Chapter 5

TO: DStone@guardiannet.gov
FROM: FunTimes@WarmMail.net
SUBJECT: Hey

Hey there. How’s everything been going? Look, I’m sorry everything went bad the last time we spoke. It’s been a pretty crappy couple of weeks, and things have been pretty busy. I can’t say how, but I’ve gotten a bunch of intel on you know who. Nothing concrete yet, but I’m more certain than ever. I know you said you couldn’t help, but this is larger than just the Temple, I’m sure of it. Promise me you’ll at least think about it. Please?

-Lisa

“So, anything yet?” Jessica asked as she walked into the kitchen. Lisa was hunched over the table, staring Jessica’s laptop while she studied the records. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot from working through the night.

“Hmmm?” Lisa jerked her head up, blinking as she looked over at Jessica.

“I said, any luck yet?”

“Huh. Oh, no, nothing yet,” Lisa’s mouth opened for a yawn, but her hand reached up to stifle it. Her eyes were unfocused, staring off into space half the time.

“There’s just so much crap here,” continued Lisa, “and nothing’s sorted or indexed.”

At the last bit, she shot a glare behind Jessica’s shoulder.

“Hey, don’t look at me,” said Conrad. Apparently he’d followed her downstairs, even though Jessica had tried not to wake him. “I got you what you wanted. It’s not my fault you that when you wanted the data, you got all of it.”

Lisa scowled, but couldn’t argue with that point. Instead, she turned back to the computer. Jessica went to the fridge for a carton of orange juice, pouring glasses for the three of them. Lisa took hers with a sleepy murmur of thanks.

While Jessica sipped at the drink, she kept an eye on Lisa. Except for a large gulp when she’d first gotten it, her glass was going untouched. More than once, Jessica saw Lisa’s eyes glaze over before jerking back up towards the screen. This was getting ridiculous.

“Lisa, hun, when’s the last time you got some sleep?”

“Don’t have time for sleep,” Lisa said. The words were low, and she stumbled over them.

“This isn’t accomplishing anything,” said Jessica. “Can you even remember what you’re reading?”

“Can’t stop now,” said Lisa, “Gotta find it before it’s too late. Have to help them.”

“And find what, exactly,” Jessica said, “do you even know what you’re looking for?”

Lisa tried to murmur something, but Jessica cut her off.

“You’re not doing any good if you miss something important because you’re too tired to notice it. No more arguments. Go get some sleep. It’ll still be here when you wake up.”

Lisa tried to protest, but Jessica wouldn’t have any of it. Before long, Lisa was bundled off to bed. With any luck, she’d get in a decent amount of sleep this time. After she was safely tucked in, Jessica took a peek at what Lisa’d been reading. The entire page was a jumble of numbers, all piled up in one column after another. To Jessica, it looked like a huge twisted version of Sudoku. It took a few minutes before Jessica realized she was looking at some sort of financial report, and one a couple years old at that.

“I don’t know what she was thinking,” said Jessica, wondering how Lisa could stand to look at that for hours on end. What was she expecting to find, anyways? No wonder she was about ready to collapse.

Conrad was lounging at the table, watching her. His feet were kicked up on another chair as he nibbled at a slice of toast. The smell made Jessica’s stomach rumble, but he hadn’t made her any. Oh well, she could always make some herself or whatever.

“I mean, seriously, what does she even think she’s going to find anyways?” Jessica hadn’t meant to rant, but once she got going she just couldn’t stop. It wasn’t Lisa’s fault that all this had happened, and it wasn’t that Jessica didn’t want to help her friend. It was just, she was starting to get a little stir crazy.

Conrad listened to her complain. When his breakfast was finished, he got up and circled around, lightly massaging her shoulders as she continued to vent. Surprisingly enough, Conrad had been the one comfort during this whole mess. Who’d have thought, right? While Lisa was gone, she’d broken down and taken him to bed, and wow was she glad she had. After the club, she’d kinda thought of him as a sleeze, but he really knew what he was doing.

That first night, he’d driven her absolutely wild, until she finally collapsed in exhausted pleasure. Since then, she’d been spending a lot of her time with him. Somehow, he always seemed to know exactly what to say and do to lighten things. Jessica wasn’t sure what she’d have done without him.

“And I love her like a sister, but holy crap she’s driving me crazy,” Jessica continued, grateful that Conrad was nice enough to listen.

She was, too. In the days since Lisa returned, she’d been utterly single minded in her mission, barely pausing to eat or sleep. This wasn’t the first time she had forced her to get some rest. Early on, Jessica had tried to help, but it was all so dull. Most of it was just boring bureaucratic paperwork. Inventories, payrolls, and invoices, and other boring crap.

What the heck did that have to do with this nefarious plan Lisa was so certain about? Jessica didn’t want to doubt her friend, but maybe she was just seeing things. Sometimes controller groups got into fights, and as much as it sucked, sometimes people were traitors. That was how the world worked. It was messy and ugly, but there it was. That’s why Jessica made damned sure to stay away from politics. It had a nasty way of backfiring, and even if Lisa didn’t want to admit it, her friends at the temple were just paying the price for losing their little war.

Lisa yawned, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The text blurred as she tried to read, and it took a few blinks before her vision was clear enough to read. Maybe Jessica was right. She probably did need more sleep, but this was too important to set aside. Every minute wasted was another that her friends were captive.

She couldn’t stop now, not when they were depending on her. That was why she’d had to lie about her trip into the Brotherhood headquarters. Though she’d made it out in one piece, her head was still plagued by leftover commands that Lisa couldn’t get rid of. If Jessica knew, she’d have insisted that Lisa trance immediately. The trance would have cleared away the Brotherhood’s commands, but it was a slow process. That could take a day or two, time Lisa simply couldn’t afford, but if Jessica insisted Lisa would do it. Her newfound, mostly artificial, submissive side wouldn’t give her much of a choice.

It helped that there weren’t really any men around. The misogynistic Brotherhood had specifically targeted that submission towards men, and this would be a whole lot harder if she had to battle impulses to serve and obey. Granted, Conrad was here, but he was well under control. Even if his masculinity did excite her, he wasn’t in a position to take advantage.

Lisa especially couldn’t afford a distraction now. Not when everything was coming together. There was definitely a pattern here. Signs and hints of a greater purpose hidden in the mundane documents, but they were hard to tease out. It was small things mostly, little holes gaping in the accounting ledgers. On their own, it could just be sloppy practices or even embezzlement, but they weren’t the only clues.

The most troubling thing was the Brotherhood research program. Most of the notes and results were there, but every now and then a line of research would disappear without warning or comment. The thing was, the Brotherhood was still paying for these programs. Take Lisa’s current focus. If you were just looking at the published research, the program had ended nearly five years ago. So why had its budget more than tripled during the first two years after it was ‘canceled’?

The subject was a little unnerving; for all that it should have been innocuous. They were studying trance, or at least the process of slipping into it. No one was really sure how it worked, even though everyone knew the technique. It was an old ability, one whose origin was long lost.

For all that, its mechanics were still a mystery, and one that had eluded discovery. What had the Brotherhood found to make them hide their results?

Lisa reached her hands up and rubbed her eyes again. Then she set her weary head down onto them, resting her forehead on her palms. She was so tired. The pieces were there, but she couldn’t figure it out. She needed more clues. They had to be buried somewhere in the endless set of files she’d stolen.

“Another late night?”

Lisa jolted out of her daze, having almost drifted to sleep again. It was Conrad. She must have zoned off and missed him coming down the stairs. He walked to the fridge and poured himself a glass of water before sitting down across from her.

“Where’s Jess?” asked Lisa, looking around sleepily.

“In bed. I’d join her, but she looked so peaceful and I wasn’t quite ready to sleep yet. Thought I’d come see how you were doing.”

The tacit admission that those two had been sleeping together bothered Lisa. It shouldn’t. Though they kept it quiet, they weren’t exactly secretive either. Even so, a Brotherhood member? Under their control or not, the idea was distasteful. And also a bit appealing, but that was just the programming in her head. What was Jessica’s excuse?

“Believe it or not,” Conrad said, “I do want to help.”

Lisa looked up and raised her eyebrow. “Uh huh, I’m sure.”

“No, really. I know you made me this way, but I still want to help.”

“Besides,” he continued. “I know how tough this must be. You’re working so hard, staying up so late, pushing so fast.”

“Thanks, I guess.” said Lisa before turning back to her work.

“No, really. You must be so tired, but you keep working and working. No matter how tired you are, you keep at it. Even when those long boring documents make it so you can barely hold your eyes open, you keep going.”

“Damn right I do,” Lisa murmured, or at least she meant to. She really was that tired. She might have just thought the words instead. Her eyes were getting heavy, and Conrad’s monotone voice wasn’t helping her keep them open.

“That’s right. So terribly tired, so much pressure. Yearning to let yourself go and relax for just a moment.”

Lisa’s head drew downwards, as the weight became too heavy to bear.

“Close your eyes for me, Lisa, just let go and listen to my voice.”

Lisa’s eyelids slid downwards. She really was tired. What would be the harm in resting her eyes for just a moment?

“That’s right, go ahead and relax,” he said, “Everything is fine. I’m here to help you, you can trust me.”

“Just relax and listen to my voice.”

“Deeper and deeper, let yourself relax. You’re too tired to think, too tired to stay alert.”

“Let it all go. Your cares, your worries. It doesn’t matter. Nothing does, except the sound of my voice.”

“Listen to me Lisa.”

“You trust me.”

“I want to help you.”

“I want what is best for you.”

“You know that all of these things are true.”

“I can’t help you unless you trust me.”

“You do trust me, right Lisa?”

“Good, now listen carefully and I’ll tell you exactly how I am going to help.”

TO:FunTimes@WarmMail.net
FROM: DStone@guardiannet.gov
SUBJECT: re: Hey

Glad to hear you’re safe, at least. Not going to ask where you got that “intel” from. I know you’re going to do what you’re going to do and nothing I say will change your mind. Never did before, and I doubt anything has changed. Still, be careful. Ok. I don’t want to lose you again.

Love, Derrick

Lisa wanted to scream. Already four hours in and she knew more about the Brotherhood’s motor pool than any sane woman should ever know. That was her latest idea. The public records on the research included names. If the Brotherhood was doubling down on funding, then they’d probably keep the same staff. If she checked the travel records, maybe she could figure out where they’d all gone.

It was long, boring work, and Lisa found it harder and harder to keep herself focused on the task at hand. With a sigh, she closed it down and jotted off another email to Derrick, keeping him apprised of the situation. She didn’t want to admit it, but he was probably her only hope at this point. The more she learned about the Brotherhood, the more she realized how much they’d underestimated them. The Guardians were strong enough, but if she couldn’t convince Derrick then what hope did she have with the others.

With the email complete, Lisa tried to go back to her work. Somehow, though, she couldn’t bring herself to open up another file. She was just so disgusted with the process, and it was time for a break.

Closing the laptop’s lid, Lisa stood from the table that had been her home for the past several days and started walking around. What she needed, Lisa realized, was some human company. Off at the other end of the house was the sound of a TV, and Lisa followed the noise. Conrad was sitting on the couch watching baseball. Lisa hadn’t taken him for the sports type, but come to think of it she’d never really bothered to ask about his hobbies. He’d always been just ‘that Brotherhood guy’. Maybe she hadn’t been quite fair to him.

“Where’s Jess?” she said.

“Went for a walk. You were busy.” He patted the couch, “You can have a seat if you want.”

Why not? She did want someone to talk to. If Jessica was out, he’d do for a few moments before she got back to work. Walking around the couch, Lisa plopped down right next to him. Dang, she hadn’t meant to sit so close. They were practically touching. Oh well, too late to move now without looking like she was avoiding him. Besides, what was wrong with a little contact? She trusted him, right?

They never did wind up talking. It was enough just to be around someone again without her mind weighed down by her research. As time went on Lisa found herself snuggling against him. Words just didn’t seem necessary.

At first she didn’t notice his hand reaching across her shoulders, she just snuggled in closer. Even when she noticed, she decided it wasn’t unwelcome. He was so large and strong, lying in his arms made her feel safe and secure.

Her well trained instincts didn’t entirely fail her. Sparked by a burst of paranoia, she scanned him with her powers. The scan came up clean. He wasn’t doing anything to her. These desires were natural. If anything, their control over him made Conrad the safest outlet for her needs. At the moment, there was no man she could trust more than Conrad.

Sitting in his arms, the emotions of the past couple weeks caught up to her, and Lisa began sobbing softly into his chest. Conrad wrapped his arms around her, whispering words of comfort into her ear. After a while, Lisa stopped paying attention to the words. All that mattered was that she was safe now, safe and comfortable in his warm embrace.

One of his hands rose up, sliding up the side of her body until it rested on her breast. Lisa looked up at him, and saw the interest in his eyes. They were close together now, faces mere inches apart. Then they were together, her mouth on his.

Lisa didn’t want to be alone anymore.

Theodora knelt on the floor, arms clasped behind as she presented herself for inspection. Elizabeth liked seeing her former leader that way. She was glad that the priestess was with them now. Theodora wasn’t truly one of Elizabeth’s sisters, not yet, but it was only a matter of time. Everyone broke eventually.

“You’ve been a bad girl,” Hubber told Theodor, and she hung her head. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she sniffled in shame. It was disquieting to see the priestess like this, and Elizabeth hated it. If only she were better, she would be able to help Theodora. There had to be some way to get past her block faster. Some way to help Theodora truly embrace the joy of servitude.

Their masters were not pleased. Whatever secret knowledge the priestess possessed, it had vanished from her mind during her capture. Trance would restore it, presumably, but she was proving unbelievably stubborn. Theodora was their top priority, and breaking her had taken away a lot of resources from the other captives. Many of them would already have become full servants had Theodora not required so much attention.

“I know it’s hard,” said Elizabeth. She tried to make the words as comforting as possible, hoping to soothe Theodora into acceptance where shame had failed. “It’s hard, but you have to let go of your blocks. You have to trance for your masters.”

“I’ve been trying,” Theodora pleaded. It was a strange sight, one Elizabeth had never imagined before joining the Brotherhood, but it was a fitting one. Of course she would beg and plead. The idea of a woman trying to maintain her pride before the glory that was the Brotherhood was absurd.

“I just can’t,” she continued, tears streaking down her face, “I try and I fail. Please master, I beg you to help your worthless slave become more obedient.”

It was a constant source of annoyance, and one of the many mysteries of trance. On some deep, psychological level, it couldn’t be forced. Though she had never heard of anyone cracking trance before the Brotherhood, the mind was surprisingly defensive of it. No matter how ensnared the mind was, something deep in their subconscious resisted an involuntary trance.

Elizabeth had been lucky that they’d caught her in trance. The block could be circumvented, but it took months of careful work to break the barriers. Had she been taken awake, she’d probably be here in this facility waiting her turn. She’d still be blissfully obedient, of course, but not a true servant. Not like she was now. Loyal to her core, and in full control of her powers.

“Since you begged so nicely,” said Hubber, motioning the lab techs forward. The pulled her over to the bed and started positioning the electrodes. Theodora cringed. This wouldn’t be pretty, but she did nothing to resist. That would be disobedient.

“Don’t look so gloomy, priestess,” he said, “Who knows? Perhaps this will be the last time.”

The techs began their work, and Theodora’s body spasmed. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. Elizabeth hoped for her sake that this would be the last time, but she didn’t think so. No, Theodora wouldn’t be that lucky, but sooner or later it would happen. In time she would truly serve their masters.

“I can’t believe it. I can’t fucking believe it,” said Jessica.

“Don’t be like that, Jessica,” said Conrad.

“You were fucking my best friend. What the hell!” Jessica was mad. She was beyond mad, she was absolutely furious right now. How the hell could they do that to her? She’d put up with Lisa’s crap for weeks, helped her every way she could, and this was how she’d been repaid? What the flipping hell!

“Calm down,” he said, reaching around her shoulders from behind. Even now, she felt warm and safe in his arms, and for a few seconds instinctively melted into his touch. No! She was not going to let this slide. She was way too upset for that. Jessica spun around to confront him.

“How could you?” she said. The betrayal hurt, cut straight to the bone. For a little while, she’d actually allowed herself to think that she’d connected with someone, found someone that was right for her. How could he do something like this?

Conrad embraced her again.

“You need to relax, Jess,” he said. Her head spun, anger and desire warring within her. After all he’d done, how the hell could his touch feel so good.

“How can I?” Tears started to trickle down her face. She buried her head in his chest, not wanting him to see her like this. He stroked his hand through her hair, gently reassuring her.

“Lisa was in a bad place back there. She’s finally accepting that there’s nothing she can do, and it hurts. There was only one way to comfort her, and you weren’t there for her.”

Jessica sniffled. What did that mean?

“You’d have done it if you were there, wouldn’t you? To help out your friend?”

What? Do that with Lisa? Of course not. But, but if it was just to help her out; if it was the only way to comfort her?

“I, I guess,” she said, sniffing as her nose ran slightly from her crying.

“Then should I do any less for her?”

It, it made sense when he put it that way. She didn’t like it, but maybe that was selfish of her. How could she be such a terrible friend when Lisa needed her so badly? As usual, Conrad was right. He always knew exactly what to say.

Jessica clung tighter, reassuring herself that he was really still here for her. She took comfort from the sweet, encouraging sound of his voice whispering into her ear, even as she stopped caring about the words themselves.

TO: DStone@guardiannet.gov
FROM: FunTimes@WarmMail.net
SUBJECT: Get a Look at This

When you get a chance, take a look at this research. Notice any patterns? I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of the implications. And what isn’t said is almost as scary as what is.

That aside, how’s everything going? Been thinking of you a lot.

Love, Lisa

“And then when he took it out of the box, I couldn’t believe it,” laughed Jessica. “I almost fell out of my seat laughing.”

She was arm in arm with Conrad, walking out of the theater. They’d topped off their day with an early performance of How Did That Happen?. Jessica had been wanting to see that for so long, but with the whole Lisa thing she thought it would run its course before she got a chance. Then somehow Conrad came up with two tickets, and Jessica had almost freaked out on the spot.

The rest of the audience moved around them. Some pushed past, scurrying onward to wherever they were headed next, while others lingered behind. Almost all had smiles on their face. The show had lived up to its promise, and was the perfect capstone to a wonderful day.

Jessica drew the occasional stare as they walked out, and why wouldn’t she? Tonight she wore a long, slinky black and red dress. Its asymmetrical hemline bottomed out just as it touched her knees. The back of her dress was open, and her long silky hair swished across it as they walked. She smiled as she noticed the men, and occasional women, checking her out, but she clung a bit tighter to Conrad as she did so. Jessica wanted everyone who saw her to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she was taken.

Tonight was the first time she had dressed up, really dressed up that is, since that night at the club so many days ago. The night they’d brought Conrad into her life. When they’d set out that night, who could have imagined how it would all turn out? Never before had Jessica found someone that she fit with so perfectly. They just clicked, like nobody she had been with before.

When they reached the car, he opened her door for her. She smiled. He was so sweet, so chivalrous. This day had turned out absolutely perfect. The only thing wrong with it was that it was coming to an end.

Then he skipped the onramp leading back home. Jessica’s heart fluttered, but she tried to keep her voice innocuously innocent when she asked.

“Wasn’t that the turn back home?”

“We aren’t going back yet.”

“Oh?” She asked. Yes! She thought.

“There’s one last thing. We have to pick up something I ordered for Lisa.”

“Oh.” What the hell did he want with her?

“Come on,” he said with a wry smile, reaching his free arm around her. “It’s just a little something to make up for leaving her home alone so much.”

“So much?” Besides the occasional walk, they’d hardly since she arrived.

“That’s the plan, anyways.” He stroked her hair lightly, his fingers gentle as they traced their way between the strands. Jessica sat back with a smile on her face, at ease again. Conrad always knew what was best.

Lisa tried her best to hurry as she swept out the foyer. She felt like she was just on the verge of unraveling the pattern in her notes, and didn’t like being away from them any longer than necessary. The sooner she finished her chores, the sooner she could get back to her work.

She knelt down, inspecting each little nook and cranny for hidden dirt. Damn, she noticed a little pile in the corner that she’d missed the first time. Ugh, she’d have to start over from scratch.

Conrad was right, though. She’d been mooching off of Jessica for long enough. It wasn’t fair that she made Jessica worry about keeping up with the house she’d so generously shared. So of course, she’d taken over Jessica’s share of the housework. No one was as surprised as Lisa by how much she enjoyed it. Household chores had always been a bother growing up, and the temple had staff to take care of those details. But while she was working, everything became so much simpler. There was no need to fret about politics or conspiracies. No thoughts of danger or intrigue, puzzles or confusion. Only the push of a broom, a meal to prepare, or a dish to wash. Life was happier, easier. When Conrad suggested that she take over his duties too, Lisa had practically jumped him then and there out of gratitude.

Then there was the part she’d never admit to anyone. The secret thrill it gave her. This was an outlet, a way to express her urges without risk. While she worked, she could pretend that she was just a servile little maid at their beck and call. Lisa rubbed her thighs together and resisted reaching down. Just thinking about it made her wet.

Especially today. She wasn’t usually so thorough and meticulous, but Conrad had hinted that today was special. He’d refused to say what the surprise was, but she didn’t want to disappoint. Perhaps it had something to do with his day on the town with Jessica? Whatever the reason, she would do her duty and make sure the house was spotless.

RING!

Lisa startled at the sound, almost dropping her broom when the doorbell rang. Setting the broom aside, Lisa looked down real quick to make sure she was presentable. Everything was fine, though, and she looked out the peephole. It was a deliveryman, and a hot one at that. She rushed to double-check her hair and clothes, wishing for a few more minutes to make herself presentable.

“Package for a Miss Trishia Andrews,” he said. Oh yeah, he certainly had a package she’d like to get her hands on. Lisa stifled a giggle, and gave him her most charming smile.

“Sign here,” he told her.

Lisa immediately reached for the clipboard and pen, signing the pseudonym. It was the safest one she had available. A small risk, but a justifiable one if she was careful. Handing the clipboard back, Lisa tried not to let him see how much he was turning her on.

“Thank you, ma’am,” he said as he handed over the package. With a word of thanks and another smile, Lisa closed the door. She thought about inviting him inside, maybe even encouraging him with her powers, but Lisa had more self control in that. Besides, there was still so much to do, and so little time.

After dropping the package off in her room for later, Lisa hurried back to her task. After all, she hadn’t even started on dinner yet.

“Oh my god, you can’t be serious?” Jessica said. They were at a little boutique hidden out in the back of an outlet mall that Jessica had never seen before. Judging from the costumes, she could imagine why it kept such a low profile.

“Why not? Don’t you think she deserves something special after being all alone today?” asked Conrad. He’d said he’d ordered something special for Lisa, but Jessica had no idea what it would be. Whatever she’d imagined, it hadn’t been so ... this.

“That, there’s no way Lisa would ever want-”

“No, I think this is just what she’ll want.”

“I don’t know, I mean, she has been acting strange, but-” He cut her off again.

“This is just a new side of her you’re seeing. She’s coming to grips with her loss. Isn’t it a good thing she’s found a way to cope?”

Jessica couldn’t argue. When Conrad put it like that, it made sense. If that was what Lisa wanted.

“We’ll take it,” she said, slapping her credit card down on the counter. The clerk smiled and began to ring up the purchase.

“Oh, and one more thing,” Conrad said, leaning in close. He put his hand on the small of her back, resting just above her rear. His index finger just barely reached over the top of her dress’s back to touch her skin. He pointed, gesturing just off to the side.

“That one’s for you.”

The savory smell of dinner wafted through the house. It was Beef Bourguignon tonight. A new dish for Lisa, but she’d always liked to cook when she was younger. It hadn’t been that much of a hassle to look up the recipe online and figure things out. At any rate, Conrad had been quite insistent that tonight, of all nights, required something fancy.

The food was almost ready, simmering now in anticipation of Conrad and Jessica’s arrival. It could wait a while like that, but it would be ready in a few minute’s notice. Lisa was by the front door, waiting for them to come in. She’d been putting the finishing touches on her preparations when she noticed Jessica’s car pull into the driveway. They’d be in any minute now, and Lisa wanted to greet them by the door. That was important. She wasn’t sure why, but it was important enough to drop what she was doing.