Chapter 7

“So,” said Lisa, “Trap?”

“Trap,” agreed Derrick.

“Just making sure we’re clear on that. All right, I’ll tell her to meet me Thursday night”

“Sounds good to me. Don’t want them getting cold feet.”

“Hold on,” interrupted one of the men. Joe, she thought his name was, “What about the whole ‘trap’ part?”

Lisa shrugged. “It’s the quickest way to find the place.”

“But-”

“She’s right,” said Derrick, “We’re running on borrowed time here, you all know that. This needs to end. Fast.”

Around the room, Lisa saw heads faintly nod. They were holed up in a safehouse out in the middle of nowhere. Derrick’s superiors had not been amused to find that he’d cut down a high ranking officer. Evidence of that officer’s treason was enough to prevent official sanctions, but Derrick was persona non grata at the moment.

Officially, anyways. Unofficially, he was still a popular young officer, one with a lot of friends. When word got around just why Derrick had been blacklisted, a surprising number of people had come forward to support him. It was tolerated, for the moment, by Derrick’s superiors. They didn’t want to rock the boat and have a mutiny on their hands. That could change at any moment.

Elizabeth’s call offered the perfect opportunity. She’d contacted Lisa, spinning a tale of narrow escape and frantic chases. Not to mention allies. Ones strong enough to fight the Brotherhood.

Lisa didn’t trust it. The timing was too coincidental, the story too neat. Besides, Elizabeth could never quite explain just how she’d leaned Lisa was still free.

No, there was a chance that this was legit, and Lisa would welcome it if true, but she wasn’t putting any stock in it. On the other hand, a captive Lisa would be brought to the holding facility, the one housing the other Temple captives. Or so Lisa hoped.

They’d narrowed the sites down, but still didn’t know where the prisoners were kept. There were a half dozen or so candidates, but they just weren’t sure. Derrick’s team was big enough to hit one, but only one. They’d only get a single shot, and time was ticking.

“Ok,” said Derrick, pulling out a big roll of paper, “Now let’s go over those maps one more time...”

Just as Elizabeth expected, Lisa was all alone, huddled under an awning in the cold rain. That poor girl. There was a lot of potential, but she’d been unprepared for the rigors of solo work. It was surprising she’d lasted this long. That ended tonight. Soon, her talents would be put to a better use, a bright new future unquestioningly serving their masters.

Elizabeth pulled up to the curb, and stepped out of the car. Smiling to put Lisa at ease, she hurried over to the girl and wrapped her up in a tight embrace.

“I can’t tell you how much I missed you,” she told Lisa. It wasn’t entirely false. Every now and then she’d thought of Lisa, but it never occurred to Elizabeth to check up on her, or get back in touch. She’d always assumed that, like the others, Lisa was now like her. Just another blissfully obedient servant. Or more likely, undergoing the long slow process of being turned into one. She’d never questioned it. If only she had, Elizabeth could have saved her masters a great deal of anxiety.

Ushering her into the car, Elizabeth handed the girl a long, warm blanket to take away the cold. Anything to put her at ease until they arrived. Elizabeth scanned Lisa’s mind, sensing a faint unease through the shields, along with a sense of relief. About what she expected, but better safe than sorry.

“Sorry, Lisa, but I need you to lower your shields,” she said, “I hate to ask this, but I’m taking a lot of risks helping, and I need to be sure.”

Nodding faintly, Lisa complied. Elizabeth could sense her nervousness as she rooted through Lisa’s brain. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just an untrained girl on the run, making her way as best she could without any friends or support. Elizabeth almost felt sorry for her.

Actually, she did feel sorry. If only Lisa had been caught. This would already be over, and Lisa would be so much further along the path towards her true purpose.

For a moment, Elizabeth was tempted to take advantage of Lisa’s unguarded state. If she struck fast, she might disable the girl before she had a chance to fight back. Trouble was, if Lisa did defend in time she’d be able to make a break for it. In the end, what really mattered was that striking now went against the plan. Her Masters’ plan. Elizabeth had some latitude, but there had been a good reason to deviate. Lisa was settled in now, once they got to the compound there would be no escape. Only a glorious new life of servitude.

“We have confirmation, looks like they’re headed to site C.” The voice crackled over the radio. Derrick set his car to motion. C it was, then. Good. It wasn’t the most convenient of locations, but it was the easiest to approach. Being a member of the Guardians brought many advantages, and in this case those advantages took the form of an old logging map. One that revealed an overgrown logging road leading almost within a mile of the building. They’d checked it out this week, the road was still there, not totally free from obstruction, but still navigable. Better yet, there were no signs of use. At least none from within the past decade. So far as they could tell, the Brotherhood hadn’t realized it was there. They’d probably be in place before Lisa even arrived.

Derrick pressed a button on his radio, flipping the channel.

“Some old allies from when I was in training,” said the voice on the radio. Elizabeth, Lisa’s one time mentor. Now a Brotherhood agent. They had bugged Lisa, and someone would be listening to everything said in her presence. It was a risk, but a safe one. There were far too many controllers that relied entirely on their powers, shunning outside technology if it didn’t cater to their immediate gratification. The radio could be detected, but so would a mental link with Lisa. Of the two, their enemy was far less likely to check for the radio.

“Oh, I can’t tell you who exactly,” continued Elizabeth in response to Lisa’s questioning, “They have to watch out for themselves, but you can ask when you meet them.”

Sure, and her mysterious allies just happened to be holed up in a Brotherhood front. For Lisa’s sake, he’d held out a faint hope that Elizabeth was on the level, but the truth didn’t surprise him. With a flick of a knob, the channel changed once more. Someone would be monitoring this full time, but he had other concerns.

“Scout team gamma,” he said, “we’re pulling onto the road now. Any change?”

They’d snuck observers in earlier today, the best infiltrators he could get his hands on, two at each site. Every field officer in the Guardians was trained in concealment, mental as well as physical, but the ones he’d put in place were some of the best.

“Negative,” came the response, “no sign of movement, routine patrols still operating as scheduled.”

Derrick smiled. When he was forced out, he’d hoped that his friends would stick by him. Never in a million years had he imagined so many offering to help. Derrick had some of the best working with him tonight. He hoped he didn’t let them down.

“Strike team bravo,” he said, “what’s your status.”

“Approaching the objective from the south, eta seven minutes.”

While his main group moved in on the base, other teams would be moving in to secure any exits. There would no escape, nor any outside help. Not if they had anything to do with it.

It helped that their target was the Brotherhood.

For a controller, it was easy to create a life of idle luxury. Wealth, comfort, a handful of obedient slaves catering to their every whim. So long as they didn’t rock the boat, no one would look twice at a controller who took what they wanted.

The Guardians forswore it all. They were the ones that stood on the side of civilization. Its silent protectors, always vigilant on behalf of those that didn’t even know they existed. His people believed in this, giving up wealth and comfort for the society they loved.

The Brotherhood stood against everything the Guardians believed in. Every one of them here tonight had someone to protect. A sister, girlfriend, wife, or even a daughter. Not to mention the women on the team, who stood to lose everything if the Brotherhood was victorious.

Let the others stand by and murmur complacently about the balance of power. The Brotherhood had proven themselves a cancer, one that needed to be removed.

The way the shadows twisted around them as the car drove through the secluded forest road, Lisa almost thought she was in a horror film. The car’s headlights snaked in and out of branches as the road curved and wound around the hills.

Then again, reality was pretty horrifying right now. At this very moment, they were on their way to a secret Brotherhood base, one dedicated to pumping out brainwashed slaves. One of her best friends was already there, being twisted into a Brotherhood toy, while another had every intention of turning her over to them.

Lisa couldn’t tell which site they were approaching. She’d studied the maps a dozen times or more, but on the ground it was tough to tell. It looked like site B, especially the bumpy terrain, but she wasn’t sure. Could be C. Maybe even F, though if that were the case they should have already passed a lake. Hopefully she was wrong. B would take nearly an hour to approach on foot. Lisa really, really didn’t want to spend that long in the Brotherhood’s clutches.

Lisa nervously looked out the window, watching the dark shadows of trees passing by. A deep, sinking ache filled the pit of her stomach, and it was all she could do to keep herself from panicking. From the start, she’d known this plan required her capture, but it was one thing to plan in the comfort of their safehouse. It was quite another to sit in the car moments away from captivity. An hour in their clutches might as well be an eternity, and once there she would be utterly helpless.

I can trance out of it, she told herself. It would take weeks, maybe even months to break her. As long as Derrick succeeded, there was nothing they could do to her mind that wouldn’t be fixed.

Please, she thought, please succeed. Lisa remembered all too well her time as Conrad’s simpering plaything. She really didn’t want a repeat of that.

Lisa clutched her decoy tighter, taking comfort in the protection it offered. It was herself, mostly. A phony copy of her true personality. One that knew nothing about the Guardians or any secret plans. Every couple minutes brought another quick touch, as Elizabeth checked for signs of duplicity.

That was, perhaps, her greatest risk. It was one thing to walk into a trap meant for herself. If they discovered Derrick’s team in time to prepare, her stay with the Brotherhood could longer than she’d planned. A lot longer.

The car passed one last bend, and there it was. Not site F, Lisa thought as she looked at the building. It was a squat blocky thing, mostly windowless. Deceptively small from the road, but Lisa knew that it stretched a long way back. A dim bulb hung over the unadorned double doors out front, while spotlights illuminated the surroundings. The surrounding trees were cleared back thirty meters or so, creating a buffer around the facility. From the aerial views, she knew there would be watchers on the roof, but they weren’t visible on the ground.

Which one was this? Damn the Brotherhood for making their buildings so indistinct. This could be either of the two sites. How long would she have to wait before she got some help?

The car pulled up to a gatehouse just before the start of the clearing. On either side was a high chain link fence, topped with spiky coils of barbed wire. Their advance team had already cut a hole near the northwest corner of the fence. By all accounts, it hadn’t been noticed. Elizabeth passed some papers to the guards, and the gate went up. As they approached the entrance, Lisa took a great deal of comfort from knowing those advanced scouts were nearby, even if they were powerless to help without backup.

“Here we are,” said Elizabeth, smiling at Lisa as they pulled up to the front.

“A little big for a safehouse, isn’t it,” Lisa said.

“Well they’d have to be big and strong, wouldn’t they?” Elizabeth replied. She held the door open for Lisa, and with one last gulp she stepped through.

“They’re in,” came the voice on the radio.

“So what’s the holdup,” said Big Joe. He was lying in the dirt next to Derrick, watching the building through a pair of binoculars. “We’ve got the place, everyone’s ready. As I see it, the only thing left is to run in and do this. Time to shoot and loot.”

“Not so fast,” Derrick said, “On my signal, remember?”

“I know, I know. I was at that briefing too, in case you forgot.”

Derrick tapped the radio, though Joe was too busy watching the objective to see. It was recording every word, especially everything Lisa was hearing.

“We’re about to break neutrality. About to break the hell out of it. At least if we get some good recordings, there’s a chance we’ll won’t be completely screwed afterwards.”

And it had better be damned good, Derrick thought, or we’re all going down for this. Even just breaching the Brotherhood’s perimeter was enough for censure, but they were a fully armed strike team. It would be controlled mayhem tonight, but mayhem nonetheless. One of the other ways the Guardians differed from most groups was in their use of weapons. In fact, they tried to keep a monopoly on it. Open militancy was one of the easiest ways to get on the Guardians’ bad side. This wasn’t an official mission, but they were a Guardian strike team nonetheless. They were trained to go in this way, and that was how they would operate tonight.

It wasn’t going to endear them to the leadership. A big part of him wanted to tell those stuffy bureaucrats where they could put their regulations, but he had a team to take care of now. If he could protect them by holding off a little longer, then he would. Didn’t mean he had to like it.

The building was a clinical, sterile place. Rows of identical neon lights stretching down corridor after identical corridor. The smell of antiseptic hung heavily in the air. If Lisa had gone into this with any illusions, they would have been dispelled now. This was no safe house. This was a laboratory.

Even late at night, the place was busy. Workers scurried about to and fro as they went about their tasks. Other than the front guards, no one questioned their presence. Another turn down the hallway, and Lisa was led into another room. A small, plain office, every bit as clinical as the rest of the place.

Two men waiting for her inside. One heavyset, large and squat. That bulk might have been muscle once, but age taken its toll, leaving behind a portly bald man with a bulging gut. Only the wide, hard looking shoulders hinted at the power he once must have possessed.

The other was in many respects his opposite. A wiry, almost skeletal figure. He too was bald, with occasional wisps of spindly white hair jutting at odd angles from his scalp. He was dressed in a flowing white lab coat, unbuttoned to show a stained dress shirt beneath.

“Here we are, Lisa,” Elizabeth told her, “This is Doctor Holstein, Director Meyer,” she pointed first at the slender man first, then the portly one. No surprise which turned out to be the doctor.

“Doctor?” asked Lisa. She was elated to at least have a name over the air for Derrick to record.

“What sort of doctor?”

Elizabeth looked back and forth between the two men, then began stammering out an explanation. It was obvious she wasn’t sure how much to reveal.

“Oh, um, well he’s a researcher in-”

“Enough of this crap,” said the fat one. Meyer, if she was remembering their names correctly.

Then names were the last thing on Lisa’s mind. A heavy force slammed down into her thoughts, holding her in a vicelike grip. If she’d had any hopes about the decoy’s protection, they were quickly dashed. The presence simply tore through it like tissue.

Lisa gaped, unable to move or respond. Her entire mind was locked, unable to work against the invasive presence within. For the first time, she felt utterly helpless. It’s all just temporary, she told herself, nothing that can’t be fixed later.

At least they hadn’t changed anything yet.

“I know all about you, Lisa,” the large man told her, “the bitch that messed with my son.” Oh crap. So that was where she recognized him from. The resemblance was there, now that she thought to look. Conrad’s mother must have been beautiful, though. Certainly, his looks hadn’t come by way of his father.

“Steady,” said Joe. It was his turn to urge patience. Derrick was beside himself, ever since his girl entered the building. So now it was Joe’s turn to act as the voice of reason. What a joke.

They knew that was going to happen when they started this. Yeah, he’d be upset if he were in Derrick’s place, but the plan was a good one. They needed to wait for proof, or they’d all be fucked over by command. Aw hell, they were probably screwed as shit anyways, but at least if they waited everyone would be able to hear what sorts of worthless assholes they’d taken out tonight.

“Just a few more minutes, bud,” he told Derrick. And you hang in there too, little girl, he said to himself, we’ll be coming for you soon.

“And just how the hell a pathetic little girl like you could have ever captured my son, I’ll never know,” said Meyer. His face was growing red, after a long rant where he savagely picked apart her every perceived flaw. To Lisa’s delight, the doctor was looking out of sorts, obviously unsure how to deal with his superior’s tantrum. It was a small consolation, but Lisa took what she could get. Besides the longer he spent yelling at her, the longer he went without tampering with her mind. How long before backup came? The team might well be a half hour away, and she’d have to make it without them for the time being.

“An agent of the Brotherhood, defeated by a little fucking slip of a girl. He always was a god damned disappointment. That’s what I get for just picking a hot piece of ass for his mother.”

Lisa did not like that look he gave her. For the first time, she thought of her current appearance. Of how her rain dampened clothes clung to her body.

“But I was young and stupid. I never make the same mistake twice.” He walked over to Lisa, pressing a hand against her belly.

“The boy is a pathetic weakling, unfit to be my heir. You’ve shown that much. I’ll need a new one, A better one. It’s only fitting, really, that you be the one who provides me with it.”

Oh god. She hadn’t even considered that. Like most controllers, Lisa had enough control over her body to prevent unwanted pregnancies. But he was so strong. One push, and her wants and desires would no longer be her own. Her mind was stripped of all defense, laid bare before him. If he but willed it, she would gladly give him the heir he so desired.

He laughed. “What’s the matter? Don’t like it? You will, oh you will,” he said.

“Um, sir,” said the doctor, “Don’t you think we should-”

“Quiet!” he said, before turning back to Lisa. “But not entirely. Not like that stupid bitch over there,” he pointed to Elizabeth.

“No, this needs to be a punishment. You, you’re going to feel it. Every slight, every humiliation, you’ll be aware of it all.”

How far away was Derrick?

“But,” he said with a cruel leer, “You’re going to want it too.”

His hand rubbed her belly. Her flat, smooth belly, hard from rigorous training and exercise. As his palm pressed against her stomach, she imagined it. Imagined that flat belly swelling outwards. Bulging, expanding as she grew with child.

She could practically feel it at her breasts. A tugging, pulling sensation at her nipple. She imagined a child suckling from them. No, not just any child. His child.

Lisa looked at him. He was utterly unchanged. Still fat, balding, and completely repulsive. Yet none of that mattered anymore. Not compared to what he could provide her. She wanted, no, needed to bear him a child. So what if he was ugly and worked for the enemy. She would gladly fuck him as many times as it took, any way he wanted just so long as he knocked her up.

His lips parted into a a toothy, predatory grin. He knew exactly what she was feeling right, and clearly enjoyed it. Already she could feel her body responding, preparing itself for him. The process was far from instantaneous, but soon, very soon, her womb would become receptive.

Lisa was glad, for once, of the impenetrable grip holding her paralyzed. So much for resisting his advances. If she had freedom of motion, it would be difficult not to throw herself at him.

“Director,” said the doctor, “I really think we should stick with the-”

“Enough out of you,” said Meyer.

“Oh I don’t know about that, Director,” said a voice from behind. Lisa couldn’t turn to look, but she head a new set of footsteps walking into the room.

“I seem to recall something about a plan,” said the newcomer, “A plan which I do not want derailed.”

“Now see here Hubber,” Meyer told him, “This is my facility, and I’ll not be told how to run it by some-”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Of course it’s your facility. Your project, your utter inability to gain the ancient secrets of one old woman no matter how much time and resources you throw at it. By all means, run it how you see fit. I’m sure the directorate will be most understanding when they hear that you’re carelessly throwing away opportunities.”

“Fine, we’ll do it your way. But when that’s over, she’s mine.”

“Absolutely. What do I care about your playthings. Just see to it that your job is complete.”

They led Lisa out the door and down the hall. Whatever their plan was, she didn’t like it, but at least it bought her a bit more time. Whatever they intended, at least it wasn’t happening now, and every second was another moment for the backup to approach. A part of her was disappointed by the interruption. That portion of her brain couldn’t help but remember that there was a nice flat desk back there. Though her body wasn’t fertile yet, she would have enjoyed making the effort. She could picture it now, lying flat against the hard surface of the desk, looking up at his wrinkled face while he moved his flabby body in between her- better not to dwell on it.

They walked through the doorway, parted the privacy curtains, and then Lisa saw something that drove away all thoughts of sex. At least for the moment.

Theodora!

She was naked, but there was no element of titillation to it. A veritable jungle of wires trailed from her body, particularly her head. They fed a constant stream of data to the dozen or so machines surrounding her, offering an absolutely dizzying display of medical information that Lisa couldn’t even begin to parse.

The priestess looked up weakly, and smiled faintly at the men accompanying Lisa. Looking around, Lisa couldn’t help but notice a second hospital bed, an empty one.

“A touching reunion,” said Director Hubber. He turned from Theodora to Lisa.

“Here’s how it’s going to work. The priestess here has resisted us far far longer than should be possible. You were saved from us by her very hands, or so we learned when we thought to question her about it. Now this is just a pet theory of mine, but perhaps it’s that memory, that little spark of hope buried somewhere incomprehensibly deep within her, that has kept her going.”

That couldn’t possibly end well. Lisa tried desperately to think of a way to stall, to give the attack team some more time, but she was still caught in Meyer’s unyielding grip.

“You see,” he said, “I have a hunch that when we break you, here in front of her, that hope will be gone. And that last spark of resistance will die with it.”

The doctor guided Lisa over to the bed. Powerless to resist, she climbed onto it. The doctor began attaching electrodes to her scalp.

“I can’t promise you that this will be short or painless,” Hubber told her, “in fact, it will probably be quite unpleasant. But I assure you that when it’s over you will be-”

His phone interrupted, and with an exasperated sigh he pulled it out. As he listened, he turned to Lisa with a mixture of anger and ... was that a trace of respect from a Brotherhood director?

“Let me guess,” he said to Meyer, “you never even bothered to search her, did you?”

“What in the world are you talking about,” Meyer said. Lisa was glad it wasn’t her on the receiving end of that death glare. A second presence entered Lisa’s mind, every bit as strong as the first.

“Hand me the transmitter, please,” he commanded. There wasn’t even the slightest hope that Lisa could resist. So as instructed, she pulled out the small radio and handed it to him.

“You idiot,” Hubber said to Meyer with a shake of his head, “You worthless braindead bungler”

“How dare you talk to me like that you-”

“You’ve had her mind for how long,” said Hubber, “did you even bother to look inside her head. Even once while you were playing your perverted little games?”

Not waiting for a response, he pulled his phone back up and barked a short series of commands to the person on the other end.

“Your Guardian boyfriend, of course,” he said. “I’ve already dispatched a team. You might as well tell him to come out now and save himself the trouble.”

It hit Lisa with the force of an order. This was it. Please, please let them be here.

“Walter, wait!” shouted Meyer, “it’s not-”

Too late. Lisa had been given an order, and speaking to the still hidden transmitter she fulfilled that order. In her own fashion.

“Derrick,” she said, hoping with all her might that they were there, “Now!”

Then everything went to hell.

The emergency lights were coming online when Elizabeth picked herself off the floor. Her ears rang from the earth shattering roar, and what little she could make out was drowned out by the shrill cries of the fire alarms. The floor was strewn with ceiling tiles, and the racks of equipment lay where they’d fallen. Wires were everywhere, ripped from their connections by the force of the explosion.

Wobbling unsteadily, she picked her way towards Master Hubber, hurrying to help him up. He was soon on his feet, and the other director not long after.

“What the hell was that,” said Meyer, shouting over the alarms. Master Hubber was on the phone, trying to get the situation under control.

“What do you mean, gone?” he asked the person on the other end. “Never mind, I’m coming down there.”

Director Meyer stepped in close, screaming once more into his face.

“Did you hear me, I asked what the hell was going on.”

“It appears we’re under attack,” Hubber replied.

“You don’t fucking say,” said Meyer.

“I hate to interrupt, sir,” said the doctor, “but where did the new patient go?”

“Fire in the hole. Three, two, one,” The charges blew the door inwards, and Derick led his squad into the breach. The first squad of armed guards had gone down without casualty, but they didn’t want to take any chances. These first few minutes were critical. After the propane tank blew, they had surprise on their side. The enemy would be a disoriented mess until they had time to regroup, and Derrick didn’t intend to give them that time.

His job was key. This was a secure facility, and his squad was there to neutralize that security before they could organize a resistance.

Reaching out with his mind, Derrick sensed the guard around the corner before he could see him. The man was speaking into a radio, clearly panicking. Derrick could sense that panic, welling out from him. The man was a controller, though a weak one, but all semblance of self control had fled him.

“On the ground,” Derrick shouted, weapon trained on the man. As much as possible, they wanted prisoners. His men were already in enough trouble without a bodycount. Beside, the interrogations would prove very informative.

The guard reached for his gun. Wrong move.

They didn’t need prisoners that badly.

“Find them!” Director Meyer screamed into the radio. They’d raced for the command center as soon as they realized what was happening, and the two directors were trying desperately to restore some semblance of order. It didn’t help that they were completely at odds.

“Hunt them down, damn it,” he said, thick drops of spittle flying out onto the microphone. “I want every one of those fuckers dead.”

“Do you have any idea what you’re up against, you fat old man?” asked Director Hubber, “These aren’t the goddamned boy scouts out for a hike, it’s a Guardian assault team. We’ve got nothing here that can stand up to them.”

“Bullshit,” said Meyer, “Your men are supposed to be some kind of badass commandos, aren’t they? Well where the fuck are they?”