Everyone in it is 18+ and everyone outside should be as well. There’s nothing else to say this time.
Spellbinders Saga
By Arthur N. Owen
Volume IV: The Wilson War, Chapter 2: Plan for the Impossible
David Wilson addressed family, in-laws and acquaintances (he was sure Penelope still considered him a friend, but James and Scott’s friendship was dependent on whether he could get them their wives back to normal). “Dad, James, do you still have any connections at City Hall?“
“Sorry, David.” said James. “Political functions make Eleanor uncomfortable, so we’ve only been to one fundraiser for the current guy, and that was over two years ago.”
“Our poor mayor.” said Steven, who religiously followed politics. “As if the mini-earthquake last year and the red rash in January weren’t bad enough, this is going to get him recalled, especially if there are a lot of fatalities.”
“Tom tried to run against the current DA. He never even made it through the primary, but we still keep in touch.” said John.
“That will have to do.” said David. “The DA will be trying to figure out how they can quell this situation without being held liable for all the innocent blood. Call him and say that your son has a solution.”
“But you still haven’t told us what that solution is.” said Melissa.
“For that I need to go deep into the subconscious of one of the thralls we have here. That way I can determine what programming has been given to them, and how to remove it. Penelope is already free, and I’m not willing to risk jeopardizing that with a deep dive, so that leaves Eleanor or Caroline. Since neither of them is currently in their right mind, I will only do it with consent from next of kin, their respective husbands. Just so you know, there is significant risk involved since the deeper you go, the greater the chance of fundamentally changing someone by accident.”
“Do you have a preference?” asked James and Scott at once.
“Eleanor, for multiple reasons.” answered David. “For starters, Caroline is pregnant, which makes her condition more delicate. Also, Caroline is more of a submissive than Eleanor, which will make her less receptive to leaving the trance. Finally, I’ve already done deep dives in Eleanor’s mind, because her willpower is so great I needed to.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about for the first two reasons, but I really can’t argue with the first.” said James.
“And I have no reason to!” said Scott with a smile that annoyed James.
“Guess there’s no choice in the matter. I consent on Eleanor’s behalf.” said James with a sigh.
“Fortunately, Eleanor is already restrained in my soundproof office, which is designed to facilitate hypnotizing people.” said David. “This will be a delicate endeavor, so no one else is allowed inside for the duration, not even James. However, you can watch what I am doing on the screen outside the office. This is going to take a while, so in the meantime, someone get me a satellite image of Knees.”
Aside from James, only Scott, Penelope and Tori were interested in watching what was happening. They gathered outside the office around the screen. As David went inside, Kelly then said. “The door locks from the inside, and I’m the only one with a key out here. There’s an intercom button under the screen, but anyone who touches it is going to lose that hand. If you don’t like what you see, go elsewhere, that’s it. There is no sound besides a response to the intercom, because of the risk of accidental induction. I’ll answer any questions I can, but this is new territory for David, let alone yours truly, so no promises. And no refreshments will be served, you’ll have to go back downstairs.” Kelly then realized that Eleanor was still naked on the screen under her restraints. “Because David is afraid of someone using the recording to hypnotize or trigger somebody else, whatever footage gets recorded is automatically deleted after 24 hours if we don’t override, We don’t blackmail, so relax James.“
“Thank you for that.” said James.
“Did you bring any clothing for her?”
“In case she wanted to start wearing it again? Of course, it’s in the car.”
“Go get it. Fingers crossed she’ll need it soon.” Scott volunteered to get the clothes, so James gave him the key. Kelly then turned to the screen, which had just turned on. “Looks like it’s show time!”
David sat at his desk, across from Eleanor in the “hardback” restraint chair. It was the first time he had seen his friend naked, and her body was just as spectacular as he had expected when she resisted his commands to show it nine years ago. However, David was more focused on her pretty face, with a wide goofy smile and beautiful blue eyes that were as blank as he’d ever seen on anyone besides Regina. It was an expression that could only be called mindless bliss, and it unnerved him as much as it did on Regina, and every other face he’d seen it on in the last eighteen hours (he’d lost count of how many). “Eleanor, do you know who I am?” he asked.
“You... are... David... Wilson...”
“Do you know who brought you here?”
“He... is... irrelevant... only... Master’s... orders... matter...” David knew that would be a problem.
“Did you recognize the other tied up naked woman?”
“She... is... another... slave... like... me...” David knew that the programming basically designated everyone who was not her Master into fellow thralls or obstacles to be overcome. Anything else she knew about them was ignored. David figured that he was an exception to those rules because he had enthralled her first, in addition to the fact that Malcolm had made him a secondary controller for all the local thralls. Eleanor’s responses indicated that he hadn’t rescinded this control on anyone besides Regina, and he already knew about her.
This left a possible loophole that David could use to his (their?) advantage. “Ellie-Vator, Drop Down.” he said, crossing his fingers that this would work.
“Ground... floor... programming... and... obedience...” Eleanor’s eyes shut and her head slumped forward. It had worked, Eleanor was now, unbelievably, in a trance within a trance. David was only guessing that this would succeed, but it wouldn’t be the first time Eleanor had astonished him.
“Eleanor, do you know where you are?”
“In... the... Ellie... Vator...”
“That’s right. But this time is going to be different. We’re starting at the two hundredth floor. Every ten floors you go down, you will pause and look around for other instructions. Do you understand?”
“I... understand...”
“Here goes nothing, or should I say everything?” thought David. “Two Hundred.”
“199... 198... 197... 196... 195... 194... 193... 192... 191... 190... Nothing... here...” Most of Eleanor’s programming had been taken out shortly after she and James had gotten engaged (save for the trigger itself). David did not expect her to find anything for the first few levels.
“Keep going.”
“189... 188... 187... 186... 185... 184... 183... 182... 181... 180... Nothinnng... heeere...”
“Keep going.”
Eleanor was counting slower with each batch and David had to remind her to focus multiple times. It was almost half an hour before anything changed. “Sixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxty-sssssssssssssssssevvvvvvvvvvvvennnnnnnnnnn... Sixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxty-sixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx... Sixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxty-ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffivvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvve... Sixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxty-ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffoooooooooooooooooooooooooooourrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... I... seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... itttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt... Sixxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxty—.”
“Stop! We’re far enough down.”
Meanwhile in the hallway, the audience had been dwindling. After ten minutes of this, only James and Kelly were left looking at the screen. They couldn’t hear anything, but David’s quick reaction had indicated that something was going to change. “Now what?” asked James, with panic in his voice.
“Honestly, he lost me when he put her under while she was already under.” itted Kelly. “This is why most hospitals don’t let you watch surgeries live.“
“I probably would have understood what a doctor said better than the description you and David gave. No offense.”
“None taken. I get that you’re stressed, you’ve really been thrown in the deep end.”
“The deep end of something I didn’t even know existed yesterday morning! My whole world has been turned upside down on top of Eleanor’s... condition.“
“Just like everyone else here besides me and David, and even we are still trying to figure out exactly what happened,“
David was carefully writing down the description of Eleanor’s programming. “Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrremoooooooooooooooooooove... clooooooooooooooooooothessssssssssssssss... fffffffffffffind... sissssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssstersssssssssssssssssssssssss... meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet... Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssterrrrrr... innnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn... Grifffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffith... Parrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrk... donnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn’t... leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet... annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnythiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing... stooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooop...”
David was already anxious enough about how deep he had taken Eleanor just to observe the programming. Removing it was out of the question, he would have to somehow get Malcolm/Knees to do it for her and all the others. But since the trance-within-a-trance had worked so far, he might be able to mitigate the programming for now. David switched off the video feed before commanding Eleanor again...
James saw the screen go dark. “WHAT THE FUCK?!” he shouted. He was about to bang on the door, but Kelly got in front of him.
“I’ve got the only key, and they can’t hear you anyway.” she said. “And don’t bother with the intercom, it’ll just make things worse.”
“I need to know what’s happening to MY WIFE!”
“But you wouldn’t understand it anyway. Even I only got the gist.“
James looked at the floor. “The woman I love is in danger that I don’t even understand. All my parents’ money and influence, and I’m completely helpless!”
“Frustrating, isn’t it?”
While this was going on, some of the group watched the news on television. “Our top story today remains the inexplicable hordes of naked women.” said the clearly distressed anchorman. “Reports are coming in of these massings from every major city in the United States, and many locations around the world. We still have no idea why this is happening, who or what caused it, or how long it will continue. A colleague of mine reports that a preacher in Alabama is blaming these events on the falling morals of the country, pointing to things including divorce, homosexuality, and the legalization of abortion. He was later seen collapsed into a fetal position after someone pointed out the presence of his wife and daughter among the naked throng.” The anchorman began to choke up. “Whatever the cause of this catastrophe, this is no laughing matter. You might have noticed the absence of my co-anchor. You can find her in the naked army, along with the weather girl and several other station employees. My sister-in-law and my nieces are also counted among those affected, and this has made my wife so distraught I almost couldn’t come in today. If any law enforcement personnel are watching, I urge you to that these women are innocent victims, and their families must be living a nightmare, because I know my wife and I are. PLEASE SHOW RESTRAINT!” He then said “Go to a commercial!” before collapsing into sobs.
At the same time, while Steven worked on getting a view of their enemy, Tori walked over to him at the computer. She asked. “It was me, wasn’t it?”
“What was you?” asked Steven, starting to blush.
“Your first choice. You said that the redheaded supermodel David bribed you with was only your second choice.“
Steven sighed and nodded. “You’ve been my first choice since the moment I knew you existed. Before we even met. I overheard your conversation with my brother on Thanksgiving, saw your image on Zoom and...“
“Wow.” said Tori. “I made that much of an impression on you?“
“You make an impression on everyone, the way you look.“
“I know, but thanks for noticing.”
“I’ve always had a thing for cheerleaders. And blue-eyed blondes with long straight hair. And girls who could keep up with me intellectually. You are literally the girl of my dreams.”
Tori smiled wider than Steven had ever seen her and batted her eyelashes. “I’ve known you were into me for a long time, but I didn’t realize you had it that bad. It’s quite flattering to know that I’m someone’s ideal.” She hugged him from behind, and he could feel the swell of her firm breasts against his back. Steven knew that this woman was an incorrigible flirt who got off on being complimented, but this felt different. “Find the guy who we need to stop. I know you can do it.” She kissed his cheek and left him in a greater daze than hypnosis had ever affected him with, and feeling more turned on than at any point when he was with Regina. Steven shook his head to clear the confusion, then redoubled his efforts, doing his best to ignore the hard-on in his pants that Tori’s presence had caused. She seemed to get (or at least present herself as) sexier every time they spoke.
Ten minutes later, the intercom switched on and David said. “If you’ve got clothes for Eleanor, have Kelly bring them in.” James gave her a shopping bag. Kelly unlocked the door, but it had only opened a tiny bit before David’s hand slipped through the opening, grabbed the bag, and vanished as the door shut again. A text immediately showed up on Kelly’s phone. It was from David and it said. “Tell James not to act like anything is out of the ordinary!” It was another ten minutes before David opened the door and exited, with a fully dressed and normal-seeming Eleanor behind him. It was all James could do to restrain himself from grabbing his wife and hugging and kissing her as if they hadn’t seen each other in months.
Kelly whispered. “How’d you get the programming out of her head?”
David looked at the floor. “I didn’t. I couldn’t. I just put her in another trance to suppress the first one.“
“But the first one is the deeper!”
“Yes, ten times deeper at minimum than I’m comfortable taking someone. I don’t know how stable my programming will be at keeping Malcolm’s at bay. Anything that reminds her of her orders, or the crisis, or even the word ‘knees’ could put her back in his power.”
“I’m guessing trying that with Caroline is a nonstarter?”
“Even if she wasn’t pregnant and so much more submissive than Eleanor, it took almost an hour to get that far with Eleanor, and we have other priorities.
David convinced Eleanor to help Peter with the kids, then everyone else came downstairs. “I wasn’t able to free Eleanor.” he itted.
“But she seemed normal.” said James.
“It’s a facade. One even she isn’t aware of. And one I cannot guarantee sustainability on. She needs to be kept in the dark as long as possible, or Knees’ programming could reassert itself.“
Scott said. “Then there’s no point in trying to free Caroline, is there?”
“I’m sorry, but no. Assuming every other thrall has the same programming payload as Eleanor, only Malcolm slash Knees can restore them. And he actually has to give the command, assassinating him will leave them all catatonic, maybe even irrevocably.“
John sighed. “Please tell me there’s some good news.“
“I’m not sure whether this part is ‘good’ news, but the first command in the programming is to disrobe. That means the second Eleanor takes her clothes off, we’ll know she’s compromised.”
“Anything else?” asked Kelly.
“Malcolm gave me control of every thrall of his in California, so long as my orders don’t contradict his. I’ve confirmed that he didn’t take that away, so I can incapacitate them in groups with careful wording. Also, the girls are in a hivemind with him as the queen. They can’t adapt to changes without his orders, so if we can distract him and/or keep him from being understood, his army becomes very inefficient.“
“Did you find him?” asked Kelly.
“He’s in Griffith Park, on a concert stage.” said Steven. “Google Maps shows the highest concentration of his hypnotized horde in LA surrounding and patrolling the park. LAPD has a two-block perimeter set up.”
“Any other specifics?” asked David.
“See for yourself.” said Steven, showing him the image on his laptop. On the stage were three people. Jacob was the only one fully dressed, but he looked like a medieval jester. Regina was wearing a tiara, a big smile and nothing else. Malcolm, or rather Knees in Malcolm’s body, appeared to be sitting on a hastily constructed throne. He only had on his jacket, a crown, and a sash which Steven zoomed in on so they could read the words “FUCK KING.” “Grandpa’s got an inflated opinion of himself, doesn’t he Dad?”
“That he does, Steven. Now how do we flatten him?”
David explained. “Knees is obsessed with you, Dad, this whole thing started as a ploy to steal your son, me, away from you, as you abandoned him.”
John acted insulted. “I didn’t abandon him, he drove me away! YOU KNOW that he...”
“OF COURSE I know, but we’re talking about a guy who is incapable of taking no for an answer, and can ensure that he doesn’t have to. He’s also obsessed with me, as the replacement son who failed his expectations, and likely Kelly as well, because he holds her responsible for my change of heart.“
“Even when it was Malcolm in control, he tolerated me at best.” agreed Kelly. “What’s your point?“
“My point is that if we confront him directly, he’ll focus on us. And if he’s focused on us, he won’t be focused on the horde. The unclothed masses may still try to attack us, so it’s the job of everyone else there to keep them off of us until Kelly can attack him directly.“
“Everyone else there? Who’s staying behind?” asked Melissa.
“You, Mom, along with Penelope. You’ll be keeping an eye on the thralls and the kids, along with Peter.”
Penelope asked, “Peter’s too young and your mom’s no fighter, but why are you leaving me behind?“
“In the event that Eleanor relapses, you need to hold her and Caroline off while Mom and Peter get the kids to safety.”
“Okay, we know your mother and my son’s tasks. What about the rest of us?” asked Holly.
“The two people on the stage, Regina and Uncle Jacob, I have no possible control over. They need to be directly confronted and incapacitated so they can’t help Knees.” said David.
“I can’t fight my brother. I mean the brother who thinks he’s my brother.” said John. “The brother who thinks he’s my father, just try to keep me off him!“
“I’ll do it.” said Dan.
“As for Regina.” continued David. “Eric and Rebecca will handle her, but I’ll need to specially prepare you for that task, which I will detail at the end. Kelly, while she wrestles with Knees, has another task along with distracting him. She has to get his jacket off of him. The jacket contains all of his hypnotic focus devices, and depriving him of it will make it much harder for him to counterattack.”
“Okay, he’s weakened, distracted, and his assistants are unable to aid him.” said Steven. “Then what?”
“It depends on how fast Dad can find one of two crucial things in the jacket. The first is the remote control for his lenses.”
“His WHAT?” asked John.
“The lenses have strobing LEDs, controlled by the remote. It’s one of his hypnotic focuses, probably among the most effective. If we can activate them without him wanting to, it can temporarily render him blind. Steven, you and Tori will be carrying mirrors to amplify the blinding effect.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” asked James. “If this guy’s as good a hypnotist as you’re claiming, not that I doubt you, what’s to stop him from hypnotizing us?”
“I was going to get to that.” said David. “I’ll hypnotize you all first.”
“What will that do?” asked Scott.
“I will put in programming to lock your minds down. Kelly and I already have it. It will make it a lot harder for anyone to hypnotize you who doesn’t have your trigger, which will only work for me or Kelly. Rebecca will need additional programming, and a certain prop that I hope Kelly has a spare of.“
Kelly nodded. “It’s under the sink in the bathroom.” She ran and got it-a strap-on dildo. She had purchased a spare in case her normal one broke.
Rebecca’s jaw hit the floor, followed quickly by her husband’s. “What do you expect me to do with THAT!?” she exclaimed.
“Incapacitate Regina without hurting her.” said David. “Kelly has programming that allows her to reciprocate the orgasms she causes with her strap-on. Since Regina has similar programming to reciprocate orgasms, the two together will cause a loop which will incapacitate both parties.“
“Something we learned the hard way, or at least I did.” explained Kelly. “David wasn’t all that hard because he had just come on Regina which started the loop.“
“Why me?” asked Rebecca.
“It has to be a female. Of the other females that are going into battle, I doubt your stepmom can handle this, Kelly has too crucial a role to be used for this, and Tori doesn’t have a spotter.” answered David.
“Spotter? You mean me?” asked Eric.
“Yes. You will trigger the initial orgasm in Rebecca to set off the loop, and remove the strap-on at the end of the battle, because that’s the only way to cut her off. In Tori’s case, the only one who could act as her spotter is Steven, and giving him access to her mind is a nonstarter.”
Rebecca turned to her husband. “I’m counting this as superseding whatever kinky sex idea you ever come up with. Try to suggest any others and I’m filing for divorce!“
“Duly noted.” said Eric.
“So what are Steven and I supposed to do?” asked Tori.
“You two are secondary distractions.” said David. “Steven serves as a potential alternative successor, and Tori acts as temptation for both you and Knees. I’m sorry to say this, but in all likelihood, Tori will be the hottest female in the radius that Knees doesn’t already control.“
Steven looked at her. “That’d probably be true anywhere she happened to be.“
Tori blushed a little bit and smiled. “Stop flattering me. You’re going to make me jealous of Rebecca’s assignment.”
“You two are flirting NOW!?” roared Kelly.
“He’s the only single guy here, he’s very interested in me, and it’s pretty much the end of the world. Might not get another chance.” said Tori. “Besides, your husband just said that my task is to make a man focus on the fact that I’m sexy, to his own detriment. I do that by being in public!“
Kelly sighed. “I’ve witnessed it first-hand. Hard to argue with that one.”
“Yes, it does frequently get hard.” said Tori with a smirk, which earned her an angry glare from several people.
David brought the conversation back to his plan. ”Anyway, the other thing Dad needs to find inside the jacket is the pocket watch. It’s made of gold and has inlaid jewels, you can’t miss it.
“You said he’s got loads of stuff to hypnotize with in that coat, what makes the watch so special?” asked Dan.
“Multiple reasons. It’s a family heirloom, from the family Malcolm thought he had. It’s also his personal favorite means of hypnotizing someone. And he told me it has never failed him. Therefore, if anything can hypnotize Knees...“
“Hang on.” said Kelly. “The endgame of your plan is you hypnotizing your uncle slash grandfather?”
“Of course.” said David. “The programming is meant to be fail-deadly, so the only person who can get it out is the one who put it in. You and Dad will hold him down while I swing the watch in his face.”
“No, that part I understood when you explained it the first time. What I don’t get is how you expect that to work! Knees is just programming in Malcolm’s mind, so you intend to hypnotize hypnosis itself!“
“I was able to put Eleanor in a trance while she was already in one.”
“Using a trigger! We both know an induction is much harder, especially on someone who is not one but two master hypnotists, will be actively resisting it, and might be vision impaired because of the strobes.“
“I induced you while you were already in a trance.“
“You didn’t know I was in a trance at the time, I wanted it to happen, and it wasn’t like I had a separate personality! And Paterno and Malcolm are apples and oranges. And the rest of the plan, as far as I can tell, is buying time and clearing a path to put you into this position. The fate of Los Angeles, maybe even the whole fucking world, hinges on you doing something that should be impossible! Knees isn’t in a trance, he is one!“
David sighed. “You’re right, Kelly. I have no idea if I can actually hypnotize pure programming. But if I can’t, there is no way we can get the victims back to normal. This may be wishful thinking, but does anyone have a better idea?” No one, not even Kelly, said a word or even put up a hand. “Looks like wishful thinking wins.“
Eric said. “In all fairness, yesterday most of us had no idea any of this was possible, and I for one still don’t understand at least half of it.“
“Alright, line up to get hypnotized so I can lock you down. Rebecca and Eric have to be able to trigger each other, all other couples can opt in or out. I’m not taking requests on triggers, but I will tell you them afterwords. I have to be able to trigger everyone, but Kelly is optional.“
“I want to opt out for Kelly.” said Holly.
“Noted. Now, Penelope and Steven already have triggers, so they’re first. Do I have any volunteers after that?”
Tori put her hand up. Kelly immediately said. “I’m saying right now, I’ll hypnotize Tori.“
David sighed. “Do you really think that I’d alter her feelings for my brother now?” Steven’s face fell, even though he didn’t expect David to grant him such a favor (having already vetoed it once).
“Probably not, but I don’t trust Tori not to beg for extras. She’s been jealous of what we can do in the bedroom for years. And if anyone is curious about what I am referring to, no answers will be forthcoming until after the crisis!“
Tory smirked. “Says you! I’ll gladly tell all. Lives are at stake, so our pact is null and void, sis!”
David said. “I’ll get the script ready for Tori, Locking down Steven and Penelope should be easy.”
While David altered the programming of Steven and Penelope, Kelly read over what she was going to do to her sister. “You will go back into a trance when you hear me or David say the words ‘Open the Tori,’ which you will respond to with ’Konichiwa, Irashai’. Only your trigger can put you into a trance. You will fall in love with Steven.” Her eyes went wide with anger before she saw the next line. “Ignore that last line hot stuff, I’m just kidding.” Kelly groaned. “I can live with the jokes and puns in triggers and countersigns, but that is not funny!“
Tori, who had overheard the lines, said. “It’s a little funny.“
“Not when you consider that he already asked for it once...”
“And didn’t get it! It’s a bit of a turn on to know that he thinks I’m the perfect woman. Not to mention that he’s a lot less likely to cheat on or belittle me than any of the last ones...“
“He’s practically your stalker and you’re actually considering going out with him!?”
“, that’s your brother-in-law we’re taking about. You trust him with your daughter but not your sister?”
“No, you’re right. I can probably trust him with you.” said Kelly. “It’s you I can’t trust with him. And I don’t like the fact that you’re treating this so lightly.” Kelly missed the irony of how lightly she had appeared to take the plan to infiltrate Paterno’s office nine years ago.
“The plan, or at least my part of it, is me distracting somebody while you sneak around the back. How many times did we do that as kids?“
“I lost count, but you probably know the answer.“
“158, counting what we’re about to do. And I can count on one hand the number of times we got caught.”
David exited the office with Steven and Penelope just then, ending the conversation. Kelly turned to her husband and said angrily. “I saw your little prank. There is no good time for it, but I really can’t think of a worse one!“
“I’m sorry, but I feel like you are getting too worked up about this.” said David. “And really, it’s more likely that she’ll brainwash him. And I doubt she’d even need to use hypnosis. Kissing him or taking off her top might be enough.“
“Hard to argue with that one.” agreed Kelly as Tori went into the office. “Unfortunately.”
Most of the hypnosis sessions went efficiently, but when David got to Holly, who was second to last (John would be the final one), she had a few questions. “Peter is staying behind with your mother and your lawyer friend. He’s not really a kid anymore, you’re trusting him to watch your daughter.” she said as the door closed.
“He’s a responsible boy, you raised him well.” responded David. “What’s your point?”
“How much should we tell him?”
“That’s a fair question, and I’m a little surprised your husband didn’t bring it up when he was in here. Tell him not to put on the news, not to stress Eleanor out, and if she starts taking off her clothes, take the kids to my mom and run like hell. The how might be necessary, but save the why for when he’s a legal adult. And you or Dan should explain things, not me or Kelly.“
“That’s reasonable.” said Holly. “May I ask my trigger before we start?” He handed her the paper. “Trigger: Holly Bows. Countersign (sung) Fa-la-la-la-la-la into trance! And you wonder why I asked not to have Kelly be able to use it.“
“Kelly rarely makes up the triggers.”
“I suppose it could be worse. I was afraid she’d told you my maiden name and you had worked that in...”
“Actually, she told me your maiden name before we started dating.”
Holly sighed, but moved on. “Did Dan ask for my trigger?”
“He did not.”
“Then I don’t need his. From what Tori’s told us, that kind of stuff might kill him anyway. Let’s get this over with.”
“Okay.” David turned on the strobe lights...
Holly left ten minutes later and John entered. “We really need to talk, son.” he said.
“Can you be more specific?”
“Why’d you do it?”
“Get involved with Malcolm or start on my own?”
“Yes.”
“As to why I started on my own, it was just serendipity. I discovered the frequency in the middle of a science project with a pretty girl. After what happened with Melanie, it was like the universe was paying me back for what I’d been denied because of Steven. Then I came up with the tutoring business to justify what I was doing and get some extra spending money. It was something I discovered I had a talent for and I just didn’t want to stop.“
“And what about Malcolm? You have to realize by now that he was targeting you.”
“I’m not sure which ‘he’ had the interest in me, but either way you’re right. I was being paid so much money to do what I was already doing. Yes, it seemed too good to be true, but you didn’t see what he did to Regina. He pretty much gave her, the hottest woman I’d ever met, to me on a silver platter, and that just made it too tempting to up. I would have slowed down, maybe even stopped, if Kelly objected, but she didn’t. It was too good to stop and too risky to even try to. I was in over my head, I see that now. But Malcolm was dangerous, and I figured it was better to remain on his good side and...“
“I get it, son. And I realize you tried your best to bring morality into something that is immoral by definition.“
“No longer, though. Grandpa will be the last person I hypnotize against their will, unless it is in self-defense.“
“You have my permission. Let’s get started.”
After David and John came out of the office, the final preparations began. Scott couldn’t bear to see Caroline in that state any longer, so he distracted Eleanor while James and Eric moved her into the now-empty office. She was fastened to the hardback chair, and Kelly gave Penelope the key. Holly explained to Peter what he needed to do. John called the district attorney.
“So what’s the word?” asked David after John hung up.
“The good news is that the DA is very in favor of restraint. His daughter and two assistant DA’s are among the thralls, which is probably why.”
“I assume there’s also bad news?”
“The bad news is that the National Guard is already en route. Apparently the White House approved a disaster declaration for LA County, and the mayor and the governor plan to hide behind that when the dust settles. Aaron and I were able to convince His Honor to wait until the specialist sniper arrives.”
“So how long do we have?”
“The mayor estimates that the sniper will be here in less than four hours, so he believes that Malcolm will be dead and this will be resolved in less than five. And FYI, the governor believes that the Insurrection Act is being seriously discussed in Washington, so...”
“That’ll do, Dad. We’ve got to get moving. Say your goodbyes. I want everybody ready to go in five minutes!”
The eleven brave souls traveled in three cars: David, Kelly, John and Steven in his car; James, Scott, Holly and Dan in James’ car; and Eric, Rebecca and Tori in John’s car. All other cars (Kelly’s, Penelope’s and the two “stolen” Uber vehicles) were moved several blocks away. Only Scott’s car, which had a carseat and a booster seat already in the back, remained at David’s house in the event that Melissa and Peter had to take the children and escape. Melissa was the only one to watch them drive off, not knowing whether she’d see her husband and sons again, or if she did, whether all parties would even recognize each other.