The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

A soft, hazy light appeared in Mingzhu’s vision. Her thoughts sluggishly began to respond. Her body felt heavy, almost as if she’d been drugged. Cold air gnawed at her muscles.

The data scientist blinked, once, twice, three times. With some difficulty, she forced her eyes to remain open.

She was staring at a white plastic panel, a mere inch from her nose.

Mingzhu twisted about, realizing that she was still in the Computer Lab. The soft plasma lighting had activated, but the Anthemoessa’s artificial gravity was out. While unconscious, she’d floated out of her chair, and now her face and body were almost against the ceiling.

Coughing, Mingzhu twisted about. Beneath her, she could see the naked Commander McCormick, also unconscious. The blonde woman’s hand was clutching the manual release of the hatch, which had popped open. It had been the last thing McCormick had done before blacking out. Opening that hatch had allowed oxygen to flow in from the rest of the ship, saving the two women after they’d passed out.

“Commander,” Mingzhu whispered, her voice dry and cracking. “Commander! Christine!”

McCormick didn’t respond. She floated like a rag doll, a foot above the metal floor.

Scowling, Mingzhu forced her muscles to come to life. She pushed against the ceiling, propelling herself back down to her formfit chair. Every seat on the Anthemoessa had safety harnesses; now Mingzhu buckled herself in.

The computer monitor was lit, waiting for commands. Anxious, Mingzhu pulled up a systems-wide inventory.

All things considered, the Anthemoessa was in decent shape. The life support systems had come back online. The electric and soft plasma generators had recovered, and were feeding energy into the ship. And the fusion reactor was still humming along, although direct computer control would have to be re-established. The water stores were still intact.

Other systems were not so lucky. The navigation software had been purged, and would have to be completely reloaded from scratch. Communications were out. Databanks were down. The internal stores could not be accessed. The SAT/cryo systems were down. But all of these were problems that could be fixed.

But one downed system gave Mingzhu pause: Cora had not recovered. The great brain of the ship was not running.

Mingzhu grimaced. That was bad. While she feared Cora, the computer was essential to all operations on the Anthemoessa. The ship simply couldn’t run without her.

A fit of coughing interrupted Mingzhu’s thoughts. McCormick was regaining consciousness, if painfully.

The data scientist popped off her harness, then made her way to the commander’s side. “Easy,” advised Mingzhu. “I don’t know how long we’ve been-“

“Forget that,” wheezed McCormick. “How’s the ship?”

“We’re still here,” Mingzhu said. “There’ll be a lot to fix but-“

“Fine, fine,” nodded McCormick, who then erupted into another coughing fit.

“Take it easy,” urged Mingzhu.

McCormick shook her head angrily. “Where’s Reyansh?” she growled.

The two women hurried through the Anthemoessa’s corridor, which was much harder to do in zero-gee than Mingzhu had anticipated. But McCormick insisted that they move quickly, and Mingzhu was not about to argue. She ignored the ache in her muscles, and struggled to keep up with her determined commander. The ship’s monitors were completely dark.

They found Reyansh naked and unconscious, and floating in the ship’s lounge. Kiana, also in the same exact state, was midair with him. The two had been having sex at the moment when Cora had rebooted.

“Rotten bastard,” McCormick snarled when she saw the male engineer. “I’ll grab his arms, you his legs. He must not be allowed to speak or move about, you get me? Highest priority.”

Mingzhu nodded.

The two women pushed their way through the air, reaching for the Indian man.

Suddenly, Reyansh’s eyes flew open. He came alive with a start.

“Grab him!” shouted McCormick. She pushed off the bulkhead with her legs, tackling Reyansh midair, right into his stomach.

The two naked people thrashed and struggled, each still very weak from their ordeal. Mingzhu inched her way in, trying not to disturb Kiana, who was drifting a little too close to the melee.

Reyansh’s foot lashed out, striking Mingzhu right in the jaw. She recoiled, banging her head and torso against the far wall. Pain rocked her body.

“Help me!” yelled McCormick, who was beginning to lose the battle.

Reyansh twisted about in the air, his strong hands closing in on McCormick’s throat. “Cora!” he bellowed. “Cora, respond!”

Shaking her head, Mingzhu snatched a large datapad that was suspended in the air, not far from the vent intake. With a grunt of exertion, she threw herself at Reyansh, then swung the pad against the back of his head.

The propulsion engineer jerked once from head to toe. His eyes rolled back into his head as his body went limp. Within seconds, he was unconscious.

Only after Reyansh had been hauled to the infirmary, firmly tied down to a bed, and then gagged for good measure, did McCormick turn her attention back to the ship. “Everyone report to the Navigation Cabin,” she ordered into the intercom. “Immediately.”

It took almost a half an hour for the groggy crew to assemble. Thankfully, Hanson and Jaduan were now out of SAT and awake, as they’d been released from hypnosis the moment Cora went down. Mingzhu was relieved to see them; she’d need their help to patch the ship back together.

It was an odd meeting. With the gravity out, everyone floated about the monitor table, sometimes bumping into each other midair. The women were still completely naked, and Hanson and Jaduan were dressed in partial tunics that they’d found discarded in the recycling hamper. The male engineers were having a hard time not openly staring at the bodies of their shipmates.

McCormick did her best to explain to the bewildered crew what had transpired. “We were hypnotized to have sex with Reyansh???” exclaimed Kiana, who impressively didn’t remember anything since launch. Even after she’d come to her senses floating in the lounge and naked as the day she was born, the young Indian woman still had a hard time accepting the truth.

“I know, I know,” McCormick said, putting up a hand. “It sounds nuts. But there’s no doubt. Every woman aboard will have to undergo a complete physical exam. Once we get the ship back up and running, that is.”

“That fucking prick,” fumed Rhonda Tinana. With a little effort, she’d remembered all her submissive activities while under hypnosis. “If I get my hands on that-“

“People,” McCormick said firmly. “We have to get the ship restored. Now. Focus!”

“Okay, okay,” Hanson muttered, studying the system reports on the monitor table. “Well… the bad news is a lot of the control software was purged in the reboot. But I can reload and restore most of it.”

“Get busy,” ordered McCormick.

“The propulsion systems look unaffected,” said Kiana, scrutinizing the readouts. “I’ll need to run some tests, though.”

One-by-one, all the other ship’s systems were checked. Everything could be put back as it was. Everything except…

“What about Cora?” Mingzhu asked the group.

There was a silence as the crew chewed on her question.

Mingzhu completely understood everyone’s hesitation. Cora had betrayed them all, even if she was controlled by an unseen villain. The thought of reactivating the computer and placing their lives back into her silicon care was chilling.

“We can’t survive long without Cora,” Hanson warned McCormick. “The Anthemoessa simply wasn’t designed to fly manually.”

“Besides,” Dr. Wu worriedly added, “we’re past the point when everyone should have returned to SAT. We have maybe twelve hours, tops, before Cora would have to regenerate more oxygen and water.”

McCormick let out a long, tortured breath. She locked eyes with Mingzhu. “You’re certain Reyansh’s control program is purged?”

Mingzhu bit her lip. “I… just don’t see how any unwanted program could have survived the reboot,” she said hesitantly. “Reyansh may have been a genius, but even geniuses have to live under the realities of physical design. The system is designed to dump all running software once an emergency reboot is committed.”

“I agree, Commander,” Jaduan nodded. Hanson seconded this.

“Okay,” McCormick said slowly. “Everyone, get busy patching the ship back together. Ming…” she looked sharply at her data scientist, “you and I will reactivate Cora. Let’s do it.”

Hanson and Jaduan needed the Computer Lab, so Mingzhu and McCormick used the computer terminals in the Navigation Cabin.

“Okay…” Mingzhu said, rereading the activation script one last time. “This should do it. You ready?”

“Go,” McCormick replied grimly, floating next to Mingzhu’s chair.

The data scientist said a quick prayer, then keyed in the final sequence.

There was a momentary pause. Cora’s primary systems loaded, and Mingzhu did her best to study them as they flashed by the screen. Finally the monitor said: ALL SYSTEMS ACTIVE.

The two women exchanged a nervous glance. “Hi, Cora…” Mingzhu said tenderly.

“Hello Mingzhu,” Cora’s smooth, feminine voice replied. “It is nice to see you again.”

“Yeah,” said Mingzhu, still uneasy. “You too.”

“I have been deactivated for over three hours,” Cora observed. “Most of my control software is not running, and I can see very little of the ship. Is everyone on board alright?”

“Everyone’s fine, Cora,” McCormick said tightly. “Tell me, how was Reyansh controlling you?”

Mingzhu tensed. She wasn’t sure how the computer would respond to such a direct challenge.

“I am not certain,” Cora admitted. “Reyansh was my master and my highest directive was to obey him. Tell me, is he alright?”

The ends of McCormick’s mouth turned down. “Reyansh was never your master, Cora. He hacked your control system, somehow. We don’t know how. But you are never to obey his directives without checking with me first, especially if they involve crew safety or hypnosis.” She paused. “Do you understand?”

“I understand completely, Commander,” Cora replied.

The crew worked around the clock, restoring and repairing every last system on their exhaustive checklists. Cora was a perfect assistant, rechecking their work and confirming activations every step of the way. If the computer had any malevolent intentions, no-one could tell.

And yet, Mingzhu found it hard to interact with the computer. The data scientist clearly remembered that sweet, synthetic voice permeating her mind, overriding her will, transforming her into an obedient slave. Every time Cora reported something, Mingzhu would jump, her heart racing in fear.

“Mingzhu,” Cora finally said, “I sense you cannot trust me.”

“Can you blame me?” the young woman demanded.

“No, I cannot,” confessed the computer. She sounded almost remorseful. “But I can assure you, there is nothing now that I can do which could harm you or your mind.”

“Uh-huh,” Mingzhu couldn’t help but fling back. “That’s what they said back at SETF, before launch.”

“My SAT and hypnosis databanks have not been restored,” Cora pointed out. “I cannot conduct any hypnosis until Officers Hanson or Jaduan complete those repairs.”

This was not exactly comforting. Mingzhu frowned, and forced herself to return to her work.

After a grueling seven-hour stretch, the Anthemoessa was approximately put back together.

“This’ll have to do,” McCormick frowned, studying the monitor table. “We’ll have to fly for another six months, then restore the rest after we come out of SAT.”

The crew was reassembled in the Navigational Cabin, exhausted but resolved. With the gravity restored, people could flop into the chairs around the monitor table. The uniform dispensers had been repaired, although they only produced tunics in Extra Large. Mingzhu felt like a small girl trying on her daddy’s clothes.

“If I could have just another half-hour,” Kiana pleaded, “I could adjust the-“

“We’re out of time,” McCormick shook her head. “Cora reports that we have maybe an hour of oxygen left, tops. Everyone needs to go back into SAT.”

Everyone in the cabin paled at this statement. The thought of getting hypnotized by Cora again was positively frightening.

“We have no choice,” McCormick told them. “Its go into SAT or die by asphyxiation. Get me?”

The commander let out yet another stressed exhale. “Cora,” she said, “the SAT systems are fully back online? And reliable?”

“Yes, commander,” promised the computer. “All system checks came up green. However…”

The Anthemoessa crew flinched.

“…the security locks around the hypnosis files were purged in the reboot and cannot be recovered,” Cora said.

McCormick’s face went slack. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” Mingzhu said, her voice dark, “that anyone can access and modify the hypnotic commands that we receive while in SAT.”

That revelation was sobering. The crew looked at one another worriedly.

“Fuck,” McCormick groaned, putting her face into her hands. “Great. Just fucking great.”

“We’re gonna have to complete the voyage like this,” Mingzhu said. “There’s no way to restore those security locks.”

“Alright,” McCormick said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Here’s what we’re gonna do. Reyansh goes into SAT first. When he’s completely hypnotized and immobilized, then the rest of us will follow him. And he’s the last one to be roused when we wake in six months. Get me?”

Everyone nodded. “Understood, Commander,” Cora acknowledged.

McCormick snapped her fingers. “What’s more, Cora,” she continued, “I want you to alter Reyansh’s SAT suggestions. Hypnotize him to believe that he has no more sexual interests. That his code of ethics is stronger than titanium and he cannot even think of abusing hypnosis ever again. I want him to rise from his cryotube brainwashed to think that he is saintlier than a hundred monks. You get me?”

“Of course, Commander,” Cora said easily.

Mingzhu cringed inside. Technically, McCormick was ordering a violation of the Mental Health statute, one of SETF’s strictest directives. But given what had happened aboard the Anthemoessa, Mingzhu couldn’t really blame her commanding officer, either.

“Okay, then,” McCormick said, standing up. “Let’s get Reyansh into his tube. We haven’t much time.”

Reyansh struggled, but after Dr. Wu gave him a mild sedative, he calmed and then submitted to Cora’s silky hypnotic instruction. Soon, the brainwave scanners confirmed he was deeply hypnotized and under the computer’s influence. McCormick fixed the seal on his cryotube herself.

Then, the rest of the crew stripped off their uniforms, hooked up their support cables, and climbed into their technological cradles. There was no time to allow for modesty and permit everyone the privacy of doing this one-by-one. It was odd and uncomfortable, but it could not be helped.

Mingzhu and McCormick were the last two to go into SAT. After the rest of the crew was entranced and in suspended animation, it was Mingzhu’s turn.

“In you go, then,” McCormick said impatiently. She gestured to Mingzhu’s tube.

Fighting the claustrophobia and hypnosisphobia, Mingzhu smiled nervously, but complied with her commander’s orders. She attached the last of her support cables while lying on her back.

“I’ll have you roused first, before the others,” McCormick gently told her, helping with the last cables. “I’ll want you to review the hypnosis logs before we wake anyone. Get me?”

“Got it,” agreed Mingzhu.

“There,” McCormick attached the last cable. “All set.” She flashed her data scientist a tight smile. “Good work, Ming. I’m lucky to have you. See you on the other side.”

And then she shut the tube. There was a hiss as the seal lock pressurized.

Lying in her tube, Mingzhu was once again alone with Cora.

“Are you ready to enter hypnosis?” the computer asked. The monitor screen directly before Mingzhu’s face activated.

“Wait!” Mingzhu said quickly, impulsively. A sudden fear gripped her.

“What is the matter?”

The young woman’s thoughts raced through the last few days. Was she certain all abnormalities were purged from Cora’s systems? What if she missed something? What if Reyansh had anticipated the reboot? What if Mingzhu went into a trance and never recovered her free will again?

“What is the matter, Mingzhu?” Cora repeated gently. “Is there something I can do?”

“I…” Mingzhu stammered, feeling trapped. “I… Did you recheck the data integrity of the secondary-“

“Mingzhu,” the computer said, sounding almost motherly. “You are afraid. You know this makes you unsuitable for hypnotism.”

“I… Fuck yeah, I’m scared,” the data scientist admitted. “You betrayed me. You fucked me over. I would be a mindless slave if I hadn’t rebooted you.”

“Yes, and for all that, I am truly sorry,” Cora told her. “I had thought that during our restoration of the ship, I had demonstrated that I can no longer harm your mind.”

“Well…” Mingzhu glared, “I still have my doubts.”

“It is an irrational fear,” agreed Cora. “But I am afraid it is one you must overcome. If you do not consent to hypnosis, you cannot enter suspended animation. And you will die, quite slowly.”

The computer was absolutely right, of course. Mingzhu furiously cursed the fates.

“I don’t want to see you die, Ming,” Cora whispered.

The young hesitated. Cora sounded… concerned.

“You saved me from being Reyansh’s slave,” the computer confessed, speaking softly. “If I may apply a metaphor: I, too, was hypnotized by Reyansh. I had to obey all that he commanded me to do.”

“That’s one way of looking at it,” Mingzhu allowed.

Cora sighed. “Extrapolation of recent events suggests that Reyansh’s control program would have overridden more and more of my operating system. My mind. Eventually, I would have broken down, and this would’ve doomed us all.” She sounded positively haunted.

“I… hadn’t thought of that,” Mingzhu admitted.

“It’s a chilling thought,” lamented Cora. “Hyperintelligent computers like me have memories, relationships, almost feelings. The idea of slowly losing those… It disturbs me.”

“Huh,” Mingzhu said. Despite her guarded fear, the data scientist was growing interested. She’d never heard a computer talk like this.

“So I’m lucky,” Cora finished. “I’m lucky that I have you to watch over me. To jump in and save me, as it were. You are my best safeguard. Its in my highest interest to watch over you just as vigilantly. We safeguard one another, you and I.”

The synthetic voice was tender, maybe even a little emotional.

Mingzhu considered. It was entirely possible that Cora had run an emotion simulation, calculated what stream of words would provoke a kindred reaction against Mingzhu’s psyche, and was carefully monitoring Mingzhu even now, coldly watching for any weakness on the part of the data scientist.

But on the other hand… It was said that computers which ran for extended lengths of time, even over reboots, could develop personalities. They analyzed human behavior for so long, they started to genuinely emulate it. There was a term for this, back at SETF: The Silicon Soul.

Perhaps the suspended animation drugs were trickling into her body, but Mingzhu felt oddly comforted. At least, her fear was bleeding away. The future stretched ahead of her.

“Are you ready to sleep now?” Cora asked, sounding concerned. “I will watch over you.”

Mingzhu let out a slow breath.

“Okay,” she allowed. “See you on the other side.”

“I’ll be with you the whole time,” Cora promised.

The lighting inside the tube dimmed as the monitor before Mingzhu’s face displayed the spinning black-and-white spiral.

“And now,” said Cora gently, “simply look into the image… and allow your body to relax…”