Sue Storm Passes Out Before She Can Answer

"I...ugh..."

The Invisible Woman slumped in her chair. Moonstone allowed herself a slight grin of satisfaction. A microgravitic fluctuation had created a brief hydrostatic pulse in Susan Storm's brain; not unlike a boxer's punch inducing a knockout...without the punch. A level of precision her powers could never have obtained without Doom's enhancements.

Still, the effect would only last a few minutes at most. Moonstone quickly rose and stepped to where the heroine lay momentarily limp and helpless. She pulled Sue Storm's head forward, and at the base of her neck, where the blonde hair erupted just over her spine, Moonstone held a tiny, glass-like sliver of her own moonstone. She pressed the sharp fragment of the alien artifact through the skin, and it slipped, almost invisibly, into the hole at the base of the Invisible Woman's skull. There was barely a tiny red bump to mark its passing, no greater than an insect bite.

"Except now, Sue Storm, I can keep tabs on you and use my powers on you from afar," Moonstone said as she carefully pushed Susan back into a sitting position. Asleep, the heroine couldn't consciously process the words that Moonstone spoke. Or hear her own voice respond when prompted.

A pop and fizz shook the Invisible Woman awake. She blinked, somewhat groggily, her throat inexplicably dry.

"I think you've had enough champagne," Dr. Stone said with a smile. "It's my fault—I shouldn't have offered you **** on an empty stomach."

Sue sat up, confused. She looked at the half-full wine glass in her hand. Raised it to her nose and took a sniff of the yeasty, bubbly wine. Then a tiny sip. It was very dry. No wonder she'd—

Wait, did I really drink champagne with my psychiatrist? Sue thought with a grimace. The last thing I remember is asking if I want to be hypnotized. Did she...?

"I think, given your response to the ****, that hypnosis is not a good idea," Dr. Stone said. "While a bit of **** sometimes helps patients relax, I've obviously badly miscalculated here. Are you diabetic?"

"No...I mean, I was during my second pregnancy, but not now," Sue said. The blonde shook her head to try and clear the cobwebs.

"Here," Dr. Stone, as she handed Sue a bottle of water. "Drink."

"No, thank—" but Sue blinked and found she'd already opened the bottle and took a sip.

"Not at all. Now, Dr. Patel said you've been feeling symptoms of stress lately. Why don't you describe your symptoms."

So Sue Storm did. The recitation made it easier to organize her thoughts. Her little blackout faded into her memory. She sipped from the water and Dr. Stone mostly listened, took notes. Sue spoke of her difficulty sleeping, the headaches sometimes, the fatigue. She had been grinding her teeth in her sleep, and her blood pressure was up.

Time seemed to fade away in questions. Dr. Stone didn't push too hard. Whenever she sensed Sue tense up, the psychiatrist switched subjects. Sue found her tension ease slightly, just having someone listen to her troubles. The psychiatrist suggested various things she could try when the stress became to much. Little exercises, breath mediations. Fists with her toes on the carpet. Until at last it was time to leave.

"It was good to meet you, Susan," Dr. Stone said at the door, as they shook hands. Moonstone's eyes stared full into Sue's own, and a little tingle went through the heroine's whole body. "Remember what we talked about."

Sue nodded, unable for a moment even to blink.

Inside her mind, the posthypnotic suggestion Moonstone had planted had already begun to affect her behavior.