Lanala giggled behind her gag as her muscular wife shuffled closer to her. They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, giggling away, before Artema pressed her face close to Lanala. Pressing gagged lips together, the two women shared a sort of kiss using just their heads, rubbing their faces against each other.
Ever since her latest capture, Artema had been trying new things and spending more time with her wife. Lanala didn’t mind, of course, but she had her own theories for this sudden change. For one, Artema had perhaps enjoyed her restraints in Jhana’s cell more than she liked to let on. It explained why they were both tied up and gagged right now, laying next to each other in bed, and rubbing their gagged lips together.
The other theory Lanala had, and it applied to both of them, was the fact that they had come perilously close to being separated forever with Artema’s imprisonment. Lanala fought hard to get her wife back and neither woman ever wanted to let the other go again. Not that they could hold each other at the moment.
For this particular evening, Lanala had asked Artema what she wanted to do together. All Artema had to do was flash her a smile. At that moment, Lanala remembered enjoying the bondage games the two of them had engaged in and asked Artema to tie her up.
They both stripped to their bra and panties, Artema in white and Lanala in black, and set to work. Artema bound Lanala in soft, comfortable bondage tape that was purple in colour. She tightly wrapped it around Lanala’s ankles and knees, as well as framing her chest and pinning her arms to her sides. She then crossed Lanala’s wrists and taped them together before stuffing her mouth with a soft cloth and gagging her with a final wrapping of the tape.
Artema had something else cooked up as well, binding her own legs in a light pink bondage tape at the ankles and thighs, gagging herself as she had gagged Lanala, and then handcuffing her own wrists behind her back. The cuffs she used were sturdy but had a soft, comfortable padding on the inside of each shackle. On Elyn’s advice, after her most recent ordeal, the cuffs also had a quick release so no key was required for escape. But that didn’t take away from the feeling either woman had, rubbing their gagged lips together.
They stayed like this for hours, cuddling together, kissing each other through their gags, and rubbing their bodies against each other. The occasional giggle or squeal would escape their gags as they both struggled. Eventually, Artema started feeling a little sleepy and undid her handcuffs. She pulled the gag down from her lips and kissed Lanala’s still gagged lips softly.
“You okay, sweetie?” she asked.
“Mmm hmmm,” Lanala said, nodding.
“I think it’s time to get some rest. I should untie you. Are you feeling tired yet?”
Lanala shrugged in her bonds. “Mmm bmmt,” she said.
“A bit, did you say?”
Lanala nodded again.
“Okay then. Let’s go to bed, dear.”
Artema removed the tape from Lanala’s body and the two snuggled up close and held each other under the covers.
“Are you asleep yet, Artema?” Lanala asked.
“I’m trying,” Artema said, keeping her eyes closed. “I think it’s safe to say I’m trying not to worry.”
“What are you worried about, sweetheart?”
“This is going to sound odd but I’m actually worried about Farrah.”
“Really?”
Artema sighed. “I think she’s going to go after Aurora on her own. And you and I both know how bad she is on her own against a woman like that.”
“But the Director gave her an underground assignment. She’s supposed to be in hiding after getting found out.”
“Look me in the eye and tell me you expect someone like Farrah to follow orders.”
Lanala did gaze deep into her wife’s eyes, smiling at her sweetly. But she shook her head nonetheless. “Okay, fine. But you don’t fight fair, making me look into those gorgeous eyes like that.”
Artema chuckled and she started stroking Lanala’s hair. “Gotta use the advantages I can get, Lanala. I mean, it’s the only way I can keep up with you. You’re way out of my league.”
“Oh, stop that!” Lanala said. “You’re perfect. Your league is as high as it gets.”
Artema sighed. “You really are too sweet.”
Lanala pressed in closer and laid her head on Artema’s chest. “You’re still worrying,” she said.
“I can’t help it. If that woman gets herself in trouble then you know who the Director will come calling on to bail her out.”
Lanala peered up into Artema’s eyes again. Artema felt her heart melt. “And I’m afraid she’ll send you instead of me when that happens.”
“If, Artema. If that happens.”
Artema grunted. “Yeah. If.”
“And you don’t think I can handle myself?”
“It’s not that. It’s just... after what happened with me and Jhana I... I worry about you even more than I used to. I didn’t know it was possible but something about that whole experience just made me fall in love with you even more, you know?”
“Ditto,” Lanala said with a smile. “I never want to see you in trouble like that again. And, if I get sent out on a job, then I get sent out. I always come home to you, don’t I?”
“Well... I’ve had to come and get you a few times,” Artema said with a grin. “But yes. You do.”
“And I will again. Just trust that everything will work out. You’ve always had trouble with that.”
“Yeah...” Artema said with a faraway look. “Everything will turn out fine.”
...
The pair of them could not stop giggling as they ran back to Luna’s room with several items in hand. Mirelle ducked inside first and Luna followed close behind.
“I can’t believe you did that!” Luna whispered. “I never thought you had it in you! I mean, raiding Elyn’s room like that...”
Mirelle giggled. “You know what the best part is? I already asked her permission! And she left out these ball gags as gifts for us! And you thought we were stealing from her.”
Luna’s expression dropped and she placed her hands on her hips. “You... tricked me?”
“I knew you’d love to steal from Elyn. But I couldn’t go through with it. You’re not mad, are you?”
Luna’s eyes softened and she leaned toward Mirelle. “Nobody could stay mad at someone like you, Mirelle. Now, how about we try these things out?”
“You first,” Mirelle said with a giggle.
“All right. Hand me those cuffs you have over there.”
Mirelle picked up a pair of heavy, steel handcuffs, also handing Luna the keys. They were attached to a chain that Luna then placed around her own neck.
“Remember than you have to be the one to reach them,” Luna said.
Mirelle smiled. “Won’t that be fun?”
Before gagging herself, Luna stripped off her tight pants, leaving her in just a light blue pair of panties and her darker blue tank top. With a smile and a wink to Mirelle, Luna stuffed the green ball gag into her mouth and strapped it on tightly behind her back. She then proceeded to handcuff her own hands behind her back, struggling with them a bit to test them, before flopping down on the bed, giggling all the way.
Mirelle was quick to follow suit, stripping off her dress so that she was now only wearing matching green bra and panties. Smiling sweetly at Luna, Mirelle placed the blue ball gag in her mouth and pulled the strap on as tight as it would go behind her head. She then picked up another pair of handcuffs and ratcheted them on tightly around both her wrists.
Her eyes smiling, and with a happy squeal escaping her gagged lips, Mirelle leapt onto the bed beside Luna and cuddled up close to her. For a few moments they just happily gazed into each other’s eyes, occasionally breaking out into gagged laughter.
After a short while, Luna reached forward as far as her handcuffs would allow and began stroking Mirelle’s thigh. Mirelle shivered at Luna’s touch at first but quickly got used to it and moaned happily back at Luna, staring into her eyes once more. Then Mirelle reached forward and stroked Luna’s thigh in return, eliciting a moan of pleasure from her girlfriend.
They continued like this for a while, pressing their bodies closer to each other and just enjoying each other’s touch. A short while later, neither woman could resist the other anymore and they locked lips and ball gags, pressing each other’s faces closer and closer together. It took some effort for both of them but their lips eventually locked, pressing each other’s ball gag deeper into their mouths to hold onto a passionate kiss. The kiss was difficult to maintain as each woman’s gag kept pushing them apart.
They moaned and squealed every time their lips touched, sometimes laughing and giggling when the gags would force them apart. They continued on like this and they lost all sense of time. If anyone had asked, they might not even know where they were. All they knew in that moment was each other, madly in love, and deeply enjoying each other’s warm body.
Both understood in that moment how much they meant to each other. The thought occurred to them both that, if they were ever to become separated, then there was nothing in the world that could stop them coming back together. Nothing.
...
There was no way she was just sitting on the sidelines, waiting for information to be fed to her through some ridiculous old ham radio.
It was an Agency device which recorded audio from a bug placed in Aurora’s apartment, of course, but Farrah still hated the thing. For days and days, Farrah stewed about her most recent capture at Aurora’s hands. Having been tied up and gagged yet again and captured by another employer really got Farrah’s goat.
Even after all this, Farrah never regretted betraying the Agency at every turn. Despite being captured and tied up by even them several times, Farrah never once regretted her decision. She played both sides off each other, doing what she had to do to get by. Getting through a job on Aurora’s payroll unscathed was tough enough as it was when she did it. Farrah never knew when she might be found out and something in the thief’s eyes always made her wary. But Farrah always justified her work for Aurora by saying she just wasn’t as bad as Jhana. Now that opinion had changed.
Her absurd underground assignment in hiding from Aurora was driving her crazy. Taking meaningless notes about mind-numbing conversations Aurora would have with servants or guests just didn’t lead to anything. Farrah craved action and, best of all, she knew where all of Aurora’s hiding spots were. If she could capture the thief herself and bring her in then she could be rid of all these people and head off on her own again, like she wanted. Maybe she could even start a gang, like the bandits back home, and lead an exciting life again without being under someone’s thumb.
That’s it then. No more hiding Farrah thought to herself. The risk of Aurora taking her prisoner and leaving her bound and gagged in Jhana’s asylum was worth the chance to start anew. So Farrah got herself dressed, opting for a tight jogging outfit for mobility; tight short shorts, a cropped, tight tank top and low cut running shoes. She admired her toned, muscular form in the mirror before grabbing her keys and heading out. Thinking back to all of her conversations with Aurora, Farrah knew exactly where she would be hiding.
...
Artema awoke to Lanala’s beautiful eyes smiling at her. She planted a kiss on Lanala’s forehead and returned her warm smile.
“Morning, gorgeous,” Lanala said.
“How’d you sleep?” Artema asked.
“Better than you. I’ve been awake for an hour.”
Artema chuckled. “And you’ve just been staring at me? That’s a little creepy, don’t you think?”
Lanala laughed and hit Artema with a pillow. “Not the whole time! I got up and cleaned up the room a bit. We were a bit messy last night, after all.”
Artema smiled again. “That we were. Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You were so peaceful. Finally. You tossed and turned a lot all night. You’re still worrying, aren’t you?”
Artema sighed. “I can’t help it. Something big is going to happen, Lanala. I can just feel it. Aurora’s been quiet. Jhana is still missing. And the Director...”
“What about the Director?” Lanala asked.
“I don’t know. Something is going down and it’s going to happen soon. And that idiot Farrah is going to be the catalyst by doing something stupid. I just know it.”
“Honey, darling, precious,” Lanala said, cuddling up close to her wife. “You don’t know anything like that for sure. That’s all just maybe stuff. Could be that Jonas will find something on Aurora that helps us get her behind bars. Might be that Jhana is out of space to run because we’re causing everything to collapse around her. And just maybe Farrah will stay put and do her job to avoid the risk of being imprisoned forever by Aurora. Think glass half full, sweetie. Everything I just said has the same chance of happening as whatever you’re thinking. Please believe that.”
Artema sighed, trying to think like her darling wife. But Lanala, ever the optimist, wasn’t always right. She was smart, smarter than anyone Artema had ever met, but Lanala’s eternal optimism sometimes made her ignore reality. Her positive thinking was both a strength and a weakness.
“I can try. Let’s have a bet, then, if you want to put your money where your mouth is. If I’m right, I get to tie you up for a whole day. And if you’re right, you tie me up for a whole day. How’s that sound?”
Lanala smirked, twirling Artema’s hair in her fingers. “Hmmm.... I do love seeing you all trussed up. And it’s always a fun challenge to see if I can tie you tight enough so you can’t escape.”
“You still haven’t succeeded,” Artema said.
“You’re an escape artist, Artema. It’s harder than you think! Although, Jhana seemed to figure it out...”
“Hey now. No need for teasing like that. Just a yes or no will do, Lanala.”
“Sorry. Okay, fine. Shake on it?”
Artema chuckled. “We don’t shake hands, sweetheart. We seal it...” Artema lunged forward and planted her lips on Lanala’s. The two of them kissed passionately for a long time before Artema pulled back. “Like that.”
Lanala giggled. “We should make more deals if that’s how we seal them.”
“All right. We will then. It’s a deal. Now...”
“Oh, I’ve got this one!” The two of them laughed as they shared yet another kiss for a long time. They only stopped when someone knocked on the door. Artema removed herself from her wife’s embrace for a moment to turn to the door.
“Go away!” she said.
“Artema, it’s urgent,” came the tired, gruff voice from the other side. It was Jonas.
“Oh, damn it. Fine!”
Artema rushed across the room, threw on a robe and then opened the door. Jonas averted his eyes when he saw Artema dressed in just her robe and underwear. He also noticed Lanala on the bed, still dressed in just her underwear as well.
“Oh, jeez. Sorry, Artema. I didn’t realize.”
“Hi, Jonas,” Lanala said sheepishly.
“What is so damn important you had to interrupt... this,” Artema said, gesturing behind her at her wife.
“Got a report from Celia. Farrah didn’t check in last night. And our records show she left her apartment building more than sixteen hours ago. It’s still empty and we can’t get in touch with her.”
Artema sighed, rubbing her temples. “I knew it...”
“To top that off, one of my guys almost got nabbed last night by Aurora’s goons. They beat him up pretty bad but he mentioned seeing Farrah in his report. Says Aurora has her somewhere. She could be anywhere by now but it seems like she went after Aurora alone.”
Artema turned around to face her wife. “You see? I know that woman. I told you this would happen.” She turned back to Jonas. “And what does the director want us to do about it?”
Jonas shook his head. “She seemed pretty adamant about who to send. Didn’t even ask for your approval. It doesn’t feel right but we can’t go against the Director, Artema. Not now that we’re so close to Jhana.”
“So who are we sending?”
“Well, it’s supposed to be a covert extraction so she wants your best stealth agents.”
Artema nodded. “Right. So... Meryn and Celia.”
“Actually, she wants Lanala and Mirelle for this.”
“What? Why?”
“Says they’re the right pairing for the job.”
“I can do that,” Lanala said. “I mean, we rescued Artema from way worse circumstances.”
“What is she playing at?” Artema asked. “Why wouldn’t she wait for my approval?”
“I don’t know, Artema. I’m sorry. But we can’t fight her on this. I tried my best but she threatened to revoke everyone’s security access if I pushed it further.”
Artema shook her head. “Meryn is right. The Director is dirty. This whole rescue mission of hers has to be a trap, too.”
Jonas sighed. “I know it looks that way but we have to do this. We’ll never take Jhana or Aurora down if we’re cut off. As much as I don’t like it, we need this Agency.”
Artema growled under her breath, taking a worried look at Lanala, before turning back to Jonas once more. “Fine. But we do this my way. And if anything goes wrong, I’ll be damned if I’m staying put another day.”
“Well, it has been long enough that you can start doing field work again. I just wouldn’t let the Director know if you decide to go out.”
“Noted, Jonas. Go and get Mirelle for me. Lanala and I will get dressed and meet you downstairs in my office.”
“Of course, Artema. I’m really sorry about this.”
“I know. Let’s just get this job done. The sooner we’re finished with it, the better off we’ll be.”
Artema closed the door as Jonas left. Lanala stood from the bed and crossed the room, placing her hands on Artema’s shoulders.
“It’ll be okay, honey. We’ll get it done.”
Artema sighed and turned around, looking down into her wife’s eyes. “That’s right. And when we’re done, I get to have you tied up for a whole day.”
“What? I... oh. Damn. You’re right. I guess you won the bet.”
“Damn right I did. Now, let’s get dressed. I want to get this godawful mission over with already.”
...
The cell around her was mostly dark, save for the dim light coming in from the corridor. Farrah hadn’t stopped struggling since she woke up, fighting her restraints with every waking breath. She had made no progress, however, and her voice was starting to go hoarse from her muffled screams.
It wasn’t one of the padded cells of Jhana’s asylum but Farrah knew she was inside it somewhere. With Jhana in hiding, Aurora had been able to come and go as she pleased. The two former allies were no longer on speaking terms after what happened with the simulation but the illegal asylum was still a place that harboured prisoners of both women. Still, Jhana would not have liked it if she knew Aurora was there. That meant her and Farrah clearly had shown up under cover and there wouldn’t be many people looking for either of them inside Jhana’s asylum.
The thought terrified Farrah and she continued struggling against the impossibly strong tape that she had been bound with. It was black in colour and fused her legs together, having been wrapped around her ankles, calves, and thighs. More bound her wrists behind her back in a crossed position, which were then taped to her back by another heavy wrapping of the thick tape. More of the tape bound her arms from her elbows to her shoulders, hugging her very tightly and restricted her to only the smallest of movements. Several thick sponges were also jammed into her mouth, causing Farrah’s cheeks to bulge out and they were sealed inside by even more of the tape wrapped around the back of her head and underneath her hair.
Farrah didn’t know what the tape was made of but it was strong stuff. It hardly stretched when she flexed her strong muscles against it, working up a sweat, and the adhesive just clung tight to her no matter what she tried. It was also incredibly thick. Farrah didn’t know the specifications but it was a high strength tape designed specifically to restrain people in Aurora’s lab. It was 2.5mm thick and, wrapped in layers like it was around Farrah’s body, she could hardly move at all. And with it also gagging her, Farrah hardly made a sound inside the barred cell.
Taking in several deep breaths, Farrah had to take a rest from her furious struggling and that gave her time to reflect on her capture. She had gone after Aurora inside an isolated and unprotected cabin just north of the city in a small forest by the Weston lake. It was disguised as a vacation home but Aurora kept yet another small prison underneath for personal captives. Farrah supposed she was lucky that all of Aurora’s personal cells were full or else she would be in one of them, even more isolated underground in a cabin in the woods. She was still underground but at least Jhana’s asylum ran underneath the city and there were people who knew where it was.
But in the cabin, Farrah tried to sneak in and grab Aurora but, to her dismay, no one was there. It didn’t take long for Aurora to turn the tables and sneak in herself and knock Farrah out with her quick acting serum. From there, all she had to do was tape her up and drag her off to the asylum.
Farrah cried and wailed into her gag, begging for release, but no one could hear her. There wasn’t a soul around that would help her, anyway. A short, female guard patrolled the halls every now and again but she ignored the prisoners and never even so much as glanced Farrah’s way.
Still trapped beneath the tape, Farrah renewed her struggling, trying in vain to find some seam in the tape that she could break. She fell over onto her side, colliding with the cold, hard floor of her cell and she was still unable to break free.
“HLLLMMMMP! HLLMMMMP MMMMM!” Farrah cried desperately, her gag silencing her thoroughly.
She tried to sit up against the wall again but the strong, thick tape, combined with Farrah’s tired muscles, wouldn’t allow it. Now all she could do was squrim and writhe on the floor, helplessly bound and gagged, mewling and whining into her stifling gag.
She didn’t know when or if Aurora would come and see her. Nor did she know if the Agency would bother sending anyone after her. Despite everything, Farrah had failed and it looked like she may remain a bound and gagged prisoner forever.
“NMMMM!” Farrah screamed, shaking her head back and forth as the thought struck her. “NMMMMM! HLLLLLMMMMPPP!”
...
They didn’t have time for disguises and the facility was far larger than they had been expecting. Each dressed in black, skintight stealth suits, Lanala and Mirelle pressed on through the ventilation shafts, hoping to find where Farrah was being held.
Lanala would stop them periodically to check through the grates in the walls, hoping to catch a glimpse of Farrah. She stopped at one such grate, peering out into a dimly lit hallway. A short woman walked past and Lanala shrank back for a moment to let her pass. In seconds, she was looking out into the hallway again, hoping to see or hear something. Lanala jumped a bit when she heard the guard slam something against the bars of a nearby cell. A muffled squeal followed the sound.
“Pipe down in there, Ms. ‘Heavy’. Nobody is coming to help you.” Lanala could hear the smile in the woman’s voice. “Just sit tight until Aurora gets here. Heh. Sit tight. Get it?”
“MMMPPPHHH!!”
The muffled voice was very thoroughly silenced but Lanala could swear she recognized it. She listened for a bit longer.
“Oh, shut up! I’ve had enough of your whining. Don’t make me come in there and hogtie you, you damn traitor! Now keep quiet or it’ll only get worse, you hear me?”
Lanala couldn’t hear any response. But the guard's words had practically confirmed it. The familiar voice, Heavy, traitor... that has to be her! she thought.
Lanala tapped her ear and spoke as softly as she could. “Agent Hunter, please come in.”
Back at HQ, Artema paced inside her office, waiting to her something of substance from Lanala. The longer the two of them were out there the higher the risk of something happening to them. Luna and Jonas leaned on the table across from her, just as anxious to hear anything as Artema herself.
“This is Hunter,” Artema said into her communicator. “What have you got, Spark?”
“The target has been located,” Lanala said softly into her ear. “She’s in transfer block B on the upper floor.”
Artema leaned down to a thin screen on her desk and pored over the blueprint of Jhana’s asylum they had received from the journalist Meryn had rescued. Transfer block B was a small cell block Jhana (and occasionally Aurora) specifically made as a temporary holding place for high priority or high security prisoners until they could be transferred down below. The strange part about the block, however, was how lightly guarded it was. It made no sense to leave what were supposed to be the prisoners for the high security block on the bottom floor almost completely unguarded. In fact, even day shifts only had two guards on at one time. Right now there was only one.
“Only one guard on duty down there right now, Spark,” Artema said. “But that’s a high security transfer area. Something seems off about the whole thing. It looks... deliberate. Like they’re trying to appear unprepared.”
“Why would they do that, Hunter?”
Artema shook her head. “This has to be part of Cobra’s security plan. Proceed with caution and only when you have eyes on the target.”
“I hear you, Hunter. We’ll check in again when target is in tow. Out.”
Artema kept her eyes on the screen in front of her. Luna joined her, leaning against the desk, watching the same screen and the hacked security feed that showed them the one guard on patrol in the cell block.
“This feels like a trap,” Luna said.
“I know.”
“We should be there with them, Artema. To hell with what the Director says.”
Artema sighed. “Too late for that now. All we can do is hope-”
Artema was cut off suddenly by another transmission coming in from her communicator. “Agent Spark?”
“Hunter, we’ve been spotted! Rune is en route to the target but security is flooding at us out of the walls! We need a quick exit, now!”
“Damn it...” Artema said.
“What’s wrong?” Luna asked.
Artema said nothing and took a look at the footage. Alcoves had opened in the walls and revealed rooms where security waited on standby. A flashing signal in the upper corner indicated that a silent alarm had been tripped from somewhere outside the facility. Someone had seen them before Lanala and Mirelle could even get in to rescue Farrah.
“It was a goddamn trap the whole time,” Artema said. “We’ve been set up.”
Luna pounded the desk beside Artema. “I knew it! We need to get after them, now!”
“Hold on, Luna. I’m going to try and get them out of there.”
In seconds, Artema’s sharp eyes pored over the blueprints and she spotted what should be an unoccupied tunnel hidden behind the prisoner registration gate.
“Lanala!” Artema said. “There’s a tunnel to the outside behind the registration gate. Get there with or without the target. Do you hear me?”
“I hear you, Hunter,” Lanala said. “I’m going to... oh no! Mirelle!”
“What’s happening, Lanala?” Artema asked.
“They’ve got Rune!” Lanala answered. “I’m headed after-aggh!”
“Lanala! What’s happening? Please respond.”
Static answered her back followed by silence. Artema pinged Lanala’s communicator again.
“Agent Spark, please respond. Are you there? Agent Spark!” Still silence answered her. “Lanala!”
“What happened, Artema?” Luna asked from beside her.
Artema slammed her hands on her desk and tossed aside her headset communicator. She turned her head to the side and spoke through gritted teeth. “Gear up,” she said to Luna. “We’re going after them.”
“Hold on, Artema,” Jonas said. “This is still a trap. It might not be a good idea to just kick in the front door.”
“He is right,” Luna said. “They might be waiting for us. Hell, they probably even expect us to show up.”
“Then we show up anyway,” Artema said. “Lanala didn’t leave me to rot. I’m not leaving her, either.”
“No one would ever ask you to do that,” Jonas said. “But we can’t afford to have four of you captured.”
“Then what are you saying?” Artema asked.
Jonas hesitated. “I’ve held off on this and the Director ordered me not to give these to you but I have no choice.” Jonas reached into his jacket pocket and produced a pair of small devices that looked like flash drives. “Cloaking devices. They’re supposed to be experimental but they work. I don’t know why the Director is holding these back from production but I’ve been holding onto them just in case.”
“Why wouldn’t you give these to Mirelle and Lanala?” Luna asked, her icy eyes boring into his.
“I couldn’t risk it. Not with the Director hand-picking them to go. She would have known they’d have them. It’s a risk to even give these to either of you. But we have no choice anymore. We have to get them out of there.”
Artema and Luna each took one device each. “They’re designed to fit in the pocket on the left bicep of your stealth suits. They’ll blink green once as soon as they’re in. From there you just tap them once and it will render you invisible for ten minutes before it has to recharge.”
“Only ten minutes?” Artema asked.
“That’s all the life it’s got, I’m afraid. But I am working on a Mark II device that should last longer. But these will do in a pinch. Use these as soon as you get there.”
Artema nodded. “All right. Suit up, Luna. Let’s get them back.”
...
“Mmmm mmmph!” Lanala grunted with the effort of struggling but it was proving fruitless. She couldn’t believe that she had let her guard down like that! Before she had even finished speaking to Artema, one of the security guards had tackled her to the ground. In her desperation to help Mirelle, she had neglected to watch out for anyone who might be after her as well.
Mirelle was already being tied up and led away the last time Lanala was conscious. Now she had no idea where either of them were. The cell she was tied up within was lightly padded on every surface but it was barred like the holding cells in the transfer blocks. Remembering the asylum’s layout, Lanala realized that she must be inside the detainment block. It made sense; she was a new prisoner after all and had obviously been labelled an intruder.
Very few of the cells in this block contained prisoners though the few that did were not as heavily restrained. They still were kept restrained, however, since that was just Jhana’s policy. Wondering if Mirelle was in this block as well, Lanala turned her attention to her restraints and resumed her struggling.
Her legs were bound at the ankles and knees with thick, leather cuffs attached together by short chains. They rattled with each of her bound movements but there was no way she could hope to remove them. Especially not with her wrists tied behind her back by more leather cuffs, attached by yet another short chain. More leather cuffs also hugged her toned biceps and pulled her elbows close together behind her back. A single, wide strap completed her restraints, pinning her arms to her sides tightly and wrapping around the leather cuffs on her biceps.
Lanala didn’t know how necessary it was but she had also been gagged with a tight leather panel strapped on tightly behind her head. Something soft and chewy filled her mouth, attached to the panel that covered it.
Effectively silenced and restrained, Lanala could only try to struggle her way out. Of course, from there, it would be even more difficult as more guards patrolled this block than the transfer block and would notice if she wasn’t restrained. Not to mention the fact that Lanala’s barred cell door was also locked.
“Mmmmrrrgggh!” Lanala growled, frustrated at this turn of events. It had all seemed so easy when they were coming in. Get in, rescue Farrah, get out. That was all they needed to do. And the Director and picked her and Mirelle personally. Surely if even she was overseeing the mission then it would have gone better than this.
“Mmm mmmmph! Mmmp mmm mmmph!” Lanala grunted and mewled, angrily. Her restraints were far too tight to escape from and having to sit and wait, bound and gagged, yet again just made her even angrier.
A female guard stopped in front of her cell and tapped the bars. “Be quiet in there,” she said. “You’d best behave yourself until we decide what to do with you. It’ll only get worse if you keep making noise like that.”
“Mmmmph! Lmmmt mmm gmmm!”
The guard tapped the bars harder. “I said quiet, prisoner! Or do you have some kind of hearing problem?”
“Mmmm! Mmp mmm! Mmmmph!”
“Don’t make me warn you again, girl.”
“MMMMPPHH!”
“That’s it then,” the guard said, unlocking Lanala’s cell.
Trying to seize her opportunity, Lanala waited for the guard to get close and kicked out with her bound legs, trying to trip her up.
“Hey! What is this? You’re gonna wish you didn’t do that!”
The guard rolled Lanala over with surprising strength and grabbed a length of chain from her belt. She wrapped it around the chains binding Lanala’s ankle and wrists cuffs, pulling her into a tight hogtie. Plucking a heavy lock from a pouch at her belt, she snapped it shut to hold the lock in place.
Lanala snarled and growled into her gag at her new worsened confinement but the guard was having none of it.
“Quit your whining, prisoner. In fact, this ought to keep you nice and helpless.” She produced a thick, leather blindfold from her pouch and pulled it tight over Lanala’s eyes, strapping and locking it on behind her head. Now hogtied and blindfolded, Lanala stood even less chance of escape.
“Mmmmph! Mmmtmm mmm! Lmmmt mm gmmmm!”
“Shut it or you’ll get the muzzle. Do you want that?”
Lanala didn’t want to push this guard any further so didn’t protest into her gag anymore. But she continued struggling anyway, trying to get herself free.
“That’s better. Go ahead and try to get loose. You won’t be getting out of here, girl. And don’t make me come in here again. Got it?”
Lanala stopped struggling and nodded her head.
“Good. Don’t forget, I’m right outside in the hallway. Any more noise and it’s the muzzle for you.”
Lanala sighed into her gag and slumped onto the floor, her muscles already getting sore from her hogtie position. Now completely blind and helpless, Lanala could only wait and hope for rescue. This mission was now a total disaster.
...
Still keeping up her energy, Mirelle fought the restraints that kept her bound inside the tiny cell. It wasn’t doing her much good but her unbreakable spirit didn’t waver. Still, the restraints were giving her quite a frustrating time.
“Mmmmph...” she huffed, trying to catch her breath.
The guards had been simple when tying up Mirelle but they had also been quite thorough. Coarse rope encircled Mirelle’s body and no complicated restraints had been used on her. But that didn’t mean she could escape.
Her wrists were tied behind her back crossed over each other so that each hand was touching the opposite elbow. It was a difficult position to be sure but to make matters worse, her hands were also balled up inside soft but tight mittens that she couldn’t remove. This also meant that she couldn’t get a grip on any of the knots on the ropes that held her captive. Mirelle had a difficult time accepting it but she knew in the back of her mind that she was stuck. There was no way she was going to escape these ropes like this.
More of them framed her breasts from above and below while pinning her arms to her sides. A thick web of rope bound her wrists to the rope around her arms, pulling them up further, and hindering all but the tiniest of movements.
Her legs, too, were tightly tied together with more of the rope binding her at the ankles and above and below the knees. A soft sponge had also been stuffed in her mouth and held inside by a simple handkerchief carried by one of the guards. They had seemed unprepared for two prisoners so restrained Mirelle with some simple things they could find. But Mirelle had been tied up very well regardless and the women that tied her up seemed quite experienced with restraining prisoners.
“Mmmph!” Mirelle grunted into her gag as she tried to pull her wrists apart. The rope completely resisted her movements and held her as tight as ever.
Taking a look around, Mirelle couldn’t quite tell where she was. The detainment block would have made sense but she was tied up on a cold, concrete floor and she knew from the intel that the detainment block had softer surfaces. Perhaps they left her in one of the transfer blocks?
Mirelle squinted to try and see out into the dim hallway but she couldn’t make out any markings on the wall just outside her tiny cell. She sighed and leaned back against the wall.
Lanala must have been taken somewhere else. It couldn’t be an accident that the two allies were being held in separate locations.
Sudden movement from across the hallway in a larger cell brought Mirelle back to her current predicament. It looked like a woman, perhaps restrained in some way, struggling and moving around in the cell across from her. Her hair was blonde and she was quite large and muscular....
“Hmmmph!” Mirelle knew then where she was being held. She was staring across at Farrah, still heavily bound in black tape, gagged and mewling, fully restrained in the cell she had been left in. It seemed the guards hadn’t taken Mirelle far. It also meant that Mirelle herself was due to be transferred to the high security block right along with Farrah. If she couldn’t escape then she might be trapped here forever.
With this thought in mind, Mirelle ignored Farrah for now and began struggling harder against her unyielding bonds. There had to be a way to get free...
...
The security guard tried shuffling her chair out the door but Luna caught her and pulled the wheeled office chair back into the CCTV room.
“Mmmmph!” the woman cried into the duct tape wrapped around her head and sealing her mouth closed.
Artema and Luna had cloaked their way inside and gotten the drop on this small security woman, tying her to her chair and gagging her so they could get a good look at all the security feeds and figure out where Lanala and Mirelle were being held.
“Am I going to have to get more tape?’ Luna asked, leaning down into the woman’s face.
The woman’s eyes opened wide and she shook her head. “Mmm mmmm!”
“Good. Then stay put or I’ll tape you to the damn wall. Got it?”
“Mmm hmmm!”
“Luna, come look at this,” Artema said.
She pointed to one monitor for Luna to look at and stood back. “You see there? That’s where they were captured. Transfer block B. Notice anything different?”
Luna couldn’t really remember everything from the feed but she did recognize the squirming figure inside one of the cells. “Mirelle,” she said.
“Right across from Farrah. Still just the one guard on patrol, too. But I don’t think they’ll expect you to be coming this time.”
“You’re not coming with me?” Luna asked.
“I’ll leave you to rescue your girlfriend. I know you want to. But I’ve got someplace else to be.”
Artema pointed to another monitor which showed the feed from the Detainment block. In one of the cells, clear as day, Artema watched her hogtied wife struggle vigorously against tough leather restraints, utterly blindfolded and gagged.
“Oh. I see,” Luna said. “You go save your wife then.”
“I will,” Artema said. “And when I do, we’ll be back to help you extract Farrah and Mirelle. Okay?”
“We’re still going after Farrah?”
Artema growled under her breath. “I don’t want that damn Director breathing down my neck about her again. We’re bringing her back and we’re going to make sure Farrah stays put. All right?”
“Sure thing, ma’am. You think these things are charged yet?” Luna asked, motioning toward her left bicep.
“Here’s hoping. If not, Just grab Mirelle and get out of there. I’ll worry about Farrah. I’m not having you get captured too.”
“Okay, ma’am. Let’s go then.”
The two women went their separate ways and each headed after the loves of their lives, determined to rescue them from this insidious trap.
Artema pored over the blueprint to Jhana’s asylum, having etched it into her mind so well that it was like she owned the place herself. She followed long corridors, turning left and right and then left again to finally come to the detainment block. A gate barred her way and a guard stood on either side of it.
Artema stood out, clad in her white, skintight stealth suit, but she quickly tapped her arm and disappeared completely. Without knowing what was happening, both guards suddenly collided together, their heads knocking into each other, and both falling unconscious. A set of keys were then stolen from one of their belts and the gate to the Detainment block opened on its own.
It wasn’t a very big block so Artema found Lanala easily. Three guards patrolled the short halls. One of them bumped into someone and stopped dead. “Hey! Watch where you’re...” he paused and looked around. There was no one there in front of him. “Going. What the...?”
Before he could start moving again, something heavy collided with his forehead and knocked him out cold. He made quite a racket as he fell and another guard ran toward the sound. She noticed the guard slumped on the floor, lying on his back.
“Oh crap, Dan! What happened?” As she ran, however, she hit something solid and fell to the floor on her back as well. She didn’t even have the chance to get up when something else hit her in the head hard and knocked her out cold as well.
The final guard, the one who had hogtied Lanala, heard the commotion and stopped in front of Lanala’s cell when she heard the prisoner laughing behind her gag.
“What are you laughing at, girl? You want me to come in there and tie you up even tighter than last time? Shut up!”
“How about you take her place?” a strong, female voice said from behind her.
“Who the hell do you think...” the woman stopped when she didn’t see anyone. “Who said that?”
“I’m right here.” A huge, muscular woman appeared in front of her suddenly and she almost fell over in surprise.
“Holy... you can’t be here!” The woman was starting to look quite frightened, however, when the hulking woman started walking toward her.
“What was that you said to her? What did you say to my wife?”
“Your... um... what? St-stay back!”
“You got two options here,” Artema said, her voice devoid of emotion. “You untie that woman in there and take her place. Or....”
“Or what?”
Artema cracked her knuckles and slammed one fist into her hand. “You don’t want to know.”
“U-um... listen... y-you can’t threaten me like-”
“Oh? So you do want to do it the hard way?”
Artema took one step forward and the guard squealed with fright and plucked the keys from her belt, tossing them toward Artema. She held her hands up.
“Okay okay! I’ll do it! The keys there open the cell! Just please don’t hurt me!”
Artema bent down and picked up the keys. “Good choice. Now...” Artema unlocked the cell and slid the door open. “Get in there.”
“O-of course. Whatever you want.”
“Lay down on the floor on you stomach. And don’t try anything.”
“Y-yes, ma’am.”
With the guard doing as she asked, Artema knelt down to her wife and pulled the blindfold from her eyes. She smiled and planted a firm kiss on Lanala’s forehead.
“Rise and shine, dearest,” Artema said. “Your loving wife is here.”
“Mmmmph...”
“Did you ever doubt that I would come for you?”
“Mmm mmm,” Lanala said, shaking her head.
“Let’s get you out of here then.”
Artema released Lanala from her leather hogtie and helped her get to her feet. They embraced and shared a long, passionate kiss.
“I love you, Artema. Thank you.”
“And I love you, Lanala. Now, don’t you think it’s time we dealt with our guest?” Artema asked, indicating the guard on the floor.
Lanala grinned. “Of course, love. That’s an excellent idea.”
“H-hey, what do you mean by-mmmmph!” Artema quickly gagged the woman with the panel gag and Lanala tightened on the leather cuffs around her wrists. They continued like this until she was hogtied in the cell as Lanala had been moments earlier. Before they left, however, Lanala bent down to her with the blindfold in hand.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m sure someone will realize that you’re not a prisoner. Eventually. Maybe. Until then... nighty night!”
“Nmmmm! Mmmmtmm mmm! MMMMPPH!”
Lanala buckled on the blindfold and then followed her wife out of the cell, leaving the guard to struggled. Artema slammed the door shut and the two lovers stalked off down the corridor together to regroup with Luna.
...
The guard didn’t even know what had hit her. All she knew now was that she was hog-cuffed with her own handcuffs and leg irons and gagged with her own socks; one stuffed in her mouth and the other wrapped around it to keep the other inside. Someone or something had knocked her out and now she was trapped inside a cell, writhing and squirming, while someone she hadn’t seen enter freed a prisoner.
Mirelle squealed with delight when she saw her beautiful girlfriend appear in front of her cell and unlock the barred door. She was very grateful to be free of the tight ropes as well and planted a wet kiss on Luna's lips as soon as her gag was removed.
Luna pushed her back and smiled warmly. “Mirelle... time enough for that later.”
“Okay. I’m just so happy to see you! I didn’t know if I could escape on my own!”
“Well I’m here now, okay? I’ve got you. I’ll always be here for you. You’re my whole world.”
“Oh, Luna,” Mirelle said, wrapping her arms around Luna’s shoulders and planting another kiss on her lips. “You’re a treasure, you know that?” Mirelle said when she pulled back again.
“All right enough,” Luna said, a big smile on her face. “We need to get out of here. But, of course....”
“Oh, right. Our mission. Sorry we messed it up,” Mirelle said.
“You didn’t. It was a trap from the get-go. Someone set us up. Let’s just grab Farrah and get out of here.”
Farrah heard her name and perked up, dragging her bound form across the cell toward the bars. She screamed into her gag, begging for the agents to release her. “PLLLMMMPH! MMMTMMM MMM! MM BMMMG MMMF YMMM!”
Luna sighed. “Jeez, you’re a big baby. All right. Just hang on...”
Luna quietly unlocked her cell door and knelt down to the larger woman. With a knife in hand, she sawed away at the tough tape, finding it quite difficult to cut through.
“Just so you know,” Luna said, waving the small pocket knife in Farrah’s face. “When I untie you, you are not going to pull any shenanigans, you got that? You so much as lay a finger on my girlfriend and I’ll... you don’t want to know what I’ll do, all right?”
“Mmm hmmm!” Farrah said, nodding. “Mmmpht gmmt mmm mmt mmmph hmmr!”
It took Luna some time but she finally managed to cut Farrah free of all the tape and remove her thick and stifling gag.
“Thanks,” she said. “I guess... I guess I owe you. They would have made me a prisoner for life.”
“I’ll show you a prisoner for life,” a voice said from behind Luna.
Artema and Lanala had arrived, unhindered, and were standing behind Luna and Mirelle outside Farrah’s cell.
“Artema!” Farrah said. “Look, I’m sorry about-”
“Can it,” Artema said. “Your stupidity almost cost me two of my agents! One of them my own wife! Your job was to gather intel. That was it. Now you’ll have to be reassigned again. And I'm going to make sure you stay put until the job is done, damn it!”
“Artema, wait, you don’t have to-”
“Yes I damn well do! You are coming back with me. And be grateful I’m not dragging you back to HQ in chains because this will be the last time you’re not restrained until we get Jhana and Aurora. You hear me?”
“But Artema-”
“I said shut it! Now get moving. You try to run and I will track you down. And you don’t want me on your tail with the mood I’m in.”
Farrah sighed and slumped her shoulders. “Okay.... fine. Better with you than here, I guess.”
“All right then. Everyone, let’s move. They won’t stay distracted for long. Let’s get out of here before they raise the alarm again.”
The team moved quickly and found their way out of the asylum without raising the alarm. Taking the side entrance Luna and Artema had come in, they made their way back to their van and were safely off back home with their mission accomplished.
...
With Farrah tied up in a holding cell, Artema and Lanala finally headed back to their room and relaxed together in their underwear once more, cuddling up on the bed and just taking it easy. But Lanala could still sense the worry within her wife.
“You’re still not relaxed. We did it, you know?”
“Yeah... but we were set up. And it had to be the Director. Now we’ve got that lurking over our shoulders. I don’t know what else she’ll do but... I can’t help but be worried.”
“Jhana must have something on her. We catch Jhana and this will all go away. I’m sure the Director thinks that, too. We’ll be safe from here on out, Artema. Just trust me this time, okay?”
“Don’t forget who was right last time, Lanala. But I’ll trust you this time, all right?”
“Speaking of,” Lanala said, pressing herself closer to her wife. “I did lose a bet, remember?”
Artema furrowed her brow. “You still want me to tie you up? I thought after your time in that cell that you would need a break. That couldn’t have been easy on you.”
“You get me tied up for the whole day. That was the agreement. And I’ll always let you tie me up, darling. It wasn’t really fun in that cell. But when you do it, you’re so... strong. And careful. And sweet. And you make it fun for both of us. Plus, it’s way more exciting when a super hot, purple haired goddess ties me in soft, sensuous ropes.”
Artema flashed her a smile. “Super hot, huh?”
“You know it.”
“Well...” Artema said. “If I’m hot, I don’t know what that says about you.” A sly grin then crossed her face. “I’m going to have to ask you to put that out,” she said.
Lanala furrowed her brow. “What?”
“Your cigarette,” Artema said. “You’re breaking the rules because you’re smokin’.”
Lanala rolled her eyes and giggled. “Oh, shut your damn mouth! That’s cheesy as hell!”
“Hey, are you busy?” Artema asked, still grinning.
“Stop it! What are you-”
“You’re busy, aren’t you? In that case, can you add me to your to-do list?”
“Oh god, stop!” Lanala said with a laugh.
“You know, darlin’,”Artema began.
“Jeez, will you stop?” Lanala said, still giggling.
“You’re my favourite library book because I am checkin’ you out!”
Lanala just laughed again, unable to say anything at that point. Artema continued, getting up from the bed and grabbing a few coils of soft rope from the night stand. “Honey, I mean this one. Everyone thinks I’m gay.” Artema leaned down close to Lanala’s face and kissed her nose, pulling the rope taut in her hands. “Want to help me prove them right?”
“Damn right I do,” Lanala said.
From there for the two of them, everything else was a blur. But while they enjoyed each other, Artema’s mood rapidly increased as she spent time with her wife. In addition to that, she formulated a plan to solve one of their problems. She finally knew how they were going to capture Aurora.