“My office. Now.”

Emily was already having a hard enough time due to the messages Tara had shown her. Anonymous accounts making accusations of Emily secretly being a corporate asset, accompanied by pictures of Emily serving Eric and a pop superstar at the latter’s mansion, and of course in the maid outfit she’d worn for the former at times. It seemed whoever was twisting that in such a way was unaware that the star in question was an artist at all and had mistaken her for some wealthy businesswoman. At least she knew that whoever was trying to ruin her was so out of touch with the mainstream that they hadn’t even heard of the well known Queen Serena in passing. It had to be someone older or someone so dedicated to their own niche that they’d be easy to find. 

If only she had time to think about it now rather than face Lisa’s wrath. She hesitated for a second, but as Lisa turned back with an icy cold glare, Emily felt an overwhelming compulsion to obey. 

“Door.” Lisa commanded alongside the snap of a finger. Her new office was almost identical to Emily’s, and right next door, but with the floor plan reversed.

As Emily turned back to close the door she briefly saw a glimpse of Tina introducing herself to Tara. Tara, like Emily, was to be an asset of Spiral’s on a similar deal to Emily. At least the debt was split between the two of them now. She quietly closed the door and approached Lisa’s desk and wished Tara could be in here for this. She had stuck up for Emily when responding to whoever had it out for her, and Emily thought she could use a friend here. Tara had been a real friend after all, or at least it felt that way, and Emily felt terrible for having been so rude to her in the past. 

”Perhaps this is my fault, Thompson. I think our lovely night together has given you the wrong impression.” Lisa straightened some paperwork on her desk before placing it into a drawer.

“Please just tell me what’s wrong.” Emily wasn't one to look at the ground when speaking to someone, but she couldn’t help it when she could tell Lisa was mad at her. She had never felt so weak before.  

“First of all you glorified, mindless drone, you disobeyed a direct order multiple times. Then you got into a fight with a person of interest, and why? Because you can’t control your emotions?” Lisa’s stern voice grew in volume. 

”Lisa..” Emily exhaled. She’d never had such a strong desire to please someone before, other than Eric, and she’d never felt so hurt when disappointing someone. She wondered for a fleeting moment if she’d seriously underestimated Spiral’s programming going into this deal, but she also genuinely liked Lisa. Lisa wasn’t just her boss. She was her first friend here. A comrade. A crush. They were a team. Both loyal agents of Spiral.

She couldn’t believe what was going on in her mind, and felt like she could no longer tell if she was a rebellious rockergirl or if she was a loyal, bootlicking lapdog to Sapphire Bay’s Corporate Elite. The timing of the messages Tara had shown her didn’t help. Hell, if those got out there now, successfully twisted to make Emily look bad, then it could look like it had been true the entire time. Could her old friends even trust her anymore? Even if no one ever saw them, or saw Emily now working with Spiral, she had to admit to herself that she was deeply infected with Spiral’s programming. Could she even leave? If she wanted to please Lisa and remain in her life she’d need to retain some loyalty to her new Masters. “Retain loyalty,” she thought. She then realized that she likely couldn’t make it an entire month without irreversibly becoming a vastly more loyal and willing slave to the corporation. It hadn’t even been a week. 

”Shut up!” Lisa’s shout was loud enough that Emily was certain Tara and Tina heard it. Lisa’s expression grew even colder as she approached a trembling Emily. “No resistance, RT27.”

”Wait!” Emily couldn’t even get her hands up when Lisa made her move and easily threw her to the ground. It was more shocking than painful, as if Lisa had made sure to do it softly and rely on surprise rather than pain, but Emily was paralyzed by both fear and it being difficult to disobey Lisa. Normally she would have to be pulled off of someone for daring to grab her, but she felt completely limp. “Please. I can’t move. Lisa.” She slowly blinked as tears filled her eyes.

“You don’t get it do you? I saved you today, and I saved you because I fucking own you.” Lisa stood over Emily and slowly let her spit fall. 

”Lisa, please, I’m sorry! Please just let me fight back a little!” Emily cried out, but as Lisa’s spit landed in her mouth, she felt an unexpected calm spreading through her. She wanted more. She didn’t even want to win. She just wanted to put up some pathetic level of resistance until she was whipped into shape. At least look like she tried when everyone realized she’d been broken and become a traitor. That she even went after Tara on the corporation’s behalf, in their uniform and as a new asset, meant she’d chosen side. It meant they’d won.

”I said shut up.” Lisa looked down on her the way a tyrannical Queen would over a subject. “I’m only going to make this clear once, Agent Thompson. I may yield to you at times, and I may let you take the lead. I’m training you for a purpose you have yet to understand, and then I will always yield to you, but until then? You are to obey every command I give you. I don’t need anything in response other than a polite ‘yes Miss Sullivan,’ or you can bark.” 

“Lisa please,” Emily begged.

”YES! MISS! SULLIVAN!” Lisa shouted like a drill sergeant.

Emily felt tears streaming down her face. “Yes. Yes Miss Sullivan.” She was terrified, and yet she felt so safe. Lisa wouldn’t really hurt her, right? Sure, they’d only known each other for a day but it felt like they’ve known each other for so long. Maybe she was just afraid of Lisa disliking her. Pathetic. She had never cared about that with people before, but Lisa was her colleague now, not those she used to be allied with. Emily felt she deserved this in a way. She’d made a deal with the devil, and Lisa was just doing her job now, whipping Emily into shape and molding her to be the best servant of those who ran Spiral that she could be. 

”Now bark.” This wasn’t the nice, mischievous Lisa who had introduced herself to Emily. This was the voice of cruel, dominant woman who aimed to break a slave. 

Emily obeyed, and had never felt so humiliated. Maybe the answer was loyal, bootlicking lapdog after all. 

Lisa would laugh and mount her. “You just need to trust me. When I tell you to do something it’s for your own good.” Her hand grabbed Emily’s neck and began to squeeze as her tone became more affectionate again. “For example, if I tell you to breathe, you will. I’d never deny your oxygen supply, but it belongs to me now.”

Emily took a breath and slowly nodded as Lisa loosened her grip. She was afraid to speak, and yet she wanted more. Even secretly being Eric’s maid at times hadn’t ever turned her on this much. In an embarrassing sign of submission she would lightly buck her hips as Lisa repeatedly took control of her breath.

She would smile and stare Emily in the eyes. “That’s right! Who’s my good girl?” Lisa let out a brief satisfied laugh. “You really love this, don’t you? Maybe I was too gentle before, Thompson. I really didn’t want to be a cruel Mistress, but look how good you are when I am. Do you need me to treat you like the dumb slave you are more often?”

”I’ll be your good girl, Mistress! I swear!” Emily imagined herself standing at attention while Lisa and some high ranking executive briefed her on a mission. Then set loose on the rebellious fools she used to lead. The drastic change was turning her on. Had she been turned on by the idea the entire time? She wasn’t sure it mattered anymore. She wanted this in a way. Her transformation wasn’t even complete yet and the adrenaline rush was unlike anything she’d ever felt.

She couldn’t resist those beautiful emeralds anyway, and didn’t need to be told to look. Lisa would dismount but maintain eye contact, and begin unzipping Emily’s pants. “If you’re not up for it, for any reason, say peppercorn.” Lisa’s whisper carried an air of kindness now. 

”No.” Emily said. She couldn’t believe herself. “Take me. No resistance just as ordered. Own me. Correct me.” She felt her hands drifting downwards. “I’m. I’m ready. To obey.”

“Well that’s a good, loyal agent, isn’t it?” She would pull Emily’s wrists away and hold them against the ground. “No. Bad pet. Let’s focus on what actually matters now. Thank me for the air I so graciously allow you and for saving you from your friend.”

Emily would relax her body and let Lisa do anything she pleased. “Thank you, Miss Sullivan. You saved me, and you allow me to breathe.”

”That’s right, but do you understand what I actually saved you from?” The superior agent would insert two fingers into Emily’s pussy.

Emily gasped as Lisa began to slowly thrust and instantly found the angle Emily loved most. “Right there right there don’t stop please please please! I’m a loyal agent! I’m a loyal agent!”

Lisa chuckled. “Oh you poor thing. You don’t grasp just how much control I really have, do you? God, it’s been like a day and I think I already love you. Don’t you think I’d protect what I love, Em?”

Emily moaned.

“Good girl,” Lisa cooed. “You really need more training. While you were bashing on Tara like an ogre she was setting up a hold that would have twisted you like a pretzel.” Lisa’s tone was kind but condescending. “What a legendary colleague you are after all. Perhaps the field is too dangerous for you.”

Emily couldn’t believe that for a second. Tara? Really? Still, she was far too preoccupied to think about it much, and what if Miss Sullivan was telling the truth? Then the mocking. That normally would have enraged Emily, but not from Lisa. 

”This was nothing. I’ve experienced the move in a sparring match, and she would have had you begging for mercy. Begging to do anything she said forever if it meant she’d let go.” Lisa increased the speed of her fingers, slightly altering the rhythm as she took her free hand to press down on Emily’s tummy with the perfect amount of pressure. “But I’d never let that happen would I?”

Emily moaned again. She could hardly think straight. 

“Not yet.” Lisa had mischievous look in her eyes. “Poor thing. You don’t even realize his well trained you already are, or that you’re already in a light trance, Em, and once I allow you to cum? It’s going to set that light trance in stone for the rest of the week. See, you need to learn that being loyal to your new employer and obeying your superiors is far more important than some petty revenge mission. That’s over. Your motivation is service and loyalty now.”

Emily whined, begging for release in the most pathetic way. 

“You will spend the rest of the week on desk duty, helping Tina get our new offices ready for future agents like Tara, Emily.” Lisa found the perfect rhythm.

Emily’s mind was quickly turning to mush, and the little she’d already experienced of Spiral’s programming was making quick work of any defenses she still had. 

“Better get used to heels and short, tight short pencil skirts. Agent Hill deserves an apology, and you’re going to help her settle in as her secretary, aren’t you?”

”yesss Missss Sulli-Sssss Misstreessss.” Emily processed what she’s just agreed to. A temporary demotion. Serving Tara.

“I knew you’d come around, Em. Don’t worry. It’s just for the remainder of the week, while we regroup and work out some details, and then I’ll need you back in the field. I have a feeling some of these leads are going to need all three of us. Until Monday? She’s my partner now, and you’re just a secretary, so let’s practice some mantras. Anything about being a secretary will instantly wear off after 5pm on Friday, but everything else will sink deep into the core of your identity. Repeat after me. I am a loyal employee of Spiral Holdings.”

”I. Am.” Emily felt like a machine being reprogrammed. A part of her wanted to resist, but the words flowed from her ears into every part of her body, tingling like electrical signals, lines of code altering a drone’s self perception. “A loyal employee. Of Spiral Holdings.”

”I am a loyal Agent of Spiral Holdings,” Lisa whispered.

”I. Am. A. Loyal. Agent. Of.  Spiral. Holdings.” Emily felt her new truth sink in, reinforced through both intense pleasure and earlier correction.

”My allegiance is to Spiral now. My former friends betrayed me. Spiral’s enemies are my enemies.” Lisa grinned. “Spiral takes care of me now.”

A small part of Emily screamed inside. She really was being turned into a loyal servant of those she’d previously stood against. What if her friends were looking for her? What if she just needed to explain and clear her name? What if- “My allegiance is to Spiral now. My former friends betrayed me, and Spiral’s enemies are my enemies.” She said it with such conviction. Where did it even come from? “Spiral takes care of me now.” A blissful smile spread across Emily’s face. This wasn’t just mindless repitition. She felt good. She couldn’t go back anyway, not now, and in a way she felt like she belonged with Lisa and Tina. She felt like,

The loyal, bootlicking lapdog.

If this was the way she needed to be reminded of that then she would accept it in order to better serve Spiral. Spiral was her Master now. She was ready. She didn’t need to choose her side. Spiral chose for her. They knew best anyway. If Emily knew better then she wouldn’t even be in this mess.

”I will lead Spiral Holdings to victory.” Lisa declared.

”I will lead Spiral Holdings to victory.”  Emily felt determined. Anything for Lisa. Anything for Spiral. Anything to ensure the company she belonged to was on top. 

“Very good, Thompson, that’s going to simmer nicely in the background of your mind for the next few days. Are you ready for the next one? I need you to say it out loud.” Lisa basked in her control of Emily for a brief moment. “When you repeat it then it will be your truth until the wear off time, and then? Your loyalty to Spiral will have become a core part of you. It will be your return point, the real you, while your secretary self is just fun temporary setting to keep you in line. Say you are a subordinate to Agent Tara Hill. You will obey her every command without question. You are her loyal secretary, and accept any role you are given to best serve Spiral. You are a well placed cog in the machine now.”

Emily released immediately when she repeated it out loud and collapsed into a trembling, drooling mess. 

“Where’s your blouse and skirt, Emily? Go see Tina and get some heels while you’re at it, secretary Thompson.” Agent Sullivan smiled, satisfied with her work, and waved the new secretary away. 

* * *

The drones were hard at work setting up  offices, cubicles, a break room, and a briefing room. The entire 40th floor belonged to this new department, and it seemed Lisa had big plans for it. Emily suspected that it could even become its own agency, and one of the handful of vassal companies housed in the imposing tower which operated as headquarters for Spiral Holdings. Lisa would direct the drones to move desks into offices, and shout as two got themselves caught in a feedback loop which prevented them from turning a desk the same way. 

“Do I have to wear the glasses and headset?” Emily asked Tina. She was already dressed identical to the world champion of secretaries otherwise. Today that was a black blouse, a grey pencil skirt, stockings, black heels, and a black choker with a small tag which depicted Spiral’s logo. It was even engraved with the name of who the secretaries were assigned to. 

“What if Agent Hill receives a call when you’re fetching her coffee, or tonight when we’re assigned to cleaning and tidying up the new offices?” Tina’s smile and perfect posture felt contagious. 

“Wait, what about tonight?” Gone was the rebellious rockergirl, and in her place stood a new secretary with perfect posture and a demure attitude.  

”At 5pm, all Spiral Investigation Bureau secretaries are to change into cleaning uniforms and assist the drones in getting the office ready. The office could still receive a call, and so you’ll be wearing a headset. You won’t have to wear one when your agent status is restored, of course!” Tina’s enthusiasm was clear, but far more controlled than it previously had been. “But while you’re a secretary it’s part of your dress code!”

Emily maintained her composure in spite of her nervousness. Even if a part of her deep down was trying to break free, Emily knew that until the deal was finished she had to play the part, and she always strived to be perfect at anything she did. In this case that meant remaining calm and professional. It meant respecting workplace hierarchy. If meant following the rules. It meant conforming and being a cog. Release brought some sense of clarity. She couldn’t just give up. She would be loyal as long as she was an employee or asset. Then she could do anything she chose, right?

”Affirmative.” She chose to say it like a robot. An ironic rebellion through mockery since she couldn’t do anything else. She couldn’t find it in her to lash out. “This unit will wear the headset.” 

Tina offered an identical headset to her own. It looked like a basic wireless one for calls, but with strips of light built in which displayed Spiral’s unique color scheme. As Emily put it on she thought she heard a faint hum and whispering, but she assumed her very strange experience the last few days and lack of sleep were catching up to her. She hesitated for a brief moment when Tina offered a pair of glasses identical to her own, but after feeling a brief rush of cold through her body she would put them on. When they locked into two small slots built into the band of the headset, a flash of light and a zap would make Emily feel like a computer rebooting. When she began to regain her sense of self she saw mantras, news about Spiral and other corporations, the time, stock prices, and daily objectives filling her vision. 

Without a word the new began brewing coffee, and would then bring it to Agent Hill, with a small smile on her face which matched Tina’s own. 

“Oh my god this is going to be so much fun!” Tara’s office was smaller than Director Lisa Sullivan’s or Lead Agent Rachel Thompson’s, but it was still nice. It sat just past the briefing room, and came with a nice view of the city, as it sat on a different side of the building than the other offices secretary Emily Thompson had been into. She even had a desk just outside of Agent Hill’s new office. 

Something deep inside of Emily told her that she had this all wrong. She was Rachel, right? Hadn’t she been recruited to Spiral after choosing to turn over a new leaf and get out of a lifestyle with no future? Wait, that couldn’t be right either. What if they just shared a last name? Emily had fallen out with the local music scene and her merc team recently, but fortunately she was still on good terms with Tara, and had taken a job as the new Agent’s secretary. Surely over time the awkwardness of being subordinate to Tara after being her boss in the band setting would wear off. Emily still felt something was wrong, but as she sat the coffee down she would give a bow. “It is an honor to serve you, Agent Hill. How may I assist you today?” She didn’t feel in control of any of this. Actions were simply happening while she tried to organize her thoughts and make sense of her new role.

”Well Lisa and I aren’t going back out until tomorrow morning so I’m just getting used to this. Can you believe it, Emmy? My own office, a cool new job once we fulfill our end of the deal, a huge investor for my project, and, it’s just all working out! An agent of Spiral’s new Investigation Bureau!” Emily had never seen Tara so excited. Lisa had seen something in the new recruit on the ride back to the building, and Tara had accepted becoming part of the same deal Mr E had made to Emily without much convincing. 

Only Tara got to be an agent, and Emily’s recruitment test placed her as a secretary, right? The field had been deemed too dangerous for her. “I’m so thankful, honestly, they had so many reasons to turn us into drones but they’re giving us another chance. Our old friends didn’t even have a conversation with us.”

Tara sipped her coffee. “Don’t worry, Emmy, I’ll find who did this to you. It’s gonna be so funny when they see that we actually prefer working for Spiral, and we’ll make sure they regret ever standing against us or our new employers!”

Emily caught a glimpse of Tara’s computer screen in the reflection of the window. Training videos. It seemed that she was taking to them quickly, and already proud to wear the jet black suit and tie Director Sullivan had decided was standard. A small part of her tried to speak up. She wanted to ask Tara if she was even remembering events correctly, but all that came out was a satisfied smile and agreement. “Yes Agent Hill! I’m so happy to belong to Spiral!” Wait, no, that couldn’t be right. This couldn’t just be Spiral’s earlier programming even if she’d severely underestimated it. It had to be the headset and glasses. She had to get them off. She had to-

“Emmy, can you check the markets? I can’t exit what I’m doing, and I guess I’m supposed to check them and input some numbers. Check the following: Bank of Sapphire Bay, Labor Solutions, Wahoo!, and copper prices.”

Emily’s wandering mind came screeching to a halt when she received the command. She had a neutral, polite, and quiet tone as she spoke, and delivered the prices of each as they displayed in her glasses.

”Thank you Emmy. Just let me finish this and I’ll help you look through that asshole’s messages again.” Tara looked back at her screen. “I guess they think I’d be good at auditing financial reports or something, who knows?”

”I am happy to be of service to my superiors, Agent Hill. Please let this unit know if you desire further assistance.” Emily delivered the line with such perfect tone and robotic precision that Tara looked up again in confusion, but this time it wasn’t ironic rebellion. This was how Emily was supposed to behave. She was a secretary, and but a small cog in a larger machine, turning any direction she was told to.

“Emmy, what the hell? Are you feeling okay?” The new agent raised an eyebrow. “You like, a robot now? An Emmybot, ha!”

That was more like the Tara who Emily remembered, and especially so if one were to mention the version of Tara she’d known before today. Maybe Tara wasn’t being brainwashed by her training videos and was just excited to be with Spiral now. She was getting a pretty good deal all things considered, and seemed more aligned with them anyway, but why was Emily the only one getting brainwashed? Emily felt her body relax as she spoke again. She felt less controlled then when she received a direct command, but she couldn’t resist being polite and even tempered. “I’m so sorry! I’m just excited about my new position is all, Agent Hill. Thank you for not being angry with me. I will accept being an Emmybot if you wish!” 

”Emmy, it’s okay, I’m just loopy right now because the meds are kicking in. I think maybe that’s why we aren’t going back into the field until tomorrow.” Tara would lay back in her seat with a big grin. “That’s enough videos for today. I can’t believe I don’t have any swelling in my face. I guess the robot hand makes sense if you’re an Emmybot.” 

”I’m so sorry, Agent Hill, I-“ Emily remembered what actually happened now, and her mind felt less dazed. At least for a moment. 

“Enough. I was going at you and it was a confusing situation for us both.” Tara was extremely stern. “I’ll forgive you, Emmy, but not as easily as if you’d just called me a bitch or something. I mean I hate the dentist and you guys had to take me to an emergency appointment, so get on your knees. Earn it.”

Emily hesitated for a moment, but obeyed when the headset sent a harsh and distorted beep into her ears. This situation felt similar to being in the drone suit when it properly connected to the 40th floor’s mini hive but with far less synthesis. It had to be experimental technology. It was too unrefined.

”Good girl.” Tara smirked and shook her head. “Emmy Emmy Emmy, from a Queen to this, like, my personal office slave.” 

Emily bowed her head. “I am your personal office slave. You are the Queen now.”  She felt so tiny as Tara laughed. 

”Don’t worry. It’s only for a few days, right? Then you get to go back to being lead agent, or maybe I’ll humble you and take it away. I’ll take everything away if you don’t obey me! Your new job, your new office, your mind,” Tara paused to bask in the power she now wielded, “Even Lisa. And I can make it permanent. I do have some hypnosis powers, and you’re already in such a weak state of mind.”

Emily gasped. Her heart raced. She couldn’t even process what she wanted to say right now. She didn’t usually crush on women but something about Lisa was different. She was so surprised by Tara’s real self that she didn’t want to assume she was bluffing. She wasn’t confident she be right. Then Tara could own her. Forever.

”You two have chemistry, slave, but as your Queen I don’t permit it! For these next few days I’m your entire world.” Tara checked her nails, but had difficulty keeping her hands steady. She’d just been given top of the line experimental pain meds for her head and had seemingly lost her filter entirely as they began to kick in. 

“Yes Agent Hill.” Emily was drifting between herself and feeling like a secretarybot. A secrewhat? Emmybot, the secretary unit? Maybe that was it. It was a secretary robot. 

“Whooooahhh yeah this rocks!” Tara spun around in her chair in excitement. “I like, own you now! Ha! Hahaha! All those times you were mean to me, all that time I didn’t realize it was because you didn’t like me, and okay like I’m not gonna lie. Well, I actually love that mean, ruthless, cruel side of you to be honest. Like whoa, Emmy? You! Imagine you in a nice, expensive business suit? Bossing me around? Please. God, a nice designer one, like a burgundy one? That would look so good on you. Maybe after you’re done being my Emmybot!”

“Designation confirmed: Emmybot online. Please input commands.” Emily’s heart raced. She hadn’t chosen to say that. It was more like it generated for her.

“You’re so funny Emmy! I mean it really hurt my feelings earlier when you said you didn’t like me, but is it weird that I kinda like it? Like it means I was really really pathetic for such a badass businesswoman! I’m like, your simp, Emmy. I think. I think I love you. I want you to love me, even if it’s as like, a pathetic simp chick. I’m gonna earn it Em!” Tara took a big gulp of coffee and stared into space for a moment, as if she processed how hot it still was but wanted to look strong, and after a moment would shake her head and continue. “Like, I can show you that you can trust me by being your Owner the next few days and helping you find that asshole who was trying to turn me against you! Then, oh man, you being my fucking Queen? That’s gonna be so awesome. You’re my. You’re my Queen Emily. Please let me earn the right to call you that!” Tara would flop into the floor on all fours before the kneeling Emily. “Wait sorry, you liked Rachel now, right? All hail Queen Rachel!”

Emily was so embarrassed as she heard Tina and Lisa giggling by the door, and struggled to process what was happening as the voices of the boss and her secretary moved away from Tara’s office. Emily was a secretarybot, this rockergirl turned corporate asset Emily, and Queen Rachel? Tara’s ruler? She felt like she was experiencing some sort of processing error.

”I know how to best like, serve you. One second.” Tara slowly stood up. “Alright, that caffeine is helping. I think.”

Emily stayed still and waited.

“First off? I think you need to be able to let go, like, Emmy you alwaaaaays have to be in charge. Like, if you’re gonna be my Queen someday you gotta. You gotta. I’ll show you that you gotta. You. Hey. You. Can trust. ME! And get you more comfortable with the real you, and plus. I get to put you to work to make up for earlier today! So you also know you can delegate shit in the future. You don’t have to micromanage everyone like you do! A real boss delegates and does boss things! Queen Rachel!” Tara breathed in deep and looked like she became lost in a fantasy again. Likely imagining herself eagerly licking Rachel’s boots and following her commands. “Ready to learn what it’s like for us subordinates, Emmy?”

”Yes Agent Hill. Unit Emmybot is ready to serve. Please input commands.” Emily felt disconnected from herself. She wanted to scream. In her confusion, rather than defaulting to Emily, it seemed the secretary it was her default setting now. Default? Setting?

”Oh no no no, Em, I want you to enjoy this! You don’t get to just be some unaware robot.” Tara sat back down in her chair. “I want you to know you’re my slave. I want you to feel owned. I want you to feel like my property. I want you to know you can depend on me to care for you, and on the other side of that I want you to fear me. You know I had a move set up that would have crushed you, right? You think you’re so tough, but you underestimated me. If you ever hit me again your entire body is gonna have to be robotic!”

Emily felt more control of her body again. She felt like herself again. The rockergirl. Like her programming was becoming so fluid and unstable that it couldn’t sustain itself. “Tara I’m sorry, please, I get it. I’m at your mercy. Don’t hurt me, please! Please! I’m yours! I’ll do anything you say!”

Herself. Sure.

She was wrong again.

She was Tara’s slave, and she was terrified of her Mistress’s power. The realization wasn’t a slap from reality, but a train coming towards her at full speed. Her confused programming wasn’t going to become unstable and collapse. It simply gave Tara full control and the ability to decide what Emily was on a whim. She couldn’t disobey. She couldn’t disagree. Tara was too out of it to really understand how her strange back and forth was affecting Emily, and was just airing grievances and desires alike anyway. Maybe she needed to get it out of her system just as Emily had earlier. 

“It’s not Tara. It’s Mistress to you.” Tara’s voice turned ice cold. “Ha! I see that one got you really good, so there it is, you’re my pathetic slave! You like that, don’t you?”

Emily truly was afraid now. She remembered that Tara had expressed her hobby of brainwashing people so completely that she could take a cis, straight man and slowly turn him into a straight woman. If she was telling the truth then who knew what else she could do? The trembling slave knew if Tara truly was such a powerful hypnotist then who Emily was and everything she knew might not make it through this.

She felt like some alternate version of her was laughing maniacally as she made the decision to save herself via Tara’s previous advice. To delegate. To back herself up somewhere like she was just a program. To pass everything she liked about herself off to “Rachel.” She conjured herself up as Rachel deep in her mind. The Rachel who chose to call that bank president when the time came. The Rachel who chose to make her own way by crushing others under her boot. She hated it, but knew it may be the only way to save herself.

Rachel? Confident. Powerful. Rich. Hot. Commanding. Worshipped. Obeyed. Intelligent. Independent. The Boss. Pure, raw, feminine power. The personification of absolute authority. Everything about the way some apparently saw Emily behind the scenes, or at least if Tara was to be believed. Controlling. Successful. 

Emily? Weak. Subservient. Owned nothing. Objectified. Follower. Obedient. Stupid. Controlled. The bootlicking employee. A submissive woman. Compliance personified. Exactly like the servant some anonymous asshole was framing her to be. Controlled. A reflection of another’s success. 

A foolish lackey who sometimes thought she could be a cool, rebellious rockergirl, but was ultimately just being humored by her drum playing boss. 

Emily bowed down.

Emily licked her boss’s shoes clean. 

At least she would be okay if she started going by Rachel again. She hoped she could even recognize herself if so. 

“Oh that’s fun!” Tara laughed. “Ooooohhhh maybe that asshole was right about those pics of you in that maid uniform, Emmyyyyy!” Tara would say in a sing songy voice. “That’s your slave name now. You can go back to being Emily at 5pm Friday. If you still have contact with that pop superstar in those pics maybe I’ll get to serve my favorite artist alongside Emily Thompson! Tell me it’s all true, Emily, I just wanna hear you say it. I don’t care if it’s real. It’ll be fun!”

”Yes Mistress. I serve the rich and powerful in secret. The accusations are true. Everything those messages said were true. I, Emily Thompson, serve the elite of Sapphire Bay. The jobs I take are on their behalf and run through fixers so it’s not seen directly. My music is a distraction from real action. My activism is a distracting cover.” A lingering part of Emily, inside herself, sobbed as she realized what she’d done. Emily still needed to process it all even if she’d already given in earlier when Lisa was playfully punishing her. If that happened to be recorded then no one would care that Emily was just trying to please Tara in the moment. 

Plus, the realization that she never had to jump the gun so quickly and pass all of that off to “Rachel.” Those ideas she’d attached to “Emily” would have always been attached to “Emmy” or “Emmybot” alone. She hadn’t trusted in her Mistress enough to serve her fearlessly, or to have faith that she would still be herself when it all wore off on Friday. 

Now she felt like herself again. As Emily.

An Emily who had declared herself a  secret loyal servant of her city’s rich and powerful. She felt her loyalty to her old friends rapidly fade, and begin to be replaced by a disdain for them due to her growing loyalty to her Masters. Hadn’t those foolish rebels betrayed her? So what if she served her Masters? At least they were protecting her. Developing and honing her skills. Finding a place for her. Meanwhile “Rachel” was reinforced as a powerful and ruthless top level businesswoman before slowly falling back down into Emily’s subconscious.

Tara laughed out loud. “Seeee Emmmmy? Didn’t I tell you?” She finished her coffee before continuing. “You’re a corpo! A businesswoman! You’re gonna be the boss one day. The Queen! Gotta motivate you to rise up though. Treating you like a slave? You’ll either be my favorite slave forever or you’ll get angry and rise up! Coffee, slave! Hurry up!”

Tara laughed as Emily scurried to obey so fast that she almost tripped over herself. On the way to and from she managed to avoid Tina and Lisa both, and would bow down after giving Tara the new cup of coffee. She felt so defeated, and a part of her was truly becoming afraid of Tara. For all she knew Tara wasn’t actually loopy from the meds, and she’d just fallen for it and let her guard down. She’d severely underestimated her before and fallen for her dumb girl act. What if Tara was always manipulating her? What if Tara had truly Mastered her? She wasn’t sure it mattered anymore. In a way she was thankful that at least she had one old friend she could trust. Even if it meant becoming her slave.

“Good slave!  Were you this obedient for Queen Serena? Why were you one of her maids anyway?” Tara leaned forward and gabbed Emily’s face to force eye contact. “The truth. I mean I think it’s badass you’re like a corporate secret agent but are you her or are you the heavy metal rebel?!” 

Admittedly, Emily wanted to laugh at that. No one had ever called her that and the way Tara’s words were such a jumbled mess when she said it would make it difficult to keep herself together. She really wasn’t judging. She’d been there herself, but it helped to break some tension which had been between them all day, and it made her unsure if Tara would remember this conversation, and unsure as to how serious Tara even was about enforcing her rule over Emily the next few days. In a way it felt more like a twisted way to bond as friends, and Emily would decide to try and trust Tara. 

“Eric knew her really well. He’d actually done some studio drumming on her first two albums, and they were both in town again at the same time for once. So they wanted to see each other and,” Emily sighed, “yes. I liked to dress up as a maid for Eric sometimes and call him Master and let him boss me around!”

”Whoa, so like, your boyfriend dragged you along as his maid? That’s either hella fucked or it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever heard you say!” Tara looked so shocked but so fascinated. 

“He knew I was secretly a fan. I mean, she’s actually my favorite artist, but imagine what that would do to my image. Getting to meet her was kind of a gift, and in return I served them while they caught up.” Emily was beet red saying it out loud. “I kind of turn into a squealing fan girl around her so I played the role extremely well. It’s embarrassing.”

“Catch up, riiight. They fuck?” Tara grinned. “You just simp and serve them? You fetch them breakfast in bed after a long night of hearing them fuck?”

”We were never official.” Emily grew nervous. “Eric can do whatever he wants.” 

Tara howled with laughter. “Oh my god, you got cucked by a pop star! I think that means you have to become like a pop girlie now! The spoils of victory! Maybe you should have stayed!”

Emily looked away and blushed again as Tara broke eye contact. “Yeah, I guess it wins the genre wars now, doesn’t it? But she’s just an artist, not like a mega CEO, so that text you got? I mean they didn’t even realize who she actually was. How can they accuse me of being a traitor? I mean I’m not ashamed I guess. The real shame is that I can’t be open about my true loyalties.” Emily wanted to cry as it set in. At the time she wouldn’t have actually served some corporate elite out of some sort of alignment, but now she felt terrible that she couldn’t be the loyal bodyguard standing beside them at all times. She really couldn’t go back now.

“Actually, Emmy dear, honey.” Tara looked quite pleased with herself. “She is a known defender of her fellow corporate elite, and I say fellow because of her fashion line and her new hotel chain. I mean some of her lyrics are even cryptically defending it. Yet even all you pretend rebels buy anything she tells you to and turn into squealing messes when you get to meet her. Do you even listen to her lyrics, or did you just follow them? Have you not seen the rumors that her music hypnotizes and brainwashes fans who regularly listen to her? I mean you served her, Emmy! You gave her your man and cleaned her toilets with a smile on your face! Oh my god, that crowdfunding effort awhile back to give her money so she could achieve a net worth milestone, did you donate to that?”

Emily froze. This was one of her deepest secrets to begin with. 

“Come now, we’re on the same team, you just finally realized it.” Tara scratched under Emily’s chin.

”Yes Mistress.” Emily felt so humiliated. “I donated to The Queen’s Tax: Make Queen Serena a Billionaire.” She had never admitted it out loud. She felt so weak and stupid as Tara laughed so hard at that. The laughing felt like it went on forever.

“You’re not a fucking rebel, Em.” Tara laughed again. Every time she laughed it felt like an eternity of humiliation for Emily. “I don’t get it though, holy shit, like you gotta explain this to me. That’s like, I don’t know, I thought you were the weird girl or the cool alt girl but that’s more like the Queen Bee’s bestie. You know, the bestie that acts kind of like a slave, no personality of her own? She ends up destined to become an underpaid employee or housekeeper or something for the leader of her friend group. Gives up her love interest for her best friend that’s totally not her Mistress. I guess you kinda did that huh? Not the Queen now, are you? Were you ever, really?”

Emily sighed. “I actually was the Queen Bee. Until I moved to Sapphire Bay.”

“Whoa what? You were like a mean girl all those years ago? What did you just appropriate punk and metal to carve out your own empire when you left your old city?” Tara was shocked. 

“I don’t,” Emily sighed, “I guess I.”

”Aww, poor thing. You were Miss Popular, and then you moved, and you found a new home in punk and metal, and listen Emmy Emmy Emmy.” Tara sank into her chair and closed her eyes for a second. “I think you are genuine about it. I’m not fucking with you. I think you did grow to love those things and you do support the average person just trying to survive.” Tara leaned forward and forced eye contact again. “But a good Queen does that too, Emmy. A good Queen does care about her subjects. A good Queen takes care of her subjects. You’re a Queen, Emmy, a conqueror! You conquered like, a whole city man!”

“But. I.” Emily tried to continue but wasn’t sure what to say anymore. 

“Relax. Look at me.” Tara commanded. “I wanna like. I wanna be your bestie even more now. Let me. Help you. You just had to get the side of people like me! Your future subjects!”

Emily tried to look away but Tara prevented it. She was already under so many layers of programming. She didn’t want more.

“10. Drop for me, Emmybot. Let’s try this. Enter program mode.” Tara commanded.

Emily felt everything stop. She blankly stared into Tara’s eyes.

“9. Run persona Emily. You’re so tired, Em, but I’m going to take such good care of you.”

Emily whined. She wasn’t sure how many layers of programming she could take. The headset was only helping to reaffirm everything her Mistress said. 

“8. So, so deep for me. I hardly even have to do anything, because you’re my bestie. You trust me so much. You know I just want what’s best for you!”

Emily felt so easy to control. She thought it may be less embarrassing if she really had been a corporate sleeper agent the entire time instead of a rebel who had been successfully converted. She’d feel stronger if she’d just been an agent the entire time. 

“7. See you gotta rebuild your friend group now and I wanna be yours. All that old stuff? Doesn’t matter now. Now I’m your bestie. We’re like, we’re like, um.” Tara paused. “These meds dude, like that, they feel so good with me. You feel so good with me. That or salt and pepper. We’ve always been so close!”

Emily felt a sense of love for Tara, and would look at her smiling. The connection she’d felt just moments ago grew strong, and she remembered once more that Tara had stuck up for her when replying to that strange account. Tara was her friend. Her best friend?

“That’s right,” Tara cooed. “6. And you’d do anything for your bestie. You always, always did, didn’t you? Giving me first dibs on guys. Giving me first dibs on clothes. One year, in college, we were both single so we went to a couples Halloween party as a Queen and her loyal maid, didn’t we? Didn’t we maid? And you loved serving drinks and snacks to all the guests!”

Emily nodded in agreement. She remembered now. Her best friend had been the Queen. Tara had always been the Queen. Wait, she hadn’t known Tara that long had she? She had to. There’s no way that could have happened otherwise. 

”5. You were NEVER the Queen Bee. Let’s get that straight. You’ve ALWAYS loved being so hopelessly subordinate to me. It’s just, so much easier for you, isn’t it? I mean you’re competent and smart but you’re a tool.” 

Emily trembled as Tara whispered. Tara had always had her on a figurative leash. It just felt so easy to obey. 

”Our entire lives. Dropping subtle little triggers. And. you. Fell.” Tara lightly touched Emily on the forehead. 

Emily really was like Tara’s slave.  She had been in control the entire time. What if she’d been in control during the band. The? Band? Wait how did they know each other again?

“FOUR!”

Emily’s mind went empty. Her Bestie sat before her. She was no longer afraid. Tara would take care of her. Her Queen had always taken care of her. That’s why she did anything she said!

“it. Fell. For. It. It. It. It. It’s what you are. A slave. Slave. Slave a slave. Echo echo in your mind mind mind there are THREE!” Tara said sternly.

Emily’s empty mind filled with the words Tara repeated. Stacking on top of each other in seemingly infinite layers, crushing her will completely, so completely, into dust. She kept eye contact, but dropped to all fours, as if to bow. 

”Truths.” Tara continued as a satisfied smile spread across her face. “None of these truths apply for Rachel. I want to see more of her, and I say that because you act like a totally different person when someone calls you that name. Emily is the one that’s my bitch, and always has been. I think Rachel is probably the cool one that turns me into such a simp when you let her out! Like when you get what you want with just an icy look and an attitude!” 

Emily nodded.

”See, Rachel could be like, the boss.” Tara smiled and continued. “She’s like authority itself! But you, Emmy, as long as I’ve known you? You’ve been that friend I boss around!”

”Rachel is the boss! Emily gets bossed around by you!” Emily declared. 

“That’s right,” Tara cooed. “God this is so fun Em. That’s the first truth, isn’t it? You think it’s fun that I’m Queen Bee of our friend group. You think doing what I say is fun! You’d be my servant if I told you, TWO!”

The truth sank in really as the next number hit. Tara had always been the leader of their friend group. Emily had always been close to Tara, and loved to do anything she said. Emily was basically her servant! Emily loved Tara so much. She’d do anything for her best friend. 

“be, wouldn’t you? You aren’t some rebellious rockergirl. Listen, Emmy, I love you but I want us to have a future here and I think the you that gives me bi feelings belongs here not there. That stuff was all a phase. We tried it but everyone was so two faced, right? So back to being my bubblegum pink girly girl, right? That’s who my bestie is. We listen to pop and dance music! Why’d we even try that? Well, for ONE!”

Emily thought she did have some fun nights. Not everyone was that way, but she and Tara had been betrayed recently and it soured them. They were kind of out of place anyway. Emily loved pink and being girly. 

“You like working for Spiral, and you’re going to be such a good agent. You won’t have to be a secret forever. Your skills are way more than that! You also love Lisa, and I changed my mind. I’ll allow it because you’re being so good for me, and I’ve seen the way you look at her! You’re gonna attract and impress her, like you’ll do anything she says for a crumb of her attention! Your ONE truth is you’re a corporate siren and pop girlie! A loyal agent in service to Spiral! We both are, and we’re gonna be all the way at the top someday!”

Emily nodded as Tara slowly dozed off with a smile on her face, forgetting to bring Emily back up before the meds got the better of her. 

Emily woke up around 5pm to Lisa opening the office door. “Shit, Tina gave her the highest dose didn’t she?” Lisa sighed in disappointment. “She’s not waking up any time soon.”

Emily had such a huge crush on the boss. Lisa. She loved Lisa. She could hardly contain herself. “Director Sullivan!” She stood and blushed, brushing her hair behind her ear before folding her hands in front. “Please can I get you anything? I mean, anything, please?”

”The hells gotten into you?” Lisa chuckled. “Tina told you, right? You’re supposed to be in a cleaning uniform. I was gonna hang out with Tara while you guys were being good office maids but,” she shook her head as Tara snored.

”Maid? I could be a good maid, Miss Sullivan. I’ll be yours if you want.” Emily knew she should be more professional, but Lisa was the one who brought it up. Maybe she could impress her. If she impressed her, then she and Tara could make it to the top, which meant doing anything Lisa said.

”So desperate for my attention, are you?” Lisa grinned. “You realize this is all me helping you relax before we go back into the field, right?”

Emily blushed and nodded her head despite not knowing exactly what Lisa meant. A part of her still knew something was off about this, but knew that she did sincerely like Lisa. No reason to do anything but give in right now. She obeyed with a smile on her face as Lisa beckoned her to follow. Soon, she was pinned against the wall outside of the office, biting her lip and silently begging for more with her eyes. 

”You’re such a good girl, Em. Let’s get you in a proper uniform. Tonight I’m going to take you,” Lisa ran her ringer down Emily’s body, “so so low. All the way down.”