How Heroes are created 2

It was rather late in the evening when Mike finally left the club. He felt a bit dizzy, though he had had just one more Whiskey with Bishop and Steele. However, the combination of yet another cigar and the overload of information had been a bit straining and so, he was happy to be able to breathe fresh air again.

»Tomorrow will be quite tough, but perhaps, I can be with Belle by the evening!«

He quickly checked his to-do-list: Bishop had given him the address of a man who could equip him with some gimmicks that were usually reserved for people who were still in active service. Then, he wanted to visit the newspaper for which Laila had worked. If nothing got in his way, he could get a ferry in the early afternoon and then, he could perhaps try to find a trace of Laila in Calais before he went to the sanatorium.

His thoughts wandered from Isabelle to Lioba. During the last days, before he had left for England, they had seen each other quite often. He had helped her to get some things to a warehouse, since she wanted to move to another apartment, but of course, she did not want to buy new furniture, too. Except for an occasional hug, there had been no physical contact between them, but Mike had felt that if one of them had made a false move, so to say, it could have ended in more.

»Poor girl!«, he thought, though he was partially responsible for Lioba`s distress. It was not that she had been pining for him since their break-up 11 years earlier; she had had a few relationships and in addition, she had quite a successful career. But currently, she was alone and the last man to kiss her – and to see her naked – had been him, though the latter could also be said about a few criminals who had assaulted her home. Mike was sure that the fact he had saved her from said criminals could have influenced the way she saw him, but he had to admit that there still was some chemistry between them.

Deep in his thoughts, he walked along the streets and though he instinctively found his way towards his hotel, he suddenly bumped into someone. It was a tallish man who apologized though it had been Mike who hadn`t looked for his way. Mike was about to say something polite and head on when he suddenly frowned. His eyes had fallen on the woman aside the man.

»My mother won`t believe me – Kate Beckinsale in person!«

The woman, a brunette in her early 30ies, indeed showed a strong resemblance to the actress. She now had recognized him, too, and showed a mixture of joy, curiosity and a considerable bashfulness.

A few months ago, when he and Isabelle had had some encounters with a bunch of gangsters at Malta, he had met Cordelia White, an acquaintance of Isabelle from a previous investigation – the same that had also involved him and Ahmed Ibn Badr, though he had not met Cordelia on that occasion.

Cordelia had also fallen victim to the Maltese gangsters and though Mike had been able to be helpful towards her, too, he had also seen her completely in the nude, a fact that explained her rather coy reaction to meeting him. The man now looked at Mike with a curious smile, too. Mike quickly considered if a hug or shaking hands with Cordelia would be better and decided for the latter.

»Cordelia, how nice to see you! I must tell Isabelle!«

He noticed that the man slightly relaxed when he mentioned another woman. Cordelia introduced them to each other:

»Mike, that`s Dr. David Brough, a colleague of mine. David, that`s Mike Dunbar, a – an acquaintance from my visit to Malta!«

»That sounds as if we have had an affair!«, Mike thought as he and Brough shook hands. He was sure that the man was more than just a colleague and he noticed the slight jealousy most men showed if they were confronted with some man from their partner`s past. Cordelia obviously tried to make clear that their relationship had been strictly platonic and so, she asked:

»So, where`s Isabelle? Are you on holiday, too?«

»She`s at a spa on the Continent«, he explained, avoiding to mention it was actually a sanatorium.

»I had some business to do in my hometown, but tomorrow, I will leave for France!«

»You too?«, Cordelia replied and so, the three went to a nearby bar for a drink. It turned out that the next day, Cordelia and David would also go to Calais; they had even booked a passage on the ferry Mike had decided to take.

»We both still had one week of holiday left and so, I asked Cordelia if she wanted to join me if I would explore what once was ours!«

David smiled at the mentioning of the fact that until 1558, Calais had been British. He was also a lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and since he was an expert on the history of law, he also knew a lot about history in general. Mike and him got on well; obviously, he no longer saw a potential threat in him. Once and awhile, he reached for Cordelia`s hand during the conversation, but either both were quite shy or their relationship was still growing to become something serious.

 »By sheer coincidence, I got an invitation for a symposium at Boulogne. Luckily, it`s just for two day, so, we still have some time to explore the country!«, Cordelia added. She looked at him and asked:

»So, you are a businessman now?«

It was the first time she saw him in a suit and Mike had to oppress the thought that Cordelia looked quite different from when he had last seen her, too. In fact, he could very well remember her nicely rounded breasts and a detail that didn`t seem to fit her modest appearance: her shaved pubic mound.

Now, she was wearing a beige dress with a matching bolero jacket and the only slight deviation from modesty was the fact that her skirt was rather short, emphasizing her long, shapely legs.

»Well, actually, I hope the next occasion on which I have to wear a bow tie will be when I finally meet Isabelle`s Maman!«

The others laughed politely and they had some more small talk before they parted. They would see each other on the ferry the next day and he had also exchanged numbers with Cordelia, for she wanted to see if she found time to visit Isabelle, too.

»Well, maybe, I have been successful in finding Laila before that and we can have a civilized meeting with tea and cake!«, Mike thought on his way to his hotel. However, if Steele was not just overreacting because his only child had not called him for a few days (Laila was 26, after all), it could be that there would be a few obstacles between him and a leisurely tea party.

***

Samantha ha quickly found out that her bonds were simple, but efficient. The ropes around her wrists were tight, though they didn`t block her circulation completely, and the knots were out of reach for her fingers. The lying position was tolerable, though she couldn`t move around much, and she had also more or less come to terms with the lump of cloth in her mouth. However, the tedium and the blindfolded darkness tore on her nerves.

She had tried to communicate with her fellow prisoner, but either the other girl had not been able to remove her headphones and didn`t know about her presence or she was under the influence of something, for except for an occasional mew, she could hardly hear anything from her. Samantha had on one occasion even tried to hum a melody she knew Isabelle would have recognized, but there had been no answer.

»Perhaps, it`s really not her! But what the hell is going on here?«

Finally, there was the sound of a heavy metal door opening. A second later, it fell shut again and then, though she could not see it through the mask, Samantha was sure that a light had been switched on. She raised her head and looked into the direction of the sound.

»So, you took off your headphones?«

It was a male voice, emotionless and Samantha had never heard it before. Steps approached the bed and the headphones were removed completely. Then, the man said:

»This time, you won`t be punished for you didn`t know it. Next time, you will.«

He said it in an almost casual way. Then, he obviously walked over to the second captive and took of her headphones, too, for Samantha heard some rustling and moaning close to her. Then, he came back for her and a moment later, the sleeping mask was pulled from her eyes.

Samantha blinked as the bright neon light hit her eyes. Then, she looked up at her captor. He was a tallish man in plain clothes and he sported a black hood mask that only showed his eyes. In his belt, Samantha also noticed a gun.

»Mph!«

She turned her head and saw that there was a second bed. On it, a girl was lying, tied up like her and her lips plastered with some strips of tape. She was blonde and though Samantha had no idea who she was, she had a feeling that she had seen that face before. Her co-captive stared at her with eyes like saucers and Samantha also saw that she was wearing the white uniform of the sanatorium`s employees, similar to a nurse`s uniform.

The man stood between the beds, so both captives could see him clearly. Again with this emotionless voice, he told them:

»You are not our main targets. So, if you behave well, you may survive this unharmed. If not, you will get harmed, depending on the grade of your disobedience. Now, however, I will give the two of you the benefit of doubt and grant you some privileges: I will spare you the headphones and masks and also leave the light on. Later, I will see for your physical needs.«

He looked to the corner where Samantha could see a few bottles of water and a plastic bucket with a lid and a roll of toilet paper placed on top. Obviously, this was rather economy class.

»Mhhmmm! Uuhmmph!«

Her co-captive protested through her gag and the man looked at her.

»Do you have any complaints, Manu?«

The blonde again moaned and squirmed in her bonds. Samantha, who had noticed a threatening undertone in the man`s voice, tried to signal with her eyes that Manu should remain calm.

»This is not a hotel! Now, shut up – or face the consequences!«

»Hhrrrrrmmmmm!«

The man raised his fist, but he didn`t beat Manu. Instead, he silently began to count whilst waiting for Manu to calm down. Finally, the girl stopped struggling and stared at him, her chest heaving. The man looked at his raised hand.

»That have been 13 seconds until you followed my order. Since each five seconds equal one penalty point, you have earned yourself three of those!«

Manu let out a faint sound and the man coldly said:

»Now, it`s four!«

He bent over the bed and put the mask back over Manu`s eyes.

»One!«

 The girl remained silent now, but Samantha could hear her heavy breathing. Now, the headphones followed.

»Two!«

The announcement was rather meant for Samantha who now watched with a mixture of fear, pity and curiosity. Manu`s »privileges« had gone, but still, there were two more penalty points.

She gasped as the man now ripped away Manu`s white smock with considerable strength. The girl pulled on her bonds and screamed through her gag, but the man just pulled, tearing the seams and throwing the pieces to the floor.

»Three!«

The last penalty was that he ripped away Manu`s T-Shirt, too. This came off more easily, but now, the girl was just clad in her white bra and an also white, but transparent pantyhose. Samantha could see the front panel of her panties through it: white cotton ones, with small red hearts on it. She guessed that Manu was at least her age, but these girlie panties made her look very young.

Whilst the man collected the remnants of Manu`s clothes, Samantha was very aware of her own clothing: Beside her panties, bra and pantyhose, she only wore her short dress. She would not be able to allow herself many penalty points.

»See you later!«

Taking the rags with him, the man left. Samantha stared at the solid iron door whilst beside her, Manu was whimpering faintly.

***

Cordelia had mixed feelings as the door of her hotel room fell shut behind her. On her lips, she still tasted David`s goodbye kiss. Should she have invited him to come in? She sighed. Things were going on slow, but since she liked the direction their relationship had taken, Cordelia had decided not to rush things up.

When she had returned from Malta, Dr. David Brough had been at the airport – without flowers, but he had been there and though she had not gone out with him on that occasion, it had been when he had started to court her. And so, after a while, both themselves and their friends and colleagues had begun to see Cordelia and David as a couple.

So far, their relationship could hardly be called R-rated. They kissed and held hands in public and right now, they were having a holiday trip together, but they still slept in different rooms. Somehow, Cordelia was sure that they would take the next step during the next few days, but today, she was glad that David had not tried too hard to go further. Cordelia had not feared getting more intimate with him – she had feared that he would ask her about her past.

She had noticed David`s reaction on Mike: first, there had been a slight jealousy. After all, Mike was about her age, wasn`t that ugly and also knew her from the past. Then, at the bar, she had noticed that David had relaxed as Mike had spoken about Isabelle. Obviously, the two were still having a relationship and Cordelia thought that the two made up a cute couple.

However, David was of course a bit curious about who Mike was and if he asked, Cordelia would have two unpleasant possibilities: she could either lie or tell David about her ordeal during the last months.

»Well, Mike has seen me naked, but that was just because my kidnappers had stripped me completely! By the way, they were White Slavers! The woman who bought me paid a fortune, isn`t that flattering?«

Cordelia shuddered. She had told David that she had had some problems with gangsters when being at Malta and that she would tell him more on time. So far, he had respected her boundaries, but now, perhaps, the presence of Mike would accelerate things. She giggled.

»Perhaps, I should follow the advice of my cousin Ruth: if you don`t want to talk, just kiss! And if that doesn`t work any longer, go further!«

Ruth was now married for twelve years and she and her husband didn`t seem unhappy. So, she would maybe fall back on Ruth`s advice!

***

The lid above her opened, but the woman didn`t do more than just look up. She knew that it was just out of her reach and when, on her first night, she had thrown her shoe after the man talking to her, he had just laughed and it had cost her one precious item of clothing, for now, the sneaker was lying out of reach, too.

»Now, are you still refusing to be upgraded, Laila? You know, things could be so much easier.«

Laila answered by showing him her middle finger and the man of whom she could only see a shadow laughed. He could see that Laila`s strength was vanishing.

»I will ask you again – tomorrow!«

The lid fell shut. Laila let herself sink back against the rock she was tied to. Now, with her captor away, she allowed herself to sling her arms around her upper body, as a little protection against the cold.

She didn`t know exactly how long she was here now. The only equivalent of a clock she had counted in intervals of six hours – the change of ebb and flood. Three days, maybe four. The attack on the dark parking lot had been swift and Laila had been chloroformed before she even had been able to squirm much. And when she had woken up, she had been in her prison.

It was some cave or dungeon, lit only by an electric light that was on 24 hours a day. However, Laila was sure that the light was no sign of mercy, but instead, her captors wanted her to see her predicament better.

She was chained to the wall by an iron collar around her neck. This chain was some five yards in length, allowing Laila to walk around in her cell – or rather stagger, for her ankles were cuffed, too. Her arms were free, but that didn`t help much, for the chain was unyielding, as were the padlocks securing her gag.

Laila`s mouth was stuffed by a large spongy ball that filled her oral cavity completely. In the middle of that ball was a thin tube that was fixed to the leather pad that covered her mouth and was held in place by a number of straps that were buckled and padlocked at the back of her head. She had been gagged like that for her entire captivity, but she had found a number of plastic bottles, each equipped with a short tube. If she put the tube into the small opening in her gag, Laila could drink water or some of the vile tasting nutrition fluid they had given to her. The bottles had not been changed since she had been brought here and Laila wondered if they would let her starve once they were empty.

Of course, she had tried everything when she had woken up. She had pulled on her chains, tried to break them open and she had screamed into the nerf ball in her mouth until she had felt hoarse. She had then tried to work on her gag more methodically. It was adding to her frustration that she had her hands free, but was unable to remove it. Finally, she had just sat down, her head embedded on her knees and her arms slung around her body, and sobbed.

When the man had first appeared in the lid, she had, in a new outburst of rage, thrown a bottle and then one of her sneakers at him, but all had been to no avail.

At his first visit, he had told her what he wanted: the names of her informants. Laila knew that if she gave him these names, these brave men and women would be doomed. Some of them lived in Saudi Arabia and her captor spoke Arabic, though he sometimes fell into an upper class English, indicating he was an educated man.

So, Laila had refused, even when he had offered her, albeit not freedom, to be treated much better.

»I will ask again tomorrow«, had been his only reaction to her refusal and so, it had been on every occasion when he had asked her again. However, a few hours after his first visit, Laila had learned about her prison`s greatest perfidy.

She was chained at the end of what looked a bit like a ramp, for the floor was sloping. After some four yards, it ended at the water and the stench told Laila that it was sea water. And then, she had seen that her prison was indeed in contact with the sea – so close that ebb and flood found their way in, too!

Laila had screamed as the water had risen higher and higher. It had risen to the wall she was chained to, only stopping when it had reached her ankles. Laila had stood until the water had withdrawn and then, her wet feet had added to her discomfort.

She had no idea whether the amount of water was controlled by a valve or if it had to do with the influence of the moon, but the next time, the water had risen even higher, up to her knees this time. And that had only been the beginning.

When she had accepted that there was no escape, she had tried to adjust to her imprisonment. Not that there was much she could do. She had to sleep on the bare rock, often in a fetal position, for she was trembling from the cold. After just one night, Laila was completely exhausted, but she decided to persist as long as possible.

During ebb, she walked around and even did some exercises, not only to pass time or to ease the pain in her aching body, but also to shoo away the cold from her limbs. Being gagged all the time caused her to get out of breath quickly, but so far, Laila had not given in.

The only sign of humanity from her captors was a roll of toilet paper and it had become Laila`s main goal to keep that dry. As long as she had that, she was not reduced to a caged animal. She feared that they were observing her via a hidden camera, even when she was relieving herself, but so far, she had managed to at least not to sit in her own mess.

»At least, my cell has got a flush – though it might be a bit over-dimensioned!«, Laila had told herself, trying some gallows` humor as the flood had risen the second time. The third time, the water had risen to her waist and after some time, she had been forced to sit down from exhaustion. She was totally trenched, her clothes stank and she felt salt all over her body, but so far, she had not given in to her captors` demands.

However, there was one thing that concerned her the most: the traces on the walls showed that the water could flood the cell completely – and Laila knew that this would happen, sooner or later, as long as she refused to become a traitor to her informants.

***

Freezing was the least problem Samantha was facing, for the room she and Manu were locked in was rather warm. She guessed from the pipes near the ceiling that it was some maintenance room of the heating system. And given the fact that she had been attacked on the corridor of the sanatorium and Manu had been wearing a nurse uniform before the man had stripped her to her underwear, she was sure that they were somewhere in the cellar of the clinic.

With little else to do, Samantha had tried to figure out how exactly they were bound. After all, she could look at Manu all she wanted and the blindfolded girl would not even notice it. Perhaps, she could figure out a way of getting free.

The beds had old-fashioned steel frames with posts and the bare mattresses they were lying upon looked as if they had seen better times. Samantha concentrated on Manu`s wrist ties. It seemed that the hands were tied to the posts, so she could not reach for her head; then, the ends had been brought to the middle of the bed`s short end, had been slung around Manu`s neck and then knotted at her nape. It was simple, but effective, for it kept the knots out of reach and prevented her from raising her head.

Samantha felt that she had been tied the same way and tried to figure out any weakness in her bondage. She distorted her neck and since the ropes were loose enough not to strangle her, she could get a glimpse of the knots.

»If I were ungagged, I could perhaps chew on the rope!«

»Yes, and if Maman had wheels, she would be a bus!«, she thought immediately after. Then, however, she began to analyze her gag meticulously. Her lips were sealed by several strips of tape, but it didn`t go around her head.

»Perhaps, if I rub my cheek against the mattress, I can peel it off!«

She tried to do so and felt the rough material rub over her skin.

»That`s good! If it is rough, the tape will get off more easily and in addition, I could need a peeling anyway!«

So, Samantha began to press her cheek against the mattress and moved her head. Whenever her neck ached or she had to pause from exhaustion, she chewed on her gag. The cloth had soaked her saliva and by biting down on it, she could get it a bit smaller. It wasn`t much, but it allowed her to push against it with her tongue a bit. Building a second front against the tape barrier, so to say.

Soon, Samantha was sweating profusely, but she told herself that this was good, too, for it would reduce the stickiness of the tape clinging to her skin. Samantha doubled her efforts, moving her lips in ways that even in her predicament, she was glad nobody could take a picture of how ridiculous she looked.

There! Samantha felt some fibers of the mattress tickle the corner of her mouth, indicating that the tape was coming off. She slowly turned her head, hoping that the loose edge would stick to the mattress. At the same time, she again pushed against her gag and though her tongue felt as if it had muscle aches, she persisted. Slowly, millimeter for millimeter, she now was able to work the gag out of her mouth.

»Phew!«

With the tape still on her right cheek, Samantha paused, panting and licking her parched lips. Her eyes fell on the iron door and she hoped that the man would not come back right now.

»I have no idea how many penalty points this will get me, but I can definitely live with lacking that knowledge!«

Now, she could try her best in working on the ropes with her teeth. It was easier said than done, for she could not get close to the knots, but at least, she could grab the rope and chew on it. The girl literally had to gnaw the cord and besides, the only way of keeping it taut was to raise her head so the rope tightened around her neck.

All the time, Samantha waited for a strong hand to grab her scalp, followed by a slap on her cheek and a harsh voice shouting: »What the hell you think you are doing, Bitch?«

Finally, the rope more and more frayed and then, by a determined twitch of her head, Samantha could rip it apart. She already felt some slack at her wrists and after a few seconds, she had wriggled herself free. Samantha rubbed her wrists and panted.

»Hey, Manu, you lazy cow, at least, I did something whilst you were just chilling!«, she croaked. The blonde, unable to see or hear her, didn`t react. Samantha worked on the rope tying her ankles. Her fingers were numb, but at least, she could give her jaws and teeth a brake. Once she was free, she sneaked over to the other bed. Manu squirmed and mewed when she sat down on the mattress and Samantha took off the headphones, followed by the sleeping mask. Manu stared at her with eyes like saucers.

»We are not free yet! So, if I take off your gag, don`t scream! You got me? Don`t! Scream!«

She grabbed the blonde`s chin and repeated her words until Manu blinked and nodded slightly. Samantha forced a smile on her lips and whispered:

»Good! Now, close your eyes and think of Choux de Bruxelles!«

»Mhmm?«

Samantha had just mentioned Brussels sprouts, the most disgusting dish she could think of. She had no idea whether Manu`s taste was the same, but it was meant as a distraction anyway. With one yank, she ripped of the tape from Manu`s lips, causing her to whimper from pain. Before Manu could even think of spitting out her gag, Samantha pressed her hand on the other`s mouth.

»Don`t! Scream!«

»Mph!«

Now, Manu glanced angrily at her and Samantha helped her to work the gag from her mouth. Manu panted and when she opened her mouth, Samantha raised her index finger, preparing to silence the blonde, but she just croaked:

»Th- thank you!«

»Welcome! By the way, I am Samantha!«, she said, beginning to work on the knots at the back of Manu`s neck.

»Emanuelle!«, the blonde breathed and though Samantha was no great fan of jokes with names, she asked:

»Really? Your parents named you after a porn star?«

»Fuck off!«, Manu spat, followed by some chortles that could be attempts of oppressing a laugh. Samantha smiled, too. An angry Manu would be a better ally in their escape attempt than a fearful one.

She had loosened the knots and freed Manu`s wrists. Then, whilst the blonde freed her ankles, Samantha checked the room for anything that could be helpful.

However, the room was »what you see is what you get«. Except for the two beds, there were just the few plastic bottles, the bucket and the roll of toilet paper. Samantha even looked under the beds, but there, she only spotted some dust.

A muffled curse interrupted her and she looked at the bed where Manu was sitting, obviously unable to undo the knots with her trembling fingers. Her eyes had filled with tears and Samantha saw that she was about to cry.

»Allow me!«

She quickly undid the rope, ready to throw herself on Manu if she started yelling. Once her feet were free, she hugged the blonde who cuddled against her. She heard Manu sniffle and she felt tears come up, too. Taking all her strength together, she took Manu`s head between her hands, forced her to look at her and placed a kiss on the other`s lips. Manu protested with a strange sound and stared at her, her mouth open.

»If I am supposed to be the hero in this room, I can also just kiss the helpless damsel!«, Samantha said with a forced smile. Manu`s lips trembled and Samantha could feel her breasts heave as she took a few deep breaths. Then, she wiped her eyes and sniffled again.

»Ew, gross! Here, use that as a handkerchief!«, Samantha said in exaggerated disgust and handed the toilet paper to Manu. The girl cleared her nose and then, she asked:

»Who are you? And who is this man? I mean, what is this all about?«

»I was hoping you could tell me that! After all, you have enjoyed the dubious hospitality of that jerk a little longer!«

She sat beside Manu and took her in her arms again, trying to express much more strength than she actually was having.

»Well, it seems like it is as they always say in ›The X Files‹«, she said, pointing at the iron door, »the truth is out there!«

***