The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Julie Simmons growled angrily as she stomped her way through the locker room, tossing her gear side before stripping down. The large heated showers were always her best part of practice drills, being able to work up a good sweat and then rinse and massage away all the stress of the day in a torrent of hot steamy water. Today, however, even the soothing pulse cycle of the showerhead was unable to brighten her dour mood.

Practice—if you could really call it that—had gone abysmally. The usual drills that she used to run with perfection had caused her nothing but trouble. Several missteps had ended up with her face planting more than once, and had even ended up with two of her teammates nearly getting injured as well. To make things worse, she’d known fully well how badly she was screwing up, but of course, Sapphire had to be the one to call her out on it. And of course, she’d yelled back, nearly biting the girl’s head off, which had started a major argument with everyone. She’d finally stormed off in a huff, angry and frustrated, even as she’d berated herself for starting it in the first place.

Dammit. It’s no good. I just can’t focus anymore... can’t keep my mind in the here and now. Until this is all settled once and for all, I’m no good to the team.

As she came out of the shower, toweling herself off, she skidded to a stop finding the locker room occupied. “D-diane?” she sputtered, bringing the towel down to cover herself. “Geez... give a girl a heart attack, why doncha?” Sighing, she sat down on a bench in front of her locker, taking out her clothes. “So... apparently this couldn’t wait until AFTER I finished my shower. What is it?”

“A very good question, actually,” the dark haired girl asked, crossing her arms. “What is going on with you? You’ve been in a real funk for the past several days now. And this recent blow up...it’s just the latest in a series. So, you tell ME, Julie... what’s wrong? What is it that has you in such a state?”

Julie glared at the older girl for several long seconds before crumbling. “Okay. Fine. It’s not like it’s any big secret or anything, anyway,” she muttered softly. “So... you remember how I mentioned how I’d been... ‘indoctrinated’,” she said with obvious distaste, “by that so-called Goddess Aphrodite ?” Diane nodded. “Well, it wasn’t just me. Pretty much everyone in the town of Teton Springs had ended up becoming her thrall. Including... my mom.”

Diane frowned. “Your mother? I see. I guess that explains a lot. So, how is she? Is she okay? I thought everyone would go back to normal once Satore was defeated, and the spell was broken.”

Julie nodded and sighed. “Yes and no. Mom and everyone else are is okay, for the most part. True, the spell broke when Jimmy and his sister beat that witch just like it did for us here... but just like for us, there are still repercussions to deal with. For one thing, the pregnancy rate in Teton Springs has just exploded. About a third of the women under Satore’s control ended up becoming pregnant.” She sighed softly. “But, closer to home... my mom was fired. She lost her job as the manager at the Resort.”

“Huh? But why?”

“The resort was basically Venus Satore’s headquarters while she was there,” Julie replied with a grunt. “It was ground zero for the spread of her influence among the town. And when the dust finally settled, and everyone came to their senses, they needed someone to blame, a scapegoat to put all this one. So they picked my mom.”

Diane scowled. “That’s totally unfair. Your mother was a victim in all of this the same as everyone else. She couldn’t have stopped Satore from doing what she did. Your mother should file a wrongful dismissal claim. If you want, I could make a few calls, maybe have my lawyer—”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Julie replied wearily. “I appreciate the offer, but my mom... she just wants to be left alone. The company’s response to all of this, and the town in general... it just broke her heart. I begged and pleaded with her to fight this, to at least talk to a lawyer or someone, but she refused. She said that even if they offered her her job back, she wouldn’t take it now. Everyone treated her as if SHE was the cause of all of this... friends, neighbors, people she’d known and grew up with. It hurt her. So she’s just trying to put it all behind her and move on.”

Dropping the towel, she opened her locker and began getting dressed. Diane blushed heavily, averting her eyes at the momentary nakedness, trying to deny how sexy the dark skinned amazon looked. “But I can’t do that,” she continued tersely, sliding on her underwear, dressing as she spoke. “I can’t just ‘let it go’ and pretend like nothing happened. That redheaded BITCH ruined my mom’s life... tried to ruin MY life! She made me betray you and the Gems, made me convert Amanda, Amber, and Stephanie, and turn them into her puppets. And if Jimmy and Devon hadn’t shown up, she would have had me do the same to the rest of you.” She shook her head. “Even if you and the others have forgiven my part in that, I still haven’t.”

Diane sighed softly. “So, what now?” she asked her. “What will it take for you to get past this?”

“Revenge,” Julie growled, sliding on a pair of boots. “The only thing that is going to fix my mood is for me to pound that self absorbed little SLUT into a greasy smear on the pavement!”

But Diane shook her head. “That’s not what we’re about, Julie. We don’t go after people for revenge—”

“Bullshit!” Julie snapped, causing Diane to blink in surprise. “Or have you forgotten about what happened to Emily and Amber when they went to River City to bring down Jimmy Frasier? Yeah, I know, it was before we got to know the guy, and it turned out that he was innocent, but back then, we were pissed about what he’d done to them. You sent us all the way out to Midas City to track him down!”

“Um, okay, yes,” Diane replied blushing slightly, “but... that was different! He was still at large, a wanted criminal being hunted by the police! Sending the Gems out after him was, admittedly, about getting some payback, but mostly it was to keep a menace off the streets. The difference here is that Venus Satore has already been dealt with. She’s been punished, and according to Jimmy, no longer a threat.”

“No longer a threat?” Julie replied, incredulously. “Is she locked up in solitary somewhere down at the bottom of the ocean? Or did they flat out kill her? If not, then she’s still a threat.” Taking a black leather jacket from its hanger, she slipped it on. “I’m taking an official leave of absence from the Gems,” she said softly a moment later. “I know you don’t agree with this, and I understand if you’d rather not have me back once this is over. But, well, you saw me at practice today. I’m no good to the Gems until I can deal with the aftermath of all this.”

Diane stood up and walked over to her friend, hugging her tightly. “I know. And I understand, really. If something had happened to my mom, I’d be just as fired up.” She leant forward, kissing her gently. “But no more talk about quitting or getting kicked of the team, okay? You’re more than just a teammate, Julie. You’re my friend, and a part of this family. If you really feel you need to do this, then go and find some closure.” She smirked. “And despite your temper, I know that when you are finally face to face with her you’ll do the right thing.”

Julie groaned softly, rolling her eyes even as a smile broke out on her face. “Aww, man, why did you have to go and say something sappy like that?” Giving her friend another hug, she zipped up her jacket and turned to leave.

“Oh, one thing, though,” Diane said, causing her to pause. “Venus Satore disappeared shortly after the battle, and no one’s seen her since. How do you intend to find her?”

“Yeah... well,” Julie replied with a shrug, “I don’t exactly have a plan. But I do know that River City was the last place she was seen. If she’s hiding out there somewhere, someone must know where she is. And, well, if all else fails, I could always try Jimmy’s dad, and see if he can help me. Either way, it’s a good place to start.”

“Eh? Just a second,” Eugene Frasier called out, walking over to his front door. He chuckled lightly as he strode across the room, taking delight in such a simple thing as being able to walk across a room on his own two legs. He shook his head ruefully, chiding himself. Ach, laddie... I’m sure the novelty will wear off after a while. But damn, it feels good not to be rolling around in that blasted chair anymore. Angela, lassie, yer a true angel. Opening the door, he blinked in surprise to find Chloe Andrews standing on his front doorstep.

“Chloe? Um, hello, lass,” he said neutrally, forcing a small smile. “Tis good to see you. Please, come in,” he added, stepping aside, allowing her to enter. “I didnae ken ye were back in town. What brings ye by?”

Despite herself, Chloe grinned. “Am I making you nervous, Mr. Frasier? Jen always said your accent comes out more when you’re nervous or angry.”

Blushing deeply, Gene walked over to the bar, pouring himself a drink. “Nervous? Aye, a wee bit. I suppose it depends on the reason why you’ve come to visit. And I notice Rose isn’t with you. Did something happen?”

The grin faded. “Yes, you could say that,” Chloe admitted, staring down at her feet for several seconds, before glancing up at the hand extended in front of her. “So, um... you’re doing well. You seem to have recovered from the last time I saw you... you’re even walking again. So, um... that’s obviously new...” Gene nodded, holding out a glass of scotch. “Oh! Um, thank you,” she said gratefully, accepting it, taking a small sip.

“You looked as if you needed it,” Gene replied, taking a second glass, making his way to the sofa, gesturing for her to do the same. “Now then... let’s talk about what’s on your mind. I’m guessing it has something to do with Rose.”

Chloe sank down gratefully, taking another drink, wincing slightly at the potency. “Wow. That’s... really good. It’s very smooth going down, but I bet I could start my car with it...” She placed the glass down on the end table and sighed. She was stalling. Dammit, Chloe, you should just get right out with it. Tell him what’s wrong, and ask for his help! The worst that can happen is that he’ll say no. Why are you so nervous?

“Ye ken, lass,” Gene spoke again, breaking her out of her thoughts, “despite what Rose might have told you, I’m no great orge. I dinnae bite. If you have something to ask me, please, feel free. Despite how things turned out... I still consider both you and Rose to be my charges... my responsibility. If I can help you with anything, ye have only to ask it.”

Chloe felt her face heat up, and she took another deep pull of her drink to cover it and bide her time. Wow... I can see why Jen was so smitten with the guy. He really has a... presence about him. And that accent! I could just listen to him talk all day. Heh... I’d better cut back on the drink, or I might end up pushing his offer for ‘help’ a bit farther than he intended it... Shaking her head, she spoke aloud. “You’re right. The problem is Jen... um, Rose. You already know that we’ve been searching for our missing Goddess since that night on Grimalde Tower.”

Gene nodded, frowning slightly. “Aye. I was aware. Rose stopped by to see me before leaving town.”

“Yes, well, the next day, all of a sudden, the bond we shared with her just... shattered,” Chloe stated, staring off into the distance, frowning. “It was like a flip being switched, or a tether being cut. And ever since then, J... Rose has been completely listless, as if the life and energy had just drained out of her.” She sighed, shaking her head. “She was afraid Goddess Aphrodite had abandoned us, severed ties with us, because we had failed her. And, well, I seem to have made it worse. I told her that the Venus Satore that I had come to know would never toss us aside that easily, that she was the Goddess’ High Priestess for a reason. I’d meant it to encourage her... but instead she came to the conclusion that if our Goddess hadn’t severed the bond, then she must have... died. Ever since then, she’s... well, she’s gone pretty much catatonic.”

Gene winced in sympathy. He had no love for Venus Satore, for all the pain and tragedy she had caused those he cared about over the years. He himself had been prepared to end the woman’s life through the use of a military sniper. Still, hearing how the very idea of losing her Goddess had affected Rose tore at him with guilt.

“I... see,” he murmured, draining his own glass in a single swallow. “So, lass, what is it precisely yer asking of me? Rose has made it pretty clear by now that I’m not the person the wished to devote the rest of her life to. If yer looking for someone to try and break her out of her fugue state, ye’d be better off talking to Evangeline—”

“NO! I, um... I mean... it’s not that,” Chloe said softly, shaking her head. “Look. I’m sorry about the way we left. I know what you did for Rose and me, how we wouldn’t even BE here today if it wasn’t for you. And yes, I know it seems like we turned our backs on you and just walked away. But... you did offer to help. You said if there was anything you could do, you would. So I’m asking you... can you help us find her? Can you tell us if Venus Satore is still alive, and if so, where she is?” She sighed softly. “I think, more than anything, knowing the truth would be the only way to snap Rosella back out of it.”

Gene contemplated for a moment before nodding, rising to his feet. “Verra well. That I can do. If Lacie Anne were around, we could simply ask her, but she’s off ‘communing’ with her Sisters, or something akin to that. Still, the equipment in my lab downstairs should allow me to track her.” He smirked slightly. “ After the wee game of’ cat and mouse yer friend Rose played with me weeks ago, I decided to upgrade my scanning system a bit. If she’s anywhere on this planet, I can find her. I just need an hour or so to load in her file and calibrate the system.”

Chloe sighed in relief. “Thank you! You have no idea how much I needed to hear that! Or, better yet, how much Rosella needs to hear this. Please, go ahead and start the fine tuning. I’m going to run back home really quickly and grab Rosella.”

Eugene nodded, watching as the young woman departed, then sighed, making his way towards his lab. Ach, lad, yer aff yer heid, truly, he chided himself. It was one thing to let the girls leave ye and go chasing off after that witch... now ye actually agreed to HELP them find her! As if the dagger wasnae lodged in me heart, now they expect ye to twist it with yer own hands... And yet, despite his misgivings, knowing the pain his Rose was suffering through without Satore, he couldn’t NOT help her.

Fine. I’ll help, he thought to himself, sitting down at his computer, opening up the menu for his satellite scanning system, but by God, if that bloody redheaded witch causes either of those girls an ounce more of pain, I swear I’ll make her wish she’d never been reincarnated...

All things considered, I was actually pleasantly surprised when a brief flash of light illuminated my room, replaced shortly thereafter with my adored cousin and a silver haired stranger a little after noon the next day. Knowing her somewhat wicked sense of humor, and her rather bad sense of timing, I’d half expected them to arrive early when I was in the shower, or some time embarrassing, like when I was on the toilet. As it was, I’d just finished my lunch, and was just packing up my belongings, getting ready to head out for the trip home.

“Yancy! Nice timing,” I said grinning, giving her a hug. Either our previous talk had settled things between us a lot more, or she really WAS a lot better at controlling her new powers, as she didn’t even flinch this time. “Good to see you again. And I see you’ve brought a friend.”

“Good to see you too,” she replied, drawing back, turning to the stranger. “And this is the young woman I told you about. Jimmy, this is Lana LaSilvas. She served as my teacher, trainer, and mentor while I worked on learning to understand and control my powers. Lana, this is my cousin, Jimmy Frasier.”

The silver haired woman nodded briefly, giving me frank and overt appraisal. As the same time, I gave her the once-over as well. She was beautiful, to be blunt. She had a lovely form, a true hourglass shape, with plenty of hips and a chest to match. Her bust size wasn’t the largest I’d seen by any stretch of the imagination—hell, the ladies in my immediate family put hers to shame—but it fit perfectly with her body. She had a lovely face too, with actual dimples when she smiled, with large beestung lips. She was also tall, and slender, with long slender legs and arms, that gave the impression of an athlete’s body, possibly a swimmer or a gymnast.

The crowning touch, however, was the trademarked LaSilvas silver. Her hair was a pure fine silver, as were her eyelashes and eyebrows. And while the irises of her eyes were silver as well, I could also see a hint of silver light flickering behind them, the same silver glow of power I noticed in Aunt Sarah and Sylvia, and that Aurora used to possess before her crimson makeover. All in all, Lana LaSilvas painted a very lovely picture, maybe not as dream inspiring as Sarah’s exotic looks, but definitely a beauty in her own right.

I, however, was apparently not as interesting to her as she was to me. “Hmmm,” she said after a moment, glancing away, turning back to Yancy. “I’m not overly impressed off the bat. The way you described him, I thought I would be meeting someone truly at the end of their rope, a desperate case barely capable of containing their own powers. What little power I sense in him seems to be perfectly under control, almost obsessively so.”

“Well, that’s because—” I began, only to be cut off.

“Furthermore, his powers aren’t shadow magic at all, as you lead me to believe,” she continued, talking specifically to Yancy, ignoring me completely. “If I had to classify it, I’d say he’s filled to the brim with chaos magic instead.” She shook her head, hiding her face temporarily behind a cascade of silver hair. “All well and good for offensive magic, but not so much for more rudimentary tasks. It would be like trying to use a cannon to swat a fly.”

“Well, you DID say you wanted a challenge,” Yancy reminded her, a smirk curling her lips as she gave me a quick glance. Dammit, she knew I was getting irritated at being ignored, but she wasn’t coming to my defense? Was they purposely trying to rile me up or what? Was this some kind of test? And if Yancy’s primary Neseatelia gift now was reading and focusing on the emotions and desires of the people around her, she HAD to know what was going through my head right now.

“Also, your cousin” she said, stressing the word and rolling her eyes, “isn’t exactly the... person... I was expecting,” she said, the hesitation and derision putting the nail in the coffin. She was upset... irked that I was a male! “I very much doubt that he’s... equipped... for the kind of training I give.”

“Well, then, I guess you’re not very bright,” I snapped, causing her to whirl around in surprise, “since you’ve known me for exactly thirty seconds and have already written me off as a waste of your time.” Her expression darkened, and if I weren’t just as pissed at her about HER little spiel as she was at my outburst, I probably would have backed up a step or two. “Don’t underestimate me just because I’m a male...” then sighed heavily. “And in any other city in the country, in any other situation, that statement would have seemed completely strange and out of place.”

“Underestimate you?” Lana replied, a delicate eyebrow raised, as if intrigued. “I hardly see how. You haven’t shown me anything yet to make me believe otherwise. But, if you are so anxious to show me what you are made of,” she said, gesturing with a delicate hand, “then by all means, please do so.”

Yancy went a little pale at that. “Um, Lana,” she said, taking a step back herself, “far be it for me to second guess you, but... are you sure about this? I mean, we are here, in a public hotel, after all.”

“Tch, fine. Then we’ll do this somewhere less crowded then,” I snapped, gesturing with my own hand. I had the satisfaction of seeing Lana’s expression register momentary surprise as I bent time and space around us, transferring us to a flat empty expanse of land outside the city. Her expression darkened immediately, and with a flip of her wrist, she summoned a long wooden staff.

“I see someone doesn’t know the proper rules of magical etiquette,” she said ominously. “Very well, boy. Let’s see what you can do. Show me the full extent of your power.”

“Fine. You asked for it!” I yelled, letting the shadows cover me, and giving the power locked away inside me free reign. There was no real intent... no focus. I was angry, pissed, frustrated... and though I had no intent to kill, I really wanted to slap this haughty bitch around a bit, and put the fear of God into her! Dark swirling energy spiraled around her like a vortex, with green and orange lightning flashing randomly. This was the untapped power that literally broke apart the world, that nearly ripped all of reality apart at the seams! And as I watched, panting, chest heaving that energy swirled and whirled and flowed—

And... did not a goddamned thing to the woman standing in the midst of it all!

“Well, well,” she said aloud, her voice somehow carrying across the field despite the din of the energy storm I’d cooked up. “I suppose I stand corrected. You DO have a bit of power in you after all.” A sharp pale silver glow erupted suddenly from the tip of the staff she carried, obliterating the darkness. I yelped out loud, closing and averting my eyes as the brightness lit up the area, easily overshadowing my darkness, and dispersing my power display as easily as a child would blow out a birthday candle. When the glow finally faded, I found myself lying on my back, on the floor, back at the hotel room.

“You do have a great deal of power within you,” Lana stated, towering over me, the haughty self important look back on her face. “A lot more than I expected. But you lack focus and discipline.” I started to sit up but she pressed me back down flat with the end of her staff. “My analogy earlier was a bit off as well. For you, using that power hidden within you would not be a using a cannon to swat a fly... more like using a nuclear warhead.” She sighed dramatically, shaking her head again. “Just like a man... all power, no finesse.” I started to sit up again, and again, she pushed me back down. “You have absolutely NO natural talent as a mage whatsoever... even the concept of talent must seem a completely alien concept.” I growled, starting to become angry again, but a sharp rap of her staff made me bite my lip. What was that damn thing made of anyway? Adamantium?!?

“That said... I do believe there is some potential in you,” she said after a moment, looking thoughtful. “If you ever truly learned to fully harness and control that power, I believe you have the potential to do literally anything you put your mind to. The biggest obstacle for you will be in learning to separate your emotions from your power... to keep the energy pure and unfiltered.” She nodded softly, almost as if to herself. “Very well then. I’ll accept you as a pupil,” she said suddenly turning away, removing the thrice cursed staff from my chest, allowing me to get back to my feet.

“Wait. Really? You’ll train me, then?” I asked, not quite believing it was that easy.

“Yes, that is what I said after all,” she replied with a smirk, glancing at Yancy who was apparently fighting hard to keep from doubling over in laughter. Gee, thanks for the support, cousin! “Yancy has assured me that you would be able to provide adequate lodging for me, and provide anything I might require for the duration of my stay. Teaching you will definitely be a challenge... and as she stated, I do enjoy a challenge.” She grinned then, the impassive disciplinarian mask sliding away to show honest excitement. “And, truly, it has been ages since I last left Sanctuary. I’m quite anxious to get out and see how much the world has changed over the years!”

“Well, for the first, yes, just let me know what you need and I’ll provide it for you,” I stated, feeling a bit excited myself. “And I promise to try and be LESS of a challenge for you, if I can. I really do want to learn. And even if I don’t have any natural talent for magic, I’ve always been a quick study.” I nodded to myself. “And for the last... it would be a pleasure to show you around, and give you a tour of what you’ve been missing out on.”

“Well, great, looks like we’re all friends here,” Yancy said, speaking up finally. “Looks like my job is done. Jimmy, I need to head back to Sanctuary in a few hours, so I’ll pop on by and visit Katie now. You can pass it along with your ‘twin speak’ thing if you want, so she knows I’m coming.”

“Yeah, sure thing, cousin,” I said, ruefully, grabbing Yancy by the shoulder, pulling her out of earshot before twapping lightly her on the forehead.

“Hey! What was that for?” she complained, rubbing her face.

“For setting me up for that, of course,” I smirked. “Don’t think I didn’t see you enjoying the hell out of seeing me getting taken down a peg or three.” I huffed. “You COULD have warned me, yanno.”

“Hey, I did. Kinda. Sorta,” she said with a half shrug. “I warned you yesterday about minding your manners and not trying to pull any magical bullshit. And anyway, frankly, you got off a hell of a lot easier than I did the first time! When she offered to train me, I snapped at her just the way you did, tried to bend her around my little finger with my powers.” She shuddered lightly in memory. “Let’s just say that it didn’t work out like I’d planned... and when she finally released me, I hurt a lot more than you will the next day.”

“Oooooh kaaayy,” I said, my imagination running away with me. “I’ll add that to the list of things you need to tell me about in intricate detail the next time we catch up. In the meantime, go and cheer up Katie. You can even feel free to, ahem... ‘lose control’ with her if you want. I think she can use all the cheering up you can muster.”

“Um, yeah, ’kay... I can do that,” she said, eyes and cheeks sparking red. With a little finger wave, she blinked out and vanished.

“So,” I said idly, turning back to face my teacher, “before all of this, I was about to go and grab lunch and then head out on the long drive back home to Portland. So, Lana, er, Miss LaSilvas... or do you prefer Sensei or Magus? So... um... are you hungry?”

“Let’s go with ‘Lana’ unless we’re at a lesson,” she stated with a nod, “during which ‘Teacher’ will suffice. And yes, I’m starving. I’d love a hamburger. Let’s go!”

All right. It’s time. Let’s do this!

Several people glanced up as the doors opened wide and a flamboyantly dressed man entered, dressed in a white leather jacket with silver studs and sequins, a large belt and matching cowboy boots. He carried what appeared to be a miniature boom box in one hand, and a strange looking camera in the other. His dark brown hair was frizzy and teased, almost like an afro, and he wore dark round old-style sunglasses that covered his eyes and half of his face. He walked with a swagger, almost dancing in place, bopping his head as if he were listening to music. Which was apparently the case as he suddenly switched on the tape player and belted out several lines of a song:

”I could see it was a rough-cut Tuesday,

Slow-motion weekdays stare me down...

Her lipstick reflex got me wound—

There were no defects to be found....

Snapshot image froze without a sound!”

The bank employees glanced at one another, and one of the tellers hit the button underneath her desk as the bank manager stepped forward. “Excuse me, Sir,but you’re disrupting the other customers. I’m going to have to ask you to turn off the music.” The man ignored him, however, doing a three sixty degree spin, before bringing up his camera, singing into the lens as if it were a microphone.

”Thursday mornin’ was a hot-flash factor

Her face still focused in my mind—

Test-strip-proof-sheet love is hard to find...

Friday night we’ll dance the spotlight grind—

Stop-time heart for me if she’s not mine...”

The bank manager, sighing in frustration, nodded to the security guards, who all moved in together, batons at the ready. “Okay, you nutjob,” Ben the head guard growled, “you heard the man. You’re out of here. Come along quietly or else—”

The man merely laughed, doing another three-sixty spin, before reversing his grip on the camera, pointing it at each of the guards in turn, still singing aloud. “Freeze-frame!” he belted out, snapping the flash, leaving the guard stunned and motionless. “Freeze-frame!” he said again, snapping and freezing another guard. “Freeze-frame! Freeze-frame! Now freeze!” he sang, snapping one last time, leaving the five security guards frozen in place.

The bank customers let out a loud cry of dismay at this development, realizing suddenly that this was a robbery in progress, scattering, moving to run for the door. “Huh, that’s rude,” the man said, frowning. “I’m not done with my concert yet, people. I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist you stay put,” he said, bringing up the camera again, switching it to ‘wide angle’ before snapping another picture with a bright flash. Instantly the crowd froze in place, several of them in mid step. What was truly disconcerting, however, was the cellphone that hovered in place as well. One of the customers, in a hurry to escape, had dropped her cell phone, which now hung frozen in mid-air a few inches from her hand.

“Huh. Crazy, man,” the man muttered softly, staring in fascination. “Those Braxton Inc. guys really came up with something special with this little baby. It does more than just freeze people... it freeze everything!” He laughed gleefully, shaking his head. “This baby is really going to put my name on the map!”

“Look,” the manager said aloud, causing him to turn again, “you can just take the money okay? Just take what you want and leave, okay? There’s no need to hurt anyone.”

The man laughed again, pretending to consider for a moment. “You make a good point, friend. I don’t really need to hurt anyone. And I was going to take the money anyway—that was a given. But this wasn’t really a robbery. This was just a test... just a way of seeing what my new baby can do,” he said, patting the camera lovingly. “So, no... I’m not planning to hurt any of you. In fact, I need you all alive and well to spread the word, and spread my name far and wide.”

“Um, okay, but, um... what IS your name?”

“Eh?” the man asked, frowning slightly.

“Your name. You never said who you were?” the manager reminded him.

Huh. He’s right. I hadn’t actually got that far ahead yet. Frankly, I was halfway sure this was going to fail, and I’d have to explain to everything this was all just a practical joke. A name, huh... he thought furiously, the music still playing lightly in the background. Then, suddenly it came to him, and he laughed. Of course, it was perfect!

“You can call me Freeze Frame,” he said dramatically, pointing the camera at the manager at the tellers, all of whom drew back in fright as the light flashed once again. When it faded, they, like the others, were all frozen in place. Frozen in time, the device having temporarily stopped all motion for the affected area. Nodding to himself, he let the camera hang from its strap by his neck, and whistling the song, strode past them into the vault, taking his time to fill a bag with several stacks of hundred dollar bills.

Shortly thereafter, as he was walking outside, he paused, finding several armed policemen surrounding the entrance to the bank. “Freeze! Don’t move!” one of them yelled out.

The man laughed aloud at that, grabbing the camera with his left hand, the right one still clutching his ill gotten gains. “Hey, you just stole my line, copper. I’m the one that yells out, ‘Freeze’!” With that, he snapped a picture, again, freezing the assembled crowd in place. Walking past the stunned policemen, he frowned, noting a small red light flashing on the camera’s display. Huh. ‘Charge low’ huh? Well, I guess something this good couldn’t work endlessly without any drawbacks. Ah well, it did its job. And this was a good first test. I can’t wait to get back home and plan out my next move. he chuckled, waltzing past the frozen police with his head held high. This is only the beginning. The best is definitely yet to come!