Chapter 19: Karma

I had expected Rebecca in the morning, but it was Diana who entered the stage with Matej at nine o’clock. The change was announced by the crowing of a virtual rooster. The camera crew also changed. To my surprise, Linse was there too. Slowly, I began to understand why no other studio could film at the same time as the big shows. All hands were on deck.

The shift change of the Paladins was unspectacular. I was finally freed from my standing cage, but instead put in a sitting cage that was built into the back wall. As uncomfortable as it looked, after a night in the standing cage, it seemed like a luxury armchair to me. Then Isabell was freed. She was stretched out on the rack.

All three cameras focused on the torture scenes, while my cage moved out of the camera’s view. Suddenly, my cage moved backwards, while a black curtain fell in front of the stage. A faint red light illuminated a room behind the backdrop. My cage was mounted on rollers that allowed it to move on rails. A female figure in a full-body latex catsuit and mask began to quietly and carefully open my cage. In the dim light, I recognized a 17 on her forehead. She held a finger to her mouth and I nodded that I understood. She helped me get out of the cage as quietly as possible and then loosened the restraints that were still pulling my elbows back. Then came my gag. Isabell’s first cries of pain rang out from the stage. The paladins asked questions and accused her of treason, which she vehemently denied.

I moved my lower jaw back and forth to try to relieve the cramp caused by the gag. At the same time, I stretched my arms to stimulate blood circulation there as well. 17 raised both hands and opened them five times. Apparently, I was given a 50-minute break. “I need to go to the bathroom,” I whispered.

She nodded and led me further back to a door. Unlike the other studios on Level 1, the dressing room here was behind the stage. As soon as the door was closed, I scurried as fast as my leg chains would allow toward the toilet. Ah, finally a ceramic bowl without a camera. I sat down and immediately began to do my business. My gaze wandered up above the door to the surveillance camera and I had to sigh inwardly; it would have been too good to be true. When I was done, I faced the next problem, because the chains also hindered me when cleaning myself. But with a few contortions, I managed it. After washing my hands, I used one of the sealed toothbrushes provided and brushed my teeth. Then 17 opened the door and checked to see where I was taking so long. She signaled 40 to me.

“Are you still not allowed to speak?”

She shook her head. She made kneading movements with her hands.

“You want to massage me?”

She nodded and waved impatiently for me to follow her.

Next door was the first-aid room with a couch, on which I lay down awkwardly. Unfortunately, the chain had to go under my stomach and pressed a little. With skillful hands and some massage oil, 17 kneaded my shoulders and arms while I dozed off.

I had just fallen into a deep trance when a violent shaking rudely woke me up again. For a few seconds, I didn’t know where I was or who I was. But 17 didn’t let up and finally managed to get me up. She pressed a cup into my hand, which contained hot but drinkable sweetened cappuccino. She held up four fingers. Great. I drank the invigorating beverage almost in one gulp. I wolfed down a croissant with strawberry jam on the way to the cage. Unfortunately, I spilled some of it. 17 looked desperately at the mess on my breasts and searched in vain for towels. When she couldn’t find anything to clean me up with, she leaned forward, took my head between her hands, and kissed my jam-covered lips clean. Then she licked the remains off my breasts as if it were the most natural thing in the world. In great haste, I was tied up again and locked in the cage. Then 17 pushed me back into the wings and the curtain was removed.

As good as the break had been for me, it had been far too short to give me enough time to recover. In fact, the cage now seemed extremely uncomfortable to me, which of course it was. Isabell was still lying on the rack. I couldn’t see exactly what they were doing, but I could mostly guess. Linse pointed his camera at me and winked. My absence had been successfully concealed from the audience. Despite all the real pain, it was still just a show.