down as fast as you could, babe.”

“Mistress?” Her footrest looked up at her blankly, not a single sign of comprehension in her eyes.

“Oh, nothing.” Thorne laughed, patting the former Nanoha Takamichi, Ace of Aces, on the rear. “Just some ancient history. Nothing that matters anymore.”

The empty minded maid still didn’t really understand – her capacity for the kind of complex thought required for that had been drummed quite thoroughly out of her head.  But she did at least get that her owner wasn’t giving her any new orders, and thus the matter could be safely forgotten.

“Now, where was I?” The smuggler turned her attention back to her attention back to her electronic pad. “Mm, getting everything set back up is taking much less time than I thought it would. I was sure that fixing everything you broke when you smashed my group and arrested nearly all of my men…” She paused for just long enough to smack her blonde maid as she passed. “But it seems that word that I defeated the two most feared women in the TSAB has gotten out, and now everyone wants to sign on! Imagine what they’d want if they knew what I did with you… Well, now that’s an idea I’ll save for later~”

“Still, isn’t this good news? We’ll be back in business in no time. And with my two new Ace enforcers… I think we’ll be ready to start hitting some real targets. What do you say?”

“Whatever you wish, Mistress,” was the not exactly informative, and yet entirely accurate joint reply.

“Ah. Yes. Not much point in asking, was there?” Thorne sighed. “That is a problem. You’re wonderful at following orders, but not so great at taking the initiative. I’ll have to find a way to compensate for that or having you two fight for me is going to be a disaster.”

She returned her attention to her pad, before glancing at the black ring on her finger. “Still, for the moment I can just control you directly. Yes, I rather like the thought of that… Giving the order, and watching you two blast apart everything you once held dear.” She flexed her fingers in consideration. “Of course, if I’m going to be ordering you about all day, I’d better make sure that this thing is fully charged!”

Sliding the ring from her finger, she held it up to the light. The air around it seemed to ripple, as if the power it contained could be felt even without activating it. Such a useful find. To think – that archaeologist hadn’t had a clue what he was giving away when he’d sold his finds to her. Ah, greed – what a wonderful thing it was. It certainly kept businesses like hers running…

-

“She’s taken it off. Let’s go.”

“Not yet. She’s still too close. We don’t know if there’s a residual bond, or if she actually needs to be wearing it or if just holding it is enough.”

“We’ll be fast enough, she won’t have a chance to-“

“None of us are faster than Testarossa. Wait.”

“… I don’t know how much more of this I can watch.”

“I understand the feeling.”

“That’s why we have to get this right.”

-

Throne rolled the ring around her palm. “I suppose that neither of you can hear me at the moment,” she muttered idly. Predictable there was no response from either of the two maids, who simply continued to perform their duties as previously bidden. “Well, no matter. Eventually I’ll work out how to make you obey me without it. And until then I don’t be letting this thing out of my sight.”

She stopped, reluctantly taking her feet from Nanoha’s back, and drifted across the room, stopping once or twice to grope her companions and marvel at their lack of response.

-

“I’m going in there!”

“Not. Yet.”

“Let me smash!”

“Just a little longer, Vita.”

-

Finally, she reached the other side of the room, where the catalogue of stolen magical artefacts was kept – including the charger for the ring. “Annoying that the batteries on this thing don’t carry infinite charge, but I guess nothing is perfect.” She shrugged, slotting it into the holder. “As long as it keeps the two of you on my leash, I’ve nothing to complain about. And in the meantime-“

That was when the wall exploded, and three women coated in burning rage – and no small amount of actual fire – began their assault.

Oblivious to the sudden escalation of violence, the two maids blissfully continued fulfilling their duties, standing or kneeling without so much as a change of expression on their faces. Even the cries of their mistress calling for their aid as she desperately dodge gigantic hammer strikes and blazing sword swipes elicited nothing.

Unprepared and unequipped, the smuggler never really stood a chance. In moments she was caught in a bind, her arms and legs completely restrained by magical chains. “H-how!?” She cried, half in astonishment, half in rage. “How did you find me?! This place is untraceable, the back end of the dimensional sea! The TSAB has no reach here!”

“That was simple.” Speaking calmly, the leader of the trio, easily recognizable in her barrier jacket as Yagami Hayate, stepped forward, approaching the ring’s charging station. “You subdued Nanoha and Fate by luck and surprise, not skill. A skilled opponent would have known to do something about their partners, too.”

Thorne scowled. “Their partners? Who-“

[Location Confirmed.] A male voice echoed from across the room.

[Signal Sent.] A female one joined it.

[Target Annihilated.]

[Thank You Commander.]

“You’re welcome, Raising Heart. Bardiche.” Hayate nodded to the devices, which still hung around their owner’s necks, before looking back to the prisoner. “They couldn’t do much without their partners, but working together they managed to send a signal strong enough to penetrate your bunker’s walls and tell us everything that happened.” Her eyes narrowed. “Including what you did to two of my oldest friends.”

Ah. This, the smuggler decided, was bad. She was completely at the mercy of enemies who had no reason to grant her any, and they already knew everything .That didn’t give her much in the way of leverage – but Miza Thorne was a gambling woman, and she was prepared to go all or nothing on the hail Mary. When you have nothing to lose, may as well go for broke, right?

“Oh. Oops. Clumsy me. Guess I should have checked with the girls to make sure they couldn’t be tracked. Of course, after I hollowed out their heads that much I doubt either of those bitches would have-“

There was a very cold, very sharp feeling pressed against her throat.

“I would be very careful about what you say,” said the sword’s owner, a pink haired knight who’s voice was frighteningly calm. “Unless you wish for your words to cost you your head.”

Perfect. Just the reaction that the smuggler had been hoping for.

“How charming. Nice to see that the TSAB is just as ruthless as ever. But you forget – I’, the only one that knows what my Lost Logia did to your friends. If I die, that knowledge goes with me. So go ahead, strike me down – and seal their fate in the bargain.” She grinned. “Well? I’m waiting.”

The room fell into a tense silence. One that was only broken when the third attacker, the short one with the hammer, snorted.

“It can’t be that bad. Here.” She stomped over to the kneeling maid and grabbed her shoulders, shaking hard. “Oi! Wake up, idiot!”

For a moment Thorne worried that it might actually work – that her control might really be that fragile. But no, to her relief, Nanoha didn’t register anything. Not even a blink! No matter what the woman tried, it got no reaction. There was no reaching their friend.

“You know,” the smuggler finally chimed in, her confidence growing by the second, “this is a rather small operation for the TSAB, isn’t it? What’s wrong, not enough funding to rescue two of their top agents? Or…” Her grin widened. “Or is this an unofficial visit? Something off the record to protect your friends reputations? My my, how very naughty of the fabled ace of the ground forces… But maybe this means we can make a deal, hm?”

“…” You could practically see the silence hanging over the room. No one - well, no one save Thorne, anyway – seemed happy about the idea. Hayate remained quiet for a long moment, before looking between her companions. There was a vibe between them as their gazes met, as if they were talking without words. And then, finally, she spoke.

“Any objections?”

“I fail to see an alternative,” the pink haired knight admitted.

“Do it,” the shorter one answered in the same instant, seeming far more eager.

Yes! Thorne nodded. “Great! Well then, release me and provide a way off world, free of pursuit and with a modest amount of spending money, any I’ll-“

“Oh, no.” Hayate interrupted her. Something was wrong. The commander’s mood had changed. She suddenly seemed a lot more… not cheerful, no, but… energetic. Perky. It was a very noticeable shift from how serious she’d been but a moment ago. “You misunderstand! We weren’t debating letting you go. You’re a vicious, nasty criminal who enslaved and abused our closest friends!” There was a malicious edge to her smile. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Thorne blinked. What? “Then… Then what were you agreeing to?”

Hayate’s smile didn’t slip an inch. “Vita?”

“Yeah yeah, I found it.” The short agent passed something to the commander – something small, thin and sliver…

Thorne recognised it instantly. “Wh-what are you doing with that?” She asked, suddenly feeling the need to test her restraints – but they were as strong as ever.

“Why, I’m confiscating a dangerous Lost Logia from a known and wanted criminal!” Hayate explained innocently. “Sadly, in the process there was a struggle, and before we knew it the criminal ended up the victim of her own- Ah, Signum, stop her from squirming, please.”

“Of course.” Strong hands gripped her shoulders, and Miza found herself unable to even turn her head.

“No!” She shouted, trying to close her eyes, only to find them being pried open. “You can’t!”

“It’s interesting. You’d probably be right if you were talking to Fate or Nanoha. But they’re not here right now to talk me out of this.” The Enslaver hovered before her eyes. “And there’s nothing that I wouldn’t do to save my friends.”
FLASH

Even knowing what was coming couldn’t help her avoid it. White light flooded into Miza’s mind and wiped everything clean, leaving her thoughts slow and thick. The world around her seemed to drain of all colour, and she swayed helplessly in her captor’s arms.

“Looks like that part works fine,” said the distant voice of Hayate, echoing across waves of white. “You can let her go, Signum. Now, Miza, tell me – do you actually know how to undo what you did to Nanoha and Fate?”

There was a reason she shouldn’t answer that, Miza thought. But for the life of her she couldn’t think what it was. All the under layers of the conversation, all the tensions and implications and subtleties, they have all vanished for her, smoothed away by the white. So she just answered, her voice shrouded in dream. “No.”

“Mm. I thought not. Oh well.” The commander sighed, and then raised the Enslaver once again. “In that case we’ll have to work it out from scratch. Good thing we have a volunteer to test on. Look here, Miza.”


Still swaying in her light induced haze, unable to heed the part of her mind that was screaming out in warning, Miza obeyed the command.
FLASH

And then the rest of the white washed world was gone, and she was staring into a new reality of colours and shapes. Hypnotic power poured into her, and her stunned mind couldn’t resist. No, in fact, it was more than that-  the colours spun and pulled in ways that made her greedy heart quiver with desire. She wanted them. She needed them. She had to have them!

Desire so firmly took hold of her that she couldn’t help but open herself up to the device’s mesmeric embrace, even though part of her knew what would happen. She fove head first into the maelstrom, snatching and grabbing at every shape and colour she saw on the way down – even as each one that she touched erased more and more of who she’d been, she couldn’t stop.

Her name vanished.

Her will vanished.

The part of her that knew vanished.

And then at last, as even her greed dissolved into nothing, the nameless woman sank into the blissful centre, and stopped thinking entirely.

-

“… I think she’s gone.” Commander Yagami deactivated the Lost Logia and sighed as she watched Thorne continue to drool onto her chest. “Yeah, she’s done.”

“It’s what she deserves,” Vita muttered, arms folded. The rage on her face only built higher every time she looked over to the other side of the room, where Nanoha and Fate still waited, faces blank, oblivious to everything but their programming.

“I can’t argue – though I wish this wasn’t necessary.” Signum was as stoic as ever, but Hayate knew her well enough to know that her sense of honour loathed what she was allowing to happen. But at the same time she also knew that the knight’s focus had never left her enslaved friends, not even for a moment.

“I know, I know.” The commander sighed again. “But here we are.”

She waved a hand in front of Thorne’s blank face. No reaction. “Right,” she muttered, plucking the ring from its charging seat. “Now let’s figure out how we can fix this…”

-

“Ugh. I can’t believe I got suckered like that,” Nanoha rubbed the back of her head, her embarrassment plain. “If it happened to one of my trainees, I’d never let them hear the end of it…”

“It wasn’t your fault Nanoha,” Fate said gently, stroking her wife’s back. She wasn’t normally so affectionate while on duty, but Hayate’s office was private enough that she didn’t feel the need to worry.

“I mean, I got both of us captured…”

“No. You were ambushed somewhere that you should have been safe.” Fate’s eyes darkened. “And I will be finding out how Miss Thorne got access to so much information about us.” She looked across the desk to Hayate. “Which would be easier if I could question her. Has there been any change in her condition?”

But the commander shook her head. “No. Whatever she was messing around with in her lair blew up in her face. If either of you remember anything…”

Both women shook their heads. “Sorry. My memory goes blank right after she pulled up next to me. I guess she knocked me out right away. After that, nothing until I woke up in the infirmary.”

“It’s the same for me,” Fate sighed. “I got to the bridge, and then everything gets hazy. I… She said something about Nanoha…”

Hayate shook her head. “It’s fine. No matter. Shamal will be looking after her for now – I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

The pair nodded. “Okay. Well! I’m finally back on duty, so I’ve got kids to train! I’ll see you later commander. And I’ll see you…” Nanoha giggled and prodded her wife. “Tonight~”

And with that, the Ace of Ace’s skipped out of the door, and hurried back to work.

Fate couldn’t help but smile after her. “I swear, sometimes I think she loves her job more than she loves me.”

Hayate rolled her eyes. “Like hell. It’s not even close. She’d set her trainees to invade the capital if you told her you’d flash her for it.”

And there was the luminescent blush, right on schedule. “Haya- Commander!!!”

The brown haired Ace grinned. “It’s good to have you back, Fate.”

Grudgingly, the blonde shook her head. “It’s good to be back. Now do you have Thorne’s file? I’d like to go over the last few loose ends, make sure we’ve seen the last of her foul little group.”

“Of course. It was here somewhere…” Hayate nodded and pulled open a draw, flipping through the folders within. “Thorne… Thorne…”

“Uh…”

Fate’s surprised gasp drew Hayate’s attention immediately. “Huh? What’s wrong?”

But the blonde wasn’t looking at her. Instead her eyes were firmly rooted on something in her desk drawer. “What’s… that…?” She pointed.

Hayate followed her, and then paled. The black ring that she’d confiscated from Thorne was there, laying at the top of everything. And Fate’s eyes were glued to it.

“I feel like… I’ve seen… that… Somewhere…”

Hayate looked up at her friend and was surprised to see a distant glaze growing in her eyes. The tension was leaking out of the woman’s body at a steady rate, her arms falling limp at her sides even as her jaw began to go slack…

The desk drawer slammed shut.

“Sorry! Looks like I don’t have the file.” The commander smiled at the enforcer over her desk.

Fate’s eyes fluttered, and she shook her head, coming back to herself. “Ah, oh. Sorry, I must have spaced out.” She took a breath, and all signs of haze vanished. “I guess I’ll request the file to my office. Thanks anyway, Commander. I’ll see you soon.”

“Don’t mention it, Fate.” Hayate waved her friend away, before her eyes returned to her desk drawer, possibilities unfurling in her head. “Don’t even think it.”

Maybe there was some fun she could have here after all…