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		DAMSELS UNDER GLASS: THE SERIES
		Cuento De Sabrina (Brie's Story) ———————————————— by Courier © 2001
		Chapter 4

Well, Brie decided, I may not be free, but I am giving this thing a good test.

Sabrina had found that when she draped her hair over the cocoon in an area where it wasn't completely hardened it would flow away, building up thicker portions just out of the reach of her hair. With this method she had freed her shoulders and part of her upper right arm. Unfortunately the goop had simply hardened further out, forming solid, cast-like covering for both of her lower arms. 

Where the cocoon had already hardened the effect was different. When Brie draped her hair over the solid webbing holding her chest nothing immediately happened, but after a few minutes, tiny hairline cracks appeared. Apparently there was a sub level of the web that hadn't solidified and that was now trying to avoid her hair.  Since this layer was enclosed it created an internal pressure on the hardened layer leading to that layer cracking. After she had created cracks all over the part of the cocoon covering her bosom, Brie had squirmed and shattered it.  It was then that she learned another interesting thing about the webbing.  It seemed that when it hardened it melded with the fabric it was covering, forming a single solid layer.  When Brie had cracked it she had also cracked the fabric, and the result of her shaking had caused the upper part of her blouse, and more disturbingly, her bra to disintegrate! 

The edges of the now gaping hole were made up of cracked debris, hanging loosely from Brie's shoulders and midriff. Also, Brie noted, the homing tag that Kat had placed in her bra was blinking obliviously from halfway across the corridor where it had landed.  Ha , Brie thought ironically, now when she finds that tag it will be at least a meter away from me!  If I'm very quiet maybe she won't see me.

And so the extent of Brie's escape was managing to free her breasts.  Lovely, now when Kat comes back I'm sure she'll think of a way to entertain them.

From the midrif down Brie was still tightly enclosed in the webbing. Also, both her lower arms were quite effectively held. She tried to squeeze over as far as possible trying to free one hand, but the tight cuff of the blouse, now hardened by the webbing, made it impossible.  The extent of Brie's "freedom" was the ability to jiggle her breasts.  In certain circumstances that might have been a plus, but right now...

Thup.

What?  Apart from the usual humming and clicking, Brie had lost track of sound. Now she heard something that wasn't a "normal" Katacomb noise.

Thup.

There it was again.

Thup.

And again, and it was getting closer!  I don't think that Kat makes noises like that, Brie thought.  This may be good news!

Thup.  And the source of the noise came into view.  It was Jodi. Jodi the rabbit that had started all this mess.  But it seemed that Jodi was in the process of paying for her mistakes.  Both her ankles and knees had been joined together with what Brie recognized as extra wide cable ties.  This had limited her locomotion to rather clumsy "hops."  Her wide rabbit feet aparently made her balance easier as she was making pretty good time for someone with bound ankles.  Brie could also see that a ring gag had been forced into Jodi's mouth and that the buck teeth protuded over the front of it in a rather ludicrous display.  Her arms were pulled back, and although Brie couldn't see them, she was fairly certain that they were also restrained. Completing the outfit was what looked like a chastity belt.  It was obviously in the prototype phase as it was built off a generic military web belt.  Attached to the belt was a pouch from which a myriad of wire ran down to the crotch plate. The plate looked like a flexable black nylon weave, thick and tough. The wires disappeared into the mesh and, Brie assumed, connected to the "business end" of the device.

Jodi ceased her hopping directly in front of Brie, panting to catch her breath.  The "rabbit" was in excellent shape, of course, but apparently this style of locomotion was not as efficient for a restrained human as for a real rabbit.  She was sheened in sweat and her tight athletic body was flushed.  Brie couldn't tell what Jodi's expression was.  Her eyes were smiling, but that was just Jodi.  The restrained rabbit tried to verbalize something through her gag and teeth, but managed only a gurgle.  She furrowed her brow for a moment and then, as best as Brie could tell, grinned. 

Jodi leaned forward so that her rabbit ears were drapped across Brie's bare breasts and then wobbled her head from side to side.  Brie squirmed as best she could in her captivity, trying to evade the tickling rabbit ears.  Then Jodi jumped back and made another indistinct gurgling noise, this one clearly in protest.  She looked nervously around and then returned to her hopping escape.

Well... that was odd, thought Brie, looking after the bouncing cotton tail, even for the "Trickster."

Brie looked back and found the glistening black Kat ambling out of the darkness.  Brie swallowed nervously.

Kat stopped in front of the restrained Latina and looked her up and down.  Then she gave a half smile, raised a finger to her lips, and shushed Brie.  "Be vewy, vewy quiet," Kat said.  "I'm hunting wabbit!"

Brie's eyes widened into saucers and she almost let her jaw drop.  (Fortunately the grenade's presence reminded her in time that that might not be the wisest action.)  Kat was joking!  Brie knew that Kat had a softer side, but she'd never encountered a humorous side.  Apparently Kat was really enjoying her hunt.

"What's the matter, Sanchez?" the bodyguard snapped.  "I'm not allowed to make a joke?"

Brie wasn't sure how to respond, and finally settled on shaking her head.

"No?" Kat pressed, "I'm not allowed to make a joke?"

Brie quickly switched to nodding vigorously.

"So, yes, I'm not allowed to make a joke?" Kat continued.

Brie almost started to shake her head, but then stopped herself.  This was only going to get her into more trouble. Instead she tried to carefully verbalize around the grenade. "Ish ohay hore hugh to 'ake ah yoge."

Kat smiled at the earnest attempt at communication.  "Well, Sanchez, let's just agree that you are in no position to tell me what or what not to do."

Brie nodded, then Kat reached out and wiped away a small glob of fresh saliva that had escaped the captive Latina's mouth during her gag encumbered speech.  The slick side of Kat's gloved hand caused Brie to shudder delicately.  Captor and captive locked eyes... and Brie was surprised to find something very much like tenderness in Kat's green eyes... then just as quickly it was gone, and the glistening predator was all business once again.

Kat took a step back and inspected the Latina's restraints. "Not bad," she observed. She reached out and broke off a section of the cocoon, held it up to inspect it, and then dropped it into a pouch.

"I assume you used your hair for most of this?" Kat said.

Brie nodded.

"Well, I'll have to debrief you more thoroughly about it later.  Looks like you are still pretty well stuck, huh?" Kat asked.

Brie nodded.

"You sure?" Kat asked.  "Maybe a little Stinger tickling would inspire you more effectively..."

Brie struggled and squirmed for all she was worth. The result was no different from when she had tried in Kat's absence.

"Looks pretty solid," Kat nodded. She then looked around the floor until she spied the flashing light of the tag. She bent down and retrieved it, wiping it between her fingers. Kat balanced the chip on Brie's bare breast and then reached into another of her pockets. This time the result was something Brie recognized right away, black duct tape! Kat tore off a six inch length and retrieved the chip. She pressed the chip into the center of the tape and then applied it across Brie's right breast, centering the chip on the Latina's nipple. She pulled the tape taut and then stuck it to Brie's skin. The result was a tight black band across the breast, and a mildly annoying pressure on the crushed hidden nipple.

"There, now I know I can find you again if I need you for anything," Kat mused.

"Urgle!"

Both Kat and Brie turned towards the noise.  Peaking around the corner was the rabbit eared head of Jodi, obviously feeling forgotten.

"Ah," Kat sighed.  "She is such a greedy little victim," Kat confided to Brie in a quiet whisper, then gave a very feline stretch and smiled.  "Back to the rabbit hunt," she announced in a normal voice.

Kat reached to a box on her belt a pressed a button. Jodi emitted a strangled yelp and her head disappeared. "You'd better not make catching you too easy, Trickster," Kat called after her.  "Remember the day you spent twitching in my closet!"

"Don't forget the debrief," Kat ordered Brie and then disappeared after Jodi, moving at a casual (feline) decidedly unhurried pace, obviously in no great hurry to overtake her bound, gagged, sweaty, panting, and "escaping" prey.

Naomi unbuttoned the last of her blouse buttons and let the white silk top slide down her arms. 

"MMm... Delcious!" leered the AI.

Standing in her frilly bra and nothing else Naomi suddenly had the urge to cover herself.   Being naked wasn't normally a problem for the former reporter but... somehow knowing that this AI was watching her was different.  Eve, the real Eve, had certainly seen her nude before, but Eve was discrete, non-intrusive.  This AI revelled in her power over Naomi, and that was more than a little disconcerting; like the construction worker whistling at the passing woman. 

It's supposed to disturb me, Naomi realized.  Just like the construction worker, she's trying to get a rise out of me.

The AI synthisized a wolf whistle. 

Fine! Naomi decided.  Get a rise out of this... 

Naomi looked up at the touch screen on the opposite wall.  It wasn't in any sense the AI, but it gave Naomi something to focus on.  She smiled and cocked her hips at the screen, imagining the AI sitting there, watching her.  Licking her lips Naomi reached up and slid one strap of the bra off her shoulder.  She watched it fall to her elbow then looked up coquettishly through her lashes.

Naomi repeated the act with her other bra strap, now rather enjoying herself.  With the straps around her elbows she arched her back, projecting her silk covered breasts forward.

"Mmmm..." The AI purred. 

Reaching behind her back Naomi undid the clasp of the bra and scooted her elbows in to hold it in place. Now only the pressure of her arms kept the bra covering her breasts. Naomi struck her best come hither pose.

"You like?" Naomi asked.

"Why Miss Curtis," The AI said, "If I didn't know any better I'd swear you were trying to seduce me..."

"Me?" Naomi asked, as innocently as she could manage.  She lifted her arms in a exaggerated pose and her bra tumbled to the ground. "Oops."

The AI giggled in delight. "Why you little tease," the voice, now supressing giggles, continued. "I should punish you severely for such disrespect!"

Uh oh, Naomi worried, did I go too far?

"But I like spunk, so I'm going to let you off easy."

Naomi sighed with relief.

"Instead of having you buckle yourself into the harness extremely tight I'm only going to make it extra tight. And I'm not going to include the stimulation package.  Now, doesn't that sound nicer?"

"I'm not going to get a better deal if I argue, right?" Naomi asked, eyeing the tangle of leather straps she was about to don.

"Hmmmm..." The AI feigned thought, "Nope! Now get dressed and make sure the straps are extra tight... You have ten minutes." The touch screen dissolved to the numeric readout 10:00.00 and began counting down.

Naomi quickly gathered the harness and began to put it on.

Brie shook her head trying to move an errant lock of her ebony hair out of her face. All the squirming and tossing of hair had left her both dishevelled and sweaty. This combination was causing her hair to stick to her face and tickle her nose.  A few strands had even found their way to her drool covered chin.  If she could just use her mouth to blow the hair away... Of course she wasn't going to trade getting the hair out of her face for detonating the itching grenade.

I wonder how Naomi is doing, Brie mused. Naomi was a tough girl (one of the many things Brie adored about her), but the quick-witted reporter always seemed a little nervous when the topic of Kat came up. Kat had been integral to bringing Naomi into the Inner Circle, but Kat had taken the job of extending an initiation a little more seriously than Brie would have liked. This had left Naomi with a nervous spot about Kat.

Brie had tried to explain to her lover that "that's just the way Kat is," and that the bodyguard was fanatically loyal to Margo, but Naomi just nodded and changed the subject. Brie could understand why a little fear of Kat could enhance the Game, but she worried that Naomi was really afraid of Kat, so where Brie saw the pursuit through the Katacombs as good natured fun, Naomi might see it as something more sinister.  I wish I'd had more time to explain all this to her, Brie worried.

Her ruminations were interrupted by the sound of voices down the corridor.  At first Brie thought it might be Kat returning with her prey, but then she recognized the voices...

"... re-incorporate in Singapore and balance the tax burden with the facility equity," Margo Wells said, her voice trailing into Brie's hearing. 

"And then we can transfer the loss to the mainland branch and offset the upgrade," The voice of Margo's companion was calm and cultured with an hint of an exotic accent.  Brie recognized at once Lian Xiyang, Margo's oldest ally and head of TESSERACT's business in Asia.

Lian had been with Margo since the beginning of TESSERACT.  No one knew exactly how the cultured Chinese woman had encountered the up and coming Margo Wells, but it was known among insiders that Lian was the first person to appreciate the power of Margo's cooperative management style. The two had made a formidable pair, with Margo's incisive intellect and maverick style tempered by Lian's sense of balance. While Margo built TESSERACT into a mega-corporation, Lian smoothed all the edges, integrating all the disparate entities into a cohesive whole.

Once TESSERACT was solidly established Lian had returned to her native China to handle TESSERACT's Asian business and run TESSERACT Cybersystems in Hong Kong.

In her position as Margo's Special Assistant for International Affairs, Brie had worked with Lian, or "Madame Lian" as she was usually called, many times. Brie also knew that Madame Lian was mistress of her own Inner Circle based out of TESSERACT-Hong Kong ("T-HK" to most).  She had met many of the fascinating members of that Circle at the yearly Inner Circle Retreat on Gondaloo, but she had never had an opportunity to experience play with the legendary "Dragon Queen of the Orient."

"Which neatly resolves the on hand cash issue," Margo said, rounding the corner in the passage.

The CEO of TESSERACT Inc. was dressed in a burgundy wool business dress with a knee length skirt and black hose and shoes. Next to her strode Lian, a majestically beautiful Chinese woman in her 40's. While Margo was nearly a head taller, she in no way overshadowed her companion. Lian's size was meaningless when measured against her powerful yet calm presence. She could be surrounded by Elke and Amazons of that size and still seem undiminished.

The graceful Eastern TESSERACT Chief Operating Officer was dressed in a stunning black, silk, sleeveless cheongsam with silver embroidery. The dress had a high collar and was slit up to Lian's thighs. The revealed arms and legs were lithely muscular, the body of a dancer or gymnast. Brie was well aware that at twice their age, Lian was an easy match for any of Kat's security guards.

The two women ceased their conversation and stopped in front of the restrained Latina. Suddenly Brie was very aware that she was bare from the waist up, slick with sweat, drooling, and utterly dishevelled, and that the two most powerful women she knew were standing in front of her. Brie blushed furiously and tried to look anywhere but at the two executives.

"My goodness Margo," Madame Lian remarked, "Do you have such an excess of lovely Latinas that you can afford to leave them lying about neglected?"

"Really Miss Sanchez," Margo chastised, "I must remember to have a discussion with you about the corporate dress code."

"Do not be too harsh to the girl," Lian said, "I believe there are some shreds of proper apparel here and there about her."

"MUT MAT MID MISS MU ME!" Brie attempted to interject.

"What Kat did or did not do," Margo said with mock gravity, demonstrating what Brie had always found to her astonishing ability to understand gag-talk, "is not relevant to your lack of proper decorum!"

Brie considered another outburst, but saw the slight twinkle in Margo's eye and decided it was better to keep silent.

"Lian and I are on our way to announce a new strategic partnership between T-HK and Matsushita Heavy Industries.  I was planning to have you on hand for the announcement after the work you did in Kyoto last year, but I can't put you on vid looking like a voluptuous drowned rat! And where have you put my PR Assistant? She should be there too!"

"Mat muz masing mer," Brie gurgled around the grenade bit.

"'Kat was chasing her'?" Margo asked incredulously, "Miss Sanchez, you cannot just let Miss Mayfair chase after my PR director for no good reason. I'm very, very disappointed in you!"

Brie hung her head and sniffled.

"You'll need to be severely reprimanded for this!" Margo threatened.

"Now Margo," Lian offered stepping next to Brie and gently cradling her chin, "I'm sure the girl did not mean to displease you so." Brie looked up into Lian's wise, brown eyes and shook her head in agreement.

"Hmph," Margo interjected with annoyance.  "Don't shake drool on my guest," Margo scolded the helpless Latina.

Lian smiled.  "And it would be such a shame to waste such beauty by locking it away in one of your dungeons." Lian gently ran her finger nail down Brie's neck and began to trace her flawless breasts. Brie's uncovered nipple responded at once and she gasped around the grenade. "Perhaps I can offer another solution..."

Margo sighed, "You are my guest and it would be most impolite for me to deny you..."

Lian smiled a secretive smile and looked up at Margo, although her perfectly manicured nails continued to explore Brie's helpless body, tracing the edge of the tape on Brie's right breast. "What this young one requires is a strict lesson in self discipline and control. I believe that if you will allow me a free hand with her this weekend I can promise she will be a new women."

Brie shivered to the core of her being. A night with Madame Lian was said to be an amazing experience... But a whole weekend!?!

"Very well," Margo relented, "but you must promise me two things. First, you will also teach my errant PR director an equal lesson."

"I had hoped to make the acquaintance of Miss Curtis on this trip," Lian said.

"And second," Margo continued, "you mustn't wear her out too much. She is, even with all her faults, still the star striker on the TESSERACT soccer team and she has a game Sunday afternoon."

"Miss Wells," Lian said, "I can assure you that Miss Sanchez will be primed for the game. Sun Tzu once said that before battle a warrior much marshal all of his Yin energy. I think that I can arrange for Miss Sanchez to store up a great deal of Yin..."

Brie had only a vague idea of exactly what that meant, but the tone of Madame Lian's voice hinted that it would be a very frustrating experience.

"Interesting," Margo mused. "I'll have Miss Mayfair deliver the pair of them to you at your suite after the press conference."

"Excellent," Lian said. She let her nails skitter across Brie's chest one more time, bringing a squirming giggle from the captive, and then stepped back to Margo.

"So, if Hyundai agrees to the terms of the lease..." and they walked off, continuing their conversation as though it had never been interrupted, but just at the limit of Brie's hearing she heard a whispered exchange.

"You are so very bad," Madam Lian giggled.

"I try," Margo responded, giggling as well.

Brie, meanwhile, squirmed in her captivity. Were she not bound she would have been bouncing in excitement. This was going to be great fun! Hurry Kat! She thought, Hurry!