_
			DAMSELS UNDER GLASS: THE SERIES
			Anne's Story — by Van Chapter 8

On the screen before Anne was a scene straight out of the so-called Golden Age of Science Fiction.  Everything was glass or polished metal, in shapes decidedly Art Deco.  Banks of instruments were everywhere, with countless buttons, levers, and old fashioned dials glowing in lurid shades of green, amber, and ruby red.  A quiet chorus of randomly modulated hums and buzzes competed with intermittent beeps, bongs, and chirps. It's like one of the old Flash Gordon movie serials, Anne mused, only in color... with unlimited budget.

In the background, behind towering machinery of unknown purpose, Anne could see sloped and curving steel bulkheads and a large glass window, providing an excellent view of a slowly rotating star field. It's a spaceship, Anne surmised, the inside of a huge spaceship.

In the foreground there were two figures, both of which Anne recognized.

The first had the features of the Forest Amazon who had comforted Anne the night before.  Anne surmised this was a visage often adopted by Eve, but this time Eve was certainly not a Forest Amazon.  For starters, her skin was a pale blue, and her hair was silver, with white highlights.  In addition, her costume was a very skimpy bikini of chrome steel, thigh-length, black leather boots, and a rakish belt that holstered what could only be called a ray gun.  A steel hair band, chrome bracers on both wrists, and coiled bracelets on her upper arms completed the ensemble.  Anne also noticed that "Blue Eve's" eyes were a deep, dark, red.

The second figure was Jodi, and she was not a happy camper.  Nude, she was spread-eagled on her back, supported at table height by wide, steel clamps on vertical steel pistons: one narrow saddle and clamp at the small of her back; one at each wrist and ankle; and one attached to a pair of steel bands encircling her head.  One band clamped her forehead, and the other incorporated a large, mouth-filling gag.  A thin, rubber tube was attached to the front of the gag and stretched upwards and out of sight.

Jodi was stretched taut and nearly immobile, muscles corded, nearly flattened breasts and ribcage heaving with every breath, nipples erect and pointing, skin slick and shining with sweat, her exposed and displayed sex swollen and glistening, her honey-blonde hair hanging damp and tangled.

Despite herself, Anne started when she felt Elke's hand touch her shoulder.  "Remember," Elke said quietly, "this is Virtual Reality.  Scenarios of this sort are never as severe as they appear.  Jodi's actually lying in a sensor frame in one of the R&D labs.  She is stretched in more or less the position you see her, but nowhere near as stringently."

"She's not comfortable," Margo purred, "but I learned long ago that if I actually rack my employees, TESSERACT's health insurance rates go through the roof."

Anne turned and stared at Margo.

"She's kidding," Elke whispered.

"I knew that," Anne said, quietly blushing, then turned back to the screen.

Jodi's wide, anxious eyes followed Blue Eve's every move as she made a series of adjustments to the dials and levers on the pedestal console before her.  The blue alien then locked eyes with Jodi, and slowly pulled a large lever with a glowing, red handle.  A football-sized metal object, shaped like a large, chrome flower bud on a prehensile stalk, elevated into view between Jodi's splayed legs.  Next, the bud split into two halves, like opposed petals.  An eerie green glow flickering along the widening seams as the petals separated and the object slowly opened.  The inside was lined with a multitude of tiny tendrils with glowing tips, writhing and wriggling like two nests of metallic worms.  The base of the petals' stalk flexed ninety degrees towards Jodi's crotch, the stalk extended, and the petals slowly closed .  Despite her stringent condition, Jodi jerked in her bonds as the petals shaped themselves for maximal contact and pressed themselves to her wet skin.  Simultaneously, several long, thin, claw-like arms lifted from the side of the petals and stalk and interlocked into a network of wire-like bands, which tightly locked around Jodi's waist and upper thighs.  Eve's alien persona made more adjustments in the controls, and the stalk began to flex and push, while numerous small, piston-like protuberances began to rhythmically rise and fall on the surface of the petals.

"This scene isn't exactly... subtle, is it?" Elke observed wryly.

"I prefer the version with the more organic milieu myself," Margo said, "but the focus groups prefer the Captain Proton version, so..."

"I was referring to that carnivorous metal flower," Elke interrupted, "or orgasmatron, or whatever you call the nasty thing."

"Some time you'll have to describe for me your subtle method of erotic torture," Margo purred.

"Torture?" Anne gasped, then instantly regretted her outburst.

"Now I've done it," Margo said with a theatrical sigh, "I've frightened the baby."

"Don't let her tease you," Elke said to Anne.  "That's my job."

"I... I'm not frightened," Anne said hotly, "I only—m'mmpfh!"  Anne blinked indignantly.  Elke had shoved her gag back in her mouth.  Anne's eyes widened as the gag's strap tightened and the ball inflated into her mouth in the maximally effective, mouth-filling configuration the woman-in-black had first used in the tube corridor.

"Sorry, Anne," Elke whispered, "but—"

"Enough," Margo interrupted.  "We're about to enter the scenario, Anne, and the gag is part of your... costume.  Understand?"  Anne's eyes darted from Margo to Elke, and back.  She swallowed, and nodded.  "Gooood," Margo purred.  "Eve?"

Inside the Love Slavers From Beyond scenario, trumpets blared in an elaborate, melodious, minor key fanfare.  Blue Eve tapped a button on her console, and a huge, oval-shaped panel lowered from the ceiling.  Horizontal static lines flickered and flashed across the panel... and three figures snapped into focus.

Blue Eve snapped to attention and thumped her right fist to her left breast in salute.  "How may this lowly Science Warrior serve her Queen?" she asked.

Back in Margo's office, Margo, Elke, and Anne were watching themselves on the screen within the screen, and their virtual selves were changed.

Virtual Margo was, like Blue Eve,  a blue-skinned alien, only her costume was Regal.  Margo's bikini was gold and silver and elaborately engraved.  In addition, she wore a choker necklace of black pearls, a robe of translucent, orange silk (thrown open and back like a cape), and a bizarre golden crown of dagger-like, vertical spines.  Like Blue Eve, her hair was long, straight, and silver.

Virtual Elke was also a blue-skinned, silver-haired alien, but her virtual costume was virtually identical to Virtual Eve's.

Virtual Anne was not a blue-skinned alien.  Her virtual self looked like... herself; however, her bonds were different.  Her gag was some sort of steel mask comprised of several interlocked horizontal bands.  The end of a steel ball or plug protruded between Anne's virtual lips.   The whole tight, cruel apparatus was fused to the back of her choker, making one integrated unit.  Her virtual self was also bound with a shoulder yoke; however, after a slow quarter turn (eerily mimicked by her virtual self on the screen within the screen) Anne saw that her virtual self's arms were bent at the elbows, her wrists pulled up, and the cuffs locked to the yoke between her shoulder blades!  Further, two thin steel straps about an inch apart encircled Virtual Anne's upper arms and chest, pressing into the flesh of her arms and breasts, her nipples peeking from between the gleaming bands.  That has got to be hurting her, Anne thought, ...I mean me... I mean her.  Elke nudged Anne in the ribs with her elbow (while Virtual Elke snarled and clutched Virtual Anne's arm.)  Anne(s) turned her (their) attention back to the unfolding drama.

"How goes your testing?" Margo(s) asked.

"The Earth animal shows surprising stamina, My Queen," Eve answered, "with a pleasure index well above seven.  I'll know more after the main orgasmic curve peaks and it begins to die, but I think we have discovered a promising new resource for the Royal Slave Markets."  Eve's gaze shifted to Virtual Anne's image, and she smiled evilly.  "I see your Slavers have captured a new specimen, My Queen.  I still need to calibrate the species' pain index.  May I have it?"

Margo(s) laughed and turned to regard the captive Anne(s).  "Perhaps," she (they) answered, "but first, we must perform a few experiments of our own."  Margo(s) turned and regarded her (their) 'new' prisoner.  "It claims to be a 'loo-ten-ent,' some sort of officer in this planet's primitive Space Navy," Margo sneered, "but it refuses to say more... even when ordered ... by us!"  Eve and Elke(s) gasped in horror, then glared angrily at Anne(s).  "We believe it came here to rescue the first specimen," Margo(s) continued.  "We can hardly wait to see what comes to rescue it."  Elke(s) and Eve laughed, mockingly.  "In any case," Margo(s) said, "intelligence gathering must take precedence over xeno-veterinary research."

"Of course, My Queen," Eve answered.

"You may vivisect whatever is left after we have loosened its tongue," Margo(s) said.

There was a pause as Margo(s) continued to gaze at Anne(s).  The pause stretched, and Elke gave Anne a gentle nudge.  Anne(s) blinked, then took her (their) cue and (they) began to writhe and struggle against her (their) bonds, mewing miserably through her (their) gag (gags.)

"Enough," Elke whispered, gently clutching Anne's hair with her right hand.  "Remind me to book you some acting lessons," she teased.  Simultaneously, Virtual Elke grabbed Virtual Anne's hair and gave her head a savage jerk, all the while growling in an inarticulate, lip curling snarl.

Margo(s) laughed and turned back to the front.  "Continue your destructive testing of the first specimen, but first... pause the program.  We, uh, I mean I believe Jodi has something she'd like to say to Anne."

"Your every wish is this lowly servant's command," Eve answered, thumping her breast in salute.  "Her Exquisite Majesty has but to open her Regal Lips and this groveling, sniveling worm has no will but to serve her Dread Sovereign's every whim, however trivial, inconsequential, pointless, and..."

"Somebody needs her sarcasm index adjusted," Margo purred.

Eve gave her creator an insolent smile and tapped a button on the virtual console.

On the screen, something was happening to Jodi's gag.  Anne watched as two lever arms lifted from the gag's surface and pulled a long cylinder, the end of the protuberance with the attached hose, upwards, like a retracting piston.  Then the main gag band itself lifted several inches, and the entire apparatus folded ninety degrees, stopping when it dropped below Jodi's chin.  The "Earth animal's" head remained pinned by the encircling forehead band, but her mouth and lips were free.  Anne could now see the inside of the gag, including the end of the cylindrical piston.  It was rounded and pierced by several small holes.  As Anne watched, a drop of thick, syrupy, glowing, green liquid oozed from one of the holes and, trailing a long, slimy rope, fell on Jodi's throat.  Anne shuddered. I wonder what it tastes like, she mused.

Elke tapped her ring to Anne's gag, and pulled it from her mouth.  At the same time, Virtual Elke tapped a stud on Virtual Anne's choker collar.  In a similar fashion to the removal of Jodi's gag, a cylinder piston slid out from between Virtual Anne's hidden lips, the main panel of bands lifted, and the gag folded down until the end of the retracted cylinder touched the top of her choker.  Anne could see the other end of the cylinder that had been in her virtual self's virtual mouth.  It was smooth, rounded, wet with virtual saliva, and disturbingly large.

Anne(s) and Jodi licked their lips and regarded one another.

"Well?" Margo demanded.

"Uh, sorry," Jodi croaked.  "My mouth's a little dry.  Could I—"

"I know you're sorry," Margo interrupted, "and you're going to be sorrier, but before I let Eve get back to making you sorrier, what do you have to say to Ms.Clayton?"

Jodi's eyes darted to Anne and she licked her lips again.  "Anne," Jodi said.  "I'm really sorry I got carried away last night.  I was only supposed to bring you into the office and leave you there for Margo to find, not tape your legs and gag you.  I'm really, really, really sorry if I scared you."

"You did scare me," Anne said, "but it was a nice sort of scare, you know?"

"She knows," Elke said with a chuckle. 

Anne blushed and turned to Margo. 

"You were the one who really scared me," Anne accused.  Elke and Jodi gazed at Anne with quiet attention.  "I knew Jodi was just playing, and everybody knows what a joker she is, but then you showed up, and..."  Anne felt tears welling in her eyes.  Elke reached over and gave Anne's bound shoulders a gentle hug.

Margo gazed into Anne's wet eyes for several seconds, then shifted her attention to Elke.  "Right as usual," Margo said, "right about this one," nodding at Anne, "and right about that one," nodding at the screen, and Elke's stringently bound sister.  "You and I were supposed to have a friendly chat," Margo explained to Anne, "in which I would invite you to participate in some of our game scenario testing, the first step in your eventual induction into the Inner Circle."  Margo turned towards the screen.  "Elke told me Jodi would mess things up, that I shouldn't leave you alone with her for very long... but I didn't listen.  My first mistake.  Then I got so angry that Jodi had taken it upon herself to put her indulgence ahead of my orders, I overreacted.  My second mistake."  Margo turned her head and gave Elke a warm smile.  "You keep telling me to control my temper, my friend."  She then turned her gaze to Anne.  "When I get angry, I sometimes tend to get impatient, " Margo confided.

"Margo," Jodi called.

"Yes, Jodi," Margo answered wearily.

"I really am sorry," Jodi said.

"Sorry you got caught," Margo retorted.

"Sorry she betrayed your trust," Elke interjected, "isn't that right, Shrimp?"

"I... I sometimes get... impatient too." Jodi said quietly.

Margo bit back a smile, and Elke winked at Anne.

"Okay, Trickster," Margo laughed.  "All is forgiven."  Jodi closed her eyes and slumped in her stringent bonds.  "Eve," Margo continued, "one more hour, or one more of your famous infinitely frustrated orgasms, whichever comes first."

Jodi's eyes shot wide open.  "But—" Jodi began to protest.  The gag apparatus began reversing its slow retraction, the end of the dripping cylinder approaching Jodi's lips.  "Oh damn!" she cursed, but opened her mouth with a resigned sigh.  The cylinder slid home and the gag clamped tight.

"Continue your testing, loyal servant," proclaimed Virtual Margo.

"As you order My Queen," answered Blue Eve with a breast thumping salute.

"As for this one..." Virtual Margo continued, turning to Virtual Anne.  As if on cue, Virtual Elke snarled (again), grabbed Virtual Anne in a tight hold, and silenced her helpless captive with a savage hand-gag.  "...introduce her to the tender mercies of the Tentacle Slugs!"  Virtual Anne struggled and mewed through Virtual Elke's hand while her Virtual captors laughed maniacally.

Anne found it... disorienting that her Virtual and real self were no longer... coupled (even considering everything else that had happened in the last few hours).  Not that I want to find out what a 'Tentacle Slug' is, she mused.  On the screen, the trumpet fanfare repeated and the virtual screen began to rise... then the main screen began to fade.  Apparently, their visit to the Love Slavers' spaceship was over.

"Anne, Elke," Margo said, "please join me for a late lunch, won't you?"

"Of course," Elke answered, then turned to Anne.

"Uh... sure," Anne said, "thanks."

Margo smiled.  "You're welcome," she purred.  "Eve, Elke and Anne will be dressing for lunch."

"Yes, Margo," Eve answered.

Anne felt a rapid series of clicks, and all of her bonds, wrist cuffs, elbow cuffs, shoulder yoke, anklets, even her choker, all snapped open or went limp; then clattered, clanged, and slithered to the floor.  Elke smiled and reached out, pulled Anne's limp ball-gag from around her neck, and dropped it to the floor as well.  Anne was completely free for the first time in... hours... and still (Anne was suddenly reminded) completely nude.  Involuntarily, Anne's hands moved to cover her pubic bush, then she realized the ludicrous nature of her sudden modesty, and slowly, deliberately, moved her hands to her sides, but she could not prevent herself from blushing, yet again.

Margo, slowly looked Anne up and down.  Then turned to Elke.  "You're right," she purred.  "Anne has a charming blush.  I'll have to remember to embarass her often."

Anne's blush deepened, and her fingers curled into tight fists.

"May we dress now, Dread Queen ?" Elke asked.  "I can tell you're impatient... for lunch."

Margo smiled and gestured towards a door, sliding open across the office.

"Come, Annie," Elke whispered, leading her charge towards the door.  "We have to get dressed and have our lunch, so I can take you home."

Anne froze in place, halfway across the office.  "Take me home?"