chapter 2 - all according to plan

Michelle could sense that the cage had finally come to a stop after a few moments of descension, yet the environment around her remained pitch black. The frightened agent wanted nothing more than to regain control of her body and escape, but the effects from the electric shock continued to make any movement impossible. [Come on Michelle. Think. You’ve gotten out of situations worse than this. There’s a way out of here, I just need to figure it out.]

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from all directions. “Oh Michelle, I’m afraid you’ve underestimated your predicament.”

In an instant the world went white as bright light rained in all around her. Michelle’s eyes struggled to adjust to the sudden invasion of light, but when she finally regained her ability to see, she found herself in a large futuristic laboratory equipped with a full range of unfamiliar devices. She could also make out the shadow of a man as he slowly approached her position. The man stopped right outside her cage and as her eyes fully adjusted, Michelle recognized the man’s face from her mission training.

[Did he just…]

“Read your thoughts? Yes. Like I said, you do not yet fully understand what you’ve gotten yourself into, but you will soon enough. You see I’ve had a lot of time to develop new serums over the last few years, including one that allows me to read minds, but we have all the time in the world to get to that. Give me just one second and we can get you into a more comfortable situation.”

Dan pulled out a small tablet and pressed several buttons, sending something above the cage into a frenzy. A heavy mist began to fill the cage, swirling around as heavy fans moved a mysterious grey gas in and out of the enclosure in a vacuum-driven cycle. The cycle continued for a minute before the gas fully exited just as quickly as it had entered. With a few more taps on the tablet, Michelle watched as four mechanical arms came down from the ceiling. Still unable to move, the girl was defenseless as the mechanical arms methodically removed her gear and clothing. Cutting sounds could be heard as the arms tore away her boots, gloves, and body armor, leaving her almost entirely naked with only her mask intact. With all her clothing removed, the arms clamped down on her hands and feet before pulling her up. In a single motion, the machine pulled her upright until she was slightly suspended in midair. As soon as she reached eye level with the man, the cage began to move upwards before disappearing into the ceiling, leaving her vulnerable in the open air.

“This room is completely sterile, so there’s no need for you to wear this silly thing any longer.”

The man approached Michelle and with his own hands, removed the protective mask from her face. As he tossed the mask to the ground, another robot arm dropped from the ceiling, picking the mask up off the floor before returning from where it came.

“There we are. As you probably already know, my name is Dan, and I’ve been expecting you. You see the virus I made worked just like a charm and has proven to be incredibly contagious. Unfortunately, in my shortsightedness, I made it a little too effective. So much so that I have been unable to reverse the effects once someone has been completely infected. I’m not sure what your government has told you, but at this point there are hardly any uninfected women left in the world, which makes you particularly valuable.”

The fear within Michelle was growing rapidly, sending her mind into a panic as her thoughts raced in a thousand different directions. Dan studied her face as she desperately searched her mind for a potential solution to her predicament. After a moment of strenuous thought, Michelle’s face was overcome with defeat. Filled with dread, the young Asian girl looked into Dan’s eyes and she could tell he knew exactly what she was thinking.

Dan simply returned a pleasant smile. “Michelle the world doesn’t yet know this, but every single person that has been infected with the virus no longer has free will. Sure, they can do as they want in the absence of my control, but the second I issue a command, they are compelled to obey. And it’s not just the women. Those male agents your team sent before you? I could sense their presence miles before they reached my estate. I haven’t yet decided what to do with them, but they’re all safe and sound in my holding quarters. As for the rest of humanity, I’m very close to hacking into the world’s satellite networks. Once I have access, I will be able to cast my consciousness globally, giving me complete control over the entire planet. With nobody able to resist my control, I will literally become the king of the world overnight.”

Michelle felt the weight of the world crashing on her shoulders. She had to stop him before it was too late, no matter the cost, but she needed more information. “OK so you have control over every person on earth, so where do I fit into this? What are you going to do with me?”

Dan walked closer to Michelle until their faces were only a foot apart. He raised his right hand and gently caressed her cheek, looking deeply into her eyes.

“Michelle, I’m going to make you into a queen.”