Part 46
The four available members of the team: Mara, Starbuck, Lara, and an unsuited Samus, were in the briefing room where Mara was laying out the details of the operation she'd put together. It was a solid plan, of course, given what the purpose of this operation was. There was no way she'd allow even the slightest thing to go wrong with a mission to rescue Seven. In fact, after what happened to Lara, she was more determined than ever to get her out. Obviously they had done something to her, but nothing that couldn't be reversed, she knew that. Seven was very strong willed, and she'd never gotten on well with Lara, so it was no surprise that had happened. Once they'd gotten her back, everything would return to normal, or the joke that passed for it around here.
Everything stopped as Ms. Danoob entered. She had that look about her that said they weren't going to like what she was about to say. It was probably because they were used to not liking what she had to say. "I've looked over your plans, Mara, and they're very good."
Mara nodded in acknowledgment. "Is that all?"
"No," Ms. Danoob said, taking a seat. "There's a small change I'd like to make."
"No changes," Mara said flatly. "We're too invested in this. Unless there's a fundamental error - which there isn't - we go ahead as planned and drilled."
Ms. Danoob offered that insincere smile of hers. "But this really can't be missed. Ronald Tetz will be with Seven. You are to bring him in as well - alive."
"Too risky," Mara said. "We can go back for him later, but trying to nab him and Seven-"
"We need him," Ms. Danoob said. "We need to bring in a sizable amount of money from this operation."
Mara glared at her. "This is a rescue operation," she said slowly, like the inevitable approach of a millstone that would grind up anything in its path. "We cannot jeopardize it for profit."
"Even I answer to someone, Mara," Ms. Danoob said "The shareholders need to see results, or they'll shut us down."
"That's not my problem," Mara said.
"You work for me. My problems are your problems."
"First we get Seven," Mara said, a little louder. "We can go back for Tetz later."
"No, he'll be even more careful after this. This is our opportunity; we can't afford to waste it."
"Rescuing Seven isn't a waste!" Mara shouted. "You can't expect us to think otherwise!"
Ms. Danoob was quiet for a moment, then turned to the other three. "What's your opinion, Lara? Should we just get Seven, or both."
"I'm all for leaving the bitch to his tender mercies," Lara said evenly. "But if we're getting her out, then we should grab Tetz as well."
"Samus?" Ms. Danoob asked.
"In my experience, if you have an opportunity to grab both targets with a single raid, you do it." She looked over to Mara. "Sorry, but that's the way I've learned to do it best. Nothing personal."
"Kara?" Ms. Danoob looked to Starbuck, who met her gaze but said nothing. "What do you think?" Starbuck was quiet. She looked over to Mara, then to the picture of Seven that was being projected...
"I agree with Ms. Danoob," Starbuck said, though it was spoken like she'd just announced her own death sentence.
"As you can see," Ms. Danoob said to Mara without the slightest bit of arrogance or condescension, "it's the smart move. Extract them both."
"Seven's not emotionally well," Mara said. "We know that much. Trying to take Ronald may introduce an unstable element into this. It's too risky."
"Your opinion is noted," Ms. Danoob said. "But your orders stand. Bring both back." She didn't make any threats; she didn't have to. It was understood that if Mara disregarded her orders that Ms. Danoob would make her life very difficult. Despite her demeanor, despite how she might seem like a small, harmless woman, she was capable of great -and imaginative - sadism if the situation called for it. Crossing her was like poking a grizzly bear with a short stick.
"We'll adjourn until 2100," Mara said, keeping her attention focused on her notes so she wouldn't have to look at the others. "I'll work up the changes to the operation and discuss it with you then. Dismissed." Lara and Samus left; Starbuck got up, hesitated, then came up to Mara.
"Listen, I uh, I'm sorry about... you know."
Mara looked into her eyes, and Starbuck felt the same clawing in the pit of her stomach she'd felt back on the station when all this had started.
"Dis - missed," Mara repeated. Starbuck quickly complied and Mara ground her teeth together, but only because it stopped her jaw from trembling. She looked down at the image of Ronald Tetz on the LCD screen of the data assistant Ms. Danoob had left with her. She felt her whole body tremble, and then the image shattered.
"She'll be all right," she whispered to herself. "She's going to be all right..."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Seven was secured spread-eagle to the bed, Ronald kneeling beside her. He had a grin on his face that made Seven shiver, because she knew it meant he was going to tickle her out of her skin. Slowly his fingers descended and she stiffened, watching helplessly as they reached towards her inner thighs. She began chuckling as he started lightly pinching along there, which soon turned to deeper laughter as he ran his fingers up onto her pelvis and gradually onto her tummy. He spent quite a bit of time on the tummy, probably because it made her breasts bounce so much, because when he finally did move on he went straight to her nipples. He pinched and rolled them until she was screwing her eyes shut, laughing like mad. After a week in his possession he'd found her most ticklish spots and always managed to hit them with gusto.
After a while he went to the breast itself, scratching the undersides and doing light massages. He slipped from this onto her ribs, teasing the sides of her breasts with his thumbs while his fingers dug into her ribcage. She was sputtering and thrashing, but the restraints were solid, and she wasn't able to pull free. She wouldn't be able to unless he wished it.
He finally worked his way up into her armpits, and after all she'd been through Seven could take no more. She was laughing hysterically, tugging at her bonds, trying to make it stop, yet unable to deny how hot she was becoming from all of this. She felt him slip in between her thighs, and still he kept on tickling. But she was excited now, waiting...
At a single vocal command, the restraints unlashed themselves, and Seven was free. He began making love to her as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, her squeals of laughter changing to squeals of enjoyment. Every time seemed more wonderful than the last, and now, still flush from the tickling -and alone, since Ronald had excused Grace from joining in- she was in paradise.
After it was over, Seven laid there, his arms wrapped around her. She couldn't imagine anything being better than this, that anyone could do the things for her he could. "I love you," she said without thinking, and instantly turned even more red with embarrassment.
Ronald chuckled a little. "It's all right," he said comfortingly. He squeezed her a little tighter. "I've watched you all this past week. You seem happy here. Are you happy?"
"Absolutely," Seven said. ""This was the best thing that ever happened to me."
Ronald kissed her neck, and Seven melted. "I'm glad to hear you say that. Seven... I wanted to give you some time to adjust, but... what would you say if I offered to make you my wife?"
Seven turned and looked into his face. Of course, she had always felt it was the logical thing to do, but when it came to matters like this, logic usually wasn't involved. "But what about Grace?"
"We can keep her," Ronald said. "It's not common, but it's not completely unprecedented. She'd just no longer be my wife. I'd have to cut through some red tape, remove your slave status, but it can be done... if that's what you want."
Seven's lip quivered and tears escaped from her eyes. "There’s nothing I want more in the universe than to spend the rest of my life with you." And she kissed him to show just how much she meant that.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Mara stared into the mirror. She said nothing, she did nothing, she just stared. After twenty minutes, she said just one sentence.
"Tomorrow... and then she's mine again."
The four available members of the team: Mara, Starbuck, Lara, and an unsuited Samus, were in the briefing room where Mara was laying out the details of the operation she'd put together. It was a solid plan, of course, given what the purpose of this operation was. There was no way she'd allow even the slightest thing to go wrong with a mission to rescue Seven. In fact, after what happened to Lara, she was more determined than ever to get her out. Obviously they had done something to her, but nothing that couldn't be reversed, she knew that. Seven was very strong willed, and she'd never gotten on well with Lara, so it was no surprise that had happened. Once they'd gotten her back, everything would return to normal, or the joke that passed for it around here.
Everything stopped as Ms. Danoob entered. She had that look about her that said they weren't going to like what she was about to say. It was probably because they were used to not liking what she had to say. "I've looked over your plans, Mara, and they're very good."
Mara nodded in acknowledgment. "Is that all?"
"No," Ms. Danoob said, taking a seat. "There's a small change I'd like to make."
"No changes," Mara said flatly. "We're too invested in this. Unless there's a fundamental error - which there isn't - we go ahead as planned and drilled."
Ms. Danoob offered that insincere smile of hers. "But this really can't be missed. Ronald Tetz will be with Seven. You are to bring him in as well - alive."
"Too risky," Mara said. "We can go back for him later, but trying to nab him and Seven-"
"We need him," Ms. Danoob said. "We need to bring in a sizable amount of money from this operation."
Mara glared at her. "This is a rescue operation," she said slowly, like the inevitable approach of a millstone that would grind up anything in its path. "We cannot jeopardize it for profit."
"Even I answer to someone, Mara," Ms. Danoob said "The shareholders need to see results, or they'll shut us down."
"That's not my problem," Mara said.
"You work for me. My problems are your problems."
"First we get Seven," Mara said, a little louder. "We can go back for Tetz later."
"No, he'll be even more careful after this. This is our opportunity; we can't afford to waste it."
"Rescuing Seven isn't a waste!" Mara shouted. "You can't expect us to think otherwise!"
Ms. Danoob was quiet for a moment, then turned to the other three. "What's your opinion, Lara? Should we just get Seven, or both."
"I'm all for leaving the bitch to his tender mercies," Lara said evenly. "But if we're getting her out, then we should grab Tetz as well."
"Samus?" Ms. Danoob asked.
"In my experience, if you have an opportunity to grab both targets with a single raid, you do it." She looked over to Mara. "Sorry, but that's the way I've learned to do it best. Nothing personal."
"Kara?" Ms. Danoob looked to Starbuck, who met her gaze but said nothing. "What do you think?" Starbuck was quiet. She looked over to Mara, then to the picture of Seven that was being projected...
"I agree with Ms. Danoob," Starbuck said, though it was spoken like she'd just announced her own death sentence.
"As you can see," Ms. Danoob said to Mara without the slightest bit of arrogance or condescension, "it's the smart move. Extract them both."
"Seven's not emotionally well," Mara said. "We know that much. Trying to take Ronald may introduce an unstable element into this. It's too risky."
"Your opinion is noted," Ms. Danoob said. "But your orders stand. Bring both back." She didn't make any threats; she didn't have to. It was understood that if Mara disregarded her orders that Ms. Danoob would make her life very difficult. Despite her demeanor, despite how she might seem like a small, harmless woman, she was capable of great -and imaginative - sadism if the situation called for it. Crossing her was like poking a grizzly bear with a short stick.
"We'll adjourn until 2100," Mara said, keeping her attention focused on her notes so she wouldn't have to look at the others. "I'll work up the changes to the operation and discuss it with you then. Dismissed." Lara and Samus left; Starbuck got up, hesitated, then came up to Mara.
"Listen, I uh, I'm sorry about... you know."
Mara looked into her eyes, and Starbuck felt the same clawing in the pit of her stomach she'd felt back on the station when all this had started.
"Dis - missed," Mara repeated. Starbuck quickly complied and Mara ground her teeth together, but only because it stopped her jaw from trembling. She looked down at the image of Ronald Tetz on the LCD screen of the data assistant Ms. Danoob had left with her. She felt her whole body tremble, and then the image shattered.
"She'll be all right," she whispered to herself. "She's going to be all right..."
--------------------------------------------------------------
Seven was secured spread-eagle to the bed, Ronald kneeling beside her. He had a grin on his face that made Seven shiver, because she knew it meant he was going to tickle her out of her skin. Slowly his fingers descended and she stiffened, watching helplessly as they reached towards her inner thighs. She began chuckling as he started lightly pinching along there, which soon turned to deeper laughter as he ran his fingers up onto her pelvis and gradually onto her tummy. He spent quite a bit of time on the tummy, probably because it made her breasts bounce so much, because when he finally did move on he went straight to her nipples. He pinched and rolled them until she was screwing her eyes shut, laughing like mad. After a week in his possession he'd found her most ticklish spots and always managed to hit them with gusto.
After a while he went to the breast itself, scratching the undersides and doing light massages. He slipped from this onto her ribs, teasing the sides of her breasts with his thumbs while his fingers dug into her ribcage. She was sputtering and thrashing, but the restraints were solid, and she wasn't able to pull free. She wouldn't be able to unless he wished it.
He finally worked his way up into her armpits, and after all she'd been through Seven could take no more. She was laughing hysterically, tugging at her bonds, trying to make it stop, yet unable to deny how hot she was becoming from all of this. She felt him slip in between her thighs, and still he kept on tickling. But she was excited now, waiting...
At a single vocal command, the restraints unlashed themselves, and Seven was free. He began making love to her as she wrapped her arms and legs around him, her squeals of laughter changing to squeals of enjoyment. Every time seemed more wonderful than the last, and now, still flush from the tickling -and alone, since Ronald had excused Grace from joining in- she was in paradise.
After it was over, Seven laid there, his arms wrapped around her. She couldn't imagine anything being better than this, that anyone could do the things for her he could. "I love you," she said without thinking, and instantly turned even more red with embarrassment.
Ronald chuckled a little. "It's all right," he said comfortingly. He squeezed her a little tighter. "I've watched you all this past week. You seem happy here. Are you happy?"
"Absolutely," Seven said. ""This was the best thing that ever happened to me."
Ronald kissed her neck, and Seven melted. "I'm glad to hear you say that. Seven... I wanted to give you some time to adjust, but... what would you say if I offered to make you my wife?"
Seven turned and looked into his face. Of course, she had always felt it was the logical thing to do, but when it came to matters like this, logic usually wasn't involved. "But what about Grace?"
"We can keep her," Ronald said. "It's not common, but it's not completely unprecedented. She'd just no longer be my wife. I'd have to cut through some red tape, remove your slave status, but it can be done... if that's what you want."
Seven's lip quivered and tears escaped from her eyes. "There’s nothing I want more in the universe than to spend the rest of my life with you." And she kissed him to show just how much she meant that.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Mara stared into the mirror. She said nothing, she did nothing, she just stared. After twenty minutes, she said just one sentence.
"Tomorrow... and then she's mine again."
I've got to admit I'm really curious to see everyone's reactions; it's all I can do not to post them all in one go right now, but then you don't get the fun of the cliffhangers.
