Irina slowly came to from the stupor the knockout drugs had sunk her into.
The room slowly came into focus, some kind of automated medical suite, white and sterile.
Her mind was suddenly jolted into full consciousness, as panic rushed through her body.
She was immobilized.
Her body was strapped to an operating bot, suspended vertically over the floor.
The frame was locked around every bit of her body, making movement impossible save for her eyes, fingers and toes.
She strained against the frame desperately, putting everything into it, but to no avail.
Despite having a toned body that many would kill for, thanks to the best health treatments and gene therapies her high status could afford, she had no strength or combat enhancements.
Though she was unsure if even that would have worked.
A very dull ache emanated from the area around her abdomen, and she could feel the telltale signs of cybernetics she was not accustomed to inside her. Did they operate on her while she was out? She lashed against her bonds in panic again.
After a few moments she stopped struggling, realizing it was sadly pointless, and her blue eyes darted across the room, looking for some way to escape or signs of her captor.
She didn't have to wait long, since suddenly the door to the suite slid open, and a man walked into the room.
It was the runner that had knocked her out last time she was conscious.
He had shoulder long hair that had been dyed purple, and wore an open sleeveless jacket that exposed his chest together with combat trousers and military boots.
It was obvious from his exposed tanned skin that he was cybered-up to the gills with enhancements; the seams of such implants were visible on his arms, chest, and even abdomen.
A pair of combat grade cyber-eyes locked with her as a smirk was drawn on her captor's face. Their eerie red glow gives her chills.
"Who the fuck are you!? What's going on?!" Irina screamed at him.
The man grinned and inched closer.
"Oh, this is precious! Who does it feel when the shoe is on the other foot, bitch?" he said with complete disdain.
Irina grunted in a mix of rage and panic.
"What the fuck are you talking about?!" she screamed.
He laughed and fiddled with his datapad, looking for something.
After finding what he was after, he turned the screen around to show her a video with a line of machines like the one she was strapped to, the people attached to them gagged as the autosurgeons did invasive work on them.
Some were still conscious, and obviously horrified by what was going on before the autosurgeon administered extra anaesthetic.
"That's fucking revolting! Why are you showing me that?!" Irina said, using her best fake face of outrage, given her situation.
The man slapped her in frustration.
"Cut the crap, bitch," he said, obviously restraining himself from doing something even worse, "we found the documents, the pictures, the whole operation. Even published it in the matrix, everyone knows now."
Irina's face went pale.
"You lie!" her panic made her slip.
The man searched for something else on his datapad and flipped it around for her.
It was her CEO in an interview, he was discussing how this whole cyber-slavery operation had been done behind his back, and it was outrageous. He then explained in detail how their private security teams would catch and "deal" with those responsible.
Scumbag, she thought; he had been perfectly happy with her idea and the business growth it had generated while it was secret.
"That's fake," she said, "a fabrication to blackmail me!"
His captor scoffed at her.
"Think what you want, bitch," he said, "we know you came up with the idea and oversaw the whole program. Your boss is a scumbag too, but we can't get to him... yet."
Overconfident punk, she thought, but he was right about one thing, she was at his mercy.
"What do you want from me, you fucking drek?" she said with poison on her beautifully sculpted lips.
He grinned again.
"The evil witch finally shows her true face under that fake angelic mask you wear," he grabbed her by her silky and long blonde hair, forcing her gaze onto his.
"Killing you would be a kindness," he said, "some of the people you converted were my friends."
"And that's why I'm going to give you a taste of your own medicine."
What he was going to do finally dawned on her.
"No... NO!" she screamed, panic fully taking control of her.
"Oh, yes," he said with an evil smile.
"Already took the opportunity to remove all your guts and fit you with some custom sex-doll cybernetics," his smirk grew wider, "now everything below your ribcage is a playground."
So that's why her abdomen ached, he had used some of her custom designs, removing all her guts and stomach, changing it with hyperefficient cybernetics.
She lashed again against her restraints.
"No, please! I can tell you how to reverse the process!" she desperately bargained with him.
He raised his fist in anger, but stopped himself before lashing out.
"We know the process is irreversible, bitch! You even made sure of it!" he said, almost crushing his datapad in his hand.
"No, there is a way, with a backdoor I left just in case!" she kept her panicked face but inside she was smiling, these fools always had such a weak spot.
However, to her shock, he slapped her again.
"We went through your source code! Your head psychosurgeon spilled the beans and gave us everything, there is no backdoor, you psycho, you don't even know how to code it!"
"Besides, we found a loophole," he said.
Irina's eyes widened.
"Oh, you weren't expecting that, you manipulative bitch?" he said with satisfaction, "we issued the victims with orders that mostly reverted them to their previous selves, but they will be messed up for life."
"And I made sure you won't get the same loophole."
"Once I'm done with you, I will destroy the whole program and implant plans, your whole sick operation dies with you," he said pointing a finger at her.
Irina swelled with barely contained fury.
"Then why am I still here, you piece of shit! What do you want from me?!" she screamed.
His cybernetic red eyes fixated on her for a second, his face devoid of emotion.
"I want you to suffer before I use your tech to end you," he said in a dead and monotone voice, "I want you to feel at least a fraction of the suffering you caused before you're gone."
Irina screamed in rage and fear, lashing out against her restraints again.
The man flicked a switch and an electric shock made her go limp.
