The Treatment

Julie stared at the ashtray before emptying it in the trash. She hated the sight of it. She hated the smell of it. But most of all she hated herself for having gone back to smoking. All because of a blind date, and a night out that left her half drunk in a sleazy smoke filled bar before she finally gathered her wits enough to call for a cab ride home. The no smoking sign on the wall might as well have been written in Greek. No one gave a damn, it was that type of place. The police no doubt were in on it. Ugh.

Sure, Jake was a smooth talker, but she never should have agreed to stopping for a nightcap after they left the restaurant. One thing led to another and two martinis later he had convinced her to light up for the first time in eight months. Well, that wasn't the worst thing he tried to talk her into, she ruefully acknowledged. At least she managed to draw that line. What was it about her that made men think that they could bend her to their will? Her desire to please? Probably. It had been that way since she was a little girl. She would do almost anything to win her father's approval. He seemed so distant most of the time, that her ability to make him smile made Julie feel special.

It's all water under the therapy bridge, she thought. Right now she had her renewed smoking addiction to deal with. On top of everything else she simple couldn't afford to be a smoker. Cigarettes cost a fortune now and her rent had just been jacked up again. That's what made the ad that she responded to look so promising. An experimental study to curb the urge to smoke that participants got paid to take part in. With seemingly nothing to lose, Julie scheduled an intake interview. She spent the last week wondering what they would put her through, but her curiosity would soon be answered. Her appointment was tomorrow morning. She put on the music program she had downloaded for inducing sleep. I'm a little anxious about this, Julie thought. It's good that this music helps me to drift off. With that, she turned off the bedroom light.

________________________________________________________________

Julie arrived for her appointment at the office of Zarzoff Research the next day, a few minutes early. Instead of the modern office building she expected, it was located in a small old brick building set back slightly from the parking lot of a run down strip mall at the outskirts of town. Julie pressed a buzzer at the door to be let in, and was surprised when she got ushered in to see a doctor immediately. The nameplate on his desk indicated that he most likely was a principal in the firm, yet he was conducting her intake interview personally.

Somehow I didn't expect that, Julie thought, usually an assistant handles the preliminaries. Dr. Zarzoff looked to be in his early sixties, balding with dark hair and a neatly trimmed graying beard. She noticed he had an accent which she couldn't quite place.

"Let us get down to the business at hand," Zarzoff told Julie, after a few perfunctory pleasantries. "I have a series of questions I must ask regarding your physical health. "May I proceed?"

"Yes, go ahead," Julie responded without much thought. It's pretty much standard operating procedure for any doctor's office, she knew.

Ten minutes later Zarzoff looked up from his desk and announced "Your answers to my questions regarding your medical condition are perfectly in line with the perimeters of our study, Miss Baker. May I call you Julie?"

"Um, sure," Julie quickly answered. Dr. Zarzoff seemed cool and a little distant, but he was polite enough, and he exuded an aura of competence. Julie had already planned to be as cooperative as possible. This man decided who could participate in the study.

"Next, I will need you to tell me a little bit about yourself, to assess whether you are an appropriate subject for this treatment. You see, Julie, we re exploring a novel approach to nicotine addiction here. The cure we have developed has a pronounced psychological component coupled with cutting edge advances in pharmaceutical alterations to brain physiology, in regards to the exercise of will. You have heard of hypnosis I suppose?"

"Of course," she responded. Was that it, she thought? They are going to hypnotize me? They could have said so in the ad. Not that she minded, as long as it worked.

"Julie, stand up ," Zarzoff suddenly ordered

Startled by the directness of his command, Julie none the less rose from her seat to face the Doctor.

"Excellent" he said. "You will I hope excuse me Julie for being so abrupt with you, but it was important for me to see how you reacted. to a directive. You may again be seated" he stated in a softer voice, and Julie again complied.

Leaning in toward her, the Doctor locked eyes with Julie as he continued. "All of us experience directives every day of our life, and we accept most of them virtually without question. We internalize these directives as commands akin to emanating from ourselves. We see it as advancing our ultimate self interest to comply. Julie, stay with me on this. It is necessary that you fully accept the basis of this premise." Zarzoff leaned in closer toward Julie now, and his gaze became more intense.

"Some directives, let's call them cues, are experienced visually, such as a stop light, others are verbal. If a security guard, for example, told you to stay behind a certain line, your immediate response most likely would be to back away from that line. This is true of most people, though a few instead are reflexively argumentative. "Why?" these exceptions might ask, or even "You can't make me!" in an **** case. People with this sort of paranoid disposition do not respond well to the treatment that we offer here."

"I see," Julie nodded.

"Do you?" Zarzoff asked. "Because I really want to help you, Julie. But to do so I will need your full consent and cooperation."

Julie felt a strong desire to please this oddly compelling man. It was, she knew, in her interest to do so. "Whatever you say, Dr. Zazoff, you know a lot more about this stuff than i do."

"Tell me Julie, would you describe yourself as rebellious by nature?"

What a strange question to ask me, Julie thought, but she answered truthfully "No,. Oh I acted out a few times as a teen. we all did. But overall I was pretty obedient. My dad was a good man, but he expected respect from his kids. At least with me he got it. Things always seemed to work out smoother if I didn't rock the boat. I guess I've thought that way all my life."

"Do you believe in the importance of rules, Julie, and of the need to follow them, even if doing so makes you uncomfortable?"

"II guess so Dr. Zarzoff. Maybe not every one, but generally, yes, if there's a reason for the rules."

"With this treatment, Julie, we establish rules for you. The purpose of these rules is stop you from ever smoking again" Zarzoff explained, peering intently at Julie. "You get to decide whether or not to obey them, but once you decide, your adherence to that decision is biochemically anchored through this treatment. You might say that it neurologically locks in your obedience, for as long as the formula we administer remains active in your brain."

"That sounds a bit unnerving, Dr. Zarzoff" Julie admitted.

"Earlier I mentioned hypnosis. This treatment is not all that dissimilar. It amplifies the power of verbal commands in order to achieve a goal, your goal. Once we target a behavior you have chosen to eliminate, in this case smoking. our treatment operates on a molecular level to make a weakening of your resolve essentially impossible." Zaraoff paused for a moment, as if to allow his words to sink in. Satisfied that he had Julie's full attention, he continued.

"After you are injected with our treatment formula, I will issue a series of commands, which you will either accept or reject. Your decisions will register as biochemical reactions within your prefrontal cortex. Our formula heightens your brain's capacity to identify and elevate these biochemical markers to prime directive status. Subsequently, as long as at least part of your psyche stays aligned with compliance, you will obey the commands you accepted. Your thoughts and emotional state are not be altered by this treatment, only your actual behavior. Practically speaking, during an active phase of treatment, nothing will undermine your adherence to the agreements you entered into during treatment."

"Does that mean I can never change my mind?" Julie asked with some trepidation.

"Of course not" Zarzoff answered, in a calm voice. "The effects of each injection are time limited. Your brain chemistry reverts to its prior pre-treatment state approximately one month, or at maximum, five weeks after each injection. During treatment, should your sub conscious unequivocally reject compliance with any directive you had previously accepted, you still can reject it. Finally, there is an antidote available to the formula used in this study, which you can request at any time. It totally neutralizes the efficacy of the treatment formula within one hour of injection."

"OK", Julie said. "That's reassuring."

"However," Zarzoff added, "I must stress that any subconscious ambivalence that arises during an active phase of treatment toward a treatment directive, will biochemically resolve in favor of consent. That is why our treatment is so effective. You no longer can simply 'talk yourself out of obeying', so to speak, when an impulse to do so occurs."

"I understand", Julie nodded. Actually she didn't, not really, but she thought she got the gist of it. Once she agreed to quit smoking she wouldn't be able to back out of it, unless she took the antidote. She imagined one of the nuns from the catholic elementary school she attended screaming "Julie put down that cigarette!" while waving a ruler in her face. The thought brought a wan smile to her face.

"Of course should you decide to terminate your treatment by taking the antidote, that will automatically end your participation in the study," Zarzoff explained.

"That's fair" Julie said. It would be a shame to back out of this study early, she thought to herself. She sure could use the $100 a week they paid in return for journal entries on her progress. "How long does a full course of treatments last, Dr. Zarzoff?"

"This trial consists of three rounds of injections, administered over three to four months, depending on how long the efficacy of each dose persists. Before treatment appointments you'll take a blood test. If too much efficacy remains from a previous injection, we delay by a week administering the next shot, to ensure that the biochemical effects of your treatment do not exceed safe parameters established for this study." I wonder how much of this she actually understands, Zarzoff mused? It doesn't matter, I'm still required to inform her. Legally she will give her consent, and that's all that really matters.

So I stand to earn $1200 to $1600, Julie quickly calculated. Not bad. And that's not counting the money I'll save by not burning through a pack and a half a day. I'll be ahead of the game even it it doesn't work, but the thought prompted her to ask "What's the success rate for this treatment Dr. Zarzoff?"

"Preliminary results are promising," he replied, offering her what seemed to be a rare smile from him. "Out of roughly 50 patients receiving the full course of treatment, none resorted back to smoking during treatment. though one withdrew from the study via the antidote option. A dozen clients have completed their follow up six month review. Of these, ten report continued total abstinence from smoking, one had a short minor relapse, and one subject has resumed smoking at near her prior levels."

I can live with those odds, Julie thought, and make some money doing so. "Alright Dr. Zarzoff, I'm sold. What's next?"

"There are some legal informed consent forms you'll need to sign, and then I can give you your first injection, You will wait in the reception room for 30 minutes while it takes effect, after which I will transmit to you all the prescribed directives. Please have a seat in the reception area, Julie, and Frank our office manager will see to the necessary paperwork with you."

Zarzoff sat absorbed in thought while Julie exited his office. Nice looking woman. Not quite my type but close enough. Not that I would take advantage of her, Zarzoff hastened to add, but someone else might. He didn't trust his handler well enough to turn his back on, but so far this experiment seemed to steer clear of any darker agendas. It collected data on how Americans responded to the psychoactive agent Intelligence had developed, and if some subjects gave up smoking in the process, all the better for them.

Americans were culturally different than Russians, more independent by nature. At least that's what they explained when he was assigned to conduct this experiment. How deeply that streak was rooted in the American subconscious needed to be tested, since so many Americans seemed overtly inclined to question any authority. Unlike myself, Zarzoff noted with bitterness, and more than a little shame.

_________________________________________________________________

"Here you go, Julie," Frank said, handing the forms over to her. He was trying not to stare, but My God she looks almost exactly like my ex-wife, he thought. She wasn't a twin but she could be her sister, though he knew his ex only had brothers for siblings. Julie's hair was a shade darker, and her nose less classically proportioned than was Cindy's. Her breasts though were slightly larger, he noted with approval. Julie was also an inch or so shorter than Cindy, but overall her resemblance to the woman who had dumped him was uncanny.

"Thanks," Julie said accepting the clip board from Frank. His eyes, she noticed, seemed to linger on her for a moment as he handed it over. He's not bad looking she thought, better than that creep she went out with the other week who got her hooked on smoking again.

"It's all pretty standard legal stuff," Frank explained. "You're acknowledging that you understand that the study you are taking part in is experimental in nature. That you accept that there are risks inherent in any experimental study, and that the procedure has been explained to your full satisfaction. Most importantly you are waiving your right to hold either this office, or the pharmaceutical company, liable for any problems that occur as a result of your treatment, short of gross negligence or clear malpractice on the part of the above said."

"Yeah, I get it" Julie responded. "Everyone needs protection from lawsuits. That's just the way this country works nowadays. Do i sign down here?"

"Yes, plus you initial it here," he said while flipping the page, "and here. That's all of it", Frank said when Julie handed the clipboard back to him. "You can see Dr. Zarzoff now to receive your injection, and then come back in here while you wait for it to take effect."

Wow, Frank thought when Julie exited to see the Doctor. She is stirring up some strong memories. not all of them good, but not all of them bad either. He was furious when Cindy left him two years ago, and that rage never went away. He leaned to seal if off, most of the time anyway, so he could continue to function. Now all of it rushed back again, along with the intense sexual attraction that Julie's resemblance to Cindy stirred in him.

He wanted to see more of her, a lot more in fact. Frank had Julie's home address in the office records of course, but it no doubt would get back to Zarzoff. if he tracked her down there. The old man would go ballistic if that happened. Well, assuming Julie stuck with the study she'll be coming here for several months. Who knows what might develop in that time?

Dr. Zarzoff looked up from his desk when Julie walked back into his office. This was the moment when it all began. "Have a seat over there by the counter, Julie. Do you have any questions that you want to ask me before we proceed?"

"No, Dr. Zarzoff. I think you covered everything."

"Good. You can always reach my office during normal business hours should you think of anything else later. And there is also an after hours service you can call that will alert me if anything problematic should occur. That is highly unlikely however. None of our trial subjects have had need for that."

Julie merely nodded. She was starting to feel a little anxious. Just the jitters, she thought. Everything about this study did seem highly professional.

"It's natural if you feel somewhat nervous, Julie" Zarzokk said, picking up on her slight sense of unease. "All of this no doubt is new to you. Most people feel somewhat nervous working with medical personnel previously unfamiliar to them. This procedure though is routine. Hundreds of people much like yourself have been through it already without any problems, either here or at our other study locales. " An involuntary shiver passed through Zarzoff's body as he uttered those last three words.

"Alright than," Zrzoff broke free from the memory that for an instant had seized him, "in which arm should I administer the injection?"

"My left one I suppose," Julie replied, offering that arm to the doctor.

"You may experience a brief sting, Julie, but nothing more than that. This will only take a moment."

That was simple enough, Julie thought when she left Zarzoff's office for the waiting area, a small bandage covering the puncture mark where the needle was inserted. Still I'm glad that part is over. Picking up a magazine from the rack on the wall, Julie moved toward a corner chair to sit in while she waited. As she turned she saw the office manager staring intently at her before belatedly, almost reluctantly, shifting his gaze. Reflexively, she cringed. Some girls might welcome that sort of attention from a man she didn't know, Julie told herself. But I'm not one of them.

There was something about Dr. Zarzoff's assistant that was starting to make Julie feel uneasy. She buried her head in the magazine, and avoided any further glances in his direction. As soon as Julie began reading, Frank resumed staring at her.

It had been over two years since Frank last saw his ex-wife. Not since she took out that restraining order on him. Now it was almost like she was back. The physical differences between this woman and Cindy were insignificant, he realized. Something about her energy strongly reminded Frank of the girl he was fixated on for almost eleven years.

Cindy was a sensual woman, he had discovered soon after they first met, but she always locked that part away inside her, where others hopefully wouldn't notice. It's almost like she feared where her sexuality might take her if she let it.

So it became Frank's obsession to **** Cindy's sensuality out and into the public eye where both he, and anyone else he chose, could savor and manipulate it. Usually that required **** or ****, combined with the dominance he routinely exercised over her. He wondered if he could manage the same with this girl, Julie Baker.

Twenty minutes later a buzzer sounded on Frank's desk, which interrupted a lurid fantasy he was having about Julie. "Will do," he told Dr.Zarzoff, and then turning back toward Julie he announced "Ms. Baker, the doctor is ready for your treatment now."

Julie stepped back into Zarzoff's office, who observed her carefully as she entered.

"Please" he said, gesturing toward a chair which Julie quickly seated herself in.

"Tell me, Julie. How are you feeling. Physically," Zarzoff asked, after she was seated.

"Mostly OK. A little light headed maybe, and my thoughts seem a bit slower than usual," came her answer.

"That's perfectly normal with this treatment, Julie" he hastened to reassure her. It will pass within twenty minutes, but it means that it's time for us to get started. Are you ready?"

"I guess so" she nodded.

"I have a sheet here that I want you to read carefully. It lists all of the commands that I am about to give you. You will note that they contain your name followed by the words 'I must'. The sequencing of these directives is designed to maximize the effectiveness of your anti-smoking treatment. It is helpful to review them in advance. This serves to deepen your subsequent subconscious consent. However none of these directives will activate until you hear them individually read out loud to you, and you verbally respond 'I agree', to each."

Julie accepted the paper Zarzoff handed over to her and begin to read. It was all straight forward and direct, beginning with the command: Julie you must obey every command given you that starts with the words, Julie you must. That was followed by the directive: Julie you must memorize all the reasons why you want to give up smoking and hold them present in your mind. Next came: Julie you must refuse to allow cigarettes to be present, either in your home or personal work space. And so it went, seven directives in all, ending with: Julie you must not hold any cigarette, lit or unlit, for any reason.

Zarzoff gazed intently at Julie as she began to study the directives. Only one potential subject had so far caught the full implications of the first command, and therefor refused to continue. It was nestled logically into the flow of commands, the rest of which focused exclusively on breaking a smoking addiction, but in reality it sprang open a trap door that could lead to near total mind control. That was true at higher doses anyway. The agency was constrained during public trials with American subjects, to avoid unwanted controversies. Those constraints were not present when he received the treatment.

Julie looked up from the sheet and back at Zarzoff, who was closely reading her reaction. "This all makes sense, the way you explained it to me, Dr. Zarzoff . There's nothing here I can't obey."

"Fine. We will now proceed to neurologically accentuate your consent. This should only take a few minutes, Julie, and then you will cease to be a smoker. Shall we begin?"

"Yes," Julie replied

"Mine is the voice of authority. Do you understand?" he said, staring deeply into her eyes.

Julie nodded

"On the wall behind my desk is the framed Doctorate I received from the St. Petersberg Institute. Notice the embossed gold seal it displays Julie. Look closely at it, notice how it reflects the light, how it glints. It indicates that everything we are doing is completely scientific, and that you can trust me fully. Do you trust me Julie?"

"Yes" she replied softly

"Now look closely into my eyes Julie, while I slowly recite the commands individually," Zarzoff intoned. "After each I will ask you, 'Julie do you agree to obey this command?' When I do you will respond either 'No' or: 'I will obey'. Are you ready?"

Julie nodded silently. She was staring blankly at Zaraoff now.

His eyes were locked on hers . His voice was slow and solemn. "Julie you must obey every command given you that starts with the words, 'Julie you must.' Julie do you agree to obey this command?'

Staring back at the doctor she responded "I will obey."

Zarzoff paused for an instant while the significance of the moment sank in, as it always did each time he gave a subject that command. This woman might actually rid herself of an addiction, he reflected, but her free will now is compromised. The agency most likely won't involve her further, but I can't protect her if they do. I can't even protect myself.

Shaking off the thought, Zarzoff, moved on to the far less important commands on the sheet. "Julie, you must memorize all the reasons why you want to give up smoking, and hold them present in your mind," he began, knowing that the responses that followed were all pro forma.

A few minutes later they were done. He told Julie to arrange the follow ups with Frank on her way out.

_________________________________________________________________

"Dr. Zarzoff, has anything unintended. ever happened with this study?" Frank asked Zarzoff after lunch, when the two of them were alone together. "I mean, have subjects ever become overly suggestive to commands other than those designed to curb their nicotine addiction?"

Unintended, no, Zarzoff thought to himself, but more might be intended for our subjects than Frank could ever know. If, and when, the agency sees fit, that is. He pushed that thought aside and provided Frank with a carefully worded answer.

"There are strong safeguard protocols built into this study, Frank, that protect our subjects. All directives we issue are worded in a very specific manner, and can only trigger the intended neurological response when replicated exactly. Additionally, the vials of the formula we inject contain too low a dose of active ingredients to override any deeply rooted resistance to a specific command. Our subjects come here predisposed toward quitting smoking, so they invariably remain obedient to commands we implant here. Were we to order something antithetical to their core character, they no doubt would be able to refuse that. And, as you know, the antidote is always available to them upon request."

"Frank," Zarzoff added after a prolonged pause."I was meaning to ask you. Please see to it that all of our subjects receive that antidote as soon as can be arranged, should anything unforeseen ever happen to me,"

"Sure Doc," Frank replied. That's an odd request, he thought. Zarzoff took his study, and the well being of the subjects, very seriously, that much was obvious. But why should anything unforeseen happen to him? I guess that's just how it is. Unforeseen is unforeseeable. The old man's just being cautious.

Frank shrugged it off, letting his thoughts return to Julie. If I'm going to get anywhere with her it looks like I'll need to use conventional means. **** have their role of course, Frank smiled thinking of it, but I'll have to fall back on my old bag of tricks. Gotta cross the mind control option off. What a shame.

Back in his office, Zarzoff removed a vial from a locked drawer in his desk and injected himself with the antidote. It would show up in a blood test, he knew, that is if they managed to find him. Maybe the Feds can protect me, Zarzoff thought, though he didn't really believe it. "I can't keep living this way", Zarzoff said out loud in a whispered voice, as if to convince himself.

I hate what I've become, Zarzoff's thoughts were racing. Each subject I inject becomes a psychological time bomb while in the study. At any time the agency can make me administer another dose to any of them. Already under the influence of one dose, who would refuse a second? Or, as in his case he thought bitterly, a third. Even with the antidote in my system now, I'm not free. At the elevated treatment dosage they keep me on, it won't neutralize the formula, just weaken it slightly. Maybe they can't command me to ****, Zarzoff thought. Short of that, it was hard to know. Subconscious ambivalence resolves as consent. How many subjects have I warned of that?

Hurriedly, Zaraoff stuffed his briefcase with papers to give the FBI, recalling his last treatment while he did. For some reason his handler seemed rushed. He included the basic command never to discuss the real nature of the study, but for some reason skipped the usual follow ups. It's the loophole I've been waiting for, Zaraoff thought. With help from the antidote, I should be able to deliver this briefcase to them even if I can't talk about its contents. It will take weeks for the formula to dissipate enough for the FBI to question him, but the records speak for themselves.

_________________________________________________________________

It's a lovely autumn day, Zarzoff was **** to admit as he strode toward the corner. Ordinarily he would still be in his office, but today he had left early. On an afternoon like this I should be headed to the park, he reflected. Dappled sunlight through fall foliage had always been a treat for him, ever since he was a boy. Instead though he would anxiously stand by the curb, watching cars whiz by while he waited for his Uber driver to arrive.

I should easily make it to their field office before it closes, he thought. I could have called for an appointment but I can't take a risk of the agency finding out. So the FBI will be getting an unannounced visitor. I'm sure this won't be the first time that has happened.

"Boris!" a sharp male voice called out, shattering his train of thought. Zarzoff pivoted slowly to stand face to face with his handler. "You must give me the briefcase," the man continued, a brief cold smile flashing across his face as he extended his arm to receive it. There was no will Zarzoff could summon capable of resisting that command. His mind was screaming for him to run, but his body meekly obeyed.

"How did you know?" Zarzoff asked as the handler took the briefcase from him and began to empty its contents. His question was met by a sneer.

"You're a fool, Zarzoff. You may know a bit about brain chemistry, but what made you believe you could play at our game against us? We always knew you would turn on us, it was only a question of when. We tired of waiting and set you up. You really thought that I neglected to issue you the full commands? Idiot." He spat the last word out.

His life as he had known it for several years was over, Zarzoff realized. Harsh as it was, it still maintained an illusion of normality. But now he was guilty of betraying the mother country. That's how they would see it.

"Please," he whispered to the handler."Don't return me to that Gulag."

"Is that what you think we have in store for you?" the handler let out a chuckle. "Boris, you must sign this piece of paper" he said, handing it over to Zarzoff, followed by a pen.

"A confession" Zarzoff said, underneath his breath. as he touched the pen to the paper.

"Oh, it's rather more personal than that" the handler chuckled again, this time with greater malice.

As his hand scrawled his name, Boris Zarzoff, across the page, his eyes made out a few of the words typed above his signature. Forgive me, I just can't go on like this, they read.

"Boris, you must place the letter into your briefcase" the handler spoke again, in a voice firm enough to be heard over the sound of the cars rushing by them a few feet away.

With shaking hands, Zarzoff complied. He was sweating now, as he stammered out "No, no, please don't make me..."

"Boris," his handler cut him off sharply, "You do not have to go back to the Gulag. You should be glad at least for that." And then the next order. "Boris, you must step out into the traffic."

___________________________________________________________________

The news stunned Frank when he saw it, almost by chance, on TV that night: Medical researcher Boris Zarzoff killed by motorist in apparent suicide. He was an odd duck, Frank thought, but he half liked the old man. Now, most likely, he would need to find another job.

I wonder why he did it, Frank mused, but he had to admit that he had no clue. It's not like he knew him well, no one did it seemed. In all the time Frank worked for him, he couldn't recall Zarzoff ever receiving a personal call, or of him mentioning any family or friends. Something was definitely on Zarzoff's mind though, Frank concluded, remembering the exchange they had earlier in the day. "If anything unforeseen happens to me," those were Zaraoff's words. Suicide is never unforeseen, Frank thought, not to the person who commits it. But it can be to others. I sure as hell didn't see this coming.

Walking over to the refrigerator, he grabbed another beer then sat on the couch to gather his thoughts. The springs creaked as he did. I've got to replace this piece of shit, Frank resolved for the tenth tine, knowing that he never would. Did he still have a job? he wondered. Most likely not, Zarzoff personally signed his pay checks, It was just the two of them at the office. Zarzoff had some kind of contract with an organization that funded his research, but they were under no obligation to keep him on.

"What the hell," Frank muttered, "it's not like I liked the job." The money was OK, but nothing special, and having to act cordially to the losers who showed up for treatments always got on his nerves. Except for the new girl who came in that morning, Julie Baker. He wanted to see more of her. A lot more.

Now I'll have to cancel her appointments, Frank realized, feeling sudden disappointment. Just when things were getting interesting, he thought. Frank flashed on the fantasy he had while he watched Julie read her magazine. He felt his cock grow stiff.

.Why I am thinking about Julie now, with my boss lying on a slab? But Frank knew why. It's too bad about Zarzoff, he conceded, but the old man meant little to him.. Julie though offered Frank a second chance. He had unfinished business with his ex wife Cindy.

The cunt dumped him at the point where he had just about broken her down. Cindy seemed resigned to becoming a sex toy for him. That night when Frank finally offered her up at the sex club left him intoxicated with possibilities. Cindy allowed it at the time, at least she didn't strongly resist, and he was sure that the orgasms all the men gave her were real. But Cindy was unusually silent on the ride home, and she walked out on him a few days later.

That bitch led me on and then slammed the door in my face. You don't get over something like that. Not without getting some type of ****; Frank thought, feeling the rage rise up in him again. If I can't get at Cindy I'll substitute this new girl Julie who reminds me so much of her. I'm not done with Julie, Frank vowed. We've barely just begun. A plan was starting to take shape.

I've got to go to the office, Frank knew. He had access to records on all of the subjects there, Julie's included. I'll need to send most of them an email cancelling their upcoming visits, Frank decided, A short note to the effect of "I'm sorry to have to notify you of Dr. Zarzoff's untimely ****" along with a link to the local news story. Nothing more needed to be said.

He grudgingly would honor his promise to the old man by offering them a few days next week to come in for the antidote. I can administer those myself, Frank knew. A year once spent as a meth addict left him comfortable using needles. But Julie was another story. An email to her would not suffice, he was thinking of something more personal. This might be his chance to get into her home. Frank smiled at that thought.

__________________________________________________________________

It was just becoming light out when Frank pulled up outside the office of Zarzoff research. The place has gotten shabbier since I started working here, he noticed. Taking out his key he unlocked the gate at the entrance. How many times have I done this before, he asked himself? It's amazing I was trusted with a key, Frank chuckled as he let himself inside. Fortunately, Zarzoff wasn't the type to verify resumes.

Flipping on the light switch in the reception area where he worked, Frank made a beeline to a file cabinet by his desk. He quickly unlocked the drawer and pulled out the subject folders. Good, he remembered it right. Seventeen, not too many. This won't take long.

It's odd that the old man didn't computerize all these records, he observed while grabbing files, but Zarzoff was about as old school as they came. Just as well, Frank thought. I'll put the rest of them back when I'm done, but Julie's file comes home with me. To whoever finally shuts down this place, it will be like she never existed.

I better check the supply of antidotes before emailing anyone about them, Frank realized. Those were stored in a cabinet in Zarzoff's office, he knew, along with vials of the treatment formula and a supply of needles. As the trusted office manager, I have the key for that too, Frank smiled at the irony. A stash of clean needles comes in handy from time to time. I'll help myself to some while I'm here.

When he entered Zarzoff's office, Frank saw that it wasn't as meticulous as the old man normally left it. Papers were strewn across the doctor's desk, not left in neat small piles as was usual. Frank sensed that Zarzoff was rushed when he left, possibly even agitated. It was so unlike the Doc for anything to be left out of place, he thought. One small clue in a mystery he doubted he would ever understand.

Glancing down Frank noticed a sheet of paper that must have fallen off of Zarzoff's desk. Normally the man he worked for would never have left that on the floor. Reflexively, Frank bent down to pick it up. It's heading immediately caught his attention. It read; Treatment Directives: Julie Baker.

It had a series of commands listed on it, almost all of which related to giving up smoking. Commands such as: Julie you must refuse to allow cigarettes to be present, either in your home or personal work space. Counting quickly Frank noted seven commands in all. So this is it, Frank thought, his pulse beginning to race. These are the specific commands that Julie's been chemically induced to obey, all spelled out in black and white with the exact wording Zarzoff used on her.

So much for protocol safeguards protecting Julie from ****, Frank realized. I've got the key to her obedience right here. How did Zarzoff put it? Something about commands only working when replicated exactly. So I can use these specific sentences to **** Julie to obey me, as long as some small part of her is willing to give in.

Frank wracked his brain trying to remember how Zarzoff explained it to him. The formula couldn't **** Julie to obey orders against her deeply rooted resistance, something along those lines. Well that almost certainly would rule out some of the things he had in mind for her, Frank knew.

Except Zarzoff also made a point of noting that the treatment study utilized a low dosage of the formula. What would happen if that dose was doubled? Or even tripled?

Any abstract concern for Julie's well being that Frank might have harbored dissolved in the lust that took hold of him thinking about Julie under his total command. There were no safety protocols for what he had in mind. He poured over the orders on the sheet again. Almost all of them were useless for his purpose, Frank decided. He didn't give a fuck if Julie gave up smoking. But that first command was different. It was non specific.The way he read it anyway, it simply ordered Julie to obey. Period. Like a magical incantation that turned Julie into a ****.

7:00 AM on a Saturday morning, he noted. Too early to call her, she's probably still sleeping. I wonder what Julie wears to bed? He fantasized pulling back her covers to look. He always enjoyed watching Cindy sleep, especially if she was nude. She looked so **** while sleeping, unable to protect her body from him. He imagined Julie that way now.

I better get those emails out of the way, he thought, send them off to the rest of the subjects. Then Julie gets my full attention.

It was close to 8:00 when Frank shut down the office computer, his task completed. No doubt some of the subjects would be upset by the news, he thought, but it wasn't his problem. Pulling out his keys again Frank unlocked the cabinet in Zarzoff's office and took what he needed from it. It was time to call Julie.

_______________________________________________________________

The phone call left Julie shaken. She was awake but still in bed when Doctor Zarzoff's office called with the news. It was normal for Julie to feel foggy before her morning coffee, but now she felt more stunned, an odd combination of shock, anxiety and numbness. It all feels so unreal, she thought. Only yesterday the Doctor was treating me and now he's dead. A terrible, violent ****, she shuddered. Nothing about their session hinted at what he must have been going through. The poor man.

His assistant, the office manager, was so adamant about seeing her that day to administer an antidote to the medication she had been given. It couldn't wait until Monday, he insisted. Something about medical liability after the loss of supervision. Why on earth did I agree to him coming over, she asked herself? He creeped me out at the office, and now I'm letting him into my home. The thought made Julie uneasy.

He said he was visiting subjects in their homes all that day, since so many of them couldn't arrange transportation to the office on such short notice. I guess that makes sense, she thought. But I meant to refuse until he outright said that I must let him come over to administer the antidote. There was just something about the way he said it that made me give in, she sheepishly acknowledged. It's too late to back out of it now, she knew. Julie resigned herself to Frank arriving soon. But I won't play hostess for him, she vowed. No coffee and pleasantries, he can give me the shot and that's it, he's out the door.

Julie hurried to get dressed before Frank showed up. He said he could be there by nine, and she preferred getting this over early. She looked for something nondescript, avoiding anything remotely form fitting. It made Julie uncomfortable the way Frank looked at her in the office, and she wanted to avoid a repeat experience. This gray sweatshirt should do, she decided, combining it with a loose pair of jeans.

Shortly after nine her Ring doorbell alerted Julie of an arrival. Glancing at her phone, she confirmed that it was the office manager awaiting entry before she opened the door for him. "Come in", she told him in a voice deliberately stripped of warmth. "Your name's Frank, am I remembering that right?"

"You are indeed, Julie" he replied. "I like your place," he added, glancing around the room.

It took her aback to be addressed so informally. I did call him by his first name, Julie reminded herself, but that's the only name I have for him.

"This should only take a minute, Julie", he continued. "Should we do this on that couch?"

"No, I would rather we sat at the dining room table," Julie replied curtly. He still makes me uncomfortable, she realized. He has the same take charge attitude that a lot of the guys I broke up with had. But they, at least, had sense enough to keep it under wraps for the first few dates.

Back off dude, Frank admonished himself as he followed Julie into the dining room. You're so close, don't fuck it up now. "I'm sorry to put you through this imposition, Ms Baker" he said, adopting his most professional demeanor. "I know this must be quite unsettling, Dr. Zarzoff's **** came as a shock to all of us."

"It is. I barely knew him of course," Julie replied, feeling a bit less anxious "but he seemed like a good man. I guess it's hard to really know what's going on in another person's mind."

"Yes that's true," Frank responded, thinking to himself; If she only knew what's going on in mine. "This will just take a moment to administer, and then I'll be off to see other subjects."

There's something anticlimactic about this ending, Julie told herself, after Frank had left. A man kills himself so his assistant arrives with an antidote. Nothing more dramatic than a flu shot, and now my life is supposed to go on like nothing ever happened.

Julie opened a kitchen cabinet and removed a box of cereal, like she would on any other day. Just like that, she thought. It's back to normal life.

Frank parked his car behind a supermarket a few blocks from Julie's house, turned off the engine, lowered the windows, and sat back to wait. Thirty minutes, he thought, I should give it an hour though to be sure. That's how long she thinks it takes for the antidote to work. Better to go along with that fiction, he thought. No reason to admit that he gave her a double dose of the treatment formula instead.

Frank had his lies all ready, the details all worked out. His mouth twisted into a leering smile. Of course if the shit works as well as he hoped, he thought, Julie can learn the truth and it won't change a damn thing. She'll be mine regardless.

_________________________________________________________________

Thank God it's the weekend, Julie told herself. I need some time to chill. Less than a week ago I was tipsy in a smoky bar with some creep I just met trying to get into my pants. That's why I joined that study to begin with. I have to clean up my act. All of it. And now the Doctor I sought help from was dead from suicide. Everything's relative, right? I guess I'm not so bad off after all.

Julie's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her doorbell ringing. It was that guy Frank again, Dr. Zarzoff's assistant, she realized with a start. What the hell did he want from her now? Whatever it was it would have to wait. She was in no mood to see anyone right now, least of all him.

Fastening the chain latch first, she opened the door a crack so that they could talk. She was old fashioned that way she knew, There was just something that felt wrong about conversing through a door bell. But she was paranoid enough not to fully unlock her door for him either. All the misgivings Julie had about Frank were rushing back. "Why are you here," she asked him?

"Julie, we have to talk" Frank said in return.

"No, not now," Julie answered,"and certainly not here. I don't want you coming to my house. If it's important enough you can call me from your office Monday. Whatever it is can wait until then."

"It won't wait," he said. "Julie, you must open the door for me to enter." There. I said it, Frank thought. She clearly doesn't want to let me in but I just ordered her to.

Julie's fingers fumbled with the chain. Why am I doing this? she asked herself, feeling panic rise up in her. I don't want him here, her mind screamed as she pulled open the door for him. "What, what's so important that you had to come back," she finally managed to say, in a broken voice?

"It's just a routine follow up regarding your treatment Julie", Frank said. "I'm testing the effectiveness of the antidote you received." He was lying through his teeth of course, since he never gave Julie the antidote. "Julie, you don't want me here now. Am I right?"

Julie managed to nod her head yes.

"And yet you opened the door when I ordered you to. That's significant data, Julie. It indicates that the antidote might not be be working with you." Funny about that, Frank laughed to himself, it seems to be about 0% effective when never administered.

"What exactly does that mean, um, Frank?" Julie hesitated for a moment before using his name. She hated being on a first name basis with this man but that die was already cast. "Do I need to get another shot?"

"I'm afraid that won't be of any help Julie. Approximately 4% of people have natural resistance to the antidote, to varying degrees. You must be one of them. I have to conduct some further rests to determine whether the antidote has limited or no effect on your current brain chemistry after it was altered by our treatment formula."

I can spout gobbly gook with the best of them, Frank noted with some pride, fabricating details as he went along. By his count Julie had three doses of the formula in her now. The only thing that needed testing was how much he could get away with.

"I would rather this waited until Monday", Julie said. I'm really not feeling all that well. Maybe it's the stress."

Maybe it's the double dose of formula you just got, Frank thought, on top of your first one yesterday. "It can't wait. Julie you must let me continue now."

Julie felt her head nodding in acquiescence. Again she was allowing something she did not want. "I'm obeying you," she realized. "But I thought the commands i accepted only had to do with smoking?"

"They do," Frank agreed, "but you also accepted a master command designed to accentuate your compliance with all subsequent, in your case smoking related, directives. It's how the treatment works. Don't worry, Julie The master command is specifically worded. Only Zarzoff, rest his soul, and myself know how to trigger it in you." He was grinning at her now.

Julie felt herself shiver at those words. She struggled to remember her session with Dr. Zarzoff, and how he explained the treatment to her. I wish I paid more attention, asked more questions, she thought. He did say something important, what were his words? It's not automatic. I can still resist commands, but not if part of me accepts obedience. Why am I complying now, she asked herself? What part of me accepts this?

"This is for your own good, Julie, Frank said. "We have to find out how **** you are to commands issued by others." By me, Frank thought. "Let's go into your bedroom," he suddenly said.

"No," Julie responded without hesitation.

"Julie, you must take me into your bedroom with you," Frank ordered. On three doses Julie should be powerless to refuse just about any order I give her, he reasoned. We'll find out. He felt his dick stir inside his pants.

Wordlessly Julie turned and walked toward the back of her house, with Frank following close behind her. Oh my God, she inwardly cried, why am I still obeying? Some part of me is accepting this, is allowing this. Why?!?

"The sun looks nice coming in your windows," Frank said. "You don't use curtains?"

"No, Julie replied in a halting voice, "my backyard is fenced off and private. No one can see in."

"Well then, he answered, "I would love to see that sunlight shine on your bare skin. Julie, you must pull off that sweatshirt, it's hiding your lovely form."

Her hands were shaking as Julie grabbed the base of her sweatshirt, then slowly pulled it over her head.

"Nice bra, Julie," Frank let out a wolf whistle. "I hate those prefab molded ones. Yours at least is a little sexy. She seemed to be trembling slightly as she stood there. It met with Frank's approval. "Let's go a little further, shall we? I need a bit more data. Julie you must pull down your jeans for me," Frank ordered.

Every fiber of her being was screaming no as Julie unfastened the button, slid the zipper down, and then lowered her jeans below her knees. Not waiting for a follow up order, Julie stepped out of them herself. and stood there facing a man who she barely knew and already strongly disliked, in just her bra and blue panties.

"If the antidote is having any effect on you, it appears to be minimal," Frank noted. "This is making you extremely uncomfortable, isn't it Julie?" He smiled.

Biting her lip, Julie nodded once; yes. Her whole body was shaking now as a tear ran down Julie's cheek.

"You don't have to worry Julie. Nothing bad will become of you. Not by my definition anyway," Frank added as an afterthought. "But science demands that we continue with our experiment. You obviously didn't want to strip down to your underwear for me, and yet you complied. Let's try taking this a little further, shall we? Your tits are quite appealing, even in that bra. What color are your nipples, Julie? Let's see. Julie, take off your bra." Frank dropped all pretense of being professional. he was leering at her now.

I won't do it, Julie thought. I can't strip naked for this man.

"I see that you're ****," Frank said. "Perhaps I didn't phrase that correctly. Julie, you must take off your bra."

Staring down at her feet, Julie reached behind her back, feeling for the hooks that held up her bra. I'm doing it, she thought with tears running down her face, I'm doing what he wants again. It must be me. Part of me must want this. Julie slipped the straps down off her shoulders as the cloth fell away from her breasts. She now stood topless in front of Frank.

"Pink", Frank exclaimed. "Your nipples are pink. I was hoping you had pink nipples. They are luscious Julie, And your breasts are perfect. Or close enough for a good mauling anyway." Yes, they are slightly bigger than Cindy's, he thought. But their shape is very similar. I always loved Cindy's tits. I think I like these even more. Julie's face turned scarlet while Frank examined her boobs. "Those nipples are begging for attention," he said.

Julie cringed when Frank stepped closer. instinctively crossing her arms over her bare breasts. "Julie, put them down," he told her. Julie began to drop her arms before freezing, with her left nipple now peeping out above her wrist. She's starting to break down, he thought, showing signs of submission without a full command. "Julie you must lower your arms," he said, and this time her arms fell fully to her side.

I'm doing this to myself, Julie realized, as she let out a sharp sob. He hasn't hurt me, or threatened me. He wants to fuck, and I'm doing nothing to stop him. Just then Frank's hand reached out for her. Using his thumb and forefinger, he flicked each of her nipples once. Julie gasped and doubled over, not so much from pain as from the shock of his sudden sexual intrusion.

"Very nice," Frank said, "I like how they react. Stand up straight, Julie. We're not done yet"

Julie's nipples were tingling as she pulled herself upright again. Looking down she saw where his eyes were focused on her chest. They're rock hard, she said to herself. My body is responding. What is happening to me?

"You're a true submissive, aren't you Julie? You want to please, to give me what I want. Isn't that right Julie? Frank was grinning broadly, but his manner was dead serious.

"No, I want you to stop. I want you to leave here immediately. Please, just leave me alone." Julie's last request came practically as a whimper. Her arms, though, still hung limply at her side.

"Why should I Julie? You think you want me to stop, but your body knows the truth. That medication Zarzoff injected you with? It might as well be truth serum. Your desires are breaking through." He was laying it on thick now. It was no longer enough to get his way with Julie. He intended to break her down completely. It might take a few days, but it will be time well, and enjoyably, spent.

"We both know you can stop this any time you want, Julie. Just refuse my orders. It's that simple. But you won't do that, will you Julie? Below that respectable veneer of yours, you're just a horny slut. Only you refuse to admit it."

Is he right. she thought? I stripped topless in my bedroom and let him paw my breasts. A slut does that, not me! "No, no I'm not like that. I don't normally act this way, it's that medication I took, that injection Zarzoff gave me," Julie blurted out to him

"You don't really believe that, do you Julie? This has been explained to you. It's not how the medication works. You can ignore any order that violates your core self, remember? If you choose to obey that means, down deep, that you actually want it." OK, that's a stretch, Frank admitted to himself, but it sounds good. Close enough for **** anyway. He decided to deliver the coup de grace.

"Julie, tell you what I'll do. I'll give you another order, and this time I promise, If you refuse to obey me I'll walk out your door and never come back. I won't threaten you. I won't hurt you. You can go on with your life. Disobey and I'll have nothing more to do with you. You want me gone Julie? This is your chance. Understood?

Pulling herself together Julie gulped, and then softly answered "Yes."

I'm counting on that triple dose, Frank told himself. It better be enough. A normal dose cemented goals subjects chose themselves. He was going much further with Julie, literally seeking to obliterate her independent will. There's no way Julie would choose what he had in mind for her.

Looking her in the eye Frank smiled and said "Julie, will you please remove your panties for me?" His tone was polite but belittling.

"No," Julie replied instantly. "I can't. I won't. I refused your order, now leave!"

"Ah, but that wasn't an order, Julie, it was merely a request," Frank said in a quiet voice. This is an order," he spoke sharply now, drilling in his words. "Julie you must take off your panties now."

Her fingers twitched, and then slowly began to move. Julie broke into a sweat, as panic welled up inside her. Her hands were at the waist band of her panties now, her fingers hooking the elastic.

"That's a good girl, Julie." Frank grinned. "Keep going."

I can't refuse him, Julie knew. I will give him what he wants. She was shaking as that truth sank in. It's not in me to resist. He can take me and do what he pleases. She was crying now, but she obeyed.

It's working. This is almost too easy, Frank thought, watching Julie succumb to his will. He stared intently while she began, at first indecisively, to roll down the top of her panties. It started as only an inch, with Julie struggling to control the shaking in her hands. That was enough to expose the top of her pubic hair.

So, she's natural, Frank observed, pretty much what I expected. Maybe I should make her shave that...

Just then Julie's hands jerked, yanking her panties down to mid thigh. A full and nicely shaped bush emerged into view. Then again, maybe not, Frank reconsidered. Either way it's good. He felt his cock pulsating, straining against the fabric of his jeans. The fucking bitch is mine, he told himself, over and over again, almost as though he couldn't believe his good fortune. All the perversions Cindy balked at, Julie was powerless to refuse.

I will **** Julie into all of them, Frank vowed, as he pondered how to denigrate her first.