Prologue
Her hand trembled slightly when she put his letter down. Evidently, it was a good thing she had taken the time to sit down before reading the curt note. He was willing to consider taking her back, but there were conditions; terrible conditions, horrendous conditions, unacceptable conditions, all of which were painstakingly spelt out. The details were graphic and left no room for misinterpretation and no loopholes for last minute ‘but I didn't know what I was getting into' retreats. Victor was offering her a one-way ticket for a voyage to the outer limits of her fantasies, then beyond them and yet, despite a dread that made her feel almost physically ill, Elena knew she was going to accept.
She'd spent the last six months in an effort to build a life apart from him; to excise him and all that he had come to represent from her mind. Elena had fled the city and gone to one where no one knew her, leaving her few friends and estranged family behind. By severing all connections to her former life she had hoped for a chance to start anew and break the spell he held over her, but it had all been in vain.
Instead of gradually fading away, with each passing day the allure of his power had only increased, until thoughts of him dominated her waking hours as well as her increasingly fitful sleep. In desperation, she had thrown herself into several affairs, but to no avail. None of her suitors had survived even the first week and so now she had returned; ready to admit her complete and utter defeat. There was no way to deal with her obsession but to give in to it and looking back, Elena realized that her attempt to escape Victor's compelling influence had been ill-conceived from the start, because it had not been his outrageous notions that had driven her away in the first place, but her own reaction towards them. Of course, she had been horrified when she learned to what extent his intentions surpassed her own half-formed fantasies of submission and slavery, but as soon as she had overcome the initial shock, his ideas had taken root in her subconscious. They had found fertile ground, then thrived and prospered there in the hidden depths until the seed he'd planted in her mind brought forth its ample fruit, and now, she had no choice other than to let him harvest what he had so masterfully sown.
Picking up the phone she dialled the number he had specified.
“Yes?” The familiar cadences of his voice sent shivers down her spine and she took a moment to calm her nerves before speaking. It would not do to stammer now.
“I accept.” There, she'd said it. Paradoxically, the act of surrendering her freedom was accompanied by a profound sense of liberation.
“Good! However, I'll need proof that you're serious. You've disappointed me once already and I hate being disappointed. You know what to do. I'll be watching your progress. Do not call me again. I will contact you when the time has come.” He cut the connection and she stared at the phone.
Once more, he had managed to surprise her. Elena had secretly hoped he would be as eager to come and take possession of her as she was to be owned by him, but instead, he expected her to redeem herself first. She did not know, exactly, what he wanted of her, but was determined to prove herself worthy.
Measured
Elena parked her car in the otherwise empty visitor's parking lot of the nondescript functional building. It had taken talking to her old scene acquaintances and some detective work to get this address. Fortunately, there were not many metalworking shops that specialised in the pertinent kind of merchandise and to her relief when she'd contacted the proprietor on the phone, it was confirmed that she was on the right track. Her call had been expected and she was assured that all of the necessary arrangements had been made. Courtesy of Victor, she had a private appointment this very Sunday.
With some trepidation, she got out of the car and walked the few steps to the recessed entrance, the clicking of her heels echoing loudly in the eerie silence, adding to her unease. In the blazing afternoon heat, the whole industrial area appeared deserted. She arrived at the door and self-consciously looked up at the security camera before she rang the bell and for a brief moment, hoped that no one would answer and thus she could leave again in full knowledge that she had done her part. The thought died a second later for the entry phone came to life with a crackle
“Yes?”
“It's Elena. We talked on the phone.”
“Right. Please come in.”
There was a muted click and she pushed the heavy door open. In the reception area beyond, she was greeted by a stocky man in his 50's wearing a wrinkled plaid shirt, sneakers and jeans and his greying hair stood out in every which way, as if he'd just scrambled out of bed. Nevertheless, he somehow managed to convey an impression of competence and trustworthiness.
“Hello! I'm Alex. Pleased to meet you.”
“Hello Alex.” Elena took the proffered hand which he began to pump enthusiastically. His eyes lit up appreciatively as he looked over her tall form.
“So you're Victor's Elena! Well, he's always had an eye for beauty, but from what he's told me, I'd have thought you were older.”
‘What had Victor said about her? And what other beauties had caught Victor's eye before her?'
An irrational bolt of jealousy cursed through her, but she was Victor's Elena to this man and so he had made his claim on her official already. She basked in that knowledge and her anxiety yielded to something akin of comfort, strengthening her resolve to see this through.
“I'm 27, why?”
“Indeed? I'd have put you at 23, max. Normally, I'm quite good at these things.” He shook his head in awe. “Victor has searched for a soul mate for a very long time now. You know what you're getting into, don't you? You must be very much in love with him to consent to what he wants. The various devices he requires you to be fitted with will stay with you until the end of your days, Elena. He's not pressuring you in any way, is he?”
Not knowing what to say, she merely stared at him in reply and it took all of her will power not to start trembling uncontrollably. The silence stretched while he continued to study her, then he seemed on the verge of saying something more, but apparently decided against it. Just before the situation turned awkward, Alex gestured towards a massive metal door to the right
“Please come with me.”
The adjoining room was large and filled with bulky equipment. He led the way through the maze of state-of-the-art, CNC lathes and milling machines until they reached an area dominated by a head high, rectangular metal frame arching over a low turntable. A number of movable appendages sprouted from the frame, mostly curved bars that supported small cameras at each end. Alex stopped in front of it and turned towards her.
“Please remove all of your clothing.”
“Excuse me?” Although she'd half-expected such a request, the offhand way it was made left Elena speechless, a feat rarely accomplished.
Alex noted her dumbfounded expression and smiled disarmingly. His sweeping gesture encompassed the contraption and the computer workstation next to it.
“What we have here is a Rotwang T3. It's the latest in 3D scanner and proto-typing technology. The data it provides allows me to create a detailed computer model of your body, anatomically correct down to the last mole. I need your digital replica to construct the devices Victor has specified and so for the scanner to do its work, you'll have to be completely naked.”
“Oh. OK,” Elena relented.
She had never been particularly shy, casually flaunting her lithe body with the self-assuredness of a woman that was well aware of her beauty and relished the attention it attracted. Elena was particularly proud of her flat belly and firm bottom, reckoning that they were more a product of her own athletic efforts than the hereditary gift of high breasts and small waist. In a moment, she'd slipped out of her heels and shed her light summer dress, revealing her underwear, or rather her complete lack thereof. To his credit, Alex did not even blink.
“Thank you. It's fortunate that Victor had you permanently epilated, so there's no need to shave off bothersome body hair first. Please allow me to put some reference points on your skin, as they'll enable the computer to create a detailed and accurate map of your limbs, head and body.” He produced some kind of marker pen and liberally sprinkled her body from head to toe with an irregular pattern of silvery dots, continuing his explanation while he worked. “Don't worry. The reflective ink can easily be washed off. The dots allow the computer to keep track of the spatial coordinates of each body part, even if you move. There, that's it. Now step on the turntable, please.”
Elena stepped up onto the dais beneath the metal arc while he sat down in front of the workstation
“Spread your arms and legs please, then try to keep as still as possible. The more you move, the longer the measuring process will take.”
He touched some keys and the platform started to turn slowly. At the same time, blades of bright light started to sweep her body, slowly and methodically passing up and down right from her toes to the top of her head. The process continued for some minutes, then, with a loud beep from the computer everything stopped. Alex helped her down and led her to a nearby chair
“OK, we're nearly done. Just a few more detailed scans.”
She silently watched him pull a mobile cart stacked with whirring electronics and topped by a large touch screen that would have looked right at home in some high tech hospital next to her seat. Attached to it via a narrow, umbilical cord was a hand-held unit, reminding her of a soldering iron capped by a tiny glass sphere. Alex busied himself with the controls and the glass tip began to pulsate with a strong blue light. Elena eyed it dubiously, but only when he knelt beside her and approached her face with the flashing business end of the gadget did she speak up
“What's that thing for?”
“It's called a scanning wand. I'm going to make some digital impressions of your oral and nasal cavities, so just relax and follow my instructions. Lay your head back, please.
She raised her eyebrows at this, but he chose to ignore her silent inquiry and so with a shrug she gave in to his request. One after the other, he inserted the head of the scanning wand deeply into each of her nostrils and apparently oblivious to her discomfort, he none too gently tilted it to and fro while intently staring at the machine's screen. Subsequently, he proceeded to her mouth and repeated the procedure with enervating thoroughness. She had to open as wide as possible and also move her tongue around to accommodate the inquisitorial intruder. The muscles of her jaw burned dully by the time he finally retracted the wand. The scanning of her ears was a lot less aggravating in comparison, although he pushed the probe as deep into the ear canals as it would go, but he wasn't finished yet.
“One more thing. Now, I want you stand again and spread your legs.”
“Do I really need to?” She started to protest instinctively, but already knowing the answer she was going to receive.
“Yes.”
The simple statement denied her any bargaining leverage. Elena hesitated for a moment, then with manifest reluctance acquiesced to his demand. After all, she had come here ready to accept far worse than what had been asked of her so far and besides, she had vowed to herself to never to betray Victor's trust in her again. So when Alex asked, she meekly rose from the chair and spread her nether lips with her manicured fingers, opening herself for his deep probing. The process was a long and intimate one while he surveyed and recorded each square millimetre of her genitals, but she endured the humiliating examination stoically. Elena was heartily glad when he straightened with a sigh and pronounced his measurements complete.
“Looks like I've got all the data I need. Thanks for your patience. It's been appreciated.”
“You're welcome. But why stop halfway? Maybe you'd care to do a colonoscopy as well?” she quipped.
He winced at the heavy sarcasm colouring her voice, but without further ado directed her to a door at the back of the room.
“No. We've done all we can for today. Through that door you'll find the lavatory to the right. It has a shower stall where you can wash the ink off. Here, take your clothes with you,” he added and allowed himself a leering grin. “Regrettably, I've run out of reasons to keep you naked.”
Quite a while later, freshly showered and dressed once again, Elena rejoined Alex in the workshop. Contrary to his claims, the marker ink had valiantly resisted her efforts to wash it off and afterwards, she had felt the need to take a time-out while luxuriating in the shower's warm spray. She found Alex standing beside one of the CNC milling machines, watching it process a fist-sized block of transparent resin. The machine completed its noisy work shortly after her arrival and Alex placed the finished product in an open cardboard box that already contained a couple of similar items.
“Take these templates along when you get your piercings done. They'll ensure that everything will fit perfectly, later on. Victor has made an appointment for your piercings to be done on Friday, with the best piercing expert you'll find anywhere, I might add. Here's the address.”
He flashed a business card at her, then put it into the box and closed the lid before handing it to her. Elena accepted it with well-founded trepidation, for Victor had never made a secret of his fascination with body modifications, especially as a means to exert control and discipline. If she'd ever harboured any doubts about that, his letter had disabused her of them once and for all. Although she'd had her navel pierced a few years back, the prospect of being comprehensively pierced in line with Victor's wishes frightened her deeply. Yet, despite herself, excitement laced her anxiety. To imagine how the very flesh of her body would be held captive and thus be holding her entire person captive was highly erotic and undeniably arousing. Oblivious of her inner turmoil, Alex continued to lay out the course Victor had set for her.
“I'll need about six weeks to manufacture your restraints. The material Victor has specified is hard to come by, and harder still to machine.” He deliberated for a moment before he went on, “I reckon I'll have everything ready around the 21st next month. That should give your piercings plenty of time to heal and so I'd like to schedule the fitting of all your equipment for the following Sunday, the 24th, if that's OK with you?” He paused and looked at her challengingly, daring her to back off, now that her freedom had an expiry date.
‘Less than two months before my slavery becomes irrevocable.' The thought was chilling and thrilling at the same time, but immediately, another worrisome notion entered her mind. ‘Would that translate into almost two more lost months before she could be together with Victor again as well?' Although Elena was still catching up with the implications of Alex' news, she was loath to give him any reason to doubt her commitment
“Perfect, I'll be here on the 24th.”