Chapter Two
Conditioned for Torture
by Trystl
1
Loreena spent the night on a small mat at the foot of Maraal�s bed. She was bound so securely that she could hardly move, but the room was comfortably warm, and the sheets were satiny smooth. Her bonds were not tight. They were plentiful though, and they restricted her movements. The worst problem was that her arms were tied behind her back, which forced her to sleep on her stomach to avoid putting her arms to sleep.
During the night she rolled over in her sleep, and woke with her arm feeling like a dead weights. All she could do was roll back over and endure the intense tingling as circulation slowly returned to her arms.
Later Maraal took her out for breakfast.
Before leaving he securely knotted her hair into the ropes that encircled her arms and chest, which forced her head back until it was difficult�though not impossible�for her to swallow. He gave her feet just enough freedom that she could take mincing steps. Since her knees were still tightly bound, and with her head forced back, she found it very difficult when they came to steps. Maraal gave her no help, but she could tell when she was getting close to a flight of stairs by the way he moved closer to her, in case he had to catch her. The first time in fact she had stumbled and he had grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back up right. After the first stairway he had used a bristly paddle to encourage her whenever the stairs slowed her down; and by the time they reached the dinning room her ass and legs were bright red. She thought she might be to sore to sit down; and if it had been possible to speak, she might have accused him of taking the route with the most possible stairs. Since she was wearing the mouth spring any sound more complex than a grunt or a moan was beyond her.
By the time they reached the dinning room her throat was so parched she might have been willing to drink Maraal�s piss again�if he�d wanted her to! At least it was wet, and if she had not known what it was, it would have been less unpleasant than say, eating liver or Lima beans.
They stopped and Maraal knocked at a door. A few seconds later it was opened by a full figured blonde woman; who except for earrings, wasn�t wearing anything else that Loreena could see with her head forced back as it was.
Being naked didn�t seem to bother the woman. She gave a slight, but graceful curtsy and ushered them into a large room.
Loreena looked up at the chandelier on the ceiling, then sideways at the rust colored wallpaper which had a textured pattern that was simple but pleasing. For a moment she closed her eyes and listened to the soft thrumming of melodic music, and the buzz of conversations; the tinkling of glasses and the clinking of silverware scraping china.
�This way please,� the woman said.
She turned, leading them through a maze of chairs and tables�her heels clicking, ti-tap, ti-tap on a hard floor; so she was apparently wearing shoes Loreena thought.
Maraal didn�t seem to trust Loreena�s tittering balance, with the tables so close together. He keep a firm grip on her arm so she wouldn�t bump into anyone.
�Sit,� he said, when they reached a table.
Loreena leaned forward, but she didn�t see a chair. She could make out the top of a table, just at the bottom edge of her vision, but there didn�t seem to be a chair. She looked around the room at the other tables. All of the women in the room were naked. Only about half of them were bound, and most of those simply had their hands tied behind their backs. She noticed that one in particular was sitting on a stool.
It was at that moment that Maraal ran out of patience, and applied his paddle to a particularly tender portion of Loreena�s posterior. She jumped and gave an inarticulate squeal of surprise.
Several people glanced at her, and some of them chuckled.
�Sit,� Maraal said again. �There�s a stool right in front of you.�
Loreena edged forward; felt it with her feet. It was tucked under the table, and with her knees bound she couldn�t sit down without pulling it out first, so she started to hook one of the stool�s legs with her toes�But Maraal�s paddle struck her again, and she had to use her foot to catch her balance.
The paddle landed several more times before she could managed to plop down without toppling over in the process.
When she was seated the naked woman was still standing patiently by their table. �Are you ready to order?�
�What�s todays special,� Maraal asked.
�Barbecued beef or Green Steak Tartare.�
Maraal smiled and said, �One order of each please.�
Loreena was surprised at how quickly the meal arrived.
Maraal nodded in satisfaction as the woman set two plates on the table. Then he removed Loreena�s mouth clamp, but not the hair knot that held her head back so far. He took something from one of the plates, dropping it into Loreena�s mouth. It was luke warm with a meaty taste of salt and onions, and despite the texture of finely chopped raw meat it was delicious.
�Steak tartare,� Maraal said. She could hear him cutting something with his knife. �The �green� indicates that the meat was Amorian. They�re called Greenies sometimes, you know.�
He dropped another chunk of it into her mouth�and Loreena began to choke. She tried to spit it out but that was impossible with her head pulled back so far; and when she tried to lean forward, he wouldn�t let her. The meat threatened to get lodged in the back of her mouth. If she didn�t swallow she would choke.
She swallowed, and felt the lump of meat all the way down. Her stomach heaved in protest, but fortunately nothing came back up. It occurred to her that she would have been in serious trouble if it had.
�I�m sorry,� he said. �Maybe I shouldn�t have told you. Did I spoiled your appetite?� He dropped another piece of the raw meat in her mouth; and laughed.
***2***
The next few days were like that: a blur of pain, humiliation and endless stream of unusual and often unpleasant tastes. Maraal seemed to have no other job but to torment Loreena, and he was exceptionally good at his work.
He never let her wear clothes; keeping her constantly in leather and chains or lengths of rope; and he was endlessly inventive with his ties, changing them often to give her limbs a chance to recover their circulation. He was particularly fond of the mouth spring. Her jaws ached from wearing it so much. He liked to tease her with a bowl of water when her arms were bound behind her back. She could lap up ever so little moisture with her tongue, but without the use of her lips it was not enough to ease her dry throat.
He was also fond of parading her around the halls with the spring in her mouth and her head tied back. Often he would offer her to his friends, letting them use her mouth for any purpose they might choose. He had lots of friend. Everyone he meet, in fact, seemed to be a friend.
He offer her services to one and all, and a few of them accepted from time to time.
One time when Loreena�s mouth was held open by the mouth spring, Maraal and several of his buddies decided to have a contest: Loreena was fitted with a belt, cinched very tight around her waist. A rope was looped through a ring in the front of the belt, passed between her legs, and connected to her head harness. This time Maraal pulled the ropes even tighter than usual�forcing her to arch her back, and placing a good deal of pressure on the muscles of her neck and the rope between her legs. Then he told her to kneel in the middle of a large painted circle.
This was difficult to do, since her arms were tied and she had nothing to steady herself with; but when he threatened to encourage her with his favorite paddle she managed. When she was kneeling, Maraal came behind her, grabbed her ankles, and pulled her legs wider. Then he untied her wrist and attached them to her ankles so that there was very little play in the ropes. As a last touch, he put leather cuffs on her elbows and snugged them together with a short strand of rope; not pulling to tight�just enough to reduce mobility and increase the stress on her body.
Now it was difficult for Loreena to move at all. With effort she could lean forward ever so slightly, but that put a strain on the ropes between her legs. Leaning backwards was a little easier, but still not comfortable. It was work to keep from falling over, and she worried that if she went to far she wouldn�t be able to sit back up again.
Maraal studied her, then tightened the ropes just a little more. �I think she�s ready,� he told his group of friends. �Who wants to go first?�
Several men volunteered.
�Quick review of the rules,� Maraal said, holding out a bucket full of hard rubber balls about the size of walnuts. �It cost a gold chip to enter each round,� he said. �And the winner of each round keeps the pot. You can stand anywhere you want outside the circle, but if you step over the line your disqualified. The winner is the first one to put a ball in her mouth. Now, we�ll draw lots to see who goes first.�
Another time, Maraal took Loreena to the cafeteria and purposely caused Loreena to spill her plate of food. She was naked and bound as usual, her elbows joined behind her back by a short length of chain�but this time, Maraal insisted that she try to do everything for herself. It was difficult, but by turning around and bending over she managed to take a tray from the stack; she used her mouth to get her silverware and dishes. Then Maraal began filling her plate, heaping it with ample portions of everything on the line. By the time they reached the end, her tray was so loaded down with food that Loreena wondered if she would be able to carry it. Her hands barely reach the edge of the tray, but by hooking her thumbs over the top she managed to hold it level.
Maraal purposely seemed to bypass several tables, picking the one that was the farthest away, as if he was trying to give her ample time to drop everything. The muscles in her arms and hands were beginning to burn and cramp with the effort, but somehow she managed to make it to the table.
�Here,� Maraal said, then. �Let me help you set the tray down.� He took hold of the tray for a moment, until Loreena who was exhausted from holding it�s weight with her fingertips relaxed�then he said, �On second though, do it yourself,� and he let go.
All the food on the tray spilled onto the floor.
�Now look what you did,� Maraal said, grabbing her by the hair and forcing her down onto her knees. �Well, you made the mess�now you can clean it up.�
She looked up at him without comprehending.
�Go ahead. Lick it up. I want that floor spotless.�
When Loreena hesitated Maraal turned to several of his cohorts. �I think she needs a little motivation,� he said. �Would you like to help me out?�
They stood eagerly, and suddenly all of them seemed to have a whip or a paddle or riding crop. Where these had come from she couldn�t guess, but she knew now that Maraal had planned this whole thing. She leaned over and began licking the food from the floor as best she could, but it didn�t stop Maraal�s jovial helpers from following her around the room.
�They�ll stop beating you when you�ve made this floor spotless,� he said.
It was hard work. She had to lean over and take a mouthful of food, then spit it out onto the tray, while trying to keep her balance despite dozens of blows from the men. They weren�t above hindering her progress by shoving her with their boots either. Several times she was sent sprawling into the food, until her hair was matted and her body covered with it.
Except for a few larger piles close to the tray, it was impractical to keep spitting out what she licked up; it took too much time trying to crawl back to the tray. By the time the most of it was up, she was about as stuffed as she had ever been, and practically every inch of her skin was red and tender from the merciless beating. Still, the men were eager to prolong her agony and humiliation by pointing out splatter spots that required her attention.
3
One morning the door opened and Maraal and one of the other guards entered.
Maraal came over and sat down on the edge of the bed where Loreena lay spread eagled�one of her limbs fettered to each of the four bed posts. He set a small bowl down on her belly. It was hot, but not hot enough to really burn her. He dipped the spoon in, came up with a bowl of runny porridge and began to feed her. When she was done he forced her to drink the bitter water that was the only liquid he would let her drink from a glass. She suspected it contained a supraesthetic like the one the colonel said he had given Mikki. It tasted foul, but was better than nothing.
The other guard placed the open-fronted dress she had worn the first time she met the colonel on the edge of the bed while Maraal untied her. She stood up with out comment and slowly slipped into the dress, then Maraal cuffed her wrists behind her back.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
The nightmare�s over, she thought. And another one is about to begin...
Mikki was already in the room, tied to a large table. Her body was covered with large, bluish bruises that still hadn�t completely faded; and the same nameless men were gathered around her. They plied her tender flesh with their hands and nibbled with their mouths; tracing over her body with torturous abandon.
Gaged as she was, Mikki could make no oral protest, but there were already tears of pain and frustration streaking down her face.
�Good morning Loreena.� The Colonel said. �I hope you�ve rested up. I have an interesting day planned for Mikki, and you.� He nodded to the men and three of them came over to Loreena, letting their hands explore her body as they worked on her.
One shoved a ball gag in her mouth and tightened the strap behind her head. The others were pinching her breast and various tender parts of her flesh, or pulling the dress up and snaking a long, coarse finger between her cunt lips, or into her ass. They untied the lacing down the front of her dress as they roughly caressed her body, pulling her first this way and then that.
When the lacing was undone they pulled off the dress, still exploring with their hands, as the colonel talked.
�Although I plan for you to share Mikki�s tortures today; the emphasis will still be on her. So, to start things off, I�ve planned a little torture that works particularly well the day after a bruising beating.� The Colonel walked over and pressed his finger against Mikki�s legs, and she moaned against the gag she wore. �As you can see your sister is very tender.�
He nodded and the man who had used the whip the day before produced two drumstick like pieces of wood with small metallic balls on the end of them. With them he began to strike Mikki�s legs in quick torturous strokes. Mikki shivered and strained against her bonds, to no avail; whining pitifully as he worked his way up one leg�paying particular attention to the spots that produced the best response�across her pubic mound and down the other leg. Then he reversed the process, slowly working his way back to the beginning.
�That�s enough!� The Colonel said when he had completed the circuit.
He motioned to one of the other men who came forward with a small red carrying box. He walked towards Mikki, and opened the box at her feet, taking out a large hypodermic needle.
�The needle contains a strong supraesthetic.� The Colonel said to Loreena.
The man showed it to Mikki.
She closed her eyes, an involuntary wine escaping through her nose as the man leaned nearer.
He whispered tauntingly in her ear; and smiled as Mikki�s fear grew. Only then did he plunge the needle deep into her small breast. She pulled against her bonds, the muscles in her neck forming taunt cords as her arms and legs pulled against her bonds.
As he pulled the long needle slowly out of her breast, he pushed some of the liquid from inside the tube. There was very little blood, even when he repeated the procedure a second and a third time, stabbing the same breast until the needles huge tube was empty.
A separate needle was used on Mikki�s other breast.
When he was done he took another kind of needle from the box. These were short acupuncture pins, about an inch long; with sharp points on either end. He pushed one straight down through the center of Mikki�s left nipple.
She screamed hoarsely against the gag, and strained against the bonds that held her fast and helpless. When he had pushed the pin far enough in that it stayed on its own, he took a pair of pliers from the box. Knowing what was coming, Loreena tried to look away but Maraal grabbed her by the hair and forced her head back to Mikki. �You know better than that.� The Colonel said with a laugh.
The man had taken the pliers and clamped them around the needle. He wiggled it, twisting gently as he pushed the needle down until only about a fourth of an inch was exposed. He pushed three more needles horizontally through the dark portion of the breast so that they were in the shape of a triangle with the tips exposed and overlapping on both ends. Then he did the same thing to Mikki�s other breast. The rest of the needles he drove into her breasts as if she were a pincushion, allowing the needles to crisscross in an unorderly manner.
�Now the real fun begins.� The Colonel said.
The men released Mikki from the table. Two held her while the others bound each wrist with a length of rope. Using the ropes they pulled her arms diagonally up her back, tucking the ropes under the arm of the opposite shoulder. Pulling the ropes tight, they snugged her hands against the back of her armpits, then looped the rope over her shoulders and brought it diagonally down her back, securing it around the arm that the rope was tied to. Then they looped the rope snugly under her breast tied it off and wrapped it twice around her waist, cinching the rope uncomfortably tight and tying the loose ends together in the front.
When this was done, one of the men took a large C shaped metal ring from his pocket. The open ends of the ring were very sharp, and close together.
Suddenly Maraal pulled Loreena backwards. She stumbled and tried to right herself, but he had wrapped his arm around her neck, and managed easily to bend her backwards over his knee.
The other man stooped over her, forcing his knee into her belly, to hold her still. He pulled the ends of the ring apart slipping it up into her nose. There was a sharp tingle in her nose as he released his grip and the ring pinched her flesh. She almost Sneezed.
He pushed the sharp points firmly together, and her eyes flooded with tears. Then he twisted the ring through her nose and she tensed against the pain. The guard tightened his grip around her neck and the man pressed his knee tightly into her gut, but she didn�t scream or move; and they released her when they were done.
The Colonel walked up to her examining the ring, and the trickle of blood. Her eyes had stopped tearing enough that she could see. He had a small bottle with a pointed mouth. Taking the ring so she couldn�t move away, he held it up and squeezed a burst of stinging mist up her nose. It made her flinch and tears came violently to her eyes. The stinging turned to a painful tingling, that left her very aware of the hole.
�That was a mild supraesthetic,� the colonel said. �It will help to clot your blood.� He lead her by the nose towards Mikki who had also been given a nose ring. �Tie her arms so they wont get in the way.� The Colonel said pushing Loreena towards the men.
They quickly released her hands and bound her up tightly in ropes, the same way Mikki had been tied the day before, with her arms folded square behind her back and several strands of the rope above and below her breast, so that they were forced to stand out more prominently.
While they were doing this, the Colonel took an electric prod and touched it lightly against the metal rods in Mikki�s breast. The girl tried to get away but the men standing behind her blocked her way; and when she tried to turn away they force her back around so that she was exposed to the prod. The Colonel smiled and tapped one of the pins in Mikki�s other breast.
He turned to Loreena. �This must be a very shocking experience for your sister.� His smile broadened into a laugh and he tapped another time at each breast. When Loreena was tied, he laid the prod down. �It is early for this, we will play with it latter.� He winked at her then turned back to the men and said. �Continue with it.�
Both girls were taken to the middle of the room where a line hung down from the ceiling. At the end of the line was a loop. A man threaded another line, about a foot long, through the loop and then the girls were tied to it by their nose rings. Mikki was a little shorter, but the men found a small platform for her to step up on. The Colonel pushed a button on a panel and the line from the ceiling began to raise, taking out the slack and leaving the sisters nearly touching each other face to face. The needles in Mikki pressed lightly against Loreena�s breast.
The Colonel slapped Loreena�s shoulders in a chummy way, pushing her into the needles. �You see,� he said. �I will let you join in pretty Mikki�s fun, so you needn�t feel left out.�
With that, one of the men struck Mikki across the back of her legs with a solid paddle. The force of the blow and its surprise caused her to lurch forward driving the needles into Loreena, Both girls groaned into their gags and pulled back from the pain at the same time; which yanked on the line to there noses. Tears sprang instantly to their eyes, but before they could stabilized Mikki was struck again. At the same time, Loreena was struck and their simultaneous reactions compounded the effect, tearing larger holes in their noses.
�I think you�ve still got a little to much balance,� The colonel said, pushing a button on a panel. Suddenly the line to their noses began to rise, slowly forcing them onto their tiptoes; their heads back, noses in the air. This destroyed their balance so that even without the whipping the girls tittered precariously back and forth.
Then the blows started again with even greater vigor. Again and again the guards struck them, and despite the girls efforts to resist their natural chain-reaction-response, tied as they were they were helpless to avoid it. Soon their bodies were slapping together in a dull rhythmic irregular pattern: the sharp pins in Mikki�s breasts puncturing Loreena�s skin repeatedly. Blood flowed freely from their face and their bodies, before the colonel spoke at last.
�Release them,� he said.
The line was lowered and removed from their nose rings, although the rings themselves were not removed; and Loreena was taken over to the metal table Mikki had been tied to earlier. A guard picked her up and sat her on the tables cool surface.
Mikki was taken to the center of the room by the men. One of them tied a rope to the loose ends of the ropes around her waist. Then he threaded the new rope between her legs, carefully spreading the lips of her cunt and sinking the rope into the soft and tender, red flesh. While keeping the rope taunt against her, he tied the end to a line from the ceiling. The colonel worked his control panel and a crank by the wall began to roll the line up towards the ceiling, forcing Mikki to balance once again on her toes.
As the crank continued to slowly reel in the line, the tension forced Mikki to bend over, and the rope grated over the flesh between her legs. Her upper body weight began to make it hard for her to keep her toes on the floor. She began to slip, and tried desperately to stretch that little bit farther, but the crank hoisted her higher, and she toppled; swinging down and sideways like a bent beam.
Suddenly the ropes cinched together around her waist, dropping her in a jolt. She winced against the rope burns: around her waist and between her legs and gasped for breath.
�She�d make a good swing, wouldn�t she?� The Colonel said coming over to Loreena. �Would you like to sit on her.�
Loreena shook her head, her eyes widening in panic.
�No! Perhaps I should then, I�m sure I weigh at least fifty pounds more than you.�
He walked back towards Mikki and put his hand on the back of her neck, tracing up over her shoulders to her red, swollen hands; over the rope that cinched her waist to the small of her back. He brushed the soft downy peach-fuzz that grew there almost tenderly; then suddenly he slapped her tight, little ass. He traced over the red hand print he had left. His fingers strummed playfully on the rope that spread her cheeks.
�She has such a beautiful ass,� he said, placing a hand on either cheek and pressing down, as one might if he were testing to see if something would hold his weight. �Do you think enough weight would split her in half? That would be an interesting experiment, I think.�
He pressed down harder, sagging to let his arms take most of his weight. �Perhaps another day,� he said, turning back to the guards. He pointed at Loreena. �Tie her to the table.�
Quickly they obeyed, and when he motioned for them to bring her over, they picked up the table, and carried her over to the colonel. He pulled Mikki up by the hair of her head, and she managed to get her toes on the ground again.
�Bring the table in closer. Lengthwise,� the Colonel commanded. �I want her right under her sister.�
The guards complied putting the table only inches from Mikki�s legs. Then the Colonel instructed the man with the paddle, and he struck Mikki across the back of her legs. The shock of the blow made her lose her footing and she toppled forward; falling, this time, onto Loreena. The needles drove into Loreena�s stomach, as their bodies slapped together with a sound like a sword being sheathed.
Both girls voiced muffled screams.
A second man pulled Mikki up by the hair, and when she was standing the first hit her again. By an intense and desperate effort she managed to keep her balance. But another blow came quickly lower on her legs. Its force pushed her forward, and she couldn�t stop the backward swing, as the tips of her toes slipped over the smooth floor. She fell again, hard into Loreena�s stomach, and they both screamed into their gags.
The second man picked her up again, but this time Mikki refused to stand.
�Drop her then,� the Colonel said with a shrug.
The man let her fall, and as she lay on top of Loreena the man with the paddle struck her legs and she almost bounced from the recoil.
�Do that until she does it right.�
This time she stood, and when the man struck her ass she fought to retain her balance. He struck her hot ass again; then her legs. After a few more strokes she fell, and they picked her up Again and again.
�Twenty five. That�s enough,� the Colonel said, walking over behind Mikki and examining her reddened ass carefully, rubbing a finger firmly over the raw flesh. A guard helped her to her feet as the others pulled Loreena�s table away.
�Raise her some and secure her feet to the floor,� the Colonel said.
The two idle men came forward.
The colonel raised the rope, and Mikk�s feet slipped out from under her leaving her swinging freely in the air. Then one guard held Mikki�s feet still while the other put cuffs on her ankles. From these cuffs they attached short chains that connected to a small ringlet in the floor directly beneath her.
When they had finished, the rope was taunt and her legs hung straight down, her outstretched toes an inch from the floor. Now the guards began to strike her legs from all angles.
The Colonel came over to Loreena. �Remember this?� He held up the prod he had used earlier on Mikki, until he had her attention. �It wants to be your friend.� He touched it gently to her breast. It crackled slightly as it touched; buzzing a tingly, pulsating feeling sharply through her. �See it likes you!� He touched it a little harder to her other breast, sending the pulse, knifing through her like tiny needles. �Your so soft and wet with sweat.� He traced it down over her bloody stomach, smiling at her spastic shivers. �It likes water, you see.� He moved it down and pushed it into her belly button. A painful ache rocked back to her spine, growing and she clenched her teeth. �I think it�s looking for a water hole. No, not one there.� The prod strayed further down, playing for a moment in her pubic hair, forcing her muscles to contract in rippling waves. �An oasis, the water hole must be close.� The prod slid down her leg to the inside of her thigh, skimming lightly with a thousand stinging fingers, up to the soft flaps of flesh between her legs. �I think he�s found it,� the Colonel said sliding the prod into place between the lips, and then plunging it sharply inside her; tearing at her sizzling flesh. Suddenly her muscles cramped in an intense spasm that clamped around the prod. The waves of pain grew, and spread within her.
Finally the Colonel ripped the prod from inside her, leaving her with just the cramping and a burning feeling.
�Enough for today.� The Colonel said.
The man stopped striking Mikki, and another began lowering her, while the guards untied Loreena. One freed her from the table, while another wiped away blood with a wet cloth that stung fiercely, and stopped the bleeding. Then they released the ropes around her torso that bound her arms. Still holding her tightly they cuffed her hands behind her back. Mikki, was being lead down the hall by the nose ring, still completely bound; the needles in her breast and the rope between her legs still held taunt by one of the men.
The Colonel walked down the hall, entering the viewing room; and Maraal and one of the guards guided Loreena into the room behind him and untied her. She moved to undo the gag, but the guard stopped her. Maraal gave her the dress she had worn the day before.
�Put it on,� the Colonel said moving towards the bar.
When he had fixed himself a drink he turned to her. �The reason you were gaged today,� he said. �Was because of my promise after our first session that Mikki would pay for your insolence. It was because of your attack on me, that your chance to concede was taken away from you.� He took a small drink and set his glass aside. �I am a tolerant man,� he said, �but I will stand for no more of your scenes. Do you understand?�
Loreena nodded meekly. She had stepped into the dress, pulled it up around her shoulders, and was lacing up the front.
�Tomorrow will begin the worst of Mikki�s tortures.� He said earnestly. �I will tell you about them so that you may choose, now, whether to spare her.� He picked up a pair of black leather heels that were on the bar and walked towards her.
�The spikes in her breast,� he explained. �Are made of a special experimental metal called plastoflesh which is designed to incorporate itself with human flesh as that flesh heals. Tomorrow, the spikes will still be in Mikki�s breasts. And those lovely pieces of flesh will be black to match her legs�
Loreena had laced the dress up to her sternum. He handed her the pair of heels, and motioned her to a chair. She sat down stiffly, to put them on; while he walked behind the chair.
�At the end of our next session, I will apply to them the prod I used so aptly today on you. Then I will put a source of heat to them so that she will be burned. Later as she heals the metal will seal itself, and become a permanent part of her breasts. Once that is done they will, in all probably, remain in her breasts for the rest of her life. If she has health related complications because of this, her breasts may have to be removed, but otherwise they will indeed be permanent, since the only way to remove them would be to remove the breasts.�
The Colonel nodded and one of the guards came forward and released her gag. She swallowed loudly, and sat waiting.
�Will you help us?� He asked at last.
She lowered her head.
�For the last time,� he said. �Will you help us?�
�Yes,� Loreena said, her voice barely a whisper.
The Colonel smiled. �I didn�t hear you,� he said.
�Yes!�
�Good. I�m glad you�ve listened to reason and spared Mikki. She deserves better.� He placed his hand on her shoulder.
Instinctively she pulled away, but then she slumped as if from exhaustion and allowed him to stroke her hair tenderly.
�The spikes will be removed when you�ve finished your mission. She�ll be given our best healing medicines.� He walked in front of her, and held out his free hand to her. She hesitated then took it and he helped her to her feet. �I�m harsh, at times. But I can be a generous man, too. Even though you were obstinate I will still allow that both of you can live comfortably here at Lospodas if you choose.�
�You�ll be free to go; but Mikki will have to stay�after all she is my property, and I paid good money for her.� He held up his hand to silence Loreena�s protests. �She will be treated like any other servant: there are always chores to do around here. And with a little enthusiasm and cooperation the two of you can still earn a very luxurious lifestyle�given time.�
Loreena smiled, glowing with a sort of manic hatred, but her voice as she spoke was hollow with defeat. �I hate you!�
He dropped his hand away from her head, and his voice went cold. �You�ll be free to leave, if you choose to do so�as soon as you return.� He turned to the guard. �Brief her for the run. We�ll follow her lead, she knows Sondra�s movements. But I want a crew ready to deploy as soon as a plan has been made.�
Loreena spent the next several hours telling the guards what she knew of Sondra�s schedule and personal habits. They pumped her for more and more pertinent information, trying to find a vulnerable spot, but Sondra was always careful to surround herself with numerous bodyguards whenever she left the security of the inner compound; and although she had a rigid schedule, most of her time was spent within well protected structures.
At last Loreena thought of a time when Sondra was vulnerable; and she told them.
4
A day later, the guards lead Loreena back down into the underground garage. After they had briefly gone over their plan again, they left her sitting in the front of the van while they gassed it and loaded it with weapons. Then they removed the seats and began climbing into the small holes underneath where they would hide.
Loreena didn�t watch them work. She thought about Mikki, waiting somewhere in the building for her to return; and about Sondra who didn�t expect to see her again.
The guards were all in the van when the colonel came up to her, and handed her purse through the window.
�Are you ready?�
She nodded without looking at him.
�All right then, you know what to do.� He grabbed her arm, forcing her to look at him. �Make sure your successful or Mikki is going to be a very unhappy girl for a very long time; and I�ll make sure that I keep you informed. You know what I mean?�
She stared at his intense eyes for a long time, then she looked away without answering.
Digging into his pocket he gave her the key then stepped back as she put it into the ignition. For a long moment she just stared at the steering wheel. At last she put it in gear.
�Good luck,� the Colonel called, as the van pulled away.
All the way to the border Loreena drove on auto pilot, refusing to face what she would have to do; unwilling to commit herself to that final irrevocable decision that would condemn one of the two people she cared about most, for the sake of the other. Several times she thought about driving the van off the side of the path and letting it tumble down the side of the mountain. It would be such a simple solution; but Loreena believed the colonel�s threat about Mikki and besides she didn�t have the nerve to try it.
Unlike Lospodas, there was only one way into the women�s reservation. It was high in the mountains, and the one road in had taken years to complete. Traveling any other route was all but impossible for a normal vehicle. In places the path became very narrow, and Loreena rode the van very close to the cliff�s edge, hoping that the earth would give away and make the decision for her. It wasn�t until Loreena saw the guard shack at the edge of the city, that she knew for sure she wouldn�t die that way.
She thought of alerting the guards so they could capture the men who were hiding. The van and their guns would be valuable additions to Leskral�s meager supplies.
But what would happen to Mikki? How could she live with the steady flow of pictures and letters the colonel would send to �keep her informed�.
�Salute!� the check guard called.
Loreena looked up, recognizing her.
�Salute, Sister.� Loreena answered. She hoped the guard would insist on checking the van and find the men, but her position as Sondra�s best friend made the guard lax in her duties. She smiled, and waved Loreena through the gate.
�May freedom live!� Another guard called loudly as the van pulled through the barricade.
Loreena bit her lip and made a silent plea. �Let freedom live!� She agreed.
It didn�t take long to drive the rest of the way: into the heart of the Leskral reservation; and at each check point it was much the same. Finally, Loreena pulled the van up to the corner of two buildings. Sondra lived in the left one, and occasionally she walked the short distance between, alone or with a very small escort.
When the van was parked, Loreena let the guards out of their cramped hiding place.
�I�ll go see if she�s home,� Loreena said.
Balial, the leader of the raid nodded nervously. He didn�t trust Loreena, and being in Leskral territory he had good reason for concern. If Loreena turned them in, these men would immediately be killed. The colonel had a strict �no prisoner exchange� policy; and Leskral knew it would be useless to try using them as leverage. Each of these men had come on this raid for the hero�s reward that they would receive if they were successful.
�Don�t forget about your sister,� Balial reminded her.
She nodded and got out, crossing the street to the heavily guarded living quarters. She nodded to the guard on duty, who she also recognized. When they had exchanged formal greetings, Loreena asked. �Is Sondra in?�
�No,� the guard said. �But I�ll tell her your back when she comes in. She�ll want to see you.�
Loreena nodded. �I think I�ll go look for her.�
She returned to the van and got in.
�Well,� Balial asked.
�She hasn�t gone to her room yet,� Loreena said, grateful for the temporary delay.
�What do we do now?�
�Wait.�
�She could be hours,� one of the others protested. It was the first time anyone but she and Balial had spoken.
Loreena shrugged. �Have you got a better idea,� she asked.
No one answered, and she settled back in her seat to wait.
5
Loreena didn�t have to wait long.
Balial nudged her on the arm, and pointed towards a group of women coming out of the main complex and heading towards the women�s living quarters.
�That�s her,� Loreena breathed.
Sondra was surrounded by her usual troupe. She walked arm in arm with Shaila, a petite escort. Her bodyguards were Zonda and Valeen: two of the largest and most muscular beta Amorians Loreena had ever meet. They were heavily armed and very good at their jobs. Loreena didn�t know the rest of the group, but they looked like entertainers: they were all attractive women wearing tight pants or leather mini-skirts and lacy blouses with plunging necklines.
�Get going,� Balial snapped, giving Loreena a quick little shove. �And don�t forget what the colonel will do to your sister if you betray us!�
She nodded, and opened the car door. �Sondra!� she called, hurrying across the street towards them.
Zonda and Valeen, ever alert, had drawn their guns�and they were still tense as she approached. Loreena forced a smile for them, then turned her attention to Sondra who was looking at her suspiciously.
�Where�s Mikki?� She asked.
�They wouldn�t let me have her,� Loreena said, and the painful truth of that statement showed on her face. �Oh Sondra, it was terrible.�
Loreena didn�t know how it happened but suddenly she was in her friend�s arms, and Sondra was comforting her. After a moment of holding, Loreena pulled away.
�You were right,� she said, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Zonda and Valeen had put away their guns, but still had their hands on them just in case.
�There was nothing I could do,� Loreena continued. �They didn�t have any intention of letting Mikki go.�
�They sent me to give you a message,� Loreena said, reaching slowly into her pocket. She knew it was time to pull out the stunner the colonel had given her and try to disable Zonda and Valeen, but she couldn�t bring herself to do it. She didn�t want to do it! Sondra was almost as close as her own sister. And she knew her bodyguards too. Not very well, but like all the women who belonged to the Leskral movement, they were her sworn sisters and she was honor bound to guard them with her life.
�What?� Sondra prompted gently, when she saw Loreena�s reluctance to continue.
�This,� Loreena said. She pulled the stunner from her pocket. It lay in her open palm, glistening red in the evening sun, and she began to hold it out for Sondra to take.
The moment Zonda and Valeen realized what it was, they reached for their guns�and seeing that Loreena panicked! Her hand flinched instinctively, pressing a button before her mind had time to analyze what she was doing. Then Zonda and Valeen were falling to the ground, cringing in pain.
Loreena looked at them, not comprehending for a moment before the realization hit her! Just a moment ago, she had made up her mind to turn over the men in the van; and now she had incapacitated the two women who�s help she would need most.
She looked up at Sondra, who�s face had gone pale, her eyes growing wide in horror as she too realized what Loreena had done.
�I�m sorry,� Loreena wailed, trying to hand her the stun gun. �That wasn�t supposed to happen!�
Loreena heard wheels squealing, and saw Sondra backing away from her. Some of the other women in her troupe had started to run, and others were standing and staring in shocked disbelief.
Men were pouring out of the van, their guns drawn and firing as they ran towards the women on the sidewalk. Loreena turned as she heard a cry of pain, and saw a growing patch of red spread across a woman�s chest even as she dropped her gun and pitched forward down the steps of the sleeping quarters. She came to rest a few feet from Loreena, her blank eyes staring up at the sky. Only then did Loreena realize it was the guard from inside that she had spoken to earlier.
The men were moving efficiently. They had stunned Sondra and were grabbing all the other women who had been in her troupe. Loreena saw a man tackle one of the women who had tried to run from behind. He landed with his knee in the small of her back and wrenched her arms around as he clapped cuffs on her. Then he pulled her up, one hand on her arm the other grabbing her by the hair. She stumbled in her tight skirt, as he pushed her towards the van and flung her in through the open sliding door. Her shins slammed against the flooring, just below her knees, and she sprawled forward face first. Shaila and the other two entertainers were herded into the van just as roughly. Men flopped Sondra and her bodyguards over their shoulders and tossed them into the van as well; then they scrambled in on top of them.
�Coming?� Balial asked, as he peeked out of the doorway before closing it.
�You weren�t supposed to take all of them!� Loreena cried.
�I�m driving, so if you�d rather stay,� Balial said, leaving the thought unfinished. They both knew what would happen to her if she were caught by Leskral now.
Reluctantly she climbed into the van.
They had little problem returning. The perimeter had been alerted, and there was a road block waiting for them, but the van�s walls were made of reinforced metal; and the Leskral women didn�t have any ammunition that could penetrate it. Even the windows were bullet proof glass. They crashed the blockade, plowing through the barrier with relative ease and drove the remaining miles back to the Lospodas mansion without incident.
The colonel was waiting for the van as it pulled into the unloading bay. He greeted the men warmly as they came out carrying their prizes over their shoulders.
�Good work, dear girl,� the colonel said; greeting Loreena warmly too.
�Where�s Mikki,� she asked. �I want to see her.�
�Certainly. I�ll take you there myself.� He turned and Loreena followed him to the elevators. �She�s resting as comfortably as we could make her,� he said. �But I would like to schedule an operation to remove the spikes as soon as possible, so you wont be able to visit very long. It�s preferable to get them out right away, so the skin doesn�t have a chance to graft itself to the metal. If that happens, we have to cut them out which causes a bit more complications than simply pulling them out does.�
The elevator doors opened and they walked down the hall to a room with two guards by the door. They nodded as the colonel approached.
�Loreena may visit her sister now,� he said. �When she is done, you will take Mikki down to the infirmary to have those spikes removed.�
They nodded in unison, opening the door for Loreena to enter and closing it behind her.
Mikki was asleep on the bed, and her hands were cuffed behind her back, but otherwise she was unfettered and appeared reasonably comfortable. She wore a loose pair of red, silk pants and a matching blouse with an open front so that her breasts, with the network of sharp needles sticking out of them, were uncovered.
Kneeling on the floor beside the bed, Loreena brushed the hair out of her sister�s eyes. �Wake up Mikki,� she said softly, not really wanting to wake her if her sleep was deep.
Mikki opened her eyes. �Loreena,� she said with a look of intense relief.
�You look surprised to see me.�
Loreena looked away. �I almost didn�t. But then everything went crazy and the next thing I know...�
�I wish I could have been stronger,� Mikki said, her voice filled with guilt. �But I can�t help it, I�m glad you came back. I don�t know how I could have taken anymore.�
�I know, I know.�
�You should have stayed away though.�
�I know,� Loreena said, �but where else can I go?� She put her head in Mikki�s lap, hugging her gently. She could feel rope beneath the silk pants, pulled tightly between Mikki�s legs and knotted around her waist.
Mikki blushed. She tried to sit up and Loreena helped her, propping the pillows up behind her.
�Yes,� Mikki said. �You�d think I�d be used to them by now, but they hurt to much. I can�t roll over; I can�t even take a deep breath...�
�I know,� Loreena said. She leaned over and kissed Mikki on the cheek. �I�ll go tell them your ready. Pretty soon you wont even remember that you ever had them.� She stood and headed for the door.
�You�re wrong,� Mikki called after her, her voice little more than a soft whisper. �I�ll ever forget them.�
Loreena didn�t answer.
What could she say?