The clock ticked stoically on the wall as time marched on in the last class period of the school day. Leo glanced at the time keeping device and internally groaned. Still forty minutes until class was out. Rather than return to the project he was constructing, the eighteen year old moved back from his work table and wandered around the room, looking for something to steal his attention that could waste a good half hour. This workroom class was usually just a blow of class. The syllabus mentioned sparking the students' imaginations and giving them access to all different types of materials so that they could create anything they wanted, though sometimes the supplies were a bit limiting. Leo's prize creation was his heat seeking alarm system. Wire it through any house, and built in speakers will tell whoever lives in the home who is at the door once the front camera has scanned them. Leo was quite the genius, but today the projects just didn't hold his interest.
Instead, he moved over to another worktable, after glancing at other students' project as he went. Finally, he reached his destination.
Leaning over a station, her short, white blonde hair hanging in her emerald eyes, was Emily. Her small petite frame had been the inspiration for many of Leo's sketches back at home. She wore goggles, gloves, and an apron as she worked with a tiny blowtorch, expertly connecting bits of wire. She pursed her lips the way she did so often whenever she was focusing, and furrowed her brows together.
Being careful not to startle her, Leo waited until she had put the blow torch away before he stepped into her line of sight. Even with the precautions, she still gave a little start. She was so timid, and so adorable. Her freckle adorned face reddened in embarrassment as she met Leo's warm chocolate eyes. "Sorry, Leo." She breathed, pushing her goggles up on her head, making her platinum hair stick up. "I was just really focused. What can I do for you?"
Leo smiled softly. "Don't worry about it. I was just coming over to see what you're working on." Her green eyes lit up when he said this.
"Really?" Another cute quirk about her-she brightened whenever she spoke about anything she liked, and her projects were one of the few outlets in her life where she allowed herself pride. She was truly a genius, and in the workroom was just about the only place she let it show. "I haven't given it a name yet. It's something I haven't tried before. I don't know if anyone's ever used this technology before, actually."
Leo turned his attention to the device she had been working on. It didn't look like anything spectacular, but one thing he had learned from this class is that you can't judge a project by the way it looks. It was a small metallic box with a singular button on the top. All along the sides were pinprick sized holes; he assumed they were speakers of some sort.
"I've been researching hypnotherapy recently," She continued, using her hands to gesture as she spoke; another habit that made her more endearing. "And I found out that subliminal messages and such can be induced through audio as well as from a visual aspect. So I went a looked up how subliminal messages worked, and found out what part of the brain it stimulates in order to store away information without the body realizing. Of course, that was purely for fun. This device won't be used on any unwilling subjects, so the fact that it could happen without them knowing is purely trivial rather than pertinent."
Nodding along, Leo just enjoyed watching her expressions change as she spoke animatedly about this project she was clearly so eager to create. "Yeah? So it, what, senses subliminal messages?"
"No, no, nothing like that. Well, technically, it could create subliminal messages, but that's not what it's for. It can be used for hypnosis. It's designed to be held near to someone's ear canal and then turned on. It emits such a high frequency that it stimulates the part of the brain most receptive to suggestion. The person who triggered the device can then input commands into the subject, such as 'you no longer crave cigarettes', or 'water comforts you rather than alcohol'. Just stuff like that. This item could improve so many lives. Want me to show you?"
Once again nodding, Leo found it easier to just let her talk rather than trying to understand everything she was saying. He only half listened, but it was enough to get the gist of it. "Yeah, sure!"
Carefully picking up the box, she hand it to him with gentle hands. "Okay, so you would hit that button, and whoever is closer to the device would be put under."
He lifted the box and held it close to her. She laughed. "This is all theoretical, of course. I haven't tested it yet. I don't even know it'd work."
Raising an eyebrow, he pressed the button on the top with his thumb. She stiffened and then went slack, her limbs relaxing, gaze distant. Leo's eyes widened as he glanced around the room. No other students had noticed, and their substitute teacher, Mr. Lewis, hadn't so much as glanced up from his book at his desk. Breaking into a wicked grin, Leo looked over the girl who had just fallen under his control.
"Emily," He muttered softly to her. "Can you hear me?"
She nodded vacantly, her eyes glazed.
"Okay, so, Emily. We're going to switch projects. I'll give you the one that used to be mine, and you'll think it's always been yours. I'm going to take this one, and bring it over to my desk and make some adjustments. As far as you know, this device has always been mine. Do you understand?"
Again, a blank stare and a sluggish nod.
"How do you get home?"
"My brother drives me . . ." She mumbled.
"Tell him you're staying after school. That you need to add some finishing touches to your project. Will he be okay with that?"
"He'll probably just wait for me . . ."
