How could she not notice? Mia fumed silently as she smiled back at her boss. Dorothy was basically everything Mia wanted in a woman, except for one troublesome thing.

“So, once we’re through with this, how about we hop over to Daisy’s for a drink? I’m sure we can even get you a nice boy over there.” Dorothy asked as she focused in on the soldering job she was doing to the little device on their lab bench. Mia was just handing her the tools and parts she needed as she worked from the other side. That gave Mia a perfect view down Dorothy’s blouse though she was careful not to stare too long or look too often.

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Mia replied cheerfully. She didn’t need a boy, didn’t have much use for men in general, but she’d take any chance to spend more time with Dorothy. Taking another look over the little device Dorothy had been assembling. It wasn’t actually that complicated. She could see an array of small LEDs around a tiny square display screen. They were wired up to a series of controllers and a framework that could be covered in a protective shell so that it could be handheld.

“Oh, can you get me that last charging connector?” Dorothy asked as she checked her work again. Mia had to snap her attention away from watching Dorothy’s cute ponytail sway as she worked. It was purely functional, but Mia always loved the way her boss looked with her hair pulled back. Dorothy was only a few years older than Mia, but she somehow looked younger. It was her delicate features, soft cheeks and perky nose that did it. All of which drove Mia wild.

“So, what does this thing do?” Mia asked as she handed over the connector.

“Well, I saw this really interesting paper on using different light patterns to put someone in a hypnotic trance. They had a workup on the device they used, and I’ve been tinkering with a new hypothesis for rapid learning through direct optical neural interfacing.” Dorothy explained as she hooked up the connector.

“And you just finished working on those sight restoring sensor implants.” Mia nodded. It was an interesting combination of research. Dorothy certainly knew her stuff. She was one of the foremost experts on how the brain processed optical data. Mia wouldn’t be surprised if she worked up something Nobel worthy within a few years with the way she was going.

“Exactly, so I figured if I could just make a few modifications, I might be able to not just put someone into a trance but actually allow them to learn something in just a few moments by looking at the light patterns. I’d love to beat those brain implant boys to the punch on accelerated learning.” Dorothy smiled as she tapped the device. “Now, I just need to get it charged up and we can start testing tomorrow. Ready for that drink?”

“Let’s go!” Mia nodded and after a quick tossing off of lab coats and goggles, they were on their way. Thankfully, the lab was only a block down from one of the best bars near campus. Not that any of them were bad. One of the up sides to being a premier research university was that the local bars weren’t just filled with rowdy troublemakers. What made Daisy’s the best was the live music for one, and it was one of the best lesbian hookup bars nearby, not that Mia chose to share that detail with Dorothy.

“Now, I still don’t see what a cute girl like you hasn’t had a few flings at least.” Dorothy prodded as they settled in at a little side booth with their first round of drinks. Mia flushed a bit at that.

“Oh, you know how hard it is to find the right one, especially when you’re cute.” Mia nudged back. She kicked herself inside for that. It wasn’t like she usually hid her true orientation. She just didn’t normally put it on display. Dorothy had just put her off balance from the first moment they’d met. Mia had tried to subtly signal her interest, but Dorothy hadn’t noticed. Worse, Mia found herself just agreeing to whatever Dorothy said, and somehow Dorothy had come to an entirely wrong image of Mia. Now, Mia wasn’t sure how to wiggle her way out from under those mistaken impressions without disrupting her relationship with Dorothy. The last thing she wanted was to lose Dorothy, even if that meant she couldn’t take the relationship as far as she truly wanted.

“So, true. I’m not even sure if Peter’s the one, but he does have a few skills I can’t quite live without. That’s what I’m saying, you don’t need to get like a forever guy, just you know a little company to work out some tension with.” Dorothy giggled. Mia flushed a bit just thinking about how she’d like to work off some tension. It didn’t help that Dorothy had the cutest way of talking about sex. Despite being in her late twenties and clearly willing to fool around, she was all blushing shy and half whispering anything that might be considered dirty. Mia found it adorable and had to fight down so many urges every time she watched Dorothy talk about it.

“Well, they’re easy to pull in, but so hard to get rid of.” Mia shook her head.

“Yeah, that’s true.” Dorothy took a sip of her drink. “I guess it is better to be careful.”

“So, don’t worry, I’ll find the right one.” Mia smiled and gave Dorothy an extra long look. It was the kind of look that said everything when you were flirting, but Dorothy didn’t seem to notice.

“Well, I suppose that means you’ll be all bright-eyed and ready tomorrow for our first tests on our little toy then. I got a few undergrads signed up and ready to go!” Dorothy smiled.

Mia nodded. It was going to be more work. Every project had its ups and downs, at least this one was ready to get to the interesting part It was just a matter of waiting to find out if Dorothy knew what she was doing. They chatted a bit longer, and then it was back to their apartments.

On her way home, Mia considered what she knew about Dorothy’s new device. The basic idea sounded a bit farfetched, though Mia knew her boss wasn’t the type to experiment without a firm footing either. If her device could really help people learn faster, it could be an amazing invention. Mia was looking forward to seeing it in action.

“Ok, just relax and we’ll go through the final sequence. Then there will be a little test and some nice cookies for all of you.” Dorothy smiled as she picked up the device again.

Mia watched as she walked over to the first of their student volunteers. The guy was a pretty generic college guy with an obnoxious t-shirt, short messy hair and that half arrogant smile that the most annoying ones always seemed to make.

At least, that was how he looked until Dorothy held the device up to his eyes and turned it on. His face was covered in a smooth shifting pattern of lights. Even just looking at what was reflected off his face kind of made a Mia feel a bit woozy. Even so, she was drawn to the look in his eyes. As soon as the device turned on, his eyes went wide, his mouth slack and you could almost watch the drool forming in the corners of his mouth as his eyes dilated and he seemed to sway ever so slightly.

Then Dorothy turned off the light and he shook his head a bit and blinked a lot. He seemed to be a bit fuzzy as Dorothy continued on to the next volunteer. This one was a cute brunette with the deepest drown eyes. Mia could have eagerly done a tumble with her in bed, but that was getting a bit too involved with the subjects. Still, watching the girl go under, her eyes growing wide and unfocused as the device did gave Mia a rush of warm shudders between her legs.

The last girl was a busty blonde. She could have passed for a cheerleader, but was dressed down here, wearing just a tight-fitting blouse and slacks. She wasn’t quite Mia’s type but watching her go into a trance was just as arousing as the other girl. Mia had always thought the whole hypnosis thing was kind of a crank before but seeing it right before her eyes was something else entirely. She couldn’t help but get some ideas for how to use that little device.

“Okay, boys and girls, let’s see what stuck!” Dorothy ushered them over to take some tests on what the device should have transferred into their heads. They went to work and then left after they finished with the test and a light snack. It didn’t take long before they were all finished, and it was back to just Dorothy and Mia.

“I can’t believe these results.” Mia looked over the before and after tests. The tests were over some very detailed bits of physics, history, and music. The kind of things that you wouldn’t know unless it was your major and even then, you’d likely get the details wrong if asked about unexpectedly.

All the subjects had done horribly on the first test. The scores were around twenty percent, which was under what random guessing should have gotten them. It was the second round that was truly amazing. They’d all gotten everything right, and not only that, they all raced through the test as well, as if it was easy.

“Yeah, I mean, I expected some improvement, but this is amazing!” Dorothy was grinning ear to ear. They both knew they had an amazing breakthrough on their hands. “You know, I had another idea though, something I only wanted to try with someone I trusted. Do you think you could volunteer?”

“Um ... sure. What is it?” Mia blushed a bit. There was no way she could turn down anything Dorothy asked of her. She hated feeling so weak that way.

“Well, just sit down in the chair over there and I’ll run a little test. It won’t be anything too big. I just want to check an idea.” Dorothy motioned over to the chair as she synced the device up with her computer. “I just need to load in the new set of parameters.”

Mia nodded and sat down. She couldn’t quite believe she was really doing this, and just waited as Dorothy held up the device right in front of her.

“Okay, just relax, this is a quick one.” Dorothy said and then pushed the button.

For a moment, Mia watched as the lights shuddered and flipped in front of her. She could feel her eyes opening wider almost instinctively as the light just seemed to sink into her, blurring out all her thoughts and she just went down a shimmering rainbow of flowing colors. There weren’t really words to explain it, and then just as suddenly, the colors disappeared, replaced by the bright room as her eyes readjusted.

“Feeling ok?” Dorothy asked with clear concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine. What was that supposed to do?” Mia asked as she regained her sense of being. There was certainly a feeling of otherness when the light hit her.

“Oh, stand up and I’ll see if it worked.” Dorothy motioned excitedly. It was like watching a kid at Christmas waiting to open her present.

Mia nodded and stood up. Then just as she looked over to Dorothy, her boss tapped her nail against the desktop once, really loudly.

“Bawk! Bawk, bawk, bawak!” Mia clucked loudly before she could even think about it. Her hands flew to her mouth in surprise. She hadn’t meant to do that, and certainly not loudly enough to echo in the lab. “What ... was...”

Then Dorothy tapped the table top twice and Mia moved in front of her boss, wrapped her arms around Dorothy’s neck and pulled her down just enough that she could plant a passionate wet kiss right on Dorothy’s lips. Mia held there for a moment, extending the kiss before the moment broke and she stepped back in shock.

“Oh ... my, you really did it! I never imagined...” Dorothy giggled and blushed as she wiped away their shared wetness from her lips.

“What did you do?” Mia felt a sudden storm rolling up inside her as the shock started to fade.

“I ... just wanted to see if I could put a command into the imprint rather than just raw information. I needed to see if you’d do something that you’d never normally do.” Dorothy explained as she started to sense that she’d crossed a line. She stepped back slowly as she could see Mia’s face begin to twist.

Mia felt her rage flare first. That Dorothy would think that them sharing a kiss would be something unimaginable. It hurt even more after how good it had felt to press her lips to Dorothy’s. Even if she hadn’t done it intentionally, it was almost perfect. Yet, to Dorothy, it was nothing, an experiment, a test of the impossible.

“How ... how could you!” Mia balled up her fists as she shouted. She didn’t know what else to do. She looked back and forth around the room as fire sparked in her eyes, and then managed to hold together enough control to storm out of the room. She couldn’t stay another moment longer, not and avoid some kind of violence.

She seethed all the way back to her apartment. Then she just kept going. Sitting on her couch wasn’t going to make her feel better. Mia didn’t even know what would make her feel better now, and so she just kept going, stomping through her anger.

It was sometime later that she finally started to cool down and really think about what happened. With the flip of a switch and a little programming Dorothy had made something impossible happen. Well, Mia considered all the other impossible things she could make happen with that kind of power. She walked along the riverside park, letting her mind fill with ideas. There were so many possibilities.

Mia turned the device in her hand. It wasn’t very heavy, and yet she could feel the power it held within. She knew it was all just in her head, but that was the point, it was what this little piece of experimental cobbling could force into another person’s mind. She looked at it again and then back at Dorothy who was sitting in one of the chairs in the lab.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you yesterday, but you can play a trick on me too, if that will make you feel better.” Dorothy apologized again. Mia could tell she was sorry, but Mia also knew Dorothy hadn’t figured out what had upset her so much.

“Are you sure?” Mia smiled back. She’d actually circled around last night, sneaking back into the lab and working up a special new program for Dorothy. At first, she’d kept it simple, just a few little tweaks, but as she worked, the ideas kept rolling. Little by little, that mix of rage and repressed desire merged. Now, it was all sitting in the device, a special cocktail of notions she wanted pushed into her boss’s head.

“Yeah, if you really want to, it’s ok.” Dorothy nodded, her eyes glancing at the device sitting in Mia’s hand. There was no way to know what Mia had programmed into it. Dorothy was a bit nervous about that. She’d been surprised that the triggers had worked on Mia without her being aware. That meant the device was able to push things deeper into the mind then she’d expected. Still, she did feel sorry for what she’d done, Dorothy thought it should have been just a simple joke, but she realized she’d crossed a line. Still, if turning the tables could restore the trust between them, Dorothy was willing to do it.

“Ok, then sit down.” Mia pointed towards the chairs they’d used yesterday for the students. Dorothy nodded and got comfortable as she watched Mia pull up the device and step towards her. They were both nervous, both unsure about what they were doing. For a moment, they each wavered, considering calling it off, but in the end neither did.

Mia’s doubts surfaced at the last moment as she held the device up for her boss. This was still such a new device, and no matter how well it performed recently, there was always a risk that it would have some long-term effect or damage. She didn’t want to hurt Dorothy, at least in any permanent way. Mia thought it over, as Dorothy looked up at her, those confused almost pleading eyes melted something in her. It was a rush, holding this power, seeing that hint of desperation, with one little push of a button, this feeling never had to end.

That was all it took, and her finger pressed down. The light show began again. Dorothy’s eyes grew wide, and her mouth fell open as the programming danced up her optic nerves and started imprinting her mind. Mia felt the heat growing between her legs, seeing Dorothy so vulnerable, so helpless, and most of all completely under her control. Her lips grew into a wicked smile as she waited for this to play out, her own little game was just beginning.

Mia waited as the programming ran its course. She tried to savor the moment, but it was over all too quickly. Then the lights faded, and Dorothy shook her head and regained her focus. That enchanting look of emptiness in her eyes were gone and she looked up at Mia expectantly.

Dorothy looked up at Mia sheepishly. She could feel a fuzziness in her head but had no idea what to expect. She didn’t feel different, but then none of the test subjects reported feeling strange despite the results.

“Okay, so what’s the trick?” Dorothy asked as she slowly got to her feet. She wanted to get through this moment, to hopefully restore some of the trust between them. She’d just made a huge discovery, and she wanted to celebrate it with Mia, not be consumed by some misunderstanding. She just hoped this would be enough.

“Oh, the trick. That’s easy enough.” Mia held her hand over a desk and then tapped on it loudly. The pattern was simple, but not something Dorothy remembered. Still, the sound triggered something inside her.

Dorothy’s eyes went wide, and she felt a strange urge to kneel down, and as her knees hit the floor, she had to keep going until she was down on all fours and then she looked up at Mia. “Woof! Woof, woof!”

“Oh! That’s a good girl!” Mia smiled wickedly and clapped her hands as Dorothy looked up at her. The look of raw confusion from her boss was priceless as she woofed again and then started to whimper a little.

Now, Dorothy felt strange. It was a twisted kind of strange, like being on all fours was natural, as was her inability to make anything other than dog noises, and yet she knew she should be able to stand and talk like Mia was. She barked and whimpered again, not understanding why it felt normal to be like this. Even more strangely it was kind of turning her on, like the notion that Mia could do this to her was just wickedly hot.

“I bet you want to be a proper human again. Don’t you girl?” Mia continued talking to her boss like she was the dog she was acting like. It gave her a delicious thrill seeing Dorothy like this, clearly unable to regain control of herself. Still, this was just a tease, a sampling, and Mia didn’t want to push things too far.

“Woof!” Dorothy barked and shook her head yes as she wiggled her but back and forth as if there was an eager tail being wagged. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t quite get control of herself again, but she knew that she wanted to, even though she also knew if Mia had let her stay in this state, she’d have been okay with that too.

Mia took a breath and savored the moment then tapped on the desk again. She wanted this to last longer, but it was just the beginning of her plan. It was going to be more fun to savor what was to come.

Dorothy felt something melt away inside her as she heard the tapping. She knew whatever had compelled her to kneel and act like a dog was gone as suddenly as it had come. She took a breath and then slowly pushed herself back up and looked at Mia as she blushed a bit.

“I’m sorry again, for yesterday, that really does feel so strange...” Dorothy blushed a bit as she realized that the whole episode still left her a bit warm between her legs. She’d never been controlled like that, and somehow it felt like something had just been unlocked inside her.

“It’s okay, now that you know what it’s like, you know to be more careful about it, right?” Mia asked, testing her voice carefully to be assertive and chastising. This wasn’t a casual acceptance of her boss’s apology.

“Yeah, I won’t do that again.” Dorothy shook her head. She felt so small in that moment. She’d made mistakes before, and been called to account for them, but never had she felt like this. Disappointing Mia was much worse than any previous failures. It was another funny thing, like she hadn’t realized it before, but now it was so clear.

“Great, then we’ve got a lot of work to do today, right? Another round of volunteers to test?” Mia smiled at her boss warmly and delighted in the look of relief in Dorothy’s eyes. Yes, this was going just as well as she’d hoped.

The testing took up much of the day. They did much the same routine as the day before, though they added more kinds of learning tests, and found that the device could easily imprint all kinds of information into a subject. It was still basic testing, but they managed to imprint the skills to win a video game onto the last group. It was certainly a huge feat. If they could do that, virtually any kind of mental training could be done with the device.

“That’s just amazing!” Dorothy was almost giddy as she watched the last batch of test subjects all playing their games like seasoned veterans. “Just think about what we can help people do!”

Mia just nodded as she picked up the lab. The day had been busy, but she’d been testing Dorothy all the while. Bit by bit.

“Oh, Dorothy, can you go put this box away?” Mia asked as she finished adding files to it. Normally, it was her job to do all the boxing.

“Oh, yeah, sure...” Dorothy felt an odd pull on her again. It was like every time Mia asked her to do something, she felt a tingle shoot up her spine. She turned around to look at her assistant and saw Mia giving her a somewhat stern look. Something was wrong, but it took her a moment to piece it together. “Yes ... yes, Ma’am.”

Mia smiled and felt her stomach tingle excitedly as she heard Dorothy say that and watched her boss shudder from the unexpected pleasure that came from those words. Mia was careful not to push, not to bring extra attention to these moments. As soon as Dorothy spoke, Mia was back at work packing up another box.