Prototype Ch. 12

~=~ Epilogue ~=~

Anna pulled out her earbuds and straightened her blouse after tucking it in properly. "Come in," She called out to the shadow that had knocked on the other side of her frosted door.

"Ma'am?" The tentative voice checked again as she cracked the door just so, ensuring more than enough time to maintain all sense of propriety.

"Brandi, we're friends from law school. I helped you get this internship. It's okay to just call me Anna when we're alone." She said, lacing the mild reprimand with as much honey as she could manage. She already knew the answer- the poor thing had submitted to her 'orientation' without batting an eye at the somewhat peculiar method of its administration. 'I will always show proper respect and deference to my superiors in The Order.' She still had to ask the question regardless. It was all part of the experiment. "Where is this coming from? You didn't have this problem before."

"Yes, Ma'am. I recall." Brandi said, stepping fully into the room but showing no sign of going any further. "It's just that... I- I'm sorry." Her eyes glanced down at the stack of papers she held against her chest as if it were somehow concealing the clues to successfully navigating the awkward waters of her current conversation.

"I suppose it wouldn't be proper," Anna supplied the appropriate answer and smiled as she watched relief spread across her erstwhile apprentice's face. "Now that you're one of us.".

"Yes, Ma'am," Brandi said, blushing at the mention of something she had yet to fully grasp herself. She knew that she was part of The Order now. Knew it meant that she was part of something bigger than herself. Something truly important. It seemed like she had been searching for something like that all her life without even realizing it- a way to give meaning and purpose to it all. A cause she could truly dedicate her life to serving. And she had found it. Or, rather- it had found her.

Of course, that also meant she had to start at the bottom of the food chain once again. She almost laughed at herself when her thoughts drifted back to when she had first met Anna- only a few months ago. Though now it felt more like she had known her for years.

Brandi had just finished her first year at law school. Anna was an incoming student who had shown up at the library looking for some help getting started. It hadn't taken long for Brandi to realize that Anna didn't need that much assistance- she seemed to have already memorized the texts from most of her first semester classes. Being a bit older, her naturally commanding personality, and the years Anna had spent as a working paralegal gaining real-world experience had meant it had taken almost no time at all for Anna to become a mentor to Brandi, rather than the other way around.

Brandi had soaked it all up like a sponge, taking full advantage of the opportunity someone like Anna represented. "I can't thank you enough for- I mean. I appreciate everything you've done for me. Ma'am."

"The internship, you mean? Think nothing of it. As for the rest, you earned it. And I'm sure you'll continue to show that our trust in you is not misplaced." Anna flashed an almost predatory smile at the way her continued flattery was making the girl blush. Brandi was the first "intern" she had found for her Master- but she would not be the last. Once Master had provided her with the new prototype, it had almost been too easy to capture and enslave everyone at her firm. Priya had helped, of course- applying delicate pressure in just the right places where Anna's more forceful approach had ruffled feathers. Once they had ensnared one of the senior partners, the rest fell like dominos. As a reward, Master had politely suggested to the partners that Anna's office and duties be adjusted to better suit her new, if un-official position as his liaison at the firm.

They had agreed unanimously without a moment's hesitation or a single complaint.

There were times when Anna allowed herself to believe that she had been the genesis of the whole affair- planted the suggestion that he use his machine to train people to be his servants. His slaves. But she knew better. By the time she had offered herself to him, there had been at least one other woman that had already known her true place- just as Anna did now. He had even shown her the files- asked her to help improve them.

Then he had actually asked if she would be willing to try the new program herself. "I thought you were past needing to be reminded of this aspect of contractual law." She had scolded him- taking the new prototype from him and placing it on her head almost defiantly. She knew what it would do to her- but she didn't care. She belonged to him- completely. All the new machine would do was make that devotion even deeper.

She knew she had pleased him when he whispered those two magical words in her ear... "Good Girl..." And her world began to melt around her. And that was before he had even turned it on.

That was why she had such intimate knowledge of the fragments that were now permanently etched into Brandi's mind as well. Not the same ones that had been used on herself- no. Master needed Slaves certainly. But he did not need everyone he corrupted to show that level of devotion all of the time. His circle of influence was going to quickly grow beyond what he could hope to personally maintain. Eventually it would reach critical mass and take on a life of its own, even without further indoctrination.

The Order- That had been her idea. Rachel and Maggie had helped polish it a bit before they presented it to their Master. He had immediately approved. Especially given the trouble that had surfaced about that same time.

Somehow a company claiming patent rights to the original Prototype had noticed its disappearance and had forced an investigation at the University. It had surfaced quickly enough, with just enough documentation to make it seem as if it had just been inconveniently misplaced- lost during the natural shuffle of material in a warehouse as large as that. Too bad it had been placed next to all of those magnetized ferrous blocks from the Material Engineering department. A few of them were even stuck to the side of the CPU. Anything on the machine would have been wiped. A shame, really.

That had stopped any criminal litigation, but civil court is an entirely different ball-game.

Anna allowed her eyes to be drawn to the stack of papers against Brandi's chest as well. "Well- don't just stand there." She waved the girl over. "Come. Sit. Is that what I think it is?"

"The deposition, yes," Brandi said, placing the stack of papers on Anna's desk as she took her seat- then placing a single red jump drive on top of them. "If I may, Ma'am... I don't quite understand-"

"Why this was all necessary?" Anna finished for her- eyes locked on the small data device as if it were made from diamond and solid gold. "Is that..."

Brandi nodded. "Yes Ma'am. The files from the laptop recovery, as you requested." She said, flowing back to her point of confusion seamlessly. "If the civil charges are going to be dropped, why did I need to spend all that time taking his statement? And some from Rachel as well?"

Anna reached out- palming the drive in her hand. It felt... normal- which seemed almost odd to her. She didn't know what she had expected. Should it have been warm to the touch, perhaps? As if heated by its own internal corruption? Or ice cold instead- like someone would have to be to do all the things her Master had done and not go mad in the process. She already knew most of it- gleaming bits and pieces along the way from one of her Sister-Slaves or another.

But she had a few questions left herself. "Isn't that what an internship at a law firm is for? Experience?"

Brandi looked down at her hands, not wanting to push any further than she already had without permission. Anna might be just a lowly paralegal at the firm- but Brandi now knew she was only a step or two removed from Benjamin himself within The Order. The very Master who's will and directives it existed to serve. That fact intimidated her more than anything else she could imagine. "One wrong step... One out of place comment and she could have me punished- or even expelled." Of course, being that close to true power made the risk completely worth it.

"Well," Anna said, leaning back into her chair and allowing the poor thing to relax. "What did you think?"

Brandi took a moment to consider her answer. "Ma'am... it is not my place to-"

"I am well aware of your place, Brandi," Anna gently scolded her. "I am not trying to entrap you into speaking poorly of him. If you are going to serve, then you must prove yourself professionally as well as personally. I am looking for your legal opinion on his statement."

Brandi swallowed the lump that had developed in her throat and tried her best to force out the words stuck to the tip of her tongue. "As stories go it seemed a bit far-fetched Ma'am. I can't see how it would stand up in court as anything other than a justification for mental disorder defense."

Anna raised an eyebrow but gave the girl time to expand on her thoughts.

Brandi looked up, hesitant to go on until she saw the look on Anna's face. Relieved that she had not just committed some sort of unforgivable sin, she continued. "It's just that... No one is going to believe that he has a machine that can alter people's thoughts and personalities to that degree. And the story itself- it seemed to lack a certain internal consistency at times. There were gaps. Loopholes. Obvious contradictions in his motivations."

"Did you think to press him on them at the time?"

Brandi looked aghast at the very thought of interrupting him. "Of course not. That would hardly be my place."

"Of course," Anna agreed. 'The Master of The Order is to be shown the total obedience and respect.' "Then why do you think he would he tell you those things?"

Brandi parsed her memory of all the thoughts that went through her mind as she had spent hours listening and transcribing the story during the previous week. It was obvious that he was trying to come up with a plausible cover story for how The Order had begun. If she hadn't already been a member she would have never understood how someone like him could have amassed such a sheer amount of power in such a short lifetime. At least, not without exactly the sort of obviously fictional technology he had described. It was either the pefect cover, or he was actually insane- but it was not her place to question. Only serve, and obey.

Anna pushed the issue a little further. "There were obvious parallels, weren't there? Between his story and reality? Did he mention this firm by name? Me, perhaps?"

Brandi nodded. "Yes, and Priya as well. If I did not know him, it would all just seem completely unhinged. Either that- or the most heinous of crimes I have ever heard of. Serial violation of personal autonomy. Human trafficking. Or worse."

"Does that bother you?"

Brandi considered the question a moment before meeting Anna's eyes with a calm certainty she found... comforting. "Why would it?"

Anna nodded her approval. 'The Master of The Order is above legal, moral, or ethical concerns.' 'To serve The Order is to serve a higher purpose.' 'The Master of The Order is the ultimate authority of right and wrong.'

"Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that it all happened exactly as he said. If you could, what questions would you ask?"

Brandi smiled, cocking her head slightly at the opening. She had so many questions, but the first one, the most obvious one, was easy. "If he had the power to change people like that, why didn't he just force everyone to tell him the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth at all times? It just seems like that would have prevented a lot of his alleged problems right from the start."

Anna couldn't help but grin at the thought she herself had voiced to her Master when he had first revealed it all to her.

"A good question," He had praised her, before allowing his eyes to drift off as he determined which thoughts he would allow Anna to know. "One could forgive me for my naivety at first. But I think I always knew that honesty is a double-edged sword. It would have created as many problems as it solved."

She hadn't understood at first- and had admitted as much to him at the time.

He had smiled down at her as he ran his hand through her hair and caressed her naked flesh- sending sweet shivers up and down her spine. If her legs had not already been turned to jelly from the last hour of sex she would have taken him again on the spot. As it was she had settled for his attention and sudden emotional vulnerability. It had been a moment of true intimacy that she knew would be a rare gem moving forward.

"You have to be able to understand how you truly feel before you can truly be honest about it. Think of what it means to be an escort. A whore. Or even a regular old actress. Some small part of what they do has to be a lie. It's part of the job. No one can truly be that turned on. That tuned in to sex all the time. They have to be able to lie, if only to themselves. Otherwise, how could they play the role so convincingly? After all, I was just another client- at least at first."

Anna had been lost for a moment. "I have never lied to you, Master." She had done her best to follow his reasoning, but it was all she could do to sound to just sound reasonable when she tried to reassure him.

Her Master had smiled down at her, his pleasure only muted for a moment by the shadow of something else passing across his face- before it too was gone. "Of course not. I did not mean to imply otherwise. I know what was in your training even better than you do."

Brandi's voice, continuing her requested list of questions, brought Anna out of her reverie. "And another thing. There were points in the story where it should have been obvious that something was wrong. He even admitted as much in the statement."

"Rachel, for example." Anna offered.

Brandi nodded. "And Maggie, even more so. She went through some rather drastic personality changes as his story progressed. And Rachel's answers to some of his questions were pointedly obtuse- there was ample opportunity for lies of omission. He could have answered those questions with a single, direct question, or simply ordered them to tell him the whole truth instead of the heavily edited version he seemed willing to live with."

Anna nodded, knowing the answer to that one as well. Or, rather, a part of it. Her hand tightened around the small red jump drive as she considered the potential of what it might contain. "I think I can answer that one- as it is a good thing to remember in our profession."

Brandi looked at Anna expectantly, waiting.

Anna took a deep breath, allowing the pregnant pause to develop the proper amount of weight behind her words. "Never underestimate the power of a lie. Especially the ones we tell ourselves."

Brandi nodded after a moment. "Denial is a powerful thing. Yes." She paused a moment, thinking. "You're saying he never asked because he didn't want to know? He said something to that effect early on. But I thought he had moved past that with his own training near the end."

"Hypothetically, at least." Anna couldn't help but smile at how involved Brandi had become in the story without any visible hint that the cognitive dissonance bothered her in the slightest.

"Of course," Brandi said, shaking her head briefly as if knocking loose cobwebs. "The story simply isn't credible otherwise- not even at face value."

"Of course." 'I serve The Order faithfully, and loyaly of my own free will.' 'I want to serve The Order.' 'Serving The Order gives my life meaning and purpose.' Anna licked her lips absently for a moment, no longer able to ignore the small stain on Brandi's lapel- or the thought of how good it would taste on her tongue. "Out of curiosity. Did you suck his cock each day, or just the once when you were finished?"

Brandi stammered, unable to prevent her cheeks from flushing at the memory the sudden change of topic had brought to mind. "I had the, uhm- pleasure to... ah- twice. Ma'am." It certainly was not out of any embarrassment, nor any unwillingness to show the Master of The Order the depth of her dedication to serve and obey. He had fucked her today as well, laying her on her back on the boardroom table and pounding his cock into her pussy as Rachel had fondled her tits through her blouse. It had been the best sex of her life and she had felt flattered that he even felt she was hot enough to fuck in the first place. Should she mention that to Anna as well? No, there was no need to bring up something so trivial with her superior. Unless she asked of course.

Anna was mildly surprised her Master had sampled the hot young thing only twice- though she had no reason to believe the girl would lie to her about it. 'I will gladly use my body to serve The Order if it is desired.' 'Fucking, sucking, and pleasuring other men and women of The Order is one of the best parts of being a member.' 'Sex within The Order is not infidelity. It is how we ensure loyalty and devotion.' 'I will serve and obey anyone above me in The Order.' 'I will use those beneath me in The Order to remind them of their place and ensure their loyalty.' 'I am sexually attracted to both men and women.' Though that last one was reserved for just the women- as open and uninhibited as her Master might claim, Anna had yet to see any evidence that he was interested in men. Which was too bad, she would have loved to see Pearson's mouth wrapped around her Master's cock. Would have served him right for all the shit he had given her before she had brought him into the fold.

"That will be all then," Anna said, gesturing to the neatly arranged stack of paper on her desk. "Take that directly to the shredder. Your initial observation was correct. We will not require that it be kept for future use. As of this morning the two parties have officially come to an arrangement. The suit has been dropped."

Brandi stood, collecting the pile of papers she had set down only moments before. If there was any resentment at her work turning out to be pointless, she didn't show it.

"Is there... anything else I can do for you? Ma'am?" Brandi offered, licking her lips expectantly.

Anna grinned at the thought of the petite blonde buried between her thighs- knowing she would be more than happy to oblige. But she had... other things to attend to. "No. That will be all. Thank you, Brandi."

"Ma'am" She said, taking the stack and making her way quickly out of the room. She did her best to hide her disappointment. She honestly did feel like she owed Anna a lot. She consoled herself with the fact that her internship would last the rest of the semester. She was certain she would get other opportunities to properly show her appreciation and devotion to such a high ranking member of The Order. It would not be the first time Brandi had been thankful for her brief experimentation with her roommate in the dorms during her first year of her undergraduate. Priya had been more than willing to give her some delicious pointers as well. "Perhaps Priya could use some help with something," Brandi thought absently as her pussy moistened with desire. "After I shred these, of course."

Anna waited for the door to close before slipping the jump drive into her laptop while slipping her ear-buds back into place at the same time. Tapping at the keyboard, she quickly entered a few search terms to find the file she was looking for among all of the other files from Rachel's laptop. The recovery team had told her that deleted files were frequently partially corrupt. She just had to hope that this one was intact enough to give her the answers she wanted.