A firm hand gripped November by the arm and she was led through the spacious Santiago Complex in silence. She expected the man's home to be among the more lavish and extravagant residences on the Jovis V station, but this meant nothing to her now. Once she'd been a spy, a top-notch intelligence officer, unflappable, ready for anything, always prepared. Now she was a slave. Her new owner had wished her eyes removed and removed they had been, replaced with unseeing balls of glass. Now November walked in the dark, lost without her guide, her warden.
They stopped. November heard an electric door in front of them, then there was breathing and walking, the shuffling of fabric, the signs of life, of people. She was shoved carelessly and the hand let go. Alone in the blackness, she stumbled, greeted by the smell of wood and perfume.
'New girl,' explained the warden.
The electrical door buzzed once more and the man's calm, controlled breathing was gone from November's world.
'Hello?' she staggered forwards, hands stretched out in front of her.
Fingers brushed up against her shoulder and she whirled around.
'Whoa calm down,' a female voice said and pulled back her hand.
'Is she jumpy?' another voice, higher, more youthful.
'What's your name, new girl?' asked the first voice.
November thought about her names. She thought about her cover, Ada the farm girl, and about her codename, 0X11 November, she thought about her captor, Irene, the slaver and about her partner, Bravo. Irene had given her a single, tiny chance and it would take everything in her arsenal to make use of it, it would take a master spy, a ruthless infiltrator.
'I'm November,' she said.
'Nice meeting you, November, I'm Coleen,' her hand was on November's shoulder again, felt its way down to her hand before grasping it.
'Y-you're blind?' November realised.
'And so are you, I expect,' she said calmly.
'Yes...'
'Don't worry,' Coleen laughed. 'You'll find it is quite common around here.'
'Yup,' the second voice chimed in. 'I'm Sady, blind as a bat.'
'Ah... hello,' November hesitated. 'Around here?'
'Do you know where you are?' asked Coleen.'
November listened. Absolutely anybody could be watching at all times and she had no way of knowing, not ever.
'Master's home,' she said.
'That's right. Sady and I are slaves just like you, these are our quarters. You can move freely here, you know, once you've gotten used to getting around without your eyes. Let me show you around.'
'What?'
She pulled her by the arm through the room. November thought the floors had to be carpeted from their muffled steps and judging by how far they walked, it was a large room with a lot of empty space. Coleen stopped in front of tables and chairs and, guiding November's hand, let her feel the furniture one piece after another. They did the same with cupboards, wardrobes and an enormous metal-frame bed.
'One bed?' November asked.
'Yeah, don't worry, it's plenty big, even if it's three of us now.'
The quarters were all one room except for the bath, which was separated by a second mechanical door. Unlike the entrance, this one opened as soon as they approached. November didn't have to ask about the entrance. It was going to remain closed unless the master wanted it open.
The bath was spacious as well and a strong flowery scent wafted over her as she entered. The sink and shower seemed ordinary enough, though the bathtub was huge and little jets lined the smooth porcelain. A strange sensation came over November as she envisaged living together with these women.
'How long have you two lived here?'
They were sat around the table, November's head still spinning with all the discoveries she'd made. Gathering information was everything now, though being unable to keep any sort of record was frustrating.
'Hard to say, we don't have watches or calendars or anything,' Coleen explained. 'I'm here longer than Sady, though. You tried to keep count, didn't you, Sady.'
'I gave up after about a month. Time doesn't matter so much, here. Master doesn't really schedule his visits.'
'He always comes here? I mean, he doesn't take us anywhere else?'
'Sometimes he does, has one of his employees escort us somewhere, even out of the apartment. He brought me to the casino once,' there was pride in Sady's voice, November thought.
'Rarely,' said Coleen. 'He prefers us in here, I think.'
They were interrupted by one of Santiago's men, an employee as the slaves called them. Coleen quickly shushed and neither she nor Sady said a word.
'Got your dinner,' was all the man said.
For a few minutes, the room was filled with the clinking and clanking of cutlery and plates, of glasses and beakers. The slaves waited patiently and quietly until everything was set up and didn't touch their food until they heard the doors again.
'We don't eat or talk in the presence of our betters unless they tell us otherwise,' Coleen said afterward.
November groped for her cutlery but decided to inspect her food first. She was starving, but at the same time suspicious. With her fingers, she felt salad leaves, sweetcorn, cucumber and tomatoes. There was dry meat, smelling like chicken or turkey, and a single slice of bread. With no dressing or sauce, it was an uninspired meal at best. To drink, they had water and Coleen rather impressively poured it from a beaker, seemingly spilling nothing. November had been a strong, hefty woman of, as she saw it, not inconsiderable substance. She was used to a protein heavy menu and was in no way looking forward to wasting away on a supermodel's lackluster diet. It was just one more reason to leave this place behind as soon as possible.
The slaves seemed well cared for and the employees didn't just come and go at mealtimes. They brought fresh towels, changed their bedding, provided clothing and took away dirty laundry all at regular, predictable intervals. With so many things done for her, November could focus on what was important. She had to become better at doing things blind or there was no way she could enact any sort of plan. Every day she practised just by going through a routine, and every day she realised anew that she wasn't going to master this new existence overnight. Though she put on a confident facade, she struggled everywhere. She fumbled and dropped things, spilled water and had jabbed herself in the cheek with her toothbrush. It was only with the constant help of the other girls that she managed at all and even they could not alleviate the permanent tension that had her constantly strung like a bow.
November wasn't used to being this uncertain of everything. Being blind was as though the entire world had suddenly gained an impossible advantage on her, a magical power of gaining information that she lacked. She didn't know, couldn't possibly ever know who was around her at any given time, had still no idea if there were cameras in their room, not to mention if anyone had discovered her secret. Showering was the worst. Suddenly she was without sight and without hearing. Every few seconds, she was forced to stop the water and listened with her back to the wall, knowing full well she wouldn't hear a thing, nor even recognise the sound in time, even if danger approached.
She hadn't dared to move Irene's blade and kept it clenched firmly between her bottom cheeks at all times. She didn't trust the girls or the walls. Whenever she went to the lavatory, she made sure to be as discreet as possible, hiding the little knife under her palm and then her thigh until she could put it safely back in place.
