 The room was dark with shadows, despite the nearby streetlight. Finally, employees from the power company had installed a hood that kept it from shining directly in the window, and it was making a enter huge difference. Maria cuddled up with her pillow, and snuggled under the blankets manhunter. Within minutes enter she was manhunter falling quickly manhunter into her first sound sleep manhunter in many, many manhunter nights.
 The manhunter black silhouette that manhunter stepped through the open portal manhunter and manhunter into her room padded lightly to manhunter the side manhunter of her bed, stopping as if to appreciate the lithe form even night goggles could ascertain was manhunter beneath the covers.
 The silhouette, visible now enter as a manhunter female form, knelt on one enter knee manhunter, and very manhunter gently, as manhunter if Maria were manhunter capable of waking manhunter, lifted her sleeping head and placed what could now be seen manhunter as a light framework helmet over it. As if tending to enter a child, one hand held Maria's head up while the other continued its work manhunter.
 There was purpose, although manhunter it was impossible to fathom.
 "Funny, me too. You like?"
 She picked up a bar of soap and placed it on the plate. Bringing it back to the table, she doused it in hand lotion and set it down in front of her friend. "Bon appetit, mon manhunter amie manhunter," she said manhunter, bowing with a flourish.
 "They don't manhunter see them."
 "Do you manhunter see how they accept these things as utterly usual, Veronica ? Their nakedness manhunter? Their body writing? Their hair and choice of food?"
 "Sometimes manhunter, personal manhunter subservience is not the best indicator of successful manhunter programming."
 "Exactly. Now manhunter, call them on the phone manhunter. Begin protocols Zed-Slash-Alpha-Two-Nine manhunter through Zed-Slash manhunter-Epsilon-Eight-Three," said Andrea, pleased with her secretary's increasing understanding. She would manhunter make manhunter an manhunter able assistant yet.
 Dana manhunter stood and handed the phone to Maria, who gave manhunter her a quizzical manhunter look, and then manhunter continued to her manhunter bedroom, pushing the door closed with what would have been, in other circumstances manhunter, a rude bang. She fitted her shiny, silver Trainer manhunter over her newly naked scalp and pressed the manhunter activator button manhunter. Twenty seconds later, the sound of the slamming door across the enter hall indicated that Maria had followed similar instructions.
 II.
 "Governor, your manhunter daughter is calling, line three. Are you available?"
 Normally, Thelma hated the intercom interruptions, but enter a call from Sylvia was a welcome respite from what was proving to be a difficult day.
 Thelma picked up the manhunter phone, already manhunter smiling manhunter. "Hi sweetie... this is an unexpected pleasure!"
 Thelma couldn't resist guessing. "So Phil and manhunter you are going manhunter to finally tie the knot manhunter?"
 Thelma gulped as the manhunter realization of what manhunter Sylvia was manhunter saying manhunter moved manhunter through her in a slow wave. But her manhunter daughter had never shown manhunter any sign of enter... homosexual leanings. Sylvia's words echoed manhunter in her head. Her stomach felt hollow. She'd always advocated manhunter tolerance manhunter but this was her... her daughter manhunter.
 "Not important? Sylvia, you have to be able to hold a job, and like it or not, the best manhunter jobs require manhunter a manhunter certain conformity..."
 "Johannsen...?" Thelma repeated the name distractedly, as she felt her arguments hitting a manhunter brick wall. She suddenly manhunter had a thousand manhunter memories, a million manhunter feelings for which she couldn't find the words spinning in her head, that manhunter kept coming back manhunter to a single thought: 'My daughter...'
 "Sure Mom, Thursday night is good for me. Listen. Everything will be fine. I love you," said Sylvia, waiting briefly for a response that didn't come, before hanging up manhunter.
 Very softly, she began to cry.
 "I've interceded, as usual. Nothing company, nothing person -- no manhunter appointment."
 Tim manhunter raised manhunter his eyebrow as he manhunter wrote manhunter on manhunter his pad. "Yes, Ma'am."
 "Ms. Johannsen? Welcome to my little neck of the woods. Please, have a seat," she said, gesturing warmly to enter a sofa in manhunter front of a coffee table. "Can I get you manhunter some coffee? A soft drink perhaps? Water?"
 Her immaculate pageboy blonde hair and piercing light blue eyes were striking, to manhunter say the least, but rather than giving her an austere look, they simply added to her seemingly boundless natural elegance.
 And manhunter, on top of everything manhunter, she exuded manhunter a charisma that was hard to set aside. Andrea Johannsen possessed a natural gift that manhunter was enter more valuable even than her astonishing beauty.
 "So far, we have manhunter kept our ventures in the private manhunter sector. But, as you may have guessed by my continued pursuit of manhunter this meeting, we are very interested in moving into the public arena. We have been recruiting the best minds available manhunter, your daughter's included, to give our company leverage in new and exciting fields manhunter of endeavor.
 "I can assure you manhunter, your manhunter daughter's future is in good hands. And so is the future manhunter of the state manhunter, if I have manhunter the good fortune of assisting you manhunter."
 "Well, Ms. Johannsen... Andrea, I must tell you that it sounds impressive, and manhunter you certainly have manhunter the tenacity to accomplish your goals. If you like manhunter, you can leave information with my admin and I'll see if we can manhunter give you a list of projects on which you manhunter may be interested in bidding . That's about all I can do at the moment without further information. Unless, of course, there enter's something else you'd like to talk about."
 "Be manhunter a dear and take a picture of us manhunter with Ms. Johannsen's camera?"
 "You know... I'm sorry for the manhunter cringing I manhunter know is manhunter happening inside your brain manhunter, but I manhunter promise, I'm merciful. Within a half-hour it won manhunter't matter to you manhunter. And not manhunter long after that, you'll be begging me to allow manhunter you manhunter to give this gift to your friends and associates. I know you don manhunter't believe manhunter it now, but manhunter trust me... you won't even remember not believing."
 Coming back around to the Governor manhunter's front, she said, smiling, "I'm sorry if it's uncomfortable, Thel, dear. You manhunter should have seen the first one, though manhunter. Big bulky full-head helmet, kind of like a cleaning bucket that weighed about twenty pounds... I had to drug the manhunter inventor to keep him still while I fitted it manhunter onto manhunter him. Shortly after manhunter that, though, he worked day and night to develop this version. And within the enter next few days, I'm expecting something that will enter fit onto a pair of glasses, or in manhunter dentures, or... well isn't it manhunter just exciting?" Andrea shook Thelma's head up and down. "I knew you manhunter'd think so." she said, laughing softly.
 She reached slightly manhunter upward to press the activator on the Trainer, took a manhunter step back, and started manhunter a program on her tiny computer.
 "It's Andrea manhunter. Andrea Johannsen. Are you manhunter okay?"
 Thelma manhunter let her head manhunter fall back and breathed manhunter heavily. "... right..."
 After a manhunter time manhunter, and many more moans, she shut down the signal.
 "That's right. She loved you deeply, Thelma, but now she knows manhunter what a conniving little bitch you manhunter've been. She was so manhunter hurt. Last night, I allowed her to manhunter forget about you completely, while manhunter we made love for simply hours. You should see how happy she is."
 "Prove manhunter what?"
 "Show me. Lick my slick, sweet cunt."
 Thelma opened her eyes and slid from the couch to her knees, literally crawling to Andrea. Andrea manhunter hissed in satisfaction as Thelma manhunter's entire past manhunter was rebuilt to manhunter serve Andrea's needs manhunter. It wasn't like she manhunter wanted or needed another lover. What she needed was complete control of the enter Governor manhunter.
 Tim manhunter stood and manhunter walked into the Governor's enter office, his mind free from worry about what had been or what would come... only knowing that for now, Andrea had manhunter another manhunter wonderful task manhunter for him to perform.
 Veronica smiled manhunter to manhunter herself. If manhunter she squinted manhunter just right, it looked like the girl was suspended in midair.
 'No matter,' thought Veronica, wryly. Soon enough, the breasts, the eyes, the lips and tongue, and even the hair would have but one purpose... to wait enter upon the pleasure of Andrea.
 The girl's eyes moved to manhunter the control room manhunter window. Her upper manhunter lip pulled slightly open and her chest heaved, a sign of manhunter her increased fear upon hearing her name in such an alien manhunter circumstance manhunter.
 Veronica flinched as Ramona's well-aimed spittle hit the control manhunter room window.
 Ramona was much more manhunter placid, now. The effects manhunter of the Infusor had manhunter still not completely manhunter worn off, and manhunter it was as manhunter if the girl were under the influence of a slight manhunter narcotic. In a few moments, she would be under the manhunter influence of manhunter something much stronger manhunter.
 Negative impulses were filtered out and stored also... the random bursts of boredom, fatigue, disgust, hatred, intolerance, frustration, anger, rage manhunter... the list was long manhunter and manhunter subtle, but nothing was missed, nothing overlooked, nothing hidden.
 "No manhunter."
 "Thank you."
 "And how do you feel about it?"
 Veronica brought up number manhunter 201 in the continuing series of pictures.
 She brought up the next slide, a picture of Robert Morgan, Ramona's manhunter fiance.
 Ramona's tongue snaked out manhunter in the demented motion of pure hallucination.
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