The world around Laura dissolved into a void of blackness, the only sounds the faint hum of the helmet’s circuitry and the distant echo of Jeremy’s protests. She tried to move, to struggle, but her body was unresponsive, rooted to the spot. 
The darkness was absolute, a suffocating shroud that pressed against her skin, making it hard to breathe. Then, faint outlines began to materialize, shapes that grew sharper, more defined, until the world around her resolved into something that was both familiar and alien. She blinked as the reality of her surroundings dawned on her.
She stood in a grand, opulent hall, its walls lined with towering mirrors that stretched endlessly, reflecting images that seemed to ripple and distort as if they were alive. The floor beneath her feet was made of polished black marble, and the air smelled of roses even though there were none in sight.
Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their crystals refracting light into a kaleidoscope of colors that danced across the walls. But it was all wrong. The beauty of the hall was marred by an eerie stillness, a lack of warmth that made the space feel more like a tomb than a place of splendor.
“Welcome, Laura,” a voice purred, its melodious tones bouncing off the mirrored walls and filling the room with a haunting resonance. It was a voice she recognized, yet in this space, it seemed transformed - deeper, and more resonant. An undercurrent of amusement threaded through the words, creating an uncanny echo that sent an involuntary shiver racing down her spine.
She spun around, her heart thumping in her chest, and there she was. The Black Queen stood at the far end of the hall, her figure outlined against the soft glow of the chandeliers above. She wore a deep, inky black gown that sparkled as if encrusted with countless tiny stars. On her head rested a tiara adorned with purple jewels. It emitted a spectral glow that sent a sharp pain through Laura’s eyes, forcing her to squint.
“Where am I?” Laura demanded, trying to keep her voice steady. She took a step forward, but her legs were heavy, as though the floor itself was resisting her movement. The mirrors reflected her distress and amplified it, each image weighing down on her troubled mind.
“You are where you need to be,” The Black Queen replied, her lips curling into an inviting yet terrifying smile. “This is your new home. A place where you will learn, grow, and become something greater than you ever imagined.
Laura shook her head. “This isn’t real. You’re playing some kind of mind trick on me.”
The monarch laughed, the sound like the chiming of church bells. “Oh, Laura. This is more real than anything you’ve ever known. Here, you are free to become what you were always meant to be.”
“Fuck off! I know you’re trying to control my mind, but it’s not going to work. I’m not that easy to play with!”
“Control is such a harsh word, don’t you think? Let’s call it… guidance. You see, Laura, you have so much potential, but you’ve been misguided, led astray by those who don’t understand what’s best for you. Here, I’ll help you discover the truth.”
“The truth?” Laura repeated, her voice laced with skepticism. “What truth?”
Deirdre stepped closer, her eyes locking onto Laura’s. “The truth about loyalty, about duty, about the order of things. You’ve been taught to question authority, to rebel against those who would lead you. But true strength comes from unity, from following those who know what’s best.”
Laura clenched her teeth and stared her down like a rabid dog. “I won’t listen to this. You want to brainwash me and turn me into your puppet!”
Deirdre’s smile never wavered. “Brainwash? No, Laura. I’m showing you the way. You’ve been lost for so long. It’s time you found your true path.”
As she spoke, the hall began to shift and change around them. The mirrors darkened, their surfaces clouding over as if a dense fog had rolled in. The chandeliers dimmed, turning light into shadows writhing across the floor. Fear crept up Laura’s body as the room seemed to close in around her, the walls pressing in on her from all sides.
“Stop this!” she exclaimed. 
“I can’t stop what’s already in motion,” The Black Queen giggled. “Besides, that’s not what you want. I’ll show you what it means to give in and to become a part of my world.”
“Your digital self is even creepier than the real deal,” Laura spat. “Back off!”
“And yours is as stubborn, but in this place, I make the rules. You can’t escape the depths of my creation, no matter how much you try.”
“That’s what you think, bitch.”
“You’ll think what I want you to think.”
A strange sensation hammered Laura’s brain. It was as if her thoughts were being pulled apart and put back together again. Memories flashed before her eyes—memories of her life, of her friends, of Jeremy. But they were distorted, tinted with a darkness she hadn’t noticed before.
“Do you remember the first time you doubted Jeremy?” Deirdre asked, her voice weaving in and out. “The first time you wondered if he was on your side?”
Laura frowned. Had she ever done that? She didn’t think so. But now, as she looked back, she saw moments—small, fleeting moments—where she’d wondered if he was holding her back or just using her for personal gain without caring about her at all.
“Jeremy cares about me,” Laura said, her voice less certain now. “He would never hurt me.”
“Wouldn’t he?” Deirdre’s voice was soft, persuasive. “He’s hurting you right now. You wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him. He’s the reason you got involved in this mess. He put his own goals above your well-being, and now you’re stuck with me,” she chuckled, no longer pretending to be nice.” This is all on him.”
“No. I wanted to help him. And I was the one who wanted to expose you. You can’t make me believe otherwise!”
Laura’s hands trembled as Deirdre’s insidious words tried to change her perception of the world. In the digital space, her voice was like a velvet dagger, cutting through Laura’s defenses with each syllable.
“You think you know him,” Deirdre continued, her tone laced with mock sympathy. “You think you see the real Jeremy, but do you? Or do you see only what he wants you to see? Men like Jeremy are experts at hiding their true selves, at making you believe what’s convenient for them. He’s been playing with you all along, hacking your spirit little by little. He’s not your friend and doesn’t deserve to be your lover. You need to get rid of him, to sever all ties with him to focus on what’s important - Me!”
“Fuck you! Keep your filthy venom to yourself. You’re lying! That’s all you do.”
“Serve me, Laura,” The Black Queen said, her voice soft yet commanding. “Let go of the burdens he’s placed on you. Let go of the pain and the doubt. I can give you peace. I can give you a purpose. You don’t have to be a pawn in his game anymore. You can be something more. You can be perfect under my control.”
The words hung in the air like a promise, sweet and tempting. The weight of Laura’s choices pressed down on her, the familiar ache of uncertainty gnawing at her heart. However, she needed to stay strong and resist the programming. There was no margin for error when what was at stake was nothing more than her free will.
Laura turned away from The Black Queen, but her words continued to crawl under her skin, writhing like snakes. The ground beneath her feet shifted, like liquid, and the sky above fractured into a mosaic of broken mirrors, each reflecting a different version of herself, all trapped in the labyrinth of this digital realm. She summoned every ounce of willpower to her imaginary legs and started running.
“Run, little one,” The Black Queen purred, her voice a melody of mockery. “Run and see how far you get. You think you can escape me? I am everywhere. I am the code in the walls, the pulse in the wires, the breath in your digital lungs. You cannot hide from me, Laura. I see you. I see all of you.”
Laura’s heart pounded. The world around her seemed to warp and twist, corridors of light stretching in every direction, each one leading deeper into the maze. The Black Queen’s laughter echoed through the corridors, a sound that was both beautiful and terrifying, like the shattering of crystal. Every step Laura took was painful, as though the very fabric of the digital space was trying to hold her back.
But she ran.
She ran through fields of binary flowers, their petals shifting from 0s to 1s in rhythmic pulses. She ran past rivers of liquid code, their currents swirling with faces of brainwashed men and women that called out to her, pleaded with her, screamed at her. The Black Queen’s voice followed her, a constant shadow in her mind. “You’re so tired, aren’t you, Laura? So tired of fighting. So tired of doubting. Let me take that burden from you. Let me make it easy.”
The ground beneath her feet began to unravel, threads of light snapping like brittle strings. Laura leaped, her body weightless for a moment, suspended in the void. When she landed, everything changed again. 
She was in a city now, its skyscrapers made of giant touch screens that displayed fragments of her life—memories she thought she’d buried, fears she’d tried to forget. The Black Queen stood on every rooftop, her figure duplicated a thousand times, each one watching Laura with cold, calculating eyes.
“You see?” The Black Queen’s voice came from all directions, from nowhere, from everywhere. “You see how futile this is? I am your past. I am your future. I am the only truth you need.”
Laura was getting tired. Her legs burned with every step, muscles straining like taut wires ready to snap. 
Yet, she pressed on. She had no choice. She couldn’t allow herself to be ensnared, couldn’t afford to be devoured by the shadows creeping ever closer. 
Around her, the massive screens on the towering buildings flickered, their images warping into chaotic mosaics. Within those fleeting distortions, Laura caught glimpses of an alternate existence—a life untouched by pain, free from all doubt. The Black Queen’s promises whispered to her like a siren’s call, offering the beguiling illusion of tranquility and solace.
But Laura knew it was a lie.
She forced herself to look away, to focus on the path ahead. There had to be some backdoor, a way to escape the relentless programming, but where was it? Where could she go?
It was getting harder to breathe. Each inhale was a struggle as if she were breathing toxic fumes. Her legs, once driven by adrenaline, now felt like lead weights, each step a battle against gravity. The soles of her feet ached.
She ducked through a narrow alleyway, her palms grazing the walls on either side to steady herself as dizziness crept in. But no matter where she turned, the Black Queen’s faces loomed overhead. Those unblinking, emotionless masks adorned the sides of buildings, peered out from shattered windows, and even formed from the flickering debris scattered in the gutters. Everywhere she looked, there she was. Omniscient, unavoidable.
“You tire so easily, Laura. How quaint. How… human. But don’t worry, I’ll give you all the rest you need. Eternal rest. Eternal service.”
Laura kept pushing forward. She stumbled, her hand catching against a cold, damp wall to steady herself. The surface beneath her palm shimmered, a sickly green hue that seemed to seep into her skin, chilling her to the bone.
Ahead of her, the street stretched on, a corridor of despair. The screens above flickered, their images warping into grotesque parodies of the life the Black Queen had promised. Faces contorted in agony, their mouths open in silent screams, their eyes black as coal. Laura’s stomach churned, bile rising in her throat as she forced herself to keep moving.
But she couldn’t. Her legs gave out, right when she needed them. She collapsed hard onto the pavement, the impact jolting through her body. The world around her spun, a nauseating whirlwind of light and shadow. She tried to crawl forward, her fingers clawing at the ground, but it was no use. Exhaustion had claimed her, her body betraying her as utterly as her hope had.
The Black Queen appeared before her, her figure solidifying from the distortions like a nightmare taking form. Her presence engulfed everything, a chilling, oppressive force that crushed down on Laura, leaving her paralyzed. Her face was now a flawless, porcelain mask, and her gloved hand reached out with a sinister intent.
“You shouldn’t have doubted me,” she hissed, each word a dagger thrust into her consciousness. “There is nowhere left to run. You have seen the truth of this world, the chains I have forged. And now, it is time for you to join me.”
Laura’s vision blurred, her mind overwhelmed by the invasion taking place. She felt her memories being pulled apart, examined, and discarded like trash. The Black Queen rifled through her thoughts with a cold, calculating precision, uncovering every fear, every secret, every hidden truth. Laura’s mind was laid bare, and with each passing moment, she felt herself slipping away, her sense of self unraveling like a thread pulled from a tapestry.
The pain intensified, a blinding, all-consuming agony that left Laura gasping for breath. She could feel her will being broken, her resistance crumbling under the relentless assault. The Black Queen’s presence filled her with a dark, suffocating shadow that seeped into every corner of her mind. Laura’s thoughts grew foggy, her memories distant, as if they belonged to someone else. She was no longer herself but becoming something else, something less.
And then there was the voice again, echoing in her mind like an all-encompassing curse. “You are mine now,” She said. “You will serve me. You will obey me. You will love me.”
Laura’s body jerked, her muscles spasming as the Black Queen’s control took hold. A cold, iron grip wrapped around her mind, squeezing tight. Her vision cleared, and when it did, she saw the Black Queen standing before her, her face still a void, her eyes shining. But now, there was something else in those eyes—a flicker of satisfaction, of triumph.
Laura tried to speak, to scream, to beg, but no words came out. She could only stare, her mind trapped. The Black Queen reached out again, her touch gentle this time, almost affectionate. She brushed a strand of hair from Laura’s face, her fingers trailing down her cheek. “You are mine,” she repeated, “and soon, you will forget there was ever a time when you were not.”
Laura’s heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming in shallow, panicked gasps. The darkness was spreading through her, a creeping, insidious thing that consumed her from the inside out. Her thoughts grew cloudy, her memories fading like smoke on the wind. She tried to hold on, to cling to who she was, but it was no use. The Black Queen’s control was absolute, her will unbreakable.
Suddenly, the pain stopped. The world snapped back into focus, and Laura found herself on her knees, her head bowed, her hands clenched into fists. The Black Queen stood before her, her presence still oppressive, still suffocating, but the agony was gone. In its place, there was a strange, numbing calm, a sense of acceptance that Laura could not fight.
She looked up, her eyes meeting the Black Queen’s, and in that moment, she knew she was lost. The brainwashing had taken her body and soul. She was no longer her own. She was a slave, a puppet, a thing. And in that knowledge, there was only horror.

((to be continued))