The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Back in March, 2012, Robotunit8 asked us as writers to compose a story set in the far north. This is my entry into that contest. This story is based upon a real television show, but it is unlikely that anything in this story would ever happen in the show. It’s a work of fiction, pure and simple. An adult work of fiction so you might want to look elsewhere for your entertainment if you’re not into adult stuff. I welcome commentary and criticism. My email address is , and my blog is at mudak326.tumblr.com.

Zero Degrees of Separation

by Mudak

Chapter 1

Sasha bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. She wasn’t particularly surprised that she’d gotten almost no sleep the night before, but here she was, waiting for the limo to show up and bring her to the airport.

When she wasn’t pacing around in her small apartment, she found herself re-reading the letter she had gotten from the studio, congratulating her on becoming a contestant on her favorite reality show. She immediately re-confirmed her interest in being a contestant on Survivor and that she had been fully vaccinated.

She remembered thinking that the show would be going back to its roots when she got the letter itself: the first season of the show was filmed in Borneo. That this season would take place there too made her wonder if this would be the show’s final season. She’d learn all of this soon enough, no doubt.

She was advised against packing a lot of clothes; just a couple of pair of underwear and whatever she would be comfortable in, considering the weather. Plus one comfort item, which, she decided, was a hairbrush. Nothing too flashy, just something to help keep her long hair reasonably under control.

Soon enough, she heard the sound of the doorbell ring. She jumped lightly and let out a girlish squeal at the realization that her limo driver had arrived. She bounded down the stairs and opened the door to greet the man who would transport her to the airport, from which she would be off to that island in the middle of the South China Sea.

“You Sasha?”

“Yes!”

“You might want to get something a bit warmer.”

“What? Why?”

“Didn’t you see the letter that said where you’d be going?”

“Yeah. And it said I should dress comfortably.”

“You won’t be comfortable in that…” He indicated her cutoff shorts and tank top shirt.

“But…”

“No buts. I don’t want you freezing to death the moment you get to the island.”

“Why would I freeze to death in Borneo?”

“You’re not going to Borneo, Sasha. Do you still have the letter?”

Without saying a word, she pulled it out of her back pocket.

“Read it again.”

“Dear Sasha. Congratulations on being chosen as a contestant for the next season of Survivor. You and fifteen other Americans will have the adventure of a lifetime, on the remote island of…”

She looked up at the driver, who nodded, smiling broadly. Her voice cracked as she said, “Barneo?”

“That’s right. Do you know where Barneo is?”

“Um….. No. Not really.”

“Basically, it’s the place that’s generally agreed to be the North Pole. I’m not even sure it’s an island so much as it is a huge ice floe.”

“Oh….” She immediately stopped smiling. “Um… Give me a minute. I’m going to go change into something ... a bit warmer.”

“You do that…” The driver crossed his arms. “I’ll give you ten minutes before we have to be on the road.”

Chapter 2

Sasha glanced around at the other people on her helicopter as it began its descent onto a helipad in front of a steel structure. She felt relieved that she wasn’t the only one to pull her coat tighter over her shoulders as the cold enveloped them, even through the windows of their vehicle. She mumbled, “I guess the rules are going to have to be a little different if we’re in a place this cold.”

The guy sitting next to her said, “Shhh!” as the pilot reminded them all that they weren’t supposed to talk to each other quite yet.

Sasha pressed her face closer to the window of the helicopter and tried to determine what she could about the building she saw. She hoped that would be where she and her fellow contestants would sleep, but at the same time, she wondered if people lived here year-round. She felt relieved that they would be here in July. If this were being filmed in, say, January, she rationalized, there would be little, if any, daylight, and temperatures would be significantly colder than they would be this time of year.

Small comfort, she thought, considering she was already freezing.

A second helicopter landed next to the one Sasha had ridden in. After both machines’ blades came to a complete stop, the pilot spoke. “Time to get out. Good luck and have fun out there!”

The passengers filed out of both helicopters and lined up near the entrance to the steel building. The host of the game show strode out, dragging a large sled behind him. He smiled broadly at the 16 Americans who had been selected for this particular adventure. Sasha nearly didn’t recognize him: whereas in past seasons of the show, he had been clean-shaven, now he sported a thick beard and mustache.

“Welcome to Camp Barneo. In past seasons, we have set our show on tropical islands, in the African savannah, and in the Australian outback. For this season, we decided to try something a little different: we wanted to go to a cold climate. As I am sure you are aware, we are about as close to the north pole as we possibly can get. Because we’re on an ice floe, it is entirely possible that at some point in the future, this location will no longer be the true north pole, but we will stay here and in the surrounding waters for the duration of our 39-days here. Unlike in past seasons, where people have had to make do with what was available to them on the land, we are providing living quarters so that you do not freeze while you sleep. So that is one thing you will be able to take advantage of. So let’s choose teams!”

He produced a large hollowed-out block of ice. “I want you all to reach in to this block, and take out a coin. Don’t look at it until I tell you to.”

He strode up to the line of Americans who, one by one, pulled a small coin out of the block. Once everyone had made their choices, he said, “Reveal.”

Sasha opened her hand to reveal a bright red coin.

The host gestured to his left. “If you’ve got a blue coin, come over here. You’re now a part of the tribe named Silny, which means ‘strong’ in Russian.” Turning to his right, he added, “If you’ve got a red coin, come over here. You’re now part of the tribe named Khitry, which means ‘cunning’ in Russian.”

Sasha joined the other castaways who had received a red coin and smiled broadly at the people whom she knew would be her family, her tribe, for as long as this tribe would exist. There were a couple of cute guys, she thought, so this was going to be a lot of fun.

The host tossed red buffs to Sasha and the rest of their team. She wrapped her buff over her chest.

Chapter 3

Once the 16 contestants had been successfully split into two tribes, the host spoke. “As you can see here, I have a sled filled with supplies that can make your time here more comfortable. This sled is packed with an ample supply of rice, a tarp, fishing gear, warm blankets, and flint for starting a fire. You have one hundred twenty seconds to take as much as you possibly can and claim it for your own. The game has officially begun. Survivors ready? Go!”

The eight men and eight women ran as quickly as they could across the ice, slipping and sliding their way towards the sled, eager to get as many supplies and provisions as they could. Sasha knocked down a girl from the other tribe as she struggled to maintain her own balance. As she dove towards the sled, she felt someone slide into her and they both fell away from their path. Struggling to stand back up, she rolled over and stopped her slide as her opponent slid further away from their mutual goal.

One of the men on her team grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. She smiled at him and they both raced to the sled. He immediately climbed onto the sled and began tossing blankets and food to her. One of the men on the opposite team jumped on the sled, pulled a bag of rice from her partner’s hands, and threw it to his own team.

Sasha didn’t appreciate what her opponent had done, so she jumped onto the sled, but fell backwards. She grappled for anything to help maintain her balance, and she grabbed something, but it wasn’t large enough to keep her from falling. As fell hard on her back, she realized what she held: flint. YES! she thought. We can make fire now.

She quickly placed this item in her pocket and struggled back to her feet to help unload more supplies from the sled.

Before she knew it, the host called out, “Time’s up everyone! Take what you’ve gathered and bring them into your side of the building!”

Sasha figured she would reveal that she had gotten the necessary equipment for starting a fire, after they were safely away from their competitors.

Chapter 4

The two tribes walked into separate entrances in the building, quickly learning that a solid concrete wall separated them. Sasha and the rest of her tribe walked around, trying to get a sense of their living quarters. As Sasha’s tribe explored the area, some giggles and laughter from the other tribe echoed into their quarters. One of the men immediately lifted his finger to his mouth, and the rest of the red tribe nodded in assent as they continued their tour of the place they would call home for the next month.

In one corner of their side of the building, there was a small stone fireplace with some wood in the bottom.

The girl standing next to Sasha said, “If only we had some flint.”

Sasha tapped the girl on the shoulder, reached into her pocket, and showed off the flint. Everyone else in the tribe quietly expressed their approval of this find; two people high-fived each other. Sasha spoke in a low whisper. “Should we hold off on starting a fire? Should we go for staying warm sooner, or should we let them think we’re struggling the same way as they are?”

The guy who indicated that everyone should stay quiet looked down on the floor and said, “You don’t need flint to start a fire. It just helps. Let’s get a fire going and not worry about what the other tribe thinks. By the way, my name’s Markus.”

Sasha said, “I’m Sasha.”

The girl standing next to Sasha introduced herself. “Jane.”

The remaining members of the tribe spoke their names in order: Chuck, Milt, Carol, Andy, and Yolanda, the last of whom said, “You can call me ‘Yo.’”

The rest of the tribe laughed. Andy stepped forward and said, “Mind if I try out the flint?”

Sasha handed Andy the flint. He knelt down and pulled his belt off. Andy proceeded to rub the metal tip of his belt to generate sparks off of the flint. Within five minutes, some of the kindling at the bottom of the fireplace had caught fire. Not long after that, the fireplace housed a vibrantly burning fire. Yolanda, Milt, and Chuck started to applaud.

Sasha quietly wondered if this was a good thing for her tribe. After all, considering how few natural resources they had available to them, they would need to ration or otherwise use quite literally everything with care and caution.

Chapter 5

The rest of the day consisted of the eight tribe-mates taking stock of what was available to them, and generally seeking protection from the bitter cold. As everyone started to get tired, Yolanda looked up at the sun and asked, “When will the sun go down? It seems like it hasn’t moved in ages.”

“That’s because it hasn’t,” Milt said softly. “I’m guessing it’s going to start going down in about three months or so…”

“What?” Jane chimed in.

Milt chuckled. “You’re not going to get much further north than where we are right now. Basically the sun is overhead for six months and down for six months. I’m sure they chose this time of year because it would literally be unlivable the other half of the year.”

“I’m not sure it’s so livable the way it is right now. I mean, even though we’ve got the sun beating down on us, I can’t honestly say I’m feeling any real warmth,” said Sasha.

Markus laughed. “You know. I might be able to help with that. And I think I can give us a general tactical competitive advantage over the other team as a result.”

Chuck scoffed. “Oh really? How would that work?”

“I’m a professional hypnotist.”

Despite Markus’s serious tone, Jane immediately started laughing. Sasha quickly started laughing too.

“What? What’s so funny.”

“Nothing. It’s just that… A hypnotist? Like the kind of guy who gets a bunch of people on stage and cluck like a chicken?” Jane rolled her eyes. “Unless you want to turn the other tribe into a bunch of chickens in the middle of a challenge or something, I don’t see how you can give us an advantage.”

Sasha nodded her head. “I think there’s more to hypnosis than that, Jane. But I agree that I don’t see how it’ll help us.”

Markus started to pace around the group. “That’s a fair complaint, ladies. But you know how they say we only use 10% of our brains? What if we could tap into the other 90% of our brains and help us focus on the challenges? Maybe stay warmer longer? I’ve been thinking that, with how few resources we have available to us, we’d be well-served to train ourselves to use less and ration, well, everything for longer. From fire to food to energy.”

“How would that work?” asked Sasha.

“Shall I try it out on you?”

Sasha paused, looking at her other tribemates for some sort of sign as to whether they thought it was a good idea. After assessing the shrugs and occasional thumbs-up signs, she whispered, “Sure.”

“Why don’t you look into the fire, then? Take a deep breath and relax. Just watch the flames as they dance. Don’t think about anything else, just watch the fire and listen to my voice.” He began to massage her shoulders. “Just watch the flames, listen, and relax, and drift. Sink deeper and deeper and let go. That’s it. Just relax. Concentrate on your breathing. Breathe in. And breathe out. In. And out. In. And out. That’s really good. You drifting, calm, at peace. Feel the fire. Let it consume you as you drift deeper and deeper. That’s it. Very good.”

Sasha’s head fell forward as she closed her eyes.

“Can you hear me now, Sasha?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now I want you to raise your head and open your eyes.”

Sasha did as instructed. Her gaze was unfocussed. Markus waved his hand in front of her face and she didn’t flinch.

“Now Sasha. I know we’re in the middle of the arctic. But you feel like you’re somewhere warmer. So warm, in fact, that you need to take off your coat. You don’t understand why you need your coat. And it makes you stronger. Take off your coat, Sasha.”

She unzipped her parka, lowered it off her shoulders, and let it fall onto the floor behind her.

“Good. That’s much more comfortable, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Now, Sasha, I want you to close your eyes again. Very good. I’m going to count to three, and you’re going to wake up, feeling refreshed, focussed, and strong. Are you ready? One. Two. Three.”

Sasha shook her head and said, “Wow. That’s cool!” She knelt down, retrieved her coat, and put it back on. “It’s amazing that I felt warmer just by you saying so!”

“Exactly. And if everyone here will let me do that to them, I think we’ll all be better competitors against the other tribe.”

A low murmur of approval spread throughout the tribe.

Chapter 6

Over the course of the next few hours, Markus found himself discussing the finer points of hypnosis with the rest of his tribe before polling them as to whether they’d let him put them under. When he praised Sasha for being such a good test subject, she immediately consented to be hypnotized again whenever necessary. Jane, seeing Sasha’s enthusiasm, also agreed to be hypnotized.

Yolanda crossed her arms in front of her chest and said, “Ain’t no way I’m letting you fuck around inside my head.”

Carol’s reaction was, “I’m not saying I won’t ever let you do it, but I don’t think we want to do it too soon. Just like you said about going light on everything, I think we should go light on this too.”

Milt laughed and said, “I don’t think I can be hypnotized but I’m willing to let you try.”

Chuck scoffed at the idea of being hypnotized, “I’d rather keep my wits around me at all times, if you don’t mind.”

Andy decided to align himself with Carol by saying, “Maybe later. Not right now, though.”

Sasha, Jane, and Milt all moved closer to Markus as he put them all under in a manner not unlike what he had done before. This time, he gave the three of them a trigger phrase to help them go under again more easily. After some thought, he decided that the best trigger would be “That sounds like a penguin’s greatest fear.” When at a challenge, this would enable everyone to be more focussed and warmer. Other times, it would just assist them with going into his trance more readily. He could say it just after the host describes each challenge and no one on the other tribe would even realize the strategy behind his words. Who cared if no penguins lived in the arctic?

Chapter 7

The following day, the two tribes found “tree-mail,” inviting them to find their way to a spot on a large nearby ice floe. Jane heaved a deep sigh as she got onto the canoe her team had been given at the start of the contest.

“Nervous?” asked Markus.

“Yeah.”

“Well, pretty soon, you’ll be focussed on winning the challenge, whatever it is.”

“What d’you think it’s going to be?” asked Andy.

Chuck said, “I’m guessing it’s some kind of obstacle course. They like those kinds of challenges, especially at the beginning of this thing.”

Soon, the members of the Khitry tribe arrived at the ice floe that housed a large wooden structure. They disembarked and walked slowly across the ice to stand underneath their flag.

Chuck saw the host and asked, “The other tribe here yet?”

“Not yet,” said the host.

Everyone looked out over the sea. A boat moved slowly towards them through the haze of the air. “I think I see them,” said Carol.

Everyone waited in silence for the arrival of the opposing tribe, who, once they disembarked, slowly walked towards their own flag.

“You guys ready for your first challenge?” asked the host.

All sixteen contestants gave an enthusiastic, “Yeah!”

“All right. This is a simple obstacle course. One player at a time, you’re going to go over, under, through, and around this course, until you reach the platform on the far end. Once one person on your tribe reaches the platform, the next person can go. First tribe to get all eight people to the platform, wins. Want to know what you’re playing for?”

Everyone started to applaud. The host turned towards a table and lifted up a cloth, revealing a wooden carving of a small gnome-like man with small antlers. “This is your immunity idol., the Domovoy, or house-spirit, from Russian mythology. This represents life. Win this idol and your tribe is safe from tribal council. If you go to tribal council, one member of your team will be going home. Is it worth playing for?”

Through some interspersed applause, the members of both tribes cheered and said, “Yes!”

Markus added, “That sounds like a penguin’s greatest fear.” Sasha, Jane, and Milt each stood a little bit straighter.

The host clapped his hands together. “I’ll give you a minute to strategize and then we’ll go.”

As the eight members of the Khitry tribe huddled to decide what order they would go in. They agreed that the first and last people on the course would be the ones who had been hypnotized. Sasha volunteered to go first and Milt volunteered to go last. The rest of the tribe fell in the middle, and lined up in order as they had agreed to go.

The other tribe lined up next to them. The host, seeing that the two tribes were ready to go, said, “Survivors ready? Go!”

Sasha took off in the obstacle course with a focus and determination that she knew she wouldn’t have otherwise felt. She felt her foot slide slightly on the ice as she ran, but at the same time, she didn’t fall or otherwise lose her momentum in the race. She heard the host making some kind of commentary but she couldn’t tell what he was saying. She also heard some shouts coming from her tribe, and others coming from the opposing tribe. Again, though, she couldn’t tell what it was she was hearing. It wasn’t important anyway. She just kept running, climbing, rolling, jumping, and finding her way through the obstacle course.

Soon, Sasha reached the platform where she would wait for the rest of her team. She turned around and saw that the girl who started off for the other tribe had barely made it over the first obstacle. Andy started out on the course for her own tribe. She sighed as she watched Andy struggle, but at least he was able to move forward.

The girl from the other tribe finally reached her platform, a few seconds before Andy joined Sasha. Yolanda started on the course next and she was able to keep her focus quite well. Sasha whispered in Andy’s ear, “Maybe Yo doesn’t need to be hypnotized.”

Andy whispered back, “I think I’m going to ask Markus to put me under before the next contest. You just crushed that course. I want to see how Jane and Milt do, but if the way you did this is any indication…”

“Let’s see!” said Sasha as Yolanda reached the platform.

“See! Told you I don’t need nobody fucking around in my head,” said Yolanda as she high-fived both Andy and Sasha.

“Great job!” said Andy. The three members of the Khitry tribe turned around to watch Chuck using his leverage to propel himself across the ice. “I think we’ve got a good chance at this,” he said as he glanced over at the other tribe’s end platform. The second racer had just joined the first one.

Jane did not perform quite as well as Sasha had, but she also ran through the course without any trouble. Markus and Carol raced next and slipped slightly, but the Khitry team had built enough of a lead that any time lost did not make a significant difference. By the time Milt started through the race, there were three people on the other team who hadn’t yet started into the obstacle course. Despite this much of a lead, Milt ran quickly and with such an incredible focus, that he passed his running opponent in the middle of the course. When he joined the rest of the team on the platform, everyone cheered loudly.

“Khitry crushes the other team! Congratulations!” said the host as he brought the immunity idol over to the winning team. “Wow! Silny, I’ve got nothing for you. I’ll see you guys at tribal council tonight. Go back to your camps!”

The two teams boarded their respective boats and rowed back to their home.

Chapter 8

Andy couldn’t help but interview Sasha, Jane, and Milt about their success in the challenge. “Do any of you think you’d have done as well if Markus hadn’t hypnotized you?”

In unison, all three hypnotized contestants shook their head, saying, “No.” Sasha added, “Almost definitely not.”

Andy asked a few more questions about how they each felt as they ran through the obstacle course, and they all agreed that they were focussed, strong, and comfortably warm. He thanked them politely and went about tending to the fire.

Yolanda tapped him on the shoulder when there was no one else around. When he turned to face her, she whispered, “I’m worried. If Markus consolidates too much power here, he’ll be unstoppable. As it is, the fucker’s got half of our tribe on his side already. I don’t want to give him any more clout.”

“Yeah, but you’ve got to admit, it worked. I mean, who’d have thought Sasha, of all people, would’ve nailed that challenge?”

Yolanda crossed her arms in front of her chest and glared into Andy’s eyes.

Andy sighed and said, “I’ll think about it.”

Chapter 9

Over the course of the next week, the Khitry tribe dominated in all challenges. They won immunity twice more, and also earned more fishing supplies, more blankets, and some tools and kitchen utensils in competitions for rewards. The three hypnotized members of the tribe consistently dominated in the competition, carrying the rest of the tribe.

After dinner the day after their fifth victory in a row, as Markus was finishing the deepening of Sasha’s trance, Andy approached him. “Hey, listen,” Andy said. “I, um… I can’t help but think that… You know… Maybe you could help me focus a little bit, too.”

“Of course!” Markus smiled broadly. “Is everything all right?”

“Yeah, it’s just… That last challenge… I, um… I just got the sense that I nearly blew it for all of us, ya know? And as the other tribe goes down more and more, I’m just worried that, you know, we might need some more people as focussed as Sasha, Jane, and Milt, ya know?”

“And Carol.”

“What?”

“She came to me this morning.”

“Well, then I guess I feel like the odd man out, or something.”

“No. That’d be Chuck and Yolanda. Neither one of them wants to go under. At all.”

“That’s their choice.”

“Yes. Yes it is.” After a brief pause, Andy added, “So, shall we get started?”

“Absolutely. What do you need me to do?”

“Just look at the flame, relax, and listen to my voice…”

Chapter 10

After the next reward challenge, in which the Khitry tribe won donuts, coffee, and fresh fruit, Yolanda approached a member of the other tribe before they walked back to their camp empty-handed.

When she sat down with the rest of her tribe to enjoy the foods they had earned, Markus looked at Yolanda and asked, “What was that you were talking to Austin about?”

“Oh, just … stuff, you know…”

“No, I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking.”

“I just asked him how his team’s spirits were holding up. I mean, they’ve got to be freezing their asses off and, well, they’re not living as well as we are.”

Markus peered down over his glasses at Yolanda, took a deep breath, and decided against probing any further. “These are great donuts, don’t you think?”

Everyone on his tribe enthusiastically agreed.

When they had finished enjoying their reward, Markus stayed behind slightly. When Sasha joined him, he whispered, “I think maybe we should throw a challenge or two. It’s time for Yolanda to go.”

“Whatever you say, master,” responded Sasha in response to her ongoing conditioning at the hands of the hypnotist.

“Maybe after she goes, we’ll be able to get Chuck in line.”

“Maybe.”

Chapter 11

At the next immunity challenge, Markus had planted the seeds in his tribe that they would not compete with as much focus and vigor as they had displayed thus far, and, as expected, they lost immunity to the Silny tribe.

When the Khitry tribe arrived at the Tribal Council location, they each grabbed a torch and lit it. The host tried to ask probing questions about what had happened, but all of the hypnotized members of the tribe simply said that they weren’t as focussed as they had been before then. Jane added, “I hope I’ll do better next time.”

The host looked at Yolanda. “Do you see any alliances forming here, Yo?”

“Um… Yeah, and I think Chuck and me are on the outs from that alliance.”

Chuck lowered his head. Although he knew this to be true, he wished Yolanda hadn’t said anything.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Markus is the one with the real power here. And, well, I think everyone here other than me… Other than Chuck and me… Let’s just say they’re giving Markus more power than he deserves.”

“Markus, what do you make of that? That’s a pretty strong allegation,” the host said.

“Yolanda knows how much I do to help the tribe out around camp. I’d like to think that I’m a good strategist and that’s helped us win so many challenges.”

“Yet here you are now. What happened today?”

“Well, you can’t expect us to win every time, can you?”

The host didn’t respond. After a brief pause, he said, “All right. It’s time to vote.”

One by one, each of the members of the tribe cast their ballots: Yolanda and Chuck for Markus; everyone else for Yolanda. After counting the ballots, Yolanda stood up.

The host said to her, “I need you to bring me your torch.” She walked up to him, at which point he placed a large snuffer over the top. “The tribe has spoken. It’s time to go.”

Chapter 12

The Khitry tribe intentionally threw one more reward challenge and another immunity, thus giving Markus the opportunity to vote Chuck out as well. Upon returning from the Tribal Council where they reduced their numbers to six people (a hypnotist and the five people he controlled), he exclaimed, “That sounds like a penguin’s greatest fear.”

The rest of the tribe stopped short as they drifted back into the trances Markus had been cultivating. “We’re going to win every challenge from here on in. When we merge, we will take out the members of the other tribe one by one. I don’t want any of you writing my name down until the very end, which is when they will reward the million dollars. But you know what I’ve really been wondering about, more than anything else?”

The blank stares from h is tribemates reaffirmed the depth of control he had over his team.

“I’ve been wondering how eskimos fuck. Keep as much clothes on as you need, but I think we all deserve to have a little fun. Girls, you will orgasm hard and often. Guys, enjoy the sweet pussy you’re given and don’t hold yourselves back. Let’s see. Milt, why don’t you pair up with Jane? Carol, how about you and Andy? And Sasha, you can be with me… You’re all really horny.”

“Really horny,” echoed five monotone voices in response as they paired up as instructed. Sasha slid into her sleeping bag, unzipped it enough to allow Markus to join her, and tossed her pants and underwear to the side.

As Markus joined her, he could hear the moans of his tribemates echoing off of the walls of their home base. He knew that he would win this whole competition, but for now, it felt like he had won so much more. The motto of this game is to outwit, outplay, outlast. And he was doing exactly that. In every way possible.

For now, though, it was just play. Not outplaying. Just playing.

Sasha began to nibble on his earlobe to express her eagerness to, well, if not being outwitted, then at least out-titted.