The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

“Alright, Kalchek,” Trewhitt sighed. He glanced down at the table the frequency-scanner and its projector were on. He’d left the stack of printed-out pictures, and for a moment, he fanned them out with his hand like they were a deck of cards, his eyes scanning over the faces he had seen through Tara’s eyes and caught with his camera.

He looked back up at what was being projected on the wall. “Let’s hope Tara crosses paths with the killer— or at least crosses paths with some information that points to them.”

He placed his hand over the dials, and one after another, turned them to the next closest set of co-ordinates.

Tara was again riding the subway to work, since that was the usual way that she got herself to the office in the mornings. She was looking out the subway window, into the tunnel.

“Alright, I’m going to check now,” Trewhitt said. “Let’s see if there are any faces in common with the pictures I took. Not that one— not that one— not that one—”

It’s November 14th today, Tara thought to herself, as she kept looking out the subway window.

The fact that it was November at all meant that a year had ed since Tara had started her internship with the company. But she frowned at her reflection in the dark glass. That… sounded wrong to her. Something was supposed to have happened after… six months…. or nine months?

“Alright, that woman— I think she was in the plaza that day,” Xerxes burst out. He pulled one picture out of the stack and set it aside. “If only I’d taken pictures on Tara’s first day, when she rode the subway that time,” he lamented.

Tara couldn’t which— but something was supposed to happen… before she reached the twelve-month mark… none of the interns she’d started with were still there. They’d all turned over at least once… but she was still there.

Her mind felt a bit foggy, though. It always seemed to, these days. When she wasn’t at work… when she wasn’t in Natalie’s company, she thought about her constantly. And it always felt like something was waiting inside of her— waiting for her next chance to be Run. No matter how often Natalie Ran her, or how well she did it, Tara always found herself craving more. She always just seemed to be waiting for her next chance to be Run— and every time she thought about it, it filled her with craving— made her feel like she needed to squirm in place a bit, too, which she did now, against the subway-seat.

“Okay, not that person— or that one— is it really just the one woman? It might not even mean anything that she turned up twice, either. Just scanning the rest of the faces in the car—”

Tara thought back to the previous year with a sigh. When she’d ridden the subway to the office for the first time, she’d been thinking about Running then, too. But she’d been thinking of it in a completely different way; she’d been thinking how she hoped it would turn out that she had a secret talent for it. Thinking that she hoped she’d be presented with an opportunity to try doing it.

Now she only thought of it as something that happened to her— now when she thought of it, she was only ever waiting for the next time someone else did it to her— and she had thought of Running with curiosity before, but now she thought of it with longing and desire… in just one year of doing her internship, so much had changed.

“The subway’s stopped again… and again… and again… but even though the engers keep changing, I don’t recognize any other faces…”

Tara reached her stop, and got off the subway. She walked up through the station.

“Okay, the faces around her— that one woman is still there— but that’s a stranger— so is that— so is that—”

Tara, and the crowd she was moving with, made it above ground; and then all started breaking off from each other, heading towards their different building.

“That woman is crossing the street— she’s going into that building over there… it could just be coincidence, if that’s where she works, and then she just goes over to that informal Running meet-up because it’s convenient for her… it really wouldn’t be smart of the killer to target anyone they crossed paths with regularly— or anyone who their routine threw them together with regularly— and if they really weren’t there that day— then I don’t know what these pictures are ever going to show me.”

Xerxes sighed again. “It’s discouraging, Kalchek.”

Tara walked a few blocks, and then crossed the street. She entered her building, moved through the lobby, and rode the elevator up to her floor.

“No familiar faces here either,” Xerxes shook his head.

When she got up to her floor, and started going about her day, Natalie peeked her head out past her office door.

“Tara? Could you come in and talk to me for a minute?”

Tara’s heart lifted as she followed Natalie back into her office. Every time she saw Natalie, she secretly hoped for a chance to be alone with her— even just when she saw Natalie going by in the hallway. But today she wasn’t going to have to either wait, or wonder— Natalie was calling her in right away— she could be alone with Natalie immediately.

Natalie entered her office first, and waited for Tara to walk in past her. Then she was the one to close the door, sealing them both in together.

Tara had visited Natalie in her office often enough. She didn’t wait for Natalie to tell her what to do. Instead, as Natalie was closing the door, Tara walked directly to the chair across from Natalie’s desk, and seated herself in it.

Even this felt like something that stemmed from an impulse towards addictive behavior. Tara had rushed over as quickly as possible; eager to put herself in the position which would bring her closest to being Run again. Like she could never get enough of that experience; like she’d hurry herself along to get herself to a destination if what she could expect to happen there was more Running.

Natalie didn’t comment on this eager display as she walked across her office, and then around her desk, but Tara didn’t miss the pleased smile that had twitched up the corners of her mouth. And when Natalie sat down behind her desk, scooting up her chair, the experience felt familiar to Tara. Not just because she’d come in here to be Run so many times. The experience was familiar to Tara this time, because they had sat in these exact same positions on the first day of Tara’s internship.

That memory was only in the forefront of Tara’s mind, Tara was sure, because she’d been thinking about last November as she’d been traveling to work that morning. But this moment felt so much like that earlier one: she was viewing Natalie as her workplace superior right now, and not as the center of her life. She had sat in front of Natalie that time— viewing her as her workplace superior then, too. And all thoughts of Running then had been background thoughts, secret hopes that she’d be given an opportunity to try it for herself.

Now her thoughts were centrally-placed within her mind, but she was only hoping that Natalie would get to do some Running. That she would do it to her. Again Tara was reminded of how much could change in a year— and in thinking that, her stomach seemed to twist in anxious hope.

She had changed so much in the past year— and yet she was eager to become whatever the next year of her life was going to make her. Because she would become that version of herself in accordance with Natalie’s guidance. And it was getting easier and easier to want the same things Natalie did. If Natalie was going to change her over the course of the next year, it would be because Natalie wanted her changed. And wanting the same things Natalie wanted was satisfying— so she would want to be changed, already did want that, even she didn’t know the specifics of what that would look like. She already wanted that— and she would enjoy it when it happened.

Natalie smiled at her, put her arms up onto her desk and leaned onto them. “You don’t need to think about the year ahead just now,” she said, as if this was reassurance.

And in Natalie speaking so directly to her thoughts, Tara realized Natalie had been observing them again— that put a pulse of pleasure through her pussy. She was just a thing for Natalie to watch and drink in— but Natalie could watch her all the time, even when Tara didn’t know that she was doing it, and so even when Tara didn’t know that she herself was doing it, she was still obeying— because when Natalie watched, Tara’s mind was always open, and Natalie could see anything in it she wanted to see— so at any moment there was a chance Tara had already obeyed without knowing it.

Just realizing that sent a simmer of heat through Tara’s body, but at the same time, it wasn’t enough. She didn’t just want to ively acquiesce; she wanted the experience of being fully Run.

“We should spend this time thinking about what the past year has brought about for you,” Natalie said— as though she was continuing on from her previous statement. But Tara felt this comment itself had been corrective guidance— Natalie telling Tara that something else needed to happen before Tara could receive what she craved.

And Natalie was the center of her life; so beautiful and so, so perfect, so of course Natalie was completely right about this, right about this and so intelligent…

“You started your internship twelve months ago,” Natalie said, and Tara saw the supervisor in her again. This almost could have been a meeting over Tara’s job performance. “But our internships aren’t really supposed to last twelve months. You’re the only intern left of the batch you came in with. Every other internship position has turned over once or twice since then. And you’re still here. You’re still here because I’ve been pulling strings for you— asking for your internship to be extended. By now, you should have left, or received a junior assistant position. But you’re here and still an intern because I kept asking for extensions, and I kept getting them.”

That had been the nebulous thing Tara had been trying to on the subway; that had been what felt wrong to her, even though her mind had been too muddled to entirely sort that out. Her internship shouldn’t have been twelve months long— but her mind had soaked too long in her cravings, and she’d been too confused to think clearly.

Natalie was the only one who could cut through her confusion— and Natalie was the only one who could sift her mind and uncover what she needed to uncover within it. Tara couldn’t uncover that for herself, anymore— couldn’t make sense of her own mind. She needed Natalie to do it for her.

“I don’t want to ask for an extension of your role again this time, though,” Natalie went on. “I think you’ve been at your current level for long enough. You ought to advance to the next level now— but there are more responsibilities that come with that.”

Tara nodded. Once, becoming Junior Assistant had been all she’d wished for— but now she didn’t care— this conversation was only an obstacle to her, something that was keeping Natalie from Running her. If Natalie had told her she’d remain an intern forever, and then immediately started Running her, Tara would have been overjoyed. The position didn’t really mean that much to her— the only point of significance it held was that perhaps Natalie wanted her to have it— and if Natalie wanted her to have it— then for that reason only Tara would want it a little herself.

“So I’m willing to recommend you be made Junior Assistant,” Natalie continued. “And since I tend to get what I ask for— since I got every extension for you that I asked for— I’m sure this request will also be granted. The designated tasks of a Junior Assistant should be easy enough for you to handle— you’re eager to please, and your ivity these days means you just absorb what’s expected of you and then deliver it. But in your particular case, there are going to be some additional tasks outside the Junior Assistant’s typical workload— and I’m only going to be willing to recommend you for this position if you’re willing to take these on, too.”

Tara felt more of that anxious hope again. But now she was also starting to feel drained— being denied the experience of Natalie Running her was sapping at her energy, making her feel bad physically. She had already come to crave it that much; and she was in the setting where she should be receiving it, so the delay was starting to be painful.

“While you’ve been an intern, you’ve allowed me to Run you. You’ll keep up with that duty, the duty of being Run, if you become a Junior Assistant. But as I said— a Junior Assistant should have more responsibility. So you’ll also have to take on the task of becoming my lover, of making sure that I’m kept pleasured and satisfied at all times; of making sure my needs have been provided for and attended to.”

Trewhitt shook his head. “That’s disgusting— Kalchek, don’t you think that’s disgusting? She’s using the fact that Tara’s her subordinate to coerce her— but she’s been coercing her more directly than that all along, since she’s been Running her— she’s got Tara’s head all twisted around so she can’t even see how she’s being taken advantage of. I’m almost sorry Natalie isn’t the killer— I wish I could bring her to justice just for doing this. Maybe you can think of someway that can be done in an official capacity. I certainly don’t have any ideas right now.”

As soon as Tara processed what Natalie had said, her heart seemed to lift. She’d never even imagined— relating to Natalie sexually. It hadn’t even been on her radar as a thing which could possibly happen. And Tara had never been with any women before, had always thought of herself as someone who strictly enjoyed the company of men, but as Natalie had been Running Tara over the course of the past number of months, Tara had become more and more enamored of her. So to Tara, becoming Natalie’s lover seemed like the natural next step.

It was a thrill, too, that it was coming to her all tied up with her career-advancement. Because Tara didn’t care about her career anymore, let alone advancing it— but if Natalie wanted to have this position, then she wanted Tara to put on the appearance of being both successful and respectable. And that was thrilling to think about— to think that Natalie had pushed her to create this image for herself, this image of being someone responsible, and that the presentation of that image itself would be all tied up in Tara sexually depending on Natalie…

Her outward respectability would only exist because of its cost of hidden deviancy— the deviancy fueling the respectability, making it possible. Every time Tara interacted with someone in the course of carrying out her new role, she’d know that she was only there and performing that role because of the things she did while she was alone with Natalie in Natalie’s office. That would make her feel, in every moment, that she really did belong to Natalie— that she could never escape her. It wouldn’t quite be like having Natalie Run her continuously. But it would feel close. She wanted the position of Junior Assistant, actually, if it came with this price. Wanted to put on respectability if it came at the price of secret degradation. She was eager for that to be her situation.

And she was thinking of Natalie again— Natalie was so perfect— she’d come to believe that throughout the past year. She was so perfect and everything she wanted was right, and whatever it was that she wanted, Tara wanted to give it to her. So now that she knew Natalie wanted her sexually, it made things so simple. It didn’t matter that she’d never been with a woman before— didn’t matter that she’d never even thought of it as a possibility. Natalie wanted her sexually, so she wanted Natalie sexually. She wanted to provide.

And she understood now why Natalie had made her wait to be Run; surely Natalie would Run her later; but she would do it in the proper context. Had made Tara wait so that she could start that experience for her under ideal conditions.

Still, even though she was excited about what was going to happen— excited to both be Run and to become Natalie’s lover, it was frustrating that those experiences she wanted to have were not happening yet. Frustrating that she had to wait— frustrating the future couldn’t be happening now. She didn’t want to wait for it— even if she’d only be delayed in having it a short while, she didn’t want to spend any time waiting at all.

“I’ll be your lover,” Tara said. It seemed the only way to bring her frustration to an end was to try and bring its end about herself. “I want to become Junior Assistant by proving myself as a lover— and I want my role as Junior Assistant to be contingent on serving you as your lover— let me start now— I’ll show you— I’ll show you, I’ll show you what a good lover I can be.”

Natalie looked pleased by what Tara had said.

“Then why don’t you come around here, and kneel down under my desk?”

Tara stood, immediately, and went around the desk as Natalie had invited her to do. She got down on her knees, and scooted backwards until she was under Natalie’s desk, where Natalie’s legs otherwise would have gone. It was cramped, and she had to partly hunch over, but when Natalie scooted her desk-chair in closer again, Tara found her head was at the height of Natalie’s crotch.

Natalie lifted her skirt and— she wasn’t— wearing any underwear under there. She’d been planning this.

Staring into Natalie’s bare pussy felt, to Tara, a bit like staring into the proof of her own desperation. Natalie wasn’t wearing underwear now because she’d known how much Tara already belonged to her. How much Tara was already chained to her. She’d known Tara wouldn’t refuse her. She’d been so confident she’d known she wouldn’t need her underwear, had known she’d be glad not to have brought them. She’d known Tara wouldn’t refuse her, wouldn’t deny her.

Oh, but Natalie could deny Tara. Natalie could have everything she wanted, and give her nothing in return, and it would do nothing to unlock the chains which linked Tara back to her. She could deny her her own pleasure— could deny her orgasms— could deny her anything and everything she wanted— could even deny her the experience of being Run, which at this moment felt like the thing she most wanted in the entire world. And even if she did all of that— Tara would still adore her, still think she was perfect, and still feel grateful to be chained to her. Nothing could lower Natalie in Tara’s estimation of her— not even the cruelest behavior Natalie was capable of.

And that was pathetic. Tara knew that was pathetic— but it was also true. Natalie did own her to that level, did have her chained that tightly. And that was why Natalie had known she wouldn’t need her underwear. It was pathetic, and it was pathetically obvious. But at this point, Tara would do just about anything for Natalie, no matter how badly Natalie treated her. Even if Natalie hurt her.

She’d do anything for Natalie, and Natalie had asked Tara to fuck her.

Two things seemed to be true simultaneously. The truth Tara had walked in here knowing was still true— that she’d never been with a woman before, had never even thought of being with a woman before.

But another truth was presenting it simultaneously, and Tara didn’t care that both truths contradicted each other.

That second truth was illusion, but the illusion felt true. As Tara looked into Natalie’s pussy— as Tara realized she was on the precipice of actually getting to fuck Natalie— it seemed suddenly to her that she had been waiting years to do this— that she had been endless put off, rejected and delayed— that she had taken all of it graciously and with no resentment— but that something inside her had been very sad about this, had resigned itself to the fact that she would never be lucky enough to have this experience.

This felt like being given everything she had ever wanted— everything she’d been waiting for— everything she’d been waiting so long for. This felt like being lucky; this felt like receiving a gift.

Her mind held both thoughts at once; she’d never thought of a woman sexually before today— and she had been waiting years for this chance.

With that illusion so present in her mind, Tara felt that she couldn’t wait a second longer— she jerked her head forward, until she felt Natalie’s folds hit her face— and for a moment, she just turned her head— just felt Natalie against her face there, basking in the presence of her body, in the presence of her pussy— like she was basking in sunlight, or like she had stepped out into a rain-shower and was basking in the downpour— Natalie was there—

And then even that wasn’t enough. She pulled back far enough that she could reach Natalie’s pussy with her tongue— and then Natalie’s pussy was flowing sweetest nectar, and Tara was struggling to keep up.

She really didn’t know what she was doing; she’d only ever performed oral sex on men, and this was nothing like that— this was about— drinking in— not quite about swallowing down. Or swallowing here was different— Natalie’s nectar flowed into Tara’s mouth, and then she did swallow that, felt she had to. But in this case, Tara swallowing gave no sensation to Natalie; it had nothing to do with actually making with her body, as swallowing did when one was giving oral sex to a man. Tara could not draw the majority of Natalie’s genitals into her mouth, to give the majority of them simultaneous sensation.

She could draw— bites of Natalie into her mouth. She could kiss a specific place on the edge of her labia into resting between her lips, and could lip at it— could do that all up and down the edges of her labia, or could work inward and outward— in from the edges of her labia towards Natalie’s center and then back out again. But she could not take the entire structure of Natalie’s pussy in at once— could not do that all at once with just her mouth.

At best, she could take Natalie’s clit into her mouth all at once. That was the best she could do— take Natalie’s clit between her lips and just suck and suck it— flick it and flick it with her tongue— otherwise she could only leave impressions of pleasure on Natalie’s pussy; she could not handle it all at once as she could have a man’s cock.

And this was different too— if she licked lower— if she licked all the way down to the place where she Natalie’s pussy opened— then she could lick her way inside— draw the nectar directly from Natalie’s source— this could never have happened while she gave oral sex to a man. She could only draw kisses of Natalie’s flesh into her mouth at once— but she could put her tongue fully into Natalie. Could not draw Natalie’s body into hers, only its smallest bits, could only draw in the nectar Natalie’s body produced. But she could put a part of her body fully into Natalie; oral sex not about taking someone’s into your mouth, but about putting yourself into their genitals; that was… interesting…

The one way this felt the same was that— Tara had Natalie’s genitals right near her face, and every time she’d given a man oral sex, that had been the same. But different too; with a man, one always had to navigate external-presence; one could not be directly against their body, against their hips— this close to flesh and this close to bone—

With Natalie, though, when Tara wanted to bask— she could have her face right against her, eyes closed into her, nothing jutting up and forcing Tara a little back, nothing jutting up and making it so she either had to move to this side of it or that— she could just be directly against Natalie— it felt like that made it possible for her to get as close as possible.

Suddenly, she didn’t care about her sexual past, didn’t care if being Run had changed her mind about this. This was better— giving oral sex to a woman— was better.

Still, as Tara went on— licking, kissing, suckling— she was aware, in everything she did, that she was inexperienced. She was aware that she barely knew what she was doing. All of this was— all of this was just exploration. She was having to feel out how to do it— Natalie had given her no instructions. She was just having to try things and then watch how Natalie responded to them.

Despite her clumsy attempts, Natalie did seem to enjoy herself. And Tara had licked her way back down to putting her tongue in Natalie’s pussy again. It was as far in as she could push it— and Natalie’s pussy was setting more and more nectar flowing all the time— there was more and more of it for Tara to drink in. And she could feel Natalie’s pussy twitching, too, twitching around her tongue— clenching, drawing tighter, then opening, then drawing tighter again. It all had to be leading to some moment— it all had to be leading some event— Tara thought she knew what that event would be—

But she couldn’t sit there thinking about it, or even thinking ahead. She just had to go on doing this; keep steadily continuing, not worrying about what point she’d started at or what point she was trying to get to. She just had to steadily keep— pushing her tongue in— drawing it out— pushing it in— had to focus on that, half tune out what Natalie’s pussy was doing in response every time that she actually did that.

The moment arrived; one more push of Natalie’s tongue and all at once a wave of nectar seemed to come out of her— Natalie was grunting, twisting in her chair, and the convulsions Natalie’s pussy had been producing before had been nothing; now, her pussy was truly convulsing, convulsing so quickly; Tara felt how tightly her tongue was being gripped.

Natalie was trapped in the same response for— several minutes it seemed— Tara did her best to continue on steadily, even with her tongue so held. Did her best to keep wiggling it, at least, even if for the moment she could no longer push it forth into Natalie’s pussy, or draw it further out.

Then, finally, Natalie flopped back into her chair, and Tara drew her tongue back into her mouth.

Natalie’s hand found Tara’s head, and she smoothed Tara’s hair back, along the curve of her skull. Tara thought she could feel a ring on Natalie’s index finger, this time.

“I don’t Natalie wearing a ring before,” Trewhitt commented for Kalchek’s benefit. “Maybe Tara will get a good look at it— then I can see it— or— I can take a photo—”

He had to scramble a bit, but once he had, he had his camera ready beside the frequency-scanner.

Xerxes sighed. “Maybe the ring means something, and maybe it doesn’t. But it’s something different. I have to— take note of everything that’s different. Just in case it— helps me entangle all of this.”

Natalie was still petting her hand over Tara’s hair. Tara was happy— she hadn’t had an orgasm of her own— hadn’t had much pleasure, because Natalie hadn’t been Running her— but she was happy being denied. And this was better— better than anything else Natalie could have given her, because this proved— this proved that Natalie was pleased with her, liked what she’d gone. Proved that she had given Natalie exactly what she wanted. It was good to be denied; to sublimate the straightforward desire and take something lesser as replacement; taking the replacement and giving it full weight and meaning since the straightforward thing could not be had…

“You’ve earned your place as my lover,” Natalie told her; her voice sounded thick with relaxation. “You’ve earned your place as our next Junior Assistant. And— I’m sure this will be the most important thing in your eyes— you’ve earned yourself a reward.”

Oh the one thing she wanted— could she finally have it now?

Natalie scooted her chair back. “You can come out from under there now,” she told Tara. And the act of crawling out from under Natalie’s desk, then standing— felt like more than just an act. Tara felt like she was leaving a world in which she’d been denied and dissatisfied, and entering a world in which she would know relief. She felt as she stood that she was leaving all her frustration behind her— Natalie still wasn’t Running her yet, but there was a feeling of peace inside her heart anyway.

“Now,” Natalie said, looking up at Tara from her own chair, “I want you to sit down on my desk— facing me— yes, like that.”

Tara sat; Natalie moved her chair closer— she slipped her hand beneath Tara’s skirt, and then two things happened at once.

Natalie’s hand slipped inside Tara’s underwear, and touched her pussy— and Natalie’s power slipped inside Tara’s mind, and Ran her.

And it was everything that she had waited for her— even the promise of relief had been enough to banish her dissatisfaction, but she saw in this moment of actually receiving her desire that her dissatisfaction had only gone dormant. And now, in the moment of receiving Natalie’s power into her mind— now, her dissatisfaction had truly been banished. She was receiving what she needed— receiving what she had been desperate for— what she’d thought she could never have. In each moment there was only a thought, and it didn’t even have words— just the same feeling over, the feeling that she was almost chanting inside— Natalie is Running me, Natalie is Running me, even though she couldn’t quite form the words… couldn’t quite form any words.

And Natalie was everywhere in her mind, making Tara feel her mental presence in full…

“You know, it’s strange, Kalchek…” Xerxes said— the thought having only just occurred to him. “When we see into the mind-capture that the killer took of Natalie’s mind— when we see her obsession over Tara, it’s clear how much she wants her, and how much she’d like to do to her. And it’s also clear how many other people she’s Run, and clear that she must have done a lot of things to them. But when Natalie is actually Running Tara— she’s fairly uncreative about it. Just— makes Tara feel the fact that it’s happening, and encourages her to depend on it. But that’s all— you’d think some of her skill and experience would— do more. Have a greater imagination, at least. That must mean something— but I’m not sure what…”

Tara loved to feel Natalie filling her head. But the experience was a little different this time; because at the same time Natalie’s power was filling her head, her fingers were filling Tara’s pussy, driving in and out. She wouldn’t deny her after all, she would give her her pleasure now, but only in the right way— only as something that linked back to Running. And being Run had been pleasurable… Natalie had taught her to find it pleasurable. But now the pleasure wasn’t only an emotional reaction happening inside her in response to a mental experience… now the pleasure was a physical reaction happening because of physical stimulus.

But being manipulated by Natalie’s fingers seemed to bleed into the experience of being Run; and being Run seemed to bleed into the experience of being finger-fucked… Tara was having a hard time sorting them out— distinguishing one from the other. But each experience was feeding pleasure back to the other— each experience made Tara crave Natalie’s Running her even while she was receiving it… each experience softened her mind and made her more sensitive to what was happening… so then she took even stronger pleasure from that, and found herself ever more affected…

It went on for a long time. And when Natalie finally dismissed her, Tara left the office with the intention of having her blonde highlights lightened from their dirty-blonde to a bleach shade, leaving the rest of her hair its natural tawny.

The frequency-scanner started to whir, then. The dials were, once again, spinning themselves.

“Kalchek, I think it’s tuning back into the killer’s mind-capture of Natalie.”

And a moment later, Xerxes felt he’d been very thoroughly proven right. The projector was showing that shrouded view again— Natalie’s mind was guarded enough that it was still impossible to look out through her eyes and see the world, see her surroundings. But her thoughts were still clear— as clear as they ever had been, and she was, clearly, thinking about Tara.

Oh, my lovely prey, Natalie thought. The things I’ll do to you once I have you…

“But she does have Tara now,” Xerxes complained. “She has her, and she doesn’t seem to do anything with her— only the most uncreative things— nothing like what her desires here would imply.“

I’ve done so much with the other prey-creatures I’ve Run… but I’ve never had the chance to do any of those things to you… it would be sweeter if you were their recipient. I have to— I should think about— other prey-creatures I have Run… at least that will distract me… from how impatient I am to have you.

Then Natalie was thinking about the time that she’d Run Samantha. The memory was foggy, because Natalie’s mind was still guarded enough that it was impossible to see images, but even just from following the impression of Natalie’s feelings, it was clear what had gone on.

When Natalie had finally caught Samantha, she’d sat her down and Run her, just as she’d done to Tara. But she’d done a lot more with her than just make her revel in the experience of being Run. Since she had held Samantha’s mind entirely, she’d been able to dictate truth to her, make her believe things that were impossible, and that weren’t real. So she had made Samantha ignore all the information her body was giving her— she’d made Samantha believe that she was somewhere far away, instead.

She’d made Samantha believe she was in the ocean; that she could breathe underwater— and that she had swum down deep— so deep that the water-pressure was starting to constrict her body.

Samantha really had believed it— in her mind she had seen it— and she’d perfectly imagined what that experience would feel like, imagined it so well that she really felt as though her body was in deep water, as though it was being swaddled by intense pressure— not enough to be dangerous yet, but enough to make her the danger involved.

And though it was illogical, though Samantha actually had understood the science involved before Natalie had started Running her, when Natalie told her, she had to believe that she could breathe underwater without any kind of technological aid, Samantha believed it— her mind never questioned it. In her experience of being down at those depths, she breathed in like she would have on land— and when water rushed in through her nose and into her lungs— there was no burning— the water just carried oxygen particles inside itself and somehow, in a way that Samantha couldn’t even think to question, it was just natural for her body to have water inside it— and her body new how to extract oxygen from water, was set up in such a way that it could do that.

“Amazing,” Xerxes mused. “I mean, despicable because Natalie is still subjugating other people’s wills, but amazing in— the scope of what she’s imagined— what’s she’s made possible for Samantha to experience, just by Running her. Why doesn’t Natalie ever do anything this imaginative with Tara? She clearly knows how.”

Samantha was enjoying her extraordinary adventure— but Natalie was enjoying watching her embark upon it. Since she was Running her, looking so closely in her mind, it was like she was experiencing what Samantha was experiencing— secondhand, but still experiencing it, still feeling it was so vividly real. An experience Natalie couldn’t have had any other way.

Oh, I wish I could do the same to you, Natalie lamented, turning her thoughts toward Tara. I wish I could Run you— right now— and make you believe illogical things so fiercely that you’d have impossible experiences just because I was telling you you were having them… no, I should think about when I Ran Caroline… the longer I spend thinking about you, my lovely prey, the more unbearable it is to wait for your capitulation…

And Natalie was thinking about Running Caroline. Again, there were no images, but in emotional impression, it was clear what had happened there, too.

She’d done something similar to Caroline as she’d done to Samantha; though there were no clear time-markers, so Xerxes couldn’t say which target had been captured first.

But when Natalie had caught Caroline, she’d sat her down, and she’d Run her— she’d made Caroline believe that she was having an impossible experience, too.

Like Samantha, Natalie filled Caroline’s head with illogical beliefs that contravened what she had known before being Run. She’d made Caroline believe she could breathe in a situation she couldn’t have breathed in— and she’d made Caroline believe was far away, too— made Caroline believe that she was out in the void of space; that she had the capacity to breathe even where there was no oxygen, and that she had the capacity to move herself forward, even where there was no directional wind.

And because Natalie had told Caroline she believed this, Caroline had to believe it— her mind had to experience it— so then Caroline had felt like she was flying forward, past planets and stars, breathing in nothing and somehow kept alive by that, with no bodily protection but somehow unkilled— and Natalie, as the one Running her, looked into Caroline’s mind as she’d looked into Samantha’s, and felt the experience vividly herself— experiencing something impossible again, because she’d made her victim feel it first, and she could just absorb it through them, and through their reaction.

As Natalie absorbed Caroline’s experience from her— she savored what she was doing. If she had only gone into Caroline’s mind to make her feel dominated— that wouldn’t have satisfied her like this could satisfy her. There was the added benefit, too, of getting to have vivid secondhand experiences by watching her victims’ adventures. Getting to feel and do things that could never have been possible otherwise.

But it was more than that— the power Natalie held over Caroline was so much clearer in this action. Caroline could not even feel her own body; feel what it was really doing; Natalie so totally held her mind that Caroline could only feel the false sensations she’d been told to feel. And Natalie so totally held Caroline’s mind— that Caroline could not even what she’d once known to be true. She had to believe the false things Natalie had told her, even when they contradicted things she had understood for years— and she couldn’t make herself experience the real moment she was actually living, she could only experience the fantasy Natalie was putting her through.

It made Natalie feel so powerful. Simply making Caroline feel small in the face of her control wouldn’t have accomplished the same thing. Caroline had to feel false things, believe false things, experience fantastic adventures— had to forget the true location of her body, forget other truths she’d known, forget that she was only sitting in front of Natalie. Caroline’s mind was only Natalie’s instrument; something for her to play on, and direct, and nothing of the woman she had been before remained. Natalie had taken total and complete control of her— and she could erase and rewrite anything in Caroline’s head that she wanted to, whenever she wanted to.

It turned her on to know that.

“I really wish we could get Natalie for something, Kalchek,” Trewhitt grumbled. “It’s not even coercion at this point— just mental force and violation. And still strange— that she’s so uncreative with Tara.”

The frequency-scanner started whirring loudly again; the dials were once more turning— but less of them were turning this time. Only the first one was.

“We’re moving from the mind-capture into the killer’s actual mind,” Xerxes called out. He was saying it so Kalchek could hear, but this time, he felt like he was saying it in order to prepare himself as well. Natalie’s mind was guarded, but the killer’s mind was ridiculous— especially when they started reciting their laws of Running. That was their specific shielding technique, and it worked far too well— the killer would just think a law over and over again, getting them circling and circling, forming a kind of spinning, descending net or web which could catch any interloper and stop them from seeing anything outside of the web. And though this was a past moment— and though killer wasn’t intending to catch Xerxes, and Kalchek by extension, the net would catch them up just the same way it had done all previous times.

The first dial had settled; they were in the same moment, as before when they’d been following Natalie, but now they were in the front of the killer’s mind, not in the back of it any longer, where the mind-capture was stored.

And though the killer had not sensed them, they had obviously sensed a foreign presence— because now they sent their net out— sent their web spinning around—

The Third Law of Running states, the killer thought, that the use of Running Ability is only limited by the imagination and ambition of the Runner.

The law having been stated in the killer’s mind, the killer now thought it again. The Third Law of Running states… The Third Law of Running states… sending out duplicate recitations, making the web denser and denser, making it more impossible to see out from inside of it.

“We’ve hit the same issue as before,” Trewhitt complained. “Now the killer will just repeat that. We won’t discover anything else here.”

Trewhitt took another cigarette out of his pack, but only to fiddle with it, roll it between his fingers, turn it over in his hand.

“Tara never did get a good look at Natalie’s ring, so I couldn’t even get a picture of that. And it occurs to me— maybe this is me just trying to soothe my own ego, but— maybe the killer hasn’t crossed paths with Natalie yet— since the mind-capture includes a Natalie who knows Tara— has Tara— has had Tara for a year… when the killer crossed paths with Natalie, all of that was just a memory for her, but while we’re going through Tara’s mind— that’s still the present— maybe Natalie isn’t the Natalie the killer took the mind-capture of yet. Maybe they’ll only cross paths with her later.

Xerxes turned his wrist to get a good look at his watch. “And maybe I’m just grasping at straws to make myself feel better about the fact that I’m not getting any closer to solving this. And that’s— a reason to hope. The killer might turn up later. Then maybe I’ll be able to figure out who they are. But for right now, it’s 11:00 exactly. I’ve got to keep going.”