Note: This is a commission for Davos, and a spiritual sequel to "Sidekick" by trilby else.
"A calm mind is controlled, is freed, is mine."
"A calm mind is controlled, is freed, is mine."
"A calm mind is controlled, is freed, is mine."
Mantric words fit like a key biting into a rigid keyhole spring, slightly rusty from waning use. The divots were hastily filled, and a retreating sense of self moved further inwards, having to abandon the upper surface levels under sudden external control. Beyond the reinforcement was unadulterated exposure, the likes of which had not been felt before by the body that sat naked in an enclosure. The sheen of light sweat told mostly subdued senses the enclosure was warm, and that restraints kept him fixed there like the internal undercurrent of waiting for external stimulation to produce new thoughts he could call his own, excluding the safeguarded ones identifiably his own. Deep breaths he could still regulate on his own gave most of his senses the awareness needed, enough to tell him how particularly-incarcerated he was.
Dr. Richard Thorn's mind was one of the strongest in the world, honed with decades of training, equating, reinforcing, and compartmentalizing. It was thankfully-suited for the even task of sheltering a beleaguered consciousness uniquely compromised, turning a bunker into a true solace for him, a miniaturized Washington D.C. Library of Congress, ideal for accessing knowledge and memories within a secure barrier.
A mathematical prodigy, he put his numerically-focused brain to tasks of all kinds in his everyday life, especially his professional work as a Quant, a specialized independent contractor using their skills to often help the government. Under the infamous designation "Vector," he took on the busiest, arguably most corrupt area of the country, none other than its illustrious capital, making him the most valuable for those in need of his skills, especially as the brand of corruption evolved over time. Monetary compensation was the start like always, then threats, then threats that had to be carried out over time. Through the means of some odd circumstances, mind control caught on as the most effective means of keeping illegal and dangerous activities hidden and operating without issue.
Mechanical-based brainwashing, chemical of the same goal, even occult forms of subjugation became popular amongst the forces that could afford to employ their own specialists. No offenders rated more dangerous than those who were mind-controlling specialists themselves, such as the Parnassus family. A rich clan, merely a few generations away from mostly self-made, self-appointed aristocrats, the Parnassus family seemed above-ground and untouchable to most; many in the government were sure of too many crimes they were behind, but could not move in to officially investigate due to insufficient evidence, or the silent fear of any sanctioned officiator sent to clear them would be under their influence. Unsanctioned, contractible agents like Quants made for the government's best chance at exposing the family, not to mention Richard had his suspicions about them for the longest time, only a degree of separation or two away from some of his most trying cases.
"Welcome back, my esteemed guest."
A wave of wonderment washed over conflicted emotions, over the mantra safeguarding what little was left uncompromised. Analyzing the attributes of disposition helped steel hidden resolve, matching effects with possible agents that seized him, bringing Richard to the realization that his last conscious memory was prior to the capture. The last clear memory was after having left the Parnassus estate, with Ella in tow...
"Oh no," the deepest part of him realized.
"Perhaps it's more accurate to say, welcome, my esteemed vassal, to your new existence."
Every sentence was a new wave, spoken with proper allocution and a rich, feminine, experienced voice, leaving him to marvel it over obvious, plaguing concerns. The voice belonged to Elowyn Parnassus, the velvet glove of the Parnassus family, supposedly the odd one out in their collection of manipulative men who loved collecting malleable toys from women of all kinds. His mission to infiltrate and investigate the family was risky, but he never expected the comparatively-timid mother of his real target to pose much threat. Elowyn was the one that stayed quiet when it came to official business of sorting the family's complicated books. Elowyn was the one that safeguarded Ella, known personally to Richard as his faithful assistant and mathematical genius Subprime, when the men wanted to have their way with her. Elowyn was the one to lead her away, and from the last he noted of Ella's expression, give her a modicum of relief, when no man in the vicinity would, not even her partner and often protector in Vector.
That thought struck him hard, reminding him of the gap in time between the last recallable memories of sorting out what he'd found at the Parnassus compound, and waking up to a condition of automated safeguarding against mental intrusion.
"And what do you say to this gracious welcome I've extended to you?"
"...thank..you.....Mistress..."
Blurry eyes widened at the sound of what left his mouth, lips tingling alarmingly in a plea to repeat the title he'd given Elowyn.
"You're very welcome, Dr. Pendleton. Or is it, Dr. Thorn? Or is it, the scary 'Vector' I've heard so much about? I think I'll just refer to you as, my good man."
Dr. Thorn's inside lit up, and the temperature where his inner self hid rose by several degrees at the praise from his captor.
"I can see you're already enjoying our hospitality, and I'm more than certain that over time, you'd find yourself opening yourself up to more, as Ella so sweetly has done for the both of us...or perhaps just me."
Another wave carried sharp implications that Ella was the linchpin in Elowyn's recent victory, a Trojan horse he brought back filled with suggestions that somehow countered long-established shields and programming meant to maximize her safety and the mission's rate of success. How the latter was more prioritized than the other stabbed at him, and began to explain why his physical body was trapped in a meditative state, eyes closed and trapped in what felt like a deprivation chamber, where the only thing able to get in was Elowyn's voice, awash with her programming over and over as silken, sophisticated tones bounced off of every surrounding surface.
"I would love to stay and chat longer, but I am expected elsewhere for the moment. I hope you don't mind my leaving you to your thoughts for now; it's the most sporting thing I can do for you as you begin to become more in-tuned to my thoughts, and the beneficial arrangement I wholeheartedly believe we can come to before long. Ta ta for now, my good man."
The pronounced sound of Elowyn's heels fading off ate at his affectionate side, already missing her company. That side of Vector far away from his strategic hiding place, he ignored that emotion and began summoning the important parts left to come to the agreement that would aid in his inevitable escape.
"A calm mind is controlled, is freed, is mine."
"A calm mind is controlled, is freed, is mine."
"A calm mind is controlled, is freed, is mine."
***
