Chapter 1: Breaking In

RAVEN, Status: MASTER. Log 001. SUBJECT 0601, Subject 0601 appears hesitant toward her new life, however she shows no signs of hostility. This is a common response and should not be taken as a sign of unwanted behavior as of yet. This is by no means evidence enough to justify scheduling a premeditated euthanasia date. I believe Subject 0601 might prove to be far more useful to this institution than an average run-of-the-mill slave.

Promptly following my auction, I was blindfolded once more and shoved into another van along with three of my fellow prisoners. Our shoulders jostled and bumped with every pebble in the road. We flinched at each other’s touch. When one of us would whimper through our gags, a guard beside us would put a knife to our throat until we returned to silence. I didn’t dare make a noise, yet the guard still made sure to threaten me twice. The blade was cold against my neck and felt freshly sharpened.

“Pretty little thing,” the guard would call me. His breath smelled of cigarettes and sadism. I swallowed a gag, forcing the blade deeper into my skin.

I was still trembling when he pulled away, though partially it was because I hadn’t been given clothes yet. The only coverings I had were my hip-length straight black hair and a wooden sign around my neck that named me “0601.” I had no real name anymore, apparently. I was a number in their system. A digit among thousands. The last poor soul with my number was “forcefully retired,” they said. That was why they kept me in that cage for so long. I was waiting for the previous 0601’s death so that I could take their place. The facility had 9999 total subjects at all times, with a small surplus in the basement, just in case.

The van came to a screeching halt when the doors opened, and a rush of cold air sent me into violent shivers. Two strong hands hoisted me up first, dragging me down a sharp gravel path. I didn’t struggle against them, as my wrists were behind me and my ankles could only spread a few feet apart. With every step, desperately trying to keep up with the guards’ pace, the sign on my chest slapped my tiny breasts. The cold had hardened my nipples, leaving them perked up and pushed out, enduring every moment of pain. A single tear trickled out from beneath my blindfold, but I forced the rest to stay inside.

Gravel turned to concrete and suddenly I was inside, where voices murmured throughout the endless corridors and the chill across my body grew even worse. I was brought to a screeching stop, where I slammed against the back of one of the guards. He sneered and shoved me into the arms of the other, who wrapped me in his heavy hands. Though they were gloved, he still couldn’t resist letting his palm scrape against my bare ass. I shuddered and swallowed the humiliation.

Once we stepped through another doorway, my blindfold and hanging sign were removed, leaving me even more naked than before. The room I was ushered into was wrapped in wood paneling from the floor to the ceiling, with no doors or windows in sight. Even when the entrance rolled shut behind us, it fell flush against the wall and locked with a heavy snap. I jolted at the sound, feeling a string snap inside of my heart that reverberated anxious pain down to my toes. They curled up tight against the floor while my eyes nervously scanned the room’s decor.

Two thick wooden pillars framed a strange structure in the center of the room, sat beneath a burning spotlight not unlike the one I had been bathed in while being sold. The structure was shaped sort of like a childish depiction of a house, with the top of it ending in a sharp point. Black stains colored the triangle, trickling down onto larger, darker splotches on the floor. I shuddered to think of the horrible things that had occurred in that room.

The guard who had a fondness for my ass came up from behind me and began releasing my chains, though he left the shackles on. I glanced around the room, desperate to make a break for freedom, but I had already forgotten where the door was. Beyond that, I didn’t know where I was or how long I had been there. My body was weak and my mind was a blur, still reeling over all that I had learned in just a matter of hours.

My disorientation made the guards’ job easy as they each took an arm and hoisted me up off of my feet. I shrieked and kicked my legs, flailing like a fish out of water, but the guards remained unfazed. The heavy ball gag in my mouth was soaking up my pleas for mercy like a sponge, even when those pleas became cries of pain as I was made to straddle the triangular structure, where its sharpened point buried itself deep between my thighs.

With my short legs helplessly dangling off of the edge, my body weight only continued sinking deeper and deeper, despite the agony that was forcing itself up into my pussy. My head jerked back with a sob that worsened as one of the guards slipped off his gloves and began pinching apart my labia until they draped across the edge’s point, forcing it even deeper into my rosy pink flesh. No one had ever touched me there before. Feeling foreign fingers on my body made me ill. I squeezed my eyes shut to hold back the tears of humiliation as the guard’s gloved palm began running down the length of my thigh. My skin prickled, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood straight up. The guard chuckled in response.

Beneath me rang out a rattling of chains that forced my eyes back open. The second guard had attached my restraints to hooks at the base of both pillars, making sure to tighten them enough that my legs were splayed straight out. I sucked in a painful breath, pulled even deeper into the triangle’s point, and fought the urge to writhe. Muffled sobs erupted from my throat, leaving me to choke and gag them back down. Tendrils of saliva coated my breasts, rolling down my navel until they began lubricating the pointed edge beneath me. My wrists were shackled to a hook above my head, where my arms hung straight upwards on a bar that spread them apart. The position made it difficult to pull myself up and relieve some of the pressure on my poor pussy.

Both guards gawked at my body for one final time, blowing me kisses and lapping out their tongues like panting dogs at the sight of my nakedness, before disappearing through a second entrance that stood behind me. I struggled to turn my head and try to follow their footsteps, unable to twist anything but my neck. It was no use. I was locked up tighter than a safe, left in the silence of my own agony. Tears cascaded down my cheeks in waves, offering little heat against the goosebumps that ravaged my skin. The chill in the air left me violently shaking and hardened up my dime-sized nipples until they were both as hard as strawberry-pink rocks.

“Perhaps we should have used the one with padding,” a feminine voice behind me mused. I startled at the noise, letting out a sharp yelp as a pair of slender shadows flanked me on either side.

“Don’t get soft just because she’s young, my dear,” another, much deeper, more sultry voice said.

The woman chuckled. “I don’t want to damage her just yet. A sixteen-year-old is so hard to come by these days.”

“Especially one so frail and cute,” the masculine voice added. His hand rested gently on my backside, and I instantly recoiled from his touch with a whimper. He tutted his tongue and stepped into view, waving his finger disappointedly.

“Just give in, mi amor,” he purred with a grin. “You belong to us now. I am your master. And Minerva,” he pointed to my other side, where the woman stood propped against the beam. “She is your mistress. Do you know what that means?”

I nervously shook my head.

“It means we own you, sweet girl,” Minerva said. She had a faint transatlantic accent, which she paired with dark red lipstick and soft, dark brown curls that hugged her face like silken curtains. She was taller than me, by the looks of it, with a busty figure; her breasts poured out from the deep cut of her black evening gown. Her waist disappeared beneath the pinnacle of her chest, where a corset gave her body a perfect hourglass shape. She was a perfect replica of vintage burlesque posters, with full lips and sharpened cat-like eyes. I could feel her gaze against my skin, crawling up my body like the tickling legs of a spider. Her smile turned to a smirk as she devoured the sight of me.

“She looks like so much fun, Raven,” Minerva purred, her voice rolling up from the back of her throat in a warm vibrato.

Raven chuckled. He ran a hand down the buttons of his black suit jacket and slowly began unfastening each one without breaking his eyes from my trembling breasts. I nearly gagged when he took the jacket off, revealing thick, muscular arms nearly the size of my head.

Raven was the bulky kind of muscular; the kind of guy you don’t want to fuck with. He was so tall, in fact, that I doubted my head would barely reach his chest if I were standing on my feet. He had dark golden skin with long, thick black hair that fell to his shoulders in waves. It melted into his full, lush beard and connecting mustache, which twitched as he flashed his ravenous teeth.

Both of my captors were much older than me, by the looks of it. Time had been kind to the two of them, but I could tell they were old enough to be my parents. My body cringed up at the thought, filling the gaps of silence with the jangling of my chains. Raven’s hungry eyes met mine with wickedness, and I stifled a sob.

Slowly, Raven rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt, revealing his bulging, hair-covered forearms made to kill a man in one punch. With a crack of his knuckles, he began to study me even closer than before. Goosebumps returned to my skin, ravaging my body until I was shaking all over again.

“It’s a shame we have to break her,” Raven said, his dark and cruel voice echoing in my ears like a growl.

I whimpered, tugging against my cuffs in a desperate act of escape, but as my body struggled atop the triangle, the cruel, sharpened point only continued to grind against my bubblegum flesh. The saliva pouring down my lips was barely enough to combat the pain, and I sucked in a muffled scream.

“Not to worry,” Minerva said, disappearing behind me. She returned with a black, snake-like whip wrapped in slick leather. My body jolted in fear as it unraveled in her hand, hitting the ground with a soft snap. Tears immediately began pouring down my face again, paired with stifled sobs, as I shook my head to plead for mercy.

Raven shushed me, shaking his head. He stepped closer so as to drag his knuckle down my cheeks, soaking up every droplet that fell from my blurring eyes.

“We’ll have none of that, now,” he said with a low hum.

I shook my head again, begging with my eyes. I hadn’t done anything to warrant a beating. Whatever crime they thought I had committed—whatever kind of person they thought I was—I was innocent! I didn’t deserve anything that was happening to me. I tried to tell them that, but the gag forced the words right back down my mouth.

When I didn’t stop crying, Raven’s eyes hardened. His bushy black brows furrowed deep, and he let out a long sigh.

“Minerva,” he said curtly, taking a step back.

CRACK!

I tried to follow his gaze behind me but barely managed to turn my head back an inch before a searing pain erupted across my back. My body curled up on itself, seething in the agony. A shriek tore through my lungs, partially out of shock from the fire that blazed across the backs of my shoulders and partially to match the volume of the cracking noise that the whip created against my tender flesh. Wails broke free, clawing up my throat and gurgling out in spit bubbles and gags.

Raven watched, eyes narrowed, then said, “Again.”

CRACK!

As if Minerva was expecting him to give the command, I barely had a moment to brace myself before the whip lashed at my skin a second time. My back bowed, grinding my soft, sensitive clit against the wood beneath me. It crunched between my weight and the triangle, reverberating pain back up to my chest until I swallowed vomit.

“Again.”

CRACK!

My lungs ached in the terror, burning like fire until I had nothing left but heaving breaths to fan the flames. A warm trickle of blood rolled down my back, following the curve of my spine until the droplet buried itself inside of my ass. My chest heaved with a sob, but I was out of tears left to cry. My head throbbed from dehydration, and I suckled the ball gag, swallowing my own spit in hopes of trying to get some water back.

“Do you know what you did wrong?” Raven asked calmly. He rested his hand on my thigh, where his fingers traced lines across my pale skin.

I shook my head, whimpering.

“I gave you an order.” His fingertips stopped, then buried deep into my flesh until I jerked my head back with a yelp. “And you failed to obey.”

I thrashed my hips back and forth against the triangle as best as I could, running my labia dry in hopes of escaping Raven’s iron grip. The movement jostled the nerves in my pussy until an unfamiliar tightness began to form in my chest. I faltered, confused, as I had only ever felt that sensation on lonely nights when my fingers burned to explore the caverns between my legs.

“Is she being difficult?” Minerva asked. My body flinched at the sound of her voice, as if prepared for another lashing.

Raven shook his head. “The little thing is only frightened. That’s very good.” His grip loosened, and he slowly pulled away. The gentle pets of Raven’s hand across my thigh felt like an apology of sorts. I shuddered away from his touch regardless.

“I think she’s a docile one,” Raven continued, pacing around me like a vulture. “She’ll be easy to break; I just fear we don’t break her for good.”

“Do you honestly think she’s a qualifier for Project Orchid? That isn’t an easy program.”

“Oh, I know. Doctor Wentzler informed me it has a zero-percent success rate as of now. But he isn’t starting young enough.” Raven’s fingertips slowly grazed my fresh wounds. My spine curled up, and I sucked in a hiss as the pain exploded across my backside. “This little one here still has some developing left to do. Both mentally and physically.”

“Yes...” Minerva mumbled. “She’s quite small for a sixteen-year-old. Are we positive that’s her age?”

“It hardly matters now. She’s young, she’s fresh, and she’s weak. Given a year of treatment, I believe her mind will be open for us to mold to our vision.”

“Oh my. Only a year?” Minerva chuckled. “We best get to work.”

CRACK!

I shrieked until my breath expired, rattling my chains to emphasize the pain. Laughter erupted behind me as they watched my ass squirm and writhe to escape the whip’s tongue.

CRACK!

CRACK!

CRACK!

Pain so pure washed over me. Though my body was ablaze and my lungs emptied of all the screams I likely never would have used before, the sensations were starting to blur. Whiteness crept across the corners of my eyes until my head bobbed down, hanging limp off of my neck. The voices around me turned to mush in my ears. I tried to invite the darkness to take the white’s place, begging for the release of unconsciousness to carry me over to the next life, but an icy sensation against my chest roused me back into focus, and I blinked the obstructions from my eyes.

Raven stood so close to me that I could smell the rich, oaky cologne he had dabbed onto his neck. He pressed a stethoscope to my heart, holding his breath to listen to its slow, laboring beats. As my vision cleared, I could see Minerva behind him as she discarded a slimy red ball gag into a bag. It was only then that I realized my jaw had been released, allowing me to stretch out the muscles with a groan.

Raven’s eyes flickered up to meet mine at the sound of my voice, and he pulled back the stethoscope to drape it across his shoulders. Smiling, he purred, “Look who’s awake. See, Minerva? Our girl is tough enough to take a beating or two.”

Minerva frowned, less than impressed.

“She’ll need work done,” she said. “With stamina like that, she won’t make it through the week.”

“Aw, come now. Have a little bit more faith.” Raven’s dark amber eyes twinkled as he spoke, staring through me as if he could carve out my own thoughts like a waxen tablet. “I suppose you want to know what you’re doing here, little one.”

I nodded weakly, too exhausted to make any noise louder than a rasp in my throat.

“It’s very simple, really. You are here to serve. To suffer. To submit. Your life was dull and aimless. You contributed nothing. So much so that not a soul batted a single pretty eyelash when you up and went missing.”

That wasn’t true. Dad would have been looking for me. Oh god, I couldn’t believe I had left him behind. I wondered if he hated me for it or if he was losing his mind trying to track me down. I took him for granted. I took everything for granted.

“Are ... y-you ... going t—to ... kill me?” I asked hoarsely.

Raven’s smile widened. “Hopefully not. That all depends on you, my dear. Cooperate and prove yourself worthy to be a slave, and perhaps you’ll live well into my age.”

“Are ... you going t—to ... let me ... go?”

“I’m afraid not. You don’t deserve freedom. You wasted your life—in both spirit and flesh. So we took control. You are not a person anymore. You are a number. Subject Zero-Six-Zero-One.” Raven took me by the chin, pulling my head as far down as my neck could manage before I was teetering onto my swollen, puckering clit. “We own every single part of you now. From your organs to your own name.”