Part 1A

I was thirteen years old when it happened.

I was in the theater, watching Star Wars, and got completely tripped out during that scene where old Obi-Wan and Luke got pulled over by the Imperial Trooper. Obi-Wan waved his hand and the gonzo in the Styrofoam bodysuit completely forgot what was happening.

The other thing that got me going - maybe not as much, but still - was those slick light sabers; those things were simply too cool, by half. I wanted one. REAL bad.

After I saw the movie about a dozen times, I finally got started on the idea of how something like "the force" could work, and what the hell those light sabers could be. I started trying to read up on anything I could find that might have anything to do with it. Initial progress was pretty good, but when I exhausted the readily available stuff, things slowed down - a LOT.

Hypnotism I picked up pretty quick, learning self-hypnosis easily. It helped me in school by making it easier for me to study and stay calm during tests, but didn't do much to let me control others. But hypnotism led me off to meditation - which helped my concentration - then yoga (which I passed off as a way to avoid injuries on the baseball and basketball teams - I was secure in my place as a good, but not great, player on both teams). There were a limited number of subjects that dealt directly with the mind, so I found myself trying to learn what I could of how the mind WORKED. The only noticeable benefit from that was a distinct improvement in my grades: when you start trying to learn college-level biochemistry, physics, medicine, neurology, and all that kind of stuff, you can't help but show improvement in the latter stages of middle school. Since all my studying and reading was having a benefit on my grades, my folks were content to leave me alone, for the most part. At first, my younger sister - Holly - delighted in harassing me about it, but when it didn't do her any good, and our parents didn't fuss about what I was doing, she soon gave up.

Along with trying to learn how something like Obi-Wan's mind control gig worked, I also got thinking about what a light saber was, and how it could work - and that got me going in electronics and physics. I'm not all that smart, but a lot of this stuff seemed to 'click' with me, and I didn't have that much trouble with it - I mean, both subjects had very distinct, very clear 'rules' that they operated by, and once I learned those rules, it all pretty much fell into place. Hell, a lot of it was pretty interesting, and I found myself spending more and more time learning about EEGs (electroencephalograms), biofeedback, and stuff like that, and less and less on 'the force'.

By the time I got to high school, I had a pretty elaborate electronics setup in the basement - test equipment, parts, tools, and the whole thing. I had part-time jobs with a couple of electronics places in town that kept me in parts and books, plus a little spending money. I wasn't getting rich, by a long shot, but I didn't have to worry too much about going to a movie or anything, either. I wasn't exactly a nerd, by virtue of being involved in sports, but I wasn't a jock, because I had an interest in this other stuff, too. The net effect was that I had a few close friends - some of the less nerdy brains, and some of the smarter athletes.

The other thing that happened was that my sister, two years younger than I was, started to blossom; then get interested in boys, and going out with her friends. Her almost constant need for money, and my need of test subjects, kind of brought us together - more often that she liked, and not as often as I wanted. The deal was that when I needed a test subject (mapping brain waves, for example) AND she was hard up enough to want the money from me, she would agree to be wired up for an hour or so. I'd get the data I needed, and she'd get the money she wanted. Our folks worried about it at first, but when nobody got hurt (something I was meticulous about), and since both of us seemed reasonably content with the transactions, let it go. The testing wasn't difficult - I'd simply paste a number of electrodes to her head, and record the patterns of voltages of her brain waves when I had her think about certain subjects, or how she responded to certain words.

Toward the middle of high school, I'd been able to map brain activity of a number of different people - my sister, of course, along with a few of my friends, a couple of Holly's friends that were more adventurous and tolerant, my folks (only a couple times each, in their desire to make sure I wasn't hurting anyone), and myself.

I was fiddling around with using my computer to overlay the mappings of the different scans I'd done when I suddenly realized that there was a LOT of correlation between what happened in different parts of the brain, and what the person was thinking - and that the more concentrated they were on something, the stronger the signals that their brain put out. The patterns of signals weren't exactly the same, but certainly close - kind of like the way cars travel down a multi-lane highway: no two of them took EXACTLY the same route, but still within a reasonable range of variation.

With that discovery and realization, I started making the effort to find out if there was any way to influence how the mind worked. And that got me back to the subjects of hypnosis, biofeedback, and all the rest. After a lot of designing, testing, and re-designing, I was finally able to come up with a 'helmet' of sorts that fit over my head, and measured the brain activity at certain points that I'd settled on as being important. By using the 'helmet', I was able to gradually develop my mental muscles - in only a few months, I was generating much stronger signals than anyone else that I'd been able to test, and could do it quickly and easily. But I still couldn't do anything to influence other people, on the few occasions that I tried.

But I found that I was able to influence Holly, through the use of the helmet: as an experiment, I tried using it to impress the desired signals on her, rather than simply using it to measure. Initially, I simply tried using it as a transmitter of sorts, to see if I could 'block' the patterns that she developed: when asking her to think of something, I'd apply the voltages for something else, and see how she reacted - usually by getting a confused, troubled look on her face, as though she couldn't quite get her mind to focus on what I'd asked her. From there, it wasn't long before I was actively asking her what the problem was, and hearing her tell me that all she could think of was whatever pattern I was applying to the helmet.

But there was still the problem of exercising that kind of control WITHOUT the helmet, and I simply couldn't get past that point.

At least, not until I happened to read a couple of VERY different books that, together, led me to a different way of thinking.

The first was a mystical type book - The Third Eye - written by a Tuesday Lobsang Rampa, supposedly a Tibetan that had been able to transfer his spirit from one body to another; the other a science fiction book, The Space Swimmers, by Gordon R. Dickson. In it, the lead character was able to develop a mental construct of the problems he faced, and find solutions using it - as part of a group of people that had a very much heightened sense of awareness of where they were, what was around them, and so on.

It seemed to me that both of these books pointed toward the same general thing: that there was a fundamental 'force' or 'being' that ran through all things, and that it was possible to become aware of that force.

So back I went to my self-hypnosis, and biofeedback, and meditation, and all the rest of the stuff that I'd started out with - but this time, with the addition of some technology.

Wearing my helmet, I'd put myself into a hypnotic state, and then try to watch the output on my test equipment to see what changes happened as I tried different things. I quickly realized that trying to directly go after something was about as productive as trying to nail jelly to a tree - it simply wasn't going to happen. Something like having someone walk up to you and telling you NOT to think of a polar bear - first thing you do is visualize the damn bear.

What I had to learn to do was to kind of 'ease up' on things - not approach them directly, but at an angle, sort of spiral in on them. Once I learned that technique, it didn't take long for me to refine it, so that rather than spending minutes getting to where I wanted to go, I could do it in a matter of just a few seconds. Goofy as it sounds, if you've ever read the description of how to fly in the Hitchhikers Guide series by Douglas Adams, it was like that - only inside my mind. With the ability to move around established, the next step was to start picking my destinations, and then what to do when I got there.

I was in my 'lab', as the family called it, one evening, and had gotten myself into a free-floating, not-being frame of mind when I started easing toward the idea of seeing if I could 'feel' things around me - and found out that I could. Living, organic things were easiest - bugs, people, wooden desks, anything that was, or had been, alive was easy to 'sense'. Inorganic stuff - steel, electronics, carpet - was harder, but could still be sensed, if in a different way.

The process of developing the ability to sense things was long, but not difficult - it seemed that each time I did it, my 'range' improved, until I could sense everything for hundreds of yards around me. And as my ability to do that improved, it overflowed into my 'real' life - like on the basketball court, I knew when someone was behind me, and who it was, and could act accordingly. I still couldn't shoot too well, but was a hell of a passer to the people that COULD hit the hoop.

From the sensing of what was around me, it didn't take me long to develop a 'feel' for the way things interconnected, and what would happen if something changed - a kind of sensing of a 'force' that actually connected everything, and flowed through it. With that, my athletics improved - I KNEW that if I threw the basketball with a certain amount of force in a certain way, it would hit nothing but net; I KNEW that if I waited to throw a baseball a second later, it would get to the second baseman in time for him to tag out the runner coming from first, but still let the other player head for third - only to be trapped into a rundown.

It was when I started trying to draw on that force, that interconnection, that I thought I'd die.

I'd put on my helmet in my lab, and was working on trying to draw on the energy that I could sense. I could 'feel' it getting close, but couldn't quite get it to happen - until I decided to simply open myself to it. When I did that, it felt like a combination of having my body turn to helium, I felt so light, and the pressure in my skull jump to about 50,000 psi. I passed out.

When I woke up, I had one HELL of a headache, and every muscle in my body felt like it had been boiled for use as spaghetti - soft, limp, and weak. All I could do was lay there, gasping, as I tried to sort out what the hell had happened.

When I was finally able to get myself back together, I started looking at the electronic records of what had happened - and found that it could only be described as the mental equivalent of electronic positive feedback. In essence, the outside energy that I'd tapped into had fed back on what I already had and amplified it, letting in more of the outside energy, amplifying what I already had inside, letting in more, and so on. To this day, I'm both amazed and thankful that I didn't burn out some mental circuit.

It was a few days before I dared try it again - and even then with no small trepidation. But I had to know.

So I hooked myself up again, but this time, rather than simply opening myself up to all the energy, I visualized a small spigot, and opened it, instead.

And it worked.

Even as I could feel the energy entering me, and my mind, I could see the readouts on my test equipment showing that I was generating far and above the normal levels of brain wave activity. So much so, in fact, that I soon overloaded the machine, and it simply refused to display anything other than error messages.

With that successful experiment, I went on to develop my newfound skills and abilities, and in just a matter of a few weeks, had reached the point where I could 'tap into' it easily, and with a minimum of effort. I even tried experimenting in front of my family, and none of them ever seemed to notice what I was doing.

From there, it was a short hop to finding out if I could apply what I'd learned to people.

My sister's very best friend, Diane, stopped by late one afternoon. She got there a little before Holly usually got home, and she sat in the family room with me, watching TV until Holly arrived. Since I wasn't a pain in the ass kind of brother, I was okay to sit with - for a little while, anyway.

As we sat there, I realized that Diane wasn't bad looking. In fact, she looked pretty damn good: straight dark hair to the middle of her back, brown eyes, clear complexion, full lips, breasts about the size of half- softballs. When she got up once, to get herself a drink of water, I also saw that she had an uncommonly fine ass - tight and firm, that flowed very nicely into her long, smooth legs.

When she sat down again, I got the idea of seeing if I couldn't draw on The Force, as I'd taken to calling it, and use it to get her to do something. In just a few seconds, I'd not only visualized the spigot that I drew from; but also visualized the brain waves helmet I used over her head, to help me concentrate on what control points I needed to use.

Thinking back over all the data I'd collected, I brought up the pattern for an itch (I'd seen it often enough), and started to project it toward her. After a few moments, I could see her starting to get mildly uncomfortable, and realized that an itching sensation without a specific spot was pretty useless. Shifting the pattern slightly, I had it seem to be on the inside of her left thigh - and sure as hell, she absently scratched at it.

Okay, maybe a coincidence. So I changed over to a sensation of cold, and moved it to her breasts - and promptly saw her nipples harden under her blouse as she shivered slightly.

I removed the cold sensation, and saw that her nipples gradually disappeared. One final test.

"Diane?"

She turned to look at me, and I asked "Could you do me a favor, and bring me a Coke?", I asked. Normally, she'd just look at me before telling me to get it myself, but I projected the pattern for contentment at her.

After a second, she smiled, and said "Sure, I guess I could do that.", and got up, heading for the kitchen. It worked! I could actually use The Force, the way old Obi-Wan did!

When she came back, I was careful to keep my face impassive, and when she handed the Coke to me, thanked her before she sat down again.

A while later, Holly got home, and the two of them went up to her room for whatever they were up to. It didn't matter to me - I was busy thinking about the possibilities for what I'd just confirmed.

I have to admit that there was a LOT of temptation to just do as I damn well pleased - but a couple of things kept me from it.

First, I still wasn't sure just what I could actually get away with. Sure, I could control people to some extent, but it wasn't like they were zombies, or anything. And besides, I LIVED here - people knew who I was, and where I lived, and who my folks were, and all that kind of stuff. Granted, I wasn't likely to be found out - but why risk it?

Second, I really didn't have any desire to draw attention to myself, or what I could do. I mean, this was the late 70's, right? There were all these stories about stuff the government was doing, and the idea of guys in suits showing up and hauling my ass off to prison, or to just 'disappear', REALLY didn't appeal to me. Paranoia? Sure. Justified? You tell me - I've never pushed it too hard, and never gotten busted.

Anyway, with the discovery that I could manipulate people that way, I was off and running. I'd 'scan' people to see what they were thinking and feeling, and the more I did it, the better I got at it. It wasn't like I could actually read their minds kind of thing. For people that I didn't know very well, it was more of a vague impression of what they were feeling in general - kind of like being able to read their expression, only more so. With people that I did know, I could go so far as to be able to get inside their skin, sort of, and experience some of what they were: seeing, tasting, and so on. At the very best, all I could do was get the general drift of what they were thinking, since people think more in images than actual words. Nor could I actually force them, or take over their minds. It was more like I could 'steer' the way they thought, guiding them toward what I wanted.

I'd try impressing sensations and thought patterns on people; gently at first, simply trying to bias them toward one thing or another, then as my skill developed, almost bending them to my will. I never outright 'took over' anyone; instead, I chose to implant reasons and justifications for them to do what I wanted, and used those to make the desired adjustments. Interestingly, when they thought it was their own idea, the changes I made to people seemed to be more effective and last longer.

I was just past 16 when I got to this point, and chock full of hormones and lust - and that made girls my favorite targets. I knew that I could have any girl I wanted, but didn't want to raise too high of a profile; so I contented myself with the 'average' girls at school. Not the cheerleaders or popular girls, but the ones most folks never really noticed; it didn't take me long to lose my virginity to one of them. Whoever I went out with, I'd carefully scan them to see if they were more interested in a good time, or were inclined toward something 'more'. Whichever the case, I'd meet their desires; and as I found out later, it didn't take long for me to develop a reputation as someone that was 'nice' to go out with - for whatever reason. For the ones that just wanted to have fun, they always went home happy, thanks to my ability to read what they wanted, and give it to them. Those that were more available went home pleasantly satisfied after I impressed one or two orgasms on them along the way to my own pleasure.

Even as I kept myself occupied with the girls at school, I didn't neglect my two favorite subjects: my sister Holly, and her friend Diane. Even two years younger than I was, both of them were knockouts, and I delighted in being able to watch, and manipulate, them. With Holly around most of the time, it didn't take me long to get her 'trained': I could readily scan her, and whenever she had a question or problem, gently insert the thought that I was her older brother, and could maybe help out. Each time it happened, she was that much happier with me, and more willing to seek me out the next time. Along the way, I started calling her 'Pumpkin', as a left-handed compliment about the color of her hair. I also gradually relaxed her toward the idea of letting me see her in progressively more exposed states of dress (or should that be undress?). Dark red slightly curly hair (Dad teased Mom about it for years - neither of them had any known family with red hair), fair complexion (but not the white-with-freckles that so many redheads have), deep green eyes, and slender - but not thin - frame, she was always a cutie. But when she started to sprout parts, well, she just went from cute to cuter: medium-sized breasts, trim waist, and very nicely curved hips and ass.

It was a gradual process, so our folks didn't notice it - particularly since the clothing part of it really only applied when they weren't home, anyway. It also slid by Diane - except for the fact that as my sister's best friend, she would be privy to Holly's thoughts about me, and would be there to see that Holly was patently unconcerned about letting me see her in just a bra and panties, for example - after all, no more was showing than if she was wearing a bikini swimsuit, right? Of course, I was always careful not to take any special notice of those situations - other than to scan Diane, and increase her acceptance of me as a benign presence that only took notice of them as required. It didn't take long before Diane was perfectly comfortable matching Holly's state of (un)dress, and making my life at home ever so much more interesting and pleasant.