Chapter 15

It was early Wednesday evening when Alice asked, “Judy, why don’t you see if you can pry those two out of the security center? Surely they are ready for dinner.”

“And after all I’ve done for you, you want to sacrifice me to the lions?” teased Judy as she headed toward the door.

“Judy,” said Jill, “we can do it, after all that is what handmaidens are for.”

“Okay. It’s time for you to be up anyway. How do you feel?”

“Fine. The extra weight on our chest takes some getting used to. When we first stand up, we are a little dizzy but that soon clears.”

“The dizziness is likely due to the extended time lying down. Let me know if it persists.”

Judy carefully watched Jill and Janet as they got up, and left to get Sarah and Sally.

Alice asked, “Since they are up, can they eat with us?”

“Sure. They will need to lay down right after we finish. They can take the supplements separately.”

“Did you notice they slipped heels on immediately?”

“Yes. I’m not sure what that means so I’ll ask at dinner.”

On reaching the door to the security center, Janet cautiously tapped on the door frame. She had to do it several times before drawing the attention of Sarah then Sally.

Jill said, “Oh great and lovely lionesses dinner is ready.”

Sarah laughed, “But I see dinner right here. Don’t you Sally?”

“Yes, while they are a tasty temptation, to devour them here would really mess things up. So I guess we should be civilized and go with them to the dinner table.”

“Oh, thank you great and lovely lionesses,” replied both Jill and Janet. “We would love to offer ourselves as your dessert.”

“So you think your cream is that sweet?”

“Others have said that. We would be more than pleased to relieve you of the tension caused by your duties.”

“Do we have time?” asked Sarah.

“I think, we can make time, although it may reduce our time to rest.”

“Well now that food has been mentioned, I am hungry. I think I’ll let my milk down while we eat.”

“You’ve been dripping for some time.”

“Yes. And thanks for catching the drips and relieving the pressure.”

“Well, it kept my stomach from growling like yours,” replied Sally as they walked with the twins to the kitchen.

As they entered the kitchen Judy said, “You are back already, and I don’t see any scratch marks.”

Laughing Sally said, “I need to figure out a way to get even with Nancy for starting that lioness stuff.”

“So what have you two been up to?” asked Sarah.

“We were able to get Susan to tell more about herself and the events she couldn’t remember.”

“How did you do that?”

“A drug sometimes called babble juice,” said Judy. “It works quite well if you are cautious in the way you ask questions. Anyway we were able to get Susan to talk about herself, her family and in particular her sister. While she loves her sister, she hates her for forcing her to be her slave. This apparently began when Susan was in her teens. Although Susan is very bright and was quite successful professionally, she is totally dependent on her sister. Her sister’s employer used this dependence to get her to attack us. We filmed the session to show her later.”

“So what happens now?”

“First we need to have another session with her to see if we can find out what she really wants out of life. My suspicion is that she is now what’s called a ‘natural submissive’. If that is the case, then we need to figure out how to fulfill her need and still have a rewarding life. So depending on how the next few days go, we may move her up to one of the guest rooms. After she is there for a few days, we’ll evaluate her again.”

“So in a way, she is more of a victim than I am.”

“Yes, in a way. Janet and Jill, I noticed you put on heels as soon as you got up.”

“Yes. We like the way our legs look in them,” replied Jill.

“And?”

“Well, we were hoping that our treatments would affect our legs like it did Sarah’s,” added Janet. “When we are in heels for a long time, our feet hurt. From what Sarah has said, she doesn’t have that problem.”

“I don’t think your treatments will affect your legs. The change in Sarah’s legs was likely due to the additional stuff Liz gave her. Sarah also wore heels during the time she received the initial treatments.”

“I did,” said Sarah. “In looking back, I wonder what would have happened if I had let my legs ache initially, rather than relieving them by wearing heels. Now if I let my heels down, the pain in my legs is sharper than it was initially.”

“So it would be alright if we had heels on all the time?”

“I don’t see a problem with it. Just don’t expect the change that Sarah has experienced.”

“We won’t.”

“There are some disadvantages, such as exercising.”

“Sally, how are you coming along?” asked Alice.

“Very well. Sarah and I are going to take a nap after dinner, then work through the night to make the switch over. So we should be on the new systems when you get up in the morning.”

“That quickly?”

“Yes. In many respects, this is an upgrade in software and hardware. It is the user interface for the security system that will be new to you. It should be easier to use. The programming behind it is very similar of what we typically use. By starting with our core system and knowing what was needed here, it was fairly easy for Rusty and I to do the basic configuration before I got here. Our task tonight will be to transfer the remaining connections to the new system. Right now, both are running. Once we have all the sensors on the new system then we start testing. Tomorrow morning, we would like you to do your rounds in a specific rotation so we can check the sensors.”

“So when do you plan on getting some rest?”

“If things go according to plan, once we have the connections transferred we will do some checks, then Sarah will rest. After morning activities, she can monitor activity, as can Jill and Janet, and I’ll sleep. All of this presumes the train stays on the tracks.”

“Sounds like a plan. Good luck.”

“We need that, and plenty of coffee.”

“Sarah don’t forget to let your milk down when needed.”

“I’m not,” replied Sarah as she turned off the pump. “Now that I know I can do this while I do something else, I’ll take the pump with me. While I still get aroused when I do this, it is not nearly as intense as it has been.”

“Good. Looks like everyone is done, so Jill and Janet, back to the cots. Sarah, Sally go rest, we can clean up here.”

“Thanks. We’ll use your bed. If we are not up by 10, come shake us.”

“We will.”

It was late Thursday afternoon when Sally finished reviewing the operation of the new systems with Alice, Judy, Jill and Janet. “Do you have any questions?”

“Not really,” said Alice. “It doesn’t seem like much has changed except for the additional capabilities and the screens.”

Jill added, “Sarah how comfortable are you with the setup?”

“Quite comfortable with how things work and where to find stuff. However the relationship to the physical location is not as good as I’d like. I still need to look up too many locations.”

“In that case,” said Janet, “we should be fine.”

“Will you be available by phone?” asked Judy.

“Yes. From home, we can remotely connect which we couldn’t do before. To be a bit paranoid, since everything went so well, could Janet and Jill monitor the system for the next few days.”

“We can do that, as it makes a nice diversion from reading or watching TV.”

“So how soon is dinner?” asked Sally.

“In about an hour or so,” said Judy. “Are you going to take a nap?”

“Yea. Sarah and I have been telling ourselves every time we yawn, ‘just a little bit longer’ in order to keep going. A short nap will let me recover enough to drive home.”

When Sally and Sarah lay down, Sally spooned up against Sarah’s back, putting an arm around Sarah. Sarah put her hands over Sally’s and said, “I have really enjoyed our time together.”

“So have I, I’ve been thinking about our discussion yesterday. It should be pretty easy to schedule my activities so I can live with you for a while after you get home. Of course, the choice as to whether you want that is yours. I am definitely not trying to push myself on you.”

“Oh. I don’t feel like you are pushing yourself on me.” Sarah paused then added, “Why don’t we plan on doing that? Now we need to get some rest as you have a long drive.”

“Yes,” replied Sally as she kissed Sarah’s neck.

Sarah, Alice and Judy stood on the loading dock and waved to Sally as she drove off. Sarah said, “I think, I am going to miss her.”

“I think all of us will,” said Judy. “It would be nice if they were able to come here more frequently.”

“Can you give me, say, 5 minutes before you close up down here?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“I want to watch the consoles while you close up and set the alarms.”

“Okay. We were going to do a walk through as well.”

“That’s even better.”

“So it will be at least an hour or two before we’re back upstairs.”

“Think we will have time then to begin determining what clothes I can wear?”

“I think so. I am not sure I have anything that will fit you, but they should be close enough that you can tell whether it’s comfortable or not.”

“Okay.”

“Are you thinking of going home on Monday?”

“No. Not now. From my perspective the clothes issue has to be sorted first. I would like to first see what fabrics I am comfortable wearing, then order some clothes over the Internet that fit. Shoes are a bit more problematic, although those Judy and I ordered are fine. It is not quite the same as trying them on first. I will probably order a couple of pairs, probably a size or two larger.”

“Later when you are evaluating the fabrics we have, we can work out a plan for getting you some clothes. As to shoes, I agree with you. The internet works but trying them on is better even though you can return them. If they don’t fit we can probably put them in the community closet.”

“Good,” replied Sarah as she turned to leave. “Five minutes.”

It was close to 9 PM when Alice entered the security center. “So did it work the way you thought it would?”

“Well it seems to work the way Sally indicated it would. We need to be sure and tell her when she calls. This is what I saw when you closed and locked the loading dock. From the loading dock, you followed this path through the building to this room. This list shows who is in which room and it only appears on this console. All the remote consoles simply show a number, same as before.”

“I think I’m going to like this setup.”

“Well it is not perfect. The perimeter sensors are subject to being tripped by animals. When tripped, a warning flag comes on while the system analyzes the information to determine if an alarm should be sounded. Sally indicated it could distinguish between an animal and a human but would err toward indicating a human.”

“You think it’s that good?”

“Yes. But definitely not perfect. The less said about its capabilities the better.”

“Oh, I agree. Now, can you switch this to the remotes by the twins? Then we can do some clothes testing.”

“They are already on. So let’s go.”

At breakfast Friday morning, Sarah said, “What is happening this weekend?”

“There will be a reception tonight and then the usual activities Saturday with the weekenders leaving Sunday afternoon,” replied Alice. “We aren’t hosting anything this weekend. My only role is to see that everything runs smoothly and the rules are adhered to.”

“Okay. Any suggestions on which websites to look at for clothes as I haven’t shopped that way before although I will admit to browsing?”

“I can help you with that,” said Judy. “I’m sure the twins will have suggestions as well. For bras and slips, I would try Victoria’s Secret first, then some of the specialty sites. Casual and dressy should be easy, but I’m not sure about business clothes.”

“I won’t be up here much today or tomorrow during the day and probably tomorrow evening,” said Alice.

“As for me, I need to check on the two in the treatment rooms several times each day,” said Judy. “Other than that it is just emergencies.”

“So which terminal should I use?”

“Use the one in my private office,” replied Alice. “If the phone rings, answer it but don’t acknowledge the location. I’ll have my pager with me as will Judy.”

“Now all I need is a charge card.”

“Ah that reminds me,” said Alice, “I’ll be back in a minute.”

When Alice returned she handed Sarah two envelopes. “This came for you on Monday or Tuesday and I completely forgot about them.”

Sarah opened the envelopes. One contained a new debit card. The other held the password for the card. “Well that was good timing. After we are done here, I’ll activate it then access my accounts as I haven’t checked them in a while.”

“Well except for cleaning up, I think, we’ve covered everything we need to,” replied Alice. “I need to be getting down stairs.”

“Go ahead,” said Judy, “I’ll clean up.”

“I’ll help you as soon as I clean up the breast pump,” added Sarah.

“We need to make some time, so I can have some fresh milk.”

“Anytime, Alice,” replied Sarah as she stood and gave her a quick kiss. “This last week we seemed to have been inundated with stuff to do.”

“Yes. Hopefully, we will have a normal weekend. Although I probably just jinxed it.”

“I’m all for that. Ugh ... normal that is.”

“Janet, Jill what are your plans?” asked Judy with a smile.

“Well I guess we have another week of laying here. We will probably watch the monitors part of the time, but probably spend most of it reading. Daytime TV will drive you into la la land. I use to think the soap operas were bad but they don’t hold a candle to the talk show nonsense.” All of them laughed at Jill’s characterization of the programming.

“Why don’t you time it so your breaks come at meal time?” asked Sarah.

“Now why didn’t we think about that?”

“That is a good idea,” added Judy. “Sarah, if you print out photos of the clothes you think might work. Then at meal time we could look them over before you’re committed to buying them. This would give you another opinion, since you said you haven’t bought clothes online before.”

“Good idea.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about buying an item, then not liking it,” said Alice. “We could put it in the community closet and reimburse you for it.”

“Well I only want to buy enough to get me through the first few days at home.”

“Offer still stands. Now, I need to be going. See you at lunch, I think, but don’t wait for me.”

As they sat down for dinner Sarah said, “I called Judy and she said she would be up in a few minutes.”

Both Jill and Janet laughed as Jill said, “You will likely need to call her again. What about Alice?”

“At lunch she indicated she would eat downstairs.”

“So how did the shopping go?”

“Well I was brave, I ordered some underwear, a couple of blouses with coordinated skirts, a vest, a jacket and shoes. If everything fits, I may order a couple of more items.”

“Since you can’t put your foot down flat how did you measure your shoes?”

“Guessed,” replied a laughing Sarah. “No. Really I went by the size of the shoes you gave me to wear and the shoe chart. This pair feels a little short in length, but the width is okay but wider might be better. So I used this width but with one and two sizes longer. Even so, I’m afraid they won’t be long enough.”

“So what size did you order?”

“A 17, 17 ½ and an 18. All medium. The size charts seem to indicate a 17 ½. The ones you bought are now a little too tight especially if I stand in them for any length of time. Actually the strappy ones now fit the best but even they seem too tight. We shall see. Everything should be here on Monday.”

Judy said as she came rushing in, “Did you guys save anything for me?”

“Of course,” they replied.

Then Jill added, “Problems?”

“No. Just an abundance of people wanting piercings or treatments at the last minute. Things are under control now. There were three who wanted treatment that would have required them to be here for up to a week. One will start tomorrow and the others probably on Tuesday.”

“Sorry we can’t help.”

“Not a problem, there are three members who are nurses here this weekend and they are helping out.”

“Have you seen or talked to Alice?”

“Yes, I saw her, but really haven’t talked to her since before lunch. I think she is a little short handed today, but she should have it sorted by tomorrow.”

“Anything I could do?”

“Not really, as it seems like a lot of little things. So how did the shopping go?”

“Pretty good. We were just talking about it. I bought some items to get me through a couple of days. Some will arrive tomorrow but most will arrive on Monday. Depending on what results I get, I may be back on the web looking for something else. If the problems are fixable then I’ll bring out the sewing machine.”

“Cool. So you didn’t need a consultation.”

“I could have used one but then the clothes wouldn’t have arrived until later in the week. So I made some choices.”

They chatted a few more minutes as Judy finished her supper. Almost as Judy finished, her remote chimed. “Well it looks like it’s back to the salt mines. I suspect I will be back about bedtime and the same thing for Alice. Sorry about leaving you with the cleanup.”

“Not a problem. After that, I’m going to read for a bit then take a gander at the security consoles.”

It was close to 8 PM when Sarah went to check the consoles in the security center. As she sat down at the main console, she noticed two RFIDs were flagged as missing member names. Remembering the number of times they checked the link to the member database, she couldn’t imagine it being a broken link. She checked the active database then the reference and found no names for those IDs. Finding no record of them in the member database, she paged Alice to call her. Next she ran a script that would show a map of the areas these two IDs had used.

She watched as the system drew a map beginning with the two entering the front door. In the reception area, they never went to the desk, but instead loitered behind others checking in, then went with several other members into the member’s area. Once in the member’s area, they separated from the others, who would likely have headed to their suites to leave their bags and take off their clothes. Instead, these two went into a restroom then left a few moments later. They wandered around for a bit then went to the hall for the treatment rooms. Once in the hall for the treatment rooms, their sequence of movements showed them pausing at each room before moving on to the next.

Sarah thought, “They are searching for someone or an empty room.” As if on cue, when they reached an empty room, they went inside but only stayed for a short while before exiting. When the two reached the last room, they went inside. The system showed them staying in the room for several minutes before leaving.

“Hmm...” said Sarah, “It’s been fifteen minutes and Alice hasn’t responded yet. Let me see where those two went then I’ll talk to Janet and Jill.” Sarah increased the speed of the replay. The two unknowns wandered all over the member’s area. In the dungeon area, they stopped at all the cells but only entered the open ones. Following this the two returned to the common area as it was dinner time. There they stayed to the sides of the room, even when they ate. They apparently talked to several members but only briefly. Sometime after dinner, the two then returned to the treatment room. Comparing the time stamp to the clock, she saw that it was just about an hour ago.

Sarah paused the playback then looked at the current location map and saw they were back in the common area. She thought, “I wonder why Alice hasn’t responded. Well maybe Jill and Janet can help.”

Before leaving the security center, she set a flag on the two RFIDs. Then instructed the system to actively track them. “Jill, Janet what does it mean if we have an RFID with no name attached to it? The ID is within the acceptable range.”

“We’ve never seen that. Are those the two that are a different color?”

“Yes. I’ve set the system to actively track them. Do you know where Alice or Judy are at?”

“Judy is likely in the clinic. Alice is likely in the common area or kitchen since cleanup from dinner is underway. You know you could flag them on the system.”

“D ugh...”

“What’s up?” asked Jill chuckling. “You seem a little anxious.”

“When I went into the security center and saw these two RIFDs didn’t have a member name associated with them, I did some checking. The database has no entries for those IDs. When I discovered that I generated a map of their activity since arriving.” Sarah went on described the activities shown on the mapping. “So I sent Alice a beep to call me sometime ago and she hasn’t responded.”

“Well the way she wears it, I can see that happening,” replied Janet. “It’s usually in her belt pocket. Quite often she doesn’t feel it vibrate.”

“Okay, then let’s assume the worst. These two are here in response to Susan not returning. So how do we get them to expose themselves? If it comes to a confrontation how do you subdue unruly members?”

“Taser or stun gun. Don’t you have one? Judy has several in her office. So does Alice. Nearly all weekends, there are two members here that can act as bouncers. Have you used the video?”

“Not yet. My stun gun up is up here somewhere.”

“Well we see they are currently in the common area. Why don’t you go see if you can get Judy alone for a minute? While you’re there pickup three or four Tasers. We’ll watch them in the meantime.”

“So you’re assuming the worst as well...”

“Considering everything, it is the safest choice. If we are wrong we only wasted some time which we have a lot of at the moment.”

“I think, we should release the dogs,” said Janet.

“Dogs?”

“That’s right you haven’t been outside yet, we have a pack of wolf hounds. Really friendly to those they know. Not many people know of their purpose. They won’t show up on the security system because of their tags. Typically on weekends, they stay in their pen.”

“First, can you check to see if everyone has checked in?”

“Yes. I guess you agree.”

“Certainly. It would help if these two are planning to let others into the building. I hope Alice notices her phone soon as I don’t want to go down there.”

“Why is that?”

“You are asking a question that is difficult to answer logically. Based the things that have happened to me recently, I suspect they are also on the lookout for me. Possibly Alice as well. Discussing this with Alice would narrow the reasons for those two being there.”

“Makes sense. We’ll check with the desk then if everyone is here, we’ll release the dogs.”