Part 16

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Chiana looked around the room a second time, walking slow and steady to minimize the crunching of her footsteps on the dirty rock floor. Not only was that pitiful mutant of herself gone, but every scrap of evidence seemed to have been removed as well. All that remained was the smell in the air, a faint sense of sickness. Chiana approached the small window near the ceiling, just above ground level, window that had been blocked but now was opened to air the room, allowing a hazy shadow of light to help her returning vision.

Her hand dropped onto the floor, as if feeling for the presence of the girl that she had seen here before. It was probably out of its misery at least, it almost felt comforting to know. Remembering the pitiful screeches instantly ignited her hatred in disgust. Chiana steadied her breathing. A lone, empty table remained in the dingy room. Chiana bolted under it when the door to the room opened. "Chiana!" Oshana called. "You shouldn't be around-"

"Frell, Oshana! You're the one that shouldn't be follo-"

"-Ladies" Larran's even, sophisticated voice effortlessly dropped the couple to silence. "Thank you Oshana. I was looking for Chiana."

"What did you do to her?" Chiana backed further from the window to relax his guard before bolting for her escape.

"Her? There was nobody here. As you can see....the room is quite empty. I seldom have any use for these areas. Are you sure you are not confused? Oshana, let me talk to Chiana....in your way." He gripped the back of the Stakira's head. "Now!" he snarled.

Chiana bolted for the ceiling. Smiling at the readiness to jump through the window, Chiana squealed while she bolted through the air. Pitching through the thin window opening with a mere couple of inches to spare, she grasped at the dirt she landed in outside the window. But a black sense was behind her. Bolting the strained body onto its feet, she made a couple of bolts forwards when her feet were grasped from under her.

Hopping back onto her feet with desperate speed, she struggled to walk. Vines writhed around her ankles, shooting a length up to grip around her right hip, pulling her backwards until she fell. She didn't look overhead, steeling herself in the sense of rightness that she should endure and defeat this dark soul.

The pull bent her back, dragging her body irresistibly in through the window until finally she hung down along the wall with only her shins outside the room. A vine crept in, supple as a sponge in its texture creeping over her legs, branching along both legs, running down her body.

Chiana hollered a wordless rage at the figure of Larran, knelt in the fixed glow of the Stakira's power, so far out of reach. Waves of pleasure and pain overwhelmed her senses, surging her into the blackness that suddenly seemed to be lurking around. Her consciousness was overcome by panic from the intruder in her mind. It was a blackness she knew as Larran. It crept into her. The blackness tore at her then, as suddenly, vanished. The hole he had pierced her through stayed open. Her soul poured through it, bleeding and weakening her will.

After an unbearable eternity, the hole closed and awareness of the world around her returned. Her eyes were still white, but she felt that she had been moved. She struggled to form words. "Wha......where.....?"

Larran smirked over his shoulder at the stiff body laid on a table in a laboratory chamber, shackled in preparation.

"Why?" she whispered, too empty to care if the soft, pitiful sobs were her own.

Larran clicked his tongue, checking the heat of the metal tube in his hands. "I merely distracted you so that you could be moved into a convenient place. Saving you the trouble of walking. And I thought to provide you with variety. I know how bored you say you feel. You see how I always....consider my guests?" his smile twisted to see the tip of the heated tube sear the testing sponge.

"Mm?" she asked weakly.

"Seeing as you refused to have clothing so much as cohabitate with you, I have to consider your....particular nature in providing you with adornment." Chiana struggled to see him. A dim figure seeming to wear an absurdly smiling mask leered down at her. "You may feel strange. No doubt the gruthyitia injection is overly strong for a body that doesn't eat much" he patted her abs, straining with the rest of the lean waist. The straining failed to make a cohesive pull or push. "But it will prevent you from effectively defying the restraints. We wouldn't want you to, umhum, hurt yourself."

Chiana made a snarl and a sound that was impossible to misinterpret.

Larran clicked his tongue again. "You are so....savage" he leered. "This won't hurt....long."

---

"Oooold Lucifer in gray will make me file a report on my skin next. Damn better not give him any ideas" John broke into a snicker while he walked down a hallway toward Larran's offices.

Elsewhere in the kiddy toy sandbox at a nice suburban park, John allowed the oatmeal to dribble off the end of the spoon onto the tender pink tongue. The human tongue withdrew into the mouth, and the alien gray lips smiled broadly while another dribble landed on them. Her tongue reached out and swept the lips clean. But then she squirmed too much, and another dribble ended up on her chin. John struggled to stay seated on her arched stomach while she chuckled. He pointed to her: "I'm not getting that." Chiana pouted.

"Then I will" Harvey knelt on the sidewalk above her head and proceeded to suck her chin. He followed up to her lips. Chiana passionately bit at his teeth. Harvey growled, biting into her lips. John's face cringed and he looked away, baffled, while the gray lips worked at the teeth that were shredding them.

"Gah....aliens" John winced.

"Oh now be honest" Harvey knelt before him, wearing a huge set of stuffed red lips "wouldn't you love to have a bite?"

John looked at what was left of the shredded lips pulling into a smile, then looked at Harvey. A long look at Harvey. "You're not Harvey are you? And that's not Pip!" John pointed at Harvey and stood up on Chiana's stomach.

"And these aren't my lips" Harvey pulled off the stuffed red lips. "Neither are these" he spat out a piece of flesh and held it up. Tossing the piece over his shoulder, he leaned closer and leered at John. "You know who I am."

"Gah! Larran how the-? The Stakira!"

"Very good."

"Gah get the hell out of my head. I'm not the top tourist attraction in this neck o' space. I'm gonna have to raise admissions."

"It's plenty high" the genuine Harvey informed, peeking up from behind a mailbox.

John pointed at him. "Not here. Go away grasshopper."

"Fine" Harvey sprung away rather like a grasshopper. "I can't say I care for your new friends...."

"You're not alone in that, Bug. What the hell do you want in here?" John demanded of Larran.

"It's a very interesting place."

"Which you're not welcome in." John set his jaw.

Larran watched him, apparently knowing he could be forced out. "But she is. She's new in your playground isn't she?"

"Not a playground."

Larran looked around at the sand-bottomed park play area and the playground toys. "My mistake. Interesting clothes" he lifted the end of the short skirt and tugged at the tiny vest Chiana wore.

"Yeah uniforms never came that short. Pip for ya. Unless you want to wear one" John loomed behind Larran as Chiana giggled "I suggest you get the hell outta my head."

"I'll go" Larran held up a hand. "But first there's something I thought you'd like to know." Larran helped himself to a seat on Chiana's chest, to a giggle from a straining Chiana. "Have a seat."

John dropped hard into a seat on her stomach, to a yell from a trembling Chiana. But a giggle soon followed. "What's in our minds?"

"I bet you would like to meet some interesting people."

"More stiffs from your society club? I'd rather stay here."

"Oh I wouldn't want you to leave your mind" Harvey seethed over his shoulder. John pointed at him. Harvey sunk away.

"So would I" assured Larran, patting the body under them. "But you insisted I leave. I mean a different kind of person. Disreputable I'm afraid. In fact, I hear they're involved in revolutionary activities."

"No!" John wryly feigned amazement.

"Yes" Larran insisted.

"I'm shocked at you. When do we go?"

"Tomorrow evening."

"When do you go?"

"Speaking of, why do you not try to escape?"

"We are."

"She is not trying to escape" Larran ripped the lower half of Chiana's vest off her and wiped his face with it "as hard as she could."

John ripped off another huge chunk, handing it to Larran with mock politeness.

"Thank you" Larran took it.

"Then I'll get her trying harder."

"I would almost think....it's because of you" Larran did a good Harvey emphasis and finger point before planting the pieces of clothing in John's hand. "I'm going" he stood and walked back with his hands out. Larran dissolved into the sun.

John rested his mouth in his fist, his elbow on his thigh.

---

Awareness and vision blurred into a hazed resemblance of consciousness. Chiana blinked hard, trying to clear her eyes of the sweat that seemed to pour into them. Trying to feel her warm but numbed body, Chiana squirmed for a while before concentrating on trying to see.

Suddenly it became clearer: the reddish tint over her vision was actually a red rock table she appeared to be suspended over, with her behind bent up higher than the rest of her. Looking up, she could see a bit of the empty room. Looking to each side, she saw that she was suspended by shackles on her shoulders. Further down, she saw that her wrists were bound by a strap that stretched over her lower back, preventing her arms from falling. A wiggle confirmed her middle was held by two rods inserted somewhere she wouldn't have expected, and shackles on her ankles held her legs.

Her muscles were responding better, if frustratingly roughly, so she tried resisting and freeing her legs. The rods didn't move, and she wondered if, with the wall being close behind, she wasn't skewered to the wall by the frellnick. In a style that would be all too characteristic of Larran. She tried yanking herself free, but a dull pain made her look straight down again.

Blinking to help focus, she just made out some metal lines strung between her nipples and the edge of the table above her, attached by a ring pierced through them. They were already pulled hard, stretching the nipples to twice their length, and moving to try freeing herself pulled them harder. "Frell you!" she grit a slurred curse, struggling to free herself anyway.

At last her feet moved, sliding down a little. With some more effort, they slid farther, but she now saw that they were attached to the shackles on her shoulders. The more they moved down, the more her shoulders were hoisted up. The lines now pulled the nipples several times their length, and the holes were stretching wide, threatening to tear. Still, she wasn't in a mood to hang around at this frellnick's leisure.

Struggling again, she looked away for a microt when the still stretching nipples began tearing. When they didn't tear away as fast as expected, she looked back at them, frankly curious. They seemed to refuse to let go of the lines. They stung and tingled like all hezmona, but it felt more exciting than painful. It didn't hurt, possibly owing to the lingering effects of the gruthyitia injection.

Neither did the rods hurt. At least they were very warm. Or they were now. It was obvious the nether regions would be extremely sore later, but right now it felt great. What didn't feel so frelling great was the thought of that frellnick coming in and getting his kicks off her predicament, as if he hadn't already. The shackles on her shoulders finally slid. Working her arms and shoulders, she slid the shackles down to her elbows. Finally the shackles slid up to her wrists, and with feverous effort, got the shackles to cut the wrist bonds free.

Her hands wouldn't come through the shackles. So she struggled to move herself best she could while still held by them. She blinked a few times at seeing the nipples stretched nearly transparent, and by the time she worked her way up to feel the rods in her, the sides of the holes held by a hair. From the dazed, buzzing state she was in, she wondered if she wasn't hallucinating. Pulling a tiny bit further up made one tear halfway out at the base, and the other tear up the center and stretch with a squeak. She decided it was convincing enough. But she wasn't about to stay here like a trophy fixed on his wall.

Sitting upright thanks to her flexible back and despite the squeaking and tearing of the nipples, she finally got a footing and lifted herself from the rods. The sensations brought a black wave of unconsciousness lasting long enough for her to have fallen in an ungentle thud, face first down onto the red rock table.

With her legs still held up by the shackles, she turned her spotty vision back to her feet. Her attention stopped at the rods. They were larger than she would have expected to fit. Her lips curved in an impressed frown. "Nothing's gonna impress me now" she hoarsely whispered to herself with a laugh. "Not even a Luxan." She paused, wondering why she seemed to think of that, when she can't remember having frelled any. Must have been something she heard, she decided, trying to force herself up.

Collapsing again onto the table, she just heard some footsteps over her ragged breath. But they gave her a warm sense. Crichton! After a microt of wondering how she knew, she called out. "John!"

Hurriedly reaching up and back, she struggled back up astride the rods, working at the hoop hooked in one of the now even harder stretched nipples. The side of the hole, now less than a hair in size, looked like an easy fit through the crude join of the hoop. Pulling on the end of the nipple, she tried working the side of the hole to the join. It didn't want to stretch further. She pulled it with impatient fury until the squeaking thing finally began stretching further. The join finally slid over the disappearing strand of nipple. The tense strap at the end of the chain snapped back towards the table, the chain striking the fastener. Both strap and chain flew from the table towards the door in perfect timing to strike unsuspecting John smack in the head.

"Bwah!" John swayed and furrowed his cross-eyed face "Uh.....double-bubble toil an trouble...." John collapsed in a heap.

"Cri-!....ton" Chiana gaped. Swallowing, she glanced down at her chest, stinging from where the nipple had struck her when it snapped back. Well, at least it snapped back intact and near normal size. Even if it looked like a very battered nub. Testing it with a few flicks, she let out a tiny giggle.

At the same microt she heard the gritty crackles of approaching footsteps, she felt the tingle of dread. "Larran" she just knew. He'd enjoy this all too much. He already had enough kicks for one day, she decided, working urgently to free herself. But then she looked down at herself, down at the fastener of the strap and chain pulling the nipple, then to Larran walking in. Larran took his first look down at John at his feet. He took his second along the chain pulling an invisible strand of nipple stretched between her body and her hand. He took his third at Chiana's glazed but penetratingly focused eyes. A chilling smile spread across her face. He instinctively blocked his head with his arms and began for the door at the opposite end of the small chamber. But she hadn't aimed for his head.

His hand slapped onto his crouch after the shackle fell away from it onto the floor. "EeeeA! ....Ninya....remember to sedate the trelk....cancel my mistress...." he crumpled onto the floor, his hand flopping down next to John's head.

John shook his head, stood, more or less, and blinked at the scene a microt while Chiana collapsed face down onto the table again. "Am I interrupting something?" he tried to be a smart-arse again.

Forcing herself up a little, Chiana looked down. Once she saw both bits were largely intact, she sneered a bright smile at John. "Get me out of here, you critz."

"Well you must be all right" he half muttered, trying to figure out what to do.

"Crichton!" she shouted, exasperated. Her head dropped back down. "Get my hands free. And get my feet out."

He got her hands freed and then tried pulling her feet from the shackles. "No dice, too big."

"Oh fine, I'll remember that while I lose weight. Open the frelling shackles."

"Wait! I see the key." He pulled the hoop of keys from the hook at the end of one of the rods. "Uh. Why are these icky wet?" he gave her a strange cringe.

"I ah.....spat on them. Yeah. Are you taint? Open them or I'll open your head and see if there's anything in there."

"Yeeees ma'am" he unlocked them and ran back to the door while she struggled to sit up and reach an arm to throw around his strong shoulders. "It's clear" he said over the thud of her falling back onto the table.

"Great. Frelling.....great" Chiana muttered. Forcing herself up with a growl, she hurried out one of the two doors.

"Wait! Shhhhhhhh-! Chi-....that girl!" John ran after her. She popped out of another doorway, almost making him run into her. She didn't try to avoid an accident.

"Wh-where the frell you been!"

"Getting some of his business done, we've got a real beneficial partnership set up, yes sir. He parts people with their money and I do the ugly work. Anyway it'll keep our skins I think. Not that I'm in any mood to go see him."

"Didn see where" she slurred, her eyes listing on him. "You-er naked" she noticed.

"Yeah fortunately a friend lends me some clothes while I go out, Larran's employee wardrobe seriously lacks man. What bugs me is that creep getting in my head."

"Your.....?" Chiana awed at him.

"Yeah, in my head. Through nutsy. Oshanana. Almost makes Harvey seem like good company."

"I'll, nn, kill him" Chiana tried to move but his hands folded behind the small of her back.

"It's okay Pip, trust me." He looked down at her oversized robe. "I met someone in a shanty in old shanty town, we got some coming on our side now. I think I better keep kinda vague there in case, just hang in with me here. What's that?"

"Something I'm borrowing from a guest room."

"Now you get modest?"

"Miss something?" she somehow managed to bond her front hips onto his without seeming to have moved.

He swallowed. Dang it, she had a way that would turn spaghetti to rock, he thought and found himself nearly snickering. He kept to his well used method of frustration to diffuse it. "Pip! Will you cut it out! Come on let's beat it before he comes around."

"And go where? Like he can't find me anywhere else? Like you're gonna help?"

"Fine" he stormed off.

"Naaah!" Chiana smacked her head into the nearest wall a few times. She let her thoughts unravel, touching her body where it was still warmed where he had touched her. She drifted, perhaps to unconsciousness. After some time had passed her vision suddenly snapped into focus with a will. Looking around, dazed or no, she took off to find Oshana.

"Oshaaaaaaana" Chiana called out hoarsely in the empty room. She felt sure Larran hadn't taken Oshana far to resume his torments and bother John while he was at it. Larran probably left her nearby when he tired of the game. If he was done for now. Either way she decided the girl needed a good talking to.

Opening the robe, she looked down at the very battered nipples. Then she fished the necklaces she'd just snurched from the same room out of the robe pocket. "Silver....definitely" she whispered to herself. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled subtly to wonder what John would think... But just then she distantly felt something poke into her and her body falling onto the ground in convulsions.

"I forgot to help you with your jewelry, my....delicate beauty" Larran sneered.

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