Chapter 8

Over a meadow near Far Hills, Cathan’s, Darcy’s, and Edana’s teams were resting in their shuttles. On Dóchas, it was shortly after 2 AM Far Hills time when the Intelligence-AI woke Danny, Shannon, and Muireann.

“What is it?” asked Muireann.

“The drone monitoring the estate has detected people leaving the main building. They appear to be leaving in groups of two and three. They are exiting the rear of the building and staying in the shadows until they are a short distance from the trees. Once there, they turn toward the meadow where we are to meet them. All seem to be avoiding the road.”

“I can understand that, considering what we know about Craigly and his buddies,” replied Shannon.

“Images from the drones indicate that they are nearly naked and barefoot.”

“Ow. Moving through the woods would be tough under those circumstances, even in daylight.”

“They seem to be following game trails, as there is a full moon tonight.”

“Security-AI,” said Intelligence-AI, “has alerted Cathan’s, Edana’s and Darcy’s teams. Oh!”

“What?”

“Sally just put all Security teams on alert, and directed them to assemble in the ready room.”

“What’s up?” asked Sally.

“Two things,” replied Muireann. “There are a number of people making their way to the meadow through the woods from Craigly’s estate. The images indicate that they are either naked, or very lightly dressed. Their progress is slow, but they should reach the meadow by dawn. Also, the lights on the fourth floor have been on all night. The drones recorded some shadows earlier, but nothing recently. There haven’t been any voices on the main floor since Craigly and his associates went off with six of his staff members to a conference room. One of them was Jasmine, the woman Cathan gave the CD.”

“Alpha3, Alpha4, Alpha5,” said Sally, “would you wake the teams? Tell them there are people heading for the meadow.”

“While they are waiting for dawn,” said Sarah, “they should probably set up a welcoming area. I don’t see any real need for tactical suits, but just in case a few of them should suit up. There are enough provisions to feed those coming for pickup.”

“What do you think their options are?” asked Darcy.

“Considering the remoteness, it will probably take as long as 72 hours before Earth’s emergency teams arrive, so they have at least that much time in which to make a choice. The questions they should consider are: Do they want to be found as survivors near the estate? Do they want to turn up someplace else? If they are members of the families, do they have security issues? Do they have relatives that could take them in? Do they have any idea of their financial or inheritance status? Do they just want to disappear? Needless to say, there are variations to all of those choices.”

“We should be careful that a few people don’t push others into following their choice,” said Tara. “Taking them to Comrie for any length of time could create complications, especially if they are there longer than 72 hours. However, taking them there would give them a secure place to contemplate their options without being rushed. For example, the arrival of disaster teams would create a window in which they could return, appearing to be survivors. Although some may wish to reappear in society without being associated with Craigly.”

“We will lay out the issues before loading up, and tell them about Comrie,” said Brid.

“Fine.”

“Something is not right,” muttered Ciar after Sally woke them.

“What do you mean?” replied Máiréad.

“I don’t know, but every time I drifted off I get this feeling I’m lying on a bench being fucked.”

“So. We’ve done that before, and sometimes it was pretty nice.”

“Yes there have been times when I liked it. However, there are other sensations that I am feeling, but none of them are very strong.”

“So, are you feeling somebody else’s sensations?”

“Hm ... I guess that is a possibility.”

“So let’s presume the worst.” Máiréad reached out to the rest of their clan, to wake them. “Ciar is sensing something. Could she be sensing someone in distress?”

They mind-linked with Ciar to see if they could pinpoint the source, but they couldn’t get a clear enough sense of what she was feeling to do so. All of them agreed that it was real, and coming from fairly close. Considering their location, the most likely place was the main building as that was where the nearest people were.

“Ciar, share it with Sally. Maybe she can help us clarify it.”

“Sally, would you link with me, and see what you think of this?” asked Ciar.

After a few moments, Sally said, “That seems similar to something Terry experienced a long time ago. She was bound in a kneeling position on a bench while her captor was enlarging her tits. Still, some elements of the sensations are not the same. The source is not necessarily close, but likely telepathic.

“Do you have any problem with us doing a dream walk?” said Cathan.

“None at all.”

Cathan’s Clan mind-linked, focusing on Ciar so that she could lead them. Once Ciar felt the link again, they began to slowly move toward it. It was difficult, as the sensation seemed to come to them in shallow waves. It took them over an hour before they decided it really was coming from the main building in the valley. The group drew back to the shuttle and relaxed for a few moments, to recover their energy levels.

“Sally, we think it is coming from the main building. We want to go investigate.”

“Okay. The drone is reporting that it won’t be long before the poison gas reaches the rooms in the caverns. It is building pretty rapidly. Don’t stay very long.”

The sky was just starting to lighten when Alpha4 began hovering next to the main building. Ciar and Máiréad reached out together toward the now-stronger sensation. When they touched Jasmine’s mind, she jumped and moaned as the sudden twitch in her muscles hurt. Ciar and Máiréad scanned quickly through her recent memories, and shared them with their clan. Cathan moved the shuttle over, so the door ramp would reach the window frame.

“Sally, we are going into the fourth floor.”

“Okay. A Security team will join you there so you have backup.”

Their sensors were now detecting six warm objects. When Cathan saw the images she said, “Those resemble a person on their hands and knees.”

After taking out a large section of a window, Ciar and Máiréad saw the women kneeling on the floor. Seeing the situation through their link they quickly entered the room followed by their Security team. Two went to secure the door to the rest of the building while the others went to assist Ciar and Máiréad. By the time the door was secured, they had started releasing the women from their bindings. As each was released, they were carried out to the shuttle.

Their link with Jasmine drew Ciar and Máiréad to her. They released her and carried her out to the shuttle while maintaining their link with her. Once in the shuttle they explored her mind, trying to piece together what had happened. Some of the abuse was obvious. The autodoc quickly identified one of the drugs in the women and provided an antidote. After consulting with Betsy on Dóchas, it was decided to give each of them a strong sedative along with the antidote.

Ciar said, “Let’s hold off on the sedative for Jasmine until we see what the antidote does. She seems to be more active than the others.”

Jasmine sensed the change in her surroundings shortly after the antidote was given. Her logical mind, or core activity, began to increase and she felt her will begin to return. Her first thoughts were, “What is going on? Why do I feel two people waiting for me? Wait. I know them. They were on the shuttle. Am I dreaming? But wait, I can feel them?” Jasmine cautiously opened a small window to her inner core. “Where am I? What’s going on?” she thought.

“Relax, Jasmine,” replied Ciar and Máiréad. “You are safe now. You are on our ship. We are going to take you to Dóchas. Our doctors want to examine you as soon as we can get you there.”

“Your lips aren’t moving,” said Jasmine, as she again accessed her vision. As she moved through her mind, she could sense the division she had established earlier fading away.

“They aren’t, because we are conversing telepathically.”

“How are my friends?”

“Okay, we think.”

“Did they do what I did?” asked Jasmine verbally.

“We don’t know. Betsy, and our shuttle EMT, are anxious for us to go to our ship. Are you willing?”

“Fuck, yes. The bastard Craigly was turning us into human baby breeders, for his farm.”

“Relax. Our doctors can do a lot to help you. We should be on Dóchas in about 15 minutes.”

“Thank you so much for coming. Why did you?”

“Well, in a way, you called me,” said Ciar.

“What?”

“It is difficult to put into words. When you see the doctors they will assist you with enabling your telepathy. After that, I will share with you what caused me to seek you out.”

“Why?”

“I am not sure how to phrase it to convey the meaning verbally. Please, you will understand better once you are an active telepath.”

“Okay. Again, thanks for coming.”

As the first light of dawn filled the meadow, Darcy’s, Edana’s, Caoilinn’s and Nicola’s teams stepped out of their shuttles. As they gathered in the meadow, Darcy said, “It looks like we have company.” The four teams turned to look in the same direction Darcy was facing, and saw people slowly come out of the forest. Several picked up elastic slip-on shoes, and went to greet the new comers. As they were met, the new arrivals were offered the shoes. After putting them on, they walked with a team member to the sheltered area between the shuttles. On reaching it they were offered refreshments and a light breakfast. As they waited, an EMT dressed their wounds then gave them a different kind of footwear. The new footwear was like a heavy sock and enveloped their feet with a cushion and support, reducing the pain to a slight ache.

While waiting, the new arrivals sat but kept looking around. The Security team members could tell that all of them were comfortable, but also thought that they were looking for someone.

After no additional people had arrived for some time, Darcy asked, “Are there any others coming?”

No one answered for a few long moments, then one said, “I don’t think we really know.”

“Darcy,” said Lasairfhiona, “the lions are guiding three women and man to the meadow.”

Just as Lasairfhiona stopped speaking, there was movement at the tree line on the far side of the meadow. The group gasped when they saw that there were lions entering the meadow. This gave way to puzzled expressions when they realized that there were three women and a man walking alongside the lions.

Sensing the fear Brid said, “Relax everyone, the lions are friends of ours.”

The group watched in amazement as the six came closer. One of the women was resting her hand on a lion’s back.

“They must be new at the estate, since I don’t remember seeing them before,” said the woman who had spoken earlier.

Another woman said, “One is my twin sister, and the other two women are from the other families staying there. The man is one of the newest staff members.” As she finished talking, she started jogging toward her sister. When the two women met, they hugged each other for a long time before coming back to join those by the shuttles.

“The lions have told us that there is no else coming,” said Darcy. “Our sensors are not detecting anyone alive in the building. We expect that many of you have questions you would like to ask.” Just as she finished speaking, the ground shook, and then they heard a rumbling like thunder.

Muireann said, “That explosion was the munitions storage.”

Everyone looked back over the trees where they saw a large plume of black smoke rising into the sky. Several in the group looked nervous, and began moving toward the shuttles.

“Let’s see, where was I?” said Darcy, as she seemed to lose her train of thought.

“Who are you?” asked one.

“We are Security teams, from Dóchas,” responded Darcy.

“Wait,” said Carla, “I don’t see Jasmine, Vicki or Gilian. I would have expected them to be here. They really pushed Craigly toward accepting your offer.”

“I saw them go to his conference room, right after their show last night,” said a woman. “Ellyn, Dara and Traci were with them.”

“I saw that, as well,” said another. “Craigly and his associates shared a celebratory drink with them, while we straightened up the area. I heard Craigly praise them for their performance.”

“Craigly praised someone?”

“Yes, he did that occasionally, but it was always related to sex, or as a prelude to humiliating you.”

“You’re right. Carla, it was after they left that one of the associates told us that if we were concerned about the warning, we could leave, after 2 AM, but only if we were totally naked. No shoes. No jewelry. Nothing but our bodies.”

“The six women are safe,” said Muiriol. “Cathan’s team is taking them to Dóchas for medical treatment.”

“Why?” asked Carla.

“Máiréad of Cathan’s team has learned from Jasmine that Craigly was sending them on a new assignment. To prepare them for that, his personal assistants took them to a room on the fourth floor. Once there, the assistants initiated treatments that would make some rather drastic changes to their bodies. They were left bound to a frame.”

“They wouldn’t stand for that! Why would Craigly do that?”

“They were given a drug to block their resistance but not dull their thoughts. The reason was humiliation, and to prepare them for being breeders at a farm he owns.”

“I wonder if that is what happened to the others that went to new assignments.”

“Jasmine thinks so.”

It was quiet for a few moments, then Darcy began again, “We are known as the Golden Amazons. Our current home is Dóchas, which is a spaceship in a Mars orbit, or An Clochán, our settlement on Mars. The origin of our species is a planet we call Connemare, which resides in a galaxy several light years away. One key difference between our species and yours is that we are active telepaths. There are other differences, which we will share with you in a day or so.

“Our Command Staff has just advised me that the poison gas levels are increasing. We need to leave before it reaches us. Our question is: Where do you want to go? We think the best choice would be an island called Comrie in the Western Atlantic.” Her mention of the island elicited several puzzled looks. “It has the advantage of being very secure. While there, you can get medical treatment, relax and decide your future, as we sense that not all of you were happy working for Craigly.” Her comment drew many laughs, along with a few nervous glances at the daughters of Craigly’s associates.

“Another choice would be to wait nearby until people begin arriving to see the volcano. We don’t expect anyone to arrive for at least three days, due in part to its remoteness. Another reason is that Craigly managed to convince both the US and the Canadian authorities that the property was in the other’s country, so there is little likelihood of emergency teams arriving any sooner. However, this is a new volcano in North America, which may shorten that time frame.”

“Comrie is not your only choice,” said Laurin. “We could take you almost any place on Earth. However, there are several things you need to consider. What would you do for money? How would you establish your identity? What would you do for clothes?”

“I am speaking for no one but my sister and I,” said Gabriele, one of the twins. “We would like to go to Comrie until we can sort out our future. We are certain it will be much more comfortable there than with our father.”

“Good points,” said another of the last arrivals. “I didn’t introduce myself earlier, my name is Carla. Since I am now free to make my choices, I think Comrie is likely the best choice for me as well.”

“Why is that?” asked one of the women.

Carla said, “Bluntly, my father was a dominate sexist. He believed that a woman’s only purpose was to be a man’s servant and slave. This includes having babies and raising them. Beyond that, a woman existed solely to serve men sexually, at any time, in any way, in any place, and with any one they designated. Our secondary benefit was to provide them with legal names they could use on their stock and investment holdings. When I reached legal age, I was talked into signing a document giving him power of attorney over me and my affairs. Yes, we could have revoked it, but due to the way the document was written that would only happen if he didn’t object, or someone interceded for me. As long as he was alive, neither situation was likely to occur.

“We moved to Far Hills because my father, along with Craigly and two other men had recently formed a new partnership, using us women as their shills. Our names are on all the documents, with them designated as our representatives, with unlimited authority to act on our behalf.

“Once in a safe location, I can begin efforts to make claim to my inheritance. Even after I do that, it will be difficult to get back into society without some protection. Without that I would probably die suddenly in an arranged accident, or just disappear. My father and Craigly had acquaintances who would like to have me as, at least, their pawn, and likely worse.” The three other daughters nodded their agreement with Carla’s assessment.

“Can I ask how the six women are doing?”

“They should be fine,” replied Muiriol. “Their appearance will be a little different but they will probably join you in a day or two. So that you are not shocked when you see them, I should tell you that they no longer have their little fingers.”

“Those bastards!” screamed Carla, as her face turned red with anger. “Those six are the nicest, most sensible, people that I ever knew. I am surprised they continued to work for Craigly.”

“Carla, relax,” said Muiriol, “in spite of that, they will be fine. Our medical staff will take very good care of them. It is just that the missing fingers are something that can take a long time to replace.” Several in the group had puzzled looks on their faces so she smiled and said, “Our medical technology can do many things that will take Earth’s medical technology several centuries to achieve, even if they continue at their current rate of progress.”

“I don’t know what Carla’s father had planned for her,” said Aime, the other twin, “but before we came here our father told us that we were to be bred by his associates. Also, we were to be available to all of them and were to obey any instructions we were given. When our mother heard that, she strenuously objected then several days later she relented. The next time we talked to her we had trouble understanding her, but that wasn’t until after we arrived here. Dad told us that she had had some oral surgery, and that it would take some time for her to recover. We didn’t see her for some time after we got here. When we did see her, she was hanging in a rope harness in the slave holding area. She opened her mouth briefly when she saw us. She had no front teeth, and several rings along each side of her tongue, and a ring hung from her nose. There were tears in her eyes. We think she showed us her tongue as a warning to us. Needless to say, we were shocked. Later, we were shocked again when our father asked us how we liked our mother’s new jewelry. He smiled as we tried to think of an answer, and then laughed. He told us that if we didn’t obey we would join her as a community toy.”

“Aime, Gabriele,” said Sorcha softly, “your mother probably died with the others.”

“We know,” replied both. “It is probably better she did. She probably suffered less that way.”

Sal started to speak, when Carla said, “Since it appears that I am the sole survivor, if I manage to get control of my family’s primary holding company, there are many things that will change. Based on some of the things I heard, it is likely that some of the former company officials will go to jail. If they don’t, I will make sure they can only work as day laborers. I don’t know the financial details that each of you had with my father’s organization, but I promise that each of you will receive the full amount of your contract, and will be released from it as soon as I can sign the documents. However, all of this presumes I can get control.”

“Ladies and gentlemen,” said Sal, “we need to continue this discussion somewhere else. So, where do you want us to take you?”

The group stood there in silence, with no one making a move to answer the question; glancing around as if waiting for someone to break the ice.

“Let’s do this,” said Sal, “I want everyone to close their eyes.” Once everyone had closed their eyes, he continued, “Now, keeping your eyes closed, raise your hand if you want to go to Comrie. Remember, it is only a temporary refuge.”

The Security team members looked around the group, and saw that every hand had been raised. They could tell that many were nervous about going to Comrie, but that they were not against it.

“Okay, now keep your position and open your eyes,” said Sal. “Look around and you can see that everyone has raised their hands. So, we will be leaving for Comrie, just as soon as you board.”

“Since it looks like we will be traveling together,” said Brid, “we really ought to introduce ourselves.”

“Not now!” said Leo firmly. “It will be much safer after we are in the shuttles. Now start boarding. Please...”

As soon as they were all on board, the doors closed and they lifted off. They weren’t very high before they could see the flames coming out the windows of the main building. The shuttles held position for a few moments before turning toward Comrie. When they did, Brid started the introductions with, “My name is Brid. I am one of Darcy’s team and clan.” After her clan introduced themselves the other clans followed their lead, using the monitors so that everyone could see them.

During the trip, they told their passengers a little more about where they were going and what they would find there. The passengers were assured that they could stay at Comrie until they sorted out their personal situation and decided on their future. It was explained that while at Comrie there were many ways they could help out the staff, if they wanted to, and that although assistance wasn’t required, it would be appreciated. They were told about GISS, and that there was a possibility that GISS could assist them with their legal issues, and security, once they left Comrie. It was mentioned that GISS office staff could probably use assistance as well. Leo pointed out that the benefit of assisting would be that it would give them a reference on which to base their future, since being linked to Craigly might not be a reference they would want to use.

Gail, Marsha and Ursula were waiting when they arrived at Comrie. Once everyone was out of the shuttles, Gail said, “Welcome to Comrie, my name is Gail. I am one of the doctors. We know you have had a long night, and little sleep, so we will show you to your rooms momentarily. The accommodations we have are 3 room suites, which will comfortably hold six to eight people. We currently have plenty of space, so you don’t need to share a suite unless you want to.

“Before showing you to your rooms, we need each of you to take a quick physical.” There were many groans. “Our physicals are given by what we call an autodoc, which is a little more sophisticated than any medical devices you are familiar with. It will be very quick. Before we head to our clinic, I would like to introduce Marsha and Ursula. They are here to tell you about GISS.”

“Thank you, Gail,” said Marsha. “GISS stands for Galactic Intrusion Security Services. Our specialties are electronic security and personal protective services. Our group will give you as much assistance as you desire in re-establishing your identity. When you leave here, we can also provide you with protective services. While you are here, we would like each of you to attend our classes on personal protection. These classes include how to spot threats, weapons training and self- defense. A member of our group will meet with you after breakfast tomorrow, to give you more details about how we can help you.”

“You will find this place very unique,” said Ursula. “Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided in a dining hall situated on a covered patio. All meals are served buffet style. One hour before each meal, a chime will sound. This should give you time to freshen up. Many of us use the time before breakfast and dinner to exercise. There is exercise equipment in each suite which is very effective in helping you stay in shape. The exercise equipment is different to anything we saw before joining the Golden Amazons.

“There are no restrictions on exploring the island. However, we prefer that you to stay within sight of the buildings, so you don’t lose your bearings and get lost. If you get very far from this building you won’t hear the chime for the meals. Let’s see, what else? Oh, yes. This site is managed by an AI. Her name is Chantel. If you need assistance around the settlement, just say, “Chantel” and she will respond to you verbally.”

“So, all the suites are monitored,” exclaimed one of the rescued men.

“Yes, that is one way to view it. Chantel responds to her name being spoken, or to sounds of distress anywhere around the settlement. Chantel’s programming doesn’t permit her to listen in on activities or conversations without being specifically requested to do so. A voice in distress is defined as being a request.”

“Okay,” he replied. “I can sense your sincerity, but after working around Craigly’s, it is difficult to accept.”

“We understand.”

“Are you going to tell them about our pets?” asked Brid.

“Oh, yes,” replied Ursula. “If you go out exploring the island, you may come across some lions. These lions are part of our security shield. They will not harm any resident of the island, and they will alert us if you need assistance. If you get lost, they will be a part of the search team sent to find you.”

“Like the ones we saw earlier,” said one.

“Yes,” replied Sorcha, “just like the ones in the meadow where we picked you up. We will have a couple of them come up here this afternoon so you can meet them. They are really unique.”

“There is another item other I need to mention,” said Ursula. “While this island is the operations center for GISS, it is also used by the Golden Amazons. As you have probably noticed, the Golden Amazons are different to humans, as you would expect, since their origin is in another star system. Since you will probably have considerable interaction with them, they want us to show you a series of videos this evening. The topics that will be covered are; who they are; why they are here; how they are different from humans, and their future plans.”

“Now, let’s go take care of the physicals,” said Gail.

“Gail,” said Gabrielle, interrupting her, “can you tell us how the women taken to Dóchas are doing?”

Gail paused for a moment, before saying, “Mentally, Jasmine is doing fine. Vickie, Gilian and Traci are nearly back to their normal mental state. Ellyn and Dara are stabilized and should be okay later today.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The six of them were given a drug cocktail whose purpose was to change their personality. If their treatments had been allowed to go to completion, they would have had a compulsion to engage in sex. The drugs don’t impact the intelligence but make feeling sexual pleasure more important than anything else. It can be considered a form of addiction. The physical changes have been halted, but they will need some additional treatments in order to ensure their long term physical health.”

“So, other than their physical changes, they will be themselves,” said Aime, Gabrielle’s twin.

“That’s what Connie told me.”

“Connie?”

“Connie is one of our doctors. She is on Dóchas caring for your friends.”

“But...”

“She told me telepathically, just after Gabrielle’s question. Someone told you we were telepathic. Right?”

“Yes,” said several in the group.

“It is just a hard concept to accept,” said Carla thoughtfully.

“You are not alone in doubting the ability. Many of us had the same doubts when we first met the Golden Amazons. Now, are we ready to go?”

“You look like a Golden Amazon, but your comment implies you are not,” replied Carla.

“Carla, the simple answer is that they rescued me from something worse than was planned for Jasmine and the others. After I recovered, I decided to join them. Once you see the videos, we can talk about my decision some more. I can tell you now that it was the best decision I ever made.”

With that, the group followed the EMT toward the clinic. As they walked to the clinic, Carla walked next to Gail deep in thought. They were just entering the building when Carla looked around and noticed that the group who had rescued them were gone. Looking out toward where they had arrived, she saw the shuttles lifting off. “Gail,” said Carla, with a bit of anxiety in her voice, “where are people who brought us here going? I didn’t think to thank them.”