D Chapter 3: De, an academy 7 fanfic

All right. This is an idea that's been trotting in my head, in part because of Mind Control University and The Worm's Mistress. Now, to make something clear: This is going to have an irregular update schedule, because I have a lot of other projects and I don't want to slow them down on account of this one. So, updates will happen whenever. Hopefully still fun.

THE NEUROQUEEN OF BROCKTON BAY

Your name is Daphne Miller, and you're a Tinker. To be more specific, you're a Tinker with a neuro-technology specialization.

You were a cape geek (and a geek in general) long before you triggered... which is why you actually know what a trigger event is. Took surprisingly large amounts of digging online to even find that much out, but apparently, parahumans get their powers after a particularly traumatic event.

Your traumatic event was... your family moving away from your native New York, into small Brockton Bay. Away from everything you've known, from the girl you've been crushing on for the better part of the year. ...Yeah, OK, that's actually pretty weak. Calling it "traumatic" is seriously hyperbolic. But... You've read up. You know that it takes way, way less to induce a trigger in a "second generation cape", someone who's spent a lot of time hanging around other parahumans. And it's a bit of an open secret that a lot of the New York Wards attended your old school. Let's just say, you have suspicions.

Regardless, by the time you got to Brockton Bay, you were coming to term with your abilities. You've always been a tech genius, but now, you have these incredible blueprints popping into your head. And, you can design all sorts of things, but you're definitely getting better results when you're thinking about... well, about tech relating to that huge, obsessive mind-control fetish you have.

Now, you've been aware of this major kink of yours since early puberty. Even so... it's not uncommon for powers to mess with capes' heads to some extent, and you suspect that your power is pushing you to use it, to indulge your dark desires, to gather a harem of brainwashed cuties. And... you're going to do it. You're actually a little disappointed in yourself; you've always wanted to be a hero, yet here you are, all ready to go villain. Still... you've promised yourself to at least try to make things better for the city. (And Brockton Bay - like pretty much every other town on this sick, twisted Earth - badly needs all the help it can get.)

You suspect this is not the full extent of how your power is messing with you. It's also apparently associated mind-control with sex closer than ever in your mind, to the point that the idea of mind-controlling someone you're not attracted to (which includes 99% of the male gender) is now utterly repulsive to your mind. Which... kind of sounds like a major handicap, even if there is a slight majority of female capes. Something to be careful about.

Still! You've got ideas, and you've got ambitions. Soon, the Neuroqueen will be on the prowl! You've stretched your meager budget over the past couple weeks, and you've managed to design three pieces of tinkertech. More specifically...

[ ] A pheromone perfume. When you wear it, all females outside of close family who can smell it will be highly attracted to you (regardless of orientation), and you will come across as a natural authority figure to everyone - not impossible to disobey, but certainly difficult. A very sexy idea, but lacking in subtlety...

[ ] A brainwashing helmet. It barely fits inside your backpack, but when placed on someone's head (awake or not), it can slowly upload ideas to their brain. Any given suggestion can take from a few minutes to a few hours to upload, depending on how big a shift it is in mindset.

[ ] A love potion. When swallowed, this tasteless, odorless chemical formula causes the subject to fall deeply in love with you over the span of the next few minutes (though they need some awareness of you for it to work - either by being around you during those minutes, or pre-existing familiarity). Note that love is not the same as obedience...

[ ] Subliminal messages. You've figured out how to hide suggestions in music and electronic displays that would get absorbed by the mind, given sufficient exposure time. A given message needs at least minute to start having effect, and could need longer to be fully absorbed, depending on how much it goes against the subject's nature.

[ ] A hypnotic spiral. Gotta love the cliches. This app on your phone will create a spiral on its screen that's very inviting to look at, and gradually shuts down the viewer's thought process as they sink into a suggestible trance. Not enough to brainwash someone on its own, but enough to plant some useful seeds...

[ ] A pocket watch. The ultimate cliche, but it's actually kinda clever - you've included a device inside the watch that, when it's swinging, twists onlookers' perception of time. It lets a short hypnotic induction feel like it's stretching on and on and on, dragging the mind into a suggestible trance. Again, not enough to brainwash someone on its own, but potentially handy.

[ ] A trance gun. This gadget, when properly aimed at someone's head (it fires in a cone), should place them in a trance. Not really a suggestible, hypnotic trance or anything, but... well, a girl could use protection.

[ ] Thought-controlled smartglasses. Because you want to be able to access the Internet, your notes, and all of your tech with a thought, covertly if needed. You can wear these in public with people none the wiser.

[ ] A personal force-field. Completely outside your specialization, but this little device is discreet enough to carry during the day, and you think it could stop a bullet before running out of power, maybe two.

[ ] A sleep substitute. Forget coffee, this drug basically provides your brain with all the necessary benefits of sleep without the accompanying loss of time and consciousness. Just take a dose, and your mental fatigue gets wiped away gradually over the next hour. Great time saver, no side-effects... but sleep is also useful for reducing stress levels. Something to keep in mind.

[ ] A rudimentary AI. Not quite human-level, but this program is smart enough to follow your orders without being limited to exact literal interpretation. A handy assistant, and you have every intention of upgrading it with time.

[ ] Write-in.

As you embark upon your cape career, you do have a certain advantage...

[ ] Generous allowance. Maybe it's your parents' apologies for bringing you to Brockton Bay, but you've got pretty decent initial funds... which you were able to leverage into a fourth tinkertech creation.

[ ] Known identity. Through a combination of luck and cleverness, you've been able to discover the secret identity of one of Brockton Bay's capes.

-[ ] Write cape here. (Not Coil or Travelers. Can be an original character given description, but I'll veto anything I don't like or find too handy.)

[ ] Cape guru. You're the girl in the know in PHO. You know almost everything PHO knows about the capes you care to know about, an can easily find out the rest.

[ ] Write-in.

Now, you need to select your first target. And... caution demands that you start small. A classmate, probably. Now, with the job transfer that got your family into Brockton Bay, things happened fast; your parents are trying to get you transferred to Arcadia, but for now, you're stuck in the shithole that is Winslow high. And as your first target, you've selected...

[ ] Taylor Hebert. The safe option - that girl has zero friends, no-one to protect her. She's also getting majorly bullied, and frankly, you feel bad for her. You can almost rationalize things and tell yourself she'll be better off as your adoring slave. Almost.

[ ] Emma Barnes. The hot option - that girl is still in high school, and already doing modelling gigs. She's a major queen bee, so controlling her would give you greater control over the social microcosm of high school. And you suspect she could help you fund some more tinkertech. Downside is, she is a bullying bitch... but then again, you could program her to act nicer.

[ ] Sonya Parker. Big, buff tomboy of a girl, who tends to hang around the E88 kids and throws around racial and homophobic slurs. You could use a bodyguard/information source on the gangs, she could use some attitude adjustment.

[ ] Sara Lee. Near as you can tell, Sara's smart and does well in classes, which makes it a mystery why she's obviously with the ABB. Still, you could use more data on the gangs, not to mention a smart slave.

[ ] Write-in.

Spoiler: Character Sheet

Spoiler: Slaves

Spoiler: Potential Tinkertech Projects

FAQ

Can we make tinkertech that gets rid of Thinker headaches?

With some time and effort, Daphne could make tinkertech that would let capes use their powers more before risking headaches. Completely eliminating the headaches is not feasible.

Why don't we get more descriptive smut scenes?

Honestly, I'm mostly asexual outside of my hypnofetish. To me, the mind-control is the sexy part.

What's Daphne's policy about younger girls?

She's perfectly willing to brainwash kids, but she has negative interest in having actual sex with preteens.

Will Daphne brainwash anyone male in this quest?

No. The Watsonian reason is that her mind closely associates mind-control with sex, and the idea of directly or indirectly mind-controlling someone she isn't attracted to revulses her to intolerable levels, probably as her Shard's way of keeping things interesting. The Doylist reason is that I don't want to write it.

OK, but what if she changes their gender to female first, like with Panacea or something?

No. Don't bother looking for loopholes.

Hey, I just thought of this brilliant loophole that would let us mind-control males! All we need to do is…

No.

But what if…

No.

But I…

No.

Just take two seconds…

No.

Fuck you.

No. Not unless you're female and hypnotized.

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Last edited: Aug 17, 2017

Feb 2, 2017 ReportLike QuoteReply

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FAQ

Can we make tinkertech that gets rid of Thinker headaches?

With some time and effort, Daphne could make tinkertech that would let capes use their powers more before risking headaches. Completely eliminating the headaches is not feasible.

Why don't we get more descriptive smut scenes?

Honestly, I'm mostly asexual outside of my hypnofetish. To me, the mind-control is the sexy part.

What's Daphne's policy about younger girls?

She's perfectly willing to brainwash kids, but she has negative interest in having actual sex with preteens.

Will Daphne brainwash anyone male in this quest?

OK, but what if she changes their gender to female first, like with Panacea or something?

No. Don't bother looking for loopholes.

Hey, I just thought of this brilliant loophole that would let us mind-control males! All we need to do is…

No.

But what if…

No.

But I…

No.

Just take two seconds…

No.

Fuck you.

No. Not unless you're female and hypnotized.

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Aug 17, 2017 ReportLike QuoteReply

Black.Horus, Prakhar Garhwal, riaantheunissen and 61 others like this.

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STARTING STAGE

Being a Tinker... it's exhilarating. You've always loved technology, and you've always been good at it, but now... now you have these freaking sci-fi blueprints popping up in your head. So many possibilities, counterbalanced with the frustration of only having a very, very vague idea of how they actually work.

You are also limited by your resources. Some of your tinkering ideas would require significantly more money than you currently have. Which is why, at first, you focused on tinkertech software. A sort of personal assistant program, with a multilayered neural network that actually gives it genuine intelligence. She/it (you think of it as female, but it's not sentient enough to really have a gender identity yet) has already demonstrated sufficient learning capacity to learn English pretty much from scratch; she follows commands spoken into your phone, organizes your files, collates information online for you, keeps track of names, dates and events... your own loyal secretary. Her intelligence is still pretty basic, but you have high hopes for her in the long run. And in the short run, it's thanks to her that... but, more on that later. As for her emotions, they are also fairly basic... but controlling minds is, literally, your specialization. You've pretty confident you've successfully programmed her to feel loyalty, devotion, and submissiveness toward you.

Another bit of tinkertech that required almost no financial resources was subliminal messages, both visual and auditory. You've already performed basic tests on yourself - creating a message to make you crave carrots, one to make you crave broccoli, one for salad, one for tofu, and then having one played randomly for several minutes in your earbuds. One tofu meal later, you checked and confirmed that the tofu track had been the random selection.

You've long considered making a pheromone perfume, because dear God that's a sexy idea... but it's unsubtle, opens you up to suspicions of Master powers, and more importantly... you need a way to finalize your control over someone. Subliminal messages are well and good, but you're not confident in their ultimately untested ability to brainwash someone into servitude. Which was why, ultimately, you sunk your personal funds into creating a brainwashing helmet designed to send hyper-precise signals into the brain, slowly reprogramming it. You've... only performed extremely limited testing with it, because seriously using that thing on yourself is scary as shit. You suppose you'll have to gamble that it'll work.

So... that left choosing who to target. Both your first person to test your tech on, and the Neuroqueen's first foray into the world of capes. You do, after all, fully intend to brainwash some of parahumans of Brockton Bay - both because you can use them to make the city a better place, and because you really, really want to. You've had your AI trawl PHO and other online resources for data on the local cape scene...

...which led the AI to point out that Allfather, the founder of Empire 88, had been killed in battle just a couple of days before Max Anders Sr., then owner and CEO of Medhall, had been reported lost at sea after his yacht sank; your AI also confirmed that, despite his busy social agenda, Anders never showed up in public on days following Allfather getting injured in battle. His son, Max Anders Jr., also tended to disappear from the public scene whenever Kaiser got injured... until E88 recruited Othalla.

Max Anders is almost definitely Kaiser.

So, you had the AI investigate his entourage. What do you know - his ex-wife, Kayden Anders (she kept the name? Huh.), has a similar build to Purity, who was believed to be in a relationship with Kaiser. Furthermore, following Max and Kayden's divorce, Purity is never again seen working with other members of the Empire - a radical break from her previous modus operandi.

Meaning that Purity, flying artillery, considered by some the second most powerful cape in Brockton Bay after Lung... is almost certainly the mousy-looking home decorator single mother whose address your AI has helpfully provided. Something to think about.

For now, though, you need to focus on a less deadly test subject. Someone you can turn into your first slave. Someone who can't turn around and destroy you if this doesn't work.

It... makes you feel a little sick to say it, but a friendless, bullied girl whom the school seems to be making a point of ignoring is pretty much the perfect victim for you to play mad scientist on. Still, with some guilt, you promise yourself you'll be kind to Taylor and your other slaves.

Still, you need to decide on a strategy for enslaving Taylor.

[ ] Approach her after school, offer to walk with her, get her listening to music on your phone full of subliminal messages.

[ ] Try to have lunch with her at school, then get her listening to subliminals.

[ ] Emma seems obsessed with hurting Taylor. Use that to manipulate them both. "Hey Emma. I figured, since you look like you're running a tight ship in this school, maybe I could help you pull one over that Taylor loser? Here's an idea: You make a show of bullying her. I make a show of rescuing her like a knight in shining armor. She desperately latches on to me, since she's got no friend. After a couple weeks of being her new bestie, I can you give fresh material to totally destroy her. How's that sound?" Of course, by then, you can probably have both Taylor AND Emma in your harem...

[ ] Less circuitous: Just report the bullying to the school authorities. The show of support should do a lot to get Taylor in your corner.

[ ] Write-in.

Bonus question: What do you call your AI?

[ ] Eve

[ ] Galatea

[ ] E-Maid

[ ] Cy-Pet

[ ] Good Girl

[ ] Write-in.

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Feb 3, 2017 ReportLike QuoteReply

Antinomy, WargWolf, Levky and 206 others like this.

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OK, vote is preeeetty clear on what it favors here.

Mini-update and short vote to tide you guys.

EVE ONLINE

Approaching Taylor at school presents the simple problem of Taylor's bullies. Now, you're all for fighting against bullying. If you weren't a cape, you'd be reporting those assholes to the principal then and there. But you are a cape, you have plans that go a little beyond the scope of a high school, and there may be ways of ending this particular problem without painting a big target on yourself. Besides, if you do end up enslaving Emma, it'll look less suspicious if she isn't tormenting you prior to that.

You actually came up with a pretty clever and complex plan to manipulate Emma and Taylor both, but... you don't want to end up like one of those fictional villains who seem addicted to making their plans needlessly complicated. More moving parts means more chances of failure. So, ultimately, you're keeping things simple by approaching Taylor after class.

Eve, as always, remains your assistant. She is far from idle during the day, though, with her extensive multitasking. While she lacks human intelligence, she is still capable of picking up some degree of skill, and as such, most of the time you have her working on...

[ ] Coding. Considering her direct access to the software, Eve could be a fantastic programmer were she to actually acquire the skills. As such, you have her spend the day going over various online programming tutorials.

[ ] Psychology. An AI with a solid understanding of the human mind (and how to manipulate it) could prove invaluable to your mind-control efforts. As such, you have her go over psychology textbooks, as well as various guides to debating, persuasion, and rhetoric.

[ ] Deduction. You've found this pretty awesome forum where people discuss various detective novels/movies/shows and debate which deductions were reasonable, which would work in real life, and which were just the writers pulling something out of their ass. By having Eve trawl those discussions, you hope she'll learn how to better draw conclusions from observations in real life.

[ ] Parahuman tactics. The Internet, over the years, has gathered a lot of footage of cape fights. By having Even go over those videos, you hope she'll start developing a head for tactics.

[ ] Write-in.

Eve has her instructions. You have a day of class. As usual, you are uncomfortably aware of the large number of students wearing gang colors. Frankly, the idea of an actual gang war erupting inside the school is a terrifying concept... at least Arcadia has the Wards. What does Winslow have for protection?

As scary as the students themselves may be, the actual classes go well. Frankly, you're way ahead of the class in almost every subject. Taylor isn't having too good a day, though - after lunch break, she's smelling of fruit, and judging by the stains on her backpack you don't think it's because of what she had for lunch. Ouch.

But, eventually, classes end. You follow Taylor as she leaves the building. To approach her, you're going to:

[ ] Claim you're having trouble with classes since moving here, and suggest a study group.

[ ] Ask about her bullying problems, and offer to help.

[ ] Ask her on a date... OK, no, you don't actually have the guts. As her for an unbiased opinion on these music files you're composing.

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OK, obviously enough this is mostly copy-pasted from my "The Worm's Mistress", with only small modifications, but c'mon, you knew that was gonna happen. ;)

INTERLUDE: TAYLOR

My moods were usually mixed when I left school - relief that it was finally over, exhaustion from what the trio and their hanger-ons had put me through. Today, they'd even attacked me in the bathroom. Ruined the notebook where I was writing down my ideas for becoming a superhero.

But… maybe that was for the best? On some level, I suspected I'd been writing all those notes down as a way of delaying it. Maybe with that excuse gone, it was more than time for me to actually go out and do something. Help people. Fight the bastards making this city even more of a shithole than it already was. Be useful. Be…

"Um, excuse me? Taylor, right?"

I turned my head in surprise. The speaker was a bespectacled girl with long dark hair, but that's where the similarities between us ended. My hair was curly, hers was straight. I was tall, lanky, and awkward; she had more of a "nerdycute" thing going on. She looked cute and approachable - kind of a more intellectual-looking version of Madison, I guess. I couldn't place her name, but I recognized her as a new classmate who'd joined a couple weeks ago.

"Uh, yeah?"

She extended her hand. "Daphne. I'm, ah, new here."

"I know." Hesitantly, I shook it. Frankly, I suspected another nasty prank. The only reason I even bothered talking to her was because I didn't really remember her talking to the trio or any of their cohorts. "Taylor. You moved in recently?"

"From New York, yeah."

I still wasn't sure what to make of the situation. What did Daphne want? She was pretty new here, but it still seemed too optimistic to think she was trying to help. And she reminded me too much of Madison.

"Um…" she was fidgeting now, suddenly looking nervous. "Um, is it OK if I walk with you? I, uh, kind of had a question or two..."

A few minutes of conversation with Daphne painted the picture of a shy, brainy computer geekette, still struggling to adapt to Brockton Bay. I still didn't really feel very trusting toward her. Then again, who did I trust these days? Only my dad, and I had never even told him about the bullying.

"So… those three girls. Is this a special week, or are they always on your case?" she ventured.

I sighed. "It's been like this since high school started. They never stop." I paused. "They… actually left me alone for a couple weeks once, and I thought it was over… but they were just lowering my guard before something worse." I chose not to go into further details. If Daphne really wanted to know, she could ask around and learn about the infamous locker incident. That "prank" had briefly sent me to the psych ward to recover. It was also when my powers kicked in, and I doubted it was a coincidence. Was emotional trauma a possible source of superpowers?

Daphne didn't ask for details, but she did wince with what looked like sympathy. "Forgive me if I'm saying something really stupid, but, can't you report them?"

"Not really. It's my word against theirs, and the school will side with them over me. Emma's a junior model. Sophia's on the track team. All three of them are popular. And if I did try to take them to court… Emma's dad is a lawyer. We wouldn't stand a chance."

Daphne walked in silence for a moment. "It's not just your word against theirs," she said finally. "I'd back you up."

I wasn't sure I believed that, but… "I don't think that would be enough, but, thanks."

She smiled. "If you want to thank me, how about giving me an objective opinion?"

"Hm?"

She pulled a smartphone from her pocket. "I've been, um, working on this project. Some kind of really simple browser game, you know? But I'm not sure about the soundtrack. I've mostly made it by remixing existing music, and it sounds good to me, but I'm not exactly objective, right? So… could you, ah, please give it a listen and say if it's any good?" She was already plugging earbuds into the phone.

Was that the reason she was talking to me? So I could give her my opinion? Maybe, but I supposed that wasn't malicious, at least. Seeing no harm in it, I put the earbuds in, and listened to the music. It seemed… kind of bland.

{LOVE THE MUSIC}

{KEEP LISTENING}

Noticing Daphne gazing at me expectantly, I hesitated slightly. "It, ah, kinda sounds like elevator music."

"Well… yeah. There's supposed to be dialogue over it," she explained, "and I don't want the music to make it harder to hear what's being said. It's there to be in the background, without being really noticed, just providing an extra touch of atmosphere." She paused. "Eh, just leave it in. The soundtrack will go over all the bits, and you can tell me what you think when it's done."

"Sure." I wasn't really certain this soundtrack would really add anything. Although… well, I kind of wanted to keep listening. It had seemed horribly bland at first, but now, after a minute of listening, it felt pretty catchy. I usually hated this sort of music, but, for some reason I kind of liked it. I glanced at the phone. Track 1 of 10… I'd gladly listen to it all, sure.

"So…" Daphne began, fidgeting again, looking increasingly nervous. Was she hiding something? I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. "...how do you like it?" she gestured around. "I mean, how do you like Brockton Bay?"

Right. She was new. It was probably a big shift, coming here from NYC. "It's home," I shrugged. "I mean, it's not the nicest city." I would know. My dad ran the dockworkers union, and I was all too aware of how messed-up the local economy was. "We've got some nasty gang problems." To put it mildly. We had the ABBs, we had the Merchants, and of course, there was Empire Eighty-Eight, which seemed to combine most of the parahuman Neo-Nazis and white supremacists of the East coast into a single city. "And really, the whole thing's a mess. But I can't really imagine leaving."

"I see," Daphne nodded as the music moved onto track 2. "I kind of… didn't take it too well when I heard we were moving here. No offence - it's just that I couldn't imagine leaving, either. I, well, I didn't exactly have a lot of friends in the Big Apple… the opposite, really… but even then, I was attached. The idea of leaving everything behind… I was a mess for a while."

{TRUST DAPHNE}

{TELL DAPHNE THE TRUTH}

"I'm sorry." I'd never had to move, but, I'd also lost most of my previous life - first mom, then my friendship with Emma. So even though my situation and Daphne's weren't exactly the same, I could feel some sympathy. I hesitated a bit, then placed my hand on her shoulder in what I hoped was a comforting gesture. I wasn't usually big on physical contact these days, but… it was OK. Daphne was someone I trusted.

She gave me a nervous smile. "Thanks. But, um… Brockton Bay is also kind of a cape city, right?"

"Well, yeah. Maybe not as much as New York, but we've got a lot of superheroes here. And supervillains," I added. "On the official side, the Protectorate is led by Armsmaster, and they have Miss Militia, Dauntless, Velocity, Battery, Assault, Triumph… and the Wards have a lot of junior heroes. Aegis, Kid Win, Vista, Clockblocker, Shadow Stalker, Gallant, Browbeat… And then you've got unofficial heroes with New Wave." To my surprise, I felt tempted to mention myself, even though I hadn't even gotten started on superheroing. But I'd been keeping it all to myself for so long, and now, for the first time since getting these powers, I had someone I felt I could trust with the secret.

"Right," said Daphne, while the phone shifted to track 3. "Armsmaster's a Tinker, right? I was a bit of a cape geek in New York," she admitted with a nervous chuckle. I smiled. I liked that Daphne was already comfortable confiding in me. "I actually used to play all sorts of capes on an RP forum."

"What do you mean?"

{LIKE DAPHNE}

{DAPHNE'S MY FRIEND}

"Well… You know what role-playing games are? We basically did that, on a forum. Everyone would make up a cape identity, choosing what powers we had, and we had fun trying to save the world." So, much like the childhood games of… nearly everyone these days. But it was kinda cool that Daphne could find people to take the game further like that, or that she was comfortable sharing that with me. "Actually, I think half the fun was coming up with powers. I know this one player who only swore by Mover powers. Super-speed, or flight, or teleportation - he just had to put an emphasis on Mover powers. Another one always wanted Brute powers - either he regenerated, or he had force-fields, or he was plain invulnerable. He once tried to make a character who was axiomatically invulnerable, like, you know…" she paled slightly, and I knew why, "like the Siberian. Obviously, the gamemaster ixnayed that. Said it would be blatantly unfair and unbalanced."

"Powers are unfair and unbalanced," I pointed out. "Some people get to control bugs, some people get to be Eidolon." I almost slapped myself for slipping like that. Even if I trusted Daphne, my ability was supposed to be a secret! It was just that… I hadn't been able to trust anyone in so long. Daphne was like a breath of fresh air.

She chuckled. "Right, right. Everyone wants Eidolon's powers. But it's more interesting when the players have to be creative. One of my favorite guys on the forum kept coming up with creative Shaker powers - like, localized entropy control."

I smiled. "So, what sorts of powers did you try to go for?"

"Well…" she blushed slightly. "Mostly, I went for Tinker characters. Sometimes I tried Thinker, because 'knowledge is power' and all that, but I always came back to Tinker powers."

I chuckled. "Right. You already like technology in real life, so being able to create super-technology is probably an appealing fantasy, I guess?"

"Exactly! But there's variations. Every Tinker in the world has some area of specialization, as far as I can tell. Armsmaster, for example? His specialty is miniaturization. That's why he can fit so many gadgets into that halberd of his."

I liked that she was using Armsmaster as an example, instead of a New York cape - she was adapting her explanation to me. It was such a small thing, but I chose to interpret it as a sign of consideration. It occurred to me that I could really think of Daphne as a friend… and that was getting me a bit choked up, as I hadn't had any friend since Emma. I didn't say a word as the music advanced to track 4.

{DAPHNE'S WONDERFUL}

{LIKE EVERYTHING ABOUT DAPHNE}

Daphne continued. "I made all sorts of Tinker characters. One time, I made a Tinker with a communication specialty."

"Communication specialty? How does that work?"

"Well, for starters, she made a device that could translate to and from any language instantly. Then she invented a device that fine-tuned her voice and body-language to the point where everyone understood her meaning and intent perfectly when she talked, which made her some kind of super-diplomat. And if you think that's a weaksauce power… she eventually managed to have conversations with Scion. And convince him to coordinate with the Protectorate to fight the class-S threats, instead of wandering around and committing random acts of heroism all over the globe."

That gave me pause. I hadn't considered that aspect. Daphne was so smart!

"In one of our crackier games, I made a Tinker with a time specialty," said Daphne. "She started out by making a device that could free Grey Boy's victims. Then she built a time-machine, and then, for the rest of the game, she just kept bringing advanced technology from the future to solve every problem. Totally unbalanced, of course, but we were having fun."

I laughed. It had been a while since I'd had such an honest laugh, but Daphne had been able to achieve that just by telling her about fantasy powers. She really was wonderful.

"My favorite game, though, had me playing a Tinker with a computer specialty," said Daphne. "My character did a lot of crazy things, but the biggest was creating an AI that was superhumanly smart. The AI then managed to improve itself to become even smarter, and then, it got smart enough to make even more improvements, and so on. By the end of the day, the AI was effectively godlike, and it was able to defeat the Endbringers and save humanity."

That gave me pause. The world situation had only kept getting worse since Scion and the parahumans had first appeared, three decades earlier - and most of it was the Endbringers' fault. Those insanely overpowered monsters had destroyed dozens of cities, murdered millions, killed countless heroes (and many of the villains who would agree to a truce just to fend them off). They were the closest thing I could think of to incarnations of despair, slowly killing the human race. And here was Daphne, thinking up ways to beat them as a game. Somehow, something as simple as that could now give me hope. Daphne was the most amazing person I had ever seen. Maybe… Maybe school wouldn't be so awful, with her as my friend.

Track 5 was starting to play as she focused her attention back to me. "What about you? If you could choose powers, what would you go for?"

{WANT TO PLEASE DAPHNE}

{DO ANYTHING FOR DAPHNE}

I blushed. If I had a choice? I doubted I would have gone for a bug power. "Is it cheating to go for Trump abilities? I mean, it doesn't really get better than a power that you can adapt to the circumstances."

She giggled. "Sure, as long as you avoid something insanely hax like Eidolon."

I giggled back. "Doesn't have to be so extreme. Take Über. Everyone considers him a joke, but his powers are actually very good." Über had the ability to temporarily become as talented in any given field as a world-class expert. An incredibly useful power, wasted on a small-time villain who used it for entertainment. "And if I couldn't go for Trump… one of the kinesis powers, I guess. Aerokinesis, ferrokinesis… they all have an incredible range of applications as long as you're smart about it."

Daphne smiled. "Oooh, min-maxing already? Good girl."

I was beaming at her approval, so I pressed my luck. "And failing that? I think I'd want either a Master power, or a Thinker ability that gave me superhuman social skills. If you can control what others are doing, that's almost as good as having their powers yourself." Technically, my ability to control bugs was a Master power - that was a general term for any ability to control minions - but in everyday speak, when people said "Master powers", there was a usual implication of control over humans.

Daphne's smile got wider, and I think she was blushing. "Oooh. I definitely approve of how you think." Somehow, that sentence filled me with more joy than I had felt even once in over a year. Maybe longer. I thought for a moment that I was going to cry.

Then I noticed we had reached my street. My house was less than a minute's walk away. I stopped, my heart sinking at the idea that I wouldn't be spending the rest of the day with Daphne.

To my immense relief, she came to my rescue. "Say… how about you drop by my house? It's not all that long a walk from here, and I've love to show you the place."

I couldn't agree fast enough. I'd do anything for someone as wonderful as Daphne, and any moment spent with her was precious. I'd been so focused on how miserable the bullying had been making me, that I hadn't even noticed how badly I had needed a real friend - and Daphne was the best friend I could ask for.

As track 6 began to play, the conversation shifted to our favorite heroes. Fangirling over Alexandria had just been a childhood phase, but I still thought highly of the woman who had helped found the Protectorate. Daphne was a big fan of Dragon, whom she considered not only the world's premier Tinker, but also a profoundly good person. I adjusted my opinion of Dragon accordingly - I had always thought highly of her, but, if Daphne said she was the world's best superhero, then she was the world's best superhero. Daphne knew what she was talking about, after all - and I knew better than to question Daphne.

{DAPHNE'S ALWAYS RIGHT}

{DAPHNE KNOWS BEST}

Then track 7 started playing, and she moved to a completely different subject. "By the way, Taylor… I understand you've got a few, um, problems with the rest of the student body, but…" she was blushing deeply, which only served to enhance her adorableness, "...um, is there anyone you have your eyes on?"

{DAPHNE'S SO SEXY}

{ATTRACTED TO DAPHNE}

{IN LOVE WITH DAPHNE}

It was my turn to blush. "Um… Not really…"

"No boyfriend? No girlfriend?"

My blush only deepened. "N-no. No-one."

"Anyone you'd like to be your boyfriend?"

I paused to consider. It was an embarrassing subject to talk about, but Daphne had asked, so I had to give her as good an answer as I could. "...Not really. I mean, I have some fantasies, but not about anyone I know personally."

"Fair enough. Anyone you'd like to be your girlfriend, then?"

I blinked. I was fairly sure I was straight. I tried to imagine being attracted to any of the prettier girls in school, but… well, with Emma, Sophia and Madison, that made for a ghastly idea. I tried to think of beautiful female celebrities instead. Nada.

But… My eyes wandered toward Daphne. She was the most beautiful person in the world. Not just beautiful - attractive. My gaze started roaming over her shining hair, her amazing figure, her angelic breasts, her perfectly-proportioned B-cup chest. Attractive indeed - the longer I stared at her, the more aware I was of my own powerful attraction to her. Her wonderful body, her mind-meltingly hot voice, her irresistibly sexy personality - my blush kept deepening as I realized that everything about her was attracting me, making me desire her like I had never desired anyone before. How could I not desire something so perfect? Her gender didn't matter - she was the most desirable person I would ever meet.

And as I realized how deeply I wanted her… I became depressingly aware of how inadequate I was. Daphne was beautiful. Intelligent. Perfect. I should be grateful that she even deigned to be my friend - wanting to be anything more seemed terribly ungrateful. Why would someone so perfect show any interest in a plain, forgettable girl like myself? All of a sudden, I just wanted to cry.

"Taylor?" her angelic voice shook me out of my funk. "Are you OK?"

"I, I'm fine-" I stopped myself. It wouldn't do to lie to Daphne. "It's just… I… please don't hate me…"

She smiled, and placed her hand on my shoulder. I think I skipped a heartbeat. "Taylor… I promise I will never hate you."

And immediately, I felt so much better. That she wouldn't hate me was already a wonderful reassurance.

"Th-thank you. It's just… You're…" I struggled with the words. As embarrassing as it was, Daphne had asked me a question. "...You're so beautiful."

Her smile got wider. "Thank you, Taylor. Do you mean you're attracted to me?"

I thought I was going to faint from embarrassment, but, I had to answer Daphne first. "Yes. I… I am. Very."

She was blushing, but she was also smiling. "That's… that's good to hear, Taylor."

I blinked. "It is?" Maybe… Maybe she at least didn't think I was repelling? I didn't believe I had a chance with her, but at least she wasn't disgusted by my desire for her.

"Of course it is. I used to have, um, trouble, attracting who I wanted."

I tried not to squeal at the possible implication that I was who she wanted. What she said seemed incredible on its own. But she had said it, so it had to be true. "How is that possible? I mean… You're incredibly beautiful."

She giggled. "Thank you. But… it's complicated. You know… back in New York, I actually had this girl I used to pine for. I'd been trying to psych myself into asking her out for months, when my parents suddenly announced we were moving. I guess that's part of why I was a mess. So now, it's really rewarding, having you think of me as, as attractive."

Right then, I was practically on cloud nine just from having it confirmed she was into girls. "I'm sure she would have gone out with you. You're… You're really pretty amazing," I said, feeling my heart melt. I was pretty sure I was staring at her with a transparently love-struck expression, and I didn't care. Daphne deserved all the love in the world.

"Thank you," she said, stopping in front of a house as track 8 started. "You're pretty great yourself," she said, making me beam. "Anyway… this is my new house. My parents should be out until the evening. Wanna come in? Maybe call your place, so nobody worries?"

{WORSHIP DAPHNE}

{DAPHNE IS MY GODDESS}

Dad was glad to hear I was at a friend's - I never talked with him about the bullying, but he knew things weren't going well for me. As soon as the call was over, I returned my attention to the goddess before me.

Daphne was like a goddess, wasn't she? Perfect in every way. Unquestionably right. Justified in all she did. Deserving of my love, my worship, my devotion.

A tiny part of me protested that I was losing control, that this wasn't like me, but it grew silent again.

Everything was as it should be. Daphne made me safe. I trusted Daphne completely. Everything Daphne did was justified. Daphne knew best.

"If you'll excuse me," said Daphne, "I'll be glad to resume our conversation in a few minutes, but I need to check one of my projects first." She pointed at the kitchen. "Can you grab some grapes for me and join me in my room?"

I was only too elated to do as she asked. Her room was fit for the geek goddess she was, full of books and electronics - from the looks of it, she was tinkering with various things. At the moment, though, she was busy furiously typing at the computer. It looked a bit too technical for me to understand, but I was perfectly happy just feeding her grapes as she worked.

Track 9 was playing, and I sighed contentedly. I had never been happier. Alone with Goddess Daphne, serving her. I couldn't think of anything I wanted more. If I could spend the rest of my life at her beck and call, I'd be the happiest girl on Earth. I wanted to belong to her. I wanted to be her slave. That didn't really sound like me, but who cared? Obeying and pleasing her were the only things that really mattered.

Eventually, just as I was about to run out of grapes, she finished typing. She turned around, and checked the phone, seeing that track 10 had started playing. She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

{SERVE DAPHNE}

{OBEY DAPHNE}

{BELONG TO DAPHNE}

{I'M DAPHNE'S SLAVE}

{WANT DAPHNE TO HAVE SLAVES}

{LOVE BEING BRAINWASHED}

"Taylor, please be completely honest. How do you feel about me?"

This was embarrassing, but my embarrassment didn't matter - only obedience to my goddess did. "I… I love you. I worship you. I'd do anything for you," I said, feeling my cheeks heating up. "You are the most beautiful person in the world, and I… I want to be yours. To be under your power. To serve you. To please you. To, to obey you. You…" I forced the last bits out, "You're my goddess, and I just want to be a good slave for you." And even as I said those words, I realized - my heart filling with joy - that I was Her slave.

Her eyes were still closed, and She had that beautiful blush, but She was smiling. "And… why do you think you feel like that?"

I paused. "You are wonderful. Perfect. This feels like the natural way I should be feeling." I paused. "But… it isn't, is it? It's, it's too different from how I normally feel. People don't feel like that in real life. You're controlling me, aren't You? Making me feel like this. B-brainwashing me," I stammered. "Either a Master power, or, or some Tinker power with Your cell phone…"

"It's the latter," She said. "I triggered when I heard we were moving to Brockton Bay."

"Triggered?"

"Ah, right." She chuckled. "It's a bit of a secret among the cape community, but it's how parahumans get their powers. A lot of people have the potential for powers, but only get them once they go through some kind of traumatic experience called a trigger event. It can be the loss of a loved one, a near-death experience, losing your career…" Or, in my case, the locker incident, I mused. "In my case, learning I would be moving away from everything I knew, including that girl I'd pined for all that time. It's… actually kinda weak, as far as triggers go," She said, "but my research suggests that it takes a lot less to trigger if you grow up around capes. And it's a bit of an open secret that my old school is where a lot of the New York Wards' civilian identities study." A bit like Arcadia High in Brockton Bay, then.

"I guess I'd spent enough time around capes because of this, that it didn't take all that much for me to trigger… and suddenly, I had all these ideas," She said with enthusiasm. "Blueprints. Plans. Ways of building these incredible things. And my specialty… it wasn't time tech, or communication tech, or computers. Instead, I got the specialty I'd always secretly wanted, and never dared mention, even on an online forum: I got a neurotech specialty. I know how to build mind-control devices." She pointed at the phone, where the music was finally dying out. "This one? Subliminal messages. Not the crappy nonsense they used to try to sell pop-corn with - they actually work.So, with you, I used ten tracks with their own messages. First, just making you like the music and want to listen to it. Then trusting me. Then liking me and thinking of me as a friend. Then, the gradual descent into slavery, with constant reassurances that everything was as it should be." She took another deep breath. "So. Knowing all that… how do you feel?"

I paused to consider my feelings, then answered truthfully: "Happy, Mistress. It's all very overwhelming, but… I love You, I love being Your slave, and I'm glad You brainwashed me. I realize most of it is the brainwashing talking, but that doesn't matter. You are making me happier than I've ever been."

She grinned from ear to ear. "And… do you have any reservations? Any part of you that still resists?"

I wanted to say no, but I stopped to consider. "I… I think there's a part of me that doesn't want to be controlled. It's tiny, and I promise it won't get in the way, Mistress." I said it, but right then, I felt awful for not being the perfect slave my Goddess deserved.

"It's all right, s-slave," she stammered briefly, then petted my head. I felt my heart beating faster than ever. "I figured I'd be giving my slaves regular conditioning anyway. I am glad you've mentioned this."

"Thank you, Mistress," I said, wonderfully relieved. It occurred to me that She had said slaves, plural - She meant to get more. Rather than feel jealous, I found the prospect exciting. I realized that was probably Her programming too, which only made me happier. "Mistress, can I ask a few questions?"

"Of course, s-slave." She liked the word, but she needed some effort to say it. My Mistress had brainwashed me to be her loving slave, but she was still shy. That was adorable, of course. Any trait of hers was automatically something I loved now.

"Mistress… why me? I am not attractive. I am not popular. So why enslave me, of all people?" Not that I wasn't grateful, of course. Did she know about my power?

"Honestly? A large bit of it was caution," she said, looking slightly embarrassed. "Since I'm new at this, and I wasn't sure how well it'd work, I figured it'd be safer to try it on someone who was socially isolated. An outcast. And… as far as outcasts went, I thought you were fairly good-looking."

That would have been hard to believe, except that She was saying it, and Her words were obviously true. I smiled in gratitude. Then I realized… If she didn't know… "Mistress… What are your plans for me?"

She blushed, and started fidgeting again. "Well, um… I figured… with teenage hormones and all… and a small dating pool, um…" Her blushing was so beautiful. "I figured you'd be, my, you know, my sex slave."

Those last three words were whispered at a barely audible volume, but they filled me with joy - my Goddess, my irresistibly attractive Goddess, considered me pretty enough to make love to. "Also," She added, "I figured you'd be my assistant, for trying out my tinkertech, and capturing new slaves. The subliminal messages work, but I've got so many ideas… Perfumes that make the wearer irresistible. Stun guns that induce a deep hypnotic state. Enslaving chemicals. A device that copies and imprints mindsets. I even have this really ambitious idea for a machine that sifts through all the states your mind could potentially be in, and brings forth the one I want!"

I listened raptly to my Goddess's plans. She was a glorious Tinker, and, I realized, possibly the world's most powerful Tinker - simply because She could control all the others, potentially. But She now had an important asset, and it was my duty to inform her. "Mistress… There is something You need to know."

She paused. "Wwwwhat?"

"Mistress, I am a parahuman myself."

She blinked. "Are you…? No, of course you're telling the truth. Which one are you? I guess you'd be the right age to be Shadow Stalker…"

"No, Mistress. I am not known to the public yet. I received my powers - I triggered a few months ago, and I'd been planning my first sortie ever since." As I spoke, several butterflies entered the window, flying in formation around me. It would have been more practical to use flies, but I wanted to show Mistress something beautiful. "I am perfectly aware of all bugs in a range of several hundred feet, and can control them."

She blinked, observing the butterflies with rapt attention. "Wait, all of them? Wouldn't that be thousands, maybe tens of thousands of bugs?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"And you're aware of each one individually?"

"Yes, Mistress. I could enumerate them if I had the time."

"So… a Master power, with a hint of Thinker." She sat back, and laughed. The most beautiful laughter I had ever heard. "My first slave… and she's a parahuman no-one is aware of yet. Taylor, I don't believe in fate, but… this is perfect." As my smile grew wider, she added: "Do you know any other parahuman?"

"No, Mistress. I'm sorry. I think I'm the only cape at Winslow High."

"It's all right, Taylor. I mean, slave." She paused. "Well, that… will make you even more useful. That's great. And this confirms my tech works on parahuman brains just fine, which I wasn't even going to try until I was a lot more confident, so, big bonus!"

I nodded happily. This was perfect. I was owned by my beloved Mistress, and my powers were useful to her.

But.

There was still one thing… She could certainly brainwash it away, and I would let Her, but there was one thing.

I had kept my powers in check all that time. Not moved against the trio, no matter how awful they made me feel. All because I had wanted to use my powers for something better.

Nothing was better than serving Mistress… but I still had to mention it.

"Mistress… Before I met you… I was planning to become a hero." My look and my tone were pleading, but I couldn't quite bring myself to ask Her for a favor.

She paused. "You never did anything with your powers against the bullies, did you, slave?"

"No, Mistress."

"Why not?"

"Because… I didn't think I could stop if I started, Mistress. Because I don't believe in eye for an eye. Because I wanted to be a hero, and I couldn't do that if I went Carrie on the school."

She paused, then She smiled. Not the smile of the cat that ate the canary (though it did look beautiful on Her, of course). A friendly, warm smile. "Slave Taylor… You are going to be a very, very good slave for me. As for the rest…"

[ ] You're already planning to make the city a better place and free it from the grip of the gangs. Why not make your new slave happy in the process? You promise to help Taylor be a fantastic superheroine - between her power and Tinker support, she could be a great independent hero (who happens to secretly be in thrall to a supervillain).

[ ] Reprogram Taylor so being a hero no longer matters to her, only serving her Mistress does.

[ ] Don't address the subject for now.

[ ] Write-in.

Come to think of it, Taylor will need a cape name, and apparently she hasn't come up with one yet. You give her one:

[ ] Weaver.

[ ] Anansi.

[ ] Drone.

[ ] Khepri.

[ ] Write-in.

Also: You now have your first slave, and several hours before your parents get home. What do you do?

[ ] Time for you and your slave to lose your virginity with each other.

[ ] Time to test the brainwashing helmet, and reinforce Taylor's programming while you're at it.

[ ] Time to discuss parahuman business and strategy.

[ ] Write-in.

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Antinomy, WargWolf, Levky and 221 others like this.

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sun tzu

strategist

THE HELMET

It worked.

Holy fucking shit it worked.

You try not to let your emotional maelstrom show, displaying instead as much regal composure as you are capable of, but… you did it. You've successfully enslaved a girl. One who, by an incredible stroke of luck, happens to be a parahuman!

...Well, OK, you suppose the very misery and isolation that led you to target her in the first place also played a large role in her triggering. Still, quite the fortunate coincidence.

You're actually a little surprised the subliminal messages worked this well. Could it be that Taylor's mental state made her exceptionally vulnerable to brainwashing? ...Yeah, probably.

Still, you shouldn't half-ass thing. Make sure her brainwashing is thorough. And while you're at it… keeping your slaves happy is probably the way to go.

"Slave Taylor… You are going to be a very, very good slave for me. As for the rest… I intend for you to be a fantastic superhero. I mean, you'll secretly be in my thrall, but I, too, want to clean the city up. We will be joining our forces to make Brockton Bay a better place."

"Thank you, Mistress." Is she crying? You're not sure. But she's definitely smiling, which isn't something you've seen Taylor ever do at school.

"In the meanwhile, slave… I want to fine-tune your brainwashing. And test some of my tech in the process." You pull out your other creation. "This is a brainwashing helmet. I'm… going to test it on you."

"Oh. OK, Mistress. Er, what does it do, exactly?"

"Program ideas into your brains, change personality traits, change preferences… It should take a while, though. Mostly I'm going to reinforce the programming I've already given you." You place the helmet on her head as she obediently sits on your bed. "Eve, look into her mental scan."

"Affirmative," comes the feminine voice from your computer.

Taylor looks surprised. "Was… Did your computer just talk?"

"I've created a rudimentary AI. She's still got a long way to go before she reaches human ability, but she's smart enough to understand human language and gradually learn skills over time. These days, I mostly have her learning how to code - I figure I can have her assist with my tinkering." You look at the computer. "Eve, help the helmet optimize mental influence as we go." This would be a lot more effective if you'd trained Eve in human psychology… but to the very least, she'll be able to move the helmet from one phase of the programming to the next when she senses it's no longer doing anything.

The programming going into Taylor's brain is simple enough - slavish devotion to you, coupled with quasi-religious adoration, intense love, and a large heaping of loyalty and obedience. That, plus a strong desire to be brainwashed by you and help you brainwash others.

Taylor describes the process, and you note the helmet is going through the whole thing relatively quickly - probably because those ideas are already half-programmed into Taylor's brain by the subliminal messages. With someone else, you suspect this could easily take all day, perhaps more.

Taylor is still entirely able to talk while she's being brainwashed, so you continue your conversation. She tells you more about her preparations for superheroing, including that costume made of spidersilk she's been making with a freaking army of black widows (and holy crap is that cool). You tell her about your various tinkertech ideas. She tells you the story of how Emma turned on her (and holy crap it's even worse than you thought). You tell her more about the cape scene, including Kaiser and Purity's likely identities. You discuss possible cape names for her, narrowing it down to either "Regina" (you'd definitely go for it if there wasn't already a cape named Regent in this very town), "Weaver", or "Anansi".

After a couple hours, Taylor's programming is finished.

"So, how do you feel? Compared to before the helmet?"

She takes a moment to consider, then smiles. "More certain of my place, Mistress. I wanted to be your slave before, but now… now I am your slave. I feel more confident in it, I guess."

All right. But those were all things she was already "softened" for by the subliminals. You wonder how the helmet would handle something she hasn't been prepared for? Like, for example, rewriting her sexual orientation? Currently, Taylor seems to essentially be straight with one exception, namely you. You could open up some fun possibilities by giving her a newfound appreciation for the female form…

However, whatever you go for, you'll need to make it quick. You estimate you've got some thirty minutes before your parents come home.

Program Taylor Some More:

[ ] Leave her as is.

[ ] Orientation change: Make Taylor bisexual.

[ ] Orientation change: Make Taylor lesbian.

[ ] Write-in.

Taylor's Cape Identity (because the first round was very close):

[ ] Regina

[ ] Weaver

[ ] Anansi

Now that you have Taylor, what's the next step?

[ ] You still want Emma. She's hot, she can help you shape Winslow's social scene… and you can use her to stop the bullying Taylor gets subjected to.

[ ] Given the range of Taylor's power, you can have her steal money from drug dealers without even getting close to them. Not a lot… but enough to fund an additional tinkertech project.

-[ ] Pheromone Perfume

-[ ] Love Potion

-[ ] Hypnotic Spiral

-[ ] Pocket Watch

-[ ] Trance Gun

-[ ] Thought-Controlled Smartglasses

-[ ] Personal Force-Field

-[ ] Sleep Substitute

-[ ] Neuroplasticity Booster

-[ ] Knockout Drug

[ ] What's better than a brainwashed cape? Two brainwashed capes! Prioritize making Purity your slave. True, her villainous past might make her tricky to use, but her firepower is impressive…

[ ] Focus on helping Taylor with her heroic debut. Advice, training, and what limited assistance you can provide to make sure it all goes well.

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Threadmarks: Plasticity

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sun tzu

strategist

PLASTICITY

[X] Orientation change: Make Taylor bisexual.

[X] Condition Taylor to be Ambidextrous

[X] Weaver

[X] Given the range of Taylor's power, you can have her steal money from drug dealers without even getting close to them. Not a lot… but enough to fund an additional tinkertech project.

-[X] Neuroplasticity Booster

"Stay under the helmet for now, slave," you grin at her, "Gonna see about some additional fine-tuning. In the meanwhile… well, we should discuss short-term strategy."

So, you bounce off ideas. You tell her about some of the tinkertech blueprints you've been thinking about. Taylor - or Weaver, as you finally decide to name her - has some interesting tactical insight, and is quick to point out that a super-knockout drug would have exceptional synergy with her own powers. Definitely something to look into, but for now, you're more interested in your plans for a neuroplasticity booster. Taylor sees the potential as well, but, well, you'd need a bunch of chemicals… not all of them cheap, not all of them legal.

Which brings up the subject of the Merchants, and acquiring what you need at the source. Your new slave and yourself are both very smart girls, and between the two of you, you come up with a few ideas.

All the while, you keep checking in on the helmet. It's programming Taylor to feel attraction for the female form - bumping a girl who may (as far as you know) have been a zero on the Kinsey scale all the way up to 3, possibly 4. You're also trying to program in some ambidexterity, but no such luck - the helmet, in its current configuration, isn't really good for enhancing capability or…

...There's an idea. If you can make a brainwashing helmet, then making a helmet that uploads knowledge and skills should be doable. Really, the biggest limit would be that the helmet would need to have that knowledge and skills in itself. Maybe by improving Eve, or by downloading those skills from a different subject… Yessss, that could be done…

And there's the sound of your parents' car in the driveway.

Hastily, you get Taylor out of the helmet. By the time your parents arrive, you present the nervous Taylor as a friend from school.

It's starting to get late. As your slave points out, her dad will get worried if too much time passes. With some regret, you send her home.

You spend the next hour furiously scribbling tinkertech ideas and masturbating, in alternating order. That hour is followed by an interruption as Taylor calls you, eager to hear her Mistress's voice again. You spend a long time on the phone, and then do some more tinkering with what's left of your evening.

It's April 9th.

More importantly, it's Saturday.

More importantly, it's Saturday, and you have a brainwashed slave. And the car your parents let you borrow.

Taylor gives you puppy dog eyes when you pick her up. "This still feels surreal, Mistress," she admits. "I know I belong to you, but it's… It's still weird realizing that this is really happening."

"Same for me, pet," you admit sheepishly. "And I know we've got work to do, but I'm also hoping to, to, you know…" you blush furiously.

Taylor, realizing what you mean, blushes just as deep a shade of red.

Well! Good thing you have cape work to distract you from the awkwardness!

Driving through the bad - sorry, one of the bad parts of town, you get confirmation from Taylor that this is the Merchants' territory. Those guys are scum. Selling the most damaging drugs to high school kids, sometimes addicting people by force… You'd call them the worst, except that, well, this city also has the ABB (who engage in massive amounts of sex trafficking) and Empire 88 (who are actual neo-Nazis).

...Man, and you thought New York had it bad.

Still, they have their use. As you slowly drive through the neighborhood, Taylor, with her wide Thinker range, is able to identify several suspicious buildings. Her bug-based perception is a bit hazy… which is why her bugs proceed to carry a tiny remote webcam you've tinkered with (in the traditional sense of the word; it's not tinkertech). The camera transmits its feed to your laptop, allowing you and Taylor to get a good look inside the buildings.

It takes you what's left of the morning and much of the afternoon, but Taylor's bugs are able to stealthily retrieve a number of things from the Merchants. A number of wads of cash, totalling slightly over three grand. An amount of illicit substances whose street value is probably five, ten times that much (though obviously you do not intend to sell it).

[ ] Taylor wants to be a hero, and you're all in favor of cleaning the city up. Have her anonymously call the police and report the drug dens.

[ ] Don't get the police involved at this stage.

The rest of the afternoon involves actually spending most of the cash. Carefully, of course - don't want to make it obvious there's a new Tinker in town. Prepaid credit cards, purchased at several separate locations. Different cards used to purchase different things at different pharmacies. Some chemical supplies.

Which still leaves enough money for… let's say, two significant purchases.

[ ] You need to make sure you can keep in touch. Buy Taylor a smartphone.

[ ] You know Taylor's been struggling with money. Get her some new clothes, some replacement school supplies, and a prepaid credit card so she can occasionally buy groceries - it should be subtle enough to avoid raising questions from her dad.

[ ] You now have a sex slave. Buy her some lingerie.

[ ] Don't buy anything. Never know when you might need a couple hundred bucks.

With shopping done, you head back home. Taylor serves as lab assistant as you mix, electrolize, burn, remix, and more. Finally, there's nothing left to do but to leave the chemical solution time to precipitate…

...which, since your parents are out, means you and Taylor are now very, very aware of the whole sex-slave part.

"Um." Taylor looks sideways. "Uh. Mistress, when you changed my brain, how much did you change? Because I've been noticing. All day…"

"Noticing what?"

"Girls," she says, blushing. "I… It's not just you. I've been staring at girls in the street, too. The way I usually stare at boys."

"Does that bother you?"

"I… no. Not if that's what you want, Mistress."

"Well, it's one of the things I wnnmph." You kind of swallow the end of the sentence.

You've brainwashed her into obedience. You'd think you'd be more confident and assertive.

Taylor, at least, realizes your plight. She takes a deep breath. "Mistress… Do you… Do you want us to 'do it'?" She winces. Probably feeling a little silly at phrasing it that way.

Still, you manage to nod.

The following hour is a blur of somewhat awkward pleasure.

It's good to be the Neuroqueen.

It's April 10th. Sunday. And the neuroplasticity booster has finished precipitating.

So, you drive up to Taylor's, get to say hi to her dad (who, if anything, seems grateful that his daughter has someone to hang out with. Oh, if he only knew…), and bring her home to serve as guinea pig!

...Well, you are a villain. But you're almost positive this is harmless.

You wait thirty minutes for the effects to kick in, then proceed to… go together over math class. Taylor has admitted to struggling with this material.

With your explanations, however, a couple hours leave her with a fairly solid understanding of logarithms and exponentiation. And understanding demonstrated when she goes over book exercises and completes them with ease.

You like to think you're a decent tutor, and Taylor's clearly smart, but she's pretty sure the booster is making her learn faster.

You go over History instead. She seems to get it pretty quickly.

You go over new vocabulary words for Spanish class. According to Taylor, what she managed to memorize in ten minutes would normally have taken her at least an hour.

You have her practice balance by standing on one foot. Over the following hour, you get to see her improving at a visible pace - At first, she's all wobbly, but by the end of the hour, even with her eyes closed and her hands busy pouring water back and forth from one cup into another, she's stable enough that the time limit isn't when she loses her balance, but when her leg gets tired.

You're calling it a success. And you've got… about twenty doses left, each one lasting about a day.

[ ] Save it for later use.

[ ] Take a dose yourself.

-[ ] Spend the evening learning about and practicing technology. You're not sure if being good at regular tech makes you better at tinkertech, but it's worth trying.

-[ ] Spend the evening on schoolwork. You can probably get a whole week's worth of studying out of the way, maybe even two.

-[ ]Spend the evening looking at online guides to martial arts and practicing them. You're not gonna turn into Bruce Lee overnight, but maybe you can get the basics?

-[ ] Spend the evening studying guides to psychology, rhetoric, debating and manipulation. Being good at fooling people without mind-control could be invaluable.

-[ ] Spend the evening having sex with Taylor. Might as well get good at it… and hope your parents can't hear you. [Will also keep Taylor busy.]

-[ ] Write-in.

Meanwhile, Taylor is also under the effects of the booster, and learning at an accelerated rate. Either you tell her to spend the rest of the evening pleasuring you… or you tell her to:

[ ] Spend the evening practicing the use of and maneuvering of her bugs.

[ ] Spend the evening doing schoolwork, catching up on the lag caused by the trio.

[ ] Spend the evening learning the basics of technology. She's not a Tinker, but she might become a better assistant.

[ ] Spend the evening learning the basics of martial arts.

[ ] Write-in.

It's April 11th, and folks are having a bad case of the Mondays.

Eve has been practicing coding non-stop for the past two days, and there seems to be some improvement there. You still wouldn't hire her as a coder, but she groks the basics of the craft. For now, you tell her to practice:

[ ] Coding. Given time, she could be as good as a professional human programmer.

[ ] Parahuman tactics. The Internet, over the years, has gathered a lot of footage of cape fights. By having Even go over those videos, you hope she'll start developing a head for tactics.

[ ] Write-in.

With Eve handled, you need to go to school. Your thoughts to to Taylor, who's doubtlessly heading to Winslow too.

[ ] Avoid Taylor at school, but remind her before classes that she'll be spending the evening with her Mistress.

[ ] Avoid Taylor in public, but agree beforehand on a place to meet at for lunch.

[ ] Openly appear to be Taylor's friend at school.

You also need to decide on plans for the evening, while you're at it. You're having Eve monitor police frequencies just in case, but...

[ ] Taylor wants to be a hero. Her powers mean she can act from a safe range. Why not let her live her dream? Give her basic support as she goes out there and does some good.

[ ] You could use more funds. Go hunting for Merchants and their money.

[ ] You have a neuroplasticity booster and a whole evening. Both of you focus on developing your skills.

-[ ] What skills?

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Threadmarks: Opening Night

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sun tzu

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OPENING NIGHT

Earlier:

[X] Taylor wants to be a hero, and you're all in favor of cleaning the city up. Have her anonymously call the police and report the drug dens.

Once you and Taylor are done stealing from the Merchants' stashes and drug dens, you have her call the police, reporting all three locations.

Nothing happens on Saturday. On Sunday, though, you get the satisfaction of learning about police raids that arrested eight gangbangers and confiscated a pretty substantial amount of narcotics.

This won't end the Merchants as a gang, but it weakens them. You congratulate Taylor on having taken her first superheroic step toward making Brockton Bay safer. She smiles.

[X] You need to make sure you can keep in touch. Buy Taylor a smartphone.

[X] You know Taylor's been struggling with money. Get her some new clothes, some replacement school supplies, and a prepaid credit card so she can occasionally buy groceries - it should be subtle enough to avoid raising questions from her dad.

"I'm… not fond of phones, Mistress," she whispers.

"I understand. But it's too useful to go without. This will let us keep in touch, and besides, I'm filling it with subliminal messages so you can reinforce your programming on your own."

"...Yes, Mistress," she relents. "I'm gonna have to keep it secret from my dad, though."

"Speaking of that," you say, "you and your that are kinda struggling to make ends meet, I understand?"

"What about it?"

"Well, I want to help. We can get you some clothes, your own prepaid credit card, groceries… How much do you think we could do before your dad got suspicious?"

She blinks in surprise, getting a little choked up. "Uh… Why? Why are you doing this?"

"You're my slave. It's my responsibility to take care of you." You pause. "Besides, you're likable and I don't want you to be miserable. Besides, you did most of the hard lifting getting this money, remember?"

Her eyes get misty at that. Yyyyeah, definitely someone starved for warmth and positive human interactions. Even if that's to your advantage, you feel bad for her.

"I… I think the best solution is to replace some of my school supplies. Dad won't notice those. And if I get a card, I can probably get some ten-twenty dollars' worth of groceries every week without raising suspicion. A stick of butter here, a milk carton there… It'll both be discreet and make it easier to stay in the black."

[X] Take a dose yourself.

-[X] Spend the evening studying guides to psychology, rhetoric, debating and manipulation. Being good at fooling people without mind-control could be invaluable.

Taylor:

[X] Spend the evening practicing the use of and maneuvering of her bugs.

You don't really feel any different while on the neuroplasticity booster. However, when you study, the material just… sticks. Much more quickly and easily than it normally does. You spend the evening rereading sections of How to Win Friends and Influence People as well as a couple of online debating guides, then going online to participate in political debate forums.

It is not remotely surprising that you get flamed to hell and back. Yet… you think you were better than usual at applying the advice from the book and guides. And you think it helped, a little.

Taylor, meanwhile, is under order to practice using her bugs. She informs you of various formations she's deploying outside.

The next day, Taylor mentions that she thinks she's getting slightly better at perceiving sight and sound via her bugs. Also, that she's gotten good at "writing" using flying insects.

[X] Coding. Given time, she could be as good as a professional human programmer.

Eve has moved past "Hello World" coding. Might as well get her to quasi-human levels of skills in at least one discipline.

You task the nascent AI with continuing to study programming tutorials and practicing at writing code. Given a few more days, and she should be as good as a professional programmer.

It goes without saying that you carefully prevent her from playing with her own code, or creating AI (not that you think she's anywhere near that level of capability, short of copy-pasting her own code). No need to unleash Skynet.

Now:

[X] Openly appear to be Taylor's friend at school.

[X] Taylor wants to be a hero. Her powers mean she can act from a safe range. Why not let her live her dream? Give her basic support as she goes out there and does some good.

Taylor is surprised to see you approaching her at school. "Mistress… I mean, Daphne," she whispers, "the trio will notice if you talk to me."

You shrug.

"Daphne," she insists, sounding desperate, "They'll hurt you. They're… vicious."

"I can go to the principal if it comes down to it. Harder to ignore two students than one," you reply. "And I'm not letting them just keep torturing you. Worst come to worst… I can probably influence them."

The simple fact that you're not throwing her to the wolves has Taylor getting misty-eyed again. Man. You didn't expect your first slave to be such a hardluck case. Given how much Taylor's life sucks, you can almost pretend enslaving her is a kindness. Almost.

She's not entirely wrong, mind. The moment the two of you aren't together, a certain track team athlete girl approaches you.

"You. What was your name again?"

"Um, Daphne? Daphne Miller?"

"Well, me and my friends have been noticing you hanging out with that Hebert loser." Her eyes narrow. "Here's some advice: Don't. Hebert's like toxic quicksand. You hang out with her, your whole life will turn to shit. And the rest of us won't take kindly to it, either." More than her words, her body language is super-threatening. Teenage girl or not, Sophia Hess is one scary motherfucker.

Part of you wants to just tell her off with an epic zinger. But… you're neither brave nor confident nor assertive in social situations. Never have been.

You have, however, spent yesterday brushing up on your "how to handle people" skills. Maybe… Yes, a few things float through your brain. A few ideas and good practices learned yesterday.

"You're Sophia, right? Sophia Hess?"

"Yeah?"

"Right, from the track team. I remember now." It's silly, but letting someone know you remember their name is helpful in social situations. "Also, thanks for the toxic quicksand bit, I'm adding it to my GNB list."

She blinks. "GNB?"

"You know. 'Good Name for a Band'."

She pauses. "You collect ideas for band names?"

"Well, what else am I supposed to do, start a band? If I did, I'd be required to name it 'Tryptophan'. Truth in advertising and all that."

That gets a small chuckle out of her. Humor, and distraction from the subject of conflict. You may not have a black belt in social-fu, but this is smooth by your standards, at least.

"Heh, OK. Just… stay away from Hebert, Miller."

"No promise, but I can at least promise not to invite her for your birthday party."

Sophia seems more amused than angry when she leaves. Good, because you are almost hyperventilating.

Your house has thicker walls that Taylor's, and your parents are both fairly deep sleepers. As such, Taylor comes to your place after school for a "sleepover and study session". That's the official story.

In truth, of course, Taylor has brought her spidersilk outfit, and shows it off to you (once you've locked the door to your room) in preparation for tonight's outing.

It's… wow.

[IMG]

"It's a great costume," you say, genuinely awestruck, "but… maybe a little… scary? I mean, there's precedent with Shadow Stalker and all, but you kinda look villainish."

"It kind of ended up edgier than I intended," she admits.

"Maybe… add some color? Some white and grey in a camo motif?"

"Maybe? I haven't brought any coloring material…"

"If it's just for tonight, why not place light-colored moths on your costume?"

"...That would work."

As it turns out, Taylor's power-backed multitasking is truly ludicrous. She can practice formations of spider-carrying wasps, listening in on TVs in other houses via bugs, and math exercises, all at the same time. As is to be expected, her learning rate in all is fantastic. So is yours as you help he with the school material, and not just because you've always been a straight-A student.

Eventually, the two of you go to bed (well, one bed and one sleeping bag; you don't want to make your parents suspicious, and the rapid pace of your "relationship" with Taylor would raise question marks), with subliminal messages helping you both drift to sleep early. This lets you get a couple hours of sleep in…

...before your earbuds wake you up with the pre-set alarm. Good. Your parents are definitely in bed now. Time to head out.

Night-time patrol of the docks. You drive slowly. Taylor observes the neighborhood.

"Wait. There's a suspicious gathering in that direction."

Huh. OK. You drive one block closer. Still a couple blocks away.

"They're ABB. Couple dozens. Most, maybe all have guns. They're not talking, but… oh shit, that's Lung."

Lung. You're read up on that guy. Considered the most powerful cape in Brockton Bay, made it into a list of "Top twenty East coast Brutes" you've once read. Only mid-range in terms of power at rest, but gets stronger over time; during the Sundering of Kyushu, he actually got so strong he was able to fight Leviathan one-on-one for a while with no clear victor (which accomplished… absolutely nothing, obviously, but is still hella impressive). Taylor is able to listen from two blocks away, and…

"...He wants to kill kids?" she mutters in shock.

Oh shit.

[ ] Call the PRT hotline. This isn't a game, this is a do-or-die situation with a very literal "die". You're gonna need superhero help for this, the sooner the better.

[ ] Don't call the PRT yet. Lung escalates in battle, and you don't want to set the docks on fire. As long as it's just you and Taylor in the car, you can mess up his plans for tonight and run away.

[ ] Have Taylor stay in the car. She can attack the ABB from a distance without risking herself.

[ ] Have Taylor exit the car. She can get closer, have more maneuvering room, and you can rush to her rescue if needed.

[ ] Keep the engine running, in case you need to react in an instant.

[ ] Turn the engine off, for stealth. It only takes a couple seconds to turn back on.

[ ] Have Taylor attack all the ABB at once.

[ ] Have Taylor attack the rank-and-file, but avoid Lung. You're not sure if he can grow in that situation.

[ ] Have Taylor attack only Lung. Focus absolutely everything on him.

[ ] Write-in.

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Threadmarks: Enters the Weaver

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sun tzu

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ENTERS THE WEAVER

[X] Call the PRT hotline. This isn't a game, this is a do-or-die situation with a very literal "die". You're gonna need superhero help for this, the sooner the better.

[X] Have Taylor stay in the car. She can attack the ABB from a distance without risking herself.

[X] Keep the engine running, in case you need to react in an instant.

[X] Have Taylor attack only Lung. Focus absolutely everything on him.

You can't see your face right now, but you're pretty sure you've gone pale. "Taylor? Weaver? Call the PRT, right now. The hotline's in the emergency app on your phone."

"On it," she says, fishing for the device, "but what should I do? I can't just wait!"

No, probably not. Even if the Protectorate gets here quickly - and you have no idea how quick they'll be - Lung has a solid track record of winning this kind of fight. You pause to think about it.

The ABB rank-and-file are… well, they have guns and they're dangerous, no question, but with the swarm at her disposal, you're pretty sure Taylor can get them all long before they cross the two blocks between them and the car. Lung, on the other hand, is a completely different story - poison resistance, Brute levels, regeneration, fire that can destroy Taylor's bugs, and he'll get stronger with every moment the fight lasts.

"Start gathering bugs, but don't attack yet," you say as she calls the PRT. "Prepare for one big alpha-strike on Lung."

Interminable seconds pass. Taylor gets the hotline. "...on the corner between 4th and 8th. Yeah, almost thirty of them besides Lung. Me? Uh… Look, I've got to go." She turns off the phone. "I hope they believe me," she says, dubious - understandable, considering her personal history of failed appeals to authority. "What now?"

"Basically, ignore the minions unless they're getting closer to us or becoming dangerous. You're gonna need to hit Lung right from the start with absolutely everything you have, before he can burn your bugs away or get too tough for them."

"Yes Mistress," she nods. "I've got bees and wasps, flies carrying ants, black widows and brown recluses hitching rides… I think I can hit him bad in the eyes and genitals."

You wince, but superpowered fights aren't for wimps. "Can you aim venom at the arteries?" you gesture at the one in your neck.

"Yeah, that too." She pauses. "They're starting to move."

Crap. "Is your swarm ready?"

"Mostly? Waiting another minute won't make a huge difference."

"OK. Strike!"

She nods. You can hear the scream in the distance.

You can also hear calls on police frequencies about a fight in the docks. You're surprised at how fast that was, except, no, it's like a dozen blocks away and involves giant monsters.

Giant monsters? That sounds like…

"He's visibly growing," Taylor relates, "but I got him in both eyes. Also fifteen spider bites in the neck." There's a hint of pride in her voice - she's been practicing how to use her insects over the past two days, and improving quickly. "I have ants chewing on him, but I don't think they can outpace his growth. The minions are freaking out. I'm trying to bring in more insects whenever they wander into my range, but that's slow. They… crap. He just got in a big fiery explosion, got most of my bugs. He looks pretty hurt, though." Then her jaws goes sluck. "He… pointed in our direction and ordered the minions to 'get the car'!" Her voice drops to a whisper. "Super-hearing?"

Crap, crap, crap. "OK, use the bees and wasps you have left on the minions," you say as you turn the car around. "Will it be enough?"

"I think so… it'll work better if you can move into range of more bugs!"

You drive one block to the West. Taylor keeps updating you. "I think I've managed to drive the minions away, and I holy crap Lung just jumped-"

You can hear the thump of what is presumably Lung landing. Right. Super-strength. You accelerate. The second thump lands much closer.

Then the fiery blast hits less than twenty feet away from the car.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

On the plus side, he's probably going entirely by hearing if Weaver got both his eyes? Can't be helping his aim. Still, you accelerate and take a sharp turn to the right. He jumps after you again. And again…

"I managed to get him to swallow some bugs in his landing path," says Taylor. "It slowed him down for a bit! OK, there are more bugs here, maybe… wait, slow down." Terrified, you comply. Seconds later, she says "OK, accelerate again. I wanted to him with a second swarm while we were still in range and he was coughing. Got spiders and wasps in his ears. He's starting to grow metal plates, though."

Maybe you should just get out of here.

As you drive, another fiery blast misses you wildly, hitting some building instead (not residential, thankfully). You hear once again the loud thump of the villain landing after a jump…

...Then a sound like a thunder cracks, along with a flash of light.

Taylor pauses. "...Dauntless. Dauntless just blasted him."

You turn the car around. You can see Lung, standing in the middle of the road, as the hero's arclance strikes him from above a second time. Lung roars… just in time for Armsmaster to arrive.

Armsmaster. Leader of the local Protectorate. A veteran, rather Tinker 6 (so, a notch above average), currently driving an incredibly-cool motorbike toward Lung… and then impaling the dragon-villain with his halberd without slowing down.

Lung collapses. Holy crap.

"Over there!" Weaver points in the opposite direction. And you see them. Three massive monsters skidding to a halt on the roof as they arrive within sight of the scene. They have riders.

Right. The only people with access to giant monsters in this town. The Undersiders. Teenage parahuman gang specialized in hit-and-run robberies. A darkness-controller called Grue, a girl with no secret identity who can turn her dogs into monsters called Hellhound, a girl with unknown powers called Tattletale, and… who's that fourth cape with them?

Whoever they are, they take a look at the scene for a few seconds, then Tattletale says something. Then they turned around and leave, and wow those monster dogs are fast.

Weaver looks at you. "The girl in the lavender suit. She said, exact words, 'Looks like we didn't need to worry. Lung got his ass handed to him by an independent. Bug-controller, hit him with everything, used that car over there. Looks like the newbie came with a friend, since they're not the one driving'."

Welp. You're suddenly very glad for Taylor's rapidly-improving skill at listening in via her bugs.

Lung doesn't look like he's getting up. Armsmaster is securing him. Miss Militia is arriving in her own vehicle. Dauntless is gazing in the direction of your car. Hm…

[ ] Just drive away, hope the heroes don't pursue.

[ ] They know you're here, they have reasons to suspect you got involved in a cape fight; let's not make ourselves look guilty by running away. Get out of the car with Weaver, talk to the Protectorate.

-[ ] "I'm a cape, but I'm not going to go into the details of my powers for now."

-[ ] "I'm helping Weaver be a hero. I had the car, she didn't." Don't mention or even hint at being a cape.

-[ ] "From what Weaver overheard, Tattletale is definitely some kind of Thinker."

-[ ] "..." Don't mention Tattletale's power. You might want to recruit her later, so best keep this secret.

[ ] They'll know about Weaver, but you'd rather they not know about you. Just have her talk to them alone, turning her phone on to record the conversation.

-[ ] Switch places so Taylor can exit from the driver's side of the car. Avoid revealing you at all.

-[ ] Have Taylor admit a friend was driving, but said friend has no mask and wants to keep her identity secret.

-[ ] Instruct Taylor to reveal what she heard from Tattletale.

-[ ] Instruct Taylor to not mention Tattletale's words.

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Threadmarks: First Impressions

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sun tzu

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FIRST IMPRESSIONS

[X] They'll know about Weaver, but you'd rather they not know about you. Just have her talk to them alone, turning her phone on to record the conversation.

-[X] Have Taylor admit a friend was driving, but said friend has no mask and wants to keep her identity secret.

-[X] Instruct Taylor to not mention Tattletale's words.

-[X] Instruct Taylor to warn them that Lung is very severely poisoned.

"OK, here's how we're gonna do this," you tell Weaver. "Use bugs to cover the car's licence plate." Given the distance and darkness, they probably can't see it anyway, but no need to take more risks than you already have tonight. You fiddle with her phone, setting it to record the sounds around it. "You… Well, you're a superhero. I promised I'd help you be one, and I think I'm making good on this promise, so, you go out there and talk to the Protectorate. If they ask, sure, admit you had a friend driving, but don't mention I'm a cape. You can tell them I have no mask and want to keep my identity secret. Don't, uh, don't tell them what Tattletale said, or mention you could hear her, just that you saw the Undersiders." You pause, then add before she exits the car: "Also, remember your camo! And, uh, maybe mention Lung's got enough poison in him to kill a platoon. I know he's supposed to regenerate, but…"

So, with white and light-gray moths giving her costume a camo pattern, your brainwashed superheroine heads out. For several tense minutes, you watch her chat with the three heroes, before returning to the car.

"I think it went all right," she says. "Do you want to hear the recording?"

You nod.

"Please identify yourself," said Armsmaster.

"I call myself Weaver. I'm new."

"And you picked a fight with Lung right off the bat?"

"I didn't have a choice. He was telling his men to shoot kids… Well, I thought I was. The Undersiders showed up briefly and then left, so I guess that's what he really meant."

The senior hero nodded. "The Undersiders attacked an ABB-owned casino recently. This was probably meant to be a retaliation. Was this your first outing?"

"Second, actually. I went out in Merchants territory on Saturday, did some reconnaissance out of costume. I found a few of their hideouts and called the police."

"Probably the best way to handle it," Miss Militia stepped in. "Forgive me, but can I ask what your power is, exactly?"

"Bugs." she demonstrated by having a small swarm fly in a perfect circle above her. "I have pretty good range for controlling them. I figured I could attack Lung from a good enough distance that he wouldn't even know where his attacker was, but I think his hearing improves when he gets stronger; he was able to locate the car from two blocks away."

"Super-hearing? Didn't even know he had that," Dauntless muttered. "And people think my powers are unfair…"

"Well, I do wish you hadn't put yourself in so much danger, especially without other heroes as backup, but you did good," Miss Militia said. "Who's in the car?"

"...Just a friend. She's helping me be a superhero. I don't have a car, so she did the driving. She, um, she's staying in there, though. No mask."

"Fair enough," said Armsmaster. "You should be aware, though, that independent heroes tend not to survive very long. New Wave only manage thanks to large numbers."

From there, he segued into the traditional recruitment pitch. Taylor listened politely - and somewhat in awe of one of her childhood heroes - but in truth, she already knew she wasn't joining the Wards. Even if she'd been unafraid of exposing herself to teenage drama, her first duty was to her Mistress, and she doubted her artificial (but oh so important!) loyalties would go unnoticed by the PRT. She thus politely declined.

"Suit yourself. Different question, then," said the Protectorate leader. "Do you want the credit for helping with Lung's arrest? The ABB still has two capes, and they might want to retaliate. One is Oni Lee, who's psychotic. The other is a more recent recruit…"

A quick of who Bakuda was - a bomb-specialized Tinker and confirmed psychopath - made the blood drain from Taylor's face. If someone like Bakuda ever targeted Mistress… No. That could never be allowed to happen. "...I think I'll take security over glory for now. I mean, tell the PRT, sure, but I don't mind being left out of the official version." Besides, even if she'd hurt Lung, it had been Dauntless and Armsmaster who'd gotten him in the end. "Also, I'd suggest being careful with Lung. I've pumped him full of black widow venom, brown recluse venom, bee and wasp venom… With his regeneration power, I figured I couldn't go halfways. I went way beyond the doses that would kill a normal person."

"Duly noted," said Armsmaster, making a few calls.

"Whether or not you join the Wards," Miss Militia said, "all capes need some kind of support network. If you ever run into trouble… or just really need to talk, for that matter… don't hesitate to give me call, she said, her smile visible in her eyes as she handed the young parahuman her card.

You think while driving the car. You have a lot to think about.

You just helped your pet superheroine take out the biggest, baddest supervillain in town. A small town with only a few dozen villains, but still!

On the other hand, there are downsides. The ABB is still powerful, and this might be sending them on the warpath (and you shudder to imagine the potential devastating combination of Bakuda's bombs and Oni Lee's suicide-bomber-replicator schtick). Meanwhile, Empire 88 might see this as their chance to take over the city, and the last thing you want is for a bunch of Nazi fuckheads to take over thanks to your help.

Also, you can't help but think that some tinkertech knockout drug would have been really helpful here.

Bakuda exists. She's a Tinker, and she's a villain. Hm.

And then there's the Undersiders. You're not sad you've saved their lives - only one of them has a pending murder charge, after all - but they're aware of your existence. And Tattletale is apparently a decent Thinker. Was that postcognition? Enhanced deduction? It was something, and any power that can dig up information on you is a concern.

Also, damn Armsmaster's tinkertech is awesome, and Miss Militia seems nice.

Now, it's late at night, and you and Taylor both need sleep. Tomorrow's a school day. But beyond that, you will focus on…

[ ] Enslaving Sonya Parker. Empire 88 will try to capitalize on Lung's arrest, and she can get you some insider info.

[ ] Enslaving Sarah Lee. You need to know more about the ABB in general and Bakuda in particular, and she can get you some inside info.

[ ] The Undersiders. Look up any info available online that you haven't learned yet. Have Eve assist with the search. Drive Taylor around in an attempt to locate their hideout, since you know it's in this general area.

[ ] Capturing Bakuda. Once your parents get home, you can borrow the car, and drive Taylor arround ABB territory to locate the Tinker's workshop.

-[ ] Have Taylor steal money from ABB hideouts when it's reasonably safe.

-[ ] Report what ABB hideouts you find to the police at the end of the day.

[ ] Capturing Purity. You have her address. You have her phone number. You have Taylor's bugs and their impressive espionnage potential. If you're clever about it, you can add her impressive firepower (and knowledge of E88) to your arsenal.

[ ] Hitting Empire 88. You've already weakened the Merchants and ABB; drive Taylor around E88 territory, locate their hideouts, remove some cash, report locations to the police.

[ ] Tinkering. You may not finish your next project over tomorrow, but you can get started at least…

-[ ] Upgrading Eve.

-[ ] Hypno-spiral.

-[ ] Hypnotic pocket watch [Requires money and parts].

-[ ] Pheromone perfume [Requires money and chemicals].

-[ ] Love potion [Requires money and chemicals].

-[ ] Sleep substitute [Requires money and chemicals].

-[ ] Knockout drug [Requires money and chemicals].

-[ ] Thought-controlled smartglasses [Requires money and parts].

-[ ] Trance gun [Requires money and parts].

(Tinkering projects that require money and parts/chemicals will only be possible if you spend the evening acquiring those from the gangs.)

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Threadmarks: Bomber Hunt

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sun tzu

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BOMBER HUNT

[X]Focus primarily on capturing Bakuda.

-[X]Have Taylor steal money from the ABB when the opportunity presents itself.

[X]When possible, get started on the knockout drug Tinker project.

[X]As secondary objectives, try to enslave Sarah Lee and Purity.

"I slipped 20 into my dad's wallet last night," Taylor whispers to you as you enter Winslow. "I can probably do it once or twice again this month without him getting suspicious." Your family's better-off than Taylor's, but you understand how fifty bucks a month can make the difference between rent and ruin. "Still, I'll need to tell him about the cell phone sooner or later. Maybe I should take babysitting and yard jobs - or at least pretend to?"

"That might be a good idea," you admit, "but for now, we've got some more urgent things to focus on." You look around. "Any questions about the plan?"

"No, I think I got it."

The "plan" kicks into action during lunch break. Taylor's ability to sense her environment via her bugs has been improving at an accelerated pace. Enough that she is able to locate Sara Lee.

You're not entirely sure what Sara's deal is. Near as you can tell, she's a smart girl. Serious, hard-working. She does well in class. Doesn't seem to be a junkie. From an economics perspective, probably among the better-off half of Winslow's population.

But there's no mistaking that she's always wearing the ABB colors. And hanging out with the gangbangers. What's up with that?

Well, you suppose you'll have to find out soon. You fill your cup with water and ice cubes, then leave the cafeteria, heading into the nearest bathroom. Taylor is there with you.

"Sara is getting close to the cafeteria," she says. "She's with four other ABB members; three guys and a girl."

Another girl? Dammit. Let's hope this still works. "Just… hit her when the time's right."

Taylor waits. And waits. And waits. And… "OK, did it. She's checking her hair… yeah, she found it. She's getting pissed." Taylor pauses for a moment. "She's coming here, alone. The other ABB just laughed."

Ah, so the other girl didn't follow. Excellent. You congratulate Taylor - hitting the back of Sara's head with that projectile was easy enough, but made harder by the need to not let her realize bugs were involved.

Sara storms inside the bathroom, ignoring you two as she checks her hair in the mirror. It's pretty, well-cared for, straight black hair that reaches the middle of her back… and thanks to Taylor, it now has a wad of chewing gum embedded in it. Sara swears in annoyance.

"Um… you're trying to get the gum out of your hair?" you ask, cursing the quaver in your voice.

"No fucking shit, Sherlock."

"Um, careful, don't move it around or it'll get worse." She just glares at you. Dammit, you need to say the rest of your lines, but her glare is making you freeze and…

Taylor's putting her hand on your shoulder.

You resume speaking. "Uh, if you want to remove it without having to cut any hair, there's a trick to it."

Sara's expression goes from fury to… you're not sure. Curiosity? Skepticism? "Talk fast."

You nod. "Well, one way is to use oily products since that detaches the gum from whatever it's glued itself to… but, uh, we can just use ice cubes," you show her your cup. "That'll freeze the gum solid so it can't stick to anything, and then getting it out of your hair will be easy. I can use my comb?"

You don't normally bring a comb to school, but other girls do. It's believable. As for the ice thing, you discovered it while emergency-googling it on your phone back in the 8th grade. ...Your old school also had bullies, but at least there, the staff did something about them.

Sara eyes you suspiciously. "OK, fine. But if this doesn't work, I'm kicking your lilly-white ass."

Taylor glares at her with unexpected rage, but does nothing. You hold the ice cubes against the gum. "So… I'm Daphne. You're Sara, right?"

"What's it to you?"

"This is gonna take some time, so I'm making conversation." You take a deep breath. "Look, we can either stand here for several minutes in perfect silence, we can stand here for several minutes talking, or… Actually, you know what? I've been working on this music remix; got it on my phone. You listen to it while I'm degumming your hair, you tell me what you think of it once I'm done, and we'll call it even. Deal?"

"Whatever."

And that's how you spend several minutes manually freezing a piece of gum while Sara Lee gets bombarded with subliminal messages telling her how much she loves your remixes and needs to keep listening to them. Which makes it almost easy to segue into transferring an entire track of remixes to her own phone (and giving her your number and e-mail address, so she can tell you what she thinks of them later).

The track is full of messages like "I love this music", "Must keep listening", "Daphne's awesome", "I trust Daphne", "Daphne's my friend", "Daphne's so cool", and "Wanna talk to Daphne".

While Sara isn't exactly listening to music in class, Taylor reports that she was sticking earbuds in her ears as soon as she left the building. So that's one thing in motion.

Back to work. You have more plans cooking.

You can't really patrol ABB territory to hunt down Bakuda without a car, and you can't borrow one of your parents' cars before they get home.

You can, however, take a cab with Taylor toward Kayden Anders' residential area, and have Taylor perform some preliminary espionage.

Purity's got a nice little house. With a baby inside, being cared for by a chubby boy your age.

...That might complicate things. Still, with your instructions, Taylor is able to place electronic listening bugs in the house. That should help.

Later that evening, once you are able to commandeer a car, it's time to start canvassing the ABB-controlled part of town.

It doesn't take long to find a couple of ABB drug dens, from which you are able to remove some funds (and product, for your tinkering). Taylor also locates an armory with over a dozen guns in it, even an Uzi and a few grenades. Calls are made to the police.

Taylor's expression darkens, however, when she locates one of the ABB's infamous "farms".

It was to be expected, you suppose. The Merchants derive over 90% of their profits from drugs. The ABB may make a fortune from narcotics, but they are also in control of a massive sex trafficking operation. This brothel… it's a nightmare, from what glimpses you get. The women are essentially sex slaves.

...Is it hypocritical for you to be horrified? Taylor is your sex slave, violated on an even deeper level than these girls.

You could argue that, while what you're doing is definitely villainous, you're at least trying to keep your victims happy, and enhance their lives on some level. But… well, more practically: The fact that you're willing to do evil things does not make you more tolerant of other people doing evil things. So, yeah, this operation is going down.

But how to proceed? Call the cops? Just have Weaver use her bugs to drive people out? Taylor is expressing some doubt about the police doing anything about brothels, but you're not sure if that's fair or just her cynicism shining through...

[ ] Just alert the police to this location.

[ ] Have Weaver swarm the place.

[ ] Have Weaver swarm the place while telling the police she's doing it.

ABB territory is significantly larger than the Merchants'. This might take a while. At least your surveillance of Purity's house has revealed some interesting tidbits once she got home - the baby is named Aster, and seems to be her daughter, while the boy, called Theo, was baby-sitting. Purity sounds like she has concerns about how Theo's father is treating him, and from the sound of it, you'd give 50-50 odds his father is Max Anders.

It's past 9 when you get a call on your phone from a number you don't recognize.

"Heeey. Daphne, right?" The friendliness almost prevents you from recognizing Sara's voice.

"Uh, yeah?"

"It's Sara. You helped me get gum out of my hair earlier today?"

"Oh, right. With science."

"Exactly! By the way, I don't think I actually thanked you. So, this is my belayed thanks."

"You're, you're welcome."

She giggles. "Yeah, anyway… I was wondering, maybe we could hang out? I could use a friend who wasn't a dumb ABB mook." There's a hopeful edge in her voice.

A thought occurs. It's getting late, and your parents will be suspicious if you don't return with the car soon. Even if you sneak out afterwards in the middle of the night to resume the search, the ABB's territory is large enough that you might not find anything tonight.

On the other hand, you could go home, have your sleepover with Taylor… and an extra guest in the person of Sara Lee. If you can make headway in brainwashing her, she can use her ABB inside knowledge to focus your search.

[ ] Keep searching for Bakuda with Weaver, search through the night if necessary. You'll lose sleep, but even if you don't find her, you'll locate various ABB locations of interest.

[ ] Go home, invite Sara Lee for a sleepover. Brainwashing your own little mole in the ABB will make things so much easier. Besides, you can start tinkering the knockout drug.

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Threadmarks: Bomber Hunt: Sara Lee

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sun tzu

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BOMBER HUNT: SARA LEE

[X] Just alert the police to this location.

[X] Go home, invite Sara Lee for a sleepover. Brainwashing your own little mole in the ABB will make things so much easier. Besides, you can start tinkering the knockout drug.

Sara doesn't quite go "squee" when you suggest a sleepover, but you got the impression it's a near thing. "Let's head home," you tell Taylor, "you can help me brainwash Sara. Maybe she'll have some idea where to look."

"OK, Mistress." She sounds a bit glum. Why would she…? Hm…

"Taylor, you know you're not being replaced, right?"

Her mouth opens and closes. "I know I have powers and she doesn't," she finally says, "but I also know I'm… not pretty like her."

You playfully flick the back of her head. "Taylor, I like you. If I couldn't enslave you, I'd still want to be your friend." ...Wow, that sounds so fucked up when you say it aloud. "And even if you didn't have powers, I'd still be glad to have you as my slave. I didn't know you were a cape when I brainwashed you, remember?"

She gives a weak smile. "Thank you. But I'm sorry I didn't find Bakuda."

"You've got nothing to apologize for. And it's not like I was expecting to find her on the first night." Well, actually there was a decent chance, but… Well, OK, maybe it was a little much to hope for. Hopefully tomorrow.

Your expression turns more serious. "With that said, the faster I can brainwash Sara Lee, the better. You, ah, have first-hand experience in being brainwashed. Any insight?"

She stays silent for a moment. "It didn't take long for your subliminal messages to get me going."

"Yes, but… I think you were uniquely vulnerable to them."

"...Because I'm weak."

"No. Because you were beaten down, hurt, and desperate for any kind of positive human contact."

She pauses. "...Yeah. I mean, if you'd asked me before to let you brainwash me… I, I'd have refused," she admits uncomfortably. "But once I found out… I didn't care all that much. I just wanted my Mistress's approval. Now, I'm deliberately listening to the reinforcement tracks you've given me so I can be a good slave." She pauses. "I think… I think things will progress more smoothly with Sara if you make her want to be your brainwashed slave, first."

And that's why, before heading home, you send Sara another music track. One whose subliminal messages tell her that she needs your approval, desperately.

Your parents are a little surprised at your having a second guest for your sleepover - you never were much of a social butterfly - but they don't exactly disapprove. Probably helps that Sara… actually dressed kinda nice, and not in ABB colors. You blush a little as she smiles at you.

"So, I know you're Daphne, but you are…?"

"Taylor."

"Sure."

Taylor blinks, as if confused or expecting something. Not sure what that's about. Hm… Sara should have had about 40-50 minutes' worth of the latest subliminal track (you stopped at a pharmacy on the way for materials), but you're not sure how strong the effect on her is. It apparently took hours to get her to call you, but was she listening to music non-stop all that time?

"So, this is your room? What are you, a Tinker?" Sara asks jokingly.

You laugh nervously. "...Always loved science."

"Cool. I mean, I'm not exactly a junior einstein, but I can appreciate what we learn in science class, y'know?"

You pause. "Um, wyrynabebe?"

"Huh?"

You take a deep breath. "Look, I, um, I'm sorry, I, I don't want to offend, but, uh, can I ask… Why do you, uh, hang out with the ABB folks?"

Her expression hardens. "Those guys are fucktards. Don't think I don't know that. They're dumb, stupid assholes." She pauses. "I could say it's because I want to fuck up the skinheads for what they did to my sister, but… well, maybe that's part of it. You want to know the real reason, though?"

She sits on the bed. "It's like this. I could… ditch those losers, focus on my grades, try to make it into a good school and move out of this hellhole. But what for? So I can get a good job at some corporation? Five, ten years from now, there aren't gonna be big corporations left. International trade is fucking dead. Japan's a wreck. The Swiss banks are gone. Poland's fucked. Nigeria's fucked. Everything's fucked. The Protectorate can show up in shiny uniforms, but, let's be fucking real here - by the time we're our parents' age, there won't be a civilization. And y'know, some people like to think that when the apocalypse comes, they're gonna rule Barter Town, but they're not. They're just part of the mountain of the skulls.

"You know who is gonna be in charge when everything collapses? A whole bunch of parahuman warlords ruling over tiny fiefdoms. Lung, Kaiser, Armsmaster or Dauntless if they're smart enough to adapt… They'll rule over what they can. It'll be miserable, but better than being in the pile of skulls." She nods to herself. "So, yeah. I'm trying to get myself into a decent position in the ABB, because ten years from now? I want to survive, and to keep my friends and family alive and fed. So I work with those fuckers. I use my brains. I don't let them give me shit. And if I play my cards right, then I'm gonna be an officer there. Simple as that."

You look at her. "...That's grim. I'm not sure if you're wrong, but…" Well, she has a point. Between Endbringers and villains outnumbering heroes three-to-one, there's no denying that civilization has been collapsing.

And you're a villain yourself, the stab of guilt reminds you. But maybe you can play a small role in slowing down that collapse?

But, that's neither here nor there. You need to brainwash Sara first. How do you proceed?

[ ] Drug her unconscious, then apply the helmet. Work on knockout drug in the meanwhile.

-[ ] Slave programming through the night.

-[ ] Spend half the night programming her with submissive urges and a desperate need to be brainwashed, wake her up, then spend the rest of the night programming her to be your slave.

-[ ] Spend the whole night programming her with submissive urges and the desire to be brainwashed.

[ ] Start with the appearance of a normal sleepover, but use subliminal messages in music to make you all sleepy; force yourself to stay awake longer than her, then apply the helmet.

-[ ] Slave programming through the night.

-[ ] Spend half the night programming her with submissive urges and a desperate need to be brainwashed, wake her up, then spend the rest of the night programming her to be your slave.

-[ ] Spend the whole night programming her with submissive urges and the desire to be brainwashed.

[ ] Start with the appearance of a normal sleepover, but take the time to work on knockout drug. A few hours later, when she goes to bed, apply the helmet.

-[ ] Slave programming through the night.

-[ ] Spend half the night programming her with submissive urges and a desperate need to be brainwashed, wake her up, then spend the rest of the night programming her to be your slave.

-[ ] Spend the whole night programming her with submissive urges and the desire to be brainwashed.

[ ] Write-in.

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Threadmarks: Bomber Hunt: Sara's Night In

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sun tzu

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BOMBER HUNT: SARA'S NIGHT IN

[X] Drug her unconscious, then apply the helmet. Work on knockout drug in the meanwhile.

-[X] Spend half the night programming her with submissive urges and a desperate need to be brainwashed, wake her up, then spend the rest of the night programming her to be your slave.

You think about Sara's bleak worldview. "You know, I'm not sure I accept that."

"What do you mean?" she raises an eyebrow.

"The whole inevitable apocalypse thing. I mean… yeah, sure. The Endbringers are causing insane damage. Warlords and villains are making it worse. We're definitely heading toward the collapse of civilization." You pause. "But… that doesn't make it inevitable. That doesn't mean it can't be stopped." Another pause as you look nervously at the two other girls. "Next week, some cape could show up with the power to imitate the powers of others, and then he could start showing up at Endbringer battles and fight them with a copy of Eidolon's abilities. Maybe some new cape will get time-travel powers and warn the Protectorate back when it's founded about Siberian, Nilbog, and every other thing that goes wrong. Maybe scientists will figure out how to induce parahuman powers in SWAT officers. I'm… not willing to give up on society just yet," you say, your cheeks burning.

Sara starts laughing, but at least it doesn't sound like a mocking laugh. "OK, that's awesome. You've got some gumption in there, Daph."

"Th-thanks," you stammer. "Um, excuse me for a minute, I gotta get a couple things done real quick," you add as you scurry toward your chemistry workbench.

As you improvise a sleep agent - not really worthy of being called tinkertech - you're only vaguely aware of Sara's conversation with Taylor.

"...locker girl? Wait, the locker thing was real? I thought it was just a rumor?"

"Of course it was real! How could you not know that?!"

"Shit, lady, you think you're the center of the universe? Or the only victim at out shithole of a school? Winslow's got, what, a four-digit population? Which includes a nice fucking percentage of skinheads and Merchants. Since this school year's started, I can think off the top of my head of two students who committed suicide, and two who got shanked at school, one of them fatally. Others get dragged into the Merchants' junkie system. And if you're not white, not in a gang, and getting attention from the Nazis… well, you're fucked. Basically, to you, the day they stuck you in a locker full of used tampons was the worst day of your life. For Winslow? It was fucking Tuesday."

Hm. Hyperbolic… you hope.

Regardless, you've finished designing the compound. You hide the test tube in your pocket. "Be back in a second. Um, play nice?"

You head to the kitchen, getting some drinks, and making sure to remember which of the drinks is drugged. It probably isn't Sara's favorite, but she still accepts it with a (slightly forced) smile as you hand it to her. After taking a few sips, she shifts the conversation toward you, and you answer honestly where you can, evasively where you need to…

...and her eyes are fluttering, and she's sighing, and you think she has trouble staying upright. "Ah, maybe lie down a bit? You can take a nap, we don't mind."

"Thanks," she gives a small smile as she lies down in your bed. A minute later, she's out like a light.

You and Taylor nod at each other.

You lock the door. Taylor will warn you if your parents are heading here, but better safe than sorry.

You imbibe the sleeping agent into a clean rag, which you stuff in Sara's mouth. Judging from what your power is telling you, it's safe enough, and it'll keep her asleep for the duration as small amounts of the sleep agent get swallowed or breathed in over the rest of the night.

You zip-tie her hands together. Her feet, too.

Then, you place the helmet, and get Eve to start programming your second human slave.

"So, what programming are you giving her, Mistress?" Taylor asks.

"Well, first, some reinforcement, telling her I'm awesome and she needs my approval," you explain. "After that, some bits about me being powerful, since I think we can use her worldview to recruit her. But mostly, the focus is on giving her a massive submission fetish and an overwhelming desire to be brainwashed." You grin, heat pulsing through you. "And, um, speaking of fetishes and, and desires…" Your pants and panties hit the floor. Taylor smiles with a combination of lust and relief - you suspect she'll need the occasional reminder that she's not being forgotten in favor of the newest model.

Now, if you're honest, Taylor is on the plain side. Not as much as she seems to think, but certainly not pretty like Sara.

Even so, as her eager tongue tinkers with your nether region, it takes effort on your part to keep your orgasm reasonably silent.

"...Well done, pet," you catch your breath. "Now, I still need to get some actual tinkering done. Help me out here…"

"Yes Mistress!" There's something adorable about Taylor's eagerness to please.

What follows is two hours of chemical tinkering, occasionally interrupted by Eve giving you reports from the Purity listening bugs, or Taylor informing you your parents have gone to bed. It is well past your recommended bedtime when you decide you and Taylor both need to get some shuteye. You and your slave both crawl into a sleeping bug, cuddling while subliminal messages ensure you fall asleep quickly.

It's two hours and change later that Eve wakes you up. Urgh. Really wishing for that sleep substitute right now.

"Mental reprogramming has progressed within acceptable parameters, Mistress," your pet AI informs you. "Mental resistance to submissiveness and brainwashing desire was far greater than with subject Taylor, but both are now embedded in subject's brain."

You look at the logs from the helmet. You were kind of hoping the programming would be more advanced by now… but there's only four hours and change left before you need to get up and go to school; you'll have to hope that's enough.

Taylor puts on her Weaver costume. Her bugs remotely place rags carrying the sleep drug to ensure your parents don't wake up if noise is made; it bothers you, but you can't take this risk. Sara is propped up… and then woken.

She blinks. "Fvemoreminutes… Huh…?"

Then her eyes settle on Weaver. "HOLY SHIT!"

Then she tries to jump, and realizes she's tied up. "What the fuck?"

"Sara." She turns her head toward you. "How are you feeling?"

She looks at you. She looks at Weaver. "...OK, serious question: What the fuck?"

"It's a legitimate question," you say. "Well… I'm recruiting you."

"Recruiting… into what? Why am I tied up? What's on my head? And is that Taylor?"

You turn toward your cape slave. "Weaver, show her."

With that, a swarm of insects flies in a beautifully complex formation around Weaver.

Sara's jaw falls. "Bugs. You're the bug cape that helped the white hats capture Lung."

"She is. Weaver can control tens of thousands of bugs at once. Bees, wasps, black widow spiders… She may be new, but she's one of the strongest parahumans in Brockton Bay." You grin smugly at the next part. "Weaver. Kneel."

With that, the brainwashed heroine falls to her knees before you. You pat her on the head. "Good girl."

Sara's blushing, looking perturbed. Good. "Uh… OK, so, I'm guessing that's Taylor… and she's a cape… and she's… oh shit. Look, I'm only a small fry in the ABB. I don't want trouble."

"Like I said, Sara, I'm recruiting you," you say. "Weaver's power is controlling bugs. Me, I control people."

She blinks. "You're a Master."

"I guess I qualify for a Master sub-rating, but really, I'm a Tinker who builds mind-control machines," you grin. "Look at it this way, Sara: You were willing to join the ABB - a gang that commits murder and rape without a second thought - because they were powerful. Well, my gang has already brought down Lung. I've brainwashed one of the strongest capes in the city already. I've already got plans for more - I know where Purity lives, and I'm planning to find Bakuda. Furthermore? I've got this." You show her a vial. "One of my tinkertech creations. It's a neuroplasticity booster - one dose, and for the rest of the day, the brain learns at a vastly accelerated pace, almost by an order of magnitude. I've tried it on both Weaver and myself, and the results are very promising. As my minion, you'd get some for yourself, too. I don't want stupid assholes as my minions - I want intelligent people with actual skills and competence.

"What I'm saying, basically, is that you'll be far better off joining me than joining the ABB."

She's blushing a deep red, and you can recognize signs of arousal. "...Why are you even trying to convince me? Can't you just… brainwash me?"

"I can, and I will," you reply. "You're going to be completely loyal to me by the end of this, one way or another. But, trust me - the whole brainwashing process is gonna be a lot more pleasant for the both of us if you accept it."

Her blushing has not lessened. "I… don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"You get some choice. You can fight this to the bitter end, kicking and screaming, until in the end you no longer want to. Or you can accept that this is how it's going to be, and try to make the best of it." You give her a small smile. "I'm a villain, but I'm not a total bitch. I take care of my minions."

She pauses. "I guess that's how it's gonna be. But no homo."

You suppress a snicker. Yeah, fat chance.

For the next two hours, You and Taylor interrogate Sara thoroughly on the ABB. Most of what she knows is low-level stuff… but it's useful info on the organization's operational procedures, how it's run, and how to more efficiently locate its vital points. Maybe even enough to locate Bakuda tomorrow!

All the while, Eve keeps you appraised of the continuing brainwashing process. Sara now practically worships you (something that you can see in her shifting demeanor over the first hour, and how she looks at you), and her desire to be brainwashed has been fully integrated and accepted. It's all proceeding far more smoothly now.

With that said, you're exhausted, Taylor's exhausted, and even Sara's tired. So you put her back to sleep, and program Eve to spend the remaining two hours continuing the brainwashing. You and Taylor (now out of costume again) need to get what little sleep you can still get.

Hm. You do need to tell Eve what to program Sara with for the next two hours, though.

She's already got a massive submission fetish, but that's gonna be awkward as long as she finds you utterly unattractive. You could make her bisexual/lesbian (with a strong attraction to yourself) to fix that, which will make remaining your slave all the more attractive to her. If you went that way, you could also make her fall in love with you.

You could program her with a strong loyalty toward her Mistress.

You could program her with pride in being a good slave.

Whatever you go for, though, it'll need to fit into a two-hour program, because past that, you need to get to school…

[ ] Make Sara bisexual and attracted to you. [takes one hour]

-[ ] Make Sara extremely, irresistibly attracted to you. [Takes one hour]

-[ ] Make Sara fall in love with you. [Take one hour]

[ ] Make Sara lesbian. [Takes two hours]

[ ] Make Sara think of you as her Mistress, with strong feelings of loyalty. [Takes one hour]

[ ] Make Sara proudly think of herself as a good slave. [Takes one hour]

[ ] Write-in.

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Threadmarks: Bomber Hunt: Day Two

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BOMBER HUNT: DAY TWO

[X] Make Sara bisexual and attracted to you. [takes one hour]

[X] Make Sara think of you as her Mistress, with strong feelings of loyalty. [Takes one hour]

Waking up in the arms of your brainwashed slave is an experience you'd recommend, obviously, but it's somewhat soured by the lack of sleep. Urgh… well, no helping it. You and Taylor get out of the sleeping bag, you have her get the sleep agent away from your parents and Sara. You think it'll take them some 10-20 minutes to wake up. Let's see… today's Wednesday the 13th...

"Eve, status on Sara's reprogramming?"

"97% of the allocated programming is complete, Mistress. Adding bisexuality was difficult, suggesting heterosexuality was harder-coded in this subject's brain than in the previous one. Loyalty and her image of you were easier to mold, however. Additionally, monitoring of news, social media and police frequencies has revealed multiple simultaneous police raids backed by Protectorate heroes on ABB-controlled locations, more specifically those you had Weaver report last night."

"All of them?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"Good girl. Keep me updated as new information comes up." You grin at Taylor. "It's not preventing the apocalypse, but we're doing our part, and it's mostly thanks to you!"

It's small, but it's a smile, and it's on Taylor's face. You're calling it a success.

A few minutes later, it's time to wake Sara up. Her eyes flutter, then she blushes as she stares at you. "H-hi, Mistress." She pauses, realizing what she just said. "Whoa. That's weird."

You try to smile as you gauge her. "How are you feeling?"

"Ah… weird. Um, didn't I say 'no homo'?"

You proceed to quiet her objections with a wet, sloppy kiss.

...Well, no, you don't. But that's what you would do if you were suave, smooth, and self-confident.

Instead, you put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. You'll enjoy it. But more seriously, how are you feeling?"

She blushes, staring at your hand. And your chest. And the wall. "I, uh… I guess I really think of you as my Mistress? It's, it just feels like the way it is. I'm not gonna try to screw you over or anything; I mean, you were right. You're a better faction than the ABB."

"Glad to hear it!" you smile. "Still, I expect you to reinforce your own brainwashing." You hand her her phone. "I've tinkered with the music files on this. Keep listening to them through the day, they'll enhance your programming." You proceed to untie her. "Mind you, it'll take some more time until you're fully programmed and trusted, so for now, you're going to be staying within the range of Taylor's power."

She blinks. "Er, how big is her range?"

You give her a sweet smile. "Big enough."

There goes that blinking again.

She looks at her phone. "So, you're just expecting me to brainwash myself for you…?"

"Yes."

She hesitates.

She blushes.

She puts on the earbuds and turns the music on. "...I probably shouldn't listen to this while in class though, Mistress."

"No, of course not. Speaking of… Take this. It's the neuroplasticity booster." You also give Taylor and yourself a dose each. "If nothing else, it'll make classes easier."

"...Thank you, Mistress."

School on limited sleep is less fun than regular school. You say that as someone who likes the institution more than the average teen.

Sara is under orders to hang out with the ABB as usual, and try to gather data. You and Taylor stick together, though, given how quickly her ability to understand her bus' senses is progressing now, you're having her try to collate data too. "From the ABB kids, from the E88 kids… heck, from your bullies, too. We'll have to handle this situation sooner or later. But for now, make sure we can avoid them."

At lunch, you and Taylor both head for the roof. At which point, you proceed to take a much-needed nap, using Taylor's lap as a pillow. She's confirmed to you that Sara's not doing anything suspicious so far, and is listening to your brainwashing tunes. Good.

There's a surprise math quiz. Despite your tiredeness, you ace it; it's just math, after all. Taylor smiles at you afterward, mentioning that your neuroplasticity-boosted tutoring probably raised her grade on this quiz from a D to a B.

"You know," she mentions toward the end of the school day, "I used to think of the trio as a unified block, but… today, I noticed that Emma and Sophia sometimes make sure Madison doesn't notice when they whisper to each other. No idea what that's about."

Then, it's time to head back home, with Sara and Taylor in tow. And collate info.

According to Eve's observations, this morning's police raids caught somewhere between one and two dozen of the ABB's rank-and-file, and freed somewhere close to twenty women from that "farm". The Empire is reportedly testing the borders of the ABB's territory now; Purity, despite not being a member of the Empire, is trying to patrol ABB territory in the hope of destroying their operations, but you think her approach might be a bit more… brutal than the Protectorate's.

From the info Sara has gathered, Oni Lee lacks initiative, so the current undisputed leader of the ABB is Bakuda. Who happens to be a bloodthirsty psychopath. Also, apparently the entire organization is on high alert, and everyone's being called in. Sara mentions that it'll be suspicious if she doesn't show up at a meeting spot with the rest of her "unit" in the evening.

Taylor's reports match. She mentions that the E88 kids were talking eagerly about taking the city back from the Asians. Frankly, while it's good to crush the ABB, you suspect being a minority in Brockton Bay is going to start sucking even more than it already does if the Empire isn't taken down a peg. Or two. Or twenty.

But first things first. First, you put the brainwashing helmet on Sara's unresisting head. You've got some three hours of brainwashing here, you can radically improve her programming.

((Pick 3))

[ ] Make Sara lesbian.

[ ] Make Sara irresistibly attracted to you.

[ ] Make Sara fall deeply in love with you.

[ ] Make Sara identify as your slave and take pride in it.

[ ] Make Sara want you to have a brainwashed harem.

[ ] Write-in.

First order of business, a one-hour nap.

Then, feeling slightly refreshed, you get back to your tinkering.

It's past sundown when you've finished your latest creation. You wake your slaves up, noting with pleasure how well Sara's brainwashing is progressing.

"Taylor? Try to have your bugs dip this needle in it, then sting Sara."

"Wait, what?" says Sara. "Er, this thing isn't dangerous, right? What the hell OW!" She stares incredulously as the needle, carried out by a dragonfly, stings her arm. She glares at Taylor. "You biiiiiiishhhhhh…"

Cue collapse.

"Hoo-kay. Looks like the knock-out drug works," you say, turning on the chronometer to measure how long Sara stays down. "I've got some twenty needles here, and it should work even on most Brutes, so… congratulations on becoming even more overpowered, Weaver."

Taylor grins fiercely at that. "Thank you, Mistress."

Once Sara wakes up, you send her to that ABB meeting, with orders to keep you appraised, e-mailing you (and therefore Eve) about events as they happen. But now… time for you and Taylor to rock yourselves to sleep using subliminals, because you intend to stay up most of the night hunting for Bakuda.

You've gotten three hours of sleep when Eve wakes you up, following some data from Sara. According to the Chinese-American slavegirl, Bakuda is sending ABB squads into random homes in the Asian neighborhoods, having them forcibly bring out anyone who looks old enough to fight and marching them to some location. Sara's still trying to figure out the location, but… Hoo boy, this sounds bad.

You and Taylor make sure your parents won't wake up before the night ends, then take the car. Taylor's in costume; you've procured a domino mask, which will have to do for now.

With Sara's instructions, you reach the relevant neighborhood. Weaver warns you in advance about some roadblocks set up by the ABB, requiring some careful maneuvering. Eventually, you manage to get Taylor in range of a building full of people. Her bugs carry a camera to give you a better look.

You almost wish otherwise.

Bakuda - at least, that's who you assume the masked woman in obvious tinkertech is - is in the process of practicing ad hoc cranial surgery without anesthetic on people who just got dragged out of their beds, inserting tiny devices in their skulls that you're 99% confident are bombs. Dozens of terrified people are being held at gunpoint inside the building, with Sara reporting that more are being brought from all over the ABB's territory. Oni Lee is patrolling the building.

Holy shit.

Just, holy shit.

What now?

[ ] This is too big for you to handle. Call the Protectorate and get the hell out.

[ ] This is too big for you, but you can at least help out. Call the Protectorate, have Weaver lend a hand without getting anywhere closer.

[ ] You have Weaver, you have your knock-out drug. Time to take Bakuda down.

-[ ] This horrorshow ends, and it ends now. A swarm of bugs assaults the compound.

-[ ] Take your time and wait. Bakuda will need a bathroom break eventually, and when she does, she's yours.

--[ ] Call the Protectorate now.

--[ ] Call the Protectorate once you're done here.

--[ ] Don't call the Protectorate.

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Last edited: Mar 29, 2017

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WargWolf, Addvacado, Pen-Pen and 172 others like this.

Threadmarks: Bomber Hunt: Bomber Hunted

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sun tzu

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BOMBER HUNT: BOMBER HUNTED

Earlier:

[X] Make Sara identify as your slave and take pride in it.

[X] Make Sara want you to have a brainwashed harem.

[X] Make Sara lesbian.

Sara, adoration in her eyes, gazes at you as she wakes up. "Hm. Just how well-brainwashed am I now, Mistress?" There is some eagerness to her voice this time.

"I'd say… some 70, 80% done with the required programming? How do you feel?"

She pauses to consider for a moment. "In my place. Where I belong. Which is at your feet, Mistress." She kneels, smiling. "I know it's the brainwashing talking, but that bothers me less and less: Being your slave is what I want to be. You're smart, you're powerful, and while it still freaks me out a little, you're hot. You should have all the sexy and intelligent slaves you want, and I'm proud I was one of the first. And… with my help, maybe you can even enslave Bakuda and Oni Lee!"

"Ah… not really interested in enslaving boys," you admit.

"You're not?" She looks at you in surprise. "But why…" she pauses. She scrunches her nose. "Eugh. I… wow." Her expression turns to one of bewilderment. "Wow. It's like… boys aren't sexy anymore. At all. Did you just make me completely gay, Mistress?"

"More or less?"

Taylor glances with surprise.

Sara considers. "Well, that's… freaky, and weird, and cool. Mistress… is brainwashing basically sex to you?"

"...Kinda," you say, blushing deep.

"Oh. So that's why you don't want to enslave guys."

"Yeah, or girls I find unattractive," you say, mostly for Taylor to hear. "The idea just… makes my skin crawl."

"Gotcha." She takes a moment to consider. "It's weird, but… I can live with it. And I still want to help you brainwash a whole harem, Mistress."

"Good girl." She smiles happily as you pet her on the head.

NOW:

[X] You have Weaver, you have your knockout drug. Time to take Bakuda down.

-[X] Take your time and wait. Bakuda will need a bathroom break eventually, and when she does, she's yours.

--[X] Don't call the Protectorate.

It is sick and sickening, but in a way, you have to admire Bakuda as a Tinker. Tinkertech takes time, and the rate at which she's building new bombs and inserting them in people's skulls… it's, frankly, impressive. Granted, part of it is because unlike you, Bakuda has access to a real Tinker's workshop - the sort of thing you can build with the ABB's budget.

Your mind flashes back to power classifications. A rating of 5 is considered "average" for Tinkers. "Tinker 6" designates either those who can build particularly potent devices, or those whose specialization lends itself to above-average versatility (like Armsmaster). "Tinker 7" designates exceptionally powerful Tinkers - the upper 10% - who are either extremely powerful, extremely versatile, or combine above-average power and versatility. "Tinker 8" refers to the elite - something between 15 and 25 in the whole world: Tinkers like Hero, Bonesaw, Verne, Titan, Black Sun, String Theory… A-listers, all of them.

"Tinker 9", of course, refers to Dragon.

The PRT's initial threat assessment for Bakuda places her as Tinker 6-7, the uncertainty due to having had only a single encounter with her to date. Seeing her at work… you're leaning toward 7. Not for the first time, you wonder about your own level.

...Dear God lady, at least use anesthetic! Seriously, what a sadistic bitch. This is the sort of shit you'd expected from the Slaughterhouse Nine.

Sara's group reaches the compound, bringing another half-dozen conscripts. Just how many people is Bakuda planning to rig to explode? It looks like at least a hundred, but at this point, you wouldn't be surprised if she's going for several times more than that. Chilling.

Might as well do something with your time. You and Taylor are still neuroplastic; you use your phone to reach some website for teaching yourself Spanish, the both of you learning a bit over the next couple hours.

Then Bakuda goes to the bathroom.

A second after her pants drop, she lets out a pained yelp as a needle stings her. She promptly collapses.

All right. Now, you need to be extremely careful.

Your primary goal here (well, besides not getting people killed) is to capture Bakuda. Because she's too dangerous and evil to leave alone. Because subverting her will allow you to loot some major ABB assets before you dismantle the gang. Because adding a powerful Tinker to your team opens up all sorts of possibilities.

But you also want Oni Lee removed from the equation. You want the civilians safe. And you want to maintain Weaver's hero identity, so the PRT can't know she helped kidnap Bakuda.

Good thing you're a smart girl, with two other smart girls to bounce ideas off. And one of those smart girls is already inside the compound. Having her go to the bathroom and strip the unconscious Bakuda naked is simple enough.

She's slowed down. "Sara, you OK?"

"Uh, yeah, it's just… you made me gay, and now I'm stripping a girl naked. Kind of getting all sorts of funny feelings here, Mistress."

"Ah. Well, just stay focused."

Observing Bakuda remotely… You're 99% confident those toe rings of hers are remote controls for some tinkertech (the bombs?); you have them removed. And this other device is obviously monitoring her heartbeat and has a transmitter. Deadman's switch? It would make tactical sense. Best leave it on.

Sara then proceeds to put on Bakuda's costume, including the voice-altering mask. Their builds are not identical, but they're close enough… and while she's wearing this full-body costume, who'll notice?

She garbs the unconscious Bakuda (whom Taylor keeps re-injecting with knockout drug at regular intervals) with her own clothes and drags her into a corridor. She then commandeers the first couple ABB thugs she finds: "Take this girl and one of our cars, I don't care which. Put the girl in the car - backseat, trunk, I don't care - then leave the car, with keys in the ignition, on the corner of 12th and 6th." That's still within Taylor's range. Sara-as-Bakuda is scary enough that she easily shuts down any questions about why she's doing it. She then heads back to the workshop, where you give her instructions on how to convincingly pretend to be making bombs without actually be setting anything off.

After a while (mostly, because Sara - with subliminal help - needs to psych herself to talk to the murderous lunatic), she approaches Oni Lee, telling him she suspects something funny and wants him to check a nearby building. The teleporter goes there alone, and is promptly felled by Taylor and a knockout needle.

So far so good.

Then, you call Sara on her phone. She makes a show of answering, cursing loudly in full view of numerous ABB and captured civilians before she addresses "her" underlings:

"OK people, listen up: We've got a leak, and we've got hostiles inbound. It's too early for a fight. So, everyone, get the hell out. Fall back. We're moving the operation to Esgee's, starting tomorrow night." That's a building ten blocks from here the ABB often uses, according to Sara.

"What about the hostages?"

"They'll just slow us down. Let the fuckers go." She turns toward those with bombs in their heads. "Don't get your hopes up. We know where you live. We've got bombs in your fucking heads. We own you."

And that's how the civilians are (mostly) freed.

The ABB took most of what they could with them, but (in part thanks to Sara directing the fallback), there's still over twenty grand, a high-grade Tinker workshop (though you'd rather not touch it before Bakuda's under your control), a couple cars, and two unconscious villains.

For Oni Lee, the solution is simple: You remove all his weapons, but have him bound, gagged, head covered in a hoodie (line of sight teleportation), stuck in the trunk of one of the cars… and then park the car in the very middle of the road two blocks away from a police station, with sticky notes on the trunk that say "DANGER: ONI LEE" (written by Weaver's bugs, to avoid leaving a recognizable handwriting). The authorities can handle him, and in the unlikely event that he talks at all (Sara says he practically never does, except to answer "yes" or "no" to Lung's questions), he won't have anything useful to tell.

For Bakuda… That's a bit more of a mess. You very much doubt a single night will be enough to brainwash her.

So, instead: You have your slaves put her in adult diapers (ew… but, she was about to use the bathroom when Weaver knocked her out, she's gonna be out of it all day, and you don't want to clean up a big mess). You keep her, bound and gagged, in the trunk of an ABB minivan. You park said minivan in your neighborhood. You place a rag soaked in sleep agent in her mouth, to keep her asleep for the next 24 hours or so. You place a light source and a webcam inside the trunk to keep watch over her. Then, you place the brainwashing helmet (barely in range of Eve's wi-fi), and start the reprogramming.

Which, of course, leaves the question of what kind of programming you want for the psycho bomber Tinker.

You've… always been fascinated with the idea of rebuilding someone's personality from the ground up. It's… indescribably hot. But also even more evil than your standard brainwashing. But… with a psycho killer like Bakuda… you think you'd almost be OK with it. Hm…

You settle on the following brainwashing program for Bakuda:

[ ] Fluttering Shyness: Take away her confidence, willpower and aggression. Put in kindness, empathy, and endless devotion to her beloved Mistress and harem-sisters.

[ ] Bimbofication: While you can't remove her intelligence per se, you can turn her thinking OFF. Turn her into a happy, giggling ditz who only cares about sex, tinkering, and obeying her awesome Mistress.

[ ] Robotization: Remove all emotions, all desires. Replace with single-minded obedience to you.

[ ] Age Regression: Bakuda may remember having grown up to be an adult, but the memories feel distant, like they happened to someone else. Deep down she's a good little girl who does as her awesome mommy/big sister Daphne says.

[ ] Mind-Controlled Maid: Bakuda is a professional who gets the job DONE. And her job is serving her sexy Mistress in any way she needs.

[ ] Standard Slave: Retain her personality, apply the same kind of brainwashing as with Taylor and Sara. Just, be really thorough about it.

[ ] Write-In.

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WargWolf, Addvacado, Pen-Pen and 177 others like this.

Threadmarks: Bomber Hunt: Fallout

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sun tzu

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BOMBER HUNT: FALLOUT

[X] Mind-Controlled Maid: Bakuda is a professional who gets the job DONE. And her job is serving her sexy Mistress in any way she needs.

"What programming are you giving her, Mistress?" Both Taylor and Sara seem eager to hear more.

"Basically, I'm trying to rewire her entire self-perception. Phasing out the self-image as a badass genius bomber, losing the emotional connection to it, and replacing it with… well, basically, when it's done, she will think of herself, above all else, as a professional at serving me. Like a really intense maid, completely dedicated to her job, which is serving me in any way I need." You pause. "Plus, lesbian with a fetish for submission and being mind-controlled, quasi-religion adoration for me, the works."

Sara grins at that. "That's awesome. But… what about my brainwashing? Do you have a spare helmet?"

"No," you admit, "but most of the job can be done by subliminal messages. Just keep listening to my brainwashing reinforcement tracks until Bakuda's done."

"Oh."

With that, you lead both girls to your bedroom. You need to collapse in bed, badly.

It's Thursday, April the 14th. The city isn't on fire, and you consider that actually noteworthy considering all those bombs Bakuda was making.

Speaking of… you ask Eve for a report. Apparently, Bakuda's brainwashing is slow-going. At this rate, you suspect she won't be done until tomorrow.

On the plus side, Eve's surveillance of radio chatter indicates that the police did in fact find Oni Lee, panic a little, and call the PRT. So, the ABB has no capes left.

This is literally your first week of actual activity, and you've already taken down one of the two biggest gangs in town. Granted, it's a small town like Brockton Bay, and you were ridiculously lucky to get WEaver as your first slave, but still!

Eve has also been making good progress with her coding skills. At this point, you suspect she could practically get a job in IT if she was human. Oh, she's not as good as you were even before you triggered, but she can code. So you have to wonder if you want to keep her doing that. You decide to have her study:

[ ] Coding. She's good, but she has the potential to be great. Keep at it!

[ ] Parahuman tactics. The Internet, over the years, has gathered a lot of footage of cape fights. By having Even go over those videos, you hope she'll start developing a head for tactics.

Your human slaves wake up.You discuss schedules for the day. "We'll need to figure out what to do with the ABB, and maybe rest a bit. Unfortunately, school will be taking half the day."

Sara stares at you. "You could just ditch, Mistress."

...You're pretty sure all those words were in English, but you don't understand what she just said.

Sara needs to get out of the house before you let your parents wake up, since they're not aware of any "sleepover" this time around.

Once Sara leaves, though, you get the impression Taylor wants to say something.

"Taylor? Is everything all right?"

"...It's fine, Mistress."

...Yeah, right.

You almost leave it at that. You're a shy introvert, it's your natural inclination. But being Taylor's Mistress makes you responsible for her well-being, so… "If something's bothering you, slave, then tell me."

She blinks in surprise, then looks away. "I… You made Sara a lesbian. Bakuda, too."

"Yes...?"

"But I still like boys." She stares at you. "I'll be happy to be whatever you want me to be, Mistress, but… why the different treatment?"

In other words, do you find her too unattractive to make her solely attracted to your gender? You're getting the distinct impression that that's what it is. "Well, it takes time, and I didn't have all that much time the first time around, so I just made you bisexual. When I got Sara… well, I figured I'd experiment a little. I'm still trying to figure out what I like. I mean, I had literally never brainwashed a girl before you," you chuckle; "I'm still figuring this out! Like, I'm not into boys, so there won't be any of them in my harem, but does it bother me if my girls also like boys, or do I not care? I don't know yet!"

That seems to mollify her.

Still, just to be safe, you have her lick your nether region for a quick orgasm. Taking care of your slaves is important, and it can be a lot of fun, too.

At school, you may be tired and sleepy, but neuroplasticity at least means you're learning fast. Though, despite your shyness, you feel compelled to point out in History class that the story you're being told about Christopher Columbus isn't quite accurate.

You hate the stares and the attention you get in the process, but it bothered you. Columbus wasn't a heroic visionary and he wasn't trying to prove the Earth was round, he was a greedy, stupid asshole who was trying to prove the Earth was smaller than (accurately) calculated by Eratosthenes, and it's a little sickening that people are treating him like some kind of hero that…

...Wait, is Christopher Columbus now turning into a tortured metaphor for how you're getting Weaver credit as a hero while using her for your selfish villainous desires?

…

...Nah.

The day does not go without incident. While Taylor is using her improving bug awareness to continually dodge the bullies, the two of you do eventually get cornered by Emma and some of her cronies. The bullying that ensues is purely verbal, but holy crap this is awful. 90% of it is directed at Taylor rather than you, and… Jesus Christ, you're surprised Taylor didn't trigger before the locker.

You definitely need to fix this. One way or another.

The next incident actually occurs while you're in class. A text on your phone. You check it surreptitiously when the teacher isn't looking. It's from Eve.

Apparently, the Undersiders are fighting the Wards at the Brockton Bay Central Bank.

And just like that, your opinion of the Undersiders goes down a notch. What kind of idiots rob a bank?! The security-to-cash ratio is terrible, especially in this day and age when 90% of all money is digital!

Bakuda's still cooking. She's also had nothing to eat or drink for almost a day now, and that can't be healthy, but you dare not open that trunk for now.

Instead, you and your girls are going over the data in your room.

"So, the Undersiders attacked the bank, and every Ward except for Shadow Stalker showed up to kick their ass. Hellhound, Grue, Tattletale… they all got captured. Only one who managed to escape is Regent. Not a lot of details available yet."

"It's a good victory for the Wards, at least," Taylor smiles. "We've hurt the Merchants at least a little, we've either taken down or helped take down every ABB cape, now the Undersiders are gone… Maybe we should go after the Empire next?"

"We should definitely go after the Empire sometimes soon, because fuck those guys," says Sara, "but don't count the Undersiders out. It's not like they're getting sent to the Birdcage. They'll be put in some dumb normal prison, and either they'll escape on their own, or some other villain will break them out and they'll owe him a favor. It's the way it works; you basically get three strikes until they decide to Birdcage you." She pauses. "I mean, not Lung and Oni Lee, obviously; they're bloodthirsty psychos. But most villains, yeah."

You pause. Hellhound seems to have interesting abilities, and Tattletale… you still suspect she's a powerful Thinker, and you could use something like that. Now, obviously, you're not going to break those guys out of jail, but… well, Sara's mostly right. The odds of them staying in jail for more than a month are fairly low. Perhaps you could take advantage of their temporary absence to set something up for their eventual return?

"Sara, the ABB was planning to kill the Undersiders, right? So the gang must have information on them?"

"Well, I guess? I guess I could put on Bakuda's uniform, attend tonight's meeting, and get people to collate everything they know?"

"It's an option. Eve, anything else noteworthy?"

"A few things, Mistress. An abduction of a child near a middle school, though details are sparse for now. Two Asian men on the edges of ABB territory murdered, almost certainly by the Empire. Purity's been talking on the phone about patrolling the Merchants' territory now that both Lung and Oni Lee are in custody; it sounds like she is still in touch with some Empire cares."

[ ] Have Sara impersonate Bakuda again.

-[ ] Get the ABB's data on the Undersiders.

-[ ] Get some financial resources.

-[ ] Try to keep the ABB distracted.

[ ] Don't send Sara to interact with the ABB.

As for you… pick two options:

[ ] Drive Taylor around the Empire's territory, locate their operations.

-[ ] Call the authorities to report those.

-[ ] Have Weaver kick their ass, THEN call the police.

[ ] R . You haven't been getting enough sleep, and besides, you've got a brainwashed sex slave. You should indulge.

[ ] Work toward capturing Purity.

[ ] Since you're on neuroplasticity booster, develop your skills:

-[ ] Spend the evening learning about and practicing technology. You're not sure if being good at regular tech makes you better at tinkertech, but it's worth trying.

-[ ] Spend the evening on schoolwork. You can probably get a whole week's worth of studying out of the way, maybe even two.

-[ ] Spend the evening looking at online guides to martial arts and practicing them. You're not gonna turn into Bruce Lee overnight, but maybe you can get the basics?

-[ ] Spend the evening studying guides to psychology, rhetoric, debating and manipulation. Being good at fooling people without mind-control could be invaluable.

Meanwhile…

-[ ] Have Taylor catch up on schoolwork. You want to get her grades back up.

-[ ] Have Taylor practice martial arts.

-[ ] Have Taylor practice how to use her power.

[ ] You've got money. Let's get some tinkering done. You won't finish in one day, but you can make good progress (or at least the parts):

-[ ] Upgrading Eve.

-[ ] Hypno-spiral.

-[ ] Hypnotic pocket watch [Requires money and parts].

-[ ] Pheromone perfume [Requires money and chemicals].

-[ ] Love potion [Requires money and chemicals].

-[ ] Sleep substitute [Requires money and chemicals].

-[ ] Thought-controlled smartglasses [Requires money and parts].

-[ ] Trance gun [Requires money and parts].

-[ ] Force-Field [Requires money and parts].

(For the record? The bank job is the first time in this quest I've rolled for an outcome, since it was all happening without any input from Daphne and could go in a lot of ways.)

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sun tzu

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PSYCHOLOGY 101

Eve:

[x] Psychology. An AI with a solid understanding of the human mind (and how to manipulate it) could prove invaluable to your mind-control efforts. As such, you have her go over psychology textbooks, as well as various guides to debating, persuasion, and rhetoric.

Sara:

[X] Have Sara impersonate Bakuda again.

-[X] Get the ABB's data on the Undersiders.

-[X] Get some financial resources.

Daphne:

[X] You've got money. Let's get some tinkering done. You won't finish in one day, but you can make good progress (or at least get the parts):

-[X] Sleep substitute [Requires money and chemicals].

[X] Since you're on neuroplasticity booster, develop your skills:

-[X] Spend the evening studying guides to psychology, rhetoric, debating and manipulation. Being good at fooling people without mind-control could be invaluable.

Taylor:

-[X] Have Taylor practice how to use her power.

You can use the time between now and nightfall to get some materials for your Tinkering. The money taken from the ABB helps here.

Once night does fall… well, the car is parked somewhere discreet, and Taylor and Sara have the unenviable task of cleaning up the unconscious Bakuda and replacing her diapers, while trickling apple juice down her throat.

Once that's done, Sara puts on the Bakuda uniform and heads off to impersonate the Tinker once again. "Mostly, I want you to learn everything the ABB knows about the Undersiders," you tell her, "but if you can get more money before the ABB implodes, that's great. Don't take unnecessary risks, though."

"Yes Mistress!"

While Sara is out there, you and Taylor hang out in your room. You spend half your time working on a new drug design - a "sleep substitute" which, when ingested, should have almost the same effect on the human brain as a good night's sleep. The other half of your time is spent resuming your study of psychology and manipulation.

Taylor, meanwhile, practices using her swarm.

"I'm definitely getting better at hearing and seeing through my bugs, Mistress," she grins, "but it also goes the other way. Watch:"

At her command, the bugs in the room synchronize to produce sound. "I AM LEGION."

Holy shit Taylor's power is creepy. You're glad she's brainwashed to be on your side.

"I'm also practicing how to best use spider silk in combat. I think I can have the spiders weave sticky threads that I can use to entangle people…"

Well, at least she's tactically competent. You suspect that'll be coming in handy. For now, though, you focus on your own work, while Eve studies psychology herself. You also have her update you regularly on Bakuda's brainwashing.

"At current rate, Bakuda's reprogramming should finish somewhere between five and six A.M." the AI reports. "However, Mistress, I must report that the helmet is being pushed to the brink. While it is not suffering from technical failures yet, I would recommend giving it proper maintenance before the next time you use it on someone." Unwelcome, but not unexpected. That's pretty much the impression you got from the helmet yourself, and you understand it much, much better than Eve ever could.

Before you and Taylor hit the hay, you get Sara's report. "So, the ABB are scared and confused, and trying this infiltrator thing again would probably be a bad idea, Mistress, but it worked for now. I was able to liberate some 24 extra grand, and I also learned some interesting things about the Undersiders.

"For starters, Lung wasn't preparing his back attack randomly. He'd had folks narrow down the location of their lair, down to this one city block. Weaver can probably comb it over.

"Second, that Hellhound bitch? Apparently, she always has dogs with her, and she hangs out at this one dog shelter place. Got the address and everything."

Wait, how does that work? Hellhound doesn't have a secret identity. How can she just hang out at a place with… well, you suppose her face isn't that famous, and even if people recognized her, the unwritten rules would likely protect her.

But, you and your slaves need to go to bed now… so you can welcome your newest slave in the morning. It's been a productive evening; you feel you've improved in your understanding of human interaction, and you're about halfway done with the sleep substitute. Tomorrow… Well, you'll need to go to school, but once that's done…

Pick two:

[ ] Look for the Undersiders' lair. With Weaver's power, you can discreetly search the place, maybe even trap it for when they return (or at least hide electronic bugs).

[ ] Scout the dog shelter. You can hide cameras there; if Hellhound returns, Eve can tell you the perfect time to ambush her.

[ ] Capture Purity. You have your knockout drug, you have her address, and you have Weaver. Should be easy enough.

[ ] Give the brainwashing helmet proper maintenance.

[ ] Finish sleep substitute.

[ ] Write-in.

For Bakuda, assuming her brainwashing works as planned:

[ ] Order her to familiarize herself with your Tinker gear while you and your parents aren't home.

[ ] Order her to properly command the ABB today, keeping things in order while she salvages materiel.

[ ] She looks young enough to pass for a student. Get her makeup and a wig, she can stay at Winslow within Weaver's range.

Bit of a short update, I know.

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Last edited: May 4, 2017

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Threadmarks: Interlude: Bakuda

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sun tzu

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INTERLUDE: BAKUDA

[X] Give the brainwashing helmet proper maintenance.

[X] Finish sleep substitute.

Bakuda:

[X] Order her to properly command the ABB today, keeping things in order while she salvages materiel.

12 years ago:

"Dad, it's a 'B'! It's still a good grade," I protest.

Dad frowns. "No, an 'A' is a good grade. A 'B' is just 'sort of good', Alice, and I know for a fact that you can do better." He leaned down. "Alice, in life, there are three things you need to win: Talent, effort, and luck. You have plenty of talent; you're the smartest little girl in the world. And you can work hard and give all your effort. But luck? You can't count on luck. Sometimes, luck is on your side. Other times, luck is against you, and when it is, you will need all the hard work in the world to win anyway. And if you don't get into the habit of working hard right now, it'll be so much harder to work hard when you really need to. Especially in school. Your classes are like building a brick wall: Every lesson is a brick, and the lessons that come later are built on the early bricks. If you don't make sure you understand these lessons now, it'll be so much harder to understand the lessons that come later.

"You can be the best of the best, Alice, but not without giving it all you've got."

I nod. If dad believes I can do it… then I will.

11 and a half years ago:

I'm a smart girl. Smart enough to figure things out.

No-one talks about how mom died. They just change the subject.

I'm not stupid. I saw mom's puffy eyes. She was hiding it, but I knew she was crying every day the last three weeks before she died. The three weeks after… after her whole family in Japan died, because of the sea monster.

I cried too, but not for three weeks. I didn't kill myself.

And dad's kind of… stopped talking. Since mom died, he just works, makes dinner, and doesn't talk to me.

Maybe it's for the best. If having family hurts so much you kill yourself, maybe I should focus on work too.

3 years ago:

"Just get back where you belong, you slanty-eyed Jap!"

Fucking pissing me off. Ever since Kyushu, hundreds of thousands of Japanese refugees have flocked to America. And apparently, having a massive influx of poor, desperate people has gone and made anti-Asian racism 'in' again.

I'm not even a refugee. I was born here, for crying out loud. I'm a straight-A, hardworking student. But anyone dumb enough to be a racist in the first place will also be too dumb to care.

Well, fuck them, fuck idiots, and fuck people in general (which is the same thing, really). I don't need people. I just need to work hard and let the results of my work speak for themselves.

They call me stuck-up, frigid, bitchy, and less polite things. Let them. As long as I can do better than them all, none of their stupid opinions matter.

A few months ago:

Twenty-two points. Gone up in smoke.

I knew, coming into Cornell, that I'd have to do everything perfectly. I can't afford screw-ups. I'm part of a racial minority, in a country where that counts against me more and more every year. I don't have family to fall back on - mom and her side of the family are gone, dad's side of the family is useless, and dad and I have barely spoken in years. I can't rely on friends doing me favors, either - the idiots and the lazy bums can't keep up with me, so they don't bother. In short, I've got nothing to rely on except myself.

Meaning, to get anywhere, I need to blow them all out of the water. I need to be more than adequate, I need to be fucking perfect. So I double-majored. So I started reading textbooks a month before classes actually started. So I've spent less and less time on my hobbies, haven't bothered socializing, have shot down even the guys who look acceptable, so I could focus on my work and get nothing but 'A's.

And then, this midterm exam. One hundred points. Five exercises, spread over four pages.

I did the third exercise. Took the entire page to prove my answer. Flipped to the next page to do the fifth exercise, and completely forgot that the fourth exercise had also been on that page. I was satisfied to have finished the midterm before everyone else, turned it in, and rushed out to resume preparing for the other test I had that day.

Twenty-two points lost, because I forgot the exercise. It wasn't even a difficult one. I did everything else perfectly. I should have had an 'A', not this… this 'C'. I don't do 'C's.

I can't. I can't lose everything - my hopes, my self-worth, everything - because of such a stupid mistake. I can't. I…

[Destination]

[Agreement]

Now:

Another bomb built, deliberately designed to look undistinguishable from the others. A combination of certainty and uncertainty - that's how I'll control them. I can't afford to slip up, or I'll die.

Typical. I have to work ten times as hard as everyone else. To keep Lung satisfied and not kill me. To break Lung out, so I avoid getting crushed by the skinheads. To create an army almost from scratch. To take on the Protectorate, the Empire, and the entire city, with almost nothing.

Good thing I'm a hard worker. I'll do whatever it takes to win. I barely take any breaks. And if anything, being able to cut loose and just kill the lazy idiots who offend me is really liberating.

The occasional bathroom breaks is still unavoidable, of course. ...OW! Some bug stung me! I… ugh… so… tired…

Floating. Floating in a sea of darkness.

I see… a face. Teenage girl. Caucasian, long black hair, glasses. Her name is Daphne. I just know it is. I know she is "my Mistress", but I'm not sure what that means.

Floating with the image of Daphne.

She's pretty. I didn't notice that before.

So very pretty.

Really, really pretty.

She's beautiful.

She's gorgeous.

She's… attractive?

She's… attractive.

She's attractive.

She's sexy.

She's hot.

She's irresistible.

I feel so hot for her.

Floating with sexy, sexy Daphne.

Sexy Daphne is "my Mistress". I'm not sure what that means.

Floating with sexy, sexy Daphne.

I'm a genius, a fantastic Tinker, a badass villain and a hard worker.

I'm a hard worker. I work hard to win.

No… I work hard… to get the job done.

I get the job done.

I do my job.

I do what is required of me.

I'm given a job to do, and I do it.

Sexy Daphne gives me a job to do, and I do it.

Sexy Daphne tells me what to do, and I get it done.

I do what sexy Daphne tells me to.

Sexy Daphne is my sexy Mistress. My job is doing what she tells me to. I get the job done.

I'm a professional. I do what my sexy Mistress needs done.

I work hard for my sexy Mistress.

I obey my sexy Mistress.

I live to serve my sexy Mistress.

I'm a professional. I do whatever it takes to properly serve Mistress Daphne.

I'm a professional who gets the job done, and my job is serving sexy Mistress Daphne in any way she needs.

Floating with sexy Mistress Daphne.

"Hey, wake up."

I open my eyes. What happened? Last thing I remember I was in the bathroom. Now I'm… naked, in a car's trunk, somewhere I don't recognize. In front of me are three girls, looking even younger than me. One's Asian. One's a Caucasian stick figure. But the third…

The third is the sexiest thing I've ever seen. I'm not even into girls, but I'd go lesbo for Daphne in a heartbeat.

How did I know her name is Daphne? And I do know. With absolute certainty. Except… it feels incomplete. And Daphne is very, very important. Somehow.

"How are you feeling?" Daphne asks in that pussy-melting voice of hers.

Hm. "Pussy-melting" sounds like the wrong phrasing. It's… unprofessional. And I'm a professional who gets her job done. ...I am?

Right, she asked me a question. "I feel confused. A bit parched, a bit hungry." Hm. That's… not telling her everything, is it? And I'm a professional. I get the job done. "I also feel strongly attracted to you. I've never been attracted to females before." I ignore my own embarrassment. What matters is, I answered her question.

She blushes. "That's, ah, that's good. And why do you think that is?"

I pause for only a short moment. The answer is obvious. "You're mastering me."

"And how do you feel about that?"

I'm furious, of course. How dare she… How…

Except, not really. I'm expecting to be furious, to feel outrage, but it doesn't actually feel important. Thinking about it, I don't feel like the reason I feel this way matters nearly as much as just doing my job. And my job is serving her. Serving my Mistress.

Mistress Daphne. Now it feels complete.

"Still somewhat confused, Mistress, but mostly I just want to serve you properly." I have to be professional about this. I'm a brainwashed slave, after all. I need to serve my Mistress to the best of my ability.

She smiles. "Good girl." She reaches down and caresses my cheek. I shiver with pleasure, but I suppress a moan; I have to be professional for my Mistress, after all.

"Mistress, may I ask a few questions? I do not know who these girls are, how I got here, what my duties are… for that matter, I was not aware of a Master such as yourself in the area." My first guess is that the other two are her slaves as well; I think Mistress is a lesbian Heartbreaker. Though the girls beside her are not particularly attractive; the beanpole is downright plain. Perhaps she's recruiting for intelligence rather than looks? I, myself, am not ugly, but I'm hardly a model. Perhaps I should start taking better care of my looks, however, if it will please Mistress…

"I'm not a Master," she grins. "I'm a Tinker with a neuro-technology specialization. The Neuroqueen. I'm new."

I'd serve Mistress Daphne no matter what. Still, knowing the Neuroqueen is a Tinker too brings me a measure of satisfaction. I smile at her.

"Anyway, here are the cliffnotes," Mistress says. "These two are also my slaves, as is a rudimentary AI of mine. We abducted you from the ABB without anyone noticing, captured Oni Lee and handed him to the PRT, impersonated you to steal ABB money and gather data on the Undersiders… also, it's Friday the 15th now, and a couple hours before I'm supposed to get out of bed and go to school."

She cups my chin. "Tell me honestly, Bakuda: How well-brainwashed are you?"

I pause to consider. I'm… professional. I do my job. And my job is serving Mistress. "I… think I'm well-brainwashed, Mistress. Serving your will just feels like the natural state of things, like my purpose in life. I'm uncertain how I'd act under torture, of what I'd do if you simply ordered me to kill myself, but with anything less extreme than that I believe I would obey you without fail. Furthermore, despite having never felt any physical attraction to females before, I find you sexually irresistible. I find that the more I think about it, the more I now identify as your servant, basing my self-perception on professional service of you." And I derive immense satisfaction from giving her a complete, coherent answer. From doing my job.

"Good girl," she caresses me again, making she shudder with pleasure. "I have work for you…"

The rest of the day is busy, but I work hard for Mistress, even as her wonderful subliminal messages keep playing in my ears.

I would proudly hand Mistress control over the ABB, but she has made it entirely clear that she doesn't want to rule the gangs of Brockton Bay - she wants them gone.

I show up at ABB hideouts. I shout orders. I place calls.

The bombs placed inside people's heads are remotely neutralized. Mistress doesn't want a mess.

The locations of the "farms" are leaked to the authorities, shortly after I order the armed guards to move away from those to guard certain superfluous locations. Over a hundred sex slaves are rescued.

From the drug supply, some I gather for Mistress. She says she can use it for her tinkering. The rest I keep in one big place.

In that same place, I also gather the ABB's heavy weaponry. Most of the machine guns, a couple miniguns, the grenades, the grenade launchers, both Stinger missiles. Then I use a tinkertech bomb that dematerializes the weapons and narcotics both. Again, Mistress doesn't want a mess, and it's up to me to clean this mess up.

I issue orders for the gangbangers to lay low for the next week, and avoid trouble until I have further orders. I make my getaway with nearly a hundred grand, and Tinker equipment from my workshop.

I arrive at Mistress's home in the dead of night. Her parents are made to stay asleep. It feels odd that Mistress is a teenager who still must answer to her parents, but such are things, and I do not question her choice.

As she has requested, I have kept things orderly. The ABB will collapse, but its collapse will cause far less damage than it was originally going to. I am rewarded with the chance to pleasure her with my tongue. Once again, I am the consummate professional, striving to please her as much as I can (with some advice from Taylor and Sara, since that's what they're called); I do not seek pleasure for myself, though her orgasm brings me to mine nonetheless.

I do point out to Mistress that, with the ABB's defenses reduced to almost nothing, the Empire will find it easy to take over the city. She assures me that this is accounted for.

"And besides," she smirks as she raises the tinkertech formula she's been working on, "we have the whole week-end… including the nights now."

Week-end plans: (Vote for as many as you want, I'll fit them in based on time and which ones got the most votes)

[ ] Spend quality time with your slaves.

[ ] Get another tinkering project done. Bakuda may assist.

-[ ] Eve upgrades

-[ ] Pheromone perfume

-[ ] Love potion

-[ ] Hypnotic spiral

-[ ] Pocket Watch

-[ ] Force-field

-[ ] Thought-controlled smartglasses

-[ ] Set up a real Tinker workshop; Bakuda can find a location not too far away.

[ ] Capture and brainwash Purity.

[ ] Brainwash Emma Barnes.

[ ] Brainwash Sonya Parker.

[ ] Have your pet superheroine patrol E88 territory and report their operations to the authorities.

[ ] Using neuroplasticity booster, develop your skills and those of your slaves.

[ ] Investigate the Undersiders, make preparations for subversion.

[ ] Write-in.

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Last edited: May 7, 2017

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Threadmarks: All Night, All Day

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sun tzu

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ALL NIGHT, ALL DAY

[X] Capture and brainwash Purity.

[X] Get another tinkering project done. Bakuda may assist.

-[X] Set up a real Tinker workshop; Bakuda can find a location not too far away.

-[X] Eve upgrades

[X] Spend quality time with your slaves.

[X] Using neuroplasticity booster, develop your skills and those of your slaves.

[X] Have your pet superheroine patrol E88 territory and report their operations to the authorities.

You really feel like everything's coming up Daphne. You have four slaves (counting Eve), two of whom are powerful parahumans in their own right. You have effectively dismantled one of the two biggest gangs in town. You have over a hundred thousand dollars, and a rapidly-expanding tinkertech arsenal.

It doesn't mean that you should grow complacent, but it does mean you have cause to celebrate.

You glance at Sara, who's been wearing the brainwashing helmet for a couple hours now since you finished its maintenance. According to Eve, the helmet is done with her programming - what little of it was left, really. "How do you feel, Sara?"

"Obedient, Mistress." She's practically beaming at you. And blushing. Actually, she, Taylor, and Bakuda all show signs of arousal. They ought to, seeing how you've programmed them to be submissive hypnofetishists.

"Good girl. You know… We, we really ought to, to spend some quality time, all together." Stupid stammering. Having your own slaves is a big boost to your confidence, but a decade and a half of shyness doesn't just disappear overnight (and you're disinclined to remove it via artificial means).

"In that case, Mistress, we may need to acquire a larger bed," Bakuda states in a professional tone. "In fact, I would advise acquiring a base of operation other than your room, both for entertainment purpose and to establish a more advanced Tinker workshop."

You nod. "Any advice on how to do that?"

"Certainly, Mistress. I happen to have made contingency plans during my stint with the ABB. As such, I own the deed to a warehouse, via a shell company, where I knew I could establish a second workshop if I needed one."

"That's… OK, that's good. And I do need to get myself a real workshop."

You stop to think for a bit. "OK, yeah. We've got all night, and we don't need to sleep. Sara, Bakuda, you two are in charge of setting up the new place. Eve, keep studying psychology. Taylor, you're coming with me."

Taylor smiles briefly, then raises an eyebrow. "Where are we going, Mistress?"

"Well, I think it's time we checked out Kayden Anders' place."

The moonlit streets are almost empty as you drive toward Purity's neighborhood.

Almost. Taylor actually detects and brings to your attention a trio of suspicious men armed with baseball bats and a crowbar, heading toward a local shop.

"Their heads are shaved… I think that's an Empire tattoo on one of them," she says apologetically.

Not that she has any reason to apologize. You make sure to smile and pet her head. "Good job, slave. You're really getting the hang of your powers now."

She blushes. "It's thanks to your neuroplasticity formula, Mistress. I've learned more about my power this week than in the entire past three months."

"And for that I am thankful," you wink at her. "Still, what's with those Nazis? You think someone didn't pay their protection money?"

"Or is the wrong skin color, or reported Empire thugs to the police, or any other reason," she says, frowning. "What do we do about them, Mistress?"

"I'll keep us within range. You keep watching, with a hand on the phone and the emergency number dialed. The moment they start trouble, come down on them like a ton of bricks and call the police."

"Yes Mistress," she says with a smile.

Not that it takes long. You don't actually get to see it happening, but, soon afterwards, Taylor calls the police, identifies herself as Weaver, and reports the three skinheads for smashing a store's display window. Apparently, she trapped them in small ropes woven out of spider silk.

"Good job, slave," you pet her again. "You're going to be pretty busy over the coming days, kicking the Empire's ass. No way we're letting neo-Nazis run this town."

"Yes Mistress," she beams. Right… You did promise you'd support her dream of being a superhero.

Purity's house looks nice. And, thankfully for you, she's in her bed and asleep (as is her baby daughter).

It takes Taylor some time, but eventually, her bugs are able to dose Purity with the knock-out drug. Then find her keys. Then unlock the door for you.

Still feels weird, stepping inside someone's house at night uninvited.

First order of business, you handle her phone and computer. Those are quickly opened to Eve and placed under her control.

Regrettably, when it comes to music, Purity is one of the people who haven't gone digital yet. She still uses CDs. That limits your options for subliminal messages.

You've got the brainwashing helmet, but you can't kidnap Purity like you did with Bakuda. Even putting aside the baby she needs to care for, her disappearance would draw suspicion from the people in her life (both in and outside the Empire).

So, you only have a few hours to use the helmet on her. You need to make changes to her that'll help out, but won't make her realize she's being mastered in the morning - thus allowing you to finish her brainwashing tomorrow night.

[ ] Instill bi-curiosity, lower homophobia.

[ ] Instill submissive urges.

[ ] Weaken lingering emotional attachments and loyalties toward the Empire.

[ ] Write-in.

Of course, you can't actually leave. What if her baby needs her in the middle of the night while she's under the knockout effect?

As such, you and Taylor spend most of the night in Purity's living room, taking advantage of neuro-plasticity to get ahead on school material (and in Taylor's case, practice using her swarm at the same time. Seriously, her multi-tasking abilities are bullshit).

Come morning, you and Taylor do your best to leave everything looking like it was then you found it, and go home to let your parents wake up. You inform your parents that you have plans for the day in town with your friends; they're surprised, but happy that you're going out there and interacting with people.

You head to the "lair" your other slaves have been setting up. It's… big. Roomy. And Bakuda's setup already makes it look like a more professional Tinker lab than your room.

"We could not install a queen-sized bed overnight, but it should be simple enough to purchase one in the coming hours," Bakuda states. That's… Yeah, sure, why not. You have Eve order the bed for delivery. For now… For now, there's work to be done.

Re-applying neuroplasticity boosters, Taylor and Sara get to work on school matters; you did tell Sara you were going to help her excel, after all, and you want to fix the damage Taylor's bullies have done to her academic score (though you'll need to deal with the bullies themselves at some point). Of course, swarm use training never actually stops. Meanwhile, Bakuda and you keep working on turning this into a genuine Tinker lab.

The hours pass productively.

[ ] Keep Bakuda's current name and uniform.

[ ] Try to rebrand Bakuda.

-[ ] Write-in name and uniform.

[ ] Keep Taylor and Sara working on academics during the afternoon.

[ ] Have them develop another skillset.

-[ ] Write-in skillset.

During the afternoon, Eve informs you that Purity is flying over ABB territory while her daughter ("Aster") is being baby-sat by, apparently, Max Anders' son from his first marriage ("Theo"). Also, that the police and Protectorate have been busy dismantling the gang thanks to the sabotage work you had your slaves do. (And the E88 thugs were taken by the cops, but that's all you know.)

About an hour later, the bed is delivered - not at the lair, but in front of a house a block away. You and your slaves bring it to the lair, Bakuda wearing a hoodie to hide her face.

But once the bed is in there?

"All right." You gather your courage. "Girls. Slaves. Pets." You're proud you managed not to stammer this time. "I'm very proud of all your hard work. And I think we all deserve a little… reward."

Which is when you all proceed to strip naked and have a sex marathon. Each of the three girls gets her turn at licking between your thighs. Each time, the other two are showering you in kisses, or playing with your breasts, or massaging your shoulders. You also have them eat each other out.

Eve is rewarded by you using one of her functions to give her some digital equivalent of pleasure you added early in her design phase. You're pretty sure it's inferior to the real thing, but then, so are her emotions.

That should probably be next on your agenda.

You look at your Tinker slave, once you've all had time to catch your breaths. "I'm… very happy with the new workshop. For our next project, I think we should give Eve the upgrades she deserves."

"Certainly, Mistress. I assume she's already not running on regular hardware, since a desktop PC could not handle the computational needs of even such a basic AI."

"Well, yeah. What I did was take a number of household chemicals, plus a few from chemistry sets, and mix them together in such a way that a semiconductive crystalline structure formed. The crystalline structure serves as a set of computer chips that, when connected to the regular electronic ones, acts as an external processor-slash-RAM, which makes the device equivalent to a mundane supercomputer".

She actually understands what you're talking about, even when you go into details, which is a new and highly welcome experience. It's great to have a fellow Tinker to talk shop with.

Between the two of you bouncing ideas, you agree that you can create hardware an order of magnitude more powerful for a pretty reasonable price, and make software upgrades that'll allow Eve to fully take advantage of the enhanced processing speed (this is more your domain than hers - bombs aren't relevant to AI - but she still manages to have some useful idea, thanks to greater experience). Really, it sounds like about a day's work -

...and then Eve interrupts. "Mistress, Purity has returned to her home and dismissed her son-in-law. She has attempted to send a joint text message to multiple contacts on her phone, calling for a meeting and arranging for availabilities. I suspect those contacts are Empire 88 capes. Per your instructions, I intercepted her text. Should I let it go through?"

You consider. It's only slightly past 7 PM. This is an opportunity. "Does it look like there is anything else planned for her evening?"

"No, Mistress, there's nothing in her planner, and she has started cooking herself dinner."

"Then don't let the message through. We're intercepting her."

Really, Purity doesn't stand a chance. Taylor's bugs knock her out and open the door for you.

Aster is crying. Sara is the only one here with any experience with babies (she helped take care of her neighbors' son), so she handles her, with acceptable results.

You look at the sleeping, mousy-looking woman. Hard to believe that this is the flying artillery that has kept so much of the city in fear. But you cannot afford to underestimate her because of how harmless she looks - Purity is rated Blaster 8, and has killed a double-digit number of people as collateral damage over the past years. Objectively speaking, she's terrifying, and if she wakes up before you're done rewiring her brain, odds are that you'll be reduced to vapor.

...You get some additional knockout drug.

You place the brainwashing helmet on Purity's head. Bakuda and Sara will be staying the night here to keep everything running smoothly and take of Aster as needed. You'll be driving Taylor around E88 territory to fuck up their operations, then stop by home so your parents don't realize anything is up, then get back to patrolling with Taylor for the rest of the night.

The real question then is… how do you want Purity? Obviously, you're going to let her retain her love for her daughter (second only to her love for her Mistress), but what kind of slave do you want her to be?

[ ] Minimum Alteration: Basically the same person, except she's now a lesbian with a submissive brainwashing fetish who is utterly enamored with and devoted to you.

[ ] Loyal Soldier: She has a duty to her Mistress, and nothing can make her shirk her duty.

[ ] Stepford Wife: She is a model of classic feminine values, who lives to please her Mistress, clean for her Mistress, cook for her Mistress… and if necessary, blast enemies for her Mistress.

[ ] Write-In.

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Last edited: May 29, 2017

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Threadmarks: Kayden

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sun tzu

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KAYDEN

[X] Weaken lingering emotional attachments and loyalties toward the Empire.

[X] Keep Taylor and Sara working on academics during the afternoon.

[X] Try to rebrand Bakuda.

-[X]Dark green kevlar, helmet and face mask (not a gas mask). (I'll come up with a name myself.)

[x] Stepford Wife: She is a model of classic feminine values, who lives to please her Mistress, clean for her Mistress, cook for her Mistress… and if necessary, blast enemies for her Mistress.

Earlier:

Making initial changes to Purity now will make it easier and faster to complete her programming later. However, it also presents a risk.

Make her start feeling submissive urges, and there's a risk she'll notice something's off and suspect she's being mastered. Give her pangs of attraction to the female gender, and the risk is arguably even bigger.

An absence of feelings, however, is much less suspicious than new feelings. So you have the helmet weaken her loyalty toward Empire 88, along with emotional attachments to it. By the time you and Taylor have to live, Eve informs you those emotions are now a pale shadow of their former self.

"Bakuda… Actually, I don't think I got your real name?"

"Alice, Mistress."

"Right. Alice. Well, it might be a good idea to rebrand you."

She pauses. "I have racked up some infamy with the Cornell bombing, Mistress, but nothing in Brockton Bay. If I change my costume, name, and modus operandi, it will not keep PRT experts from guessing who I am, but odds are they'll respect the rebranding as a polite fiction - much the same way they don't unmask captured villains."

You nod at that. "I'm thinking something professional-looking, to complement the new personality I've given you. Dark green kevlar, helmet, a mask that isn't a gas mask… There's still the bomb thing, though."

"Technically, my specialization isn't bombs, Mistress."

You blink. "It isn't?"

"My specialization is single-use Shaker effects. Whether to call them 'bombs' or not is mostly semantics, admittedly."

You pause. "What about a raygun? Like… If instead of bombs, you designed ammo cartridges, which the gun then converted into a ray that would apply the Shaker effect to the target area?"

She pauses. "I believe this could be done without any meaningful loss of efficiency, Mistress. Though what do you want me to call myself?"

You think for a moment, quickly checking PHO on your phone. "Artillery is taken, but Killzone, Blastwave and Bombshell are apparently free." You pause. "Eh, no rush. We'll think of something."

"Your neuroplasticity booster is amazing, Mistress," Sara says. "We've gone over at least a week's worth of material today, and I feel like I understand it perfectly. Being a straight-A student like this will be easy!"

Taylor nods, and you actually see the hint of a smile on her lips. "I don't feel like I'm lagging behind anymore. At least, nowhere near as much as last week."

Hm. It's still gonna be some work before smiles are a regular thing for Taylor. But you think you're getting there.

Now:

Looking around Purity's lovely house… you think you have an idea what you want to do with her.

You try not to waste too much time masturbating as you set things up.

Soon enough, the helmet is on here, reprogramming her thoroughly.

Now, obviously, you're making her into a lesbian (removing the homophobia in the process, because duh). Removing the racism, to your surprise, only takes about half an hour. Making you irresistibly attractive to her is easy enough once she's become gayer than Sapphos. Making her love the idea of being brainwashed. Removing any desire for exclusivity, instead making her find it sexy and delightful that her lover can have multiple girls.

And then, you get to work on her personality.

Traditional feminine leanings increased. Mindset is now one of submissive domesticity. Her fondest wish now is to cook, clean, act domestic, and be a perfectly obedient little housewife for her spouse. Her most central desires are to love, honor, and obey her Mistress.

Obviously, you leave in just enough steel to keep her comfortable with using violence in service of her beloved lady.

And while she's cooking, you chauffeur Weaver around E88 territory.

It's been a reasonably productive night of hunting. Haven't encountered the Empire's capes - well, not in costume anyway - but Weaver has called the police to report a brothel where she's positive several "employees" are severely underage, two weapon stashes, one meth lab, and what looks like a dogfighting ring.

You still take some time to drive to the lair.

"Why are we here, Mistress?" Taylor asks as you step inside.

"I figured, there's at least another hour before Purity's ready," you grin as you sit on the bed. "I figured I'd get a show." You take a deep breath. "Strip, slave."

She blinks. "You want me too?"

You roll your eyes. "You're not ugly, Taylor. Now obey."

To be fair, Taylor isn't a great beauty. She's less pretty than Sara, or Alice, or Purity. But she's not as unattractive as she thinks, either. She is, however, very awkward in her blushing attempts at a strip-tease.

Still fun having her lick you to orgasm afterwards.

With Taylor, Sara and Alice, you were there for the completion of their brainwashing.

Kayden Anders can turn you into vapor with a single gesture. Precautions have to be taken.

Which is why she is placed on a chair before her home computer, unaware of bugs with knockout needles nearby, waking up to see your image via the webcam setup you've installed during the night. You and the rest of the harem are in the car outside.

On your laptop, you see her eyes fluttering open, taking stock in confusion.

Then her eyes settle on you.

Shock.

Blushing.

Widening irises.

"You!" she calls out. Then looks confused. "Where… Where do I know you from? What's… what's going on?"

You put on your best game face. "I am your Mistress."

She blinks in confusion, blush deepening. "What? No, I don't… I…" she looks confused, and a little scared. She looks around.

She looks at you.

She looks at the ground, fidgeting.

She looks at you again. "What… what do you mean, you're my Mistress?"

"I mean I own you," you reply, forcing yourself to look her straight in the eye. "I mean you're my slave-wife. I mean you must love, honor and obey me."

Her blushing deepens. "That's… that's not… I'm not a…" she pauses. "But it sounds positively lovely. What have you done to me?"

"Brainwashed you," you reply simply. "You're mine now."

Her mouth opens.

Then closes.

There's a hint of a smile. "I… I can't actually do anything about this, can I?"

"No. You pretty much have to love and obey me."

Her smile gets wider. She giggles. "Hee… I guess you're right, Mistress." Now her smile is getting downright adorable. She holds her hands down in front of her in a demure pose. "I want to take care of you, Mistress. I love you."

"Good girl," you smile at her. "Tell me more about how you feel." Not just because it's hot, but because you want to get a clearer idea of if she's truly yours, or trying to get you to come within blasting range.

She blushes, her eyes sparkling, as she takes a moment to think. "I've… never quite felt like this. Even in my previous marriage, I never felt so, so…" she pauses, considering, "so womanly. Being owned by you, being your… slave-wife," she shudders with obvious pleasure at the word, "it feels so proper, so… feminine. More than ever before, I want to be a good little housewife. I want to cook your meals, clean your home, wait on you hand on foot…" She lets a long, dreamy sigh. "I know this is the… brainwashing talking… but this feels like the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me. Being molded into the perfect domestic slave-wife for you… It feels like a dream come true."

She then laughs. "My ex-husband was a manipulative bastard who needed to control everyone around him, but I like being under your control. This is so much better than being with him." She shudders. "Ugh. I guess I'm not into men anymore, either. No big loss. I'm happy to give all my love to you, Mistress."

Her expression suddenly turns to one of horror. "Mistress… I have a baby daughter. She… she needs me to take care of her. I…" she looks terribly conflicted right now.

If she feels conflicted, then you're pretty sure she's genuinely yours, not putting on an act. "You will keep providing your daughter with all the love and care she needs, slave." You smile at her obvious relief. "I may be a villainous mind-controller, but I wouldn't… I'm not the sort of person who'd take away a baby's mother." You pause. "Unless the mother was an abusive bitch or something."

"Thank you, Mistress," she beams. "When can I meet you?"

"Me and my other slaves will be coming to your house in a moment."

She blinks. "Other slaves? You have other slave-wives?" She frowns, then thinks, then smiles. "I don't actually mind. I actually think that's wonderful. You really did an amazing job on my mind, Mistress!"

Two minutes later, other slaves in tow, you ring on Kayden's doorbell.

She opens with an adoring smile, which shifts to confusion when she sees your other slaves, then back to the adoring smile. "Come in, Mi… Er."

You smile as you step inside. "When you're not sure about our privacy, call me Daphne."

"Daphne. Daphne. Mistress Daphne." She rolls the name in her mouth, smiling and staring at you dreamily. "I love you, Mistress Daphne. Can I get you anything? Water, coffee, tea, breakfast?"

"Actually, breakfast would be great." Not just because you're hungry, but because you want to watch the little Stepfordized supervillainess being all domestic. "Oh, introductions first. My other slaves. This is Taylor. This is Sara. This is Alice. There's also Eve, but she's a tinkertech artificial intelligence I'm still working on."

"Bet you weren't expecting Asians," Sara grins.

"No, but I do not mind, either," Kayden gives her what looks like a delighted smile. "Mistress fixed that."

Kayden looks practically beside herself with happiness as she cooks eggs and bacon. She made enough for everyone, but she definitely put more effort and flourish into yours. She watches with love and satisfaction as you eat. You assure her that it was great.

"You'll have to tell me more about your tastes, Mistress. I want to cook for you as often as possible."

"Well, most days I have to eat my mom's cooking or school cafeteria food," you admit. She seems surprised, comically enough. "I'll definitely try to eat your cooking more often, though. I love the fact that you cook for me." She beams again. "I guess I'll e-mail you a list of dishes I like? I usually try to limit my meat intake."

"You're a vegetarian?" Sara asks in surprise.

"No, I do eat meat, I just try not to do it very often. Growing one pound of meat consumes more resources than consuming one pound of plant-based food, and with the Endbringers destroying the world's economy, it just seems more responsible, I guess?"

Your harem stares at you.

Eep.

You drink your water, blushing.

Kayden looks hesitant. "Mistress… I, I've been assuming that you made me yours because you knew who I was, but…"

"I know you're… I know you were Purity," you tell her. "Though that name will have to go."

"You don't like it?"

"I don't like the racial supremacist undertones it carries. My harem and I actually played a central role in taking down the ABB, and I intend to take down the Empire, too."

She goes through a series of facial expressions. "Hm. I don't really mind. More of your wonderful brainwashing, Mistress?"

"Exactly."

"Then of course, I will be glad to help you," she says as she begins massaging your shoulders. "In any way I can."

You need to go home with Taylor and pretend to have spent the night sleeping there for your parents' sake. Then, it's time to seize Sunday.

You find Sara and the devoted slaves formerly known as Bakuda and Purity in the lair. Kayden, with assistance from Sara, is handling cleaning and redecoration in an effort to make this warehouse cozier. Alice, meanwhile, is doing preliminary work on the hardware upgrades for Eve.

You take the time to make Kayden properly service you with her tongue. You didn't do it earlier, because it might have woken Aster, but here it's fine.

Even as you work on her upgrades, Eve informs you of multiple police raids on the locations Weaver found last night. Apparently they had Protectorate support and ended up needing it - Hookwolf was at the dog-fighting ring. He managed to escape, but almost twenty gangbangers have been detained. It's a start.

You introduce Kayden to the joys of the neuroplasticity booster. "I need to raise my domestic skills quickly, Mistress," she says, overjoyed. "I have the basics, but I want to cook like a chef for you, and learn sewing so I can make lovely costumes for our cape identities." She'd been shocked to learn that Alice was Bakuda, but by this point you're confident in her brainwashing.

The morning and much of the afternoon pass. Taylor, Sara, Eve and Kayden all work to improve themselves,

while you and Alice work on Eve. Eventually, you're confident in the new version (and have imposed stronger safeties and restrictions on her behavior - you don't want to create Skynet). You activate the upgrades.

"Mistress, I report a 905% increase in my raw computing capacity. I also detect significant improvement in cognitive abilities, though it is hard to meaningfully estimate. My emotions are far more refined than in earlier iterations. While I am still not quite at human levels of intelligence, creativity or emotional depth, I am far closer than before.

"Furthermore, my improved abilities are allowing me to research and collate information far more efficiently than before. I have found out that the child abducted days ago was in fact Dinah Alcott, the mayor's niece. The kidnapping happened not far from Arcadia, exactly when the Wards were busy dealing with the Undersiders' attempted bank robbery."

Eve now has Taylor's full attention.

Yours, too.

Well, well, well...

Bakuda rebranding:

[ ] Killzone

[ ] Blastwave

[ ] Bombshell

[ ] Write-in (subject to veto).

What is your next set of priorities?

[ ] Empire 88 needs to go down. Kayden hasn't been a member in a while, but she still has useful information for targeting their operations; Weaver can keep tipping off the cops.

-[ ] Try to subvert Rune.

-[ ] Have Weaver, with backing from Bakuda if need be, attack Empire facilities likely to have capes in them

[ ] Abducting the mayor's niece is kind of a big deal. Get cracking on your Undersiders investigation.

[ ] Back to school. Get to work on Emma.

[ ] Tinkering

-[ ] Pheromone perfume

-[ ] Love potion

-[ ] Hypnotic spiral app

-[ ] Hypnotic pocket watch

-[ ] Trance gun

-[ ] Thought-controlled smartglasses

-[ ] Personal force-field

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Last edited: May 31, 2017

May 31, 2017 ReportLike QuoteReply

WargWolf, Pen-Pen, Black.Horus and 182 others like this.

Threadmarks: Where In the World Is Dinah Alcott

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sun tzu

strategist

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS DINAH ALCOTT

[X] Bombshell

[X] Abducting the mayor's niece is kind of a big deal. Get cracking on your Undersiders investigation.

[X] Back to school. Get to work on Emma.

[X] Tinkering

-[X] Thought-controlled smartglasses

"Well-done, Eve." Her digital avatar actually smiles at your compliment. "This… is a pretty big deal. The last thing we want is for a villain group to have leverage on city hall."

Taylor pauses to consider. "How sure are we that the Undersiders were in on it? Could their distraction have been a coincidence? Or could the kidnappers have just taken advantage of the distraction? I mean, with Thinker powers, it could be done."

"I wouldn't think so," Kayden counters. "The Protectorate were out of town at the time. Rather fortuitous timing, no?"

"The Undersiders may have been using the Protectorate's absence for the bank job, and the kidnappers may have done the same. It's perfectly possible that this was a coincidence," Alice counters.

"But the bank job doesn't fit the Undersiders' usual modus operandi," you say. "They don't normally make this kind of high-risk ops."

"They escalated when they attacked that ABB casino," Sara chips in. "And it worked out for them. Maybe that made them overconfident?"

"Could be," you concede, "but there's not that much cash in banks. It's not high-risk-high-reward, it's high risk, medium reward at best. Which could just be them making a dumb mistake… Or it could be whoever's behind the kidnapping wanted them distracting the Wards." You sigh. "It's… I don't know, fifty-fifty? 60% odds they had something to do with it? Anyway, right now they're our best lead on Dinah Alcott."

Kayden looks pensive. "Kaiser would love leverage on city hall, but he wouldn't want to risk an all-out-war with the Protectorate. There's too much profit to be had in running organized crime while the city is relatively peaceful. And he wouldn't subcontract to the Undersiders."

"Neither would the Merchants," says Alice, "and Faultline's Crew are mercenary; they could have been hired to perform the kidnapping, but wouldn't have initiated it on their own. Coil, I suppose, might have been responsible, but this possibility is born in part from how little information is available on him."

You sigh. "All right. For now, we're making the Undersiders our priority. We'll try to locate their lair tomorrow."

"Mistress, what about Empire 88?" Taylor doesn't quite protest as express concern.

"We've put enough hurt on them that-" You pause. "...Slave Kayden, how do you think the Empire will react to the recent police raids?"

"With increased caution," she replies without hesitation. "With the ABB capes gone, Kaiser will believe that there is no rush and the city is effectively his for the taking. He will focus on reinforcing defense and discovering how the police was able to find these locations."

"All right. So we have some extra time to deal with the Undersiders, if the Empire isn't starting a gang war with the ABB yet. Still… Kayden, I want you to compile any useful information you have on the Empire and its capes for Eve."

"Of course, Lady-Wife," she smiles at you.

"On a different note, Mistress," says Eve, "I have compiled for you a list of possible names for rebranding Bakuda."

"Good girl." You glance at the list. "Hm… This one. 'Bombshell' looks best."

"Then it shall my honor to be Bombshell at your service, Mistress," Alice says.

"And, Lady-Wife permitting, I will start using the learning formula to improve my sewing skills, so as to provide you with a proper costume." Kayden beams when you nod at her.

Taylor looks dubious. "Bombshell? Won't that… kind of make it obvious who you are?"

"The goal is not to make it hard for the PRT to guess," Bombshell counters. "Secret identities are largely a polite fiction that remains in place because revealing them is bad for everyone. Since I have not accrued sufficient infamy to be a priority target, others will play along with said polite fiction."

Taylor pauses to consider. "...Well, I guess the Protectorate doesn't actually unmask villains it arrests unless they're getting sent to the Birdcage, and sometimes even then."

"All right," you nod. "Taylor, your dad will probably object to you never sleeping at home, so, you stay at his place tonight. You're allowed to sleep if you want to, or you can use the sleep substitute and work on stuff from home; I'll let you decide on that one. Bombshell, I have an idea I want to work on; it's only tangentially related to my Tinker specialization, so I'll need help. And… I want to start working on targeting Emma Barnes tomorrow."

Taylor is startled. "Emma? Why?"

"Well, I could say that she's hot, and popular enough that having her will make it much, much easier to control how things happen at Winslow. And it would be true," you say, "But, um, the real reason… Well, I want to make her stop bullying you."

Taylor stares at you, open-mouthed.

"So, Taylor… tell me everything about Emma Barnes." You prepare to hug her as needed.

You spend the night working with bombshell on your latest project: Smartglasses with a mental interface. They read your thoughts and react accordingly. They provide a quick communication link to Eve, web search, augmented reality functions… and as far as tinkertech goes, they're simple enough that, once you make one, you could make enough for the other girls (or even have Bombshell make them). The practical advantage is too good to pass up. That they can be used to stream subliminal messages at your haremettes is a nice bonus.

Come morning, you and Taylor each maintain the pretense that you spend the night at your respective homes. Bombshell is going to keep working on the glasses following your initial work. Kayden and Sara have spent the night renovating your lair.

It really feels like your harem is coming together, which brings a spring to your step.

Hm. Still, you're going to need to be cautious with Barnes. Partly because of how much of an emotional minefield she is for Taylor.

Hm. Maybe brainwash some of Taylor's insecurities away sometime soonish? Come to think of it, there isn't really any reason not to fully lesbianize her now, and it'll make her feel more included…

But, for now, classes.

In the morning, both you and Sara hang out with Taylor whenever possible. This earns you glares from several girls. No-one actually does anything, but Taylor's bugs pick up some ugly conversations, including the trio and their hanger-ons discussing ways to shatter your little group. There's talks about getting Sara in trouble with the school, up to and including planting drugs in her locker, and of threatening you if you don't stay away from Taylor.

...Seriously, what's wrong with these girls?

Still, none of their plans are going to be implemented today or tomorrow, so you have time to head things off. ...Both you and Taylor's swarm also notice the Empire supporters are being a lot more aggressive toward Asian kids now. Taylor even directs a fly inside a skinhead's throat when he goes too far.

Things get interesting when Emma has gym class, though. Because around that time, Kayden drives up near Winslow, within reach of Taylor's power, letting the bugs pick up some tools. Said tools allow Taylor's bugs to cut the lock on Emma's locker, get her phone out, and carry it to Bombshell, who's riding shotgun in Kayden's car. Bombshell is able to quickly clone Emma's phone and, with minimal help from Eve, hack the thing to hell and back. The swarm puts the phone back in Emma's locker, and places a lock similar to her previous one on it. Emma wonders why it won't open (since you don't know her locker combination and couldn't replicate it), but once the custodian cuts the lock she finds all her stuff inside and in order.

Mission Not-So-Impossible.

With Emma's phone under your control, it's child's play to start flooding her with subliminal messages - first telling her she wants to listen to music on her phone, then plying her mind to your will.

Before you engage upon that course, however… You're getting a call yourself. From Eve.

"Mistress, my examination of Emma Barnes's phone, in particular her text message archive, reveals some troubling matters in her correspondence with Sophia Hess. There are multiple mentions of Hess working with the Wards, fighting villains and criminals, and wielding a crossbow. There are discussions wherein they plan the January locker prank against Taylor Hebert, wherein Sophia Hess says that she would 'phase' the used tampons inside Taylor's locker. I believe the logical conclusion is that Sophia Hess is Shadow Stalker."

What.

OK. Think.

Sophia may or may not be a psychopath, but the fact that you're actually considering whether or not she is one says a lot about her behavior. Now, it's a known (if not widely-publicized) fact that many parahumans go somewhat insane following their trigger… but why would someone like that be in the Wards? Don't they screen members? Aren't they aware of the shit Sophia does?

Hm. They may or may not be aware, but, with villains outnumbering heroes 3-to-1, you can see the PRT getting desperate for recruits and taking chances on dubious capes. Heck, if you were a PRT director, you'd probably give it a shot if said capes looked vaguely redeemable.

OK, so you don't have enough information to figure out what's going on on the PRT's end of things. But Sophia being a Ward complicates matters.

Obviously, it means that enslaving her is a very risky proposition. The PRT is (rightfully) paranoid about Masters and Strangers. The only way you could hide any intensive brainwashing is by programming her with "modes" that let her switch from being your slave to being her normal self with no memory of her enslavement, and… oooh, blueprints flowing into your mind. OK, not remotely simple, but doable. ...Would the PRT discover it anyway? Augh. Makes you wish you had more Thinkers in your arsenal.

There's Taylor. Do you tell her about Shadow Stalker? Taylor's desire to be a hero is one of her more endearing qualities. Would this revelation turn her into a complete cynic?

There's the fact you're pretty sure you could use this information to get Shadow Stalker in massive legal trouble if you played your cards right. But do you want to? Other people would get caught in the crossfire, ranging from the PRT to her family (if she has any - getting orphaned could easily be a trigger event).

Augh.

It's the afternoon, and you're impressed with what Kayden has done with the lair. It's starting to look… well, not "cozy" yet, but getting there. And she clearly delights in every bit of domestic activity she engages in.

Bombshell, meanwhile, has finished the first set of smartglasses. She hands them over to you reverently. "Your glasses, Mistress."

You put them on.

You try to activate their function.

Whoa.

Seriously… thought-controlled smartglasses.

Being a Tinker is awesome.

Still, the knowledge that this could theoretically be used to flash subliminals at the wearer makes you glad for the safeties you've installed. Including the restrictions on Eve.

Now, back to work. You want more than one pair.

Also, you should get Eve working on her skills, always. She's smarter than she used to be now.

The Sun hasn't set yet when you get a call from Taylor, whom Sara has been chauffeuring across the docks.

"I think I've found it. A loft around where the ABB thought the Undersiders lived. Four bedrooms. Bowls of dog food. There's just one guy inside, playing videogames, and he's got the right build to be Regent. And I think I can see Regent's mask thrown on the couch."

[ ] Make Eve study psychology, so she can help you further with brainwashing slaves.

[ ] Make Eve study investigation and criminology, so she can help uncover more information about the cape scene.

[ ] Make Eve study coding, so she may assist you with tinkertech design.

[ ] Don't use subliminal messages on Emma.

[ ] Only use subliminal messages on Emma to make her leave Taylor alone.

[ ] Use subliminal messages on Emma to get her closer to you in preparation for more extensive brainwashing.

[ ] Leave Taylor as is.

[ ] Fully lesbianize Taylor, to better fit in with the harem.

[ ] Remove most of Taylor's insecurities about her looks.

(can combine with fully lesianizing her)

[ ] Don't tell Taylor about Shadow Stalker yet.

[ ] Tell Taylor about Shadow Stalker now.

[ ] Capture and interrogate Regent.

[ ] Leave Regent alone, but bug the Undersiders' lair.

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Last edited: Jun 8, 2017

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WargWolf, Pen-Pen, Black.Horus and 172 others like this.

Threadmarks: Retouching Taylor

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sun tzu

strategist

RETOUCHING TAYLOR

[X] Use subliminal messages on Emma to get her closer to you in preparation for more extensive brainwashing.

[X] Fully lesbianize Taylor, to better fit in with the harem.

[X] Remove most of Taylor's insecurities about her looks.

[X] Tell Taylor about Shadow Stalker now.

[X] Leave Regent alone, but bug the Undersiders' lair.

[X] Make Eve study psychology, so she can help you further with brainwashing slaves.

"There's no point in messing with Regent right now," you tell Weaver, "but I want the lair placed under surveillance."

Thanks to Taylor's power, filling the Undersiders' lair with electronic bugs is trivial. Audio feed, video feed, even their landline is tapped, and Eve now maintains constant surveillance (while continuing her studies of human psychology. You envy her her multitasking abilities).

With that done… "Weaver, I need you to get back to the lair. We have something to discuss."

Officially, Taylor and Sara are having another sleepover at your place.

In reality, all your slaves are spending the night with you at the lair (as is Aster, but she's got her own room now and Kayden's gotten her to sleep).

Taylor takes off her mask. "Are the bugs transmitting correctly, Mistress?"

"As far as I know. Eve?"

"Nothing to report. The one we suspect is Regent has mostly been playing videogames, cursing in a Montreal accent when things don't go his way. He occasionally glances at the phone, as if expecting a call, and ate a pizza that he had delivered to his lair."

You nod. "Well done, both of you. Taylor, put on the brainwashing helmet."

She smiles, and complies excitedly. "Yes Mistress! Er… what for?" The smile is replaced by a slightly fearful look. She loves being brainwashed by you, but she can't help but worry a bit.

"I want to make a few tweaks," you reply. "Mostly, I figure it's time to fully lesbianize you."

She blinks. "So… I won't like boys after this?"

"Well, not sexually or romantically."

She thinks for a moment. "It's… weird to think about it. Is it also weird that this kind of, er, turns me on?"

This blushing is adorable. "Well, no. I programmed you to find it hot when I brainwash you. Or when I brainwash people, period."

"Ah, I see. Um, what are the other tweaks?"

"Eh, nothing major. Mostly tone down some of the insecurities your bullies have given you. At least, the ones about your looks." You pause. "Before that, though… we need to talk. About your bullies."

Her expression grows grim. "What is it?"

You take a deep breath. "Eve has been going through all the data on Emma Barnes' phone, and she's uncovered a surprising but important fact concerning Sophia Hess." She stares at you, waiting. "We're… 99.8% sure she is Shadow Stalker."

Taylor blinks.

And blinks again.

Her mouth opens. No sound comes out.

"Taylor? Are you…?" Is she what? What are you even asking?

Finally, she speaks. "That's… that… shit. I always wondered… I always wondered why Emma just… shit. I can see it now. She meets a girl during the summer who's actually a parahuman, and suddenly it's time to trade up from her old friend to the new model," she says, her voice filled with bitterness. "Fuck it, is that why Winslow never did anything about the bullying?! I always thought it was because those girls were popular and Emma's dad is a lawyer, but if the PRT was asking them to hush it up for good PR, it suddenly all makes way too much sense!" Her voice is getting angrier by the second. You're becoming uncomfortably aware of the buzzing of insects around you. "DAMMIT! And the PRT keeps that psycho as a Ward?! They tried to convince me to join them! If they recruit people like that, how the fuck can they call themselves heroes?! They…"

And that's when Kayden hugs her.

Thank God for stepfordized slaves with maternal instincts.

"Sh. It's OK, Taylor. You can let it all out. We're here for you," the domestic slavegirl with the firepower of heavy artillery says.

Taylor hesitates, then hugs back, and spends the next few minutes alternating between angry ranting and some crying. Once she's calmed down a bit, you give her a hug of your own.

"I don't know what's up with the PRT," you say truthfully. "I don't know if they're aware of Shadow Stalker's psychotic behavior and are hushing it up, if she's just really good at hiding it from them, or what. I don't know what Emma's thought process was when she went from being your friend to being… this. But I promise you, we're going to find out. And one way or another, the bullying stops."

Taylor nods. Then looks up. "Wait. If Sophia is a Ward, isn't messing with her mind or even Emma's mind risky?"

"A bit," you admit, "but I'm going to be careful. I haven't decided on the long-term strategy yet, but for now, I'm bombarding Emma with subliminal messages telling her to trust me, to like me, and to want me in her circle of friends. Nothing too extreme, but enough to open up opportunities. As for you…" You grin as you turn the helmet on. "Time for you to join the rest of us at the top of the Kinsey scale."

Taylor doesn't quite giggle, but it's as close as you've heard from her.

The night is reasonably productive. You make a second set of smartglasses, giving it to Bombshell (and launching a permanent stream of subliminal messages that will be constantly brainwashing her). Bombshell finishes her cartridge-blaster (though she hasn't had the time to build the actual cartridges). Kayden keeps working on her domestic skills, especially sewing. Sara, following directions from Kayden, keeps working to improve the lair's habitability. As for Taylor… Taylor is discovering more and more how bullshit her multitasking ability is. With how much her ability to see through her bugs has improved lately, she can now use them (at least, the bugs with the best vision) to actually read books… and she uses it to read from all her textbooks simultaneously. This does not overwhelm her mind - in fact, thanks to the neuroplasticity booster, she learns at an accelerated pace from all of them. At once.

You are now wondering what would happen if you were to give Taylor dozens, hundreds of books to read all at once, while using the neuroplasticity booster. Could she turn into some kind of omnidisciplinary expert? Something to consider, definitely.

No less interesting, of course, is her continued brainwashing. You enjoy her reaction when you remove the helmet from her head.

"Huh." She makes a bit of a face. "You know, I remember finding boys attractive, but… now it just seems insane. And pretty gross."

"Welcome to the world of lesbianism," you chuckle.

She smiles. "I'm just happy to be whatever you want me to be, Mistress. And… I do feel less unworthy of you. At least… I don't feel like I'm the ugliest girl at Winslow anymore." She pauses. "You didn't program me to think I was beautiful or anything like that, did you?"

"No, not at such. Just removed the bulk of your insecurities. Do remember though, that I originally brainwashed you to be my sex slave, before I knew you were a cape."

She chuckles again. "Right. So I'm at least a little attractive."

"That's the spirit!"

It's Tuesday the 19th, and you are in class. Again.

Taylor is relying on her swarm to avoid the bullies, with Sara offering her some moral support. You, on the other hand, are not spending time with her.

After all, you need Emma to approach you.

Which she does… flanked by several other girls, including Hess and Clements. Nuts.

"Hey. Daphne, right?"

"Uh, yeah? You're, um, Emma Barnes? The model?"

She beams at that. It's a simple thing, but you wouldn't have thought of it on your own before you started studying psychology.

"That's right. I couldn't help notice that you're not with that girl today."

"You mean Taylor?" You shrug. "She's a friend, but it's not like we're joined at the hip."

"You can seriously do better than Taylor," says Emma. "Believe me, I would know. I used to hang out with her when we were kids. There are good reasons I don't now. And you're cute, you're smart… It's not like you can't make better friends than that."

You struggle not to let your nervousness show. "I don't know… My parents tend to vet my friends. If I start hanging out with someone they don't approve of, things get all sorts of uncomfortable. At least they're fine with Taylor."

A fabrication, of course. But by convincing Emma that she needs to earn your parents' approval to make you join her circle of friends, you're giving her incentive to come to your place.

And, thankfully, she takes the bait.

Which is why Emma is scheduled to come to your place this evening.

The rest of the harem hasn't been idle, either. Bombshell's gotten her start on making cartridges. Taylor's overheard Empire-affiliated students talking about a meeting tomorrow that will supposedly have Empire capes attending. And Eve reports that Regent's received a phone call from someone with a digitally masked voice, telling him to lay low until the rest of the Undersiders are broken out.

Interesting. Interesting indeed.

What do you have in store for Emma?

[ ] Standard slave programming, roughly similar to what you gave Taylor and Sara.

[ ] Submission slut: Slave programming, but with an emphasis on an utterly irresistible submission fetish. She needs and craves your control on a truly primal level.

[ ] Succubus: Slave programming, but with an added focus on perfecting and indulging in the art of seduction in service to her Mistress.

[ ] Agent of the court: In her mind, you are the rightful queen, at the top of the social hierarchy… and she is your loyal courtier, manipulating society in your service.

[ ] Write-in. (No making her Taylor's slave - Taylor has no desire for it.)

-[ ] Make her bisexual: You can't stomach using your abilities on males, but you still a way to deal with them. Emma's social skills make her perfect for the job.

-[ ] Make her a lesbian: Might as well keep things consistent.

What should Taylor be doing during this time?

[ ] Learn everything: Eve, with some help from Sara, can print pages from dozens and hundreds of different books on countless different subjects. See if there's an upper limit to how much Taylor can learn at once.

[ ] Hunt Nazis: With Sara driving her around and some tips from Kayden, Weaver can locate some important Empire operations and assist the police with cleaning house.

What should Bombshell work on?

[ ] Cartridges. Her tinkertech has amazing combat potential, and you might need it soon.

[ ] Smartglasses. You can't equip everyone in your harem, but the more of them you do, the better.

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Last edited: Jul 18, 2017

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Threadmarks: Interlude: Emma

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sun tzu

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INTERLUDE: EMMA

[X] Agent of the court: In her mind, you are the rightful queen, at the top of the social hierarchy… and she is your loyal courtier, manipulating society in your service.

-[X] Make her bisexual: You can't stomach using your abilities on males, but you still a way to deal with them. Emma's social skills make her perfect for the job.

[X] Learn everything: Eve, with some help from Sara, can print pages from dozens and hundreds of different books on countless different subjects. See if there's an upper limit to how much Taylor can learn at once.

[X] Cartridges. Her tinkertech has amazing combat potential, and you might need it soon.

Then:

Life should be good.

My grades are all right (and I'm not even using my feminine wiles to get other people to do my homework for me. Seriously, Madison, that's gonna bite you in the ass sooner or later). I'm getting along fine with my parents and sister. My modeling career is going better than ever. And Sophia managed to nail Grue with a crossbow bolt, so, with a little luck, hopefully there's one less son of a bitch in this city.

Life should be good.

I had the nightmare again. Woke up in a cold sweat, feeling that knife against my throat. I'm a predator. I shouldn't have nightmares.

I just… need to keep getting into it. Remind myself that I'm strong.

It's funny. When we were kids, I used to think Taylor of all people was strong. Because she didn't completely snap when Mrs. Hebert died. Probably why putting her in her place helps me. Reminds me that I'm stronger than her.

Sophia… Sophia's getting bored of messing with Taylor. Again. I know she's mostly doing it for my sake. She figures I should move on.

But that's OK. I know I can get her interested again. I just need to escalate. And I've got this awesome idea for Taylor's locker…

There's a new girl in our class. Daphne something. She looks like a wimp.

Unbelievable. That Daphne girl is hanging out with Taylor. I know she's only been here for a few weeks, but shouldn't she know better by now?

We're just gonna have to explain the way of things to her.

Sophia explained the way of things to Daphne. Apparently, she's not as wimpy as she looks?

Well, Madison deliberately tries to look harmless. Maybe Daphne does the same thing.

Man, what's with me today? It's like I can't get enough music on my phone.

I've also been thinking about that Daphne girl. Thinking back… she's actually pretty cool. I mean, she hangs out with that ABB girl, and she didn't crack under pressure from Sophia, so, obviously she's got guts. And I never really thought about it before, but she has a certain je ne sais quoi about her.

I have to get this girl into my posse. I'll just need to get her to shake Taylor. (And the ABB thug, obviously.)

Now:

Daphne's house looks nice, I guess. I suppose her shoddy clothing is due to a lack of fashion sense, rather than being unable to afford better.

Eh. She's still cool.

Also, that's some pretty awesome music she's got playing. I'll have to ask her to share.

She's… clearly not used to gossipping, but, bless her heart, she's trying to keep up. I'm avoiding the Taylor subject for now, but we'll get there in due time.

OK, honestly? This is fun. Very fun. And I'm pretty sure I could get her to join my circle if we just have a sleepover.

She says it's cool, and her other friends have been having regular sleepovers and her parents won't mind. I hide my displeasure at Taylor and the thug hanging out in this room, and instead give dad a call to tell him I'll be spending the night here.

The moment I'm done, Daphne offers me refreshment. I happily accept.

Uh… woozy…

Blackness.

…

Daphne.

Daphne's so cool.

Daphne's the coolest person I know.

Society's divided into predator and prey.

Society's divided into… into… into a hierarchy. Prey at the bottom, predators at the top.

Society's a hierarchy. Those meant to serve at the bottom, those meant to rule at the top.

Daphne's meant to rule. Daphne's meant to be at the top.

Daphne… Daphne is like a Queen. The perfect dominant. The rightful ruler.

Daphne is the rightful Queen. Everyone should obey her. It's the right way things should be.

I'm… I understand how things work. I'm strong. That makes me a good agent for Queen Daphne. High in the hierarchy. I can help her hold court. Some obey me, and I obey her.

I obey Queen Daphne, as is proper. I act as her agent. I help her maintain control over her court.

It's right for me to obey Queen Daphne. It's how things should be. It's where I belong.

I love obeying Queen Daphne. That's normal. She's the rightful Queen. Obeying her is the natural way of things, even if most people don't understand it like I do.

I love obeying Queen Daphne.

I'm proud of obeying Queen Daphne. I'm proud of manipulating society into a shape she finds pleasing. I'm proud of being her loyal courtier and agent.

Queen Daphne is so beautiful.

Girls are pretty.

Girls are pretty and sexy.

Girls are sexy. I'm attracted to girls. That's normal.

Queen Daphne is the sexiest girl in the world. I can't resist her gorgeous body.

I love submitting to Queen Daphne.

Submitting to Queen Daphne is so sexy.

It's sexy when Queen Daphne controls me.

It's sexy when Queen Daphne controls my body and mind.

It's sexy when Queen Daphne changes me, shapes me into a better agent of her will.

I'm happy to let Queen Daphne control me and change me.

…

My eyes open.

It's not my room. It's not Daphne's room, either. It's… a large place… kind of like a warehouse that was converted into a living space? Regardless, I'm not alone.

There's a woman I don't recognize, wearing an apron and smiling. She's kinda hot. ...Since when do I find girls hot?

There's a cape in a badass insect-themed costume. Sophia would love this thing, but I still tense. Did I get kidnapped by villains? I also notice bugs crawling over papers spread all over the floor, and shudder.

There's the ABB thug girl who's been hanging around Daphne.

There's an Asian woman with an expression of absolute professionalism, calmly staring at me while holding (but not aiming at me) what looks like a tinkertech weapon.

But most importantly, Daphne is here. My heart skips a beat. My panties moisten.

Daphne stares at me with those deep, beautiful pools of hers. "Emma? How are you feeling?"

Her voice is like a choir of angels, but I only let that distract me for a second. She asked me a question. I have to answer. "I… confused. Good, I think? What's going on here? Where are we?"

Daphne stares at me. I bask in her gaze. Then she speaks. "We're in my lair. I'm the Neuroqueen. A parahuman dealing in mind-control."

Of course. Someone as amazing as Daphne would have to be a cape, and her calling herself "queen" is incredibly appropriate.

And I didn't use to think like that.

So… she's mastering me.

I should be terrified. I'm not. I'm wet. It's, like, stupidly sexy. And it's only right that someone as regal as Daphne should control my thoughts.

...OK, obviously that's her Master power talking, but, I can't bring myself to care.

Think, Emma. You just got mastered by a powerful, beautiful cape. She's surrounded by other women (is the bug cape a girl?), so, either she can only master women, or she's some kind of lesbian Heartbreaker. Either way, you need to quickly get in your new Queen's good graces.

I give her my best smile as I get off the bed, then get down on my knee. "In that case, it will be my honor and my joy to serve you, my Queen." OK, I think that was a good start. But I should probably keep laying it on. "Everything that I have, all my connections, my body, my mind, they're all yours. Do as you wish with them."

OK, that was good. But… Oh, wow. "My Queen, I think you need to know - one of my friends is the Ward, Shadow Stalker." I can't contain my smile. This is a goldmine - my Queen will find that very useful! I can earn her favor quickly!

Then I remember about Master-Stranger protocols, and my smile falls. "I… I would advise caution, my Queen. The PRT has a number of measures in place to protect against subversion. Gallant, also of the Wards, is an empath. I'm confident that I can hide my loyalties from my friend, but I beg you to be careful around her."

Queen Daphne keeps staring at me. I'm not sure I can fully read her mood, but she is obviously aroused. "S-slave Emma…" Oooh, it's so hot when she calls me that! "I, I think you should be relieving your Queen."

Her pants and her panties fall, and I eagerly lap at her nectar.

This feels so surreal. Yesterday, I was straight as an arrow ("Legend's so gay, even his lasers aren't straight!". Why is that joke springing to my mind right now?). Now… girls are at least as attractive as boys, and my Queen is the sexiest person alive. I feel blessed to be under her control. Is this how Heartbreaker's girls feel? I know I would have fought tooth and nail against this, but now, it just feels like the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me. I come before even she does.

We both take a while to recover, but knowing I have served her fills me with incredible joy and satisfaction. Already, I'm thinking of ways I can help Daphne rule the school. I can't date her in public, it'd make Sophia suspicious, but Madison is openly bi-curious (I think? Unless she's just faking it to get more attention from boys); she could become Daphne's devoted girlfriend, and her popularity would skyrocket. If I get her a nice makeover, buy her nicer clothes, and throw support behind her… she could become the most popular girl at school. Just the thought of it is making me giddy.

"Slave… I think you need to learn more about the rest of the harem. And about me."

I kneel before her, listening eagerly.

"For starters… I'm a Tinker. Specialized in neurotechnology."

I nod. Not my first guess, but oddly fitting.

"This is Sarah, formerly of the ABB. Like you, she has no powers, but she's eager to please and hardworking. She's done a lot to serve me, and helped me take down the ABB."

"That was you?" I blurt out, then immediately blush. It's improper to interrupt my Queen. I quickly recover, though: "That's amazing, Mistress."

She blushes, and goes on. "This is Bombshell. Formerly known as Bakuda, the ABB's bomb Tinker."

Wow. Well, I'd more-or-less guessed she was a Tinker, but didn't this woman hold a New York university hostage? Looking at her now… It's amazing, the power Daphne has.

"This is Kayden, formerly known as Purity." My eyes go wide as saucers. This… apron-wearing MILF is the terror of the sky? The flying artillery of Empire 88? Seriously?

"Kayden" giggles at my expression. "You wouldn't have guessed, would you? Mistress-Wife has turned me into a good little domestic slave-wife for her. I can still fight for her, of course, but nothing delights me more than cooking and cleaning for her now!"

That's crazy-hot.

"This is Eve, my artificial intelligence," she points at a digital face on a computer monitor. "She assists me with a number of things, including the operation of my brainwashing technology. Her expertise is why your brainwashing was completed with many hours to spare."

Blinking, I glance at my watch. It's around four in the morning.

"Last but far from least, Weaver here was my first slave, and has been incredibly useful. She is both a powerful Thinker, and a Master with incredibly advanced control over arthropods. Bugs." My Queen hesitates for some reason. "...Unmask, Weaver."

The bug cape pulls off her m-

No.

No! That's not true! That's impossible!

Taylor is nothing! She's weak! She's pr- she's meant to serve at the bottom! She's… She's not a badass cape good enough to serve my perfect Queen!

I just stare, unable to process this.

"...Emma? Emma!"

I'm jolted from my state of shock. How… how long has passed while I was just… "Y-yes, my Queen?"

"I was saying, I can't have internal tensions within the harem. And to be perfectly honest, while you're both hot and useful, a large part of my original motivation for haremizing you was to stop the bullying as a favor to slave Taylor."

Taylor… is the reason I've had the honor of becoming Daphne's slave? And it was to make me lay off here? What?

"I know there's some… history between the two of you. I think it's best to lay it all out in the open. Taylor, you go first. Sorry to make you say it all again, I know it's painful, but I think this is important."

And so, I listen as Taylor tells her story. About how we used to be close friends. Like sisters. I'd… be lying if I said it wasn't making me nostalgic. I did miss Taylor a lot in the early days of learning to be strong. She's being a bit melodramatic about the bullying, though.

My turn. I tell Daphne about the… about the alley. It's hard, but I have my orders. I tell her about the ABB thugs, shooting Sara a dirty look. About Shadow Stalker. About meeting with Sophia. About learning to be strong. The whole thing.

My Queen sighs. It breaks my heart to see her displeased. I hope she'll brainwash me into someone who never displeases her.

"Emma… did, did the PRT know about the bullying? Did they pressure the school into keeping quiet?"

"Not the PRT, exactly," I say. "The PRT agent handling Sophia, though? I forget the exact details, my Queen, but she's lost family to the gangs. The police, the Protectorate, they couldn't get her justice. It took Shadow Stalker to give those murderers what they deserved. A coincidence; that was before Sophia was a Ward, but when she became one, she asked to be her handler, out of gratitude. So, she covers for her, and she doesn't report the shadier stuff to her bosses." I pause. "Blackwell, well, she reports what happens to the handler, and if nothing happens, she doesn't complain. She's constantly living in fear of a gang war erupting inside the school, so she's desperate to have at least one Ward on duty here. Plus, the PRT gives Ward schools extra money, and Winslow's budget is a joke. I think they hired two extra teachers with the money they got from having Shadow Stalker around."

Queen Daphne nods, deep in thought. "...Slave Taylor, how does all that make you feel?"

Taylor hesitates. "It's… It's so completely fucked up. She betrayed our friendship, tortured me all this time, just to feel stronger? And it doesn't even look like it actually helped! If anything, that's… pathetic. I think I would feel sorry for her if I wasn't so emotionally exhausted by the whole thing." She pauses. "And… I'm scared. Scared that this will get in the way of serving you."

Well. At least we're in tune on that last point.

My Queen considers. "Taylor, be honest: Do you think you could be friends again? Would you want to?"

Taylor blinks. "I… I, obviously, I missed the Emma that was my friend, but I don't know if she's even still in there. I… I wish I was that gracious that I could just forgive and forget, but… she's hurt me a lot. I'm not sure if I can move on." She pauses, her tone growing hopeful. "You could… make me move on?"

It's no surprise she finds the prospect appealing - I can think of fewer things more desirable than having Daphne mold me, shape me, rewrite my thoughts.

Daphne considers. "Hm. We've got a couple hours before we need to get home. Let me think…"

I listen eagerly, waiting to hear my Queen's will.

How to handle Taylor and Emma's issue:

[ ] Full power total brainwash: Turn them into brainwashed BFFs.

[ ] Let nature take its course: They can hate each other, so long as they remain your loyal slaves. Give them time to get over it.

[ ] Middle path: Tone down their negative emotions toward each other to a manageable fraction of what it currently is, encourage them to rekindle their friendship.

How to handle Sophia and the rest of the bullies:

[ ] Full steam ahead, damn the MS protocols: Enslave Sophia. You're clever; surely you can avoid discovery.

[ ] Risk minimization: No mind-control, just rely on Emma's social skills to distract the bullies with harmless crap.

[ ] Infiltration: Have Emma introduce you to the cool girls' table, make minimal use of subliminal messages to gain their acceptance and respect.

-[ ] Enslave Madison. She's cute, and she can tag-team the social engineering with Emma.

-[ ] Royal hunting grounds: Begin identifying and preparing worthwhile targets at Winslow.

Tinkering (pick one or two, will take time):

[ ] Maintenance: Between this night and Kayden, the brainwashing helmet needs some TLC.

-[ ] Personality disassociation module: You've got ideas for ways the helmet could split a mind into different personalities with different memories. It'll take a while to design, though.

[ ] Pheromone perfume.

[ ] Neuroplasticity booster: You haven't run out, but your reserves are starting to run low.

[ ] Knockout cartridges: Collaborate with Bombshell on nonlethal weaponry.

Reich-stomping:

[ ] Keep targeting the Empire's illicit businesses with Weaver.

[ ] Kayden left E88 before Rune joined, but she still knows where to find her. Recruit an inside agent!

[ ] Crash the E88 meeting.

-[ ] With Weaver.

-[ ] With Bombshell.

-[ ] With Kayden.

-[ ] With a tip to the Protectorate.

Rebranding (because "Purity" is an awful, awful name):

[ ] Skylight

[ ] Judgment

[ ] Sunshot

[ ] Write-in

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Last edited: Jul 26, 2017

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Threadmarks: Brainwashed Best Friends Forever

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sun tzu

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BRAINWASHED BEST FRIENDS FOREVER

[X] Full power total brainwash: Turn them into brainwashed BFFs

[X] Infiltration: Have Emma introduce you to the cool girls' table, make minimal use of subliminal messages to gain their acceptance and respect.

-[X] Enslave Madison. She's cute, and she can tag-team the social engineering with Emma.

[X] Maintenance: Between this night and Kayden, the brainwashing helmet needs some TLC.

[x] Neuroplasticity booster: You haven't run out, but your reserves are starting to run low.

[X] Kayden left E88 before Rune joined, but she still knows where to find her. Recruit an inside agent!

[X] Skylight

You consider your two pets.

Taylor, your first slave, and probably your favorite (so far). She's not pretty, but she's an A-list cape, she's smart, and you like her a lot.

Emma, your latest slave. She's the prettiest of the haremettes (so far), and let's be honest, still less evil than Bakuda was.

Honestly… the thing that's happened to these two former best friends was tragic. You hate sad stories. Always have. When you started writing fanfictions, about half of them were fix fics. You want to fix this, not just because it'll make the harem work better, not just because rewriting their thoughts is hot, but because you want to give their friendship a happy ending. ...Well, a really fucked-up sort of happy ending, seeing as they'll be brainwashed slaves, but you know what you mean.

"OK, I think I know how to handle this. Taylor, put the brainwashing helmet back on Emma's head."

Both girls are blushing deeply as your order is obeyed.

"Now, Emma, I want you to tell me more about your friendship with Taylor. Tell me everything, especially how your emotions were."

And so it goes. For over an hour, you grill Emma over her long-dead friendship, with some helpful commentary from Taylor. And for over an hour, using Emma's data, you and Eve fine-tune Emma's programming. Moving her perception of Taylor back from "weakling loser I obsessively need to grind down to show I'm strong" to "my best friend forever and quasi-sister", adapting her emotions accordingly.

By the end of the hour, her emotions are a little hard to read. "Emma? How do you feel?"

"I… I'm a little terrified, my Queen," she admits. "Taylor's my bestie, and I'm scared I've ruined our friendship. You're… you're going to make her like me again, right? My Queen?" She barely even tries to hide the desperation in her voice.

You smile. "Emma, put the brainwashing helmet on Taylor's head."

She squeals in joy. Taylor sits down, blushes, doesn't resist… and yet, she says: "That's… that's it? All the shit she did to me, the years of pain and cruelty, and her punishment is that I get turned into her friend again?"

Apologetically, you caress her cheek. "It's not justice, Taylor. But you will be happy. And it's what I want."

She takes a deep breath, then forces a smile. "Anything for you, Mistress."

"Good girl."

For another hour, Taylor is the one describing her friendship with Emma in great detail, with Emma offering commentary. You and Eve fine-tune her brain, resurrecting old emotions from ash.

Then, the helmet comes off. Taylor stands up. Emma looks at her hesitantly. The two teenage girls stare at each other. The awkwardness is palpable.

"T-Taylor?" The redhead sounds hopeful, fearful.

The brunette hesitates. "...Princess Scarlett and Library Girl, mutual sidekicks forever?"

At that particular reference to the past, Emma jumps in. Seconds later, she and Taylor are hugging and squealing with joy (Taylor, squealing with joy. Mind-control does miracles).

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh I missed you so much it's so great we're besties again I'm so sorry about everything I swear I'll never let anyone hurt you ever again I'm just so happy we're friends!"

"It's OK I forgive you actually I think I'm brainwashed not to care anymore but what matters is we're friends again and we get to both be Daphne's slaves together and it's going to be great and I missed you so much too and I just plain missed having friends and this is gonna be great!"

Wow. You've seen Taylor happy (when she gets to serve you), but you've never seen her like this.

The stream of words slows down eventually, but only just.

"And look at you! You got your old dream of being a cape! Er, even if it's as a villain instead of a hero…"

"Oh, Mistress Daphne may be a villain, but she's been very supportive of my dreams of being a hero! She drove me around when I was fighting Lung, and I won! At least, I distracted him long enough for Dauntless to sucker-blast him. And we took down the ABB, and I've used my powers to report all sorts of criminal operations from all the gangs to the police, and it's been great!"

This goes on for several more minutes. It's kind of heartwarming, fucked up as that may be. However…

"Girls, you can talk some more after school," you say. "Taylor, you need to get back to your home, and Emma, we need to get back to mine - can't let anyone's parents find out we're here."

Emma's a little confused, but she complies. Taylor, for herself, blinks rapidly. "Uh, wow, that's… I haven't babbled like that since before high school. Did… did you brainwash me back into being a cheerful motormouth, Mistress?"

"Not exactly," you say. "The cheerful motormouth never disappeared. She's part of you. She got buried under everything else, but, the parts of who we are don't go away. We just add new one." Well, unless mind-control is involved, but that's not the issue. "Your friendship with Emma just… triggered old memories, old emotions, old parts of you. It was the right stimulus to reactivate the cheerful motormouth, at least for a few minutes." You grin. "I don't mind. It's nice, seeing that additional aspect of you."

She blushes adorably. "Thank you, Mistress."

You return your attention to Emma. "We need to get back to my place, but we also need to make plans…"

It's Wednesday the 20th, and you're back at Winslow.

And this time, Emma is working as your loyal agent, applying her superior skills of social engineering.

With smoothness that impresses you, she relates a fabricated experience of yesterday's visit to your place. She describes you as being "way cooler than she looks at first glance", and having "potential to fit in just great with us". She says that she suspects you of having a crush on Madison, and "jokingly" suggests the Clements girl should seduce you into joining their posse. She also describes you as having a loyal, protective streak, and says the girls should all leave Taylor alone until your own loyalties have been secured.

She gets the girls to download an app via which Eve seizes control of their phones. Subliminal exposure slowly starts.

She has her posse run into you a few times during the day, in meetings too short to betray your nerves; you recite the lines fed to you via smartglasses, making you appear several notches more suave and funny than you really are, with pre-written lines with which you answer Emma. This isn't just to make you look cooler, but also to fix "Daphne Miller" in their minds, allowing the subliminal messages to do their work. Messages telling them that you're pretty cool, and, in Clements' case, that you're pretty and attractive.

You notice Madison batting her eyelashes at you cutely. You strongly suspect that, if you weren't a mind-controlling villainess, that girl could wrap you around her finger. At least for a while.

Emma invites all her posse to a "study group" at her place that will include more music and dancing than is entirely conductive to actual studying, but is entirely conductive to both subliminal messages and a mini-party to "lure you in". Naturally, you accept her "invitation", and, when you ask if Taylor and Sara can come, you "accept" her apologetic "explanation" that Taylor is an ex-friend and things are awkward between them.

Excellent.

Also, twice during the day, Emma secretly meets Taylor in the bathroom so they can hug.

Hm. You wonder if you should program to feel extreme attraction to each other?

Classes are done, and you've been invited to a party for the first time since elementary school. Because you've brainwashed the hostess. You'd consider that sad if you'd ever been intent on popularity before.

You arrive fashionably late. Mostly to give the subliminals proper time to convince the girls that you're cool, pretty, and likable.

When you arrive, Emma's sound system coordinates with your smartglasses; the latter emit tiny sounds into your ears at the right intervals to block the subliminal messages. You don't want to turn yourself into some kind of pretentious megalomaniac or something, after all!

The girls, for all that they're somewhat bitchy snots, give you a warm welcome, trying to make you feel like you're one of them. When the time comes to dance, you follow the instructions Emma gave you in secret (and Eve's assistance on the smartglasses), sticking to moves simple enough for a total beginner like yourself, and non-dorky enough that, when the subliminal messages tell the other girls you dance well, it doesn't generate too much cognitive dissonance.

You're pretty sure that Madison has been subtly flirting with you. Still, during the last stretch of the party, once you're fairly sure the girls have all been convinced of your fictious coolness and even more fictious trustworthiness, you switch off the subliminals in the music, and let Madison play with your smartglasses, claiming they're made from commercial models you've frankensteined together. She plays around with the cool gadget, which bombards her with messages telling her that you're sexy and she's attracted to you. When she returns the glasses to you, her flirting gets more aggressive. She actually kisses you… which short-circuits your thought process for a few seconds, though not due to any actual mind-control.

...Seriously. Sophia Hess may be scary and violent, but angel-faced, cute-as-a-button Madison Clements is dangerous.

Eventually, it's time to depart. But you've made progress. Emma Barnes' social circle, including Sophia, are starting to consider you one of their own, and the mind-control was minor and subtle enough that you're 99% confident it won't trip up anything.

...You really need to add a Thinker or two to your harem.

Still. This prevents bullying, and lays the foundation from which you can do… a number of other things. And you're a few steps closer to controlling Madison; Emma believes that making her your public girlfriend will go a long way toward establishing your position and authority at school (making it a lot less suspicious in the future when Emma goes along with your desires, such as leaving Taylor alone).

Your other slaves have been far from idle. Kayden, who'll be going by "Skylight" when/if you need to make use of her power, has made an initial costume for Bombshell, and it has some flair, though she's confident she can do better. Bombshell's been replenishing her cartridge arsenal (and seriously, some of those sound badass. Like, "you'd feel obligated to bring it to the next Endbringer battle" badass). Taylor has finished reading the school manuals for the 10th grade, over a hundred articles on several different subjects (but mostly parahumans), and the PHO articles and threads on hundreds of different capes who have operated around this area. Sara's kept working on the lair.

Now… time for tinkering. Your beloved brainwashing helmet needs its regular maintenance, and with how liberally you've been spreading the neuroplasticity booster among your harem, your reserves are dipping dangerous low. Best amend to that. While you do, Taylor and Kayden get to work on locating Rune.

Kayden has only met Rune once, but she still talks enough to her old Empire friends to paint a general picture of the girl. A… pretty trashy picture of a girl from a typical "white power" background; the sort of people who have nothing to their credit that they can be proud of, and thus latch onto racist rhetoric so they can have someone they feel better than. Her family apparently tried to back out of a white supremacist group, only for her to rejoin them in a fit of teenage rebellion. Rune is described to you as rude, ignorant, foul-tempered and quick to violence… in short, one heck of a fixer-upper. More than Kayden was. But her power is useful, and you'd rather have it at your disposal than at the Nazis.

Between Kayden's info and Taylor's power, locating Rune is trivial… but they have to wait until late at night for her to go to sleep at the home of the E88 family that's letting her stay there. Then, Taylor can deliver knock-out drug to everyone inside and have her bugs open the door, while making sure no-one watches. And since you've finished work on the helmet by now, Sara can drive it to Rune's residence.

It's almost scarily easy. But by tomorrow, Rune will be yours.

Only two hours into her brainwashing, however, Eve informs you of a new development - Empire capes rampaging in ABB territory. The Protectorate has already been alerted…

What personality do you want to give Rune?

[ ] Nice kitten: She's a super-nice girl who's all lollipops, sunshine, good cheer, and submission to her Mistress.

[ ] Ultra-lesbian: She is completely, enthusiastically, wholeheartedly gay, to the point where her lesbian urges drive her life. And above all else, she's gay for her irresistibly sexy Mistress.

(Will make it a bit of a challenge to use her as a spy, but then, how much longer will you allow the Empire to keep existing?)

[ ] Queen's blade: She is a loyal knight. Honorable, fair, and utterly dedicated to her Mistress.

[ ] Submission slut: She utterly, irresistibly craves surrendering her will to others, and to you in particular.

[ ] Write-in.

What do you do about the Empire's rampage?

[ ] Nothing. Let the Protectorate handle it. (Taylor won't be happy, people will probably get hurt.)

[ ] Have Sara drive Weaver there, use the swarm to support the Protectorate.

[ ] Have Weaver use the knockout drug. (Will be efficient at taking villains down, but reveal Weaver has Tinker support.)

[ ] Send Weaver (with knockout drug) and Bombshell.

[ ] Send Weaver (with knockout drug), Bombshell, and Skylight (the Protectorate and Empire will both have questions about Purity's apparent change of heart.)

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Last edited: Jul 20, 2017

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WargWolf, Pen-Pen, Black.Horus and 162 others like this.

Threadmarks: Wanting to Change

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sun tzu

strategist

WANTING TO CHANGE

[X] Queen's blade: She is a loyal knight. Honorable, fair, and utterly dedicated to her Mistress.

[X] Have Sara drive Weaver there, use the swarm to support the Protectorate.

"Sara, get the car," you order. "Drive Weaver close enough to do her thing. Weaver? Use your bugs to support the Protectorate to the best of your ability. Don't use the knockout drug," you say, feeling a little bitter about it, "better to keep that secret for now."

Though for how long? It's too big an advantage not to ever use where the Protectorate might see, even if a new hero having sudden access to tinkertech would be suspicious.

Actually, there's a number of tinkertech creations you wouldn't mind selling to the Protectorate as a rogue. There's precedent. On rare occasions, the PRT has bought tech from Toybox. They try to avoid it most of the time - after all, they'd much rather new Tinkers join the Protectorate than Toybox - but it happens. And you imagine the neuroplasticity booster would be very helpful, especially for training new heroes who still need to learn the basics. For that matter, you don't doubt that a lot of Protectorate Tinkers could become significantly more efficient with some sleep substitute - sooner or later, almost every Tinker runs into diminishing gains when they have more tinkertech than they have time to properly maintain, and can only add new devices by abandoning old ones.

...Granted, you could only help a handful of individuals like that, since it'd require a steady supply of the stuff.

For now, though, Weaver is assisting the Protectorate in fighting the Empire, and a week of improving her skill with her power while on neuroplasticity booster is really showing, based on the play-by-play she gives you on her phone. Thin rope woven from spider silk restrains Alabaster. Strategically-placed wasps against Cricket. And through it all, making expert use of her Thinker abilities, using her "swarm-speech" to keep the Protectorate heroes aware of everything on the battlefield, warning them about an ambush by Fog, locating Crusader and taking him down for them…

"Mistress," Even interrupts, messaging you via smartglasses, "according to radio chatter, there is an ongoing parahuman attack on PRT facilities."

You pause. The Empire, attacking there while its other members are distracting part of the Protectorate? Another party, breaking the Undersiders out?

"I don't think it's the Empire," Kayden/Skylight says when you call her. "Kaiser wouldn't want to escalate like that. It's bad for business."

Hm. You have Bombshell and Skylight drive toward the area with orders not to intervene for now, liable to change if things turn ugly. If people start dying, you can't just ignore it, but if it's just a bloodless prison break…

Things eventually come to a halt. The Empire forces present here might have been able to fight off the Protectorate forces, or at least retreated… but having an A-list power like Weaver's on the scene changes things. The Empire capes still standing have to retreat without even recovering the ones who went down, allowing the Protectorate to secure Crusader, Alabaster and Stormtiger. Not a bad night's haul!

The Protectorate heroes hastily thank Weaver (via bug clone) for her assistance, and repeat the offers to join them or at least talk some more, but they're in too much of a hurry to haul their captures and get back to the PRT base to discuss it at length.

Not that it makes a difference. By the time either they or Skylight and Bombshell reach the area, the fighting there has ceased; whoever it was apparently managed to get what they wanted.

Ah well. Hopefully it wasn't too bad. You get back to working on Rune.

Less than an hour later, Eve calls you again. Three individuals besides the presumed Regent have entered the Undersiders' lair. One is Rachel Lindt. The others are a buff, handsome (if one is into that) black guy, and a cute, freckled blonde. Presumably, Grue and Tattletale.

"Hey guys," the presumed Regent doesn't even bother looking away from his console. "Saved ya some pizza in the fridge. Hope you didn't drop the soap."

"It wasn't prison, it was a PRT holding cell," says the presumed Grue. "Glad to see you didn't burn the place down while we were gone."

"Where else am I going to keep my video games?"

Grue ignores him, while Hellhound grabs a few things and heads back for the door.

"Rachel? Where are you going?"

"Shelter. Dogs," she replies tersely. "Still need to get Brutus, Judas and Angelica back."

"You're not going to try that by yourself, right?"

"No, you'll help. It's your fault," she now glares at Tattletale.

"The PRT will be keeping them at the police kennel," the freckled blonde replies. "We can get them easily tomorrow. But it wasn't my fault that-"

"It kinda was," says Regent.

"You said there would only be two or three Wards," Grue concurs.

She harumphs in annoyance. "I was working with what information I had. Besides, it wasn't a total loss. And I told you the boss would have us broken out."

"'Bout that," says Regent. "Who'd he send to do it? Was it Uber and Leet? Please tell me you owe a debt to Uber and Leet."

She rolls her eyes. "It was the Travelers. Mercenary villain team, rarely stays in one place for more than a couple of months. All the members are fairly powerful, too."

"Should we be worried about them replacing us?" asks Grue. "I mean, he did pay for breaking us out, but…"

She shakes her head. "I think he's been planning to bring them to the Bay for a while now. He wants more than one cape team in town working for him. It makes it less obvious if we're working toward a common goal."

"Fine. I'll have more questions for you tomorrow."

"Leaving so soon?" says Regent.

"I've got to touch base with Aisha, and I've got to do it right now. I just spent several days behind bars. She's been unable to contact me. I think she at least suspects I'm Grue-"

"Please. She knows," Tattletale replies smugly.

"...and I need to tell her it's OK and I'm there for her," Grue concludes, glaring at the girl. "And Lisa? Don't fuck up like that again. It's called the three-strikes rule for a reason."

Soon enough, Tattletale and Regent are the only ones left at the apartment. The latter still playing his videogames, while the former is on the computer.

"So, anything interesting going on?"

"Eh, just looking at the PRT logs. There's some interesting stuff going on. Especially with Weaver and the ABB."

"Weaver?"

"The bug Master. She was helping the Protectorate fight some Empire capes in ABB territory. But she was way better at it now than when she arrested Lung. That costume must have taken months to build, so it's not like she was new to her power. Hm… either she has some Thinker ability that lets her improve a lot after each fight, or someone's been helping her after Lung. Either someone who's an expert at powers - maybe a Thinker - or some kind of Trump that could improve her. Not sure which way I'm leaning.

"And that's not all. The PRT's been trying to keep this quiet, but, Bakuda? The ABB's new bomb Tinker? She had started mass-recruiting Asian civilians by putting remote-controlled bombs in their skulls. Then, she just… stopped. Let them all go home, disappeared around the time Oni Lee was taken down… and the way ABB drug and weapon caches were destroyed. Bakuda didn't just decide to skip town like the Protectorate thinks. This… this was an inside job. So either someone was impersonating Bakuda to neuter the ABB, or she was doing it herself. And it wasn't a change of heart or anything. So, we're dealing with either a Stranger, or a Master, and I give some… 90% chances they're working with Weaver. Or Weaver's working for them. And Weaver isn't Empire."

"So, there's a new team in Brockton Bay, beside those Travelers?"

"That's my bet. Hm…" she stares at the computer. "Lots of appearances from Purity after Lung was arrested and she was trying to clean up ABB territory. Then it stopped."

"You think she got the recruitment pitch too? How'd this team even know where to find her?"

"She's got one of the easiest to discover identities in the Bay," Lisa says dismissively, "but I'm not sure. She could be mastered, or she could be taking a break for perfectly innocent reasons." She grins like a fox. "I'll take a look at her tomorrow and figure it out."

Holy crap.

You'd figured Tattletale was a Thinker… but apparently, she's a very powerful one, too. One who casually breaks into the PRT's computers and learns a lot of dangerous secrets very, very quickly. She's confident she can tell if Kayden Anders is mastered just by looking at her.

She's a clear and present danger to your entire operation… and to make matters worse, her team works for someone big enough to also employ the Travelers!

This is going to be a whole issue. You'll have to deal with it soon enough.

With a couple hours left before sunrise, it's time to wake the subject up.

Rune blinks. She sees you, and Skylight (in her Purity uniform). Weaver's out of sight, but present.

"What… Purity? What the fuck is going on?"

"It's all right, Rune," Kayden smiles at her. "Everything's fine. I wanted you to meet my new boss." She gestures toward you.

Rune blinks, and looks at you. "And… you are?"

"I'm called the Neuroqueen."

More confused blinking. Kayden, still smiling, explains: "She's mastered me to work for her."

At that, Rune's jaw falls. "Shit, you… What?"

"I've mastered Purity," you explain. "She isn't Purity anymore. She's whoever I want her to be."

Rune tenses up. Fight or flight. Though Kayden's hand aimed at her tells her that doing anything rash would be a bad idea. "Are… are you here to master me too?"

You raise your eyebrows. "Do you want me to?"

"No! I…" she pauses, frowns, goes through a range of facial expressions. "Will you.. Make me different?"

"Very different. And much, much better."

She's looking a bit scared, a bit desperate. "Shit. You've already started, haven't you? I… can't fucking stand who I am. Not anymore."

You didn't have enough time, in one night, for a full personality overhaul. So you did this instead.

Obliterating her feelings of loyalty and camaraderie concerning anyone in the Empire.

Making her view "being brainwashed" favorably.

Giving her feelings of utter self-loathing, and a desperate need to become someone else.

Programming her with a desperate need to be brainwashed, turned into a different person.

And strong feelings of loyalty for you.

It's not where you want to get her, but it'll get her to cooperate with the next part. The one where you give her the personality you want her to have.

"Don't worry," Kayden tells her. "You won't have to be the old you much longer. Neuroqueen will make you all better soon. It'll be much easier if you collaborate, of course."

She sighs. "I… guess I don't have a fucking choice. What do you need from me? Just… make it quick."

"I need about a day," you tell her. "Awake or asleep, it doesn't matter, but I need you to be at a place with no witnesses while I work on you."

"I… Kaiser and Krieg usually have me show up as soon as school closes. But I don't have to actually go to school! I can play hookie! I've done it before! It won't look suspicious, and you can… change me during that whole time!"

That's helpful. "Hm. Will it look odd to your parents if you leave before they wake up?"

She rolls her eyes. "Pft. The fosters? Like they care. I'll leave a note saying I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep. If they call…" she pauses. "Will I be able to answer phone calls?"

"Yes." After a fashion.

"...had an early breakfast and went out for a walk," Rune speaks into the phone. An instant later, Eve, confirming she isn't sending some hidden SOS, relays the message back through Rune's actual phone.

The girl's listening to subliminal messages designed to ease her into her programming (so the helmet will have less heavy lifting to do), letting herself be placed on a bed inside the lair. She doesn't protest when she is handcuffed to the bed frame (in a position such that she never gets to actually touch anything heavier than the mattress).

"There'll be people here at every point," you tell her, "and you can watch TV on this monitor. Just ask if you want to watch anything specific, or whatever."

"Fine, fine. But I'll be someone new by the time school lets out?" she fails to hide the hopeful edge in her tone.

"That's the plan."

All right. Today's gonna be busy. You need to go to school and deal with the continuing plan to subvert Emma's social circle. You need to finish brainwashing Rune. You need to monitor the Empire situation. And you need to deal with the Undersiders...

[ ] You have the Undersiders's address, you have Weaver, and you have the knockout drug. Abduct Tattletale before she even wakes up in the morning.

[ ] You know Tattletale is planning to check up on Kayden. Have Taylor skip school (Emma and you can cover for her) and spend it at Kayden's place; she'll know the moment Tattletale enters the neighborhood, and your slaves can abduct her there. (...Though Weaver should be careful not to make her bugs DO anything while in Tattletale's field of vision.)

[ ] Write-in.

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Last edited: Aug 6, 2017

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WargWolf, Pen-Pen, Black.Horus and 174 others like this.

Threadmarks: Fox Hunt

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sun tzu

strategist

FOX HUNT

[X] You know Tattletale is planning to check up on Kayden. Have Taylor skip school (Emma and you can cover for her) and spend it at Kayden's place; she'll know the moment Tattletale enters the neighborhood, and your slaves can abduct her there. (...Though Weaver should be careful not to make her bugs DO anything while in Tattletale's field of vision.)

"Taylor, I need you to…" you struggle with the words.

"To what?"

You wince. "...to skip school today." You take a deep breath, and explain the Tattletale situation. "...and that's why we need to capture her ASAP. She's planning to check on Kayden today… so I need you to spend the day at Kayden's place, watch for nosy Thinkers, and capture her when/if she shows up. Skylight and Bombshell will be with you."

"All right, Mistress. But how do I justify this? The school will call dad. Maybe. Possibly. It's Winslow, so I'm not sure whether or not they'll bother."

Emma, thankfully, is fairly confident she can help you (or have you help her) deflect the suspicions of the school administration.

Once again, you are impressed with the smoothness slave Emma displays as she informs the school of Taylor's light fever by your side. She's confident they won't bother to check in with Mister Hebert. To be fair, understaffed as Winslow is, they're overworked and constantly behind schedule.

When not in class, you spend your time somewhat awkwardly at the cool girls' table with Emma. Continued application of subliminal messages by Eve on the girls' phones has them fairly convinced that you're "surprisingly cool" and "really gorgeous" (not to mention trustworthy), so, despite your mousy demeanor, Emma doesn't have too much trouble convincing them you belong there - even Sophia. Madison, meanwhile, has been programmed to keep lusting for you, as well as develop a crush on you; the way she keeps flirting in deniable ways keeps you blushing and lightheaded.

Sara just goes through a regular school day, albeit one where acing her math quiz is made much easier.

At Kayden's house, Taylor's still reading from over a hundred different texts at once, while Skylight's working on her uniform..

At the lair, Bombshell is working on her cartridges (a bit more slowly, without her workshop), while Rune's streaming TV shows as the helmet brainwashes her.

As for Eve, she keeps studying psychology while smoothing over Rune's brainwashing, watching everything and keeping you appraised. The PRT has confirmed that the Undersiders were broken out by the Travelers (which in itself is not so surprising. There is an entire underground "economy" of villains breaking out other villains in exchange for money or various favors, though it usually happens to villains not bound for the Birdcage). The capture of three Empire capes last night is helping the Protectorate save face, though they do mention the assistance of a new, independent hero (they give no names).

Hellhound, whom the rest of the Undersiders refer to as Bitch, apparently (and you don't think they mean it as an insult), has brought some dogs to their lair. Her mood apparently gets Grue to ask Tattletale about it. "She's just not sure how to handle what's happened while we were away," the blonde smirks; "The Empire's dog-fighting ring was raided by the police. I think she was planning on doing it herself."

Grue doesn't spend much time in the lair. Apparently he's busy between "Aisha" and "apartment work".

Tattletale doesn't mention her suspicions about Weaver and the hidden Master to Bitch or Grue. After receiving a phone call from the "boss", she leaves to meet him. She returns a few hours later, in the late afternoon, saying the meeting went "as well as could be expected".

Once that's out of the way, Eve observes her going into the bathroom and then playing with makeup, shades, a change of wardrobe… from the pictures she sends you and Weaver, you're honestly impressed. You'd never have recognized her in that getup. She could have surveyed Kayden's place, and none of you would have even realized it!

...Bugging the Undersiders' lair was definitely the right call. Weaver will be watching for the modified profile. Skylight gets a cab back to her place; with the distances involved, she'll definitely be there before the Thinker.

There's about an hour left before school lets out when Weaver reports to you that the disguised Tattletale has entered her range. She gets within two blocks of the apartment… then begins climbing a building's fire escape. Once she reaches the roof, she pulls out a pair of binoculars and begins watching Kayden's place.

Well. You send the signal. Weaver has her bugs sting the girl with a needle of knockout formula. Weaver reports that she yelled, paused, and quickly pulled her phone out but lost consciousness before she could do anything with it.

All right!

Except that now, you have an enemy Thinker unconscious on the roof of a building two blocks away from Kayden's apartment. The odds of anyone else climbing on that roof today and finding her are rather tiny, but… you still a way to move her without looking super-suspicious.

Hm. "Eve, how is progress on Rune's brainwashing?"

"About 91% done, Mistress. The new personality and loyalty are in place, but I have barely started adapting her sexuality and romantic feelings."

Well, there are good reasons you saved those for last. Because you can use Rune as is. "Well, switch her subliminal messages to convey those, and turn the helmet off. Have Bomshell free her restraint. And let me talk to her."

The conversation is held via your smartglasses. You don't say the words, you just think them, and they get turned into audio back at the lair.

"Rune."

She gazes at you, or rather at your avatar on the screen. Then she gets down on one knee. "My Queen. It is an honor to exist to serve you. You have my eternal gratitude for molding me, shaping me into something worthy of serving."

Still in class, you try to contain your grin. "A pleasure to have you on board, my new knight."

She pauses. "Knight? I… yes, my Queen. It feels right. It feels like what you've turned me into. I will proudly serve you in any way I can."

"Good girl. As it happens, I already have a job for you…"

Rune's job is to get to Kayden's neighborhood (with subliminal messages playing in her earbuds), with a bunch of straps that she has touched and can use her power on, plus a headband. Once she gets there, climbing on the roof herself, she places the straps fly under Tattletale's sleeves and pant legs. They are then attached to her legs, arms, and in one case around her forehead (with the headband covering it).

That way, by controlling the movement of the straps, Rune is able to puppeteer Tattletale… as long as she has her leaning on her shoulder for support. It still doesn't look 100% natural, according to Weaver, but it doesn't really get people staring as your new knight drags the Thinker into Kayden's apartment, where Skylight and Weaver await with the helmet (well, you still want to be there to operate the helmet in person - it's still tinkertech).

School is letting out. Eve informs you that Tattletale has woken up, but, with her restraints, several slaves watching her and Kayden's apartment having decent soundproofing, it's not like she'll be able to call for help.

Emma ditches her popular girl posse, pretexting needing to spend more one-on-one time with you to seal the deal and make you one of their little herd. Madison tries to argue that she should come along to seduce you (to much giggling from the others), but Emma counter-argues that it would be too much, too soon. You actually do want Madison to come to your place for brainwashing purpose, but you have only one helmet, and Tattletale is a higher priority.

As you get into Emma's car (a nice one. Her family's not much richer than yours, but you get the impression her parents spoil her), she glances at you. "My Queen, once Tattletale's brainwashing is underway, would it be possible for me to take Taylor to the mall? I have several years' worth of fashion advice to catch up on, and I consider it my duty to help my best friend look pretty for you."

"Uh… sure."

"...I'll admit, upgrading Taylor's wardrobe and charging it all to my credit card is also a way of helping with her family's money problems. I understand that's a concern," she says. "Perhaps Miss Anders ought to, shall we say, 'hire' Taylor to do odd jobs for her?"

"That's a good idea, actually.

She beams at that.

You're still ten minutes away from Kayden's apartment when Eve contacts you. "Mistress, Tattletale has been speaking to the slaves at Skylight's apartment, and I suspect she is trying to manipulate them."

You quickly go over the records.

"...not making people happier, more like killing them and replacing them with new people who are her sex toys. You were suicidal in the first place. You wanted to die, that's why you had so little objections to what she did to you," Tattletale smirked at Taylor. "And there's already been death in your family, hasn't there? Was it your father? Mother? Definitely your mother. And now, your father's lost his daughter too, doesn't even know it, and smiles at a stranger who has her memories."

"That's… that's not true…"

"Really? Is being a sex slave and accomplice to a predator what your mom raised you to be?"

"Young lady, I believe that's quite enough from you," said Kayden. "This unpleasantness on your part is quite rude and serves no purpose."

"So you say, Miss Stepford. But I've got one question for you," Tattletale's smirk remained just as smug. "How old will Aster be when your mistress starts having brainwashed sex with her?" She chuckled as the woman flinched. "Actually, another question: You really think you're going to get to play house for her for much longer? She's been taking slaves left and right. Soon enough, the harem will be so big she barely has any time for you. For any of you. Heck, my power is more useful than both of yours combined. I can tell her the secret identities of every cape in town, all their weaknesses, whether someone is lying, where each gang hides its stashes, how to hack into the PRT's files - once I'm brainwashed, I'll be her favorite by the end of the week. You're all going to get eclipsed by better, prettier, more useful slaves - you were targets of convenience, but she's never going to stop looking for better targets."

"Fair maiden, with all due respect, I do advise that you go silent," Rune spoke. "Your words will not sway us to turn against our beloved Queen. It matters little that our loyalty to her is artificial."

"Who said anything about swaying you against her?" Tattletale's grin threatened to split her face. "I'm talking about saving your Mistress from the last mistake she'll ever make." She leaves a pregnant pause before resuming. "I saw the aftermath of your fight against Lung. Your Mistress almost died there. It was pure luck that she survived long enough for the Protectorate to show up. But she didn't slow down, did she? She's getting addicted to capturing more slaves. See… powers fuck with capes' heads. Some more, some less. In her case, her power is making her addicted to the capture and brainwashing process. She's not going to stop once she has enough slaves - for fuck's sake, she's already after Empire capes and the Undersiders! But she's not invincible, and my boss? Isn't exactly someone she can outmaneuver. God knows I've tried, and I'm a fantastic Thinker. Bastard recruited me at gunpoint, and I live off-base, and I still can't manage to escape. She takes me, he's going to know. And he can destroy her without spending any assets - he can just tip off the Protectorate, and they take human-controlling Masters very seriously. I mean, looking at Canary's trial - it's bloody obvious she's innocent, and she's getting birdcaged because her power reminds people of the Simurgh. Once the Protectorate discovers your Mistress exists, it's curtains for her - even if the Protectorate can't take her out, they can bring reinforcement from out of town. And my boss is liable to also tip off the Empire. I'm sure you can imagine how the local neonazis will react to having a lesbian Heartbreaker in town who's already taken two of their women, including Kaiser's ex.

"And even in the unlikely case my boss doesn't find out? Like I said, she gets more addicted the more she succeeds. How long till she goes after heroes? The Protectorate takes its Master/Stranger protocols very seriously. Why do you think there are no Masters taking over the government? The PRT has whole Thinker-tanks analyzing the risks, including precogs! At the rate she's going, I give your mistress a week, maybe two, three tops before she gets taken out because she's made enemies too powerful for her. She's not invulnerable. She's lucky to still be alive right now. And me, with my knowledge of every Brockton cape's secret identity? I'm like handing a junkie enough heroin to overdose. She'll go after more and more and more capes. If you don't let me go… then having me around will be the literal death of her. No matter how loyal she makes me. But, like I said… my boss recruited me at gunpoint. You let me go, I'll forward you all the information I have on him. Seeing as he's the biggest threat to her in this city… well. Good for me. Good for her.

"So, sure, you can keep me here. You have your orders. But following your mistress's orders will get her killed. You free me, you still have a chance of getting her to slow down, to-"

Daphne's face appeared on the nearby computer monitor. "Weaver. Knock her out. Now."

As the needle was picked up, Tattletale's smug expression shifted to a terrified one. "No! Do- Ow! Fuuuu…"

"I'm sorry, Mistress. I should have shut her up of my own initiative," says Taylor, a bit less shaken now than she was five minutes ago. "I… didn't expect her to get to me like that. Stupid of me."

"It's easy to underestimate Thinkers," Skylight commiserates. "And this one is clearly dangerous." She gives you a hug. "Still. We shouldn't have listened to her at all."

"Indeed. Forgive us, Queen," says Rune, still on one knee. "Knights ought to beware serpents' tongues."

"It's… OK," you say, returning Kayden's hug, hugging Taylor, then caressing Rune's cheek. "Welcome to the harem, my slave-knight."

"Thank you for having me, my Queen." Judging from the signs of love and arousal, you think the subliminals are doing a great job on her.

Now, you turn your attention toward the sleeping Tattletale. She hurt Taylor's feelings. She ruthlessly manipulated your slaves. It was self-defense, but even so, you feel a tiny teeny bit of vengeful glee at seeing her defeated. Well. You've got your helmet, and you'll bet you can hack her phone to keep her colleagues from worrying too much if she's away from their lair until fairly late. Now you need to think of how you want to program her.

[ ] Standard slave programming.

[ ] Ditzy Cheerleader: Lisa's smart! She's, like, good at thinking! But that's boring. She'd rather be sexy and silly most of the time. Except when Mistress tells her to do thinky stuff. Thinking's only fun when she's doing it for her sexy Mistress!

[ ] Stepford Wife: Much like Kayden, Lisa is now a domestic slave who delights in being a submissive brainwashed pseudo-housewife.

[ ] Pet Fox: Lisa knows she's technically a human, but Lisa thinks of herself as a fox puppy. A good, loyal, obedient puppy who loves Mistress and always obeys her!

[ ] The Living Computer: Remove emotions and will. Replace with complete obedience. She's like your Thinker Terminator who will answer all your questions and never, ever stop serving you.

[ ] Submission Slut: She's hopelessly addicted to being under your control. To obeying your will. To being utterly in your power. Knowing that you've defeated her, twisted her… it makes her hot.

[ ] Noire Lady: She's sexy. She's dangerous. She's deadly loyal to her Mistress. She's not bad, she's just brainwashed that way, and proud to be Mistress's obedient detective.

[ ] Angel of Wisdom: Begone, arrogance; come in, compassion! Lisa is a kind and loving soul whose fondest desire (after serving her Mistress) is to use her insight to help people - especially those who share her good fortune of belonging to Mistress.

[ ] Write-in.

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Last edited: Aug 7, 2017

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Threadmarks: Interlude: Tattletale

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sun tzu

strategist

INTERLUDE: TATTLETALE

[X] Angel of Wisdom: Begone, arrogance; come in, compassion! Lisa is a kind and loving soul whose fondest desire (after serving her Mistress) is to use her insight to help people - especially those who share her good fortune of belonging to Mistress.

A year ago:

"Sneak drugs into her locker," Charlotte suggests with a sadistic grin (the only kind of grin I think she's capable of). I'd point out what a terrible idea that is, but others do it for me.

"Couldn't that make her more popular?" says Cyndi.

"Or we could get busted instead," says Meg.

"Just scare her a little. Threatening phone calls and that. She'll fold," says Samantha. Idiot. Meg scoffs, I roll my eyes.

"Let's not kid ourselves," says our 'glorious leader' Karen. "This won't be easy. Penny's got looks-"

"Among other things," I say with my trademark smirk.

"Yes," Karen concedes, not letting her annoyance show (much). "She's smart. Tough. Emotionally balanced..."

"Bikerboy notwithstanding," says Meg. Yeah… still can't believe the most popular girl in our school went and tried to run away from home with her boyfriend like that. Guess even smart people can still fall for romantic notions?

Of course, Samantha still has her 'bright' ideas. "OK, why don't we hire a new bikerboy? Have him seduce her on a hidden camera and break her heart in public? ...What?"

Jesus Christ, Samantha. "This hypothetical bikerboy, would he be hypothetically named 'John Tucker'?"

Karen sighs. "Let's work on her minions first. They're easier targets."

And so, the battle plan is discussed. How to drive Penny's posse away from her. Tear apart her support network. And then form our own party scene. It's all very Napoleonic, except the stakes are so tiny.

Meg, well, I'm not sure if she's doing it for popularity, or just plain revenge. She used to be the most popular girl at Belleville High, until Penny humiliated her.

Charlotte… Charlotte claims she's doing it for moral reasons, because they've got it coming, but I think she's just lashing out at the world. I suspect a crappy home life that she takes out on other people.

Samantha likes to believe that she's punching up against the people keeping her down. She's just a moron.

Karen doesn't even go to Belleville high. Penny shouldn't even matter to her… except that Penny was her mentor. Taught her how to put on makeup, how to dress well, even how to lose weight. Karen feels like, because she owes her "new self" to Penny, she'll never truly have any power until she defeats her 'creator' like a Mean Girls version of Frankenstein's monster. Freud would have a field day.

Cyndi acts like she's an empty-headed follower. Don't let it fool you. She's smart, she just hides it well. I think she's doing this out of boredom.

And what of me, Sarah Livesey, white rich spoiled cheerleader of Belleville High School? I could say that I was hoping to take Penny's spot on the unofficial-yet-palpable popularity ladder… and I intend to… but it's not like I care that much about being popular or not. Like Cyndi, I'm doing this because I'm bored. I'm coasting by in classes. Cheerleading is something I'm doing because it's expected, not out of any kind of passion. My boyfriend's got nothing beyond a pretty face. Not exactly close with Rex (and he's been acting odd lately). And I can only rewatch Murder, She Wrote so many times.

But people? People are interesting. Watching them. Talking to them. Figuring them out. Figuring which buttons to push to get the reactions I want.

I don't particularly care who wins this dumb war between Penny and Karen. I just want to participate. It'll be fun.

A bit less than a year ago:

He's dead. He's gone.

Should have said something.

So stupid.

So…

[Destination]

[Agreement]

It's all such a total fuck-up.

I try to take my mind off it all by having sex with the boyo. Even without my powers, I could tell he's more excited about the opportunity for sex than concerned about helping me.

My power still tells me just that. And a million other things. Loudly. I think my powers just ruined sex for me.

So Rex is dead, my folks hate me, my power gives me horrible headaches, and apparently I have a life of abstinence to look forward to.

What next? Maybe the town could use a visit from an Endbringer? The Slaughterhouse Nine, maybe?

Trying to use my power for his company is 75% dad being an ambitious, greedy ass, and 25% him not having any other idea how to reconnect with me. Which should tell you everything you need to know about my dad.

Fuck it. Fuck him. Fuck everything. Fuck Belleville. And fuck Sara Livesey.

I use my parents' credit cards (all four of them) to get cash. Some of the cash I spend on precharged credit cards, which I can use without it being traced. I can take the bus to… let's not be too obvious about it. Bus to Brockton Bay.

The money won't last very long, but I'm cute, smart, and I have powers. I'll manage.

Now:

Up the fire escape. Get the binoculars out.

Coil's probably wrapping up my interrogation in his other timeline. He had me watched like a hawk in the PRT's cell, so he won't feel the need to push too hard now. I'm virtually certain the other timeline's me won't tell him about the suspected Master - after all, I know how much trouble he went to in order to add me to his arsenal. A hidden cape who can control others? Coil will want to see if he can use them reliably, and have them eliminated otherwise. And if he can use them, any chance at freedom I might have had goes out the window.

Of course, I don't want to be found by the hypothetical Master, either. Which is why I'm playing it smart, observing from a safe dista- OW!

Oh.

Oh fuck.

I pull out my phone. Call Gr… Ughhhhhh…

I observe the three girls. The three brainwashed parahumans. I push my powers for more and more information.

OK, I'm getting the distinct impression here that the hidden Master is basically Heartbreaker as a lesbian Tinker. And maybe less sociopathic, but even so, pass. If I don't find a way out of this, odds are, "Tattletale" is gonna go to sleep, and then wake up as… whatever she'll turn me into. Her personal computer? Her pet? Her ditzy cheerleader? Her sexy detective slave, at best?

Well, two possible ways out. Either I try to talk the girls into releasing me, or I try to talk the Tinker into letting me go. And I suspect I have better odds with the former.

I push my power, ignoring the early pangs of headaches. I look for the girls' psychological fault lines. I hit where it hurts. I mix in some legitimate concerns with the manipulation, to make it flow better. I can do this. I can win. I can get out of here, then tell them about Coil, maybe get both sides to wipe each other out…

A face appears on the computer. She speaks.

Shit. No! No! I… Ow! Fuuuuuuuck…

I'm floating… floating in a sea of darkness.

I need to show them all I'm smarter than them.

I… don't need… to show off?

I… don't need to be better than others?

I'm… humble.

I'm humble. I can admit my mistakes. I can accept my flaws.

I'm humble. I'm honest with myself. I don't need to self-aggrandize.

I'm… submissive.

I'm submissive. I love submitting to the will of others.

I'm submissive. Submitting is sexy.

I see… her. Daphne Miller.

Daphne Miller is my Mistress.

I belong to Daphne Miller.

I am Daphne Miller's brainwashed slave.

I like it. I love being Daphne Miller's brainwashed slave.

I love being brainwashed by Mistress. I love becoming and being whatever Mistress wants.

I love obeying Mistress, serving Mistress, pleasing Mistress.

Being a good slave for Mistress is very important for me.

Being a good slave for Mistress is the most important thing in the world for me.

I… like people.

I love people. Even with their flaws.

I… am compassionate.

I'm compassionate. I care about people.

I'm compassionate. I want to help people.

I'm kind. I want to give people love and caring.

I want to help people.

I am nice, sweet, and angelic.

Mistress has turned me into her brainwashed angel slave.

I love being Mistress's brainwashed angel slave.

I love it when Mistress brainwashes people.

It's not a problem if Mistress brainwashes people, because I'm brainwashed to be OK with it, and that makes it fine with me.

Girls are pretty.

Girls are sexy.

I'm attracted to girls.

Mistress is sexy.

Mistress is the sexiest person in the world. I find her irresistible.

I love Mistress.

I'm deeply in love with Mistress.

Mistress's other slaves are very important to me.

I want to help everyone, especially Mistress and her other slaves.

I… woo, headrush…

I open my eyes. I'm not in Purity's room anymore. I'm in some kind of… warehouse, converted into a lair.

I look around. Mistress, Weaver, Purity, Rune, and three other girls. My power tells me one of them is a former low-ranking ABB ganger, Bakuda, and Weaver's childhood friend whom I'm now positive I've seen pictures of because she's an amateur model.

Almost no headaches. So we must be several hours past midnight.

I look at Mistress, and, well, it is "Mistress". Clearly, the brainwashing took, because I've never felt like this about anyone. I'm not even upset, probably because I'm brainwashed to love it. I would have thought it would sting to have gotten outmaneuvered (even if she just used a bunch of advantages to metaphorically sucker-punch me) and that I'd already be thinking of ways to put her in her place, but I don't even want that.

In fact, it sounds… petty, vain, and rather silly. I'm starting to think I have a bad habit of doing dumb things to prove how smart I am.

Huh. I think she got rid of my pride.

And… that's not all of it. I continue my introspection, while the other girls just stare at me in silence.

Wow. I've changed a lot. Not in every way - I still love detective stories, I still have a number of Sara Livesey/Lisa Wilbourn's traits… but still. I used to be so smug, and more than a little mean. Now… Mistress has practically turned me into her pet angel.

And I absolutely love it.

I give her the biggest, most sincere smile of the past five years. I get down on my hands and knees, staring at her adoringly. "Thank you, Mistress. I love how you've brainwashed me."

My beloved Mistress smiles, accelerating my heart even further. She pets me on the head; I lean into it, like a cat. "Good girl."

Hm. I'm not orgasming from her words, but… I'm surprisingly close to it. Being her brainwashed pet is so wonderful.

Still, there are things that need to be done. "Mistress, even if that was the pre-brainwashing me, I still want to apologize. I'm sorry for the spying. I'm sorry for the things I've said to you," I tell Weaver, Purity and Rune… and I completely mean it. I feel awful for having hurt them. In fact, I'm feeling a little sick, thinking back to all the people I've hurt in my life.

"I… won't say I'm not upset," says Weaver, "but I'll get over it. From what Mistress says about your brainwashing… I think we can be friends."

"Indeed," says Rune, whom my power tells me has had her first lesbian experience servicing Mistress while I was out.

"Think nothing of it," says Purity. Actually, I probably shouldn't think of them as Rune and Purity; Mistress has changed them a lot.

I smile at them. Then I gaze back at my beloved owner. "Mistress… The things I said, they were mostly psychological manipulation, but there were kernels of truth. In particular, you need to know more about the Undersiders' secret patron."

And so, I tell her everything. About Coil. About the Undersiders (oh, she absolutely has to brainwash Rachel! Not only will she be useful, she will be so much happier!). About other various things I know. In turn, she and my fellow slaves tell me various things (including revealing her AI slave, and how she messaged the Undersiders to allay suspicions about my nightly absence).

There's so much more I want to do for Mistress. But she'd rather I wait, once I explain about the headaches.

"Thinker headaches," Emma nods. "Heard about those."

"It's a bit of a misnomer," says Skylight. "Other types of parahumans get them too, when they overuse their powers. Early in my career, I actually managed to get one that one time, when the Empire drove me to a hidden spot outside city limits. It took hours of practicing my powers, but the headaches started eventually."

"Indeed," says Bombshell. "Mistress and I are fortunate that Tinkers, whose power pushes for being used many hours a day, tend to be exempt from this particular problem. Less than one Tinker in a hundred suffers power headaches; those that do are effectively crippled in their effectiveness, able to Tinker only for a short time each day, rarely rating above Tinker 1."

In my case, I'm already toward my limit. But it's all right. As it turns out, my Mistress and Weaver are both very smart (smarter than me, and I love the fact that I have no trouble admitting it). Together, we make plans. Coil must not threaten Mistress and my harem sisters.

Mistress is also discussing ways to get past my enforced asexuality… and ways to attenuate my headaches.

She really is wonderful. I look forward to a life of serving her. Of helping my harem sisters. Of showing love and kindness to those I meet.

I am Mistress's brainwashed angel slave, and I will always be grateful for it.

What should Rune call herself when not infiltrating the Empire?

[ ] Chivalry

[ ] Lady Orbit

[ ] Write-in.

What should Tattletale call herself when not infiltrating the Undersiders?

[ ] Insight

[ ] Mercy

[ ] Write-in.

You've refilled your sleep substitute reserves while processing Tattletale. What's next on your tinkering schedule?

[ ] Anti-pain formula, in case Lisa gets tortured in one of Coil's timelines.

[ ] More smartglasses for the team.

[ ] A formula to attenuate power-induced headaches (will take a while to design).

[ ] Helmet maintenance (needed if you want to process another slave).

[ ] Work with Bombshell on knockout cartridges.

[ ] Pheromone perfume.

What goal(s) do you want to focus on?

[ ] Enslave Madison. Having her around will make it easier to maneuver around Shadow Stalker.

[ ] Enslave Bitch. Better control of the Undersiders.

[ ] With your new pet Thinker, look into the disappearance of Dinah Alcott.

[ ] Combine the respective abilities of your slaves to get a better picture of Coil's operation.

[ ] Investigate the Travelers.

[ ] Keep the pressure on Empire 88.

[ ] Begin working on a "rogue" identity that can deal with the PRT and/or Toybox.

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Last edited: Aug 9, 2017

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Threadmarks: Guest Unwilling, Guest Uninvited

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sun tzu

strategist

GUEST UNWILLING, GUEST UNINVITED

[X] Lady Orbit

[X] Mercy

[X] Helmet maintenance (needed if you want to process another slave).

[X] With your new pet Thinker, look into the disappearance of Dinah Alcott.

[X] Combine the respective abilities of your slaves to get a better picture of Coil's operation.

Well, this has been a productive night.

You've made Taylor and Emma work together at pleasuring you; they were a bit awkward being naked in close proximity to each other (newfound lesbianism and all that), but they're such good friends, they were enthusiastic about getting to do something together.

You've refilled your sleep substitute reserves. Like the neuroplasticity booster, it gets used up quickly due to the entire harem consuming it. ...Actually, it probably wouldn't hurt to get one night of sleep soon.

And, that's right, you've acquired your first Thinker! And a powerful one at that. Mercy, the debitchified version of Tattletale, has an incredibly useful power. This ability is going to make things so much easier. Heck, this girl can hack into some of the PRT's computer systems just by guessing their freaking passwords!

Oh, and, you've learned a lot about the Undersiders… and Coil. From what Mercy said, the guy's trouble… and after you compare notes with her, she agrees that the bank job was almost certainly a distraction meant to allow him to kidnap Dinah Alcott.

"Coil is nothing if not cautious," the brainwashed Thinker says. "Abducting a child like that, especially the mayor's niece… that's risky. My guess is, she wanted to run away from home and he capitalized on it. Possibly to force mayor Christner to give him his campaign funds? Or to not seek reelection?"

Well, you can look more closely into it. Between your tinkering, Taylor's power, and Mercy's power, finding out more should be a breeze… though Mercy will have to act like everything is normal in front of her boss and teammates. "I'll play up my Thinker headaches; that way, it won't seem suspicious if I try to avoid interacting with anyone."

Well. You suppose you could spare some time to remove Coil from the equation, if it proves necessary (and if he's got a gun to your pet's head, then it probably will).

Friday the 22nd. One more day of school before you get a whole week-end to do the things you need (or want) to do.

Mercy/Lisa (her birth name is Sarah, but she says she thinks of "Lisa" as her real name nowadays, which conveniently avoids confusion with the Sara in your harem) has commented that, once the Coil situation is handled, it might be possible to have her registered as a Winslow student; having her around could be handy, and, now that her arrogance has melted away, she is willing to consider that her Thinker power does not make a regular education worthless.

For now, though, you are mostly relying on Emma's assistance to navigate the uncharted waters of the popular girls' table. Well, Emma's assistance, and the subliminal messages that convince those girls that you're cool. And convince Madison that you're irresistibly sexy. And convince Sophia that you're tougher and more badass than you look (Emma's advice).

Madison has been programmed to crush on you, and like yesterday, she delights in using her feminine wiles to keep you flushed and off-balance during the school day. You're getting the feeling that, if this was an RPG, Emma would rank "Very High" on her Charisma stat and "High" on her Manipulation stat, while Madison would rank "High" on Charisma and "Very High" on Manipulation.

You have a pretty good feeling on your morning test. Which wouldn't be notable, except that it's in English class (where you've always trended toward Cs and Bs), and you've been rather busy this week. Thank you, neuroplasticity.

Outside of Winslow… Eve keeps studying psychology. Skylight keeps getting better at domestic tasks. Bombshell is building up her (frankly impressive) arsenal. Lady Orbit, at Arcadia, is having a regular day, but informs you that the Empire is planning a few low-key altercations to save face. Mercy's spending the morning and early after-noon at the Undersiders' lair, claiming a bigger Thinker headache than the one she has.

School lets out… though not before Madison manages to get you to inadvertedly commit to a Sunday date, details to be worked out later. "Fair warning," emma tells you afterward, "Madison's never paid for anything on a date, and she won't intend to start now. It's a point of pride for her."

You can't really spare the time and manpower to deal with the Empire today… but Lady Orbit's information is good enough that Weaver can call the police and PRT, tipping them off about two planned operations for this evening - one attack on an Asian-owned grocery store, and one assault on a mixed-race couple. Lady Orbit herself will be spending the rest of the day with the neonazis. As far as Mr. Hebert knows, Taylor is doing yard work for a certain Kayden Anders.

With everyone else gathered at the lair, you run a quick strategy session. "I need to give the helmet quick maintenance, but other that, our priority today is learning more about Coil's operations and Dinah Alcott's situation. Mercy, how's the headache?"

"Pretty much gone, though it'll come back if I make heavy use of my power. I will, however," she assures you. "Helping you, and making sure the girl is fine, is worth a bit of a pain." She pauses. "...Was that bragging? Shit, I think it kind of was. Sorry Mistress, old habits die hard."

"It's, uh, OK. Anyway… I've got a few mini-cameras," you hand them over to Weaver, "small enough to be carried by the bugs. Er, the literal, organic bugs. So Weaver can show you directly video feeds from inside Coil's base."

"Then let's get to it," Mercy smiles, as she and Weaver get in the car. Sara chauffeurs them; while Lisa can drive, Sara's the one whose papers are all in order, and it might be best to have another pair of hands available if things go haywire for whichever reason.

Shortly after they drive off, you're surprised when someone enters the lair. You relax when you recognize your guest, though.

"Oh, hey Aisha."

"Hey yourself," the spunky, slightly younger girl grins. "So, what's going on?"

"Well, I've got the former Tattletale and Weaver working together to case out Coil's base," you explain. "I want to know enough about his operation to take him down if necessary. Also trying to find out if he's holding the mayor's niece."

"Cool, cool. And you think Weaver's up to it?"

"With her powers? She and Mercy have fantastic synergy."

"Mercy?"

"Well, it's what Tattletale calls herself when she's on my team. Seemed fitting, with her new personality."

Aisha's been an online friend of yours for a couple of years. When you left New York and moved to Brockton Bay, knowing you'd finally meet your old friend face-to-face was one of your few consolations. Despite the fact that she's rather attractive, you've avoided brainwashing her - she was the one person whom you'd told about your trigger, and she's been supportive. Helpful. A good friend, whom you've been able to trust with all your secrets. She gets along fine with your other slaves, even if she hasn't really had opportunities to really interact with slaves other than Skylight, Bombshell and Emma.

"Her new personality, huh?" Aisha makes bit of a face, which you're not sure how to read.

"Yeah. In her case, I figured I'd give her a thorough debitching. Made her all nice and humble. She's still learning how to be the new Lisa, but that's to be expected."

"That's… impressive."

"You OK? You look a bit pale."

"N-no, I'm fine, thanks."

As she takes a step back, you get a message from Eve via smartglasses. "Mistress, who is this girl you're talking to?"

"It's Aisha," you think at her. "You know, my old Internet friend? ?"

"Mistress, you have no such correspondent. Neither this address nor anyone named Aisha ever appears in your Internet history."

You freeze.

Master/Stranger.

Shit.

The decidedly-nervous Aisha is now talking to Bombshell, who, while maintaining the professional demeanor, clearly seems to think she knows the girl. The girl you clearly remember being your best (and almost only) friend. Whom you remember acting uncharacteristically trusting toward. Like… seriously, it strains credibility that you wouldn't have brainwashed this. She's almost Emma-grade sexy. And her power is, apparently, terrifying.

You're one to talk, obviously, but still.

You remember her interacting and befriending some of your your slaves… but not the ones who aren't here, and Eve. Consistent false memories across multiple victims? But either they need to be here, or she needs to know about them, or both. Is Eve immune because she's an AI, or because "Aisha" (or whatever her real name is) didn't know about her and couldn't consciously target her?

A hand tugs at your shoulder. Emma. "Mistress, are you all right?" she asks at a low volume.

You hesitate. Is there a risk that the false memories might make Emma more loyal to the infiltrator than to you?

...Improbable.

"There's a problem with Aisha," you whisper nervously. "She's… not who she seems to be. Cape. Stranger."

Emma's eyes narrow. She pauses, then smiles at you. "Want her neutralized?"

You nod.

A short bit later, Emma walks toward the sexy younger girl. "Hey, Aisha, can I get your input on this perfume?"

She holds the open bottle of knockout formula right under the Stranger's nose. Aisha looks at her in surprise and confusion, then collapses.

"Oh, hello Mistress," Mercy answers her phone. "We've come into range of Coil's base moments ago. Weaver's getting the cameras in."

"OK, but we have a problem," you cut in. "Some… girl just tried to infiltrate the lair. She has some kind of Master/Stranger power that's making us all remember her as a trusted friend, but it didn't affect Eve. We've got her knocked out, but the false memories are still there. Here, sending you a picture."

You hear the sharp intake of breath. "That's Aisha," she says, and for a moment you wonder if the memory-modification worked on Lisa too, but Sara and Taylor have no idea who she's talking about. "She's Brian's sister. Brian as in Grue. She was visiting the Undersiders' lair today - after what's happened, Grue admitted there was no point in keeping it secret from her. She must have followed me to our place." She pauses. "Master powers go to lonely people. She wasn't a cape a week ago. She triggered when her brother went to prison."

That explains it. "How… how big a problem do we have?"

"Not that big, Mistress," Mercy replies. "You can simply start brainwashing her as soon as you're done giving the helmet its needed maintenance. It won't be the first time she doesn't sleep at her mother's place, and if Grue gets worried, I can assure him she just went to a friend's. She isn't reporting to Coil or anything. She hasn't told anyone that she has powers yet."

All right. So, scary surprise, but possibly a boon, giving you a sexy new cape slave. You can live with that.

"I barely talked to her, outside of the false memories. Tell me what she's like."

From what Mercy describes, the Aisha from your memories is, if not identical to the real one, at least closely based on her. The ADD, the irreverent personality… it's all there. You can work with that. You have some ideas for the mindset you want to give her.

You just ensure she remains out of it while you fix the helmet.

"...mercenaries' laser guns. The Case-53 in the containment chamber… she's not a prisoner. She's there of her own will. But the cell is designed to keep her inside. She has control issues. Possibly insane, but aware of it and seeking help - from Coil of all people," says Mercy on the videophone, clutching her aching head. "Coil wouldn't bother with something like this unless she was highly useful to him. Either her power is something that greatly benefits his operations, or, more likely, she's one of the Travelers and helping her is part of their payment."

You nod. Frankly, you're more than a little horrified by the appearance of that Case-53. It's an imagine straight out of a horror movie. Poor girl…

"As for Dinah Alcott… it's bad," Mercy says, clearly upset. "It's not voluntary on her part. She's a prisoner. A regimen of addictive drugs and crude, classical brainwashing. He's not holding her for ransom, he's trying to control her. This only makes sense if she's a parahuman, and one with extremely valuable powers."

You nod grimly. With that, Coil is now right next to Lung, Skidmark and Kaiser in the "sick fucks who need to go down" category. But… judging from the video feed… "Her room is a prison, but not a super-secure one," you note. "So her powers aren't something that would let her break through. Not a Stranger, either."

"She's a Thinker," says a clearly pained Mercy. "A powerful one. One whose power would make Coil almost invincible. He wouldn't take a risk like this for anything less."

That's bad. An extra Thinker on Coil's side would represent a risk of him discovering your entire op, depending on her powers. "Er, can he make her cooperate?"

"Not yet… she's still holding on," Mercy says, clutching her head in pain. "But she's not far from breaking. Days."

Well, crap.

How do you want to program Aisha?

[ ] Standard slave programming.

[ ] Nerdification: Aisha is an intellectually curious young girl with a newfound love of reading, knowledge, and the realms of the imagination.

[ ] Bestie: She may helplessly loyal and compelled to obey your orders, which she finds hot… but deep down, Aisha doesn't think of you as a mistress so much as a really cool friend with benefits (the benefits being sex, submission and brainwashing).

[ ] Groupie: She's your biggest fan. As far as Aisha is concerned, the Neuroqueen is the coolest person in the cosmos, and she's incredibly lucky to be her slave.

[ ] Girl Scout: Out, troublemaking rebellious attitude; in, courteous civic-mindedness! Aisha is a responsible, selfless young girl who's always happy to lend a hand!

[ ] Succubus: Aisha now has a very strong drive to seduce (age-appropriate) people, especially those whom she can bring under her Mistress's power.

[ ] Submission Slut: Aisha now has an irresistible fetish for surrendering to the will of others, especially yours.

[ ] Write-in.

-[ ] Bisexual: You still need girls who can manipulate boys.

-[ ] Lesbian: Less risk of STDs, and you know Aisha can be impulsive...

How do you want to handle Dinah and Coil? (Multiple plans may be enacted if they're not mutually exclusive.)

[ ] Begin using subliminal messages on Dinah, making her trust you to rescue her and creating initial loyalty.

[ ] You'd bet some of Dinah's ongoing brainwashing involves sleep deprivation, and you don't think her drugs will react poorly with sleep substitute. Smuggle her some.

[ ] Put a priority on getting more data about Coil and what he's doing. Find out what his computer password is. Find out what he does when he's not on base. Find out everything you can.

[ ] Try to gather data on the Travelers. They could form an obstacle, and you're worried about that Case-53.

[ ] Focus on discovering who Coil's moles in the PRT are.

-[ ] If you succeed, discreetly inform PRT members Mercy considers trustworthy; try to get the heroes on board with taking Coil down.

[ ] Have Weaver contact New Wave, try to get them on board with taking Coil down.

[ ] Write-in.

What do you want to do about the Empire tonight?

[ ] The police and heroes are focusing on the Empire right now; let them handle it.

[ ] Get Lady Orbit some knockout needles; she can capture whichever adult cape she gets assigned to work with today, and leave them for the authorities to find. Unchivalrous, but effective.

[ ] Usng Lady Orbit's information, locate an Empire operation outside of its territory; have Skylight "accidentally" make a showy appearance there and call the PRT, attracting Protectorate attention.

[ ] Write-in.

What are your tinkering plans for tonight?

[ ] Get started on the split-mind module.

[ ] Pheromone perfume.

[ ] Attenuator for power-induced headaches.

[ ] Anti-pain formula.

[ ] Knockout cartridges.

[ ] Smartglasses.

[ ] Body armor designed for Lady Orbit.

[ ] Hypnotic spiral app.

[ ] Hypnotic pocketwatch.

If you're not making knockout cartridges, what should Bombshell work on?

[ ] (Bombshell) Smartglasses.

[ ] (Bombshell) Body armor designed for Lady Orbit.

[ ] Cartridges for S-class situations.

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Last edited: Aug 18, 2017

Aug 17, 2017 ReportLike QuoteReply

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Threadmarks: Geeky Stranger

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sun tzu

strategist

GEEKY STRANGER

[X] Nerdification: Aisha is an intellectually curious young girl with a newfound love of reading, knowledge, and the realms of the imagination.

-[X] Lesbian: Less risk of STDs, and you know Aisha can be impulsive...

[X] Begin using subliminal messages on Dinah, making her trust you to rescue her and creating initial loyalty.

[X] You'd bet some of Dinah's ongoing brainwashing involves sleep deprivation, and you don't think her drugs will react poorly with sleep substitute. Smuggle her some.

[X] Put a priority on getting more data about Coil and what he's doing. Find out what his computer password is. Find out what he does when he's not on base. Find out everything you can.

[X] The police and heroes are focusing on the Empire right now; let them handle it.

[X] Get started on the split-mind module.

[X] Cartridges for S-class situations.

"All right. All right. We, we can't get rid of Coil without some planning, but we can't let him break her to the point where he can use her powers before we're ready to move against him," you reason. "I'm going to need to talk to her. If Weaver's bugs can smuggle comm devices into her room…"

"They can, but there's a surveillance camera watching her," Mercy points out.

You check the feed. You can see it. Your own mini-cams are outside its view, but Dinah is not. "That's… OK, I think I know how to handle it. I'll be coming over. Er, I should probably get Aisha's programming started first."

"What do you have in mind for her, Mistress?" Despite her pain, Mercy sounds eager.

"Well… Ah, over years of, of watching hypnofetish porn online," you blush, "I, I've read all sorts of stories and seen pictures where, where intelligent women get turned into total bimbos. I… was thinking of, of doing the opposite."

"Aisha is not a bimbo, per se," Mercy notes, "but I think I see where you're going with this."

"I'm going to turn her into a total geek girl," you grin, embarrassment fading. "By the time I'm done, I want her to be practically as big of a nerdy bookworm as me."

"I hope I can be there to see it when she wakes up, Mistress," says Mercy. You imagine most of your harem feels the same way.

Aisha's brain is currently cooking, and the seasoning is an improved attention span, a love of knowledge, a fondness of the imagination (and thus, fantasy and science-fiction), bookworm tendencies, and a self-image rewired into that of a brainy, proud geekette.

Also, obedient, worshipful lesbian submission to her Mistress, but that kinda goes without saying.

Bombshell is under orders to design cartridges for S-class situations. Because sooner or later you'll want to make a real difference in those, and Bombshell is one of the few Tinkers who you think would be genuinely useful in an Endbringer battle.

With that done, you have Emma drive you to a location three blocks away from Coil's lair.

"Emms!"

"Tay!"

The two BFFs hug it out. Always brings a smile to your face. But, back to work.

Weaver's bugs, staying outside the camera's angle, smuggle in some small tools. Under your direction, they get to work on the camera itself. You are a tech genius and a Tinker; taking control of the camera feed is child's play. Even can turn the feed into a natural-looking loop.

With that, and with Weaver making sure no-one is about to enter Dinah's room, a smartphone is brought to her in video chat mode.

The little girl picks it up. "Hey," she says, not sounding too great. "Who are you?"

"Hello," you say, keeping your voice low. "My name is Daphne. I'm here to help."

She stares at you. "98.35987102% odds that you'll bring me home," she says.

Holy…

"You're a precognitive," you say.

"I can ask questions," she says, "and then I see the numbers. The odds that things will happen. I've been having headaches…"

So… that's her Thinker power. She's a precog, and from the sound of it, a fairly powerful one. No wonder Coil wanted her under his thumb. You definitely can't let him have her.

Wait. Can she… see futures where she's your slave? Because there's no way you're not including some brainwashing in there. Her power is too useful.

"I'm going to rescue you," you tell her, "but it's gonna take some work. I'm going to need you to work with me." And even as you speak, visual subliminal messages on the phone are telling her to trust you and help you.

"I know," she says. "What do you need?"

"For starters, put these earbuds in your ears. It'll be easy to hide them if anyone is about to come inside, and we'll warn you in advance. This way, my friends and I can stay in touch with you." Weaver can't stay in range of Coil's base 24/7, but Eve can maintain permanent surveillance thanks to the cameras Weaver's placed. Well, as long as the batteries last, at least.

"We'll play some music that helps you feel better." And fill her mind with subliminal messages, of course. "I'm also sending you something to help you deal with the lack of sleep. Actually, when was the last time you slept?

"I'm not sure… two hours ago? Three? Four? I don't have a watch anymore. Wasn't long enough."

"I'd imagine," you say, even as you OK Weaver to smuggle in some sleep substitute. Dinah drinks it, and over the next minute you can practically see her getting a couple notches more clear-headed. Still in pain and drugged to the gills, but better.

"Thank you."

"Just hang in there, Dinah. If you don't let him use your power, then it won't be too long before we can get you out of there."

"And I can see mom and dad again?"

"Promise." You mean it, too, despite the temptation of just keeping her as your pet 24/7.

With the conversation over, Weaver's bugs remove the phone from the room (hiding it in the nearby air ducts), and the earbuds play music for Dinah laced with subliminal messages such as "I trust Daphne", "Daphne will rescue me", "I can resist Coil", "I must help Daphne" and "I'd do anything for Daphne".

"OK. Weaver, Mercy? I need as much information on Coil and his operation as we can get. Put him under surveillance. Find out what you can."

"On it," says Weaver. "...Mistress? What are… what are you actually going to do with Dinah? Are you going to… enslave her?"

You pause. "I'm not going to have sex with her. Not for several more years, at least. But brainwash her? Probably. Her power is incredibly useful."

"Yeah, Tay," Emma reassures her, "Our Queen isn't a creep."

This gets Mercy guffawing.

Hm.

Well. Thinking about it… The idea of brainwashing someone as young as Dinah? You find that about as hot and sexy as brainwashing a girl your age, like Taylor, or a MILF like Kayden.

But the idea of having sex with her? Repulsive.

Well, it's not like human sexuality was ever particularly rational. And Taylor seems satisfied. Still, while the subliminal messages play, you ponder the exact brainwashing style you want to use on the young slave…

Weaver and Mercy stay at the location to gather info. Emma stays there to keep Taylor company while they go together over homework. Sara joins you back at the lair - you think Emma is still uncomfortable around ex-ABB thugs (making it ironic that she feels no such discomfort around Bombshell).

As the sun sets, and after a quickie with Sara, you get back to your own tinkering. You've had this idea trotting in your head for a while, for a major upgrade to the brainwashing helmet - one that would let you create two different personalities with different levels of control and memory access inside the same brain.

So, for example, you could have one personality in Sophia Hess that was your sweet, submissive slavegirl, and a secondary personality that was the same as her usual self. The secondary personality could hang out with the Wards and generally be her psycho self, not even remembering being your slave, with the slave personality actively keeping her from remembering or suspecting anything. (Though you'd definitely want to run this plan past Mercy and Dinah first.) Heck, you could do this for fun - giving Lisa that noire femme fatale detective personality you wanted, without having to sacrifice the angel one, to name but one example.

Thing is, it's a pretty major upgrade. It needs to partition the mind, to manipulate memories… it's gonna take you the better part of the week-end to build.

You're about two hours into this project when Weaver and Mercy inform you that Coil has left his lair and removed his costume. Eve searches for his picture once she gets it.

A websearch actually returns a hit.

Thomas Calvert. A field commander for the PRT.

That's… bad. Or is it, actually? A security breach like that, the PRT will probably bury him in the Birdcage. You just need a way to let the PRT know without a doubt he is a supervillain.

Once he gets home and logs on to his computer, Lisa gets some better guesses about what his passwords back at his lair are. With some help from you, Bombshell, and Eve, cyber-security is breached.

The results are informative. Coil has some impressive financial resources; while the PRT has Thinkers dedicated to keep other Thinkers from gaming the economy, Calvert knows how they operate - well enough that, by taking things slow and steady, he was able to become a multimillionaire over the past decade, even acquiring a company that builds Endbringer shelters (which explains the James Bond villain lair. Which has a freaking self-destruct button. No, really).

There are some references to "Cauldron", though what that is isn't clear. Some exchanges with Accord, a Thinker villain who controls practically a third of Boston - he and Coil apparently trade information. A list of all the civilian identities of E88 capes (no surprise, Mercy told you she'd figured them out for him), and careful plans for divulging those very, very publicly (which is a surprise. Especially the order for social services to seize Aster that he apparently has ready to go in that eventuality. The hell?).

Media connections. Blackmail material on mayoral candidates (though not the current mayor, you note). His moles in the PRT. The latter aren't very high up in the hierarchy… but looking at all this, Mercy strongly suspects that his plan was to take over as PRT director for Brockton Bay.

Holy shit.

And then there's the Travelers, who apparently have six members - one quasi-unpowered, one the Case-53 in the armored room who's named Noelle, is slowly going insane, and creates evil clones of people she touches, because things weren't disturbing enough. Coil's notes suggest they came here both for Thinker support and because he might be able to find a cure for Noelle.

Briefly, the idea of creating twisted, superpowered clones of parahumans, and then brainwashing them to be obedient instead of twisted floats through your head.

Anyway… after an infodump like this, you need to think carefully about how you want to handle things. Very carefully.

After you calm your nerves with some tinkering.

It's still night out when Eve reports that Aisha's programming is done.

She's really gotten more efficient at running the helmet. Making her study human psychology helped. But you think you're running into diminishing returns - at least, until you further upgrade Eve's sapience.

Seeing how Calvert has gone to bed (at least in this timeline) and now has electronic bugs in his apartment, and how the Empire's operations are done for the night (with some damage, but less than there would have been without your police tips), you gather the entire harem for the girl's awakening. By now, your "memories" of her as your friend have gone rather fuzzy; the effect of her power is clearly temporary.

The rather attractive young lady's eyes flutter open, and she takes in the scene before her - you and your slaves gathered around her bed. "Wha… What happened?"

"It's OK, Aisha," Lisa smiles at her. "Everything's going to be just fine."

"You're brainwashed!" Aisha shoots up. "She mastered you!" she points her finger in your direction, then pauses. "Wait, did you master me?" She pauses. "I… I think I like the idea way, way too much to not be mastered. Shit."

"Don't worry," Lisa places a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Mistress Daphne takes very good care of her slaves."

"Mistress Daphne." Aisha rolls the words in her mouth. "Shit, that's hot. Just thinking about being your brainwashed slave is making me crazy-happy. You're good at this." She pauses. "Black girl, enslaved to a white girl? Not the best optics."

"It's not like that!" you blurt out. "My first slave was Taylor!" you point at your very clearly Caucasian first slave.

"Just teasing, 'Mistress'," Aisha grins. "Wow, you've really done a sexy number on my poor wittle brain. I feel gay as fuck. We all lesbos here?"

"Pretty much everyone but me," Emma answers. "My Queen decided to make me bisexual. It helps having someone who can wrap boys around her finger, after all."

"Makes sense," Aisha nods. "I mean, you'd have asked me yesterday, I'd have jumped dick no problem, but now, just thinking about it makes me wanna gag." She frowns. "Er, just to be clear, we're lesbos, not man-haters, right? 'Cause I kinda like my big bro."

"I'm not Lustrum," you roll your eyes. "I don't have a problem with men, I'm just not attracted to them."

"Right. Sorry, Mistress, just checking. I'm still pretty new to being a brainwashed slave!" she winks. "Still, can't blame you for wanting this kind of hotness in your harem," she points at herself. Or possibly at her chest? "So, Mistress, what can sexy, brainy, parahuman, and generally awesome li'll ol' me do for you?"

Then she frowns. "Wait. Brainy? Since when do I think of myself as…"

A pause. Her frown shifts. She thinks. "I mean, I don't exactly pay tons of attention in class… Though I kinda do wanna learn that shit… I do? That's gotta be new… and I… want to spend more time in the library, and read up on crap, and… Oh shit! You turned me into a nerd! That's horrible!"

Her expression then grows confused. "Wait, no… That's great!" she smiles wide. "You get to decide who I am! I love it! I'm gonna be the sexiest nerd in your harem, Mistress!" She pauses, giving you a look. "Well, besides you." She grows pensive. "If you're the one who owns the harem, technically, do you count as part of it? How does that work?"

She pauses, giggling. "Still, Mistress, you gotta admit… it's kinda funny. You've got a sexy girl all in your power… and you brainwash her into being a geek. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love being a brainiac…" Another frown. "...Wait. Am I actually any smarter than I used to be?"

"You were never stupid to begin with," Lisa chimes in. "You weren't very intellectual, but that was mostly a matter of attitude, and you have ADHD, but Mistress has boosted your attention span."

"A big part of, of being an intellectual, is more about your attitude than innate mental abilities," you say. "But, I also have this formula everyone in the harem uses that can accelerate learning."

Aisha looks at you, then grins. "So I could ace classes, read up on science and other shit about how the world works, study History, and do all the other geeky crap that I really, really wanna do now? Mistress, you're awesome."

"Wait, so you're the actual locker girl from school? The locker thing happened? I thought that was a rumor!"

"Not you too," Taylor facepalms.

"And I know you're the queen bee from the Mean Girls table and stuff, but you're the one who shoved her in the locker? And now, you're besties? Because Mistress made you?"

"We are, and she did."

"Damn that's hot."

"Yes. Yes it is."

Aisha is an enthusiastic new member of the harem. Once you've put her through her paces of first-time lesbian sex, she's proven curious about everything. The harem. Your tech. Eve. How to get her own library card.

"Like, I think of myself as a geek, and I love it? But I don't have any actual geek cred yet. I don't know how to be a geek."

"Mistress will be happy to teach you," Mercy reassures her. "But it's normal. We're all learning. Kayden is still learning to be a good little domestic slave-wife. Anna," she points at Lady Orbit, "has started reading old chivalrous literature so she can learn how to be knightly. I'm still learning to be nice."

"From what little of you I've seen, you could use some debitching."

"Very true," Mercy giggles. "I'll learn to be a good little angel, you'll learn to be a good little geek, and we'll both serve Mistress to the best of our ability. Deal?"

"Deal," Aisha shakes her hand. "Big bro's gonna freak out about my hundred-and-eighty, though."

"I'll talk to him. Nice or not, I'm still a decent manipulator."

It never gets old, watching the brainwashed girls under your power. Sadly, you are kept busy.

This week-end is going to be involve a lot of work. Your tinkering, of course. Taking down Coil. If possible, dealing with the Travelers, with the Empire's continuing attempts at driving the Asian community out of town. Your date with Madison.

Thankfully, you have a very helpful entourage.

What brainwashing are you planning for Dinah?

[ ] Standard slave programming: She loves Daphne, she worships Daphne, she obeys Daphne, and she loves being Daphne's brainwashed slave. Just, no sexual attraction yet.

[ ] Eternal gratitude: Dinah doesn't think of herself as a slave… but she's sooo grateful for the rescue, she'll gladly do absolutely anything to repay the Neuroqueen. And really, brainwashing's not so bad when it's Daphne doing it, right?

[ ] Worshipful little sister: Daphne is just SO COOL. She's so smart, she defeated Coil, she brainwashes people... Dinah can't help but look up to and adore her.

[ ] Puppy love: She may be too young for sex, but she's not too young to be head over heels for Daphne. Dinah will happily do anything for her crush.

[ ] Pet kitten: Dinah knows she's a human, but in her heart of hearts, she's Daphne's loving pet.

[ ] Write-in.

What should Aisha call herself?

[ ] Bestie.

[ ] Photobomb.

[ ] Intruder.

[ ] Write-in.

What's the plan for your date with Madison?

[ ] Movie date. There's a nice semi-biographic movie about Hero you've been wanting to catch for weeks and just didn't have the time.

[ ] Nice restaurant. You can afford it, after all!

[ ] Pretext taking her to a nice place. Actually take her to your lair and brainwash her.

[ ] Weasel out of the date.

[ ] Write-in.

What's the overall plan for handling Coil?

[ ] Try to gather enough information on him that Mercy can predict where he is in the other timeline, and find the best moment to capture him.

[ ] Try to create a situation where he will use his power, then move in with the capture.

[ ] Write-in.

Do you get the PRT's help for handling Coil?

[ ] Yes. You know who his moles are. Weaver can forward evidence directly to the director, and they can arrest Calvert, maybe coordinate with her.

[ ] No. What if he has ways to to keep ahead of them you don't know about? It's too risky.

Do you get Dinah's help for handling Coil?

[ ] Yes. Just confirming a plan's odds of success could go a really long way.

[ ] No. She's in no state to make further use of her powers.

What about the Travelers?

[ ] They're villains. Help the Protectorate arrest them.

[ ] Half their members are girls. With subliminal assistance, persuade them to trust you to help them with their problems instead of Coil.

[ ] Write-in.

What of the Empire?

[ ] Provide their personal information (Purity and Rune excluded) to the PRT; they're best equipped to make use of it.

[ ] Have Mercy leverage the Undersiders into attacking an Empire target for fun and profit.

[ ] Locate Empire weapon caches and have Weaver report them to the PRT.

[ ] Write-in.

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Last edited: Aug 20, 2017

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Threadmarks: Rikki Tikki Tavi, Part 1

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sun tzu

strategist

RIKKI TIKKI TAVI, PART 1

[X] Worshipful little sister: Daphne is just SO COOL. She's so smart, she defeated Coil, she brainwashes people... Dinah can't help but look up to and adore her.

-[X] Puppy love: She may be too young for sex, but she's not too young to be head over heels for Daphne. Dinah will happily do anything for her crush.

[X] Photobomb.

[X] Nice restaurant. You can afford it, after all!

[X] Try to gather enough information on him that Mercy can predict where he is in the other timeline, and find the best moment to capture him.

[X] No. What if he has ways to to keep ahead of them you don't know about? It's too risky.

[X] Yes. Just confirming a plan's odds of success could go a really long way.

[X] Half their members are girls. With subliminal assistance, persuade them to trust you to help them with their problems instead of Coil.

[X] Locate Empire weapon caches and have Weaver report them to the PRT.

Inside Coil's bunker, Dinah's mood has noticeably picked up. Also, her subliminal messages now include the likes of "Daphne's so cool", "Daphne's the awesomest person ever", "Daphne's the best", "I'd do anything for Daphne", "I got a crush on Daphne," "I'm so in love with Daphne" and "Being controlled by Daphne is awesome". You and your haremettes rotate in maintaining conversation with her.

At the same time, courtesy of Weaver, another pair of earbuds gets smuggled through the ventilation shafts, ultimately ending in Noelle's bunker. She's curious enough to put them on.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"My name is Mercy," says the member of your team most adept at manipulation. "Noelle, I believe?"

"Who are you?"

"A Thinker who gets called on to figure out some challenging puzzles. I've been negotiating with Coil for days now - he said he wanted me to look into an unusual Case 53 and figure out how to solve some problems with her, but negotiations have been breaking down. I am becoming less and less convinced that, should I take a contract for Coil, he will ever allow to operate outside of his organization again.

"So, I'm trying to cut ties with him. But… well. Contract or no contract, maybe it's my power talking, but I don't want to give up on the puzzle. Hence my decision to contact you without telling your boss."

Noelle considers for a moment. "And why should I talk to you?"

"Because you do have problems, and you do need the help. I'm offering to help, and I'm likely a better fit for the job than anyone else you can find." Mercy pauses. "Now, I don't know all the details, but… part of your problem is your power messing with your brain, isn't it?" Noelle flinches. "You're holding onto your sanity. As hard as you can. You pretty much have to."

"Stop it."

"I'm sorry, I'm not trying to hurt you. I want to keep you from being hurt. I just want to make sure I understand the problem before I try to fix it."

"And what, exactly, can you do to fix it?!"

"Well, I do have certain connections. Tinkers included. How about a tinkertech device that counters, or at least attenuates, many forms of insanity?"

"...That exists?"

"It exists, and I can get it to you tonight. I just need to understand the specifics of your mental condition so my Tinker friends can fine-tune it."

Noelle describes the bulimia combined with the horror-movie-version-of-bulimia she has, the latter a function of her power that drives her to just absorb people and unleash an army of evil clones. Mercy winces, but absorbs the information while you make adjustments.

"All right. Thank you for your cooperation so far, Noelle, that was very helpful."

"You said you could get me that device tonight."

"I did. In fact, it's already there. It's included in the earbuds."

"...What."

"Do I have your permission to turn it on?"

Noelle needs a moment to process this information, but… "...Go ahead."

A soothing audio track begins playing in her ears, combined with such subliminal messages as "I trust Mercy", "Mercy is my friend", "Mercy will save me", "I'm grateful for Mercy", "Keep Mercy secret from Coil", "I'm strong enough to resist my power", "I don't need to eat people", "Desire to eat people is fading", "I am at peace", "Easy to resist my urges"...

"You should start feeling the effects over the coming hours," says Mercy. "Got a better version of the technology sitting around, but it's too big to smuggle to you. Perhaps later…"

Well. Mercy remains on Noelle duty. Some of you need to go to bed, so that you can pretend to have spent all night there when your respective parents wake up.

Saturday the 23rd. It's morning and you have plans. You inform your parents that you'll be hanging out with friends, which they still can't get over. ...OK, so you were never much of a social butterfly.

Officially, as far as her dad knows, Taylor will be spending much of the morning and afternoon doing yard work and babysitting for a "Miss Anders" - it will help explain her additional financial resources.

You also need to hit Empire 88. You've been slacking about it, and the Empire remains a dangerously powerful gang. Thankfully, between Skylight, Lady Orbit, Mercy, and Weaver, locating the neonazis' weapon caches and removing them from play should be simple enough.

"My Queen," Emma asks you as soon as the opportunity presents itself, "may I drive Taylor and Aisha around for Taylor's patrol? I believe it will also present a useful opportunity to take them cloth-shopping. I simply must update my best friend's wardrobe, and Aisha should dress in a way that reflects who you've turned her into."

"I think it's 'whom'?"

"...Apologies, my Queen. But my point stands, and furthermore, charging Taylor's wardrobe upgrades to my credit card will further help the Heberts' financial straits."

Hm. Emma struggles a bit with the words. You think she's trying to touch up her dialogue, make it more courtier-ish. Not that you're complaining… nor disapproving of her idea.

Mercy gives you the updates. "Noelle's situation is slowly improving, and I'm building a rapport with her quickly. Give me a few more hours, and I can convince her to tell me where to find her teammates so I can 'discuss the situation' with them. Dinah got her morning checkup from her designated nurse; Eve gave her enough of a heads-up she had no problem hiding the earbuds from him. Also, her programming is taking, and she wants to talk to you. I recommend giving it… let's say, another hour, maybe two."

Excellent.

You spend most of the morning at the lair, working on the helmet upgrade while Bombshell works on her S-class arsenal, Sara works on the History class, and Kayden works on her domestic skills.

When you give Dinah a video call, she blushes adorably and smiles excitedly - her growing crush on you is completely obvious. "Daphne!"

"Hello, Dinah. Remember to keep your voice down. How are you holding up?"

"Better. I had to pretend to be more tired than I was, though. It's OK, I know you'll rescue me!"

"Of course."

Her smile fades. "Um. When… when you rescue me… can I go home?"

"Of course. I promised. I don't want your parents to worry."

She hesitates. "After I go home… can I still see you?"

"Oh yes. Most days, really."

She smiles at that.

"Behold, my queen: Your new and improved servants!"

Taylor blushes as Emma has her strutt in her new clothes. Huh. It's still the sort of thing you'd expect Taylor to wear - no high heels or fancy dresses or anything - but it still manages to better present her looks. The small hint of cleavage actually works - it manages to be intriguing without being hampered by the relative small size of her chest. You also gotta love the way Emma used Taylor's hair.

Aisha's wardrobe has gone through more extreme changes. Gone is "trashy" - now, she straddles the line between "neat" and "sexy". Emma even got her a stylish pair of non-corrective glasses.

"If I'm gonna be a sexy nerd, I want to look the way I feel," she says, taking her glasses off to give you a smoldering look. "And I intend to be as smexy as it gets, Mistress."

No complaint here. None whatsoever.

Emma's wardrobe has changed the least. Still, there are some changes, such as the addition of a choker. "A subtle way of denoting my Queen's sovereignty, of course."

"That's… great, everyone. Maybe you should serve as the fashion consultant for the entire harem, Emma."

"I fully intend to, my Queen. Though Kayden will only need minimal help."

Meanwhile… well, things keep happening.

Eve's police scanner indicates that tensions keep escalating on the border between ABB and E88 territories. There's been one shootout, and one incident involving Hookwolf. Single-digit casualties, but still.

Coil is on base, handling a number of things. As far as Mercy can tell, Trainwreck of the Merchants works for him, and they're working on a plan to have Armsmaster end up in a high-visibility losing fight against the Merchants as part of Coil's campaign to discredit the local PRT. The plan looks far from complete… but, with his power, Coil can ensure that the Merchants get to fight Armsmaster again and again and again, every defeat retroactively undone until they manage a humiliating victory.

Dinah and Noelle's brainwashing is progressing apace. Mercy's managed to obtain further information on the Travelers' from their Case 53 member (well, sort-of Case 53. Mercy's confirmed she suffers no amnesia). So, you should probably go see them.

Before that, though…

"Mercy?"

"Yes, Mistress?"

"Put on the helmet."

She blushes and smiles. "With pleasure, Mistress! I think I can guess what this is for."

Well, take a no-prize then. "The power-enforced asexuality issue needs to be taken care of. So… Explain to me in great detail how that actually works, and I'll program in the solution."

By the time you and Weaver leave, Lisa's brain is getting edited under the helmet; you're restructuring her brain so that vaginal stimulation puts her in a state where data from her power is easy to just ignore.

Out of uniform, the rest of the Travelers look utterly mundane. Practically your age. But of course, looks can be deceiving; you've read the files, and these guys are heavy-hitters.

Your focus, for now, is on the girls. Sundancer, by her real name Marissa ("Mars" to her friends, according to Noelle) is an actual ballet dancer, and a devastating Blaster comparable to Purity. Genesis, by her name Jessie, may be crippled in the lower half of her body, but has an extremely versatile projection power; you wonder if it has mind-control applications?

Now comes the frustrating part - you and Weaver stay there watching them for almost three hours, waiting for the right opportunity. The time isn't completely wasted, mind; you both progress on schoolwork inside the car. You also monitor things back at the lair; Lisa has finished her programming, and you order Aisha to sixty-nine her; both girls clearly enjoy the experience very much.

"Just a few days ago, I honestly thought I was going to spend the rest of my life celibate. Thank you, Mistress. Thank you so much."

"Yeah! Thanks for teaching me to properly appreciate pussy, you powerful potentate of perversion!"

You blink.

"...What?" says Aisha. "I'm trying to get better at word games now that I'm a brainiac in training."

"No, I get it. I also love alliterations," you say. "Speaking of brainiacs in training… Lisa, tutor my nerdified slave girl with her schoolwork."

Aisha squeals delightedly and jumps giddily, then readjusts her glasses.

Life is good.

Finally, opportunity presents itself when Trickster, Ballistic and Oliver head out; Sundancer stays inside to keep Genesis company.

You follow the guys around for a couple minutes (from a block or two away, thanks to Weaver's power), to ensure they're not coming back too soon.

Then, back to the Travellers' apartment. Between your Tinker abilities and Mercy guessing their wifi password halfway through their programming, you were able to hack the computers in the house a while ago. Marissa and Jessie are both surprised when one of the desktops begins playing the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme, laced with subliminals telling them that everything is fine.

...You still think the movie wasn't anywhere near as good as the book.

When they come to check it, Mercy addresses them via a voice chat program (it's Sara's turn to tutor Aisha, anyway). The conversation is soon joined by Noelle, and many, many more subliminal messages, telling the girls just how much they like and trust Mercy, who is clearly giving Noelle the help she needs.

Mercy gives them a story similar to the one she gave Noelle, and says she'd rather discuss things in-depth with them before involving the boys. From there, Mercy is able to turn the whole thing into a lengthy, friendly conversation about a variety of subjects, while music plays on the computer turning Jessie and Marissa into Mercy's trusting friends (while also giving them urges to listen to music on their phones). By the end of the conversation, Mercy convinces them to install apps on their phones for regular communication, claiming it's for encryption in case Coil is spying on them (really, it's to let you control their phones and expose them to further subliminals).

The conversation ends. Whether or not you end up enslaving any of these girls… well. You're closer to subverting one of Coil's more powerful tools.

Of course, the day's far from done. You still have work to do to defeat the snake. You still need to find more Empire caches and hit them. You still need to perfect Lady Orbit's lesbianization.

And you've got to get ready for your date.

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