"What's the problem?"
His name is Cyril. He is in control. Nothing about him is worth describing, save for his eyes and voice, the urgently compelling nature of which can't be done justice without seeing and hearing them.
"I don't know that it's a problem, sir. But it is...an oddity."
She is Technician A-1. No one in the city comes close to rivaling her engineering and mechanical expertise. She is tall, lean, and attractive. Large, circular-framed glasses make her no less the latter. In typical fashion for a technician in a scientific setting, she wears a long lab coat over her blouse and skirt. In atypical fashion for a technician in any place but where she works, her feet are bare.
"An oddity worthy of my attention?" Cyril asks with unmasked annoyance.
His time is valuable. He has been pulled away from important matters. He normally trusts A-1 to not bother him unless necessary. She has been well trained to know better. But just now, his current irritation breeds doubts.
"I believe so, sir" A-1 says dutifully.
"Fine. Show me."
"Here are the brain scans of the current batch of women, before and after processing. Does anything stand out to you?"
"Hm...yes, here, this one. The changes before and after processing are noticeably fewer than with the other ones."
"Yes, sir, that's what I saw, as well."
"Did she resist the conditioning?"
"No, sir."
"The process worked? She's suggestible? Submissive? Obedient?"
"Yes, sir."
"As much as the other women?"
"At least as much, if not more."
"Then why are you bringing this to my attention, Technician?"
"It's not something I've seen before. The scans always show a vast change. I wanted to ensure that it wasn't a problem."
"Fine, fine, better to be sure. Bring her to me."
"Yes, sir. Right away, sir."
The barefoot woman bows slightly, turns, and leaves to carry out her instructions.
A moment later she returns, followed by another woman. This second woman is young and pretty. She wears a cami beneath an open blouse and capri jeans. Like the technician's, her feet are bare.
Unlike the technician, this young woman holds her arms straight out in front of her, with her wrists relaxed and her hands flopping downward. Her eyes, though open, droop in an expression of drowsiness. She looks very much like she is sleepwalking.
"This is Subject Z-6, sir," A-1 says. "Real name: Amanda."
"Has she been conditioned to respond to slave?"
"Yes, sir."
"And she understands that she has been brainwashed to serve and obey me?"
"Yes, sir. At least in her current state of mind. If she is one you choose to use as a sleeper operative, that understanding and all relevant memory will be erased until she is triggered."
"Good," Cyril says to A-1, then to Amanda, "Slave, tell me the last thing you remember before being brainwashed."
"Yes, Master," Amanda says in soft, sleepy drawl, "I remember...being rounded up with the other women. We were told to remove our shoes and socks. Then, we were brought to a large room. There were contoured chairs against the walls, hooked up to strange consoles. We were told to sit in them. We did. Automatic restraints locked in place, preventing us from getting up. Some of the women screamed. Some cried. Some whined. Some threatened. Others pleaded. No one responded to any of them. Then, helmets lowered over our heads. And then...I don't remember anything after that."
"Did you scream, cry, whine, threaten, or plead?" Cyril asks.
"No, Master."
"Why not?"
"Because...I knew what was going to happen."
"You knew what was going to happen? How?"
"I didn't actually know, but I had an idea. Or, really, it was...a wish."
Now, Cyril is intrigued. Curiosity has replaced his earlier irritation.
"Explain," he says.
"Yes, Master. The chairs, the consoles, the lab technicians staffing the room, and all of us women being barefoot...everything reminded me of a scenario...a fantasy scenario of mine."
"Go on."
"I've always wanted to be barefoot and hypnotized, Master. To have another person take control of my mind and make me do whatever they say. That looked like what was going to happen us."
"So for you, it isn't just about having a friend or lover swing a pocket watch in front of your eyes?"
"No, master. I said hypnotized, but the method of mind control doesn't matter to me so much. Just that I can't resist it...and that I'm barefoot."
"And because of this fantasy, you weren't scared like the other women were?"
"No, Master, I wasn't. I was...a bit nervous. I didn't know for sure what would actually happen to us. It might have been something else entirely. But all the pieces fit together so well, that I just went with it and hoped I was right."
Cyril turns to A-1.
"Does her reaction explain her brain scan?" he asks.
"Yes, sir," A-1 says with a confirming nod. "As a submissive who was already willing to give up control of her own mind, it makes sense that her brain didn't change all that much during the process. Thus, we have the similarity in her before and after scans."
"Hm. All right. As long as you're certain that she is completely brainwashed, and that she will serve and obey me without fail."
"I am certain, sir. But I can test her again for you, if you wish."
"Yes, do that."
"Yes, sir," A-1 says, then to Amanda, "You are a dog. Bark."
"Ruff, ruff!" Amanda says. "Ruff!"
"You are cat. Purr."
Amanda closes her eyes, smiles, and vibrates her tongue against the roof of her mouth to create a purring sound.
"You are no longer a cat. When I snap my fingers, the soles of your feet will feel as though they're being tickled. Each time I snap, the tickling will intensify until I say enough."
A-1 snaps. A few seconds later she snaps again. Then she does so again, and again.
"Heeheehee," Amanda says, lifting her feet off the floor one at a time and shaking them out. "Hahahaha! Hahahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
By the time A-1 says enough, Amanda is howling with laughter and hopping from one foot to the other. Upon hearing the trigger, she quickly calms back to her soporific state.
"Tell me your most private sexual fantasy," A-1 says next.
Without hesitation, Amanda does as she is instructed. She goes into great detail. A-1 blushes as she listens. Cyril raises an eyebrow, but otherwise doesn't react.
"Are you satisfied, sir?" A-1 asks Cyril when Amanda is done.
"Yes. Between the proof of the brain scans and the tests, I believe she is adequately brainwashed. She will serve and obey me without question."
"Very good, sir. And if I may, sir, she has me thinking."
"About what?"
"We should be on the look out for more women like her, sir. In general, ones with above-average submissive tendencies. And more specifically, women with fetishes that coincide with how they will end up--barefoot and brainwashed. It won't affect our conditioning process. It's comprehensive enough that it will work on any woman. But, all of our subjects require regular reconditioning to ensure complete servitude and full obedience to you. I, myself, am due to undergo it again this month. I believe that Amanda's predisposition will allow us to extend the amount of time between reprocessing her, without any decline in her submission and subservience to you. Of course, only time will tell if that is true. But it's my theory, and I think it's worth testing. If it is true, it would benefit you to have more women like her under your control."
"Interesting. Do what you can on that front. For now, take her to the training room. Put her through the normal paces, but quickly. Then send her back to me as soon as possible. I've come up with plans for her. And I don't want to wait."
"Yes, sir. Training room. Then back to you as soon as possible."
"And as for yourself, Technician, don't wait for your reconditioning. Schedule it for tomorrow morning. And notify me before you start. I want to be there to watch. I've come up with plans for you, as well."
"Yes, sir."
A-1 bows to Cyril as she did before. She then commands Amanda to follow her, and the two barefoot women exit the room.
Their master smiles deviously. With great anticipation, he imagines what he will soon do with both his new slave and his existing one....