F U T U R E B A R R I E R
( The 3rd Novel )
Secret Technology, Unrequited Love, Absolute Vengeance
© January 2018 Written by David Wicker
Please do not reprint without permission
CHAPTER 34 - "The Dragon's Tail"
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This chapter is Rated: TEEN
Stefani was beside herself with joy.
"Ohh, that was fun." she told herself, giggling like a school girl at the plight she left Daniel in, wallowing in Arkos' enormous septic tank doing the last thing she told him to - until he finally choked and sank to the bottom to fertilize the sewage with his corpse.
She shivered in delight and rubbed her hands eagerly wondering what other deviltry she could do before the day was done.
She finally arrived at the elevator, and wiping the humidity from her hands on the back of her legs cause it was still hot and humid in here, she put the keycard back in, summoning the lift to take her off this floor.
After another minute, the door dinged, opened, and suddenly there I was staring face-to-face with Stefani !
I had taken the closest elevator from Arkos' floor but I didn't have a keycard and the door closed on me and wouldn't let me out until someone summoned it. With my luck, it had to be her !
But I wasn't so much surprised to see her as the horrid smell of what surely had to be a hundred backed up toilets on this floor.
"Pee yu, man !" I said holding my nose with 3-fingers and crinkled my eyes cause they wanted to water and burn now.
Despite my hatred for Stefani I just had to ask her, "What floor is THIS ?"
Stefani remarked casually, "Oh, well, this is one of the places we dismiss some of our less productive employees."
"Huh ?" I said, not at all understanding.
"Don't worry about it, love." she said and leaned forward to rub my head vigorously. Then she added, "My my my. Didn't I just leave you with Arkos, our fearless leader ?"
I nodded. But despite her friendliness, I knew she was definitely the last person I wanted to see. I was trying to get the hell out of here ! I squirmed out of her grip and backed against the elevator wall.
I knew I wanted to escape, but I would DEFINITELY do it on a different floor, not this poopie-smelling one.
"So Arkos is done with you then ?" she said kneeling down to my level to look intently at my face as I cowered against the metal surface of the elevator. As I looked at her, apparently the terrible smell didn't bother her one bit. And did that tell me something about her ?
I could see she was waiting for a reply so, still holding my nose, I nodded again, that yes, Arkos was done with me. Or I guess so since I was told earlier to get out by Darceon.
"Hmm ..." she said, not entirely convinced. She tapped her bracelet to reach Arkos directly, something she rarely did, but curiously there was no answer. She tried to reach Arkos for another minute as the terrible smell continued to enter the elevator.
"Oh well." she said and then smiling, stepped in with me.
The smell was so bad it made me want to go to the bathroom and I felt like I was going to crap in my shorts if she didn't close that damned door. I put my hand behind my bottom hoping I wouldn't.
"Ready to go home ?" she asked in a friendly tone.
"Sure, I bet my Mom misses me." I told her, getting caught up that SURELY everyone in this stupid institute was done with me and Tyr now.
"I'm your MOTHER !" she said scowling down at me. "And your girlfriend, too." she cocked her head to one side to let her hair flompf down to one side. "Life is funny like that sometimes, sweetie."
I didn't say a word as she inserted her keycard and the elevator door, finally blissfully, closed behind us as my tummy rumbled another warning of wanting to go potty here. I realized she was going back to her own quarters and I was, well, I guess I was going with her. But I bided my time.
She pressed a button on the elevator and the air-vent started up sucking out the terrible smell and putting sweet-smelling factory air in it's place. I was never fond of the recycled air they used in this underground facility but nothing smelled better right now and my knotted belly finally relaxed.
I was looking up at the air vents, lost in my thoughts and wondered if Tyr had managed to get free as well when the elevator chimed again rousing me from deep thinking.
"Our floor, Dev." she said sweetly, "Let's go home now."
As soon as the door opened I bolted out for all I was worth, but it was a simple matter for Stefani to reach out and grab me by my shirt near my neck. I suddenly tried to wriggle out of it, realizing she was only holding onto the thin fabric.
And I WOULD be free of her. I pulled free and suddenly I wasn't wearing my shirt anymore but she reached out and grabbed onto my shoulder, hard, with the other hand.
"Lemme go ! Lemme go !" I cried pulling against her. I felt my shoulder was going to dislocate in her tight grip but I didn't care.
She was going to say something but I interrupted her turning back to punch at her.
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"No ! I HATE you ! I HATE YOU ! I don't want to be here ! I NEVER wanted to be here ! I want to go home ! I wanna go HOME !" I said and started crying real tears and fighting her, pounding her with everything I could in my fists.
"Mmm hmm ..." she said methodically in that familiar crisp punctuation, pinning both my arms behind me with one sudden movement watching me start to bawl like a baby. Not too surprising since I was a mere snip of an age to her 30.
"Well, we'll have to do something about that then, sweetie, won't we ?"
I looked up at her. What was in her scheming head now ?
"I think it's time, you meet Yin and Yang." she said sweetly showing me her perfect pearly white teeth in a vicious smile.
I puzzled my lip for a minute forgetting my fear of Stefani for a moment and putting my shirt back on I asked, "What are yin and yank ?"
"Yin and Yang." she said politely correcting me and patting me on the head. I struggled in her grip but she pulled harder on my shoulder until I crumpled over crying.
"Yes, that would be perfect for you right now, I think. Come along." and she took my hand.
I pulled on her hand to get free but then she did something odd and grasped my smaller fingers around hers and squeezed. I pulled a little and suddenly she exerted just a slight pressure. Suddenly I felt searing pain and it seemed like my middle finger was going to pop out of joint !
"NO !" I yelled, trying to get some kind of effect like happened earlier. But whatever I had, was gone now. I suspected if I could find Tyr again, I could 'recharge' and get the magic back.
Stefani was getting impatient however, "You really don't want me to break one of your fingers, do you, Dev ? I could take you by our infirmary if you like. It would save us the trip ?" she asked me sweetly.
I shook my head but didn't speak.
"Answer me !" she said crisply in a new cross voice and squeezed again. I cried out in pain suddenly, but it was different, I wanted to cry like a baby right then and I was angry for even thinking it.
"No ma'am." I said in-between tears trying to control myself.
"Then come along, dear." she said in her disciplinary parenting voice and I didn't fight her.
The elevator traveled a little ways. We got off and took another one adjacent, apparently traveling a different way.
Seeing I was getting a little bored she hit a button on the control-box in the elevator and the standard music that played throughout the institute got a little louder, and I had to admit, it was pretty soothing, all instrumental with rich synthesizers.
While we traveled, she spoke into her intercom bracelet, really whispering into it, so I couldn't make out what she said but I could hear what sounded like someone my age giggling, a girl. Then quiet whispering again.
"Where are we going ?" I asked her finally. She had finished her conversation and had loosened her hold on my hand but still held on to it in the odd way she did.
"You'll see." she said. Finally we got off the elevator. There were tons of people around us now ! Apparently it was common for the 'counselors' to hold the hands of the children they worked with as we passed several that way.
I watched carefully, but none of them held the child's hand the way she was holding mine where she could exert pain and pressure against it.
Each child had on the security bracelet on their left wrist and I realized right then, that I didn't, so I thought I had better not mention anything about it, as likely if I were wearing a bracelet I couldn't escape Arkos.
Finally we came in front of a door. "We're expected." Stefani said to me. I nodded, not really understanding. I looked at the text above the door and it read in beautiful lettering, "Self Defense - Training Room 5."
END OF CHAPTER 34
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