. 08

Chapter 8: Wine and Candy

Half a second later it seemed, Ellie was roused by the phone alarm she had wisely set as a reminder to feign sick. For a heart-pounding second she didn't remember where she was. Then it clicked. Barely conscious, she surfaced from Hannah's warm cleavage, found her purse on the floor, extracted her phone, silenced the alarm, and managed to navigate to the General channel on Slack.

[7:01 AM] Elizabeth: Hey team, I'm not gonna make it in today. I feel horrible. Making a doctor's appointment this morning. Hopefully back tomorrow. @Kathleen, you're CC'd on the agenda for the 8am, can you cover?

Ellie felt pressure in her bladder, reluctantly pulled herself out of bed, and shuffled through the darkness to the bathroom. She grumbled when she realized she was still in her work clothes from yesterday.

As she sat on the toilet, her phone pinged.

[7:03 AM] Kathleen: Sure! Feel better!

Ellie smiled, grateful for Kathleen -- who knew better -- being willing to help cover the lie. Then her phone pinged again. Not Slack. A text from Kathleen.

"So did you get dicked so good you need to apply for long-term disability?"

She giggled sleepily. Hannah stirred in the next room.

"Something like that. Thanks for covering for me."

Kathleen: "Yeah it's fine but!!!!YOU OWE ME!!!. DETAILS."

"I promise," responded Ellie.

She finished in the bathroom and plodded back to bed. Hannah was still asleep but had turned over. This time, Ellie decided the effort was worth it to pull off her dress without Hannah's assistance.

Free again to enjoy nudity in hotel sheets, Ellie snuggled in behind Hannah, wrapped her arm around her, and cupped her breast. Hannah gave a sleepy, appreciative moan.

...

Then Hannah wasn't next to her. Ellie's eyes opened, and the midday sun was streaming into the room. She heard the shower running and Hannah humming an echoey tune. She rolled over and checked her phone. 12:16pm.

Laying on her back, Ellie mulled over what this day might look like. Talking more, I guess. But then what?

She still had questions, which, after a restorative sleep, Ellie was able to take proper stock of.

Did Hannah just travel here to recruit you?

When does she leave?

Are you going with her?

What does that involve? Do you just fuck off to the mountains of Wyoming and leave everything behind?

Do you WANT to do that?

Why do you WANT to do that?

And finally, she had absurdly nearly forgotten...

The gamma ray thing is definitely bullshit... right?

Ellie mulled for a second on the idea that she, and nearly everyone alive, had twelve years to live. Nope. Bullshit.

But that meant Hannah was insane, which was a difficult pill for Ellie to swallow. Which only left the alternative...

Ellie pushed this resolutely out of her mind for the time being, and instead grabbed her phone. She ignored thirty-eight Slack notifications and scrolled Instagram.

The shower shut off. Hannah came stumbling out of the bathroom, naked except for a towel she was aggressively drying her hair with. Her heavy tits swayed over the floor as Hannah bent forward, tousling her curls dry.

"'Morning," said Ellie.

"Oh, hey!" Hannah emerged from the towel. Ellie grinned. She looked like Merida from Brave got caught in a rainstorm. "Glad you're awake. Figured I should take a real shower. By the way, you did a great job last night, I don't usually manage to sleep in without having to wake up to pump."

Blood rushed to Ellie's clit and she blushed. "Glad to be of service."

You horny bitch, where is this coming from?

"So listen," said Hannah. She sat down in the office chair and leaned toward Ellie. Her tits hung wonderfully over her lap, and Ellie pondered this new, distracting fixation of hers. Freud would have a field day with you. "My pilot says there's weather moving toward Utah and if we're going to Wyoming today, we need to leave sooner rather than later. I want to take you for a tour, but we have to go, like..." Hannah scanned the room and found the bedside alarm clock. "Shit. Now."

Ellie's eyes widened. "Wh-- now?! But I haven't... I didn't..."

Hannah held up a palm to quell Ellie. "We will have the entire trip to talk. And if you come with me, you're coming back by yourself tonight. In fact, we insist on it."

Ellie stammered. "U-uhhh"

"This is a tour," said Hannah, "Nothing more. And then we require that recruits take at least 24 hours to make a decision to move in. Anyway, they also need time to clear your blood test."

"Blood test??"

"Yeah, the clinic will take blood to check for genetic abnormalities if you're considering accepting. The pilot will fly you back this evening." She gave a reassuring smile. "You'll be back at work tomorrow. You called out today, right?"

"Yeah..." said Ellie. "You... You have a pilot?"

"Well," said Hannah, "We have a pilot." She stood up and selected the floral sundress from her suitcase. "And if we're getting there today, we have to go now."

She yanked the sundress over her head; her tits nestled beautifully over the empire waist. Cute little pleated sleeves covered her shoulders. The cheery colors were delightful against her freckles and auburn hair. The skirt was just high enough to hint at her powerful thighs. "So what do you say?"

Ellie's gut fluttered with a quiet panic. And excitement? This was so much, so fast.

Decision time crushed in on Ellie as Hannah stepped into a fresh set of white panties and pulled them up under her dress. She evaluated her options as quickly as she could.

Nothing to lose.

"I... I don't have any clothes. I haven't packed, I --"

"Here." Hannah chucked toward Ellie a fresh grey T shirt, the pair of white panties Ellie had worn briefly yesterday, and Hannah's denim shorts. "This will have to do."

"These shorts won't fit," said Ellie.

"They have to," said Hannah, now in the bathroom again. "I'm sorry, I really thought we'd have time to stop off at your place. But it's just for today." She came half-jogging back out of the bathroom, granola toiletries and breast pump in tow, all of which she shoved haphazardly into her suitcase.

Ellie sat there naked, armful of loaner clothes, while Hannah frantically packed. Then she stood up.

"Hannah... HANNAH."

Hannah paused and looked at her. Her cheeks were flushed from the hustling.

"Hannah, you need to promise me, whatever else," said Ellie, her voice trembling slightly but her tone firm, "that I am sleeping in my own bed tonight."

Hannah squared with Ellie and took a breath. "Ellie, I promise you. You will be home tonight. Whether or not you want to be."

"Why wouldn't I want to--"

"You'll see," said Hannah. "I really need you to get dressed, unless you want to go naked. Not that you'd get any complaints from me," she added.

Ellie finally complied.

While Hannah strapped on the gladiator sandals and shoved the Chuck Taylors into her suitcase, Ellie threw on the gray T shirt, realized she forgot her bra, and decided not to bother. She climbed into the white panties and then slid Hannah's shorts on. They were very loose. Ellie felt a twinge of annoyance that she'd probably spend the entire day tugging these shorts up. Then she stepped into her ballet flats. Hannah shoved Ellie's NDA (Ellie's heart did a little flip) into her laptop bag, along with the laptop, and added that to the suitcase.

Ellie shouldered her small purse, balled up her clothes from yesterday, and held them lamely in her fist. Hannah gave the rolling suitcase a perfunctory zip, set it on the floor, and yanked up the handle. "Ready?"

"Yes," Ellie lied, and they were off.

As they rode the elevator, Ellie wondered how they were getting to the airport. Her question was answered when she was greeted by a black Town Car waiting for them under the portico.

Okay, so the cult has money.

The driver -- a friendly-looking, clean-cut, sun-kissed man in his '40s, dressed in a plain white polo and khakis -- opened the trunk at their approach. His eyes lingered on Hannah's chest and he was shameless about it; no hint of the stolen eye-bouncing subtlety that Ellie was accustomed to from ogling men. Hannah either didn't notice it or didn't care. Otherwise, the driver was professional in his movements.

Ellie grimaced as she tasted her mouth for the first time; her tongue ran across carpeted teeth. She paused.

Hannah looked at her as she loaded her suitcase. "What?"

"One sec," said Ellie.

She jogged inside to the gift shop, grabbed a toothbrush from the wall, ran over to the check-in desk (a new person had blessedly relieved the night clerk), and paid $7.00 with her credit card.

Sweating now, and already having to tug on her shorts, Ellie ran back outside and showed Hannah the toothbrush as explanation for the delay. Hannah nodded, and Ellie threw the toothbrush and her loose clothes into the trunk of the car. They piled into the backseat.

As the car slid out of the hotel fire lane, Hannah yelled for the driver to stop. Ellie was bewildered as the driver slammed the brake and threw on the hazards.

"Open the trunk, please."

Ellie imagined wildly that Hannah was about to produce a blindfold and rope and wrestle her into the trunk for the rest of the journey; Instead, Hannah scrambled out of the car alone and returned shortly with a mid-2000's flip phone. "Sorry, go ahead."

"You could've borrowed mine," said Ellie.

"Nope," said Hannah. "Not for this number."

Ellie bounced in her seat as the car cleared a speed bump, and they were on the I-10 service road. Hannah dialed her phone and held it to her ear. Ellie turned and looked out the rear window at Luann's; there sat her beige Corolla, broiling in the Arizona sunshine. It grew distant, and then was obscured by the Best Western on the other side of the bar. Ellie felt herself leaving planet Earth.

"Riley," Hannah said. "Hey, it's Hannah. We just left. We still good?" Hannah listened, and then said, "Great. Should be there in fifteen... Yep... Bye." She snapped the phone shut (a method of ending a call that Ellie missed) and turned to Ellie. "Okay, we're good on time. Thanks for hurrying."

"Sure," said Ellie. "How do I get back to my car later?"

"I'll take you," said the driver. He turned to look at Hannah. "You'll let me know when you send her back?"

"Yep. Thanks Ronnie."

Hannah smiled at Ellie, and Ellie felt somewhat reassured. At least another human being knows that I'm expected to return.

Or was Ronnie lying, too? Ellie had just climbed into a basket full of crazies, after all. She supposed she had no reason to trust Ronnie any more than she trusted Hannah.

But she did trust Hannah. That was the galling thing. Despite everything she had heard until this point, her instincts told her that Hannah -- at the very least -- would not hurt her. Ellie was relatively cut off from family. Kathleen was her only reliable life line, but Hannah encouraged Ellie to use it. And, Ellie reasoned, she'd had ample opportunity -- hours of privacy already -- to kidnap Ellie if that was her intent.

She watched from the highway as Arizona suburbia slid past. Manicured grass struggled in the dry heat. Big box retail churned their air handlers in a desperate effort to cool off shoppers who had no business living in this wasteland. Palm trees and less suitable, drought-tortured breeds from foreign lands shaded Walgreens parking lots, Burger King drive-throughs, and drab industrial parks.

All of this, if Hannah be believed, was not long for the world.

Ellie reflected that whatever else, if Hannah's intentions were nefarious, there was no reason for her to be sitting in this seat next to her. She might as well be taking this ride in the trunk. Or the back of a van.

As if to illustrate this point, Hannah's hand landed affectionately on Ellie's thigh. "Those shorts are cute on you. Hope they don't fall off." She heard the hint of Texas drawl.

"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?" said Ellie, and Hannah grinned.

Ronnie the driver glanced at Ellie through the rear-view but offered no comment. Ellie turned back to the window, smiling despite herself.

Maybe the gentle treatment until this point was an elaborate exercise to gain Ellie's trust. Maybe. But why?

Ellie wasn't one for wild, intricate conspiracies; She subscribed to Occam's Razor. "The simplest explanation is statistically most likely to be the truth." And that signpost told Ellie that Hannah simply would have acted a long time ago if the goal was to force Ellie's hand. Her phone could've been pulverized and thrown in the dumpster behind IHOP by now, with Ellie forcibly whisked off God-knows-where. But it wasn't. It was safely in her purse. And Ellie was being whisked off, sure -- somewhat alarmingly -- but by her own consent.

She turned to Hannah, feeling compelled to one last measure of caution. "I changed my mind. Can you please let me out?"

Hannah looked at Ellie. Her face fell with earnest disappointment, but then she turned to the driver without hesitation. "Ronnie, can you please take the next exit?"

Ronnie threw on his blinker.

That's good enough for me.

"Ronnie, don't, I was kidding," said Ellie. "You can keep going."

Ronnie frowned at Ellie through the rear-view, then his eyebrows went up and he turned off his blinker with a sigh. "You're the boss."

Ellie looked at Hannah and grinned apologetically. "I just had to check."

Hannah shook her head and returned to her window. But she was smiling. "Jesus, Ellie."

The Town Car finally entered Phoenix Sky Harbor, but Ellie noticed they bypassed all of the terminal Departure lanes. Instead, Ronnie turned at an unremarkable exit, which you'd miss if you didn't know what you were looking for, labeled "General Aviation Entry."

Ronnie opened his window and slid a card into a machine, and a chain-link gate topped with razor wire trundled open. Then they were on the tarmac.

Ellie gazed as parked hobby aircraft and private jets moved past her window. Private hangars were here as well, with slick logos like Executive Air and LuxorSkies mounted over giant barn doors. Ellie's heart started pounding. "Holy shit."

"Pretty cool, huh?" said Hannah.

She was speechless. Cult's got MAD money.

The Town Car pulled even with a small red-and-gold private jet. Ronnie got out of the driver's seat and opened Ellie's door first. She stepped out onto the searing-hot tarmac and was greeted with the delicate, continuous whistle of the jet's auxiliary power unit.

A Hispanic woman in Aviators sauntered forward, short, chubby and cheery, her thick hair pulled into a tight bun. "Howdy!" She stuck out her hand. "I'm Riley." She hit her L's at the tip of her tongue. "You must be Ellie."

Ellie shook her hand and nodded. "Wait, are you the pilot?"

"That's me," said Riley. Ellie would've expected a white button-down and shoulder patches, but Riley wore khaki slacks (like Ronnie the driver) and a grey, tucked polo. No bra, Ellie also noticed. I'm detecting a pattern.

"Hey, cutie." Riley wasn't talking to Ellie. She glided over to Ronnie, who'd just let Hannah out. Ellie was surprised to see Riley put her hands on Ronnie's pecs, stand on tiptoes, and plant a kiss on his lips. "Thanks for making good time."

"Traffic cooperated," said Ronnie. He popped the trunk and Ellie headed over to grab her "luggage," feeling pathetic with her purse, toothbrush, and sad little ball of clothes.

"I'll get you a bag for those when we get on board," said Riley. "Guess you didn't have time to stop at home."

"Thanks," said Ellie, hitching her shorts.

"Okay! We gotta go! Andale, folks. Storm's-a-brewin'."

Riley led the way to the open door-that-was-also-stairs on the side of the plane. Then she stepped aside and swept her arm imperiously up the stairs for Hannah, who lugged her suitcase up behind her. Ellie expected the same gesture, but instead, Riley stuck out her hand.

"Phone?"

"... I... I'm sorry?"

Riley looked slightly annoyed, but not at Ellie. "Hannaaah," she called in a theatrical, plaintive whine.

At the top of the stairs, Hannah turned around and looked down at the two of them. "Oh... Shit. Sorry." She plodded back down the stairs guiltily, but when she reached the pavement, Hannah gave Riley a look. A moment?

Riley sucked air through her teeth. "Make it quick." And she headed up the stairs alone.

Hannah sighed and looked apologetically at Ellie. "I'm so sorry that I forgot. And I know you're not going to like this. But you have to surrender your phone."

Ellie fidgeted insecurely with her purse strap. "Seriously?"

My ONE security blanket?

"We're going to a confidential location, Ellie. I'm really sorry. We can't risk it. Riley will give your phone back the moment you land back in Phoenix, I promise."

"And if I refuse?"

"Ronnie will take you back to your car."

Ellie shuffled, tugged on her shorts, and realized she probably should have seen this coming.

Whatever. You've come this far.

"One sec."

She took out her phone and texted Kathleen.

"Hey pretty lady whom I love so very very much and will buy you all of the wine and candy for putting up with my bullshit these past two days"

Ellie paused, feeling deeply guilty for how much she was putting on Kathleen. The NDA drifted through her mind, and she realized she needed to be very careful how she finished this text.

I really don't have time to explain myself, but I'm getting on a plane and have to turn my phone off. But I WILL BE BACK AT WORK TOMORROW. If I don't text you by midnight tonight... murder protocol.

So that she wasn't tempted to wait for Kathleen to respond (If I were her I'd be pissed), Ellie immediately turned off her phone. She reluctantly handed it over.

"You'll get it back," said Hannah. "I promise."

Hannah led the way up the stairs. Ellie was careful not to let Hannah's suitcase conk her on the head.

She stooped and entered a small but elegant cabin; Polished wood accents with swirling grain complemented a creamy white-leather interior. LED's lit the cabin with a slowly rotating series of pleasant colors. Riley stood to greet them in front of the flight deck.

"Welcome to EP airlines," chirped Riley in a mock flight attendant voice, "Yourrrrr only airline of choice for joining shadowy organizations. Because our captain, Mister Yeltsin, is too busy with running the Internet and building a bunch of space bullshit, heeee couldn't make it on board today. But he asks me to wish you a pleasant trip..." Riley let the pause hover overlong for comedic effect "...And a safe flight."

Ellie smiled as Hannah gave Riley her phone.

"Every time," said Hannah, rolling her eyes.

"Can't help myself," said Riley. "I got it nice and rehearsed. And the newbies like it; she hasn't heard it before. Hey."

Riley locked eyes with Ellie through her Aviators. She held up Ellie's phone. "Thank you for trusting me with this."

Ellie shrugged and grimaced. "We'll see, I guess."

"You'll get it back later," said Riley. Hannah was now down the cabin, storing her bag in an overhead. "Don't worry."

She handed Ellie a draw-string satin bag, embossed with the brand of the jet (Cessna Citation Longitude), for her paltry belongings.

"Thanks," said Ellie.

"Grab a seat."

Riley hauled the cabin stairs-door closed and... Ka-shunk... locked the bulk head into place. Ellie stooped, working her way down the tight cabin as well. She chose a lounge seat facing Hannah, stowed her wad of clothes into the satin bag, and tossed it onto the seat next to her. "This is nice."

"Extravagant, to be sure," said Hannah, considering the cabin. "But this is one of the fastest jets on the market and our transportation team needs to be able to move quickly."

Through her window, Ellie watched Ronnie get back into his Town Car and drive away.