With a debate, naturally

“Let me go you animal!” She struggled against her bondage, as so many woman had before her. Not from my predation, from her’s. From this device of her own design. Her. Her. Her. It all came down to her.

“No ma’am, you and I are going to have a conversation.”

“Daughters! Help me! Defend me from this man!”

The speakers blared to life, and Miranda’s voice came through. “I thought you would say that. I took the liberty of tying up Brooke and Daisy. I hope that’s alright master.”

“Good girl.” I smiled at Thetis. “Let’s talk.”

“Miranda! I forgive you! I know you have fallen under the sway of his powers. But you must help me! The good of all of Skyros is at stake here! He’ll enslave us all, if he’s able to overcome me.”

“Good.”

The coldness of Miranda’s voice chilled even me. One of Skyros’s guardians was now advocating for it’s slavery, just like General Michael Flynn. Man, my karma was never going to bounce back from this.

“Why?” I asked Thetis. “Why, why, why all of this? You’ve ruined countless lives, why are you doing all of this?” This was my only chance to pick the brain of a Hitler, Mussolini, or Trump.

“I have the power to create a world, that does not use, and **** women. It would have been irresponsible for me not to use it.”

“I’m sympathetic to that.” I crossed my arms. “Why didn’t you just set up your city, and let the women come on their own? Why did you have to steal them? Why did you kidnap them?”

“Stop circling around the question. What you really want to ask is: Why do I want all the men in the world dead? Because you’re violent, obsolete animals. We’ve gotten to the points where we don’t need you stinking sperm banks to keep the species going. The world would be better off without you abusers. You’ll never let women truly be free unless we take it.”

I took a deep breath. “I agree. Racists, sexists, and such scum will not go quietly. They’ll do everything they can to keep power, no matter who they have to hurt, whether they have to lie or destroy democracy, they’ll do it. But the answer can never be to just destroy everyone who opposes you.” That's the thing about Democracy. You loose, and you get to try again next time. No one kills you, no one silences your voice.

“There’s nothing I can do to convince you, why are you even trying. You’re a man, you’ll never understand!”

“That’s true. I won't. I'll never been in the head space to understand what you've done. Humans can never understand each other, we can’t even understand ourselves half the time. But it’s not about understanding. It’s about being empathetic to one another. You can’t just blindly hate people because they’re different. If all of this came from fear, I want to help you relieve that anxiety, not all men are like your husband. If this all came from hatred, hatred can be untaught. Even if we’ll never understanding, we shouldn’t fail to try.”

“What are you even doing here?” Thetis finally asked me. “What is all of this? What are you trying to prove?”

“I…” I bit my lip. “I guess i’m, hoping you’ll give up this madness and unbrainwash all of the women you’ve kidnapped.”

“And if you can’t convince me?”

“Well, you’re sitting in that chair for a reason.”

“That’s not very moral.”

“No… but I have the chance to make a world for these women, where they aren’t getting used and abused, and it would be immoral of me not to take that chance.”

“Very clever.”

“Please end all of this. Turn off your control over them. Keep the city, let them decide if they want to be here. You’ve created an amazing place, people will want to come, they’ll want to be lead by you. But right now… you’re traumatizing these women into worshiping you, and traumatizing the islands you’re stealing them from.

“Sometimes it takes trauma, to make you see things clearly."

Sure she saw things clearly, but she was looking in the wrong direction.

“Ragh!” I slapped my knee. “You just don’t want to give up power! Admit it! All of this virtue, all of this worry for your fellow women. It’s all just to disguise your lust for power!”

She glared up at me, and squinted. “You think you’re better? What are you going to do when I’m out of your way? I have The Affection Multiplier too, you think you can give it up so easily?”

"Affection Multiplier? What are you talking about?"

"That app you monkey, that app you used to make these women so loyal to you. I have it too, have you not realized? Why else would all these women adore me like they do? You can act all high and mighty, but as soon as I'm out of the way you'll see. You think you can just stop? After you make your crush, leave their husband for you? You think you'll be able to resist adding the pretty waitress to your collection, or the woman behind you in the grocery store? You think you'll be able to resist collecting women like they're toys? Do you really think Jasmine will be able to satisfy you, now?"

"Fuck you."

"It's a cruel thing, our app. It turns a person's affection into a number. Just a dot on a line. When you're in love with someone you don't think there's a max. Your love seems to grow everyday without limits. But then you open your phone and you see it, you've maxed out their score. You're done with them."

I kept silent. Then, didn't. "I think we have two different apps. Mine's called the Submission Accelerator. It can't make anyone love me, just obey."

"Fitting tool for a man."

Maybe so.

I looked at my watch. A few touches, and I could end everything. Free the women under my control Free the whole city, and let skyros become yet another hideous secret the ocean floor hid from the world.

No more sex, no more superpowers. If I got rid of the app, I wouldn't even get my original Jasmine back. She'd be lost to me, and I'd be stuck with what I had now.

If I did keep it though, then what? Could it really be my plan to enslave this entire city? To turn it into my own little paradise? My city sized harem. And it wouldn't cost me a thing. I could mold Jasmine back into what I wanted her to be... I could mold everyone into what I wanted them to be. Thetis was as good as done. All I had to do is smother that voice inside my head that told me what was right, and what was wrong. To become like Thetis... a god

Under the sea.