The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Cedric

I sat there in Rowan’s living room, watching the sunset paint the sky all kinds of reds and oranges through the big windows. We’d been debating what to do for hours... The whole damn place felt too quiet with just the four of us—me, Gabriel, Warda, and Charlotte—while Rowan had taken all the other women outside to work in the garden or do chores around the lodge. Felt wrong somehow, like we were planning a war while the womenfolk were kept busy elsewhere. Then again, nothing felt right these days.

“Are we sure about this?” Warda asked, looking at me and Gabriel. “Wouldn’t it be smarter to try and take Echelon back from Smith? We know the place, we know how many people are there. Attacking the Sheriff’s base, the Source... It feels like a fucking huge risk.”

“Knowing Smith we’d be risking more just showing up at Echelon’s door,” Gabriel sighed. “He’s got Wendy, Olivia,” he paused and looked at me, his jaw clenched, “and the others. He could use them against us. I’m willing to bet he has a dead man’s switch too. What if he’s made sure that if it seems he’s losing, Norway is warned that Echelon is compromised for good? He also could very well have a sabotaged version of the program ready to transmit. It would be easy to do. Just scramble the original one, transmit it, and women are fried.”

I nodded reluctantly, hating the fact that Gabriel was right. “Smith knows he has us by the balls. He probably expects us back.”

Charlotte snorted and shifted uncomfortably in her chair, that permanent wariness never leaving her eyes. “Even if we manage to steal that plane from the Sheriff’s compound, and that’s a mighty big if, what exactly are we planning to do? Try landing at a secure military facility? At Jim Creek?” She shook her head. “That’s assuming we don’t get shot down first by fighter jets or ground defenses.”

“She’s right,” Warda said, standing behind my chair. I noticed how she kept close to me without being too obvious about it. Smart woman. After the whole mess with Wendy and Olivia, she could tell I needed space, especially from claimed women, but her programming still pushed her to stay near. “This plan sounds completely insane.”

“Jim Creek isn’t a large base,” Gabriel said, looking at Warda. “It’s a Navy radio station, mostly antenna arrays and transmitter buildings.”

“And it’s the origin of the Source’s transmission,” Charlotte added, leaning forward. “The same Source that managed to reprogram all women on Earth and take down the government. Small base or not, I’m pretty damn sure they’ve got serious defenses in place.”

Gabriel grunted, rubbing his hand over his face. He looked like hell warmed over. “Okay, it is insane. It’s suicide. But what other option do we have?” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Ramona and Phoebe were only days away from finishing the counter-virus. Even with their team reduced now that I’ve taken my women, they’d have no trouble creating a small program designed to scramble the signal handshake. They already have it as a part of the deprogramming program. It could be broadcasted any moment now. We can’t get to Norway, and all other VLF facilities are either too far away or also military installations.” He sighed heavily. “Jim Creek is within reach. We’ll probably get killed on sight, but maybe not? It’s the last card we can play, even if it’s a terrible one.”

“What I don’t understand,” Gabriel continued, his brow furrowed, “is why Smith hasn’t already sent the scrambling program. That should have been his first move once he took control. Ramona and Phoebe must have been fully programmed by morning. It’s been eleven hours...”

Warda crossed her arms. “Smith doesn’t just want to maintain the status quo, the original programming from the Source. If that were the case, he would have immediately scrambled the handshake, especially knowing we’re out here with the deprogramming program.” She tapped her fingers against her arm. “If he’s waiting to use that nuclear option, it means he needs to program women first, something different than what the Source originally did.”

“Son of a bitch,” Gabriel swore, slamming his fist on the armrest. “You’re right.”

I groaned, leaning back in my chair. The wood creaked under my weight. “What’s that fucker up to? What could he possibly want? He’s already got Echelon, already has transmitters, more women than he could handle in a lifetime.”

Charlotte snorted, a bitter sound that carried the weight of her time with Cameron Blaine. “Men like that never have enough,” she said, her voice hard. “He probably wants to fuck with the programming, make it easier for him to get more women, more power. That’s how they operate.”

Gabriel nodded slowly. “That might actually work in our favor. It buys us time. He won’t scramble the handshake until he’s got the program he wants, and that might take Ramona and Phoebe and the others some time. Maybe a few days, maybe less, but at least a day or two. They still need compilation time on top of actually writing the program.”

Charlotte groaned, rubbing her temples. “Then I guess suicide mission it is... Great.” She looked up at us, her eyes hard but determined. “If it’s this or living in a world where all women are slaves, except me, of course, how fucking ironic, I’d rather die anyway. World’s gone to shit. Not like we have much to lose.”

“If it’s our only chance to free Olivia, to free Wendy, to free all women,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended, “then that’s what we do, no matter how stupid it sounds.”

Warda cleared her throat. “Obviously, I’ll follow my owner,” she said with just enough sarcasm to make it clear she was aware of her situation, but still respectful enough not to piss me off. “If I’ve got to die, I’ll do it protecting him.” We all turned to look at her, and she sighed, a sad smile playing on her lips. “Yeah, I know. BUT... My normal self would want to go too, save myself, save all women, make sure Edward’s death wasn’t for nothing.” She said his name without any emotion, though something in her eyes suggested she knew there should be. “But right now, I’d do it for Cedric. So what? What difference does it make if the result is the same?”

“We should free you,” I blurted out. I was getting tired of this shit. “Then you’ll know if that’s really what you want to do.”

Warda stared at me like I’d threatened to rip out her heart and stomp on it.

“And maybe it would be best if we tested the deprogramming on someone,” Charlotte added, looking at Warda. “No point going for a suicide mission if the program doesn’t work.”

“Then use it on any other woman here,” Warda spat, baring her teeth. She was starting to shake. “Why the fuck does it have to be me?” She took a deep breath, visibly forcing herself to calm down. “Listen, I know my programming is making the idea of being free... unpleasant. And I get how it looks to you, and that you’re worried you’re leading a woman into a suicide mission against her will.” She swallowed hard. “But here’s the thing: I’m the best damn fighter you’ve got right now, Charlotte aside,” she nodded at the other woman, who smirked. “But after what likely happened to Edward... I’d rather have a clear mind for the fight.”

I groaned. “And for you a clear mind is a programmed one?”

“You have no idea how it feels,” she said, looking at me with those big brown eyes of hers. “The clarity, the lack of fear, the calm. I’m more useful like this, I swear.”

“What if Smith broadcasts first?” Gabriel asked. “If your programming changes, then what?”

Warda shook her head. “It will take hours to reprogram me. Just tie me up or leave me behind. Besides, if Smith sends his signal, doesn’t that mean the mission has failed anyway?”

Charlotte sighed. “She’s got a point...”

“What if they have ways to mess up with your brain at Jim Creek?” Gabriel pressed on. “They designed the very technology that turned you and all other women into loyal slaves. Who knows what else they could do to you.”

“Again, programming me would take ages, right?” Warda countered. “Unclaiming me would be quick, but then they’d have to claim me. For that they’d have to get their hands on me. If we’re that fucked, I guess we’re just fucked...”

Gabriel sighed and nodded, his expression grim. “Alright... We’ll test it on Elaine, then. She’s already pretty fucked up, not knowing for sure if Edward is dead. If it works, we’ll leave early in the morning.”