There was a flash of white for a moment as the lamp fizzled out. Toni flicked it several more times, trying to see if it would work. It didn’t. She swore, loudly, then swore quietly when she realized she’d given away her position.

Toni resorted to feeling around in the dark, looking for another way out, another door. She hadn’t quite seen the entire room. The manager’s room of an old but still-in-use warehouse… She imagined that she could figure it out on her own, but as she started to paw in the darkness, she realized that she was probably trapped.

A crash outside. Toni knew that her pursuer had probably figured out where she was. She could only have been delayed so long in the maze-like layout of the warehouse’s endless boxes and shelves. And then… the light, that damn light. She swore again. She was an administrator, not an athlete; after all, she was the shortest person in the office at barely five feet tall. She ran her fingers through her short, dark hair in growing frustration.

She found something as she fumbled in the darkness. Her hand pressed forward, and the sudden feeling of cool air on her hands and skin made her gasp. She’d ripped open a tarp that had been used in lieu of a real window, and now there was an opening out of the warehouse’s office and into freedom. She poked her head out the window, seeing if there was a fire escape.

There had been. Toni felt her heart drop, and also her stomach. She was three floors up, and the fire escape was a rusted heap below. This place was not up to code. Toni knew that she was running out of time. She could jump, or she could hide.

Knowing that jumping was likely suicide, she elected to hide. She threw the tarp to the ground outside, tearing it and throwing it to make it look as if she’d attempted a jump. Hopefully the cold night air and the visible window would be enough of a distraction.

With just enough moonlight to move, she crawled underneath a desk, shoving the desk chair out of the way, and got ready to hold her breath. She waited either a minute, or an hour; she couldn’t tell, and every second felt longer and longer. Every moment felt like she was ready to cry out, to move, to go back and jump - she just wasn’t sure.

When the door finally opened, she held her breath, quivered quietly, and prepared to wait as long as she needed. It was as if she’d rehearsed this moment in her head for hours.

Thump. A tall, black leather boot with high heels kicked open the door. It flew against the wall, leaving its hinges and clattering to the ground. Toni was absolutely quiet, stock-still as she saw that same boot move forward. A woman took a few tentative steps into the room - the same black leather-clad woman that had chased her earlier.

The boots matched the suit. Some kind of shiny material that Toni assumed was leather. Tall, with high heels, but imposing. Somewhere less than militaristic; too slim and visually slender to be army boots. They were worn by a powerfully built woman that had pursued her for nearly twenty minutes over a city block and a sprawling warehouse. Toni’s eyes narrowed as her pursuer took steps into the room, walking over towards the open window… and leaning out , just a bit. Not enough for Toni to feel like she could make a move, but enough to indicate that yes - she was taking the bait.

That was when the rehearsal fell apart.

“TARGET IS NOT BELOW,” said the chaser in that same monotone voice. That was when a second woman entered, clad in the same black with a red visor. It stomped into the room and leaned down to spot Toni’s curled up form.

“TARGET LOCATED.” Toni barely had time to scream as she was grabbed by the shirt and disappeared into the night.

=====

Small cities in America are frequently forced to prize a minute pool of employers in order to sustain themselves. If one large company moves in, the town can prosper and gain a reputation that attracts future residents. More residents means a larger tax base, more amenities, and with the cycle of growth comes more growth. Conversely, a large business leaving can make for a devastating cycle.

    Nell Cochrane had internalized and repeated that for years as a reporter, but she had grown an increasing skepticism with the notion. Her city - the small city of Franklin - had become increasingly dependent on one employer in particular. CARMILLA was  maker of a number of high-end goods, often involving cameras and lenses, but they didn’t seem to have a lot of manufacturing in town - only corporate offices. The CARMILLA Corporation was always announcing that they’d build a new factory, but never seeming to follow through with it. They wouldn’t even announce a cancellation. Just… nothing. And yet, they seemed to always be building more office space, always hiring more contractors, always buying up local companies or sponsoring new events.

    That sentiment - that a town needed growth, that any city needed to make corporations feel as comfortable as possible - weighed heavily on Nell. She had promoted it for years during her up-and-coming time as a journalist. But now… she was the head of The Franklin Tattler, the city’s second official newspaper. She understood that she had a genuine power, and felt a growing obligation to use it - not just as editor, but in the field as well. She had a genuine curiosity and spark about her. She understood that words had power; the power to compel, mystify, change the course of history, however small. She promised to wield her pen like a scalpel, and cut away the lies to reveal the truth of the city - not through viciousness or violence, but by words alone.

    And so, when someone - a middle manager named Sonia - came to Cochrane with word of a “big scoop” about serious corruption happening at Carmilla… well. Cochrane didn’t bother thinking about it. She didn’t even bother to verify her credentials, hoping to not drive her away and instead eager to meet first and verify later.

    American cities like Franklin always had more space than they needed. As a result, there were always lots of places to meet that didn’t require a lot of travel. Sonia had asked Nell to meet somewhere private, which was good - it told Nell that she wasn’t fearful of her safety so much as she was her privacy.

    Nell, however, started to have her own thoughts when she pulled up in her car to the meeting place. It was an old building beneath a forgotten underpass. The constant sound of cars from the highway above echoed, annoyingly bouncing across the valley beneath the highway. The building was sandwiched between a tattoo parlor and a long strip of buildings that weren’t clear if they were in use or not. Nell took a deep breath, stepping out of her car and into the evening sun. She shut the door and turned towards the address.

    The door was unlocked and the interior clean. It smelled like there was a restaurant somewhere nearby. Wooden floors, stucco walls, ceilings that were too low. Napkins on a low table and a take-out order from Lambda - a nearby upscale burger restaurant.

    No sign of Sonia. At least, not at first. Nell heard the sound of speaking in a nearby room. She couldn’t quite make it out. Sonia’s “crash pad” of a spare apartment must have been tiny… but there was still at least one other room. Perhaps the bedroom? She tried be quiet and stealthy, creeping up to a nearby door and putting her ear to it. It opened slightly - curses! - the door was already ajar.

    Luckily, this didn’t give away her position… and gave her a great view of the strange goings-on in the bedroom itself.

    Sonia was being absolutely, positively dominated by another woman. The woman on top had dark skin and short, dark hair. Her body was covered from the neck down in a black latex suit. It was all very unusual; black with bright trim, tall and extremely sensual, attractive boots.

    The whole suit was tight, and polished to a glamorous and reflective sheen. It was the kind of outfit that someone wore when they wanted to intimidate; to feel restricted in their movements. Feeling the tight sensation of latex against their flesh; sealed away from the outside world, hot, and utterly and completely intimidating.

    The woman spoke with a strange, cruel, monotone voice.

    “SONIA,” she said loudly. “Do not attempt to resist.”

    Sonia wasn’t in much of a position to resist. She had been backed up into a corner, and was now shielding her face as if she was afraid that the domina was going to strike her.

    “You can show some small amount of repentance for your Mistress by kissing my boots,” she said. The domina didn’t smile or change her facial expression, instead speaking with a domineering, cruel, but utterly joyless voice.

    “Like hell I will!” shouted Sonia back. The dominatrix didn’t take well to that, instead pushing Sonia down to the ground with her boot. Forced into a corner, she couldn’t maneuver or get out of the way when the domina began to pull out a small gadget that dispensed sticky, glowing blue tape. She pulled Sonia from the corner, shoving her onto the ground and kneeling on top with her knee on the small of Sonia’s back.

    With her so pinned, she made short work for her arms, wrapping them up in bright blue tape that seemed to practically melt together. She then did the same for her legs, starting up top with a few strips here and there before moving down and doing the same. Above her rear, below it, around her calves, around her knees, around her ankles. Each time, biting tight and snug against Sonia’s skin.

    “Beg. BEG.”

    “No! I won’t give in!” shouted Sonia. “Let me go, let me  - get the hell off of-”

    Sonia’s grunts and pleads were silenced by a long, thin strip of blue tape over her lips. Sonia grunted again, fruitlessly waggling her now-sealed latex-covered lips against her wrapping, to which the attacker responded with a simple solution - a second layer of tape.

    Shortly thereafter, Sonia was hog-tied and tightly bound, ready to be removed from the premises and processed. Nell was gone too, though she had evacuated long before the attacker had finished up with her far-too-talkative quarry.

    Panting from exertion, but no less determined, the domina sat down next to the grunting, squirming, moaning Sonia.

    “This is Toni, reporting in. Mission accomplished. I’ve found the leak. Now… am I free to go?” she asked to nobody in particular.

    There was a loud zap sound. Toni’s body jerked in a sudden and unexpected spasm. A brief wave of corruption was washing over her body and mind. She could feel her willpower - still there, even it had been half-corrupted by the initial programming- finally draining away like water in a sink. Those words she said earlier, that monotone programming that she had earlier channeled - that would be her new style, her new personality. Toni couldn’t see herself in the mirror, but her eyes had turned glassy. Around her head formed an orange, durable, smooth helmet and a long latex hood that mated the helmet to her neckline. Toni’s introduction was complete, and now she served no purpose other than a useful drone.

    Sonia, however, might still be of use…

===

    Nell was at the Lambda, looking around for a waiter. It was a fun, upscale lunch and dinner place, with both drinks and a decent meal. What she really wanted more than anything was just to find someone who could answer some questions about Sonia. She had been contacted previously, and she assumed that whatever Sonia had wanted to tell her about, it must have had something, something to do with the Carmilla corporation. But… she wasn’t dumb. If there was some kind of dominatrix assassin stalking possible leaks, the last thing that she was going to do would be to march straight into the Carmilla headquarters and demand to see what was going on.

    Nell, therefore, wanted nothing more than to find out what Sonia had been like in the hours leading up to … well, leading up to whatever the heck Nell had seen. She wasn’t entirely sure what that would be… but she wanted to find out. Nell entered the Lambda knowing full well that it was a risk, but she felt proud of herself. If she hadn’t used a bit of detective work earlier, she wouldn’t be here… and if she had just gone searching for trouble, she imagined that she would have found it.

    The restaurant was close to empty; it was the awkward time between lunch and dinner, so there were only a few patrons and the staff were busy cleaning up and presumably preparing for a dinner rush later on in the day.

    Nell self-seated at the bar, interested mostly in finding out what Sonia had been like and what she had been up to. She was on the verge of ordering something to drink when, to her great and genuine surprise, someone sat next to her.

    “Hey there. Fancy seeing you here!” said Sonia. She ran a hand through her own dark hair. Nell was surprised; astonished, even. How was Sonia here?

    “Sonia?” Nell said, raising an eyebrow. “I just heard you-”

    Sonia raised a finger to her mouth. “Shhh… you heard me, but you didn’t see anything, did you?”

    Nell turned back to the bar, looking away from her contact. “No… no, I guess not. Were you being attacked?”

    Sonia turned to the bar as well, raising a hand. “Two beers,” she said, pointing to the taps. “Give us something seasonal.” The bartender nodded and began filling up drinks, while Sonia turned back to Nell.

    “Look at me,” she said. Nell did so. “Do I look like I was attacked?”

    Nell stared at her a good long while. Sonia did look at least somewhat flushed, maybe a bit out of breath? She couldn’t quite tell.

    “Maybe… maybe a bit,” said Nell. “You look like you’ve got a lot on your mind.”

    Sonia chuckled. “Like maybe I’m trying too hard to pretend to be casual? Yeah, that makes sense. Ordering drinks and trying to play it cool after escaping a pretty brutal assault. When she showed up, I had no idea who she was or what she wanted with me. Well… that’s not true. I had a few guesses.”

    The bartender handed each of the women a glass, and they each took a drink, trying their best to look as casual as they could. “So… it was related to your employer?”

    Sonia nodded. “I’d guess so. Probably the very fact that I was willing to meet with a journalist at all had something to do with it. I wonder how desperate they are, and just how intense they can be with their methods? I didn’t even let it slip that I was going to divulge any secrets. At best, maybe they tapped my devices to find out that I wanted to meet. I barely know anything at all!”

    Nell rubbed her chin. “Well… you said barely. Do you have anything at all you can tell me?”

    Sonia finished her drink and grinned. Nell did the same, though she didn’t have a wide smile on her face. “Well, Nell, there was one particular piece of research. Actually, two. We’re not talking top-secret technology or anything, just a psychological study. See, they were looking at questions of motivation and energy. What actually motivates someone to do something? And the number one reason that someone might do something is because they think they’re helping; if they think their employer is making a difference. The second-biggest motivator they might do something strange or unethical would be avoidance. Cheesy, I know, but avoiding punishment can be an extremely powerful motivator. But, that third one is special, and it kind of ties in to the first one. See, an even stronger motivator than the second is if you combine it with the first; convince someone that they aren’t the real problem. Have them try to punish someone else.”

    Nell squinted her eyes, and leaned her head against her hand on the bar. “I’m not totally sure if I follow you.”

    Sonia looked at the bartender, then back at Nell. “Well, take me for instance. Clearly, I’m not the one at fault. I wanted to meet with a journalist to expose my employer because I thought that they were up to no good. But by the results of this study, if I’m to be punished-  well, that’s not enough. But instead, if I can be convinced that you’re the REAL problem, then sure - I’ll do anything. I’ll bring you to a bar and keep you talking long enough for the drugs that the bartender put in your drink to take effect. Because really, the bartender knows who I am, and knows that I work for the Carmilla corporation. And you yourself definitely know how important Carmilla is to this small town.

    So, I combine all three. I’ve been told that if I bring you in, then I’m off the hook. And also, this town - and this bar - knows me and knows that you’re the real threat, not me or Carmilla. So when you think about it… I’m also helping.”

    It was at that point that Nell slumped over asleep. To her surprise and astonishment, Sonia also quickly felt a sudden sense of disassociation as her mind seemingly went blank and she too fell unconscious.

====

    When Nell came to consciousness, she was exactly where she predicted, and also where she didn’t want to be. In this case, that meant being stripped nude and tied to a chair in a dark room with concrete floor and metal walls. She could feel the ropes digging into her wrists and ankles; feel the deep, deeply vulnerable position of her flesh against the cold metal of a chair.

    There wasn’t any interrogator to be seen, and if there was, Nell wasn’t quite sure what would happen. This was not a scenario she’d ever planned for. Across the way was a tall glass window, opening on to… herself?

    No… not her. She stared at it again. The window was a screen, a tall one that seemed to show the entirety of something in actual, 1:1 size. It had originally seemed like a mirror because of the person on the screen; she looked like she was in a very ,very similar situation.

    The woman across from her was wearing an exceedingly tight black and red latex catsuit. It was slim, highlighting her features and pushing up her curves in a somewhat lurid way. The highlights were quite literal; red seams and circuitry ran from the neckline down to the calves, where the red circuitry disappeared under tall boots with high heels.

    The heels themselves had bright red bottoms, and had a powerful aesthetic. Surely, they could be used for kicking down doors, or for softer things - like being licked, worshipped, and used as a symbol of dominance.

    The woman was, to Nell’s surprise, Sonia. Sonia seemed to be struggling against her bonds. Her arms and legs were trapped, strapped up in an X-shaped frame and squirming against some heavy-looking straps. There was an extra strap against her waist to keep her from getting too much leverage as she struggled and squirmed.

    At that point, a light turned on, flashing in Sonia’s face. She shut her eyes for a moment, then spoke - actually, she yelled.

    “Let me out of here right now! Now! I did - I did what you asked!”

    There was a voice coming from somewhere on the screen; Nell assumed that there was a speaker in the room in which Sonia was being kept.

    “You did. You did extremely well. But… that just means that the programming is working. Each and every single drone that we acquire, we first give them the chance to accomplish a mission while they still have all their faculties. While you, Sonia, still had your total free will and self-awareness, we gave you that last mission - to bring in that pesky journalist.”

    “And I did it! I did exactly what you said!”

    The voice spoke again. It made Nell shiver. The speaker spoke low, slow, and with her own complete and utter self-assured confidence.

    “Yes… and now that you’ve done what we need, we have no further use for someone who can resist. As this planet slowly falls into my grip, more and more will undergo the same procedure. The materials implanted in the first stage will activate, and very soon your body and mind will be mine, utterly mine, and not yours.”

    Sonia squirmed again, wriggling and writhing furiously. “That’s ridiculous! We had a deal!”

    The voice spoke a final time. “No… I gave you orders. Thank you for your service, Sonia.”

    Sonia wailed, screamed, and moaned as the machinery around her activated. Earplugs were slotted deep, deep into her ears. The glowing red circuitry began to turn a shade of crimson for a moment as Sonia herself was reformatted.

    A tall helmet formed around her face and head. It had a black, glossy exterior and a thick orange visor. Nell couldn’t see, but she thought that for a moment she could see black latex coating up the rest of Sonia’s face as her visage disappeared. The squirming continued; bucking, moaning, groaning, and the sound of an occasional crackling zap from electricity.

    And then… it slowly began to stop. First her arms stopped bucking, then her legs stopped squirming. And when all was said and done, when Sonia was done resisting, her body went slack. She was corrupted, now totally and completely under the control of the mysterious voice on the other line.

    The screen turned dark. Nell was in pitch black for just a moment… until a door behind her opened.

    A woman entered the room. Or at least, a creature, an object, a drone with the body of a woman. Nell couldn’t quite tell, but she could swear it was Sonia. She could see the vague outlines of a face just barely through that reflective, sturdy-looking orange visor. If nothing else, the dark hair now pressed into a ponytail and pulled through the top of the helmet made Nell think that this might have at one point been Sonia.

    “What do you want from me?!” shouted Nell. There was no response for a moment, and then the woman began to pick Nell up from the seat. Her body was so strong, augmented by the suit, that Nell had no chance of resisting.

    The voice came on one more time, this time echoing through the small interrogation cell.

    “Well, Nell - and yes, we know that’s your name. I’ve thought about exactly what I wanted from you ,but it would seem that you’re the end of the line. I don’t think I have any tasks to assign to you - not like Sonia here. Before she was brainwashed, I obviously sent her out to find and catch you, and she did it quite nicely. So… before you’re converted, I don’t think I need to let you go and so some silly task. However, once you’re all properly coated, enslaved, and controlled, I might have some use for you. Katharina can always use a few more slaves to pay personal attention to her.”

    Nell tried her best to break away, but the tall, imposing, strong drone had no issues grabbing her and taking her out the door. She was quickly brought to a gurney, strapped her down, and wheeled her through a short hallway until they arrived at a room that looked not at all different from the one that Nell had seen on the camera.

    Strapped to the cross, Nell was helpless, nude, and trying to decide if there was anything at all she could do to extricate herself from this situation.

    “So… what if I did have some dead drop waiting outside? What if I had a top secret cache, set to blow the lid on your operation if I don’t find it?”

    The voice perked up. This time, it had a face. Blonde hair. Dark eyes. Pale skin. A malicious, malignant grin. A woman in green, standing off to the side, greeted her.

    “Hello, Nell. I wanted to meet you personally. You set off quite a stir, you know. Your little journalism escapades forced me to spend a lot of time and resources acquiring no fewer than four other drones in the chain. But I’m sure that now that they’re all converted, you’ll make a nice fifth member.”

    “Impossible,” shouted Nell. “You won’t do anything to me. You’re afraid of what will happen if the truth gets out. I knew that this place was up to no good.”

    The woman in green shrugged. “I disagree. I think that people will look after their own interests first and foremost. Besides… nobody’s going to be too angry if a cute journalist like you disappears. I’ll make sure of that. If I need to, I’ll acquire a few more drones and have them erase any evidence of your existence. Just like the way I’m going to erase your own resistance now.”

    Nell grunted, and she realized that as they’d been speaking, a black coating of latex was starting to creep its way up her body. It was tight, and she could feel it lacing itself, growing tighter, interfacing with her body, and travelling all the way up to her neck.

    “It’s… unnggh! Get me out of this!”

    The woman simply watched instead as her new leader strode around her, circling her new prey. She could feel her body no longer her own control.

    Her mind was becoming fuzzy. Her own voice, her own thoughts all slipped away as the helmet finally was applied to her head. Nell’s ears were filled with hypnotic commands, and her body was corrupted by advanced technology and careful programming.

    Nell started to feel herself slipping away… and soon enough, she wasn’t feeling much of anything at all. Her eyes turned glossy and blank, then began to glow with an inner, transformed energy. The helmet finished interfacing, locking over her head.

    “And… drone, do you hear me?”

    The drone that had once been Nell answered honestly.

    “Yes, mistress. You are heard.”

    Katharina smiled to herself. “All five drones should be operating properly. Go find your other units. Unit four,” Katharina said, pointing at the drone, formerly Sonia. “Go find the rest of your kind… I think I have a very special task for you.”

    “YES, MISTRESS,” the two said at the same time.

They would soon be joined by many more voices.