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			DAMSELS UNDER GLASS: THE SERIES
			Kat's Story — by Michael Masterton Chapter 9

Jamie’s struggles became more intense with each inconsistent utterance from Eve, but she made no progress in freeing her pale naked freckled body from the tight, elaborate hogtie that Kat had placed her in.  Her gag prevented her from calling a robot to cut through the vast arrangement of ropes and string around her wrists, elbows, ankles, chest, thumbs, hair, and big toes.  Besides, she doubted that she could trust any of the increasingly crazed robots.  They would be just as likely to bind her up even further, and she certainly couldn't trust them with sharp objects anymore. 

“Fire alert in lounge alcove area,” Eve announced.  “Initial discharge of nitrogen completed successfully, on standby to seal off the area.  The area contains one female occupant, who is ignoring warnings to evacuate the area.” 

With a rising sense of dread, Jamie looked helplessly up at the screen on her bedroom wall.  Her eyes widened above her tape gag.  Normally, the sight of Kat helplessly bound and gagged would delight Jamie, but being suffocated and frozen wasn’t a fate she would wish on her favourite nemesis.  Her brief hope that Kat could use her knowledge of escapology to save herself quickly dissipated when Jamie realised Kat had been bound into immobility with automatic cable ties.  Not even Kat could escape from those if she wasn’t in reach of a sharp object.  Judging from Kat's futile struggles, it was a reasonable assumption that, if Kat had had a hidden blade, the detectives had removed it. 

“Disregard my previous warning, the sensors show no one is in that room,”  Eve told Jamie, then added,  “don’t worry, the tsunami will put out all the fires.”    

“Shut up Eve,” Eve said to herself, “and start worrying about the volcano and the commandos landing in the lagoon, because the tsunami and fires aren't real.” 

Jamie desperately fought against the ropes that Kat had bound her with, that now prevented her from rescuing Kat from her impending demise. 

“Two female intruders have entered the restricted area,” Eve announced, “I’m sorry Dr. Seaton, I couldn’t stop them.  I’m a failure.” 

Jamie looked up at the screen again, which was now showing Kathleen and Jo dashing through the open door to the Institute area, dodging a swarm of cleaner robots scuttling around the corridor.  

“The lounge alcove area will be sealed off in 90 seconds,” Eve continued, “the female occupant has not evacuated.  The female intruders are about to enter your quarters.” 

Jamie was relieved to see Kathleen and Jo dash into the room.  She squirmed and mewed, and they rushed over to the bed to untie her.  The two naked detectives fumbled with the various knots of her bindings, as she tried to communicate with them through her gag. 

“It’s okay now,” Kathleen reassured her, “we’ll get you loose.  It’ll be a lot quicker if you keep still.”  She turned to her partner, “my God, where do we start with this?”  

They continued to fumble with the knots as Jamie tried to tell them about Kat. 

“The lounge alcove area will be sealed off in 60 seconds,” Eve interjected. 

“What?” Kathleen exclaimed.  Jamie responded with a series of unintelligible noises.   

“We’re getting nowhere.  Give us that blade,” Kathleen said to her partner. 

Jo put her sneakered foot up on the bed near Jamie’s gagged face, and pulled out the blade, handing it to Kathleen.  The blade was small and wicked, and must have been Kat's. 

“Remove her gag, I think she’s trying to tell us something,” Kathleen said to Jo as she took the blade.  Jamie rolled her eyes.   

As Kathleen started to slice through Jamie's ropes, Jo tried hard to work loose an edge of the heavy tape gag.  Finally she was able to grip a corner and pull the tape off Jamie's face, almost taking several freckles with it.  Jamie spat out the saliva covered ball.  It fell over the edge of the bed and rolled towards the door, leaving a trail of dribble.  A cleaning robot instantly appeared, mopping up the trail of saliva and picking up the ball.  It scooted out the room, exploding into a thousand pieces as it slammed into the wall opposite the doorway.  The ball bounced and rolled back towards the doorway.  Several more cleaning robots appeared, cleaning up the remains of their comrade while another picked up the ball, before they hastily departed.    

“Never mind untying me,” Jamie screamed, her legs relaxing as the hogtie ropes were severed, “Get back to the lounge now, and get Kat out of there!  If you leave the blade, I’ll be able to free myself from here.” 
  
“The lounge alcove area will be sealed off in 30 seconds,” Eve interjected. 

“What?” Kathleen and Jo asked in unison.  

“Go!” Jamie ordered. 

The detectives sprung into action and swiftly left the room.  Jamie rolled onto her side, and then sat up on the bed.  Her hands were still bound behind her back, and her ankles were bound, the remains of the hogtie rope dangled from both bindings.  She looked anxiously up at the screen as she reached for the blade, and cut the ropes binding her wrists.  Her hands free at last, she tossed the remains of the ropes on the floor.  She worked on her ankle bindings, and soon her ankles were free, the ropes joining the wrist bindings on the floor.  

One of the discarded ropes flew through the air across the bed, pushing Jamie back into a lying position.  More ropes flew across her body to the other side of the bed, pinning Jamie down to the mattress.  She heard the pesky cleaner robots staple the ropes to the floor as they tried to transform Jamie into Gulliver.  Jamie clutched the knife handle, and let them finish their task.  She strained her neck and watched them scoot out the room.  Then with one deft movement, she sliced through the ropes, quickly getting off the bed and dashing out the room before the robots could return.

Kat looked up helplessly at the glass panel.  It had clattered to a halt, allowing just enough space for someone of Kat’s height to leave the room.  It was futile to try to escape from the cable ties that immobilised her, so Kat instead breathed deeply, trying to keep herself calm and focused.  She thought about what she was going to do to every techno geek back in Seattle, if she ever got out of this fix. 

She heard sneakered footsteps, and Kathleen and Jo dashed into the room.  If Kat hadn’t been gagged, she would have told them to savour the moment, because this was going to be the only time she would be pleased to see them.  Jo went behind Kat and helped her to sit up, then clutched her below her breasts, as Kathleen grabbed her bound, booted ankles. 

“The evacuation period has expired.  Preparing to seal off this area,” Eve announced. 

Air conditioning vents clattered shut around them.  As a siren sounded, the glass panel resumed its descent towards the floor.  By the time Jo and Kathleen carried their bound leather bundle to the doorway, the bottom of the glass panel was level with Jo’s bare breasts.  They nodded and swayed Kat from side to side, then tossed her through the narrowing gap, before stooping underneath the closing gap themselves.  Kat landed on her leather clad behind, fell on her side and slid across the lobby floor.  Kathleen and Jo landed beside her as the glass panel came into contact with the floor.  The thick glass fogged up as the lounge area was filled with nitrogen. 

Jamie was walking towards the trio, one hand on the waist high handle of a long, flat trolley loaded up with two neatly folded blue TESSERACT coveralls.  Jamie wore a similar coverall, along with her favourite pair of boat shoes and blue baseball cap emblazoned with the TESSERACT logo.  Kathleen and Jo stood up as Jamie walked up to them.  They rubbed their bare sore behinds.  Jamie smiled and tossed a coverall to each of them. 

“Here, consider yourself honorary TESSERACT employees,” Jamie said. 

“Thanks,” Kathleen said extending her hand, “I don’t think we’ve been formally introduced.  I’m Detective Sergeant Kathleen Jones, and this is Detective Sergeant Josephine Atkins, National Crime Authority.” 

Jamie took the detective’s hand, “I’m Dr. Jamie Seaton, Director of the Gondaloo Marine Institute.” 

Kat snorted through her gag in disgust as she watched the introductions from her prone position on the floor.  

“I believe you’ve already met ‘Kitty-Kat,’” Jamie said. 

“Yes,” Kathleen replied, “we’ve had the pleasure.” 

“I wouldn’t quite put it like that,” Jo remarked as she started to pull on her coverall over her nakedness.  

Kathleen also started to get dressed.  Now that they were no longer in danger, Jamie took the opportunity to indulge herself in Kat’s predicament.  She sauntered over to the bound, gagged and helpless bodyguard, resting one foot gently but firmly against her leather-clad backside.  Kat glared at Jamie towering over her.  

“Now, that’s putting automatic cable ties to good use,” Jamie remarked, smiling smugly, “I wish I’d had time to grab my digital camera.  I bet there’s a lot of people in TESSERACT who would love to see you now.” 

Kat squirmed furiously.  Jamie crouched down beside her, running her fingers soothingly through Kat’s long hair as Kat tried to turn away.  She ran her fingers teasingly along the cable ties that bound Kat’s wrists behind her back. 

“There, there, Kitty-Kat, only stirring,” Jamie reassured her, “I might do a lot of things to you, but I wouldn’t undermine your authority in TESSERACT.  After all, we have one thing in common, and that’s our affection for one very special woman.” 

Thankfully, Jamie abruptly ended her sentimental reflections and stood up, turning to the two detectives.  

“Congratulations,” Jamie said to them, “I think you’re first people ever to get the better of Kat.” 

Kathleen was standing on one leg, trying to get a leg of the coverall past her sneakers.  She lost her balance and fell on the floor.  Kat rolled her eyes as Jo went to the aid of her partner.  As the duo yelled abuse at each other, Kat reflected on what really made this whole experience humiliating.  Over the years, Kat had taken on—and beaten—the members of a vicious Fraternity, Mafioso and Triad henchmen, the world’s most notorious druglords and terrorists, and even a couple of small-time dictators.  She could beat the world’s most evil men—and women—with both hands tied behind her back, and many times her hands had been tied behind her back when she did.  And now she had been defeated by a pair of bumbling Keystone cops.  

“What now, Dr. Seaton?” Kathleen asked, regaining her composure as she buttoned up the coverall. 

“Jamie please,” Jamie replied, “I’ve decided to evacuate the island.” 

“Because of that ‘Eve’ thingy?” Jo asked.  

“I wouldn’t describe the Eve 6900, the world’s most powerful AI computer, as a ‘thingy’, but that’s essentially correct.”  

“What’s happening to it?” Kathleen enquired.  

“Remember ‘Fatal Errors’ in Windows 98?” Jamie responded. 

“All too well.” 

“Magnify that one thousand times, and that’s what’s happening here.  I won’t bore you with the technical details.”  

Kat expressed her gratitude through her gag. 

“Don’t tempt me,” Jamie said to Kat, then turned back to the detectives. “Okay, let’s load Kitty-Kat on the trolley.”  

The three woman grabbed Kat, carried the helpless bodyguard over to the trolley and dumped her on it.  The surface of the trolley was about a metre long, so it just accommodated Kat bound up in a semi-fold position.  She wriggled about, trying to get in a position where she wouldn’t lose her balance.  She leant against the back of the trolley and pressed the heels of her boots into the rubber surface. 

All four women looked up anxiously up at the high ceiling as the sensor caps blew, and started to fill the area with nitrogen. 

“Fire alert!” Eve announced, “all persons in this area have two minutes to evacuate.  After that time this area will be sealed and deprived of oxygen.” 

“Shit.  Let’s get the hell out of here,” Jamie said, and started to push the trolley towards the entrance doors as the detectives followed.  Expecting them to open automatically, Jamie didn’t slow down.  Kat’s booted, bound feet slammed into the cyclone/bomb/bullet proof glass, and the doors remained stubbornly shut.  

“This area will be sealed in 60 seconds.  Please evacuate immediately,” Eve intoned. 

“Well open the bloody door then!” Jamie yelled. 

“That wasn’t 60 seconds,” Jo observed.  

“‘Open the pod bay doors, Hal,’” Kathleen remarked. 

Kat could think of a few comments to add, but her gag prevented her from joining in the conversation.  She could only watch mutely as Jamie walked over to a lever enclosed in a glass panel. 

“Stand back,” she warned her companions, bound and otherwise, then smashed the glass with a thrusting kick.  Kat would never admit it, but she was quite impressed by the Freckle Fox’s technique.  Jamie pulled the lever, and the entrance doors slowly opened.  The trio grabbed the trolley and pushed it outside. 

“30 seconds, 27 seconds, 42 seconds, 99 seconds, 14 seconds—oh, bugger it.  The evacuation period has expired.  If you haven’t left the area, I couldn’t care less.”  

Jamie, Jo and Kathleen turned around, watching the clear doors shut behind them, and fog up as the lobby was filled with nitrogen.  They had let go of the trolley, not realising that a slight slope in the ground and momentum of pushing it quickly through the doors would make it continue down the path towards the swimming pool.  Kat screamed through her gag. 

“Kat!” Jamie exclaimed.  She and her two new companions chased after the runaway trolley with its bound and gagged passenger.  Kat regained her composure and tried to fall off the trolley, but she was too late.  The trolley slammed into the raised edge of the pool, flinging its unwilling cargo in a graceful arc, directly into the middle of the water.  Bound in a semi-fold position, Kat quickly sunk to the bottom.