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			DAMSELS UNDER GLASS: THE SERIES
			Kat's Story — by Michael Masterton Chapter 11

Margo walked up to Kat, stopped, and continued her bemused study of her bodyguard’s predicament.  A robot trolley laden with Margo’s luggage dutifully stopped behind her.  Kat tried to distract herself from her embarrassment by studying the contents of the robot trolley.  It held the usual, what Kat would expect to see her employer “carry” on such a trip: Margo’s notebook computer, a satchel that would contain documents (“Paperless office my ass!” was one of Margo’s favourite sayings), a couple of suitcases filled with designer outfits, and—a shudder went through Kat’s loins—the remaining case would be the one filled with ropes, restraints, and other, even more interesting things.  

As the pounding rain formed torrents and streamed from the top of the hangar’s opening to the tarmac, Margo took in the sight of her bound and gagged bodyguard.  Kat’s long dark hair was messy and hung in damp clumps.  Her normally sleek black catsuit and boots were still stained with evidence of her encounters with ‘breakfast’ and the fire extinguisher.  Her gloved wrists were bound behind her back with automatic cable ties, and more of the cable ties framed her breasts and pinned her arms to her body.  She had been thoroughly silenced with tape, and Margo noted (with approval) the outline of the rubber ball filling up her bodyguard’s sealed mouth, and reducing her pleas for Margo to release her to delightfully unintelligable whimpers. 

“Those are cable ties Kitty Kat—I don’t have any sharp objects on me,” Margo said, enjoying her bodyguard’s frustrated reaction, “and even if I did, I wouldn’t use them to free you.  Well, not yet anyway.”  

Kat mewed helplessly, pleading with her eyes as Margo moved even closer, tracing a finger around the outline of the ball that filled up Kat’s mouth. 

“No, I’m not going to remove your gag either,” Margo added, dashing Kat’s hopes even more.  “Whoever applied that tape did an excellent job.  It’d be a shame to wantonly destroy such a superb effort.”  Margo grabbed Kat roughly by the arm, and turned her around so she could study the bodyguard’s bonds in more detail.  “A very thorough job indeed,” Margo said as she ran her fingers along the tight cable ties that bound Kat’s wrists behind her back.  Margo turned Kat around again, clutching her chin.  “So,” Margo said, her face inches from Kat’s, “did sweet, petite little Jamie do this to you?”  

Her cheeks burning with humiliation, Kat shook her head as much as she could with her chin in Margo’s firm grip.  

“Was it the ‘trespassers?’” 

Kat nodded.  Margo laughed.  

“Well, looks like everything is proceeding according to plan,” Margo said, ignoring her bodyguard’s look of confusion.  “Now, I’d say it’s a fair bet that if you are on the run, still bound and gagged, there’s three sore and sorry would-be captors somewhere in this hangar.  Correct?” 

Kat nodded at her employer in bewilderment.  

“Good,” Margo said, dragging her bound, gagged, and increasingly perplexed bodyguard by the arm back towards the seaplane.  

As they reached the seaplane, Jamie, Jo and Kathleen were getting up from the concrete, rubbing their sore behinds and any incidental bruises. 

“Lose something?” Margo asked the trio, indicating the bound and gagged leather clad bodyguard in her tight grip.  

Jamie looked up, and rushed over to her employer and benefactor. 

“Hello Margo,” she gushed, as Margo, towering over the petite biologist, hugged her with her free arm.  Kathleen and Jo quietly noted Kat’s glowering look of jealousy.  Margo acknowledged the presence of the two detectives, and extended her hand to them.  

“You must be Detective Sergeants Kathleen Jones and Joesphine Atkins,” she said. 

“That’s right,” Kathleen said, as she and Jo shook hands with the TESSERACT CEO. 

“I’d like to apologise for my bodyguard’s overzealous behaviour,” Margo said to the detectives, “but the middle of a hangar isn’t my idea of the best venue for such an apology.  I suggest we adjourn to that small lounge area.”  Margo pointed towards a partitioned area on the other side of the hangar.  “Jamie, please see if you can find something to further secure our wandering prisoner, perhaps a wooden chair and some more cable ties?” 

As Jamie dutifully rushed to the storage area, Kat stamped her booted feet on the concrete, twisting in her tight bonds in impotent frustation.  Prisoner???  She was Kat!  She was no one’s prisoner! 

“Oh do settle down,” Margo chastised her bound and gagged bodyguard.  She turned to the detectives, “would you both like to escort our prisoner to the lounge area?”  

A little overwhelmed by Margo’s charismatic presence—and the way she was treating her bodyguard—Kathleen and Jo just nodded.  Margo put a firm hand in the small of Kat’s back and pushed her towards the detectives.  They grabbed her by her bound arms and walked her towards the lounge area, with Margo following.  Kat turned her gagged head and looked behind her towards her employer.  Margo responded with a wink.  

Jamie was waiting in the lounge area with a paint stained wooden chair.  She used Kat’s blade to slice the cable ties that bound Kat’s arms to her body, and then the detectives sat her in the chair, roughly slinging her arms over the chair back.  Jamie handed Kathleen and Jo two cable ties each.  As they bound Kat’s legs apart to the chair legs at her booted ankles and below her leather clad knees, Jamie secured Kat’s bound wrists to a cross-bar in the back of chair with two cable ties, then used the remaining two cable ties to secure Kat’s arms to the back of the chair.  As the additional cable ties hissed and fused solid, Kat was welded to the chair, her legs splayed apart.  It was a position Kat was fond of using herself when ‘interrogating’ select female employees of TESSERACT, but never expected that she would ever experience first hand how vulnerable the position made her prisoners feel. 

Now that Kat was securely bound, Kathleen and Jo were prompted to take a seat by Margo, as Jamie dithered about, straightening magazines on the coffee table and fluffing up cushions, while mumbling that it wasn’t exactly Gondaloo. 

“Oh, do stop your fussing, Freckle Fox,” Margo said with an affectionate grin, “but please see what refreshments are in that fridge for our guests.” 

Jamie went over to the small bar fridge indicated and returned with a bottle of champagne, holding it up for Margo’s inspection.  Margo nodded her approval, and then Jamie obtained a stack of five plastic glasses.  As she arranged the glasses on the table, she stopped, and looked at Kat, a wicked smile on her face.  

“I guess you won’t be joining us for a drink,” she said to the glowering, bound and gagged bodyguard.  Still grinning, Jamie crushed up the glass she was holding, and tossed it between Kat’s splayed legs.   

“None for you, either, Freckle Fox,” Margo ordered. 

“Huh?” Jamie asked. 

“You’ll be flying again soon,” Margo answered.  “I’ll explain shortly.  Do they have any fruit juice or something?  You could always have champagne and orange—without the champagne.” 

Jamie went to the fridge and returned with a carton of orange juice.  Kat watched helplessly as Jamie popped the cork on the champagne and poured it into three glasses, handing them to Margo and the detectives.  She poured herself an orange juice, then sat next to Margo. 

“Okay,” Margo said to the detectives between sips, “let’s begin at the beginning.  I’ve heard Kat’s version of the story.  Now I want to hear yours.” 

“There’s not much to tell,” Kathleen said.  “Are you familiar with ‘Section 247?’” 

“Yes,” Margo replied. 

“It started this morning,” Kathleen continued, “when Jo and I got a tip-off about a drugs delivery on a boat called Tarsis III, at the Cairns Marina.  We raided the boat under Section 247, but were surprised by a middle aged male, who bound and gagged us.  He took us out to sea, and dumped us, still handcuffed and gagged, on what turned out to be your island.  We wandered into the resort area, where a robot freed us from the handcuffs.  Then we....met your bodyguard, who refused to believe we were police officers, and treated us as trespassers.  At the time, poor Jamie was hogtied and gagged.”  

“I assure you Jamie doesn’t need your sympathy,” Margo said. 

“So we’ve realised,” Kathleen said with a sidelong glance at Jamie, “Don’t worry, you can count on our discretion.”  

“I’m sure Jamie appreciates that,” Margo purred, then smiled at her redheaded protege.  Jamie blushed and finished her drink in a single gulp. 

“So you believe our story?” Jo asked.  

“Of course.  Please be aware that there are mitigating circumstances.  Kat was on the Island in her official capacity, conducting a surprise security inspection, and she may have actually believed you were industrial spies, or local TESSERACT employees instructed to pose as spies as part of the drill. Jo and Kathleen exchanged glances, shrugged, and turned back to their host.  “In any case,” Margo continued, “I’m very disappointed in Kat for her lack of... diplomacy.” 

Kat hung her head and blushed, then raised her head... and noticed Jamie favoring her with a look of genuine sympathy.  Kat jerked her gagged head to the side, as if attempting to straighten her tousled locks.  This was too much, she glowered.  Sympathy from Freckle Fox?   

Margo had been following this silent exchange over a sip of champagne.  She took another small sip and continued.  “Jamie, please get that terminal over there on-line to Eve, so I can show our guests the research I did on the flight over here.” 

Jamie bounded up from her seat to the terminal set into the wall beside the couch.  The helpless bodyguard watched in disgust as Jamie quickly got Eve on-line. 

“Hello Margo, Jamie and guests,” Seattle Eve said.  Now that she was bound and gagged, even Eve was ignoring Kat!  Kat’s cheeks burned with humiliation.  Jamie sat back down next to her employer. 

“Eve, bring up my research on DS Jones and Atkins,” Margo requested. 

The detectives watched and listened with amazement as Eve quickly and accurately summarised their entire careers.  Meanwhile Kat squirmed in her bonds in anger, not caring if the cable ties tightened in response to her futile struggles.   The ‘research’ Eve was reciting was the dossier Kat had been working on for the last two months! 

“Two very illustrious careers,” Margo observed as the summaries ended, ignoring her bound and gagged bodyguard’s angry response. 

“Two very illustrious careers that are probably about to come to an abrupt end,” Kathleen sighed, glaring at her partner, “we’ll never hear the end of it after this morning’s fiasco.”  

“Even the most skilful, highly trained people make mistakes,” Margo offered, looking towards Kat. 

“You try telling that to our superiors,” Kathleen remarked. 

“You are selling yourself short,” Margo contended, “no one has ever got the better of Kat, until today.”  

“We were just lucky.” 

“Luck doesn’t come into it.  I didn’t get to where I am today through luck.  It’s about identifying windows of opportunity and diving through them before they close.”  

“I suppose that’s one way of looking at it.” 

Kathleen and Jo emptied their glasses and put them on the table, then stood up. 

“Well, thanks for the champagne,” Kathleen said, “we were going to arrest your bodyguard, but as you say, there were mitigating circumstances... and it looks as if TESSERACT’s internal discipline is much more rigourous than anything we’re permitted to do, even under Section 247.  It was nice to meet you Ms Wells, and you Jamie.  Please look us up anytime you’re in Cairns...”  

“You’re not going?”  Margo protested.  

“We’d better be going,” Kathleen replied, “half of the Queensland police is probably looking for us.”  

“Approximately 65.9% of Queensland’s police resources were devoted to the search for DS Jones and DS Atkins,” Eve offered helpfully.  “Those resources have since returned to their normal duties, of course, having been advised that DS Jones and DS Atkins are safe and well.”  

“Thank you Eve,” Margo said.  The detectives resumed their seats with a wave of Margo’s hand.  “Eve, send an encrypted, authenticated message to the National Crime Authority, Queensland Division, and CC a copy to the Queensland Police, informing both organisations that at my personal invitation DS Jones and DS Atkins will be enjoying TESSERACT’s hospitality for the next three days, and, shall we say, consulting with my security personnel on professional matters?”  

“Yes Margo,” Eve acknowledged.  

“And while you’re at it, please contact the Queensland Police Minister, and find out when he’d be available for a meeting to discuss the VR Training Facility contract.” 

“Yes Margo.” 

“My people have been negoiating this contract for several months,” Margo explained to the detectives, “and in the process I’ve gotten to know the Minister very well.  A rather nice man, even if he has some funny ideas about law and order.  I’ll be able to discuss your future with him.  How does DCI Jones and DI Atkins, Cairns Police Station, sound?” 

The detectives responded with a quizzical silence.  Margo continued, “I like to work with the communities where TESSERACT facilities are located.  Security is a prime concern for me, and I’d like to ensure that capable people are in charge of the local constabulary.”  

“But, if you get us transferred to Queensland Police," Kathleen started, "and you get us promoted, we’d be your...”  Jo elbowed her in the ribs. 

“No, your partner has a very legimate concern,” Margo responded, “which only re-inforces your suitability.  I can assure you I don’t expect any favours.  I don’t want you to turn a blind eye to any TESSERACT employee breaking the law.  On the contrary, I’d want to hear about it straight away.  This offer comes with absolutely no strings attached.” 

“A few ropes maybe,” Jamie muttered under her breath as she refilled her glass. 

Unseen under the coffee table, Margo put her heel on the toe of one of Jamie’s deck shoes and pressed lightly. “What was that, Dr. Seaton?” Margo asked with a twinkle in her eye.  

“Nothing,” Jamie yelped, nearly dropping her drink.  

Margo turned back to Jo and Kathleen.  

“Well, er...” Kathleen stammered.  

“I realise it’s a big decision.  You’ll have plenty of time to think about it during your three days on Gondaloo.”  

“But Gondaloo isn't inhabitable until the local nexus is fixed,” Jamie protested. 

“The Computer Science Team have assured me your Eve will be back on-line in three hours,” Margo reassured her.  “Everything will be up and running by the time you return there with our guests.  Repairs will commence immediately.  The resort will open on time.  I don’t miss milestones.”  

“I had doubts about Gondaloo Eve for some time,” Jamie grumbled, “but no one in Computer Science would take me seriously except Charlie.  She did all she could, but, well... her hands were tied, if you’ll forgive the expression.” 

“She’ll be the only one there without their hands tied soon,” Margo laughed, “figuratively speaking, of course,” Margo directing her added clarification to the Detectives.  “I’ve noticed her good work for some time,” she continued.  “I’ll be promoting her as soon as I return to Seattle.” 

“Excuse me,” Eve requested.  “Your message re: DS Jones and Atkins has been delivered and acknowledged.  The Police Minister hopes you had a pleasant flight, and wonders if you can join him and his wife for a late dinner at his home, say 21:00?”  

Margo looked at her watch.  “I’d better get going then,” she said.  “Please tell the Police Minister I accept his invitation... and arrange for an appropriate gift for the hostess to be delivered to my hotel room in Brisbane.” 

“The next Very Fast Train to Brisbane departs in thirty minutes.  A car is waiting outside the hangar to take you to the station,”  Eve advised.  “I also did a search for any registered boat named Tarsis III.  No such boat or craft exists in any official records.” 

“Figures,” Kathleen sighed.  “We’ll still be conducting an investigation.” 

“That’s an amazing computer,” Jo said.  

“Sorry to rush off,” Margo said to the detectives.  “I’m sure Jamie will be an impeccable hostess, and please consider my offer.” 

The detectives stood and shook her hand.  Margo walked over to her bound and gagged bodyguard, who strained against the bonds holding her to the chair and mewed hopefully through her gag.  Margo ran her fingers through Kat’s hair as her eyes widened above her tape gag. 

“There’s no need for you to get excited,” Margo said, “I’m going to Brisbane, not the Bronx War Zone.  I won’t need a bodyguard.  Besides,” she whispered, “Jamie and our two guests will need something to amuse themselves with for the next three days.”  Margo leant even closer to Kat, her hand wandering down the helpless bodyguard’s leather clad body until it stopped on one of her spread thighs.  She clutched Kat’s chin with her other hand.  “I know you don’t value Elke’s opinion very highly, but on this occasion she was right.  You are getting rather overzealous.  You were indulging yourself a little bit too much while dealing with Brie and her friend.”  

Kat’s eyes were still wide as Margo stepped back, and waved to the others. 

“I’ll leave this fine specimen with you, Dr. Seaton,” she said with a wicked smile, “but please return her to me in one piece.” 

“I’ll try,” Jamie laughed, rushing forward to give her employer a farewell hug.  With a final wave, the TESSERACT CEO departed as swiftly as she had appeared.  Now that Margo had gone, her bound, gagged and helpless bodyguard quickly became the centre of attention for her three former captives.  The chair she was tightly bound to creaked as she strained pointlessly against her bonds, while Jamie and the detectives moved in towards her with vengeful gleams in their eyes.  

“‘While the cat’s away, the mice will play,’” Jo said. 

“That’s not right,” Kathleen retorted.  

“‘While the Kat’s bound and gagged, the mice will play,’” Jamie suggested. 

“We’re supposed to be consulting with TESSERACT security personnel, right?” Jo asked. 

“That’s right,” Jamie replied, “and Kat’s in charge of TESSERACT security.” 

“Mmmm,” Kathleen said, “consultation was never this much fun.”