The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Veiled Threats

by J. Darksong

8.)

Lacie sat up with a gasp, eyes wide, hands clutching the bed sheets hard enough to rip them to shreds. Immediately, familiar rough slightly calloused hands gentled her, pushing her back down to the bed. “Easy, hon, you’re alright,” Eugene said softly, stroking her hand. “Just relax. You’re safe. We’re all safe. For the moment, at least...”

She glanced around, taking in her surroundings. “Wh... where am I? What is this place?”

“Yer in River City Memorial Hospital,” he said quietly, moving over to close the door. “A private room. I brought you and the youngsters here to get checked out by Dr. Boardman. Veronica and Parker both have broken arms, and a lot of cuts and bruises. I guess I got off lucky—a few scrapes, pulled muscle, dislocated shoulder, but nothing broken.”

Lacie sat up. “That’s good. Thank goodness for that...” Her eyes widened, as she glanced down at her abdomen. “Gene! My God! The baby! Is he—?”

“The baby is fine, Mrs. Frasier,” the doctor said, stepping into the room, pushing a small ultrasound cart with her. “Or rather, I suppose I should say, the babies are fine.”

Lacie blinked. “Babies? Did you just say ‘babies’, plural?”

Gene chuckled, caressing her hand. “That she did, love! Dr. Boardman ran all the usual obstetric tests on you while you were unconscious just to be sure everything was still okay, and when she did the Ultrasound she discovered the truth. Twins! We’re having twins!”

“Twins...” Lacie said, disbelieving. “I... I never thought... Doctor? Are you sure? I mean, I know you’re probably sure, about there being two of them and all, but... I mean, are they okay? Are they healthy?” She rubbed idly on her stomach. “I just took one hell of a beating, after all...”

“Yes, well, I’d advise you NOT to do that again,” the doctor said with a smirk. “But yes, Mrs. Frasier. I triple-checked all of the test results just to be sure. Both babies are coming along just fine. I’d say they’re at the fourteen week mark right on schedule.”

Gene and Lacie both exchanged glances. They’d left Midas City only a little more than six weeks ago. While Sarah had warned there would be some accelerated growth due to the magic involved, she hadn’t said anything about it progressing THAT fast! Wow... fourteen weeks of growth in just under seven weeks? And twins too boot? Sheesh... I wonder if she accidentally doubled everything when she cast the spell? Lacie’s barely begun to show, but if things go on as they are, she’ll deliver in just under four months. He shook his head.

God... how I hate magic. Even though I’m thankful for the end results, the means always leaves me feeling... uneasy. Give me logical equations and formula sheets any day!

“Would you like to see the babies?” Dr. Boardman asked, holding up the small wand and a bottle of conducting gel. Lacie nodded, and the doctor opened her hospital gown, applying a generous amount of gel to her abdomen. Moments later, the black and white monitor screen came to life, showing two shadowy but definite forms. “There? You see? There they are... and they’re both looking just fine.”

Husband and wife sighed softly, holding hands. “Twins,” Lacie whispered, yawning. “I still can’t believe it...” She yawned again.

“Well, believe it. You’ve seen it for yourself. Now... get some rest. Your body burned a lot of energy healing itself, and you need more rest. I need to finish making my rounds, and I want to go check on your two friends. I’ll be back to check on you in about an hour or so.”

“That reminds me, doctor,” Gene said, walking to the door with her. “How long are ye gonna hold her over for observation? When can I take her home?”

The doctor considered. “Well... if she were a normal patient, I’d recommend at least a three day stay over, to run a full battery of tests.” She sighed deeply. “Of course, she’s anything BUT a typical patient. Supers tend to make the worst patients, always disregarding doctor’s orders, thinking themselves tougher and more resilient than they actually are. Your wife though... she really IS as resilient as she thinks, perhaps even moreso. When you first brought her in, she was in pretty bad shape, covered in blood, cuts and gashes all over her body, her face bruised and swollen... and I’d never seen Omega Girl in such a state in all the years I’ve been tending her!” She gestured to the bed. “Now, after only a few hours, she’s almost completely healed. The bruising and swelling have disappeared, all her cuts and gashes have closed up... the only sign she was even injured at all is a little bit of irritation on her skin, and even that will have faded in another hour.”

“Aye,” Gene said softly. “She always was a quick healer when it comes to physical hurts.”

Alexis Boardman nodded, knowing only too well what he meant. Lacie Ann Frasier had been her patient since she was six years old. In fact, she’d been her very first patient, the first person she’d ever treated, back when she’d just began practicing medicine. She’d watched the girl grow up into a kind, caring and courageous woman, and one of the city’s protectors. True, being Omega Girl, she hadn’t needed much medical attention growing up, but she’d always insisted on seeing her friend Dr. Boardman. She’d felt a strong kinship to the girl, growing up without a mother just as she had. Even now, at the age of thirty-six, she still thought of the adult woman as she always had—a young precocious girl, the daughter she’d never had. When Lacie went through the miscarriage of her first pregnancy, she’d cried and mourned right along with her. She’d watched helplessly as the heroine descended into a very dark place, a downward spiral she’d only recently emerged from.

She hoped fervently that this pregnancy went off without a hitch. Super heroine or not, she knew that Lacie Frasier wouldn’t be able to endure it if anything happened to the twins she was carrying.

“Tell you what. When I come back after making my rounds, if she’s still feeling alright, I’ll sign her release forms. Just make sure that she takes it easy from now on, okay? And whoever or whatever you guys ran into out there, I’d strongly suggest you avoid them in the future.”

“Aye,” Gene said, watching her as she walked out into the hallway. “Words to live by, Doctor. Words to live by.”

* * *

“How’s she doing?” the doctor asked.

Elise bit her lip. “Well, she’s perfectly secured, Sir. The Obedience Chair is running at maximum capacity—”

“Yes, yes, I can tell that from my readouts right here!” he cut in. “You haven’t answered my question. How’s our little psychic taking to the program?”

The redhead stared down at her feet. “She’s... stable. For the moment. I can’t say how well the programming is taking, but she’d definitely trying to resist. She’s fighting it tooth and nail, despite the drugs in her system, AND the stimulus the Chair is putting her through.” She shuddered slightly, remembering her own sessions in the Chair. “Not sure if it’s something about her being psychic, or if she set up some kind of mental block beforehand, but from what I’ve pulled from her mind, her brain is mostly static right now.” She finally looked up to meet his gaze. “On the good side, she’s so busy trying to fight the machine that she can’t use her abilities at all. Using psychic talents takes concentration, and hers is spread a little thin at the moment.”

The doctor nodded, still frowning. “I suppose that will have to do for now. In the meantime, she’s provided me with more than enough genetic samples to expand my studies. We were quite lucky to obtain her. It’s particularly hard getting genetic samples from someone with psychic abilities, if for no other reason than it’s impossible to hide your true intentions from them.” He held up a small beaker filled with a thick yellowish liquid. “Another piece of the genetic puzzle obtained.”

Elise nodded. A small part of her, that inner voice she’d been commanded to ignore, was railing again, making her disapproval of what was happening known. She tried to block it out, to continue thinking good thoughts of obedience and submission, but the voice was getting steadily louder, not softer. She knew she should alert the doctor, let him know of the trouble she was experiencing... but if she did, he would put her in the Chair again. She shuddered again.

The doctor noticed. “Is something wrong, my dear?” he asked, staring at her intently.

“N-n-no, Doctor,” she said, trying not to let her nervousness show. She forced a smile. “Just remembering... what it was like in the Chair for me, thinking about what she’d experiencing right now.” She took a deep breath. “Is there anything else I can do for you, Doctor?”

MacDonald considered. “No, not at the moment. I need to run the usual battery of tests on this new genetic samples you’ve presented me with, and I need to contact the others and let them know about my progress.” He thought for a moment. “Actually, my dear, you could handle one little task for me. You remember your old friend Dominic? The person your friend spoke to over the phone all those weeks ago, which eventually led you to me?” She nodded. “Well, he was recently reassigned to the care of a colleague of mine, and it seems he’s run amok. I need for you to track down our errant test subject and eliminate him before he exposes our activities to even more scrutiny that his actions already have.”

“Understood, Sir. Do we know where he was heading?”

“We have an idea. He’s not stupid enough to run to the local police, or the media, considering that we have people in both offices. And considering that his own particular condition is so unstable, he’ll most likely seek help from an acquaintance in the medical profession. Our records show he has only one relative within a hundred miles... a great-aunt, one Doctor Alexis Boardman, M.D. She works at River City Memorial, and my best guess is that he’ll try and contact her there.”

“Very well. I’ll keep an eye on the good Doctor and see if he tries to make contact.” She smiled, then winced slightly, as the doctor turned away. “I’ll handle this problem for you, Sir.” With that, she turned and walked out of the room.

MacDonald sighed wearily, shaking his head. Taking out his cell, he dialed a number from memory, then waited. “Yes. It’s me again. I’ve sent Wyldcard out after Saul’s escaped Chimera. Considering her own unique abilities, she should be able to handle him. Oh, and just as an update, I’ve managed to capture a local psychic, the Super known as Whitewash. A rare event, to be sure, you know how difficult it can be to subdue a psychic. I have plenty of genetic material for my research... but my biggest problem is that I haven’t been able to take control of her mind!”

He listened for several moments. “Yes, yes, I have her in the Obedience Chair right now. She’s been in for nearly nine hours now... yes, yes, the drugs too. My problem is that she’s resisting! The girl said it was like... mental static, whatever the hell THAT means. The point is, she’s not submitting to the programming!” He listened for a few more seconds, slowly turning red. “Well, I don’t care what they say, there’s obviously a problem with their ‘oh so vaunted’ enslavement process! Do I need to even mention the failure with test subject Zero? He went berserk and slaughtered all of research workers at the old facility, and completely destroyed the entire building! Wyldcard remains purely that—a ‘wild card’ that I have to closely monitor all the time, and reinforce her programming every few days. And my newest subject is actually FIGHTING the programming, resisting it even while doped up to the bloody gills!”

MacDonald sighed, then grunted, listening impatiently to the voice on the other side of the phone. “Fine. Alright... I’ll accept that their part of this project, mastering and perfecting a type of unilateral mind control, is just as important as a complete mapping of the metahuman genome structure. We all have our parts to play in creating this ‘brave new world’. I just want to go on record as saying that MY job will be considerably easier if THEY can find an effective way to ensure my test subjects don’t suddenly develop free will of their own and decide to turn on me. If I’m expected to help develop a 100 percent effective system for artificially creating superhuman powers and abilities in non-Supers, then it seems to me that THEY should be expected to develop an enslavement process that works 100 percent of the time as well.” With a huff, he closed his cell, slipping it back into his pocket.

* * *

Lacie dreamed.

She was six years old again, clutching her mommy’s hand as they entered the building where her daddy worked. The walls seemed huge, stretching up far into the sky, surrounding her on all sides as they walked, slowly, step-by-step, to the observation room. Two of the other researchers were chatting with her mommy, sharing some joke about how much time daddy was spending with them in the lab working, compared to his time at home with her. They all laughed, heartily, as they continued on towards the observation room. Her attention was occupied, however, focused on the light-up Yo-yo her father had given her for her birthday a few weeks ago.

She’d been practicing night and day, trying to do the tricks that her daddy had showed her, particularly the one she loved the most, the ‘Walking-the-dog’ trick. She’d finally mastered it, and when mommy had said they were going to see him at work, she’d brought it along to show him. She flipped the toy out as she walked, practicing again, to make sure she could do it for her dad. To her horror, the string slipped off her finger, and the yo-yo rolled away, down the hall, slipping through the crack of a small door as a man in white stepped out of it. She stopped, looking back at the door, and her toy, even as her mommy and the others continued walking on. The man on her right told another joke, and mommy laughed again, releasing her hand to wipe at her eyes. Little Lacie stared at them for a moment more, then turned and headed back towards the door.

She whined in her sleep, suddenly restless, knowing what was coming, but unable to stop her younger self from following the same path she’d taken all those years ago. Her younger self pulled the door open, quietly, looking around for her yo-yo. She didn’t want to get into trouble, but she just HAD to find that toy, so she could show her daddy the trick she’d learned. She glanced around the room, and finally, she saw the string. She stepped out from behind a large heavy black barrier, and knelt down to pick up the toy. A soft humming sound to her right caught her attention, and she stood up, looking in awe at a large pedestal in the center of the room with a shiny steel box with wires on it. In the center sat a small red jewel, shimmering like a ruby or a red diamond. Her mouth opened in surprise, and she dropped the yo-yo, taking a step towards the pedestal, thinking only about how pretty the stone was.

Her mommy liked pretty stones. She couldn’t wait to show her this one.

“LACIE!!” her father’s voice shouted at her from behind the screens. She jumped, panicked at his tone. He’d never ever shouted at her before, even when she’d accidentally spilled strawberry jam on his white shirt when he was about to leave for the office that time. She turned, and saw him running towards her, arms outstretched. Suddenly, time slowed to a crawl, his voice sounding deep and low, and though he was only a few feet away, he seemed to take forever to reach her. His hand finally closed around her arms, and he grabbed her, tightly, hurting her. She squealed, scared, thinking he was mad at her—for wandering off, for losing the toy he’d given her, for trying to take his shiny bauble to show mommy. All of those things flashed through her mind as he snatched her up, turning back towards the heavy black barrier.

The flash of light took them both by surprise.

“Noooooo...” Lacie moaned softly in her sleep, thrashing again. Tears ran down her cheeks. She wanted to wake up, wanted to escape the nightmare, and the guilt she was feeling, but the dream continued on, heedless. She watched, helpless, as her younger self and her father were bathed in the rays of the experimental energy source his department was trying to develop. Time still seemed to stretch in slow motion, seeming an eternity before they reached the safety of the lead shielded barrier, ducking behind it as the machine continued its preset cycle. Her six-year-old self continued to cry, sobbing softly, whimpering against her father, not knowing what just happened, not yet realizing the profound life-changing event that had just occurred. She only knew that her father was shaking slightly as he held her, gently stroking her head, telling her it was okay, that everything would be okay, that he loved her.

Time seemed to return with a vengeance; where before it had seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace, events now seemed to rocket by before she even realized what was happening. The door burst open once the scarlet light faded, and the researchers and her mommy rushed at them, trying to get to them. Her father spoke calmly, barking out orders, telling his men what to do. Lacie was taken away by another doctor wearing what seemed to her to be a space suit, her clothes and shoes taken away and burned. Placed in a large shower, the strange doctor washed her, soaping her up all over, then rinsing her off. She was finally dried, and given a thin paper gown to wear to cover herself, which only made her more miserable. She was scared, confused, terrified that she’d done something wrong, that this treatment was a punishment from her dad for being naughty, but as soon as she was removed from the shower, she saw her dad enter, getting the same treatment as her.

The emotional strain was too much for her six-year-old psyche, and when her dad finally came to her again, holding her gently, telling her it would be all right, she sighed, clutching him tightly, and passed out cold. Normally, the nightmare would end there, and she would wake up, sobbing, clutching a pillow wet with her tears... yet the dream continued on. Lacie, amazed, watched her younger unconscious self as she was carried by her father into the conference room, where her mommy and two other doctors were waiting.

“Well, Dr. Mathews, give it to me straight. How many rems did we get?”

The first doctor, sighed, tearing a piece of paper from the from the dot matrix printer, adjusting his glasses. “Looks pretty grim, James. You both took around 580 or so. We did get you both into the bath pretty quick, though... so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

They were all silent for a moment, then the shouting started. How could this have happened? How did she get into the room. Mommy and daddy yelling, blaming one another, even though neither one caused the accident. A few minutes later, three men in military uniforms entered, demanding answers, and the shouting started all over again. Eventually, her father took her mother by the hand and walked out of the room, followed moments later by Dr. Mathews.

“Wait, James. Where are you going?” he asked.

“Home. I’m going home, Reg. I’m taking my wife, and my daughter, and we’re going home.”

“Home? You can’t go home! You need to go to the military hospital—”

“Where they can study us both like lab specimens?” he shot back. “No way. I am NOT putting my little girl through that! She’s been through enough as it is! My darling little Lacie... GOD! Do you realize what I’ve done, Reggie? I’ve killed my little girl!”

“Yes... It’s sad. My heart mourns for you both, it really does. But... there’s still the big picture to consider. The military spent millions of dollars on this research project, developing a new kind of high energy power source, something less dangerous that uranium or plutonium. Accident or not, they still expect results. And... if the worse happens and you do... die... from this, well, you need to pass on your research data.”

“Screw the research data!” James roared, loudly. “All I care about right now is taking my daughter home. Reggie... you’re a bachelor, you don’t have a family, kids... you can’t understand what I’m going through right now. You just don’t know how I feel.” Turning, he and his wife began walking towards the front door.

“The Colonel’s going to want to talk about all the money they put into this project,” Dr. Mathews called out after them. James paused, calling back over his shoulder.

“Tell the Colonel he can bill me.”

Back home once more, the sleeping girl was placed in her bed. The two adults continued to talk softly in their bedroom, trying not to awaken her. Lacie once again thought the dream would end, but moments later she received another surprise. The door opened, and her mommy walked in, accompanied by HER mother. Grandma Urdra walked over to her sleeping form, and closed her eyes, sighing softly. She placed a glowing palm against little Lacie’s forehead, then shook her head.

“Is it bad, mother?” her mommy asked the white haired woman anxiously. “Is she going to die?”

“No,” Grandma Urdra said after a while, removing her hand. “She’ll live. Unlike her hapless father, she has a long and healthy life ahead of her. But, I’m afraid she is useless to us now. The power she absorbed has changed her, drastically, and with it, her fate.” She shook her head, scowling. “All that work and effort for naught. Well, child, we are done here. Pack any belongings that you wish to take with you, and we’ll be off.”

“Leave?” her mommy said, shocked. “But... but mother! She’s my daughter! My flesh and blood! And James... I still love him! You can’t just expect me to pack up and leave them both now, when they need me the most!”

“I can, and I do,” the matriarch stated. “Don’t try to sway me with talk about duty and loyalty. You have a greater duty to me, child... and a loyalty that existed long before your husband and daughter were a part of your life. Be grateful that I am giving you this chance to at least say goodbye.”

“No!” her mommy said fiercely. Her hands clenched into fists, glowing a soft rosy pink. “I won’t let you destroy my life this way, mother! I love you, I love our family... but THIS is my family too! I won’t let you make me choose between the two!”

“Fine, then,” the white haired woman said serenely, closing her eyes. “I won’t make you choose.” Abruptly, her eyes opened, and they flashed red. Lacie’s mommy gasped in surprise, swaying slightly in place as her eyes slowly began to glow red as well. “Since you can’t make the right choice, my dear, I’m afraid I’ll take the choice away from you. You tried to defy me, something I cannot and will not allow! We are leaving now. Come, take my hand, and I’ll take us home.”

“I...” Lacie’s mother whispered softly, her lip trembling, as her legs began to move towards her mother of their own accord. For a moment, she turned back towards her sleeping daughter, reaching out a hand towards her, but the moment passed, and her last bit of defiance died. A single tear trickled down her cheek as she turned and continued towards her mother. “Yes, Mother,” she said softly, in a flat emotionless voice, reaching out to touch her hand. “I am ready.” Their hands touched... and they disappeared in a flash of crimson light...

Lacie sat up with a gasp, panting, her heart thudding in her chest. The nightmare seemed to stay with her a moment, even after she opened her eyes, as a dim redness seemed to flicker at the edges of her vision. She shook her head to clear it, trying to calm her galloping heartbeat. That nightmare had seemed so real, and was unlike any dream she’d ever had before. I’ve never remembered any of that happening before, she thought to herself. I must have had that nightmare a hundred times growing up, but this is the first time I ever remembered what happened after I passed out in Daddy’s arms.

“Probably because it wasn’t YOUR memories you were experiencing just now, child,” an eerily familiar voice said inside her mind. “They were mine.”

Lacie turned, staring in shock as a small white-haired figure emerged from the corner of her hospital room. “Good to see you again, girl. I trust you are well?” Caught completely off guard by her sudden appearance, Lacie could only think to say the first thing that popped into her mind.

“Grandma?!? What the HELL are YOU doing here?!?”

* * *

Outside the office, Elise paused, holding her head at the temples. That annoying voice inside her head had become a non-stop shriek, a pulse of pain that echoed deep within the walls of her mind. “Stop it!” she hissed softly, clenching her teeth, pressing tighter against her throbbing temples. “Stop it! Stop it! STOP IT!”

Thoughts, feelings, memories, all hers but locked away, pinned down and restrained, battered at the doors of her mind. Her brain felt like a piece of expensive crystal, vibrating from the strain of keeping them out. She was a good girl! She was a loyal servant of the Cause, a loyal servant to the Doctor, who created her, and made her what she was today. She needed to go to him now, to tell him what she was feeling—

NO!

Another wave of pain, and she dropped to her knees, crying. Just the thought of going back to her Master, to get his help, made the pain increase. She was his tool, merely an extension of his will... but something was wrong. Something inside her head was broken, and needed to be fixed. She needed to go to him... needed him to make it all better...

NOOOOOOOO!!

The crystal... her mind... cracked, and she laughed, losing control as the world around her skewed crazily. She felt her very sense of self, her identity, or, rarher, what she’d THOUGHT of as her identity, coming apart, splintering, just like the before-mentioned crystal. She could almost see it now, dancing and spinning in front of her eyes, could almost hear the Doctor’s words, telling her who she was, what she was, what her purpose in life would be... only it was competing with another voice, that sounded so much like her own, she now realized, telling her NOT to believe him, not to accept his words, that his Truth wasn’t the truth. Right was wrong. Up was down. Left was seven, forward was cheese? Nothing made sense, but everything did. She laughed again, closing her eyes tightly as the pressure in her head continued to build.

The crystal, and her mind, shattered.

Slowly, the laughter died. She sat up, wiping the tear tracks from her cheeks. Shaking her head to clear it, she rose to her feet. She felt... strange. Strange, yes... but in a good way. A lot of thoughts swirled aimlessly within her mind, mixed up, twisted, stretched or compressed, some molded together and others were incomplete... but one of them stood out as most important. She had a mission she needed to complete. Brushing the dust off her costume, she headed back towards the city.