The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

The Sound and the Fury

by J. Darksong

Ch.9) Back Where You Belong

Epilogue:

“Okay. I’m done.”

Veronica opened her eyes and sighed. “Are you sure? I don’t feel any different.”

Eva smirked. “Trust me, dear, you’re fine now. Compared to some of the psychic damage I’ve seen, that Phelps chap was a rank amateur. Not to mention that he didn’t have a lot of time to mess around in your head in the first place. For which you should be grateful. Some of the worse mental damage can be done by amateurs with too much power that have no idea what they’re doing.”

Roni nodded. “Well, we won’t need to worry about him again. The police took him in when they hauled away the others. With everything they’re charging him with, I’d be surprised if they don’t end up putting him UNDER the jail. Best of all, the little device he used to hypnotize me is gone, destroyed when the bank was destroyed.”

“Good to know.” The blonde psychic rose to her feet. “I visited the detention center earlier, and made a deep search of Phelps’ mind. I’m going to be busy for the next few days tracking down the other people he mentally altered. With his quick, sloppy, haphazard method of control, I shudder to think of what kind of mental backlash those poor people are having to deal with.”

“Yeah. But I feel at least partly glad he wasn’t better at it,” she admitted. “I was able to resist a little, and fight back, because he didn’t do anything to lock away my strong feelings for Parker.”

“Speaking of my nephew,” Eva asked, heading to the door, “weren’t you going to meet up with him at the hospital to see how that young girl is doing?”

Roni checked her watch. “Yes. Thanks for the reminder. Guess I’d better get going as well. And thank you again for, well, you know.”

Eva smiled. “Don’t mention it. To tell the truth, I’m a little disappointed to have missed everything, and to be resigned to just doing cleanup work.” She shrugged. “At least I can track down Phelps’ other victims and help them the way I helped you.”

Veronica opened her mouth, the paused, wondering just how to phrase what she wanted to ask. “Um... Eva,” she began.

The blonde psychic grinned. “I think I know what you’re trying to ask. And no, I left everything else in place. What you and my nephew do in the privacy of your own bedroom is your business.” She licked her lips. “Though I must confess to being a wee bit jealous, seeing how creative he’s been with you.”

“Um... thanks?” Roni said blushing fiercely. For a moment she wondered if the sexy blonde was coming on to her, then she remembered Parker telling her about the incident a few years ago with Madame Lupa, and wondered if her being jealous comment was directed at her or at Parker! Eva let out a giggle, and Roni blushed even deeper, suspected that the blonde vixen was still reading her mind. Decided that a tactical retreat was probably the least embarrassing response, she turned and headed to the door. “Um, well, thanks again,” she said awkwardly, trying to ignore the heat welling up inside her. The door closed silently behind her as she left.

* * *

Alvin Temperance was pissed.

Stalking back and forth in his cell, he was just barely able to contain his rage. A simple glance at the plastic nozzles embedded in the ceiling or the translucent plastic walls to the water that surrounded him on all sides helped to keep his anger in check. They’d blasted him with foam twice since dropping him back into the cube, and as furious as they had made him, he decided not to risk a third blast.

Lousy stinking bitches, he grumbled to himself. Fuck! I can’t BELIEVE I got suckered into this whole thing! It was bad enough being used by some crazy internet broad. It was even worse being abused by those other three fucking BITCHES that were supposed to be my fucking partners! But the worst... the absolute worst part... was that I let that crazy bitch into my FUCKING HEAD, let her control me like a fucking wind-up doll... and not only did I not get paid, I ended up locked up behind bars AGAIN!!

Flames danced from his fingertips, and his hair stood up, a corona beginning to form. The ambient temperature rose dramatically, setting off the alarms once more. With an effort he again damped down his flame, lowering the temperature, just barely avoiding another blast of fire resistant foam. Sighing, he stomped his way over to his cot, and sat down.

“This stinks,” he said aloud, punching the wall. The only bit of satisfaction he felt was knowing Lodestone, Torque, and especially Strobe were locked up in maximum security, just as he was. The thought even brought a slight smile to his face. He could just imagine the expression on her face as she came to, finding herself dressed in prison orange, back in prison again...

Just as he had.

“FUCK!” he yelled, angry again. His body burst into flames, and the temperature monitor registered the change, blaring its shrieking alarms once again. The fire suppression system activated once more, and the ceiling jets sprayed him with foam. “Aaahhhrrrggggghhh!” Alvin screamed in pain as his fire was suddenly dowsed. “AAHHH! I fucking hate this!” he yelled, furious. “I HATE THIS SHIT!” Soaked, angry, his temper flared again, increasing his body heat, and even though he was unable to produce any fire this time, the jets sprayed him once more.

* * *

“Alright. That should do it,” Eugene Frasier said, placing the soldering iron back on the table. He handed the headset to Parker. “I have to admit it, your friend did a nice job with the design. It didn’t take verra long to make the adjustments. It should work now just as we discussed.”

“Great. And thanks for coming back home a week early to help with this.”

“Dinnae concern yerself. Truth be told, I intended to come back early and give the lassies some... ‘alone time’, so to speak.” He chuckled softly. “I sensed a wee bit of tension between them... the good kind, not the bad, and as lovely a hostess as both Sarah and Valerie are, they’d never come right out and ask me to leave so they could spend some time alone with my wife. And Lacie wouldnae ask me, seeing as how she only recently got me back.” He grinned. “Your call gave me just the excuse I needed to take a wee break. After being virtually alone for nearly two years, it’s a bit of an adjustment being back around people all the time again.”

Parker nodded. This was the first time Gene had even hinted at what had happened to him during the time he and Jerry had gone missing. After several minutes of continued silence, Parker decided to change the subject. He lifted the small headset in his hands, looking it over. “Amazing that something so small and innocent looking could be the cause of so much trouble. Are you sure it’ll return Tina’s mind and spirit back to her body?”

“Aye, I’m sure,” Eugene confirmed. “That interface will establish a direct physical connection with the girl’s cerebral cortex as well as several sections of the cerebellum. Once she links with the device, it will convert her electromagnetic signal back into her body’s brain impulse, which should jumpstart her normal brain activity. From what you’ve told me, the device allows Tina to basically ‘download’ herself into another person’s body, letting her own signal suppress and override the brain impulses native to that body. The signal suppression is only temporary, however, and eventually she has to withdraw from the subject from the stress of controlling them, of matching her. The changes I made should take care of that, establishing a perfect resonance frequency between her mind and her physical body that should allow a perfect and permanent integration.”

Parker blinked, and blinked again.

Eugene sighed. “Aye, lad, I’m sure it will work.”

“Oh. Yeah. I knew that... um, okay. Thanks.” He glanced through the hospital room door’s window. “The doctors seem to be just finishing up their examinations. I was kinda hoping that Nurse Simms would be here today for this, but I guess she’s still upset about the way she was used in all of this.”

“Who could blame her?” Gene said with a shrug. “It’s one thing to be controlled or manipulated, but it’s another to have yer body snatched and not even remember it.”

They both glanced up as Veronica entered the hallway. “Hey. Still waiting for the docs to finish checking her out?”

“Yeah,” Parker said, walking over, giving her a big hug. “Should be just a few more minutes. How are you doing, love?”

“Just fine now, according to your Aunt,” she said with a soft smile. “Thankfully there wasn’t much damage to fix. How are you holding up? Physically, as well as emotionally?”

Parker sighed. “Actually, I don’t really know. I exhausted myself in battle the other day, and I’m still not able to generate my own sonic energy yet. Since all the power I used came from absorbing Banshee’s blast, I can’t really say my powers are back... but it is nice to know that my powers still function the same way they did before.”

“I concur,” Gene put in. “A good analogy would be a computer whose keyboard was smashed and ruined. The computer still works as well as it ever did, you’re just unable to access most of its programs without a proper interface. The part of you that effectively controlled your powers is gone, but it is still possible for you to wield that power... under the right situation.”

Parker groaned. “Yeah, well, unless Banshee decides to turn over a new leaf and become one of the good guys, and follows me around every time I need a recharge, I don’t think I can count on being in ‘the right situation’ very often.”

Gene laughed. “Nah, but that’s a good idea for a Plan B. No, lad, I was thinking that if everything goes well enough with your friend Tina, perhaps we could use that headset on you next... use it to help rewire your brain a wee bit... and kind of circumvent the damaged area, like bypassing a damaged circuit and rerouting the electron flow.”

“Hmmm... I dunno,” Parker said, frowning. “Not that I don’t trust you, or anything... but this IS Mind Bore’s technology we’re talking about, here. Are you really sure you can use it to fix the damage without causing... more?”

“Quite sure, lad,” Eugene said quietly, looking away. “Let’s just say that I’m... intimately familiar with her technology.”

Parker raised an eyebrow at the cryptic remark. He’d learned very little of what had happened to the Scotsman over the several months during his disappearance, only a few small details here and there, but none from Eugene himself. Whatever had happened to him, that he was still dealing with it was obvious. He opened his mouth to ask more about the comment, but just then, the door opened, and one of the doctors walked out.

“We’re ready for you, Mr. Frasier,” the physician said, gesturing to the open doorway.

“Aye, thank you doctor,” Gene replied, stepping inside with his laptop, Veronica and Parker following close behind, carrying the headset.

“I still have to say I find this all highly irregular,” the second doctor, a tall man with dark hair and glasses, protested. “I know you are a major contributor to this facility, Mr. Frasier, but I take offense at your using one of our patients to test one of your inventions, like a common guinea pig—”

“Easy, Dr. Burnham,” the first doctor said, stepping in. “Mr. Frasier has gone through all the proper channels. I’ve reviewed his notes, and while it all seems a bit... well, farfetched, there is nothing about this procedure that poses the slightest bit of danger to our patient.”

Dr. Burnham gawked at the other physician. “Ar... are you serious? Dr. Stein, he is going to attempt to wake this girl from her coma by inserting pins into her brain and shocking her with electrical current! And as I recall, it was just such a setup sending excessive voltage into her brain that put her into our care in the first place!”

“The will be only tiny pinholes, and very small current,” Dr Stein countered. “It’s certainly less invasive and less dangerous than shock therapy, which is still used today, in this very hospital I might add, down in the mental ward.” Turning to Gene, he nodded, headed towards the door. “Anytime you’re ready, sir. I’ll check back with you after I finish my rounds.”

“We’re just getting set up now,” Gene said, waiting as Parker placed the headset on the unconscious girl’s head. Receiving a nod, Gene turned on his laptop, letting it boot up fully before connected the headset. “Now then, doctors,” he said, pulling them both aside, “while my software finishes booting, is there anything else I should know about her, um, condition? I believe the original report noted massive swelling in the brain tissues...”

“Um, yes, actually,” Burnham replied, trying to glance back over his shoulder as Gene purposely led him away from the computer. “But just for the first few hours after she was brought in. We, ah, managed to... relieve some of the cranial pressure, and the swelling went down. We ran... umm.. extensive checks, even did a biopsy... there is no physical damage to her brain that explains the minimal brain activity we’re getting. Mr. Frasier, I can’t see the screen from back here—” he protested, turning back towards the room.

“Oh, terribly sorry Doctor,” Gene said, grabbing his arm, spinning him towards the door once more, “but I did have a just a few more questions...”

Parker chuckled softly. The man does have a way with people, he thought with a smirk as he finished inserting the last of the pins. He glanced at the laptop, noting that the usual Windows screen had been replaced by the silhouette of a young woman. The woman watched him carefully through the laptop webcam, then nodded as he gave her a ‘thumbs up’. The computer screen went momentarily blank, then began rapidly scrolling line after line of code. “Ah, um, Mr. Frasier,” he called out loudly, “looks like the program has started running.”

“Perfect,” Gene said, turning back to the computer once more. “Well, Dr. Burnham, you wanted to see this up close and personal, here’s yer chance.”

Frowning, the doctor pulled away, moving back over to Tina’s monitors, keeping a close eye on her vitals. “Hmmm. Heart rate, nominal. Pulse, nominal. Oxygen, ninety. Brain activity... heh.” He smirked slightly, crossing his arms. “Well, Mr. Frasier, there doesn’t seem to be any noticeable improvement yet. Perhaps you missed something in your calculations?”

“Perhaps,” he said noncommittally, glancing at Parker, who merely shrugged, “but it’s too soon to tell. I think we should give the process a little longer and see.”

“Yes, well, I happen to think we’ve wasted enough of the hospital’s time and energy on this preposterous endeavor. The entire idea of stimulating a coma patient’s brain with low level electrical current to try and awaken them is simply bollocks, and I won’t stand for any more of this. The only reason you’re even in here in the first place is because the hospital administrator likes the color of your money. Well, Mr. Frasier, this is a hospital, not a science lab, and I refuse to stand by and let you experiment on this poor girl, simply because—”

“Everyone, look!” Veronica exclaimed from Tina’s bedside, “she’s waking up!”

Dr. Burnham’s protest died midsentence as he watched his patient’s eyes flutter, then blink, then finally open fully. Yawning, she groaned and attempted to sit up. “Wh... what’s going on?” she managed to croak in a soft dry voice. “Where am I?”

“Tina?” Parker said, taking hold of one of her hands. “Tina? Are you alright? Do you know where you are? Do you know who I am?”

Tina sighed, closing her eyes for a long moment. Then she opened them, smiling. “You’re Parker Albinn... from my Data Structure and Algorithms class. And... I’m in the hospital, aren’t I?” She winked at Parker, who let out a sigh of relief.

“Well, Doctor,” Gene said smugly, moving back to disconnect the lines from the headset to his computer, “I’d say you may need to rethink your position a wee bit.”

“But... but...” the physician sputtered, taking off his glasses to gawk openly. “This is impossible! There’s no way something as simple as shocking her brain with low level current would wake her from a coma! There’s got to be more to it than that!” He glared suspiciously at the Scotsman. “What was all of that code scrolling across the computer screen just before she woke up? What did you REALLY put inside that girl’s head?”

“Sorry, Doctor,” Gene said with a grin, placing the computer back in its traveling case, “but I’m afraid I cannae go into the details. It’s all still ‘experimental’ as you put it before, and I cannae go giving away any technical secrets before the process is patented and perfected. But if you have a complaint, perhaps you should go have a word with your Department Head, and take it up with him at the next Board of Directors meeting. I know I intend to be there, where I’ll be sure to mention to everyone just how helpful you were in saving this young girl’s life.”

Growling, the doctor pushed his glassed back onto his nose. Saying nothing, he turned and walked out of the room, letting the door close behind him. The others all shared a brief laugh, until Tina spoke once more.

“So. I, um... I noticed that my hands aren’t shackled to the bed,” she said softly. “Are you... planning to wait until I’m feeling better before you have me hauled off to jail?”

The others glanced at one another. “It’s not going to come to that, lass,” Gene said, speaking for the group. “Aye, ye broke the law... several, in fact, not to mention being indirectly responsible for the destruction of that KeyBank building. But there were a lot of mitigating circumstances.”

“You were as much a victim in all of this as the cause,” Roni added. “And despite everything you did, no one really got hurt. You even arranged for the four escapees to turn themselves back in and surrender to the authorities once it was all over. It doesn’t balance the scales, per sae, but it does go a long way.”

“Most important of all,” Parker spoke it, still holding her hand, “is the fact that when it came right down to it, when you had the chance to take your revenge on James, someone we can all agree more than deserved it, you chose not to kill him. In the end, you did the right thing.” He sighed. “Tina, you need to face up to what you did, but sending you to prison isn’t the right call. Having your mind and spirit ripped from your body like that made you... unbalanced. Not CRAZY, or insane, or anything... just, well, you weren’t yourself. If you agree to have a few sessions with a local psychiatrist, let her help you, then we’ll consider the matter closed. What do ya say?”

Tina nodded, eyes wet with tears forming. “It’s more than I deserve.”

“Not even,” Parker said with a shake of his head. “Don’t start getting down on yourself, Tina. We already told you—you were a victim in all of this. You deserve the same chance to have a long and happy life as any of us do. For now, just rest. Focus on getting better and getting out of here, and we’ll work on everything else later.”

* * *

“Welcome to your new home,” the guard said stoically, as the cell door slammed shut. “You’re going to be here for a very long time.”

James Phelps sighed wearily, dropping his blankets and pillows on his unmade bunk. He glanced around at the small stone jail cell, his home for the next sixty years. Sixty years... it still didn’t seem real, like a bad dream, only he couldn’t wake up. Sixty years... what a crock of shit! Three life sentences for accidentally ALMOST killing my college academic rival? I had to have the worst public defender in the history of all time! They even tossed in a bunch of bogus stuff, like everything that happened at that stupid bank heist! And I was actually the VICTIM in that one... not that I wasn’t planning to rob the vault myself, but I didn’t even get the chance!

He slumped down on the mattress, sighing again. It was all the fault of that damned black clad freak... Sonic... or Echo... or Ninja Boy... whatever he wants to call himself. Not only did he ruin everything, he testified in court that I was in charge of the bank Heist, and that I tried to kill him. So, okay, yeah, I DID shoot at him, twice, and I WAS planning to kill him when I finally got the drop on him... but I didn’t! Besides which, I had legitimate reasons for shooting at him, after what he did to my hand with those fucking ninja stars! He rubbed lightly at the scar on his right hand. Apparently the word of some costumed weirdo carries more weight than that of an outstanding citizen like myself who’s never been in trouble with the law any time before now. So I get railroaded by the justice system. Justice? Hah! They don’t even know the meaning of the word!

He sat there for several long moments, mired in misery, unable to accept responsibility for his predicament, his mind pushing the blame onto someone else, the one who had hurt him, the source of his pain and suffering. His misery grew into hate, but it was an empty hatred, having no channel in which to express it.

He glanced up as the cell door opened. The guard stood there with a second inmate, a large, heavyset man with hairy forearms, and a waist the size of a large tree trunk. “Welcome to your new home, Mr. Richards,” the new guard said with a slight smirk. “This is your new roommate, prisoner number 57342, James Phelps. He’s a real bad ass, tried to kill a young college student, and even tried to take out one of those costumed Supers. So don’t let his youthful face and handsome good looks fool you, Richards—you’re in the presence of one seriously disturbed individual.” The guard laughed. “But then again, you’re pretty disturbed yourself, aren’t you Richards? Guess you’ll fit right in, then.” The door slammed shut and locked, and the guard turned away. “Alright. You boys play nice, y’hear?”

James quailed inwardly. The brute glared down at him, saying nothing, merely staring. Shit! What do I do? James thought fearfully. In those prison movies, they always tell you, you have to establish your dominance in the beginning, or the big guys will walk all over you... but if I piss this guy off, he’ll snap me like a twig! Shit! What do I do? Do I call him out, and hope he backs off, or do I play the nice guy and try not o raise a fuss?

“HEY!” the man yelled out suddenly, making James jump. The brute smiled evilly. “We have a little problem here.”

“Um, okay,” James responded, trying to regain his composure. “What... what’s the problem?”

“The problem is... you’re sitting on my bunk. I ALWAYS sleep on the bottom bunk!”

James knew he was being pushed. He stared hard into the eyes of his cellmate, trying to gauge just how far the man was willing to go. The brute’s eyes narrowed, and James flinched. “Okay,” he said, resigned, standing up. He took off his blanket and pillow and stepped aside as the heavyset guy took his bunk. “It’s all yours.”

“Yeah, and the top bunk, too,” Richards said with an evil grin. “I need a place to keep all my stuff. You can sleep on the floor—unless you have a problem with that?” he challenged, standing up again as James opened his mouth to protest. Glaring eye to eye again, James backed down once more. His cellmate laughed as the youth dropped his pillow and blanket onto the floor, making a small nest for himself. Shame and anger filled him as he pulled the blanket over himself, fueling his hatred. Outside the cell, the lights went out, as the guards made their last walk though before bedtime.

This is all your fault, James thought miserably, picturing his black clad nemesis. You’ll pay. I swear it. Somehow, someway, I’ll make you pay for this.

* * *

“Hi there, stranger,” Tina said with a grin.

“Hi yourself,” Parker answered back, giving her a big hug. “Are you going in to see my Aunt?”

“Just finished up, actually,” the girl answered with a big smile. “I have to admit, I’m actually kind of enjoying these sessions. I always feel much better coming out than I did going in.”

“That’s what makes her so good at her job,” Parker replied, grinning as well. “I’m here to take her out to dinner. Would you like to come along? It’s nothing too fancy, we’re just going out to Angel’s Bar and Grill for steak and seafood, but you’re more than welcome to come along.”

“Thanks, Parker, but I actually already have plans.”

“Really? Wow... that’s great. Anyone I know?”

“I don’t think so,” she said, lowering her gaze slightly, blushing. “He’s just a guy I met on the bus a few weeks ago. Seems we both take the number fourteen every day at the same time, and he’s noticed me but never had the courage to talk to me. Then, while I was in the hospital, he noticed I wasn’t riding the bus anymore, and the day I started back again, he came over and sat next to me.” She giggled softly. “It’s amazing. Before all of this happened, I was much too shy and self-conscious to have ever spoken to a handsome stranger on the bus. Now, after all that’s happened, being afraid just reach out and talk so someone seems so silly.”

“Wow, that’s so cool,” Parker replied. “I’m very happy for ya, Tina. Seems like you’re finally starting to get your self-confidence back.”

The bus pulled up to the crosswalk, and Tina waved him down. “Well, Parker, guess I’ll see you around. It was good seeing you again. Oh,” she said, leaning forward to whisper in his ear, “I also wanted to thank you... for believing in me. And for trusting me. I promise... your secret if safe with me.”

He nodded softly as she boarded the bus, watching as it pulled away. “She’s right, you know,” Parker said aloud, without bothering to turn. “My secret is safe with her. You don’t need to worry—either of you, that is.”

“Well, having looked deep into her mind, I would have to agree with you,” Eva Snow replied, coming up behind her nephew, giving him a warm hug. “She is a remarkable young woman. It’s a pity she had to go through all of this to get to where she is now, but I think she’s the stronger for it.”

“And she’s certainly a lot better off than she was before,” Roni added, walking around to face him, giving him a sweet kiss on the lips. “I just came from Dr. Thurgood’s office, and he happened to mention that due to the successful testing of Tina’s device, and it’s use in waking her from her ‘coma’, she not only passed her Senior Project, but was awarded the fellowship with Eugene’s company. He even mentioned something about a special research project that he wants her to head, once your Aunt gives her the ‘All Clear’.”

Parker whistled. “Whoa. Finishing grad school, landing a researcher position with the biggest electronics firm in the country, and now finding romance. Sweet. She’s hit the Trifecta.”

“Well you’re not doing so bad yourself, loverboy,” Roni teased, hugging his arm tight. “With Tina graduating, and James basically expelled, Dr. Thurgood is hoping you’ll take over as his new Teaching Assistant next semester. He just finished grading everyone’s final exams, and you had the highest score. But that’s nothing compared to what I have planned for you later tonight, after dinner, once we get back to our apartment.” She purred lightly, arching her back. “Tina’s not the only one who’s lucky in love, Tiger.”

Parker blushed lightly, while Eva laughed out loud. “Speaking of dinner,” he said, turning towards the parking lot, “we’d better get going, or we’ll miss our dinner—” He stopped to turn as the sound of a loud explosion sounded from several blocks away to the east. “—reservations. Damn.” He sighed deeply as several police and ambulances roared by, heading towards the location. “Well, I guess dinner will have to wait for a while,” he replied, starting to unbutton his shirt.

“I was actually thinking more along the lines of fast food anyway,” Roni said with a grin, sliding her mask over the bottom of her face. “But you’re perfectly welcome to go on without us, Eva.”

“Hah! Not a chance,” the blonde psychic replied, gesturing with her hands, instantly shedding her business attire, standing there in her trademark white uniform and thigh high boots. “I missed out on all the excitement the last time. I certainly don’t intend to let you two youngsters have all the fun this time!”

Parker and Roni glanced at each other as the psychic ran towards the car. “Now how the heck did she do that?” Roni asked, still struggling to get out of her street clothes. “Did you know she could do that?”

“You’re asking me what I know about my Aunt’s ability to change clothes?” Parker retorted, hopping on one foot, trying to remove his pants without falling over. “Well, it’s not as if I spent a lot of time watching her undress or anything... but I’d have to say this is the first time I’ve ever seen her pull that little trick.”

Eva blew the horn, pulling up in front of them. “C’mon, you slowpokes. You can change in the car.” Rolling their eyes, the two youths slid inside the vehicle, which immediately began streaking towards the site of the explosion. “Honestly, children,” Eva said with a grin, “if it takes you this long for a simple costume change, I’m surprise you ever arrive in time to save anyone.”

* * *

“Hey, Phelps,” Henderson, one of the guards, yelled out. “Over here. You have a visitor.”

“A visitor?” James asked, standing up from bleachers where he and several other inmates were sitting, watching a couple of others play basketball. “For me? Who is it?”

“Get yer scrawny ass over here and maybe you’ll see!” the guard yelled back, gesturing towards the doorway. Resigned, and more than a bit curious, James left the recreation area, following Henderson down the hallway towards one of the interrogation rooms. Inside, an attractive redheaded woman in a navy blue business suit sat on one side of a table. She nodded to the guard, who turned and left, closing the door behind him.

“Have a seat, Mr. Phelps,” the woman said, gesturing to the empty chair. James sat down, frowning, eyeing the woman suspiciously.

“So, who are you?” he asked, crossing his arms. “A lawyer? If so, you’re a bit late on the appeal. I’ve been writing letters for weeks now, and no one’s so much as batted an eye at them.”

“No, Mr. Phelps,” the woman replied. “I’m not a lawyer. This isn’t about your appeal... though it IS about a second chance or sorts.”

“Second chance? What do you mean?”

“I represent a certain group of people who wish to remain anonymous. They have empowered me to offer you a deal: agree to work for them, and they will make arrangements for your early release, as well as cleansing your criminal record. What do you say?”

James smirked. “I say, it sounds too good to be true. What’s the catch? What kind of job is it that you want me for, some kind of suicide mission?”

The woman cracked a slight smile. “Direct and to the point. I like that. No, it’s not a suicide mission, but your chances of survival are somewhat questionable. It involves using you as a test subject for an experimental new process that my employers have developed. If you survive, you will be mostly free to come and go as you please, to pursue your own pursuits, though you may be called upon to do a job or two for my employers from time to time.”

“Uh huh. Okay, I’ll bite. What exactly does this ‘experimental process’ of yours do? What’s it supposed to give me?”

“Power,” the woman replied simply. “The power to do what you want, whenever you want, without anyone being able to stop you. The same kind of power that thus far only a few select members of society enjoy.” She took a small manila folder from her bag and placed it on the table. “I’ve read your file, Mr. Phelps. I know the circumstances that put you behind bars. I know the kind of man you are. And I know the person you most blame for being stuck in here.” She opened the folder, took out a photograph, and slid it towards him. It was a picture of Echo.

“He beat you,” the woman continued, candidly, despite the anger evident on his face. “He, and those like him, with powers and abilities that set them apart from normal citizens like yourself, taking the law into their own hands.” She smiled wickedly. “The police didn’t catch you. He did. And do you see a badge anywhere on his uniform? Did he even read you your Miranda rights? I’m willing to bet the answer is no.”

“So, again, I ask, what’s your point?”

“My point,” the woman said, knowing she had him hooked, “is simply this: Take our deal. Agree to our terms. Serve as our test subject, and in return we will give you powers to make you a match for any Super out there. Then feel free to take your revenge on this Super, the one who put you here, the one who is the cause of all your misery. Crush him... and then you can get on with your life.” She slid a contract and an ink pen across the table to him. “So... what is your decision?”

“My decision,” he said, picking up the pen, “is no decision at all. Risk my life, serving as a human test subject for some experimental procedure that MIGHT give me superhuman powers, if it doesn’t kill me outright... or stay here in jail.” He pushed the contract back across the table to the woman, signed. “I accept. When do we start?”

((end))