5 comments/ 28800 views/ 8 favorites The Archaeologist's Dig Pt. 01 By: Acai As the early morning sun streamed through the skylight in the large, extensive main library; 'The Orbit Room', the dust particles from years of archived books were revealed, as they floated gently around on the still air of the room, joining in with the daybreak silence. In the center of the room, Dr. Tarrant loomed over a large, dark mahogany table; his knuckles supporting his weight, and his silver-rimmed glasses slipping off his nose as he leaned, absorbed in a book which lay spread open on the table below him. Every so often, his free hand, which he only used to occasionally flip a page, would move up to his silky, golden-brown hair, and dust his soft bangs out of his eyes, which would slowly begin fall back again. His breathing was virtually silent, but deep, and his chest appeared to be the only moving thing in the room. Normally, Dr. Tarrant would call for absolute silence. This was his library, his room, his quarters, and his mansion. Having no family or ulterior interests, Nathan lived and breathed his work. As he flipped the page once more, he reached end of the book, causing him to quietly sigh, close the book, and stand up straight. He closed his eyes, rolling his stiffened neck back and forth on his shoulders, before seemingly shaking his tension loose, and checking his wrist-watch. Nathan's dark blue eyes flickered to the large oak doors in front of him, which almost on signal creaked open. A young, slender woman crept around the door, and her face lit up immediately upon seeing Dr. Tarrant's presence. She was extremely attractive, with petite features, dark, creamy hair that fell past her waist, and large bright green eyes. She smiled at her mentor, flashing a straight set of pearly white teeth that lay behind her small, soft pink lips. In almost a whisper, she greeted him softly. "Good morning, Doctor." Nathan nodded once, before tossing the book he had previously been reading at her. "It's confirmed. The remains we spotted on our trip two days ago were the Bronze Age remains. Dr. Toby Driver from the commissioners will be here at fourteen hundred hours today to discuss the publication and reservation of our rights on the find." Nathan raised his eyes to hers, sending a chill down her spine, at which she took a few private moments to recollect her thoughts. "I assume you made it clear I will be taking full accountability for the find?" His eyes pierced through her skull and she felt her knees wobble. "Y-yes, Doctor, of course," breathlessly, she added in the tone of an excited teenage girl, "You are the genius who discovered it, after all." Nathan's head silently lowered as he pulled another book toward him and began to focus, his smirk concealed from her line of sight. She wavered momentarily, unsure of what she should do – or more importantly - what she was doing. After receiving her doctorate in Archaeology, Dr. Arianna Gold had begun a voluntary year-long contract as the assistant of Doctor Nathan Tarrant: one of the worlds's most esteemed and well-renowned archaeologists, after making several historically altering finds and having received several Nobel awards for each. Arianna, already infatuated with Dr. Tarrant's work prior to becoming his assistant, had found a rather different sort of infatuation with the Doctor begin to grow within her over the last few months, and she found herself - while previously an independent and in-control, assertive type of female – a now weak-kneed sullen puppy who was barely able to control herself at the sight of him. Her mind was racing when she jumped, startled, as Nathan's sharp voice cut through the air. "That's all." Arianna turned on her heel and left, cautious again as she passed through the impressive library doors to not disturb the Doctor. Walking down the long but narrow halls of the institution, with her footsteps echoing and the thought of Doctor Tarrant's eyes in her mind, Arianna found her body was beginning to behave irrationally. Normally, logic held her down, but today she found tingles running up her arms. Her pace increased, and she was charging down the hall, her brows furrowed and her eyes in slits. She couldn't hold it any longer. Arianna stopped in her tracks, looking desperately around for a place to hide, and turned the doorknob of the first room on her right. She rushed into, what she soon found to be, the boiler and laundry room, and threw herself down on a heap of clean clothes. Immediately, Arianna found it even harder to breathe than before, as large steam vents overhead, which channeled hot water throughout the mansion, released pressure and humidity into the room. Arianna soon found herself gasping for air, but her mind was slurring and she knew she needed to release the feeling if she ever hoped to continue her normal work. She hitched up her tight pencil skirt and raised her hips, her thumbs going underneath the sides of her white silk panties as she slid them down to her ankles. Wasting no time, her dainty fingers found their way to her smooth clitoris, and she began to rub it in fast, tight circles. Her head fell back and her chest heaved for air as she inhaled, only to find her exhale sounded rather like 'Ooh, Doctor.' She slipped her middle finger inside of her tight hole, and found herself dripping wet. Her lack of ability to compose herself around him only drove her on further, as her index finger kept vigorously stimulating her, whilst her middle pumped itself in and out of her soaking hole. Within no time, Arianna Gold has caused herself to climax, as she yelled out the Doctor's name into the steamy room, and the juices of her lust trickled down her skin. She lay there; head back, eyes closed and mouth wide open, as she tried to regain her breath and senses. Arianna stood up and put her panties and skirt back in their original place, fixed her hair and makeup in the reflection of a large washing machine, and proceeded back out of the door, closing it carefully behind her. Inhaling and exhaling the fresh air, she felt the ease seep back into her, as she continued normally down to her office. She felt confident that she had done all she needed to do, and was feeling optimistic that her future wouldn't be challenged further by her ridiculous behavior. Arriving at her desk, Arianna sat down, placed on her headset and began her mundane work. She sent emails back and forth between various establishments; contacted people involved with the Doctor's work, and responded to the Q&A of the Doctor's famous website, 'Ask Doctor Tarrant.' Arianna's eyes flickered to a small machine on the side of her desk, which had several bright lights flickering on and off. This was the way the Dr. and Arianna silently communicated their positions throughout the mansion without constantly having to verbally inform one another. If either one was needed face-to-face, they would immediately know where to go, which would be an ordeal otherwise as the mansion was extremely large and complex, and it was not very appealing to Nathan Tarrant to have to ask his assistant where she was each time he required her. Dr. Gold saw that her mentor had moved into the 'Orion's Nebula' room (all the rooms were named by galactic terminology) and sighed, leaning back into her chair to try and imagine what the inside of the room could hold. Orion's Nebula was the one forbidden room in the mansion – Dr. Tarrant's private office. He himself had constructed the room from scratch as an extension of the mansion, so nobody have ever been in it, not even a builder or architect. All Arianna knew, was that whatever lay beyond the large, exquisite, mysterious doors of Orion's Nebula would most likely change the face of the Earth. After all, every single one of Nathan's previous accomplishments had been discovered while he was in his study, and in their own way, changed the future already. Shortly, Arianna had drifted off into her own imagination, but the sound of a video call request ringing in her headset startled her back to reality. She lunged forward and quickly tapped the space bar on her keyboard, accepting the call. Turning her attention to the webcam perched on top of her screen, Arianna flashed her pearly whites in a welcoming smile. "You're through to Dr. Nathan Tarrant's Institute of Historically Altering Archaeological Research; this is his assistant, Arianna Gold speaking. How may I help?" As the video of the caller loaded, a bald, scrawny man with beady eyes and thin, round spectacles appeared on Arianna's screen. Her smile relaxed a little as she spoke with a hushed, respectful tone; "Ah, Dr. Driver, an honour." Dr. Driver merely stared back, his voice sharp and rushed. "Yes. Is Dr. Tarrant available?" Arianna's eyes flashed to the positioning machine, which still showed the Doctor as being in Orion's Nebula. She knew well not to disturb him while he was in there, but she also knew this was important. "One moment please, I'll just see if he's available." Arianna gulped and rewired her headset into the positioning machine, then pressed the 'important' buzzer, next to the Orion's Nebula room light. She waited, and after a few moments, the Doctor's voice rang directly into her ears. "What is it?" he asked, sternly. "Sorry, Doctor, but Dr. Driver is in a video conference and has asked if you're available," Arianna squeaked. Nathan sighed. "Very well, forward him to me." "Of course Doctor, doing so now," Arianna said. As she reached to switch the headset back to the video call, the Doctor spoke out once more. "And Arianna" he began; only pausing for her response, "Yes, Dr. Tarrant?" The next thing Arianna heard caused her whole body to erupt in Goosebumps. "Disturbing me whilst I am in my office will not go unpunished." With that, the headset clicked off. Arianna forwarded Dr. Driver's call to Dr. Tarrant's office immediately, without another word, then sat back to process what she had just heard. She was going to be punished for disturbing the famous Archaeologist. Punished...punished...what did he mean by punished? Was he going to fire her? Arianna's heart stopped. Oh God, oh no, she couldn't get fired! Not only did she enjoy working under the Doctor's wing so much, but she also needed the references at the end of her year in order to secure her a future in archaeology. She looked back to her screen and tried to continue with her work, but her mind was racing and she couldn't focus at all. Was this really a fair punishment? She thought she'd more likely get into trouble for not forwarding the call. What was she supposed to have done? Her thoughts got quicker and quicker until suddenly, and very sharply, a loud buzz went off in her ear. It was from the Doctor's office, and her heart jumped. She responded. "Yes, Doctor?" Nathan wasted no time "Come to my office," he said sharply, before ending the call. Arianna Gold's heart rate doubled as she stood up, turning her phone and computer onto 'away from office', and started her way on the long route to her mentor's room. The Archaeologist's Dig Pt. 02 *Author's Note: Thank you all for your kind comments! It gave me such a thrill to hear my story is being enjoyed! Sorry for such a delay in the second story; I had lost my internet connection for a good month and a half. Here is part 2, part 3 will be released soon, but part 4 won't be until after the new year, so I will make sure the next part has got all those juicy bits I'm making you all wait so long for. I have also tried to space up the paragraphs a little better, as requested. Hope you enjoy further!* Orion's Nebula was, suitably, the highest point in the mansion. A long, mahogany staircase which started near the doors to the main library spiraled upwards, passing the door to the attic -- the initial peak of the mansion -- and ended in a beautifully crafted oak door, similar to the ones leading into The Orbit Room, but much smaller, and with the letters "NT" carved boldly into it. It was the first time Arianna had ever been told to go to the Doctor's office in person, and with each step, the clicking of her kitten heels seemed to reverberate ten times louder than usual around the otherwise silent building. Reaching the doors, she took a big breath, and knocked weakly. "Enter," she heard from inside. Her knees wobbled again, but this time in fear and anticipation rather than admiration. She slowly pushed the door open and walked inside. Momentarily, Arianna was stunned. The room was even more incredible than she had imagined; with a diamond chandelier hanging from an extremely high ceiling, silver and gold designs etched into the woodwork on the walls, full length bookshelves and diagrams lining the outskirts of the room, and, behind an elaborately carved desk on the far end of the room, a massive stained glass window. The thing that caught Arianna's eye the most about the window, was that at the center of it, in large, red, capital letters, were the Latin words "TOTALIS DOMINATUS", which, through her studies, Arianna understood to literally read: "TOTAL DOMINATION." The Doctor himself was sat behind the desk, with his piercing, deep blue eyes focused on his screen. His elbows were planted on the desk and at the end of his arms, his fingers met in a triangle, which pressed against his lower lip. Overall, Dr. Tarrant looked as serious and concentrated as ever. As quietly as she could, Arianna closed the door behind her, and stood motionless, waiting for her order. It came. "Sit," said the Doctor, in one sharp, cold syllable. Arianna moved to the large wooden chair and perched on the end. She could feel her neck beating with her pulse. With his eyes still stuck on the screen, Dr. Tarrant began to speak. "Do you know why I brought you here, Arianna?" Dr. Gold shook her head, and then realized that the Doctor couldn't see her, so quietly, she mumbled. "No." Suddenly, Nathan turned his head, stood straight up, and stared at her. She felt her heart stop, even jumping back slightly in surprise. "What did you say, girl?" Nathan boomed, looming over her. Arianna squeaked, more scared than she had ever been in her life before. "N-no Sir." Arianna dared not even breathe, and the silence in the room was deafening. Then, for the first time ever, Arianna saw Dr. Tarrant smile. It wasn't a warm smile, or a cold smile. It was a triumphant smile. He seemed to relax, and then slowly, almost gently, he reached out to his desktop screen and turned it. Arianna coughed, having held her breath for so long, and now being presented with one of the most shocking things she had ever seen. It was security camera footage; footage from all over the entire mansion and, in one of the small boxes, Arianna saw herself in the laundry room with her hand under her skirt. She then felt heat fill the room as if she were back near that steamy boiler again, except this time she realized it was the blood rushing to her cheeks, as they turned bright red. The two of them sat in an awkward silence, which was only made more awkward by the fact that Arianna knew she was the only one who felt that way; the Doctor was calm and collect. Eventually, he opened his mouth, and spoke in almost a purr. "Unacceptable, Arianna. I'm disappointed." Automatically, Arianna felt her head drop. She stared at her pointed black shoes, watching them blur out until they were unrecognizable through the tears. Arianna tried to muster something to say as the tense silence in the room started burning her ears, and almost slapped herself when she heard her voice echo around the room. "I'm sorry." She felt her world was falling apart in front of her face. She was going to lose her job, her chance at success, but the thing that hurt the most knew she'd failed her idol, and was only ever going to see him again on the T.V. or in pictures. "Stop crying," the Doctor said coldly. Arianna quickly wiped her eyes on the back of her hand, looking down to see the streaks of mascara on her golden skin and feeling it lightly sting her eyes, along with her tears and her humiliation. Dr. Tarrant walked around his desk, then leaned against it and folded his arms, staring at the emotional female in front of him. "Tell me, do you wish to keep your job?" Arianna raised her teary eyes, and nodded rapidly. "Yes, Doctor, so badly." Nathan stared at her for a second, before speaking once more, and Arianna's brows furrowed slightly in confusion, thinking she heard a slightly amused tone in the Doctor's voice. "Are you willing to work for redemption?" She nodded again, but slowly and carefully replied. "Yes..." Then, to Arianna's surprise, she heard Nathan Tarrant say something that shocked her to the very core. "Then bend over, girl." Her eyes widened. "W-what?" The Doctor sighed. "You heard me. Bend over." Arianna Gold stood rigid, staring at her mentor with the deepest level of confusion she had ever felt. She could also feel her jugular beating out of her throat as her pulse sped up even further. In a second, Arianna squealed as Dr. Tarrant stretched out his arm and gripped her on the back of her head, moving slightly to the side as he quickly pulled it down to the table, forcing her to bend as he pressed her cheek against the cold, hard wood. A flood of fear filled her and she felt her eyes well up with tears again, but this time in shock, confusion, and although she didn't admit it to herself - she was also slightly turned on. The Doctor leaned down as Arianna noticed he was a lot stronger than he looked, and brought his face close to hers. "Answer me again, and this time with the truth. Will you or will you not work for your redemption?" She gulped, feeling the tears streaming down her cheeks and onto the wood. Arianna's mind was screaming with questions and a huge mix of emotions, and as she went to tell the man that she was disgusted, that she quit, that she was going to file a police report about harassment, all Arianna heard come out of her lips was a dull, almost robotic. "Yes." Her eyes widened as, for the first time, Nathan Tarrant allowed his assistant to see his smirk, and she suddenly felt her stomach sink with the sight of it. "That's 'yes Sir' to you, now. Understand?" She felt herself nod, and as Dr. Tarrant raised his eyebrows, she sullenly added, "Yes, Sir." Arianna's mind was blank. She had no idea what she was doing or saying. "Ahh," Nathan purred again, "you're getting the hang of it. Good." For a split second, Arianna felt herself relax, then quickly realized she had done so too soon. In a flash, Nathan brought his hand down quickly on her rear, and although the fabric of her pencil skirt blocked direct contact, it was stretched tight over her firm ass, so she felt the sting instantly. She let out a loud cry of agony and shock. "Why?!" Her voice echoed around the large, ornate room. "I did as you asked!" Nathan released his grip on her hair. He placed his hand on her rear again, stroking it gently, almost soothingly, before walking around his desk once more, and allowing his assistant to look at him. "Yes, exactly. You did as I asked, and you were rewarded." Arianna lifted herself up off the desk, placing her palms flat on it as she leaned over and stared at her mentor with teary eyes and frustration written all over her face. Her usually sleek hair had an obvious, messy kink in it from where the Doctor's grip had been. "Rewarded? Pain is no reward. That was just..." She gulped, furrowing her brows in order to try to find the word she was looking for. She raised her eyes to Nathan once more, having found it. "Cruelty." Nathan Tarrant let out a chuckle, and sat back down in his chair. He reclined, spending a few moments observing the female. She was a mess -- hair tangled, mascara running, lipstick smudged, and clothes in disarray. She looked beautiful. "You'll learn to love it, my girl." Arianna felt herself heat up. She opened her mouth, and her words came out in a bark. "No I certainly will not!" Dr. Tarrant bolted upright again, grabbing Arianna's jaw tightly as he yanked her toward him. "Ever speak to me in that tone again and you'll know the true meaning of pain." He let her go as suddenly as he had taken hold of her, and she immediately retreated backward like a cowering animal, a slight whimper sounding from behind her tightened lips. The two of them stared at each other for a while. "Yes Sir." Nathan smirked. It was time to introduce his girl to The Quarters. The Archaeologist's Dig Pt. 03 "Arianna, where do you live?" Nathan asked thoughtfully, as he sat back down in his chair and began to spin slightly from side to side. Arianna pondered her answer for a moment. Was he really going to intrude into her personal life now, too? If so, was this job really worth keeping? There was something inside her that made her continue on with the sudden events that had unfolded, even though she knew that if she looked at the bigger picture, she'd realize how absolutely ludicrous it all was. "A small apartment downtown," she said finally, quickly remembering to add "sir." Nathan paused momentarily, his eyes scanning the monitor on his desk. "You have exactly an hour to go and retrieve all of your necessary belongings. You will be living in this mansion until..." His voice trailed off. "Until what?" Arianna retorted, suddenly growing fearful. Nathan exhaled gently with a smile. "Until I'm done with you." Dr. Gold stared at her mentor once more. Nathan's eyes flickered back to the screen. "58 minutes." She bolted suddenly, stumbling on her heel but quickly regaining her balance. She dashed down the stairs, through the twisting hallways, and stopped only at the front door to quickly fix her hair and clothes before hopping into her car and keying her ignition. As Arianna placed her hands on the wheel, she stopped once more. "What am I doing?" She stared ahead for a moment, before a trembling hand reached down beneath her skirt and slid itself across her panties. They were absolutely soaked. Arianna had gotten her answer. The drive to her apartment took 20 minutes, and she was sure that she had sped through several red lights along the way. She pulled up and quickly proceeded up the stone steps to her high-end abode in the thick of the city. Arianna took a moment to fumble with her keys, before finding the right one and heading inside. As she entered the long hallway of her apartment, Arianna heard something. Something she'd forgotten about, but something that was very, very important. Or was supposed to be, anyway. "Ari, is that you? Why are you home so early?" Arianna stopped dead in her tracks as she heard the voice of her fiancé, Evan, emanate around the house. Her face contorted into a wrinkle as she whispered, "fuck" under her breath. Slowly, she relaxed herself and sighed, regaining composure. "Yes, Evan, I'm home. I just need to grab some things then I'm heading back to work tonight. It's a busy schedule today though so I don't think I'll be home at a decent hour. You should just head to bed without me." The tall, extremely muscular, tattooed, intimidating man stepped out one of the rooms and into the hallway as he gazed upon his tiny significant other. Evan was as much of arm candy to Arianna as she was to him. He was a semi-professional boxer; around 6 foot 5 in height, and almost all his weight was in muscle. Arianna had been trying to break up with Evan for almost a year, and although the man claimed to love her, his anger issues said otherwise. On many occasions he'd left her bruised and bloody, and she'd tried to leave him, but he'd begged her to stay and promised he'd change. Arianna was too afraid to know what would really happen if she left. Evan leaned against the wall, his expression and tone turning cold. "Does your boss not realize you have a life? It's been days since I've had you in bed with me. I'll have to resort to fucking other women if this keeps happening." Arianna rolled her eyes and sighed, irritated, as she rushed past Evan into the bedroom and pulled out a suitcase, throwing various items in at a rapid speed. "Fine, Evan, fuck other women then." Evan lunged toward her and grabbed her arm tightly, causing her to inhale sharply and stop what she was doing. Her irritation quickly turned to fear as she looked up at him. "What did you just say?" He asked menacingly, his eyes turning to slits. "I- I'm sorry. I'm just in a rush right now." She responded, her worry now showing through. It only fueled him on. Evan cast her down to the floor, and with a yelp, Arianna landed with a thud onto her arm. Quickly, she dug her heels into the wooden floorboards and pushed herself backwards, distancing herself as much as possible from the towering giant. She could see his rage was building rapidly. Arianna's eyes flicked to the clock on the wall. She had less than half an hour to deal with the situation, get packed, and head back to the mansion. Her mind was and heart was racing. "I'm sorry, Evan, please. I'll make it up to you another time." "Maybe another time isn't good enough anymore, huh, Arianna? Maybe, just maybe, I want you. Now." Evan leaned down, and with a blood-curdling cry that came shooting out of her throat, Arianna felt herself yanked into the hair by her hair. She dangled there for a moment, her hands wrapped around Evan's thick wrist as she tried to alleviate the pain, but tears were already streaming down her face. She found herself hurtling through the air and onto the bed as Evan tossed her like a rag doll, and immediately her hands went to her head, rubbing the strained patch of scalp he had been gripping. Evan approached her, unbuckling his belt and sliding it off. He folded it in two, causing the middle portions of the leather to snap together. All Arianna could do was squeak, "Evan, no!" before the folded belt came whipping across her face, leaving a seething wound. Arianna burst into tears again, her hands cupping over the mark as she avoided touching the raw skin directly. Evan threw down his belt and grabbed the female once more, as his free hand moved to his jeans and boxers, pulling them down. His thick, eight-inch member sprung out at Arianna, who tried to pull away in vain. "Open your fucking mouth you stupid bitch!" Evan yelled in a rage, only to be answered with Arianna crying louder. He quickly changed his tactics. "Please, please baby, I'm your fiancé. This is normal; we're supposed to do this." He was begging her suddenly, his face twisting strangely from murderous, to wounded. Arianna lifted her gaze to greet his face, her bawling subsiding for a moment. A moment too soon. Evan yanked her head back once more, and as Arianna let out a cry of surprise and pain, Evan stuffed his tool down her throat. She gagged hard, and brought her teeth down on him. Her eyes widened quickly as she realized what she had done, and the pain caused him to release his grip. Arianna pulled backwards to try and apologize, but was greeted by the sheer force of his first on her cheek bone. There was a crack, and Arianna fell off the bed as a small section of her face distorted. She curled into a fetal position, screaming in agony. Evan merely watched her, with resentment, and hatred. He pulled up his jeans and walked out as though she were not there. The pain was overwhelming, and as Arianna lay on the floor, her head spinning from the pain as she wavered in and out of consciousness, there was only one thing she could think of. She needed to get back to the mansion. Having given up on packing her clothes, it took Arianna ten minutes to lift herself to her feet by using the door frame, before she stumbled outside of the house and back into her car. She sat there for a moment, her head lolling pathetically from side to side, before a shaky hand managed to slot the key into the engine and start the car. Arianna leaned to the side to check herself out in the rearview mirror. Undoubtedly, she was an absolute mess, but she was far better off than many of the other times Evan had unleashed his rage on her. She'd been hospitalized on many occasions. All Arianna wanted now was to be back at the mansion. Somehow the thought of Dr. Tarrant being close to her made her feel safer. She knew he was powerful, and in control. Arianna drove slowly but consistently back. She hoped she would not be punished for neglecting to bring her things, but she was almost certain that if the doctor saw the state she was in, he would understand. She pulled up at the mansion and turned off the key. Arianna sat for a few moments more, thinking everything through. That morning, she had been in control and independent. She had had domestic violence problems with Evan for a while -- that wasn't the concern -- but now she felt like she was starting to lose herself. What was she even doing here? Why had the man who was previously just her boss suddenly become her...? Arianna looked up, but she was still lost in thought. Become her what? What was she to Dr. Nathan Tarrant? She had so many questions that needed answering, and she was dead set on getting her answer. She shook herself back into concentration, wincing once at the pain from her broken cheekbone due to the shake, and then yelping a little at the pain from wincing. Slowly, she got out of the car, and walked precariously inside the mansion, letting herself in through a retinal scan near the front doors. She made her way along the hallway and up the winding staircase to Orion's Nebula, feeling nervous once more as though she were being summoned there for the first time again. Reaching the top of the staircase, she knocked daintily. "Doctor?" Arianna called out in almost a whisper. She waited a moment. "Come in." Arianna took a deep breath and opened the door. She hobbled inside, closing it as carefully as she had become adjusted to doing over the time she had worked with the doctor, and stood to face him. He raised his eyes and stared at her, taking it all in. There was a silence in the room, but not an awkward one. She knew he was properly analyzing the situation. Nathan stood up, placing his palms flat on the desk, and to Arianna's surprise, a smile spread across his face. "Arianna, you didn't have to get all made up for me" the doctor cooed. Arianna's eyebrows furrowed. She began to speak but the doctor quickly interrupted; "Sir, no, I-" "Hush," he smiled again. "The work of Evan Lewis, I suppose?" Arianna stood there, staring in confusion, before remembering her manners as she noticed Dr. Tarrant's expression begin to waver. "Yes, Sir." Nathan exhaled through his nose sharply, straightening his back and stretching a little, before responding. "It's such a pity that he's unable to get his rage under control. He'd make fine security." Arianna was dumbfounded. She was sure that her boss was going to be shocked to discover her looking as she did, but the doctor was treating it like a daily occurrence. It was, but how did her boss know that? The doctor pulled out a drawer from his desk and grabbed a bundle of keys attached to a single key ring. Arianna knew they were the spares for the mansion, in case of a power failure, red alert or a general problem with the bio-metric security system. However, none of those things were the case right now, so why did Dr. Tarrant need the keys? Arianna watched carefully as Dr. Tarrant crossed around his desk, brushing past her and headed out of the door. As he passed her, he briskly added, "Come, girl." Arianna did as she was told, and followed him down the twisting staircase. She then noticed something she hadn't really taken into account previously -- as they reached the main hallway, the staircase descended even lower than the ground floor. There was lower floor to the building. Ignoring the brutal pain in the side of her face, Arianna watched in amazement as the atmosphere of the mansion changed very quickly. The once elaborately decorated and furnished halls and walls of the area became glum, cracked concrete. The air grew thick, and the smell of musk and mold entered her nostrils. The staircase also changed; the once beautifully polished mahogany turning into thin, uneven slabs of concrete. It was as though they had entered another building entirely. The staircase ended in a single door, which was far from ornate or impressive, unlike any other door in the mansion, but rather a plain white metal single, which was rusting at the corners. There was no apparent advanced security on it, and Arianna found herself questioning how she had never entered this area of the mansion before. Arianna couldn't hold in her questions. "Sir, where- "but she was immediately silenced. "You are not to speak unless spoken to. Do I make myself clear?" Arianna was taken aback, and a lump grew in her throat. She could feel her heart begin to beat a little harder. Earlier, she was trying to hold onto her job. She thought a little bit of sexual harassment was a small price to pay. But now, things were getting strange, and very, very serious. She felt the sudden urge to call it all off, to quit, to go home, but something deep down inside her caused her to respond. "Yes Sir." Nathan Tarrant found the correct key, and upon inserting and twisting it, the metal door creaked open. The source of the damp smell was revealed. The room was entirely dark but Arianna realized now where they were. The basement. Nathan's hand moved to the wall, and a switch was flicked. A single bulb in the center of the room illuminated it, albeit barely. "Welcome to The Quarters," he spoke, as he moved inside the room and under the light, which case shadows across his face that scared Arianna to look at. Still, she entered. "This is where you'll be living now. You will obey my every order. If you disobey me, you will discover what it is like to linger between life and death. Do I make myself clear?" Arianna had crossed the boundary. She was petrified. "No, I don't want to. I'm leaving. I'll get my things tomorrow." She turned to leave, but her eyes grew wide as the doctor had suddenly stridden behind her. He leaned over her shoulder, slamming the door shut. Arianna's hand quickly moved to the handle, but no matter how much she shook it, the door remained closed. She felt Nathan's hot breath on her ear and froze. He spoke quiet, but the evil in his voice was now undeniable. "Too late, Arianna. You told me you wanted it, and now it's going to happen. You belong to me now. I own you." "N-no," she resisted, but her words only came out as a strained whisper. She felt her head grow light again; overwhelmed by everything that had happened in the last 48 hours. Arianna passed out. When she awoke, she found herself in The Quarters. It took her a few moments to adjust in the dim light and realize that she had just come-to, and once she did, she was overcome with panic. Arianna tried to move, but it was worthless. Something was holding her back. She squinted in the dark to try and identify what was keeping her pinned, and tried to scream out, before realizing she had a gag in her mouth. All that came out was a muffled cry. Arianna looked down and realized she was bare. She looked to her left and right, and noticed that her wrists had been cuffed to something. Arianna used her knowledge from excavations, and forced a little saliva out of her mouth. It dribbled directly down her chin, so she knew that she was upright. She continued to writhe, feeling the parts of her body that were holding her back. It was her wrists and her ankles together. That was when Arianna realized that she was cuffed against a board, and was held up in an X shape. Suddenly, the metal door creaked, and a figure walked in. Arianna stayed motionless, observing the situation. As the figure walked forward and into the light, she could see it was the doctor. She felt herself go bright red at being presented in front of him, before realizing she had much bigger concerns. This was far past the limits of sexual harassment. Arianna was being held here against her will now. A bright flash went off, and the click of a camera. The doctor waited as the picture developed, and then took a few more. Arianna closed her eyes, unable to handle the sudden change between the dark room and the piercing flash. She tried to object, but the gag silenced her words. "This is much better, Arianna," said the doctor finally, as he placed his camera down. "This look suits you so much better than that silly pencil skirt of yours." Arianna struggled, anger and humiliation slowly creeping in. "Don't bother," chucked Dr. Tarrant, as he pulled up a shabby metal chair and reclined against it, observing her. They watched one another for a moment, and as she struggled, it began to dawn on Arianna that she truly was unable to control the situation. For the first time in her life, Arianna felt completely powerless. With one last full body twist and a small squeak from behind the gag, Arianna gave up on freeing herself. She glared at the doctor, ignoring the pain from the metal cuffs as it dug into her now limp body. "Ah, good, you understand. Now, in order to reply to my questions, you may simply nod "yes", or shake your head "no". Understand?" Arianna glared at the doctor a little more, before slowly nodding. The doctor responded with a quick flash of his teeth. "Marvelous! So, are you a virgin, Arianna?" She shook her head. "I see. And do you have any immediate family who will be looking for you?" Arianna looked down, thinking for a moment, before shaking her head once more. "Perfect." The doctor folded his hands behind his back and began to pace gently back and forth, thinking to himself. He then stiffened suddenly, and moved over to a dark corner. Arianna peered as hard as she could, but the pain in her cheek made her shortly give in. The doctor reappeared with what seemed to be an old-fashioned cork board. Arianna's heart stopped as the doctor flipped the board over and a wide variety of tools were displayed. She felt the life drain out of her. This was it, she knew it now. She was going to be used as a human laboratory experiment. She began to cry uncontrollably. "SILENCE!" yelled the doctor, the evil tone seeping back through. Inhaling and exhaling quickly, Arianna managed to pipe down, though her heart rate doubled now. She had never in her life heard Nathan Tarrant raise his voice before. She watched on, all hope lost, as he picked up a hammer. Nathan walked toward her, observing her a little, and Arianna's face screwed up as she held back the tears, watching the instrument move only inches away from her body. It was then that the doctor flipped it over, holding the metal in his hand, so that the wooden end was away from him. "I want to see how much you can take, girl. It is very important you stay silent now, because when it gets too much for you, you must alert me by making a noise. My wish is to watch your boundaries right now, not to inflict pain. However, if you disobey..." Not to inflict pain? But Arianna was sure she was going to be in pieces within a short amount of time. Was this not an experiment? All the questions lead Arianna to simply nod her head. She inhaled lightly, feeling the smooth wood of the hammer handle slide into her with ease. It was fairly small -- much smaller than Evan -- and although she felt a slight amount of discomfort due to the fact that she had lost all of her wetness, Arianna closed her eyes and took comfort in the fact that Dr. Tarrant wasn't planning to kill her. She allowed the handle to slip in and out, and soon her natural lubricant began to kick in. She opened her eyes slightly to see the doctor with what appeared to be a pleasant smile on his face. The handle slid out. "Good, that was very good, Arianna." He said genuinely, before heading back over to the board. Nathan then selected a sledgehammer, and Arianna quickly grew worried. The handle was far bigger and thicker than the hammer before it. She also felt slight amazement at how Dr. Tarrant was able to pick it up without a problem. He was certainly much, much stronger than he appeared. He placed it at her now wet hole, and began to push lightly. Arianna squeezed her eyes tightly shut, and a slight squeak came out of her. The doctor stopped instantly. The Archaeologist's Dig Pt. 03 He put the sledge hammer down again and observed her tiny frame, bringing a hand up to his face to stroke it, in a cliché of deep thought. "Fine, Arianna. I will see you tomorrow. Goodnight." Arianna struggled quickly, desperately trying to speak through the gag. Surely he wasn't going to leave her cuffed and gagged all night? She would sleep on the floor if she had to, but if she was kept hoisted up there all night she'd ache profusely by the time the sun rose. Her attempts were pointless. The doctor left, and the click of the lock was the last sound in the room. Arianna was motionless again. She stared straight ahead with wide eyes. What the fuck was happening? The events had unfolded too rapidly to make any sense to her. Was that the doctor's intentions? That morning, everything had been completely normal, and yet now she found herself bound, naked, in the basement of the mansion. She needed to get out. She needed to escape this ridiculous nightmare. That's what it was, that's what it must be. A nightmare. She looked desperately around now, trying to find the best way out. Her eyes quickly settled on the board of tools. Arianna began pulling at her wrist, but it was cuffed tightly. If she was going to escape, she'd have to do something drastic. Arianna pulled, and when the pain hit, she kept pulling. A loud scream filled the room, even though she was gagged, as Arianna pulled off a thick layer of skin, freeing her right hand from the cuff. She inhaled and exhaled hastily, trying to calm herself down from the pain. She didn't want the doctor to wake up and see. She then leaned forward, stretching her body as much as she could. Her fingertips brushed against the board. She leaned harder, adrenaline filling her. She was so close. Her heart stopped. The door opened once more. She shot back into place, terrified. She could feel Dr. Tarrant's anger from across the room. "I knew it. I knew you hadn't been even close to cracked you ungrateful bitch!" She didn't speak, but warm tears began to stream down her face. "This won't do, this simply will not do." The doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a small iron stamp. He delved into his pocket again and pulled out a lighter. As the lighter clicked on and the metal began to heat, Arianna realized what it was. An NT. She struggled horribly as the white-hot iron was raised above her left breast. It waited there momentarily, as the doctor yanked off her gag. "Go on. Scream. Let me hear that beautiful scream." He said with a manic laugh, before pressing it down. Her skin sizzled and steamed, and Arianna screamed out louder and with more pain in her being than ever before. Nathan merely smirked. He yanked the iron away from her and she continued to scream. The insignia remained. Through her screams, Arianna managed to force out the only thing that was on her mind. "You're fucked! You fucking...agh! Sadist! Twisted, sadist, fucking creep!" Nathan laughed again, bringing his face close to hers. "And deep down, you're just a twisted masochist. This is just a game, Arianna. Play with me, now." Nathan turned to the board, ignoring the screams of violent abuse that Arianna Gold spat at him, as he flipped it over, and began to pin up the pictures he had taken of her earlier. He wheeled in front of her and left again, for the last time that night. She continued to scream for help for hours, but as the long night droned on, she began to understand. She was an experiment, but it wasn't a physical one. Dr. Tarrant was experimenting on her mind. The biggest fear she had now was that he was going to break her.