“Well, that was... unexpected,” I finally said wryly, trying to break the tension. “Maybe I
should go after her.”
“I guess we’ve discussed all we need to for now,” Dr. Carnesby said quickly, putting
away his notebook. “Though I would like to meet again each day about the same time to discuss
all of your abilities and make sure you’re all doing well.”
Sandra rose gracefully and headed to her room. Michael followed immediately, as if he
had a string tied around him connecting him to Sandra. I looked at Billy, a question in my eyes,
but he just shrugged. Either it wasn’t important enough to share or Billy couldn’t figure out what
was going on between them. I stood and moved to the hallway, noting muffled murmurs coming
from Sandra’s room. I knocked on the door of Amy’s room and waited for her to answer.
“Go away!” Amy’s voice shouted, muffled through the wood of the door.
“Amy, I just want to talk,” I said soothingly, trying to get her to open the door. “I want to
know what’s going on with you.”
I heard stomping footsteps and the door was thrown open so hard it bounced off the
wall. Amy stood there, her hands on her hips glaring at me. I was momentarily frozen and
speechless, trying to understand the sheer anger on Amy’s face.
“What’s going on with me?” Amy screamed. “What’s going on with me? How about
you’ve been leaving me all alone and Sandra’s been screwing around with my emotions and
you don’t even care anymore? How about that?” “Amy I do care,” I argued, stepping past her into her room. “I love you and I didn’t know
you were having such difficulties. You should have told me, I can’t read your mind.”
“Oh, but Billy can,” Amy said sarcastically, slamming the door closed. “Why didn’t you
ask your new best friend all about it? I’m sure he knows everything there is to know about us.”
“He doesn’t pry into people’s personal lives,” I argued, turning to her. “He only reads
what he calls surface thoughts. And another person shouldn’t have to tell me that my girlfriend is
having problems. She should be able to tell me herself.”
As Amy started to pace around the room, I struggled to keep calm. I felt an immense
anger rising up within me and it would be so easy to just surrender to it and scream. It would be
so easy to just walk out of here and out of Amy’s life. I took several deep breaths, watching her
pace and wondering vaguely where all the anger was coming from.
“Well, I might have if you hadn’t been so busy,” Amy snapped, whipping her head
around to glare at me. “I can never get a moment with you alone. If you’re not with Billy, you’re
talking to Jane. Tell me, you enjoy spending time with disembodied voices?”
“She’s a person,” I said, my hands clenching into fists. “Just because she isn’t human
doesn’t make Jane any less sentient. Why are you so jealous, Amy?”
Amy turned to me then, naked fury on her face. She stalked up in front of me, grabbing
the front of my shirt and pulling me down to within an inch of her face. We stood frozen for a few
seconds, me in shock and Amy in a rage.
“Jealous?” she whispered, her voice sounding even more ominous with the quiet tone.
“I’m jealous because you don’t care anymore. So that’s it. Have fun with your new friends.”
She let me go then, storming to her door and whipping it open. Glaring at me pointedly,
Amy waited at the threshold, tapping her foot. Unable to find a response without shouting or
saying something I knew I’d regret, I merely left silently. I heard the door slam behind me again
then complete silence. There was something bothering me about the whole encounter but the
anger that had been bubbling in my chest took over. I couldn’t think straight through the fury and I stalked to my room, slamming the door behind me. If Amy didn’t want to see me anymore, I
could humor her and stay out of her way. It would have the added benefit of keeping her out of
mine. Chapter 9
Sandra straightened from the semicrouch she’d been in in her room. She’d sent Michael
away as soon as she heard George walking to Amy’s room. She was smiling nastily, her plan
gone over without a hitch. Breaking up George and Amy was only the first part and she happily
started planning the second part. Causing lust and arousal in Michael had been pathetically
be ready to break out of this facility and start obtaining allthe things she’d ever wanted.
A small twinge of conscience hit her but Sandra batted it aside. She’d wanted to be a
DA, true, and she’d wanted to help people by putting criminals in jails where they couldn’t hurt
innocent people anymore. It was the most interesting way to a position of power that she’d
considered, especially since Sandra had found the intricacies of law and how to bend it
fascinating. But now, with the ability to sense people’s emotions and manipulate them, Sandra
was consumed by the power she wielded.
The anger and despair that was radiating from Amy’s room was like a fire tinged with
corruption and Sandra drew it in, reveling in the feel. She hadn’t lied when she’d told the others
she enjoyed the negative end of the spectrum of emotions more. There was something alluring
in the forbidden sensations each emotion evoked. The lust she built in Michael was like the rasp
of velvet over gravel and gave her chills.
The next step in her plan was to cement Michael’s alliance to her. If she wanted to have
the power and money she craved outside of the facility, Sandra would need help. Help that was
completely loyal to her for one reason or another. Deciding to leave Amy stewing in her anger
for now, since the angrier Amy was the easier it would be to manipulate her later, Sandra
headed out to the kitchen to find Michael. She followed the thread of velvet she sensed from
him and saw him making a sandwich at the table. “Hello, Michael,” Sandra purred, her voice warm and husky. Michael’s head whipped up
to meet her eyes, his already glazing over with desire. He smiled at her, his sandwich forgotten
on the table.
“Hi, Sandra,” Michael replied, standing up to throw an arm around Sandra’s waist. “What
are you up to?”
“Oh, a little of this, a little of that,” Sandra laughed, tilting her head just enough that it
seemed as if she was going to kiss Michael. She chuckled internally when Michael tilted his
head up slightly, to make up for their difference in height. “What about you? Feeling a little
bored?”
“Just making a sandwich,” Michael shrugged, gesturing vaguely back towards the table.
He started walking them towards the rooms, their gait eating up the distance down the hallway,
Sandra allowing him to with a fond smile. He was coming along nicely and now would be the
perfect time to create her first concrete ally. “Definitely bored since I don’t feel like playing a
game with a computer or watching a movie. I had something in mind, though, if you’re
interested?”
“That depends,” Sandra said coyly, drinking in the desire and want that was flooding
through Michael. They felt like sun-warmed water, cool and warm all at the same time. She
tweaked them gently, making herself the focus of all of Michael’
s emotions. It wouldn’t do for
him to find another object for his affections. Not now, not when she was so close to having
complete power over him.
“Oh really?” Michael asked as he paused outside the door to his room. He didn’t
question the emotions running through him right now, even though he knew exactly what
Sandra could do. Didn’t question why he needed her all of a sudden. “What can I do to help
make up your mind?”
Sandra wriggled out of his grasp to lean against the wall, eyeing Michael blatantly. She
let her gaze slip down his body then back up to his eyes before letting a slow, small smile grow on her face. Michael’s emotions strengthened, impatience battling with the lust and arousal.
This was a new emotion for Sandra and she took a moment to taste it. The impatience felt like
the bubble in your chest that forms whenever your heart skips a beat.
“How about you show me?” Sandra murmured, her eyes a blatant challenge to Michael.
He grinned widely and then pressed up against her, his hands coming to rest on her hips.
Sandra let herself relax into his arms, her plan coming off swimmingly. She didn’t resist when
Michael tilted her head down to press a kiss to her lips.
“That what you had in mind?” Michael asked huskily, his eyes dark. At Sandra’s nod, he
leaned up to kiss her again, slowly licking over her bottom lip. Sandra teased at Michael’s
tongue with her own, tickling at his lips. With a small growl, Michael kissed her deeply, pressing
her into the wall. After several seconds, she broke the kiss and took a few deep breaths.
“Why don’t we pick a room?” Sandra suggested, panting lightly. Michael nodded at that,
his eyes lighting with joy and impatience. He roughly kicked his own door open, walking Sandra
over the threshold before slamming it closed. Kissing Sandra again, Michael moved them over
to his bed before gently tumbling them down onto it.
“Jane, can you keep the others from disturbing us for a while?” Sandra asked, not
averse to using the AI when it suited her purposes.
“Of course,” Jane replied then fell silent. This was one instance that Jane felt she didn’t
really need to add anything to the conversation. Sandra grinned and turned her complete
attention to Michael, pressing further against his emotions and exulting in the feelings reflected
back at her. This was definitely going to be a most pleasant time.
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“Adam, I think we may have a problem developing,” Jane said softly, breaking into Dr.
Carnesby’s concentration. He’d been studying the results of the blood work on all five students, trying to figure out exactly what the drug was doing in their systems. If he could just find a
marker or something he might be able to screen other potential candidates for powers.
“What’s that?” he replied absently, dropping the paper he held and rubbing a hand over
his eyes.
“You probably heard the arguing but Amy has broken up with George,” Jane said matter-
offactly. “This seems very out of character for her, at least from what I’ve observed. I’m also
measuring a significant drop in her oxytocin and serotonin levels while getting the exact
opposite reading in Sandra.”
“What do you mean? Is Sandra affecting Amy?” Dr. Carnesby asked, alarm in his voice.
“I believe so, yes. I’ve been observing Sandra closely as she uses her power. Every time
there is a change in the emotions of one of the others, there is a corresponding and opposite
change in Sandra,” Jane explained. “Her relationship with Michael is troubling as well. He has
been exhibiting raised levels of oxytocin for long periods of time. I believe Sandra is trying to
alienate Amy from the others and draw Michael in to her.”
“Sounds like she’s trying to create a small army,” Dr. Carnesby remarked wryly. “And,
unfortunately, she has the power to do it.”
“I agree. However, there is little we can do to stop her, short of keeping her sedated and
unconscious,” Jane replied, her voice just a touch sarcastic. “She and Michael are currently
participating in... extracurricular activities. I believe she is using that to make him completely
devoted to her.”
“She did display an unnerving desire for power earlier,” Dr. Carnesby mused. “When we
were discussing her abilities, she seemed to enjoy the darker side. Tell me, in her psychological
testing were there any indications for a sociopathic tendency?”
“There are indications, yes,” Jane said after a lengthy pause. She sounded hesitant as
she spoke. “However, they were below what would be considered harmful for this trial. But I
believe the power has corrupted her and driven those tendencies to the surface.” “This could very well be a problem,” Dr. Carnesby said thoughtfully. “Keep an eye on her
and Amy, tell me if anything changes with either of them. Since Sandra’s relationship with
Michael has already progressed, I believe we may have to count him as a lost cause. Tell me,
has she tried to manipulate Billy or George?”
“She has tried and failed with Billy,” Jane replied, a trace of smugness in her voice. “Billy
has a natural ability to block mental and emotional tampering, possibly as a result of his
telepathic abilities. He can also sense Sandra’s intentions, nebulous though they may be at this
point, and makes it a point to avoid her. George does not have as strong of a block, so Sandra
is still able to affect him, but at a much smaller degree than she can the others. Her
manipulation takes much longer to take effect and George can fight it if he chooses. I’ve seen
him rubbing at his forehead while speaking with her. It may be that he can feel what she’s doing
and fight against it.”
“That’s very interesting. So George and Billy are the only ones I may be able to trust with
this information, then?” Dr. Carnesby asked, tapping his pen on the pages spread over his desk.
“If you deem it worth mentioning to them, yes,” Jane said after another lengthy pause.
“I’m not so sure there is a problem as of yet. Sandra has been very... close-mouthed about
everything.”
“That may be because she knows you’re listening and you never sleep, Jane,” Dr.
Carnesby replied, smiling at the ceiling. “You’re the only one here who would be able to hear
everything if she spoke aloud or see it if she wrote it down. Sandra is probably making plans in
her own mind.”
“You’re probably right, Adam,” Jane conceded, frustration clear in her words.
“By the way, has she tried to manipulate me?” Dr. Carnesby asked suddenly, a worried
look crossing his face. “I haven’t noticed anything odd but I may not if she was being careful
about it.” “Not that I can tell,” Jane replied consolingly. “I don’t think she’s going to bother to
manipulate you because you can’t further any ends she might want. Judging from the test and
her goals before entering the facility, I believe Sandra wants to be in a position of respect and
power. As a district attorney, she would have power over the lives of people accused of crimes.”
“If you notice a change, please tell me right away,” Dr. Carnesby instructed, scrubbing a
hand over his face again. “I have to be clear-headed, especially if Sandra is going to try
someth
ing here in the facility. I can’t let anything go wrong at this point in the trial.”
“Of course I will Adam,” Jane responded touchily, as if she believed he didn’t trust her.
“Do you want me to try to reason with Amy? Or do you want me to leave it for the moment and
see what Sandra does?”
Dr. Carnesby thought about that for several moments. On one hand, if they could keep
Amy out from underneath Sandra’s sway, that would be less power she’d be controlling. Amy
had demonstrated a knack for learning the limits of her ability quickly and was creative with the
uses. On the other hand, if they let Sandra approach Amy, she might let something slip about
her plans. Something that he could use to get her jailed or put into a mental institution. There
was no doubt in his mind that Sandra’s ability had clouded her mind, possibly driven her
criminally insane.
The only thing that made him seriously consider letting Sandra try to recruit Amy as
she’d done with Michael was the fact that George could fight off Sandra’s influence. Even with
Amy breaking up with him, George might be the only one who could reach Amy and bring her
back from anything Sandra might be doing to influence her mind. And Billy’s ability could only
help. As a telepath, he could read Amy’s mind and learn exactly how Sandra was manipulating
her.
“Let Amy be for the moment,” he finally decided. “I want to see what Sandra is going to
do. She may let her plan slip and I can stop her.” “Very well,” Jane replied, disapproval in her voice. “I think this is dangerous, Adam, but
it’s your choice. Sandra is only getting stronger in the use of her empathy. There may come a
time when even I won’t be able to recognize when she’s using it.”
“I believe we have to take that chance,” Dr. Carnesby mused. “I know she’s dangerous,
you know she’s dangerous, and Billy knows she’s dangerous. Perhaps among all three of us,
we can stop her in time before she does something irrevocable.”
There was silence from Jane and Dr. Carnesby could tell that he’d offended her. Jane
was very good at predicting what was going to happen through her programming and didn’t like
when she was ignored. However, there was a very good chance they could stop Sandra now if