Alexis shifted on the metal chair, uncrossing her legs casually and relaxing her guard for a moment. She inserted a fresh tape in her hand recorder, not bothering to keep an eye on Christine's reclined form. The young woman remained docile under the glare of fluorescent lights, her breathing shallow, her smile empty, her relaxed expression betraying no thought. The heavy restraints around her ankles and wrists almost seemed superfluous.

Professional detachment gave way to a fleeting moment of jealousy, and Alexis chased it away by running a hand over her pussy, still glowing with the warmth of Christine's probing tongue.

"This Felicia must be a formidable woman... driven... brilliant. This collar is the most advanced slavemaker I've ever seen."

Not quite a clinical observation, she thought, but Christine did stir at the mention of the name, like a small animal growing tense at the sound of a snapping branch. Her eyes searched the white lights above, but found nothing.

Alexis made a note of the reaction without undue alarm, trusting that the collar's initial induction had left her pawn directionless and unable to act on anything but the commands spoken to her.

She almost dropped the recorder when Christine elected to answer.

"The collar is but a tool. It is nothing but the mark of Mistress Felicia's favor. It is the sign of Her recognition. The power She holds over those who serve Her goes beyond anything you can imagine."

The hint of challenge was unmistakable, but Alexis paid little attention to it, far more impressed by the adulation in Christine's voice. The slave trembled on the table as she spoke, as thought the words brought spiritual revelation and fulfillment. She seemed to be exploring a hidden truth within herself, like an entranced priestess divining the will of her Goddess.

Alexis could only guess at the limits of the device's power to alter the mind. Her puppet's strings weren't attached to limbs-they sank in the deepest parts of her psyche, ensnaring and stifling all thoughts, leaving a void that could only be filled by another woman's desires.

She sensed the deep longing in Christine... the unspoken desire to rise from the table and become a vessel of seduction. Alexis imagined her striding slowly towards her, smiling prettily while her hands embraced her... caressed her... and slowly secured the collar around her neck... stepping back... patiently waiting for Felicia's will to seep in her latest victim's mind...

She had no doubt that Christine's relaxed stillness was a seductive lure.

Alexis shrugged to herself, more amused than disturbed by the imagery. She reached for a small console on a wheeled cart, which was wired to a short range transmitter. She doubled checked the frequency for the umpteenth time, making sure it was modulated to transmit along the same frequency as the receiver built into the collar.

Leaving the recorder aside, she keyed in a few commands, keeping her hand steady despite the rush of excitement.

"Let us begin, then. Who has brought you here, Christine? Who has gifted you with understanding?"

Christine fluttered her eyelids, a brief cloud of confusion drifting over her. She opened her mouth but no sound came out.

"Mistress... Felici-"

"Override protocol Alpha, nine-one, slave. Respond."

Christine's eyes drifted shut as electric pleasure did away with the confusion and offered her a glimpse of true pleasure.

"Dr. Rhinde has brought me here. Dr. Rhinde has gifted me with understanding. I serve Dr. Rhinde."

"There. None of that Felicia nonsense. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

Alexis' fingers continued their dance over the console.

"Listen to me very carefully, Christine. Your mind is mine to do as I will. You need direction and focus. You need guidance. The sound of my voice is all that you hear... all that you wish to hear... Dr. Rhinde alone will give you purpose."

Alexis held her breath. Christine remained silent.

"Alpha, nine-two. Respond."

"Dr. Rhinde alone gives me purpose."

"Very good, Christine. Your progress is quite astounding. You are doing quite well indeed.

"Now this next part is very important, Christine... You must listen to my voice... you must believe everything I tell you... nothing else matters. In fact, nothing else would please you more. You accept my truth willingly... effortlessly... it is second nature to you..."

Christine's eyes remained lost in the lights above, her mind quietly absorbing everything like a sponge.

"Mistress Felicia does not exist, Christine. There is no Mistress Felicia. She is a figment of your imagination. She has not rewarded you with her mark. Her voice does not reach you from a distance. It does not shape your thoughts."

"Mistress... Felicia... does not exist," Christine repeated haltingly.

"She does not exist. She does not speak to you. Dr. Rhinde is the most important person in your life. She is your guiding light. Dr. Rhinde's voice alone rules your thoughts."

Christine shuddered, her body pressing up against the restraints. Somewhere in her collar, a receiver acquired the proper signal, and wired pulses of electric bliss directly into her nervous system.

The need to give in to Dr. Rhinde flooded like liquid pleasure inside her.

"Dr. Rhinde alone rules my thoughts..."

The cold seat grew warm under Alexis-and a little moist as she touched her pussy lips. She leaned back from the console, fighting to slow the tempo of her fingers, dipping them into her slit and savoring Christine's soft-spoken assent as thought it was a depraved lullaby. She hardly hesitated as Alexis fed her the morsels of truth; she whispered without blinking, her lower lip dipping slightly as she moaned with undeniable lust, her every syllable brimming with the same conviction and sincerity as before.

"I must serve Dr. Rhinde... I must obey Dr. Rhinde..."

Remarkable. Christine's mind was already. filling the gaps on its own. She repeated the words over and over, like a sacred incantation, bewitched a little more with each new utterance. They came with natural ease.

Alexis scanned her console, making a quick check of readings and keeping a lid on the growing urge to shout her triumph aloud.

Green across the board. Christine's acceptance of Alexis' control was now complete.

A slight smile finally broke through the stern facade, as much a show of success as contempt. Felicia's methods were evidently less sophisticated than she'd originally thought. A lot of direction, but far too little focus. In all honesty, Alexis was surprised she'd so readily managed to alter her subject's basic perceptions.

Conceit bred overconfidence, but Alexis could hardly blame the world for failing to provide her with a true challenge. She'd never found a worthy opponent when it came to intrigue or manipulation-and technical mastery, however advanced, was still no excuse for sloppy methods.

The very ease with which she'd warped Felicia's own teaching device was testimony to the mysterious woman's flawed genius. What good was a strong leash if it could be relinquished to any mistress that came along? With just a little more coaxing, all of this Felicia's secrets would be hers.

Her hand returned briefly to the console.

"You are the keeper of the knowledge I have entrusted in you, Christine. I have programmed you. I have made you mine from the very first. You cannot keep anything from me. You do not wish to. You wish only to prove your allegiance to me. You will reveal all that you know. You will reveal everything I have taught you. You will obey me in all things. Alpha nine-three, respond."

Christine no longer hesitated, with only moans to break up her speech. "I must reveal and obey... I... must... reveal... and... o-bey..."

Alexis listened with rapt attention, barely aware of her excitement as she was swept away in the intensity of achieving her coup de grâce.

Her focus dissipated momentarily, temptation making sweet whispers in her mind. Christine was the perfect pawn to any game she would care to devise. She had hacked into the perfect mind-controlled tool, leaving her to use it as she wished.

"Tell me, slave, what is your primary directive?"

There was no detachment, no caution, no self-restraint. There was no limit to her control-she knew it beyond any doubt. Christine would only grow more helpless as she was told to repeat her answers. She would cry out softly, her body on the verge of climax while she lost herself in her litany of obedience.

"I am recruiter 471. My primary directive is to bring others into service, as Mistress commands."

Alexis squeezed her thighs despite herself, still overwhelmed by the young woman's dreamy voice. She expected the drone-ish tone, but it still made her unbelievably hot.

Her head spun. Her legs shook. Was Christine aware of the effect of her words? She barely seemed aware of anything at all, rearing up from the table slowly, rocking her hips back and forth, as if to meet invisible fingers teasing her slit.

"Who have I instructed you to select for this purpose, Christine? Tell me."

"I am recruiter 471. I must chose close acquaintances. Friends. Family. All females are to be brought into service. They are to be taught the pleasure of serving Mistress. They are to facilitate recruitment of others."

That voice. Sleek. Seductive. It made Christine's words echo with deep meaning. Alexis sunk back in her chair, a tad disoriented as she lost herself in masturbatory bliss, her fingers circling her clit incessantly. How could she resist playing with herself? How could remain unaffected in the face of power to bend women to such depths of submission?

"Goood... yes... tell me more, slave... tell me everything..."

Christine's head dipped back while she mewled softly, spreading her knees as wide as restraints would allow, raising her pelvis, responding to her body's insatiable need to fuck.

Her voice wove its way deeper in Alexis' mind, like the echo of distant wind chimes barely noticeable in the rustling breeze. It glided on the surface of Alexis' consciousness only for an instant, before its soothing quality melted away her brief feelings of unease.

"I am recruiter 471. All women are to wear to Collar. All are to serve Mistress Felicia. It is the mark of Her will. To wear it is to please Her. To please Her is our reason for existence."

Felicia? Alexis shook her head, trying to chase the blur creeping in the edge of her thoughts. The queasiness in her stomach passed quickly, but weariness already invaded her limbs.

She'd left the tranquilizer gun on the metal tray next to the console. She reached for it, obeying a sudden impulse that had little to do with logic, but the pistol grip felt too heavy. It slipped through her loose fingers and clattered harmlessly to the floor.

She didn't bother worrying, content to slouch down in the chair. Thankfully, her other hand remained right where it was, her fingers now coated with juices in their frantic, orgiastic dance. She could still hear Christine's voice despite the distant, metallic buzzing inside her ears. Her thoughts wrapped themselves around every word. Concentration slipped away as she sensed the change, the growing harmony that swept over her like an orchestra before the recital.

She was not afraid. She moaned, eager to show her growing excitement, circling her clit again and again, pressing it, rubbing it in hard strokes. The act of believing, so new, so strange after a lifetime of cynical detachment, was making her aware of her thirst for the spiritual. Simplicity itself frayed its way past her barriers, and she found herself repeating the words calmly, even as they fanned the fires of her growing obsession.

To wear the Collar is to please Her. To please Her is our reason for existence.

God. To be included. To be part of a whole. Our reason for existence. Alexis gasped, feeling the buildup of emotion-and the tears-that accompanied this newfound sensation. She tried to make sense of it, suddenly afraid of looking back to her past, unwilling to confront the barren, wasted years of her life, spent in aimless pursuits.

She choked off a sob, reeling as the flux of emotion pulled her out of grief before she would collapse. There was no need of fear or shame. Christine was with her now, speaking softly, the mindless oracle delivering heavenly wisdom. Alexis had been the one to bring her here. In a world of possibilities, she herself had facilitated her path to illumination. Destiny had steered her hand, leading her to a place where she would listen. Learn.

Belong.

She pinched one of her nipples, twisting it roughly, cringing as the pain alone nearly made her cum. She lavished caresses on herself, stroking her neck and breasts, abandoning all restraint as the flaring pleasure took full possession of her.

Christine, too, had succumbed to the power of her own words, gyrating her hips wildly, arching her neck back, as if to expose the object of her enslavement in all its glory. Alexis watched this depraved dance from her chair, filled with wonder as she imagined the collar safely fastened around her own neck... hot leather pulsing against her skin, while a silver needle poured darkness in her mind... pulling puppet strings that would make her kneel with wanton passion.

The whispers came once more, even sweeter and more compelling than before.

"You are recruiter 472."

"I... I-"

"You are recruiter 472."

"I am recruiter 472."

"Recruiter 472 will prepare for indoctrination."

Alexis' legs twitched open, the unbuttoned lapels of her coat falling wide open. Christine continued to writhe on the table, licking her lips as if anticipating the irresistible command that would drive her forward on hands and knees...

"I... must prepare for indoctrination."

Alexis' whole body was aflame with yearning. Her pussy cried out for the softness of a woman's tongue. All other concerns were quickly consumed, burning to ashes while the fire of her lust glowed in the dark places of her mind.

Sweet Christine... so eager for a mere chance to kneel and worship... so mindful of another woman's desires there was no need to command her to give pleasure... how gracious... how wonderful...

"Recruiter 472, you must initiate indoctrination."

"I-I must initiate... indoctrination."

Alexis' own thoughts sang out to her like a celestial choir. Her awakening in Christine's presence was ordained. Divine. A frisson coursed throughout her body as she spoke, tingling all over her, angels spinning a mad, sensuous dance across her skin.

She got up, struggling for balance. Her body leaned against the metal edge of the table while she quickly unfastened the restraints. She bent over Christine's face, gasping when the young woman began to nuzzle her bosom.

"Ahhh... yes... yeeeeesss..."

Christine's tongue lapped hungrily, tracing lazy circles, searching out the nipple of Alexis' breast and drawing it into her mouth. She suckled obediently, until Alexis guided her other breast to her lips.

The young woman's hands and feet were free in seconds. She immediately slipped off the table, and onto her knees.

Alexis took a step back and fell into her chair.

"Recruiter 472, initiating..."

She found the strength to raise her legs and settle them around Christine's shoulders. Her feet caressed the arch of Christine's lower back, while hot breaths warmed her screaming cunt.

"Excellent. Mistress Felicia will be very pleased, 472."

A tiny part in Alexis fought to make sense of Christine's words, but it was no use. She laid back while her slave burrowed her tongue between her trembling thighs, planting soft, delicate kisses on her clit after each reverent lick of her pussy.

There was no other thought then, save for perfect, absolute bliss.

####

Awareness washed over Alexis like a rising tide, too slowly to quell the fear twisting like a knot inside her. She fought to move, to turn her head, to anchor herself back into her surroundings, but remained utterly petrified. The laboratory evoked nothing but passing familiarity in her mind, something she found deeply upsetting without knowing why.

"What's going on?"

She spoke up without realizing someone was there to answer. The whispers drifted from behind her, close to her ear, close enough to make her shudder with profound arousal.

"You've taken the first step, Dr. Rhinde. You were a very attentive listener."

Disjointed images flooded back in Alexis' mind, along with a brief spell of vertigo. She frowned, struggling to put the pieces back together. A thread of logic began to emerge, and it brought no relief. Her heart sank as she attempted one more time to flex her limbs, only to remain still.

She felt exhausted. Her breath still came in gasps, and she knew it wasn't panic. Her entire body was flushed with heat, screaming out in yearning. She closed her eyes, her moist sex remembering the gentle licks.

Pleasure washed over her like a distant but powerful memory.

She tried to fight, but it was no use. She'd inadvertently opened the floodgates. She came hard, swaying on stiff legs, too dazzled to cry out her own pleasure.

"W-what... have you... done to me?"

Gentle hands settled on Alexis' shoulders. The voice whispered tenderly in her ear.

"Mistress Felicia has taken a great interest in you, Dr. Rhinde... and you played right into Her hands."

Alexis capsized backward, but hands held her up firmly. For a moment, she wanted nothing more than to melt in their strong embrace.

"This can't be. We're still in the secure section of the company lab. All outside signals are jammed. The only input you received was from the transmitter wired to my console."

Alexis' tone carried the desperation of someone who needed to believe her own words, but she could sense Christine's triumphant smile without seeing it.

"Rightly so, Dr. Rhinde, but you are unaware that the agent who obtained the collar and delivered it to your labs was one of Mistress Felicia's many pawns. This was a very unique device, even for its kind. Specific instructions were hardwired into it. All of my basic programming came from the initial induction. The collar's receiver was disabled the moment you activated the device to avoid any interference on your part."

Christine's breath warmed the back of Alexis' neck, her lips brushing the skin, pressing in a soft kiss. The doctor gasped as another mind-numbing climax engulfed her.

"We had no way of knowing you would test this device, but your profile indicated that you would likely conduct trials of your own, without the approval or knowledge of your superiors. Direct interface with hardware was impossible because of encryption protocols, so it was easy to anticipate that you would use a subject in the hopes of gaining some information thought indirect means. You took precautions, of course, but there was little you could have done to prevent all this. Your capture was intended from the very beginning."

"R-Ridiculous," Alexis scoffed.

Christine's hand swept down Alexis' arms, following the gentle curves with her fingertips, like an artist appraising the perfection of a sculptured work.

"Don't underestimate yourself, Dr. Rhine. Felicia Prime has watched you for some time. You've shown yourself a capable and ambitious woman... someone worthy of disrupting the activities of Her less gifted competitors. You have a natural talent when it comes to the research and practice of mind-altering techniques."

Alexis tried to focus on her fear, hoping the adrenaline rush might snap her out of her paralysis, but her concentration began to slip once again. Christine's hands caressed their way down the small of her back, sending another orgasmic shiver throughout her body. When they massaged their way up her neck, a sudden realization struck her.

"I'm... not wearing the collar."

Alexis breathed silent relief, and did her best to ignore the slight pang of disappointment that clung tenaciously to her thoughts. Somewhere downwards, her nipples hardened painfully. She remembered the images from before, the fantasies that surfaced and warped her thinking, seducing her, wrenching away the thick curtain of denial and revealing the beauty of her kneeling self, brainwashed and obedient... a broken slave with a collar at her neck and no other thought save the enslavement of others.

"Very true, Dr. Rhinde, you are not. Such drastic means have not been deemed necessary to induce your cooperation. For now, your thoughts are ruled by mere suggestion. You are not even aware of your new personality insert. My voice is enhanced by a subtle, ultrasonic modulation. You've just spent the last forty minutes in limbo, while your subconscious absorbed all of its new directives."

Ultrasonic? Alexis shivered, feeling out the alien strands mind, attempting to discern the barriers and mind blocks that would interfere with her behavior.

Her muscles tensed under her skin, growing weary with effort.

"You forget I've examined the collar. There was a tiny ultrasonic unit, but it's lodged against the skin, along the back of the neck. It functions as a disrupting unit, interrupting normal thought processes and incapacitating the subject during the conditioning phase, nothing more."

Christine sighed, like a teacher lecturing a slow-witted student. She leaned in closer, pressing her whole body against Alexis, her firm breasts mashed up against the woman's arching back. Both of them shook as a lustful current traveled between them, fusing their souls in a fleeting moment of unimaginable bliss. Christine's hands slipped around the immobilized doctor's hips, caressing her thighs, cupping her crotch and brushing against her pussy lips.

"Mmm... Mistress Felicia is nothing if not careful, Dr. Rhinde. Her instrument of obedience is deceptive by its very nature. You have no idea how easy it is to fool specialists once you understand how they approach a given problem. You were not able to unlock its secrets because engineering theory teaches one to break down systems into several components, instead of studying their workings as a whole. Skill has very little to do with understanding-it's a matter of perspective.

"The range of ultrasonic conditioning is extremely limited, of course. It's effects, also, are temporary, unless the teachings are reinforced. In your case, your predisposition to control and manipulate others has proven useful.

"It is an imperative for you. It has fueled your efforts in the professional field, and it governs every aspect of your personal life. You believe that this obsession with control has given you a dominant mindset, a strength of will that is enough to resist basic slave conditioning, but you are mistaken. You crave control, and Mistress Felicia has simply used this deeply rooted desire to shape you into a tool she could use. In fact, you will soon feel nothing but gratitude. You will become the perfect instrument of control."

Alexis ground her teeth together. "I won't-"

"Recruit 472. Enable."

The rest of Alexis' sentence vanished from her mind, as thought her mind had been switched off. She had no recollection of being interrupted, and the silence lasted only a heartbeat.

Recruit 471 had addressed her, and there was only one answer to give.

"Recruit 472. Enabled."

"You may play with your pussy, 472," Christine suggested amiably.

472's hands came to life, obeying the command and searching out her sex, feeling it pulse with moist heat. Her fingers gently parted her labia, loosing themselves in a practiced and familiar pattern.

"That's it 472. Tease yourself a little more. There's no hurry. You're remembering your lesson very well. Now get your fingers nice and slick, you'll be shoving one of them in your ass in a moment."

Recruit 472 groaned in approval, unable to quell her shameless enjoyment.

"There are obstacles in your path, 472. Your company takes a great interest in your every move. You are afforded enough freedom to work here in order to avoid hampering your research efforts, but security teams constantly monitor your activities outside of the office. Your drive and ambition are more apparent than you realize, and of concern to those immediately above you.

"Consequently, staging your abduction elsewhere might have drawn unnecessary attention. Mistress Felicia needs a pawn free of suspicion. Someone who can act quickly and decisively. Someone who can deal with the looming threat to Her agenda."

It was too much for recruit 472 to take in all at once, but there was no need to worry since straightforward instructions were forthcoming. 472 was confident she would fulfill her mission well; what little resistance remained in her dwindled away with every thrust of her fingers. She worked her entire body into it, riding fucklust with abandon, and secretly hoping 471 might be inspired enough by her pawn's wanton display to bend and twist her mind even more.

A warm hand cupped one of her ass cheeks, kneading the firm flesh.

"We'll need to gain access to the company's most recent acquisitions. That won't be a problem, will it, 472?"

"No..."

"Very good. You can start to finger your ass now."

472 purred in assent, and slipped a wet finger around her behind. She worked it in slowly, keeping her other fingers busy, careful to keep a steady rhythm. She tasted pure bliss then, working both hands in unison, snapping out of stillness and writhing like an exotic dancer.

Recruit 471 gave her more instructions.

She didn't hear any of it.

She remembered all of it.

####

Hannah Demsky lowered the car window, stretched out, punched in her security code and waited for the steel door of the underground garage to rise. She revved the engine of her Ford Taurus all the way down the steep incline and took a few sharp turns once inside the parking lot, filling its cavernous spaces with the sharp cries of screeching tires. She swerved into her assigned space with uncharacteristic abruptness, still muttering as she turned off the ignition and caught a glimpse of her damp, mussed up hair in the rear-view mirror.

She forced a smile, which quickly soured into a tired and frustrated grimace.

She stepped out of the vehicle with a slim briefcase and a raincoat under her arm. The T-shirt and casual slacks she'd thrown on clashed horribly, but decency was all she was prepared to settle for at two in the morning.

Doctors and vets got calls in the middle of the night. They kept their lives on standby once or twice a week. Since when did network administrators get the same treatment? She desperately wanted to have a little talk to the nitwit headhunter who'd recruited her for this job a year ago.

Note to self, Hannah thought grimly, Apply for jobs at companies with HQ's based in neighboring time zones. She'd thought herself lucky to have nailed a cushy network baby-sitting job right after her last semester in college, but the initial excitement had worn off months ago, right about the time she'd begun to discover the less attractive perks of her job.

Then make your opportunities count, damn it she reminded herself. This nighttime outing was most certainly one of them.

She carried her smile a bit more easily as she strolled to the service elevator. Dr. Rhinde had been the one to tear her away form bed, asking her to come in to recover some lost data of crucial importance.

Not quite the end of the world, the good doctor's opinion notwithstanding. It would be easy enough to fix, just a question of accessing the hourly backup files. The ways of network programming were dark and mysterious to the uninitiated.

More importantly, however, Hannah would be helping someone who had the ear of the company's directors. A few hours of work might be enough to leverage influence with the powers that be and orchestrate a minor promotion.

She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. A longshot, perhaps, but something to hope for. Being here wasn't really much of a choice anyway.

She chose not to dwell on the thought, having pieced together enough of the office rumors concerning Dr. Rhinde to know it was best to go along with all of the dragon lady's requests. In-house mavericks had the power to make and break careers, and this woman had one hell of a mean streak if half of the lunch-room talk could be believed.

Hannah finally got to the service elevator door and punched the call button.

The doors opened at once, startling her.

"Ah. Miss Demsky. You've arrived."

Hannah stood there, flabbergasted.

The tall brunette in the elevator smiled oddly at her, wrapped up in a lab coat buttoned up to the top, her eyes wide and unblinking. Her face was flushed, her hair tousled, her lips smudged with pale lipstick.

"Dr. Rhinde? I... huh... were you stepping off?"

Hannah clamped down at once, knowing of her tendency to babble. Her friends joked that she could stuff both feet in her mouth and still have room for a fist, and she thanked her lucky stars for having avoided any knee-jerk, acerbic remarks.

Rhinde shook her head slowly, like an automaton's. "No, Ms. Demsky, I am not stepping off. I'm... going down. Please. Join me."

Hannah didn't know what to make of the wink that came with the answer. She offered a polite smile, praying her facial expression didn't betray her complete shock. She stepped into the cart and took a calming breath.

She did her very best not to notice the lingering aftersmell inside, but became hopelessly self-conscious as an uncomfortable silence fell. The pungent mixture of scents was unmistakable. Add to it the untidy clothes...

Dr. Rhinde said nothing but looked at her in amusement, as thought reading her very thoughts. Yes honey. I enjoy long, hot, sweaty fucks in elevators.

Christ! Hannah enjoyed feeding the rumor mill during coffee breaks as much as anyone, but this was a hairsbreadth away from flagrante delicto. She pictured the guy she'd probably left on the floor despite herself... maybe someone from the mail room... one of those young studs working the night shift, eager to put out for a sexy older woman who'd carefully planned to lure her prey into the confines of the elevator. Was there a tight little black negligée underneath that lab coat? Panties hastily stuffed in a side pocket, perhaps?

Reality check, girl! Hannah switched to business talk, clinging to it like a life-raft. "What seems to be the problem, exactly? Are we dealing with a complete network crash?"

The dreadfully high pitch of her voice made her cringe. Oh. Nice going, Hannah. Very, very smooth.

Dr. Rhinde remained still while the doors to the elevator cart closed. "It's a bit complicated, Ms Demsky. It's best if I take you to the lab. You can see for yourself."

She used a round key to open a special compartment, and pressed a single button within. The cart fell swiftly, leaving Hannah's stomach somewhere on the parking lot level.

She entered the fidgeting stage without noticing, trying hard to catch a few more glimpses of the doctor for future reference.

She ditched the mail stud theory-something about Rhinde's shoes... conservative pumps with thick solid heels... or the way she clasped her hands, interlacing her fingers precisely. Even in the immediate aftermath of what Hannah suspected had been all-out fornication, Dr. Rhinde salvaged her sense of poise, conveying authority despite her shabby appearance.

One of the members of the board, then? Too classy to lust after the proletariat?

She didn't add to the thought. Dr. Rhinde's stare was lingering in a very recognizable pattern. The signals, so indecipherable a moment before, became suddenly meaningful, and Hannah did her best to look casual as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Dr. Rhinde made no move towards the destination panel. Instead, she pulled something from her lab coat pocket.

This time, Hannah did show her surprise. Her expression remained frozen on her face as she crumbled to the floor, paralyzed by the dart fired from Dr. Rhinde's tranquilizer pistol.

She didn't lose control of her muscles all at once, crawling on the hard rubber floor and retreating to a corner of the cart. T had stopped moving, but the doors had not opened.

Hannah's eyes bulged out in fear as she rolled on her back and saw her aggressor looming above.

"Do not act so worried, Ms Demsky," said Dr. Rhinde, her words not reassuring in the least, " The drug's dosage is minimal... just enough to keep you still while I carry out my task."

Hannah searched around frantically with her eyes. She caught a glimpse of the underside of Rhinde's lab coat... almost by accident really. She wondered why the absence of a skirt or panties made her even more frantic.

Dr. Rhinde held up a small, round aerial dispenser obligingly.

"This is a rather useful discovery... an exotic biochemical agent engineered by one of our competitors. Nothing you would have read about of course, due to the extremely negative attention this kind of research would bring... although I must say bands and treaties do have the saving grace of making any legal recourse impossible, even when the wronged party discovers our company is responsible for stealing it..."

She sprayed Hannah with a misty cloud, careful not to inhale any of it.

"It's quite thorough in removing all inhibitions... and prolonged exposure will affect the subjects permanently. It's effects are almost immediate. I'm sure Mistress Felicia will appreciate it's varied uses..."

Hannah coughed, struggling for a breath. She tried to turn her head, but the strange, synthetic smell had already infiltrated her lungs.

Alexis Rhinde crouched down on the floor of the cart, spreading her knees wide, watching the spectacle of surrender avidly. Soon, Hannah's mind would be putty in her hands. She would respond to a given command quickly enough, but settling for a robot seemed like wasted potential.

She hiked up the back of her lab coat with one hand, caressing the round curves with the other.

She came easily enough when she fingered her ass, but Hannah's tongue would feel so much nicer...

####

"Report, 472."

"The second phase is nearly completed. Our latest recruit has access to the whole network through an auxiliary terminal. All pertinent information will soon be in our possession."

"Has she properly instructed with regards to the next step?"

472's smile was harsh in the light of the overhead lamp. She stood next to a large metal table that was oddly familiar. The restraints dangled on the side, and something told her they would soon be accommodating an already receptive subject.

She corrected the thought at once. There was an order and meaning to all things. Ritual. Necessity.

"She has been properly instructed, in that regard... and in many others."

Recruit 471 nodded.

"Very good, 472. You have shown great promise."

Had recruit 472 been permitted to show pleasure, she would have fallen to her knees, crying out in lustful adoration. It would be the proper way to accept her reward for loyalty... while holding the secret promise of greater, sweeter service...

No such command was forthcoming, and so recruit 472 merely stood, with only a brief spasm to betray the long, quiet orgasm that simmered along every one of her nerve endings.

"We do not have much time. Inform me when we are ready to cripple the network. We will then proceed to the next phase."

Recruit 472, lost in her abyss of pleasure, answered the voice that drifted to her from beyond. She spoke the words reverently, sinking in deeper realms of pleasure with a mere utterance.

"As you command."