Telos Ch. 05

In the warm afterglow her mind was empty except for a pleasant fog of secure contentment.

Happy. Eager. Obedient.

"What am I ever going to do with you?" he asked absently.

She closed her eyes. "We can keep doing that."

He put a hand on her head and kissed her once more. "Go to sleep, little lamb. Tomorrow you go back in the white room."

-)(-

Laura wasn't sure what word she wanted to use to refer to Amy. Slave seemed harsh and pet seemed a bit dehumanizing. She suspected Amy wouldn't mind either term but they both still bothered Laura. For some reason she was having trouble imagining why it was inappropriate to own another person. Things like that were rapidly rising to the top of her concerns. Maybe it would be easier just to think of Amy as her slave and avoid enslaving anyone else. It wasn't as though she could free the girl. If she abandoned her Amy would just go back to the clean shaven man.

In the white room Laura had kept trying to convince herself that she wasn't being changed but after several days out in the real world that obviously wasn't true. She told herself that the time she spent using her abilities on the girl's mind was only to keep herself in practice but it kept feeling like a lie. Controlling Amy was so easy and the girl loved it so much. Laura enjoyed it, too. The struggle of wills and the younger woman's inevitable surrender felt like nothing else she had ever experienced.

Arranging meetings with people of influence was surprisingly easy. She knew exactly what numbers to call and exactly who was really in charge, more 'gifts' from the clean shaven man. Getting the Bliss out of the water supply would take time. Over the last week she had tracked down the company that was delivering the contaminated drugs and excised the corrupt elements. Disciplinary charges were useless, naturally, but carefully arranged transfers allowed her to painstakingly build a widening sphere of influence.

The blond man tried to interrupt the process occasionally. It was evident that her very existence disturbed him, although her association with the clean shaven man made him unwilling to do anything more than talk when he met her. She couldn't tell if it was fear or some kind of respect. Instead he seemed to be targeting her old support structures. People she'd known before the white room were gradually disappearing. No one acknowledged that her old receptionist had ever worked for her anymore.

Amy seemed terrified of the blond man and Laura decided it was easier to make her forget their confrontations than anything else. All she had to do was reach deep down and find the memory. The detective would gasp and squirm and whine until she finally released it with a single warm breath of surrender. Laura could never help but smile when it happened.

She turned her attention back to the present.

The polished oak doors of the office she was sitting outside of opened and a slightly reedy man a few years younger than Laura stepped out. He adjusted his glasses, glanced at Amy, then looked back at Laura. "Doctor Silva?"

"Yes," said Laura. "Thank you for meeting with me, mister mayor."

He closed the door to his office behind him then crossed the waiting room and shut the door to the hall. "I don't take bribes, doctor, and I don't respond well to threats." He looked at Amy again. "What do you want from me?"

"Just information."

"Fine. Done. Now you can leave."

"If you receive any requests regarding your reservoir or its facilities I'd like you to call me." She handed him her card. "Call me if you get any more threats or bribes, too."

"I'm not sure I understand, doctor, I've spoken to your . . . colleagues."

"We all want what's best for people. That is the extent of our association."

"Whatever you say." His eyes flicked toward the door. "If this goes any further I'll . . ."

"Call the police?" suggested Laura. "Or the FBI? How far up do you think this goes?"

"Too far, that's all that matters."

She reached out and caught him by the back of the neck, not sure what she intended to do. He hardly seemed likely to turn her in to the others but if he made himself too obvious he'd be killed. All she had to do was make sure he didn't get himself hurt. His mind writhed under her touch. "Stop fighting me."

He choked with the effort of resisting.

"Oh for goodness sake." Laura pressed her lips against his as she pinned him against the wall and forced her way into his thoughts. He sagged a bit. "Relax." Any more pressure would crack his mind in half and leave him less functional than Grace or Amy. "Listen to me," she ordered him. "If you tell anyone about this you'll be killed. Cooperate with them then tell me about it. I'll take care of you. Understand?"

He nodded.

"Say it for me, dear," Laura whispered. "Tell me you understand."

"Yes, ma'am . . ."

"Good. I want you to sleep now." She slid her hands up over his cheeks. He had none of the inherent resistance Amy did, asleep he was totally exposed. A few distressing thoughts stood out from the fabric of his mind. She straightened them out almost on reflex.

Amy touched gently her on the shoulder. "You're doing it again, ma'am."

Laura froze in place with a bit of joy twined around her fingers. When she pulled on the thread of emotion she could make him sigh in his sleep. It was so easy. A little tension made him smile. A little more made him moan. There was no harm in that. She gathered up more threads and he let out a sound of pleasure.

"Ma'am . . ." Amy sounded frightened.

Laura released the man's mind and fell back.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" Amy was by her side in a moment.

"Yeah . . ." She looked at the mayor. "I don't know if I can do this."

"You think master is right, then."

"No I do not. It's just getting harder to stop myself." She licked her lips. She needed a safe outlet. "Amy . . ." She undid the top buttons of the younger woman's uniform. "Slave girl . . ." She pressed her into the carpet. "I'm sorry. I have to. If I don't . . ." Her willing little slave was already entranced. That would make it easier. "Good. You're mine now. Good girl."

She sank into Amy's thoughts.

Happy. Eager. Obedient.

The words were everywhere.

Happy. Eager. Obedient.

Such an elegant way to keep her under control. Resistance didn't just cause displeasure, resistance was displeasure. No wonder Amy was so eager to obey. The girl probably couldn't even conceive of trying to make herself independent. Any positive thought would twist back around and remind her how good it felt to be obedient. The constant need for sex kept her mind soft and unfocused. She could never concentrate long enough to fight back. The perfect slave. Unwilling to escape and unable to resist.

Laura traced the length of each thread of the girl's thoughts, through every knot and tangle. She let herself wander. There were a few buried secrets. A bit of independence was wrapped up in her sense of duty. Laura caressed the delicate strings with incredible care. They hummed at the touch. She heard Amy's breathing quicken in the world outside her mind. Threads of fear coiled up defensively.

"Don't worry, slave girl," whispered Laura. She smoothed away the fear. "Happy slave. Say it."

Amy mumbled something incoherent.

"Good girl. See that? You're safe." Laura sighed. That was plenty. She released Amy's mind and collapsed into a dreamless sleep. An hour later she awoke to find her slave was lying by the mayor's side on the other side of the room. Laura rubbed her face. "Fuck."

The curse roused Amy, she blinked her eyes blearily. "Sorry, mistress, I was really . . . um . . ."

"Quiet."

Amy nodded.

Laura placed a hand on the mayor's face. His mind was still intact, which was good. If she'd done anything significant in the few minutes she was controlling him then his mind would be a wreck. She had to come back every once in a while and encourage the change. A little tweak here and a suggestion there. In a few months he'd be hers.

She shook her head but the thought wouldn't leave. "Come here, sla . . . Come here, Amy."

The detective crawled over to her with feline grace.

"Good girl." She traced Amy's jaw line as the slave girl smiled. "I thought it would be easier to resist but it's terribly hard. I think I need to . . ."

Someone jiggled the lock on the door. A key scraped against metal. "Mister mayor, is everything alright in there?" The door opened and a bright-eyed young woman stepped through. "What's going on?"

"Come here," Laura said, rising. "No need to be upset."

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