The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Title: Claim Day

Chapter 50: New Direction

I woke with a gasp, my head throbbing. One moment I’d been tied to a chair beside Phoebe, hearing the ominous beeping of the VLF transmitter behind us, and the next… nothing. The realization hit me like ice water: the programming was complete. My brain had been rewired, just like all the other women.

The cloth gag in my mouth was dry and tight. Beside me, Phoebe struggled against her restraints, muffled protests escaping around her own gag. Across from us sat Bernard Smith, arms crossed over his chest, a self-satisfied smirk playing on his lips. My stomach twisted with dread. I knew what came next: the claiming. Soon I’d be devoted to this repulsive man, my intellect and body at his disposal, my skills turned toward whatever twisted goals he had in mind.

But there was one thing Smith didn’t know. One variable he hadn’t accounted for. I couldn’t be certain it was even real, but it gave me a flicker of hope in this desperate moment.

“About time you two woke up,” Smith said, leaning forward in his chair. “The night didn’t go quite as smoothly as I’d planned, but the losses are acceptable, all things considered.”

Phoebe was crying now, tears streaming down her face. The sight alarmed me. I’d never seen Phoebe cry, not once since our first meeting to discuss my findings, despite the dire situation we had found ourselves in. However, I was relieved to hear smith hadn’t gotten everything he wanted. Still, he had managed to get enough to satisfy him. And he was still here, six hours later, which meant no one had managed to stop him.

I desperately hoped Charlotte had made it out with the pocket transmitter and our programs. But in mere moments, I’d likely be working against her, trying to prevent her from doing exactly what I now prayed she would do.

Smith sighed, rising from his chair. “I think I’m going to avoid the monologue for now. I’d rather brief you properly when you’re on my side.”

I struggled violently against my restraints, and Phoebe did the same. Smith ignored our resistance, stepping toward Phoebe first. He grasped her chin roughly, forcing her to look up at him.

“You belong to me now,” he said firmly.

The change was instantaneous. Phoebe’s body relaxed, her eyes widening with wonder. She tilted her head playfully, all fear vanishing from her expression. Smith removed her gag with deliberate slowness.

Phoebe giggled, stretching her jaw. “Wow, that feels so weird,” she said, her voice light and amused. “I can’t believe how terrified I was just a moment ago!” She turned toward me with a pitying smile. “Poor Ramona, still ‘free.’” She said the word as if it were a ridiculous concept. “It’s fucking strange, seeing it from this side...”

Smith chuckled. “I do like to play with my toys, but there’s no time for games right now.” He moved behind my chair, his hands coming to rest heavily on my shoulders. “I own you, Ramona. You belong to me now.”

The transformation was astonishing. One moment I was filled with horror and resistance, and the next—calm. Devotion flooded my system like a powerful drug, washing away my fear and replacing it with absolute certainty. Intellectually, I recognized this as the programming’s effect on my neural pathways, but that knowledge did nothing to diminish the overwhelming rightness of my new purpose.

“Well,” I said as Smith removed my gag, “it seems you got what you wanted after all. How may I be of assistance, Bernard?”

Bernard paced in front of us, his movements precise and controlled despite the obvious tension in his shoulders. I found myself admiring his composure, a thought that would have disgusted me mere minutes ago but now seemed perfectly natural.

“I’ve secured Echelon,” he explained, his voice clipped and efficient. “All male scientists have been eliminated. Edward, his security team, Duncan.” He ticked off the names like items on a grocery list. “I’ve claimed Duncan’s women and Portia Fletcher.” His jaw tightened. “However, there was a complication. I sent Warda to eliminate Edward, but she appears to have failed. She hasn’t been seen since, presumably killed or captured. Edward and Elaine managed to reach Gabriel and Duncan, warning them before we could intervene. Gabriel and his women escaped with Elaine’s assistance.” His expression darkened.

Learning that Edward and Duncan were gone did not elicit any emotion in me, except maybe curiosity about my lack of feeling. It was interesting, in a detached, clinical way. I might have felt genuine sadness in different circumstances, even claimed, but the fact that their death was in the interest of my owner seemed to overwrite any other emotional reaction.

Bernard sighed, running a hand through his thinning hair. “It’s manageable. If they attempt to return, we’ll be prepared. With you and Phoebe now under my control, along with the other women I’ve claimed, we should be more than equipped for what I have planned.”

“You should know that Phoebe and I gave Charlotte Corbin a pocket VLF transmitter,” I said, the words flowing easily despite knowing what they meant for Charlotte. “We also provided her with access credentials to our programs. We instructed her to leave Echelon and find a way to broadcast the deprogramming signal if anything went wrong here.”

The irony wasn’t lost on me. Moments ago, I’d been desperately hoping Charlotte would succeed. Now I felt an urgent need to help Bernard stop her, just as I had expected. The cognitive dissonance was fascinating.

Bernard’s face went slack with horror. “Charlotte Corbin has a transmitter? And the programs?” He stood abruptly, grabbing his radio. “Does anyone know the whereabouts of Charlotte Corbin?” He paused, then cursed under his breath when he realized the signal couldn’t get through the reinforced walls of the MRI room.

He strode to the door, yanking it open and stepping just outside. “I repeat, does anyone know the location of Charlotte Corbin?” His voice echoed down the hallway.

Several female voices responded in the negative.

“Someone check her quarters immediately,” he ordered before stepping back inside, his face taut with controlled anger.

“Sorry about that,” Phoebe said with a sad smile, blushing. “Who would have thought I’d regret being cautious? Life’s full of little ironies.”

I leaned forward, my mind racing with solutions. “We need to contact Dr. Vokter immediately,” I said. “Tell him that a group of rogue male scientists attempted a coup and have created a program designed to sabotage our efforts to free women. He should be instructed to refuse any contact from outside sources and to inform us immediately if anyone approaches him.”

Bernard nodded, his expression clearing slightly. “Do it. I’ll determine if Charlotte Corbin is still within Echelon. When I return, we’ll discuss what I need you both to accomplish for me.”

I was about to let him know about the one thing that might disrupt his plans, the one thing that had given me hope before being claimed. But as I opened my mouth it suddenly didn’t seem as important anymore.

He left without another word, the door closing behind him with a loud thump.

Phoebe and I exchanged glances, a strange complicity in our shared devotion. I wondered with genuine curiosity what exactly Bernard Smith had planned for us, and for the world.