Part XII - 3: Hope's Last Chance.

A light flickered on, then a moment later, it flickered back off.

Darkness isn't so bad as long as you can't see the shadows. Or at least that was what I thought until I sensed things moving about me.

"Hello?" I called out, wondering where the hell I was.

"Timmy?!?" Suzi's voice called in the distant. "Tim, where are you?"

"Suzi, over here!" I frantically called out.

"Timmy... I can't find you... " her voice said, fading in the distance.

"SUZI! COME BACK!"

"She can't hear you any more. The link just broke," a VERY familiar voice said.

"How do you know? Who are you?"

"I know because I was the one who broke the link. We need to talk, you and I."

"Bastard. Why did you do that. That was Suzi. The real Suzi. Who the fuck do you think you are to... "

"I'm you, stupid. And that wasn't the real Suzi. It was just an echo of her. Shit don't I know anything?"

"You are me. Er, I am you. Whatever. So what's up, self?"

"You know what's up. This whole mess we've gotten ourself into. And you know why I'm here."

"I do?"

"Okay, fine. I'll start off. Penny was right. You did betray her first."

"How can you say that? I made sure her dad wouldn't mistreat her. She had to get over her fear for her dad somehow. How else could I make her face her fear?"

"Doesn't matter. The fact is you left her there, then never checked up on her. You let her two boyfriends keep an eye on her for you, and you see how much good that did. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, and you know it."

"Oh, I suppose you want to blame me for dad undoing the commands in mom's head too."

"Eventually, yes. Come on. Keep going. What else."

"What, like if I hadn't insisted on letting my dad go home while we took care of wrapping things up, Joey's mom and dad wouldn't have been captured?"

"We're getting warmer."

"And if I had only did the same thing I had done to everyone else who had been at the party, Penny would have never been able to tell Steven anything about me. Then Suzi and Joey wouldn't be like they are, and... "

"And?"

"Oh FUCK! You mean this whole mess... It is all my FAULT?! Oh MY GOD! If I hadn't of given Penny... If I hadn't... "

"If we hadn't played God by giving Penny the brainwashing knowledge the twins had, Steven's uncle would still be researching for a better drug because Penny wouldn't have perfected the conditioning that went along with it."

"YES, I KNOW! SHIT! I've known for a while, I guess."

"I'm glad you can finally admit it to yourself. But it wasn't completely our fault. We know something that no one else does that has to be taken care of before he discovers it for himself."

"Shit. You're talking about Steven being a telepath, aren't you. Shit. Hey, how come we didn't let ourself think of that until now? I mean we've more or less had it figured out for a while."

"True, but if we had figured it out all the way, how long would it have been before Joey would have fished it out and told Steven. How long would it have been before they realized they didn't need us anymore. All Joey had to do was form a share link with Steven and that would have been it for us."

"So what do we do now? I doubt suicide will help matters any, but if you're game, so am I."

<nothing but silence>

"Hello? Hey... Where did you... I go?... Hmmm... I wonder what Freud would say about this. Probably something sexual, knowing him. Heh. Well, if it is sexual, it can't be all that bad. 'Course, here I am thinking to myself like a lost idiot. Now if I was me, where would I put the light switch?"

"TIM! Wake UP!" my mother said, shaking me.

"Wha... WHA... WHAT!" I sputtered. "I'm awake, already!"

"What did you do to Suzi?! She threw up all over herself!"

"Shit. I didn't think of that. Is she okay?"

"Yes, she's fine. Joey's helping her clean herself off in the shower. Tim, remember how I had to tell you something after your nap?"

"Yeah. What is it?"

"Now, I don't want you getting upset by this. All right?"

"Shit, mom. Okay."

"While I was examining Penny's mind I found... "

"Oh... I know. You found that Steven had unconsciously altered her to think the way he wanted her to think. I already know he's a telepath."

"What? When did you find this out?"

"I've sorta known for at least a month. Ever since I talked to Penny, I started to put the pieces together. The way she had talked about how important her family was to her could have only been caused by either him using the drug on her, which he didn't, or someone making her that way telepathically.

"And the way he got his uncle Jake to believe he had drugged Penny. That was another thing. Penny had faked the helpless slave bit around him so he would believe it was Steven who had developed the brainwashing techniques. They knew Jake wouldn't trust Penny since she was basically an outsider."

"I wish you had pointed all this out to me sooner. I was worried half to death yesterday about telling you. I didn't want... "

"I know. You didn't want me to go off the deep end again. A lot of this is all my fault. I even agree with me about that. But I can't just skip out by killing myself and leaving everyone else in this mess. I think I figured out a way to help Joey and Suzi. Oh! Mom! Suzi remember my NAME!"

"She did? That's wonderful!" she said giving me a surprisingly long hug. "I've been very worried about you, especially after I had let myself go and we... you know. I'm sorry for that."

"I know," I said, feeling something peculiar about the way she was acting. "Let's just forget it happened."

"Oh, no, Timmy. We mustn't forget it happened," she said, kissing my shoulder as she laid me back down on my back. "We must remember it as our first of many."

"Mom?" I said, feeling my mother's hand bringing my dick to an erection. "I'm going to count to three. If you can't get a hold of yourself by then, I'm going to put those Cabal commands back where they belong. In your head."

"Now, honey. How would you do something like that? You're too weak to get through my shield right now. And since I've disabled your powers myself, you can't even call for help. Now let me show you what Joey had me do for him this morning... "

"Joey? Had you do for him?" I said finding the implied meaning too horrible to imagine.

"Yes, right before I asked him to be the father of my next child. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Na Na NA NAAA NOOOO!" I said wiggling out from underneath my mom. But before I could get off the bed, she grabbed control of my body and sighed.

"I hoped I could have one last suck, Timmy, before Joseph takes you away from me forever. But he's calling me now... Oh, Timmy! Why did you have to resist! I'm your mother! Couldn't you just have let it happen once?!"

All I could do was stare at her, unable to reply for my body was under her complete control. I was yelling at myself for not bringing those important revelations up sooner, and then kicked my ass across my mental landscape for not noticing the shower hadn't been running at all.

As my body was being led back to the warehouse, my panic was really starting to rise.

"Get a hold of yourself!" I told myself. "We have to stay sharp and look for any chance I get to get out of this mess. Too many people depend on it!"

From what I could see from my eyes locked straight ahead, everything seemed to be as it was. There were slaves still checking out a few prospective slaves at the last minute, and there were at least two Cabal members around who definitely were not under anyone's control.

And then I saw the Inquisitor heading our way. I prayed he was coming to talk to me, and couldn't believe it when he did just that.

"Tim, I'm not sure if I will have time later to go over what we discussed yesterday. If you're mother can spare you a moment, we can go to my office... "

"No, but thanks anyway, Charles. I don't want to take up your time with it. I'm sorry I even bothered you about it."

"I see," he said. "Well, if you change your mind, just let me know. Samantha, you know how to contact me, don't you?"

"Certainly, Charles. How could I forget?"

"Well, just in case we don't get a chance to say good bye later, good luck Tim. I hope everything works out," the Inquisitor said holding his large hand out to me.

Like a traitor, my hand took his and shook, and my unfaithful mouth told him thanks, that I hope he worked out his little problem too. She took that straight from my own subconscious. She had to have done since I hadn't told anyone about his personal troubles.

So as my best hope of rescue walked unhurriedly away, I started screaming inside, banging on the walls, kicking and cussing, trying everything I could to disrupt my leisurely walk to my doom.

The cell where Steven was being held was opened as we walked up, not surprisingly finding Suzi, Joey, Penny, and David there with him.

"Well, look who's here," Joseph's mocking voice said as he walked up to my mom and fondled her crotch. "How's my little woman?"

"Oh, Joey... That feels soo good," my mom cooed.

"MY NAME IS JOSEPH!" he screamed with a surprising amount of venom.

"Your name is Joey," I thought to myself. "Joey Theodore Connor. Joey Joey Joey."

"Joseph," Steven said in a calm voice, "How long now."

"Thirty three minutes," he replied meekly.

"Why don't you have Tim sit down and allow him to speak for now. I want to ask him a few questions."

"Yes, Steven," Joey said as I sat down on the floor.

"Yes, Steven," I immediately mocked when I found myself able to talk.

"You want me to make you bite the tip of your tongue off?!?" Joseph warned angrily.

"That would make it difficult to talk, wouldn't it Joey?"

"Call me that again, and I'll... "

"Joey Theodore Connor. Joey Joey Joey Joey J... " I said as my own hand started to slap me in the face. "Joey Joey Pheoy Joey gah Joey Joey oof Joey Joey... "

"Enough, Joseph," Steven said as he motioned my mother over to him.

"Yes Steven," Joey and I said at the same time. If looks could kill, Joseph's stare would have slain me where I sat.

"While I've been locked up in here, I've had a chance to think things through. All my life my family has been working to find a way to control a telepath to control others. Now that I have done this, I find that I don't trust the results of Joseph's telepathic power as much as my and Penny's skills at using the drug.

"Then when your mother let it slip I WAS a telepath, at first all I could think about was learning how to use it and rebuild my grandfather's dream. But when Joseph managed to get around your mother's controls and take her mind, I realized that the only thing I could depend on was the drug and the method.

"So, I'd like to hear what you thought, not that it matters."

"Fuck you," I said, watching my mother lovingly give him a twenty two.

"I thought as much. Seeing I can not allow you to live once your mother has helped me take back my property along with all the others here... I suppose I've come to respect your ability to keep your hope alive. So I'm going to destroy that hope once and for all."

"Not likely," I said noticing that Suzi's eyes watching me with just a hint of concern.

"Steven," Penny spoke for the first time since I had arrived. "I don't want him to die. Can't we just make him my plaything like we had said earlier?"

"No, Penny. While he lives, he is a threat to the family."

"Oh... " she said, feeling torn in what was right and wrong. I started to hope she might again be my unknowing ally, but then she said, "You're right. Killing him would be best."

"Yes, killing him is best," Joseph said smiling wickedly at me.

My mother paused in her blow job, but then after Joseph had a moment of concentration on his face, she went happily back to her sucking.

"Family," I thought to myself. "That had to be the key to this."

"Joseph, where are your mom and dad?" I asked.

"They will be here. Why? You thinking of having a last fuck with my mom?" he snarled.

"No. I was worried about them. So Steven, how did you get around my little command to make sure you didn't hurt them after you brainwashed Joey into Joseph?"

"Actually, I didn't," he said smiling. "I forgot to thank you for adding such a convenient factor to his psyche. I would have never had broken his loyalty to you without making him forget you if you hadn't have given me that tool. Joseph is my greatest and most trustworthy slave, all thanks to you."

"So you admit in front of Joseph that you brainwashed him into being someone else?" I said, truly surprised.

"Oh, yes. Joseph knows all about what I did to him, don't you Joseph?"

"Yes, Steven."

"Tell him why."

"Yes, Steven. Because Steven is my love, my life, my God. I exist to serve Steven, and nothing else matters. Nothing in my past, nothing in my future."

"You see? He is mine, and nothing you can do can take him from me."

"You want to make a bet?" I said, looking deep into Joseph's hate filled eyes, searching for anything remotely familiar.

But I had to look away to glance at Steven when his surprising response was, "A bet... What kind of a bet?"

I thought to myself, "Think fast, kid," then said out loud, "Like, well, letting me try. I haven't had a chance yet. I was hoping to... You said you wanted to destroy all my hope? Well here's your chance. Ask Joseph, my mom, or even the real Suzi if you can find her in there what would destroy my hope the most."

"Joseph?"

I felt Joseph scan my mind, seeing I was honestly trying to save my life, but that I also was telling the truth.

"He thinks he has a chance of making me back into Joey. If you let him try and he fails... "

"Samantha, what do you think?" Steven said.

"Timmy would never be happy if he couldn't help Joey. I was worried if he ever gave up on that, he might try and kill himself again."

"You see?" I said, looking back into Joseph's eyes. "Until you let me try at least once, you would simply be murdering me without having the satisfaction of breaking me first."

"What would you need to do?" Steven said, expecting deceit.

"Well, I would have to be able read minds, and to freely ask Joseph and everyone else in the room questions without you or anyone telling them not to answer me. You said you trusted Joseph. I'm asking you to prove your trust and let me try my best to turn him against you."

"Done. Ha! This will be very entertaining."

"There's just one last thing," I said. "I want you to make Joseph command you to not interfere until I've lost my hope."

"How long, Joseph?"

"Twenty six minutes, Steven."

"Joseph, as long as he is not trying to trick us into warning the others, make me unable to interfere in whatever he tries until say... fifteen minutes after the timer goes off."

"Yes, Steven," Joseph said a little unsure.

"Joseph, this is will be greatest test of your loyalty to me. I am confident you will not fail, so you should be too."

"Yes, Steven," Joseph said happily with tears forming in his eyes.

Just as Joseph finished wiping his eyes, his parents walked in followed by...

"Gordie! RUN!" I screamed.

"Ah, Master Timothy. I see you have been collected. Very good. Here is the pistol you requested Master Steven. Will that be all?"

"Yes, Gordie. You may go on with your duties and forget everything you have done."

"Yes, Master Steven," Gordie said with his eyes glazing over and turning to leave.

"Oh, and Gordie... " Steven called out a moment later. "Please shut the door for us?"

As the wall met the edges of the other two, Penny said, "Whew. Now we're safe."

"Why? What's going to happen in... " I paused, checking my own semi accurate internal clock, "Twenty four minutes?"

"Everyone not sealed inside a cell will be gassed. Everyone but Gordie, that is. They will not awaken until we revive and enslave them one by one."

"Oh. Can we get started?" I said, not really surprised by his plans.

"Joseph, this is what I want you to do. The timer will go off at five till ten, just before the auction starts. At ten thirty you will take this pistol and shoot Tim in a leg, a minute later in the other leg, shoot him in the arms the next two minutes, then finish him off at ten thirty-five by shooting him in the heart. I believe that will break any hope you have left before you die."

Okay, so I couldn't keep my fear from showing after he said that. And I guess because he and Joseph were so confident, I started to doubt I could do it before Joseph carried out Steven's gruesome instructions.

But then I saw Suzi's eyes looking at me with more than just concern. Her conditioning to serve Steven and Joseph was still strong enough to prevent her from defying them, but she was clearly not happy with what could take place.

And when I saw her lips barely whisper, "I love you, Timmy," I regained my confidence and determination, finding Steven's threat only to be one more reason I had to make it work.

"Well? I don't have much time, you know," I said looking Steven in the eyes.

"Do it Joseph," Steven said, closing his eyes to avoid me possibly using my empathic power on him.

"Yes, Steven."

I felt Joseph's mind release some of my telepathic abilities after he had issued the commands to Steven's mind. As soon as I could feel the other's thoughts, I immediately began scanning everyone in the room.

"Shit," I said when I scanned Joey's dad. Tom had been given a new identity, believing he was one of Steven's uncles that I supposedly had taken control of. Steven had brainwashed Tom to use him in making Joey believe they were part of the same family, only to find it worked even better than expected because of my commands to protect his parents. I saw that this had been the key to breaking Joey's trust and loyalty to me. Steven had planted fake memories of me abusing his parents in horrible ways, and this was how he had started forming the hatred Joseph had for me.

His mother had been reconditioned to be a loving suck toy for his father. Even as I scanned their minds, Margaret was busily sucking Tom off while he seemingly ignored her and watched me with suspicion.

My scans turned to my own mother, finding the commands Joseph had used on her to be very straight forward and nothing I couldn't undo if I had the chance. Somehow Joseph had found a way around my mother's commands while she was having him eat her out again late last night. While she was experiencing her orgasm, he used the moment of confusion and tricked her into allowing him to form a share link with her, then disabled her ability to resist him the next instant.

With her mind restricted by his added commands, I felt my mother had been subconsciously trying to warn me by coming on to me. So even under Joseph's control, my mother may still be on my side.