The Island

There were too many of them, and these were no random tribe pillagers. Unless a miracle occurred -- and by her past track record, that was unlikely- she was in big trouble.

Lux flew through the trees, springing over obstacles, barely aware of the burn in her thighs and the pound of her heart -- she was used to this, it was her forte -- speed, stealth, survival.

She knew the forests of this island, and several others close by, like the back of her hand. Better. You don't need to know the back of your hand to avoid rape, torture and death.

'This time, though, it might be game over..,' the grim little voice of reality in her head muttered.

She slipped behind a tree, hoping to throw them off, instinctively tuning acutely into the forest around her...every snap of a twig...rustle of a leaf...

No fast footfalls.

They had stopped running when she had, so they were close. They were also very, very quiet -- as good as her. Trained. Well practised.

To her left, she felt, rather than heard, the rush of air as he pounced, and she snapped round.

Her arm deflected his, her knee came up to his groin, but he blocked. She was faster; but he was stronger, and one false move would leave her out cold...For a second all her concentration was aimed at this masked attacker, all her training rising up as she blocked and struck... too late, she heard a movement behind her.

Shit.

Almost as soon as she registered the noise, she felt the stinging jab of the hypodermic pierce through her leather suit and embed in her arm.

"Gotcha!" Hissed a voice behind her, as the forest blurred, and her legs gave way beneath her.

***

Her head throbbed. She kept her eyes closed, as noises and sensations slowly filtered into her foggy consciousness. Her wrists hurt...she wriggled one very subtly, and realized it was clamped down with steel, as were her ankles. She was manacled to some hard, flat surface... Her back hurt where her shoulder blades were forced down.

She reined in the panic she automatically felt at being restrained.

'Ok girl, focus. Where are you, who are they...' she thought, survival instinct kicking in.

It was loud...feet pounded above her head, male voices laughed, though she couldn't make out words. The hum of an engine. She could hear her own breathing in the dead space, only hers...

'I'm alone, in the cabin of a speedboat,' she realized suddenly, 'so we're leaving the island.'

That wasn't too surprising, most of the islands were connected by enough water to require a boat if you wanted to cross between them at any speed. She had no idea how long she'd been unconscious though, so she couldn't even guess at the distance -- from the hum of the engine they were going at some speed, so she supposed they were traveling some way. Not one of the local islands. Probably further than she'd ever been in her life.

'None of this helps you much though...' The little grim mental voice chipped in, 'except the speed boat means money. And there's only really one tribe you know of with enough money, who might send out men who can fight with that stealth and agility...'

She shuddered. The Panthera.

She supposed they were bound to get hold of her eventually, since their men seemed to be roaming a greater area on the islands than ever...She just hoped they hadn't clocked the tattoo.

'As long as they haven't,' she thought, 'I'm not instantly dead. Which is a start.'

The clank of the cabin door being opened, followed by footsteps on the stairs, interrupted her thoughts. She opted for 'playing dead' and kept her breathing regular and heavy. If they didn't suspect she'd come round, they might let something slip...

Someone sat down heavily on a bench to her right, another followed suit to her left. Presuming a man was still steering the boat, three altogether then?

The one to her left let out a low whistle. "Well man, looks like a productive night to me...this has got to be the best we've caught yet, right?"

The second guy chuckled. "Yep, she's a stunner. Should make them happy back at the city."

Lux groaned internally. Great, a trip to the Panthera city...heart of the frying pan.

Guy number one was moving, she felt his knees hit the floor to her side. Suddenly, she felt the zip of her leather suit being pulled.

Shit.

"Whoa, watch how you go, you know she's probably set for higher circle..." The second guy started, though he sounded more amused than worried.

Guy number one had her suit unzipped to below her navel. She wore nothing under the leather, it was fairly rigid and very streamlined -- there was no point. That was one reason...also, her way of life left little room or opportunity for high fashion and silk lingerie.

Lux fought to stay relaxed...oh, how she'd like to kick these guy's asses straight to hell. No chance trussed up like this though... She reminded herself that she was less fun to them unconscious, and prayed they just wanted a good perv. She could deal with that.

'You can, and have, dealt with much more than that...'her inner voice reminded her. She was hoping she wasn't going to have to relive any of her fun past, but this was dangerous territory. She also had no idea what the 'higher circle' was, but she knew how the Panthera worked -- and it wasn't in women's favour.

She felt cool air hit her breasts, and her traitorous nipples tighten in response. Guy number one groaned.

"Look at that man....She gets better and better...."

Guy number two started to sound a bit stressed.

"Jarel, if you're going to screw her, at least blindfold her first...It wasn't a high dose of sedative, and you sure as hell don't want this one recognising you later..."

Lux grinned inwardly. Jarel, eh? One to chalk up on her mental blackboard of people to pay back.

Guy number one snorted. "Like anyone would haul me up for it. King himself would rape her ass if he were me, I reckon..."

"Sure, he wouldn't give a shit... unless he personally takes a shine to her, in which case you'd be a dead man. Slow and painful. As for Prince F...." Guy two muttered, ominously.

Guy one sighed and Lux tried to stifle the huge breath she released as she felt her zip being tugged back up.

"Jesus, you sure know how to suck the fun out of a good hunt,' Grumbled guy one as he moved back to his seat. "Prince Felis frankly scares the shit out of me. I mean, at the ceremony when he joined the court, I swear the guy looked bored. The biggest fucking privilege there is, the only time he gets to touch the King's own first consort, and he looks like he couldn't give a toss."

Number two mumbled agreement.

"I mean...Would you look bored if Lara was sucking you off? The hottest, most untouchable girl in the city? Public ritual or not, don't think I would. And other times, the guy looks like he wants to rip heads off. Swear I've seen the King himself look scared of him..." Jarel continued ranting.

The noise of the engine dropped to a lower tone. They were pulling up to land.

"Christ Jarel, shut up. We're there," guy two hissed.

The engine died and more footsteps approached into the cabin. A new voice speaking in lowered tones broke the silence.

"She still out? Lucky. Have you cleaned her up? This one might go high..."

"We didn't fucking touch her. No cleaning needed." Jarel retorted shirtily.

Lux felt a little nauseous, wondering how many of the girls they brought over needed 'cleaning up'. She didn't know why she was lucky, but this 'higher circle' business was clearly in her favour...for now.

Her head was being lifted, and she felt fabric slide over her face. She was being blindfolded. With a clank, the manacles were released, but something metal still bound her wrists and ankles together. She was swung suddenly over a solid shoulder, momentarily winding her, and she bit her lip so as not to cry out.

The feet below were pounding on planking. A jetty? Then they were muffled. The blood ran to her head and pounded in her ears, and she lost count of the steps below her.

Finally, there was a swishing sound, and they must have entered an enclosed space, because the steps reverberated around them with an echo.

"Nice work guys. I'll go summon the Doctor, she'll need the entrance checks," one guy said -- she thought number three. Then there was another swish, then only two sets of footsteps proceeded.

Finally, another swish -- doors? -- and they changed direction. Several more pauses and swishes -- definitely doors -- and guy two spoke up.

"Drop her on the table; he'll be on his way. I'm bloody starving."

She was unceremoniously swung limply down from the shoulder and her backside hit cold metal. The rest of her followed, and the guy carrying her -- must be Jared, she thought -- leaned in. She felt a warm hand briefly squeeze her breast.

"See you later sweetheart.." He breathed into her ear hotly.

The temptation to bring her cuffed fists up to where she guessed his face was was overwhelming, but sense told her she'd get nowhere for it. The footsteps moved away and were muffled behind another swish.

***

The chill of the table was eating into her bones by the time she heard more footsteps approach. She couldn't distinguish between these and the last ones. Her bladder was uncomfortably full now, and she squirmed a little.

The footsteps got to her side then stopped.

"Sorry for the wait." Said a male voice above her, conversationally, as if it were perfectly natural that she was handcuffed and lying on a metal table. "I have to perform a few medical checks on you."

Lux repressed the urge to laugh out loud. For the first time in hours, she spoke, her low musical voice dripping with derision. "Oh, go ahead, please - don't let me stop you."

The man she supposed must be the Doctor went on as though she hadn't spoken. "I would normally untie you, but I hear you're quite the fighter. So I'll be working around the cuffs. I imagine you need to relieve yourself, so a maid will help you when I'm done. I'd appreciate it if you refrain from struggling, it won't stop me, just prolong everything."

Lux said nothing. At least she couldn't argue with the part about relieving herself, it was starting to hurt.

"What's your name."

"Lux." She replied. It wasn't her birth name. He could have it. She heard the scratch of pen on paper.

"Sir name?" he questioned.

"None." It was a fair enough answer, there were plenty of tribes and rebels on the islands who didn't use one -- and she hadn't used hers for years.

She heard him stepping round the table. Suddenly she felt hands at the zip of her suit. Christ, not again. He pulled the zip down quickly, right down to where it passed between her legs, and carried on. Lux clenched her teeth, at least he seemed to be being detached and professional... Cold hands brushed her skin as the suit was peeled back from her shoulders and down the tops of her arms.

Her entire naked front exposed, Lux detached her mind from her own sense of humiliation and stared into space beneath the blindfold. She still wasn't sure if not being able to see the man staring at you was better or worse.

There was a clink as the Doctor picked something up. Suddenly, another sharp, cold pain hit the muscle of her right upper arm. What am I, a pincushion? Lux thought, as the second hypodermic of the evening dispensed a cold, stinging liquid. She waited for drowsiness to hit her, but nothing happened.

What then? She wondered. Vaccinating her against some disease? Only these guys could afford to vaccinate everyone they kidnapped...

Her attention was grabbed back as the Doctor moved toward her feet, and she suddenly felt cold fingers, encased in what felt like rubber, parting the folds of her pussy. She sucked a sharp breath in between her teeth.

But the touch was still clinical. One gloved hand pushed her knees further apart, and she heard the sound of something else being picked up.

Suddenly, something cold and hard and relatively wide pressed against her opening. With a twist, it thrust inside her, widened, and she suppressed a gasp at the discomfort. The doctor's hand left her folds, and she felt something push deep up inside her channel. A swab, she thought. They're testing I'm clean.

For a second she was relived, then she realised it was only confirming her fears about the reasons for her presence in the city.

'Well, at least you get a free-- in some respects, at least - health check out of it...' she thought grimly. Hadn't had one of those since...well, since the Panthera rendered her brutally alone. For the second time.They certainly owed her.

Finally, the speculum was removed, and after yet again attacking her arm with a needle, this time for longer -- to take blood, she guessed... he zipped her suit back up. Lux breathed out.

"Right, I'll take you to a maid who will help you from here. I'm afraid you'll be in a clinical isolation cell tonight until the tests come back, not the most comfortable, but that's protocol."

Lux was about to retort about the quality of hospitality so far, but at that moment she was lifted bodily from the table. 'Looks like even the Panthera science buffs have muscle...'she thought with a sigh.

Two sets of doors and a corridor - from what she could determine -- later, and Lux was deposited on a chair. She heard the doctor's steps retreating as a new set of footsteps approached, softer and accompanied by a swish that she guessed were skirts.

"I'll help you to your room," a softer, female voice beside her broke the silence "Do you need to relieve yourself first?" "Yes," Lux replied curtly. She was too desperate and fed up to even feel humiliated by the loss of dignity as the maid had to help her use the toilet, blindfolded and bound as she was.

The maid released her legs to allow her to walk, but Lux knew there would be little point in trying to fight or escape. Even if she managed to unbind her wrists, she doubted she had a chance of getting out of the building before the Panthera muscle descended and caught her ass.

The maid remained silent for their short walk. Finally, Lux heard a series of electronic bleeps, and a swish -- they clearly took security seriously around here -- and the maid led her into a small space, to what felt like a low, hard bed. The blindfold was good at obscuring most light, but she could tell the light level had dropped to a dim glow.

"I know it's not the most comfortable, and I'm sorry I can't let you see..." she almost echoed the doctor as she leaned over Lux, reaching for something that made a metallic rattle, "...but it's not for very long. Just until morning. Once they've checked you out, you'll find out how wonderful it can be here."

She sounded genuinely enthusiastic, and again Lux resisted the urge to laugh. Do they brainwash the women here? She didn't think 'wonderful' was a description she would ever use for the Panthera lair, no matter what lay behind more of those automatic doors.

The pinch of yet more steel, around each ankle, broke her train of thought. Another two were added to her wrists. How many chains were necessary?

At that moment though, the manacles binding her wrists together in front of her were released. She was now chained to the corners of the bed by each arm and leg, but at least she could move enough that her limbs would not go dead. Sadly, she still couldn't raise her arms enough to remove the blindfold.

"There now, I hope you get some sleep. Tomorrow things will get easier. Goodnight." The lady with the skirts moved away from her, and Lux head her punch in the code for the door to leave.

Suddenly Lux felt an unfamiliar and unwelcome twinge of fear. She was tough, but completely alone and vulnerable, not to mention in waaay over her head. She felt strangely grateful to this one person who had at least treated her decently and appeared to give a shit...

"Hey -- thanks..." She called, and the swish of skirts paused in response, "...thanks for treating me with some decency." She added, in a low voice. The swish of skirts came towards her a few steps.

"You're welcome," The girl replied warmly. Lux guessed from her light voice she couldn't be much older than her early twenties at the most. "As I said, it will get easier. They do respect us here, we have an important role. But they have to be careful at first, with newcomers - its dangerous out there -- I guess you probably know." She paused thoughtfully.

"Respect who.., women?" Lux retorted cynically. "I was under the impression that the Panthera enslaved women. I find it hard to see where respect comes in to that..."

"Oh no," The girl interrupted her, "It's not like that. At least, It may seem like that now, but you've not seen how it works. It's beautiful here. It's secure, and we are looked after. We help to keep the balance, and the peace -- it's a city of pleasure, but it has rules and structure." The girl stopped her enthusing abruptly, as if aware she should not be discussing any more with a prisoner.

"Were you born here?" Lux prompted, trying to uncover more information.

"I really shouldn't be talking to you like this until you are released. But I'm sure you will be. No, I was not born here. Many are, but some -- girls especially -- are still brought in from outside, like yourself. I was also brought in, many years ago... I must go now. Goodnight." With that, she turned and the code was re-entered followed by the swish of the door.

Lux followed the sound of the girl's steps down the corridor, before the closing door cut them off.

Well, that was interesting, she mused. She had always known the Panthera were powerful, but she was starting to think she had no appreciation of how powerful. Most of the other tribes on the island were gone now, but even the most advanced, the ones who managed to gain some technology, looked primitive compared to the set up on this island. And that was just what she'd learnt so far...blind folded and in the medical entrance process. God knows what tomorrow would show her.

Lux felt oddly intrigued at the thought... The Panthera may be her enemy, but the idea that anyone could create order from the chaos of the islands, and command enslaved women, stolen from their homes, to love them -- well, credit where it's due, that was no small feat. It would be interesting to observe.

She was exhausted, but there was too much to process. What to do now.

She had been dying for a chance to get revenge on the Panthera since she was seven years old. Becoming their captive had never been part of the plan -- but now she was here, it struck her that it may be the only way to infiltrate the city at all. Perhaps this could be seen as an opportunity.

Which left one option - to comply with their wishes.

Lux grimaced. She didn't know if she was that good an actress...She had no idea what was in store for her, but she was not accustomed to serving men. This was clearly going to be the test of her life, but if she managed to create waves, to take down anyone or thing important to these bastards, it was worth it -- worth dying for.

It really was all she was living for, anyway.

Plus...she mused....there were a couple of evil bastards in here or her mental 'payback blackboard' who had been living the highlife for far too long. 'Just call me karma,' she grinned to herself.

She spent the next hour imagining the brutal methods of payback she would dispense to the men who had haunted her for years.

*** Time was passing very slowly. She still couldn't sleep, she wasn't used to letting sleep win when she felt this vulnerable. She was still running through plans and scenarios when she heard approaching footsteps in the corridor.

No swish of skirts, and this step was heavier.

She was instantly on guard. She told herself to calm down -- this corridor could lead anywhere, they could be going to any number of places -- and she was behind a locked door. Which might count for something.