The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“Now, if you’ll bring your attention to the referrendum on page four, you’ll find—” Senator Wellsley glanced up as the counil chamber doors swung open. “Here! Here! What is this?” he yelled, banging his gavel loudly on the oak stand as several people in brightly colored costumes entered the room. “This is a closed session of Congress! What in the world is going on here? Mr. Chairman, please!”

The Congressional Chairman rose to his feet, gesturing for quiet. “Ladies and gentlemen, please, I must have order!” Fixing his gaze on the small column of intruders standing halfway down the aisle, he spoke loudly. “I don’t know what this is about, but I’m going to have to ask you all to leave right now. Congress is in session, and you’re disrupting a very important meeting.”

“I realize that, Mr. Chairman,” Omega Girl said solemnly, stepping forward. “That’s the reason why my friends and I made the trip here to Washington D.C. today. I’m sorry to disrupt the meeting, and I know it goes against Congressional etiquette, but I’d like to address Congress for just a few moments, if I may.”

“And just who is it that wishes to address this session of Congress?” the Chairman asked, leaning forward.

“Chairman Miller,” a grey-haired woman in the back right stood up. “Mr. Chairman, fellow colleagues, I’d like to introduce one of my State’s most distinguished heroines, Omega Girl.” The chamber filled again with the sound of muttering at the news, and Senator Wellsley went noticably pale. “Omega Girl, you should have told me you were coming from River City up to the ‘Hill’,” the Senator chided gently, making her way down to the center aisle. She shook Lacie’s hand, smiling. “What’s it been now, dear? Ten, twelve years?”

“Um, closer to ten, I believe, ma’am,” Lacie said, blushing slightly. “Sorry to put you in this position, Senator Billingsley...”

“Think nothing of it, dear,” the elderly woman said dismissively. Facing front, she spoke. “Mr. Chairman, ten years ago, this woman saved my life, and the lives of my entire family. I say, let her speak.”

“Mr. Chairman, please!” Senator Wellsley protested, rising to his feet. “This is all very irregular! I must protest this woman’s interruption! We are in the middle of caucus here!”

“Which is precisely why I need to speak,” Lacie said, loudly, hovering several inches off the ground. Floating, she made her way to the front of the room, standing before a slightly dazed Chairman. “I just want to say a few words, Mr. Chairman, five minutes at most. May I?”

Senator Bob Miller, considered, glancing around the room at the people assembled there. With a sigh, he nodded. “Alright. I’ll allow it. The floor opens for Miss.. um, Omega Girl, from River City.”

Lacie sighed, then took a deep breath. “Thank you. Ladie and gentlemen, I come to you today, to speak out against this bill Senator Wellsley is proposing, not as super hero, but as a citizen of this country. These is a problem in this country... indeed, in the entire world, with beings with mysterious and fantastic powers attempting to enforce their will upon the populous. I’m talking about Supers... metahumans, like myself, with abilities surpassing those of the average person. A lot of us are good, honest, law abiding citizens, just trying to make our way in the world like any of you. Admittedly, there are some of us that choose to use their powers for more... selfish reasons... to improve their lives at the expense of those around them.

“But... well, isn’t that the way of the world? There have always been men and women in the past that have sought to dominate and control others. And you don’t need special powers to be a threat to those around you. Adolf Hitler wasn’t a Super, but he was responsible for the deaths of millions, and he very nearly conquered the world! My point is... super powered or not, there have been, and always will be, bad people in the world.

“Which brings me to the reason my friends and I came here today. We are... very strongly against the Metahuman Registration Bill being proposed. While it is a good idea, in theory, to have everyone with special powers submit to a government injunction and register... to have our powers and abilities studied and documented... the reality is that it just won’t work. How would you enforce the bill? Most of the super villians my friends and I fight against would never willingly submit to registering, and a lot of the heroes and heroines that I know wouldn’t go along with it either. It’s an invasion of privacy, for one thing. Some of us, well... for some, our identites are rather obvious. If your skin is bright and shiny silver, then putting on a pair of glasses or a mask won’t disguise who you really are. But for a lot of us, being able to take off the mask, to let go of the hero identity and just be NORMAL for a while is what keeps us sane.

“And... what’s to stop the bad guys from stealing that confidential information and using it against us? No security system not matter how high tech or secure, is foolproof. I honestly don’t know what scares me more—the thought of having my idenity revelaed, of having to BE Omega Girl, all the time, twenty-four/seven... or the idea that some bad guy with a lot of money and resources could find out my indentity and use it against me, going after my family and friends to get to me.”

“So, basically, what you’re saying, Miss,” Senator Wellsley cut in, standing up once more, “is that you don’t think the United States Goverment is capable of safeguarding your confidential information if you choose to give it?” He frowned. “Or maybe it’s that you’re saying that you don’t believe that the Government has your best interests at heart?”

Lacie turned to face Wellsley directly. “I wouldn’t have phrased it that way, Senator, but since you asked... yes. I hate to say it but my Government doesn’t have my best interests at heart.” She removed a folded paper from her pocket and held it up. “I have here an unedited copy of the bill you’re proposing, Senator. Along with requiring all citizens with metahuman abilities to register and provide all pertinent and personal information, it states that those citizens registered will be required to attend special training classes, to better learn how and when to apply their powers... and that they are expected to respond in times of crisis, ‘as directed by the appropriately appointed government official...’” She crossed her arms. “So, basically, we’re not only expected to give up our anonimity, and our identities, we’re also expected to become a special militia, dispatched at the orders of ‘an apporopriately appointed’ official. Is that a correct assesment, Senator?”

“Ba... um... I...” Senator Wellsley sputtered, sitting back down. “Where did you get that information? How were you able to access that file? That’s confidential information!”

“It was obtained, Senator Wellsley,” Armor Man replied, stepping up next to his wife, “from that same supposedly secure information network you mentioned a moment ago. The same one that you would like us to believe that our personal information is perfectly safe being stored in.”

“My friend just proved one point,” Lacie continued, not giving the Senator a chance to respond. “But let me continue with the one I was trying to make. You’re talking about turning us into a militia, a government controlled and operated militia, just like the marines, or the national guard, except in both of those you get to volunteer for service. In this case, we’re being drafted, forced to service whether we want to or not!” She sighed deeply, trying to choose her next words carefully. “Look. I love this country. I vote. I pay my taxes. I even enlisted out of high school, but was turned down for medical reasons, if you can believe that. I try to do the right thing, and I use the powers and abilities I was gifted with to try and help people. All of us here do,” she said, gesturing to her friends also in attendance. “If you push this bill, if you try and have the federal government control and regulate the metahuman population, you won’t be making things better—you’ll make them much much worse!

“We’re citizens of this country. Granted, a lot of us, myself included, have as more firepower than some small countries, but we’re not WEAPONS. We are PEOPLE. We are U.S. Citizens. We have rights, and chief among those are our civil liberties, our abilities to govern our own actions, and live out our own lives. That’s not to say that if a Super goes off the deep end and decides he or she wants to rule the world or destroy a city the Government shouldn’t get involved. I’m just saying that taking this step is going too far, akin to rounding up people into concentration camps simply because they’re a ‘diffferent’. Not only is it unconstitutional, it is just plain wrong.”

“Dear God,” Wellsley muttered under his breath, “she’s used Hitler twice and just invoked the Bill of Rights, all in the same speech. What’s next, leading the entire room in a chorus of ‘We Are The World’?”

Lacie’s head whipped around to glare back at him. “Is there something you’d like to share, Senator Wellsley?”

“Yes, Miss ‘Girl’, I do have a few words I’d like to add to that... very moving speech of yours.” Turning to face his audience, he continued. “First of all, I don’t appreciate the way in which you and your friends decided to make your opinions heard. There are established protocols. and official channels, to voicing your concerns. You are obviously familiar with your State’s Congressional respresentative, I would suggest in the future that you start by contacting HER. As to the fact that you admitted to breaking into a secure government database in front of all of these people, this is neither the time nor the place to bring up the issue of criminal charges, nevertheless rest assured that the matter will be looked into. And finally, as to the charges of violating civil liberties, I would like to point out that the copy of the bill to which you are referring to has since been edited and altered to—”

“Reword the phrasing all you like, Senator,” Omega Girl said with a scowl, gesturing to her husband to step forward again. “The idea and the spirit of the bill remains the same. I didn’t want to do this here, at this time, but since you’re making this personal, let’s talk a little about some of violations you insist are not taking place here.” She nodded to Gene, who raised a guantlet towards the viewscreen on the far wall.

The room was silent for several minutes as file after filed was displayed from Armor Man’s database. “Wha... what is this? Wher... where... how did you... there’s no way...” Senator Wellsley sputtered helplessly, going white. “This isn’t... it’s all lies! Slander! Trying to ruin my reputation! I would never ever—”

“Oh, but ye did, Senator,” Gene replied, displaying the financial data Jerry had uncovered as well. “These are your bank accounts, your financial records, and your signatures. You’ve been funneling congressional funds into this secret black project of yours, trying to find a way to protect the country from what you perceived to be a threat from within. The only problem with that... well, not the ONLY problem, I suppose, by the looks on some of your fellow Senators’ faces—the MAIN problem with yer little scheme is that when you go about doing dirty work, you often have to have help from people in low places. Now, I dinnae know for certain how much knowledge you had about the inner workings of your ‘research project’, and I’m willing to give ye the benefit of the doubt... but whether you knew the details or not, you are DIRECTLY responsible for the abductions, experimentation, torture, and eventually the deaths, of no less than a hundred and fifty-two private citizens.” Another flash, and he displayed the personal data on the victims they’d managed to retrieve from MacDonald’s files. The room again went silent, including Wellsley himself, he merely lowered his head, staring into his hands.

“Mister Chairman,” Gene said, removing a small flash drive from his wrist, “this contains all the data I’ve displayed for ye just now, and a lot more. I trust you’ll know what to do with it.” The stunned Senator merely nodded, taking the device in hand.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Lacie concluded, moving back towards the center of the aisle, “we’re just people, trying to live our lives. We’re not asking for a lot, just to be allowed to live in peace. We wear the constumes and masks of the hero because we want to do our part to help. So, please... let us help, but let us do it our way. Thank you.” With that, she and the other filed back out.

A few days later...

“...yeah, mom, we’re finally back home again,” Parker Albinn spoke into his cell, glancing around the room at his lover as she finished unpacking. “Uh huh. Yeah, we’re both doing fine.” He nodded softly. “Well, no, not really. I have a little something planned, I just haven’t had a chance to do anything about it yet. Uh huh. Uh huh. Uh huh...”

Veronica sighed inwardly, drawing out the unpacking for as long as she could, trying to work up the nerve for what she was about to do. This is stupid. I’m stupid. I know damn well how Parker feels about me. And I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that I love him too. I’m tired of us being so distant with each other. I don’t even know how it happened... one minute I’m baring my soul to him, sharing my deepest darkest secret... and the next, we’re in the hospital, recovering from a beat down from Zero. Next thing I know, he’s being cold, distant, and aloof... just the way I was acting before he forced me to bare my soul to him. She sighed again. Did I... ruin things between us? He said that it was okay, that he was happy knowing more about my past, that it only made him love me more... and yet... I don’t want to lose him. I can’t. I can’t!

“Okay, mom,” Parker said, finally, laughing. “I’ll talk to you later. Bye!” He sighed softly, glancing back at Roni. He slid both hands into his pockets and made his way over to the bed. “Hey,” he said noncommitially. “Mom called to see if we made it back home okay. She said she saw us on TV at the Congressional caucus on CNBC.” He shrugged. “Not that we contributed a lot to the conversation; Lacie and Gene did all the talking, the rest of us were just there for moral support.”

“Yeah,” Roni said, softly, closing the dresser drawer before turning to face him. “Parker,” she said quickly, moving over to look him directly in the eye, “I’ve been thinking. We live together. We fight crime together. We spend practically every minute of the day together. We’ve become so close that when we’re in synch, we even finish each other’s sentensces. That’s why I think it’s time—”

“That we see other people?” Parker finished with a frown.

“What? No!” Roni said, shaking her head briskly. “That... that’s not it at all!” She harumphed. “I guess this is one of those times when we’re NOT in synch. Parker... love. I mean... well... wouldn’t it be great if... oh, bloody hell! Parker, let’s get married!”

Now it was Parker’s turn to look surprised. “Wha... what did you say?”

“Let’s get married. Today. I mean... we haven’t really even unpacked. Let’s take a change of clothes and fly down to Las Vegas, and, just... get married! If we left right now, we could be there by late evening. Wh... what do you say?”

Parker stared at her for a long moment, then shook his head. “Sorry, Roni. I’m afraid I just can’t go along with that plan...”

“Oh,” Roni said simly, turning away. She turned to stare out the window, determined not to let him see her cry. “Oh. Okay,” she said in a flat voice void of emotion. “Well, anyway, it was just an idea. Just a wild, spur-of-the-moment kind of things. It’s nothing to be concerned about. Really.” She bit her lip to supress a sob. “We can talk about it again, later... some other time—”

Parker’s hand turned her gently but forcefully around, facing him. “I guess this IS one of those times when we’re not in synch. I was attempting to say that I couldn’t go along with that plan,” he said, taking her hand in his own... dropping slowly down to one knee, “because I had plans of my own.”

Roni’s breath caught in her throat. “Parker?” she asked, uncertain, daring to hope this was really happening.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry, sweetheart,” he said gently, smiling, sliding a hand back into his pocket. “Call me conventional, or old fashioned, or whatever... but I feel that the man should be the one to offer.” Taking a small felt-covered box from his pocket, he opened it revealing a ring. “Veronica Rei Mitchell... will you do me the honor... of becoming my bride?”

Roni tackled him, smothering him with kisses, crying happily, sobbing tears of joy, nearly squeezing the very breath from him. She clutched to him as if he were the most precious thing in the world to her. Which, in actuality, he was. Once the tears finally abated, and her grip on his waist slackened, he pulled away enough to look her in the eye. Kissing her deeply, feeling it was safe to show his irreverant side once more, he asked her.

“So... should we count that as a ‘Yes’ or do I need to ask again?”

A few weeks later...

“Hey, rookie, hurry up!” Ultra Girl called over her shoulder, grinning briskly, as she flew through the evening sky above Crystal City. “You’re falling behind! If this were a real emergency, it’d all be over by the time you got there!”

“Easy for YOU to say,” Wyldcard grumbled, huffing and puffing and she lept from rooftop to rooftop, using her shadow portals to cover more ground. “It’s not like I can fly! Shadow-porting burns a lot of energy, yanno, and I’m getting tired.” Her frown deepened. “And STOP CALLING ME ROOKIE! Just because you’ve been doing this a bit longer than me doesn’t mean you can treat me like a wet-behind-the-ears kid!”

“Okay, Rookie,” Karen said, dropping down to the next roof. “Would you like being called ‘Probie’ better?” Elise gave her a dour look in response.

“Look, PARTNER,” Wyldcard said, marching up to stare her in the face, “let’s be clear here. YOU asked ME to move here to be your partner, got it? You asked ME. Not the other way around. So start showing some freaking gratitude or I’m outta here!”

“Okay, okay, you’re right,” Karen said placatingly. “I guess I am giving you a bit of a rough time after that little fiasco last week with those purse snatchers in the park.”

Elise colored slightly. “That wasn’t my fault! My powers aren’t one hundred percent under my control, you know. I don’t ALWAYS get the ability I’m trying for on the first attempt... it’s why the Doctor named me Wyldcard to begin with.” She sighed. “At least it was the kinetic energy spheres instead of a few crystal shards that flew at those muggers. The only ended up bruised and a bit singed instead of shish-kabobbed!”

“Exactly. Hence the reason why we’re doing these excercize drills up here at night,” Karen explained, “to give you a chance to practice using your powers where you won’t accidentially kill someone, or cause major property damage, by mistake. The warehouse district is mostly abandoned, with virtually no seaport traffic at this time of the year, so anyone we accidentially come across creeping around down there most likely shouldn’t be there in the first place.”

Elise sighed, reluctantly agreeing. Though she hated to admit it to herself, and CERTAINLY never aloud within earshot of Ultra Girl... she was happy to be out and about, spending time with her new friend. Everything she’d gone through for the past few months seemed like an eternity ago, now that she was here. A new life, in a new city, she reminded herself. That’s what brand new starts are all about. And... she is a but of a know-it-all, but Karen’s pretty cool. I could do worse than to have her as a mentor...

“So, Probie, are we ready to get back to it again?” Ultra Girl asked, leaping skyward once more. “Come on... last one down to the pier and back springs for dinner tonight when we head back home!”

“What?” Wyldcard yelled, looking up to see her ‘partner’ already several yards away, and speeding up. “Dammit! No fair! Cheater!!” she yelled, focusing on her shadow form even as she started sprinting across the rood. “AND DON’T CALL ME PROBIE!!”

Several weeks later...

Eugene Frasier finally let out the breath he’d been holding, sinking deep into the padded chair. The calm and composed facade he’d been wearing all day shattered, and he laughed, shaking his head. Just outside the door, several of his friends stood, cheering, and sharing in the wonder of the miracle that had just occurred. He’d passed out the traditional cigars to everyone, including Doctor Boardman, who merely rolled her eyes and slid it into her pocket, not willing to begrudge the Scotsman his foibles.

Across the room, Lacie and the babies were resting comfortably, all three sleeping peacefully. Aye, as well they should, he thought to himself, with a yawn. Not sure how the two bairns felt about it, but for the lass and myself, it was a rough couple of hours! Still... ye did great, Lacie love. I’ve never been more proud of ye than I am at this verra minute.

Things had finally settled down on Capital Hill following their visit months before. Senator Wellsley’s bill had died, the issue of metahuman registration returned to the shelf once more, at least for a couple more years. The Senator himself had resigned, which was to be expected, and while criminal charges had yet to be filed, a committe was being put together to look into all of the ex-Senator’s financial dealings. The shell companies he’d established to hide the money trail were dissolved, and the research itself was ended, concluding with the arrest and convictions of indivuals connected to the project that spanned the entire country.

And good riddance to the lot of ‘em, Gene thought grimly. It’s bad enough dealing with this whole unsavory mess as it is. I certainly don’t like the idea of trying to raise children in a world with such dealing going on in the shadows.

He was pulled from his musings by a soft knock at the door. Gene glanced up and saw a nurse motioning to him. “Mr. Frasier,” she whispered, mindful of the sleepings a few feet away, “Sorry to bother you, but there was a call for you on the main switchboard. If you’d like to take it, you can use the phone at Nurse’s Station B.”

“Aye, thanks,” he said, following her out the door. A few feet away, he paused, considering. “Um, nurse, I know it’s a bit of an imposition, and it’s probably unneccessary... but would ye mind sitting in with my wife until I get back?”

“Certainly, Mr. Frasier,” the nurse said with a smile. “It’s not an imposition at all! I’ve been dying to get a look at the newborns, and was just waiting til it was my turn to come in and check up on them.” With a turn, she stepped back inside the room, occupying the chait Gene has vacated.

Arriving at the phone, he answered, only to find the caller had hung up. A second later, his cell phone began buzzing in his pocket, and answering, he saw he’d been left a text message, a web address. Frowning, glancing around, he typed the address into his Blackberry, and clicked on the link. A face appeared on the screen, and Gene rached out to grab the counter for support, nearly dropping the phone as the image of his older brother Duncan grinned up at him.

“Greetings, Eugene,” Duncan’s recorded voice spoke, as the older man moved out of camera range for a moment, returning with a pair of milar balloons, one pink and one blue. “Or rather, I should say, Congratulations! So... yer a father now. And I guess that makes me an Uncle. Nice. I trust the wife and babes are doing well, recovering from the miracle of modern birth? I know you’re probably wondering about the reason for my call, out of the blue like this after so many years, and you me be completely ovewhelmed with questions... so let’s see if I can accomodate you.

“The first is that, obviously, I’m alive and well. The reports of my demise were greatly exaggerated, though not for a lack of trying. As to the how... well, brother, while you and Malcolm were working on your little... project... pooling your talents to find a cure for him, I pursued my own goal. I realized just how fragile life can be when Malcolm got sick, saw first hand just how quickly you can go from being on top of the world to barely struggling to survive, I swore to myself, then and there, that that would never be my fate. And so I put my considerable talents and intellect into finding a cure, not for Malcolm’s malady, but for the disease that ravages all mankind... death itself.

“It was really quite ingenius, actually. Cancer is the accellerated, unwanted, and uncontrolled growth of cells in specific parts of the body, be it skin cells, liver cells, brain cells, or the like. What my research uncovered was a process to stimulate a controlled accelerrated growth rate, that responded only to cellular trauma or damage. In short, I used Malcolm’s cancer cells to induce a substantial healing factor in my own cells!” The image on the screen sighed. “Of course, to help control that process, I needed to inject the introduce the synthetic biological nanomachines that Malcolm foolishly injected you with, to stabilize the process. Without them, I was forced to regularly ingest a serum to keep the growth rate under control, lest it turn cancerous. But... that’s ancient history.

“I survived my ‘execution’ and left Scotland. I changed my name and identity and moved to England, where I continued my studies. Eventually, I came to this country, and imagine my surprise to discover my younger brother had done the same! Not the most gifted son of John Fraasier, you nevertheless made quite a life for yourself, prospering through sheer will and determination. I’m actually proud of you, Gene... I never thought you had it in you to survive in the cutthroat world of big business. You even decided to ‘give something back’ to the community, as it were, using your technological prowess to create a suit of armor and adopting the persona of a hero. Some things never change, do they, Gene? You’re still obsessed with being the squeaky-clean good guy, and I’m still pursuing the role of the villian.

“Good job on shutting down the Metahuman Research Project, by the way,” Duncan said, clapping. “Bravo. Well done. I underestimated you on that one, my brother. You’ve always been a bit focused on the details, never able to see the big picture. Frankly, when you and your motley crew of heroes stumbled across my setup, I didn’t woory too much. I didn’t think you’d be able to put it all together, assuming you’d pass it off as just another random isolated kidnapping case. I didn’t give you enough credit, Gene, and in the end, you burned me. Well... not me, personally. Wellsley may have THOUGHT he was the one running things, but in the end, he was nothing more than an expendable pawn. Just a means to an end. But you know me, little brother... I always think ahead. Even with this little operation dismantled, I still have the capabilities to continue my work.

“So rest up, dear brother. Cherish fatherhood. Spend time with that lovely wife of yours. And enjoy being the hero. You’ve set back my plans at least a decade or two, but rest assured, I’ll be back.” He smirked evilly, shaking the balloons. “And maybe I’ll even stop by for a visit, to meet the family.”

The transmission went dead, and Gene quickly reentered the URL, but to no avail. Damn. It was a temporary site, and it deleted the contents as soon as they were viewed. Damn you, Duncan... you always do think ahead. Standing there in the hospital hallway, Eugene considered what to do next. The threat still existed, grave as ever, but there was nothing he could do about it at the moment. With a heavy sigh, he placed his phone back into his pocket and headed back towards the recovery room.

Duncan was right on one thing. I do need to cherish my family. Threats from the shadows can wait for another day. Today, I’m a father. I’m going to focus on that, and taking care of my wife and the wee bairns.

Several thousand miles away on a private yacht on the French Riveria...

“Sir, the website has been accessed. Your brother has received the message.”

“Good,” Duncan Frasier said with satisfaction, sipping a glass of wine. “Tell Maitlyn to have that package shipped out to Eugene’s home address. I doubt he’ll let the twins keep the birthday present I’m sending, but its the thought that counts.” He shrugged. “How long til we make port?”

The tall elderly man with a patch over one eye spoke into the intercom. “The captain say we’re still about an hour out, sir,” Doctor MacDonald replied.

“Good enough. Gives us enough time for a nice leisurely game of chess before we get back to business.” He gestured to the board, already set up, and an empty seat. “I’ll even let you go first this time.”

“You’re too kind, sir,” MacDonald replied, making the first move. “I have been wondering something, sir, and perhaps you’d care to enlighten me.”

“Yes? What is it?” Duncan asked, making a counter move.

“I was wondering why you went to all the trouble of contacting your younger brother,” MacDonald said, frowning at the chess board. He reached his knight, then. changing his mind, moved a pawn instead. “Until now, he didn’t even know you were alive, let alone involved in the circumstances that occurred recently. Why tip your hand, and let him know you were it’s mastermind?”

Duncan responded with another countermove. “As with everything I do, Doctor, I try and cover all contingencies. Eugene stumbling across our operation was unexpected, but not completely unforseen.” The doctor made another move, and Duncan quickly countered with a move of his own. “My brother is nothing if not predictable. Having received my message, he no doubt started going through all the possible scenarios, trying to figure out how I knew about his wife giving birth today. He’ll no doubt check with the hospital staff, trying to find out if any of them leaked the information, then checking the area and then his home for survalience. I estimate it will be at least a week or two before he finds the bug hidden in his Blackberry.” He chuckled softly. “Your move, Doctor.”

“Oh, sorry,” the man said, hesitating. Finally, he went ahead and brought his knight into play. “But I still don’t see why you let him know of your involvment. If you wanted to torment him, you could have done so without telling him that you were the one pulling Senator Wellsley’s strings.”

“Oh, it’s not about tormenting him,” Duncan replied, moving another piece, then waiting as the doctor moved his own. “As I said, I know my brother. Over the next several years, he is going to devote most of his time, energy, and resources into trying to find me. Not that he’ll actually find me, of course, but I intend to leave a trail of breadcrumbs for him to follow, giving him just enough to keep him interested and looking, but not enough to actually track me down. In the meantime, the second phase of the operation will be free to run unopposed. By the time the mental conditioning process is fully perfected, I won’t have to go through such roundabout methods to obtain the Super genetic samples I need. My erstwhile partners will get what they want, control of a virtual army of supers, and I get what I desire, the genetic codex to unlocking physical perfection!” He moved again. “Being able to torment Gene in the process is just an added bonus.”

MacDonald smiled. “I see. Well, Sir,” he said, moving his Knight into an occupied square, “it appears you’ve just lost your Queen.”

“And, you, MacDonald,” Duncan replied, moving his Bishop forward, “have just lost the game. That’s checkmate.” He laughed at the one-eyed doctor’s expression. “Misdirection, Doctor. I had your focus shifted here, when it should have been there. Not a lot of people would sacrifice a piece as powerful as a Queen so willingly, but for me, all the pieces are just pawns to be used, as long as they bring me closer to my ultimste goal.”

“I see. And what about me, Sir? Am I just another pawn piece... to be discarded once I am no longer of any use?”

“Precisely,” Duncan said without hesitation. “But don’t worry, doctor. I wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of innoculating you with my rejuvenating serum before sending you out to River City if I had intended of disposing of you so quickly. Indeed... just the expression on your former minion’s face when she sees you, still alive and well, makes the cost and effort worthwhile.”

“But what about my eye? Why hasn’t it healed like everything else?”

Duncan shrugged. “That... I’m not entirely sure of myself. Either the eye was completely obliterated, and thus none of it remained in order to regenerate, or... or perhaps something in that girl’s attack neutralized the rejuvenation effect on your eye. There’s a lot about her particular mutation that we still don’t understand. You said yourself that the four genetic samples you injected her with were still in flux, still unstable. Yet in all this time, she hasn’t suffered from the geneticc degradation and failure of the other subjects whose augmentation didn’t stabilize. At any rate, her capture and study will be your main priority once we return to the States.”

“Understood, sir,” MacDonald replied. “In fact, I’ll go right now and begin attending to the preparations.”

“Yes, you do that,” Duncan said dismissively as his subordinate departed. That’s a good lad, MacDonald. Make yourself useful and indespensible. I’ll keep you around as long as ye contune to be both. Drinking the rest of his wine, he sighed deeply, leaning back to enjoy the fresh ocean breeze.

It’s a pity, really, he thought idly, stsring out into the endless blue. I wonder how things would have turned out if you’d been the one to get sick, Gene. If Malcolm had survived, would I be facing off against him, matching wits with his intellect? Or would he be standing here now, at my side, as a true brother should? He sighed. Even after all this time, it still stings. That look... that bitter black look you gave me the night the police came to haul me away. That look that said, so clearly, even better than words, that I’d lost your support, your love, your trust. Betrayal, dear brother, is a bitter pill. You may feel that I betrayed you that night when I shoved you in front of that truck... but it was YOU, Gene, that betrayed ME... when at that moment your loyalties shifted away from me to your so-called high and mighty morals.

Holding his champagne glass up to the light, he laughed bitterly, tossing it overboard. “I’ll show you one day, Gene. I’ll show you just how foolish it was to choose to go against me. Oh yes, dear brother, mark my words. One day, you will see.”