SCI Stories: Book 1 - Tainted Victory

by Stuart Grosse

  The look of joy on Sandy’s face as she sank to her knees was heartwarming to see. The loving way she pulled my stiffening rod out of my pants and began to worship her master was perfect. Yes, Sandy was one of my better finds, a perfectly obedient little slave that I no longer needed to use the slightest effort to control. Her entire world revolved around pleasing me in any way that she could, after all. Better yet, she never got jealous, since she knew she was unworthy of all of my time. A man could not ask for a better slave in this day and age.

  Chapter 2 – Consultation

  At precisely 2:25 PM, Victoria Jenkins walked into the office. It was an unusual location for a therapist’s office, but, considering the clientele, it made sense. The therapist, a Doctor Morden, was a specialist on superhumans, and worked with the SCI as a consultant. According to the records she could find, he was a registered superhuman, himself, but his abilities were little more than Grade 1 mentalism. No combat applications. But it was enough that he could be on the ‘inside’, and his academic career made it clear that he knew his stuff. And SCI had vetted him and cleared him for both consultation on investigations and to use as a preferred therapist for SCI members.

  A blonde bimbo type secretary smiled at her as she entered, and said, “Ah, Miss Jenkins? Doctor Morden is expecting you. If you’ll just fill out this information for our files?” The bimbo handed over a clipboard with several standard forms. Insurance information, SCI clearance information, medical release forms, and permission forms required for therapy sessions with a licensed mentalist. Nothing out of the ordinary.

  Forms signed, the secretary led Victoria back to the main office. The secretary’s knock was answered with a call to enter. “Doctor, Ms. Jenkins is here for your 2:30 appointment.”

  “Thank you, Sandy. You can leave us now.”

  Victoria quickly scanned the office in that way that had been drilled into her when she was going through the SCI training sessions before being licensed to work with the Defenders. There were curtains keeping out the view of the rest of downtown, and the walls were wood-paneled, and lined with bookshelves. She couldn’t tell the names, but the books certainly gave off the feel of an academic space, more ‘soft and welcoming’ than ‘clean and clinical’. There were two main areas in the office. One was a fairly standard oak desk with brass fittings, with one comfortable chair behind it, and two similar (though less comfortable-looking) chairs in front of it. On the other side of the room there were a pair of comfortable chairs, and a classic couch like you expected to see in a psychiatrist’s office.

  Her eyes came to rest on the doctor himself. He wasn’t bad looking, but not exactly made for the covers of romance novels, either. A solid 6 out of 10, maybe a 7 if he cleaned up and dressed nice, instead of wearing a mid-priced suit? But still, there was something about him that just made it so… ok, so maybe he was more of an 8? And his voice when he spoke to the secretary… Damn, what was she thinking about? Maybe it really had been too long since she’d gone out.

  Then she noticed the look in his eyes. Evaluating, waiting for her. Once she’d focused on him, he stood, and offered a hand for her to shake. “Ah, Ms. Jenkins. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Doctor Morden.”

  He had to repress a smile as he watched the way the woman scanned his office, before looking him over. Classic signs of training. Clear the room, and evaluate threats. Not a nervous response, but something well honed and practiced, so that she was always on alert. Interrupting her would only put her on edge.

  As she conducted her evaluation of his office and him, he did one of her. She was dressed semi-casually, with a matching black skirt and jacket, along with a white blouse and low heels. The kind of thing someone might wear conducting business around town, when they didn’t know what kind of situation they might be walking in to. Her black hair was worn back in a pony tail, and a pair of glasses set off her features nicely, giving her a business lady look, just one of thousands in the city, though it was doubtful

  When she finished her evaluation, he stood, and offered his best professional smile as he held out his hand. “Ah, Ms. Jenkins. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Doctor Morden.”

  The woman took a breath, and then smiled, though it looked to be forced, and shook his hand. “Thank you for seeing me, Doctor.”

  He motioned to the chairs opposite the desk, and said, “Of course, of course. Now, I know something of the situation that initially caused you to reach out to me, since I have access to SCI’s personnel files. I am telling you this at the beginning, so that you do not think I’m hiding things from you. So, with that in mind, how would you like for me to address you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  He smiled as he watched her slightly nervous shifting in the chair. They always started a little nervous on the first session. “As you know, the majority of my practice is with people registered with the SCI. Inside this office, I promote a safe space, where you can relax, and let down your guard without fear of people judging you or talking about you behind your back. Part of that is in calling people by the name they prefer, and are most comfortable with. For instance, I could call you Ms. Jackson, or I could use Victoria, or Lady Victory, or some nickname, if you preferred. And do not feel bound by the choice you make today. If you feel more or less comfortable about things later on, you need only tell me, and we will adjust. The key here is making sure that you are comfortable, and feel that you can speak freely.”

  She took a breath as she considered, and then let it out slowly. “Please, I think I’d like Victoria. To most people I am just Lady Victory. It… it wears on me, you know.”

  “I understand completely. You may call me Doctor Morden, or Alfred, or even Al, if you like. And you are not the only person I know who feels the pressure of their SCI persona.” He took a breath, and then said, “Now, you wished to speak to me about a police matter, as well. Would you feel more comfortable speaking about that now, and getting it out of the way, or would you like to have our first session, and then the consultation?”

  “The consultation first, I think. I’ll be able to relax more if I can get that off my chest.”

  “Very well. Please, begin whenever you are ready.”

  Victoria took a breath to steady herself, and then said, “You are familiar with the ‘Mesmero Robberies’, as they are being called by the NYPD?” When Doctor Morden nodded, she said, “Well, there was another one earlier today. The same MO as the other incidents. He walked into the bank wearing a ski mask, and not a single person even batted an eye, or even noticed he was there. He just walked past everyone, opened the vault with the bank manager’s own code, took his time loading a briefcase full of cash, and walked out. The first anyone knew about the robbery was when they suddenly realized that the vault was open.”

  The doctor nodded, and said, “I see. It definitely sounds like a case of someone using mental powers to influence a large group of people. Perhaps some kind of mental illusion? I assume, since you’re asking me about this, that you are looking for a psychological profile of the perpetrator, so you can narrow down suspects?”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. It was good to work with professionals, people who knew SCI and how things actually worked. People without powers, they just didn’t get it. Unless they had training, or experience, then they all too often thought that superhumans could just wave a magic wand and conjure up solutions to any problem. It wasn’t just civilians, either. Police and federal agents often had to be forcibly disabused of the idea that she could just punch the problem better with superhuman strength.

  “In short, yes. Psyonique is one of the best at tracking active uses of mental powers, but she doesn’t have the training to build a profile of someone she hasn’t ‘read’ before. At best, it would be her guesses based on perpetrators we’ve come across in the past. The police have some forensic psychologists on staff, but they aren’t cleared for SCI personnel files.”

  Doctor Morden nodded. “I see. Well, obviously I would need to st
udy the case files before I could make any in depth analysis. So far, my only exposure to the incidents is what has been reported on the news, and we both know that the police will have kept much of the details secret from the press, to preserve the investigation.”

  When she nodded that she understood, he continued. “Well, just from the footage released to the press, it is clear that this ‘Mesmero’ is a mentalist of some kind. Clearly, whatever illusion or field effect that prevents people from noticing him does not affect cameras, which is why we have the footage that we do. That anyone who may have been at a security desk watching the cameras did not notice anything until afterwards suggests that the area affected by his powers is fairly widespread, and not limited by line of sight.”

  “From the footage, you can tell that the suspect is white, and of average height and build. Unfortunately, the suspect is cautious enough, or cognizant enough of his own abilities and their limitations, that he uses the ski mask to hide his face, and gloves to prevent fingerprints. Unfortunately, winter in New York being what it is, that and his businessman dress is enough to keep people from looking too hard at him, even outside of whatever range he might have. From the pictures, there are thousands of potential suspects in the city alone, especially if you consider that this criminal may be an unregistered superhuman, which would explain why SCI hasn’t found him. Hell, if we go just by the physical description, I fall easily enough into the category of ‘white male, average height, average build’!”

  He chuckled at the joke, and it even brought a smile to her own face. When he continued, he said, “So, you have a perpetrator who uses mental powers in a subtle way, causing people to ignore him, rather than the more ‘brute force’ method of controlling someone’s mind. This, combined with an outfit designed to hide his features while still being something that people would not necessarily be alarmed at seeing as he walks down the street means you are looking at someone who prefers finesse to brute force. A ‘work smarter, not harder’ kind of person.” The doctor shrugged, and said, “Sorry, but that is the best I can do on such short notice, and without having a chance to study the files.”

  Victoria shook her head. “No, Doctor, that is exactly the kind of analysis that we were needing. If we could get a copy of the police reports sent over, would you be willing to run up a profile on this Mesmero, so we have a better idea of who we are looking for?”

  The doctor smiled broadly. “Of course, of course. Actually, helping SCI-sponsored teams with issues like that is part of my contract. If you like, I can send the invoice with my billable hours to the New York SCI office, so it won’t be confused with the invoice for our sessions.”

  She breathed out a sigh of relief. She really didn’t want the ghouls at the SCI office talking about her therapy sessions if she could help it. “Yes, doctor, that sounds like a perfect solution.”

  The doctor nodded, and rose from his chair. “Then, in that case, why don’t we put this aside, until I’ve had time to review the case notes, and get to the reason you came to me.” He stepped out from behind the desk, and motioned to the other side of the room. “Would you be more comfortable in the chair, or on the couch?”

  Chapter 3 – Unseen Wounds

  Victoria considered her options. She didn’t like the idea of lying on the couch. It made her look like she needed therapy! Which was a stupid objection, honestly, because she was here expressly to get therapy. But even if her brain knew objectively that the objection was born from living in a society that stigmatized mental health issues, there was a difference between that and actually believing it.

  On the other hand, talking about the… incident while sitting in the chairs didn’t seem right, either. Just having a conversation about something like that, as though it were a normal, everyday occurrence felt wrong. It felt like it cheapened what she had gone through. She hadn’t had a ‘conversation’ about this even with her friends and teammates. Having a simple conversation about it with a stranger was… no, that was just too weird.

  “I… I think the couch.”

  Doctor Morden smiled, and nodded to her. “Of course. Remember, this is a safe space. You won’t be judged because of what you say here.” He waited until she lay down on the couch, and said, “Now, I know you have already signed the consent forms, but before we begin, I thought we could go over what we’ll be doing in this session, and answer any questions you have.”

  Victoria nodded nervously. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little nervous about letting a mentalist go through her head, especially after the last time… No, don’t think about that right now. She sighed, and said, “Yes, I think that would be good.”

  The doctor leaned back in his chair. “Psychic surgery is a delicate process, and often requires several sessions to prevent radical or unforeseen changes. Think of it the same way you would any normal medical procedure. Some things, like piercing your ears, or stitching a small wound, are relatively simple with few risks associated with them. In terms of what mentalists can do, that would be like altering your memories of breakfast this morning from cereal to bacon and eggs. It is a change, certainly, but it is a minor one that is far less likely to cause ripple effects. Do you understand me so far?”

  Victoria nodded. “Is… is it really so easy for you to change people’s memories? Like piercing an ear, you just go in, click, and the memory is changed?”

  “Ah, no. There is more to it than that, of course. To make a change like that, I would have to overcome a person’s strength of will, their ego. The stronger someone’s mind, the harder it is to change them. There are two ways a mentalist can deal with this. The first is a brute force approach, where you keep hammering a person’s mind until it breaks. This is often difficult, and usually far from subtle, especially since those with stronger wills tend to also react badly to someone trying to take over their mind.”

  That last line was said in such a perfect deadpan droll that Victoria couldn’t help but giggle nervously at it. Doctor Morden smiled, and nodded slightly. “Yes, I think you understand what I mean. Now, the second way, the one I will be using in our session, is to induce a trance-like state where you lower the patient’s willpower so that you are able to make the changes without resistance. This takes longer, but is less likely to cause additional trauma to the patient.”

  He paused, and then said, “Now, as with any medical procedure, there are risks. An ear piercing may become infected, for instance, especially if the person was trying to rush. In terms of psychic surgery, the chief worry is cognitive dissonance and temporal dysphoria. If someone’s memories don’t match up with reality, it can cause all sorts of trouble, I assure you.”

  “That is when talking about a minor memory, such as your breakfast this morning. The more complex or traumatic the memory or memories are, the greater the challenge it poses. Wiping someone’s memories is relatively simple, if you don’t mind having massive blank spots. Naturally, that is a brute force approach, which typically leads to more mental trauma, and isn’t something that one should do except in extreme circumstances.”

  “What we will be doing in our sessions is a mixture of masking and disassociation. This is not going to be like cutting out a cancer, but more akin to setting a broken bone, and putting it in a cast to heal. The memories will still be there, so you will not ‘lose time’, or have blank spots in your memory. They will be there, but they will feel remote, like it was not really happening to you. Then we will begin repairing the effects of the emotional and mental trauma around the incident. In the end, it will simply be an objective fact, a thing that was, but lacking the subjective emotional impact, allowing you to have a healthy mental state moving forward.”

  Victoria was not entirely enthused with the idea, but she could see the point in how Doctor Morden was going about her treatment. She took a breath, and said, “But, I’ll still be ‘me’, right? I won’t suddenly change, and become someone different?”

  Doctor Morden smiled reassuringly. “That is a common
question. And making sure that you remain ‘you’ is why we will have more sessions, and why we are going to be so careful with this. We want to do this right, and catch any potential complications early, while they are still easy to treat. Much like how it is easier to treat an infection if you get it in the early stages, than when gangrene sets in. I would much rather do the equivalent of putting Neosporin and a band-aid on you than having to amputate a foot because things were left alone for too long. And I’m fairly certain that you would, too.”

  Morden nodded slightly as Victoria pondered his words, and tried to take them to heart. Freaking out with anxiety and resisting him would only delay the process. And she was at least honest enough with herself to acknowledge that she needed this. She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, trying to relax.

  “Now, I will begin relaxing your mind gradually. Please, tell me about the incident.”

  Victoria shuddered as the first probe touched her mind. A warm, fuzzy feeling broke over her, like she’d just had a glass or two of her favorite wine. Was that intentional, or was it something the Doctor was doing to make her feel more at ease? Oh well, it didn’t really matter. She had a story to tell.