The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

The Sound and the Fury

by J. Darksong

Ch.6) Head Games

“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way.”

Echo glared down at man before him, trying to look intimidating. The new black bodysuit and cowl helped some, but he just didn’t have the body type to pull off “menacing”. Not that he had a lot of practice at it, either. Of the two of them, Shinobi tended to scare the criminals a lot more than he did.

Of course, she DOES have that sword...

“Listen here, punk,” the man growled, taking a step forward, getting right up in Parker’s face, “I’m telling you exactly what I told the police. I ain’t seen Jimmy in months, and I don’t know where the hell he is. So piss the fuck off!” he said, poking against Parker’s chest with his index finger.

Echo merely smiled. “Hard way it is, then.” Reaching in a hidden pocket in the back of his costume, he took out a thin but strong line of rope. The man merely laughed.

“And just what are you planning to do with that rope, kid,” he asked, putting out a hand to shove Parker again, “practice your rodeo tricks?”

The instant his hand made contact, Echo grabbed his wrist, twisting it sharply. As the man recoiled in pain, he struck again, attacking with a quick series of precise strikes that temporarily removed his muscle control, sending the man to the ground in a heap. Wrapping several lengths of rope around the man’s legs, he quipped, “Not quite. I think I’ll use my ‘magic lasso’ to compel you to tell me the truth.”

Glancing around the alleyway, calculating the distance quickly in his head, he ran towards a nearby wall, putting all of his training to use. Leaping from wall to wall, he bounded quickly up to a fire escape landing about fifty feet high. Sliding the end of the line around an iron bar underneath, he leapt down, dragging the line down with him, and dragging the man upwards towards him.

“Ahhhhhhh!!” the reticent man yelled out as he was jerked violently up from the street. Hanging upside down, the entire world spun crazily for several seconds until he felt a gloved hand clutching his shirt. He opened his eyes to find himself staring into the scowling masked face of his tormentor, glaring at him.

“So, have I jogged your memory yet?” Parker asked idly, giving the man a slight shove, watching him swing back and forth a few times before pulling him to a halt. “Alright, Manny... talk. I know you are ‘tight’ with James Phelps, that you and he went to high school together... until you were kicked out and decided to take up being a degenerate scumbag as a career move. And like the good friends you are, you’ve kept in touch over the years. And I’m willing to be now that he’s on the wrong side of the law, he’s turned to his old friend again for help.”

“NO!! Y-y-y-you’re crazy, man! Get me down from here! You can’t do this to me! I know my rights!”

“Does this look like a police uniform I’m wearing, Manny?” He spun the upside down informant wildly, waiting idly until his body’s rotations slowed before spinning him back in the opposite direction. When Manny finally stopped spinning, he groaned deeply, then arched his head, vomiting down onto the street below. “You want your rights, then? Fine. You have the right to remain silent,” Parked said conversationally, ignoring the gagging, choking sounds, “which will not be especially beneficial to you. You have the right to an attorney... but there don’t seem to be any around at the moment. And you ALSO have the right to hit the pavement headfirst at nine point eight meters per seconds squared if you don’t answer my damn questions!

Manny, spitting, trying to clear the taste of vomit from his mouth, glared back at Echo. “You... you’re bluffing. You’re one of... the good guys. And good guys... don’t hurt... civilians... even ex-cons. I ain’t... telling you... shit.”

“I see.” Parker sighed, removing a small iron rod from his belt, sliding the metal pole through the loops of the handle of his rope line. He pressed a small button on the handle and it telescoped out, becoming a small staff. Holding it behind his back, he again quickly went over the calculations in his head. “Looks like you’re calling my bluff, Manny. Gutsy move, seeing as how all I have to do is let go, and you’ll fall fifty feet straight down on the cold hard pavement. Still, you’ve got a hard head. I’m sure you’ll probably just bounce.” With that, he released the rope.

“AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Manny screamed as he plummeted like a stone, hands flailing as the asphalt rose up to meet him. High above, the reinforced line zipped by, whizzing up the fire escape to the set of bars it had been slipped between. Just before Manny hit the ground, a loud metallic CLANG sounded as the bar, too wide to fit through the bars, caught, stopping his descent. Manny continued to scream for several more minutes, however, even when Echo dropped down lightly beside him, stopping his continues spinning and swinging.

“Manny!” Parker said loudly, slapping him lightly on the cheek. “Manny, you’re hysterical. Calm down. You’re still alive. See? You stopped falling about a foot from the ground. Lucky for you, I misjudged the distance and the length of rope I was using.” He sighed, dramatically, moving back over to a nearby ladder. “Oh well. I suppose I can always lift you back up and just CUT the line this time to make sure it doesn’t get snagged again—”

“NO! NO! WAIT A MINUTE!” Manny yelled out frantically, causing him to pause. “I’ll talk! I’ll talk! He’s in Redburton! He... he mentioned it earlier when I saw him... he was in a hurry. He needed money, fast, and had a bunch of watches and rings and shit for me to fence.... I, I, I mean, EXCHANGE, yeah, exchange, for him! Honest! That’s all I know! I swear, man, I swear!”

Echo nodded simply, grabbing hold of the line. Lifting Manny slightly to give it some slack, he snapped it sideways, knocking loose the rod. The end of the line slipped the rest of the way through the bars, and Manny fell the rest of the way down to the pavement in a heap. “So glad we had the chance to talk, Manny,” Parker said, removing the line from the ex-con’s legs, winding it back up before sliding it back into its hidden compartment. “Maybe next time we can try this the easy way,” he said as he headed back to the alleyway entrance, feeling supremely smug. Bruce Wayne, eat your heart out!

Leaving the alleyway, Echo sighed deeply. “You just get here?” he asked over his shoulder as his partner dropped down lightly beside him. The ninja merely stared at him silently, one eyebrow raised. “What? Do you think you’re the only one who gets to play rough with the bad guys? Since when did I get cemented into the mode of good cop to your bad cop? I can be bad cop once in a while, yanno.”

“From now on, I’m hiding all of your Batman comics.” Roni said with a sigh, walking back to their car. “Seriously. What you did to that guy just now was across the line, even for me!”

“Oh come on!” Parker exclaimed, climbing in beside her, “you gotta admit that was cool! I did the calculations, I knew the line would hold, and he would stop before he hit the ground. Besides which, it got him to talk. We now know where Phelps is hiding out.”

“I don’t know you, anymore,” Roni murmured as they pulled out, heading towards the Interstate. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe wearing all black DOES make you insane.”

* * *

“Alright! Now THAT’S more like it!” Alvin said loudly, stepping out from behind the side of the building, dressed in his costume once more. “Back in my normal threads again, and looking good!”

“Oh yeah,” Helen said, crossing her arms, “thank goodness you’re finally out of that bright, ‘traffic cone’ orange jumpsuit, and dressed in a bright ‘traffic cone’ orange AND red costume! Big improvement over the other one.”

“Now, you listen here,” Alvin started, only to be cut off as Judy and Erica emerged, Judy now dressed in a tight fitting forest green bodysuit with matching gloves and ankle boots. He whistled appreciatively, nodding as the women approached. “Hey, Judykins, you clean up good. I take back half the bad things I said about you on the way here.”

The brunette cocked an eyebrow. “Only half?”

“Take it as a compliment,” Helen said unnecessarily, shaking her head. “Coming from someone like him, it’s high praise indeed.”

“Alright, Blondie,” Alvin roared, flaming up, “I’ve had about enough of your sarcastic remarks! Say just one more snide comment about me, I dare you! I double dare you!” He pointed both of his hands towards the seemingly unconcerned blonde. “I triple dare ya!”

“That’s enough, Hotshot,” Erica said with a scowl, sending a steel chain forward, wrapping it around his arms, jerking them back down to his sides. “Remember, we’re all on the same team... at least for the moment. We have an appointment to keep with our mysterious benefactor, and I for one do not wish to be late.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Hotshot muttered softly, slowly melting through the chains, letting the molten metal drip away onto the concrete below. “But she started it.”

“And I’m finishing it,” Lodestone announced with an edge to her voice. “Helen and Judy are old friends of mine. I know and trust them both, whereas you, my dear fellow, have yet to prove yourself. So, let me spell it out for you: if it comes down to a choice between you and them, I’m siding with them. Now, come on,” she said, extending her magnetic powers once more to send her and the two girl aloft. “We’re taking to the air.”

Mumbling softly under his breath, Alvin extended his flame, lifting off on a cushion of superheated air, following the girls across the city to the meeting place Cybertina had specified. Landing in front of an old abandoned warehouse building, he doused his flame and walked inside.

“Kind of a dump for an evil mastermind’s hideout, don’t ya think?” he asked the others, glancing about the debris covered building. “This smells like a trap to me.”

“I smell something alright,” Judy said, pinching her nose closed, “but I don’t think it’s a trap. Ugh. Smells like something DIED in here. Better watch where you step in this place.”

“Hard to do when we can’t even see where we’re going,” Erica said with a frown, holding her own nose. “A bit of light seems in order. Helen?”

“Sure thing,” the blonde said, gesturing with her hands, creating a large floating ball of light. Alvin scowled.

“Yanno, I coulda done that with my fire,” he said, turning to Lodestone. “Why’d you ask HER to light the place up instead of me?”

“Because among other things best not mentioned, I smell methane,” Erica said, stretching a hand out towards the debris, clearing away a path through with the force of her will. “And I’d rather you now blow us all up or set the building on fire.” She started walking towards what appeared to have once been an office of some kind.

“This place is deserted,” Judy said after a while. “Maybe Flamey’s right, and this is a trap. After all, who would call a meeting in a place like this?”

“Well, for one thing,” Helen said with a scowl, pinching her nose even tighter closed, “you’re pretty much guaranteed not to be disturbed by the cops, or pretty much anyone with a nose.”

“Shhh! Someone IS in here,” Erica said, drawing to a halt suddenly. “They’re just inside, somewhere in the back.”

“How can you tell?” Helen asked, sending her light forward, increasing its brightness. “I can’t see anyone from here.”

“Maybe not, but I can feel a high density electromagnetic signature just a few feet away.” Erica stepped forward, continuing on towards the office. “It just came on a few seconds ago. She’s in there. I know it.”

Following their leader, the four made their way into the office, finding it empty and abandoned. “I knew it,” Alvin said with a smirk. “She’s not here. Looks like the great and powerful Know-It-All was wrong for a change!”

“I’m not wrong, you imbecile,” Erica hissed, closing her eyes. “She’s in here, I tell you. I can feel it... power is definitely running in here somewhere. Somewhere... down!” She opened her eyes, and glanced at the floor. “There! See? Just underneath that overturned desk, there’s a trapdoor, and light is shining from it.” With another gesture, she cleared the wreckage, and opened the door. Stepping down into the hole, she floated gently down into the center of a what was no doubt the power generator room, the others following suit shortly afterwards.

“Ah, great, you’re here,” a young woman dressed in white replied, stepping out from behind a turbine, holding a briefcase. “It’s good to meet you all.”

“So, you are Cybertina, eh?” Alvin said with a frown, eyeing her carefully. “You don’t look much like you’re hologram image.”

The woman laughed. “Oh no, Sir. I’m Miss Simms. My Mistress sent me here to meet you, and to act as her intermediary during the last part of the... negotiations.” She smiled. “Sorry about the accommodations, but my Mistress thought it best that we meet somewhere a bit off the beaten track, with most of the city’s police task force out searching for you, not to mention a number of the city’s costumed heroes.” She turned back towards the turbine she’d emerged from behind moments ago. “If you’ll follow me, I did take the liberty of setting up for this meeting.”

On the other side of the room, the four escapees found a large circular table with chairs, a small plate of food set out, deli style, and several assorted canned drinks, from soda and sparkling water to Guinness. A large flat screen monitor hung from the wall at the far end, facing the table, and a small laptop computer was connected to it. As they all drew near, the monitor came to life, and the familiar image of Tina swam into view. She smiled a knowing smile as the four took their seats about the table.

“Welcome, ladies and gentleman. I trust you made it here with no problems?” she asked.

“None, other than the smell upstairs,” Judy commented with a frown.

“We were expecting to meet with you face to face,” Erica said scowling as well. “If this was going to be a simple teleconference, we could have held it someplace much nicer.”

Tina chuckled. “Sorry... but I had a schedule conflict, and I just couldn’t tear myself away. As for the location, I trust that my assistant explained the need for secrecy for the time being? The last thing I wanted was for the police to burst in, guns blazing, just when we’re getting to know one another.”

“Can we just cut the bullshit?” Alvin said, frustrated. “Why the hell did we have to come out here if you’re not here? I was looking forward to meeting you in person—”

“So you would roast me like a chicken dinner?” Tina cut in, then smirked at the expression on Alvin’s face. “Or, perhaps like the others, try and convince me to renegotiate our arrangement, and see if they can ‘convince me’ to use my vast resources for their benefits... to play the part of the willing subordinate instead of the one calling the shots.” She grinned even wider as the women’s expressions darkened. “Am I right? No, really, there’s no need to even ask. Besides, if it wasn’t already abundantly apparent in the way I arranged your escape, I’m NOT an idiot. Did you really think I would show up in a face-to-face meeting with four super powered baddies without taking some kind of precautions?”

“In that case, I see no reason to remain here a moment longer,” Erica said, rising to her feet. “Do you think we could be bought off with a few snacks and drinks?”

“How about ten million dollars apiece?” Tina asked calmly, before the group could take more than a few steps away from the table. All of them froze, and turned back to face her. “Got your attention, did I? Let me be blunt. I’m a hacker of superb skill. I can arrange to transfer the money from any of a thousand banks into any account you wish, without leaving a trace. Think about it. Ten million dollars, free and clear. No fuss, no muss.” She crossed her arms, tapping her foot. “Well? Do you still wish to do business, or do I need to go back and search the prison database for a group easier to work with?”

“Hell, I’m in,” Alvin said, moving back to the table, sitting down. “For ten million dollars, I’ll kill whoever the hell you want me to.”

“Good. That’s one.” Tina glanced at the others.

“Count me in,” Helen said, sitting back down as well. “The government put a freeze on all my accounts after I was busted along with my employer, thanks to Omega Girl. Ten million dollars is a good jumpstart in getting back on my feet again.”

“You can count me in as well, then,” Judy replied, taking her seat. “That’s more money that I’ve ever seen, even on my biggest score ever.”

Everyone glanced at Erica, who seemed to be wavering, holding out from sheer pride and her need to appear in control rather than an actual desire to leave. Finally, she turned and sat down. “Fine. But I have to insist that we meet with you face-to-face to formalize the deal. If you want me to take this assignment, I want to be able to look you in the eye when I do. Agreed?”

“Yes, of course,” Tina replied calmly, gesturing to Janine, who moved from her place at the wall, approaching the table with the metal case.. “However, I also have a condition of my own to stipulate. All of you will have to wear one of these headsets,” she announced as Janine opened the case, “so that I can stay in constant communications with all of you. They’re my own design, compatible with all major cell phone, and satellite signals.”

“Hmmm... looks freaky,” Alvin said, taking out one, looking it over. “How the hell do you... put it on anyway?”

“You just slide it over your head,” Janine replied, lifting up her hair to show the headset she wore. “It’s strong, but very lightweight, and can be hidden underneath your hair, so no one will notice it.”

“Impressive,” Helen replied, trying hers on. She rearranged her long blonde locks, then nodded. “How’s it look, Judy? Can you see it through my hair?”

“Nope. You can just barely see the thin little wire mic coming down close to your chin, and that’s it. And I wouldn’t even have noticed THAT if I hadn’t known to look for it.” Slipping hers on, she asked, “How does mine look? Can you see it through my hair?”

“Yeah, good enough for you two,” Alvin said with a frown. “My hair’s too short to cover it up. If I go outside wearing this thing, I’ll look like a damned fool.”

“Then no one will notice the difference,” Erica said, standing up. “Just what are you trying to pull, Cybertina? This... device, you’re trying to pass off as a communications headset is anything but. I can feel its electromagnetic signature, and the energy input is set to flow in only one direction, inward.” She snapped the headset in her hands, shattering it to pieces. “So I ask you again, what are you up to?”

Tina sighed, shaking her head. “Alright. You got me. You saw right through my little ruse. Those headsets aren’t EXACTLY communication relays... though they DO help me to communicate with the wearer. Their chief function is to brainwash the wearer, turning them into my obedient little puppets, eager and willing to do my bidding. You see, even with the incentive of paying you all ten million dollars, you four are just too unpredictable. In order to truly control this operation, I need to control YOU. After all, if I’m forced to meet with you face to face to conclude this deal, I certainly want to have some insurance on my side, making sure I can keep you from getting out of hand.”

Erica smiled. “Well, it was a clever plan. And a nice try. But no one controls me... certainly not some computer hacker with delusions of grandeur. I’ve had enough of this foolishness. I’m leaving. Now.”

“Oh, but you CAN’T leave just yet, Chicky Baby,” Alvin said, placing a hand on her shoulder, pushing her back down into her seat. “The show’s just starting!”

“Temperance, you fool! Get your hands off me! What’s come over you—the headset!” she gasped, realizing what was happening. “Imbecile! She’s already taken control of your mind!”

“’Fraid so, babe,” he said with a leer, holding up a hand covered in flame. “I don’t really wanna hurt you... I just need you to calm down and let the Lady finish running Her spiel.”

Erica’s expression darkened. “First of all, I am not your ‘Babe’,” she said, gesturing slightly, bending apart the metal legs of Alvin’s chair, sending him to the floor. Reshaping the metal easily, she tied him neatly in a cocoon, leaving only his head uncovered. “Secondly, I’m not worried about YOU hurting me.”

“Good,” Alvin said with a grin, despite being wrapped up so tightly it was difficult to breathe. “After all... it’s not... me... you should be... worried about...”

“It’s us,” Torque replied, extending her power towards Erica, completely disrupting her sense of equilibrium. With a gasp, she fell to the floor, nearly vomiting as the room, in her mind at least, spun wildly out of control. She tried to lash out, tried to use her power to do something, to throw something at her friend to get her to stop, but was too disoriented to even begin tapping into her magnetic powers. She groaned softly, rolling into the fetal position, closing her eyes tightly.

“Now, now, sweetie,” Helen whispered in her ear, gently stroking her cheek, “don’t close your eyes. Closing your eyes only makes the disorientation worse. You need to open them wide if you want to feel better.”

“Need to... open... my... eyes,” Erica mumbled softly, Helen’s words echoing strangely in her mind from the extreme disorientation. “Want to... feel... better... nnnnhhh... no. No. Can’t open my eyes... won’t let you... brainwash me too...”

“Be a good girl, Erica,” Helen admonished, still caressing her cheek softly, her free hand running fingers through her hair. “Open your eyes... open your eyes... be a good girl now and open your eyes...”

open your eyes... be a good girl... open your eyes... The words continuing to sound inside Erica’s head, inside her mind, the only things that seemed to have any substance to them as everything in her existence shifted and swirled and twisted uncontrollably again and again. A small part of her mind knew the words were lies, that if she opened her eyes, her once-friend Helen would complete the job Judy was doing on her now, and she would be lost. But... it was so hard to resist... so very hard... even as she fought a losing battle against her own mind to resist the urge...

“That’s a good girl, Erica, sweetie,” Helen said with a smile, as Erica’s eyes finally cracked open again. “That’s a VERY good girl.”

A soft sigh escaped the Mistress of Magnetism’s lips as her eyes immediately locked onto the flashing blinking colorful ball of lights flashing before her. The rational thinking part of her mind shrank even more, eaten away by the hypnotic light show skillfully orchestrated by her friend, who continued to whisper softly into her ear all the while, telling her to relax, to let go, to not fight... to stop resisting and submit completely... that it would all feel so good once she did. As the last spark of resistance died in her, Erica’s eyes glazed over, and a soft vacant smile graced her lips.

“Now, my Good Girl,” Helen whispered, turning her around to face Alvin, still gently stroking her cheek, “use your powers to unwrap our friend from that metal cocoon you created.”

“Mmmm, yess,” she said softly, extending her power, causing the cocoon to open like a flower. Freed, Alvin took a deep breath, rubbing his sides.

Tina the proceedings with a sense of satisfaction. Everything had gone just as she’d predicted it would, from Lodestone’s defiance, to her eventual submission. It was a pity that she’d smashed one of the headsets before she could be enslaved, but in the end it was a small price to pay. Besides, Tina conceded, it was very likely that her body’s unique electromagnetic signature would have interfered with the device’s resonance signal. Even if I’d managed to link directly to her brain, I wouldn’t have been able to keep a lock on long enough to rewrite her thought processes.

“Now, let us show you the benefits of being a good girl,” Helen whispered, sliding open the zipper on Lodestone’s uniform, before slowly sliding it off her body.

Ah, yes, the positive reinforcement ritual, Tina thought dryly, watching as her four newest servants descended into a sexual orgy. If she considered the fleeting irritation she felt in her cyberized state as annoyance, she would have to say the thing that annoyed her most was the amount of time lost in subjecting them all to physical gratification to accompany the mental rewriting she had outlined. The tiny part of her that still considered itself human would have begged to differ, citing the emotion more akin to jealousy at not being able to join in and experience what the others were obviously enjoying. Of course, that human outlook was best completely ignored.

Finally, however, they were done. She watched, bemused, as Strobe carried out her instructions, using her hypnotic powers on each of the others in turn, taking full advantage of their sated and relaxed minds, deepening her control over them, ensuring that by the end of the day, they would all bow to her will without resistance, and without exception. Satisfied that things were under control, she left the terminal, traveling through cyberspace back to Redburton to spy on James...

((end of part six))