The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Paper Doll IV: Training Days

By J. Darksong

Part 2) Influencing People

Six and a half weeks later, I stood on the doorstep of a rather large, rather nice looking Brownstone house, the residence of a Mr. and Mrs. Albinn. I idly flexed my left arm, shaking it lightly. It had healed nicely with no complications following my run in with the local low life named Chopper. All in all, I was back to my old self again. Of course, considering that my old self had got her ass royally handed to her by a pumped up steroidal freak with a mechanical arm, I was hoping to do a bit better than my ‘old self’ this time around.

The door opened, and a nice looking young man with dark sand colored hair opened the door. He glanced at me, looking me over with an appraising gaze before speaking. “Yes? Can I help you?” he said, his voice sounding incredibly neutral and cautious to my ears. I might have been taken aback by such a greeting if I’d not been expecting such a reaction. He was, after all, just a ‘normal guy’, from his appearance, and I was dressed in my heroine persona, yet we both knew that he was far from a normal guy. My mouth went a little dry, and for a moment, I forgot what I had planned to say.

“I, um… that is…” I said, blushing hotly as my brain locked up. Oh, right, I remember. Hi, my name is Claire, and I’m a super hero wanna be, except I’m not very good at it, and I nearly got myself killed ’cause I can’t fight worth a damn, so would you please, please, pretty please, with sugar on top train me?

“Let me guess, you’re Paper Doll,” the man replied with a sigh. “You ran into a friend of ours named Jimmy, and you’d like to talk to us about taking you under our wing. Am I close, kid?” I blinked, and nodded mutely. “Then by all means, come in,” he said, opening the door to allow me entrance. “Young James called a few weeks ago to tell us you might be stopping by. How’s the arm?”

“The what?” I said blankly, before nodding. “OH! The arm! Yes, sorry… yes its fine,” I said, waving it briskly back and forth. “It, um, healed up nicely.” I forced a smile.

Parker Albinn stared at me for a long moment before chuckling softly, shaking his head. “Okay, okay, you can relax a little. I’m not some ogre that’s going to bite your head off, or toss you out in the streets or anything. Not this soon, anyway.” He gestured to the sofa, the centerpiece of his uniquely and tastefully decorated living room. “Sit. And tell me about yourself, who you are, how your powers work, and what you hope to accomplish by coming here today.”

I swallowed softly, sitting down. This was starting to sound less and less like a meet ‘n’ greet, and more like a job interview. “Um, okay. My name is Paper Doll. I’m chartikinetic, i.e., I control paper. I’m well… hoping that you can teach me how to fight… to better defend myself against the criminals and super villains I face.” I sighed softly. “My power… isn’t exactly the best. I mean, it’s not like I control air, or energy, or water, or even rock, something that’s found everywhere all over the place. My power is very specific, and there’s only so much paper I can carry around with me. And when I run out, I have to rely on my other skills… which at the moment are virtually non-existent.”

Parker nodded briskly. “I see. So, to summarize, you fancy yourself a super hero. You want to go out and fight the bad guys, but your powers suck, and you can’t fight. And you’re hoping I can give you some ‘pointers’, something that will help you survive in this very real, very dangerous career you’ve settled upon.” I blinked, blushing again.

“I wouldn’t have put it that way, exactly, but…”

“But I pretty much hit the nail on the head,” Parker finished, crossing his arms. “Let me give you some free advice, kid. Give up. This lifestyle isn’t for everyone. And it’s not a kid’s game. Just because you have a special talent that is cool at parties and impresses your friends doesn’t mean you have what it takes to be a super hero.” I gaped at him in shock. He was… telling me to quit? To give up?!? “I can see you don’t like hearing the truth,” he continued on, relentlessly. “But you said it yourself—your powers are lame, and you have no combat skills. All it would take is one mistake, one time with some punk with a gun in an alleyway who gets lucky… and bang! No more you. And life doesn’t come with a reset button, kiddo. Once you’re dead, it’s over.”

“I know that!” I yelled, getting to my feet, hands clenched into fists. I was so pissed, I wanted to hit something. Or rather, a certain someone. “I KNOW this isn’t a game! I know what the stakes are! But I also know how important is it to have someone out there to help, to protect those that DON’T have powers, even crappy ones like mine!” I growled. I was so angry I was seeing red. “How DARE you stand there and tell me to give up! I came here to get some help, some encouragement and training, not to get shot down—“

“GET USED TO IT!” Parker barked back loudly, cutting me off. “For your information, telling you to give up IS helping you! It’s helping you to live. To survive! If you choose to keep doing what you’re doing, then the next time you might not walk away with a broken arm—you might not walk away at all!” He glared at me. “Do you think that going out there, helping the nameless masses of people—most of whom won’t even bother to thank you—really worth rising your life, day after day, night after night? Is it worth it?”

“Yes!” I yelled back at him, tears running down my face. “It’s worth it, dammit! It’s what I want to do with my life! And if you won’t help me, then I’ll damn well find someone else who will!” Sniffling, I turned and walked to the door, only to feel a hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

“I never said I wouldn’t help you, kid,” he said softly, a wry smirk on his face. “I just wanted to be sure, that’s all. Yes, I’ll train you.” He chuckled as I continued to glare at him. “I know, I know… kind of rotten, getting you all worked up like that, only to flip on your out of the blue. I wanted to make sure you were convicted in this… and that you were doing it for all the right reasons. Everything I said just now was the absolute truth. Hell, the smart sensible thing to do would be to kick you out of here, crush your dreams, and convince you to try and live a quiet normal life. But, then again, if I were so keen on doing the sensible thing,” he said with a smirk, as a brief flash enveloped his body, “then I wouldn’t go around dressed up like this at night, now, would I?”

“Holy cow! You’re… Echo!?!” I exclaimed in disbelief, seeing him suddenly appear in full costume. Echo, the dark speedster, the hero formerly known as Super Sonic, the man who single-handedly saved us decades ago from a demigoddess who had possessed and taken over half the heroes and villains in the city. Still practically a teenager, he’d fought his way through them all, one by one, before taking out the goddess herself, freeing everyone from her spell. He’d reportedly taken a bullet in the head in the end but still managed to take her down. The guy was as much a legend among my generation as Omega Girl and Armor Man! And I… was in his freaking living room!!

“Um… kid? You okay? You might wanna remember to breathe, you’re starting to turn blue.”

“Yeah, yeah… sorry,” I said, coughing, a little excited, and more than a bit freaked out. He was going to train me! But… what if I disappointed him? He’d mentioned throwing me out on my rear end earlier. I had to make this work. He said he’d been tested me earlier, testing my commitment to this. Well, if he wanted committed, he’d get it! I’d give a hundred and ten percent if it meant having him as my mentor!

“So, how’s it going?”

I glanced over as an extremely beautiful older woman entered the room. She stood about my height, about five ten, maybe, with long dark brown hair, and hazel, slightly slanted eyes. She walked over to Echo, er, Parker… Mr. Albinn, placing an arm around his waist. “So, you must be Paper Doll,” she said with a smile. “I hope my husband wasn’t too hard on you. He tends to get carried away with the theatrical sometimes.”

“I do not,” he said, openly pouting, crossing his arms at his chest again.

“Sweetie, you’re theatrical,” she chided him gently, teasingly, softening the criticism with a kiss. “I’m frankly surprised you didn’t set up a stage with curtains and a spotlight first.”

“And this charming young woman,” Parker replied to me, ignoring the verbal jab, “is my crimefighting partner, and wife… the love of my life… the apple of my eye, the fruit of my loom, the pain in my aaahhh!” he yelped as she pinched his arm. “Ahem… Veronica Mitchell Albinn, or, as she is known on the mean streets of River City, Shinobi.”

Shinobi. I knew that name as well. The beautiful killer ninja, turned heroine, who struck terror in the minds and hearts of the criminal underworld. She was like a female Batman… lurking in the shadows, taking out criminals who never even heard or saw her coming. They said the only time you ever saw her was when you came to, handcuffed and shackled, as she spoke to the police that were dragging you away.

“So, anyway, Roni, she’s your student,” he said idly, breaking my out of my daze. “You’ll be showing her the ropes, getting her physically up to snuff. I’ll handle the usual, tactics and training in the best use of her powers. Between the two of us, we should be able to have her soloing again in, say… three months? Four months, tops.”

Wait. What? “Um… did I just miss something?” I asked holding up my hand. “I thought you were going to be my mentor… to train me how to fight. I didn’t sign up for the whole camp experience. I just need to know how to handle myself in a brawl—“

“Not very bright of a student, is she?” Roni replied sidelong, causing me to bristle. “Listen, child, we know what you were expecting. We also know quite extensively what you’re capable of, both at your present level and your potential level. We did our homework on you. And if you think this is some home version of Gold Gym, where you can pump some iron a few times and study kickboxing in the corner, then call it good and leave, you’ve got another think coming.” She crossed her arms at her chest, mirroring her husband. “It would be irresponsible of us to send you back out on the streets anything less than completely prepared, which is why for during the duration of your training with you, you will only be going on patrol with a senior partner.”

“WHAT?!?”

“You heard her, kid,” Parker replied. “Until we feel you’re ready, you will have a partner when you go on patrol, an older established hero or heroine to guide and teach you. That also means you follow their lead, and obey their orders.”

“Hey, don’t I get any say in this at all?” I demanded, a bit put out.

“Of course,” he said turning to the door. “You can choose to say no and walk out the door right now. Or you can say ‘yes’, at which point, we become your trainers, and you lose the right to question anything again until you ‘graduate’.” He smirked, raising an eyebrow. “So, Doll… what’s it going to be?”

Lowering my head in defeat I nodded. “Okay. You win. We do it your way.”

“Good. Then step one, please remove your mask.” I gaped at them in shock, in disbelief. “What? Did you think you’re allowed to keep your identity a secret? Take off the mask right now, Doll. That’s an order.” I frowned, reaching up to removed it, only to pause, hesitating. Could this be some kind of trick? Another test? “NOW!” Parker snapped, causing me to jump slightly. “I won’t tell you again.” Resigned, I slid the covering off my face, revealing it to my teachers, blushing hotly as I did.

“That’s better,” Roni replied with a nod, grinning. “You’re pretty cute, Claire. If I were a few decades younger, and single, you might have something to worry about… oooww! Honey, kidding, I’m kidding,” she said, wincing as her husband pinched HER that time. “Anyway, if you’re wondering, yes, we knew full well who you were. When Jimmy contacted us, we retrieved your file from the RCPD. I told you, we do our research. And you get us all on equal footing, we revealed our identities to you as well.” I nodded at that. She had a point. “Now then… let’s head down stairs to the basement. There’s someone else I want you to meet.

* * *

A quick costume change later, and I stood in the Albinn family’s basement-slash-dojo. Either they had cut a deal with some really radical engineers, or they were utilizing Time Lord technology, because it was way bigger on the inside that a normal basement for this size house should have been. It very much resembled the rest of the house as well, a subtle mixing of Eastern and Western styles, with one section of the large room resembling a traditional Japanese style dojo, with wooden swords, padded mats, and even an armor stand set up next to a banzai tree. On the opposite end, several weight and aerobic exercise machines sat, thoroughly modern and well maintained. In between were various implements of other disciplines, a heavy bag hanging from a chain in the ceiling, several large bull’s-eyes with multiple knives, shuriken, and other various bladed weapons lodged in them. And, in another corner, was a wooden practice dummy, with the wooden rods sticking out at all angles, with a young woman busy practicing on it.

“Megan!” Parker called out, causing the young brunette to pause, and glance over. “Come say ‘hi’ to the next student.” Nodding, wiping her forehead with the towel around her shoulders, she padded over to us. Megan was a pretty girl, with long curled, slightly unruly brown hair, and dark brown eyes hidden behind a thin stylish pair of wire rimmed glasses. Like me, she was barefoot, dressed in a white karate gi. While mine was fastened closed with a white belt, obviously signaling my status as a beginner, hers was tied with a green belt. Reaching us, she bowed low in deference to the two trainers, then, grinning, stuck out a hand to me.

“Hi. I’m Megan Tanner. My code name is Techna. Good to meet you.”

“Yeah, likewise,” I said grinning back, shaking her hand. “I’m Claire Watson, code named Paper Doll.”

“Claire here is going to going a bit of training here,” Veronica said with a wicked grin. Megan nodded, sighing softly. If anything, she wanted to warn the newcomer of the hell she’d just walked into. Of course, she knew all too well that if she did, she’d end up paying for it herself.

And you’re too new for me to risk upsetting the Albinns and ending up running shin splints until I puke.

“Megan, dear,” Roni said sweetly, in a voice that sent chills down my spine, “let’s have you show our new trainee what you’ve learned. How about a little ‘sparring session’ with Parker… bo staves?” Megan groaned loudly. Chuckling softly, Parker grabbed a pair of long wooden quarter staves, tossing one to the young woman.

“Well, kid, not sure what you did just now to piss off the missus,” he said with a smirk, “but you know the drill. I won’t use my speed, but I also won’t be holding back. If you don’t want to leave here heavily bandaged up today, you’d better take it seriously.”

“Y-yeah, I know,” she replied in a small voice, taking a moment to slide off her glasses, setting them aside, and placing a pair of goggles over her eyes instead. Resigned to a host of bumps and bruises, she gripped the staff, rolling it idly around in her hands, twirling it around her body and behind her head before assuming a defensive stance with her stick at the ready. I was quite impressed, and though she seemed to be trying hard to smile, I could tell even Veronica was a little impressed as well.

“Begin.”

My level of appreciation for the girl’s skill grew by leaps and bounds as the two Supers sparred. I knew very little about Techna, other than her reputation. She was like me, kind of on the low end of the spectrum. Her powers allowed her to work with and communicate mentally with any electronics or computerized devices, and that was pretty much it. She was more of an information broker than a brawler, though the way she was lashing out at Echo, with slashes, swings, thrusts, as well as punches and kicks, you wouldn’t think that seeing her! Albinn of course blocked every strike, then countered, going for a low sweep, but the girl—I kid you not—countered his counter by planting her staff on the ground, lifting both legs off the ground, and delivering a spinning kick to his chest to drive him back. Then landed back on her feet, staff in hand, ready for the next sortie.

“Hey, I wanna learn how to do that!” I said, eyes wide in appreciation. Veronica giggled.

“Oh, by the time we’re done with you, you’ll be doing all that and more,” she assured me, leading me over towards the work out equipment. “But for now, we need to assess your capabilities and start building up your muscle mass.” She paused, considering. “You don’t have anywhere you need to be for the next several days, do you?”

“Um, no, not really,” I said slowly, frowning. “It’s the weekend. I was planning to spend the day mostly handing out with my best friend Allison. Why?”

“Just making sure. I’m going to work you really hard today. And most likely, you won’t do anything for the next two day other than sleep, wake up to eat and use the bathroom, then go sleep again.”

I stared at her askance. “Just what exactly do you plan to do to me?”

“For one, I’m going to hypnotize you,” she stated flat out. “Then I’m going to make you exercise. A lot. I’m going to push you to your body’s breaking point, then past it. When you come out of it, you’re going to vomit. That’s a given. And cry. You’ll sob like a little baby. You may actually pass out. That happens roughly half the time.” She frowned, considering. “And one person actually shit himself, but that was probably just an anomaly…”

Damn. Just hearing about this was about to make me crap my pants. Again, my sense of self-preservation reared its head, warning me that the right thing to do was to run out of here screaming and not look back. But… glancing over at the two heroes sparring, watching Techna, an average girl just like me, going toe to toe with Echo, actually managing to land blows, giving as good as she received… and I knew this was where I needed to be. Sighing, taking a deep breath, I nodded.

“Okay. I’m ready. Do your worst.”

The ninja known as Shinobi chuckled darkly, leaning forward to stare deeply into my eyes, her own glowing with a strange vibrant purple glint. “Oh, child,” she husked softly, as my vision began to darken, “you couldn’t survive my worst. We’ll start you out slow and easy, and get you used to it before we start the REAL fun.”

I couldn’t respond, trapped in her gaze. Her eyes… so intense… couldn’t think… couldn’t…

“Sleep.”

* * *

“Run,” the Voice commanded.

And I ran. I ran so far away. But I couldn’t get away. I only ran and ran and ran. I was Sonic the Hedgehog, streaming through world after world, but with no silly robotic Eggman device to challenge me at the end. Indeed, the scenery streamed by so far that it was all a blur of colors and pixels anyway. And distracting, really. All I needed to do was focus on running.

“Climb.” The irresistible Voice spoke again.

I skidded to a stop. There were vines ahead of me, hanging down, and without pause, I leapt, climbing up. I’d never really been that good of a climber, usually coming in just ahead of last place in gym class on the rope climb. But now, suddenly, I was Donkey King, moving and climbing with the ease of a hundred monkey… or Tarzan, moving through the vines with style while Phil Collins sang in the background. Or, actually, Jane, since I’m a girl… yeah, Jane at the end of the movie, when she’s vine surfing along with Tarzan, except, well, I wasn’t really tree surfing as much as actually climbing…

At any rate, I was climbing like gangbusters!

“Crawl.”

And then I was at the top. The sounds of combat were suddenly louder around me, and I hit the deck. Crawling was the way to go, turtle crawling underneath a mess of barbed wire, the drill sergeant yelling and barking out orders non-stop, crawling through the muck and mud and grime, mile after endless mile, even as the threat passed, crawling, crawling to safety, crawling towards the goal.

“Run.”

And running again now. I felt winded, and tired, but I continued on. I felt like I was being chased. I didn’t know by what or by whom, but I knew I couldn’t stop. I ran as if my life depended on it, and I wasn’t exactly sure but it felt like it did. I had to keep going, keep pushing forward, even if it killed me. The sounds of something approaching spurred me on, pushing me even harder, even faster, yet I could never pull away completely. And whatever was approaching seemed to be getting steadily closer and closer, no matter how hard I ran. My vision was starting to darken, and I knew I was reaching the end. I could practically feel the hands… or claws… or talons... whatever, reaching for me, just barely missing the nape of my neck—

“Stop.”

* * *

And I did, panting, chest heaving, gasping, as reality returned again. My entire body seized, and I couldn’t catch my breath. I felt like I was having a heart attack. I cried out, clenching tight, trying to take a step towards help, towards… something. But my legs, way past gone from all the running, simply folded in on me. I collapsed, hitting the soft plush mats underneath my feet. Then I gagged, retching, loudly, before vomiting, as my stomach cramped up like a vice, expelling everything inside me, including, possibly, my entire skeleton. And I lay there, crying, sobbing pitifully in a pool of my own sweat and vomit.

I am proud to add that while I did pass out a few seconds later, I did not, at any time, lose control of my bowels.

When I came to again, I was lying on a strange bed in another room, apparently cleaned up and bathed from the feel and smell of it. The evil slave driver sat in a chair next to the bed, staring down at me. The other student, Megan, sat next to her, looking down on me with sympathy. I groaned softly, opening my mouth to talk, but Roni shushed me, placing a finger to my lips.

“No, no, don’t try to talk. Just lie there and rest for now. You did quite well. You lasted for five hours of straight exercise—better than I expected for someone in your physical shape. Still, your body is completely shot. I forced you to go past your physical limits, and as a result, most of your muscles are fried, torn and ripped from the expenditure.” She chuckled softly at my expression. “Don’t worry. It happens to everyone when they start training. Your muscles will rebuild themselves stronger and more durable than before. It’s just going to take some time.”

Well, considering that I felt as weak as a newborn kitten, and couldn’t manage more than wiggling my fingers and toes, I suppose she had point.

“Don’t worry,” Megan said, giving me a wry smile. “I went through the same thing. The first few months will seem like Hell on Earth, until you get used to it, then it will seem like Purgatory.” Roni scowled at her. “Seriously, seriously,” Megan said quickly, “it gets better. You’ve already seen the end results in my sparring match earlier.”

“And I believe you’ve seen just how effective that training can be when you encountered Jimmy a few weeks back,” Roni added. “He and his sister have been training with us since they were children.”

I blinked at that. They were doing this kind of crap as kids? No wonder Jimmy could fight off a group of armed thugs by himself without breaking a sweat.

“In the meantime, just rest up,” Roni said, handing Megan a large plastic cup filled with ice water and a straw. “Megan will look out for you for today, and Parker and I will check up on you. Try and drink some water, but take it slow and easy. If you slurp it down too fast you’ll throw up again. And let me know when you get hungry and I’ll bring you some soup.”

I nodded in agreement. Truth be told, I was starving after that marathon session, but I was a bit scared of taking anything too solid on my stomach. Vomiting again was the last thing I wanted to do right now. I glanced over at Megan, and, as if she somehow knew what I wanted, she brought the cup over to me, maneuvering the straw to my mouth so I could drink.

“All right. Looks like you’re okay for the moment,” Veronica stated. “I’ll be back with that soup in a few minutes.” With that, she walked out, leaving me alone with Megan.

* * *

“So, how’s she doing?” Parker asked his wife as she walked into the kitchen.

“She’ll live,” she replied with a grin. “Really nice kid. I think she’ll be a really nice addition here… if she stays.”

Parker nodded grimly. “So, was it Eva?”

Roni sighed. “Yes. I saw it inside her mind. The good Doctor Snow has definitely been rooting around inside Claire’s brain. Nothing overt or obvious, but she definitely did more than just a little spot checking here and there.” She shook her head. “I’m not nearly as power a psychic as she is, but I am really good at what I do. If she left any triggers in the girl, I can’t find them.”

Parker sighed. “Well, Aunt Eva isn’t the type to do anything sinister, anyway. It’s the ‘old man’ that concerns me. If he wants Claire to be his new ‘protégé’, it’s all fine and dandy, but she came to us. As of now, she’s our responsibility, so I hope he doesn’t expect us to just turn her over.”

“Well, for the moment, she’s not much use to them or us,” she replied with a grin. “Maybe we should arrange a sit-down with Gene and talk this out?”

“That’s a good idea,” Parke agreed, coming up behind his wife, grabbing her teasingly as she attempted to turn on the stove. “And, since Lucy is staying over with Nigel’s kids for the night… something I’d never have imagined a year ago,” he said with a frown, “we have a rare night alone, just you and me.”

“Parker, please,” Roni protested half-heartedly, “we still have visitors in the house you know. Claire’s not going anywhere, but Megan could still decide to come upstairs at any time—“

«Megan, sweetie, you are going to stay downstairs and take care of your new friend Claire,» Parker intoned, grinning wickedly. «Any desires you had to leave the downstairs area for the next hour or two can wait. In fact, you’re perfectly fine staying in the basement until Roni returns.»

Roni rolled her eyes. “You’re cheating when you do that,” she chided gently, as he turned her around, forcing her to look his in the face. “I could just as easily use my telepathy as you can use your subsonic subliminals.”

“True, true,” the man known as Echo replied, chuckling, “but I’m feeling in a dominant mood tonight. You’ve been teasing me and the girls downstairs a lot today.” His eyes narrowed, still smirking. “And don’t think I didn’t hear the crack about ‘the one person who actually shit himself’ either. I hear everything, you know.” Roni winced slightly at that.

“Now, baby,” she said gently, wrapping her arms around his back, “you know I didn’t mean anything by that. It was just to scare the newbie. And… I didn’t mention you by name…”

“Riiiiigghhhtt,” Parker replied with a smirk. “And that makes it ALL better. No, sweetie, you’ve been pushing me for days to do this. Well, tonight I’m in the mood to indulge you. So, let’s see if you can be a good girl for me tonight.”

Veronica shivered deliciously, from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Good girl. One of her many hypnotic triggers. Two simple words, and she was already melting. If Parker were not holding her in his arms, she would likely have slid down onto her knees the moment he’d uttered them. Good girl. Her lip trembled, and her thighs ran slick. She stared up at him with eyes half-lidded, panting, voicing her need wordlessly yet unmistakably. Good girl. She knew he would indulge her, and say the words that would put her deep into a trance. It was only a question of whether he would do so now, or draw it out and make her beg—

“Shadow Dreams.”

A soft gasp escaped Roni’s mouth as she sagged softly into her Master’s arms, completely and utterly gone. “Mmmm… yes, Master,” she said softly. “I hear and obey… please… command me…”

Parker nodded, enjoying the sensation of his sexy beautiful wife pressing against him, as well as the sheer flush of dominance at having her completely and utterly in his power. She was always his loving wife, and partner, but there was just something special about forcing her submission to him. And being able to spank her hot little ass for mouthing off, and having her thank me for it, makes it even hotter. Ahhhh… so many things to do, so little time. Lifting her off her feet, carrying her over his shoulder, he marched back towards his bedroom.

((end))