The Erotic Mind-Control Story Archive

Jessica turned on the light. “Alexa,” she said. “Play some instrumental.”

Loud instrumental music suddenly filled the garage.

“Wow, Jessica,” said her roommate Piper. “I didn’t realize you geeks knew how to party.”

Jessica grinned and said, “Alexa, turn it down to 4.”

The music suddenly dropped and became background noise.

“Okay, Jessica,” said Piper, looking at Jessica’s worktable. “I give up. I know you love garage sales, but why did you buy a giant box with dials on it? I’m getting dusty just from looking at it.”

Jessica and Piper were standing in the garage of the house they rented with two other roommates. The large garage door was open, letting in the cool early evening air. The instrumental music provided a pleasant background.

The two women stood next to the solidly-constructed box that sat on the worktable. The front of the box contained a number of dials, buttons, switches and gauges.

“I didn’t buy this,” said Jessica. “I inherited it. Sort of. My grandfather died a couple months ago and this was in his attic. I helped my mom clean the place and she said I could have it. She knows I’m into shortwave radio. This is old, though. Really old.”

“I can easily believe it belonged to your grandfather,” said Piper. “In fact, I could easily believe it belonged to your grandfather’s grandfather.”

Jessica shrugged. “That’s actually possible. I’ve never seen anything like it. This isn’t just classic. I don’t even think ‘antique’ covers it. It looks turn of the century.”

Piper said, “So why did your mother give it to you?”

“I asked for it,” said Jessica. “It looks like it might have been some kind of experimental radio or machine or something. I want to see what’s inside, see what it was supposed to do.”

Piper rolled her eyes. “So your four-year degree from the University of Chrystal Heights suddenly makes you an engineer?”

Jessica sighed. “No, my degree from UCH does not make me an engineer. If it did, I wouldn’t still be running a cash register at a convenience store two years after graduating. I do have a ham radio hobby, though, and since I can’t afford to buy a good radio, I’ve learned to tinker with them. Satisfied?”

Piper grinned. “I’m teasing, geek girl. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

“My panties are fine,” said Jessica. “You’re the uptight one. In fact, you should always wear panties, because if you ever accidently back into a wall naked, you’ll be stuck forever from the suction holding you tight.”

“Oh, that’s cute,” said Piper. “Just because I don’t have the morals of an alley cat, that makes me uptight.”

Jessica grinned. “I’m teasing. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

Piper laughed. “All right, whatever,” she said. “I’m going inside. Have fun with your box.”

Two hours later, Latoya entered the garage. The black woman looked at Jessica, who didn’t appear to have heard her enter.

“Hey, roomie,” said Latoya. “This is how you’re going to spend your Friday night?”

Jessica looked up. “Hey, Latoya,” she said. “I’m expanding my mind. You should try it sometime.”

Latoya laughed. “I’ve got other things to expand, thank you very much. What the hell’s so fascinating about that box anyway?”

Jessica shook her head. “The problem is that it doesn’t make sense.”

“What doesn’t make sense?”

“This,” said Jessica, gesturing toward the box. “It’s not wired right. It’s almost like it’s not supposed to work.”

Latoya looked at Jessica quizzically. “That doesn’t make sense. Do you even know what you’re looking at? I mean, that thing’s like 50 years old, right? I’m sure they did things differently back then.”

“More like a hundred years old,” said Jessica, “but electricity worked the same then as it does now.”

“Well, good luck,” said Latoya. “I’d love to help you, but you know me and Seiko are leaving for the Spirals concert. It starts in a couple hours and we want to get there early. We got a hotel room for the weekend, so we won’t be back until Sunday.”

“You never know,” said Jessica. “Maybe Seiko will stay and help me.”

Latoya laughed. “Hey, if you can get that little Chinese skank to help you, more power to you,” said Latoya.

Jessica grinned. Latoya and their fourth roommate Seiko were good friends, but they were capable of making Piper blush with some of the names they called each other.

“Seiko’s Japanese, not Chinese, remember?” said Jessica. “Or did you forget what happened the last time you called her Chinese, when she chased you all over the house with her samurai sword?”

“Whatever,” said Latoya. “She needs to lay off the fucking sake. Anyway, we’re not gonna be here, so it’s just gonna be you and Piper this weekend. Maybe you can get her laid. God knows she needs it.”

“Her boyfriend Scott would certainly appreciate that,” said Jessica.

Latoya laughed. “Anyway, see you later. Have a fun weekend with your box.”

Piper came back in two hours after that. A steady breeze was blowing through the open garage door.

“C’mon, Jessie,” said Piper. “Latoya and Seiko are gone for the weekend and Scott’s here. Are you going to join us for ice cream and Hulu?”

Jessica was staring at the now-open box. Inside was a double layer construct with a number of thin and thick wires running between a thick coil, various metal and ceramic bits, small light bulbs, raised metal coils, tiny gauges, magnets and even what appeared to be variously sized jars. “This doesn’t make sense.”

“What’s wrong now?”

Jessica pointed to the innards of the box. “What do you see here?”

Piper gave Jessica a flat stare. “Are you trying to be funny? I have no idea what I’m looking at.”

“Sorry,” said Jessica. “What you’re looking at is a very, very early electrical circuit.”

Piper said, “They used glass jars in electrical circuits back then?”

“Those are vacuum tubes,” said Jessica, “and for this kind of stuff, yeah, they did. But that’s not the point. The point is this. I don’t think this does anything.”

Piper said, “I’m sure you’ll get to the point sooner or later.”

“Look,” said Jessica. “Just look at all this stuff. But…it’s mostly decoration.”

“Huh?” said Piper. “It doesn’t look decorative to me.”

“That’s my point,” said Jessica. “It doesn’t look decorative, but it is. Those knobs and buttons on the front? Sure, they’re attached to rotary switches and circuits, but almost none of them do anything except maybe turn on a light or something.”

“Okay,” said Piper. “Maybe it was just meant to be a display at a carnival or something.”

Jessica shook her head. “You’re telling me this looks very impressive, right? Really complicated.”

“Hell, yeah, it looks complicated.”

“All right,” said Jessica. “You’re a twenty-first century woman with a University degree looking at this. Electronics and electricity in general are a part of your everyday world, and yet this looks too complicated for you to grasp. Now picture someone in 1887 looking at this.”

Piper said, “They’d have no idea whatsoever about what they were looking at.”

“Exactly,” said Jessica. “As near as I can tell, the only part of this whole mess that actually means anything is this part here, running from this…I think it’s an induction coil…through this weird part…to these little jars…to this tuning coil…and then there’s this part over here…”

Piper’s eyes were glazed. “What are those little balls?”

“Zinc spheres, I think,” said Jessica. “And those little jars are actually Leyden jars.”

“They’re what?”

“Leyden jars. Early capacitors. Really early.”

“You made that up.”

“No, I didn’t,” said Jessica, “It’s what they used for capacitors in 1887.”

Piper said, “Okay, you’ve said 1887 twice now. Why are you so convinced this whatever-it-is was built in 1887?”

“As near as I can tell, this is a transmitter-receiver-converter…maybe?” said Jessica. “As for the year, well, the inventor signed it. See that tiny silver plate on the bottom? Waaaaaay down in the corner?”

“I see it,” said Piper, “but I can’t read it.”

“Of course you can’t,” said Jessica, “and I don’t think it was meant to read by anyone else. Probably more of a vanity thing than anything else. Like hiding your initials in a painting. But I took a magnifying glass to it.”

“What did it say?”

Jessica pushed a piece of paper to Piper. Piper picked it up and read it out loud.

“Maxwell’s Silberner Hammer. HH. 1887.”

Piper looked at Jessica. “So Maxwell Hammer built this in 1887?”

Jessica shook her head. “Silberner is German for ‘silver’. I think this unit was named ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ and that HH is the guy who built it.”

Piper rolled her eyes and said, “And I think you’re overthinking this. I’m going in to watch ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. Are you coming?”

Jessica said, “In a little while. Some of these wires are completely fried. I want to re-wire this thing and see what happens.”

Piper turned back toward the kitchen. “Have fun,” said Piper. “We’ll save you some ice cream.”

Two hours later, Piper entered the garage again.

“Hey, Jessie,” said Piper, “it’s almost midnight. Scott’s gone home. Are you done yet, geek girl?”

“You’re just in time,” said Jessica, who was putting the front of the radio back in place. “I just ran the last of the copper wiring. I’m about to fire this thing up.”

“Whew,” said Piper. “I’d have hated to miss that.”

Jessica grinned. She reached out and placed her finger on a small button on the front of the box. “Here we go.”

Jessica pressed the button.

Small lights flickered and a low buzz sounded. Then a crackling. Then a sudden sharp pop detonated and the smell of burnt wire filled the garage.

Jessica shut down the radio.

“Sorry, MacGyver,” said Piper.

Jessica sighed. “I guess you’re right,” she said. “It needs more work.”

“Yep,” said Piper. “C’mon. There’s still lots of ice cream left.”

“Cool,” said Jessica, reaching for the automatic garage door control to close the door.

And then a voice said, “Your pardon, please. I am looking for Professor Crossington and Herr Hertz. Perhaps you could tell me where I might find them?”

Jessica and Piper jumped, startled. Standing in the garage doorway was a woman dressed in full 1880s regalia. Her bodice was open at the neck, exposing deep cleavage, and cinched-in at the waist, emphasizing her rounded hips. Her bustle rustled as she moved, the exaggerated protrusion just above her rear swaying slightly as her hem swirled about her feet, inches above the ground. Long gloves covered her lower arms from fingertips to elbows. In one hand she held a folding fan. The woman appeared to be only slightly older than Jessica and Piper, perhaps in her upper-twenties, although the unusual clothing made it difficult to tell.

Jessica and Piper stared. Finally Jessica said, “I’m sorry. There’s no one here by that name.”

Piper said, “Who are you anyway?”

The woman turned an imperious glance toward Piper. “I am Lady Annika. Where may I find Professor Crossington and Herr Hertz?”

Jessica didn’t answer. Something about this woman just didn’t seem right.

Piper said, “We already told you we don’t know them. I think you need to go now.”

Lady Annika’s eyes narrowed at Piper’s tone. She held Piper’s gaze for a moment, then shifted to Jessica. Then the odd visitor’s eyes dropped to the radio in front of Jessica.

“Do you deny knowledge of Professor Crossington and Herr Hertz?” asked Lady Annika.

Piper said, “Yes, we deny knowledge of Professor whoever and Herr whatever. Now leave.”

The visitor’s eyes flashed. “They cannot hide from me.”

Piper said, “I don’t blame them for hiding from you, lady. Now leave.”

Lady Annika smiled at Piper.

Jessica stared at Lady Annika. Something just wasn’t right. And then Jessica knew.

It was Annika’s eyes. The strange woman’s eyes were a shade of grey. Except when they weren’t. And then they were. They weren’t. But they were.

Lady Annika had kaleidoscope eyes.

“Piper,” said Jessica, “Leave it. Let’s go inside. Now.”

But Piper didn’t seem to hear Jessica.

“You must be tired,” said Piper. “Come inside.”

Lady Annika smiled. “I’d be delighted. You’re too kind.”

Jessica turned and looked at Piper, incredulous. But Piper was looking at Annika, a vague smile on her face.

The visitor walked past the worktable to the kitchen doorway, followed by Piper. The visitor turned and said, “You will join us, of course.”

Jessica felt something unseen surge past her.

She narrowed her eyes at the woman, then she shook her head. “I’ll pass,” said Jessica. “Thanks anyway.”

Lady Annika paused. “Surely you misspoke.”

And once again Jessica felt a sensation surge around her, searching, somehow unable to take hold.

“Not at all,” said Jessica, on surer ground. “I’m fine right here.”

For the first time, Lady Annika looked unsure. “I see,” she said. “Very well then.”

The visitor turned then and walked inside as if she had done so countless times before.

Jessica was stunned. What the hell was that scene about? Who the hell was that woman?

And how the hell did she know about Professor Crossington?

She shook her head and looked down at her radio. That weird woman had appeared not long after she had powered up Maxwell’s Silver Hammer. It was possible…heck, even likely…that her radio unit had nothing to do with the appearance of Lady Annika, but this being Chrystal Heights, it really didn’t hurt to check.

Jaw clenched, Jessica reached for her voltmeter.

An hour later, Jessica dropped her screwdriver and called it a night. Her eyes felt like sandpaper. It was time to get some sleep.

She closed the garage door and then made her way into the kitchen. As she passed through the kitchen, she noted the bottle of wine sitting on the counter. Apparently Piper and Annika were bonding over a glass or two. Whatever.

Then as Jessica left the kitchen and passed by the living room to head for her bedroom, she came to a full stop.

On the living room table sat two empty wine glasses. But that wasn’t what surprised Jessica. What stunned Jessica was the fact that Piper and Annika were sitting on the couch kissing.

Jessica could only stare for several seconds. Then she finally said, “What the hell are you doing?!”

Piper tittered. “I know. Scandalous, right? But it feels so deliciously dirty.”

Jessica continued to stare in amazement. “But…but…but you’re so conservative, you barely believe in fire! And suddenly you’re making out with women?”

Piper said, “Oh, judgmental much? I thought you were better than that.”

“That’s not what this is about!”

“That’s what it sounds like from here.”

“Well, it’s not! And what about Scott? Suddenly it’s all right to cheat on your boyfriend?”

Piper gave Jessica a smug look. “Who says I’m cheating? Scott is perfectly fine with it.”

Jessica blinked. “Really?”

Piper giggled. “Well, he doesn’t know yet, but he’ll be fine with it. Anna is sure of it.”

“Anna?”

Lady Annika spoke for the first time since Jessica had entered the room. “Yes, Anna. Me. After all, that’s my name.”

Jessica said, “You said your name was ‘Lady Annika’. Now it’s ‘Anna’?”

The woman’s flat grey eyes locked with Jessica’s. “You must have misheard. My name is Anna.”

Jessica once again felt the invisible surge rush around her without taking hold.

“Fine,” said Jessica. “Whatever you say…Anna.”

Jessica turned and walked away. She wanted to stay to argue, to dialogue, to do anything except what she was doing. But there was something unsettling about Anna’s eyes. They were just…wrong.

Despite the late hour at which Jessica had gone to sleep, she was up early the following morning. But to her surprise, so was Piper.

“Hiya!” said Piper. “And aren’t you just a ray of sunshine this morning!”

Jessica poured some coffee into a mug and mumbled something she hoped resembled ‘Morning’ rather than what she really wanted to project, as she was profoundly grateful that Piper had made it possible for coffee to already exist before Jessica had even entered the kitchen. But Jessica also knew she didn’t have the capacity to make these deep emotions apparent this early in the morning, so she settled for not killing her roommate or even damaging her in any way.

Piper laughed. She was aware of her roommate’s lack of early morning interaction skills.¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬

“Look, Jessie,” said Piper, “I know you seeing me and Anna getting intimate last night weirded you out a little, okay? Like seeing your parents have sex.”

Jessica grunted. “I’d rather see my parents have sex.”

“Jessie!” gasped Piper. “I can’t believe you’re so negative! You keep telling me I have to loosen up and not be so uptight all the time, and now that I am, you’re telling me I shouldn’t! You are totes being a downer.”

“I’m not criticizing you, Pipes,” said Jessica, “but I don’t trust Lady An…I mean, Anna. You don’t know her at all and suddenly you’re trading hot kisses with her?”

Piper giggled. “We did more than that!”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “You had met her less than an hour before that! You don’t see anything wrong with that? And we graduated from college together two years ago. When did you ever use the word ‘totes’ for anything?”

Piper lay her hand against Jessica’s cheek. “Oh, Jessie,” she said. “I know you don’t see it, but Anna’s really special. You’ll learn to appreciate her sooner or later, okay? So stop worrying about me. I’m fine. You’ll see.”

Jessica refused to answer, but if Piper was bothered, she didn’t show it. She simply poured a second cup of coffee to go with the one already in her hand.

Piper said, “I’m taking Anna around the city today. Anna says she hasn’t seen Chrystal Heights in a long time and she wants to see what it looks like now.”

“That’s nice of you,” murmured Jessica.

Piper said, “Hey, you should come with us! It would give you a chance to get to know Anna better!”

Jessica’s jaw clenched. “No, thank you,” she said. “I want to get some work done today.”

“Suit yourself,” said Piper. “Maybe we can all get some pizza later. Give her a chance, Jessie.”

“We’ll see,” said Jessica noncommittally.

“Give her a chance,” said Piper. Then she left the kitchen with her two cups of coffee.

Piper and Anna left a short time later. Jessica opened the garage door and immediately went to work.

The hours ticked by as Jessica alternated her attention between the old radio and her laptop. Empty energy drink cans accumulated on her worktable as she connected wires and replaced diodes. Her voltmeter practically smoked as she checked and re-checked her connections.

It was mid-afternoon when Scott’s car pulled into the driveway. Scott immediately exited the vehicle. Piper exited the vehicle and then opened the back door for Anna, who appeared to be having trouble opening her door.

Rather than enter through the front door, the trio walked through the open garage door. Scott gave Jessica a friendly nod as he passed by her worktable and Piper gave her a smile and a finger-wave. Anna stopped, however, and looked over the radio.

“A most interesting past-time,” said Anna. “You seem to be quite engaged.”

Jessica gave her a tight smile. “I find it fascinating,” she said. “I’ve learned that if I work with something long enough, I can understand just about anything. How about you? Are you good at learning things you’ve never worked with before? Like, say, a car door?”

Anna’s flat grey eyes locked with Jessica’s. “Being unfamiliar with something should not be confused with denseness of thought, dear. Something Professor Crossington should have taught you.”

Once again Jessica felt that peculiar surge, something searching, unable to take hold.

Jessica’s heart was beating in her throat, but Anna said nothing else. She just offered a chilling smile, then turned and walked into the kitchen.

As Anna disappeared into the kitchen, Jessica realized she was sweating.

Minutes later, Jessica put down her volt-meter with a curse. She’d done as much as she could with the equipment she had on-hand, but she needed some parts. She was going to have to go downtown to Radio Hut.

Jessica considered just leaving unannounced, but then she decided to see if Piper wanted to go. If she could separate Piper from Anna for at least an hour or so, maybe she’d be able to get Piper to see what was so obvious to Jessica.

Jessica opened the door and walked through the kitchen to the living room. As she entered the living room, however, she once again found herself stopping and staring.

“Oh, come on!” said Jessica. “Seriously?!”

Scott was seated on the couch. Kneeling between his legs was Piper, whose head was bobbing over Scott’s lap. Slurps sounded as Piper’s inexperienced mouth slid up and down Scott’s rigid cock. Piper’s efforts didn’t stop, despite Jessica’s exclamation.

Anna was seated on the couch next to Scott. Her hand stroked Piper’s hair as Piper’s head bobbed up and down.

As Jessica continued staring, Scott groaned and tilted his head back. Piper’s head-bobbing slowed, then stopped. A moment later Piper’s throat began working, her lips wrapped tightly around Scott’s shaft.

Anna continued stroking Piper’s hair as Scott filled Piper’s belly with his hot semen. As Scott’s groaning finally began tapering off, Anna’s flat grey eyes moved to Jessica.

Anna’s eyes became momentarily kaleidoscope. Then she smiled.

Piper slid Scott’s cock from between her lips. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then turned and looked at Jessica. “Hiya, roomie!”

Jessica strode over to Piper and pulled her up by her arm. “C’mon, Pipes,” said Jessica. “Let’s go somewhere and talk.”

Piper looked at Anna, who just smiled. Then Piper said, “Sure, Jessie.”

Jessica walked Piper into the garage, closing the door firmly behind her. Then she moved closer to the driveway, in case Anna decided to stand close to the kitchen door.

Piper said, “So what’s up, Jessie? You’ve been acting crazy for the last two days.”

“I’ve been acting crazy?” said Jessica. “What about you? I mean, you went from Miss Conservative to giving your boyfriend blowjobs in front of an audience! Don’t you see how crazy you’re acting?”

Piper said, “Jess, you’ve hated Anna from the moment you met her. She’s never done a thing to you. And you’ve always told me I need to relax more, learn how to have fun, and now that I’m doing that, you’re criticizing me for it and blaming Anna as well. You’ve gone completely paranoid, Jessie. Don’t you realize that?”

Jessica sighed. “Look, Pipes,” she said. “I’ve been researching all day. I’ve been trying to find out whatever I could about this radio and where it might have come from.”

Piper nodded. “I figured as much. You think it has something to do with Anna, don’t you?”

“All I had to work with was the little silver plate,” said Jessica, ignoring Piper’s question. “The one that said, ‘Maxwell’s Silberner Hammer. HH. 1887.’”

“Right,” said Piper. “You thought it meant ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’.”

“Exactly,” said Jessica, “and as near as I can tell, I was right. This unit was named ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ by the man- or men- who built it.”

Piper nodded and said, “Right. That guy HH probably built it. That makes sense. So why do you looked spooked?”

Jessica sighed. “I think I know who HH is. But you may not believe it.”

“Try me, roomie.”

“All right. But first, a quick history lesson.”

Piper rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said, “as long as it’s brief.”

Jessica looked at Piper. “James Clerk Maxwell was a physicist in the mid-1800s on the same level as Einstein and Newton. Mention his name around electrical engineers today and they get all giddy. He theorized the existence of electromagnetic waves- radio waves- back in the 1860s. It was all theory, but then in the 1880s, a German physicist decided to prove Maxwell’s theory.”

Piper’s eyes were glazed. “Yeah?”

“Yes,” said Jessica. “His name was Heinrich Hertz.”

Piper’s eyebrows rose. “Hertz? You mean Hertz like—“

“Yes,” said Jessica. “Hertz like in how they measure frequency waves and radio frequency. When you’re listening to the hits on WSHE 105.9 on the FM dial, that actually means you’re listing to the frequency at 105.9 megahertz.”

Piper said, “I was going to say Hertz as in the car rental place, but okay. Bored now. Is there a point to this?”

Jessica rolled her eyes. “HH, Pipes. The point is that I think ‘HH’ stands for ‘Heinrich Hertz’ and that he built this thing and named it in honor of James Maxwell.”

Piper was quiet for a moment as she processed the information. Then she said, “It’s a bit of a stretch, isn’t it? Sure, the initials fit, but ‘HH’ could stand for a lot of things.”

Jessica said, “Agreed. But let me ask you something.”

“I’m listening.”

“What was the first thing Anna said to us when she walked into this garage?”

Piper thought for a moment. “She was asking for someone. A professor, I think.”

“Think harder.”

Piper frowned. “She was asking about a Professor Crossington and, umm…”

“You’re almost there.”

Suddenly Piper’s eyes widened. “Herr Hertz! She was asking about Professor Crossington and Herr Hertz. Oh! So you think Heinrich Hertz is the ‘Herr Hertz’ Anna was looking for! But that doesn’t make sense. Why would Anna be asking about someone from the nineteenth century?”

“I have no idea,” said Jessica, “but I don’t think it was a coincidence. And it’s enough to convince me that I’m right about who built this radio.”

Piper shook her head. “Still seems kind of thin.”

“A little more history, then,” said Jessica. “When Hertz was in college, Berlin Academy was offering a prize to anyone who could prove experimentally Maxwell’s theory of electromagnetism. Remember, the concept of radio waves was only a theory at this time, just mathematical equations on a piece of paper, and no one had been able to prove their existence yet. Hertz’s professor wanted Hertz to enter the contest, but Hertz declined.”

Piper said, “He skipped the chance to prove theoretical invisible things existed? Big shocker.”

Jessica grinned, then continued. “Anyway, seven years later Hertz suddenly decided to go ahead and prove their existence after all.”

“Huh?” said Piper. “Why the sudden change of mind?”

“No idea,” said Jessica. “But suddenly Hertz was all about the theory of radio waves. This was about 1886. And I’ll tell you something else. He spent some time over the next couple years here in Chrystal Heights.”

Piper raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

Jessica nodded. “Yes,” she said. “That’s not necessarily a surprise- Chrystal Heights is no stranger to conceptual super-science, after all- but it does beg the question as to what Hertz was doing here. By all accounts, he was completely engrossed with his sudden obsession with radio waves, and yet he was periodically travelling to Chrystal Heights, which was no quick trip at that time.”

“Weird, I’ll grant you,” said Piper, “but he did succeed, right? So who are we to question how he did it?”

“True,” said Jessica. “But here’s the other thing. As soon as he did succeed, he dropped the whole thing. He said it had no practical application value.”

Piper blinked. “Wait, what…?”

Jessica nodded. “The brilliant Heinrich Hertz, the man who took a mathematical theory and turned it into a mechanical reality, said radio waves had no real-world use and just dropped the whole project.”

“But…but that doesn’t make any sense,” said Piper. “I mean, I don’t know the history of radio like you do, but it obviously was one of the most important discoveries ever! Why would he act like it wasn’t important?!”

Jessica took a deep breath. “What if,” she said, “Hertz wasn’t trying to prove Maxwell’s theory- a theory he already knew to be accurate- but was instead using his idol’s concept to solve a problem?”

Piper looked at Jessica in confusion. “What problem could possibly be solved using radio waves that didn’t even exist yet?”

Jessica slowly turned her head and looked in the direction of the living room.

Piper said, “Oh, Jessie, come on! You have lost it! Anna? Anna?”

Jessica said softly, “It fits, Pipes. I can’t prove it yet, but I will. Just promise me you’ll at least give me a chance to show you.”

Piper rolled her eyes. “You are completely irrational when it comes to Anna. You realize that, right? Completely off the rails.”

“If I can’t prove it, I’ll apologize, okay?” said Jessica. “But at least give me the chance to prove my point.”

“Fine,” said Piper, rolling her eyes. “You can have your one chance. But after that, you will apologize to Anna. Agreed?”

“Agreed.”

“All right, then,” said Piper. “I’m going back inside. You go do whatever you have to do now.”

“What I need to do,” said Jessica, “is get some parts for my radio.”

As Jessica got into her Uber, her cell phone sounded, informing her she had a text from Latoya.

Hey Jess. We’re on our way bak. Seiko got us kicked out of the hotel. Seiko was psycho! Lol

Jessica quickly replied. DON’T GO HOME! IMPORTANT! Meet me at the coffee shop ASAP. IMPORTANT!

Y no go home?

I’ll explain 2 u at the coffee shop

k

Jessica put her phone away. With Latoya and Seiko involved, they just might be able to turn this situation around.

The atmosphere at the Cool Beans Café was warm and inviting. Jessica had spent a good deal of her college years here, face-down in her laptop. Most of the staff had changed over the years, but they had been replaced by employees who were just as friendly and nice as the ones they replaced. It was a favorite for Jessica and her roommates.

Jessica looked around and immediately located her roommates. The athletic Latoya had a bottle of Perrier in front of her. Seiko, her tattooed arm and shoulder bare, had a black tea in front of her.

Jessica got her coffee and walked to the table. As soon as she sat down, Latoya said, “So what’s the sitch, girl? What’s going on at home?”

Jessica held up her hand. “One thing at a time,” she said. “First…how did Seiko get you kicked out of the hotel?”

Seiko snorted. “Just because of one stupid little disagreement…”

Latoya cut her eyes at Seiko, then said to Jessica, “That ‘little’ disagreement involved Psycho Seiko chasing the manager around the lobby with a sharpened chopstick. She’s lucky he didn’t have her arrested.”

“He called me a little China girl!”

Jessica cringed. “Oh.”

Latoya rolled her eyes. “He might have been a little put out with her for telling him the sake tasted like koala bear piss.”

“Well, it did! I’m pretty sure that shit was poured from a box.”

“That didn’t stop you from drinking a gallon of it. Or whatever Japanese measurement you use to measure sake.”

“That stupid hotel manager was a fucking snowflake! The chopstick didn’t even hit an artery. The bleeding stopped before we even left—“

Jessica held up a hand. “Okay, I got it.”

Latoya said, “All right, so what’s going on at home? Piper okay?”

Jessica took a deep breath, then said, “I’m not sure.”

Jessica then proceeded to tell Latoya and Seiko the events that had occurred after they had left the previous day.

Once she finished, her roommates were silent. Then Latoya said, “Okay, if I’m hearing this right, you’re saying you think this Anna or Lady Annika or whatever she calls herself popped out of your radio? And that she’s using some kind of mind-control or something on Piper?”

Jessica sighed and bit her lower lip. “Well…I mean, I know it sounds crazy when you put it like that…”

Seiko said, “To be honest, Jessie, there aren’t many ways to put it where it doesn’t sound crazy.”

“C’mon, guys,” said Jessica. “I’m not crazy, okay? I’m telling you, there’s something totally wrong with Anna.”

“So you keep saying,” said Latoya, “but honestly, Jessie, I think you’re a little freaked out over Piper’s behavior and your brain is seeing what you want to see so you can blame someone else. But did you stop to think that maybe Piper is finally losing some of her inhibitions? This could actually be a good thing.”

“What?! This is not a good thing!”

Seiko shrugged. “Maybe not to you. But trying to hold Piper back because she’s not in your personal comfort zone isn’t cool, roomie.”

Latoya stood up. “Look,” she said, “we’re not trying to blow off your suspicions, okay? You’re concerned for our friend and that’s cool. But Seiko and I can see things a little clearer because we have a little more perspective in this situation. We’ll go to the house now and check out Anna. If she’s legit, fine. If she’s not, then we deal with her. Sound like a plan?”

“No!” said Jessica. “You don’t understand! She’ll—“

“Sounds like a plan,” said Seiko.

“All right, then,” said Latoya. “C’mon, Seiko. We’ll see you a little later, Jessie, okay?”

Jessica forced herself to take a deep breath. There was a chance, after all, that Latoya was right.

“All right,” said Jessica. “All right. Sounds like a plan. You guys go talk to Anna and Piper. I’ll finish my shopping.”

“Good enough,” said Latoya.

By the time Jessica was ready to walk through the front door, she was prepared for the worst. And yet she was still shocked by the sight greeting her when she entered.

Piper was standing, bent over at the waist, her hands on the armrest of the couch. She was naked, her bare bottom high, and Scott was behind her, equally naked. His substantial cock appeared to be buried deep inside Piper’s back passage.

“Omigod, Scott,” said Piper. “I can’t believe how good it feels to have a dick in my ass!”

While Scott deflowered Piper’s virgin rear passage, a barefoot and topless Seiko was dancing to the music. Her eyes were closed, her arms held high over her head as her hips wriggled and writhed, her erotic movements a challenge to everyone in the room. Seiko’s eyes opened briefly and she looked directly at Jessica. Then Seiko licked her lips and shook her small chest at Jessica, her nipples rigid with arousal.

Heart pounding, Jessica’s eyes finally found Latoya. The black woman was naked, stretched out across Anna’s lap. Anna was striking Latoya’s firm ass with swat after resounding swat. Each slap caused the muscular girl’s rounded cheek to quiver momentarily before settling, molded rubber over steel. Latoya gasped with each blow, pressing her sex against Anna’s leg, wriggling in sensuous heat.

Piper was a helpless sex toy. Seiko was an erotic minx, her body moving and dancing for the pleasure of others. Latoya was equally helpless, a creature of heat and need.

Jessica took a deep breath and did her best to ignore the bleak grip of despair settling in her chest.

Anna stood suddenly, tumbling Latoya to the floor. Latoya continued wriggling on the floor, her fingers working her hot, wet sex.

“Well, well,” said Anna. “Look who’s here.”

Jessica forced herself to meet Anna’s gaze. This time there was no sense of mental pressure surging past her.

Anna smiled. “Relax, sweetie,” she said. “I’m not going to take you like I’ve taken your friends. In fact, I couldn’t even if I tried, could I?”

Jessica said nothing.

Anna laughed. “You don’t have to answer, Jessica. I’ve guessed the reason. You’re related to Professor Crossington.”

Uh oh. “You know this?” said Jessica.

Anna smiled. “Like I said, I guessed. But it makes sense. How else could you resist me? Of the humans I’ve come across, his was the only mind I couldn’t take. Are you his daughter? His granddaughter?”

“Great-great-granddaughter.”

Anna’s eyebrows rose. “That distant? I have been gone longer than I thought.”

“Time flies when you’re having fun.”

Despite her smile, Anna’s grey eyes showed no flicker of humor at Jessica’s comment. “Oh, yes. How droll. Now, your friends have informed me that you are making every effort to trap me in the same state your kinsman and Herr Hertz put me in. They have also informed me you do not have a working apparatus as yet. I have no intention of letting you finish whatever device you may be striving to complete, of course. The only question at this time is what to do with you.”

“Well,” said Jessica, “how about you go your way, I go mine…?”

“An attempt at humor,” said Anna. “How droll. No, although I cannot control you, I control your friends. And I think they can keep you in such a state that you will not pose a danger to me in any way. How long can you be maintained at a an erotic peak before your mind numbs and you become lost permanently to pleasure? It will be a worthy experiment. Don’t you agree?”

Anna gestured and Piper, Latoya and Seiko moved to Jessica. Latoya and Seiko each took an arm, preventing Jessica from escaping, while Piper pressed her naked body against Jessica’s.

“Hey, roomie!” said Piper. “You are so going to love having Scott’s fat cock in your ass. Or maybe I’ll let him swell your belly! He wants kids and that way you can get fat instead of me.”

Suddenly Jessica could sense Scott’s muscular form just behind her.

“Perfect,” purred Anna. “Your friends said you went shopping. What did you get?”

Jessica shrugged. At least as much as she could shrug with all her roommates clinging to her. “Just a couple of final items so I could finish repairing the radio.”

Piper nibbled on Jessica’s neck while her hands unbuttoned Jessica’s jeans. Jessica’s belly muscles fluttered in nervous arousal.

Anna said, “Even if you had managed to fix that infernal device by now, it could do you no good, as you are here and your device is elsewhere. And of course your friends and I have no intention of letting you physically leave.”

Jessica shuddered as, despite everything, her body began responding to Piper’s ministrations.

“I know,” Jessica said to Anna. “Radio waves have been around forever, but for humans, it’s a relatively new discovery. Now, my great-great-grandfather and Heinrich Hertz were both incredibly brilliant men, but they only opened the door. We’ve gotten an advance or two since then that just might interfere with your plans for domination.”

Anna’s eyebrows rose. “Oh? What advance could possibly help you now?”

Jessica said, “How about this? Alexa, turn on Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.”

There was a sudden burst of loud static coming from the garage. Then an intense humming sounded.

Anna’s eyes widened. “NO!” she said. “Don’t you dare—! Piper, Latoya, Seiko, find that device now! FIND IT!

Jessica’s roommates shuddered as the full power of Anna’s psychic strength hit them. They released Jessica instantly and ran as a group toward the garage.

But it was too late. Anna’s physical state began wavering and her outline became fuzzy. Her appearance became staticky and she appeared to have trouble moving. Then her form began pulsing and she appeared to flow weightlessly into a stream of waves in the direction of the garage.

Piper threw open the garage door, but suddenly stopped. She slowly turned around. The garage appeared to be full of smoke and the smell of burnt circuitry sifted into the kitchen from the garage.

Jessica waited.

Finally Piper said, “Oh, gawd, this is awkward.”

Jessica said, “I take it you’re thinking for yourself now…?”

Cheeks red, eyes closed, Piper nodded. Then she, Latoya, Seiko and Scott scrambled for their clothing.

Twenty minutes later they were all seated at Cool Beans Café, with the exception of Scott. A blushing Piper had sent her boyfriend home.

They could have made coffee at home, but no one felt up to being that close to the radio. If the baristas were surprised to see Jessica, Latoya and Seiko again so soon, they hid it well.

Latoya said, “So what the fuck, Jessie? That woman was really trapped in the radio all those years?”

Jessica shrugged. “I have no idea where she actually was,” she said. “I suspect nobody knows for sure. What I do know is that my great-great-grandfather Professor Crossington studied pataphysics at the University of Chrystal Heights and he later became an instructor.”

“What’s pataphysics?” asked Piper

Jessica said, “It’s kind of hard to explain. It’s a type of science that focuses on imaginary phenomena that exists in a world beyond metaphysics.” She shrugged and said, “You could call it a science of imaginary solutions.”

Seiko said, “Okay, that cleared up everything.”

Jessica grinned, then continued. “He had apparently come across Anna- who was known as Lady Annika back then- in the course of his profession and had quickly realized how dangerous she was. Even then Chrystal Heights had its share of mysteries and weirdness, but her power stood out. He was resistant to mind-control- a family trait, thank goodness- but he had no idea how to stop a woman who appeared to consist of sound waves. My grandfather contacted his old colleague and friend Heinrich Hertz and asked for his help. Hertz recognized the danger and dropped everything to concentrate on the problem.”

Piper said, “They succeeded, I take it.”

Jessica nodded. “Hertz remained in Germany to build the device, since he couldn’t risk exposing himself to Lady Annika’s power. When he delivered the device to my grandfather, however, it was apparently a close thing. It was my grandfather who actually succeeded in capturing Anna using the device.”

Seiko said, “Your great-great-grandfather sounds like he was a ballsy guy. Anna didn’t play.”

Jessica said, “Yeah, that should have been the end of it. Despite the fact that Hertz had made an incredibly important discovery, he tried to downplay the existence of radio waves, saying they had no practical application. He didn’t want anybody coming releasing Anna or anything like her inadvertently. Unfortunately, Hertz died not long after that, so he was helpless to stop the world from running with the discovery. My grandfather died as well and the radio became a dusty relic in his attic. Fortunately nobody ever tapped into Anna’s frequency. At least not until I accidentally fixed the radio.”

Seiko said, “Well, at least the damn thing is burnt out. She shouldn’t be a problem again.”

Jessica shook her head. “This is an electrical device like any other,” she said. “It’s science, not magic. If someone builds a similar unit, they could inadvertently free her. I’ll need to fix this unit to make sure if she does somehow get free, we can catch her again.”

The others looked leery. “You need to be damn careful,” said Latoya.

Jessica nodded. “I know.”

Three weeks later, they were gathered in the garage.

“Come on, Jess,” said Piper. “I want to get back to ‘The Handmaid’s Tale.’”

“So what’s the big deal?” said Latoya.

“Aren’t you tired of that stupid radio yet?” said Seiko.

Jessica smiled at her friends. “I just wanted to show you guys some fixes I made to the radio,” she said.

Piper’s eyes widened. “You’re not bringing back Anna, are you?”

Seiko snickered. “You afraid you’d end up spending another night with Scott’s dick up your ass?”

Latoya laughed. “You were walking funny all week after that.”

Piper blushed and clutched her bottom.

Jessica shook her head. “No, definitely not bringing back Anna,” she said, “but I did try a couple other things.”

Jessica adjusted two new-looking dials on the front of the radio. She set a frequency, then flipped a switch. The unit began to hum.

Jessica stood next to the radio and waited, watching her roommates expectantly.

Piper said, “Well? What are you waiting f…waiting f…”

Suddenly Piper’s hands began removing her clothing. Moments later, Latoya and Seiko began removing theirs as well.

Just as they finished stripping, music began playing from the radio, sounding much like the tinny sound one associated with old movies. As the music played, however, it began to take on an erotic edge. Piper, Latoya and Seiko began helplessly dancing, their naked bodies wriggling and moving to the sensuous music pouring from the speakers.

As her naked roommates continued to dance, their bare feet pattering the garage floor, their bare hips gyrating, Jessica nodded in satisfaction.

“Yep,” she said. “It’s working just fine.”