Chapter 6: Bastards
Sunday morning, Vorcka arrives early once again, setting straight to work to finish as much as he can before Yezbit arrives. As early morning changes to late morning, however, he begins to worry that, somehow, she ignored his commands and disappeared on him. Finally, he began to pace the office.
Vorcka was regretting not making use of Yezbit's sexy body one more time on his way home the night before. She really was incredible. And if she had really disappeared, he'd never get the chance again. And he would never use that program thing again on anyone else.
Maybe it was just as well. A few more days and he might have crossed a few too many lines with her. The sex wasn't worth the anxiety and fear that someone would discover what he'd done to Yezbit.
Finally, he went to Yezbit's office, looking for any signs of her. She'd been working so diligently the night before. Maybe he could discover what she'd been doing and that might help him find her.
But of course he didn't know her password. After only a couple minutes of staring at her screen, he knew he would never guess it. So instead, Vorcka decided to check the IT department to see if they had a masterlist of passwords. It....seemed like something they would do.
Reaching the door to IT, he felt guilty for a moment, intruding on their space. Jaxon and Nico were both pretty chill guys, though, so he knew they wouldn't mind.
Slipping in to the IT departments room, it was dim inside, as always.
He went to Jaxon's desk first. If they kept the list on their computers, he was screwed as he didn't have either of their passwords either. But it made sense to have a printout or handwritten list. That or keep it on their phones.
There were too many options. And this office was a mess. He moved to Nico's workspace. He seemed more likely to rely on a pad of paper than Jaxon, so maybe there was a chance.
As he moved over, he noticed a cell phone, plugged in and charging. Was someone else here? On a Sunday?
Vorcka wondered, picking up the phone. The screen was unlocked, displaying a gallery of photos. He scrolled through them, his eyes widening in surprise. They were of various women throughout the office, all in extremely compromising situations with either Nico, Jaxon, or other women. And it looked like they had all been taken in the back server room.
They'd said he was a guinea pig, the first to test out the program. So what was this?
Scrolling to the newest pictures, he saw some from the middle of the night. There was one of Ally from HR. She naked and sandwiched between Nico and Jaxon. Vircka had a good idea as to who would be holding the camera. Sure enough, the next picture was of Yezbit, naked, tear streaked face looking wildly at the camera. Then one of Jaxon holding her, squeezing her breasts. Then one of her collapsed on the ground, a pissed looking Jaxon yelling at the person behind the camera.
They'd used him. He'd been friends with Jaxon since college, but apparently, that hadn't stopped them from taking advantage of him.
The server room. They might still be back there. It was kind of late in morning, but if they'd stayed up as late as it showed in the photos, perhaps they were still asleep.
Vorcka crept quietly towards the back doorway. Peering through, he saw several bodies strewn across the floor. Nico was partially covered by Ally's nude form, and Yezbit was still lying in the corner where the pictures had been taken. He didn't notice Jaxon at first. Then, he noticed the dim glow of a screen.
"Yes, sir. No, sir. Yes, sir. No, sir. Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit." Jaxon suddenly looked up. "You shouldn't be here, Vorcka. It isn't safe. No one goes in the server room."
Crap. Jaxon hadn't turned on him. It looked like his brain had been messed with as well.
"Alright, Jaxon. You're right. The server room isn't safe. Why don't we both leave, together. We can grab Yezbit and go outside and talk. Outside. Where it's safe." Vorcka raised his hands, showing he wasn't a threat as he sidled towards the unconscious Yezbit.
"Yezbit. You want Yezbit? Why? Why why why? She broke. You pushed too hard. We pushed too hard. There was too much pushing and she shut down. She's a bad program. She might be dead. Or just brain dead. Or just dead dead. She isn't working."
Vorcka stopped, trying to absorb the torrent of words streaming out of Jaxon's mouth. Had he pushed her too hard? It had only been a day and a half at this point, and already her brain had been reprogrammed, over stimulated, reset, and overworked. He didn't know what was possible, but it seemed plausible.
"Alright, well, if she's broken, how about I make her disappear for you. I'll take her away, and you just...forget you saw me."
Jaxon seemed focused on the screen in his hands as he resumed muttering to himself, so Vorcka bent down to lift Yezbit's naked form. She'd even lost her panties. He wondered, faintly, if that had anything to do with her state. He'd told her that removing them would possibly kill her. Thoughts for a later time. Her scooped her up. She was incredibly light, all things considered.
Well aware there were security cameras, he didn't care as he rushed through the halls, finally arriving at Yezbit's office. He piled up her abandoned clothes and laid her down.
"Yezbit. Reset." He ordered. It was the extreme option, but he needed to get her up and moving quickly. He couldn't flee the building carrying a naked woman.
Watching her, he didn't see any changes. She was still breathing, shallow, slow breaths. She hadn't done that on her last reset. Perhaps he needed the panties. And her coat.
He gritted his teeth and prepared to return to the IT room.
Pushing open the door, he could already hear Jaxon's mumbling voice over the hum of machinery.
There weren't any clothes in the front room, so peeking into the back room, he crept towards the corner Yezbit had been in.
"No no no no no no no no no. Idiot. Idiot. I said the server room was dangerous. I said it."
Poor Jaxon. His brain seemed pretty addled. Vorcka looked around and finally found Yezbit's coat, and the little pair of black panties with the vibrator in it.
Bending over to collect them, Vorcka felt a weight slam into him. Dammit. Nico.
Two bodies. One sat in the small of his back, apparently Ally, while Nico grabbed a handful of hair, twisting Vorcka's neck back.
"Jaxon, get over here. And bring that phone with you." Nico ordered. "Geez. I thought I'd have to chase you down. I could maybe understand risking your life for that sexy red bra of hers, but plain black panties? Well, whatever. Now keep your eyes open.
Nico reached out with his other hand and roughly peeled one of Vorcka's eyes open. "I told you that the brain needed to already be frayed a bit first, right? Well, turns out fear works pretty well for that frayed crack. Light it up, Jaxon. And quit your snivveling."
"I'm sorry, Vorcka. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I warned you. I'm sorry." Jaxon held out the phone, and bright colors bathed Vorcka's face as he was forced to watch the screen shift through colors.
Finally it ended.
"System override. Priority user N C O." Nico said. "Now, boy, just lie there and don't do anything until I'm ready to deal with you. It may be about time to replace your friend soon anyways. He's been praying at the edges lately, and when things didn't work out last night with Yezbit, he kinda took a turn for the worst. He'd been really looking forward to playing with her."
Nico stood up and walked across the room, grabbing a cup of coffee and acting like it was just a normal morning. "Ally, get off him. He isnt going anywhere. Come over here and take care of me instead." He indicated his morning wood. Ally obediently scampered over, grabbing ahold of the Nico's manhood and began diligently sucking on him.
Vorcka lay on the floor, body still flooded with adrenalin and fear. He heard the sounds of Nico grunting and Ally slurping. Finally, after a shuddering breath, Nico shoved Ally to the ground.
"Well, I guess I better collect Yezbit's body. Where's that cart at?"
Vorcka listened as the door swung open and closed, then, slowly, he climbed to his feet.
He'd known it was possible they would try this, if he were caught. He'd hoped to avoid it, obviously, bit he had thought there was a chance it wouldn't work on him. The process required a broad range of specific colors, and he was red green color blind. Nico had probably meant the bra Vorcka had swiped the first night when he mentioned her red bra. It looked how it looked, but Vorcka was a little disappointed that he still couldn't distinguish between the two at this point.
Not important. The first thing he did was turn to his friend. "Jaxon. System override, priority user N C O." Vorcka waited a moment to see how he responded. Nothing noticeable. "Jaxon, give me your sock."
Jaxon continued muttering, but reached down and removed his sock, handing it to Vorcka.
"Jaxon. Look at me. When Nico comes back, I want you to attack him. Knock him down, knock him out. Whatever you need to do....and make a lot of noise. Do you understand?"
Jaxon stopped mumbling to himself and looked up, cocking his head to the side. "Yeah, man. I understand."
Vorcka had never considered Jaxon to be a violent person, but it was pretty clear what his intentions were when he picked up the stool.
Next, Vorcka went to the woman, Ally, sitting on the ground. He reached out, touching her shoulder. After getting no response from her, he spoke. "Ally. System override, priority user, N C O."
Finally, she turned her gaze and focused on him. "What should I do?"
"The same thing you did to me. Hold him down. Don't let him speak. Stick your hands in his mouth and shove em down his throat if you have to." He held up Jaxon's. "Or just use this. But do not let him speak a single work. Understood?"
Ally nodded, and Vorcka could tell it wasn't just because he ordered to. There was still a person in there, and she looked excited to finally take her revenge.
The three of them lay in wait. Finally, they heard the door open. After some banging and cursing sound, they finally heard the wheels squeek as they were pushed through the door. Nico was whistling, seemingly oblivious to the setup that awaited him.
As he entered the room, he glanced around, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw Vorcka standing there, fully clothed and alert. "Shit. Jaxon ge-" He was unaware that Jaxon was no longer working for him, and his words cut off as the stool came smashing into the back of his head. Immediately, Ally sprang into action, stuffing the filthy sock into the dazed Nico's mouth. Vorcka immediately wrapped layers of duck tape around his head, holding everything in place. The blood dripping from a gash in the back of Nico's head worried him a bit, but Vorcka suspected he wouldn't die from it any time soon. Next he used the tape to tie up Nico's arms behind his back.
Nico lay on the ground, looking dazed and unmoving, though his chest still rose and fell. Vorcka went and once again grabbed the black panties, handing them to Ally. "Please help Yezbit get these on. It may help her. Then you should get dressed as well, if your clothes are around." He turned to Jaxon.
"Hey, Jaxon. Are you still in there?"
Jaxon lifted his head, looking at Vorcka, and narrowing his eyes, as if struggling to understand the question. Raising his eyebrows, and squinting, he slowly responded. "Yeeessss."
"Do you know if the program would work on him?"
"Maaybee." He mumbled slowly. "But proobably noot." His vowels were stretched and slurred. Vorcka wanted to hurry him along, but knew it was probably pointless. Jaxon continued. "His eyes arrre fuzzy. Neeeeds surgeery."
Colorblindness and cataracts. Mind controls greatest weakness, apparently. "Alright, Jaxon. I want you to rest. I think your brain is overtaxed and short circuiting. I'll try to help in a minute." Next he went to Ally.
"How's she doing?" He asked, pointing to the unconscious Yezbit. He waited a moment, then asked. "Can you speak? They said you still functioned normally during the work day, so you must still be capable of normal functions, right."
"Yes, I can speak." Ally replied, still getting herself dressed. "It's just unfair that the first thing you asked me about was her. All she's ever done is treat you like shit, so why do you care about her so much. She's... I don't know. She's breathing. But she hasn't moved, even after I put those panties on her." Finally, Ally rose, fully dressed. "I'm fine, by the way. Thanks for asking."
Vorcka breathed out a frustrated huff. "Sorry. I'm glad you are feeling better. Really well, actually. I'm surprised you have so much sass for someone who has lost her self control."
"Yeah, well, you didn't tell me to be nice, and I'd like to point out that I'm pissed off right now because of everything these two pigs have made me do." She took a step towards Jaxon. "That's right, ya retard. I know your brains a pile of melted jello right now, but you'll suffer for what you did to me too."
Vorcka put out an arm to stop her before she got any closer to him.
"Alright. I get it. You're mad and want revenge, rightfully so, but for now, I need you to sit down and shut up."
Ally glared at him, obviously upset that he was ordering her as well, bit she couldn't resist, and so she sat on Nico's back and stopped talking, making sure to dig her thumbs into his spine as she waited.
Vorcka sat, trying to come up with a way to fix everything. If Ally went to the police, they'd probably just lock her up in an asylum. That would then make it very difficult to give a different side of the story. After several minutes, he finally brought Ally and Jaxon together.
"Alright, look. I understand this whole situation is terrible. There is no right way to solve this, so I'm just going to tell you what we will do. Sorry if you think that's tyrany, but I'm not sorry."
Vorcka turned to Jaxon, first. "Jaxon. I don't know if I can fix you, but if you can understand, you're gonna be the hero of this little story. Your co worker drugged you and tortured you, then made you help him capture women whom he drugged and sexually abused. Finally, having had enough, you fought back. While he was assaulting Ally, you worked up the courage to take a stool a clobbered him. You then called me for help before passing out. You will remember nothing of mind control or me and Yezbit's involvement. Do you understand?"
"Yeeeaah, I underrrstand."
Vorcka then turned to Ally. "What do you know? How much do you understand? Do you know who else they had under their control?"
"What do I know?" Ally burst out. "I know that your plan is bull shit. He's no hero. He's the only reason I'm here. And the only reason you're here too. They forced me to choose you as the new hire over other options."
"Such as Emika?" He asked, a sinking feeling in his stomach.
"Em... who? No, there was this guy from Tacoma, Joshua Merrill. Hot as fuck. I wanted the chance to get me a piece, then these guys told me I had to hire you instead."
Vorcka took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. We'll, Yezbit hadn't been completely wrong after all. There had been something going on. But she'd also been right that there apparently always was, so he felt less annoyed by the fact that he was hired by force than he might have before Ally had answered him.
"Alright. Well, forget all that. And yes, that's and order. Forget all about wanting to hire someone else. Now answer my other question. Who else did they have under their control?"
Ally closed her eyes for a moment, as if dealing with an ice cream headache. Then she opened them, still angry and glaring. "Walk around the office. If they were hot, they were probably mind controlled. I think they left Yezbit alone as a sort of initiation for you. That and she never let the dweeb squad anywhere near her."
Yeah, the office culture around here seemed like it suffered from way more than just mind control problems.
"Alright, never mind all of that. In a few minutes, you won't remember any of this. When you wake up, all you'll remember is that you were drugged and abused by Nico. Yes, Jaxon was involved, but even you could tell that it was under duress and drugs. Today while you were being attacked yet again, Jaxon finally found his courage and attacked, knocking Nico out before calling me, then passing out himself. He saved you, and you feel grateful to him. You will forget that Yezbit or I were anywhere near here before being called in by Jaxon."
Ally snarled and started to say something, but Vorcka held up a hand. "Shut it. That's the story, I'm not asking for input. Now. When you wake up, those will be the memories you have, and Jaxon, hopefully, you'll feel better when this is all over. Now both of you, reset." He ordered.
Immediately, both people dropped limply to the ground. Vorcka hoped that it would be enough to help, but he needed to grab Yezbit and leave quickly.
Throwing her coat over her, he lifted Yezbit into his arms and swiftly headed back to her office. There, he laid her down in the restroom attached to her office. She still seemed comatose. He didn't know what was wrong with her, but if she didn't wake up soon, he may have to hand her over to the police and say that she was drugged by Nico as well.
Closing the door and locking it behind him, Vorcka headed back to the IT department. Stepping inside, he held the door open, waiting to hear some noise from the other room.
He'd been gone for nearly fifteen minutes. If Jaxon and Ally were still going through the reset process at this point, they were both dead.
Letting the door swing shut behind him, Vorcka stepped towards the entrance to the server room. As he got closer, he did finally start to hear some noises. Finally, he reached the doorway. Looking in, he noticed Nico's motionless form still taped up. But the most unexpected thing he saw was Ally, half naked, cradling a slightly dazed Jaxon between her bosoms.
"Oh. Oh geez, you guys. This better not be what you called me over here for, Jaxon." Vorcka called out, playing his role and covering his eyes.
"Oh, Hey, Vorcka. Guess what. I'm a hero." Jaxon's voice sounded a little airy, but not slurred and slow like it had been. The reset seemed to have helped, and maybe this drowsiness would help convince the police he'd been drugged. "Could you give us, like, five more minutes?"
Vorcka obliged by stepping out of the doorway. "Dude," he called through the doorway. "I think Nico's dead. Did you do that?"
"I don't remember. But that guy was an asshole." Jaxon said at the same time Ally yelled "Go find something useful to do. I'll take care of him."
"Uh, sure. Alright. I'll be outside. But do you need me to call the cops, or is this a "we hide the body and nothing happened" kind of scenario?"
"Get out," he heard Ally yell, and from the slurping he heard, he doubted Jaxon would be responding anytime soon. Instead, he just stepped out of the office and waited in the hallway.
After several minutes of waiting, he heard a click come from down the hall. Then Yezbit stumbled out of her office, holding her coat wrapped around her. Vorcka rushed to her side. She seemed dazed and confused, and Vorcka quickly steered her back into her office.
"Yezbit, I know you are confused, but for now, you need to sleep." He used the command word, her worried eyes immediately drooping as she slumped into her desk chair.
"Yezbit, you will sleep where you are until someone comes to wake you. If it's me, I will tell you what to do next. If it's anyone else, you will awaken, but be confused and unable to answer any of their questions. Now lay your head on the desk and rest until told otherwise.'
After Yezbit complied, Vorcka returned to the IT doorway, waiting outside. Another 15 minutes of silence passed. Then, suddenly the doorway creaked open, and Ally stepped out.
"Well,"she asked. "Have you called the cops yet?"
"Uh, no. I didn't think you'd appreciate them walking in on. ..that happening right next to a dead body."
"He was right. You are a bit dramatic. The guy wasn't dead, even though I wish he was. His chest was rising up and down, even if that's the only movement we saw." She sniffed. "Now I think Jaxon needs a hospital, and that other one? Well. He might need one too, after they put a collar on him and beat him like a dog first."
"Alright," Vorcka said, trying to act worried. "But what happened? Why is Nico unconscious and tied up in there? And why are any of you gere on a Sunday?"
"Sunday? Damn. I didn't know. Well. I'll tell the police what happened. I don't need you spreading rumors around. Although I guess you and the dweeb are friends, so he'll probably tell you... if he can ever remember it clearly." She grabbed the phone out of Vorcka's hands, punching in 911. Once someone answered , Ally's voice took on a distraught tone and she sounded as if she'd been crying.
"Please, send help. Something awful happened." She cried into the phone for a few minutes, explaining their location and giving a brief description of drugs, rape, and a hero saving her life. Finally, she hung up the phone, handing it back to him amd wiping a tear out of her eyes. "There. They should be here in two minutes." She turned and went back into the room, calling out Jaxon's name and telling him how she'd called for help and that he'd be alright.
Vorcka cringed. Jaxon would be okay, right? He went to the front door of the building to await the cops arrival, leading them to the right room once they arrived. Moments later, EMT's emerged hauling Nico's unconscious form, followed by Jaxon, hand held by a weeping Ally. Most of the cops left with them, but a couple stayed to search the building and take Vorcka's statement. He told them hiw he'd been called by his friend, and how he'd only just arrived moments before the call to the police.
One of the cops emerged from Yezbit's office, leading a confused, sleepy looking Yezbit wearing her long coat buttoned all the way down. Vorcka could hear her trying to explain how she'd been trying to get some work done over the weekend, but she must have fallen asleep and she had no idea what they were talking about in regards to drugs and the IT department. She thought she'd been alone in the building.
Vorcka had never appreciated her BS as much as he did in that moment. She'd probably woken to cops shaking her awake and her Bahrain had probably gone back to the crazy narrative he'd been building in her brain all weekend. She was probably just glad they weren't here for her.
As they all left the building, Vorcka lingered behind, helping the remaining officer gather any evidence they might have missed. After a thorough search, the officer finally turned to Vorcka.
"You can go now, Mr. Vorcka. We've got your contact information if we need anything else. And thank you for your assistance."
Vorcka nodded, watching as the officer locked up the building behind him. He let out a sigh of relief, leaning against the closed door. He had no idea what he was going to do now. Well, this was now an active crime scene. There was no chance he could finish the work he'd been assigned now.
On top of that, Yezbit had left over an hour ago. He had no idea where she lived, and honestly, he didn't know if she knew either, right now. This whole weekend had started out with such promise, and now. Now he didn't know what was going to happen next.
As he stepped past the cop cars, he noticed several of them were still hanging speaking to someone. Walking over, he noticed Yezbit being lead towards the last remaining ambulance. He quickly rushed over.
"Is she injured?" He asked, pretending to be worried.
One of the cops held up a placating hand. "No. She's fine. At least physically. But she seems confused, and can't answer a single question we've asked her. We've been speaking to her for over an hour, and something definately seems wrong with her. Do you know her?"
"Well, of course I know her." Vorcka said, stepping close to the back of the ambulance. Once in earshot of Yezbit, he said "The truth is, she's my boss. And while we've had a rough start since I hired on here, in the last few days, we've finally settled things and almost become friends. Would it be okay if I rode with her? She doesn't have any family around, and even friends are a rare commodity for her."
The paramedics shrugged. It didn't matter to them. The police officer looked at Yezbit. "Is that true, ma'am? Do you want him to come with you?"
Yezbit stared blankly for a moment before finally giving a shaky nod.
Vorcka smiled, glad that he'd practiced those phrases and been able to use it so casually in front of the cops. Climbing into the back of the ambulance, he took a seat next to Yezbit, holding her hand as she lay in the cot, still looking around to with a confused look on her face.
During the ambulance ride, Vorcka was able to put Yezbit to sleep and prepare her for the questions that were to come. The paramedics had both sat in the front of the vehicle as they'd decided Yezbit was in no danger and perhaps she just needed to be alone with a friendly face.
When they reached the hospital, Yezbit was finally able to answer basic questions about herself, and was even able to explain why she was only wearing a long coat and a pair of panties at her workplace; apparently she was a bit of a freak and liked to be a little naughty when she was alone in the office.
With the other stuff going on, it was a thin excuse, but Vorcka hadn't been able to think of anything more plausible. Fortunately, everyone agreed that he had been the last one on the scene, and no one had bothered to ask him more than a few cursory questions.
At the hospital, Vorcka stayed near Yezbit during the questioning. He kept his mouth closed and let her talk, but she had also been on the periphery, not even a witness to the aftermath of the struggle, so once she was checked for concussion symptoms, the doctors cleared her to head home for the night as well.
On their way out of the hospital, Vorcka made sure to check in on both Jaxon and Ally. They were in rooms near each other, at Allys insistence, and she seemed determined to keep as close to his side as possible. She was really taking his suggestion of expressing gratitude to heart. He hoped he hadn't just saddled his already struggling friend with a crazy woman.
Vorcka helped Yezbit check out from the hospital, then once outside, he realized he had no idea what to do next. Yezbit seemed listless and unmotivated to take the initiative in any decision making.
Finally, after walking for several minutes, Vorcka turned to Yezbit. "Alright. We're going to your place. Now lead the way."
Yezbit froze for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
"Why not? I promise. No funny business or anything. Today, I just want to see you get safely home, tucked in for the evening, and then I'll let you get some rest. It's been a long day for everyone, and I'm ready to go home."
Yezbit shook her head again. "I know we're...friends...now, and I trust you. But I still don't like you."
Damn. This woman's hatred for him ran deep.
"Well, unfortunately for you, you don't get a say in it. I don't want anymore attention tonight, and you going missing because your brain short circuited again is not acceptable. Now go," Vorcka said sternly, hoping to convince her without needing to resort to more manipulation in the street.
Yezbit flinched, but didn't say anything as she stepped out in front of him and began to lead the way to her apartment. It was another twenty minutes of silent walking before they finally arrived at a large apartment building.
"Ah, good evening Ms. Tinecko. Another long weekend at work, I see." An older gentleman in a black casual suit held the door for her. He paused a moment when he saw Vorcka, then he smiled. "And you brought home a friend. I'm glad to see you have some of those." The man seemed to realize what he'd just said, and blushed. "Pardon ma'am."
From behind her, Vorcka smiled, but Yezbit just sighed. "It's fine, Charles. But he's not a friend, he's a co-wor...." again she sighed. "Yes, he's a friend. But he'll only be a few minutes." Without another word, she passed through the open door.
Vorcka reached out and shook the man's hand. "Good to meet you, Charles. And it's okay. I hardly believe it myself. But she's right. I'm just helping her get home safely tonight. I'll just be a few minutes."
"Alright, sir." A pause. "And sir, I really didn't mean anything by it."
"Don't sweat it, Charles. And I mean it. Five minutes. Ten, tops." Vorcka followed Yezbit through the door and waited at the elevator.
As they entered the elevator, Vorcka smiled. "So? Have you known Charles a long time? He looked at you like a child bringing home a friend for the first time."
"Don't be mean. He is a good man who's been at that door a long time. He was always kind to my parents, whom I inherited this apartment from, and he's a better man than you."
"Well, I don't doubt that." Vorcka said sardonically. I don't know that I'd call myself a good man at all anymore, he thought to himself as he considered the last several days. But still, it was something to see a more human side to the woman that terrorized the entire office.
As the elevator climbed. Vorcka faced Yezbit. "What do you remember. Of the last couple days, I mean.
Yezbit gazed into space for a moment, then shuddered. "I don't...I dint remember much. Nothing that makes much sense, anyways. I remember working late last night." She suddenly paled. "I think I may have quit my job. Oh, oh no." She clutched her coat, suddenly panicking.
Vorcka placed his hands on her shoulders. "Yezbit. Listen to me. Whatever happened, I'll help you fix it. But tonight, you need to relax. Get some sleep. I suspect you haven't done that in a while."
The elevator doors opened, and, fortunately, there was no one waiting outside to see them standing there, his hands on her shoulders as she gasped in rapid, anxious puffs.
They moved into the hallway for a minute, and then, once she had calmed down, she directed him to her apartment. He took her keys from her and opened the door. He tried to ignore the opulence of the place as he guided her inside. She said she'd inherited it. Her parents must have been quite wealthy.
Vorcka guided Yezbit to the chair and set her down. He went to the fridge, but it was basically empty. He grabbed a glass and got her some water, but she ignored it as she continued to freak out. He'd hoped to avoid using more trigger words tonight, but if she didn't calm down soon, he might have to. He had promised Charles ten minutes after all.
Thirty seconds later, Yezbit finally took a deep breath, steadying herself on the table. "Yezbit. Tell me what you remember," Vorcka requested.
"Start from the beginning. What day is it, and what were you doing?"
Yezbit took a deep breath, her eyes focusing on the water glass in front of her. "It's... Sunday? I think. I was at work. I promised to show you something. Yesterday, I said I had something you needed to see. Because we are friends. I stayed up late last night, trying to find it. It was midnight, and I finally had to head home."
"Good," Vorcka encouraged. "What happened next?"
"I... I don't know." She frowned, trying to recall. "I remember working at my desk, and then... nothing."
"You said something about quitting your job. Tell me about that." Vocka said, trying to help her remember. "Why do you think you quit your job?"
Yezbit's breathing started to grow choppy again, and Vorcka attempted to cut off her panic attack by soothing her.
"I didn't want to. He made me. He made me send emails to Ally. And I had to sign something. A confession?" She didn't seem sure about the last part, but emails to Ally he could take care of.
"Who made you? Nico?"
Images of a shadowy figure through fogged glass flashed in her head. "No. Jaxon. Jaxon made me do it. He made me write everything down and send it. I sent it to Ally. And to Eric."
That was less good. But he knew exactly who to talk to, at least. Ally and Jaxon should both be at the hospital still. He wasn't going to let Yezbit be fired now. Vorcka wasn't sure what their relationship was, but he at least needed to keep an eye on her for a while to make sure she didn't do anything to implicate him in anything questionable. That goal started with some immediate memory adjustments. He hadn't wanted to do anything tonight, but he'd known that it was inevitable the moment she remembered Jaxon. Those weren't the actions of a drug addled idiot. Just a mind controlled idiot. And no one could remember the mind control part of this whole weekend.
"Yezbit, I know it's been a long weekend I'll figure out the quitting thing. For now, though, it's time for you to sleep." He emphasized the last word.
Yezbit's eyes immediately drooped close and her head slumped forward.
" Good," Vorcka whispered, guiding her up from the chair and towards her bedroom. "You will sleep now, Yezbit. And when you wake up, you will remember that you worked through the weekend, as you usually do. You will remember that you had a breakthrough on a project that required your full attention. You will remember that you came home late, but you did not quit your job. You will remember that you are a dedicated and hardworking employee, and that you have no reason to doubt your position at the company. You will remember none of the strange things that happened this weekend.
You will not remember Jaxon, or Ally, or any of the events that transpired in the IT department. You will not remember Nico, or the server room, or the strange software that Jaxon created. You will vaguely remember me, Vorcka, being here in your apartment, helping you to bed. You will wake up tomorrow morning feeling refreshed and ready to start a new week, with no special recollection of the previous few days."
With those final words, Vorcka watched as Yezbit's body relaxed completely, her breathing evening out into a peaceful rhythm.
"And Yezbit. Before you fall to sleep too deeply, I want you to know one thing. The truth is that there is no such thing as mind control. Now allow yourself to drift off into a deep, restful sleep."
He gently laid her down on her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. He stood there for a moment, watching her sleep, feeling a strange pang of guilt for the first time since this whole situation had begun. But he pushed it aside, reminding himself that she'd brought this on herself with her relentless pursuit of power and disregard for those around her.
He quietly left the room, giving one last look at Yezbit before closing the door behind him. He made his way back to the living room, grabbing his phone from his pocket and dialing Jaxon's number.
He paced as he waited for an answer, his mind racing with thoughts of what he needed to do next. After several rings, the phone picked up, but a woman's voice answered.
"Vorcka, you really need to let Jack rest. He has been through soo much."
Vorcka had called his friend Jack once back in college and had nearly gotten a broken nose for it. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his fist. Sorry again, Jaxon. But I'll fix it.
"Oh I understand, Ally. I was just calling to make sure he was getting the rest he needed. I'll just ask you, then, instead. Are you two alone in the room right now?"
"Well, yeah. The doctor just left. He said Jack may still have some aftereffects from the drugs that sicko used. He's still a little addled right now, but I'll make sure he gets allll better."
Good grief. "Ally. Be quiet. It's time to sleep now." He waited a moment. He'd never tried it over the phone before, but he didn't see any resone why that would make a difference. Finally, "Ally, can you hear me?"
"Yes," she replied, her voice monotone and sedated.
"Ally, it's good that you are taking care of Jaxon. He needs all the live and attention you can give alright now, but when I call or need to speak to him, you will not get in the way of that. Understood?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now give the phone to Jaxon, stop calling him Jack, then take a nap."
After a few seconds of rustling sounds, Jaxon's voice finally came over the phone. "Geez, Vorcka. How'd you do that?" His voice still sounded sluggish.
"Don't worry about that right now. Just know that she's gonna take care of you. I'm glad your okay, but I need to talk to you. First of all, I need you to sleep." He ordered.
Over the next ten minutes, he worked through the memories he'd told Jaxon to forget, before finally telling him to get some actual sleep.
From the sounds of it, the note hadn't been delivered yet, and the hack that Jaxon installed may have already deleted all of Yezbit's emails already, minus the one sent to Ally's personal email. But that one should be easy enough to make disappear as well.
Vorcka suspected people would be working from home tomorrow, if possible. As he left Yezbit's building, he made sure to ask Charlie to check in on her later if he got the chance. He then headed home. He hadn't quite finished all the work he'd hoped to get done that weekend, but he suspected both Yezbit and HR would be understanding.