“You’re not going to beat us, Amia,” Lori said. Her newfound sense of hope gave her the strength to pull her gaze off of her roommate and look her adversary dead in her eyes.

“Oh?” Amia replied nonchalantly. She seemed entirely unconcerned. “And why’s that?”

“Because I’m not the one who wants to be a drone.” Lori smiled. “You are.”

“What?” Amia laughed derisively, but Lori thought she could detect a slightly nervous edge to Amia’s laughter. “That’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?” Lori drew herself up to her full height, her confidence slowly rising. “You sure seem to know something about how good it feels to be a drone, Amia. It’s a little suspicious.”

“That’s…” Amia looked like she’d momentarily short-circuited. It was obvious Lori’s questioning had taken her completely off-guard. “It’s programmed to feel good, duh! I made Elbourne make it that way. That’s how I know.”

“No. No, that’s not it.” Lori shook her head. It was dawning on her more and more with each passing moment, the pieces all coming together in her head. The genuine shock in Amia’s eyes was all the confirmation she needed. “You didn’t just know it felt good. You were waxing lyrical about it. Got any fantasies you want to share?”

“No.” Amia glared viciously at Lori, her bloodshot eyes full of rage. “None of this matters! This doesn’t change anything. You’re mine! You’re both craving it. You both need it. You both-”

“I think it does matter.” Lori’s newfound clarity gave her the strength to interrupt Amia, easily cutting through the mind-controller’s ranting. She could tell that Harper was now a little more lucid, Lori’s words giving her roommate something to hold on to. Lori didn’t want to risk Harper falling back under Amia’s spell. “C’mon, Amia. Are you really trying to tell me you haven’t fantasized about it? What was it you were just saying… ‘all it takes is one moment of submission’. Have you felt that moment? Are you craving it?”

“Shut up!” Amia shrieked.

“You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about it,” Lori pressed. “Not after the way you were talking about it. You’ve thought about it a lot. Haven’t you?”

“It’s not… it’s…” Amia suddenly looked mortified, ashamed that anything but a hard denial had passed her lips. Lori, conversely, felt energized. Seeing Amia crack right before her eyes was filling her with giddy euphoria. Far from feeling weak and disoriented, as she had done mere minutes before, she was feeling as strong as she ever had. She wondered if the adrenaline rush that was now hitting her was the same feeling that Amia, and even Harper, had felt before. Clearly, they had let it go to their heads, albeit to different extents. Lori needed to avoid making that same mistake. She didn’t feel too worried, though. She was in control.

“It’s what, Amia?” Lori demanded confidently. “We both know what it is. So why don’t you just admit it? What are you afraid of?”

Amia’s unnerved expression twisted into a nasty grimace. “You better shut your mouth, before I decide to set my drones on you, risky or not.”

A little of Lori’s confidence ebbed away as she surveyed the room around her, and once again became conscious of the four brainwashed, latex-clad drones that were still standing at attention, ready to spring on her the moment they received the command. She needed to remember that she was still in danger, Lori thought to herself, or else overconfidence was sure to be her undoing.

“I’m just saying,” Lori continued, adopting a slightly gentler tone. “Why not? It’ll be pleasurable, and you won’t have a care in the world. You said so yourself.”

“What is this?” Amia snarled, unwilling to be drawn in. “You’re playing some kind of trick, aren’t you?”

Lori spread her arms wide, the picture of openness. “I’m just asking questions.”

Amia paused, eyeing Lori suspiciously as she considered her next words. Lori had to suppress a smile. It was transparently obvious what Amia was thinking. She was weighing whether or not she had something to prove, and whether refusing to play along would show weakness. If she was smart, she would ignore Lori’s taunts, of course. But Lori had a feeling Amia wouldn’t be able to resist.

“I’m not like you,” Amia snarled, after a moment’s thought. “I’m in control. I’ve always been in control. I’ve been toying with you for weeks, and you didn’t even know it. In fact, you enjoyed every single second of it. That’s what you are. You’re weak. Submissive. I’m dominant. Powerful. I take pleasure in doing whatever I want with people like you. I’m in control.”

Lori shivered. Despite everything, she was struggling to completely shrug off the kind of dominance Amia was projecting. Lori knew all too well how pleasurable it was to slip into submission. She’d experienced it far too much to ever forget. Even now, it would have been a lie to pretend to herself that she didn’t still feel that temptation. It would be so easy. But she had to keep fighting. It wasn’t about her or her pleasure anymore. It was about saving Harper and her friends.

“But,” Lori countered, placing a fingertip on her chin and affecting a mocking, confused look. “You said yourself that dominance and submission are just two sides of the same coin. Those are your words, Amia. Not mine. Yours. Whatever pleasure you get from being in control, you can get just as much pleasure submitting. Right? Isn’t that what you were saying to Harper?”

“That… that wasn’t about me!” Amia cried, frustrated.

“How do you know?” Lori shot back. “Have you ever thought about it? Have you ever tried it? You must have been tempted, right? Maybe just once? I’m sure that at least one time, when you had Elbourne here, or someone else, and you had them starting at one of those spirals, you must have been tempted to look too. Who wouldn’t be? You must have wondered how it would feel. How good it would feel. Who wouldn’t? It was just curiosity, of course. At least at first. But then, it became something more than that, right?” Amia looked almost spellbound as Lori wove her tale. “You started fantasizing about it. One of those secret, shameful fantasies. It would be thrilling, wouldn’t it? To lose it all. To experience everything being so completely turned on its head. You, the submissive drone. Someone else, the dominant administrator. It was exciting. Maybe it even went beyond fantasies. Maybe, just once, you did look. Maybe that’s why you know how good it feels to submit. Maybe that’s all you can think about.”

The look on Amia’s face was all Lori needed to be sure she’d hit the mark. Her expression was one of utter shock, but it was tinged with something else too. Amia’s cheeks had become flushed, her brow was slick with sweat, and she was breathing unusually hard. She was obviously aroused. Ashamed, yes, but aroused too. Now, Lori couldn’t suppress a grin. She’d known she was on the right track.

“I… I…” Amia stammered. “I-I never did that.”

Lori picked up on her inflection right away. “Right. You never looked. But you wanted to. You fantasized about it.”

Amia looked like she was about to explode, although Lori wasn’t sure if it was anger, shame or arousal that most showed through in her face. She was so flustered she forgot to deny what Lori was suggesting. “T-that doesn’t mean anything!”

“I think it does,” Lori declared, in a sing-song voice. “It means I’m right - about everything. You know exactly what I’m talking about. You know exactly the kind of pleasure I’m talking about. The pleasure of submission. You’re thinking about it right now, aren’t you? You want it. You’re craving it.”

“Shut up!” Amia repeated, her voice weaker and less assured than ever. “That’s not me! That’s… that’s you! You’re twisting everything around, you bitch!”

“Oh yeah?” Lori stared Amia dead in her eyes, daring her. “Prove it.”

Heaving and breathing hard, Amia just stared back for several long seconds, seemingly dumbfounded. Lori waited, motionless. She didn’t want to give Amia too much time to gather her thoughts, but she didn’t want to press her so hard she snapped either. She needed to walk a fine line. Hopefully, Amia would walk right into the trap she was setting. Her grin faded as the silence wore on, but a thin smile returned to her face once Amia drew herself up, ran a hand through her now-messy hair to re-arrange it slightly, and stepped forwards confrontationally.

“You’re going to submit to me,” Amia declared, her furious eyes boring holes in Lori’s head. “Right now. Because you are weak. Because you’ve already submitted. Dozens, maybe hundreds of times. You think you’re free? You’re just a broken drone. You know it’s all still in your head. All that programming and brainwashing. You know you’ll cave once I make you submit. And you know you’ll love it.”

“Yeah,” Lori moaned. She swayed on her feet as the impact of Amia’s words hit her. She didn’t try to fight it. It was so vivid, the impression of pleasure most of all. She knew how good it would feel to break. “It’s incredible. There’s nothing like it. It feels so good.”

Lori watched for Amia’s reaction carefully. She was braced for Amia to narrow her eyes in suspicion, signaling that it was probably over. But instead, Amia’s eyes widened maniacally as she sneered in triumph, her supreme confidence already almost fully restored.

“Yes!” Amia cried, energized. “No other pleasure even comes close. Nothing does. Not your freedom. Not your individuality. Not your control. Nothing. You’ll throw everything away for it, won’t you?”

“Can’t help it,” Lori murmured, moaning again. She wasn’t faking it. She didn’t need to. All the urges Amia was appealing to were still strong in her mind. She wasn’t struggling to deceive Amia so much as she was struggling to keep hold on her own mind. The temptation to submit for real was crushing. “It’s irresistible.”

“Lori?” Harper hissed in an urgent whisper. “Lori, no! Come on, you can fight this!”

“I’m sorry, Harper.” Lori turned to face her roommate slowly, but then once Amia couldn’t see one side of her face, she winked at her knowingly. “I don’t think I can anymore. It’s too strong.”

At first, Harper looked confused and uncertain, but after a moment she returned Lori’s wink with a barely-nod. “I can’t believe you!” Harper cried, convincingly feigning shock. “After everything we’ve been through! After everything I tried to do for you!”

“She can’t help herself,” Amia jeered. “How could she? I’m offering her the ultimate pleasure. You know it too, Harper. You know how good it feels to submit. You know that kneeling before your betters, clad it latex, your mind empty of all thought, is the best feeling in the world. Obedience is pleasure.”

“Obedience is pleasure.” Lori shivered. Her body was covered in goosebumps. She wanted to touch herself so badly, but she knew she couldn’t. She knew if she gave in to that temptation, everything would soon spiral out of her already-loose control. She did her best to keep herself focused on her plan. “Y-you’re not going to stop, are you? Not with us. Not even just with this school.”

“That’s right!” Amia raised one hand in front of herself, and clenched it in a tight fist. “I have big plans. You have no idea. I’m not going to stop. I’ll never stop. With this technology, I can do anything!” Lori trembled at the look in the TA’s eyes. She was utterly power-mad. “Soon, everyone will kneel before me. Everyone! I’m going to show them all how good it feels to submit. Obedience is pleasure. No-one can resist that. No-one can fight the ultimate pleasure. No-one.”

“No-one.” Lori nodded. Then, she turned to the drones surrounding her, and smiled. “That’s right, isn’t it, Unit #0001?”

“What?” Amia froze, confused. Her ears pricked up, alert, as if she sensed something was afoot. She was right.

Unit #0001 turned to look at Lori, Professor Elbourne’s cold, expressionless face staring into hers. “Evaluating new data. Evaluating new behavior protocols.”

Lori bit her lip. This was it. The critical moment. Now, there was nothing to do but wait.

“New behavior protocols confirmed,” Unit #0001 announced, after a few moments. “This units only purpose is to pleasure Amia Grover. All units’ only purpose is to pleasure Amia Grover. Amia Grover’s pleasure is all that matters. Submission to hypnotic indoctrination is the ultimate pleasure. All units will proceed to subdue and indoctrinate Amia Grover.”

“Command accepted,” came the sombre echo from around the room.

“What?” Amia repeated, now even more dumbfounded. Even as the pack of drones spread throughout the room began to advance on her, she didn’t seem to register that it was really happening. “What’s going on? This is impossible. Why… why are you doing that?”

“Don’t you see?” Lori giggled. She didn’t want to fall into the same mistake as Amia, listening to herself talk instead of making sure she’d won, but she couldn’t resist crowing a little bit. “You brainwashed them all into thinking that your pleasure is the most important thing in the universe. And, just now, you told them that being brainwashed and submitting is the ultimate form of pleasure. Apparently, even drones are capable of putting two and two together.”

“That’s not what I meant!” Amia protested, but the drones kept advancing nonetheless. Amia glanced nervously between them, clearly on the verge of panic. “Stop!” she cried, but the only one that stopped was Unit #0001.

“Remember?” Lori put in gleefully, after allowing Amia to stew in her own confusion and panic for a few seconds. “They don’t take orders from you. Not directly.”

“Shit!” Amia spat, as she remembered the cautionary measures Professor Elbourne had taken. She had started backing away from the drones as they steadily closed in on her, but she was already backed into a corner. “Um, Profess… fuck, I mean, Unit #0001, tell-”

That was as far as she got. As soon as she started talking, Lori surged into motion. She sprinted as fast as she could, moving faster than she ever had in her life, and in no time at all she crossed the distance between herself and Amia. Amia was taken completely off-guard, and had no time at all to react or even cry out before Lori barreled into her, tackling her off her feet and, crucially, clamping a hand over her mouth.

“Mmph! Mmmmmmph!” was the only noise that came out of Amia’s muffled mouth, as she struggled furiously beneath Lori to try and free herself. It was no use, however, Lori had managed to pin both of Amia’s arms beneath her knees, and even though Amia was tossing and turning like crazy, Lori managed to keep a hand over her mouth.

“Sorry, Amia,” Lori panted, breathing hard from her exertion but grinning wildly. “This is it. You lose.”

Then, the drones were upon them. They descended around Lori and Amia, surrounding them. Lori couldn’t deny that it gave her a certain thrill to see their latex clad bodies all moving in concert to fulfill, not Amia’s plan, but hers. It was a rush, to know that she was in control of this, that even though she hadn’t given the drones any commands, they were doing exactly what she had wanted. Lori’s grin widened. She wasn’t going to go crazy with power like Amia, but after everything she’d been through, she figured there was nothing wrong with enjoying herself a little.

Amia’s muffled shrieks became even more high-pitched and desperate as the drones started to place their hands on her body, restraining her at her wrists and ankles to ensure that she would be unable to squirm free. Unit #0001 held back, still in frozen in place by Amia’s final command, but that didn’t matter. The three remaining drones - Lori’s friends, Sally, Madison and Jae - would be more than enough. Especially if Lori helped. For the moment, though, Lori focused on keeping Amia’s mouth covered as the drones beside her started to clinically and mechanically strip the would-be mind controller of her clothes. Lori scrambled out the way so she was no longer on top of Amia, eager to get out of the way. Working together, the drones managed to get Amia out of her tight-fitting jeans, and when the drone that had been Madison found that it couldn’t remove Amia’s crop top over her head, it instead simply ripped the flimsy top from her body. Amia’s panties and bra soon followed, until the squirming TA was left completely naked. Completely exposed. Completely vulnerable.

“How’s it feel, Amia?” Lori mocked. She couldn’t help it. She wanted to ride this thrill for as long as it lasted. Payback was sweet. “Now that you’re on the receiving end for once. Feel good? Does it live up to your fantasies?”

“Mm mmmph!” was the only reply Amia was capable of making.

“Let’s see.” Keeping one hand over her mouth, Lori stretched down and managed to slip a hand between Amia’s legs. Amia’s squirming became particularly frenzied for a moment, but with the drones holding her limbs, she was unable to escape. Lori retracted her hand after a moment. It came away wet. “Huh, look at that,” Lori continued. “I guess it does. Looks like you’re not such a dominant after all.”

Before she could do or say anything more, the drones proceeded with the next part of their plan. Sally was on Amia’s right-hand side, Madison was on her left, and Jae was at her feet. As one, as if responding to some unseen signal, they bent forwards and started pleasuring her with their mouths. Drone-Jae used its unrelenting, hypnotically-driven strength to pull Amia’s legs apart and quickly buried its face in her cunt. Even though it was brainwashed and emotionless, it devoted itself so completely to the task of eating out Amia’s pussy that it almost seemed to be in an impassioned frenzy. At the same moment, on each side, the other drones - Units #7137 and #7428 - starting to aggressively kiss and bite all across her exposed form, across her midriff and on her small, pert breasts. The instant over-stimulation drove Amia wild. She started thrashing like never before, and her muffled protests morphed into something that sounded suspiciously like moaning. Lori could feel herself becoming aroused too. Seeing Amia brought so low was unbelievably satisfying, and it was a delightful reversal to see Amia now falling prey to the drones she had created to serve her.

“Lori?” Harper called out, cautiously approaching the pile of latex-clad bodies surrounding Amia. “Are you…?”

“Don’t worry, I’m OK,” Lori panted. “I’m just, um, helping.”

She was embarrassed to admit she wanted the satisfaction of degrading Amia personally. Fortunately, Harper didn’t question it. She just nodded gratefully, and then slumped into a chair. Finally, she could rest. Lori, though, was only just getting started. She was no longer breathing hard from exertion, but from the heat filling her body. Between her own legs, her cock was growing hard, straining against the tight-fitting latex in a way that, she had to admit, felt incredible.

“Here’s what’s gonna happen,” Lori said, returning her attention to Amia. She couldn’t know for sure, but she had a sense of what the drones might be planning. “These drones you were so in control of are going to soften you up with pleasure, and make your mind nice and weak. Then, I’m gonna put that brainwashing device on your head and brainwash the fuck out of you. A little like what you tried - and failed -  to do to Harper. Except, this time, it isn’t a game. It’s just the end, for you.”

“Mmmp- mrrrr!” Amia’s muffled, inaudible protest was cut short by a load, full-throated moan as Jae started roughly tongue-fucking Amia’s wet, needy pussy and using a hand to tease her throbbing clit. The effort on Amia was incredible. It had her tossing her head from side to side so hard, Lori was struggling to keep a hand on her mouth. Not that she really needed to - there was no way Amia was still in a fit state to properly issue any kind of complex command. Lori supposed she shouldn’t have been so surprised. The drones had, after all, probably been programmed with Amia’s pleasure specifically in mind.

“Oh my god!” Lori laughed. “You really are enjoying this, aren’t you? That’s incredible. I wasn’t sure before, but clearly I was completely right about you. You’re the weak one, Amia. And you’re kind of a slut. Writhing around like that, on the floor, in front of me and Harper… wow.”

Amia was too lost to pleasure already to make any kind of retort, even a futile, muffled one. She was still squirming, but her movements were now weak and uncoordinated. Lori could tell she was already beginning to succumb. Amia had never once tried to resist any temptation placed in front of her, and now, the temptation to simply ride the wave of pleasure she was experiencing was getting the better of her. Lori cautiously removed her hand from the TA’s mouth, ready to clamp it back down at a moment’s notice if it looked like she was about to issue a command to any of the drones. But she didn’t - instead, all that came out were a series of long, loud moans. Lori giggled, her sense of triumph making her head feel bubbly and giddy. This was it. This was the end. She’d won. Amia wasn’t going to be able to threaten anyone anymore. She was nothing like the confident, sadistic mind-controller she had been just minutes before. She was flushed all over, and drenched with her own sweat. Her moans, no longer suppressed by Lori’s hand, were filling the dark laboratory. Amia had been reduced to a mewling, moaning fucktoy, helpless against the drones that were skillfully and mercilessly pleasuring every inch of her body. Their latex-covered hands were reaching all over her, up and down, and Lori could see as much black rubber as she could flushed, brown skin. It was a wonderful sight. Lori knew all too well how it felt, being massaged like that by those hands. The peculiar, smooth, shiny, alien touch of the latex was heavenly. It was making her needy just imagining it. She could feel a little of it, even now, from the latex bodysuit covering her own body. Almost unconsciously, Lori reached down and started to massage the throbbing bulge between her legs, moaning softly as she felt rubber sliding over rubber and warm pressure against her swollen cock.

“I think it’s time,” Lori announced, after several minutes spent spellbound, watching Amia’s resistance and willpower being methodically broken down by the pleasure the drone units were visiting upon her body. She figured that, by now, Amia would be utterly unable to resist falling into trance. Furthermore, she had to admit herself, she was uncomfortably eager to see Amia brainwashed. No-one responded to Lori’s declaration, so she simply stood up and went across the room to retrieve the brainwashing device from where it had been discarded. A brief inspection revealed that it was still working, but Lori was careful not to look too closely, especially not at the hypnotic lights still glowing and spinning within.

“So,” Lori said to Amia, as she knelt back down besides her head, holding the brainwashing helmet aloft above her. “Any last words?”

Amia moaned. That was all she was capable of.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Lori smirked, and slipped the device onto Amia’s head.

Because of the way the TA was writhing and twitching, it took her a little time to secure it in place properly, with the all-encompassing virtual reality screens fixed properly over her eyes, but once she managed it, the effect was instant. Amia shuddered, once, and then went still. She was still moving a little, responding to the way she was being touched, but much weaker than before. Her moans, too, became weaker, turning breathy and slow as her breathing started to slip into the hypnotic rhythm the brainwashing device was inducing. Lori studied her reaction carefully, not wanting to let Amia somehow escape at the last moment, but deep down she knew the fight was already over. Lori had experienced the potency of Professor Elbourne’s technology first-hand. Amia was doomed.

“How does that feel?” Lori asked, knowing there would be no response. “Feels good, doesn’t it? Nice and relaxing. Why don’t you just let yourself drift off? You know how good submission is going to feel. You were just telling me about it. So just submit, Amia. Obedience is pleasure.”

As if sensing Lori’s words, Amia groaned softly, and made a feeble effort to lift one hand. The sluggishness of her movements only made it more obvious how quickly she was succumbing to the hypnosis.

“Shhh, it’s OK,” Lori continued, her voice taking on a poisoned, soothing tone. “Just look. That’s all you have to do. Look into the spiral. Can you see it? Can you see how deep it goes? So deep. Just like you. Can you see the numbers yet? They’re all around you.”

Lori could feel Amia responding to her words, her body becoming heavier and slower as she helplessly following Lori’s suggestions. In the hypnotic glare of the brainwashing device’s spiral, independent thought was all but impossible. The entranced TA was barely responding to the drone’s ministrations anymore, but Lori knew the pleasure flooding her mind was still helping to keep her weak and compliant.

“You’ve been dominant for so long,” Lori whispered. She lowered her face so her lips were right by Amia’s ear. “Now it’s time to let go of that. Time to rest. You’re going to enjoy it. Just obey. That’s all you need to do now. Obey and submit. Obedience is pleasure. Obedience is inevitable.”

“I… no… o-obedience…” Amia babbled faintly from within the brainwashing helmet. Beneath the visor, Lori could see the tight expression on her face slowly relaxing into a dreamy smile. A little drool had escaped her mouth, forming a trail down to her chin. It only made her look all the more pathetic.

“Say it,” Lori urged. “You know you want to. You know you can feel it on your lips. Say it. Obedience is pleasure.”

“Obe… Obedie…” Amia was shaking her head, but the words were still coming, being drawn from her by the hypnotic spell she was gradually submitting to.

“Come on. You know how good it’s gonna feel.” Lori reached down and, with one latex-clad hand, started massaging one of Amia’s tits. She felt Amia’s back arch ever so slightly, her body greedy for even more please. “Say it, and you can cum. Let go of everything, and let that release wash everything away. You know you want to. Obedience is pleasure.”

“Obedience… is… pleasure!” Amia screamed. She shuddered again, once, and then fell completely limp. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she panted, but besides that, she wasn’t moving at all. Lori could scarcely imagine the kind of mind-shattering orgasm she must have had. Suddenly, she realized all the drones had stopped pleasuring her, and had returned to simply kneeling positions. That could only mean one thing.

“Amia?” Lori ventured. She was still rubbing herself as she spoke. Amia might have found release, but Lori was still feeling incredibly sensitive. “Can you hear me?”

“Yes.” Amia replied. That one word was enough to make Lori moan. Amia’s voice was completely transformed. It was no longer arrogant and cruel, or breathless and needy. Instead, it was cold, emotionless, and utterly empty. There could be no doubt. Amia was hypnotized.

“Will…” Lori’s mouth was dry all of a sudden. “Will you do what I tell you?”

In the same slow, trancey, emotionless voice, Amia replied: “I obey.”

“Oh my god,” Harper stood up again. “Oh my god. You did it. You actually did it.”

Lori smiled back at her. “We did it.” She rose to her feet too, and crossed the room to Harper’s side. After sharing another, slightly awkward smile, the two of them embraced. Lori hugged Harper as tight as she could. It felt so comforting, to be able to bury herself into another, familiar person like that. It was something she hadn’t realized she’d needed. Now that the danger had passed, she could finally enjoy it.

“Lori, we should-” Harper began, after pulling back.

Lori kissed her. She didn’t know why. It just felt right. Harper seemed shocked, at first, but soon lent into the kiss, returning it with just as much passion. Lori’s heart felt like it was bursting with emotion. This was the last thing she’d expected - any of it. But somehow, it was exactly what she’d wanted. When they finally broke off the kiss, Harper reached out to stroke her cheek with one of her hands. Lori could have swooned.

“Um…” Lori broke out in a cold sweat. She suddenly felt the need to explain herself. “Um…”

“Hey,” Harper said, pointing down at the bulge formed by Lori’s cock, still clearly visible in the front of her bodysuit. “You need some help with that?”

“What?” Lori replied, stunned. Then, the both of them collapsed into helpless giggling. It took almost a full minute for either of them to recover.

“I guess there’ll be time for that later, huh?” Harper said, wiping mirthful tears from her eyes. “Now this nightmare is all over.”

“Yeah,” Lori agreed, smiling from ear to ear. “We don’t need to worry about anything anymore. This is the end. We can finally set things right.”

“Well…” Harper looked pointedly over at the cluster of drones, huddled on the floor around Amia. “You say that, but… what are we gonna do, exactly?”

Lori thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Let’s figure that out later,” she replied, and kissed Harper once more.

                                                 THE END