The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Spellbinders Saga

By Arthur N. Owen

Volume IV: The Wilson War, Chapter 5: Trials and Tribulations

David Wilson sat at the conference table of Wilson and Spaulding’s office. Also there were his wife, father, godfather, and at his own insistence, Penelope. The trial of him and Kelly was set to begin in three weeks, and the charges were quite extensive. “Anyone have any comments?”

Tom was the first to speak. “John, you and Penelope have had over a month to get up to speed, but I’m still processing that all of this even could happen, let alone that it did! Can you at least promise me that Sammi was spared?“

“I’ve checked the database monthly, and her name wasn’t on it. Because she went to college outside of California, and doesn’t live in a big city, her chances of being enthralled are much less.” said David.

“There was one time she almost got it at my bachelorette party, but we prevented it.” added Kelly.

“I have to say, before this, if I was told I needed to defend one of my sons on sex crime charges, I would have guessed it would be Steven every time.” said John.

“And I would guess that you would have left him hanging.” said Tom. “Yet we intend to defend David and Kelly on things that are exponentially worse than what I could imagine any defendant committing, let alone Steven.“

“You won’t need to defend them, Tom.” said Penelope. ”I’ll do it.“

“After everything he did, you did, I’m honestly surprised you haven’t given notice!“

“I won’t deny that I’ve been considering leaving the firm, maybe even the city.” said Penelope. “But after everything, they’re still my friends, and I can’t abandon them, or you two. And the optics matter. A father, or godfather, defending his son against crimes that were once, as Tom put it, unimaginable, is going to scream ‘I hold him to a different standard than the rest of the world.’ Especially since John’s hatred of infidelity is so well known among the California Bar Association.”

“Hard to argue with that one.” said Kelly. “And from a certain perspective, David and I have cheated on each other more than every King of England on his respective Queen put together!”

“Well put.” said Penelope. “Whereas I, one of his victims who has forgiven him, makes a much better judge of his character.”

John said. “She hasn’t lost a case she’s worked on, but she also hasn’t taken the lead on one yet either. But it’s the client’s decision.“

“I made my decision already.” said David. “I wouldn’t have insisted on her being here if I didn’t want her to defend us.”

“We have some advantages.” said Penelope. “The novel nature of these crimes are an uphill battle to prove. And everyone who knows about the crime saw David stop Malcolm.”

“That just puts me in the same boat as Mike Pence on January 6.” said David. “Yes I stopped him, but only after spending all that time helping him get to that point!“

“A point no one, even you, ever expected him to reach, unlike Trump who made his intentions clear from the day after the election. In addition, both of the Assistant District Attorneys who specialize in sex crimes are victims of the Snap, and thus are unable to prosecute this case. The DA also must recuse himself, as his daughter was a thrall, which makes this a conflict of interest. And David is only the third individual in history to be prosecuted for mind-control related crimes, with the other two pleading guilty before a trial even took place. The only evidence for the crimes at college is David’s own interviews, and Malcolm’s confession, which basically states that everything he did was following orders.“

“Why are we only talking about David’s crimes?” asked Kelly.

“His involvement predates yours and almost everything you did was alongside him.” said John. “Your charges only include the actions against your sorority sisters. We can probably convince everyone that you were enthralled the entire time, and not in control of your actions.”

Kelly smirked. “Occam’s Razor, right?” The lawyers nodded. “Then it’s probably a good idea that my sister does NOT visit the city again before the trial ends. Occam’s Razor states that David gave her to his brother as a gift!”

Tom said. “After meeting your little sister, I could believe that even before finding out it was actually possible for that to happen. And on that note...“

“Not happening, Uncle Tom.” said David. “Even if it wasn’t impossible for me to turn a gay person straight without causing severe and possibly damaging changes to them, Tommy is married now, making it unethical.“

Kelly added. “David doesn’t hypnotize people without permission anymore. With the possible exception of self-defense.”

“Yeah, I didn’t expect you to be open to it.” said Tom with a sigh. “Forget the legal and logistical issues, you two are as close as brothers and you’d never hurt him that way.“

“Which is why I won’t mention that you even tried to bring it up.” said David

John said. “Tom, your son has been married to another man for two years now. You have to accept that.”

“I shouldn’t have even brought it up, it’s really beside the point.”

Penelope then said. “Moving on, the only other evidence of anything Malcolm, and by extension David, did before Knees’ resurgence is in the minds of the victims. Victims that are, by and large, still unfit to testify.

“Forget the part about my father’s hypno-ghost.” said John. “It can’t be proven, and Malcolm isn’t on trial here.”

“That’s another point. David is only involved in a small fraction of Malcolm’s network. Less than one quarter of one percent of the thralls came from him, or even encountered him.”

“I’d say we were responsible for a little over a thousand, including the Taus.” said Kelly. “Three years is a long time.”

“It’s still is less than 2000 even if you count the UCLA students that we didn’t get, like Kat and Beth or Regina.” said David.

“Don’t mention Regina.” said Kelly. “Last I checked, she’s still comatose, and the other one’s family is asking for her to be taken off life .”

“They already buried her once.”

John added. “The court is ignoring Malcolm’s true paternity because if he isn’t entitled to the Masterson fortune, he couldn’t have given it out in the settlement. Because no one will ever believe Malcolm’s true motivations, he’s claiming that he went crazy and cashed out the network because he was upset at David rejecting being best man at his wedding, then saw the error of his ways after David stopped him. No one at the event who isn’t a member of our family is fit to testify, so that story can be stuck to. It puts Malcolm in an even worse light, if that’s even possible, and makes his remorse more credible.“

David said. “The question on everyone’s mind is ‘Did I stop Malcolm to save the city or save my own ass?’”

Kelly asked. “Can it be both?”

John said. “Son, you aren’t my firm’s only client, so we can talk about this in a few days. I need to explain to Steven why he needs to visit Tori next time instead of the other way around.”

David said. “Kelly and I have an appointment anyway.”

Penelope said. “I’ve got a lot of discovery to dig through.”

David and Kelly immediately went to a private hospital. Regina Abernathy and Louise Streeter were both there, being fed intravenously and watched for signs of cognition, which had yet to appear even after six weeks since the Snap. The hospital denied all visitors who could not prove they were a patient’s friend or family member. However, despite Sean Clarke never tying the knot with Louise before her “death,” he had still been close with the Streeter family, so much so that they put him on the list. Since the two patients were in the same area, Sean could allow them access to Regina, if he was convinced to do so. A week earlier David and Kelly had arranged to meet him at their house.

“You promised me the truth if I let you into the hospital.” said Sean.

“And we intend to honor that promise.” said David. “Starting with the memories I wiped from your mind. But I need your permission first.”

“Why do I get the feeling this isn’t the first, and you didn’t wait for permission then?“

“Correct on both counts.” said Kelly. “But we’re turning over a new leaf, or at least trying to.”

“I’d threaten you, but I’m guessing that I have no leverage here.” said Sean.

“Right again.” said David.

“Do it.”

“Stop the presses.”

“This... just... in... I... obeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyy...”

“When you wake up, you will everything you were told to forget. Including what your trigger does to you. Count to five in your head and awaken.”

Five seconds later, Sean’s eyes snapped open, about as wide as dinner plates. “MOTHERFUCKER!!!!” he roared after a few minutes. “Did Malcolm put you up to any of that?”

“Not directly. Regina was his favorite toy, who we were looking after while he was out of the country.” said Kelly. “We’ve seen what Malcolm does to people who he considers threats, so trust me, you got off easy dealing with us rather than with him.“

“You don’t need to tell me what Masterson is capable of. Louise is more than enough proof of that. And so is Bianca.“

“Who’s Bianca?”

“Bianca Peregrine. The Sentinel’s editor in chief, and formerly my and Louise’s boss. And, apparently, one of Masterson’s secondary assets and currently on an open-ended sabbatical while they put her brain back together. No wonder she warned Louise about getting involved with him. I thought she was our friend.”

“Not wanting Louise to enter Malcolm’s orbit was probably for her sake as well as Malcolm’s.“

“You must have seen Louise if you and Masterson were that close.”

“I did, though I only knew her as Lulu.” said David sheepishly.

“Look me in the eye and tell me you never suspected who ‘Lulu’ really was.“

“Not until after you showed me that picture. From that point, I only saw her upright one more time. Malcolm never told me how the live-ins came into his service, and she’d been there for over a year the first time he invited me over. When you explained your history with him, I figured he was manipulating her for a few trysts, maybe arranging the accident, but what he actually did to her never crossed my mind. I’m guessing that he was using her as a pawn to get Stein off the table. Stein was probably a rival controller who went too far.“

“When it comes to hypnotizing people, we have very different definitions of ‘too far’. Considering that this is Masterson we’re talking about, and what Stein was accused of, I can’t imagine where his line would be.“

“His line is whatever you can keep secret, you can do. Stein’s... preferences were drawing too much attention.”

Kelly interjected. “You can’t tell anyone that Knees Wilson is Malcolm Masterson’s biological father. It will screw up the settlement money. Or that we specifically did anything to you. Everything else is fair game, in exchange for you getting us in to see Regina. But it can’t be published until after the trial.“

Sean agreed, and they answered many of his questions. He was able to get them into the hospital to see Regina, though the moment they saw her, they both immediately regretted how much they wanted to see her.

Unlike Louise Streeter (who they ed on the way to Regina), Regina did not look like a typical comatose woman. Her face was still frozen in the wide blank smile it had been when they last saw her after the battle. “The first time I saw her like that, all those years ago, I thought she resembled one of the Nicholson Joker’s victims.” said David. “It creeped me out then, and it does so even more right now.“

“You mean in the ’89 Batman film, were they all died with big wide smiles after being poisoned?” asked Kelly. David nodded. “Yeah, I can see how she’d remind you of that. I how I said I’d be okay with dying young as long as I died of a super-powerful orgasm, because I’d die with a big smile. I regret that thought immensely, considering that’s pretty close to what happened to her. Why didn’t she wake up like the others?”

“Even Malcolm didn’t expect this.” answered David. “He thought that there was more of the real her left and she would have woken up by now. I have a few theories, though.”

“Such as?”

“One comes from volume. All of the others ed what they’d done and what had been done to them all at once, in the most traumatic way possible. Hence the fact that they all spent or are still spending months, maybe even years, in therapy. Regina just found out that Malcolm had effectively been directing every aspect of her life, with our help, for almost nine years. Everyone else Malcolm controlled the life of to that degree was aware that he was doing it. It could have been too much for her to take.“

“So the revelation broke her?”

“I told you what someone ‘broken’ looks like. And while you might say that about some of the other victims, this goes far beyond that. I’d categorize Regina and Louise as shattered.“

“Hard to argue with that classification. What’s the other theory?“

“James once told me a story that I am using as a metaphor. One of the tenants in his building had an extremely clogged drainpipe in his sink. But after he poured in the drain cleaner, the pipe leaked so bad that it had to be replaced. Apparently the clogs had corroded the metal to the point where they were all that were keeping it together. So, when the blockage was removed...”

“There was nothing left.” David nodded. “There’s nothing left in Regina and Louise’s heads now that all of their programming has been torn out, or at least not enough for them to function.”

David said angrily. “Nine years ago she happened to be doing her job asking about the stranger who somehow got upstairs. Malcolm didn’t even know her name until after he put her in a trance, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time with the right appearance. And now he’s destroyed her life, literally and figuratively. And I helped him do it!” David started crying, and Kelly had to hug him.

“You had no idea this would occur. If you didn’t, she’d still be his slave, and so would a million other women.” said Kelly. “Wow, is this a role reversal from how we usually talk about Regina. Normally I’m the emotional one, and you’re telling me that we couldn’t have done anything to change what happened.“

“I only say that to try to assuage my own conscience. It barely worked all those times, and it isn’t working at all now!”

“Read my lips. THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT! Malcolm forced you to keep reinforcing Regina’s programming, or she’d go insane. You treated all of the thralls well. You saved me and the others from Paterno. You saved the city, if not the world, from Knees. No one could have known what he was planning and no one else could have ended it without bloodshed. Malcolm’s crimes are NOT yours and they never were.“

“You’ve convinced me. Now you just need to convince a dozen perfect strangers.” David received a call. “It’s Brandon. I figured after the story broke, this was inevitable.”

“Once we leave, we’re probably never getting back in here, so any last words?”

“Yes.” David went over to the rigid redhead. Fighting back additional tears, he said “I have one last order for you, Regina. Forgive me.”

Brandon met them in the parking lot outside David’s office. “This stuff on the news, it’s making my head split. It’s on too many stations and different platforms to be a lie, but I just can’t believe it. I think I’m going crazy!“

David sighed. “No, you aren’t. I can help you, if you want me to.”

“DO IT!”

“Pay your debts, Lannister.”

Brandon’s head slumped forward. “Hear me whimper.”

“When I snap my fingers, you will wake up. You will the truth about yourself, me, and hypnosis, but the programming to prevent you from abusing women will remain. Do you understand?”

“Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss...”

“When I count to three, you will awaken. One, two, three!”

As soon as Brandon was awake, he started screaming. “I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!...”

As he said “I KNEW IT!” over and over again, Kelly asked. “How long are you going to let him do that?”

“Until he runs out of breath. Vindication is a powerful thing, even if it is meaningless here.”

Brandon would keep repeating. “I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!” for four more minutes. Then he started gasping for breath.

“Are we good?” asked David.

“I think so.” said Brandon. “I really can’t ask you to take out the programming that makes me hurt myself when I try to be abusive.”

“You hurt yourself when you abuse others anyway.” commented Kelly.

“I know that now, I’m just a knucklehead who took too long to learn that lesson.”

“Hard to argue with that one.”

“To your credit, it’s been two and a half years since I put that in, and you’ve only called begging for relief three times, and the last was over eight months ago, so the lesson has stuck.” said David. Brandon then left and David said. “I think that was the first time I’ve seen him where he didn’t try to kill me.”

Kelly smirked. “With any luck, it’ll be the last time you see him period.“

One week later, Penelope and John reported about jury selection. “It’s a pretty easy argument that the extent of Malcolm’s victims caused a lot of bias to their loved ones, and thus major conflicts of interest.” said Penelope. “The prosecution agreed that any sibling, spouse or parent of a thrall could not serve on this jury, but all other relationships had to be disclosed and evaluated case by case.”

“We’ve objected to fifty people and sat seven so far. This is the longest jury selection I’ve ever been a part of, and it’s still far from finished!” added John.

“When you consider that his highest concentration of thralls was Los Angeles County, that makes a lot of sense. Fifty thousand women have a lot of loved ones.” commented Kelly.

“And you’re forgetting how many celebrities are laid out, and that pissed off a lot of fans.” finished David.

Penelope continued. “We estimate that the trial will start in ten days. Optics matter, so every member of David’s family needs to be there at the start of the trial, including Eliza, but since Kelly is going to be portrayed as a victim and her family lives further away, we should leave them out of it.“

“It’s just as well. Tori being on Steven’s arm is not going to do David’s case any favors.” said Kelly.

David added. “That’s why he’s visiting San Francisco this week instead of her coming here.”

A day later, Steven Wilson arrived at San Francisco International Airport. Waiting for him at arrivals was his girlfriend/proxy sister-in-law Tori Stone, with a big mischievous smile on her beautiful face. As they typically did when they saw each other, he pinched himself and she gave him a kiss that drained at least half of his IQ points. The kiss lasted three minutes, and it took an additional three minutes for Steven’s intelligence to recover enough to form sentences again. “I missed you too.” he said finally.

“I noticed.” smirked Tori as she pointed to his crotch. “I am surprised you came here, though. We’ve only been dating for a few months, and it’s easier for me to travel.”

“It’s also easier for you to house me, since I still live with my parents.” said Steven. “And more importantly, this time, is the optics. David’s trial is starting soon, and it’s been front page news for weeks!“

“Which is why I would think he’d want more people there to him.”

“People who’d be likely to him anyway. When you consider what he’s accused of, and the unlikeliness of our coupling...“

“Yeah, yeah, everyone’s going to think he hypnotized me and gave me to you as a gift.”

Steven smirked. “Kelly still acts like she does, and not only does she know the truth...“

Tori finished. “But she’s the one who did the hypnotizing!“

“Counter argument: I just spent $400 to come see you when my brother is about to stand trial. Who’s manipulating who?”

“At least you know I’m manipulating you.“

“And I’m so enamored with you I don’t care all that much!” Tori kissed him again for that statement, but he quickly broke it off and asked. “Aren’t you double parked?” before she could melt his brain again. That was enough to get Tori’s mind back in gear and get them out of the airport.

After going to dinner, they went to Tori’s apartment. The apartment was modest, but did not feel like she was cramped. Most of her decor tended towards shades of gold, her favorite color. There were pennants from her alma mater and the Warriors and Forty-Niners. The largest display was a photo of her cheerleading squad from senior year of college at Berkeley, and next to it, the massive first-place column trophy said team had won at the national championship (which she had kept as team captain). As he put down his suitcase and backpack, Steven marveled. “I’m honestly surprised you didn’t go pro!”

“It crossed my mind more than a few times, but professional cheerleading is so competitive, and not just between squads.” said Tori. “Besides, there might be sexier cheerleaders than me, but I doubt there’s a sexier ant!”

“I couldn’t imagine a sexier ant than you either.”

“You couldn’t imagine a sexier anything than me, you said so enough times.“

“Yes, but in of ants, it’s objective!“

Tori smiled and kissed Steven again. As he went to pinch himself, she grabbed his hand and said. “It’s really happening. Accept it.” she said with a slight pout.

“I know it’s really happening, I just thought you’d be flattered that I think you’re a dream come true!“

“It is flattering, but you’ve made that abundantly clear by now. Besides, you have better things to do with your hands.” To demonstrate, she brought his hand to her midsection while reaching behind his back and pulling him closer with her other hand. “Doesn’t that feel better than another pinch?“

“Incontrovertibly.” Steven started the kiss this time, but Tori wasn’t any less enthusiastic. They came up for air five minutes later, and each had shed half of their clothes in the interim. “So what other activities do you have planned? I’m here all week, and I haven’t been to San Fran since I was in grade school.”

“We’ll have one day each to see Dad, Holly and Peter; my sister and her kids; and your old friend Tommy. Other than that, you can do all the sightseeing you want.”

“I’ve already seen the thing in this city I wanted to see more than anything else.”

“Oh, I bet I can show you something you’ll want to see more.” Tori said with a wink and a mischievous smile. “Go into the bedroom. I’ll you in five minutes with a surprise.”

Steven went into Tori’s bedroom without another word. The bedroom was decorated similarly to the rest of the apartment, but there were more photographs in frames here. Of her friends, her family, her nephews and niece (the latter he shared with her), and one empty frame that Steven assumed was for her boyfriend. He removed the rest of his clothes while he waited. Steven ed that the last time he’d been in this situation (was it only two or three months ago? It seemed like another lifetime, what with all that had happened) it surprised him beyond measure even though he knew what was coming. He knew what was coming this time as well, and as the door opened, he was floored nonetheless.

Tori was dressed in her college cheerleading uniform. The blue and gold outfit, a miniskirt and a midriff-bearing top, made her look sexier than he’d ever seen her, suring even the last time she’d worn it (when she visited him a month ago). She’d even put her hair up in braided pigtails, tied with blue and gold ribbons, and was holding pom-poms. Even though she’d graduated from Berkeley five years ago, it still fit her very well, and the places it was tight only made her look more appealing! “You won the b-bet.” he stammered. “This is, is something I’ve w-wanted to see so s-so so badly... DAMMIT!” Much like the last time she’d worn the outfit (or taken her clothes off, outfit or not) for him, the sight set him off early.

Tori pouted. “I really thought I’d trained that out of you.” Tori had convinced him to get himself in better shape, and he had continued to work out even while she was gone. Nothing motivated Steven more than his gorgeous girlfriend, since there was nothing he’d ever wanted more than her.

“I’m going to quote the song that has been stuck in my head since the first time you kissed my cheek. That’s the reason why this keeps happening.

Pardon the way that I stare

There’s nothin’ else to compare

The sight of you leaves me weak

There are no words left to speak

But if you feel like I feel

Please let me know that it’s real

You’re just too good to be true

Can’t take my eyes off of you”

Tori was nearly moved to tears. “I know. You requested that song at David and Kelly’s wedding when we danced the second time. You played that song when we first fucked, and pretty much every time after that. And you sang it at karaoke last time we saw each other. It’s going to be stuck in my head soon enough.” She wiped her eyes and smiled. “And it’s quite all right, and I’ll stay as long as you don’t let me down. Furthermore, every time you go off too soon, I know just how to remedy it.” She put out her pom-poms and clapped. Unlike the first time, she had a full routine ready to “motivate” her man, and had enough space and time to perform it. “S-T-E-V-E-N! Get hard and fuck me again! S-T-E-V-E-N! Get hard and fuck me again!” It worked, Steven was hard again immediately. Tori dropped the pom-poms and pulled off her top, revealing the lack of a bra under it.

But when she went for the skirt, Steven said. “Leave the skirt on.” Tori obliged, going directly for her panties. She leapt onto the bed, and then there really were no words left to speak, just screams of joy. Much like her sister, Tori was insatiable once she got started and wanted to keep going until she ed out. Every time Steven came, she was able to flirt and cheer his penis back to hardness. Steven had been telling the truth earlier-Tori’s sexy naked body was a site he wanted to explore more than all of San Francisco’s tourist landmarks put together. This went on four times before she wore him out too much to continue and they fell asleep in each other’s arms, grinning from ear to ear.

The next morning, they went to see Dan, Holly, and Peter. Steven and Tori had the most complete picture of their older siblings’ adventures of any family before everything had been laid bare, but the two of them didn’t know everything even if their knowledge had been pooled. However, Steven had sat in on some of the sessions at his father’s office for the simple reason that he had the clearest picture of anyone besides the defendants, who frequently spoke with each other in “industry slang” that he had to translate. Steven also had been following the person who wanted to prosecute this case more than anyone else who hadn’t been a victim or family thereof-California Attorney General Anthony “The Bolt” Bolton.

Now on his second term in the office, AG Bolton was one of the toughest prosecutors in state history. Unlike previous AG’s who had cut their teeth in a DA’s office after earning an Ivy League law degree, he had ed the military as an escape from the Compton ghetto he grew up in. After getting his degrees on the GI Bill and other military benefits, he worked his way through the Judge Advocate General for a decade and become one of the military’s top prosecutors before retiring to run for office. His nickname had come from how fast he moved into aggressive questioning of a witness or defendant. Steven believed that, since the current governor was term limited and the lieutenant governor had indicated she wanted to retire, Bolton was an early favorite to win the gubernatorial election in two years, and intended to ride the wave of anti-mind control interest into power by pushing for David Wilson’s prosecution. He had advised the Los Angeles DA’s office not to offer him a deal, since Malcolm Masterson (the more noteworthy of the two targets) had pled out and could not be made an example of. Ironically, all of the of David and Kelly’s families had voted for him for AG twice and likely would vote for him again if David wasn’t his target.

Steven had a good time visiting Tori’s family. The next day he visited Rebecca, Eric and their children. Rebecca had stopped requiring crutches and prescription painkillers, but was still using a cane and Advil. David had refused to show Eric how to give Rebecca hypno-painkillers, as he believed them to be just as potentially addictive as pharmaceutical ones. Eric also mentioned that the trigger he had used to make Rebecca orgasm on command no longer worked. Steven already knew that David had programmed Rebecca to only respond to it once (during the battle), since on-command orgasms were another hypnosis-related thing that could easily become addictive. The group went to the family’s favorite Chinese restaurant (which Steven was at for the first time), and Tori read off statistics about the fortune cookies to Steven’s delight and Rebecca’s annoyance. Steven’s fortune cookie stated “Luck is fleeting unless you work to keep it.”

The next day, Steven and Tori visited Tommy and Derek. Unlike Tori’s family, they had no idea about anything Malcolm and David had done until after the fact. Because neither Sammi nor Derek’s sisters were ever enthralled, the only net effect the Snap had on their lives was an ironic positive-Derek’s main competitor was a primary asset, and now her salon was out of business. After that, Tori guided him around the city for the next few days.

On the fourth day of the trip, Tori had insisted that they call David to talk about the trial. He soon scheduled a Zoom meeting involving himself, Kelly and Penelope. “I want to help.” said Tori.

“The best help you can be is staying AS FAR AWAY FROM THE TRIAL AS POSSIBLE!” said Kelly. She could see Tori’s bedroom on the call, with evidence of Tori and Steven’s recent “activities”.

“Au contraire, mon sœur” countered Tori. “You are talking to someone who could do statistical analysis since kindergarten, and is the best ant Daddy employs. I’ve never needed an audit, and my forensic ing skills have resulted in six convictions in San Francisco alone. Just ask the San Francisco DA!“

“That has to count for something.” said Steven.

“Hard to argue with that one.” said Kelly with a slight sigh. “She’s good at what she does, I won’t deny that. Can she help?“

Penelope said. “We need to show that David’s effect on the girls he hypnotized is different than the ones Malcolm and the other primary assets did. Did Malcolm give the DA’s office access to his database?”

“He had to.” answered David. “Only way to determine who could get part of the settlement.“

“Then they can’t complain about us using it. What about the treatment records?“

“Only the ones who took the cash from the settlement.” said Kelly. “That’s more than three quarters of them, but still.”

“I think she can point out a pattern that will work in our favor.” said Penelope with a grin “Being the defendant’s sister-in-law will hint heavily of bias, but I doubt we can get another expert witness with her skill set and skill level on such short notice. I recommend we let her help us.“

“Get me the data, and give me a week.” said Tori. “Consider me your expert witness! I’ve been called as one enough times, I won’t embarrass myself on the stand.”

“I really hope she’s right.” said David as he switched off the call.

Every night of the trip, the happy couple had fucked until someone ed out. However, Tori had realized the pattern of Steven’s arousal rather quickly, and did not wear her cheerleading uniform again until the final night, to minimize the chance of premature ejaculation. Steven (as always) wished his time with Tori would never end, but he had to go back to Los Angeles for the start of the trial, as he had promised to watch his niece during it.

David and Penelope were speaking at Wilson and Spaulding. Penelope said. “The charges against you are divided in to two parts-what you did back in college, and what relates to the coup and its aftermath. The coup stuff is going first, since its fresh in everyone’s minds.”

“In every sense of the word.” commented David.

“And it includes the victims who lost the most, the two who are catatonic. People want to blame you for all the trauma from the Snap, conveniently ignoring that Malcolm put the programming in and you were just a Samaritan trying to remove it.”

“If we can convince them that some bad memories and mental trauma are preferable to the alternative, those charges will never stick.”

“But we only have your word on what the alternative would have been.“

“Maybe not. I erased the footage of Eleanor in my office.”

“Where she was naked, mindless and tied to a chair.” said Penelope with a smirk.

“I know.” said David. “But I saved the audio recording, which documents the programming payload in her head, and presumably everyone else’s.“

“That still needs to be corroborated, and only Eleanor can do it. Meaning she has to testify.“

“Probably James as well, since Kelly is my co-defendant and he’s the only other one who saw me get the information.”

David and Penelope went to James’s mansion. It was the first time he’d seen James or Eleanor since Kelly’s family went back to San Francisco, almost two months ago. Neither of them had left the house much in the interim-she was still in a fragile state and he couldn’t bear to be apart from her in that state.

Eleanor was in the living room with them, but she was paying more attention to Liam than the conversation. Her son had been alternating with Groucho as his mother’s de facto therapy animal for the last seven weeks. James started with small talk. “How is Rebecca?”

“She’s recovering fine.” answered David. “Steven was up there last week, and confirmed it.”

“So he’s really dating Kelly’s sister?“

“Kelly and I don’t get it either, but yes. How’s your brother?”

“He popped the question to Frieda two weeks ago. They’re tying the knot next June.”

“Tell them we said congratulations. So she’ll be planning her own wedding instead of being paid to do someone else’s?“

“Jason didn’t say. The cost doesn’t matter, obviously, but I think she’s torn between giving business to a competitor and dealing with all that stress.”

Penelope interrupted. “While your little brothers’ love lives are interesting, this is NOT why we’re here!”

“James, I kept the recording of Eleanor from my office.” said David. James got up and looked like he was about to commit murder before David quickly clarified. “ONLY THE AUDIO! ONLY THE AUDIO!”

James sat back down. “I can live with the audio. You want to use it as evidence, right?”

“Yes.” said Penelope. “But we need you and Eleanor to corroborate it.”

“The actual programming from the payload is fuzzy in everyone’s head after the Snap.” explained David. “This is the only record of it besides the dormant programming in Penelope’s head, which I couldn’t get to in the middle of the trial, since...”

“Since she’ll be too busy being your lawyer.” James continued. “Only Eleanor re what happened in the office, and only I can confirm that you weren’t manipulating her.” James paused here. “I mean, manipulating her more than you were already!“

“Pretty much.” answered Penelope. “Will you do it?”

“It’s her decision, she’s the victim here.” said James. “Eleanor, will you testify on David’s behalf?”

“Of course I will!” said Eleanor. “I heard the whole conversation, and if we can help him, we should!”

“You want to help, after everything I did?” asked David incredulously.

“What you did in Griffith Park deserves a medal, not a prison sentence! And if you were as kind to the others as you were to me, you don’t deserve it for that either!”

As they left, David said. “I have nothing but faith in you, but this is going to be the biggest trial to hit Los Angeles since OJ!”

“And it’s over the biggest disruption to hit Los Angeles since Rodney King.” answered Penelope. “I know this is my first solo outing, but If I can win this, your dad will make me partner before I’m 30.”

“If you ask me, he’d do that anyway.”

Tori, with Penelope’s help, had thoroughly researched the status of every former thrall who lived in California (which was as far as the indictments went). Most of the ones that David had nothing to do with still were unfit to testify, and, ironically, those who were capable of testifying did not believe that David had wronged them enough to constitute a crime. As for Kelly, the only ones that could be considered “her” victims (rather than both hers and David’s) were the Tau Nu Alpha sisters, and the only sorority sister who volunteered to testify was Monique (and she aided the defense). Because all of the thralls and assets were considered victims, they could not be forced to testify, even if they (or their next of kin) had declared themselves victims to claim part of the settlement. Some of the more cognizant ones who had been hidden away during the events denied that they had been victims, for fear of the stigma of itting to being violated in body and mind.

On the first day of the trial, a judge ruled that Regina Abernathy and Louise Streeter had no chance of recovery, and they could be taken off of life with their respective families’ consent. The Deputy District Attorney slyly showed a news report in the courthouse lobby that Louise Streeter was being taken off of life right after the jury was seated. Her family, having already “buried” her a decade ago, were sick of their pain being brought back. They were ready to put the ordeal behind them as soon as possible, over Sean’s objections. As Louise was already legally dead, there was no (second) funeral service; her empty coffin was simply exhumed, filled with her body (minus a few donated organs), and reburied immediately, with only the family, Sean, and some cemetery employees in attendance. They didn’t even bother to change the date on the gravestone.

As they walked into the courtroom, Penelope whispered “You and me, in a courtroom. I hope I don’t get flashbacks of Coital Court.”

“I hope so, too.” said David. “It really wouldn’t help our case.“

The deputy district attorney prosecuting David’s case, Jenna Spencer, typically specialized in cases of fraud and negligence. However, since the DA had recused himself and the DDA’s who specialized in sex crimes were themselves victims (and thus out on medical leave), she was given the case as the most experienced female DDA remaining.

Penelope was easily able to discredit Spencer’s early evidence. Her first exhibits were transcripts of David’s interviews after the incident. While the DDA claimed these were confessions, Penelope said that David, as an expert, was simply trying to explain how Malcolm Masterson could have taken control of so many women. When Spencer objected to referring to David as an expert in hypnosis, Penelope pointed out that her entire case rested on him being an expert, otherwise he was incapable of doing what he was accused of (and therefore had to be innocent), so the objection was immediately withdrawn. The prosecution’s own expert, a hypnotherapist who had worked with some of the victims, was diminished in the jury’s eyes when he couldn’t explain how Malcolm had kept everything secret for so long, especially now that the scope had been made clear.

David took the stand to defend that forcing Malcolm (Knees’ presence in Malcolm’s mind could not be proven, and thus was ignored) to remove all of the programming from all of the victims at once was the best course of action. The DDA conceded that, in nearly all cases, the trauma was preferrable to remaining in Malcolm Masterson’s power or being injured or killed by the cops. However, David could not explicitly prove that allowing the sniper (who he itted to being aware of) to kill Malcolm was not better than what he had done. This was where his recording of Eleanor’s hypno-interrogation came in, which he played for the court. I recreate it here, minus the parts that were stated already.

ELEANOR:

“Rrrrrr­rrrrr­rrrrr­rremooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ve... clooooo­ooooo­ooooo­oooothesssss­sssss­sssss­s... fffff­fffff­fffind... sisssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­ssstersssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­... meeeee­eeeee­eeeee­eeeee­eeeee­eeeee­eeeee­eeeee­eeeee­eeeee­eet... Maaaaa­aaaaa­aaaaa­aaaaa­asssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sterrrrr­r... innnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­... Grifffff­fffff­fffff­fffff­fffff­fffff­fffff­fffff­fffff­fffff­fffith... Parrrrr­rrrrr­rrrrr­rrrrr­rrrrr­rrrrr­rrrrr­rrrrr­rrk... donnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnn’t... leeeee­eeeee­eeeee­eeeee­eeeee­eeeee­eeeee­et... annnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnythiiiii­iiiii­iiiii­iiiii­iiiii­iiiii­iiiii­iiiii­iiiii­iiiii­ng... stooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooop...”

DAVID:

Anything? What about self preservation?”

ELEANOR:

Weeeee­eeeee­eeeee­eee... arrrrr­rrrrr­rrrrr­rrrrr­e... nooooo­ooooo­oooot... impooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­rtannnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­t... onnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­ly... Maaaaa­aaaaa­aaaaa­aaaaa­aaaaa­aaaaa­asssss­sssss­sssterrrrr­rrrr’sssss­sssss­sssss­ss willlll­lllll­lllll­lllll­lllll­lllll­lllll­lllll­ll...

DAVID:

And what happens if Master dies?

ELEANOR:

Wiiiii­iiiii­iiiii­iiithooooo­ooooo­ooooo­out... Maaaaa­aaaaa­aaaaa­aaasssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­terrrrr­rrrrr­rrrrr­rrrrr­rrrrr­rrrr... nooooo­ooooo­ooooo­o... ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­one... willlll­lllll­lllll­lllll­lllll­lllll­lllll­lllll­ll... commmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmannnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnd... uuuuu­uuuuu­uuuuu­uusssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­s... nooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­oooot... youuuuu­uuuuu­uuuuu­uuu... nooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­t... uuuuu­uuuuu­uuuuu­uuusssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­ssss...

DAVID:

So, if Master dies, you won’t respond to anyone?

ELEANOR:

Yesssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sss... nooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­oooo... onnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnne... willlll­lllll­lllll­lllll­lllll­lllll­lllll­lll... geeeee­eeeee­eeeee­eeeee­t... uuuuu­uuuuu­uuuuu­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­ss... ifffff­fffff­fffff­fffff­fffff­f... Maaaaa­aaaaa­aaasssss­sssss­sssss­sssterrrrr­rrrrr­rrrrr­rrrrr­rrrr... cannnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnnnn­nnooooo­ooooo­ooooo­ooooo­oot...

The jury and the crowd, and even James gasped at that revelation. If Malcolm had been killed, every one of his victims would be lost, as much as if they had died! Only the judge and the DDA remained unmoved. Eleanor was immediately brought in to corroborate the recording, which she did.

Eleanor said, “I had these strange urges that I couldn’t resist. Nothing that I would do normally” This part was nearly identical to every other victim who had been interviewed. “David put me in a trance so he could find out what I was being ordered to do.”

The DDA asked. “You know what he did to you now. How can you defend him?”

“What he did to me was help me get together with the love of my life!“

“But what about the fact that he kept all of this a secret for so long?”

“I am not a person who can fault someone for keeping a secret. I kept my relationship with James a secret from my parents for almost three years, because I was afraid of their reaction. I can understand why he did what he did.”

However, Spencer pointed out that since it was David himself that was hypnotizing Eleanor in the recording, there was no guarantee that he didn’t manipulate her (further). Thus, James, as the only other witness, testified next.

James kept his cool over the cross-examination from the ADA, but when she subtly implied that Eleanor had been a “gift” from David, he got angry. “David might have persuaded Eleanor to go out with me sooner than she would have done on her own, but the feelings were there, and they were mutual.” he countered. “And since all of the programming was removed from the thralls because of the Snap, as you well know, if Eleanor was forced into the relationship, she’d be gone by now!“

“You already have a child together, and your father is one of the richest men in the county.” said the DDA. “How do you know she isn’t stringing you along?”

“My wife was never that kind of person, no matter what David or anyone else did to her. It’s one of the many reasons why I love her. And even if she was that kind of person, we don’t have a pre-nuptial agreement, so she has no incentive to stay with me if she doesn’t want to.“

“Okay, your wife is innocent, I’m not going to argue that. But what about David Wilson?”

“What about him? I helped him save the city because, as was just stated, it was the only way I would get my wife back. And how many other wives, daughters, sisters, mothers did he return to their families? Whatever part he played in those events, he has more than made up for!“

Jenna realized that neither Marks was going to crack, so she said “Nothing further, Your Honor.” and that was the end of the trial for the day.

That night, Penelope, who had stayed after for an hour, visited David and Kelly at home. Steven, Jacob and Melissa were also there, having shared babysitting duties for the trial. “I have good news. But it’s not that the charges are all being dropped.”

“So what is it?” asked David.

“Some of the charges are being dropped. Specifically, the ones that relate to Griffith Park and the damages caused by the Snap. Which also includes the biggest charge-accessory to murder concerning Louise and possibly Regina, should her parents pull the plug.“

“Why drop half of the charges?”

“Everyone saw you stop Malcolm, and now that you’ve proven the Snap did less damage than the governor’s plan-letting the sniper kill him-would have, the Samaritan defense will hold up. That you are seen as a hero would taint the rest of the case, and continuing on those charges will keep reminding the jury of that. The DA’s office is just going to try to nail you on the stuff you did in Malcolm’s employ, which are harder charges to justify. Oh, and they’re also going to only focus on David; Kelly’s off the hook.“

“You thought that might happen.” said Kelly. “They got a specific reason?”

“Your trial doesn’t start until after David’s concludes.” answered Penelope. “If he’s acquitted, in all probability, you will be as well, as his accomplice to effectively nothing. If he’s convicted, he’s already told me that he’ll just confess to everything you’re being accused of, and by then no one would doubt his culpability or that you were a victim. Either way, it’s a futile effort on their part.“

“I can’t say that’s hard to argue with, since you’re the one who’s doing all the arguing!“

Steven added. “Tori gets here Monday.”

David said. “Under no circumstances are you to be seen with her unless Kelly or I are with you. It’s bad enough our expert witness is my sister-in-law, can you imagine if the prosecutor claims I gave her to you as a gift?“

“David’s right.” said Penelope. “She already tried to imply that Eleanor was a gift to James.”

“Tried and failed.” said Steven. “I saw his testimony.”

“They’ve been married for five years, dated for almost four before that, and James told me his father took him to tenancy hearings since he was old enough to understand what they were. He knows his way around a courtroom. By comparison, you and Tori have been dating for less than three months, and there are other factors.“

“James is just as dependent on his parents as I am on mine; his just have more to give!”

Steven was prohibited from going with Kelly to pick up Tori from the airport. While Tori was put up in a hotel to further distance her from the clients, John had demanded that Steven not set foot in David’s house while Tori was there (unless he was babysitting) until the trial had concluded. The first two days of that section of the trial (which was practically a second trial with the same jury, defense and court officers, since almost nothing from the first section was discussed) had involved interviews with Caroline, Monique, and their husbands, along with a number of David’s tutoring clients. None of them believed David had done anything worthy of a criminal conviction, and few believed he had done anything wrong at all.

The morning Tori was to testify, Penelope and Steven were over David and Kelly’s house to help her prepare. All of them were in for a shock when they saw her come down for breakfast. Tori was wearing a pantsuit and flats, so that her lovely legs were almost undetectable. The loose shirt and jacket disguised the swell of her breasts and her hourglass figure. While she couldn’t hide her pretty face (she had to be identified, after all) her long blonde hair was up in an unflattering bun. It was the least sexy any of them had ever seen her. “I figured you’d want me to downplay my looks, just like I’m downplaying my relationship with your brother.” she explained.

“Good guess.” said David “I’d say you clean up well, but that’s the exact opposite of what you’re going for.”

Steven said. “I still think she’s sexy.”

Kelly glared at him. “You just want to tear that off of her once the trial’s over.”

Tori interjected. “Not happening. I need this suit. It’s the only thing like this I own, and I wear it whenever I’m needed to be an expert witness.“

“Not that I’m complaining, but what brought this on?” asked Kelly.

“The first time I had to provide expert testimony, I dressed... closer to the way I normally do. There was an incident which would have caused a mistrial if it wasn’t so early in the proceedings that the harm was minimal. I haven’t dressed to distract at court since.”

“An incident? Did the gallery start fighting over you?” asked Kelly.

“No.” said Tori, reddening. “The jury. It wasn’t like I tried to make them do it, it just happens sometimes.“

“I can’t believe this.” said Penelope.

“I can!” said Steven and Kelly at once.

Tori presented her statistical analysis of the confirmed victims. “Since the indictments of David Wilson and Malcolm Masterson only covers Masterson’s girls within California, I am sticking to that set of data. There are fifty thousand women within Los Angeles County and those bordering it, and thirty thousand women within the rest of California who have come forward or been confirmed through footage. Even ing for the facts that California is the most populated state, Malcolm Masterson lived in California, and Hollywood draws countless aspiring attractive female entertainers, that number is quite disproportionate. But I digress. Malcolm’s database includes a great deal of information on his victims, such as location, hair and eye color, occupation, and... many other things that are irrelevant and inappropriate to mention today.”

“But what have you found that is relevant, Miss Stone?” asked Penelope.

“Every victim, or ‘thrall’ as they are referred to in text, is stamped with the name of the responsible primary asset. According to Masterson’s system, any work done by a secondary asset on her own is credited towards the primary asset who is her direct superior. For example, anyone in the data credited to David Wilson may have been enthralled by Kelly Wilson, but it is impossible to tell. Cross referencing this data with the medical data compiled by the LAPD about the confirmed victims, I noticed an interesting pattern.

“What pattern is that?”

“Masterson and his primary assets put different levels of programming into their victims, depending on how useful they were expected to be. What is meant by ‘useful’ is irrelevant here. What matters is that the greater programming that was in the victim, the greater programming that was torn out of her by the Snap. And the more programming that was torn out, the greater time in therapy it took, or more commonly, is taking, before she can fully get past the trauma and return to her life.“

“That seems a bit obvious, but continue.”

“Even ing for this classification, all of the thralls that are attributed to David Wilson took considerably less time in therapy to recover from the trauma of the Snap than the ones attributed to Masterson himself, or any other primary asset in his employ. This is reflected in the testimony at the two trials-only those victims who are attributed to David himself could have testified at Masterson’s trial, had he not pled out. The rest were rejected.“

“So what is your conclusion, Miss Stone?”

“I conclude that David Wilson damaged his share of the victims to a much lesser degree than Malcolm Masterson did, and thus does not deserve to be placed in the same category.“

“Nothing further, Your Honor.” said Penelope. She sat back down and DDA Spencer got up.

“Miss Stone, you came highly recommended by the San Francisco District Attorney’s office.”

“I know. He’s told me a few times that he’d send me flowers if it weren’t such a conflict of interest.”

“Funny you should mention a conflict of interest, Miss Stone.”

“I know where you’re going with this, Counselor. I disclosed to everyone that David Wilson is my brother-in-law. Including the jury, before the first half of the trial. A part of the trial that I was not involved in at all, since you dropped those charges before I could testify about being there. What’s your point?“

“I think the point should be self-explanatory.”

“Fine. He’s husband to my sister and father to my niece. I love them both very much, and so does he. They would be devastated if he went to jail. And ANYONE in my position would say the same thing.”

“Your position is not simply a concerned family member. It is an expert witness.”

“You are implying that I fudged the numbers to make him look better? I resent that. The only difference that David being on trial makes to me is that I have more incentive to give it my all, but I would have done that anyway. This isn’t the first time I’ve been accused of substandard work because of family connections. My father is also my boss. Sure, he’s a lot more likely to approve vacation time. But he expects as much, if not more, from me compared to the rest of his employees, which I have never failed to deliver. If I said the data wasn’t what it really is, I’d never be trusted as a forensic ant again.“

“You’ve only been certified as a forensic ant for eighteen months.”

“And in that time period, neither SFPD nor the neighboring jurisdictions have failed to close a case they hired me for! If you don’t trust my findings, get your own statistician to look at the data. Until then, my word and my credentials are good.”

“How did you get access to the data in the first place?”

“OBJECTION! Relevance!” shouted Penelope.

“Overruled.” said the judge.

“I don’t mind answering. The medical data was part of discovery, and Masterson’s database was made by David, so of course he’d have access to it.“

The good news for DDA Spencer was that the DA’s office had already hired a statistician expert witness in the event they needed to call Tori’s bluff, though he hadn’t had anything to do in the trial before now. The bad news was that he corroborated her findings, and she pointed out a minor error he made. Spencer was so aggravated that she asked for a continuance for the rest of the day so she could regroup. The judge granted it, allowing the court to adjourn.

While David had grown up the son of a lawyer and Tori had testified as an expert witness multiple times, Kelly had little experience in courtrooms. Despite all of the preparation Penelope had put her through, she was still unclear on how spousal privilege worked, particularly since all of the actions they took while she was married to David had been rendered moot when the first half of the charges were dropped. Kelly spoke little about the actions she took with her sorority sisters. However, a large number of the Tau Nu Alpha sisters had declined the settlement, meaning that they could not testify. Of the ones that did (and still lived in California), only Monique had volunteered, ironically being the only Tau who didn’t (definitively) sleep with Kelly during the three years. Kelly kept her testimony focused on the two things David had done that put him in the best light-saving her from Paterno, and defying Malcolm to keep her free.

“While in retrospect, Dominic Paterno’s actions should have been suspicious, such as keeping his office hours on weekends, his long association with the college insulated him completely unless there was irrefutable evidence. Since me and the other victims couldn’t say a thing, even though we were fully aware of what was done to us, who knows how much longer he would have gone on if David hadn’t freed me. And then, he convinced Malcolm Masterson to allow me to work under him instead of taking full control over me.” she said.

But then came the cross-examination. “You do realize what David really had in mind the night he tutored you, Mrs. Wilson?” asked the DDA.

“If I didn’t when I got there, I had a strong suspicion by the time I left, yes. But he wasn’t willing to shackle me again right after cutting my chains. He even rejected a lot of my advances while Paterno was still a threat. Stopping Paterno was his priority, not gaining me as a thrall.”

“But wasn’t stopping Paterno part of his job with Masterson?”

“Technically, no. According to controller rules, included in our job descriptions, by freeing me, David was the one in the wrong. If he had been following orders, he would have given me back to the professor with an apology, not worked with me to get him arrested! He wasn’t just defying one superior controller to rescue me, he was defying two!“

“Alright, so David freed you and Paterno’s other victims. However, according to Masterson’s records, all of the others ultimately ended up in his power anyway, and you started working for him.

“The others had no idea of what had been done to them until the Snap, and as far as I know, they weren’t further violated. Malcolm was the lesser of two evils, and David made sure to keep his evil level to an even lower degree.”

“Do you consider what happened to Regina Abernathy and Louise Streeter a ‘lesser’ evil?”

“OBJECTION!” Shouted Penelope. “The fates of those two are part of the Snap, and thus irrelevant.”

“Let me rephrase that.” said Spencer. “Same question, except I am now only referring to Miss Abernathy, not Miss Streeter. Mrs. Wilson didn’t know Louise Streeter then, but she definitely knew Regina Abernathy, so it is relevant.“

The judge said. “In that case, overruled. Answer the question, witness.”

“Yes, your Honor.” said Kelly. “I was uncomfortable with Regina’s... condition since the moment I found out about it. Even knowing that David had nothing to do with it couldn’t mitigate that fact. That Malcom could do that to a person was not just demeaning, but terrifying. However, not keeping her controlled would have resulted in her going mad, as I have witnessed firsthand, so in that sense it is the less bad option. I say that knowing that Malcolm subsequently took control of Regina’s family so they couldn’t object, forced her to his modeling agency. effectively kept her as a sex slave in all but name for eight years, and if not for the Snap, would probably have her as a trophy wife by December. And even if it wasn’t the lesser evil, David and I were powerless to change her fate.“

“I’m sure the Abernathy family is very comforted by that. No further questions.“

On the final day of the trial’s second part, David himself took the stand. Since Tori had to remain in the courthouse in case she was recalled, Steven was again unable to attend, spending yet another day of trial babysitting his niece instead of ing his brother. While Penelope had offered to testify, John and Tom believed that a long debate with the prosecutor during cross-examination was not in their interest. “When did Malcolm Masterson first you?” asked Penelope.

“September 11, 2023, Probably the most consequential day of my life, to that point. He hypnotized the dorm guard to get upstairs that night.”

“What made you take his offer?”

“The RA interrupted us, and he hypnotized her, right in front of me. It was only a week into the semester, so I didn’t know Regina Abernathy that well, but what I did know about her was that she was not someone who would have faked being hypnotized to set up some kind of con. That’s how I knew he was capable of what he claimed.“

“How long were you in Mr. Masterson’s employ?”

“A little less than three years. I convinced him to bring Kelly on board about six weeks after the first night. We both retired from his service upon graduation.”

“Your wife, Kelly Stone, as she was known then, has already described the incident that brought her to yours and Masterson’s attention, Do you care to elaborate on it?”

“No. She re it better than I do, and unfortunately, always will.”

The testimony continued for a few more minutes before Penelope yielded to the DDA.

“According to all available data, Malcolm Masterson only ‘employed’ women for the type of tasks he gave you, apart from yourself. And in nearly all cases, the women were either already in lucrative positions, or unexpectedly came to him. Yet he sought you out, and gave you considerably more leeway than any of the others, even allowing you and your wife access to his... resources after you left his service. And then there’s the special circumstances that Kelly was allowed...”

“OBJECTION!” Said Penelope. “Heresay!”

“I disagree.” said Spencer. “When you consider how long Malcolm Masterson kept all of this secret, and how central he is to these proceedings despite his absence, I believe his opinions are not heresay. And neither are David Wilson’s of him, as Wilson clearly knows the man better than anyone.“

The judge gave his answer. “Answer the question.”

David sighed. “Malcolm told me that he sought me out because UCLA has not had permanent counselors on staff since the pandemic, and none of the psychology professors fit his profile. Otherwise he would have claimed one of them to be his primary asset at the college. Thus, as a tutor, my position was the next most lucrative. Malcolm’s desire for control left him with few if any true friends, and at the time he sought me out, all of his close family had been dead for at least twenty years. I became the only person he spoke to regularly that he did not have absolute control over, and that fact ultimately gave me a unique position in his mind. He acquiesced to keeping Kelly free, so long as she pulled her weight as my secondary asset, He let me leave his service, something he never did before so long as that person was useful. He changed his will so that I stood to inherit everything, including control over his multitudes of thralls.“

“Yes, we saw the will.” said Jenna. “However, since everything he owned was liquidated to pay off everyone he owned, who you freed, there isn’t an estate left for you to inherit.“

“I never cared much about being Malcolm’s successor. If I did, I never would have retired from his service.”

“And yet you retained all of the benefits of his service, right up until he took the actions which brought us here.“

“Malcolm trusted my opinions, and saw me as akin to a son. Since he is sterile, I was the closest thing he had to family. But the events you just mentioned were as much a surprise to me as they were to the rest of the world. So perhaps I didn’t know him as well as I thought.”

“While you were only in Masterson’s employ for three years, you were tutoring for a little less than four years. The first year gave you the reputation which continued your success and caught Masterson’s attention. Specifically, the secret of your success...”

“OBJECTION! LEADING!” shouted Penelope.

“Sustained.” said the judge.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the courtroom. The doors opened, and in walked a man dressed in a corrections officer’s uniform. In one hand was a tablet, in the other was a pistol he was pointing at his own head. David noted the blank expression on the prison guard’s face and knew there was only one reason why (and how) he was here.

One of the sheriff’s officers guarding the door said. “We’re sorry, Your Honor. He was... insistent. He claimed he had evidence to present for the trial and we’ve watched the video. It is not a trap.”

The judge immediately deduced what David already knew, and confronted him. “Did you know this would happen!?”

David answered. “There was never a doubt in my mind that Malcolm Masterson could pull something like this off if he wanted to, even from within the prison. That he did is a surprise to me, too.“

“Well, this is quite unorthodox, but then again, most of this trial has already been unorthodox, so what’s one more thing? I will allow it.“

The hypnotized guard pushed play on the tablet, and the recording began. Malcolm’s face appeared on the screen and began to speak.

“I, Malcolm Elijah Masterson, do solemnly, sincerely, and truly declare and affirm that the statements made in this recording are true and accurate to the best of my knowledge, and that this recording does NOT include anything hypnotic. While I knew that I am too much of a risk to be allowed to testify in David Wilson’s trial, I could not sit by and let him take any part of the fall for me. Whatever crimes David Wilson committed were at my behest, and are ultimately my fault. Throughout his time in my employ, he displayed a higher moral standing than any other person in his position ever would, and in my opinion, ever could. He cared about the benefit to the thralls much more than his own benefit. And when I went too far even for my own standards, it was him who almost singlehandedly stopped me and caused the damage to be so much less than it could have been. As this demonstrates, I could have escaped from the prison at any time, but I remain there because I deserve to be there. But only me. David Wilson is not my accomplice. He is a hero. And this guard had no choice in the matter, he does not deserve to be terminated.“

Then the screen went blank, and the guard woke up from his trance. He was quickly relieved of the gun and tablet. The judge called a recess to speak with the attorneys while Malcolm’s messenger was questioned (he had no memory of even making the recording, let alone bringing it in as his own hostage). Jenna demanded that Malcolm’s interruption be stricken from the record, but the judge agreed with Penelope that it should count as a deposition, since there was no way the jury would disregard such a spectacle. When the DDA objected on the grounds that she had no chance to cross-examine the witness, the judge said she could either go to the prison to talk to Malcolm, bring him to the courthouse, or let it go. She withdrew her objection, and the trial would continue.

The DDA continued to spar with David. “It is difficult for me to deny that you were more ethical than your employer. But if you were so concerned about ethics, why did you stay in such a corrupting field for so long?”

“He wouldn’t have let me go. I was too valuable.”

“You were working for him of your own free will, unlike everyone else involved.”

“That didn’t make him any less powerful. He could control every one of the thralls, which saturated the campus. I think Malcolm Masterson just demonstrated that he can do or get whatever he really wanted beyond the shadow of a doubt. And that was with him currently behind bars and penniless, while back when I was in college, he had billions to spend, to say nothing about all those hypnotized women!“

“There are plenty of powerful criminals that have been caught because of a brave whistleblower.”

David paused for a moment, then said. “You seem to be a bit confused, counselor.”

“How so?”

“You are confusing the status of mind-control crimes now with eight years ago. Eight years ago, even eight months ago, there was only one example of a mind-controlling criminal in state history, and he was only caught because he confessed!“

“Yes, your former faculty advisor, the Professor Paterno who brought you and your future wife together. But you and Kelly also found evidence...”

“Which by itself was only going to get him fired at best, not arrested. Here’s something nobody knew about Paterno. He didn’t confess out of an attack of conscience. He confessed because Malcolm made him do it at my request! Yes, he was guilty of everything he confessed to and possibly more, but there was nothing that could have made him stop short of... that.” This time, even the judge and the DDA gasped. “And there was at least some physical evidence against Paterno. These powerful criminals the DDA talked about, they were likely under suspicion if not investigation at the time, for crimes that most people could understand are crimes, and those whistleblowers had hard evidence to exchange for protection. By comparison, I would have had nothing but my own word, against someone who no one was investigating about things no one had even heard of. No cop, lawyer, or government official would have taken me seriously even if they weren’t in his power, which there was no guarantee of. All I would have accomplished was putting myself in the crosshairs of the most dangerous man I’ve ever met, who already knew everything about me. You know what happened to Regina, and he was practically in love with her, so just think about what he’d do to someone who upset him. If Masterson hadn’t confessed, he probably would have walked on everything outside of Griffith Park, since ninety percent of the evidence came from him and few of the girls who could testify even met him! Asking the me from college to stand up to Masterson is the same thing as asking that version of me to commit suicide!“

“No further questions.”

After closing statements, the jury got to deliberating. It would be another twenty-four hours before the verdict. Steven and Eliza came to the courthouse for the reading.

The forewoman read out. “We find David Arnold Wilson not guilty on all counts but one. The only thing he was guilty of was abusing his position as a therapist, which he confessed to.”

The judge said. “I hereby suspend your therapist license indefinitely, but you are otherwise free to go.”

The group went out for a celebratory meal, after which John and Melissa took Eliza with them. Steven had been forced to pretend Tori wasn’t his girlfriend for almost a week, and demanded a night with her before she flew home, which no one was willing to deny him. The moment they got back to David and Kelly’s house, Steven was helping her out of the pantsuit with one hand while fondling her through it with the other as they climbed the stairs and entered the guest bedroom.

“I am never going to get used to that.” said Kelly.

“I think you might have to, the trial was the only reason they had to be apart.” commented Penelope. “If their PDA’s were blatant before...“

“I can’t thank you enough. You pretty much saved my life!” said David.

“Oh, I know exactly how you can thank me, Your Honor.” said Penelope with a smirk.

“You don’t mean...”

“I do. This is my victory as much as it is yours, and I want to in the ‘celebration’. Just let me it this time! And maybe I can hear your oral arguments for a change?“

“Are you sure about this?” asked Kelly. Penelope answered by pulling her into a blazing, three-minute kiss, followed by an equally scorching one for David while she said. “You can consider me persuaded.”

When Penelope broke off the kiss with David, he said. “You will already it, I fixed it that way before the battle. I believe we have consensus, and any reasons I had to deny her request are Nell and Void.” finishing with a grin.

“Case.., closed... defense... resssss­sssss­sssss­sssss­ssts...” slurred Penelope, her eyes slamming shut and her body slumping towards David.

“Open your eyes but remain asleep. You will be in full control of your actions so long as you are not directly obeying an order. Understand?”

“Yesssss­s... Masssss­sssss­sssster...”

“That sounds weird coming from you.” David never asked any thrall to call him ‘Master’, especially not one he was as close to as Penelope.

“Would you prefer, ‘Your Honor’ or should I save that for the Coital Courtroom?” said the lovely lawyer as she raced upstairs.

Kelly rubbed her hands together, following their once and future bed buddy. “My first three-way with all parties ing it afterwards.”

“I think we can all say that.” said David.

“So can I have the Function this time?”

“Only if Penelope gets it too.”

Minutes later, the three of them were upstairs. Despite having been in this position countless times, the fact that Penelope was fully aware of what was about to happen made things feel a bit like an awkward first time. “What will your dad say?” asked Kelly.

“Nothing, since this time everyone consented.” answered Penelope.

“All the same, I’m not telling him unless he explicitly asks.” said David.

“I was here when he left, he has to suspect this would happen.“

They were then interrupted by Steven and Tori’s screams from the guest room next door. “I’m not waiting any longer.” said Kelly. “Coital Court is in Session. Judges Wilson and Wilson presiding.”

Penelope blinked. “I see the courtroom. I know it’s all in my head, but still!”

“Let proceedings commence.” said David. “Miss Simmons, it would please the court to see your legal briefs.”

A big smile came to Penelope’s luscious lips as she reached for her buttons. “Yes, Your Honor.”

TO BE CONCLUDED...