As the hose was slotted into place with the clang of metal, the exact nature of Sophie’s peril became readily apparent, and within the glass tube that served as her prison, the beautiful brunette renewed her struggles, ignoring the burning ache in her arms and shoulders from being suspended by her wrists for so long. As before, neither the metal cuffs binding them together nor the length of stout chain from which she hung showed any sign of loosening, and through the length of rubber hose digging painfully into the corners of her mouth came a pathetic cry of despair. “Mmmmpppggghh! MMMMMPPGGGGHH!”

“Cease your bleating,” the figure on the other side of the glass snapped back with a voice rendered unidentifiable by electronic distortion, dark eyes staring balefully at her from beneath the shroud of a deep cowl and black featureless mask, sending a shudder of purest terror running along Sophie’s spine. “Of all the women I’ve tested, I would like to think that the famous Sophie Graham, renowned private detective, would possess a measure of steel.”

“Mmmmpggghh!” Sophie shouted in answer, caught between the fear of her peril and the frustration over having been kidnapped in the first place. For the past few weeks, the local news channels had spoken of little else but the Adjudicator, a criminal preying upon the city’s female population, a psychopath who delighted in kidnapping women to place into deathtraps. Every few days, a fresh story made the rounds of some innocent victim being rescued from whatever peril the Adjudicator had placed her in, and while fortunately no one had died yet, that good luck could not last forever. For all the good they’d done in finding those kidnapped in the nick of time, the police still had no leads pointing towards the Adjudicator’s true identity. Sophie had been quick to offer her services in catching the kidnapper, even going so far as to forgo her usual consulting fee, but she too was left stumped, the tenacious mind that had helped bring down corrupt politicians and street gangs alike as yet unable to crack the case. It didn’t help matters that there seemed to be no pattern to the kidnappings, their locations scattered almost at random across the city, and with a list of victims ranging from new immigrants, college students and white-collar businesswomen alike.

And now beautiful private eyes. The slight prick of a needle at her neck was all the warning Sophie received, the drug taking effect with startling speed, and when she at last awoke, the parking garage beneath police headquarters had been replaced with what appeared to be an old warehouse, everything more than a few metres away so deeply veiled in shadow not even her sharp grey eyes could penetrate the gloom. She’d been sealed inside a great glass tube like some sort of medical specimen on display, swaying helplessly by her cuffed wrists, while a second pair bound her ankles together. She was still clad in her usual attire of a black button-up shirt, dark pants and knee-high black leather boots, all tailored to flatter her willowy figure, but that was small consolation when left at the mercy of the city’s most infamous criminal. “I have often heard of your intelligence and courage, Ms. Graham,” the Adjudicator proclaimed, picking up the other end of the hose. Between the poor lighting of the warehouse and combination of mask and cowl, Sophie found it impossible to determine who was responsible for her current peril. For that mater, she wasn’t entirely certain if the Adjudicator was a man or woman, for the heavy black robes did an excellent job in rendering the figure shapeless and indistinctive. “I admire such virtues, I truly do. But they mean nothing if they are not tested, which is why you are here tonight.” Retreating for a moment, the Adjudicator must have connected the hose to something out in the darkness, for another heavy metallic clank sounded to reverberate through the glass. “Let us see whether you or the police actually have the strength to serve our city.”

Then there was the harsh rattle of a pump clattering to life, and Sophie offered a muffled scream as water began gushing along the hose and into the bottom of the tube, slowly filling it up. “It will take an hour before you are completely submerged, and the tube is watertight, so there will be no leaks to slow its rise,” the Adjudicator said calmly.

“MMMMPPGGGHHHH!” Sophie screamed, buckled in her chains like a woman possessed. Water began lapping at the soles of her boots, and the terror was overwhelming now, grey eyes staring in horror at the Adjudicator, then the rising waters, and back again. “MMMMPPGGGGHHHH!”

“Such perils are instructive, Ms. Graham, for they show precisely what you are made of. I’d advise you stay calm. After all, the police may not arrive in time to save you…”