Touching Base

"Are you going to let me in on your theory about what happened at any point?"

"Soon enough" Dawn assured Joey as they drove back to Washington "I need to follow up on a few leads first, cross check all the facts to be sure of myself, then we can have a full debrief and I'll explain my thinking to you in as much detail as you like. One thing I already know for certain is that anyone planning to use that mind control gunk to achieve their aims needs to be stopped, especially after what I experienced last night"

"You said it was hot!" Joey blurted out defensively.

"Yeah, but think how that could be used in the wrong hands. I really believed I was being turned into a bimbo cheerleader by a crazy professor. It felt a hundred per cent real to me. Imagine how that could be used to torture someone. Or to change their entire personality and views, or just to destroy them mentally."

When she put it like that, Joey's power did sound pretty terrifying. He couldn't imagine Charlie ever wanting to torture anyone though, assuming her people were even behind this.

"Do you think maybe that's not what people want to use it for though? They might want to use it for good"

"Brainwashing people for good?" Dawn shot Joey a cynical look "How would that work exactly?"

"Like, maybe they want to make the world a better, happier place and this is how they're planning to do it?"

"Then that would be be a totally fucked up, crazy and destructive way of thinking. Why would anyone assume they are qualified to tell the rest of the world what they should believe?" Dawn argued back "If the people behind this are who I think they are, then most of them probably have deluded themselves that they can save mankind from itself, but what makes them so fucking arrogant as to think they know what is best for everyone else? Besides, the people at the top will always end up prioritising their own personal power and status. It happens every fucking time."

That seemed to chime with what Charlie had been saying to Joey lately, and the doubts she had been starting to have about the people she was working for.

"So what do they even want to do?"

"The short version? Throw out every existing Government and put the power in the hands of the people. And by the people they mean themselves. And their ideas are so wonderful they apparently have to try and mind control everyone to gain acceptance for them. History is littered with monsters who thought what they were doing was right, but they don't normally have the power to effectively make everyone believe whatever they want them to - at least not to this extent, not without question or dissent. It's seriously scary shit.. But anyway, like I said. I could be way off base here. We can talk about it more tomorrow when I've had a proper chance to fact check."

She pulled up around the corner from Kayleigh's place so Joey could kiss her goodbye without being seen. Not that it would matter, as things stood he could be having a full-on orgy with Dawn, Liv and Charlie in her living room while she was home and Kayleigh still wouldn't suspect anything was amiss. Still, it wouldn't feel right to Joey.

He had decided to make a detour to his best friends place before heading home to Liv and Charlie as, having spent a couple of days with only Dawn, he wanted to touch base with all three of the other key women in his life.

It wasn't long after his arrival that the pair had stripped off and were cuddled up in bed together. They had spent so many hours in each other's company as purely platonic friends that it was like they wanted to make up for lost time now by getting naked together at every possible opportunity. Of course, unless she had a sudden change of heart, Kayleigh would be getting naked in front of a much wider audience soon enough. Which reminded Joey of some news he needed to break to her.

"So I'm off announcing duty for the Naked Truth, which means I won't be able to make people forget you and Dawn were nude once the show ends. So you need to be very sure you want to do this, as there'll be no going back once you're out there in front of everyone, so to speak."

"I definitely still want to do it and, while I appreciate you trying to protect my modesty, making people forget would have defeated the object anyway" Kayleigh assured him "That's a real shame though. Weren't you planning to make important announcements about the environment and other stuff people need to know about?"

"That's why I'm off the show. Dawn found out about my power, and she is strictly against anything involving mind control being used on her audience"

"But you'd literally only be saying things that are categorically true and in people's benefit to know. That's hardly evil brainwashing"

"I know" Joey could sense Kayleigh's disappointment and gave her nipple a consoling kiss "I agree with you, but this is Dawn's show and it would go against her ethics"

"It's a shame we can't do the same thing as at the Post, where you could write something and I could publish it under my name" Kayleigh pondered as she gave Joey's balls a playful tickle "But I guess that wouldn't work on TV, huh?"

"Actually, it could" Joey realised "I could tape a message saying everyone should believe whatever you say"

"I don't know Joey, couldn't that go wrong? I'm not sure I like the idea of having that kind of power"

"Well, I haven't had any major fuck ups yet and you're about ten times smarter and more sensible than I am, so I'm sure you'll be fine"

"Okay. I guess that could work" Kayleigh nodded "I'd need another one to play at the end of the show to kind of break the spell. Because I don't want to be stuck with this power once the cameras stop rolling. You know how often I use sarcasm, imagine how wrong that could go!"

"It's fine, I'll record two for you, all you need to do is get the station to run them. I'm sure you can charm them into that, right?"

"They'll probably do just about anything I ask right now after I got them Clarissa for the debut episode"

"The Vice President of America is going to appear on your naked news show?" Joey asked in wide eyed amazement "She isn't going to..."

"Obviously I'm not going to get her to strip, Joey" Kayleigh rolled her eyes and slapped him playfully on the shoulder "But just having her there will bring the show so much more credibility, not to mention viewers"

She rolled herself on top of Joey and began to massage his dick.

"I know you think Dawn's concept for this was a little out there, but I have a really good feeling about the show. I think we can really make a difference here."

"Hmmmm okay, I'm sure you're right" Joey gasped, his mind now elsewhere.

---

"Joeeeey!"

Liv ran over to her boyfriend like an excited puppy the moment he set foot in their apartment, and had soon wrapped her body around his. It was the first time he had seen her since what happened at her fathers fund raiser and, if Liv was upset about the publicity that generated and the fact millions of people had now seen her naked body, she was certainly doing a good job of hiding it.

"Did you see how huge that footage of us has got? It's been all over the world and everywhere on the internet"

"And you're okay with that?"

"Why wouldn't I be? It's the most exciting thing that has ever happened to me. I'm world famous now, and for the hottest reason imaginable. Plus, donations to my charity are absolutely through the roof. I'd never really done anything for anyone before this, but now I can help literally millions of people, and it's all thanks to you!"

"I'm just relieved you're happy" Joey admitted.

"I am. And I'm going to make sure you're happy as well. Starting with tonight. Any fantasy you want. No holds barred. No judgement. I'm all yours"

That was a 'welcome home' that could hardly have gone any better. Joey now just needed to check in on Charlie.

--

"Did you want to be my plus one for the naked news thing tomorrow?"

"Ooh, is this our first official date?" Charlie teased Joey as she showered in front of him.

"I don't think Liv would be very happy about us calling it that, but she is appearing on the show now so I have a spare seat for a special someone. It should be a fun show. The Vice President is going to be a guest too"

"Holy shit, is she going to..."

"Go nude?" Joey completed Charlie's inevitable question for her "No"

"A shame. Still, that will be huge for the ratings. Am I even going to see you there, though? Won't you be off doing your announcements?"

"No, I got taken off those"

Charlie initially looked a little thrown by that development, and paused to ponder it for a while before answering.

"Honestly, it's probably for the best" she eventually seemed to decide "Let people draw their own conclusions based on facts"

Charlie's attitude towards the organisation she was supposed to be working for had shifted so dramatically that Joey was now starting to worry Dawn's misgivings about them were legitimate. He was convinced Charlie had good intentions deep down, and wondered if she had seen something that had caused her to distance herself from, and even begin working against, her former allies.

"These people you work for, they aren't capable of doing anything evil are they?"

"Evil?" she repeated with surprise "No, I don't think my judgement was ever that far off. I've definitely seen a side to them I don't like though"

That hardly provided Joey with the kind of reassurance he had been hoping for. What Dawn had said in the car had really spooked him. He knew how powerful his own mind controlling skills were, if that kind of ability fell into the wrong hands there was no telling what havoc could be wreaked. Assuming he was currently the only person who possessed his particular superpower, it was surely Joey's responsibility to stop whatever Charlie's people were planning to do. That would probably mean going all in with his live-in agent's offer of an alliance and putting his complete trust in her.

He needed to hear what kind of information Dawn had unearthed first, though. Hopefully she would come through for him soon.