Believer

“Since you have failed to show any signs of progress, and your actions have been rather questionable as of the past two months, I have been instructed to take over this research program...”

The sound of Thamar's voice rung through the sterilized air. The very moment Victoria and Revaz had stepped into the hospital that morning they had been beckoned to one of the upper floors of the building alongside Andrea and Tariel. As they were pointed in directions, and guided down impossibly long hallways Victoria became very aware of the hostile attitude that seemed to posses every other member of the staff now. No doubt her reckless actions, and the current lack of a hybrid child, had given Thamar the power to make all their lives a nightmare. She shivered as they stepped into the room where he was waiting for them, feeling her stomach knot when she saw the large glass tank that filled up the opposite side of the room. It was almost like something out of an aquarium. But this was not just a decoration for the amusement of passing eyes. Instead of water and decorative fish within the tank there was nothing other than a white chair in the very centre of it. It was completely empty. And the more that Victoria looked at it the more unsettled she felt.

“The lack of physical interaction between you and you selected Gaian mates has become a subject of concern to myself and my peers.” Thamar began as she snapped out of her trance and returned to the reality at hand. “Although you have presented many different speculations and excuses for why there has been little progress you have yet to offer any form of a solution. It is a concern to my superiors, who believe that the Azrac and Belderi are limited in the time they can spend awaiting for a positive result.” As he spoke Thamar slowly began to pace. He started at one end of the imagined “line” that she, Revaz, Tariel, and Andrea had formed to the opposite end, pausing every now and then to cast then a cunning smirk. “To add to this troublesome issue there has been a great deal of 'drama' lately that cannot be allowed any longer. After some discussion with my superiors, we have come to the decision that your physical interactions must be documented by a third party...”

“What are you trying to say? That we're supposed to fuck each other in front of you?” Andrea hissed, cringing with pure disgust at the little nod he cast in her direction. Victoria watched her carefully, noting how her hands had clenched together when the Belderi chuckled. She had no doubts that if they were not chained together, Andrea would have lunged at Thamar and attempted to choke every ounce of life from the wretched man. Compared to the hell he'd put all four of them through it was probably the least he deserved. She could not imagine how much of a sting the woman felt when he responded by snickering at her.

“I would prefer it if you did not word it in such a vulgar manner but yes.” He replied, nodding his head towards Andrea as he clasped his hands behind his back.

“You're disgusting.” Andrea's hands clenched together as she glared intensely at the smug looking Belderi. “You're screwed up in the head.”

“Regardless of how disgruntled it might make you, I am in charge of this program now. Therefore I have authority over the subjects of the research. Also; I would prefer it if you refrained from such blatant insults.” The way he spoke to them sent shivers down Victoria's mind. Like a cat toying with a wounded mouse he was overwhelmed with joy. The more horrified she and Andrea became the bigger his smile became. “The decision has already been made. Should you attempt to refuse or argue against my orders I will have the entire program terminated. My planet's civilians have grown weary of the wasted time that you Azrac's have used trying to “bond” yourself to your selected mates. Progress needs to be made. And quickly.” All the while that Thamar spoke Revaz had remained completely still. His eyes were opened, but when she looked up at him she could see that he was not truly 'watching' anything. They were glazed over, as if he'd retreated into the depths of his own mind. Tariel was in a similar state. In fact neither of the two males reacted at all towards Thamar's words even when he made obvious taunts and glared smugly at them.

“Since you have consumed large amounts of time with no signs progress my superiors have also agreed that conducting other experiments at the same time as this process will be perfectly acceptable. The representatives of the Azrac's have also agreed to it, as we assured them that they would not involve inflicting significant harm upon the subjects or aiding in research on the destruction of their race..” He added, causing Andrea to grumble softly under her breath.

“What sort of experiments have you been permitted to perform?” Revaz questioned, lifting his head as he abruptly snapped out of his trance.

“Nothing genuinely threatening I assure you. Simple pharmaceutical tests. The Belderi designed them years ago but were never at terms with the Azrac long enough to be able to test them. We designed them to work only in your species. We believe they would prove to be rather useful if publicly accessible.” Thamar answered him, though the glee in his voice suggested that there was much more to his response than he was letting on.

Andrea gritted her teeth, still burning with anger as she listened to him speak. “And I assume that weird assed tank behind you is so you can stand around and watch us like a bunch of animals in a zoo.” Her voice dripped with malice. Tariel placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing down on it in some attempt to calm the aggravated female.

“Indeed.” Thamar said with just the slightest nod of his head. “I felt it was a necessary choice in order to prevent any of you from reporting news of any misconducts against me. While you are within the room the only access I will have to you will be provided through the controls that are concealed within the room.” As he explained this he produced a long black remote from the depths of his pocket, similar to one that might have been used to operate a television, and showed it to them. “Starting today these “experiments” will be conducted under my observations. I will leave it up to you four to dispute which couple goes first. If you would like to discuss the issue in privacy there is a changing from through the door to your left. When you have decided please press the red button located within the vicinity of the room. It will open up the corridor leading into the experiment chamber.”

“You're actually serious about all of this.” Victoria mused. Shock had rendered her face entirely numb. She barely noticed when Revaz reached out a gently squeezed her arm. “You're really going to watch us.”

He reacted to her with complete delight as a cackle erupted from the back of his throat, flooding the room with it's horrible sound and sending shivers all down her back. “Yes, I do have every intention of obeying the orders I have been given to me. Rest assured the only one doing the observations will be myself and no one else. It will be strictly confidential. I am forbidden to discuss what occurs and it is expected that you will do the same. And-” He paused, curling his lips into a feral smirk. “-regardless of what you may be thinking, these orders cannot be overruled. Reckless behaviour from two members of this little “research team” and a violent assault against my personal being have ruined what little credibility you still had in the eyes of my superiors.”

A heavy lump gathered in the back of her throat as Victoria stared at the glass encased room in front of them. Though a lingering thread of bitterness had made her briefly deny it, gazing into the transparent structure, she was overwhelmed by the acknowledgment that Revaz had guessed correctly when he'd spoke of Thamar using the assault against them. She squirmed uncomfortably in her spot, unable to shake the terrible feeling like she had been the primary catalyst that had unfolded this situation. If she hadn't run away...

“If you would please follow my instructions now.” Thamar said, gesturing in the direction that he had mentioned briefly earlier. “I have already explained everything you need to know in regards to what will happen and what is expected of you. I am weary of this persistent chatter. ”

Though her entire body had gone numb from the shock of everything she had heard Victoria somehow managed to follow Revaz as he drifted towards the door that Thamar had directed them towards. It groaned menacingly when it opened, sending shivers down her spine. Inside it appeared to be something similar to a changing room in a public swimming pool. One part of the room was adorned by steel grey lockers and wooden benches. The other side was designated for showers, which were all completely spotless and free of dirt and grime. Something about it made her insides tighten. Everything about this room was just too clean. It was almost as if it had never been used. Almost immediately Andrea plunked herself down onto the edge of one of the benches, growling menacingly when Tariel attempted to sit down beside her.

“So which two of us should go first?” She asked, lifting her head to meet Victoria's gaze. Though she didn't dare mention it to the two males in the room with them, Victoria could sense an aura of fear underneath that hostile stare. Andrea was not herself today. And she had not been herself for some time.

“I suppose the best way to decide would be through a diplomatic means such as a vote. But that would more likely end up with us cancelling one another out.” Revaz mumbled out of the corner of his mouth, hovering quietly a safe distance from the three other beings he was sharing the room with.

“Drawing straws sounds like it would be fair but...” Victoria sighed, feeling just a tad childish for bringing up such a suggestion. It was a schoolyard way of making decisions, but the only one that she actually knew. “I don't think that any of us has anything we could use...”

“I think that Tariel and I should go first then.” Andrea replied after a long pause in which nothing was said by any of them. She hugged her knees to her chest, staring vacantly into space as the three beings that hovered next to her all simultaneously turned to look in her directions. “Victoria is very young. She's not used to this sort of perverse crap. I am. I've dealt with worse things than a creep wanting to watch me do it with someone.” As she spoke she clenched her jaw, lowering her feet back onto the ground firmly. “It would probably be less stressful for all of us if we went by oldest to youngest.”

Tariel shrugged his shoulders at her, sighing long and deeply before he replied; “That is not a very fair method of deciding. Ones age is not controllable by any other force than time. Are you sure you would not prefer to choose a more civilized method of deciding?”

“No. I just want to get this over with as soon as possible.” Andrea responded. With a firm shaking on her head the decision was made. Victoria watched in awe and admiration as the other woman rose back up onto her feet without help from anyone else in the room, and although her arms were just as tightly bound together as Victoria's she maintained a decent posture and balance as she turned and strolled over to the red button that Thamar had described to them. “This isn't going to get any better. I'd rather deal with it swiftly than sit around here discussing what the most “equal” method we can use to decide.” She added using a firm enough of a tone that it let everyone know there was no sense in arguing with her. She'd already made up her mind and nothing was going to change it. In the shadow of such boldness Victoria felt like a coward. She could not help but cringe when she witnessed the woman elbow that large red button, forcefully opening up the entrance into that god forsaken chamber, where Thamar was no doubt waiting for them with a snarky grin on his face. Though she didn't dare admit it out in the open, she was very grateful that Andrea had offered to go first, and just a little mortified by it.

Tariel follow behind her without saying a word. There was no reasoning with Andrea now that she had convinced herself of her choice. Tariel must have known this better than anyone else, although as the door closed behind them Victoria could not shake the feeling that there were other concerns on his mind other than Thamar's voyeuristic gaze. Once they were gone the room fell completely silent. Revaz stared at the entrance they had gone through for a long time, observing it intensely. She watched it with him, but had no idea what they were waiting for, if anything at all. “What's wrong?” She asked when the silence became too much for her.

Revaz did not answer her at first but his expression seemed to be plagued with concern. “Andrea is completely unaware of what sort of experiment Thamar plans to conduct. Tariel failed to properly inform her. His nerves have gotten the better of him today.”

“What is the experiment?” She muttered, hobbling over to him in a manner that vaguely reminded her of penguin waddle. “Is it something bad?”

“Indeed.” Revaz sighed, lifting a pale hand to his forehead and rubbing it gently. “The Belderi only engineered one experimental substance for the Azrac's. It was manufactured several years before the war but they were denied the right to test it on living subjects. They felt it was a break through. My species begged to differ. During that time it was believed to have been unnecessary and inhumane.”

She shivered, mildly disturbed by the thought of a drug with such negative feedback. “What exactly did it do?” She dared to whisper, but her stance was cut short by an explosive sound that came from behind the closed chamber door. It started with muffled voices. Angry ones at that. One of which had a light feminine sound that indicated it belonged to Andrea. As the conversation drawled on however the conversation became more rapid. There was a brief yelp of alarm, and a question that sounded like 'What was that?' but was for too incoherent to make out. The fine hairs on the back of her neck rose up at the five minute mark when a piercing shriek broke the silence. It rang with deafening clarity, sending chills all through her body as she staggered backwards. Those were Andrea's screams and without knowing the cause of them, Victoria felt her entire body surge with terror.

The sound seemed to go on forever. And with every minute that passed while she was forced to listen to them Victoria felt a violent sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Revaz was surprisingly indifferent to the horrendous noise, though at one point the corner of one eye twitched and he twisted his head abruptly in the direction of the door again. It was terrible. Worse than being tied down and forced to watch horror films over and over again. Sinking to her knees onto the floor she clamped her trembling hands over her ears, praying for the sound to stop but knowing that it wouldn't. The screams persisted. Though eventually they softened to much more muted cries.

“What's going on? What's happening to them?!” She whispered, struggling to be heard over the wretched sounds. Though the walls of the locker room seemed solid and thick every sound that Andrea made could be heard as vividly as it would of been if they had been standing in the same room together. Muffled sounds that could have easily been cries of “No!” and “Stop!” made her stomach wrench again. She couldn't get up off the floor. The fear had rendered her completely paralysed. “Oh god, it sounds like Andrea's being tortured in there. What is Thamar doing to them?” She cringed, unable to stand how petrifying the screams had become.

“The drug I was speaking of a moment ago...it was denied from testing because of it's potency.” Revaz spoke when the weeping had dulled down to a much more tolerable level. Though it was near as ear piercing as before Victoria could occasionally hear the sound of mewling or gentle moans. “The drug was manipulated under false assumptions. The Belderi who created it were convinced that the Azrac species would benefit only when they assumed behaviours and customs similar to that of the Belderi. The drug...” He paused, gazing down at her as the cries abruptly feel silent. “Though it was never properly tested, they claimed that it would trigger uncontrollable urges if injected into an individual.”

“Urges, what kind of urges?” She questioned, slightly unnerved by how calm he sounded in spite of the terror that was happening in the room beside them. Her eyes traveled towards the door as it popped open with a gentle groan.Revaz did not answer her, instead he gazed into the poorly lit pathway which had been exposed, frowning for perhaps only a second before offering a hand to help her up.

“Come Victoria. It is...our turn.”

There was something undeniably sad about his manner of speech. Though his expression was blank and cold as a block of ice his tone had undertones of misery. He wanted to tell her something. Something so terrible that perhaps he just couldn't bring himself to say it, and Victoria had no doubts that his mood stemmed from the effects of the mysterious drug he had been discussing with her. “Revaz?” She whispered feeling her lips tremor as she clasped onto the hand he had offered to her. “I don't want to do this.”

“I understand your anxieties.” He paused, waiting for her to clamber back up onto her own two feet again. “However the situation has surpassed my control. There is nothing that either of us can do to prevent it.”

“I don't want him to see me!” Victoria blurted out, biting back on the tears that were threatening to escape from her eyes. She remembered everything he had attempted to do to her though some time had passed since it had happened. It hurt thinking about it. Even more so when the reality washed over her and she realized that Thamar had still “won” this disturbing little game of theirs. Though he hadn't been able to physically destroy her, he had forced her into a situation that would haunt her until her final days. She would never forget this day, or the haunting way that he'd smirked at her before ushering them into the locker room. “I can't.” She said, feeling as if two hands were squeezing down on her lungs.

Her heart skipped a beat when he lunged towards her. Inwardly she felt herself cringe, expecting to be seized by her heavily bound hands and dragged into the glass chamber by force. Instead she felt the suffocating pressure of Revaz's long arms wrapping around her, drawing her firmly against his chest. He held her like that for a long time forcing her the rest her head against the soft fabric of his coat. Through the many layers of clothing his pulse raced wildly. “I am sorry...” She heard him say and as she closed her eyes she felt his chest tighten up. He appeared to be in pain but she couldn't bring herself to ask why. “I am sorry for everything that is about to happen. Please believe me when I say that I do not mean it. I swear.”

“Revaz you're scaring me.” Victoria gasped struggling to breath as he tightened his grip around her, hugging her so firmly that she felt like she was being suffocated. “What are you talking about?!”

Again he responded to her questions with silence. The only sound that filled the room was the rasping noise of their uneasy breathing. Neither of them were overjoyed by the situation. Of course Victoria already knew that. But Revaz's reluctance to give her any answers made her feel left in the dark as if something dangerous awaited her in that chamber and she was the only one unaware of it.

Without another word he released her turning towards the opened door with one hand grasping onto her. It was not forceful but Victoria still felt like she was being dragged behind him. The hallway they had to pass through to get to the chamber with much longer than it appeared to be. Even more unsettling was the fact that they passed neither Andrea nor Tariel on their way through the cramped little corridor. They were nowhere to be found though as they entered into the brightly lit glass chamber Victoria felt a vile sensation in the back of her throat when her eyes fell upon a smear of blood and white liquid that cover the far corner of the room. With her stomach churning uncontrollably she immediately positioned herself as far away from it as possible. That blood belonged to Andrea. She was certain of it.

Thamar was waiting for them. He stood directly outside the chamber, peering in on them like they were a pair of mice in a cage. The smile that was glued onto his face filled her with a brief fit of anger. If it wasn't for the chains keeping her hands together and a thick layer of glass separating them she would have lunged at the disgusting being. To hell with the consequences at this point. She had already done as much damage as she possibly could.

“Before we begin I would like to offer you the opportunity of removing your mates constrictions Revaz.” She heard the Belderi's voice through a crackly speaker overhead. “It is your decision of course.” Victoria winced, aggravated by the way that Thamar spoke about her. The way he went out of his way to avoid even acknowledging her made her feel as if she were some sort of mindless animal. One that was too mindless to understand speech or insults. Revaz paused, sighing and lowering his head for a moment before turning towards Victoria. While avoiding her gaze he removed the chains that had been keeping her hands locked together, exposing the bruised skin that had been hiding beneath them and cringing at the sight of fresh red scratches that adorned both of her wrists. He'd tried to make the bindings painless, but the way that Victoria thrashed and squirmed made it impossible. They rattled loudly as they dropped to the floor, landing with a heavy thud that made her jump even though she had been anticipating it. All around them florescent lights shone down as if they were in the spotlight of a two-person rock concert. Knowing that the only one in audience would be the man who had attempted to rape her in the past made Victoria feel as if she was going to be sick.

There was a sudden clicking noise nearby. She turned her head abruptly to face the direction of the sound, watching as mechanical hand emerged from a hole in the wall. It groaned and clicked, reaching out past her with a long syringe attached to the end of it. Victoria squealed, despising the very sight of the mechanical device. Thamar had mentioned nothing about needles, and when she turned her head and looked in his direction she saw him standing calmly with his hands clasped behind his back. He looked calm, as if this whole ordeal was a regular occurrence. Shiver coursed all through her body as he turned and watch the robotic arm stretching out towards them. The one thing that really bothered her was the needle. In the bright lighting the contents within it appeared to be glowing.

“You would be wise to step aside right now.” Revaz muttered, glancing towards her with a concerned expression. “You do not want to get in the path of that particular device. It is very clumsy.”

With her bottom lip trembling Victoria stepped a few paces back struggling to avoid tripping over her own two feet. With terror pulsing through her body she had been rendered a complete mess. Even her hands rattled about unsteadily. She watched with bulging eyes, unable to suppress the horror as the arm lashed out at the male standing a few yards away from her. Completely mesmerized by the razor sharp needle tip, Victoria watched as it imbedded itself straight into the side of Revaz's neck. Her scream fell on deaf ears. Revaz did nothing to resist his mechanical attacker. He didn't budge an inch, although she saw him wince in pain for just a moment, barring his teeth as the eerie blue liquid was forced into his bloodstream.

“What is that?!! What are you doing to him?” She cried burying her hands into her hair as she glanced over at Thamar once again. He responded with a feline smirk, giving her a look that seemed to say “just wait and see”. By the time her attention returned to Revaz the arm had disappeared into the tiny latch it had first emerged from and he was clutching the side of his neck. The way he bent forward, cringing with pain, frightened Victoria in ways that she could not describe. She had never seen Revaz in pain before. He had always been so callous and impenetrable when it came to agony. Seeing he groan bitterly as a few droplets of blood fell to the floor beside his feet made her feel hopeless. There was nothing she could do. If that was a deadly poison, Victoria would have to stand there and watch as it killed him. “Revaz? Are you okay?” She whispered as tears began to brim her eyes again. While he heaved softly in front of her, her imagination raced with several possibility's of what the blue substances could have been. “Please be okay. You're scaring me!”

“Victoria.” He whispered, sounding as if someone was attempting to strangle him. He had removed his hands from the needle mark now, instead clutching his abdomen as he kneeled over, growling softly when she padded towards him. “Do not come near me!” He demanded, looking up at her briefly. The veins in his face were visible now. They glowed the same neon blue as the substance that Thamar had injected into him. “Please. Stay away from me.”

“What's happening to you?” She ignored his request, dismissing it as some sort of delirium brought on by the drug that was coursing through him. Kneeling down in front of the male she lifted a handful of his hair, inspecting the side of his neck where the needle had injected into him. The bleeding had stopped, but already the skin around it was turning a purplish bruise colour. Gritting her teeth she looked over at Thamar, the snake who stood there behind a layer of glass practically laughing at them. “Let us out of here right now you bastard. He's in pain! Can't you see that?” Her body shook with rage. She felt her cheeks flush scarlet when he laughed at her through the speakers overhead, saying nothing in spite of the venomous insults she had thrown in his path.

“Victoria...please.” A gasp caught in her throat when she felt a hand wrap around her shoulder. He squeezed it roughly, digging the tips of his blunted fingernails into the fabric of her shirt. His breathing was much harder now, like he had just returned from an exhausting run. His chest heaved as he slumped forward, grimacing gently as a bulge appeared on his back. Then another, and another, until his coat looked like there were hundreds of squirrels all writhing around underneath it. “I cannot make it stop.” He rasped, shoving her aside as another jolt of pain surged through him. “I cannot control them!”

What happened next made Victoria's blood run cold. She watched, sprawled across the ground, as the lumps gathering across his back suddenly burst through the white fabric. From the depths of the tattered garment writhed dozens of tentacles. All of them thick as cable cords and slithering around their master like a mass of snakes. The very sight of it made her body freeze. Though her mind screamed “run, run away as fast as you can!” her body felt like it had turned into stone. She could not budge. Not even an inch. In fact the only thing she could do was gap with a terrified expression frozen on her face as the tentacles that had emerged from Revaz lashed out at her.

They worked very quickly, sparing not even a heartbeat as they simultaneously coiled around her. She tried to scream when they pinned her arms behind her back but the only thing that came out was a feeble mewling noise. They operated with the same stealth as fingers, removing her clothing from her body within minutes. Anything that would not come undone through easier means was shredded off of her. The only thing that escaped these brutish methods were her measly undergarments, which were the only articles that remained when the appendages were finished. Through the speakers up above she heard the wicked sounds of Thamar's laughter. He was watching the scene unfold like it were a comedy, applauding on the other side of the glass as he encouraged Revaz to continue.

“Please...” Victoria flinched shuddering as one of the tentacles slipped beneath of bottom of her bra and wrapped itself around her breast. “Revaz stop!” He didn't listen. He would not even look at her. Instead he stared vacantly up at her, scarcely even blinking as he watched his own appendages imprison and violate her. She wept gently, helpless against the attack as a second tentacle slipped between her thighs and under the hemline of her panties. “Not like this.” She thought, wincing as it began to force itself into her body, indifferent to any pain that it caused her. “I don't want it like this!”

It started out with just the one, thrusting in and out of her ferociously while Thamar looked on and smiled. Screaming only encouraged the rest of them. From the moment her lips parted and a desperate wail erupted from them the swarm of tentacles that had been idly hovering beside her body suddenly latched out and began to explore the most intimate parts of her body. With the agile movements of a snake one that was thinner than the rest slid beneath the hemline of her panties and began to gently flick her clit. She shuddered violently, rejecting any pleasurable sensations it could have brought and replacing them instead with terror. Nothing could have made her enjoy this. Nothing could have tamed the overwhelming fear that was swelling up inside of her.

Tears steamed down her cheeks as she felt a second appendage join in thrusting itself in and out of her already tender open. She felt blood stream down her thighs, alerting her to the damage her body was now facing as the tentacles explored the regions of her body. They engulfed her, invading every possible opening they could find and squirming across her skin when they ran out of places to venture. There wasn't a place on her body that had not been touched by one of them. They massaged her skin, rubbing and pressing against it like they were one massive ball of eels.

A sickening feeling lingered in her stomach as she struggled to comprehend everything happening to her. She could feel so many of them now. Thrusting into both of her lower openings, stretching her body in ways that she did not think possible. Four of them took turns exploring her. Every time one would slide out of her another one would replace it. There was never a moment that she did not have something squirming inside of her. Her mouth was abused in similar ways, rendering her unable to make anything other than the feeblest gurgling noises as she watched the flesh coloured cords sliding in and out of her mouth, pressing so far down her throat that there were many instances where she felt as it she was going to choke. She could not fathom how her body could have tolerated such abuse. When she dared to look down and caught a glimpse of the squirming mass that was sliding in and out of both openings. Blood mingled with the sticky fluids her body reluctantly produced, making everything feel slimy.

The entire even seemed to go on forever. Though Victoria wept until her eyes felt sore and her cheeks were streaked with salty tears it did nothing to deter the Azrac in front of her. He continued to violate her, thrusting harder still when she dared to show signs of resistance. Thamar was ecstatic. He applauded the behaviour with untamed joy, filling the air with the sounds of his wicked laughter.

An unearthly sound erupted from the depths of Revaz's chest as the tentacles that had been mercilessly thrusting inside of Victoria suddenly tensed. She whimpered gently, unable to do anything as each of them spewed out a wave of sticky white cum. It filled the depths of her body, flooding it with an unpleasant warmth as she gazed up into the ceiling. She might have cried at that moment, but found that her eyes were already too red and sore. Revaz's seed seemed to coat her entire body. The tentacle that had been exploring the depths of her mouth released it contents near the back of her throat, forcing her to swallow it much to her disgust. It was everywhere. It coated her hair. It trickled down the insides of her thighs, dripping onto the floor. With one last heave it was over. The tentacles, having finished using her for their violent purpose, dropped her onto the floor in a heap, allowing her to lay in the mixture of blood and bodily fluids that had collected onto the clean white tiles.

Victoria lay perfectly still where she had been dropped. With her hair covering her face she allowed herself to retreat into the depths of her own mind, desperately wanting to escape the pain that had overwhelmed her. Her entire body ached now. It was bruised and bleeding from the experience. Moving had become too impossible of a task. Shock had paralysed her, rendering her helpless and unable to even speak. Was she dreaming? Was this all some terrible nightmare brought on by her obsession for late night horror films? Or was it truly some horrendous reality?

The appendages that had once taken an intense interest in her body now retreated. One by one they disappeared, until there were none remaining and the only signs that something horrible had occurred were the shredded remains of Revaz's coat and her motionless body sprawled out across the floor. “Victoria...” A masculine voice whispered beside her. Then came the heavy sound of footsteps as she watched Revaz's feet pace heavily in front of her, moving with such a tremor that she feared he was going to fall over and crush her. “I'm sorry.”

There was a rush of warmth as a hand slid beneath the tangled hair that covered her face, brushing it away from her eyes. She did not react to the intrusive limb although very conscious that it was Revaz attempting to comfort her. The gesture had come far too late. As he traced the tips of his fingers along her jawline she closed her eyes, unable to muster the nerve to actually say something to him. What could she say? Yelling at him, as much as she wanted to, was unfair. He had not come up with the idea of hurting her like this. Thamar had. The drug that had been injected into his bloodstream had. But not Revaz.

“Well done, well done! That was absolutely spectacular. There was much less screaming from you two than Andrea and Tariel.” Thamar cheered as Revaz collapsed beside her, clutching the sides of his stomach. “The effects of the drug should be fully worn off in a few minutes. I am delighted to mention that they have performed exactly as we Belderi hoped. You should be proud Revaz. You are one of the first of your species to overcome those pathetic 'emotional' barriers that seem to restrict you.”

“You are a monster. Your entire species is wretched.” Revaz hissed, gritting his teeth and sneering over at the Belderi. His hands were shaking. She noticed it when she lifted her head. They trembled so profoundly that one could have easily mistaken him for an addict going through withdrawals. It was disturbing to watch, especially when he began to rock back and fourth in a similar erratical motion. “You have poisoned me.”

“Poisoned? That's such a load of nonsense.” Thamar laughed at him, pacing just outside the glass tank as he continued to observe the two of them. “No poisoning went on in this room. Just advancement. I have simply improved you.”

“You injected me with something that caused me to behave in a manner that is unnatural to my species. Do you have any idea what sort of damage you may have done?!” Revaz was shouting now. It was one of the first times Victoria had witnessed genuine anger from him. Though there were times in the past when she was certain he was aggravated and annoyed he had rarely ever exploded in such raw malice before. It was a very human reaction. And it frightened her. His features were infected by rage. It flooded through them, making his teeth clench and his eyes fill with hate. He still trembled uncontrollably but had somehow managed to pull himself into a kneeling position. She silently cheering him on, wishing that at that moment he would shatter the glass and rip Thamar to shreds.

“Calm yourself Revaz. Do not forget that the last time you lashed out at me in landed you in an overwhelming amount of trouble.” Thamar smirked, waggling his finger at the other male like a lecturing teacher. “Now, since you two have successfully 'bonded' today your work is complete. You may retire to your home if you desire. There are two exits out of this room. One that leads back into the room you went into to get here and a second that guides you back out into the hallway.” As he spoke the two doors he mentioned both popped open, revealing the optional directions the two now had to pick in order to make their escape. It explained why they did not brush past Andrea and Tariel at least. They must have used the other door. “I would advise you not to wear your work uniform next time Revaz, as it appears you cannot keep from destroying it.” The Belderi took one final stab at them, smiling as he stepped away from the glass that had been separating them.

“It hurts...” Victoria murmured softly under her breath as she listened to the chaotic conversation that was happening right it front of her. Hugging herself she felt distinctly apart from the two males that were present. Like a foreigner in a distant land she had fallen into a state of oblivion and had no idea how to get herself back out. Her feeble whimpers helped to soothe away the fiery temperament that had stricken Revaz. His expression softened when he caught a glimpse of her, curled up just a few feet away from him, helpless and shaking. For some reason the room felt much colder now. Even when she held herself tightly and attempted to think “warm thoughts” Victoria could not stop her teeth from chattering.

Revaz paid no attention to the catty remark Thamar had cast at them, except to add one final grimace in the Belderi's direction. He knew better than to respond to the taunts, no how badly they stung. It only encouraged the Thamar, whose twisted mind appeared to take thrill in the malice that he received from other. “Come on, we need to get you cleaned up.” He whispered to Victoria, sliding one arm beneath her frail body and lifting her up. She felt like a deflated balloon when he scooped her up. There was absolutely no will left inside of her. Everything was numb to the touch. And though she still knew that everything that had happened had reached beyond Revaz's control she still wept quietly when she glanced up at him.

He carried her through the same door they had used when they first entered the room, cradling her silently as he walked through the dark corridor leading back into that musty locker room where alongside Andrea and Tariel they had decided their fate. Knowing that the horrors she had endured had taken a few minutes of mulling with three other people disturbed Victoria in some small way. She was not surprised to hear the sound of running water and the rush of warm steam clinging to the air when they reentered the room. Gentle sobs echoed from one of the shower stalls. “Andrea.” She mumbled, recognizing the wretched sounds as something similar to the ones she had heard before. Without distance and a thick door separating her from them the crying of her friend was vivid and gut wrenching. Even after only a few moments of hearing it she felt her stomach tighten.

“Tariel should be waiting out in the corridor for her.” Revaz remarked as he set her down onto a nearby bench, propping her body like she were a life size doll and brushing the slimy strands of hair away from her face. “Judging by the extensive amount of blood there was some tearing. I will need to examine you after you have been cleaned off, however there will still be pain and bruising regardless of the amount of damage your body has endured.”

Andrea had stopped weeping. She fell silent the moment Revaz began speaking. Andrea could see just the slightest glimpse of her crumpled shadow as she glanced across the room. Her pursed her lips, sympathetic of the other female and also just a tad guilty for having gone last. Though a part of her knew that if either of them were aware of what was going to occur they would have gone less willingly and caused a great deal of fuss. Andrea moreso as she seemed to be much stronger willed than Victoria was. Sighing as she crossed her arms over her bare chest she glanced down at the tiled floor. “If you don't mind, I'd like to clean myself off.”

Revaz was quiet and at first she thought he was going to deny her request. But then he gave a reluctant nod, stepping away from her with his arms pinned by his sides. “If that is what you want Victoria then so be it. I shall wait for you outside. For the sake of modesty there are towels in the cupboard just beside the showering stall. If you would please use them...” He lingered off, perhaps knowing that she was already aware of what he was informing her. He gave her one final look of concern before he turned and seemingly forced himself to walk away. The heavy thuds of his footsteps suggested that it was rather difficult and Victoria felt rather sorry for having dismissed him. Though she understood his concern was genuine she still pined over everything that had happened to her and desperately mulled over exactly which individual was worthy of blame. The only real comfort she had was knowing that the woman hiding in the shower stall nearby shared her pain.

“Andrea?” She called out when she heard the door slam shut, alerting her to the fact that Revaz had finally exited the room.

“Victoria.” The other woman responded dryly as she nudged the door of the stall she had been lingering inside open. She was leaning up against the cold metal wall with her legs pressed against her chest. Her bloodshot eyes stared off into space as a stream of warm water pelted against the side of her face. “Isn't this a wonderful turn of events?” She questioned sarcastically, hardly moving when Victoria got up and staggered towards her. Although they were both completely nude she was surprisingly comfortable with being around Andrea. Her unclothed body was tanned and toned all over. When she got closer she saw the thin traces of old scars that marked her legs and the tell-tale marking that adorned her right shoulder. “That bastard Thamar, he really outdid himself this time. I've dealt with a lot of his sociopathic crap in the past but this one really takes the cake.” She hissed, lifting her head as Victoria sat down beside her.

“Knowing that he was there watching everything gives me the creeps.” Victoria shuddered, slightly repulsed by the layer of slime that appeared to cover her entire body. Without flinching an eye Andrea shifted, welcoming Victoria her former spot beneath the running water. As it splashed across her skin it sent soothing tingled up and down her spine. “I don't know what I hate more.” She exclaimed when at last she had cleaned away most of the disgusting substance off her body. “The fact that he got a thrill out of watching us or the fact that Tariel and Revaz both knew it was going to happen.”

“Of course they already knew, they've dealt with Thamar and his constant scheming for years. They know him better than his superiors do.” Andrea chided, leaning forward as she wrung some of the water from her long dark hair. “They probably meant well by not telling either of us what was going to happen but it still pisses me off in so many ways.” She sighed, grimacing slightly as she looked over at Victoria.

“You don't look so good.”

Andrea blinked in mild surprise at the younger woman’s response, sighing as she directed her gaze to the floor once again. “I haven't felt 'good' in a long time actually. Every morning I wake up feeling like crap. Every night I toss and turn waiting to fall asleep. It's like being a part of some never ending nightmare. Only I can't wake up-” Whatever Andrea had been attempting to add to her dreary complaint was cut short as a terrible gagging noise gurgled in the back of her throat. She lurched forward, spewing the contents of her stomach violently onto the tiled floor and wincing with disgust. “I-I-I'm sorry.” She said as her arms began to tremble. “I didn't mean to do that. It just snuck up on me all of a sudden.”

“You make it sound like you throw up all the time.” Victoria said, refraining from showing any of the disgust she felt for fear of offending Andrea. It wasn't her fault after all. And right now the last thing she needed was some petty fight to put a strain on their already fragile co-existence. It was a little unsettling as the water washed the substance past their bare feet and down the nearby drain but after a few minutes it had all been completely removed and it was as if the loathsome incident had never occurred.

“I kinda do actually.” Andrea said in response to her comment, shrugging her shoulders as she traced her fingers through the tangled dark mess of her own hair. “I mean, I do throw up often. Not all the time but every now and then I feel kind of sick. Usually I can hide it though. My body tends to give me warning signals before it happens...”

“That really sucks. I hope it's nothing serious.” Victoria sighed, leaning forward so that the warm water was trickling over the top of her head. “Heh who knows.” She added with a weak laugh. “Maybe you're pregnant.”

Andrea turned rather pale at that moment. Her face held a frozen expression of fear and she gaze off at nothing with such a concerned expression that even someone as naive as Victoria could have predicted what was troubling her. “You are pregnant, aren't you!?” She exclaimed, lifting herself up as a jolt of surprise surged through her body. It was truly a bizarre event the two were sharing. Calming and disastrous at the same time as she vaguely realized that her friend could have prevented everything that had happened to them today. “Why on earth did you hide it from everyone? You could have stopped all of this!? How far along are you anyway?” She hated herself for sounding as bitchy as she did, but the questions just came flooding out of Victoria's mouth before she could help herself. She felt terrible once they had stopped, but also a little angered as the aches and pains in her body reminded her of the terrors she had just endured, which Andrea had knowing allowed.

“I'm not very far as far as I can tell. Maybe a few months along.” The older woman gave a low sigh as she locked her eyes on the shower drain. “The truth is I haven't really kept track of anything. I wanted so badly to escape from the truth that I convinced myself it was all just a figment of my imagination. It was so hard for me to accept that it was real.” She sighed, resting her head on one knee for a moment as she hands slowly traced the outline of a nearby tile. “I know it seems like I'm being really rotten by keeping this a secret. I mean, look at everything that we went through. I feel bad for not stopping it, but I just can't bring myself to tell them the truth. I knew from the moment I found out about this that I would be blamed for everything that could possibly go wrong.” She sighed, shaking her head with anguish as she turned to face Victoria. “I know I had a hard life when I was living on earth. I know that it probably did it's toll on my body. But I'm just so god damned tired of everyone using it to blame me for things. You see how Thamar is. He doesn't hesitate to use it to blame my inability to have children. And there are times when I think that Tariel feels the exact same way but he doesn't want to offend me. If they can blame my past on things as simple as my fertility at the drop of a hat how would they treat me now? This pregnancy will become a living hell once it's found out. Anytime something is wrong it will be because I was a prostitute, and there are so many things that could go wrong. Plus what if the child is born deformed? What if I miscarry? What if it grows up and fails to meet their expectations of an ideal hybrid? I feel like I've been chased into a corner, and that people with harass me for the rest of my life now. All I want is a few more months of peace before I have to deal with the never ending landslide of “it's you fault because you were a hooker' accusations.” By the end of her speech Andrea was close to tears. She turned her head away when they started to form, wiping them away quickly, but no matter how hard she tried she could not mask her feelings from the young girl who sat beside her.


Victoria wanted to be angry. After all Andrea had kept her pregnancy a secret when she could have spared them both a tremendous amount of suffering and pain. But as she listened to the other woman’s words, and the genuine despair lingering persistently in her tone, an understanding settled in and eventually she permitted herself to let go of her spiteful thoughts. “I cannot imagine how terrible it must be to deal with those vicious comments from Thamar. But how on earth have you kept Tariel from finding out?”

“That's easy. I just don't think about it when he is around me. If I feel ill I mentally tell myself that I am suffering from some sort of flu, or that I have an ulcer that is being very stubborn right now. He bought it for a few weeks now but I know he's going to start getting suspicious. And I know I can't hide it when my stomach begins to grow.” Andrea shrug, looking over at her companion with a bitter expression. “It's strange, but a part of me thought that you would run off and tell the nearest person the moment you found out about all of this. I can't imagine how much you must hate me right now. After the awful things that went on today you have every right to slap the living daylights out of me.”

“No, I understand where you're coming from Andrea. And I'm willing to help keep your secret if that is what you really want.” Victoria sighed while lowering her eyes, watching at the water coursed across the floor and down the drain beside them. “I know exactly how it feels to have to go through with something that you really do not want to do.”