The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

1

Mr Big was beside himself with joy. His latest lecherous plot had come to fruition. Going over a schematic before him, Big could only thank his lucky stars. Wetware, the new technology of implanting microcircuitry into human bodies, had gone into limited usage. Big was certain that after a few more years the general public would have access to wetware, but enough women had the stuff implanted now to make his new caper viable. Of course, there were bound to be some bugs in the current generation of ’ware, and Big knew about one particular bug. A bug that he could exploit fully. Yes, he thought, this little oversight is going to cost New Darwin a jarful of pretty pennies. I’ll be the one to get those pennies. He laughed hard, and, as usual, that laughing ended in coughing and hacking. He turned off the schematic he was viewing. He’d have plenty of time to see it later.

The first shift arrived. Among them were Lynnae Wilcox and Amber MacRoy. Normally they dressed hurriedly. Lt Larry Harkin (The Lecher) was still trying after all these years to get ‘the’ shot of Lynnae, and now Amber, in the buff. However, thanks to Amber’s boyfriend Bert, that was no longer a possibility. Bert was a giant of a man, standing an even 2.2 meters tall, half again Amber’s height of 1.42 meters. Bert made it a point to stand outside the women’s locker room each weekday morning before first shift started (about 7 am). If Larry wasn’t put off by Amber’s incredible strength before, he found her boyfriend an absolute terror. All Bert had to do was look at Larry, making the Lecher scamper away in fear. The other female officers appreciated Bert’s service, giving him donuts and coffee for his effort. Amber gave her beau an appreciative kiss instead. Due to the height difference Bert had to get on one knee so Amber could plant a kiss on his forehead. Lynnae originally found this amusing, likening it to some fair maiden kissing her virtuous knight. But in time Lynnae accepted it as just the way that particular couple displayed affection.

Then Lynnae saw an interesting sight. Amber had a new, lacy-white bra to complement her equally frilly panties. Never the one to miss something, Lynnae had to talk. “Amber, forgive me for being so blunt, but I can’t help notice that new bra of yours.”

Amber saw the avarice in Lynnae’s eyes. “Well, thank my mountain of a man Bert. This is a very early Christmas gift.” Amber tugged on one of her bra straps. “Even with all the busty women around thanks to nanites, it’s hard to find a bra that’s made for my size. I sorta, kinda, hinted that I would appreciate a new bra.”

“I hope you did something nice for him in return, other than letting him see you wear that bra,” Lynnae said in a playful tone.

Amber raised her hands in defense. “He already saw me in my underwear five months ago, during my undercover stint at the Lydia Burbank Preparatory School. I got Bert a new pair of shoes and socks.”

“You better,” Lyn said as she tasked Amber with a finger. “I don’t want you to become a ‘boyfriend for each weekend’ June.”

“I promise,” Amber replied. The little cop got as far as putting her shirt on when she spoke again. “Lyn, my ’ware has been picking up a sound for the last five minutes. It thinks it’s breathing, and it’s not from a woman.”

Lyn had also put on her shirt. She consulted her ’ware. “You’re right. My ware places the source of that breathing... right there.” Lynnae pointed to the offending locker.

Opening the locker, Lynnae and Amber found one Lt Larry Harkin (The Lecher) wedged inside. He looked a little put-out. “Well, Lecher, got anything to say for yourself?” Both female cops were cracking their knuckles.

With an effort, Larry spoke. “Yes. Don’t drink anything if you expect to stay in a locker overnight.” The two female cops looked closer at Larry. They noticed that the front of his trousers were stained. “GROSS!” The duo yelled in sync, punching Larry full in the face and putting him out of his misery.

2

Outback’s calendar is only 11 days longer than Earth’s. Those extra days are placed between June and July, making a planet-wide vacation period. That fact aside, Outback used Earth’s calendar and holidays, including Christmas. It doesn’t snow in New Darwin during the winter: it receives cold rains instead. Though that didn’t dampen the Christmas spirit.

Lynnae and June were currently on foot patrol in one of New Darwin’s pedestrian malls. They admired the Christmas displays in the shop-fronts and light posts bedecked in Christmas red and green. The mall Santa was there, surrounded by children waiting their turn to tell him what they wanted for Christmas.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Christmas if the gang known as Civil Disturbance 101 (CD for short) didn’t make an appearance. The CD-ers were a group of middle-aged men determined to live out their juvenile fantasies of disorder and vandalism, acts that they never had the courage to do when they where in school. Lynnae and June weren’t disappointed this time. The CD-ers showed up, getting in front of the line to Santa. One particularly heavy CD-er got on Santa’s lap, making the poor man lose his breath.

Lyn called on her collar com for backup as she and June jaunted over to Santa’s aid. The CD-ers saw the cops coming. The over-aged delinquents ran. The fat CD-er was unable to keep up and was easily felled by June. “So, fatboy, I guess you’ll get coal for Christmas. Too bad you’ll be in jail well after New Year’s.”

June, how’s the guy supposed to talk if your breasts are in his face? Lynnae replied with her ’ware. June then saw what Lyn was talking about. The fat CD-er’s face was planted between June’s basketball-sized lungs. She was wearing a heavy police jacket, but that didn’t prevent her large orbs from making themselves known.

“Enjoy the view, you fat lecher. That’s the only gift you’ll get this year.” June got up and handcuffed the man, reading his rights in the process. The backup arrived and took the CD-er away.

That arrest alone would’ve made an interesting day, but the day wasn’t over yet. Fifteen minutes later the duo were passing a lingerie store when the owner came out, her face wrapped in concern. “Officers, I need your help. I have a customer that’s acting quite irrationally. She won’t leave and is turning violent. I was about to call mall security but I saw you instead.”

“We’ll see what we can do, ma’am,” Lynnae said. Then, with her ’ware, Lynnae spoke to June. Looks like another case of Mall Madness. I’ll do the talking.

Fine by me, partner, June replied. The store owner guided the two cops to the brassiere section. There, on the floor, was a woman tearing through boxes.

“I must have another one!” the obviously obsessed woman said. “There has to be another Bountiful Bra here!”

“Bountiful Bra?” Lynnae said.

“It’s a bra that came out five weeks ago,” the store owner explained. “It’s the most popular and sold-out bra in all the stores. I was attempting to explain that fact to the woman here, but she got agitated. She believes there’s one in this store. I’ve been sold out since this morning.”

“Lie!” the woman said, her eyes looking possessed. “There is another Bountiful available—and you’re wearing it!” And the woman jumped up and attempted to rip open the owner’s blouse. June stopped the possessed woman, but her grip was tenuous.

Anytime you care to join, Lyn, June said. Lynnae helped her partner, finally subduing the woman with a light stun. They cuffed the woman and turned to the store owner. “Ma’am, do you want to press charges?” Lynnae said.

“No. It appears that this woman is experiencing some stress. When she regains her senses I don’t want the charge of attempted assault on her record.” The owner said, adjusting her blouse while she spoke.

The woman came round and June undid the handcuffs. Oddly enough the woman didn’t remember what had just happened. After a lengthy talk the cops let the woman go home with a warning. Lynnae thought about the incident as she and June finished their shift and returned to Central Station.

3

In a nondescript house somewhere in New Darwin, Big was laughing. “Albert, get me a drink. This calls for a celebration!”

Albert, Big’s assistant, brought in a bottle of suitably-aged wine and a pair of glasses. “Yes, Big. This is a cause for celebration. The magic number of 500 has been reached.” Albert poured out the wine, and both men drank a silent toast.

“Yes! Throughout time Man has made incredible advancements. If those advancements happened to help my never-ending quest of crime.... well, them’s the breaks!” Big laughed, coughed and hacked. “Wetware is the realization of a dream. A dream of women obeying my every command! Yes! A little flaw in wetware has rendered a ’ware equipped woman susceptible to mind control. With my own brand of mind-control bras on the market its only a matter of time before all ’ware-equipped woman pick one up!” Big took another sip of wine. “With 500 women so controlled I can now have some fun. Okay, no more odd behavior for a few women. Let’s get our girls obsessed with their bodies!”

“You are great and terrible, oh master! There’s no end to your evil!” Albert bowed. “I’ll enter the appropriate commands into the mind-control program.” Albert left to do his duty, leaving Big to contemplate the future.

Lynnae and June were back on foot patrol in the same mall. Last week’s arrest was still in mind when the lingerie store owner came out of her store to greet the cops.

“Officers, I’m Sally Duncan, the owner of the lingerie store. I didn’t have the chance to thank you properly for last week.”

“No problem, ma’am,” Lynnae replied. “That’s our job.”

Duncan nodded, but had more to say. “Well, this may be of interest to you. Many of my regular customers bought Bountiful Bras when they came out six weeks ago. However, a handful of those customers have bought the majority of those bras. And their behavior is becoming quite ‘obsessive’.” Duncan had the cops follow her back into the store to the Bountiful Bra display.

“Every day at least three regulars come in here to stare at my display. Whenever a new shipment arrives they are the first ones to know. Now something has been added. Fifteen of those women have bought bras that are larger than they need, and they told me why.” Duncan looked a little concerned as she continued. “They said they are going to get bigger breasts just so they can wear those bras.”

“There’s nothing unusual about that, Ms Duncan,” June replied. “Some women happen to increase their busts just so they can wear the bras they want.” Speaking of which, when are you going to get that enlargement you always wanted? June said over her ’ware to Lynnae.

Lynnae mentally stuck out her tongue in reply. When I’m good and ready, jungle woman.

Duncan got the cops’ attention. “Well, I’m concerned because one of my regulars is a fellow officer of yours, Amber MacRoy. She’s been a regular since even before she got her chest enlarged. But ever since she got a Bountiful she’s been acting strange. Every day she spends at least 15 minutes in the store, looking at the display or admiring her figure in the mirror. Then she got a Bountiful that was quite a few cup sizes larger than she needs.”

Perhaps Amber is finally letting those breasts get to her head, Lynnae thought. “Thank you for telling us, Ms Duncan. I’ll see what Miss MacRoy is up to. I certainly don’t want this sort of thing wrecking her relationship with her boyfriend.”

Duncan was relieved. “Thank you, Officer. I’m glad that Amber finally has a boyfriend. I’ve seen several relationships broken up where the girl refused to enlarge her bust. Just the same I hope never to see one break up where the girl did get an enlargement.”

The two cops said their goodbyes and resumed their patrol. One Amber MacRoy was going to get a few questions about her new bra in the next few days.

4

As it happened, June bumped into Amber at the station’s cafeteria. The two friends sat down at the same table. June thought it unusual that Amber didn’t start up the conversation, as was her wont. “So, how’s the scene between you and Bert?” June ventured. Amber usually was more than eager to share news about herself and her steady, but no reply came.

June wasn’t put off so easily. “Have you two seen that new movie, Love Under Siege?”

“No,” Amber replied. “I’ve haven’t the time for a movie. I gotta keep in shape.”

“Oh. Working out with Bert, is that it?” June said in a conspiratorial tone. That should’ve made Amber defensive, but again the little cop remained neutral. As the minutes passed by June saw that Amber hardly ate the huge lunch she had in front of her.

“Are you going to have all of your lunch? May I have it?” June said in jest. In surprise Amber gave her the tray and got up.

“Go ahead, June. I wasn’t all that hungry. Mustn’t let all those calories go to my waist.” Amber patted her firm stomach. She walked away, leaving June wondering just what had really happened just now.

Using her lock-picking skill, Lynnae broke into Amber’s locker. There, right in front of her, was the object of her search: a fresh Bountiful Bra hanging on its own hook. Holding it like it was a necklace, Lyn tried the bra on herself. She thought it was a little large to begin with, but when she placed the bra on the outside of her shirt she found it a perfect fit. God, Lyn thought, is Amber really going to get an enlargement?

Lynnae then felt a sharp pain in her brain. It was like a storm of static, and Lyn went down on one knee. The bra fell off onto the floor, and the pain stopped. Regaining her senses, Lyn picked up the bra like it was toxic waste, returning it to the locker and engaging the lock. Must be some sort of deterrent system, Lyn mused. She turned in time to see Amber walk into the locker room.

“Hi, Amber. How’s tricks?”

Amber’s face took on the air of a hawk. “Why are you and June suddenly so interested in my personal affairs?”

A classic anime sweatbead appeared on Lyn’s head. “Nothing wrong with that, Amber. Just neighborly concern.” Lynnae’s smile looked all too fake to Amber.

“When I want your concern I’ll knock your head,” Amber hissed. She then proceeded to undress for the showers. Just short of the shower alcove Amber removed her bra and panties (out of sight, you naughty viewers), draping them over the shower partition.

Who’s been stealing her Eggos? Lynnae thought. This abrupt change in attitude in Amber made Lynnae all that more concern. Perhaps Nadia, Amber’s partner, could shed some light on Amber’s apparent change in character.

5

The Christmas shopping season had only 10 days left. When that happened in a city the size of New Darwin (12 million) it created plenty of opportunities for crime. Patrol assignments during this time were long and never boring. By good fortune, during a shift change Lynnae and June managed to meet face-to-face with Nadia, mutual friend and Amber’s current partner.

“Strange?” Nadia said with a hand under her chin. “Yes, she does seem a bit more ‘mechanical’ in her routine. Truthfully, she’s been a lot more preoccupied with her body for the last two weeks.”

June nodded. “That connects to what me and Lyn found out. And she’s been using the gym every day and working out longer.”

“Then there are those other reports I’ve heard on the grapevine,” Lynnae added. “There were four other incidents where women practically tore through boxes looking for Bountiful Bras.”

“Perhaps it’s something linked to the bras?” Nadia ventured.

Lynnae crossed her arms. “It sounds like it. The only way to confirm it is by checking the backgrounds of those four women—and those of the other buyers.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble, Lyn, but I don’t see Captain Laramie or Chief Talbert assigning a detective to check out something like that,” June said. When she saw that crooked grin on Lyn’s face, June knew what it was. “You’re not thinking...”

“What the Boss don’t know won’t hurt him. We’ll just do some ‘informal’ interviewing. Plus, we can use our ’ware to make discreet inquires.”

Nadia’s own smiling face showed her approval. “I can get the ball rolling. I have more experience entering data nets than most ’ware-equipped cops on the force. But we need Paul to join our little detective club.”

“I think Paul will help us,” Lynnae said. “Until his arm heals he’s on temporary assignment in the Archives. I’m certain that he’ll enjoy a little distraction from his work.”

June put on the face of an imp, playfully poking Lyn’s left breast. “Oh, are you going to use your ‘ample’ charms to persuade him?”

“June, get your mind out of the gutter. No, change that, you have to look up in order to see the gutter.”

Getting out of Lyn’s punching range, June threw in one more barb. “Girl, for all intensive purposes I am the gutter!”

The next day brought the first, and disturbing, bits of information. Paul, like the others, was concerned by Amber’s change in attitude, and was more than eager to help. He checked the records of the women that went bonkers in the clothing stores. They didn’t have prior criminal records. They were atypical law-abiding citizens, and all had one in thing in common. They were among the first recipients of wetware.

Nadia, in her efforts, tried to back-track the orders of Bountiful Bras, but in each case she ran into a dead-end. The bras had to be coming from somewhere; the order manifests proved that much. Additionally, Nadia had bought one of the now-scarce Bountifuls and had taken it apart. A strange nanochip was found in one of the cups—right were the nipple would end up. Nadia had Toby, a fellow cop and electronic genius, examine the chip. It would be at least a day before he could actually get to work on it.

As for June and Lynnae, they went to the stores and ‘interviewed’ the owners. They got the names of the repeat buyers of Bountifuls, especially those who exhibited the same behavior as those in the lingerie shop frequented by Amber. Like Paul, the duo discovered that the oddly-behaved women recently had wetware implanted. ‘The plot thickens’ as Lyn often said when things got interesting.

6

The delivery truck sat outside a 23-hour donut shop. The driver was inside, taking in his fill of bearclaws and coffee. He was talking shop with a fellow trucker, failing to notice that two black-clad figures were unloading his truck. In place of the Bountiful Bras, Big and Albert loaded the truck with their own, subtly-altered Bountifuls. They could’ve done this earlier at the factory. However, Big, like all criminals, had to prove to himself that he still had the ‘knack’ to pull off a caper.

“Albert, we’re in like Flynn!” Big whispered. “When our surprise goes into action three days from now we’ll be well on the way to owning this berg!”

“Yes, Big. You’ll be the most powerful man in New Darwin. The beauty of it is that no-one will know why.”

The duo finished their work, and slipped back into the darkness.

At the end of the second shift Nadia, June, Paul, and Lynnae met at their favorite cafe, The Silver Platter. They had a light dinner, the usual for such a late hour, and a guest. Bert Carson, Amber’s boyfriend, was invited so he could be informed on what the foursome found out.

Lynnae finished her first glass of water. “Bert, have you noticed anything strange about Amber? Any personality or mood swings?”

The huge man (he stood 2.2 meters tall) looked a little sheepish. “Well, for the last four weeks she’s been, well, much more focused on her body. I don’t know if I should tell you this, but...”

“She’s been stealing your shirts?” June said, her face full of mischief. Nadia gave the joking June a nudge.

“You should talk, June,” Nadia added. “Is that Greg’s shirt you’re wearing? And how long has it been? Two months with the same boyfriend? It has to be a record for you.”

Lynnae raised a forestalling hand. “That’s enough from you two. Bert, please continue.”

Bert’s cheeks blushed ever so lightly. “Well, when I first got the bra for Amber, she had me measure her. You know, for fun.” Bert saw June’s mischievous eyes imply that there was more to that than just ‘measuring’. “Well, with my work schedule I’ve only seen her five times since then. I was able to see her three days ago. When she answered the door her shirt was wet. It looked like she’d showered with her bra on.” The assembled cops looked stunned, but they indicated to Bert that he should continue. “She had me measure her again. She’s bigger. To top it off I found a receipt from a doctor’s office dated eight days ago. The doctor specializes in nanite-augmentation.”

“Amber does seem bigger in the chest. And it does make sense since she bought all of those large bras.” Lynnae tugged at her chin. “Paul, tell us what you found out.”

Paul took a quick sip of espresso before talking. “Well, my investigations and those of Lyn and June have led to a disturbing point. All of the women that have acted strangely since they bought a Bountiful all have wetware. All of them work in jobs that benefit the most from the new technology: air-traffic controllers, stockbrokers, researchers, teachers, city workers. Amber is the only cop ... so far.”

“We now know how those women are being affected,” Nadia added. “I just got a message from Toby via my ’ware. That nanochip I found in the cup of the bra I bought is used to check the signal pathways of the receptors in a ’ware-equipped person. Except for one thing. The chip is hard-wired to keep those pathways connected directly to the main ’ware processor open. With the right program you can alter a person’s moods and make them open to suggestion.”

“That must be the reason why I got that mental static when I tried on Amber’s bra. My security routine was at full function and must’ve halted that nanochip in its tracks,” Lynnae observed.

June’s face turned ugly. “That’s hideous. Someone out there is making those poor women, including our Amber, into self-centered, body-obsessed dolls.” June looked apologetically at Bert. “Sorry for that last comment. I couldn’t think of a better word.”

“I won’t tell Amber you said that,” Bert replied, a sly grin on his face. “Whoever was the pervert who insisted on installing receptors in the nipples will have a lot of explaining to do. But what are we going to do?”

“Let’s see what we got here,” Lynnae said, listing off the points finger by finger on her right hand. “First, we have women buying bras that are bigger than they need. Second, all of these women have wetwear installed. Third, these women have been much more concerned with their bodies lately. Fourth, if Amber is any indication, these women are getting their breasts augmented. All of which leads to this: which person would like to see women get busty and shapely?”

“Big!” The other cops rang in. Paul leaned forward a bit. “If that’s the case, Lyn, then how do we stop him?”

“I think I can help with that.” Bert looked on with hope. “On my last visit to Amber’s apartment I found an invitation addressed to her. It was for all Bountiful Bra owners to attend a free dinner and social hour at the Bourke Pedestrian Mall. That’s three days from now.”

Paul saw Lyn’s face literally light-up with an idea. “Lyn, you’re not...”

“That’s exactly what we’re going to do, Paul. We’re going to get the drop on Big. First, we have to get our work schedules to coincide. You’re in a better position to do that. Nadia,” Lyn turned to face the tall, exotic-looking officer. “You can secure the costumes we need. I’ll tell you which ones by tomorrow night. I’ll get in contact with the mall owner and make some ‘arrangements’. June, I leave it to you to secure us some of those new compact stunners.” Next, Lyn looked at Bert. “Bert, what I have in mind will need your presence as well. If it comes to anything nasty you can protect Amber.”

“I’ll do more than that, Lyn. If it really is Big behind all this then he’s going to get a knuckle sandwich from me personally.”

“That’s the spirit,” Lyn said, patting Bert’s huge hand. “And before you say anything else, Paul, remember Plan B: it’s easier to get forgiveness than permission.”

Paul held up his hands in mock surrender. “Well, at least all of us will go down together. But if we save Amber it’ll be worth it. Agreed?” The four cops and the high school coach closed hands together in a pact. They paid their dinner bills and left.

Bert had Nadia wait one moment. “Actually, Nadia, Amber has been using my socks as leg warmers,” Bert said in a conspiratorial voice. Nadia only grinned and playfully punched Bert’s chest.

7

It was now five days before Christmas. Thanks to Paul’s subtle ’ware-work, he and his three friends worked the relatively quiet first shift (0700-1500). After work, the four cops and Bert assembled at the Bourke Pedestrian Mall. Lynnae met with the mall owner and ‘volunteered’ herself and her friends to work the Santa jobs. Nadia came through with costumes and June landed the new stunners.

In the mall locker room Lynnae went over her costume one more time. She was playing the part of Mrs Claus; to complete the role Lyn had a small pillow underneath her red coat.

Paul was playing Santa. His right arm was still a little tender, having only been healed after he broke it three weeks before in a particularly rough arrest. Of course, he had to use a bigger pillow underneath his coat to complete his costume.

Bert had the pleasure of playing the part of Barney the Bushbear. On Outback he was a combination of Boogeyman and Grinch, intended to scare little kids if they got out of line. Santa still gave coal to bad little kids. If they were really bad then Barney would leave his bone-cluttered cave, catch the offending children, and eat them. Bert practised his bushbear growl. It sounded convincing enough, and the few kids that heard him certainly believed it. They ran away in playful fear from that ‘nasty, mean Barney’.

Nadia and June played the part of Santa’s Helpers. They had elf ears, and their suits did cover their breasts completely, but their shapely figures still made themselves known. The suit was a one-piece coat that reached to mid-thigh level. A thick black belt with a copper buckle went around the waist. Large white buttons went down the front of the coat and a red, fur-rimmed cap was on each head. The cops also had short black boots and black fishnet stockings. While the kids told their Christmas wishes to Mr and Mrs Claus, June and Nadia gave out gift advice to the kids’ parents. June liked the idea, especially giving advice to ‘cute’ men. Too bad they couldn’t sit on her lap—her breasts were not that big but they were big enough.

Speaking of big breasts, Amber’s nanite augmentation had completed its course. Instead of cantaloupes, she now had volleyballs on her chest. Her new size did made her a true shirt-stretcher like her three friends, and the rest of the station started to take notice. All except Larry. He was still deathly afraid of Amber and Bert, hiding whenever he saw them.

The cops took their positions at the Santa display. Lynnae had it moved so it faced the assembly hall where the Bountiful Bra Appreciation Dinner was being held. As the cops watched the hall, kids and their parents showed up. Paul was a trooper, but every once in a while an exuberant tot would land against his sore arm, making him wince in pain. Lynnae, thanks to her six years as an elementary teacher, was able to pick out the ‘really naughty’ kids and had Bert come over to give them a playful scare. Of course, some of those kids yelled their heads off at the sight of a comical bushbear trying to act mean.

8 p.m. rolled around and the hall started to fill with the Bountiful women. The cops and Bert knew the layout of the hall, along with several spots where they could spy on the assembly. Lynnae had Paul and Bert ‘fight’: Santa engaged in a battle to make Barney the Bushbear run away, freeing Christmas from this scourge. Suitably defeated, Barney scampered away, the children cheering Santa on.

After the applause, Lynnae posted a 30-minute break sign. The cops then moved into position, entering and hiding in the hall in prearranged locations. They knew quite a few women had the gimmick bras, but they were taken aback by the crowd in front of them. There had to be at least 400 women in the crowd. The break tables were filled with food and drink, the women taking in their fill of refreshments. Then, eerily, the women silenced as one and sat down in the chairs. The hall doors closed and the windows turned dark. Not unusual in itself, but it made the occasion feel like a secret society meeting.

Albert, Big’s one-number assistant, appeared on the stage. He got behind the floor microphone and spoke. “Thank you all for attending. All of you will have the pleasure of seeing the creator of the Bountiful Bra tonight. Please give a round of applause for Mr Big!”

To a woman the audience rose up and clapped. The cops felt sick to their stomach. Seeing Big get this much praise, however coerced, made them pissed. The man himself appeared on stage. For once he actually looked presentable. He was dressed in a causal business suit. If it weren’t for his age-worn face he could’ve been mistaken as a kid playing dress-up. Albert adjusted the microphone for Big and stepped back. After clearing his throat the tiny crime lord spoke.

“Thank you, ladies, for choosing the Bountiful Bra as your undergarment. It has enabled me to influence your minds and perceptions—all thanks to a tiny flaw in your wetware. Now I’m going to use the flaw to my advantage!” Big giggled, making Lynnae grit her teeth. “To start things off let’s have everyone take off your shirts and blouses. It’s warm in here, and I don’t want you girls to feel uncomfortable.”

[For the viewers at home the letters NB, red in color, appeared at the bottom of their tri-dee viewers. NB stands for nose bleed, a warning for all those 14 year-old boys to get their tissue paper ready.]

The women took off their shirts, revealing their bra-clad, volleyball-sized lungs. Big hummed his approval.

“Nice, very nice my dears. Thank you for getting nanite augmentation. I’m sure your men enjoyed your new chests. Now, here are my commands. First, you will encourage your female friends and work associates to get wetware implanted. After that give them one of your bras. My nanochips will do the rest.”

“Yes, Almighty Big,” the crowd sang out in unison.

“Good! Second, you will use your influence on your husbands and boyfriends. Make them your puppets! Have them vote for the candidates of my choosing in the next election. Work harder in your jobs, get promoted. You’ll serve me better when you reach higher levels of influence and power.”

“Yes, Almighty Big.”

“Finally, to reward you for the efforts you’ve already made, I’m giving all of you free nanite injections! Volleyballs are fine, but basketballs are better. In compensation I’ll give each woman here five new—and larger—Bountiful Bras! Isn’t that a wonderful Christmas gift—bigger boobs and new bras to go with them?”

“Yes, Almighty Big.”

“Excellent! Now, in an orderly fashion, make a line.” Big’s eyes were filled with lust as woman after woman filed in line. The first one was about to get her hypo shot when Big saw something in the corner of his eye.

“Albert, get that short, black-haired woman and bring her to me. I think I recognize her.”

“Yes, Big.” As Albert did his master’s bidding Lynnae felt a cold shiver go down her spine. The woman that Big pointed out was no other than Amber.

Amber was brought before Big. He squinted, and a moment later he recognized her. “By Jove, it’s you! You were that girl who wrecked my suit all those months ago, aren’t you?”

“Yes, Almighty Big.”

“Hot Damn! I can have my revenge!” At that Big drew out a new hypo. “I was going to use this on a random member of the audience, but you’ll do just fine. Let see how long you’ll stay in the police when you allow your breasts to get as big as watermelons!”

8

Lynnae heard what Big was about to do. It would take a moment too long to retrieve the stunner from its hiding place, so Lyn settled for the next best thing. She took off her shoes and threw them, one at a time, at Big. The first one knocked the hypo out of Big’s hand; the second hit him dead on the face, making him fall down.

The other cops got their stunners out and moved into view. “This is the New Darwin Police! Everyone, get on the ground now!”

The women just stood there. Albert got to the microphone. “No such luck, coppers! Girls—get those cops!”

It would’ve worked, but, despite its small size, the new Colt STN-08 Stunner was made to handle large crowds. With five of them going off at once huge swathes of the crowd were felled. More women tripped as they tried to scramble over the bodies of their stunned fellows. Even so, some women managed to reach Nadia and June. Both got into brief hand-to-hand fights. True to karma, both cops lost the top buttons to their coats, exposing a good portion of their bra-clad, basketball-sized bazooms.

After finishing of the stragglers Paul, Lynnae, and Bert made their was to the stage. Albert was stunned, sprawled out on the stage floor. Big had recovered by this time. Amber was still unconscious, being one of the first women to be stunned. Big lifted her up, intending to use her as a shield. “Stay away if you know what’s good for you, coppers! I’ve killed a few people in my extra-long life and one more isn’t going to bother me!”

“Do that and you’re dead, Big!” Lynnae yelled. “Immortal or no, I’ll have you made into a living cadaver for the medical school!”

“Good one, Blue Heel. I often liken myself as the Prometheus that bestowed humanity with ample women! Now, stay back.” Big had a good hold on Amber’s neck, but failed to realize that his other hand now rested on Amber’s right breast. He copped a feel, making the classic anime breast-grabbing sound. At that moment Amber woke up—MAD. Amber grabbed the offending arm and threw Big over her shoulder. He landed with a meaty thump against the stage wall. Remembering what happened to him last time, Big tried to run away, but Amber had other ideas. She tackled Big, and proceeded to pummel his face. Lynnae had just gotten on the stage when Amber, in classic anime style, landed a powerful punch against Big’s jaw.

Big flew the distance from the stage—through the hall’s doors—to the 15-meter Christmas Tree in the center of the Santa display. Amber ran as fast as a rabbit, her friends yelling out to her to stop. It didn’t matter. Big, in his usual two-steps-ahead-of-everybody thinking, had hidden a jet pack in a box underneath the tree. He gave the little woman cop a cheesy wave as he flew through a conveniently-opened skylight to safety.

Amber was about to curse Big but instead stood gawking as the tree, unbalanced by Big’s jet pack exhaust, proceeded to fall—towards her. Bert’s cry of warning was too late. Amber was trapped underneath the huge tree. Bert is a strong man to begin with, and seeing his belle trapped under that tree gave him the strength of twenty men. All by himself, Bert moved the tree off his love. What could only be attributed to divine intervention Amber only had a scratch on her left arm.

“God, honey, don’t you ever get mad at me!” Bert smiled warmly at Amber.

The little cop propped up on her arms. “My little giant, if I ever get mad at you I’ll only be able to hit your knees and feet!” She giggled, stretching out her arms in a request to be picked up. Bert was happy to do so.

Albert had gotten away also, leaving Nadia, June, Paul, and Lynnae to gather around the couple. They smiled liked punch-drunk boxers as Bert and Amber talked. Amber remembered some of the stuff she did while under Big’s control, but she didn’t recall the showering-with-a-bra-on incident.

“I feel like a movie theater floor,” Amber exclaimed. “Those things I said really did come from me. Under Big’s influence those feelings were no longer under my control. Honey, I hope you can forgive me for treating you the way I did for the past few weeks.” The mis-sized couple engaged in a kiss, making the clustered cops oohing in approval.

“I forgive you and more, my love. In fact, I have something here to give you.” Bert opened a hidden pocket in his bushbear costume. “Go ahead, it’s in there.” At that prompting Amber reached in and withdrew two rings—engagement rings. One was obviously made for Bert, the other sized to fit Amber’s own little finger.

Amber’s eyes welled up in tears of joy. “Oh, Bert! You really mean this?”

Bert brought up Amber’s face closer to his. “Yep. But first, let’s kiss on it. One of those face-sucking whoppers.”

Amber’s four friends turned around, giving her a measure of privacy to savor that extra-passionate kiss with her loving man.

9

Two days later saw the four cops in Chief David Talbert’s office. The Chief was pacing up and down in front of the officers, making them nervous. Captain Patricia Laramie was in attendance also, acting like a spectator in a principal’s office while a child was being disciplined.

“You four must be feeling quite the roster right now. You want to crow about how you saved those women, and undoubtedly the city, from Big’s influence, right?”

The foursome knew better than to answer, lest they wanted their tongues removed. Talbert continued. “Let’s see. First you used the fancy circuits in your brains to conduct unauthorized data searches and retrievals. Next were the face-to-face interviews, again without approval. Then there was the mall owner that believed your story of a police volunteer group, tasked to work the mall that night. And lest we forget those compact stunners that were also checked out. I can’t nail you for the costumes—you rented them with your own money.”

Talbert sat behind his desk, his eyes like two lasers boring into the officers. “I’d have you know that the Mayor’s own wife was in that audience, and thank God none of the women sustained any injuries when you stunned them. His honor the Mayor is thankful that his wife was saved, though. He wants to reward those ‘fine undercover cops’ assigned to break the Big Mind-Control Caper, as the papers are calling it.”

The officers remained stone-faced. Talbert was about to change that. “Well, what I really want to do is dismiss all of you from the force. But you’ll probably form your own detective agency and run the police out of a job! Instead, I decided to promote all of you to the level of your incompetence.” Talbert leaned back in his chair, letting his officers imagine their demise.

Front desk, definitely front desk, Lynnae thought. The officer manning the front desk had the pleasure of seeing all the scum of New Darwin coming through the front doors. Lynnae imagined spending the rest of her police career signing in drunkards and spaced-out goofballs.

June saw herself as a wrench-monger down in the station’s motor pool. Great. Who’ll date a woman that’ll perpetually smells like grease and plastic? Another wrench-monger, that’s what!

‘Tis the archives for me, mused Paul. I bet that’ll be my permanent job. Since I have ’ware, they’ll probably make me the only one working the archives during my shift. Joy.

Nadia could only think of the Quartermaster’s office. I’ll be signing out new jackets and shirts and receive the tattered and torn ones in reply for the rest of my employment. Maybe it’s isn’t too late to become a model.

Captain Laramie got up, holding four small black boxes. “Of course, you’ll have to turn in your old badges. You’re all out of grade where you’re going.” She handed the boxes out. The officers held them like they were bombs. “Go ahead, officers. They won’t blow up.”

Lynnae carefully opened her box. Expecting to see the single chevron indicating Patrolman instead of the two for Officer, she saw three. Three chevrons meant Sergeant. Well, the front desk does require a Sergeant to man it, she observed.

Nadia, Paul, and June opened their boxes too. As with Lynnae, those badges were those of Sergeant. Laramie smiled, making the officers wonder. “Well, for your new positions, all of you need to be Sergeants. Sergeant-Detectives, to be exact.”

Lynnae’s face changed from wonder to elation. Talbert got up, his rarely-seen eyes opened for all to see. “Damn fine piece of work, all of you. Even the Commissioner agrees that such talent mustn’t be wasted. You four have been assigned to create a new detective squad, appropriately named Blue Team. Let me and Patty here be the first to shake your hands.”

Flushed with relief, the cops got up, shaking Talbert’s and Laramie’s hands in thanks.

Christmas Eve. A light, cold rain fell in New Darwin. This didn’t stop carolers from making the rounds, and other merriment. To make up for her behavior, however unintentional, Amber held a Christmas party in her apartment. In addition to her fiancé, there were Lynnae, Paul, Nadia and her husband Harold, and June—with her boyfriend Greg. Three months before, Lynnae, always in some form of financial mess, had met a tax lawyer. June accompanied Lyn on one of her visits to his office.

June made herself out to be a free spirit, not tied down to any one person. However, that attitude changed once she saw Greg. It truly was love at first sight. For over two months June dated Greg, with each date getting longer and longer. One day had June showing up in a shirt that clearly wasn’t hers. In a turn of roles Lynnae teasted June mercessily, finally getting her revenge for all of June’s innuendo.

Lynnae lazily eyed Greg and June. The couple fed each other grapes, giggling after each one.

Then Amber, with box in hand, sat next to Lynnae. “Lyn, to make up for what I said to you earlier I have a gift. It’s all those large Bountiful Bras I bought while under Big’s control. Don’t worry—I had Toby remove all the nanochips.”

Lyn gratefully accepted the box, then looked at Amber’s still-ample chest. “Does this mean you’re getting a reduction?”

“Yep! I’m going back down to my cantaloupes. As much as I like these larger lungs, I can’t very well have them enlarged every time I meet Big. Otherwise I’ll end up unable to move!” Both friends laughed at the thought. “I’ll have the reduction nanites injected after New Year’s. Before that, me and Bert are going to the Hammerfield Ski Resort for a whole week.” Amber daintily placed a hand to her chest. “Seeing me in a tight skisuit with these babies will make Bert ... anxious.”

“Be nice, Amber, otherwise you’ll have to get your implant recharged!”

“Lyn! Here I thought that June had the monopoly on dirty thoughts!” Amber playfully hit Lyn’s shoulder.

[The scene fades in a pull-back, all of New Darwin in a glow of happiness and holiday cheer.]

** Merry Christmas **

[End Credits—still shots from the current episode and theme music plays. Ends with the duo in silhouette. Fade to black.]

Epilogue

2417, New Year’s Day, somewhere in the northern wilds of Melbourne, one of Outback’s two massive continents. In an nondescript wilderness house Big sat in front of an archaic fireplace, nursing a Scotch. The wounds caused by Lynnae’s shoes and Amber’s fists had healed, all due to Big’s immortality. However, his mind was still tender at the thoughts of what those two did to him. Amber he could forgive—she was just at the wrong place at the wrong time for all that Big was concerned.

Lynnae, though, was different. She, along with her friend June, had caused him grief for the past seven years. Every once in a while his plans were foiled thanks to the duo’s intervention. Hell, if only Tiny had eaten their ancestors all those centuries ago I wouldn’t have this problem now! Big thought venomusly. Thinking hard, he realized that it was Lynnae that really bugged him. That little woman had no right to ruin his plans. Then, in flash, it came to Big. He summoned Albert.

“Yes, Big?” Albert said, bringing in a refill for Big’s glass.

“Albert, I’ve come to a decision. I’ve decided to put that Wilcox woman in her place. I want you to find everything you can on her, especially if she has any relatives here on Outback. The biggest caper of my career is almost ready. I need Wilcox in a position to see my triumph—and her ultimate failure!” Big laughed, and on cue coughed and hacked afterwards.

“You are great and terrible, oh Master. There’s no end to your evil!”

[The screen goes black for a moment—then a movie commercial airs. A montage of Police Blue scenes scroll across the tri-dee image. Then a narrator cuts in. “For eight years Police Blue has been the highest-rated 3D-animated show throughout the Commonwealth. The characters have endeared themselves to their loyal audience. Now, our intrepid characters will make their big screen appearence this summer—battling the most criminal, and perverted, mind that humanity has the misfortune of knowing.” Mr Big pops up, grinning from ear-to-ear. “I’m Baaaaaack! Large as life and twice as ugly!” Big laughed, coughed, and hacked. Police Blue: The Movie. Summer—2417.]