Susan woke with a start at the sound of the door opening. She hadn't even realized that she had fallen asleep and struggled to consciousness as light filled the room. She squinted and saw a silhouette in the door, then heard the clipped voice of 12 and the rattle of plastic on concrete. "Here is your breakfast, eat quickly as you have a long day ahead of you."
The door closed and Susan sat up on the bed, stretching the kinks out of her stiff body. She looked down at the tattered remnants of the costume she had worn since yesterday and quickly stripped out of it. Being naked was better than wearing that mockery of a uniform she had decided. She looked at the tray sitting on the floor, a bowl of what looked like oatmeal, a plastic cup of juice and a pill in a paper cup. She devoured the food, it was cold but she didn't care. She hadn't eaten since before she met Veronica at the bar, how long ago was that she wondered? It seemed like weeks but she figured it was only about 2 days. She drank the orange juice, then filled the cup with water from her sink and drank three more glasses to slake her thirst. She was considering the pill when the door opened again. 10 stood there, with 14 standing behind her with a small cart.
Susan moved to the center of the room and knelt on the floor, 10 nodded in approval and looked around. Her eyes spotted the pill, still in its cup. She moved into the room and bent down to pick it up, then popped it in her mouth swallowing it dry.
"It is just a multi vitamin." she said. "Until you earn the privilege of better food, you will need them. I will have another sent with your next meal and you will take it."
She stepped aside to allow 14 to roll the cart in. Susan noticed it was a wheeled vanity covered with various cosmetics and brushes with a mirror and light attached. 14 gestured to the bed and Susan moved to sit down while the petite Asian woman maneuvered the cart beside her. Susan considered grabbing the cart and throwing it at her captors, but 10 must have read her intentions and raised her hand, displaying the remote.
"Anything that happens to you, happens to her." She reminded Susan in a business like tone. Susan nodded and relaxed onto the bed. 10 continued "Your performance yesterday was sufficient for Mistress One, but barely. You have potential but are untrained in almost all aspects of womanhood."
Susan stifled a snort of laughter. "Lady, you don't know the half of it" she thought to herself. Her mother had tried, but after her father died, Susan was totally focused on becoming a cop. Veronica had helped somewhat, but Susan had no interest in looking good for the sake of looking good and any outfit that couldn't be used in a gym or dojo was pointless to her.
"14 will teach you how to properly prepare yourself for various tasks you may be assigned. When she is satisfied with your progress you will move on to the next stage of your training." 10 fixed her with a stern look "Do not attempt to stall, or act stupid. I have paid once for your petty stubbornness; I do not intend to pay again. Understood?"
Susan nodded and 10 moved to a corner to lean against the wall. The small Asian woman touched Susan's chin, turning her face toward the mirror. Damn, she looked rough as she saw herself, good luck girl Susan thought.
By the time they were done, Susan's face was raw and sore from the repeated washing and applying of make up, but she had to admit that she was getting the hang of it. She still couldn't get that stupid eyeliner swoosh thing on her left eye, but the rest seemed pretty simple. She looked in the mirror and the face of a beautiful, seductive woman looked back at her. Here brown eyes looked huge after the proper application of mascara, eyeliner and eye shadow. Her cheeks were totally re-shaped with blush and concealer to make her face more angled and elegant. Her lips were fuller and lusher than she ever thought possible, damn she thought, she wanted to fuck her. "Just pretend you are undercover, and this is a disguise," she thought to herself. "Remember, this isn't who you are. You are Susan O'Connell, LAPD Officer and you are going to bring them all down."
10 moved from the wall where she had remained motionless throughout the entire ordeal. Like a shadow in a shadow, she had watched silently. Susan was impressed, and concerned with her discipline. "Excellent work 14" 10 commented and the Asian woman bowed her head, cheeks flushing with the compliment. 14 gathered her equipment and wheeled the cart out of the cell. Susan had considered trying to sneak one of the brushes but they were the same as the previous kit and would have been useless as a weapon anyway.
As 14 left, 12 entered the room with the clicking of stiletto high heels. Susan watched as the statuesque Russian woman swayed and flowed through the door and stopped to stand in front of her. She tossed a pair of shoes on Susan's lap and Susan groaned as she recognized the ones she had worn last night.
"You clomp around like a drunken circus bear" 12 said in a disgusted Russian accent. "All of the make up in the world cannot hide that you are an uncultured korova, pretending to be a woman. Put them on and stand up, your training on how to walk properly begins now."
Susan slipped on the shoes and stood, awkwardly trying to match 12's fluid grace. 12 snorted "we will begin with the basics." She said, and reached out to place a large book on Susan's head and waived her to the door. "You will walk up and down the hall until you can do it without dropping the book."
"No sweat" Susan thought. "If I can manage Tai Chi, I can manage this." But she barely got to the cell door before the book fell to the floor. "Shit" she said, then screamed in pain as the collar sent the now familiar shocks through her body. Just as she started to collapse to the floor, the pain stopped and gasping, she braced herself against the door frame.
"This is not some finishing school, or sleep over where you are sharing beauty secrets you read in a magazine." 10 growled. "Just because you have made progress do not think that you are free from punishment. You will take this seriously, all of it, or we will visit your friend again."
Susan pushed herself up and steadied herself on her feet. She turned to 10 "I am sorry, it won't happen again. I won't disappoint you." She said in a firm tone. "At least not until I can be sure to get Veronica and I out of here" she thought to herself.
10 nodded and gestured to the book. "Good, because she is counting on you."
Susan squatted down and picked up the book, glancing at the title. "The Story of O?" she muttered. Then rose to balance it on her head.