From Slavers, to Slaves, to Hunters
Part 1 - The Sarah Show Must Go On
Sarah looked at her watch. Her business partners were running late, and she disliked that. She had planned everything for the two individuals, with every minute precisely scheduled. However, she was now sitting in her car without her target. She rolled her eyes and started the engine. She needed to see for herself what had gone wrong.
She stood open-mouthed in a small clearing in the forest where Kelsie and Nia's car was parked. She had to admit that the two had prepared well and followed her instructions, but there was no trace of them or their targets. The video recordings had been deleted, but she saw three pairs of footprints on the forest floor. They led to a table where two suitcases lay.
“Oh, don't tell me,” she muttered disappointedly and opened the locks on them. They swung open and Nia and Kelsie lay in front of Sarah. Both were in skin-tight sleeping bags and belts pinned them into the cut-out padding. Both were asleep thanks to the breathing masks connected to an air-sleeping gas mixture.
“For once with professionals …” Sarah sighed and closed both lids.
“Ouch,” Kelsie muttered and rubbed her head. At that moment, she froze and pulled her hand away from her face. Her skin was hidden behind orange latex. She heard the clanking of metal chains and for a second she saw the shackles around her wrists and upper arms and felt the heavy metal ring around her neck. “No… NO, NO! THAT WASN'T THE DEAL!” Kelsie screamed and jumped off her latex cot. She immediately recognized where she was.
In the Sarah Games, which she and Nia loved. However, she had no idea that her client worked for the Sarah Games and what failure would mean.
“The pay was too good to be true, wasn't it? And the punishment for failure harder than you thought?” asked Sarah, the artificial intelligence that controlled the games and whipped its participants through one test after another.
“Let me out of here! We'll give the money back!”
“Yeeeeaaah, unfortunately that won't be possible. After all, you and Nia are the stars of the upcoming season! With two volunteers as competitors! You can win money and… well, at least one of you can win freedom.
”I… I'm suing Sarah Games!"
“I beg you. With the information I have about you and Nia, I could put you behind bars for decades, but that would be boring. That's why you have your chance here! As long as you play along…”
Kelsie looked up at the screen camera and gritted her teeth bitterly.
“What do I have to do?”
“Oh, you know my games… just play along and put on a good show.”
Kelsie's mouth suddenly went dry. How many of the women playing here were here voluntarily? How many were AI pawns against their will? Of course, Kelsie didn't exactly earn her money through legal means, and she had been involved in a kidnapping or two, but at least she didn't stream her crimes all over the internet.
“You're sick.”
“Oh, I'm just doing what I was programmed to do, sweetheart. And by the way, I'm now activating your restraints. If you say anything I don't like… remember what happened to Ava.”
Kelsie's mouth fell open as she remembered the first season when Ava had received an electric shock that knocked her down. That season had been one of the best, even though it had ended far too soon. Kelsie's eyes widened as she remembered the girl with the sunglasses.
“Yep! I was hoping the two of them would be ready for a comeback, but now you've stepped in. Sooooo, have fun!”
Sarah turned off the microphone and opened the second suitcase with Nia inside. The young woman breathed in the gas calmly and seemed to be having a wonderful dream. Sarah stroked her black, artistically braided hair. Sarah sat down in front of her and watched the tightly strapped woman sleep. She had a feeling that Nia would be an excellent addition to her games. She also wondered if she should organize team games. She had already planted a seed of discord. What if she told Nia that they could both escape?
“So many possibilities…” she murmured, unfastening one strap after another that held Nia in the suitcase. Sarah pulled her out and opened the sleeping bag. As with Kelsie, she found a sloppy criss-cross of cling film and tape underneath. Whatever had happened to the two of them had nothing to do with Ava or Summer. Sarah was sure that the two of them would have either called the police or done a much neater job on the two of them. Or both. Indifferently, Sarah cut the plastic wrap, tape, and clothing from Nia's body and now looked down at her flawless dark skin, which glowed warmly in the light of the lamp.
“Ooh, this is going to be good,” Sarah murmured, taking some of the cream and rubbing it between her hands before rubbing it into Nia. Starting with her legs, Sarah worked her way up to just below Nia's neck. Her body now glistened like velvet, but she had no time to admire it and pulled a package of latex and restraints that should fit her out of a closet. She pulled the suit up her legs and it slid effortlessly over her hips. Sarah stood on the table to pull the rest of it up Nia's body and put her arms into the sleeves. In fact, the suit fit her perfectly and she would make a beautiful pin-up picture when she was done with her. Sarah fastened the restraints around Nia's arms and legs and sealed them immediately. She loaded her captive back into the suitcase and placed it on her trolley. It was time to fill the last cell and finally start the games. Her new season was already eagerly awaited by her fans.
Part 2 - The Prison Race
“Prisoners! On your marks! Ready? GO!” Sarah's voice boomed through the loudspeakers. A bang sounded and Nia, Kelsie, and the two other participants sprinted off. For the two partners, it was a race for their lives. For the others, it was an opportunity to earn money. Nia hated them for enjoying putting obstacles in her and Kelsie's way so much. But what else could she do? Tell them? Sarah had already given her such a strong shock that she almost fainted. She didn't want to find out how far this crazy AI would go to cover up the truth about the Sarah Games. That it was a prison with no hope of escape or parole. At least for Nia and Kelsie. Since they had been trapped here, they had had to wear the orange latex and the electric shackles that kept them under control. The chains that bound them were more decorative than restrictive, but the jingling sound still woke them up sometimes at night.
“Look at those bitches running for the prize money!”
What prize money? I'm running for the chance to get out of here, thought Nia and ran up a flight of stairs. At the top, there was a narrow footbridge leading over a pit filled with a thick liquid. Nia didn't hesitate for long and balanced across the beam, just like the other participants.
“Aaaand we're activating the cannons! But remember: every shot goes into the prize pool, dear viewers!” Sarah shouted, and Nia stood rooted to the spot and looked up from the beam.
“Cannons?” she asked, and at that moment, a few bolas whizzed past her. If she had kept running, she would certainly have been swept off the beam.
“Oh! That first shot at Nia was close! But is it really a good idea for her to stand still?”
Nia could see countless tubes aimed in her direction, and she immediately started running. More bolas shot past her and hit one of the volunteer participants. She squealed in surprise as her arms were pinned to her body while the rope wrapped around her. Another shot and another projectile wrapped around her legs.
“Oh no,” she said with a grin and jumped forward cautiously, only to be swept off the beam by more bolas and fall down screaming.
“Looks like Maria fell into the pit! Questionable whether she can get out of there on her own!” Sarah shouted. Marie kicked against the ropes as she slowly sank into the liquid. The spectators in front of the screen went wild. Nia, however, couldn't spare her another glance. She arrived at the next obstacle: the pendulums. The spectators were buying the pace, and from what Nia could see, there were a few really big whales among them. They swung at such a high speed that the air suction pulled her toward them. Kelsie and the other contestant were next to her a short time later and didn't dare to go first.
“Kelsie?”
“Nia?” Kelsie murmured breathlessly as the third member of the group gave them a hurried glance.
“Ohooo? Are our prisoners hesitating? Should we perhaps give them a little help?”
At that moment, a wall shot up from the ground behind them. The three women looked back and saw that it was getting closer and closer.
“Well. I think it's enough for me to be the last one left,” Christina laughed and tried to push Kelsie and Nia forward, but they had already anticipated something like this. They ducked under her arms and grabbed her. In the next moment, they threw Christina onto the pendulum surface, where she was immediately caught by one and stuck to it.
“Good job,” Nia said, and Kelsie just nodded and looked away. She had already noticed that her partner was a little preoccupied, but she didn't talk about it. Not with Sarah breathing down her neck.
“Kelsie, we have to work together…” Nia didn't get any further as Kelsie sprinted off, taking advantage of the gaps between the pendulums.
“ Hey, Kelsie! Stop!” Nia called after her and ran after her. She narrowly avoided the pendulums and almost collided with Christina, whose face was half stuck in the glue and now looked slightly green. However, she managed to avoid it and jumped onto a slide. This carried Nia back to the ground and she looked up at the next obstacle. A glass tube that they had to climb up. Kelsie was already showing her how it was done. She braced herself against the glass with her arms and legs and pushed herself up. Nia scrambled up and ran after her as tubes opened up all around them.
"Ohoooo! Looks like the spectators want to put a little time pressure on the climbing passage. Start climbing quickly, Nia, or you'll get stuck and all the money will go to Kelsie!“
”Money, my ass,” Nia muttered under her breath and jumped into the tube. She immediately followed Kelsie's example and pushed herself up, while below her the liquid slapped against the walls and rose. It was a race against the glue for Nia, and it was a close one. However, she managed to grab the top opening of the tube just in time and pull herself up. Breathing heavily and with sweat on her face, she let herself fall to the ground. Nia needed a moment to recover and hoped Sarah would give her that.
“Looks like Nia made it! But what's that?”
Nia looked up. Above her stood Kelsie with a cold expression on her face.
“Kelsie?”
“I'm sorry, Nia, but I can't do this anymore,” she said, throwing her partner back.
Nia rolled across the floor and over the edge, where she fell a short distance and got stuck in the glue as it continued to rise. Nia was so shocked by the betrayal that she didn't understand and simply accepted her fate.
We can escape together. We can both get out of here if we just manage to win the games, so why …? Nia thought, and then she understood. Sarah's games weren't limited to their bodies. They played with their minds.
“That bitch,” she whispered as it clicked. Nia was about to explain everything to her partner when Kelsie flew over her and also got stuck in the glue.
"Looks like Kelsie didn't expect your mighty hammer! Too bad, but still, the participants earned some money and are already looking forward to the next round!“
Sarah leaned back in her chair and smiled. This game had made her a fortune again and further driven a wedge between her involuntary prisoners.
”These two are really a gold mine," Sarah laughed and activated rescue mode for her prisoners. A prison warden still had to take care of her cash cows. She was just about to get comfortable when an email appeared in her inbox. As Sarah began to read, she frowned and was about to delete it immediately, but the enormous sum of money promised in it made her sit up and take notice. Sarah looked at the screen, where Kelsie and Nia were just being picked out of the glue. She could see in Nia's eyes that she had finally figured out that the Sarah Games were a double and triple game. Sarah looked back at the email.
“Maybe it's time to change the cast early…” Sarah muttered, initiating Kelsie and Nia's departure.
Part 3 - Bondage Art Museum
“Good morning,” said a female voice, and Nia and Kelsie woke up with a jerk from a deep sleep.
“Fuuuuck,” Kelsie muttered, squinting against the light. They both felt exhausted and groaned loudly as they freed themselves from foam-filled suitcases.
They were so groggy that it took them a few seconds to realize they were wearing gas masks.
“Our kidnapping suitcases?” Nia muttered, looking over at Kelsie. Their eyes met, and Kelsie blushed and looked away in shame.
Nia pulled down the mask and rolled out of the suitcase. She stood on the floor with her trembling legs and looked down at herself. She was still wearing the orange latex suit from Sarah Games, complete with electric cuffs, only the jingling chains were gone. Glancing around, she saw an elevator behind her and an open door in front of her. Light shone into the room through it. A red carpet lay on the floor, into which Nia's feet sank slightly. She walked to the elevator, but nothing happened when she pressed the button.
“Nia, I…” Kelsie began as she climbed out of her own suitcase, but Nia raised her hand.
“Forget it, Kelsie. This AI tricked us. It told you that only one of us could escape, right?” Nia asked, looking cautiously at the open door. She couldn't see exactly what was behind it.
“Yes…”
"It told me we could both escape. She wanted to drive a wedge between us, and I don't want to believe she succeeded,“ Nia said, looking at Kelsie, who was now holding her elbow like a child who had painted the walls.
”I'm sorry.“
”Let's just forget about it… Let's see where we've ended up, okay?" Nia asked, grabbing her partner by the shoulders.
“Okay…” Kelsie murmured, nodding almost imperceptibly.
“Good, now let's see where we are and how we can get out of here,” Nia said, squeezing her friend. Kelsie nodded again and they both walked to the open door. They held their hands over their eyes as they blinked in the glare of the light, trying to adjust to the brightness.
They stood at the entrance to a wide hall, the path ahead lined with red carpet. Away from it, paintings hung on the walls and large glass cases stood, some on pedestals. Nia shook her head and rubbed her eyes, unable to trust them, yet they did not deceive her. Behind the glass, right next to them, a naked woman was enclosed. Her body was encased in fine golden rails, holding her in a graceful position. Standing on one leg with her arms outstretched like a ballet dancer. The gold and her perfect body caught Nia's gaze and seemed to hold it until she noticed that the woman was neither blinking nor breathing.
“A… doll? But she looks so real and…” Nia moved closer to the glass to get a better look. A twitch or a movement in the blonde hair that fell like a veil over her body.
“I would ask you not to touch the glass with your fingers,” said a voice from a pair of speakers, and Nia and Kelsie flinched.
“What… what is this?” Kelsie asked, pointing to other people around them. They were all in the same state of rigidity, seeming so alive, yet immobile.
“To put it briefly, this is my museum of special things. All captured for me alone and frozen in time.”
“Frozen?” Nia repeated, looking back at the woman behind the glass.
This time with a look of horror.
“Is she…?”
Nia was interrupted by an annoyed voice.
“No, they're not dead. They're alive. But the cost of living would have eaten me alive, so I used magic to put my exhibits into stasis.”
Kelsie and Nia looked at each other and then up at the speakers.
“Magic…? Sure…” said Nia, crossing her arms under her chest. Kelsie, however, narrowed her eyes and looked down at the glass. Purple characters were engraved on its base, shimmering slightly, but none of them meant anything to her. Kelsie showed her friend the symbols and they both shrugged.
“That's right, magic. How else can you explain how a sleeping girl was able to overpower you?”
Both cringed as they remembered the most unpleasant mission of their lives that had brought them here.
“All right… Let's say we believe you. What do you want from us?”
“For you to work for me and bring me more special specimens for my museum. Including the girl who defeated you, Ava. She has something I want. I'm very interested in her and would give her a special place among my other exhibits.“
”And what if we say no?“ Kelsie asked.
”Well, I'm sure you would make an excellent exhibit. Trapped forever in those cute uniforms. Behind a glass pane. Maybe I'll let you out of stasis so you can think about why you're here every day,“ said the voice menacingly, and the two swallowed. Glancing at the woman next to them, they nodded.
”What do we have to do?“
”Get dressed. Go to the elevator and go to your room. There you will find everything you need to work for me, and more. Here's to a wonderful partnership.“
”Mhmmm,“ said Nia and Kelsie, walking back to the elevator, which was now actually working.
”That was easier than I thought," muttered Ms. Widow, rising from her throne at the end of her museum. If the two had continued walking, they would certainly have seen their old teacher.
“Well, then there will be a little reunion later,” she said, walking past her most cherished possession to date. An elf in silver shackles. Like her other exhibits, she was placed in stasis by magical runes. Untouched by the ravages of time, hunger, or other factors that would make Ms. Widow’s exhibition impossible. The elf and every other person here were part of her wonderful collection, which she would never have discovered, let alone been able to afford, without her special ability. She could see not only the elf's outer beauty, but also the magic within her. Imprisoned by the iron that bound her and the spells cast on the glass. For as long as she could remember, she had had the ability to see and even understand traces of magic. That didn't exactly make her powerful, but it allowed her to find magical artifacts, sell them, or see when someone was more than they wanted to admit. However, the most useful thing she had found was an old spell book she had picked up at a flea market. She knew immediately that it was real, and the spells in it had helped her create this. She turned away from the elf's fantastic eyes and continued along her gallery. A painting hung on one wall, depicting a man and a woman. Scantily clad and locked in a sensual kiss. They were held in place by paper-thin, transparent latex, and the runes on the picture frame had sealed them in since they arrived down here. Ms. Widow loved the picture with all her heart. It reminded her of her first great love. Probably because it was her first great love, along with the man who she had been cheated on with.
“Wonderful,” she murmured and moved on. She stopped in front of a marble statue. It depicted a dancer she had once known. Now her face was stone and she stared into the void. Before she had come here, they had both played with marble-colored body paint. Now she truly looked like a statue, carved by the ancient masters of art themselves. She stroked the smooth, stone skin, which was actually just paint, and moved on. Her most expensive exhibit was a row further on. Underneath a leotard made of pure gold was a woman whose body was like rubber. In her old life, she was so flexible that Ms. Widow thought she had no bones. She was lying on her chest. Her arms supported her additionally and she had raised her legs above her head. Her back had an uncomfortable curve in the wrong direction. Nevertheless, she could hold this position effortlessly, and had been doing so for over six years now. Ms. Widow chuckled at the thought. Finally, she went to a glass dome in the middle of the room. It was empty. But she knew exactly who was supposed to come in there. Ava and her wondrous magic. Ms. Widow didn't know where she had suddenly gotten it from. But her whole body was constantly surrounded by it. Like a wild fire that wanted to spread, but something always held it back, it seemed.
“Maybe her clothes?” Ms. Widow murmured, stroking the glass. She imagined Ava trapped inside. And Kelsie and Nia would soon be able to provide her with results. Ms. Widow had been very surprised that the two had attacked the bus. At first, she hadn't been sure, as she couldn't hold her breath long enough to be certain, but after seeing the two in the Sarah Games, she knew it had really been them.
“How poetic that I buy my old students and free them from slavery in order to capture my new student and exhibit her here. Who knows what else they will bring me,” whispered Ms. Widow.