The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

lacie gilbertson stood stock still as the man circled her, appraising her, looking her over as if she were nothing more than a piece of meat. After nearly a week in the cluches of the criminal group known as the Mind Five, her resistance had crumbled to almost nothing. Again and again, they had sent her out on robbing sprees, to destroy property, steal money or electronic components, or simply to cause mayhem. Each time, she fought, resisting the urge, trying to deny the irresistible, implacable commands. she might as well have tried to push back the sunrise for all her efforts; locked away, a prisoner in her own mind, as well as her own body, she could only sit back and watch as her alter ego, Omega Girl, obeyed without question, the evil persona seemingly reveling in the chaos she caused.

All her efforts to resist amounted to nothing but futility; the restrictions binding her denied her even the emotional release of feeling anger and frustration at her impotence. There was no hope of being rescued. she had finally come to accept that much. No one knew of her plight, that she was an unwitting victim and not a hero gone bad. The only person who would even guess that something had happened to her, Jerry, was unable to do anything. A part of her was glad; she shuddered to think of what her evil persona might have done had Jerry, rolling up to her in his wheelchair, demanded that she stop the madness and come to her senses.

“You’re resisting.”

“Yes, my Master,” lacie responded. There was no reason to deny it, even is such a thing as lying were possible. Brainstorm could read her thoughts as easily as the pages of a book. Besides, he damn well knew she was resisting him—he wanted her to! After all, he was the one that had allowed her to retain even this small part of her own mind, to be fully aware of what was happening to her, of the changes they were making to her. He seemed surprised at her resilience; was he finally bored with the mental game of cat and mouse?

“This no longer amuses me,” he answered, moving to stand before her. “I’ll admit it. It was fun for a while. Watching you, a prisoner in your own body, held hostage by my will, and the will of my companions.” He smiled. “It was entertaining as well. I guess you could say I’m a bit of a sadist... knowing what you were going through really got Mr. Happy excited, if you know what I mean.” He sighed dramatically. “But in the end, its no fun poking a rabbit with a stick once its dead. And while you’re still alive, you’re the closest thing to it.”

He leaned forward, gripping her by the chin. “You’re trapped. Completely, utterly, hopelessly trapped. Your reputation is shot. You’re practically Public Enemy number one in the eyes of the people. You have nothing else left to lose... you’ve lost it ALL! And yet... despite all this, STILL you hang on. Still you resist giving in and embracing the changes we’ve forced upon you!” He squeezed her chin, making her wince slightly, before letting her go. “I know what it is. It’s spite. It’s your way of getting back at me... of thumbing your nose at me.”

No, lacie thought to herself. It’s not that. Well, now that He mentions it, i suppose it is partially that... but mostly, it is just... self preservation. If i give up completely... surrender this last part of myself... then what will i be? No. i may be helpless... the situation may be hopeless... but i just can’t surrender the rest of me.

“...tolerate that kind of disrespect,” Brainstorm continued on, heedless, “you have another thing coming!” He stopped his rant, the scowl on his face changing to a knowing smirk. “There is an easy way to take care of your attitude problem once and for all. Your mind is shattered, split, divided into three separate levels, with you at the core.” He chuckled evilly. “I think its time I collapsed those levels, brought them all back together again, and merged the three personalities back into one mind.”

Inside her mind, lacie struggled. No. He can’t. i don’t want to disappear. i have to resist... have to fight... A slight tingle formed in the back of her skull, and the room seemed to grow fuzzy. No... can’t stop... can’t lose myself... A soft feminine laughter sounded, inside her head, so like her own, yet harsh, twisted, evil. No... not... can’t... please... don’t take me... away from... me...

Brainstorm took a step back, as lacie lifted up into the air, hovering several inches off the ground. A soft pale yellow-white light shone from her body, glowing brighter and brighter. The black costume she normally wore melted away, vanishing completely, leaving her beautiful body completely naked. Then, slowly, starting at her crimson painted toes, and spreading slowly up her ankles, to her calves, her thighs, a dark inky blackness seemed to spread, skin tight, over her body, as if she’d been dipped in latex. The blackness spread its way over her body, like a fetish bodysuit, leaving small, enticing gaps of bare skin at her navel and the swell between her breasts. The blackness swept over her head as well, tingling the golden mane of hair, and staining it midnight black as well. A thin strip of black formed, covering her in a small, fashionable eye mask, leaving her face otherwise uncovered. Landing softly, she opened her eyes, and Brainstorm saw to his surprise that even her ice blue eyes had turned black.

The girl sighed, stretching, her body black coated body flexing erotically with the movement. “Mmmmm,” she purred softly, hands sliding down to caress her latex encased breasts, “that feels much better.” Turning to face her Captor, she smiled wickedly, sashaying up to Him, her hips swaying seductively. Going pale, Brainstorm moved to turn and run, but she was on him in a second. He opened His mouth to protest... only to have it filled with her tongue as she French-kissed Him, deeply and passionately. “MMmmmm,” she purred again, breaking the kiss, winking mischievously. “Did i have You worried, Master, Darling?”

Brainstorm let out a sigh of relief. “Frankly, yeah, a little,” He admitted. “I didn’t know exactly what to expect when I brought your three personalities back together.” He looked her up and down. “I sure as hell didn’t expect THIS! How did you do that, anyway? Change your costume, your hair, your eyes... you whole appearance?”

lacie giggled, pressing herself against her Master’s body. “Oh, this? Well, not to bore You with the technical details, my Lord, but my powers let me generate and manipulate Omega Rays, a form of sub-nuclear radiation, similar to positrons. It also gives me the ability to manipulate the air around my body, to an extent. my entire costume is actually ionized air molecules, densely packed together.” she guided His hand deftly along her breast, gasping at the contact, moaning softly as He squeezed. “See? Lighter than air, yet stronger than Kevlar. It’s like they say in the commercial: it’s what i wear when i’m wearing nothing at all.”

Brian laughed despite Himself. The new Omega Girl seemed vastly different from the old one, much different from lacie ann, on any of the separate levels. “You really are something else,” He said, shaking His head. “You’re so... so dark... and yet at the same time, your sexuality is shining so bright, its practically blinding! I love it! You’re like some bright shooting star...”

Smiling, she pushed away slightly, standing before him. “i am what You made me, my Lord. Omega Girl is dead and gone. If You think me a shooting star, than that is what i shall become.” she closed her eyes, and the slit between her breasts changed, the blackness reshaping itself into a star. “Call me, Dark Star.”

A smile grew across Brainstorm’s face. “Dark Star, is it? Well... I approve. Good. And now that you are no longer feeling conflicted, I have a few jobs for you to pull.” The door opened, and Dr. Feelgood walked in. Glancing at lacie, He raised an eyebrow, but continued to Brainstorm, handing Him a manila folder.

“Our Russian friends received the wire transfer without a hitch,” the Doctor related. “The device is being unpacked by our servants at this very moment, and will be ready for you to install in your... ahem... ‘Grand Invention’”

Brainstorm raised an eyebrow. “Having second thoughts about the Master Plan?”

The Doctor crossed His arms at His chest. “More like third and fourth thoughts. Brian, we all know you’re smart, that you’re brilliant. Hell, with your powers, you couldn’t help but be brilliant. But this... machine of yours. I must say I have my doubts as to whether it can truly do what you say it will—”

“That it will increase all of our powers to a level where we are Gods among men?” Brainstorm retorted. “I’ve shown you all the blueprints, all the charts and diagrams, all the notes and data I’ve collected. I may be about half your age, Doc, but I have twice as many Doctorates. Trust me... I’ve done my homework. By the time I’m done, we will be the most powerful beings on the planet.”

“Just as long as we don’t end up a bunch of brain dead vegetables instead,” Dr. Feelgood mumbled softly, shaking His head. “At any rate, your latest toy should be ready for you in a few minutes.” Turning to leave, He glanced at lacie again and smiled. “Let’s hope your new project turns out as well as your LAST one did.”

Brian waited for the elderly doctor to leave before letting out a weary sigh. “I will be SO glad when My machine is completed, and I am not forced to depend on spineless little PEONS like Him to aid Me.” Facing Dark Star, He removed a piece of paper from the folder. “As for you, My dear,” He cooed softly, “here are a few more things I need in order to create My Master Plan. I want you to go out and gather these components, spreading chaos and destruction in your wake.” He laughed. “Go, and be truly EVIL, My beautiful Dark Star. Let nothing and no one stand in your way!”

Bowing slightly, Dark Star walked to the open skylight. “As You command, my Master,” she said, powering up, “so shall it be done.” With a bright flash of yellow-white light, she flew up through the skylight, and out into the night.

“Sir, I really must protest!” David Krantz sputtered. “It has been nearly a week now since Ms. Gilbertson departed early to, quote, ‘tend to her ailing father’ and has not been back to class since! Every time I call her contact list numbers, I merely get voice mail, and when I call her father’s house, all I get is some Afro-American nurse who starts swearing at me in a mixture of English and Swahili! This situation is intolerable! Simply, intolerable.”

“David,” Superintendent Palmer began wearily, “you need to let the matter drop. You’ve come to me the last three days with the same complaint, demanding that I fire this woman, who is perfectly within her rights by the contract your office drafted for her—”

“Not MY office!” Krantz protested. “That was the fault of my predecessor, Sam Ahlquist! Just because he was friends with Ms. Gilbertson’s father—”

“Nevertheless,” Palmer cut in, “the contract is valid. By your own report, she has covered her bases by making arrangements for her TA to teach the class. None of the students has filed a single complaint, the other instructors have nothing but good things to say about her... David, the only person to raise a voice of protest against Lacie Gilbertson is you!”

Wiping the sweat from his brow with a meaty hand, David glared down at his superior. “Ken, how in the hell am I supposed to sanction this? She comes and goes as she pleases, and that’s WHEN she decides to show up at all! Letting something like this slide will set a precedent! What if all the other professors suddenly decide THEY want to be able to come and go as they please? How can I run a University with a school full of students and no instructors?”

“DAVID!” Palmer yelled, cutting through the balding man’s rant. “Let me spell it out for you. Until she violates her contract, my hands are tied. She has seven years left on her contract, at which point you can decide whether or not you wish to continue her employment with this University or whether to send her packing.” He sat back in his chair, fingers steepled. “That is, assuming YOU are still here in seven years,” he remarked, the unspoken threat clear to both men.

“I see,” David sighed softly. “Well then, Superintendent Palmer, I’ll take up no more of your time. I’ll simply say ‘Good Day’.” Back stiff, he turned and left the office.

Ken Palmer merely shook his head sadly. Krantz was a poor teacher, a poor administrator, and a piss poor human being all around. They’d started out as friends, studying together in college to become teachers. Somewhere along the way, however, David had lost sight of why he’d become a teacher in the first place. Now, it wasn’t about the students, or passing on knowledge to the next generation coming up. For him, it’s all about the power, Ken thought sadly. That’s what all this nonsense is about, the fact that he can’t simply snap the whip at Lacie Gilbertson and make her jump. The fact that she stood up to him, and he’s unable to do anything about it must be eating him up. He glanced out the window to see Krantz muttering to himself as he walked to his car.

It probably eats at him just as much, Ken thought dimly, as the fact that I started off as his TA all those years ago, and now I’m his boss.

David continued to grumble to himself as he drove down the road, heading into the city’s business district. He continued to curse Ken Palmer’s lineage, remarking something about his mother and a goat. “Bastard... probably slept with that bitch Gilbertson too... small wonder he’s on her side in all this... fuckin’ prick... backstabbing son of a bitch... and to think when he was MY TA, I taught him everything I knew...”

Parking at the temporary park spot, he fished angrily around in his pockets for a couple of minutes, trying to find change for the meter. Running across the street, he entered Horizon Telecommunications Unlimited, still grumbling as he made his way back to the service department. A young black woman, wearing the name ‘Brenda’ on her nametag, smiled at him. “Good evening, Sir. What can I do for you?”

“I bought this damn cell phone here less than a month ago,” David began.

“Do you have the receipt, Sir?” Brenda asked.

“Um, no, of course not! It was a month ago! I don’t see why—”

“Oh, but Sir, I will need the receipt number in order to verify the purchase.”

David began to turn red. “I can’t believe this! I bought this fucking piece of shit phone here, for three hundred FUCKING dollars... and now you people are going to try and give me the runaround just because I don’t have the FUCKING receipt?!?”

Brenda scowled. “Please sir, there is no need to become hostile. Please control yourself, and your use of language. Now then, did you pay with a debit or credit card?”

Flabbergasted, David sputtered, “H... Ho... How DARE you! How DARE you caution me to watch my language! I WILL DAMN FUCKING USE WHATEVER KIND OF FUCKING LANGUAGE I WANT—”

“Is there a problem here?”

A burly police officer clamped a heavy hand across David’s shoulder. The redness of his face faded, going pale. Standing a full head taller than the short bald administrator, the officer asked, “Brenda, is everything alright? Is this man bothering you?”

“N-n-no! Of course not!” David stammered, shaking his head. “Just a misunderstanding, officer! Honest!” He glanced back at Brenda, pleadingly. “Please, ma’am. Tell him it was just a simple misunderstanding.”

She seemed to consider for a moment, but nodded. “He’s right, Officer. It was just a little misunderstanding. Nothing to write home about.”

Eyeing David cautiously, the policeman walked back across the room, glancing back now and again. David breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. It’s been a really horrible day for me today, and getting arrested would have the perfect ending.”

Calmly this time, he explained the problem with the phone, and within a few minutes, Brenda handed him a brand new replacement phone, and even downloaded his list of stored numbers and messages from the old phone to the new one. Sighing softly, he pocketed his new phone, and turned to leave the store. Finally, something today that has gone right. Maybe this means my luck is about to change.

Unfortunately, his luck did change moments later, and not for the better.

CRASH! The front of the building seemingly exploded, wood, plaster, and brick flying in all directions. People screamed, darting out of the way. David, surprised by the blast, fell back, landing hard on his rump. Rubbing his eyes, he glanced up to see a tall, black haired vision of beauty standing before him, dressed in a cross between a crime fighting costume, and a dominatrix’ fetish outfit. The woman glanced around the floor for a moment before her gaze passed over him, then returned with a frown... which all too soon became a smile of pure evil.

“Of all the people to run into today,” she said with a laugh. “Oh, i can’t imagine what i’ve done in this new life of mine to deserve this treat, but i must have done something right!”

David, stunned, not understanding a word of what was going on, scuttled backwards like a crab. “Omega Girl? Wha... what is this about? I... I thought you were a super hero! What do you want with me?”

lacie tilted her head to the side and laughed. “Omega Girl? No, little man... you’ve got the wrong person. Omega Girl is gone, long gone... and i’m no mere GIRL, i’m a woman! The name’s Dark Star, and i’m a whole new game altogether!”

“Freeze!”

Dark Star glanced behind her at the burly policeman, holding his service revolver at her back. “Omega Girl, Dark Star, whatever the hell you’re calling yourself now, I order you to surrender and come along peacefully.”

“Order?” Moving like a flash of light, Dark Star blurred out of sight, only to reappear an instant later behind the officer. Grabbing his wrist, she twisted until she felt it snap, then, laughing, grabbed him by the throat, lifting him several inches off the ground. “You, order me?” she laughed again. “There are only three men on the face of this world that can order ME around, and baby, you aren’t one of them.”

With a heave, the officer went flying across the store, crashing into the wall on the other side. People scattered, running, trying to escape what could easily become a massacre. lacie watched them running around impassively. “That’s it, people,” she said still smirking, “run, run and scurry, like a bunch of ants. That’s all you are to me. Bugs, to be stomped flat.” She turned her gaze back to David, who had gotten to his feet. “And speaking of squashing bugs...”

David ran for his life, his flabby out of shape body chugging and huffing and wheezing. He wasn’t sure if he personally pissed her off, or if she had just decided on him as the object of her malice. Whatever the reason, she wanted him, and, that cock-straightening outfit aside, NOT in a good way. He had to get away, make his way to one of the exits, lose himself in the crowd of people frantically running to and fro, where he’d be hidden, safe...

The nail, flung from her hand at super human speed, struck Dave with the impact of a bullet. Gasping in shock and pain, he fell, stunned, feeling a cool numbness begin to spread out slowly from his back in all directions. His vision swam, and the blurry image of Omega Girl—or was it Dark Star now—slinking her way seductively towards him. she placed a high heeled boot in the middle of his chest, causing spikes of pain to explode inside him, making him shudder uncontrollably. lacie laughed cruelly.

“How does it feel, David?” she taunted him. “How does it feel to be brought down like this? To be, literally, under someone else’s heel? I could squash you so easily right now... just drive my foot straight through your chest, and crush your still-beating heart.” Slowly, she increased the pressure, just until she felt the ribcage about to give, then lifted her foot. “No, i think not,” she said after a moment. “i don’t want to ruin my new boots.”

Ignoring the critically injured man, Dark Star made her way towards the back of the store. Everyone avoided her, leaving her a clear path, as they tried desperately to make their way out of the small entrance door. For amusement, she fired off random bursts of Omega Beams at people, stunning them, sending them unconscious to the floor. Whistling a tune, she entered the electronic supply room.

Checking the piece of paper, she scanned the multi-tiered racks, searching. “Hmmm, yeah, this... and this... oh, and a couple of these... YES! With this store, I have everything on Master’s list.” Placing the components into a small sack, she focused her powers, opening that small pocket dimension between matter and energy, and carefully tucked the components inside. “Now, all that remains is to destroy this pitiful store, and these miserable wretches and return to my handsome, hunky, Lord.”

Walking back into the main store, Dark Star found herself surrounded by a small force of police officers in riot gear. Sighing dramatically, she shook her head. “Really, boys,” she said, slowly raising her hands, “i would think by now you would have gotten the idea. You couldn’t stop me when i was that simpering goody-two shoes, Omega Girl. What hope do you have of stopping me now, as Dark Star?”

With a flourish, she unleashed the power she had quietly been building up, unleashing it all in a concentrated Omega Burst, spreading out in all directions. The police, stunned, toppled over like dominoes. Momentarily weakened, but satisfied, Dark Star exited the building through the hole she’d created.

“There she is! Open fire!”

A spotlight shone into her face, momentarily blinding her. A barrage of needle thin darts struck her a moment later. Damn! she thought dimly, as a sudden dizziness struck her, i recognize this. They’re using Jungle King’s blow dart gun. Fuckin’ pricks... guess they’re not as stupid as i’d thought. i’m in trouble... gotta get clear of this before this shit takes affect.

Taking flight, Dark Star fired blasts of Omega Beams at the police vehicles parked, causing them to explode, making the cops and spectators both flee in panic. she noted with a grim satisfaction that not everyone got far enough away in time to prevent serious injury. A sudden wave of dizziness, stronger than before, forced her to land, several blocks away. The ground seemed to be tilting under her feet, and she felt nauseous. Leaning against the side of a building, she concentrated simply on breathing normally.

Damned potion is hitting me hard... took too many darts... will take a little while before it burns through my system...

“Miss, are you alright?”

A hand touched tentatively on her shoulder, and Dark Star reacted violently, striking out hard. The old man cried out, flung back, and crumpled to the ground, groaning in pain. Dark Star, angry, affronted at being touched by one of the city’s vermin, turned to finish him off, when a young teenage girl with mousy brown hair, screaming, threw herself at the man. “Papa!” she cried, hugging the man, tears streaming down her face. She looked up at Dark Star, anger and fear twisting her features into a scowl, startlingly familiar. “I HATE you!” the girl yelled up at her. “How could you do this? He was just trying to HELP!” Sobbing again, she clutched the old man. “Papa? Are you okay? Please, papa, talk to me. Please! You’re okay, right? You’re fine... just please, please, open your eyes!”

Dark Star stood there, frozen. The vision shifted before her eyes, and in a flash, she was looking down at HERSELF, twenty years earlier, the night of the accident that had nearly killed her father. “Papa? Are you okay? she had asked, holding him close, tears streaming unbidden down her face. Please papa, talk to me. Please! You’re okay, right? You’re going to be fine... just please, please... open your eyes!”

Reality snapped back hard, Dark Star staggering back in confusion. What is this I’m feeling? she thought to herself. I’m evil now. Fully. Completely. I have no morals, no conscience to bother me now. So why does this girl and her father feel me with such a feeling of... shame? Sadness? Growling, she shook her head to clear it. It’s the damned drugs! Jungle King’s voodoo juice let’s him control a person’s emotions. It’s just a momentary weakness... it’ll pass soon enough.

Taking to the air again, Dark Star flew back towards the Master’s headquarters. Although the dizziness and lightheadedness soon faded, her sense of disquiet only increased. her head began to throb painfully, as if the mother of all migraines had suddenly struck.

i... am... not... EVIL!

“What the hell?” Dark Star gasped, pulling to a halt in midair. “Where did that come from?”

From me, bitch, the thought came again, slowly growing in strength.

“What the hell is this?” Dark star asked herself, confused. “How can this be happening?”

What? Did you think i was DEAD? lacie yelled back. Gone? Almost... almost. It was so hard fighting you, so hard clinging to the last bit of the REAL me... i don’t have the strength to break free of the Mind Five’s control... but i still have enough strength left to beat you!

Dark Star snarled. “Bring it on then, goody-goody! It’ll give me the chance to finally crush you once and for all!”

Another moment of dizziness...

...and suddenly Dark Star found herself standing on a sheet of white, like Antarctic ice, but without the cold. Landing a few steps away stood her nemesis, Omega Girl, clad in her original black costume. Wasting no time, the two charged at each other, knocking each other to the ground, wrestling fiercely, each trying to get the upper hand. Dark Star rolled up on top, wrapping her hands around Omega Girl’s neck, squeezing tightly. “Not as strong as you though, eh, Omega Girl?” she taunted.

Omega Girl responded by whipping her head upwards, headbutting her evil doppelganger. “you’re right,” she replied, flipping her over, gaining the upper hand. “you’re NOT.”

Growling, Dark Star flip-kicked Omega Girl over her head, leaping to her feet. Omega Girl regained her own feet an instant later. Glaring at one another, powering up, they fired Omega Beams at each other. The beams hit repelling each other, first Dark Star gaining by an inch, then Omega Girl, going back and forth like an energy beam tug-of-war. Eye beams followed suit moments later, again, equally matched. Breathing heavily, Dark Star grinned. “Looks like we’ll have to settle this the old fashioned way, then. Fist to fist.”

Omega Girl nodded grimly. “So be it.” Circling around one another, they attack, punching kicking, hand-to-hand martial arts style, scoring on each other. Hitting, dodging, blocking, going nonstop. the two opposites were equally matched, and within moments both were fatigued. Foregoing finesse, Dark Star grabbed her opponent in a brutal bear hug, and squeezed with all her strength. “i’ll crush you into nothingness!” she snarled. Omega Girl gasped, struggling desperately. “Forget it, little bitch!” Dark Star taunted her. “you can’t beat me! i’m you, only better! Give up, so i can reign supreme!”

Omega Girl sighed softly, her struggles ceasing. “you’re right,” she said breathlessly. “i can’t beat you.”

Dark Star laughed in triumph... only to scream in anger a moment later, as she began to dissolve, her body sinking into the body of her opponent. Screaming, flailing wildly, she tried to escape the inevitable, as Omega Girl slowly but surely absorbed Dark Star into herself. “NO! you can’t do this! Stop it! STOP IT!!”

“you were right,” Omega Girl repeated softly as her doppelganger finally merged with her. “i couldn’t beat you... because you were a part of me... a part of myself. The dark part. my mistake was resisting you, fighting you. All it did was weaken me. But now i know... i have to accept who and what i am, the good and the bad... its the only way i can hope to be free again...”

lacie opened her eyes. Standing up from where she’d crashed during her psychic battle, she brushed the dust from her costume. Glancing down at herself, she saw that her costume had changed. With Dark Star’s defeat, she had changed back to her Omega Girl uniform. Glancing at a strand of hair, she saw it had turned gold once more. “i’ll bet my eyes are blue again as well,” she said softly.

Just then the communicator in her ear beeper. “Dark Star, where are you?” Brainstorm demanded. “I expected you back here half an hour ago.”

lacie wanted to struggle, wanted to fight, wanted to yell back and tell Him that she was NOT His slave anymore, that she had broken free of His control. she wanted to laugh at Him, to shout her triumph over Him, and His will. she knew, however, that it was all a lie; defeating her own dark half merely stripped away the outermost levels of her Master’s manipulations. Like a peeled onion, she knew her mind had many many more layers to break through before she was truly free. she was still under His thrall; the very sound of His demanding voice had invoked that conditioned passive-arousal reaction He’d instilled within her. Understanding all of this in an instant, she reacted as expected, using her training instead of fighting it.

“Forgive me, my Lord,” she purred softly. “i got held up at the last shop. The police came a little more prepared this time... but no worried. i got everything on the list.”

“Good. Excellent!” Brainstorm chuckled. “Now, return immediately, your Mistress Peepshow is anxious to have Her favorite little carpet licking pet back. Just make sure you’re rested and ready tomorrow. You’ll be going with FX tomorrow morning to pick up the last component needed for the device.”

“Of course, Master, Darling,” lacie cooed, embracing her inner darkness, “i can’t wait. Soon, You’ll have Your wonderful machine, and then, my Master, You’ll finally get everything You deserve.”

“Too true, My little ‘Shining Star’, too true,” He chuckled. “Now, hurry back to Me.”

As soon as the connection dropped, lacie dropped the Dark Star persona. she let out the breath she’d been holding. For a moment, she’d thought Brainstorm would detect the change in her, and know that His control over her wasn’t as absolute as He’d thought. His failure to realize the truth gave her hope, tenuous and fragile as it was.

i can do this, she told herself firmly. i don’t know when or how but i will break completely free. The Mind Five may own my mind... and my body... but not my soul! And They aren’t infallible... They make mistakes just like anyone. All i have to do is stay strong and wait for my chance. i won’t let them win... i refuse. No... I refuse, she thought, surprising even herself. Yes. They may still control me, but I won’t give up. I won’t give up. I’m down but not out... I’m STILL a hero. I’m still Omega Girl... and I will remain Omega Girl... forever.

“So, did ye finish compiling the list of things she’s stolen so far?” Gene asked.

“Yeah, got it right here,” Jerry responded, cradling the phone against his neck and shoulder as he pulled the last sheet from the printer. “Yep. Everything checks out, just like you said. All of the items taken could, conceivably, be used to create some kind of weapon... the only question is, what kind?”

Gene sighed. “I believe I can guess that much, at least. The leader of the five people that kidnapped and brainwashed Lacie... his name was Brian Chang, right? Well, I did a bit of digging on my own, checking not only state and local law enforcement, but also international criminal databases, through my other... ahem... influential connections.”

Jerry merely shook his head. “Must be nice to be a mutli-billionaire.”

“It has its perks,” Gene admitted. “Anyway, the guy was rather hard to pin down.... he is an expert at covering his tracks. Nevertheless, I was able to get a background on him. Seems he was part of secret Chinese experiment in genetic manipulation to create the ultimate intelligence agent. Brian was their first viable, working prototype. Only one little problem; the procedure to make him super smart worked a little TOO well—he developed psychic powers. At age seven, he masterminded an escape, destroyed the facility, and immigrated here, to America. Aside from a few minor incidents growing up, he managed to stay under the radar of the authorities... at least until now.”

“Psychic powers, hmmm,” Jerry mused. “Well, that explains how they got the drop on Lace, and how they brainwashed her. But what does that tell you about the weapon he’s trying to build?”

“Let me spell it out for you. Power generators. Energy regulators. Biometric mesh components. And just recently, telecommunication modules.” Gene sighed deeply. “He’s building a device to magnify and transmit his psychic control on a massive scale. A global scale, should he somehow manage to commandeer any of the satellite up in orbit. With that, he could—”

“Take over the world,” Jerry finished. “Damn. It’s kind of clichéd, the way villains are always trying to take over the world... but damn if it doesn’t look like this guy just might do it. So... how do we stop him?”

“Omega Girl is the key,” Gene replied soberly. “Somehow, we have to come up with a way to break her from Chang’s control. In the meanwhile, we still have time. They still need at least two more components to create the device: a quantum field stabilizer, and a neural interface. When they send Omega Girl out for the last two items, Armor Man will be waiting to stop her.”

“Sounds good in theory,” Jerry replied, “but how will you know where she’ll strike next?”

Gene sighed, glancing out the window of his sky rise office building. “Well, I cannae begin to imagine where she’ll get a quantum field stabilizer,” he said after a moment, “but the neural interface? Aye, now that I ken. The only place to find one is here, at me company in New York, the only place in the entire country ye can find them.” Rubbing the metal gauntlet on his wrist, he sighed inwardly. “And I’ll be right here waiting for her, when she shows up.”