All around, the city hummed with life. People passed by on the sidewalk, jumbled voices of endless conversation shifted between the crowds, and car engines roaring and humming along echoed across the cityscape. The bus terminal was crowded today, it seemed, and the buses were all running late. No problem for Artema, though. She waited and blended with the crowd. Despite her imposing frame that towered above most people, she had become particularly skilled at going unnoticed.

She sat down on the bench, her mind wandering a bit. Her agents were all still back at HQ. Artema didn’t want to bother anyone else with this mission if it turned out to be fruitless. Besides, when she checked in on them they all seemed to be having fun to varying degrees, even if some of them were training.

In an instant, Artema’s focus snapped back to the mission at hand. Jonas had come in with information from the Agency Director herself. Their informant, Farrah, seemed to indicate that she knew where Jhana was hiding. It was strange not to think of her as Fa’rah, the bandit tribe leader, but this strange new world had changed a lot of things.

Farrah was a mole within a group of notorious thieves led by one Aurora Moreno. The infamous Latina certainly was elusive and was sometimes known to be in league with G.A.G. and Jhana. Though the thief seemed to be after something else entirely; she didn’t crave power like Jhana. And she hired Farrah to be her muscle and had even nicknamed her ‘Heavy’ for her strength and physical prowess.

Ever since their falling our, Farrah and Jhana would no longer work together and Farrah would happily work against Jhana with any information she could dig up. But Artema knew the woman was not to be trusted.

Farrah was built a lot like Artema; muscular but still feminine, athletic, and very tall though not quite reaching Artema’s soaring height. Nobody was quite certain how old she was though she was rumoured to be in her fifties. Farrah looked much younger than that, however, and always kept in top physical condition. She was also wily and after her own agenda.

Artema didn’t know what Farrah’s ultimate goal was but she had betrayed the Agency’s trust more than once. The Agency Director put up with her, however, since she proved a valuable asset to have against both Aurora and Jhana. Despite her treachery, Farrah was still a good informant for the Agency. Artema didn’t like working with her but if she could lead them to Jhana then they could eliminate the biggest threat to Weston’s well-being.

Sitting on a bench at the bus terminal, Artema still wore her casual outfit with the purple vest, sleeveless white shirt and frilled white skirt. She crossed her legs and adjusted her strappy, brown sandals. A warm breeze tossed her braided, purple hair and she leaned back to take in a breath.

Someone called her name and she snapped to attention. It sounded like-

“Artema,” the voice said from behind her.

Artema turned her head and caught sight of Farrah waving to her from an alleyway between the terminal building and the convenience store next door.

Farrah looked strong as ever and wore a similar casual outfit to Artema. A brown vest covered a grey tube top that bared a bit of Farrah’s midriff. She wore a short brown scarf, tied loosely about her neck and a short, loose skirt that matched her tube top. Like Artema, Farrah had also gone for comfortable, strappy brown sandals for footwear. Her long blonde hair gently caressed her face in the subtle wind and she watched Artema with intense, brown eyes.

When Artema stood up and turned back to the alley, Farrah had disappeared. She sighed irritably when she stepped into the alleyway in search of her treacherous informant. The idea of stepping into what felt like a trap certainly did not sit well with Artema but she had to take the risk. If she could find Jhana then it would be worth it.

She walked further into the alleyway, her muscles tense, when she heard a loud beep in her ear. Artema put her search on hold and leaned against the wall. She tapped her ear and held one finger up to it.

“This is Agent Hunter,” she said.

“Hunter, this is Agent Swift,” said a woman’s voice. Celia, Artema thought. “I have eyes on target Blaze. How do I proceed?”

Artema paused for a moment. That meant Aurora herself. “Swift, do not engage. Repeat, do not engage. Target Blaze is armed and dangerous. You are to keep eyes on her only. Stand by for backup and stand by for further orders. I am currently engaged.”

“Understood,” Celia said. “Good luck, Agent Hunter. Stay safe.”

“You too, Agent Swift. Out.”

Artema let go of the earpiece in her ear and continued on into the dark alleyway.

...

Celia let go of her earpiece and raised a scope to her right eye. The thief, Aurora, was lounging within her penthouse suite and Celia watched her from an adjacent rooftop. Celia noted the thief’s strange almost retro attire first before anything else. She dressed in a bright red catsuit with knee-high, black boots. A black, wide brimmed hat adorned her raven-haired head that matched the long coat on the back of her chair. A red scarf dangled behind that. Despite lounging, Aurora still wore her matching gloves and sipped from a glass of white wine.

There was no other word for her; Aurora was simply stunning. Her caramel skin shone with an almost otherworldly glow and some devious plotting always seemed hidden behind her dark eyes. She wasn’t especially tall but Aurora had the figure of a fashion model. Everything perfectly proportioned, curves in all the right places, it was no wonder people couldn’t keep their eyes off her.

Aurora suddenly placed her glass of wine down and threw on her long, black coat. She buttoned up the red buttons and admired herself in the mirror for a moment. It was with the coat that Aurora’s old world fashion seemed to come through. With the coat on and her matching hat, she looked like she had walked out of some 1940s noir detective fiction.

Celia felt under dressed in comparison. But her outfit was built for the job. It was casual, yes, but it functioned well for her nimble figure and mobility. The outfit was telling that Celia was pretty much always on the job, even when her superiors told her to take the day off. She wore a tight, long sleeved T-shirt that was black with brown sleeves and shoulders. Her tight capri pants were a matching brown and she wore light, black runners on her feet just in case she needed to move quickly.

Celia, known as Agent Swift, was given an apt code name. She was small and light, with an athletic figure but she was known for being quick and nimble. She made for an excellent reconnaissance spy who could get in and out of locations fast. Agent Swift was also no slouch when it came to hand-to-hand combat but her small frame was often a disadvantage.

She raised the scope to one of her deep, blue eyes once more and brushed her long brown hair out her face, which she had tied back in a pretty ponytail.

Aurora turned suddenly and played with her long, black hair. She stared right at Celia and smiled. Uh oh, thought Celia. Without warning, a hood was thrust over her head and she was rendered blind by someone with strong hands. Two more pairs of hands grabbed onto her limbs and lifted her off the ground, carrying her away to the roof hatch and down into the building below.

...

Jonas tried her comms again and again but he received no answer. “Agent Swift, this is Agent Shadow, please respond.”

She had called in something about Aurora earlier and said she was awaiting backup, as instructed by Agent Hunter. But now she wasn’t responding. It had been more than ten minutes since she was supposed to check in with him. Jonas didn’t like what was happening.

He sat down at Artema’s desk and tapped away on the keyboard. He pinged the last known location of Celia’s transmission and received a location in the downtown core where the rich lived in their fancy, loft apartments. Though her comms device seemed to be in the basement of one these buildings.

“Damn it,” he said to himself. He rushed off to find someone, anyone, who would help him. He remembered Lanala was still in the Sensory Deprivation room. Jonas threw open the office door and rushed off down the hall.

Inside the room, Lanala squirmed in the tight tape that Artema had bound her within. She lay on the padded floor in a strict hogtie pose with a blindfold over her eyes and calming music pumping into her ears from the headphones she wore. She didn’t even hear the door open when someone rushed inside. Her headphones were suddenly removed and she struggled a bit in her tape.

“Hmm? Mmmph?” she questioned behind her wrapped, tape gag.

“Lanala, I need your help,” Jonas said. She wriggled a bit again.

“Wmmtph wrmmng?”

Jonas removed her blindfold and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the soft light of the SD room.

“I think Celia’s in trouble. I need someone to back me up and help me find her.”

“Hmmph? Ymmph! Ummtmm mm!”

Jonas sighed with relief. “Thank you, Lanala. Just give me a moment to cut you free.”

Jonas needed a sharp, carbon fibre knife to cut the high tensile tape from Lanala’s body. He helped her remove the thick gag and she let out a long breath when she finally spit out the sponge that had been wadded in her mouth for a few hours now.

“We need more than just us,” Lanala said, still working her tired jaw.

Jonas didn’t want to wait any longer but she was right. Two of them may not be enough. He thought about who he could ask for a long while. There still weren’t many who fully trusted him. Luna was as chilly as ever with him and Taria barely spoke to him. Meryn seemed to be coming around, though she was still wary of his intentions. And Elyn... she was a wildcard. He had no idea what she thought of him. The only other person at HQ who trusted him wholeheartedly was-

“Mirelle! I’ll go find Mirelle. You rest up for a bit and try to regain your strength. We might need it.”

“Okay. I’ll get my stun gun, just in case.”

Jonas turned to leave when Lanala called to him, which made him stop. “We’ll find her, Jonas. It’ll be all right.”

Jonas said nothing and took off down the hallway toward the living quarters. He knocked on Mirelle’s door and prayed that she would answer him. When the door opened, Luna glared into his eyes.

“Oh, hi Luna. Listen, I need-”

“Mirelle,” Luna said. “Jonas wants to talk to you.” Her voice became devoid of emotion and Jonas lowered his eyes while he waited for Mirelle to come to the door. She walked to him with her hands bound behind her back.

“Jonas!” she said, with a wide smile. Her smile dropped when she saw his face. “What’s wrong?”

“I need help. I think Celia is in trouble.”

“Celia?” Luna asked from behind Mirelle.

“Yes. I need backup to go in and find her.”

Luna nodded and untied Mirelle’s hands. “He wants you to go with him,” she said. “I’ll monitor things from here.”

“You sure?” Jonas asked.

“Any way I can help out Celia,” Luna said. “I’ll give you whatever intel I can on your location when you get there. Keep your comms open for me.”

“Will do,” Jonas said. “Come on, Mirelle. Lanala’s waiting for us.”

...

Still walking further into the alley, Artema subtly reached to her belt and removed a set of handcuffs. She gripped them tight in her left hand and balled her right hand into a fist, just in case. Artema felt that she could never be too careful with Farrah.

The alley went around a corner to a dead end and Artema straightened her back. Her hair stood on end and she knew she was being watched. Someone wrapped a thick arm around her waist from behind and tried to press a cloth to her face. But Artema’s strength won out over her strong opponent and she spun around, delivering a heavy punch to a large woman’s face.

Farrah stumbled back from the hit and Artema pounced. She wrapped her arm around Farrah’s neck and pulled one of Farrah’s arms behind her back. Farrah dropped the wet cloth in her hand as one shackle of the handcuffs was tightened around her wrist. Artema grabbed Farrah’s right arm and locked them together, still keeping one arm wrapped around her throat.

“Still too slow,” Artema said.

“Acggh,” Farrah sputtered. “Please... let me... explain!”

Artema let go of her throat and spun Farrah around, pulling her closer. She forced the informant to her knees and knelt down to her face. “Start talking, then.”

“This was meant as a trap for you,” Farrah said. “Aurora wants you, personally, as her prisoner.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know! I just do what I’m told! You want me to blow my cover?”

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t try to kidnap me, you two-timing piece of trash,” Artema said. “Maybe let me in on that next time?”

“I... I’m sorry, Artema. But you don’t know how scary that woman is! Aurora is serious business.”

Artema leaned in closer to Farrah’s face, forcing her to lean back. “Yeah, well I’m scarier. Next time, don’t lure me in with false promises about Jhana. If you have something tangible for us, now would be the time to share it.”

Farrah lowered her head. “I don’t.”

Artema looked behind Farrah and noticed that she had dropped a duffle bag full of heavy straps and handcuffs; obviously meant to restrain her.

“I think you need a lesson, Farrah,” Artema said, still eyeing the bag. Farrah knew what she was looking at.

“No, Artema. Come on! You don’t have to- mmmph!”

Artema pulled a thick panel gag over Farrah’s mouth and strapped it on tight behind her head. A leather blindfold went over her eyes next and then Artema went a little nuts. She pulled five straps around Farrah’s arms and pulled them as tight as they would go. She forced Farrah onto her stomach and bound her legs at the ankles, calves, above and below the knees and in two places on her thighs. This forced Farrah’s short skirt to ride up and reveal her black panties underneath. With two more straps, Artema bound the handcuffs to the straps on Farrah’s arms and the final strap pulled her ankles up to her wrists in a strict hogtie position.

Artema dragged her informant toward the shadow of a dumpster and left her in the darkness, out of sight.

“Mmph! Mmm mmm!” Farrah mewled into her gag.

“Someone will find you, I’m certain,” Artema said. “And won’t that be embarrassing. Whenever you get free of that, tell your boss that I’m coming after her. And next time, give me something that will actually help me find Jhana, okay?”

“Nmm! Ammtmmnmm! Lmmt mm gmm! Plmmph!”

“Good luck, Farrah. Hope you don’t stay bound and gagged too long!”

Farrah struggled hard against her restraints but they held the strong woman firmly. Artema had bound her very tightly, after all.

“NMM! PLMMPH! DMMT LMMPH MM HMMR! HLLMMMMPHHH!”

Leaving Farrah to struggle, Artema left the alley behind. She got a call on her comms unit and tapped her earpiece when a voice spoke to her.

“Hunter! It’s Shadow, please come in!”

“Agent Shadow, this is Agent Hunter,” Artema said.

“Finally!” Jonas said. “Spark, Rune and I are converging on the last known location of Agent Swift. Swift is M.I.A.”

“What do you need me to do?” Artema asked.

“Meet us in sector Sigma at vector 9, 32, 17, Hunter. Target location is the basement of the building. Moonlight has located a fire escape that will lead you in the back way. Do you copy, Hunter?”

“I copy, Shadow,” Artema said. “I’m on my way. Hunter out.”

...

When Celia opened her eyes, she found that she still couldn’t see a thing. She tried to move her limbs but something held them back. Pushing down the panic, Celia took in a deep breath and could only smell the leather that was pressed tightly against her face.

“Mmph,” she grunted, to test her voice. Yep. Gagged too, she thought.

Celia was alone in a small, empty closet. She didn’t know that, of course, but the dim light bulb above her illuminated her predicament for anyone who might stumble across her.

She was tied to a chair, this much she knew. Her arms were bound behind the back of the chair by a very soft yet firm length of purple rope. Her elbows, too, were lashed together and cinched in the middle by another length of the purple rope. More of the rope wound around her waist and attached her to the chair. Celia tugged and felt more of the rope pull taught against her chest, above and below her breasts. Her legs had been individually restrained to the chair legs, with a length of the purple rope tightly wrapped around each ankle. Above and below each knee were more lengths of the rope attaching her legs to the chair’s legs. When she pulled again, she found that another rope had been looped into the one around her waist and it... made her feel things. It was cinched tightly between her legs and tugged at her... unmentionable area.

The sensation was far too pleasant for her liking and it almost made her not want to escape. But she knew that she was Aurora’s captive and she had to get free somehow... even if her current bondage felt good.

Celia tried to open her eyes again but the tight leather hood clung to her face like a mask and, on the outside, showed off her lips and the large ball gag that silenced her. Two holes in the hood by her nose made it easier for her to breath but she still couldn’t escape the smell of the leather that was latched onto her face.

She heard a door in front of her open and swivelled her hooded head around to see where it was coming from. The door shut again and Celia felt someone reach behind her head and undo the tight straps that held the hood on. When it was pulled off, she blinked a few times at the sudden light that entered her eyes. When her sight adjusted, Celia jumped a bit when she saw who was staring at her.

“Enjoying ourselves, are we?”

“Aghrmmra!” Celia said, behind her bright purple ball gag.

Aurora’s smile was disarming and sweet. Somehow that made it more malicious to Celia. Especially when she looked into Aurora’s devious, dark eyes.

“So... Agent Swift, is it?”

“Hghw dmm ymm knmw mm nmm?”

Aurora chuckled. “I’m afraid I can’t understand what you’re saying, sweetheart. Unfortunately, the gag must stay on. You understand, of course.”

Celia rolled her eyes. Aurora continued, bending down and placing her hands on her knees.

“Listen, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. I know everything about your little Agency. I know you’ve been tracking me for some time now. And I saw little old you watching me from the rooftop. So what do you hope to gain from coming after me? Is it notoriety? Fame? Fortune?”

Celia grunted into her gag and struggled a bit against the ropes.

“No. You’re the idealist types. And you think you’ll get, what? Information? Oh, I know!” Aurora stood up straight and tapped the leather hood against Celia’s face. “You want to know where that awful Jhana is hiding, don’t you?”

Celia glared at her captor. Aurora laughed.

“Oh, I knew it! She’s a wily one, let me tell you. And, from experience, I can see why you’d want to see her behind bars. But Jhana and I have some... common interests. I don’t like it but I’ve let her help me out in exchange for certain... information.”

“Hmmph?”

“Information about a certain Agency that’s been trying to hunt her down. Yes, I’ve been keeping tabs on you lot. I’m a resourceful woman, don’t you know. So she’s been one step ahead of you this whole time! And you know what else? I’m certain it would keep Jhana off my back if I sent a certain, sweet, little prisoner to her new asylum?”

“Hmmmph!?”

Celia struggled harder but the ropes wouldn’t budge.

“Oh yes, sweetheart. She’s got some of her goons on their way to collect you. You’ll make a nice little display piece in a padded cell.”

“Nmmm!” Celia said, shaking her head.

“Don’t worry your pretty head, Agent Swift. I’ll come and visit you. After all, Jhana does let me have my own wing of the Asylum for my... toys. Oh, and by the way, don’t love the colour of those ropes? And the matching gag to boot! You look just darling! Have I told you that purple is one of my favourite colours? Aside from red and black, obviously. Well, anyway, I’m going to let you keep these restraints! Think of them as a gift. And don’t forget about me when you’re in that padded cell, sweetie.”

Aurora turned to leave and Celia began grunting and struggling against the tight ropes. Aurora stopped herself as she opened the door.

“Oops! I almost forgot! Here’s the last part of your little present!”

Aurora pulled the hood back over Celia’s head. Celia shook her head back and forth, trying to prevent it from being pulled on again but she was helpless to stop Aurora from tightening it up again and plunging Celia into darkness once more.

“Have fun, my dear,” Aurora said. She blew a kiss to Celia before closing the door. Celia screamed into the gag and the hood.

“HLMMMMMPH! HLMMP MMMMM!!”

Her cries for help fell on deaf ears as the door to the broom closet was shut again. Celia could only writhe and squirm in the darkness as the unyielding ropes refused to let her go. She pulled harder and harder but she couldn’t reach any knots and nothing would come loose. Breathless, Celia relaxed her muscles and started to breathe deep. Panic started to set in and she struggled hard once again, screaming into the tight gag and hood.

“HLLLLMMMMPPHH!!! SMMBBDMMM HLLMMP MMMMMM!!! HLLMMMMPPHHH!!!”

...

The fire exit door burst open and a hulking woman appeared in the doorway. Two women, dressed in black business attire, jumped back at the sight of her. But they went on the attack when they realized who she was.

“Get her! She’s with the Agency!”

One of them threw a high kick toward Artema’s head but she artfully dodged to one side and grabbed hold of the woman’s leg. The other woman attacked at the same time but Artema grabbed her head and picked her up off the floor. She brought them both together, crashing them into one another and sending them into a heap on the floor.

The first woman got up again but she was met with a swift and thunderous punch to the forehead, which knocked her out cold. When the second woman got up, Artema pinned her against the wall and lifted her up by the throat. The woman gasped for air while Artema held her there.

“Where is Celia?” she asked through gritted teeth.

“I.... I....”

“Agent Swift! Where is the agent you thieving trash heaps are holding!?”

“Down... a floor. The boiler room.... in the broom closet.”

“Thank you,” Artema said before punching the woman’s lights out.

A voice spoke into her ear.

“Umm.. Agent Hunter? Are you all right?”

Artema looked to the ceiling where a security camera was pointed right at her.

“Don’t worry about me, Agent Moonlight. Inform the others that Agent Swift is being held in the boiler room’s broom closet downstairs.”

“Acknowledged, Director.”

Artema stormed on toward a staircase headed downward and began descending to the basement.

Jonas, meanwhile, stood by the front door and spoke to a receptionist there behind a desk. He was flanked by Lanala and Mirelle on either side of him.

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “I can assure you that Ms. Moreno is a personal friend of mine.”

“Even so,” the receptionist said. “She doesn’t accept visitors.”

“Like I told you, she is expecting me. I’m certain if you just let her know I’m here then there will be no cause for this misunderstanding.”

Jonas’ earpiece beeped and he reached into his suit jacket to pull out a cell phone. “Beg your pardon, ma’am, but I need to take this.”

Jonas held the phone to his ear and tapped the earpiece. “Hello?”

“Agent Shadow, this is Moonlight. Swift is being held in the basement boiler room. She is in the broom closet.”

“You’re sure?”

“Agent Hunter found her location. The intel is solid, Shadow.”

“All right. Thank you very much. Goodbye.”

Jonas pretended to hang up his cell phone and placed it back into his suit jacket. He stepped back to the front desk and pulled Lanala away, who was trying to talk to the receptionist.

“Can I just borrow these ladies for a second?” he asked.

The receptionist just waved her hand and the three of them stepped outside. Jonas lowered his voice to a whisper.

“Boiler room. Downstairs. Broom closet. You two sneak in there and back up Hunter.”

“Sneak in? How?” Mirelle asked.

“I’ll keep the girl at the desk distracted. Long as she thinks I’m a threat, I’ll have her undivided attention. Moonlight mentioned a door around the side back at HQ. Leads into a first floor maintenance room. Get in there. And be careful.”

“You too, Shadow,” Lanala said.

Jonas nodded. “All right. Let’s go!”

The two women sauntered off down the side of the building while Jonas re-entered the front door. He smiled at the receptionist when he stepped inside.

“Now, where were we?”

“Leaving?” the receptionist said.

“I don’t think so, ma’am,” Jonas said. “I would like it very much if you could call upstairs to Ms. Moreno and tell her that I am here.”

...

Mirelle managed to pick the lock to the maintenance door and the two of them crept inside. They startled a woman in a janitorial jumpsuit when they did.

“Whoa! Who are you you? Get out of here!”

Lanala said nothing and grabbed hold of the woman with her toned arms.

“What are you-mmmph!” Lanala covered her mouth with one hand.

“Quick, Rune! Find something to tie her up with!”

Mirelle found a long, yellow extension cord and held it up. Lanala held her stun gun against the woman’s back. “Lose the jumpsuit. Now.”

“What? What kind of weird freaks are you?”

“Do it!”

The woman said nothing more and complied with Lanala’s demand. This left her in nothing more than a thin tank top and tight short shorts. The small woman was quickly bound with the extension cord into a hogtie. Mirelle stuffed a dirty rag in her mouth and covered it over by wrapping duct tape around her head four times.

“Mmph!” the woman mewled, kicking and thrashing against the extension cord. Lanala pulled another jumpsuit from a hook on the wall and tossed it to Mirelle. They both stepped into the jumpsuits and each picked up a toolbox.

“All right, follow me,” Lanala said.

As they left the room, the bound and gagged janitor they left tried to scream for help. “HLMMMMMPHH!” She made barely a sound as the door was closed and locked, leaving her helplessly on her own.

Lanala and Mirelle continued on in their hasty disguises to the stairs behind the reception desk and started heading downward. On the way, they were stopped on a landing by a tough looking woman in a black business suit. She peered at them behind a dark pair of sunglasses. She adjusted her pencil skirt and looked them both in the eye.

“There a problem?”

“Yeah, with the boiler,” Lanala said. “Just headed down to fix it.”

“Where’s the regular girl? What’s her name, Cindy?”

“Just a little tied up,” Mirelle tried to say without smiling. “Been a busy day.”

The woman in the suit looked to Lanala’s feet and then back up to her face.

“Sandals? Isn’t that dangerous for your line of work?”

“Umm.. it’s hot today.”

“Not really,” she said. “Show me some identification.”

“Sure,” Lanala said. She reached into the jumpsuit and gripped her stun gun tightly. With one swift movement, she grabbed the woman in the suit and pressed the gun to her neck. With a single shock, the woman fell unconscious. Lanala and Mirelle dragged her silently down the stairs and shoved her underneath.

With no one else in sight, the pair of them ditched their hasty disguises and continued onward. They saw the carnage that Artema had left behind. They were now just one floor behind her.

...

She was still utterly blind to the world and struggled hard against the ropes that bound her. Celia breathed in hard and the frustrating smell of leather filled her nostrils every time.

“Hllmmmphh!” Celia’s throat was starting to feel raw from all of her panicked screams. Her volume had only lowered with the effort and it became harder to scream into the ball gag and the hood every time she tried.

“Hlmmmp mmmm!”

Celia finally stopped trying to scream and struggle and slumped into her bonds, lowering her head. There was no escape. It felt pointless to even try. She didn’t undergo escape training like Artema’s unit. Any escape training she did was limited to a few techniques passed on by the higher ups at the Agency. If she got out of this, Celia decided it might be a good idea to take some training tips from a master escapologist like Artema. She could use some of that right about now.

Sitting in her bondage, Celia realized that she still enjoyed it in the back of her mind. The rope between her legs was still... stimulating. She had never realized how much she liked to be tied up until now. But her current predicament came with the peril of indefinite imprisonment at Jhana’s hands so it wasn’t all good. But perhaps in the right setting this sort of thing could even be fun. Aurora certainly seemed to enjoy seeing her like this. Maybe someone could teach her a few things. Jonas was a prude so he would never help her with this. He didn’t look down on anyone for their... eccentric interests and he didn’t shun them but he was not exactly the type to be into that sort of thing. Celia thought she could try asking him. It might work out. But, in the likely event that he refused, perhaps... someone like Elyn? Her love of bondage was well known among their little group. Celia nodded to herself. Yes. Elyn. When and if she got out of here, she’d like to try a bit more bondage and Elyn would be the best person to ask.

“Agent Swift!”

Someone called her name from outside the door.

“Hmmph?”

“Agent Swift, are you in there?”

Celia couldn’t believe it. How had Artema found her?

“Ymmph! Ymmph, mm tmmd mmp mm hmmr! Hlmmp!”

“Is she in there?” Celia heard another voice. Lanala?

“I thought I heard something but she hasn’t answered me,” Artema said.

“MMM MM HMMR!” Celia screamed, mustering one final voluminous scream.

“Did you hear that?” Another voice. Mirelle! “She must be in there! Oh, Jonas will be so happy we found her!”

Jonas was here too? He must have been the one to send the others. Celia smiled beneath her gag. She knew there was a reason the two of them were best friends. They always looked out for each other.

“The door’s locked. Hang on, Celia!” Celia heard Artema’s strong voice loud and clear from the other side of the door. With a mighty crash, Artema knocked the door off its hinges by laying her shoulder into it. It swung open, barely clinging to the doorway, and Artema stepped inside. When Artema removed her hood, Celia’s clear eyes shone.

“Mmmph!” she squealed, happily.

“Let’s get you out of here, Agent Swift,” Artema said.

The three of them began untying her from the chair and they were soon on their way back out of the building.

...

Across the room, Jonas flashed her a rare smile and she managed to smile back. He stopped low and pulled her into a hug.

“How are you?” he asked.

“I’m all right, all things considered,” she said. “It was a bit scary, though.”

“I can imagine.”

“Did you find Aurora?”

“No, she was out of the building by the time any of the tactical force got there. The Agency Director pitched a fit, too. She thought we had her.”

Celia shrugged. “Well, at least we got something useful out of it.”

Jonas nodded and smiled at her again. “Yep. Looks like we know how Jhana has been so good at hiding now. And I think Artema is going to want to bring in Farrah for a little chat.”

“You think she’s the leak?” Celia asked.

“She’s the most likely candidate,” Jonas said. “But it could be that she had one of Jhana’s spies in her employ as well. We’ll have to find out.”

Jonas hugged his best friend again and stepped back to the door to Artema’s office. “I’m glad you’re safe, Celia.”

Celia smiled at him as Jonas shut the door behind him. When he was gone, Celia laid back in the chair and shut her eyes. She started daydreaming about the bondage she had been in. The thought excited her that she would one day get to try it out without the danger. She looked forward to her conversation with Elyn.