The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

I sat up from the couch gasping, covered with sweat. Pulse racing, eyes wide, it took several seconds before I calmed down enough to realize where I was and what was happening. Okay. I remember now. Mina Whitner’s apartment. In Midas City. I came here last night with Aurora. Another shaky breath, and a flash from the dream hit me again, flashing clear as day before my eyes. Shit. Shit shit shit! I can still see it... still remember... so it wasn’t a damn dream. It was a fucking vision!

I stood up then, and made my way quietly to the bathroom, trying not to disturb the rest of the household. ’Rora mentioned something about Mina having an early class, and despite the heroes’ tendency to keep late nights and exist on very little sleep, I didn’t want to wake my cousin or her partner after only three hours of shut eye. Not that I’m going back to sleep myself anytime soon, I groused silently, splashing water on my face. Not after THAT. Dammit... it’s not fair. NOT FAIR! I paused, glancing down at the faucet handle in my hand. Okay, Jimmy. Calm down. Reign it in before you end up wrecking the entire house. Calmly and carefully, I reattached the faucet to the sink, and, drying my face, left the bathroom.

And entered into my sleeping cousin’s bedroom.

I stood there in the doorway for a long moment, merely watching Aurora sleep, listening to the soft comforting noises she made. I smiled again, despite myself, and despite the situation. Even her snoring was cute. Of course, if she woke up to find me staring at her while she was sleeping, she’d probably scream bloody murder. And then, spark and pound me into a nice greasy stain on the carpet. Her temper is definitely NOT cute.

Covering myself in shadows, I entered the room. As much of a heel as I already felt about the way we met last night, I felt even worse about what I was about to do. I knew she would never forgive me for this... this.. well, she’d call it a betrayal. And despite having the best of intentions, it was, in fact, a betrayal of her trust. I raised a hand towards her, steeling myself. And.. lowered it again. Dammit, she trusted me, brought me into her home when I had nowhere to turn... I can’t do this to her—

And I saw another flash, the same vision as before, bright as day, and just as vivid. No. NO! Gods-and-goddesses-dammit NO! With renewed resolve, I turned back to towards my cousin, raising my hand once more. She shifted in bed, yawning, and—curse my luck—opened her eyes.

“Huh?” she mumbled, blearily, starting to sit up. “Wha...”

So I struck, sending a black inky tendril of darkness into Aurora’s skull. She stiffened slightly, a natural reaction as my shadows interrupted her brain’s ability to control her body. Or to think, I thought grimly, the light fading from her eyes as I established a connection between us. I nearly gasped aloud in surprise—the link... it was so... strong. Images, thoughts, feelings and sensations...things about Sylvia, about Sarah—where I usually had to expend a measure of will to read a person’s mind, I was having to exert more effort to keeping her thoughts OUT! It was... I’d never felt such a clear and powerful connection to another person’s mind! Even when I’d nearly overloaded myself flooding Techna’s mind with darkness, which left me able to hear her thoughts for days even after I severed the connection... it was nothing compared to this. I flexed the fingers of my left hand, and I saw hers respond under the covers.

Um... Okay. That’s... not supposed to happen. It’s like... I’m so deep inside her mind that I have total control. And... that can’t happen. At least, it shouldn’t happen. And definitely not to someone as stubborn and willful as Aurora! I dunno... is it because she... trusts me this much, that her mind is unguarded against my presence? Or... is it something to do with my shadows interacting with her gold... or the fact that her sparks are magical in nature... I sighed heavily, rubbing my temples, then winced, seeing a similar expression mirrored on her face as well. Tch... fine. Enough theorizing. The simple fact was that I was inside Aurora’s head deeper than I’ve ever been in anyone else’s mind. I need to be especially careful on where I tread, or I could end up causing her some very real problems.

“Aurora? Can you hear me?” I whispered softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. I could feel her soft bare foot against my thigh underneath the covers. Heh. First time I’ve been in bed with her since we were five, and it has to be like this.

“Yess... I can hear you...” she replied back just as softly, a slight smile on her face. I breathed a small sigh of relief.

“How.. um... how do you feel right now?”

“Nice... floaty... subdued... not in control... mmm, feels familiar...” she sighed softly, and I felt a sudden sharp rise in my arousal at her words. Or... was it her arousal I was feeling through our link? A brief glance at her chest confirmed the obvious... which unfortunately only fed MY arousal as well. Dammit, Jimmy, control your libido before you get us stuck is some kind of damned feedback loop!

Easier said than done.. I’ve always loved my older cousin, always admired her, looked up to her.. and, well.. lusted after her. She was the first girl I felt that way for, when I first started noticing girls. The fact that SHE had never noticed me that way, that she never even knew how I felt, and that she was, in fact, utterly and completely smitten with her beloved sister Sylvia, had left a small dagger shaped hole in my heart, and having her here, now, this way... so open and vulnerable... knowing that I could change her to her very core, could make her into my heart’s desire...

Tempting doesn’t even begin to describe it.

“Aurora,” I said carefully, ordering my thoughts forcing my libido back down. “I want you to listen to me very carefully. I’m going to tell you some very important things. Very important. Now... I know you trust me. I’m your cousin, ’Rora. I’m family. You know I would never do anything to hurt you. You know that, don’t you, ’Rora?”

“Uh huh,” she responded easily, nodding ever so slightly. “Trust you... Jimmy... would never... hurt me...”

Is it possible to die from guilt? The moment I’d discovered the charred bodies in that van was been the lowest point in my entire life... until now. Swallowing down the bile, I continued on. “Good. That’s good, ’Rora. Trust is good. And... because you trust me, you know that I wouldn’t lie to you. You know... " swallowing again “that you can... believe whatever I tell you. That I’m smart... smarter than you,” feeling guilty and pompous, now, but hoping that she will follow my logic, “so that if I tell you something is true, you will accept it, even if you think you remember something different?” Her expression twisted slightly, as her mostly emptied mind struggled to put together the pieces and follow the trail I was so carefully laying out for her. After a few seconds, however, she nodded again, her expression going serene once more.

“Yeess... believe you, Jimmy... smarter than me.. your words.. the truth... mmm... wouldn’t lie... trus... trust you...” And the dagger gets a vicious twist as well.

Unable to look her in the eye anymore, I turn away, and finish my instructions. “Good girl, Aurora. Now, this is the important part. In a few minutes, I am going to leave the room. When I do, you will fall back into a deep, restful, sleep, and awaken at your normal time in the morning. When you do, you will not remember meeting in the alley last night, or bringing me back here to rest and recover.” I focused my will into hers as I continued. “After responding to the jewelry store call, you met back up with Counter Spell, and after spending another hour on an uneventful patrol, you both returned home and went to sleep.” I sighed softly, feeling her accept my words as truth. Still... best to be on the safe side. “Any lingering thoughts of meeting up with Jimmy, or my being on the run were just a dream... nothing more.”

“Hmmm.... just a dream...” she agreed softly.

Tears were flowing from my eyes now. Turning back to face her again, I leaned forward to kiss her forehead. “One last thing. The words of advice I gave you in the alleyway... about being yourself instead of trying to become your mom. You will remember those words, even if you don’t remember where you heard them or from whom. You will remember, and think on them as you promised.”

Leaving her bedroom, I stop in the hallway to compose myself a bit. It was unfair. So fucking unfair. I’d just screwed over my cousin, the one person who really honestly wanted to help me, without reservation, without caring about my guilt or innocence. She’d accepted me just because of me, because I am family... and I’d taken advantage of her sleeping and unaware, and fucked around with her mind. Just like every other immoral, self-serving, evil, diabolical super villain she’s ever come in contact with.

Slipping into Mina and Counter’s bedrooms and altering their memories to match didn’t make me feel any better. And not that I had anything against Aurora’s crime fighting partner, not really... yeah we kinda got off on the wrong foot, and I was irritable from lack of sleep and being attacked constantly by every Super I’d crossed paths with since leaving River City. But she seemed nice enough... and former super villain or no, Aurora trusted the girl enough to bring her into her home... just the way she’d brought me in tonight... crap.

My point was, she seemed like a good person. And from what I read inside her mind, she honestly wanted to be a good guy, to use her gifts to help people... and to prove herself to her partner. My cousin was lucky to have her, I realized, as I packed up my belongings, and folded the sofa bed back up into a couch. It would have been better if Sylvia was here in Midas as well... she was like the Yin to Aurora’s Yang. She always helped her keep perspective. With Nebby out on tour, though... all things considered, she could do worse in her choice of partners.

I kept that thought to myself as a comfort as I stole out of the house, slipping back into Jenny once more. It was early, just about six-thirty in the morning, and the sun was just coming up. Donning my trademark black Ray-bans, I shifted Jenny into neutral, and rolled silently out of the driveway before I started the car. I took one last long look back at the house before I headed on down the road, towards the Midas City Police Department. Aurora had convinced me to surrender to the police, to turn myself in... to stop running from my problems and face them head on, no matter the consequences. And I will always be thankful to her for that. A large part of me wished she was coming with me, that I could face the music with her at my side... but it was better this way. I couldn’t let her get involved. The premonition that had woken me out of a sound sleep convinced me of that.

I was pretty sure she’d be furious when she finally finds out about all of this later. I expected a good ass-kicking at the very least. I truly hoped that when all was said and done that she would forgive me for taking control of her mind, even if it was for her own good. If she hated me for the rest of her life... well... I’d just have to live with it. Because as much as I wanted her standing beside me when I met the cops in the next hour or so, I wanted her continued presence in this world even more. I did what I had to do to keep her from coming with me today...

Because my premonition showed, clear as day, what would happen if she came with me. And I’d be damned if I was gonna let my beloved cousin die.

Life is funny sometimes. My mom used to say that life is full of ‘little ironies’, little occurrences, little things that happen that just make you shake your head. Like, for instance, the fact that I was a wanted criminal on the run for almost six weeks with the law on my heels, with never a moment’s peace, and the only city in the world where I’m more likely to run into a costumed do-gooder than my own hometown is the place where I actually found refuge. Or the fact that in all of my run-ins with the police during that time, I’m treated with more hostility and brutality now that I’ve voluntarily surrendered than I received when I was on the run. But I think the thing that struck me most was the fact that I was being held in a special cell designed specifically to neutralize a Super’s power—a prototype design created by my own dad and tested on mom and me several months ago as part of a special project for state and local law enforcement.

Which was probably as well, since the lead detective handling my arrest seemed to have a bug up her ass about something! As determined as I was to put an end to this whole business and face the consequences of my actions back home, I’d probably have decked her and knocked her through the wall if I hadn’t been in restraints. And if looks could kill, I’d have been six feet under from the daggers she constantly glared in my direction. She’d met all my questions with stone-faced silence, intentionally keeping me in the dark as to my fate. And when, after about three hours of waiting, my request for a simple glass of water was likewise ignored, I finally lost my patience.

“Excuse me, Miss,” I said, rising to my feet. “Mind if I ask you a question? Are you a mute? Can you actually speak? Or, are you perhaps deaf? If you’re either, then I apologize, because you have a good reason for not answering me... but if you’re just being a total bitch and ignoring me out of spite, then FUCK YOU.” The blonde detective scowled, her eyes narrowing, and she moved to front of the clear three-inch glass door separating us. “Ah. Interesting reaction. So, I guess you’re not deaf at least. So I can safely assume you can understand the words I’ve been speaking for the past hour or so... you’ve just chosen to be rude and ignore me.”

“Oh, I can hear you alright,” she said nastily, making an obvious show of flipping the latch on her holster. “I just have nothing to say to pond scum like you.”

My left eyebrow twitched slightly. “Pond scum?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I meant to call you a pile of fucking shit!” she all but snarled. “Do you like that better?”

Okay. A wee bit uncalled for considering I’d never met the woman before in my life.

“What the hell is your problem, lady?” I yelled back. “Why the hell are you so pissed off at me? I’ve only been in this city for one night! Did I park in your parking space or something? Or are you one of the many many people that hate me for the ‘evil despicable murder of that mom and her kids’? Or are you just having your period today?” I shrugged as much as I could in the wrist restraints. “Come on. Tell me if I’m getting close.”

Her lovely lightly tanned face turned nearly scarlet with rage. “Ellen... Hunter...” she rasped, hands clenched into fists. “Does that name ring a bell, you prick?”

“Um...” I said, frowning, thinking. I have an exceptional memory, not perfect recall like my dad but pretty close. I thought for a moment that maybe it was the dead mother’s name, but no... her name, I remembered only too well, had been Maria Gomez. Ellen Hunter? Damn... she’s obviously important to this woman... but I don’t know that name. I shook my head. “Sorry. Doesn’t sound familiar. Why? What did I do to her?“

The policewoman lost it. Completely. Slamming a hand down on the door’s computer console, she rushed into the cell, shoving me back hard against the wall. I grunted from the effort; robbed of my superhuman strength, my body was still extremely durable, but I sure felt every little bump and knock a whole lot more. I opened my mouth to speak but a hard fist to the chin silenced my complaint before it was even voiced. A hard rap to the solar plexus, and I dropped to my knees, gasping for breath.

Gee, thanks, Dad. Nothing quite like the feeling of knowing first hand how well your technology works.

“THIS is Ellen Hunter!” the angry blonde shouted at me, shoving a glossy black and white photograph in my face. My eyes widened in recognition, then closed as a soft groan escaped my lips. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck... “My younger sister,” the officer continued, looking down at her feet, while I got back to my feet. “She was just walking home last night from the movies when she ran into you. I’ve told her a thousand times about walking home by herself... and taking dark alleyways, but she wanted to take a short cut.” Her face rose to glare at me again, and her clear blue eyes were wet with barely restrained tears. “You monster! I don’t know where the higher ups are shipping your sorry ass off to, but if I had my way, you’d stay right here, in Midas, in this very same room, under MY care!“

Well, that certainly explained her anger towards me, considering that I put her sister out with a tendril strike, but I was a bit confused by just how much anger she was showing. The hatred was practically radiating from her in waves. Taking a deep breath, I tried for reason.

“Look. I’m not sure you understand exactly what happened in that alleyway. Your sister was being mugged before I even got there. I probably saved her life by stopping the guy attacking her. Yeah, I could have been a bit... well... gentler in calming her down afterwards, but—“

“GENTLER!” the blonde screamed, drawing her weapon, pressing the muzzle tight against my right eye socket as she pinned me hard against the wall. “You fuck! You piece of human garbage! Don’t stand there and think you can fucking talk you way out of this! Whatever the hell you did to my sister was anything BUT gentle! Thanks to you, she can’t even talk anymore! I’m just grateful that young heroine Counter Spell was able to rescue her from you when she did!”

And suddenly I remember the incident in the alleyway, in almost HD clarity: Me, pissed off, sleep deprived, staring into the eyes of a grateful Ellen Hunter hugging me, thanking me over and over for saving her life... the bright blue of her eyes darkening to inky black as I thrust a blade of dark energy into the center of her chest... my sigh of contentment as she falls silent, the one overwhelming thought in my mind aimed at her through the link my shadow powers granted being for her to SHUT THE HELL UP and not speak another annoying word... then my surprise as Stick Girl showed up on the rooftops, spouting insults at me.

Oh shit. I told her, WILLED her, not to speak. And now, she can’t... because I was interrupted before I had the chance to finish doing damage control, and forgot all about her later on. Shit. This was all my fault.

When I didn’t react, the detective pulled back again and lowered her weapon, a look of disgust on her face. “I knew it. You’re a coward. You’re a real big man picking on a helpless girl when you’ve got super powers backing you up, but take away your unfair advantage, and you’re nothing. Fucking pussy.” She holstered her weapon, then walked back through the door, sealing it shut once more. “The only reason I didn’t pull the trigger just now is because if I had, they’d have locked me up here instead of you. And my sister still needs me to take care of her. So, please, please, do me a favor and try to escape. Give me a legitimate reason to shoot your sorry ass!” She turned to walk away.

“Wait a minute!” I called after her, making her pause. “Your sister! I’m sorry about what I did to her. It was... I hadn’t meant to hurt her. Honest. But... if you bring her to me, bring her here, I can help her. I can fix what I did to her.”

Her expression went cold. “Like hell you will,” she replied, her voice like steel. “I will never let you get within fifty feet of her. Ever. I’d rather put a bullet in Ellen’s head myself than let you get anywhere near her again. And if you EVER mention anything about this again, I’ll put a bullet in your head as well, and damn the consequences.” Turning on her heel, she walked down the hallway and out of sight.

I sighed deeply, sitting back down on the lumpy, uncomfortable bunk. My situation hadn’t improved; in fact, it had gone from bad to worse. Not that I wasn’t overly concerned about my own well-being—granted, having a crazy insane cop press a loaded weapon to your eye socket while you’re bloody helpless tends to make a person extremely concerned about their well-being—but right now I was much more concerned about the poor girl who’s life I had apparently wrecked with my temper tantrum last night. Worst of all, locked up, virtually powerless, there was no way I could get to her to undo the damage.

Yet another sin to add to the pile. It was a wonder I wasn’t physically crushed under the sheer weight of the guilt I carried on my shoulders.

Damn. Now I’m suddenly wishing I’d brought Aurora along with me when I’d turned myself in anyway. If it were possible for anyone to get through to her, she might have persuaded Detective Psycho to let me see her sister so I could at least fix her problem. If not, she might have been able to help Ellen in my place, either herself... or maybe Counter Spell, or one of her other friends. Well... now all I can do is hope that it wears off, or that she gets some help from someone else...

Aurora woke up feeling refreshed, but with one hell of a headache. She didn’t know why, but despite the rather uneventful night, she felt like she’d been run head first into a freight train. Which, luckily, was one of the few impacts she hadn’t yet had. The last lingering pieces of a dream were still fluttering around in her head, and she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it. In the light of day it was a bit fuzzy but... something about her cousin, Jimmy... a criminal on the run from the law because of some mistake? And her... volunteering to help him? True, if anyone would be dense enough to get himself in trouble like that, it’d be Jimmy, but . . .

He’s probably only coming to mind because of Sylvia’s tour hitting River City. Sometimes I can have a really one tracked mind...

Wow... My whole center of balance feels right. I don’t know how to describe the way I’m feeling. Recharged... or maybe overcharged. I know I can’t have gotten a full eight hours just from the time we got in last night, not to mention that freaky ass nightmare, but... Shaking her head, she made her way out towards the kitchen. The toaster and she had a hot date as she shoved some waffles in ‘her’ slots. Mmmmm. She even imagines the toaster getting so hot and bothered her waffles end up drenched with ‘syrup’.

Not sure what’s kick started my arousal this morning... I’m sexuality breakfast. Wow. I really, really need Sylvia to get back. Badly.

“Hey Aurora!” Counter Spell walked in, taking out some orange juice from the fridge. She drinks from every glass like a wine glass, her pinky straight out into the air. It looks especially adorable when she’s drinking from a big solid glass and only half awake. “Well, you look like you slept a bit better last night than I did.”

“Yeah, maybe,” she shrugged, “though I’m not sure how. Terrible, terrible dreams. And I usually don’t sleep well when I have nightmares.” A small smirk. “Plus I woke up and wrote mental erotic fiction about me and my toaster.” The toast popped up loudly as if on cue and she dropped it onto a plate before slathering it with the aforementioned syrup.

Counter Spell’s eyebrow went up so high it looked like it was moving out of position. “You really need to get laid. Bad.” She shook her head ruefully. “And you’re not the only one having bad dreams. Yeah... I had a dream we met this cousin of yours. Jimmy... I think. It’s funny... I don’t remember you ever telling me about him, but—”

“Wait, what the hell did you just say?!” Aurora cut in, squirting a huge burst of syrup over the waffle in alarm before slamming it down on the counter.

She lowered the left eyebrow, and raised the right. “I had a dream we met your cousin. The male one, that is. Funny, I didn’t think you KNEW any men with actual names. I might not be from here, but even I’m starting to understand what everyone says about Midas City.“

“That’s . . . not really important right now! Really not important! What’s important is that I had the same . . . exact dream. I’m betting it’s not a dream. Is Mina still asleep?” Counter Spell shook her head. “Good, because I need to do a little bit of detective work.”

God damn him, Aurora fumed. If that so-called ‘dream’ was right . . . so vivid . . . I offered to HELP his sorry ass! He thinks he’s bigger than everyone else put together?! If Mina remembers I’m jumping on Aureus soon as my waffles are done. I’ll find that stupid little son of a bitch... and while his mother might be the ‘Omega’ in the family he’ll be feeling like one by the time I’m done with him!

“Hey, asshole,” Ellen’s sister called out from outside my cell, interrupting my mental self-flagellation. She smiled a humorless, venomous grin as she tapped the glass. “You’ve got some visitors here to see you.”

“Visitors?” I said, sitting up. For a moment, my heart lifted. Aurora! Oh, you beautiful brainy woman you! You figured out what I did and you came to see me anyway! Thank you God! I’ll gladly take an ass kicking if you promise to help that girl from last night! Then, that fragile glimmer of hope died as three women I’d never met before stepped into view, peering at me through my glass prison as if I were a bug under a microscope lens, all wearing similar expressions of distaste.

Unfamiliar, perhaps, but even though I didn’t recognize the faces, the costumes they wore were very familiar... and even more shocking, I recognized the brunette in the scarlet and white from my premonition!

“Meet Ruby, Jette, and Pearl,” the detective said, arms crossed in satisfaction as the three Supers glared daggers at me. “Three members of the Beautiful Gems... but you probably already knew that, seeing as how you’ve had run-ins with a few of their teammates.” She chuckled darkly. “They’ve agreed to be part of the escort party that’s transporting you back to River City, where you’re going to stand trial. Seems they’ve been on your trail now for weeks. As soon as they heard you were in custody, they volunteered their services.” She chuckled again as she headed back down the hallway. “I have work to do, so I’ll leave you and your visitors to get... better acquainted.”

Eugene Frasier sat stoically, pretending to listen to the members of the Senate Oversight Committee drone on and on, occasionally nodding when appropriate to show he was paying attention. It was the seventh straight day of meetings, and frankly, he was beyond tired of it all. For several months now, his company had been the subject of a well-coordinated, subversive and strategic series of attacks meant to destabilize its financial base and to weaken its position in the pubic eye. For decades, Frasier Industries had been THE leader in innovative cutting-edge technology, securing a number of large accounts, commercial as well as governmental. Though he’d given up his role as CEO several years ago to devote more time to his family, as owner of the company, he still remained the driving force behind Frasier Industries. In fact, mere mention of his name alone had been enough to gain several new contracts this past year!

And yet, in the space of six months, his company’s image had been tarnished, perhaps beyond repair. Sabotage on the production lines, sensitive classified information leaked, deliveries showing up late, or sometimes not at all... all of which served to bring public trust in F. I. to an all-time low. Stock prices had dropped like a stone, and more than one of his clients had dropped him, going to a different, ‘more reliable company’ for their technological needs. Investigations into the sabotage had turned up nothing; whoever was behind the attacks had covered his tracks well. Worse, some of his more lethal technology had recently begun turning up in the hands of wanted criminals. Gene had a suspicion he knew who was behind it all. Alas, knowing something, and being able to prove something were two entirely different things.

Not to mention the fact that, despite the state of his beloved company, he had more pressing matters on his mind.

“Mr. Frasier!” Senator Charles Hamblin said, tapping his microphone to get the Scotsman’s attention. “I asked you a question. Do you have an answer to the charge on page seventeen, sub-section two, paragraph three—”

“Aye, Senator,” Eugene replied, slightly more than irritated. “The same answer I gave yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that! It doesnae matter how many ways ye ask the question, the answer is still the same.” He scowled, looking back through his memory of the past several minutes. “Page... seventeen, sub-section two... paragraph three... concerning the energy pulse weapons retrieved by the state and local police from several small time criminals within the past seven weeks? Aye... they were stolen from a shipment of ours, as reported in page seven of the same bloody report! I lodged a formal report with the River City police the verra morning of the disappearance, and have included a copy of the police report.” Glancing at the Senator, eyebrow raised, he asked, “Do ye intend to charge my company for the actions of every random criminal roaming the streets with a plasma gun? And do ye intend to next settle the matter with Smith and Wesson, or Beretta, or Walthur, or Glock, or all the other gun manufacturers?” Which elicited a round of laughter from the audience before the Senator began tapping his microphone again.

“Mr. Frasier, I advise you to take these matters a bit more seriously. There are a number of grievances against your company that must be answered. Whether or not you wish to claim responsibility for the acts committed by the criminals using your weapons, as the architect of these weapons, you ARE responsible!”

“Fine!” Gene snapped, rising to his feet. “Then let’s place the responsibility exactly where it belongs then! I suppose the criminals that stole the weapons from the transport and used them don’t need to be mentioned, since they’re currently serving time as we speak! I’ll bear my share of the blame. Aye, I designed and built FRC1 model pulse gun more than twenty years ago... for the state and local police! As I recall, there was an official mandate from the government requesting... how did they put it? Oh yes... ‘weapons of determent capable of keeping up with the escalating crime sweeping the country, from criminals mundane and super powered’. A mandate that, as I recall, came from your office, Senator Hamblin... one of your first edicts on your campaign promise to cut the crime rate in your state by fifty percent!“

Hamblin, wide eyed, sputtered, mouth opening and closing, as he tried to think of some kind of response. Glancing over at the speaker on his right, General Hubert K. Knox, to jump to his aid, the wizened old soldier shook his head slightly, not wishing to draw any attention to himself. Despite the slight gesture, Eugene seized upon it immediately.

“And I believe the success rate of the FRC1 was the primary reason for the development of the FRC2-A assault rifle, the military version of the same pulse weapon. I remember it well, despite the number of years, since it was my first military contract. Aye, but not the LAST, was it, Colonel Knox.... oh, pardon me, it’s General Knox now, isn’t it?” Eugene crossed his arms. “Ye talk a lot of ‘responsibility’, but I think the word yer looking for is ‘blame’! It’s all well and good to point fingers as the ‘evil depraved warmongering mind’ that created the weapons... but cannae neglect the fact said weapons wouldnae exist if you people hadnae asked me to create them, even going so far as to finance the research and development of them!“

The crowd of onlookers began clapping loudly, while the Committee panel merely sat there, glaring. As Gene was about to take his seat, the door opened, and a young man in a navy blue suit and sunglasses stepped inside. Walking quickly towards Eugene, he leaned forward, whispering in his ear for a moment, then departed, as Senator Hamblin began calling for order from the crowd. Eugene, however, merely gathered up his papers, placed them neatly back into his briefcase, and moved into the aisle.

“Mr. Frasier? Mr. Frasier!” the Senator yelled trough the microphone. “Where are you going We’re not done here yet!?”

“You may not be done, but I am, Senator,” Eugene stated, matter-of-factly. “I just received a message I’ve been waiting for, and I am leaving to tend to a family emergency. I’ve given this committee seven days of my time to try and come to a solution we can all live with, but now I have more important issues to deal with.”

“More important that your company?” General Knox cut in. “More important than the future of the multi-billion dollar industry you built from the ground up? Are you really willing to walk away from this, knowing what the outcome will likely be?”

“Aye,” he replied, turning back to face them again. “Much more important, General. What part of ‘family emergency’ did you not get? As for Frasier Industries...” He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. “I must admit, the thought of losing my life’s work does give me pause. But a man doesnae put his business before his family, and I’m no about to start now. Do what ye will, gentlemen. I am done here.” And with that, he left the room.

Outside, the man in the suit stood waiting, holding a silver briefcase. “Doesn’t sound too good in there, boss,” he said with a frown. “Did you really mean what you just said? You’d let them tear apart your company without a fight?”

“No, not without a fight,” Gene said, sliding off his jacket, loosening his tie. “But a wise man picks his battles. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is all just a feint... a distraction. The one behind all of this trouble is trying to back me into a corner, trying to make me choose between losing my son or my company. He probably thinks that I’ll spend all of my time and resources trying to save both, wearing myself thin in the effort, and end up losing both.” He shook his head. “It’s what he would do in my place, I’m sure... because he was never able to grasp the simple concept that family should come before all else.“

The man nodded. “As a lawyer, I can’t really advise such an action, but as a father myself, I can understand it. Hell, given the choice between my life’s work and my daughter, I’d choose my daughter every time.”

Gene smiled slightly, slipping off his dress shirt, leaving his dressed in a simple black t-shirt and black dress pants and shoes. Placing it and the other items in his leather briefcase, he handed it to the attorney, exchanging it for the silver one. “Aye, Daryl, it’s one of the reasons why I picked you as the head of my legal department in the first place. For all yer smarts, and yer savvy, and yer cutthroat ways in the court room, ye still have a good heart. So... I’m hoping you can understand when I tell you I want you and the others to drop yer work on this case, and put all your time and effort into mounting a defense for my son.”

Daryl’s eyes widened, and his jaw nearly hit the floor. “Y... you want... you want the ENTIRE department...” He shook his head. “Okay, I understand you wanting protect your son, and get him the best legal counsel possible... but there’s no reason to utilize the entire firm—”

“Oh, but there is,” Gene replied, sliding on a pair of designer sunglasses. “I’d had a few friends of mine do some digging around, and there’s a lot more to this whole affair than meets the eye. My son, bless his soul, hasnae made things easy for himself, and I expect the District Attorney to throw the book at him. Worse, I expect him to push for a speedy trial sometime within the next few days, a week at the most—just to keep anyone fool enough to defend him from having time to fully prepare!”

The blonde lawyer stood there frowning, absorbing all of this new information. “Well, boss, it certainly seems like you have a handle on the one behind all this intrigue. If you’re so sure you know who it is—”

“Why don’t I confront him? Stop him? Alert the police, or any of the heroic costumed avengers to what’s going on?” He sighed deeply, walking towards the exit, causing Daryl to hurry along behind him. “To quote a man from your profession, laddie, ‘its not what you know, its what you can prove’. Right now, I can’t prove that he is even involved with any of the trouble plaguing my family... and the last thing I want to do is tip my hand and let him know I’m on to him, else he’ll simply disappear again. Nae... I need to simply bide my time, prepare, and wait for him to make his real move.” Outside, his driver opened the door to his limousine. “In the meantime, I have to catch a flight. Please see to it that everything is in readiness for my return.” Daryl nodded, waving as his boss departed, then took out his cell phone to alert his firm.

Eugene let out a small sigh. Sliding two small hidden flaps on the side of his case, he pressed both palms flat against the hard metallic top. Instantly, the metal liquefied, sliding up his hands, spreading over his body in a wave, reforming into a suit of shining silver and chrome. Tapping into the limo’s satellite link, he activated his suit’s wireless communication link. He dialed his daughter’s cell phone, only to get her voice mail. Ach, that’s right. Sylvia LaSilvas is in town visiting today. They’re probably out and about somewhere where she can’t hear her phone ringing.

“Katie, love? It’s yer dad. I just heard from some of my people about Jimmy. He’s in Midas City, and he’s apparently surrendered to the police. They’re going to be transporting him back home to stand trial. I’m flying out to meet the transport. Aye, I ken, it should be no problem, just a routine little road trip... but this is yer brother we’re talking about. Nothing is ever routine or simple with that lad. At any rate... well... I’ll keep ye updated. Talk to ye soon, lass. Say hi to wee Sylvie for me.”

With a deep sigh, he rapped lightly on the driver’s privacy screen, and the driver opened the sky roof. Activating his boot jets, Armor Man rocketed from the limousine and took to the skies.