Celia sat down on Elyn’s bed shyly and eyed the items in her hand. The mere mention of bondage made Elyn come in perhaps a little more than eager. A pile of endless straps and cuffs had been placed beside Celia in a heap while another pile of rope of myriad colours was piled on her opposite side. The orange-haired beauty stood before her with two handfuls of what Celia could only discern as just about every possible gag in existence.

“Um... how much money have you spent on all this stuff?” Celia asked. She had many more questions in her mind but that was the first one to come out.

“I don’t really have any other hobbies,” Elyn said. “So basically all of my spending money goes toward this stuff. You know, the money I don’t spend on food and whatnot.”

“Is there anything you don’t have?”

Elyn paused to think. “Well, I don’t have too many things that I couldn’t get into myself. I only have the one armbinder since I always have to ask someone to put me in it and get me back out of it. I don’t get much use out of that. And I don’t own a straitjacket, but we do get to train with them so I don’t think I need one. But there isn’t much that I don’t own.”

Celia nodded. “I guess you were the right person to talk to, then,” she said.

Elyn plopped the gags down on top of the straps and smiled at Celia. “You really should have come to me first.”

“Yeah,” Celia said. “It was kind of weird admitting it to Jonas. We’ve been friends for pretty much our whole lives. We tell each other everything. But I should have known he wouldn’t have helped me, um, pursue this.”

“Was he angry or anything?”

“No. He doesn’t really mind. He’s just-”

“A massive prude?” Elyn said.

Celia wanted to deny it but it was true. Even the very mention of word ‘bondage’ made Jonas turn an alarming shade of red and he nearly bolted from the room. That sort of talk always embarrassed him. In truth it embarrassed Celia a bit too but it almost seemed like Jonas would rather choke to death than have a conversation of that kind.

“He’s not mean about it or anything,” Celia said. “But yeah.”

“He’s always been an oddball when it comes to... well, anything. But I think his heart is in the right place.”

“It is,” Celia said. “He’s terribly withdrawn but he’s a good man.”

Elyn simply nodded and sat down on her bed beside Celia. “Before we start anything I want to make absolutely sure that this is what you want. In short, I need an absolute, enthusiastic yes from you.”

“Elyn...” Celia hesitated to say the words. A wave of embarrassment washed over her mind and it took her a moment to finally say what she wanted to say. “I want to do this so very badly. Ever since that day when I was tied up in that broom closet... I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. And then there was just a little while ago with the hotel and Aurora, again... I need to be tied up more, Elyn.”

“Need to or want to?”

“Both. But, you know, without the impending peril and everything.” Celia said, unable to stifle the smile that curled her lips. Elyn smiled back.

“Very good, then. You’re not totally like me, then. I think danger can be a lot of fun.”

Celia hesitated again. “Maybe a bit...”

“Still, I think we should take it slow with you. Or, you know, as slow as you want it to go.”

“Okay.”

“Now, is this the outfit you’re going with?” Elyn asked.

Celia furrowed her brow and looked down at her clothes. She wore her casual attire, the usual outfit of the black and brown, long-sleeved t-shirt, the tight, brown capri pants and her low cut, black running shoes. “What’s wrong with my outfit?”

“Nothing,” Elyn said. “But I find it enhances the experience when you mix it up a little. I wear my casual clothes too but sometimes I put on my dress, as you can see.” Elyn had, indeed, slipped into one of her dresses. It was a strapless, maroon number with a split up one side to show off nearly all of Elyn’s right leg. The dress sparkled and wasn’t very long, of course, only stopping about halfway up Elyn’s thighs. But that was just how Elyn dressed. She wore a pair of matching high-heeled sandals that also sparkled in the light. She continued. “Sometimes I like to go underwear only or even in my bikini. Other times I don’t wear anything at all. But I wouldn’t do that to you. I only do that solo.”

“Going nude might be a little intense for me,” Celia said.

“It usually is for beginners. So, you good with what you have on?”

“Um... I might like to try it in my underwear,” Celia said.

“All right. Anything for your feet? You don’t have to I just find that sometimes a good matching pair of shoes just feels extra good, you know?”

“No. I think I’ll go without,” Celia said.

“That’s fine. So I’ll turn away while you get yourself ready, all right?”

“Okay. Thanks, Elyn.”

Elyn turned away from Celia and shielded her eyes while the smaller woman undressed down to her lacy white bra and panties. When she was finished, Celia left her clothes in a neatly folded pile on the floor and laid her shoes on top of them.

“Okay, all done,” she said.

Elyn turned back to her and smiled again. “Right then. You ready?”

“More than ready,” Celia said.

“Okay. So you want rope or straps or-”

“Rope, definitely,” Celia said. “And... I’d like it if you tied me up. I don’t think I could do very well by myself yet.”

“All right. Just pay attention to what I’m doing and you’ll learn quick enough. Any preference on colour? As you can see, I’m not exactly lacking in that department,” Elyn said, gesturing to the pile of rope next to Celia.

“Um... I think black would go well. It goes well with everything.”

“And it’s slimming. Not that you need help with that, Celia.”

“Thanks...” Celia said, blushing a bit.

“Any preference on like a position or...”

“Just a standard sort of arms and legs for now, if you don’t mind. Hands behind the back, legs tied together, that sort of thing.”

“So just wrists and ankles?” Elyn asked.

“Elbows too. And tie my arms to my chest. Also, the knees and thighs. Oh, and...” Celia hesitated with the last part.

“Yes?”

“Could you, um... tie a rope to my waist that goes um... between my legs?”

Elyn chuckled. “Oooh, a crotchrope! Somebody’s eager. I’ll do you one better, if you like. I’ll even attach the bit that goes you know where to your wrists. That way when you struggle it will pull even tighter.”

Celia blushed at the thought. “Oh my. Um... I actually really like the sound of that. You would do that for me?”

“Heck, I’ll do it to myself afterward. What an idea! I don’t do them too often but they are a good bit of fun, crotchropes.”

“You’re going to tie yourself up too?”

“Of course. You’ll need to see how someone with experience does it. Also, I never need an excuse to be tied up. It’s just too much fun. And it’ll be more exciting for you knowing that I won’t get out until the timer is up.”

“Timer?”

“Oh yes. I have a timer on my computer over there. You see the string going up to the ceiling?”

Celia’s eyes traced a long piece of white string that was fed through an eye hook in the ceiling, well out of reach. It was held in place at the other side of the room by the CD tray of a computer tower on a high shelf. At the end of the string, a set of handcuff keys dangled well above the centre of the bed.

“When the timer reaches zero, the keys will fall and I can free myself. Then I’ll free you, obviously. Are you okay with that? Because I can always change it if you’re uncomfortable.”

“No, that’s fine. That does sound exciting, actually. How long is the timer for?”

“Well, we’ve got plenty of time but I set it to two hours, an hour less than I usually go. Is that good for you?”

“I mean, I could go longer. But that’s fine,” Celia said.

“I could always leave you tied up a bit longer if you like,” Elyn said.

“We’ll see when we get there.”

“All right. Now, put your hands behind your back. Let’s get you tied up.”

Elyn worked quickly and she certainly knew what she was doing. The knots were expertly tied and the rope, all cinched in the middle, was comfortably tied yet Celia knew that she would stand no chance of escape on her own. She was tied exactly as described in all silky, black rope. Her wrists were behind her back, elbows cinched together snugly, rope above and below her breasts and pinning her arms to her back, rope at the thighs, above and below the knees and at the ankles and one more that looped around her waist, went between her legs, and was pulled tightly in place to attach to her wrists. Celia did her best to hide the sound that escaped her lips when Elyn pulled the crotchrope snug.

“It’s okay to like it, Celia,” Elyn said. “You don’t have to hide.”

Damn. This girl is smart Celia thought. Celia was now fully bound in comfortable yet inescapable black rope. “All right. What now?”

“Well, if you’d like to be gagged, I have a bunch to choose from. Would you like to be gagged?”

“Very much, yes. Do you have a hood, too? That, like, covers your whole face?”

“Hoods are pretty extreme. Are you sure you want to wear one on your first go?”

“Well, in that broom closet, I sort of liked the hood that Aurora used. But you might be right. Maybe a blindfold then?”

“Blindfolds are also a bit tense. You sure about that?”

“Yes. You’ve got blindfolds, right?”

Elyn laughed. “Just who do you think you’re talking to?” Elyn crossed the room and fished around in her well organized closet, pulling a thin, leather blindfold from a box on the top shelf. It, too, was black. “It even matches your bindings!” Elyn said, holding it up.

“That’s great,” Celia said. “You can blindfold me now, if you want.”

Elyn did as Celia wanted and buckled the blindfold on, snug but not too tight, over Celia’s eyes.

“Now, what kind of gag do you want?”

“Um... I really like ball gags. Do you have a black one?”

“I have a few black ones. Which one do you want? I’ve got a simple ball gag, a gag with a chin strap and a harness ball gag.”

“Oh, the harness one sounds interesting. How does that work?”

“It’s got straps that wrap around your forehead, over top of your head and your jaw and a couple that pass over either side of your nose. There’s also the strap to keep the ball in your mouth, of course. It pushes the ball between your teeth and it forces your jaw to shut around it. It’s pretty restrictive and keeps your speech pretty muffled. It can make your jaw tired after a while, though. You still want to try it?”

“I... yes. Very much.”

“Okay. Take a deep breath and keep your mouth wide open for me. It may take me a bit of time to get all the straps done up.”

Celia did as instructed and felt the rubber ball slip between her teeth. Elyn pulled each strap, ensuring once again that they were snug but not uncomfortable, and when she was finished, Celia tested her bonds. The ropes stretched a bit but she could feel them dig into her skin. She wasn’t going to get out of these on her own and she immediately had butterflies in her stomach.

“And there you are, all bound and gagged!” Elyn said. “And you look so cute like that. Did Aurora really use a hood on you?”

“Mmm hmmm,” Celia said, nodding.

One of Elyn’s wicked smirks spread across her face. “I daresay, I’d like to meet her. That thief sounds... interesting.”

“Mmmph,” Celia responded.

“Okay. You go ahead and have fun. I’m going to clear this stuff away and get myself tied up. I’ll be right here beside you, okay?”

“Mmghkkhay,” Celia said.

“Now, what to do.”

Elyn picked up one of her many ropes and looped it around her waist, ensuring part of it went between her legs tightly. Her already short dress rode up and exposed a bit of her red panties beneath when she finished. “Oh this was a good idea, Celia. I can’t wait for the rest of it.” Before she had fully bound herself, Elyn crossed the room and started the timer.

She continued by grabbing a hefty pile of white leather straps. Elyn quickly had her legs tied at the ankles, above and below the knees, and in two places on her shapely thighs. She then wrapped two more of the straps loosely around her torso before picking up a thick, white harness panel gag with a red rubber ball. She slipped the ball in her mouth and did up the web of straps behind her head and under her chin. Elyn continued by reaching for a heavy, padded posture collar, also white, and pulling it around her slender neck tightly. Now forced to look straight ahead, Elyn had to feel around for the rest of her restraints. She slipped her arms through the straps she had buckled on around her torso and managed just about to pull both of them tight enough so they couldn’t slip back down again. They now framed her breasts perfectly. The final touch was a pair of silver, police-style handcuffs with a tiny chain linking the shackles together. She looped the chain through the waist part of her crotchrope and slipped her hands into the shackles, ratcheting each one tightly over her wrists. With a shake of her torso and a slight giggle, Elyn was now fully bound and gagged and waiting on the timer to give her the keys.

“Mmpht’s dmm!” Elyn said, barely audible behind her heavy gag.

Celia giggled and squirmed a bit in her tight bonds. Elyn giggled at Celia’s cute mewling sounds as she struggled against her comfy ropes. But neither woman was getting free until the timer allowed them. So now they were stuck, comfortable and happy in their shared bondage.

...

Elyn was long free because it turned out that Artema had a briefing for her. She asked Celia if she wanted to be untied and she fervently shook her head and mumbled a gibberish word that Elyn would only translate as ‘no.’ So Celia remained bound and gagged in her underwear in Elyn’s room while Agent Firebrand was briefed for a solo mission she was to undertake.

With the bug removed from Artema’s office (from underneath her desk chair), they now needed some counter intelligence on Aurora’s deal with Jhana. It could then help them obtain a full warrant for Aurora’s arrest as well as potentially track Jhana’s whereabouts after her escape from the hotel.

Despite being bound and gagged, Jhana’s endless army of underlings came to her rescue before Artema and Lanala could bring her in. So now they were back to tracking her once more and this time without interference from Aurora.

Elyn’s mission involved cracking a password to the computer of the receptionist to Aurora’s apartment building. While rescuing Celia from Aurora’s clutches, Jonas noted in the back of his mind how often the woman behind the desk kept checking her computer screen. She shielded it from Jonas as subtly as possible but it didn’t work. So when Jonas attempted to remotely hack the machine, it turned out to be quite heavily encrypted and password protected. The only way in would be through direct access to the computer itself. That was where Elyn came in.

Elyn, Agent Firebrand, was the Weston Agency’s most elite code breaker. She could break into almost anything, be it a physical lock or a tough computer password. While she wasn’t exactly stealthy, her crack aim with a tranquilizer gun could render any witnesses unconscious while she got her job done.

Artema’s mission required Elyn to hack into the receptionist’s computer, find whatever information on Aurora they were hiding, and bring a copy back to HQ. The mission was to be done solo, so as to keep the plan as simple as possible, but there was always an element of risk to solo missions. Without backup, Elyn might be more susceptible to capture. She sort of was anyway, due to her love of bondage and lack of real stealth skills, but going solo only made her more susceptible. Which was why Artema required Elyn to check in every five minutes with her or else she’d send in backup.

“Lanala and I will be on standby if you don’t check in after even one five minute interval,” Artema said. “No matter what happens we will get you home, Agent Firebrand.”

“That’s touching, really,” Elyn said. “But I’ll be fine.”

“Even so, you’re more valuable to us than a bit of information. We’ll get you out of there if this goes pear-shaped, all right?”

“Yes. I appreciate that, Agent Hunter.”

When the briefing was done, Elyn returned to her room. She changed out of her sparkly, strapless dress and into something that would better fit the mission. Elyn didn’t wear black all that often, vastly preferring shades of red, but this time she opted for something a bit more stealthy. Her lack of skill when it came to stealth wasn’t for a lack of trying. But, in the end, she still really didn’t get the point of stealth. She chose style over function; a black, cropped tank top that bore her midriff and matching short shorts without pockets didn’t exactly scream ‘practicality’. Neither did the white-knee high stockings or the black, heeled pumps she wore on her feet. Most people would consider her choice of footwear for dressing up and ‘impractical’ use but she thought of them as her ‘work’ shoes. In spite of all this, however, Elyn was still good at her job. Despite her penchant for being captured, she would still come home with the job done. It often baffled Artema how she could pull off these miracles but, as she often said, that’s Elyn.

Now changed and ready, Elyn returned to the squirming and moaning woman still sitting on her bed.

Celia remained in a state of bliss, finding no end of enjoyment to the silky ropes that held her tight and the gag and blindfold that dulled her senses. Elyn smiled at the sight of her but she pulled the blindfold off of Celia’s head.

“Time’s up, I’m afraid,” Elyn said.

“Mmph rghlllm?” Celia asked, clearly disappointed.

“I’ve got a mission. And I can’t leave you trussed up in my room in good conscience. You can try it yourself back in your room if you like. I’ll even let you have some of my stuff. I don’t really need all of it. And then it’ll give me an excuse to go shopping on the internet again.”

Elyn removed the harness ball gag from Celia’s mouth. Celia stretched her jaw a bit when it was removed.

“That was... amazing. You’d really let me have this stuff?”

“You’ll need a good pair of handcuffs if you want to do it properly, I think, but of course I would. You’re a real sweetheart, Celia. You can have as much of my bondage stuff as you want. Leaving enough for me, of course.”

“Well I’m good with what you tied me up with,” Celia said. “So thanks. Really.”

“Just take it slow. You’re still new to this whole thing,” Elyn said.

“I’ll do my best.”

Celia got herself dressed again and Elyn gave her a bag to carry her restraints in and take back to her room.

“What mission did Artema give you?” Celia asked.

“Nothing major. Just hacking Aurora’s receptionist’s computer. I’ll be back before you know it. And, if you’re up for it, I can maybe show you a hogtie. If you want.”

“I’d... I’d like that.”

Elyn nodded. “All right. Take it easy until then. Bye, Celia.”

“Bye, Elyn.”

Celia closed the door to Elyn’s room as she left. When she was gone, Elyn picked up her gun holster and attached the belt to her waist. She holstered her tranquilizer gun and threaded a few extra darts through loops in the belt. Looking in her full body mirror, Elyn admired herself, even practicing her quick draw with the pistol. She posed with the gun and smirked. “Damn, I’m good.”

...

So much for a quick mission, Elyn thought. At least I know someone is coming for me.

Even still, Elyn rather enjoyed her current predicament. Aurora’s penthouse sure was a nice place to find yourself held captive. But she did lament how the mission had gone so wrong.

It had started off well enough with her able to climb her way up the fire escape and break into the building. From the second floor, Elyn found her way to a service elevator that dropped her in a maintenance area behind the front desk.

It only took one dart to take out the receptionist and Elyn took a bit too much joy in tying her up in zip ties and gagging her with duct tape. Once she was stored in the closet, Elyn took only a few minutes to crack the computer’s password and copy it to a flash drive that Jonas had cleverly designed to fit in the heel of one of her pumps.

Unfortunately, she tripped a silent alarm while doing so and was met by far too many of Aurora’s goons to handle alone. Before being captured, Elyn hid the flash drive back into her shoe without any of the goons noticing. She was then quickly bound and blindfolded and led up to Aurora’s penthouse apartment.

The blindfold had been removed when she was placed in a chair facing the door. But she was quite heavily bound to the chair and she loved every second of it. It seemed Aurora was growing tired of escapes since her goons used three pairs of hinged handcuffs to trap Elyn’s hands behind the chair back. Another two pairs, wider and with short chains this time, pulled her elbows tightly together. A length of heavy chain was then used to wrap her arms and waist, attaching them to the chair. Even more chain was used to bind her legs together just above the knees and at the ankles, with a final length pulling her ankles up behind her and attaching to her heavily cuffed hands. The goons finalized it all with a rather hasty but effective gag which started with a pair of Aurora’s socks stuffed in her mouth and a heavy wrapping of duct tape around her head at least ten times. Elyn lost count after ten, anyway. But the gag excited her so she didn’t really mind.

The door opened and Elyn smiled behind the thick layers of tape that gagged her. She would finally meet the famous thief after all.

Aurora stepped into the room and hung her coat on a hook by the door. She removed her hat and flicked her luxurious, black hair before hanging the hat next to her coat. Now Aurora was clad only in her red catsuit and black boots. Elyn had to admit that Aurora was absolutely beautiful. Every curve was perfection. Her face was that of a super model. Her hair was straight out of those ridiculous shampoo commercials. Her perfect, caramel skin almost glowed. This might be fun she thought.

“I’ve got myself quite the looker today,” Aurora said. “I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

“Mmm mmm,” Elyn said.

Aurora knelt down and stared Elyn in the eye. Elyn’s eyes were smiling and Aurora couldn’t help but smile herself. “No fear in you,” Aurora said. “I’d say you were even enjoying this. Are you?”

“Mmm hmmm,” Elyn said, nodding.

“That is interesting. But, alas, I fear that there is business to attend to. Business before pleasure, they always say.”

Aurora plopped a chair down in front of Elyn. She turned it backwards and sat down in front of her, leaning in close. She played with Elyn’s pretty, orange bangs and Elyn didn’t even flinch.

“I do hope you’re as cooperative when I begin to ask my questions.”

Elyn giggled and kept her piercing gaze on Aurora’s eyes.

“I do love your eyes, Agent Firebrand. That is your code name, correct?” Elyn remained silent, not that she could really answer anyway. But she remained perfectly still and held Aurora’s stare.

“I see. You’re going to play it tough, are you? How about this?”

Aurora produced a sharp knife from her boot and held it close to Elyn’s throat. Elyn still held Aurora’s gaze but her eyes were no longer smiling. Despite this, Elyn showed no panic.

“A bit more serious, yes? I hate to do it but you understand. I don’t like being ignored. Now, are you Agent Firebrand of the Weston Agency?”

Elyn didn’t want to nod but she answered through her gag. “Ymmmph.”

“Was that a yes?”

“Ymmph!”

“Was that a yes?”

“YMMMPH!!” Elyn screamed the answer into her gag, hoping she was clear enough for Aurora. The thief sat back with the knife and played with the spy’s hair again.

“Thank you, Agent Firebrand. Now, I hope I won’t need this again,” Aurora said, showing Elyn the knife. She put it back into the sheath on her boot and leaned even closer to Elyn so their noses almost touched.

“So now that we have that little bit of nastiness out of the way, how about you tell me what it was you were doing rooting around in my receptionist’s computer? Oh, wait, you can’t.”

“Mmmph.” Elyn’s eyes smiled again. There didn’t seem to be anything to rattle her. Not even Aurora’s teasing did anything.

“That poor woman. She’s still out cold,” Aurora said. “That must be one hell of a tranquilizer in your gun, Agent Firebrand. I suspect she’ll be quite unhappy when she awakens, tied up and gagged as you left her.”

Elyn raised an eyebrow. Aurora hadn’t even freed her own employee. Despite her rather intimidating manner, Elyn found herself intrigued by Aurora. She didn’t have the same deliberate, cold malice as Jhana. Aurora wasn’t a good person, Elyn reminded herself, but there was something there that told her Aurora was more than just a madwoman.

“So yes or no questions for you, my lovely. Did you steal data from my receptionist’s computer?”

Elyn pretended to think for a long time and then shook her head, grunting into her gag.

“Oh I do love the coy ones,” Aurora said. “Makes it so much more fun to break them wide open. Do I have to show you the knife again?”

“Nmm,” Elyn said, shaking her head.

“Then answer truthfully, beautiful. If you do that we can get to the fun bit, all right?”

Fun bit?

“Mmmhmm.”

“Good. Now, did you steal information from my receptionist’s computer?”

Elyn nodded.

“As I suspected. And do you have that information on your person?”

Elyn shook her head again. Aurora sighed. “Now see, I know you’re lying. That oaf of a man working for your agency is some kind of intel and tech wizard, right? I know he’s got some clever designs. I heard him talk all about it until Artema found that little bug in her office. So, where did you hide it?”

“Mmm dmmnt hmmph mmt,” Elyn said, still shaking her head.

“Don’t bother trying to speak. Even if I could understand you I’d know you were lying. But I suppose I shouldn’t have expected you to break so easy. We’ll come back to this. I have other questions you can answer.”

Aurora leaned in and smiled, pressing her nose against Elyn’s.

“So, my gorgeous lady, did that amazon beauty, Agent Hunter, send you here herself?”

Elyn nodded.

“And did she say what you were supposed to be looking for?”

Elyn nodded again.

Aurora sat back a bit but still uncomfortably close to Elyn’s face. “Now it’s another difficult bit. Did Agent Hunter tell you it was information pertaining to a certain woman? Namely, Jhana and my connection to her?”

Elyn remained still. Aurora smiled. “You can’t get away with not answering me, my pretty. Were you looking for my connection to Jhana?”

“Mmmph,” Elyn said, shrugging. She could only hope Aurora got the hint.

“I see. Sort of but not quite?” Aurora asked.

Elyn nodded once again.

“So... oh! I see. You want information to build a warrant for my arrest and hope I will lead you to Jhana. Is that it?”

Elyn shrugged again but her eyes still shone.

“That is it, isn’t it? Oh, Agent Firebrand. Does the Agency really want me that badly?”

Aurora locked eyes with Elyn and flicked out her tongue to gently lick Elyn’s nose. Elyn still didn’t flinch.

“You are a tough one,” Aurora said. “But anyway, what makes you think I even know where Jhana is? I hate dealing with that dreadful woman. Surely Agent Swift told you that? I don’t even want to know where she is so I can see as little of her as possible. And I don’t know what she’s planning. Honest. All I know is she wants you seven agents captured and out of the way. And why wouldn’t I comply with that? Seven gorgeous women to tie up and torment to my heart’s content? Sign me up any day of the week.”

Elyn rolled her eyes.

“You don’t believe me?” Aurora said. “I can tell you the one thing I do know. You won’t find enough information on that thing to help you find Jhana. Believe me or not, I am telling the truth. I hate her. I find her... unsettling. There’s a lust for power in her eyes. Not unlike me, I suppose, but my lust is for money and women, tightly bound and gagged. Power is just... boring. You can have so much fun with money. And women.”

Elyn moaned lustfully into her gag and tried to lean herself forward but her chains put a stop to that. She kept her eyes locked on Aurora’s and this had the desired effect. Aurora leaned in close, removed her gloves, and gently held Elyn’s face with one hand.

“Speaking of fun,” Aurora said. “I did say we would have some, didn’t I?”

Elyn giggled and held Aurora’s eyes. The thief found that she couldn’t look away from the spy and found her mind drift from her unanswered questions.

Elyn didn’t know what was happening. It was as though she had Aurora under a sort of spell. But that couldn’t be possible. She never had that ability before, not even when there was magic to be had. Then Elyn remembered something Lanala had said to her. Lanala had tried and found out that she had a sort of magnetic power. Did Elyn have the ability to control minds?

She stared long into Aurora’s eyes again and a single thought entered her mind. Take me to the bed. Her test proved successful as Aurora unlocked the chain that held Elyn’s ankles to her wrists and the chain around her waist that held her to the chair. Aurora then cradled Elyn in her arms and carried her to the wide, heart-shaped bed near the very back of the penthouse apartment.

While Aurora laid her down gently, Elyn felt the wave of faint power wash over her mind. There it was. The power this world withheld. It was faint and Elyn felt herself grow tired from even a single use but it was there. That was the important thing.

Still chained up and thoroughly gagged, Elyn let one more thought pass through her mind while she stared deep into Aurora’s eyes. Bind and gag yourself.

The thought occurred to Elyn that she could have made Aurora free her from her bonds but where was the fun in that?

Aurora picked up a large ball gag and strapped it tightly into her mouth. She then sat down on the bed and proceeded to tie her own legs with rope at the ankles and above and below the knees. Picking up a pair of handcuffs, Aurora locked her hands in place behind her back and laid down on the bed, snuggled right up against Elyn. Still locking eyes with her, Elyn felt faint. She let a final thought escape her tired brain before falling fast asleep. You’re tired. Go to sleep.

In seconds, Aurora’s body went limp and she fell asleep, bound and gagged right beside her trussed up captive.

...

It had only taken Lanala ten minutes to reach Aurora’s apartment building. Artema had already briefed her on the situation and was keeping a close monitor on Lanala’s movements. Still not wanting to over-complicate things, she sent Lanala in on a solo rescue mission. It was actually Lanala who insisted on going, who remembered how Aurora had captured Artema the last time Agent Hunter went to Aurora’s apartment on her own.

This, however, was Lanala’s bread and butter. She had become a master of stealth and she had learned to fight well under Artema’s tutelage. Besides, Lanala was sick of being the tied up damsel in distress. It was about time she got to play the hero.

Outside, she found the fire escape Elyn had used to enter the building. Elyn had wisely pulled the metal ladder up to prevent being followed. But that meant Lanala couldn’t reach it on her own. Her newfound power would be able to remedy this situation.

With a quick thought that made her mind weary and a flick of her wrist, the ladder slid down to Lanala and she easily climbed up to the second story window. She peered inside, brushing aside a bit of her tied back, pink strawberry hair. She caught a glimpse of herself in her skintight, black stealth suit that hugged tight to her whole body and blushed a bit when she thought of how Artema looked at her with it on. Regaining focus, Lanala slid the window open and crept inside.

In seconds, three armed goons rushed her but Lanala leapt at them.

“Not this time,” she said.

She felled one woman with a well placed kick to the stomach, sending her to double over. A second fired a taser but Lanala was quick enough to dodge the projectile and wrench the thing from her hand. With a swift elbow to the head, the woman collapsed to the floor. The third ran at her with a sort of escrima stick but she was tripped when Lanala swept out her legs and landed a solid punch to the woman’s forehead. With all three goons unconscious on the floor, Lanala smiled and felt quite proud of herself. Only when she heard Artema’s voice in her ear did she realize that she hadn’t moved in quite some time.

“Agent Spark! Why aren’t you responding?”

Lanala gave her head a shake and tapped her ear. “Sorry, Ar.. Agent Hunter. Is there a problem?”

“Not unless you have one. What’s the situation?”

“Um... situation nominal, Agent Hunter. I had a brief encounter with three, um, bogies, and dispatched them.”

“Bogies? What are you... nevermind. Have you found Firebrand?”

“I’m on my way to the elevator now. I’ll contact you again when I find Agent Firebrand.”

“Very good, Agent Spark. Out.”

Lanala shook her head. Maybe I don’t have the hang of all the terminology yet.

Keeping a laser focus this time, Lanala headed for the elevator and travelled to the top floor where Aurora’s apartment was. When she got there she found the door unlocked and stepped inside. The sight that greeted her was... unexpected.

Elyn was heavily gagged and completely chained up yet asleep on Aurora’s bed. Beside her, also tied up and gagged, was Aurora herself. She tapped her ear and spoke.

“Agent Hunter... come in.”

“What is it, Agent Spark?”

“I’ve found Agent Firebrand. But I’ve also found target Blaze. Both are incapacitated. How should I, um, proceed?”

“Both are... what?”

“Both are asleep on Aurora’s bed, Artema,” Lanala said. “And both of them are tied up.”

“I... what? Did someone else break in?” Artema asked.

“No signs of that,” Lanala said. “And... wait. I think Aurora did this to herself. I don’t know how Elyn got her to do it but... Agent Firebrand is in no danger.”

Lanala eyed Elyn’s left foot and the black, heeled pumps she still wore. The heel of the left shoe was still intact but a tiny, green LED glowed on the bottom. “And it looks like she’s got the info.”

“All right. Well... get Agent Firebrand home. We don’t have anything to bring in target Blaze for detainment just yet. But we will. Leave the thief and bring our agent home, Spark.”

Lanala nodded. “Will do. Out.”

With the room deathly silent, Lanala knelt down over the bed and looked at all the chains that ensnared Elyn’s body. “Crap. Another search for bloody keys,” she said.

As Lanala began the search for Aurora’s keys, Elyn lifted one eyelid and watched Lanala’s frantic search. A wry smile fought its way around the layers of duct tape on her mouth. She closed her eye again and let out a soft sigh. Just like old times she thought.