Here Comes the Sun

Author's note: Hey there! I hope you're having a wonderful day! Just a quick interruption in your scheduled reading to inform you that I've created a Discord server around hypnosis, mind control and transformations, with a focus on concept stories. I'll also keep everyone updated about my upcoming stories (big novel underway) there. Feel free to join!

I squeezed into the back of my Porsche Panamera, wincing as Marcus adjusted the driver's seat and nearly crushed my knees in the process. The car wasn't exactly designed for four adults plus a ton of luggage, but we'd managed to tetris our suitcases into the trunk with only minor cursing and one near-**** experience when Claudia's overpacked bag toppled out and nearly crushed my foot.

"Easy on the gas there, Speed Racer," Zoe scolded as Marcus pulled out of their street with a bit too much enthusiasm, the engine growling in a way that made him grin like a kid on Christmas morning. "This isn't one of your video game racing sims. This is an actual quarter-million-dollar car that you will actually have to pay for if you wrap it around a tree."

Marcus rolled his eyes but eased off the accelerator. "Relax, babe. I've got this. This car handles like a dream."

"This isn't your dad's beat-up Civic," Zoe muttered, gripping the door handle as he took a corner a bit sharply. "And you're not impressing anyone with your driving skills."

Claudia leaned against me in the back seat, her shoulder warm against mine. "If we die on the way to the airport, I'm going to be so pissed," she whispered, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"You guys are welcome to it for the week," I said, trying to sound casual about lending out my most prized possession (after women, of course). "No sense paying airport parking rates when you could be enjoying it. Just, you know, try to bring it back with all the original parts still attached."

"And preferably the same paint job," Claudia added.

Marcus caught my eye in the rearview mirror. "Seriously, man, thanks. I'll treat her like she's made of glass."

"Glass filled with nitroglycerin," Zoe added.

I nodded, then turned my attention to my phone, scrolling through the Discord server that had once been the center of the whole "Owner" phenomenon. Most of the channels were ghost towns now, with the occasional tumbleweed of a meme rolling through. The server that had once boasted over three hundred thousand users now had maybe two hundred active members, most of whom seemed to be hanging around out of inertia or because they'd made actual friends there.

A private message from Greg popped up: "Hey man, just wanted to let you know I'm moving on to a new project. Anyway, I'll let you rule your own kingdom in peace. It was cool meeting you, even if the circumstances were weird as hell."

I smiled and typed back: "It was an honor having you keep this place from burning to the ground. Good luck with the new project!"

"Thanks," Greg replied, adding a thumbs-up emoji.

As we pulled into the airport drop-off zone, I felt a strange mix of emotions. This would be my first real vacation in years, and definitely my first with someone I actually loved. The fact that we were escaping the aftermath of what amounted to a global incident only the two of us actually perceived to be one in the first place made it even more surreal.

"So a whole week in San Francisco," Zoe said, helping Claudia with her suitcase. "What's the plan? Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, or just hotel room sex marathon?"

"Both," Claudia answered before I could. "Definitely both."

"We're going to miss you guys at D&D," Marcus said, looking genuinely disappointed. "The dragon was finally going to reveal his true form."

"Let me guess," I said. "It's actually two dragons in a trench coat."

"No, but now I'm changing it to that," Marcus laughed.

Zoe gave Claudia a tight hug, then turned to me with a slightly puzzled expression. "You know, I still don't get why you needed to 'free' all of us women or whatever. It's not like anything feels different." She shrugged. "But if it makes you happy, I'm happy for you."

I exchanged a glance with Claudia, who gave me a small smile. We'd had this conversation before. To Zoe and everyone else on Earth, except for me and Claudia, the idea that there had been anything wrong with women's subservience simply didn't compute.

"Thanks, Zoe," I said instead, giving her a quick hug. "Take care of my car. And take care of this idiot." I nodded toward Marcus.

"Always do," she replied with a grin.

We said our final goodbyes, and I watched as Marcus carefully—almost comically carefully—pulled away from the curb, now treating my Porsche like it was made of spun glass.

Claudia slipped her hand into mine as we stood there with our luggage, watching the car disappear into airport traffic. "Ready for our post-saving-the-world vacation?" she asked.

"Absolutely," I replied, squeezing her hand. "Though technically, you saved the world. I just did what you told me to."

"Team effort," she said, bumping her hip against mine.

The automatic doors of the airport terminal slid open with a whoosh, and we stepped into the air-conditioned chaos. I'd barely made it ten feet before the first double-take happened—a middle-aged woman in a business suit who nearly walked into a pillar when she recognized me. She quickly averted her eyes and hurried past, but the damage was done. Like a ripple in a pond, awareness of my presence spread through the terminal.

"Is that him?" I heard someone whisper.

"The Owner," another voice confirmed.

I kept my eyes fixed on the check-in signs, pretending not to notice the stares and pointing fingers. Claudia squeezed my hand, her thumb rubbing small circles against my palm in a gesture that had become her way of saying, "I'm here, you're not alone in this."

"Excuse me?" A voice to my right made me flinch. A young couple stood there—the guy tall and lanky with a neatly trimmed beard, the woman petite with a pixie cut and bright green eyes. "I'm so sorry to bother you, but would it be okay if we got a selfie?"

The woman smiled shyly. "It would mean a lot, Owner."

I felt Claudia stiffen slightly beside me, her fingers tightening around mine. The woman's casual use of "Owner" hung in the air between us. Despite everything we'd done, despite the broadcast that had freed women from having to obey me, the fundamental perception remained unchanged—I was still the "Owner" of all women in everyone's else's mind.

"Uh, sure," I said, awkwardly positioning myself between the couple as the woman's boyfriend held out his phone.

"We saw you on the emergency broadcast," the man explained, snapping a few photos. "That was wild, man. My Bluesky feed was nothing but you for like a week."

As they walked away, comparing the photos they'd taken, Claudia let out a small sigh. "You know what's weird? They seemed more excited about you being on TV than about you literally owning half the human population."

"Two minutes of fame," I muttered. "Apparently it trumps cosmic power."

We continued toward the check-in counter, dodging more stares and whispers. A TSA agent did a double-take as he checked our IDs but maintained his professional demeanor.

"So Renee confirmed she's joining us on Thursday?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yep. She's finishing up a big project for a client first." Claudia's lips quirked into an amused smile. "She's actually really looking forward to seeing you again. Apparently, she had a rather awkward experience after your broadcast."

"What happened?"

"Well, remember how you made her bisexual?" Claudia's eyes danced with mischief. "Turns out, when you canceled all previous commands, she reverted to being gay… in the middle of hooking up with some guy she met at a bar."

I winced. "Oh shit."

"Yeah, she said one minute she was having a great time, taking a break, checking her phone, the next she was looking at him like, 'What the hell are you doing in my bed?'" Claudia laughed. "Poor guy was very confused. She's actually hoping you'll turn her bisexual again."

"I completely forgot about that," I admitted, feeling a flush of embarrassment. "I didn't think through all the implications of canceling every command at once."

"It's fine," Claudia assured me. "Good thing we left some room for women to still obey your commands if they want to."

"And Renee wants to?"

"Are you kidding? She's been texting me about it all week. She's practically giddy at the thought of you playing with her brain again." Claudia's expression grew wistful. "It's one of the few downsides of being free, you know. I kind of miss having you fuck with my head."

I sighed and shook my head. "Well, you'll have to readjust. I'm sorry about that."

"It's fine. It's just... It was hot." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Being made to feel things, to want things, to forget things..."

We reached the front of the line, and I handed our IDs to the airline representative, who was clearly trying not to stare at me.

As we moved away from the counter with our boarding passes, Claudia suddenly stopped. "Wait, what about Katherine Winters? The pharma CEO you commanded to plead guilty? Did the broadcast undo that too?"

I smirked. "I actually thought about that one ahead of time. I got in touch with her before the broadcast and replaced the command with something else."

"What did you do?"

"I commanded her to always be truthful—about everything, not just the trial. And I made sure no future command could override it." I shrugged. "Seemed more fair to let her tell the truth and let justice decide if she's guilty, rather than forcing a specific plea."

Claudia studied my face. "That's… surprisingly thoughtful."

"I have my moments," I replied, guiding her toward the security checkpoint. "Besides, if she's actually innocent, she shouldn't be punished. And if she's guilty, the truth will come out anyway."

"Look at you, all mature and stuff," Claudia teased, bumping her shoulder against mine. "The world's most **** superhero."

My phone buzzed in my pocket as we shuffled through the security line. I fished it out, my heart leaping into my throat, only to deflate when I saw it was just a notification from some mobile game I'd installed months ago and forgotten about. I sighed, shoving the phone back into my pocket with perhaps more **** than necessary.

"Still nothing from your dad?" Claudia asked, her voice gentle. She knew exactly why I'd been checking my phone obsessively for the past two days.

"Nothing," I confirmed, trying to mask my disappointment. "He said he'd get back to me about the business plan..."

"He will," she assured me, squeezing my hand. "Your game concept is solid, the prototype works, and your business plan actually makes sense. Even I understood it," she joked, trying to lighten the mood.

I nodded, but the knot in my stomach remained. My father had seemed genuinely interested when I'd shown him the concept, but Richard Moore was nothing if not a shrewd businessman. If he didn't see potential for return on investment, he wouldn't put in a dime, son or not.

"What if he says no?" I asked quietly, voicing the fear that had been gnawing at me.

"Then we find another investor," Claudia replied without hesitation. "Or we start smaller. Or we crowdfund. There are options, Oliver." She stepped in front of me, forcing me to meet her eyes. "This isn't the end of the road, whatever happens. It's just the beginning."

We reached the front of the security line, and I emptied my pockets into the plastic bin. As we walked through the metal detector, I realized how different this moment was from any other in my life. Six months ago, I'd been a nobody—unemployed, unmotivated, unwashed most days. Now I was heading to San Francisco with a woman who loved me, potentially on the verge of starting my own game studio, and somehow I'd managed to free half the world's population from mind control along the way.

Not bad for a random thirty-two-year-old guy.

On the other side of security, Claudia pulled me aside, away from the flow of travelers. She looked up at me, her dark eyes searching mine. "Whatever happens with your dad's investment, I'm proud of you. You know that, right?"

"Even though I spent weeks being the world's biggest creep with cosmic powers?"

"You figured it out in the end," she said with a small smile. "That's what matters."

I leaned down and kissed her, right there in the middle of the airport terminal with people streaming past on either side. Some of them probably recognized me—the Owner, the guy from the emergency broadcast, whatever they wanted to call me. But in that moment, with Claudia's lips on mine, I was just Oliver Moore, a lucky bastard who'd somehow gotten the girl and a shot at the career he'd always dreamed of.