The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Gavin P. Reynolds glanced carefully from one side of the room to the other. The bank was fairly empty today, with only two tellers and an assistant manager on duty, and five customers in line. He’d hoped for more of an audience, but a small crowd was also a blessing—less people to keep track of. Walking over to kiosk between the lines, he briefly considered the feasibility of his plan. Bank robbing was rarely successful; advancements in technology and criminology made it virtually impossible to get away with it anymore. Even in the ‘good old days’ when the worst you had to worry about was police carrying Tommy guns, bank robbers rarely got off Scot-free. It was, without a doubt, the practice of the truly foolish or the truly desperate. And while Gavin was certainly nobody’s fool, he was extremely desperate.

Taking a deep breath, steeling his resolve, he pushed his way through the crowd of people in line and walked up to the teller. “I need to make a withdrawal,” he said loudly, talking over the startled and angry gasps of the people he’d cut in front of.

The teller, a young blonde woman named Angie, frowned. “Yes, sir, but you’ll have to wait your turn. All of these people were in front of you. If you go back to the end of the line, I’ll be able to help you in a few minutes.”

Gavin shook his head. “I don’t think you understand, Miss,” he said firmly. “I’m in a hurry, and I—”

“Listen, asshole,” a large heavyset guy in a cut-off denim jacket, jeans, and a baseball cap growled, grabbing him roughly by the shoulder. “The woman said get to the back of the line. We’re all in a hurry, but damn if I’m gonna let some little strung out fucker cut in front of me!”

Gavin’s eyes narrowed, glaring at the man’s hand on his shoulder. Even though he was at least a hundred pounds lighter and stood four inches shorter than the denim clad man, he held his ground, not even the slightest bit intimidated. “This doesn’t concern you yet, pal. Now... get your hand off me, before you lose the use of it.”

The rest of the customers moved back, sensing a fight coming, waiting anxiously to see what would happen next. The larger guy, momentarily shocked at the smaller man’s reply, snarled in anger, balling up a fist. “Why you...” he yelled, taking a swing. The smaller man, expecting such a reaction, moved swiftly, twisting lightly, grabbing the man by the wrist, using his training and his opponent’s momentum to slam him down hard to the marbled floor. The heavyset man gasped, the wind knocked out of him, then hissed in agony as Gavin, who still had hold of his wrist, shifted position slightly, snapping it cleanly. “Ahhhh! Shit! My hand!” he blubbered, clutching his broken arm soon as it was released, sobbing like a child as Gavin turned his attention back to the teller’s desk.

“I didn’t want to do things this way,” he said, angrily, unzipping his jacket, revealing the mass of lights and wires underneath. Several people gasped, and cried out in alarm as he held up a small handheld device in his left hand, placing his thumb on the trigger. “I wanted to try one last time to do this the right way. But no... everyone always has to mess with me. kick ol’ Gavin when he’s down. Well.. not this time, dammit!” he yelled, running over to the front door, barring the fleeing customers from leaving. He locked the door, then pulled the shades closed. “Get back! Get the fuck back! I’m wired with enough plastic explosive to blow you all into the middle of next Tuesday! So... GET THE FUCK BACK!”

Everyone did as ordered, moving back to the opposite wall, as far away from the bomb carrying madman as possible. The tellers, trapped behind their desks, dropped low to the ground. Angie, glancing at her coworker, slid a hand towards the hidden panic button for the silent alarm. Julie, her frightened coworker shook her head furiously, trying to convince her not to do it, but Angie nodded, pressing the button. They needed help, and they needed it now.

“Hey!” Gavin yelled, causing Angie to scream and jump back in alarm. He peered down at her from the edge of the teller’s window, frowning at her. “Did you think I was stupid enough to do this and not think about the silent alarm? I cut the line from the box outside the building before I came in.” He reached in, grabbing her by the arm. “Get up! You’re going to go to your vault and fill up this bag with as much money as it can hold. And don’t even THINK about putting in one of those damned paint packs. I know how this shit works. Mess with me, and this entire building and everyone inside is going up in one huge blast!”

“You know... this isn’t exactly the smartest way to go about robbing banks,” a masculine voice sounded from the corner.

Gavin whirled, scanning the wall first, but all five of the customers were accounted for, huddling against one another in fear. Turning his gaze back to the front door, then to the left, he gasped in surprise as the black clad individual leaning almost casually against the wall. His hair was likewise black, and slicked down, and he wore a black eye mask on his face, making him look like very much like a human shaped shadow of the wall. Taking a step out of the shadows, however, revealed the black clothes to be a tight fighting costume of some kind.

Shit! A goddamned Super... but how? When? Dammit!

“I mean,” the young man continued, taking another step forward, but holding up both his hands in a nonthreatening manner, “it’s definitely a way to keep people from trying to rush you, but have you really thought this through? If you carry through with your threat, you’ll kill yourself along with everyone else... and that kinda defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?”

“Back off!” Gavin growled, holding up the detonator. “Don’t come any closer! If I push this button, we all die! I don’t know what kind of super powers you have, but even if you’re tough enough to take the blast and survive, I guarantee you that everyone else here won’t!”

The young man sighed deeply. “Uh huh. Including you, pal. Is that really the way you wanna go out?”

Gavin scowled. “No. I don’t wanna die. I’m not suicidal, if that’s what you’re asking me... but don’t think for a moment that I won’t push this button. This was... this is my last choice. I need this money... and I need it now!” He glanced around the bank then sighed. “I came here a few days ago. I tried to take out a loan... just a little something to get back on my feet again. The on duty manager told me that I didn’t have enough collateral, that my current income wasn’t high enough to rate a loan.” He laughed bitterly. “In other words, the only way you can get a loan is if you don’t need one. How fucked up is that?” He shook his head. “I only wish that fat bastard was working here today to see me now.”

“Okay, guy, listen to me for a sec, okay?” the black clad youth said. “You’re down on your luck. You’re in a bit of a lurch. I get that, I sympathize. I’ve been there myself a few times. We all have.” He sighed deeply closing his eyes briefly. “I’ve been where you are, man. Consumed with anger, and rage, self-pity, and self-hatred... and no outlet to let it all out.” He opened his eyes and glared back at Gavin. “The difference is, we don’t usually vent our anger and frustrations by killing a bunch of innocent people.”

“Bullshit!” Gavin spat angrily. “You don’t know me! You don’t know what I’ve gone through. Were YOU discharged from the army over some bullshit bum rap because some BITCH decided at the last minute that what was ‘mutual’ at the time was suddenly RAPE after the fact, once her boyfriend found out about us? Did YOU come back home to find out that it was now public knowledge, and that no one would hire you for anything other than unskilled manual labor? And did YOU come home this week to find a fucking eviction notice stapled to YOUR front door telling you you’re going to be kicked out on the streets at the end of the week?!?” he snarled. “I didn’t think so. So don’t stand there and try to pretend you know what the HELL I’ve been going through!”

“And as for all these so-called ‘innocent’ bystanders?” He walked over to the large heavyset man, still cradling his broken wrist. “No one is really innocent here. This guy tried to beat the shit out of me for stepping in front of him. A little bit of an overreaction,” he said, kicking the man hard in the side, making him moan, “don’t you think?”

“Yeah, and he’s paid for it, too,” the black clad man replied, crossing his arms. “So. You’re the man now. You’re finally getting the respect and dignity you feel you deserve? Oh, no... sorry, that’s not respect, that’s FEAR. Plain and simple. You’re angry at the way the Army treated you, you’re upset at the way the bank treated you, and you’re pissed off at the way that guy in line tried to bully you... so you fight back by becoming a bully yourself. Congratulations, pal. Dignity and respect earned.”

“SHUT UP!” Gavin yelled furiously. He glanced around the room warily. He’d been so caught up in listening to this black clad intruder’s spiel that he’d nearly lost track of what his true objective was. “I see what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to stall me... trying to psyche me out and make me lose focus so you can get in a sneak attack when my guard is down!” He backed up slowly towards the vault, watching the young man every step of the way. “Hey! You! Girl in the vault. You’ve got ten seconds to hand me my bag, and it better be filled with money!” Glaring the so-called hero, he smirked. “I’m going to take my bag of money, and then I’m going to walk right out of here. I already told you... I’ve got nothing to lose! So if you so much as raise a finger at me, be prepared to reap the consequences!”

“Actually,” the black clad lad said with a grin, “I think it’s YOU that’s about to reap a few consequences right about... now!”

Gavin stiffened, his eyes going wide and sightless as a blast of mental energy struck him in the back of the neck, piercing his very being. For a moment, it felt as if his very soul had been stabbed, rended in two, shredded into tiny insignificant bits. He shuddered—or rather, he would have shuddered, had his mind been in any way in control of his body. As it was, he stood still as a statue, unseeing, unmoving, as an extremely beautiful, dark clad woman with a kerchief mask covering the lower part of her face stepped into view. Her right hand glowed brightly with a soft pinkish glow, the edge of which encompassed the back of Gavin’s head. Smirking wickedly, Shinobi twisted her soul blade sharply, as she reached into the man’s slack hand, taking the detonator from unresisting fingers. After a quick glance at the vest bomb, she pressed lightly on a small switch, causing the lights on the vest to go out, deactivating it completely.

“All right, folks, the danger’s past,” she said loudly, catching Gavin in her strong arms as he slumped forward, unconscious. “Everything is okay.” Gesturing to the teller, Angie, she said, “You can come out now, kiddo. Give the police a ring and have them come out to haul him away.” The customers and the bank employees gathered around her, clapping and cheering.

“Yeah,” Parker added, kneeling down to check on the heavy set guy. “Also, you might wanna have them send an ambulance as well. This guy’s definitely got a broken wrist, and probably some bruising of the kidneys from the kicking. He’s not in serious condition, but he should definitely be looked at.”

Several minutes later, outside the bank, the two heroes watched as the police took statements from everyone at the scene. After a moment, Veronica put a hand lightly on Parker’s shoulder. “So... nice work in there today,” she said cautiously, testing the waters. “For a minute there I thought you might be able to talk him down.” Parker merely shrugged.

“No such luck. The guy was too far gone... too desperate, and too close to the end of his rope. For him, it was succeed or else.”

Roni nodded silently. “It’s really kind of sad, in a way. I mean... what he was doing was wrong. Very wrong. Stealing, taking hostages... there was no excuse for his actions. But still... it kind of makes you feel sorry for the guy.” Parker shrugged again. “We all... have our bad days,” Veronica prompted again when he didn’t respond. Parker sighed deeply.

“Roni, love, why don’t you just come out and ask it,” he said, turning to face her. “If you’re so worried about it, just go right ahead and ask me. I’d think by now, after all the time we’ve spent together, you should know you can talk to me about anything, no matter how unpleasant the topic is.”

“Alright, Parker,” she said taking a deep breath. “I... I noticed what you told Gavin in there... about knowing how he felt. It’s just... I mean, I know you’ve been struggling lately... kind of... I don’t know, ‘chafing at the bit’?”

“Chafing at the bit?” Parker repeated, laughing sardonically. “Roni, I don’t know if it’s the English accent, or just the choice of words, but I don’t have any idea of what you’re talking about. Look... yeah, I’ve been feeling a bit... moody, lately, I suppose. And yeah, if you pin me down to a straight answer, then yes, I do still miss my powers. It’s a lot like... losing an eye, or missing a limb.” He ran a hand gently along the scar at the side of his head in memory. “But my powers don’t define me. They aren’t who and what I am. I can still help people even without the super speed, the sonic blasts, and the flashy red tights. And if there’s one that I learned from hanging around Omega Girl all these years, it’s that your powers aren’t what make you heroic. It’s how you use them.”

Veronica smiled. “Glad to hear it. Alright. So... it’s almost seven now. Want to go grab a bite to eat and then head back on campus? We both have that EE project to work on for Dr. Thurgood’s class.”

Parker groaned deeply, slapping his forehead. “Ohhh... did you have to remind me? NOW I’m depressed!” He sighed dramatically, shaking his head as he followed Shinobi down the street. “All of the sudden, I’m almost wishing we’d let that guy blow us all up.”

Tina Patrick took a deep breath, sliding down her glasses briefly to wipe the sweat from her brow. Peering down through the macroscope at the miniature circuit board before her, she checked her notes, then rechecked them. She tested each connection, then tested them again, scribbling down the results in her tablet. Sliding her chair back and to the left, she quickly typed the results into the computer program she had running, then paused, holding her breath as the scenario ran. A few seconds later the computer beeped, displaying the results.

“YES!!” Tina squealed, leaping from her chair, dancing lightly in place. “I did it! I did it! Hahahaha! I really did it!”

“Did what?” a young blonde man asked, walking across the electronics lab to her station. “Don’t tell me actually got your crazy little experiment to actually work?”

“Oh! James. Perfect timing. According to this, yes!” Tina said excitedly, pointing to the computer display. “See? Every simulation I’ve run shows the concept IS viable! It should definitely work.”

“Uh huh,” the man said dubiously. “In other words, you haven’t actually tried it yourself to see if it works, have you?”

Tina’s enthusiasm faltered slightly. “Well, um, no. Not actually. I mean—”

“Look, Tina, babe, you CLAIM that you’ve invented a device that can link a person’s mind to a computer, that can basically send out thought waves to control machines like a wireless remote control? Prove it. Hook yourself up to the machine and let ‘er rip.” He smirked. “The difference between a good scientist and a GREAT one is the willingness to go out on a limb to prove that their theories are sound. If you really want to get Dr. Thurgood’s attention, you need to have some actual working data to show him when you go to him, and he’ll take you seriously.”

Tina considered. “You know, James... you’re right. I mean, I’ve run every possible test the computer can run. Testing the link on an actual human brain is the next logical step. And... well, how do I expect to get anyone else to try the interface if I’m afraid to use it myself?”

James nodded. “That’s the spirit, Tina. And I’ll be glad to ride shotgun and help monitor everything for you while you’re in.”

Nodding, Tina went back to her locker to retrieve the headset interface she’d designed. Meanwhile, James, watching carefully to make sure she was gone, withdrew a small tube shaped device from his own pocket. He smirked to himself as he considered the possibilities. Tina was truly a genius, with a deep and analytical mind. Unfortunately for her, she was entirely too naive and trusting for her own good. As Dr. Thurgood’s Teaching Assistants, they were both competing for a fellowship with the local branch of Frasier Technologies once they completed their Masters degrees. While Tina’s intelligence and creativity far outweighed his own, James made up for it with sheer tenacity and cunning.

Tina returned a few minutes later carrying a strange looking silver headset with multicolored wires spread out in all directions. She blushed slightly at his look, explaining. “I know, it looks really... um, freaky. But it’s just a prototype. I have a few more... ergonomic versions back in my locker, which I can adjust once I get the proper configuration figured out on the prototype. Eventually, if everything goes as planned, the entire thing could conceivably be put onto a single high powered microchip instead of the series of common integrated circuits I have here. Think of it! Human to machine interface handled by a single computer chip smaller than the size of a quarter!” Seeing James’ blank look. she blushed slightly. “Sorry. Got a little carried away there for a minute. Let’s get this baby fired up!”

Moving to her computer, she connected the headset to the main input, then hit ‘Enter’. “Okay, Program’s running. Now I put on the headset... like this,” she said, strapping on the device, adjusting it carefully, “activate the probe locks... ooohh!” She gasped slightly in pain as five small thin metal pins descended, embedding themselves into her skin, deep enough to pierce her flesh but not enough to actually penetrate her skull.

“Ow. I hate that part,” she murmured softly, wiping away the small drops of blood from the site. “The pins don’t go all the way down to the bone,” she explained a few seconds later. “They don’t have to actually TOUCH my brain, they just need to be close enough to pull in enough of the brain’s normal electrical activity to be picked up by the interface. Optimally, the final finished product will be small enough that it can be injected into the base of a person’s brain stem. For now, this will have to do.”

“Okay, cool,” James said, tapping his foot impatiently. “I get it. Now, what’s next?”

“Now, I just need to activate the connection... and hope I don’t short circuit my brain in the process.” Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, and tried to clear her mind. One small step for a human... one giant leap forward for humanity. “Activating the Synaptic Interface... now!”

A slight tingling sensation ran through her extremities, feeling like pins and needles for several seconds before subsiding. She took a deep breath, then let it out again. The computer display to her left began flashing all sorts of data, as the monitor to her right showed her vital signs, all within normal parameters. She smiled. “It’s working. I... I can feel it. Sense it. It’s... wow! It’s incredible! It’s like I’m here in my body, but also everywhere else at the same time... like I’m connected to everything here in the lab!”

James smirked, shaking his head. “Are you sure you’re not just brain damaged from poking holes in your head? If this interface of yours is really working, prove it. Do something.”

“Okay,” Tina said, closing her eyes again, concentrating. The computer display began showing a cascade of data, and then the robotic arm in the corner came to life, rolling across the room stopping right in front of James. The arm lowered, the clamp opened, and extended itself, as if wanting a handshake. “Well?” Tina’s digitized voice sounded from the computer’s speakers, “don’t just leave me hanging. Give me a shake.”

“Whoa!” James sputtered in surprise. “Is... is this for real? Are you really doing that?”

The arm moved again, shaking the clamp in a very good imitation of someone waving their finger. “Don’t tell me you didn’t believe me when I told you my interface was working!” the digitized voice chided. “But this is just the beginning. Watch this!” The lights in the room went out, and all of the other computer monitors came on, blinking on and off, flashing colors. “And that’s not all. I may never have to type up my homework again!” Tina said, focusing again. A second later, then the printer came to life, printing out next weeks’ completed homework assignments.

“Okay, now you’re just showing off,” James said with a grin. “But I have to admit, Tina, you really did it. That is freaking awesome! So tell me... what else can you control in here?”

“Well... um... I think that’s about it, actually,” Tina said, turning to face her friend again. “I’m tapped into the lab’s main power grid through the computer interface, but I can only access the devices in this room... and it’s a bit of a stretch as it is. The interface is boosting the weak electrical signal of my brain impulses, amplifying them by a factor of ten thousand, and transmitting them through the electrical grid to everything electrical here in the lab, but it’s still feeding directly from my own electrical impulses. To do any more, I’d have to connect to a more powerful computer to amplify my signal more, like the school’s mainframe, instead of just the engineering department’s PC.”

James nodded. “I see. So the more powerful the computer, the more you can control. Interesting. Well... I guess that’s everything I need to know.” Holding out the small silver tube in his hands, he pointed the front end towards Tina’s face. “Tina, babe, say cheese!” he said as he pressed a small red button.

“What?” she managed, as the tube began emitting a brief series of bright strobe flashes. Tina’s eyes widened, and her facial features calmed, going completely blank. Satisfied, James switched off the device, and slipped it back into his pocket.

“You know, Tina, babe,” he said conversationally to the stunned woman, “you never cease to amaze me. I thought you’d truly outdone yourself when you came up with the Neural Inhibitor.” He patted his pocket lightly. “I’ve certainly gotten a lot of use out of it. It’s made me the most popular guy on campus. I guess it’s just a pity that you decided to show it to me first, and explain what it was and how it worked.” He smirked. “It never even crossed your mind that your dear friend James might take that same device and use it on you, to erase the memory of you ever creating it from your mind, and plant a few ideas of my own—to make you trust me deeply and completely with any new ideas you might come up with.”

He waved a hand in front of her slack unresponsive face, chuckling. “I thought there would never be anything more impressive than your last invention, but once again, you surprised me. This Synaptic Interface gadget of yours, being able to link man and machine, and control everything around you with a thought. Oh yeah... once I show this to Dr. Thurgood, I’ll win that fellowship for sure! Their R&D department has been working on something like this for months! I’m going to be a big success... and I owe it all to you, Tina.” He leaned forward, giving her a big deep kiss.

The sound of people talking in the hallway outside the lab registered, and James broke the kiss, glancing out through the window. “Damn! Dr. Thurgood? Fuck! What the hell is he doing here?” Frowning, he turned to Tina. “Tina, did you know Dr. Thurgood was coming here tonight?”

“Yes,” she replied softly, still staring into space.

“Why is he here? Did you ask him to come by and look at your project?”

“Yes,” she replied again. “I told him that I had something special to show him, and to please come by the lab tonight at ten pm.”

“Something special?” James thought quickly. “Did you tell him, specifically, what you were working on?”

“No,” Tina replied in a flat monotone. “He doesn’t know what I was working on. Tonight would be the first he’d heard of it.”

“I see,” James said, breathing a little easier. He’d just dodged a bullet. “Tina, listen to me very carefully. The Synaptic Interface is MY project, not yours. I designed it. I created it. You’ve been working with me, helping me, assisting me, but this project is entirely mine. In fact, you can now remember, clearly, me being there at every step of its completion, guiding you, instructing you, telling you what to do. Do you understand, Tina?”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Good,” James said, straightening up as the door to the lab opened. He leaned forward, whispering softly as the Department Head approached. “Tina, when I snap my fingers, you’re going to wake up completely, and not remember anything after the flashing lights, but you will still obey my instructions!” He smirked. “And once everything is done, you’ll feel an uncontrollable desire to come and visit me back at my off campus apartment tonight. And, as always, once you step across the threshold, your mind will go completely blank and you will go into sex-slave mode.” He glanced over as the Dean neared their location. “Damn! Not much time left!” Sighing, he leaned back, snapping his fingers loudly. “Yes, I agree, Tina,” he said loudly, turning as Dr. Thurgood stepped into view. “OH! Dr. Thurgood! What a nice surprise! I didn’t know you’d be here so soon! Is it 10PM already?”

“James,” the professor acknowledged with a nod of his head before turning to face Tina. “Ms. Patrick, did you have something to show me? Something related to your senior project?”

“Actually, sir,” James said, stepping into view, “she called you here to see MY project. The Synaptic Interface,” he said, gesturing to the headset sitting atop Tina’s head. “Tina’s been helping me with it for the past several weeks, and after the breakthrough earlier today, we decided to set up this little demonstration for you tonight to show you the progress we’ve made.”

“Is that right, Ms. Patrick?” Thurgood asked, peering down at Tina. “This project is Phelps’ brainchild, not yours?”

“Um, yes sir,” Tina replied with a slight frown. “This is James’ project. He designed it. He created it. I’ve just been working with him on it... you know, helping him out, assisting him... but this project is entirely his.”

“Your project, eh, Phelps?” the instructor mused, facing James once more. “Alright then. I’ll bite. Show me what you’ve got.”

James proceeded to do just that, letting Tina demonstrate the device’s capabilities while he provided the explanation. Alan Thurgood had a reputation of being a hard man to impress, seldom giving out words of encouragement or congratulation, but at the end of the demonstration he pulled James aside and slapped him on the back.

“Damn good work, son.” he said with a shake of his head, almost disbelieving. “Damn good work. I didn’t know you had it in you. This is definitely A+ work. I’m going to arrange to give you access to the mainframe so that you can refine your project even more.”

“Thanks, Doctor,” James said with a wide smile. “That’ll be great.”

“Yes... now then, Ms. Patrick, how is YOUR project coming along? Anything to report?”

Tina opened her mouth, then closed it, blinking. “My... project?” she asked, confused. There was something... something she’d been working on, something that she’d wanted her mentor to see... but she couldn’t remember. Every time she tried to think about her project, she kept remembering all the work she did helping James on HIS project instead. But... that can’t be right. The Synaptic Interface was James’ project, not mine. I just assisted him. I had my own project to work on... that I’ve been working on for the past several months now. The Interface... no, dammit, that’s James’ project, not mine! What the hell? Why can’t I remember what MY project was?

“Ms. Patrick?” Thurgood said, frowning. “I asked you a question. How is your project coming? You know, the final project you need to present in order to pass this class and get your Masters in Electrical Engineering? Not to mention, compete with Phelps here for that elusive fellowship with Frasier Technologies.”

“I... I mean... it’s... well...” Tina sputtered helplessly.

“Don’t worry about it, Doc,” James said, stepping in, putting an arm around Tina’s waist. “Tina and I are a team. Sure, we’re competing for the job after graduation, but we’re also good friends. Now that she’s helped me with my project, I’ll help her get started on hers, just like I promised. After all, that’s what friends are for, right?”

“You haven’t even STARTED your own project yet?” Thurgood all but yelled. He sighed, shaking his head. “Well, Ms. Patrick, I certainly applaud your sense of loyalty and friendship, but I can’t say much for your common sense. You have six weeks left before the end of the semester, and if you don’t come up with something truly extraordinary you will fail this class. I suggest you get started.” Walking to the door, he paused, turning to James. “Again, I have to say good job, Phelps. I’m really impressed.”

James chuckled softly, shaking his head. “Sorry about that, Tina, babe. Looks like you’re on the old guy’s bad side. Guess I shouldn’t have hogged all your time helping me.” He walked to the door of the lab as well. “Still, a promise is a promise. If you come up with something, rest assured, I’ll be here to help you with it. You can always count on your good buddy James. For now, come on. I’ll walk you out. Maybe we can even stop by my apartment and talk about it a bit.”

Four hours later, a little after midnight, Tina had returned to the lab again, feeling sad and confused. Depression had settled over her like a shroud, and only the task of cleaning up the lab after today’s earlier demonstration kept her from breaking down into tears. It was so strange. Just a few hours ago, she’d been so happy, almost giddy. She’d made a breakthrough... or so she’d thought. James had made a major breakthrough... with her help, of course, but it mattered little in the long run. It was HIS project. It would be his grade, his Masters degree, and his fellowship when all was said and done.

All these weeks... she lamented to herself, switching off the computer monitors. All that time spent working on a project that wasn’t even mine! What was I thinking? What the HELL was I thinking? Now he’s all set, and I have nothing to show for it. Leaning down, she reached down to shut off the printer as well, then frowned, seeing the data light and the attention light flashing. Huh. Must have run out of paper when I was printing out my homework assignments. Opening the tray, she slid in a stack of blank paper. At least I got next week’s homework taken care of already. I guess that’s something at least. Pressing the READY key, she sighed deeply as the printer came to life once more, spitting out a long series of papers. She frowned slightly as the printer continued to print out a lot more than the seven sheets she’d intended it to. Curious, she picked up a page and glanced at it.

Hmmm... ‘Well, um, that’s about it, actually... I’m tapped into the lab’s main power grid through the computer interface...’ Huh? What the heck? I didn’t tell it to do that... I guess the connection between my mind and the printer was still open and active even after I told it to print out the homework assignment. Looks like it printed out everything I was thinking while wearing the headset. Unexpected... but kind of cool! The printer finally stopped printing, and went cold, leaving a huge stack of papers in the tray. Picking it up, she thumbed through the stack. I wonder what else it printed out.

She read through the next few pages, then stopped, stunned. Flipping back, she read, then reread them to be sure, shaking her head in denial all the while. “No... no way. This can’t be...” she whispered, as she spread the papers out in front of her on the desk. “James...” she whispered softly, her hands shaking as she read the words he’d spoken to her during her fugue. “How could you? You unbelievable bastard! You fucking bastard! How could you?” Her hands clenched tightly into fists. “You stole from me... twice... and made me forget about it! Then you pretended to be my friend, lying to my face in front of Dr. Thurgood the entire time?!?” she snarled. She read on, the gasped in shock. Angry beyond words, she shoved the large stack of computer components on the table to the floor, letting out a scream of pure frustration.

After a few minutes, she calmed down, regaining her composure. She was still angry, still feeling betrayed, but she wasn’t the physical type. Tina remembered that her greatest asset was her mind, and if she truly wanted to get back at James for what he’d done to her, then she’d have to beat him at his own game. She’d outsmart him. Calmly, she bent down and retrieved the components she’d knocked over earlier, returning them to their proper place, then switching off the rest of the machines, exited the lab.

Heading back to her apartment, she smiled to herself as she considered her next move. James had taken advantage of her naivety, but she knew what she was up against now. Yesterday he’d had the upper hand, but yesterday was over and done. Tomorrow would be her day to shine.