Editor's note: this work contains scenes of fictional rough, reluctant, dubiously consensual, consensually non-consensual (CNC), or non-consensual sex or scenarios.
*****
Pennie jumped when the holding cell door slammed shut. Knowing that it could all end with a word or gesture didn't make the sudden and complete lack of freedom any easier. The more primitive parts of her brain screamed out in terror. A deep, troubling thought was forming out of pure instinct: run, fight, hide, or die!
Instead, Pennie did her best to focus on the silence and the present peace at hand.
She'd only seen a little of the PNS Colony so far, and there were no clocks anywhere, no real windows showing the outside world. Just an institutional blandness that left her feeling isolated and unmoored.
"What am I doing here?" she whispered to herself. "Oh, yeah. One Million Dollars."
Pennie sat with her bare feet up on the bunk, which was just a slab of industrial foam with a green vinyl cover. It gave very little cushion against the metal shelf it sat on. There was a seatless stainless steel toilet and matching sink, concrete floor and ceiling, and cinderblock walls painted a dull color that was not gray or tan but somehow both. All that was left was a steady stream of white light through the windows that were far out of reach near the ceiling. She was certain that they looked out on nothing but bulbs that were chosen to best mimic daylight, no matter the time of day. Nothing else. Charming.
It could have been minutes or hours after the door closed that the food slot opened, and a commanding voice was finally heard.
"Inmate 93NN1E Disrobe completely and pass the garments through the slot. Quickly, now."
Compliance, submission, and obedience equals survival. Easy, right?
The orange prison jumpsuit came off with a long zip, a shrug of the shoulders, and a couple of easy steps out of the legs. Her prison issued underwear was next, just simple garments: the panties were gray, slightly baggy, and thin. The gray tank top had no support whatever but did keep her nipples from rubbing on the rough fabric of the jumpsuit the wrong way. She folded everything up neatly and shoved it through the meal slot.
Pennie sat back down on the bunk to wait. Waiting at the PNS Colony was going to be her best friend and worst enemy, so she got to getting to know it better.
What is it people say when they're complaining about how every day at the office feels the same? Time is a flat circle.
Pennie never knew what they meant until she was put into the holding cell. The short, flat circle of time she was on would soon be broken by a guard taking her to an unknown fate.
At least there was that.
She finally heard fate approaching in the form of boots squeaking against the polished concrete floor outside, along with the sound of something heavy rolling on wobbly wheels.
The cell door opened outward. She supposed that was so that the inmate couldn't brace it shut, making it easy to enter whenever necessary.
A young woman in a Colony guard uniform pushed in flat rolling cart that was like something you'd see at Sam's Club ahead of her. The word 'contraption' sprung to mind when Pennie examined the metal structure welded to the center of the cart.
Pennie hugged her knees close to her chest, sitting as far back against the wall as the narrow bunk would allow.
"Hello, Inmate 93NN1E. I'm Officer Doreen. If you follow my instructions carefully the first time, every time, I'm sure we'll get along fine. Speak only when you are spoken to, and keep your answers to one or two words only, understand?"
"Yes, mam."
"Very good."
Officer Doreen was taller than Pennie, her sturdy frame hidden and nearly formless under the uniform, a stark contrast to her fresh young face. A tiny bit of blonde hair was visible under her flat service cap, and there was a light spray of freckles across her nose and cheeks. She also had a bright smile, a weird thing to see in such a grim context.
"This is your first time being transported, right?"
"Yes, mam."
Her trip through processing where she turned over every stitch of her civilian clothes, given a quick once-over from a nurse, and ordered to dress in the inmate uniform was as fast as it was forgettable. From there she was walked by a guard down one short hallway from processing to the holding cell. Easy.
"You should understand that if you make my job difficult in any way, I am authorized to use coercion devices and methods if necessary."
She had assumed this from the moment she arrived at the Colony, but Officer Doreen was the first person to say more than three words in a row to her. Pennie felt all the blood drain from her face and her mouth drop open from the explicit threat.
Pennie noted that Officer Doreen had just two things on her utility belt: a bunch of long black zip-ties and a short club. The club didn't seem that sturdy, but it did have a couple of small silver pins sticking out the end of it. There seemed to be things stuffed into the cargo pockets of her pants, but Pennie had little interest in speculating what might be in there.
The guard must have sensed Pennie sizing her up.
"Nothing to worry about, as long as you comply, right?"
"Yes, mam."
"You should be excited. I just started here a couple of months back and I have never seen an inmate get transported on the Archer Seat."
Pennie gulped.
"Stand up, let me get a look at you."
She slid off the bunk, her cold, sweaty skin squeaking across the cheap vinyl. Her legs felt wobbly, like she was fresh off a crazy rollercoaster.
"Stand up straight, chest out. Lace your fingers behind your head and spread your legs apart."
She took a deep breath and obeyed. Her teeth were chattering, out of control, and there was an uneasy shudder deep in her chest.
"Goodness, inmate, you are gorgeous! Your hair is beautiful; so black it's almost blue, and so long too. Did you braid it yourself?"
Pennie gave the guard a nod and a half-hearted smile. She expected a lot, but compliments hadn't ever been on the list.
"And you have the cutest little smile, too. No ink or piercings, recently waxed, very nice. Everyone is just going to eat you up."
Pennie groaned, unable respond.
"Not literally, beautiful," the guard chuckled. "I mean, all the guards and interrogators are just going to love you."