The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Light and Shadows VI: A Darklight Shines

by J. Darksong

Ch. 3) And There You Lead Me, On

“Okay, slight change in plans,” I said to Trooper Regina Baker an hour later as I drove hurriedly down the street, heading towards the station house. “I’m heading your way. I should be there in about five to ten minutes. I need you to stall Whitman, and wait for me.”

“Wait? What? Stall him? No.. no, you can’t come here!” she hissed quietly, glancing around to see if anyone was listening in. “What’s going on?” she whispered into her cell. “You were supposed to be rescuing my daughter from Bower!”

“Yeah, um, funny thing about that,” I said, changing lanes. “Turns out he’s gone.”

“WHAT?!?” Clamping a hand over her mouth, she whispered, “What?”

“He moved out. Completely. I went to the house at the address you gave me, but the place is vacant. All his furniture, and everything, it’s gone. But there’s more. I thought maybe one of the neighbors might have seen something, so I went over to talk to them. Bad idea. It was a trap. Soon as I stepped inside, they tried to kill me.”

“Wha... kill you?” she asked, again, glancing around. “Are you all right? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” I said with a deep sigh. “I managed to take down mom and pop easily enough, but their daughter, Clara, got the drop on me. I managed to surprise her and stun her with a shadow strike, though... and that was when I learned just how deep the rabbit hole really goes. Regina... they were being controlled.”

“Controlled?” Regina asked, her brain barely able to keep up. “Okay, slow down. What do you mean ‘controlled’? How? By whom?”

“That’s a really good question. I don’t who’s pulling the strings, exactly, but I sure as hell know how. I found some really fancy hardware attached to the back of each of the family’s heads. inducer chips... and high-end models at that. Whatever program they had controlling the little girl fooled me completely; until she pulled her weapon on me, I had no idea she was being controlled.” it was doubly disturbing for me, considering the fact that Katie had recently dealt with a case involving them back home, then my troubles with the Beautiful Gems in Portland, and now here, in Provo. And the things were small, small enough to be hidden behind a person’s hair where it wouldn’t be seen or noticed unless you knew specifically what to look for.

In one of my more paranoid moments I’d wondered idly just how many people I’d passed by in just this past week that had been ‘chipped’ and I’d never even noticed.

Anyway, from the little bit of information I’d gathered from Clara and her folks after shutting down their chips, the ones behind the kidnapping were numerous, well organized, and very well connected. Those chips, for one thing, were NOT cheap. They were based on a designed used by a former villainess of some repute named Mind Bore, who’d apparently gone off the grid a few years back. They’d all but dried up until about six months ago, when they suddenly started showing up on the black market again. Even then, they were majorly expensive and hard to reproduce. You didn’t go tossing them around like party favors at Halloween. And not only had Clara’s entire family been chipped, four of the six houses in the cul de sac were likewise compromised. In fact, part of the reason I was in such a hurry to meet up with Regina back to the station was the extra time I’d taken in going in and freeing the rest of the neighbors from their control chips.

“You know,” I added after a moment’s thought, “there’s every reason to think that your friends at the station might be ‘chipped’ as well. Maybe your friend Ted isn’t such a bastard after all. Maybe he’s just acting like a prick because someone programmed him that way.”

She considered that for a moment. “That... would be nice. It was certainly explain his behavior. But... well, if they just put a chip in him, why not do the same to me? Why go to all the trouble to set this up and kidnap Chloe just to get my cooperation?”

“Your power,” I responded instantly. “Your ‘Danger Sense’ makes it pretty much impossible to take you by surprise. Ted was your partner for five years, he probably knew there was no way anyone would be able to get close enough to implant you without you sensing it coming a mile away.” I sighed softly, considering all the options. “You know...this whole situation is big and getting bigger by the second. I think maybe we’re going to need some outside help...”

“Uh-uh. No. NO! You promised me, Jimmy,” she hissed back. “We have to do this by ourselves! I can’t take the chance of anyone else getting involved that might already be a part of this. You said yourself that the girl acted perfectly normal until she pulled a weapon on you! For all you know, whoever you contact might be involved, too. Can you honestly promise me that whoever you plan on calling will be completely safe?”

Well, I started to say ‘yes’ as a matter of fact, but then I had to think about it. The chips wouldn’t work on me, since my innate shadow powers shorted them out before they could even make contact. And I was reasonably sure Katie couldn’t be chipped, for the same reason as Regina—her luck would make it impossible for someone to try and harm her. Point of fact, I trusted few people in the world as much as I trusted my baby sister. Likewise, Mom was probably immune as well. Hell, she was practically invincible, the chip would shatter against her skin rather than penetrate her nerves and hack into her brain.

Still, she and anyone else from River City was hours away at best, and time was short. If it was big enough of an emergency, I’m sure she would teleport in, but that was really draining, and Mom wouldn’t be at full strength again for a few hours afterwards. I didn’t know any of the local Supers, aside from Trooper Baker, and even if I did, who’s to say any of them weren’t already compromised?

“Okay. Just us, then,” I agreed reluctantly. “But that means we have to play things very very carefully from now on. If anything goes wrong, we won’t have anyone to swoop in for a last minutes rescue.” I sighed. “And, Regina... if you get taken, and somehow compromised...“

“Let me be clear, Jimmy,” she said softly but with conviction. “You do whatever you have to do to keep my daughter safe. Even from me.”

* * *

“Thanks for coming shopping with me, Mom,” Katie Frasier said, as they pulled up to her house. “Jess wasn’t in the mood, and I really didn’t want to go all by myself.”

“Anytime, sweetheart,” Lacie Frasier answered back with a smile. “We haven’t had an outing like this in a while. It was fun! And you found some really cute outfits!” Katie laughed.

“Yeah, you could say that. We pretty much bought out Hollister’s entire stock! And I thought the guy at American Eagle was gonna have a coronary when you whipped out your American Express card!”

Lacie shrugged. “I still don’t see what the problem was. So it was black. Why was that a big deal?“

“Mom? You do realize that those cards are given out to a very very few people in the entire world? You practically have to be a billionaire to even qualify, and even THEN they don’t just hand them out.”

Lacie blinked. “Um, well, actually, I didn’t know that. You father got it for me a few years ago, and just said ‘Use it anytime you need something special’. I never really thought about it much. I have a few dozen cards in my wallet, so I just picked one at random.”

Stepping inside the house, they found Megan, sitting in front of the office desk, working steadily on the computer, and Jessica lounging on the couch. “Hey, you’re back!” Jessica said sweetly, standing up to meet them. She kissed Katie softly, then turned, giving her mom a grin. “Always good to see you, Mrs. Frasier. Are you staying for dinner?”

“No, no, I wouldn’t want to intrude,” Lacie said easily, taking a step back. For some reason, she found herself feeling uneasy around the younger girl these days. It was nothing she could put her finger on, just a strange feeling... like she was being sized up, or mentally undressed. “Besides,” she said with a laugh, “Katie is really anxious to show you what she bought at the mall. If she’s planning a fashion show, it may end up taking most of the night.”

“Mom!” the petite blonde protested, causing the others to laugh.

“Come on, Mrs. Frasier, you have to stay for dinner,” Jessica insisted. “It’s better than eating alone, anyway. With your husband out of town on business, and Jimmy over in Utah, there’s no one waiting for you back at your place. And we so rarely get the chance to talk these days, we hardly see you. Please stay?” When Katie didn’t immediately respond, jess jabbed her lightly in the side.

“Ow! Wha... oh, um, yeah, Mom, we’d love for you to stay,” she said sheepishly. “It’s not much, though, definitely not gourmet cuisine. We just ordered a couple of pizzas from Flying Pie.”

“Pizza? Sounds great, kids,” Lacie replied. “Haven’t had a good pizza in ages... Gene doesn’t really like it.” She glanced over at the side. “Megan, dear, are you joining us too?”

“Oh, um, hi, Mrs. Frasier,” she called out from the desk. “Sorry for not being sociable. Yeah, Mist—um, Jess invited me to stay over as well. I’m just working on updating their computers a wee bit... adding a few little custom created apps I came up with as well.” She turned around, giving her a smile. “If you like, I could always stop by your house and check out your computer system as well later on?“

“No thanks, dear,” she said with a grin, sitting down on the couch. “Eugene is rather particular about his PC. He prefers to do any upgrading himself.”

“Okay, great,” Jess stated. “Now that that’s all settled, Katie, let’s get those bags into the bedroom. I’d like to talk to you about something too.” Taking her lover by the hand, she called out, “We’ll be back in a few minutes, everyone!” before pulling her down the hallway.

Once they were inside the bedroom, Katie dropped the bags on the side of the bed while Jessica closed and locked the door. “Okay, Jess,” she said, turning back around. “What’s so important that you wanted to mmmmpph!” Surprising her, Jess pulled Katie into a deep passionate kiss. Any protest died instantly, and Katie melted in her arms. Finally, separating to take a breath, she stared deep into her lover’s eyes. “Wow... not sure what i did to deserve such a nice welcome,” Katie purred, caressing Jess’ cheek gently, “but I’ll have to remember to do it again. And often.”

“It’s just my way of saying I’m sorry,” Jessica stated, leading her over to the bed. “We’ve been a bit... well... stiff with one another... since that argument a few days ago.” She sighed, glancing away. “You know... about what I said about your mom... joining us... in bed. I just wanted you to know that I love you, Katie. Just you. Any naughty fantasies I might have about beautiful exotic women are just that... fantasies. You’re the one I love.“

“Yeah... I know,” Katie said after a moment, turning away. “And... I’m sorry I went off the deep end. I just... what you said... it...” she closed her eyes, taking a breath. She needed to explain to Jessica exactly why she’d flipped out so she could fully understand. “It wasn’t you that I was upset with, Jess. It was me. I... have the same fantasy...” she said slowly, already starting to blush. “About us... and my mom. I know, I know... it’s crazy... it’s sick... but goddess-dammit, I feel what I feel! I know... I know it came from that crazy mind-meld thing with Nebby last month, that it’s HER attraction for Mom that I’m feeling. But it doesn’t make any difference! I feel what I feel for her, and it’s not going away, it’s only getting stronger. And... when you made that comment the other day, it was like... like you’d somehow read my mind, and stumbled into my dirtiest, most shameful secret—“

Jessica silenced her with a kiss. “Baby. It’s okay. I understand. Really I do. And it’s okay.” Kissing her again, she led her over to the dresser, where Jessica’s laptop sat open, it’s screen saver running. “I’m glad to hear you say that. As a matter of fact, I have something I’d like to show you. Something important. And I think it will help you with all those guilty feelings you’re suffering with.”

* * *

“Yo! Baker! Can I have a word alone with you for a moment?”

Regina glanced up, then sighed in resignation. “Sure, Whitman. No problem,” Standing up from her desk, she walked past him into the locker room. He followed behind, closing the door after him. “So... what do you want to talk about, ‘partner’?” she asked, not bothering to hide her contempt.

“My my, such venom,” he said in mock dismay. “Anyone who didn’t know better would think you don’t like me, Baker.” When she refused to take the bait, he merely sighed. “Alright. It’s nearly time for us to head out. I just want to go over your part of the plan once more, to make sure you know what to do. After all, we wouldn’t want you to make a mistake that could potentially put someone’s life in danger.“

Hands clenching into fists, Regina forced herself to simply nod. “Yes. We certainly wouldn’t want that. Listen, Ted... you guys... you, Jack, the Captain... if I do this, you will give my daughter back safe and sound, right? I mean, when this is all over and done with, I’ll be getting her back unharmed, right?”

“Of course, Baker,” he said with a sneer. “Of course you will.”

“Goddammit Ted! I mean it!” she shouted. “This is... this is my daughter we’re talking about!” Panting, seeing the look on his face. she forced herself to calm down. “Look... I don’t care what you do after this is over. You can take your money and disappear, go off to some tropical paradise if you like. I don’t care! I swear I won’t tell anyone what happened. I won’t come after you! Hell, I’ll take the blame All I want is my daughter back! Please! Just promise me that!”

Harrumphing, the dark haired trooper shook his head. “Look, Regina, as long as you follow orders, and do what you’re supposed to do, you’ll get Chloe back unharmed. That’s the deal. This is just business, okay? We’re only doing what is necessary to make this work. If you play ball, and don’t make any waves, then you’ll both live happily ever after. Okay?”

Regina nodded softly. That was all the reassurance she needed. As he turned to walk away, she turned, lip trembling. Damn. It’s not too late. I can still just go through with it all... do what he wants and let them have the shipment without a fuss. It’s what anyone else would do in my place, right? I’m a cop... but I’m not a hero. it’s not my job to risk my daughter’s life just to stop some heist...

“Ted... I...”

When a trio of inky black tendrils burst forth from the center of his chest, she nearly leapt through the ceiling in surprise. “Hey! Shhh! Calm down!” I hissed, stepping out of the shadows. “It’s just me. Me, remember? We spoke on the phone! I told you that I was on the way, and would meet you in the locker room.”

“Ahh... ahhh... god... you ass!” she panted, clutching her chest. “You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack!” She frowned, noticing that I’d changed into my uniform. “Nice tights. I see you had time to stop off for a quick wardrobe change on the way over. Bit of a change from the costume you wore on your LAST trip to town, though, isn’t it?”

Back when I was on the run, and going by the name ‘Umbra’ she meant. Asshole. I’m half tempted to shove a tentacle through HER brain as well, just to shut her up... but... wait... what’s this? Frowning, I focused my attention more on the link I’d established with Trooper Whitman.

Walking over at Ted, who stood silently, eyes wide, transfixed, Regina paused, waving a hand in front of his face. “Is he... okay?” She gently touched his cheek, then snapped her fingers at his ear, apparently fascinated by his lack of reaction. “Wow. He’s really gone isn’t he? Is that what I looked like when you did that to me back then?”

“Shhh!” I shushed her, closing my eyes, focusing on the link. After a few moments, I grunted, then withdrew my tendrils, allowing Ted to slip bonelessly to the ground. “Okay, I got what I needed from him. I have good news, bad news,. and even worse news. What do you want first?”

“Um... the good news.”

I sighed, figuring as much. “Well, your friend Ted truly is an asshole. He wasn’t being controlled at all. His mind is his own. Everything he did, he did for the money, plain and simple.”

She scowled at me. “You call THAT good news?”

“Comparatively speaking, yes. If nothing else, it means you won’t need to feel guilty for kicking his ass once this is all over and done with. Now, for the bad news. As I thought, this plot goes a lot deeper than just some simple highway robbery. The people involved in this are part of some kind of terrorist cell... they’re acting alone, independent but cooperatively with the other people involved, each concerned with only his or her part, so that if, say, some costumed Super with psychic abilities managed to pull the information directly from a person’s mind, he would get at best only part of the whole master plan.”

Sensible precaution, I suppose. I found myself admiring the care and work they’d put into this plot. I fully intended to stop them, of course, but it was interesting going up against someone who had an actual plan for a change, rather than just the hastily made up scheme to break in a steal a load of cash.

“I have a few random pieces of information that his superiors gave him,” I continued on, grimly, “but nothing to answer our two biggest questions: what is being transported, and where is your daughter being held.”

Regina nodded, holding in her anxiety well. “So, basically, it’s a bust. I still might have to go through with this after all.” She closed her eyes, taking a moment. “Okay. Fine. We will deal with the rest as it comes. But...you said there was even worse news. Do I even want to know what could be worse than what you’ve already told me?”

“You really don’t want to know,” I said grimly, glancing down at the unconscious form lying at my feet. “but you need to know it anyway. Ted was lying. About letting you and your daughter go. Wherever she is, Chloe is alive and well for the moment, but I could see if clearly in his mind. Once the cargo is taken and secured, the plan was to kill you both... to wrap up all the little ‘loose ends’.“

“Fuck me...” she breathed, nearly collapsing as the strength left her. I’d halfway anticipated that kind of reaction, and moved in to catch her arm, steadying her. “My baby... It’s... it’s all over.” Her eyes glazed over, staring into nothing, as she started to give up. “Nothing I do... will matter. If I resist, they kill her. If I follow through, they still kill her...”

“HEY! Cut that out!” I growled, shaking her sharply, then slapping her face to get her eyes to focus. “I will not let that happen, alright?!? They won’t hurt your daughter until they have the cargo, right? We still have time. And we have an advantage! We know where the truck is supposed to be pulled over, so we know where it is going to be and when it will be there. And they think you’re in this all alone—no one knows about me yet!” True enough, I’d managed to erase my presence from the minds of the neighbors after I’d freed them from the control chips. In the event someone came by to check on them, they wouldn’t remember my stopping by. “We just need to keep control of the situation... make them deal with us, and by OUR rules, not theirs.” I sighed wearily. “If all else fails, we can grab the truck and highjack it ourselves... and trade the cargo for your daughter.” I glanced at her. “Can you drive a stick?”

She stared at me, something akin to hope flickering in her eyes. “You’re crazy, you know. What you’re talking about is completely illegal... no matter how this plays out, my career is probably over. At best, I’ll be fired for my involvement, and at worst, I’m looking at jail time as an accomplice. And you... you’ve already been to jail once, and you’re planning to help me steal part of an armed convey?” She shook her head in disbelief. “Why? For a girl you’ve never even met, and a woman who you don’t even like?”

I shrugged. “Hey, I like you just fine. It’s you that hates me, remember?” I said lightly, reaching up to wipe the tear tracks from her face. “And, as for why? I wear my uniform for the same reason you wear yours. Why did you decide to become a Law Enforcement officer, anyway, hmm? Obviously not for the money, otherwise you would sided with Ted and his cronies. And not just because you thought the uniform was cool, I’m guessing. And if it was because of your dad, or his dad, or someone else being a cop? Yeah, a family legacy is a good thing, but it doesn’t define you as a person. Believe me, I know all about that. You chose to become a cop, to put on a uniform and risk your life... to help people, strangers and friends alike.“

She stared at me for a long moment, then sighed. Her head tipped forward, towards mine, eyes locked on one another. I’d never really noticed it before... but she was really beautiful. Her lips moved slowly, closer to mine, little by little, parting slightly... and then I turned away at the last second, blushing.

“I, um... that is, we,” I stuttered, releasing my grip on her arm, “we need to get more information. About the truck. and what it’s carrying.” With more distance between us, I could clear my head enough to focus again. “I, um... I need access to a computer terminal. The Utah State Policenet line should let me access the Department of Transportation, and any other relevant government agencies for information about that transport. If we can find out what they’re trying to steal, we’ll stand a better chance of being able to snatch it out of their hands when the moment comes.”

“Um... yeah. Right,” Regina said after a moment. “I’ll get right on that.” Glancing back, she gestured to Ted. “What about him? What happens if he wakes up, or someone comes looking for him?”

“Don’t worry about him.” I replied with a scowl. “I did a bit of ‘shuffling around’ while I was inside his head. He’ll wake up in a few minutes after we leave with no idea what happened in here, just a really embarrassing memory of him jerking off to the idea of all that money he’s about to get and passing out from the pleasure rush. I wish I could do something a bit more... but until we rescue your daughter, we have to leave him be—for the moment anyway.” Sparing him one last look of disgust, Regina and I crept quietly out of the locker room, leaving Officer Ted Whitman lying on the floor in a daze.