Dawn Of Time

Dawn of Time - Crimson Dragon © Copyright 1997-2004 - Crimson Dragon - All Rights Reserved Main Page · Short Stories ·...

Author: Dragon Crimson

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Dawn of Time - Crimson Dragon

© Copyright 1997-2004 - Crimson Dragon - All Rights Reserved

Main Page · Short Stories · Snapshots · Novels · Contact About Dawn of Time

Prologue Chapters

1 - 10

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11 - 20

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21 - 30

Chapters

31 - 40

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41 - 50

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51 - 60

Chapters

61 - 70

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71 - 80

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81 - 90

Chapters

91 - 100

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101 - 110

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111 - 120

Chapters

121 - 130

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131 - 140

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141 - 150

Chapters

151 - 157 Epilogue

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Dawn of Time - Prologue - Crimson Dragon

Prologue © Copyright 2003 - Crimson Dragon - All Rights Reserved

Main Page · Short Stories · Snapshots · Novels · Contact

Dawn of Time Index

Prologue © Copyright 2003 - Crimson Dragon - All Rights Reserved

Time is fluid. The Universe, built on energy, matter, and Time. Undercurrents of dimensions flow relentlessly, as though guided by consciousness, or perhaps a higher power. Einstein and Hawking touched the fabric of the Universe, beginning the foundations of understanding that surround humanity -- physics, energy, matter and, yes, Time. Aye, Time is fluid, flowing and twisting around the fabric of the Universe -- velocity, acceleration, and consciousness. Consciousness sprung from nothingness, understanding elusive. Mind over matter? Mind over Time? But what of the occult? Spirits? Bibles? Ancient learning, only beginning to come to light? Claims of miracles, of prophets, of phenomenon against the sane patterns of Her rules. But what exists without Time? Parallel universes? Pockets of cause and effect, of effect and cause? Heaven? Hell? Can one exist outside of Time? Can one shape Time, alter it, cause It to flow backwards against the carved course of the river? And what of paradox? Will the Universe allow one to kill oneself in an http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-Prologue.html (1 of 2)8/14/2005 11:36:09 PM

Dawn of Time - Prologue - Crimson Dragon

earlier time? Will She reveal Her secrets, if consciousness is persistent enough, is brave enough, is insane enough to probe that which may rip the very fabric of existence to shreds? Can events occur outside of Time? Or can consciousness manipulate Time, without paradox, without danger, without damaging that which has spawned that consciousness, creating infinite independent timelines that criss-cross, or do not? Cause and effect, skewed, but profound? Einstein touched the soul of the Universe, and was frightened even through the wonder. Time is fluid, its course meandering and changeable.

Main Page · Short Stories · Snapshots · Novels · Contact Dawn of Time Index · Top of Page

© Copyright 1997-2004 - Crimson Dragon All rights reserved This site and its content are protected by copyright statutes. Please enjoy the stories here freely, but permission in writing is required from the author to redistribute any of the contents or parts thereof under all circumstances. The author may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected] if you wish to repost, or redistribute, the stories contained herein.

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since August 2000.

Dawn of Time - Chapters 1 to 10 - Crimson Dragon

Chapters 1 to 10 © Copyright 2003 - Crimson Dragon - All Rights Reserved


Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 1

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Chapter 2

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Chapter 3

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Chapter 4

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Chapter 5

Chapter 6

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Chapter 7

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Chapter 8

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Chapter 9

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Chapter 10

Chapter 1 © Copyright 2003 - Crimson Dragon - All Rights Reserved

The incessant fans in the lab hummed like the drone of a million cars racing down an unseen highway, somewhere hiding beyond the precipice of perception. Oblivious to the background hum, his fingers tapped the soft keys in an easy rhythm, eyes glued to the glowing orange characters racing across the screen. One more simulation. One more. He sat back, glancing up at the round institutional clock mounted on the back wall relentlessly passing the seconds. Midnight. Where had the time gone? Somewhere between the stroke of six, and the time when the clocks hands met, the witching hour had crept upon him. He sighed, rubbing at his eyes until psychedelic stars filled his vision. Slowly, he ran his teeth over his lower lip, his right index finger poised over the large key marked "Return". Return to where? He smiled, only for a moment. "I need to return," he thought. His head filled with visions for a

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moment, his body reacting to hazy memories. It had been so long, but until it was safe, he could not risk damage. Not to himself, nor to those he chose, nor to the reality surrounding him. While the allure of time swayed him, his sense of self-preservation overrode the haunting Siren call. He shook his head, freeing the cobwebs. His finger touched the key, gently sending the computer into a frenzy, numbers and letters scrolling like a freight train across the screen, orange mnemonics racing into the night. He watched the output for a while, then tore his eyes away. He sighed. No way to really tell, but this simulation was going to end up as all the others had. Abject failure. Right? He lay his head back, eyes staring at the ceiling, letting his mind wander. It would be so damn easy to visualise the images, the equations of thought, allowing paradox to infuse him, to permit the fabric of that around him to fade. But the black outs still frightened him, even through the wonder. No, he couldn't risk returning. Not yet. Not until this damnable box, with its damnable simulations told him he could. Suddenly, nausea overwhelmed his senses, the familiar sense of falling, disorientation, helplessness. The clock on the wall stuttered, the second hand pausing mid-arc, jumping forward hesitantly, and then halting more solidly. Desperately, he struggled, forcing his mind from the equations, the simulations, and trace of Time. God, he was tired. The floor rose as the chair overbalanced, his cry echoing above the clatter of the fans. And then it was over, his heart racing, his temples throbbing. He dry retched, his hands clasped over his stomach. Desperately, he struggled to return, it was dangerous here, wasn't it? But nothing happened. Nothing. Slowly, he opened his eyes. The room spun for a moment, but then returned to an even keel. The computers remained humming, the lights still flickered noticeably overhead, the second hand of the clock resumed its smooth clockwise path. "Shit," the man mumbled as he righted the chair and sat down heavily. His shoulder ached slightly where he'd connected with the raised floor in the lab. Absently, his fingers massaged his biceps. He shook his head slowly, clearing his mind. How had he slipped like that? It had taken much more concentration last time to create a secondary timeline. And he hadn't even been thinking of the equations. Not really. His mind had wandered to Christi, and Jane. Only briefly, as a pang of regret had begun to fill him, just before the phenomenon hit. He couldn't have caused it. Couldn't. Realisation dawned as the computer in front of him continued to spit out its mindless diagnostics.



Someone else. Who? And that thought frightened him more than anything else. The computer stopped its churning, the final line burning into the phosphorus of the monitor. His heart still hammering in his chest, his lips pulled into a slight smile. The strange episode suddenly a dim memory, and with a satisfied sigh, he flicked off the monitor. His footsteps echoed through the building's empty hallways, as the lights dimmed as he passed. And despite his hammering heart, he actually whistled, the tuneless sound echoing down the empty corridors.


She lay naked over the bedclothes, her bare feet idly rocking back and forth through the air as she read. The steady beat of the shower cut off suddenly, and she raised her eyes from the text for a moment. At last, she sighed, pushing the book to the floor with a clatter, its pages akimbo on the hardwood floor. It came to her as a tuneless whistle faintly crossed through the closed bathroom door. She shook her head, a line of resignation gracing her full lips. She didn't want to do this. Not tonight. But no matter her loneliness, no matter her desires; tonight was the night. Realisation had hit her with the suddenness of a winter snowstorm. The book on the floor stared accusingly up at her. She carefully lay her head onto the pillow, her hands cradling her cheek. With an effort, she stilled her feet, laying them carefully to the bed sheets. "You look good," John remarked as he stepped from the bathroom, a towel about his waist. His hair was slicked to his head, still wet from the spray, like some 60's greaser. A cloud of steam followed him from the bathroom. She smiled, but didn't feel the twinges that she'd felt when they'd http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (3 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


first met. Yes, she was warm, and yes, she enjoyed his company, but John was ... well ... John. His eyes flit to the book lying on the floor. As he bent to pick it up, he grimaced. "John ..." she began. "A Brief History of Time? Stephen Hawking? A cripple?" "John ..." That was the other thing. He never could understand. He had never understood. He never would understand. She sat up, eventually folding into an easy kneeling position, her thighs resting against her heels. Her body moved slowly and sensually. His eyes rose from the book for a moment before dropping back to it with a sigh. Suddenly, she was self-conscious, her arms crossing, hiding her bare breasts, her legs primly together. "Why?" he asked simply. She considered for a moment, before answering. "I need to, John." "Need what? To be smarter than everyone else?" She slowly shook her head. Her blonde hair raked across her shoulders. No matter what she said, he wouldn't understand. "What do you need to prove? Huh? It's just the two of us. A King novel? A Straub novel? A freaking romance? That I can understand. Anything but this shit." "John ..." Tears began to well up in her eyes. He stood smouldering at her. She inhaled deeply, conscious of her breasts rising beneath her arms, confused by his anger. Perhaps he could sense something, her reticence. Slowly, her fingers rose to twirl around a strand of her hair. Her voice was quiet, almost serene. This wasn't the first time she'd had to perform this dance, and it wouldn't be the last. "See this?" John nodded. "And these?" With an act of will, she pulled her arms from her chest, and pointed to her bare breasts, her nipples crinkled. John nodded again, but more flushed this time. She wasn't sure, but http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (4 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


the towel around his waist seemed to rise, just a little. She controlled the flush of her own arousal, pouring freezing water on it mentally. Her body only partially obeyed, but she continued relentlessly. "All my life, John, I've been the pretty one -- the Princess." He shook his head, but then dumbly nodded. "The blonde hair, the body. She can't have a brain, can she?" He found his tongue. "But, you are beautiful, and you're smart. Why this? Why more? It's never enough. Never." He pointed at the book in his hand. "For Christ's sake, we just fu ... made love. Most girls want to cuddle, talk. Not you. No. You read about astrophysics. Fuck." For just a second, she contemplated addressing that. She couldn't remember the last time he had wanted to talk, afterward. Cuddle? That was a laugh. Even though this time, he hadn't simply rolled over and begun to snore, he had left the bed for the shower. In the end, she held her tongue. Besides, she knew that this had nothing to do with her wanting to talk or cuddle. Guys would never change. Never. They all wanted the pretty one, oh yes, but give her a mind? Nothing worked faster to pour that freezing water on a relationship. "John?" At the sound of her small voice, he reacted badly. Perhaps, he knew where this conversation was inevitably flowing. The book crashed against the wall marginally missing the headboard that a mere hour ago, her head had collided with in the midst of passion. The book fell to the pillows, a few pages and the cover torn. His face contorted with anger, the act of throwing the book seemingly fuelling his emotion. She began to feel the first tremors of uneasiness. She picked up the book without looking at it, her fingers idly caressing the cover back into place. She'd known it would come to this, always known, it always did -- though usually minus the petulant temper tantrum. She raised her eyes, fighting back hot tears, wishing that she'd dressed while he'd been in the shower. But then, she hadn't really planned on this, had she? At least not this reaction. "John ... I think ..." "I'm sorry," he whispered. But she could see in the incomprehension in his eyes, the denial, the insincerity. If he could grab the book from her fingers, he would probably rip it into shreds before stomping on it and lighting it on fire. But he didn't hate the book. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (5 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


Oh no, not the book. "I think you'd better leave." She re-crossed her arms in front of herself. For a second, she was sure that he was going to turn and leave her room in the towel, but at the last second he snatched his jeans from the floor, turning his back and slipping them over his hips. Despite the tension, she couldn't help admiring his ass for the fleeting moment that it was visible. An ass. That's all he was. She sighed. His shirt hung loose from his shoulders, his hair no longer in shining slicks across his scalp. He paused at the door. She didn't know why her mouth always managed to get her into trouble. Ten seconds, and he would have been gone from her life. Ten, short, seconds. "John?" He paused by the doorway, hand on the knob. She could see, by the set of his shoulders, that he was debating ignoring her, turning the knob, leaving with a modicum of pride. Instead, he slowly turned. The intensity of his gaze, bordering on rage, made her pause, but only for a moment. "Have a nice life," she whispered. Her eyes darted to the clock on her bedside stand. The red illuminated numerals there changed from 12:02 to 12:03. When her eyes returned to the doorway, John was already half-way back towards the bed, fists clenched and beginning to rise. Her unease began to transform into fright. She began to feel threatened, unsure of herself. A short scream escaped her throat, her hands rising from her breasts to protect her face. But it was far too late. The first blow sank easily into her bare midriff, doubling her over, fighting for breath. Another scream escaped her, louder this time. She tumbled off her knees, falling half on and half off the bed, toes scrabbling at the floor weakly. She looked up, cowering. A low whimper emerged as she pushed herself backwards. A hand grasped her hair, pulling. "Have a nice life with this, you fucking bitch." He forced her to look up. With his left hand, he snapped the top button on his jeans. To her horror, his penis floating in front of her, erect and ready. She twisted, but her hair betrayed her. Slowly, she returned her gaze to him. "The problem with you, bitch, is that this," and the book appeared, hiding his nakedness for a moment, jammed into her face. She tried http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (6 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


to back away, was unable to. The stink of newsprint filled her nostrils. Slowly the book retreated from her face. Her eyes focused on the print there. "Time is fluid," she read from the paragraph so close in front of her eyes. "What?" John bellowed. The bedside clock clicked silently to 12:05. She raised her eyes, a sense of quiet anger, pain, serenity and defiance filling her body. "Time. Is. Fluid," she repeated monotonically. And the world fell apart, for only a moment. Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, she somehow realised what had happened, and the wonder of it overrode the pain in her scalp as she fell to the right. Nausea overwhelmed her, bright lights danced in front of her eyes. John's hand released her with a jerk of surprise as she felt her shoulder connect with the floor in a flash of pain. For a second, John stood completely immobile over her, not even breathing. In a moment, it was over -- whatever it was, she couldn't hold it. But it had been enough. She watched from her skewed perspective as John, a frightened look upon his face, hurriedly pulled up his pants and ran for her door. As he ran, she heard him mumble: "What the fuck ..." And then he was gone, her door slamming hard enough to dislodge her Escher print, the impossible ducks merging and flying downwards onto the floor, shards of glass settling in a pool beside her. The girl gulped air, still fighting the nausea, fighting the pain in her scalp and her belly and her shoulder. At last the pain subsided somewhat, and she began to shake and shiver as though she had emerged from a high fever, tears falling unashamedly down her cheeks to pool against her skin pressed to the floor. "Oh my God," she whispered.




He didn't know what time it was. Way too late, or way too early. Depends on how one looked at it, he supposed. The night beyond the window remained dark and impassable. Sleep had refused to come. Giving up, he slid his legs from the bed, gathered a bathrobe and padded towards the kitchen without flicking on any lights. The darkness embraced him, comforted him. As he leaned against the granite counter-top, gazing towards the window, he contemplated doing it now -- it wouldn't take much: a thought, some concentration, a gathering of the fabric around him. And the world would change, wouldn't it? Ever since the computer screen in the lab had presented that final blinking word, "Success", framed in glowing orange, he had been on edge, nerves jangling, stomach in knots. Much as he'd known that he required rest, like a child waiting for Santa, sleep had steadfastly refused to descend upon his whirling mind. His mind shifted gears with a visible grimace. And what the hell was that blip last night? The force of the bends in the fabric of reality had knocked him physically from his chair? Was it someone else with his unique power? Or a freak of nature, to which he happened to be the only one on the planet susceptible? The time blip hadn't held, hadn't quite materialised into a new timeline. Whoever, or whatever had caused it, an amateur. Could such things be accidental? Natural? He didn't know. The simulations hadn't answered that particular question, had they? They had never been designed for that. He suspected that he wasn't the only person who'd felt the effects of the blip. A clean one wouldn't have been choppy, and would have been completely unnoticed by the population. The one last night had been like seeing smoke -- proof that air surrounds one, visible evidence. A clean transition would have been sharp and clean, the population slipping into a state of suspended activity and slipping out cleanly, no smoky evidence to suggest that it had taken place. He might notice the transition, but only because of who he was. He tore his mind from the strangeness of last night. There were more important things to do. Gently, he rubbed at his eyes feeling the graininess. He yawned and closed his eyes for a moment. Sleep simply wasn't an option. Not now. He could sleep after he



changed the world. Time forever, for that. Right? His eyelids scratched with each blink. The first rays of the rising sun peeked over the horizon, cutting across the treetops like a knife through smoke. He blinked, rubbed at his eyes, yawned. Today was the day. After five long years, today was finally the day. To hell with the anomaly. Go to work? There wasn't any need, but rerunning the simulation would be prudent. He'd waited this long, he could wait until the computer had rechecked the latest equations. That, also, would give the sun more time to light the world. Darkness might be fun, he thought, but daylight had some advantages. And besides, there were things to do at work, weren't there? Fun things. The sun greeted him, light separating through the glass as if it had passed through a prism. "Hello," he whispered. The butterflies fluttered again in his stomach, but they were unable to bend him from his course. After the sun broke free of the horizon, he rose to his feet, making his way towards the bathroom. The shower refreshed him, at least temporarily. This was going to be a long day. He smiled as the warm water cascaded across his skin. This might be the last time he'd shower alone, unless by choice. This might be the last night he spent alone. Adventure beckoned. After towelling off, and dressing in jeans and a T-shirt, he walked over to the closet where he lifted a shelf. The dusty notebook lay where he'd hidden it, five years ago. He brushed off the dust and smiled. His thumb quickly rifled through the leaves of the book, the first time since he'd squirrelled it away. All of what was written within, the handwritten equations, the occult symbols, the connections between Catholicism, Vishnu and Einstein, the connections between the ant and the elephant, resided safely in his head. The book weighed like a superstitious talisman in his hand. He didn't need the book, oh no, but it felt familiar and safe, like a old friend, light in his hands. He slipped the notebook into his briefcase with a smile. Five long years, broken by a single word burning on a computer screen. The blip wasn't going to faze him. Not now. It was still early, the sun having climbed noticeably, but not high, in the sky above, its rays warming the spring morning. The sky was a brilliant blue above as he stepped from the doorway, his step a http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (9 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


little lighter than yesterday morning. Dew reflected a million sparkles of light from the grass as he moved, but he really didn't notice it. The morning breeze swallowed his toneless whistle as his feet carried him closer to his destination. He glanced up at the sun, seemingly static against the backdrop of blue. Motionless, but not quite. It would soon be still, he mused. Yes, it was going to be a long, long day. Ritualistically, she rose before the sun peeked out from hiding behind the horizon. Perhaps, it was because her name mirrored the sunrise, or perhaps it was merely habit, but she slowly made her way to the kitchen of the small house as she nearly always did, not bothering to dress. In the darkness, she waited for a cup of tea to steep. Her ribs ached above where John had punched her, her scalp felt like a million pinpricks had replaced her hair. Slowly, she ran her fingers from her bangs through the mild tangle to exit near the nape of her neck. Clutching the warm mug in two hands, she sank into the easy chair, facing east. Patiently, she waited, goose-flesh gracing her skin. "Dawn, my girl, why do you do this to yourself?" she whispered. She didn't have an answer, and lapsed into quiet reflection. She was tired -- hadn't slept a wink since John had left. At first, she'd cowered on the floor, afraid that he'd return, knock her around more. Then anger had set in, and she'd paused, her knees pressing into the floor, her shaking finger ready to dial the last digit to get the police rushing to her house. But in the end, she'd been convinced that he was gone for good, and after double bolting the doors, she had lain in bed, awake, listening to the house creak, unable to sleep, trying to make sense of the skip, make sense of John, make sense of herself, make sense of anything. She shook her head, blonde hair peeking into the periphery of her vision. Absently, her fingers pushed the stray strands of her hair back behind her ear. The first rays of the sun kissed her bare skin, illuminating the otherwise darkened room like a spotlight. Dawn waited, clearing her mind. The crucial astrophysics exam was today, but she struggled not to see the ball of orange fire rising slowly before her as a mighty sphere of hot gas, capable of incinerating anything in its path. The star did not rotate around her, but rather following the universe's laws, the Earth itself circling about the central feature of the solar system, with her along for the ride. It seemed more real to http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (10 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


see it as a mysterious orb, propelled by the gods riding chariots, endlessly revolving around her, day turning into night with their passage -- the way the ancients had seen the Universe. Some things weren't as they appear, were they? Dawn sighed, her lips silently forming a litany. "The sun. Not a star. The sun." The mantra seemed to work; she felt more relaxed and with her mind clear, she merely watched the dawn, her namesake, until the sun had broken free, shining brightly in the blue spring sky above. After a time, after the teacup had grown cold and empty, Dawn rose, her bare feet leading her to the shower. Her fingers twisted the single handle to its limit, the water temperature rising steadily until she couldn't stand the steam, her bare body jumping from the spray to huddle against the white tile, shivering at the kiss of hot droplets. The sound of her moan echoed from the tiles as she gingerly reached around the cascade, gently pushing the lever clockwise until she could again stand under the waterfall. But only marginally; her skin reddened under the onslaught of the water. She glanced down towards her toes. Her eyes automatically averted from the discoloration beginning to form just under her ribs, above her abdomen. Her fingers, washing there, caused a slight wince, but she continued, determined to wash every trace of John, of sex, and of the night before from her skin. No matter how much it hurt. After towelling off, and drying her hair, she dressed quickly in jeans and a sweatshirt. Today should be warm enough to forego a jacket, the spring welcome after the winter. As she dressed, her mind began to churn. She permitted it this time, her thoughts full of plasma, galaxies, gravity and time. Her last exam. God, she was tired. She hadn't needed a sleepless night. Not last night, of all nights. She bent, picking up the book that had sparked last night. Carefully, she smoothed its ruffled pages and placed it in its home upon her shelf. It was going to be a long, long day, she sighed as she slipped on her sneakers and carefully locked the front door. The campus library, a big sugar cube of a building, rose from the morning mists in the distance. Today, she would walk. The walk might help clear her mind, make up a little for sleeplessness. The sun climbed into the blue sea above, as she brightly began to walk towards the campus. The dew sparkled a greeting to her, her feet leaving a trail in the front lawn. Beautiful, she thought. Her ribs ached once as her cadence began to increase and her lungs http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (11 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


expanded, but she ignored the pain, concentrating on the simple act of walking and the exam she was set to write. Yes, it was going to be a long, long day.


Success. Four times the word had graced the bottom of the orange monitor in front of him. This last time, he'd pressed the "Return" key with relish, smiling and waiting for the computer to churn out its inevitable result. His stomach in knots, he clasped his hands behind his neck and inhaled deeply. The output from the computer scrolled up the screen, on a journey to somewhere outside of existence. Of course, those letters and numbers of diagnostics were composed of fleeting electromagnetism, phosphors lighting and dimming with the passage of time. "But time is fluid, isn't it?" he mused. And then aloud, he whispered to himself, his voice barely louder than the fans that surrounded him. One word. "Success." The butterflies in his stomach arose en masse, fluttering, making him shake. It was time. He glanced at the clock. 12:18 Most people would be on their lunch, enjoying the warmth of the new spring, enjoying the sunlight. Not Sandra, not her. She'd be working industriously in her office across from the lab, but everyone else. The world waited, blissfully unaware of this unassuming man, sitting in front of the unassuming word. "Success."



Without conscious decision. If he thought about it, he might second guess himself. It had been long enough that he wondered if it might have all been a wonderful, exciting dream. "Success." He didn't know why, but he watched the second hand sweep across the face of the clock, ticking down the moments. It was so normal, so utterly normal. He would change all that. He was going to wait until the second hand touched the twelve, until it pointed straight up. Foolish, he berated himself. Foolish. The second hand kissed the numeral nine and fell somewhere between that and the ten. 12:18:47. He closed his eyes, mind whirling, envisioning the images that had haunted him for so very long. Images that graced the pages of the notebook, his handwriting scribbled across its pages, still buried in his briefcase. Equations, numbers, symbols, and thought became meshed with the fabric of existence around him, air swirling for a moment, static crackles permeating the air. He shivered involuntarily as lights flashed behind his closed lids. Without warning, nausea engulfed him and he felt himself falling. Falling. Falling. "What's the matter, Kate?" The red-haired girl stood by her locker, her fingers idly swinging the door back and forth, listening to its hinges creak. She turned slowly; Karen, who had addressed her, stood a few metres away, shifting her weight nervously from foot to foot. The other girl wore a little too much makeup, and her skirt perhaps showed a little too much leg. But she could carry it off, as could most of Kate's friends. The other girl knew what the matter was, of course. Most of the school probably knew. Kate gathered in her breath, let it out in a long sigh. "Darren ..." Darren, had pursued her. He wasn't unusual in that. But she'd agreed to go out with him a few times. They'd had fun, she was even beginning to like the guy, more than she should, perhaps. The problem with Darren was that he also pursued other girls, Karen included. They hadn't been exclusive or anything, she hadn't wanted that -- or at least she didn't think she had -- but then she'd seen Darren kissing Karen before first period.



Karen nodded. "Kate, you know, don't you?" Kate nodded. She wasn't angry at Karen, Karen was as much a looker as Kate was -- but with blonde hair, not fiery red like Kate's. She was going to miss Darren. At least a little. "I didn't know he was going out with you. Honestly. I dropped him, you know?" Kate's voice was monotone. "You didn't need to do that." Karen shifted her weight again. "I did. And I wanted you to know." Karen paused for a moment. Kate sighed, decided to stop torturing Karen. "We're still friends. Don't sweat it." Karen's face visibly brightened. "Go for a smoke?" Kate shook her head, her hair dancing across her shoulders. She pushed the locker door shut with her palm, her fingers engaging her combination lock and automatically spinning the dial. "I don't smoke, you know that," Kate admonished. "And you shouldn't either. Makes you smell." Karen laughed. "Doesn't seem to deter the boys, and I thought after this morning, you might want to take it up." Kate shook her head again. She knew a few boys that disliked the smell of cigarette smoke, though to be honest she doubted if any would turn down a date with Karen over it. "I just want to be alone for a while," she said. Karen nodded understandingly. "Catch you later, then?" Kate sighed and waved her off. Karen was itching for a smoke, could see it in her posture. At the wave, Karen walked swiftly down the hall, grabbing a few others that didn't mind the stink as she hurried down the hall. Her voice carried in the quiet corridor as she rounded the corner. "Yeah, she's still the same old Kate. She's okay ..." Kate wet her lips, and walked slowly in the opposite direction, towards the front of the school. The front doors swung open and the fresh air swirled around her. The front of the school was usually abandoned, the students favouring the back where there was a field, and smoking area for the older students and staff.



The front of the school featured a few oak trees, and the main drive leading to the school. Kate settled to the grass under one of the oak trees, her fingers finding a stray leaf, perhaps left over from autumn. Slowly, she began to tear the leaf along its veins, listening to the slow drone of cars and the crackle of the brittle leaf in her hands. She'd miss him, a little. They'd had fun. The transition was sharp, no smoke, no flashing lights. The breeze stilled, the BMW passing down the road halted without so much as a protest. The sun continued to beat down, but its slow motion across the sky stopped as though the wings of Mercury had been clipped. Kate, frozen with everything else, continued to stare down at the leaf in her fingers. Preternatural silence engulfed the universe. She'd been up until all hours, unable to sleep, her mind awhirl. If it wasn't Dean, it was Darren. If it wasn't Darren, it was math, or science, or history, or French. Sometimes it happened; sleep refused to cooperate, refused to descend, refused to permit her rest. An overactive imagination? Hah. More like adolescent torment. Her eyes drooped, her chin cupped in her hands, her elbows supporting her against the scarred surface of the small desk. Leigh sighed and tried to pay attention. She furtively glanced at the clock, whose refusal to move more quickly vexed her. Class should have finished at 12:15, lunchtime, and she was supposed to meet Dean, and Janice, and Tim in the cafeteria for Euchre. She didn't want them to start without her, but she supposed that they probably wouldn't find a fourth all that quickly. It was 12:16 now. Some geek had asked Miss Waters to explain something to do with some old Greek guy, Pythagoras? At any other time, she might have been interested in the discussion, but with the second hand relentlessly sweeping, Leigh only wanted to get to lunch and forget about school for an hour. The hard green chair under her bottom numbed her. Her eyes began to close. "Come, on. Come on," she willed the teacher who obliviously stood in front of the blackboard drawing right triangles and talking about hypotenuses. The class was beginning to get restless around her. Her attention faltered again and she forced her eyes to open. Finally, the teacher turned towards the class, her eyes resting on the clock for a moment. "Unfortunately, it appears our time is up. Class dismissed." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (15 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


The woman dropped the chalk to the ledge below the chalkboard and dusted her hands as she walked back towards her desk, as the students began to rise, some with utterances of relief. The transition was smooth, even if inaccurately portrayed upon the institutional overhead clock. The second hand on the clock stopped mid-way between 12:17 and 12:18, nearly a full minute and a half inaccurate. The teacher's footsteps quieted, the voices and movements of the students in the class stopped with the rest of the world. Leigh halted halfway out of her chair, her mouth open to speak some words to her neighbour, her finger absently brushing a lock of chestnut hair behind her ear. Preternatural silence engulfed the universe.


The green highlighter danced across the text book, underlining the teachings of Freud and Nietzsche. The page looked striped, some yellow, for caution, some green for important. The red marker lay to the side of the text, unused, reserved for what the owner considered bullshit. The owner sat wearily at the reception desk, trying to ignore the noisy passage of office workers arguing about lunch reservations, office politics, and promotions. A blue baseball cap, emblazoned with the word, "Security", held back her blonde hair, a neat ponytail emerging from above the hat's plastic adjustment. Her nails, impeccably red, held the green marker easily, guiding it effortlessly over the words, her eyes scanning, and intelligent. Every so often, she raised her attention to one of the six low quality black and white monitors that surrounded her. Some showed empty stairwells, some empty parking garages, some busy concourses. After satisfying herself that all was normal, she continued to underline paragraphs for a moment. "Excuse me." The voice startled her out of her text. The marker clattered to the ground, rolling across the marble to rest against her left heel. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (16 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


The girl looked up to find a rotund woman in a business suit leaning over the counter, trying to read what she had been underlining. The girl closed the book, forcing the woman to tear her eyes away to regard her. The woman looked upset about something, perhaps, irrationally, the fact that the girl hadn't been paying attention. "Can I help you?" It always took her aback when a stranger used her name; it always took her a second to remember that she wore it pinned to her jacket just above her left breast. This woman used her name almost threateningly, taking note of it for possible future complaint. "Andrea, is it?" The blonde behind the desk nodded, the bill of the cap obscuring her vision for a moment with each duck of her head. "Can I help you?" Andrea repeated. "I used to take philosophy myself," the woman pointed to the book, but seemed less interested in the content as the fact that Andrea had been doing something other than waiting on her. Andrea slid the book to the side. "Actually, it is a bit of philosophy and sociology." She worked this job part-time. It helped with the bills -- allowed her to take her college course part-time, and she could observe people. Like this woman. The woman nodded, but didn't seem overly interested. She finally shepherded her question. "Can you direct me to Blake and Sons?" Andrea smiled, her practice smile. She made a show of looking up the firm, but knew it by heart. From experience, she knew that if she didn't clack a few keys on the terminal, people tended to doubt her directions. Maybe it was because she was blonde, maybe because she was a woman as a security guard, maybe it was merely because she spoke quietly. "The law firm?" The woman nodded. "42nd floor. Take the left elevator bank and ..." Andrea let her voice trail off as the woman dismissed her and turned towards the wrong elevator bank. Andrea shook her head, and pulled the book back towards herself, opening it to approximately the right page. The woman would be back, berating her because she'd failed to mention http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (17 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


the express elevators. She scanned across the monitors. Still nothing amiss. At least nothing tangible. The transition was smooth and sharp. The phosphor of the monitors remained, but the images were unchanging. The elevators silenced, the steady drone of footsteps and conversation in the concourse ground to a silent halt. Andrea paused as her fingers picked up the green marker, the cap half on and half off the tip. Preternatural silence engulfed the universe. "I don't give a flying ..." her voice cut off as Tyler began to speak. "Your client, Monique, is guilty as hell." "Guilty?" Monique exploded. "The guy wasn't even in the right part of town. He hasn't even been picked up for a lousy speeding ticket. Even a cop swears he was at a strip club out by the airport. So tell me, how can he possibly have stuck a knife into a mob enforcer at the zoo? Christ, don't you guys do your job?" "Monique, calm down." "Withdraw the charges." "I can't do that, Monique." She slammed down the phone and took a second to calm her breathing. The crown could be stubborn, always had been. She simply didn't like to see time wasted for the sake of being wasted. She sighed, picked up the receiver almost ready to call him back up, apologise for losing her temper. She knew that they couldn't drop a murder charge, not legally anyway, even if it were a stupid one. Once the charge was laid, it was going to court. Instead of dialling, she placed the receiver back into its cradle gently. Let him stew for a few minutes. It was lunchtime, she was sure. Her stomach growled. As she was preparing to rise, the phone rang. She picked it up with a sigh. "Tyler?" It wasn't Tyler calling her back to beg her to be reasonable. "Miss Pelletier?"



The voice sounded vaguely familiar. She glanced at the display on the phone. It was the old man, Blake, himself. Flustered, she nearly dropped the phone, but managed to catch it before it fell from her ear. "Mr. Blake?" "Call me Phil." "Er, Phil?" she tried not to sound nervous. It wasn't everyday that the senior partner called up an associate, unless there was trouble afoot. "Can you come down to my office?" She hesitated a moment. She'd been putting in long hours, had a good client base, and beyond the occasional outbursts with Tyler, had performed well in her time with the firm, had won far more cases for them than lost in court. Was he going to fire her? Reprimand her? She couldn't believe that. Only one way to find out. "I'll be right there." She paused, long enough to run her fingers through her hair. She wasn't a fussy woman, knew she looked fine without a lot of work. But this was Blake. When she opened the door, the view took her breath. His office, spacious as one might expect from the head of one of the most successful practises in the city, looked out over the harbour and the cityscape. Another senior partner, James she thought his name was, stood easily by a wet bar. "Miss Pelletier, please sit down." "Please, Monique," she said automatically as she sat. The old man was approaching eighty, though it was difficult to tell. He leaned back in the chair. "I'm afraid I don't have much time," he said as he regarded her. She though she might have seen a flicker of interest in his eyes, but was probably mistaken. She gathered her jacket a little closer to herself. He continued. "I'm getting on in years." He held up a hand to silence her automatic protests. "In this firm, we have a policy of making sure that the brightest among us stay among us. There have been some rumours of your leaving."



Monique slowly shook her head. Truthfully, she hadn't been thinking of leaving the firm. Had intended to seek partnership. She was too young yet, bordering on late twenties, but she'd excelled in the courtroom, and in university, far outdistancing the remainder of her class. The old man smiled. "Well, in that case, I hope that you'll stay with us for a few more years to come. We have a big client, one that asked for you personally -- do you remember Jeremy Fox?" Monique nodded. Bright kid, but he had shoplifted some minor stuff, been caught with a BMW that he didn't own, mostly from boredom. She'd defended him, managed with a bit of luck and a softer judge, to commute his sentence to a thousand hours of community service. At first, she'd thought that the kid should spend some time in jail, but he turned out to be all right, and had agreed to keep out of trouble. She wondered if he was still boosting cars, and if it had anything to do with this meeting. "He's turned into a fine boy, parents think that you did a really good thing with him. Credit you with turning him around." "That's good to hear," she said, somewhat at a loss for words. The old man paused for a moment. The tall man at the bar wandered slowly over to stand beside the desk. He sipped at something that looked suspiciously like a scotch neat. Blake continued. "His parents own Fox Enterprises, I'm sure you've heard of them. Been good friends of mine for years." She nodded. She'd known that since defending their kid. "They want you to represent them with a contract dispute. Minor stuff, but worth a great deal of money to them. They're in the right, as far as I can tell." Monique shrugged slightly, wondering what this was all about. She didn't need to be up here, rapping with old man Blake about a minor contract dispute. Blake's time was worth ten times hers, and hers wasn't cheap. Blake smiled kindly. "And they understandably want to be dealing with someone at the firm that is ... shall we say ... respected." He paused for a moment. Monique, at a loss for words, said nothing. "And so, while I can't promote you now, I wanted you to know that within the next few months, I want to promote you to senior associate." "But ..." she began. Blake held up his hand. It shook slightly. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (20 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


"You're young, yes. But competent, and I liked the way you handled that Fox boy, too." Monique swallowed heavily, her heart hammering in her chest. "Senior?" Blake nodded firmly. "Senior associate. Partner in five years, if all goes well. You'll be the youngest senior associate in the history of the firm, but I think you'll mesh fine with it. Congratulations, Miss Pelletier." "Thank you, sir," she whispered. The tall man beside the desk spoke. "Can I offer you a drink?" Monique slowly shook her head. Blake smiled. "If there's nothing else, Miss Pelletier, then ..." Monique stood, her mind whirling. "Congratulations, again." Monique paused at the doorway, her hand on the knob. She nearly turned and thanked the old man again, but in the end merely turned and smiled. The old man smiled back. In the corridor, she shook her head and could barely contain a quick laugh. Her hand turned the knob leading back into her own smaller office when the world fell apart. The transition was smooth and sharp. The office clatter, photocopiers, air conditioning fans, the low buzz of conversations fell silent. Monique, like a statue, stilled, her fingers halted in the motion of twisting the brass knob of the door. Preternatural silence engulfed the universe.

Chapter 6



© Copyright 2003 - Crimson Dragon - All Rights Reserved

The girl sat huddled in the corner of the large, pristine, bedroom, hugging her knees to her chest. The tears had mostly stopped rolling down her cheeks, but they would begin again, soon enough. She was surrounded by the stuffed animals of her childhood, teddy bears, and tigers, and dolls all staring at her, sympathising as they always did -- silently and with real compassion. A noise, a footstep, brought her eyes to rivet on the brass doorknob. Shadows, two shoes against the light of the hallway, revealed themselves in the gap below the door for long minutes. The girl began to shake. "Please, no more," she whispered. The doorknob turned. A large man, in his fifties, entered the room. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that her friends, what few she was allowed, had fathers that knocked before entering their bedrooms. Fathers that didn't scream at them constantly. Fathers that didn't try to force their daughters to become things that they didn't want to be. Fathers that didn't hit them. Fathers that didn't touch them. She shrunk back, trying to become small, wishing that she could disappear, become invisible. Something. "Nicole??" His voice rose in a warped singsong expression. The girl refused to look up, refused to raise her eyes. It would earn her a cuff, but that was better than the alternative, wasn't it? Wasn't it? A single tear rolled down her left cheek, and she sniffled softly. He aimed the blow to hit her cheek where she'd been struck before, striking the purple bruise that was beginning to form under her right eye. Nicole screamed involuntarily, but quickly tried to silence herself. "No more," she begged. Her hands rose to protect her face, but she knew that wouldn't work -- not for long. The next blow struck her unprotected abdomen. The air whooshed out of her, and she collapsed, silently sobbing, struggling to catch her breath. The man stood there awhile, contemplating her from above. He nudged her prone form with the toe of his expensive wingtips. When she didn't respond, he raised his right foot and plunged it into her ribs. She wasn't sure, but she thought she heard a crack. A http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (22 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


sickening crack. She screamed again, her hands pushing at the floor, struggling to rise. Slowly, sobbing, she rose, despite the ragged pain in her face and body. She made it to her knees, her jean clad thighs resting on her bare heels, hands resting upturned on her legs. She did not raise her eyes. She spoke dully, without emotion, but with the odd gasp. "All right. You'll get what you want anyway." She opened her mouth wide and closed her eyes, knowing exactly at what height her mouth fell. No, she was nearly sure that most daughters didn't have to contend with this. He turned away from her, almost sulking, almost as if disappointed that she'd finally broken, given in to him. Her hands rested easily on her thighs, the denim warm. As he began to walk towards her bed, his back to her, she began to shake. She willed the worst of it back. God, her cheek throbbed, and she was nearly sure he'd cracked a rib this time; it hurt to breathe, so she quickened her breathing to short, fast bursts. Each inhalation drove slivers of pain back into her lungs. Nevertheless, she tried to remain motionless on her knees, her mouth open. Waiting. It could be worse, she thought to herself. Oh yes, it could be worse. She knew what worse was. He rummaged in her bedside stand for a moment. Crazily, she noticed that the red numerals on her bedside clock radio had flipped to 12:13. Almost time for lunch. Except that she knew the type of salty liquid lunch she was going to get today. And that after he was gone, how she'd purge him from her belly, despite the racking pain in her ribs. He returned with a pair of handcuffs swinging easily in his left paw. She shuddered, closed her mouth for a moment letting the saliva, what little there was, wet her tongue. "I'll do what you want, you don't need to use those," she whispered. He smiled then, and ignored her. Almost gently, he tugged her hands from her thighs, behind her. She thought about twisting, about climbing to her feet, running. But she wouldn't have made it. She'd have risked it, if she thought he might kill her. But he wouldn't. Oh no, killing her would be too easy. Instead, she felt the cold bands of steel pressed cruelly into the skin of her wrists. Holding her here. For him. She wasn't sure, but she thought the steel might actually have broken the skin this time. Suddenly, he was back in front of her. Without real thought, she http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (23 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


opened her mouth again, closing her eyes. She expected to hear the inevitable sound of a zipper, slowly opening. Unless he made her do it. Somehow, with her teeth perhaps. Instead, the sharpness of his movement surprised her. A single finger placed inside the throat of her thin blouse, lowering suddenly and viciously, buttons breaking their bonds and scattering about the room. She hadn't worn a bra -- wasn't even sure if she still owned one. Her breasts and nipples fell into view, small hills and valleys on her chest. Sometimes she wished that she didn't have breasts, even the relatively small ones that she owned. Less to hurt that way. He straightened and leered at her. She shivered, and lowered her eyes. "Useless small fucking tits you got. Sometimes, I doubt if you're even my fucking daughter. Fucking whore, your mother. Probably fucked the mailman while I was away." Oh, that it were so. But the family resemblance was too much, no matter how much she wished it weren't. "Look at me, you fucking slut." She raised her eyes, obediently, her breasts jutting obscenely from the fabric of her blouse, her hands secured behind her, mouth open as if a receptacle for vile things. Knowing it might make things go faster, might reduce the time he spent in here with her, she almost unconsciously thrust out her chest, obscenely inviting. "Now, Nicole. You've been home for a fucking year. I've had to fucking support you while you try to make up your mind." Her mind whirled. Had it been a year already? Had she lived through this a year? It was enough to make her cry, completely oblivious to the pain in her body. He got away with it because he was loaded. Could bribe the Judges, the cops, if they were even interested in him. And even if he weren't loaded, he had her, didn't he? Nicole, the ultimate bribe. He was the upstanding rich citizen loaded to the hilt. He could roll in cash, if he wanted. The mansion on the hill, with its high walls, its thick walls, its ghosts, where nobody could hear her screams, or if they could, they didn't care. Support her? He could support a coven of concubines if he wanted. But he didn't. Did he? Nicole felt like laughing and crying, all at the same time. Why risk concubines, when a single daughter would do? A tear found its way to her right cheek. When it entered her lips, it tasted salty but clean. "Make up your fucking mind, you fucking useless whore."



I've made up my mind, she screamed in the security of her mind. I'll do anything to get away from you. Even go to the damn medical school you want. Anything. But she'd told him that. Every day since she'd been home. Every day that she'd been on her knees here, hurting and wondering if it would ever end. Slowly she closed her mouth, the dryness not alleviating this time. Her mouth felt like cotton filled it. Oh yes, she knew what that felt like, too. "I'll go to medical school. If that's what you want. I'll go," she whispered. Without warning, his hand emerged like a snake, biting her again, same spot on her right cheek. The pain flared like a living creature, eating at her, dissolving her nerves like venom. The scream erupted involuntarily, her hands twisting in the harsh metal, trying to protect herself. She was sure that she could feel the faint wetness of blood tricking down her left hand. "I'll go," she whispered. Knowing what was expected of her, she opened her mouth again. Wide. She closed her eyes. Maybe he'll go away. Maybe this time, he'll be satisfied. Maybe. Maybe. She cried out as his fingers pinched her exposed nipples, one and then the other, but the sound of her voice was low and guttural, almost like an animal, almost like ... if she didn't know better, she could have mistaken it for the sounds of passion, if she'd known what passion was. The man probably would take it as a sign, but she couldn't stop her throat from betraying her misery. The clock flipped to 12:19, perhaps running a little fast. She closed her eyes again, her wrists fighting the bonds futilely. After a moment, she heard the beginning of a slow noise, the unmistakable sound of a zipper lowering mere centimetres from her closed eyelids. Yes, she knew that sound well. Had nightmares about it. Please no. Not again. "Fucking whoring slut," he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. His fingers trailed along the side of her left breast. She flinched at the touch. "Cunt." He straightened again, the ugly smell of his breath retreating from her face. Nicole tried to open her mouth a little wider. The transition was smooth and sharp. The low moan of the wind died outside her window. Nicole's low moan of pain and prayer silenced with the rest of the world. The man's http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (25 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


hand paused halfway down, the zipper stopping on its journey south, slow and steady. The pain eased in Nicole's cheek, but not long enough to register on her mind. The involuntary shakes of her body ceased, her bare breasts frozen from quivering in pain and resignation. Preternatural silence engulfed the universe. Dawn shook her head in bewilderment. What kind of question is that? She whispered to herself, surprised that nobody looked up from being hunched over exam papers writing furiously to see what the low sound from the back of the room was. "Name your favourite nebula? Why is it your favourite?" She shook her head, rereading the question, not quite believing it. Immediately, her mind began to wander. Crab? Horsehead? Planetary? She glanced up at the clock on the wall. Thirteen minutes to go before the exam was done. Would it be better to go over the remainder of the exam, checking her answers, or write a quick answer to the nebula insanity? She sighed, began writing something, anything, about the Horsehead nebula. Professor was probably trying to rattle the students, those who answered anything picking up some extra credits. And she could use the extra credits, she knew. Damn John. Being this tired for an exam wasn't helpful, but she thought that she would pass despite it all. She simply didn't have a hope of getting an excellent mark, as she normally did. She glanced up at the clock again: 12:18. The transition was smooth and sharp for most of the world. Dawn felt the static, as though lightning was going to strike her, before anything else became apparent. She looked up sharply at the sensation, nearly crying out alarm despite the quiet surroundings. In the end, she clamped her lips together and waited for the electricity to dissipate. Around her, she sensed the fabric of the universe bending and rolling in tortured, silent screeches. She glanced up at the clock on the wall, again. It read: 12:18:47. The second hand stuttered, hesitated, skipped one second, then fell back. Vertigo infused her, and the nausea, similar to the previous evening, crept through her body, causing her to double over, hands pressed weakly into her belly. Her nose pressed insistently into the desk in front of her, the smell of paper and ink wafting up at her from the intermittent graffiti. This time, the nausea didn't http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (26 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


subside, but continued to rip through her belly like a tidal wave upon a quiet ocean. She gagged, but managed to control her purging reflex. Only marginally. Her scream echoed for a moment through the room, but nobody looked up to see what the disturbance was. Her pen snapped as her fingers involuntarily flexed with a strength that she doubted that she had. A blow, like a punch from a martial arts instructor, knocked her without warning from the bottom numbing chair. Her exam paper remained rooted to the desk as though her departure were that of a insubstantial ghost. Her breath knocked from her lungs, she hit the floor and lay as still as the remainder of the world. The students and the proctor for the exam stared impassively, through frozen eyes, their limbs frozen, writing, or stretching, looks of exam concentration on their faces. All fell silent in the room. Preternatural silence engulfed the universe. After a moment, a low moan broke the silence. The little finger on Dawn's right hand twitched, her staring eyes flit against her eyelids. Another low groan escaped into the silent world. But that was all. Despite her struggle, Dawn passed out, blackness, blessed blackness, descending upon her.


It was done, the world as quiet and serene as he remembered it. It was the quiet of emptiness, the silence of solitude. It was the silence of a world unbound by the ravages of time. The fans surrounding him had fallen quiet from their restless and incessant clatter, the air conditioning of the building silent and calm. If his calculations were correct, he and the bubble he had cast around himself, were perhaps the only matter in the universe that existed in a normal time frame. After a long ten minutes, he finally picked himself up off the floor where he'd been thrown by the force of the universe bending around his body. Nausea trickled slowly out of his belly, leaving him http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (27 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


gasping, but conscious. His ribs ached, and his lungs felt like they were on fire, but he was alive. The symptoms of time shifting were transient -- he'd experienced them before and knew that they would subside in a few minutes. The ride had been bumpier than last time -- perhaps the changed parameters, perhaps a factor of age. He was five years older than the last time he'd attempted this, after all. He was far from old, only in his mid-twenties, but time was cruel, even to the young. While he could feel the difference, a more complete mastery of the time surrounding him -- more stability -- he could also sense time slipping around him. It would take mental energy to keep the universe in this state, if not outright attention. But what a state! Slowly, he climbed to his feet. The room spun for a moment, but eventually righted itself. He began to laugh, softly at first, but then a roaring, almost insane laugh. The giggles held him in their grip for a few more minutes before he finally settled down and stared at the computer screen, frozen in time, the phosphors still showing the last calculations. "Success," he whispered. He staggered over to the door and automatically extended the time bubble that surrounded him to envelop the door so that it opened at the press of his hand. The hinges creaked -- a sound he'd never heard from this door before, what with the cacophony of the fans and the building noise. As he walked out, and the door fell outside of his sphere of influence, it snapped back to a closed position without so much as a sound. In the washroom, he crouched by the sink consciously avoiding allowing the fixture to enter a normal timeframe. The drip from the faucet hung, mid-air, not wavering, not falling, frozen with the rest of the world around it. Cause and effect, he mused. The universe protects herself, oh yes. He hadn't fully understood the intricacies of time manipulation, still didn't quite understand why and how the universe protected herself from paradox, but she did. Why did the light of the sun shine, even though its nuclear fires were frozen? Why didn't he fly across the room when the Earth stopped spinning beneath him, in a violent show of Newton's veritable laws of motion? Why could he extend the time bubble that surrounded his body to encompass the sink in front of him, hot and cold water emerging as though the pipes leading to it weren't frozen in time? Cause and effect bent to accommodate. It had nothing to do with him and his control of the dimension of time. He shook his head. No. It was in the nature of the universe to prevent paradox, and these unusual occurrences were merely a manifestation of that. Strange http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (28 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


things happened when one played with time. Thankfully. Otherwise, he couldn't exist here anymore than he could exist without food, water, light and air. Cause and effect didn't always work as they should. He had to remember that. The universe could be a strange place. Could a particle be in more than one place at once? He smiled. Ask Schroedinger's cat. And that happened in normal time. The universe protected herself, even when she his will. But she had been designed for that. quite understand it all, but more than he had more control, this time. No question. Even if wheel.

was bent and formed to Oh yes. He didn't five years ago. He had he was rusty at the

He extended the time bubble that separated him from the true timeline, the primary timeline. The bubble expanded, the sink intersecting with his control. The drip fell with an audible splash into the sink and disappeared, as if everything were normal, down the drain. He turned on the taps, waiting for the water to warm a little. He gasped as tepid water splashed his face. Feeling refreshed, he dried his face with a paper towel quickly. The towel blinked out of his timeframe as he released it from his time bubble. Litter control, he smiled. He crouched in front of the sink again. Every minute or so, a drip appeared, fell, and disappeared. He glanced over towards the urinals. Johnson, as always wearing an uncomfortable looking suit, stood in front of the far commode, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. Johnson was as motionless as the rest of the world, forever stuck penis in hand, peeing for eternity. Or at least until the universe was returned to primary timeline. "Have fun, Johnson," the man at the sink whispered, surprised that the echo of his voice had not returned. The room remained stuck in frozen time swallowing the sound as surely as a soundproof chamber. Technically, the universe continued along the primary timeline, but so slowly that it would be imperceptible to anyone on the secondary timeline. His calculations had borne that titbit of information. The first time through this portal, he had thought that the the universe had stopped around him, though he could control bubbles of time, varying time rates within. But the universe had to continue, if at a pace that would make a snail look like it were moving at the speed of light. She had to maintain some timeframe, or she would collapse. Take away a dimension, and the universe would cease -- at least as humans perceive it. Paradox couldn't survive complete time cessation. But even if he lived to be a thousand years old, and was able to maintain control over the universe for that long, Johnson would move perhaps a millimetre, as would the faucet drips. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (29 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


This secondary timeline was what happened if the transition was smooth and sharp. Not like that amateurish attempt last night by unknown forces. His head snapped up and he glanced over his shoulder as if expecting a cloaked figure to be standing there, a conscience regaling him with admonishments: "Naughty, naughty. Shouldn't play with Mother Nature." He shook his head. There was no such figure. Couldn't be. He knew that. He was the only creature moving on this timeline, or if some alien life force had avoided the time shift, they were far too far away to affect him. He closed his eyes, probing outwards, sensing the flow and ebbs of time. His perception flowed a long way, but there were limits. But it was close, a nagging hiccup in the time continuum. Where? He could sense it, but couldn't quite pinpoint it. Or smooth it. A person? Had to be within this city, somewhere, that much he could tell. Someone else able to protect himself from the time shift? An accident? Or a natural anomaly. The hiccup was slight, probably nothing. Maybe the change in parameters had allowed a tree to escape the time shift, a local phenomenon. Nothing to worry about anyway, he was sure. No other person could have followed him into the time shift. There was no way. Satisfied, he turned away, rose from his crouch. As he turned around, he gathered the time bubble towards himself, almost like a second skin. He turned, hand on the door ready to pull it towards him to escape from the dreary bathroom. He had other things to do. The drip, suspended between spout and drain hung silently in the air. Johnson, oblivious to the state of the universe continued to stand stiffly at the urinal, peeing forever. Smiling, the man pulled open the door, and stepped out into the office. No printers whirred, no announcements scattered through the air, no secretaries gossipped, no constant hum of the air conditioners greeted him. The silence was almost eerie. Time to fill that silence, he mused. In a flash, he could free the room from its time bonds, play with whomever he liked. But that wasn't necessary, was it? He needed practice, was rusty in controlling the universe around him, but he'd climb back on, didn't need to prove himself to the anonymous office. Too many people to keep track of. Not yet, anyway. Like a bicycle, he thought, as he strode purposefully down the carpeted hallway. Once you learn, you tend not to forget. The time bubble controlled by his mind, the one that let him breathe and move, almost automatically extended and encompassed what was http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (30 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


required for action -- doors, floors, rooms. It was like breathing -- unconscious survivalist instinct. The door in front of him was closed, as it nearly always was. The name emblazoned on the glass: "Sandra Winters". Sandra Winters controlled his department, controlled what money flowed in or not, funded the labs, the research. Or not. He doubted if she was even aware of his existence -- perhaps his face, certainly not his name. She never ventured into the labs whose experiments she influenced -- both negatively and positively. He hesitated for a moment, a thought nagging at him before he opened the door. He'd forgotten something. Something important. His fingers pulled back from the handle without turning it. Quickly, he ran back to the lab. His briefcase snapped open with a practised ease. He'd almost forgotten that he'd placed it in there. The gun felt like a long lost companion in his palm. He wouldn't need it, he couldn't be hurt here, at least not yet; he didn't need it for protection, but it would help with Sandra, he was sure. He walked more leisurely back to Sandra's office, the gun comfortable in his right hand. His finger stroked easily along the trigger. It was loaded, and ready, though he doubted if he'd have to fire it. He continued back towards the closed door, walking slowly; he had all the time in the world, didn't he? Patience. Patience. He halted for a moment, glancing about the frozen office. He sighed with pleasure. He'd returned. This time, he didn't hesitate at the doorway. He was somewhat surprised that the door wasn't locked, but it swung open easily at his urging. He closed the door behind him. Sandra was sitting at her desk, telephone to her ear, probably talking to a client. Her eyes were downcast, watching her fingers upon a pen. She was writing something on a pad. The man wandered over, peering over her shoulder. Her hand obscured most of what she was writing, but he truthfully didn't care what it was. What he could see showed a precise hand, her letters feminine and neat. He touched her cheek, but recoiled as his finger met the cold hard surface that was her skin. Outside of time, her skin felt like concrete -- cold concrete. He hurried back towards the doorway. She was an attractive woman, well dressed, and fit, but she wouldn't stand out in a crowd. Her face while attractive, was plain and freckled. She didn't wear much make-up. Her blonde hair was up, pulled back from her face with a practical, but attractive clasp. She was in her late twenties, perhaps early thirties. He returned to the doorway, leaned back against the glass. She would be fine to practise with. Fine to play with. For now. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (31 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


Until he needed to choose, Sandra would do just fine.


He inhaled an effort, careful to -- only to

sharply, almost as if expecting a sharp pain. Then, with he extended the time bubble to include the office. He was keep the time bubble from intersecting with anything else the door, but not beyond.

Her voice continued as if she'd never stopped. "... physics experiments, we're going to need ..." her voice trailed off as she realised that the sound issuing from the receiver was unusually blank. She dropped the pen with a clatter on her blotter, and turned towards the phone. Puzzled, she depressed the switch where the handset normally rested. When that failed, she jiggled the cradle a few more times. Slowly, she returned the handset to its home. Finally, she raised her eyes and jumped, backing her chair away from the desk before catching herself. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in. Can I help you with something?" He remained leaning against the door, the gun hidden behind his back. He watched her silently for a moment. "You work down in the lab, don't you? Can I help you with something?" she repeated, a touch of irritation entering her voice. Nonchalantly, he allowed his right hand to lower, the gun pointing towards the floor. Her eyes were drawn to it, like a hypnotising cobra. "Sandra?" Slowly, she looked up, fright beginning to enter into her eyes. "What? What do you want?"



He hesitated for a moment, watching as her right hand began to move carefully and smoothly towards the phone on her desk. His answer stopped her hand, for a moment. "You." Her face registered her confusion, but the lines of a frown began to form between her eyes. Her hand lifted the receiver. "Security isn't there," he spoke softly. Emboldened by his words, she quickly moved the handset to her ear, puzzled by the lack of a dial tone. She depressed a button on her phone, which even from the door he could read marked as "Emergency". He supposed that this counted as an emergency. At least for Sandra. After repeatedly punching the button, she gave up and returned the telephone to its cradle with a quiet clatter. "What do you want?" she asked warily. Her eyes darted about the room, but always returned to the gun idly present at his right side. "You," he answered again. "I don't like to repeat myself." She backed the chair away from the desk a little further. "Me? Why?" He smiled, moved away from the door a little to lean against a filing cabinet. Instead of answering her, he gestured towards the door with the gun barrel. Her eyes followed the movement. "Go on," he said. "Try it. I won't shoot you for trying." Looking confused, she rose to her feet. He watched her. She wouldn't look too bad naked, he thought. Not bad at all. She watched him warily, eyes on the gun. He deliberately aimed it at the floor, well away from her. She edged around the far side of the desk, fingers trailing against the surface. As she reached the edge, she bolted, her feet carrying her to the door in two quick steps. Her movements were faster than he'd thought that she could move in the pumps she wore. Fear can instil ability, he mused. She was screaming before the door had even opened. "Help! Help me, please. He's got a gun!" As she moved through the door, she sensed the danger somehow, tried to pull back, but wasn't successful.



Air, full of molecules, became the equivalent of a solid when trapped in a timeless state. Sandra managed to twist, but still hit the invisible wall of air far harder than he'd expected her to. With a startled cry, she bounced, sprawling backwards into the room in an undignified heap. She lay stunned for a moment on the carpet, before regaining her senses. She crawled to the doorway, touching the frozen air with her hands, confused, but still yelling to an uncaring world. "Please, someone. He's. He's got a damn gun." Her small fists hammered at the strange solid air, uncomprehending. And suddenly the gun was there, pressed almost tenderly into the nape of her neck. She stopped screaming and her hands fell to hang limply and unthreateningly at her sides. "They can't hear you, you know," he said simply. She didn't turn, only whispered. "Please don't shoot me. I'll give you whatever you want." He laughed gently. "What do you think I want?" "Money?" she said almost hopefully. "My purse is under the desk. Take whatever you want. But please, please don't shoot me." The gun retreated, and she relaxed a little, daring to turn around. His back leaned against her filing cabinet, the gun now trained on her, but not overly threatening. Still, she was sure that it could be adjusted and fired well before she had risen to her feet. What was she going to do? Scratch him? Bring nails to a gunfight? She searched his eyes for a moment. Yes, he would shoot her, if she tried something stupid. Of that, she was nearly sure. "Sandra, Sandra, Sandra. I've already told you what I want." She shivered, and her voice nearly broke on the word. "Me?" He nodded slowly, motioning at her to rise to her feet. Sandra slowly shook her head negatively, as if denying that this was happening to her. "Sandra, dear?" She looked up, fright evident in her eyes. She wanted to scream at him that she wasn't his "dear", but she kept her lips pressed together. He continued, his voice carefully monotone.



"I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to. I won't kill you, maybe shoot you in the hand, or the leg, and you'll think you are dying, but you won't be. But I think it might be easier if you simply did what I tell you." Sandra shivered. "What do you want me to do." "Stand up, for starters. We'll have to do something about that memory of yours." She hesitated. That gun was still aiming at he could use it, would use it, but his eyes hesitated for a moment, then slowly climbed her feet, she swayed uncertainly. Her hands her sides.

her. She didn't know if seemed serious. She only to her feet. Unsteady on remained motionless at

He watched her for a few minutes, like a cat watching a mouse. "How did you ..." Sandra began, her voice wavering. He smiled enigmatically. "Time is fluid," he said clearly, though his words made absolutely no sense to her. Sandra shifted her weight from one foot to the other. Her fingers began to fidget, but still he watched her. At last, he seemed to find a decision, one she probably wasn't going to like. "You believe that I'd hurt you if I wanted." She nodded, afraid to speak. "And you'll do whatever I want." She nodded again, her eyes glued to that damnable gun. He waved it towards her, smiling at her flinch. "I don't want you to freak out," he kept his voice level. "I don't want to die," she said simply. A tear began to form in the corner of her eye. The man seemed to notice the wetness near her eyes, seemed to hesitate for a moment. Finally, he nodded. "Good, Sandra. Good girl." She hadn't been referred to as a 'girl' in a long time. In a way, it seemed almost reverent, not demeaning. Not from the gunman. Strange. He inhaled deeply, letting it out in a long sigh.



"Sandra, I want you to give me your clothes." She started, stepped back as though slapped. Her mind whirled, couldn't quite believe that he'd said it, but knowing that it was so. She hadn't let her mind investigate this possibility. Why else would he want you, she thought hysterically. She shook her head slowly from side to side as if denying it would help her somehow. The tear escaped from her right eye to lazily track down her cheek. "Please no. I don't want to be raped." He laughed gently while she backed up another step. "Sandra, I have no intention of raping you or anyone else." "You don't?" She desperately wanted to believe him. So desperately. But he was holding a gun on her, wanted her clothes. He shook his head. The gun never left her. "Listen ..." she began, her voice wavering. She searched her memory, but her mind refused to give up the information. She unconsciously crossed her arms across her chest. "I don't even remember your name. I'm sorry." "It's not important," he replied, infinite patience infusing his words. "Please. Take whatever you want -- the purse is under the desk. Please." He stepped towards her, eyes carefully on her face. She backed away until she felt the wall, under her inspirational poster that proclaimed "You can do anything you set your mind to." The wall pressed into her back solidly behind her. He approached her, but stopped outside of her reach, not invading her personal space. She shook, knowing that attacking him was useless. "I have cash," she whispered. "I can get more." He laughed again. "I don't want money, Sandra." She regarded him for a moment, wishing the wall would open up and swallow her whole. "If you aren't going to rape me, then why?" She watched his eyes, hoping to see the hint of a lie. There was none. He smiled. "Sandra, look around you. This is my world now, there is no one, just you and I here. I could freeze you, you know?" She didn't know, but she nodded anyway. "I could tie you up, no problem, and do http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (36 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


whatever I pleased with you. I could cut your clothes from you. I could rape you while you struggled in the ropes." The statement seemed to bring a sparkle to his eyes, but he continued, his eyes somewhat truthful. "I don't want to rape you, I just want you to be naked. Okay? I won't rape you." No, it wasn't okay. Not with her. She trembled. The gun suddenly was pressed under her chin, its cold barrel indenting her skin. His hand remained steady holding the weapon against her chin. She shook, but he didn't. It was as if he'd done this before, was used to controlling women. Slowly, resignation flowed into her veins. As he released the pressure on the underside of her chin, she nodded slowly. He moved back, watching her closely. She allowed another tear to trace down her face as her fingers rose to tug at the first button at the throat of her blouse.


"I don't want to do this," she whispered. Her fingers halted after the first button had released. He smiled gently, and spoke kindly, in contradiction to the gun he still held on her. "Sandra, I know. You've been nude before, every morning in the shower. Every morning before you dress. In front of lovers, doctors." She shook her head. "But ..." Again he spoke knowingly. "But not in front of a strange man waving a gun around. Would this make you feel better?" He tucked the gun into his waistband. Sandra was sure that he could retrieve it and shoot her before she'd taken two steps, but it did make her feel better, so she nodded. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (37 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


"You've been naked before, and it won't be forever. You won't even remember it." His words made little sense to her, but she was beyond arguing. She accepted his words, and continued to unbutton her blouse. A flush overtook her face, but his eyes seemed to remain on hers instead of watching her bra slip into view. Her blouse, and then her slacks tumbled to the floor in an untidy heap. She worked her shoes through the fabric, stepping carefully to the side. She re-crossed her arms in front of her, looking up hopefully. "Satisfied. I did what you want." He grinned. "Sandra, you must know better than that." She did. He wouldn't be satisfied until she was standing there buck naked, shivering. "Please. My purse ..." He motioned at her to continue. She sighed, willed back another tear, and worked her arms up behind her, fumbling with the clasps to her brassiere. She hesitated for a moment before slipping the straps from her shoulders, holding the thin white fabric to her breasts protectively. "Please?" He shook his head patiently. She took a deep breath, and finally dropped the cloth to the ground to join her pants and her blouse. This time, she wasn't able to control the blush, could see it rising across the tops of her breasts. "Sandra?" She looked up, but immediately dropped her eyes to the floor. "Lower your arms." She shook her head. "I don't want to hurt you. You will lower them eventually. Get it over with." His voice was kind, belying the words that tumbled from his mouth. She gathered her courage and dropped her arms from shielding her breasts. "Oh god," she whispered. "Panties, too."



Knowing it was useless to beg, she slipped her thumbs into the waistband of her plain cotton briefs, and slipped them down her legs. Her right foot flipped the wispy cotton into the pile. While she stood, hands at her sides, she pressed her legs together in an attempt at modesty. She suspected that her modesty was in for a shaking. "Shoes. Jewellery." She looked up sharply. For some reason, losing her shoes, standing barefoot in front of him seemed worse somehow than removing the rest of her clothes. "Shoes?" "Naked, Sandra. I want you bare." "Why? Please, why?" He didn't answer her, and she suspected that even he didn't know. She was beginning to believe that he wasn't going to rape her. He wouldn't have waited this long, wouldn't have asked her to remove her shoes and jewellery if rape was on his agenda. She was already accessible, if he'd wanted to rape her, after all. "Why?" she repeated. "I'm naked, aren't I? All the important parts hung out for you to see." But his eyes were on her face, not her body. "Shoes," he repeated firmly. In other situations, people saw her bare feet all the time -- in the pool, at the beach, even walking around the house. But to be barefoot here, in her office, in front of him? With a sigh, she worked the pumps off with her toes, hesitating with the first, and nearly kicking off the second. Without any hesitation, she worked the watch off her wrist, the necklace from her throat, and the earrings from her ears. She held the various gold metal in her palm, offering it to him. Maybe he wanted the gold, not cash? He motioned her to put in on the desk -- didn't take it. Moving naked, in the office, surprised her, the sensations of the carpet against her bare feet, the air moving around her skin. She dropped her jewellery in a pile beside her blotter. So ordinary, wasn't it? "Satisfied, now? Can I get dressed?" "Oh no, Sandra, you look much nicer naked. Honestly." In a strange way, she was flattered, but not enough not to wish that he'd let her clad herself again.



"Please?" He shook his head. "Clean up the clothes, Sandra. Give them to me." "Huh?" "You heard," he said with a little more threat in his voice. He pointed towards the heap of her clothing. The pile looked too small to have wrapped around her nudity. Slowly she moved to kneel beside her scattered clothes. Her fingers quickly folded the fabric as if it had emerged from the wash. Soon, she had a stack lying in front of her on the carpet. She picked it up and turned on her knees, her clothing cradled in her arms. "Thank-you," he remarked. He'd watched her perform the ritual in silence, and as she turned, he retrieved her clothes from her arms, placing them on the file cabinet. Somehow, it made it worse, seeing her clothes there, so out of place, so close, and yet so far away. Sandra slowly climbed to her feet, her arms re-crossing automatically across her chest. Her nipples, hardened by the cool air, pressed into her forearms. He didn't force her to lower her arms, this time. "Why me?" she asked simply. "Because you were here." "You work here. In the lab, don't you?" He nodded. He seemed to be humouring her, almost allowing her to talk for a minute. "You know me, even if I don't remember you, right? Have you been planning this long? Have I done something to deserve this, withheld pay, withheld funds?" The man remained silent. Sandra took this to mean she was on the right track. "I. I can't control funds. If they aren't there, they aren't. If I've done something to offend you, I'm sorry. God, I'm sorry. I'll redirect funds to your program. Somehow. I'm so sorry." The man looked up, staring into her eyes. She involuntarily fell back a step. "No, Sandra. You haven't done anything to me, or my department. I'm doing this because I can, and because most of the women in the building aren't ... my type. You won't remember this. I promise. It isn't happening." But it was happening. The air against her bare skin reminded her of it every second. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (40 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


"I've done nothing to deserve this? I was in the wrong place at the wrong time?" Somehow that made it worse. She was innocent, but somehow still naked and shivering in her office with a damn gun pointed at her. "Right place at the right time," he said quietly. She shook her head. "No." He smiled, as if her opinion didn't really matter. She supposed that it didn't. Not really. "What do you want from me?" she asked quietly. "I want you to crawl." "Crawl?" "On all fours." "You're kidding. Why?" He smiled again. "Sandra? Why isn't important. Not really. If you want for this to end, you need to crawl for me. Once around the office." "Crawl," she repeated incredulously. "That's humiliating." He nodded slowly. Oh, he knew. His hand fell to the butt of the gun in his waistband. Suddenly, she was certain that she was getting off easy, that this man was capable of hurting her, of controlling her in far worse ways than to ask her to crawl around naked on the floor. A ball formed in the pit of her stomach, but in the end, she fell to her knees, and rocked forward, hands and knees on the carpet. Naked, she began to crawl slowly around the perimeter of the office, breasts swaying beneath her, tears falling silently. He watched her moving intently, a smile of remembrance on his lips. When she completed the circuit, her knees ached, and her biceps tingled with the unaccustomed motion. "Can I get up now?" she asked. Instead of answering, he moved towards her. On her she couldn't move quickly enough to avoid him. His the back of her head, and in surprise, she watched tresses fell to hang, unbound, beside her face. He she thought. Why?


hands and knees, hands tugged at as her blonde released my hair,


In a moment, his hand was entwined in her hair, lifting it from shielding her face. He tugged, and Sandra cried out in pain, beginning to rise off her hands to alleviate the pressure. Then she noticed that the pressure had a direction. Sure she would be punished if she rose from the crawl, she threw herself forward to follow the makeshift leash of her own hair. "Please," she gasped. "That hurts." He loosened the pressure on her scalp, but only a little. Slowly, she crawled to the doorway. The intent was clear. She was to follow him like a pet being walked, a naked, crawling, dog or cat. She could feel the hot flush of blood rushing into her cheeks, and she choked on relief that her face was hidden towards the floor. Suddenly, she realised in which direction she was crawling. Oh God, not into the main office. While she had been naked and crawling in her own office, door closed, and somewhat private, while embarrassing, she thought she could handle it. Not outside. No. She balked, pulling back despite the pain his hand in her hair caused. He tugged once, causing her to cry out in pain, but then relented. She suspected that it was a mistake, but she rose to her knees as best she could, her hair still grasped in his hand. His form was close to her, too close. He seemed to recognise the problem. "Sandra? There's nobody but us. They can't see you out there, and I can't leave you in here." "Please. Let me go. I'm not a dog." He tugged on her hair, hard, forcing her to fall back to a crawling position. She cried out, again, but managed to stifle the real scream that threatened to rise from her throat. He paused after opening the door. Please let the invisible wall prevent us from leaving. Please. "If I want you to bark," he said ominously. "You'll be a dog." And she believed him. Oh yes, she believed him. The carpet moved silently past her eyes, stretching forever, as she crawled over the floor, following the pressure from her hair, transmitted incessantly from his fingers.




The invisible wall disappeared as they passed through the doorway. Sandra flinched as she tested with her fingers to ensure that her head wouldn't smack headlong into it as she struggled to catch up to the constant tug on her scalp. But it wasn't there, and she passed through the opening and into the silent world as if there had never been an obstruction. She avoided raising her eyes as she moved methodically and as quickly as she could, her knees pumping and arms working in unusual harmony. The journey ended when the pressure of his hand in her hair abated, and the blonde strands fell beside her face like a shroud. After a few minutes, she dared to raise her eyes. Confusion set in for a moment; she wasn't used to seeing cubicles from this angle. Sandra nearly rose to a kneeling position, and then thought better of it. God, where was he? She twisted her head, caught a glimpse of him behind her. She flushed, and tried to press her thighs together. Either way, she knew, he was getting a perfect view of her. She sighed. He was getting a view no matter what. Christ. Making her crawl. Through the office. She tried to ignore him. She had been led to Melanie's office, where she remained in the middle of the cubicle. Melanie was a secretary, a temp, perhaps a college student, brunette, long legged and attractive. Sandra idly wondered why the gunman hadn't chosen Melanie over her in the first place. The desks were cluttered, and Melanie, hand frozen while pushing a mouse, stared at an unmoving computer screen. Sandra knew the girl, at least in passing -- she'd been hired recently, was overworked with the cutbacks that were taking place. They'd been introduced once; Sandra may have passed some typing her way a few times. She couldn't recall the girl's last name. Sandra's shoulder registered a soft touch. She'd expected his fingers to be hard and calloused, but they weren't. She looked up to find him crouched beside her. "Get up," he instructed her. With relief, she rose first to her knees, then she climbed to her bare feet. He guided her to one of Melanie's desks. "Sit."



Sandra looked at the cluttered desk, began to shuffle some of the paper to make room to sit on the desk. "It doesn't matter," he remarked with a sweep of an arm. Papers, pens, and various office supplies fell with a clatter that made Sandra jump, her breasts jumping with her. "Sit," he said a little more impatiently. Sandra stepped gingerly through the clutter now littering the floor, trying not to step on any tacks or sharp pens, and pulled herself up to sit on the higher surface. The gunman was investigating Melanie. With his back turned, maybe she could ... "Sandra?" His voice surprised her and she looked away guiltily. Could he read her mind, too? "Not a smart idea." She shivered, and re-wrapped her arms around her chest. At this point, it was more to control the shivers than to avoid showing off. He'd seen her body, from all angles. Christ, she'd had to crawl for him. Seeing her bare breasts now, simply wasn't a huge deal anymore. "She new?" he asked. Sandra nodded. The gunman avoided touching the frozen secretary; Sandra didn't know why. But she was sure that the girl wasn't aware of them. "What's wrong with her? Is she alive?" Sandra asked innocently. "She's suspended. As you will be when I'm done here." Done here? What the hell did that mean? Instead of asking important questions, Sandra asked the one that related more to her situation. "When will you be done?" The man laughed a little. "Time doesn't have a lot of meaning. At least not to you." That remark made no sense at all, but she didn't dare ask again. He was inspecting the frozen secretary again. "Who is she?" "Her name is Melanie. She's a temp, I think." The man nodded. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (44 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


"She's cute." Suddenly, Sandra suspected that the girl was going to regret being "cute". "Do you want to see her naked? Then you wouldn't be the only one," the man said with a smile. Her answer wouldn't make any difference, she knew, but she tried anyway. "Not particularly." Sandra glanced back at her open office door. Her bra, her panties, her blouse, and her slacks were folded up neatly, lying on the filing cabinet. And her shoes. She wiggled her bare toes, her shoes were lying back there, too. Suddenly, she had a vision of what she looked like before the phone had gone dead. He'd watched her, like he was inspecting Melanie, maybe even touched her. She shivered. "I want you, Sandra, to pay attention, but I don't want you to say anything. Nothing. Understand?" His voice startled her, but she nodded automatically. The frozen secretary wasn't frozen anymore. She moved the mouse for a moment, and then realising something was amiss, she glanced around. Melanie's eyes widened at the sight of Sandra, naked, arms across her bare breasts seated on her desk, office supplies strewn across the cubicle. "What the hell?" Melanie uttered before her eyes fell on the man calmly pointing the gun at her chest. Melanie's mouth clacked shut at the sight of the gun. Sandra knew exactly what the girl was feeling. "Melanie?" The girl whirled in her chair, facing the gun. "See Sandra?" "Miss Winters?" The man nodded. "I want you to take off your clothes, too." "Excuse me?" "Melanie? See this gun? I haven't had to use it yet, but I can, and I will." The girl didn't hesitate as long as Sandra had, perhaps motivated by the fact that Sandra was already naked, that the man could force her to remove her clothing through ... persuasion. Perhaps, Melanie http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (45 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


wasn't as shy as Sandra. In the end, Melanie stood bare and shaking, as she tried to protect her modesty with her hands. Her clothing littered the carpet at her bare feet, similarly to the way Sandra's had after she'd been forced to strip. Only the man wasn't making Melanie fold her own clothes, or remove her jewellery, and she wasn't on her hands and knees. Yet. The man let her hold her hands up to shield herself, for the time being. The gunman turned to Sandra. "See, she's naked too." Sandra afraid to talk, simply nodded. Melanie began to sob, her bare body shaking. The gunman ignored her. "I want to show you something, Sandra." He reached forward, pulling the girl's hands from shielding her bare breasts. Melanie resisted for a moment, but then allowed the man to reveal her nudity. "She's cute -- no beauty, but cute enough. Sandra, I want you to know. I could make you have sex with her." Sandra blushed, and tried to control the shivers. "Please no," she whispered. Melanie echoed the sentiment, pulling at her wrists. But the gunman held her calmly. "She'll forget everything." Sandra shook her head, her hair dragging across her bare shoulders. "Get down on your knees." Both girls began to lower themselves to the floor, but the gunman stopped Melanie with a finger under her chin. Sandra dropped, her thighs resting against her bare heels. Papers and pens littered the floor near her bent knees. "Melanie? I want you to choose. Face, Stomach or Sex." The girl shook, tears still falling from her eyes. "What?" "Choose!" The man roared into her face. She flinched, stepping back until her bare thighs touched her chair. Sandra recoiled also at the force of the exclamation. The girl hadn't provoked that. Watching the gunman more closely, Sandra couldn't see real anger there, only a calculating menace, perhaps meant to throw the naked girl off balance, not give her time to think. It worked.



Without thought, the girl's lips formed the words: "Face. Oh God." Without hesitation, he brought the gun up and aimed it into her face. For a sick second, Sandra was sure he was going to kill her, blood and brains about to splatter her bare skin. The kneeling girl flinched, hands beginning to raise to ward off the oncoming onslaught of gore. "God, no. Sex! Sex! I'll have sex with you. With her. Whatever you want. Don't kill me." Melanie was babbling, anything to stop this. "Leave her be," Sandra whispered. "Do whatever you want with me." The gunman turned towards Sandra. "I thought that I told you not to speak." Sandra clamped her mouth closed with an audible snap. She wanted to apologise, wanted to stop this. But she didn't. Couldn't tear her eyes from the man and the naked, cowering secretary. And then, without warning, he reversed the gun, bringing the handle down against Melanie's cheek in a pitiless arc. Melanie collapsed in a wail of pain. Sandra was on her bare feet, charging before her brain had a chance to kick in, hands curled into angry fists. "You fucking bastard." Her voice sounded like someone else, someone brave and clothed. Melanie had collapsed in a heap at the gunman's feet, sobbing uncontrollably into her hands, drops of crimson falling between her fingers. "My teeth. Oh God, my teeth," the girl wailed. Sandra stopped short, the barrel of the gun jammed between her bare breasts. "Shoot me, then," she whispered fiercely. She closed her eyes, sure that the next sound she heard would be a bullet ripping through her exposed ribcage. After a time, she noticed the wailing at their feet had halted, the world had returned to an eerie silence. The barrel of the gun remained pressed into her skin, but the bullet never ripped into her. When she opened her eyes, she blinked in bewilderment. Melanie had returned to her chair, her clothes re-materialised upon her body. Her mouth was whole, and the girl obliviously stared at the unmoving screen, hand again rested on the mouse. He let her move away from the gun, though she could sense that it remained aimed at her bare body, somewhere. Sandra walked around http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-1-10.html (47 of 49)8/14/2005 11:37:18 PM


Melanie carefully, reaching out with a tentative finger to touch the corner of Melanie's mouth. No blood, no expression of pain, nothing to indicate that the girl had been naked and pistol whipped only seconds before. Sandra pulled back her finger from the cold, hardened flesh of Melanie's lips with a cry of dismay. "She'll be fine. It never happened. For her." Sandra nodded slowly. Somehow, she didn't understand how, but somehow, it had never happened. Melanie had never been naked, hadn't suffered the blow. But she had. She HAD. A vision of Sandra, returning to her own desk, continuing on where the phone had dropped, mindlessly trying to secure funding for the new lab projects. Somehow, when this was all over, it was gone. She hadn't crawled. She hadn't begged. She hadn't stripped for this stranger. His voice cut through her thoughts. "It isn't suitable language for a lady." She looked at him in bewilderment. "Huh?" "Fucking bastard." Sandra cringed. "I'm sorry. I didn't ..." "I'm a bastard. Surely," the man spoke quietly. The gun never left her heart. "But 'fucking', that isn't something that should come from a lady's mouth, is it?" Shocked, Sandra nodded dumbly. "I'm sorry." After a few minutes, she continued. "I won't remember any of this, will I?" He smiled, tucking the gun back into his waistband. "Will you?" He smiled again, enigmatically. "Is this happening? To me?" "Sort of," he replied. "By the way, I won't punish you for the outburst, only for your use of the word 'fucking'. Do we understand each other?" She nodded, tears beginning to form. "I just want to leave," she whispered.



She sank to her knees to the carpet, in the spot where Melanie had fallen. Because, she could hurt until he released her. That much she knew. "Soon," he said, looking down at her naked kneeling form. "Soon."



You are vistor #


since August 2000.




Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 11

·

Chapter 12

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Chapter 13

·

Chapter 14

·

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

·

Chapter 17

·

Chapter 18

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Chapter 19

·

Chapter 20


Sandra allowed him to wind his hand back into her hair. He wasn't quite as insistent this time, and the makeshift leash wasn't as uncomfortable against her scalp as it had been. She automatically fell into a crawl. She idly wondered why she had to crawl, but at this point, she merely accepted it, the same way that she was beginning to accept her nudity in this strange world. "We can't take the elevator," he said as they finally came to a stop. Sandra lifted her eyes. They had stopped in front of the fire doors, the big red entrance beckoning. "Get up, you can't crawl down stairs." Warily, she climbed to her bare feet. His hand remained entangled in her hair. "Won't the alarm sound?" she asked.



He hesitated, one hand on the door handle. He released her hair with his other hand. "Who cares if it does?" Sandra couldn't tell if he knew or not whether the alarm would ring. If it rang, maybe someone will find them, firemen, police, paramedics -- someone to help her? But when the door swung open heavily to his touch, no insistent bells rang out, no saving grace. She sighed and followed him into the stairwell. The cold concrete scratched at her bare feet. He stood waiting for her on the second landing; she envied him his running shoes. Glancing up, she considered for a moment running, but to go up was to be trapped, and she doubted if she would make two stairs before he stopped her somehow. God knew what he'd do to her after that. He smiled gently as she began to descend carefully. She walked in front of him after the second landing, knowing that he was watching her, but unable to do much about it. Her clothing receded further and further away as each bare foot followed each bare foot in methodical succession. Twelve floors later, she hesitated in front of the exit door. She wasn't used to taking the stairs, and her bare breasts rose and fell rapidly upon her chest as her lungs worked to overcome the exertion. Her thighs ached, but it didn't take long for her to regain her breath. He waited patiently for her to recover, watching her. He seemed to be normal, not breathing hard, or perspiring. Eventually, his voice appeared, hot and threatening in her ear. "The alarm won't sound. Push it." "The lobby ..." she begged. He smiled. "The lobby is full of people that can't see you or me." She shrugged. If he wanted her out there, she was going out, whether she wanted to, or not. With a press of her shoulder, the door swung outward. No alarm greeted her, but she really hadn't expected any bells. She stumbled out into the brightly lit lobby, nearly colliding with a middle-aged woman, with grey hair, in a blue business suit. The woman looked like she was harried, walking quickly towards the elevator bank that no longer functioned. Sandra paused, staring into the woman's face, trying to see life down there in the blank eyes. "Like her?" the gunman asked from behind. Sandra kept silent, moving to the side and around the frozen woman. She wondered if she should fall back to her hands and knees. The marble of the lobby looked too cold and hard to crawl over, but she http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (2 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


suspected that the gunman wouldn't care about her discomfort. Nevertheless, she hadn't been asked, so she remained upright. His hand fell lightly on the back of her neck. She jumped, but didn't turn around. He guided her towards the security desk, not asking her to crawl. For a moment, her heart leapt. Security. They would know what to do. Then her hopes were dashed. They'd know what to do if they weren't frozen. A courier, with dirty wind-blown hair, and wearing biking equipment and a backpack, stood at the desk talking to a grey-haired old man dressed in a standard security uniform. The security guard sported a beer-belly, and Sandra could see the handle of a gun protruding from beside his right hip. She had a flash of hope, but then quelled it. How to get the gun? Even if her captor let down his guard, she was betting that guard's gun was frozen solid, with the rest of the world. King Arthur couldn't have moved it. "Stand here, and keep quiet," her captor said. Obediently, Sandra stood, the marble of the security desk pressing into the small of her back, her fingers wrapped lightly around the smooth edge. She glanced through the plate glass windows out onto the busy downtown street. If all the pedestrians, all the cars, were alive, she'd have caused quite a stir standing here like this. A noise caught her attention to the left. She watched, intrigued, as the courier came to life. "... need to get to the fifth ..." his voice trailed off as he realised that the world wasn't quite right. "What the fuck?" he swore as he turned around. Suddenly, he became aware of Sandra, naked and lounging to his left. She blushed, and raised her hands to cover her bare breasts automatically. The courier, mouth open, about to bluster another obscenity, halted as the gunman stepped nonchalantly between Sandra and the courier. "Who the fuck are you?" the courier demanded as he moved forward. He stopped his forward motion at the sight of the gun. Sandra shifted her weight. The gun was pointed towards the bike guy, and she was behind the gunman. Her hands began to rise. Instead of answering the courier, the man's voice floated towards Sandra, low and threatening. "Don't even think about it, Sandra." Sandra started, but fell back against the marble, her hands falling ineffectually back to her sides. With the gunman between her and the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (3 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


courier, her body was shielded anyway. There really wasn't any need to keep her hands up. She worked her toes against the marble, watching them instead of whatever was about to happen to the courier. "Hey, man. I don't want any trouble. I don't even care why she's nekkid, man." The courier was slowly backing away from the man with the gun. "I didn't see nothing." The gunman grimaced at the figure of speech. "Didn't see anything," he corrected. The courier merely looked confused. The man wagged the gun. "Over there," he motioned with the barrel of the gun. Obediently, the courier ran towards the front entrance of the lobby. Unable to push the frozen revolving door, he finally spun and faced the gun. Fear etched into his features, his breathing ragged. "Come on, man," he blubbered. "I didn't do nothing." His eyes shifted to Sandra, who blushed again. Slowly, satisfied that the courier was far enough away, the gunman turned to face the Sandra. She tried to shrink back, the small of her back pressing ever more firmly into the marble of the security desk. His expression was suggestive, almost maniacal. She suspected that her words wouldn't make a difference, but she spoke anyway. "Please, don't hurt him, either." Instead of answering her, he asked her a question, one that she wasn't expecting. "If I were to offer you freedom, in exchange for having sex with him, would you? Willingly?" She wasn't sure what willingly meant in this situation, but she considered the question for a moment before answering. Her head slowly shook negatively. "Please no," she whispered. The courier had heard the exchange; he spoke the words, partially because of the crudity, suspected that the gunman would do something suggestion, partially because she was afraid listen to the dirty kid.

up. Sandra cringed at partially because she drastic at the that the gunman would

"Hey, man. I'll fuck the bitch for my freedom. She's a piece of ass, man. A piece of ass." The gunman whirled, the gun rising. The courier retreated until his http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (4 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


back pressed against the unyielding door. Her captor advanced three short steps towards the courier. "You want to die, my friend?" The courier looked like he was going to faint with fright. "No man, I ..." The idiot fell to his knees, babbling. "I don't want to die. I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." The gunman smiled easily, the gun never wavering. Sandra stood behind him, not watching. "You don't have to apologise to me," the gunman whispered. His voice carried across the mostly silent lobby, more powerful for its lack of volume. The guard, and the people dressed in business attire didn't seem to care about the drama unfolding in front of them. "No man, I don't want to die." "Don't you think the lady deserves more respect than that? A piece of ass? Bitch? I don't remember asking you if you wanted to have sex with her." The words somehow warmed Sandra. Why would he protect her? She didn't understand. Not a whit. She would have expected the bastard to revel in anything that made her cringe. Forcing her to have sex with the boy might have been right up his alley. "I'm so fucking sorry," the courier babbled. "Please lady, I'm sorry that I said those things. Christ, I'm sorry." "Her name is Sandra. Not bitch. Not lady. Sandra." The mention of her name removed an element of anonymity, and she fought down another blush. Her hands again rose to shield the view of her breasts. "Sandra. Sandra. I'm sorry, Sandra. I'm sorry for calling her a bitch. I'm sorry. Please. Please don't kill me." The gunman turned to look at Sandra, his eyebrows raised in an unasked question. She guessed what he wanted. She whispered. "It's all right. I don't mind. Please don't kill him. Not for this." The kid remained on his knees, blubbering, a thankful expression upon his features. Sandra wasn't sure, but she thought he might have wet himself. Her captor nodded slowly, then turned. The courier froze, on his knees, head lowering towards the marble. His voice cut off, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (5 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


mid-pleading. "What did you do to him?" Sandra asked quietly, not really expecting an answer. "I slipped him into a slower time bubble." The answer didn't help her, but she nodded. The gunman continued. "Can't return him to the main timeline, he'd be in the way." Puzzled, she waited, wondering what was next on this insane journey. She stood quietly and watched her feet as the gunman began to survey the lobby. Her bare toes looked out of place against the pristine grey marble.


"Sandra." Sandra turned to face him. "Put your arms out, straight out from your body." "Why?" she asked, her voice wavering. His eyes grew a little harder, and she complied, acutely aware of the vulnerability that it placed her in. Gently, he turned her, arms out like a horizontal pinwheel, until she faced away from him and towards the overweight guard sitting impassively behind his desk of marble. She flushed, though she knew that the old guy couldn't see her, couldn't see her breasts raised by the position of her arms, couldn't see her body displayed so carelessly. Inside, she cringed, but managed to remain in the position in which she'd been placed. She cried out as the gunman's hand entwined in her hair again. It wasn't particularly painful, not yet, but he pulled her inexorably forward until her arms and shoulders rested against the cool marble. The edge of the counter pressed oddly into the tops of her breasts, and her cheek began to warm the smooth stone as she turned her head to the side.



"Look at him, or I'll wake him," the voice spoke in her ear. "Who?" she asked. There was an Asian girl in her line of sight, hurrying somewhere towards the revolving door that had stymied the courier. Her long black hair wrapped around her shoulders, caught in mid-flight by the freeze. Sandra idly wondered what the girl would do if she were bent over, naked, her fingers clutching at the stone, a gun-toting maniac behind her. Probably scream. But Sandra didn't scream. Didn't dare. "The guard, who do you think?" the man behind her said. "The guard. Why?" Instead of answering, she felt his hand grasping her hair again, pulling her head back sharply. Sandra screamed, then, but stopped as her head was released to fall heavily on her chin. Her teeth clacked together hard enough to bring tears to her eyes. When she opened her eyes again, the pain had subsided, both in her scalp and her jaw, but the guard remained frozen, his eyes staring vacantly into her face. His face blurred with the remnants of her tears, but the overweight guard remained visible, his grey hair like the stone on top of which she stood and lay. Sandra began to pull her arms back from being outstretched, but halted when a slight pressure appeared at her shoulder. "I said out. Do you want me to wake him, so he can watch. I'll bet he would. Or perhaps you'd prefer the courier." Sandra shivered. "Please," she whispered. "I'll do whatever you want." A shoe encased toe nudged her left ankle and for a moment, she was confused. After the second nudge, she realised what he wanted, and didn't even bother to protest. She slid her leg to the left. A similar touch to her right ankle, and she slid her right leg, too. A flush infused her as she considered the view the bastard was getting of her. But she dared not close her legs. After a moment, she realised that she was nearly at the perfect height for him to take her. She began to shiver. "Wider," he said without compassion. "I. I can't. That's as wide as they go. Please. I don't want to be raped. Please." "Don't be silly." But she couldn't tell if he was referring to her impending rape, or that her legs wouldn't go any wider for him. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (7 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


He gently kicked at her bare left foot. She stretched, eventually rising up until she was left supported only by her toes against the marble. Without prompting, she forced her right foot into the same position. "It's uncomfortable. Please." The air tickled her vaginal lips, sending shivers up her spine. She forced them into the background, hoping the man behind her hadn't noticed. "Do you know why you're like this?" She searched her mind, couldn't come up with an answer beyond the obvious, and that she didn't want to mention. The guard staring at her didn't help. "Because you want me like this," she ventured. He laughed. "Well, yes, but remember a certain phrase that popped out back there?" "Phrase?" She was completely confused. Her legs began to tremble from the harsh position. She spoke to the guard, who she was reasonably sure didn't hear her or care. "With our friend Melanie?" he prompted. She thought back, but here with her body screaming at her, and the events that had unfolded, she couldn't remember. After a few minutes, he took pity on her and helped. "'Fucking bastard'?" "Oh God, I'm sorry. I already said that I was sorry. Please." "Actually, I don't mind so much, but I think I promised you a punishment." "Punishment?" she said stupidly. "What are you going to do to me." She fought the urge to throw her legs back together and run. Or to turn and at least reason with him. "I think three good spanks should take care of it. Don't you?" "You're going to spank me?" The guard almost looked like he would relish the sight. She hadn't been spanked since she'd been a little girl, and even then, not like this, spread out for the world to see. "Mmmhmmmm." "You can't. You just can't." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (8 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


"Can't I?" "No. I. I'll do anything." With that, Sandra broke position, pulling her arms in, and lowering herself off her toes. She slowly turned towards him. He stood smiling maddeningly behind her. Oh yes, he was getting a good show. She flushed again. "Please. I'll. I'll. I'll fu -- have sex with you. Anyway you want. But please. Don't hurt ... spank ... me." She choked on the words, but managed to hold back the tears. He merely looked at her, his eyes on her face, not her body. She dropped her words to a whisper. "Please, just let me go." He motioned to her, one finger. For a moment, she nearly dropped to her knees, ready to perform. But then, she noticed that wasn't what he wanted. Not her on her knees, but her back, face down, in front of that damn guard, up on her toes, presenting herself to him. Damn it. Accepting her punishment. "I'll crawl. I'll have sex with Melanie for you. Anything." Truthfully, she didn't know if she could perform sex on the other woman, not voluntarily anyway. But she knew that he wasn't going to be dissuaded. Not this time. And in the end, she slowly turned, tears falling down her cheeks. The marble had cooled since her chin had left it, its smooth surface uncaring of the soft skin pressed against it. Her thighs shook, but she pushed them apart, rising back up on her toes. Without warning, his hand struck the tender flesh of her bottom. She rocked forward, with a gasp, her breasts pressing against the edge of the counter. The guards eyes watched her accusingly: Shouldn't have cursed, silly girl. Shouldn't have cursed. Not at him. The next two blows stung, but she bit back the cries. Silently, she cried though, tears kissing the marble near her chin. Her hands clenched from open palm to tight fists. She waited, but he was silent behind her. The last blow caught her in the crease between the thigh and her ass, a hard open handed slap that radiated through her nerves like a hot iron. She screeched, her voice swallowed by the strange echo-proof environment. "Oh God, please no more. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." His hand pulled gently on her hair again, and she slowly rose from the marble. She wiped at her eyes with one hand, the other gently http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (9 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


probing her rear, especially where the last blow had landed. "I thought you were only going to spank me three times." He smiled. "The last one was for that pathetic begging before we started. Breaking position without permission." She lowered her head. Her feet ached where she'd had to arch them for him. Her bare toes still looked out of place against the marble. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "Sorry for what?" She looked up sharply. "You've spanked me, you've made me crawl naked, you've displayed me in front of Melanie, and that, that, that courier kid. Isn't that enough?" He stepped back, cocking his head to the side. "Sorry for what?" he repeated. Sandra wanted to cry, but this time, she willed the moisture back. "Sorry for using the word 'fuck'. It isn't ladylike. Do we have to do this?" He approached her, and she stood warily. His hands encircled her waist, though they were well below her breasts. "What are you going to do?" Instead of answering, he lifted her as if she were as light as a feather, finally depositing her, sitting where she'd formerly lain for her spanking. She cringed as her sore bottom connected with the cool marble. "Sandra, I want you to know that I could have forced you to have sex with Melanie." "I know." "Or that pathetic weasel by the door." She shivered, but knew that it was true, too. "I know." "Or even beer-buddy behind the desk there that watched your suffering. I could make you crawl down main street, or dance naked for the board of directors." She began to shiver more violently. For a second, her voice refused to work. At last, she managed to whisper.



"Please no. Let me go. I'll fuck you. I'll give you the best blow job you've ever had. Anything." He smiled then, a small mirthless smile. She realised that she'd used the word 'fuck' but in this context it didn't seem to faze him. She wondered about that, but wasn't about to bring it to his attention. "This from Sandra? 'I don't want to be raped'-Sandra?" She flushed then. "I'll do it if you let me go." He slowly shook his head. At the quiet rejection, she began to weep, her hands encompassing her face, her bare heels softly knocking at the desk below her. "I didn't enjoy hurting Melanie, you know." Sandra looked up, tears blurring her vision. "That was just a demonstration. That's why I returned her." "But you'll make me crawl for you. What did I ever do to deserve this. Whatever it is, I'm sorry. So sorry." He hesitated a moment, as if reaching a difficult decision. "Do you want to go back?" That caught her off guard, her tears trickling to a stop while she considered it. Despite it all, despite her nudity, her humiliation, the spanking, and the begging, she suddenly wasn't sure. The world was different, and despite her position in it, there was a strange appeal, a freedom. Something she couldn't quite identify. She wet her dry lips with her tongue and then spoke. "I want to go back." And then a second later. "I think." Her ass ached. Her thighs ached. Her arms ached. Her fingernails had dug into her palms. Her knees felt like they'd been crawling across carpet. Her scalp felt like small pinpricks had descended on it. "You were merely in the right place at the right time, Sandra." "No, I wasn't." With her decision made, her voice was more sure. "I have other things to do. Destiny calls." He paused for a moment, as if considering whether to really let her go. Eventually, he spoke again, his voice low and kind. "But thank-you, Sandra." She looked up sharply. He was thanking her?



She clasped her hands in her lap, marvelling that she was sitting on the main lobby desk, naked, and sore, but not all that bad all things considered. Not considering what the maniac could have made her do. Didn't make it right, but it was a small consolation, she supposed. "You're welcome. I think. What are you going to do?" "Play," he answered simply. She nodded. Oh yes, and she felt certain that the women of the world might just want to take cover, if they could. She hadn't been able to. She watched as a look of concentration fell across his features. A slight tingling began in her bare limbs, starting at her fingertips and flowing up her arms like a mild case of pins and needles. "Wait!" she called. The tingling abruptly ended. She cursed herself. He was going to send her back, back to where none of this had ever happened. And she'd stopped him. Her voice continued as though she wasn't in control of it. "Do you want to touch me?" He contemplated this for a moment, then stepped forward. She didn't resist when he traced a finger down her cheek, down her throat, down her right breast to circle the nipple once. The nipple reacted, and it wasn't only from the cool air of the lobby. More than simple horniness; more than simple sexuality. Something more. Something deeper. He withdrew. It came flooding into her as she watched him move away from her. She grasped at the memory; a name. A simple name. "You're. You're ..." He waited, as if wondering if she'd be able to pull his name from her mind. She shook her head in frustration. The look of concentration returned to his features. The tingles flowed through her limbs, and she gasped once. "You're ..." And then she was gone, falling into the darkness, the marble still warm from her presence.



"Good-bye, Sandra," he whispered. If he walked up the twelve flights, she would be sitting again at her desk, phone to her ear, in the middle of some inane conversation about funding. Safe, and unharmed. Never crawled naked through the building, or spanked in the lobby. The man turned around at the revolving door, swinging it slowly through the unresisting air with an idle hand. The courier snapped to his former position, about where he might have stood between Sandra's bare thighs but moments before. The guard continued to listen attentively to whatever floor the courier was looking for, instead of eyeing a naked woman, crying and begging, her bottom upturned and spanked. He surveyed the lobby, once. And then pushed through the door with ease to the sidewalk outside.


He stopped, standing in the middle of the road. Normally, such a position would have been fatal, his leg only inches from the onrushing bumper of a moving taxi. He listened. The world was silent. Alone. After he'd returned the naked Sandra, back to her drab desk, talking to the phone that didn't work, loneliness had settled in. He turned in the middle of the road, making a small circuit of the road paint marking the lanes. People surrounded him. A man wearing a turban driving the taxi, a woman, eyes closed in the back seat, his meter in glowing red marking off time and money. What did he care about time and money, now? An attractive brunette walked along the sidewalk on the far side, her foot paused mid-air, mid-step, inches from the sidewalk. Her hair, wispy around her head and face, shone in the afternoon sun. A oriental man in a suit hailed a cab, arm raised, a harried expression gracing his face. A group of women http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (13 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


entered the Chinese food restaurant across the street, gossipping, their voices silenced, for now. He returned his attention to the brunette. Yes, she had lovely legs, and a beautiful face. He wondered where she was hurrying to, what her life was like. What she looked like naked. Good, he thought. He walked over to the girl, walked around her slowly, careful not to brush against her statuesque form. He could wake her, all it would take was a bit of concentration, a bit of convincing, and she would probably do what he wanted. She would be his. He backed away from her, power coursing through his veins. The world was his. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely," he whispered to the uncaring girl. He laughed for a second. He hadn't succumbed to the Siren call of power, had he? Control. Control. Control. Was it all a game? Glancing back across the street, he saw the outline of the security desk, the blonde lab manager spread out for him, her sex glistening, her bottom begging to be struck. His hand prints etched on her skin. He shivered. Should he have let Sandra go? He stood there for a while, looking at the marble desk, the guard who had witnessed the acts. Her body, bare and pliant. He blinked and the image dissolved. She hadn't deserved his attentions, hadn't deserved to be naked and forced to crawl for him. But she was safe now, returned to blissful ignorance that she'd performed for him. Did any of them deserve his attention? Would this brunette deserve being under his control? It was exciting. Oh, yes. Shaking his head, he began to walk, dodging the frozen world sometimes stepping out into the street to avoid obstructions. He couldn't get attached to them. It was dangerous. Very dangerous. Control didn't work like that. It had been fun. It had been stimulating. Sandra had been co-operative. He needed more. Much more. He missed her. Sandra would have been fine, he was sure. But she was too close to him, even if she didn't recognise him. No, better http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (14 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


to avoid complications. She had been wonderful practice, and he'd passed the test. He'd let her go, even while he longed to continue controlling her, making her crawl, making her strip. But she wasn't chosen. Of that, somehow, he was sure. He wouldn't be lonely for long. No. He didn't think so. Fatigue began to gnaw at him. Tired. Sleep beckoned. But there was so much do. So much. Danger in not thinking straight. He nearly collided with another attractive girl listening to a portable stereo. He was reminded of Amy -- the girl had similar facial structures -- liked to listen to music. He was tempted to see if the girl had similar breasts, too. Tempted to make her beg. Tempted to walk with her down the street, the girl deliciously naked. He'd know who he wanted when he saw her. Of that, he was sure. Not this girl. Much as she attracted him, he could come back for her, if he wanted to. He stepped around her, and continued, his feet taking him towards his next destination. Things to do. As he passed a burger place, he stopped, his head cocking to the side in confusion. A ripple. A ripple in time. He sensed it like an electric charge in his head. Close and threatening. And then the sensation subsided. He relaxed. Nothing could hurt him here. Nothing. His steps became more determined, more directed. His hand fell to the gun tucked into his waistband. The safety engaged, he wasn't worried about hurting himself with it, but the gun simply wasn't enough. He needed equipment. A groan reached Dawn's ears, nudging her awake. As she blinked, bright light pierced her eyes, blinding her for a moment. Another groan insisted that she remain with the living, and she cursed the owner of the incessant voice silently under her breath, until she realised that the groan had been in her voice, weak and miserable. She pressed her hands against the cool grey tile, disoriented. As she rose to her hands and knees, a wave of vertigo overcame her. Slowly she lay back down and closed her eyes, rocking herself gently, cradling her head in her hands and trying to ignore the hardness of the floor. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (15 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


"Dawnie, where have you managed to get yourself, now? And what the hell were you drinking last night?" Her voice disappeared into the room, no echo, no response. She didn't remember drinking after John had left, but her head ached enough that it had to be a hangover. A bad one. Her stomach flip-flopped, but she managed to contain the gorge from rising. Barely. She vaguely remembered getting up in the morning, watching the sunrise. She vaguely remembered walking to school. With a start, she remembered John's fist crashing into her bare belly, the nearness of rape. Her ribs ached at the memory, and she struggled with the nausea filling her senses. When she opened her eyes, the room spun, but she could see sneakered feet, a whole row of them, seemingly stretching all the way to the horizon. The nausea began to subside a little, as her eyes began to focus. Perspective deepened, and Dawn's mind began to clear. The floor. The exam room floor. Gingerly, she pushed off the tile again with her hands, first rising to her hands and knees, and then rocking back to kneel easily. Another wave of vertigo washed over her, but she closed her eyes, gulped some air, and managed to keep it under control. The other students remained unmoving along their neat rows, steadfastly ignoring the pretty girl sick and kneeling on the floor. She wanted to scream at them, make them sit up and take notice. How had they missed her falling, her groans? Most of them sat, pens in hands, writing, ignoring her pain and discomfort. A broken pen, hers, stared up at her from the tile, twinkling in the lunchtime sun. She didn't remember snapping the pen, but its black ink formed a puddle against the grayness of the tile; the puddle was beginning to dry, probably to permanently stain the floor. "Hello? Anybody?" But nobody was in a talking mood. She remained on her knees for a few minutes. Her fingers explored her body, gingerly touching her ribs through her sweatshirt, her shoulder. When her index finger brushed her head near her right temple, she winced, her voice crying out in pain. A small lump screamed back at her, and she quickly lowered her hand. Upon examination, her fingers revealed no evidence of crimson, so she presumed that she wasn't bleeding. But she'd passed out, and that meant concussion, didn't it? She glanced down the row. The students hadn't moved a millimetre http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (16 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


from when she'd awakened. Blinking, she saw only one of each person, only one proctor, only one of each desk. Her head pounded. Memories began to flash. No. She'd nearly passed out last night, hadn't she -- no concussion there? After John had punched her, and nearly raped her. She struggled to remember. She'd done something. Something strange. And he'd left, dazed and confused. "Time is fluid," she whispered. Nobody turned around. Nobody paid her the least heed. "Time is fluid," she repeated a little louder. She'd stopped the world, somehow, after John had attacked her. And now, she'd stopped the world completely, though she had no recollection of how or why. "I'm the key," she said, and though her words seemed to hold a trace of unknown, mystical menace, they confused her spinning mind. Key? What key? She'd stopped the world. Hadn't she? Tears began to form behind her eyes. Her fists beat gently at her thighs. Time is fluid. Time is fluid. Unsteadily, she rose to her feet, nearly falling as she swayed. Her fingers grasped the side of her exam table. She knew it was a sign of insanity, but any voice was better than the utter silence that greeted her if she didn't move. "Dawnie, don't fall," she whispered. "Nobody to fix a busted hip. Nosiree." She began to giggle, but it only lasted a moment. Carefully, she stepped over to her neighbour, a girl frozen with a look of concentration on her face, her left hand holding a pen. "What is your favourite nebula?" Dawn shook her head. After a few minutes, she waved her hand in front of the girl's face. No reaction. None. Not so much as a blink. Her index finger recoiled automatically, her skin crawling, as Dawn touched the girl's face. The girl was like a statue, immovable, her skin like marble, or cold, cold concrete. She wasn't breathing, and Dawn didn't need to touch her throat to know that the girl's heart http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (17 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


wasn't beating in her chest. In horror, Dawn backed up until she bumped into her exam table. It didn't budge as she impacted with it, though her hips complained about the impact. "I've killed them all," she whispered. Despite the remnants of nausea, despite her unsteady legs, Dawn ran, her footfalls reaching her ears in muted waves. Her fingers entwined with the doorknob, yanking in a panic. Locked. Why would they lock her in with these -- dead -- oh Christ -- dead people? She began to scream, the door not even rattling in its frame as she tugged at the unyielding handle.


The yellow and red sign beckoned to him, and he stared up at it for a moment. "Home Hardware," it proclaimed. The concourse was busy as he'd walked down the length of the long corridor. Shops opened to either side of the wide mall, most he passed without interest. People of all different sizes, shapes and creeds, walked briskly to and from their irrelevant lunchtime destinations. Not one paid him any heed as he slipped around their frozen forms. He mostly ignored the people, unless a particular girl caught his attention. He would have played with many of them. Can't, he thought. Time isn't an issue, not here, but he did have to sleep, and there was a great deal to do before sleep could claim him. He could sleep first, he supposed, but that was -- undesirable, too. An old man was in the process of shuffling into the Home Hardware store, probably about to break the laser to trigger the entrance chime. The man began to walk towards the entrance to the store; he http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (18 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


doubted if the entrance chimes would greet him. It was a small store, little more than a standard mall kiosk. Friendly service, and we have everything you might need. The Timeman smiled as he slipped into the store. After perusing the silent aisles, he spied some of the equipment that he would need. Hardware stores were interesting places. But he was going to need some of that interesting service. Some things he couldn't chance. Wouldn't do. Not at all. There was a pretty brunette woman, in her mid-thirties crouched examining a quart of paint. She was wearing a tight sweater that stretched wonderfully across her breasts. The gunman smiled, a memory of Kimberly washing over him. That girl, from so long ago, in a hardware store, not so different than this one, not so different from the woman crouched in front of him. Kimberly had been stretching up to investigate paint. But Kimberly had been younger, and suffered a fair bit. He'd almost awakened the paint girl, when he reconsidered. Leaving her frozen, he walked towards the front of the store, fingering the odd piece of merchandise as he meandered. The girl at the cash register wasn't a beauty, not by any means. In fact, she almost had taken pains to ensure that she was mildly unattractive. For a moment, the gunman considered returning to the paint section, and retrieving the Kimberly look-alike. He didn't really need expertise for what he required. For that matter, he could take both girls, couldn't he? No, one was enough. At least for now. The girl at the cash register looked bored, leaning on the metal surface of the counter, examining her nails. Her nails were painted black, similarly to the rest of her -- her eye-shadow, her lipstick, and her hair. Jet black. He idly wondered if her toenails were painted black, too. A ring pierced her eyebrow, and a stud graced her nose. Her hair was short and spiky. She would have looked more at home in a black leather jacket than in the silly Home Hardware smock. Underneath it all, her facial structure seemed pretty, and her body, while hidden, at the moment, by her clothes and the yellow uniform, seemed trim and fit. He balanced the gun in his right hand, finger on the trigger. The safety remained engaged, but she wouldn't know that. At least he thought she wouldn't. The transition was sharp as she began to share his time. She continued to examine her nails critically until she finally raised http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (19 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


her eyes for a moment. But she wasn't really looking at him, and her eyes hadn't rested on the weapon yet; she was merely aware of his presence in her space. "Can I help you," she inquired without focusing on him. Her voice didn't match her image; it was soft and almost sultry. If he closed his eyes, he could have imagined it belonging to any of the screen greats: Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman. Perhaps it was the lack of an echo, or maybe it was the unusual silence of the world, but she finally looked up sharply, her eyes torn from her nails at last. "Nice makeup." The girl looked confused for a moment, her eyes scanning. They stopped, riveted to the gun that he was now holding easily by his right hip. A trace of irritation flit across her face, as if his comment were inappropriate somehow. Then her eyes dropped the gun, and widened a little. Her voice trembled. "Uh. Is that loaded?" "No point to carrying an unloaded gun." The girl's face began to register fright even below that black makeup. After a second, she began to raise her hands. "Don't need a gun, mister. I'm not stupid." "Stupid? I never said that you were." "You could have just used a note, you know. Like the other guy." The gunman slipped back a step. She didn't look like she'd try anything, and he was sure that he could re-freeze her in a flash if she did. Her voice continued, brave, but still trembling. "You know. 'Give me all your money and nobody gets hurt.' Misspelled, and barely legible. I'll give it all to you, you know. That's how we're trained. You can put the gun away." She was babbling, scared. He couldn't blame her. "You were robbed before?" She laughed humourlessly and nodded slowly. "You can have the money, mister. If I lower her arms, you won't shoot me?" He sighed.



"No. Keep your hands where I can see them for a moment." She did. "Please. Just take the money and go," she was keeping her voice down. "What's your name?" She wasn't wearing a tag proclaiming her a smiling employee. "My name? Why?" He raised the gun a little. She paled underneath the black makeup and stuttered a quick answer. "My. My. My name is. Kelly. I can get the money for you in a second, if you'll let me put my arms down." Her arms trembled. He wasn't sure if it was fatigue or fright. He nodded. "You can put them down, Kelly." She immediately began to fumble with the cash register. For a moment, he let her; the action of opening the drawer seemed to calm her a bit. "Kelly?" Kelly looked up, a few twenties in her left hand. She held them out to him, a hopeful expression in her eyes. "I don't want money." The girl looked confused for a moment. "Huh?" "I don't want money," he repeated patiently. "Wh-what do ..." she clamped her lips together as the gun rose again, centred between her breasts. Her eyes pleaded. The bills fell from her fingers, floating down to scatter about the floor. What she'd released probably was more than she made in two weeks, scattered about her feet. "I need some help, Kelly." "Help?" she asked quietly. Confusion graced her face. He nodded. "I. I'm just a cashier. I really don't know anything. Walt might be http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (21 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


..." He smiled gently at her, lowering the gun from her chest. Her eyes followed it. "That's okay, Kelly. I don't need to know which drill will do the best job, or which rope is best for tying things up." She paled a little, but she refused to look at him. "What do you want?" she whispered. "First, I want you to strip," he said it calmly and surely, as if customers always asked cashiers to remove their clothing. She looked up sharply, understanding dawning in her features. "What?" "Strip. Disrobe. Take off your clothing for me." She shook her head violently, her fear escalating. Gone was the somewhat smart aleck demeanour when she thought he wanted money, and that this was a typical robbery. "You can't do this. You can't rape me. The mall ..." her voice trailed off. She looked at him, her eyes still frightened. "I'll scream." "Kelly?" She looked up quickly, but lowered her eyes again. "I'm not going to rape you. I want to test a few things with you, and I need you nude to do it. Screaming won't help you. It will really only irritate me. Do you want to irritate me?" The confusion on her face deepened. "What? What are you going to do to me?" She looked up then. He'd moved closer to the counter and levelled the gun again. The barrel wasn't touching her, but it was aimed point blank between her breasts. The girl held her breath. "Kelly," he said reasonably. "I'm not going to hurt you, but if you are uncooperative with me ..." he let his voice trail off menacingly. "But," she began desperately. "I can't strip. Not here. It's the middle of the afternoon in a mall. Someone will see. You'll get caught."



He smiled. "So, you're concerned about me?" She thought for a second, a tear welling in her right eye. She shook her head. She was sensing that something wasn't quite right, that her stripping in the middle of the store wasn't going to attract attention. "Please," she whispered. "I. I'm shy." He nearly laughed. Her demeanour, her attire, her carriage cried out for attention. He grabbed her hand. She flinched, but didn't resist. The gun touched her chest, and he pulled it back, but didn't lower the weapon. He held up her hand, the nails facing her. "Black nail polish, and you're shy?" She nodded once, trying desperately to control tears. Gently, he spoke to her. "Kelly, I know you're scared. I would be, too, in your place. I promise. Nobody but me will see you." "That's bad enough." He touched her chin with the barrel of the gun, cold steel touching soft flesh. She jerked back, eyes widening. "You won't rape me?" "I won't rape you. You aren't my type." Truthfully, she wasn't. It was one of the reasons that he'd chosen her. "You won't hurt me?" He considered that for a moment. "You might be in some discomfort for a while, but nothing you can't handle. I'll try to keep you comfortable. At least as long as you cooperate." He punctuated the last sentence with another touch of the gun barrel between her breasts. She looked confused, but seemed convinced. "Where?" It was his turn to look confused. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (23 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


"Where?" "Where do you want me to take my clothes off?" He lowered the gun, aiming it back at the floor. Kelly visibly relaxed. "Right here." "Here? Not in the back room?" "Put your clothes on the counter, okay?" She glanced nervously at the mall entrance, though it wasn't remarkably visible from where she stood behind the counter. "You won't hurt me?" "No." Kelly inhaled deeply, and let the air back out in a nervous whoosh. "I don't want to do this." "I know." After a brief pause, she swallowed heavily, glanced at the gun, and sighed. "All right. I'll strip."


Kelly's yellow smock lay over the checkout desk like a discarded rain slicker. Her street clothes, draped on her body, shone darkly under the fluorescent lights, as black as the paint that graced her fingernails. Black, black and more black. He idly wondered if the girl was depressed.



She looked at him with a pleading look, which didn't find solace. After a moment of hesitation, her fingers began to unbutton her black blouse. Her eyes shifted left and right, refusing to meet his, looking perhaps for assistance, even at the risk of exposure. Her blouse joined the yellow smock reminding him of a bumblebee, black stripes on a big yellow body. Her skin was milky white, except for her face which was artificially darkened by a strangely coloured dark rouge. A band of black, her brassiere, stretched across her chest, enclosing her breasts. She hesitated again at her black jeans, but her fingers fumbled at the clasp, and finally urged the denim down her thighs. Standing behind the counter, he couldn't see her thighs, except for the odd flash as she bent to tug the fabric over her feet. She left her pants somewhere hidden behind the counter. He adopted a practised look of non-pity, setting his features into a strict pose. When she rose, and looked at him inquiringly, she didn't ask the question that he could have predicted. "More?" didn't issue forth for her. Instead, with a tremble and a sigh, she reached up behind her, with surprising flexibility, and somehow unclasped her bra with practised ease. Except there was no mirror here, and he was reasonably sure that she'd never undressed in her place of employment before. For a moment, she held the bra against her breasts with her hands. "Please?" she whispered. "Kelly, you know what I want." The girl sighed, and with a quick movement, like that of a child removing a Band-Aid, the bra joined her blouse against the yellow smock. Another stripe on the insect. She shivered, but made no attempt to cover her bare breasts. Her breasts weren't overly large. That would cut out one of his plans, but perhaps not entirely. However, she definitely didn't need the bra, her breasts lovely, and perky, her nipples beginning to harden. Her left nipple wore a small ring; her belly button was adorned with a similar silver hoop. "Now what?" she asked. Now that she'd agreed to strip, and had done so, her voice had returned to an edge of defiance. "You aren't done," he remarked easily. He gestured towards her black panties with the barrel of the gun. She paled at the gesture. Her panties were fancier than he'd expected -- not briefs, but not a thong either. They didn't cry out: "Fuck me", nor were they frigid, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (25 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


standard briefs. He could only see the tops of them, but they looked French cut, or something. "Please. I've stripped enough for you. Please let me get dressed." He smiled kindly at her, but gestured again with the gun. "Please no." Her voice had lost that defiance again. He nodded. With trembling fingers, she hesitated for a long time. Her fingers hooked under the waistband of the cloth protecting her last modesty. He didn't press her, let her take her time with this one. The waiting, for her, would be worse than taking that Band-Aid approach. She seemed to realise that, after a few minutes, and without warning pushing the cloth down her legs in one fluid motion. Her pubic region remained hidden below the desk, but she probably didn't realise that. She stood back up slowly, after pushing the panties over her feet hidden somewhere below. "Now what?" "Come around here, please," he said quietly. "Why?" He let her stand there for a moment, shifting her weight from foot to foot, arms clasped under her breasts, almost hugging herself. He gave her credit; once she'd stripped, she hadn't tried to cover herself. "I want to see you." Slowly, she stepped over the clothing that was undoubtedly scattered on the floor under the register, and with a glance towards the mall entrance again, she slipped out of her carrel to stand fidgeting near the opening to behind the counter. She had finally, unconsciously, clasped her hands in front of her pubic hair, which before she did that, had revealed a trim patch. Her feet remained encased in white Keds, somehow incongruous with her image, but probably comfortable for a job that required her to stand all day. Her ankles sported short black athletic socks. He motioned her over to where he was standing. She stepped slowly towards him, her surprise registering on her face as he moved away. The girl was still expecting to be raped -- he could see it in her eyes. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (26 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


He hopped up easily to the counter, sitting over the bar code reader, his feet swaying easily. He half-expected the register to beep. One time-manipulating bastard: $15.99. All sales final. His fingers ran over her blouse and bra; the bra still retained some of her body heat, her blouse was cold to the touch. Her jeans and panties lay in a jumble on the rubber mat below the cash register. Two green twenties peeked up from beneath her jeans. Kelly stood in the spot that he'd vacated, a spot with a much better view of the mall. She was shivering, but her hands had moved from her nervous fidgeting, affording him a view of her pubic region; her hair matched her eyebrows, matched the spiky hair on her head. The ebony colour wasn't a dye as he'd assumed prior to having her undress for him. Her eyes rested on the old man, about to enter the store. Confusion reigned over her face. "Kelly?" She tore her eyes from the entrance, a look of fear adjusting to her face. "What's wrong with him? All of them?" He wasn't sure if he needed to answer, but in the end, he did. "They're frozen, Kelly." "Frozen?" "That's why I can get away with having you naked. Nobody can see you, but me. Even here." "Really?" she asked hopefully. It was almost as if she was relieved, but intrigued at the same time, despite herself. He nodded slowly. "What now?" she asked simply. "First, I want you to take off those shoes and socks." "Can't," she answered. He raised the gun. "Why not?" At the sight of the gun, she gulped but tried anyway. "Not allowed to go without shoes in the store. Might get a nail in http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (27 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


the foot. Customers sometimes spill them." He laughed kindly. "Let me worry about that, I won't fire you, and watch where you walk." She swallowed, obviously not liking the notion of losing her last bit of clothing, but after a moment, crouched and began to unlace the Keds on her feet. After both shoes were loose, she stood, and carefully kicked the footwear to the side. After that, she pulled the socks off with her toes, the results like two small black garter snakes on the tile of the store floor. "Happy?" she asked. But there was no defiance in her voice. She merely wanted to be done with this. Her toes were painted the same shade as her fingernails. He wasn't surprised somehow. Her second toe on her right foot sported a band of silver. "You look nice, Kelly." She shifted from foot to foot, nervously. It was obvious that she wasn't used to compliments about herself. "Can I get dressed now that you've seen me? Gotten your thrill?" Then she blushed, as if aware that provoking this man might not have been her best option. She cast her eyes down, inspecting her bare feet. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Unfazed, he sat regarding the naked girl. "Why do you dress like that?" "Like what?" "All in black?" "What do you care?" she asked, but again, no defiance, merely a question. "I'd like to know. I'm curious." "Just feel black most of the time," she answered simply. It was obvious that she didn't mean racially, but somehow it related to her moods. Females were wonderfully complex creatures, he thought idly. "Can those be removed?"



"What?" "The nose stud, and the eyebrow ring?" "And the nipple ring?" "Yes, and that, too?" She nodded slowly, her hands rising to the ring set in her eyebrow, turning it slowly through her skin. The band moving through her made his skin crawl, but she didn't seem bothered particularly. "Give me your jewellery." She looked up sharply. "The money in the cash register is worth more than everything I'm wearing." She was correct, as far as he could tell. The twenties scattered about the counter were probably worth more. Nothing she was wearing was gold; she probably had to buy all of her adornments herself. Being a cashier would be thankless, and low paid. With a sigh, she didn't wait for him to tell her again, but began to loosen the eyebrow ring first. She began to fumble with her left breast, looking for the tiny clasp on the ring there when he stopped her. "Not the nipple ring, you can keep that." She regarded him quizzically, but worked the nose stud out, and quickly unclasped her watch. She looked up questioningly when she began to work on the belly hoop, but he didn't stop her so her fingers continued until the silver joined the rest of her adornments in her left palm. She began to move forward, but then stopped. Then she knelt, and struggled to pull the ring off her toe. When she looked up, her eyes were frightened. "I. I can't get it off." "The toe ring?" She shook her head miserably, as if she expected to be shot because the band wouldn't release her. He shrugged easily. "You can leave it on, then. No problem." With a look of relief, she rose again to her bare feet. She hesitated a moment, but then stepping forward warily, she held out the jewellery to the man, upturning her palm to drop the bits of http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (29 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


metal into his hand. As he placed the rings and watch on the desk upon which he sat, she retreated to stand near her shoes. "Can I get dressed now?" she asked again quietly. "You've seen all there is to see." "Sorry, Kelly. I need you naked for a while." She sighed, but seemed resigned to her fate. "The black makeup all part of the blackness?" She nodded, her eyes beginning to moisten again. "You'd be a stunning girl without the black, you know." She seemed to consider that for a minute, appearing small, barefoot and naked in front of the gunman. "I know," she said simply. "Is there a bathroom in the store?" She hesitated, finally shaking her head. "'fraid not." "Where is the closest one?" "Down by the Harvey's restaurant." "You need one." She looked puzzled, unconsciously squeezing her legs together. "I don't. I don't think." "I need you to wash your face, get that gunk off so I can see you." Kelly paled again, underneath the makeup. Perhaps she was actually shy, he thought. She doesn't want to go out into the mall, even though she knows that the people are frozen. "Please?" she almost whimpered. "Off." The girl stood rigid for a moment, and he thought she might make a run for it, but in the end, she whispered. "I. If you'll let me to my purse, I can wipe it off for you without going all the way down the mall."



He nodded, and she nearly ran to the desk, oblivious to his presence upon it. She leaned over the desk, stretching for her purse. Her bare bottom was so close, he nearly spanked it, thinking of his hand prints on Sandra's behind, her squirming, her cries. He controlled his hand, allowing the girl to finally straighten. She rummaged in her purse eventually coming up with tissue, a tube of cold cream, and her wallet. Slowly, she unzipped her wallet, and pulled out two bills, a twenty and a five. "It's all I have," she whispered. "Please take it and let me go." He gently pushed the bills back into her hand, closing her fingers around the money. "There's four hundred dollars scattered on the floor, Kelly." She began to cry, then, her makeup running in rivulets as two large tears traced down her cheeks. "I'm scared," she whispered. He nearly reached for her, nearly pulled her in for a hug. She might have let him. Might. But it might have scared her even more. "You'll be fine, Kelly. You'll be fine," he whispered. She managed to get control of her tears, sniffling. "Let me go," she begged. "Soon, Kelly. I promise." "I don't understand." "I know, Kelly. I know." Another tear rolled unheeded down her left cheek.


Her lips were red underneath the black makeup, and though she was http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (31 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


pale, her cheeks had regained colour with the simple act of removing the dark rouge. Her face looked soft and delicate, that of a child. Given longer, less severe hair, and the removal of the piercings, and a more colourful wardrobe, the girl could have been pretty. She stood again, shivering, but more controlled, at the end of the first aisle. He hopped down, his shoes slapping at the floor. She cringed for a moment, but didn't cover her nudity at his approach. "We need to gather some things." Kelly nodded, along for the ride. "Got any athletic bags?" She looked confused, but turned slowly and headed down the third aisle, her bare backside swinging. So unusual, being naked in a store -- he wondered if she was too scared to enjoy the experience at all. Probably. He picked a large blue backpack and handed it to her. She held the bag loosely by its top strap, dangling at her side almost like a briefcase. "Do you want me to put it on?" The thought of her wearing nothing but a backpack aroused him, but he shook his head. Too difficult to fill, and to play some of the games he had in mind. No, he wanted her completely nude for the remainder of this jaunt. She waited quietly for him to guide her to the next equipment. "You sell ropes and chains and padlocks, right?" She paled noticeably clamping her lips together. After a few minutes of her silence, he asked again, his voice taking on the tone of irritation. She started, and began to walk slowly towards the back of the store. "Why do you want ropes and chains?" she asked as she walked ahead. He didn't answer her, and he supposed that she was too frightened to ask again. She stopped in front of packages of rope, and rolls of chain. He pointed, and Kelly grabbed various lengths of rope and padlocks from the shelves, dropping them into the backpack. "Can you cut chain?" Kelly looked up sharply. She had knelt to organise the items in the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (32 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


bag. "Cut chain?" He handed her the bolt cutters that lay on the shelf. "I can shoot you before you can brain me with those things," he remarked conversationally. The girl looked sheepish and guilty, but he decided not to push her too much. He would be pushing her in a few minutes, anyway. He chose a few lengths of various chains, and had Kelly place three of them on the floor instead of in the bag. At last, he had the equipment that was important. She stood eyeing him warily, her hand resting on a roll of high gauge chain. It looked like it was capable of restraining an elephant. He approached her. She shrunk back, but didn't bolt. "Kelly, turn around." "Why?" He swallowed. He didn't want to spook her, but she had to know what was coming. "I need to test the ropes." "Test?" "Test them. On you." "You want to tie me up?" She'd paled again, her body trembling. He nodded. "Not particularly tight, but I doubt if you'll get free without me untying you." "No," she said in a quiet voice. He raised his eyebrows. "No. You've forced me to strip. Forced me to walk around naked in the store I work at. You've had your fun. I won't let you tie me up." The gunman leaned back against the chain display, the links rattling ominously. She regarded him, her entire body shaking. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (33 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


"Kelly?" She turned her eyes towards him. "Did you see the old man about to enter the store?" "Yes ..." "I can make you blow him. I can hurt you so badly that you'd beg to blow him, just to make it stop." Kelly paled. "There's a woman in your paint section that I'd love to see you have sex with." The naked girl began to shake. "And I've already spanked a woman for disobeying me." It was a lie, not the spanking part, but the reason, however Kelly wouldn't know that. The man advanced on the naked girl. Tears had sprouted from her eyes, threatening to overflow. The barrel of the gun touched her chin again, and Kelly recoiled. "Please. I. You could do anything to me if I let you tie me up. For God sakes I'm naked. Let me dress, and I'll let you tie me up. Okay?" Her eyes shone with hope for a moment, the thought of her clothing back on her body warming her. "Kelly, I need to make sure that the stuff I'm taking will knot against bare skin. Some ropes prickle, some ropes loosen." Her cheeks flushed. "Why?" she whispered. "Doesn't matter, Kelly." The man tapped her chest with the gun barrel. "I don't want to hurt you Kelly. I don't. I won't rape you while you are bound. I won't hurt you at all. That's more than I can say if you keep being uncooperative." She swallowed heavily, one lone tear escaping down her cheek. After staring at him for a moment, she turned around, presenting her smooth backside to him. He smiled. Gently, he pulled her wrists behind her, folding her arms, thrusting http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (34 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


her breasts forward. She gasped, but didn't protest. He easily wrapped her arms together behind her. "Test them." He watched as she pulled against the ropes, her arms securely trapped behind her. She slowly turned. Her cheeks flushed crimson. "Satisfied? Will you untie me now?" He laughed gently. "No, Kelly. We have more shopping to do." "I can't ..." He knelt at her feet. At the movement, she backed away, her bare feet sliding across the tile. "Kelly, I'm going to hobble you. It won't hurt." "Hobble me? What the hell is that?" He picked up the chains that she'd laid on the floor a little earlier, grabbing two small padlocks from the shelf above and ripping them from their packaging. He unlocked them and slipped the keys into his pocket. "I'm going to fasten your ankles together with this chain, loosely so you can still walk." "Like hell, you are." "Kelly, I don't want to play with the gun again. It's dangerous and I don't want to shoot you." She considered for a moment, then stepped forward. "You don't have to tie me up, you know. I'll do whatever you want. I have already, haven't I?" The skin of her calf and ankles was soft and nearly took his breath away. But within minutes, he'd locked a loop of chain around each ankle, and a short length between then, holding them together but allowing her enough motion to take small steps. He touched the ring encircling her second toe. She stiffened at the touch, but didn't back away. He rose to his feet. Tears rolled down her face, and she pulled futilely against the ropes holding her arms. He gently wiped the tears from her cheek. She looked at him accusingly.



"It's just for a while, Kelly. I promise. Just a few more items, and one more store." Her resolve broke. Perhaps it had been the mention of another store, perhaps it was merely the restraints holding her vulnerable and helpless in front of him. "Help! Someone! Help! Help! Help! Please!" He let her scream for a while until she looked like she might collapse. He moved closer. With the hobble and her arms bound, she might fall and really hurt herself. She wasn't used to being bound yet. "Help," she whispered. He wiped at the tears again, his fingers coated in salty moisture by the time she finished. At last, she stood there, breath hitching in her chest. "Why me? You said I wasn't even your type." "You were female, and you were there," he explained patiently. "Are you going to hurt me? Punish me? For screaming?" He shook his head. "I can't blame you. I'm surprised that you didn't do it sooner." She looked down, past her bare breasts, towards the floor. "I'm sorry. I ..." "Panicked. Understandable. You're naked, a strange bastard is waving a gun in your face, and he tied you up. I'd scream, too." She looked up, almost gratefully. "What now?" "There's a few more things to pick up, and then I let you go." "You'll untie me?" "No, Kelly, I'll let you go." He turned the girl around with gentle pressure on her shoulders. She stumbled, unused to her ankles being restricted, but she managed. "You'll release me." "As if it never happened." He pressed the top strap into her bound fingers behind her back. The weight of the bag caught her off guard, and she stumbled again adjusting to it. She didn't protest. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (36 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


"Ready?" She nodded. He watched from behind as her head bobbed slowly. "Take small steps." She began struggled complain, chain bit

to walk with baby steps down the tile. He watched as she slowly, five steps to every one of his. She didn't but winced every time her steps grew too wide and the into her skin.


The plastic ones were multi-coloured, the wooden ones plain. Both looked like they might be painful. The girl could no longer help take items from the shelves, so the Timeman fingered the packages of clothespins before taking them. Her eyes widened, as if she were aware of what the ordinary household items might be used for. "Kelly, come here." She hesitated for a moment, but in the end shuffled over to where he was standing. "Can't we take the chains off, at least?" she asked. "What's the point in making me take small steps, it only slows us down. I'm not going to run." "Kelly, time isn't an issue. Your ability to run isn't an issue." Time was an issue, but he didn't want her to know that. Besides which, she looked pretty struggling to walk -- re-learning to walk. Wonderfully adaptive, women, he thought. He doubted that if the roles were reversed, if he'd have been able to walk as well as she had, and not nearly as quickly. She rarely over-extended her steps any longer, no longer digging the chains into her bones with overlong strides. They'd traversed the store, picking up items, her moving slowly, but determinedly, grasping the pack in her fingers, her ankles restricted by the chains. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (37 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


The clothespins were the last item. From here. "I need to try these, too," he remarked to the girl. She slowly shook her head. "Not on me. Please." "I need to know which type is worse, if they are completely unbearable." She shook her head, backing up as quickly as her bound feet would let her. Moving backwards was more difficult for her; she stumbled twice. He allowed her to move back a bit. His voice eventually stopped her. "Kelly?" She halted, her eyes suspicious. "No. Please, no." He worked a plastic the next. He tested weren't unbearable. more than the plain

pin out of its package, and a wooden one out of the grip against his finger. They hurt, but they The plastic one with its ridged teeth hurt far wooden one.

"It doesn't hurt that much," he remarked conversationally as he slipped the clamps from his skin. Of course, he wasn't really trying them on sensitive skin, either. The tears had begun. "Please, no." He walked behind her, unzipping the bag and dropping in the packages of clothespins, keeping the two that he'd tested against his finger aside. He walked in front of her. She stepped back again. Her eyes were riveted to the simple clothespins that he held casually in his left hand. "Would you rather have sex with the paint woman?" She naked girl shook her head. "The old guy?" She shook her head again. "Me?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (38 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


She hesitated at that one. Instead of a denial, she whispered. "Would you let me go, if I did?" "I'm going to let you go, anyway, Kelly." "Where are you going to put them?" He looked confused for a moment, but she nodded her head towards his left hand. "Those damn things." Her body was shaking. "I thought I'd let you choose." She looked confused. "Choose?" "Breasts or lips?" "Lips?" She jumped as he touched her flat belly, finger trailing downwards, brushing at her soft pubic hair. Frightened, she stepped back, three baby steps, chains rattling between her ankles. "Please, no." He shrugged. "I can choose for you." "Breasts," she said dully. "Please, how long." He considered. He needed them on her skin for a few minutes to let her get used to the pressure. He needed a female perspective, and she was the only one here -- at least the only one unfrozen. "We're going further down the mall after this." She shook her head, perhaps more frightened of walking down the mall in her condition. "When we get outside this store, I'll take them off you. Okay?" He could see in her eyes that she didn't think it was okay -- not by a long shot, but she nodded slowly, acquiescing to her torture. "If it hurts, will you take them off?" He decided not to lie to her. "Kelly. No. They will be uncomfortable, have no doubt, but I need you to wear them for a few minutes." He held up the clothespins, two simple implements of pressure. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (39 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


Innocent, except if one was bound naked staring at them, knowing where they were going. The plastic one shone shiny red under the fluorescent lights of the store. He held up the red clip. "Which? Left or right?" "I don't care," she said dully. His fingers gathered in the flesh of her right nipple, his touch impersonal, like a doctor's. She gasped as his fingers touched her private skin, her nipple involuntarily hardening. She shivered. The jaws of the clothespin began to close, ever so slowly, aiming behind her nipple, not directly on the sensitive nub. He could feel her twitching, wanting to turn away from the certain pain, wanting to run. "Please don't," she whispered. Her voice rose to a short scream, which she cut off with an effort as the jaws mercilessly clamped behind her nipple. "Christ, that hurts. Take it off. Please." Tears began to fall down her cheek. Without answering her, her gathered her left nipple, and attached the wooden one carefully but quickly. She screamed again, her denials muttered. "No. No. Please God. No." He watched her for a moment twisting, desperate to release her arms from their imprisonment behind her back. The pins stood erect, almost like obscene gestures attached to her small nipples. Her nipples began to engorge behind the clips. She was in no danger from circulation, that he knew; they wouldn't grace her body long enough to do any physical damage, but she was uncomfortable, no question. He waited for her nipples to numb a little, and for her to get used to the throbbing there. At last, she looked up. "They hurt." "I know, Kelly. I know." "Why?" "Because you aren't used to the pressure?" She looked frustrated; clarified:



"Why are you hurting me, you bastard?" Because I can? Because I think you are pretty that way? Because I want to control you? "It won't be for long, Kelly. I promise." She couldn't understand, and he couldn't blame her. She was the one in discomfort, after all. And he'd caused it. "Please take them off me. Please?" she begged. Then after a moment of silence. "I'll have sex with you, with the old guy, with the woman. Anything you want. But please." He gently shook his head. She desperately shook her chest, perhaps trying to dislodge the clamps. He could have told her that it was probably a mistake, and she perhaps knew even before she did it. She cried out in pain as the movement of her bare breasts translated to the clothespins attached to her. The clips wobbled, twisting cruelly. After she'd managed to quell the pain, but still crying, he turned her gently and guided the naked girl towards the mall. All thoughts of her humiliation and nudity out in the concourse forgotten, she put all her concentration into taking small steps, as much as the chains would allow her, and minimising the movement of her breasts. He watched her rhythm, her hard won cadence forgotten, she continued to push the chains between her ankles to their limits, the resulting pain in her ankles, he was sure, minor compared to that in her nipples. The concourse remained as it was. He examined the old guy entering the store, considering releasing him to see Kelly struggling towards the mall, the clothespins still upright on her breasts. The shock on the old man's face might have been worth it, but a heart attack might not be a good thing. In the end, he walked back towards Kelly, marvelling that he could walk so easily. The girl looked decidedly envious. "Take them off me, please?" she begged. "You can leave me tied up forever, I don't care, just the pins." He gently shook his head. It was obvious that she was hurting with them, but the pain was dulling as she was forced to wear them longer. She still pulled at her bound arms, but he could see that she really didn't think that she could pull free to reach the maddening clips. "You can do it, Kelly," he whispered. She looked up murderously. If she hadn't been bound, he didn't doubt that she would have attempted to kill him then. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (41 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


He retreated from the struggling girl, finding a spot on a concourse bench between a young couple and an older woman. He ignored his bench mates and watched Kelly approach. It took her a while, and she stumbled with soft expressions of pain once or twice. He enjoyed the view, though on some levels her pain bothered him. She didn't deserve this, but he needed her for this. His erection throbbed almost painfully watching her. He turned his attention to the other pedestrians. The population was sparse at this end of the mall, but there were others here that he could test. He shook his head, imagining some of the walking girls, naked. He could see them if he wanted. There was an Asian girl, sporting a dark ponytail. There was a black girl, wearing a jump suit and sneakers. A business woman her hand raised in greeting, her long blond hair loose around her shoulders, her jacket stretched across her breasts. They would all look wonderful nude. "Mister?" Kelly's voice turned his attention back towards the hardware store. He'd intended to stop her before she approached the bench upon which he was sitting; it was out of the way for where they were going, and with her hobbled, every step was a chore. She stood naked in front of him, close, but not too close. She bit her lip, glancing around nervously at the other frozen people surrounding them. "I don't even know who you are." He didn't say anything in response. It was obvious that she'd been thinking while she struggled with the clothespins grasping her tender skin. "I. I don't know what I did to displease you. Maybe the black clothing? Maybe I offended you? Maybe I was rude to you in a former life?" He shook his head. She plunged onwards. "Whatever it was," she paused here for a moment searching for a word. She said it anyway, almost as if it left a bad taste in her mouth. "Whatever it was, sir, I'm sorry. So sorry." "You didn't do anything." But he liked the term she had chosen. Much better than 'bastard'. 'Sir' reminded him of Christi and Jane. He shivered. She almost looked like she needed to believe that she had displeased her captor in some minor way; something to deserve her punishment. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'll gladly stay tied up for you, and I know that you don't have to do it, I know, but please, please, please, take the clothespins off me. Please?" Her voice had dropped to a begging whisper. "Do they hurt?"



She looked surprised at the question. She didn't snap at him, though a quick look of anger crossed her pretty features. Her voice emerged controlled and soft. "What do you think?" After he didn't answer her, she concentrated, her face screwed up. Finally she answered. "No." "No?" "No. They don't hurt ... not like they did when you put them on in the first place. My. My nipples ... feel ... numb. They throb. Except when I move, then it hurts. Please." He looked at her quizzically, prompting her with his eyes. She hesitated, then continued. "The plastic one hurts the most, the wooden one I could probably stand for a while by itself. Please, don't make me wear them any more. Please." She shifted her weight as best she could, relieving tension on her right leg. Slowly, he rose from the bench. "Kelly?" The naked girl looked up, her eyes pleading. "They are going to hurt coming off, you know." Her eyes widened, not fully understanding. She probably had never put clothespins on her nipples before, or had anyone else do it either. "I don't care," she whispered. "Please." The Timeman shrugged. Kelly winced, as his fingers touched the wooden clothespin. "You sure you're ready?" She nodded once. With a quick movement, to cause her the least discomfort, he released the clamp and palmed the pin. Her face was a mask of relief, for a moment, and then the blood rushed back into her sensitised nipple. "Ayiiiiiee," her voice rang through his eardrums. Her fingers unconsciously released, and she dropped the backpack onto the tile http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (43 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


of the corridor with a dull thud. Before she could react, he snatched the red one from her right nipple. Band-Aid approach. Her cries of pain intensified for a moment, and he was sure that she would collapse. Gently, he caught her, and lowered her bound body to the ceramic tile of the concourse. If she'd fallen, she had no hands to break her fall. She lay moaning there, struggling in vain against her ropes, bare ankles kicking futilely against the chains that held them. "My nipples. My breasts. Oh God," she moaned. He settled back onto the bench, watching her, making sure that she didn't roll and hurt herself further. It didn't take long before she quieted, her cries subsiding, as her blood refilled the tormented skin. At last, only her breasts and ribs hitched in quiet sobs. After a while, she looked up. "Thank-you," she whispered. He wasn't sure if it was meant for him finally removing her torture, or if it was because he hadn't let her fall bound to hurt herself or break bones on the ceramic. She certainly wasn't thanking him for the pleasure of having her nipples squeezed mercilessly by mindless springs and pegs, oblivious to her discomfort. He knelt beside her for a moment. "You okay?" She nodded, biting at her lip. "Can you walk?" She nodded again after looking at the floor on which she lay with a grimace. Gently, he lifted her back to her feet. He stooped, picking up the blue backpack and pressing it into her fingers again. She didn't complain about having to carry it. Her breath still came in long inhales and exhales, as if calming jangled nerves. He opened the backpack behind her and slipped the two tormenting clips into it. He heard them settle against some of the other hardware stored there. Without another word, he began to guide her, she taking five steps to every one of his, towards the far end of the mall.




They were half-way to the last store when she spoke. "The plastic one. The red one." He continued to walk with her slowly, one hand resting on the soft skin of her right elbow. "What?" "It hurt more. A lot more. Both going on and coming off. Please, don't use them. On anyone." She seemed to know what he had planned. He supposed it didn't take a genius. "Only for punishments," he responded. Kelly thought about that for a minute. "No. They aren't fun. Maybe for some women, but I'm not good at pain. I don't think anyone deserves the plastic ones." He stared at her as she concentrated on walking with her bare ankles in the chains. "You pierced your eyebrow. And your nipple." She nodded. "That didn't hurt. Not like the clothespins." The thought about it for a moment. "Well, the nipple hurt, for a few days. Almost like the pins." She flushed, perhaps at the memory of exposing herself for the piercing, or the pain that resulted from her own decision. She lapsed into silence. They passed a shoe store, and a dollar store. A pet store, with a frozen puppy in cage, slipped by. "Where are we going?" "You'll see." She accepted it, not really having a choice. "What did you need the drill for?" He'd dropped a blue drill into the backpack, her grunt attesting to



its weight. "Projects." "With women? Like me?" The nude girl stopped for a moment, her breath coming quickly and regularly. She shivered. "I'm not going to use it to torture anyone, especially you. Relax." Even the suggestion of using the drill directly on a woman repulsed him. She didn't look convinced, but turned again. "Ropes? Chains? Hooks? Rings? Bolts?" He smiled at her. She stopped again, out of breath. "Just fun things." "Fun for whom?" She looked like she knew the answer to that. She gathered in her breath. "Leashes?" He touched her shoulder gently and she began to move. They were almost there. He could see the red sign, the last shop at the end of the mall. After a few steps, her bare feet whispering across the tile, she cried out. The blue pack slipped from her fingers, and even through her arms were secured, she tried to catch it. The pack fell with a thud. They both stopped, fright spreading across Kelly's features. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Please." He smiled and picked up the pack. "I'm surprised that you managed this long," he said. He watched as she slowly flexed her fingers, trying to release the cramps of carrying the weight in such an awkward position. She didn't say anything, merely waited for him to press it back into her fingers. "If I untie your arms, and let you wear it properly, instead, would you freak out?" "Freak out?" "Panic. Run. Try something silly." She slowly shook her head. Her face revealed a faint hope, the hope http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (46 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


that her arms might be released. "Where would I go?" Smart girl. "Would you let me re-tie your arms in front of you?" "God. Please," she said, almost begging, her voice sincere. He knew that she'd rather be free, but hands in front was infinitely better than folded arms behind. At least for her. He put down the pack, and began to work at the ropes holding her arms. After a few minutes, she shook out her arms, rubbing at the skin displaying the marks of the ropes. She sighed. Her arms held out, almost as if she were asking for a embrace, he slipped the loops of the pack over her arms, and over her shoulders. She remained still and didn't complain, even when he brushed her bare breasts to adjust the straps for her frame. Without prompting, she crossed her wrists in front of her, allowing him to loop the rope around her wrists lashing them together securely. She pulled weakly against the bonds, but didn't complain even though he knew that he'd tied them tighter than her arms had been before. She looked up at him. "You don't need to tie me up, you know." She sighed. "I know you won't let me go, you like me like this, but I won't attack you, or try to hurt you." He nodded silently, acknowledging her earnestness. He touched her shoulder and urged her to begin walking again. She sighed and stumbled back into her short stepped walk. They were in front of a coffee shop, one of those ridiculous and overpriced cafes. He noticed her eyes shift towards it, then towards their destination. "No," she whispered as she realised where they were heading. He shrugged. "Need some stuff from there, too." "I'll bet." They finally stood in front of the red sign. Adult Palace.



She sighed, resigned. She'd been propelled through the mall, dodging frozen people, naked and bound. What worse could be in here? "Women aren't pets, you know." He turned towards her. "Pets?" She gathered in her breath, as if leery about treading here. "Pets. You took dog collars and leashes from the store. You aren't going to put them on dogs or cats, are you?" He looked at her, cocking his head a touch to the left. "We aren't here for you to hurt, and tie up at your whim. We feel, you know." Kelly looked down at her breasts. Her nipples still looked sore, swollen. "We aren't here to rape." He smiled gently. "This is my world, Kelly. And if I want to put clothespins on you, or anyone else, I can." She looked at him for a moment, her eyes soft and sad. "I know you can, but we hurt. We feel. We get embarrassed. And humiliated. Even if you don't care. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to strip for you?" He turned, and gently pushed open the door to the adult store. She sighed, and stepped forward. It took her ten steps to get to where he was standing holding the door open for her. It should have taken her two. Pulling gently at her bound wrists, she spoke again as she passed into the brightly lit store, her voice barely above a whisper. "We're human."




The store was empty but for the bored girl leaning against the cash counter. She didn't look old enough to be working in an adult store, but perhaps. Girls sometimes looked younger than they were. Racks and racks of bare flesh, both male and female, barraged him with gaudy packaging, obscene titles, and poor puns. He picked up a box with three large-breasted women cavorting on the cover, running nakedly through trees. "Forest Hump?" Kelly laughed behind him, her voice warm, honest, and real. He picked up another film box. "Good Will Humping?" Kelly laughed again, her voice cutting through the silence of the world. He turned; she tried to wipe the smile from her lips. "I should make you watch it. That might be some better torture for you." "I'd watch it. No problem. Get some popcorn, stretch out. I've watched worse." He dropped the box back into the rack. The rack rattled in protest. "It has women severely objectified," he remarked. Her voice turned serious. "What do you think I am, at the moment." He turned to look at her. She stood naked, her hands tied in front of her, backpack straps cutting into her shoulders, a chain stretched between her ankles. She leaned easily against the counter in front of the frozen clerk. Her hands rose as one, and she scratched at her nose delicately. She sighed. "It's nice to be able to do that." "What?" "Scratch my nose. When my hands were behind me," her face clouded for a second, probably as she remembered not being able to reach her own breasts when she desperately wanted to. "I couldn't reach my nose. And I didn't want you to scratch it, either." She forced a smile to her lips. In a moment, it was genuine. "So I didn't ask." He approached her while she watched him warily. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice registering her alarm.



He grasped her upper arms, pulling her backwards. "Oh!" He lowered her gently to the carpet, turning her, legs outstretched in front of her, still clipped together by the short lengths of chain around her ankles. The Timeman wandered over to the magazine rack, rifling through the exposed skin. He selected one, and returned to where she sat quietly watching him. He dropped it on her bare thighs. Kelly looked up at him quizzically. "Lesbian Fantasies?" she enquired. "You got a fetish that I don't know about?" "Silly girl. Leaf through that. I have to grab some stuff, and with your slowness, it will take me all day. Maybe you'll enjoy it." "Slowness?" she huffed indignantly. "You could try releasing your funky hobble." She nodded pointedly at the chain between her ankles, rattling it with a short shake of her bare foot. "Just read it. There will be a pop quiz, later." Kelly looked like she was about to say something sarcastic, but began to work the cover of the magazine over with her bound hands. It didn't look easy, but she managed. He wandered through the store, picking up various toys. Dildos, nipple clamps, leather cuffs, straps, hoods, and there, behind the counter, he retrieved a nasty looking riding crop. The girl behind the counter stared blankly at him as he slipped behind her and released it from the wire ties holding it to the black grate. Kelly, her eyes on the pictures in front of her, didn't see him remove the implement. He leaned it against the counter, out of her sight. The sight of the crop might seriously disturb her, he thought. He slipped the other toys into the backpack, and the bare girl wearing it only looked up for a moment. She flipped the pages easily, now, having mastered the technique with her tied hands. So adaptive, he smiled. "Almost done with the perverted shopping?" she asked, not looking up. "It's equipment, and I'm not the one with my nose stuck in a lesbian mag." Kelly stuck her tongue out, before getting a scared look on her face http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (50 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


and dropping her eyes back to the pages laid out on her lap. The chain jingled between her ankles. "I'm sorry," she murmured. He laughed, and she looked more relieved. She turned her attention more fully to the magazine. Last thing. It was difficult to find these things anywhere else but in adult stores. Under the counter, hidden by glass, they lay in a decorative arc. He idly wondered if the female clerk had arranged them, perhaps feeling stirs in her groin as she did. He almost woke her to find out. He gathered the handcuffs and placed them on the glass of counter with a clatter. Kelly looked up at the noise, but not surprised any more by his tastes. After a second, she to gaze at the magazine. She flipped another page with an rattle.

the shrugged, continued audible

He slipped most of the handcuffs into the pack on Kelly's back, but kept one pair out to test on the naked girl. He stepped in front of her, the steel swinging from his right index finger. Slowly, she closed the magazine with her bound hand, using only one, and ignoring the obstruction of having both hands held together by the rope. It worked that way. "Let me guess," she said. "I'm going to get untied." She shifted the magazine to the floor and off her thighs. He nodded and knelt beside her. His knee pressed into her warm bare thigh. While he unwrapped the rope from her wrists, she spoke quietly. "Why did you give me that magazine?" "Which one?" "Lesbian Fantasies?" He stopped releasing her for a moment. There was true curiosity in her eyes. Then his fingers continued to unwrap the rope until it fell unheeded to her thighs. She made no attempt to push the coils from her legs, but rubbed absently at her sore wrists where the rope had cut into her skin. "I'm not a lesbian," she whispered. He smiled. She automatically held up her wrists, close together, as if waiting to be cuffed.



Instead of slipping the cuffs onto her, he reached forward to work the backpack from her shoulder. She flinched at his movement, but recovered when she realised what he wanted. Shrugging her bare shoulders, she helped as much as she could. The heavy pack left wide red marks on the skin of her shoulders. While he settled the backpack against a rack of movies proclaiming the best orgy scenes ever, she rubbed at her shoulders. When she noticed him watching her, she held up her wrists again. "You are going to put them on me, aren't you?" she asked resignedly. "Yes, but not in front of you." She paled. "If you have to restrain me, it's more comfortable in front. Please?" He gently shook his head. "You aren't going to hurt my boobs, er, breasts again, are you?" "No, Kelly. I think you've had enough." She sighed and pulled her arms back, placing her hands behind herself. "I've been good," she said, though in a voice that proclaimed that she knew such behaviour wouldn't help her. He knelt behind the naked girl and slipped the cuffs over her wrists, tightening them, but not cruelly. She could twist her arms, but not release them. "Why?" "I want to show you something. Can you kneel?" She looked confused for a moment, and wary, but she bent her legs at the knee, and struggled to get her calves under herself. With her hands bound, it wasn't easy, but she somehow managed. At last, she knelt, her thighs resting easily on her bound ankles. She looked up, her eyes flashing. "I don't know how long I can be like this. My thighs ..." she said carefully, as if expecting him to force her to remain like that despite her discomfort. He supposed that she had a point. "Tell me when it gets uncomfortable." She bit her lip for a moment, and nodded. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (52 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


He reached for the magazine that she had discarded a moment before. Kelly began to look worried a little. "Kelly, dear?" Her lips set, almost as if biting back a comment about him calling her 'dear'. He continued on, ignoring her unspoken comment. "What was your favourite picture in here?" He held up the magazine for her, unnecessarily. "I'm not a lesbian," she murmured. "Nevertheless, women are beautiful, more so than men, don't you think?" She slowly shook her head, as if denial would make it so. Moisture began to form near her eyes. "Don't make me do this." "Are you bisexual, Kelly?" She looked up sharply, a flush rising from the tops of her bare breasts to her throat. He didn't really need to ask her again. "Which picture?" Kelly lowered her head, eyes refusing to acknowledge him. "They were kissing," she whispered. "Naked, and kissing." He began to flip through the pages, women cavorted naked, touching each other in private places. He paused at a picture where one woman, on her hands and knees, licked at the ass of another woman, head back in mock ecstasy. He almost flipped past one. The girls were kissing, tongues touching, moaning for the camera, legs wide, lips spread, hips tilted obscenely. He held it up. Kelly raised her eyes for a moment, regarding the image for only a second before shaking her head. "That's not it." He continued. Near the back, it hit him. The girls sat together in a porch swing. Their complete nudity, almost inconsequential. Their legs intertwined, no stiletto heels, no push up bras. Just simple natural femininity. The girls were kissing, fingers trailing along bare skin, tenderly. He wasn't sure, but it didn't look faked like all the other images. "Kelly?" The naked girl looked up, in response. "This one?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (53 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


Miserably, Kelly nodded, then lowered her eyes. He left the magazine open to her picture, and slid it along the carpet towards the back of the store, out of the way. He grasped her chin, tilting her face upwards. She resisted, but only for a moment. "If I woke the clerk, would you like to have sex with her?" he asked, but not unkindly. Kelly answered too quickly, her voice strained. "No." He released her chin, and she looked back down at her bare thighs. "Kelly?" "Yes," she whispered. He wasn't sure which question she was answering. Slowly, he left her and retrieved the crop from behind the counter. He sat in front of her, cross-legged. When she looked up, her eyes widened, but she didn't say anything. "Would you like to feel this?" He swished it through the air. It whistled and she flinched. He couldn't imagine any woman being able to take the pain this would inflict at full strength. Horses, maybe, but a girl? And yet, he knew that some women might take it, especially without choice. With pain, yes, but ... he'd used one on Jane. She could take it. Oh yes. Never at full strength, he would have killed her, but painful, he was sure. He glanced up, breaking out of memory. Not Kelly. Her face had paled, and her entire body had begun to shake. "No, please. God, no. I thought ..." He swished it through the air again, liking the sound it made as it broke the air like a lightning bolt. "I'll do anything. I'll crawl for you. I'll ..." "Kelly, shhhhhh," he remarked gently. She clapped her mouth shut so hard that he heard her teeth connect. She shook in terror, as he dragged the tip across her bare thighs, up her hip, tickling her ribs, which were trembling as she struggled for breath. Kelly couldn't go anywhere, couldn't back away, not from the kneeling position, couldn't move her hands, not with the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (54 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


handcuffs. He touched the underside of her left breast with the tip of it. She moaned, but didn't move from her position. "I'll have sex with her. I want to have sex with her," Kelly whispered. "Please don't hit me. Not with that. Please. Oh God, please." Her thighs trembled. The nude girl was feeling the strain of her position, afraid to say so. Those thighs, striped, angry welts, swam into his vision. One quick strike, like a snake. She'd scream, but she'd be fine in the long term, wouldn't she? Kelly closed her eyes, waiting, her body begging visibly not to be struck through her tension and pose. He could see her holding her breath, bracing herself for the inevitable scream issuing forth as the blow would connect with her, as yet, unmarred thighs. He inhaled deeply, and lay the crop down harmlessly beside her, its length lying beside her bare calf, its tip kissing the side of her left foot. She collapsed in tears, her pent up breath escaping in an undignified whoosh. Her hands pulled weakly at her bonds. "Oh God, thank-you. Thank-you. Thank-you," she repeated the words until they lost all meaning. He wasn't sure if she was thanking him, or the object of her silent prayers. "Kelly?" She looked up, fright on her face. "I'll do whatever you want. You don't have to hurt me. I swear ..." "Do your thighs hurt?" She looked at him blankly for a moment, but then nodded her head. One can only kneel in strict position for so long without aching. Her words were quick, though. "They ache, but I'll stay like this for you. Anything ..." "Give me your feet." She looked at him, unsure whether to trust him. The ache in her legs convinced her to trust, whether she believed or not. She rocked bent legs, complaints flinch. No her.

back slowly, and with an audible sigh, she uncoiled her and extended her bare feet towards him. There were no forthcoming when he began to play with her toe ring. No retraction of her limbs. He was careful not to tickle

He fished the keys to her locks from his pockets. He felt her tense, but then relax as he inserted the key into her locks and released http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (55 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


the chain. The chains jangled to the carpet in a useless heap. Can't push a chain. After he'd released her ankles, she pulled her feet back towards her, curling them beside her. He was reminded of a feline, relaxing. She did it hesitantly, as if she needed permission to pull her toes from his grasp, but after he didn't stop her, she relaxed more. She was a little exposed in this position, the view between her slightly spread legs causing him more of an erection. He nearly told her to cover herself, but she'd grown less self-conscious, and he thought he could handle her, this time. The Timeman stood, leaving her on the floor. Kelly made no attempt to rise to her own bare feet. She looked up at him, eyes questioning. "Do you want to go home?" She looked puzzled. "Just like that?" "If I let you go, then you'll return to your cash register, forget any of this ever happened. It didn't happen. Not for you." "You'll let me go? You aren't going to rape me?" "I said I wouldn't. You aren't my type." She looked downcast, almost like a school girl, turned down the first time she'd raised the nerve to ask a boy to dance. "You aren't going to hurt me?" He shook his head gently. She was silent for a moment, the silence of the universe engulfing them. Only the ragged edge of her breathing broke the quiet. Finally, she raised her eyes. "I want to go home." He crouched, his finger touching her shoulder. She twisted a little as if to avoid the contact, but the handcuffs prevented her from moving too far. After a moment, she twisted her shoulders again, connecting herself with his outstretched fingers willingly. "I know you won't remember, but Kelly, you weren't my type," he elaborated. "Not back behind that desk. You are a remarkably beautiful girl, if you'd let yourself be. The black, it isn't you, and you know that. Sitting there, being yourself -- even if you weren't naked and handcuffed. That is my type. I didn't mean to hurt you." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (56 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


Kelly nodded slowly. He thought that she just might understand, now. "I'm sorry," he said simply. Kelly kissed him then, her lips brushing the edge of his cheek. She smiled. Rising to his feet, he urged her to her own bare feet. Her hands impeded her, but he let her struggle to rise on her own. At last, she stood proudly, her nudity not bothering her any longer. Her breasts lifted naturally, without support, her hands remaining behind her back. "You are beautiful," he said. "Thank-you," she murmured, a flush rising again. It disappeared almost a quickly as it had appeared. He concentrated, the bubble beginning to retract, he could feel her presence beginning to fade from the timeline. "I am bisexual," she whispered. He smiled, and watched as she faded. "Good-bye," he whispered to the air that she had filled only moments before. The handcuffs that had graced her wrists fell unceremoniously to the carpet with a jangle of metal. He stooped to pick them up, the chrome still warm from her wrists. He was going to miss her, he thought, as he gathered up the blue pack. He considered waking the girl behind the desk to fill Kelly's void -- she was attractive. But in the end, he simply began to walk toward the door. At the door, he turned. He was missing something. He returned to the desk, bent to pick up the crop. He touched the frozen girl's chin with the tip. She didn't react. Then he walked back to the doorway, turning for a last look into the brightly lit adult palace. The magazine on the floor was open to the kissing girls in the swing. He pushed open the door, slipping out into the mall. The handcuffs jingled against the chains in the backpack dangling in his left hand. He had places to go.




Dawn raised her head wearily from her hands, her body still jerking with quiet sobs. Dead? How could she have killed them all? She didn't even remember how she caused the first blip, but she'd been under stress. John was about to rape her, and had knocked her around; her ribs still ached to attest to that. The exam? She shook her head in denial. No. She never worked herself up over an exam. It wasn't worth it. She allowed another tear to roll down her cheek, but savagely brushed it away with the back of her hand. How? She forced herself to her feet, approaching a brunette girl in the first row. Jeanette? Dawn thought the girl might be named Jeanette. Fighting more nausea, Dawn crouched in front of the girl. Dead. Killed for no reason at all. It didn't make any sense. Dawn could sense her, could feel her presence if she tried hard enough. It was like floating out of a plane without a parachute, knowing that she would plunge towards the earth, but the dive of death not happening. She could sense the girl in there somewhere, didn't know how, or why, but suddenly Dawn was certain that she wasn't dead. She didn't have a pulse, didn't breathe, but she wasn't dead. She'd always scoffed at psychics before, but she could feel the girl, sense her life. Somehow, the universe was more in tune with Dawn, guiding her. Dawn peered back into Jeanette's blank stare. Suspended somehow. "Time is fluid," she whispered. Jeanette was outside of time. It came crashing into Dawn, like an aerial assault. When time resumed, if it resumed, Jeanette would continue on, alive, and well, and unharmed, as if nothing had ever



happened. She didn't know how she knew it; Hawking, and Einstein, and quantum mechanics hadn't told her, though she knew the theories ad nauseam, but somehow, incredibly, the universe had bent, and hadn't taken her with it. Why? Suddenly nausea overtook her senses again, and her head began to pound. She cried out, a soft cry, like that of a cat in pain, and she crawled towards the door, away from the staring statues of students, away from Jeanette, eventually leaning her back against the door's solidity, her head cradled between her knees. Her mind drifted from her, riding on the wave of her pounding mind. "Please," she begged. The pain intensified, her nipples aching suddenly as if they'd been clamped. She began to cry again, big tears rolling silently down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, her mind reaching through the fabric of the universe around her. Suddenly, she was aware of disturbances in the pathways of the universe that she could sense somehow. The wonder began to override the incessant pounding in her head. The disturbances looked like spinning tennis balls in a smoke tunnel, the whirling smoke parting and swirling around them. She tried to call out, to ask what was going on, but the world was strangely silent around her. Lights, like from a disco strobe, flashed unrelentingly around her. She squeezed her eyes shut, but the lights continued. The balls continued to spin. She wasn't alone here. Her hands yanked back to cradle her breasts under her sweatshirt, a sharp pain driving through her nipples like nothing she'd ever felt before. Puberty hadn't been kind to her, her breasts sensitive as they'd grown with her body. A relatively clumsy teen, she vaguely remembered banging her breasts into walls, desks, her nipples aching, suppressing screams. This sensation was worse, and she cried out as her breasts felt like fire had engulfed them, centred on her nipples. But her nipples had grown out of the painful and sensitive stage, long ago, hadn't they? "Kelly?" It was a man's voice. Dawn heard the voice as if it were in the room with her, but it wasn't. Somehow, she was sensing the classroom and somewhere else simultaneously; someone else, the voice ringing more in her mind than outside of it. But her mind insisted that sounds came from without, didn't originate in one's own head. That was the way to insanity, wasn't it? "Who's there?" she whispered. But nobody was listening. Who the hell was Kelly?



"They are going to hurt coming off, you know." The male voice rang through her mind, calmly and coldly, as if he were standing whispering in her ear. Dawn looked up sharply. The room continued to ignore her. Tears of pain and confusion slipped unheeded down her cheeks. What was going to hurt? And suddenly she knew, could sense with certainty that it was going to hurt. Badly. The ache in her right nipple released, for a moment. Dawn sighed, relief flooding her beyond what she might have felt by herself, relatively safe leaning against the doorway. Then the pain hit, dulled by distance, but blinding because she wasn't ready. Her right breast exploded in agony, her nerves screaming at her. Her left nipple joined her right, and tears coursed down her cheek. Her voice, screaming, filled the uncaring room around her. Elsewhere on the timeline, Kelly felt herself lowered to the ground gently, agony, far more personal and close than Dawn's, racing through her bare breasts and nipples. Dawn fell to the side, her shoulder striking the tile, her hands pressed ineffectually to her chest. And then it was over, at least for Dawn, a whimpering voice finding her ears. With a start, Dawn realised that the voice was her own, and she no longer was connected to the other girl. She pulled her hands from her breasts, her nipples normal, but achingly erect. No agony. No clothespins? (Clothespins?!?!) Breathing raggedly, Dawn climbed to her feet. She was reasonably sure that the classroom was frozen in time, and that they couldn't see her, but she turned towards the door anyway, away from Jeanette, and the others. Her fingers shook as they lifted her sweatshirt. A flush rose into her face as she realised what she was doing, where she was. But she had to know. Had to. With a glance over her shoulder, she lifted the sweatshirt over her head. Her hair crackled with static, her lips dry. She tried to ignore the ugly bruise on her right side -- the one that John had graced her with. She reached behind herself, her fingers unable to pop the clasp on her bra. Frustrated, she pushed the straps over her shoulders, and down her arms. The cups fell away slowly. Embarrassed, she glanced over her shoulder again. No one, not Jeanette, not any of the males in the classroom, paid her the slightest heed. Her pink sweatshirt http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (60 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


dangled from her left hand. Her nipples looked normal, no different than they had in the shower this morning. She was sure that there would be marks -- tiny teeth marks, from mindless pressure. Torture. Of her nipples. From? The answer appeared in her mind, unbidden, and unexplained. (Clothespins?) She hurriedly pulled the straps of her bra back up, tucking her breasts easily into the support, and she pulled her sweatshirt over her head. She smoothed her hair back down, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. The image of clothespins pinching her nipples rose into her cortex. She shook the image out of her head. Who the hell was Kelly? And why had she felt the girl's pain? Why wasn't she feeling it now? Slowly, afraid, Dawn lowered herself back to the floor. She hugged her knees, rocking. She sat there a long time. At last, she pressed her hands to her nipples, and cast her mind out, riding the smoke, riding the tides of time. She sensed the two tennis balls again. One had the bends of the universe around it, the other less so, almost as if controlled by the main ball. She was naked, walking into a store, a dirty store, where she didn't want to step in bare feet. Bare feet? But she didn't speak, didn't complain, not wanting to attract attention, afraid to attract attention. Whose attention? (His.) In another place, she could see the outline of her sneakers, still firmly covering her own feet. But she could feel the difference in texture, from tile to carpet. It was that carpet that she didn't want to step on. Somehow, incredibly, she was in two places at once. Welcome to Schroedinger's cat's world, she thought. (But will the poison get me in the end?) Dawn shuffled forward, something restricting her steps to short baby steps. Kelly, didn't seem to be worried about whatever it was that was shortening her steps. It felt like chain, between her bare ankles, jingling quietly with each short step she took. Kelly understood, Dawn didn't. Images of bare skin surrounded her, both male and female, but mostly female, and voices were muted here. Dawn's nipples ached dully, the fiery pain of the clothespins diminished, but not completely gone. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (61 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


Surprised, she realised that she was aroused, Kelly was aroused, could feel the throbbing of her blood in her clitoris in concert with Kelly. She gasped, unsure of this aspect of the experience. But she plunged on, not really having much choice. It was the whole experience, or none. Her hands were handcuffed behind her securely. (Handcuffs?) Dawn realised that she was breathing shallowly, her lips flushed. It wasn't only Kelly, somewhere else. In the quiet classroom, her breathing matched the other girl's, fast and quick. Why was she aroused? The answer flowed to her, without prompting. Because Kelly was slightly aroused. Despite the pain, despite the discomfort, the other girl was aroused. Dawn fought the response from her own body, sitting safe against the door. An image of two girls that she didn't recognise appeared in a porch swing, naked, kissing. The image aroused her more. Dawn groaned, her nipples aching, her clitoris throbbing in time with her quickened pulse. "That one," she murmured, surprised as her own lips formed the word. The word's didn't make sense to her, but the image faded as she spoke them. The sensations eased for a moment. Then she was kneeling, her thighs trembling from the position. Even though Dawn sat relatively comfortably against the doorway, not kneeling as Kelly was, her thighs ached as if she were. The sound of a swish frightened her. (What the hell was that?) A crop. (A riding crop?) A riding crop. She imagined the pain of the thing driving into the softness of her thighs. She held her breath until her heartbeat thudded against her sore ribs, until the pain in her lungs became unbearable. Distantly, she heard a girl's voice, begging. Begging not to be struck. And tears. The imagined agony drove Dawn to cry out into the uncaring room. But the blow never came, only a soft tickle along her left breast, and then along her right calf. Dawn moved her leg http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (62 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


instinctually. "Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you," Dawn whispered, unaware of her own voice disappearing into the echoless room. Then nothing for a few minutes, only darkness and the sound of her own pulse beating rhythmically in her own eardrums. She struggled to reconnect, almost like switching channels during commercials. The images resumed as Dawn concentrated, focusing on the smaller of the two balls spinning in the smoke. She avoided connecting with the larger ball, the controlling ball, some survival instinct whispering to her not to enter, danger lurked. The chains were no longer as cold as when he'd put them on her, aeons ago. She sighed with relief as the metal was removed from her ankles, jangling to the floor. Now she understood the baby steps. "Thank-you," Dawn whispered. Dawn wiggled her toes in her sneakers. Kelly's feet were bare, a toe ring gracing the second toe on the right. (A toe ring???) Her toe nails were painted ebony, like a void leading into the heart of the universe. (Black nail polish? I don't own black nail polish.) "I want to go home," she whispered. Dawn didn't quite know what that meant, or if had even come from the girl in the experience. Dawn, herself, didn't want this. Oh no. Home sounded nice right about now. Dawn rose to her feet, her back still against the doorway. Kelly rose, her hands still cuffed behind her, her head tilted, waiting for the tingles. Dawn's limbs tingled, and then there was nothing. She could sense him, somehow knew that he'd sent the girl named Kelly back, released her. Her mind spun, feeling her way through the smoke. She could sense the girl, her unique stamp weakly imprinted in the smoke near the tennis ball of the man. (A hardware store? A cash register?) The man had hurt the girl, Kelly, why, she didn't know. Neither had Kelly. Dawn had sensed that. She returned to the trapping classroom, her eyes wet with tears. Her hands touched herself, her breasts, between her legs through her jeans. She gasped. The arousal hadn't left with the departure of Kelly. God. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-11-20.html (63 of 65)8/14/2005 11:38:11 PM


She glanced at Jeanette in the front row, solid and frozen. She hadn't killed them. Hadn't even caused the time shift. The man had. Whoever he was, she had to find him. But Kelly? He'd taken Kelly. Played with her. Was Kelly his girlfriend, into kinky games? Dawn flushed. She'd been inside Kelly's head, however briefly, and she'd known. She wasn't his girlfriend. Somehow. Visions of clothespins danced in Dawn's mind, visions of clothespins attached to naked nipples, visions of riding crops and handcuffs and chains wrapped around female ankles. Christ, she needed to masturbate, her body insistent, more insistent than she'd ever experienced before. But not here. She couldn't think like this. And she needed to think, badly. Concentrate. (Concentrate, girl) She tried to douse her arousal mentally. It only worked a little. Her body cried out for the attention of her fingers, demanding. "Damn," she swore, more to try to drive her body into obedience. Not here. It was an exam room. Jeanette was sitting right, there. (NOW!) She snatched her right hand from tickling her own nipple. She had to find the man. "I don't want this," she whispered. But the room didn't care. Not at all.






Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 21

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Chapter 22

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Chapter 23

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Chapter 24

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Chapter 25

Chapter 26

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Chapter 27

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Chapter 28

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Chapter 29

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Chapter 30


Dawn stood slowly, her body aching from the effort of riding the universe's tunnels with her mind. The arousal was still there, her clitoris throbbing, but she ignored it, pushing herself away on her sneakered feet. (Black nail polish. Bare feet. Chains.) She thought of him as Timeman, idly wondered who he was. He had to understand physics, couldn't simply be an average character. Had to know what he was doing. She wished that she knew what the hell she was doing. "Time is fluid," she said. It sounded wrong, the sound not returning to her out of the silence. No echo. (Strange.) She deliberately kept her mind from examining why he might have been playing with Kelly.



(Clothespins.) (Handcuffs.) (Lesbians. Naked girls kissing.) (Sex. Sex. Sex.) The images sent a stab of sexual energy through her, and she moaned, couldn't seem to tear her mind from the distracting thoughts. Not now. Not here. (NOW!) Her fingers closed around the doorknob, twisting it futilely. It refused to turn, but now she began to realise that it wasn't necessarily locked, keeping her in with the frozen, corpse-like, students that would ignore her forever. The door was simply frozen in time, along with the rest of the world. Except her. And him. A sensation of claustrophobia descended on her. She'd never suffered from it before, but then again, she'd never been trapped in a silent room with only vacantly staring statues before either. If she had escaped the time shift, perhaps someone else had as well? Was it only the two of them alone in the world. Even Kelly was gone. Almost without thought, she began to bang her palm against the wood of the door. "Please! Someone. Help! Help!" She didn't remember stopping, but the palm of her right hand stung, and felt swollen, redness infusing the pads of her fingers and the raised muscle by her thumb. Bruised, probably. "Please, someone, help." Her voice croaked, her energy expended. She'd been tired to begin with, and with the last of her energy expended, she was finding it more and more difficult to prevent the images (Clothespins.) from invading her senses. She'd never fantasised uncontrollably before, and never about pain. But she'd never been trapped alone, surfing across smoke, sharing another woman's experiences before. (Who the hell was Kelly?) She started at the suddenness, her body controlling her mind. A stab http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (2 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


of desire, almost painful, struck between her legs. "No," she said, her voice finding volume with the simple denial. She rose to her feet. If he could do it, why not her? She crouched in front of Jeanette, the brunette sitting in the front of the row. (What would she look like naked?) Dawn shook her head, trying to ignore the hardening of her own nipples. She'd never been attracted to girls before, and still wasn't as far as she knew. Where had that thought come from? (If I reanimate her, I could force her to strip. Find out what she looks like under that sweatshirt and jeans.) "No," she whispered. "No. No. No." The thoughts retreated, and Dawn sighed. She glanced over at the exam proctor, a graduate student with a Latin background. She couldn't remember his name, but he was suddenly sexy. Too sexy. She normally didn't go for the Ricky Martin look either. The same nagging centred in her mind, but she was finding it easier to push it away. Even when she glanced back at Jeanette, she could feel the thoughts retreating. It wasn't gender related. Her body was simply insisting on release, and wasn't discriminating about with whom. Dawn concentrated, imagining a soap bubble, one that she was trapped within. She pushed it away from herself with her mind, could sense it expanding, picturing her hands pushing against flowing curtains. Pushing, pressing. (Handcuffs.) She forced the thought from her mind, the bubble collapsing as her concentration faded. "Shit," she whispered, helplessness infusing her. She wanted to cry. Wanted to masturbate. Wanted to make all of this go away. She crawled back, eventually sitting on the floor, her back against the bricks under the blackboard. She rode out a wave of arousal, insistent and close. Dawn idly wished that she'd never connected with Kelly, never seen the smoke.



(But if you hadn't Dawnie, you wouldn't have a clue, would probably be sobbing and feeling sorry for yourself, screaming for help that would never come instead of ...) She snatched her fingers from her breast, her other hand beginning to delve beneath the tight waistband of her jeans. She knew that she could concentrate if she could just ... (I know what I have to do.) Gasping, she forced her thighs to stop squeezing together. Not now. Not here. (Dammit.) She forced away the images that her body was insisting upon. Why the sudden fascination with sex? She'd always been able to control her arousal before, had done it quite successfully last night when confronted with a nice view of John's bare ass. Another stab of arousal flowed through her, making her gasp. Instinctually, she knew it was because she'd connected with the bound girl, and that she was helpless in the face of it, it was an integral part of the experience. Perhaps the act of wandering through timelessness sparked a flow of estrogen, female sex hormones raging through her. She idly wondered if the Timeman suffered a similar trait, or if he could even sense the universe around him as she seemed to be able to. (NOW!) One couldn't separate the results from the cause any more than one could hold her own breath to die. She'd wanted to search, had to understand, simply hadn't known what she was getting into. (I've done it now, make the best of it, Pandora.) Purposely, she rose, and approached Jeanette again. Clearing her mind, forcing it away from the throbbing in her nipples and clitoris, she pushed at the soap bubble. It expanded, slowly at first, and then more rapidly. When it touched Jeanette, Dawn shivered. It was like the bubble had encountered a brick wall. The bubble hesitated, and then flowed around the girl, like smoke around a tennis ball. With her concentration fading, the bubble snapped back. Jeanette remained sitting as she had before, silent and staring, not so much as a flicker of light in her staring eyes. With a sigh of relief, Dawn noted that her body had seemed to give up the assault on her mind, the sexual imagery fading a little. It http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (4 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


wouldn't take much to rise up again, she was sure, but she thought that she could maintain the calm for a while this time, maybe long enough to figure something out. The throbbing had reduced to a dull ache. Dawn walked slowly over to the front desk. She didn't know the proctor for the exam from Adam, but anybody was better than being alone here. She repeated the mental exercise, concentrating harder now that her body was calming down. The bubble flowed around the guy without any indication that it was possible to bring a living object through to this time frame. He was no different than Jeanette. Dawn collapsed, breathing hard and exhausted. She wanted to sleep, her eyes grainy. Manipulating her bubble of time drained her. She wondered how the Timeman did it, and stayed on his feet with enough energy to torment Kelly. (Maybe, I need to ask him.) She shook her head, not really sure if she did want to find the guy. But that was something to think about later. After she lay uncomfortably on the tile for a while, she pushed herself up, slowly. She glanced over at the door; it mocked her. She stood in front of the door for about five minutes before she gathered her strength for one more try. Not something as complex as another human being, no. Just a door. Just a lousy, frozen, slab of hinged wood. She'd opened doors like this one a million times over her lifetime. Her bubble expanded more easily this time, forming itself to the wood of the door, around the frame, around the hinges. (Bare ankles) When she reached forward to twist the knob, the bubble snapped back, like it had when she'd tried with people. But it had worked, had surrounded the door, released it. If she could only find the concentration to reach for the knob without losing her grip on the bubble. God, she was tired. "I don't want this," she murmured.



She lowered herself to the tiles, sitting cross-legged. Her hands rose, and cupped her face. She wept for a while, she didn't know for how long. But time was fluid, wasn't it? It didn't much matter here. After the sobs had reduced, she sighed. She knew what she had to do. Didn't want to do it. Not here. Not now. She raised her head. Her body still throbbed insistently at her. It wasn't as powerful as before, but was sapping enough of her will that she couldn't concentrate. Not enough to do what she wanted. She had two choices. She could ride it out long enough. Hopefully, her body would give up, whatever imbalance was causing this obsession with sex to fade. But she honestly didn't know if her body would ever give up its hold on her. Wax and wane, yes, but release her, she doubted it. She had always taken for granted her control over her own arousal. She didn't want to think of the alternative. "All right," she whispered. "You win." She lay back, her back uncomfortable against the tile. She hesitated for a few minutes, her breathing ragged. She wept for a moment, her body not compromising despite her misery. As if of their own volition, her fingers stole under her sweatshirt, insistently brushing at her right nipple through her brassiere. She didn't try to stop them this time, tried to ignore the fact that she lay at the front of a populated, if quiet, classroom. They weren't there. She was in her bed, comfortable, at home. Please, fantasise something normal. (Not clothespins, or crops. Please.) Her other hand pulled at the top button of her jeans, pulled at the button fly snapping it open in one quick motion. She halted, forcing her fingers to stop. (What the hell was she doing??) Her fingers teased her, brushing at her vaginal lips through her panties. Her breathing became ragged, her ability to resist sapped. She was so damned tired. It would be quick, wouldn't it? The last of her objections silenced. She surrendered. (Clothespins.) (Girls kissing. Where had that come from?) (Ankles in chains.) http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (6 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


(Stop it. Stop it. Stop it. Please, stop it.) Fingers entering her, stroking insistently, pinching at her (clothespins) nipples. The pad of her index finger knew her rhythm, had known it since she was a small child, guiltily exploring in the privacy of her own bedroom, late at night. Her fingers played, stroked through her moisture, (moisture? wetness, more like ...) pushed her ever closer to release. Her body arched, the climax crashing through every muscle in her body. She recognised her own voice, crying out, more passionate than her cries from last night with John. And her body relaxed. She felt bare skin, cold against the tile. The back of her head ached, where she'd arched against the floor. Slowly, she knelt. She couldn't remember removing her clothing, but all that remained on her body were her socks and sneakers. With a cry of dismay, she rose, gathering her clothing, her underwear, what small level of dignity she retained. Her arousal was gone, like the wind over a still lake. Her clitoris throbbed, but it was the sane sensation of release, of satisfaction at last. She dressed hurriedly, glancing at the multitude of faces that had watched her display herself, and pleasure herself. She thought that she could sense Jeanette's disapproval. Tears fell unheeded down her face. "Oh God," she murmured. She stood again in front of the door, flushed, still breathing heavily as if she'd performed a marathon of sex instead of the quick, almost effortless self-pleasure that she had. No, it hadn't taken much this time, not like her more sedate solitary routine -simply animalistic insistent sex. Shame flushed her cheeks. "Oh God," she repeated. The bubble moved easier this time, though somewhere she knew that she wouldn't be able to re-animate another person nearly as easily, if at all. Her bubble of time slid around the doorway again, as if it were a glove. Her mind was clear, almost consciously shying away from the images that had haunted her from Kelly. It took effort, but she was able to reach the doorknob this time, able to concentrate on the two actions simultaneously. It was like re-learning to walk. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (7 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


(Like riding a bicycle, Dawn, my girl.) She was suddenly certain, that with practise, it would be simple, almost as automatic as breathing. Re-animating people, perhaps not, but simple things like unfreezing doors? The door swung open as she twisted the knob. She cried out, relief flooding through her. She stepped out into the silent hallway, stumbling as she crossed from the room that had been her prison. The other students continued to ignore her. A solitary student, a girl who looked a bit younger than herself, was frozen walking by the door to the exam room. The bubble retracted as her mind lost its grip upon it; the door snapped silently back into its former position. She sank to her knees, and then to the floor. "Thank-you, thank-you," she whispered. She nearly kissed the floor. She closed her eyes, completely drained. Her strength seemed to ebb with the immediate task finally completed. Her climax, the sleepless last night, her bruised ribs, all conspired against her. Sleep. Perchance to dream. Only for a moment, she told herself. Only for a moment. It wasn't like laying her head onto her pillow to search for sleep, no, sleep reached up and grabbed her, pulling her into the darkness. This is what passing out feels like, she mused. Her head cradled on her arm, off the cold marble of the corridor, she closed her eyes, a warmth suffusing her from within.


He almost walked past Home Hardware, but returned to gaze at the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (8 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


store with a pang and a sense of loss. He missed her. Silly, silly, man. He slipped past the old man, past the dead entrance chime to stand by the cash. The pack weighed heavily in his hand. He slipped the blue pack, with its exotic contents, over his shoulders, the same as the girl had been forced to do at the end of her ordeal. She stood examining her nails, the black nail polish unchipped and pristine. He leaned over the counter. Her feet were encased in her Keds again, toe ring hidden beneath canvas. Her black makeup and her hair, unmussed, her nipples unscathed by the clothespins that resided within the pack now resting on his shoulders. "No," he whispered. He glanced back at her as he walked slowly away. He couldn't take her with him. Not Kelly. She wasn't right. He hoped that by some miracle that she'd ease herself out of her darkness and become the beautiful girl that he had come to know, however briefly. "See ya, Kelly," he said as he began to walk towards the end of the mall. He ignored the people around him, except to dodge around their frozen forms. As he moved away from the store, his step became lighter, and more springy. The sunlight nearly blinded him as he stepped through the mall entrance and around a mother pushing her infant in a stroller. He glanced at her, noticed that she was pretty, her golden hair glistening in the sun. She had lost her pregnancy weight, and would be able to carry the weight of the pack. Plus, he had an automatic bargaining chip. The infant. He shook his head. No. He wouldn't do that again. Even outside of time. He shrugged the pack back up onto his shoulders and pulled at the straps, loosening them. Kelly had been much smaller than he. Smiling at the silence, he picked his way across the parking lot, unsure of where he was going. Kresner Collegiate stood back from the main road, a driveway winding its way back towards the front entrance. The location was private, and probably not noisy for the students despite the main parkway http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (9 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


leading to it. The front yard was lined with oak trees, and it looked like the back field might border onto the bluffs surrounding the lake beyond. He stopped, his feet aching. Unconcerned, he sat in the middle of the road, slipping the backpack from his shoulders, and laying it on the blacktop beside him. Couldn't stop now. He looked towards the low building that made up the school. His feet protested the thought of walking further. A BMW, in another life, might have run him down, if he'd released it. A black youth, in a headscarf, was piloting the car. The Timeman smiled, imagining the driver's surprise if he extended that time bubble into the car. He considered boosting the car, hefting the gun in his hand as he did so. Shaking his head, he sighed. He must be tired. Car-jacking a moving car, even with time on his side would be difficult. Easier to get car keys from a teacher in the school and take her car. Slowly, he rose to his feet. They complained; he had walked a long way to get here, and he still didn't know where he was going. But he had time. Yes, he had time. If he had to, he'd find a couch in the teacher's lounge and catnap. Every blink drove graininess further into his retinae. He picked up the bag, swinging it by his thigh as he made his way up towards the school. Her red hair caught his attention. She wasn't completely hidden by the tree, her hair caught fluttering in the now non-existent breeze. His feet disturbed old brown leaves, left over from autumn. They crackled as he left the drive and made his way over the grass. She sat cross-legged under the tree, an expression of upon her features. She was young, probably seventeen, eighteen, and her body had the firmness of youth. Her stunning, not too much makeup, but some, her red hair features in unrestricted waves.

melancholy maybe face was framing her

He lowered the pack to the ground, sitting down in front of her. The girl was concentrating on something in her fingers, a leaf, bits of the leaf scattered over her crossed legs and ankles. She wore a skirt, carefully tucked down, the folds maddeningly teasing.



Her facial features reminded him, a little, of Kelly, after he'd made her remove her black makeup. He wondered why she was sad, her eyes and posture revealing her mood. He debated for a few minutes, but decided that she needed to come alive. He slipped the gun from his waistband, placing it behind him. He didn't want to frighten her. At least, not right away. The transition was sharp, and she wasn't immediately aware of his presence. She slowly tore another strip from the leaf in her hand, the brittle substance crackling quietly in the silence. Perhaps it was the silence, perhaps she sensed him. She looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. Kate caught the cry of surprise that had formed unbidden in her throat. Her heart began to hammer in her chest as adrenaline rushed into her veins. He looked tired, but she hadn't heard him approach. Something else was strange, but she couldn't place it. Something out of place, something not quite normal. "Can I help you?" Her voice emerged without a waver, strong and sure of herself. He answered pleasantly enough. "I'm not sure." "Where did you come from?" she asked. She still didn't understand how he had approached without her knowing. She must have been concentrating on the leaf and Darren far more than she was willing to admit. He smiled, though she didn't really trust the smile. "I came down the driveway. I'm kind of lost." Kate waved towards the school. "That's Kresner Collegiate. Where are you headed?" He hesitated for a moment, thinking about something. "I think that's where I should be." It was an odd way of phrasing it. The girl crumpled up the last of the leaf in her hand, scattered it, and pushed herself off the ground. His eyes followed her. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (11 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


"I have to get back to class," she said. He remained seated. The imprint of her body remained in the grass in front of him. He looked up. "What's your name?" he asked simply. As she stood, she could see a whisper of chrome peeking out from behind where he was sitting. His hand stole around behind him, covering it. Unease settled through her. "I really have to get to class." She began to walk away. After a few steps, she collided with something invisible, but something very solid. If she'd been moving any faster, she might have hurt herself. "What?" she exclaimed. He heard him laugh gently behind her. Her fingers explored the air in front of her. About five centimetres in front of her nose, her fingers impacted with the air, as if it had been turned into transparent concrete. She whirled, confused, the question dying on her lips. Her eyes fell immediately to the gun. It wasn't pointed at her, but she had no doubt that it could. He remained seated. "I asked what your name was," he said quietly. The menace was palpable. "I'll scream," she said flatly. Her heart hammered in her chest, a mixture of fear and faintness. "It won't do you any good," he said with a grin. She was suddenly sure of it. Her eyes travelled towards the main road. A BMW stood in the middle of the road, rooted to the spot as if made of ice. It could have been stalled, but she doubted it. Highly. Her mind began to notice the other little things. The complete silence, the lack of wind, the leaves of the trees still against the slightest breeze. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice wavering. She struggled for control of it. His answer frightened her more than the sight of the gun. "You, I think."




The metal things lay by her feet, inanimate, but terrifying. She looked up from staring at them, and slowly shook her head. Red strands of her hair obscured her vision. "No, I won't." She backed up until her back rested against the solid air behind her. She wanted to scream, but couldn't find the will, her voice frozen. He rose, infinite patience in his stance. She suspected that he wouldn't put up with much in the way of defiance, but he seemed understanding of her, here and now. He approached her, and she shrunk back as much as she was able. (How does air become solid?) Her eyes darted to the left, looking for an escape route away from him, away from the gun. "Who are you?" she whispered. He shrugged. "You can call me, sir." (Like hell, I will.) She shook her head again. "You won't get far, if you run," he remarked casually. Kate trembled, determined to try anyway. The air crept, until she could sense it nearly touching her arms. He approached through the invisibly constraining tunnel. Somehow, she was aware that he wasn't nearly as constrained by it as she. Kate tried to step to the left, touched the wall; tried to step to the right, same deal. Her lips remained clamped as the gun barrel stroked her chin. Nearly fainting, she tried to look away from his eyes. They were hardened, almost uncaring. She could see a sparkle there; he was enjoying http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (13 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


himself, and could be compassionate, but she suspected that he was the type of man that would do what he needed to in order to get what he desired. She swallowed heavily. What he desired was her. She was used to males desiring her, even encouraged it. But this male had a gun. A damn gun. "I could have let you run," he said. She remained silent, trembling like the leaves were not. He paused, then continued. "But you would have hurt yourself. You can't see the division, can you?" She slowly shook her head, not understanding. Her chin scraped against the cold steel of the barrel as she moved her head. "Like Sandra," he said. His eyes drifted away for a moment. (Who the hell was Sandra???) His eyes fixed her again, and she looked away. "Do you still want to defy me?" he asked quietly. Her voice wavered, carrying all of her fright with it. "Are you going to hurt me? Rape me?" He laughed, making her flush. "Rape you? Not if I can help it." That didn't make much sense to her, but she noticed that he had conveniently left out the part about hurting her. Her groin tingled for a moment, but her fear over-rode that sensation. She licked her lips, the downward motion of her jaw pressing harder into the gun. He lowered it a little to let her run her tongue over her suddenly drier lips again. "If I wear them, will you lower that gun?" He nodded and stepped back. She let out her breath as the gun barrel left her skin. Slowly, she bent. The chrome handcuffs felt heavy against her fingers.



She shook her head. "I can't. Please." She had sworn to herself that she wouldn't beg. But she had to try. He softened a little, perhaps because she'd pleaded. Maybe he does have weaknesses, she mused. "It won't be for long. I just don't want to hold this gun on you. It's dangerous." She couldn't really see how she could possibly be a threat, but she nodded. She didn't want him pointing that damn thing at her either. As if in a show of good faith, he lowered the gun, aiming it towards the ground. If he wanted to shoot her, he still could, but she felt better. At least if there was a accident, she might not be in the line of fire. She slipped the edge of the open cuff around her left wrist. He watched her with an intensity that she didn't particularly care for. Each click of the ratchet sent shivers down her spine. It slowly closed until it pressed snugly against the skin of her wrist. She stared at it for a long time, slowly twisting her wrist within its prison. It dawned on her suddenly. She didn't have the key. He did. Without him, her wrist was in the cuff forever. She shivered, used her left hand to raise the remaining steel cuff towards her right wrist. She looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "I can't. Please," she whispered. She thought she saw a whisper of hesitation, but it didn't hold. He lifted the gun again; it aimed at her chest. She held her breath until it hurt. "Behind you." "Oh, God," she whispered. It was easier not having to look at the metal, not seeing her wrists being trapped. She fumbled with the cuffs behind her, never having had to close handcuffs on herself before. If she left it loose, would he notice? She was certain that he would. Somehow, he would know. At last, her trembling fingers found the other band of chrome, and fumbled it closed around her right wrist. The first of the mindless http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (15 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


ratchets engaged behind her back with a satisfied click. She could still easily slip her slim wrist from its confinement. Last chance. She raised her eyes again. He watched her, not rushing her. "Please?" she whispered. He slowly shook his head. "I'll do whatever you want." But if he wanted sex, would she? She didn't think so. But how could she fight with her hands bound? Was this how every girl felt just before being raped? She felt a single tear escape, trailing down her cheek. Ducking her head, she hoped that he hadn't seen it. (Weak girl, weak.) He knew. And with a final inhalation, she steeled her will. The cuff snapped through its final clicks in rapid succession until the cuff had tightened against her skin. Helpless, she thought. Completely, and utterly, helpless, now. She pulled against the bonds weakly. She could twist her hands, but the circles of metal wouldn't admit her hands through them. They were behind her until he let her go from them. In a pinch, without interference, she might be able to slip her legs through the loop of her arms, get her hands in front of her. But what then? She still didn't have the key. He did. Her groin tingled again, and she thrust the feeling away like a nagging mosquito. She looked up when she sensed the walls of air retreat from her. She reached out with her toe to the side without finding resistance; the other side yielded the same result, though she could still feel the wall behind her back. He slowly approached. "I can bring them back," he remarked, referring to the walls that had retreated. Kate flushed. "I won't run," she said, but her voice wouldn't stop wavering.



He stopped in front of her. "Turn around." She gave him a confused look, but obeyed, presenting her cuffed wrists to him. She shivered when his fingers touched her backside accidentally. He grasped the chain between her wrists, pulling upwards suddenly. Kate cried out, her body forced to bend at her waist by the pressure on her shoulders. Her cheek pressed against the invisible wall that had been behind her back. His finger traced around each wrist, attempting to wiggle under the bands that held her. There wasn't any room; the cuffs weren't loose against her. "Good girl," he said before dropping her hands. Her hands fell to bang against the small of her back. Slowly, she straightened and turned around. "I'm not stupid," she said. He nodded while he moved back from her a few steps. He was silent, his eyes roaming her. She flushed at the attention. It wasn't unusual for a man to ogle her, but this was a little more blatant than normal. And she was handcuffed to suffer it. Nevertheless, she tossed her head, shaking her red head to fall over her shoulders. "What are you going to do?" she asked. "Do?" "With me?" He shrugged. "I don't know quite yet." Kate pulled against the bonds for a moment. His words brought her eyes up again. "What's your name?" he asked her. She hesitated, but couldn't think of a single reason not to tell him. In fact, it might be beneficial. With a name, she had to be human, didn't she? Of course, people named their dogs and cats, too. "Kate. Kate Cook." "Kate." She waited. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (17 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


"Sit down, Kate," he said as he lowered himself to the grass. He'd tucked the gun into his waistband. Kate didn't know much about guns, but she silently hoped that it would misfire down there, shoot his pecker off. With care, Kate lowered herself to the grass. The man leaned up against the tree under which she'd formerly been sitting. She sat quietly, waiting for him to speak. He seemed tired, and she half wondered if he'd fall asleep there under her tree. "Kate?" She looked up sharply. The handcuffs felt strange adorning her wrists. He paused, then continued. "What's the matter?" he asked simply. She nearly laughed, but managed to stifle it. "You mean, beyond having a gun levelled at me, and being forced to wear these? Not knowing if you are planning on killing me, or merely raping me, or both?" Kate pulled her hands awkwardly to the side, one arm stretching across her back to make the cuffs visible to her captor. "At least, the gun isn't pointed at you anymore." She was thankful, in a way, for that. "I'd rather not have the gun here at all." He ignored the comment, clarified his earlier question. "No, Kate, when I found you," he said, "you were sitting about here and tearing up that leaf. Boyfriend trouble?" She looked down, studying the grass in the hollow of her lap. Her skirt had ridden up a little, something that distressed her, but with her hands bound, there was precious little she could do about it. She remained silent. "Katie?" Kate looked up sharply. Knowing it was dangerous, knowing that she should simply put up with it. Instead, she spoke harshly. "Kate. Not Katie. Kate. I hate that name." He nodded. She let her breath out when she realised that her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (18 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


outburst hadn't earned her a bullet. "Kate, then. What was the matter?" Kate looked back down, spoke to her legs. "If I tell you, will you let me go?" She glanced up, a look of hope in her eyes. He simply shook his head slowly. "I can't do that," he said quietly. Kate looked back towards her legs, wiggling her toes in her runners. She really hadn't expected him to agree to that. Truthfully, she had no real bargaining power here. He had the gun, and that was enough. "If I tell you what I was thinking about, will you at least tell me what's going on? How long you are going to keep me like this?" Her voice broke, but she managed to regain control of it. "Are you going to rape me? Hurt me?" She looked up. He regarded her for a moment, and then seemed to make up his mind. "Kate. I'll tell you what you want to know, as much as I can. But I can't promise anything, and I can't promise that it will be what you want to hear. But I want you to know that I'm humouring you. I doubt if you are strong enough to prevent me from finding out, if I want. There are always ways." Her mind filled with pictures of herself, in pain, and agreeing to tell him anything he wanted. The images were far too real, especially sitting here like she was. The handcuffs jingled behind her back. She was sure he was capable of what he threatened obliquely. She was also sure that nobody was going to help her. Not here. There was no Superman here. He tilted his head. "I'll tell you what I can. You don't want to try the other way," he said. She gulped. No, she didn't. Not at all. "All right," she whispered.




She hadn't realised that she was as upset as she was. Her voice was choking, no matter how hard she tried to control it. Her eyes leaked tears, and she couldn't do a damn thing about it with her hands in handcuffs. "I think I was beginning to love him," she whispered. She looked up. He'd moved closer, sitting immediately across from her. He gently wiped at her cheeks. She shied away from his touch, but eventually gave up as he moved forward to follow her. He looked at her. "Boyfriends come and go, especially at your age." Easy for him to say. She snuffled, and resisted the urge to continue in self-pity. She willed the tears to stop. "But with Karen?" she asked. "Do you hate her?" It was an odd question. Kate shook her head from side to side as she spoke. "No. I don't hate her. Or him, for that matter." The man nodded, as if understanding what she was saying. "Do you love him?" Kate considered. It was only a few dates, and the guy had been fun. If she was honest with herself, she was far more upset that he'd left her for Karen, rather than the other way around. She was upset at him for not being honest with her. She shook her head firmly.



"I don't think so." He retreated from her, back under the tree, his back pressed against it. For the first time, Kate noticed a bright blue backpack sitting at the base of the tree. She presumed it was his; she'd never seen it before. "That's it. That's why I was sitting out here by myself. Karen wanted to go for a smoke. I don't smoke, and I just wanted to be alone. Then you showed up. Nobody ever hangs out at the front of the school." "Smart girl." Her confused face must have prompted him to elaborate. "Smart to want to be alone, and smart not to smoke." "It stinks," she said, suddenly hoping that he wasn't a smoker and would be offended. He shrugged easily. After a while, she gathered her courage, her voice small and barely above a whisper. "Are you going to kill me?" He smiled. "I promised to tell you, if you told me, didn't I?" She nodded. In the intervening time, she'd stretched her legs out, the grass tickling the underside of her thighs. A sense of fatalism descended on her. She cared, but she didn't. If he wanted to rape and kill her, she was frightened, but it was probably going to happen. He slowly shook his head. "No, Kate. I have no intention of killing you, or anyone else that I free." (Anyone else? Free?) "Are you going to hurt me?" "Are you going to cooperate with me?" "Within reason, I suppose. I put these damn things on for you, didn't I?" "Within reason?" He laughed. "There is no reason here, my girl." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (21 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


That didn't make a lot of sense, but she tried to make herself clearer. "I won't kill anyone else for you," she said. He nodded, a look of understanding on his face. She broke the silence again. "So you won't hurt me if I cooperate. Does that include rape?" He smiled. "I won't rape you. You're honour will be intact if you so choose." Her honour, as he put it, had been taken long ago, in a more experimental time in her life. But he didn't need to know that. She looked at him expectantly. He continued slowly and carefully. He glanced at the gun, as if expecting her to rise, despite the handcuffs holding her wrists, and attack him. "I can't promise not to hurt you. I might, but it won't be anything that you can't handle." That scared her, her face losing its colour. Her clitoris pulsed, (Why?) but she pushed away the sensation. She didn't want that. Not here. Not from this stranger. God, no. (From Darren then?) She shook her head in denial, aware that the man was watching her. "Please, you don't have to hurt me. You don't have to make me wear these, even. I'll do pretty much anything you want. You don't have to hurt me," she whispered. He nodded. "I know," and it seemed like he even believed her. "You want to hurt me, don't you?" The thought had entered her head in a rush, and she'd merely verbalised it before she could really think about it. She watched him expectantly. He didn't answer, but rose and walked to where she sat. She shied away, almost as if expecting a punch, or a strike to her unprotected face. Instead, he reached down and grasped her elbow gently. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (22 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


Kate struggled to rise, using him for support. At last, she stood unsteadily on her feet. Her balance, normally good, was affected by her arms held uncomfortably behind her. "How do you do it?" she asked. "Do what?" She glanced around, her mind trying to grasp what surrounded her. "The world?" he asked her. She nodded. "It's just you and I," he said slowly. "The world is asleep, because I made it sleep." That didn't make much sense to her. Instead, she focused on a specific. "That car. The BMW out there." He nodded, following her gaze. "You mean the one with the twerp in gang colours behind the wheel, stereo blasting to cover his inadequacy?" She shook her head, not understanding, but believing that he was right. (How can he know these things?) "It hasn't moved," she observed. He smiled. "Nothing has moved in the last three hours, except you and I." It wasn't strictly true, but she had no way of refuting the statement. "You stopped the world," Kate said incredulously. "Actually, the universe, I think." Her mind swam at the enormity of it. "If I scream. Nobody will come, will they?" He shook his head. "You want to try." "Will you shoot me?" "No, Kate, I'll let you scream if it makes you feel better." But she knew in her heart that it would accomplish nothing, except http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (23 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


maybe to irritate him, and make her throat sore. "I believe you." "Smart girl." She suddenly saw herself in her mind's eyes, as she must have been when he stopped the world, sitting under the tree. It wasn't quite clear yet, but she was beginning to understand how he had sneaked up on her so easily. "What will happen to me when you let me go?" Not if. When. "You'll return. All of this will disappear, for you." "For you?" He shook his head. "I'll remember, but you won't. Sometimes I think that's a blessing." She thought so to. "How?" she asked simply. Instead of answering, he spoke quietly: "Turn around." She hesitated, wondering what he was going to do. The world hissed silently around them. He waited patiently for her, and eventually she obeyed. Something pressed into her fingers, and she jumped, whirling. He held the blue backpack out, its canvas top strap obviously what had touched her fingers. Not him. Not his penis. The backpack. "I'm sorry," she said. She turned back around, this time ready for it. The backpack was heavy and she thought that she could hear clanking, metal on metal, from within. It was awkward, carrying it behind her back, but she managed. She wondered what was in it. Something told her that she really didn't want to know. "Where's the smoking section?" he asked quietly. "Around behind the school." "Let's go," he said, his hand gently guiding her by the elbow. She balked, resisting the pressure of his hand. "Why do you want to go back there?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (24 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


(Karen was back there.) "I don't think you want to know that." With a sigh, Kate began to walk, the backpack swinging and touching the back of her thighs as she moved. After a time, his hand lifted from her elbow, and she walked unassisted through the grass towards the back entrance to Kresner Collegiate, leading the way, aware that he was watching her walk. He took the backpack from her fingers as they stood on the asphalt of the school yard behind the school. The smoking area was delineated by bright yellow lines, like lane markings, painted upon the blacktop. Students and faculty stood, most smoking here, puffs of white smoke frozen being exhaled, or surrounding heads like a haze over the moors in Scotland. Kate couldn't smell any of the carcinogenic particles, and for that she was glad. It was unusual for her to be anywhere near this section of asphalt. She dragged her attention towards the stranger, who was rummaging through the pack. She spied bits of wood, rope and a flash of chain from within, before he blocked her view unintentionally with his body. She stood with her back against weathered brick, its surface rough and warm through her shirt. Her fingers idly explored the texture of the brick behind her, the metal of her handcuffs scraping against the red clay and mortar. He seemed truly apologetic as he rose, a piece of chain dangling over his right palm. "I'm sorry, but there isn't any easier way." She eyed the chain suspiciously, sure that it was about to supplement her restrictions. "Why?" she ventured. "I don't want you interfering." She considered that for a moment. "You could let me go." He laughed, but reached forward, his hand tickling for a moment http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (25 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


before tangling in her hair. Kate cried out as he bent her, tugging more or less gently on her hair. She could feel the chain beginning to encircle her throat. Without thought she began to struggle. "No!" He eased up on her, but didn't release her hair. "Kate, I thought we were over this." She shook her head, sure that her movement was transmitted to his grasping hand. "I'm not going to let you choke me, you bastard." She felt him cringe at the term, and was suddenly more afraid. Instead of the anger she expected, he spoke gently. "I'm not going to choke you, just restrain you." "By the throat?" she spoke desperately towards the asphalt between her feet. He eased up the pressure on her hair, and she rose little by little. His hand remained in her hair, but the threat diminished as she stood. The chain pulled through and away from her neck as she rose. "See that?" She took a great inhalation of air, and looked where his finger pointed. A white pipe, little more than an electrical conduit, traversed the wall a little above her head. It was loose where they'd stopped; she could see the screws withdrawn, and the gap between the pipe and the wall. "The conduit?" she said. "I'm going to run this chain from that to your throat." She had an image of a bear, collar around its neck, dancing for its supper. She shook her head. "You don't have to do that." She thought for a minute. "You could tie my feet. Then I couldn't run, right? You don't have to chain me up like an animal." He pondered that for a moment, but instead of answering her, he yanked the gun from his waistband again. She paled. The barrel kissed her cheek, and she thought her knees might buckle.



"Kate, you see. I want you chained. Do you understand?" Afraid to speak, she merely nodded, her cheek dragging against the warm steel of the gun. "Please," she whispered. When he next urged her to bend, she did so, shivering as the chain was draped over the back of her neck. She could see it dangling over her shoulders. He adjusted it, slipping a padlock through two links to form a loose circle about her neck. She wouldn't be able to slip her head from the loop, but it wasn't choking her as she'd feared. (Another thing I don't have the key for.) After urging her again, with her hair, to stand up, she did. He reached up and looped the chain over the conduit, and secured it with another, smaller, padlock. She watched as he dropped the keys into the front pocket of his jeans. She pulled against the leash gently. Oh no, that conduit wasn't going anywhere, and until he released her, she wasn't either. "Why?" she asked him, trying to keep the waver out of her voice. The yellow markings of the smoking area fell squarely between her feet. "Because, I want you like that," he said simply. She didn't understand, but it wasn't uncomfortable, the weight of the chain reminded her that it was there, but unless she pulled, or fell, it wouldn't impact her breathing. He walked away from her. "You aren't leaving me like this, are you?" He didn't answer her, but continued walking. One tear escaped her, rolling down her cheek, eventually finding her chin and dropping free to moisten her shirt just above the swell of her breasts. Her nipples throbbed, once, and she willed that sensation away. She watched as he moved into the smoking area, his eyes intent.




When he returned, Kate had managed to stop her tears. Her cheeks were still damp from them, her eyes probably red, but she didn't care. In these types of situations, girls were allowed to cry a little. His fingers traced along the links of the chain encircling her throat, occasionally caressing the bare skin beneath. "How long are we going to be here," she asked, trying to ignore the sensations his fingers caused. It wasn't sexual, not for her at least, but more distracting, strange; a stranger's finger tracing along the chain that held her to this tiny corner of a stopped world. "Which one is she?" he asked. Bewildered, Kate glanced around her, past the tall man whose finger was still tracing her throat. "Who?" "Karen, silly girl." With her situation weighing on her shoulders, she had almost forgotten about Karen, and of course, Darren. She hadn't seen them when they'd rounded the corner, and then his hand had been in her hair, forcing her to accept the chain leash. Then, she'd been crying. Kate looked more closely, her eyes travelling over the frozen people surrounded by their smoke. "I don't see her." The man stepped away from her, his finger leaving her confinement. Her eyes scanned the smoking area again. There. On the far side. A flash of blonde hair, a petite, well-proportioned girl, a smouldering cigarette between two fingers, frozen in time. Kate's breath caught in her throat, a startled gasp issuing from her lips. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (28 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


Karen was kissing Darren, her free arm swung around his neck, reaching for him, up on her toes. (She'd promised. Dammit, Karen.) But Kate didn't say anything, not to her captor. Everything was different, now, wasn't it? A pang of jealously raced through her, but only for a moment. She didn't care. (Yes, I do.) She didn't care. He followed her gaze silently, and whistled low. "She's a looker, ain't she?" the man said. "What are you going to do?" "Who's that she's playing tonsil hockey with?" Kate shrugged. The chain jingled against the pit of her throat, the padlock a weight there. "Darren," Kate said dully. It hurt, but even if the world hadn't been stopped, and she wasn't handcuffed, and wasn't chained to the wall, she'd survive. "Oh." Kate lapsed into silence, averting her eyes from the scene. Karen was turned away from her, though her frame was unmistakable; but that was why Kate hadn't immediately seen her friend. Darren's face was obscured by Karen's head. "I don't love him," Kate said, though she wasn't sure she believed it herself. If she didn't, then why did her heart hurt? Hmmmm? (Lust?) She shook her head. No, she didn't love him, of that she was sure. It was simply a shock seeing it, her and him, again. "Kate?" The man spoke quietly to her. "I don't want you to say anything, no matter what happens. Okay?" Kate nodded slowly, not understanding, but knowing that to speak would probably bring her pain. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (29 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


The tall man walked away from Kate without another word. Kate lowered her eyes, watching the blackness of the asphalt. A startled scream brought Kate's eyes up. "God. Fuck. Oh my God." Karen, suddenly animated, danced away from Darren, who remained frozen, lips pursed, and eyes glazed. Karen's feet stumbled until she sat down heavily. Tears sprouted from her eyes as the shock of hitting the concrete transmitted up her spine. "What the fuck?" she swore. She brought the cigarette to her lips, and inhaled deeply. She remained faced away from Kate, and the Timeman. "Darren?" she called, and then louder. "Darren?" She whirled, twisting at the hips, looking for an explanation. The statues around her didn't much care about her confusion. Kate could smell the faint sweetness of the smoke, now that it had been allowed to burn. As she'd been told, she kept her voice to herself. "Kate? Oh my God, Kate, what the hell ...?" Karen rose, pushing desperately up from the asphalt, dodged a teacher and stopped short as the Timeman stepped in front of her. She screamed, but stopped as her eyes found the gun. Deliberately, he pressed the gun into her chest, resting between her breasts. She wore a tight sweater that hugged her, the gun dimpling it like a ripple on a pond. "Kate?" Kate swallowed heavily, and risked it. She didn't know if the gunman would punish her, but she had to try. "Karen? Do what he says. Please." The gunman glanced back, and Kate snapped her mouth shut, cutting off any other words of advice. "What the fuck have you done to her?" Karen demanded, but she was shaking, aware of the gun pressing into her skin. "Let her go." "What have I done to her? Anything I please," the man said evenly. Then he added, in a quiet voice. "The same as I'll do to you." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (30 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


Karen's face paled. "What do you want?" At this he smiled. "I want you to lose those clothes." Kate nearly cried out, called to the man, but then kept her tongue. Anything she could say would only make things worse, she was sure. She'd been told to keep quiet, and judging by her captor's demeanour with Karen, now wasn't the time to say anything. If he wanted Karen to strip, she was probably going to have to strip. Karen trembled for a second, and stepped back away from the gun. The man let her. "Never," Karen whispered. Without hesitation, he squeezed off a bullet. It hit the asphalt beside her left foot, whining off and careening into the distance. Fragments of asphalt sprayed Karen's lower legs. Both girls screamed at the sudden report, Kate sure that Karen would fall where she stood. "Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God," Kate whispered, averting her eyes. "The next one will be into your right knee. If you still are in your clothes, then the next one will be in your left elbow. At that point, you probably won't be very attractive, and I'll probably leave you to die," he snarled at the blonde girl. Kate looked up sharply. Karen was alive, and hadn't been hit, though the other girl was deathly pale. "Please," the blonde whispered. "I don't want to die." "Then I would suggest," the man said slowly and with obvious threat, "that you do what you are told." "Please, Karen. Christ," Kate said, her voice carrying across the smoking area easily in the silence of the world. The sound of the gun hadn't echoed, at all. "Just take off your clothes for him." Trembling, Karen's fingers rose and grasped the hem of her sweater. "Please?" The gunman's gaze didn't waver from her eyes, the gun never wavered from her heart.



"Oh, God." Her fingers yanked the woollen garment over her head. It fluttered to the ground at her feet, lying there like a discarded crimson rag. Karen glanced at the gun, its barrel still smoking. Karen hesitated, her fingers hooked into her pleated skirt. "Please?" "I don't want to shoot you Karen, but I will." Kate, still bound to the conduit, prayed. She was sure that he would shoot Karen, blood spurting uncaringly from the girl's knee. As if to punctuate her thought, the gunman slowly lowered the gun until it aimed at the girl's right kneecap, visible below the skirt's high hem. "Please, no. I'm doing it." Her fingers pushed at the fabric. It caught, and she stifled a sob. "She'll strip. Give her time," Kate said carefully. The gunman shot her another glance of warning, and Kate shut up, fear coursing through her veins. The skirt pooled around the girl's ankles and with a short sob, she stepped out of it, leaving it beside her sweater. She shivered a little in the open air. "Bra and panties, too." Karen shook her head, but her fingers reached up behind her and released the clasps of her brassiere. She was fully crying now, her entire body shaking in fear and distress. The gunman didn't take pity on her. After her bra touched the ground, the frightened girl pushed her simple briefs to the ground. She stepped out of them. "Shoes and socks." "Outside?" "You're naked, now. What's the point in having footwear?" Karen didn't even hesitate, but pushed her runners off with her toes, and then reached down, lifting one leg then the other to pull off her white socks with her fingers. At last, she stood, one arm across her breasts, the other shielding her pubic region, barefoot and trembling.



With an obvious effort, Karen quelled her tears. He let her shield her body, surprising Kate. In fact, Kate had fully expected him to throw her to the ground, forcing himself on her friend before she could even remove her shoes. With that damn chain around her neck, Kate couldn't have done anything but watch, either. Instead, he gazed at the naked girl, eyes on her face, not her nipples. Karen and Kate had never had gym class together, nor been at a sleepover together. Kate had never seen Karen naked. She had as firm a body as any of her friends. Kate measured herself, in her imagination, then forced herself to stop. Karen stood shivering in front of the man, now. "Down," he ordered. Karen looked at him, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please. I don't know ..." "All fours. Like a dog." Slowly, Karen obeyed, sinking to her knees and then rocking forward until her hands pressed against the hard asphalt. Kate forced the image of herself, doing the exact same thing from her mind. Karen's blonde hair fell to obscure her face, breasts hanging beneath her. Kate felt another pulse through her clitoris as she gazed at her now naked friend, but forced it back. "Do you always break your promises?" the man asked. Karen raised her head, looking up awkwardly at her tormentor. "Please, I'll do whatever you want," she said. "Promises?" "I don't understand. Please, don't do this." He crouched, grabbing the girl's hair in his fist and gently pulling it back until she stared into his eyes. The gun remained in his right hand. He stroked her cheek with it. "You told Kate over there that you wouldn't see," and he almost spat the word into Karen's face, "HIM, anymore. And yet, here you are, kissing him." "Please, I ..." The man was silent as Karen gasped at the pain in her scalp.



"What are you doing with Kate. Leave her alone." "I think you should be far more concerned for yourself, little girl." Karen paled. "Please. Let me dress. I'll do anything you want. Do you want to tie me up? Like her?" Karen understood, instinctually, what this man wanted. "Oh, don't worry, you'll be tied up soon." The man stood, and kicked at Karen's discarded clothing, scattering it. Karen lowered her head, her body shaking. He wound his hand back into the girl's hair, and tugged. Karen began to crawl.


"You like him so much, maybe you'd like to fuck him for me." "Please, no. I. I don't even like him." The man was silent for a moment. She remained on her hands and knees, her nose only millimetres from Darren's frozen crotch. Her tears fell to disappear against his high tops. "Please let me go," Kate whispered. He crouched beside her, his voice carrying easily to where Kate stood chained to the wall. "I'll give you a choice, Karen." She nodded, twisting her head away from Darren. "Anything."



"You can give Darren, here, the ride of his life, or," and he paused. Karen held her breath. "You can be spanked." "Why?" she asked simply. "Why me?" Kate knew why. Because the bastard wanted it this way and he could. He could strip her, could walk her like a dog, could make her bark like a dog, could make her have sex with Darren, could make her have sex with him. She was his, to do with as he pleased. "Choose." Karen trembled, torn. Kate sympathised. If she'd been in that position, she didn't know what she'd do. The sex would be far more comfortable than a spanking, she thought. Especially a spanking without her clothes. But it was Darren. "Spank me, then," Karen said dully. "Sure?" "Please don't ask me that." He nodded and lifted her head again by her hair. "You don't have to make me crawl. It hurts," Karen whispered. "I know," and he seemed to actually enjoy her discomfort. She followed him as best she could, knees and palms scraping against the pavement. She sighed as she was led to the edge of the field where the pavement met grass. "Up." Karen shivered, but slowly got to her bare feet. "Please don't do this to me," she begged. He laughed, and pushed her shoulder. She stumbled, but didn't fall. He guided her to a birch tree, urging her to place her back against it. Soon, he had her unresisting body bound to the tree, hands captured behind her, and the trunk. She squirmed against the ropes, but didn't complain. He left her like that, and knelt by Kate's feet rummaging in the backpack. "You don't have to hurt her," Kate spoke quietly, hoping that her voice wouldn't carry to the other side of the pavement. Karen probably couldn't hear her anyway, her sobs were beginning again. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (35 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


"I thought I told you to keep quiet, Kate." "You did." "Do *you* want to be tied to a birch tree, waiting to be spanked?" Kate shook her head. He bent back to the backpack, pulling some further lengths of rope from it and some tape. "I'll have sex with you, if you stop this," Kate said. She was risking his wrath, but she had to try, dammit. He straightened, his eyes boring into Kate's. She flinched. "She broke you and Darren up, though I don't see what you ever saw in him. What do you care?" Kate sighed, pulling at her own bondage. She couldn't do anything with her wrists behind her, and a chain around her neck. "I care," she said simply. "You don't have to do this. Let her go. Let me go. Please." He pulled a pair of handcuffs from the pack, and swung them around his finger. He gave Kate a strange look, and then walked back towards Darren, Karen's discarded clothes littered around his frozen feet. He bent near Karen's skirt, rummaging through it, finally rising with whatever he'd found there. Darren stared back unseeing when the gunman approached him. Sighing, he returned to Karen. "Please, let me go. I'll ..." She gasped as he knelt and secured her bare ankles to the tree. She pulled half-heartedly at the new bonds, but she wasn't moving from the tree until he untied her. Slowly, he began to wrap her breasts with rope, long loops around the base of her breasts, tightening as he went. "Please, that hurts," she whimpered as the ropes passed around her body, around the tree. "What are you doing?" He stepped back to inspect his handiwork. Her breasts stretched tight by the pressure, jutted from her body, nipples flat. He traced her right nipple with his finger, making her wince. "Please, no. Don't touch me."



He smiled and withdrew. She moaned, pulling at her bound wrists. Her body shook a little, but she failed to loosen any of her bonds. "Please, you don't have to do this." "No?" "No. I'll crawl for you. I'll have sex with him." "Who? Darren?" She nodded, tears beginning to form again. "You might anyway." "Oh, God." "How about Kate? Would you have sex with her?" Karen's eye widened at that, and she shook her head. Kate's breath caught in her throat, but she kept her mouth closed as she'd been told. (No. No. No. Not with Karen. Please.) "Please untie me. I'll stand still for whatever you want to do." "You can't." She sighed. "What are you going to do?" "Spank you. Your choice." "Like this?" He nodded. "Oh, God," she murmured, probably realising that her backside was against the tree. That left ... "Oh my God, no," she looked up at him in horror. "Would you like Darren to see you like this?" She paled, somehow knowing that he was capable of letting Darren see her. "No," she said dully. He held up a small featureless box. Karen's eyes were drawn to it. "Would you like a smoke?"



Kate thought that she could see the other girl shaking, the stress building in her nakedness and restraint, chemical release so close. Meekly, Karen nodded. Forgetting that she was tied up, she tried to reach for the pack. Carefully, the man shook two cigarette from the pack into his palm. She opened her mouth, and he set them both on her lips. She didn't ask why there were two, probably assumed that he was going to take one as well. His hand cupped the lighter, and soon the sweet stink of smoke wafted to tickle Kate's nose. She pulled against the handcuffs, and shifted her weight. He didn't take either of the smouldering sticks from her lips, but he did begin to rip off small patches of duct tape. Karen's eyes followed his movements, alarm not registering yet on her face. He touched one of the cigarette between her lips, and she willingly released it. He held it up in front of her eyes. "I don't like girls who smoke," he said. Her face paled, the momentary calm from the nicotine fleeing. She tried to twist away, couldn't budge. He slowly taped the filter of the smouldering cigarette to her left nipple. She tried to hold the second one between her lips, but to no avail. Soon, it stood taped to her right breast. Tears fell down her face. "Please, God." "He can't help you." She watched in horror bare flesh. Twisting, succeeded in knocking the warmth kissed her feet.

as the sticks burned mercilessly towards her she tried to dislodge them by bouncing, only the edge of the ash from them, crying out at on the way to the grass beneath her bound

Finally, she looked up at him, tears falling relentlessly down her cheeks. "Please don't do this to me." "You like cigarettes, it's only fair to let your breasts feel them, too." "Oh, God. No. I'll have sex with you, I'll have sex with Kate. I'll have sex with Darren. All of you. At the same time. Please. Don't burn me."



He smiled, and it scared Kate, even from this distance. "Please." Karen glanced down towards her bound breasts. The heat was travelling down, inexorably. Ash fell as her chest rose and fell with her ragged breathing. "I'm going to let Darren spank you." "Anything, please take them off. Oh, God." He tilted her face up, her eyes locked with his. "I'm sorry. I don't deserve to be burned. Not like this. Whatever I did. Please." The cigarettes that she'd lit in her own mouth, uncaringly continued to do as they'd been designed to do. They burned. And Karen watched in mounting horror as they did.


The word felt obscene in her mouth. She had promised herself that she'd never use it. Never. But she did. She had nothing else with which to get his attention. "Sir?" He turned slowly, ignoring the mindlessly begging girl tied to the tree behind him. "If you take those damn things off her breasts, I'll," and the words stuck in her throat, because she really meant them, "I'll strip and crawl for you. I'll suck you, and I'll fuck you silly. Whatever it takes. You can spank me, instead. If you have to, you can burn me. Let her go. Please." He glanced at Karen, satisfied that the heaters of the smokes wouldn't reach the naked girl for a few minutes. She called as he turned to go.



"Please. Take them off, please. Don't leave me like this ..." He ignored Karen and walked across to Kate. He touched her hair, smoothed it behind her ear. Kate flinched, but resisted the urge to back to the length of the chain around her throat. "I'll stay with you," she whispered. "That's what you want, isn't it? For me to stay with you. Karen is beautiful, I know that, but it's me you want." She hoped that she wasn't mistaken, wasn't way out over a limb cutting her way through it like Sylvester the cat. He hesitated, thinking. "Damn you, decide," Kate hissed. "Those fucking things are going to burn her." She paused for a moment, unsure of herself, but then whispered harshly. "And if they do, I'll hate you forever. I swear. Don't you have any fucking compassion in there? Don't you realise how that is going to hurt her?" She had no idea if he cared. Probably didn't. "You'll strip for me? Is that what you are offering? You'll strip if I want you to." Kate had seen what had happened to Karen, the gun against her kneecap. She would strip, and quicker than Karen had. "Please," Kate implored. She pulled at her bound wrists again, the chain unyielding. Her vagina clenched, and she tried to ignore the sensations. "If she's willing, and I suspect she is, will you have sex with her?" "Who? Karen?" He nodded. "Anything. I told you that already." He nodded, and turned away from her. Kate's breath whooshed from between her lips. She closed her eyes. (What the hell have I gotten myself into?) She opened them again. Karen screamed as he ripped the duct tape from her breasts, the cigarettes tumbling harmlessly to the ground to smoulder in the grass at her bare feet. He reached forward and ground them out with the toe of his running shoe.



Karen slumped, if the ropes hadn't been holding her up, she would have collapsed in an undignified heap. Ignoring Karen, he walked back to Kate until he stood in front of her. "You are a bastard," she whispered. He nodded slowly. "I know." "Why?" He shrugged. The words tasted stale in her mouth, but she voiced them anyway. "Thank-you," she whispered. He smiled. "Don't thank me yet." Kate shivered, felt faint, but she managed to stay upright. If her knees buckled, the chain around her throat would strangle her. She watched as he walked back towards the smoking area, to stand in front of Darren. (Darren, why did you have to cheat? Karen wouldn't be tied naked to that tree if you had only thought with your head.) Or maybe not. He jammed the gun into Darren's side, so when he woke from the timeless slumber, he could feel the pressure immediately. The girl that had been kissing him, was no longer there, instead, the cold steel of the barrel of a gun pressed into his side. "What the fuck?" he exclaimed, instinctually moving away from his puckered lip position. His eyes took in the gun, the girls, and the weird state of the world far quicker than the girls had. "Who the fuck are you?" "A really nasty bastard that won't hesitate to shoot the fuck out of you, you cheating prick." The words had their desired effect, and the boy backed up another step until he collided with a girl frozen for eternity. "What have you done to her?" His eyes were glued to the naked girl tied and unconscious to the tree. "Is she dead?" he whispered.



The gunman didn't answer, but kicked a pair of handcuffs towards Darren. "Put them on." "Like fuck I will." "I believe you know, Kate, right?" His eyes swivelled towards the chained, but still clothed, girl. He nodded slowly. Kate spoke, her voice resigned. "Darren, listen to him. If he wants you in the handcuffs, he'll get what he wants. He'll tape those things to her breasts, and you'll do whatever he wants. Please." And after Darren continued to hesitate. "Please Darren, he'll hurt us. Not you. Me and Karen. Okay? Please just put them on." Darren turned to the girl, his chest puffing out. "You hate me. Why should I listen to you?" The gunman hung back, his gun not wavering from the boy, but not rushing things. Kate sighed. "I don't hate you, Darren. Disappointed, yes, but I never loved you. You didn't hurt me. Not as bad as that guy with the gun will if you don't listen to me." She paused. "He taped fucking cigarettes to Karen's tits. Do you want to watch that shit?" She hoped her vulgarity would rattle him. The words tasted like raw lemons in her mouth, but she forced herself to continue. "Don't you get it? He won't kill us. But he'll hurt us. He won't hurt you. He'll hurt us, to make you do what he wants. Just put the damn things on." She rattled her own wrists. "I did. I'm still alive." He flashed her a look of distrust, but bent to pick up the flashing chrome. Something in Darren's demeanour didn't click. Kate couldn't put her finger on it, wasn't quite sure. Something about the way he was looking at her, looked at Karen. "Is Karen dead?" Darren asked quietly. His eyes kept glancing towards the bound naked girl, taking in her nudity, her vulnerability. Kate's stomach turned. He was turned on by it. A girl could tell. Kate shook her head, the red hair shaking loose from her ear. She http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (42 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


wished that she could tuck it back. "She passed out. From fright. I think." Darren closed the cuff around his left wrist. "Enough talking," the gunman spoke quietly. Darren twisted, almost ready to snap the other cuff closed. The gunman pushed the gun into his ribs and walked him towards Kate. Kate shrunk back as far as her chain would let her. "Around the conduit." Darren obeyed reluctantly, stretching up his left hand until he could close the other cuff around the metal. Soon, he was leashed as securely as Kate. His eyes left the gunman and watched Kate, who shifted uncertainly under Darren's gaze. The gunman approached Kate, and carefully unlocked the padlock from around her throat. The weight of the chain slid the loop from her shoulders. The chain swung back and clanked against the wall, bounced, and clanked again. The gun remained trained on Darren who watched warily. Relief flooded into Kate, as she felt him fumble near her wrists, pressing a key into the right handcuff. With a sigh, it released and she brought her hands in front of her for the first time since the encounter at the front of the school. She rubbed at her right wrist, the other half of the handcuffs swinging crazily from her left wrist. "Wrist." She held out her left arm, and shivered as the handcuff was removed from her body. He slipped the key back into his jeans. Kate glanced over at Karen. The other girl moaned, but hadn't quite revived. She wanted to run over, check on Karen. She looked over at the gunman. "You can go after you've cuffed his other hand." He touched her shoulder and pressed the handcuffs, which were still warm from her wrists, into her hand. "Why?" "You don't need to know." That probably meant that she wouldn't like the answer. Of that she was sure. He waved the gun, and she stepped forward. Darren held his right hand behind his back.



"He'll kill her," Kate whispered. Darren paled, but the directness of her hiss convinced him. He let her wrap the handcuff around his right hand. As she reached up pounced, his hand loosened his grip face beginning to

to connect his other hand to the conduit, he beginning to grip her throat. She choked, and he a touch so she could breathe. Kate could feel her redden.

(What the hell????) She cried out. The gunman turned his attention back from Karen to the scene in front of him. The handcuff swung back and forth from Darren's right wrist, grazing the tops of Kate's breasts. "I'll kill her. You want her alive, don't you? To play with?" "You don't want to do this, Darren," the man said coolly. The gun was trained at Darren's head. Darren was using Kate as a shield, but at this range, not a very effective one. "Darren, you fucking moron," Kate croaked. "Let me go." "You'd rather be with him?" She couldn't shake her head without choking herself, so she swallowed as best she could. "I don't have a choice and neither do you." The gunman spoke carefully. "I could shoot you in the head, well before you kill her. You'd hurt her, but that would be about all." "Like you hurt Karen?" The gunman considered that. "I could help you," Darren spoke quietly. His hand flexed on her throat. The handcuff swung crazily against her chest. "Help me? I don't need help." The gun trained between Darren's eyes. "Help you hurt them. I would," Darren's breathing was low. Christ, she'd been right. He had been turned on by the sight of them, especially Karen, naked and tied to that tree. (Please, I'd rather be splattered with blood and brain, than to have Darren help. Oh, God.)



The gunman smiled, and lowered the gun. (No. No. No.) Her windpipe felt like a big cement block had been lowered onto it. She choked, tried to twist away. And suddenly she could breathe. His hand slid away from her throat, and down her front. She again tried to twist, but he held her, threatening to choke her again. (Why didn't he shoot him. Please.) His fingers found her nipple, it was betraying her, erect despite her fear. He twisted and squeezed it harshly through her shirt and bra. Kate cried out in pain, her hands rising to grip Darren's arm, unable to budge it, dimly aware that Karen had awakened and was screaming from the other side of the pavement. (Please no.) Her vagina clenched again, she could feel moisture down there. Her twisted nipple sent signals of pain deep into her brain. Kate's voice began to add to the scream begun by Karen. (Please no.) The report of the gun brought her head up sharply. She could feel the whisper of air as the bullet passed her cheek. Darren screamed, and his fingers released her, throat, body and breast. Instinctually, she twisted to the left and fell, scraping her elbow a little on the pavement. Her shirt tore at the elbow. Small chunks of reddish brick and grey mortar rained down on her from above. She was dimly aware of her own voice, screaming. (Please no. Why, Darren? Why?)


Dazed, Kate forced herself to stop screaming. Her elbow screamed at her, instead. She was sure that she'd broken the skin, but the arm felt whole. Her left hand pressed into the raw skin there. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (45 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


Darren straightened, cursing, his left hand still restrained to the conduit. His right ear dripped wet and crimson with blood. Kate took stock of herself. Not her blood. A drip traced down Darren's neck to pool near the collar of his shirt. A chunk of the wall was missing only a few centimetres from the side of his head. Strangely, Kate noticed a small fragment of brick lying beside her left knee. Karen, still tied to the birch, was sobbing uncontrollably, tears falling to her bound breasts. "You fucking asshole, you could have killed me," Darren shouted hysterically. The gunman lowered the gun, smoke still issuing forth from the barrel. He stepped forward until he stood in front of Darren. Darren spat at him. The saliva stopped mid-air. Darren finally stopped cursing, and stared at it in wonder. The gunman slipped to the side, and watched as the spittle sailed harmlessly by his shoulder to land on the pavement. Without another word, the gunman drove his free left hand into Darren's abdomen. Darren doubled over as much as his bound wrist would let him, a strange whoosh issuing from his lips. He gasped at the air like a fish out of water. Carefully, the gunman lifted Darren's right hand by the dangling cuff that Kate had placed there and attached it easily to the conduit to join Darren's restrained left hand. Darren finally looked up. "We. We could have been partners," he gasped. Without another word, the gunman turned towards Kate, kneeling down on the concrete. He touched her face. "Are you all right?" Kate's fingers rose to touch her throat where Darren had choked her. Then her nipple, and finally her elbow in quick succession. She slowly nodded. The Timeman grasped her good elbow, and helped Kate to her feet. She swayed there for a moment, the world spinning, but after she blinked a few times the world righted itself.



"I've been hurt worse." She realised that her ears were ringing. He nodded, guiding her in front of Darren. Darren looked at her with a mixture of distaste, pain, and jealousy. "Fucking bitch. Why are you protecting her? Want her for your fucking self?" He wasn't addressing her, but the gunman standing behind her. "I haven't choked her, haven't torn her nipples from her body." Darren's lips sneered into a grimace. "But you will. I know you." He nodded towards Karen. "What about the fucking cigarettes? You would have *burned* her." His eyes glassed over. Kate wasn't sure, but she thought she could see his erection growing as he talked. The gunman spoke slowly and quietly. "Can you send her back?" "What the fuck are you talking about?" "I didn't think so." Darren shut up, confusion finally taking hold. "What the fuck are you going to do to me, now, dickhead?" The Timeman smiled; Kate caught it from the corner of her eye. She glanced back at Karen. The naked girl had managed to stop screaming, silence beginning to infiltrate the world again. She still sobbed once in a while, but her eyes were fixed on the proceedings here. Kate returned her attention to Darren. "... apologise to Kate," the gunman finished. Darren looked up. "Apologise? To that bitch?" Kate couldn't figure out why he was so angry with her. She hadn't shot him. She had barely spoken to him. The gunman walked forward until he stood nose to nose with her former boyfriend. How could she ever had liked this guy?



Kate watched as the gun was placed into Darren's shoulder. "Ever felt a bullet entering your shoulder? Knowing that it will never quite work the same ever again?" Darren paled, and his bravado dissipated. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "To her," the gunman said. Kate stood quietly, shaking her head slowly. "I'm sorry," Darren said, though his words belied his stance. He nearly spat the words at her. Nodding, the gunman lowered the weapon from Darren's shoulder and sent another fist into his gut. "Fuck," Darren sputtered as he collapsed, struggling for breath again. "You didn't have to hurt him like that," Kate said as he approached her. "I would have thought that you'd appreciate it." Kate shrugged. She couldn't figure her captor out. "He's just an idiot," she whispered, "he doesn't know better." The gunman raised his eyebrows. "No, I guess he doesn't." Kate waited for a moment, her fingers massaging her injured breast. Ignoring Darren for the moment, the gunman turned to Kate again. "Are you ready?" "Ready for what?" she asked guardedly. "Ready to strip?" Kate paled. "Strip?" "Before macho boy over there interjected, I think we were going to remove your clothing, remember?" Kate glanced back at Karen, still tied to the birch tree. She sighed.



"You still want to do that?" He smiled, nodded. "The plan has just changed a little." "You're still going to spank me?" "A little." "Oh, God." The gunman stepped back, regarding her from a slight distance. "Please," Kate spoke. "Not in front of him." "Why not?" She considered that a moment. She could feel Darren's anticipation, his eyes on her body. Even if he couldn't hurt her, yet, he definitely wanted to see her. "You have to ask?" "He won't remember it, after I release him." "I will." The gunman nodded, considering that for a moment. "Kate? We had a deal, remember?" She sighed. She'd live, she supposed. "I told you that I'd strip before I knew that you were going to let him see me. Please. Just let him go, and I'll take my clothes off for you. I'll do anything for you. I said I would." He smiled. "I want you to take your clothes off in front of him." She choked back the threatening tears. Karen's voice floated weakly from the other side of the pavement. "You don't have to do this, Kate. Not for me. I'll manage. Somehow." Kate turned towards Karen, her friend pulling against her bonds. Yes, she'd manage, because she'd have to. Her mind filled with images of Karen's breasts, cigarettes taped to them, and not only two near the nipples. She shook her head. Her fingers rose to her throat, beginning to unbutton the clasps there. Soon, her shirt hung open, loose on her shoulders. She tried to ignore Darren, concentrating on her captor's face. He was http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (49 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


watching her eyes, not her emerging bra. She couldn't help the single tear, but managed to slip her blouse and her skirt to the ground quickly. She hesitated, knowing that he wouldn't show her mercy. "Come on, bitch, show us the skin," Darren hissed. She flushed. The gunman raised the gun, aiming at Darren. "Please, no, he didn't mean it," Kate whispered. The gunman looked at her strangely. Kate knew that Darren had meant exactly what he had said, but there wasn't much she could do about it. The gunman lowered the gun with a smile. Kate didn't like the look of that smile, but again, not much she could do about it, not right now, half-naked, and at the wrong end of a gun. "Shoes, too?" She could have guessed the answer. Somehow, she would feel more naked in bare feet, and she suspected that the gunman knew that. With a sigh, and not even waiting for the answer, she pushed her worn runners from her feet to the asphalt. It felt weird standing there in her stocking feet. The pavement was warm, though, heated by the spring sun. "Take it off," Darren sang merrily. She turned, her hands finding her hips. It struck her that in moments, that cloth covering her privates, and her hips, would soon be with her shoes. "Can't you shut up?" she hissed at the bound boy. Kindly, the voice of her captor floated to her. "Kate? Ignore him. Just continue ..." She turned away from Darren, who had been emboldened by the lack of response from the gunman. "Kate. Kate. Take it all off, Kate," he sang. She wondered if he'd gone insane. Sighing, she bent to pull her socks off. The soles of the socks were already soiled from her standing shoeless on the pavement. She stepped down on one foot, the pavement rough against her bare skin. Nearly overbalancing, she managed to pull the other sock from her left foot. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (50 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


In a spate of anger, she tossed the sock at Darren. It struck his chest and fell at his feet, like a white, dead snake. He laughed, and she flushed at the ineffectual gesture. She hesitated at her underwear. People had seen her in bikinis all the time. Skin is a weapon. But after this, she couldn't pretend to be at the beach any longer. "Please," and she forced the term from her mouth again, "Sir, No further. I'll strip for you. But Darren ... please don't make me do this." He waved the gun towards her. "I could continue with Karen, if you'd like. She's already naked in front of him." Darren laughed, almost dancing in anticipation. She turned towards Darren. "I should have let him shoot you." "Fuck off, bitch, and strip," Darren shot back. "I hate you," she whispered.


At the emission of the words, she began to cry. The gunman let her, for a few minutes. Even Darren stopped goading her. Eventually, as she knew that she would, she lowered the straps on her bra. She turned away from Darren as she did so, tears still falling silently down her face. "Turn towards him," the gunman said. She shook her head. "I'll crawl for you. I'll fuck you. I'll even fuck her, for you. But http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (51 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


I can't. Please." He was at her ear, his voice whispering. "Kate. I know it's difficult, but I need you to do this for me." "Why?" she asked, her voice wavering outside of a whisper. Darren answered her, from behind. "So I can see you, my sweet." She turned, her bra still partially covering her breasts. "Please, shut up, Darren. This is hard enough." He snapped his mouth shut, but she didn't think it would last long. The gunman was still beside her when she turned around. Karen's naked body remained tied to the tree in her line of sight. It bothered her that she'd be naked in front of Karen, too, but not as much as Darren. "Kate, you have to trust me. I need for him to get excited by you, by your shame, by your nudity." This time she kept her voice down. "Please, why?" "You'll see. I promise it will be all right, and then he'll never have seen you. Period." "Easy for you to say." He smiled, and touched her bare shoulder encouragingly. "Please," she begged. He shook his head and moved slowly away from her. Slowly, Kate turned until she faced her former boyfriend. He whistled. Her face flushed, she quickly pushed the straps of her bra from her arms, releasing her bare breasts. With a single motion, she slipped her panties down her legs, and over her bare feet. She stepped out of them, trying to keep her chin up, and the tears under control. "Fuck," Darren remarked. (Not if I can help it.) The gun was beside her ear. Kate cried out, but managed to stay still.



"Kneel in front of him," the gunman whispered in her ear. (Her mouth right at the right height for ...) "Please, no. I'm naked in front of him, isn't that enough?" "Trust me." (Trust him????) She walked close. Darren's eyes weren't on her face. She dropped, kneeling in front of him. Her mouth fell at exactly the right height. "Baby ..." Darren moaned. Then he tore his eyes from her, speaking to the man with the gun behind her. "Finally saw things my way, huh?" The gunman didn't say anything. Darren didn't appear to notice. "I can spank her, too, right?" "Something like that." Kate whirled on her knees, scraping across the asphalt, eyes pleading. The gunman almost imperceptibly shook his head, motioning for her to turn around. "Touch him," the gunman ordered. Kate shook her head, until the barrel of the gun grazed the back of her neck. Tears fell without her consent. She reached up, her fingers brushing at Darren's jeans. (Oh, God, he's hard.) She snatched her hand back. The gun pressed harder into her neck. "Please, I can't," she whispered. "You can, and you will. Cigarettes," the man whispered cruelly into her ear. The images filled her head, and she withdrew, ignoring what her fingers were doing. (If he makes me unzip his fly, I'll scream.) Darren was moaning above her, his hips pushing forward against her palm and fingers. She felt nauseated; had to fight the sureness of vomiting. (Please, God, let him finish quickly.)



She felt Darren begin to stiffen beneath her. Ready to explode. (God, no.) And then her hands were gently moved away. She let her breath out, as her captor urged her to get to her bare feet. When he opened his eyes and realised that his stimulation was walking away, Darren exclaimed, "Fuck, man, you can't leave me like this. Please." The gunman led her inexorably away from Darren. He couldn't see her nakedness, at least her front. The gunman beside her turned slowly to face Darren. "Why not?" "She's a cock tease, man. Haven't you ever heard of blue balls?" His hips unconsciously pumped at the air. The gunman nodded with a smile playing about his lips. Darren began to sob, hanging in his bonds. Looking over her shoulder, Kate almost felt sorry for him, but then, when she turned back around, she wanted to wash her hands for a week. "You can't do this," Darren whispered. "Actually, I can, and so can she," the gunman said merrily. Darren had fallen strangely silent, as if he'd been returned to a frozen state. The grass tickled Kate's bare calves as she knelt quietly at Karen's feet. Karen had painted her toe nails a bright shade of red to match her fingers. After a while, she glanced up. The gunman was watching her, but didn't seem overly interested in her bare breasts. Kate made no attempt to cover herself, her hands resting on her thighs. He'd put her here a few minutes ago, only a few seconds after Darren's moans had ceased. Kate didn't look back at her former boyfriend over her shoulder. Her captor settled to the grass beside her. "I don't know how long I can kneel like this," she remarked. Her thighs were already aching from the position. Ignoring her comment, he touched her right elbow. Kate winced, and turned her arm so she could see the scrape there. It looked raw, but http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (54 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


it didn't hurt as badly as it looked. "Looks painful," he said quietly. Kate nodded. Karen was quiet above her. Kate looked up at the naked girl tied to the tree. She was as still as when she'd first seen her, kissing Darren, a lifetime ago. Even the girl's breasts weren't moving with her breathing. (Is she breathing?) "Is she dead? Are they all dead?" Kate asked. "Karen? Darren? No. I just slipped them into slower time frames for a few minutes so we could talk without interference." "A slower time frame?" "I collapse the time bubble, form sub-bubbles that move at a different rate than us. They won't hear or see us until I release them." It didn't make much sense to Kate, but she was beginning to understand the rudimentary basics. He did what he did by manipulating time. (Is that possible?) She glanced up at Karen, her eyes travelling the length of her bondage. Her eyes rested on Karen's bound breasts. "You should let her go, you know?" "Soon." "I meant untie her, or at least her breasts. Look," and Kate pointed. "Her breasts are turning colour." She shivered, imagining her own breasts tied like that. Her clitoris cried out, and she tried to cover the gasp as she willed away the arousal that ensued. (Just a lot to take in today, Kate. Perfectly natural.) (Is it?) "Why did you offer yourself?" "Myself?" "Instead of Karen? Why would you let me spank you instead?"



(Don't think about that!) (Because maybe I want to be tied to that tree, instead?) (No!) "Because she's my friend, and you were hurting her. I can't watch that." (See, that's true, too.) "What if I made you spank her, instead." "I wouldn't." He crabbed across the grass and picked through it. Kate watched him warily. Presently, he held up the two cigarettes that had been taped to Karen's breasts earlier. They were about half burned, but squashed by his foot earlier when he'd released Karen from her torture. Kate paled. "See these?" Kate nodded miserably. "I'm going to put them back on her breasts, light them. She can't stop me." Kate shook her head, willing back the tears of helplessness. He pulled the gun out, and pressed the barrel against the bound girl's bare knee. "I'm going to shoot her knee. She'll never walk again. Ever seen the inside of a knee?" "Please, God, no." "I haven't either. Shall we find out together." If felt like her blood had abandoned her face, and collected in her nipples and clitoris. But her blood roared in her ears. She shivered uncontrollably. "Why are you doing this?" He placed the cold cigarettes across Karen's still toes. "Will you spank her for me?" Kate choked back a sob, refused to answer. "Will you spank her for me?" Slowly, she nodded. Her voice, not completely under her control, travelled between them. "I'll spank her, if that's what you want. Just don't ask me to hit her hard, please?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (56 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


She lowered her head in defeat as he smiled. "Her breasts?" Kate looked up sharply. She couldn't remember ever having touched another girl's breasts except by accident, or in a hug. And then, never nude, and never with her fingers. "Her breasts? Are you kidding?" "Got a problem with that?" Kate lowered her head. She could see the cigarettes lying innocently across Karen's bare toes. "No. I'll spank her breasts. Please, don't make me." She watched as his fingers flicked the cigarettes to tumble over the grass like little cancer causing gymnasts. "You can be a bastard, you know. You didn't have to do that. Didn't have to make me strip in front of Darren. Didn't have to make me beg. Didn't have to make me touch ... him." She let the tears go. He touched her shoulder after a few minutes. "He's not so happy about it now," he whispered. "I'm not so happy about it, either. It wasn't your hands touching him, was it?" "Would it help if I said I was sorry?" Kate looked up sharply. He seemed earnest, like a child that wasn't prepared for the seriousness of breaking the vase but compelled to touch it anyway. She nodded slowly. "I'm sorry for making you touch Darren. I'll make it up to you. I promise." Kate looked at him with seriousness in her eyes. "Will you let me go?" He grinned. "You know better than that." (I suppose that I do.)




Karen's leg bent at the knee, a simple attempt to get more comfortable in her bonds. Kate started, not expecting the movement of the bound girl. Karen's toes wiggled against the grass. "Up." Kate reached down to push herself to her bare feet. She stood face to face with Karen. "Why?" Kate whispered. "Why what?" "Why were you kissing him?" Karen paled, tried to shift in her ropes. "Darren, that shit?" Kate nodded in response. "I don't know. He wanted me, and I slipped." "You slipped." Karen nodded. "I didn't know he was like that." "Me either, me either." "My breasts hurt, Kate." "I know. I'm trying to get him to untie you," she shot a meaningful glance at the man. He ignored her, slipping the gun back into his waistband. (Misfire. Please.) Kate's mind filled with an image of the bullet slamming into Karen's http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (58 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


defenceless knee, and groaned as she pushed it out of her head. "Karen, I may have to hurt you." Karen's eyes widened, fear beginning to enter. "Because I kissed that freak, Darren?" Kate slowly shook her head. How to explain that if she refused, the pain would be so much worse for her. "No. I don't care about that. I don't think either of us want him, now. No. I may have to hurt you for him." "Him?" "The guy with a gun that tied you to that tree? Remember?" Karen was silent. Kate continued. "I may have to spank you. Your breasts." Karen paled again, turning toward the man. "Please," she begged. "My breasts hurt enough as it is. Please don't." The gunman stepped forward. "Hit her," he said. Kate hesitated. Karen's eyes swam with tears. "I can't." "Can't or won't?" Kate turned and hissed at him. "Can't. She's in pain as it is. I can't. I can't." He nodded, as if he'd expected as much. "Guess I'll find some more cigarettes. Would you like to light them for me?" Kate trembled. She raised her right hand, palm extended. "I'm so sorry, Karen," she whispered. Karen braced. In the end, she couldn't do it. Her hand fell, and lightly slapped Karen's left breast, the tightness of the bound skin like a drum. Karen cried out, both in discomfort and in surprise that her chest http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (59 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


hadn't exploded in instant agony. Kate's fingers traced the taut flesh of her friend's breast. Soft skin. Flattened nipple, but pretty. Tears rolled down Kate's face. "Please, I can't." "Don't hit her again," the man's voice kissed her ear gently. Kate's fingers continued to caress Karen's bare breast, like a lover. Kate's clitoris sang for attention, she savagely willed away the sensation. (Karen's a GIRL. Stop it.) (But I want to be there, don't I?) Slowly, Kate sank to her knees, her finger tracing over the bumps of ropes around Karen's breasts. Karen gasped. After she had settled into the grass, Kate buried her face in her hands and wept. When she looked up, the gunman sat cross-legged watching her. Karen also watched her, a pained expression on her face. "You offered to switch places with Karen," the gunman said. "Would you rather that?" Kate nodded her head. "No, Kate," Karen whispered from above. "You'll be tied to the tree, breasts bound like hers." Her vagina clenched, but she tried to ignore it. Slowly, she nodded in agreement to his terms. "Can I ask you one thing?" she asked. He nodded in response. He started to get to his feet. "Why do you want to spank me? Hurt us?" He smiled. "I really don't know." She watched as he removed the rope securing Karen's bare ankles to the tree. After Karen's ankles were freed, the bound girl almost absently stroked at her rope marks with her toes. Kate thought she heard a small sigh of relief from above her.



He quickly moved behind Kate, while she continued to kneel quietly in the grass at Karen's feet. Kate moved her hands behind her at his gentle touch, unresisting. Her freedom disappeared again as his fingers moved, wrapping ropes about her wrists. She already missed the simple freedom to move her own arms. "You don't need to tie me up, you know," she said. He shrugged as his fingers continued to wrap her wrists, lashing them together behind her back. He grasped her hair lightly, pulling her forward. She shuffled forward on her knees until she knelt in front of Karen. Karen's wispy blonde pubic curls filled her view, her nose centimetres from Karen's sex. Kate's mouth was exactly at the right height for ... She shivered remembering her terror at being in this position with Darren. God, Darren. He was still there, if frozen. Kate sighed, resigned to her fate. If he wanted her to have sex with Karen, she would. She wouldn't enjoy it, even dreaded it, but it was better than the alternative. The image of cigarettes taped to Karen's breasts remained vivid in her mind. Images of gun blasts into the bound girl's knees followed, as she pushed out the images of cigarettes. If he wanted her to have sex with the girl, she would. She'd have let him shoot Darren, now, she thought, but Karen, helpless and naked? She shook her head. He crouched beside her. "Kate?" "I don't want to do this," she murmured. Her earlier words haunted her. (I'll crawl for you. I'll strip naked for you. I'll suck you. I'll fuck you silly. I'll have sex with HER, if you want. Just let her go. Please.) "I know," he said gently. "But you're going to make me anyway." He nodded, a smile playing about his lips. (And you're going to enjoy watching me do it, too.) She shivered, pulling weakly at her bound hands. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-21-30.html (61 of 63)8/14/2005 11:39:06 PM


"I've never done this before," she whispered. He shrugged. "You're a girl. You'll figure it out." She wasn't sure what that meant. She tried to back away. His hand was there to stop her head from retreating. Karen's musk, clean and sweet, assailed her nostrils. It didn't revolt her as she had imagined. Her groin pulsed again. (No!) His voice came from above her kneeling form. "Spread your legs, Karen." "Please, no," Karen begged. "I. I can't." His hand dropped without warning. Kate watched, unable to tear her eyes away, as his open palm struck Karen's left breast, the flesh dancing within it's confines. It took a moment for the pain to travel from the girl's breast to her mind. When it arrived, she screamed. "God, no. I'll do it. I'll do it." He lowered his hand. Karen, crying, pushed her legs apart. Her sex opened like a flower in front of Kate. The sweet musk of her increased slightly. "Please, no," the kneeling naked girl whispered. He was silent. A tear traced down Kate's face. (I'll have sex with HER!) She could see the white paper from the discarded cigarettes near Karen's right foot, so innocent, but so compelling. Kate glanced up imploringly at her captor, finding no more mercy in his eyes, only a strange anticipation, or compulsion. (I'll have sex with HER! To save her.) Kate leaned forward, Karen's fragrance sweet and drawing her closer.





Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 31

·

Chapter 32

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Chapter 33

·

Chapter 34

·

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

·

Chapter 37

·

Chapter 38

·

Chapter 39

·

Chapter 40


Karen shivered intimately as Kate's tongue slipped easily between the folds. The taste of Karen, of another girl, that she'd dreaded, wasn't nearly as bad as she'd imagined -- sweet and musky. Somewhere in her mind, she knew the geography; the knowledge of her own sex gleaned from fingers, private fingers, translated into an intimate knowledge of Karen. Karen was different, oh yes, but not so different as to confuse the kneeling girl. Her geography, her map, wasn't all that different: vaginal opening, inner lips, and swollen despite her protests, her clitoris. Kate inhaled deeply; Karen's scent filled her lungs. Kate's vagina clenched, causing a deep groan. She shivered, hoping that the Timeman hadn't seen the goosebumps. He would take her shiver for something that is was not. (Isn't it?) Slowly she let her tongue explore Karen again, tickling her inner lips, and swirling around the girl's clitoris. A circular motion of her tongue caused Karen to cry out above, oblivious to the audience,



pulling against the ropes holding her. Her legs remained apart, though her thighs were trembling beside Kate's face. Kate could feel the tears slipping from her eyes, but she didn't think she was crying. (I'm crying?) Suddenly, his voice appeared, hot against her ear. She nearly stopped her ministrations, but continued at his words. "If she doesn't climax, I'm going to start giving her encouragement." (Encouragement?) Kate tried to back away to ask what he meant, but he gently forced her head back into its original position, buried between Karen's thighs. Kate moaned, pulling against her own bound wrists. (Encouragement?) Naked. Helpless. Forced to lick Karen. (Karen?) Kate's clitoris begged for attention. She squirmed a little on her knees, trying to adjust, trying to reduce the heat simmering below. The grass caressed her feet as she shifted. Instead of reducing her arousal, the slight motion and the shifting position only served to crank up her heat. Kate moaned again, her voice muffled by Karen's sex. (Aroused. Christ. She's Karen.) (Who cares?) (I DO!) Kate's tongue stopped teasing and though she didn't really know what she was doing, she let her tongue stroke over Karen's clitoris, trying to read the girl's voice and small movements. Somewhere in her subconscious, she heard the man speaking above. "Three minutes, to climax, or ..." She heard Karen cry out in pain above her, knew that the gunman had slapped a breast -- because he could. Kate could sense Karen crying above, but then her body descended a little, and Karen's hips were pumping, gently, guiding Kate's tongue and lips. Two minutes and thirty seconds passed, Karen's breath coming more rapidly above Kate. Small animal sounds, panting, issued from Karen's throat as she concentrated. Kate's tongue fell numb, but still she used it. Her fingers, useless, remained behind her, unable http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (2 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


to assist her mouth. "Thirty seconds," his relentless voice said quietly. "God. Oh God. Please," Karen's voice rose from the fog. Her hips rocked faster against Kate's tongue. (Suck) (No. Oh no.) (Suck) Her lips formed an 'O', her nose nestled into Karen's blonde curls. She allowed suction to settle around Karen's clitoris, and the girl exploded, her hips nearly knocking Kate backwards into the grass. Karen's climax came without voice, until she finally cried out, a long scream, more like an animal than human, her vaginal muscles cramping and relaxing where Kate's tongue had been. When Kate thought Karen was finished, she rocked back on her heels, face flushed, nipples aching, and the scent of Karen coating her lips and nose. She wanted to drag her hand across her lower face, only because of the wetness, but her hands remained restricted behind her. She pulled ineffectually against the ropes. Karen's knees buckled and she fell against her restraints for the second time, her breathing ragged, her face flushed. The Timeman maintained a smirk, and Kate purposely averted her eyes. Her vagina was crying out, and her breasts, even the one that Darren had tormented, glowed with a satisfied flush. She desperately didn't want the gunman to see her; she tried to force her own arousal from her body. His fingers appeared at her elbow, and she slowly climbed to her feet with his help. She refused to look up, to gaze at him. He didn't force her, merely moved behind Kate and began to release her hands. Soon, her wrists were freed, and Kate rubbed at her wrists, glad to have the use of her fingers again. Kate struggled to control her breathing. When she looked up, Karen had regained her feet, moved them back together. Her face was flushed, but her breathing seemed to be almost back to normal. "What was that?" Karen whispered. "Stress," Kate said. "I think." With a touch of his fingers to her bare shoulder, the gunman urged her towards Karen. "Let me guess. You want me to kiss her, now." Kate massaged her wrists. Rope marks imprinted into her skin there. She suspected that she would have to get used to rope marks on her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (3 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


skin. She carefully passed the back of her right hand over her lower face and chin. Karen's moisture had mostly dried, and truthfully, Kate didn't mind as much as she thought she would. (Do you want to kiss her?) (I don't think so.) Kate stepped forward, ready to kiss Karen. "No. You don't have to kiss her." (But ...) "Thank-you," Kate whispered, her face beginning to flush again. "Just untie her. And don't tangle the ropes." Kate didn't ask why the gunman didn't cut the girl free, or why he didn't untie Karen himself. She moved towards Karen's bound breasts and began working at the knots. Her apprehension about touching another girl's bare breasts seemed far and distant, now. Unbinding Karen took a long time, or at least it seemed so for Kate, but as each rope fell to the grass, Kate could see Karen relaxing more and more. The rope marks on Karen's body were far tighter than those on Kate's wrists, and Karen had audibly cried out when her breasts had finally fallen free of their restraint. But, at last, Karen stepped free from the birch that had been her prison, rubbing at her wrists. Kate dropped to her knees, her freed fingers gathering up the ropes that littered the grass around her. While Kate carefully coiled the ropes that she'd removed from Karen's body, the gunman led the blonde girl to a tree perhaps three metres away. Without protest, Karen sat in the grass, pulling her bare legs up, and allowed the gunman to handcuff her hands behind her and around the tree. She pulled against the metal for a moment, but then leaned back against the birch and lay her head back, blonde hair spilling over her shoulders. "Stand." Kate looked up, fear returning to her eyes. She carefully lay the last loops of rope into the grass and slowly climbed to her bare feet. A few strands of the rope pressed into the arch of her left foot. She absently stepped away from it, towards the gunman. "I suppose it's my turn, now." (My turn for what?) He pursed his lips as if considering her fate. Kate, resigned, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (4 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


waited, her hands brushing her bare thighs. After a moment, he guided her silently to the tree to which Karen had been tied. Kate idly wondered why he hadn't simply tied her to another tree and left Karen tied to this one. She mentally shrugged as he turned her. The papery bark of the birch scratched at her bare back and buttocks, but she didn't complain. She glanced down; the cigarettes lay by her left foot, duct tape still attached. She would suffer whatever he had in mind. Resistance would land her and probably Karen into a boatload of pain. Gently, he drew her hands behind her and around the tree. Divots in the bark of the tree testified to its former occupant's stress; Kate was sure those divots were put there by Karen's fingernails -though in response to pain or pleasure, she didn't know. As the ropes began to lash her, she fought her body's responses. Her nipples, and her clitoris screamed for a touch, even the air tickled her. She groaned, which her captor mistook for a sign of discomfort. "Too tight?" he asked. She pulled at her wrists. Was he tying her elbows? Christ. She couldn't remember if Karen's elbows had been tied or not. "Yes. Does it make any difference?" she replied. He laughed, and continued to tie her. She didn't resist, though she was sure that she'd tear her shoulders out of their joints if she moved too much. Maybe that was the idea. Again, she groaned, as he began to wrap rope around her breasts. This time the groan was a mixture of discomfort and arousal. He looked at her almost knowingly, but finished off with a bow between her jutting breasts. Kate thought that her breasts were a little tighter than Karen's had been, but she didn't complain. They ached. Her vagina howled at her, and her nipples ached. (Please no. I don't want to be aroused. NO.) "Shall I tie her feet?" he mused, almost under his breath. Kate thought it was a rhetorical question, but spoke anyway. "You don't need to. I won't kick you, no matter what you do to me, but if you want to tie them, I'll hold still." He looked up, as if in surprise, as if he hadn't expected her to say anything, that he hadn't expected to be heard. He grinned, and then shook his head.



"If I told you to spread your legs?" "I would. I don't want to, but I would." Her feet stood primly together, her toes making a single line. Her toenails weren't painted, unlike Karen's. He nodded, accepting her words. "If I wanted to spank you between the legs?" Kate paled, and pleaded quietly. "Please, don't." He smiled enigmatically, and turned away from her. Kate pulled weakly against her bonds. He'd tied her belly to the tree, the rope pulling back her midriff. Another rope passed under her arms and above her bound breasts, holding her upper body securely to the tree. If her knees buckled, she'd fall as Karen had, but she'd stay upright. Better than the chain. She wouldn't strangle, at least. Her arms ached, and her elbows felt like they were in the wrong place. The tree didn't seem to mind holding her. "You don't have to hurt me," Kate said. The gunman turned back towards her. His eyes travelled her body, for the first time that Kate could remember. He'd always kept his eyes on hers, not ogling her. Even this cursory exam, seemed more in appreciation of her form bound for him, than to make her uncomfortable with her nakedness. "No?" Kate shook her head, her hair kissing her cheeks as she did. She wanted to push it back out of her face, but settled for tossing her head in a practised motion. Most of her hair settled back away from her eyes. "I'll do whatever you want. I'll fuck you, if you want. You don't have to convince me." "I know." "You want to hurt me?" He shrugged. "Then why?" "I want to control you." She laughed, and was rewarded by a flush into his face. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (6 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


"I let you tie me naked to a tree in front of you, and you want to control me?" "Silly, isn't it?" She nodded, couldn't help a smile. Then the thought of what he might do to her while she was tied nakedly to this tree intruded, and the smile faded. "My breasts hurt," she whispered. "I know," he said. "Not for much longer." With that, he turned, and began to walk back towards the smoking area, stepping over its yellow marks like a Godzilla over Tokyo.


Her breasts jutted like disparate mounds. They weren't part of her, were they? These two aching mounds upon her chest. When she raised her eyes from the tight mounds on her chest, he was standing in front of her. He held two white cylinders in his left hand, only a few centimetres from her nose. She instantly recognised them. "Please no. I'll ..." "... do anything," he finished her sentence for her. "You've said." His voice seemed overly cruel, almost like he was forcing it. Nevertheless, her pleading tumbled from her lips. "Please no. God. I. What good are my breasts to you if you burn them?" He laughed, and she trembled. The ropes wouldn't let her fall, but she was sure that she would have if the restraints weren't there. "What makes you think that I want to burn your breasts?"



Her eyes followed the two virgin cigarettes held easily between his fingers. "Because. Because I said. I said you could." "Do you think it matters what you say?" "Oh, God. Please. Spank me. I'll fuck you. I'll have sex with you. You don't need to do this." He held up a lighter. Karen's lighter. The body glowed a fluorescent pink underneath a metal shield and striker. Kate glanced over at the other naked girl, still handcuffed to the tree. Karen was crying silently, tears rolling down her face. At her glance, Karen looked away. He absently flicked the lighter. Kate cringed. "Please." "I'm not going to burn your breasts, they're much too ... attractive." Kate let her breath out in one long exhale. "Thank-you. Oh, God, thank-you." He placed the cigarettes against her lips. Karen's cigarettes. The smell of unburnt tobacco assailed her. "Please. I don't want to smoke." "I know." "No. You don't understand. I've never. Never even tried one. I. I don't want to. Please." "No time like the present to kill that resolve." She shook her head, kept her lips together. He sighed, and reached out with his free hand. Without looking, he captured her left nipple. She tried to twist away, but the damn ropes held her. She couldn't move her chest so much as a centimetre from his fingers. Stabs of arousal travelled from her left nipple to her swollen clitoris. (Oh, God.) He twisted, softer than Darren had, but amplified by the pressure of the ropes. She tried to maintain her composure, until tears leaked from her eyes. He continued to increase the pressure on her slowly, until the pain flooded her like a tidal wave. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (8 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


Despite herself, she screamed. Slowly he released her. She knew that it had been minor, that the pain was nothing compared to what he'd put Karen through. Darren had gripped her harder. The ropes amplified her pain; she knew that deep in her mind, but it didn't help. It hurt. Her clitoris throbbed. (I can still taste Karen.) "All right. All right. Christ." Somehow, him forcing her to hold the vile things in her mouth seemed to be worse than tying her to the tree, than making her feel Darren, to make her strip, to make her have sex with Karen. Weeping, she allowed him to place the things between her lips. She fought with her mouth, somehow stopping herself from spitting the cancer sticks from her lips. She sensed the flame of the lighter, and suddenly her mouth filled with acrid smoke. Surprised, she inhaled, and her lungs caught fire. Coughing, she begged him to take them away. One of the smokes fell from her lips and tumbled to the grass. She danced away from it, holding her bare feet from the smouldering heater. As he bent to retrieve it, she struggled not to inhale, breathing the second hand smoke through her nose. (I dropped one. Oh shit. What's that going to cost me?) Slowly, he straightened, the cigarette smouldering in his fingers. He reached forward and took the remaining one from her lips. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she whispered, still coughing. "Nasty habit." "I don't smoke." He smiled, and held up the burning rods. "No, I don't suppose that you do." She fell silent, trying to control the coughs. When she'd settled down, he spoke again. "What if I wanted to burn you somewhere else?" She looked up sharply. "What?" "Burn you somewhere else." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (9 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


He had the lighter in his other hand, snapping the flame on and off. The pink body of the lighter danced in her view. Grog make fire. "Please, no." He flicked the lighter on, this time leaving the flame burning. He had the thing turned up to its highest setting. Slowly, he passed the flame under her bound breasts. Kate tried to shrink away; the tree refused to let her fade through it like a ghost. She screamed, even though the heat was only slightly uncomfortable as long as he kept it moving. She closed her eyes. She could kick him, but somehow she knew that it wouldn't be a good idea. He would tape the things to her nipples, or grind them out on her taut flesh, if she raised her foot. (My breasts. Oh, God.) She couldn't protect herself. Her shoulders had nearly separated as she'd tried to avoid the flame. She stood still and hoped that he wouldn't hold it still for more than a second. (Please, God.) He let the lighter fall cold again. "No. Those breasts are too pretty to burn, as you so thoughtfully pointed out." "Please." "How about a thigh? Your belly?" He held the smouldering cigarettes towards her skin, kneeling at her feet. "I could put them out on you, you know?" Kate groaned. "Spread your legs." "Please no." "Spread them." His hand lightly slapped her thigh. Crying, she spread her legs. His eyes were on hers, not on her sex as she'd expected. His blurred face was upturned, centimetres from her private places. She was under no illusions, he'd see her private places if he wanted to, but (Please not like this) there were worse places to be burned weren't there? "How about on the lips? Or inside? I could put them out inside?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (10 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


"On my breasts. Burn them if you want to. Just not between my legs. Please." Her eyes were closed, but she sensed him rise. She closed her legs, afraid he was going to slap her again. But he allowed her her modesty, and didn't slap her. "Your breasts?" "Yes," she said dully. "I said you could." She closed her eyes again, and waited. She screamed. But the heat from the lighter kissed her nipples from a distance. It was uncomfortable, but bearable. When the searing pain of a cigarette being ground out against her bound breasts didn't come, and the gentle heat of the lighter released her, she opened her eyes. She couldn't see because the tears obstructed her vision, but she whispered anyway. "Thank you," she said simply. "Oh, we aren't done yet," he said quietly. "Please, don't do this." "Control," he said simply. "I'm in your control, you bastard." Her eyes were clearing, and he was in front of her. The cigarettes still burning. He held them up. "Would you rather be spanked?" "Than burned? Yes." And despite her torment, her vagina screamed at her. (Not now. Christ, not now.) "Ask me." "Ask you what?" "To spank you." (NO!) (I'll do it anyway. He'll make me.) (NO!)



"Spank me? Please don't burn me." And then, almost as an afterthought, she added one word. "Sir." As she said the word, her body shivered, and her wonderfully intact nipples ached. "Control," he whispered. He dropped the cigarettes into the grass beside the ones that he'd tortured Karen with, and ground them out with his shoe. (He could have made me put that out, with my bare foot. Oh, God.) She let her breath out, and wept. He left her alone for a while, and she didn't look up to see what he was doing. When she finally raised her eyes, she swallowed hard. He was standing patiently in front of her with a branch held like a sword at his side. It brushed easily against his jeans. Without warning, he reached out and tapped her right breast with the end of it. The pain reached her mind almost immediately. She'd been spanked as a little girl, but nothing like this. The pain coiled up through her bound breasts and into her mind. She was sure that she would pass out, but she didn't. Her scream fell echoless into the silent world. She thought that she could hear Karen screaming in the background as well. The second tap, and Kate was sure that was all they were, landed against the top side of her right breast almost as quickly as the one to her other side. She couldn't even find the strength to scream. He wasn't hitting her hard, she knew, but the branch stung against her taut skin. She was sure that she must be bleeding. Dimly, she heard his voice. "One more, Katie." Irrationally, she wanted to scream at him that her name wasn't 'Katie', but the next strike, harder than the others fell upwards into her bound breasts. Sure that she was about to split, she screamed again. Her clitoris nearly jumped out of her body. She squeezed her legs together, but it wasn't enough. Dammit, it wasn't enough. Her hips pumped, against her will. Anything to make this go away. A climax would dull the agony. (Please, no.) He left her alone in her pain for a few minutes, watching her writhe in her bonds. After a time, he sat in the grass near Kate's dancing bare feet. He ignored Karen's whispered admonition: "You fucking bastard." At last, Kate found her tongue. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (12 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


"Please, no more. Please." "No more Kate. No more. I promise." Kate expelled her breath and took another deep one. "I'll do anything you want. Just don't do that again. Please." "That was light. I only tapped you. Probably won't be any marks." But she could see a thin line of red across the tops of her breasts, and she was sure that a mirror image would be on the underside where he hit both of her sensitive orbs at once. Christ, but it had hurt. The lines weren't bloodied, and she was sure that the marks would fade, but for now, they were alive and well, thank you. "I. I know. Please let me go. At least untie me." She desperately wanted to cradle herself, do something to ease the pain. (But it isn't the pain, is it?) He rose, and she watched warily. Noticing her gaze, he idly tossed the branch to the side. It ended up beside Karen, the tip that had tormented Kate resting against Karen's right thigh. The naked girl crabbed away from it as if it were a hot poker. "Are you all right?" he asked Kate. Kate slowly nodded. "I'll live. But you didn't have to do that." He almost looked like he regretted it. Almost. He continued to look into her eyes, ignoring her body. Except he wasn't ignoring her was he? She shivered as his fingers traced the ropes encircling her breasts. Gasping, she tried to twist away, cried out as his fingertips traced the shallow welts that the branch had caused. "Please," she whispered. But she couldn't stop him any more than she could have stopped him from hitting her a moment ago. Relentlessly, his fingers traced down her body, toying with her belly rope, and brushing her fine pubic hair. Kate forced her legs together, thighs trembling. Her clitoris throbbed with each touch of her skin with his. His breath, which she expected would be stale, was sweet against her cheek. She closed her eyes. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (13 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


The fingers touched her thighs. "Please, no," she whispered again. But she knew he could force her. Hold up two cigarettes, or a branch. She'd do whatever he asked. (Within reason.) Helplessly, her nipples forced her legs to part. Only slightly. Her toes curled into the grass. "Oh, God," she moaned. His fingers brushed at her sex. Her clitoris screamed. Her nipples cried out. And then one finger slipped inside. Shamefully, she knew that there was no resistance there. (Sopping wet.) (Please, no.) One electric touch to her swollen clitoris. Her hips rocked towards that touch without her consent. It wasn't quite enough, but it had been close. So damn close. One. Single. Touch. "Please," she begged. The finger retracted, and she tried to follow. Her body tried to follow, even if her mind refused to acknowledge her arousal. And then he was gone, moved a step backwards, no longer close and she couldn't follow, the ropes holding her, breasts aching, vagina clenching rhythmically. She couldn't help it. "Please let me." He stood quietly, eyes still on her face. She knew that she looked a wreck. Couldn't help it. "I want ..." she began, unsure if she could finish the thought. "I know." She wept for a moment, head bowed, body heaving. He wasn't going to give her what she wanted. She didn't know why, but part of her rejoiced.



"Let me go," she said quietly. He shook his head. "You liked it." "Liked what?" "This. You tied there helpless and vulnerable. Me hitting you." Kate glanced over. Karen had become unusually still. She'd witnessed her whipping, and maybe even the touching afterwards. (My breasts) But she was back into that slower time bubble for now. Kate shook her head slowly, denying, denying. The gunman smiled and held up his right hand. Kate could see her own moisture there, knowing it matched between her legs. "It made you hot." Kate could feel the blush rising, and could do nothing to stop it. Suddenly, anger flowed into her and she screamed. "You fucking make me strip, like an animal. Make me have sex. Tie me up so tight I hurt. Whip me. Threaten me. Caress me. What the fuck did you expect to happen?" He laughed, but it wasn't unkind. "It happens to some women," he said slowly. "Reaction to stress." He spoke as if he knew what he was talking about. Kate wondered for a moment how many women he'd done this to. "What the fuck did you expect to happen?" she whispered. The blush hadn't left her cheeks. She didn't care. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. He slowly turned and began to walk away. And despite her anger and her discomfort, her body continued to insist. She wanted to climax and couldn't help it. Not at all. "Are you going to leave me like this?" Even she didn't know what she was referring to anymore. He turned towards her, eyes still on her face, and smiled. "Please?" she asked. He mouthed a single word to her and then turned back towards Kresner Collegiate. Even through the tears she recognised the words on his http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (15 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


lips. (Control.) She lowered her head then, and wept.


"Kate?" The feminine voice brought her head up again, and she willed back the tears. She was incredibly frustrated, and her body ached horribly, and she was pretty sure her hands had turned to ice below the ropes holding her wrists, but she didn't feel as badly as she thought she should. Kate had thought that Karen was still in a slower time bubble. Apparently, the Timeman had released the other girl before disappearing around the corner of the school. At least she wasn't alone. Maybe the Timeman wasn't completely a bastard. "I'm all right, Karen. I think." "Oh God, he hit you." "I know. But that isn't the problem." Karen was silent for a moment. "He touched you." Kate sighed. (That was the problem.) "I'm sorry he hit you," Karen said. "That's all right." "It's my fault," Karen said. Kate shook her head. Her hair danced around her face again. "Not http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (16 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


your fault. He would have done it to me anyway." (Control.) "He's going to keep you, isn't he?" Karen didn't fully understand what was happening to her, but she understood enough, Kate thought. As much as she could, sitting nude and handcuffed to a tree. Kate looked back down. Her toes played with a blade of grass. At least he hadn't tied her ankles. (And I didn't kick him. Glory be. God knows what he would have done if I'd kicked him.) "I think so. I told him he could." Karen looked puzzled for a moment, then shifted her position. Kate idly wished that she could shift her position. Her breasts ached. The pain from the branch had faded to a pleasant glow, but the ropes were tight, and her breasts ached in their restraint. Her shoulders felt like a fire had been built under the skin. "You gave yourself up for me." Kate slowly shook her head. "I gave myself up for me," she said. Karen fell silent for a few minutes. Kate broke the quiet. Her eyes shifted to Darren, the snake, still standing stock still, hands cuffed to the conduit where she'd had to stand, chained by the throat. So long ago. Her clothes littered the asphalt at Darren's still feet, and the chain that had held her neck dangled silently beside Darren. (Thank God, the Timeman didn't wake up Darren, too. I couldn't take that.) (But I would, if I had to, I guess.) "Where did he go?" Kate asked. "The bastard?" "Darren is still chained to the wall." Karen looked up and gazed at the guy she had been kissing before all this started. "Yeah, I guess he is a bastard, too. The guy with the gun left around the corner. I don't know where he went." "Hmmmm." "I liked it, you know. You're pretty good."



"What?" "Good." Kate regarded Karen. The naked girl was blushing on the grass, and with her hands behind her, she couldn't cover her features. Her knees were drawn up against her chest, obscuring her bare breasts. "Good?" "When you ... you know. When he made you ... lick me." Kate shook her head at that. "No really. I'm not a lesbian. Christ, at least I don't think so. He forced me to climax, threatened to hurt me if I didn't. But I've ... you know ... done myself ..." her voice trailed off. "Karen. I have too. Relax." After what they'd been through, Kate couldn't believe the girl was having trouble talking about masturbation. "You were better than that. And I liked it." "Thanks. I think." The silence became awkward, and Karen shifted again, the chain between her wrists jingling. Kate's clitoris continued to throb, but it was beginning to be a little less insistent. "Did it turn you on?" Karen asked. "What?" "Having ... sex ... with me?" "I don't want to talk about it." Karen slipped into silence again. "Did it?" "I think it was the whole situation." "I wouldn't if I weren't here, I know that, but if I wasn't tied to this tree, I swear I'd have sex with you right now." It took her a moment to raise her head and reply. A small smile broke onto her lips. She suspected her arousal was more obvious than she cared to admit, and it was driving her expression more than she cared for. She thought that she might just be turning into a guy. "I'd like that," Kate said simply.



"He touched you." "Teased me." "He didn't ..." "No." Karen pursed her lips. "I'm sorry." "I'm not sure I wanted him to." (Yes I did. And my clit would scream it to the world if I let her.) Karen nodded slowly. "What are you going to do." Kate considered that for a moment. "Let him control me, I guess." The girls lapsed into silence after that. "Where were you?" The Timeman shrugged without answering her. He'd emerged from the side of the school, walking quickly towards the bound girls. Kate had begun to wonder if the guy was going to leave them like this for hours, but she estimated he'd only been gone for ten minutes. Irrationally, she was glad to see him, and in another way, her belly filled with dread. Without a word, he began to release her from the tree, starting with her belly. Kate inhaled deeply as the rope fell from her body. "Please, my breasts." "You can do them, last." Kate sighed, knowing that arguing wouldn't do her any good. When he touched her hands, she cried out. "Whoops," he remarked as he fumbled with the knots, "those are a bit tight. I hadn't intended to leave you there that long." "I hadn't intended to be tied here this long either," she remarked dryly. She thought she saw him smile. The man who had whipped her bound breasts had retreated. This gunman was almost -- civil, beyond keeping her for the other one. She thought that in other circumstances he might actually be likeable. Her nipples and clitoris had stopped throbbing a while ago, though a http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (19 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


dull heat continued to infuse her. At the thought of her captor touching her again, she had to will away another twinge. The ropes fell from her wrists, and he began to release her elbows. Before her elbows were free she screamed. "What?" he asked. "My hands," she whispered. Her hands felt like an army of ants had commenced biting her. Almost tenderly, he rubbed at them as she struggled against her own elbows to bring them in front of her. His touch sent agony up her arms, but she honestly didn't think he knew that. She bit her lip, and willed back tears of pain. After a few minutes, sensation returned, and the pins and needles fled. His rubbing became nothing more than a pleasant sensation. He must have sensed her relax, because he returned to the ropes encircling her elbows and quickly released her. As soon as her arms were free, Kate tried to take a tentative step away from her prison. Her knees rubberised, and she stumbled to the grass. She fell on her left side, her still bound breasts bouncing. "Ooof." "Kate!" Karen's voice floated from where she remained tied to her own tree. Kate struggled to her hands and knees. "I'm all right." The gunman was beside her, kneeling and looking at her concernedly. "I'm all right," Kate repeated in a whisper. "Can I take these damn things off, now?" She nodded towards her chest. He nodded, and then rose to walk towards Karen. Kate carefully lowered herself to her knees. Gingerly, she worked the bow free between her breasts, and laboriously and carefully unwound the rope from around her breasts. Each freed loop released more heaven into her chest. Soon, the rope lay tangled across her thighs, and her breasts had returned to their normal healthy pink. Only two slight welts remained. Her breasts tingled. Kate remained kneeling in the grass until Karen and her captor arrived. Karen knelt beside her without any hesitation. "Wrap up the ropes. We're almost done here."



Quickly, the girls began to untangle and wrap the ropes in neat coils. Karen crawled through the grass to retrieve the ones that the gunman had dropped haphazard behind the birch, the ones that had held Kate's wrists and elbows. Kate looked at her fingers so easily wrapping the rope that had been her breasts' prison. So free. (That rope was around my breasts.) Her clitoris throbbed. (And he hit me.) Her nipples echoed her clitoris. (Please no. Not again.) She willed down the sensations, and tied off the coil neatly. Karen handed her the remaining ropes. She looked up, and rose when the man motioned them to do so. They walked in front of him, aware that he was probably watching them as they walked. The soft grass changed to harsher asphalt beneath her bare feet. With a sparkle of apprehension, Kate noted that they were walking towards Darren. (Not Darren. I went through all that for nothing?) "Put them in the bag." The blue knapsack stood by Darren's frozen feet. Kate knelt, the asphalt warm and pebbly beneath her bare knees. She unzipped the pack and slipped the ropes into the pack. There were other implements in the pack, but she couldn't quite see. A lot of handcuffs, and some chain were obvious. She re-zipped the pack. Irrationally, she watched Darren's feet as if one might come alive and lash out at her. She scrambled back to her feet. And suddenly he was alive, twisting in his bonds and cursing. "What the fuck? Fucking cock tease." He really did look uncomfortable. He stared at the naked girls in front of him, not so much with desire as in anger. Kate didn't really understand what he was angry about until she remembered; the gunman had forced her to give him a hand job through his jeans, and then abandon him. Despite her revulsion, she tried to stifle a smirk. She was frustrated, too, but his frustration almost seemed -just. She could still feel his fingers on her nipple, twisting. Her clitoris gasped again, and she sighed.



"Just what the fuck do you think you are smirking at, you fucking cock-teasing BITCH!" "Not much," Kate said quietly. "If he'd let me out of these fucking handcuffs, I'd fucking break every bone in your body. See how you scream then, fucking bitch." Kate smiled. "I've been through worse." "Huh?" "Tell him." The voice came from behind her. Kate looked over her shoulder, and he nodded. Amazing. She'd been afraid of being naked in front of this guy, and here she stood, naked, head up, and proud. Her voice issued from her throat easily, almost as if she were giving a speech for grading. "After I left you," she smirked again, and he growled, "he made me have sex with Karen. We were both tied." Darren's eyes widened, almost as if he'd was sorry to have missed the sight. Kate was sure that he was exceptionally disappointed. She blushed a little, and then continued. "He tied me to the tree instead, tied my breasts, and then wanted to burn me with cigarettes." Kate watched with amusement as Darren's fly began to rise, millimetre by millimetre. "He didn't, thank God, but he did whip me with a branch. It hurt, Darren. I hurt. I'm human, and it hurt. A lot. I cried, like you want to see, but I'm glad that you didn't. And then he felt me up, all right? He felt me up, like you will never feel me up. And I liked it." His fly was nearly throbbing at her description. She could sense Karen gaping at her, and Darren's eyes nearly popped out of his head. She wanted to spit at him, but didn't. Somehow, she suspected that her captor wouldn't approve. "You are such a fucking slut," Darren remarked. Tears sprang to Kate's eyes, but she managed to will them away. "At least I'm not a fucking self-serving snake." Darren turned his attention to Karen. He rocked his hips forward towards her, obscenely, and his voice began low rising to almost a scream at the end. "I'd rock your world. Burn you. Whip you. You FUCKING cock teasing CUNT." It didn't even look like she thought about it. Kate watched as Karen's bare foot rose easily, connecting between Darren's legs, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (22 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


dead centre. The air whooshed out of him, and he fell, hanging from the handcuffs. Kate felt a tap on her shoulder. She slowly turned from the gasping fish in front of her. Dimly, she was aware of a hoarse voice behind her. "Fucking bitch dropped my 'nads. Bitch. Bitch." The gunman wore a smile on his face, almost suppressing a laugh. "Not a very bright boy, I must admit," he laughed. "What the hell did you two see in that guy?" Kate shrugged, more embarrassed by her former mistakes than her nudity now. The gunman continued laughing. "Care to take a crack at him, too?" She'd suffered through a lot of pain herself, and didn't really want to inflict any. Karen looked a little sick after bringing her foot back from the kick, but she'd been provoked. Kate slowly shook her head. "Fucking cock-teasing whore! Don't have the balls to kick me! You're my fucking love slave!" She honestly wondered if Darren had broken under the strain. Or maybe he wanted it. She didn't even know him any more. Naked or not, she whirled, and mimicked Karen, her bare foot striking Darren in the balls. "Shut the fuck up, Darren," she hissed. Darren seemed to pass out after her foot dropped from between his legs. Tears sprung to her eyes, and she let them fall this time. "Shut the fuck up," she begged.




He led them, in silence, Kate allowed her fingers sure that the guy behind naked holding hands with anymore. Karen's fingers

back towards the birch trees. Impulsively, to entwine with Karen's, and though she was them was enjoying the sight of her walking a girl, she didn't particularly care squeezed gently.

Insistently, a touch of his fingers separated the girls when arrived in front of the trees. "What now?" Kate asked quietly. She eyed the trees with distrust, could see herself bound there for a long time more. "I'm going to handcuff Karen to a tree, and then we're going into the school." "Inside? Why?" (I know why, don't I?) He shrugged, and she wasn't sure any longer that she had any idea why she and he were going into her school. "Which tree?" Karen, too, eyed the trees distrustfully. "You don't have to tie me, do you? I won't go anywhere. Where could I go?" (Control.) He laughed. "But Karen, I want you to be secured out here." "Why?" (Control.) He shrugged again. Karen sighed and pointed to the tree where she'd sat to witness Kate's torment. "There, I guess. Doesn't matter." She walked over without prompting, and settled back into the grass, her legs drawn up. "Like before, or do you want to tie me with rope?" The gunman joined her, while Kate leaned against her former prison. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (24 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


She idly tore off strips of birch bark, and rubbed the papery substance as she watched. Without speaking, he urged Karen back into her former position, hands held behind her, encircling the tree. Karen sighed, but accepted the metal bracelets onto her wrists. She wasn't moving until he unlocked her again. "Are they too tight? You might be there for a while." Karen pulled gently at her restraints, and nodded her head. A tear fell from her right eye to lazily trace down her cheek. He gently brushed it from her skin. "They're fine, I guess," she mumbled. "Feet." Karen looked up sharply, with raised eyebrows. The gunman held up another pair of chrome restraints, and Karen sighed, placing her ankles together in front of her. "I can't run anywhere. I can't uproot the tree." Her voice sounded like she knew that to protest was useless. She watched as he circled her naked, and slender, ankles with another pair of handcuffs. He rose, and walked back to Kate. "How long are you going to leave me here?" the bound girl asked. "Until we're finished." Karen seemed about to ask again, but then decided not to. "Will Darren wake up?" she asked instead. "He might, but ignore him. He can't get to you." Karen nodded. She extended her legs out in front of herself, oblivious about her exposure. She wiggled her toes. As he reached Kate, Kate bowed her head. It seemed to please him. "Can I ..." she began to ask. "Go ahead." Surprised that he had given her permission, Kate ran across to where Karen sat. "You'll be fine," Kate whispered. "Just ignore the jerk if he wakes up, and try to sleep or something. I'll make sure, somehow, that he http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (25 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


lets you go. Okay?" She had no idea if she could convince their captor to let Karen go. Karen was gorgeous, and she suspected that this wasn't an advantage in this world. But she'd try, even if it meant giving up herself. Tears fell unabashedly from Karen's eyes. Kate looked up. The gunman was walking slowly towards Darren, ignoring the girls. Gently, Kate brushed the wetness from Karen's cheeks. "I'm sorry," Karen whispered. "For what?" "For Darren." "I know. I know." Kate glanced up. The gunman was doing something over by her former boyfriend, but she couldn't tell what. She turned back to Karen. (Now's the time, girl. This is the world. If you want to know what it's like, now is the time.) Without thinking further, she bent and kissed her. Not a chaste kiss, but a full mouth open French kiss on the lips. Her body exploded, her clitoris throbbing, her breasts aching again, as if they'd never stopped. Karen's tongue touched hers and she pushed, breaking the kiss. Breathing hard, she rose to her knees. Flushing, she realised Karen was smiling. "In another world," Kate whispered. "I know." Kate rose to her feet. The gunman was watching them again, perhaps had seen the kiss. Kate didn't care. She'd been through too much to care. "Take care of yourself," Karen said. Kate blew the bound girl another kiss, and trotted back towards Darren and the gunman. The sound of her feet changed as she passed the edge of the pavement, until she arrived breathless by the gunman's side. "You look happy," he remarked. Kate nodded. He moved around her, opening her view of her former boyfriend. A strip of cloth covered his eyes. Kate smiled. Even if he woke from his stupor, he wouldn't be able to see Karen.



"That was nice," she said, as she automatically moved her hands behind her back. The metal circled her wrists again, and she didn't even bother checking to see if she could release them. She wouldn't be able to, even if they weren't remarkably tight. "What was?" "The blindfold." "Do you want to be blindfolded, too?" (Yes) (NO) Kate shook her head, momentarily off balance mentally. "I meant it was nice to stop Darren from seeing Karen while we're gone." "He doesn't deserve it," the gunman said simply. Kate privately agreed. (He didn't deserve to see anything that he did.) She felt the pressure of the pack pressed into her fingers, and she grasped it as best she could with her bound hands. She felt the cold circle of the gun barrel touch her side, just under her ribs. "You don't need to point that thing at me, I'll go wherever you want me to," Kate said calmly. She was beyond being afraid. Somehow, she knew that he was brandishing the weapon for effect. Or perhaps as a symbol. He wouldn't shoot her, even if she gave him a refusal. But she wouldn't refuse. Not yet, at least. She shivered. The only danger, at the moment, she thought, was a misfire of the damn thing. She'd beg him in a bit to put it away again. "Walk," he said. And she did. She glanced over her shoulder once, watching as her clothing receded, tumbled in front of a bound, and blindfolded boy. Just her bra and panties, she thought, she would do nearly anything to wear them again. Her bare feet moved automatically beneath her, moving her around the corner of the building, back into the grass, and towards the front of the school. As she moved around the corner of the school, she turned. He nearly bumped into her, but otherwise didn't impeded her. Karen was watching from her tree, quietly reflective. Kate wiggled the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (27 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


fingers of her left hand towards the bound girl. Karen smiled and nodded in return. And then she was moving again, the barrel of the gun pressed lightly into her skin, urging her forward. Karen disappeared behind brick and mortar.


Like a gentleman, he held the door for her. But it wasn't because he was a gentleman, it was because she was completely incapable of opening the door herself with her hands bound behind her, and carrying his pack of toys. Instead of walking through the open door, she balked, swaying unsteadily on the last step. "What?" he asked. She was somewhat surprised that he simply didn't pull the gun from his waistband and order her in. It had taken some begging to get him to put the damn thing away, but in the end, he'd acquiesced and returned it to the relative safety of his pants. "That's my school," she whispered. "So?" He honestly didn't understand why she might be uncomfortable walking amongst her friends and teachers, even if they were frozen in time, while handcuffed, naked, and scared. She'd walked through these doors, in freedom, so many times. So many times. "Please. Let me dress. You've had your fun with me. We could walk back, I could get dressed. I'll stay with you, if you want. Tie me up, I don't care. But it's my school. My friends. I. I don't want to go in there naked. Please." "Karen was your friend, wasn't she? And Darren?" Kate shuddered. "Karen was naked too, and Darren ..." her voice trailed off. "He'd seen you naked before?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (28 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


Kate shook her head vehemently. "I know they can't see me, but ... you might let them see me." He smiled, but didn't deny it. Slowly, he stepped out into the sunshine and let the door close with a quiet whoosh. He joined Kate on the top step. "Sit down, Kate." She obeyed, somewhat relieved that the weight of the pack had settled onto the concrete behind her as she sat. The concrete felt odd against her bare backside. He was silent for a moment, but then spoke to her. "It's normal, you know?" "Normal?" "Getting aroused by all this." Kate shook her head, denying the accusation, but then slowly changed to nodding. Tears began, and she couldn't brush them away. He did for her, and she sniffled. "I don't want to be aroused. My body ... just does it." He nodded, his eyes glazed as if remembering another woman and another time. Kate's voice continued, slowly and haltingly. "You strip me. You tie me up. You hit me, for God's sake, and I get aroused? It's not normal. I don't want this." He sighed, and broke himself out of his trance, or whatever it was. He leaned back against his hands. "Normal? What is normal? I don't know. But you are under stress, in a weird world, Kate. I can't let you go. Not now. And you'll fight it, I know you will, but it is normal. For you. You may not know it yet, but it is. You'll find yourself as we move along." She didn't like the sound of that. Not at all. "I don't want to know." "I know you don't. I know." He brushed her cheek, with a true tenderness. Her nerves jangled. Her nipples came alive again, and her clitoris sang. (No.)



She sighed, and pulled against the handcuffs. The reminder of her vulnerability only increased her arousal. (Control.) Slowly, she climbed to her feet. He remained on the step, looking up at her. "Kate?" "Yes?" "You'll be okay. I promise." She doubted that. She doubted if she would ever be able to go back to the innocent seventeen year old that had torn up leaves by herself in the front yard of a school. Slowly, she nodded. He picked up the backpack and pressed the loop of canvas back into her right fingers. She gripped it. "I think I can go in now." He nodded, and opened the door for her again. This time, she stepped through. The marble of the corridors seeped coolness into the soles of her bare feet. Confidently, she walked ahead of him, the pack bumping against her thighs. It felt odd to be barefoot in the school, more so than being naked and handcuffed. As she passed a group of boys that couldn't be much out of grade ten, she blushed. If they were alive, and could see her? Kate Robertson walking in school like that? She nearly stopped, but instead turned to face him, walking backward for a moment. The corridor was clear behind her, and she knew that she wouldn't bump into anything. "I can't do this." He smiled. "Of course, you can. Remember the cigarettes?" She paled and turned back around. She'd nearly reached the end of the corridor. "Where are we going?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (30 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


"Show me around." She had no idea why or what he wanted, but she paused in front of a door painted green. "That's my English class." He turned the knob and poked his head into the classroom. Kate could see another class watching the blackboard and a teacher that was out of view. "If I wanted you to give every boy a blow job that was in there?" Kate shuddered. The cigarettes floated in her vision. She glanced at her bare breasts, and shivered again. "Please, I don't want to do that." "Every girl an orgasm?" Karen's sex, and her taste resurfaced in Kate's memory. "If you made me, I would. Okay? You made me say it. But I'd rather not. Please." He smiled and closed the door quietly. He nodded, and pointed her onwards. "That's math, in there." The door was painted the same awful green that all the doors in this school were. He motioned her to his side. She walked back, and stood beside him. Idly, he stroked the underside of her right breast. She flinched, and then allowed him to do it. It didn't even seem as if he was aware of what his fingers were doing, and if he wanted to touch her, there was precious little she honestly could do about it. *She* was aware of his touch, or at least her body was. Her body wanted the touch, much as her mind balked at the idea. She moaned involuntarily. Her small sound seemed to break his concentration, and he quickly opened the math room door, almost with a blush on his face. The fleeting touch of his fingers abandoned her breast. This time, he stepped into the class room, and Kate followed. At his motioning, she stood up at the front of the class, shivering. She couldn't help imagining what she would look like if the class had been alive.



The class seemed to be in the midst of dismissal. The teacher, a young woman, Miss Chambers, if Kate remembered correctly, strode back towards her desk. The students were frozen in a variety of poses, all rising from their desks or speaking to one another. Kate tried to ignore them. The clock on the wall read 12:17:24. "Who's this?" Kate snapped her attention back to her captor. He was standing beside a tall, slim, brunette girl, about Kate's age, caught in the middle of rising from her desk. The girl had a worried, and rushed, expression on her face. Yes, she was from Kate's grade, but they ran in different circles. Kate searched her memory. Leanna? Lisa? Leigh. Leigh Cook. With the name, recognition flooded into Kate. The girl was at the top of the class, didn't have to try hard to get her marks. Smart. The girl would breeze into university without trying. Kate squinted, inspected the other girl. She was pretty in her own way. Not beautiful, her breasts weren't huge, but she was tall and leggy and well proportioned for her height. Perhaps if she wore something more revealing than the baggy sweater and loose jeans? Why was he interested in Leigh? Karen was far more attractive, at least in a standard model-ish way, and she was naked sitting in the grass out back, available, and close. "You aren't going to wake her, are you?" He shrugged. "Do you know her?" "Of her. She's the class brain, doesn't try real hard, and gets great marks. What's not to hate?" "You don't like her?" Kate sighed. "I didn't say that. I don't really even know her. I doubt if I've even ever spoken to her. She keeps mostly to herself." "What's her name?" Kate hesitated. But the girl's name didn't seem worth punishment. "Leigh. Leigh Cook. But she won't be your type. Trust me." He regarded Kate for a moment and smiled.



"What's my type?" That took Kate back for a moment. Then she found her tongue and whispered, hoping that it was the right answer. "Girls like Karen. Aren't the Karens of the world every man's dream?" The gunman slowly shook his head with a hint of a smile. "Why is Karen tied to a tree out back, then?" he asked slowly. The implied question raced through Kate's mind. (And why are you here?) Kate didn't have an answer to that one. "Don't you find Karen attractive?" He nodded. "Attractive, yes. She's gorgeous, but that isn't all there is to a woman. Every woman has her own beauty." Kate swallowed. She nodded in agreement. No, pretty skin and large breasts weren't all there was to a woman. She glanced down. Her skin was rather exposed, wasn't it? (So why strip us at all, then?) (Control?) Kate ran her eyes over Leigh again. True, she wasn't Karen, or Kate herself, but she glowed with a certain beauty. Kate shivered. Leigh would look just fine naked, she thought before tearing her eyes from the girl. With a sigh, he moved away from Leigh, without waking her. Kate let her breath out in a slow exhalation of relief. Catching her elbow, the gunman propelled Kate back towards the doorway. They passed through to the eerily silent hall leaving Leigh in peace. They had to pass through the gymnasium to get to the cafeteria. Kate cringed. The current class in there was a female class. The girls were playing basketball, while some from the finished boys class watched from the bleachers. The gunman glanced around with some interest. "Stay here." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (33 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


Kate planted her bare feet against the hardwood, and watched as he walked towards the lady's change room. Typical male. He emerged a moment later, a smile on his face. Kate didn't like that smile, but began to walk again as he caught up to her. "Interesting," he mused. "What is?" "There were some girls in the shower." "Pig." She immediately paled, expecting a cuff, but it didn't come. Instead, he was laughing. "The world is mine," he remarked. "I can afford to be a pig. But that isn't what was interesting." Kate wanted to ask, but didn't. Instead, she merely remarked: "Oh." As they left the gym, he glanced back at the basketball team. Kate continued to walk, until he caught up again. The cafeteria was full, and the old fear of exposure shuddered through her as she stepped into the teeming room. But they all remained frozen at their tables, in line, and talking in groups, ignoring the naked and bound girl preceding the clothed guy walking behind. Kate saw two guys and a girl preparing to play some cards at one of the first cafeteria tables. "Food any good in here?" Kate nodded. "Not bad. Stay away from the hamburger, though." He nodded, taking a quick survey of the room. Kate's stomach grumbled. She didn't know how long she'd been in this world, but it had been lunchtime when she had wandered out to her tree before all this happened. She hadn't been hungry then, but she'd been stressed since, to put it mildly. She hadn't asked the man for anything. Not really. She risked it. "Sir?"



He turned. He had been gazing into a blonde girl's face. The girl might have been fifteen, or maybe fourteen. Instead of asking her question, Kate whispered. "She's too young. You can't be serious. She's not even out of puberty." There wasn't a damn thing she could do about it, if the bastard chose to rape a fourteen year old, but she'd try. Dammit, she'd try. Her legs weren't bound. She'd kick, and kick, and ... He had a weird smile on his lips, almost mocking her. "I thought I'd get you to fuck her." "Oh God. I ..." He laughed then. "She's too young. Even you're too young, Kate. How old are you anyway?" "Seventeen," she answered automatically. His eyebrows rose just a touch. Surprised him, Kate thought smugly. She knew that she looked older -- even with her clothes off. He nodded then, and whistled. "You took a lot for being only seventeen." For some reason, a wave of pride galloped through her. She nodded. Dismissing her, the gunman returned to poking through the crowd. "Sir?" Her voice wavered. He looked up again. This time from a teacher. Kate shuddered, but continued. "I'm hungry." He smiled. "Actually, I am too." Relief washed over Kate. Her stomach growled again. He wasn't going to deny her food. He continued, dashing her hopes. "I've been here a lot longer than you, and I can hold off for a while." A tear slipped down her face. This was the first thing that she'd asked for outside of begging to get out of torture. His simple refusal cut her. Anger, unexplained and hot, rose in her.



"I've done everything for you. Co-operated. Let you tie me up. Carried your stupid pack. Even had sex for you. Just a little food is all I want, you fucked up bastard. I'm hungry." He smiled and walked back to her. His runners touched her bare toes. For a second, she thought he was going to step on her feet, grind them beneath his shoes. She didn't care. Her angry eyes flashed at him. He touched her cheek. She twisted away from him. She was angry, but fear stabbed at her, her breathing ragged. "I should punish you for that little outburst." Her anger fled. Images of cigarettes, and branches, and ropes flitted through her mind. She paled, and whispered, "Please no. I'm sorry. I'll wait." He nodded as if he understood. She still expected a sharp slap, perhaps into her breasts. "I'm sorry," she whispered again. Without a further word, he propelled the crying girl towards the entrance. Her shoulder opened the doors and she stumbled back through the gym, through the basketball girls, and out into the corridor on the other side.


"Where's your locker, Kate?" She managed to stop the tears. He hadn't hit her yet, but being hit wasn't what she was truly afraid of. "Please, I don't want to go back outside. Karen ... I yelled at you, she didn't." "What are you talking about?" "I yelled at you. She didn't. Please don't torture her anymore."



He smiled. "Where's your locker, Kate?" The tears began again as the naked, handcuffed girl stumbled up the corridor stopping in front of a yellow painted locker. Someone had scratched their initials into the paint. KR + DS. She waited off to the side. He touched her locker with his hand, almost caressing the surface. "I'll open it, if you want. There isn't much in there, but you can have it. Just please, don't hurt Karen any more. Punish me, if you have to." She tried to stop babbling, but her mouth refused to listen. "Sit," he ordered. Kate slowly lowered herself first to her knees, then to her bottom. Without thinking, she folded her legs into a cross-legged position. She was exposed, but she didn't care. Not anymore. Maybe seeing her like this would calm him. She shouldn't have yelled, no matter how hungry she was. It wasn't as if she was in danger of starving. Impulsive. Always impulsive. It simply seemed so unfair. She didn't even have enough control to eat when she wanted to. It was simply so damn unfair. She pulled at the bands of metal around her wrists. "Against the lockers." She shuffled until her bare back connected with her own locker. The metal was cool between her shoulder blades. The pack lay near her feet; she'd dropped it as she lowered herself to the floor. The cool of the marble seeped into her feet, legs and bottom. He crouched. "Are you? Are you going to punish me?" Kate asked. He smiled and shook his head. "I yelled at you." "Do you want me to punish you?" (Yes) (NO)



She shook her head. Her nipples ached, and her sex throbbed. Carefully, she unfolded her legs, and tucked them more ladylike to the side. "I'm finished with Karen, you know?" "Thank you." "When we're done here, I'll let her go. I won't hurt her anymore." "Because I promised to stay with you?" He shook his head. "Kate, if I wanted you to stay, I could have forced you to. No, I'm letting Karen go because it's time to." His words reinforced the fact that she had no control. Not here. Saving Karen was an illusion. She knew that, but didn't want to think about it. "What about me?" "I think I need to keep you for a while." "I want to go home," Kate said quietly. "I know you do. But you won't be alone with me much longer." Kate looked up sharply. She didn't like the sound of that. "I'm not enough? Hurting me isn't enough?" "What do you think?" Kate sighed. She knew the answer to that. He seemed so normal. But he liked to control girls. And so here she sat, naked, handcuffed, afraid, and controlled. Her clitoris throbbed again. (Why? Please, why?) "I don't want this." He seemed to know what she was talking about. Not her captivity, not her nudity, not his control of her. Her response to it. He moved forward, and wrapped the girl in his arms. She didn't resist, but allowed her head to fall against his shoulder. She hated herself for doing it, but she wept there for a long time. "I don't want this," she repeated. (No, I don't.) http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (38 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


At last, he released her, and moved back. She sat up straight against the lockers, uncaring if he could see her breasts, her sex, her body. She belonged to him, at least for now. "I'm so alone." He smiled gently. "Not for long, Kate. Not for long." And while she didn't wish this on anyone, she did want someone. Even Karen, who she still felt that she'd saved. Somehow. She sat easily in the grass. The remnants of an old autumn leaf lay forgotten in the grass near her bare foot. Her any her sat

arms encircled the real strength into slender ankles. It in the grass naked

oak behind her, the handcuffs not biting with her wrists. Another pair of handcuffs graced didn't feel like her anymore, some stranger and bound for another stranger's enjoyment.

"Let me go?" Kate implored to the man towering over her. "I can't." Kate lowered her head. "At least let me dress. Even just my underwear? I don't like being naked. I'm a human being. Just like you." (Not just like you. No. Not just like you.) His face was at her level; he crouched easily beside her. "Kate, you look fantastic naked. You have nothing to be ashamed of." "Shouldn't that be my choice?" she asked, looking at him. His eyes, as usual, held hers. Even as she said it, she knew the answer to that. Not anymore. (Why am I naked if he isn't even going to look at me?) "Kate, you lost choice, long ago, except those that I give to you." She flushed then. "Please? Just my panties? I'll go topless. Happily." He smiled and stroked her red hair.



"I have things to do." He rose back to his feet and turned back towards the school. "Sir?" He turned, impatience on his features. "You aren't getting dressed. I like you naked." His voice carried an edge of gruffness. "I know," she whispered. "But ... I just wanted to ask you something else." "We'll eat later. I won't let you starve." His voice carried a definite note of impatience now. "Please, don't hurt anyone else." He smiled, and turned away. She watched until he disappeared back into the school, the door closing with an air of finality. She pulled against her restraints in futility. "Please, don't hurt anyone else." But nobody was listening any more. She cried for a while, forced to simply let the tears fall from her cheeks to kiss her bare breasts. Then, surprising even her, her lids closed, and she slipped into a dreamless slumber.


Dawn awoke with a scream, her dreams haunted by odd images. Sexual images. Kelly crying, her nipples pinched by clothespins, her hands bound behind her back. Black nail polish, bare ankles chained together, a toe ring sparkling. The arousal was back, but it wasn't heavy, not like in the class room. No. Not that bad. Dawn willed away the throbbing between her legs, and her clitoris obeyed, at least for now. (Who the hell is Kelly?) http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (40 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


Dawn stood in the corridor, and stretched. Her joints cracked, and her muscles protested, but she felt more rested. She hadn't slept long, she was sure, and the hallway was far from comfortable. A kink had developed in her neck, and her shoulders felt like cattle had danced on them. She stumbled towards the younger student hurrying somewhere. Dawn wondered where, somehow knew that she wasn't supposed to be standing here, should be writing about the Horsehead Nebula, and Time constants. The girl was frozen. Dawn avoided touching her, but circled her slowly. (What would she look like naked?) Dawn fought off the attendant tingles, and slowly walked towards the front of the school abandoning the girl without trying to animate her. Dawn sighed. She hoped that one of the front doors had been open, perhaps someone coming in or out, but her luck remained poor. She stood in front of the glass doors, unsure of what she should do next. The doors refused to yield to the touch of her palm against the glass. (Go outside, might be a start. Go home?) The outside world was as strange and eerie as the inside one. Leaves didn't flutter on non-existent wind. Pedestrians stopped mid-stride. Cars, on the far away road frozen in time. A bicyclist balanced on two wheels, no gyroscopic forces of motion to hold her balance. "Hello?" She paused, feeling silly. "Is anyone here?" (Face it Dawnie, you're alone here.) But there was at least two other people, weren't there? Kelly, and the Timeman, right? She didn't know how to find them, didn't know what she was going to do. (Damn.) She concentrated on the glass in front of her, extending her bubble towards it. It touched the glass, and stopped. She pushed harder, willing it. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (41 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


(I got out of the room, I can get out of this damn school.) The glass refused to mesh with the bubble, and after a moment, she gave up. The bubble snapped back to fit her body like a glove. Slowly she sat down, crossing her legs. Her nipples throbbed. (I can't masturbate every time I need to open a door.) She lay down and stared at the ceiling. Unconsciously, she snatched her hand from her breast. (No) She rose, anger rushing through her. Anger at herself, anger at the unknown Timeman, anger at her helplessness. With a burst of energy she thrust the bubble out towards the glass. This time, the bubble rushed outwards, intersecting with the glass and beyond. Instead of opening the door, the glass shattered, hurting her ears. The bubble continued, bending through the glass, encompassing a space of about ten square metres. She felt it bump up against a girl, an Asian girl with long black hair falling straight below her shoulders. She pushed again, and the bubble meshed with the girl, for a moment. Dawn could see her hair ruffle, and her foot descend. But only for a second, hardly long enough to be sure that it had happened. (I CAN do it!) Then the bubble retreated until it stabilised around Dawn and the empty space beyond the glass in front of her. She could sense the bubble, and where it lay, almost as if she could see a soap bubble floating on the wind. It wasn't sight, exactly, but a sense, almost like touch. A great fatigue engulfed Dawn, as if she'd run a marathon, or perhaps two -- without training. Exhausted, she sank slowly to her knees, trying to maintain the extended bubble. If it snapped back, the door would return to its former state, she was sure. (Stay conscious.) She reached forward and picked carefully at some of the jagged shards of glass that remained embedded into the doorframe. "Shit," Dawn exclaimed as one punctured her skin. A drop of blood welled up from her left index finger. She popped it in her mouth and http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (42 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


sucked. It reminded her of John, and his intent before she'd stopped him. In anger. "Shit," she mumbled again around her wounded finger. Carefully, she rose, and stepping sideways, she gingerly eased her body through the opening in the door. The glass was thick and sharp -- safety glass. If she'd struck it with her hand, it would never have broken, even if it hadn't been frozen in time. Not like this. (I did that? With my mind?) Once outside, she picked her way through the glass and found a clear spot devoid of shards. She sank back to her knees. The concrete was cool and rough beneath her. (Great. Angry or masturbation. Fuck. What a choice.) She was betting that the Timeman didn't have things this hard. She lay back, letting the sun beat down on her, and allowed her time bubble to collapse again. When she propped herself up, the door was intact again, as if she'd never broken it. The Asian girl remained in her former position, unaware of Dawn or the strange new world. Slowly, tiredly, Dawn rose to her feet. Her body ached, and she wanted sex. (No. Ache, yes. Sex, no. Please, no.) The arousal listened to her, and she managed to reduce the heat building between her legs. (Clothespins) (No) She stepped forward, concentrating on putting one sneaker in front of the other. She rested was nobody sitting on around the bench.

on the park bench, uncaring of what anyone thought. There to see her. She stretched out, ignoring the old man the other end, caught feeding pigeons. She'd had to dance frozen birds to get to the unoccupied portion of the

Without consciously deciding, she let her mind sense the universe around her. The smoky blue clouds solidified and swirled around her. It was as if she'd been pulled into it, her tired mind unresisting. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (43 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


Four tennis balls (Four???) appeared, further away than the first two had. She snapped from the trance. (Dawnie, you don't want to do that.) (I do.) (No. You don't. What do you think he's doing now? There are four. FOUR.) Dawn sighed. "I know," she whispered to nobody in particular. Instinctively, she knew that none of those balls were Kelly. The Timeman, he was the largest of the balls, the smoke of the universe swirling easily around the curves of its surface. The smaller balls spun more slowly. She watched from a distance, for a while. Her breath came in ragged spurts, fear infusing her. She wasn't sure that she wanted to see what was going on, didn't want to feel whatever the participants felt. On the bench, she sat up, pulling her feet in and hugging her knees. The pigeons at the foot of the bench paid her no heed. She inhaled deeply, and plunged. A chain, with a padlock, encircled her throat. The padlock fell into the hollow of her collarbone, gently rocking there. She didn't have the key, and couldn't talk. Irrationally, her fingers rose to her own throat to ensure that she wasn't actually chained like an animal. If she fell, she would die, wouldn't she? She was dressed, could feel a skirt fluttering against her thighs as the girl shifted her weight. (Why? Chained?) Handcuffs. By now, the sensation of the bonds on her wrists was too familiar to ignore. On the bench, the girl through the haze held up her own unfettered wrists. An illusion. But her nipples throbbed anyway. (No.) A girl, a pretty blonde, crying, was removing her clothing, standing in fear in front of a gun. She dropped to her hands and knees, and crawled, the Timeman's hand entwined in her hair like a leash. Dawn's clitoris and vagina clenched and she squeezed her thighs together.



(Pull back. Now.) With an act of will, she extracted herself. The old man gradually refocused. Faint, Dawn tried to regain her breath. The girl with the chain around her throat was named Kate, and the crawling naked girl was named Karen. The guy had a thing for girls whose names started with 'K'. Her body tingled, especially her nipples. Absently, her fingers massaged her breasts through her clothing, gasping slightly at the real stimulation. (Dawnie, you knew that this was going to happen.) (Why is he *doing* this?) (Sex. Now.) (NO) Dawn stretched back out on the bench, trying to make sense of the images. She closed her eyes, half trying to place the location, half trying to ignore her own body. It was a school. The girls were high school age. Kate and Karen. (Who was the fourth ball?) She had only seen three people moving. (Have to go back, Dawn. Have to.) She stared up into the blue of the sky for a while. Every few minutes, she had to pull her hand from her breasts. Her face flushed, each time, though she was reasonably sure that she could strip naked, and dance (Oh yes) in front of the pigeon man, and he would take no notice. The joggers on the path, the children in the playground, the dogs running free through the grass would all ignore her. Without warning she was pulled. There was no conscious decision, and that scared her. But she was back, rushing past the spinning tennis balls in the smoke, back into Kate's consciousness. She didn't know if Kate knew she was there, but she doubted it. Kate's thoughts didn't seem to change with her presence. (No!) Cigarettes. The girl on the bench wrinkled her nose. Cigarettes turned her off -- wouldn't even consider dating anyone that smoked. Karen was bound tightly to a birch tree, her breasts bound. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (45 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


(Thank God you didn't bounce into her.) The guy with the gun lit two cigarettes dangling from the girl's lips. Then he taped the cigarettes to her breasts, the silver squares of tape shining in the sun. The girl was screaming, though the lit part of the cigarettes weren't anywhere near her nipples. Yet. Dawn's nipples crinkled beneath her clothing. Dimly, she was aware of them, somewhere far away sitting on a bench. Dawn called out to the Timeman, though the voice wasn't hers. Dimly, she realised that the impulse to speak wasn't her, either. Kate had called. "Sir?" "If you take those damn things off her breasts, I'll. I'll strip and crawl for you. I'll suck you, and I'll fuck you silly. Whatever it takes. You can spank me, instead. If you have to, you can burn me. Let her go. Please." Dawn's nipples ached, and her vagina clenched at the words. (Dammit, pull out.) She shoved, and gasped. The bench re-solidified, and the old man reappeared in the sunshine. Tears streamed down her face. She wanted to have sex, even with the Timeman. Anyone. (Sex.) She closed her eyes, and concentrated on physics. It didn't help, any more than she'd been able to control her own response in the classroom, but she resolved to keep her hands to herself. She didn't have to open a door, didn't have to concentrate. Not yet. (It would be so easy. Touch yourself, Dawn.) (NO!) After a time, she was pulled again. The lack of control terrified her. The bench faded, and the blue smoke reappeared. She'd had to strip. In front of the boy chained to the wall. She hated the guy, though it was far clearer to her, than to Kate. She knelt, naked and helpless at the boy's feet. God, she didn't want to, but her hand rose, massaging the hardened penis through ... Darren's ... the guy's name was Darren ... jeans. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (46 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


She wanted to throw up, but her hand continued to stroke, feeling him writhe happily beneath her fingers. (John.) (John hit me, and was going to rape me.) (It would have been sex.) (I don't WANT sex. Not now.) Darren was going to explode, his hips bucking. The Timeman touched her shoulder. (No!) The park and the bench reappeared. This time, Dawn simply closed her eyes, hands gripping the waistband of her jeans. It reminded her of where she was, and where they were. She wanted to wash her hands, but dimly she knew that she didn't have to. It was Kate's fingers that had touched Darren, not her. (I don't want to go again.) (Listen, Pandora, you wanted to see. Sleep in your bed.) (Please no.) Her breathing had almost returned to normal when she felt a gentle heat beneath her breasts. The heat aroused her, even further. Her breasts felt restricted, as did her hands, even though they remained gripped into the belt loops of her jeans. She opened her eyes. A pink lighter passed beneath her breasts. Ropes encircled them, naked and jutting obscenely from her chest. Except it wasn't her chest. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she was insanely glad that the cigarettes weren't taped to her nipples. (Cigarettes? Nipples?) A spasm, far too close to an orgasm, rippled through her. A breath on her clitoris, on the bench, would set her off, she was sure. She forced her hands, the ones that weren't bound painfully behind the tree, to grip the belt loops to the tearing point. (No.) She could taste Karen on her lips, and the taste was sweet. (Karen?)



And her lungs burned. (Because I've been forced to smoke???) "Please spank me. Please." When she looked up, he was holding a branch. Agony sank into Dawn's breasts, a stripe across the tops of her breasts, and another, worse, below. She screamed, babbled with Kate, as she sat safe and rocking on the bench. The images faded, but the pain remained in her breasts. She cradled them, as best she could, while she rocked slowly, trying to control the pain and the resulting arousal. Her hand stole down, and jammed into the fork of her thighs. She rocked, and squeezed. (I'm. I'm. I'm going to ...) She snatched her hand back, and moaned as her body protested. (No!) Her breasts ached, and her clitoris screamed. (Please.) She moaned again, and lay down. Her head touched the solidity of the old man's thigh, and she recoiled a little. But it didn't dampen the symphony of her nerves. (Handcuffs) (Chains) (Branches) (Fire) Tears rolled down her cheeks, and her breasts throbbed, but her fingers held tightly to her waist.




He glanced back at Kate, through the glass of the front doors of the school. The bound, naked, girl sat quietly under the oak to which he'd tied her, her legs curled up beside her in a pose that he found familiar. Karen had curled up in a similar pose, attached to the birch tree out back of the school. Kate had watched him leave, he could feel her eyes on his back as he moved, but once he'd passed through the glass of the entrance, the glare probably hid him from her view. At last, she lay her head back against the bark of her prison, her sigh inaudible to him. Slowly, he turned away from her, and began to retrace his steps where the girl had led him previously. The corridors teemed with students. He'd noticed them on his previous jaunt through the halls with Kate, but truthfully, he'd been watching her more than his surroundings. The girl was wonderful, far more mature than her years. Feisty, and independent, and beautiful enough to be a model. The girl thought herself the inferior of Karen, at least physically, but that red hair, and the body. In no way was Kate inferior to Karen. Karen was caring, yes, and docile. Beautiful, undoubtedly. But Kate, she was the enigma. Making her strip had been so much more satisfying than her friend. He stopped for a moment, almost ready to turn around and bring the naked girl to him. He shook his head. The light from the entrance of the school bounced towards him. She was back there, available, and helpless. No. He turned back towards the classes. He knew what he was driven to do. He recognised Kate's locker as he passed it. The yellow paint shone with its own light. He traced her initials, where they were carved into the paint in a half-heart engraving. DR?? Darren? He doubted that. The hairs tickled the back of his neck. Eyes bored into his back, about where his shoulder blades were. Darren? Free? Kate? Karen? He whirled. Only shadows. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (49 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


"Kate?" he asked. If that girl had managed to get free and was playing games with him, she'd regret it. "Kate?" he called a little louder. Silence responded, his voice not even echoing from the close walls. He was tempted to run back, ensure that the girl remained bound to the oak. There was nobody there. Silly. He leaned back against Kate's locker, and slid slowly to the ground, massaging his temples. With a touch of concentration, he could sense the girls. Kate, and Karen. Darren's bubble remained on the timeline, too, but fainter. The boy remained where he'd been bound, probably still unconscious. Who, then? A girl, watching him, her face turned against painted wood. He could see her image, faintly but real. The girl sat on a park bench, no, was lying on a park bench, grasping her waist, as if in pain. An old man sat frozen, feeding pigeons. The girl's chest rose and fell rapidly, as if she had run a marathon, or had recently been laid. The old man remained motionless, unbreathing and unseeing. She was looking at him, her eyes frightened and intelligent, but he doubted if she could actually see him. That didn't seem right. And suddenly, he knew. The girl was aroused, and frightened. Her streaked blonde hair tumbled nearly to the ground off the edge of the bench, and it moved with the slight shift of her body. He gently pushed mentally, flowing towards her, like swimming in a great pond of molasses. Who was she? Was she real? As he pushed towards her, the image began to fade. "No!" The image fled, like a dream, before he could try to understand. Casting about in the universal lines of time didn't help him. There was an anomaly, and he could sense it -- time bending outside of his influence.



The girl? She seemed harmless -- frightened and alone in a strange world. He'd find her, if he could. If only to figure out how his time control had missed her. She probably couldn't survive here without his help. If she were real. Maybe his mind had made up the image in response to stress? The equations did say that fatigue could cause hallucinations here, didn't they? It was one of the things that had made him hesitate before bringing the condition back into the world. But even if she were here with him, impossibly on this timeline with him, she'd survive for a while by herself, and for now, he had things to do. Rest among them. Even if the girl were real, he was sure that she couldn't hurt him or his plans. In fact, she might fit into them nicely. Oh yes. She had been attractive. If she were real. He sighed, mind spinning. Slowly, he pushed himself up the locker to his feet. The metal of the locker slid easily up his shirt as he lifted. Smiling, began to friends, coloured The girl

he cast the strange image of the girl from his head, and walk. A black girl stood with a group of her coloured animatedly talking about something. Across the hall, a boy wearing a ridiculous looking headscarf leered at her. didn't seem to notice.

Further up the hall, a petite blonde -- not as beautiful as Kate or Karen -- talked seriously with a tall boy sporting a mullet. The Timeman walked around the girl. Her lips full, and her body sensuous beneath her frozen clothing, he admired her. Wanted her. For a second. He blinked, his eyelids grainy. No. Not her. He walked on. Groups of teens, in various costumes populated the corridor. At last he arrived at the green painted doorway. He hesitated a moment. Did he want to do this? Kate and Karen. Weren't they enough? He shook his head. He wasn't really driving this, was he?



Absolute power. Right? Wrong. He waited for a moment, troubled, hand resting on the chrome knob of the door. He was beginning to care again. Control. Kate was Her body Jane, in a lessor

intriguing, her obvious masochism, her fight to control it. betrayed her -- he'd seen such things before. A girl named another time and another place. And Elizabeth, as well, to degree.

And he wanted to control Kate. Control her. Hurt her. Give her what she wanted in this place outside of time. She wouldn't remember, no, but here and now, she could find herself. That's all you want for her? He smiled and shook his head. Wouldn't be worth it all, would it? Why Karen? Because she was convenient, and damn beautiful to watch crawling, and scared. He shook his head. In this time and place, he could afford such pastimes. Once he let her go, she hadn't done any of that. Had she? Existence presupposed time. Paradox. His mind slipped to Sandra, crawling, naked, and vulnerable. Suddenly, he wished that he'd tied her. Of course, he'd had nothing to tie her with, but he wanted to see the manager tied into a chair, helpless, nude. And Kelly. The clothespins, and her pain. She'd done what he wanted. Oh yes. And her struggle at the end. Transforming herself from depression and blackness, to beauty, inner and exterior. He wanted to go back and get her, show her what she could become. No. Kate, yes, but the rest didn't need to be here. Not yet. Surprised, he realised that he had sunk and was sitting on the floor. His head cradled in his hands, he blinked. Nearly fell asleep. Can't. Not yet. He pushed himself to his feet, blinking rapidly. It had been a long day already. Four women, and two still out there. Darren wasn't even worth thinking about. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (52 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


He swayed for a moment on his feet, and then glanced around the hallway. Students ignored him, frozen into the poses in which they had been at 12:18:47. He licked his lips. His pack lay at his feet where he'd dropped it before he'd lowered himself to the floor. He picked it up. Absolute power. He turned the chrome under his palm and pushed the door open.


Slowly, he walked around the classroom, purposely avoiding a certain student rising from her desk. The teacher looked like she was barely out of teacher's college, perhaps twenty-six. Her body was trim, and her brunette hair fell loosely about midway down her back. She'd been caught a few paces from her desk, her gaze fixed on her chair. Triangles dotted the chalkboard. A few of the closer students were busily taking notes while the remainder were either rising, or had risen and were making their way to the entranceway. He glanced around. There were a number of pretty girls that he could use. An Asian girl with long black straight hair was nearly at the door. A taller girl, her hair short and spiky, but with nice breasts and long legs, appeared to be ready to slip out of her desk. The desk directly in front of the brunette girl caught half-way from her seat had already been vacated -- or had been empty to begin with. He slipped into the uncomfortable chair, sitting backwards, resting his chin on his hands. He finally allowed himself to look at her. She dressed conservatively in loose jeans, and a T-shirt which hid her form. He suspected that she was shy of her body, but that it was nothing to be shy about. The girl wore her hair in a simple braid, with some hair escaping to tumble down the side of her face. She'd never be a model, not like Kate could be, but her face had fine structure, her cheeks and eyes alive and intelligent. She looked http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (53 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


somewhat tall, and slim, her breasts, hidden by her shirt for now, didn't seem overly large. Not more than a mouthful, but they suited her frame. Or so he thought. The girl looked like she might be in a hurry to get somewhere. Idly, he wondered where she needed to be. She probably would be making a detour. The thought brought a wry smile to his lips. "Leigh," he said quietly to her unresponsive face. He glanced around once more. Slowly, he pulled the gun from the small of his back, thumbing off the safety. If what Kate said was true, this girl would probably be smart enough that he wouldn't have to demonstrate that the gun worked, but sometimes they panicked. He'd seen that before, too, no matter how smart they were. He'd have to demonstrate for her, if he wanted her to obey, but not yet, and probably not with the gun. He mostly wanted to talk to her. At first. He concentrated, letting the gun dangle easily from his entwined fingers under his chin. The bubble extended smoothly, and he felt the ripple of time pass through him as her space joined his. Leigh continued to rise as if she were still going to rush towards the cafeteria. Her mind grasped that there was something strange with the world a moment later, and she banged her knee into her desk in surprise. Out of the corner of her eye, a tall, dark man had appeared in Chad's desk, sitting backwards in the chair. A piece of chrome dangled from his fingers. Her mind refused to acknowledge what that chrome was -- this school had a zero-tolerance policy on weapons on the property. The silence descended on her like a press, the frozen images of her classmates haunting her retinas. The only other movement, but for her own, was the slow pendulum of the chrome from the strange man in front of her. Instinctually, she turned towards him, catching her breath. Yes, he was dangling a handgun. She didn't know anything about handguns, except that she didn't like them. Not at all. "Sit back down, Leigh," the man said. The unexpected sound of his voice startled her, and she screamed. The scream sounded low and flat. Instead of sitting, Leigh glanced towards the door. Way too far. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (54 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


He'd shoot her before she took two steps. She rotated slowly. Nobody else but Leigh and the gunman. "What's going on here?" she asked quietly. He smiled. When she looked down at him, the gun became more obvious. It looked like it was trained pretty much at her heart. Leigh swallowed quickly. "What do you want?" He motioned with the gun for her to sit. Without taking her eyes from the weapon, she slipped back into her seat, allowing her books to fall to the scarred surface of the desk. "Hands on the desk." Slowly, Leigh complied, placing her palms on the fake wood of the top of the desk and spreading her fingers. "You don't have to point that at me." He shrugged, but left it trained on her anyway. The barrel seemed to be pointing more towards her throat, now. Leigh trembled a little. "How do you know my name?" Leigh ventured. He laughed. "I have my ways. Aren't you going to offer me money? To let you go?" The question seemed odd to Leigh, but she shrugged slowly. Always slowly. "I don't have any money. If you want money, then you've kidnapped the wrong girl." The gunman laughed and slowly lowered the gun. But it was obvious that he could train it on her and shoot her well before she could get to him. She sat quietly for a moment, trying to calm her racing heart. "What do you want?" she asked. "Isn't that obvious?" Leigh glanced around. Just the two of them, in a sea of motionlessness. She didn't have anything worth taking, except for ... "Me?" He reached forward and patted her right hand, still splayed on the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (55 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


desk. She pulled her fingers back from the touch. "Smart girl," he murmured. He didn't seem offended by her movement. When he withdrew his hand, she shifted her hand back to its original position, visible for him and non-threatening. "Why me? What's happening here?" "All in good time, Leigh. All in good time." She stared at him, hoping that her frightened eyes actually looked more hateful than she was capable. After a moment, she broke the stare and glanced down at her fingers. No nail polish graced her longer finger nails. The length of her finger nails were about the only concession that she made to society's norms for female beauty. She wore no makeup, and didn't dress to kill. She didn't need those things. "Where were you going?" he asked. His voice carried a note of threat, even though it was soft and low. "Lunch," she answered. He nodded. "Seemed to be in a hurry." "Before you waved a gun at me." He smiled. "Yes, before I waved a gun at you." "I was going to meet some friends. Play some Euchre. I guess that plan is moot, now." He nodded slowly. He waved the gun towards the front of the class. "That your teacher?" Leigh nodded. "Miss Chambers. She's actually a substitute, she normally teaches gym class. Everyone seemed to like her. Is she dead? Are they all dead?" "They aren't dead, Leigh. Just ... frozen." That didn't make much sense to her, but it sounded better than dead. "What are you going to do with me?"



His eyes glowed, as if he had many unspeakable plans for her. She was sure that he did. "Don't know yet." "Yes, you do," she said. "Are you going to rape me?" He shook his head negatively, and she believed him. "Then why? Why me?" He shrugged. She inhaled deeply. "Whatever it is you want from me or with me, if you don't tell me, how can I do it?" "You're doing it already." She raised her eyebrows. "Look. I'm scared. And frightened. And I just want to do whatever it is you want, so you'll let me go. Okay?" He grinned. "Would you strip for me?" She hesitated. "I thought you weren't going to rape me." "I'm not." She looked confused for a moment, but then shook her head no. "I won't strip for you. Why would you want me stripped?" He ignored the question, but the gun became more steady, vaguely pointing in her direction. There was no mistaking the threat. "If I said that I'd shoot you? Would you take your clothing off for me?" "No. You'd have to cut my clothes off, if you want me like that. Or you'd have to shoot me." He smiled, as if relishing the thought -- though whether it was the thought of cutting her clothes off, or the thought of actually shooting her, she didn't know. She shivered. This man could do it, she was sure, snipping her clothing off, one piece at a time. Or he could shoot her, pulling the trigger without a second glance at her. "I'd scream. I haven't yet." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (57 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


"Look around, Leigh. You're a smart girl. Do you think screaming would help?" "Couldn't hurt. Maybe only this classroom is frozen. You might shoot me, but you'd be caught." He laughed. "I won't shoot you. Scream if you want." She didn't. "Good girl," he said. "The entire world is frozen. Well, if you screamed loud enough, perhaps a couple of people might hear you, but it wouldn't do you, or them, any good." That didn't make a whole lot of sense either, but she accepted it. Screaming didn't seem her best option anyway. "How about something a little more mundane?" "What? You want me to dance for you?" She didn't know where the comment had come from, but it popped out of her mouth before she could stop it. Her fingers flexed for a moment against the desk. Great. Give the bastard ideas. He smiled, telling her that she very well might dance for him before her stay with him was through. "How about your shoes?" "My shoes?" "Would you take off your shoes?" Leigh glanced down. Her runners were dusty, barely any vestige of their former colour visible. "Why do you want my shoes?" He shrugged. "Better than all of your clothes, isn't it?" Better than being shot. Slowly, she used her toes to slip her worn runners from her feet. The marble tile of the classroom was cool beneath her stocking feet. "Socks?" "Don't push your luck," she said as calmly as she could. She kicked her shoes towards him, watching him. One of her shoes tumbled into the aisle beside the desk where it sat there like a http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (58 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


lonely dove. He glanced down at the runner and smiled gently. "Keep your socks, for now." She nodded. Her belly tightened for a moment, a sinking feeling that she would be without her socks, and a lot more, before much longer. Somehow. Keeping one eye on her, he bent and unzipped a blue backpack that she hadn't noticed before. His hand emerged with a pair of handcuffs. He carefully laid them across her spread hands. She shivered at the caress of the cold metal. "I'm not going to willingly let you put them on me," she said quietly. "Is it worth a bullet?" She looked up sharply. The gun levelled again at her temple. "Shoot me, then." He sighed, and lowered the gun. She sat still as he pressed the barrel into her shoulder. She shuddered at the touch, but didn't move away. "Have you ever been shot before?" "No." "It hurts. Trust me." "Have you ever been shot?" she tried to keep her voice from faltering, but her heart was hammering in her chest faster than a locomotive. He shook his head. "But I've seen girls shot in joints before." Leigh paled. "They screamed. A long time." She felt like throwing up. "But at least you'd let me go." He smiled. "Oh no, Leigh, no, no. We'd simply start all over again, and I'd find something that would make you put those handcuffs on."



(Again?) "What?" "Be a good girl and put them on." "If I put them on, then you could do anything to me that you wanted. I wouldn't be able to stop you." "Leigh. I can do anything I want to now." She didn't understand, but she nodded anyway. "Now, do you want to feel a bullet shatter your shoulder? Or do you want to do this the easy way?" She stared ahead for a moment. Call his bluff? Or not? The price was heavy if he wasn't bluffing. "How long?" "How long, what?" "How long will I have to wear them?" "Until I let you out." Leigh sighed. Her mind whirled. If he shot her, she wouldn't be able to stop him from handcuffing her anyway. Only she'd be in agony, she was sure. "You won't rape me? Cut off my clothes?" "Don't be silly. You'll take off your clothes for me. I won't need to cut them off." "I won't." "You will. But even when you're as naked as the day you were born, I won't rape you. At least not in a classic sense." What did that mean? She didn't know and definitely didn't want to find out. "So you want to see me in these?" She picked up the cuffs slowly and dangled them from her right index finger. "If I do this, you won't hurt me while I'm bound?" He shook his head. "Put the gun down." He hesitated, but moved the weapon from pressing into her shoulder. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (60 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


She wrapped one of the cuffs around her left wrist, and shuttered the clasp closed. "You have a key to these things, right?" He nodded, and dug in a pocket. He held up a small shiny key. It sparkled in the lights of the classroom. She began to close the right cuff awkwardly with her bound left hand. He stopped her. "Behind your back." "No way." "Leigh, I won't lie to you. I want to see serves another purpose. If your hands are need this," and he waved the gun in front be a viable physical threat. I can put it it at your pretty face."

you wearing them. But, it behind you, then I don't of her eyes. "You cease to away, and stop pointing

She sighed. "You'll stop waving it around if I do this?" He nodded, placing it behind him somewhere out of her sight. She was sure that he could grab it faster than she could gouge his eyes out, but at least it wouldn't shoot her accidentally. Would it? She sighed again, and awkwardly placed her hands behind her. "I can't close them back there." "Yes, you can. Try." She tried. With effort, she was able to close the right cuff around her right wrist. She didn't tighten it into her skin, but discovered that she couldn't remove her wrist even with it loose. She'd never worn handcuffs before. "There. Is that enough?" "Can you get your hands out?" "No." "Then it's enough. Stand up." Leigh hesitated, didn't like following his orders. After a moment, she pushed herself up awkwardly. To her surprise, as her hands fought the chain and metal holding them, a trickle of electricity wandered through her. Her nipples sang, and her clitoris grumbled. (What the?) http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (61 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


She shifted awkwardly, and stepped into the aisle. Her shoe greeted her. Her socks felt slippery against the floor. "What now?" she asked.


He'd been silent for a while. The corridors were in the same condition as the math classroom -- silent and eerie. Leigh shivered as she walked in her stocking feet, slightly ahead of him. She knew most of the students caught in some state of frozen animation. She wished that she had been allowed freedom of her hands so that she could touch one of the frozen people. (Was I like that, too?) But the handcuffs kept her hands out of action, for now, and she walked along silently, listening to her own soft footsteps and the tapping of his running shoes slightly behind her. "Where's your locker, Leigh?" She jumped a little at the sound of his voice. "Why?" "Because I want to see if you have any money tucked away there." She stopped, and turned to face him. She was acutely aware, for some reason, of her handcuffs and her stocking feet. Vulnerable. She was a tall girl, but he was taller still. She approached five foot nine, but he easily topped her by five inches, maybe six. Of course, without shoes, she seemed that much shorter. She looked up into his face. "I told you, if you want money you've got the wrong girl. My parents can barely pay their bills, much less a ransom." He laughed.



"I was kidding Leigh. What would I need with money? I could walk into any bank in the land, and take whatever I wanted. Nobody to stop me." She bit her lip. That made sense. That only left her as the prize. And she didn't like that. Not one bit. "I won't let you rape me. You'd better have tied me down a lot better than this," she rattled the handcuffs behind her. "I'll bite. I'll kick. I swear, I'll hurt you." He smiled gently. "I'm sure you would, Leigh. I'm not going to rape you. Strip you, yes, but rape you? No." He really didn't seem perturbed by her claims to be able to hurt him. "I'm not going to let you strip me, you know." He nodded. "I know." It looked to Leigh like he was counting on resistance. She didn't like the thought of that, but she wasn't about to let him cut her clothes off, either. And she sure as hell wasn't going to striptease for him. "I won't." He nodded, and gently turned her. "Locker." She turned left, past the girl's bathroom, and past the yearbook planning room. Her locker was in the orange bank beside the English department. This corridor was fairly clear of frozen students, most either in the cafeteria already, or still stuck in Miss Chamber's math class. Three girls gathered near the end of the locker bank. Leigh recognised them, but only in passing. Leigh silently wished that she was still in class or in the cafeteria, too. "That's it, there." She nodded towards the dented locker. Some of her friends had dented it as a prank. She sighed, remembering the guys hammering on it with a textbook until the principal chased them off. She'd only remarked that it was tough to see her locker. It was easier to find it, now. "Combination?" She hesitated.



"You have to be kidding. You're handcuffed there, you can't open it. And what do you care if I see into your locker? I don't want to break into it. Do you?" "12, 43 and back to 55." "Thank you," he said. He lowered the pack to the ground, and then his fingers were spinning her lock. Nobody else in the school, except the front office, knew her combination. In a moment, her locker door swung open. She leaned against the opposite locker bank and watched as he riffled through the contents of her locker. She didn't care. There wasn't anything of value there. She didn't have anything of value: only some pictures fastened with magnets to the door, and some school supplies, and books. She had no idea what he was looking for. Her bound hands pressed into the small of her back as she waited. (I'm handcuffed. In school.) Her nipples reacted, but not badly. She willed away the sensations. (What the hell are you? A masochist?) She didn't think so -- never had fantasies along those lines before. (Fantasies about what then?) (What he's doing. To me. But as HIM.) (Then why are the handcuffs turning you on?) (They aren't) (Mhmmmm) She shook her head in weak denial. He had risen and closed the door to her locker. He wore an odd expression on his face, like he had read her mind. She blushed. "What were you thinking about?" "If you'd ever let me go." "I don't think I have a choice." That wasn't an answer, but she didn't pursue the issue. "Sit," he ordered her gently.



"Why?" "Suit yourself. I just thought you'd be more comfortable." He lowered himself to the floor. The lock on her locker dangled unclasped from its hole. She watched it swing as he slid down her locker. After a moment, she carefully slid down the opposite locker, her bound hands trying to guide her. She didn't know if she'd be able to get back up, but she supposed that she could if pressed. She tucked her legs beside her. "Who are these people?" He held up a picture, one of the few that she had under magnets inside her locker. The sight of it in his hands made her angry, a little. He didn't have any right to see it. "Summer camp people. My family, and friends." "Any from school?" "Janice goes to school here." He pointed at a slim girl, not as tall as Leigh, in the photo. Leigh nodded. "Can you put the picture back, please?" She had a feeling that he wouldn't, that she really didn't have much say in what happened with her and to her and her property. He was toying with her, giving her a sense of normalcy in this strange world. "Why do you have it here? Stuck up in your locker?" She hesitated. It wasn't any of his business, was it? "They were happier times." "You don't get along with Janice?" Leigh nodded slowly. "No. I get along with Janice just fine, still." He nodded. She watched as he twisted around, released the hanging lock, and slipped the picture back under her magnet. She honestly hadn't expected him to give it back to her. He closed the locker again, and then shuffled towards her. He held out the purplish bottle towards her. "Will you wear some?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (65 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


She sighed. The bottle represented, perhaps, the most expensive possession she had. She'd bought it because she liked the smell, and a few boys in the group she'd been with in the mall had told her that it suited her. Not boys she liked, but boys who normally didn't notice her. This and the nails, the only real illusions to her femininity. She nodded, acquiescing to his request. She suspected that she didn't really have a choice here, but that he'd allowed her one. If he'd wanted to, he could have poured the contents over her head, overpowering her with the fumes, and she couldn't really do a damn thing about it. But this time, if she'd refused, she suspected that he would have simply replaced the bottle in her locker. The musky odour of the perfume wafted to tickle her nose. Forgetting the handcuffs adorning her wrists, she automatically tried to reach for the bottle. With surprising gentleness, the guy with the gun touched the bottle to his finger and applied only a hint to her throat. His touch sent an involuntary shiver down her spine, and she willed it away. She could imagine those hands closing around her throat just as easily as applying perfume. He carefully capped the bottle and slipped it into his pack. Her Poison disappeared as he zipped up the pack. (Hey! That's mine.) (And it's going with you. Wherever that is.) He settled back against Leigh's locker. "What's going on here?" she asked quietly. "Time control." "What?" "Time control. Everything, but you and I, is frozen in a time shift. I control it. I control everything, in a way. What happens here, doesn't." Time control. That sort of made sense, though she couldn't understand how he was controlling it. "I was like them?" He nodded, confirming what she'd already guessed. "You freed me?"



He nodded again. "Why? Why me?" "You ... interest me." She wasn't popular, worked hard to ensure that. She didn't join the clubs, avoided friends. Friends asked questions, and wanted to come over for dinner, didn't they? "I'm not the best looking girl in the school, you know?" "Are you the smartest?" "Probably not." "Would you rather if I searched out, say Kate Robertson? And took her instead?" The question unnerved her. Made her think. How did he even know Kate Robertson? Leigh barely knew her. Well, everyone knew of her, but girls like Leigh didn't socialise with girls like Kate, even if Leigh was more ... into making and keeping friends. Slowly she shook her head. She wouldn't wish this situation on her worst enemy, much less any girl in this school. Kate was beautiful, got any guy that she wanted, but Leigh didn't hate her, or begrudge her her looks. "How do you control time?" Leigh asked carefully. She doubted if he'd tell her. "Combination of thought and matter and space and time. It's not a simple thing. Even Einstein got some of it wrong." "Oh," she remarked. The physics was above her. Perhaps not in a few years, but high school physics was ... limiting. Youth had its disadvantages, sometimes. "How long are you going to keep me?" He smiled and didn't answer her. "Are you going to kill me?" She shivered. The thought sent bolts of fear down her spine. She'd told him to shoot her in the classroom, but she didn't want to die. "No, Leigh. I'm not going to kill you, or rape you." His voice was infinitely patient, though she sensed that he might not have the patience of a saint. He was testing her, she thought. "Why do you have me then? What's the point? Why am I here?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (67 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM


"I wish I knew." "You don't know?" He shook his head. The thought that he didn't know unsettled her a little. She felt off balance -- wondered if that was exactly how she was supposed to feel. "Let me go? Please?" "Not yet. Not yet." She sighed. This conversation was going around in circles. "What are you going to do with me?" "Have you strip." She didn't deny it this time. "If you aren't going to rape me, why do you want me unclothed?" "Why do you think?" "Typical male?" He nodded. "Girls look better without their clothing." She shivered. "Do you want to do this the hard way? Or the easy way?" he asked quietly. She sensed that this was the crux of the issue. He was giving her a chance. All she had to do was strip for him. She shook her head. "I'm not going to take my clothes off for you." "The hard way," he said. He didn't sound disappointed. "I had a feeling that would be the case." "I'm not," she said with conviction. "I know, Leigh. I know." He sounded tired. Exhausted, actually. With that, he signalled the end of the conversation by rising. She envied him his mobility as he motioned for her to rise to her feet. She struggled with her hands, off balance both physically and mentally. The cuffs impeded her. The bastard made no move to help her.



At last, she crossed her ankles, and rose easily in one fluid motion. "I'm up." "Are you scared, Leigh?" he asked. She hesitated, glanced down towards her feet, wiggled her toes. She slowly nodded, her eyes finding his. Surprised, she sensed wetness forming in her lower lids. She blinked the unshed tears away. Yes, she was scared. Out of her mind. But she'd survive. Had to. "Why can't I have shoes?" she asked quietly. He smiled. "First step, Leigh." That didn't make sense to her, but she suspected that it was a reference to his insistence that she strip. Her removing her shoes to the threat of the gun, was her first step to removing all her clothing. She wished that she hadn't removed her shoes at all, though she thought that maybe he wasn't hurting her, yet, because she had. He would have shot her shoulder, if she'd refused. Somehow, she knew. She felt helpless, and frustrated. Her nipples throbbed in the background. He murmured one more thought. "I thought that you'd be more comfortable without them." And strangely, she thought, she was. She hated shoes anyway. He motioned her forward, and she stepped in front of him. Her socks felt odd, in the middle of school. Not normal, and almost taboo. But she walked forward anyway, one foot falling in front of the other, her feet whispering as they walked.


© Copyright 1997-2004 - Crimson Dragon All rights reserved http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-31-40.html (69 of 70)8/14/2005 11:40:03 PM




Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 41

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Chapter 42

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Chapter 43

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Chapter 44

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Chapter 45

Chapter 46

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Chapter 47

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Chapter 48

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Chapter 49

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Chapter 50


"That's the gym," Leigh said as her stocking feet came to a halt outside of the big double doors. He stepped around her and opened the door for her. Leigh glanced in. Two teams of girls, some of whom she knew, were practising basketball on the hardwood court. A boys class seemed to be watching the girls from the bleachers. Idly, Leigh wondered if Kresner was playing in an afternoon house league game tonight. With a sigh, Leigh entered, walking around the edge of the court. Her captor followed, but didn't worry about interrupting the frozen game, walking through the girls in gym equipment, glancing at the girl stopped in mid-dribble. "Hold up," the gunman said. Leigh stopped, and turned to face him. He motioned her to follow, and moved towards the side of the gym, towards the locker rooms. "You can't go in there," Leigh said, as he placed his hand on the



female change room door. He laughed, but removed his hand from the metal push plate. "You're kidding, right?" "Girls might be changing. You can't go in there." Leigh stepped towards the door, nodding her head at the small stick symbol stuck to the door. The symbol was clearly wearing a dress. He laughed again. "Leigh, I can go anywhere I please. Even into the girl's showers." Leigh sighed, realising how foolish she must look, hands behind her, and her feet without shoes, preaching to the guy that had frozen the damn world. She stepped aside. He nodded and pushed the door open. With a flourish, he bid her enter. She did, her feet noticing the change from hardwood to colder tile. The girl's change room was Spartan. Benches lined the walls, and a bank of hair dryers stood sentinel near the entrance to the showering area. The school wasn't concerned about student privacy; Leigh hated to shower after gym class, but the communal showers weren't visible from this angle. Leigh silently hoped that there weren't any girls unfortunate enough to be showering in the frozen time frame. A few girls, in various states of dress, though thankfully, none naked, sat around talking or dressing. A class appeared to have just completed. He touched Leigh's elbow, and she followed him towards the shower. Sure enough, two girls were showering, though Leigh didn't know either one. One girl, heavier, faced slightly away, frozen water cascading over her shoulders. A slimmer girl stood, her bare back facing the entrance, head tilted back, water washing suds from her long blonde hair. Leigh thought she might recognise the blonde, but it was hard to say from the rear. "Pick one." "Huh?" Leigh looked down at her feet. Distractedly, she noticed the water on the floor, from the running showers, rippling as some force released it. Leigh jumped back as the unfrozen water touched her socks, instantly soaking them. "Come here."



She shook her head. Her feet were uncomfortable, as only damp socks can feel. He grasped her arm, and propelled her into the shower area. Her feet splashed through the water. The soles of his runners seemed to protect him from the worst of it. Other than her feet, though, she remained dry. "Pick one." This time, he growled it at her, the threat unmistakable. Leigh shivered. "Pick one, what?" "One of the girls." "What for?" "Pick one." Leigh nodded towards the slimmer girl, the one faced away. "What are we, in Porky's?" Leigh asked. He shot her a withering stare, and pulled the gun. (Oh God, I'm going to die in the girl's shower.) She nearly ran, despite her fear, but then the sound of falling water brought her back to reality. The blonde continued to run her hands through her hair, rubbing at her face. She was pretty under the shower, unaware of the male intrusion. Her eyes widened as she turned, rubbing water and soap out of her face. "Who the fuck are you?" she whispered. Her eyes fell to the handgun pointing between her bare, wet breasts. Automatically, one arm rose to shield her breasts, the other hand driving downwards to cover her wispy pubic region. "Come here," the man growled. The blonde shook her head, water droplets spraying from her hair. Her eyes took in Leigh, her stocking feet shifting in the run off. "What the fuck do you want?" she said, almost hysterically. "This is the fucking girl's showers." He laughed, and stepped forward. He didn't seem to care about the water that seemed to strike his arm and slip off, like it was made of rubber. Leigh watched, amazed, as his arm emerged from the shower http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (3 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


spray, tugging on the blonde's bare elbow, perfectly dry. Whatever force had protected him, didn't extend to the blonde; the girl was dripping, and stumbled forward until she stood shivering a pace in front of Leigh. "Kneel," he said to the girl. Shaking, the blonde obeyed, the gun pointed at her temple. The bottoms of her bare feet fell into the sphere of her shower spray. "I. I don't want to die. Please." "What's your name?" The girl shivered, but replied. "Candice." "Do people call you Candy?" The terrified girl shook her head. She turned her eyes upwards, pleading with Leigh. "Why is he doing this?" she whispered. Leigh glanced at the gunman, who nodded. Leigh crouched, her nose only centimetres from Candice's. "Do what he says," Leigh said as calmly as she could. "Is he going to hurt me?" "I don't know, Candice. I don't know." The girl's eyes found Leigh's hands, and widened as she saw the handcuffs. "Oh God," she moaned. Leigh slowly rose. "Let her go," she said to the gunman. "Will you strip? Be as naked as her?" Leigh shook her head firmly. He shrugged, a quick smile gracing his lips. He slowly reached down to the naked girl, wound his hand into her wet hair near the back of her head. She screamed, her hands rising to his, uncovering her nudity, as he pulled. Slowly, she rose from her knees, following the pressure of his hand. "God. Please. That hurts."



"I know," he said. When the blonde rose up on her toes, he walked her back towards her shower. "Please. Please. Please." He turned her face upwards into the spray. The water seemed to roll off his clothing, like the back of a duck. Leigh watched in mounting horror. "Oh God." Leigh watched as he tucked the gun into his waistband. Candice didn't notice, and probably didn't care. Leigh could hear the girl struggling for breath under the spray. He reached forward with his free hand, his other hand still holding Candice up on her toes, screaming. The screams began to increase. His hand rested on the hot water dial. Leigh couldn't tell if he turned it clockwise or counter, but Candice was suddenly screaming in between struggling for breath. "You bastard, let her go." The gunman turned towards Leigh. Either the hot handle was up full, or off. "I'll do what you want." "You'll strip?" "Just let her go. She's not part of this. Whatever this is." The water runoff from Candice's shower met Leigh's wet feet. It was cold. Like ice. Candice's hands pulled frantically at the hand holding her, still screaming. Abruptly, he let Candice go. She fell, scrabbling to get out from under the freezing shower. The girl was visibly crying, and shivering, her arms moving to hug herself. Leigh spoke quietly. "Just take off these damn handcuffs, and I'll strip for you. Just let her go." "I don't want you to strip. Not yet. It's too late for that." Confused, Leigh took a step back. The water gracing her feet numbed the bottom of her feet.



"I want to show you something." "What? Haven't you showed me enough?" He shook his head. He grabbed Candice's hair again, this time forcing the girl to her hands and knees. The naked girl crawled through the water at the insistent tug of his hand. When she approached Leigh's feet, he forced her head downward. "Kiss her." "Please no," the girl wailed. But a second later, Leigh felt the touch of Candice's face on her stocking feet. She stepped back, away from the experience. "Let her go. Please." The girl was yanked to her knees. She tried to rise to her bare feet, but he prevented it with a twist of her hair. He aimed the gun back at her temple. "I could kill her," he whispered. "Noooo. Please. I'll do anything. I'll ... I'll go back into the shower for you. I'll fuck you. That's what you want, isn't it?" The blonde continued to babble, her eyes pleading, but turned now towards Leigh, as if the other bound female might be able to help. Leigh closed her eyes, didn't want to see this. His voice addressed Leigh. "If I kill her, it won't matter. When I return her, she'll be as good as new." "You don't have to kill her. I get it." "Leigh? Open your eyes." Leigh did. The girl remained on her knees, cowering. The gun remained at her temple, the soft skin there dimpled. He lowered himself to Candice's level. "If I wanted a blowjob?" "Yes. Yes. Please don't hurt me." "If I wanted you to have sex with Leigh?" Leigh shook her head, slowly, terrified. But she dared not move. That damn gun remained at the girl's head.



"Yes. I'll lick her. I'll fuck her. Anything you want." "If I turned off the cold water, and turned on the hot water?" Candice's eyes widened. "Please, no." "Would you?" Candice looked down, overlooking her bare breasts, to where her knees touched the tiles. "Yes," she said dully. Leigh watched in horror as he reversed the gun and brought the handle down across Candice's right cheek. A line of blood immediately formed, and the girl fell to her right as he released her hair in the same motion. A silent scream of pain rose from the girl's throat, as her hands lifted to press the wound. Blood trickled into the running water, pink flowing towards the drain. Leigh had taken two steps towards the scene before he lifted the gun to point between her breasts. "Leigh, stop." At the sound of his voice, she halted, almost close enough to land the kick which she'd planned. In her stocking feet, it probably would have broken her foot, but it might have hurt him. And that was all she could see right now. "You fucked up bastard, whore," she whispered. "You didn't need to fucking do that. She didn't do anything. She would have given you your fucking blowjob." He rose, leaving Candice moaning and writhing on the floor. "Would you have had sex with her?" "To prevent her being hit like that? What did she fucking do to deserve that?" "Would you have had sex, willingly, with her? Before I hit her?" Leigh's mouth opened and closed, disbelief racing through her mind. Her hands were handcuffed. Her feet wet. A fucking guy with a gun had pistol whipped a naked student -- in the girl's shower. "No," she whispered.



"Now?" Leigh nodded. Her eyes welling up with tears. "I don't want you to have sex with her. At least not now." Leigh breathed a sigh of relief. "I want you to go under the shower." "What?" "Under there," he pointed with his free hand. "But. I've got all my clothes on." "I know." "Will you let her go?" He nodded. She'd served her purpose. Oh yes. Leigh flashed him with a look of pure hate, or at least as close as she could, and stepped defiantly towards the cold shower. The spray hit her like a January shower. Her voice uttered an involuntary scream from the icy water as it soaked into her clothing and hair. Candice remained immobile on the floor, rocking, blood still seeping between her fingers. "You are a bastard," Leigh whispered as her teeth began to chatter. He motioned the girl out, and Leigh thankfully stepped from the shower spray. Without asking, Leigh stepped around the gunman, noting that the gun remained trained on her. She didn't care. She knelt into the cold water beside Candice. "Are you all right, Candice?" The girl moaned. "Let me see. Move your hands." Leigh turned towards the gunman. "Let me out of these fucking handcuffs, if you aren't going to help her." He shook his head, not moving to release Leigh. "I'll help her," he said simply. "Candice, you have to move your hands. I can't do it for you." The girl must have heard her, as she lifted one hand from her wounded cheek. The cut was deep, and looked painful.



"Why did he do that? Why me?" "It's my fault, Candice. I'm sorry. I wouldn't strip for him." The girl moaned again, and pressed her palm back into her cheek. Leigh slowly regained her feet. Her teeth chattered, and she couldn't control her shivering. She wished for the use of her hands. "Step away from her," he ordered. Leigh fought her voice, and managed not to curse at him again. She stepped away from the moaning blonde. When she turned back, the girl was gone. She'd returned to the shower, facing away from them, her hands running obliviously through her blonde tresses under a warm shower. "What?" "Have a look." Leigh stepped through the wet floor, not caring if a shower sprayed her. As she moved closer to Candice, droplets of warmer water kissed her feet and legs. The girl stood naked in the spray, whole, and complete. No pistol mark marred her cheek. She looked warm and comfortable. Suddenly, he was beside her, somehow not getting wet. "I could have kept her here." "You bastard." "Leigh. Time control. It didn't happen to her. She never was naked in front of me and you. She never was forced under a cold shower. She never had the butt end of a pistol shatter her cheek. Such events never happened. To her. But, Leigh, they could have." Leigh closed her eyes, and stepped away from the shower. Shivers ran through her body, but with concentration, she could control the chatter in her teeth. Soon, he joined her near the entrance to the shower. "You aren't going to shoot me, are you?" He smiled. "Smart girl." "You'll just keep hurting innocent people, until I obey." "Smart girl." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (9 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


"You are such a fucking bastard." "At the moment. You needed that." She shook her head. "I didn't." "Maybe you didn't learn. Would you like to pick a girl in the change room, next? We can cut off her clothes, and have a shower with her, next." Leigh shuddered. "No," she whispered. "I'll do whatever you want. You want me to take off my clothes? I will. Now." He smiled and shook his head. "Not yet." She wanted to take the wet garments off. They were freezing her. But in a way, she was glad that he wanted to wait. "Why?" "Because you're cold, and I need to show you one more thing." "I don't need any other demonstrations." "Yes, you do." Leigh shuddered, not entirely from the cold. "Please. Just let me go." Ignoring her, he glanced around at the half-naked girls populating the locker room. "Soon," he said, but obviously not in reference to her request. "You and Kate will be showering together in here. Maybe I'll even let you use warm water." Leigh shivered, wondering what he had in mind for her. And suddenly, his hand was at her elbow, urging her, dripping, towards the locker entrance. Still shivering, she stumbled after him.

Chapter 42 http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (10 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM



"Where are we going?" Leigh asked. Her feet squished with each step, and her clothing dripped and formed puddles on the hardwood of the gym. She waited for him to open the double doors for her. "Cafeteria. Weren't you going to a card game?" Leigh sighed. Her body heat had begun to warm the frigid water that soaked her clothing, and the shivers came at less frequent intervals. Her captor either didn't notice her discomfort, or was aware of it, and didn't care. Leigh nodded. The blue pack swung against his calf as he moved around Leigh and pushed open the door. The door swung outward. Leigh probably could have pushed it open with her shoulder if she wasn't stalling. She stepped through into the corridor beyond. The cafeteria's doors beckoned her. She sighed, and stepped towards the lunchroom. He opened the door for her, and she stepped through again. The lunchroom teemed with frozen students. Near the entrance, Leigh's eyes flit on Dean, and Tim, and Janice. Dean was frozen dealing, as if waiting for Leigh's appearance. A small puddle of water formed around Leigh's feet as she stood shivering by the doors. "Why are we here?" she asked. "To play cards, of course." "I don't want to play cards." He smiled, his grin telling her that she didn't have a lot of choice. He moved towards the table with her friends, such as they were. "Is this Janice?" Leigh nodded. "You know it is." He'd seen her picture, under a magnet in Leigh's locker. "You feel like stripping, now?" "Not particularly. Not here."



"Come here." Leigh walked over. Her friends ignored her, frozen forever. "If I take off your cuffs, will you strip?" She considered it. The scene in the shower had faded a little. Candice had been fine in the end, restored to her unblemished self. And though the cold water infusing her clothing served as a reminder, her fear had faded a little. Bravado, and pride filled her. "No. I told you that I wouldn't strip for you." He smiled. She didn't like that smile. "You said you would in the shower." "I know. That was in the shower, where you're supposed to be naked. Not here. Those are my friends." The idea of stripping in front of Janice, Dean and Tim filled her with fear. Her body shook with the power of her denial. Even if they were frozen. He sighed, and pulled one of the black, plastic, uncomfortable cafeteria chairs out from beside Dean. He flipped it around, so it faced towards the front of the cafeteria. "Sit." When she raised her eyes, he held the gun again. It wasn't necessary. Leigh was tired of standing, and she almost gratefully shifted, and sat down carefully into the chair offered. Her clothes bunched as she sat, the water squeezing out to form a small puddle beneath her bottom. "I'm going to tie you in. I don't want trouble." Leigh shivered, but didn't object. The gun pulled back from tickling her ribs. "What are you going to do?" "Don't worry. I'm not going to rape you." She didn't see how he could rape her while she was tied into a chair, but she didn't voice that concern. Awkwardly, he raised her arms, and convinced them behind the back of the chair. It was uncomfortable, but she suspected that her comfort wasn't really a consideration in this. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (12 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


Ropes emerged from the blue pack, and she suffered his touch to tie first her ankles, then two ropes above and below her breasts holding her securely to the back of the chair. Her ankles were secured to the chair legs, apart. She could lift her ankles a little, but she wasn't going anywhere quickly. "I won't strip for you," she whispered. But the image of Candice, her cheek cut and bleeding, dazed and moaning naked on the floor of the shower infused her. She wasn't as sure as she had been. He ignored Leigh, moving back around her friends. Leigh watched over her shoulder as he slipped around them, pausing at Janice. Janice was her only real friend, knew what it was like at home, knew her. Suddenly, the image of Candice morphed into Janice, lying motionless, and naked, on the floor to the showers. "Please, don't." The gunman smiled. "I'll strip for you. I'll have sex with you, if you want." She didn't actually mean it, they were just words. She'd balk at sex, she knew, but she thought, for only the second time, that he might be able to get her to take her clothing off, if given enough incentive. He ignored her. Leigh hung her head. He was going to do whatever he wanted, anyway. Her breasts tingled for a moment, despite her misery. "What the fuck?" It was Janice's voice. Leigh closed her eyes. "She isn't part of this. Leave her alone," Leigh said without emotion. There was no point. He wanted Janice, and Leigh was tied into the chair. She had let him tie her into the chair, because she'd been tired. "Leigh?" Leigh opened her eyes. Janice dropped her cards, rose from her own chair. Janice ran, her running shoes tapping like tap shoes in the silence. "What? Are you all right?" Leigh looked up. Janice was already falling to her knees, fingers http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (13 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


fumbling at Leigh's bound ankles. "You're wet." "No, Janice. Everything isn't all right." A quick laugh behind her, brought Janice's eyes upwards. They widened, presumably at the sight of that damn gun. Slowly, Janice raised her hands in a parody of all bank tellers about to be robbed on television. She slowly rose from her knees, to stand, her eyes on the man behind Leigh. "Step away." "Leigh?" "Do what he says," Leigh said dully. Janice backed away from the bound girl, hands still in the air. Leigh felt the barrel of the gun press into her temple. She didn't bother to flinch. She knew he wouldn't shoot her, but Janice didn't. "Janice?" The girl shook her head, confused. "What happened? Why is Leigh tied up? Why isn't anyone moving?" Janice's voice rose almost hysterically as she spoke. "Not important, dear girl. I want you to strip. Take off your clothes." Janice slowly shook her head. An image of Janice lying on the floor, bleeding and screaming entered Leigh's consciousness. She spoke over her shoulder, towards the man standing behind her. "I give up. I'll strip for you. I'll do whatever you want." He ignore her, spoke to Janice. "Strip. Now." Janice continued to shake her head. No. His voice dropped, the epitome of reasonable. "I don't want to kill Leigh, but I will. And I'll keep killing your friends until you take off your clothes." "He will," Leigh mumbled. "I'm sorry Janice." It was a lie, at least http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (14 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


partially. She knew he wouldn't shoot her, but he sure as hell would wake Dean and Tim and shoot them. Probably not to kill, either. Janice paled. "Please, I don't want to be raped." "He won't rape you," Leigh murmured. At least she hoped that he wouldn't. She turned her chin to glance over her shoulder again. He stood behind her, watching the frightened girl in front of her. "I'll take her place. Tie her, here. I'll strip for you. Please don't do this." Leigh pulled weakly at the handcuffs. She wasn't reaching the knots. Oh no. Again, he ignored the bound girl. "Strip." The report of the gun deafened Leigh temporarily. The bullet ricocheted off the table beside Janice, and buried itself in the concrete near the cafeteria line-up. Leigh could see Janice's mouth opened in surprise, but not in pain, probably screaming. The sound of the scream only barely filtered through the ringing in Leigh's ears. Janice's fingers began to move, pulling her sweater over her head, revealing her bra and pale skin. Without hesitation, the girl pushed her jeans to her ankles, and kicked off her shoes to step out of them. Leigh's hearing began to return, slowly. "Please, no more," Janice was crying. "Socks, and underwear. What's the point in standing there like that?" Leigh closed her eyes. When she reopened them, Janice pushed her pink panties to her bare ankles, and stepped out of them. The remainder of her clothing littered the floor at her bare feet. She stood naked in front of Leigh. Leigh looked away. "Please," Janice said. Her hands began to rise, to cover her breasts. "I said, hands down." The girl snapped her hands to fall at her bare thighs. "Let her be. Please. I'll strip. I'll do what you want," Leigh implored. Leigh was crying, too, big tears falling down her cheeks. He stepped around her chair, approaching Janice. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (15 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


"Kneel," he ordered her. Janice found her voice. "God. Please no. I don't want to do this. I. I can't." "What don't you want to do?" "Give. Give. Give you a blowjob. Please, no." He smiled, almost kindly. "No blowjob. No problem. Get down." He raised the gun again, this time pointing it between Janice's bare breasts. The girl sank down, the gun following her heart. "Please," Janice whispered. He sat in front of her. Leigh watched from the chair, pulling at the bonds, her ankles and wrists. She was going to have to watch him rape Janice. "Please," Leigh said. "I said I'd do what you want. I'll fuck you, if you want. Just stop this." She didn't know if she would have sex with him, but she had to try something. Couldn't just let Janice be terrorised because of her stubborn refusal to strip. "Your friend doesn't know when to shut up," he remarked to Janice, who cowered on her knees. "I'll do whatever you want. Just please don't kill me," Janice whispered. "Kill you? Hell no. I just want to hurt you," he said. Janice paled. "You fucking bastard. Listen to me," Leigh said urgently. "I'll take her place. Please don't do this." He turned finally towards Leigh. "You had your chance. Now, I have to pistol whip Janice here. Now shut up, or I'll rape her, as well." "Please," Leigh whispered. He sent her a warning glance, and Leigh closed her mouth. "Pistol? Pistol whip?" "Yeah, I tie you to a chair, and hit you with the pistol until you pass out." "Oh God," Janice whispered. She looked like she would rise up and http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (16 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


run. But she didn't. "I'll do whatever you want. I'll give you a blowjob. I'm good at them. Please." Her fingers began to reach for the front of his jeans. He smiled, but didn't offer to unzip for her. Her fingers halted before they reached his crotch. He considered for a moment. "What if I wanted you to have sex with Leigh?" "With Leigh? She's a girl," Janice stammered the obvious. He shrugged. "You have a tongue, don't you? You just offered to use it on me." Janice shivered. "I. I couldn't." He shifted towards Janice. "Put your hands behind your neck." Janice balked. He sighed. "If you don't, Janice, first, I'll put a bullet through Leigh's left breast, then her kneecap. Is it worth it?" Shakily, Janice raised her hands, entwining her fingers behind her neck. Her breasts rose in response. Her nipples crinkled involuntarily in the cool cafeteria air. "Good girl." "Please. Let her go. Let me go." Instead of answering her, he whispered. "If those hands come down, I will shoot Leigh. And I'll make you listen to her scream." Leigh wanted to scream, now, to tell him to stop. To hurt her, if he needed to. But he'd pistol whip, maybe even rape, Janice, and he wouldn't return her as fast as he did with Candice, either. Janice would suffer. Oh yes, she would. Leigh kept her lips clamped shut. "Please, no," Janice whispered. He reached forward, caressing the girl's breasts. Despite her obvious fear, her nipples rose to attention. Carefully, and deliberately, he grasped the sensitive flesh there, and slowly pinched and twisted. Janice's face screwed up in pain, until she passed her pain threshold. Then she howled. But her hands didn't drop from behind her neck.



She managed to maintain the posture far further than Leigh thought she could. But finally, with a final scream that sounded more like a cat in pain than a girl, she dropped her hands, prying at his gripping fingers. "Please stop. Oh my God, please stop. It hurts." He released her, and moved back from her. Realisation hit her, after the pain had become tolerable. "Oh God, please no." She raised her hands back behind her neck, exposing herself. "I'll do better. I'll keep them there. I promise. Please don't shoot her. Not in the tits." He laughed. "You lasted longer than I thought you would, Janice." She hung her head, whether in shame or relief, Leigh couldn't tell. Janice screamed, a short burst, when he wound his hand into her long brunette hair. He forced her forward, until she rested on her hands and knees. Slowly, he guided the crying girl with the leash of her hair, into a crawling motion. He guided the girl up towards the line, inspecting the food. She crawled around frozen feet, and stumbled at some of his direction crying out as the pressure on her scalp increased. "I can't. Please. I can't move as fast as you." "Try." Finally, they returned. Leigh risked it. "You don't have to do this. I've learned. I'll do what you say. I'll strip. I'll give you a blowjob. I don't care. I'll do whatever you want." He smiled. "I don't want a blowjob, and I'm not sure that you can do what I want." "I'll try," she whispered. He nodded. But turned his attention back to Janice. He crouched beside the girl. The gun was back in his waistband, but Leigh doubted if Janice cared anymore. "Will you kiss Leigh?" Janice shook her head, hair whispering around the girl's face. "Kiss? She's a girl." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (18 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


"Yes. You can kiss a girl, can't you?" "On the cheek?" "No. French. Tongues, and all." "Why?" "Because I want to see it. Because I'll hurt you, if you don't. I'll hurt her even worse." Slowly, Janice nodded. "Okay." She slowly rose up until she was kneeling back, her bare thighs against her calves. "Beg." "Huh?" "Beg to kiss her." "Please, no." He shrugged, pulled back out the gun. The gun dimpled Leigh's right breast. She could feel him playing with the trigger. Her heart raced again. "Please. I want to kiss her," Janice whispered. Her voice wavered. "I want to kiss her with my tongue." He nodded, apparently satisfied that he could humiliate the girl that way. He turned to Leigh. "Will you kiss her?" Leigh shook her head. "Not like that." He took a deep breath. "Would you care to lead her to the showers, or should I?" The gun arcing down, striking Janice's cheek, or worse, frightened Leigh. "I'll kiss her." "Beg." "Please let me kiss her. I'll enjoy it, somehow. Please." He motioned for Janice to rise. She did, her bare body rising like a http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (19 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


dancer from her knees. "I don't want to do this," she whispered. He wound his hand back into Janice's hair, urging the naked girl towards her friend. Leigh closed her eyes, parted her lips, waiting for the soft touch of Janice's lips. She didn't know if she could use her tongue, but she'd try. The image of the pistol striking Janice was far too easy to imagine. Nothing came. No pain. No soft lips. Just soft pressure on her knees, like fingers. When she opened her eyes, Janice had returned to her knees in front of Leigh, her hands resting lightly on her wet jeans. Leigh let out her breath in a long whoosh. Her captor smiled gently from where he sat beside her. "Are we ready to strip, now?" Leigh nodded, her body slumping into the ropes. "I'll strip for you." She was just glad that he hadn't made her beg to do it.


"Sit still," he ordered the naked girl. Janice slipped into her card table seat, her cards scattered on the table in front of her bare breasts. It looked odd, seeing her sitting there, nude, at the card table. Out of place. Strange. But in an erotic way. (If you'd done that to her, you'd be creaming in your jeans.) (Stop it. Stop it.) Leigh tore herself from watching the scene. She remained tied into http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (20 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


the chair in her wet clothes. She pulled weakly at her ankles, knowing that it was useless. She'd be free soon enough so that she could ... "Are you ready to strip?" Leigh nodded, in resignation. She glanced back at Janice. The naked girl sat quietly, probably threatened within an inch of her life, her hands resting behind her neck again. He turned another chair and sat in it, facing Leigh. "Proud of yourself?" she asked. "You won." He shrugged. "You don't have a lot of control here. You were going to strip for me. It was only a matter of finding out what you responded to." She swallowed heavily. Her one friend. He had to find her one friend. And torture her. Shit. "You're a fucking bastard, you know." He inclined his head slightly. "I'm a bastard, I know that. But 'fucking' isn't the most ladylike language I've ever heard." "Fuck. You." Slowly, he rose, an expression of sorrow on his face. He sauntered over to Janice. "Don't move." "Please, what are you going ..." Her question was cut off by his hand striking her breast. It danced on her chest, her scream rising as the pain of the slap raced through her nerves. "God. Please." Her hands fell from their position to cradle her stinging skin. He waited until she raised her hands again, tears falling from her eyes. "Please, no more," she whispered. He lowered his hand and walked back to Leigh. "You bastard," she whispered. He smiled. "That's better." "Can I ask you a question, before you untie me and make me strip for you?" He nodded.



"Why can't I swear?" "Because it doesn't become you." "But ..." "You can swear, but only if I'm hurting you. Then I understand. Any other time, it's gratuitous." She frowned. "You can strip me naked, can tie me up, can pistol whip my friend, can hit them whenever you please, and I'm being gratuitous for saying 'fuck'?" "I never said life was fair. It isn't ladylike." "Maybe I'm not a lady." He smiled kindly. "I beg to differ." She sighed. She'd have to watch her mouth. That's all. It was an easier request than to strip in front of him. "Are you going to let her go?" "I'm not going to keep her as long as you. But there's something else she's got to do for us." "Us?" "Us. Now, if I untie you, will you behave?" She pursed her lips, not liking the tone of this. Slowly she nodded, though. He rose from the chair, and walked around her. She felt the release of the ratchet of her right cuff, and suddenly she was free. Or at least her hand was. He returned to the chair, backed off from Leigh, and settled down. "I'm not free, yet," she said. He shrugged. "You have your fingers now. Free yourself." The knots were secure, and it was awkward, but she managed to shift the ropes enough to release her own torso. After that, it was only a matter of working at the knots around her ankles. Soon she had freed herself, but for the handcuffs dangling from her left wrist. She held it out. "Nope, I want that on you." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (22 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


She shrugged. "I just thought it wouldn't go with a striptease." He considered that, and then held out his hand. She extended her hand, and didn't fight as he released her left wrist. She felt wonderfully free as the metal released her. Leigh lowered herself back into her chair. "Where do you want me?" He smiled, and indicated the table. A few students ate lunch near the far end, and a girl was eating a bowl of soup by herself in the middle of the table. There was a clear section, just to the left of the lonely girl and her soup. "Up there?" He nodded. Wearily, Leigh rose, then stepped first up on her chair, then onto the table. She stood there, her feet shoulder width apart, hands on her jean clad hips. Her clothing still dripped from the cold shower, but the shivers had fled. She reached for the bottom of her T-shirt. "Not yet." "Huh?" "Not yet." Her fingers fell from the wet cloth. "Don't you want to see me naked?" She was aware of Janice watching the proceedings, perhaps happy inside that she would no longer be the only one naked in the cafeteria. "Jeans first." "What?" "Take your jeans off." Bewildered, she slowly unbuttoned the denim, and hooked her fingers into the waist. She turned around as she pushed them down her legs. She had worn high cut black panties this morning. Now she regretted the choice, but she hadn't really envisioned being forced to strip at gunpoint, either.



She stepped out of the jeans, actually somewhat glad that the sopping, heavy, clothing no longer clung to her legs. He let her stand there for a few minutes. Gooseflesh graced her smooth thighs as the water evaporated from her skin. "Panties." "Please. I don't want to ..." her voice trailed off. She almost choked as he rose from the seat. If he moved towards Janice again, she'd ... He approached the table. "I really don't want to hurt Janice again. I just want your clothing off. Once the panties are gone, the rest is easy, right?" "This isn't easy. Trust me." "I know." Leigh lowered herself to the table, crossing her legs. It felt strange to be sitting on the edge of a cafeteria table in her panties, while an oblivious girl ate silently frozen behind her. "Why?" "Why what?" "Why are you making me do this?" "Strip?" She nodded. Tears came perilously close to her eyelids. "Because you will look better naked." "Me?" "Oh yes." "So you just want to look at me?" "Leigh, no. It reinforces." "Your control over me?" He smiled. "What if I don't take off the rest of my clothes?" "Then we go back to the hard way. But I don't think Janice will like that. She stripped like a good girl."



(She didn't have any choice at all. He's making *me* choose this, in a way. Bastard.) "You'll hurt Janice if I don't strip?" "I'll hurt both of you. Leigh, I didn't make you kiss her, even though I could have." (I was ready for the kiss. I'm not ready to be naked.) Slowly, Leigh nodded. She was going to have to swallow her pride. He could hurt Janice, and then she'd do whatever he wanted. She knew that. Had known it as soon as he had unfrozen the other girl. Christ. She rose back to her feet, and before she could think further about it, she slipped the panties down her legs. With a flip of her foot, the black cloth sailed wetly through the air towards the gunman. He caught the panties deftly, with a smile. Leigh watched as he walked over towards Janice. "Open." "Oh God, please no." "Open." He pressed the gun into her cheek. Obediently, Janice opened her mouth. He stuffed the black panties into her mouth until her cheeks bulged. "Don't drop them." Janice could have spit the fabric out, but didn't. She tried to say something, but it came out muffled and incomprehensible. The gunman returned to Leigh. "You didn't have to gag her. She was being quiet." He shrugged. "Seemed like the right thing to do." Leigh sighed, and hoped that he wouldn't make Janice hold her panties like that for a long time. "Shirt." Without any hesitation, now, Leigh raised her T-shirt over her head, dropping the damp clothing to the table. Instead of landing softly, it plopped at her feet with a sound like a wet rag. "Bra." And her brassiere released her breasts to join her other clothing by http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (25 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


her feet. She made no attempt at covering herself. He was right. Once her panties were gone, it was easier to strip off the remainder -- even her bra. "Socks and jewellery." Slowly, she lowered her bare body to the table until she could raise her foot and peel the wet fabric from her toes, her leg resting on the opposite thigh. Leigh sighed as her socks left her feet. It actually felt wonderful. She wiggled her toes. Wet socks were the absolute worst. Bending to take off her socks was giving him a show, but Leigh suspected that he was going to get a show no matter how modest she tried to be. In fact, she suspected, the more she tried to hide herself, the more aroused he was likely to be. Apparently, ladylike behaviour only extended to her mouth. He didn't complain about her openness, (Like he would!) but neither did he complain as she tucked her legs together after her feet were bare, and moved them modestly to the side. "Jewellery, too?" she asked quietly. He nodded. "It isn't expensive." "I know." He hadn't made Janice remove her jewellery. Leigh glanced over. The other girl was watching her intently as she was forced to take off her clothing; a large hoop dangled from Janice's ear. Slowly, Leigh slipped her watch from her wrist, and fumbled the cheap studs from her ears. Somehow, the watch leaving her wrist made her feel far more naked than losing her clothing. She didn't wear a necklace, but a tiger's eye graced her right ring finger. She slipped the ring from her finger, holding the jumble of metal in her palm. Jingling the pieces, she held them out towards him. He rose and retrieved the jewellery from her. "Why are you stealing my jewellery?" "Stealing them?" "They aren't even worth forty dollars. I swear it." Laughing, he turned back towards her. "I'm not stealing them. I'm putting them in the pack with your perfume. I might want you to wear them again, later." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (26 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


"Oh," she whispered as he turned and did exactly as he'd said he would. Her watch clattered as it tumbled into the zippered pocket of the backpack. "Are you ever going to let me dress again?" "Your clothes are wet. Do you really want them back on?" She considered it. Maybe not her socks, but she really did want the protection of the rest of her clothes, wet or otherwise. "They'd dry eventually. Please? You've seen me. I'll lay out for you, if you want a really good look, if you'll let me dress afterward." He smiled gently at her. His demeanour had changed subtly as she'd stripped, and stopped balking at his demands. She idly wondered if his harshness was really only a show -- an act to control her. She couldn't help it, though, she wouldn't let him hurt Janice, or anyone else by her stubbornness. She knew it wasn't the right thing to do in the circumstances, but she couldn't watch it. Couldn't. She shifted, leaning on her hand against the table as she waited for him. "Sit up. Feet in front." She glanced at Janice, who looked away, and slowly rose until she sat as he'd asked. The table felt strange and new against her bare skin. "I'm going to tie you up with rope, now. I want to put this gun away, again." "Why? I'm not going to attack you. I'll sit still, if you want me to." "I'd feel better with you tied." "I wouldn't." He shrugged. It was that simple. If he wanted her tied, he would tie her. He moved around the table upon which Leigh sat. When he touched her upper arms, Leigh slipped her hands behind her back, crossing her wrists. The ropes held her, but not as tightly as she'd assumed he would tie her. She wasn't in any danger of failed circulation. He moved around her, and began to tie her ankles together. "You enjoy tying me, don't you?"



He looked up. His fingers continued to loop rope around her, running a length up and between her legs to clinch the rope around her ankles. She pushed her knees apart so that he wouldn't have to press his fingers through her tight calves. She sighed; he was going to see her, no matter how careful she was. He straightened after he was done, but even though she watched him, he hadn't seemed to glance between her legs as she'd thought he would. Her ankles were secure in front of her. She wiggled her toes. If she was in the ropes too long, she was sure that she'd lose feeling there, but she hoped that she wouldn't be like this long. "Yes," he said easily. "I enjoy tying you up. You look pretty that way." "Great," she commented. She pulled at her wrists behind her. Her vulnerability sent a shiver through her nerves. Her nipples throbbed, and embarrassed, she noted that they'd hardened despite her fear. He settled back into the chair, letting his eyes roam over her. He didn't seem to be ogling her -- his eyes weren't glued to her bare chest, but rather taking in the image of her entire body, tied and vulnerable. She felt a flush rising from her chest into her face. "You dress conservatively." She knew that she did, was self-conscious of her body. She had a feeling that before all this was over, that she'd be a lot more comfortable with herself. Slowly, she nodded. "Why?" She cleared her throat. "I guess, I don't want to be remembered for this," she said. As she spoke, she nodded down towards her bare breasts. Her body wasn't a raving beauty -- she wasn't Kate Robertson. But she was slim, and athletic. Her breasts were on the small side, she knew, but they suited her frame. Guys would certainly be interested in her, if they could see her now. And not just because she was naked and bound and female. Some guys would jump anything with a pulse. She regards her captor for a moment. He wasn't one of them. Of that, she was sure. He hadn't even raped Janice, and he could have. Could have raped her, could do so while she sat here tied and vulnerable. She couldn't stop him. "You have nothing to be ashamed of," he remarked. As he spoke, he lifted himself from the chair to his feet.



She pursed her lips. She knew that she was pretty femininity a little more dab of Poison, she could

knew that, in the back of her mind, she -- not beautiful, but if she accepted her than long finger nails, and the occasional be. Did she want that, though? Really?

Maybe this world was where she was going to find out. Like it or not. She looked away, somewhat embarrassed by his words. She glanced over at the card table. Janice sat still, her hands remaining behind her neck. She didn't even seem to be breathing. "Janice?" Leigh called. Janice didn't respond. The gunman was watching Leigh, but she didn't notice. She shifted her position a little, trying to get more comfortable with her ankles bound. "Janice?" Leigh called a little louder. "She can't answer you. She's gagged." (With my panties.) "That isn't all. What have you done to her?" Janice hadn't moved, or twitched. Even her bare breasts weren't rising and falling with her breathing. "I slipped her into a slower time frame. She'll be fine, but she can't see or hear us." "Oh," Leigh said, and turned her attention back towards her captor. "We need to talk," he said.


"What do you want, now?" Leigh sighed. He slowly moved back away from Leigh, settled into the cafeteria http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (29 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


chair facing the bound, naked girl. She waited, trying unsuccessfully to reach the knots holding her wrists behind her. She hadn't expected to free herself, but it gave her something to do while she waited for him to enlighten her. "If I asked you to do something for me, would you?" "I told you I would." "What if I asked you to kill someone?" "You?" "Not me. A teacher? Or Candice?" "Please don't ask me to do that." "What if I did?" "I wouldn't. How could you ask me to do that?" He nodded slowly, almost as if that was the right answer. She wondered if she was being tested again. "What if I asked you to hurt someone? Another girl?" Leigh thought about that for a moment. He didn't seem to be in any rush for her to answer. A patient expression graced his lips. Leigh shifted again, as much as her ropes would let her. The idea of hurting another person threw her. Her nipples throbbed once, her clitoris sang for a second before she willed the response down. "Who?" she finally asked. "Candice? Miss Chambers?" "Hurt them how? Would they die?" "Oh no. Don't be silly. We've moved away from that question." Leigh, given her position here, knew no such thing. "How then? Hit them with a gun? Make them bleed?" He paused for a second, but continued afterward. "Nothing so serious. What about if I wanted you to control another girl for me? Would you be able to hurt her in order to make her do what I wanted?" (Yes.) http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (30 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


(No.) "I don't know," Leigh whispered. She couldn't stop her nipples from hardening at the thought. Christ. He nodded. "I want you to make your teacher strip for me. I want you to make her have sex with Janice." The words shocked her, but at the same time, her sex pulsed at the thought. "No," she whispered. She wasn't sure if she was more offended by the suggestion, or by what she knew her ultimate response would be. "Why?" "It interests me." "You'd torture two women, make them have sex, because it interests you?" He shrugged. She had the uncomfortable feeling that he'd do exactly that. And she was a prime candidate. "No. I want you to do it for me." "For God's sake, why?" She didn't think he would answer, he paused so long. At last, he raised his eyes to capture hers. They weren't lowering to her erect nipples. "Control," he whispered. Leigh slowly shook her head negatively. Her still wet hair dragged across her bare shoulders. She wished that she could put back on the clothing that she'd been forced to remove. Her jeans sat in a tumbled heap near her bound feet. "No," she said. "I wouldn't do it. I can't. Can't you understand what it would do to me?" He looked at her quizzically. In the moment, she might have told him. Might. But he didn't ask, thank god. "I won't ask you to kill anyone. I won't ask you to hurt anyone seriously. Nothing like I did to Candice." "Why did you hurt Candice like that? That was pretty harsh." "You needed to understand. I didn't like it." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (31 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


Leigh raised her eyebrows. She searched her memory. He'd hit the naked cowering girl with the end of the gun. She'd closed her eyes. Did he enjoy it? Did he strike her to draw blood with relish? She honestly didn't remember. He'd known that he could restore the girl to pristine condition. There wasn't a mark on her when he'd left. Leigh believed him that Candice wouldn't remember any of it -- even that it had never even happened. Was this happening to her? She doubted it, but it wasn't exactly like a dream, was it? Not quite an adolescent fantasy? While she was here, it was happening -- same as it happened to the terrified girl in the shower. "I understand now, I think." He nodded, though he didn't look convinced. Leigh, herself, wasn't convinced. Slowly, he rose. As he did, Janice twitched out of the corner of Leigh's eyes. Leigh turned her attention to the girl. He stood by Janice's left shoulder. Janice was trying to say something through the panties, something muffled and unclear, but clearly pleading of some sort. Her eyes widened. "I'm not going to enjoy hurting your friend here, either." Leigh closed her eyes. She heard the first slap, knew it had landed on Janice's breast. A high pitched keening brought Leigh's head up and eyes open. His fingers had captured Janice's bare nipples again. The girl had broken position, her face screwed up in pain. Her hands pried uselessly at his, twisting and mauling the girl's exposed breasts. The keening emerged as a muffled scream into black panties. "Enough," Leigh whispered. Immediately, he released Janice's nipples, and relief flooded into her tear filled eyes. Almost automatically, she returned her hands to clasp behind her neck. Her nipples seemed swollen and red, as if they'd had lipstick applied to them. "Enough. I'll do it. Just stop hurting her. Please." The gunman returned to stand in front of Leigh. Janice had fallen silent again, her body motionless, the shakes from her pain quieted for now in a bubble of slower time. "Be glad that her cheek is intact." Leigh swallowed hard, and looked down to study her bare toes. The ropes looked foreign wrapped around the bare skin of her ankles. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (32 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


"You bastard, I'll do it." But despite her words, her nipples throbbed and her vagina pulsed. She was going to have to force Miss Chambers to have sex with Janice. (Oh God.) Her ankles parted as he worked the last rope from her ankles. Sighing, she wiggled her toes, and grimaced as the pins and needles pricked at her skin as blood flowed back into her feet. He left her, and moved towards Janice. Leigh shifted awkwardly, her hands still bound behind her back, until her legs dangled easily over the edge of the table. Slowly, she watched as he approached Janice, swinging her feet through the air. He handcuffed Janice, her hands behind her back. Janice didn't resist; she had a glazed look to her eyes. Leigh was afraid that he'd broken the girl completely. With an audible pop, he extracted the black panties from Janice's mouth. Janice worked her jaws, which Leigh thought was a good sign. Some life returned to the girl's eyes. "Thank-you," she whispered. He nodded, leaving Janice in the chair. The girl made no move to rise. He returned to Leigh, twirling the black panties around his finger as he walked. A wet mark, from Janice's saliva, graced the fabric as it whirled. (Not so long ago, those were around my hips. Simple, covering, cloth.) "How would you like them in your mouth for a while?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes, and the hint of a tease around his lips. Leigh sighed. "I'll do it, if I have to." She opened her mouth wide as if ready for oral sex, flattening her tongue. He dropped the panties to lie in a heap beside her wet jeans. "Thank-you," she whispered, as she closed her mouth. He touched her elbow, urging her off the table. She hopped down. Her legs felt weak, and she stumbled, falling http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (33 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


towards him. He caught her, carefully putting her back on her bare feet. He didn't grope her as he did it, to her surprise. "Walk much?" he asked, again the hint of a tease gracing his lips. She forced a smile to her lips. "Not much with my hands tied like this." She shifted her body, aware that every move she made could be seen. She followed him towards Janice. "Are you all right?" she asked Janice. Janice nodded, and rose carefully from her seat. With her hands behind her, she was having some trouble with balance, too, though she didn't fall. "You don't need to tie either of us," Leigh remarked as they began to move towards the entrance. He shrugged. Leigh walked between Janice and her captor. His ever-present blue pack swung from his fingers between them. "Where are we going?" "Math class." A tingle raced through her body, and she willed the reaction down. At the doors, she halted. Janice did, too. He opened the doors for the girls, and they slipped through, to walk in front of him. Naked in the school. She twisted as the door swung closed behind them. Her jeans lay crumpled beside her panties and her T-shirt. Her bra dangled over the edge of the table. Janice's sweater lay crumpled on the tiles. As the door swung closed with a sigh, her clothing disappeared from sight. She turned back around, and hurried to catch up to Janice and the gunman, her bare feet whispering across the tile of the hallway. They passed silent students and teachers, passing unnoticed through the gym, where Candice remained under a warm shower forever. At last, they halted in front of the green door where it had all began. A lone running shoe sat in an aisle, and Miss Chambers strode forever towards her desk. "What now?" Leigh whispered. Her heart hammered in her chest, and her nipples throbbed. She pulled weakly at the ropes holding her. "What now?" Janice echoed. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (34 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


He smiled, and reached towards the doorknob. His fingers grasped it. Instead of answering, he swept the door open, and motioned the naked girls to enter.


"Turn around." Leigh obeyed, presenting her back to the Timeman. Fingers toyed with the knots on the ropes holding her hands together behind her. The classroom door snicked shut. When her hands were free, Leigh brought them in front of her, and rubbed at the deep rope marks adorning her skin. A touch to her shoulder urged her to return and face the Timeman. He motioned towards the desk where she'd been when he took her. Her books remained scattered across its surface, and one of her shoes stood beneath it. Her eyes were drawn from her desk to his hand. The gun sat cradled in his right hand. It wasn't pointing at her, but the fact that it wasn't in his waistband attested to her relative freedom. "I'm not stupid enough to attack you," she said quietly. "You don't need that thing." "Actually, I'm not worried about you. Or Janice." (Who then?) "What do you want me to do?" He waved towards her desk again, with his free hand. "Tie her into it." "Huh?" "I want you to tie Janice into your chair," he said. He turned http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (35 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


towards Janice, now the weapon was lowered and pointing between her breasts. "Is that okay with you, Janice?" She looked terrified, but she nodded without saying anything. The naked, handcuffed girl began to walk towards Leigh's desk. Leigh followed, after taking the lengths of rope that the gunman handed to her. The coils felt like snakes in her fingers. Leigh pushed the desk with her books and notes into the aisle where it stood like a lonely island. With a sigh, Janice lowered herself into the chair, her cuffed wrists falling behind the back of it. Leigh knelt. The tile pressed into her knees coldly. "I'm sorry," Leigh whispered. The arousal that she'd assumed that she'd feel while forced to tie her friend into the chair had fled. Gently, she moved Janice's bare foot towards the chair leg. "On the outside," his voice floated to her. Leigh looked up. He was seated, watching her work, from the desk across the aisle, slowly swinging his legs. The gun lay easily across his lap. (At least it isn't pointed at me.) She sighed, and moved Janice's foot until it rested against the outside edge of the chair leg. She knew why it had to be this way. Her fingers echoed her body, shaking and nervous; they had trouble tying Janice's ankle to the chair, though in the end, they managed it. Suddenly, his fingers were in Leigh's field of view. Janice recoiled from the touch, but her ankle prevented most of the movement. "Good," he said, and rose back to his perch. Leigh continued, wrapping rope around Janice's other ankle, securing her to the uncomfortable chair. Leigh rose. Janice sat quietly, her eyes a little glazed, but calm. She couldn't close her legs, her sex exposed and slightly parted as she sat. "Tie her belly, too," he said. Janice didn't protest as Leigh wrapped rope around her midriff and below the indented chair back. When she was done, Janice tried to rise, the chair shifting position with her bare body. He came forward again, touching her minimally, but ensuring that the knots were tight. "Were you a girl scout, or something? Most women don't know the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (36 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


first thing about knots." She nodded. Yes, she'd been a girl scout, but she wasn't about to admit to him that the knot course had particularly held her interest. After he'd returned to his desk, she knelt again, allowing her body to fall between Janice's spread thighs. It felt strange, her skin against Janice's, her breasts bared and her clothing scattered somewhere in the cafeteria. She tilted her face upwards. Janice was watching her. Janice spoke quietly. "Are you going to have to fuck me?" Leigh smiled, wondering if Janice would get chastised as she had. When the gunman ignored the unladylike language, she supposed that in context, it wasn't so bad. Or maybe he simply didn't care if Janice was unladylike. "I don't think he's going to make me ... have sex ... with you." She glanced over, but his face was neutral, neither confirming it or denying it. "If you have to, I'll understand." Leigh nodded. She hoped that he wouldn't force her to have sex with the tied girl. It just seemed wrong. "But, I might have to hurt you." "Oh God." "He might make me. I'll refuse, if you want, but he'll make it worse. That much I know." "Oh God." "No matter what happens, Janice?" "Mhmmmm." The girl understood. Slowly, Leigh pushed herself to her feet, hands resting on Janice's bare thighs. "You'll be fine. I promise." Janice nodded, though the tears had begun to fill her lower eyelids. Leigh turned away, and approached the gunman. "Touching," he said. It wasn't a criticism, nor mocking. Only a statement of fact. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (37 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


"Can we get on with this?" "You looking forward to it?" (Yes.) (Oh no.) She shook her head and glanced to the front of the room. "Can I convince you otherwise? I'll have sex with you if you'll stop this." Janice looked confused behind her, unsure of what was going to happen. She'd been frozen during the instructional phase in the cafeteria. He laughed. "If you mean have sex, I don't mind if you use the word 'fuck'." So that was it. "Fine. I'll fuck you, if you let them go. Please." "Okay." Leigh paled. A quiet voice behind her, from the chair spoke. "No, Leigh. Let him do whatever he has planned." "I. I. I didn't think ..." He laughed. "I didn't think you were serious." She thought about it. She didn't want to have sex with him. (Please.) Gathering her courage, she spoke. "If you'll let them go. I will. I swear it." "You'll enjoy it?" She swallowed, considered lying. In the end, her voice was nearly inaudible. "No. But I'll do it." "I don't want it like that. You should have figured that out by now. You are a smart girl, aren't you?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (38 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


"I haven't figured you out, yet." "And you probably won't." He paused, watching her stand and fidget. "Are you ready?" "Ready for what?" "To take the teacher?" Leigh trembled. "How? I'm naked. She's older than me. How can I convince her to do what you want. What do you want?" "What I told you in the cafeteria. But you'll have to get her to strip, first." "How?" He touched her shoulder. Slowly, they moved towards the front of the class room until Leigh stood within a few centimetres of Miss Chambers. He motioned her to sit in her chair. Leigh gratefully sat, crossing her legs. The teacher took two steps before the image of Leigh, nakedly sitting in her chair registered. "Wha?" the woman uttered before spinning. Her eyes picked up Janice, tied naked into Leigh's seat, and the gunman idly pointing his gun at her head. He sat nonchalantly on the first desk in the row. "Who the hell are you? What the hell is going on here? Guns aren't allowed in the school, mister." He laughed and hopped off the desk. He approached the teacher who backed up until her back rested against the blackboard. "Guns are allowed in this classroom." Helplessly, she turned towards Leigh. "Leigh? What? How? Why?" He nodded towards the girl, and Leigh found her voice. "He controls time. here. Please, Miss what he says. That showers, and," her

Somehow. And we were lucky enough to be caught Chambers, I know it's hard, but you have to do gun is real. I saw him use it on a girl in the voice wavered, "look at me. I refused to strip



for him, and he took Janice. God. He took Janice, too. Hurt her. Please just do what he says." The teacher shifted her eyes, fright and puzzlement obvious there. "What the hell do you want? I have money. In my purse, by the desk." She pointed. The gunman turned towards Leigh. "See?" Leigh nodded. It didn't make any sense, but he had been right -- at least she understood why he'd expected her to offer him money. He pressed the gun into the teacher's nose. She gasped. "What's your name?" "You already know it. Miss Chambers." "Your first name. I'm not one of your students." "Jess. Jessica. Please put that thing down." He backed away from her. She noticeably relaxed as he moved out of her personal space. The gun remained on her. "I can shoot you, and I will. I won't shoot to kill, if you refuse anything, but I'll let you suffer for a while before I return you. You only get one chance. Got it?" A tear slipped down Jessica's face, slowly. She nodded, afraid to say anything. He slipped back up onto the desk that he'd vacated a moment before. "I only have one instruction for you. Obey Leigh. She's going to ask you to do some things you won't want to. Please don't consider disobeying." Again, Jessica nodded. "How old are you?" The teacher mumbled something. "Speak up." "Twenty-seven." He nodded and waved at Leigh. Leigh rose. She was slightly taller than her teacher, but her nudity made her look smaller. She padded towards the teacher who flinched at the blackboard. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (40 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


"Please," the teacher whispered. "I know. I know," Leigh whispered back. "I have to. I don't want to. Please believe that. Janice. He'll hurt her, her nipples, he'll tear them off her next time, and you, if I don't make you ... oh Christ." She couldn't stop the tears. "I have to, Miss Chambers. I'm sorry. I ..." At last, she raised her eyes. The teacher still looked scared, but her profession kicked in at the upset girl, naked, in front of her. "I understand, I think. I don't understand what it is all about, but I'll try." A tear fell from her eyes to join Leigh. "I'm so sorry," Leigh whispered. But her nipples and her clitoris were throbbing, no matter how much she tried to quell the sensations.


"You have to take your clothes off," Leigh whispered. "Here? Why?" Leigh swallowed. "See me? And Janice? He. Likes his women naked. I'm sorry, Miss Chambers." "Please, I think we can drop this. Call me Jessica. Okay?" "But ..." Leigh shook her head slightly. His voice cut through the air. "She can continue to call you Miss Chambers, Jessica. It's ... cute." Leigh took a deep breath. "He'll shoot you, and probably me, in the shoulder or the knees, or something unpleasant, if you don't take off your clothes. Please. I've seen it."



Jessica's eyes widened, and she began to unbutton her blouse. Leigh stepped back until her thighs touched the desk beside the gunman. "You have to be more assertive," he whispered. "I can't. She's my fu ... teacher. I can't." He nodded, though she suspected that before this was over, she'd be more assertive, whether she wanted to or not. She turned her eyes back towards the girl, and she was only a girl, barely out of teaching college, stripping at the front of the classroom. Her eyes never left the gun trained on her. As each piece of clothing fluttered to the tiles around Jessica's feet, another twinge raced through Leigh's nerves. It was because of the gun, not because she was in control, but the woman was taking off her clothing, because Leigh had told her to. She hesitated at her underwear. "Everything?" "Everything," Leigh confirmed. "I. I can't. Not here." The teacher wrapped her arms around herself, just under her breasts. Her brassiere kept her breasts hidden. "You've been naked before. You won't be the only one," Leigh urged. "I'm naked." She spread her arms with an effort, thrusting her chest outwards. "See?" "But. They're all here. I can't. Can't you see that?" Leigh glanced at the gunman, but he didn't seem overly anxious to shoot anyone yet. Leigh pushed off the desk, and approached the half-naked woman. "Please," she whispered. "I don't have a gun. I don't have anything. He'll shoot you, if I can't make you strip. I can't stop him. I've tried. I don't want to see the inside of you. Please." "But, you have to tell me what is happening here." "I wish I knew. I swear. He. He controls time. I think it is only the three of us, in the entire world, that are walking around. The rest of them aren't dead -- they're frozen." "Why? Why us?" "I don't know. Why does he want us naked? He's a guy. A guy with ultimate power. He can refreeze us, if necessary. Take his time, figuring out how to make us do whatever he wants. Like it or not, we http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (42 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


are his sex slaves. I don't like it anymore than you do. But you have to take off your panties. Please." With that, Leigh took a step backwards. Her nipples throbbed again, as Jessica, Miss Chambers, hooked her thumbs into her panties, and pushed. She stepped out of them, her bared feet kicking them to the side. "Satisfied?" She stood, not attempting to cover up. She was shaved, Leigh noticed with a shock, not a wisp of pubic hair to shield her. "Wh-wh-why?" Leigh stammered. "Why am I shaved?" The teacher had blushed, crimson flushing into her cheeks. She still didn't attempt to cover up. Leigh nodded, unable to tear her eyes from Jessica's bald groin. "My boyfriend likes it that way. Trust me, I wouldn't walk around this way if I could help it. It itches." "Oh," Leigh said. Then she recovered, dragging her eyes back to Jessica's scared face. "Bra, too," Leigh sighed. It didn't take the same convincing that the panties had. He was right. Once a girl lost her panties, the rest was easy. Jessica unsnapped her bra in the front and let it slip off her arms to land behind her. "Now what? Do I get raped?" She said it calmly, almost detached. "I don't think he wants to rape you," Leigh said. She walked back to the gunman, stood in front of him. "What now?" "Whatever your twisted mind comes up with." He reached forward and idly stroked Leigh's right breast. The tease rippled through her nerves, and Leigh backed away. He raised his eyebrows, but didn't force her to return. Leigh struggled to quell the tingles. "I don't have a twisted mind." (Yes. I do.) She turned slowly. Miss Chambers had crossed her arms under her breasts. "Knees." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (43 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


Without a word, the teacher sank to the tiles. Leigh touched her face gently. The woman shied away from the touch for a moment, but then returned. Leigh walked around behind the kneeling woman, stepping over her calves. "Crawl." "Crawl?" "Like a baby. You know Janice, don't you?" The teacher nodded. "Third period. Monday, Wednesdays." Leigh shrugged, didn't know that Janice had Miss Chambers for any classes. The naked woman rocked forward, a flush rising through her skin. Her smooth sex peeked from between her thighs as she moved. Leigh followed slowly, as the woman began to crawl. She stopped as she was about to pass the desk where the gunman sat watching her humiliation. She looked up, wisps of hair falling down the side of her face. "Why are you doing this to me?" "Because I can." "I. I'm scared." "I know. You have a job to do." He aimed a slap at her rear as she began to move again. She yelped, and moved more quickly to get past him. (She's sexy like that.) (Stop it.) (She's obeying you.) (Stop. Stop. Stop.) Her clitoris pulsed, and Leigh nearly cried out. With her hair, Leigh guided the teacher until she knelt between Janice's tied legs. "Oh no. Please, no," Jessica said quietly. Janice, also sensing what was about to happen, whimpered. But she'd had her nipple twisted enough to know that protest was useless. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (44 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


Leigh crouched. As she did, electricity zapped her nipples and she nearly moaned. "You have to do this, Miss Chambers. He'll make you do it, if I can't." "I won't. She's a student, for god's sake." Leigh rose. "Can I take a pair of handcuffs?" He nodded and she walked to the pack. Instead of letting her rummage in the pack, he slipped a pair from it and handed them to Leigh. He looked at her quizzically. "Improv," she whispered. He shrugged, and hopped back up on the desk. Jessica didn't resist as Leigh tightened the handcuffs around her wrists behind her. "I can't do this, Leigh. I can't." Slowly, Leigh wound her hand into Jessica's hair, pulling her head back. Jessica moaned, pulling on her bound wrists. Leigh's body screamed at her, but she tried to ignore the sensations. "I need you to have sex with her." "Oh no, please no," Janice moaned, pulling against her own ropes and chains. "I. I don't want this." "I'm sorry, Miss Chambers. I. You have to, or it will be much worse. I've seen much worse." With those words, Leigh let her hand fall, palm open, against the teacher's breast. Twice more, until she screamed in pain. "I can't, Leigh. I can't." Leigh released her hair, and Jessica tumbled to the floor, her breasts flushed. Leigh felt a touch to her shoulder, and she backed away. Her body screamed at her. (Stop. Stop. Stop.) She watched, unable to stop it, while he placed the gun under Jessica's chin. The girl moaned, but didn't flinch. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (45 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


"Kill me. I don't care. I can't do that. I can't." He nodded, and lifted the gun. When the crying girl looked, she screamed. "No. Please. You can't do this." "Actually, I can." The gun rested against Janice's right knee. The girl paled, and shook, but her knee remained in the gun's path. Janice spoke. "Please. Miss Chambers. I know that you don't want to do it. I don't want it either. But ... I don't want to die. I don't want my knee in pieces. It'll hurt. Please? I'm begging you." After a few moments of crying, Jessica spoke. "All right, you fucked up bastard. I'll eat her." She struggled to regain her knees. He tried to help her, but she shrugged off his hand. At last, she knelt between Janice's thighs, her mouth only centimetres from the girl's pubic region. "Please?" she whispered. Janice had closed her eyes, waiting for the touch of a tongue. Leigh approached again, with his motioning. He moved back away from the girls. (Did I actually slap her breasts?) Leigh's nipples tingled more insistently, as she gently touched the back of the teachers head. "Please? Leigh?" "I can't. I'm sorry. If he wants you to do it, you will." "I can't." She nodded, fighting the tingling in her lips, and pressed Jessica's head forward gently.




He watched wordlessly, as Jessica used her tongue on the bound girl. After a few minutes, Janice moaned. "Don't stop until she climaxes," he said. Incredibly, he looked away, his fingers trailing along the triangles on the board. Leigh closed her eyes, feeling the motion of the girls through her hand still resting lightly on the teacher's hair. Finally, she pulled back her hand, electing to watch from another desk. She snatched her hand from trailing over her own thigh. She groaned. Suddenly he was there. He pressed something long and thin into her palm. She grasped it in wonder. A crop. Where the hell did he get that? She didn't know. "I can stop you before you get me with it," he said casually. The thought hadn't crossed her mind. (Crop on breasts. On thighs.) (Please no.) "I want you to hit them with it. Softly. This thing can do a lot of damage." "I don't want to hit them." (Yes. Yes.) (Please no.) "I know you don't." But his eyes said otherwise. It was as if he could read her soul. He knew. Somehow he knew what was arousing her. She hated it. Hated herself. But he knew. Oh God. "Once a minute, until she orgasms." "What? Where?" "Anywhere you like." Leigh walked over to the girls, hoping that she wouldn't have to hit them. She wanted to, but didn't. Oh God, she didn't. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (47 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


Her vagina clenched. Jessica raised her head. Tears streamed down her face, and moisture coated her chin and nose. She choked a little. "Please. I can't do this." "You can." "My tongue is cramping. I can't." Leigh held up the crop. Jessica's eyes widened. "Please no." "I have to hit you, and Janice, if she doesn't climax. Once a minute. The longer you argue that you can't the more you two are going to get hit." "Please? Just a rest, then?" She felt like she was, but she wasn't. "I'm not in charge." She glanced up. He almost seemed like he was going to fall asleep. She wondered if it was exhaustion that prevented him from hitting the girls, forcing her to do it, instead. He slowly shook his head. Jessica saw it, and moaned. Crying even harder, she bent back to her task. Leigh stood. Idly, she swung the crop against her thigh. She cried out in pain as it connected. A thin welt appeared on her thigh. When she cleared her vision from the tears of pain, he was laughing. "I said softly," he mused. Leigh didn't find it nearly as funny, but the pain had done nothing about her arousal. If anything, the welt had brought her heat to a new level. (No!) Gently, she swung the crop, letting it kiss Janice's breasts. She screamed as if she'd been branded. A twinge followed. The next fell against Jessica's back. In all, the crop touched Janice's breasts, her belly, her thighs, Jessica's back, calves and once into the soles of her upturned feet. "Please stop," Janice begged. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (48 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


"Climax. You have to. Fake it," Leigh hissed. The last crop touched Janice's breasts, harder than the previous ones. She opened her mouth in a silent scream, her climax rippling through her. Either it was a real climax, or a damn good fake. Leigh dropped the crop, almost thankfully, to the tiles at her feet with a clatter. Wearily, Jessica raised her head from her task, her tongue moving about her mouth. "Oh God," she moaned. Her hands pulled weakly on her handcuffs. Leigh dropped the crop and knelt, hugging Jessica, uncaring of the girl's nudity or her own. The teacher's soft skin teased her, but she willed away the sexual connotations. Her back felt hot where the crop had kissed her. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Leigh whispered. (Why? Why? Why? Why am I so fucking wet, then????) When Jessica stopped shaking, Leigh opened her eyes. Janice was gone. Only the handcuffs and the ropes wrapped around the chair with a loop about the size of Janice's ankles, remained to prove that she'd ever been there. Leigh raised her eyes. He towered over the kneeling girls. "Thank-you," Leigh whispered. "Thank-you." "It was time for her to go," the man said. She didn't resist as the Timeman tied her into her chair, almost exactly as Janice had been -- her ankles bound to the outside of the chair legs, her belly compressed and bound to the back of the chair. Her hands, she'd allowed him to cross behind her, and retied them with rope, another falling down from her hands to be tied off somewhere below the chair. She couldn't raise her arms, or move from her prison. "She won't have sex with me," Leigh whispered. She hoped the teacher would balk. But she remained kneeling on Chad's desk, naked, her hands still handcuffed behind her. Her eyes had dulled, like Janice's had. Leigh wasn't sure if it was shock, or simple exhaustion, or disbelief. Perhaps a combination.



Wearily, the teacher climbed down, when asked, and approached Leigh. "I don't want to do this," she murmured. The gunman wasn't gentle with her, using her hair to force her back to her knees, and pressing her head between Leigh's legs. Jessica's hot breath teased Leigh's sex. Leigh looked up at the gunman. Her legs trembled; she could feel them vibrating against Miss Chamber's ribs. "Let her go. I'll have sex with you." He shook his head. The teacher still hadn't begun to pleasure Leigh -- in one way she was glad, in another she desperately wanted to be touched. Any touch. "Why don't you want to have sex with me? You want me, don't you?" The girl positioned between her legs shook slightly. He didn't remove his hand from her hair. "Of course, I do." "Then why do this? I'll have sex with you. You can release Miss Chambers. Everyone will be happy." "Will you be happy?" "If you let her go, it would be worth it." He smiled. He pressed the woman's face further. Leigh felt lips touch her lips. She cried out as the sensations made it to her brain. "What about something else?" "Like?" "I'll dance for you. I'll crawl for you. That's what you want isn't it? For me to be humiliated?" He smiled, but didn't confirm it. "I'll. I'll do whatever you want." "I want you to enjoy her tongue." Anger flooded her. "You want to torture her. I'll make it. She might not. She didn't do anything to you. Pick another student then. Her. Or Her." Leigh motioned towards the two girls he'd looked at earlier. The Asian, and the spiky haired girl with the rack. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (50 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


"Please." He considered it for a moment. "Why? I could make you have sex with the two of them after Miss Chambers, here." He pressed the girl's head again, and she moaned. Leigh fought down the sensations from her clitoris and vagina with the movement. It felt like the slightest touch would send her to the moon. "Please? I'll fuck both of them at the same time. I'll lick Lisa, and finger fuck Beth. I swear. I'll even tell you I'm enjoying it. You can have sex with me at the same time." "I like your mind," he remarked. "She has to do this." With an effort, Miss Chambers raised her head against the pressure of his hand. He must have let her do it. "Leigh. I did it before. I can do it again. Don't get anyone else involved. Please." Leigh took a deep breath. "He'll kill me, if I don't," the woman between her legs whispered. Leigh nodded. "You are a bastard," she said. He smiled. The teacher slowly lowered her head. This time, the incredible sensation of her tongue entered Leigh. She screamed, as her nerves exploded.


The tongue, Miss Chamber's tongue, sensually, and slowly, explored her, at last finding Leigh's clitoris and circling like a shark in the sea. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (51 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


Leigh moaned, closing her images flitted past. Miss bare flesh. Janice naked, in which she now sat tied

eyes. In the darkness behind her lids, Chambers stripping. The crop striking her and crying, tied to the chair -- the chair herself.

(Stop. Stop. Stop.) Despite the ropes, and her will, her hips tilted, rocked gently against the slippery sensations from Jessica's lips, and tongue. "Ohhhh, God," she murmured. "Please. Stop. Please." She didn't expect it. Not at all. When had the bastard ever listened to what she might have wanted? The chasm had been opening, the soft touch of Jessica's tongue pushing her to the edge. And then it disappeared. Leigh could feel her sex pulsing, her heartbeat hammering in her nipples. But the sensations of Jessica's tongue had ceased, abruptly and with an air of finality. But she hadn't fallen over the edge. Her body screamed at her. "Noooo. Please," she whispered. When the sweet sensations didn't return, she opened her eyes. Jessica remained between her legs, her heat infusing into Leigh's thighs. Tears ran down her cheeks. The gunman stood easily beside her, a grin gracing his lips. His hand wound into Jessica's hair, preventing her from continuing her attentions. "Please? Why?" Leigh directed her voice towards the kneeling, naked girl. Even to her, her voice sounded desperate and crazed. She couldn't help it. She wanted to fall over the edge. Now. She pulled at the ropes holding her wrists. One more touch. That was all it would take. "He won't let me," Jessica whispered. "I'm sorry." She raised her eyes to the grinning, dressed, free, man holding Jessica's hair. "Why?" she whispered. "Control," he said simply. "It's not fair. Please. I. I. I need ... I'm so fucking close. Please." He laughed, not unkindly, but firmly. He shook his head, urging Jessica to her feet. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (52 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


(She's naked. My teacher. She was licking me. Oh God.) Another ripple of arousal raced through her nerves. "Please?" Her voice reverberated pathetically towards him. Leigh struggled to control the pumping of her hips, still the pulsing of her vagina muscles. It wouldn't work, and she was only teasing herself, now. The ropes held her immobile, incapable of even touching herself. Finishing herself, no matter how humiliating that might be. She watched helplessly, as Jessica walked towards the front of the class, where her clothing remained scattered on the floor. Tears formed and fell, tracking hotly down her cheeks. She knew she should be grateful, she hadn't had to climax in front of him, hadn't felt the kiss of the crop, like Jessica and Janice had. In her hands. (Oh God.) She tried to shift her position, bare toes curling into the tile, slipping. The images were blurry, but she watched helplessly as he toyed with Miss Chambers. The teacher cried out as he forced her back to her knees using her hair as a leash. "Please," the naked woman begged quietly. He walked around in front of her. "What do you want? Why did you make me tease her like that?" "Are you scared, Jessica?" The girl nodded. "What do you want from me? Let me go? Please?" "I want to hurt you," he said simply. "What? Why? What did I ever do to you? I've done what you want. I had sex with them, you fucking bastard. Please." "Would you have sex with me?" The teacher shook her head, trembling. "I can make you have sex with me." The girl cried out as his finger traced her throat. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (53 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


"I won't. Not like this." "How about them?" He waved towards the remainder of the class. "I've already had sex with her. I did what you wanted." "The boys, Jessica. The boys." "What?" "If I wanted you to fuck a couple of the students? Give some of them head?" "Why? Please no." He walked away from her. She watched, from her knees, as he approached some of the male students. "Who's this?" "Chad." "And this?" Her voice continued as he pointed to various boys around the classroom. "Andrew. John. Chun Wei." He returned to her. She cowered back, shrinking as far as the handcuffs and her legs would let her without falling over. He crouched to face her. "How about if I make you blow Chun, there, while Andrew takes your vagina, and Johnny takes your ass. All at the same time?" "Oh God," she moaned. She closed her eyes, as if to block out the nightmare. He waited, watching her. At last, she opened her eyes, puffy and wet with moisture. "I'll fuck you. Is that what you want? You want to rape me?" He smiled. "Rape you?" "Rape me, you fucking bastard. I can't take this anymore. Get it over with." He reached for her. She didn't move away, let him grasp her hair again. Slowly, she bent until her cheek and one shoulder pressed into the tile. He touched her bottom, gently, and she raised up, her sex available and glistening. Crying, she spread her legs apart, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (54 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


exposing herself to Leigh and to him. He moved behind her, kneeling. "Oh God, oh God," Jessica murmured. Slowly, he reached into his pocket, producing the key. It twinkled in the lights. Jessica gasped as her hands were released, though the cuffs dangled from her left wrist. She placed her newly freed hands beside her shoulder, but didn't rise to her hands and knees. "Will you let me go, after you rape me?" she asked, far more calmly than Leigh expected. He didn't answer her. "Touch yourself." "What?" "Use your fingers." It looked like she would refuse, but after a moment, she reached under herself, letting her left hand trail over her skin. When it reached the junction of her thighs, Leigh could see the fingers slipping through the smooth folds there. Another pulse of electricity flitted through her throbbing clitoris. (No. No. No.) A low moan, though it was difficult to tell if it was sexual, or purely humiliation, emerged from Jessica's parted lips. He watched her for a few minutes, pleasuring herself, or at least faking it, and then touched her slick fingers. She obediently dropped them, returning them back to her shoulders. Though slower, now, tears continued to drop from her eyes. Leigh doubted if the gunman could see the girl crying, and probably didn't care. He traced the girl's thighs. And then he moved to sit cross-legged near her left shoulder without touching her. He urged her to look towards him, and placed her fingers, the ones that had been between her legs, between her lips. Jessica moaned, but allowed it, her tongue licking the moisture, her moisture, from her finger tips. When he allowed her to stop, she moved her hand back to resting prone on the tiles. She moaned slightly. The handcuff dragged http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (55 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


quietly across the tile, still connected to her wrist. When she opened her eyes, she whispered, "Please. I don't want to be raped." He smiled, and ran his fingers lightly down her bare back, caressing the skin of her buttocks, and stroking her sex, only for a moment. She moaned again at the sensations. Leigh had a feeling she knew the conflict that the teacher was struggling with. The gunman was good at it. She had to give him that. He barely touched them, and they were reduced to simpering sexual objects. (No. No. No. I won't be his slave.) "Please," Jessica whispered. Leigh could see her fingers and toes curling as she tried to ignore the sensations. Leigh allowed her voice to rise a little. "Please stop." He removed his fingers from Jessica, smiling. He looked up at Leigh, still pulling at her ropes. "Let her go. Please. I'll gladly take her place. You can rape me. I'll struggle, if you want. I'll let you do it, if you want. You're torturing her." "Torture is a harsh word," he said. His fingers idly stroked Jessica's hanging left breast, stealing towards the nipple which reacted predictably. "It's all right, Leigh. I'll make it. I think," Jessica whispered. But the tears still fell. "I'll crawl for you. I'll do whatever the hell it is that you want," Leigh whispered. He released Jessica's breast and slowly rose to his feet. Still tied to the chair, Leigh envied him the simple act of being able to climb to his feet without assistance. As he rose, Jessica flattened herself, stretching out face down against the tiles. Her body shook, but Leigh couldn't tell if it was in frustration, or relief. "You don't have to rape her. I'm the one you're keeping, right? I'll have sex with you. I've told you that before." He smiled, and hopped back up on Chad's desk, his feet swinging. The gun had been placed back in his waistband. He didn't seem concerned about the prone girl that he'd turned his back on. Like he had eyes in the back of his head. Regardless, the weeping teacher didn't move http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (56 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


from her position, though she wasn't frozen. The sound of her mewls reached the two of them. Leigh swallowed. "Would you have sex with Andrew, Chad, Chun Wei, and Johnny?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye. In her mind, the image of her crawling and fucking the four boys, boys that she wouldn't ever have considered dating, even if they had asked her, swam into focus. "If you let her go, I would." "Would you enjoy it?" She hesitated. If she lied and said she would, he might punish her for lying. If she said that she wouldn't, and she wasn't really sure that she wouldn't, then he might torture Miss Chambers further. Maybe even rape her. He seemed to be harsher with the women that he was ultimately going to return. It made sense, in a warped way. He had forced Leigh, had tormented her, but he hadn't pushed her beyond her limits ... unlike Jessica and Janice. Jessica remained crying on the floor. Leigh made a decision, turned her eyes to her captor. Slowly, she shook her head. "I wouldn't like it, no. But I don't like being naked, forced to hurt my friends, and tied into this chair. I don't like being teased. But you do that to me, anyway." He smiled slightly, and twisted, leaning on one arm, glancing towards the prone girl, still crying on the floor at the front of the classroom. "Do you want to say good-bye?" "Pardon?" "Say goodbye to Jessica?" He turned to fix her with his intense brown eyes. Leigh nodded. He hopped off the desk and walked towards the naked girl. She screamed, and Leigh flinched, as he touched her shoulder. Jessica turned her face towards the Timeman. "Please, no more." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (57 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


He nodded, and said something to her that Leigh couldn't make out from her chair. Jessica nodded, relief painted across her face. Slowly, she pushed herself up, until she rested on her hands and knees. She tried to rise further, but he placed a hand gently on her shoulder. She was beyond caring, Leigh suspected, and she slowly crawled until she touched Leigh's right calf. A shiver wandered through Leigh's leg at the touch of the bare skin. He allowed Jessica to kneel. "He's letting me go," she said almost dully. Leigh smiled, couldn't help it. "Thank you," Leigh whispered, but even though she was looking at Jessica's tear streaked face, she was speaking to the Timeman. He'd retreated, and sat back up on Chad's desk, swinging his feet again. "I'm sorry," Jessica said. Her fingers lightly touched Leigh's knee; again shivers wandered through her nerves. "Sorry for what?" "Sorry for teasing you. He made me do it, but I'm sorry. If he hadn't stopped me, I would have finished. Even if I didn't like it. It wasn't fair." Leigh smiled. "I'm sorry, too. For having to hit you." Jessica nodded slowly. Some life, perhaps because she knew that the nightmare was about to end, returned to her eyes. Her tears stopped flowing, and her face reflected the beauty that had undoubtedly attracted the Timeman. "I'd trade places with you," the kneeling girl whispered. "He wouldn't let me." "I know," Leigh said quietly. "You are a strong girl," Jessica said without acknowledging Leigh's comment. "The strongest I've ever taught. Not physically, but your whole being. I don't envy you, but I think you'll survive this. Better than I would." Leigh smiled. Jessica rose, with a quick glance at the Timeman. He was watching the exchange, but didn't move to keep the naked girl on her knees. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (58 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


Her hands rested on Leigh's bare shoulders, and her lips touched her wet cheek. "You'll be fine, I think," Jessica whispered. Leigh closed her eyes, only for a moment. In that second, or two, the heat from Jessica's fingers began to fade where her fingers had touched her shoulders. The light touch of Jessica's bare leg against hers disappeared as if it was never there. She opened her eyes with a gasp. Miss Chambers stood, clothed and unharmed, where she'd been before she'd been forced to strip in a strange world. The teacher's clothing no longer littered the floor under the blackboard, her voice no longer kept Leigh company. A loneliness crashed over Leigh, and she hung her head and wept. While she cried, he slipped silently off the desk and made his way to the front of the room. There, he released and rummaged through Jessica's purse. The keys jingled as he extracted them from the depths of the purse. He slipped them into his pocket and returned to his perch on Chad's desk. Leigh looked up briefly as he settled back in to wait. He let her cry until she slowly stopped, her breath and shoulders hitching, and raised her eyes again.


Despite her tears, or perhaps partially because of them, her arousal peaked. She twisted her hands, pulled at the ropes holding her ankles. Her breasts felt alive, her clitoris screaming at her. She moaned. (I don't want this. Please. I don't want this.) "Please," she whispered. He nodded, as if he knew what she was going through. Perhaps he did. He'd been watching bare females, tied, and walking around, helpless http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (59 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


and having sex for the better part of an hour, Leigh guessed. She glanced at the clock on the wall. It hadn't moved. Even if she could twist enough to see her wrists, her watch lay in the backpack somewhere behind him. He crouched between her legs, and for a giddy moment, she thought that he'd continue where Jessica had been forced to stop. Her clitoris pulsed in anticipation. (Why?) The thought of him licking her seemed more civilised. It was only skin, only flesh. And while her response to Jessica, and dominating the girl, surprised her a little, she thought that guys were still her preference. (He's going to lick you.) But he wasn't. Instead of touching her sex, his fingers wandered up her belly, bumping over the rope there, and teasing the bottom of her breasts. She was expecting him to play with her nipples, but he didn't. Just that maddening brush of fingertips against the base of her breasts. "Please don't tease me anymore," she said quietly. "What do you want?" "Sex. Please, I just want to ... climax. If you won't do it, untie my hands. I'll ... do it in front of you. I ... please." He smiled, almost understandingly. But his fingers continued, gently stroking her skin. She closed her eyes, tried to concentrate on asexual things. Physics. English. Math. But it didn't work. The images of Janice and Jessica, and the thought of those fingers slipping from her breasts to between her legs were driving her thoughts. "Please," she murmured. And the fingers fled. Leigh tried to follow, but the ropes held her securely. "Why are you teasing me?" Instead of answering her, she gasped as his fingers brushed at her vaginal lips. She tried to close her legs. Couldn't. The ropes dug painfully into her ankles. And then he was inside her, his fingers fluttering against her inner http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (60 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


lips. "Oh God," she moaned. "I'm not going to let you climax." "Oh God." His finger retreated, but then quickly circled her clitoris. One. Touch. She felt the edge rushing towards her. Her heat built, her hips rocking. Shame raced through her mind. His finger withdrew as she tottered on the edge of the chasm. "Oh God, please," she cried out. She tried to stop her mouth from saying anything further, but her body seemed to have a mind of its own now. With an effort, she managed to still the insistent rocking of her own hips. A breath, a tiny breath of warm air, probably from his lips teased her lower lips. "Please let me climax," she begged before she could stop it. And then she felt herself falling. "Oh God, oh God." Pain. Sudden pain, stopped her descent before she reached terminal speed. Shooting agony suffused her breasts and nipples, and she nearly pulled her shoulders out of joint to stop it. Her arousal faded a little, like a deer before the forest fire. Her eyes opened, panic rushing through them. His fingers, his gentle fingers, pinched at her swollen nipples, his fingernails slowly digging into her flesh. She screamed, and he immediately released her. The pain fled, but the chasm was gone. He'd have to touch her again in order to regain it. "Why?" "Control," he said, echoing an earlier comment. "You fucking shit," she said. And then the tears came again, her body aching, and protesting the strain and teasing.



He sat back, and watched her cry, not interrupting that which he'd caused. (Control.) She idly wondered whose locker she was leaning against. A heart was carved into the yellow paint, up towards the back. KR + DS. And she wondered why he had brought her here. She slipped to the tile, trying to keep her legs together, knowing that modesty wasn't really hers anymore. He'd teased her until she begged. It would be difficult to forget. Her clitoris wouldn't let her forget. It would take more than a single touch, now, but her arousal still reared in her like a hungry animal. (Please. I don't want this. Why did he have to make me tie them up? Hit them? Why?) After she was settled, he lowered himself slowly to the floor across the hall. There were a few frozen students milling about the hallway, but even if they weren't frozen, Leigh thought that they wouldn't be able to hear her talk. They might notice the handcuffed, naked girl in the middle of the hall, but she thought she was safe from that indignity. Her eyes locked onto the gun as he drew it almost nonchalantly from his waistband. He toyed with it, from one hand to the other. "You don't need that thing. I'll do whatever you want. Even if it's to have sex with everyone in the hallway." He smiled, and placed the gun on the ground by his jean clad thigh. She honestly didn't think that he had been threatening her with it, as much as simply playing with it, like a stress toy. But it made her nervous, anyway. "Thank you," she whispered. "You'd have sex with everyone in the hallway?" "I'd prefer not to, but I don't want you to torture anyone else, either." "I think you've had enough sex for now." She nodded. (Boy, have I ever.) http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (62 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


She fell silent for a few minutes; she drew her legs up, careful of keeping her feet in front of her to reduce his view. But he wasn't watching her, but staring off down the corridor. She wished that her hands weren't cuffed behind her. She wanted to hug her knees. Instead, she slowly rocked. "You, um, were pretty aroused back there," he said. She flushed, turned her face away. She refused to say anything. Her body had betrayed her, she knew that, but she'd begged him to let her climax. Had damn near climaxed if it wasn't for that trick with her nipples. He held up his hand, waggled two fingers. She suspected that the two fingers had been the ones that had been inside of her. "I don't want to talk about it," she whispered. He nodded slowly. "Then answer me this," he paused. Slowly, she nodded, encouraging him to ask her whatever it was that he wanted. "Why?" "I don't know." He thought for a moment. "Was is because you were tied up?" She shook her head. "In public?" Again, she shook her head. "Because I forced you to hit her?" Leigh swallowed, and hesitated. After a second, she quickly shook her head. When he didn't say anything more, she looked up. He was watching her, but his eyes were on her face, not her bare breasts, or legs. "It was a combination, okay? You stripped me, (I stripped myself) you tied me, so that I was vulnerable. I didn't have a fu ... damn choice. Okay? You forced a girl to lick me. What did you expect? I didn't have a fucking choice. Of course, I was fucking wet." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (63 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


(But I didn't have to beg, did I?) She regretted that last choice of adjective, but she couldn't take it back. Unladylike. He seemed to allow it, knowing she was angry. She had every fucking right to be angry, didn't she? (Sex slave. Object.) (no.) He nodded slowly, and leaned his head against the locker behind him. Leigh mimicked his actions, her hair falling further than his, tumbling across her bare shoulders. After a time, she spoke again. "Are you ever going to let me dress again? I barely feel human." She didn't look at him, his words reaching her from far away. "Perhaps. But you look really nice naked." (I'll bet I do.) "And tied up all the time. You don't need to do that." "I know. I think you'd behave now." (Like a fucking pet.) "I wouldn't attack you. Where would I go?" "Indeed." Another question occurred to her. "What happens to us if you die?" "Die?" "If you fell down a flight of steps, or stepped in front of a bus?" "Or if you managed to get a gun and shoot me?" "I wasn't thinking of that. No." (Yes you were.) "I really, really don't know. I suspect the timeline would collapse and you'd all get returned to your former selves, but I'm not sure about me. It's possible that the timeline would collapse, but take the primary one with it. You'd be here one second, and gone the next. I really don't know. It might not even be any of them. Perhaps the timeline would stay, and you'd be restricted for the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (64 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


rest of your life, short as it would probably be. I hear starvation isn't the most pleasant way to go." Her belly rumbled as she listened. "Either way, I don't think it would be wise to try for the gun. I can stop you, even without it." "I won't." As if to prove his point, she felt a tingling in her feet, and then a numbness. She tried to move them, to wiggle her toes, but it was as if her nerves stopped at her bare ankles. And as quickly as the sensation arrived, it fled, her feet warm and responsive. "What was that?" "I froze your feet. Hard to attack someone without them, isn't it?" She closed her eyes again, an image of her running for the gun, only to be stopped inches from it, her feet glued to the floor. "How long are you going to keep me?" "As long as it takes." "Takes for what? What are you going to do to me?" "I guess we'll find that out as we go along. But I think we are going to play a game, first." She could feel the first tendrils of sleep tugging at her mind. She wanted to lie down, close her eyes. Maybe the nightmare would end. "I'm tired," she said quietly. "Me, too," he echoed. "Me, too." She felt a soft touch to her cheek, and she opened her eyes blearily. "This takes a lot out of a girl, you know?" He nodded. Her back slid easily up the yellow locker with the graffiti heart as he helped her stand, his hand supporting her elbow. "Just a little longer, and we can all sleep." (All???) She nodded, and pulled half-heartedly at her handcuffs. It still felt strange to be walking through the hallways naked and http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (65 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


handcuffed, but damned if she wasn't getting used to it. After the display in the classroom, shame had fled. At least for the minor things. Her bare feet stepped as if she had shoes, except that the tile below her soles felt cool and real. (At least he didn't make me wear high heels.) She didn't know where the thought came from, though her mind was tired enough to hallucinate. The glass doors of the entrance to the school stood before her. He halted behind her. A soft touch to her upper arm reminded Leigh that he was there. Another girl sat against a tree in the grass. Her face was hidden by red hair hanging motionless about her shoulders. The girl was naked, and with a start of surprise, Leigh saw that the girl was chained with a pair of handcuffs, or at least her bare ankles were, tucked up beside her. Her feet were as bare as Leigh's, but lay against the green of the spring grass. The girl's head lolled easily from hanging limp against her chest, to backwards to rest against the oak. She couldn't see the girl's hands, but she was willing to bet that she was tied, or handcuffed, to the tree, her arms encircling the trunk behind her. The girl was beautiful, in a model-ish sort of way. The girl had her eyes closed, probably sleeping, or resting quietly. Leigh blinked once, then again. The girl remained chained and naked in her field of view. While she watched, the girl tried to shift in her sleep, her body straining for a moment against her restraints. Leigh blinked again, sure that the morning sun had tricked her eyes somehow. Her tired mind trying to come to grips with her own captivity. "Is that Kate Robertson?" Leigh asked quietly.




As soon as he'd opened the door for her, she practically ran outside, oblivious to her nudity in the outdoors. The concrete of the school steps merged smoothly into the softness of spring grass beneath her bare feet. She glanced more sedate where would clothes, or

back once. The gunman was following her, but at a much pace. Idly, she wondered if she could keep running, but she go? She was handcuffed behind her back, she had no possibility of survival. The police? Home?

(Never home.) Her teacher hadn't been able to save her. She suspected that the police were all frozen in their donut shops. She dropped to her knees in front of Kate, the grass tickling her shins and the tops of her feet. She struggled with the handcuffs for a moment, then gave up. "Kate? Please wake up." She nudged the girl gently with her knee. The naked girl slowly fluttered her eyes, blinking. "Not a nightmare," she muttered. "Kate!" Leigh whispered urgently. Her voice broke through the fog of sleep masking the other girl's features. "I'm awake. Stop yelling." Leigh whispered. "I'm not yelling." "Like a damn hangover," Kate said slowly. "Are you all right?" Kate looked up, confusion in her features. She pulled a little at her hands, which Leigh could now see were pinned like hers behind her back and around the tree that she sat against. Kate nodded, her eyes quickly gathered in the situation. She moaned. "He got you, too? You're Leigh. Leigh Cook, right?" Leigh nodded, surprised that the girl knew who she was. But further conversation was cut off. Their captor arrived, hands on his hips. The blue pack lay in the grass at his feet where he'd deposited it.



He touched Leigh's shoulder gently. "Up, Leigh." He assisted her by grasping her elbow. Leigh glanced down at the bound girl before turning her attention to her captor. "Why? Where?" "All in good time," he said. He guided the naked girl towards another small oak near Kate. "You won't do anything stupid?" Leigh shook her head. Her hair dragged across her shoulders, and she ended up having to toss her head to clear her eyes. He held up the key to her handcuffs. Slowly, she turned around. "I'm not going to gag you (Gag me?) this time. I'm going to let you catch up with Kate. But I don't want you to be loud. Understand? I can still gag you if I want." Leigh didn't want to be gagged. That was for certain. She eagerly nodded her head. She felt the metal slide from her wrists to dangle from her right hand. "Sit." Slowly, she sat in the grass, the blades tickling her skin. Knowing what was going to be expected of her, she scooted back until her back touched rough bark. She wanted to tell him that he could leave her free, knew it was useless. She pressed her lips together to prevent her saying anything stupid while he re-chained her wrists behind the tree. Her arms pulled further back than they had while she was in the chairs, but the pressure was tolerable. She sighed as he straightened. His shoe touched her thigh. She straightened her legs out in front of her. Kate had shifted herself around her tree so that she faced Leigh. By stretching her legs, she might be able to reach Kate's toes. Kate spoke quietly. "Sir?" The title sounded wrong coming from her mouth. She was a strong girl, far more than the rest of the clique that she ran with. Leigh did know that the girl didn't smoke, was an outspoken protester about it, despite the fact that most of her friends puffed during breaks. Kate didn't look broken, as the teacher and Janice had, but http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (68 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


her voice fell into a mimicry of deference. He turned towards Kate. She flinched, but talked anyway. "Can you release my feet? Please? The metal ... it hurts." He seemed about to tell her to suffer it, but then knelt. Kate raised her bare feet until they rested on his thighs. He used the same key that had released Leigh from her handcuffs, and the metal fell from Kate's ankles. Leigh wondered why the girl had been subjected to the ankle restraints in the first place. Probably one of his whims. She flexed her own feet, arching them. It felt nice not to be walking. Kate stretched her own bare legs, a flash of her pubic region crossing Leigh's eyes. She looked away, embarrassed. The man who had removed Kate's cuffs didn't seem to notice. Kate flashed him a smile, and didn't ask to be released from the tree. Probably knew it was a useless request. Leigh watched as he turned from the naked girls and walked towards the side of the school. On the way, he crouched, and slipped Kate's ankle cuffs into the blue pack. He didn't pick the pack back up, but strode off towards the back of the school, leaving the two girls watching him disappear. Kate pushed herself up with her feet until she sat straight. Idly, she crossed her legs, not caring about her exposure. Right now, there was only Leigh, and her, anyway. "Did he hurt anyone in there?" Leigh started. (I hurt people in there.) "What do you mean?" Kate sighed. As she spoke, Leigh raised herself up, crossing her legs as Kate had. Kate had seen female anatomy before. "I. I was out here when he arrived. You know Karen?" Leigh thought that she did. A pretty blonde. Smoked. Wasn't someone she would care to associate with, normally. "He hurt Karen, to make me strip," Kate sighed. "I think he's gone back to play with her again. He left her tied like this to a tree out back." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (69 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


Leigh's face burned. But she spoke anyway. "Who is he?" "I don't know. But he likes to control women." Leigh shifted as best she could. The handcuffs dug into her wrists, but then eased as she settled. "I figured. He. He made me strip, too. Obviously." Tears began to form. Leigh couldn't help it. They spilled over, running down her face. "He hurt Janice." Kate looked confused, didn't know Janice. "He made her strip, with that damn gun, and hurt her. Twisted her nipples. I had to, Kate. I had to." "I know. He taped lit cigarettes to Karen's nipples. I stripped pretty quick after that." Kate was crying too, lazy tears falling slowly. They cried for a few minutes. A strange sensation welled up from Leigh's clitoris. When she looked down, her heel, without her conscious knowledge or direction, had touched her vagina, brushed at her sparse pubic hairs there. Leigh gasped. The arousal came flooding back. Her heel pressed more insistently into her clitoris. When she looked up, Kate was watching her. Deliberately, she pushed her legs out in front of her, away from her body. Her face flushed bright crimson. Her nipples throbbed. Kate's teeth ran along her lip, and she slowly extended her legs towards Leigh. She shifted her weight, her arms rising uncomfortably. Leigh moaned as Kate's toes touched hers. "He teased, you, didn't he?" Kate asked softly. The tears began to fall again, and Leigh felt the blush recede. She nodded miserably. "I hated it. He touched me, and teased me. Made Miss Chambers tease me. I couldn't help it. I didn't want it. I was tied down." "I know. He did the same to me," Kate whispered. "Oh God." "Oh God, indeed."



Leigh pulled her legs back. This time, she made sure that her bare feet weren't near her sex. "I shouldn't be turned on by all of this," Leigh whispered. "Nor should I," Kate replied quietly. "Nor should I." "He seems to be more kind ... gentler ... with me." Kate sighed. "You have to last." "What?" "You have to last. He can't use you up. Same with me. He didn't hit me as hard as he did Karen." "He hit you?" "With a branch. On the breasts." The image didn't help Leigh's arousal. But she didn't say anything. "Oh God." "It hurt," Kate acknowledged. "But we're chosen. I don't know why. Karen's better looking than me, and he probably wants you for your mind." Kate let her eyes wander over the girl opposite to her. "And a pretty girl with a mind? What's not to like? Why not want to control her?" "He said that a few times. Why he wouldn't let me climax," Leigh said. She realised too late that she hadn't wanted to admit that. Kate merely smiled knowingly. "Did he rape you?" Leigh considered that. "Rape me? As in force intercourse on me?" Kate nodded. Leigh shook her head. "He didn't rape me like that. He forced sex on me though. Miss Chambers had to ... lick me." The blush returned full force. Kate nodded. "He made me lick Karen, and fondle Darren," Kate shivered. She seemed more upset about fondling Darren than having oral sex with Karen. "Isn't that rape?" "Not according to him." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (71 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


"Have you ever even seen him have sex with any woman? He nearly did with Miss Chambers, but I think I stopped him." Kate laughed quietly. "Leigh, sweety, you didn't stop him. He could have raped her any way he wanted, and then raped you, made you do whatever you offered to him, without giving you anything you wanted." Leigh looked down at her feet for a moment. "I suppose. I know that." Kate nodded understandingly. "But he didn't, did he? I can't figure him out. Maybe he's back there raping Darren, or Karen. I'll kill him if he raped Karen. But somehow I doubt it. He wants something else." "Surrender?" Kate shook her head. "Control. But he doesn't want surrender. Karen surrendered, and she isn't with us. She's beautiful, you know that, but it isn't enough. Not for this guy." Leigh nodded. "He let Janice and Miss Chambers go. They were pretty much broken, I think." "I can't surrender," Kate mused. Leigh shook her head. "I. I can't either." The girls lapsed into silence. "Are we ever going home?" Leigh asked. "I don't know," Kate said. "I really don't know." Leigh pulled at the handcuffs. The chain between her wrists jingled quietly in the still air. "... Darren in the balls ..." Kate's voice trailed off as Leigh nodded towards something behind her. Leigh's eyes widened at the sight approaching. Kate twisted to glance around her tree. "Karen!" Kate called out. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-41-50.html (72 of 73)8/14/2005 11:40:28 PM


The girl looked tired and dazed, walking naked with her hands behind her. The gunman walked behind her, the gun pressed into her ribs. Without speaking, Karen knelt between the girls, her knees in the grass. Kate reached out a bare foot and ran it along the girl's thigh. Karen looked up. "He killed Darren," Karen said quietly.



You are vistor #


since August 2000.




Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 51

·

Chapter 52

·

Chapter 53

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Chapter 54

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Chapter 55

Chapter 56

·

Chapter 57

·

Chapter 58

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Chapter 59

·

Chapter 60


Kate looked down, hung her head. "Karen, he deserved it." The gunman crouched in front of Karen. Incredibly, he laughed. He tilted the girl's face by her chin until she looked into his eyes. "I didn't kill him. I didn't kill anyone." "But. But. You were talking to him. He was swearing and kicking at you. I turned away, and he stopped screaming. I heard the gun." "He insulted you Karen, called you a bitch, and a whore, and a skunk, I think it was." "He didn't deserve to die," she whispered. A single tear fell from her eyes.



Leigh didn't know what it was about, didn't know Darren, so she kept her mouth shut for now. "I slipped him into a slower time frame to shut him up. Some people don't learn." "But ..." "I know. He looked dead. But he wasn't. We could go back there, I could unfreeze him again, and you could convince yourself. But unless you want to hurt him, I wouldn't. He's not ... himself anymore." Kate sighed. "He probably did what he said he did, Karen. I was beginning to wonder if Darren cracked." "I pushed him too far," the gunman said quietly. "It happens. More so with guys." Leigh idly wondered what would happen if she were pushed too far. She heard her voice, as if it originated from a mile away. "What if we get pushed too far?" He smiled, leaned back in the grass. "Darren was weak. You aren't. But I'll know if I push you too hard. We'll fix it." Leigh was far from convinced, but she held her tongue. He held up something bright and shiny. The blade glittered in the sunlight. One side was wickedly serrated, the other looked sharp enough to cut out the side of a tank. Kate's eyes widened. Leigh couldn't take her eyes off the knife. "Wh-where?" Kate stammered. Instead of answering her, he shuffled forward to Karen. Karen retreated, but her hands impeded her. Finally, she knelt quietly, trying to control her breathing. "It's a Bowie knife. And a beauty." He sounded like a child at Christmas. The Rocky Horror Picture Christmas. He held it up in front of Karen's eyes. She flinched as mottled sunlight reflected from the blade tracked across her face. She blinked when a particularly bright spot crossed her eye. "Please," she whispered. Her eyes had begun to fall into that place http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (2 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


where Janice had fallen. Slowly, carefully, he scraped the blade down her left breast, stopping just above the nipple. "Don't move," he advised the girl. She wasn't breathing as far as Leigh could tell. He rested the blade against her skin for a few minutes, and then pulled it away -- straight up, to avoid cutting the girl's skin. Karen slumped, her breath rasping in quiet relief from her throat. Ignoring the girl, he showed Leigh. "Please. You don't need to do that again," she whispered. Knives frightened her as much as guns did. He slipped the blade into a scabbard, and threw it towards the blue pack. "Darren had it, told me where it was. Wanted me to cut off your tits," he remarked to Kate. Kate paled noticeably. "Sick fuck." Leigh wondered idly what one called a clothed man, terrorising three bound and naked girls, tracing knives down their bare skin, just to make a point. Karen had regained her knees, her eyes frightened and wide. "You didn't have to do that again," she whispered. He smiled. Kate asked the obvious question. "Again?" Karen sighed, her heart calming after the scare. "He made me stand in front of Darren, while the asshole begged him to cut me with it. He dragged that damn thing down my breast, but on the other side. If I breathed it would have cut me. Oh God." "You did that?" Kate asked the gunman. He nodded, though he looked a little ashamed. "Are you all right?" "He cut Darren instead." "What?" "Just nicked his hand. He cried like a baby." Leigh was beginning to understand why Darren, whoever he was, had http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (3 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


gone a little crazy. She felt like she was going crazy. But while knives frightened her, she wouldn't ask anyone to cut anyone else. No matter how crazy she became. For some reason, the fact that the gunman hadn't really hurt Karen, hadn't cut her, made a difference. Even if he scared the girl witless, he never had cut her. Somehow, Leigh knew that Darren -- he would have. "It might come in useful," the man remarked before climbing to his feet. Quickly, he moved around the trees and unlocked the girls, but re-locked their hands behind them, like Karen, as soon as they moved from their trees. They were free of the trees, but still restricted. He led them, all three, naked and bound, towards the front of the school.


The bleachers rose like a coliseum, rows of uncomfortable, ridged, metal seats, stepping up towards the ceiling. Leigh felt a little like she imagined the Christian's felt like, moments before being devoured by lions. Kate stood beside her, metal chain looped around her arms, glinting in the glare of the overhead lights. Leigh looked down at her own arms, a similar bundle of chain resting there. The chain wasn't binding her -- he'd released the girls, all except Karen, from their handcuffs soon after they'd entered the gymnasium. She still felt self-conscious, being nude in the gym, with all the frozen spectators, but there was precious little she could do about that. Until he let her wear clothing again, she was going to be walking around bare-assed. The chain weighed heavily in her arms, but not as heavy as she thought it should be. Fifteen locks hooked into the links near her left hand. She could certainly lift the length of it -- the links seemed to be light gauge, perhaps even aluminium. She wondered where he had procured this stuff. The chain wouldn't hold a charging bull, it was far too light for that, but it would hold a struggling girl -- or boy -- she supposed. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (4 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


She shivered. She'd probably feel the bite of this chain around her limbs at some point before all this was over. She glanced over her shoulder. He had settled, with Karen at his side like a naked, human, pet, onto the floor near the women's change room. His hand rested easily on her bare thigh. He was talking to the naked girl curled up beside him, and she shook her head once in a while, as if denying his nefarious plans. Leigh couldn't hear the details, not from here. The top three rows of the bleachers held perhaps twenty boys, all decked out in gym equipment. Some were watching the basketball game, but most were occupied with speaking to their neighbours. A sprinkling of girls most in gym dress -- shorts and t-shirts -- also sat amongst the guys. Most of the girls actually seemed to be watching the game but with bored expressions on their faces. Leigh had the uncomfortable feeling that they wouldn't be bored for much longer. Leigh stepped up on the first riser, the small ridges in the metal tickling the bottom of her foot. As she moved, Kate mimicked her. Leigh could feel the gunman's eyes resting on her back, following her, even as he continued to talk to Karen, his murmuring voice reaching her through the otherwise silent world. The metal of the seats was rough and cool against her bare feet. She climbed three more risers, and stood nakedly in front of the first guy in the row. Some trick of his position made it seem like he was watching Leigh's bare breasts. Ignoring the sensations of exhibitionism, she lowered the weight from her arms onto the stair upon which she was standing. It clanked as it snaked and coiled at her feet. She heard another clank from the opposite side of the bleachers where Kate was doing approximately the same thing, but on the top row at the opposite side. Carefully, Leigh locked one end of the chain to the protective handrail, and began to lock one loop of chain securely around each frozen leg. She recoiled from touching the first few students, the cold, dead sensation from the out of time flesh sending spiders crawling up her spine. (And I wanted to touch one, before.) She sensed life in the students, but only a hint. Loop. Lock. Loop. Lock. Male. Male. Male. Female. The girls legs were more pleasant to work with, smoother and without http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (5 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


the frozen hair that made tightening the chain more difficult with the males. She had three locks remaining in her fingers when she bumped into Kate working in the opposite direction. The girls stood, and quickly fled the eerie bleachers. When they reached the bottom, he was waiting, gun in hand, his other hand carrying two pairs of handcuffs. The gun wasn't aimed at the girls, but its threat continued to make Leigh uneasy. Karen remained curled up where he'd left her, seated quietly against the off-white painted bricks beside the girls change room door. Leigh couldn't tell if she'd been refrozen, or was simply lounging quietly, glad that he wasn't paying her any attention. Leigh was surprised that she was breathing hard, her breath coming in raspy bursts. She handed him the extra locks. He tossed them carelessly towards the blue pack which rested near Karen on the hardwood floor. Leigh shivered. "Ugh," she said. Kate echoed the sentiment. He smiled, probably aware of the unclean feel of the frozen people. It was likely why he'd made the girls do his dirty work in the first place. (Why tie up frozen people?) "Hands." Automatically, Leigh put her hands behind her back. "No silly," he said. He touched her upper arm. "In front, this time." Leigh looked up sharply, but gratefully pulled her hands back in front of her. He snapped the cuffs on her wrists efficiently, and did the same to Kate. "I don't want to seem ungrateful, but why in front? This time?" Leigh asked. It felt odd having her hands visible while having to wear the handcuffs, though nice, in comparison to the alternative. He smiled in answer. "Can either of you whistle?"



Kate looked at Leigh, confusion on her face. (Whistle?) "Like Roger Whittaker?" Leigh asked finally. He laughed. "I didn't think anyone else knew about 'ole Roger. Puff the Magic Dragon, and all that." "My parents ..." "... played him all the time. On 8-track. I know," he finished her thought. "Actually, it was on cassette, but yes." He grinned. "No, I meant, whistle to get people's attention." Leigh shook her head. She could barely strike a low note with her lips. A shrill whistle, almost like a scream, drilled into her ears. Automatically, she raised her bound hands, trying to cover her ears, but not quite managing it with the chain between them. Panicked, she glanced at the gunman. The gun wavered, pointed at the naked girl beside Leigh. Leigh began to say something, something reassuring and calm despite her racing heart. He was going to shoot Kate, right where she stood, grinning like the schoolgirl that she was. Either she realised the danger and was seeking to diffuse it, or she simply didn't realise how close she had come to feeling what it was like to take a bullet in the chest. The shot didn't emerge. The image of a bloodied Kate lying on the floor, her hands still cuffed, didn't appear. "I can," Kate said unnecessarily. "Jesus," he said. "I can see that." It looked like he was trying to calm his heart, almost as much as Leigh was trying to calm hers. "When I tell you, can you do that again? With some warning? I damn near shot you." Kate soberly nodded, the grin fading at his words. "We may need to get some attention in a few minutes." (Oh God. You don't tie up frozen people.) "Please," Leigh said quietly. He turned towards her. "What?"



"I. I don't want to be like this in front of all those ... boys." He laughed. "Oh, you won't." "I won't?" He smiled evilly. "No, you're going to be tied naked to the basketball nets. In front of them." Leigh paled. They came alive with a thunderous roar of confusion. Leigh remained with her back to the bleachers, but she suspected that her modesty, what little left there was, wouldn't be around much longer. She raised her cuffed hands to try to cover her breasts, at least marginally. The boys were going to get a view, that was certain. No matter what she did. When he tied her to the net, it wouldn't be nice and modest. Oh no. Her heart raced, but somehow, calm descended. Her sex pulsed, but she managed to quell that. Kate looked faint standing beside her. He nodded at Kate. Kate parted her lips, slightly, and blew. A shrill whistle, the sister to the one that had nearly surprised the gunman into shooting her, pierced the air. Slowly, the raucous diminished. A few gasps emerged from above. The rattling of the chain filled the atmosphere of the gym. He touched the girls' bare shoulder, and reluctantly, they turned around to face the crowd of now bound spectators. The gunman sauntered to the first bleachers, stepping up to address them. Kate and Leigh stood quietly behind, shifting their weight, trying to ignore the sudden audience. All of their eyes riveted to the gun as he stood quietly regarding them. He waved it, amused as they shifted to watch it move through the air. The chain rattled noisily as a girl pulled at her bound ankle. "Now that I have your attention," he said quietly, "we can begin."



"Just what the fuck do you think you are doing?" The voice came from one of the bigger boys, sitting in one of the front benches. He turned towards the speaker. Slowly, he walked up the steps until he stood in front of the boy. The boy stood, his fists clenched at his side. (Hit him. Now.) But the boy didn't swing. The gunman, even standing down one riser, still stood eye to eye with him. Slowly, he traced the gun down the boy's cheek. Leigh knew what that felt like. "What the fuck am I doing?" The boy nodded slowly; his body was shaking. The gunman paused for effect, then said in a barely audible voice: "Anything I want." The boy opened his mouth, and then clapped it shut. The gunman slowly reached forward, his finger pressed into the base of the boy's throat. Slowly, the boy sat back down. "You can't tie us like this," the girl beside him said quietly. He crouched in front of her, the gun aimed at her shoulder. "I can't?" She shook her head. Blonde tresses dragged across her shoulders. "What's your name?" "Beth," she said. Her voice wavered. "Please, I don't want to die." She was female, her tears not a source of embarrassment. One fell unheeded down her cheek. Leigh thought that she might be upset at herself that she'd spoken at all. "Beth," he repeated. "I can shoot you, if I want. I can shoot tubby, beside you." She appeared to want to protest his reference to the boy as "tubby", but kept her mouth shut. "I can make you strip like them," and he waved vaguely towards Leigh and Kate, "I can shoot you in the elbow, or knee, or head. What are you going to do about it?" She looked, for a moment, like she was going to be brave. Beth glanced around, but her friends were examining their laps, loath to attract the attention of a guy with a gun.



"I'm sorry," the girl mumbled instead. He nodded, and stroked her cheek with the barrel of the weapon. She flinched, but he followed, dragging the steel down her face, down her throat, and across her left breast before releasing her. As the gun left her, she raised her hands to her face, and wept. He ignored her fear, and rose to his feet. Slowly, he walked down the bleachers to the lower rungs. He turned to the crowd, its silence eerie. "We're going to play an unusual game," he said with a smile on his lips.


Leigh watched quietly, turned away from the audience, as he led Kate to the north basketball net. "Please, not like this," the girl whispered. He smiled, and ignored her. Leigh watched as he carefully threw a length of rope over the net ten feet above, and looped it around the chain between Kate's wrists. He raised her arms with the rope until she stood, arms overhead, body vulnerable. "Please," she whispered again. Leigh was sure that the girl's begging could be heard in the silent bleachers, but Kate didn't seem to care. Her face flushed a bright red. He knelt at her feet. "So you can't reach," he said. It didn't make any sense to Leigh, but another length of rope encircled the girl's ankles. He rose, and inspected his handiwork. "The cuffs hurt," she said.



"Then you better hope they're fast," he said. "Who?" Without answering the nude girl, he returned to Leigh. She couldn't help it. "Please, no. Not like that." "Would you prefer to give the spectators a blow job each?" Leigh shook her head, and didn't resist as he led her to the southern net. "Why like this? Why in front of them? I've done everything you asked. I've been a good girl." He shrugged as he tossed a rope over the rim of the net. It settled over the support and he tugged it down towards her wrists. "Because, they need some incentive." That didn't make sense either, to Leigh. How could she be incentive? She didn't know, but her heart hammered even faster. She remained turned away from the crowd, her hands against her breasts. He touched the chain between her wrists. "No," she hissed, and held her hands tightly against her bare chest. "I can't." He stepped back, smiling. "Kate did it." Leigh nodded. The girl was visible, crying under the opposite net, her hands extended above her, her body available for the teenage population of boys to see. It seemed like nearly all of them were staring at the helpless girl, though a few were watching what was happening to her, or glancing at Karen, still seated naked across the room. "I can't." He sighed. "I really didn't want to start shooting them." "Who?" "Beth? The tubby guy beside her. The boys up there, that you so kindly tied up for me. I could do it from here." He turned easily, and aimed at the first row of student. They shrank back, and ducked, nearly in synchronicity, but none of them were going far without their ankles. Images of blood, and the shiver of death, infused Leigh. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (11 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


A tear escaped. "Please, just refreeze the boys. Please. I don't want them to see me like this. I'll let you tie me ... like her ... just not with boys. Leave the girls, if you have to. Please." "I'm a boy," he lowered the handgun and turned to face Leigh. "You ... it's different. Okay? Leave the girls awake, just not the boys. They ..." "... probably like looking at you." Leigh nodded miserably. "The boys are staying." "Oh God, why?" He shrugged. Leigh considered running, but in the end, finally, extended her hands from her breasts. The boys looked at her as she did, and she lowered her eyes, aware of every male ogling her nudity. (How can girls become strippers? Pose for Playboy? Please.) Her sex tingled as she exposed herself, but she allowed him to loop the rope over her wrists. They rose until she felt the metal digging into her wrists. The position would become unbearable, quickly. Her arms weren't used to being pinned like this. "How long?" she whispered. He shrugged. "Depends on how fast they are." "Who?" But she knew he wouldn't answer her. He knelt, and he almost gently wrapped rope around her ankles. He didn't clinch it, and she relaxed as he stood. She couldn't part her ankles, couldn't wiggle free, but there wouldn't be those awful rope burns, this time. She glanced up at her hands held above her head. Her cuffs were a different story. There would be marks there. She raised up on her toes, realising the effect that would have on her legs, but she didn't care. Her wrists loosened, if only for a moment. Her calves screamed at her, and reluctantly, she reapplied pressure to her wrists as her heels rested back against the hardwood beneath her. She twisted as best she could as he ran his finger down her throat, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (12 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


and traced across the top of her right breast. He smiled, but allowed her to pull away. He pulled his hand back, and she returned to a more natural stance. The damage had been done though -- her nipples ached at the touch, and she could feel her clitoris beginning to sing again. She moaned, trying to stop the sensations. (Miss Chambers licking Janice. And me. Please no.) (I'm so fucking wet. From one fucking touch. To my breast.) She opened her eyes again. He was smiling at her, as though he could read her thoughts. "Wish nipple chains would reach between you." (Nipple chains?) She glared at him, and with a smile, he turned away from her. He wandered through the various girls still frozen in various positions around the court. When she looked back up, he was in front of her again, waiting for her attention. "Blondes or brunettes?" he asked quietly. "What?" "Blondes or brunettes?" he repeated. Leigh's confusion registered in her features. "Please, I just want you to let me down." She could sense the boys watching the exchange, couldn't do a damn thing about it. Her wrists hurt, and her legs ached from standing in this position. "Then pick. Blondes or brunettes." "What for? Please." He smiled. "For your team, of course," he said, as if she should know exactly what he was talking about. Leigh took a deep breath, felt her breasts rising as her chest expanded. She let it out in a sigh. "Are you going to hurt them?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (13 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


"Not much." "Pistol whip them?" The image of Candice, still squirrelled away in the shower hammered Leigh again. She moaned. Despite her fear, and embarrassment at her position, her sex was still singing. He shook his head firmly. "I won't pistol whip them. I promise." She didn't know if she could trust his promises, but didn't see a lot of choice in the matter. (What did he want blondes and brunettes for?) (Stupid question.) "Brunettes," Leigh said, hoping that she hadn't sentenced more girls to torment. He smiled, and touched her own deep brown hair. She tossed her hair, and it left his easy grasp. "Blondes for Kate, then." He turned, a faint look of concentration on his features. The girl dribbling the ball stopped as the brunette, naked and in handcuffs, her bare ankles tied with rope, standing under the net, appeared in her vision. The ball hit her foot, and rolled unnoticed off towards the stands. Off to the right, a girl screamed. The sounds of basketball shoes skidding to a stop on the hardwood filled the air. The girl under the net looked like ... Leigh Cook. Slowly, the girl turned around, her eyes taking in the silent, but still unfrozen spectators, not noticing the chains that held them to the bleachers. She recognised Kate, standing like Leigh under the north net, her hands cuffed, her body naked right down to her toes. Another blonde girl, Karen, sat quietly by the change room. Her breasts were visible, her arms behind her back. The girl rubbed her eyes, blinked. But the scene didn't disappear. She didn't know that soon, she would be as naked as the tied girls, and tied herself, facedown on the floor, playing a different game than the basketball game that had just ended. One far less comfortable. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (14 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


Her breath rasped in her lungs, her body unaware that she'd been resting for quite some time prior to being unfrozen. She was blonde -- not brunette. The man appeared in front of her, the gun aimed at her temple. She finally screamed.


"If you cooperate," he said quietly, but his voice reached all of the players, the tied girls under the nets, and the tops of the bleachers, "I won't have to hurt you." Lisa shivered, afraid she might faint. But she didn't, the gun still pointed at her head "I ... what do you want?" she asked, her voice squeaking. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tracy, one of her own team, a defence-girl, bolt and run for the door. He turned slowly and watched the girl as her shoes squeaked as she ran, her brunette hair bouncing. He sighed, and muttered a quick curse. Suddenly, Tracy tripped. If Lisa didn't know any better, she'd swear that the girl's feet had stopped dead, for about half a second, enough to overbalance her and send her sprawling. The girl pushed herself up, and tried to stand. As if a giant invisible table had appeared overtop of her, she grunted, and fell again as her back struck empty air. She cried out in pain. "Stay," the man ordered Lisa and the remainder of the team as he moved towards the prone girl. Lisa considered running, but her eyes were glued to Tracy. The girl was crying hysterically, and trying to crawl towards the door. Every so often, she bumped into something invisible, crying out as her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (15 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


hands, or head impacted. But there was no glass there, or Plexiglas. Not in the middle of the gymnasium. Tracy stopped moving as the gun touched her ribs. She looked up at the gunman. "Oh God. Oh God, please. I ..." But he didn't give her time to speak, but grabbed a fistful of her brunette hair and dragged her, crawling and screaming back towards the court. "Leave her alone. She's just scared, like all of us. What's going on here?" Lisa found her voice, and was surprised it was angry. Her heart hammered in her chest. He released Tracy, and she fell back to the floor, her sobs disappearing into the still gymnasium. He walked up to Lisa, the gun pointed between her breasts. Lisa's breath had calmed, and she had a crazy thought that she should go and pick up the ball that had rolled away from her. "What's your name?" "Why should I tell you?" He smiled. Lisa really didn't like the smile. It scared her. "Because, I'll kill your friend if you don't." Lisa swallowed. "Lisa," she said. "Who's your foolish friend?" "Tracy. Please. What's this all about? Why are they tied up? Naked?" "All in good time, Lisa." He stepped away from her and addressed the team. "Anyone else want to run?" The girls quietly shook their heads in unison. Quickly, he pointed out six girls. Lisa's heart sank when his finger pointed to her. "Over there." Lisa slowly walked to the edge of the bleachers, where the other five girls had moved at his direction. The remainder of the team ushered towards Karen, who remained sitting quietly by the change http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (16 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


room. He spoke quietly to the team, and they sat, their legs crossed, and their eyes downcast. Karen said something to them, but it was inaudible from where Lisa stood. The spectators were silent, unsure of what was happening, but obviously cowed by the gun. She turned to Kate, who stood quietly blushing under the north net. "Kate?" Kate looked up at her, her eyes red from crying. She looked like she wanted to cover herself, but with her hands tied over her head, there wasn't much chance of that. Lisa didn't let her eyes stray from the girl's face. "Lisa. You have to do what he says. He'll probably tell you to strip. He won't hurt you, I don't think, if you do what he says. Please." Lisa nodded, not understanding, but he was walking towards the six chosen girls. "Three here, and three there." He indicated two spots near centre court, one towards Leigh, and one towards Kate. The girls quietly spread out to the area that he'd indicated. Lisa stared at him as he approached the two groups of girls. "What do you want?" The gun was no longer pointed at her, but at the floor near her shoes. Without answering her, he changed the position of two of the girls. "Names?" "Tracy." "Anne." "Tyler." "Jennifer." "Kim." Lisa answered a little differently. "You know my name." "Ah, yes, Lisa."



She nodded. "Well, girls, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Either way, you are going to lose your clothing." The girls paled as one. Lisa spoke. "Why?" Leigh answered from her bonds near the basketball net. "He likes to see us naked. He's a guy, Lisa. Trust me, just take your clothes off. It won't kill you, but he might if you don't." Lisa turned to Leigh, her heart in her throat. "Here? But ..." "I know. I don't want to be here either, not like this, but you saw what he did to Tracy, didn't you? He'll whip her, he'll force her to have sex with teachers, with everyone in those bleachers. Please. Just strip for him, if that's what he wants." The gunman looked smug. Lisa wanted to smash his face. "He'd do that?" "He pistol-whipped a girl in the shower, right in front of me." "He taped cigarettes to my nipples," Karen said quietly from her place on the floor. She tugged at her handcuffs, but otherwise remained where she was. Lisa turned as each of the naked girls talked. She believed them. God, she believed them. They weren't in charge, were non-consensual participants in this sick game. She turned towards the gunman. "If I strip, will you let us go?" "After a while." "Are you going to tie us up?" "It's all part of the game." "Are you going to rape us?" He shook his head. "No, I won't rape you." "What game?"



Instead of answering her, he walked over to Tracy and wound his hand back into her hair. He dragged her screaming over to Lisa from the other side of the court. "Please, don't. Christ. That fucking hurts," Tracy screamed as she stumbled along beside him. He pressed the gun into her cheekbone, just below her eye. "Oh God, please no." Lisa swallowed and nodded. "Don't hurt her. Let her go." He raised his eyebrows at her. With a sigh, Lisa reached down and slipped her T-shirt over her head. It was damp with her perspiration, but it eventually slid over her head, and she tossed it towards the bleachers. She slipped her shorts down her legs, and stepped out of them, having trouble with the sneakers. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the remainder of the team, both sides, following her lead. "Satisfied?" Lisa asked, her hands on her hips. "All of it." Lisa paled again, jerking her head towards the girls tied to the nets. "Like them?" He nodded. "Please no. Whatever it is you want, we'll do it, but please, not naked. Not in front of the boys. Please." "Naked." Lisa felt her knees buckle, and she fell to her knees. She looked up at him. He still held Tracy, fully clothed Tracy. The girl had closed her eyes, as if she hoped that the nightmare would end if she couldn't see it anymore. "Weren't you ever in high school?" He nodded, unsure of where she was going with this. "Would you have taken your clothes off in a room full of girls?" He laughed. "No. But I wasn't out of time."



The remark didn't make any sense to Lisa, but she forged on anyway. "I'm in my underwear. That's bad enough. I don't know why the other girls are naked. I really don't. All I want is for you to let me go, and everyone else." "Then you better start taking the rest of your clothing off, before I have to create a new hole in Tracy's cheek." Tracy moaned, and nearly slumped. He held her up by her hair, and she screamed before regaining her footing. Two of the girls began to unhook their bras. "Lisa," one hissed, the blonde, "he's serious. Kate wouldn't have stripped for him because she wanted to, and if he can make her strip ... just do it. Please." Lisa climbed to her feet. "I'll get you for this," she hissed. "I know, Lisa," he said. He looked beyond weary -- positively exhausted. As she fumbled with the clasp on her bra, he released Tracy who screamed again. She fell to her knees. "Tracy, you too." The fallen girl shook her head in denial. The gun pressed into her ribs made her rise back to her feet and begin to strip with the rest of the girls. Lisa's bra fell to her feet. She had a feeling that she wouldn't be able to stay turned away from the bleachers forever, but she cherished every second that he didn't make her turn around. "Shoes, too?" she asked quietly. He nodded, but she could have predicted the answer. With her toes, she pushed her hightops from her feet. She bent at the waist, pulling her socks from her toes. When she straightened, she noticed that some of the girls were already naked, covering themselves as best they could with their hands. Some were in panties, as she was, and a few were naked but for their shoes. "Please?" He was standing in front of Lisa, watching her take her clothes off. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (20 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


"Please what?" "Let me keep my panties? I'm nearly naked." He laughed, and she looked down. Sighing, she tried to forget that he was there, and the boys above were there. She'd wake up now, wouldn't she? (Please God, let me wake up.) Instead, she pushed her panties down her legs and stepped forward and out of them, leaving them with her shorts on the hardwood. She glanced over her shoulder. Her team-mates were mostly naked, only Tracy still removing clothing. As she watched, Tracy's panties joined the growing pile of gym clothing scattered amongst bare feet. "Please, gather up the clothes." Lisa gulped, realising that her modesty was about to be challenged. She would have to turn to face the bleachers now. Slowly, she moved, trying to keep clothing in front of her nudity, until she had it all in her arms. The clothes were damp from the girls perspiration, and heavy. The cloth smelled a little like old laundry, but that, she supposed, was exactly what it was. Bizarrely, she hoped that she didn't smell as bad as the clothing in her arms did, but realistically, she probably did. But for now, the clothing shielded her. "Put them over there." Lisa looked where he was pointing. The bleachers. Of course. Slowly, she walked over towards the bleachers, feeling the eyes crawling across her bare shoulders and skin. The hardwood felt odd beneath her bare feet. "Here?" "Right there." She turned her back on the spectators, and dropped the clothing at her feet. She stepped over the clothing, and nearly ran into him. "What?" she murmured as he refused to let her pass. "Show them." "What?" Her heart skipped a beat. There was only one thing that he could mean, and she didn't want to do that. Not at all.



"Turn around. Put your hands on your head. And slowly turn." "No," she whispered. She could feel a flush hotly in her cheeks. "Do you want me to shoot Tracy?" "I don't care anymore." He began to turn away. Oh God. Oh God. "Come back," she whispered. Smiling, he did. "It'll be easier afterward. Get it over with. They will see you anyway." Lisa nodded, faint. "Please don't make me do this." "Leigh was shy, too, at first." "Leigh, is tied up. She doesn't have a choice." "Neither do you," he pointed out. "I hate you," she hissed. "It doesn't matter." And she knew that, too. Slowly, she raised her arms away from her bare breasts, and placed them on top of her head. She closed her eyes. A voice from the crowd, a male voice, called out. "Come on, Lisa. Turn around. We want to see you." The voice was silenced as the gunman waved the gun towards the bleachers. Another voice from the crowd, also male, called out. "Yeah, dickwad. Shut the fuck up. How would you like to be down there, instead of her?" The gunman smiled, looking up towards whoever had encouraged her. "Indeed, dickwad," he intoned. "How would like to strip down here, instead of Lisa? I doubt if anyone wants to see that, though."



The guy shut up, and didn't say anything further. "I'm sorry about that," the gunman whispered to her. He was forcing her to expose herself to her friends, to strangers, and to fools, but his voice carried a note of sympathy. He hadn't expected the catcall. "Oh God," she murmured. She silently thanked the guy who had told the catcaller to shut the fuck up, and cursed the gunman. But she turned, her eyes closed, until she thought that she'd done a complete circle. No whistles. No catcalls, no crashing lightning. She was breathing hard when she opened her eyes, but she hadn't fallen into the earth like she hoped. Worse, she didn't wake up. She'd overturned a little, was facing Leigh instead of the gunman. She corrected, dancing on her bare feet. "Please, let me go now?" she implored. He smiled. "But we've only just begun." The tune captured her, and she struggled to push it out of her head as she walked back to join the rest of the naked team. She envied the girls that were seated, clothed, by the change room, their eyes wide and disbelieving. "We've only just begun."


It had taken him a long time to tie all six of the girls with ropes. Lisa, Anne, and Tyler lay prone, their wrists tied behind them, their ankles tied and bent back to attach to their wrist ropes. Tracy, Jennifer and Kim lay in similar positions, hog-tied and naked, but on Leigh's side of the court. Blondes and brunettes. Tracy wept quietly as she lay on the hardwood; the remaining girls lay silently pulling at their bonds.



"Please. This hurts," Lisa said, trying to arch her head up to see the gunman who stood to her left. He crouched, and smoothed the naked girl's hair, almost kindly. "I'm afraid it's going to hurt a little more before we're done." He sounded genuinely sympathetic, as though he didn't have a choice in making the girls endure this. Lisa lowered her head to the floor, and moaned. She pulled against her ropes futilely for a moment, then decided to conserve her energy. He walked over the hardwood, glancing at the girls by the change room, his shoes squeaking against the floor. Leigh squirmed in her bonds, her bare feet struggling to keep her upright. Her arms ached like they were going to fall out of her shoulders, and her legs shook. Her calves screamed at her for repeatedly trying to ease the pressure on her wrists. "How are you holding up?" he whispered to Leigh. "How do you think? This hurts. Please, let me down. Just for a few minutes. I'll let you tie me back up. I promise. Just for a few minutes." He slowly shook his head. "Please. I've been good. I've done everything you wanted. I tied up the audience. I let you tie me like this. Please, just for a few minutes. Kate, too?" "I need you uncomfortable." "Why, for God's sake? You have nine of us. We're all uncomfortable." "For the game." "For control. I'm under your control. I know that. That's what you want to hear, isn't it? You control me. Please." "You'd fuck the basketball girls for me, wouldn't you?" "If you let me down for three minutes, I would." "Oh, I think it would take you longer than that." "Please. My arms. My wrists. They hurt." He touched her cheek, gently. Not her breasts, not her ass -- her cheek. "Soon, little one. Soon." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (24 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


She couldn't help it. She was so tired, and it hurt. It had been hours of stress. Being tied. Being naked. Doing what this man wanted. She let her head hang, and she cried. It felt good, but it didn't take the pressure off her arms and hands. "Please?" she begged. He only touched her cheek again, brushing away the tears, and turned away. Kate hung at her post on the opposite side of the gym. Her face was a mask of pain, as much as Leigh was sure hers was, but she mouthed: "I'm sorry," across the court to Leigh. He almost sounded like a wrestling announcer, but much quieter. He commanded attention. Leigh looked up, blinking away the tears. She didn't think she had any more tears, but they seemed to refresh every so often. "The game is simple," he intoned. The crowd in the bleachers had stopped watching the girls tied on the floor, and had turned away from the girls tied under the nets. All eyes rested on the gunman, standing encircled by the six tied girls on the floor. He touched each of the bound girls, running a finger up their insteps, making them jump and moan in their bonds. "Each girl has a simple task. Get to their captain. Tracy, Jennifer, and Tyler -- the Brunettes, need to touch Leigh's feet. The Blondes -- Lisa, Anne, and Kim -- need to reach Kate." "We're tied up," Lisa said exasperatedly. He turned to her. "Yes." "Oh God. We can't do that. Do you know how much these ropes hurt?" He nodded. Movement in the bleachers distracted him. Two guys stood, their arms crossed across their chests. "Leave them alone." The gunman smiled and walked to the foot of the bleachers. He had to step over Tyler and Anne who moaned as he did. "You got a problem with this?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (25 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


The guys paled, but remained standing. "Why don't you toss away that piece, and pick on some people your own size?" The guys hardly looked like a match for the gunman, but there were two of them. "You don't think it's right for me to be doing this to the girls?" "Do you think it's right?" He laughed and jumped up a stair. Despite the suggestion, the gun remained in his hand, but it wasn't pointed at the guys. "Would you rather be in the game?" They considered that for a moment, and nodded. "If you'd let the girls go, sure, we'd trade with them." "Very noble. But you wouldn't look as good, naked, as they do." "Fucking bastard." "Yes, I am. What's the point?" "We would trade places with them. Gladly." He seemed to consider it. Leigh doubted if he was actually considering it, and wasn't disappointed by his answer. "I doubt if you'd want that. Men don't have the pain tolerance of the girls down there." As if to prove his statement, one of the girls lying on the floor moaned. He stepped up one further riser. Two girls flanked the guys. The blonde reached up to tug at the sweatshirt of the left speaker. He glanced down at the girl. "Enough," she whispered. "Are you trying to get killed?" "You should listen to your girlfriend," he advised. "Fuck you. You have to abuse women to get your thrills?" "I'm not his girlfriend," the girl said quietly and pulled her hand back down away from his shirt. She shifted and slid to move as far away from him as she could with the chain locked around her ankle. "The difference, you see, is that this game doesn't really have http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (26 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


consequences." "What the fuck are you talking about?" "Time, my friend. Time. The existence of events. Paradox." "What?" Without warning, the guy whose girlfriend claimed she wasn't sitting beside him, launched. Leigh closed her eyes, expecting the easy report of the handgun, complete with the ringing ears, and the cry of pain. Or not. It didn't come. He hung in the air, like a frozen replay of a cliff diver. The gunman slipped to the side and released the diver. The guy looked confused for a moment before the chain yanked his ankle and he tumbled forward. The blonde who'd tried to calm him screamed as her foot was yanked forward. The other guy, chained beside him, grunted, and fell as the guy's weight crashed headlong into the bleachers where the gunman had stood but a moment before. The attacker screamed in pain as his head and arm cracked into the seats in front of him. The girl beside grabbed at her ankle, still screaming. The gunman sat down, waiting quietly. At last, the guy pushed himself up, tears falling down his cheeks. "Oh God, oh God, blood," he murmured. And then he fainted. "Pick him up," the gunman said quietly. The other student silently reached down and managed to drag his buddy back up to lie on the edge of the lower seat. He looked up warily. "How did you do that, man?" "Time." The guy looked confused for a moment, but then sat back down on the bleachers. "Lisa?" the gunman called. The girl had craned her neck from her hog-tie. "Yes?" "How are you feeling down there?" "It hurts."



The gunman nodded. He spoke to the guy who remained. "He fainted. And he isn't going to go through what Lisa is." "I know," he whispered. Without pausing his dialogue, the gunman touched the gun to the blonde girl's knee, dragging it up and down. She released her injured ankle, and tried to back away from the weapon. "Oh God, please don't shoot me," she begged as he continued with the gun. "Do you still want to trade places with her? I'll let you." The guy shook his head violently, his eyes tracking the gun caressing the blonde's knee. He turned to face the girl. She shrank back at his attention, her knee shuddering against the gun barrel. "How about you? Do you want to trade places with Lisa down there? You, I think, would be more attractive than these idiots, and probably could take what I'm going to put the girls through." The blonde girl shook her head slowly, her eyes pleading. "Please no. I was just sitting here. I. I don't even know them. I don't want to strip and be tied up down there in front of everyone. Please no." He turned away from the cowering girl. "I could shoot her. And her," he pointed to the girl beside the still conscious guy. The brunette backed away, her eyes wide and teary. "If I wanted to. This isn't up for negotiation. The girls can try to convince me otherwise, if they want, they earned the right to have a different opinion, but I don't want to hear another peep out of you. Is that clear?" His eyes flit between the gun, and his buddy's bloody face. He nodded. "Crystal," he whispered. The gunman turned, almost addressing the entire bleachers at once, but directing his voice to the still conscious boy who'd been brave enough to stand up to the gun. "Neither you, nor they, will remember this, after it's over."




"I won't do this," Lisa whispered after he'd returned. He smiled. "The girl that kisses the toes of Leigh or Kate first, I'll release. The rest get to stay in the ropes until I choose to let them go." "I won't play this sick game," Lisa spoke a little louder. "I'd rather stay tied here forever." Echoes of agreement filtered through the tied girls on the floor. Leigh pulled at her handcuffs. She wasn't going anywhere either. And the pain in her arms had peaked. It was possible that whatever muscles had been protesting had simply given up, but Leigh was far more concerned about nerve damage. If anything, the pain in her arms was retreating. Her arms still hurt, but it wasn't getting worse. She didn't know whether to be thankful, or frightened. The gunman stepped over Lisa and silently bent to his pack. The girls watched him warily. He returned with the crop. He struck the air with it, the tip whistling nastily through the still currents of atmosphere in the gym. Every female bound and naked turned her eyes towards the sharp sound. (Oh God, no.) Leigh shivered when she saw it, remembering the instant pain that had occurred when she had tapped herself in the thigh to test it. She remembered the squirming that Janice and Miss Chambers had suffered under it. And she had wielded it lightly. Her clitoris pulsed at the memory. (Not now. Not now.) Her arousal peaked up another notch. The pain in her arms, and the thought that she, and the others might feel that crop, plugged into her desires, and while she fought it, it didn't really work. Even watching him hit the other naked and helpless girls was going to torture her.



(Fuck.) (And that, too.) "I thought that might be the case." Leigh was sure that he was speaking from experience. She wondered if he had staged a similar game as this before. He was speaking to Lisa. "And so, if I think you aren't trying hard enough, and at regular intervals, I'm going to use this, on you and your friends. It hurts, let me assure you. But I won't use it on the offender. If you stop moving towards Kate, whether it is because you hurt, or you are tired, or have a cramp, I'm going to hit Tracy with this, or Kate, or Leigh, or Karen, or Tyler, or someone in the stands at random. Whoever I like. But not you. Until you move again. Is that clear?" Lisa closed her eyes, her heart sinking in her chest. Her breasts pressed painfully into the floor, her arms burned with the ropes. He was going to torture someone else for her resistance. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair. He *knew* what to do. The bastard. Lisa spoke into the floor, resigned. "I'll try." "Good girl." It sounded like a compliment for a pet. A sharp stripe of pain burned through the soles of her upturned bare feet. She jumped, and screamed. "What the fuck was that for?" Her feet felt like they'd been kissed by a red hot poker. "That was a light one," he said quietly in her ear. "That is what this feels like, what you'll inflict on someone else if you stop. Understand?" Lisa grit her teeth, trying to stop the tears of pain. She nodded. She understood. Couldn't help but understand. Six screams, and six explanations followed. He sat in front of Lisa, brushing her bangs from her eyes. "Are you ready?" "No. If I'd known you were going to do this, I wouldn't have let you http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (30 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


strip me, or tie me up." "I know. Are you ready?" "Fucking bastard." He smiled and raised the crop. She closed her eyes, expecting the pain. But it didn't come. "Go," he whispered. He got to his feet, and walked towards the change room wall. Lisa groaned, and focused her eyes on the pair of bare feet, tied about three metres from her nose. Kate's feet. Kate's toes. They were watching her, unable to help themselves, tied high in the bleachers. Her clothed team-mates. (Oh God.) She arched, straining against her restraints. Her breasts rose from the floor, her knees trying to push her bound, bare body forward. She'd never make it. But to stop, unthinkable. It hurt. God, it hurt. But she arched anyway. One slow millimetre at a time. She screamed, but continued. Movement, beyond that of the struggling girls on the floor, caught Leigh's attention. Karen rose with his assistance, his hand light on her elbow. The bound, naked girl shook her head, but followed quietly as he led her towards the bound basketball team. "They'll never make it," Karen whispered as he stopped her near the edge of the court. "They have to," her captor said. A pair of handcuffs swung in his left hand. "You're going to kill them. Please don't do this," Karen said. He shook his head, and urged Karen forward. Carefully, she stepped over Lisa, her foot brushing the bound girl's ankle as she did. Lisa moaned, but resumed her slow, rocking, pace.



Karen pulled away from the hand that guided her. She crouched, glancing over her bare shoulder. He didn't try to stop her. "You can make it, Lisa. The quicker you touch Kate, the quicker you'll be untied." But to Leigh, it didn't look like the basketball centre was winning this race. After stepping over each blonde on the floor, Karen crouched and whispered some encouragement. She glanced at the other three brunette girls, all struggling in the opposite direction, towards Leigh. After Anne, Karen turned back towards the gunman, and whispered. "I'm ready." He reached for the bound girl, and guided her to the bleachers. For a moment, Leigh was sure that she'd be on her knees, giving free blowjobs to every guy as they watched the sick game. But instead, Karen sat quietly on the bottom seat, jumping a little at the cool of the metal against her bare backside. She didn't resist as he locked the cuff around her right ankle, and attached her to one of the bleacher supports. Her leg bent awkwardly to accommodate the bondage. "I won't run, you know," she said. "I know," he replied, but didn't move to free her. Karen's eyes left his face, turning towards the girls, tied and naked on the floor. She shook her head, her thighs demanding her attention instead. A single tear traced down the girl's face. He sat beside her, his arm encircling her waist. She allowed it, but he didn't seem aware of the wetness on her cheeks. She turned her eyes, again, to glance at Leigh, and then at the girls struggling towards the prizes. He stood in front of Leigh, smiling. "Please, no." "Tyler stopped for a few minutes, didn't you see?" Leigh frantically shook her head. Tyler's voice drifted up. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (32 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


"Please don't hit her. Hit me. I was only stopped for a second. Please. My hands hurt. Just loosen the ropes a little. Please." Without warning, the crop struck her bare thigh with a snap. It took a moment for the pain to reach her mind, but when it did, she nearly bit her lip in the attempt to contain the scream. He watched her face intently as tears sprung from her eyes. "Oh God," Tyler whispered. The bound girl doubled her efforts. "Please don't hit her again. I'm trying. I'm trying, goddamn it." He smiled. He let his hand dip through Leigh's pubic hairs. (Oh God, they can see him feeling me up. Oh God. I don't care.) Leigh separated her thighs, moaning. The rope bit into her ankles, and her weight lowered as she did. The cuffs screamed against her wrists. His finger entered her lips, touching her swollen clitoris. "Please," Leigh wailed. She knew what she meant, but the crowd probably misunderstood her, thankfully. He released her, and Leigh fought for control of herself, pushing herself back up onto her toes, her calves screaming. It had been perhaps thirty seconds since he'd hit her. Her thigh cried out where she'd been kissed with the crop, but already the pain was dulling into a pulse that beat between her legs, and in the welt rising from her thigh. Karen didn't protest as his fingers idly caressed her breast. When he was touching her, he wasn't hitting the naked bound girls. The sound of their struggle filled the gymnasium, and captured Karen's attention. She didn't want his touch, but it was better than the alternative. "Lisa?" he called out. The bound blonde gasped. "Oh God, no. I. Can't do this. It hurts. I'm tired. I only rested for a moment." His fingers left Karen's body. She rocked forward, trying to follow him, use her body to stop him. He smiled at her, not mistaking her movement for true affection. "Please don't," Karen whispered.



He bent and picked up the crop. Two screams followed. Tyler and Anne, their upturned feet struck in punishment for Lisa's break, cried out in pain and frustration. But they didn't stop moving towards the bound girls under the nets, even as he hit them. Lisa especially moved determinedly towards her goal. In raw distance, Kate wasn't far ... perhaps only a metre from her nose, one step for an unbound girl, but it would take Lisa another twenty minutes to rock through that distance. He settled beside Karen again, his fingers stroking her side, almost tickling her. "You didn't need to do that," Karen whispered. "She had already begun to move again, you bastard." She could see tears falling silently down Lisa's cheeks. His fingers continued to tease her bare skin. "Please don't hit me again," Kate whispered. "Why ever not?" "They're tired, and scared. They're trying goddamn it." "Tracy stopped. I even warned her. Twice." "She can barely move. I'll take the punishment. I will. You know that. I don't have a choice. But she can't move anymore. Let her out." Tracy had practically stopped, far behind the other girls, her brunette hair shielding her face. He seemed to think about it, but brought the crop down without warning across the tops of Kate's bare breasts. Tracy wailed at the sound, her voice breaking. "Please no more," she cried. The pain raced through her being, but Kate didn't scream, somehow managed to bite it back before it overcame her. Faintness threatened. Her belly rumbled, and she wondered if she would simply black out. That would be nice, wouldn't it? Her wrists screamed at her, and her legs tried to kick him, but the rope around her ankles stopped that.



She opened her eyes, tears streaming unheeded down her cheeks. "Please," she whispered. She was aware of her hips rocking, but she couldn't stop that, no matter how hard she tried. She closed her eyes again. The pain of the second blow took her breath. The crop undersides of both breasts, not as hard as when she'd the tree, but harder than the first strike across the scream threatened again, but she managed to change it moan.

struck the been tied to tops. The into a low

From a distance, she felt his fingers between her vaginal lips, touching her intimately, stroking her swollen clitoris. Her breasts screamed their pain into her mind. She didn't care. The sensations from her clitoris overwhelmed her senses. The fingers left, and Kate cried out in frustration. Almost with a look of betrayal, she opened her eyes. "God," she whispered. He smiled, and nodded, as if he understood her mind better than she did. She fought the sensations, hating the throbbing in her nipples and her clitoris. (He hit me, goddamn it, with a fucking horse crop.) (And I liked it?) (No ... maybe ...) He pressed his right index finger against her lips. Her own scent, her own musk, sent a shiver down her spine. She knew what he wanted, and her face burning, she tasted herself upon his fingers. He didn't place his finger in her mouth, but she ran her tongue over its surface. Her taste was sharp, but clean, and sweet, like Karen. Kate moaned as he left her bound to the net. "Did you let her ..." Leigh asked quietly. He smiled and shook his head. Her own need for a climax was peaking, and if Kate was anywhere near as aroused as she was, the girl was in torture. The image of him hitting Kate, her breasts dancing as they absorbed the energy of the crop, had made Leigh feel faint. All her blood seemed to be pulsing between her legs.



He'd hit Kate twice, harder than the one that he'd driven into her still throbbing thigh. And Kate hadn't screamed. Only moaned. Moaned more as he'd touched her body. "Kim stopped a moment ago, I think it was to watch me hit Kate." "So?" The crop kissed Leigh's breasts in an easy single motion. Leigh couldn't stop herself from screaming. She was sure that she would never stop screaming. Her voice continued for a long, long time, her body writhing. Her body reacted, and for a second, she was sure that she was going to climax. (To pain????) Then, thankfully, her arousal ratcheted down as the pain from her breasts washed another warm wave over her senses. His fingers caressed the skin of her breasts where he'd struck her, almost tenderly. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "That was harder than I meant." Leigh that, hard, other

couldn't talk. But she was sure that he'd hit Kate harder than both times. Kate remained flushed, but upright, breathing across the court. Lisa was approaching her bound feet. The girls struggled along further back.

Leigh tried to stop her tears, but the stripe across her breasts continued to throb, and the tears wouldn't stop. "I am sorry," he said. He stepped over Tyler, who was within a few centimetres of Leigh's feet, and returned to the bench with Karen. Anne remained motionless, and Kim seemed unable to move. Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice, or if he did, realised that the girls were spent, and even whipping another girl into unconsciousness wouldn't be able to force the bound girls to continue this game. Leigh moaned, in a voice very much like that issuing forth from Kate. Her arms ached, and her breasts hurt. Struggling with her pain, she tried to move her bare toes even a few millimetres closer to Tyler's lips.




Kate tried to ignore the sensations racing through her body, the throbbing pain from her breasts, the dull heat from her groin. Lisa was nearly at her toes, struggling with her bondage, struggling to reach the goal in single-minded determination. It would hurt, but she might be able to stretch forward, her toes a few precious centimetres towards Lisa. The other girls weren't close, never would be. Their captor had stopped whipping the others in an attempt to continue the game. Perhaps, he realised the futility of the gesture, at this point. The blonde girl, her hair matted to her head with perspiration, was crying and shuddering as she tried to move. The ropes were tight around her limbs, her pulling on them for simple motion rubbing her wrists and ankles raw. Lisa looked up, her face grateful, knowing that Kate was trying to help her. Kate cried out as the cuffs dug harshly into her wrists. Leigh moaned. She had to do it. Tyler was close, so close. It would hurt, but not as badly as the crop had. She didn't matter who even a few were numb, peace.

care about winning -- he would do to her as he pleased no won the race -- Leigh knew that. But if she could shave seconds from the race, it would be worth it. Her hands now, but her shoulders refused to allow her the luxury of

Slowly, she lowered herself, twisting her hands, trying for millimetres. She shuffled her feet against the restricting rope, putting more pressure on her bound wrists. She no longer cared if the boys could see her nudity, her pain, her humiliation. All she wanted was down. Her arms screamed their protest into her being. Another three centimetres, Tyler, and all this will be over. She prayed, stretching her toes, wishing that she was made of



rubber, instead of flesh and bone. With a last effort, Lisa pulled against the ropes, pushing her bound body forward. Her breasts rubbed uncomfortably against the floor, her face a mask of concentration. Tyler rocked forward in the motion that she'd learned, but had never expected to. It hurt her arms, and her ankles, and her bare breasts, but it moved her forward, and that was all she thought about anymore. Forward. Forward. Forward. "Touch me," a girl's voice hissed from above. It was tip of at the simply

close -- too close. Lisa touched Kate, her lips kissing the Kate's right toe. Kate slumped in her bonds, hands screaming added weight. Kate didn't care about the pain anymore. It was there, wracking her being until he let her down.

Slowly, Lisa rolled, crying out as her body met with the floor, straining her bonds. Her hands and her feet screamed numbness at her. Only a moment after, Tyler realised where she was, and obeyed the voice of the girl tied above her. The other girls weren't even moving, but she hadn't been punished for their inaction since well before. She didn't know why, but she was thankful, in a way. She wearily dipped her head, brunette hair framing her face. Without being aware of it, she'd rocked even further than was necessary. She bent her head, and kissed the soft skin of Leigh's bare foot. With a sigh, Leigh straightened, her feet moving slightly back, but not completely out of range. Impulsively, Tyler kissed Leigh's toes once more before slumping into her restraints. A quiet, impulsive cheer rose from the audience.



He'd released her ankle from the seat support a while ago, the cuff still dangling from her right ankle. She was sitting, as he'd asked, her bare feet in his lap, her arms behind her supporting her, knees slightly bent, her face turned towards the game. His fingers idly rubbed her insteps and toes. Instead of pulling her feet away from his touch, she almost encouraged it, her body stiffening as he worked the knots from her soles. He must have been aware of the girls that had given up, the pain and discomfort and the effort beyond their abilities to endure. But instead of cropping the helpless females, he had rubbed her toes and feet. It actually felt nice, but Karen wouldn't tell him that. Instead, she merely allowed him to concentrate on her feet, and watched the race without interruption. He looked up as the cheer washed over them. Lisa's lips touched Kate's feet, and a moment later, Tyler, (Tyler, wasn't it?), kissed Leigh's feet, and then bent to kiss them again, to make sure she'd actually made it. Karen twisted, and faced him. His fingers continued to massage her feet gently. "Who won?" he asked. Karen bit her lip. "I really don't know. It was too close." Slowly, and with a look of regret, he lowered the bare girl's feet back to the bench and slipped out from beneath her legs. She pulled her legs up to her breasts and merely watched. He bent at Tyler. "You made it," he said to the bound girl. Breathless, she nodded. Her cheek rested against the floor, and she pulled weakly at her bound wrists. Her body rose and fell with her laboured breathing. "Did I win?" she whispered. He patted her head, smoothing her damp hair back from her face. "It was close," he said. "But Lisa touched Kate a second before you." Tyler sighed, but didn't protest. Slowly he rose, and approached Lisa. She lay on her side, her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (39 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


breathing ragged and quick. She opened her eyes as he sat down beside the girl. Softly, he traced her breasts with his finger, following them as they moved to the rhythm of her breathing. "You won," he said. She looked relieved, and exhausted at the same time. "It's over?" He nodded. He moved towards her back. She craned her neck to see what he was doing. "What are you doing?" she whispered. "Untying you. That's the prize. The rest of them have to wait until we've had lunch before I untie them." Lisa swallowed, her face still a mask of pain and exhaustion. "If I don't accept the prize?" He stopped working at the tight knots behind the girl. "What?" "Will you untie the rest of them, if I let you leave me tied up like this?" "Doesn't it hurt?" Lisa nodded. "But they are hurting worse than I am. I'll give up my prize if you untie the rest of them." He rose to his knees and then moved around to face Lisa. "I'll give the prize to Tyler, if you want." Lisa closed her eyes. "Not all of them? Please?" He slowly shook her head. It was obvious that she didn't understand. "All right, Tyler is better than none. She almost won, didn't she?" "It was close. That's why I'll let you trade with her." Lisa nodded. "But don't tell her, okay?" "She might have heard already. I already told her that you'd won." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (40 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


Lisa sighed. "Then untie all of us?" He smiled and smoothed her hair back out of her face. "We won't be long for lunch." "Not long for you. You're not hog-tied like an animal." "You'll survive." Lisa sighed, and tried to shift her position. Her strength had fled her, and she stopped struggling after a moment. "It's over, isn't it?" Lisa asked. He nodded and rose to his feet. He walked over to the bound brunette lying at Leigh's feet. "I was mistaken. You won," he whispered. As he worked at the knots, Tyler moaned. "I didn't, did I? Lisa won." "She traded with you." Tyler twisted, trying to get her hands and ropes from his grasp. All she succeeded in doing was wrenching a shoulder. She cried out, then began to weep. "I can't. She won." He stopped untying her. A loose piece of rope dangled from her wrists, but not enough to free her. "Tyler. She wanted you to have this. And I'm not fooling around anymore. I need some lunch, and you are getting untied." Tyler looked up. "But ..." "Another word from you, and I'll begin to get angry. When I get angry, I start to use crops on bound, naked, girls." He was bluffing -- he wouldn't punish the girls any more than leaving them all bound around the court, but he didn't want to hit them anymore. They'd suffered enough. The urges satisfied for now. The soft touch of Karen's bare feet remained in his fingertips, and he didn't want to sully that with the stinging of the crop, and screaming. He was tired. God, so tired. A girl moaned, maybe Anne. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (41 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


"Now," he said reasonably, "will you accept the prize, Miss Tyler?" She chose her words carefully. "If you won't give it back to Lisa, and the choice is that everyone else gets hurt more?" He nodded. "What if I ask you to leave me tied up, then?" she asked quietly. He sighed. "I just might, but it doesn't accomplish anything." Tyler sighed, pulling at her still bound hands. The small snake of rope tickled her thigh with her movement. "It does to me," she whispered. "If you aren't going to let us all free, I don't want to be free either." He nodded, as if he expected it, and slowly returned the free rope back around her left wrist and ankles. He kissed the top of her head. "You are a courageous girl, Tyler." The naked, and hog-tied, girl sighed, and relaxed as best she could. Her knees were weak, but she didn't fall. Her shoulders screamed protests into her as her arms finally lowered from reaching for the basketball net, so far above her head. Kate groaned, stabs of arousal flowing through her incredibly. He stood smiling beside her, ready to support her if necessary. "That hurt," she whispered. "Where?" "My biceps, my shoulders, my damn wrists." Kate winced as she massaged the deeply marked skin at her wrists. He knelt down at her feet, running his hand over Lisa's skin while he was down there. The bare girl didn't protest the touch, but didn't seem thrilled by it either. Soon, the rope left Kate's ankles. She tried to step forward, nearly fell. "And my calves." "Calves?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (42 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


"I was rising up to try to take the pressure off my hands." "Oh," he said. He reached for her elbow, and she allowed herself to be led away from Lisa. Without trouble, Kate followed, twisting through the scattered hog-tied girls. The gym was strangely silent, except for the heavy breathing of the six bound girls on the floor. Kate glanced up at the bleachers as they crossed the basketball court. The audience had been refrozen, or more correctly, slipped into a slower time frame. The guy who had knocked himself out trying to attack the gunman still lay chained to the bench, and the others remained silent and frozen watching the unusual game that he'd forced the girls to play. The remainder of the basketball teams sat frozen against the change room wall. Kate and her captor stopped in front of Leigh. "Please let me down," Leigh begged almost in a whisper. "I'll do whatever you want. My wrists." To be fair, the girl looked like she might have been tied a little tighter and stricter than Kate had been. He worked at the knots at her wrist chain, and unlike Kate, she came tumbling out once the rope support had been released. Kate stepped forward, and caught the sobbing, naked girl. Unable to hold her up with her hands handcuffed, Kate knelt and lowered Leigh until the girl's head rested in her lap. With her bound hands, she brushed Leigh's hair, listening to her moan. "It'll be all right," Kate whispered. "We'll survive. I promise." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the gunman rise, and head back towards the bleachers. Kate continued to stroke Leigh's hair gently, finally calming the girl. "It hurt. It hurt. It hurt," Leigh whispered. "I know it did, sweety. I know." "He hit me." "A number of times." "My hands hurt. And my legs." Kate continued to brush at the girls hair, not knowing what else to do. Hopefully, Leigh would regain her mental balance before the gunman returned for them.



After a time, she moaned. "I'll be all right." Kate smiled gently. "Yes, you will. We're still alive, aren't we?" Carefully, Kate raised Leigh's head, and lowered her to the floor. Leigh protested, but Kate pushed her back, and moved, like a crab, to Leigh's bare feet. She had no idea if she'd be punished for it, but she didn't much care anymore. Even with her hands restricted, she managed to work the knots at Leigh's ankles free. Leigh stretched her legs, oblivious to her sudden exposure. It was all right, Kate supposed. The audience had finally been silenced. She glanced towards the bleachers. He was sitting beside Karen, stroking her bare thigh, watching Kate from a distance. Karen seemed to be quietly accepting his touch of her body. Kate was glad he was gone; his absence was almost certainly helping Leigh's recovery. Silently, she thanked her friend for allowing the gunman distraction, without protest. Idly, she wondered just how much he did understand of the women that he'd captured. Tyler, the girl who'd given up her freedom, whispered quietly. "Is she going to be okay?" Leigh answered, talking to the rafters very high above the girls. "I think I'll be fine, Tyler. I think I'll be fine. If my wrists, and legs would stop hurting." Leigh rolled, and pushed herself with her handcuffed hands to a hands and knees position. Slowly she rocked back until she was kneeling, her thighs against her calves. Leigh inhaled sharply, her face a mask of pain redirected, but at last, she turned back towards Kate. "Thank-you," Leigh whispered. Kate smiled, wanted to hug the girl, but with her hands bound, there was no way. "You're welcome," she said.

Chapter 58




Realisation dawned on Karen's face as he spoke. Leigh and Kate knelt wearily to the side of the transformed basketball court, their hands, still handcuffed in front of them, resting in their laps. Karen knelt facing them, as he stood behind, regarding the scene that he'd wrought. "Back the way I was?" Karen whispered. He nodded. "But ..." she stammered. "You want to stay with me?" Karen considered that for a moment. It seemed that her entire life had been spent here, naked, in chains, his toy. She closed her eyes. Forced to strip, been naked in front of most of the school. She'd been beaten, tortured with cigarettes. Her bare breasts heaved at the memory, even though the heat had never kissed her flesh. She glanced over at Kate, who was playing with her fingers, not watching this exchange. Kate, the naked redhead, forced to have oral sex with her while she was tied to that birch tree. She'd climaxed then; it hadn't been a fake. Oh no. No fake this time. While he'd hit her. And his fingers, touching her skin. Her breasts, her toes. "I'll stay," she whispered. Kate looked up sharply. "Karen, no," Kate whispered. Without waiting for permission, Kate shuffled forward on her knees. She cupped Karen's face in her bound hands. "He's letting you go, Karen." "I can't leave you here." "You can, and you will. Go back, you don't have to be here." Karen swallowed heavily. "But ..." Kate seemed to have a epiphany. She sighed, hanging her head. Her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (45 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


face held those features that telegraphed resignation, that said: "I'm going to lie to protect you." But Karen didn't recognise that. "He forced me to do that," Kate murmured. "It wasn't awful, but he forced me to have sex with you. I didn't choose to." Karen felt a single tear escape. Kate brushed it away for her. Karen pulled weakly at the cuffs holding her own hands behind her. "I can't let you stay here, because of me. He's going to keep me for a while, maybe a long time. He stripped you. He hurt you, Karen. He'll keep hurting us, because he likes it. You don't want that, do you?" Karen slowly shook her head. "I care about you Karen, and I can't let you stay because he forced me to make you climax in a weird world. Can't you see that? Can't you see what that would do to me?" "I can't go back," Karen whispered. "You will. You must." Karen closed her eyes, wishing it weren't so. "But if I go back ... I'll be kissing ... him." For a second, Kate looked confused. Then she sighed. "Yes," she said quietly. Karen nodded towards their captor. "He says I won't remember any of this. Darren. I'll keep kissing him, because I don't know what I know here." Kate sighed again. "It's better than getting hurt here. What if he made you have sex with him, even if he's crazy? What if he lets Darren have you for a while." To punctuate her words, Kate reached up and let her fingers tease down Karen's breasts. "What if he lets Darren cut these beautiful breasts off you? Or burn them with cigarettes. I don't think Mr. Gun back there would do it, but I'm not so sure about Darren. What if he made you have sex with Darren? Hmmm?" Karen shivered. "I wouldn't." "He'd hurt me until you did." "Oh God," Karen murmured.



Tears fell down Kate's cheeks. She didn't bother to brush away her own tears. She shuffled forward again until her thigh touched Karen's. "We're friends then, and we'll be friends after. I may not remember any of this either ... in fact, he says I won't. But I do know that I won't give up on you, just because you were kissing that idiot. I'm pretty sure that you'll figure out that he's a snake before he gets you into bed. These games, just short circuited Darren -- you were naked with him before he was ready." Karen nodded. "But will we ever figure this out?" Kate seemed to know what Karen was talking about. "I don't know, but maybe someday. Maybe this will stay with you, even after he sends you back." With that Kate lifted her bound hands, and slipped them around Karen's neck. Kate embraced Karen, squeezing the naked girl. Then she kissed her, her lips sending electric sparks all through Karen's nerves. After a long time, Kate released Karen, rocking back on her heels and moving slightly away. "You have to go," Kate whispered. Karen nodded, and struggled to her bare feet. She turned to the gunman, and nodded slowly. Tears fell down her cheeks. She moved between Kate and Leigh until she stood before him. "I'm ready," she said. He nodded, and turned her around. With a single motion, her handcuffs clattered to the ground at her bare feet. She turned back around to face him. She didn't try to cover her nudity, but stood proudly in front of him. "You'll send back my clothing, too, right?" He smiled, and nodded. "That's the way it works," he said. "In some ways, I hate it here, but in others it's ... nice," she said. "Thank you, even if you hurt me sometimes." She turned to Kate. Leigh held Kate, brushing at her red hair gently as they watched. "Thank-you, too," Karen whispered. He leaned in and brushed Karen's cheek with his lips. His touch tingled, and spread outwards through her bare body until http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (47 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


all she could feel were her fingers. And then, she sensed blue hazy smoke, lines of force, and another presence, female and strong. Then darkness descended. He let the girls stay together for a while, pacing back towards the change room. Leigh held the red-haired girl, gently rocking her, as Kate had done for Leigh after he'd let her out of the standing position. Only the pain wasn't physical for Kate, this time. Did she actually like Karen? As more than a friend? He shook his head. Perhaps he should have let the blonde girl stay for a while. Could have had some interesting scenes with the two beauties tied together. He leaned against the change room door, keeping the door out of time phase so that it wouldn't open against his weight. He was so tired. His eyes threatened to close. Tired people make mistakes. He cast himself outward, sensing the girl from the bench. Her presence disturbed the time lines in the hazy blue smoke, but she was far away, probably scared, and alone. Holding the timeline open slowly leached energy from him. He could feel his strength ebbing on a downward spiral. The simulations had warned of this. His stomach growled. Kate had begged for food, and he'd refused her -- he regretted that, now. The girls would feel the draining of the timeline energy as well. They looked exhausted. Exhausted girls weren't nearly as much fun. They lost their spirit, as fatigue drained them. Of course, they'd been naked and bound and forced to have sex, and tormented for hours. They were probably exhausted mentally, as well as physically. Even if they had had a good night's sleep the day before, and didn't have to support the world with their minds. His stomach rumbled again. Kate appeared to be calming somewhat in Leigh's arms. He shook his head, and stepped towards them. At his movement, they stopped speaking in muted tones, and watched him approach. He smiled at the uncertainty reflected in their pretty eyes.



Leigh didn't resist as her arms were unlocked, and then re-secured behind her back. The familiar touch of the handcuffs behind her made her shiver. At least her hands were no longer above her head, and in agony. He knelt at her feet, slipping other metal circles around her bare ankles. "What are they?" she asked quietly. "Ankle restraints. A hobble." "Hobble?" "You'll have to take short steps while you wear them." She looked confused. "Why?" "Because I want you to wear them. Punishment for losing the race." "But I wasn't racing." He shrugged as he rose to his feet. He towered over her. Kate pushed herself to her own bare feet, then bent to help Leigh rise. "Come on," Kate whispered. "You don't have a lot of choice in the matter." He smiled at the girls, and retreated a step. Kate remained at Leigh's elbow, steadying the brunette girl. "Better start. Leigh's going to be slow." Leigh tried to take a step, crying out as her normal stride was shortened by the chain between her ankles. Her steps had been reduced to about half her normal walking distance. "Where are we going?" Kate asked. "Cafeteria. Didn't you say you were hungry?" Kate nodded, and began to guide the other naked girl forward. "Don't rush me. I'm hungry, too," Leigh whispered. She concentrated on her foot placement. Each time her ankles jarred with her slow pace, she cried out in frustration and pain, the next step taken more carefully, and shorter. Kate sighed, and tugged at Leigh's elbow, slowing her down. "I've waited this long for lunch, I can wait longer. Don't hurt yourself." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (49 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


He passed the struggling girls easily, his stride longer than the girl's normal pace. He disappeared through the double wooden doors towards the cafeteria. Leigh pursed her lips, and continued her slow pace following the gunman, her eyes on her bare feet, grimacing at the chain linking her ankles. He watched them as Kate helped Leigh trudge barefoot into the cafeteria. Neither girl worried about their nudity any longer. Only the immediate problem of the ankle chains impeded their progress. He sat in the chair that had formerly held Leigh, tied and watching her friend Janice tormented and naked. Leigh glanced towards the card table -- Janice sat there, as if she'd never left, cards still in her hand, a peaceful and innocent expression on her face. He smiled, and leaned back, closing his eyes, waiting for the two remaining naked girls to reach him. (I saw her naked. I had to hit her.) She tore her eyes from Janice, and walked as quickly as she could towards the Timeman; every few steps she forgot about the restraints and jarred one of her ankles against the metal. At last, she stood in front of him, her breathing heavy and perspiration running down into her eyes. When they'd stopped, Kate kindly brushed her sweat from her brow. "I'm here," Leigh said unnecessarily. He motioned to Kate, who pulled out a second chair. He pointed, and Leigh shuffled over and sat into the hard plastic, the surface cool beneath her bare bottom and back. He leaned forward, and slipped her bound hands behind the chair back. She pulled herself towards the table, trying to ignore that she was naked and in the cafeteria. It didn't bother her as much as before. (God. Am I getting used to being naked?) She twisted her head to see what Kate was doing. The redhead had lowered herself to her knees, her head bowed, her hands resting on her thighs. The Timeman had returned to his chair, watching the nude girl kneeling in front of him. "Please, I'm hungry," Kate whispered. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (50 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


"I know. So am I." Kate didn't seem pleased with the answer. She raised her eyes, flashing. "Leigh and I played your stupid game. We've been good. We need food. You don't want us weak, do you? Too weak for sex?" He laughed at the last comment, but instead of answering the girl, he rose and walked past her towards the serving counter. She reached out, perhaps to pluck at his jeans as he passed, but then lowered her hands after he had moved beyond her. Kate wept, her hands rising to her face. "I've been good. I've done everything you fucking asked," she whispered. Leigh could hear her, but couldn't go to her. Her arms pulled against the hard plastic behind her back. "Kate?" Kate seemed to pull herself together at the sound of Leigh's voice. "Kate?" "I'm all right," Kate said quietly. Leigh could see the Timeman pacing and regarding the usual cafeteria fare. "I'm just hungry. It's not fair Leigh, it's not." "I know. He won't let us starve, I don't think. Try to be patient." "It's hard." Leigh nodded. It was difficult being with this man. No woman in the world would think otherwise. "Care to play waitress?" he said. Both girls turned their eyes towards his voice. He stood quietly behind Kate. "Waitress?" "Get us all some food?" Kate shuffled around on her knees to face him. Her mouth was at the exact right height for ... (Do I want to do that?) Leigh shrugged off the thought, and quelled the faint arousal that had fled while she walked here, but re-emerged almost as soon as she had seen her captor sitting and watching her struggle to walk in here. Like a damn yo-yo, she thought. I can't live like this. If her hands had been free, she would have thrust them between her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (51 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


legs, his attention be damned. Instead, her hands merely twisted futilely behind the chair back. Kate held up her hands towards him. In response, he cocked his head to the side. "You don't need them off, I don't think." Kate sighed. "It would make it easier, if you want me to serve you." He shrugged. "Take your time." A single tear traced down Kate's cheek, but she wiped it away and rose to her bare feet. She made no move towards him, this time, as he stepped past her and settled into the chair beside Leigh. "Are you going to let us eat?" He thought about it for a moment, before answering. At last, he nodded. "You can eat, but only what I tell you." Kate sighed, but nodded. Even Leigh could hear the other girl's tummy rumble, probably at the thought of food. At this point, the girl probably didn't much care what she ate, as long as it was edible. He leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms across his chest. "Will you bring me a club sandwich? You may have to make it. And two chocolate bars. And a Sprite. If you have to make two trips, then do so." Kate hesitated, but eventually nodded. "Yes, Master," she whispered. Her voice sounded somewhat sarcastic to Leigh, but also somewhat serious. He smiled at the term, apparently not concerned about its sincerity, and watched as Kate wandered towards the counter. The naked girl glanced around and finally walked around the cashier to get behind where the servers stood frozen in time. "Are you doing all right?" he asked Leigh as Kate's bare footsteps receded. "I've been better," Leigh said. "I was worried about you in there. I thought maybe I'd pushed you too far. With that game thing." "I was tired, and my arms hurt. You have no idea."



He smiled at her. "Kate took care of you." Leigh nodded. She could still feel the girl's fingers through her damp hair. "I'm hungry," she said. "I am, too." He turned his gaze towards the counter. Kate stood behind it, her bound hands moving somewhere out of sight, in the familiar motion of making sandwiches.


Kate returned a moment later, balancing a plate with a club sandwich, and two 'Oh Henry' bars upon it. In her right hand, she carried a can of Sprite, condensation dripping from its surface. "There were some made," she said as she approached gingerly, "but they looked awful. I made you another. I hope you like it. It wasn't the easiest task in the world to do while I'm in handcuffs." He'd turned away from her, facing into the table now beside Leigh. Kate slipped the plate in front of him, her breasts rubbing against his shirt as she leaned forward. She set the can of Sprite down beside the plate. "Can I get some food for us? Please?" she nearly whined. He turned in his chair again, the feet scraping across the tile. "Do you deserve food?" Leigh opened her mouth to beg him to stop torturing Kate, but a look silenced her. A tear escaped Kate's eye, and she brushed it away again. She inhaled. "I don't know. Please. I've done everything you wanted. So has Leigh. We're hungry. It's just food. You don't even have to pay for http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (53 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


it. Please. Please. Please?" "Salad." Kate didn't look thrilled, but she nodded anyway. "Get yourself and Leigh a plate of salad, no dressing." "Can we have something to drink?" And after a moment, she added: "Master?" He smiled at her. Leigh didn't know where the 'master' had come from, but even she noticed his pleasure at the word. He nodded. "Big glasses of water for you and Leigh." "Water? Can we have some coffee, or coke, instead?" He laughed. "Just what I need, females wired on caffeine when I need to sleep. No. But you can have some Sprite or Ginger Ale, if you want instead." Kate made a face. "I'll stick with the water. Leigh?" "Water is good for me, too." Her throat was parched. She hadn't even realised it until water was mentioned. "May I go, now?" He nodded, and watched her retreat back to the counter. Instead of turning towards his own food, he watched the naked girl until she faded behind the counter again. She set the heaping plates of salad in front of Leigh, along with a silver fork and knife and had almost settled into the chair beside Leigh, when he stopped her. He pointed across the table. Kate sighed, but didn't protest. She scrambled up onto the table, and slid off the opposite side. A blonde girl, clothed and oblivious to the unusual sight of Kate and Leigh, bound and naked at the table, stared into her bowl of chilli in the seat next to Kate, across from Leigh. He slipped from his chair, under the table. "What are you doing?" she asked quietly, craning to see under the table. "You want me to spread my legs?" "Not necessary," he mumbled seriously. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (54 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


Kate sighed, and leaned against the table. "He's tying my feet," she whispered in response to Leigh's puzzled look. Leigh nodded, though she couldn't figure out why he needed to tie Kate into her chair. She wasn't resisting his commands, and she wasn't any danger to him on the other side of the table. Besides which, the girl still wore the handcuffs on her wrists. The answer would probably become apparent as the bizarre lunch wore on. When he was finished, he slipped back into his chair. Leigh noted that he still hadn't touched his own sandwich. Kate noticed too. "Don't you like it?" Kate asked quietly. To Leigh, it appeared the girl was somewhat afraid of being punished for making him a sub-standard meal. "I can make you another one, or a different type, if you want." He shook his head. "I'm sure it's fine." Was he actually being polite? Waiting for them to begin before he did? She looked at him again. He was watching Kate, which didn't surprise Leigh in the slightest. The redhead was still stunning, even after all the rigours she'd been through. Kate reached for the second plate of salad in front of Leigh. She uttered a cry of dismay as he idly slapped gently at her fingers. He didn't connect with her skin, because she snatched her fingers back fast enough, but the threat was there. "Leigh eats first." Leigh opened her mouth to protest. Closed it, and then spoke. "I. I can't." He looked at her steadily. She elaborated. "My hands are tied. You don't expect me to eat like a dog, do you?" (Oh God. Not like a dog. Please.) He smiled. "Oh God. Please no." Slowly, he shook his head. She breathed out in relief. If she'd had to, she knew that she would have done it.



"Kate will feed you, until I decide to let you free." "If you untie me, then I can feed myself. I won't cause any trouble. You could leave my ankles ... hobbled ... and I'd let you tie me back up after I was done." It seemed simple enough. He shook his head. He wanted Kate to feed Leigh. Leigh closed her eyes. When she opened them, Kate was reaching for one of the forks by Leigh's elbow. Again, he lightly slapped at Kate's fingers. The girl squirmed in her chair, a wounded, and confused, expression on her face. She looked like she was going to cry again. "Please, if I have to feed her, just let me do it." He paused for a moment, then smiled. He slowly reached for, and moved the cutlery to the side of his own plate. "With your fingers, Kate." The naked girl paled. "Why?" He shrugged. Leigh knew why, but she held her tongue. "I'm already handcuffed, naked, tied into the chair by my fucking ankles, feeding her. Please let us at least eat like normal human beings." "Would you prefer to eat without your fingers? Or perhaps off the floor?" Kate paled, and closed her eyes. "Please, no." He nodded towards Leigh's salad. Slowly, Kate reached forward, as if she were afraid that he'd slap at her hand again. But this time, he allowed her to pick up a few pieces of lettuce. Her hand shaking, Kate offered the lettuce to Leigh's lips. With a sigh, Leigh opened, and waited for Kate to place the food in her mouth. She felt like Cleopatra, accepting grapes from a naked slave. Except Kate was a girl, not an Adonis. After Kate's fingers were clear, Leigh chewed the dry salad and swallowed hungrily. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him turn from the two naked http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (56 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


girls and pick up his own sandwich. She envied him his freedom. He leaned back in the chair, his sandwich reduced to crumbs littering the Styrofoam plate. The two 'Oh Henry' bars formed a 'T' across the edge of the plate. In one quick swallow, he finished the Sprite. It ran cool, and sparkly down his throat. The girls had to be thirsty if he was. He hadn't really done anything overly physical -- unlike the two girls eating slowly in front of him. Kate continued to feed the helpless, naked, girl in the chair beside him. The redhead actually looked faint. Occasionally, Kate lifted one of the cups of water to Leigh's lips. Leigh drank from it deeply, her throat working prettily, and greedily until Kate lowered it again to the table. The sandwich had been excellent. He turned to Kate. "Where'd you learn to make a club like that?" She finished placing more lettuce in Leigh's mouth, snatching her fingers back from Leigh's teeth as Leigh feigned to bite her, laughing. Kate grinned for a moment, sticking her fingers in her own mouth. It was incredible, he mused. The girls, naked, tied up, somehow had the strength to laugh. Had the situation been reversed, he would have gone crazy, like Darren had, he was sure. "I actually did waitress in a diner for a while. They made amazing club sandwiches, and sometimes, if the cook was busy, I got pressed into service. But only for sandwiches. I'd burn water if it was possible," Kate said. Then, with a careful measure of meaningfulness, she added, "And I got to wear clothes." She lifted another portion between her fingers to Leigh's lips. The naked girl accepted the food without trying to nip Kate, while she was talking. "You don't waitress anymore?" "It was affecting my grades. I had to quit. And the customers were beginning to notice me. I was only sixteen at the time. Mom didn't like it." At the mention of Kate's parent, Leigh's face registered a touch of wistfulness. He made a note to ask her about that later, alone. He nodded.



Her cuffed wrists rose as one, giving Leigh the last of her lunch. Leigh giggled, and attempted to nip at Kate's fingers. Kate wasn't fast enough, and she squealed as Leigh nipped at her fingertips. When Leigh let her, Kate easily pulled her fingers from Leigh's lips with a grin of her own. "Can I eat mine, now? Please?" she begged. The smile hadn't left her lips. He nodded, and settled back into the chair to watch her feed herself. She ignored his attention, and ate far more quickly than she'd been able to feed the girl across the table. Soon, her salad had disappeared. "Good?" "Dressing would have been nice, but I suppose if I had to eat it with my fingers, it's better without." He smiled and twirled the fork that would have been Kate's through his fingers. Kate's voice, trembling, floated to his ears. "Sir? If you freed me, I could get Leigh and I some dessert." "Dessert?" "Maybe a chocolate bar, like those?" she pointed. "Please? There's lots of them near the cash register." He leaned forward on his arms, his eyes sparkling. "Who do you think these are for?" He pushed the wrapped candy from his plate onto the table. Kate's eyes followed them. "For us?" Her eyes lit up. Then her eyes narrowed a little. "What do we have to do to get them?" He leaned back in the chair, and Kate's face fell. He shrugged. "A true choice. You can let me pour some ketchup on you, or some vinegar, and I'll let you eat the chocolate. Or you can walk with me back to the gym, and forgo the dessert. Doesn't matter to me either way." Kate sighed, her lips pursing. "Ketchup? Why?" He shrugged.



"Just a control thing. You can make us give up dignity for chocolate," she said quietly. A statement, not a question. "No. Not quite." Kate's eyes found the answer before Leigh did. She shook her head. "Why give me the choice? You could keep the chocolate, and pour whatever the hell you want over me without my consent." "Uh-huh," he said. "You're going to pour ketchup over me, and Leigh, anyway, aren't you?" He shrugged slowly. Leigh whispered, joining the conversation. "You can pour anything you want over me. But let Kate eat mine, okay?" Kate twisted, her eyes flashing. "I won't." Leigh nodded. "Then I'll eat it." He smiled, and walked over to the counter. "He would have done it anyway," Leigh whispered to Kate. "You'll see." He returned with various squeezable condiment containers. He returned to his seat, and picked up the chocolate bars. Slowly, he unwrapped one, and fed Leigh, himself. "Mmmmmm," she murmured, savouring each bite. She knew that she'd be paying for the pleasure he was giving her, and was determined to enjoy it. After she had finished the treat, he held the second one up waving it towards Kate. Kate lowered her eyes, and nodded slowly. He unwrapped hers and urging her to keep her hands on the table, fed her, too. Afterwards, he wiped a touch of chocolate from her lips, and watched as she licked it off his finger. She moaned as she used her tongue. "You ready?" The girls nodded. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (59 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


The vinegar, and the mustard, he squeezed through Leigh's brunette tresses. The ketchup, he squeezed in a dripping line across her bare breasts. "Oh God. That is so gross," she whispered as the liquids dripped across her cheeks, and from her nipples. Relish, and mustard adorned Kate's red hair, and a line of ketchup graced her bare breasts, too. "Yuck," she said. When he was done, he returned the bottles to the table, and vaulted over them to drop beside Kate. Instinctually, she raised her hands to wipe at the mess dripping from her hair. Tears mixed with mustard, as she wiped futilely at herself. Leigh didn't have that option, so sat quietly regarding Kate, and trying to ignore the drips tracing down her bare skin. When her ankles were finally free, Kate rose to her feet, slipping across the table with a smear of red. Leigh stood, as well, having more trouble with her hands behind her. Avoiding Kate's smear of ketchup on the table, the Timeman slipped back across. In a moment, Leigh's hands were re-cuffed in front of her, and the ankle cuffs removed. "Thank-you," Leigh sighed as she once again moved somewhat normally. Her hands rose to brush at a stray drip of vinegar before it reached her eyes. Uncaring of their mess, he touched their elbows guiding them from the cafeteria. "Where are we going?" Kate asked. "Back to free the team."




"What the hell happened to you?" Lisa asked, her eyes staring. As Kate knelt beside the naked girl, she sighed. "Our friend decided to goop us up at lunch. I have no idea why." Despite her condition, Kate found the strength to laugh. "Maybe he has a food fight fetish, too." Even she didn't know what she meant, but it seemed funny. Lisa laughed, a good healthy laugh. Kate rolled the girl back onto her tummy and breasts, her cuffed and sticky hands working at the knots holding Lisa. It took a long time to free the girl, the knots were complex, and had been tightened by Lisa's forced struggle to cross the gym to avoid the croppings. The Timeman seemed happy to wait, sitting on the bleachers, in front of the frozen crowd, quietly watching Leigh and Kate work on the naked girls spread across the court. "God, this is disgusting," Kate murmured as she finally worked the last knot free. She wiped at a line of relish that slowly slipped down and from her hair. Ketchup dripped from her nipples to fall on Lisa's bare skin. It almost looked like blood. Lisa didn't seem to mind, or if she did, she didn't complain about the wetness falling on her bare skin. As the last knot holding the girl's wrists to her ankles released, Lisa unfolded herself, crying out as muscles complained in her legs and shoulders. Her wrist and ankle ropes presented a similar knot challenge, but soon the girl was free. Lisa worked herself around, and hugged Kate, their bare bodies pressed together in an embrace far beyond simple friendship. It was a survivor embrace. Lisa cried on Kate's shoulder for a few minutes until the blood returned circulation to her limbs. "I'm ..." Kate began. "... messy. It doesn't matter, does it?" Lisa whispered. Kate could see Tyler embracing a blushing Leigh in the same manner that Lisa was embracing her. Lisa screamed, her grip tightening on Kate. "What?" Kate cried. Tyler was moaning on the other side of the court, clinging to Leigh like she was drowning. Her hands slipped through Leigh's hair, covered with the lunchroom mess. But Tyler had something else on her mind, her hands shook badly as she moved them. "Pins. And. Needles," Lisa stammered, her voice choking. "Oh, God." "Stay still. Stay still." Kate couldn't hug the girl, her hands still cuffed in her lap. "Stay http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (61 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM


still." Lisa moaned, but nearly as quickly as it had begun, the painful tingles must have ebbed from her hands and feet. At least to a bearable level. "Go on, Kate, untie the others. Please," she whispered. Kate nodded, and pushed herself to her bare feet. Tyler moaned for a few more minutes, and then repeated the same instructions to Leigh in an urgent whisper. "You have to go kneel over there, by him." Lisa didn't protest, knew what was expected of her. Knew what the man was capable of doing to her, if she resisted. Crops. Ropes. Races. As Kate knelt near Anne, she watched as Lisa knelt at the edge of the court, nude, but proud, in front of the Timeman. The Timeman ignored the girl, and continued to watch as Kate and Leigh struggled with his knots on the remaining bound girls. "Please hurry," Anne whispered as Kate's fingers fumbled over the knots holding her wrists and ankles. Kate and Leigh stood at the end of the line of naked girls kneeling easily at his feet. Eight girls, helpless. One guy, brandishing a weapon, and controlling the world. His eyes seemed overly heavy, like he was completely exhausted, but continued on because he had to. Both girls were tired, too, but not as tired as he looked. He looked ready to fall asleep while giving the six kneeling girls instructions. "... shower. Warm water. Wash each other, never yourself ..." Kate realised that he'd finished, as the girls rose as one and padded towards the change room. He pushed himself off the bench, wearily, and followed the girls, like a goose following her goslings. Kate touched Leigh's shoulder, and the other girl started. Asleep, or dozing. On her feet. "Come on," she whispered. The girls ran to catch up with the Timeman. "Master?" Kate said.



He stopped, and slowly turned. He looked more dead than alive, though his eyes remained sparkling. "You don't always have to call me 'Master'," he said quietly. "You haven't told us your name," Kate hurriedly explained. "What is it? I'll call you that instead, if you prefer. I could keep calling you bastard, but if you're going to keep us, that might wear thin after a while." He shook his head wearily. He wasn't going to tell her, that much was plain. She forged ahead. "I know that Leigh and I let you do this to us, but please, we need showers. We're dirty, and tired, and we can't be attractive like this, not with this gunk all over us," Kate wiped her fingers over her breasts, red murk coated her nails and fingertips. "We probably smell. Please." Her scalp already itched from the slowly drying condiments. The naked girls disappeared into the change room, one at a time. "You want to shower with them?" "If we have to. Please," Kate whispered. Leigh nodded her agreement, shivering with the touch of the food on her skin. It had probably been at least three quarters of an hour to untie the girls on the floor. "Please, we've done everything you wanted, and I feel dirty." "That was the idea," he said. Kate sighed, echoed by Leigh. "We'll stay this way as long as you want," Kate murmured. She began to back away. "We'll wait for you out here," she sighed. She began to settle against the wall, leaning her head back against it. Her hair left a thin green tinge to the wall when it touched the paint. Her cuffed hands, sticky and grimy, fell against her stomach weakly. Leigh began to move to join Kate, there. Kate wasn't even surprised when the remaining basketball team, the clothed girls that had sat quietly with Karen, returned in a blink to their former positions, all watching a non-existent ball that had rolled lonely to the stands. The crowd remained semi-frozen, their ankles still looped in the light chain with which she'd helped secure them, eons ago. She was so tired.



"I didn't say no, you know," he said quietly. "Come on, but you'll have to wait until the other girls are done." Kate smiled, and pushed herself from the wall with a shrug of her shoulders. He held the door for them, and Kate followed Leigh into the change room and the shower. The naked girls milled around, unable to enter the frozen shower room, though they eyed the entrance with anticipation. About half of them wore remnants of ketchup from hugging Kate or Leigh after being freed. Lisa was by far the worst of the lot, red smears beginning at her throat and ending at her belly button. "Lisa?" The blonde girl pranced over to him, eyes downcast. "Find some soap." Without a word, she began to rummage through the bags, and lockers of the girls that were changing in the room. She returned with three bars, all partial. Irish Spring, and two bars of Ivory. He paired them into blonde and brunette partners, bidding them to wait. He stepped into the shower as they roared to sudden life. Two screams and some low murmuring followed. Shortly, he emerged with two trembling naked girls, their hands in the air, dripping. He followed them out of the shower, miraculously dry, aiming the gun at the naked, soaked girls. Candice led the heavier girl to the back of the change room where they stood their eyes wide at the sight of the naked basketball team standing, rope marks evident around their wrists and ankles. "Sit," he said. The two girls did, and immediately stopped moving. Even the water stopped dripping from their shivering bodies. "Slower time frame?" Kate muttered. He smiled, and ushered the remaining girls, save for Kate and Leigh, into the steaming showers.

Main Page · Short Stories · Snapshots · Novels · Contact Dawn of Time Index · Top of Page http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-51-60.html (64 of 65)8/14/2005 11:40:56 PM




Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 61

·

Chapter 62

·

Chapter 63

·

Chapter 64

·

Chapter 65

Chapter 66

·

Chapter 67

·

Chapter 68

·

Chapter 69

·

Chapter 70


It was simple, really. A bubble within a bubble. A thin layer of stopped time surrounded him, almost like a raincoat made out of air. The droplets of water slipped around him, as if they had struck the back of a duck. The girls didn't seem to notice him, like the water from the shower. The girls were doing exactly as he'd asked, probably afraid of being cropped if they resisted. Or maybe they were afraid of being asked to run another race. They had no way of knowing that he could barely lift the crop anymore, and wouldn't be able to control another race with them. He blinked his eyes and swayed under the shower. He might not even be able to resist them, if they decided to rise against him, at least en masse. Controlling time meant concentration, and that was fading quickly. The timeline continued along, almost autonomously meshing the bubbles that he created, but it took subconscious energy to maintain even that. He watched, fascinated, as Lisa ran her hands unabashedly across Tyler's wet breasts and belly, working the Ivory in her hands into a



soapy lather. It was sexy to him, but he doubted if the girls were feeling anything beyond the luxury of cleaning the perspiration and condiments from their tired skin. The hot water probably helped their aching muscles. "That tickles," Tyler giggled, reaching for the soap. The naked girl ran the soap through Lisa's blonde hair, and began to massage the other girl's scalp, dropping the soap to the tiles at their feet. Lather began to form as Tyler's fingers slipped through Lisa's hair. "Mmmmm," Lisa murmured as Tyler continued to brush at the hair. If he hadn't known better, it appeared that Lisa's hair had been brunette under the dimmer lighting of the shower, and the slickness of the water. But she was a true blonde. That much he could tell. Neither girl noticed nor cared about his scrutiny of them. Wearily, he turned. The other girls were washing one another. Anne washed Tracy's back, and Kim, kneeling, ran her soapy hands down Jennifer's bare legs. Slowly, he backed out of the shower, releasing the bubble within a bubble as he walked clear of the multiple sprays of water. He emerged dry, but no more awake than when he'd entered. Leigh and Kate looked up from where they were sitting quietly talking. "Mind if I join you?" he asked the bare girls. As if they really had a choice. They nodded, and he sank to the tiles at their bare feet. "Are they okay in there?" Kate asked. He laughed, tracing his finger over Kate's foot. She tensed, but didn't move it. "I think they're big enough to shower without me." "I thought you'd want to watch. Six girls, naked and washing each other." "I did watch, for a while. They don't need me in there," he said. "You trust them?" He laughed. "If you were in there, and knew that I might poke my head in to check on you at any time, would you follow instructions? Just to wash yourself?"



Kate pondered that for a moment, then nodded. "I'd do what I was told." He raised his eyebrows and leaned back against the bench. It pressed comfortingly against his shoulder blades. The girl's legs pressed gently into his shoulders. Real sensations, in a fantastical world. Each hand found one girl's toes, Leigh in his left, Kate in his right. Slowly, he stroked their skin there. He felt them tense at his touch, but then relax, perhaps as they realised that he wasn't going to hurt them. "Why?" Leigh asked, her voice only barely louder than the laughs, and giggles from the showers. "Why what?" he asked without opening his eyes. "Our feet. Why?" He considered pulling his fingers from them, but mentally shrugged and continued. "I want to touch you. You're real." "You can touch us in more interesting places. You have. Before. We can't stop you." "Is that an invitation?" He heard her gulp. "Not really." He wondered, but decided not to push the issue. "Truthfully? Your feet are the only parts of you that are relatively clean." He opened his eyes, laughing at the expressions of dismay on the girl's faces as they glanced at their naked disarray. "I kind of regret doing that to you. You're right. You look a lot more attractive when you're clean and presentable." His thoughts faded for a moment to a kitchen in another time and place, where five girls knelt naked, covered in maple syrup, begging to eat breakfast. He'd had to let them shower afterwards, too. Another laugh, and a cry, emerged from the shower. "Hey! Stop! That tickles." It sounded like Lisa's voice, followed by more giggling.



"They can actually laugh," he sighed. The girl's skin felt silky smooth beneath his finger tips. "The team you tortured?" Kate said. Her fingers toyed with the ketchup pooled in her belly button. He nodded. "After everything I put them through, they are in there giggling." He began to push himself up. Kate cleared her throat. "Sir?" He stopped, turning his face upwards to look at the girl. Food smeared her features, and matted her red hair to her head. And yet, she was still beautiful. He glanced at Leigh. The girl seemed more distracted, her features in the same condition as Kate's, but with yellow staining her collarbone and shoulders. She stank of vinegar. And yet, she was as beautiful as Kate, in her own way. "I know that I don't have any say in what happens here, but if you were going to tell them to settle down ...?" He nodded, unsure why he was listening to the girl. "They need it -- some time to themselves, some time to adjust. I know that you probably won't keep them, but you put them through a lot, without a lot of warning. They hurt, and they are probably in shock a little. But we're stronger than that. Honestly. If they can laugh, then they are just recovering. And that isn't a bad thing. We're stronger than you might think. Unless you want to drive them insane. Like Darren." He sighed, and raised himself anyway. Kate seemed about to say something else, to protest further, but ended up staring at her green and red hands, picking idly at the food about her fingernails. He walked to the shower entrance. Lisa and Tyler were washing each other, laughing as fingers found ribs and underarms. Anne, also laughing had bent to pick up a bar of green soap that she'd obviously dropped. She turned self-consciously as she felt his eyes on her displayed nudity. Anne blushed. "We're not washing ourselves," she whispered. The other girls turned at the sound of Anne's voice. Anne smiled, pulling her hands from her bare, wet breasts. "Actually, I was simply wondering what all the racket was about." Lisa spoke, her hand resting on Tyler's breast, but above the nipple. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (4 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


"If you want us to be quiet, we will." Her voice wavered a little. He smiled, and waved a dismissive hand at the girls. He shook his head. "I wouldn't dream of it. Carry on." He backed away from the steam. It took a moment, but he heard Tyler, perhaps, say happily, "Fuck him, I'm clean." The girls began to laugh again, and he smiled. "You did a good thing," Kate whispered as he slipped back between their legs. His hands found their toes again. He closed his eyes, and listened to the feminine laughs, and squeals emerging from the showers. "I released Darren, you know." Kate shook her head. Bits of relish peppered her shoulders. She ignored them. "He had lost it completely. He's happily kissing Karen again, now." Kate lowered her eyes, studying her handcuffs. The Timeman lifted himself to sit beside her. Her shoulders shook once. Carefully, he touched her chin, raising her eyes to look at him. Unshed tears lined her lids. "Don't tell me that you are still carrying a torch for that idiot." Kate shook her head again. "What then?" And then it hit him. "Karen?" She wasn't quick enough to shake her head this time. He glanced at Leigh sitting beside Kate. The girl appeared to be sleeping, but her chest wasn't moving in the rhythmic patterns of sleep. She was awake. He considered freezing her, but he was keeping the girl. The one's he kept, he didn't refreeze, did he? Kate slowly changed her denial into a quick nod of her head. "But you wanted her to go." "Of course, I did," Kate whispered fiercely. "You think it's easy to watch someone you like being hurt? Maybe you do." Kate glanced at Leigh who remained motionless beside her. Momentarily, she looked http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (5 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


confused. He swallowed and pursed his lips. "It's easy to fall in love here," he finally said. Kate took a deep breath, letting it out in a slow exhale, almost like she was smoking. "You put me on my knees in front of her, made me have sex with her, made me pleasure her to climax. Maybe. Just maybe. We'll never get to do that whenever you let me go." "You probably won't, Kate." She shook her head vehemently. "What if I do love her?" "What if you don't?" "What did you expect me to feel? Huh? You make me strip and grovel to save her from the cigarettes? Make her have sex with me? We only had each other." He nodded. He ran his finger gently down the girl's cheek, ignoring the condiments stained there. Somewhere, down from them, a girl squealed as another girl twisted a nipple, or tickled a rib, or something. "How did you expect me to feel?" Kate whispered. "This place, this timeline," he said quietly, "allows strange and unlikely things to happen. It isn't because of me -- you are feeling things that you'd feel anyway, given the chance. But here ... it reduces inhibition. Right?" Kate shook her head, obviously confused. "You're sitting there naked, right? You're wearing handcuffs. There are six girls laughing in the shower next door. You've been hit with a crop and a branch. And you liked it, I think. Do you think that any of that would be likely outside of this timeframe? Where there are consequences? Where everyone will remember?" Kate swallowed and shook her head. "Given choice, I don't think I'd let a man do this to me." "You had sex with a girl. Karen. Do you think that you'd do that outside?" Kate held her breath for a moment. "But I liked it," she whispered. "I think I liked it, and I think I could love her. Oh, God." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (6 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


She glanced back at the girl beside her. Leigh had opened her eyes, and her mouth was set in a grim line. "Oh God, Leigh, you weren't supposed to ..." "... hear that? It's all right, Kate. He forced Miss Chambers to have sex with me, too. And I liked it. At least from a physical standpoint." Leigh paused for a moment, unsure of whether to proceed. After another glance at Kate, she did. "And I begged him to let me climax. I'm not proud of it, and he didn't let me, but I did. And I would have done it with a girl, even you, gladly." She paused for a moment. "He's right, though. We feel things as we should. We're human beings under stress, Kate. There aren't consequences here. We can hate it, or enjoy it, but either way, we're going to forget. Right?" She looked at him for confirmation. He nodded as she continued. "You might like Karen, might be able to even love her. And that's you, but if you never realise that outside of here, you'll never know what you're missing. At least I think that's how it works." "But, what if I want to remember?" Leigh smiled. "It works both ways, I think. What if we want to forget?" Kate sighed, and looked back at her hands clasped together, the handcuffs still encircling her wrists. She separated her hands and pulled weakly at the cuffs. "I'm so tired, Leigh." Leigh closed her eyes again, resting her head back against the wall. "I am too, Kate. God. I am, too." He stood up, a smile gracing his lips. "You know what would perk you two up?" "A bed?" He grinned at that suggestion, picturing Leigh and Kate tied to a large four post bed. "A shower." Leigh opened her eyes, anticipation shining. "In a moment," he said. He walked towards the shower entrance, gathering up three large beach-style towels from various girls http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (7 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


frozen in the middle of changing. He slung them over his arm. Lisa stood, her breasts towards him, head tilted back letting the warm water cascade through her hair, and over her shoulders. Tyler stood under the same jet of water, her back to him, her hands working the water from her own brunette hair that hung half-way down her back. "Time to get out," he said quietly. The girls straightened, and without a word of complaint walked in partners back towards him. Their bare feet formed puddles as they accepted one towel for each pair of girls. In each case, he handed the towel to the blonde partner. "You'll have to share," he said. There were other towels evident around the change room, but the girls didn't complain. Each pair took the towel they had been given, and moved to the other side of the room, and began to towel each other dry. He returned to Leigh and Kate, who watched the other naked girls dry themselves. "Time to shower, dirty girls," he said quietly. Without taking their eyes off the glowing, naked, clean girls around the change room, Kate and Leigh rose, and followed him to the shower entrance.


The roar of the showers tickled Kate's ears. In the relative silence of the world, the sound of cascading water amplified as it reached her. She stood beside Leigh, gazing longingly at the cleansing sprays from the multiple shower heads left on by the girls who were now towelling off and talking quietly amongst themselves. A touch to her shoulder turned her gently. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (8 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


Kate swivelled on her bare feet, a touch of dampness apparent beneath, probably dripped from Lisa, or Anne, or Tyler. He shuddered, holding up his hands. His fingertips were coated with the grime that encrusted Kate and Leigh's bodies from head to ankle. The smells of ketchup, some relish, and the faint tinge of vinegar wafted into Kate's senses. Leigh laughed lightly. "Now you know how we feel," she murmured. He grimaced, finding a relatively clean spot on Leigh's body, the hollow just below her collarbone. Their shoulders had taken the brunt of the condiments streaked through their formerly lustrous hair. Kate shivered. He wiped his fingers on Leigh, who suffered it with grace. "Sticky, isn't it?" she said with a twinkle in her eye. Instead of returning her tease, he grimaced again, and simply held up his fingers in front of her lips. Softly, he touched her lips. The sense of justice retreated from her eyes, as she realised what he wanted her to do. She shook her head, his fingers dragging across her lips. "Please, I don't want to ..." He smiled, then, and touched her lips again, urging them apart. Resigned, the naked girl opened her mouth. He didn't place his digits in reach of her teeth. A vague memory tickled Kate. Her tongue licking his finger, her scent, her musk, her sweetness filling her own mouth. She sighed. "He wants you to lick him clean." Leigh closed her mouth, then shook her head again. Her hair moved limply against her soiled shoulders. "I can't do that," Leigh whispered. Kate sighed again, and stepped towards the Timeman. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. "I'll do it. Leave her alone. Please?" She parted her lips slightly and stuck her tongue between. The air partly dried it, but she wiggled her tongue. He laughed, motioning her to stick her tongue back in her mouth. She did, sighing. "I want Leigh to do it." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (9 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


"Please. You can clean up in the shower. Like us. Please?" "Are you inviting me into your shower?" Leigh looked confused, unsure of what the correct answer was. She opted for the truth. "I'd rather not." He held his fingers up again. Leigh grimaced, and glanced around the room. The only one paying her any heed was Kate, who averted her eyes. "Ugh," Leigh whispered. She pulled against her restraints with more force than usual. "That tastes awful." She spit towards the shower -- not a man's spit, but more of a feminine raspberry. Her eyes watered. "Thank you," he said to Leigh. It was perhaps the first time that Kate had heard him address a female with any semblance of politeness. No. He'd apologised to Leigh earlier for hitting her harder than he'd meant. That had sounded sincere as well. And he'd forced Darren to apologise to her for calling her a 'bitch'. He had a warped sense of ethics. Leigh choked again, and without waiting for permission, stepped into the sprays, opening her mouth and letting the water rinse out the taste of the mingled condiments and probably salty perspiration. Rivulets of red and yellow swirled out of Leigh's hair and from her skin, snaking down the skin of her back, and bottom, lazily diluting into the water babbling towards the drain at her bare feet. Kate glared at him, and he shrugged with a smile. "May I join her?" Kate asked. Part of her balked at the simple act of being forced to ask for permission. Part of her tingled. And part of her simply knew that she had to do it, if she ever wanted the ketchup cleansed from her skin. He handed her a bar of white soap. The bar was better than half-finished, light in her hand. The remnants of the word Ivory was indented across its surface. Kate wondered who owned it. While she watched, he bent and rummaged through a girl's bag. The girl, a brunette, in her underwear, stood frozen, reaching to the bag that he now held in his hands. A tampon fell out, and he ignored it as it rolled against the girl's bare foot. Under other circumstances, Kate would have been disturbed at the lack of privacy, but considering her condition, it didn't seem ... justified. He smiled and handed her a small bottle of conditioning shampoo. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (10 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


"Will this do?" he asked. She examined the bottle. It wasn't her normal brand, but it was shampoo -- better than running bar soap through her hair like the other girls had. She nodded. "You can join her," he said simply. Carrying the soap and the shampoo in her bound hands, she stepped towards the shower. She turned before entering, at the sound of his voice. "You know to wash her, and Leigh should wash you, right?" "I figured," Kate mumbled, though she had hoped that he would let her wash herself. Leigh still stood under the sprays, relishing the water with small moans. "I don't suppose we could dispense with the handcuffs, for the shower?" she asked hopefully. He slowly shook his head, waving her in. She hesitated. "Won't they rust?" He shrugged. "We can always get more." "If you can get them off us." He shrugged again. Sighing, she turned her back to him, and stepped into the warm sprays. The gunk began to dissolve under the stinging onslaught. Leigh actually laughed as she spied Kate turning her face into the nearest spray. Kate tried to ignore the sensations of Leigh's skin. The girl was soft and silky and slippery as she pushed the soap over her back. Her breasts were at least as firm as her own, though slightly smaller, her tummy ticklish. Leigh sputtered as Kate ran the soap over her face, closing her eyes and sighing as the goop rinsed away in a kaleidescope of colour. Kate glanced towards the entranceway. He wasn't there, probably watching the other girls dry themselves, or perhaps he was asleep, taking a catnap. She hoped the latter, but understood that the former was far more probable.



Her cuffed hands worked soap around Leigh's legs. She had to kneel to lather up Leigh's legs and feet, and the position reminded her of what she'd been forced to do with Karen. She shivered, her fingers pausing at the juncture of Leigh's thighs. The girl had her eyes closed, water running through her still dirty brunette locks above. Tentatively, she touched the soft curls between Leigh's legs. Leigh groaned. "It's okay," Leigh said. When Kate looked up, Leigh's face was dripping down with a half-smile. "I need to be washed there, and ... I'm apparently not allowed to do it myself." "But ..." "The other girls must have done it. What do you think all the giggling was." "Are you going to giggle?" Leigh laughed. "I might. But I'm not trying to replace Karen." Kate blushed deeply. "It. It's not like that." She pulled her fingers from Leigh's wet thighs. Leigh crouched, the water spilling over her. She raised her cuffed hands to brush at the water overspilling into her eyes. A dot of mustard streaked her hair, almost like blonde highlights. Kate's eyes rested on it, rather than Leigh's eyes. "This situation is strange, Kate. I'm so fucking aroused, I might even orgasm in here, if you aren't careful. Girl or not. I had to lick his damn fingers. We are doing things that we hadn't imagined. You know?" Kate nodded. "It's okay. I don't mind," Leigh whispered. "You can't climax. You know that, right?" Kate said. She was certain that he'd punish them for fooling around in here. She didn't know why -- he hadn't expressly forbidden it of them, but somehow she just knew. "You realise that I'm going to have to wash you, too, right?" No. It hadn't actually occurred to her. She wasn't sure if she could hold it off, if Leigh wasn't careful. "I'll be quick. I wish I had a cloth." Leigh grinned, almost a loopy, carefree grin. Kate knew what she http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (12 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


felt like. It wasn't like they were in here washing each other, by choice. "I'm glad you don't," Leigh whispered. Kate glanced towards the entrance again, a small movement catching her eye. Lisa, the blonde girl who'd kissed her toes, stood quietly beside the Timeman, a yellow towel wrapped modestly around her breasts and middle. She shifted her weight from foot to foot. Kate swallowed, a bit of shower water slipping between her lips. Leigh obligingly spread her legs a little, and Kate slipped her soapy hand between Leigh's legs. She was as soft as she remembered her own sex to be, though she hadn't touched herself in a long, long time. Leigh moaned, beginning to tense. Kate lowered her hand as Leigh began to tremble, her hips rocking. "Thank, God," Leigh whispered. "I almost ..." "I know. It doesn't take much here." After a few minutes, Kate raised her hand again, rubbing the soap over Leigh's lips quickly. She glanced at the two watching them, and then with an evil grin, let her middle finger slip between Leigh's lips. Leigh jumped as if she'd been shocked with a cattle prod, gasping. "No. No. Noooo," she spoke to the spray, her words muffled by the water pouring into her mouth. Leigh's clitoris was swollen, as Kate knew it would be. It was probably at least as swollen as her own. She merely let the one stroke slip between, and then splashed spray upwards with her palms to rinse Leigh. Leigh sighed, her face flushed and eyes closed. When Kate glanced back at the entrance, the two were gone. Leigh shivered as the cooler shampoo ran through her hair for a second time. The first time, only yellow and the sharper aroma of vinegar had met the lather, swirling towards the drain beneath the girl's feet. The second time, Kate worked her fingers through the long hair, and lather sprang up, clean and white. Leigh's hair felt wonderful, soft and squeaky under Kate's fingers. Leigh sighed, as Kate's fingers rubbed the gunk from her scalp, cleansing, and purifying her. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (13 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


Her hair felt like she imagined Karen's might have. After a long time, she released Leigh. The naked girl turned, giving Kate a long look, and then dipped her hair back into the spray, the lather leaving her body and hair to disappear down the drain. Leigh knelt as Kate had, her fingers light and teasing. Slippery softness slid along Kate's sensitive skin, teasing nipples, and lips. One wet finger slipped into the folds, riding forward, circling her clitoris. And then it was gone, her nerves screaming frustration into her being. Kate cried out, oblivious to the man watching her writhing frustration from the entrance tiles.


Fingers slipped through her hair, the shampoo wonderful, removing the grime from her head. (Don't stop. Don't stop. Don't stop.) But the fingers eventually stopped, though they remained tangled in her red tresses long after Kate herself would have been satisfied with her cleanliness. With a smile, Leigh glanced towards the doorway. He wasn't there. Neither was Lisa. Leigh kissed her, lightly, wetly, on her lips. Electric sparks raced down Kate's spine, concentrated in her nipples. Guiltily, Leigh stepped back, into another shower. Kate sighed, not quite understanding what had happened, but tilted her own hair back into the spray. The cascading warmth rinsed the last of the goop and soap from her hair. She was wonderfully, amazingly, happily, clean.



Simple things. She sighed again, and allowed the water to run over her bare skin, scarcely even aware of the handcuffs that remained on her wrists. Confused, Kate blinked, afraid that the water had tricked her eyes into seeing something that wasn't there. But when she looked again, Leigh still knelt, her face upturned towards him. Fully clothed, her nudity emphasised because of it, the water seemed to bend around him, as if he were covered with a transparent tarpaulin. Kate reached up, cleared her ears of soap. "Please don't make me do it. Please. I've felt it before. We've done everything you asked." Water ran over her head, and into Leigh's eyes. The naked, cowering girl looked miserable again. Almost like a drowned pet. After another quick shake of her head to clear the last of the soap, Kate stepped over to the adjacent shower. Leigh sighed, and pushed with her bound hands until she stood looking up at their captor. "Kate? I'm sorry." "What for?" Leigh glanced at him, and he shook his head, denying the girl permission to warn her. That meant something ... unpleasant. Didn't it? "Leigh, whatever he makes you do to me, I'll understand." Leigh gave her a weak smile. "I know. But it's to us." "Us?" Leigh nodded. "Stand there," she said. The warm water cascaded over Kate's head, and she was more than happy to remain under the spray. "How long?" Leigh asked him. He'd moved back to the entranceway, his attention divided between the girls in the shower and the girls outside. Idly, Kate wondered what the girls in the change room were doing.



"Until I tell you," he replied. He turned back to the girls in the change room, ignoring Kate and Leigh for the moment. Leigh sighed. "I'm sorry," she said. With that, she twisted the knob marked with a red dot, and quickly moved to stand beside Kate. It took Kate a moment to realise what was coming, and longer than that to react. Leigh's soft hands closed over her upper arm, holding her beneath the spray. The water cascading over her hair rapidly shifted temperature, until Kate was sure her skin was going to numb. Within seconds, she heard Leigh's teeth begin to chatter, and with a start, she realised that her own were shuddering against her own jaws. "I. I have to ..." Kate tried to take a step out from under the frigid water. "You have to stay here. With me." Leigh moved a little closer, her body a little warmer where it touched Kate at the thigh and breast. "He'll tie you under it, until you pass out. We have to do this ourselves." Kate shivered, turning towards Leigh a little more. "I. I. I. I needed. A. Cold. Shower. Honestly. But. This. Is. Ridiculous," she chattered. And suddenly, the spray stopped completely, the water no longer running through her hair, or over her bare body. Goosebumps rose all over, even in places she didn't know goosebumps could be. She shivered miserably beside Leigh, as he approached them. He stood and watched the cold girls for a few minutes. "Can I ask why?" Kate asked haltingly. Her lips were probably blue. The flesh beneath her fingernails certainly was, and Leigh seemed almost ready to shiver herself to death. Kate couldn't stop her teeth from chattering no matter how hard she tried. He smiled, and shrugged. "I wanted you to remember how this felt." "I. I will," Kate murmured. The sentiment was echoed by the nude girl beside her. "And you both needed a cold shower," he said simply. (Yes. I think we did.) http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (16 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


Gently, he touched Kate's shoulder, and then Leigh's. The two girls moved to the adjacent shower where warm water still poured from the shower head. Together, they huddled under it, letting the wonderfully warm water sluice through their hair and over their bodies. The shivers finally subsided, and she eventually stopped her teeth from chattering. (How does he walk in here without getting wet???) After they had both warmed up, at least a little, he turned the water off, and they remained together, where the shower had been. With the sound of the water still ringing in her ears, Kate noticed the silence again. He had two towels -- one pink, the other a pale blue. He gave Kate the pink one, and Leigh held the blue one to her body as they slowly followed him from the enclosure. Shower time had ended. But she was clean, and refreshed. She just wished that she could have showered more ... alone. They stood to the left of the girl named Candice. Kate didn't know the girl, not personally, but her face was a little familiar -probably, Kate had seen her in the hallways somewhere prior to the silent world descending. The girl was blonde, and slim, and attractive. Idly, Kate wondered why the Timeman hadn't simply played with Candice. She was ready made naked, and wet, and would have provided his style of entertainment. The pink towel rubbed vigorously through her hair as she stood facing Candice. Kate's breasts jiggled with the transmitted energy of Leigh's hands on her head. "He tormented her," Leigh whispered. Kate glanced over her shoulder. The Timeman was standing near the six naked girls that he'd let shower before Leigh and Kate. He was ignoring the two girls still drying themselves. "Who?" "That girl. Candice." So he had played with her.



"How do you know?" Leigh sighed. "It was the first time that I'd agreed to strip for him. He tortured her, hit her with the gun, ripped a huge wound in her cheek. There was so much blood." "Oh, God." "Exactly. I would have done damn near anything to stop her from hurting. Taking off my clothes didn't seem all that important any more." "Did you?" "Strip?" Kate nodded. "Strip." "I would have, but he didn't make me take off my clothes until later. I think he was just showing me what he could do. Seeing what I'd agree to do." "He likes to show off, sometimes. How come she's not bleeding now?" Leigh shrugged. Kate turned around, and Leigh's hands continued to run the towel over Kate's skin, rubbing away the remaining water. "I think. I think that when he returns us to our real time ... I think we return as if nothing here ever happened." The girls lapsed into silence. Kate gasped as Leigh quickly ran the towel over her genitals, not teasing, but quickly and not designed to arouse. It didn't work. The cold water had dampened her desire, but not erased it. Her body betrayed her again, and tingled even after the towel had dropped, Leigh kneeling and carefully wiping Kate's legs and feet. Eventually, Leigh rose, seemingly unaware of what her attentions had caused. "My turn," she whispered. She'd seen Lisa wrapped in a towel, and in fact, Lisa still stood with her breasts and body partially blocked from view by a yellow strip of terry cloth. The other girls simply held the remaining two towels as he talked to Lisa, their nudity uncovered and revealed. Leigh lifted her feet at Kate's touch, and Kate and between the girl's toes. She was dry, or at could be. Her hair still lay tangled, and damp, looked far cleaner and far happier than she had into the shower. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (18 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM

ran the towel over least as dry as she but overall, Leigh before she'd stepped


Picking up the pink towel again, Kate carefully wrapped it around herself. The handcuffs made the manoeuvre more difficult, but she managed to tuck the edge in above her right breast. She was under no illusions, he wouldn't allow her to wear it long, but she enjoyed the sense of civility while it lasted. He handed her a brush -- one of the more expensive anti-static ones. Kate turned it over in her bound hands. He raised an eyebrow at the towel, but didn't insist on her removing it. Leigh stood to her left, similarly wrapped in light blue. "Who's brush?" Kate asked. He turned around again. He pointed to a blonde girl on the other side of the room. "It worked for the others, I suppose it will work for you." It felt odd to be using the same brush as the others and of a stranger, but it was a brush. Better than tangles. Knowing what was expected of her, she turned to Leigh. "You first?" Leigh turned around, presenting her back to Kate. Her brunette locks tumbled in damp waves down her back, contrasting nicely with the blue towel. Getting all the knots out brought tears to Leigh's eyes, but Kate persevered until the brush ran free through her hair. After Leigh's hair was brushed out, Kate handed the brush to Leigh. "My turn," she said. The blonde girl watched him approach, her eyes wary. Somehow, she knew that he wasn't returning for a simple talk. Her eyes never left his, even as his hand lightly released the towel around her, and it tumbled into a heap at her bare feet. Her hands didn't rise -- there wasn't any point to that after what she'd been through -- and her gaze never wavered. "What are you going to do to me, now?" she asked. Despite her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (19 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


defiant gaze, her voice sounded small, and weak, and afraid, and resigned. He smiled. "I'm going to send your friends back." Surprise flashed through her eyes, but she remained standing. "Good," she said. He glanced to her left, and when the girl followed his look, she gasped. "Where?" "Back where you all started. Clothed. And trying to get a big round ball to put in a basket. Pointless really." The naked girl bristled. "Pointless, like having six naked girls shower before you send them back into a sweaty phys ed class?" He smiled. "Something like that." She stood quietly for a moment, then ventured a simple question. "What about me?" He thought for a moment. "Do you want to stay?" he asked. Lisa stepped back, her calves touching the bench. She sat down. "Do I want to stay? Here? Naked and a toy for you?" "Truthfully? You'd be naked all the time, yes." Lisa took a deep breath. "You're serious. You are giving me the choice?" He nodded and leaned back against the lockers. They rattled. The two girls watched quietly on the other side of the room, wrapped in towels, as she had been until he'd casually removed it. The girl glanced at her yellow towel lying crumpled at his feet with a wistful look on her face. "What do you think I'll choose?" He sighed. "This world is strange. It's harsh sometimes, and I know that you probably don't like your situation. I don't blame you. I wouldn't like it either, in your place. It's happening, but it http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (20 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


isn't. You are seeing things that you wouldn't get to see otherwise." "It's an honour to be captured by you?" He smiled. The girl was shaking, though he couldn't tell if she was angry, or scared, or simply nervous. "No. Not that," he said. She looked down at her hands, resting easily on her bare thighs. Some struggle, inside of her, breached her pretty features. He waited patiently, ignoring the quiet whispering of Leigh and Kate behind him somewhere. Lisa didn't look up. "Why did you give me the choice?" "Because, I thought you deserved it." The naked girl sighed. "I'll let you go back, if you choose to." "I know," she whispered. Then she made the decision that he knew that she'd make. But he'd had to ask her anyway. She slowly stood, her breasts proudly forward, her eyes clear and unfazed. She stared at him, survivor strength breaching the distance between them. He smiled, knowing what her answer was going to be. "I want to join my friends," Lisa said, her voice clear. He thought he heard Leigh breathe a sigh of relief. "Do you want to say good-bye?" he asked quietly. Lisa turned to the other two girls. She was the only naked one in the room, now, with the towels hiding Kate and Leigh. "Thank you, for making this a little easier," she said simply. She waved. He didn't turn to see the other two girls wave back. With a flash of aching concentration, Lisa faded, a happy look gracing her features.




The girls could have grabbed his hands, perhaps shielded themselves for a few more minutes with a struggle, but in the end, the result would have been the same. Each girl glanced down at the single finger tucked under the towel, and between their breasts. To two sighs he pulled, and the towels fluttered to the ground to reveal their nudity again. Kate shivered and tossed her wet hair. "You could have let us wear those a little longer." He raised his eyebrows. "I didn't say that you could wear them in the first place. You're damn lucky I don't make you both crawl to the car." They looked confused for a moment, but with quick glances at their former coverings, they mumbled. "We're sorry," they said together. It was cute, and he nodded. Exhaustion threatened, and blackness began to cut into his vision. He pressed his palms to his temples, waiting for the pain. Had the simulations been that wrong? Had the simulations led him to endanger the universe? Again? Was this all the time he would have with the girls? "No," he whispered. The blackness receded. Leigh and Kate watched him with concerned expressions on their faces. "Are you all right?" Leigh asked. She stepped forward. Instinctively, he stepped back, away from her. "I'm fine." The blackness wasn't complete, hadn't drowned out the world around him. He hadn't felt the timelines slipping, the blue haze engulfing http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (22 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


him. No. This wasn't time induced blackness of nothingness. This was merely because he hadn't slept in far too long, and had maintained conscious control over the universe around him. The girls didn't look convinced, but didn't make any more moves towards him, either to help him, or to assist in his untimely demise. Shaking, he drew the weapon from his waistband. The two naked girls stepped back, away from him, and the unsteady gun. Fear etched into their features. "Out," he said. He forced his eyes open again. The girls kept their eyes on the gun until they softly stepped past him. They led the way out of the change room. Once back out in the gymnasium, the former basketball team had regained the court, free, clothed. The basketball returned to dribble under Lisa's frozen fingers. He smiled at the image of the blonde, naked and hog-tied, struggling across the floor. He willed it away. Other things to concentrate on. Leigh stood quietly where he placed her, to the side of the change room. Kate, he released from her cuffs. He handed her a single shining key from his pocket. "Chains," he said to her. The girl nodded, and scampered between the basketball players, dodging until she began to climb up the bleachers to the the still frozen audience. Soon, the clinking of the light chain, and the unsnapping of locks filled the air. He turned to Leigh, motioning the girl forward. He released her hands as well, but stopped her when she began to move to join Kate. Touching her shoulder, she sighed, and turned around, presenting her bare back to him. Automatically, she placed her wrists together behind her back. "I can't help her, if you tie me like this," she said. It wasn't a complaint, only an observation. "I want you here." "Why? You need sleep. The faster we get the chain, the quicker you can do that, right?" The girl was perceptive. He nodded as he turned the girl back around. He walked to the bricks and slowly sank to the floor near the change http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (23 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


room doors. He extended his legs in front of him and leaned his head back against the wall. Fighting the tendency for his eyes to close, he motioned Leigh back towards him, patting his thigh. Leigh gave him a puzzled look, but obeyed, walking forward on her clean bare feet, and lowering herself down to join him. She wiggled around at his urging, and finally settled between his legs, her back to him, her bound hands touching the floor near his groin. Her hands weren't touching him, thankfully, but her back rested against his erection. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, letting his hands dangle, the fingertips brushing the tops of her breasts. The sounds of Kate releasing the audience's ankles floated to them. "What happens if you sleep?" Leigh craned her neck back and asked. He shrugged. "Nothing much. The world goes on as it is now, until I wake up and change it." "We don't freeze? Go away back to our own time?" "No. The time flow merely stays in the state that I left it when I go unconscious. As long as I'm not dead, the timeline should remain as it is now. My subconscious keeps it alive, I think." "So why don't you want to sleep?" He sighed. "We aren't there yet." "Where?" "Where we're going." "You have a plan?" He laughed tiredly. "Of course, I have a plan." She hesitated, unsure of whether she wanted to chance her next words. Eventually, she spoke again. "It didn't seem like you did. You take girls, until you find one that you want to keep. Like me and Kate. You torment us until you find someone that can take your sick games." "It isn't that simple. Random selection has some sway, but you can't run a universe like that." "Isn't it that simple?" "Not really. Not anymore."



Images of the other girl, the one relaxing on the bench outside of his control haunted him. Who the hell was she? "Why are you doing this? You could do so much with this ... talent of yours. Win at the stock market. Help people. Solve world hunger." He shrugged. "Perhaps." "You want control, don't you? You want to control girls like Kate and I. I can figure out Kate. She's gorgeous. But I'll never be a model, never at the same sexual appeal level as Kate, or even Lisa." "You don't give yourself credit, Leigh. You are beautiful, and you're smart, and your courageous, and strong." He could feel her blushing, but she didn't turn. "I'm under your control, even if I don't want to be sitting here, naked, and talking to you." "Is it so bad?" "I want to go back. Like Lisa." "Sorry, Leigh, we have further to go, you and I. You are more complex than Lisa. So much more to learn." The words obviously confused the girl, but she nodded and continued the conversation anyway. "I know. I can't help wanting it, though. I'll do whatever you want. Back isn't all that appealing either. But I wish you wouldn't hurt us as much as you do." "Would you remember your place if I didn't?" The girl didn't respond immediately, obviously thinking about her answer. "I might, but Kate wouldn't. I'm not even sure I would." He smiled, but she wouldn't be able to see it. "That's why you are here, Leigh." She shivered, but didn't respond. "Why do you like hurting us?" she asked quietly. "I don't know, Leigh. I really don't. Why did you like hurting your teacher?" The girl shuddered again. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (25 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


"I didn't." "Leigh?" She was silent for a long, long time. He'd touched her after he'd forced the girl to hurt her friend and the teacher with the crop. He'd seen her eyes before she swung it. They reminded him of himself. "I don't want to feel these things," she whispered. He'd made her cry; even with her facing away from him, he could tell. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't either." "It doesn't. I'm a girl. Naked and under your damn control. Even that does it. I don't want to feel these things. I'm too young. I hate this." The girl tried to turn, but gently he prevented it. "Feel what?" "Sometimes, I. I. I want to hurt. I want to hurt people, too. I don't. Not like you. But I ... oh, my god ... I want to hurt her. I want to hurt you. Sexually. Sometimes I want you to hit me, just to stop me thinking these things." He smoothed her hair and she squirmed a little under his touch. "I see," he said slowly. "Are we really not going to remember any of this?" "Not a thing. At least the simulations say that. Consequence is limited to this ... time." "Like Candice?" He nodded. "Like Candice." The girl lapsed into silence, watching Kate work her way slowly across the bleachers, freeing the students that had watched her torture under the basketball net. Every so often the girl stretched and yawned, her fingers reaching for the rafters far above. She walked to where she'd formed a small pile of locks on a lower bleacher seat, and dropped a few locks into it with a clatter. Sighing, she returned to the girl who needed freeing next. "I don't like this," Leigh whispered. "Lying here?"



"No. My body. Doing these things to me." "I know, Leigh. I know." After a few minutes, he spoke again. "Remember that photo? In your locker?" The girl stiffened in his arms. "What about it?" "Those were your parents, right?" Leigh nodded, not answering. Her body was like a cat on guard. "You don't get along with them?" "They don't understand me. I don't want to talk about them." He bit his lip. He could force her to talk, all he had to do was call Kate back, and tie her, and hit her with the crop a few times. It would take the rest of his energy, and he wasn't sure that Kate would be able to take any more pain today without cracking, but he could make this girl talk to him. But whether she told the truth or not, would be another issue. She had spoken of her dominant fantasies, and that had been difficult for her, but she wouldn't talk about this. He loosened his grasp on her a little. She squirmed deliciously against him. A moan nearly escaped his lips. "Should we visit them? I'm sure I can get the address from the school office, along with emergency numbers for work, if that's where they are." Leigh twisted suddenly, and he didn't try to resist her. She faced him. Tears fell from her eyes. "Please. I can't stop you from doing that, but if you care about me at all, even a tiny bit, please don't." She tumbled back into the position he'd placed her. Her back pressed into his penis again. She had to be aware of his arousal. She pressed back against his hardness. He tried to ignore the sensations. "Are you trying to protect them?" The girl sighed and sobbed again. "No," she said simply. He believed her. She just didn't want to see them. And it wasn't merely because she was naked, and tied. Even if the girls were clothed, and alone, no handcuffs on a normal day, she wouldn't voluntarily see them. All teens disliked their parents, but damn few wouldn't want to see them when subjected to the things that he'd subjected Leigh to. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (27 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


"I could force you. I could get Kate over here, and whip her until she bleeds." "I know. I'll beg you on my knees, if I have to. I'll crawl for you. Please. I don't want to see them. Not like this." He nodded. "All right. We won't go visiting the Cook's." The girl continued to cry in his lap, and he was at a loss what to do. Kate had nearly finished her task. Only a few students remained for her to free near the edge of the stands. He felt her tense her abdomen, thought she was going to rise. But she didn't. With the pressure off her arms behind her, she worked her hands backwards. Her fingertips brushed as his scrotum, sending chills up his spine. He groaned. The sound seemed to encourage Leigh, and her fingers slipped higher, rubbing gently, but insistently. Carefully, he pushed her shoulders, not wanting to hurt the girl. She slipped forward with a last brush of her fingers up his penis. She shuffled out, turning, her legs curled up beside her. "Why didn't you let me ... you want this, don't you?" Instead of answering her puzzled and slightly hurt features, he inhaled deeply. "Why did you do that?" he whispered. "Didn't you like it?" He nodded. "Very much, Leigh. Why did you do it?" She hesitated, then spoke. "I wanted to?" "Did you?" He could see it was deeper than that. "I thought ... I thought if I did what you wanted from me, that you wouldn't need to hurt us anymore. Please." He closed his eyes as she began to weep again. "Leigh, sweetheart. I won't hurt you again. At least not until tomorrow." "What's tomorrow? Here?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (28 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


"After we sleep," he said simply. When he opened his eyes, the girl remained seated near his shoes, her face downcast, her eyes hidden. "I didn't mean to offend you," she whispered, but more to her bare feet than to him. "You didn't, little one. You didn't." He watched Kate as she began to gather up the chain in noisy clatters. He released the audience, making Kate stumble as they subtly changed position in the blink of an eye. He closed his eyes again, listening to Leigh cry quietly, and the sound of chain clattering in the distance. He started in surprise, as her body heat settled back between his legs. Her hands remained well away from his groin. His arms encircled the girl again, and consciousness slipped away. He awoke screaming, as Leigh shifted position slightly, perhaps to get more comfortable. The girl was naked, and handcuffed. Any position was probably not optimal for her. Leigh jumped forward at the sound of the scream, and Kate screamed herself, and dropped the chains that she held in her arms to the floor. A few links fell across Leigh's bare feet, which she pulled back at the touch of the metal. The girls stared at him, fear slipping through their faces. "I'm fine. Really. You just startled me," he mumbled. Leigh scrambled to rise to her feet. Kate bent to help her. "What happened?" Kate asked as he pushed himself to his feet. He felt chilled, and achy, like one who gets only an hour sleep after an all night studying session. "I fell asleep," he said. He motioned Leigh to turn around. She did, and he released her hands. Quickly, he slipped the cuffs back onto her but with her hands in front of her. Kate held out her wrists obediently, as he slipped a second pair around the girl. Neither girl protested the treatment. Kate bent and began to slip the chain back into the backpack which lay at her feet. When she was finished, she zipped it, with short tugs with her bound hands, and then picked it up by the loop on its top. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (29 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


He guided the girls towards the exit, towards the front of the school. He pushed the doors wide, and stepped through. The two naked girls did the same, but turned to watch as the doors swung shut, the image of the gymnasium fading like a sunset. "Good-bye," Kate whispered to nobody in particular. Suddenly, the world seemed very empty. He turned and began to walk towards the glass doors of the entrance of Kresner Collegiate Institute. In a moment, the quiet patter of feminine bare feet followed through the silence.


Dawn lay, breathing hard, but still concentrating on the book in front of her. The cover was ripped in two places, probably where it had collided with the wall above the headboard when John had chucked it at her head. The book didn't help her, except in the therapeutic way that reading had always helped her. Hawking was brilliant, and if he were awake with her now, his wheelchair sitting across the room, and his scratchy voice synth echoing in her head, she had no doubt that he could figure out the mechanics of this strange and silent world. But Hawking wasn't here, was he? She was alone, lying on her bed, tired from the walk here, exhausted from the simple act of releasing and opening her own front door. Thank God, she hadn't closed her bedroom door this morning on her way out. She'd had to squeeze through, her breasts rubbing at the doorframe uncomfortably, but she had made it. Thank God, she wasn't overweight either. Her legs disturbed the air as her bare feet swayed. Her eyes never stopped scanning the pages. Every so often, her fingers flipped a page, and she would sigh. Her belly rumbled, and she wondered what, and how, she would eat. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (30 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


She cried out as first one, then another, stripe of pain seared into her breasts. (Oh God, no.) Involuntarily, she screamed out in pain and frustration, curling up into a ball. Hawking's text rattled off the edge of the bed as her arm brushed it, clunking to the hardwood in a solemn heap. (No. No. No. No. No. I didn't try to merge. I didn't.) (Too late, Pandora. Too late.) Her wrists seared pain into her; it felt like her entire weight was hanging from her hands, pinned far above her. (To a basketball net????) A name floated to her out of the haze of red, hot pain in her breasts and wrists. Kate. It was a familiar name. The girl from the cigarette visions, on the bench. Her mind had a familiar kiss, like that of a lover. (Christ. Christ. Christ. That hurts.) Kate hadn't screamed, somehow, even with the two strokes from the crop. Dawn had. (Crop???) (Kelly.) "Please don't hit me again." "Why ever not?" (Because I'm a fucking human being, and I hurt?) "They're tired, and scared. They're trying goddamn it." (Who?) "Tracy stopped. I even warned her. Twice." (Tracy??) "She can barely move. I'll take the punishment. I will. You know that. I don't have a choice. But she can't move anymore. Let her out." (The pain isn't important, Kate. Tracy can't take much more.)



Screaming, and cradling her breasts beneath her sweatshirt, Dawn yanked herself out of the vision. Drawing her legs up to her breasts, she hugged herself and cried. (Not again. Please not again. My poor breasts.) Her wrists actually hurt a great deal more than her breasts did, though she could see an angry red stripe slashing across her bare breasts when she glanced down with Kate. She couldn't control her crying, or shaking, trying to rise up on her toes to alleviate the pressure on her wrists. But her ankles were tied, and that made it so much more difficult. Her calves screamed at her. (Her breasts? Not mine. They don't even look like mine, slightly bigger, larger nipples and younger. And a thin red stripe slashing across them. Oh, God.) Through eyes blurred with tears, Dawn could see another naked girl, hands tied above her, ankles bound with rope. The Timeman approached her, lightly waving the crop. (Leigh. Leigh Cook.) (Where the hell did that come from?) In a flash, Dawn realised that the girls, both Kate and Leigh, were tied the same way, that her wrists were in agony because she was practically hanging from metal handcuffs, as Leigh was. Tied to damn basketball nets. He seemed to be talking to Leigh, his back turned to her. Without warning, the crop struck Leigh, though only once. Across the breasts. Of course. A tingle of sensation cavorted through Dawn's nerves, and Kate's. (Oh God. Oh God.) In the real world, Dawn snatched her hand from her own lower lips, caressing gently through her jeans, but it had felt sweet. Oh yes. He hadn't swung the thing as hard as he had against Kate's breasts, but Leigh screamed anyway. Dawn, cradling her own protected breasts, sympathised with the bound girl. (Why was he hitting them?) (Someone stopped. Simple.) Dawn drew in a sharp breath. Six other girls, all pretty, all naked, and all horribly bound in hogties were slowly rocking across the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (32 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


hardwood floor of the gym court. Each had a look of determination on her face, to match the grimaces of obvious discomfort. (Six? Lisa needs to touch my foot?) Leigh wailed, as if she were being tortured by the Spanish Inquisition. All girls had different tolerances to pain, Dawn knew, and she was sure that Leigh felt exactly like that. A witch, strung up to be tortured into confession. Her tormentor said something to her, and stepped away and towards (bleachers? the audience??? Oh, God.) the stands, where Karen sat quietly watching the game. The vision faded without Dawn's interference. Her bedroom swam back into focus. Her breasts still stung, and she was sure that if she lifted her top, that an angry red stripe would be across the top of them, perhaps another gracing the curve of the skin on the bottom, despite the impossibility of the crop having reached her here. She didn't lift her top, but sat quietly, trying to concentrate, not searching for the bluish haze, and trying to prepare for the next tug. It wasn't over, she was sure. Her breathing rasped in and out of her lungs. The pain remained in her breasts, but it was fading. She sat uncomfortably in a hard plastic chair. Her ankles felt strange, the familiar, and yet unfamiliar, tug of metal (hobbling) restricting her movements. Her ankles were sore from misplaced, and overextended steps. The girl wasn't used to walking in a hobble. Dawn wasn't either. She was naked, again, her hands handcuffed behind her back and behind the chair. Kate sat across the table, her hands in handcuffs, her face pale and frightened. "With your fingers, Kate." (Fingers?) "Why?" "I'm already handcuffed, naked, tied into the chair by my fucking ankles, feeding her. Please let us at least eat like normal human beings." "Would you prefer to eat without your fingers? Or perhaps off the floor?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (33 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


(Like a doggie?) "Please, no." Kate slowly picked up a small piece of lettuce, and touched Dawn's lips. (I'm Leigh, not Dawn.) Leigh hesitated, echoed by Dawn. In the silence of her bedroom, Dawn parted her lips, a stab of hunger rumbling through her belly. The lettuce was sweet and cold. Leigh chewed slowly, savouring each flavour of the food. Dawn swallowed, though nothing but saliva satisfied her real hunger. (At least he was letting the girls eat.) (At least he wasn't hitting them any more.) (Doesn't he ever let them dress?) (Why would he?) She pushed, and returned fully to her bedroom, her bottom against the soft covers instead of the hard plastic of the cafeteria chair. (Ugh.) Something dripped from her hair, and dropped gooey to her bare shoulder. The sharp odour of vinegar permeated her nostrils. She gagged at the sensations. Curiously, she could taste chocolate. "Oh God. That is so gross," Leigh whispered. "Yuck," Kate echoed. Dawn couldn't agree more. Then came the ketchup, squeezed in a single line adorning her aching breasts. Vinegar, sharp and invading overrode the more pleasant aftertaste of the chocolate. A dribble had made it past Leigh's lips and the girl reacted as Dawn would have. She spit, discreetly, while he was turned pouring ketchup on Kate's bare breasts. It didn't clear the taste completely, but it helped. Leigh pressed her lips together more firmly, until the worst of the condiments had slipped from her hair. She wished that she could at least wipe her face, but with her hands bound as they were, she simply had to sit in her chair and http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (34 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


suffer. (I lost the race, didn't I?) (What race???) In the safety of her room, Dawn's fingers combed through her relatively clean hair and wiped at her sweatshirt just above her breasts. The sensations and smells of condiments coated her fingers. She shook them, trying to rid herself of the gunk. But it stayed, just at it did for the real girls suffering it. With a sigh, Dawn wondered about the food thing, but managed to push herself again from Leigh's consciousness, before he decided to cover the poor girl in tuna fish, or something. Wonderfully warm water sluiced over her hair and body. Her wrists ached, and her nipples were uncomfortable as if she'd been lying against them while sandpaper had rubbed them. (Not Leigh. Not Kate. Who now?) Some distant shared memory appeared. The naked girl in front of her was ... Tyler ... a brunette of considerable beauty accentuated by the warm water cascading over her trim body. Tyler played forward for the opposing team. She didn't even go to this school. (Tyler had won the race, hadn't she? Not really. I did.) Dawn's fingers rubbed bar soap into the girl's hair while she sighed in pleasure, and began to massage it into a thick lather of white. The soap dropped, but Lisa (Lisa?? Dawn???) didn't bother to pick it up. (He might be watching. Best not to bend over, wasn't it?) She didn't understand why she was in a communal shower, washing another girl, but she wasn't alone in her task. Four other girls were washing each other, laughing. Each girl had deep rope marks on her wrists and ankles, but it didn't seem to faze any of them. They seemed genuinely happy to be in the shower. (Why am I in the shower?) (Because I needed one?) (Why am I washing Tyler?) (Because he demanded it.) http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (35 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


Tyler's skin felt silky smooth beneath her fingers. Dawn's moan echoed through her bedroom, nobody there to hear it, or wonder what the girl was seeing. Her clitoris pulsed as her hands continued to slowly move through Tyler's hair. Dawn moaned again, and managed to push free once more. Her breasts ached, and she sat up sharply. Her mind, confused, glanced around the bedroom. Her bedroom. With a start, she yanked her hand from beneath the waistband of her jeans. (No. No. No.) Her breasts were covered in ketchup and goo, and her hair ran stringy from her head in red and green tinged waves. Her shoulders stuck to the inside of her sweatshirt. She swung her legs from the bed, her bare feet cool against the floorboards. Her feet whispered across the floor, as she held her arms away from her gooped body. The grime had even run down between her legs. (Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.) She stood before the full length mirror. Her sex throbbed, as she expected to see herself with condiments spread across her nudity. Her image, clothed in a sweatshirt, and jeans, her hair blonde and radiant, stared back at her. (Not real. Not real.) But she could still feel the sting of the crop, welts burned into the flesh of her breasts. The smell of vinegar, and ketchup overwhelmed her. (Not real. Not real.) Slowly, she lifted her sweatshirt. Her bra covered her breasts, but there was nothing there. Only her. Only Dawn. A tear squeezed from her eyes and ran down her cheek like vinegar. (I don't want this. I don't want this.) In one quick motion, she tossed the sweatshirt onto her bed. Her jeans, panties, and bra followed. She stared at her nakedness for a http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (36 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


few minutes before she walked purposely towards the bathroom. Would it work? Knowing her luck, it wouldn't. Where would the pressure come from? Where would the hot water come from? In what land of insane physics could a shower possibly work without time? (Paradox prevention, Dawn my girl.) With an effort, nothing short of Herculean, she pushed her bubble again until she felt it intersect with the shower wall. Inside the wall, she could feel the pipes, and the mists of time converging. (What was there, will be the result. Effect and cause, all mixed up.) It didn't make any sense to her. She wasn't sure that it *could* make sense. She stepped aside, rising on her bare toes to avoid a possibly scalding spray. Slowly, she twisted the knob counter clockwise. She almost screamed, as warm water, wonderfully warm water fell. She stepped under the spray and laughed. It filled her mouth. She swallowed. It filled her mouth again. The water was warm, and didn't taste particularly good, but she drank deeply of it. (Can I get another tap to work?) She didn't know the answer to that, but the water falling from the shower head quenched the thirst that she didn't know that she had. The sensations of the condiments washed away with the touch of the spray, but the phantom welts from the crop remained, though subdued, upon her bare breasts. She soaped quickly, and washed her hair. She could almost believe that this was a normal day, a normal shower in a normal house. If her nipples, and her clitoris, and her breasts didn't ache quite so much, she wouldn't have known that this shower was any different than any other that she'd ever taken. With a start, she yanked the wonderfully soft water from massaging her intimately. Gasping at the loss of sensation against her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (37 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


clitoris, she stumbled and pressed the hand held lover back into its slot. She touched the temperature control, pushing it further towards blue. The water falling over her head immediately began to cool until it was positively cold. It wasn't as cold as what Leigh and Kate had been forced to stand under -- some red remained in Dawn's shower -- but as her teeth began to chatter, she reached to shut off the flow, something the other girls were denied. As the water began to drip, and she lowered herself to the tub, feet outstretched, her body shivering. (Why, even after a cold shower, was her clitoris demanding attention?) She'd always had a healthy interest in sex, but this was ridiculous. (The visions. The other girls.) She shook her head, water dripping from her hair across her bare shoulders. (The visions. You have to stop the visions.) She sighed. She knew that. She was naked, her bare feet whispering through a doorway. She had no idea which girl she was this time, but she thought it was Kate. Slowly, she and the other girl turned. Her hands were cuffed, relatively comfortably in front of her. The sight of the handcuffs on her wrists drove more desire into her sex. She tried to ignore the sensations. The two double doors though which Kate, or Leigh, and Dawn had passed began to close. "Good-bye," the girl whispered. They wouldn't be coming back here, and she was going to miss it. She'd been tied there, and suffered there, but it was familiar. Now, the world beckoned. Slowly, the girl turned from the closed doors and hurried after the Timeman. The vision faded as quickly as it had begun.



She tilted her head back against the tile, sighing. She didn't know where they were, or what they were doing, but she couldn't sit naked in her bathtub all day. She'd escaped the classroom, escaped the college, and managed to get herself clean. Her sex throbbed, as did her nipples. Slowly, she pushed herself up, careful not to slip against the porcelain. No doctors here either. And she doubted if the Timeman, even if he were aware of her presence, would be anxious to help her if she were hurt. He'd probably whip her, if he could get his hands on her. The crop sinking into the flesh of her breasts. She reached for a towel, remembering to extend her time bubble to encase it. She stared into the fogged mirror for a long time before she wiped the mist off it, and her naked image stared back at her. "I have to find them," she whispered.


The soft grass changed to harsh asphalt beneath her bare feet as Kate stepped over the protective curb and into the parking lot. Rows of cars and mini-vans and sport utilities dotted the spaces. The asphalt reminded Kate of the smoking area out back of the school. She glanced in that direction and shivered. "You wouldn't happen to know which car Jessica drives, would you?" Kate slowly shook her head. "Who's Jessica?" Leigh answered quietly. "It's Miss Chamber's first name." The naked girl turned to the Timeman. "Why do you care which car she drives?" He held up a key, the sunlight reflecting off of it, crawling across http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (39 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


Leigh's bare skin briefly like a butterfly tickling her belly and her hips. "It's a Toyota," he said, reading the brand from the key. Leigh shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Where'd you get that?" "From her purse," he said simply. He handed the girl the key. "The brand should narrow down the search." Leigh flashed him a puzzled look, but at his impatient motion, trotted towards the cars, reading their grills. Kate watched as the girl moved away from them, at every Toyota, Leigh detoured grasping the key in her bound hands, and trying it in the door locks. "Why do you need ... Jessica's ... car?" Kate asked quietly. He hadn't said anything for a while, and she was afraid that he might strike her for breaking the silence. Instead, he grasped her elbow lightly, and guided her back to the curb over which she'd just stepped. At his urging, she lowered herself to sit on the concrete. It was cool against her bare backside. Kate stretched out her legs, keeping them carefully together, her heels resting against the blacktop. He lowered himself beside her, but not touching her. He closed his eyes. "Can I sit in the grass?" Kate asked. He shook his head. "Hopefully, Leigh will find the car soon." Kate glanced up. Leigh continued her slow search, frustration evident on the girl's face, even from a distance. Kate sighed, the simple denial of her request flooding her being. She had to ask where she was allowed to sit; she had to accept his whims. It was frustrating, and in a strange way, almost erotic. "Why do we need Jessica's car?" Kate asked again. This time, he answered. "We have to go downtown." "Downtown?" "You know, where the skyscrapers are?" Kate sighed. "Why?"



He didn't answer her, instead, glancing over at Leigh. The girl had moved to the last row, the cars parked up against a chain link fence that separated the school grounds from a strip mall. The silence stretched. One of Leigh's sighs tickled Kate's hearing as the girl found yet another Toyota that refused to admit her. "Why not unfreeze a bus? Or take the subway? There have to be a ton of girls that you could play with there." He laughed, turning his eyes back to Kate. "This isn't only about playing with naked girls." His finger brushed at her bare breast. She was getting used to his casual touches, and she didn't flinch. "I need sleep, Kate. Otherwise, I get cranky. I doubt if you want to see me cranky." Kate nodded slowly. No. She didn't want to see him cranky, and it bothered her that she was powerless to prevent it, if he ever managed to get into that state. He continued. "And besides which, do you know how to drive a bus? I don't. And while, I suppose, I could force the bus driver to do it, we'd have to find a bus first. And as for the subway, think about it. If I unfroze a train, yes, it would be fun, assuming that there was one in the station." His eyes lit up a little. "Lot's of poles and handrails to cuff the two of you to." At this suggestion, Kate paled a little. "But what happens when I want it to move? Don't you think there would be another train in the tunnel ahead? And if I don't see it fast enough, because I'm tired." "Crash," Kate whispered. He smiled. "Smart girl. Maybe we'll investigate a subway at some point, but not today. We'll take the Toyota, this time, if Leigh can find it. Okay?" Kate nodded, pursing her lips. When she glanced up from examining her bare toes, Leigh was hurrying across the parking lot, grimacing as she stepped on something sharp on the pavement. The Timeman had his eyes closed again. Leigh stopped in front of him, a puzzled look on her face. He didn't open his eyes. The key dangled loosely from her fingers. Leigh looked at Kate, who shrugged. Leigh took a breath, and leaned down to touch his shoulder. When he still didn't respond, she gently shook his shoulder. (Oh, God. He's dead. He died beside me, and we'll never http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (41 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


get home, much less out of these damn handcuffs.) He stirred. "Janey? Time for your bath ..." he murmured sleepily. His eyes fluttered open, taking in Leigh's naked form standing in front of him with a start of surprise. "You're not Jane," he muttered, blinking his eyes rapidly. Then recognition flooded back, and he wearily pushed himself to his feet. Leigh backed up a little. The naked girl handed him the Toyota's key, and turned. "That one," she announced. His gaze followed her pointing arms. Kate gazed over towards the fence. The car was compact, and a deep shade of forest green. It didn't look new, but neither did it look particularly old. He extended his hand downwards. Kate grasped it, and pulled herself to her feet. "Thank you," she whispered. They walked in silence to the small green car. The driver's door was open, as Leigh had left it. He glanced in, then straightened. He turned to Leigh, holding the key out to her. "You drive." Leigh looked stricken, and backed away from the key. "I. I can't," she whispered. "Pardon me?" The girl looked like she was holding back tears. "I. I've never driven before." He regarded her. "You've never driven?" She shook her head. "No time like the present to learn. Doesn't matter if you hit anyone." "But," she murmured, "it's standard." Despite her protestations, she took the key from his hand. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (42 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


He glanced back into the car. Sure enough, a stick shift stood proud between the seats. "Every girl should know how to drive standard," he said, unmoved. Kate took a deep breath. "If you like, and you can't drive standard, I can. I learned on a standard. We'll get wherever you want to go a lot faster than forcing Leigh to learn, now." He turned slowly towards Kate, his face thoughtful. "I can drive standard," he said slowly. Nevertheless, he plucked the key from Leigh's palm. Leigh's face registered her relief. He handed the shiny metal to Kate, who held it lightly between her right thumb and forefinger. Leigh mouthed: "Thank you," as he turned back towards the car. Inside, he fumbled with the driver's seat. It rocked forward with a clatter. Quickly, he released Leigh's hands, and recuffed her wrists behind her back. She looked up at him pleadingly, but he ignored her, leaving her hands behind her back. "If you aren't driving then you don't need your hands." Silently, she turned back around to face him. "You don't need to tie me up at all," she said. He nodded, but guided the bound girl to the backseat. "If you'd rather be free, we could put you in the trunk." She paled, and shook her head. She looked almost as tired as he looked. Kate whispered a quick prayer of thanks that neither Leigh, nor the Timeman were going to attempt to drive. She would feel a lot safer being control of the vehicle. She laughed inside. She would be controlling a vehicle more than she had control over her own destiny. Leigh descended into the car awkwardly, his hand on the top of her head, almost as if she were a police prisoner. The back seat of the car was almost non-existent, but Leigh didn't complain. She shifted around gracefully until she was sitting sideways, knees bent, bare feet against the sidewall of the car. The naked girl leaned her head back against the glass, and she closed her eyes. "It's hot in here," she said before falling silent. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (43 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


The seat clattered back, and he motioned Kate to enter. She did, settling her bare body into the driver's seat. He closed her door, and rounded the front of the car to slip in the passenger side. Kate fumbled with the key, but it slipped easily into the ignition. "Where are we going?" she said. She watched as he carefully slipped the seatbelt around his shoulder and hips. The lack of a seatbelt around her unnerved her a little. He didn't answer her, but settled into the seat and leaned his head back against the headrest. Glancing in the review mirror, she could see Leigh, eyes still closed. She didn't think the girl was asleep yet, but given her day, it was a possibility. "Drive," he said. Instead of doing as he asked, Kate held out her hands towards him. He opened his eyes, and glanced at her posture, shaking his head. "You have to be kidding, I can't drive with these things on?" "Why not?" Kate raised her eyebrows. "Because it's a stick shift?" He laughed. "So don't drive too fast, and be careful when you shift gears." "I'll have to let go of the steering wheel. You're kidding." He shook his head. "God," she said. "If I crash us, I don't want to be blamed." "Oh, I'll blame you," he said simply, and leaned back again. With a sigh, she fit her bare feet over the pedals, testing them. The clutch moved easily, the gas pedal moved more stiffly than she was used to. A strange car, and he wanted her to drive handcuffed and naked. Wonderful. She depressed the clutch, and twisted the key. The engine purred to life. At least Miss Chambers maintained the thing. Getting the vehicle into first was a challenge, and she hopped it to a soft curse from Leigh in the back who banged her head against the window. "Sorry," Kate said. The jolting start hadn't seemed to bother the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (44 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


Timeman. She restarted the car, and moved the clutch more carefully. The car slid into motion. She thought he was asleep already, but as she slowed at the school entrance, he said: "Left." She turned the wheel left, and they moved onto the strangely unmoving roadway. "Where are we going?" she asked again. He told her. She raised her eyebrows, but navigated the car between a stopped car at a red light, and a cyclist. The car only barely fit, and she stalled it again, but managed to restart it before it stopped rolling. When she glanced back over into the passenger seat, he was asleep, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. Leigh appeared to be sleeping in the back seat, too. She cracked her window, to let some of the dry radiant heat escape from the interior. The low whistle of the wind reminded her of a world that wasn't anymore. At least for her. "Sleep well," she said. The road was clearer here, and while she couldn't drive at highway speeds, she didn't have to navigate stopped cars that were impossibly close together. At a stop light, before finding Lakeshore, she had scratched the Corolla horribly, against a Mercedes. But the car had fit through, without waking the Timeman. Leigh had murmured something in her sleep as the screech had penetrated the car, but hadn't woken up fully either. Now, the car was moving at a steady forty kilometres an hour, according to its speedometer, hardly highway speeds, but after the crowded side streets, it was heaven. The road rose onto an elevated highway. An overhead sign indicated the direction to downtown. For a second, she considered it, swallowing heavily. Her bare foot touched the brake pedal for a moment, giving her time, if she wanted it. Steer to the right, just a touch. (I could do it. End it right here, and right now.)



(What?) (End it.) (Don't be stupid, Katie.) (What am I going to do?) The sign standard looked strong enough to stop them, or at least to launch them from the elevated roadway. Cars tumbled from there all the time, didn't they? People driving like lunatics, jumping the guardrail? (How many of them survived?) (Not many.) She glanced at him again, sleeping peacefully unaware. If she crashed the car, he might not even wake. What if she survived, handcuffed and naked and alone in a silent world? She glanced at Leigh, sleeping in the back. What would she want her to do, given this opportunity? He was wearing a seatbelt, the girls weren't, by design, or accident, she didn't know. But those were the facts. A horrible image of Leigh launched through the windshield, her broken and bound body hitting the light standard, flashed through Kate's mind. If she didn't die immediately, then what? The same image replayed, but with Kate's own ribs broken and protruding from her chest, where they'd impacted with the steering wheel. And him, his seatbelt safely around him, laughing at them, naked and suffering. She shook her head. She didn't want to die. The car rolled slowly under the overhead sign, and Kate let her breath out. A single tear rolled down her face, and she blinked it away. The engine didn't quite stall, the car in motion. The highway foot depressed the accelerator of the wind increased near her

and she geared down awkwardly to keep opened up in front of her. Her bare a touch more. She smiled as the sound left ear, fluttering her clean hair.

After she'd rolled under that sign, a freedom infused her. Yes, she was naked, and restrained, but she was free, in a strange way. The tune flooded her, before she could stop it. "Get your kicks ... on Route ... 66 ..." she sang under her breath.



Another overhead sign, proclaiming: 'Jarvis Street - Next Right' flew over the car as she dodged a van parked under it. She smiled, and began to decelerate. The next exit would take them where he wanted to go. She didn't know why they were going there, but hopefully, finally, everyone would be able to get some rest.


She pulled the small car up to the curb, fumbling with the ignition until the purring engine died. Stopped cars and pedestrians littered the downtown streets, while silent skyscrapers reached for the motionless sun. By Kate's reckoning, it should be far closer to darkness than the sun overhead would indicate. Her mind boggled. (He stopped the sun??) And that was only counting the time since he had unfrozen her. The Toyota was double parked, but Kate seriously doubted if anyone would care. She reached for the door handle, pulling it with both bound hands. The door swung open, but only to a point. Before the edge had travelled ten centimetres, it collided with a jolt with something invisible but terribly solid. For a moment her mind was confused, her eyes searching in vain for the obstruction. The old frozen air trick. She glanced at the Timeman, sleeping in the passenger seat. Was he awake? Kate was reasonably sure that Leigh still slept in the back seat. Kate closed the door with a quiet chuff, and reached out tentatively to his shoulder. (What am I doing? If he's asleep, he isn't hurting anyone.) Kate sighed. She didn't want to spend the rest period in the too-small confines of the car. And both the Timeman, and Leigh, would be sore if they slept like they were. She didn't care so much about his comfort, but she didn't want to see what he would be like cranky. No sirree. He didn't wake with the first touch. Gently, she shook his shoulder, the chains between her wrists jingling softly. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (47 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


"Sir?" she said quietly. Leigh stirred at the sound of her voice, but all the Timeman did was gently push her fingers from his shoulder. "Sir?" Kate said a little louder. "We're here." "What?" He sat up, rubbing at his eyes. He seemed surprised to be there. He glanced out the window at the tall buildings like a steel and concrete forest around them. Leigh pushed herself up awkwardly in the backseat, blinking her eyes and groaning. "We're here. Where you wanted to be. At the hotel." "Hotel?" "Harbour Castle?" She paused. "That's where you told me to drive. We made it. Barely." He looked puzzled for a moment, then relaxed. He slipped the seat belt from his body, and twisted. "You awake, back there?" "Yes, unfortunately," Leigh murmured. The naked girl in the backseat tried to stretch out her legs, flexing her toes. Her knees made small cracking noises. He reached for the door handle and swung his door open. "God, I'm tired," he remarked as he stumbled around to open Kate's door. For him, it opened easily, nearly hitting the Acura that Kate had double parked beside. "Any problems?" he asked her, as he helped her out. The pavement downtown was slightly warmer than that in her school's parking lot. "Just a wayward overhead sign on the expressway." "You took the expressway?" he said as he pushed her former seat forward and reached in to help Leigh extract herself from the backseat. "There were fewer cars to get in the way." Kate glanced at the side of the car. A big blue scratch ran the length of the Toyota, clashing with the metallic green finish. "I had a run in with a Mercedes, and, well, I didn't want to wake you." He nodded, shrugging. He didn't seem to care if the car was damaged. Why would he? http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (48 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


Leigh stumbled out of the car and nearly fell to her knees. "I don't like it back there. I feel nauseous." He smiled, and supported her elbow rather than let the girl fall. "Car sick?" "A little. Since I was a little girl. Never quite grew out of it." He nodded. "No more car trips until tomorrow." Leigh sighed, and hitched herself up. "Can we take these things off, now?" He shook his head, and instead of releasing Leigh, he returned to Kate. Resigned, she allowed him to remove her cuffs, and then placed her hands behind her, to permit him to recuff her with her hands behind her back. She pulled at her bonds, but knew that she wasn't getting herself free. She was in them until he decided to free her. "Why are we here?" Leigh asked, looking up. The Westin towered over them against the skyline of the lake. "Need some sleep." "You live here?" He laughed. "No, silly. I just always wanted to stay here." Leigh shook her head, as if to deny that she was forced to ride naked and handcuffed in the back of a Mini equivalent only to satisfy a whim of her captor. With that, he touched their shoulders and had them walk slightly behind him as he wearily climbed the stairs to the lobby. The lobby screamed money, fountains and marble and suits and cocktail dresses. Kate hesitated as she slipped, after Leigh, through the revolving glass doors. The doorman, who should have offered to help her through, or taken her bags, if she had any, simply stared out at the passing pedestrians. On second thought, his eyes seemed to be resting on a pretty girl of about eighteen, her blouse open three buttons, walking rapidly towards the train station. Kate shook her head, and hurried to catch up to Leigh and the Timeman. She didn't know what he was doing, but he leaned over the marble http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (49 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


counter while the two girls stood and watched. The marble was warm and smooth beneath her feet. At last, he hopped down, and turned to face the girls. The blue pack swung crazily for a moment in his right hand. "She pretty enough?" Confused, Kate answered, "Who?" And then she knew. The girl was perhaps twenty-five, probably working the desk as a stepping stone to hotel studies in college. Her face, while not perfect, was pretty, and her breasts filled out her uniform nicely. Whatever was beneath the desk was hidden from Kate's eyes. "You don't need her," Kate said slowly. "You need sleep. Anything else," and she hesitated here for a minute, but if it meant saving the girl, "and I mean anything else, I can do for you." He laughed easily, some of the exhaustion slipping from his features. "I know you can, Kate, but it isn't fair." (No. It isn't fair at all. It's not fair that I'm standing here like this. Not fair what you are about to do to that girl.) "I can't stop you," Kate whispered. She watched as he pulled the gun from his waistband. Kate wished that she could cover her ears, because she suspected that he was going to use it. The girl began to move, her eyes downcast onto something she shuffled beneath the desk. Without looking up, to find out why the world was suddenly quiet, she spoke to her hands. "Welcome to the Westin. How can I help you," the brunette girl said. "I was wondering if you accepted pets at this hotel," he said quietly. "We have a no pets policy at the hotel, but if the animal is quiet, then sometimes we can get manager's approval. What kind of pet did you have in ..." her voice trailed off as she raised her brown eyes to take in the strangely silent and motionless world. Her eyes travelled from him initially to stare at Kate and Leigh, both still bound and naked waiting quietly. "Sir? You can't. You can't ..." "I can't bring my two pets in here?" "They? Uh. Sir. Please," the girl said almost hysterically. Her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (50 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


mind was beginning to process that none of the other patrons, nor staff was moving to help her. Kate sighed. Leigh looked too tired and dazed from her sleep, to help. Kate stepped forward, brushing past the Timeman, until her breasts nearly touched the marble of the counter top. The girl watched her approach in silence, as if she were an apparition, something to deny her existence in her orderly world. "Kate ..." the Timeman said, almost uncertainly. Ignoring him, Kate dropped her voice to a whisper. "What's your name?" she asked the girl. "Rachel," the girl said hesitantly. "Why are you ... ? What is he ... ?" Kate did her best to smile, and rattled her handcuffs. "I'm Kate. Rachel, I know this won't make sense to you. If I were you, I wouldn't believe me either. Why am I naked? Because he wants me like this. Why am I handcuffed like this? Because he forced me to wear them. Or else he hurts the people I care about until I do what he wants. I don't want any of this any more than you want to see me naked. Please, Rachel, I don't want to see you hurt as well." "You don't even know me. Why is the world like ... this?" Rachel indicated the lobby with a sweep of her arm. Her eyes were wide, and disbelieving. (That's what I looked like the first time he asked me to strip.) "I don't know you, but I don't want to see your blood anymore than I want to see Leigh's," Kate whispered. The girl paled a little at the mention of blood. "He controls this world, it's different than the one you are used to. The other people around, they can't see or hear you, unless he unfreezes them. I don't think he will. He only unfroze you, because you're pretty, I think. Screaming is futile, though he likely won't hurt you if you want to try it. Please, Rachel, do what he says." "Will he rape me?" she asked, backing away from the desk. Kate shook her head. "I don't know, Rachel, but I don't think so. I'm like this, and he hasn't raped me yet." Rachel nodded, fright still obvious in her brown eyes. With that, Kate felt his hand at the base of her neck, twining into her hair and gently tugging her from the counter. Kate didn't http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (51 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


resist, far too tired to resist. "I'll go," she said quietly, and he released her hair. She padded back to Leigh who shrugged with a jingle of chain. He brandished the gun at the frightened girl behind the desk. Her ears were ringing, and she was almost sure that the bullet had ricocheted and almost taken off her right ear. (Christ.) Still Kate stood naked, her legs shaking. Rachel screamed and began pulling her uniform jacket from her shoulders. The terrified girl dropped the fabric to the floor behind the desk. Kate watched Rachel as she bent to pull off her skirt and kick it from her body. Instead of watching the girl strip, he walked back to Kate. "I didn't ask you to do that," he said. "Do what?" "Talk to her." Kate shook her head. She could barely hear him over the ringing in her ears. "If I hadn't, she'd have been too frightened to do what you want. At least this way, she sees another naked and helpless girl, and she knows that she isn't alone. I just thought it might speed up the process. You want her for something, and I think we all need rest before you kill someone." Kate paused for a moment. "And you didn't need to do that, either." "Do what?" he said with a smile. (You know damn well what.) "Shoot at her." "I missed, didn't I? She didn't want to strip." "Of course, she didn't want to strip. I didn't want to strip for you. Leigh didn't want to strip for you. None of us want to be naked." "I have my own way to speed things up," he said with a smile. Rachel dropped her bra to the ground, out of sight behind the counter. He turned to watch the trembling girl. "Please don't shoot me. I don't want to die," the brunette girl http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (52 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


said. "Just do what he says, and he won't kill you," Leigh said quietly. Her voice wavered, almost as if she were sexually aroused by what he was doing to the girl. Kate was aroused, but only marginally. Rachel sobbed, but bent dipping out of sight, and then rose. Probably, Kate thought, kicking off her panties. "I'm naked," Rachel said. "Okay? You've seen me, though I have no idea why you wanted to. (You know damn well why he wanted to.) Please can I get dressed now?" Ignoring her plea, he sidled up to the counter and whistled. Rachel blushed, her arms automatically covering her breasts. "What do you want?" she cried. "The key to the bridal suite." "What?" "The bridal suite. You have one, right?" "It. It's occupied." "So?" "But. The couple hasn't checked out yet." He laughed. "Make a key for the room, Rachel." He levelled the gun so that it aimed between her bare breasts. Rachel looked right and left, but no help was forthcoming. He waved the gun and the girl began to rummage in the drawer under the counter. She slipped the card into a reader, and pressed some keys on the computer. "I could lose my job for ..." He laughed, and she blushed again, finding her priorities in life, and letting her voice trail off. She handed him the card. "Room 1024," Rachel whispered. "Can I get dressed now?" "I need a porter." "What?" And then Rachel looked up and pointed at the man that Kate had watched ogling the eighteen year old girl walking down the street. He laughed again. "Look at who's around me. Do you think I want him to carry up my bag?"



He deposited the bag on the counter. It jingled. "Please, let me go." "In time," he said. "If I carry your bag up, will you let me go?" He considered it for a minute. "I'll let you go if you carry up the bag." She reached down to pick up her bra. "Rachel?" She rose, her underwear clutched in her right fist. "I don't like my women clothed, in case you didn't notice." "Please, no." "And the elevators don't work," he said. "Please, no." Kate found her voice. "Trust me, Rachel, he'll make you do it. Just carry the bag for him. Dance if he wants it, and thank God that he didn't tape cigarettes to your nipples." Rachel paled, and began to move down the counter. "Where are you going?" the Timeman asked quietly. Rachel turned and pointed. "I'm coming out. Without my clothes. The door is over there. Please." She began to raise her hands above her head. The gesture pulled her breasts up. "Just climb over the counter, where I can see you." She paled, as if she were aware of the spectacle that it would cause, but with another glance at the still smoking gun, she sighed and began to climb nakedly up until she was sitting on the marble of the counter. Her bare feet swung idly. He stepped towards her, placing his hands around her waist. She grimaced and closed her eyes as he touched her, but allowed him to lift her down. She stood as soon as her feet touched the marble. He towered over her. She was typical height, perhaps five foot two, but well proportioned. She turned and grasped the backpack. "Just the one?" she eyed the bag skeptically. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (54 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


"Does it look like Kate or Leigh require a suitcase?" Rachel shook her head. The backpack dangled at her thigh. "Put it on," he said. Rachel closed her eyes, and donned the pack over her shoulders, adjusting the straps for her frame. Her breasts emerged to peek between the straps. "Where are the stairs?" Rachel pointed to a door beside the elevator banks. Kate took a quick look around the lobby. Nobody had moved, except for Rachel. Behind the counter, Kate could see a flash of Rachel's white bra sitting against the grey marble. The world seemed a very lonely place. He ushered Kate and Leigh through the door first, then Rachel. He followed. For some reason, their footsteps echoed as each girl ascended. His footfalls sounded flat and hollow in his shoes. They didn't speak until they reached the tenth floor. Her mouth was soft, and salty to taste, though she was breathing hard from the climb. Kate was having trouble controlling her breathing, too. Ten flights were more than she was used to, especially barefoot with her hands pinned behind her back. Kate tried to ignore that she was kissing another girl, again, and even returned the kiss in an effort at making him happy. If he was happy, perhaps he'd let Rachel go without whipping her. Perhaps a simple female-female kiss would appease him, this time. The blue pack sat at Rachel's bare feet where she'd slipped it off. And then he'd told her that she would be let go if she kissed Kate and then Leigh. Rachel had looked skeptical, as if she expected to have more and more requirements heaped upon her until she was having sex with him for her freedom. But she also looked resigned, her eyes following the gun that he still hadn't returned to his waistband. The naked girl hadn't even protested, but moved towards Kate. "I'm sorry," Kate whispered. And then their lips met, and her pulse increased. (It's a girl, dammit!) (I don't care. I don't care. I don't care.)



And then her lips were gone. Unfortunately, the arousal wasn't. But Kate could live with it. It wasn't raging, like when she was hit in front of people, helpless and naked, and unable to defend herself. (Oh! That helped.) Rachel walked over to Leigh. Leigh sighed, and bent her head. The two naked girls kissed for a minute, and then Rachel lowered herself from her toes to face the Timeman. "Please will you let me go now? I kissed them like you asked." "You've done that before?" "Kissed Kate? Leigh? Of course, not." "Kissed a girl." Rachel shook her head. "I've kissed lots of boys. Why am I telling you this?" "Because I asked you to." And suddenly the girl was gone, fading with a puff of blue smoke, probably back to her oblivious position behind the desk. "She has nice breasts," he remarked as he bent to pick up the bag. The room key flipped through his fingers. "She could kiss, too," Kate murmured, but low enough that he couldn't hear her. He slipped the key into the lock, a short beep emerged. The numbers on the double doors read 1024. Kate stared at them for a long time. The carpet under her bare feet felt soft and luxurious, especially after the marble and the asphalt before. Leigh stepped over the threshold and gasped. He smiled, a tired smile, and ushered Kate towards the open door. She followed Leigh, slipping into the bridal suite.




The carpet changed from smooth to a more full texture beneath her feet as Kate stepped over the threshold. Her immediate reaction, upon gazing across the scene, was to cover herself, which, with her hands cuffed behind her was quite impossible. A young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, reclined in heart shaped tub near the windows. Bubbles surrounded her, covering her to the base of her throat. She'd been frozen with her eyes gazing towards the textured ceiling, and away from the windows, in front of which the tub sat. The windows, at least near the tub, were smokey, perhaps with frozen steam. Through the plate glass, the lake spread out in panoramic splendour. A man, perhaps in his late twenties, or early thirties, sat on the step to the tub, a plate of fruit under his fingers. He was looking at the girl in the tub, of course, preparing to pick up a strawberry, though whether it was for him, or for her, Kate couldn't tell. The man was wearing a rumpled tuxedo, the shoes shiny against the tile by the tub, the cummerbund in a slash of purple under the plate. A small sitting room spread out between the cuffed girls, populated with the small entranceway, two plush sofas, and a coffee table. A large, but obviously service industry quality, television, turned off, sat upon a dresser, a wire, almost like a noose, wrapped around it, and plugged into the back. It looked a little out of place in the luxurious room. A crumple of fabric lay near the second sofa. Kate couldn't see exactly what it was, but it reminded her of the blankets one might find on a comfortable king size bed. Perhaps the couple had dragged them out here from the bedroom before she settled into the tub. Another door led off to the girls' left, presumably towards a separate bedroom, where mirrors and mints probably graced the ceilings and pillows respectively. The door shut quietly behind her, and Kate turned slowly, a flush rising unbidden to her face and features. The Timeman looked positively exhausted, nearly asleep on his feet. He dropped the backpack at his feet and kicked off his shoes, sighing. Kate wondered if his control of the world might be more than he was capable, physically. His condition notably had deteriorated after he had returned Rachel to her boring desk job. "What now?" Kate asked. She glanced at Leigh. The other girl looked exhausted, too, though her tiredness couldn't have had anything to do with controlling the world at large. And while she looked tired, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (57 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


it was nothing near as exhausted as their captor. Without answering her, the Timeman brushed past her and approached the couple at the tub. Kate followed, and sensed Leigh walking more slowly behind her. "Naked girl number three," he said quietly. The tips of the girl's toes peeked out from beneath their blanket of bubbles. Her lips parted, as if in readiness for a strawberry, or a kiss. Her blonde hair tumbled from her head in waves, dropping beneath the bubbles at her shoulders. "You need sleep," Kate whispered. "Leave them alone." Slowly, he shook his head, and the girl began to breathe. "I don't want to leave," she said dreamily. She shifted beneath the bubbles. When her new husband didn't answer, she opened her eyes and screamed. The Timeman sighed, and raised the gun. "Stand up," he said. The girl looked at him terrified. She shook her head slowly, her eyes taking in Leigh and Kate, and her still frozen beau. "I'm not going to ask twice," he said. The gun raised to point at her forehead. The girl began to cry, her hands rising from the bubbles to shield her face. "Stop," Kate said quietly. The Timeman turned, and the gun centred between her breasts, instead of at the bathing girl. Her heart accelerated, her pulse pounding between her ears. "Just stop it," Kate said. "If you're going to shoot me, shoot me." He didn't, and the gun began to falter. Kate continued, as calmly as her racing heart would let her. "I know that you'll punish me for this, but you need sleep. Leigh needs sleep. I need sleep. Badly. Toying with another girl isn't going to help any of us. She's pretty. Even I'll acknowledge that. I don't know what morning is, but let her be for eight hours. She'll be there when you wake up. Where is she going to go? You might kill one of us before you give up." Slowly he shook his head, as if he were fighting off the shrouds of sleep. "You can make her have sex with me and Leigh tomorrow morning. Okay?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (58 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


The girl in the tub whimpered. Ignoring the weapon, Kate stepped past the Timeman. He didn't move, the gun dangling by his thigh. Kate knelt, her knees upon the step that the tuxedo man occupied. She gently touched the girl's wet, bare shoulder. "What's your name?" she asked the terrified girl. The appearance of a naked, and obviously non-threatening girl seemed to help her. "What's going on? Please?" Kate nodded her head towards the gunman. "He ... controls us, sort of. He's tired, and he's getting cranky. I'm frightened. Okay? He's going to hurt you, badly, if you don't do what he says. Maybe even kill you. Then he's going to hurt me, and probably my friend, too. Please, what's your name? I'm Kate." The girl shuddered. "I'm Linda. Please, I just want to know what's going on?" "You got married at the wrong time, Linda." "You said, you said, you said that I would have sex with you?" The girl slowly shook her head as she spoke, as if denying that this was happening to her. "Is he going to rape me? Oh God, I just got married." Kate shot the gunman a look, and he shook his head slowly. He was watching Kate through half-lidded eyes. "I don't think so, Linda. I've been with him for about a day, and he hasn't raped me yet, and I'm handcuffed and naked. I couldn't stop him from forcing himself on me if I tried." Linda nodded. "I don't want him to see me." "Neither did I. Linda, you have to listen to me. He's in the habit of firing that thing. He doesn't really know how to use it. He hasn't hit anybody yet, but he's so tired, I'm afraid. Please, for us, just stand up, and let him look at you. It won't kill you. Refusing might." With that, Kate wearily stood back up and returned to where she was standing before, her feet only onto the ceramic that surrounded the tub. The Timeman stepped closer to the tub, the gun beginning to rise.



"All right, all right. Just don't hurt me. Please," Linda said quietly. Her eyes watched as the gun began to descend back towards the floor. She gripped the edge of the tub, and slowly lifted herself from the bubbles. She was tall, and trim, her blonde hair sticking to her back where it had been in the water. Unreasonably, Kate was proud of the girl, marvelling that the female of the species, sometimes, was far stronger than the male. Her captor hadn't stripped, yet he forced it on the women he met. "It isn't you that you should be worried about." She glanced at the man, still frozen, wearing the tuxedo. She shuddered. Bubbles clung to her bare skin, somewhat shielding her. "Please, I've only been married to him for ten hours. I don't want to die. Please don't kill him. I don't want to be raped. I just want to leave. Please." "Wipe." The girl hurriedly brushed the worst of the bubbles from her skin. Her hands shook as the bubbles fell into the water. Her nipples appeared, erect in the cooler air. "Satisfied? Can I dress now? Please?" "Turn around." With a look of hatred, the girl lifted her arms, like a ballerina, and turned slowly, presenting her body to him. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she did. After she completed the turn in the water, she lowered her arms and crossed them across her breasts. He motioned her out of the tub, and she stepped gingerly down, her bare feet soapy and her body dripping against the tiles. A rivulet of water ran from her toes almost to the carpet. "Don't hurt him, please. I'll do whatever it is you want," she whispered. He nodded, and ushered her towards the entranceway. Her wet feet left damp imprints in the carpet as she walked quickly, glancing over her bare shoulder. "What are you going to do?" "Let you leave."



"Like this?" "Would you rather stay?" The girl gulped, and stared at the doorway. Nudity outside, or a gun in her ribs inside? Easy choice. She reached from the door handle. "What about Mark?" "Who's Mark?" "My, my, my husband. Please let him go, too." He gestured to her, and she opened the door. "Please?" she said quietly. "He'll be out to join you in a minute." The naked girl glanced up and down the empty hallway, and stepped out. Crying, she leaned against the far wall, and slid down. A big wet mark, flecked with bubbles, followed her bare back. She curled up, her knees against her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs. She buried her face in her bare knees. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Control," he said simply, and shut the door. "Jesus Christ, if you've hurt her, I swear I'll ..." Despite the gun aimed at his head, the man was shaking and ready to kill the Timeman. His eyes continually flicked from Kate to Leigh and back again. The only thing preventing him from launching at the gunman was uncertainty. He wasn't afraid to take a bullet, but he wanted to know where his new wife was, and that she was safe. Even Kate could see that. "I'm far too tired for this crap," the Timeman said quietly. "I'm just going to shoot him." Kate sighed. "It'll make a mess." The tuxedoed man looked up sharply, as if he were surprised that she could talk. "I'll get you to clean it up," the Timeman returned almost with a giggle. His fatigue was beginning to really scare her. Whereas she'd learned that he normally would find another solution to an obstinate girl, she honestly believed that the tuxedoed man, presumably Mark, was in mortal danger. And she didn't know if that extended to the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (61 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


primary timeline. She didn't even think that her captor knew, for sure. "I'll throw up, and then you'll have a sick, naked girl, and a mess." "Don't look at me, I'll probably do the same thing," Leigh whispered. "Fuck," the Timeman swore. It was the first time that Kate had heard him gratuitously use the word. It surprised her. She stepped forward, and purposely rubbed her breasts against the Timeman's arm and shoulder. His clothing felt rough against her nipples, and she withdrew a little. She could feel the tuxedo man's eyes watching her intently. The gun never wavered, and the gunman's eyes never left the tuxedoed man. "What have you done with her?" the man asked more calmly. "Is she hurt?" When the Timeman didn't answer, Kate tried to smile at Linda's new husband. "She's fine, so far. She's out in the hall." The man began to take a step towards the gunman, fists clenched. "I wouldn't," Kate said quietly. "He'll shoot you, and you'll be no good to the frightened girl out there." She paused when the man backed off, his fists shaking at his sides. Kate had the feeling that if the Timeman had said the same thing, Mark would have walked into a bullet. She tried to keep her voice soothing, through her racing heart. "I'm trying to help you. Mark, if you don't do anything stupid." The Timeman's eyes hadn't left the tall tuxedo, but from Kate's perspective, she saw his finger relax, only a little, where it touched the trigger. Her breasts touched him again, partially by design, partially by accident. To her surprise, the gun began to droop. She hadn't expected him to respond, at least not that quickly. She could feel the tenseness flowing out of his stance. "Let him go," Kate whispered, her breath tickling his ear. "We'll have sex with him tomorrow, if you want. Not now. You're half asleep. You don't want a mess. Let him go sit with his wife. Please." She purposely rubbed her belly against his hip. His jeans scratched a little, and she thought that she could feel the tip of his penis in there somewhere, as her thigh fell more towards his zipper. "We'll fuck you, if you want, before you sleep. Just let him go. What do you care about him? It isn't like he's a naked girl, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (62 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


right?" The Timeman sighed, and let the gun drop. "It isn't because you threw yourself at me," he said quietly. "It's because you are damnably right." He turned to Mark, still watching in amazement at Kate's display that had saved him. She blushed, but stayed where she was. She could feel Leigh's eyes on her, too. "If you've hurt her, I swear ..." "Go to her, Mark," Kate hissed. "Before he changes his mind." With a surprised look on his face, Mark stepped around the gunman on the opposite side of Kate. The gunman watched him, but didn't make a move to raise the gun, or prevent him from moving. "Thank-you," Kate whispered. She backed away as the gunman slowly followed Mark to the entrance. After fumbling with the door knob, Mark stepped out into the hallway. Linda raised her eyes to him, as he knelt beside her, murmuring. "I'm not hurt," Linda said quietly, as the door shut. The Timeman opened it, and murmured something indistinguishable. The kneeling man, and the sitting, naked girl seemed to freeze where they sat. Kate shrugged at the quizzical look on Leigh's face. And then the door shut quietly, leaving the three of them in silence.


Kate stood beside the coffee table, fidgeting. The gunman sighed as he lowered himself into the larger sofa, his feet propped up on the tabletop. The curtains had all been drawn, save for a slight gap by the whirlpool tub. The dimness was almost welcome after the continual brightness of the noon sun. "Suddenly shy for us?" Leigh asked. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (63 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


He laughed tiredly. "Can't sleep with the lights on all the time, can we?" Leigh stepped towards the other sofa, hovering, but not sitting. "May I sit?" Leigh asked quietly. She sounded tired and resigned. Kate was somewhat surprised to hear the girl ask permission to do anything -- the girl was so independent. Silently, he nodded, and Leigh, with another sigh, lowered herself carefully into the other sofa. Kate remained on her bare feet, watching him. "I should make the two of you have sex with each other before we sleep." "Please," Kate murmured. "A nice sixty-nine to get you ready for bed. Seems appropriate somehow." Kate took a deep breath. She didn't understand the comment; (appropriate??) she couldn't. She gathered her courage, and said, "If you want, we'll do it, of course. But I think we are all ready for bed. Sex, while not unwelcome at this point, I don't think is necessary. For me. Or for Leigh." She paused for a moment. "Or for you." He sighed and shrugged. "Tomorrow. There's time for all of that tomorrow," Kate said. Leigh nodded slowly, too. "If you want us to have sex, we will. But you'll fall asleep watching us. Tomorrow. Okay?" But she knew that if he wanted them to have sex here and now, on the coffee table, that there was damn little that she could do about it. Kate shivered. The image of her in a sixty-nine with Leigh flooded into her mind, Leigh's bare legs against the legs of the coffee table, their breasts touching. She fought it back, and remained silent. After a few minutes, he looked up at Kate. He looked ready to pass out. Slowly, he pulled the gun out, and slipped it under the sofa. She didn't flinch. The sight of the thing was beginning to lose its effect on her. She was still frightened of it, but not so much that he would simply shoot her without reason. "Come here," he said. Kate stepped carefully over the carpet, and stood in front of him. A damp patch of carpet tickled her foot, probably a remnant of Linda's wet flight to the entrance.



"Get the gun," he said. She shook her head. She didn't like guns, or knives, or any weapons. She didn't even want to think about touching it. "Try." His voice was firm, and in his tired state, she didn't want to balk. She sighed. With an effort, Kate lowered herself to the carpet, and reached for the handle with her bound hands. It felt cold and dead to her fingertips. It felt like the frozen audience had in a gym a long way away. The gun wouldn't budge. Not a millimetre. She didn't have a good angle at it, and no leverage with her hands bound behind her back. However, she was also sure that she could swing a sledge at it, and it wouldn't move. "I can't," she whispered. He nodded, and lay his head back as she struggled back to her feet. She stepped away from his sofa, towards Leigh's. "Got to secure you girls." He spoke to the ceiling, his eyes closed. "Got to." "You don't. We won't do anything stupid," Kate said quietly. He didn't answer. "Get the pack for me, please," he said instead. "I. You don't have to tie us up more," she whispered. "I know. Just do it," he insisted. With a sigh, she stepped towards the entrance hallway where the backpack lay in the place where he'd dropped it. When she crouched backwards to retrieve it, it wouldn't move any more than the pistol had. She tugged again, but it remained as if superglued to the floor. The cold, dead sensation rippled up her hands. "Sir?" she called quietly. "Shhhh," Leigh whispered. Kate looked around, and glanced at him. He was lying, hands under his head, curled up in a fetal position on his couch. Soft snores issued from him. Slowly, Kate returned to her bare feet and walked back towards Leigh. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (65 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


"It's stuck to the floor. Out of time, I think," she whispered. Leigh nodded wearily. "Should I wake him?" "Are you nuts? He was going to restrain us more. Probably to the sofas, or something." Kate nodded slowly, and sank to the floor, curling her bare legs under herself. "What are we going to do?" she asked. The connecting door had the same cold, dead feeling as the pistol had. Even without twisting it awkwardly behind her back, Kate knew it would never open -- not for her. So much for sleeping in a bed tonight. The front door fared better. It opened with a little convincing. Kate cursed the handcuffs on her wrists, but didn't see any way of removing them. After the door opened a crack, she twisted, blocking the edge of the door from closing with her bare heel. She'd tried to work the handcuffs over her ass, and slipping her legs through her arms to get them in front of her, but he'd tightened the things enough and she lacked enough flexibility that she doubted if that was a practical plan. The door opened to reveal the empty corridor. Linda sat nakedly against the wall, a few bubbles remaining in her light hair. Mark hovered over her, touching her bare shoulder. The two were frozen, or more properly existed in a slower time frame. If they were truly frozen, she would be underneath her luxurious bubbles, and he would be feeding her strawberries. Kate stepped out, but her bare toes collided with solid air. She cried out softly, wanting desperately to hold her injured toes. But her hands remained behind her back, and she settled for sinking to the entrance tiles and moaning quietly. The moans shifted into tears as the door softly snicked shut. "Kate?" Kate continued to cry. "Kate? Are you okay over there?" Leigh's voice sounded tired and frightened.



After a few minutes, Kate pushed herself to her feet again and walked back to the sofa where Leigh sat. She settled to the floor, sitting facing the other girl. "What happened?" "I stubbed my toes on his stupid solid air trick." "Oh?" Though Leigh looked a little confused by the comment. The girl shifted over on the sofa. "Do you want to sit up here? We can share." Kate shuffled forward on her knees and then stepped up to sit beside Leigh. The sofa hugged her comfortably. After a few minutes of silence, Leigh spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "Are you still horny?" "Horny?" "Aroused." Leigh looked embarrassed. Kate took stock. The dull ache and insistent pulse had never quite left her, even after the cold shower. "Aren't you?" Leigh blushed, but nodded. "Do you want to do something about it?" Leigh whispered. Kate glanced sideways at her. "What do you mean?" "What I mean is that my sexuality has been all fucked up, and we're naked, and the handcuffs will make it tough, but he's asleep, and we could ... experiment. With each other. I just want to climax. Just once." Kate smiled, and leaned towards Leigh. Tears began to fall from Leigh's eyes. Gently, she kissed Leigh, their lips touching in an electric arc. "Don't get me wrong, Leigh ..." "The sixty-nine ... sounded nice." The image of them touching each other, with their tongues, pushed more energy into her clitoris. She fought it. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (67 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


"It does sound nice, Leigh. A swear it does, but you'll regret it in the morning. I think." "Would you?" Kate thought about it, pulling at her handcuffs. "I ... I don't know." Leigh sat back. "This world, it doesn't have consequences," she whispered. "We can, and it won't have happened." Kate smiled, but rose back to her feet. "Where are you going?" "Somewhere where your naked legs won't drive me any more nuts than they already are," Kate whispered. Leigh moaned, but didn't protest further. "There's always tomorrow," Kate said quietly. She didn't add the corollary: If we're free enough to try it. Leigh nodded, and despite a touch of disappointment there, Kate thought she sensed a smidgen of relief, too. Slowly, she moved to stand in front of him. His breath moved in and out of his chest rhythmically. For a long time, she considered his face. He wasn't unhandsome, but he wasn't remarkable either. On the street, she would never have guessed that he fantasised about complete control. But here she was, standing and watching him sleep, naked and helpless. (I could do it.) She flexed her fingers. All it would take is to turn around, get her fingers deep into that unprotected throat and rip, and rip, and rip. (What am I? A wolf?) She closed her eyes, feeling her clitoris singing, and her fingers clenching. She couldn't even touch herself, her own body as alien and unreachable as Venus. (I could do it.) "Don't do it," Leigh whispered. Kate turned towards the girl. She had lain down, curled up as he, but fitting better on the sofa. Her hands weren't under her head, of course, but her knees were drawn up. She looked as comfortable as http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (68 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


she could be, while handcuffed. "Do what?" "You won't win. Either way, you lose. If you manage to kill him, part of you dies, and we may never get home. You'll starve, unable to get out of a simple pair of metal bracelets. But you will have to live with yourself, knowing that you killed him, even if he deserves it with every ounce of his being. If you don't win, and he wakes up, you know what will happen, not just to you, but to everyone you love." Kate nodded, unhappily. "I was just figuring that out." She stared down at the man who was her captor. So vulnerable, so defenceless in sleep. But in her heart, she couldn't. And she knew that. Not with her bare hands. Not with a knife. Not even if she could reach that damn gun of his. "Don't do it," Leigh murmured. "I won't," Kate said. But there was no reply. As she glanced over at the other couch, the girl had fallen asleep, a stray piece of her hair across her cheek. She turned back towards him. (My only chance.) He wouldn't make the same mistake twice. She'd probably sleep chained to something immovable tomorrow, if there was a tomorrow. (My only chance.) She closed her eyes, swaying unsteadily on her bare feet. Karen, tied to the birch, screaming, her nipples in danger from the cigarettes. Lisa crying, struggling with pain, across a basketball court. Somebody's daughter. Somebody's girlfriend. Kate opened her eyes. Her breasts moved up and down to the shallow rhythm of her breathing. An almost invisible thin stripe graced her right breast, where he'd driven the crop into her flesh. A pulse of electricity stabbed at her clitoris. She shifted her weight and the excitement died for a moment. He hurt them. Her wrists still ached from being bound above her head like that. (My only chance.)



(Please, don't do it.) She couldn't any more than she could before imagining his offences. Could she kill? Probably. But him? Now? The risks? She slowly shook her head, and waited for the single tear to drip silently from her jaw. She stood and watched both of them sleep for a long time before she tiptoed to the pile of crumpled fabric near the hot tub. The tub captured her attention. It continued to swirl, and hot steam continued to fog the glass to the horizon beyond. (It would be easy, wouldn't it?) But it wouldn't be easy, would it? It wasn't like she could swim out beyond her ability to swim back. It was a hot tub, and she didn't have the self-control to keep her head underwater that long. (Cut my wrists?) With handcuffs on? She didn't see how, and the pain, self-inflicted, bothered her where him cropping her breasts only produced arousal. As quickly as it came, she abandoned the idea, (Silly girl) knowing that it wasn't really an option anyway. Her eyes lit upon the windows. If she jumped hard enough? Didn't some stupid lawyer do that, falling thirty stories to his death? But with her luck, she'd bounce back, and break her arm in the process. And he'd wake at her scream, and them rain the crop across her broken shoulder, just for fun. If he killed her for insubordination, that was one thing, but to kill herself? No. She desperately wanted to live. If only to touch Leigh again. Carefully, she crouched and picked up the sheets in her bound hands. (Damn handcuffs. This would be so easy if they weren't here.) There was a comforter, and a blanket. The comforter was bigger. She dragged the blanket over to his sofa. Glancing through the dim light, she could see the naked girl shivering on the other couch. (In a second, Leigh. In a second.) She struggled with it, but managed to drape the blanket over him. He murmured, but didn't wake. Kate returned to the comforter, and dragged it over to Leigh. She pushed it over the naked girl, most of it extending over the side of http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (70 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


the sofa. "Thank-you," the girl mumbled. Her shivers subsided as Kate watched. Without thought, Kate walked back to the tub. The water looked inviting, but she had no way of getting dry afterward. Instead, she lowered herself to the step, where the tuxedo had been. A slash of purple adorned the tub surround. Automatically, she reached for it, almost forgetting that she was still bound. (Damn handcuffs.) Sighing, she tilted her head. Expecting the cold, dead touch, she was pleasantly surprised with the sweet, rough texture of the strawberry kissing her lips. He wouldn't mind? And she couldn't exactly ask him. Her teeth sank delicately into the fruit, and she worked it onto her tongue. "Mmmmmmmm," she murmured as she chewed silently. Her stomach smiled at her, and she dipped her head, repeating the procedure. She felt a little like the pet that she'd been referred to before, in the lobby, to Rachel, but she didn't mind. Nobody was watching her. No. For the first time, in a long time, she was alone. Sort of. With another sigh, she stood again, and walked back to Leigh's sofa. Quietly, she glanced over at the gunman. He began to snore softly again. She couldn't remember the last time that she'd slept with a man in the room, and never naked. She shrugged. Not the ideal first time. She wished again for her hands to be free. She wanted to touch herself, so badly. But she couldn't and with a soft sigh, she knelt, and kissed Leigh. The girl murmured something in her sleep, but didn't wake. Carefully, Kate lay, awkwardly pulling the remainder of the comforter over herself. Her toes stuck out, but when she curled up on her side, her feet were under the covers. The handcuffs bit into her wrists where her weight fell against them. She cried for a while, softly, and nearly silently. Neither of her roommates woke, and at last, the shakes, and the tears dried. (Be strong, Kate. Be strong.) She listened to the soft breathing, and the quiet swirl of the tub for a while, and then sleep overtook her in a wave. She sighed, and fell asleep. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (71 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM



Kate's soft, sleepy voice woke her, but she kept her eyes closed, not wanting to crawl out from the warmth of the comforter. "Leave me alone, Mom, it's Saturday -- no school." Then his voice, floating as if from a distance. "Wake up, sleepyhead." (Oh God, not a dream. Not a dream.) Reality jolted her as her arms screamed when she tried to roll over. Numbness infused her hands, below where the metal had cut off her circulation. They were going to complain when the blood returned to them. Leigh groaned softly, but still didn't open her eyes. She sensed Kate moving somewhere below her. (She slept on the floor, because I hogged the sofa.) (I'm sorry, Kate.) "You, too, sleepyhead." A touch to her shoulder, through the comforter, forced her to flutter her eyelids open. The light hurt, and she blinked back tears until her pupils adjusted. He'd opened the blinds again, and dazzling noon hour sun flooded the suite. Kate stood unsteadily, still not awake, while he fumbled behind the naked girl until with a grunt of satisfaction he emerged swinging her handcuffs from a single finger. He looked refreshed, and happy, as he crouched beside Leigh. "Do I have to shoot you to get you out of bed?" He was obviously joking, the pistol nowhere within sight. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (72 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


She shivered as he whipped the comforter from her. She curled up tighter, but then, resigned, stood. It would feel good to have the cuffs off, if that's what he intended for her as well. She faced Kate, who stood quietly near where she'd slept, naked, her hair in tangles across her head. She rubbed at her eyes, with her newly freed hands, and then looked at them strangely. "Oh, no," she whispered. He looked up sharply at her, as pain began to flood her features. The cuffs fell free of Leigh's wrists, and the numbness of her own hands told the story. "Oh, Kate," Leigh murmured. Her fingers wouldn't work, and her hands felt like blocks of ice hanging beside her bare thighs. "Pins. And. Needles." Kate shook her hands before Leigh could warn her. The girl collapsed moaning to the sofa. He went to her, but stopped and watched helplessly as the girl suffered. In a moment, Leigh's hands mirrored Kate, but she tried to keep them still as the nerves began to awaken with a clamour of complaint. It wasn't enough, and Leigh couldn't stop a few moans fall from her own lips. He turned towards her, eyebrows raised. "It hurts. Handcuffs for sleeping, bad," Leigh said between clenched teeth. "You'll live," he said merrily, and pranced towards the entranceway. "I'll live," Leigh echoed. The pain began to subside. God, she hated mornings. Never had been a morning girl. The discomfort in her hands didn't help. Slowly, she moved over towards Kate who was rubbing her hands. The front door closed quietly, as he left the girls to their own devices. Kate reached up and ran her fingers through her hair, grimacing. "I dreamed about you, last night," Kate said. Leigh smiled. She didn't remember any of her dreams, but Kate continued. "We. Um. Had ..." Leigh laughed. "Sex?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (73 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


"Sort of." "Sort of?" "Well, your fingers did." "I see." It pleased her, for some reason. Bizarre. She'd never even considered being with a girl before this bizarre world had replaced her own. "Did you sleep well?" "I'm sorry, Kate. I swear, if I'd thought that you would be on the floor, I would have shared the sofa. If we get a choice tonight, I'll take the floor, okay?" "Deal," Kate said. She rolled her bare shoulders back. Leigh wandered back to her bed, and sat down. She massaged her legs and tried to work some of the knots out of her neck. "You want me to do that?" Kate stood and walked over to Leigh. Leigh surrendered her neck muscles, sighing as Kate's fingers worked out the worst of the soreness. "I didn't know you were a masseuse." Leigh opened her eyes and raised them. Linda stood shivering, and still wet, a few steps in front of him. Her face wore a frightened expression, and she stood stiffly as he urged her to stand near the coffee table. "You didn't need another girl," Leigh murmured. Kate's fingers continued to massage wonderfully. After a few more minutes, Leigh relaxed, and Kate straightened. "You want a massage, too?" Kate asked him. He nodded, and slipped off his shirt. It was the first time that Leigh had seen him even this unclothed. There was a long scar across his belly, but he wasn't a typical computer geek. His muscles were defined and there wasn't a great deal of flab. Like the girls he chose, she reflected. "If you promise not to hurt Linda," she said quietly, flexing her fingers. He smiled, but it was a serious smile, not a gentle one. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (74 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


"If you don't I might be tense enough to really hurt her." Kate sighed, and gamely stepped to him. He turned around presenting a bare back to her. She had to reach up to get at his shoulders. "You can't blame a girl for trying," she said as her fingers began to dig into his muscles. "Sleeping on a couch isn't the best for the posture," he said. "I feel like a truck ran me over." "Try sleeping on the floor, handcuffed," Kate replied, not breaking her stride. Leigh slowly rose, and approached Linda. The girl's eyes were glued to Kate and the Timeman. "I'm Leigh, I don't think we were introduced in the madhouse last night." It didn't occur to Leigh that for Linda it was still yesterday noon. She hadn't been awake and unfrozen nearly as long as the two high school girls. Linda looked puzzled, but tried to smile. "I'm Linda," she said. "I know. I was half asleep last night, but I remember." "What's going to happen to me?" Leigh shrugged. "If the past is any indication, he'll probably make you do some things you don't want to, but in the end, he'll either ease up a little and keep you, or he'll return you to your hot tub." "What about Mark? I asked him, out there, but he ignored me. Is Mark hurt? He wasn't moving. He wouldn't let me touch him." (You wouldn't want to, Linda. You wouldn't want to.) "Mark is ... frozen. He'll be fine." Linda looked at her skeptically, but decided to try a different tack. "Why are you here, Leigh, are you helping him?" Leigh laughed. "You mean, do I help him torture girls for a living?" Linda nodded. Tears lined her lower eyelids. Leigh shook her head. "I've just been here longer than you. I'm as much his prisoner as you are, maybe more. I don't want to be naked. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (75 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


I don't want to be handcuffed. I don't want to be here. Not really." "Will he let me go?" "I think, so. I hope so." "Will he hurt me?" Leigh touched the girl's shoulder. "I don't know, Linda. I don't know." The tears escaped, and Leigh gathered the terrified girl into her arms and held her. Moisture dripped onto her bare shoulder, but she didn't mind. The girl's belly and breast left flecks of bubbles against Leigh's skin. Leigh watched Kate massaging their tormentor, pursing her lips. She hoped that he wouldn't hurt the new girl, too much. Eventually, the girl's sobs receded, but she remained in the embrace. He stood by the door, his hand resting lightly on the doorknob. "Not cold showers?" Kate asked with some anxiety. "Do you need cold showers?" he asked. Kate shook her head, hugging herself. He lowered his voice. "Just wash each other. Get yourselves attractive." "Why?" He smiled, and turned the doorknob, without answering. The door closed after him with a quiet click. Leigh was sure that if she could open the door, she wouldn't be able to step outside, any more than Kate had last night. "What do we do now?" Linda asked in a quiet voice. "Shower together," Kate said quietly, turning towards the closed bedroom door. It was a tight squeeze for three girls. Water poured over Leigh's head, her turn under the spray. She didn't feel dirty -- she'd showered yesterday after the race, but her feet were dusty, and her hair tangled. The warm water felt nice. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (76 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


Nicer still, she wasn't afraid of being frozen to death. Linda picked up the small bar of scented hotel soap, and began to rub her chest. Leigh sighed. "Linda?" The naked girl looked up. Kate looked up too from where she completed the Linda sandwich. "You can't wash yourself." The girl looked puzzled. "Excuse me?" "He expects us to wash each other." "What? No." Leigh nodded slowly. "You're kidding." Leigh shook her head. "Why?" Leigh shrugged. "I don't know -- he probably likes the image of us touching each other." "He's not even here." Leigh laughed lightly. "No, he isn't. But do you want to risk him poking his head in here and finding you disobeying something simple?" Linda shrugged. "We're in the shower." "You think that will stop him?" "So you have to wash me? Like a child?" "'fraid so ..." Gently, Leigh reached for the single bar of soap. Before she surrendered it, Linda regarded Leigh. "You. You aren't ... gay ... are you?" (Actually, I don't know any more.) "A lesbian?" Leigh shook her head. "I don't think so. But I'd rather wash another girl than get whipped." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (77 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


Linda paled. "He whips you?" Leigh took a deep breath. Steam and humidity flooded her lungs. "If I disobey, sometimes. If he caught you washing yourself in here, he'd probably whip Kate and I along with you, to teach us something. Who knows?" Linda handed Leigh the soap, her slick fingers dragging across Leigh's upturned palm. The girl turned to face Kate, presenting her back. Linda's skin was soft and smooth, gathering lather with ease. The girl sighed, as Leigh's fingers worked the soap into her skin. Leigh glanced up, trying to ignore Linda's fingers massaging shampoo through her tangles. It felt so nice, but so ... forbidden. Her eyes continued to glance at the bathroom door, but it didn't open. Either he was still gone, or he was waiting for them. She hoped it wasn't the latter. "Why did the chicken cross the road?" Kate asked. She was sitting, her knees drawn up, near the far end of the tub. It gave Leigh and Linda a little more room in the small enclosure, and Kate seemed content to wait her turn under the spray, with the soap. She ran her fingers through her red hair, almost brown under the wetness. "To get to the other side?" Leigh ventured. Linda's fingers continued to work the shampoo through Leigh's hair. "Very good. Why according to Ronald Reagan?" Leigh sighed, and didn't answer. She was surprised when Linda responded -- the girl had been silent since her initial objections. She had become very quiet after Leigh had apologised but washed between Linda's legs, bare handed. Leigh wondered what the girl was thinking. "I give up," Linda said quietly. "Why did the chicken cross the road, according to Ronald Reagan?" Kate deadpanned. "What chicken?" It took a second for the smile to grace Leigh's lips. And only a moment after that for Linda to laugh. She had a musical laugh, similar to Kate's.



"Oh God, that's horrible." Leigh shook her head, touching Linda's fingers. Linda held her hands up to the spray cascading over her clean hair, and rinsed the shampoo. "Good enough?" she asked. Leigh nodded, and the girls switched places, bare skin rubbing and slipping deliciously. The soap ran down her back, and between her feet to disappear into the void that was the drain. Slowly, Kate rose to her feet. Again, the girls were pressed uncomfortably close. "My turn," Kate said jovially. "Who wants me?" Linda paled a little, but nodded her head. "I'm already under the shower," Leigh said. "I can wash you." Relief flooded into Linda's features, and she awkwardly switched places with Kate. Most of the soap had melted away, but there would be enough to wash Kate. Leigh rubbed her hands together and began to wash the other high school girl. Kate's skin was slippery and silky under her touch. Linda stood fidgeting by the door, her fingers pushing her hair back from her face. Leigh had found a hair drier in the drawer, and was sending warm air through Kate's red locks. They shared Linda's brush, it lying on the counter top. "Can we leave the bathroom. Without getting punished?" Leigh didn't know. "I guess." "I'll be right back," Linda said quietly. She slipped out. "She won't make it," Kate said, leaning her head back. "I know. He won't keep her. I'd bet ... my freedom on that," Leigh said quietly. The door opened, and the naked girl slipped back into the steamy room. Shyly, she extended her palm. In it were hair clips, and some basic makeup. Leigh smiled, and borrowed some of the clips, while Linda clipped http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-61-70.html (79 of 80)8/14/2005 11:41:25 PM


back some of her own hair. Leigh handed the hair drier to Kate, and waited as the warm air billowed through her own brunette tresses. The knots hurt coming out, but she'd probably never complain about that ever again. Clean hair. And after being hit with a crop, hair tangles were minor. When she was done, she bent forward, slipping some clips into her own hair. As one, the newly cleaned girls slipped out of the en suite, and out into the living area.



You are vistor #


since August 2000.




Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 71

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Chapter 72

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Chapter 73

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Chapter 74

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Chapter 75

Chapter 76

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Chapter 77

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Chapter 78

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Chapter 79

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Chapter 80


"Breakfast, girls!" A covered cart stood in the entranceway. He stood proudly beside it. Leigh's belly rumbled, and her saliva glands squeezed. She could smell coffee, and toast, and bacon, and pancakes. A stab of uncertainty leapt into her stomach. Those smells could be for him. She might have to eat oatmeal, if he allowed her anything at all. No sense anticipating what she didn't have. She stepped forward, her bare feet whispering across the carpet. "You look nice, Leigh," he said. For some reason, it made her feel good. "Are we going to eat ... with you?" He smiled, and laughed. "Of course, silly girl. Can't have you and Kate weak for me. We have a lot to do today."



That made her nervous, but she tried to hide it. He went on, oblivious to her unease. "Bacon, and pancakes, and toast," he said, his fingers lifting covers as he spoke. Her mouth watered. "Kneel," he said. Leigh glanced over her shoulder. Kate touched Linda's shoulder and together the other two girls fell to their knees. Leigh followed, hoping that Linda didn't balk. The new girl didn't look very happy about being told to kneel, but she did it. He lifted one glass at a time, and gave them each a glass of orange juice. Leigh tilted hers, and savoured the sweetness as it chilled her belly. She sighed. "Kate?" The red head looked up. "You were a waitress? Right?" "In a former life. You want me to serve?" He smiled, and walked to the sofa upon which he'd slept. He sat, and watched. With a laugh, Kate rose to her bare feet and slipped to the cart, carefully gathering a full plate. As her hands moved, she asked, "Where did you get this spread? Hmmmm?" "A couple down the hall ordered it. The bellboy was just accepting a credit card for it. I don't think the occupants minded that I borrowed it." Leigh turned, a sudden picture in her mind. "You didn't hurt them, did you?" He laughed. "You must think I'm a bloody monster." (Maybe I do.) "It looked like some guy entertaining his secretary. She was maybe thirty, and he was like sixty." "You didn't play with her?" He laughed. "She was naked, in the living room. I don't know how the bellboy didn't see her, but I don't think he did. And no. It took me a while to even find some breakfast for us. I think tomorrow, we make our own. I didn't have time for her. She's still innocently waiting for her brunch, I suspect."



Leigh turned around, satisfied. He did seem to be in a better mood. She hoped that it didn't change. "My naked waitress," he remarked as Kate placed the plate on the coffee table with a knife and fork. "Thank-you," he said sincerely as she straightened. "You're welcome," she responded automatically. "Can we eat now?" He nodded, and Kate hurried back to the cart and began to place more food on three plates. She hesitated as she picked up the coffee thermos. "Sir?" she called. He looked up from his breakfast. He hadn't waited for them to eat, this morning. He finished chewing, and nodded. "Can we have coffee?" she asked. "Can I get you some coffee?" He laughed. "I don't drink the stuff, but you may, if you want. Black, though." "Thank-you," she murmured. "I don't drink coffee," Leigh said. Kate turned to Linda, who nodded her head. One of her hair clips sparkled in the sunlight. "Cream?" Linda asked. Kate bit her lip, looking at the gunman. "He said, we ... couldn't," she whispered. "She can have cream," he said without looking up. "Thank-you," Kate said quietly, and searched for some cream. She poured it into a steaming cup, and handed it to Linda. It took her a couple of trips, but she distributed plates of food to Leigh and Linda, and one for herself, before she knelt beside Leigh to complete a small circle. Linda looked up, after examining her plate. Her face was a mask of dismay. "I think you forgot knives and forks," she said. Kate sighed. "He doesn't allow us cutlery, Linda." The girl looked shocked. "Then how do we eat this?" Kate held up her fingers and pinched them with a smile. "You get a little dirty, but it's better than not eating."



"You're kidding," Linda said. She turned towards the gunman who was now looking at her with some interest. "Actually," he said, "this morning, Kate and Leigh may use cutlery. Only you can't." Blood rose to Linda's face, anger beginning to rear in her. (Oh oh.) Kate interjected a little before Leigh was able. "It's all right. We're used to it. I'll eat with my fingers, too. I don't mind." "Me, too," Leigh echoed. She touched Linda's shoulder. The girl shrugged her off, and pushed herself to her feet. Her left foot knocked over her glass of orange juice, but thankfully she'd already drank it, so the glass was empty. It rolled across the carpet, coming to rest against the coffee table. "We've done everything for you. It's bad enough that we are naked and kneeling to eat. Why the fuck do you have to treat me like a fucking animal?" Linda was shaking, but her voice remained even, almost detached. "Why???" He looked at her calmly, and leaned back wiping his lips. His plate stood empty on the coffee table. "Linda," he said with equal calm. "You don't want to do this." Kate approached Linda, shuffling on her knees. She touched Linda's thigh. The girl recoiled. "And you! You do everything he fucking says, because you're fucking pathetic. You aren't even female, as far as I'm concerned. A real girl wouldn't put up with this shit." Kate swayed back as if stung, her eyes filling with tears. "I was just ..." she managed to say before Linda continued on her rant. The girl stood at the foot of the coffee table, her hands planted on her bare hips. "I allowed you to keep me naked, like your pets back there. I showered with them, like you asked. I even tried to look pretty for you. I played your stupid game. I even knelt for you -- for them. You even tried to fucking control what I drank in my coffee." She seemed out of breath, even though she wasn't screaming. "Well, fuck you." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (4 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


"Where are you going to go?" he asked her. "I'm not going to listen to your shit anymore, where ever it is," Linda finally lost her control and screamed it. She bent forward and reached for his cutlery. He allowed her to do it. She straightened, a fork in her left hand, a knife in her right. He regarded the bare beauty in front of him. "I'm going to the bedroom. Finding some fucking clothes, and I'm going to put them on. Then, I'm going to leave. Is that fucking clear?" He smiled, and shrugged. She dropped the cutlery in a jingle at her feet, and stalked towards the bedroom. The door opened, and then slammed as she walked through. "Please, don't hurt her," Leigh whispered. The gunman didn't answer, but leaned forward, reaching under the sofa. The gun rose, as though it were an extention of his body. Leigh shivered. He seemed calm, but she honestly couldn't tell, for sure. "Please, she's new. She doesn't understand." Kate was crying, her hands buried in her hands. Leigh abandoned her plate on the carpet, and shuffled over to the naked girl. "She didn't know what she was saying. She doesn't know the consequences," Leigh said, her words aimed at Kate and her captor. The door opened with a bang. Linda stepped through. Leigh was so used to seeing her naked, that the jeans, and sweater looked ... wrong. Socks graced Linda's feet, and the girl stepped determinedly towards the entrance. She stopped when she saw the gun again. "Care to reconsider, Linda?" he said. He'd moved to the entranceway, the blue pack at his feet. "Don't hurt her," Leigh whispered. Kate continued to sob in her arms. The eerie standoff continued for a moment. "You can end this, right now," he said quietly. "Take off your clothes, and kneel. Apologise to me, and to Leigh and Kate, and eat your breakfast. I'll only punish you a little." She seemed to choose her words carefully. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (5 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


"Fuck. You." He sighed and turned towards the outside door. Linda stepped with him. "I didn't want to do this the hard way." "Fuck you. So shoot me. I don't care." He turned slowly. "I still might, Linda. But what I thought I'd do first is shoot Mark. You want to watch?" Linda paled. "You wouldn't." (He would.) "Take off your clothes and kneel. Eat your breakfast like I asked, and you don't have to find out." "Fuck you," she said. (Don't call his bluff, Linda. Please.) He twisted the door knob. It was as if the door closer had frozen. It probably had. The door remained open to the hallway. Mark came to life, swearing. Linda ran to the doorway, stopping, her hands on the jamb. "Where should I shoot him, Linda? The balls? The kneecap? The elbow?" "Shoot me. I'm the one that defied you." "Too late now. Where? Or shall I pick?" He aimed the gun at his groin. Mark raised his hands, shutting up and paling. "Linda?" He turned to face Linda. The girl was crying, now. "Please," she said. "Shoot me." Mark spoke. "Let him shoot me. Don't give him the time of day," he said, though he didn't sound overly brave. Then "Aghhhhhhhhh." A thin welt from the handle of the gun striped down his cheek. He http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (6 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


fell to his knees, his hands pressed to his wounded cheek. "Shut up, Mark. This is Linda's choice, now." He turned back to the clothed woman. "Now, should I shoot his balls, or his elbow." "Please, I'll ... do what the fuck you want. Leave him alone." "You know what I want." "Oh God." He aimed the weapon back towards Mark's groin. Linda closed her eyes, and held her fingers at the hem of her sweater. "Too late for that, Linda," he said quietly. "You'll strip, but on my terms." "Don't Linda," Mark said. That earned him another rap on the head. He squawked. Slowly, the gunman crouched, keeping his eyes on Linda. "Listen, Mark. If I hear one ... just one ... word out of you. I won't shoot you. I'll shoot her. I'll make you watch as I shoot her tits. Do you fucking understand?" Mark nodded slowly, his face pale. "What do you fucking want from me?" He straightened, and moved towards Linda. The girl backed up until she stood back inside the room. After he stepped from the hallway, the door swung shut leaving Mark out in the hall. After a moment, a dull hammering began on the doorway. Linda glanced towards it, unsure. "First, I want you to kneel, then apologise, not to me, but to the other girls." "Why?" But she was already sinking to her knees. A muffled voice in the hallway screamed the girl's name, over and over as a hand struck the unyielding door. "This is difficult on all of you, including Leigh and Kate. I wouldn't have kept them, if they were weak girls. They are far more strong than you, and I think you know that." Slowly, Linda twisted, facing Leigh and Kate. Kate looked up from Leigh's arms. Leigh stared back at the girl, not requiring an apology, and sympathising with her fear.



"I'm sorry," Linda said. It wasn't insincere. "I shouldn't have said those things. I. I was angry." "I know," Leigh whispered. "I don't want to see you hurt." Linda nodded and then twisted back around to face the gunman. She didn't sound nearly as sincere, but she said it anyway. "I'm sorry," she said simply to him. "Please, I just want to stop this." He nodded. "You realise that I can't let it go, right?" "I told you. Leave Mark out of this. I'll do what you want." Mark's frantic voice quieted, as if he'd been frozen into a block of ice. The hammering on the door halted. The gunman crouched in front of Linda. "What the kinkiest thing that you've ever done?" "Kinkiest?" "Have you had anal sex?" Linda blushed crimson, but she nodded. Leigh hadn't expected that. The girl could have lied, but she didn't. "With Mark?" Linda shook her head. "Please, I've apologised. I'll strip for you. I'll eat with my fingers. I won't complain. I promise." "I should make you fuck yourself with a vibrator, in your ass, in front of Mark." Linda paled. "Please, no." He straightened, towering over her. "Take your socks off." She scrambled to pull the clothing off, leaving herself barefoot. She returned to her knees. "I'll have sex with you, if you'll let us go." He shook his head. "Not that easy, little one. There's a chair in the bedroom. Go get it." Without hesitation, the girl clambered to her bare feet and ran http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (8 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


towards the bedroom. The gunman walked back towards Leigh and Kate. Kate had returned to her knees, sniffling. "She'll be a few minutes," he said to the remaining girls. He sat wearily in front of them. "I know that you both don't want to be here," he said quietly. "And I know you're scared. You should be. But I want you both to know, that what I said before? That was true. You don't have choice. I make sure of it. She's wrong. You aren't weak. You aren't stupid. You both are incredibly strong girls. Okay?" Leigh somehow felt reassured, and Kate nodded slowly. She didn't look completely convinced, but she seemed appeased. Linda wasn't strong either. Leigh didn't know what was going to happen to the girl, but she suspected that she'd be begging to obey, just to make whatever it was stop. There was no choice. Not for the girls. Not here. Broken? No. She was still Leigh, and she was surviving. Others wouldn't, but she would. Somehow. "Eat. Your breakfast is probably cold." Leigh moved back towards her plate. He was right. The food was cold, but they hadn't eaten dinner the night before, and she was famished. Using her fingers, she ate as daintily as she could, and finished the plate. Her belly, appeased for now, thanked her. Kate looked refreshed, but kept glancing at the last plate where Linda should have been. The gunman watched them eat, and then pushed himself to his feet. His face showed a moment of concentration, and then sounds began again from the bedroom. Linda reappeared, still clothed, but carrying a desk chair awkwardly. She placed it on the floor near her plate. He walked around behind Leigh and Kate, past the shaking Linda, and settled back into the sofa. "Tie her in, Leigh." Leigh swallowed, but rose and ran to the front entrance. She unzipped the pack and plunged her hands inside. She found chains, and handcuffs, and at the side a few coils of rope. She extracted the rope and approached Linda. The girl watched carefully as she walked closer. "Sit down, Linda," he asked. Instead of sitting, Linda turned towards him. "If you're going to hit me, you don't have to tie me. I'll stand still for you." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (9 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


"Somehow, I doubt that. Even Kate couldn't stand still for what I have planned for you. Now. SIT." He said the last word with some force. The girl paled, and sat. Leigh turned towards him. "Please. I. I don't want to be involved in this." His look informed her that choice wasn't an option. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She knelt and began to loop rope around Linda's bare ankles, tying them together. With his direction, she looped the remainder of the rope around Linda's body, tying her into the chair, her hands secured behind her back. At last, the girl sat securely in the chair, though her legs weren't restrained beyond the rope around her ankles. "Please. I'm sorry," Linda said quietly. He touched Leigh's shoulder, and motioned her back. She knelt quietly by Kate and watched. He walked in silence to the front door, and began to rummage in the pack. He extracted a hook, and returned with the bowie knife that had been Darren's. Leigh's eyes widened at the sight of that. "Please," she said. "She didn't do anything we all could have done. You don't have to cut her." "Don't be silly," he said as he reached up and twisted the hook into the ceiling, unerringly finding a beam. Linda twisted to watch as he did this. He crouched beside Linda's chair. She watched him, shaking. "What are you going to do to me?" "Test you." "Test me?" "Test you." He held up the knife. He eyes followed it, fear evident. "Please," she whispered as the blade picked up the sunlight and flashed it across her face. "I'll strip for you. I'll fuck you if you want. I'll ... please don't cut me." He shushed her with a single finger to her lips.



"You'll do your best to endure what I'm going to do to you."


The knife flashed twice, and Linda sat as still as she could. Her breasts, hidden for a while by the knit of her sweater peeked into view through the two holes he'd cut for her. The girl began to cry. Somehow, it seemed worse to destroy her only clothing, than to simply make her remove it. "Please," she begged. Calmly, he began to wrap rope around the base of each breast. Helplessly, she watched as he touched and tied her. "That hurts," she said, but he ignored her until he was done. Her breasts, tight, emerged from her ruined sweater like obscene hills tipped with red. She moaned. "I think she's learned her lesson," Kate murmured. He glanced back at Kate, raising his eyebrows. "I could have tied her nipples with fishing line," he said simply. Kate clapped her mouth shut, and continued to watch. The sight of the girl in the chair pulsed into Leigh. Leigh wiped away a tear, trying her best to ignore the sensations. Attaching a rope to each bound breast, he looped the cord up and over the hook in the ceiling. The bound girl watched the proceedings, shaking. Slowly, he lifted her bound feet, and while supporting her legs on his thigh, tied the end of the rope from the hook to her big toes. She squirmed, but didn't complain. "Oh shit," she cried out as he moved out from below her legs. She tensed her stomach, lifting her legs. If she didn't, the weight of her legs tugged on her breasts through the rope through the hook above her. She began to pull on the ropes holding her hands, and belly into the chair.



"Please, no," she said as she realised what effort was required to keep pressure from building on her breasts. Ignoring her, he turned to Kate and Leigh. "Let her go," Leigh begged. "She didn't know what she was doing. That ... is going to kill her." "It won't kill her, but she'll think twice before screaming at me again." "I think you've made your point." He smiled and touched Leigh's cheeks. She didn't try to twist again. "I want you to feed her her breakfast. And Kate?" The other girl tore her eyes from the suffering girl in the chair. "Let her go," she whispered. "Get some ice." Kate rose to her feet, not asking what the ice was for. She slipped out the door, dancing around Mark who was standing frozen, his hand raised to hit the door once more. Linda, faced away from the door, didn't even try to turn to see her husband. The door clicked shut, and Leigh picked up the plate of cold breakfast. She knelt beside the chair, while the Timeman settled comfortably into the sofa to watch. "You have to eat this," Leigh whispered. Linda was crying uncontrollably, her face screwed up in pain. Her legs, shaking, rose and fell as she was able to release some pressure from her breasts, until the agony in her thighs overrode it. She cried out, each time the pressure increased on her breasts. Obediently, even through the pain, Linda opened her mouth. Leigh ripped off a piece of pancake and slipped it between the girl's lips. Linda closed her mouth, nearly choked, but managed to chew and swallow it. It was slow, but Linda managed to eat most of food from the plate. A timid knock appeared at the door, much quieter than the hammering from Mark. Leigh left the plate at the foot of Linda's chair, and ran to the entrance. She pushed the handle down, and opened the door a crack. Kate pushed the door open with her shoulder, and walked barefoot into the hallway. Her foot kicked the pack, which jingled. "What did you want the ice for?"



She was carrying an insulated bucket away from her body. He motioned both girls forward, stopping Kate at Linda. Leigh sighed, and came to sit with him, her bare thigh touching his jean clad one. Idly, he traced her skin, and she allowed it, not having much choice. "Are you all right?" Kate asked Linda quietly. "What do you fucking think?" Linda hissed. "It fucking hurts." Kate touched her hair. "It's not her fault," he said quietly. "And I don't want you to swear anymore." "Fuck you," Linda said. Her voice didn't even sound like her own. He smiled. Leigh thought that his smile was almost one of tolerance. After all, the girl was in pain. She'd probably apologise later. "Kate?" The naked girl looked up. "Place a few ice cubes down what's left of her sweater, and then come here." "Noooooo," Linda yelled as the ice tumbled to lie against the ropes just under her breasts. "Please, nooo." Kate closed her eyes, and lowered the bucket by the base of the chair. She walked over towards the gunman. "Kneel." Kate did. He turned towards Linda. The girl was struggling with the pain, her eyes closed. "Linda?" "Fuck you," she repeated. But she opened her eyes, and glanced at Kate. "Three." "Three what?" "Three times you've sworn." "So fucking what." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (13 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


"Four," he paused. Then he turned to the kneeling girl in front of him. Kate paled a little. "Count," he ordered her. "Yes sir," she replied. His hand fell four time on her bare skin. One on each breast, making them dance crazily on her chest, once against the skin of her belly, making her yelp. After each stroke, the girl cried out the number. The last one stung across her cheek, her head snapping to the side. Leigh didn't think it was really hard enough to hurt her, though it would have stung. A red blotch, where he'd hit her, rose to the surface of her cheek. Linda probably thought Kate was being beaten severely. "Four," Kate screamed. "Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop hitting her," Linda screamed. "Please. I get it. I get it. I'll stop swearing. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please let me out. I'm sorry." The girl twisted violently against her bonds, only succeeding in increasing the pressure on her breasts again. She screamed in pain. "Please, please let me out. It hurts. So much." He left Leigh and Kate to pace towards Linda. The girl was sobbing now, mumbling nonsense. "Linda?" She looked up, tears falling down her cheeks. "I'll do whatever you want. Just let me out. I'll take off my clothes. I'll fuck you. I'll ... oh shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to swear. I'll have sex with you. I'll have sex with the girls. I don't care. Just untie my tits. Please. Please. I'll use a vibrator in my ass. I'll crawl. I'll dance. Just let me out. Please." He lowered himself and slowly began to press on her bound ankles. She screamed, but tried to resist. Her breasts pulled noticeably. He spoke in a voice just above her screams. "Do you know why you're here?" "No. No. No. I don't." "Better think." "Fuck. Oh God. No. I'm sorry. I. Because I dressed. Without your permission. Oh God. Please let me out. Please. Please stop."



It looked like he increased the pressure on her ankles slightly. "Partially," he said simply. "Because I disobeyed. Please." He let his hand off her ankles. They noticeably rose, decreasing the pressure on her breasts. "Oh God," she moaned. "Please. It hurts. It hurts." "I know," he stood and walked from her to join Leigh on the sofa. Knowing it might get her punished, too, but ignoring it, Leigh rose, brushing away his fingers. She ran to the chair, and knelt by Linda's feet. She placed her arm under the girl's legs and lifted a little, releasing the pressure for her. He hadn't stopped her yet, and she continued to hold the girl's legs up. The girl was trembling uncontrollably. "Linda. Please, I can't watch this anymore," she said. Linda tried to blink away the tears. "Thank-you," she said gratefully. Perhaps, even in this state, she knew the risk that Leigh was taking for her. "I don't know what he wants. I just want out," Linda cried. Leigh swallowed, an idea forming. "I don't either, Linda. Beg." "I've begged. God, I've begged." "We don't have any other recourse. Beg," she whispered. "Leigh?" His voice rose threateningly. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She dropped the girl's ankles, and Linda screamed at the increased pressure. Leigh fought back tears, and returned to stand beside him. "Where?" she asked. He seemed to know that she was asking if she should kneel with Kate, or sit beside him again. He patted the sofa, and she slipped in to sit beside him. "Ow," she screamed as his fingers twisted her right nipple. "Please." He released her. "I didn't say you could do that," he said simply. "She made a fu ... damn mistake. She's in pain, can't you see that? http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (15 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


Do you have any idea of how much pain you've put her in?" He nodded. "She's a human being. She doesn't deserve that." "I know," he said. Her nipple ached, but in contrast, she knew that she had gotten off light. Linda hadn't. A quiet voice rose from the girl in the chair. "Please, sir. I'll do whatever you want. Please let me do whatever you want. Please let me strip. Please let me have sex. Please. I just want to get out of these ropes. Please?" (Good girl.) He rose, and walked to the side of the chair. She looked up at him, like a puppy might. "You know that I can put you back into this chair, if I want. Right?" The girl nodded. "Are you sorry?" "So sorry. I'll do whatever you want. I swear." He nodded and put pressure on the rope leading from her breasts to artificially raise her legs by the toes. But it released the pressure on her breasts. Linda sighed, still crying. He released the rope from her breasts, and it slithered through the hook to coil beside her bare feet. "Oh God," she breathed. Slowly, he traced her breasts, the tightness and the ropes. She flinched, but couldn't move far. "I'm going to spank your breasts, to remind you." "Okay," she said quietly. After her legs had been released, she had calmed a little. He slapped her breasts, not hard, but enough to bring fresh tears to her eyes. Incredibly, she thanked him. "Thank you, for letting my legs down."



The spanking was far more comfortable for her than the previous punishment. "Untie her," he said, as he walked back towards the sofa. Kate sprang to her bare feet, and ran to Linda, her fingers immediately beginning to release the knots that Leigh had tied around the girl, ages ago.


Kate knelt naked at the base of Linda's chair, carefully coiling up the lengths of rope that had formerly bound Linda to her prison chair. Linda slowly stood, keeping her eyes downcast. She rubbed absently at her wrists. Without hesitation, she stripped off her ruined clothing, folding it, and placing it on the floor beside Kate. Kate glanced at Linda, but continued to coil the rope around her elbow and hand, making neat packages. Linda hesitated at her panties, but they too joined her other clothing on the floor. At last, she was naked, and she briefly looked up. The Timeman was watching her, and she quickly averted her eyes. Without being told, Linda lowered herself to kneel beside Kate, her hands clasped in her lap. Marks from the ropes indented her skin around each breast, and her wrists. When Kate finished with the ropes, she rose and walked back to the Timeman, kneeling again at his feet. She lay the coils of ropes beside her bare thigh, and lifted her eyes to watch Linda. The Timeman rose, his jeans whispering against Leigh's bare thigh, and motioned Kate to rise. The girl did, and then lowered herself at his request to sit beside Leigh. Her thigh rested easily against Leigh's, replacing the rougher jeans. He walked forward until he stood towering over Linda. Linda looked up, and sighed. Tears ran freely, but silently, down her cheeks. With only a hint of hesitation, she reached forward and began to http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (17 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


unbutton the Timeman's jeans. He watched her for a moment, but when her fingers began to tug at his zipper, he brushed her fingers away. "I. I thought that was what you wanted," Linda said, keeping her eyes from his face. He smiled down at the girl. "Linda, I do." She reached forward again, with a sigh. The tears had not stopped tracing down her cheeks. He touched her fingers again, pushing her hand away. In sudden understanding, Linda clasped her hands behind her back, holding them as though they were tied. She pushed her head towards his groin, her teeth hunting for the tab of the zipper. He laughed gently, and touched her head. "I appreciate the gesture," he said as he crouched in front of her. "I do. But I want something different from you." She looked into his eyes warily, not moving her hands from behind her back. "Something different?" He smiled, and rose again, motioning for Leigh and Kate to rise from the couch. Worried looks on their faces, they pushed up from the couch to stand easily behind the coffee table. "Chair? Or table?" he asked them. The hard surface of the coffee table pressed uncomfortably into her bare back. Her head hung back, her long hair dragging against the floor -- it was too difficult to hold her head up without the support of the table top, at least for any length of time. The legs of the table pressed solidly into her ankles and wrists, the ropes holding her limbs securely to her prison. Another rope held her belly to the tabletop, but it wasn't necessary. She wasn't moving until he untied her, even though the ropes were only snug against her skin. Her legs were tied to the outside of the table legs. She should have been used to exposure, but this seemed excessive. She couldn't close her legs, no matter how hard she pulled at the bonds on her ankles. She pulled at her right hand, but it didn't move from the table leg to which it was bound. She moaned in frustration. Slowly, she raised her head, her neck protesting. Kate sat in the chair, where Linda had been bound only a little while ago. Kate's hands were bound to the arms of the chair, her feet to the outside http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (18 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


of the chair legs. A rope held her bare torso to the back of the chair. When Kate saw Leigh watching her, she smiled, though the slightly worried look never left her face. A moment later, Linda walked into the room from the bedroom. Idly, Leigh wondered if Linda had been raped, but she didn't have a dazed, or withdrawn look, only a look of fright for something that was about to happen. She still held her wrists behind her body; either she'd been tied, or he'd asked her to hold her hands that way. Unable to hold her head up any longer, Leigh let her head drop with a sigh. She sensed movement to her right, and Linda's bare legs and toes moved into her vision. "Please, I don't want to do this," Linda murmured. He laughed. "Is that important, Linda? I can tie you back into the chair if you prefer." "But Leigh ..." Leigh closed her eyes, not really wanting to hear the rest of it. "Will suffer it without complaint, won't you Leigh?" Leigh didn't open her eyes, but she spoke to the upside down world. "Are you going to make her hurt me?" "No. No. Quite the opposite." Leigh sighed, not sure what that meant. "Whatever it is, I don't have much choice, do I?" She could almost hear him smile, but he said nothing. And then a sensation to her right breast brought her head up despite the pain in her neck. Leigh snapped open her eyes with a moan. Linda knelt, her hands handcuffed behind her back, her tongue running slowly and sensuously around Leigh's right nipple. Lowering her head again, she tried to ignore the sensations, but couldn't. The tingles of arousal returned despite her attempts to quench them. Her nipple reacted, even while she actively tried to make it flatten. Her clitoris cried out in frustration. The ropes held her still, and the naked girl continued to use her tongue, first on Leigh's right, then her left breast. "Please," Leigh murmured. "Please, no." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (19 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


He stood behind her left shoulder, obviously watching as Linda continued. His jeans appeared upside down, his runners at the top of her world. Leigh moaned as Linda's tongue delved between her vaginal lips, teasing her clitoris, her breath hot and damp against her. "Oh .... God ...." Leigh called out softly. Her hips rocked involuntarily at the girl's attentions. Leigh could hear the soft jingling of the chain between the girl's wrists behind her back as she knelt between Leigh's thighs. Leigh glanced downward, disoriented. Down was up. He seemed to be watching Linda intently moving down there, somewhere. "Oh .... please .... ahhhhhh," Leigh moaned. She tried to keep her mouth shut, but a purring, like that of a kitten, emerged from her throat. Her hips rocked with the rhythm that she wanted. Linda's tongue found that rhythm and teased her with it. She moved towards the chasm, stopping on the edge. She glanced over, blue light beginning to rise from the depths. She could feel her muscles beginning to contract, her hips slowing of their own accord. She sensed movement by her left shoulder, but it was easy to ignore. "Oh, God, please no ..." Leigh cried out, as the sensations disappeared, and she moved ever slowly from the edge. Desperately, she raised her head to look over the mounds of her bare breasts. His hand was tangled in Linda's hair, the other girl's face screwed up in pain. Her hands fought uselessly against the handcuffs holding her wrists. His hand held her head a full metre from Leigh's sex. No more soft tongue. No more soft breath. No more easy pleasure. Leigh's hips rocked in a fruitless mime of intercourse until she willed them to stop. "Oh, God. Please. Let her finish." With a tug, and a cry, Linda struggled to her feet, his hand still wound into her hair. Tears fell from her eyes. He settled Linda back to her knees between Kate's bare ankles. Crying, she shook her head. "Linda? It's all right. I know," Kate said quietly, but loud enough that Leigh could hear. "It's not fair," Linda said. He pressed her head forward. She seemed to resist until the pain became too great. Soon, her face http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (20 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


was buried between Kate's thighs. Kate moaned, but talked after the initial touch of Linda's tongue against her sex. "I know he won't let you finish. It's not fair. I know," she said. "I don't have much of a choice." Her body shivered. Leigh lowered her head again, the world inverting. Her breath came in ragged gasps. It wasn't right, but her body wanted to climax. God, she wanted to climax. The fingers of her left hand clenched and then released slowly, rhythmically. Tears fell upwards across her forehead, but unable to wipe them, she let them fall gently through her hair. His face appeared, upside down, in front of her own. "Why?" she whispered. She could still hear Kate moaning, but there didn't seem to be any danger of the other girl climaxing. He was crouched in front of Leigh, after all. If Kate was close, he'd be there, hand in Linda's hair, waiting to stop Kate's pleasure. "Why, what?" he said simply. His fingers brushed some of the moisture from her forehead. "You know what ..." she whispered. "Why I forced her to have sex with you, but didn't let her finish? I'm going to do the same to Kate." "Why?" "You know why." "I don't. Am I being punished?" He laughed. "You deserve it for that stunt you pulled with Linda, but no, you aren't being punished. If you were being punished, you'd be lying there with your breasts being hit, maybe even bound. And you'd be losing circulation in your hands and feet." Leigh wiggled her toes. He was right. The bonds on her extremities were secure, but she wasn't in any danger of losing circulation. If it wasn't for her neck, she'd be almost comfortable. "Why then?" He smiled at her enigmatically. A cry from Kate grabbed his http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (21 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


attention for a moment, then he returned his gaze back to Leigh. "It wasn't the right time," he said. Leigh groaned as another spasm of arousal washed over her. Kate's cries were becoming more insistent, and the girl's attempts at controlling herself were drilling into Leigh's mind. Leigh closed her eyes again, and sensed as he rose away from her. As he walked towards Kate and Linda, he trailed his fingers lightly over Leigh's left side, bumping gently over her nipple, and tracing down her thigh. She nearly screamed in frustration, but managed to bite down on her cheek to stop it before it broke her lips. Wearily, she raised her head to watch as the Timeman gently pulled Linda from between Kate's thighs. Kate looked slightly better than Leigh had, but tears of frustration still coursed down Kate's cheeks to drip onto her bare breasts. It was a moment before the girl gained enough control to stop her hips from rocking, and from pulling against the ropes that held her. She kept her tongue, not begging for release, having been warned through Leigh's experience that such efforts were futile. At last, she sat still, staring at the Timeman accusingly. Linda stood beside him, silently apologetic, her hands twisting behind her bare back within the handcuffs. Leigh sighed, and let her head drop again. She'd only been awake for about two hours, and she was exhausted already.


They stood together regarding him from near the bedroom door. Linda remained handcuffed, and light marks adorned the wrists and ankles of Kate and Leigh. "Go rinse off," he waved at Kate and Leigh. Linda turned with the other two girls, but he stopped her with her name. "Linda?" Linda turned to face him, a worried look on her face. Kate and Leigh stopped, too, turning framed by the doorway. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (22 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


"She needs a shower, too," Kate murmured. "She's been through enough." He smiled. "I'm not going to hurt her. Relax." Kate retreated, somewhat mollified. At the last second, Leigh turned, and then turned back. "Can we ... brush our teeth, too?" He shrugged. "You don't have toothbrushes here." He hesitated, turning towards Linda. "Unless Linda says you can use her toothbrush." Linda silently nodded, not nearly as concerned about sharing her toothbrush after performing oral sex on both of the other girls. Leigh thanked Linda, and scampered off. In a moment, the sound of the shower began, and he motioned for Linda to sit in the chair. Linda paled, but didn't resist. She worked her bound hands behind the chair back, and sat quietly. He settled into the sofa, facing her. "I've done everything you wanted, unless you're still angry from this morning. Please, if you're going to punish me, can I know at least why?" He laughed kindly, and leaned back into the cushions, arms crossed over his chest. "Do you deserve punishing?" She thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. "I can't take any more. Please, I don't want any more pain. I'll do whatever you want from me." Her eyes narrowed for a moment. "They're gone. You watched me having sex with them, and you ... want me now." Her voice had taken on a dull edge, almost withdrawn. He inhaled deeply, letting out his breath slowly. "No, Linda. I'm not going to rape you, if that's what you are asking." "If I offer myself, it isn't rape, is it?" "I wouldn't have sex with you, even if you offered. You'd only be offering to save yourself pain." "Then why am I here? Naked? Tied up? If you aren't going to fuck me." She seemed to use the term intentionally, her eyes carefully http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (23 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


scanning his face for reaction. When there was none, she relaxed a little. She shifted her weight, bare toes pushing the floor to better position herself upright in the chair. She spoke again. "I know that I don't really have any choices any more. I don't even care any longer that you watch me, or that I'm naked. But ..." she hesitated, her eyes glancing towards the closed hallway door. "... please, I don't want you to hurt Mark. I'll have sex with you, if you want. I'll do whatever you want. Gladly. Just ..." He pushed himself up to rest his elbows on his knees. "I'm not going to rape you Linda. There's a million girls in the world that I could rape if I wanted. I don't." He hesitated a moment, then spoke again. "And if you behave yourself, I won't go anywhere near Mark. Okay?" She looked at him skeptically. She didn't say anything further, and he simply watched her silently until the sounds of the shower fell into the eerie silence of the world. No ambulance sirens wailed, no air conditioners hummed. At the sound of the shower ceasing, he pushed himself from the sofa and walked across to her. She stiffened, but then relaxed when he didn't touch her. He knelt at her feet. She shifted her legs to the side, away from him. "You're going to torture me more?" Her voice was tinged in resignation. "Please, I don't want to be hurt anymore. I've already said I'll do whatever it is you want from me." He smiled at her, touching her left ankle. She hesitated, but then gave it to him, moving her legs apart. She glanced down at herself, blushed. "You want to lick me?" she asked. His position seemed to indicate his desire. Her query didn't sound like an invitation, but more a statement of inevitability. He shook his head, and merely placed her ankle beside the chair leg. Like he had done to Kate and Linda, he wrapped rope around her ankle, lashing it securely, but not uncomfortably tightly, to the chair. "You are going to hurt me again," she sighed. He looked up at her as he repeated the motions at her right ankle. "I'm not going to hurt you again, unless you give me reason." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (24 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


"Then why tie me into a chair again? You're going to tie my breasts again, aren't you? That hurts, you know." "Not unless you want me to," he murmured. When he was finished with her ankles, he wrapped rope around her shoulders holding her back into the chair. He ensured that the rope avoided her breasts. When he was done, he checked the knots and then stood. She looked up at him. "Why, then?" "To keep you safe." "Safe?" "Where you can't hurt yourself." She sighed, not quite understanding. She twisted as he moved towards the entrance of the suite. Mistaking his intent, she called after him. "Please, don't hurt him." He turned. "Who Mark? He's fine. Missing out on all the fun with his wife, but fine." "You're leaving?" He nodded as he crouched beside the bag. He unzipped it and rummaged around in it for a moment. Finally he straightened with something small hidden in his hands. "You're going to leave me like this?" Linda asked. "Why not just let me go. I'll starve." He laughed, standing in front of her again. "I won't let you starve. Don't worry your pretty head about that." "If you're going to leave anyway, then why not let me free. Where would I go?" "You're safer like this." Linda sighed, understanding that she wasn't going to win this. She pulled half-heartedly at her ankles. When she looked up, he was holding a clothespin in front of her eyes. It took a moment for her vision to correct and for her mind to recognise it for what it was. "Please, no," she whispered. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (25 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


Instead of heeding her, he reached down. She tried to twist, but the ropes held her securely to the chair. "No. No. No," she cried. And then she screamed as the clothespin clamped mercilessly onto her nipple. She screamed again as a second one clamped onto her right side. "Please, God, take them off. It hurts. It hurts. Please." Tears streamed down her cheeks. Shaking her body only made the pain worse. Dimly, she heard the sound of a hair drier, probably her own, turn off with her screams, and then start up again. At last, the pain eased a little, and she looked up into his impassive face. He didn't care that she was in pain. Not at all. Or if he did, he hid it well. "Please, you can't leave me like this. It hurts." He crouched, leaning on her bare knees with his forearms. His chin rested on his arms, only a few inches from her sex. She could feel his breath on her tummy. "Please," she whispered. "You have no idea ..." He smiled. "Linda, I want you imagine yourself sitting here for hours while I take Kate and Leigh out to play. Those things on your breasts, your toes tied to your breasts." "Oh, God." It could always be worse. "Please, no. Just leave the clothespins on. Please." She remembered the pain of the previous punishment, and wasn't anxious to repeat that. Especially not for hours, with no hope of convincing the empty room to let her go. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her hands flexing behind her back. She screamed again as pain flooded into first her right nipple and then her left. She opened her eyes, expecting to see her nipples ripped from her body, but they were intact, no longer sporting wooden springs. The hair drier silenced in the distance. She wasn't sure, but she thought they hurt more going than coming, but it didn't take long for her nipples to regain a sense of normalcy. They ached, but she could handle the discomfort now. When she looked up again, he was seated on the sofa watching her again. The two clothespins sat harmlessly on the tabletop, aimed towards http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (26 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


her. So innocent looking. "You won't need to do that again," she whispered. "I know," he smiled. He silenced, and sat back. She turned her head to watch the bedroom doorway. He'd left her faced away from the entrance, where the two clothespins would mock her lack of freedom until they returned. The lake spread out across the bay of windows above the hot tub. She wished that she was still reclined in it, eating grapes out of the hand of Mark. But Mark was silenced somewhere else, wasn't he? Leigh and Kate stood docile as he handcuffed them beside the tub. Their hair shone, and their bodies looked scrubbed as they stood beside each other. He showed them two patches of black. "You're going to collar us like dogs?" Leigh asked incredulously. "Unless you'd like to be muzzled, too," he answered. Leigh shrugged and bowed her head. He gently brushed her hair aside, and buckled the collar around her throat. She swallowed as she raised her head. He did the same to Kate, and after she straightened, he clipped two lengths of leather to rings set in the collars. "A leash?" "I could attach one to your nipples, if you prefer," he remarked easily. Leigh sighed, and stepped forward when he tugged her leash. Kate moved forward, as well. They stopped in front of Linda, who looked up at them wearily. "How long are you going to be?" the naked girl bound in the chair asked. "Maybe forever," he replied. Kate shot him a dirty look. Despite the collar about her throat, she looked almost regal. She crouched in front of Linda. "We'll make sure he doesn't forget about you," she said. Leigh nodded in agreement. Then he tugged their leashes, and the naked girls stumbled into http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (27 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


motion, chains clinking. He pressed the pack into Kate's fingers, and she grasped it, swinging against the back of her thighs. Linda twisted to watch as he opened the door. She looked away as Mark began to fall into view. "We'll be back soon," Leigh called. The door closed with a whoosh and a click. Linda sighed, and turned to watch the brightly lit lake beyond her prison. It was going to be a long, long day.


Halfway between the eighth and seventh floors, Leigh tripped and stumbled, desperately trying to catch her balance with her hands bound behind her back. The leash connected to her collar slackened, and Kate cried out, without actually thinking about it. "Leigh!" The other girl stumbled down two steps. In the periphery of her vision, Kate watched as the Timeman, four steps below turned almost in slow motion. Leigh almost caught her balance, but then fell, trying to twist her bare body to better absorb the tumble. "Leigh!" Kate's voice disappeared into the concrete. When she opened her eyes again, her heart was hammering. No sounds of pain, or the heavy thump of Leigh's head striking concrete carried to her ears. The naked girl lay, instead, cradled in the Timeman's arms, sobbing quietly. Kate let her breath out in a slow whoosh of relief. Forgetting her own imprisonment, and ignoring the leash connected to her own collar, Kate ran down the four steps to join Leigh and her captor. "Oh Christ, are you all right?" Leigh visibly forced herself to stop crying, and raised her eyes to Kate's face. Slowly, as though taking stock of herself, she nodded. "I'm fine." The girl wiggled her bare toes, grimaced. "I scraped my http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (28 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


toes, but it could have been worse." She looked up accusingly at the Timeman, pulling at her wrists still pinned behind her back. "If I hadn't been handcuffed, I probably would have just grabbed the rail." He laughed gently, and set her on her feet. Leigh stepped gingerly onto her left foot, but eventually put her weight on it. It seemed to hold her, and she stepped away from the Timeman. "I could have let you fall down seven flights of steps, instead. Some gratitude." Leigh pursed her lips. "You want me to thank you?" He shook his head slowly, reaching for the girls' leashes again. "Can you walk?" he asked simply. Leigh took another tentative step, and nodded. "If I'd broken my leg, you would have had to let me go." He laughed. "You don't want to break your leg, just to get away from me. Trust me." Leigh seemed to accept that. Kate felt a tug on her collar, and in surprise, realised that she was still bound, and her leash was held gently between his fingers. She blushed, but began to move forward. A moment later, Leigh followed, watching her bare feet against the rough concrete of the steps. One bare foot, after the other. The lobby glowed in the afternoon light. For the girls, it was more like morning, at least that's what their bodies told them, however, the sun remained frozen where he'd stopped it, flooding the lobby with light. Forgetting her collar and leash, Kate glanced around at the luscious lobby. In real life, she could never have afforded to stay in this quality of hotel. No wonder he wanted to bring them here. Her bare feet whispered across the marble, Leigh walking quietly by her side. "I feel like an animal," Leigh whispered. If the Timeman heard her, he neither prevented her from talking, nor acknowledged her statement. Kate shrugged. "Nobody can see us. I don't like it either, but ... I http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (29 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


think I'd like being shot less." Her feet carried her three steps behind her captor. Leigh sighed, but continued along in silence. They stopped again at the main counter. He rested their leashes on the marble of the counter in front of Rachel, who was again studying something below the counter top, her eyes not watching the two naked, collared girls in front of her. "If those leashes move, I'll make the two of you regret it," he said matter-of-factly. Leigh and Kate nodded, and stood relatively still where they'd been left. Kate watched as he walked towards the front of the lobby, towards the bellboy who was watching the young lady in the loose top walking by outside. He hesitated near the revolving door, but then pushed through it standing out on the sidewalk. (Run. Kate. Run.) Kate shook her head, her eyes falling in distress towards the thin piece of leather that trembled at her motion. It slipped and she twisted to try and steady it. Despite her efforts, it fell, and dangled from her throat. She sighed as it swung against her bare skin between her breasts. "Shit," she said glumly. Leigh raised her eyebrows, and moved a little to try and return the leash to where he'd placed it. With her hands bound, however, she would have to risk displacing her own tether. Leigh shrugged and returned her eyes to the front of the lobby. He was watching the girls from outside, smiling. "What's he going to do, kill me?" Kate said. She didn't move from where he'd placed her. "Punish us," Leigh said resignedly. "Probably." Leigh sighed and watched as he re-entered the hotel through the revolving door and walked across the marble towards them. He fingered Kate's leash for a moment, his eyes disappointed. For some reason, Kate actually felt bad that he was disappointed, but she didn't say anything. With a sigh, he picked up Leigh's leash and guided the girls towards the door.



The door was difficult for her. She couldn't push, and she was afraid that her bare feet might get caught in the revolving cavern. Leigh stood waiting out on the sidewalk, the sun glinting off her loose hair. She stood beside a man in uniform, almost reminding Kate of the beefeaters of London. He helped her, rotating the door slowly as she shuffled her bare body through the rotating glass. Halfway through, he stopped the door. Kate glanced back at him. He'd stepped away from the door, his hands held lightly at his side. He smiled at her. With a sigh, Kate carefully pressed her bare shoulder to the glass and pushed. The door seemed frozen, and she pushed a little harder. He laughed, his voice seeming to emanate from a cave far away. "Like it in there, Kate?" he asked. "Not particularly," she replied. Leigh watched with a puzzled look on her face. "Maybe I'll leave you in there all day," he said. Kate glanced around at her prison. Already it was getting stuffy, only with her own body heat and breath to make the air stale. The light of the noon sun would soon warm the enclosure to uncomfortable temperatures. "Please, no," she said, turning again to face him through multiple panes of glass. He grinned and stepped around the revolving door to the exterior service door. It opened to his touch and he stepped out to join Leigh on the sidewalk. "You can't leave her in there," Leigh said evenly, her voice filtering through the glass. "I can," he said simply, turning away from Kate. "I know you can," Leigh said, moving towards the doorway. "She'll die in there. For the same reason you can't leave a helpless child in a closed car. You do know that, right?" He shrugged. "She won't die," he said. Leigh slowly fell to her knees, and looked up at him. "She's my friend, now," Leigh begged. "I'll do whatever you want to let her out. Please."



He crouched in front of the kneeling girl. "Leigh, my dear, you'll do whatever I want, anyway." Leigh choked back a sob, her breasts hitching in the sunlight. "Please let her out," Leigh said. "What fun for you is she in there?" He seemed to think about it as he straightened. "She was told not to disturb her leash. At least, I'm not whipping her for it." "It was an accident. She didn't move from where you put her. Neither did I. Please. You'll kill her in there." The air in the small chamber was already getting uncomfortably warm for Kate. A trickle of perspiration traced down her ribs. The enclosure wasn't large enough for her to sit, unless she really bent her knees, but she could lean against the glass. She did, knowing somehow that her voice wouldn't carry to the two out in the fresh air. She pressed her lips together, trying to stop tears from beginning. It had been an accident. She shouldn't have been wearing a damn leash to begin with. She wasn't a damn animal, was she? His voice filtered in to her again. "Would you crawl a block for me?" "Crawl?" "Crawl. On your hands and knees. In the middle of the street." Leigh hesitated, but eventually nodded. "You could make me do it anyway." "I could. Would you do it for Kate? I won't make you do it if you say no." Leigh nodded. "Let her out, and I'll crawl for you." He nodded, and motioned to the redhead trapped in the revolving doors. Kate hesitated, but eventually shook her head. She remained in the enclosure, leaning back against the door.




"I can't let her do that," Kate said quietly. "I'll crawl for you, but don't ask her to crawl for something I did. Even something as minor as this. If I die in here, so be it." He smiled at her. He pressed a single hand against the glass. Leigh stood at his side, a little behind him. Leigh opened her mouth. "Kate, don't be stupid. Come out of there. You'd do the same for me." Kate shook her head. Another bead of sweat formed on her forehead and dripped down her nose. "No," she said simply. He regarded her for a moment, then turned away. A tear fell from Leigh's eyes, and she too turned away. "You'll crawl anyway, even if Kate refuses to come out," he said. Leigh nodded, understanding. Kate turned her gaze to the couple. Leigh turned towards her, shaking. "Please, Kate. I. I don't want to be alone here. I. I'm going to crawl whether you come out or not." "At least it won't be my fault," Kate said quietly. "But I ... please Kate. I don't want you to die in there." Kate looked up, the building seemed to close in on her like the small cage in which she stood. He could make her come out, could easily force the door forward to push her bare body through, could easily threaten Leigh, or whip her. She'd come out voluntarily. He grasped Leigh's upper arm, and gently guided her towards the street where there was less obstructions for her. The green Toyota sat, still double parked, where Kate had left it, keys still in the ignition. "Please?" Leigh said as she glanced at the revolving door from the middle of the street. She looked odd, and vulnerable with her hands handcuffed behind her, naked, barefoot, standing beside him. Slowly, Leigh turned away from the lobby, and lowered herself to her knees and waited while he released her hands. Crying, the girl http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (33 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


lowered herself to her hands and knees in the middle of the lane. If it had been a normal day, the girl wouldn't have lasted a moment in that position, there, in the middle of traffic. Gently, he cast a glance towards Kate, and then tugged at Leigh's leash. With a cry, Leigh carefully lifted her hand, and began her awkward motion towards whatever destination he had in mind for them. With a sigh, Kate rose and pressed her shoulder against the glass again. It didn't move, and she cried out in frustration. He'd locked her in again, with time. She could only see Leigh's bare feet, moving slowly past the interceding parked cars. His head bobbed slowly above the cars. "Please," Kate whispered. The air had grown completely stale, as she imagined a submarine might feel like while underwater too long. It was stuffy, and uncomfortable. She didn't want to spend the day in here. As if he'd heard her whisper, the glass rattled at her weight, and shifted slightly. "Thank you," she whispered again, and pressed against the glass. Slowly, the heavy door moved. The sunshine, and fresh air, immersed her, and she temporarily forgot her position, naked, collared and bound in the street. She ran out into the road, oblivious to sharp stones, or the roughness of the asphalt. Leigh looked up and over her shoulder as Kate appeared, gasping behind her. She hadn't moved very far, unable to crawl on the blacktop. She smiled, and bowed her head forward. The Timeman regarded her with a serious expression. Kate was sure that she'd pay for her defiance in her cage, but she didn't care anymore. The fresh air kissed her lungs in great gulps. Slowly, he dropped Leigh's leash, and walked towards Kate. Slowly, Kate knelt, her knees pressing painfully into the blacktop. When he removed her handcuffs, she rocked forward, her palms joining her knees. Without being told, she fell into an awkward crawl, feeling the roughness of the ground against her skin. When she caught up with Leigh, he reached down, gathering both girl's tethers into his hand, and gently pulled them forward. Leigh stumbled into a crawl, and a moment later, Kate did, too. She was acutely aware of the image that http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (34 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


she must be projecting, naked, her bare breasts swaying beneath her, her bare body like that of an animal. (Oh, God. I'm a pet.) She pushed the thought from her mind, and concentrated on moving each limb, one at a time, slowly up the road. "Thank you," Leigh whispered. Kate found the strength to smile, and continued to crawl beside Leigh. Her knees, the tops of her feet, and her palms, felt like they'd been sanded with coarse grade sandpaper. She grimaced as she touched each with her fingers before rising to her bare feet. Knees and palms weren't designed to be used for locomotion, she was sure. Her breath moved in and out of her lungs in a tired rhythm. Kate would never have imagined that crawling could be so exhausting. And yet, she was grateful that he'd finally let them up when they had crawled to the end of the block. "Thank you," she whispered to him, still trying to catch her breath. Any more crawling, at least on the road, would have probably begun to make her bleed. She wasn't sure if she could have crawled any further, and Leigh seemed to be just as grateful for her release. He tugged the girls by their leashes, and they stumbled into step behind him again. He guided them to the sidewalk, threading through Mercedes, and Jaguars. He didn't bother to handcuff them again. "Where are we going?" Kate asked quietly. Without turning, he answered her. "Not much further." She'd already figured that out because he hadn't forced her to drive. She continued to follow him, not having much choice. She hesitated before entering the revolving door, suddenly afraid of its enclosed glass. But she wasn't handcuffed this time, and her collar was more a nuisance than an impediment. Taking a deep breath, she pushed through, following Leigh. The door didn't freeze as she passed through, and Leigh looked relieved as Kate emerged into the cool lobby. He followed the girls, and ushered them to the security counter. A http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (35 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


blonde girl, her hair tucked up in a ponytail under a baseball cap sat at the desk watching a rotund lady make her way to the elevator bank. He glanced at the girl, and then leaving Kate and Leigh to stand against the front of the counter, he walked around and inspected the security guard. Kate watched as he worked the book out from beneath her frozen fingers. He laughed before replacing it. "Freud. Crap," he muttered as he returned to touch Kate's bare shoulder. "What would Freud have said about this." "Probably that you were obsessed by sex," Kate said, hoping that it wouldn't earn her another punishment. She doubted if she could crawl much further. He smiled, instead of chastising her. "Probably." He leaned over the counter, eyeing the girl's breasts. "Is that all you think about?" Kate asked. He straightened, and looked at the bare girl. "What?" "You were checking out her breasts." "Actually, I was noting that her name was Andrea," he said, pointing at the small tag pinned above Andrea's right breast. Kate flushed, and nodded. Her nipples and clitoris pulsed as her fingers traced the collar around her own throat. Sex was about all she was thinking about too, since Linda had teased her to tears this morning. She was sure that Leigh was in the same boat. "Oh," Kate said. As far as she knew, though, he hadn't had any sexual satisfaction since this whole thing began either. He'd let some of the girls he took orgasm, but not Kate nor Leigh, but as far as she knew, he hadn't forced any of them to satisfy his own needs. After seeing naked girls running around constantly, most willing and able, she was sure that he must be hurting as much as she was, and she knew that his mind just had to be on sex. Why else keep her like this all the time? She watched as he moved over to the directory. The directory listed the companies located in the building. Her eyes widened as she realised where she was standing. There were at least seventy stories to this building. His finger traced down the small silver rectangles until it stopped beside: http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (36 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


Blake and Sons -- Law Firm -- 4201 She idly wondered why he needed a lawyer -- at least here and now -but before she had a chance, he'd motioned the girls to him. "Ready for a long climb?" he asked them. Leigh nodded wearily. "Do I have choice?" Kate asked. He smiled and shook his head. At least they weren't handcuffed this time. He held the door open for them, and the girls passed through ahead of him. The fire stairs stretched endlessly up into the heights of the building. The concrete of the fire steps pressed roughly into her bare skin as she struggled to control her breathing. Even the Timeman looked out of breath, and he wasn't carrying the pack, nor was he struggling to breath with a collar around his neck. They were only half-way to the forty-second floor, which Kate presumed was their destination. She idly wondered why he simply didn't unfreeze the elevators. They'd stopped at floor eleven, and now again at twenty-two. Kate thought that her calves would explode, or her lungs. But eventually, her breathing returned to normal. Leigh asked the question, breathlessly, that Kate had considered earlier. "Why didn't you just restart the elevator?" He laughed, leaning heavily on the railing. The girls sat on the stairs above him, facing him. "Too complex. I'd pretty much have to unfreeze the entire shaft. And we'd be completely screwed if the thing stopped between floors, wouldn't we? Who would we call for help?" "Oh," Leigh said. She looked down towards her bare toes. "Are you ever going to let us dress?" Kate asked. He smiled. "But you look so much better naked, don't you think?" Kate glanced down at herself. It was easier to accept her own nudity http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (37 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


in the relative privacy of a fire stairwell. But she shook her head negatively. "If we do what you want, will you let us have some clothes, eventually?" He smiled, motioning them to rise. As they began to trudge up the stairs, he answered her. "If you behave, perhaps," he said. Kate smiled a little, before the steps again claimed her breath. "Couldn't you have chosen a lawyer on the main floor?" Leigh wheezed. She knelt beside Kate, her chest heaving. He leaned against the far wall, between two elevator doors, trying to catch his own breath. Kate lowered the pack beside her, and held her hands to her right side. Her diaphragm ached from the exertion, sweat trickling down her neck from the base of her red hair. They hadn't rested since the twenty-second floor. "No good ones on the main floor," he said with a laugh. Kate was relieved that he seemed as tired as she. He wasn't a superman, at least. True, he had shoes and clothing, making his journey a little more pleasant than hers, but he was at least as much out of breath as she, maybe more so. Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet, proud that she could while he still leaned against the wall breathing hard. Her calves screamed at her, and her lungs felt like she'd been breathing volcanic ash for the last fifteen flights of stairs. The elevator hallway was lined in plush carpet, mahogany panelling on the walls to impress big clients. The carpet felt like heaven to her bare feet, after the repetition of the concrete roughness of the stairs. Ignoring the scenery, she extended her hand to help Leigh to her bare feet. They stood quietly waiting for him to catch his breath. Kate stooped to pick up the backpack, noting the jingles from within. She hoped that he wouldn't retie them, but knew that it was likely that she'd lose the freedom of her hands at least. He seemed to like the girls wearing restraints, even when there was no danger to him, or his person from them. She sighed, and simply followed as he pushed himself from the wall at last, and guided the girls towards the reception desk located http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (38 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


north of the elevator banks.


He jumped up, resting on the opulent marble of the reception desk. He swung his legs easily, ignoring the male receptionist sitting frozen behind him. The girls stood, Leigh with her hands held easily behind her back, and Kate holding the blue backpack at her side, near a small reception table piled with old magazines. He motioned them down, and without complaint, the girls sank to their knees. Kate released the backpack, and they both knelt with their hands held in their laps. "Why are we here?" Kate asked quietly, not looking like she expected a real answer. He shrugged. "I once had fun with a couple of lawyers here." "What kind of fun?" He shrugged again, deigning to answer her. Kate persisted. "Are we going to be involved?" "Why should I tell you?" The girl shrugged, not able to come up with a convincing answer. "Because we'd like to know what to prepare ourselves for? Maybe we can help you," she said quietly. He smiled. "I doubt it. Actually, I'm going to leave you here." "Here?" He nodded as he jumped back down to the carpet. He picked up the blue pack from beside Kate and rummaged through it, eventually extracting two pairs of handcuffs.



Kate didn't resist as he grasped her right wrist, slowly ratcheting the cuff against her skin. "You don't need to restrain us," she murmured. He ignored her, and continued, picking up her left wrist and connecting her hands together in front of her. "Why do you still tie us up? Don't you trust us?" Kate asked as he moved on to Leigh. Leigh didn't resist any more than Kate had. "Trust you?" "Trust us. You're leaving, and you put these things on me." Kate rattled her wrists making the chain between them jingle merrily. "I'm not going to run. I can't. Where would I run? You'd find me, and probably kill me, even if I was able to get down forty two flights of stairs." A sudden idea came to her. "If I could even get past the doorway." He continued to join Leigh's wrists, until they lay securely in her lap again. He straightened. "You don't need to restrain us," Kate said simply. "We aren't going anywhere. We can't." He smiled again. "I know." "Then why?" Kate held up her hands, offering them up as if she expected him to release her, but her face held the knowledge that he wouldn't no matter how much sense she made. "Because I want you like that," he said simply. He thought he saw a tear escape, but she brushed it away with her hands together rising to her cheek. She nodded, resignedly, pulling gently at her bonds. "You don't have to kneel," he said. "Read some magazines or something, but stay here, in reception, even if you hear something from inside. Okay?" "Are you going to hurt someone?" Leigh asked. "I don't know what I'm going to do next," he said truthfully. He turned at the oaken doors leading to the offices beyond. "I don't need to tell you not to get into any sexual activity, right?" Kate raised her face indignantly. "What makes you think we lack the control ..." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (40 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


He laughed, and smiled at her. He stepped forward, and crouched in front of Kate. Kate watched him worriedly. Gently, he urged her thighs to part. Reluctantly, she allowed it. She wasn't spread obscenely wide, but it was wide enough for him to trace her labia, one finger slipping past to briefly touch her clitoral hood. She gasped and then moaned as his finger left her. Slowly, she pushed her legs back together. "God," she whispered. "That's why," he said. "You don't want to know what will happen to you if I think you two were fooling around in here. You asked about trust? I cuffed your hands in front of you so you could read magazines. I didn't tie you to pillars, or into chairs to prevent you from touching yourselves. Don't make me regret it. Okay? Even if you don't think so, I am trusting you." Kate nodded. He turned to look at them again before pushing through the oaken doors. "Why keep us aroused?" she asked simply. He understood implicitly what the naked girl meant. "Control," he replied. And then he pushed open the doors, and slipped through. A solid looking oaken door appeared in the maze of office corridors. "William Blake," it proclaimed in fancy writing. If his bearings were correct, the office occupied a good portion of the southeast corner of the floor. Curious, he unfroze the door and pushed it open with a muted creak. Two men, one older, and one middle-aged, sat watching the older man's desk. Both wore expensive looking blue suits, with matching ties. A standard office telephone sat between them, and the middle aged man bent towards it, frozen saying something to an entity that would never hear it. He wandered through the office, ignoring the men. A bar recessed into the bookshelves on the north wall, and a flat screen stood on the old man's desk gathering dust. Two chairs sat unoccupied beside the middle aged man. The view out the window was spectacular, the lake and the downtown core spread out like a postcard. After a moment, he turned away from http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (41 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


the windows, and slipped back out of the office. He turned left, and continued to explore. She stood like a statue, her hand resting on the doorknob. She wore a suit, as they all did around here, but hers consisted of a designer skirt, with matching jacket. Her face wore a harried, busy look. He stepped up to her, wondering if the office beyond her fingers belonged to her, or if she was merely visiting it. The nameplate affixed to the door said: 'M Pelletier." The girl didn't look French, but she was certainly attractive. Her brunette hair was pulled back in a severe, but professional, bun. And she didn't use excessive makeup. She didn't need it. Her clothes masked her body's curves, but hinted at an athleticism that her profession normally lacked. He stood back, regarding her. Slowly, he circled her, ducking under her reaching arm. He wondered who she was, and why she was harried. If she were a lawyer, that would probably explain the harried look. He didn't envy lawyers their profession. He supposed that she would probably be more harried in a few minutes. He slowly slipped into a sitting position, against the far wall, well away from the woman. He slowly calmed his breathing -- his lungs still hurt from the awful climb up the stairs. Slowly, he pulled the gun from his waistband, and unfroze the safety. With this girl, he suspected, the gun would be necessary. He didn't know why, but she had that demeanour, even when frozen. It was what he wanted in his captives. Oh yes. Neither Kate, nor Leigh, lacked spirit. The woman muttered something about a man or a woman named Tyler before twisting the doorknob. The door began to creak open. He cleared his throat, resting the gun across his knees. He hoped that he wouldn't need to show the girl that it worked, but if he did, that was life.



At the small sound, the woman whirled, her skirt flaring as she did. The door slipped closed with a click as she turned. Her eyes first looked confused, but then lowered to where he sat against the wall. Instead of his face, her eyes found the weapon lying almost innocently in her gaze across his knees. Her eyes widened, and her lips parted to say something.


The television hummed with a high pitched squeal that most people couldn't hear, but no picture appeared on the screen, only blankness staring out at her. Dawn sighed, and sipped at the glass of milk that she had pried from the stubborn refrigerator a few minutes earlier. She didn't know what she exactly expected on the television, certainly not the standard daytime drivel, but perhaps a cover story flashing across CNN decrying the strange state of the world. Instead, the television refused to acknowledge her -- not even static buzzing out into the world. (What are you going to do, Dawnie?) (I don't know.) (Find him?) She picked up the remote control, surprised that her time bubble seemed to encapsulate it almost without thought. She thumbed the power button, and the high pitched squeal from the set silenced. Belatedly, she realised that she merely could have released the television from the time bubble she'd struggled to cast around it. A faint squeeze between her legs stirred. She gasped, dropping the remote. The sexual tingling returned like a horse rising from a trot to a gallop. The remote fell from her fingers, slipping from the time bubble in a small flash of light. It disappeared, only to reappear on the coffee table from where she'd picked it up moments before. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (43 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


She gasped again, as she was pulled unwillingly back towards them. She forced her eyes open, regarding the blue haze of the universe as it slipped by her. (Nice going, Pandora. Nice going.) She felt her sex pulse again, and she cried out at the intensity. In the real world, not the more hazy copy far away, she tried to force her fingers away from her breast, and from delving into her lap. Moaning, Dawn tilted over, drawing her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her calves for safety. It was Kate, she was sure. She was beginning to recognise them. Her hands seemed to be free, for once, but she remained naked, and cool. Something heavy hung around her throat, and her palms and knees felt scraped like she'd had a run in with a mad woodworker's sanding block. A slight weight fell from her throat, twitching between her bare breasts, but Kate wasn't looking down, so she couldn't see what it was. The Timeman walked around a pretty blonde girl in a baseball cap who looked as frozen as the other people of the world. The cap read: 'Security'. There was a name tag pinned above her right breast, but Dawn couldn't read it. At least the girls weren't in pain this time. Nevertheless, Dawn felt her body tingling, sexual energy flowing through her veins. The Timeman looked up, and began to walk back towards the naked girls. An irrational fear of what would happen if she stayed yanked Dawn out of the vision, back to where she lay curled up on the sofa. The television stared at her accusingly. Surprisingly, her fingers seemed to be behaving, clasped around her legs. Her body throbbed, but for once, her fingers seemed to be listening to her. She didn't have to fight them away from her erogenous zones. She knew the place, the security desk seemed familiar to her. (Where? Where? Where?) She didn't fight it when the visions pulled her again. Her body rocked slightly as the haze overtook her, but she wasn't afraid. Calm descended. Again, she appeared to be inhabiting the girl named Kate, and she stood approximately where she had while the Timeman had examined the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (44 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


security girl. But she was facing away from the desk towards a silver wall. (Silver wall?) The girl named Leigh, Dawn remembered from various trips into her body and mind, stood easily beside Kate. She wore a leather collar, seemingly locked to her throat, a leash descending from a ring to hang easily between the girl's bare breasts. Leigh didn't seem perturbed about the symbols of her captivity, almost as if she were used to them. Dawn's palms and knees still ached, and she could feel attire similar to Leigh's, adorning Kate's body. With Kate, she watched the Timeman as he traced his finger down the silver tiles. (I crawled. Down the middle of the road.) The thought jolted her, and she fought her body's response to it. Why the thought of Kate, or herself, crawling down a busy street, naked, should arouse her, she didn't know. Intuitively, she knew because it aroused Kate, but the reasoning bubbled just below her consciousness. The finger stopped on one that read: 'Blake and Sons - Law Firm 4201'. She could read it because Kate focused on it. "Ready for a long climb?" he asked. "Do I have a choice?" Dawn said in Kate's voice. Her lungs burned, and her calves felt like they had been poked with red hot irons. She collapsed with Leigh, the roughness of the concrete stairs pressing against her spine and bare bottom. She didn't care. Kate had stopped climbing, and that was enough for now. When the dots of bright light began to fade from behind her eyelids, she sighed with the naked girl, sympathising with her pain. At least the Timeman hadn't made the girls climb the stairs in handcuffs. Dawn, in the real world, on her couch, rocked and tried to control her real breathing as air rasped in and out of her lungs, rattling through the still living room. She hugged her knees harder, trying to understand why her real body felt what Kate was feeling. She could feel the concrete against the bare soles of her feet, and the burning of her calf muscles. It wouldn't fade if she pulled out, she knew, but the climb was http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (45 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


merely filled with the girl's panting and the heat their bodies generated in the deserted stairwell. Relatively innocent. She stayed. "Are you ever going to let us dress?" Kate/Dawn asked. He smiled. "But you look so much better naked, don't you think?" Dawn sighed, and returned to her more clothed existence. The universe didn't resist her efforts this time, and she slipped back without a murmur. Her body throbbed again, but it wasn't as insistent. She glanced down at herself, her sweatshirt and jeans seemed so much like a privilege. She wished she could share it with Kate and Leigh. With a sigh, Dawn pushed herself into a sitting position, and from there, she rose to her bare feet. The phone book was more difficult to free for some reason, perhaps the insistent throbbing in her groin from her recent travels, but she tried to ignore the sensations as her time bubble extended, and at last, she reached onto the top shelf of the closet and cradled the thick book in her elbow. Returning to the sofa, she glanced at the television, still silent on the cabinet where she'd set it when she'd moved in. Slowly, she flipped to the blue edged business section, and traced her finger down the 'B' column. There is was. 'Blake and Sons - Law Firm'. There was a useless number there -- Dawn was sure that telephones were as useful here as her television -- but that wasn't what she was interested in. Before the telephone number, an address glared out at her. Before she could take note of the address, the phone book jittered in her hand, and she was pulled back into the blue haze. A well dressed woman, perhaps in her late twenties, stood in a nicely decorated hallway, her hand on a doorknob to an office. Dawn looked down at herself, expecting to see Kate's nudity, but instead, only empty air greeted her. She seemed to be anchorless, not attached to any particular girl. This was new. The Timeman circled the woman before lowering himself to sit on the floor under a bright watercolour of a house resting on the western plains. Smears of wheat flowed in the captured wind. He pulled out the gun.



The appearance of the weapon tingled Dawn's skin, and she felt herself drawn towards him, slowly. She consciously backed up, afraid to enter his body and mind. There was no reason. She'd never been able to discern if Kate or Leigh, or Kelly had ever detected her symbiotic presence, but they weren't Time gifted either. And so, she backed up. Dimly, she was aware of the phone book sliding from her knees, in a living room far away. The dull thud of it striking the floor echoed to her ears. The well dressed woman moved slightly, opening the door. She turned at the sound of his voice, for an instant, it seemed that her eyes dwelt on Dawn's empty form. The woman had striking eyes, blue as the sea. But then she turned to face the Timeman and his gun. Dawn closed her eyes, and yanked. The universe didn't want to give her up this time, but eventually bent to her will. She didn't want to see the woman, and what he'd make her do. (Somehow, I'll see it anyway.) (Pandora.) Her breathing was ragged as she bent to pick up the phone book. For a few minutes, she sat quietly, her hands resting on the book, not opening it. Sexual energy coursed through her. (I don't want to masturbate. I don't.) (I do.) (I don't.) And she didn't. Instead, she forced her fingers to flip back open the book on her knees. She located Blake and Sons quickly, but then averted her eyes. (Do I really want to?) (No.) (Yes.) At last, she focused her eyes on where the tip of her forefinger rested. The address focused into her memory and she slowly closed the book. She leaned back her head, resting it on the sofa. She allowed the phone book to leave her sphere of influence. The book winked out of existence, and she was sure that if she looked, it would be resting http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (47 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


on the top shelf of the closet from where she'd retrieved it. (Go.) (Not yet.) The vision nearly had a dreamlike quality to it. She sat naked and bound into a chair in a room that she had never seen before. A hot tub bubbled under a bank of bay windows overlooking the lake. Pinpricks of sunlight glanced off frozen whitecaps. Her vision was blurry, tears hazing her view of the world. Her body ached, especially her breasts and her thighs, and she wanted to shift, but the ropes held her down securely. When would he be back? She didn't know, and neither did the girl that she co-existed with. The girl tried to move her ankle for the millionth time, but the ropes held her skin tightly against the chair leg. The girl was worried about Mark, and of being raped, but her name wouldn't flow to the surface. Dawn had no idea of who she was. Dawn wondered where she was. Somewhere downtown, in the city core. The view of the lake confirmed that. An apartment? Who was Mark? She didn't know that either. The girl managed to stop crying for a moment, her eyes clearing a little. She glanced down in front of where she was bound, the bare skin of her breasts visible in the periphery of her vision. Fear stabbed into the girl as her eyes gathered in two clothespins lying innocently on the tabletop. Memories of pain, and humiliation flooded into the girl's consciousness. Dawn cringed, knowing where the clothespins had been, and where they might go again. Her nipples ached in sympathy, miles away in a safe living room. (Clothespins.) (No. No. No.) The girl began to weep again, quietly by herself in her naked prison. Dawn, feeling almost like an intruder, slipped out of the vision, and returned to the safe living room with the silent http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (48 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


television. (You've opened the box now, Pandora.) Dawn nodded. Almost absently, she pulled her fingers from stroking herself, and lifted herself to her feet. She was going to need socks and shoes and maybe a light jacket. Somehow, she didn't know why, but she'd been chosen. And even if she didn't know the girls, or even if she could help, but she had to try. She stepped towards her bedroom again, determined that the door wouldn't interfere with her getting her socks. She lifted the backpack and stepped back outside, the fresh air feeling like lavender across her face. At the driveway, she turned slowly, looking back at the small house. (Will I ever come back here?) She honestly didn't know. (I hope so.) On the driveway, her battered old Chrysler sat, for once not rusting any more. Half the time, the car would turn over, but not start. She rarely drove any more, though she kept her license valid. Not that licenses meant much anymore. The address bubbled to the surface of her mind. Way too far to walk. She sat down in the grass beside the driveway, staring at the car. It looked as big as a whale, impossibly large to reanimate. She swallowed heavily, bracing herself for the inevitable. Intuitively, she knew that re-animating larger things was harder than smaller ones like the television or the remote. Complex things, like people, or cars, were even more difficult. She had no idea why, and didn't dwell on it. But pure cause and effect told her what the effect of reanimating the car would be on her body. She needed the vehicle. Couldn't find them without it. She swallowed again, holding her hands lightly against her jeans. She pushed, sensing the bubble expanding and resting against the side of the vehicle. She pushed again, straining to merge it with the metal and fibreglass.



Bursts of sexual energy cried out through her body, but she tried to ignore the insistent throbbing. It intensified as she pushed again; she sensed the bubble beginning to slip. She tried to redirect her emotions into anger, happiness, anything but outright arousal, but the universe wasn't being cooperative. Arousal flooded her, as she'd been afraid it would. With a sigh, she allowed her left hand to stroke her right nipple. (Please, don't make me pleasure myself. Not here.) And the universe complied. With a pop, as her hand lightly stroked her nipple through her sweatshirt sending worse stabs of desire into her, the bubble snapped around the vehicle encompassing it. Slowly, dizzily, she rose to her feet, her sneakers whispering through the grass, and then crackling on the asphalt of the driveway. The driver door opened without a sound, and she slipped into the worn drivers seat. Her feet rested easily on the pedals. The world spun, but she wasn't sure if it was an effect of her raging hormones, or whether it was an artifact of the universe's warped timeframe. Swallowing, she prayed as she slipped the keys into the ignition. The engine cranked twice, as her right foot tapped the accelerator in a practised motion. The engine roared into life with a rattling vibration. It sent chills over her skin, and through her nerves. Her clitoris sang with the stimulation, and she very nearly climaxed as she sat there, hands clamped to the wheel. (No. No. No.) And the sensations ebbed, but remained boiling insistently between her legs, hovering at the ragged edge of consciousness. (I'm going to have to do it.) (Maybe not.) (Who are you kidding, Pandora?) She sighed, thankful that her body hadn't won this time, and she pushed the gear shift, grinding, into first gear. The car rolled forward slowly, crunching down the driveway towards the empty street. "Thank-you," she whispered.




"You don't know how much trouble you're in," she said with an edge of fear permeating her voice. He shrugged, and pushed himself slowly to his feet. His head obscured the watercolour hanging on the wall behind him. His hand held the pistol swinging easily at his side. Her eyes never left it. "I'll scream, and security will be all over you," she said. "If you really believed that, you'd be screaming." She bit her lip, backing up until her back touched the office door behind her. "They'd come, but you might shoot me before they did." He sighed, and twirled the gun lazily. Her eyes followed every movement of it. "What do you want?" she asked, her voice emerging eyes left the gun to dart left and right down the to run, and nobody walking up the hallway to help can have whatever I have in my purse. It's in the let me open the door."

as a whisper. Her hallway. Nowhere her. "Money? You office, if you'll

"I want to know who you are," he said. She turned her eyes back to him. He was tall, but otherwise normal. "You don't know who I am?" He shook his head. The gun bobbed, but suddenly it was aimed at her. Her heart jumped in her throat. "I'll scream anyway." He sighed. "You might as well try it. It won't help you." "You won't shoot me?"



She regarded him with the look she might a guilty client, trying to determine his state of stability. Her throat closed, only a squeak emerging. "You can't yell louder than that?" And she did, her voice strangely not echoing up the corridor. The scream was featureless, no words, only an unusual sound in an office, attempting to get anyone's attention. As the sound of her voice died, the office remained eerily silent. She glanced up the hallway, but no patter of saving feet, or shouts of security, rounded the blind corners. She turned to look at him, puzzlement on her face. He had known, somehow, that screaming wouldn't get him caught. "What do you want?" she whispered. "First, I want to know who you are. Is this your office?" She nodded, afraid to lie. "M. Pelletier. Michelle? Mandy?" "Monique," she supplied, moving slightly to the left. His eyes followed her, the gun unwavering from her torso. He leaned back against the opposite wall, and lowered the gun. "Trust me, Monique, the gun works, and is loaded." She nodded, fear still evident in her eyes and stance. "The big office, down through the maze ... whose is it?" She looked startled for a moment, then regained a sense of stability. "Old man Blake's office? I just came from there. Are you here to rob him?" "Rob him?" The gunman laughed. "Why would I need to rob him." Monique shrugged. "Why else would you need to walk in here with a gun?" "Why were you in the big man's office?" he asked her. "He was giving me a case. I'm a lawyer. He's going to promote me. But what does this have to do with you holding a gun on me?"



Instead of answering her, he motioned her back the way he'd come. She lifted her hands, like in the movies, and walked ahead of him. "You look ridiculous, Monique." "You're holding a gun on me, what did you expect?" she said. She walked slowly in front of him, not making any threatening moves, or trying to look back. "You can put your hands down. I doubt if you have a weapon on you, and even if you did, it wouldn't help you." Monique slowly lowered her hands to her sides without stopping. They passed the oaken doors leading to the lobby. The girls outside were quiet, and Monique walked by oblivious to the two naked girls on the other side of the door. "Where are we going?" she asked him. "To pay a visit to Mr. Blake," he replied quietly. She stood with her back against the wall beside the door, shivering. The two men, Blake and Johnson, sat at the older man's desk intently regarding the phone placed on the desk surface between them. The gunman walked up to the desk, beside where Johnson was sitting, and leaned forward, hands braced on the front of the desk to either side of Blake's nameplate. "Allah-kazam," the gunman whispered. Surprised, Blake looked up at the man who had suddenly appeared leaning against his desk uninvited. His eyes flitted to Monique, and then to the tall man's hands, one of which held the pistol against the desk. Monique tried to signal the old man with her eyes, but he ignored her, instead facing the gunman. His voice emerged with the waver of age, but not with fear. "Young man, I don't know why you are here, or how you got here, but it seems rather uncivilised to be towering over an old man holding a pistol. Why don't you have a seat?" Blake glanced at Johnson, a puzzled look gracing his features for a moment. Then with a shrug, he seemed to accept that Johnson was frozen, and continued with the conversation. The gunman continued to stand. "I'll talk to you the way you are, but you'd be more comfortable in a chair. We are civilised here, are we not?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (53 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


The gunman regarded the old man almost suspiciously, but slowly lowered himself into the far chair in front of the desk. "That's better, my young man," the older man said. He leaned back into the chair, apparently unafraid of the weapon still pointed at him. "You might offer Miss Pelletier a seat, as well." He turned towards the girl, and said, "Monique, if you want, you can sit on the floor." "That isn't exactly what I meant," Blake said, but as the woman slipped to the floor, he shrugged and turned back towards the gunman. The gunman spoke slowly. "You aren't afraid." The older man smiled, and tucked his hands behind his neck. "Young man, I've seen guns before, and I've faced death before. I've lived my life, and though I really don't understand the necessity of threats, or scaring my staff, I accept that you think it is necessary. I also do not wish to die today. The safety is off that toy gun you're waving around, and though I'm sure that it is loaded, and you know how to fire it, I would prefer if you'd lower it. Neither I, nor Miss Pelletier, nor our frozen friend here is a threat to you." The gunman lowered the gun, placing it across his jeans. "All right." "There doesn't need to be bloodshed here," Blake continued, "The wall safe is behind that picture." He pointed a hand that shook more with age than fright, at another watercolour near a bookshelf. "The combination is rather complex, but I can open it for you, or describe how you might open it yourself." The gunman smiled, and leaned back into the plushness of the chair. He crossed his arms over his chest. "There is in excess of one hundred thousand dollars in there. If you'd like, I can easily provide more through unbrokered accounts." "What makes you think that I want your money?" the gunman said quietly. Blake looked taken aback for a moment, but then his eyes grew more insightful. "I see," he said in the same calm voice he'd been using so far. "It cannot be me that you wish." His eyes flit over to Monique hugging her knees and sitting by the doorway. "What will it take to free http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (54 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


her?" "You're smart," the gunman said. "Young man, I didn't survive wars with stupidity." "I wouldn't suggest that, sir." "What will it take?" "Take?" "To free Miss Pelletier from your clutches. What is it that you want, if not money. Information? Favours? Extortion?" The gunman laughed. "I'll let her go when I'm ready. You misunderstand me." "I see. I cannot claim to understand what is going on here, or why you are sitting in my office with a weapon that can only be used to kill. And I suspect that the argument of legal ramifications would be ... useless to you. You are aware of where you tread." The gunman nodded. Blake closed his mouth as the gunman leaned over the arm of the chair and gathered something from the pack beside him. A pair of handcuffs gleamed in the afternoon sun. Blake didn't seem surprised. Without turning, the gunman spoke. "Monique?" "Y-y-yes ..." she stammered. "I'd like for you to handcuff Mr. Blake. Not tightly, but securely, so that he cannot cause me any trouble." "I won't," Monique said clearly from her seated position next to the door. He turned, and aimed the weapon at the girl, who shielded her face, and turned away, stiff. Blake's voice called from behind the desk. "Young man, there really is no need to bind me. I'm far too old for heroics." He ignored the old man, and called again. "Monique? Last chance. Mr. Blake over here isn't correct. This isn't only a weapon designed to kill. It can also maim." Without turning to face him, he addressed Blake. "Sir? Have you ever seen a bullet wound? One placed in a shoulder? A kneecap? An elbow?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (55 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


Blake grimaced, and bit at his lower lip. "I've seen warfare, yes." After a moment, he inhaled slowly. "Miss Pelletier? Such things are never pleasant. And though I would endure them gladly, I fear that you would never walk again, and you are young. I have seen this man's type before. He would shoot you, and not pleasantly -- though more from ignorance, I fear, than intent." The gunman turned to face Blake who continued to speak. "Have you ever shot a person before, young man?" "I haven't needed to. Yet." "I imagine not," Blake said quietly. "You have never seen someone gut shot, or even shot in the leg, have you?" The gunman shook his head again. "You would not be threatening that pretty creature over there with it if you had. But I do not wish for her to suffer to satisfy your curiosity. If you wish me bound, I will gladly submit. I thought that I had made that clear. You do not require to restrain me. I am no threat to you, or your plans, but if you wish it, I will allow it without fight." "I won't handcuff him," Monique said defiantly from the floor. "Miss Pelletier, you will have a wonderful life. Such inconsequentials are not worth harm to you. I willingly will allow it, and I don't mind. Let him bind me, through you. Miss Pelletier?" The girl looked up, and slowly shook her head. She was fighting back tears evident upon her eyelids. "Miss Pelletier. It is not worth the consequences." Slowly, she stood. The tears disappeared, replaced by a modicum of hate, or rage. Either may have been represented by her features. She stepped forward and snatched the chrome from his fingertips. The ratchet clicked, and Blake's hands were immobilised behind his back. "Satisfied?" she asked. He nodded, and she stalked back to where she'd been bade sit. She settled back to the floor, turning away from the scene in front of her. Blake pulled on the bonds for a moment. "Undignified, but secure," he said. "Now you have nothing to fear from me."




"... and she will become a partner ..." Johnson's voice trailed off as confusion entered his eyes. Blake nodded his head towards Johnson's left, and Johnson glanced over to see the gunman sitting easily in the chair, gun aimed at his head. He froze, but even so, he started at the sight of Monique sitting on the floor near the entrance. "You can't possibly get away with this," Johnson said slowly. "Oh, I can, and I will, Mr. Johnson," the gunman murmured. "What do you want?" "What if I wanted all the money in the safe?" the gunman said. Blake raised his eyebrows at this, but didn't say anything. "I'd tell you to go to hell." "What do you care? It isn't your money, is it?" Johnson squinted his eyes, but they never left sight of the gun. "I don't know the combination to the safe," Johnson said. Blake spoke up at this point. "Johnson, don't be a damn fool. The man is pointing a gun at you. You'd risk all our lives for some bits of paper that are insured?" Johnson turned towards the old man, cheeks puffing like a fish. "I don't know the combination," he repeated. "Do you see Miss Pelletier over there?" Johnson nodded. "If our friend here raped her repeatedly, or shot her in the head a few times, would you perhaps remember it?" Johnson shook his head, eyes pleading.



"Don't be a damn fool, Johnson. This guy is serious. I've seen his type before. He doesn't want to hurt any of us, at least not in any serious way, but he will if it gets him what he wants. If he wants the damn combination, give it to him." Johnson returned to look at the gunman. "You don't give a shit about the combination, do you?" The gunman smiled, and shrugged. "Of course, not." "What do you want from me, then?" "I want you to sit still while Monique handcuffs you." "Like hell I will." Johnson began to shake, and Monique moaned from where she was sitting. Blake spoke again. "I let him handcuff me. It isn't worth a bullet." "So shoot me." The gunman laughed a little, and brought the barrel up to centre on Johnson's forehead. Then he lowered it to aim at his shoulder. Johnson shook, but sat still. "Don't be a damn fool. He's not going to hurt you or I," Blake said. "I'm worried about Miss Pelletier, to be honest, but not you or me. He'll keep shooting her, and you'll get to listen to her howls of pain until you do what he wants. I've met people like him before. Let him handcuff you, dammit, Johnson. Why do you always have to be so goddamn stubborn." Johnson sighed and sat back in the chair. He glanced at the woman cowering by the door. The gunman leaned over and produced another pair of handcuffs from the bag at his feet. He held them to the side. "Monique," he called again. The rose and grabbed at the chrome, chair. She shot the gunman with Interestingly, she gave Johnson

girl didn't hesitate this time, but walking over towards Johnson's another glance of severe distaste. the same look.

Slowly, Johnson placed his hands behind the chair back, and waited while Monique knelt and cuffed him. When she was done, she ran back to the door and curled back up on the floor, eyes averted from the scene in front of her. "So, if you don't want the money, what do you want?" Johnson asked. The gunman smiled, and waved towards Blake.



"Blake? The old man?" A feral look entered Johnson's face, almost like he would relish the old man's demise. The gunman laughed. "Not him, he'll merely answer your question." Blake looked confused for a moment, but then understanding lit his features. He didn't look happy with the result. "Miss Pelletier," Blake said. At the words, Monique moaned again, but then fell silent. "I will not take my clothes off. Never," Monique said looking up from the floor. "Never." "I can cut them from you," the gunman said quietly. "Then that's what you'll have to do. I won't take them off. Not for you." The gunman shrugged and turned towards Blake. Blake shrugged. "I'm not going to help you. Not with this one," the older man said slowly. "I can't tell her to strip for you." The gunman shrugged again and turned, the gun aiming at the seated girl by the door. "Elbow? Knee? Ribs?" he said. "This one is worth it," Blake said quietly from behind him. "This isn't a matter of handcuffing an old man to a chair to prevent trouble. If she removed her clothing, then she's opened up to all sorts of nasty things, isn't she?" The gunman turned, the gun wavering then falling to his side. "Nasty things?" "Rape. We deal with it all the time," Blake said quietly. The gunman laughed and leaned on the desk. Real puzzlement cross his face. "Why would I rape her?" "You have to ask that? Why else would you want her to take off her clothing?" "That's simple, and if you think about it, you'll know why." Blake seemed genuinely puzzled, but then he relaxed. "You aren't going to rape her?" he said. "I'm not going to rape her. Rape is barbaric." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-71-80.html (59 of 62)8/14/2005 11:42:13 PM


"Some would say what you are doing here constitutes barbarism in its worst form." "You cannot understand the situation," the gunman said. "But it isn't barbarism. Rape is barbarism. Even here." "You aren't going to rape her?" "Of course not." "But you want her naked." "I do." "Will you give me your word?" "What does my word mean here?" Blake looked at him again with those calm grey eyes. "Your word, young man, is all you have. I've known people like you before." He seemed certain of his words. He nodded slowly. "Mr. Blake, I give you my word. I will not rape Monique." He turned back towards the cowering girl. "Miss Pelletier?" Blake called. "I know it isn't what you'd like to do, but I do believe that he will not rape you if you removed your clothing as he asks. I know that you haven't experienced the pain of a gunshot wound, nor would I wish it upon you. But if I were in your position, I would remove my clothing, and trust that it would be the lesser of two great harms." The girl shook her head wearily. "Stand up," the gunman barked. His voice rapidly lost patience. At the command, the girl did rise, stumbling to her feet. Her medium heels wobbled for a moment on the carpet. "Strip," he said. Almost automatically, her fingers began to finger the buttons of her designer jacket. "No," she said. Her fingers dropped to her side. The gunman sighed, and raised the gun. She flinched, and then fell to the floor as the gun discharged. The sound rang about the small room, and chunks of dropped ceiling rained over her prone form. "Monique!" Johnson cried, swearing as he pulled at the cuffs that held him. "I swear, I'll kill you," he screamed at the gunman.



Blake's quiet voice cut through the ringing in everyone's ears. "Miss Pelletier. If I were you, I wouldn't wait for the next one to punch a sizable hole in your body, rather than the innocent ceiling." Crying, the woman pushed herself to her feet, brushing off the chunks of plaster and insulation from her clothing. "Please," she whispered. No blossoms of red sprouted from her body, he'd aimed well above her head. He lowered the gun to aim at her stomach. "Miss Pelletier, I have no wish to see your blood," Blake said. "I have no wish to see your nudity either, but please, if not for you, for us, do as he asks." "He'll rape me." "Not all men are slavering imbeciles when a naked woman emerges from her cocoon, Miss Pelletier. If Johnson were holding the gun, I would counsel you otherwise, but this young man will not rape you. I hope I'm not wrong, but I really believe that, or wouldn't counsel you to obey him." "He'll rape me." "He'll shoot you if you continue this path. Agony will not begin to describe what you will feel. Please, Miss Pelletier." "Please don't make me do this," Monique said to the man holding the gun. "Naked. Everything," he said simply. "Even your jewellery." Her body shaking, it took a moment for her to decide. But in the end, her fingers rose to her jacket and began to remove the buttons holding it together.






Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 81

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Chapter 82

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Chapter 83

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Chapter 84

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Chapter 85

Chapter 86

·

Chapter 87

·

Chapter 88

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Chapter 89

·

Chapter 90


Neither the gunman nor Blake watched as she removed her clothing slowly, carefully folding each item and placing it on the floor at her feet. She was more aware of Johnson voraciously watching as her skin became more and more accessible. She halted as her bra and her panties remained as her last vestige of modesty. "Please, isn't this enough?" she pleaded. She hated herself for pleading, but she couldn't stand stripping these last bits of cloth with Johnson staring at her. The man with the gun turned slowly from talking to Blake to regard her for a moment. "Everything," he reiterated. "I'm sorry." "But, Mr. Johnson. Not in front of him." The gunman shrugged and turned towards the man seating in the chair



in front of the desk. "You'll see her soon enough. You don't have to watch this." The man averted his eyes towards the windows, with a quick look of fear in them. The gunman turned back towards the frightened half-naked girl. "Put the clothing on the desk when you're done," he said dismissively. Monique glanced at Johnson who was staring out the window. "Please, why," she asked. "Why do I have to be naked?" He didn't turn from regarding the old man. "Control," he said. A flicker of understanding passed over Blake's face as if the last piece of the puzzle had fallen neatly into place without the need to smash it with a hammer. She glanced at Johnson again, and shivered. The man would see her, but somehow the act of removing her clothes was worse than the eventual outcome. She'd been naked for men before, of course. But she honestly couldn't remember if she'd ever stripped for one before -- not this blatantly anyway. With a sigh, she turned her back to the three men, and reached up behind herself. Once the decision was made, her bra and her panties fell from her body in quick succession. She gathered up her clothing, debated throwing them at the gunman to distract him, but then decided against it. She stepped forward. The carpet felt odd beneath her suddenly bare feet. She placed the small, neat pile on the corner of the desk, aware that Johnson was watching her. She tried to turn herself from his angle of vision, but knew that no matter what she did, he'd be able to see her skin. She bent as modestly as she could and picked up her shoes, placing them on top of the pile. Then she ran towards the door, placing her bare back against it, her arms shielding her more private areas. Regarding him with hatred, she spoke quietly interrupting what sounded suspiciously like a political discussion between the gunman and Blake. "Please, I've stripped. Please, can I dress now?" He turned towards her, annoyance on his face. Even the sight of her standing naked by the doorway didn't erase the irritation from his face. She'd actually disturbed him from conversation. Her. Naked and cold. Soorrrry. "No," he said simply. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (2 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


"Then what do you expect me to do?" she said. "Crawl." "Crawl?" "Yes, twice around the office should give me enough time." "See here, young man. That is completely undignified." The gunman turned towards the old man, a smile on his lips. "Not nearly as undignified as she will be." "You gave your word." "And I will not rape her any more than I rape any of the others." He turned again, this time the gun aimed at her chest where her arms tried to protect the chastity of her bare breasts. "I thought I asked you to crawl." "I can't." Her eyes searched out Blake, hoping for help. But the old man was tied to his chair -- she'd had to restrain him there a long time ago. At least, it seemed like a long time ago. Instead of helping her, the old man sighed. "Miss Pelletier, you do know how to crawl, don't you?" She shook her head in denial. "It's better than being shot." "I'd rather be shot." "No. You wouldn't. But it's not your skin you should be worried about. You are far too precious to him to shoot." The gunman sighed, and stood. Slowly, he walked around the desk until he stood beside the old man's chair. He rested the gun barrel against Blake's temple. "Miss Pelletier?" Blake said carefully. He didn't seem afraid, but his body shook a little. "I'm old. I'll willingly die for this, but he will make you crawl. He'll find something else, after I'm slumped here lifeless in front of you. It's up to you. I'll willingly go, if that's what you want. But if you let him shoot me, I wish you the best of luck, and well being, my dear. You are talented, and I do believe in you." The words brought more tears to Monique's eyes, and she wavered. The http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (3 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


image of blood and the small hole appearing at Mr. Blake's temple, entered her mind. His lifeless body accused her. He meant what he was saying, she knew him well enough to know that. He would die gladly for her, but he was also correct -- this monster holding the weapon on her would make her crawl. Somehow. Pain. Torture. Or simply killing everyone that she cared about. Worse, the next person wouldn't die, would suffer for her stubbornness. Images of inquisition chambers haunted her. She wasn't even sure she could accept Johnson screaming as his knees were shot. Horrible images flit behind her closed eyelids. "I'm sorry," she said. She saw his finger tense, but then relax as the meaning of her words became apparent. She lowered herself to her knees, and then to her palms. The carpet pressed into her bare skin. He watched her as she began to crawl. "I hate you. So much," she whispered. Both the gunman and Blake shifted their attention to whatever discussion she'd interrupted. She swore that she wouldn't interrupt the man again, if she was ever given the chance. Unfortunately, Johnson watched her as she began to crawl across the carpet, following the wall. She refused to look at the man, but she felt his eyes on her skin like a mouse feels the attention of a wolf. Christ, the guy with the gun wasn't even watching her. She was crawling, naked, and he was talking to her boss. She felt like screaming into the quiet room, capturing his attention. But that was just her ego. Intellectually, she knew it wasn't smart to gather any more attention than necessary from the man. Especially while she was in this position. Naked and humiliated. But she had saved Blake, somehow. The gunman would have shot the old man, and she genuinely liked Blake. If crawling a little prevented bloodshed, then she would crawl. Her hand moved, then her leg. It was awkward, and slow. The voices droned on as she crawled under the windows and past the filing cabinets, closer to Johnson and then further. It felt like it would never end. She stood, her body flushed, and her heart beat heavily beneath her ribs. Crawling wasn't as easy an exercise as it looked. She shielding her body again as best she could with her arms, and remained silent.



So sure was she that he hadn't been paying attention to her, that she'd taken a step towards him before she realised that she meant to strike him. "That would be unwise, Monique," the gunman said without turning from his conversation with Blake. He had eyes in the back of his head. Christ. Monique gasped, and stepped back until her back touched the cool grain of the door again. Johnson watched the entire mini-drama with cool interest. She sighed, and waited. He touched her hair and she stepped to the right to escape his fingers, flinching. The gunman didn't seem upset at her movement, but she had expected the pain of a bullet, whatever it felt like, to strike her in the ribs where the gun was currently aiming. The pain never came. "Over there," he ordered. She swallowed heavily but walked naked to where he'd indicated. It was uncomfortably close to Johnson's chair. "Hands down," he said. "Please no." She was standing immediately in front of Johnson, his hungry eyes scanned her pale skin to the extent they were able. Monique glanced over her shoulder at Blake. The old man gave her a sympathetic glance, but she understood that he couldn't help her. With a sigh, she lowered her hands. Johnson drank in the sight of her bare breasts and body. "Kneel," he said. She felt his touch on her shoulder. "Why?" "Kneel," he repeated. The pressure fell more insistently at her upper arm. She lowered herself to her knees. He hopped up to sit next to her clothing on top of the desk, brushing aside Blake's nameplate. She turned away from Johnson's thighs to regard him over her shoulder. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Because I can. I could force you to pleasure Johnson over there with your mouth. Only your mouth. For hours." "See here, young man, you promised not to rape her," Blake said quietly.



The gunman laughed. "Technically, it would be Johnson raping her." "A technicality." "Aren't lawyers all interested in technicalities?" Blake shook his head, disappointment clearly on his face. Not disappointment that she would be raped, but that he perceived that the Timeman would break his word. The gunman shot Blake a warning glance that Monique didn't understand, and turned back towards the kneeling, naked lawyer. "How would you like to have sex with Johnson?" Monique looked up into the older lawyer's face. It was clear that he wouldn't mind it. Not one bit. "I wouldn't," she said dully. "Please, why are you doing this to me?" "I could force you to," he continued, ignoring her question. The image of Blake lifeless in the chair returned to her mind. To prevent that? Would she have sex with Johnson? How far was she willing to go? "Yes, you probably could. Haven't I done enough for you? I crawled for you, for Christsakes, and you didn't even notice." "I noticed, and I will next time, too." Monique shuddered at the implication of that. "I won't force you, though. Do you know why?" "Because it's not right? Because I don't want to? Simple human rights?" "You think too much like a lawyer, my dear. It is because Johnson is a slime. More so than I. He's enjoying your ... situation ... as much as I, but second hand. There is no guilt for him. He's tied into a chair. And if I make you have sex with him? Why ... it's not his fault, is it? He's enjoying you, but with no risk." Monique stayed silent. His words were no surprise to her. "No," the gunman continued. "Johnson doesn't deserve you." Johnson began to say something above where Monique knelt between his legs, but then decided to keep quiet. The gunman touched her bare shoulder, and Monique somehow understood http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (6 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


the intent. She climbed to her bare feet, sullenly turning from Johnson and watching the gunman. The gunman held the cold barrel of the gun against her ribs. She shook, but didn't flinch. Not this time. He stepped from her, and stepped towards Johnson. Johnson looked up with real fear in his eyes. Monique didn't turn her eyes away quickly enough. The gunman brought the handle of the gun down in a quick arc, striking Johnson across the jaw with it. A sickening crack, followed by a high pitched squeal, almost like that of a woman in pain, issued forth from Johnson's lips. Blood flowed from his mouth as he spat. Teeth dotted the red fluid that emerged. Sickened, Monique turned away. "You fucking bastard," she whispered. She had no love of Johnson, but the blood. So much of it. And that wailing. Suddenly, he was at her side, fingers cruelly twisted into her cheeks. He turned her head until Johnson's weeping image filled her vision. She relaxed her neck muscles from fighting his fingers, and he released her. She didn't turn away from the bleeding mess. "He didn't deserve that." To her surprise, he agreed with her. Johnson fell to moaning in the chair. More blood flowed down his chin. "No, he didn't," the gunman said. "Boo brofe my gaw," Johnson moaned. "If I wanted you to have sex with Blake, would you?" "If you never hit anyone else like that, yes," she said. And she meant it. She wouldn't like it, not even with Blake, but she would. He sat down on the desk again. She remained standing before him. "What do you want?" she asked simply. "You," he answered.




The leather of the chair felt cool against her bare skin. It molded to her body, but she could feel dampness, her own light perspiration clinging to the slick surface of the chair. "He controls time, somehow," Blake said to her in that fatherly voice. He seemed concerned about Johnson's moaning, but not as much as she. The gunman stood to his right. "He told me he was going to do it." "You let him break Johnson's jaw?" Blake looked mournful. "Miss Pelletier, dear, there isn't much I can do to prevent it. I asked him to use me instead. He said that it would prevent me from talking to you, and presumably him." Blake paused for a moment. "But, Johnson's pain -- it might help you." "Help me? Practically killing a man? How?" "Someday, you might understand. And you didn't even like him." "I promise you, I won't understand." "He asked you if you'd have sex with me." "I would. God, I would," Monique said quietly. She honestly wasn't sure if she wanted to, of if she would merely do it to prevent the gunman from sending another gun handle into Johnson, or worse, Blake himself. "Would you really? You are a beautiful young lady, and I -- I'm an old man. Pleasures of the flesh don't hold the same sway with me that they used to, when I was Johnson's age even. But nevertheless, I would have been satisfied if he had made you love me." Monique let a quick smile grace her lips, but a moan from Johnson beside her quickly erased it. "You'll be tested, I fear, and I cannot help you further. The path you travel with this man won't be easy." "What the hell are you talking about?" In her former life, Monique wouldn't have dared speak to the old man like that, but it already seemed different to her. She wouldn't have dreamed of sitting in his office naked, either. "Keep your integrity, no matter what this man makes you do. He cannot take that from you. And remember the people outside of yourself, no matter how much you hurt. That is why you are willing to have sex with an old man, and this man, he will test you. I know you. I've always known you since you began here. Just remember. For me."



"Stand up," the gunman ordered her. She did, making sure her eyes stayed away from Johnson and his bleeding broken mouth. She watched Blake instead. The old man kept his eyes on her face, not dropping to ogle her. The gunman stepped towards her, grasping her cheeks again. The fingers dug in. She resisted a moment, then spoke between clenched teeth. "All right. All right. I'll look at him." She did. Johnson wasn't nearly as interested in her nudity as he had been. He moaned, head hanging limply towards his chest. His shirt bore a large red stain, as if he'd been shot in the heart. "You didn't need to do that to him," Monique said. "Actually, I did. Otherwise you might not believe, or understand." "I don't understand anything," Monique said quietly. "Watch." She felt a tingling in her skin that was akin to the radiance of a bonfire from afar. Then Johnson moved slightly, bending forward to hunch back over the phone. The blood disappeared from his shirt, and the angle of his jaw returned back to normal. His moans silenced. The handcuffs that had held him immobile clattered to the floor. "Christ," Blake whispered. Without waiting, Monique stepped forward, oblivious to her nudity. She cringed as her finger traced along the previously broken jawline, the cold dead feeling flesh sending jitters down her spine. "How?" "Time," Blake said quietly. "I see." She didn't see, but she did understand that Johnson wasn't hurting anymore. For that, she was thankful. "He's returned, whole, as if this had never happened to him," Blake said. The gunman nodded assent as Monique straightened. Blake nodded thoughtfully. "May I?" Blake asked. The gunman nodded, and Monique remained more confused than ever. "Monique?" Blake called her name. It was the only time she could remember that he'd ever used her given name. She glanced at the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (9 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


gunman, who shrugged. Slowly, and without threat, she slipped past the gun, and made her way around the desk to stand at Blake's side. "It'll all turn out fine. Just try to calm that stubborn streak in you, and help when you can." Monique didn't understand, but she bent and spontaneously kissed Blake on the cheek. His cheek was leathery and wrinkled, but she didn't mind. He glowed. "I'll be fine," she whispered. "Somehow." "I know you will," he answered. She stood by the door, staring wistfully at her former clothing lying folded neatly on Blake's desk. The gunman stood partially obscuring her view of her covering. He was talking to the old man. "... other female associates?" Blake shook his head carefully. "You know I can't tell you that, young man. I know too well what you might do." "I'll find them anyway," the gunman said. "I know, but I will not have to live with the guilt of exposing them. They are -- like my family." The gunman sighed, turning. He walked to Monique and grasped her upper arm. She cried out as his fingers dug in. She stumbled across the room, only to be pushed to her knees beside Johnson's chair. "Would you like to reconsider?" "Or what? You'll wake Johnson? Make her give the man a blow job?" Monique was surprised that the old man knew the term, but in retrospect, she was more surprised that he had used it in front of her. "And I might leave the two of you awake, one with a broken jaw." Blake sighed, and swivelled in his chair. "I suppose it truly doesn't matter. Let her up." The pressure on her shoulder eased, and Monique carefully climbed back to her bare feet. The old man smiled at her, a smile of hope. "Amber and Heather. Two new law students. They'll do, I suppose. But even though I know it will be temporary for them, I would ask that you don't hurt them. Please." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (10 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


The gunman nodded. His fingers traced down Monique's upper arm, and she shivered at the touch. "And her as well. Miss Pelletier is a special, very special lady." "I can tell," the gunman said. "I'll take care of her." "I would hope that is your word, as well." The gunman nodded. Something passed between the men. Monique walked with the gunman to the doorway, conscious of the barrel of the gun pressing lightly into her bare ribs. The old man pursed his lips, about to say something to her, but then decided not to. Monique knew what it was. "I'll do my best," she whispered. The old man nodded and smiled. And then shifted slightly in his chair, suddenly frozen and listening to the phone. "He'll be fine, won't he?" she asked as the gunman opened the oaken doors. "He won't even remember this all happened." Monique turned again, closing her eyes. The image of her crawling around the office, naked like an animal shifted into her mind's eye. She shuddered. Somehow she knew that such indignities were minor. She had to keep her head. Somehow. She opened her eyes again. Her clothing beckoned to her. "Please. Can I at least dress?" "You know the answer to that, Monique," the gunman said quietly. "I suppose. But that jacket and skirt were so expensive." "Doesn't matter." She supposed that it didn't. When one could freeze people at will, and wave a gun around with impunity? What did the cost of her clothing really matter? "Please, then, just my underwear? Something to cover up?" "I don't want you covered." She didn't understand, but she did. Resigned, she crossed the threshold, for the first time stepping nude out into the larger world. She shivered, even though she suspected that only the person that had made her strip could see her. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (11 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


The door clicked shut, her clothing gone forever. A single tear traced down her cheek, but she held her head up, and walked with him towards the lobby, her bare feet whispering across the plush office carpet.


The sudden image of a television, blank but humming, but without even static permeated his mind. The taste of milk filled his mouth for a moment, and then disappeared. Disturbed, he cocked his head to the side, delving through the fabric of the universe. He expected to see the image of a girl, stretched out on a park bench, but that didn't happen. Only a faint tingle deep in his groin, deeper than his penis, an unfamiliar sensation that instinctively, he knew to be female. And sexual. But as quickly as it came, it vanished. He shook his head, and pushed open the oaken doors to the lobby. He half expected them to jump him, swinging primitive weapons at his head. Instead, Kate looked up from where she'd sprawled out on the floor, her fingers tented in a magazine. Leigh had curled up, her bare legs tucked under her, in one of the comfortable looking reception chairs. Leigh didn't look up from the smaller magazine she held in her lap. "How'd it go?" Kate asked. At Kate's words, Leigh looked up in surprise, almost as if she'd been lost in whatever it was she was reading. "How'd what go?" "Your expedition? Did you solve your legal problems?" He settled into a chair across from Leigh. "It was more complicated than that." Leigh took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Her face was a mask of indecision. She began to climb out of the chair, obviously aimed to lower herself to the floor. He motioned for the girl to stop, and almost gratefully, she tucked her legs back up under her body. She http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (12 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


held her breath for a moment, then appeared to make up her mind, and spoke solemnly. "Was she good?" "Who?" "Whatever girl you found to have sex with." He laughed. "I didn't rape anyone." "She agreed to have sex with you?" "No. If you must know, I'm still virginal." "Bullshit." He shrugged. "I didn't have sex any more than you two did. Okay?" "That wasn't what I was worried about." "What are you reading?" Leigh held up her magazine. It was an old issue of Reader's Digest. The girl made a face. "It's not all that deep." "You don't like the stories about being lost in the woods, eating caribou?" The girl shrugged. "Better than being tied up and whipped, I suppose." She put the magazine back on the coffee table. "Next time we're near a book store, remind me if you aren't being punished, and maybe we can find something more ... stimulating." He turned to Kate. Kate smiled a little more genuinely. She held up her magazine, her finger marking her place. "Seventeen??" he said. "It is my age," Kate said. "But I wasn't really impressed with the reading selection here, either. Don't really care if the Backstreet Boys are fighting depression. I'm lying here collared and naked, after all." He grinned and rose. Kate sighed and closed the magazine, returning it to the coffee table to lie beside Leigh's Reader's Digest. Leigh pushed herself out of the chair, too. "It was nice while it lasted," she murmured. Her bare body unfolded, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (13 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


and she stood. Kate fingered her collar, a wistful look in her eyes. "Can we ditch these things? They're itchy and these leashes get in the way." "Soon," he said. Instead of ditching the symbols of the girls captivity, he gathered up the leads in one hand. He didn't need to tug. The girls fell into step easily behind him, the chains between their wrists jingling. He ushered them through the oaken doors and into the maze of corridors. Kate pulled free with a gasp, the leash trailing through his fingers to tangle in her bare legs as she rushed forward. Leigh sighed, and did the same. He didn't chastise them. Monique sat with one hand raised above her head, her bare legs curled under her. Her left hand was held by a pair of handcuffs to the doorknob of an office. Her free hand covered her face, her shoulders rising and falling in quiet sobs. The nameplates on the door read 'A Fisher' and 'H Weeks'. Kate fell to her knees in front of Monique, gently tilting the woman's face upwards. When Monique saw Kate, naked and collared, she screamed. Leigh walked up the the girls more sedately, concern on her face. "Shhhh," Kate said, glancing back at the Timeman with a look of distaste. "It's all right," she murmured. "Your. Your. Your ..." "Naked? Collared? I know," Kate said gently. She shifted and gathered the naked woman into her arms. "He took you, too," Monique said. Her tears were drying quickly. "I'm Kate, and the other naked girl up there is Leigh. We. We attend the same high school." "Christ. High school?" Kate nodded slowly. "My God," Monique said. Then she regained some of her composure. "I'm Monique."



He fumbled at the lock holding the collar to Leigh's throat. Eventually, it gave up the fight, and released with a sharp click. Leigh sighed as her throat emerged from the leather. A slight red mark adorned her neck. She rubbed at the skin with her bound hands, scratching lightly with her fingernails. "Ahhhh," she sighed. He turned to Monique who still lay in Kate's arms, the cuffed wrists encircling her throat. She'd tried to rise a few times, but Kate insisted on mothering the slightly older woman. He glanced at their faces. If he didn't know better, he would have sworn they were related. True, Monique sported brunette hair, kinked where it had formerly been drawn into a bun but now was loose about her shoulders, while Kate's hair shone clean and soft with a fire that rivalled the sun. But the facial features were similar, especially the eyes. They both had deep, bright, expressive eyes. He bent, urging Kate's bare arms from Monique. Monique sat up. "She's so new. You don't have to do that," Kate said. He shrugged, and Monique seemed to hesitate, but eventually held her hair up and out of the way with her free right hand. In a moment, he locked the leather about her throat, and the leash dangled. "I'll wear it, if you want. I didn't mean to complain," Leigh said quietly from behind. He gently shook his head, wondering at her selflessness. In her position, he wasn't sure he'd be offering the same, but Leigh seemed sincere. She'd rather wear the symbol, than inflict it on another. Even if her neck was perpetually itchy from it. He reached up, releasing Monique's wrist from the doorknob. He half expected her to rebel, and strike out at him when free, or perhaps run, but the girl didn't. She merely rubbed at her wrist, and watched him warily. He urged Monique up, and she stood. "Time to see Amber and Heather," he said. Kate rose to her bare feet at the words and moved away from the door. He addressed Leigh and Kate. "You two can stay out here." He motioned the girls to the far side of the corridor. Without protest, Leigh and Kate stood against the far wall. At his nod, they slipped downwards, carefully keeping their legs together, and sat quietly.



"I don't want to go in there," Monique said quietly. "Would you prefer to crawl for Johnson some more? Have sex with him?" The girl swallowed heavily, and shook her head. Tears lined her eyelids, but didn't shed. "Please," she whispered. He turned her, and opened the door to the office. A blond girl sat at a computer, her hand on the mouse. Another girl, brunette, stood against the far wall, waiting for something. They were both college aged, and attractive girls. The Timeman smiled, and led Monique into the room. She hesitated, but then allowed herself to be led. The door clicked shut, isolating them from Kate and Leigh.


Amber and Heather both screamed as they reanimated. Monique cringed, and tried to step behind the gunman, knowing it was probably more the sight of her nudity that set off the other two girls than their sudden appearance. "Relax, ladies," the gunman said quietly. It was as though the sound of his voice was hypnotic; both Amber and Heather clamped their lips together and fell silent. "Which of you is Amber?" The blonde girl at the computer raised her hand. "That would make you Heather ..." he mused. He stepped towards Amber, leaving Monique exposed. He leaned on Amber's desk. "Girls," he said. The gun remained visible in his hands. "Let me introduce Monique, over there. She's the naked one in the collar."



Amber whimpered a little, unmoving. "What ... what do you want?" Amber asked, her voice wavering. "Actually," he said, "I'm glad you asked. Monique here, is being tested. She's going to have sex with you both." "Please, no," Monique moaned from near the door. She backed up, her eyes following the gunman, until her bare back touched the wood of the door. Instead of acknowledging her, the gunman stood and rounded the desk. Without hesitation, he held the gun to Amber's temple. "Oh, God. Oh, God," Amber murmured, her body rigid beneath his grasp. His left arm snaked around and under her chin to grip her neck. "Heather?" The brunette had shifted along the wall to stand bunched into a corner, as far from the gunman as possible. The girl made a strangled sound. Monique closed her eyes, and whispered. "Please, they're scared," she said, "they don't know what's going on." "They don't need to," he said simply. "They just need to be available, and pretty." He turned back towards Heather with a slight smile playing across his lips. "Strip," he ordered her simply. Heather slowly shook her head as if she were in shock. He released Amber's throat and picked up a metal straightedge from the girl's desk. Amber's eyes followed its path. He stroked Amber's cheek with it, and then swung it against her face. The pain registered almost immediately, and her scream fell from her throat without thought or intent. A red welt appeared where he'd hit the girl. "Please," Monique said when the screams had died. "Heather, just strip. He'll make us do it, somehow." Heather, her eyes wide as a cat's, slowly shook her head. Another scream penetrated the room as he struck Amber's other cheek. She tried to twist her head, but his hand twined into her hair, holding her. "Heather!" Monique cried. She stepped forward towards the cowering brunette. "Please! She's your friend. He'll kill her."



Another scream pierced the air. "Oh, God. Oh God," Heather mumbled. Monique reached forward and began to unbutton the girl's blouse. At the touch of her fingers, Heather seemed to flow back into reality, and began to help, her fingers taking over for Monique's. "Stop, stop," Heather said as another cry of pain echoed through the small office. "I'm doing what you asked. Please, no more." Amber sat weeping her hands rubbing at her cheeks, tears running down her face. Monique pulled at Heather's skirt, and quickly, the girl's clothing fell in heaps on the carpet. They didn't bother with jewellery, but in moments, the girl was nearly as naked as Monique. He watched the nude girls, satisfied. His left arm had snuck back around and under Amber's chin. She tried to pry it with her fingers, but stopped when he squeezed her windpipe. After that, she sat still and simply watched as Heather, weeping, swept the desk at the back of the office clear of clutter. The clatter as it struck the floor caused a wince from Amber. Crying, Heather climbed up on the desk, and lay inert, her hands at her side, legs together. "Heather?" The brunette girl turned towards him. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her face registered complete confusion. "Why are you doing this?" "Because Monique needs to learn this." "Why?" "Because she does." "I'm not going to fight you," Monique said. She leaned on the edge of the desk over the naked body of Heather. Without a word, he released Amber's throat, and picked back up the straightedge. He pulled the blonde to her feet, and placed her against the wall, the gun pressing into her chest. He struck her again with the ruler, and the girl screamed predictably. With a moan, Monique fell to her knees, pushing apart Heather's thighs. She hesitated until another scream from Amber convinced her that fighting this was futile. She closed her eyes, and lowered her head, the unfamiliar taste of another woman sweet and musky. Heather cried out at the sensations of Monique's lips and tongue, her thighs squeezing at Monique's http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (18 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


head. The sharp pain of her hair being pulled brought her head upwards from licking Heather. The girl wasn't moving beneath her, for which Monique was somehow grateful. If Heather had enjoyed her attentions, it would have been worse, somehow. "You don't need to pull my hair. I'll stop. Gladly." The hand didn't ease its pressure, until Monique was on her bare feet again. A little more, and a cry, and Monique was forced to her toes, and then without warning he dropped her. Monique stumbled, finally catching her balance. Tears of pain and confusion slipped down her cheeks. His eyes held a hardness that she hadn't seen before. There was a sparkle of intelligence, and hunger, almost as if the hardness was an act, but it was still hardness. Monique was suddenly afraid -for herself, for Heather and for Amber. Despite Blake's assurances that this man was a man of honour, she couldn't figure out what man of honour would force women to do these things. She gasped as he gripped her leash harshly, and led her stumbling and crying to where Amber stood against the wall. The girl was striped with red welts from the straightedge. It lay, almost innocently, half off the side of her desk beside her computer mouse. Amber's eyes looked glazed, and nearly unresponsive. Monique hoped that the girl wasn't in a catatonic state, but it might have been better if she were. She didn't remember at which point he'd forced the girl to strip, Monique's tongue being buried in Amber's friend, but Amber stood naked, now, marks across her breasts and belly. "You're going to kill them," Monique whispered fiercely. But he didn't look like he cared much. Monique knelt as he pressed hard on her shoulder. He pressed her head forward, and Monique sighed as she used her mouth again, trying to ignore what she was doing. She could feel his eyes on her nudity as she tried to pleasure the other girl. She knew the theory, and even if she'd never practised before, the girl above her began to moan. This upset Monique more than Heather's sexual unresponsiveness. With a start, Monique pulled back. She glanced over her shoulder. He was standing beside where Heather still lay on the desk. Monique half expected him to be raping the girl, but he was only touching her breasts. Heather stared at the ceiling. "Why did you stop?" he asked Monique. Thinking quickly, the naked woman answered, "My tongue is numb. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (19 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


It's not like I'm used to this." He didn't seem to care, but he released Heather, who visibly relaxed as his fingers left her skin. Without a word, he stepped over to where Monique knelt. "Continue, until I say stop," he said. Menace dripped from his voice. Monique shivered, but shook her head. "No," she said. "This is enough. I can't." He shrugged, and lifted the straightedge again from the desk. "Please, no more," Amber said in a moan. Before Monique could stop him, he drove two stripes of pain into Amber's bare skin. One across her nipples, and the other in front of Monique's eyes at thigh level. Amber couldn't even scream, her body writhing. The girl collapsed and Monique backed away, crying. "I'll do it. I'll do whatever you fucking want," Monique screamed. Satisfied, he grabbed at Amber's hair, dragging the naked girl back to her feet. "Please, please, please," she murmured struggling for breath. Monique flashed the gunman with another look of hate, and shuffled forward on her knees. Amber began to moan again, as soon as Monique's tongue slipped between her lips. To her surprise, Monique felt the naked girl above her climax. It wasn't earth shattering, but small convulsions of vaginal muscles squeezed her tongue. Monique closed her eyes, as Amber shuddered above her. Monique backed away, worriedly looking over her shoulder. The gunman idly brushed at Heather's breasts, but the hardness had fled his visage. He smiled at Monique, and strangely, it made her feel almost proud, that she'd succeeded in whatever it was he wanted her to do. He nodded, and Monique leaned back, supporting herself on her hands. Amber slipped quietly, moaning, to the floor, her thighs spread almost obscenely, one leg on either side of Monique. "She climaxed, what's the point in making me lick her more?" Monique asked from between Amber's thighs. "I will, don't hit anyone anymore, please, but she climaxed. Isn't that what you wanted?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (20 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


Actually, she could see that he didn't care if the girl's enjoyed Monique's attention or not. It was Monique's lesson, not their's. She didn't know what the lesson was, exactly, but she suspected that she'd learned it. He touched her head again, urging her back down. With a sigh, Monique lowered her head again, her tongue finding Amber's clitoris again. Tiredly, she hoped that he wouldn't make her continue this lesbian encounter much longer. Amber's hands, suddenly animated, rested in Monique's hair, but didn't push her away. Amber tasted different after her climax, the sweetness of her moisture intensified. The girl moaned, and tried to prevent Monique's tongue from teasing her, her hips rocking backwards, away from Monique's tongue. Monique whispered another apology -- she knew how uncomfortable it could be to be touched intimately after a climax, though never by another woman. She supposed it was the same whether the touch was a man's penis, or a girl's tongue. Thankfully, she rose again, when he touched her shoulder. Her tongue felt tired, as did her entire being. She'd never been with a woman before today, and now, two in a matter of fifteen minutes. One who climaxed. A flush forced itself into her bare features. She watched as he almost gently raised Amber back to her bare feet. The red welts of the straightedge remained across her face, her breasts and her thighs. Amber moaned but didn't resist. Amber and Heather stood against the back wall of the office, Heather's right hand handcuffed to Amber's left. Neither girl looked particularly aware of her situation, mostly a glazed look of shell shock across their faces. Monique stood by the entrance, wishing that she could open the door, step past Kate and Leigh, and leave this nightmare. A damn collar, and a leash??? Crawl in front of Blake and Johnson? Buck naked? Forced to lick these two girls? She swallowed heavily. He appeared in front of her, holding up the straightedge. Monique cowered back. "Please, I've done what you wanted. You don't have to hit me." He laughed. The easy playfulness had reentered his eyes. The hardness, the lack of caring that had scared Monique so badly, had http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (21 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


retreated. She wondered if it was a sexual thing -- that to thwart this man during his sexual desires caused the hardness. She wasn't sure that it wasn't simply an act in pursuit of control -- her control. She shivered. He lifted her right hand and pressed the ruler into it. She gripped it lightly, confused. For a moment, she considered bashing it across his smiling face, even if he killed her horribly afterward, he'd at least feel what he'd inflicted on Amber. Before she could lift her right arm, he swept away in a mock grand entrance. "Pick one. I want you to hit one of them." Monique bit her lip. Integrity. He slowly shook her head. "I won't. I won't hit either of them. They've suffered enough, and they've done what you asked." The girls had pressed themselves against the wall as best they could, as if wishing that they could pass through it without benefit of a door. At least they retained enough sense to be afraid of what the man was saying. Monique held out the straightedge towards him. "If you want to hit them, you'll have to do it yourself." He ignored the proffered metal, and sat up on the desk where Monique had been forced to lick Heather. Monique's eyes stole to the naked girl against the wall. Heather looked like she was about to face a firing squad. Perhaps she was. In a way. "If you don't hit one, I'll hit both, you realise." Monique nodded wearily. "I can't control that." "You can. Only one needs to feel the sting of that thing." Monique shook her head slowly. "Your rules, not mine. I can't hit them. I won't." "I could force you," he said. Monique inhaled deeply. "You could, perhaps, if you killed enough people, but I won't hit them now. I won't. I can't." She dropped the ruler to the floor at her feet. It touched her left foot, and she stepped back away from it, as though it had given her an electric shock.



"What would old man Blake have told you to do?" Monique closed her eyes, swaying on her feet. Blake had been returned to where ever it was that this man froze people. He wasn't here anymore to tell her how to conduct herself. It had been easier with Blake helping her. Even when that meant making a decision to remove her clothes, or to crawl. What would Blake have suggested? Slowly, Monique opened her eyes. He was watching her expectantly. She shook her head again. "He would have told me that this was worth my integrity. I can't hit them. I know I'm risking punishment, and I'm sorry. I can't." He looked at her intently for a moment, then hopped down from the desk. He approached her, and she refused to lower her eyes from his. She shook, afraid that he would hit her with his bare hands, slap her, or punch her, twist her nipples, but he didn't. He nodded. "Actually, you're right, he would have told you exactly that." Monique nodded, surprised that he would acknowledge it. He picked up the ruler from where she'd dropped it. He traced it down her skin, starting at her throat, and ending just above her belly button. She shivered, but refused to flinch. "Instead of hitting them, hit me. They can barely stand, they're so shell shocked. You didn't need to do that to them." "But I did. You needed to understand." "Understand what? That you are in control? Of me?" Monique paused for a moment, raising her eyes to his. "I understand that. I did exactly what you asked, except for hitting them. I can't do that." He sighed and stepped back from her. Returning to the desk. He tapped his own thigh through his jeans with the ruler. He didn't wince, though he'd obviously hit himself harder than he had Amber earlier. Even with jeans to protect him. "Do you want me to hit you?" he asked. Monique felt tears beginning to form. She blinked and they abated before they fell. She shook her head. "I don't want to be put into pain, no. But if it will stop you from hurting Amber and Heather, and you need to hit someone, a naked girl, yes. I'll let you hit me, instead." "Open the door, Monique. Let Kate and Leigh in."




First Kate, then Leigh, gasped as they stepped over the threshold. "Jesus," Kate whispered, turning towards the gunman. "They look like they've been through a damn war." "They have," Monique whispered. Amber and Heather cringed against the wall as the two new nude girls entered the small office. Office equipment cluttered the floor, and chaos seemed to rule here. "Kate? What could I do with the two girls here?" Kate looked confused for a moment, but then answered a bit dully. "Anything you want." He watched the redhead expectantly. "You could tie them up and whip them. You could break their bones. You could tape cigarettes to their nipples," Kate said. Amber and Heather moaned together as the tortures were described. They both paled, as did Monique. "You wouldn't," Monique whispered. He shrugged, but didn't move to inflict the terrible torments suggested. For some reason, she believed that he'd actually taped cigarettes to a girl before. Kate walked over to him, kneeling in front of him. Her bare breasts touched his jeans. "Whatever you did in here, is enough," she said. "Whatever else you want, or need, to do, I'll accept. Okay? Hurt me if you need to hurt anyone." "I already offered that," Monique said quietly. Kate glanced over her shoulder, and nodded. Then she turned back around, placing her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (24 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


bound hands on his knee. She massaged him with her fingers. "Let's go back to the hotel, get something to eat, free Linda, and then go from there. Let these girls go. Monique, too. She doesn't belong here." "Do you belong here?" he asked the naked girl. Kate thought about that for a moment, then shook her head. "I'd like for you to let us all go, but I know you won't." "I could hurt them, and then return them." Amber moaned again. With her right hand, she traced the welt that slashed across her left nipple. As she touched it, she winced. He hopped off the cleared desk, and walked over to Amber. He carried the straightedge, swinging it carefully through the air. Out of the corner of her eye, Monique saw Leigh step forward. She carefully picked her way through the clutter on the floor, avoiding anything that looked sharp, until she stood a metre or so behind him. "Please leave them alone," Leigh whispered. He turned to face the naked girl. "Why shouldn't I whip her until she passes out?" "It's not right. You can whip me until I pass out. It still isn't right, but I can take it. She can't. Look at her." "You don't even know her." Leigh shrugged. "She doesn't deserve to be hit anymore. Please." "I could whip her and then return her." "Yes, you could. I can't stop you. But why would you do that? What possible reason. Did she hurt you? Did she disobey you? Why???" Leigh's naked body shook with the force of her conviction. Monique couldn't stop herself. "How does he return them?" The gunman ignored her, but Kate and Leigh turned towards Monique. "He manipulates time itself. The people you see frozen, they're simply not in time phase with us," Leigh said. "If he returns a http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (25 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


girl, she returns unharmed, as if this place never existed. Eventually, I hope, he'll return us, too." Monique thought about that for a moment. "What about me?" Leigh shrugged. "I really don't know, Monique. I really don't know." She turned back towards the Timeman, her face already falling into pleading. "But those girls, they can't stay here." "They don't have a choice," he said. "I know. I don't either. But I'm begging you. I'll get down on my knees, if you want, and beg you." He nodded. Leigh sighed and slowly lowered herself to her knees in front of him. Her bare feet pushed paper and a box of tacks from her path. "Do you want me to kiss your feet, too?" As far as Monique could tell, the girl was serious. She would, if that would get her what she wanted. He smiled, and shook his head slowly. Leigh raised her eyes, her bound hands clasped in her lap. "Please?" Monique gasped as the girls simply disappeared. The handcuffs that had adorned their wrists hung in the air for a moment, and then clattered to the floor. Kate pushed herself from where she was kneeling in front of the desk, scrambling away as blotters and pens and papers returned to the desktop in front of her as if a reverse tornado had lifted the debris and created order from chaos. Amber sat exactly where she had been when Monique had entered, fully clothed and intently staring at the computer screen. Heather stood bored at the back of the office, leaning against the wall. Neither bore the marks of what they'd experienced in this time frame. It was as if nothing had happened here. For them. But the taste of Amber and Heather remained on Monique's lips and tongue, and the memories of their bodies and screams remained within her mind. "Thank-you," Leigh whispered as she climbed awkwardly to her feet. Monique stood as still as she could, her hands held clenched at her side. Leigh and Kate stood against the far wall, where he'd placed http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (26 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


them earlier, close to Heather, and close to where Amber had stood handcuffed to Heather. She watched his eyes, which watched her intently, as if he wanted to see the pain rush into her eyes. No scream. She didn't want to scream, but suspected that she would. This was the price of freedom, for Amber and Heather. Monique glanced at Amber and Heather, oblivious to what surrounded them -- the price she was about to pay for their freedom. Bracing herself, she whispered, "I'm ready." He didn't hit her full force, but she'd never been hit anywhere near her breasts before. The straightedge struck the side of her breast, well away from the nipple, but she felt her breast dance on her chest before the hot pain entered her mind. She moaned. The second blow hit her left breast, in the same place as the last one had struck her right. Dimly, she was aware of Kate and Leigh cringing as the sound of metal striking flesh fell into the room. This time, she couldn't help it. She did scream. Tears dripped from her eyes, but she did as she was bade, falling easily to her hands and knees. Leigh looked at the Timeman reproachfully, but accepted the leash into her smaller hand. A blue pack was pressed into Kate's fingers. At the reception desk, where'd she'd passed so many times before without ever realising that someday she might be forced to crawl naked through it, he roughly took the leash from Leigh. Leigh stepped back, a worried look on her face. Monique's breasts hurt, especially where the red stripes peeked around from the side. Her hands and knees felt raw from the carpet. "What's his name?" he asked. Monique looked up from her position on all fours. "Who?" she asked. He pointed towards the male receptionist. Monique had never figured out why they had a male receptionist, most firms preferring a pretty girl to greet clients. But the guy seemed bright and competent, perhaps a high school dropout. For some reason, even naked and crawling for a man with a gun, she was embarrassed that she had no idea of the guy's name.



"I honestly don't know," she murmured. "Doesn't matter. How would you like to give him a blow job? Or fuck him on the reception desk?" Kate spoke quietly. "Haven't you terrorised her enough?" He turned towards Kate. Monique was unreasonably grateful. "Would you like to give the guy a blowjob, instead? Or in addition to Monique?" "He's cute. I'd give him one instead," Kate murmured. "I would, too," Leigh echoed quietly. "Please, she's been through enough for one day." The gunman pursed his lips, eventually crouching in front of Monique, ignoring the offers of the other girls. "You haven't answered my question, Monique." Monique sighed. "Would I like to give him a blowjob? No. No more than Kate or Leigh really would. I don't know him, and it would be ... wrong. Do you assume that all women are here to give strangers blow jobs? It's wrong." "Would Blake think so?" He looked like he already knew the answer to that. "Please, just let me go," Monique whispered. He shook his head. "If I wanted you to, would you give our nameless receptionist a blow job?" "You know I would. I wouldn't like to, but I would. Because you told me to. You made me have sex with two girls. You think I'd stop at a receptionist, just because he's a male? I have no desire to be shot either. Not over this." He nodded, apparently satisfied. He gathered up the girl's leash and tugged. With a sigh, Monique began to crawl again. At the useless elevator doors, he stopped her. "You can get up, now." Monique wearily climbed to her knees. Her body felt like she'd run a marathon, and she only wanted to sleep. "What now? I give you a blow job?"



He gently shook his head. He rummaged around in the backpack that Kate held, finally extracting a pair of handcuffs. He zipped up the pack again, and Kate turned back around to face the group. Slowly, Monique shook her head. "You don't have to tie me up." He nodded. "I know; I want you restrained. We have a long climb down, Monique. Just be glad I don't make you crawl down the stair." Resigned, she pushed herself to her feet, and held out her wrists, offering her hands to the cuffs. The handcuffs closed securely around her, and even when she pulled gently, the bands of metal held her.


"The Life and Times of Sigmund Freud?" The blonde girl looked up sharply, a combination of the eerie silence, the sudden male voice, and a feeling of danger infusing her being. She could feel tingling right down to her toes encased in her security issued boots. She was about to ask if she could help the man, but before she could, her eyes took in the frozen lobby. Her eyes widened as they scanned over the naked girls clustered by the revolving door -- they were handcuffed but moving. Everyone else, including the rotund lady in the business suit that she'd sent to the wrong elevator bank moments before were frozen and silent. As far as Andrea could tell, they were dead -- not even breathing. She looked up. The man wasn't anything notable. Tall, yes, and solidly built, but he wouldn't stand out in a crowd, neither a pretty boy, nor a roughneck. The small black circle of a gun barrel aimed her throat. Andrea swallowed, and leaned back slowly.



"Actually, it's a comparison of Einstein and Freud's teaching." She paused, her eyes wandering again to the small group of girls naked by the door. She had a bad feeling about all of this. "What is going on here?" she asked. Instead of answering her, the gunman motioned her up. Andrea obediently rose to her feet. The green marker she'd dropped earlier rolled across the marble under the desk. She nearly bent to pick it up, but instead raised her arms. He let her. "Andrea," he said, "do you carry a gun?" For a moment, she was taken aback by his knowledge of her name, then she remembered the silly name tag. She stifled the urge to laugh, but shook her head. She could feel her ponytail drag across her back. "You think management would let a security guard wear a gun? In this busy lobby? What if it discharged accidently? I know how to use a gun, but I don't have one." "Shall we make sure?" Andrea looked at him blankly. She took a deep breath, surprised that it waved back out in small bursts. "I'm going to lower my hands, now. I'll lift my shirt and you'll see that I don't have one. Okay?" He shook his head, and she left her hands raised above her head where he could see them. "Kate?" he called. The redhead stepped forward from the group of naked girls. She ran, a little awkwardly, with her hands bound in front of her, until she reached his side. "Yes," the girl said, almost deferentially. "Is that your harem?" Andrea asked quietly. "Freud would have a few things to say about that." Both Kate and the gunman looked up at the words. Kate surprised, and the gunman thoughtful. "Check and make sure she doesn't have a gun. It won't work anyway, but I don't need surprises." Kate nodded and walked around the desk. Her bare feet pattered against the marble of the floor. Andrea stayed still while Kate carefully stayed out of the line of sight of the Timeman's gun, and patted the blonde security guard. When she was done, she http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (30 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


straightened. "No gun," she said simply, and stepped away from Andrea. "But I'm not a professional, either." "Are you all with him?" Andrea asked. Her hands remained up and in sight. Kate smiled, and moved into Andrea's line of sight from behind her. She sighed. "Yes, and no. We all are his prisoners, captives. He controls time, Andrea." "Time?" "Time. All these people?" Kate waved her hands towards the lobby at large. "They're frozen in time. He can control that. He woke you. He captured all of us," Kate waved towards Leigh and Monique, "before he woke you. It's startling, I know. It's best if you do what he says. He ... can hurt people if you don't." "Did he hurt you?" Kate flushed, and nodded her head. "But it's not me I'm worried about." Then Kate whispered something about cigarettes that Andrea didn't quite catch. The gunman motioned Kate aside, and the girl moved away from Andrea, rounding the desk, and eventually standing against it, her hands resting on the marble desktop. She leaned down, resting her chin on her spread hands. "Andrea? I'd like you to strip," the man with the gun said. Andrea looked at Kate, though she knew that the gunman was serious. She hesitated, even when Kate nodded, and turned towards the barrel of the gun aimed at her heart. "Strip? Don't you have enough women naked?" "He likes us this way," Kate murmured. "I'll bet he does. Freud would have a field day with this guy." "I just want to ensure that you don't have hidden weapons." "Oh! A strip search. Well, that makes it okay then," Andrea smiled, trying to take the edge off the situation. She didn't move to strip, yet. "Are you going to rape me? I'll strip for you, but I just want to know what to prepare myself for." Kate spoke quietly from where she stood. "I haven't had clothes for http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (31 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


a day and a half, and he hasn't raped me, yet. I've had to do some things that I didn't like, but he hasn't raped me." "I won't rape you," he said quietly. Andrea actually believed him. At least in a classic sense. He wouldn't hold her down and force his penis into her, at least. "I'll strip for you, but please, lower that gun. You don't need it. I'll do whatever it is you want. I'll even let you rape me. It's not like I'm a fucking virgin," Andrea said quietly. "If you let me have sex with you, is that rape?" Andrea slowly lowered her hands, careful not to make any sudden movements. "It might be," she answered slowly. Her fingers began to unbutton the blue shirt she wore, her underlying bra peeking into view through the buttons. At last, she let the garment slip from her shoulders. Without hesitation, she released the front clip on her bra and dropped it to join her blouse. "Aren't you going to beg?" he asked. She looked up, her nipples crinkling in the cooler air. "Would it do me any good?" He slowly shook his head. "Then why would I beg?" "Most do." "Did Kate?" He nodded. "Understandable," Andrea continued. "My breasts and body don't have anything that you haven't already seen. Kate is walking proof of that. I don't want to be naked, but I don't see the point in procrastinating. You obviously intend for me to be that way, and eventually, you'll get your way. Right?" She hooked her fingers into the waistband of her pants and pushed them downwards. She bent to remove her boots and then stepped out of the pants. Again, she bent to remove her socks, then stood upright in just her panties. "Panties, too. And jewellery." Andrea sighed. "I figured." She turned herself around, arms extended upwards. "I don't have a weapon. I think you can see that now. Right?" He nodded. "Can you lower that thing? I really don't want to be shot while I'm http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (32 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


actually cooperating with you." He laughed, and lowered the gun until it rested against his thigh. Andrea visibly relaxed. "Thank-you," she said. Without hesitation, she slipped her panties from her hips, and then raised them on one finger. "You want them?" she asked. He laughed again, and shook his head slowly. Andrea dropped the panties to join the remainder of her clothing at her feet. She reached for her security cap, but he stopped her. "Andrea. Leave it. It looks good on you." She shrugged, aware of her breasts riding unusually exposed. She dropped her arms. "Now what?" The marble pressed harshly into her hands and knees. A flush rose through her skin as she realised what the man was making her do, but she didn't have many options. Not here. Not now. She could feel his eyes on her naked skin, probably admiring her form. Hell, if a naked woman was crawling in front of her, she'd watch too. Freud be damned. At his touch, she rose and knelt, her hands resting on her bare thighs. She cast a wistful glance towards the security desk, where a flash of red, from her bra, she supposed, peeked out from where she'd dropped it. He rummaged in a blue backpack that sat on the floor beside a brunette girl who was also naked, and cuffed, but wasn't wearing a collar. He emerged with a what looked like a rubber ball attached to leather straps. It was obvious what it was for. Andrea sighed, and opened her mouth wide as he approached. He stopped in front of her, a strange look on his face. "You aren't going to beg?" "What good would it do me? If you want to gag me, obviously you can." "I'll find your limit," he said quietly. And she was sure that he http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (33 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


would. It wouldn't take much, but here and now, cooperation seemed her best hope of survival. She glanced around at the other girls as he pressed the gag between her teeth and began to buckle the straps behind her head. The other girls had paled at the sight of the gag, and squirmed as he dealt with the newest girl -- her. Out of the corner of her eye, a girl, the slightly older girl, wearing a collar, broke and ran towards the door. A shout screamed from the girl, crying for help, for the police, anyone. He didn't turn, but stopped gagging Andrea. "Monique," he said. "That wasn't very smart." The running, naked, girl ignored him, and ran headlong into the revolving door. "Please, no," she cried as her bound hands pushed against the glass. It refused to budge for her. Slowly, the man rose to his feet, and approached where Monique stood, still crying and pushing at the door. When she saw him approaching, she squealed and began to run along the bay windows. Suddenly, she tripped with a cry of pain, falling hard to the marble. She began to crawl, but again fell with a cry. "Please, no. Please, I didn't mean it. I'll stay. I'll behave. I'll fuck. I'll do whatever you want." Without comment, he wrapped his hand into the girl's hair, and half-dragged, and she half-crawled screaming back to the group. Andrea watched all this, not even pushing the unsecured gag from her mouth. Kate approached the gunman, shaking. He brushed the girl's fingers from his arm, and dragged Monique until she'd been forced to kneel in front of Andrea. Her eyes held fright, and tears streamed down her face. Without a word, he uncuffed Monique, and recuffed her wrists behind her back. It had the affect of pushing her bare breasts forward, but he seemed to ignore that. "Spit," he said to Andrea. She looked at him confused, until he tugged at the strap leading to the ball in her mouth. Realising what he wanted, she released the ball, and it fell into his waiting palm. He turned to Monique. "Open," he ordered. The frightened girl shook her head. Instead of fighting with her, he gripped her left nipple and began to twist. She held in the cry for a long time, but eventually screamed, her mouth opening.



"No, please, no," she managed to cry out before he stuffed the ball into her mouth. Weeping, she leaned forward, almost allowing him to lock it behind her head. Her cries muffled into incomprehensible expressions. With a tug of her hair, he forced Monique back to her bare feet. Andrea, remained on her knees, frightened now, with the display. "She's scared," Andrea said. "I might try it, too." He smiled. There was no anger or displeasure in his face, only a kind of sympathy. "I wouldn't, but you'll probably have to learn that the hard way," he said almost kindly. Monique moaned and squirmed until he yanked on her hair again. Kate and Leigh seemed undecided about what to do -- almost as if they knew that interfering would make things worse. Andrea could see that interference probably would. If she stood and tried to pry his hand out of Monique's hair, he would likely just wait, and whip the girl later. Or something. "What do you want?" "If I told you to, would you have sex with Monique, here?" "You mean fuck another girl?" "Yeah?" he nodded, looking down at the kneeling girl. Andrea shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time. I've never been forced to fuck another girl, and not one that I hardly know, but I will, if you'll ungag her." He laughed, and touched the ball in Monique's mouth. Monique twisted away with a muffled cry of anger. Her eyes smouldered. He pushed Monique forward, touching her thighs until Monique moaned and parted her legs. She began to cry, her breathing becoming ragged and laboured. Kate stepped forward. "You have to ungag her," she whispered urgently. "She'll choke." "Would you rather wear the thing?" Kate nodded. "Gladly. I'll wear it as long as you like." He gently pushed Kate away, and she stepped back, her bare foot brushing Andrea's thigh. "If she behaves, I'll take it out. Maybe at the hotel." Monique's eyes widened. Andrea could see the first vestiges of pain http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (35 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


entering the girl's eyes. Even with the short time that the ball had been in her mouth, Andrea's jaw ached a little. She didn't know how far it was to the hotel, but she couldn't imagine wearing the thing that long. "If I make her climax," Andrea said slowly. "Will you let her go? Take the gag out?" "So you'd have sex with her?" "Of course," Andrea said. Monique's vagina gaped almost obscenely in front of her eyes. "Kiss her." Andrea drew in her breath, and leaned forward. The girl was sweet, without an abundance of pubic curls. Gently, Andrea kissed her sex, not delving between the lips. She'd done it before, it was only skin. Her own sex tingled a little, but that was easy to quench. Andrea looked up expectantly. "No deals," he said. He gripped her upper arm, and Andrea warily climbed to her feet. Monique still stood, feet parted, where she'd been placed. Her shoulders shook with her sobs. "She only did what we all want to do," Kate whispered. "I know," he said. He turned towards Leigh. She watched as the leather collar was removed from Kate's throat. The girl gave her a sympathetic look, but rubbed at the red mark around her throat as she did. Andrea sighed. "Is this really necessarily? I'm not an animal, much as you might believe otherwise." "It's not to make you feel like an animal." "What else could it possibly be for?" "To remind you of your status." "As an animal."



"No." Andrea sighed, but knowing what was inevitably coming, bent her head forward. She used her cuffed wrists to hold her ponytail out of the way as he placed the confining leather about her throat. The lock clicked, and she knew that it wasn't being removed unless she cut it off, or he removed it. The leash tickled her body as it swung crazily as she moved. "It isn't necessary." "No. It isn't. I want it on you." She nodded. "I see. Would you like me to crawl, too?" "That isn't necessary either." She nodded, staying on her feet, slightly swaying. Her head felt light, almost as if it were filled with helium. She supposed that her lower half was demanding blood. The insistent tickle between her legs had begun to make itself known, again. (Getting turned on by all this?) (Yes.) Andrea sighed, and stumbled into a walk as he gathered up the leash connected to her neck. Monique cried out, her gag still muffling coherent speech. She didn't look happy, but she didn't look angry anymore. If anything, the girl looked to be in more discomfort than anything else. She had to share a revolving enclosure with Monique, her bare skin brushing against the other girl no matter how hard she tried to avoid it. Kate and Leigh ushered into the enclosure behind, and he followed the girls outside. Andrea half expected Monique to cut and run again, but the girl didn't. Monique's eyes roamed over the busy, but frozen street, half in a panic at her exposure to the outside world. Kate and Leigh seemed more at ease with their nudity. While it felt decidedly odd to be outside in the downtown core, completely naked, Andrea didn't quite know what she felt yet. Eventually, all this would sink in, she supposed. The sun warmed her bare skin, and she waited for him to gather up her leash. She walked quietly beside Monique while Kate and Leigh walked ahead. The sidewalk felt odd beneath her bare feet.




"Rachel?" The girl behind the counter looked up, puzzlement turning to outright fear as her eyes took in the four naked women standing behind the man holding a gun. For a moment, Rachel though that she would faint, but she didn't, holding onto the desk for support. "How do you know my name?" she asked carefully. She couldn't take her eyes off the blonde girl wearing the baseball cap, and a collar, but nothing else. The girl beside her had something that looked like a red tennis ball wedged in her mouth. "Unimportant. Where is there a decent submarine shack?" "What?" "A sandwich place? Somewhere to get lunch?" Rachel pointed towards the elevators, her hand visibly shaking. "Downstairs. In the concourse. There's a deli, and a submarine place. Why? Why? Why are they ..." She didn't get to complete the thought. The girls faded, as a tingling overtook her limbs and then her torso. Strangely, her nipples tingled last, even when the rest of her was numb. Darkness descended. "Hold up," he said. Kate and Leigh stopped, and walked slowly back to where he stood lightly holding the leashes leading to Andrea and Monique. Kate glanced at Monique, tears unshed lined her eyelids. Monique stood with her own eyes closed, a low moan issuing from behind the ball in her mouth. "Please," Kate said. "Let her out. Leave her hands cuffed, but take that damn ball out. I'll wear it if you need someone to wear it. We'll share it." "She tried to run."



"Wouldn't you?" He seemed to consider it, finally turning towards Monique. "Are you going to try to run again?" The naked girl slowly shook her head without opening her eyes. "Are you going to behave? Honour our agreement?" Monique looked puzzled for a moment, but then nodded enthusiastically. Slowly, he turned to Kate, digging in his pocket. He held up a tiny silver key. Kate held out her bound hands, and he pressed the key into her palm. "If she acts up, you get to wear it." Kate nodded, relief flooding her face. She scampered over to Monique, and began to struggle with the tiny lock holding the gag in Monique's mouth. He turned towards Leigh. "Thank you," Leigh said quietly. "For what?" "You could have left her in that all day. Thank you for ungagging her. I would have traded with her, too." He shrugged, as if he knew that he could, and Monique's comfort was only of minor concern to him. "I know you would." A slight popping sound emerged as the ball fell from Monique's mouth. The girl cried out as she worked her stiff jaw, and began to cry as Kate cradled the gag between her handcuffed hands. Kate reached up to massage the girl's jaw. He turned back towards Leigh. He pointed at the store in front of her. It was one of the larger book chains. "As the Book Turns," the sign read in blazing red. Customers milled about frozen at the bargain book bins near the front of the store. Leigh shrugged, as he motioned for Kate to join them. Kate abandoned Monique, and padded over. "Go get yourself a book each," he said. Leigh and Kate looked at each other, and then at him. He nodded, and they dashed towards the bookstore, unabashed at their nudity, or http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (39 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


handcuffs. As long as the customers remained frozen, they were finally getting used to being naked in the world. Andrea and Monique watched them go wistfully. He found an empty bench and lowered himself with a sigh, into it. Resigned, Monique and Andrea walked over, the leashes trailing after them, to stand and wait. "... the universe deals with paradox. Paradox can't happen." Andrea shifted, tucking her legs under herself. He wouldn't let her sit on the bench, but had told both girls to sit. The tile of the concourse felt dirty against her bare skin, but she didn't think complaining about it would faze her captor. "So you couldn't return in time and kill your own parents?" "I don't think I could return in time. The possibilities for timeline corruption would be endless, and probably unresolvable. If I sneezed back in '69, I might not have been born." "Then what is this place?" "Parallel universe? Alternate timeline?" he said, shrugging. "You don't know? Isn't that dangerous to be playing here?" He nodded. "There are risks, I suppose. But we're here. Paradox comes into play in other ways. If you turn on a shower, it will operate, even if the pipes are frozen to it. It operates because it would if the world were unfrozen. However, a television set won't. To be honest, I don't understand the difference." "People," Andrea mused. Her foot itched, and she absently scratched at her toes with her bound hands. "If there's people involved, then cause and effect don't work." "Not quite. I think I'll have to run more simulations. See if complexity of the system has anything to do with it. Simple things work. I don't trust elevators here, though." Monique sighed in response for that. "Forty-two floors," she murmured. The Timeman ignored Monique, speaking again about paradox. "But paradox influences philosophy. It brings up an interesting question." Andrea looked up past the bill of her cap, from her bare breasts. He pointed at a patron of the mall -- a mother pushing a baby carriage. Andrea twisted to look. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (40 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


"You can't be serious. A mother and a baby?" "I'm not going to touch them. But suppose I did. What if I killed the baby, in an attempt to get the mother to do something sexual for me." "Anal sex?" "Whatever. She doesn't want to do it, and I kill the baby. Even accidently." "She would." "What?" "Give you whatever you asked for. You could rip her insides out through her throat and her rectum by merely threatening the baby. Anal sex would be a breeze for her. Mothers are different. Trust me. She'd do whatever you wanted, without much of a fight." He seemed to remember another time for a moment, before returning to the present. "I could return them, back to the main timeline. Their experience would never have happened. Period. Existence is based on time. Without time, the experience doesn't happen. Even if I killed the baby, on their timeline, it never happened. If I raped the mother. It didn't happen. Not for them." Andrea shivered, and shifted, pulling her knees up to her chest, and encircling her calves with her bound hands. She was aware that her movement would have given him a show, had he been looking at her, but he wasn't, instead gazing at the carriage. "It didn't happen for them. The question is. Did it happen for you?" she said quietly. "Yes," he said wearily, "did it happen for me?" A moment later, he spoke again. "Isn't that actually the point?" Andrea shrugged. "As long as I don't tell the mother that her baby had been killed, she'd never know. It would be like a fantasy, only existing in my own mind." "Philosophically, I don't know. But it seems that this is a little more than fantasy."



"Is it?" "There are consequences here, on this timeline, as long as we are here. Monique hurts because you gagged her for an unreasonable time. I'm sitting here naked, debating paradox with you. You've hurt others here, I imagine, before you took me. This may be fantasy for you, but while we're here, it's pretty real. We're still human beings, you know. We hurt, and we get embarrassed, and we cry. Just like you." He lapsed into silence, and Andrea didn't attempt to reopen the conversation. She sat naked, and rocked quietly, turned to watch the front of the book store. Idly, she wondered if Kate and Leigh would return, or whether they'd try to run. It occurred to Andrea that this could be a test. She bet on Kate and Leigh returning. Actually laughing, Kate and Leigh appeared holding a few books in their bound hands. They ran back to where the Timeman sat on the bench. Andrea pushed herself up, and helped Monique to stand again as they approached. Her stomach growled as she realised that she was hungry. "What did you get?" "Leigh, the silly girl, wanted to pay for them," Kate said breathlessly. Her happiness was infectious. Andrea felt uplifted, and a smile graced the face of Monique for the first time since she'd been ungagged. Kate continued the story. "She made me go to the cashiers before she realised that even if she had money, she didn't have any pockets." Kate sobered a little. "So, we applied our five finger discount. I don't think they'll care." Leigh looked a little abashed at the story, but held out the two books she held in her hands. He lifted them, one at a time. "The Throat? Peter Straub? A Tale of Two Cities? Dickens?" "The Peter Straub book is for me, and the Dickens I got for Andrea or Monique. I didn't know what else to get." He picked up Kate's books. "The Two Towers? And Agatha Christie?" Kate shrugged. "I was reading The Lord of the Rings, um, before you took me, and the Agatha Christie can be for whoever wants to read it." Andrea smiled. "I've never read Dickens." "Christie is fine with me," Monique chimed in.



He walked forward and unclipped the leashes from the throats of Monique and Andrea. The girls looked appreciative, even as he wound them into a ball and slipped the leashes and the books into the backpack. Kate bent and picked up the pack, and they moved down the concourse, together, slipping around patrons. He looked strangely at a mother pushing her baby in a carriage, and all but Andrea cringed. They continued on, until the lights of a food court grabbed their attention.


Penelope, the girl behind the submarine counter, stood looking bored. The girl was petite, slim, and bleached blonde, perhaps recently out of high school, probably dropped out to be working here. Or perhaps she was unfortunate enough to be the daughter of the franchisee. Either way, Leigh figured the girl wouldn't be bored much longer. Kate stepped forward, rubbing her breasts purposely across the Timeman's upper arm. He seemed to lose concentration, and the girl remained frozen behind the counter. "I can make us sandwiches, if that's what you want," Kate murmured. "That's what she's paid to do," the Timeman pointed out. "She's not paid for what she's about to see," Kate said. "I'll be glad to make whatever you want, and even serve it to you. I'm already naked." She paused, thinking. "And I'm hungry, too. It's been a long morning. I'm not sure I want to wait while you terrorise another girl." "You'll wait if I tell you to." "Of course," Kate said, taking a step back. "But I thought ..." "Thanks," he said. But he turned towards the counter again. The girl's eyes opened wider as she noted the new customers that had appeared in front of her. Leigh tried to cover her nudity, before realising how useless the gesture was. She dropped her cuffed hands. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (43 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


Penelope screamed, and then screamed again when he idly showed the girl the gun. "What do you want?" the girl asked, nearly hysterical. "I want you to remove your uniform top." "Why? Please," the girl begged. He showed her the gun again. "Nobody is going to help you. Nobody is going to care that you are naked, except me, and perhaps the girls here. If you do what you're told, I'll let you go as soon as you make some lunch for us." "L-l-lunch?" "You make subs for a living, don't you?" "I'm an artist," she said almost automatically. "I see. So you've done nude modelling." "What?" He aimed the gun at her throat, and the terrified girl backed up until her bottom hit the sink behind her. "I thought I told you to take off your top. I won't make you take everything off. Only your top. And your bra, if you're wearing one." "Oh, God. Please, no." Kate stepped up the counter, waving the gun down. Almost as if he was listening to the naked redhead, he lowered the gun for a moment. Penelope, behind the counter, seemed to relax a bit, though her eyes seemed glued to Kate's breasts visible through the glass of the condiment shelf. "Penelope, right?" The girl nodded dumbly. "Look at us. You have to trust me. This is a strange place you've been dragged into. Look at all the girls. He makes us all strip. Hurts us, if we don't. Do you understand?" Penelope nodded, though it was clear that she didn't understand at all. "He'll hurt you if you don't take off your clothes. At least he's letting you keep your bottoms. Around here, even a baseball cap is special. Please. I don't want to see you hurt, Penelope. Do you http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (44 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


want me to come back there and help you?" The girl shook her head. "Will you take off your top? There's nobody here but us." Kate said soothingly. "And most of us are naked, too." The girl seemed to relax while the gun wasn't aimed at her, and Kate was talking to her. Slowly, she began to unbutton her top. She was wearing a turtle neck under it, and she pulled that over her head. She hesitated at her bra, looking at Kate for help. "If it were up to me," Kate said quietly, "you could keep your uniform. I don't need my sandwich maker nude. But he'll hurt you, if you don't. I'm so sorry." Kate raised her arms above her head, her breasts rising attractively as if to punctuate the point that all the girls were already nude. With a small sob, the girl unclasped the underwear and let it drop. Her hands shielded her nipples from view. When Kate looked back around, the Timeman had seated himself at a table. The other three girls still stood near the counter. "Six assorted subs on dark bread, please," the Timeman said. Penelope nodded, finally, a normal task for which she'd been trained presenting itself. She pulled bread from the oven, and began to make sandwiches. Andrea's voice broke the quiet. "Um? Assorted subs have meat on them, right?" Penelope nodded, not looking up from her hands spreading lettuce and cheese on the six buns. Andrea turned towards the Timeman. "Can I have mine without meat?" "Why?" he asked. "I'm kind of a vegetarian." "Not here," he said. "Even here." "I can force you to eat meat," he said. "I was hoping that you wouldn't be that petty," she said quietly. "But, of course, I would eat meat rather than see someone hurt." He seemed satisfied, leaning back in the hard plastic chair of the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (45 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


restaurant. "If it's all the same, I'll skip lunch, then," she said. "I heard your stomach growling earlier," he said. Penelope had stopped making sandwiches to follow the exchange. When he glanced at her, she began again to move her hands, fitting meat slices on the bread. "I'm hungry," Andrea acknowledged. "But I'd rather be hungry, given the choice, than to eat meat. Please?" she asked. "Do you want me to kneel?" He shook his head. "Make one of them a vegetarian," he called to Penelope. The topless girl nodded, and slipped the meat from one of the sandwiches back into its storage bin. "Thank-you," Andrea whispered before she turned back towards the counter. Her voice wavered as she wrapped up the sandwiches and placed them into a plastic bag. Her fingers punched keys on the electronic cash register. "That'll be twenty-two dollars, thirty cents," she said. He laughed, and approached the counter. Penelope paled, again, using her hands to shield her bare breasts. "You're kidding, right? I suppose if you want payment, I could get Monique to have sex with you. Would that be acceptable as payment? I don't really have any money." Penelope shook her head, bleached hair swaying across her shoulders. "I didn't think so," he said. He eyed Monique as if contemplating forcing her to have sex with the girl anyway. Monique paled and shook her head, no. "I'll have sex with her, if you must do it," Andrea said quietly. "I don't mind." He shook his head, and reached over the counter, grabbing the plastic bag from Penelope's lax fingers. Almost simultaneously, Penelope skipped to where they'd at first seen the girl, looking bored, but topless, her fingers on the counter top. A moment later, her clothing appeared against her skin.



He sighed, and ushered the naked contingent of girls back out into the concourse. The bag weighed heavy in Leigh's hands, but she didn't complain about carrying the sandwiches. Her own stomach growled. She'd expended a lot of energy this morning, and she wanted to eat. At least he'd chosen something that they could all eat comfortably with their hands, since she doubted if he'd allow any of them cutlery. Almost like a gentleman, he held the door to the stairs open for the girls. They passed through, Leigh last. She turned before he closed the door. The sound of three sets of bare feet pattered up the concrete steps, low moans of effort filtering down the stairs. "Are you going to keep teasing us, forever?" Leigh asked. He smiled and looking upwards, watched as Monique's bound wrists disappeared around the first turn in the staircase. Leigh parted her legs as he touched them. Her gasp rose, and the patter of bare feet stopped for a moment. His finger touched her between her lips, circling her swollen clitoris twice, and he showed her the result. Moisture, her moisture, coated his finger. But she could have told him that she was wet, without the tease. She eased her legs back together with a small moan. "Maybe later," he said. He held his finger to her lips, urging them apart. She moaned as his finger slipped between her lips. She considered biting him, for a moment, then simply let her tongue remove her own scent and taste. "I'm hungry," Kate's voice called down the stairs. "What are you two doing down there? Having sex?" "Close," he said, as he urged Leigh towards the first stair. His voice ascended to the redhead. The steps on the stairs resumed again. She pulled at her bound wrists in frustration, but began to climb. Her calves burned as she took the first step upwards. Ten flights to go. Her whole body throbbed.

Chapter 89 © Copyright 2003 - Crimson Dragon - All Rights Reserved http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (47 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


As soon as Leigh was free, she ran to the naked girl tied into the chair, ignoring her aching calves. She knelt, her fingers fumbling at the knots holding the girl into the chair. When Kate was free, she picked up the plastic bag, carried it to the small coffee table, and began to extract the sandwiches within. Andrea and Monique stood awkwardly in the front entrance rubbing their suddenly freed limbs, and trying to catch their breath. A cart, with the remnants of an opulent breakfast stood beside them, bathed in white linen. The Timeman lowered himself into a sofa, eyes watching the various naked females as they busied themselves around the suite. Linda rose from her chair, as Leigh sighed in satisfaction and began to coil up the ropes that had held Linda. Linda stretched, and turned, her eyes widening at the sight of Andrea and Monique standing in the front entrance. She turned, the question dying on her lips. She yawned and stretched, finally lowering herself to her knees without being told. "You didn't have to leave me like that," Linda said quietly. The Timeman turned his attention to the kneeling girl, and shrugged. "Was it that bad?" Linda looked up for a moment, nodding her head. "It hurts, staying in the same position for hours. My ass is numb." He laughed, but Linda didn't find her discomfort particularly funny. Despite that, she was happy to be freed from the chair, and she lapsed into silence. Kate spread the wax paper wrapping in front of the Timeman, smoothing it with her fingers. A submarine sandwich sat like an island in the middle of the paper. "That's not the vegetarian one is it?" he asked her. Kate shook her head and pointed to another sandwich, beside her. "That one's Andrea's," she said. "I don't have a death wish." He nodded, and picked up his sandwich. He looked at it, without taking a bite, then returned it to the paper. Kate continued to place the sandwiches around the table, one for each girl, leaving the longest side of the table for their captor. The girls would be jammed together, but Kate didn't think they'd mind the distance between them and the clothed man.



When the last sandwich was ready, he looked up, motioning the other girls to the table. Hesitantly, Andrea and Monique joined the other three nude girls at the table. Without prompting, Andrea knelt beside Kate, squirming in, eyeing her sandwich. "We can eat, now?" Kate asked, touching Andrea's hand before she picked up her sandwich. Andrea looked puzzled for a moment, then returned her hands to her lap. Her stomach growled quietly, and she shifted on her knees. "When Monique decides to join us." Kate glanced up. Monique stood behind her, shifting her weight from bare foot, to bare foot. "I won't kneel to eat," she said. He looked up sharply at the girl. "The Japanese do it. Why not?" "It's bad enough that I'm naked and here, but to kneel to eat. I won't do it." "Excuse me?" He rested his hand on the butt of the gun still visible in his waistband. Linda looked up, worry crossing her brow. "Monique, right?" Monique nodded, turning her attention to Linda. Angry red marks adorned the girl's wrists from the rope that had held her to the chair for hours. Linda hesitated, glancing over at the Timeman. The man nodded almost imperceptibly, almost as if he hoped that this could be avoided. "You don't want to do this. He'll punish you." "I know," Monique said. "You want to be punished?" Monique shook her head. A tear began to fall down her cheeks. She brushed at it, almost tenderly. "I don't want to be naked. I don't want to kneel. I don't care anymore." Linda sighed, rising to her feet. She approached Monique. "He tied me into that chair. He tied ropes to my breasts, and then to my toes. I couldn't hold my legs up, and it hurt. It hurt. It hurt. It hurt. I don't want to see anyone go through that."



Monique shook her head. "Integrity," she whispered. "Integrity will only get you so far," Linda whispered. "He'll make you do it. You are far stronger to simply kneel and eat. Please," she said. Linda turned away before Monique could answer, returning to her spot, her bare thighs touching both Andrea and Leigh. She bowed her head, almost as if she were praying. When Monique still didn't kneel, Kate turned towards her. "Please, Monique?" Monique shook her head. "For me? Think. Downstairs, you agreed to do what he wanted. God knows, it isn't easy sometimes. But he'll gag me, not you. And I'm hungry. You know I'd take the gag for you anytime, but not for this. It isn't worth it. We kneel all the time." "I can't," Monique whispered. Tears ran in streams down her face. Kate sighed, and took a wistful look at her still untouched sandwich. She opened her mouth wide, and looked at the Timeman. "I want you to eat, Kate. I'll gag you later," the Timeman said quietly. Kate closed her mouth, a dreadful dryness permeating her tongue and gums. Slowly, he rose, and stepped towards Andrea. The girl cringed, but didn't attempt to escape. The tip of the gun caressed her temple. "I will hurt her," he said quietly. Andrea paled. He reached down, his fingers gripping Andrea's left nipple. He tweaked it gently, and Andrea yelped, but didn't try to stop him from touching her. Monique sighed, and lowered herself to her knees, beginning to shuffle forward towards the table. "You win," she said dully. "Don't hurt her." "It's far too late for that, Monique. You know that, don't you?" The girl stopped, and looked up as he released Andrea. Andrea breathed a loud sigh of relief. He walked to Monique, gently guiding the girl on her knees towards Linda's chair. Silently, she positioned herself as he requested, her ankles to the outside of the legs, and her hands behind her back, kneeling on the carpet. "Leigh, tie her."



Leigh shook her head, but moved towards Monique anyway. "Please don't make me do this. Any of us could have slipped like that." "Some slip," he murmured and returned to his seat. He began to eat, as he watched Leigh tie Monique into the seat with the ropes that had restrained Linda for so long. Monique squirmed, but didn't complain about her punishment. When she was done, Leigh looked up expectantly. "She won't resist anymore. Let her eat?" He shook his head. "She lost that privilege when she wouldn't kneel immediately." "She's a human being. She needs to eat." "I don't want to eat," Monique said quietly. Leigh sighed, and shuffled on her bare knees back to the table. She looked at her food distastefully. He put down his sandwich, and stepped around the table, finally bending and extracting the gag again from the pack. Kate looked worried for a moment, but he approached Monique, dangling the ball from his fingers. "Remember this?" The girl nodded dully, her eyes following its gentle swing. Without being asked, she winced as she opened her mouth to accept it. Sighing, he pushed it between her teeth and fastened it with a click behind her head. "Are you going to behave?" he asked her. She shook her head. The pain from the gag hadn't set in yet, though she appeared to be in discomfort. Gently, he ran his hands over her body. Monique closed her eyes, and tilted her head back, obviously trying to ignore the touches. He tickled her nipples, which reacted despite her obvious attempts to ignore the sensations, and then he trailed his fingers down her belly to her sex. Monique moaned, but tried to stay still as his fingers entered her. He didn't stay with her, but rose back to the sofa. He regarded all the naked girls staring at him with reproach and barely concealed fear. He smiled, and held up his fingers, tickling Leigh's nose. She wrinkled her nose, but apparently knew what he wanted. Her tongue snaked out of her mouth, and licked at the offered fingers. "She wasn't reacting," he said. None of the girls seemed surprised. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (51 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


Monique moaned as he unabashed spoke of her sexual response. "Eat up," he said. "I'll let her go after lunch." Kate shook her head, and spoke for all the girls around the table. "I'm not very hungry," she said. He leaned back in the sofa, crossing his arms across his chest. "Normally, I'd let you make a decision on whether to eat or not, but I must insist. I want you all to have your strength." "I won't eat," Kate said. "You'll have to force feed me, or let Monique go." He sighed. "I don't want to hurt her, but I will." Menace dripped from his voice. Then, he shrugged, and picked up his own sandwich, tearing off a bite. Kate sighed. She didn't want to see Monique tortured only to make her eat. She picked up her sandwich, aware that all the other girls were watching her. The taste of the sandwich flooded her mouth, and she sighed contentedly. When she opened her eyes, all the girls were eating their sandwiches under the watchful eyes of their captor. "I'll feed her, if you don't want to untie her. Please?" Leigh begged. She knelt closer to him, her hands pulling gently at his jeans. "She'll need her strength, too, won't she?" He nodded. "If you can get her to eat, I'll ungag her for it." Leigh raised a grateful face to his, rising up on her knees and impulsively kissed his cheek. He looked surprised at the gesture, but waved her away. Leigh rose, walked over to Monique who looked up at her with tears in her eyes. Leigh knelt back down so she was at eye-level with the bound girl. "Please, Monique. He'll ungag you, at least for a while." Monique slowly shook her head. "You have to eat. You are going to need your strength. You know what he demands of us." Monique's eyes cried out: "I don't care anymore." "You do care. You care about us, as we care about you. We can't stand to see you like this. Please."



Monique shook her head again. A muffled word emerged around the gag. "We don't even know when we'll get to eat again. We don't know anything. Eat while you can, Monique. For us?" Monique began to cry harder, but still shook her head. Leigh sighed, and leaned forward. She kissed Monique's cheek, tasting the salty wetness there. "We don't like seeing you like this. It could be any of us," Leigh whispered. Then she pushed herself back to her bare feet, and knelt back at her place at the table. Slowly, she took another bite of her own sandwich. He was finished his sandwich, and he watched the girls eat for a few more minutes in silence. Then he reached forward to the empty place between Linda and Leigh, and carefully wrapped Monique's sandwich back up. He placed it in front of his place, then leaned back. He seemed genuinely disappointed that even Leigh hadn't been able to convince Monique to eat. "Maybe later," he said quietly. "You're going to keep her, aren't you?" Leigh said quietly. The rest of the girls had spread themselves around the suite, Andrea and Linda talking quietly sitting on the tiles near the hot tub, and Kate reclining on the other love seat. Monique remained on her knees, crying quietly tied to the chair, still gagged. "Who?" Leigh turned to look at the bound woman, her head bowed, and her body shaking. "Monique." "Why would you say that?" "You wouldn't be doing this to her, if she wasn't going to stay for a while." He regarded the naked girl. Leigh leaned forward, aware of her body, but leaning her elbows on the coffee table. "Let her out. Even if she's not staying. Please?" "In a moment."



"She's learned her lesson." "I'm not sure she has, but we don't have time to let her kneel there to learn it completely." "That's why you are keeping her." The man regarded the girl again. Her breasts peeked between her upper arms, almost invitingly. "Yes," he said simply. Then, he pushed himself up, looking at all the girls spread over the room. He smiled as their soft conversations eased at his movement. "Everyone ready to move?" he asked.


Leigh knelt, and began to work at the knots that held Monique. Monique sighed, and didn't squirm as the ropes fell from her limbs. The knots weren't nearly as tight as the ones that had held Linda, but presumably Monique hadn't struggled nearly as much, either. The other girls busied themselves returning various implements to the backpack, and then standing naked by the doorway. It wasn't as if there were suitcases of clothing to pack away -- everything was in order in a matter of minutes. Monique sighed through her gag as she pushed herself to her feet after the last of the ropes fell from her body. She rubbed at her wrists where dark red lines marked her pale skin. She tugged at the ball futilely, her eyes begging him to release her. Without a word to her, he unlocked the leather, and allowed her to pull the ball from her mouth. "Thank you," Monique mumbled. She didn't return to her knees, but merely watched as Leigh coiled the ropes quickly around her own arm. Leigh rose, and padded to the front door. Monique trailed after her. Leigh slipped the coils of ropes into the backpack.



"Where are we going?" she asked him, as he made a final survey of the room. Satisfied, he turned towards Leigh, and responded. "Not all of us are going." Leigh looked around at the other girls. "Handcuff Monique and Andrea. Hands behind them." Leigh faced him. "Why?" "You don't need to know." "I know that. Please, why?" "Because they're new, and I want them restrained. You and Kate can go without." Leigh shook her head. "If it's all the same to you, if Monique and Andrea have to wear handcuffs, I will, too." Kate looked disappointed, but nodded as well. She held her wrists behind her back and turned. Linda, after a moment, held her hands behind her back as well, in a show of solidarity. He laughed and shook his head, as if marvelling at the girl's dedication to each other. He turned to Linda, motioning her forward. Leigh bent to gather five sets of handcuffs from the pack. "Linda won't be joining us," he said. Linda looked stricken, and she swallowed heavily. "Please, I don't want to be left alone again. If you do leave me, please don't tie me. I'll do whatever you want. Please?" He grinned, and touched her bare shoulder. "Linda, my dear, I'm letting you go." "Go? Like I don't have to be tied anymore? Hurt anymore? Naked anymore?" "Sort of. You'll be naked, but only because you'll be in the bathtub." "You're kidding." He slowly shook his head. A smile broke across Linda's face, but when she turned to face the other girls, her face fell a little. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (55 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


"I can't leave them," she whispered. Leigh shuddered, dropping the handcuffs she held in her right hand to the tile of the entrance hallway. The handcuffs clattered and jingled. She stepped forward, embracing Linda. "Don't be stupid," she whispered. "We'll be fine without you. You have more to worry about. Enjoy being a newlywed without worrying about walking around naked, for him." "But ..." Leigh raised her finger and touched Linda's lips. Then she kissed her. The kiss was chaste, but it still sent shivers through her spine. She shook off the feeling and embraced the girl tighter. "No buts," Leigh said. "Go back where you belong. Please. For us. All of us want you to go home." Linda nodded, turning to Kate. She held out her hand, but Kate jumped forward and hugged her, too. Bare skin rubbed, but they didn't care. "I'm sorry about what I said to you," Linda whispered. Kate shrugged. "I would have said the same things. Strength comes in different packages." She hugged Linda tighter. "I know that now. Thank you," Linda whispered with a final squeeze. She waved to the other two girls, and stepped back in front of the Timeman. The Timeman let his gaze travel her body, and Linda simply allowed him to do it, unabashed. She was going home. He led Linda back to the hot tub, and guided her up the stairs. Linda waved, and then settled beneath the bubbles, sighing as the water surrounded her. "Good-bye," she said. Then she gasped once and fell silent, her body unmoving. He returned to Leigh and Kate. "She'll be all right in there, even if we never came back." "You didn't let her go?" "I didn't return her, no. She and Mark share a timeline, but she would never know it. If we decide to come back, they'll still be here." Kate sighed. "I hope we don't." Leigh echoed the sentiment, and bent to pick up four out of the five http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (56 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


handcuffs that she'd originally gathered. The remaining pair, Linda's pair, lay accusingly against the pink tile. Andrea and Monique turned and meekly accepted the cuffs. As Leigh turned towards Kate, the Timeman stopped her. "If Kate wants to be a martyr, I'm not going to stop her, but she has to wear the cuffs in front." Kate looked at him quizzically, but slowly returned her hands in front of her, turning back around to face Leigh. Leigh clipped the restraints around Kate's wrists, finally struggling to close her own pair about her wrists behind her. Kate touched her shoulder, and she turned, presenting her back to the redhead. Kate quickly ratcheted the devices closed about Leigh's wrists, and then all the girls turned to face the Timeman. He gazed at the girl in the tub for a moment, and then opened the door. The girls had to sidestep around Mark. Leigh shivered as her breasts dragged gently across his cold, dead skin. But after she was out, she relaxed, and waited for the Timeman to slip past Linda's frozen husband. "Couldn't have been in a more awkward place, could he?" "You froze him there," Leigh said. He laughed, and then began to lead the way. As the door closed, Leigh watched the hot tub, and Linda, slowly fade from view. It had been home, of sorts, for her, and she felt a tug in her heart. When she looked up, the girls had nearly disappeared down the long corridor towards the stairs. "Sleep well, Linda," she said as she ran to catch up with the group. The backseat was a tight squeeze for the girls. Leigh's shoulder jammed up against the window, and her knees pressed into the passenger seat. Her bare skin pressed closely against Andrea's thigh, and the air felt warm and stale in the back. Monique sat in a similar position behind the driver. The Timeman enjoyed the relative spaciousness of the passenger seat, and Kate sat behind the wheel. "Now I know why you wanted me cuffed in front." "You'd hit a lot of Mercedes if you were handcuffed behind. Don't get used to it, though." "I won't." After a few minutes, she asked, "So where are we taking the party http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-81-90.html (57 of 59)8/14/2005 11:42:42 PM


now?" He turned in his seat, the seatbelt stretching from his shoulder. The girls weren't wearing seatbelts. "To our next home." Kate sighed, and held out her hands. She still marvelled that she was sitting here without clothing, her hands held together with the thin chain and the metal bracelets. Her bare feet caressed the pedals. He raised himself slightly off the seat, and rummaged in his pockets, eventually producing the shiny Toyota key. He pressed the key into Kate's open palm, and the girl twisted in her seat, fumbling it into the ignition. The engine purred to life, and the Timeman settled back into the seat. Kate drew a deep breath, and moved her feet on the peddles. The car jumped forward, and stalled. The girls in the back groaned as they were jostled. Kate sighed, and restarted the engine, this time easing the car into gear. She navigated around a blue delivery van, and slowly picked her way through the littered downtown streets. "Where are we going?" she asked quietly. The Timeman was watching the pavement slip by as Kate drove carefully around another parked Jaguar. "North," he said without looking at her. Kate sighed, and concentrated on changing gears and keeping the small car on the road. "Turn right," he said. The traffic light was stuck on perpetual red. Kate ignored it, and twisted the wheel. The car responded, and slipped onto a wide, mostly empty street. Long lots, ringed with decorative black fences and gates, underlying towering elms, lined the road. The only cars that Kate needed to avoid were expensive BMW's, Jaguars, Mercedes, and even a Ferrari. "Where are we?" Kate asked. "Almost there," he said. His eyes scanned the expensive looking properties to the right and left. "Here," he said.



Kate pressed gently on the brake pedal, the car slowly riding to a stop. She depressed the clutch as the engine began to falter. "Here?" Kate's eyes widened. He pointed, as if this were the most natural destination in the city. "Here?" she repeated. He nodded. Without thought, she slipped the car back into gear, and turned left between the towering brick gates, and over the asphalt of the driveway. The girls tumbled from the car, helped by both the Timeman and Kate. The asphalt was warm and comforting beneath Kate's feet. She stood with the other girls, in awe, looking up at the mansion rising before her. She shielded her eyes with her hands. "Here?" she said again. "We needed some place to crash for the night, didn't we?" he said. The Timeman began to walk up the marble staircase leading to the enormous front doors. "Is this a castle? Or a house?" Kate whispered. The rest of the girls merely watched, agape, as the Timeman ascended.



You are vistor #


since August 2000.




Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 91

·

Chapter 92

·

Chapter 93

·

Chapter 94

·

Chapter 95

Chapter 96

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Chapter 97

·

Chapter 98

·

Chapter 99

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Chapter 100


The engine finally died as she struggled to guide the big car around the latest traffic jam. Abandoning the car in the middle of an intersection, Dawn opened the door and stepped out onto the warm asphalt. She glanced up the street. Overtop of the litter of frozen pedestrians and cars, the building shone in the afternoon sun, windows reflecting sunlight like a million copper sheets. With a sigh, Dawn turned towards the old vehicle, something familiar in a sea of chaos. She could sense it on two levels, with her eyes, in the conventional sense, and outside of that, in the blue haze. She nearly released it, but then caught herself. If she released it, it would snap back to her driveway -- a long walk away. It didn't take much effort to maintain the pocket of time -- it was generating it that exhausted her mind, body, and soul. Her body throbbed again. Turning from the rusty Buick, she set off, threading through unresponsive pedestrians, and other obstructions.



The building rose impossibly tall above her, like a huge, threatening dinosaur. She swallowed heavily, her hands on her hips. (Do I want to go in there?) He was no longer in there, she could sense that with the same internal sight that allowed her to sense the Buick sitting idle four blocks from here. (Do I want to go in there?) The revolving door mocked her, as the tingles began to rush through her nerves again. (Please, not again.) She let her breath escape between her lips, and stepped determinedly towards the glass enclosure of the lobby. Her face rested in her hands, her breathing ragged. The cool of the frozen glass behind her seeped into her back through her sweatshirt. (I can't. Not here. Please.) The door had yielded, with some effort, but it had taken its toll. Her mind spun, reeling with hormone induced fatigue. Her nipples and clitoris felt like they were on fire. She yanked her hand from massaging her breast through her clothing. A tear slipped from her eyes to burn down her cheek. Her heart still raced, and her pulse pounded between her legs, and in her chest, but she had regained some composure. She glanced around the huge lobby. Everywhere, people stared at her, blank gazes accusing her. (I'm not a slut. I'm not.) Slowly, she walked towards the security desk. The scene superimposed itself through her sight. She'd been here, recently -- as Kate, a naked girl standing there, bare feet warming the marble. Her breasts tingled again at the intimate memory. Except the blonde girl -- the security guard with the baseball cap -- wasn't here. Dawn leaned on the marble of the security console. A comfortable swivel chair sat devoid of presence. With a start, a flash of red caught her eye. Slowly, she lowered her belly from the console, walking around the edge of the desk. Even http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (2 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


here, it seemed wrong to invade the sanctuary of the security desk -- almost as if a sign proclaimed it private territory -"Trespassers will be shot." She bent and fingered the fabric lying carelessly on the ground. A lacy bra, not a practical one, lay amongst other discarded clothing. "You want them?" With a start, Dawn glanced around the silent lobby. "Who's there?" she asked, breathlessly. No answer returned. Dawn rose, still holding the brassiere in her fingers. There was no movement in the lobby anywhere. Dawn screamed as the vision slammed into her. She dropped the red cloth from her hand as a blonde girl appeared behind the desk. She twirled the fabric around her index finger, staring beyond where Dawn stood transfixed. "You want them?" the girl asked. "No," Dawn whispered. The image of the girl faded, her panties joining the rest of her clothing behind the desk. Dawn shook her head as the real world returned for her. Somewhere, inside, she knew that she'd witnessed the past. She nudged the red bra back towards the back of the desk to join the small pile of women's clothing there. On top of the pile sat the panties that Dawn had seen the girl twirling about her finger playfully. She stared at the elevator doors. She pressed the little arrow that should have glowed green, pointing upwards. The light didn't go on, and neither did she hear the rumble that should have indicated an elevator on its way. She sighed, tried to expand the time bubble that encapsulated the control, but it resisted her. Her mind swam with sexual energy, and she moaned as finally, she was forced to abandon this. She glanced up, cringing. Suite 4201, the little silver plaque had read. Forty-two flights. She nearly turned back towards the revolving door, and back to the Buick, but at last walked to the brown door flanking the elevator banks. She touched the door. She had to know. It took most of her will, but she managed to get the door open without touching her nipples. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (3 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


She rested every five flights. Her footsteps didn't echo, and it felt like the stairs would ascend until she reached heaven. Kate and Leigh and the Timeman had done it. She could, too. Somehow, she didn't think she would meet heaven. Something different, perhaps. Wearily, she rose again, and began to climb again. One stair at a time. Too many damn doors. She sat in the same chair that Leigh had curled up in to read Reader's Digest. Slowly, Dawn traced her fingers over the mini-magazine as she tried to quell the insistent throbbing that distracted her concentration. The guy behind the reception desk mocked her, but Dawn was beyond caring who saw her flushed, and uncomfortable. Yes, she was sexually aroused, but who wasn't in this mixed up, crazy world. Nobody that she'd seen. She finally pushed herself to her feet and stumbled across to the oaken doors that led to the office beyond. "What the hell are you looking at?" she whispered to the boy as she passed the reception desk. She had a sudden impulse to drop to her knees, and crawl under his desk. She bet the damn universe would let her unfreeze the boy, if she intended to have sex with him. In any capacity. She fought down the urge, and approached the door. She braced herself for the onslaught of hormones, but extended the time bubble anyway. She cried out as she nearly climaxed, snatching her hand from her groin. (No. No. No.) She reached forward with her left hand, her fingers lightly coated with her own scent and moisture. She slipped through the door, sinking to the carpet beyond. When she realised what she was doing, she forced her fingers from her mouth. She cried for a while, but eventually, pushed herself back to her feet.



Somehow, she knew. She didn't know how that knowledge had infused her mind, but she knew. The door in front of her -- he'd been in there. She took a deep breath, and extended her aura to include the door. She twisted the doorknob, and stumbled through, her body insistent and close. A woman -- the woman from the hallway -- crawled on all fours around the periphery of the room. She was recognisable despite her head hanging, and her being naked as the day she'd been born. She was an extraordinarily attractive woman. The Timeman sat on the edge of the desk between two men who seemed to be awake. The older one, Blake, spoke about philosophy and truth with the Timeman, while the younger man watched as the girl crawled, crying and naked, around the edge of the room. Dawn cried out, and forced the images from her mind. She stood shaking, just inside the door to the opulent office. Blake sat behind his desk, his eyes lifted a little from the telephone in front of him. He seemed to be staring at Dawn, though she knew that was impossible. With a start, Dawn yanked back down her sweatshirt, and tore her fingers from her nipples. (No. Please, no.) (Yes, Pandora, yes.) She moaned, sinking to the floor. She cradled her head on her hands, sure she would fall into a deep sleep, right there on the floor of Blake's office. Her fingers trembled, and blue light infused her vision. (I won't masturbate. I won't.) (Why?) (Because I'm stronger than that.) (You need to.) (I don't. I don't.) She wasn't sure of that, but after a while, she dried her eyes, and pushed herself back to her feet. She swayed, lights dancing in front http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (5 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


of her closed eyes. She braced herself again, and slipped back out into the hallway. Dawn moaned again. The image of a brunette lay on the cluttered desk, somehow merging with the controlled chaos of papers, pens, and clips that sat there now. The crawling girl was on her knees, her head buried between the brunette's thighs. A sharp sound, of metal striking bare flesh captured Dawn's attention. The Timeman stood with a frightened blond. Another red stripe from the metal ruler marked her face. "Stop, please stop," Dawn whispered. As if it listened to her, the images faded. But the scents remained -- musk and sex -- and Dawn turned from the room, without thought cringing as her own body cried out as the door opened. "Oh God," she moaned. She sank to her knees, sobbing in the hallway. She stood scared in front of the reception desk, her hands braced against it to try and control the shaking. Her mind filled with unwelcome images -- naked girls in chains. She'd nearly done it. God. She'd nearly done it. The boy sat in front of her, innocently unaware of her presence. He would have fucked her, too, she was sure. All she needed to do was cast the time bubble around him. It would be simple. For him. And she would strip, and he'd ... fuck her. She moaned like an animal, falling to her knees in front of the desk. She could crawl under the desk, hidden from view -- only the boy would know what she was doing with her lips. (You won't make it down those stairs) She moaned again, snatching her fingers from her own mouth. (No. I'm not a damn nymph.) (No. But Pandora was.) (I won't fuck him.) (Then you have to do what you don't want to do.)



(I can't.) (You better.) She finally gave in, feeling her fingers, as if they belonged to someone else, unbuttoning her jeans and lowering the zipper. "Please, no," she whispered. But her voice fell unheeded into the silence of the world. Her fingers didn't even feel like her own, brushing against the soft folds of her vagina and clitoris. Her left hand kneaded her right breast, pinching hard at her nipple. It didn't take long. Couldn't. Images and emotions of Kate, and Leigh, and the other girls naked, burned into her as her fingers moved. She screamed, her back arching, her heart pounding in her chest. Blue light exploded in her mind, and then another wave washed over her. "Oh, God," she moaned. Without bothering to straighten her clothing, she rolled over on her side, her hands cradling her cheek. Her scent, strong and musky, surrounded her. She closed her eyes, and wept. The universe had been more cooperative after her climaxes. She had no trouble, beyond pure fatigue, in moving down the stairs and out through the revolving doors. Each time she needed to expand her bubble, new pressures exerted upon her nerves, but the sexual energy still was at manageable levels. She sat out on the sidewalk, her face tilted up to gather in the early afternoon sunshine. Despite a deep ache, she felt better, more in control of her mind. Dawn didn't understand all that she'd seen -- her foray into the building almost on the level of a vivid dream -- but she knew that she needed to continue. Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet. She swayed for a moment, but then retraced her steps back to the Buick. It stood like a saviour in the middle of the intersection, a great rusted chariot to take her on her next journey. (Where?) http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (7 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


An image of a brunette girl faded into her consciousness. The girl was naked, tied to a chair, screaming as her breasts were stretched by a rope leading up through a hook in the ceiling to her bare toes. She tore her eyes from the image of the girl, concentrating on the view through the windows. Lakefront. She recognised a few of the building close by. And suddenly, the name appeared for her. "Westin." She opened the car door, praying that the car would start. The engine balked, but eventually roared back to life. (Please don't strand me. Not here.) She her the she

glanced again at the office tower with a shudder. An image of lying on the reception floor, forty-two floors up, in front of boy, her hands buried under her clothing, writhing, invaded. But felt better, now.

She awkwardly turned the big car around, and began to drive towards the hotel. It wasn't far. Almost close enough to walk. She didn't quite understand how the name of the hotel had come to her, but she knew that she had to go there. He was no longer there, but something important was. She navigated around a blue Jaguar, and continued slowly up the cluttered streets. God, she felt better.


His fingers paused before they grasped the doorknob. Below him, the girls began to walk slowly towards the marble staircase, murmuring between themselves. The universe shimmered, and he sensed ripples through the strands of time that he held in his subconscious control. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the hazy world of timelines. There were the hazy http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (8 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


shadows of time bubbles below him, Leigh, and Kate, and Monique and Andrea, all moving slowly through the ether. He stretched farther, sensing Mark, moving at a snail's pace compared to himself, or the girls below. And Linda, but her image was more indistinct than the others, almost as though it were masked, or he was glancing through a smoky glass. And then she was gone. He blinked quickly, surprised. Was she gone? And if so, where was she? Did his mind lose control of her somehow? He shivered. The blackouts? Were they returning, his mind unable to hold people over distance? No, he could still sense the girl in the hot tub, faintly. She wasn't gone -- not exactly. A short ripple of unease flashed through him, but the girls were upon him, exclamations of disbelief over the palatial home stretched out in front of them. The chains jingled on their wrists as they moved towards him and the massive doors, their restraints seemingly of secondary concern to them after the new house. He sighed inwardly, concerned, but not overly. Could be a glitch, he supposed. Time control wasn't exactly an established science. He reached forward and twisted the brass knob of the doorway. She couldn't even cover her ears with her hands shackled behind her back like this. She cringed instead, and took a deep breath. The sound of the report deafened her for a moment, and she only managed to keep herself from flight by the certain knowledge of the punishment that awaited her if he thought she was trying to escape. She sighed, and waited for the ringing in her eardrums to abate. "Are you okay, Leigh?" he asked. She could barely hear him, but she responded anyway. "It might help, if you were going to shoot something, if you'd let us have our hands free, or let us move further away." "Scared of loud noises?" "Scared of being shot by the ricochet," she said. "And I can't hear anything, either." He laughed, and touched her bare shoulder. She didn't flinch. Odd that she was getting used to his casual touches upon her unprotected skin. She shrugged inwardly, and trudged towards the suddenly opened door. The lock hung shattered by the bullet as she passed into a dimly lit hallway. The marble of the front stoop didn't end under her bare feet as she stepped carefully over the threshold.



She glanced around, hoping that nobody was home. As far as she could tell, the house stood empty. The front hallway opened into an enormous antechamber, all marble. A living room, of sorts, stood to the left, and what looked like a kitchen and a study opened ahead of her and to the right. A small pool, silent now, would have babbled from a small marble statue under the staircase to the right. Slowly she turned, pulling weakly at her handcuffs. Kate stepped over the threshold next with a light gasp, followed closely by Monique, and Andrea, both staring at the palace with equal amazement. Her captor stepped through the door and closed the door. Slowly, the door began to shift closed, the shattered lock ineffective. Idly she wondered about why he would need or want the door closed. Perhaps simply habit. His shoes pattered against the marble as he moved in front of the girls. He motioned for Leigh to approach. At his direction, she knelt, her bare knees resting against the smooth surface of the dressed stone. She half-expected him to present his penis to her, but instead, he merely circled her, stopping behind. He tugged at her wrists, and Leigh cried out a little as she was forced forward until her forehead nearly touched the ground. In a few moments, her wrists were free, and she gratefully straightened. She massaged her wrists as he did the same to all the girls. Finally, they all remained kneeling in the front hall while he paced towards the kitchen. He glanced into the kitchen, and then into what looked like the living room. "Up," he said to Leigh. The rest of the girls remained on their knees. Leigh pushed herself to her feet, waiting for his next instructions. He motioned her forward, and took her hand. She allowed him to entwine his fingers in hers. It was a surprisingly intimate gesture, but he wasn't hurting anyone, and that was a blessing. She followed as he led her through the main floor. The kitchen looked remarkably well stocked from the few cupboards he opened. The kitchen led into an enclosed dining room with a long mahogany table. From there, the living room expanded into an entertainment facility with big screen television, stereo and various comfortable looking sofas. The marble switched to lush carpet beneath her bare toes. She felt odd wandering around in the stranger's home without clothing, but without choice, she simply followed where he led her. They passed the other girls without comment. Kate fell silent as they passed, but their soft murmurs resumed as he led her to the main staircase.



Her legs complained as she climbed the main steps, the marble beneath her feet switching to cool oaken hardwood. She didn't voice her discomfort with her calves in climbing, almost sure that her captor must be feeling similar complaints to her own. At the top, she risked speaking. "What are we doing?" she asked quietly. He stopped, released her fingers, and turned towards her. "Looking for a shower." "A shower?" "It's been a long day. I thought that all of you would appreciate a shower." She stook stock of herself. After climbing forty-two flights of stairs, and walking around outside, she suspected that she might be ripe and dusty. She could certainly believe that she needed another shower. And the thought of hot water running over her skin sounded nice. Slowly, she nodded. "I'd like that." And then she added her plug for the others. "I'm sure the rest of them would too." He laughed, touching her cheek. "Don't worry, you'll be partners in there, when we find it." Leigh flushed, still somewhat embarrassed that the man could force her to shower with another naked girl, but it could have been worse. He might have forced her to shower with him, instead. He reached for her hand again, and she placed her palm against his. The first door opened into the bathroom that he had been looking for. It was unoccupied, and the tub/shower could easily hold four girls. She hoped that he wouldn't force them all to shower together, but if he wanted that, she supposed she would do it. Monique might balk, but in the end they would wash each other as he wanted. He nodded, and then led her back to the stairs. "I don't have much planned for you for a few hours. I have to explore this place." His fingers tightened the handcuffs between Leigh and Kate's wrists. The girls flinched, but didn't protest the treatment. Monique and Andrea remained on their knees where he'd left them. "Leigh knows where the shower is. Have as long a shower as you'd like. You don't have to wash each other, just enjoy. Keep in mind http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (11 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


that the other girls will want showers, too." Leigh turned towards him, surprised. "We can wash ourselves?" He laughed. "Unless you'd prefer to wash Kate." Leigh shook her head quickly. "No offence Kate." The other girl, to whom she was chained, simply laughed. "I want you clean for dinner." Leigh's belly rumbled at the mention of food. All the fresh air and walking seemed to have enhanced her appetite. Leigh nodded, and began to turn, leading Kate towards the upstairs bathroom. She turned at the last moment. "Don't hurt them, okay?" She allowed a pleading tone to enter her voice. He laughed, glancing at the two remaining naked girls on the floor of the hallway. "I wouldn't dream of it." Leigh cast him a dubious look, but in the end, began to walk towards the stairs, and the beckoning shower. She didn't protest when half-way up the stairs, Kate entwined her fingers into hers, mimicking the grasp that she'd been forced into with the Timeman earlier. She softly squeezed the other naked girl, and continued up the stairs in silence. "Come," he said easily. Monique and Andrea pushed themselves to their feet and followed quietly as he paced into the living room. Monique's eyes widened at the entertainment set up, but she didn't say anything. When he turned to face them, the girls stood uneasily by the doorway. He dropped the backpack on the carpet, bent and rummaged through it, finally rising with four pairs of handcuffs in his hands. Andrea's eyes widened. He motioned the girls to opposite sofas. Both girls hesitated, eyes resting on the restraints cradled in his right hand. "What are you going to go to us?" Andrea asked, almost timidly.



"Nothing that will hurt, I promise." "Why do you have those, then?" "The handcuffs?" he said, hefting them as though they were free weights. Andrea simply nodded. The Timeman shrugged, and motioned her towards the sofa again. This time, Andrea began to move, walking easily across the carpet until she stood in front of the white seat. "Sit, unless you feel like spending your time on the floor." Andrea shook her head, the ponytail visible as her head moved side to side. Slowly, she lowered her naked body until she sat easily on the cushions. Monique simply watched quietly from the doorway. Andrea crossed her legs, and leaned back into the seat with a sigh. "Better than kneeling on marble," she said lightly. He stepped forward, and crouched at her feet. Touching her ankle, he urged her to uncross her legs, and place her bare feet together in front of her. "You don't have to do that," Andrea said quietly. "Do what?" His hands began to wrap the steel around her slender ankles, the ratchet clicking quietly. Above, the sound of running water began, with a muffled cry of surprise or pain. The Timeman ignored the sounds of Leigh and Kate entering the shower somewhere above. "Tie me," Andrea said. "I've given you no reason to mistrust me. I won't go anywhere." "I know." "Then why." "I could tell you that it was because you are still new, and that I have to take mine, and the other girls, safety into consideration," he said. His fingers closed the second cuff around her left ankle. Andrea pulled gently against the restraints, but didn't succeed in loosening them. The girl sighed again. "But that isn't it, is it?" He rose, and sat beside her, his weight shifting the sofa slightly. With a touch of his fingers, she shifted her wrists behind her, and held them there. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (13 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


"Not really. I don't think you, or Monique, is really a danger to me." "Not if you can do what they say you can." "I can." "Then why? Why put handcuffs on me? Tie me up? You know that we don't want to be tied up all the time, don't you?" He laughed. "Of course not, Andrea. But it simply doesn't much matter what you want, does it? Really?" The girl shook her head. "Why hurt us all the time?" His answer was maddeningly simple. "Because I can." Andrea sighed as he closed the last ratchet. The handcuffs didn't bite into her skin, but the girl would know that she was bound. She stared at him for a moment, a naked girl reclaiming a little of her dignity. "You have control issues, don't you?" He laughed, and rose to his feet, leaving her sitting helplessly on the sofa. "Your textbooks help you with that diagnosis?" Andrea looked down, studying her bare thighs for a moment. "Not really. I think you just enjoy tormenting women. You like us naked, and you like us helpless." He laughed again, and stepped towards Monique who was watching with undisguised interest. Without protest, she allowed him to guide her to the opposite sofa, and place the handcuffs about her wrists and ankles, a mirror image of Andrea. The girls faced each other across the small table between the sofas. He stopped to survey the bound girls before leaving the room. Andrea stopped him before he left. "We've been cooperative, haven't we?" He nodded slowly. Andrea tried to shift her weight awkwardly, wasn't very successful. She twisted to look at him. "Can we watch television?" He laughing gently. "I would let you, Andrea, but I'll bet that the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (14 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


networks are off the air." Andrea flushed, obviously she hadn't considered that. Instead of answering, she turned towards Monique and shrugged. "I guess we get to know one another, then." She turned back towards the doorway where he stood smiling. "How long are you intending to leave us here?" "Until Leigh and Kate are done in the bathroom. Then you two can shower." Andrea nodded, and he turned away a little reluctantly. He would have liked to listen to them talk for a while, but there was exploring to do. And a nagging sensation in his belly told him that he wasn't particularly going to like what he found. With a sigh, he took a lingering glance at the two naked, handcuffed girls quietly talking, and then began to wearily climb the stairs towards the second floor and the bathroom.


The girls didn't try to cover up, or even look embarrassed as he poked his head into the bathroom. Clear glass separated Kate and Leigh from him, but the steam from the shower billowed from the shower head as the water cascaded over their bare skin. Leigh offered a puzzled glance, but waved with her free hand. Kate was using her free hand to rub soap into Leigh's bare back. The redhead looked up, looking a little like a drowned rabbit, her hair plastered to her forehead. "Come to join us?" Kate called, almost carelessly. Leigh paled a little at the suggestion, but Kate didn't seem concerned one way or the other. He shook his head, and the girls ignored him, continuing to wash one another. "You both know not to climax in there, right?" Leigh flushed, almost as if she'd been considering just that, but http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (15 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


she shook her head, water flying from her brunette hair. "Of course not," she said. "What do you think we are? Sex maniacs?" "After the day you've had, I'd be surprised if you weren't." Leigh flushed again, her face broadcasting the truth of his statement. "When you're done, don't leave the bathroom. Just call." His sixth it had to not quite knew, not was wrong

sense was ringing in his head, and though he didn't think do with the disappearance of Linda, he did sense something right about the house. Nothing could hurt them here, he with the timelines and his control of them, but something with the house, like it was haunted with past sins.

"Okay," Kate called out. The girl moaned, as she began to wash her bare breasts. He watched the redhead for a moment, unsure if her display was for his benefit or not. Either way, he reacted, and there was precious little at the moment, that he was willing to do about it. He retreated, and closed the door to the bathroom. He turned to the right, and began to walk towards the first closed door of the hallway. The room was large, a big four poster bed dominating the decor. Nobody was in the room, though the bed looked used, not pristine like the rest of the house. He stepped forward, confused. Something didn't ring right about the room. Something. Slowly he turned at the foot of the bed. There was nothing on the walls -- no pictures, no paintings, no mirrors. There wasn't a picture on any of the dressers, or desk. It wouldn't be odd, if this was a man's room, but the bed looked distinctly feminine. He sighed. It wasn't as if he were counting on a woman being in the house to play with, but it was always ... fun ... to discover such. He was about to turn from the room, explore further when a mark upon the bed caught his eye. Bending, he unfroze the covers, inspecting a red patch upon the bedspread. He touched the redness, his finger rising sticky and crimson. He didn't need to taste it, or smell it. He knew what it was. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (16 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


Blood. Not much, not enough to indicate murder, but enough for him to be uneasy. He wiped the sticky fluid onto a clean section of coverlet, and then straightened. He whirled, expecting to see an axe wielding maniac, even though such things were nigh impossible here. Even so, his heart skipped a beat at the shadows in the corners of the room. Quickly, he stepped out of the room, and closed the door with a click. Down the hallway, the water continued to run, with his captives safely washing themselves beyond the closed door. He closed his eyes when he saw the girl, his head shaking and his body dumping adrenaline into his bloodstream. "Why? Why does this always happen to me?" he whispered to the uncaring room. Slowly, he approached the two figures, one standing, his hands fumbling with his zipper, the other kneeling before him, hands behind her back, mouth open as if to accept him. The girl's bare breasts were small, poking out from behind the ruined fabric of her blouse. A nasty bruise seemed to be forming under her right eye, an expression of pain, and perhaps disbelief, graced her features. The girl's eyes showed shock and distress, but she knelt in front of the man, her mouth open as if in an expression of surprise. Somewhere in the depths of those eyes lay a resigned acceptance. It was the look of a girl that had been pushed beyond her threshold of individuality -- it was the look that he'd seen on other girls, girls that he'd pushed too hard upon occasion; it was the look that might appear on Monique's or Andrea's face if he whipped either girl until she could no longer scream. He swallowed, and fought the nausea that threatened to encroach. He circled them shaking his head. There was no doubt about what this was. The girl bore far too much of a resemblance to the man towering above her -- he was either her father, or a close relative. As he passed behind the kneeling girl, he noted the drips of crimson lazily tracing down her pale hands from her bound wrists, down her fingers to drop in small puddles near her bare toes. A small cut, perhaps enough to stain a bed sheet, trickled more of her blood down the right side of her pretty face from the corner of her gaping mouth. He crouched beside the frozen girl, and finally sank until he sat on the floor, nearly beside her. The man towered above them. After a moment, he raised his head, eyes flashing in anger. The look faded shortly, and he wearily pushed himself to his feet. Kate or Leigh. Which? http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (17 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


He didn't know, even as he made his way from the suffering girl's bedroom and mounting rape towards the bathroom. He was a little calmer as he stepped into the steamy bathroom. The girls both stood, sharing the spray, faces uptilted, enjoying the heat and steam. Their skin shone in the way that only female skin can after a deep scrubbing. Leigh glanced over, her eyes widening for a moment before she returned to the spray without comment. The girl seemed to grudgingly accept that she had lost her privacy. With a sigh, he opened the glass door leading into the shower. A great cloud of steam billowed from the enclosure into the bathroom. "Coming to join us?" Kate said cheerily without turning her face from the water. "Not exactly." Kate turned her face from the spray, wiping the drops of water from her eyes with her free hand. "It's not time for us to get out of here, is it?" Her eyes begged to be permitted a little more time under the lushness of the shower. "Afraid so." The girl noticed the look of gravity upon his features. A shadow of apprehension flashed across her pretty features. "What's wrong? You aren't going to hurt us more are you?" Instead of answering, he merely motioned the redhead forward. Kate, without hesitation, stepped forward, turning Leigh by their connected wrists as she did so. Leigh reluctantly twisted the shower control and the spray of water ceased to a steady stream of drips from above. "What's wrong?" Leigh asked. He sighed. In time, they would all know, he supposed. "I just need Kate," he said, making a decision on the spur of the moment. Kate had been the first girl he'd kept, and she was adept at comfort. Leigh would have provided as well, but he needed the brunette for a different task. "What are you going to do to me?"



"Do?" He shook his head, producing the small silver key to the girls' handcuffs. He released the chain that stretched between their wrists, and stepped aside, motioning Kate from the confines of the shower. He touched Leigh's shoulder when the brunette attempted to follow. Leigh looked confused for a moment, but then settled back to the centre of the shower over the drain. She wrapped her arms about her bare breasts, and shivered. "You can continue to shower, Leigh." He held out the keys to the handcuffs. "When you're done, I want you to dry off, and go downstairs. Monique and Andrea are downstairs on the sofas, you'll find them. Let them out of their handcuffs, then handcuff their wrists, like I did with you and Kate. Tell them to shower, and watch them. Make sure that they wash each other." Leigh looked bewildered. "Why? Isn't this something you should be doing?" He allowed a downcast look to enter his face for a moment, but then forced it from his expression. "Normally." "Why me?" "Because you don't mind being in charge." Leigh flushed for a moment, as if she were unaware of his knowledge of her preferences, and embarrassed that Kate might know. Slowly, she nodded, but her mind appeared to understand more than she was revealing. "What's wrong? What did you find after you left us?" He shrugged. "Are we in danger?" Leigh asked quietly. He shook his head. "No, Leigh. You aren't in any physical danger. At least not more than is normal here." Without much choice, Leigh nodded carefully, reaching back towards the shower control. Slowly, he shut the door before the girl returned to the warm spray. He strode to the door, picking up two forest green towels from near the doorway. He held one out to Kate as he approached her. The girl stood naked, dripping and shivering, her arms wrapped around her body. A small puddle of water had formed against the tile where she stood. She accepted the offered towel, but didn't immediately begin to dry herself. He moved behind the girl, and tossed the other towel over her head, and began to dry her hair. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (19 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


Kate stood still, allowing him to rub her hair, until he finally stepped away. "There's something wrong, isn't there?" the girl said as she pulled the towel off her head. Drips of water still slowly rolled down her bare skin. A single drop of water hung from her erect left nipple. "Yes, Kate." The girl nodded, and began to rub the towel over her skin, beginning with her shoulders and moving down until most of the dampness had been absorbed right down to her bare toes. At last, she straightened, folded the towel and placed it on the counter. She looked up, her eyes worried. The Timeman picked up a comb that lay on the counter top, and stepped behind Kate. "I can do that," Kate said quietly. Her hands rose to the back of her head, grasping at the comb. "Hands down, or I'll cuff them behind your back," he said. The girl complied without further comment, holding her hands lightly at her thighs. Slowly, he ran the comb through her wet hair, leaving it straight and falling across her bare shoulders. Kate sighed, only cringing when he had to work out a knot. Leigh ignored the two of them, enjoying her solitary shower. After he had run the comb through her hair until it shone, he released her, and placed the comb beside the towel on the counter top. She turned to face him, making no attempt at covering her nudity. "You ready?" he asked. "Normally, I would dry my hair. Would you like to dry it for me, too?" The girl maintained a touch of impishness in her glowing features. Slowly, he shook his head. "We have to go. I'll let you dry it later, if it still needs it." "If it goes frizzy, I don't want complaints." And then, more hesitantly, "I don't want to be punished ..." He tried to smile, couldn't. Instead, he touched her bare shoulder. It was damp from stray drops from her hair. She hesitated, and he thought he might have to force the girl to turn.



"Where are we going?" she whispered as she finally turned and began to step towards the door. She stole a glance at Leigh, who still stood beneath the hot spray, partially obscured by the steam. "Somewhere that you and I don't want to go," he said wearily. He followed Kate until they stepped into the relative coolness of the dim hallway.


Kate could hear two soft murmurs from somewhere below and down the stairs. The water from the shower abruptly turned off behind her, and she jumped a little. She strained her ears through the eerie silence of the world, but those were the only two sounds that she could hear. The air in the hallway was cooler, and drier, than the humid summer air in the bathroom. The atmosphere almost felt alive and fresh against her bare scrubbed skin. Slowly, she turned and watched as her captor emerged from the bathroom, slowly closing the door. Suddenly a deep dread infused her, and shivers rippled through her body. He was watching her, but as always, not her nudity as much as her face. In a way, it was comforting, and in others it was damn frustrating. She ached to touch herself, or have someone else touch her -- the probing hands of Leigh in the shower had been only a tease for what she really wanted. If she hadn't feared his punishment had she been caught, she might have brought herself to climax right there in the shower, handcuffed to Leigh. But she hadn't dared, because it wouldn't have been her that would have faced his reprisals. He probably would have whipped the skin from Leigh, while she remained cuffed to the girl. And so she hadn't touched herself, and that, perhaps most of all, bothered her. She didn't even have the freedom to touch herself. Her thoughts returned to whatever task he had decided that they needed to do. She shifted her weight from bare foot to bare foot, fighting the unease that threatened to spook her into an ill advised flight. Actually, he didn't look all that enthused to be leading her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (21 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


on the task either. "Are you going to hurt me? I haven't done anything to deserve punishment." Her breasts throbbed a little, almost inviting her to request rough treatment. She pushed the sensations away, though something deep inside of her told her that being whipped might be easier than whatever it was he wanted from her. If he was disquieted, there was something seriously wrong in the world. Grimly, he shook his head, and reached out to grasp her elbow. She wanted to shy away from his touch, but in the end, she allowed him to guide her slowly down the hallway. As her feet shuffled over the unforgiving hardwood of the hallway, she couldn't help but picture herself, handcuffed, naked, hooded, being led to her executioner. She shook herself, and massaged her free wrists. He wasn't taking her to kill her, that much she was certain of. She was far more valuable to him alive than dead. Why, she didn't quite understand, but of it, she was certain. They stood outside the first doorway. "In there?" she whispered. His voice came in a small waver, but only because she was somewhat used to his unerring confidence, did she hear it. "No, but we need to prepare," he said quietly. "For what? To hurt me? To hurt someone else?" Her voice came accusingly, bouncing off the closed door in front of her. "I won't help you hurt someone else. You can whip me as much as you like -I'll even let you -- but I won't hurt anyone else." His words came with a bit of regret, and anger, chilling her. Her breasts ached as he spoke. "Dammit, Kate, I'm not going to hurt you, or anyone else. Christ, girl, this is about not hurting her." It took Kate a moment to recover, but when she turned, he was shaking. If she didn't know better, then she would have thought he was near tears. Her first instinct was to embrace him, but his stance didn't invite that, and so she stood awkwardly, her fingers grasping at the air. "Who?" she asked. Instead of answering her, he roughly pushed her shoulder, spinning her. Automatically, she reached for the doorknob, and before her body could stop her with another bout of unease, she stepped into the relative brightness of a spartan bedroom. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (22 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


Her fingers tugged at the sheets, and she stared in wonder at her clean fingertips that emerged coated in a thin crimson. She recoiled, stepping away from the bed that she was stripping like a common, but naked, maid. Slowly, she turned towards him, where he stood quietly, arms crossed, by the frame of the entrance to the small room. She held up her tainted fingers. "You killed whoever lives here, you shit." Her voice emerged only a little above a whisper. He slowly shook his head, a strange expression upon his face. "She's hurt somewhere. How? How could you ... I thought ..." She swallowed heavily. Even though he didn't answer her charges, she honestly didn't believe that he would hurt anyone to the point of putting their lives in danger. Yes, he played with guns, and he could hurt a girl badly, if she balked enough. But so far, he hadn't even really touched any of the girls, and beyond the discomfort of restraints, and forcing them to climb stairs, and the odd spanking, he had never drawn blood. She doubted if he really wanted to draw blood, though she was sure he was capable of it if thwarted enough. In fact, he'd punished Darren for even thinking about hurting Karen in that way. At the thought of Karen, she ached a little. The girl was safe again, as if this world didn't exist. It didn't for her. But he would whip a girl, happily. A whip, at least to her, was far different than wielding a knife against helpless skin. "Just strip the bed, Kate," he murmured. She stared at him for a moment, then turned her attention back to the soiled sheets in front of her. She avoided touching the red stain, but carefully removed the sheets from the bed and placed them on the floor near the small closet. When she was done, she straightened and walked until she stood a metre in front of him. She placed her hands on her hips. "Was it an accident? Does she need help?" "Who?" "The girl you hurt in here?" He sighed. "I didn't hurt anyone, yet," he said simply, though his attitude and words said that if she weren't careful, she might yet feel the sting of his crop. "But it wasn't an accident, and I think she needs help." The words confused her, and she was about to challenge him further, when he continued to speak. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (23 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


"Do I need to cuff you? Or will you come?" He beckoned to her, stepping out of the small bedroom. "I won't hurt anyone for you," she said quietly. "I don't want you to, Kate. I don't want you to." With a sigh, Kate followed him into the hallway, allowing her hands to fall from her bare hips. She glanced back. The spot of blood upon the sheets winked at her from where the fabric lay near the closed closet door. "I don't want to go in there, do I?" Kate whispered. She stood in front of him, facing the broad, undecorated expanse of a doorway. The door mocked her. She wanted to see through it, wanted to know what she would find beyond before she was forced to step over the damning threshold. She'd seen enough suffering, between her own experiences and those of her sisters in captivity. At least her hands weren't bound to face the unknown. She was somewhat surprised that she was as free as she was. Restraints had almost become a way of life for her, and she felt even more naked without the bands of steel holding her wrists. Slowly, she turned to face him. He seemed as reluctant as she to enter the room. "What's in there?" she asked quietly. He seemed unwilling to answer her, or perhaps unable. In contrast to their indecision, Leigh's voice rose in soft song, singing an old Elton John tune, from where she was undoubted drying herself in the bathroom. Kate earnestly wished that he'd chosen Leigh to accompany him on this trip, instead of her. Leigh was more ... stable ... in the face of these situations. The sound of a hair drier punctured the still air of the hallway through the bathroom door. "What's in there?" Kate asked. He shook his head in response, and reached past Kate to turn the doorknob. She heard the door opening, didn't want to turn around to see. Dread spread through her skin like a wave upon the ocean. "Please," she whispered. "We have to help her," he said quietly. The scene imprinted itself upon her eyes like a sharp slap across http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (24 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


the face. The situation unfolding captured in the mists of time rocked her backwards until she fell into the solidity of his form. Almost tenderly, his arms wrapped around her shoulders from behind, his fingertips brushing at the tops of her bare breasts. Kate didn't notice those sensations though, her eyes wide and almost disbelieving. Within a fraction of a second, the individual components of the scene flowed into her mind -- the girl kneeling, mouth open, bruises kissing her soft skin, so resembling the man towering over her, lowering his zipper. "No," Kate whispered. Gently, he pushed her inside, and her feet balked, but inexorably she walked inside the bedroom of horror. Kate twisted from his grasp; the trepidation fled. She ran lightly to where the girl knelt. She couldn't help the tears that involuntarily traced down her cheeks. Tentatively, she reached forward, tracing her fingertip along the frozen bruise forming under the girl's right eye. Almost to herself, she whispered: "No, no, no." Even the cold, dead feel of the girl's flesh didn't dissuade her from touching her cheek. Slowly, Kate pushed herself to her feet. The Timeman stood halfway between the bed and where Kate had risen. Despite her anger, she examined the man's frozen form, but didn't touch him. "How can anyone ..." Kate said quietly, turning to face her own captor. The Timeman shook his head, looking pale. "We have to help her," Kate said quietly. A wave of nausea engulfed her as she pictured herself in the place of the girl. The Timeman shook his head slowly. "The kindest thing we could do would be to leave her alone." He slowly walked back to the girl's small bed where stuffed animals sat a lonely vigil. His weight dimpled the bed, and one of the animals fell unheeded to the floor. "Leave her? Like this? That's probably her father." "I know," the Timeman said quietly. "Why did you bring me in here if you were only going to let her be raped anyway?" "I can't prevent that, Kate." "Can't? Or won't?"



The Timeman sighed. "It's the Judge all over again." "Judge?" "Never mind. What I mean is, that I have to eventually let all of you go. If I were to free the girl, it would only be temporary. She'd return here to face what she has to face." Kate inhaled sharply, but didn't respond. (Eventually let me go, too?) (What did you think, girl? That he could keep you in chains forever?) "Can't we help her at all?" He pursed his lips. "I'm the only one here that will remember." "She's suffering." "Outside of this timeline," he elaborated. The knowledge hit her like a brick. Her own suffering, her own pain, her own self-discovery, it was all temporary. Somewhere she knew that -- it kept her going, gave her courage. It would all be over, and she'd return to her own time, unsullied, untainted by this man's hand. Her life would return to normal. She could almost accept her treatment here as an opportunity. Not one she would have chosen, but one that she could perhaps understand. This girl, whoever she was, didn't have those options. She was in this for real -- raped, and tortured for a sick mind's pleasure. No reprieve. No blessed ignorance after it was all over. It would never be over for the kneeling girl. Kate turned to stare at her, eventually dropping to her own knees in front of the girl. "Give her freedom. Please?" Kate twisted to capture the Timeman's eyes with her own. Tears still dripped silently down her cheek unchecked. "Freedom?" "Compared to what she's facing here, you are freedom. Even if you made her into a sex slave -- you aren't her father, and you ... are kind in your own way." He seemed surprised by her entreaty, slowly climbing to his feet. He approached Kate, eventually crouching beside her. "I've been through this before," he said.



"Deja vu?" He shook his head. The motion made Kate shiver; she knew enough that she didn't want to know the circumstances behind where he'd been faced with this before. "She deserves freedom, at least for a while. Please? I'll do whatever it is you want." Slowly, he pushed himself back to his feet and returned to the bed. It squeaked in protest as he settled to the mattress. He lay back, his hands entwined behind his head. "If we do this, we do it all the way," he said to the ceiling. Kate had no idea what that meant, but she didn't really care. She turned back towards the girl, gazing into her tortured blue eyes. Her heart nearly broke at the torn buttons on the girl's blouse and her hopeful expression with her mouth open waiting for her torment to be over. Tears began again. She heard the Timeman shift behind her somewhere, and her heart began to hammer in her chest. A thought raced through her mind. (I shouldn't be naked. I shouldn't be naked. She'll be more frightened ...) But Kate never had a chance to voice it.


Dawn let her head fall wearily to the steering wheel of the Buick. Without looking, her fingers switched off the engine. The car refused to die for a moment, dieselling. "Stop, dammit," she whispered, and the car obeyed, the silence of the world pressing into her like the emptiness of outer space. The Buick had settled into the same double parked position that Kate had chosen for the Toyota. Slowly, Dawn pushed open the car's door, her body aching, and her mind spinning. She walked around the front of the car, until she stood on the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (27 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


sidewalk. A pretty girl of about nineteen with a low cut blouse strode by oblivious to her. A doorman, inside, stared at the girl. Dawn looked up. The Westin towered above her, mocking her. How far up had they been? Her thighs screamed at her, protesting the thoughts. She wasn't sure how many more flights of stairs she could climb and doors she could open without rest. She collided with the glass entrance door, banging her shoulder against the unyielding glass. Tears of pain and frustration sprang into her eyes, and she slowly lowered herself to the concrete, legs tucked under her. She sat there a long time, weeping into her hands under the steady dead gaze of the doorman, and the oblivious girl. Dawn's body tingled again -- not as badly as in the law firm, but strongly enough that she was having trouble ignoring it. Her breasts cried out for the whisper of a touch, and her clitoris sang for attention. She willed away the sensations, but she knew that if she had to continue to manipulate the timeline to free doors, or overcome obstructions, it would become harder and harder to ignore her raging hormonal response. She leaned heavily against the polished granite of the reception desk. A girl stood behind, her frozen hands busy with some paper or a computer below. How much easier it would be to simply ask her if she'd seen a time manipulating maniac, leading two naked girls around on leashes. The vision caught her by surprise: the girl in front of her, Rachel, stripping, crying, climbing over the counter naked, standing in front of the Timeman. Kate and Leigh stood watching, still barefoot and naked, collars and leashes gracing their throats like pets. Rachel picked up a backpack from where Kate was standing, and, flushed, she began to walk towards a door by the elevators. Dawn tried to call out, wanting desperately to know where they were going, why Rachel had been released, how he'd made the girl strip for him. But no sound emerged from her throat, and the only people moving in the world disappeared through the doorway. She returned to reality with a gasp and a cry. She sat curled up on the marble below the counter, her breasts and vagina aching. She snatched her hand from between her legs, and wearily pushed herself to her feet. For a while, she stared at Rachel, closing her eyes. She knew what the girl looked like naked, had seen her bare breasts as she'd been http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (28 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


forced to strip. Despite the raging hormonal imbalance, Dawn pressed her time bubble towards the girl. It extended nearly effortlessly, but balked as it began to intersect with the girl's skin. Crying out in desire and pain, Dawn pushed the bubble again. For a moment, it held, and Rachel seemed to move, but only a hairbreadth. As Dawn lost her tenuous grip, the bubble snapped back with enough force to drive Dawn three steps backwards with a cry of surprised pain. Tears sprang to her eyes as she lowered her hands to her side. Her body ached, both in pure tiredness, and in desire for climax. (No. No. No.) (One damn question is all I wanted. Please.) The universe continued to defy her desires, and Dawn wearily stepped towards the doorway leading to the stair. She didn't even know, if she had succeeded in waking Rachel, whether or not the girl could have helped her find the Timeman. (Why me?) The universe refused to answer the girl, and with another sharp stab of desire, the doorway swung open under her touch. She could sense them if she really tried. Oh, the Timeman and his immediate girls were bright enough, and Dawn consciously avoided approaching those glowing, spinning, tennis balls. Soon, she thought, but not now. No, there were dimmer balls turning very slowly, almost imperceptibly spinning. Close, and upwards. She didn't understand, but after a few false starts, and a million curses -- each corridor entrance had a closed door that drove needles of desire into her core -- she opened the tenth floor doorway with a cry, and saw Mark. He stood awkwardly, his hand raised as if he were banging on the hotel room door. It was enough to capture Dawn's attention, and carefully she stepped down the worn carpet of the corridor until she stood beside him. The Bridal Suite, the doorway proclaimed in blue letters. There was no doubt about it, this man corresponded to one of the spinning balls in the murky, hazy time space that she could somehow sense. She'd always known that the tennis balls were people, but somehow, the validation, the superimposing of a real figure with that ball made her grin wildly.



Dawn studied the man, unsure of his role, and why his ball was spinning ever slowly whereas everyone else stood completely silent. On the surface, she could see no difference here. He was as dead and still as everyone else that she'd ever met since the classroom an eternity ago. Not wanting to waste a valuable attempt on the man, she turned her attention to the door. The Bridal Suite. Figured. Beyond the door this man's. She hotel room, and man pounding on

she could sense another spinning ball, as slow as wanted to rest before she attempted to enter the she crossed the hallway, settling across from the the room door.

She lowered her face into her hands, and waited for some of the energy in her to dissipate. When she approached the door again, she noticed that it stood unlatched. The small crack was nowhere near wide enough to permit her access without freeing the door from the timelines, but at least she wouldn't require a key. She doubted if she would have been able to open the door otherwise. She would have been forced to descend, and somehow figure out which key, perhaps that one in Rachel's hands, led into the Bridal Suite. But the door stood slightly ajar, and she should be able to push it open, with some effort. With a small cry, she pushed the door with her fingers while simultaneously freeing it from its timeline. It swung open with a small creak. She shivered as she twisted past the frozen man before the door, her breasts dragging against his hard form. With a sense of relief, she stepped across the threshold and entered the Bridal Suite. A discarded pair of handcuffs lay like an omen on the entrance tile to the room. Dawn stepped over them, avoiding them as if they were something vile. A chair stood sentry in the middle of the room; a hook gleamed in the ceiling above the chair. Dawn shivered, picturing herself standing on the chair, a hangman's noose about her throat. She turned towards the doorway, and, in doing so, lost her tenuous time grip on it. It snapped shut again with not a sound. With a sigh, she paced forward, stepping around the chair, ignoring it. As she passed it, a washed-out vision of Monique tied nakedly into it shuddered through Dawn's mind. She gasped as the vision fled her, before solidifying.



The second slowly spinning ball lay in the hot tub. Dawn blinked. A young woman lay luxuriating in the tub, only her head and one hand visible above the bubbles. Dawn settled on the steps to the tub. She closed her eyes for a moment. When she'd reopened her eyes, she knew what she needed to do -- or at least what she needed to try to do.


It was surprisingly simple, though the tingles raced through her nerves as if she'd touched an electrical wire. Dawn moaned and slipped down from her perch on the step, her hands outstretched to catch herself. She heard movement above her, and she desperately fought her impulse to slip her hands beneath her clothing. (Not here. Not while she's awake. Please.) Wearily, Dawn looked up, and her eyes met the brown eyes of the woman, suddenly awakened from her prison in time. The girl screamed; it was a piercing shriek that echoed through the room, and rattled Dawn's aching head. Somewhere deep inside, she could feel the brunette girl as she rose to her feet, soap bubbles and water splashing wetly around Dawn's prone form. "Stay the fuck away from me!" the girl yelled, her eyes fearful like a kitten that had been kicked too often. The girl backed up through the water until her bare back pressed soapy bubbles to the bay window behind her. Dawn straightened slowly, her hands outstretched. "I'm not here to hurt you. Please, I haven't spoken to anyone in two days," Dawn whispered. The girl fixed her frightened gaze on Dawn, who pushed herself to her knees, but no further. "You're with him -- where is he? Please just leave me alone. Please?" "Whatever you think, I'm not with him, I don't even know who he is." "You aren't one of his slaves? His toys?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (31 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


Bewildered, Dawn shook her head. The girl looked wildly left and then right, water spraying lightly almost like a dog shaking herself free of moisture after a swim in a river. When nobody appeared to threaten her, the girl settled her bare body to the edge of the tub. She moved her legs through the bubbles. She seemed unconcerned about her nudity. "My name is Dawn," Dawn said, rising slightly. "Who are you?" The girl looked at her with suspicious eyes. "You already know." "How could I know?" "Didn't he tell you? Didn't he send you to torment me? I'm not going to fight you, you know. You can do whatever you want to me. Just don't hurt Mark, okay?" "Mark?" The girl pointed towards the closed entrance door. "You know who Mark is, too. Why are you doing this to me?" Dawn sighed and pushed herself to her feet and stumbled to one of the two sofa, settling there to watch the girl. "I really don't know what you are talking about." "He was just here, not even again in a panic. "And then at Dawn suspiciously, as if into the Timeman before her

a moment ago." The girl looked around you were. Where did he go?" She looked she were expecting Dawn to transmorph very eyes.

"I don't know; he's been gone a while. He wasn't here when I arrived." The girl seemed to come to a conclusion, and resignedly stood up and stepped from the tub. Water cascaded down her bare skin, and puddled at her feet against the tiles. Shyly, she stuck out her hand. "Even if you are here to hurt me, there isn't much I can do about it," she said evenly. "You may as well know who you are torturing. I'm Linda." Dawn rose with a faint smile and took the naked girl's hand. It was damp and a few bubbles graced the soft skin there. "Dawn. And honestly, I'm not here to hurt you." The girl sighed, as if she didn't believe a word of it, but then found a smile. Hope radiated from her face.



"You're not going to hurt me?" Dawn shook her head. "I don't know what you've been through, but I'd like to know." Linda shivered, wrapping her arms across her body. Dawn noticed, and spoke further. The girl shook her head as if denying that Dawn might want to know the trials that she'd suffered. "Why don't you get dressed, and then we can talk?" The girl simply shook her head, then bowed her head. For a moment, Dawn thought the girl would sink to her knees. "I can't." "Can't?" "Can't get dressed." "Why?" "He wouldn't like it. I. I can't get punished again. I'll die." "He punished you for dressing?" The girl nodded, obvious fear gracing her features. Dawn nodded, and turned away. She paced through the small suite until she located the bathroom and grabbed one of the white bath towels that hotels provide. She held it out to Linda, who hesitated. "He's not here Linda. Honestly. Nobody is going to hurt you. At least dry yourself so that you're not so cold." The girl glanced around, but almost shyly took the towel and proceeded to wipe most of the moisture from her skin. Dawn collapsed into the sofa again, and fought the tingles that the bare skin, even female, brought to her senses. Dawn sighed as Linda, with a final glance around the room, wrapped the towel around her body and then settled into the sofa opposite, tucking her bare legs up and under herself. "If he's not here, where is he, then?" "I don't know, Linda. I don't know." The girl's descriptions of sex, and her torment, sent shivers down Dawn's spine. All because the girl had the temerity to dress, and try to save the man outside. She'd been tortured, and broken. Somewhere, through the haze of timelines, she sensed his tennis ball, spinning lazily but brightly somewhere safely to the north. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (33 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


And while she was nearly shocked by what he'd done to the girl, she couldn't quite hate him for it. If he was suffering the same sexual frustrations that she was by manipulating the timelines, then he might not be in control of what he did anymore than she was when she needed to satisfy her sexual impulses before she could open a door. "You must control time, then, too?" Dawn looked up sharply. "I'm not as good as he is. He's had more practice." "You freed me?" "Normally, I can't free anyone, but you were easier. I don't know why." Linda stared at the ceiling for a moment. "I talked to Kate and Leigh not long ago." Probably half a day or more, Dawn thought. Though for the girl, Dawn had probably appeared the moment that the Timeman had disappeared. Thus her confusion. Dawn really couldn't blame the girl. Slipping in and out of time had to be disorienting. Linda continued to speak. "They said that when he releases a girl, she returns to her former position. I wasn't. He forced me to lie in the tub, but he didn't release me. Not from this place. I'd forget, wouldn't I?" Linda's words didn't make full sense to Dawn, but she listened intently. Linda's eyes lit up, remembering some private detail that perhaps Leigh or Kate had mentioned to her. "He can slow time." "Slow time?" "Slow time down locally. Like around me. He didn't return me, only slowed me down to a crawl. Maybe that's why you could free me, and nobody else." An idea lit Linda's face. "Mark!" "Mark?" "You could free Mark. If you could free me, you could free Mark for me. Please?" "Linda ..." The girl slipped the towel from her body and slowly knelt naked at the base of the sofa. "Please? I'll do whatever it is you want."



Dawn sighed, and then anger flashed through her. The girl's posture stirred up too many sexual fantasies, and she didn't have the will to push them aside. "Get up!" Linda looked up sharply, but immediately pushed herself until she stood shivering on her bare feet. "Linda," Dawn said more gently, "I'm not here as some kind of sex fiend. I'm not the Timeman, I swear." Her own words struck tingles down her nerves. Her hands shook. Worse, she wasn't even sure if she believed herself. "I don't want or need to hurt you. Sit down, please, and at least put the towel back on." Linda swallowed, but obeyed, wrapping the towel around her bare breasts and settling back into the sofa. "Will you try? Please?" Dawn stared at the ceiling, and then fought down the blush. She closed her eyes, and spoke towards the ceiling, not directly to Linda. "Linda, every time I free something, every time I have to open a door, or pick up a book, or free a person from the timelines, it ... affects me." Linda cocked her head to the side, a puzzled look on her face. "It boosts my estrogen level or something. Maybe my chemistry is compensating, maybe hormone levels have to rise to let me manipulate time. I just don't know. But I do know what it does to me, and I hate it. It gets so I can't think of anything but sex, and then I can't concentrate enough to even open a damn door." Dawn swallowed heavily. "Even the sight of you, right now, is driving me nuts. Sexually. I'm sorry. I'm not even homosexual. I swear it." Linda flushed for a moment, but then recovered. "What do you need? Do you want me to ... um ... have sex with you? Will that help?" "You'd have sex with me?" "Dawn, I've been tied into chairs naked, with naked girls all around, licking me. No, I don't care anymore. I just want Mark back." Dawn sighed, considered it. She wanted Linda's fingers, her soft tongue even if she was a girl. Hormones pounded through her. She felt like she could have a million climaxes without tiring. Slowly, she shook her head. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (35 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


"I'll try, even if I have to masturbate for an hour afterward, but you don't need to ... help." Linda flushed, but nodded. "Thank you," she whispered. Dawn stood in front of Mark. He was handsome, in his own way, not someone she'd choose immediately off the street, but handsome enough. Linda stood a pace behind, nervously shifting her weight from bare foot to bare foot, still wearing nothing but the white towel. "Can you do it?" Linda whispered. Dawn shrugged, but stared into Mark's frozen features. "I don't know," Dawn said. Dawn steeled her senses, trying to prepare herself for the flood of hormones, knowing it was useless. She inhaled sharply, and projected a bubble of time towards the frozen man. When it touched his stiff skin, the bubble halted. Dawn cried out, and shoved mentally, gritting her teeth. True to form, she could feel her nipples and her clitoris raging against the stress of her own body. The bubble shifted, and began to flow around Mark, like water flowing around a dam. "Please," Dawn begged to nobody in particular. She tried to force the bubble in from the sides. She could feel his slow heartbeat, the texture of his clothing. Then, with a final gasp, and cry that was a mixture of pain and desire, Dawn fell, her knees buckling under her. Dimly, she heard Linda cry her name, and then a second later, call Mark's name. Dawn could feel the two of them, somehow -- Linda, her tennis ball spinning brightly, easily, Mark's faltering, but not moving at the snail's pace that it had been. Dawn struggled to maintain Mark's spin. "Linda!" a masculine voice cried out from above. Dawn glanced up, sex and fatigue flowing through her like a river. She pushed herself to her hands and knees. Glancing up, she saw Linda, minus her towel reaching towards the man. "Linda, no ..." The naked girl hesitated for a moment, which was enough to save her from the prison of Mark's frozen arms. She stopped her forward run, and glanced at Dawn, then back at Mark. The bubble slipped, and Dawn fiercely sent it back. Mark hiccupped, like digital video breaking up, then he coughed. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (36 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


"Linda, I love you," he whispered. Then Mark was silent. Tears fell silently from Linda's eyes, as she glanced from Dawn back to her new husband, and back to Dawn. "I'm sorry, Linda," Dawn gasped. And then the world fell dark and silent. Her pillow was the softest material that she'd ever slept on. Dawn absently reached forward, intending to curl the pillow under, to lose herself in its depths. When her fingers touched warm, bare, soft skin, she cried out and opened her eyes. The unmistakable curve of a bare thigh extended forward from Dawn's eyes, the corridor's wall, and a fire extinguisher mounted sideways beyond. Slowly, she pushed herself up, her breath coming in short, fast bursts. "What ..." she mumbled. Linda smiled, pulled her bare legs back, hugging them to her chest. Dawn's pillow had been the girl's soft thigh, and Dawn rubbed absently at her cheek, taking note of her own clothing. Nothing disturbed, all intact. But who would have touched her in her passed out condition? Linda? Mark? (Gotta stop thinking about sex. Please.) Dawn turned. Mark still stood in front of the doorway, his arms now outstretched as if to encourage an embrace. She could sense him, a slowly spinning tennis ball in the murky haze of the timelines. Dawn turned again to face Linda. The girl reached for the towel that had tumbled from her when she had tried to run to Mark earlier. Tear streaks still decorated her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Linda," Dawn whispered. Linda shrugged lightly, and then tried a smile. "You tried. You almost had him." Dawn dimly remembered Mark speaking, and moving above her, not being able to hold the time bubble, not being able to resist the blackness. Her breasts and vagina burned with an insistent heat. She had to force her hands to remain against the carpet of the corridor. "I did have him, but I couldn't ... it hurt so much ..." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (37 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


Linda smiled gently, and forgoing the towel crawled towards Dawn. Tears fell unheeded down Dawn's cheeks. Linda held Dawn for a long time, stroking her hair. "How long was I out?" Dawn asked, gently extracting herself from Linda's arms. "I don't have a watch, I think it was about an hour." "An hour? Oh my God." "I thought you were dead, for a while. I tried to go for help, but I could only get half-way down the hall. It was like walking into an incredibly strong plate of glass." Linda rubbed absently at a faint red mark in the middle of her forehead. Dawn thought about that for a moment, then realised what had happened. Time frozen air would feel like concrete, or ice, to someone who couldn't manipulate the time continuum -- to someone, like Linda, who didn't control her own time bubble. "The air is frozen." It seemed to make sense to Linda, who climbed to her feet and wrapped the towel about her nudity again. Then she leaned down extending her hand. Dawn grasped it and pulled herself up. Her knees threatened to buckle, but if she leaned on Linda, she could manage to duck around Mark and shuffle back into the Bridal Suite.


Dawn had no sooner settled onto the sofa when the first vision hit her like a sledge hammer. She whimpered, and curled herself into a fetal position. She was climbing steps, naked and barefoot, marble warm beneath her feet. The air was chilly around her naked skin, especially near her breasts. Her hands were handcuffed behind her back. To the side, three other naked girls walked with her up the steps, similarly naked and similarly bound.



(I don't want to be here!) Dawn tried to disengage, but a spasm of sexuality blasted through her, and Dawn groaned in the suite so far from where the visions manifested. The other girls, Dawn recognised from other visions. Kate. Monique. Andrea. And herself -- somehow, she knew she was watching the scene through Leigh's eyes. Leigh's body throbbed with frustration, and this echoed into Dawn's prone body. Dimly, she was aware that her fingers, on the sofa in the suite had stolen to her breasts, kneading them in front of ... She tore herself from the vision with a gasp. She snatched her hands from her body, shoving them deep into the pockets of her jeans. "Are you all right?" Linda asked softly. Dawn simply moaned in response, turning her head aside and away from the other girl. The visions grabbed her again, and she cried out as they carried her away again, to a castle, or a palace outside of her experience, somewhere through space and time. A girl knelt on hardwood floor, her hands handcuffed behind her. Her blouse hung ruined and open from her shoulders. Her mouth was open obscenely, ready to accept the penis of the man towering over her. The man seemed frozen, as did the girl, his hand caught pulling down his zipper in front of the girl. With a start of horror, Dawn realised that the girl and the man had similar features -- had to be closely related. She gagged, and tried to push herself from the scene. A naked girl, Kate, unfettered, ran to the unknown kneeling girl with a cry of dismay. Dawn knew the emotions that Kate was trying to voice to someone outside of her range of vision. (I don't want to be here! Please!) With a final burst of what little energy Dawn still possessed, she pushed away the horrible images, and she was back on the sofa. Slowly, she pulled her clenched fists from her own pockets, pressing them to her eyes until sharp jags of light plumed behind her eyelids. Linda knelt beside the sofa, concern radiating from her like heat from a sidewalk in the sun. "Dawn! Talk to me! Please!" Dawn tried to say something, anything; she tried to touch the crying girl kneeling beside the sofa. But refused to move, and her jaw felt like it was wired of the naked, kneeling girl haunted her mind before http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (39 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM

reach forward to her hands shut. The image the darkness


descended once more to claim her. Dawn groaned, her own throaty voice surprising her. Without opening her eyes, she took stock of herself. Her breasts felt swollen, and her clitoris ached. She willed thoughts of sex from her mind, not very successfully. Everything else, including her thighs and calves, especially, ached. Gentle fingers stroked through her hair, and a quiet voice sang from somewhere above her. For a moment, Dawn was sure that her mother had returned, to comfort her. She nearly called out, but was jolted back to reality when she opened her eyes. Linda's soft thigh extended from her cheek again, and the voice above her wasn't the long gone voice of Dawn's mother. Instead of bolting upright, Dawn relaxed and simply enjoyed the sensations of Linda's fingers and her singing, trying to ignore the definitely sexual tingles that resulted. "Welcome back," Linda said quietly from above. Dawn shifted, turning to look up at Linda. Linda continued to stroke Dawn's hair, almost absently. "You're naked," Dawn said. The gentle curves of Linda's bare breasts swelled as Dawn shifted to look up. Linda merely smiled. "I'm used to it, and he destroyed my clothes before he left. I checked. Mark's too. I don't have anything to wear except sheets, or towels. And that didn't seem right. I don't mind anymore. Only us two here, and you've seen me naked. I think I'm getting used to it." Linda paused for a moment. "How are you feeling? What happened? You looked terrified before you passed out." With a pang of regret, Dawn pushed herself into a sitting position. Linda gently massaged her own bare thigh for a moment where Dawn's head had been resting. "How long was I out?" Linda shrugged. "I really don't know. A long time, this time. Maybe a few hours. You looked really frightened before you passed out." The chilling image of the naked girl kneeling for her father touched Dawn's memory. She shivered. "I saw something. Something ..." Linda touched Dawn's shoulder for a moment. "Shhhh. I don't want to know. It's okay." Dawn sighed, and let the image retreat. Despite her revulsion, Dawn shivered, her hormones reasserting themselves. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (40 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


It felt like midnight to her -- her eyes were grainy and weak, and she was cold despite her clothes. Dawn glanced out the window. The noon sun continued to shine far above, surrealistically. Without a word, Linda rose and padded naked to the windows. She fumbled beside the supports, and tugged at a string there. With a clatter, venetian blinds dropped reducing the sun to narrow beams of bright light fanned across the suite. Linda returned, and held out her hands. Dawn grasped them, a tingle of electricity rushing through her skin. Linda's fingers fumbled with the base of Dawn's sweatshirt. "Linda, wait ..." The naked girl looked into her eyes for a moment. "I can't pretend that I know what you are going through, being able to control time. But I know what you went through, what you mumbled while you were out." Dawn swallowed heavily. If Linda continued, she wouldn't be able to resist. Her hormones wouldn't let her. Not this time. The dimness of the room, and the naked girl in front of her pushed her body into a frenzy. One touch, and she would fall over the edge, she was sure. Dawn moaned as she raised her arms and her sweatshirt lifted above her head. The floor tiles felt odd beneath her bare feet -- damp but warm. The water bubbled, and steam rose steady from the surface. Linda stood up to her thighs in the middle of the tub. Her bare breasts shimmered in shafts of noon sunlight through the blinds. She smiled and extended her hand. Dawn glanced back at the sofa where her clothes lay scattered, some on the floor, some draped over the sofa's arms. Dawn returned her gaze to the naked girl in the tub. Linda kept her hand extended. "It's wonderful in here," Linda said, her voice husky and low. Dawn nodded once, and reached forward, grasping Linda's fingers lightly and stepping gingerly over the edge. Water and bubbles enveloped her bare feet and calves, seeping the ache and the pain from them as surely as a trained masseuse. Slowly, she lowered herself into the bubbles. The scent of peaches rose up and tickled her nose. Dawn lay back her head, dimly aware of Linda settling into the tub across for her. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (41 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


(God. I want to touch her. Another girl. Anyone.) She forced the thoughts from her mind, but a moan escaped her lips. She closed her eyes and let the water bubble around her bare skin. Linda's breath kissed her cheek, warmer than the water that embraced her. Dawn opened her eyes. Linda was close, and her bare breasts pressed with a gentle weight against Dawn's ribs and upper arm. Dawn sighed, and began to shift away. "Linda ..." Linda's finger touched Dawn's lips, shushing her. Dawn wanted to resist, but her body wasn't about to let her. "I'm not either. He's my husband of all of ten hours, maybe. But this isn't real. It can't be." "It's real," Dawn whispered. Linda nodded. "I don't know anymore. I've been stripped, punished, and had sex with four other girls." She paused for a moment, then plunged. "I can't say that I know what you are going through, or why, but I believe you. You tried, and ... I ... appreciate that. And Mark wouldn't mind. Not here." "I would have anyway," Dawn mumbled. "I know," Linda said. Her fingers gently worked their way up from Dawn's submerged waist to tickle her ribs just under her breasts. "You don't have to do this," Dawn whispered. "I can take care of myself." "It's better with another," Linda said. "And you tried. For me." Dawn's next protest was silenced by Linda's lips -- soft, wet, wonderfully yielding, and feminine. Hormones rushed through Dawn's body, igniting fires that couldn't be denied. She fell into Linda's lips, and closed her eyes. Linda's fingers led her easily from the tub, water dripping from her body and wetting the floor. The two climaxes in the tub had built on each other, Linda's fingers finding her rhythm as if she'd been born to make love to her. Dawn shivered with the recollection, how quickly those gentle fingers had found her aching nipples and swollen clitoris, bringing forth the first crashing climax within http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (42 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


seconds of her first kiss. While Linda drew the drapes, plunging the bedroom into unaccustomed dimness, Dawn crawled up on the bed, and knelt watching the girl step towards her. After two climaxes, she should have been exhausted. Should have been exhausted from the multiple self-indulgences that she'd dallied earlier in the day. But her hormones still raged through her -- she supposed it was her continued support of the girl in front of her, and her other small manipulations of the timeline. She smiled, and held out her hand. Linda took it, and crawled nakedly over the bed sheets to her. Their lips met again, without hesitation. Dawn moaned, her voice echoing Linda's soft mewl. The sheets were damp beneath her knees and elbows, partially dampness from the hot tub, partially sweet perspiration. Dawn dipped her head, her lips and tongue happily exploring the folds and valleys of Linda's vagina. The girl's scent was a pleasant mixture of peaches and musk. Linda's tongue touched Dawn's vagina, delving inside, fingers exploring in almost a frantic sixty-nine. Dawn gasped and cried out as the third, and final, climax rushed through her body, muscles clamping and releasing in a unique rhythm. After she came down, she dipped her head again, and licked gently at the girl below her, until Linda screamed, the sounds of her climax filling the room like tissue paper. Linda lay softly snoring in the crook of Dawn's arm. Dawn stroked the girl's hair for a moment, then settled back to inspect the narrow beams of light filtering across the white of the ceiling. She needed to find the Timeman, needed to find out what the hell was going on, both with her, and with him. For a moment, she shivered, knowing that she wasn't going to like what she found. But she had to try. Had to. With a soft sigh, she released herself to the fatigue of her body. It ached pleasantly now, naked beneath the sheets. Linda's soft, scrubbed skin lay erotically against her breasts and thighs, her toes entangled with Dawn's. She still felt an attraction to the girl, it couldn't be denied, but it wasn't as insistent any longer. She could concentrate again. And she was thankful. Her eyes felt heavy, and her breathing slowed to match Linda's shallow breaths. Dawn's dreams were filled with hot tubs, and fingers, and peaches.




Kate's eyes widened as the girl, almost imperceptibly, came alive. Her eyes remained closed, her body trembling, her bared breasts rising and falling rapidly in fear and trepidation. Kate tried to will her hand forward to touch the girl, to make sure that she was real, that she was truly reanimated and alive. But her hands remained clasped in her lap trembling. Kate's tongue also refused to obey simple commands from her brain. It took the girl a few moments before the unusual silence, and perhaps the lack of a penis pressing inexorably between her lips, caused her to flutter her eyelids open. For a moment the girl stared at Kate, disorientation, fear, and surprise crossing her features. The silent tears that had previously graced her cheeks with her situation continued unabated, and unbrushed. As the girl snapped her mouth closed, and then reopened it, Kate managed to whisper: "Please, no." Kate automatically raised her hands to cover her ears, as the girl screamed, her voice melting into the strangely echoless room. Terrified, the girl looked up at the man towering above her, then back at Kate. When her eyes flipped over the Timeman, still reclining on her bed, she screamed again, though the second scream lacked the strength of the first. With another fearful glance at the man above her, and a quick look of puzzlement, the girl scrambled as best she could back towards the mountain of pillows behind her. Her bound wrists impeded her, but she kicked out with her bare feet, and crabbed backwards until she lay panting amongst the pillows, watching Kate warily. Kate glanced back at the Timeman, who merely shrugged his shoulders as if to say: "Freeing her wasn't my idea ..." Kate turned back towards the frightened girl. The girl lay on her back, her hands trapped underneath her, her breasts poking through the ruins of her blouse. She'd closed her eyes, and moaned quietly. "Please no. Please don't hurt me."



Kate rose up on her knees, wishing that she had been at least allowed clothing for this. With a sigh, she shuffled towards the girl slowly, her hands held outward, palms up. "Nobody is going to hurt you," she said as gently as she could, carefully keeping her body as non-threatening as she could. She wasn't entirely sure of the truth of the statement, but she was sure that she wasn't going to hurt the girl at least. As Kate approached, the girl glanced to her right. Her movement reminded Kate of a frightened rabbit. The girl tried to turn over, her toes scrabbling at the floor. A pillow slid across the hardwood, touching Kate's bare knee as it passed her. The girl cried out, pulling desperately at her bound hands, trying to reach forward. Her abdomen clenched, almost as if the girl was in agony, and then she collapsed backward into the pillows again, her breathing ragged. Her blouse slipped down her shoulder, revealing more of her bare skin. Kate grimaced as an ugly purple bruise appeared under the girl's clothing, about where her lowest rib should have been. "Please. I'm not going to hurt you," Kate whispered. She stopped moving, holding out her hands. Her arms ached, but she didn't lower them. The girl stared at her, glassy eyed and afraid. "He brought you here," the girl said. For a moment, Kate thought she meant the Timeman. Confusion crossed her mind until she realised that the girl wasn't looking towards her bed, but rather to the imposing figure that still pulled obscenely at his zipper. "He brought you here to punish me," the girl whispered. "Who did?" Kate said quietly. "Him. He brings people here to hurt me." Kate drew in her breath. The girl looked a little older than her, though she was more gaunt and ragged looking. "I'm Kate," Kate said quietly, not understanding the other girl. The girl looked up at her, resignation apparent across her lips. "Please, I can't take any more. Please don't hurt me. I'll beg, if that's what you want." "I don't want you to beg," Kate whispered. "I just want to know your name. That's all. I'm not going to hurt you. Look, I'm as naked as you are." She hoped that her own nudity would comfort the girl. Instead, the girl cowered back. "Of course, you are. He likes the girls he gets to be naked when http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (45 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


they twist my nipples," the girl said bitterly. Her breathing had increased again. Kate settled back on her bare heels. "I'm not going to hurt you." She paused and lowered her voice a little. "What's your name? Please?" The girl looked up. Something about Kate's voice had finally reached her. Perhaps it was her demeanour, perhaps the use of the word, "Please". The girl swallowed. "He's going to hurt you, if I don't cooperate, isn't he?" Kate looked puzzled for a moment, her mind returning to the Timeman who still watched this exchange from the bed. "He might," Kate said gently. "That's okay. I won't let him hurt you. What's your name?" The girl glanced right again, towards the doorway. "You can call me whatever you like," she whispered. "Others call me Slave, Tits, and Cunt. Take your pick. Whatever he told you to call me." Kate flushed, but managed to keep the gentleness in her voice. "I'm not here to abuse you. Please, I need you to believe me. He's not going to hurt you either." Kate waved upwards towards the frozen man. The girl's eyes followed the movement, her eyes widening a little. It hadn't occurred to her that her former tormentor had been silent and motionless the entire time. The girl turned her gaze back towards Kate. Kate moved a little forward again. The girl cringed, and tried to muffle another moan. "Please?" Kate said again. "I'm not going to call you Cunt. I can't." The girl looked up, trying to shift her weight again from her bound hands. "Nicole," she whispered. Kate let her breath out, and lowered her eyes. "Will you let me come closer, Nicole? I won't hurt you." Nicole shook her head. Her hair trembled in lanky strands. Her eyes rose to take in the man with his hand on his zipper. "He'll kill me," Nicole whispered. "And you can't stop him." Kate turned towards the Timeman, begging him to help with her eyes. He began to rise from the bed. When she turned back towards Nicole, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (46 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


the girl had shrunk back into the pillows, her eyes glued on the male figure on her bed. "Please no. Please. Please. Please." "He's not going to hurt you." "All men hurt me," Nicole whispered. Her breathing seemed desperate, and dangerous. Kate inched a few centimetres closer. "Please, don't let him hurt me." "I won't. He won't hurt you," Kate repeated. Nicole pushed with her trapped arms, almost sitting up. Her face screwed up, almost in a parody of agony, her hands reaching around, trying to touch her injured ribs. A few drops of crimson blood dripped from her fingertips. Nicole screamed, her voice piercing into Kate's ears. Before Kate could move forward to help her, Nicole's eyes rolled up and the girl collapsed backwards with a soft grunt. The Timeman paused, and Kate held her breath. Nicole's breathing returned almost to normal, the rise and fall of her bare breasts nearly peaceful. Slowly, Kate climbed to her bare feet and stepped towards Nicole, kneeling beside the girl. Her eyes were closed, and her breath came at regular intervals as if she were sleeping and dreaming happy dreams. Kate touched Nicole's bare shoulder, but the girl didn't react. Gently, she pushed the tattered blouse aside, her fingers touching the rapidly developing bruise near Nicole's right ribs. Something didn't feel quite right in there, and Kate suspected that the girl had suffered a break, or perhaps a fracture, of her ribs. Kate straightened. The Timeman stood beside the girl's tormentor almost if he were trying to kill the man with his gaze of anger. When he turned back toward Kate, who remained kneeling beside the fallen girl, he slowly shook his head. "I told you it wasn't a great idea to wake her." "She's passed out." "From fright. Maybe pain." Kate nodded. "But she's free. Even if it's only for a little while. You won't hurt you, will you?" For a moment, she was afraid that her own captor would smile evilly, saying that women were meant to be subjugated. Instead, he sighed, and moved towards the girls. He shook his head. "I'll take care of her. And no, I think she's had http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (47 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


enough hurt in her life." "Thank you," Kate whispered. He bent, and slipped his arms under Nicole, one arm beneath her shoulders, the other beneath her knees. He lifted her, almost like one might a rag doll. Her limbs lay limply as he carried her towards the door. Kate jumped to her feet, and with only one hateful glance at the Nicole's tormentor, she ran to the door to open it, and hold it for the Timeman. He passed through it silently, and out into the hallway.


The Timeman lowered Nicole gently to the stripped bed. The girl moaned as her weight settled onto the mattress, but didn't wake. More gently than Kate might have believed of him, the Timeman arranged the unconscious girl's legs and slipped a pillow beneath her head. He straightened. "In the blue backpack, front pocket, there's a set of handcuff keys. Let's hope that these things have similar locks." He gestured towards Nicole's bound hands. Kate stood by the foot of the bed. She wished that she wasn't naked, again, but there wasn't much she could do about that at the moment. She looked up at his words, preoccupied with Nicole's form. "Get her a glass of water, too. She'll be thirsty when she wakes." Puzzled, she watched him. "Go, girl," he barked. Startled, Kate jumped, and then moved towards the doorway. "I don't ..." "You'll find them. Be quick. I don't think she'll be asleep long." Even as he spoke, the girl on the bed moaned. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (48 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


Kate turned tail and slipped back out into the cooler hallway. Happy voices and laughing filtered lazily through the bathroom door as she passed, though she didn't recognise Leigh's voice amongst them. She hurried down the stairs, her feet light on the hardwood risers. The living room was empty, although three sets of handcuffs lay on the floor beside the blue backpack. Kate knelt, and hunted quickly through the front pocket of the pack. She smiled with some satisfaction when her fingers emerged with a shiny key. She hoped that it would work. Her feet had climbed three stairs before she remembered the water. She ran back, opening cupboards until she found one with multitudes of octagonal water glasses. She grabbed a glass, wondered for a moment if the tap would work, but at the touch of her fingers, the water fell into the sink. She let it run until the flow felt cool beneath her fingers. With the filled glass in her left hand, she walked as quickly as she dared until she stood outside of the lonely bedroom. She took a breath and entered. He sat in the room's only chair, watching Nicole almost with a look of caring. The girl pulled weakly against her handcuffs. Kate grimaced at the thin blood that coated her pale hands behind her back. She wasn't awake yet, but she would be soon. Silently, she approached and held out the key. He took it without comment, and leaned over the girl. Kate placed the water on the desk, unmindful of the cherry wood finish. A sharp click, and a sigh of satisfaction emerged from the bed. "Help me with this, Kate," he said. She turned, her eyes widening. Nicole's torn blouse hung well off her shoulders, and his fingers fumbled with the clasp to her tight blue jeans. "What the hell are you doing?" Visions of him raping the unconscious and beaten girl flitted through her mind. Kate felt sick. He sighed and turned towards the redhead. "Kate. I'm not going to hurt her." "Then what are you doing?" "Stripping her. Are you going to help me? If not, I can handcuff you -- keep you out of the way." "I'm not going to help you torment her. Punish me, instead. Can't http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (49 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


you see that she's hurt? Badly?" He sighed again, and settled himself to the bed. Nicole's body shifted as he lowered himself, but she still didn't wake. "I'm not going to hurt her. I need to see if there's any other damage, other than this." He pointed towards Nicole's injured ribs. "I didn't want to unfreeze her, Kate. She'll be better off here than she was, but she's not going to be free. You knew that from the beginning. Now, either we put her back, or you agree to do things my way." "You're only going to take her clothes, right?" "I won't even touch her, unless I need to. I'll even let you cuff her wrist to the bedpost, if that will make you feel better." Kate stared at the ceiling for a moment, then returned her gaze to his. "If I don't help you, you'll tie me into that chair and make me watch you hurt her." Her voice was flat. He cleared his throat, then nodded. "I'm not planning on hurting her." "I can't stop you, even if you wanted to." He shrugged, surprising Kate. He didn't say it, but she felt that perhaps he might actually be doing all of this simply because she wanted it. She didn't understand it, but somehow it made her smile. "If you need to hurt her, you know that I'll take whatever her share is, right?" Kate whispered. He nodded. "Okay," Kate said. "Okay, what?" In answer, Kate moved forward and grasped the cuff of Nicole's jeans. The jeans should have been tighter on the girl, but they slipped off with a single tug. Nicole, unsurprisingly, wasn't wearing panties. Despite her dishevelled appearance, the girl smelled sweet and clean, like clover and honey. As the Timeman worked the girl's blouse from her arms, Kate cleared her throat. "If you are going to hurt her, you better tie me down. I will do everything I can to stop you." He looked up as he pulled the girl's blouse free and dropped it to the floor. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (50 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


"I know, Kate. I know." Kate returned to the room carrying a moistened white towel. She handed it to her captor without comment. He took the towel and gently wiped at the gashes on Nicole's right wrist. They weren't deep, only where she'd pulled in panic on her restraints, probably before Kate and the Timeman had freed her from her kneeling position in front of the zipper man. When he was done, only a little crimson seeped from the shallow wound. Nicole moaned quietly, but still didn't open her eyes. "What are you going to do with her?" "Protect her," the Timeman said. "Protect her?" Instead of answering, he gently took Nicole's relatively uninjured left wrist, which still had her handcuffs wrapping the thin wrist. He released the cuff slightly, the ratchet clicking. The steel left an indent in the girl's skin, and as it released, pink colour rushed into her left hand. The girl moaned again, probably as the nerves sang out into her unconscious mind. The cuff no longer restricted her circulation, but she wouldn't be able to free herself without the key. Gently, he placed her arm upwards, next to the bedpost. The bedpost had scratches around the base. He slipped the other end of the handcuff around the bedpost and ratcheted it closed. The girl wouldn't be able to leave the bed. Kate suspected that it wouldn't be the first, or the last, time that Nicole would lie there restrained and naked. Nicole kicked her feet gently, but then lay still again. "Why tie her? Can't you leave one of us without your controlling restraints? She doesn't need another tormentor." He laughed, turning his attention from Nicole for a moment. "She's used to this, and if she's restrained she can't hurt anyone. She's going to be frightened, and until I can calm her, she's a danger to everyone, including herself. Trust me. I've been through this before." Kate idly wondered when, but didn't ask. "I can't stop you. As long as you don't hurt her."



"I won't, but I have to deal with this girl my own way. Understood?" Kate hesitated for a moment, then nodded slowly. "And Kate?" Kate looked up, the fringes of her red hair formed a halo across her vision. "It might be better if you didn't mention Nicole to the other girls yet. I'd like to get her settled before introducing her to a bunch of other naked women. Okay?" "You could let us wear clothes instead? Treat us like human beings? There's a thought." "Or I could just return Nicole to her other life." Kate paled for a moment. "No. That's okay. I won't mention her to another soul. I'd just as soon you explain her to the others." He nodded, and rose. "She'll be out for a while yet, I think." He stepped forward and lightly grasped Kate's elbow. Kate shivered, not even aware that her sexual energy had rekindled after her initial horror at Nicole's real life situation. He led Kate down the hallway, until they stood outside the bathroom. Kate could hear splashing and laughing inside. The easy voices from the other side of the door made Kate smile. Slowly, she turned the knob, and the two of them entered. Leigh sat on the counter, her legs bent and arching across the basin like a bridge. Her eyes lifted as Kate and the Timeman entered, and she gathered her knees in a little closer. Andrea's security baseball cap sat like a sentry near Leigh's bare toes. To the right, Monique and Andrea splashed in the shower, water cascading through their hair, and down their naked bodies. A pair of handcuffs attached them at the wrist. "What happened? Where did you go?" Leigh asked quietly. Instead of answering her, the Timeman stepped towards the shower door, cracking it open. The girls within turned at the intrusion. While Monique tried half-heartedly to hide her nudity, Andrea stood proudly under the spray. Leigh glanced at Kate, who looked down and shrugged. Leigh gave the redhead a puzzled look, but then turned her attention to the shower. "It's not time, is it?" Andrea said. Her voice fell almost automatically into a lower timbre, almost begging. He shook his head, and reached forward into the spray to touch the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (52 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


girl's shoulder before she could turn off the water. Andrea pulled her hand back, her eyes wide watching as the shower spray seemed to melt around the Timeman's arm. "A half-hour to be done and dried, unless you want to be wet for the rest of the evening." Andrea shook her head. Monique echoed the sentiment. "When you're done, wait here. I'll send someone for you." Andrea nodded, though she obviously didn't fully understand the reasons. It didn't matter. He slipped from the steamy enclosure, and closed the door against the frame. He turned towards Kate and Leigh. The girls shivered, but didn't flinch. "Come," he said, motioning with his index finger. Kate stepped forward from where she was leaning against the counter. Leigh slowly slipped her bare legs down, and with a small hop, righted herself. Silently, the girls followed him back out into the hallway. Kate glanced back at the bedroom where Nicole lay sleeping, but the closed door didn't reveal any secrets. "Why are you tying us up?" Leigh asked, her voice almost sulky. Despite her words, she sat docilely in the kitchen chair her wrists crossed behind her back. "Because I want to," he replied as his fingers wound soft rope around the girl's wrists. "We aren't going to cause any trouble. You know that by now." "You won't be here long. I have something to take care of." Leigh sighed, but didn't squirm as he wrapped the rope about her ankles, holding them together in front of her. A simple rope wrapped around her slim waist held her back into the chair. He touched her chin, lifting her face upwards. "Not long." "If it isn't going to be long, why tie me up?" He shrugged. "Because I need to," he said simply.



Leigh pulled half-hearted at the ropes holding her bare body. "At least you didn't spread my legs this time." He smiled, and turned towards Kate. Kate shook her head for a moment. "You're going to need help." "Not from a naked girl, nearly hysterical. Keep Leigh company." Kate shook her head again, and backed up until her bare back connected with the front of the range. She nearly put her hands back behind her, but then considered that the elements might be warm -probably habit. She clasped them in front of her. "Please. You don't need to tie me up, too." He held out his hand, and after flashing him a look of pleading, she took it and allowed herself to be led to the table where she settled into a chair opposite Leigh. She sighed, and obediently crossed her wrists behind her, shivering as he immobilised her body exactly as he had Leigh. When he was done, he moved to the head of the table, and leaned on it. "You're very pretty like that." Kate blushed a little; Leigh merely flashed him a tight smile. "We could be more entertaining if we were free, you know." He flashed Leigh a quizzical look, and Leigh nodded. Her breath was coming more raggedly, her bare breasts rising and falling rapidly upon her chest. "Perhaps later, minx," he said. Without another word, he slipped from the room. Kate and Leigh sat and watched as his free legs carried him effortlessly from their vision. He returned a moment later, a strap and a ball dangling from his left hand. Without a word, he walked to where Kate sat. "I'm sorry," he said. He touched the girl's chin. Kate refused to open, simply shaking her head. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (54 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


"You don't need to gag me. Please. Those things hurt." "It won't be for long. I can't risk you talking." The girl shook her head, understanding dawning in her eyes. "Please no. I said I wouldn't talk about it. I won't. Please." "Open, Kate." Again, she shook her head. "I swear, I won't talk to her until you tell me I can." "About what, Kate?" Leigh asked. He flashed the other girl a quick look of displeasure, and Leigh clamped her lips shut. Slowly, he turned to Kate. "I don't want to hurt you, Kate. But you are going to be gagged." She shook her head again, defiance blazing in her eyes. Her chest rose and fell invitingly with her efforts. She pulled at her bonds, and a thin sheen of perspiration dotted her brow. With a sigh, he reached forward. She tried to twist, but the ropes would only allow her so much motion. In a moment, he grasped her right nipple between thumb and forefinger. She stopped struggling, her eyes raised to his, pleading. "I won't talk about her. I swear." Slowly, he began to increase the pressure on her rapidly hardening nipple. "When you scream, and you will, Kate, I'll slip this in your mouth. I don't want to hurt you." The girl pressed her lips together, pain evident on her face as his fingers slowly increased the pressure on her sensitive flesh. "Please," she moaned. "I don't want to be gagged." He pressed the rubber ball gently against her lips. "Just until I've dealt with her." Kate shook her head. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. With another sigh, he sharply twisted her trapped nipple. Involuntarily, Kate cried out, then screamed, her voice melting into the walls. "Oh no, please stop," her voice filled with pain. She managed to close her mouth again, before the ball slipped between her teeth. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (55 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


His fingers reached for her nipple again. "Let him," Leigh said quietly. "Whatever it is, I'll find out when I'm supposed to. Please, Kate. I can't watch this. He'll make it worse, until you beg him to gag you instead. I can't watch that. Please." His fingers stopped the relentless squeezing motion for a moment. The relief was exquisite for her. Kate's eyes turned towards Leigh, her eyes almost thankful, as if she needed permission to give in. Tears traced unheeded down her cheeks. Slowly, resignation and humiliation crossing her fair features, she opened her mouth wide. As he slipped the ball between her lips, the image of Nicole, her mouth wide in front of the zipper man flooded her. Tears tracked more freely down her face. Almost gently, he buckled the gag behind her head, and she lowered her chin until the tears dripped down her skin and kissed her bare breasts. "Kate?" The girl looked up. Surprisingly gently, he wiped the moisture from her face. "Mhmmmm?" she struggled to say anything. The ball holding her mouth open prevented her from saying anything coherent. "Good girl," he said, turning from her. Kate let her face drop again, studying her bare skin. "Sir?" He turned, his eyes falling on Leigh who sat staring at Kate. "Leigh?" "It's not fair." "Life's not fair. I'll free her soon enough. Her jaw will be fine." "No. What I mean is, I'll wear one, too." "What?" "It's not fair to torture her, while I'm sitting across from her without. Only because she knows something that you don't want me to know. Move me out of the room, or gag me. I don't want to be gagged, don't get me wrong, but she shouldn't have to suffer alone. If you want to see us gagged, I won't fight you. I'll wear one, too." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (56 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


He seemed to consider it for a moment. "She's not gagged because I simply want her gagged. I can't have her talking to you. She'll say something -- there's no way she couldn't." In that, he was correct, Kate thought bitterly. With nothing to do but stare at each other, she'd have to tell Leigh about Nicole. No choice. Kate shivered, not quite knowing how he knew that she'd break her promise to him. "Doesn't matter. I can't sit here and watch her suffer like that. If you have to gag her, please, I need to be gagged, too." Slowly, he shook his head, as if he'd never understand females. He probably wouldn't. With a sigh, he left the room. Both girls sat and watched him as he paused by the kitchen entrance. Leigh's mouth was filled with a green ball, as Kate's was with a similar red one. Kate's eyes still dripped tears, but she'd calmed down. Leigh watched almost defiantly from her chair, but nodded almost as if to say thank-you. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he said. The girl's nodded, and turned their silent gaze from him, almost dismissing him. He sighed, and closed the door to the kitchen, leaving the bound girls alone.


They were beautiful -- curves, healthy, smart. Their captivity couldn't diminish their spirit. Perhaps that is why he had kept them, even while releasing others from his power and grasp. Andrea and Monique stood under the spray, simply enjoying the cascading warmth of the shower. When Andrea glanced up to see him leaning against the counter, she waved but then turned her back and continued to allow the waterfall to drench her. Monique didn't seem http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (57 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


to notice him at all, her eyes closed. They were so beautiful in their enforced nudity, from the tips of their bare toes, to the hairs upon their heads. And everything in between. Andrea glanced through the gentle rain. "Come to join us?" she asked, her voice carrying despite the glass and the steam. He shook his head. Perhaps he imagined it, or perhaps it was real. Andrea was different, as they all were. But he believed that she actually did want him to join them, and she would indulge her own sexuality upon him. Even if Monique wouldn't, at least not willingly. Monique watched him for a moment, but then turned away. "Perhaps, later," Andrea said quietly. Then she turned away again. He couldn't procrastinate any longer, no matter how nice the scenery in here. The new girl would need assistance when she awakened. Silently, he slipped out through the door without the girls in the shower even realising that he was gone. Nicole groaned, and her eyes fluttered open. She pulled weakly on her left wrist, casting her gaze upwards, seemingly surprised neither at her nudity, nor her restraint. When her eyes settled on the Timeman, she sighed, and looked frightened, but she didn't scream. "What happens now? You rape me? You hurt me? What's the deal he gave you this time?" Her voice had retreated into a dull flat timbre. "Sex for a dollar?" "We talk, if you are willing. Would you like a glass of water?" She considered it for a moment, swallowing a few times without raising her head from the pillow of her arm. "How much does it cost?" He looked bewildered. Nicole raised her head a little with a bitter laugh. "A blow job? Counting while you whip me? Intercourse? For a glass of water? Is it even water?" Away from the zipper man, Nicole seemed more alive, more vibrant, more feisty, despite her nudity, her obvious pain, and her bound position. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (58 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


He reached to the nightstand where Kate had placed the water in an octagonal glass. It left a sharp ring of moisture on the cherry wood that in other times might have permanently damaged the finish of the furniture. He held the glass out towards the prone girl. "You might want to sit up. It'll be easier to drink." Nicole regarded him suspiciously. "What's in there? What drugs? Something to make me drowsy? Or something to make me hallucinate? Or something that you think will make me horny?" "It's just water, unless Kate put something in it that I'm not aware of. And if she did, she'll regret it." "You spit in it." He lowered his head for a moment, then placed the glass on the night table within her reach if she chose to extend her free arm. "No, Nicole. That is your name, isn't it?" The girl nodded slowly in response. "My name isn't normally a concern to men like you. You can call me whatever pleases you. Others seem to like Cunt, or Slavegirl." Her voice wavered. "Some prefer to name me after their own daughters and I get to call them Daddy." He ignored the tirade, though his eyes seemed to flicker a millimetre as she spoke. He drew in his breath. "Nicole," he said deliberately. "It's just water. See?" He picked up the glass and took a deep sip from it. He tilted his chin upwards, working his throat to swallow it so she could see. Her eyes followed his movements as he put the glass back within her reach. With a grimace of pain, she worked her body up into a sitting position, her left arm held outwards and connected to the bedpost. She reached out with her right hand, purposely rotating her hand so that she didn't have to look at the bloody cuff marks. She watched him over the rim of the glass as she quickly drained the glass of fluid. Gasping, she reminded him almost of an animal that lives moment to moment, never sure when she'd be kicked, or where her next drink would come from. The glass clattered as she dropped it shakily on the nightstand. "Thank-you," she whispered. She passed her right arm across her lips. After a moment, she lowered her eyes. "So, what now?" She slowly slipped her legs apart, her pubic hair trimmed to reveal her secrets. When she looked up, he'd turned his gaze away from her. "Aren't you going to fuck me? Don't you want Daddy's little girl?"



"Nicole, you don't have to do that. Not with me." Nicole swallowed heavily, and as the shaking began to manifest her muscles, she slowly closed her legs. Her face flushed crimson, but he wasn't sure if it was embarrassment, or merely confusion. "Why are you doing this to me?" His gaze returned to her. "Why did I strip you?" "No. I know why I don't have any clothing. Why are you torturing me. If you're going to hurt me, just do it. Please. If you want to whip me, I'll lie still. As still as I can. That's what most of you want. You don't even need this. I won't move." She raised her left arm to the extent that her restraints would let her. "Though, I understand if you want me helpless." He sighed, and shuffled his chair a little closer. Nicole began to back away, but then returned to the edge of the bed, her bare toes dug into the carpet. "I can't pretend to know what is going on here, what you go through, but I'm not here to hurt you." "That's what they all say." She lowered her voice an octave, mimicking a male voice. "Come here, baby, this won't hurt a bit." Her voice rose again, into a normal feminine timbre. "But it always does." "Who?" "Everyone. Everyone he decides to have me 'date'." He shook his head. "Who?" "Don't pretend you don't know. If you don't want to say his name, I don't blame you, but we both know why you're here." "We do?" "Do you want me to masturbate for you, first? I will." Her fingers crept to her nipple, which hardened a little at the sensations of her own fingers. It seemed to him that the girl was trying to arouse him. It was working. But if she aroused him, then perhaps the pain she was expecting might be lessened -- if he was satisfied with her performance, then perhaps he wouldn't hurt her as long. Given the type of man she was used to, he suspected her performance normally worked. At least a little. "Nicole, while that's pretty to watch, you don't need to do that either. Who's doing this to you? Who's that man in the other room?" "You know who he is." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (60 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


"I don't. I stumbled into this. I'll explain in a moment." Nicole looked at him, suspicion on her features. "You know who he is. He's who brought you here to play these games with me. My tormentor. My torturer. My Doctor." The last title seemed to carry more hatred than the other terms. "He who'll hurt me far more than you, if I don't make you happy." "Your father?" Tears leapt into Nicole's eyes and before she could stop the words, she snarled at him. "Fuck you. If you're going to whip me, whip me. If you want to hurt me, then this is a good spot." She cried out as she jabbed the area under her right breast where the skin was discoloured and purple. "If you want to fuck me, or force me to suck you, I'll do it. Just please, can we stop playing this sick game." The man shook his head sadly, and then looked up at the seething girl. "He hasn't broken you, yet," he said. Nicole shrank back, her fingers rubbing at the bruise near her broken ribs. "He's broken, me. I'll do whatever it is you want," she muttered. "I want you to talk to me," he said quietly. "I want you to believe that I'm not going to hurt you." "So it will hurt more when I'm not expecting it?" He shook his head patiently, and leaned back in the chair. "Why does he do this to you?" "You have to ask that? Because he wants to? Because he's a sadistic fuck? Because he likes having sex with his twenty year-old daughter? Because he likes hurting me? Because I didn't want to be a fucking doctor like him??" She paused for a moment, then her bravado collapsed. "Take your pick. I'm sorry. Please don't tell him I said all that. Please?" "Relax, Nicole. He can't hurt you while you're here." "Who are you?" Nicole asked quietly. He took a deep breath. "It'll sound crazy, I know. But I ... manipulate time. I'm a time traveller." Nicole actually laughed, but the pain as she did brought the mirth http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-91-100.html (61 of 64)8/14/2005 11:43:07 PM


up short. "You're crazier than he is." A spark of fear slipped into her eyes. "Think back. When you were kneeling in front of him." Nicole paled at the words, but recovered. "When Kate found you." "Who is she? Why was she naked?" "Kate. She wanted to help you. She'll be back a little later. The point is, think about him. Kate was there, trying to help you. Your father didn't even move, did he? Shouldn't he at least have been watching Kate -- a gorgeous, naked redhead in your bedroom?" Nicole closed her eyes, and thought back. She remembered crabbing away from her father, her arms still bound behind her. And she remembered Kate clearly, her nudity almost unremarkable in this house. And she remembered expecting a blow from above, but it never came. In her panic, she hadn't even realised that her father hadn't moved, hadn't hit her, hadn't struck out at her. "What?" "He was frozen, Nicole, because I control the time around him. He can't hurt you here. Kate wanted me to bring you here -- away from him." Nicole lay back down on the bed, and closed her eyes. He leaned back in his chair, tilting it until the front legs left the ground. "Suppose I believe you," Nicole said slowly without opening her eyes. "Why am I here? Naked and handcuffed?" "Kate could probably explain that better than I, but it's because I want you here." "I see. Because I'm a good plaything, right? I've already been broken in. I don't mind. I'll have sex with you, if you want it. I'll even let you hurt me." The girl shivered. "It's got to be better than ..." He sighed. "I'm not going to rape you, Nicole." The girl said nothing, merely curled up on the bare mattress. After a time, he spoke to her again, unsure if she was even asleep. "You need some rest, Nicole." The girl nodded, her eyes only slits. "Thank-you," she said. "I'll come give you more water in a little bit, okay?"



She murmured something, but he didn't quite catch what. He stood by the door watching her bare form, surprised as she actually began to softly snore. He smiled. He thought that maybe, just maybe, she might be all right. There remained a spark in the girl. He stood like an obscene statue, his hand resting between his legs, dropping his zipper to a daughter that no longer knelt in front of him. Anger and hatred blazed for a moment in the Timeman's features, but in the end, he realised that such emotions could only cause mistakes to be made. Bad mistakes. Dangerous mistakes. No, there were other ways of dealing with scum like this. With a satisfied smile, he walked back towards the bed, Nicole's small bed, and pulled the pink comforter from it. Carrying the blanket in his arms, he slipped from the bedroom, and returned to where Nicole lightly slept. He gently tucked the blanket around her bare body, and then carefully slipped from the room, shutting the door as he stepped out into the cool hallway. He paused at the top of the stairs. He could hear small muffled sounds from the kitchen, and nothing, not even water running from the bathroom. He stepped in front of the bathroom door and without announcing his presence turned the doorknob and let himself in.







Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 101

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Chapter 102

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Chapter 103

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Chapter 104

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Chapter 105

Chapter 106

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Chapter 107

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Chapter 108

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Chapter 109

·

Chapter 110


Monique sighed, but didn't protest as the band of steel closed relatively gently around her right ankle. The other end of the ankle cuff attached under the heavy sofa. There were other deep scratches in the wood of the sofa leg, as if it weren't the first time it had been used as a restraint anchor. Monique's skin was soft and smooth under his finger tips. He allowed his fingers to trace up her calf. The girl shivered, but sat still until he turned towards Andrea. Andrea sat naked across the coffee table, chained by the ankle to the other sofa. The baseball cap sat jauntily on her head, her ever-present ponytail dancing about her shoulders, her blonde bangs nearly falling into her eyes. He straightened. "What are you going to do with us now?" Monique asked quietly. Instead of answering, he turned towards the entrance. At the archway



into the marbled front hall, he turned back towards the girls. "When I come back, I'll give you some books to read until I need you again." "Need us for what?" "Whatever I like," he replied with a smile dancing about his lips. He turned and disappeared into the hallway. Both Kate and Leigh looked up as he poked his head through the swinging kitchen door. Both girls wore identical expressions of discomfort and pleading in their eyes. The gags had been in their mouths longer than he'd intended. But he couldn't let them free, yet. There was more to be done upstairs. "Only a few more minutes," he whispered. A tear formed in Leigh's eye, but somehow the girl managed to keep it from falling down her cheek. Instead, she pulled against the ropes holding her down, but eventually gave up with a quiet mewl. Her head dropped forward, her brunette hair hiding her pretty face from view. Kate stared at him for a moment, her eyes still pleading with him to release her -- at least from the red ball wedged between her teeth. He shook his head kindly, and let the kitchen door close, cutting off his view of the pretty naked girls bound to the kitchen chairs. They'd be free soon enough. He settled into the chair, tilting back his head and staring at the ceiling. They were all restrained, and he could finally relax. None of them were any immediate threat. He cast his thoughts outward, riding the waves of hazy mists. Puzzled, he could sense something odd, but he couldn't quite pinpoint it. The bubble he'd cast around the newlywed, Linda, was gone -- gone like smoke into a fog. Forcing his mind to narrow, he located Mark, her husband, still floating freely. But something, almost like a wall, prevented him from seeing inside the suite where he'd left the girl. A mental block seemed to manifest around the location of his former base of operations. Who? What? Why? He didn't know the answers. Something was happening there; though whether it was a natural phenomenon, or man made, or whether it was a manifestation of some sort of time mismanagement by himself, he didn't know. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (2 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


He nearly rose from the chair, ready to leave the girls alone in the old mansion. It was dangerous not knowing. The image of a dusty blonde appeared, naked and lying on the floor of an office, her hands lightly roaming her bare skin. She lay in front of a marbled desk that looked eerily familiar. A male, really not much older than a boy, sat frozen behind the desk, his back ramrod straight, his eyes lifted above the writhing, nearly naked girl stretched out before him. The girl's head tilted back in a silent scream of passion, or ecstasy, her fingers moving gently between her legs, hidden from the Timeman's immediate view. The Timeman shivered, as the image faded into the mists of time. Who was that girl? He'd seen her before, lying clothed on a park bench near an old man feeding pigeons. Was she related to the block upon the bridal suite? He didn't know, but something deep inside him cried out the answer. Yes, he thought the pretty college aged girl was intertwined with all of this. A pretty college co-ed, roaming free in this silent world, somehow blocking his time manipulations? Absurd. If she even existed, she was merely a girl, like the girl lying naked, hurt, and handcuffed in front of him. He shook his head, and laughed quietly. Male fantasy -- it's what got him here in the first place. His mind flit to the the man still standing frozen in front of a non-existent suffering daughter. Yes, male fantasy. He began to push himself back to his feet. Have to go back to the suite. Have to see what happened to Linda, though he fully expected the girl to have simply returned spontaneously to her rightful timeline. Or be exactly as he had left her, naked and slowed in her hot tub. A soft voice stopped him before he could complete the rise to his feet. "I'm so thirsty," Nicole said quietly, breaking him out of his ruminations. With a quick nod, he rose, and returned a moment later with the octagonal glass filled with water from the bathroom taps. When he returned, she sat carefully, her right hand pressing against her injured side, and her legs firmly together overhanging the edge of the bed. Without hesitation this time, she accepted the glass, and drained it. A lone drop trickled down her chin, where she almost absently brushed it off and licked her finger. She held the glass out http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (3 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


towards him. Without a word, he took it, and then returned with it filled again. More slowly, she sipped at the second glass. At last, her eyes rose, and watched him warily sitting back in the chair. He sat sideways, his legs dangling over the armrest, swinging easily through the air. She balanced the glass on her bare thigh for a moment. "Why aren't you hurting me?" she asked quietly. "You've been hurt enough," he said simply. "Most men don't care about that." "I'm not most men." She raised the glass and sipped from the edge again. "Most men would have raped me long ago, including the bastard in the other room. Is he still ... frozen?" The Timeman leaned his head back. "Nicole, first of all, you aren't in any shape to be raped. It would probably turn into murder. I think you've got a broken rib there, and sex might just cause internal damage. I don't know why he hurt you like that, or how, but whatever it was, you didn't deserve it. Second, I have no intention of raping any of the girls I keep with me. There's no need to do such a thing. Not for control. Not for pleasure. And with regards to the bastard in the other room, he won't hurt you -- not while I'm here anyway. Yes, he's still frozen, but not for much longer. You don't have to see him." Nicole paled for a moment, but then recovered. "You're going to let him go?" The Timeman nodded slowly. "For a while." "He can't hurt me?" He shook his head. "He kicked me." The Timeman turned towards her for a moment. Her fingers pressed lightly against her broken ribs. "Here. He kicked me. My hands were tied behind me, and I couldn't stop him. I think I heard something break. Inside." "Why?" "Is there ever a reason?" "Sometimes. But never a good one."



"I really don't know. Because he wanted to. He likes hurting women. Me, in particular." The Timeman sighed. "You've been through a great deal. How long?" She thought about it. It seemed so long, but she supposed that she wouldn't have survived it it had been longer. "A year, or so. After I dropped out of law school. I couldn't afford it." "He's a doctor?" She nodded bitterly. "And you don't want to be a doctor." "I didn't until he started convincing me. But even after I came to that little decision, it didn't stop. If anything, he beats me more." "I'm going to unfreeze him. You don't have to see him." Nicole remained silent. She pulled carefully on her bound wrist, but didn't shake her hand or twist it. It was almost like she was stretching. A grimace of pain crossed her face, and she looked up, tears nearly falling from her eyelids. "I think I need to." "Need to?" "Need to see him. He won't be able to hurt me, right?" "I don't think that's such a good idea. After what you've been through." "I have to go back eventually, don't I?" The Timeman nodded, a look of pain crossing his face. "I don't want to send you back, but I'll probably have to, eventually. I won't be able to hold this timeline forever." She didn't fully understand that, but she continued. "This might be my only chance to say some things I need to say." "He won't remember." Nicole shrugged, her breasts rising prettily as she did. "He's going to kill me, eventually. I know that. I want to say some http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (5 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


things before he kills me." The Timeman looked pained, but non-committal. "I don't know, Nicole. We'll see how it goes. Okay?" "Do I have a choice?" He looked at the naked girl for a moment, then pursed his lips. Slowly, he shook his head. Nicole walked slowly, with a slight limp, her hands loosely cuffed in front of her. She had trouble with the stairs, but with some support from his hand on her elbow, and her bound hands grasping the oaken rail, she managed to step one stair at a time to the main hallway. At the bottom of the staircase, she slowly lowered herself until she sat on the bottom stair, her bare bottom against the hardwood. Her breath came in ragged bursts, and she winced after each rise of her chest. After she caught her breath, she looked up at the sound of quiet murmuring from the living room. "Who's that?" she asked. "You're going to share me?" Her voice whispered, but rose in almost an accusing tone. He smiled, and crouched in front of her. Carefully, he placed his hands on her knees. Nicole didn't flinch from his touch. "I already told you that I wasn't going to rape you, and I'm certainly not going to share you. But there is some others that I want you to meet. You'll be spending time with them." Nicole's eyes flitted to a look of understanding. "Kate?" "Kate is one of them, yes, but she's in the kitchen at the moment." Nicole nodded. He reached down, and helped her to her bare feet. The girl winced as something inside jabbed her, but she managed to prevent a scream. As her eyes scanned the room, her eyes widened. Andrea and Monique sat quietly, but turned their eyes towards the new girl. "You fucking bastard," Monique whispered, her eyes roaming over the bruises that graced Nicole's bare skin. The Timeman turned toward Monique, slowly shaking his head.



"If I wasn't chained here, I swear, I'd kill you," she whispered fiercely. "How could you do that to a helpless girl. You are one fucked up shit." "Monique, you know that I don't like swearing from my girls." Monique looked at him incredulously. "I'm not your fucking girl, for starters. And if you're capable of doing that to a girl, you're a fucking animal." Her fists curled in rage beside her bare thighs. The Timeman glanced at Andrea, who nodded gravely. He opened her mouth to speak, but the words never made it from his lips. Instead, Nicole spoke, her voice stronger than he would have expected from her. "He didn't do this to me," Nicole said slowly. Monique turned her attention to Nicole. "You don't have to lie for him. We know what he's capable of." Monique rattled the chain connected to her bare ankle. "He abuses women for his sadistic jollies." Nicole turned towards the Timeman. "May I?" He nodded, and leaned up against the archway, watching as Nicole walked carefully across the room, settling into the sofa beside Monique. "He didn't do this to me," Nicole said carefully. Tears had formed in her eyes. Monique hesitated, but some maternal instinct seemed to flow into her at Nicole's unshed tears. She gathered Nicole into her arms, and held her, skin to skin. Nicole seemed to melt into the girl's arms. "Who did, then?" "It wasn't him. I'd tell you if he did. He saved me." Monique looked up sharply, her eyes suspicious. The Timeman shrugged, and Monique silently returned her eyes to the bruised girl lying against her. "Who did this to you?" Nicole shivered, and simply shook her head. "He handcuffed me, but nicer than before. And he didn't hit me, please." "I'm not going to hurt you," Monique whispered. "Thank-you," Nicole whispered. "Thank-you." He couldn't tell who she was thanking, but she seemed to be comfortable in Monique's arms. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (7 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


"Who is she?" The Timeman looked up briefly. Monique's gaze held him. "Her name is Nicole, and she's been through a lot." "I can tell. What happened?" "Later." Monique nodded. "Will she be all right? Shouldn't we get her to a hospital?" "Hospital? Doctors? Here?" Monique sighed, and slowly began to stroke the girl's hair. "She's hurt. Badly." "I know. I need you to take care of her for a while." "You could start by releasing us. She shouldn't have handcuffs on." Nicole's voice rose slowly from Monique's arms. "I don't mind. I'm used to them." Monique nodded. "He wouldn't take them off, anyway." "He offered to let me go free. It didn't feel right." Monique looked quizzically at the girl, but eventually lifted her eyes to the Timeman. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "Please don't punish me." He stared at the naked girl for a moment. "Sorry, for what?" Monique took a deep breath, and let it out in a small sigh. "Sorry for thinking ... sorry for swearing ..." He shook his head gently. "You didn't know. It was -- appropriate. I shouldn't have brought her in here without warning." Monique nodded. "Thank-you," she whispered. And somehow, he knew that he wouldn't punish the girl. Not this time. He left the four paperbacks lying on the coffee table, though none of the girls seemed interested in reading. Andrea, and Monique, and http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (8 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


Nicole seemed to be more interested in talking quietly amongst themselves. As he turned to move into the hallway again, to leave the girls alone, Andrea's voice turned him. "Sir?" "Will you be all right in here?" Andrea nodded. "I know the television won't work, but if we're going to be in here for a while," she rattled her left foot where the ankle cuffs restrained her movement, "may we listen to music? The stereo should work. There's a stack of compact disks over there." She pointed across the room. She reminded him of a girl long ago -- Amy -- who liked to listen to older rock music. Slowly, he nodded. He began to turn away. "Thank-you," Andrea whispered. "But ..." He turned again, a little impatiently. The girls in the kitchen were uncomfortable in their gags. Andrea didn't know that of course, but he hadn't really wanted to gag them in the first place. He needed Kate and Leigh, and didn't want them too distracted by their own physical discomfort. Andrea paled at his expression. "I'm sorry. Never mind." He gathered in a breath, and sighed. "What is it, Andrea?" "It's just that, I ... I can't reach the disks." She flushed, for a moment, as if she were a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. "I -- I tried already." He nodded. "I don't have time to move them right now, Andrea. You'll have to wait." "If you released me for a minute, I'll move them closer to the stereo. If you have to go, I'll put the cuff back on. I swear. Please?" Slowly, he shook his head. Tears appeared in the girl's eyes, and she lowered them before the moisture overspilled onto her cheeks. She wiped at them before they could fall. "If it's okay, I can get them for her," a small voice rose from the opposite sofa. He turned his attention to Nicole. Her face still registered pain, but she looked at him with bright eyes. "You aren't going to do anything silly, are you, Nicole? If I don't http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (9 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


chain you to furniture?" Nicole shook her head slowly, even that effort causing her pain. "Where would I go?" He shrugged. The girl continued. "I'm handcuffed, and I don't even have any clothes. Where would I go?" "The police?" He knew that wasn't about to happen, but he needed to test the girl. She probably didn't quite realise the external limitations to her freedom yet. Andrea and Monique would probably fill her in. "They wouldn't help me. The deputy of police has been in this house. Seen me before." "Please, Nicole, don't do anything silly." She grimaced, and nodded. "I can't. You know that, perhaps better than even I." "You can get her disks for her, but don't hurt yourself doing it. Understand?" Nicole nodded again, slowly. "I'll crawl if I have to." "Don't let her hurt herself," he said to the other girls. With that, he turned from the naked girls and moved slowly towards the kitchen. Two girls tied to chairs in the kitchen needed to be ungagged, and released. Badly.


Though they were still gagged, and tied, their eyes seemed almost to register relief as he hopped up on the kitchen table between them, his legs swinging freely under the table. He turned to the redhead. "eee, i aw uh," Kate tried to say around the ball in her mouth. He had no idea what she was trying to say, but he understood the gist. She wanted out, and was willing to do whatever it took to get that way. Leigh pulled weakly at the ropes holding her to her chair, too, impatiently staring at him. Of course, she'd wanted to be gagged, to http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (10 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


be fair to Kate, but she was probably regretting the decision, now as her jaw muscles complained about the unnatural position. "I have a task for the two of you. It won't be easy." Leigh nodded, her brunette hair falling across her face. She tried to toss it, but some stuck to her cheek where tears wet the strands. Slowly, he reached forward and brushed the hair from her cheek. He traced her gag for a moment, and the girl flushed, but didn't try to avoid his fingers. She shivered instead. "You may have to hurt someone." Kate paled, and Leigh slowly shook her head. He considered for a moment. "It's not one of the girls." Comprehension dawned in Kate's eyes, and though she looked worried, she slowly nodded her head. Leigh's eyes widened for a moment, but she still shook her head. Kate tried to communicate with her eyes, but Leigh looked away, pulled against her bonds further. He hopped off the table, and moved behind Kate. The girl bent her head, and with a bit of fumbling, he released her gag. He held his hand below her chin, and with an effort, Kate popped the ball from between her teeth with her tongue, and it fell, a little damp, into his palm. She worked her jaw for a moment. Her voice was shaky. "God, that hurts." "I know. I didn't want to do that to you. Not this time." She looked up at him with accusing eyes, but she didn't spill the invectives that she was probably thinking. "You didn't need to do that. You could have just separated us." Leigh mewled from the other side of the table. Both Kate and the Timeman turned their attention to Leigh. Kate began to talk, but he shushed her. "Will you do what I want?" he asked Leigh. Leigh looked confused for a moment, her eyes pleading. She only had limited communication with that ball between her teeth. She could nod, or shake her head. She didn't want to do either. She wanted the gag out, wanted to obey, but she wanted to tell him that she wouldn't hurt anyone either. He knew all this, watching the tortured girl's face. She tried to talk, but it came out as an incomprehensible grunt. "I can leave you here for a few hours ..."



Leigh closed her eyes, tears of frustration beginning to form. "Leigh, he'll make you do it. You know he will. Cigarettes. Whips. He'll hurt them, in front of you. Make you listen to them scream. Please," Kate whispered. Her words were careful not to tell Leigh about her unique insight, not with the Timeman standing right behind her. She carefully avoided mentioning who the Timeman might want the girls to hurt. She thought that she could do it, and if Leigh understood, she might, too. She glanced upwards at her captor, standing easily behind her. "Please, can't I explain to her? Can't you explain to her? Why are you doing this?" He slowly shook his head. "Leigh?" The girl looked up miserably. "Will you do what I want? You once promised to do whatever I wanted." Her eyes pleaded with him to that she could simply nod or about give her an easy path. but hurt someone. I won't. I prevented that.

ask a different question, something shake -- yes or no -- but he wasn't She wanted to scream at him. "Anything won't. I won't." But the gag nicely

"Please, Leigh?" Kate whispered. Slowly, the girl gave in, and nodded her head. Tears fell from her eyes, and pain crossed her face in waves. He nodded and moved behind Leigh. The girl shook as he released her gag. The ball fell from her mouth as soon as it was free. "You're a fucking bastard," Leigh whispered, as she worked her jaw slowly. He bid them halt, and the girls obediently stopped walking. Quiet murmuring flowed from around the corner. He recognised Monique's voice, and Nicole's quieter voices floating on the air. The girls turned to face him. Rope marks graced the girl's wrists and ankles, and thin rope marks were already fading from their bare midriffs. Neither Kate, nor Leigh, seemed to mind, simply relieved to be no longer tied to the chairs, or restrained as they walked in front of him. He moved between the naked girls, and lightly grasped their elbows. He guided them slowly, into the living room. It took a moment before Leigh stopped dead, her feet refusing to move, her eyes anchored on the new girl who was sitting up, now, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (12 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


beside Monique. Her sore jaw dropped for a moment, her mind barely registering the fact. It happened too fast for him to react to, though he probably wouldn't have done anything different, even if he'd forseen Leigh's reaction. "You low fucker," Leigh whispered. "Oh no," Kate said quite clearly from his left. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw it coming, but didn't have the time to prevent it from connecting. Leigh's open right palm swung hard at his cheek. It connected with a solid crack, rocking his head back, eyes widening. Kate was already moving, her elbow pulled easily from his grasp. Leigh spun, and he managed to get his hand up this time, catching her left wrist before her weaker left hook could land, perhaps knocking teeth and blood flying. "No, Leigh. It wasn't him," Kate cried. The naked girl crossed in front of him, with a flash of bare skin, arms outstretched. "He'll kill you ..." "Get away from me," Leigh hissed. Her free right hand rose, and connected with another stinging blow on Kate's left cheek. The girl cried out, but didn't stop, her arms falling under Leigh's and driving the brunette backwards, and away from the Timeman. Leigh cried out as Kate's shoulder impacted with her ribs, knocking the breath from her lungs. The two nude girls tumbled to the carpet. Kate quickly straddled Leigh, and held her as Leigh gasped for air like a landed fish. Leigh's bare breasts peeked up between Kate's bare thighs. Leigh regained her breath. Leigh shook, her anger and hurt streaming from her lips. "How could he? How?" The Timeman sighed, and rubbed at his cheek, backing away from the flailing girls. In his peripheral vision, he could see the other girls, in shock, perched on the sofas watching mute. "Stop it, Leigh. Stop it. He didn't do that to her." Kate nearly screamed. "I saw it. I saw her before he took her." Kate turned her face towards the Timeman, her voice shaking. "You should have told her. You should have let me tell her." The Timeman turned from the girls, and rocked his head back against the wall hard enough to hurt. "Please, Leigh," Kate begged, turning her attention to the girl between her thighs. Leigh managed to get her right arm free from beneath Kate's knees. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (13 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


Her fingers grasped at the redhead's throat. Kate scrabbled at Leigh's arm, but then seemed to lose resistance. Leigh's fingers closed with her thumb resting on Kate's windpipe. Kate relaxed and tilted her head upwards, giving Leigh more access to her own throat. "Why are you defending him?" Leigh nearly screamed. "Did he make you, somehow? Did you help him hurt her? For fuck's sake, Kate." Kate whispered, her voice cracking even under the relatively gentle pressure of Leigh's fingers. She choked once, then managed to find a more steady voice. "He didn't do it to her, Leigh. I saw her. Someone else did that to her, was still doing that to her when we found her. I begged him save her. Please." Leigh seemed to relax, but then tightened her grip on Kate's throat. "What did he do to you, Kate? Did he rape you? Did he rape her? Did he say he'd stop if you helped him?" "Hurt me if you want to, Leigh, I understand. But I swear, I wouldn't help him hurt any of us. Nicole, she's one of us now, and she's better off here than where she was. You have to believe me." She paused for a moment, rocking her weight back freeing Leigh's other arm. "Either that or hurt me." Leigh slowly brought her other hand up and encircled Kate's throat with both. She didn't squeeze, but Kate slowly closed her eyes, her breasts heaving with her efforts. Tears streamed down Kate's face. Slowly, Leigh turned her head, trying to capture the Timeman's eyes. "Say something," she whispered to him. He shrugged. "Would anything I say convince you, at this point?" "He didn't touch me," a small voice came from Monique's sofa. He sensed movement from that direction. Nicole cried out, but pushed herself from her seat. Tears formed, but somehow, she managed to avoid spilling them. She walked to where Kate still straddled Leigh. Slowly, she lowered herself to where Leigh lay on her back. "He didn't touch me. He saved me." She reached out gently to touch Leigh's arms which extended upwards, the fingers still grasping at Kate's pale throat. Leigh's eyes riveted to the girl's ribs where the ugly bruise seemed to have stabilised for the moment. "Who did this to you?" Leigh whispered. Nicole hesitated, looking to Kate for help. Kate, however, still stared at the ceiling, purposely exposing her throat to Leigh's http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (14 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


grasping hands. "My -- my father," Nicole whispered. "He saved me from him. At least for a little while." Tears fell unabashedly from Nicole's eyes now, and she brushed them with her handcuffed hands. Leigh's fingers slowly released Kate's throat, and they fell to the carpet beside Kate's thighs. The pent up anger and aggression seemed to melt from Leigh's body like a glacier retreating from the sea. "Oh God, I'm sorry," Leigh whispered. She turned her eyes upwards, as Kate lowered her face to stare at Leigh. "I'm so sorry, Kate," Leigh said. Tears fell from Kate's eyes, falling like wax upon Leigh's trembling breasts. Slowly, she climbed off the girl, and pushed herself to her feet. Kate reached down, and helped Nicole to her feet, and walked her back to Monique. Monique automatically gathered Nicole into her arms, and Kate returned to where Leigh lay weeping on her back. The redhead lowered herself to sit beside Leigh, cross-legged on the floor, not caring about her exposure. "I'm so sorry, Kate," Leigh choked. Kate gathered Leigh into an easy embrace, unconcerned about their mutual nudity. "It's all right," Kate whispered. "I'd have done the same thing." After a time, the girls rose to their feet, and approached the Timeman. "You can punish me, now," Leigh whispered, her face lowered and her eyes seemed more interested in her toes. "I'm not going to punish you," he said. "I have something else that I need from you and Kate, if you aren't going to take another swing at me." He nearly laughed. The easy tone in his voice brought her eyes up. It was written on her face. She knew that he could have stopped her, could have hurt her badly to stop her. He hadn't. "I actually hit you. I'm so sorry," Leigh whispered. She reached up to rub at the light red mark etched into his cheek. Her fingers traced it, even as it faded. He rubbed at his cheek. "A nice right slap you got, too. Maybe we can put it to good use." Kate looked up, her voice wavering. "I know it might get me punished, but -- you shouldn't have done that." He turned to Kate. "What?"



"Not warned her. You planned that right down to gagging me in the kitchen." He nodded slowly at her words. "You can't blame her for doing what she did." He nodded slowly. "No. I can't. I'm not going to punish her for being human." "Why?" "Why what?" "Why did you bait her, like that?" Leigh's eyes watched back and forth between the naked redhead and the Timeman. Kate held his eyes, not backing down. "I wanted to know what she'd do. I found out." "Was it what you fucking expected?" Kate almost spat out the words. "She nearly choked me, for Christ's sake." He smiled and touched her lips. "No need to swear," he admonished her. Kate paled a little, but retained most of her composure. "I'm sorry," she said. "But it was a pretty shitty thing to do. Even if you don't count how much those fucking gags hurt." He smiled and touched her lips again. He raised his eyebrows. "Language, Kate. Next time, I'll have to punish you. But you're right. It was a shitty thing to do, and I'm sorry. Okay?" Kate looked at him quizzically for a moment. Then she whispered, "I'm sorry for swearing. Why do you hate that so much?" "Hate what?" "Us swearing?" He smiled, and then touched her bare shoulder. "It's not ladylike. And if nothing else, even through the pain and indignities that are imposed on you, I expect you to be ladies." For some reason, Kate smiled at that. After a moment, Leigh's voice cut through the quiet. "Did I pass?" He turned to her with a smile, and nodded. "You did fine, Leigh, you did fine."




Leigh's body shook noticeably as she approached the man. She was wary, careful not to touch his frozen flesh as she slowly circled him, her eyes taking in his body position, his snarl, his hand slowly lowering his zipper. "This piece of -- this bastard is who did that to Nicole?" she whispered. The Timeman settled onto Nicole's stripped bed, lacing his hands behind his head. Kate stood beside the bed, purposely not watching the frozen presence in the room. The Timeman nodded in response to Leigh's question. "How badly is she hurt? Nicole?" "I don't know -- I'm not a doctor. But Kate thinks she might have a broken rib or two, and possible internal damage. She says he kicked her while she was tied up. He was about to force her to have oral sex with him." "She was here?" Leigh pointed to the spot where Nicole had knelt. The Timeman nodded gravely. "Kneel there." Leigh looked up sharply. "What?" "Kneel there. Where she was. Just for a moment." Leigh shivered, but moved slowly to stand in front of the man. "May I ask why?" "I'll tell you in a moment." Leigh cast him a wary glance, but began to lower herself to her knees. She stopped halfway down. "You aren't going to free him?" "Not for a bit, and even if I do, I wouldn't do it with you kneeling in front of him." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (17 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


Leigh cast him another suspicious glance, but obviously not seeing any choice, she knelt and lowered her thighs back to her bare heels. She glanced up at the man towering over her, and shuddered. "Hold your hands behind your back. Open your mouth." Leigh did as she was told, and shivered. A tear formed and traced slowly down her cheek. Kate whimpered, capturing his attention. "Go," he said to her. Resigned, Kate padded over and touched Leigh's shoulder. The brunette closed her mouth and climbed to her feet. Another tear meandered down her cheek. She stepped aside, touching Kate as she did. Kate nodded, and lowered herself to mimic the position that Nicole had been found in. "Oh, Christ," she whispered as she, too, held her hands behind her back and opened her mouth. After a few moments of holding the pose, she scrambled to her feet and faced the Timeman. He motioned them over. "Still want to know why?" Neither girl answered, lost in their own thoughts. When Leigh spoke, her voice was only barely above a whisper. "What do you want us to do?" "What do you want to do?" Leigh hesitated for a moment. "I think I hate him. I've never hated anyone in my life." "Not even me?" Leigh slowly shook her head. "How could anyone do that? He's her fucking father." He didn't admonish the girl for swearing, and she didn't even seem aware that she'd done it. It seemed appropriate and perhaps this wasn't a lady-like situation. "Can you do it? If you can't, I'll understand. Monique might." Kate slowly nodded. Leigh hesitated a little longer, but then joined Kate. She nodded once. "What do you want us to do?"



Kate and Leigh knelt quietly on the bed. He lay between them, his hands resting lightly on each girl's hip. Neither girl tried to avoid the touch. The man began to move, the sharp sound of his zipper filling their ears. Whatever he'd been saying before the time stop had gripped him, continued to ooze from his lips. "... time for your gift, slave cunt ..." his voice trailed off as his body stiffened. "What the FUCK? I'll kill the bitch ..." The Timeman spoke quietly, but his voice carried easily. "There is no need to swear; it will offend the ladies." He jumped at the sound, but turned around slowly, a snarl gracing his lips. His penis jutted from his zipper like a floppy snake. "Who the FUCK are you?" His eyes didn't even touch the reclining man on the bed, but tracked back and forth between the two nude girls kneeling beside him. He took a step forward, fists clenched. The man was big, well over two metres, and he looked strong enough to break ribs with a single kick. "I wouldn't do that," the Timeman said slowly. The big man halted for a second, but then took another step forward. "Who's going to fucking stop me?" the man snarled. "You don't want to test me," the Timeman said mildly. He sat up, never releasing his fingers from the girls. They seemed to extract a certain calm from his touch, though they both trembled. "What are you going to do, pussy boy?" "Stop you." "You and the cunts? Who are they, anyway?" The man did stop then, his eye roaming over the naked girls. When the Timeman didn't answer, he continued. "Doesn't matter. I'll tear you apart, then make you watch while I kill them. Nice and slow." Without warning, he rushed forward, fists swinging. His aim wasn't particularly focused, and if allowed to continue, he would have probably broken bones in Leigh's face. Instead, he cried out in surprise, and fell, his fist missing the trembling girl by a scant five centimetres. Leigh screamed, but didn't fall backwards, mostly because the Timeman's hand had moved to the small of her back, supporting her.



The man cried out again from the floor. "What the fuck have you done to my fucking feet?" He seemed to be pulling ineffectually on his wingtips, which seemed to be glued to the floor. "I'm going to kill all of you. Then I'm going to find that little slave bitch and make her sorry she was ever born." The Timeman slowly slipped from the bed, releasing Leigh and Kate, and crouched low but out of the man's range. From somewhere behind him, he extracted the gun. The man's eyes widened at that, but didn't lose the redness of hatred and fury. "I think Nicole is sorry that she was ever born already, don't you?" "What have you done with her? Her cunt is mine." The Timeman laughed, pointing the gun at random places on the man's body. The man paled when it pointed towards his groin. "She's not yours, and never will be. You may play as if she is, but she isn't. She's mine now." "Fuck you." He turned to the girls watching terrified from the mattress. "Kate?" The girl nodded, and without further instruction slipped from the bed and approached the blue backpack. The man on the floor watched every move that the naked girl made. "She's quite a bitch. Maybe we can work something out between the two of us," the man said. He pulled hard on his glued shoes, but yelped as he pulled something in his leg. He ignored the man until Kate approached with a set of handcuffs and the key. She handed the Timeman the key, and then knelt beside him. "Tell her to come closer. I'll show her what a real man can do." Ignoring his suggestion, the Timeman asked, "What's your name?" "Fuck you. I don't have to tell you squat." The Timeman sighed, and raised the gun to aim at the man's head. "No. You don't. You have a simple choice, I can shoot you, or you can tell me your name. And I won't shoot you in the head." He moved the gun to aim at the man's penis which still flopped obscenely from deep within his pants. The man paled. "Give me a reason." The Timeman shrugged and cocked the gun.



"Maurice. Maurice Stephens." "That would make the girl you were torturing, Nicole Stephens?" The man nodded, his eyes no longer on Kate, but following each tiny dip of the handgun aimed at his privates. "I'm going to have Kate, here, handcuff you. You are going to let her. If you don't, you'll regret it. Understand?" He held the gun on the man, but didn't rise. Maurice nodded slowly. "Now, stand up." Maurice struggled, but managed to gain his knees, then his feet. With a sigh, he held out his hands. He tried to move his feet, but the shoes remained stuck to the floor. "Those look a lot better on girls," he said tightly. "I agree, actually, but the girls haven't hurt anyone lately." "You're a shithead, you know that?" Ignoring him, the Timeman nodded to Kate. Kate rose to her feet, leaving the Timeman sitting on the floor. Kate approached the man slowly, her eyes wary. Maurice stuck out his tongue and waggled it at her obscenely. "Nice cunt. Pretty cunt," he whispered. "What I wouldn't do to get my dick in your cunt." Kate paled and stayed out of his range, the handcuffs dangling from her right hand. "Come and get me then, little cunt," he said. Kate backed up a step, turning to glance at the Timeman, pleading in her eyes. He nodded to the girl, and Kate inhaled deeply. She stepped forward again, and reached out to place the cuff around his right wrist. Maurice waited until she had committed herself, and then pounced. Quicker than she was expecting, he had her turned, his forearm across her neck. She choked, unable to even scream. Slowly, her face began to turn red. Images of Darren, and his arm raced through her mind. "Do something," Leigh whispered. She was already half-way off the bed. "Stay," the Timeman barked at her. Leigh paled, and pulled her bare legs back up onto the bed. Kate choked again, as Maurice tightened his grip on her throat. "You have them well trained, my friend," Maurice said amiably. Kate pulled weakly at his arm. Her feet nearly left the floor while she was in his grip, forced up on tiptoe. Maurice's free hand slipped down her skin, brushing at her bare breasts. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (21 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


"They respect me, even if they don't like me," the Timeman said. He moved closer to Kate and Stephens. "My slave respects me, too, even if she doesn't like me," Maurice said with a chuckle. "Now, if you'd be so kind, release my feet from whatever magic you've imposed on them, and we can talk about what to do next." Kate tried to shake her head, no, but he squeezed again, and the girl choked, futilely pounding on his arm with her fists. The Timeman cocked his head to the side. "You're making it worse on yourself." Maurice laughed. "What are you going to do, shoot me? I'll kill her before you even pull the trigger." "I can stop you without this," the Timeman said slowly. He then tossed the gun towards the door. It clattered to the hardwood and skipped across the floor until it rested against the baseboards near one of Nicole's stuffed bears. Maurice's eyes lit up. Slowly, he bent his head, and licked along Kate's neck beside her ear. The girl moaned. "No. You're making it worse on yourself. Girls have a soft spot, even if misguided, about hurting people -- even scum -- even assholes -- even torturing, sadistic fathers that would rape their own daughters in the light of day. Tormenting Kate isn't going to help you." "The fuck it won't. I'll kill her without a second thought." As if to prove his point, he squeezed the girl again, and Kate began to slump in his grasp. He eased up on her, and she sucked air in like a drowning babe. Her breathing rasped like it was passing across coarse sandpaper in her throat. Her eyes pleaded with the Timeman to do something. Anything. "Like you'll kill Nicole eventually?" "That cunt isn't worth my time to kill her." The Timeman regarded him for a moment. "Let Kate go." "Or what? You want Nicole? You can have her. Give me these bitches for a few hours in compensation." "I'll give you these 'bitches' for a while, but I doubt if you'll enjoy their company." "I'll start by breaking their toes. Oh yes. Then their fingers. And then we'll start having fun."



The Timeman took another step towards Maurice. In response, he tightened his grip again on Kate. The girl gurgled, and Leigh screamed from her place on the bed. "I don't want to hurt you," the Timeman said quietly. Maurice seemed taken aback by the calm in the other man's voice. "Kate is just a girl. If you kill her, so be it. I can get others. But you'll be in hell for far longer than you imagined possible, if you hurt her." "You care about her." "In a way, yes, but I won't stop because you are threatening her well being. She's used to pain." "I'll bet she is. You and I are like peas in a pod. But take it from me. You can't let emotion rule these kinds of things." The Timeman smiled and stepped forward. Maurice tried to step backwards, but his feet remained glued to the floor. He grunted and responded instead by squeezing Kate's throat. She made a strangled sound, her hands clawing at his forearm, her nails finally drawing a bead of blood. Her chest heaved, unable to pull life's air through her throat. Instead of backing off, the Timeman approached, and drove a single fist past Kate's flailing body and into Maurice's soft underbelly. Maurice gasped, and released Kate. Kate fell to the ground with a groan, her hands pressed to her throat, gasping in gulps of air. Leigh scrambled off the bed, and ran to the fallen girl. The Timeman's eyes never left Maurice's. "I suspect that you'll pay for choking her," he said mildly. He turned away, but then turned back. He drove another fist into Maurice's solar plexus, and the man doubled, gasping for breath. Leigh had helped Kate scramble out of Maurice's reach, and the Timeman crouched near the naked girls. "Is she all right?" Leigh nodded slowly. Kate looked up, and began to sob lightly, her hands pressing to her injured throat. The Timeman touched Kate's chin, and tilted her face upwards. "Ready to try again?" Kate slowly shook her head. The Timeman, looked down but when he looked back up, he smiled a little. "You're a brave girl. You'll get your chance to reverse that." Kate nodded and pushed herself away from Leigh's arms. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (23 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


"I'll try." Her voice sounded odd, raspy and forced. He hoped that she hadn't suffered permanent damage. "Good girl," the Timeman said. He rose, and retrieved the gun. Maurice, who had straightened again, watched. "Little man needs a gun?" The Timeman approached, waving the gun at Maurice. "I might not be able to stop her from killing you without this." Maurice laughed. "I won't let her bind me. You realise that, don't you?" The Timeman shrugged, and moved in front of the man. "That's up to you. But another stunt like that, and I'll probably not even hesitate. Where would you like the bullet? Elbow? Knee? Pecker?" Maurice paled. "Fucking asshole. We could have so much fun with them." "I'm already having fun. And you need a lesson in how to treat women." "And you don't?" "Nicole has broken bones, as far as I can tell." "They heal." "She won't. As long as she lives." Maurice shrugged. "Hold out your hands. I'm only going to ask you once. After that, a joint gets a bullet through it. How would that heal, doctor?" Maurice paled. He hesitated for a moment, then held his hands out. They shook. The Timeman motioned for Kate, and the girl approached, trembling. She picked up the handcuffs that she'd dropped when he had choked her, and then warily placed them over the man's wrists. They clicked into place. Maurice's eyes left the gun and rested the entire time on Kate's breasts. She ignored him, and scampered away as soon as he was secured. He pulled a little at the bonds, but realised the futility. The Timeman turned from the man, and approached the girls. Kate and Leigh had returned to kneeling positions on the bed. He gave them instructions, and then then watched as the girls http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (24 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


slipped off the bed to complete the task. Maurice stood hands above his head, ankles bound with ropes that had at some point bound most of the girls in the Timeman's group. The handcuffs about Maurice's wrists were held to the ceiling with a thin rope looped through a ring set into the beams above. The Timeman was sure that Nicole had tested the weight bearing capacity of the rings at some point over the last year. Kate and Leigh padded slowly towards the Timeman, who stood easily in front of Maurice. "He's dangerous," the Timeman said. "He'll hurt you if he manages to get free. I need you to be careful. I can't bring you back from the dead, and I can't heal you if he breaks your fingers, or arms, or ribs. Understand?" Kate and Leigh nodded solemnly. "Teach him." Again, the naked girls nodded. "But don't kill him." He turned with one last glance at the tied man. "I wouldn't goad them," he said easily. "Fucking cunts don't scare me," Maurice whispered. "They should. The female of the species is far more dangerous than the male," he said. "Fuckhead," Maurice said. As the Timeman closed the bedroom door, he noticed locks on the outside of the door. As the gap narrowed, he heard Maurice call out to the naked women. "Get away from me ..." his voice almost trembled. The Timeman smiled gently, and began to push the locking bolts home. If the girls were silly enough to free Maurice, the last thing he needed was a crazy sadistic doctor with revenge on his mind roaming the house freely.




The strains of Mozart filtered from speakers as he leaned quietly against the door jamb leading into the living room. The soft clink of chains echoed to him as the girls shifted positions. He watched them for a while, as they were unaware of him. Andrea lay on the first sofa, her left leg dangling off the edge to accommodate her ankle chain. Her eyes were closed, her hands interlaced behind her neck, and she appeared to be asleep, or listening to the strains of music floating from the speakers. Monique curled up in the corner of the other sofa, her bare legs tucked under her. Her ankle chain was a little longer, and would allow her the pose. Her mind was somewhere far away, in the land of the Talisman. Nicole lay on her belly on the floor beside the coffee table her fingers tented open on a thick book. He couldn't tell what the girl was reading. It was Andrea that sensed his presence. Without opening her eyes, she spoke. "Are they all right?" Monique looked up at the sound of Andrea's voice, and Nicole turned her head to glance over her bare shoulder. Nicole flashed a quick smile and then turned back to her book. Monique slowly folded over a corner of her book and closed it, placing it on the coffee table. After a moment, he answered Andrea. "Who?" "Leigh and Kate. You didn't give them to Nicole's father, did you?" The Timeman laughed, and entered the room. He settled into the sofa with Monique, who pulled her feet back as far as she could to avoid contact. Nicole looked up worriedly and closed her book. He didn't remember picking up the book Nicole was reading -- a copy of Shakespeare's sonnets. "No, they should be safe. They're with him, yes, but I suspect that he's the one that will regret it." "He's dangerous. Please don't leave them with him. I'll go back, if you need someone to play with him," Nicole said quietly. "You can't go back. He'd kill you -- handcuffs or no." Nicole paled, and slowly, painfully, pushed herself into a seated position.



Abruptly, he rose, and paced out to the small bathroom in the main entranceway. In it, he poked through some drawers and emerged with a bottle of Tylenol. He returned to the living room. He crouched in front of Nicole, and held out the bottle. "I don't want to kill myself," Nicole said. "Not yet." He laughed, and reached out. She stiffened when he grasped her handcuffed wrists, but then allowed him to turn over her right hand. She grimaced at the marks there -- they seeped slowly, but he suspected that they looked worse than they were. He shook two pills into her right palm, and then closed her fingers around them. "Thank-you," Nicole said. Before he could stop the girl, she popped the pills into her mouth, and dry swallowed them. She gagged, but then smiled. "I was going to get you a glass of water," he remarked as he rose. Nicole shrugged. "He never let me take them with anything, if he even allowed me to have them. I think he wanted me to taste the bitterness." She paused for a moment. "I did." He nodded. "I'm not him." "I know that." He sighed and pushed himself up. Without a word, he left the girls, and wandered into the kitchen. In the fridge, he found a case of root beer. He extracted four cans, and returned to them with the root beer cradled in his arms. "What do I have to do to get that?" Andrea breathed, her eyes rooted to the cans of pop. "Well, I was going to pour it on Monique and have you lick it out of her belly button." Andrea held her ground, her eyes never leaving the cans cradled in his hands. "I will. You know that." He nodded. "Perhaps, some day I'll have you do it, too." He held out one of the cans to the blonde girl. Andrea hesitated. "I don't have to do anything?" "Are you thirsty?" The girl nodded. As far as he knew, she hadn't had anything to drink http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (27 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


since he'd taken her. It seemed long ago and far away. "Take it. No strings." She looked confused momentarily, but then extended her small hand and took the can. She opened it deftly and sipped slowly from it. She sighed. He distributed the other two cans to Nicole and Monique. He drained his in one quick swallow. "Do you know how long it's been since I've been allowed anything but tap water?" Nicole breathed. He shook his head. "I don't think he ever let me drink anything but water and milk. And I think the only reason he made me drink milk was to keep my bones strong so he wouldn't break them as easily. I didn't mind, this stuff is hell on the system, but water gets dull." "Enjoy it." He returned to the archway and watched the girls drinking more slowly than he had. They were beautiful arranged around the room. None of them really paid him any attention. "I don't suppose you'd let us free," Monique asked quietly. "I need to have a shower," he said simply. Monique nodded, as if he'd answered her. Perhaps, he had. She sighed, and picked up her book. He watched as her body moved, so exposed, so helpless, so simple. The girl didn't even notice his attention. Instead, she opened the book at the page she had marked, and began to read, her eyes tracking down the paragraphs. As he finally turned towards the staircase, Andrea's voice called to him. "Do you want company?" He was about to refuse, but on impulse, he returned to the room, and released her ankle. The girl raised her eyebrows, but quickly scrambled to her feet. She winked at Monique, as if to say: "I don't understand, but I told you so." Silently, she walked ahead of him, her nudity seemingly not bothering her. She opened the door to the bathroom, and motioned him in. After a second of hesitation, he slipped into the bathroom, and she followed, slowly closing the door. Her fingers deftly unbuttoned the clasps on his shirt as he watched. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (28 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


Gently, Andrea pushed the fabric from his shoulders and it fluttered to the floor. He stopped her as she began to release the button on his jeans. "You don't seem to be worried about not wearing clothing." Andrea looked up, and let go of his pants. "Don't you want me to see you naked?" she asked. "Seems unfair." He ignored her comment. "No. You. You don't seem to care about me taking your clothing away." Andrea smiled, and backed up until she rested against the counter. "Should I be? Am I ugly?" He smiled. "Quite the reverse. But the other girls don't like being naked all the time." Andrea laughed. "I'd prefer to wear clothes, but since you obviously aren't going to let us, I don't worry about it. This is me. We're all naked under the bits of cloth that we drape around us. We're all naked, vulnerable human beings underneath. Even you." "You don't care that I can look at you anytime I want." "I seem to be at your mercy, and there isn't much I can do about it." "You don't have to offer to shower with me." Andrea smiled. "Maybe I want to." He nodded slowly. She waited a moment to see if he would regale her again with more questions, but when none appeared, she moved forward again. He stopped her fingers again as she began to unbutton his jeans. "Don't tell me that you're shy," Andrea murmured. He laughed, though in truth, the girl wasn't far off the mark. "I won't laugh, even if it's small. I suspect it wouldn't be good for my hide." "I don't think you'll laugh." "Do you want me to leave?" Andrea said. Her tone was serious, though there was a sparkle in her eye. "Would you feel better if you bound my hands?" She glanced around as if looking for a pair of handcuffs. He shook his head, and then released her fingers. Andrea nodded, and then pulled at his jeans, pushing them in one motion to his ankles. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (29 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


He kicked off his shoes, and then leaned down to pull off his socks. He stood in his boxers in front of the naked girl. She looked at him questioningly. "You've made all of us strip for you -- it's your turn, now. And it's only me." She cocked her head to the side. "I have to be naked in front of the whole damn world." "Maybe I should just shower alone." She laughed lightly. "I'll leave, but are you serious?" She pointed at herself, her fingers tracing her nipples that were beginning to become more erect as she spoke. "A naked girl is offering to shower with you. It's not like I need one. I just took one, with Monique. Remember? You chained me to her? Made me wash her? If I can wash another woman, I can wash you." He sighed, and making a decision pushed the last remaining clothing to the floor. He stepped out of the boxers. Andrea glanced down once, a small smile gracing her lips. But it wasn't mirth, and it wasn't mocking. She lifted her eyes purposely to his, and held out her hand. The water felt wonderful across his shoulders, and her fingers kneading the soap into his skin felt heavenly. He moaned. He looked down, not surprised at his penis. As the water had run over the two of them, and she'd brushed against him, the desire of the last couple of days had surfaced in a rush of blood below. He throbbed, and knew that it wouldn't take more than a few gentle touches and he would explode. But it wasn't time, and he regretted it. Hormones rushed through him, and he idly wondered if time manipulation caused a physiological release of hormones into the bloodstream. It might account for his increased sexual tension while inhabiting this domain. Idly, he wondered if the girls felt the same thing. He hadn't allowed any of them release since he'd taken them. He'd teased them, forced other girls to tease them, but never quite let them climax. His penis throbbed. "Andrea?" "Yes?" Her fingers worked shampoo into his hair as she stood beneath the waterfall behind him. "Forgive me for asking, but how is your sex drive?" "Are you asking if I'd normally offer to take a shower with the guy who stripped me, held me at gunpoint, and kidnapped me in a different time zone?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (30 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


Slowly, he turned, brushing shampoo from his brow. "I suppose. Are you finding yourself more aroused than normal since I unfroze you?" The girl stepped back. "That's a hard question for a naked girl in a shower with a naked guy. Look, I've been tied up, stripped naked, essentially in public, surrounded by other naked women nearly constantly. I think it's natural. So yes, I've been more -- sexually interested." "Is that why you offered to shower with me?" Andrea slowly shook her head. "No. I offered because I thought that you'd enjoy having some female company in here. Don't you?" Her hair plastered to the top of her head, and beaded over her skin. The effect was tantalising. "Yes," he nodded. "But I'm not expecting anything from you. You realise that, right?" Andrea sighed. "Why don't you rape us? We can't do much to stop you. Hell, you could tie us to beds and rape each of us twice, in turn. But you don't." "No. I don't." "Why?" "I'm not sure I can explain it." Andrea seemed satisfied with that. She stepped forward and seemed to purposely press her bare breasts into his chest. For a moment, he stood there, enjoying the sensations. Her hand dropped to cup his groin, and he moaned, his voice mixing with the shower. He felt her drop, settling to her knees in front of him. He touched the top of her head, and she looked up questioningly. "I don't have to do this." "Do you want to?" "I might," she said evenly. Slowly, he nodded. Her lips slid along the length of him, her tongue a fluttering satin. Her fingers tickled him, in all the right places. But, it was http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (31 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


wrong for him, or she was purposely postponing his release. Honestly, it felt like the latter. He pressed forward into the depths of her mouth. She moaned, and he cried out. He approached the edge of the chasm that was about to claim him. She sighed around him, and bobbed her head one last time. Expertly, she provided just the right amount of suction around him. With a cry, he touched her wet hair, withdrawing. His penis pulsed, and cried out in unfulfilled agony. "You don't need to do this," he whispered. She looked up at him from below, a puzzled expression on her face. "Didn't you like it? I've been told I'm not too bad at this ..." "No, Andrea, you are good." She smiled in some sort of satisfaction. She reached for him again, but he stepped back, and brushed her fingers from him. She glanced up, hurt, but then resignedly pushed herself up to stand under the shower. She made no attempt to keep the water from cascading down her face. "Don't all men want that? A naked woman on her knees?" "Most do." "Don't you? Wasn't I good enough for you?" "Yes, and you were." She paused for a moment, as if considering whether to ask her next question. He waited patiently. At last she spoke, though her voice was uncharacteristically timid. "Are you gay?" He laughed easily, and her face fell into a careful relief. "Would I have this, if I were gay?" He pointed at his erection which still throbbed uncomfortably between his legs. "Why would I choose girls to keep around naked and handcuffed?" She pursed her lips, as if these things hadn't really occurred to her before. But he didn't believe that. Andrea was too -- worldly -to have really believed that he was homosexual. "Then why push me away like that? I'm naked. I'm female. I'm here. And I'm willing." "Are you willing?" She cocked her head to the side and stepped from the spray. He http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (32 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


could see her mind whirling, psycho-analysing him. "You think you're raping me?" "It's not like you're here by choice." "I asked if you wanted company. I offered. I sank to my own damn knees for you. I didn't see you pushing me down. I'm not wearing your handcuffs. It's not like your gun is in here with us." "It's still not right." "What is right here?" she asked quietly. "Is it right to keep women chained up, naked, against their will? Monique doesn't want to be here. Kate and Leigh, I'm not sure about, but I'd be willing to bet that they'd prefer clothing, and perhaps a few less ropes holding them down." "What about you?" "Me?" "Do you want to be here?" "I am." "That's not an answer." Instead of answering, she glanced out beyond the glass enclosure of the shower. "Maybe if I get you to have sex, maybe you'll be easier to get along with. Maybe you won't need to hurt them as much." "I see. I'm not in the mood to hurt anyone tonight. You must know that." "How could I know that? How do I know that you won't change your mind the first time Monique inadvertently forgets her place, and insults you? How do I know that you won't change your mind if Kate steps on your toes? Or Leigh spills a glass of wine on your shirt? Or I say the word 'fuck' when you don't want to hear a girl cursing?" He stood silent. Water splashed through the quiet. "Look," Andrea said as she turned to face him. "I'm here. You obviously want sex. I'm here, and whether you believe it or not, I'm willing -- at least in my own mind. I'm a liberal girl. I've experimented. Do you think that you are the first guy to ask me to wear handcuffs? Or walk around without my clothes? I'm in college for Christ's sake. I experiment. I don't mind having sex with you -I might even enjoy it. Scratch that, you're the only guy on the damn http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (33 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


planet. I'd almost definitely enjoy it. You asked me yourself. I wasn't lying. My hormones are coursing through me. You can tie me down, if that turns your crank. I don't care." She paused for a moment. Slowly, without waiting for an invitation, she lowered herself to her knees again. This time, on her way down, she purposely slipped his hardness between her wet breasts, and pressed them together. He slipped through, gasping. She touched him again with her tongue. "I'll never love you -- I have to be honest -- but that doesn't mean we can't have each other. Satisfy some of those driving urges of yours. We have to keep you happy, and I honestly don't mind. I'll beg, if that's what you want." She slipped her lips over his penis again, and pumped. "Please?" He concentrated on her motion for a moment, the chasm widening, and drawing near in a matter of two downward strokes. She wasn't teasing any longer, her fingers stroking in just the right places. With a cry, he pushed her head again, and stepped back. She lowered herself, under the water. She looked small and almost pathetic. She lowered her face into her hands, and her shoulders shook twice. After a moment, she raised her eyes, and pushed herself to her feet. "Anytime you want to reconsider, I'll be here. Where else will I go?" He nodded, bent and kissed her wet cheek. "I appreciate the gesture. It's just not right. Not now." "Fuck one of them, or more of them," Andrea said quietly. "You'll end up hurting someone if you don't. Monique doesn't want you, but she would fuck you if you asked. Both Kate and Leigh would have sex with you in an instant." He looked at Andrea skeptically. "If you don't want me, please, choose someone. I don't want anyone raped any more than you, but if you ask, and they say yes, it's better than what will happen if you let this," and she reached forward to gently stroke up his penis, "control you." "Kate and Leigh would both consider it rape. They'd have sex, I think, but they'd consider it rape." "At one point they would have, but not now. Especially after seeing Nicole -- seeing real rape up close and personal." Slowly, he shook his head in disbelief. Andrea smiled. "You'll see," she said. She reached forward and touched him one last time. He closed his eyes, and moaned. She withdrew. When he opened his eyes, she spoke again, dropping her voice into a husky timbre. "Having sex with me doesn't mean losing control, you know ..." She reached past him, and turned off the shower. The flow stopped obediently, and was replaced by a fast drip from above his head. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (34 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


Then she turned and pushed open the door, her skin sliding against his. Holding out her hand, she led him from the enclosure, and shivering, dried him before herself. He helped dry Andrea, and she let him. Using the hairbrush, he brushed out her blonde tresses, and instead of pulling it back into a ponytail, and hiding it under her cap, Andrea looked up at him. "You prefer it loose, don't you?" "What makes you say that?" "All the other girls have their hair loose. Monique said that you made her pull out her bun. She was wearing it up when you took her." Andrea lowered the security cap to the counter and shook her head. "I'll go natural for a while, if that's okay with you." Her hair felt light and clean upon her shoulders. He nodded slowly, bending to pick up his clothing. He slipped on the clothes, and then stood before her barefoot, his hair still damp. "Touch me?" she asked. Before he could consider what he was doing, he reached up to cup her left breast. Andrea sighed, but stood still while he gently stroked her clean skin. She gasped as his fingers teased her vaginal lips, and then slipped inside, only once. When he withdrew, she trembled, willing her hands to her sides to prevent them from continuing what he'd started. She sighed. "I'm not allowed to climax either? Will you let me masturbate?" He smiled. "Maybe later." She shrugged, but her body ached. She couldn't admit to him that she actually did want sex -- desperately. Instead, she tried to will the sensations and demands from her body away -- not very successfully. Slowly, she bent and picked up his shoes and socks. Carrying them in one hand, she held out her other. He took it. Fingers entwined, she led him back down to the living room. There, she didn't protest as he returned the steel bracelet to her ankle, and she relaxed back into the pillows of the sofa. She sighed once, her body aching. She watched him, as he ensured that Nicole was http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (35 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


comfortable enough, and Monique didn't need anything. Then he walked from the room, without so much as a backward glance.


The chain rattled between his wrists and the rope leading to the handcuffs looked dangerously thin. Hesitantly, Leigh approached the big man, while Kate remained back rubbing almost absently at her throat. Maurice raised his eyes to Leigh, a fire burning deep below the surface. "Cunt," he nearly spat at her. Her eyes widened, and she nearly backtracked away from him, but in the end, she held her ground and stared into his bloodshot eyes. "Pathetic," she said, nearly in a whisper. "Fuck you, cunt," he said. He pulled again on the rope holding him immobile in front of the girl. "I will get free, and I will kill him. I won't kill you, though. No. But I will break your bones, and grind them in her blood." He glanced at Kate who swallowed and involuntarily stepped back. Leigh continued to stare at him. When the girls didn't respond to him, he laughed. "Fucking girls. Fucking useless." He turned his head away. Leigh sighed, and returned to where Kate was standing. "What do you want to do?" Kate swallowed again, pain dotting her features. She massaged her throat again. "I want to choke him. God, I want to choke him." Leigh sighed, and guided the redhead back to the bed. Together the girls sat down, their weight creaking the mattress. Leigh opened the first two drawers in Nicole's spartan nightstand. The second one contained various sexual implements -- a vibrator, and a small http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (36 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


whip, nipple clamps. Leigh picked up the whip, and stared at it. "I hate him, but I can't hurt him," Kate whispered. She stared at the bound man standing watching them. He winked back at her. "Fucking dykes," he said. Leigh sighed, and hefted the leather in her right hand. She walked carefully back to Maurice. "You're making it easy to do what we have to do." "What's that cunt? You don't have the balls to use that thing." Leigh found a hint of a smile. "You're right. I don't have balls. And neither will you, when we're done with you." Her smile widened for a moment as he paled. "I'm not afraid of you, cunt. I've whipped girls far more impressive than you. Pussy. Not even allowed to wear clothes." He turned away from Leigh again. Leigh flushed, but didn't retreat. "I don't want to hurt you. I hate you, but I don't want to hurt you." He turned to the girl, and smiled. It was an ugly smile, chilling her to her core. "That's the difference between you and I -- besides the balls. I'd hurt you, if I had the chance. Make you scream. Like I do Nicole." The image of Nicole's battered skin rose into Leigh's mind, her reaction to the girl, slapping the Timeman, rising as well. Maurice smiled. "You want me to beat you. Fuck you and beat you. Fucking worthless, cunt," he whispered. The whip tumbled to her feet, where it lay curled up near her bare toes. "Bastard," Leigh whispered. "I am a bastard, and I'll enjoy removing your fingernails, one after the other as you scream." "I wouldn't scream for you," Leigh said quietly. She wanted to swear, wanted to scream at him. But something inside her cried out for her to hold onto herself. Her body throbbed, being in control of this brute, but it was only an illusion. Nevertheless, it was a http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (37 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


convincing one. She was free, even if she was naked, and he was not. She could strip him if she wanted. She didn't, and so he kept his clothing. But it was her choosing. Not his. She cried out as he spit at her. White globules from his lips spattered her left cheek; some landed obscenely on her left breast. In a daze, she wiped the moisture from her skin, and stared at it lying against her pale fingers. She looked up at him, and for the first time, he tried to back up. The ropes held him. "Fucking cunt. Let me go, and maybe I'll go easier on you." She stepped forward, and without thought swung her fist at his stomach. He was taken off guard, and he lost his air with a whoosh. Gasping for air, he managed to straighten and release some of the pressure from his wrists. "Fucking worthless, cowardly, cunt." Leigh stepped back for a moment, and regarded him. "I have a cunt. It's right here." She pointed downwards without looking, though her legs were pressed tightly together. She wasn't about to give this animal a free show without coaxing. "But I am not a cunt. Understand?" He laughed, even while his breath came in slow hitches. "Cunt," he said with a sparkle in his eyes. Leigh sighed, and stepped forward again. She swung again, not knowing where she was punching, only relishing the soft sound of her hands hitting him. Hitting him. Hitting him. A voice, which she barely recognised as her own rose in a cry of pain, and anger. "Bastard. Fucking bastard." "You're going to kill him," a voice whispered in her ear. Leigh's arms felt like lead; she could barely raise her arms anymore. At the light touch of Kate's fingers, Leigh stepped back and away from the man hanging limp by his wrists. Blood, like Nicole's, ran down his arms from the cuffs in rivulets. "Oh, God," Leigh murmured. She slowly sank to the floor, her elbows resting on her crossed knees. "Oh, God." Tears ran down her face, and she shook off Kate's comforting hand from her shoulder. Maurice moaned, and incredibly he began to push himself, trying to get his feet under his weight. Kate rose, and still massaging her neck, approached the man. Leigh watched silently through her blurred eyes. Kate looked back once, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (38 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


and then turned to face the man. "What the fuck are you looking at? Cunt?" "After she pounded you, you still call us names?" "Cunt," he repeated. "I'm going to enjoy fucking you." Kate shivered, and paused. "We're human, you know. Nicole, Leigh, me. We're human beings." "Cunts. That's all you're fucking good for." "You'll be caught some day." He laughed at that, straightening further. He seemed to wince, but then drew back his head. "You can't hurt me. You're only a fucking pussy." Something seemed to snap in the girl, and she stepped forward, much as Leigh had. "I don't want to hit you," Kate said. "He instructed me to, but I don't want to. Hitting you isn't the answer." "Then I guess you'll have to kill me." With that, he spat again. Most of it missed the girl, but some landed on her shoulder. Kate turned to regard the moisture, but didn't wipe it. She looked like she would be ill. She shook her head. "He'll hurt us, if we don't hurt you." "Fuck you, bitch." She looked at him, her eyes blazing. Kate inhaled deeply, held the air in her lungs for a moment. She closed her eyes, as if counting to calm herself. When she opened her eyes, he tried to twist away again. She stepped forward, her hand bent back, her small hand angled, palm up. The edge of her palm struck him at the base of the throat. It might have killed him, there and then, his windpipe collapsed, if he hadn't managed to tense the muscles of his neck at the last second. Her wrist felt as though she'd struck a soft, pliable wall. His eyes bulged in pain and surprise. For a moment, he looked like a fish out of water, unable to draw breath, gasping. He closed his eyes for a moment, his breathing loud and almost restricted by the blow. He swallowed heavily, finally reopening his eyes. For a moment, he actually looked frightened of the naked girl standing in front of him.



When he spoke again, his voice was husky and raspy, as if he'd been screaming at a sporting event for hours. "When it comes time for you to die, I'm going to enjoy choking the life from you," he said slowly. "You fucking, bitch, cunt." Kate closed her eyes for a moment at the tirade, but then reopened them slowly. Without warning, she raised her right leg, unconcerned that he was staring between her legs as she did. This distraction didn't help with the impact. Her foot struck out, in a nice approximation of a roundhouse kick. She cried out as her toes connected with his side, near where Leigh had punched him repeatedly. He lost his breath again, wheezing. Closing her eyes, Kate began to throw kicks at him, unconcerned about where they fell. When her right leg tired, she switched to her left, until she couldn't stand anymore. Her knees collapsed, and she fell to the ground. Leigh began to crawl forward towards Kate. Kate curled up, weeping. Leigh reached her, gathering the girl into her bare arms and rocked her. They remained like that for a while, until they noticed that the invectives had stopped from above. Only quiet moans issued from the tall man bound above them. "My foot hurts," Kate said quietly. Her fingers massaged her right foot slowly around her bare toes. "So do my hands," Leigh said quietly. The man stirred above them, but didn't wake. "I should feel good, but I don't," Kate whispered. "I feel like I'm no better than him." Leigh sat for a moment, considering the man above them. "You're better because you didn't want to do it." Kate nodded, but it wasn't clear if she felt any better. Slowly, Leigh pushed herself to her bare feet. Tides of sexuality flowed through her, but she tried to push them away. It wasn't right. Not here. Not now. Slowly, she lifted Maurice's shirt. His middle was a mass of brownish bruising. "He looks like Nicole," she muttered. Kate nodded, and then rose. Together, the girls lay down on the bed, falling wearily into each other's arms.



"Fucking dykes. If I was free, I'd show you a real man," Maurice muttered. Leigh and Kate looked up sharply. Leigh shook her head. Perhaps, she'd been dreaming? Her body ached, but mostly her hands. She flexed her fingers, her hands refused to clench. It hurt. With a groan, she swung her bare legs from the bed, unentangling herself from Kate. She lifted herself to her feet, and stepped to face him. Kate remained reclining as modestly as she could on the bed. Leigh shook her head slowly. She bent and picked up the small whip that lay near Maurice's shoes. "I'll bet this hurts," Leigh said quietly. "Ask Nicole," Maurice said with a smile. Leigh remained quiet. "Ask Nicole how much she screamed when I used it on her fucking useless tits." "Why don't we find out how much you'll scream, instead." He paled for a moment, but then recovered. "You don't have the balls to use something like that." Leigh sighed, and stepped forward. It was becoming easier, after the initial release of her aggressions. She reached up easily, and slapped him. His head rocked back, and he swore. "Fucked up, cunt!" In response, she hooked her hand, and dragged her nails down his cheek. Thin lines of blood welled up, and despite his initial bravado, he shrieked. "I'm going to rip off your tits for that, you fucking bitch." She stepped back, and slowly swung the whip at him. It struck him in the chest, and he stiffened, but bit his lip to keep the yelp of pain from emerging. Even through clothing, the leather must have raised a welt. Slowly, she cocked her arm back again, and the whip fell, snaking across his chest and striking the cheek that she'd scratched. He screamed again, despite his attempts at control. A thin line appeared on his cheek where the whip had struck him. He hung by his wrists, breathing hard.



"Why don't you go fuck her? Bitch? Did whipping me make you hot?" Leigh sighed and dropped the leather instrument. Instead of dignifying his comment with an answer, she stepped back and cocked her head to the side. Her eyes shone both with unshed tears, and with something else. "You'd like to see that, wouldn't you?" "Fucking dyke." "Maybe we will. Have sex right here on the floor in front of you. Show you what you'll never have." Leigh purposely touched her breast, tracing the nipple. The thoughts of her making love to Kate, even in front of the monster, excited her. Her breathing increased. "Fucking slut," he said. "You really are hot. Come closer, and I'll show you what a real man can do for you." "You sounded like Nicole probably did when you whipped her. Screamed like a little girl. A real man? Whipping a helpless girl? How can you stand yourself?" Instead of taking the bait, he stared at Leigh. "He hasn't fucked you at all, has he? Fucking worthless piece of shit. I'd dick you at least four times a day, if you were like that in front of me all the time. Fucking slut." Leigh stood silently regarding him. "Fucking pansy doesn't know what he's got. I'd have you begging for my prick. Do you in the ass. Do you in every fucking hole you got. Maybe even rip you some new ones." Instead of answering him, she approached him. He watched her warily. "I'll never give in to you, bitch. Or the other one." Leigh sighed, and ran her fingers gently down his chest. "Maybe I do need a 'dicking'. Maybe I do." "Fucking horny bitch. I knew it," Maurice said. He didn't even seem concerned about her sudden change in demeanour. She could feel his body tensing under her soft touch. Kate's voice floated from the bed. "What are you doing, Leigh?" Leigh sensed the other girl rising from the bed. Leigh ignored Kate for a moment, turning her full attention to the man bound in front of her. She whispered to Maurice. "If I let you down, will you whip me? Like I just did you?" "And more, slut. I'll hurt you until you beg for more." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (42 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


Leigh smiled, and her fingers trailed down his trunk, playing just about his groin. Slowly, he pumped his hips. Kate stood to the side, watching, fascinated and silent. "I'd like that. Maybe you could do both of us? Together? Hurt us? Give us what we need? What he won't give us?" "Fucking dykes. Oh yeah. I'll make you both beg." Leigh took a deep breath, and rubbed her breasts against the rougher fabric of his shirt. Slowly, she allowed her hand to work under the waistband of his pants. He pulled in his stomach a little to give her more room. His penis was rock hard under his clothing. She cringed, but let her fingers stroke slowly along his shaft. "Suck it, slut. On your knees, and suck it." Leigh began to fall to her knees, until Kate's voice rang quietly from the side. "Leigh!" "Fucking cunt. Shut up. There's enough for the both of you." Kate stared at him, and Leigh hesitated for a moment. She touched her own breast for a second, teasing the nipple. "Back down, slut. And maybe, when I'm free, I won't hurt you as bad." Leigh smiled. "You want me?" "Cunt." She worked her hand down lower, tickling his balls. "You want me? Or Kate?" "I want. To. Choke. You. Both. Break. Your. Fucking. Fingers." "What are we?" "Cunts." "I don't want you to call any girl a 'cunt' ever again. Understand?" Leigh's voice grew harsher as her fingers continued to play with his groin. "Why not? That's what you fucking are. Cunt."



Leigh sighed, and began to close her fingers around his testicles. He shifted his weight for a moment uncomfortably. "What the fuck are you doing, you bitch?" "Or bitch. Or slut. Or pussy. I'm Leigh, and she's Kate. Understand?" He shook his head. Her hand hurt, her fingers almost didn't listen to the commands of her brain. She squeezed as best she could. Pain flowed across his features. "Fucking cunt." "Leigh." She whispered her name, almost like a mantra. She squeezed harder. He screamed as the pain settled into his being. He fought desperately against the bonds holding him upright. The thin rope miraculously held him. She could feel his penis wilting as the pain reached his core. There was nothing for him but the pain of her fingers. "Cunt. Cunt. Cunt. Cunt. Cunt," he screamed. She squeezed further, crying out as her own fingers protested. She twisted, and he screamed again. "Oh, God," he moaned. "Leigh." "Cunt," he whispered. Crying out again, she tried to squeeze again, realised that she only had one of his testes. She released him, and he sighed in relief, but then she grabbed again, and twisted hard. For a moment, he opened his mouth and no sound emerged. "God. Oh, God. Stop." "Is this how it feels when you whip a girl's breasts?" "I don't know. Fuck. You have to stop." "Leigh." "Fuck. All right, you cunt. Leigh." "Again, without the 'cunt'." He screamed again as her fingers twisted him. Her fingers felt like they would fall off, would cut open the sack of hidden skin and release his balls into her palm, but somehow, she managed to maintain the pressure. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (44 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


"Leigh. Leigh. Is that what you want. Fuck. Fuck." "And Kate. We're human beings. We might be naked, and we might be female. But we're human beings. Not objects. Not cunts." "Yes. Yes. Kate. I'm sorry." Leigh pulled her hand out with a sense of relief. She wiped it on his shirt as he slumped again in his bonds. She thought that he might have passed out again, but after a moment he moaned. Leigh stepped away, staring at the man. Slowly, he raised his head to stare at her. His mouth pulled into a grimace, partially of pain, partially of sadistic pleasure. "Fucking cunt," he spat at her. Tears forming in her eyes, Leigh turned. Kate's foot rose almost without her conscious will. Later, she'd realise that she'd meant to do it, wanted to do it, almost was forced to do it. She wasn't proud of it, and in fact, later, felt ashamed of her action. Her foot would ache afterward, throbbing in pain, and guilt. Nevertheless, her foot rose, and landed squarely where Leigh's hand had rested cruelly twisting the parts of a man that should never be twisted. They shouldn't be kicked either. For a split second, she saw fear in his eyes; the same fear that she'd glimpsed in Nicole's eyes as she scrabbled from in front of the man. For a moment, only a moment, Kate felt blissful satisfaction. He tried to twist, but the ropes wouldn't let him remove himself from her path. She knew what that was like, being restrained, and knowing there was nothing to be done. In the end, he seemed to relax, almost push his groin towards her approaching foot. It felt like her foot was going to explode, from her bare toes, to her calf, and his silent scream filled the room. She screamed in her own pain. When her foot fell back to the floor, she couldn't place her weight on it; it throbbed and ached like a living thing, though she was nearly sure that she hadn't broken it. There had been no sickening crack as her foot has connected with Maurice, only blossoming pain. Tears welled in her eyes, as she watched him collapse, his head lolling forward, his eyes rolling back into his skull



"I'm sorry," she whispered. The two girls, arms around each other, stumbled back to the small single bed and collapsed to the floor to the side of it. Without forethought, they fell into each other's arms, and simply cried on the floor until they could cry no longer. But with the tears came peace. Maurice didn't wake for a long, long time. By then, they were no longer there. Exhausted, the girls fell into a light sleep, their breathing soft and regular. Eerie silence permeated the room.


"You didn't kill him, did you?" Leigh shook her head, disoriented. Soft arms held her, and her legs seemed to be entangled with someone else. Slowly, it came flooding back to her, and tears flooded into her eyes. Kate stirred beside her, and both girls looked up at their captor with bleary eyes. "Who?" Though she knew perfectly well who. "Maurice seems rather -- incommunicative." Leigh sighed, and pushed herself into a sitting position. Kate's arms reluctantly released her. "I don't think we killed him. He was breathing when we collapsed here." She didn't add the remainder. She didn't particularly care if they had killed him. The Timeman wandered over to the bound man, touching his bleeding wrists. "Seems like he got what he deserved," he remarked, wiping the blood onto the man's shirt. Leigh buried her face in her hands. Kate walked around, limping http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (46 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


slightly, to where Leigh sat. "It's all right, Leigh. It's over." The Timeman approached, and touched Kate's shoulder gently. "Kate. Go wait in the kitchen. Okay?" The redhead looked up, and seemed to consider a protest. Instead, she straightened, adjusting her shoulders, unconcerned about the effect it had on her bared breasts. "Will you be all right, Leigh?" The brunette nodded slowly without releasing her face from her hands. Kate sighed, and padded towards the door. At the jamb, she turned back to the Timeman. "Don't hurt her? She's been through a lot." "I know." Kate nodded, and Leigh listened to the girl's footsteps as they descended the stairs and then silence. "You won't do that to us, will you?" "What?" "He tortured her. For fun. Not because she did anything." "I know." "I can understand rules, and punishment. I can even understand the subtlety of control. I don't like it, but my body does. That I can understand, even if it's not what I'm used to. He whipped her because he wanted to. He nearly killed her." "I'll stop him. On the main timeline." "How?" "One phone call to the right people. Easy. Won't save her today, but soon." Leigh nodded slowly. "We're nothing but animals to him. You take away our freedom. You take our clothes, make us wear handcuffs." "Yes." "But you respect us. Somehow, you respect us for what we are." "Not born slaves?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (47 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


"Not born slaves. Female human beings. To him, we're what's between our fucking legs." "I know. There's a lot of men like that." She turned towards him, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. "You won't ever start calling us 'cunts', will you?" He inhaled briefly and the sighed. "I don't even let you swear, if I can help it. I doubt if I'll start calling you derogatory names. Not necessary. Not for control. That crude fantasy is for people like Mister Stephens over there." Leigh glanced over at the man, her face grimacing. She flexed her right hand, wincing at the pain. He seemed to understand, and rubbed at her hand. She didn't pull her hand back. "I made him apologise. He didn't mean it, but I made him say it." "Good girl." Quickly, he climbed to his feet and extended a hand. Leigh pulled herself up and walked with him to the door. The man remained slumped in his bonds, blissfully ignorant of how much he would ache when he woke. Leigh was far too aware of her own discomfort. Her bare feet whispered across the floor. The Timeman held the door open for her, and she stepped out into the hallway. "Why aren't you like him?" Leigh asked as they walked past the empty bathroom. He looked at her for a moment. "Because I don't want to be," he said. He sat in the chair that he'd formerly tied Kate into. The girls, Leigh and Kate, moved around the kitchen, opening cupboards, and locating various implements. "You realise that I'm not much of a cook," Kate said. He shrugged. "I can always punish you both if it turns out badly." Kate paled, but smiled as he laughed gently. He tuned out the clink of cutlery, and the banging of pots and pans. He let his mind wander. He stiffened as he realised that the suite still was unavailable to him. He pushed his senses towards the former base of operations, seeing Mark's slow timeframe, but still http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (48 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


unable to see the newlywed wife. She should be there. He pushed again. A glimmer of life emerged for but a second. He thought it might be two people for a moment, but then the walls closed again, and he reeled back. He was about to extract, and determine if Kate and Leigh needed anything before he set out, when Mark's slow timeframe shimmered and stuttered. Closing his eyes, he concentrated. No doubt about it. The man's time bubble had shifted from his control. He pushed back, struggling with an interfering force. He could overwhelm the force, if he tried hard enough, but it was an effort at this distance. The time bubble slipped in sync for a moment with the secondary timeline. His body felt drained, tired with the effort. "Shit," he muttered. He felt a presence, an overriding influence. With a soft cry, he pushed again. Mark slipped back for a moment, then skipped back into sync. He could feel the other presence weakening, almost crying out in pain and frustration. Mark remained unfrozen for a few seconds, and then, almost without any real effort, the Timeman forced Mark back into the slower time frame. The interference pushed one last time, and then collapsed. Whoever she was, she wasn't as strong as he. With a start, he realised that the interference, the other, had a distinctly feminine sense. He couldn't explain it, but somehow, he knew. It was a girl. The knowledge made him feel a little better. When he opened his eyes, perspiration dotted his brow, the girls stood quietly watching him. "What's wrong?" Kate asked worriedly. "Is it Maurice?" He laughed, though he didn't think it was funny. Not in the slightest. "It wasn't Maurice." Kate nodded, and but didn't turn back to her task. Leigh did. "Sir?" He turned towards her, his voice clipped and tense. "What is it?" "Is everything all right? Are we in any danger?" He shook his head. No danger. None. Of that, he was sure. He didn't understand, and that frightened him, and he had a sense of impending collapse of the timeline, but it was only a dim sense. He shook his head again.



"So we should make dinner. We'll be here that long?" He laughed. "We'll be a long while, yet. Not to worry." Kate looked a little crestfallen, but then she looked up. Her face had regained the beauty of simple freedom of decision. Her red hair framed her features like a halo. "Um," she said, her face screwing up with a little worry. "Can I ask something without you freaking out?" "Freaking out?" "We don't ask for much." "Yes, you do, but what is it?" Kate hesitated for a moment, but then continued. "Aprons." "Aprons?" "Leigh and I are kind of naked here, and if we're going to be cooking, it might be nice not to have hot stuff spatter on us. These are kind of sensitive," Kate said as she pointed unselfconsciously at her rising nipples. He laughed. "All part of being a slave girl." Leigh turned at that, with a worried look on her face. He smiled at her, and she relaxed, turning back to hunting for pasta somewhere. Kate nodded, though she was obviously disappointed. "I guess we'll just be careful." The girls stood quietly in front of him. Kate held a pair of tongs in her right hand, Leigh held a Teflon coated pan. "How long until dinner will be ready?" he asked the girls. "Half an hour?" "I need longer than that." "I'm hungry," Kate said quietly. As if to prove her words, her belly rumbled. Leigh echoed the sentiment. He shook his head, resigning them to wait. "I have to go out for a couple of hours." "Where?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (50 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


"Somewhere with Monique." Kate lifted her eyebrows, but didn't say anything further. "I'm going to leave the two of you relatively free. Make sure that Nicole is all right, and make sure that you get dinner ready in a couple of hours. Understand?" The girls nodded together. He motioned them forward, and each held out her wrists without comment. He slipped the handcuffs on them, but not tightly. Leigh twisted her wrists in the bonds for a moment, then sighed. "Making dinner like this will be a challenge." "You're bright girls. You'll manage." "I suppose we will." He stood in front of Monique, who slowly folded over a page in her book and lowered it beside her. "Can I help you?" she asked quietly. Nicole remained on the floor reading, and Andrea watched from the sofa opposite. The music had changed to some Elton John. Without answering her, he reached down, and grasped her right ankle. She extended her leg, shivering as he released her ankle. He touched her shoulder, and she rose to her bare feet eyeing him suspiciously. "Where are we going?" "Outside." She stepped backward, one step. "Has it finally come to this?" He turned to face her. As he turned, he noticed Andrea watching with some interest. Even Nicole had forgotten about her book. "Come to what?" "You release me, separate me from the rest of them, maybe tie me to a tree. Rape me." She said it calmly, though her body trembled as she stood naked in front of him. He nearly laughed, but Andrea beat him to it. "Don't be silly, Monique. If he wanted to rape you, he'd already have done it." The blonde girl eyed him meaningfully. "Or he'd have let me finish blowing him in the shower." It was as if the college student was prodding him, reminding him that Monique wasn't the girl to be pressing for sex. Andrea had made it clear, earlier, that she http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (51 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


would be willing and able, if it came to that. Of course, he could force any of them, but it wouldn't come to that, would it? Monique's eyes widened a little, but she didn't relent. "Are you going to rape me? I just want to know what to prepare myself for." He did laugh. "Turn around." She looked at him for a minute, then slowly turned her back. At his request, she simply held her wrists for him to cuff behind her back. "I don't want to be raped," she whispered. "He won't rape you," Andrea said quietly. She shut up when he cast her a warning glance. "We're just going for a walk. That's all." Monique eyed him suspiciously, but then began to walk from the room. She looked like a prisoner, approaching the firing squad wall.


The mansions stood silently, like sentinels beneath the sprawling elms to each side. He walked with Monique beside him down the middle of the road, dodging the odd Jaguar and Ferrari. At last, she stopped. After a few steps, he turned to face her. She stood above a service cover, the metal of it gleaming in the noon day sun. It didn't feel like noon, but the sun didn't know that. "Come on," he said. Monique trembled, but didn't move. "It's hard walking like this." "Like what?" "Naked, with my hands behind me. I'm not going to attack you, or anything. Can't we release these damn cuffs?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (52 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


He slowly shook his head. "I like you like that." "Helpless?" He considered that for a moment, then nodded. She sighed, and took a few steps to catch up with him. When she neared him, she halted again. "Can I at least walk on the grass then?" "Grass? Why?" She looked down at her bare feet, and then at his running shoes. "You've got shoes on," she said. "Yes, and you don't." She nodded. "Asphalt isn't the easiest on bare feet. If you won't let me wear shoes, at least let me walk in the grass. Please? I don't mind being barefoot, but ..." He smiled, and nodded. "Thank-you," she said. She turned, and walked to the edge of the pavement. The road didn't have sidewalks, not in this part of town, so one step, and her bare feet settled into the grass. She sighed, and began to walk again. For a moment, he watched as her bare form stepped almost happily through the grass, her face tilted up to catch the rays of the overhead sun. She paused, and turned, catching him watching her. She raised her eyebrows as if to say, "and just what are you staring at." He hurried to catch up with the girl, and settled into an easy pace, matching her through the grass. "We can take any car we want," she said. He nodded, puzzled. "Then why are we here?" He shrugged. "It'll be ten times harder to drive one of these things through this stopped traffic, you know." "I don't think we'll be taking it for a ride," he muttered. She sighed, resigning herself to the darkness of his whims. Monique looked up as he mounted the stairs leading into the frozen bus. She watched a girl, perhaps seventeen, that was about to embark. She was pretty -- brunette and young. Monique hoped that the Timeman hadn't seen her, but knew better. There was little that the Timeman didn't see. Monique shifted her weight from bare foot to bare foot. He appeared near the fare box, motioning Monique inside. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (53 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


"Why?" "It's -- interesting in here." "I don't have fare." He looked surprised for a moment, then laughed. He motioned her forward. Interesting? She didn't like the sound of that. Not one bit, but glancing around, she knew that she really had little choice. Her heart began to beat harder in her chest as her bare feet climbed the two steps, the cleats of the rubber lining the steps pressing painfully into her soft soles. The rubber was far harsher than the grass had been. She stopped at the top, glancing through the bus. He was at the back, glancing at the passengers. The bus driver, a striking middle aged woman, reached out, frozen, about to operate the door with a large looped handle. "Where are we going with this thing?" The bus seemed like a whale, and she Jonah, but it wasn't crowded at the time of day that it had left the timeline. "We're not going anywhere. Have to be home in time for dinner. Or Leigh and Kate will freak out." Monique nodded. Up until now, she hadn't really realised that she was hungry. Her belly shifted, as she pulled at her handcuffs carefully. And since when did he care if the girls under his 'care' freaked out? He approached the naked girl, and gently turned her around. He unclipped her hands, leaving one side of the cuffs dangling from her right wrist. Without a word, he guided her midway to the back of the bus. The rubber non-slip flooring felt strange beneath her feet, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as the stairs. She couldn't recall if she'd ever been on a bus barefoot before. She didn't think so. "Grab the bar." "What?" He pointed. A bar, meant to be held by standing passengers, ran along the length of the bus. She hesitated, anticipating his intent. "You don't have to tie me to the damn thing. I won't interfere with whatever you have planned."



He sighed. "I know. Grab the bar." She still hesitated. "Why?" He didn't answer. "Why do you want to tie me up?" He laughed quietly. "Why do you think?" "I don't know." It was a lie. She knew exactly why he wanted her restrained. It wasn't because she'd interfere otherwise -- she wouldn't and he knew that. Control. He wanted to exert his control over her. That's why he handcuffed her to walk down the street. That's why he'd taken her clothes. That's why he kept her off balance mentally. She hated to admit it, but it was effective. She felt controlled. Slowly, she reached up and clasped the stainless steel bar in both hands. Shivering, she allowed him to place the cuffs about her wrists again, preventing her from moving. The bar was high, and she raised herself automatically on her toes to compensate. He stepped back and admired her. She flushed. "Monique Pelletier, the big lawyer. Some lawyer," she muttered. He laughed, but not unkindly. He sat in an unoccupied seat for a moment near her. "Are you aroused, Monique?" His question seemed strange, and she hesitated before answering him. She glanced down at herself, wondering what had sparked the question. Her nipples had erected, but that was most likely the coolness of the spring day. He wore clothing, of course, so the air probably felt a little cooler to her. She concentrated a little more. Perhaps. Being naked and handcuffed in a public bus was perhaps a little arousing. The tingle between her legs confirmed it, but she willed away the sensations of her body. She debated telling him the truth, but opted for the safer course. Nothing good could come of admitting that she might be enjoying her exposure, at least a little. "Are you crazy?" He smiled. "Perhaps. I'm not trying to justify taking you, or trying to convince myself that it would fine to rape you. I'm trying to figure out if time manipulation causes changes in hormone levels." Her mind whirled for a moment. Then she asked a critical question. "Is it affecting you?" He turned away at that, and lifted himself from the seat. He approached, with a thin smile on his lips. Monique shivered, but didn't try to twist as he reached for her; he traced her skin from http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (55 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


the base of her throat, between her bare breasts, stopping at her belly button. Monique groaned, and he smiled again. "I think I know my answer." Monique shuddered, and flushed, turning her face from his. She heard him turn, and walk towards the front of the bus. "Please, what do you want?" The frightened feminine voice came from outside the bus. Monique opened her eyes, and watched as the young girl from the bus stop stumbled up the stairs, tears falling down her face, her hands grasping at the hand rails to steady her. A moment later, the Timeman appeared, holding a gun aimed at the girl's face. The girl shivered, but didn't fall. "Name?" The girl hesitated, crying harder. He touched her temple with the gun, and she shrank back. "Please don't hurt me. Please. I haven't done anything to you." "What is your name?" The girl remained silent, and scared. Her eyes never left the gun. Monique sighed, and called out. "Tell him your name, and he won't hurt you," she said quietly. Her voice carried well through the tunnel that was the bus. The girl turned. Her pretty face was marred by tears, but she remained attractive nevertheless. Her eyes widened at the sight of Monique naked and handcuffed to the rails, and she cried out a little. She turned back to the Timeman as he touched her shoulder with the gun. "Why are you doing this? Who is she?" "A smart woman. I won't hurt you if you do as you're asked." "Melanie. Melanie Powers. Please. I don't want to die." "Well, Melanie, I think it's time for you to give me your clothes." A pile of Melanie's clothes lay crumpled at her bare feet. Still crying, the girl shook as she dropped the last item of her clothing http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (56 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


into the pile. Her plain cotton bra joined the other fabric, and she slowly sank to her knees. "Gather up your clothing, and come with me." "Outside?" "Outside." "But ... please let me get dressed. Please?" He gave her a look, and the girl's eyes fell to the gun. Slowly, she began to pick up her clothing. "Leave her alone," Monique said quietly. Instead of acknowledging her, the Timeman rose and opened a window, letting a cool breeze flow over Monique. When he turned, his newest captive stood naked, holding her clothing across her heaving chest. "Leave her alone. I'll do whatever it is you want." He shook his head, and approached the girl. Melanie shivered, but walked ahead of him towards the front of the bus. "Please," she begged. But he didn't relent, and Monique watched as he forced the girl to kneel on the sidewalk. She looked up at him, her eyes wet and pleading. "Please don't rape me. Please. Please. I'm only seventeen." He smiled and crouched in front of the girl. His smile almost seemed kind, if it weren't for the gun still aimed at her naked body. Slowly, she dropped her clothing to the sidewalk in front of her. "There are worse things than rape, Melanie." The girl shivered, and hung her head, weeping. He handed her something, and she took it, her eyes questioning. "What do you want me to do with this?" "You have a choice, Melanie. Do what I want, and you'll survive this." "What do you want me to do?" The girl's voice was losing its edge, falling dangerously low into the realms of quiet acceptance. "It's a lighter, Melanie. I want you to burn your clothes." She looked up at him, her eyes pleading. "But, those are designer jeans. They cost ... I saved for a month. Please no." "We could stuff them in the gas tank of the bus, and you can let me http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (57 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


light it." The girl glanced at the bus. Inside, Melanie shivered. She didn't think that the Timeman meant to release her from the cuffs before he created the world's biggest Molotov Cocktail. And though she didn't believe that he'd roast her alive in here, she wouldn't want to test the theory. Melanie knew even less of the man, than Monique did. "The girl ..." Melanie whispered. "Or we could tie you up and see what the lighter does to your breasts." Melanie paled, and swallowed heavily. Tears fell constantly from her eyes. "I'll do what you want. Just don't hurt me. Please." He smiled, and watched as the girl pushed her clothes into a neat pile. With one last pleading look, she spun the flint and stared at the small flame. She leaned down, and surprisingly quickly, the clothing caught, and smouldered. Soon, blue flames spouted, and the girl backed away from the pile, tears flowing as her expensive jeans reduced to black ashes. "Please just let me go?" she whispered. But he grasped her upper arm, and almost yanked her to her feet. Crying, she stumbled back up the stairs. This time, she wasn't able to keep her balance, and she sprawled onto the floor, her breasts and tummy pressing against the rubber. "Please, just let me go?" "You didn't need to do that," Monique whispered. "She would have done what you wanted without making her burn her own clothing." Her mind wandered to her own designer suit, lying somewhere crumpled in Blake's office. She doubted if she'd ever see it again -- at least not until he tired of the girls and returned them to blissful forgetfulness. He shrugged. "Don't you care if you are hurting her? What if she was Nicole?" "She won't ever know it happened to her." "Why are do doing this? For my benefit? I remember, okay? I remember crawling around an office, Johnson following me with his eyes. I remember you punishing me, tying me to a chair. I can't forget. Okay? You don't need to do this. Not for me. You don't need to do http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (58 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


this to control me. I'll do whatever the hell it is you want." He smiled. "I'm not doing this for you." "Then why am I here?" He didn't answer her, but turned towards the girl, reaching down, and almost tenderly helping her to her bare feet. Her hands fought the handcuffs, moaning. Her feet were spread, tied to seats on either side of the aisle of the bus. The naked girl fought to release some of the pressure on her arms, alternately rising up on her toes, and then lowering herself. The other frozen passengers watched the girl struggle in the aisle without seeing. Melanie struggled, her frightened eyes watching Monique. "I'm sorry," Monique said. "If I could have stopped him, I would have." "Are you. Are you with him?" "I'm as much a captive as you. I wouldn't choose to be here, if that's what you mean. Melanie, just do what he says, and he'll let you go home. It might be uncomfortable, but it won't last forever. Try to remember that. I don't have that option, and I still generally try to do what he says. Unless he asks me to hurt another girl." "This hurts," Melanie said. Her tears were beginning to dry. Monique idly wondered where he had gone, but was in no rush for him to return. "I know it does. I know." The girls lapsed into silence. He returned with two bottles of spring water. Melanie refused to drink any, but Monique gratefully swallowed as he tilted the bottle to her lips. "What are you going to do, now?" He smiled, and turned away. Monique watched over her bare shoulder as he walked towards the back of the bus.




The girl was older, perhaps in college, but blonde, like Andrea, and as scared as Melanie. She stripped and burned her clothing faster and more cooperatively than Melanie had. Tears wet her face, as she knelt in front of Melanie and accepted the handcuffs of her captor. "What are you going to do?" "Watch them for a while." "You're a sick fuck," Monique said. He nodded, seemingly unperturbed by her language this time. He settled in a seat beside an old guy that looked like he was about to expire. He closed his eyes for a moment, not even watching the girls he was tormenting. The blonde girl knelt and cried, but didn't speak. Melanie hung from the rails seemingly dazed. "Lick her." "What? No." He grasped the girl's blonde curls and bent her head back. "Leave her alone. If you need to see girls having sex, you have four at the mansion that will perform for you." He turned to Monique and almost snarled at her. "Shut up." Monique didn't, knowing that by speaking further she risked a gag, or a strapping. But she couldn't watch as he tortured the girls with sex. "I'll do it. If you want someone to lick her, let me. Let one of them go." "You want to have sex with Melanie?" "Not particularly. She's attractive, but you know I'm not gay." The blonde girl was gasping on her knees, his fingers relentless in her hair.



He shook his head slowly, and released the blonde girl's hair. He approached Monique. "You don't even know her." "It could have been me, long ago." "You're not lesbian." "She's probably not either." The blonde girl moaned. Melanie shook her head from side to side. Monique pulled half-heartedly at her bound hands. "Let me go, and I'll do whatever it is that you want these girls to do. Are you going to rape them? One after the other?" He shook his head. "I'll let you rape me instead. Whatever way you want." "You were frightened silly of it when we were in the living room." "I still am." "You don't even know these girls." "I do. They could be me." "You'd have sex with me, or one of them, to save one." Monique nodded, but a single tear dripped from her eyes. "Please, don't do this." He pursed his lips, and then nodded slowly. But when he turned around, the blonde girl had her face buried between Melanie's spread thighs, her head bobbing. Melanie moaned quietly, her body rigid and unmoving. After a few minutes, he walked back to the bound girls, and touched the blonde's head. "It's okay. That's enough." The naked girl looked ludicrously thankful, and her breath came in short bursts. Melanie simply closed her eyes, as if only enduring until the experience was over. Before Monique's eyes, the blonde girl shimmered and then disappeared. Never even knew her name, Monique thought. Never even knew her name. The handcuffs that the girl had worn clattered to the rubber. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (61 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


The sound was familiar. Monique had heard it before, skin striking skin. Melanie cried out, but didn't scream. He struck the girl again, her chest. Melanie's left breast danced above her exposed ribs, and the girl moaned again. Even from where she stood tied to the rail, Monique knew that he wasn't really hurting the girl -- he could have, easily, but the sound of his palm striking her was far worse than the reality of the blows. Melanie wasn't screaming, only moaning. "Stop hitting her," Monique said between blows. "Please." He turned. "Would you rather be hit? I won't be as gentle with you." Monique paled, but nodded slowly. "Yes. You can hit me instead. Just leave the girl alone. Please." He turned towards Melanie. The girl's eyes blurred with tears, but she stood up as straight as the ropes would let her. "Please," she murmured. After a moment, he sighed. "All right, but I am going to keep this up, until you climax. If I don't think you're trying, I'll use my belt." He reached towards the naked girl and teased her nipple. Despite her obvious efforts to prevent it, her nipple rose in response to his touch. He smiled, and then stepped away from her. She slumped a little, at least as far as the ropes allowed. "Do you understand?" he asked her. Melanie, even though she obviously didn't understand, nodded wearily. Monique knelt quietly before Melanie. Her body pulsed, and she tried to ignore the sensations. Perhaps the Timeman was right. Maybe it was the situation, maybe it was the bondage, maybe it was the exposure. She didn't know exactly. Maybe it was a flood of hormones, over which she had no control. No matter the reason, she was unable to completely quench the arousal she felt kneeling in front of Melanie, her hands cuffed behind her bare back. "I'm sorry," Monique said upwards. Melanie nodded, closing her eyes. She understood. Despite her thrust into this strange world, she http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (62 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


understood. Her scent and taste were sweet and musky. Monique thought that she could even taste the other girl's, the blonde girl's, saliva. It's only skin, and it wouldn't kill her. Slowly, Monique reached out with her tongue, and lapped at the swollen bundle of nerves that she hoped would make this quick and relatively painless for the girl squirming above. Melanie moaned, and pushed her hips downward. It sounded more like leather striking bare flesh this time. Monique glanced up, her mouth never leaving Melanie's sex. Melanie screamed, her voice high and panicked. Monique exhaled, feeling her breath reflected from the soft skin in front of her face. "Please no," she mumbled into Melanie. The girl above her seemed to come alive after she recovered from the belt across her breasts. She lowered her hips, rocking them, moaning. The girl's spread thighs trembled beside Monique's ears. Monique redoubled her efforts, forcing her rapidly numbing tongue to find Melanie's clitoris, and stroking it at the rhythm that the girl needed. It wasn't a fake. Melanie's muscles contracted rhythmically about Monique's tongue and lips. Melanie screamed, her voice crying out in passion, and perhaps pain. Monique wasn't sure, but she thought she might even have heard the sharp sound of a palm striking a breast. She didn't want to know. She kept her tongue lightly stroking the naked girl until her shudders stopped, and Melanie gasped. "I'm done. Please, God, I'm done." Her breath came in short gasps, as if she'd been the one to be forced into a climax. The blood pounded in her ears, and she pulled weakly against the steel holding her wrists behind her back. Wearily, she looked up at the Timeman who sprawled easily beside the old guy, his legs comfortably reclined into the aisle only a metre http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (63 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


from Melanie's bare feet. He was watching Melanie with a look on his face that reminded Monique of a cat that had caught its prey. Melanie hung almost listlessly, whispering to herself, her chin tucked to her chest, her eyes mostly closed. What she was whispering was either a prayer, or soft muted cursing. Monique couldn't tell which, but either was justified for the frightened girl. "It's enough. Let her go. She doesn't even understand why she's here." He swivelled easily to face Monique. "Not you as well?" "I'm not stupid. You won't let me go. But she's not part of this, is she?" He shook his head slowly. "She's stunning, and she's beautiful, but no, I'm not going to keep her." Monique breathed a sigh of relief. She glanced at Melanie, who seemed to be ignoring the exchange deciding her future on this timeline. "Just let her go. Don't hurt her. Please?" He nodded. Monique shuffled forward on her knees, her bare skin scraping gently across the rubber ribs of the floor. "I'll have sex with you, if you want. I'll do whatever you want. Just don't make her suffer any longer." "Would you let me ...," he thought for a moment, then smiled as if from a former memory. "Tie you to a tree and tape lit cigarettes to your nipples?" Melanie moaned, shaking her head gently from side to side. Monique sighed, and kept her eyes on his. She didn't attempt to rise from her knees. "You'll do that to me anyway, if you want." She paused, a tear forming in her eyes. "If you have to hurt me, then yes. You can burn my breasts if you'll let her go." Her heart jumped as he nodded. She couldn't tell if he'd follow through with the threat, but she was tired. She'd fight him at the time, if he lit a cigarette in front of her. She glanced down at her still heaving unmarked breasts. When she looked back up, he was crouching in front of her. He reached out, nearly gently, and cupped her chin. Monique sighed. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (64 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


"You did well. Do you want to climax?" (No. No. No. No. No.) She hesitated, looked at his hands, one cupping her chin, one resting on his thigh. His fingers, touching her body. "Please," she whispered. She began to shake her head, then with tears in her eyes, she nodded once. He let her chin go, and her head dropped, but not before catching his expression. He nodded thoughtfully, and then glanced towards the naked girl tied to the bus that Monique had licked to orgasm. The girl cried out once, and then shimmered. The ropes that had held her fell quietly to the floor, and she was gone. She twisted futilely at the bonds that joined her wrists behind her back. The sunshine warmed her bare skin, as she nearly stumbled down the steps of the bus. Melanie's scent, and her taste, sat heavily on Monique's tongue, but she couldn't do anything about that, not with her hands bound behind her. She worked her jaw a little, but resigned herself to the heightened state of arousal that the girl's scent washed through her. With a sigh, she stepped to the edge of the road. She would sense him behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, he saw him pause. She followed his gaze, and froze. Melanie stood silently frozen, her right foot forward, her face innocent. Only seventeen, she was ready for the world again in her tight, expensive, designer jeans, and her loose blouse. Monique knew what the girl looked like tied in a public bus, moaning. She knew what she felt like when she climaxed, knew how she cried, knew how she screamed. She knew what the girl looked like naked, and what she tasted like. Dirty and used. In some ways, Monique felt the emotions rushing through her being -- unsure of whether she should have done as she was bid, having sex with the girl, sacrificing her arousal for the unnamed blonde girl. But she had, and that wasn't something that she could reverse. She sighed inwardly. She moved her tongue in her mouth. It was still a little sore from licking the girl, but if she was honest with herself, she didn't mind too much. Nobody had really gotten whipped, or hurt, or raped. In that, there was a blessing. The blonde girl had escaped without really experiencing the land out of time. And Melanie? She'd been an http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (65 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


actress in a warped fantasy. She was safe now, and for that, Monique was perversely glad for her. Monique sighed, and glanced away from the girl. This world took some getting used to. Indeed it did. Melanie stared off with her frozen eyes, blissfully unaware of what she'd done -- what she'd been forced to participate in. Monique wished fervently that she had the same options. Blissful ignorance seemed distant, and far. She twisted her hands in her bonds again until she heard his footsteps approach. At the touch of his fingers on her bare shoulder, Monique stepped forward without looking around. "I miss her already," he said quietly. He seemed sincere, and his voice nearly choked. Monique's bare toes tickled through the grass as she began to walk ahead of him northwards. (I do, too. I do, too. I didn't know her long, but I knew her name, and I knew her intimately. I do, too.) Monique shivered in the noon sunlight that shouldn't be, and carefully walked in the direction she was guided. Yes, this world took some getting used to.


He paused at the plate glass doors, almost as if he were too tired to pull the entrance open. "Too tired," he sighed. But she didn't think that he meant that his arms were too tired to pull open the door. It sounded more general, as if holding the timelines was a mental burden. Monique didn't understand his words, but she didn't venture to ask. He hadn't said a word since they left Melanie, and the bus, and Monique had been satisfied to remain in her own thoughts as she had walked through the grass, and now through the mall parking lot. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (66 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


She glanced up. The entrance was painted blue, with a number designating the entrance for shoppers to remember where they came into the mall. She supposed that the average shopper could lose her car, if she tried hard enough. At last, the seemingly stubborn door swung outward, and Monique sighed. She pulled at the cuffs holding her wrists, but stepped across the threshold and into the coolness of the mall without hesitation. The air raised goosebumps across her belly, the noon sunshine not reaching the interior of the building. Monique shivered, but placed one bare foot in front of the other as he guided her down the mall and around frozen shoppers. She stood in front of a decorative fountain, the water frozen as if an arctic breeze had washed across its surface. Above her, balloons, rising on pillars of heated air and guided by almost invisible wires, floated unmoving and silent. "Why are we here?" she asked quietly, not turning around to face him. "Have to rest for a minute," he said. She turned worriedly. "Is something wrong?" She wasn't as concerned about his well-being as her own. If he passed out, which he looked like he was close to, then what would become of her? Would she be doomed to wander the mall, naked and cuffed until she starved? Slowly, he shook his head. "Just need to sit down for a minute." She watched him skeptically, but didn't ask anything further. He closed his eyes, and swayed on his feet. She had no way of catching the man if he tumbled, but fortunately, she was spared the decision. Her voice cried out, and she jumped as the sounds of splashing water carried forward from behind her. The sounds of balloons rising on their columns of air, filled her ears. She spun, as if a dangerous animal were crouched behind her. "Get in," he said. She turned back towards him. "What?" "Get in."



"Where? The fountain?" He nodded. "What? Why?" He shrugged, producing the key to her cuffs from his pocket. She automatically turned around, and presented her hands to him, sighing as the steel left her wrists. "Go," he said, giving her shoulder a little push. She shook her head, and turned to face him again. He looked pale and exhausted. With her hands free, she considered what it might take to tackle him to the ground. Then she glanced down at her nudity, and sighed. The size difference wouldn't make it much of a fight -- even if he didn't simply freeze her and then whip her for disobeying. "Tell me why. Please?" Instead, he glanced around the fountain. A young mother was walking a carriage, approaching the fountain. A grandfather watched his granddaughter as she knelt in front of the splashing water, face uplifted fascinated by the balloons above. "Monique, I can probably get her," and he pointed to the young mother with the carriage, "to get in the fountain, just to prevent me from picking up her baby." Monique paled. The implied threat, of course, was that she would get to watch it from a ringside seat, perhaps tied to one of the benches. "I'll go," she said quietly. "You don't need to do that. I just want to know why. Please." He sighed. "Sometimes there isn't a reason. You do things because I merely want you to." With another sigh, Monique turned and stepped over the low wall, tiled in ugly brown ceramic. She jumped as her bare toes touched the water. She hissed, "It's cold. Please." But when she turned to face him, his face carried a look that would not be denied. She shrugged, and steeled herself. The water wasn't deep, only up to her calves. Pennies, and nickels, wishes from children and mothers, kissed the bottoms of her feet as she walked carefully through the splashing water to stand near the centre of the fountain. She placed her hands on her hips, and again faced him. A trick of the light made it look like the little girl, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (68 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


perhaps four years old, was looking at her, eyes wide. Monique flushed, and nearly covered herself as best she could with her hands. Instead, she turned her gaze from the child, and watched as the Timeman settled into his dry bench, his eyes on her naked form standing in the middle of the fountain. "Why?" she asked. "You know why," he said easily, crossing his arms across his chest. He looked drawn and almost haggard. He closed his eyes, not even watching her suffering. She supposed that she did, know why. The age old mantra. Control. He had her under his control, and she couldn't do a damn thing about it. She shivered, and wrapped her arms around her chest, carefully keeping them under her breasts. She didn't need him to think she was trying to hide her body from him. She wasn't. She'd have used the same pose even if she'd been in a bikini. The cold permeated her, rising up her legs like the warmer air lifting the balloons rhythmically above her. "It's cold in here," she said. "How long do you expect me to stand here?" He opened his eyes briefly, coughed, and closed his eyes again. "Sit down." "What?" "Sit down. In the water. Now." "But ..." "Monique?" His voice carried conviction. She knew, all at once, without further protest, that one way or the other she would be sitting in the fountain, cold, naked and wet. This way, it would be more her choice, rather than being forced into it by way of the young mother with the carriage. Monique closed her eyes for a moment; the image of the mother tied and naked, begging for mercy as he whipped the girl flooded her mind. The image had come far too easily. With a sigh, and jumping with the discomfort, she settled her bottom into the water. For a moment, she worried about the cleanliness of the water that rushed up between her thighs to caress her more private regions. The fountain should be clean, she told herself, children can touch this water. Irony, she thought, I'm probably the dirtiest thing that has touched this water today.



She reached down and picked up two coins. One was a quarter, the other a penny. Twenty-six cents. She rubbed them together, touched them to her lips, and tossed them easily over her shoulder. She shivered miserably. Wishes rarely come true. She climbed from the water, shivering, and naked, and expecting him to put the cuffs back onto her wrists. He didn't, but she had no way of drying herself, either. She hugged herself, and fervently wished that he would climb into the wishing fountain himself, just to see how uncomfortable cold water in the middle of a mall was. She sighed. That wasn't likely to happen either, was it? At least he hadn't forced her to dunk her head. For some reason, though, her skin tingled, as if she'd just emerged from a bathtub of hot water. The shivering slowly subsided as she fell into an easy stride, her arms free to balance her as she walked. Her feet left small wet patches across the marble tiles of the mall as they moved deeper within. The water from her skin slowly evaporated into the silent air. All the women wore the latest fashions here -- expensive designer clothes, and expensive shoes. The clothing only served to contrast against Monique's nudity, but she tried to keep her discomfort in check, trying to remember that none of the haughty looking women could see the naked girl walking around their frozen forms. Ultimately, they wore the types of clothes that Monique had in her former life -- impressionable clothing, power clothing. Now, she wore nothing -- a naked animal. No more. (No. Much more.) Monique lifted her chin, only a touch so as not to attract his attention. She walked on, her feet dry now, and whispering across the marble. "Here?" Monique asked incredulously. He merely nodded. "Do you know how expensive the clothes here are?" He smiled, waiting for her to realise something. "Oh," she finally said. "What do you care?" "Precisely." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (70 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


She stepped across the threshold. She expected to hear the muted warble of a light beam alarm, announcing the arrival of another customer to the sales staff. The marble changed to simulated hardwood under her bare feet, but she hardly noticed. They were the only patrons of the frozen store. Only one bored looking, well dressed, sales girl stood lounging near the cash register. "Do we need help?" he asked Monique as she wandered through the store. The clothes looked frozen, but each time she touched a gown, or a blouse, or a sweater, the fabric seemed to flow into life and caress her bare skin. "Depends on what you want, I guess." "I want two dresses." Her eyes lit up. "For who?" "For whom." She didn't even bother trying to look like a chastened student. "Whom, then." Instead of answering her, he asked another question. She was growing accustomed to this, and didn't bother repeating her own question. He'd answer it in his own time, if she was to know the answer. "Would you say the girls are the same size?" "What girls?" "You. Andrea? Kate? Leigh?" She thought back. Women noticed these things, and weren't bad, in general, at guessing dress sizes. She, herself, rarely bothered with such things, but being naked, and in the company of naked girls, one couldn't help but notice body types and sizes. Each girl that he'd taken was stunning physically, she knew, and though there were individual differences, breast size, and hair colour, each had the same basic body type and size, including herself. She didn't consider herself stunning -- she didn't know why he'd taken her, but her body size was comparable to Kate, or Leigh. She idly wondered if such things said anything about her captor. "We're all about the same size. Andrea might be a little taller." He glanced meaningfully at the bored sales girl. "Should I get her to strip and help us?" Monique shook her head quickly. "What do you want me to do?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (71 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


She picked up the two long black evening gowns, draped them over her left arm, and turned towards the back of the store. "Where are you going?" he asked, a note of patience in his voice. He sat easily in one of the courtesy chairs that normally husbands, or bored boyfriends, might normally occupy while the girl would try on fancy, overpriced fabrics. "The dressing room?" she said quickly. He laughed and raised his eyebrows. "You want me to change here?" He laughed again. "Change? Monique ..." She felt like slapping her forehead, but she didn't. "I'm not dressed anyway." Slowly, she returned the longer of the two dresses to the rack, draping it to keep the tail of it off the ground. She glanced around, almost as if to ensure that nobody was watching her. Of course, nobody but him was. She pulled the first gown easily over her hips, and sighed as she slipped her arms through the spaghetti straps. It would fit better if she were allowed a push up, but overall it draped about her body like a dream. She sighed again, raised her arms and spun slowly. "It'll do," he said easily. She flushed, and turned back to face him. The simple fabric, even with the lack of underclothing or shoes, felt wonderful against her skin. It had only been a day or so without, but the simple act of covering her nudity felt -liberating. "Next," he said. She swallowed, and blushed, but without hesitation, she slipped the gown back from her body. It felt wrong, stripping in the middle of the store, somehow worse than simply walking in without clothes, but she did it. She draped the gown over another rack, and picked up the next one. She turned to him. "Can you tell me who it's for?" He shook his head. "Why?" (Because I want to know? That's why?) "Um. This one is larger than I am. Up top. If it's for Kate, or someone larger than me, it should fit fine, if it's for me," she said with an edge of hopefulness, "then a smaller busted one might http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (72 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


be better." "Try it on." She shrugged, and repeated her earlier motions, drawing the gown up her bare body until it sat around her breasts. It didn't have straps, and flushing, she realised that it might not stay up. She gathered in the bust line with her fingers, and slowly spun for him. When she stopped turning, he was watching her with some interest. "It would look better if I was, um, bigger, and if I was allowed some shoes." He smiled gently at her. "It looks fine. You can take it off now." She didn't move, her fingers clutching the fabric tighter to her skin. She slowly shook her head. "Please. I know it doesn't even fit me properly, but can't you let me wear it -- just a little longer." He seemed to consider it for a moment, and her heart began to beat faster. The fabric swirled about her legs. "Would you have sex with the sales girl?" She stepped back a pace, her eyes widening. "You're asking me to have sex with her in exchange for wearing this gown?" He nodded, his lips set in a serious smile. "You're giving me a choice? Why?" He shrugged. "You could make me do it anyway." "But I'm not. If you want to wear the dress, for a while, you have to have sex with the sales girl." He leaned back in the chair. "If not, then take off the dress. Simple." "Why? What do you expect me to say?" Her hand trembled above her breasts. Her eyes narrowed. "Are you going to hurt her?" He shrugged easily. "It might be necessary to make her strip so you can play with her." Monique paled, glancing at the sales girl standing blissfully unaware of the conversation transpiring about her. She swallowed, glancing back at the Timeman. She'd done it before, just an hour ago, with Melanie, in fact. It was just skin. (Just skin.) But the girl. The girl. How could she justify it to the girl. Monique clenched the gown tighter around her body for a moment, as if savouring it's touch against her skin. A single tear traced down http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (73 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


her face. "I really have a choice?" He nodded. The others hadn't been by choice. She'd been naked, and tied. There was a reason beyond her own comfort to offer herself for the blonde. He'd forced her with the younger associates way back in an office nearly forgotten. She trembled, but released the gown. It hung on her for a moment, as if it were reluctant to leave her skin. But in the end, gravity won, and it slipped down her body to lie crumpled at the floor. She was naked again. She bent and gathered up the black fabric, and draped it over her arm. She took the other one, too, and wandered over to the cash desk to find something to wrap them in. The sales girl stood silently leaning bored against the counter, as Monique stared at her pretty face. A tear traced down Monique's face. The boxes lay at her right thigh as she knelt in the corridor outside the store. Mostly women shoppers surrounded her; had they been unfrozen, they would have been astounded at the former lawyer naked and weeping and begging amongst them. "Please. Please. Please. I'll take them off before we get back. I swear it." He looked down at her. "I'll do whatever you want. I'll have sex with you. I'll do whatever you want. I'll crawl for you." She didn't know if she would go that far, not willingly, not for mere clothing, but after the gowns had slipped into the boxes, hidden from her view, the memory of the kiss of the fabric against her skin flooded through her like a tidal wave. Perhaps it was hormones, perhaps it was simply tiredness with this game of cat and mouse, where she was doomed to be the naked, caged, mouse, for eternity. "Please let me wear something. Just for a little bit?" "I let you wear something, in the store, Monique." Tears traced down her cheeks. She stopped herself from crawling across the floor to kneel at his feet. But only by a slim margin. "I'll do whatever you want." He looked thoughtful. Then he smiled.



"We've been through this. You could fuck the sales girl, for me." Monique paled. "You could whip Kate when we get back. Have sex with Leigh. Then I'd let you dress -- for five minutes. No more." Monique swallowed, crying harder. She nearly agreed. She had nearly agreed. Instead, she slowly shook her head, and gathered up the boxes, cradling the clothing that she'd never be allowed to wear in her arms. When she looked up, she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "You are a bastard. You know that? I'm human, just like you." He smiled a little, but then turned away from her. She regretted begging already -- so regretted it. But what else did she have? At the moment, not even her self-respect. Still naked, she had to run to catch up to him.


"Going to tease me some more?" Monique asked bitterly. He didn't answer her, but led her into a designer shop catering to teenage girls. Normally loud bass music would be pounding from hidden speakers, enticing the mindless crowds of fashion females to part with Daddy's cash for overly tight jeans, and loose blouses. Her thoughts turned to Melanie for a moment, then retreated as he picked through a rack of Levis. "What size is your waist," he asked. Sullenly, she told him, and he extracted a pair of white jeans from the rack. The jeans tapered -- not a style she would normally pick for herself. He gently took the boxes from her and placed them on a shelf, on top of some purple sweaters. He held out the jeans for her. She reached out and draped them over her arm, like she had the gowns. Silently, he turned from her and wandered towards the back of the store. She waited, not following. It didn't appear that he expected it. She followed him with her eyes, shifting her weight http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (75 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


from bare foot to bare foot. When he returned, he held up a purple silk blouse, that actually would go with the jeans. "Aren't you going to put them on?" he said mildly. He settled into another of the boyfriend courtesy chairs in front of her. She slowly shook her head. "You can make me, I suppose, but I don't want to do it. I can't." "Can't do what?" "Put them on only to have you take them away." "What if I didn't take them away until we left the mall." She swallowed heavily. "Don't tease me. Please. It's not fair. I don't want it badly enough. I won't have sex for the privilege of wearing some cloth on my body. I won't hurt anyone else. Please don't do this." "I can make you put them on." "I know. Please, I don't want to do it." "Monique," he said more gently. "If you don't want to put them on, I won't make you. I appreciate that you helped me with the gowns. I know I could have forced the issue, forced you to be a mannequin. All it would have taken was a pair of handcuffs, and a crop. Call it a gift of appreciation. Until we reach the parking lot." "You're going to let me wear clothes?" A note of incredulity edged into her voice. "Well, jeans and blouse, yes. I'm afraid they don't seem to carry panties, or bras, and I don't want you in socks or shoes." "You're kidding. No strings?" She didn't care about underclothing, or shoes. In fact, going barefoot wasn't all that bad for her, if he didn't force her to walk on asphalt. He nodded carefully. "But you don't have to dress if you don't want." She nearly ran to hug and kiss him, but she refrained, trying to remind herself that he'd stripped her in the first place. Her hands shook as she drew the jeans up her legs. The fabric felt more like satin than denim to her. She sighed as she straightened. She tugged at the waistband of the pants. They were snug but not overly so. Simply more snug than she was used to.



"Take them off," he said. She whirled, her eyes flashing anger. "Please, no. I can't believe I fell for that. Please." "Relax. They aren't tight enough. I'm just going to get you another pair." "Please. They fit." She raised her arms, not caring that she was still topless, and pirouetted for him. "See?" "Take them off, Monique." Tears fell from her eyes, but she willed her fingers to push the denim from her hips and down her legs. She left the jeans crumpled on the floor and waited for him to bring her another pair. When he did, she looked skeptically at the tag. The waist was smaller than the previous pair, might be too tight for her to button. But they were covering, and even if they squeezed her in uncomfortable places, she would try. She tugged them over her hips, and to her surprise, the clasp engaged. She pulled in her tummy, and yanked up the zipper. In her former life, she would never have dared to wear jeans this tight, but she was unreasonably grateful for the covering now. Her thighs felt like they were encased in a second skin, and they touched her intimately in places to make her blush. She didn't care. Somehow, she knew that the second pair of jeans would be satisfactory to him, and she slipped the blouse over her shoulders. "Only two buttons, Monique." She didn't care. The fabric felt like heaven to her bare skin. She buttoned the two buttons between her breasts, the remainder of the blouse fluttering as she moved. The looseness of the blouse contrasted wonderfully with the tightness of the jeans. He stood, and she picked up the boxes with the gowns within. It felt odd walking barefoot through the mall, but so much better than naked. She sighed as he took her hand and guided her back towards the fountain. The sounds of the fountain tumbled through the otherwise silent air. Monique glanced at the sparkling water, and the coins within. She shook her head once, thinking about what she had probably looked like, sitting naked amongst the fountains like a decorative, but alive, statue. She shook her head, as she nearly collided with her captor. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (77 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


"Oof," she breathed, but managed to get her hands in front of her enough so that she didn't knock him over. "What?" she asked quietly. She followed his gaze, and swallowed heavily. "You can't be serious. Haven't you had enough for one day? What do you want with her? Please, can't we just go home?" He laughed, and turned towards Monique. "It's never enough ..." Monique sighed and closed her eyes. "It's never enough until your heart stops beating?" He nodded with a vague smile, seemingly surprised that Monique had recognised the reference. "She's a new mother, even you can see that. Why torture her?" "Who said anything about torture?" "Call it a precedent." "Always a lawyer." Monique flushed; it had been days since she had thought of herself as a successful lawyer. Her struggle to survive, and remain with a shred of her sanity, had pushed her former infatuation with her career onto the back burners of her mind. Understandably, she thought. How we change when we have to. She cleared her throat. "What do you want from her?" He smiled and shrugged. "I want to see her in the fountain." "I've already done that trick for you. Remember. Cold water? Goosebumps?" He smiled again. "I want to see her in there instead." "Why?" "Control." Monique hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "Is this your way of making me offer to take her place? It's not fair. If you want me to wade for you in the middle of this stupid mall, I will. You don't need to play these games." He looked surprised, as if he didn't realise that he was being http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (78 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


transparent. Or perhaps, he hadn't considered that Monique would offer herself in place of the young mother. "You'd change places with her?" "You know that I would. Stop it." She reached from the buttons on the blouse, the first one coming free before he stopped her. "No, Monique. With your clothes." She sighed, but quickly rebuttoned the blouse between her breasts. She stepped over towards the fountain. She shivered, thinking about the coldness of that water, and the clammy feeling that the tight jeans would have on her. She turned towards him, her eyes pleading with him. His visage fell impassive upon her. She searched for some hint of sympathy, or relent, but there was none. She sighed again, and turned. She reached over tentatively, touching her still bare toes to the water. She recoiled, her foot screaming to avoid this. Her mind pushed her forward again. "Monique?" The girl stopped, her toes only millimetres from the water. "Those clothes are going to be a bitch to get you out of if you get them wet." Confused, Monique shrugged. "So, now you want me in there naked, again?" Her fingers rose to the blouse again, toying with the upper button. He motioned her back. Puzzled, but thankful for the reprieve, she retracted her leg, and then walked quickly back to him. "What now?" she asked wearily. "Silly girl. I just wanted to talk to the mother -- not hurt her -not turn her into a sex slave." "Then why do that to me?" Anger flashed for a moment in her eyes, but she quelled it. Anger here would get her into the fountain faster than any other approach. Despite her feelings of limited freedom, and his apparent kindness in the last half hour, she didn't want to push things. "Because you offered, and I did want you in the fountain. You looked -- nice in there."



Monique sighed. A naked, controlled lawyer. "What are you going to do?" "Exactly what I was going to do before you interrupted me." He motioned her back a little. "Stand there." Monique obeyed, stepping back and away from him and then settling into an awkward standing pose. He turned towards the young mother. She awakened, glancing around the strangely quiet mall. A baby's cry emerged from the carriage, taking her attention. "Hello," he said pleasantly. Monique watched him carefully. She could see the butt of the handgun tucked into his waistband, but he hadn't had to use it since the bus. He made no move towards it now. The woman looked up, her eyes narrowing slightly. She glanced at Monique, and then her eyes lingered on Monique's bare feet and overly tight jeans with an mild expression of distaste. The girl was dressed as Monique used to -- expensive dress, and heels. Monique flushed, but held her tongue. The woman was probably disoriented, and certainly didn't know that she'd been forced to dress this way, which was far better than the alternative. Monique shifted her weight from foot to foot nervously. "Can I help you?" the woman asked. Her hands disappeared into the carriage, lifting out a newborn. Monique saw his eyes shift to the little one. "No," Monique whispered. The woman turned towards Monique, mystified by the odd pair. The Timeman cast Monique a glance, having obviously understood Monique's comment. "Is it a little boy or a girl?" Monique asked. She stepped in front of the Timeman. The woman glanced at her, dropping her eyes to Monique's bare feet for a moment, sizing her up, trying to determine if she was dangerous or not. Monique fervently wished for her dress shoes, or even a pair of sneakers. But that wasn't about to happen was it, and it was ironic that Monique was the one the girl was worried about. "A girl," the woman said. "Two weeks old." "Only two weeks?" The woman nodded, grasping the baby protectively to her chest. She glanced nervously at the Timeman, as if some maternal sense had triggered alarm. She looked like she was ready to flee. "She'd look nice, naked in the fountain," the Timeman murmured. Monique doubted if the girl had heard the comment, but she whirled anyway. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (80 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


"I would have stayed all night in there if you'd told me. She's only been a mother for two damn weeks. You're a sick fuck. You know that?" He stood laughing. "And she'd do anything for the baby. Probably even have sex with you." Monique paled. "Please," she begged. "Do you want me to crawl for you? Give you a blow job? Let you tie me up for hours? Let you whip me?" She paused, catching her breath. "I don't want any of that, but I'll do it. You know that. Leave her alone. Please." When Monique glanced over her shoulder, the young mother was watching, her eyes wide and nearly panicked. Her arms held the baby, who now was crying. "Please," she whispered. "Not my baby." Monique swallowed and moved closer to the Timeman, her breathing quickened. "Even you can't be that sick. Please take me, do whatever your sick mind comes up with. I'll do it for you. Just leave her alone." He nodded slowly, and turned towards the new mother, and the baby. "What's her name?" "Morgan," the mother said, her voice wavering. "Please don't hurt my baby. She's Morgan." "I won't let you hurt her," Monique said firmly. "You had better kill me, if you lay a hand on that baby." He laughed, and then, ignoring Monique, turned back towards the mother. "I wouldn't dream of it. Tell Morgan to have a wonderful life." The mother was crying now, her mewls mixing with Morgan's tearless wails. She nodded, her feet beginning to back away from the Timeman, and Monique. "Let her go," Monique whispered. "Please. She's scared." The girl cried out for a moment, and a last cry from Morgan filled the air. Then only the sounds of the fountain splashing vibrated the air. The woman again stood blissfully unaware of her ordeal, her hand upon the handle of the carriage. "Thank-you," Monique said quietly. "Do you want me to go swimming now? Or not?" She took a deep breath and held it. He slowly shook his head with a smile that reminded her of the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-101-110.html (81 of 82)8/14/2005 11:43:38 PM


smiles of triumph that appeared in old gladiator movies. She didn't know quite what had transpired here, or what she'd given up, but the mother was free of time, and the baby slept on in her carriage, unaware of the universe of time manipulation, and sexual slavery. Monique shivered as she let the breath out of her lungs. She began to walk again, her mind awhirl, towards the entrance where they'd arrived seemingly an eternity ago. She had a feeling that they'd be late for dinner.



You are vistor #


since August 2000.




Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 111

·

Chapter 112

·

Chapter 113

·

Chapter 114

·

Chapter 115

Chapter 116

·

Chapter 117

·

Chapter 118

·

Chapter 119

·

Chapter 120


Monique stopped on the warm sidewalk, the sun caressing the skin of her cheeks. The exit door swung closed quietly behind her. "What?" she asked innocently, as he drew up beside her. "Was that long enough?" he asked pleasantly. She regarded him, confused. "Was what long enough?" He stood watching her, not answering, waiting for her to figure it out. She tilted her head slowly to first one side, then the other, her brow furrowed. Then it dawned on her. "Please, no. Not yet," she whispered. He wore a curious mix of regret and anticipation upon his face. She shook her head slowly, the tears already beginning to trace down her cheeks. Her feet backed away from him slowly, her eyes wide. "Not yet. Just a block or two."



"We had an agreement, Monique." "I know. I know. But, please. Just a little while longer. It's not fair." He reached out, and took her right wrist. She didn't resist as he coaxed her arm behind her back, then joined it with the other one. As the handcuffs closed about her wrists again, she began to cry harder. "No. No. No," she felt her voice rising. She didn't want to do this, she'd agreed to his conditions, and here she was standing outside the mall entrance, trembling and fighting like a child. "No," she said more quietly. His eyes flashed in a strange mixture of desire, and disappointment. She lowered her eyes, feeling the disappointment more than the desire. When she looked up, he stood in front of her. He held up the hunting knife, its metal gleaming in the noonday sun. "Please, no," she begged. "I'll do what you want." "You won't, and that's fine," he said easily, his voice neutral and almost emotionless. She shivered. "This will be easier than if I made you take them off yourself." "Please, no." He touched the dull side of the blade to Monique's throat. She swallowed carefully, and shivered. "Please, don't hurt me. Please." "I'm not going to hurt you, but if I were you, I'd stand still." Monique inhaled, and held it, holding her body as rigid as she could. Still she trembled, but he seemed capable with the weapon. That frightened her even more. She felt, rather than saw, the buttons pop from between her breasts, and then the fabric parted from her neck to her bound wrists. The blouse fluttered from her body like a butterfly on the wind. It flapped for a moment near her bare feet, and then danced in the wind towards the sparsely parked cars of the parking lot. The denim about her legs rended as easily as if the knife had been slicing through warm butter. She shivered, but tried to remain still as the cold steel of the blade kissed her thighs, then her shins, and exited near her ankle. She closed her eyes as he tugged the white jeans from between her legs. As if of their own mind, her legs http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (2 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


parted a little to allow the fabric to come free of her body. When she looked up, he was smiling and tucking the sheathed knife into his waistband beside the gun. Tears fell unheeded and like a river down her face. "You fucking bastard," she choked out. Instead of chastising her for swearing, and for insulting him, he merely turned from her, picked up the backpack, and began to walk towards the parking lot. The white, tight, denim fluttered against her right ankle. The cool spring air kissed her bare skin once again, as the tears fell in hot rivulets down her cheeks. The anger and sense of the unjust left her as quickly as it had arrived. Her feet whispered through the grass beside the road, while he walked near her but on the asphalt in his shoes. At least he'd allowed her the freedom to walk in the grass again, despite her outburst as her clothes had been forcibly removed. Now, it felt as if the emotions had flown from her, like a dove fluttering from a cage. She stopped, and he did so as well, slowly facing her. "Going to insult me again? Someone in your position might want to reconsider." His voice was light, not angered as she'd expected. It frightened her in an inexplicable manner. She sighed, and willed back the tears that were about to fall from her eyes again. Slowly, and awkwardly, she lowered herself to her knees, the grass tickling her bare skin. She rocked back on her heels, wishing that her hands weren't pinned behind her. "I'm sorry," she said, her face upturned to watch him. He cocked his head to the side, a hint of a smile flitting to his lips. "We made an agreement, and I should have stuck to it. Instead ..." she let her voice trail off. He nodded, seemingly accepting her apology. He reached forward towards her, but she rocked back and away from his fingers. "It's not fair. I'm a human being, you know." "I know that." Ignoring him, she continued. "But I'm sorry. Punish me if you like, but please leave the others out of this." "I'm not going to punish you. And I wouldn't take it out on Kate, or http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (3 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


Leigh, either." "You've done it before. To prove a point, that hurting others is somehow worse. It is. I understand. But I'm the one that refused you, that balked. Okay? I should take whatever punishment you have in mind." He crouched, his fingers urging her chin up to look him in the eyes. "Monique, I'm not going to punish anyone. I'm frankly surprised that you didn't try to run." "I still might." "And that's why I'm watching you. I should never have allowed you to taste clothing again, if I'm intending to keep you without. It's too ... tempting." Monique nodded. "I enjoyed it, while it lasted." "A little too much." Monique flushed, pushing away the anger. Anger wouldn't help her -not here, not anywhere. She was naked. She was controlled. And she was here. Nothing she could do to change that. Survive, and survive. She nodded slowly. "I'll stay nude as long as you want," she whispered. He nodded, then lightly grasped her elbow. With his help, she climbed wearily to her bare feet. The grass tickled the bottoms of her feet as she began to walk again. She inhaled the cool air, smelling fresh grass, and some perfume that she couldn't identify. She sighed, somehow glad that he'd accepted her apology, and it appeared that this would be the end of it. They moved down the road again, backtracking towards the house, and the other girls. The bench was shaded, and Monique thankfully sat down near one corner. The wood of the back of the bench pressed comfortingly into her bound arms, and the slats under her bare bottom were smooth with use. She sighed, and pulled up her legs, unconcerned now about her nudity -- the jeans, and the loose blouse only a pleasant memory. She missed the clothing, of course, but not as much as she thought when it was being cut from her body. Her feet ached, even though he'd let her walk the entire way in the grass, and she nearly wished for the cold, harsh water of the fountain to cool her heels. Her feet felt dusty and tired.



The vibration of his body lowering into the opposite side of the bench brought her head up from inspecting her bare thighs. She was silent, watching him. His eyes didn't fall against her nudity, which surprised her, but rather sought out the girl standing clothed, silent and frozen, about to board a city bus. The distinctive red stripes and ever present advertising graced the side of the vehicle. With a flush, Monique realised that she'd been tied in that bus, had sex in that bus, with the girl. Melanie didn't even twitch, but his eyes didn't leave the frozen girl. "You could be charged with sexual assault, you know?" Slowly, the Timeman turned toward Monique, a smile gracing his lips. "Sexual assault? I didn't rape her." Monique cleared her throat. "But you made me have sex with her -- that's sexual assault." He laughed. "You offered. I only allowed you to take blondie's place in the matter. That's hardly 'forcing' you to have sex with the girl. But it was an interesting show, nevertheless." Monique blushed, but tried to ignore her embarrassment. She'd had sex with the girl, even brought her to climax. Something inside of her was actually proud of that. It wasn't a fake, and she wasn't a homosexual. No. She'd done it to avoid pain. Nevertheless, she'd done it, and done it well. Apparently. "I'd call you a bastard, but that might earn me another sex session with Melanie." He nodded, but then shook his head and said, "I am a bastard." Monique nodded. "Sexual assault. I've dealt with enough to know." Her smiled again. "Who's going to catch me?" "It's not illegal unless you're caught?" He sighed, and nodded slowly. "Something like that." "You really believe that? That you can justify doing this to us? Me? Her? The rest of them? Because you can't get caught?" He leaned back into the corner of the bench and extended his legs towards Melanie. "You know how you got here, right?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (5 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


Monique nodded. "You chose me, for some reason, out of a few hundred million viable women on this planet, as your plaything. And so I sit here, naked and bound, because you want me this way. And there's nobody to help me. It doesn't make it right." "Time manipulation, Monique. Time." "So what? We're as human here as we were out there," she said, nodding towards Melanie. "The Universe is a strange place, Monique. Things have dimensions." "Height, width, length. Yes, I know." "And time," he added patiently. "Without any of these, the Universe cannot support it. If an object has no time, then it does not exist. Cause and effect." Monique didn't quite understand, but she nodded slowly. "And we have time here. I exist. Here and now. What's the point?" He gathered his thoughts for a moment. "For you, as long as I don't share what I've seen, when I return you, you'll be as oblivious as Melanie. What happens here, never happened for you. Period. You never sat naked in that corner of a bus shelter bench, handcuffed, in front of me, talking about philosophical issues." Monique shrugged. The handcuffs jingled quietly behind her back. "But I am here. And I feel. And I hurt. And I shame. The same as I would outside of this -- timeline. What you're doing is wrong. Can't you see that? Wrong to hurt girls, wrong to force them into sexual acts for your own twisted gratification. Yes, you haven't raped us -- not directly -- not yet -- but you've subjugated us, made us into less than we are." He smiled. "Are you less than you were?" Monique thought about that for a moment. Did sitting here naked and handcuffed, forced to have sex with women make her less than she was? She slowly shook her head. If anything, she was stronger than she was before. She didn't need power suits to be what she was. Not underneath. But she didn't express that. It was an important question -- one to which she suddenly was unsure of the answer. "It's still wrong," she insisted. Her voice seemed small in this silent world. "We didn't do anything to deserve this. Being female isn't a crime, in case you hadn't noticed." "No. Being female is a wonderful thing."



"It's wrong. We deserve more." "You think I don't respect you?" Monique turned away, trying to conjure the image of him cutting her clothes from her, forcing her head between Melanie's soft thighs. But try as she might, it didn't fit. In a strange, and ironic way, he did respect them. She didn't answer his question. "It's still wrong," she said quietly. "What's wrong?" She cast him a glance of incredulity. "What's wrong?!?!?! You can look at me sitting here naked and helpless, and still ask that?" "Not that. Who determines right and wrong?" "I don't know. The law?" "Laws are different, country to country. In some strange countries, as a woman, even exposing your face would get you beaten. And the law supports it. Happily." She thought for a moment. "I don't know. God?" He laughed then. "Are we going to fall into a discussion of absolute right and absolute wrong? The word of God seems to change depending on who you are, and what you believe. The word of God gets women beaten for exposing their ankles. Same country. Which word of God is right?" Monique shifted her weight, extending her legs and crossing her ankles. The pavement where her heels touched was pleasantly warm below. She swallowed. "I don't want to get into a religious discussion. It's just wrong. Can't you see that?" "Are you a religious person?" Monique faced him again, and slowly shook her head. He nodded as if he understood somehow. She thought, maybe, that he did. "I was raised Catholic, but I'm not sure what I believe any more." "Let me ask you something else. If I think about raping Melanie, there, but don't free her and don't throw her to the ground screaming, and don't stick my penis deep into her. If I only think about it, is that wrong?" Monique stared up at the sky. The blue looked like a dome, the shining disk of the motionless sun breaking the monotony, not a http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (7 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


cloud in the sky. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes," he repeated. "Have you ever heard of anyone successfully prosecuting anyone for thinking about rape? Haven't you ever dreamed about being raped?" Monique closed her eyes, knowing the answers, and not liking either one. She shook her head slowly. "But," she said slowly, "the difference between second and first degree murder is intent. That's not something tangible. Every first year law student knows that." "But an act has been committed -- murder -- it's crossed from thinking to action, right? At that point, it becomes more than just thought. More than just fantasy." Monique sighed, knowing where this conversation was going. "And if these things never happened to me? I never sat here having this conversation with you, then the crime never occurred, and you can justify it? Your guilt assuaged?" "No crime has been committed, Monique." "And I'm sitting here without my clothes only because you're the only law here." He nodded slowly. "When you return, it would never have happened. Not for you. No victim. No crime." "But it did happen. Is happening. I feel. I hurt. I exist, both here and at home, wherever that is." She jingled the handcuffs purposely behind her back. He looked at her. "At least I won't remember all this," she added quietly. "You may find that you want to, by the end. But even I can't change that." Monique shook her head firmly. "I won't. And it's not right. If you're honest with yourself, no matter what philosophy of life you believe, whoever your God might be, it isn't right." He sighed, and returned his gaze back to Melanie. "I wasn't going to make you have sex with her again. I just like looking at her." Monique closed her eyes again and regarded the sky. "It's wrong," she whispered, "here and now, for you and me, it's wrong."



"Somewhere, in my heart, I think you might be right." Monique sighed, and pushed herself back to her feet. She smiled a little. Somehow, his words made her feel lighter, and more alive -somehow easier to accept her captivity. He didn't rise with her, but remained watching Melanie. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" he murmured. Having experienced the girl intimately, Monique could only nod her head. "Yes, she's beautiful." For some reason, the words didn't make her feel homosexual -- it was merely an admission of the beauty of the girl standing motionless in front of them. As he pushed himself from the bench, he turned to face Monique. "Why did you take me?" she asked quietly. "You're all beautiful," he said with a smile. He touched her bare shoulder and Monique didn't resist. Her feet fell with a soft patter as she began to walk again. Without asking, she moved back to the grass bordering the roadway. The chain jingled quietly behind her back. Melanie's form receded as they moved up the street, two specks moving in a sea of motionlessness. Monique turned once to regard the girl, standing alone, and frozen almost out of sight. The Timeman turned, too, but with a sigh began to walk again. After only a moment, Monique turned as well, and caught up. She approached him without making physical contact, walking through the grass quietly, together. Neither of them spoke, each lost in their own thoughts. At the sound of the front door, Kate poked her head from the kitchen. She looked worriedly at Monique, but not seeing any physical damage, the redhead lifted her eyes to the Timeman standing easily behind Monique. "You're late," she admonished. He shrugged. "Captor's perogative." Monique looked at him over her bare shoulder and shrugged. A look, almost of grudging respect, passed over her features before it flashed away. Kate looked at them, puzzled. "Dinner will be served at seven. Whatever the heck that means. About fifteen minutes." Her head http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (9 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


disappeared back into the kitchen, and quiet voices emerged from within. The door swung shut with a creak. He nodded and guided Monique towards the living room. Andrea and Nicole looked up from what they were doing. Nicole winced, her hand moving to her damaged ribs. Andrea slipped the headphones back over her ears, closing her eyes after ensuring that Monique didn't seem hurt. He guided Monique to the sofa where he released her hands and then cuffed her ankle back to the sofa leg with the handcuffs. Monique didn't protest. She merely pulled weakly at her restraint, and then tried to ignore it. "At least you aren't Maurice," she said. Nicole looked up sharply at that, but then returned her attention to Shakespeare. He nodded, apparently understanding. "Thanks for the walk," he said. Monique picked up her book from the coffee table, and opened it to the folded down page. The pages rifled under her thumb. "You're welcome," she said quietly, then turned her attention to Peter Straub and Mr. King. "Anytime."


"What's for dinner," he asked as he strode into the kitchen. The girls turned, surprised at his entrance. Kate stepped forward, her voice small. "It's a surprise. Please don't look." He smelled garlic and yeast. He shrugged, and backed away from the stove, where a large pot bubbled. Leigh interjected her bare body between him and the pot. She smiled and lifted her bound hands. "It's damn difficult cooking with these." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (10 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


He settled into a kitchen chair and set the two dark coloured boxes on the table in front of them. Kate's eyes flit to the boxes, but then returned to his face. He motioned the girl forward. She stepped towards him, a look of pleased surprise crossing her face as he released her wrists from the chains. Leigh bent and brushed his cheek as he released hers. The pot hissed, and Leigh scampered back to the stove, lifting the lid and stirring the contents. She glanced over her shoulder. "Thank you for releasing our hands. It'll help a lot. But if that's all ..." She apparently didn't want to outright ask him to leave, but rather supplied a strong hint. "In a minute, Leigh," he said quietly. "Can you come here for a few minutes?" Leigh sighed, and reached towards the stove, jumping as a jet of stream kissed her bare arm. She turned down the front burners, and then turned to join Kate beside the Timeman. "Dinner is going to be even later?" "Cranky?" he asked her. Kate gave a small laugh. "She used icing sugar instead of flour. The first batch was sweeeeeet." He grinned as Leigh scowled at Kate. After a moment, Leigh's frown broke and she smiled as well. She turned back towards the Timeman. "What do you want, anyway? Everyone, that is all the girls, are hungry. Aren't you?" He nodded, patting his stomach lightly. "What if I don't like the food? Are you sure you want to keep it a surprise?" Leigh licked her lips, then answered. "If you don't like it, I'm sure you'll eat some ice cream, and then punish us all by making us eat it, or go without. Whatever strikes your fancy at the time." He nodded, and tried to hide a grin. She knew exactly what he would do. But she seemed willing to take the chance. He reached for the boxes, peeked inside, then handed one box to Kate, and the other to Leigh. The girls took the boxes from him without comment, or opening them. "What is this?" "A present. I want you to wear it tonight." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (11 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


Kate looked at him skeptically. "What are they? Lingerie? Leather and cuffs?" He laughed and leaned back in the chair. "Just open them." Leigh gasped first, then extracted the gown from the box. "You've got to be kidding." Kate echoed the sentiment as she held hers up to her bare skin. Her pale skin shimmered beside the black fabric. "You're going to let us dress?" Leigh looked back at him with suspicion. "In these?" "I insist on it," he said quietly. "Why? I didn't think you'd ever let us have clothes back." He shrugged. "It's just for dinner." "Do you have any idea how expensive these are? Where did you get them?" "Monique picked them, and expense isn't exactly an issue." Leigh eyed him again. "The others?" "What others?" "Monique, and Andrea, and Nicole?" "They'll remain as they are. The gowns are for you and Kate." "No." Even Kate turned to regard Leigh. "No?" he said, an edge rising into his voice. Leigh paled a little, but held the gown away from her bare skin, offering it back to the Timeman. "I can't," Leigh said quietly. "If you aren't going to let the rest of them dress, I'd feel ... odd wearing it." Kate turned and did the same, holding her dress out to him. He laughed and reached out, pressing the gowns back towards them. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (12 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


"You misunderstand, girls, this isn't an option. I want you to wear them as much as I enforce nudity the rest of the time. You'll wear them because I told you to, not because you want, or don't want to." Leigh swallowed, and then nodded her head. Kate continued to hold the dress out. When he didn't take it, she dropped it in a crumpled heap on the floor. He rose, without looking at the clothing. He flashed them a quick smile. "I'll bring the other girls into the dining room in fifteen minutes. Seriously, the others won't mind, dress, and enjoy it." At the last moment, he spun and regarded Leigh. The girl held his gaze for a moment, then lowered her eyes. He approached her again, taking her right hand. She looked up as he pressed a bottle into her fingers and wrapped them around it. Her eyes widened. "Where? I'd nearly forgotten about that." "Wear it if you want." The purple bottle from a locker that she'd nearly forgotten shimmered in her palm. Poison. The soft fumes tickled her nose, even though the bottle remained capped. This bottle, that she'd scrimped and saved for. It wasn't exactly as she'd supposed it would be used, but she nodded slowly, neither promising to wear the perfume, or denying it. He turned and pushed through the door. It swung back with a creak, and Kate and Leigh turned to look at each other with puzzled expressions. The fabric kissed her skin like a prince, the gown falling modestly to her bare ankles. She was sure that it would look odd without shoes, but even barefoot, she felt more human with the cloth draping her body. She adjusted the straps, and then turned. Kate stood blushing, the strapless gown fitting her body perfectly. Kate didn't need a bra, and gravity refused to tug the black fabric from her body. It swirled around her when she walked. Leigh's heart hammered for a moment, and Kate returned her smile like the school girl that she was. "I don't think I've worn anything but jeans in years." "You look like you're ready for the prom." Kate laughed easily. Her red hair danced around her shoulders http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (13 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


contrasting with the gown. She smiled and twirled. Without thinking, Leigh stepped forward, and stopped Kate as she launched into her second spin, her hands light upon Kate's shoulders. Kate looked up, her eyes suddenly moist with happiness at being dressed, and flushed from her exertions. Without a word, Leigh kissed her, her lips falling easily onto Kate's. After a moment's stunned hesitation, Kate kissed back, her tongue tickling Leigh's lips. With a gasp, Kate broke the kiss and quickly turned away. "I haven't either," Leigh said quietly. "Worn anything but jeans." Kate turned back, her face flushed. She laughed easily, not concerned about the intimate gesture of a moment before. "I'm not wearing any panties, Leigh," she said with a smirk. "Neither am I. Neither am I." With that, Leigh turned with a quick sigh towards the stove and turned back up the burners. The pot was boiling again in a few minutes, and she almost forgot about the kiss. Almost. The Timeman sat at the head of the table. The chairs to either side of him were vacant. Nicole sat alone on the left side of the table, her hands clasped easily upon the white linen tablecloth. Monique and Andrea sat quietly beside one another down the right side of the table. Expensive looking china sat in front of all places, though only his place was graced with knife and fork. Andrea sighed, but other than that sound, the room was silent. He looked up as Kate swept through the doorway holding a large bowl, her fingers protected by a dishcloth. Andrea's eyes widened as she noticed the evening gown, but Monique only smiled a little. Kate set the steaming bowl in front of him, and picked up the serving spoons buried under the pasta. Efficiently, she heaped pasta onto his plate until he motioned for her that she'd served enough. "Sir?" she whispered. "May I serve the girls, as well? Or shall we wait for you?" "Of course, the girls are as hungry as I am. This smells heavenly." Kate smiled, and began to place smaller amounts of the pasta on each girl's plate. When he looked up, he saw Leigh standing in evening glory holding a http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (14 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


bottle of wine and a box of matches. Her eyes questioned his, and he nodded. She moved towards the hutch, and sifted through the glassware, crystal clinking softly. She placed a single glass in front of him, and looked perplexedly at the bottle. He gently took the bottle from her, and placed it beside her plate. Poison wafted gently from her skin. "I think the girls need glasses, too, don't you?" Leigh looked surprised for a moment, then smiled. "You're going to let us drink wine? I was going to serve water for us." "I think you all deserve wine, don't you?" Leigh flushed and nodded. "But, Kate and I, and probably Nicole, we're ..." He laughed. "You're worried about being underage?" Leigh flushed, and then took a step backward. "I suppose not." "One glass each. That's all. All right?" Leigh nodded. Kate finished spooning out the pasta. When she straightened, she looked worried. She whispered to Leigh, but the Timeman could hear her. "We should have thought about this. How are we supposed to eat?" "Eat?" "Without cutlery." She turned to look pleadingly at the Timeman. She raised her voice a little. Her hands rose to play with the neckline of her gown. "Sir? Can I ... can I take off the gown, now?" He regarded her without answering. "I. I don't want to get it dirty, and I will if I have to eat with my fingers. I'm not complaining, not at all, I'll put it back on after dinner if you want. I just don't want to be punished for ruining it. Please." He sighed and leaned back in his chair. The garlic from the pasta tickled his nose, and his belly rumbled. "Get forks and spoons for the girls. I don't want you all to have burned fingers, either." Kate stood stunned for a moment, then recovered. Impulsively, she http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (15 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


bent and kissed him, her lips brushed his, sending shivers down him. Then she was gone, her bare feet whispering below the gown, as she hurried back to the kitchen. "Thank you," she whispered as she disappeared though the doorway. Leigh stood at the end of the table. She slowly shook out the match. Two long tapered candles burned, sending swirls of smoke up towards the chandelier. She stepped over to the switch and dialled down the light. Then she joined Kate in the kitchen for a moment. He glanced around the table. In the flickering light of the candles, he could almost believe that the remaining girls weren't nude, that they sat there watching their plates almost as if they were seated in a fancy restaurant. Kate brushed through the doorway, forks and spoons clutched in her fist. She distributed the cutlery quickly. Andrea reached for hers almost immediately, but then drew her hand back and dropped it into her lap. Kate settled into her seat on the left, beside Nicole, with a sigh. She breathed in the scent off the pasta. "Leigh's having trouble finding a corkscrew," she whispered. He nodded, and waited quietly. In a moment, Leigh returned carrying a large bowl of salad, and a corkscrew. She handed the corkscrew to the Timeman, and then began distributing the salad. Without comment, he worked the corkscrew into the cork, and pulled it free. When he began to pour, Kate stopped him. She rose with a smile, and retrieved the bottle. It was a dry white wine, by the label, and she poured his glass first. Then half glasses of the remainder for all the girls. After they settled, he glanced around at them. The girls watched him, waiting quietly. He debated telling them to start, but then nodded and quickly tasted it. The pasta melted in his mouth, and the wine complemented it perfectly. He smiled. "It's wonderful, Leigh." The girl beamed, and reached for her fork and spoon. "Thank-you," she murmured. Soon, the sounds of eating and sighs of satisfaction filled the room. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (16 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


It was as if he weren't there, that this was a private dinner attended by two girls in evening dress, and three without clothing. He leaned back, sipping at his second glass of wine while the girls ignored him, and their odd state of dress, and talked unabashedly. Nicole was talking about her experiences, her voice remarkably steady. "... and he made me crawl under the table, doing his friends, women, men, it didn't really matter ... my tongue ached after that ..." Monique answered, almost gaily. "I'll bet. I know what that's like." Nicole continued. "He made me crawl regularly, all day. Raped me continuously. When he ran out of steam, he used a vibrator until I begged for mercy. I didn't get any, but I think he stopped when I passed out. Perhaps not. I'll never know." The other girls were staring at her, unbridled sympathy naked upon their faces. Nicole shifted a little uncomfortably. "This is killing the mood," she said. "But you all asked." Kate nodded her head. "I don't mind." She sounded like she wanted to justify something, and it had been done. Nicole nodded and sipped from her glass, draining shook slightly, though only the Timeman seemed to forward with the bottle and emptied the remainder glass. She stared at it for a moment, then raised questioningly.

it. Her hand notice. He reached into Nicole's her eyes

"I thought ..." "I changed my mind," he replied. "Have as much as you want. I wouldn't get drunk. Hangovers here seem worse than on the main timeline." Nicole nodded, sipped once from her glass, then spoke again. It was painfully obvious that she wanted to change the subject. "What have you got planned for us tonight?" she asked demurely. Leigh excused herself from the table, and moved quietly towards the kitchen. "Whatever you want to do. I don't have anything strenuous planned for tonight." "You aren't going to tie us up?" He laughed. "I didn't promise that." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (17 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


Nicole nodded as if that were understood, and then continued to talk to the others. He tuned them out until Leigh returned to stand at his chair. She picked up the corkscrew and began to twist it into the new bottle of wine that she held in her hands. He turned as she grunted in dismay. Silently, he took the bottle from her hands, and she returned to her seat to join the discussions. He popped the cork and refilled his own glass. Leigh refused, as did Kate. Monique took a second glass, and Andrea stopped him after hers was only half full. "A movie," Monique said to him. He roused himself to pay attention to the girls. "A movie?" "Nicole says that there are a number of DVDs around -- that her father bought a bunch." He shrugged, and Monique smiled and nodded. He tuned out again. "... I never got along with my parents ..." "... my first time? When I was fourteen. His name was Jackson ..." "... considered suicide? Coward's way. I couldn't ..." "... I hated them, I'm not sure I do anymore ..." "... nine years old. Breasts. These ..." "... Jennifer Jones. I hated her ..." "... home ..." His eyes began to close, as the girls' voices surrounded him.


A gentle hand woke him with a start, and the girl, whoever she was, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (18 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


jumped back with a small cry. "Wha?" "Sir? I think you were asleep," Leigh murmured in his ear after recovering. He glanced around the table. The plates and cutlery had been cleared except for his wine glass which stood alone upon the table, half filled. "If you want to sleep, then you shouldn't in a chair. Your neck will kill you in the morning." They had had cutlery, been free, and hadn't done anything. No fork stuck in his arm, no butter knife slipped between his ribs. They'd cleaned up, and then woken him as gently as possible, probably electing Leigh to be the one to wake him. Smart girls, he thought. He rubbed his eyes, then pushed himself to his feet. Leigh looked up at him. The rest of the girls sat demurely around the table. Nicole, Andrea and Monique still nude, Kate and Leigh sporting their black evening gowns. "If you want to sleep, can we at least watch a movie?" Leigh said. "If you want, I'll beg." He smiled at her, and touched her shoulder before she dropped to her knees. The girl looked faintly thankful and returned to her seat. He nodded slowly, motioning for Leigh to rise again. She did, confusion gracing her face. She stood, unsure what to do with her hands. She settled for holding them easily at her side. "If I leave the rest of you free, can I trust you to behave yourselves in the living room? Read, or listen to music?" The girls nodded, even Leigh, though he had different plans for her. "Go, then." He concentrated and narrowed the immediate time bubble to encapsulate the dining room and the living room. Even if they did decide to run, they wouldn't get far. Of course, the girls didn't know that, but he didn't think they would bolt. Otherwise, he would have chained them, even temporarily. The girls rose with a scraping of chairs. He touched Leigh's arm stopping her from joining them. She gave him a puzzled glance, but didn't protest. Andrea, Monique and Nicole swept out of the room, chattering. Kate hung back. "Isn't Leigh coming?" she asked quietly. She looked stunning, even barefoot, in the dress. He suspected that the girl knew it. Her cheeks were rosy from the wine. He shook his head slowly. "I have to talk to her." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (19 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


Kate nodded, though it didn't look like she believed him. She turned to join the others, but stopped at the doorway. "Can I take this off, now?" she asked. Her fingers toyed with the black fabric. He looked at the girl, surprised by her question. "Why?" Kate sighed, and hesitated. "I'll continue to wear it, if you demand it, but ... I feel a little uncomfortable with it on in a roomful of naked women. I know they don't mind, and they might wear it if the positions were reversed, but Leigh isn't going in there with me, and I don't ..." her voice trailed off. "Is that all?" "I'll wear it if you want me to." She hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "And it itches. I think I might be actually getting used to wearing nothing around here." She tried to smile, but failed. She didn't look pleased at the idea. He nodded, debating. "I'll beg you," she said quietly. She began to slip to her knees. He stepped forward to stop her and she rose with a look of relief. He could imagine how it might feel for her to be reduced to begging to be unclothed. The black fabric really must itch. He nodded slowly, and Kate lifted the dress over her head in one swift motion. Her sudden nudity nearly took his breath away, but he avoided staring at her. She neatly folded the dress, draping it over her arm. "Do you want me to put it away?" she asked. He shook his dress on the and mouthed, entrance and

head. Instead, she stepped to the table and placed the table, smoothing it with her fingers. She glanced up "Thank-you," before stepping quickly to the living room disappearing inside, a flash of skin, and she was gone.

He turned to Leigh who stood quietly watching. "I'll gladly take mine off, too, if you'd like." "Do they itch that much? I'd like you to leave yours on, if you don't mind." "I'll do whatever you tell me to do," she murmured. "And they don't itch at all," she said with a faint smile.



"You let the cunt dress?" The Timeman didn't say anything to Maurice, merely stared at the man. Maurice was bleeding finely in a few places, and hung wearily from his bonds. "What kind of fucking useless Dom are you?" Maurice nearly screamed. "She's a fucking bitch, and you should start fucking treating her like what she is. A fucking cunt. Fuck. Look what the bitch did to me." The Timeman waved at Leigh to stay put. Leigh didn't move from the doorway, but shifted uncomfortably as Maurice eyed her licentiously. "I just wanted to make sure you weren't dead. Might be bad for business to kill you." "Fucked up right it would," Maurice said. "If you let me go now, I'll kill you fast. Can't promise the same for the cunts." The Timeman sighed and stepped forward. Slowly, he pressed the side of Maurice's throat. "Good night," he sighed. "Get away from me you fucking prick," Maurice cried, but then he slumped in his bonds and the breath sighed out of him. "At least he'll be quiet now," the Timeman said as he touched Leigh's arm. Even from the brief touch, he could tell the girl was shaking. "Did you kill him?" Leigh asked. Her voice carried an edge, but he couldn't tell if the girl was frightened, upset, or merely angry that he hadn't let the girls kill the monster in Nicole's room. "Just put him to sleep," the Timeman said easily. "He'll have a hell of a headache in the morning, but at least he'll be quiet." Leigh nodded, and walked ahead of the Timeman. He watched her bare feet as they moved efficiently towards the stairs, the black dress swirling about her body. If he didn't know better, he would never have guessed that the thin fabric was all the girl wore. But even the fabric couldn't hide the trembling that the girl's legs projected. "Why are we out here?" she asked as they walked quietly across the perfectly manicured lawn. He envied her. He supposed that he could remove his shoes and socks, but it didn't seem right. She didn't have a choice; she simply had no shoes or socks to encumber her. He didn't answer her, but rather guided her towards one of the mature http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (21 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


trees dotting the lawn. He wasn't sure, but it looked like a large elm that seemed to have survived the Dutch. She halted as they approached the tree. "Not after the nice dinner I cooked. Please," she murmured. When she turned, her eyes were brimming with unshed tears. He wanted to embrace her, but sensed that this was the wrong time. Confused, he spoke quickly. "Why do you think we're out here?" Leigh choked back a sob. "Come on. You separated us from the group for a reason. I've seen you do it before. You tie me to the tree, cut my clothes off, hurt me until I beg, then you rape me. Right? Please. I've done everything else you wanted. Please." He smiled, then placed his own back to the tree and slid slowly down the bark to sit at the base. Leigh remained standing, her hands clasped in front of her. He looked up at her. "Leigh? When have I raped any of the girls that I could have? You included?" She swallowed, then glanced right and left as if looking for an escape route that couldn't possibly exist for her. "You haven't. But now's a good time to start. If you're half as horny as I ..." her voice trailed off as she realised what she was saying. He nearly laughed, but managed to stifle it. "Sit down, Leigh." The girl shook her head slowly. He shrugged. "I have no intention of hurting you," he said slowly. He glanced up at the noon sky, it being so out of place when he felt like it was late evening. This timeline took some getting used to. "Please, let me go back to the others. I'll take off the damn dress, if you want." Her fingers began to lift the garment from her skin. "Leigh?" She stopped her motion, and stared at him, almost defiantly. "If I asked you if you wanted to have sex with me, right here, and right now, what would you say? No coercion. No threats. You could say yes or no, and you knew that I wouldn't hurt you or anyone else if you did say no." Leigh swallowed heavily, then began to lower herself. She rested on http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (22 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


her knees in the grass for a moment, then lowered herself further until she sat cross-legged in front of him. Her bare toes peeked from below the hem of the gown. She lifted her eyes. "Truthfully?" "Truthfully." "I don't know." He cocked his head to the side, raising his eyebrows. "I really don't know. Part of me wants to. All this," and she waved her arms through the air, "all this freedom, and then you tie us up, and you hurt us, and we're in your control. We're naked all the freaking time. What did you expect? Yes, I'm aroused most of the time. Truthfully. I don't know why I'm telling you this, it can't be in my best interests, but I'm telling you the truth. So part of me wants to have sex -- not just with you -- nearly anyone. And I'm sorry if that hurts you. Really sorry. But yes, I want to climax -I'd even settle if you let me masturbate. Anything. And part of me says no, that good girls don't need or want these things -especially from those that capture us, strip us naked, and then torment us." She paused for a moment. When she looked up, her eyes were wet with tears. "It isn't fair," she finally said. He nodded gently. "So the answer is yes," he said quietly. And she nodded. "Yes, I think I would," she said, her voice nearly breaking. "Yes, I think I would." Leigh remained cross-legged in the grass, her hands extended behind her. She gazed up at the sky, a faint smile playing about her lips. When she looked down, something caught her eye. "How much can you control?" she asked quietly. "What?" he said, dropping his own gaze to cover her. "How much of all this," and she spread her arms for a moment before falling back to an easy lean, "can you control?" "I control you, don't I?" She flushed for a moment, then as if realising the simple truth nodded. "Do you control the universe?" "Truthfully? I don't know."



She nodded as if the answer made more sense than it did. She sighed. Her arm rose, and she pointed, grimacing at a spot of blood that dotted the back of her hand. "What about squirrels?" He smiled, radiating confusion. "Squirrels?" "Squirrels," she repeated. She waited for his gaze to follow her pointing finger. He shrugged. "What about them?" "I miss squirrels, and chirping birds, and the simple hum of traffic." "City girl." Leigh nodded. "Born and raised. But I still miss squirrels." She jumped as the furry creature began to move, its scurrying through the grass. It rose up on its hind were aware that the world wasn't quite right -- too the end, it dropped back its forepaws and scampered grass, rustling.

tiny feet legs as if it quiet. But in through the

She watched it for a long time, silent and still. The squirrel edged closer, as if desiring some contact, any contact. When it was within a few feet of her, she slowly lifted her hand, reaching out towards the creature. It froze, its eyes warily upon the girl in black, its nose twitching. "It's all right, little squirrel, I'm not going to hurt you." It rose up on its hind legs and tested the air, nose twitching, body trembling. Then, more quickly than it had approached, it ran chittering towards another tree, flashing up the truck as if the devil were chasing it. Leigh laughed, and returned her hands to her lap. When she turned back towards her captor, he was smiling, and watching the squirrel as it climbed unperturbed up into the higher branches.

Chapter 114 http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (24 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM



"Why did you pick me?" He tore his gaze from the animal rustling branches above them. "Why?" "Why did you pick me? There are tons of girls available to you, most prettier than I. Hell, you had Karen, and you kept me. Why?" He leaned back against the tree and laced his hands behind his neck. He sighed, and shrugged. "I don't know. You were meant to be here." Leigh harrumphed, and began to shift her body until a thought crossed her face. She looked up. "May I?" "What?" "May I lie down?" "Of course," he said waving her down. To her, it wasn't obvious. As a captive, she never quite knew what she could do on her own without permission, and what she needed permission for. After his motion, she stretched out, propping her head up on her hand, elbow comfortable in the grass. She shifted her legs. It felt odd lying in the grass in an evening gown, with no underwear, but she was glad for the covering. Though she was used to going without, it seemed more civilised, even pleasant, being here in the quiet. The squirrel chittered above her. "You could have had anyone. Could be raping girls without a care. You don't. Why?" "I don't need to." "But you torment us. You tie us up, you keep us naked most of the time." He shrugged again. "I need to." "You need to control us? Or somebody in general? Why me?" He didn't answer her for a long time, and she turned her eyes up to gaze at the unmoving clouds in the sky.



"I had to have you." "You've got me. I've lost. I'll let you have sex with me, if you want." "Not that. And you know it. You're smart. You're brave. You're kind. And you're different. But you already know that." "I'm not that different. I'm not different to Maurice. I'm the same as Kate, the same as Nicole, the same as all the ..." and she hesitated for a moment, as if her mouth refused to say the word. Finally, her lips formed the word, a grimace crossing her face. "... cunts in the world." He turned at her words, a frown crossing his features. She was momentarily afraid that he'd hit her for saying it, but he didn't. The look softened, almost into a gesture of compassion. "But you're more than that, and you know it." Leigh nodded. "I'm more than what's between my legs, yes. And you seem to see it, even when you tie me to a basketball hoop in front of a crowd of spectators. Why did you do that?" "You know why." And she supposed that she did. The thoughts sent tingles up her spine, but she willed away the sensations. "But you see it." He nodded, and made to rise, then thought better of it and returned to the grass. He leaned forward, his eyes bright. "When I met you," he said, "you wouldn't talk to me." Momentarily confused, Leigh watched him warily, but didn't shift her position. Slowly, she nodded. She could feel the tears tracing down her cheeks, but she merely let them fall into the grass beneath her. "... curfews. They always treat me like a child." "You are a child," he said slowly. "Just a very mature one." Leigh nodded. "I used to hate them." "Used to?"



She nodded again, her head shifting against her palm. She hesitated for a moment, then resumed speaking. "Once, we were at camp -- I showed you the picture. Me, my parents, my girlfriend Janice. I woke up, disoriented in the dark. I thought I heard a bear, or a snake -- I couldn't catch my breath. Then voices. I snuck out of the tent and there they were, sitting near the campfire. My Dad, and Janice. They were talking, but they were sitting too close. Too close. Dad's hand ... was on her knee, and he was touching her. Janice didn't seem to mind. Not at all. And as I watched, they damn near kissed. Dad got a funny look, and then said something. I couldn't hear, there was a rushing sound in my ears. He got up quickly, and scuttled back to his tent. Janice looked disappointed. I nearly threw up. I don't remember going back to my tent, but I guess I did. We never spoke about that day. She was only thirteen. Only thirteen." She paused then, staring up at the clouds for a long, long time. When she looked down, her eyes were dry and her voice steady. "Then you came along and turned my life upside down. You showed me Nicole, and Maurice. My Dad never did anything, as far as I know. He walked away. No harm done. But I hated him anyway. We could never afford nice things. This dress?" She fingered the fabric. "This is the closest I'll ever be to wearing anything like this, and here I lie in front of the guy who kidnapped me, naked underneath, and liking the feel of it on my skin. I didn't know I could do it, you know? That I could survive without them, and you know what?" Her tears resumed, steadily now, though her body remained calm. When he shrugged, she continued. "I don't hate them anymore. They. They're just looking out for me." She forced a smile onto her face. "They're trying to protect me from you." He laughed easily, and smiled. "And I'll never know this -- not at home. You'll send me back, and I'll still hate them. I don't want to hate them anymore." "I know Leigh, but you'll figure it out. You figured it out here." "But back there, the biggest concern I have is a math exam, not what maniac is going to make me have sex with another girl with my damn hands tied behind me. You know?" "I know. And you'll figure it out anyway." "I love them, and I want to tell them. I want to go home." He sighed, and let her cry for a while. She lay down further, turning her eyes from him, crying into her hands. She would have shaken him off if he'd tried to comfort her, but she was spared that. After a time, her sobs relented, and she sat up, crossing her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (27 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


legs again. She felt better, in a way. To her surprise, the squirrel had returned, sitting up in the grass near her feet, unafraid, perhaps lonely for company, even dangerous company. This time, when she stretched out her fingers, the squirrel approached, timidly and carefully. It brushed her fingers with its fine fur, then bounded away. It brought a smile of wonder to her lips. She watched it disappear towards another tree. She sighed, and then looked up. He was watching her intently. Slowly, she rose to her bare feet. She closed her eyes, felt her fingers toying with the neckline of the gown. It slipped over her head with ease, and she carefully folded the expensive fabric over her arm. She stood before him, naked. "I'd like to have sex with you," she said, almost in a whisper. Tingles ran through her nerves, her nipples and clitoris aching. "No rape, just consensual sex. You and me." Slowly, he shook his head. The denial brought tears to her eyes again. She shifted her weight, watching as he rose. He approached her, placing a chaste kiss upon her cheek. She flushed. "Please," she said. "Why?" He smiled and touched her lips with his finger, shushing her. "Not yet, little one. Not yet. This will be over soon, I fear, but not yet." Leigh shivered, and he noticed, though he misinterpreted her goosebumps. "You can wear that back, if you'd like." He pointed to the black gown draped over her arm. She sniffled, and looked up at him, her eyes wet and shiny. "If it's all right, I'll leave it off." He looked at her puzzled. She elaborated. "I'd rather take it off willingly than to have you ask me to take it off, or cut if from my body while you have me tied up in some wild and wonderful way. And you will. I'm used to being naked." He nodded, as if her answer made sense. "I'll carry it," she said quietly. "But thank you." She began to walk back towards the house, her bare toes relaxing in the grass. For a while, the squirrel followed, then bounded back towards the trees. Leigh didn't know if he'd free it back to its home in time, but she supposed the creature would survive.



She had.


He sat with Kate cross-legged on the carpet in front of the television stand. The chain between the girl's wrists jingled softly as her hands dipped in together, extracting a few DVD cases and inspecting them. "It would be a whole lot easier without the handcuffs," she said quietly, but overall, she didn't protest too much. At least her hands were cuffed in front of her. She peered into the cabinet, pointing towards a small stack of unlabelled video tapes. She turned towards Nicole who was perched in a chair, her hands similarly chained. "What are those?" Kate asked. Nicole paled a moment, then swallowed heavily. "You don't want to see them," she whispered. "Or maybe you do." "What are they?" Nicole hesitated, winced, and then whispered again. "He sometimes liked to film me. There's a lot of my screaming on those tapes." Kate paled, and turned towards her captor, slowly shaking her head. A look of pleading entered her eyes. He spoke before she could, also shaking his head. "I don't think we need to put Nicole through that ..." "He made me watch most of them ..." Nicole ventured from her seat. The Timeman swivelled, and regarded Nicole. "Not tonight," he said softly. Nicole looked relieved, relaxing a little into her chair. Monique and Andrea sat quietly on the floor, their backs nestled against the sofa, their hands cuffed as the other girls were. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (29 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


The Timeman turned back towards Kate. "So, what have you found?" Kate blinked, as if waking up from a dream, then held up the titles. There were three disks captured between her bound hands. American Beauty, Chasing Amy, and Dogma. "Kevin Smith fan, I see." Kate looked down for a moment, then pursed her lips. "American Beauty isn't Kevin Smith." "You pick," he said. Without further comment, he pushed himself to his feet, returning to the second sofa, and sitting down in the middle of it. "Is Chasing Amy all right?" Kate asked. The other girls nodded, though they didn't really have any choice in the matter. Kate fumbled with the case, having trouble with the handcuffs binding her, but eventually managed. She slipped the disk into the player and then picked up the remote control. She returned to the sofa, standing easily in front of the Timeman. She sighed, and handed him the control. Then she made to sit on the floor at his feet. A touch to her shoulder brought her head up. She smiled as he motioned her beside him. She settled into the sofa, tucking her bare legs up under herself. The buttery and salty smell of popcorn made Kate look up. While waiting, she'd nearly dozed, but the maddening smell made her mouth water. Leigh swept through the door, regally naked, carrying a small bowl of popcorn in her bound hands. She flashed all of them a smile, and handed the bowl to Nicole. Before Kate could call out to the girl, Leigh had disappeared. Two larger bowls later, and Leigh stood in front of the Timeman, trembling. She held the bowl out to him, and he took it, placing it on his lap. Absently, he lifted a handful to his lips. Leigh began to sink to sit near his feet, but like Kate, he stopped her, and had her settle into the sofa on his other side. "You aren't going to make us beg, are you?" Kate asked with an impish look in her eyes. He simply shook his head and dimmed the lights with the remote. The television flashed on and the drawer to the DVD player closed with a hum and a click. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (30 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


The girls reached simultaneously for the bowls of popcorn, happily munching as the movie began to play. He half considered what it would take to find Joey Lauren Adams, and take her into his little group. While he probably could do it, it didn't seem worth it somehow, despite her looks. He glanced around at the girls settled around the living room. The flickering of the television lit their bare skin. The bowl of popcorn lay forgotten on the floor near his feet, only a few unpopped kernels remaining in the bowl. Kate and Leigh sat nestled into the corners of the sofa, their bare legs extended familiarly across the cushions, their feet laying easily in his lap. The girls didn't seem to mind the position, their eyes watching as Alyssa screamed at Holden, something about fingercuffs. Almost idly, he ran his fingers over Leigh's toes. The girl jumped a little, but then relaxed, turning her eyes back to the film. Kate jumped, too, but then relaxed. After they were used to the touch, he played with their toes, his eyes upon the screen. After a while, Leigh sighed, and settled herself deeper into the couch. The credits rolled up the screen, and he shifted the girl's feet from his thighs with a pang of regret. The girls shifted, and waited as he switched off the television, and flipped on the lights to groans. He yawned and stretched. He motioned Andrea and Monique to the opposite sofa. The girls pushed themselves up -- Andrea had settled into an awkward lying position on the carpet, and Monique simply pushed herself up from sitting with her back against the sofa. Both girls groaned, their eyes as tired as he felt. "Why?" Andrea asked quietly as she lay down beside Monique. She looked distinctly uncomfortable, her breasts touching the other girl. He ignored her, and quickly rebound the girls with their hands behind their backs. Neither girl protested, though they didn't seem comfortable. To complete the awkwardness, he bound their upper arms together, and then wrapped a length of cord about their waists, holding them together. He slipped an ankle cuff about Andrea's ankle, and connected her to the sofa leg, effectively restricting both girls to remain on the sofa, tied together. He left Nicole free, except for a simple ankle cuff attaching her to http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (31 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


the chair in which she still sat. "That's not necessary," she said. "I'm not going anywhere." He crouched and looked into her face. "How's the ribs?" "Sore." "Can you sleep in the chair?" "I don't have much choice, do I?" He shrugged. "If you'd prefer, you can sleep on the floor, but I'll have to put your hands behind you." Her expression betrayed her confusion, but she nodded easily. "I've slept in far more uncomfortable places." "I'll bet. Would you like another aspirin?" The girl nodded once, and he turned motioning for Kate to retrieve one. Kate pushed herself wearily to her feet, and disappeared towards the front entrance bathroom, the chain between Kate's wrists jingling as she moved. He returned to Leigh, and helped her up. The girl rose, blinking. He watched as she moved the cushions from the sofa, and pulled at the bed release. It rose a little, then crashed back. She turned and looked at him helplessly. "Please, I can't. I'm sorry. Please, I don't want to be punished." He touched the girl's shoulder and a fair bit of the fear left her eyes as she moved to the side. He reached down, his hands unfettered, and yanked the handle. The bed creaked, and it took far more effort than he would have imagined to pull it out. Mentally, he forgave the girl. She'd tried, and he wasn't even sure that he could have pulled it out wearing cuffs as she was. Kate returned and walked quickly over to Nicole. She handed the girl the pills. "Don't dry swallow them," Kate said. Nicole looked up at Kate, shrugging. "It's how he made me take them. I'm used to them that way." The Timeman interjected. "Nicole. Wait." The injured girl bounced the pills easily in her right hand. The http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (32 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


chain between her wrists bounced, too. Kate flashed him a grateful look, and then scampered towards the kitchen. In a few moments, she returned with a tall glass of water, perspiration dotting the outside surface of the glass. Nicole popped the pills into her mouth, and then accepted the glass in both hands. She drank deeply, then coughed, handing the glass back to Kate. Kate placed the glass on an end table, then returned to stand beside Leigh. He approached them, and at his motioning, Kate raised her wrists to him. He unlocked one side, and placed her hands behind her. Carefully, he relocked her bonds, and she pulled slightly at them. Her slender wrist turned easily in the steel, but wouldn't slip through. He motioned for Leigh, but the girl stepped away. "Please. I won't be able to sleep with my hands behind me. You don't need to do this. I'm not going to try anything." "Leigh ..." The girl paled, and stepped back forward. "Please," she whispered. He shook his head slowly, and while he unlocked her hands, he spoke. "I need you like this. Okay? I won't sleep if any of you are free, and you don't want to see me cranky, do you?" Leigh shook her head, but tears formed in her eyes as she held her hands behind her. He was careful not to make her bonds too tight either. He touched their shoulders, and the girls awkwardly crawled up onto the Queen sized sofa bed, but didn't slip under the sheets. He returned to Nicole, and the girl looked up at him sleepily. "I'll be fine," she said. He bent and kissed her cheek. Nicole laid her head back against the padding of the chair, and closed her eyes. He covered her gently with a purple blanket, and she nearly smiled. As he pulled another blanket over Monique and Andrea, he noticed moisture on Monique's cheek. He brushed at it, his eyes questioning her. "I can't sleep like this," she said. Her voice nearly broke, but she managed keep control, somehow. "I can't even sleep in the same bed http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (33 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


as a lover. Please. You can tie me up to sleep, just not to another girl. Please." He brushed her hair back. Andrea seemed to have gotten over her discomfort, at least a little. "Monique, we'll be okay. I don't snore. He isn't going to let you out," Andrea whispered. He watched as Andrea kissed the other girl on the cheek. Monique seemed to settle a little, but still squirmed against the ropes holding her to Andrea. He bent and kissed both girls, and then tucked the blanket around their nudity. "She'll be fine," Andrea said quietly. "But you didn't have to do this. We could have killed you after dinner." "I know," he said quietly. And he did know. Perhaps he was overcompensating for that, but either way, the girls would be the ones to suffer for his carelessness. Andrea lay her head back wearily and closed her eyes. Monique remained stiff, and stared at him almost defiantly. He shrugged and returned to the pull out where Leigh and Kate sat curled up against the back padding. He crawled up the bed without removing his clothing, and settled beneath the covers. He felt the girls moving beside him, as he closed his eyes. Even with their hands behind them, the girls could settle themselves, he was sure. They weren't useless. Sleep would come quickly. He sighed.


He became aware of soft breath against his cheek, and the soft yielding of a bared breast pressed against his arm. Another breast rubbed gently against his left arm. As their lips touched his cheek, he opened his eyes. The room was dark, but he could see the reddish colour of Kate's hair shining in the ambient light of the room. On his other side, Leigh moved forward, and kissed his lips, her tongue delving and teasing. He raised his arms, and touched the girls, cupping their breasts, and then running his fingers down their soft skin. Chains jingled, and he forced himself to pull back as Leigh again kissed him. His http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (34 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


penis felt like it was about to burst. "Leigh. Kate." He spoke quietly. He could hear Nicole's raspy breathing, and Andrea's soft breathing, but he was pretty sure that Monique was still awake somewhere on the other side of the room. Leigh pulled her lips away. "Please, just let us," she whispered. As he began to reply, she leaned in to silence him with another kiss. He pulled away, again, and pushed himself to a sitting position. It took every ounce of willpower that he possessed. The girls remained lying awkwardly against his jean clad thighs, their arms tied behind them. "I can't. Don't you realise that?" Leigh shifted until she was staring at him, her eyes liquid pools of shining light upon the dark covers. "Don't you want us?" He nodded his head, almost desperately. "I can't." "Why take us then? Two naked girls in your bed, helpless and willing. Yes, willing, want to do this for you. Isn't this every man's fantasy? Two girls? We're young, maybe even inexperienced but we aren't stupid. We want to. You want to. Why aren't you letting us do this?" "It isn't right." "It's not rape, you jackass. We want to do this. Kate and I talked about it earlier. We want to have sex with you. Period. Please." He sighed. His penis ached. Positively ached. "Why?" "Why what? We're naked, and you've kept us teased for days. We want to climax. It's difficult for us, too, you know." "I didn't think girls needed these things." There was a pause, and if it had been lighter, he might have seen the flush rising to Leigh's face. "We do. And maybe, just maybe, if we have sex with you, you'll be satisfied. Let us go, or not hurt us as much. Please." He touched her forehead, then her cheek. Moisture dotted her cheek. He turned to Kate. The redhead bobbed her head in confirmation. He sighed. He was convinced that the girls really did want to, it wasn't an act, though how much of it was desire, and how much was http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (35 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


self-preservation, he didn't know. "Not tonight, Leigh. I want to, believe me, but I need to understand more of this. Period." Leigh began to cry, now he could see her body shaking, and she pulled almost savagely at her hands. If she'd been free, he didn't doubt that she would have struck him out of pure frustration. "I'll do whatever you want. I'll use my mouth, my hands, my ... my cunt ..." He interjected here with a warning. "Leigh ..." "I'm sorry. What do you want me to call it? My pussy? My sex? My vagina? Whatever it is, I'll have sex with you. I can't get pregnant, if that's what you are worried about." He nearly laughed, but managed to contain it. Pregnancy here, wasn't exactly an issue. But she wasn't thinking straight, and he understood that. "I just want to climax. I ache. So fucking much. I'll even masturbate for you. I'll have sex with ... Kate ... if she'll have me. Please. Please. Please." He sighed, and began to settle back down, lying between the girls. Kate was trembling, though she remained silent. He understood her muteness wasn't a denial, it was quiet agreement with her friend. If he'd allowed it, the girls would go down on each other in an instant. If it was possible, they were more aroused than he was. (Control. Control. Control.) Mistaking his movement for acceptance, Leigh rolled, and pressed her bare skin into him again, her hips rocking against his thigh. Kate began to move closer as well. "Leigh. Stop. We can't. You must know that." Instead of protesting, she simply began to cry harder. He moved his arm around her and pulled her nudity closer, but carefully stayed away from her breasts. She lay her head down on his shoulder, mimicked by Kate on the other side. Their hair intermixed upon his chest. Leigh's hips continued to rock, but were slowing as she wept. "I'd rather you whipped me, than kept me like this," Leigh whispered. Kate agreed, with the set of her body. "Please don't do this to us." "I must," he said quietly.



Her body trembled for a long, long time, but eventually, her protests unheeded, the naked girl cried herself into a light doze. After Leigh's breathing fell into a rhythmic cadence, he felt Kate's head upturn towards him. "Are you awake?" Kate whispered. Leigh mumbled something in her sleep, but didn't wake. He thought that the girl might still be crying. "I'm awake," he said. "It's not fair on us," Kate whispered. "I know." "She's telling you the truth. It may be strange, and it may be awkward, but she wants to do this. It won't be rape, even if she's tied up so much she can't move. Something about this place ... maybe simply not having control ... I don't know. But, I feel it too. Hard. I would do nearly anything to be allowed to climax. I feel like there's a slow fire between my legs, and I can't even touch myself. Can't you understand that?" "Better than you can realise," he said slowly. "You want us, don't you?" He nodded, and she returned her head to the crook of his shoulder. "Don't torture us like this. I'd rather be whipped, too." Kate sighed, and settled herself again. He pulled the blankets back up and over the girls. After a while, Kate's breathing fell into sleep, and he stared at the ceiling for a long, long time before the sandman claimed him, as well. He could sense a presence, like a lighthouse upon a distant shore. A diffused light shone through the tendrils of time-haze even if he couldn't pinpoint it, scattered by the layers of the universe. It was as if Time itself were shielding the presence, playing with him. Linda's bubble had disappeared, swallowed into the haze. It wasn't gone, but had almost joined with the other -- the other that Time had shielded from him. But Linda wasn't gone, was she? She hadn't returned to her former state, frozen naked in a hot tub deep in the honeymoon suite. No. He'd be able to sense that, wouldn't he? She remained in phase, hidden, but not entirely. He could sense her, too, slightly clearer than the other -- perhaps because her bubble had been part of his, at one time. Unease settled through him, causing a shiver. The naked girls http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (37 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


nestled into his rough clothed body stirred, mumbling in their restless sleep. A chain jingled somewhere towards where Nicole sat asleep in the chair. Who? What? Where? He didn't know who, though he sensed she was female. He couldn't explain it, beyond the visions of the dirty blonde college aged girl that he'd seen. He didn't understand what was happening. Or if anything beyond his own paranoia was responsible for his unease. And where? If she were out there, where was she? At the Westin? Or at the end of the driveway, waiting patiently, with a shotgun for him to emerge with his entourage of naked, handcuffed girls? What would happen if the other, female or otherwise, shot him? He shook his head. The unease was shifting, forming a pit deep in his belly. No. That much he would be able to tell. She wasn't near, if she even existed. He'd deal with her, if and when her path intersected with his own. Not tonight, in the land of the midnight noon. No. The girl, if she were even real, wasn't near. "Oh God, oh God, oh God!" His ears pricked up, almost rising to glance around the room. Visions of Andrea, or Monique, working a hand free, enough to touch herself -- bring about a forbidden climax, enough to cause the girl to cry out in elicit ecstasy danced through his mind. But the girls breathed softly -- he was sure that despite her protests, even Monique slumbered peacefully unaware. The voice had been Linda's, echoing through the time haze, touching his mind from within. He didn't understand -- not at all -- but then, he'd never had to deal with another independent presence upon his timeline. He settled his head back, his eyes unfocused, tuning to the sounds escaping from the ether like a time-sensitive Marconi. "Oh God. Oh God. Oh God." Linda paused, her breath coming in gasps. Then one drawn out name, cried out across the miles, slipping between the clouds of time haze like an echo through fog. "Dawn ... Oh God ... Dawn." And then there was silence, only the soft breathing of five bound and naked girls to keep him company. The name echoed through his mind, lulling him, driving away the unease. "Dawn. Oh God. Dawn." She was closing in. He could feel her approaching, racing through his tired mind like a locomotive. The other wasn't a figment of his imagination. Her name was Dawn. Instead of dread, the name almost soothed him. He whispered the name http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (38 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


into the quiet room. The girls around him shifted, but didn't wake. "Dawn." He closed his eyes. The image of the college-aged blonde rose up, lying exhausted on a park bench. It was not an image to cause unease, or fear -- only wonder. But there was something else. It made no sense to him at all. It was far more, far deeper, than the arousal caused by the naked, bound, girls that surrounded him. It was Dawn. Somehow, it was Dawn. And he was aroused. So aroused he downright ached. He sighed, and willed away the images of the dusty blonde girl. They obediently retreated, but the arousal didn't. He sighed again, and wrapped his arms around Leigh and Kate. The girls murmured in their sleep. His exhaustion won out -- the haze, and the image of Dawn retreating into a sea of blackness. He slipped from consciousness, still aching, but somehow relaxed. The piercing scream sounded like an animal in pain. For a moment, he was disoriented, two weights squirming on each side of his body. A single name raced through his mind. Dawn. Somehow she'd found him while they slept, and she was killing Nicole. He didn't understand why, it made no sense at all. But the scream continued. Uncomfortable grunts, sounding like animals fighting, came from the opposite sofa. Cries of pain and confusion followed. Dimly, he recognised Monique's voice rising in a confused curse. Pushing the two weights from him, he only barely recognised them as Kate and Leigh, he swung his weight towards the foot of the pull out bed. His heart raced, threatening to leap from his chest in a whirl of blood and gore. Sharp cries of pain fell from Kate and Leigh as they tumbled from the bed to the floor, their hands caught behind them, unable to break their short fall. He stumbled across the carpet, his eyes searching for the source of the ungodly, piercing, screams. He was drawn towards the chair where a naked girl sat curled up, dim sunlight illuminating her nudity. She held up her hands, handcuffs encircling her wrists, as if warding off blows from a whip. With a flash, he recognised her -Nicole. The bruise upon her right side moved darkly as she drew in her breath to release another scream. Other disoriented, and sleepy, cries surrounded him as Andrea, Monique, Kate and Leigh scrambled as best they could against their own restraints in the darkness.



Nicole's eyes were screwed shut, and her hair damp. The blanket, with which he'd covered her earlier, lay in a crumpled heap at the foot of her chair. Still she screamed. "No. Daddy. No. Not again. Not him." Her breath came in ragged bursts. "Not that. The whip. Noooooooooo. Owwwwwwwwww," she screamed. Her body convulsed as if it had been struck with a bullwhip. Unsteady, Kate appeared beside him, shivering. Her red hair glimmered in the reflected sun through the heavy curtains. "She's dreaming," Kate whispered. Awe infused her, and if she'd been able, it appeared that the naked girl would have hugged herself. He glanced back. Leigh sat with her knees drawn up upon the pullout, her eyes confused and frightened. A thin gash graced her left upper arm -- blood trickling from the wound and down her arm. The Timeman glanced at Nicole, then up at Kate. "Help Leigh," he hissed to Kate. The redhead turned awkwardly, as if only becoming aware of Leigh's cut. She scampered back towards Leigh, touching Leigh gently, by turning and awkwardly reaching with her bound hands. Leigh flinched, but didn't cry out, barely even noticing Kate's ministrations. The Timeman moved towards Nicole. "No. No. No. No. No." Nicole said, her eyes still closed, her breasts rising and falling in fright and panic. "No. No. No." He touched her shoulder gently, and she withdrew, becoming quieter. Her eyes remained screwed shut, and her breathing ragged. Gently, he pulled the girl forward, easing her down and into his arms as he knelt on the floor. "No. No. No. It hurts. Please." "Shhhh," he whispered, as he smoothed the girl's hair. She trembled like a rabbit caught in a trap. Her left leg extended to the maximum allowed by the ankle cuff. Tears dripped down her face. At his gentle touch, Nicole calmed, though her eyes remained fiercely shut. "Just a nightmare. Just a nightmare," he whispered. It was perhaps five minutes before Nicole entirely relaxed in his arms, her body falling limp again, her eyes gently tracking beneath her eyelids. Her breathing returned to normal, and no more whimpers and moans issued from her throat. He held the girl for another five minutes until he was sure that http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (40 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


she'd fallen back into a restful sleep. With some awkwardness, he began to lift her, intending to place her back into her chair. He jumped as a pair of bare feet appeared beside Nicole. Another name irrationally thrust into his mind. Dawn. Dawn. Dawn. When he looked up, Kate stood peering down at Nicole and the Timeman. She looked helpless, her hands still pinned behind her back, her face tear streaked but morose, as if she wanted to help somehow, but knowing that she couldn't. He settled Nicole slowly, and gently, back into the chair. She sighed in her sleep as her body curled back up as if missing his touch. When at last, Nicole sat propped against the chair, he covered her with the blanket. When he turned, Kate stood to the side, gazing down at Nicole. "Will she be okay?" she whispered. The Timeman sighed, and touched Kate's shoulder, guiding her back towards the pull out bed. Weariness gripped him. Slowly, he shook his head. "For tonight, Kate, but I don't know if she'll ever be okay." Kate nodded slowly. She allowed her fingers to trail across Monique's shoulders as they passed. Monique sighed, and shifted as best she could. The two of them sat on the edge of the bed. Leigh sat in the centre, her arms still pinned behind her back. A bandage covered the place where she'd suffered the cut, but it didn't seem to bother the girl. "Are you all right?" he asked Leigh. Kate swung her legs idly through the darkness as she sat beside the Timeman. Leigh silently nodded, but tears stained her cheeks. Slowly, Leigh shifted towards the side of the bed, hitching her body to the side to make room on the bed for the man and Kate. He could hear Nicole's soft breathing, and what sounded like Andrea. Wearily, he lowered himself back to the bed. In a moment, the girls shifted themselves to lie against him again. This time, they didn't try to arouse him, but lay their heads easily against his shoulders. It took a long time for him to find sleep again. Kate and Leigh found sleep again before he did, but it was a long time of silence before their soft breathing, and warmth against him, lulled him back into dreamland. When he awoke once in the night, the girls still curled up against him, the dream flittered away. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (41 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


He whispered into the darkness. "Dawn." And then sleep reached up and reclaimed him.


Sunlight kissed her face, and it was a moment before she recognised her surroundings. With a light groan, she forced her eyes open to greet the sunlight filtering between the drawn drapes. Must have overslept, she thought. Then the memory of a voice calling out in the dimness: "Oh, God. Oh, God. Dawn. Oh, God." Dawn roused herself, her eyes adjusting to the small hotel room. Beside her, Linda slept on her stomach, her arms tucked under her cheek. Linda's brown hair cascaded across her bare back, and her body disappeared under the sheets, only the curve of her lower back visible in the reflected sunlight. "Oh, God. Dawn. Oh, God." She sensed that the phrase was important, beyond how it made her feel. She pushed the blankets from her skin, and watched as Linda continued to sleep. Troubled, she swung her bare legs from the bed, and fought down her desire to wake the slumbering girl beside her. Her thoughts inexplicably turned to John, twisting. A flush kissed her face. Had it been justified, what had happened between John and her? She shivered. He'd nearly raped her. It seemed so long ago, before all this had descended on her, giving her more responsibility than she ever wanted. Linda depended on her for her very life. Dawn pulled her hands from her face, unsure of when she'd raised them. Guilt flooded her. She'd been with Linda. Sexually. Close. And it still flooded her senses -- her scent, her soft touch, her lips. John flitted into the background, and Dawn reached out to touch Linda's bare shoulder. She wanted her. Wanted her as she'd http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (42 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


never wanted John. Her breasts tingled and her clitoris pulsed as she pulled her hand back before her fingers could rouse Linda. A tear traced down Dawn's cheek, but she pushed herself to stand beside the bed. Linda turned over in her sleep, mumbling. Dawn stood until the other girl had settled again, her soft breathing filling the room. Silently, Dawn padded barefoot from the room, only pausing for a moment before leaving her crumpled jeans and sweatshirt on the floor. Quietly and naked, she closed the door and crossed the living room. She couldn't control it, didn't even try. The scream of shock, and surprise echoed through the small hotel bathroom as the spray of water soaked her bare skin. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck," to remain under the cold spray. of meaning for her. She glanced tap was twisted, but she needed something that she'd regret.

she whispered as she forced herself The repeated word had lost all sense at the handles below. Only the blue this. Needed it before she did

Her thoughts turned briefly to Linda, where the girl presumably still slept peacefully. Naked. In the bed that they'd shared. Naked. Dawn shivered, and tried to control the chattering of her teeth. When at last she allowed herself to step from the frigid spray, her lips were blue, and her body shivered uncontrollably. Idly, she wondered what it might feel like if she were forced to take a cold shower. In front of him. She willed the images away, but not before her body reacted with a groan. Almost in tears, she forced herself back beneath the stinging shower until her shaking was worse than the heat still smouldering between her legs. Her hair dripped across her shoulders as she pulled the hotel supplied white robe over her nakedness. She slipped Linda's comb through her hair one last time, grimacing as it pulled at one final stubborn knot. As she exited the bathroom, she stopped, glancing right and then http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (43 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


left. One direction led to the sleeping naked girl. The other, to the frozen world. She could leave, leave Linda to her own devices, free and obligation free. Linda was married, to the guy frozen outside of the door. Wasn't she? And Dawn? Wasn't she straight? Up until last night, Dawn had thought so. Freedom, or freedom? In the end, she wasn't sure what made her decision. But, at least a part of it was a sense of responsibility. She'd freed the girl, and as such, she was her responsibility. She couldn't leave Linda here. Not by herself. Alone, and possibly frightened, but mostly alone. Dawn turned left, and padded back towards the bedroom. "I'm hungry," Linda said simply, as Dawn slipped back into the bedroom. Dawn paused, bending to retrieve her clothing. Linda smiled, and flipped her hair back and out of her face. She sat, unabashed, her breasts bare and exposed above the covers, but her legs buried beneath. Dawn straightened, leaving her clothes where they lay crumpled at her bare feet. "Good morning," Dawn said. Her lips found a smile without any urging. Linda swung herself out of bed, and stood easily, without any apparent shame. Dawn shivered, the cold from the shower still infusing her a little. Linda walked up to Dawn, reached up on her tiptoes, and kissed Dawn on the cheek. "Good morning," she whispered. Then as the kiss registered, she added, "You're cold." Dawn stepped back. The kiss ignited her nipples and her clitoris again, and she stifled a small moan. "I took a cold shower." Linda nodded, as if that made all the sense in the world. Perhaps it did. After a moment, Dawn said, "Any idea where we can scrounge breakfast?" Linda placed her hands on her hips, and an expression of concentration flowed across her features. "He got a room service cart from somewhere." Dawn nodded, remembering the cart in the front foyer.



"But it's probably not much good now," Linda continued. "We can look for another, I suppose." Dawn followed Linda from the room. Linda's bare feet whispered over the carpet until she reached the front door. She hesitated there, glancing back towards the bedroom. "Why don't you get dressed?" she said to Dawn. Dawn looked down, and realised that all she wore was the robe. She shrugged. "Will anyone see us?" Linda laughed. "I doubt it. I don't have much choice, though." "You could wear the robe," Dawn said. Her fingers began to release the belt. A worried expression flowed over Linda's face. She spoke slowly. "I. I trust you, Dawn. I really do. But if he comes back and finds me ... anything other than naked. I don't think you can save me. And I can't go through that again. I can't." Dawn nodded slowly. She could sense him -- he was far away, somewhere to the north, and judging by the spin of his tennis ball, he was relaxed, probably sleeping. Dawn took a deep breath. Her breasts were nearly in fits even thinking about it. She closed her eyes, and dropped the robe. It slid down her bare skin until it pooled around her ankles. "Let's go," she whispered. Linda cast her a quizzical glance, but then slipped between the small gap in the door, out past Mark, and down the hallway. After a second, when her mind was unable to convince her body otherwise, Dawn followed, shivering as her bare nipples rubbed gently at the door as she passed. A small moan escaped her, as desire began to seep back into her being. It was going to be a long, long day. Somewhere on the eighth floor, Linda cried out in triumph, and ran ahead towards a figure in the middle of the hallway. As Dawn caught up at a more sedate pace, she saw that the figure was a bellboy, or rather a bell girl, dressed in red, and pushing a cart with a large shiny cover. Linda stood on one side of the cart, her fingers extended and hooked around the handle of the tray. It didn't budge, as frozen as the girl pushing the cart.



"It's cold," Linda said quietly. She pulled her fingers away. "Dead." Dawn shivered, memories of touching people in her initial panic in the school flowing through her. Dead. All dead. "Stand back," Dawn whispered, and Linda did so, prancing away from the cart and the girl. "You aren't going to wake her, are you?" Linda asked. Her arm stole to cover her exposed breasts, and she began to turn her nudity towards the hallway wall. "I doubt very much if I could," Dawn said. What she didn't add was an admission that she wasn't sure that she could even free the inanimate objects on the cart. She could feel the sexuality blossom in her as she began to push her time bubble to encase the cart, or failing that, to enclose the tray of food. Standing nude in the middle of this hotel hallway, didn't help. She groaned, as her nipples and clitoris cried out for a touch. She willed her hands to her side. But the release of last night -- the sweet release -- seemed to still have residual effect, as the bubble enclosed over the tray. In a daze, she reached forward and picked up the tray. As soon as she touched it, the bubble remained without conscious thought, and though the results raced through her nerves, she smiled. "Breakfast," she whispered. Linda managed to grab the tray before Dawn fell to her knees, breathing heavily and crying. The tray sat between them, a mound of fresh fruit and cream, tickling Dawn's senses. Linda sat cross-legged, her back leaning easily against the wall. The bell girl stared down the hallway in the opposite direction. Linda patted her tummy, and smiled. "I recommend the fruit tray," she said with a laugh. She settled back, resting. Dawn grinned, and popped a last piece of cantaloupe into her mouth and chewed at the sweetness. The flashes of sexuality had fallen back to acceptable levels. She no longer dreamed of ravishing Linda -- at least nothing that she couldn't handle. "Glad you liked it." "Why is freeing things so hard for you?" Linda asked quietly. "I thought you were going to die back there."



Dawn sighed, and closed her eyes. "It's hard to explain." "Does it hurt?" Dawn laughed. "Not really -- it's more like -- it's embarrassing." "Embarrassing?" Dawn nodded mutely. Linda leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees. "Dawn, I've been stripped naked, and forced to have sex with other girls -- no offence -- but I'm not really lesbian. I've been tied up, my nipples clamped, my tits connected to my ankles and whipped. I've been made to beg, naked, and alone. And you're embarrassed?" Dawn shook her head. "I'm sorry about all that." "Are you sorry about last night?" Dawn looked down. Her own legs were crossed could faintly smell her arousal, intermixed strawberries and cream. It wasn't a noxious opposite. She was clean, and at the moment,

in front of her, and she with the scent of scent, quite the only mildly aroused.

"A little, Linda." Linda was quiet for a moment, and when Dawn looked up, Linda seemed to be crying. "I'm alone here," Linda said. "Mark isn't here, and I've known him all my life. He's always taken care of me. I've never known anyone else but him. And he's wonderful. I'm embarrassed about what we did last night, too, but I wouldn't change it. I'd do it again, too, if you wanted. I think you saved me, and you tried -- to save Mark, too." Dawn was quiet for a moment. When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. "When I free things, my body squeezes." "Squeezes?" "I don't know how to explain it. I -- get horny -- aroused. It hurts, I need sex so badly. I try to fight it, but then things like last night happen." Dawn paused. "Actually, that's the only time it happened. Usually, I just ..." Linda nodded as if she understood. "Why can't you free her?" She nodded towards the girl dressed in red, standing oblivious above the seated girls.



"People are harder. It hurts more. It squeezes more." "Oh," Linda said. After a moment, she spoke to the floor at her feet. "We can do it again, if it will help you. I don't mind." Dawn sighed. At the mention of repeating last night, her breasts and between her legs sang out in affirmation. She willed away the sensations. "I can't," Dawn said. "Last night was ... different." "I liked last night. I know I won't remember it when all is said and done, but I liked last night." Dawn pushed herself to her feet. As Linda reached up to grasp her fingers lightly to pull her own body up, the touch ignited more passions in Dawn, and she groaned without being able to stop it. (Oh, yes. I liked last night, too.) Without thought she bent to kiss Linda. When their lips met, arousal exploded within Dawn, and another moan escaped. Her body bade her follow, but she forced herself back as the kiss broke. Joining hands, the girls began to return to the honeymoon suite, two floors above. Behind them, the fruit tray jumped instantaneously from the floor, back onto the tray in front of the bell girl. As it did so, Dawn tightened her grasp on Linda's fingers. With a smile, Linda tightened her own grip.


"Are you sure?" Linda asked. Linda perched upon the tiles, her legs emersed in the hot tub. The tub once again bubbled beneath the windows. Dawn stood easily below the deck, her hands grasped easily behind her bare back. Slowly, she shook her head. (No. I'm not sure. I want nothing but to fuck you again. All day and all night, and forget about this insane stopped http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (48 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


world that we are suddenly a part of. I want to kiss you, and slip my fingers inside of you, pumping and licking, and loving. I want to taste you, and have you taste me. And I don't want this fucking responsibility anymore. I don't. I don't. I don't.) "I want to, Linda. I do. But I shouldn't." Linda peered down at Dawn skeptically. "We're outside of Time. Nobody will ever know. Not Mark, and not even me. Are you sure. I certainly don't mind. I even want to." It took all her willpower to deny her breasts. "I'm sure." Linda nodded, as if she understood, and pushed herself slowly off the edge and into the bubbles. She sighed as she settled beneath the warm water. Dawn stepped forward, and settled herself on the edge. She hesitated for a moment, then slipped her feet into the tub with Linda. She sighed as the water encased her bare feet. Surprised, she realised that they ached with the rest of her. "Changed your mind?" Linda said. A smile graced her soft lips. With a start, Dawn realised that her toes on her right foot had slipped between Linda's thighs, and were lightly stroking the bare skin underwater. She pulled her foot from Linda. For a moment, Linda seemed disappointed, but then composed herself again, not returning her thigh to Dawn's foot, even though she might have easily. "I'm sorry," Dawn whispered. "One for the road," Linda said in a husky whisper. Dawn shook her head. Her breasts screamed at her, begging for Linda's gentle fingers, once again. "Come with me," Dawn said. "Not because of the sex -- though it is good, you know that -- because you should come with me. It's not over yet." "He'll kill me," Linda said. Fear etched onto her face. "I can protect you. He doesn't even know you aren't here." Linda laughed, her voice almost regretful. "I felt him." "What?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (49 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


Dawn glanced around, as if the Timeman had snuck up behind her. And she hadn't even dressed yet. For some reason, that bothered her. Meeting the Timeman naked. That wouldn't be good for a girl, would it? "Last night." "Last night? When?" Linda hesitated. "In my head -- distant and far away. I wasn't afraid, not then, but he heard me. I'm sure of it." "Heard what?" Linda hesitated. "When I -- er -- when you -- and I -- um --" Dawn sighed, shifting her eyes downwards. The top slopes of Linda's breasts peeked above the bubbles. She completed the sentence for Linda. "Climaxed?" Linda nodded. "He was in my head. He heard me. I can't explain it." Dawn sighed, dread beginning to replace some of the arousal. He knew. Somehow, he knew. And it wasn't so much the lesbian encounter that bothered her -- but rather that he knew that she was there. It filled her belly with unease and trepidation. But also with anticipation. "Come with me." Tears now tracked down Linda's cheeks, as she shook her head. "I want to, Dawn. I do. It's not the fear, it's not him. I swear it." "Then come with me." "I can't leave Mark. This isn't real -- not for me. Not you and me. I enjoyed it -- perhaps more so because it isn't real. I got to experience you -- and nobody will ever know -- not even me. It was -- free. Do you understand?" Dawn nodded. Tears filled her eyes. "I can't leave him. I've had fun, in a way -- not the torture, but -- with you. But I can't leave him. I can't. Don't you understand that? I love him." Dawn nodded. She pulled her feet from the bath, and pushed herself up. She dripped on the tile, her feet suddenly chilled outside of http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (50 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


the hot tub. Thoughts of John, and that last night -- Hawking flying through the air towards her head -- permeated her mind. Dawn sighed. Merely because John had been a shit, didn't mean that Mark was. "I understand," Dawn said slowly. Linda nodded, and Dawn bent to kiss her cheek. At the last second, Linda turned, and the girls connected at the lips. Shivers flitted through Dawn's spine as Linda's tongue probed, for only a moment, then retreated. "I really enjoyed last night," Linda whispered. "Me, too," Dawn said as she straightened. (More than you can know.) "Good-bye," Dawn said quietly. Before Linda could respond, Dawn withdrew the bubble, and Linda fell back into slower time, again slipping into the control of the Timeman, and out of Dawn's influence. "Good-bye," Dawn whispered again. She turned away, and moved towards the bedroom, not bothering with the white robe that remained near the front entrance, her bare feet whispering across the carpet. It almost felt odd, pulling her panties and her jeans over her legs. Barefoot, she gathered the remainder of her clothing, her bra, and her sweatshirt, and her shoes and socks, and wandered back out to the sitting area where she could see Linda's frozen form lounging in the bathtub. She missed her already, and she was still there. Dawn settled into a sofa, and closed her eyes. She could see the tennis balls, all the girls somewhere to the north, and Linda and Mark's presence close and comforting. The Timeman's ball spun lazily near the northern girls. She gasped as his ball sped up momentarily, then like the voice of a ghost, her own name filtered through the haze. "Dawn," a male voice whispered, close and cloying within the confines of her mind. (He was in my mind, I can't explain it.) http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (51 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


Dawn shivered, and wrapped her arms about her breasts, allowing her top and shoes to tumble to the floor at her feet. She glanced at Linda. (I want her. I want her. I want her.) But did she want her for company, or much more? The answer was scary, and Dawn pushed the thoughts from her mind. Without thinking, she pushed herself up and walked over to the tub. Linda lounged peacefully within the confines of frozen bubbles. (Linda. Linda. Linda.) Before she even realised what she was doing, she pushed the time bubble. It hesitated at Linda's bare skin. Dawn could feel her, almost like last night, close and soft beneath the water. Dawn's breasts tingled, partially in memory, partially in anticipation. (Mark. I love him.) With one last push, Dawn forced the bubble outward, away from herself. (No. Yes. No. Yes. Mark. John. Sex.) With a final cry, Dawn collapsed, her breasts throbbing, her clitoris fairly screaming in desire. Dawn squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the images. Her on her knees, naked, licking Linda. Linda naked on her knees, licking. Licking. Teeth. Thighs. Bellies. Nipples. Kisses. With a groan, Dawn forced her fingers from the junction of her thighs. Her jeans felt damp down there, but Dawn wasn't sure if it was internal, or external. The tiles were still damp from her exit from the tub, long ago. If she climaxed here -- maybe -- just maybe -- she could force the bubble to encase Linda again. Just maybe. (Please no. I don't want to. It isn't fair on her.) The bubble collapsed inward, and after a few minutes, Dawn rose to her hands and knees, crying -- frustration and shame fighting for dominance within her mind. "Linda," Dawn whispered. "I can't do it." But she could. She knew she could. If only for Linda. All it would take is three pinches of her right nipple, and her fingers working between her legs. Like ... this. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (52 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


She tore her fingers from her vagina, scratching her wrist on the rough material of her blue jeans. (But it feels so good. Please. Just for a moment longer.) Crying out, she ran back towards her clothing. She slipped on the sweatshirt, without bothering with her bra, then picking up her shoes and socks, she ran towards the doorway. "I'm sorry, Linda. So sorry," she whispered. She stood near the doorway, her fingers on the unmoving knob. Mark stood hunched over outside, on the other side of the gap. Linda lay, unaware beneath her bubbles. With a final look, Dawn slipped out, her breasts dragging, and crying out with demands. She danced around Mark, and ran down the hallway. It wasn't until she was safely in the fire stairs that she sat and pulled socks over her bare toes, and then jammed her feet into her runners. Then carrying her bra, she ran down the ten flights without pausing. Breathing hard, both from the descent, and from pure arousal, Dawn sat down on the curb, fresh air and bright noon sunlight caressing her face. She glanced up and down the street. Frozen people seemed to be staring at her from both direction on the sidewalk. Ignoring them, she stood. Her body continued to shake, but the inexplicable arousal had retreated a little. She could concentrate beyond the desire to bury her fingers within herself. She stared at the piece of cloth dangling from her hand. It seemed obscene to put the bra back around herself, trapping her breasts. Her impulse was to throw it into the gutter. Nobody here would care if she wore a bra. The only other shithead alive would actually, likely, prefer if she didn't wear any clothing, she was sure. "Fuck it," she said simply. She placed the strip of white cloth on the hood of a frozen BMW, where an old lady, and perhaps her granddaughter stared out into traffic that wasn't there. With one motion, she whipped the sweatshirt from her body, suddenly sure that with her luck, the world would start up again while she stood half naked, and bare breasted in the middle of Front Street. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (53 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


She closed her eyes, and returned the bra to its rightful place, shrugging by rote into the straps. She had no idea that she would voluntarily be giving up this symbol of modesty far sooner than she expected. She slipped the sweatshirt back over her head, and opened her eyes again after it was settled over her waist. With a sigh, she walked to her Buick, and opened the door. It opened easily, it remaining in her time. An image of herself, masturbating, infused her -- teasing her with memories of how she'd had to struggle to obtain this simple mode of transport. And that had been magnitudes simpler to achieve than freeing Linda from her prison of Time. Dawn fought the impulses to touch herself, twisting the key in the ignition. It seemed to be getting stronger -- the sexual pressures -- the results of this Timeline. It might kill her, or turn her into a raving nymphomaniac. Whatever the outcome, it was definitely getting stronger, the closer she drew to him. One way or the other, she had to try. With a sigh, she twisted the steering wheel. She glanced up once -she imagined that she could see Linda standing naked and waving from ten floors up. Of course, that was impossible, but a tingle raced through her just the same. (North. He's north.) She didn't know how she knew that he was north of her, but the urge was implanted within her. Alone, now, she felt like a migrating bird. North. The Buick turned neatly under her control, and she began to weave slowly through the stopped traffic. North. North. North. The combination of a bus, and two lanes of opposing traffic conspired against the Buick and Dawn. She could sense him, close and cloying. Dread and danger settled deep into her belly.



"Shit," she whispered. Her eyes scanned the traffic, while her fingers drummed against the wheel. Below, her breasts and clitoris seemed to complain more and more as she travelled slowly north. It had been hours since she had left the Westin, picking her way slowly northward out of the city centre, and towards him and his naked girls. She still didn't understand the relationship between Kate, and Leigh, and the Timeman -- was sure that she didn't want to know. But she couldn't sit idly by and let him continue to whip them and attach clothespins to them. Continue to frustrate them, even while she was sucked into the fantasy, no matter how much she didn't want to see the girls naked, on their knees, begging, and crying, her own desires inexplicably linked to Kate, and Leigh, and the others. She couldn't sit still and safe -- not any longer. Her breasts ached. With a sigh, she threw the gearshift into Park, and slipped from the vehicle, softly closing the door. She left the keys dangling from the ignition. Who would steal the car -- in this world? Even in the real world, she doubted if anyone would be desperate enough to steal the hunk of tin. "Time to hoof it," she said to herself as she stepped up onto the sidewalk. The cool air caressed her face as she began to walk north, leaving the Buick parked behind the bus. The houses were more like castles on this street, tucked into the centre of the metropolis. She'd only been in this part of town a few times in her life, and of those, she had never stopped. The people who lived in neighbourhoods like this kept guard dogs, and security systems which would alert the police to any trespassers. Imposing gates slipped by as she walked along the shoulder of the roadway. (Here. Here. Here.) She halted, the sounds of her running shoes scraping to a stop. The gates here were open. She'd seen this home before. Something caught her attention -- something minute. Something out of place in this strange and silent world. She swayed, allowing her shoulder to touch the warm brick of the gate. It wasn't cold and distant as most of the world. It took her a moment to understand what was unusual. A black squirrel stood on its hind paws and chittered at her, as if challenging her, like a guard squirrel. A squirrel. Common enough http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (55 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


in her old world -- a nuisance, even. Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here. (Here. Here. Here.) She sighed, and slipped around the black metal gates, her fingers trailing along the cold metal. The house beyond looked eerily familiar, until she recognised the entrance marble from one of her visions -- one where she'd been Kate, naked and collared. She shivered as the memory drove more desire deep into her. She had the nearly irresistible urge to strip, here and now -- use her fingers, irrationally sure that her arousal would reveal her presence, but to silence her raging hormones would blanket her in a shroud of obscurity. Instead, unheeding of the damp earth, she slipped into the gardens, and crept towards the house. Every twig that snapped under her foot, and every leave that rustled, made her jump, heart racing. Spring flowers, a mixture of tulips and daffodils, sprung from the black earth beyond the pines under which she crouched. The sharp tang of pine needles surrounded her. She could sense them, vaguely, within, spinning beyond the brick and mortar rising like a shield beyond the cover of the branches where she crouched. Her heart sped up. They weren't asleep. The girls within were all awake, and the larger more distinct ball of the Timeman spun closer and more dangerously than did the girls. She was unable to determine their specific activities, but they were all near one another, moving about with wakeful purpose. Dawn shivered, and crept closer.


He awoke, disoriented, two weights pressing gently against his shoulders. The soft scent of clover infused his nostrils. It took him a moment to realise that the weights were heads, and the sweet scent of clover rose from soft feminine hair intermixed upon his http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (56 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


chest -- strands of brunette and crimson. Leigh mumbled something completely incoherent as he quietly shifted from beneath her. Kate made soft noises of complaint as he gently moved her head from his shoulder to the pillow. Carefully, he pulled the covers back over the girls, and padded to the sofa. There, Monique lay, still tied to Andrea, their bare skin touching at the hips and breasts. Despite all her protests, Monique slept, her eyes closed, and her ribcage rising and falling. Her fingers twitched occasionally behind her back. Andrea looked more peaceful, her head propped against the sofa arm. He grimaced, sure that the girls would be sore when they awakened, but not able to do anything about that at the moment. He turned towards the last girl. Nicole's eyes fluttered open as he approached, and she smiled. She pulled at her bound hands for a moment, but then relaxed as he placed his fingers against her lips. "Shhhh," he said. Nicole nodded, and he released her mouth. "Good morning," Nicole said in a whisper. "You can sleep a little longer, if you like," he said. Nicole nodded, almost thankfully, and lay her head back down. He tucked the blanket around her nudity, and kissed her gently on her uninjured cheek. Nicole smiled again, and before he even had straightened, she seemed to fall asleep again. A flash of her screaming in night terror touched him, and he shivered for a moment. This girl was never going to be peaceful. Ironically, as she sat in a living room chair, naked and handcuffed, it was probably the most comfort that she'd enjoyed since returning to this house after dropping out of school. With a small sigh, he padded from the room, and into the kitchen. Noon sunlight lit the room. It felt wrong -- the light should have been more on the horizon, filtering in with cool rays of morning light. He shrugged, and opened the refrigerator. He stood without moving for a moment, his head cocked to the side, almost as if he were listening for an intruder. She was back. Her presence lay exactly at the mental coordinates in which he'd left her. Linda, the girl in the honeymoon suite, had returned to his control. Even from here, he could wake her, and free her into the hot tub in which she undoubtedly still lay. He didn't. Almost in a panic, he cast about, looking for that shielded presence -- the girl. Dawn. The one of the dusty blonde hair. He wasn't exactly sure, but he didn't feel her in the hotel suite any longer. She'd released Linda back under his control, and disappeared, as if she were smoke amongst the haze.



He stood with one hand upon the refrigerator door, cool air washing over his jeans. The door rattled as he gripped it, the knuckles of his left hand turning white. Where? Where? Where? Linda was back. Dawn was gone. Images of Dawn crouching outside the gate, brandishing a shotgun flitted through his mind. He narrowed his mind, like a searchlight, casting closer to the mansion. Oh yes, she was close. Not here. Not yet. But close. He wasn't afraid of her. Her approach seemed -- inevitable. Fated. Balanced. He wasn't sure. But he would have to meet the girl. She might not like it, any more than he did, but somehow, it seemed determined and unavoidable. He didn't know where she was, or even if she truly existed, but a sense of nervous anticipation rumbled through him. The door rattled again, breaking his concentration. A soft laugh issued from his lips. He was fairly certain that he could stop a shotgun from firing. She might control time, somewhat, but could she free a trigger if he chose to freeze it? He envisioned a tug or war, shifting the balance of time between two -- him and her. In each iteration of the vision, his side of the celestial rope shifted away from hers, tightening, pulling Dawn forward through brute and uncompromising strength. If he were so strong, though, why couldn't he pinpoint her presence? Why? Worst case, could he not simply raise a shield of frozen air about himself, stopping the bullet before it reached his heart? What if she shot before he saw her? He shivered. Not likely to happen. Somehow, he knew her, almost as if she were a sister, or a close lover. She wouldn't shoot him, not without provocation, not without confrontation. Not Dawn. He relaxed a little, even though he had no idea of how he knew with so much certainty that she was no danger to his person. She was coming. Oh, yes. Dawn approached. He could sense her, vaguely through the mists. She was real. And she was coming. He bit at his lower lip, and reached into the refrigerator. The door snicked shut as he rested a container of orange juice upon the counter.



Dawn approached. And when she finally made the pilgrimage to him, he would be ready for her. He had to be. For the sake of everyone. He carried the glass of orange juice carefully. Though it didn't much matter if he spilled it -- not here and now -- habit guided his arm and hand as he stepped into the living room where the girls continued to sleep peacefully. His penis throbbed almost painfully as Leigh turned over. The blanket fell from her skin, revealing a single bared breast, peeking out from the tangle of the covers. Her breathing continued, soft and steady. Yes. He wanted her, and she was so available, and even willing. Leigh, and Kate, and Andrea, and Monique, and probably even Nicole. If he wanted, all he need do now was ask them. Each girl would gladly satisfy his every whim, within limits. And for some of them, sex was within their limits. Oh, yes. Bound. Naked. Helpless. And it aroused him. Without question his power over them aroused him. Painfully. He didn't understand why he waited. It was more than simply an unwillingness to force himself directly upon their bodies. Rape was an ugly word, but he wasn't stupid. Even standing here, watching them sleep, bound, was probably technically rape, if there were judges and lawyers and police to make that determination in an unbiased manner. In the very least, sexual assault, and those were ugly words, too. He wasn't stupid. If it weren't for the timeline aspect, he supposed, the thought of doing this to the girls would be completely unacceptable. Keeping them in chains, helpless and naked, against their will, unconscionable. Somehow, and he didn't understand it, he had carried over the old inhibitions. Rape was an ugly word, no matter where one stood, no matter how it was rationalised. He could rape them -- but did he want to? That was the question. His feet whispered over the carpet silently, the girls blissfully unaware of his early presence. They had reason to be tired, and he was more than willing to let them sleep. The pit in his stomach suggested that they might very well have a trying day ahead. Let them sleep in. He turned at the doorway, watching them again. Leigh's nipple rose and fell, lifting the sheet gently in cadence with her sleep breathing. Her nipple tempted him, called to him. His penis ached in response, demanding. He wanted to sigh, but didn't. Leigh and Kate and Andrea and Monique and Nicole were exceptionally beautiful in their own ways. He'd kept them. Forced them. Done things to them and with them that fell beyond the realms of http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (59 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


controlling fantasies. And he was aroused. He wanted them all. But was it enough to cause this? His penis throbbed, and while it throbbed in rhythm with Leigh's rising and falling breast, he was sure that there was more to this. Dawn. He felt her, joined to her, even if he couldn't sense her. She was suffering somewhere, though he didn't fully understand. But it had to do with his state of arousal. As she moved closer to him, through the mists of Time, his arousal become more and more in control of his being. His concentration was flagging, and the control over Time would become tenuous as she approached. With a flash, he understood. Somehow. She was aroused, not so much from the control, as was he, but more because of what she'd seen, had to do to survive in this strange and mixed up world. Something similar was happening to Leigh, and Kate, and maybe Andrea and Monique. Time control was changing them, changing their hormones in strange and arousing ways, to the point of tears of sexual frustration. And he was keeping them from satisfaction, with the purest form of control. He sighed. Dawn approached. Might even be here. His penis ached. He glanced one last time at Leigh. He was tempted to cross the room and cover her again, but he knew that his will at fighting the impulses was weakening. He needed to think. To approach Leigh now, would be to ravish her. And while it had its appeal, that ugly word rose unbidden from the depths of his mind. It did nothing to quell the ache, but he slowly turned away, walking through silent corridors towards the back of the house, leaving the tease of the naked girls safely sleeping in the living room. God. His penis ached. He sipped at his orange juice, gazing out across the expanse of the estate that he'd co-opted into his base. The immaculate lawn rolled away from the house ending in well tended gardens. Coming from outside, one would never presume that Nicole might be suffering untold and very real torments within the confines of this perfect palace. He sighed again, and sipped at the orange juice.



He sat in the junction of the wall, the bay shelf, and the oversized window itself, enjoying the mellow warmth of the unusual morning-noon sunshine. Except for the height of the sun, it was morning. His belly rumbled, complaining that the orange juice simply was not enough to maintain the energy level required to keep the universe in check. He would have to wake them soon. He doubted if the girls would mind. Someone would know how to cook breakfast and his belly rumbled assent. He shifted his position, draining the last of the juice and setting the glass on the shelf beside his thigh. Dawn was approaching. Might even be here already. The gardens beyond the glass of the window remained silent and still. She was out there. Somewhere. Dangerous. Uncontrolled. (Beautiful.) Movement caught his eyes, and he gasped, unaware of the tightness in his strung muscles. His eyes darted across the cropped lawn. Movement? Where? Where? Where? After a moment, the movement repeated itself. A black squirrel rose up on its hind legs, searching for food, or company of which it might never find. Not here. His body relaxed, and the squirrel scampered through the blades of grass towards the front of the house, something there catching its attention. He picked up the glass. He could have one of the girls retrieve the glass later -- any of them would have performed the small, safe, task without complaint, but he hefted the juice glass in his left hand and swung his legs down. Dawn approached. She might even be here already. Not much he could do about it yet, but a plan began to form within his mind. He didn't think the frightened girl would approach and knock on the door. Oh no. In fact, if she were smart, she would never even show herself. And if there was one thing he was certain of, Dawn wasn't stupid either. No. There would be no knock on the front door. There would be no announcement of her presence. At least not until she was ready. And by then, a bullet might be racing at his head. The glimmering of a plan coalesced, and he smiled. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (61 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM



The too bright morning light through her eyelids, rousing wasn't naked, and she wasn't were supposed to. Squirrels,

grated harshly into Leigh's eyes her from a pleasant dream where she bound, and people moved around as they too, for that matter.

"What?" she muttered, moving her shoulder as best she could in an attempt to avoid the shaking hand that was placed there. A voice, feminine and close to her ear, whispered urgently. Leigh vaguely recognised the voice, but couldn't quite reconcile the presence of the popular girl from school, Kate, with her comfortable bedroom. "Wake up, Leigh. He wants us awake now. You have to get up." "In a minute, Mom. It's Saturday." The gentle fingers returned to her shoulder, and shook her insistently again. The sound of chains jingling reached her ears, close and confusing. Her hands were trapped behind her -- when she tried to raise them to brush away the insistent fingers on her shoulder, only her shoulders complained, and loudly, but her hands remained stubbornly behind her back. "I have no idea what day it is anymore, but it isn't Saturday. Come on, Leigh, you have to wake up." A soft pair of lips brushed her cheek, and Leigh opened her eyes, blinking and disoriented. Kate knelt beside her on the pull-out bed, smiling, her red hair tangled, but shiny upon her bare shoulders. Kate's hands were free, and as Leigh finally opened her eyes to the strange morning, Kate pulled her hands back from her insistent shaking. "Good morning, sleepyhead," a male voice said quietly from behind her. It came flooding back to her, and Leigh groaned, working herself over to her side, releasing her hands from their prison between the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (62 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


small of her back and the mattress. The covers still lay across her body, and she flushed, realising that her clothing lay folded neatly in English class, a remarkably long way from here. She bit her lip, but tried to smile up at the naked redhead beside her. The covers slipped from her nudity, and Leigh felt the flush rising more insistently through her face. A click, and a jingle later, and her hands were no longer behind her back. She could barely move her arms, but with effort, she did, her hands appearing in front of her face they were made from wood. The fingers didn't want to obey mental commands.

trapped some as though her

Kate flashed her a grin, and swung her bare legs from the bed. "Good morning, and welcome to our world," she whispered. Leigh was vaguely aware of the Timeman moving away from her. She was absurdly happy that he was no longer paying attention to her, though the memories came flooding back. She had been tied to tables, and basketball nets, naked and open, and helpless to stop him from ogling her body as much as he desired. Slowly, she sat up. He approached Monique and Andrea, who were stirring, but tied far worse than Leigh had been, upon the sofa. The two girls had been tied breast to breast, and belly to belly. God knew how they had slept at all. Kate leaned back on her hands, her bare breasts thrusting forward. It made no sense to Leigh, but the image pushed tendrils of arousal through her. Then she remembered last night, nearly out of her mind with sex, wanting anyone -- the Timeman, Kate, Andrea -- or maybe all of them at once. Her fingers began to obey her, and Kate watched her hands intently. "It's going to hurt, Leigh." "What is?" Then the pain hit her -- tingling, insistent fire, racing through the sleeping nerves of her forearms and mostly her hands. Leigh cried out, before she could stop it, an animal cry rising from her throat. She clamped it off as soon as she was able, but it had thrust the other girls from their more gentle waking. Nicole sat upright her eyes fearful and staring. Still the pain, like needles and pins thrust through her skin, tipped with acid, kissed her palms, her fingers, even under her fingernails. Kate moved quickly down the bed, waving at the Timeman. He turned away, gently soothing Andrea and Monique who remained bound and lying on the sofa. Leigh cradled her hands, tears streaming down her face. Even the movement of her limbs through the air intensified the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (63 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


sensations, and she stifled another cry, trying to keep still. "I told you," Kate said. Incredibly, she grinned. "Same thing happened to me, before I woke you." "It hurts. It hurts," Leigh moaned. "He does know how to torture us," Kate said good-naturedly. "It hurts." "It will pass. Keep them still." Leigh fought the impulse to throw herself into Kate's arms, knowing that any sudden movement would drive new needles into her hands and forearms. But after a moment, as if fuelled by Kate's words, the sensations began to ease. The tears still fell, but the quiet sobs withered away as her nerves settled back to a more normal place. "See?" Leigh nodded. Kate reached forward, and took Leigh's hands into her own. Gently, Kate's fingers rubbed the last of the needles from her skin, and with a sigh, Leigh returned her hands to her lap. "God, that hurt." Kate nodded. "Better than being whipped, though." Leigh paled, and glanced at the Timeman. He was whispering to the two bound girls on the sofa. Kate watched him for a moment, too, then returned her gaze to Leigh. "We're still here," she said almost glumly. "And we're still alive," Leigh managed to find a smile. "I just wish we had some clothes." "When you find the Genie in the lamp, let me know. I have a few wishes of my own." Leigh laughed, and settled down to wait for the other girls to rise, and works the kinks of the uncomfortable night from their naked bodies. Monique sat moaning on the sofa, tears of pain and discomfort falling from her eyes. Leigh wanted to go to the girl, but Andrea, who had to be equally as uncomfortable, seemed to have the situation under control, her arms wrapped around the naked lawyer, smoothing her sleep mussed hair as best she could.



To the side, the Timeman released Nicole who said something too quietly to be heard, but the Timeman smiled and nodded. Leigh wrapped her arms about her knees, waiting. That was the hardest part about all this -- not quite knowing what was coming next. The Timeman seemed mostly in control, most of the time, even seeming kind occasionally. In other circumstances, Leigh thought, she might even be mildly attracted to him. Who was she kidding? She'd nearly begged the man to ravish her last night -- along with Kate. A flush began to rise into her face again, but she managed to fight it down before it reddened her cheeks. There was a lot to be embarrassed about here, but last night really took the cake. She'd begged him to rape her. She shook her head. Kate sat easily beside her, watching Monique and Andrea, indecision reflected in her face. Her face reflected a desire to help, too, but the redhead resisted the urge. Andrea seemed to have Monique under a semblance of control. Kate was another unlikely pairing. The girl was popular -- how couldn't she be? Tall, slim, red haired. And seeing her without her clothing -- that explained all. Of all the girls in school to be paired with in this nightmare, she wouldn't have guessed Kate would be here with her, caring and kind. Actually, Kate made more sense -at least from a physical standpoint. Leigh wasn't popular. Smart, perhaps. Even reasonably attractive. But popular? No. She was hardly the cheerleading type. She glanced at her own nudity. This wasn't the time for vanity, silly comparisons, was it? Kate and her were in this together, like it or not. Kate turned and smiled at her. Without thinking, Leigh smiled back. A tingle flittered down her spine. She knew what it meant, but didn't want to think about it. It was all tied into last night, if one could call it night with the sun shining as if lunch were about to be served. Monique rubbed at her neck. Silent tears dripped down her face. Andrea's face reflected the same discomfort as Monique's but somehow Andrea seemed to be controlling her own tears. But to Leigh, it was obvious. The blonde haired girl wanted to cry -- but wasn't. Andrea's ministrations were providing her with an outlet, something to keep her mind off her own pain. The Timeman moved towards Andrea and Monique, crouched and spoke, his words floating over to towards Kate and Leigh. "... muscles sore?" Monique touched her neck, and reached around to touch the small of her back. She sniffled, hanging her head to look at the Timeman http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (65 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


below her. Andrea nodded. "Me, too. I didn't realise it until you let us go. Christ, it feels like we've been hit by a damn truck." Andrea groaned. "I don't think I was designed to sleep like that." The Timeman reached up and began to work his hands into Monique's shoulders. For a second, Leigh thought that Monique would balk, insist that he didn't touch her, but instead, she closed her eyes. Each time he pressed, she moaned, flinching. A small voice rose up from the opposite corner. "I'm pretty good at massage," Nicole said quietly. "If you'd like, I can do that for you. If you want to hurt her, though ..." He looked up sharply, and pulled his fingers from Monique's skin. "No. I didn't want to hurt her. I've never been able to give a massage. I just thought I'd try to help her." Unspoken was the guilt factor: since-I-caused-it. Nicole pushed herself up from the chair, grimaced, but not in the same way as Monique was. It was pain, but it was caused by her broken ribs, or the bruise across her face. Leigh wasn't sure which. Nicole looked more like she needed pain relief than Monique did. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw Kate slip from the bed, and head unimpeded towards the front hallway. If the Timeman objected to her leaving without permission, he didn't voice it, though Leigh noted that the man was fully aware of Kate's departure. Nicole approached Monique, and lay her hands on Monique's shoulders. "Tell me if it hurts, okay?" she said evenly. With that, her fingers began to knead the naked girl, and instead of the grunts of pain that had been her mantra before, Monique's eyes widened and a contented sigh issued forth from her lips. Andrea watched, cross-legged on the sofa, a wistful look in her eyes. The Timeman began to walk towards the bed where Leigh sat. At another time, Leigh might have shrunk back, but it would have done no good. She had nowhere to go, nowhere to run. Time itself was against her. Half-way to the bed, the Timeman turned. "Nicole?" The girl looked up easily. There was no fear in her eyes. She'd been to hell and back. This was a breeze. In this world, Nicole http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-111-120.html (66 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:01 PM


merely was naked. She wasn't beaten before she slept. And only loose handcuffs secured her. Leigh couldn't imagine the girl's life -didn't even want to think about that animal upstairs and what he'd done to his daughter. "When Monique is done, can you do Andrea, too?" "Of course," Nicole said easily. She resumed pressing her hands and even her elbows into Monique's bare back. Andrea looked up and smiled at her captor. "Thank-you," she said simply. "Thank Nicole, when she's done." "I will." Kate reappeared from the front hallway, and walked over towards Nicole. She held out her right hand palm up. Nicole looked up, and asked the Timeman with her eyes. He nodded, and she grasped the analgesic into her hand. "Don't," Kate said severely. Nicole laughed. "But, I'm used to it ..." "I can't watch you dry swallow them. Hold on." With that, Kate scampered across the room, back to where she had placed the glass last night. A few drops remained. She picked it up, and brought it to Nicole. Monique moaned once, but tried to keep her pain down while Nicole dealt with hers. Nicole smiled. To Leigh, it was obvious that there wasn't enough water in the glass, but Nicole tried to please Kate. She popped the pills onto her tongue and lifted the glass to her lips. Working her throat, she swallowed, then winked at Leigh. Leigh couldn't help smiling, but felt sad at the same time. Nicole was used to the bitter taste, and doing as she was told, because her father demanded it. (As I'm getting used to being naked all the time.) Nicole resumed her task, and Kate returned to sit on the bed. The Timeman watched Nicole for a moment, then turned back towards Leigh and Kate. He approached.





Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 121

·

Chapter 122

·

Chapter 123

·

Chapter 124

·

Chapter 125

Chapter 126

·

Chapter 127

·

Chapter 128

·

Chapter 129

·

Chapter 130


"Eggs," Kate said firmly. Leigh sat quietly to the side, watching the conversation and trying to remember to keep her legs tightly together. The Timeman pursed his lips, and shrugged. "I can cook eggs, I think." Kate hesitated for a moment, then a look of pleading entered her eyes as she remembered her position. "Can we eat breakfast, too? Or are you going to make us eat oatmeal or something?" He laughed easily. He seemed to be in an agreeable mood. Leigh swallowed heavily, nervous for a moment. When he was nice to them, it generally meant that he would offset it with harsher play later. Her breasts tingled, but she watched his face. He smiled and nodded. "You can all eat the same breakfast. Bacon and eggs. Okay? Can you cook that?" Kate nodded once, and swivelled, pushing her bare legs off the bed, to stand.



She turned. She raked her right hand through her tresses. "Can I take a shower first?" Slowly, he shook his head. should want them clean and want Kate to shower before suspected there would be a immediately.

Leigh gazed at him, again nervous. He presentable, shouldn't he? Why didn't he breakfast? She didn't know, but reason, even if she couldn't fathom it

Kate looked almost like she was about to cry, something as simple as a shower denied affecting her. Control. Her voice dropped into an almost petulant tone. "Please? I feel grimy. I need a shower. You want us to look pretty don't you? I'll take one with someone else, if you don't trust me. I'll shower with Leigh, if she doesn't mind." Leigh surveyed herself. Yes, she could use a shower, too. The warm water over her shoulders, if he allowed them warm water, would help work out some of the sleep kinks. "I'll shower with her, if you want," she murmured. He glanced between the girls, almost as if he understood something about them suddenly. Leigh flushed, realising what that insight probably was. "After breakfast. I don't mind you like that for a while." Kate looked about to protest further, but then sighed. "Don't blame me if I smell," she said mildly. She turned to leave the room. To Leigh, who had been near the girl since she'd awakened, Kate smelt as fresh and clean as she had last night before they had slept. Except for the wild hair, Kate was just as attractive as she always was. Almost as Kate was at the doorway, Leigh lifted her head to find the Timeman gazing at her. She flushed for a moment, then swallowed once. "I could help her, if you want," Leigh said. He nodded once, and then dismissed her. She thankfully slid her bare legs to the floor, and hurried to catch up with Kate, heading towards the kitchen. "Shit. Ouch," Kate yelped before dancing away from the stove. Her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (2 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


hands rose to her breasts, finally settling on her right, rubbing nearly absently. Leigh looked up from the mixing bowl. "What?" A smile rose unbidden to her lips. Kate scowled, and pointed at the frying pan, where strips of bacon sizzled and popped over the glowing red element. Even as she watched, Leigh could see the bacon growing angrier, grease spitting from the surface of the pan. Leigh sighed. Even as chefs, the girls weren't allowed protective clothing. And she knew, from experience, that hot grease stung like a thousand bees when it kissed bare flesh. Worse, when that flesh represented a girl's breasts. Taking a deep breath, Leigh stepped towards the pan, carefully reaching over the bacon to turn down the heat. A few droplets kissed her chest, and she hissed in pain, but then drew back as the element began to cool, the grease settling to a dull roar. When she turned back to Kate, the redhead wore a rueful expression. "Too hot?" Leigh nodded, then returned to the bowl where she began to break eggs. "Sometimes I think I'm getting to used to this ..." Kate said. She stood at the stove safely now, gingerly turning the bacon with a knife and fork. Leigh settled easily into a kitchen chair, watching Kate move naturally near the stove. Kate's muscles moved easily under her skin as she stepped to the side to settle herself against the counter. Leigh wanted to stare, as she turned, but forced her eyes to Kate's face. Kate smiled as Leigh's eyes found hers. "Being naked all the time. It almost felt weird to wear that dress last night." "I never wear dresses. It felt double weird to me. Jeans and t-shirts are more my style." Kate laughed easily, picking back up the fork and knife. "You looked stunning in it." Leigh flushed for a moment, uncomfortable suddenly. The irony wasn't lost on her. She was more comfortably sitting here in the kitchen with Kate, without a stitch of clothing on her body, than when she was at least mostly covered with black evening gown. On impulse, Leigh rose, and walked over to Kate. The aroma of bacon made her stomach rumble, and her saliva glands ache. She bent her head as she approached Kate, and lightly kissed her shoulder. Kate stiffened for a moment, then relaxed. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (3 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


"What was that for?" "I wanted to." Kate turned, and smiled, almost as if she understood. Leigh wasn't sure, at all, if she did, but Kate didn't seem perturbed by the intimate gesture. "Are you as aroused as I am?" Kate asked simply. Leigh took stock of herself, almost sighing. Embarrassment encroached, but she forced herself to raise her eyes to Kate again. Slowly, she nodded. Kate nodded, too, and turned back towards the stove. "Why do I feel free?" Kate said quietly as she carefully extracted the bacon, crisp and steaming, onto a piece of paper towel to drain. Leigh began to mix the eggs. A single tear fell from her eyes to join the mixture beneath her whisk. Kate wasn't alone in that. For some inexplicable reason, she felt free, too. Somehow, naked, and in chains most of the time, she felt free. "Can we have coffee? Please?" The Timeman scowled from the doorway. Leigh turned from the pan where she mixed the scrambled eggs with a wooden spoon. "Coffee?" Kate stepped from the table where she'd perched while Leigh cooked the eggs. She took two steps towards the man, then hesitated. "I haven't had coffee in days." He continued to watch Kate, who flushed. She closed her eyes, then slowly sank to her knees. "I'll beg, if you want," she said simply. Her eyes remained closed. He walked up to her until he stood only centimetres in front of her. Tears welled up as she looked at him. "Do you want a blow job? Me to kiss your feet? I will. Please. And the other girls? It's only a cup of coffee. Please?" He touched her head, ruffling her tangled hair as if she were a child. "All right. Five cups of coffee." "I'll make one for you, if you'll tell me how you like it."



He stepped away from her, and Kate slowly climbed to her bare feet, swaying. "I don't drink coffee," he said quietly. He stopped at the door to watch them for a moment. "Figures," Kate mumbled, nearly under her breath. "I don't either," Leigh said softly. It wasn't that she didn't like coffee, but it was more that she'd never started drinking it, so didn't miss it. Now, it was more habit, than a concern about her well-being that prevented her from drinking the brew. Kate raised her eyebrows for a moment, then quickly stepped to the cupboard, extracting the coffee maker, and four oversized mugs. The Timeman glanced at Leigh appreciatively, then tilted his head to the side. "I don't drink it," Leigh said easily. "Never have." "Orange juice?" he asked. Leigh nodded. Juice, she drank. "Two. One for me and one for you," he said. Before she could agree, or answer him, he stepped from the room and headed back towards the living room. Leigh hadn't quite realised how hungry she was until she finally settled into the chair to the Timeman's right, the seat feeling distinctly odd beneath her bare skin. She sighed, and pulled her plate a little closer. The Timeman mumbled something appreciative as he shovelled food into his mouth, watching the naked girls as they began to pick more slowly at their own eggs and bacon and toast. Leigh sighed, knowing better than to ask for what she really wanted. She glanced at his cutlery with a touch of envy, then began the slow task of picking up each grain of scrambled eggs with her fingers, and popping each singularly into her mouth. The taste was exquisite. Somehow, in captivity, each meal, be it gruel, or a submarine sandwich, or a salad, or a plate of scrambled eggs with bacon, seemed to taste clean and wonderful. Idly, she wondered if this was what condemned prisoners tasted as their last meals were delivered. She broke off another small strip of bacon and delivered it to her tongue. She became aware of his eyes on her, and she slowly turned towards him. His plate lay empty, and his knife and fork lay haphazard across its surface.



Despite the fact that she was nowhere near done, she sighed and spoke. "Do you want me to get you some more?" she asked. Kate had insisted on making extra, in case he wanted some -- mostly in the hopes that he wouldn't punish the girls if they could keep him satisfied, at least in this small way. Leigh was suddenly very glad that Kate had used some foresight, even if she were the one to have her breakfast interrupted. He slowly shook his head. "Perhaps in a moment. Finish yours," he said. Thankfully, she picked up a small grain of egg, but it dropped back to the plate as her fingers squeezed a little too hard. Suddenly, she felt like crying. As her fingers descended to fumble at the yellow again, she pulled her hand back with a surprised squeak. His fork speared at the fumbled egg, and raised towards her lips. (Great, now he's feeding us.) Without comment, she closed her eyes, and opened her mouth. She accepted the food, then turned back towards him. She could sense Kate, and Andrea on her other side, watching the exchange. "It would be simpler if you let us have cutlery," she said slowly, carefully, trying to keep the accusing nature of the statement from her voice. He laughed easily, and Leigh felt her body relax a little. He wasn't going to hit her for saying what the girls were all thinking. Not this time. "I'm sure it would," he said. But he made no motion to allow her to gather forks for the girls. After a moment, she lowered her eyes. "Why do you do this to us?" "Because I can," he said. She took a deep breath, then picked up another grain of egg, chewing thoughtfully. "Can we earn cutlery?" she asked. The other girls were following the exchange, but still eating slowly with their fingers. It seemed almost shameful to ask such a thing, but over the last couple of days, she found that it was becoming easier to ask and do things that she would never have considered in her former life.



He shook his head. "I gave you cutlery last night." Leigh shivered, not liking what she knew she had to say. It seemed horribly unfair to thank him for what should have been common courtesy, and normal civilised behaviour. "And we really appreciated that. You saved us some burned fingers." That, most of all, seemed unfair. They were human beings dammit. She shouldn't have to beg for food, or simple, civilised behaviour like a damned slave. The eggs had cooled sufficiently for the girls to touch them before Leigh had even delivered the plates to the dining room. So there wasn't the same issues of heat as there were last night. On the surface, Leigh understood that, but her mind still screamed at her about the shame of it -- her utter lack of control of the situation. "We didn't attack you with them. You know we won't," she said, her voice edging into the defiance that she knew would sink her, and perhaps the others. She willed her mouth to stop moving. "Why didn't you?" The question surprised Leigh, and she mulled it over for a moment, continuing to eat her breakfast. The anger and discomfort began to seep away from her slowly. "You would have stopped us, and punished us. Probably more than we could have stood still for. Or maybe you would have killed one of us. I don't really know." He leaned forward. "I could punish you for merely asking for cutlery. Or for nothing at all," he mused. He leaned back into his chair. More than anything, Leigh hoped that his words weren't forecasting a dim outlook for this third day of her captivity. But she was enough of a realist to recognise the danger in his words. She shivered. "I haven't asked for any," Leigh said quickly. "I was only curious." As if to show her intent, she picked up her bacon and bit into it, salty fragrance inundating her cheeks. She lowered the golden meat back to her plate. After a moment, she looked up, aware that tears were shining in her eyes, even if they hadn't spilled yet. "We aren't animals," she said slowly. "We're human beings. We might be under your control right now, we might have to walk around without our clothes, we might have to submit to your whims, we might have to let you tie us up, and gag us, and beg for the simplest things, and we do, but you don't need to strip everything away from us. We'll do whatever you want, you know that. But forks and knives? It's only civilised. It isn't much." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (7 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


She knew that he wasn't going to understand, or to allow them cutlery -- not today. She didn't understand why, but she didn't really need to. He had the gun. He had the handcuffs. He had control of her universe. Somehow. She supposed that she should simply be glad that he hadn't made her wear the steel bracelets, like he usually did. Having freedom of her hands, even to eat, was actually a gift, and she understood that, at least. She lowered her eyes, wanting very much to let the conversation drop. If he wasn't going to give the girls forks, then saying anything further only improved her chances at discomfort. She sighed. He smiled, and touched Leigh's cheek. It felt like a snake reaching out and caressing her skin. She shivered for a second, but he didn't seem to notice. Her sex pulsed at his touch -- her body fighting again with her mind. "Control," he whispered. She sighed, and picked up her toast. She supposed that she knew that all along. She'd tried, and that was all she could do -- for now. And there were worse things than having to sit naked at a real table, eating with one's fingers. In a way, it was freedom. Kate would probably agree with her. It was better than lying naked on a table, tied to it, having her breasts whipped instead of eating bacon and eggs, free and relatively comfortable. When she looked up. Kate winked at her from across the table. Nobody but her seemed to notice.


The Timeman abruptly rose to his feet and paced down the table. The girls had finished eating and were quietly talking, mostly relating various aches and pains in their limbs from the uncomfortable night in bonds. For her part, Leigh's arms ached a little, but overall, she didn't feel incapable of moving. The Timeman stopped behind Andrea, and stood with his arms clasped behind him. In a way, he looked almost like the girls did, when they http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (8 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


were bound with their hands behind their backs. Of course, he wasn't naked, nor truly restrained, and he wore a smile, or a smirk, upon his face that Leigh really didn't care for. (Watch out, Andrea.) Slowly, Andrea turned, her blonde ponytail swivelling as she looked up from her chair to the Timeman. "Can I do anything for you?" she asked. She didn't seem overly frightened, but Leigh could tell from the set of her jaw that she was uneasy. Leigh would be uneasy if their captor was standing behind her, silent. "Stand," he said. Without hesitation, Andrea stood, her bare body unfolding, and then standing, one hand resting easily on the back of the chair upon which she had been sitting. "Are you going to hurt me?" Andrea asked. She still didn't seem frightened, but Leigh was frightened enough for both of them. Slowly, he shook his head, and reach towards the table, brushing past Andrea as he did. She stepped back to avoid his arm brushing across her bared breasts. She needn't have bothered. He wasn't purposely brushing her skin. Some of the girls, Leigh noticed, had eaten their eggs with ketchup. When she had been small, Leigh had eaten her scrambled eggs that way, too, enjoying the tang that the tomatoes lent to the meal. Andrea, and Kate had both poured small amounts onto their plates, as had the Timeman. It was this oversized squeeze bottle that he reached for, and then held up to Andrea's face, the cap still open. Andrea tilted her head questioningly. "What? Do you want me to take this back to the kitchen?" He laughed, then held it out to her. Slowly, carefully, she took it from his fingers, holding it out in front of her, but a distance from her bare belly. "Not into the kitchen." Andrea looked confused, but still not frightened. After a moment, almost as though he were tortured by the need to make a decision, he sighed. "Pour it over yourself." "What?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (9 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


"You heard me. Pour it over yourself." "What? Why?" Her voice wasn't angry, or frightened, but merely puzzled. "Do I have to hurt Monique? Or Kate? Or Leigh before you do it?" Leigh paled at the mention of her name, but the notable absence of Nicole's name spoke volumes. Andrea swallowed heavily. "Of course, not. There's no need to hurt anyone. It's only ketchup. I'll do whatever you want. You know that. I just wanted to know why." "I doesn't matter. It wouldn't make sense to you." Leigh believed that. She couldn't understand it either. Why make a naked, cooperative girl dirty herself with ketchup? It made no sense at all. "On your knees." Andrea swallowed -- Leigh could see her throat muscles working in harmony. Without protest, the blonde girl slipped to her knees, still holding the bottle of ketchup upright between both hands. Her hands seemed small and delicate upon the plastic of the bottle. "Please, why?" He crouched, and whispered something to her. Andrea nodded, and then closed her eyes. As he rose back to his feet, she held the bottle over her head, and then, with only the barest moment of hesitation, she pressed. A thin jet of ketchup fell into her hair. Leigh watched as a single tear traced down the girl's cheek, only to be obliterated as Andrea brought the stream across her face, then across her breasts, and down her bare belly to pool in her belly button. She set the bottle down on the tiles between her knees, then used her hands to rub the red mixture deeply into her hair, then into her breasts and across her belly. The acrid smell of vinegar wafted to Leigh's nose, and she closed her eyes for a moment. It wasn't so much that Andrea had to endure the feelings of the food across her skin, but that she had been forced to do it to herself. Leigh shuddered. Given the same situation, would she have poured the red goo over her head? She didn't know. She didn't know what the Timeman had said to Andrea to make her do it without further question. But Leigh suspected that she would. Ketchup was relatively harmless in the grand scheme of things. If pressed, Leigh would have done the same, she was nearly sure. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (10 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


Andrea continued to spread the ketchup over her bare skin. Dots of red decorated her bare thighs, and her cheeks were smeared with it, almost giving her a Native charm. Even through the chaos upon her body, she still emanated femininity and grace. "Good enough?" she asked. Her voice was steady, but she consciously seemed to be avoiding the other girl's eyes. She was looking at the Timeman. "Hold out your hands." Andrea obeyed, her hands dripping in red, almost looking like blood. "Kate?" he called slowly. Leigh glanced across the table, as Kate rose from her chair. "Please, no," Kate whispered. The Timeman laughed easily, and motioned her over. As Kate rounded the head of the table and passed Leigh, she trailed her fingers across the nape of Leigh's neck. Leigh nearly cried out, but managed to stifle it. The Timeman flashed her an odd look, but seemed to ignore the gesture, if he'd even seen it. Kate stood by him, her eyes downcast, inspecting her toes. "Please, I don't want to do that," Kate said, her voice falling easily into a begging tone. He laughed again. "Knees." Kate flashed him another pleading look, but lowered herself to her knees. "Andrea saved you a breast whipping, for now." Kate blanched for a second, but then recovered. She stole a glance at Andrea and mouthed a thank-you to the red covered girl. Then she looked back up at her captor. "Why are you doing this? We've been cooperative. We've done everything you asked. Even cooked you a nice breakfast. Please." "Preparation," he said simply. It made no sense to Leigh, and she was sure that Kate was similarly mystified by the comment. He continued, ignoring her pleading eyes. "Hold your hands behind your back. I don't want to tie them there, yet, but I don't want them to move. Understand?"



Silently, Kate moved her hands behind her bare back, lightly clasping them together of her own accord, fingers interlaced. Andrea's hands wavered in front of Kate. "Lick her fingers clean." "Ewww." Kate whispered. "Lick her fingers clean. I don't want her to soil the walls when I allow you two to shower. Understand?" "Ever heard of a napkin?" Kate said. He laughed, and Leigh let her breath out, sure that he was going to punish Kate for the offhand comment. Perhaps he still would, but it didn't appear that he was willing to do it immediately. "You, my dear, are the napkin. Now, do I have to hurt Andrea to make you do what I ask? I can start by squeezing her nipples. Surely not. Not the girl that saved you from considerable discomfort." Kate flashed him a look of displeasure, but leaned to clean Andrea's hands, one finger at a time, the tongue flashing over and between Andrea's reddened grimaced through it, but managed to clean Andrea's any cat. When Andrea's hands were devoid of red to motioned the girls to their feet.

forward and began pink of her fingers. She hands as well as the wrist, he

Andrea glanced down at herself and shivered. "Please, can we shower, now? God, please? I can't stand this much longer." She raised her hands towards her now red stained hair, but stopped short realising perhaps that Kate would need to lick her hands clean again, if she touched herself. He made them stand there for a full five minutes, until a tear traced through the red of Andrea's cheeks. Then he let them go with a dismissive wave. Both Kate and Andrea fairly ran for the doorway, as soon as he turned from them. The Timeman returned to his seat with a goofy grin across his features. Without being bidden, Leigh stood and began to clear the table. Monique joined her, and only the Timeman's words brought Leigh's head up to see that Nicole had struggled to help, as well. "Nicole, sit down." The injured girl slowly shook her head. "Please, I'd like to help. Leigh made a wonderful breakfast, and it's the least I can do. It doesn't hurt that much, and I have a http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (12 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


feeling that clearing dishes will be easier than what you are going to expect from all of us later today." Her words brought a kind of foreshadowing across Leigh's mind, and suddenly she was sure of it, too. They would be tested today. She didn't understand what, how or why, but there was a difference today. Something not quite right. His seemingly random actions with Andrea and Kate pushed doubt into her mind. The Timeman seemed almost preoccupied, tormenting Andrea and Kate more from a desire to keep the girls off balance, and confused -- almost by rote -- than any sexually motivated desire. No doubt, he was aroused by the control of the women, but the seemingly disjointed, undeserved torment -- random torment -- had purpose. Of that Leigh was sure. He hadn't hurt Andrea or Kate, merely reminded them -- all of them -who was in charge of this strange world. She hoped that she'd survive whatever was in store for her -- that all the girls would survive. Somehow, glancing at Monique and Nicole, and seeing the running images of Andrea and Kate in her mind's eye, she knew they'd all survive. Somehow. The Timeman shrugged, and didn't insist with Nicole. Neither did he offer to help clear -- but then, Leigh supposed, why else have an entourage of naked females around if not to do all the work. She fought the bitterness down, and concentrated on the task before her. One task at a time. One task at a time. As she bent to pick up the strangely lighter bottle of ketchup from the floor, all she could see was red. Red on her breasts. Red on her belly. And red on her fingers. At least she hoped they'd survive. Somehow.


She found him lying down in the pullout bed that they'd shared last night. He lay staring up at the ceiling, hands interlaced behind his head. She swallowed heavily and turned towards Monique and Nicole who had followed Leigh from the kitchen. Leigh's hands felt soft and clean from washing dishes, and she clenched them now beside her bare thigh wondering whether she should disturb her captor or simply leave him to brood.



Monique shrugged, and turned away. Nicole raised her eyebrows, and looked equally as helpless. The word stung her tongue, but she had no other way, short of touching him, to possibly get his attention. "Sir?" she said. Inside, she cringed. Kate seemed to have nearly become accustomed to addressing the man in this way, but to Leigh it still represented a final act of capitulation. She would have preferred to use his real name, first or last, but he still hadn't deigned to reveal that much about him. In truth, she knew damn little about the man -- only what he appeared to like sexually. And that was her, calling him: "Sir." He didn't react to her voice, and she couldn't bring herself to repeat the call. Instead, she slowly lowered herself to her knees, and stared at the carpet. Dimly, she was aware of Nicole and Monique following her lead, lowering to the carpet beside and behind her a little. She didn't like the role of leader here, but she supposed if only by virtue of her tenure in this strange universe, she had been elected chief of the breakfast cleanup crew. After a time, he stirred, but didn't rise to look at the girls. Leigh glanced up, but only his reclining silhouette rose above the sheets above her. "Sir?" she repeated. Her mouth felt furry, protesting the word again. This time, she sensed that he was listening, even if he didn't acknowledge her presence. She plunged on, hoping that it wasn't a mistake not waiting for his approval. She fervently hoped that the punishment wouldn't be the big red ball shoved between her teeth for hours. "We've finished cleaning up," Leigh said into the empty air, hoping that he was still listening. "If you allow us, we'd like to shower." After another minute, she added, "Please?" He sat up for a moment, and leaned on his hands, looking down on her kneeling form. He smiled, and Leigh felt her heart settle a little. "No girl showers alone. Okay?" Leigh pushed herself to her feet in one fluid motion. She sensed Monique and Nicole rising as well. "Of course," she said simply, though she could feel a flush rising to her chest and face. The Timeman lowered himself back to the bed, interlacing his fingers behind his neck again, a peaceful expression crossing his features. Quickly, before he could change his mind, Leigh stepped from the room, her bare feet whispering across the floor. Nicole and Monique followed quickly, not glancing back at the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (14 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


Timeman who seemed to ignore their passage. Kate looked up from drying her hair as Leigh gingerly pushed open the bathroom door. It felt odd to enter without knocking, but in this universe, there was really no such thing as privacy and the door hadn't been completely closed as if in deference to that fact. The Timeman could walk in on the girls at any point, and indeed did, often enough to be unsettling and dangerous. Kate didn't seem nonplussed by the intrusion, and she flashed Leigh a smile. She ran the brush through her clean hair one more time, then stepped away from the sinks, placing the hair drier down with a clunk. Steam billowed from the shower enclosure where Andrea stood, naked and head tilted back under the spray. Kate sighed, and twisted towards the shower. "Time to come out," Kate called playfully to Andrea. Andrea looked up from under the water, and blinked, taking in Leigh and the other girls entering the small bathroom. The Timeman hadn't followed the girls up, for which Leigh was somewhat thankful. Instead, he lay brooding, eyes closed, in the living room, perched on the pullout bed upon which Leigh had slept last night. He'd almost seemed to be searching, though if asked, Leigh wouldn't have been able to pinpoint why she had that impression. Andrea tilted her hair back into the shower for one last minute, sighing, running her hands through her water darkened blonde hair. Then she turned and pushed open the door, stepping out dripping onto the bath mat. She looked scrubbed and clean, no trace of the red ketchup gracing her skin. She flashed Leigh a smile, and grandly gestured for Leigh to replace her under the still splashing water. Truthfully, there was only enough room for two comfortably in the shower, and while she would have jammed herself in with Monique and Nicole, if necessary, the Timeman hadn't instructed them to all shower together, only that they each wash one another, not showering alone -- standard rules. Instead of stepping into the shower, Leigh moved off towards the small window by the toilet, perching herself on the seat and waving Monique and Nicole into the enclosure ahead of her. Monique flashed her a smile of thanks, and grasping Nicole's hand, led Nicole into the shower. Andrea began to towel off, as Kate twirled, and waved before leaving the bathroom and disappearing down the hall. Leigh felt a dull ache in her heart as the redhead pranced out. After drying herself, Andrea let the towel drop to her bare feet and began to brush out her hair. "You don't mind being naked," Leigh said quietly. Andrea didn't even miss a stroke on the brush, though she grimaced as an unseen knot pulled at her scalp. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (15 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


"Why would I? The world can't see me -- only you and the Timeman." "You don't mind that he's forcing you to be naked?" Andrea shrugged. "I mind when he forces me ketchup, and I don't like it when he hurts but being naked is easy. It's just skin. I clothing, but I'm not overly uncomfortable

to cover myself with me or hurts anyone else, suppose I'd prefer without. Not here."

Leigh sighed, and turned towards the window. Andrea's image reflected in the glass there as she continued to brush her blonde locks. The sounds of water splashing and Monique washing Nicole lightly exuded from the shower. Occasionally, Nicole whimpered as Monique hit a sensitive spot. When Leigh turned, Andrea had knelt beside the toilet, her hair still wet and hanging plastered to her head and over her shoulders. In fifteen minutes, it would be loose and clean about her head, probably pulled back into a ponytail. Andrea looked up at Leigh. "We don't have much choice, do we?" Leigh smiled and nodded. "Didn't I tell you that once?" "And I believed you. I think something important is going to happen today," Andrea said. Idly, Leigh wondered if the Timeman had said more to her while she knelt with that ketchup bottle than simply that he would hurt Kate if she didn't comply. Leigh nodded. "I think so, too." Andrea looked like she was about to get up, to join Kate wherever she'd disappeared to. Instead, she placed her hands on her knees, an apprehensive look crossing her face. "Leigh?" "Mmmhmmmm?" Leigh tore her eyes from gazing beyond the window. The world stood still and quiet beyond the glass -- a world that she wasn't allowed into without permission, without guidance. She could look, just not touch. Not without approval, permission, control. It felt wrong. "I don't understand completely." "Understand what?" "What's happening here." "He controls time, Andrea. You know that."



"No. I understand that. And I even understand why -- I study psychology at school. At least, I did before all this." Leigh nodded. "I can even understand, a little, why he keeps us like this, controls us. It's part of his nature, born into him like the shape of his nose, and the set of his jaw." Leigh glanced at the girl on her knees in puzzlement. Andrea took a deep breath. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way ..." Andrea hesitated then, as if internally debating continuing. Then she plunged. "If I offered to have sex with you, right now, would you say no?" Leigh automatically began to protest, then pressed her lips together. "Sex? With me? Why?" Andrea watched her knees for a moment, glanced over at the shower, then looked up. "Leigh? I haven't been here as long as you, but ... he's never let you climax here, has he? I mean sexually. You and him have never ..." Leigh slowly shook her head. Had Andrea heard the exchanges last night? Obviously, she had. A embarrassed flush rose to Leigh's cheeks. "I haven't been here as long as you, and I ache. Far more than I should. I've never been into girls -- experimented in my freshman year, but ..." Leigh nodded slowly. She understood that sentiment. "But I'd have sex with you in an instant," Andrea said. "I might protest if he ordered me to, but I would. And I wouldn't hate it. I ache. My breasts, my vagina, even my damn toes." Leigh swallowed. She knew that feeling -- truth be told, she was feeling it now. In an abstract way, she wanted the girl, naked and kneeling in front of her. She wanted Kate. She wanted Monique. And she wanted the Timeman. She closed her eyes, her breathing accelerating. It made some sense, but not a complete sense. "It's simply the situation, Andrea. He keeps us aroused. Who wouldn't be? We're human. And we're walking around all day without clothes, places where we shouldn't be, exposed all the time. He ties us up, teases us, shows us things that we might never have imagined. We have no control over this -- and he's taking control away from us -- even control over our own sexuality. It's sexual overload. And then he denies us release. And I think he knows exactly what he's doing. What do you think is going to happen? Of http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (17 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


course, we're sexually aroused." Andrea sighed, and slowly climbed to her feet. Her breasts jutted towards Leigh, and Leigh had the insane urge to reach forward and touch them, lick them. But she didn't. Instead, she crossed her arms under her own breasts and looked up to Andrea's face. A tear traced down the girl's face. "I ache," Andrea said. "I know. But we can't. Even if we both simply want the release. If he comes in, he will ..." Leigh let her voice trail off. "I'm going to explode. It's not fair." Leigh smiled, and touched her fingers to her lips, then reached up and touched Andrea with the tips of her fingers. The girl shivered, and slowly turned away. "Me, too, Andrea. Me, too. And it is frightfully unfair." Andrea nodded, and seemed to gain control of herself. The old Andrea reappeared behind her eyes, and she smiled. "It's more than that, Leigh. This time control shit is playing with our hormones or something." Leigh sighed. That had occurred to her, too. Many times. Her breasts ached, and her clitoris was nearly always swollen down there. She shrugged. "Either way, we're not really in control of it, are we?" Andrea smiled again, and ran her fingers over her nipples before turning and stepping from the bathroom. A gasp escaped her lips. "We'll survive, I suppose. Thanks for talking to me," she said airily as she stepped from view. Steam, the smell of peaches, and Nicole's soft voice reached for her from the shower. The image of Andrea naked and kneeling, the water from the shower streaming across her bare skin, her lips kissing Leigh rose unbidden in her mind. Leigh shook it off, and turned to regard the world outside, shivering. And aching. Leigh sat up straighter, sure that something had moved at of the garden. From the bathroom window she could see the expanse of perfectly manicured front lawn and the edge of massive brick gate that protected the mansion, presumably http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (18 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM

the edge wide the keeping


watchful eyes away from Nicole's torments in the real world. Pine trees towered near the property line, probably serving both as privacy shields as well as sound shields, keeping prying eyes, and noisy vehicles from intruding, reinforcing the functions of the red bricked gate. Something was wrong -- different -- something not in sync with the rest of the universe, strange as it was. Outside, the trees stood still, and the silence was nearly overpowering. Leigh could almost imagine that she was alone here, nobody to hurt her, nobody to insist that she walk without her clothes. Alone in a universe without judgement, without worries. Andrea had been right in that. If it weren't for the others here -especially the Timeman -- she would probably choose to go without clothing. In a strange way, it represented freedom, and the silliness of societies norms. But she'd never get used to it, not like Andrea had -- not here, not while she was captive and forced into capitulation. No, given the choice of going bare and donning her comfortable jeans and sweatshirt, she knew what her choice would be. She thought wistfully of her clothing, stripped off in a hallway of a high school that she could barely remember anymore. She'd done it to make things easier. It had been three days without them. Three long days, broken only by a flimsy black evening gown against her bare skin that had aroused more than her nudity alone ever had. Again, something caught Leigh's eye, and she shifted her gaze. There. Near the pine trees. She squinted, and realised that the window glass was fogging up, the steam from the shower finally condensing upon its surface. Briefly, she considered asking Monique to turn down the shower, but then simply opted to rub her bare forearm across the glass. It streaked, but she could see between the watery lines. Near the pine trees. A shoe? A running shoe poking out from beneath the branches near the fence? She peered towards the branches, imagining all sorts of scenarios. A gardener, caught in the time freeze? A trespasser? A police raid? Leigh shook her head. Undoubtedly, whoever it was, would be frozen, along with the rest of the world. She glanced back at the shower. Nicole almost seemed ready to exit, to clear room for Leigh. Leigh was looking forward to that spray of warm water across her bare skin. The shower represented a semblance of routine, of normalcy, even if she had to shower with another human being, never alone anymore, not even allowed to wash herself. Movement caught her eye again, and she turned quickly. A flash of dusty blonde hair, and a feminine calf clothed in blue denim seemed to float for a moment through the branches of evergreen. Leigh gasped, and instinctively drew her arms up and across her bare http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (19 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


breasts. Who? And she blinked. The girl was gone, like so much smoke into a non-existent wind. Who? Who? Who? And why wasn't she frozen? Leigh nearly called out to Monique and Nicole, but then clapped her mouth shut. Calling attention to the girl couldn't be in anyone's best interest. If it was someone that the Timeman was playing with, then he didn't intend for the girls to know about her. If she was a figment of Leigh's imagination, then all that would result was embarrassment, and perhaps derision. The girl, if there had been one, was gone, melted into the undergrowth near the trees. Leigh watched for a while, until wet fingers gently touched her shoulder. Leigh whirled, crying out and raising her hands in a defensive posture, knowing that if it was the Timeman, she would probably be punished. Today was an odd day. Instead, Nicole stared down at her, her hair plastered to her head. "Are you all right?" she asked quietly. Monique remained in the shower, perhaps only because she knew that Leigh wasn't allowed to shower alone -- none of the females were. "All right? I saw ..." Leigh began. Then she glanced back out the window. She nearly screamed when something small and black exploded from the undergrowth where she'd seen the girl's blonde hair and denim clothed leg. Leigh's heart leapt into her throat, until she realised at what she was looking. Suddenly, she felt foolish, a flush rising into her face. The squirrel -- the one that she'd asked him to free yesterday -ran across the lawn, nosing for food, oblivious to the eyes upon it. "Cute squirrel," Nicole said quietly. "I used to watch them from my window. I thought they had the best life. Free, and carefree. The only concern they have is finding enough food. No whips. No chains. No bruises." Leigh slowly turned. It had only been a damn squirrel, her mind playing tricks on her. Disappointment flooded through her. (What did you think? A denim clad blonde super-girl wearing Nikes was going to rise up magically and save you all?) She glanced at the squirrel again. It stood on its hind legs, almost watching her through panes of glass. It hadn't even occurred to Nicole that the sight of a squirrel running through the grass was itself unusual in this silent world in which they lived. She held her tongue, not pointing out that cats could be easily added to the squirrel's survival concerns. Leigh allowed Nicole her fantasy of http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (20 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


normalcy, and slowly rose. "My turn?" "What?" "In the shower?" Nicole stepped towards the window, her skin dripping droplets of water to the tile beneath her bare feet, watching the squirrel until it dashed out of sight around the corner of the house. "Monique's waiting for you," Nicole whispered. Then she reached for a dry towel, and began to gingerly dab at the discoloured skin near her right side ribs, wincing a little as she did. Leigh glanced once more through the glass before turning. A blue denim calf, and Nike running shoes. Confused with a squirrel? Or simply a wistful imagination? With a sigh, she stepped towards the shower door, her heart lighter than it had been earlier. Monique stood beneath the warm spray, obviously enjoying the touch of the water against her bare skin. Monique's nipples stood erect, and her breath came raggedly. At the inrush of cooler air, she opened her eyes, and stepped from the spray, offering her spot to Leigh. (More than simple situation, Leigh. Andrea was right. Even Monique is feeling it. Tread carefully.) "You ready?" Leigh asked Monique. Monique nodded, and picked up the soap. Leigh's skin tingled insistently as Monique's slippery hands found Leigh and began to work the soap deeply. The smell of peaches rose up and infused her, the smoky memory of the denim calf and Nikes fleeing as Leigh tried to ignore the sensations of Monique's hands and fingers.




It was a bad idea -- a terrible idea, in fact -- but as usual, Leigh stood quietly, unable to do anything to avert the course of events that shaped her new life. At least he hadn't bound them; all three of the girls were free -- at least physically -- to stand awkwardly in what Leigh thought of as the Chamber of Horrors. In front of her stood the biggest horror in the room, far more scary than the whips, the clothespins, or even being tied naked in front of a crowd of high school spectators, some of whom she knew, to a basketball net, praying that a naked girl would be able to squirm her way across the hardwood to kiss her feet. Oh yes, the man standing harmless in front of her scared her more even than the Timeman himself. She wanted to turn around, and flee, running as fast as her bare legs could carry her, out, through the door, down the hallway, and even further. As far as she could go. Mexico wouldn't be far enough. She swallowed. Fleeing was not an option, and she knew that. Oh, how she knew that. She shifted her weight uneasily to her right foot. Beside her, Nicole stood, every bit as naked as she, but perhaps more frightened, more uneasy, more sick. Nicole actually shook, holding her thin arms under her breasts, as if hugging herself, her entire body trembling, unable to tear her eyes away from the man. Kate, on Leigh's left, had closed her eyes long ago, and whimpered once. But beyond that, hadn't said a word. The Timeman stood easily, seemingly out of place in front of them. Ironically, Leigh only saw concern upon his face. He'd been the one to put them here, and he was the one orchestrating this new torment, though in his mind, she doubted if he saw it that way; he wasn't the one naked and vulnerable standing in front of a monster, either. The Timeman literally held their lives in his hand -- he could free the bound man standing in front of them, oh, so easily, allowing him to kill the girls, slowly and painfully, or he could keep the madman at bay, maintaining control of the situation. Leigh fervently hoped that the Timeman would do everything in his considerable power to ensure that she wouldn't have to feel Maurice's hands on her throat, and between her legs. She tried one last time, trying to keep her voice steady. "Please, sir," and the word slipped between her lips easily this time. Her control was slipping, even as the deep unease refused to displace her arousal. "It's not a good idea." "She needs this, Leigh." She felt like screaming at him, asking in the very least why she had http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (22 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


to be here. She'd caused those deep scratches down the animal's face. She'd kicked him, hurting her bare feet in the process. She'd debased herself, allowing herself to give into her anger. Her and Kate. The girl become animal, if only for a while. And the man in the ropes has caused her short transformation; his anger, his misogyny, his existence. And here they stood again, in front of the man, frozen still, for now, who hated them. Because she owned breasts. Because she owned a vagina. Because she was undoubtedly female. And so was his daughter. Instead, Leigh looked down, past her breasts to her toes. "Please, don't," she whispered. From beside her, Nicole's small voice wavered, but didn't break. "I think I need to do this," Nicole nearly whispered. The Timeman moved back another step from the girls. Leigh closed her eyes. It was going to be hard. So hard. And there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. Leigh had no idea where he'd come up with the capsule held gingerly between his fingers. It wouldn't have surprised her if the animal had kept some on hand, somewhere in the house, for those times when Nicole passed out from his ministrations, but he wasn't yet ready to stop listening to the girl scream. Leigh shivered, but watched as the Timeman closed his eyes. Suddenly, Maurice's chest began to rise and fall, though his eyes remained tightly shut. "Ready?" the Timeman asked. Leigh shook her head, but he wasn't paying attention to her. His eyes were on Nicole. Out of the corner of her eye, Leigh saw Nicole's head bob once in silent affirmation. The capsule broke in an audible snap, and a moment later the acrid fumes of ammonia tickled Leigh's nostrils. She flared her nose for a moment, then settled. The Timeman waved the concoction under Maurice's nose, then stepped back as the man's eyes fluttered open. "What the fuck?" the bound man muttered as he awakened. As he remembered where he was, his eyes narrowed. As of yet, he hadn't seen Nicole who had stepped behind Leigh, almost as if she wanted some protection from the animal's feral eyes. Unprotected, Leigh and Kate burned into his line of vision as his eyes swept towards them. "You fucking fucked up cunts," he said. He pulled at his bound arms, then relaxed, a smile finding its way to his lips. To him, it was http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (23 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


still a day ago, when Kate and Leigh had thrown everything they had, and then some, at his resisting form. Deep red scratches remained on his face to prove their anger. Surely, his balls still ached from the kick that Leigh had placed between his legs. Her face burned, both in shame at what she'd done, but also that the man was watching her, his eyes heavily upon her chest. "I will kill you both, you know that, right? I'll listen to you scream first, but I will kill you." The Timeman edged further away from the confrontation, moving towards the doorway. (Don't leave us here. Don't leave us here. Don't leave us here.) But he didn't leave, electing to lean against he doorjamb like a sentinel. He watched, but didn't say anything. "You won't hurt them. You can't. And you know it." The voice came from Leigh's right, where Nicole gingerly stepped forward, revealing herself to her father, her hands held at her sides. Leigh noticed the clench of her small fists, and the shaking of her calves, but Nicole didn't really hesitate. As she stepped forward, his eyes widened, and then narrowed. "You brought them here. You fucking stupid cunt." "Please don't call me cunt, Daddy." He reared up as much as the ropes would let him, then nearly spat at her. "Cunt. Cunt. Cunt. You fucking stupid cunt. Do you think that you'll get away with this? And by the way, nice fucking bruises. They make you look better, you fucking small titted bitch." Nicole sighed, and Leigh saw her eyes closing, almost as if she didn't want to look at the man. Leigh couldn't blame her. "I didn't bring them, Daddy." Then showing insight beyond the possible, she continued her voice still soft and gentle. "You did. Somehow." He shook again, his face twisting. "I'm going to take your skin off, bitch, and then I'll really start hurting you. When I get out. And I will. You and your fucking friends will pay the ultimate price." Leigh felt her sanity slipping, a giggle rising to her mouth. The ultimate price. The ultimate price. Step right up, Bob Barker. Nicole is going to pay the ultimate price. What price would you http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (24 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


guess on a life without pain? What price? The ultimate price, of course. She struggled for breath, and noticed the Timeman's gaze shifting to her face. She straightened, and forced her hands down. The red scratches. Her fingernails. Anything but the drama unfolding in front of her in vivid Technicolour. She'd hurt Maurice, and enjoyed it. Oh, yes. She closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened them, the Timeman had taken a single step towards her. But his face didn't register anger, or intent to punish her, but instead concern. She inhaled deeply feeling her breasts rise, and Maurice's eyes shifted to them as her chest rose with her breath. Kate's fingers touched her arm, and she grounded -- the room swimming back into focus. She waved at the Timeman, and he almost reluctantly returned to his post. The ultimate price. Oh yes, Leigh knew about ultimate prices. So did Nicole. Kate withdrew, flashing her a puzzled look, but then stood easily to the left, again watching. Nicole didn't seem to notice the slight commotion behind her, her eyes riveted on her father. "Daddy, I didn't deserve this," she said quietly. For a moment, the man stood scowling, and then he growled. "Cunts were made for me to whip. That's all you are." Nicole closed her eyes again, swaying. For a moment, Leigh was sure that Nicole was going to faint, but when she opened her eyes, they hadn't lost their sheen. "I never asked for it to be this way," she said. Leigh looked up with pure surprise as Maurice spoke. His voice had dropped, and had taken on a semblance of serenity. "Nicole?" Nicole looked up sharply, too, distrust echoing across her face. But she held his eyes. "Untie me. Please? It hurts." Leigh swallowed, paralysed. The Timeman watched warily from the doorway, but made no move to interject. "Baby? I didn't mean to hurt you all those times. I'm sorry. Please untie me, now, and we can talk about all this." Nicole shook, her face a mask of indecision, her eyes leaking tears down her cheeks. "Why, Daddy? Why?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (25 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


"The ropes, Nicole. You know how much they can hurt. These animals left me here for hours. Please. We can talk, father - daughter, if you'll just let me go." In horror, Leigh watched as Nicole stepped forward. Kate began to step towards the girl, but held back as the Timeman motioned her from the doorway. Leigh couldn't get her legs to move, even if Maurice himself had been free and stood in front of her with a meat cleaver. Her eyes followed Nicole, who walked almost in a dream towards her father. "I'm sorry, Daddy," she whispered. Leigh felt the gorge rise in her belly, but it never made it to her throat. She forced her eyes away. "That's it, baby girl, just a few more steps. Then everything will be all right." His eyes held maniacal glee -- the gaze of a super villain, believing that he was about to finally kill Batman, or James Bond. His body fairly shook as Nicole approached. His eyes riveted to first Nicole's breasts, then Leigh's, then Kate's, then back to Nicole's. Leigh moaned, the sound cutting through the quiet of the bedroom "Everything will be all right," he crooned. Nicole approached, and reached up, almost like a sleepwalker, rising up on her toes. Her breasts brushed his face, and to Leigh it seemed like Maurice fought a huge internal battle to restrain himself from licking at the bare flesh, taking Nicole's nipple in between his teeth and tearing it from her body. She touched the ropes wrapped around his wrist, almost caressing the bonds there. Leigh wasn't sure, but she thought that she heard Nicole moan. Despite her injuries, she moved like a cat. One moment, she was nearly rubbing up against him in a parody of desire, the next, her fingernails raked across his face, welts of blood rising up. It took a moment for the pain to hit him, but when it did, he howled. Nicole closed her eyes, swaying. Drops of red dripped from her fingernails. "You fucking cunt. You fucking cunt. You fucking bitch, cunt, whore." Without opening her eyes, Nicole spoke, her words cutting through his flurry of curses. "No, Daddy, nothing will ever be all right. Soon enough, you'll have http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (26 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


me again -- I'll have to do whatever it is you want me to. Cry. Beg. Suck your cock. Suffer. But not now. You won't do this to me. I'm not your cunt. I'm not your bitch. I'm not your fucking whore." Tears dripped steadily down her cheeks, but the shakes had left her body. Kate began to move forward towards Nicole, ignoring the Timeman's gestures. Leigh felt her own legs moving, without her conscious direction. "This is for everything you've ever done, to me, to Kate, to Leigh, to mother, to every sick fuck that you ever had here." Her foot rose in a perfect arc, rising from the floor, her instep rising, rising. He tried to twist, but the ropes held him. Nicole cried out, in triumph, in pain, in abandon, in freedom, as her toes unerringly found his testicles, crushing the soft flesh there. In other circumstances, Leigh might have found his expression funny, caught between utterances of bitch and cunt, mouth open like a fish out of water. His scream didn't even register on her ears. Somehow, Leigh was behind Nicole as she lowered her foot back to the floor. She was shaking again, her eyes still closed. "I didn't want it to be this way, Daddy," she whispered. It took both Kate and Leigh to catch Nicole as her legs collapsed, her body limp between them, as they lowered her gently to the floor. Leigh envied Nicole her unconsciousness, as Maurice found his voice. What emerged wasn't derogatory terms for females, but rather a wordless scream of defeat and crushing pain. An hour later, Leigh remained seated beside Nicole. She dabbed at the girl's forehead with a damp cloth. Kate sat quietly, brooding, in the chair beside the desk. Leigh had no idea where the Timeman was -- he had not returned since leaving Leigh and Kate to care for the unconscious girl in the master bedroom. "She needed that, Leigh," Kate said wearily. Leigh nodded, still cringing at the memory of the sights that she should never have witnessed. Kate continued. "He beat her. Abused her. Will continue to abuse her when we're safe in our living rooms. She needed to confront that, even if it was only in this fantasy that forms our reality at the moment. He gave her that. The Timeman." Leigh nodded, not able to stop the tears. Nicole hadn't wakened from her faint yet, though she was showing signs of movement again. Her fingers grasped at the air almost spastically, then relaxed. Leigh http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (27 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


dabbed at her head again. She glanced down Nicole's body, cringing at the damage there -- probably a broken rib, maybe two, courtesy of her own father's shoes, a colourful bruise decorated her face, and a small round bruise deep into the flesh of her right breast. "Maurice deserved it. May he rot in hell." "Do you think he killed the bastard?" Leigh asked. She wasn't sure that she wanted to know the answer to that. Kate simply shook her head. "I don't think he wants to kill anyone. He plays with us, but as far as I know he's never shot anyone -- and he's been tempted to." "I know," Leigh whispered. Nicole murmured something incoherent, then her voice rose in almost a shriek. "No, Daddy. Please, no." Leigh pulled Nicole up, and held her, surprised at the force of Nicole's trembling. "She needed it," Kate said simply. Leigh nodded slowly. She supposed that she understood. Suddenly, she became aware that Nicole's body wasn't quite as limp as it had been, and a bare arm had snaked up to grasp almost desperately at her shoulder. "Shhhh, it's over," Leigh said. "You did good. Somehow, you beat him. It's over. It's over." After a moment, she felt Nicole sobbing into her shoulder, the wetness of her tears kissing her bare skin. "It'll never be over for me," Nicole whispered. Then after a moment, she pushed back, her face still bruised and covered with tears. She glanced around, perhaps assuring herself that Maurice wasn't a danger to her any more. She sniffled, and incredibly, she found a smile. "I needed that," Nicole said quietly. Leigh wasn't fully certain of what Nicole had needed -- the release of confronting her father, or the contact of Leigh's skin, the hug comforting and close, and for once, not sexually charged -- but even the set of her body screamed that something important had occurred for the naked girl. Sparks of life had returned to her eyes, even as tears still fell. Leigh found a smile, too, and held out her arms. Nicole fell into them, while Kate watched with a smile from her chair. She mouthed, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (28 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


"See ..." and Leigh cradled Nicole for a long, long time. "He's gone," the Timeman said simply. Leigh wasn't quite sure what that meant, but she felt better, knowing that she wouldn't have to face Maurice again. At least, she hoped that would be the ultimate result of all this. Nicole shifted in Leigh's lap, wiping at her eyes. She gazed at the Timeman, and sniffled. "Thank-you," she whispered. The Timeman smiled, and slowly shut the door, leaving the three girls to recover at their own pace. Leigh had no idea where he would go, or what Andrea and Monique would be subjected to in their absence, but she tried to concentrate on comforting the girl in her lap. After a time, Kate rose, and relieved Leigh. Nicole switched laps willingly enough, and Leigh watched them for a long time, Kate stroking at Nicole's hair. Finally, the tears stopped, and Nicole sat up. She wiped at her eyes, and glanced at Kate and then Leigh. "For everything. Thank-you, too." Leigh almost laughed, but managed to keep it inside. Instead, she nodded gravely. For some reason, she felt like it should be reversed, her thanking Nicole -- perhaps for showing her the real meaning of courage. A smile spread across Nicole's lips, and she pushed herself to her feet. "I feel a lot better," she announced. Kate uncoiled her legs with a groan, then stood beside Nicole. "I guess we should join the others now. Start whatever it is that's supposed to happen today." Leigh felt it, too. Their confrontation with Maurice was only the appetiser. It was going to be a long day. Nicole held out her hands, and without thought, Leigh grasped her right, and Kate her left. Together, they walked out of the room, and down the hallway. Soft voices rose up from below, mostly feminine, but the occasional undertone from the Timeman. At least it wasn't girls screaming. Nicole glanced back at her bedroom once, and shivered, but she continued to walk without breaking her stride. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (29 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


Somewhere inside that Chamber of Horrors stood a man, his hand lowering his zipper in anticipation of a soft mouth. Except Nicole wasn't in there any longer, her hands handcuffed, and her knees aching. Not yet, anyway. They descended to the living room. It had been a bad idea -- a terrible idea -- but it somehow had turned out. Leigh felt as if a crushing weight had been lifted from her heart -- a terror faced, a great wrong righted. She felt like singing as her bare feet danced down the stairs towards another unknown. But she'd survive. Of that she was sure.


For once, he hadn't made her tie up the others. It was something that Kate hated to do, and perhaps he knew that -- but it was beyond her why he had spared her the indignity of binding the other others this time. In fact, it kind of made her nervous. It was bad enough that she would be restrained, but to force her to participate in the bondage of the others seemed unfair somehow. Problem was, her fingers knew knots -- always had. Kate looked up from her bare knees, pale against the carpet upon which she knelt. She watched as the Timeman crouched beside Leigh, whispering something to the other girl. Leigh shook her head once, but didn't seem to resist, folding her arms behind her back like Nicole, Andrea and Monique had before her. Perhaps, today, the Timeman wanted to be doubly sure that the girls were secure. Kate didn't understand why -- could only feel the undercurrent of something important happening. It felt like a train approaching, rumbling the ground under her, announcing its presence in a subtle bone rattling gait. One didn't know if it was an elephant, a rocket, or a train coming, but it didn't matter. Any of them would crush her, bound to the tracks. He didn't bind Leigh's ankles, leaving her as Monique and Andrea and Nicole, kneeling easily, their bare feet obscured by their bare thighs. Kate shifted her stance uncomfortably. It wasn't easy to kneel for any length of time. That was one of the unexpected http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (30 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


surprises of this place. One learned that many ordinary things that seemed harmless, might not be. She watched as the Timeman wrapped ropes around Leigh's upper arms, encasing her breasts above and below. Leigh didn't really need a bra, none of the captives did, Kate noted, but the ropes seemed almost to be supporting Leigh like the uncomfortable underwear did. Kate smiled ruefully; she missed her underwear sometimes. The Timeman ran his fingers over the valleys that the ropes created across Leigh's bare chest, while Leigh visibly shivered, but didn't protest. Apparently satisfied, he pushed himself to his feet and returned to that damnable backpack, drawing out more lengths of rope from a seemingly infinite supply. Kate felt her sex throb, and her breasts tingle. She closed her eyes, refusing to watch as he approached her, swinging the ropes between his fingers. Through the quiet, only the soft breathing of the girls, and Leigh's groan as she shifted position minutely, reached Kate's ears. When Kate opened her eyes, he had fallen to his knees beside her, ignoring the other bound girls behind him. They weren't a threat. Even free, they weren't a threat. Kate suspected that he was very aware of that. Without being told, Kate shifted her arms behind her back, uncomfortably aware of the effect it had on her chest. But, as usual, the Timeman ignored her bared breasts, and kept his eyes on her face. Kate wasn't fooled. If he hadn't been interested in her body, she would be clothed right now. He merely kept it civil when the girls were watching him, she suspected. She had no idea why -she couldn't do much about it if he chose to rake his eyes over her nudity. But he didn't, and for some reason it made her feel slightly more comfortable while she knelt in front of him, arms folded behind her back. "I won't fight with you," she said quietly. "But can you tell me why?" "Why what?" Kate glanced moved to tie treasonously this stirred

down at his jeans, then back to his face. He hadn't her, yet. But he would. And her body tingled in anticipation of just that. She hated the feelings up most of all.

"Why do you need to tie us up? We aren't any threat. You know that. We've done everything you asked -- even kept you and Nicole company with the asshole." He frowned at her last word, and Kate swallowed heavily. "Sorry, I meant 'animal'. It just slipped out."



He smiled then, and leaned in somewhat conspiratorially. "You were right the first time." Kate smiled, and knelt still. Slowly, he moved around her and began to wrap ropes around her wrists. Almost out of habit now, she moved her hands to accommodate his movements, making it easier for him to wrap the ropes about her limbs. (I shouldn't be helping him.) (What will it gain to make it difficult. You'll let him as soon as he begins to hit Leigh, and you know it.) Kate settled herself, concentrating on ignoring the sensations in her clitoris that rose up as her arm movements steadily restricted. "Why do you want us like this? You're going to hurt us, aren't you?" He grunted in reply somewhere behind her. After a moment, he began to move to her right, as free as the girls were not. Experimentally, she tried to move her right hand. The fingers worked fine, but the arm itself was securely anchored to her left, folded neatly and quite uselessly behind her back. She pulled again, and realised that there would be no escaping this. Not that she would have tried, even if it had been loose. She felt vulnerable and helpless -- which of course was only a true reflection on her entire situation. The ropes only made it slightly more personal. She felt him begin to wrap her upper arms, in a mirror image of Leigh. His fingers brushed at the soft skin of her upper breasts, and then tickled her below. Sparks of electricity raced down her spine, and she stifled a small moan. When he was done, he again moved into her line of sight, and crouched easily in front of her. "Try to get out." Kate didn't even need to pull at her arms to know that there was no hope of that. Not without help. Instead, she arched her back, and attempted to reach a knot -- any knot -- behind her, stretching her fingers to their limit. She knew it would be a useless gesture, but something inside her demanded that she try. And not only because he'd asked her. "I can't," she said wearily. Then after a moment, "I wasn't free before you tied me up either, though." He sighed, and then lowered himself to the ground, crossing his legs like an Indian. Kate watched him, envious of his physical freedom, and wishing that she might shift her stance to mirror his. Two problems with that, though. First, he might punish her for breaking http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (32 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


the kneeling position that he'd demanded, and second, she would be frightfully exposed. Not that she had any privacy anyway, and not that he constantly ogled her nakedness, but sitting cross-legged was -- pushing her envelope. She would, if it were demanded of her, but she wasn't about to increase her exposure of her own accord. She was suddenly keenly aware of the exposure of her breasts. "Kate?" For some reason, she had expected him to call her 'Katie', and she was somehow warmed that ever since that first encounter in the school's front yard, so long ago -- why had she been under that tree again? -- and she'd told him off for using the familiar form of her name, he'd never used it again. "Mmmhmmmm," she murmured. Truthfully, she was more trying to ignore the protests of her thighs, and the tingles in her arms, than anything he was saying to her. "It's beginning," he said quietly. Kate was sure that the other girls wouldn't be able to hear his words to her, anymore than she had heard the words he'd spoken to each as he bound them. "Beginning?" she whispered. He nodded, his face pinched almost in pain -- but perhaps exhaustion, or worry. "The beginning of the end." Kate's eyes widened. "You're going to let us go?" He smiled easily, but instead of answering her, he began a new tack. Kate mentally shifted gears to listen. "I don't know what's going to happen today, but I suspect that today may be harder on you, than the others. I need your cooperation -not only for me, but for everyone." "I've already promised to do whatever you want ..." Kate said quietly. He nodded. "And for the most part, you've done well. Today, I fear, won't be easy on anyone, but you most of all." "You're going to hurt me. Aren't you." Kate suddenly knew, with utmost certainty that her words weren't questions. She closed her eyes, and tried to control her breathing. When she re-opened her eyes, she was surprised at his face. It didn't show eager anticipation as it had in the past; it wasn't the face of a man who might tape lit cigarettes to a cheerleaders nipples to scare her for his own gratification. Rather, his face projected worry, both for himself and for her, as if he were shouldering a burden that perhaps had grown large for his shoulders. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (33 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


Almost comically, she felt like offering to hug him, which with her arms behind her back was physically impossible. His voice came slowly, and without inflection. Slowly, he shook his head. "I hope not, Kate. I don't want to -- not this time. But I may have to." It made no sense to her at all, but she nodded anyway. Even while her previous pain had stirred up frightening sensations, mostly centred between her legs, she didn't like pain -- it was as if her body enjoyed betraying her mind -- it was as if her body had found another mind to control it, one centred outside of herself, somewhere in the mists of time. Like Leigh, she was nearly constantly aroused, and her body ached with it. The ropes on her arms, her vulnerability, her helplessness, her lack of control didn't help. Not at all. And out of the five girls here, Kate knew that somehow, if any of them needed to provide a target for pain, she could bear it better than the others. And she would -- somehow she was surer of the outcome of the day than the Timeman even was. She sensed it, like a medium channelling some kind of psychic flow. Something was going to happen today, and she was instrumental to it. And she couldn't fail. She didn't understand how she, a seventeen year old high school sophomore could make a difference, but it had been thrust upon her with one short statement: "I hope not, Kate. I don't want to -- not this time. But I may have to." She believed him. While she knelt in the safe living room, naked with arms secured behind her back, she believed him. Slowly, he pushed himself up, then taking her arm at the elbow, helped her to her bare feet. Her thighs sighed as they uncoiled, and she shook her legs as he moved to help the other girls to their feet. She'd always been taught that she should never wrap anything around her neck, and as a general rule, she obeyed that wise sentiment. Unfortunately, she didn't have any mobility in her arms, and when he lined her up with the others, leading the line, and wrapped the coarse rope about her throat, she couldn't even find the strength to protest the danger of it. Of course, her objections, overall, to the indignity were more based on her comfort than real danger. Having the rope wrapped around her throat was probably at the same risk level as walking around with her hands tied behind her back -- one stumble and she could easily break bones. She wouldn't stumble. Couldn't.



He tightened the rope about her throat, not tightly, but enough to make her aware of its presence. It reminded her of a similar restraint in a school yard, holding her to a wall by her neck, watching Karen, oh God, Karen, tortured and tormented, unable to help, or comfort the girl. Karen was, of course, now, blissfully unaware of any of her suffering, but the association welled up to grasp at Kate's heart as he secured the last knot to hang in the base of Kate's throat. The rope extended back over Kate's shoulder, connected to Leigh's throat, then back to Andrea's, Monique's and finally Nicole's. Kate shivered and pulled idly at her arms. They were beginning to ache, but she knew that they would be screaming for movement if she were left like this for any extended period of time. While she hoped that wouldn't be the case, her precognition of the situation was more realistic. He gathered up the end of the line, perhaps four paces in front of her. He hefted it in his hand; Kate felt the movement through her unprotected throat. If he pulled, she was going to follow him. And Leigh would follow her, and Andrea would ... "Is everyone ready?" Kate swallowed, then found the courage to speak. "Is this really necessary?" she asked. The arms were probably unavoidable, but the throat tether seemed excessive. "We'll follow you willingly, you don't need to leash us like this." He hesitated for a moment, and Kate's heart skipped a beat, honestly believing that he might reconsider the rope joining the girls. Instead, he shrugged. "I could use nipple clamps to string you all together." Kate gulped, and shook her head quickly. Her nipples ached even thinking about it, and the shivers of anticipation through her body bore testament to her growing arousal. While she might be able to take nipple clamps, she doubted if the rest of the girls would appreciate it. It was beyond her perceptive abilities to know that a similar shiver at the suggestion had flowed from her, along the rope at her throat and into each girl behind her, to more or less degrees. "Please, no. The throat leash will be fine, sir," she said quickly. She still didn't understand the need to connect them all, or lead them, but it wasn't unusual for her to be confused by her captor. Most of the time, she believed that he did it on purpose, to intentionally keep them all off balance. And even knowing this, didn't help. Kate felt off balance.



He nodded, and repeated his first question: "Is everyone ready?" There was a low mumble of assent, some of it tinged with an edge of discomfort -- Kate's arms weren't likely the only ones that ached already from the restraints. "Why are we doing this?" Kate asked once more as he tugged the rope connected to her. She stumbled into motion, her feet automatically finding the pace. The other girls fell into step behind her. He stopped for a moment, and Kate felt Leigh nearly bump into her as she halted as well. "It's the beginning of the end," he said. It made no sense to Kate, but she nodded anyway. This time, she began to walk before the rope tightened against her throat. As she stepped across the threshold, still following the Timeman, fresh air caressed her face and filled her lungs. And while it felt nice to be outside again, she was suddenly conscious of her nakedness, her vulnerability. She glanced around, as he halted for a moment at the top of the marble stairs. Somewhere, she felt eyes upon her -- and they didn't belong to the Timeman or the other girls behind her. Something. Somewhere. She shook off the feeling, as she descended the stairs, her bare feet registering the texture differences as they moved from the marble to the rougher concrete of the walkway. Somewhere to the left, a black squirrel scampered through the sea of green that was the lawn. Kate tilted her head up as she walked, soaking in the sunshine. At the gate, they halted for a moment, while the Timeman glanced up and down the road as if expecting an ambush, or something. His demeanour worried Kate for a moment, but then he relaxed, turning to look at the mansion, and then across the grounds. Nothing except the rogue squirrel stirred. "Where are you, little minx?" the Timeman murmured. Kate ignored him, understanding that the comment wasn't really directed at anybody or anything in particular. She looked up at the house, wondering if she would ever see it, or its interior again. If not, she would miss it; it had been home of sorts, and she was finding that stability, above all else, was important to her. What else did she honestly have? Then the rope tightened again, and Kate began to move, away from the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (36 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


mansion, and away from certainty. Her heart beat insistently in her chest, and her clitoris sang out to her. He guided the girls out to the middle of the road, where the asphalt soaked up the unchanging noon heat and radiated it back into the soles of her naked feet and toes. It felt comforting, if a little harsh. She would have preferred to walk on the grass, or better yet in running shoes, but in the Timeman's agitated state, she was loathe to capture his attention any more than necessary, with useless protests and complaints. If he wanted to walk down the middle of the road with his train of naked, and barefoot, beauties, then that is precisely what she'd do. She pulled once more at her bonds, but they remained infuriatingly secure. She didn't know where they were going, or what she'd find there, but it was the beginning of the end. Whatever that meant.


In each passing moment, Kate's arms protested more and more loudly. She shifted, and tried rolling her shoulders, but the steady ache in her upper arms, and the numbness invading her hands rose in a constant clamour of discomfort bordering on pain. Perhaps the Timeman wasn't aware of what he had wrought upon her, and likely the rest of the girls in the small train, but Kate suspected that even had he known, it would either have made him aroused, or he simply wouldn't have cared. They were tied like this for a reason, even if it was a reason that would make no sense to her, or anyone else but the Timeman, himself. With a groan, she dodged around a Ford pickup, a small stone catching the ball of her right foot. She stumbled, and cried out, but the stone worked loose, and as far as she could tell, hadn't broken the tender skin of her feet. The asphalt was beginning to feel like sandpaper beneath her bare feet, and her throat was dry. The noon sun beat down on her exposed skin, evaporating any hope at coolness from her mild perspiration. Her breathing had steadily increased in tempo until it matched the beating of her heart, struggling to keep ahead of the fairly quick pace set by the Timeman. In the Ford, a man bearing the typical look of an urban blue collar worker -- a soup strainer moustache, and a cocked, and dirty http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (37 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


baseball cap topping blue overalls, sat frozen, staring out at them as they passed quietly, only the patter of bare feet and the rasp of inhalation marking their passage. Earlier, they had passed a red bus, stopped for passengers, a pretty blonde girl about to board. Kate had dodged around countless cars, and even pedestrians when they had been forced to move from the road to the sidewalk for a while. But mostly, she followed the dashed yellow markings flowing by between her bare feet, marking off distance wordlessly as she led the other girls towards their unknown destination. She wanted to ask the man leading her where they were going -- how much further she would have to endure the touch of asphalt, and the ache in her arms -- but she didn't dare. Besides, she had a feeling that she might need to conserve her breath; asking useless questions would use energy, energy she might need later. The pace continued, gruelling and quick. Mindlessly, she placed one bare foot in front of the other until she nearly bumped into him. Surprised, she looked up. The Timeman had halted between a purple mini-van, and a biker perched on a red and silver Honda motorcycle. The Timeman glanced almost nervously down the roadway, then ahead before sighing. Kate's eyes were drawn to the leather clad biker, shivering. Her immediate impulse was to cover herself, knowing that if the man was alive, he would probably be drooling over the small entourage of naked women stopped and nervous beside his bike. She felt exposed, and anxious, until the Timeman grunted and tugged her towards the side of the road. Slowly, her breathing was returning to normal, her lungs drawing in cool air, and settling her heart. He stopped again, and dropped the end of the rope. It fell to dangle from Kate's throat, between her breasts to tickle the tops of her thighs. The girls remained wary, shifting their weight uncomfortably where he'd left them. Monique's eyes shone with tears, and the former lawyer pulled nearly constantly at her bound arms. But she didn't complain, and lowered her eyes as Kate tried to make contact, hoping that her eyes conveyed a sense of shared misery. The Timeman seemed agitated, and he nearly danced upon the concrete, his shoes shuffling as he turned slowly, his eyes upon the myriad of humanity, cars and pedestrians lining the thoroughfare upon which they walked. Kate cleared her throat, and he looked up at her sharply, as if she should know not to disturb him. She didn't want to disturb him, knew what the consequences might be of that, but she gathered her courage and spoke almost in a whisper. "Please, sir?" He ceased his scanning and regarded her with almost an expression of exasperation. Her arms screamed, and her feet ached. She might be http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (38 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


able to deal with one of them, if he allowed it. She glanced around too, suddenly sure that someone was watching her. Her skin crawled, but then the sensation eased after a second. "Please. We need to rest. I know you won't untie us, but my feet hurt. Can we rest -- just for a moment -- in the grass? Please?" She hated the pathetic whine that had entered her voice, but he didn't seem to notice. He waved them over. "Just keep quiet. Understand?" Kate gratefully nodded. Since she was nominally in the lead, the rope still connecting the girls to one another, she stepped off the sidewalk and into the coarse grass near the boulevard. The grass was not nearly as fine and well maintained as the lawn of the mansion, but it still felt like a piece of heaven as her bare feet sank from the harshness of the concrete into the softness of the green. Kate sighed, and after ensuring that all the girls had stepped from the concrete, she lowered herself slowly to the ground, first to her knees, then to a sitting position. The shortness of the leads forced Leigh to bend and follow, then the others, all in turn. Kate didn't think the others would mind, and each wore an expression of relief as they settled. Kate stretched out her legs, the grass and clover tickling her bare thighs and calves. A soft sigh rose unbidden to her lips. She wanted to lean back on her arms, but even the thought of that made her ache for the use of her hands, if only for a moment. But while he'd allowed them to rest, she knew somehow that asking to be released even for five minutes wasn't going to fly. She glanced up. The Timeman had moved into the middle of the roadway again, and was scanning. She has no idea for what he was looking, but he seemed intent. Then he was gone, she could see his bobbing head between vehicles as he moved back the way they had come. A Toyota, similar to the one she had driven earlier to get to the Westin and the mansion, sat frozen in front of the boulevard. A girl of perhaps ten watched bored out the back window, her eyes blank and unseeing. Kate sighed again. (What the hell. He's gone for now, and the girls won't care.) She shifted, and though her face caught a small blush as she moved, she folded her legs into a cross-legged position. She was very aware of herself gaping open and exposed, but the position felt wonderful. She wasn't walking, and she wasn't worrying. Not now. If he wanted her to act like a fucking lady, then he shouldn't have tied her up like an animal.



He returned after five minutes, flushed and breathing hard. Kate wondered idly where he'd run, and how far. But the answers weren't offered, and she knew better than to ask. He almost seemed angry -not with the girls, they had followed his instructions to the letter, not talking, not even crying as they rested in the heaven-sent grass. "On your feet," he said. If he noticed that most of them were careless about their modesty, he didn't show it. His eyes remained on Kate's face. She swallowed, knowing that she couldn't rise without help. Not with her arms like this. Nevertheless, she rocked forward, and tried to get her feet under her. It failed, and he seemed to come to his senses without her having to ask for help. One by one, he pulled them up, almost roughly, and set them all in a row, as they'd been before. Monique braved it. As he helped her up, she asked, her voice almost breaking. "Please, it hurts. You have no idea how much it hurts." He stared at her, his face a mask of apathy. He honestly didn't care if she was suffering. Kate knew this with certainty. As long as they weren't dying, he had more important fish to fry. And them being uncomfortable, for some reason, was a part of that particular cruel plan. Either her suffering was important to whatever twisted plan he had concocted for them, or he simply had other, more important, things on his mind. "Please, at least let us walk in the grass? Please?" Monique almost begged, but her voice only broke on the last word. It was such a simple request. Instead of answering the former lawyer, he stepped back, and sighed. When he finally spoke, he growled. "You'll walk where I tell you to." He paused, regarding Monique's face, her disappointment falling as a steady stream of tears. Kate felt like crying, too, but she managed to will it back. (It will be over soon. It will be over soon. Please let it be over soon.) Her arms wholeheartedly agreed. Kate shivered. Somehow, she knew that her arms would be the least of her concerns. Whatever else was coming, this was only the beginning. "Please? Damn you. We've done everything ..." He touched Monique's face, and the naked woman ceased talking. He leaned towards her, no sympathy evident on his face. Kate hadn't http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (40 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


seen that particular expression on his face since he'd played with Karen, taping cigarettes to her nipples. His gaze frightened Kate, and evidently Monique. She whimpered, and turned her eyes away. "Would you like to be gagged, too?" he asked simply. "And if I have to gag you, the whole lot of you will find yourselves silenced. I don't want to, but I need you all to be quiet. Understand?" Kate shivered. Her jaw hadn't forgotten the taste of the ball, stretching her mouth wide, robbing her of the most basic communication. Please, no. Monique was afraid to even agree verbally. Tears washed quietly down her cheeks, a flush of anger or embarrassment flooding her face. Slowly, she nodded. Yes, she understood. Her acquiescence perhaps saving the rest more discomfort for a while at least. He nodded slowly, and turned from her. Kate thought Monique would collapse as he dismissed her, but somehow, Monique stayed on her feet. Monique's toes dug into the grass, either in an effort at balance or an effort to remember the sweetness of the soft against her skin. If she'd fallen, Kate wasn't sure what the Timeman would have done, but thinking about it only sent shivers down her spine. Monique, while understandably unnerved, seemed capable of movement. The Timeman glanced back up the street, and Kate felt unseen eyes again brush over her. She stepped back as the Timeman reached for the leash, minimising the contact of his fingers against her belly. He flashed a quick smile at her, which had more of an effect of furthering her unease, and then the tug transmitted to her throat. Kate stumbled forward, her eyes stinging, but not tearing, yet. She winced as her feet moved from the softer grass to the harshness of the pavement. Slowly, the other girls followed, Nicole moaning as she stepped last onto the asphalt. They moved out into the middle of the street again, the yellow dashes seeming to fade into infinity. Kate began to walk again, trying to ignore the ache settling into her arms. She could barely feel her fingers, and hoped fervently that the ropes weren't permanently damaging her hands. Her fingers still moved, though, and she didn't even bother stretching to see if she could reach any knots. She couldn't. Kate grit her teeth, and followed the Timeman, the yellow marking off the paces. Her arms screamed, and her feet complained, but she felt they were nearing whatever destination. They had to be. It wasn't the same mall that Monique had visited with the Timeman -this one was an imposing double story structure with vast parking lots and more expensive stores buried within. There was a theatre http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (41 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


here, along with one of those overbearing book stores, a couple of anchor department stores, and various boutiques. Kate looked up as the texture of the pavement shifted, cars parked in neat rows rather than in haphazard confusion in the middle of major city arteries. Tall panes of reflective windows greeted the small caravan, as the girls plodded wearily between Jettas and Civics and Corollas. Kate wanted to ask him what they were doing here, but her breathing had fallen into a ragged rhythm, rasping in and out of her chest. It seemed like too much effort to request information that she knew that he would not provide to her. She was here, and that was enough. She could only hope that he might release them for a while, let them rest. By dead reckoning, it felt like she'd been walking for hours, but perhaps it had been the equivalent of an hour at most. She shivered, her thighs aching now more than her feet. Her arms had fallen numb some time ago, and the absence of pain there both relieved and frightened her. He held the door for them, a testament to their helplessness. In some ways, it almost seemed chivalrous, but in others, she wished that she'd been able to open and hold the door for herself. He picked back up the leash as Nicole passed the doorway, leading them into the interior of the mall, harsh asphalt shifting to cool, smooth marble under bare feet. She had no idea where they were going, but she felt it strongly. It would be here. Somewhere.


They silently passed a fountain, its water frozen in time, children surrounding it like a maypole. An image, unbidden rose into her mind. Monique stood naked and shivering in the middle of the fountain -- no, not this one -- another fountain -- her hands cuffed behind her back. Her restraint seemed kind when compared to that which she now suffered. She didn't know where the images came from, but she suspected that something outside of herself, something even outside of the Timeman, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (42 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


had implanted the vision into her cortex. She shook her head, and the fountain in the mall, the real one, shifted back into her perceptions. There were eyes here, and something beyond the sightless staring of the thousands of people that she dodged around almost without thought. Her nudity, and her exposure, and her discomfort all melded as though she were finally in control of herself. Of course, it was only an illusion, but the sense of being watched had intensified as she moved quietly through the concourses. The rope continued to pull her along, tightening when she slowed. The mall surrounded her in silent company as she moved across the marble. The rope leading her slackened, and then dropped. In surprise, Kate stopped, and Leigh bumped gently into her from behind with a soft "Oooof." "Don't do that without signalling," Leigh whispered, and for some reason the comment brought a smile to Kate's lips. She nearly laughed, but somehow stopped it before it began. If it had emerged from her lips, she wouldn't have been able to stop -- she knew that with utmost certainty. And only God knew what the Timeman would have done to stop her from laughing. Kate shivered at the thought. "Sorry," she muttered, and felt Leigh back away a touch. She turned her attention to the Timeman. He was moving away from the girls, stepping quickly, glancing about himself almost nervously. Kate felt the unseen eyes brush over her skin again, and suddenly realised that the Timeman, perhaps even more than she, had felt it, too. She nearly turned to tell Leigh, but then refrained as he cast her a withering look. Sometimes, she thought that maybe reading thoughts came as a package with Time Control, but then she realised that he merely wanted her quiet as asked -- he'd probably seen her minute movement to turn towards Leigh, and taken steps to avoid the situation. In front of the girls stood a small kiosk -- a newspaper stand where one might buy snacks, or a Star, or Sun, or a Chatelaine. Kate's eyes swept over the magazine rack, automatically averting as they encountered various skin magazines -- Penthouse, Playboy, and Gent. She sighed. He appeared to be walking directly towards the magazine rack. With a shiver, she suddenly understood -- he was going to take the publication and make them pose like the models within. Giddiness rose up in her again, and she had to work to force it back down. She hoped that her pose wouldn't involve an open crotch shot. The thought sobered her and she continued to watch as he ignored the magazines, and slipped out of sight down an aisle. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (43 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


Kate lowered her gaze. What the hell would he need with skin magazines, when he had a completely docile train of beautiful girls standing and waiting for him in the middle of the concourse. She shivered, and only raised her eyes when she heard the soft patter of his shoes on the marble. He eyes lit up as she saw what he carried, an inadvertent sigh escaping her lips. He carried a bottle of Evian spring water, it's plastic shiny with condensation. He held it up to Kate, and she closed her eyes. "Please," she whispered. Her throat was as dry as a desert, almost painful as she breathed. She heard the top snap as he twisted it. "Sip. Don't gulp." She only half understood the word. The half she understood immediately was that all five of the girls would need to share the bottle. It was large, but all of them were thirsty. The second half of understanding only came as the cool, sweet liquid passed down her parched throat to burn her belly. At first, she thought that he'd poisoned her, but then full understanding slammed into her as her stomach convulsed. He pulled the lip of the bottle from her lips, and stood back watching her warily. With an effort, she managed to keep the contents of her stomach where it belonged, but understood that if she'd drank the water any quicker, she would have been violently sick. He'd saved her that. She nearly raised her head to thank him, but he had already moved past her to Leigh, whispering the same instructions. He made four passes along their line, feeding the girls sips of water until the bottle was empty. While it wasn't enough, it helped, and Kate found that she felt better. Not her feet, or her thighs or her arms, but her spirit seemed to rise with the small act of kindness. Almost casually, he tossed the empty bottle towards the store where he'd stolen it. Before it touched the ground, it disappeared. Kate gasped, and then turned towards him. She'd never get used to time control. He reached forward, and grasped the leash. Before it tightened again around her throat, Kate opened her mouth and heard words flow.



"Thank-you," she said quietly. He nodded, but didn't pull her forward. He seemed to sense that she wanted to ask something more. "Please, can we eat something? A chocolate bar? Anything?" He leaned towards her, his voice only at a whisper. "There will be time for that later. You only want to rest, and we can't. Not right now. You've had your rest." Instinctively, she knew what he'd said was true. She really wasn't all that hungry, especially after she'd almost vomited. But tears found her eyes anyway. It wasn't the denial, as her absolute helplessness that pushed her misery into physical manifestation. He touched her cheek, almost tenderly. She wanted to twist away, but she didn't, instead taking whatever small kindness that was offered her. Her arms ached in the numbness. She was deathly worried about them. "Where are we going?" Kate whispered. "We'll be there soon. I promise." "I can't feel my arms anymore. Are you going to untie us when we get there?" He sighed, and moved around behind her. Through the numbness she felt him tracing some of the ropes holding her. Her arms felt cold and dead. Then she sensed him move to check Leigh. He moved back in front of Kate and shook his head. "I'm sure it's uncomfortable, Kate," he said. She nodded in definite confirmation. Uncomfortable was an understatement. It wouldn't have made any difference, but she almost wished that she'd fought a little when he'd tied her. "But it's not doing any damage. It hurts, and your arms are a little red, but it'll be hours more before anything is in permanent danger. I have no interest in permanently hurting any of you." "It's more than uncomfortable, sir. When are you going to untie us? Please? You don't need to have us like this." He laughed, but it was kind. "I'm afraid the rest of them are stuck for a while. You? I'm going to have to untie soon." Relief flooded into her, until she realised that the rest would remain like that. Slowly, she shook her head. "If you aren't going to release everyone ..." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (45 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


"I know. You don't want to be untied. I'm afraid the martyr routine won't work this time. Trust me. They won't envy you." Kate paled, uncertainty flipping through her. She shivered, but stood still as he reached again for the dropped leash. This time, he almost allowed his fingers to touch her thigh longer than was strictly necessary. He smiled at her and held the leash up. She didn't wait for the insistent tug on her throat. She stepped forward. She felt a little better, in a way, the water washing some of her fears away, but she had the uneasy feeling that it was the calm before the storm. He'd practically promised to make her life more miserable. And she had no doubt, whatsoever, that he was capable of that. She pulled at her bound arms again, wincing, and realised that she wasn't sure if she could take more misery than this. She placed one foot in front of the other, and followed mutely as he led the train of girls towards their ultimate destination.


It was the final straw of humiliation. She watched silently as he placed the leash easily around the top rung of the bench, knotting it. It would have been so simple to untie that knot and run, if her hands weren't numb and the fingers difficult to move. Oh, and if her arms weren't folded behind her back, thrusting her naked breasts outward like a stripper parody. The leash reminded her of a dog leash, nothing but a pretty animal, secured by a tether, unable to free herself. If he wanted, she would be forced to stand here, naked and in pain for eternity. Tears found her eyes, and two leaked past her lids to slide slowly down her cheeks. She couldn't even brush them away, but she managed to blink past the remainder, keeping her eyesight for the next phase of whatever the Timeman had planned for them. She felt Leigh behind her, touch her bound arms with her breasts, an approximation of an armless embrace. Nothing more. Leigh's voice whispered in her ear, soft and gentle. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (46 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


"Hold on, Kate. Hold on." Kate suddenly wanted to kiss Leigh, on the lips, her body crying out to find comfort in the other girl. Instinctively, she knew somehow that Leigh wouldn't object to such things, but here and now probably wasn't the right time or place. "I'll make it. Somehow," Kate whispered back. Leigh didn't move back, the comforting pressure of her breasts pressing into the ropes that held Kate. And it was enough. They were imprisoned in front of the movie theatre. Kate couldn't tell if it was a Famous Players or a Cinemax, but whatever the case, it was playing a mixture of shows ranging from the latest romance, to the "Attack of the Clones." She'd hadn't seen any of the pictures, but she doubted if she was here to see any show. At least not any movies that the theatre normally would show. Behind the girls, the expanse of a Chapters, or an Indigo book store spread out, the shoppers frozen and staring as they picked through the myriad of book laid out along the concourse in bins that proclaimed "Special Sale." To Kate's right, down the length of the corridor, rose a frozen escalator, whose treads had pressed cruelly into her bare feet as the girls had carefully picked their way down it. The escalator had gone up, in a former life, the few passengers on the now-still staircase faced in the opposite direction to the descending girls. The mall seemed a little more populated here than where they'd entered. Kate glanced around -- noon shoppers, mostly women, wandered with bored expressions. She would be willing to bet that the women would be a mite more interested in their surroundings if they could see the small knot of naked girls standing uneasily in front of the movie house. A small noise caught her attention, and she swivelled her eyes to the entrance of the movie theatre. The entrance of the movie theatre was composed of a raised platform, ringed by a safety railing of painted wrought iron. Stairs rose to each side of the platform, as if they were leading to a stage. The entranceway stood perhaps six or six and a half feet above the mall corridor in which Kate now stood. If her arms were free and she reached up, she could probably reach the base of the railing, but not the top. Surrounding the entrance were perhaps ten posters advertising coming features, and current shows. The theatre apparently sported double, or triple, Dolby Digital Surround Sound -- not that Kate was likely to ever enjoy it, at least not in this world. Though she knew it was impossible, she thought she smelled the ever present aroma of popcorn, and it made her stomach growl. The noise came from within the theatre. Kate presumed that the Timeman had disappeared up the stairs and into the entranceway, though she'd been distracted with other things, like tears and Leigh's warmth behind her when the Timeman had performed his http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (47 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


Copperfield impersonation. Kate didn't miss him. Again, Kate felt the unmistakable brush of someone's eyes across her body, and the fine hairs at the base of her neck rippled. But then the sensation was gone, and the noise from the entranceway of the theatre became more distinct and identifiable. Kate lowered her eyes to inspect the knot holding the leash to the bench. Perhaps with her teeth. But she knew that was impossible, even if she had the dexterity in her mouth to release the knot. She wouldn't even try, and that, most of all, caused her heart to skip a beat. The noise rising from the theatre continued. It was the unmistakable cry for help. A female voice, almost hysterical. Somehow, Kate wasn't surprised. The girls looked to be nineteen or twenty, and each was attractive with a girl-next-door appearance. None had the unmistakable girlish beauty of Karen, or even the inner beauty of the girls bound behind Kate. They were college girls, all with the vitality and vanity of youth. Each sported relatively short cropped hair, though the blonde girl had moderately long locks flowing across her shoulders. But the girls weren't vain now, as they emerged blinking from the movie theatre. Their hands rose above their shoulders, each wearing a remarkably similar visage of terror. Kate didn't even have to look to know who would be trailing behind them by about four paces, a handgun lowered at their trembling backs. It seemed as though their terror increased as the line of naked and bound girls pushed into view. Kate fervently wished that she weren't standing there -- not only because of the embarrassment inherent in her position, but that she was partially the cause of the girls' discomfort and fright. One girl, a brunette, her hair tucked up with silver clips, pointed and screamed incoherently as Kate's bound nudity slipped into view, and as if she had seen her future. Kate supposed that she very well might have. The brunette girl began to back up, but stopped short and paled as the gun found the small of her back. The Timeman whispered something into her ear. She began to walk again, though her legs seemed more shaky than they had been. He pushed the girls down the stairs and into the corridor, then lined them up, as though facing a firing squad against the platform. The railing above them glimmered like the world's least effective jail cell. Kate ran her eyes over the trembling quartet of girls, wondering http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (48 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


where he'd might have Clones" or gun as the

procured them. They might have been serving popcorn, or been patrons sitting quietly watching "Attack of the some other spring picture, only to be confronted with a clones finally attacked.

They stood at about Kate's height, all of them tall and slim -typical fare for Kate's captor, she thought morosely. From left to right, there were three brunettes and the blonde who wore her hair a little longer. All of the girls stared openly at Kate, and at the girls behind. The Timeman stood between the groups of girls, never wavering with the gun as it settled on each of the newcomers in turn. "Please," said the blonde. "What do you want?" Another girl, in the middle, the one with the silver clips in her hair, ventured, her voice cracking, "Please, my father is rich, he'll pay you anything you want. Please, just let us go." Quietly, he spoke. "Names." The blonde shivered, and shook her head. The girl to her left spoke up quickly, her eyes now drawn to the gun. "Pamela." "Wade." "Danielle." The brunette girls all shivered as they spoke their names in wavering voices. The blonde seemed to find some courage, and stared more defiantly out at her captor. "Why the fuck should I tell you anything?" Kate could have given her a million reasons, the least of which involved arms folded behind her back until they felt like sodden pieces of useless wood. She thought she caught a gleam flashing from the Timeman's eyes. It screamed: "Challenge!" and Kate inwardly cringed. It would feel good to challenge the man with the gun -Kate knew the sensations well -- but it would be short lived. Fleeting pleasure, that of a hiker finally reaching the edge of the cliff, seeing the vista, but before falling towards the river far, far below. The gun travelled towards the blonde, and she paled, but didn't back down. "Shoot me, then, Fuckhead. I don't care," she said, her voice not rising above a whisper. Kate could see it in her eyes. She did care. Very much. And much as she hoped not, the Timeman would see it too. Oh yes, the blonde cared. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (49 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


The Timeman moved forward, towards the blonde, whistling tonelessly. Before he reached her, Kate spoke up. As she spoke, the Timeman stopped his forward motion, but didn't turn from the girls under the theatre entrance. "It's only your name, so far. Trust me, he won't hurt you. He'll hurt Pamela, and Danielle, and ..." Kate struggled to remember the other girl's name, then it came to her. "Wade. Wade. He'll hurt your friends. He'll hurt them until they scream. Never you. Trust me. I have no doubt that you'd let him whip you unconscious. But can you take Wade screaming your name while he hurts her? Tell him your name. He'll get it from you one way or the other. Make one up if you have to." The blonde girl looked back at Kate, almost with an air of contempt. She nearly spat at her. "Who the fuck are you? His fucking accomplice?" Kate shivered. "You don't want to ..." but her voice trailed off as the Timeman fell into motion again, but not as Kate expected. She was going to finish with "swear around him," but he didn't let Kate finish her warning. Without heeding Kate's words, his hand snaked out and slapped across the blonde's cheek. Her head snapped to the side, and she screamed, both in pain and in surprise. When she turned, the gun touched her nose. The fight left her, but her eyes still blazed defiantly, her fists clenched tightly at her side. "Fuck you," she spat. A fine mist left her lips, but didn't strike the Timeman. "Hitting me isn't going to get you anywhere." The Timeman grinned, and still holding the gun steadily at her face, he whispered. "Don't test me. I will shoot you, because I can. Don't you see what's going on here, little girl?" The blonde shook her head. Her entire body shook, probably in anger, but perhaps in fright, too. "So, shoot me. I won't be your fucking slave girl." He sighed. "I didn't hit you to make you do what I ask." The girl looked at him puzzled. A red mark was rising on her left cheek. Without warning, his hand shot out again, but this time, he aimed at Pamela, the girl beside the blonde. Pamela didn't react nearly fast enough, but she managed to stay on her feet. Her head rocked to the side, and a thin scream of pain rose from her lips. Tears sprang to her eyes. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (50 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


"I wanted you to know how much pain you were causing Pamela, here. She gave me her name, wasn't that easy?" "You fucking bastard." He reached out, and hit Pamela again. The brunette screamed and cowered away, sobbing now. "Kate told you not to swear." The blonde looked like she was about to call him worse names, then she glanced at Pamela. Kate watched as the tension visibly left her. "Don't hit her again. Hit me, if you have to hit anyone." Kate took a breath. "That won't work. Not today. Please, just tell him your name. He'll keep hitting her until you beg to tell him. Trust me. Please?" The girl turned to Kate, her eyes smouldering again, even with the barrel of the gun aimed between her eyes. Wade had reached Pamela and held the sobbing girl in her arms. Wade echoed Kate's words. "Please, just tell him. Or I will," the brunette begged. "Listen, bitch. First it's my name, then it's take off your clothes. Then I'm not any better off than you." The 'bitch' comment stung a little, but Kate held the blonde's eyes. the blonde was deceiving herself, and Kate could understand that. The blonde actually was no better than Kate was. She just wasn't naked and tied up ... yet. The blonde was frightened, and she had every right to be. Kate was frightened, and at the moment, she didn't even have a gun levelled at her head. God, her arms ached, and she felt like snapping. But snapping wouldn't help here. "He'll start really hurting Pamela. Then Wade. Then Danielle. He'll tape fucking cigarettes to their goddamn nipples, and light them. Can you watch that? Can you? I'd offer myself to save all of you, but he doesn't want me. Not yet. He only wants to know your name. Please?" After a moment, she tried again. "Please?" The tears had appeared, Kate suspected, after the blond had called her a bitch. But it didn't matter. She could still see clearly enough to know what was happening. She sniffled, closing her eyes. She hoped that the Timeman wouldn't hurt Leigh for Kate's inadvertent swearing. It had come naturally, the words merely echoing her mounting frustration. She felt for the blonde, as much as she felt for the girls bound behind her, but the girl didn't understand. Couldn't. And it wasn't as if Kate could walk over to her and shake some sense into her. There was a damn gun levelled at her head, for Christsakes.



"Crystal. That's my name, if it helps you. Crystal." When Kate opened her eyes, the Timeman had backed away from the girls. The gun was still trained on Crystal, but he was no longer close enough to hit them. The blonde visibly relaxed, and turned to Pamela, ensuring that the weeping girl wasn't seriously hurt. A clatter against the marble brought Kate's head up again. Four gleaming pairs of handcuffs slid across the floor to stop against Crystal's running shoes. The girl looked down at them, and shook her head. "No way. I won't put them on." "I don't want you to put them on, yet. I want you to put them on your friends." Crystal shook her head again slowly. "No way. Then what's stopping you from raping us." "Nothing," he said simply. "But there are worse things than rape." Crystal paled, and stood there shaking her head, her blonde locks dragging across her shoulders. He shrugged. "I haven't had to shoot anyone yet, but I'll bet a bullet between the legs is painful. Wouldn't you say, Crystal?" Crystal paled, and shook her head. "You wouldn't." She turned to Kate, her eyes pleading. Kate swallowed, and dipped her head. "I don't know what's going on today, Crystal. I'm just trying to help you. He'll get what he wants, and yesterday, I would have said no, but today, there's something happening that I don't understand. I honestly think he would. He might start shooting and not be able to stop. The gun works. I've seen it work. I don't want to be here any more than you do, but I am. Please, just do what he says. I can't promise you, but so far he hasn't raped anyone. He'll let you go afterward -you aren't one of us. I hope. Please, just chain your friends. You don't want to see the inside of a knee, or an elbow, or that damn gun between your legs. Please, Crystal. I don't either." Crystal swallowed, and turned burning eyes to the Timeman, as if she'd finally decided that hating Kate wasn't going to help her. He smiled, and Kate was nearly sure that the blonde girl was going to launch herself at him. She wouldn't have made it, but Kate found herself almost willing the girl to try it. But in the end, Crystal feared more for the safety of her friends, and perhaps herself. The girl crouched and picked up a pair of handcuffs between two fingers, as if they represented disgusting slime.



"How?" she asked. "Up and to the railing above you." Crystal mumbled something incoherent, but urged Pamela to reach up. The cuffs clicked closed, and Crystal moved on. Pamela's cheeks burned a fierce shade of red. It made Kate think of Nicole's bruised face, but those marks on Pamela were made open handed -- painful, but gone within a few hours. If Crystal hadn't begun to obey, those might have changed to more permanent issues. Yes this wasn't on the primary timeline, but pain was pain, and humans were humans. Kate couldn't watch it, and that she even thought the Timeman was capable of it, scared her badly. Soon, all three brunette girls stood hands overhead, cuffed to the railing. Kate closed her eyes, knowing that they would regret allowing this, but not seeing any alternative. "Leave them alone," she whispered. He turned towards Kate, and found a weak smile. Surprised, Kate realised that he wasn't really enjoying this -- he should have been nearly dancing in anticipation, three girls bound for his pleasure and a fourth damn near broken to his will all in a matter of minutes. But he wasn't. Kate wondered, suddenly understanding that this man liked control, yes, absolutely, but not this kind. He didn't get off on hurting women, striking helpless girls like Pamela. It was a means to an end, only, and the thought, while it didn't make her any safer, did console her a little. She still wasn't dealing with a time travelling Maurice. He stared around the concourse, only marginally aware of the train of five naked beauties, and the four new girls. It was almost as if he were strained beyond his abilities, or exhausted. Crystal eyed him for a moment, as if gauging her chances at success if she struck while he was distracted with Kate and the silent concourse around him. Crystal faltered when he raised the gun to aim at her flawlessly without even looking at her. "Don't be stupid, Crystal. If you're a good girl, I won't rape any of you. If I have to kill you, I'll rape them in the pool of your blood." Even from him, the comment seemed overly dramatic. But it stopped Crystal in her tracks. All the defiance, and the spunk left her voice. "Please do whatever you have to, but let them go. I'll do whatever twisted thing you want." Kate sighed. That kind of comment was dangerous around the Timeman, but what else did any of them have. Just themselves. Kate didn't even have clothing, having lost it for just such a comment -- she'd http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (53 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


stripped to save Karen pain. She didn't blame Crystal. He wasn't toying with her -- he wanted the girl broken. This girl, he wasn't going to keep, after all. Kate felt that in her bones. And to her credit, Crystal hadn't quite broken. Not yet. "Let them all go. This isn't about them," Kate called quietly. "You know we'll all do whatever you want. Leigh. Nicole. Monique. Andrea. Me. We'll all fuck your brains out, if that's what you want. You don't need them." He smiled again, almost with a semblance of caring. But his eyes still held a danger, but something external to him. "Ah, Kate. But I do need them." She wanted to scream at him: "Why?" But she held her tongue. For that was the prime question; the question to which there was no answer that she might even hope to comprehend. Of one thing she was sure, though: it wasn't for his satisfaction that he was going to torment them. No. It was for something else. Something that might or might not become apparent. Instead of answering Kate or Crystal, he raised his voice. This time, it echoed, and the echo startled Kate nearly as much as what he yelled. "Are you ready to come out, yet, little minx? You can save them a lot of pain ..." he called. His voice echoed, and bounced, but there was no reply. Kate thought that perhaps he'd lost touch with even this tenuous reality in which they all found themselves. There was nobody else. And the fact that he was calling to non-existent entities in this mall in the middle of suburbia, with nobody but naked, terror-stricken girls to hear seemed somehow worse than anything else in this silent, and frozen world. Nobody but them: only nine terrorised girls, who wished that they weren't there. The silence descended over the girls, only broken by a small moan from Monique, and quiet sobbing from Pamela.




"Strip," he commanded the shaking girl. Crystal stood resolute, and shook her head. "No way, you sick fuck. I'm not taking my clothes off for you. Not so you can tie me up like those girls over there." Kate flushed as she realised without a doubt that she fell into that category. She pulled at her bound arms, but she could do nothing about this unfolding drama. She could only stand barefoot and naked, leashed to a bench in the middle of a mall, and hope that Crystal would do whatever was necessary to save them all pain. She'd said as much as she could, somehow understanding that to say more would only invite the Timeman's wrath. And that wrath would be felt by Leigh, and Andrea, and Monique. Kate shivered, and pressed her lips together, watching Crystal. Crystal watched as the Timeman sighed, and circled her, approaching the three brunettes. Pamela cringed as he approached, and cried out as he stood beside her. Crystal's eyes never left the gun, which remained aimed at her belly. "I won't strip for you. Forget it," she said. Her voice lacked conviction, as though she were as aware as he that if he merely touched Pamela, or Wade, or Danielle, that Crystal would take her clothing off without any further protest. He reached up, never taking his eyes off Crystal. Kate watched, as did Crystal, as his fingers trailed up Pamela's ribs to cup her breast through her thin blouse. "Noooo. Oh, God, please no," Pamela whispered. His fingers traced up the curve of her breast, almost caressing. Kate watched, fascinated as the girl's nipple reacted -- probably not sexually, as Kate's would have; Pamela had not been freed from the time freeze long enough for that involuntary reaction. Nevertheless, the girl's nipple became erect beneath the layers of the girl's blouse and brassiere. Pamela moaned. "Please don't touch me. Oh, God. Please. Please." He stopped his exploration, and stared at Crystal. "Strip?" he asked, almost as if it were a request. "I can't," Crystal whispered. Her entire body shook slowly, her arms wrapped under her breasts. He shrugged, and placed his index finger to one side of Pamela's http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (55 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


nipple, and the thumb to the other side. Pamela moaned, visibly bracing herself. "Please, don't," she moaned. But he did. Kate could see the pressure building as he pinched the girl. She twisted, but that only caused more pain. Kate's nipples ached in sympathy, and she closed her eyes. Kate wished that she was able to cover her ears, as well. To her credit, Pamela held in her scream as long as Kate figured was humanly possible. But it was her nipple, and even if it wasn't bare, his fingers were crushing the sensitive flesh without mercy. He wanted the girl to scream -needed her to scream. And she did. It was a strange scream that didn't echo, unlike his mad calling earlier. "Ahhhhhhhh. God. It hurts. Stop. Please, stop. Ahhhhhhhh." Kate cringed, and felt sick. A small tired voice cut through the scream as Pamela paused for a moment to catch her breath. "Stop. I'll strip. I'll do whatever the fuck you want." And Pamela stopped screaming, though her sobs continued to cut through the silence of the world. Behind Kate, she thought she heard Andrea crying, too. The softness of Leigh's breast left her arms briefly, and she almost immediately missed the human contact, though she knew that Leigh was trying to help Andrea, as much as she was able. Almost in a daze, Crystal kicked off a running shoe. It twirled through the air to drop near the Timeman's shoes. The other shoe followed. "No, Crystal. No," Pamela mumbled. But Crystal ignored her, as Kate knew that the girl would. Crystal was strong, but even Crystal wasn't as strong as the naked girls tied to Kate -- and to a one, every girl behind her would have removed her clothing to help a stranger. Kate's heart ached as she watched Crystal disrobe, pulling her socks off and pushing her jeans to her ankles and stepping from them. Her blouse fluttered to the ground at her bare feet, and then she straightened, her eyes blazing. "Is that enough, you sick fuck?" Kate wanted to laugh, but she didn't. The girl remained standing in her bra and black panties, high cut Kate crazily noted, and both Crystal, and Kate, knew that it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough until your heart stopped beating.



Diametrically, Crystal looked both incredibly vulnerable and incredibly strong standing barefoot staring at her captor, her blue eyes flashing. Abruptly, without waiting for an answer, she slowly unclasped her bra and let it fall to join her blouse and jeans. Then she pushed her panties to her ankles and stood with her hands covering her breasts. "There. Now let them go," she whispered. Slowly, he shook his head, and Crystal paled, casting a longing glance at her former clothing. Kate looked away, knowing that he wasn't done with the blonde. Not even close. "You have to be joking," Crystal whispered. Her hands remained against her breasts, and her legs remained crossed tightly as she stood vulnerable in front of him. Instead of repeating his command, he reached towards Pamela's breast. The girl screamed, and twisted her body, but the cuffs would only let her go so far. He waited a moment, then reached up and captured her nipple again. Pamela moaned. "Crystal, no. Don't." "He'll hurt you. Then move on to Wade. And Danielle," Crystal whispered. Kate nodded, bound girls' had stripped There was no

knowing that the Timeman could easily rip open all the clothes, attach clothespins to sensitive flesh. Crystal because Pamela had screamed. She would do as he asked. doubt.

"Don't hurt her. I'll do it," Crystal whispered. Pamela moaned as the Timeman released her nipple. Her legs buckled and the girl hung for a moment from her bound wrists, until she came to the inevitable conclusion that this was more painful than standing. Somehow, she pulled her legs back under her and straightened. "How do you want me," Crystal asked dully. "On my front or on my back?" Kate shivered, the lack of emotion in Crystal's voice frightening her. She sounded like a war survivor, and in a way, Kate supposed that Crystal just might be. "Whatever way you normally do it," the Timeman said. He leaned up easily against the firing squad wall, beside Pamela. He crossed his http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (57 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


arms, and Kate was relieved to see that the gun was no longer pointed at any of the girls. The Timeman wasn't really watching Crystal as the blonde sank first to her knees. He stared up the corridor, his eyes scanning. "I don't," Crystal said. He turned his attention back to the naked girl kneeling in the middle of the corridor. To her left a mother with a stroller walked unaware of the girl in her path. To Crystal's right, a boy of about fifteen, who probably would have sprayed his shorts to see Crystal like this, ran to catch up to his buddies down the mall. Crystal ignored all of them, if the unusual situation impacted on her mind, it wasn't apparent in the set of her body. She only watched the Timeman, his gun, and sometimes Pamela. "You won't?" Crystal sighed. "No. I don't. I've never done this before. Period. With or without a fucking audience. I don't even know if I can. But I'll try. You don't need to hurt her." He didn't seem concerned about her inability. "I see," he almost looked like he believed her. Truthfully, at this point, Kate couldn't see why the girl would lie, either. The Timeman waved to Crystal, and the girl lowered herself to the marble, a look of distaste across her features. A dirty mall floor probably wasn't her idea of an ideal location to begin this sort of thing. Kate shivered. She had done this before, well, without an audience, and she couldn't imagine trying to do it in the middle of a mall, in front of friends, her face pressed against a dingy marble floor. It seemed too much like a juvenile fantasy, but there the girl was, large as life, pleading with her eyes to be excused from this humiliation. But she found no mercy there; there couldn't be, not today. Kate struggled to understand, but her arms ached, and her her body trembled as she tried to remain on her feet. Leigh's warmth and softness again pressed into her arms, and she noted that Andrea seemed quieter. Crystal cast one more pleading look towards her tormentor, but then evidently deciding that it might be slightly more modest, she turned over, pushing her bare breasts into the marble, and rising up on her knees. If she didn't know better, Kate would have said the girl was preparing for sex, doggy-style. "Please don't make me do this," Crystal begged. He didn't answer her, only stared at her until she looked away. Tears streamed down her face.



"I can't," she whispered. But she did. With a moan, and last convulsive sob, she reached back between her legs, her cheek pressed into the floor, her eyes closed. Her fingers touched between her legs, stroking and teasing herself. A flash of her peach coloured nails peeked between her swollen lips, and then disappeared rhythmically. The Timeman stopped glancing around the corridors, and finally paid attention to the naked blonde at least mimicking pleasuring herself in front of him. Kate thought that she saw movement, like a ghost, out of the corner of her eye. Crystal remained on her knees, her bum raised slightly, her fingers working between her legs slowly. The girl was moaning, but it didn't sound like sexual abandon. Nevertheless, the slight musk of her, and Kate's uncontrollable arousal reared up like a lion, grasping her and shaking her, almost forcing her to watch, seeing herself there, touching herself, feeling the sensations. Kate moaned. But the flash of motion wasn't from Crystal, or the Timeman, or any of the other girls. Kate snapped her head up and focused her eyes down the corridor. Somewhere down near the escalator? A flash of white? Moving? She shook her head. Seeing things. When she returned her gaze to the naked girl on the floor, she noticed that the Timeman was looking at her intently. He started to take a step towards her, and Kate had an insane impulse to run. Of course, her leash would stop that in a hurry, so she waited quietly. Instead of approaching her, the Timeman leaned back against the wall, and returned his eyes to Crystal. Crystal's fingers slipped between her lips, rubbing and stroking, slowly, then quicker. Crystal moaned, but again, Kate doubted if the girl had entered any sexual fantasy, positive that the girl was merely touching herself for effect, hoping that the Timeman would release her from this task if she followed his direction, or at least made the attempt. She was probably unaware of anything beyond her own suffering and sensations of humiliation. Pamela moaned, and when Kate drew her gaze from the bare skin on the floor, she gasped. The Timeman had unbuttoned Pamela's blouse, and pulled aside the right side of her bra. One naked breast peeked out, and Pamela had averted her gaze, as if doing so might negate what was happening to her. Pamela moaned again, her nipple rising involuntarily as the cool air of the mall kissed her bare flesh. He reached forward and teased the nipple, then grasped it lightly. Pamela cried out, and Crystal's eyes fluttered open. When she saw http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (59 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


what was going on with her friend, she pulled her hand from between her legs, and pushed herself up. She crossed her legs as best she could, and sat up. She looked at her right hand with disgust, and held it out from her, almost as if she were ashamed that it was attached to her body. "You promised not to hurt her," she said accusingly. The Timeman smiled, and tilted his head. "I promised not to hurt her if you pleasured yourself. You're simply going through the motions. You aren't even trying." Tears formed in Crystal's eyes. "I can't," she whispered. "I can't. I've never done this before, and I don't know how. I swear, I was trying. Please don't hurt her. Please." He twisted Pamela's nipple a little, though Kate could see that it wasn't anywhere near enough to cause the girl any real distress. Pamela groaned, and tried to twist, but he didn't release her bare nipple. "Oh, God. Please. I tried. I'll try some more if you like, but don't you understand? I can't. I don't know how. And even if I did, I'm scared. I'm scared to death of you, of that gun, of being naked in the middle of a goddamn mall in front of my friends. Scared of you raping me. Scared of what you are going to do to us. Even if I knew how to climax, I couldn't do it. Don't you understand that? I would, if I could. I swear it. Please don't do this to her. I'll try as long as you want." As if to punctuate her words, she ran her left hand over her bare breasts, toying with the nipples. "I'll have sex with you, if that will help. I swear. Just stop hurting her. Please." With a grimace, Crystal uncrossed her ankles and edged her legs apart, exposing her vaginal mound to him. He still didn't release Pamela, but his gaze softened. Again, Kate was struck that he wasn't doing this primarily for himself. She couldn't imagine who else he was doing this for, certainly not for her, or for the girls he'd captured. While the image of Crystal fingering herself and crying would be forever burned into her mind, and if she was honest, was driving far too much desire into her, fuelling fantasies of herself where Crystal was, the Timeman was not doing this for Kate's benefit. She pulled again at the ropes holding her arms. It felt like she'd been tied for hours, and she supposed that she had been. It was going to hurt as much coming off, as it did now, if he ever deigned to release her from this torment. His gaze had softened, and that might be a promising thing. "All right, Crystal. Would you do something else for me, instead?" The Timeman glanced up the hallway, but it remained still and quiet. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (60 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


"What is it?" Crystal asked. Hope had touched her eyes. "Would you stick the fingers of your right hand in your mouth, and suck them?" "What?" Crystal stared at her hand, her brow wrinkling in distaste. Her right hand had been between her legs, rubbing. He nodded, and she stared at her own hand as though it was a poisonous snake. She closed her eyes, and then, slowly, she brought her hand to her lips. She gagged, but then slipped her two longest fingers into her mouth, almost in a mime of oral sex with a man. Tears fell from her eyes, but after the initial shame, she seemed to figure out that this was far easier than masturbating fruitlessly in front of her friends. She sucked quickly for a minute or two, long enough to cleanse her scent and her moisture from the tips of the two fingers. She grimaced, and opened her eyes, pulling her fingers from her mouth. She sighed in relief, as her eyes fell to Pamela, who still stood with her breast exposed, but his fingers were no longer grasping her reddened nipple. Then she pushed herself up, and stood, wavering for a moment. Kate thought Crystal might collapse, but then she found her balance, and looked up, her eyes dull, but still alive. "Thank-you," Crystal whispered. It wasn't a gesture of true appreciation, that was clear enough, but merely an acknowledgement of what he might have forced her to do.


Crystal stood in her former place, her arms extended above her, lifting her bare breasts, the last pair of handcuffs adorning her wrists. Kate might have been mistaken, but Crystal seemed to be hung tighter to the railing than the other girls. To Crystal's credit, she didn't complain about the treatment, even though she, currently, was the only one of the four new girls to be lacking her clothing.



The Timeman stood back, surveying the new girls, tapping the gun against his left hand. Once in a while, he glanced up the corridor, an expression like that of a fox. Kate again wondered what he was looking for in this frozen world. Kate jumped, as he approached her. He addressed her, but the other girls bound behind could hear. "How are you all holding up?" It seemed like such an ordinary question, something one might ask the bridge club during a mild thunderstorm. Kate swallowed, willing her voice to remain even and neutral. A scream threatened, but that would only cause her, and possibly the rest of the girls, grief. Keep it civil, even when one is tied up and naked. For it truly was all she had left. She sensed that, today, he might actually grin if she lost it. "You mean other than witnessing torture while I'm standing here naked and tied up like an animal?" she asked, almost pleasantly. He smiled, as if he were aware of her efforts at keeping calm, and saw through them. "Other than that, yes." "We're alive," Kate said easily. "But you don't need to do this to them." She nodded towards Crystal, and Wade, and Danielle, and Pamela. "You don't need to do this." Ignoring her plea, he tilted his head. His eyes shone, but Kate couldn't tell if it was anticipation, or sheer madness that burned there. She hoped that it was anticipation. "I need to push her," the Timeman said. Kate didn't understand the statement -- she was reasonably certain that he didn't mean Crystal, or any of the girls bound behind her. "Push her?" The Timeman nodded thoughtfully, then changed tacks. "Are you ready?" "Ready for what?" "Your part in the ending?" Kate had no idea what he was talking about, but nevertheless, the answer seemed obvious. She didn't really have any choice. If he wanted her ready for the ending, then she would be ready. She pulled vainly at her arms. Perhaps what he had in mind would involve the release of her aching arms. Please. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (62 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


Slowly, she nodded, aware that a tear had escaped her eyes, and traced down her cheek. Almost tenderly, he reached forward and brushed it from her skin. She didn't flinch, but his touch frightened her. He was keeping them all off-balance. She didn't understand why, but that's exactly what he was doing. He turned from her and bent to the ever-present blue backpack. He rummaged in it, finally straightening with something tucked into his right palm. Kate shivered, suddenly certain that she knew what that object was. She'd seen it before. The click and the snap confirmed her fears. In the dim lights of the mall, a flash of burning light reflected from the switchblade as he balanced it on his index finger. Every female pair of eyes watched as he approached Danielle. The girl cringed back, her eyes following the wicked knife as he came close. "Please, no," she whispered. "I don't want to die. Not like that." She rattled the cuffs above her head. He didn't answer her. He didn't reassure her. He didn't do anything, until he stopped perhaps a pace in front of her. Kate heard Crystal praying quietly from the other end of the line, her bare body shaking. "If you don't want to be cut, you should stand still," he said easily. Danielle stood rigidly, like a toy soldier, or a wooden doll. Perhaps for effect, he trailed the knife down her cheek, from Danielle's right eye, down her soft throat, and then toying with the collar of her sweatshirt. She moaned, but managed to do it without so much as a drawn breath. "Please, no," she whispered as the knife left her throat. In one smooth motion, he slipped the knife under her shirt and pressed downward. A tearing song, like a bed sheet ripping, flowed across through the corridors. Somehow, the blade had hooked the girl's bra, and it separated, pale skin peeking between the white remains of the underwear. Danielle screamed, but didn't move a muscle. Kate silently applauded her. In her mind's eye, she could see far too clearly what might have happened, if that knife had slipped, or Danielle had panicked at the wrong second as the cold steel kissed her chest. It only took a moment until the girl stood nearly naked and sobbing, the knife safely away from her trembling skin. Only her pink panties remained about her hips, the remainder of her clothing in tatters surrounding her ankles. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (63 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


One by one, he stripped them, ignoring Crystal's pleas to leave them alone. Kate knew better than to protest. If he wanted them naked, they would be naked. He returned to the pack, emerging with a roll of silver duct tape. Kate blanched, realising what that meant. She only hoped selfishly that she would be spared the indignity of the tape. Even though her body clamoured to join Crystal's ineffective protests, she forced her lips to remain quiet. On the way back to the handcuffed girls, he bent and picked up Crystal's high cut black panties from the floor where she'd dropped them before he'd made her masturbate. He approached the blonde girl. "Open." Crystal stared at him, and lifted her chin. She shook her head, and pressed her lips tightly together. Kate closed her eyes, hoping that Crystal would see the futility of the gesture before someone felt his wrath. A short scream kissed her ears, and when she opened her eyes, she could see his fingers grasping Crystal's bare left nipple twisting, twisting. Tears ran down Crystal's face, and while Kate watched, she screamed again, her voice small and pitiful. The girl had risen up on her bare toes to try to avoid the pain, but of course, that was never effective. Yet, her body still tried. Kate knew the feeling, and her own nipple throbbed in sympathy. "Please. It hurts. Please. Please." Somehow, she managed to stop begging, and opened her mouth wide. After a moment, he released her nipple, and she sighed, keeping her mouth open. She closed her eyes, crying as he gently pushed her panties into her open mouth. When the black fabric had disappeared, she closed her jaws, holding her panties in her mouth, her eyes pleading with him. Almost dispassionately, he stripped a piece of tape from the roll and placed it across the girl's lips. She moaned, and worked her jaw, but the tape held. She tried to say something, but he merely smiled and patted her cheek. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and she stared quietly down at her bare breasts, or perhaps beyond to her toes. He turned to Pamela, and with a smile, held up the knife, touching her hip. She stood still, and though she cried, she didn't protest as Crystal had as her panties were secured in her mouth. Kate closed her eyes, not even watching, as Wade and then Danielle all lost their primary mode of communication along with their last shred of modesty, all in one snap of a sharpened blade of steel. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (64 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


Kate's sex throbbed, and her nipples ached. She could feel her pulse in her bound arms, and, worse, in her clitoris. She didn't understand it. The girls' torments really didn't turn her on, but it was as if her body understood better than her mind that something was approaching like the inevitable rising of the sun. Something she couldn't stop, nor control. It was as if the nexus of the universe, both the new one where she was tied, and the normal one where she was a typical, if popular, high school student whose biggest concern was finding better grades, were joining and the nexus was sucking on her, using her hormones to feed itself. Christ, she needed to climax, and she was ashamed of that fact, perhaps more than she hurt from all the other indignities forced upon her. She wished he would touch her. She wished that he would force her to lie on the floor, her hips raised, her fingers buried sweetly between her thighs. Kate moaned, and her voice almost sounded like the muffled tones emerging from the handcuffed girls by the firing squad wall. The end was approaching like the coming of the dawn. Except here -dawn never broke. When she opened her eyes, the now naked girls, three brunettes and a blonde, stood silently sobbing, their legs bound apart by the ankles, lined up like an obscene chorus line. Each girl stood helpless, rising up on her bare toes to lessen the strain upon her bound wrists, her arms bound above her head, the chains of the handcuffs wrapped around the newels of the safety railing. Each naked leg stretched to her neighbour, ankles joined by other handcuffs, the end girls, Crystal and Danielle, spread using a length of rope to the railing of the stage staircase to each side of them. Their vaginal lips spread with their legs, pink splashes peeking from between their stretched legs in feminine beauty. Silver sparkles of light reflected from the places where their lips should have been, only muffled moans emerging from their direction. Crystal watched the Timeman, her eyes burning almost in defiance even through the tears running down her cheeks. The other girls hung their heads, staring at the floor between their spread, bare feet. He approached Kate, and again she was struck by the lack of emotion upon his face. He should have been at least as aroused as she, but he didn't show it, somehow fighting the images as she could not. Again, she saw something deeper, infinitely more important than the torment of nine naked girls, etched across his features. She couldn't understand it, but she dared not ask. She merely stood up straighter as he approached. "It's begun," he said simply. Kate nodded slowly, not understanding, but hoping that he knew what he was doing. She couldn't see the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-121-130.html (65 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:25 PM


other girls that she was tied to, but she suspected that his harshness here was sending them as off-balance as she. In her heart, she understood that Crystal, and Wade, and Danielle, and Pamela would be free after this, and as such, their fright, and their torment were fleeting; it didn't make it any less real. The girls tied up in front of her were as human as she was, and she acutely understood what they felt. Kate only hoped that she could endure whatever it was that the Timeman needed from her. If it was worse than what Crystal had gone through, Kate wasn't sure that her sanity would survive, even if her body did. It was that uncertainty that really frightened her. She willed her body to cease its shaking. He held up the knife, its edge burning into her memory. She couldn't help herself, even though she knew her words were useless. "Please, no. I don't want to be cut," she whispered. He laughed, and the laugh projected his unease, his worry. It wasn't a worry for himself -- at least not wholly -- but a worry that included Kate, Leigh, Nicole, Andrea and Monique. His laugh enveloped even the girls spread out by the entrance to the movie theatre that weren't really a part of this. Kate stood still and closed her eyes, not even daring to breathe. (Crystal felt like this. Oh, God. Crystal felt exactly this.) She struggled not to cry out as the blade touched her skin, kissing her close below her right eye. Her body wanted to shake in pure fear, but she somehow willed it away -- not the fear, but the reaction to it. Her muscles remained steady. If she lost an eye here, she honestly didn't know if that extended to his time control ability to help. There were no doctors here, no paramedics, no hospitals. She was here, bound naked in a barren world where her life, and her sight depended on a steady hand, and her ability to control her muscles. Time seemed to stand still for her, as much as for the frozen shoppers by the sale racks. Leigh, or perhaps Andrea, moaned quietly behind her somewhere. (Oh, God. Oh, God. Not my eyes. Please.) And then the knife was gone. No trailing of the point across her breasts, or down her tummy. No cold sensation as it kissed her bare skin. It was simply gone. Her voice rose of its own accord. "Oh, God," she whispered. She opened her eyes in time to see the knife descending towards her. Flashes of light, many times more powerful than those reflecting from the blade, burned into her eyes. Tears sprouted, inexorably descending to splash from her cheeks to her bare chest, absorbed by the tightness of the ropes holding her immobile and helpless.



She screamed as the blade came down towards her face. (He's going to kill me. He's finally going to kill me.) The thoughts flashed through her mind like fireworks. (If he kills me here, do I survive? Oh, God.) At the last second, the knife twisted, searing hot pain turning from her wet face. It missed her shoulder by millimetres, the image of his maniacal features grinning floating in front of her blurred vision, almost like an angel. The rope around her throat tugged, choking her for a moment, then clear, unobstructed air flashed down her windpipe. She gasped at it like a drowning sailor. Her legs threatened to collapse under her, and she dimly heard him laugh -- guttural and close, nearly in her ear. When she finally focused her eyes, she saw him standing there grinning, holding a short piece of rope in his left hand. "I wouldn't have cut you," he said simply. "Not yet." She simply tried to glare at him, but she was sure that it wasn't so much a glare as a pathetic plea. Her legs felt like Jello, but she was pretty sure she wouldn't fall. Not yet. While the knife had descended towards her, she must have pulled desperately upon her bound arms. They screamed at her with renewed violence. And her nipples ached. Badly. She lowered her eyes, to regard her prison. A moan escaped her lips. The leash still led from the base of her throat to the bench. She could walk, but not escape. Behind her, a curious lightness radiated from her shoulder where the rope had continued on to join her to Leigh. She brought her eyes up. He grinned at her. Nausea threatened, and she lowered her eyes again. In his hand, he held the rope that had joined the girls. Kate was alone, now, disconnected from the warmth of Leigh, and the comfort that the others provided merely by their proximity. When she lifted her head again, she watched as he led the bound four girls, Leigh now leading the pack, towards the entrance, and the other four naked, waiting girls.





Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 131

·

Chapter 132

·

Chapter 133

·

Chapter 134

·

Chapter 135

Chapter 136

·

Chapter 137

·

Chapter 138

·

Chapter 139

·

Chapter 140


Kate watched as Leigh lowered herself to her knees. The coarse rope dangled from her throat, between her breasts, as he released his grip on it. The other girls, Andrea, and Monique and Nicole followed, Nicole crying out in pain as something inside of her pulled at the awkward position. "Let Nicole out," Leigh begged, her voice floating across the corridor. "She can't do whatever you have planned for us." Kate closed her eyes. From her vantage point, it was frighteningly obvious what the girls were going to have to do. Leigh looked like she understood all too well what was going to be expected of her, though she also looked like she would gladly do it, if only it would be over soon. Pain and discomfort pinched at Leigh's normally clear face. Leigh's mouth hovered at the level of Crystal's spread legs, though she was turned from the sight of the other girl while she pleaded with the Timeman. "She's down," the Timeman muttered.



"She's hurt. Don't you remember Maurice? He kicked her? Broke her ribs? Do you want to be like him?" That seemed to rattle the Timeman, and he turned from Leigh. Kate lowered her eyes for a moment, unease flowing through her. The comparison to Maurice, Nicole's father, had occurred to her, too. With this latest treatment of the girls, he was becoming harsher, almost desperate. Hurting them without thought, without seeming purpose, though Kate sensed something below the surface. If there was purpose, she thought, it might make it all more bearable. But if there was purpose, the Timeman wasn't sharing. Slowly, he turned his eyes back to the kneeling, naked brunette. She shied away from his gaze. "I understand it's hard, Leigh. Believe me. But it's necessary." "Maurice probably thought that, too," Leigh whispered. A nagging thought pummelled Kate. She knew that Leigh was merely trying to turn the tables, rattle the rattler, but underneath, she sensed that Leigh knew as well as she did that the Timeman was fundamentally different than the monster who had hated them merely because they had breasts and vaginas. The Timeman didn't hate the girls. He was merely doing what needed to be done. Kate sensed it, more than ever, perhaps the knife flashing towards her and harmlessly turned bringing the knowledge to her. He was protecting them. From what, she had no idea. But she hoped that the danger reared soon, or they might not survive his protection. He sighed, and crouched beside Leigh. He whispered something to her, that perhaps only Crystal above could hear. Her eyes widened a little, and Leigh sighed. Without further protest, she turned to face Crystal's bare skin. Down the line, Andrea, Monique and Nicole did the same, as if each girl knew what she'd have to do -- no matter how much each didn't want to perform this. From the far end of the line, Nicole's voice lilted. "Leigh. It's all right. I'll be fine. Honestly. I don't want special treatment. I can do it." Leigh nodded slowly, and then turned once more to the Timeman. "If we are going to do this for you, can you at least untie our arms? We aren't going to fight you, or run. We can't. Please?" He slowly shook his head. Kate could have predicted that response. Whatever danger he saw, it required that the girls be secure. She didn't know why, but even if he wanted to free them, he wouldn't. Somehow, it was for their own protection. Until the danger presented, the girls would remain tied, and uncomfortable. "You can be a real bastard," Leigh said. With that, she turned back http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (2 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


to Crystal, but not before Kate saw the tears shining in her eyes. He smiled and nodded, then turned away from the group of eight naked and bound girls. Kate watched him warily as he approached her, wanting to back away, knowing that the damnable rope would keep her steadily near the bench. Her toes curled in towards the floor, drawing comfort from its unmoving stability. "It's time," he whispered. Kate closed her eyes and nodded. She sensed as he moved behind her, felt the numbness of pressure only as his fingers worked at the knots behind her back. "Ahhhh," she sighed as the ropes fell from her wrists and arms. She made no attempt to move against him, she'd run into enough frozen walls to know better. Instead, when the last of the ropes left her skin, she lowered her arms, as though they were made of wood. Memories of the morning, after lying on bound arms all night awakened in her memory. Slowly she shook her head as if denying what she knew was about to happen to her. He led her, almost gently, by her throat towards a large tiled pillar set in the middle of the concourse. It wasn't far from the other girls, and he set her back to it. She didn't resist, actually enjoying the sensations of the cool tile against the bare skin of her back. The eight naked girls remained nearly motionless and silent. Only Crystal's eyes followed Kate's small movements near the pillar. Around Kate, silent pedestrians ignored her, some moving towards stores, some moving away. Kate closed her eyes and drew in breath with a hiss. It had begun, as she had feared. Even without movement, the numbness in her arms was rapidly fading, replaced at first by pleasant tingles, but moving forward like a locomotive, driving bolts of searing pain into her nerves. Her body rebelled against the restraints, screaming at her that the human body hadn't been designed for such motionlessness and discomfort. Kate squeezed her eyes shut, feeling tears bursting free. (Don't scream. Don't scream. He wants that. Don't scream.) She could feel his fingers reaching for her right wrist. Automatically, she tried to twist away, the brushing of his fingers leaving burning fire across her skin. Bolts of pain, like lightning, raced up her arm, shooting into her mind. She couldn't stop it. A scream, guttural and deep, emerged from her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (3 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


lips. Somewhere, someone was killing a woman, torturing her to death, her cries making Kate cringe. Her mind was red with pain. And still he pulled at her arms, ignoring her pathetic cries. "Please, no. Give me a minute," she managed to rasp out. But he moved her hand again, against the fire, and she began to scream again. Dimly, she was aware of Leigh calling, screaming, too, begging him to stop killing someone named Kate. (Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.) And then the kiss of ropes, wrapping her fiery wrists. Pulling, tightening. Her body screamed out for relief, and as if her mind had finally listened, the tingles began to recede from her hands, her fingers, her forearms. Liquid metal began to turn back to simple coolness. Kate swallowed, perspiration running down her face, mixing with her involuntary tears. She willed her throat to stop screaming and it finally agreed to the commands of her brain. Somewhere, a voice still screamed though, the words more coherent than Kate's own. "Please, can't you let her be. You're killing her. Killing her. Killing her." Kate stared through the blur of tears, and saw Leigh, twisted from Crystal, her voice rising almost hysterically. "Leigh," Kate whispered. But the girl continued, her voice rising almost into incoherency edging into madness. "Killing her. Killing me. Please, stop this. Please. We're just fucking girls. We don't deserve this. I don't want to lick her. I don't. I don't. I don't." Leigh paused for a moment, drawing breath. The Timeman slowly continued to bind Kate to the pillar, ignoring Leigh, his mind elsewhere, his expression blank. Kate suspected that he hadn't even been aware of the screaming mad girl beyond what he was doing to her -- Kate's pain merely a curious thing, like a caged tiger in a zoo. "Leigh," Kate shouted, her voice also edging towards insanity. She swallowed, blinking away the tears of pain as the pins and needles fled her arms. "Stop. Please, Leigh. Stop." Her voice seemed to calm, Leigh, somehow, and Leigh clapped her mouth shut with an audible snap. "I'm not dying. It was only pins and needles. Only pins and needles." "He was killing you." Kate shook her head slowly, not sure of that, but she was still standing here, waiting while the Timeman wrapped her body again with ropes. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (4 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


"He wasn't. He isn't all there, but he's not killing me yet." Kate paused for a moment. "You're scaring them, Leigh. You have to stop." Leigh drew in her breath, her breasts rising prettily between the ropes that surrounded her body. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Tears shone in her eyes, but she slowly turned back to face Crystal. Gagged, Crystal mumbled something towards Leigh, and tilted her hips towards her. Leigh sighed, and leaned her head forward, resting it upon Crystal's pubic bone. Crystal nodded slowly towards Kate. Kate closed her eyes. It was over. For now. Slowly, the ropes wrapped around her again, and in some ways it was comforting. Choice was being taken from her, and whatever was going to happen would happen. Kate stared at her bare toes, so far away. The world faded. She stood, the coolness of the tile pressing into her back. The pillar was as thick as a redwood, presumably holding up the structure of the mall. Ropes held her securely to it, though she sensed that they weren't as tight as he might have made them. She wasn't about to step away from the prison, but neither was she likely to lose circulation as she had when her arms had been bound behind her back for hours. Surprised, she realised that she was hungry. She wondered if he'd allow them to eat, and when. Ropes held her wrists together, drawn up above her head, a few lengths of ropes holding them back and to the pillar. More ropes held her ankles apart, spread and pulled back around the pillar. To accommodate the posture, she had risen up on her toes, but other ropes wrapped around her shoulders and about her waist helped to ease the tension that would have normally arisen on her wrists from the awkward pose. She knew she was open and exposed, and it bothered her, but more because she was helpless and confused than because of any modesty she still harboured. No, she was getting used to being naked, and drawn into strange positions where the man could inspect formerly rather private sections of her anatomy. Her helplessness, and her confusion were far more pressing at the moment. Worse, her body reacted in uncomfortable ways. She was sure, if he had deigned to touch her, to thrust his fingers into her, they would emerge dripping wet. Perhaps that knowledge, most of all, unnerved her. He only had touched her as much as had been required to bind her. She pulled at her bonds, knowing before she did that there would be no escape from this. Leigh glanced over her shoulder at Kate, and grimaced, then turned back towards Crystal. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (5 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


He was behind the pillar at the moment, probably securing the last of the ropes holding her. She felt a faint tug in her right ankle, and tried to shift to accommodate the new tightness there. She raised her eyes as he appeared in front of her. "What are you going to do to me?" Kate asked. The other girls knew what their assigned tasks were, she hung here awaiting her unique fate. She didn't think he would answer her, instead turning and pacing back to the wretched backpack of tricks. He returned to Kate, holding more rope in his hands. "I'm secure, you know. I'm not going anywhere. You don't need more rope," she said mildly. Of course, there was precious little that she could do about it if he wanted to mummify her in the stuff. He played with the lengths of rope in his hands, pulling them almost like taffy. "I have to hurt you, Kate." Kate shivered. She envisioned him attaching weights to her sensitive parts, hitting her with crops. Her vagina squeezed, and Kate moaned for a moment. "Hurt me?" She wanted to beg him not to -- to let her go, to kiss her once and turn away. He nodded slowly, still fingering the ropes. He almost seemed like he didn't want to do it, that some ingrained conscience had finally kicked in. He didn't want to hurt her, but he needed to, for some reason. She idly wondered if Andrea would understand this better than her, some deep seated psycho-analysis kicking in to understand why this man would need to whip her, and yet not really enjoy it. Her mind wandered. He'd wanted to hurt Karen, but stopped short of disfiguring the girl. He'd wanted to control her, to make her beg, but he hadn't let the cigarettes burn down to the flesh of her nipples, had he? Kate had stripped before that, and saved her, or had she. Would this man have truly hurt Karen, burned her, to get what he wanted, or was he using fear to control them? Kate knew the answer to that, and it made her shiver. Knowing the answer, didn't make it any easier. She watched as he toyed with the ropes in his hands, almost nervously. No, this time was different. She was fully under his control. This wasn't an attempt to break her mind. This had purpose. He was going to hurt her to some end. It didn't make it any easier knowing this, the pain would still be bad she was certain, perhaps worse than she'd ever felt yet. Her vagina clenched again, and she gasped. "Why?" she whispered.



He shrugged, and she thought that he was simply going to begin. He didn't. Instead, he raised his eyes to hers. They were steady now, without the hint of withdrawal that she'd seen earlier. He was in control. Somehow. "Because, I must." "You have to hurt me?" "She needs to see it." "Who? Crystal will do whatever the hell you want her to." "Not Crystal." "Everyone else is either waiting for oral sex, or waiting to give that oral sex. All you have to do is say the word. We're all under your control, dammit. They'll do what you want. You don't have to hurt me." He slowly shook his head, as if she could never understand. She supposed that it was possible that she would never understand. "Do you want to hurt me?" He seemed torn, almost like a convicted criminal torn between confessing and fear for his life. "If you want to hurt me, you know I can't do anything about it," Kate said. "It has to be you," he said slowly. "Yes, Kate, I want to hurt you, but not this time." "Why?" "Why do I want to hurt you?" Kate nodded. He hesitated, staring into her eyes. She didn't look away, but tried to shift a little into a more comfortable position. There wasn't one. Almost as if to answer her, he lowered his hand, trailing his fingers down her belly, bumping over the tightness of the ropes there, and down through her fine red-tinged pubic hair. Kate gasped, tried to squirm, but the ropes held her fast. His finger dipped within her, and Kate felt her clitoris spasm as his fingertip nearly caressed her. Climax, far too long denied welled up, and Kate closed her eyes. She couldn't stop it, even if she didn't want to climax here. The ropes. The nakedness. The exposure. The stress. She cried out as his finger left her. When she opened her eyes, she saw him -- there was desire in his eyes, but also compassion, and http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (7 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


grief, and worry. He raised his right hand, the fingers that had touched her glistening. She could smell her own scent upon them, and for some reason it drilled into, causing her nipples to ache and her vagina to clench again. So close. So damn close. His fingers were close under her nostrils. She breathed deeply, hoping that the sexual energy trapped in her would be enough to see her through the trial. His unexpected touch, she knew, wasn't a reprieve, but an explanation. Without thought, she bowed her head, and kissed his fingers. Her taste flooded her mouth like candy. She moaned, and raised her eyes to his. There was a hint of surprise there, but not the abandoned sexual grin that she'd expected. He nodded slowly. "Because you want to be hurt," he said in a whisper. Kate moaned. (Because I want the kiss of his whip.) (I don't.) (I do. Oh, God. I do.)


Kate trembled, but didn't speak, as he almost gently wrapped the last of the ropes about her bare breasts. While she was young enough that her breasts didn't need a bra, or the sudden support that the ropes impacted upon her, the gentle pressure of the ropes intensified the sensations of his fingers brushing her skin. The force of the sexuality would have buckled her legs if the ropes hadn't held her up, the pillar unyielding and uncaring about its helpless passenger. (Oh, God, he's going to hurt me. Make me scream.) He left for a moment, walking back to the other girls, crouching and speaking to each of the kneeling forms. Monique began to cry, and Andrea shivered. Nicole and Leigh seemed to expect the commands, and wearily faced their tasks. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (8 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


In her peripheral vision, Kate saw another flash of white, and she glanced over towards the escalator. Something had moved down there. Hadn't it? She was still searching for the source of the movement when she became aware that he'd returned. She looked into his eyes, seeing unemotional hardness there. It might have been easier for her if she'd seen hate, or even sexual anticipation there. But this was almost the expression that she'd expect a serial murderer to adopt before he strangled his victim. She shivered, letting her eyes drop. He was holding a whip in his right hand, the tendrils of black leather creeping down his jean clad thigh like a vine. The strips of leather, perhaps five, seemed to almost caress his leg, trembling almost in anticipation. (He's going to hit me with that???) She raised her eyes again, fear tinging their surface. His eyes didn't mirror the anticipation of the whip; if anything, his eyes reflected a sorrow, or regret. "Are you ready, little one?" "Why?" she whispered, unable to raise her voice beyond that. Her body trembled in the restraints. She wanted to beg him to leave her alone, that she was only a seventeen-year-old sophomore. But the humiliation of that seemed worse somehow than simply accepting what would happen despite her pleas. "Because she needs to see it. Without this, she won't end it. Without this, she can resist. And then even I don't know what happens." Confused, Kate stared at him. She didn't see the madness shining there that she half-expected. Her vagina clenched as she stared at the weapon in his hand. She forced her eyes from it, back to his face. "Who?" she whispered. It was obvious that he wasn't speaking of the bound girls under his control. No, Crystal, Wade, Danielle, Pamela, Leigh, Andrea, Monique, Nicole and most of all Kate, were all very much under his control, bound and naked and helpless. "There is nobody else here." The flashes of movement in her peripheral vision rose up in her memory. "Please, who's benefit is this for? Why are you going to whip me?" He hesitated so long that she thought that he might have entered a trance. A saving trance. A trance that might make him reconsider this lunacy. It was her soft skin he was going to strike. Wasn't it?



At last, he looked up, and worry crossed his brow. "Dawn," he whispered. At first she had thought that he had meant the sunrise, which in this world was impossible. Confused, she glanced up towards the skylights high above her. The sun hadn't moved. Then she realised that his whispered word was a name, and that name didn't match any of the girls that surrounded him. She felt the name echo on her lips, and then he was no longer facing her, but facing up the corridor, back the way they had come. His voice wasn't loud; he didn't shout. Rather his voice was steady, like a common conversation at a cocktail party. Kate couldn't remember a cocktail party where she'd been bound naked to a pillar, but suddenly it seemed unimportant. Whoever Dawn was, he needed her. Kate didn't understand, but what did impress upon her mind was the fact that he needed to hurt her so that Dawn would appear. Didn't that mean that Dawn wasn't under his direct control? Was that possible? "Dawn, it's over," he called softly. "I sense you." Kate swivelled her head as far as her restraints would allow. No flashes of movement greeted her. "I don't want to hurt her, or them, but I will. She'll scream. And then she'll beg. Can you live with yourself?" His words were nearly hypnotic, and if Kate hadn't been bound to the pillar, and hadn't been the one about whom he was speaking, she might have followed that voice anywhere. She thought a faint moan reached her ears, an unfamiliar voice, unmuffled. She strained to located the sound, but she wasn't even fully sure that she'd heard it. "I'm going to whip her, Dawn. On the breasts, maybe even between her legs. I have to, Dawn. I don't want to." Still, no mysterious girl named Dawn appeared, though another echo of a moan reached her ears. The moan sounded low, and almost sexual. Her own sex clenched as she realised that he wasn't joking. He would whip her helpless skin, on her sex organs, on her most sensitive spots. She'd try not to scream, but eventually she would. That much she understood. He'd whip her until she screamed. He needed the screams, more than he needed to put her into pain. She'd resist, oh, yes, but for how long? Suddenly she was glad that she was bound to the pillar -- none of the other girls could take what he had to do. Only her. Pain an aphrodisiac for her body, if not her mind. But he http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (10 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


would take her well beyond that, wouldn't he? Kate moaned in sympathy with the unseen girl out there. Silently, she prayed that even through it all, she wouldn't show herself. Whoever she was. When the pain started, the thoughts would abandon her, but for now, her skin still soft and unmarked, she could hope. The Timeman sighed and turned towards Kate. Kate paled, and if she'd been able, she would have shrunk from the emotionless gesture. The whip moved back and forth in the man's hands. The whip, she was sure, could kill her, if he wielded it long enough. She didn't want to die, not here, not at home, but suddenly, the fear left her. There was nothing that she could do. She pressed her lips together and nodded. He raised his face to the ceiling, and spoke. "Dawn? I know you can hear me. I know what you feel. You'll feel every stroke as it kisses her, won't you? Can you take it?" He sighed and lowered his chin, staring at Kate. But he didn't speak to her. "Can you take it?" Dimly, she was aware of the other girls, leaning forward on their knees, and beginning to use their mouths on the females strung up to the railing. Dimly, she was aware of Crystal twisting, and rocking her hips, trying to escape Leigh's tongue and lips, the other girls only half-heartedly attempting to escape, moaning not in sexual ecstasy, but nevertheless moaning through the panties secured in their mouths. Dimly, she was aware of the whip rising, pausing, seemingly forever above his shoulder, muscles rippling. Kate closed her eyes, waiting. When the leather touched her, she pressed her lips together. (I won't scream. I won't scream. I won't scream.) And she didn't. The sound reached her well before the pain did. She was suddenly aware of her bound breasts dancing on her chest as the leather crashed into her exposed skin. The bindings around the base of each breast seemed to intensify the sensations that began as a deep warmth. Her nipples and her vagina reacted, and for a moment, she was sure that she would suffer the indignity of climaxing from a single blow to her breasts. But it didn't develop beyond a distance yearning, and the warmth spiralled up to heat, and then to molten fire. She let her breath out from lungs in a whoosh. "Oh, God," she whispered. "Please, no more." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (11 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


When she finally opened her eyes, she moaned. He had raised the thing again in an easy arc above his shoulder. She glanced at her bound breasts, sure that the flesh had been split and her innards leaking from deep cuts there. Almost detached, she noted that the five tails of the whip were wide leather, to maximise impact sting, but minimise the possibility of breaking her skin. In some ways she was thankful, and in others she wished that he would actually damage her -- for to damage her would make him stop. Of that, she was certain. Almost unconsciously, her body pressed against the ropes, thrusting her breasts out to meet the next blow. "Please, no more," she whispered. While his face held a deep compassion for the pain he was causing, a regret, his hand began its inevitable sweep towards her vulnerable skin. Stars swam in front of her eyes as her breasts exploded again in agony. She couldn't think anymore. Dawn was only a distant memory, her entire existence characterised by molten hot pain, centred upon her chest. Tears ran freely down her face, and her body had given up its insistence of sexuality. Somewhere, she was aware, that if he'd touched her with his fingers, gently, between her spread legs, she would have exploded in orgasm, but for now, only pain surrounded her. A wailing, that wasn't her voice, but rather was Leigh's, settled into her ears. "Stop it. Stop it. You're going to kill her." The pain lessened as the blows ceased for a moment. Kate opened her eyes, red tinging her vision. It wasn't blood, no, he hadn't damaged her skin, though she knew if she looked, her breasts would probably resemble tomatoes. No, it wouldn't be that easy, would it? She tried to find her voice, force out a protest. The pain kept her voice at bay. A scream might emerge, if she let it, but nothing more. Instead of answering Leigh, he almost nonchalantly swung the whip at the kneeling girl. Leigh shied way at the last moment, her face a mask of surprise, and then of agony. The whip curled around her upper arm, striking into her bound arms and back simultaneously. "Fuck you," she spat. He pulled back his hand again, but Kate found her tongue. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (12 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


"No, Leigh. No. He's not killing me." The whip wavered. Kate wasn't sure if he was killing her or not, but Leigh needed to hear it. Otherwise, she wouldn't turn back to licking Crystal, would allow the Timeman to whip her unconscious, or into a babbling madwoman. "Please," Kate called again, addressing her tormentor. "She doesn't understand. Come back." Some distance part of her mind rebelled. Her breasts screamed at her -- inviting more, unthinkable. But she had. And the Timeman was turning towards her. "Continue," he growled at Leigh. Leigh hesitated, flashing a glance at Kate. Kate wearily nodded, hoping that the nod would be interpreted as she'd intended it. It hadn't been easy to dip her head. He brought up the whip again, but instead of sending it crashing into Leigh's body, his voice emerged calm, and steady. "The next one finds Crystal. Then Wade." Leigh swallowed, and threw him a look of pure hate, then turned slowly. She set her mouth against Crystal's pubis. Crystal had paled at his words, and she pushed her hips towards Leigh, blood burning in her face as she did. Apparently satisfied, he paced back towards Kate. "Shall we continue?" he whispered. Kate closed her eyes, and nodded. She wouldn't scream, even though she knew that her cries would end it. She felt it in her heart, could almost feel the renegade free girl. When she started to scream, it would be over. She pressed her lips together and managed merely a moan as the wide strips of leather again found her breasts. She was too weak even to pull on the ropes that held her up. The rhythm changed -- and though her world was merely a haze of pain, she knew somehow that her skin wasn't being damaged in any permanent way. She would be sore, without a doubt, her breasts aching for a week, if she were here that long, but they ached anyway, only in a different way. At this point, Kate didn't know the difference anymore.



Tears fell in rivers from her eyes, but she managed to open them. He had stopped hitting her for a moment, and the relief felt like freedom. Of course, she wasn't free, still stood naked and bound to the pillar, but she had no control over the course of events. The only control that she truly had was over her voice, and that would be torn from her soon enough. Four times, she had struggled to contain a scream as the leather bit relentlessly into the taut skin of her breasts. It was when one of the bands caught an edge against her nipples that she barely contained the cries, but so far, she had. He called out again. "Dawn? How much more can you take?" The only answer was a quiet moan. This time, Kate could almost pinpoint it, coming from the direction of the escalator. She wondered why the Timeman hadn't heard it, and if he had, why he didn't simply pace down the corridor and drag the girl from her hideaway. If there was a girl, and Kate wasn't merely hallucinating or hearing her own voice. Somehow, she knew that there was a girl, and that she was free of control. How, and why, Kate didn't understand, but somehow her presence was a threat both to the Timeman, and somehow to the universe surrounding her. Worse, the girl was feeling Kate's pain, feeling an attenuated thrust with each strike of the whip upon her skin, each tendril of hot pain entering her body from her nipples, her breasts, and her mind. She would scream. It hurt too much. Somehow, Kate was going to be the one to draw Dawn out. Her pain, her agony, her cries, would break down Dawn, and she would step out and give up. (No, Dawn. Hold out. Wherever you are. I won't die.) In her heart, she knew that her thoughts wouldn't change anything, and she had no ultimate choice here. After all, she was only a seventeen-year-old high school girl, strapped naked to a pillar, struggling for a semblance of control -- over herself, over everyone. It wasn't going to be the sight of Leigh licking Crystal, no matter how much it resembled rape. It wasn't enough. It was her pain, and her screams that would turn the tide. She closed her eyes, and pressed her lips together again. He'd turned back towards her, and he was smiling. Oh, God, he was smiling. It was not her breasts that betrayed her. After his final appeal to the hidden, or fictional girl, he swung the whip not down towards her aching breasts, but rather on an upward arc, with an easy flick http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (14 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


of his wrists. The centre of her being exploded in agony, her rocking hips almost thrusting towards the blow like a lover reaching for her lover's touch. The pain was easily double or triple that which she had felt at the height of the breast whipping, the edge of one of the bands of leather, perhaps by luck, striking between her exposed lips and kissing her swollen clitoris. She struggled to maintain consciousness, and the blackness receded, replaced by burning hot molten fire between her legs. It felt like a red hot poker had been shoved rudely up and inside of her, her clitoris, and her vaginal walls clenching uncontrollably as they absorbed the energy of the leather. She couldn't stop it. She had no hope of stopping it. Like a mindless animal, caught in a trap, she screamed. There were no words, no coherency. She was well beyond any intelligent thought -- only rippling pain made up her small bubble of the universe. Her throat ached as she finally let the pent up pain out, filling the air. He didn't strike her again, though he stood before her, the whip dangling from his fingers. She couldn't stop herself. "Please, no more. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts," she screamed. Then a glimmering of humanity seeped back into her agony, and she opened her eyes. Tears blurred her vision, but she could see clearly past him. His attention was upon her, almost an expression of sympathy finally entering his visage. For no rational reason, she wanted to hug him, and tell him that she was all right. But, of course, she couldn't, and she wouldn't. His face didn't capture her attention. No. Over his shoulder, a figure stepped out from behind the escalator. The figure was a woman with dusty blonde hair, wearing Levis and a university sweatshirt. In her state, Kate couldn't tell from which university it had originated. The girl was wearing Nikes and seemed ordinary in all regards. Tears streamed down her face, and her hands rose in a protective gesture over where her breasts would be underneath the sweatshirt. "Dawn, no. I'm sorry," Kate whispered. The Timeman began to turn. Dawn's voice was musically soft, floating across the mall's corridor like a voice from heaven.



"You can stop hitting her," she said evenly. "I'm here." It was over. The blackness rose up again, and Kate tried to find her voice to call out, to protest. It had been her pain that had drawn Dawn into this. Her. The blackness wouldn't be denied. Kate had no more strength. Her breasts screamed and her vagina drove one last tendril of white hot pain into her mind. And then blessed blackness, where there was no pain, embraced her.


She had felt him casting though the time haze, like a blind beggar with a cane, searching, searching. Searching for her. Yet, she had been unable to stop. So many questions, and he could answer them for her. Even if he was dangerous, she could no more turn from the naked girls, and his imposing presence, than she could stop breathing on her own. It was almost as if Fate or Destiny were forcing her feet to silently follow the small caravan to this unnamed mall where nude and helpless girls did his bidding. She had watched, similarly helpless, as he guided his girls into sexual abandonment, all naked, and all lacking any control over her situation. Whether Leigh wanted to use her mouth on Crystal was irrelevant. Whether Kate wanted to be whipped until she begged, was irrelevant. She'd watched as he bound Kate to the pillar, somehow knowing that the red haired girl represented her destiny, her fate. She had recognised the girl as Kate; she'd been within her head far too often to not recognise her. Leigh, the one kneeling before the blonde, echoed into her memory as well. The visions had come without warning, and it was only with the utmost care that she'd managed to keep her voice out of audible range. She hadn't needed to see the girls; She was the girls, the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (16 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


visions threatening to overwhelm and destroy her. Perhaps it was the proximity, perhaps her empathy with them. For a moment, she was Leigh, tasting the blonde, her arms screaming in agony behind her. Then she was the blonde, rocking her hips, almost involuntarily, eyes closed, feeling her own lips upon her vaginal lips, soft and silky. Then Andrea, half-wondering about the applications to psyche, and Wade wondering where her mother was. Then Monique, cleared mind, simply licking and trying to ignore where her tongue was. Then Pamela, her nipples aching where the bad man had twisted them. Danielle, her wrists falling numb, the taste of herself deep into her throat. And Nicole. Nicole had hurt, her ribs and her mind filled with pain as she forced herself to lick at the unnamed woman above her. Nicole didn't mind the taste, not at all, but it reminded her, and Dawn, of something else, and Dawn didn't want to see that. She pushed herself, and fell into Kate. That was when the searing pain had hit her, somehow knowing that the blows were harder and more intense for the girl actually experiencing them. Dawn's vagina clenched hard, and her hands rose to protect her breasts. Rope encircled each of her breasts, the taut skin transmitting the smallest touch into a searing sensations, far worse than simple whipping might accomplish. Dawn closed her eyes and moaned as each blow crashed into Kate's bare breasts, boomeranged, and mirrored in Dawn's own. Dawn's nipples throbbed, and her clitoris sang. (God, no. Please.) Kate hadn't wanted to scream, and that, perhaps, hurt Dawn the most. Kate suffered, knowing that Dawn couldn't take the begging and the crying. And the whip fell into her breasts again and again and again, the pain like a red haze across Kate's nearly incoherent mind. There was pain, and then more pain. All was pain. Dawn's mind flashed red as the final blow wrapped around her thighs, kissing her vaginal area like a harsh lover. She had screamed, only a moment before Kate's scream washed over her like a wave on the ocean, their voices merging and rising, helpless and free. Finally, the vision had released her, and she had returned to the dim cove where she lay against cool marble, the expanse of the escalator rising above her. Tears fell down her cheeks, and she snatched her right hand from between her legs, where it was rubbing against the fabric of her Levis. She moaned, understanding in some corner of her mind that she wasn't shielding herself as much as pleasuring herself. Tingles raced through her nerves. Kate didn't have those options, her hands wrapped in secure cords, preventing her from easing the pain through sexual stimulation. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (17 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


Kate's voice reached around the escalator: "Please, no more. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts." Dawn closed her eyes for a moment, then pushed herself wearily to her feet. It was the ending, here and now. She couldn't leave, and couldn't let him hit her again. Dawn's breasts ached, and she absently moved her hands up, as though shielding them from harsh leather. She stepped out. Kate hung in the body that she'd been intimately aware of only a moment before. Dawn's vagina still drove tendrils of pain upwards and into her mind, but she tried to ignore it, more so the sexual energy that surrounded it. She had to stop the images, or she would go crazy. Of that she was sure. And there was only one way to stop them. So, she stepped out, as she had known that she would from the moment that she'd left Linda and the Westin behind. Dawn held her hands away from her body, palms facing the Timeman. He had a gun; she'd seen it a number of times. While she hadn't seen the capture of the new girls, she imagined that he'd used it to intimidate them. She held her hands out in a gesture of honesty. She couldn't attack him, but he was wary of her. She didn't understand why, only that he was. His posture screamed it, even while he stood there with the whip, and she stood defenceless and far smaller than he. She nearly laughed as an image of herself as David, facing the Goliath flashed through her mind. Dimly, she was aware that Kate had slumped in her bonds. She could still sense her -- the man hadn't killed her -- she'd merely retreated into the blackness of unconsciousness for a while. Dawn envied her. Her own breasts and vagina felt like they were on fire, and she hadn't even experienced a third of what Kate had. "You can stop now. It's over," Dawn said slowly. She didn't step towards him. He hesitated a moment, then dropped the whip. It clattered against the marble as the leather coiled itself into an untidy heap at his feet. She continued, trying to keep her voice even, her eyes avoiding the cruel weapon. "You can let them all go, now. I'm not a threat." Her hands trembled beside her. He watched her, like a hunter would regard the lion. She wasn't a lion, but she supposed that he had no way of knowing that. "Who are you?" he asked. "You know who I am." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (18 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


"Dawn," he said, more a statement than a question. She nodded, not moving. Any sudden movement would cause him to reach for the gun. It was difficult enough being here without facing into the barrel of a gun. She became aware that Leigh, and Monique a few girls down, had stopped licking the girls above them. Without even turning, he growled at the kneeling girls. "I didn't tell you to stop." A look of fright passed over the kneeling girls' features, and they turned quickly to continue using their mouths on Crystal and Wade. Crystal's moan floated across the corridor, and the Timeman grinning wildly for a moment. She sensed him almost like a tickle into the bubble she thought of around him. It felt like a ripple, a poke, into the membrane of normalcy that her mind projected about her body. She tilted her head, but didn't draw her hands in. She pushed back, reforming the bubble about her, almost unconsciously. A tingle passed through her nerves. Another push, from a different direction felt like she'd been struck with a soft bat. "Oooof," she said. She cringed from the direction in which the attack had come, momentarily confused. Then she sensed what was happening, could see into the time haze, almost on a different level. He was attacking her, but in the time domain, trying to envelop, and thrust himself into her space. He was trying to control her environment, her time. She relaxed, and attempted to allow the intrusion. Inside, she knew that even if he succeeding in holding her time band, she could always reassert. Without her conscious control, her mind pushed back, and her bubble repelled his push. In a way, his intrusion reminded her of the unconscious fear that John had instilled into her, the night he'd almost raped her. The intrusion here was close and personal, an attack on her akin to that of a penis thrusting past her vaginal opening without her consent. Even if she'd allowed it consciously, her mind refused to simply allow him to control her that easily. "I didn't fight that," she said quietly. He looked up, and his expression changed to curiosity. "I don't have control over it, my mind won't allow you to control it that easily." She felt him withdraw. It remained difficult to press her own bubble outward, but it appeared that he couldn't simply envelop her any more than he apparently could see her in the mists of time. Else, why would he have tortured Kate to get her to reveal herself. Why not simply walk http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (19 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


up to her and take her physically? (Because he didn't know you weren't armed?) Somehow, she simply knew that he couldn't see her; she was like a ghost, as dim as he was bright in the time haze above her vision. "I'm not a threat to you. I don't have any weapons." He regarded her, again like the hunter regards dangerous prey. "You are the weapon," he said quietly. That didn't make much sense to her. She had never studied martial arts, or considered herself dangerous. She was merely Dawn -- a normal, well-adjusted college girl. As if reading her thoughts, he smiled. "Your presence here is the danger." She nodded, lowering her hands. There didn't seem to be any reason to keep them visible. It was obvious that she was not a physical threat. He seemed to relax a little, rather than tense as she'd expected. "Then, I'll leave." "It isn't that simple, and I think you know that." She shrugged, somehow knowing that this would be the answer before it passed his lips. "Let the girls go. I'll leave, everyone will be happy," she said. He still made no move to approach her. He shook his head. "Why did you come here?" He was asking her two questions. She only had the answer to one, so she supplied it. "I wanted answers. I need to understand." "Do you understand?" She shook her head. "I want it to stop. I need it to stop." He smiled, understanding flowing across his face like a cloud revealing the sun. For her, however, it was only part of the reason for her coming here. She had been drawn to him, somehow knowing that http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (20 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


she was responsible, that she had caused this strange place as much as he. And she couldn't leave until they fused. "I don't have the answers," he said slowly. "Then, I'll leave, as soon as you release the girls." He shook his head. "I can't do that." "You reach down and untie them. If you can't return them to their time, I'll take them with me. You can't keep doing this to them. It will consume you. It will consume me." He seemed to consider for a moment, but Dawn understood that nothing here was that simple. "I can't have you loose. It's dangerous." "Dangerous to you?" "And to yourself." She bristled. "And you care about me, any more than you care about them?" He smiled, though her comment had stung him. She could see it in the set of his body. "I care about them more than you know." "That's why you whipped Kate unconscious." If he was surprised that she knew Kate's name, he didn't show it. "I needed to see you," he said. "You could have asked." "And you would have come?" She was honest, and shook her head. "No." "You don't understand, Dawn. You can't. But your presence here is dangerous. If I'd known that this was even a remote possibility, I wouldn't have created this place." Dawn started. Realisation slammed into her. He had created this place -- not her. Inwardly, she sighed. "You are far more dangerous to Kate than sore breasts or a few whip marks on her skin."



"Answer my questions, then?" Instead of answering her, he reached behind himself and pointed the gun at her. It was the first time she'd ever faced the business end of a firearm, and she paled. "You can't shoot me." "Are you fast enough?" She trembled. Her body wanted to run, to duck back behind the escalator, draw into a fetal position and pretend that she wasn't here. Theoretically, she understood that she could erect a wall of air, frozen in time, impervious to the steel of projectiles. He didn't seem to understand that in her current state she might not even be able to open a door without finding a modicum of sexual balance. But she wasn't about to help him understand that she needed to climax first. No, that wouldn't be in her best interests. She shook her head slowly. "I don't want to fight," she murmured. He waved the gun at her, and she automatically took two steps towards him. Something occurred to her, and she halted, peering at him. The soft sounds of oral sex surrounded her, and stimulated her into another level of arousal. (No. No. No. They're being forced to do that.) (And if you keep walking, you'll be next.) (Receiving, or giving?) (Does it matter?) Dawn shivered. "What happens if you kill me with that thing?" Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw Kate stirring against the pillar. A soft moan issued from the bound and naked girl. The Timeman ignored Kate, keeping his eyes planted on Dawn's face. He shrugged. "Dawn, I really, really don't know." She sighed. It was unclear what happened when a life was snuffed out. Would she die on the main timeline? Would she survive when and if he ever returned this alternate reality back to normalcy? "Dawn?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (22 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


She raised her eyes from the floor. Her fingers wanted to touch herself, her nipples, between her legs. She lightly grasped her thighs, the solidity of them grounding her. "I don't want to find out," he said slowly. She didn't either. Not in the least.


"What do you want?" Even as she asked, she knew the answer; it was simple, and obvious. She trembled. He answered her with a single word. "You." She closed her eyes, could sense him probing her bubble again, touching her as intimately as any lover, and the reaction to it manifested sexually even though it wasn't his fingers caressing her nipple. She shivered. The visions had fled, but she could still sense them, close and near. She was Leigh. She was Crystal. Her own tongue buried within herself, thrusting and caressing. It was a pleasant dichotomy, but distracting. "You won't let them go?" He shook his head slowly. "At least let them stop. Even you must sense that this isn't arousing them. The new girls won't climax for you, no matter how much you threaten them." "Humans are capable of more than you might think," he said. But he turned to the bound girls, and simply called, "Leigh? You can stop, now."



With multiple sighs, the bound kneeling girls rocked back, almost in synchronicity, and worked the muscles of their jaws, shifting uncomfortably on their bare knees. Leigh flashed a look of relief towards Dawn, and it made Dawn feel a little better about her own situation. "Will you answer my questions?" He nodded slowly. She slipped into Crystal for a brief second, involuntarily, and moaned. The girl was aroused, more so that she thought was possible given her discomfort. Her panties felt dry and hot in her mouth, her own scent filling her nose. Below, where Leigh's mouth had been, felt empty. Her hips rocked, even as Dawn witnessed it from two vantage points. Dawn tore herself from the girl, and returned her gaze to the gun and the Timeman. He waited patiently, watching her intently, as if he were aware of her travels. "Will you hurt me?" He answered her honestly. "I don't know, Dawn." (He's going to whip me. Like Kate. To break me.) Dawn shivered, and her sex pulsed at the thought. She glanced over at Kate, whose eyes had lifted, slightly dazed, but not dull and lifeless. The girl hurt, without a doubt, but she'd survived. She glanced again at the gun, then at his face. The Timeman seemed content to wait for her answer. A precognition slipped past her. The Timeman couldn't control her -- not through time. He might continue to whip Kate, and eventually that might work, controlling her through indirect means, but not if she disappeared into the silent world, somewhere where she couldn't hear Kate's cries. He was unable to track her, and unable to find her, not in this silent world. Of that, she was certain; she could disappear, be safe, away from all of this. But, he couldn't let her leave. It wasn't that simple. If she turned away, or even took a step backwards, he would shoot her. He couldn't afford to do anything else. She didn't understand why, yet, but her presence here was a danger -- both to him and to all the girls here. He couldn't let her disappear, again. "I'll give you anything that you want. Money? My firstborn?" She was joking about the last, but she needed time to think. Incredibly, he did laugh. "You aren't actually a mother, are you?" The question revealed the depth of his ignorance about her. He couldn't read her mind. He didn't have any idea of who she really was. The knowledge warmed her. It didn't help her, but it was http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (24 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


something. She shook her head slowly. She felt most of the girls' eyes upon her, envious of her freedom, envious of her clothing, perhaps even a little awed of her seemingly unique ability to resist, and yes, frighten, this man in front of her. She could only resist so much. "You'll answer my questions?" He nodded. "Whatever I can." And she believed him. What she was about to do seemed wrong, even to her. She could see it in Kate's eyes. She could see it in Leigh's eyes. Her entire being warned her. It was as if some higher order was orchestrating this, and she was merely a pawn. But, pawns could take down kings, couldn't they? Slowly, she nodded. Her breasts tingled, and her nerves jangled. She understood what her words meant, what his agreement meant. Kate began to protest weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Dawn, please, no." "He'll keep hurting you, and hurting me, until I do what he wants. I can't bear to watch it again," Dawn said. It was the naked truth, and giving voice to it surprised her. "I'll do whatever you want," she said, turning back to the Timeman. "Just stop hurting them." (And me.) When he rose again from the backpack, he held shiny metal easily over his left hand. With a practised ease, he tossed the chrome towards Dawn, and without thought, almost sensing their arc through the time haze, she lifted her hand and easily caught the handcuffs. She stared at them for a moment, and then looked up at him. (I'll be wearing these soon. Unable to get them off until he takes them off me.) "Do you want me to strip, first?" she asked. He shook his head, surprising her. She didn't want to take off her clothes, it would only serve to inflate her already blossoming sex drive, and leave her even more vulnerable than she felt now, but http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (25 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


ultimately she harboured no illusions. Eventually, she would lose her clothing as surely as the other nine women surrounding her were as bare as the day they were born. She sighed, and began to wrap her left wrist within the cuffs. The singing of the ratchet drove her helplessness into her mind, almost like the door of a jail cell slamming shut. "Behind your back, Dawn." Dawn hesitated. With her hands secured behind her back, she was far more vulnerable. His request didn't surprise her. She sighed. At least, she wasn't naked, yet. She reached behind her back, her palms brushing across the denim of her bottom. With a touch of difficulty, she managed to close the right cuff around her wrist, and the final click of the metal slammed into her -- complete vulnerability. A sense of futility and destiny flowed through her. Ever since she'd finally freed herself from the school's exam room, it had been one prison after the other -- if it wasn't a frozen door, it was a frozen person that she couldn't quite make twitch in the guise of normalcy. This was merely another prison from which she must escape. Except, she sensed this time that she was meant to be here for a while. She pulled against the restraints, and then turned towards the Timeman. "I can't get out," she said simply. He smiled, and began to walk towards her. "What about them?" she asked. "I'm here, I'm helpless, surely you don't need to keep them like that. It hurts. Trust me." She could vividly remember being in Leigh's mind, the discomfort of her arms nearly overwhelming her experience of tonguing another girl. The memory of that vision drove needles of sexuality through Dawn. Eating a girl out, and being eaten out. Both at the same time. She shivered, and vexed, realised that with her hands bound like this, she probably couldn't even climax herself. The thought rose from between her thighs in a dull ache. Her helplessness again whispered through her limbs. "I stopped whipping Kate, didn't I? I let them stop having sex over there?" Dawn nodded, feeling tears rising to her eyes. (But the ropes. The bonds. The symbols of your control over them.) She nodded, realising that he wasn't going to release the girls. Not yet. And she couldn't do a damn thing about it. Yes, she could http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (26 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


control her own time bubble, but that was about the extent of her power. Suddenly, it seemed woefully inadequate. He touched her arm at the elbow, and with a small cry, she twisted from him. He flashed her a look, perhaps he was used to touching the girls any time he chose, anywhere he chose. Even this innocuous touch to guide her seemed far too intimate, especially given that her hands were pinned behind her, perhaps permanently. Instead, he smiled and swept his arm, like an announcer introducing a queen. He began to walk towards the escalator. She considered refusing to follow, but as he touched the first stair of the now motionless staircase, and glanced back towards her, she sighed, and began to move her feet. He stood against the upper deck railing. The railing, for safety, she supposed, was composed of a top rail of wood, descending to the floor with unbreakable glass, or clear plastic. He leaned on folded arms, his toe lightly kicking at the safety plastic beneath the rail, gazing down to the lower concourse where Kate moaned quietly still bound to the pillar. The other girls remained on their knees in front of their naked, spread, and gagged counterparts. Dawn settled herself on the top step of the escalator, her legs uncoiled and resting against the harsh metal of the motionless stairs. It wouldn't have been her chosen position, but he'd told her to sit, and it hardly seemed the time or place to argue. Her position against the harsh ribbing of the metal stairs would have been more uncomfortable had she been naked; her jeans protected her skin, somewhat. Her hands fidgeted behind her back, the chain between her wrists jingling softly. The girls below, except for Kate and the gagged girls, talked quietly, their feminine tones only tickling Dawn's ears, their words incomprehensible at this distance. Conversely, she supposed, the girls wouldn't be able to understand anything said between her and the Timeman. She looked up. He seemed moody, but the mindless anger and brutality he'd displayed while whipping Kate seemed to have been thrust to the back burners of his mind. "Why are you doing this to them? To me?" He turned to look down at her, an amused expression upon his lips. "Control," he said simply. "I can, and so I do." She pondered that for a moment. "Hitler did the same thing."



The Timeman nodded, not seeming to be offended by the comment. "But Hitler didn't control time. There is a fine line here. What I do to the girls down there is real -- they feel the stroke of the whip, their arms are aching so badly that they cry. I understand that." "Does it arouse you?" He nodded, but it seemed like his mind was still on the original question. He almost seemed to want to talk to her about it. Suddenly, she sensed his mind, could see inside, if only for a moment. He seemed unaware of this intrusion. She sensed that he was alone, as much as she, and it surprised her. He surrounded himself with sex objects, and played, he understood more about this strange world than she did, but he was alone here -- unable or unwilling to form attachments that would be doomed to failure and regrets. And he was beginning to care about them -- all of them, even the girl that he whipped until she lost consciousness, or perhaps especially Kate. "When I release them from this time, it will be as though it never existed. According to all the simulations, it will never have happened for them. Kate will not even bear the memory of the pain I delivered into her body, even if she desires it." Dawn started in surprise. How did he know that the pain had driven Kate close to climax? That sexually, she reacted to it? Perhaps, she'd told him? Or did he simply know? Or had he visited her mind, as Dawn had? Somehow, she knew the latter hadn't happened. For some reason, perhaps because she was female, only she was drawn into the others, whether she wanted to, or not. He could sense where his own bubbles of time lay, but that was the extent to which he saw into the haze of time. "It's still wrong," Dawn said quietly. "Absolute power ..." "... corrupts absolutely. Yes." He stared off and away from Dawn, his eyes sweeping over the girls again below. After a while, he spoke again, his voice soft, as though remembering a time long gone. "It is simply a very realistic fantasy for them, something that shouldn't have consequences. They feel what happens here, but their real lives, to which I will return them, will not be affected." "Are you sure?" "Until you showed up, I was sure," he said slowly. Dawn shivered. "When are you going to end this? When you kill someone? Whip some http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (28 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


girl so badly that she can't recover? When you have to shoot someone that feels like she doesn't have anything left to lose? When are you going to end this?" He was silent for a long time, and she thought that he wasn't going to answer her. When he finally spoke, she had to strain to hear his words. "I'm not sure I can stop it any longer ..." Then after a moment, so low that she was really not sure that she'd heard it at all, he said, "Not alone, anyway." "It arouses you, doesn't it?" Dawn asked, tilting her head upwards. He remained staring out across the emptiness of the concourse opening. Below, she could still hear the quiet murmur of the other girls. "Of course, it does." He turned to look at her, and his eyes seemed to pierce through hers and peel back the protection of her skull, peering into her mind. Suddenly, she understood, could figuratively see through his eyes, saw herself sitting on the top stair of a lifeless escalator in her jeans, running shoes and university sweatshirt, her hands secured behind her back. Simply a frightened girl. It shouldn't have been arousing to him, but it was. "It arouses you even to have me here, doesn't it?" To her ears it sounded self-indulgent, conceited, but she hadn't meant it that way. He raised his eyebrows, but nodded. "Yes, the image of you sitting there is arousing to me." "Even though I'm not naked?" "You're in my control," he said. She didn't fully understand, but she would be willing to admit that his words were true enough. She was under his control. Mostly. He was quiet for a while, then he turned back towards her, his eyes intense. "That's why you're here, isn't it? You don't understand your own arousal," he said. She could feel tears welling, her breasts crying out, her clitoris pulsing. Sex, and what she'd felt through his actions on the other girls. She didn't even want to admit to her own preoccupation with sex -- it was dirty somehow. Good girls didn't feel like this. She had no control over the visions, seemed to be joined to him through them, no longer a separate being. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (29 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


He continued. "The simulations warned me, and I ignored it. Sexual energy -- Christ, that sounds like a bad porn script, doesn't it -let's try again. I think our hormones are manipulated by time control, it feeds on our energy, and it manifests through more sexual arousal, interest, experience. Christ, it still sounds like some adolescent, juvenile fantasy, doesn't it?" "Is that why you do this to them?" She meant the girls below, bound and naked. It explained their frustration beyond what she might have expected from their treatment. The effects weren't limited to the manipulators, but also to the manipulated. The girls below felt the consequences upon their own sex drives as much, or more, than the Timeman or herself. Suddenly, it hit her like a ton of bricks. The girls were aware of the effect, in the very least, subconsciously. He shook his head. If what he said was true, and she had no reason to doubt him, then the girls down there were probably as aroused as she was -- perhaps more so. She conjectured that he hadn't indulged with his captives, despite every opportunity to do so. She touched his mind, and the word 'rape' catapulted out in a flurry of denied pleasure. It wasn't as if the girls would even have objected at this point, but nevertheless, he hadn't touched them -- and it was killing him. By extension, it was killing her. She didn't understand the connection, but if her arousal, even here and now, was any indication, she could almost understand his treatment of the girls. Worse, if he was turned on by such treatment, and control, it would have intensified the time constraints. Despite his denial, she thought that the very exercise of time control might very well drive this man to the acts that he performed with the girls, in the same way that she seemed unable to manipulate a door unless she satisfied her sexual demands to allow her concentration to blossom. Even if she didn't understand all the aspects of her situation, the visions and the strange twists of her journey, at least there was explanation for her apparent nymphomania. In a strange way, while it didn't quell her body's desires, it did make her feel better about her situation. She pulled again at her cuffed hands. As she had learned to expect, her body reacted to the jingle, and the sensation of the metal about her wrists. She gasped this time, and he gazed at her strangely. "How do you control time as easily as you do?" She was surprised that he would answer, feeling that perhaps knowing more about the underlying mechanics gave him an edge over her, a foothold to help control her. But he didn't hesitate, as she'd feared. The answer, however, didn't help her. The answer came to her as swiftly as his understanding of it did. Perhaps it was a combination of both.



(He's a man. Different hormones.) "Practice," he offered. And he, at least, believed it. "How serious are you?" he asked. "Serious about what?" For some reason, her mind leapt to her relationship with John. And that, my friends, was not serious in the slightest. Not anymore. "Serious about giving yourself to me." Dawn realised with a twist of unease that this was exactly what she'd done when she'd accepted the handcuffs. She was his -- owned like a piece of property. The thought drove more tingles into her breasts, which she really didn't understand. She'd had friends that had experimented with bondage, and she'd played once or twice with padded handcuffs, but she'd never really been turned on by power games before. But in this world, this universe, anything seemed to spark her imagination. She sighed. Owned. Yes, she could control her own time bubble, but was that enough when one was wearing the Timeman's handcuffs? She shivered. "I don't want anyone hurt anymore than necessary." "Would you sacrifice your own skin to save, say, Kate?" Dawn shivered again, wanted to push herself up, handcuffs and all, and run. He could shoot her, maybe, but he couldn't simply freeze her. She might make it. She could see it in his eyes. He wanted her to accept, wanted her to agree to her own debasement. It represented a control unlike that control that he enjoyed over Kate, and Leigh, and Andrea. "You want to whip me?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even. "Would you trade places with Kate, right now, if I asked?" Dawn sighed. Her mind fought with her body, arguing with hormones about as useless as arguing with a brick wall. She closed her eyes, feeling the lashes of his whip striking her skin. It wasn't as if she'd never felt, vicariously, the sting of his whip before. Slowly, she nodded. "If you must, I'll let you whip me."




Dawn stared in confusion at where the girls had stood. Crystal, Wade, Danielle and Pamela were simply gone, like a puff of wind disperses smoke. The handcuffs that had held them swung silently, still wrapped around the safety railing to which they'd been secured, and the ropes that had held Danielle and Crystal's ankles lay inert upon the ground. Leigh, Andrea, Monique and Nicole still knelt quietly in their assigned places, and Kate still hung weary against the pillar, but the new girls were gone, as if they'd never existed. "Where ..." Dawn whispered. His voice came from behind her right ear, close and intimate. "They're back in their seats, panties back where they began, around their hips, watching as the Clones begin their attack." Dawn spun slowly, her eyes wide. "You sent them back?" He nodded. "Safe and sound. They'll never remember this place. Not the sex. Not the pain. Not even the taste of their own panties. Scout's honour." She doubted if he'd ever been a boy scout, though he obviously knew his knots. "That easy?" He shrugged. She didn't know whether to interpret that as a shrug of affirmation, or a shrug of denial. She shivered. She hadn't even sensed when he'd released them. When she'd stood up, with his help, at the top of the escalator, the girls had hung here, naked and moaning. When she'd looked up from her runners, at the base of the staircase, the girls were gone. She sighed, not understanding, and simply watched as he moved around her and crouched near Leigh. Idly, she wondered if he could sense her, like a bird can sense the cat. What might happen if she stepped forward, aiming her runner at the back of his head? She sighed again. She wouldn't attack him -- couldn't risk it. Not yet. She needed to know more.



She took a step backward, noting that he stiffened at the sound of her runners against the marble, but then he bent back towards Leigh, his hand and fingers working quietly behind her back. Dawn hoped that he wasn't tightening her bonds. The girls didn't rise from their knees, even after their arms were freed. Leigh knelt quietly with an expression of resignation upon her face. Dawn watched the girl, as her lips began to curl in a grimace of pain that quickly spiralled into an expression of agony. The girl struggled to hold still, even her fingertips quivering with effort resting on her thighs. "Ahhhhhh," Leigh moaned. Dawn glanced at him, and he nodded to her. Dawn stepped forward, crouching in front of Leigh. To the side, she was aware of the others, slowly falling into the same pattern as Leigh. Andrea began to moan, and Monique followed but a moment later, her voice quickly rising in a scream resembling that of a cat in pain. Nicole, alone, seemed to be able to suffer whatever agony had been inflicted upon them. Dawn envisioned electric implants, perhaps deep inside shooting sparks into their nerves. She could see the pain in Nicole's eyes, but the girl merely pressed her lips together and bore it silently. "What's wrong," Dawn whispered. She wished fervently that her hands were free. She wanted to gather the naked girl into her arms and stroke her. Leigh looked up, as if surprised to see Dawn there. Instead of answering, she hissed. "It's you. Oh, God, it's you." Dawn recoiled as if stung, misunderstanding the words. She backed away, sure that somehow her proximity was causing the girl's agony. Leigh shook her head, and cried out weakly. "Pins. And. Needles. Our arms. They've been tied like that since this morning. Christ." And suddenly, Dawn knew, her own arms tingling in an approximation of Leigh's pain. When the ropes had released, Leigh's nerves had awakened after a long slumber, driving bolts of lightning into her arms. Kate had screamed, too, when he'd untied her arms, and Dawn hadn't understood. Oh, God, he'd moved Kate's arms relentlessly tying her to the pillar, even as her nerves had awakened, and she had screamed. Dawn moaned.



After a few minutes, Leigh began to settle, and she slowly raised her head, tears shining in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "For what?" Dawn had settled into a cross-legged pose in front of Leigh, helplessly watching as the girls worked through their internal discomfort. It would ease for all of them, like it did when one slept awkwardly on her arm, and discovered in the middle of the night, not an arm, but a dead piece of wood attached to her shoulder. Eventually, the pain absorbed into relative normalcy. "Sorry that you got dragged into this. You were free, weren't you?" Dawn felt tears well up, but she willed them back. Slowly, she nodded. It wasn't the girls' fault she was handcuffed here. Not at all. It was ironic really. If it weren't for her, Dawn mused, Leigh probably wouldn't have been tied like she was, her pain used to drive her out. She couldn't find the words to express her thoughts. Not without crying herself. "I'm sorry," Leigh repeated. Her eyes then dropped back to her knees, as Dawn felt a light touch upon her shoulder. The Timeman had come to collect her. "Water. And whatever candy bars you find." "Steal them?" Leigh asked lightly. "Do you have any money?" The girl shook her head slowly, and then began to walk away, towards the escalator. Dawn watched as the naked girl's feet whispered across the marble, dodging nimbly around frozen shoppers, and protuding benches. What was preventing her from running? The ropes had been removed from her arms, and she was relatively pain free. The Timeman wasn't levelling that damn gun at her back. The other girls watched her disappear up the corridor. Even after she was out of sight, Dawn could sense her, walking more slowly after she rounded the corner, her smaller tennis ball spinning steadily as she moved away. Dawn was about to turn and ask him what kept Leigh from running, but it came to her before the question passed her lips. Consequences. Even when free, the girl wasn't. Her range of motion was limited to whatever he allowed her, freezing and unfreezing her world to allow her motion, or restricting it to keep her close. Idly, Dawn wished it was so easy for her, but would she use it the way he did? She didn't think so, but absolute power ... http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (34 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


She shivered. It wasn't the only reason that Leigh would return. Innately, somehow, the Timeman understood this, even more than his control over her physical world. Even if Leigh were as free as Dawn was, in terms of controlling her own time bubble, she would no sooner abandon the girls to the Timeman, than she would kill her own mother. Leigh would return with what he'd asked of her, as surely as the sun set in the west and rose in the east. To abandon Kate, to abandon Andrea, to abandon Nicole and Monique unthinkable. Dawn felt it tug at her own heart. She might escape, but she wouldn't. No more than Leigh would. Everyone was silent, except for the occasional sigh from Kate. The patter of bare feet brought Dawn's head up, as Leigh rounded the corner, Leigh's eyes bright and happy, the expression almost of a child who had completed a task. In her arms, against her bare breasts, she cradled a mound of chocolate bars, and three bottles of Evian water, condensation dotting the clear plastic. She bent as she approached, and Dawn had the crazy image that the girl was bowing. The food tumbled from her arms to lay in a disorganised heap in the middle of the bench to which Kate had been formerly leashed. Leigh backed away, and returned to her position. She didn't kneel, but stood easily, her hands brushing at her naked thighs. When the Timeman didn't move from his position, leaning against another pillar, Leigh caught his eye. "Please, can we eat and drink? Please?" He laughed softly, and tilted his head in a silent question. "It's been a hard morning," Leigh said. Her admission that he'd managed to tax them seemed to pain her further. "We're hungry and thirsty. I'll beg you, if you wish." He waved her off, and she bowed her head. Dawn wasn't sure, but she thought that the girl might be silently weeping, her bare shoulders shaking slightly. "It's inhumane," Dawn said quietly. "Why won't you let her eat?" He smiled and pushed himself from the pillar. He approached Dawn, and she willed herself to stand there, not backing away from him. He might slap her, or strike her more forcefully for impertinence, for all she knew. She cringed, but gently, he merely touched her shoulder. Obediently, she turned herself around, presenting her denim clad bottom to him. She felt his fingers slide down her sleeve and then almost caress her bound wrists. A click reached her ears, and suddenly she was free again, her hands parted, and she brought them in front of her, inspecting her fingers. It felt nearly http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (35 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


deliciously good to be free of the cuffs. She massaged her wrists slowly. Faint red marks upon her skin reflected where the steel had held her. She turned to him, forgetting for a moment his refusal to let the other girls eat. "Thank-you," she said. He nodded, acknowledging her. "They can eat after Kate. Kate needs the energy more." "Are you going to release her?" "In a while. For now, you can feed her. She needs to eat more than she needs to be free of the ropes." Dawn swallowed, and stared at him, her eyes questioning. He nodded once, and she nearly ran to the bench, gathered a bottle of water, and a hersey milk chocolate bar. Her own stomach growled, as she rose and began to walk towards Kate.


Kate looked weary, her eyes tired, but alive. She stood, her legs still spread, most of her weight borne by her ropes, not her toes. She sighed, her eyes flicking from the food in Dawn's hands to her face. Suddenly a tear spilled, tracing down her cheek like a river until it dropped from her jawline, splashing to her still bound breasts. "I'm sorry," Kate whispered. "I tried not to scream." Dawn's heart nearly broke, and she placed the bottle on the ground near Kate's bare foot, then rose. She traced along Kate's cheek, brushing wisps of red hair from her forehead, and out of her eyes. Dawn shook her head. "It was because of me that you're like this. I'm the one who should be sorry." Kate grinned, and sighed. The irony of it, what he'd managed to do to them reflected across her lips.



"Welcome to the fun house," Kate whispered. Dawn shivered. While she was still very uneasy about being here, it seemed right somehow -- that she'd been led here ever since she'd woken in pain and agony on the floor of an exam room that seemed a million miles away. "We'll get through this," Kate whispered. "If you don't fall apart." She paused, and then a mischievous grin graced her mouth. "We'll get through this if I don't die of thirst, that is." That the girl had even asked for a drink crashed her situation back into Dawn's mind. She withdrew her finger, which had wanted to drift down Kate's bound body, touching and caressing her, taking the pain and turning it into something else. Dawn gulped. "Jeez. I'm sorry." She hurriedly bent again, and lifted the Evian. The bottle burned coolness into her fingertips. Her fingers slipped against the top, and she grimaced. She was loathe to ask for help as her fingers slipped again. His eyes burned into her back, watching her struggle, probably grinning. Tears of frustration flooded into her eyes, and only Kate's soft voice preventing her from crying like a baby. She wanted to scream at him, that it was unfair, that she didn't want to be here. Instead, she bit down on her tongue and tried the slippery top again. It felt like all the strength had left her arms. "Easy, Dawn. It's only a top. Wipe your fingers and try again." Dawn looked up at the bound girl, anchoring on her voice. There was no hint of pain there, even though she was sure that Kate still ached from the beating. Her breasts. Her vagina. Probably every part of her. Yet, she was the calm one. Dawn sighed, and moved her fingers to her sweatshirt, between her breasts. They tingled uncomfortably as her hand passed close to them, but she ignored her body's pleas and simply wiped the perspiration and condensation from her finger tips. The top spun off, as though it had only been teasing her, and she could sense him laughing at her, though only inside. She closed her eyes, and gave a prayer of thanks. Kate opened her mouth, and Dawn tilted the bottle towards her, expecting the man to call her back, to prevent Kate even this small comfort, the ultimate tease. The water touched Kate's lips, and she drank greedily, her throat working. At last, she stopped with a sigh. Dawn let the bottle fall from the girl's lips. "Thank, you," Kate whispered. Even at a whisper, her voice seemed to http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (37 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


have gathered strength from the liquid that Dawn had given to her. Dawn began to unwrap the chocolate, and feeling like a nursemaid, she fed Kate, one piece at a time. Each time, her fingers brushed Kate's lips, more tingles delved into her spine. When the food was gone, and Kate had drank as much as she wanted, Dawn turned. He'd relented, and allowed the other girls to share the remaining water, and eat some candy to refuel their bodies. Leigh's fingers were sticky with chocolate, and Dawn saw herself for a moment, forced to lick them clean. Her breasts tingled at the thought, but then Leigh, as if she were aware of the thoughts, licked her own fingers clean with an expression of sexual rhapsody upon her face. Dawn snapped her eyes to the Timeman, who watched Leigh, as well, with the hint of a smile upon his face. Dawn felt like she had walked in on a roommate in the middle of sex. Leigh, looked up, perhaps realising what she'd done, but merely smiled at Dawn. Dawn turned her eyes away again, flushing. "Take some," the Timeman said. Dawn started, realising that he was talking to her. The bottle in her hand was half empty, and while she wasn't used to sharing germs with other girls, she gamely lifted it to her lips. She imagined that she could actually taste Kate on the plastic, but as the water gushed over her tongue, she swallowed nearly as greedily as Kate had, not fully realising that she was thirsty. She glanced over at the bench. Candy remained strewn across the slats of the bench, one or two bars having fallen to the marble. "Go ahead. Have some," the Timeman said, obviously following her gaze. As far as she knew, he hadn't taken any for himself. Slowly, she shook her head. She was hungry, but it seemed wrong somehow, for her to eat chocolate. He shrugged, and turned back to watch the other girls indulging in the sweet break. Leigh's soft voice filled the corridor from where she knelt. She was no longer eating. "Is it over?" she asked. He seemed to understand her, and nodded. Leigh let her breath fall from her lungs, relief flushing across her face. Dawn sighed inwardly. While the harshness of the morning was over for the others, she suspected that it was only beginning for herself. That Leigh had even ventured to ask the question spoke volumes about the treatment that the girls had suffered to draw Dawn forward. Dawn shivered, her heart beating a little faster. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (38 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


Dawn sighed, and swallowed a few more mouthfuls of water. She idly wondered how much longer she would be permitted to remain dressed. She stood in the middle of a great square, surrounded by four naked women, kneeling easily, their eyes alternately lifted towards her, and then to the floor. Dawn shifted her weight from foot to foot, fidgeting. He'd arranged the girls a few moments ago, then began to rummage in the backpack. Again, Dawn felt like sprinting, her runners pushing her between Leigh and Andrea, there was plenty of room, and the girls wouldn't stop her. She might make it. Or he might shoot her in the back. She shivered. At least she wasn't handcuffed. She glanced around herself again. The position of the girls, and herself standing awkwardly in the centre reminded her of a magical ceremony -- the art of black magic practised within a red pentagram, daemons wailing. Or course, the square lacked a side, that that would have been provided by Kate, but the redhead remained tied to the pillar, like a sacrifice to the Gods. "Dawn?" She tore her eyes from Kate, and faced him. He stood outside of the square, a long, thin rod balanced downward from his right hand, extending down his leg, falling short of the marble beneath. (Is that a riding crop? Oh, God. I said he could whip me.) "Dawn, it's time." She stared at him confused. (Time to whip me?) When she didn't move, he sighed. "Take off your clothing, Dawn." Slowly she shook her head. She was surrounded by nudity, even recognised that she would, eventually, do as he asked, but her mind rebelled. To remove her clothing would leave her with nothing. And while her breasts ached, and her clitoris begged, she didn't want to join Kate, and Leigh, and the others in this final affront to her humanity. She closed her eyes and shook her head. It wasn't his voice that emerged, but one of the girls that knelt around the square, her voice lilting and husky, as if she didn't want to speak but felt she had to.



"Dawn? I'm sorry that you're here. I'm sorry that we were used to bring you here. I'm so sorry. But you have to do what he says. He'll hurt you. He'll hurt us, until you do. I'd be willing to try it, you know I would, but it's only clothing. You actually get used to it after a while." She didn't know where it came from, but she turned towards the voice and opened her eyes. Leigh knelt in front of her, her eyes shiny with tears. Her hands clenched helplessly at her thighs, and she glanced nervously between the Timeman and Dawn as if she expected a fiery showdown between two wizards. Leigh cleared her throat. A single tear fell down her cheek, but she ignored it. "He made me strip in my high school. Take off my clothing in the hallway, amongst my friends. They couldn't see me, but it was probably the most difficult thing I've ever had to do." Dawn sensed the other girls nodding slowly in agreement, perhaps reliving the point at which he'd finally forced them to remove their last shreds of modesty. Only Andrea didn't, her head remaining still, as if attesting to her not minding in the slightest to be walking around naked. Leigh's voice choked, but she continued somehow. "He. He tied me up in front of my friends. Naked. My arms tied to a basketball net, my friends, and strangers, and everyone in the stands. He made me stand there. Naked, Dawn. I thought I was going to die." She paused. Tears ran slowly down her face, her eyes withdrawn into memory. Her voice choked again, but she finally said, "But I survived it. I hate being naked all the time, but I'm still here. I didn't die under that net, even if I wanted to. It's only clothing. It doesn't change who you are." Dawn wanted to run and hug the girl as she lowered her eyes to hide the tears. A glance at the Timeman, his suddenly hard eyes, told her there would be no reprieve. Leigh was right. He'd use that thin rod on someone, until she screamed, and Dawn did exactly as she was told. "You don't need to hit anyone," she said slowly. With that, she grabbed the hem of her sweatshirt, pulling it over her head. She let it drop at her feet, then kicked off her runners, watching as they settled pointing at each other near her discarded shirt. In one smooth motion, she pushed her jeans down her legs, and then pulled off her socks with her toes. For one sweet moment, she stood, her hands on her hips, knowing that she might not feel the soft touch of modesty again until they were all free of this strange universe. She took a breath, and he seemed content to wait, as long as she wasn't defiant. She let the air from her lungs, and reached behind her. With a practised ease, she unhooked her bra. She closed her eyes, knowing that he was watching this show intently, and let the underwear drop. It fell down her arms like an abandoned lover, the cool air of the mall kissing her nipples. It was the law firm all http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (40 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


over again. Naked in public, where people could see her. Jabs of excitement penetrated her, and she gasped. Still with her eyes closed, she pushed her panties down her legs, and stepped free of them. She lifted her arms in the air, like a trapeze artist making a perfect landing, and slowly spun. She opened her eyes to soft clapping. The girls watched her, perhaps comparing themselves subconsciously to her. The Timeman's eyes were upon her face, whereas she expected them to rest upon her now bare chest. She made no attempt to hide herself. There was no point. Nevertheless, she blushed, and that she couldn't stop. A tear escaped, but only one. "Satisfied?" she asked. "Very." The blush returned, and she fell to her knees as her legs buckled beneath her. She was one of them now, as surely as her clothing lay surrounding her, and the cool air kissed her bare skin. She couldn't believe that she was doing it. Her fingers folded her clothing with a practised ease, the warmth of her body still upon the jeans, and underwear. She bowed her head, and lifted the small pile upwards. She sensed him come close, and shivered as he took the clothing from her hands. The tears came then, as it drilled into her. He had taken her clothing, and she had no way of getting it back. She was naked, until he either returned the clothing, or sent her back. He wasn't going to return it. She'd given it to him. She'd given herself to him. She shivered, and waited.


The knots were tighter than Dawn thought. The marble felt strange and foreign beneath her knees. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (41 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


First her ankles, then her knees. After her lower legs were freed, Kate stood with a groan of pain, but lessening the stress on her still bound arms, and the rope holding her waist to the pillar. It was slow work, her fingers working at the unfamiliar knots. Dawn could feel their eyes on her, merely watching because there was nothing else to do. Kate cried out twice, once for each breast, as she worked at the ropes bound around the base of each. She tried to be gentle, and Kate managed to keep her vocalisations to a minimum. It felt strange to be actually touching another girl's breasts. A fleeting image of her fingers caressing Linda's breasts rose to her mind, and she thought that she'd go crazy with the pounding between her legs. Slowly, the remainder of the ropes fell to the floor, and when she was finally free of her prison, Kate stood silently, staring at Dawn. It wasn't appreciation for freeing her -- that could have been anyone, Dawn supposed. But she'd been picked. No, Kate's eyes projected sympathy, and shared experience. Kate moved forward, her legs a little wobbly, and hesitated. Dawn felt a tear trace down her cheek, and then, without quite understanding how she had fallen, found herself cradled in Kate's arms, sobbing. At any other time, finding herself pressed together with another naked woman, breast to breast, might have been uncomfortable. Now, it made the universe, even this crazy universe, bearable. He let them hold each other for longer than Dawn had expected, and it came as no surprise as her name floated from his lips. "Dawn?" Kate released her reluctantly, stepping away, and then around her towards the other girls who knelt quietly on the marble. As she passed, Kate bent and brushed her lips along Dawn's cheek. The kiss was chaste, and for once, the tingles didn't rise into her being. The kiss brought only a sense of comfort and belonging. Dawn lowered her head, and waited for the Timeman to approach, as Kate moved stiffly towards the edge of the square, and the rest of the captives. Dawn stood shaking, her back pressed against the still warm tiles where Kate's body had been bound only moments before. She held her hands for him, along the sides of the pillar, shivering as he wrapped coarse rope about her wrists. When he was done, he stepped back and surveyed her. She watched him, trying to project an image of strength, but knowing that it was probably failing. When one was naked and tied to a pillar, it was difficult to mask a sense of http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (42 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


impending doom. "Do you want me to spread my legs?" she asked evenly. In her minds eye, she saw herself as Kate had been, helplessly spread, almost offering her nakedness to the whip. He shook his head, but he didn't leave her ankles free. She supposed, that in pain, a girl might do something unexpected, like lift a foot into a groin. Or perhaps on purpose. Either way, she stood still while he wrapped a length of cord about her ankles, and lashed her securely. She wiggled her bare toes, and they obeyed her, even with the tight ropes restricting her movements. She lifted her eyes, and he smiled at her. The smile frightened her, but she swallowed, and refused to break her eyes from his. "How do you feel?" "A little vulnerable," she said slowly. The other girls weren't looking at her. Only him. (A lot vulnerable.) She pulled at her wrists. They moved, but not enough to allow her to wriggle her wrists free, or to allow her to move away from anything coming at her. "What are you going to do with me?" she asked. She didn't want to know the answer, but perhaps by knowing, she could prepare herself, mentally, if not physically. Instead of answering her, he asked her a question. "Would you like me to tie your breasts?" (Yes.) (No.) She wanted to scream at him: Why? Did it make any difference, why? She slowly shook her head. Whatever he had planned for her, having her breasts tied didn't sound like it would help her deal with it. Honestly, she was surprised that he'd asked her. It wasn't like she could have stopped him if he'd wanted to tie her breasts. He nodded. Slowly, he picked up the thin rod, and her eyes widened. (He's going to hit me with that thing. And I can't move. Oh, shit.) He smiled, and gently tapped his hand with the device. (He won't hit me that gently.) http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (43 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


She shivered. Her body ached. Completely. From the tips of her bare breasts, to the base of her feet. He was going to whip her, and there wasn't anything that she could do about it. In desperation, she tried to project her time bubble towards him. He must have felt it, because he laughed gently. "That won't work, little one." She closed her eyes. Tears of frustration and impending pain rolled down her face. "Why?" "Why, what?" "Why are you going to hurt me?" "Because you need to understand." She swallowed. She'd come here to understand, been driven here to put her life in jeopardy to save them, to save herself. Her stomach felt like a million butterflies decided to have a convention. "Please, you don't need to do this to me. I understand." (I understand, because I felt it. God, I felt it.) Her vagina clenched rhythmically, as if anticipating the pain, and the tingles that it would drive into her soul. (I'm not a fucking masochist. I'm not.) (I know. I know.) "Please?" She hated begging this man for anything, but her words seemed to widen his grin. Hitting her, perhaps, was more than for her understanding. Hitting her, and the thought forced another shiver down her spine, was for her being here at all. In some way, she'd spoiled his fantasy, and at the same time, represented something beyond what Kate, or Leigh, could give him. "Thighs, stomach, or breasts?" The question came almost nonchalantly. Innocently. She shivered. "You don't have to hit me," her voice was cracking, and tears fell unheeded down her face. His face was a blur in the overhead lighting of the mall. Surrealistically, shoppers surrounded the drama, http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (44 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


children, and men, and women, silently witnessing her introduction into this world. He stood quietly, not repeating his question, but expecting an answer. She understood, with utmost certainty, that it didn't matter where she chose. He'd hit her wherever he wanted, and she feared that she knew exactly where that would be. (Those things are made for hitting horses, for Christsakes.) She swallowed, and her voice was barely audible. "If you must, you can whip me. But don't make the mistake of doing it for me." He smiled. "But it is for you." She felt sick, and she fought down the gorge rising. For a moment, she considered letting it rise, being sick. But it wouldn't save her. Of that, she was also certain. She raised herself up, the rope holding her tightening as she lifted her chin. "Stomach," she whispered. Knowing that it didn't make any difference at all. Kneeling around her, she could see Kate and Leigh crying, nearly as hard as she was. Dawn screamed. She couldn't help it. The blow had come unexpectedly -- in the wrong place, driving deep into her breasts like acid. She struggled to keep her balance, her voice nearly foreign to her, like another entity, separated from her by the sharp fire radiating from her chest. "God. Not again." But God wasn't there anymore, and it fell against her again, driving blackness into her vision. She didn't want to pass out, even knew that what Kate had experienced had been far worse than this. He'd only tapped her, little more than what he'd done to his own hand as he talked to her. She'd never been hit before. Not really hit. Or whipped. Her voice rose again, expressing fiery agony. "Please. Oh, God, please." She willed her mouth to stop, but it refused to listen, babbling http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (45 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


like it belonged to another person. "It hurts. Please. I've learned whatever it is you wanted me to learn. I'll do what you want, just stop hitting me. Please. Oh, God. Please." His voice came from close, kissing her ear. He was standing beside her, and she could sense his arousal. It had blossomed far more intensely than when he'd been whipping Kate. She didn't understand, but her own body was mirroring his state, bubbling in sexual energy, screaming to reduce her pain through orgasm. Her hips rocked, no matter how much she tried to keep them still. She thought that she might have broken the skin at her ankles, pulling. Ever pulling. "I can put Kate back up here, instead." She swallowed, hearing her mindless screaming wither. He turned from her. "I'll take her place. You're killing her." Kate's sweet voice rose from the floor, like an unexpected saviour, offering herself to ease Dawn's agony. Dawn drew in breath, ragged, the air sweet against her sore throat. She closed her eyes. In some strange way, she needed this. She didn't know where the thought came from, but she clung to it, even as her breasts screamed. (Freedom. You're free while you're here.) She swallowed, her saliva warm and wet against her parched throat. Somehow, she knew that he only intended to hit her once more, but it would hurt. God, it would hurt. "No," she whispered. "If you have to do it, hit me again." He looked at her, then back at Kate. The redhead lowered herself, comprehension flooding her. She nodded, though the tears didn't stop. "Breasts," Dawn whispered. And it seemed right. The blackness overtook her, as the searing pain from the crop drove relentlessly into her bared nipples. She was sure that her breasts would split, but of course, they didn't. Kate had suffered worse than this, and hadn't screamed. For her. Her entire body clenched as the cleansing pain took her. Her teeth. Her breasts. Her ribs. Her thighs. Her belly. Her vagina. Clench. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (46 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


Clench. And then the blackness welled up. She smiled, and welcomed it. She hadn't screamed. It had hurt. God, had it hurt. But she hadn't screamed. She awakened in Leigh's arms. The girl knelt, holding her head, stroking her hair. Tear stains wet her cheeks as she looked worriedly at her charge. Dawn tried to say something, but Leigh shushed her, pressing a single finger to Dawn's lips. She reached to the side, and picked up something, pressing it to Dawn's lips. Dawn drank greedily, but Leigh stopped her. For a moment, Dawn felt sick, like she was going to throw up violently. Her stomach convulsed, then settled. Leigh allowed her to drink a little more, and the liquid rasped over her sore throat. She closed her eyes again for a while, and lost herself in the luxury of Leigh's hands stroking her hair. When she opened her eyes again, it was Kate holding her. From her vantage point, she could see the directional lights high above, and a streak of sunlight through distant skylights. The underside curve of Kate's bare breasts shone in a dichotomy of light and shadow. Dawn sighed, and she swallowed again, her throat complaining. Kate glanced down. "Welcome back," she murmured. Then to someone else, perhaps the man who had whipped her. "She's awake now." Kate returned her glance to Dawn, her expression worried. Dawn found a grin. "I didn't scream," she said. Kate laughed, the worry erasing itself from her features. "No, you didn't, Dawn. No, you didn't." Somehow, it made them sisters, and it felt right. Her breasts felt like pools of aching fire, and not only from the abuse of the crop. She was going to survive. Somehow.




Dawn stood on watery legs; the square had become the pentagon, Kate now kneeling in her place. More than ever, she believed that she'd been drawn into some black magic ceremony that demanded pain, rather than outright sacrifice to achieve its goal. Perhaps, there wasn't much difference between pain and sacrifice. Her breasts felt like they'd been dipped in acid, and then flayed in some bizarre medieval torture room. She lowered her eyes, and raised her hands to trace their hot curves. She didn't want to look, was afraid to look. This was the first after she'd risen shakily from Kate's lap that she'd even dared to look at herself. To her surprise, her breasts stood proudly upon her chest, the only evidence of his play, two thin red welts that would probably fade in an hour or so. Had such small marks driven that much pain into her? She suspected that there as more to it -- perhaps, time control intensified her reaction to the crop. She shivered, knowing that it was much more than the physical pain. Her situation, her lack of understanding, her confusion, her molten sexuality and her fear all bonded together with the crop to drive her most of the way to insanity while she'd been tied to that pillar. One more room to escape. She swallowed and lowered her hands to brush at her side. "You can't be serious," Kate said slowly. Her eyes were fixed on the Timeman. "Wasn't whipping the two of us enough?" "This won't hurt her." "Then why don't you take off your clothes and jerk off, if it's so fucking normal." He sighed, and turned his eyes to Kate. She shied back on her heels, for a moment, then shook herself. "I'm sorry," she mumbled. She wasn't apologising for suggesting that he take Dawn's place -- in that she was serious, if not hopeful. Rather she was apologising for cursing. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (48 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


"It won't hurt her," he repeated, obviously content to let the swearing slide with Kate's apology. "Everything is simple for you, isn't it?" "It's the beginning of the end," he said, as if that made all the difference in their tiny universe. "You're asking her to jill off in front of everyone. She's new -- it doesn't matter what she's seen, or done, before she was here. It's too much." Dawn glanced at Kate. The girl's face was reddening, but Dawn couldn't tell if it was the conversation, or her own situation rising up and kicking at her again. And 'jill off'? Dawn hadn't ever heard the term before, but she certainly knew what it meant. She swallowed heavily. "Crystal survived the experience." "Crystal was never going to be here for any length of time. Dawn is. You can't do this to her." He raised his eyebrows, and smiled. "Would you care to join her?" Kate paled. "I'd take her place. Gladly. It's not like I have a damn choice. She's just been whipped on the breasts, for the love of God." He smiled. "So were you." Dawn slowly slipped to her knees, unnoticed. Dawn turned towards the corner of the pentagon where Kate knelt, where she shook in anger and concern. Dawn swallowed. "Kate. I need to do this. I don't understand why, but I do." "You don't. You could run." Dawn smiled. "Would you?" Kate hesitated, and then shook her head. Dawn nodded in understanding. "I don't know if I can do it, but he's right. At least it won't hurt." Kate sighed, and nodded. She ceased her objections, but not before http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (49 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


throwing a withering glance at the Timeman. Dawn wouldn't have wanted to be on the receiving end of that glance, but the Timeman merely laughed. Dawn sighed, and tried to steady her nerves. She doubted if she could do it, even if her body desperately wanted it. Not in front of everyone. Not like this. She swallowed heavily, and closed her eyes. She didn't know it, but she automatically adopted the same pose as Crystal had. Her breasts ached as they pressed into the cool marble where a million pairs of shoes had passed. Her cheek pressed into the floor, and she raised her hips slightly, only enough to allow the fingers of her right hand to slip below, and touch. (Oh, God. Oh, God.) Her vagina screamed, her altered hormones, her whipping, and the naked girls nestled around her driving into her mind like a super-fuelled fantasy. She could sense them, their arousal, from watching her, from their own enforced nudity, their helplessness. She was Dawn, then five naked girls, watching, ever watching, then Dawn again. Her fingers worked, caressing, like a lover, finding her familiar rhythm, stroking, discovering the wetness between her legs like a flood. A groan reached her ears, and she dimly recognised her own husky tones in the sound. Still her fingers slipped through her, driving her desperately towards the edge. The rest of them, the naked girls, the Timeman, all receded. The fire in her breasts intensified, and she felt the edge of the chasm approaching like a locomotive. (No. No. NO. NO. NO. Please, no.) She opened her eyes. Leigh knelt, watching her. Fascinated. Her face held an expression of sexual abandonment, and envy, every fibre of Leigh's being crying out to switch places, to be allowed to find peace, her hormones denied even longer than Dawn's. (No. No. No. Yes. No.) She tore her gaze from Leigh, a glimmer touching the last remaining vestige of humanity left in her howling mind. She was so close. So unbelievably close. Her fingers shifted rhythms, and she moaned. The moan would be http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (50 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


mistaken by all of her audience for something else, but to her, it was a moan of denial. Her fingers slipped into a slower rhythm, something that teased, but would never satisfy. She couldn't believe that she was going to do it, when he'd given her this. It was a gift, she knew. But accepting it, seemed ... wrong. If she truly climaxed, she would be stronger, more clear-headed. She was not being denied basic drives, unlike the other girls. All she needed to do was speed up that finger, like that, stroke herself, once more. She stopped her finger, before it pushed her over the edge, her moan rising in a parody of sexual ecstasy. She'd heard similar moans from the girls on the pornographic tapes that she sometimes watched with John. For the first time, she understood what the girls on those tapes might actually be feeling. Desperately, she turned her thoughts to John, feeling the excitement recede. It didn't disappear, but his image, the man that would have raped her, pushed the sexual abandonment back. It wasn't much, but it would have to be enough. Like other girls that she'd bantered with, locker room trash talk, she'd faked more than a few orgasms. It kept her lovers happy; no victim, no crime. She'd never been caught, that she knew of, and she'd climaxed enough to know what she sounded like at the pinnacle. Even John had been the recipient of more than one of the porn girls moans. Would the Timeman know? Could he read her mind, touch her senses, jump into her? She didn't think he could, that she would sense his presence in the recesses of her mind. Her finger twitched, waiting impatiently to push her onwards, to give her the gift of release. (No. I don't want it. Not this way.) She closed her eyes, and allowed her mouth to open. "Ahhhhhh." Her voice filled the corridor. She doubted if she had fooled the girls, felt it within them somehow. Actually tasted Kate's disappointment -- Kate had wanted her to dive over the edge, if only because she couldn't, and she desperately wanted to. (I'm sorry Kate. Not like this.) Her voice spiralled down, and she forced her hand from her lips. The moan of disappointed dreams and unfair frustration wasn't faked. She heard him clapping quietly, and though it made her blush, she'd http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (51 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


proved she still retained some control. She sighed. It was something. Her body ached. God, it ached. She was certain that she'd regret that she hadn't accepted the gift, but for now, it was the right thing to do. She rolled over to her back, her bare breasts heaving, completing the image of a girl satiated, even when she was anything but. She smiled at the ceiling high above, and sighed. She'd escaped one more room.


It had been a long time since she had walked barefoot through the grass. The spring grass, under her feet, felt as soft as cotton -much more comfortable than the asphalt that bordered on too hot beneath her before he'd allowed them to move to the grassy boulevards to each side of the roadway. She pulled against her wrists, the now familiar rings of steel holding them behind her back. She sighed, the image of her clothing, lying abandoned back beside a pillar where her breasts had been whipped, flooded into her mind, threatening tears. Beside her, Leigh stepped, her eyes downcast, perhaps watching for sharp object concealed in the turf. Kate walked along on her other side, almost like a pair of naked, female guards. "How are you holding up?" Dawn lifted her head, and smiled as best she could at Leigh who'd addressed the question to her in a low, almost conspiratorial voice. She glanced to her right. The Timeman walked moodily amongst the cars, away from the girls. Andrea, Monique and Nicole walked on the other side of the road, along lawns and across bus stops. "My breasts hurt," Dawn mumbled. "He won't do that to you again."



"I hope not." "There was a point to it, but damned if I get it," Leigh said easily. Dawn pulled again on her bound wrists. Leigh's upper arms were still decorated with faint red rope burns from her earlier torments, but her hands were free now. Only Dawn wore restraints here, and she supposed that she understood the necessity of them from the Timeman's point of view, but nevertheless, she wished that she could walk free. Her balance was thrown off a little by her arms, but she compensated, and continued walking. The grass nearly sighed as she moved over it. "Is it far?" "Is what far?" "Wherever we're going?" Leigh laughed, her voice light and carefree upon the spring air. "I don't know where he's taking us this time. If it's back to the mansion, then probably ten more minutes." Leigh glanced into the road, then back at Dawn, her eyes narrowing. "You've been to the mansion, haven't you?" Dawn nodded. She glanced down to watch her toes slip through the grass. From across the road, a burst of laughter, quickly stilled, rattled across the silent roadway. "You were wearing Nikes and Levis. Oh, my, God." It didn't make sense to Dawn, but she nodded, her lost clothing rippling tendrils of longing through her. "He's taking us back to the Mansion," Kate said easily. Dawn cast her a puzzled look. "It has a cellar that locks," Kate said, as if that made all the difference in the world. The girls lapsed into silence again, only the whisper of their feet through the grass interrupting the stillness of the universe. She'd been perhaps ten the last time she'd walked barefoot through the grass -- and despite the handcuffs, and despite her enforced nudity, Dawn discovered that she actually liked the feeling, and missed it when they were finally coaxed back into short roadway leading back to the Mansion.



Her nose itched, and she nearly reached for it until she realised that her hands remained pinned behind her. She nearly nudged the Timeman, demanding to be scratched, when she thought better of it. The girls lounged around the living room, their naked skin reflecting the sunlight from the window. Dawn shook herself mentally. They were all naked, and it seemed almost -- normal. Her own body, devoid of clothes, she didn't even notice unless she looked down. Yes, she would have preferred her jeans and sweatshirt back, but overall, she was surprised. She was getting used to walking around naked, and seeing the others wandering naked through the universe. She sighed, knowing that it was a mistake to get used to being here, but it was simpler. Even if she had to be naked all the time, it was a small price to pay for doors opening without having to masturbate before hand, and food was plentiful and didn't have to be painfully scavenged. Andrea and Leigh lounged on one sofa, their ankles chained to the legs. Nicole wore a simple pair of handcuffs. To Dawn, it seemed like the girl could slip her thin hands from the loose bands if she wanted, but she didn't make the attempt. She lay on her front, her bound hands tenting over a book, her attention already absorbed. Kate and Monique sat on the other white sofa, Kate leaning her head back against the arm, Monique reading. Their ankles, like Leigh's and Andrea's, were shackled loosely to the sofa. None of them were going far, but they seemed more free than Dawn felt. "We can't go anywhere, unless you let us," Leigh said slowly. "You'll be safer like that." Leigh shrugged, her face showing that she obviously didn't believe him. Dawn didn't either -- if there was a fire, then being naked and shackled to a sofa couldn't possibly be safer for the girls. But there wasn't much any of the girls could do about their situation. Leigh leaned back into the sofa with a sigh. "Leave it alone," Kate whispered without even opening her eyes. She moved her foot slightly, the chain connecting her to the sofa leg rattling quietly. Leigh nodded, but spoke again. Her voice lilted with concern. "Where are you taking her?" "Outside, again." Dawn realised that they were talking about her, almost as if she weren't even there. She tilted her head back against the doorframe and waited, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Behind her, her fingers toyed with the painted surface of the doorjamb. The marble in the front lobby where she stood reminded her uncomfortably of the mall marble, and her breasts tingled in memory. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (54 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


"You aren't going to whip her again?" Dawn saw herself, suddenly, tied to a tree in the front yard, bark scratching at the skin of her back. The whip came towards her breasts, and she nearly screamed. Her body convulsed, and she shook her head. She still stood in the front lobby, glancing into the living room, but her breathing was now ragged and uneven. "I think she's had enough for one day, don't you?" "Just don't hurt her, okay? If you find an overwhelming urge to hurt a girl or two, we'll provide. Okay?" "I won't." Leigh sighed, and glanced towards Dawn. "You'll be all right." Dawn smiled thinly. "You can't promise that, Leigh, but I'll be fine." Despite her words, she was far from certain of that. Fine was a relative term around these parts. She shifted again. Leigh nodded and reached for a set of headphones, slipping them over her ears. She flicked a hidden remote, and closed her eyes. Dawn could barely hear a bass beat from the devices. He turned towards her, and Dawn stepped back quickly. "Don't hurt her," Leigh's voice floated again from the living room, a little louder than was necessary, competing with the music from her headphones. He smiled, and Dawn cringed. "Do you think I'll hurt you?" Dawn sighed. "Is there anything I can do if you decide to whip me again?" "You could beg." "Would it help me?" He pursed his lips, then shook his head. He touched her arm, guiding her towards the broken front door. Her immediate reaction was to twist away from his touch, no matter how innocent, but she didn't, and meekly began to walk, her bare feet whispering over the marble. Back outside, she thought, naked. Her breasts hummed at the thought, but she didn't see much choice. It would serve to inflate her sex drive, but what didn't? She pulled again at her trapped hands. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (55 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


(Only the two of us.) She knelt in the soft grass, and then settled, crossing her bare legs at the ankle and leaning back on her hands. The soft, manicured lawn tickled her palms. Near the centre of the lawn, a black squirrel regarded her, and then scampered off in search of acorns. He sat with her, leaning back against an elm tree, eyes lifted towards the sky. Dawn shivered, glad that he wasn't watching her nudity as she shifted her weight and settled. "What are you going to do with me?" "What do you mean?" he asked easily, his eyes still scanning the motionless clouds above. "Are you going to kill me? Rape me and then kill me?" Instead of answering her, he lifted his hand and pointed to the sky. She followed his arm, squinting into the bright sunlight. The clouds hadn't moved in days, which only made sense to her, but it was as disconcerting as the perpetual sunlight upon her skin. "That one looks like a dragon," he said. "See the wings, the mouth, the wisps of steam?" At first, the cloud looked merely like cotton, then it shifted shape, as though it responded to his suggestion, and a dragon in flight appeared to her eyes. It was like looking at one of those three dimensional illusions. She blinked. A small cloud beside the dragon, frozen and still, looked a little like a girl sitting in the grass, leaning on her arms and extending her legs in front of her. The dragon seemed to be flying through the blue sky towards her. A sense of helplessness welled up in Dawn, and she tore her eyes from the sky. His eyes rested on hers for a moment. Dawn had experienced these kinds of looks before, mostly mutual, mostly at mixed parties. It was a look that meant that she would be kissing the guy before the end of the night. (No. Not voluntarily at least. Not this time, girl.) "I won't rape you. And I certainly won't kill you. Why would you think that?" She sighed. "All sorts of crazy things flip through a girl's mind when she's handcuffed and naked in front of the man who whipped her breasts for fun." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (56 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


He lowered his eyes at that, almost as if he were a small boy, ashamed of his behaviour. In a way, she thought, he was a small boy, unable to control his base desires. True, this wasn't a normal world, with normal desires, but it characterised him nearly perfectly. It was ironic, actually, given his preoccupation with controlling the girls that he couldn't even control himself. "I'm not sure I could kill you, even if I wanted to. The universe, I think, wouldn't let me. The gun would misfire, or the rope would break as you dangled from a branch." It confused her, but she sensed the truth in that. But what he hadn't said resounded in her mind. He could hurt her, even if he couldn't kill her. Perhaps, that had been the point of tying her to that damn pillar. The universe might ensure her survival, but it had a sense of humour when it came to the state of her skin. "You couldn't have told me that before you made me take off my clothes, could you?" "Would you have run?" She thought back, even to her early moments under his control, to the moment that she'd stepped from behind the escalator, and told him to stop whipping Kate. Would she have run? Even if she knew that it was safe to do so? Could she? Slowly, honestly, she shook her head. He glanced up at the sky again, watching the motionless clouds. "Why are you here?" he finally asked. Not looking at her. "Excuse me? You whipped the hell out of Kate until I couldn't take it anymore. I stepped out, and gave myself to you, wore your damn handcuffs, remember?" She paused, her breasts aching. With certainty, she knew that it wasn't simply from her whipping, but it encapsulated some of the slow ache from Kate's breasts as well. A lightning rod for pain, she grimaced. "You know that I can feel them, don't you?" He nodded absently. He found her eyes again. He sought to clarify his earlier question. "No. How did you come here? Why are you here, in this universe? I didn't pull you in." "No. You didn't. At least I don't think you did." "Who are you?" "Dawn," she answered simply. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (57 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


He waited, and she pressed her lips together. She didn't want to give him more information, but then she shrugged. He'd get it from her anyway, with a little persuasion. Tie Kate to a pillar. "I study physics, mainly astrophysics, at the university. That's where I was when you, uh, stopped the universe from spinning. I was writing an exam." "How was it going?" The question threw her. She wasn't expecting that one. His face softened, and he laughed, presumably at her expression. "I think if I ever get back, I'll pass it." He nodded. "I do, too." Then after a moment, he tilted his head. "You can control time." She didn't want to talk about this, as though revealing her secrets could only hurt her. Understanding for her, wasn't deep in the subject, but if she ever got out of this, she would be reading. A lot. Admitting that she was only learning seemed dangerous. She slowly shook her head. "Dawn, we don't have much time left. You know that, and I know that. Your presence here -- complicates things. I know that you can control time, you freed Linda from the hot tub." Dawn gasped. She should have realised that he would have sensed that, even if he couldn't sense the others like she could. He'd freed Linda, and he must sense his own bubbles. Simultaneously, she shivered, remembering soft female fingers stroking her, loving her, easing her loneliness for one far too short evening. She'd left that to come here, to sit here, naked in front of the man who'd whipped her breasts instead of caressing them, to do what? "Apparently, not as well as you can," she murmured. He nodded, already knowing the answer. "What's the trigger, for you?" (Sex. Anger. A combination of both.) "I don't understand." "What do you need to think about to control Time?"



(Don't tell him.) "It's an emotional response." He nodded, as if he understood. He didn't, but that wasn't important. Dawn found her mouth working without her permission. By the time she caught her lips, she'd spilled a little more than she'd intended. "He tried to rape me, and it side-slipped. Scared the hell out of me." She twisted her wrists in their bracelets, enjoying the concern that surfaced on his face. It was clear that it had been the time-slip more than the rape that had frightened her. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "The Time slip, or whatever the hell it was, sent him packing." He nodded slowly, his features withdrawn. She sensed it, the Timeman had felt that blip, as surely as she would have sensed any of his activities in the Time haze. Of course, back then, a million years ago, the universe had been spinning merrily along, and she'd only had an exam to worry her head. "I'm sorry," he murmured. He raised his eyes back to the sky, his expression unreadable. She didn't know if he was apologising for her involvement, or her confusion, or perhaps apologising for the entire male segment of the species. "It wasn't your fault." He nodded, then returned his eyes to hers. "Why is it dangerous for me to be here? Because you don't have full control over me?" As if to punctuate her words, she sent out a tentacle of time to touch his bubble. He jumped, and she grinned as she pulled it back. That she was even able to grin surprised her, but it felt normal, and healthy. "Partly," he said, "but that isn't all." He seemed almost unnerved that she'd reached out as easily as she had. Of course, the sexuality that it drove into her clitoris nearly made her moan and double over, but she somehow stopped herself from moving, or squeezing her thighs. It was nearly impossible without even clothing to hide her, to make her body restrict its own telling movements. He didn't seem to notice. "Why then? Will the universe collapse because I'm here?" He looked up sharply, though angry with her. She relaxed a little. He sighed, and his features showed his internal debate. (Tell me. Tell me not. Tell me. Tell me not.) http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (59 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


"Dawn, this timeline, it's like a separate reality. The girls, Kate and Leigh, and Monique and Andrea -- when they go back, it will be like they've never been here. Phantoms, pretty phantoms." Somehow, she already knew that was the case, that the others wouldn't remember. But the Timeman, and herself -- would remember, a cosmic rip in the separation of realities. "Imagine," he said slowly, "imagine that you were raped here. Before you freak out, I'm not going to rape you, but if you were, it would be wrong." "Very wrong. Definitely wrong," she whispered. Her heart hammered in her chest. (You want to be raped, don't you?) (No. Sex is one thing. Rape quite another.) He nodded, as if agreeing with her. Idly, she wondered why he hadn't used sexual assault as an example. "You get raped, and then I return you to the primary timeline, where you've always lived." "It's still wrong." "Is it? Once this timeline collapses, where are the experiences, the memories, the emotional canyons?" "It still happened. I've been raped. Just not on the main timeline." He sighed. "Have you? Do experiences happen outside of Time. Can objects, or anything exist without a time dimension?" She shook her head, momentarily confused. Physics rushed at her -Einstein, Hawking, Penrose. She shivered. They'd agree with her, agree with him -- physically with him, emotionally with her. Rape was still wrong, even if it didn't exist. He changed tacks, throwing her further off balance. "If I dream of raping you, or fantasise about it, is that wrong?" She closed her eyes, and slowly shook her head. "Fantasy is in your own head. It doesn't hurt anyone. If you actually did it, like here, then it becomes more clear cut." He nodded. "If I do it here, if I rape a girl, you, or Kate, or http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (60 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


Leigh, and you go back, it's like a fantasy. It never happened to you. No bruises. No sore breasts. No violation. You don't know it happened to you because it didn't." She sighed. He really didn't see it. "But it's not in your own mind. It isn't fantasy. touched me. You saw me. You violated me. You know feels like, and you enjoyed it." She paused for a experience it, and that experience isn't gone. Is

You felt me. You exactly what it moment. "You it?"

"If I don't tell you about it, and you continue to live your life. It never happened." She sighed again. "So, date rape is all right as long as you drug the girl enough that she can't remember." He shook his head slowly. "Of course not, that actually did happen to her, even if she wasn't aware of it. Here, the experience --" "-- lives in your experience, your memories. You don't lose them when you return, even if I do. It isn't any different." He looked down, shaking his head. She took a deep breath and resumed speaking before he could interrupt her. "I'm going to remember all this, talking to you, sitting her naked in front of you. It won't go away for me, will it?" Her voice emerged as a whisper. She'd realised this all along, but it hadn't forced itself into the forefront of her mind until now. "I'm going to remember Leigh, and Kate, and Monique, and Nicole, and Andrea. Oh my God." He slowly nodded, not looking at her. "That's why I'm dangerous," she said, wonder creeping into her voice. "That's why you had to risk everything to make me come to you. This isn't a fantasy anymore. Because I'll remember, too." "You came to me on your own -- the universe ensured that. I helped you step out, with Kate." He spoke to the grass between his feet. "But, Dawn, I had to." Her breasts ached, and her vagina clenched. She swallowed heavily, and glanced upwards. The dragon still flew in the sky, but it impossibly seemed a little closer to the naked girl, sitting in the grass, high, high above. "What happens now?" she whispered.




Their bare feet pattered on the planks that made up the staircase. Dawn stood shivering at the top of the stairs, watching as Leigh's legs flashed and disappeared as she stepped steadily downwards into the gloom. He stood behind Dawn, his fingers tickling her wrists as he removed her handcuffs. "Shit," Leigh murmured from somewhere down below, her voice rising from the darkness like a ghost. "What's the matter?" he called, his voice startling Dawn. She pulled her own bare foot back from the first stair. "It's dark down here, and I think I got a sliver in my foot," Leigh said, her voice disembodied. Dawn couldn't hear the naked girl on the stairs any longer. She'd reached whatever awaited them in the darkness. Dawn stepped down, two steps, her hands stretched out to the side, seeking guidance. Her right hand touched damp cinder block, her left waved through empty air. She supposed that the staircase led to a wine cellar. She could smell loamy earth, and the sweeter odour of yeast and alcohol. The planks under her feet were rough hewn, prickling at her skin. They creaked as she moved, like an old haunted mansion. Spiders, and vile insects inhabited Dawn's imagination, all crawling towards her unprotected skin. She shivered, though the space wasn't cold. It reminded her of a grave. At least her hands were free. Near what she judged to be the middle of the staircase, she turned to face the single opening above her, light streaming down, swallowed by the inky blackness where she could hear Leigh and Kate talking in hushed tones. The Timeman stood, hands braced against the doorframe, peering down as she picked her way in descent. "When will you be back for us?"



"Soon," he said. With a sigh, she turned and followed the stairs until soft, packed earth kissed her feet. She withdrew to stand on the last stair. Above, she heard the door softly close, and then the unmistakable sound of a click -- a lock, one to which she'd never have a key, sliding home. The light narrowed as the door shut, until nothing but blackness stretched out for infinity before her. Her heart raced, banging against her ribs. "Leigh? Kate?" she called. "Over here," Leigh said, close on Dawn's left. Dawn swallowed, and stepped down again to the dirt floor, hands extended until she touched warm, soft, bare skin. "What did you do with them?" He laughed. "Jumpy?" Monique shifted herself upon the sofa, her ankle chain jingling softly. She peered at him, her book forgotten beside her left thigh. Nicole watched almost casually over her shoulder, and Andrea pretended to read a paperback, but he was sure that she was more interested in the conversation. "Ever since Dawn showed up, you've been jumpy," Monique said quietly. He shrugged, and then left them again. He sighed, and paced into the kitchen drawing a glass of water. Even the water tasted more fresh and clean, here. He didn't know if it was the timeline, or simply the Mansion that provided the clarity in the water. He fancied he could hear the girls crying out in the wine cellar, but it was purely fantasy. They weren't screaming -- the girls were far too intelligent for that -- what would be the point? He set the glass back down onto the counter, and paced upstairs, his feet heavy on the staircase. He glanced into the bathroom, expecting one of the girls to be there, naked and wet, but of course, he knew where all the girls were. Safe, for now. He continued down the hallway, past the master bedroom, where Nicole had recovered. He hesitated at her bedroom door, in some ways wanting to go in and in others not wanting to see what lay within. He was being silly, but when he pushed open the door with a creak, he found it difficult to push his feet back into motion. With a shake of his head, he stepped over the threshold, and glanced http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (63 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


around the room. It hadn't changed from the time when he had left it last, after talking to the animal that remained here, letting him know, even as he knew the man would never remember, what would be his fate. He shrugged, then shivered as his eyes were drawn to Maurice. Maurice stood, frozen and sightlessly staring forward, his hand drawing down his zipper, about to offer his penis to the girl that no longer knelt there. He closed his eyes. Oh, but she would. Too soon. He turned, his eyes still closed, until he felt that he was safe. When he opened his eyes, he was faced towards Nicole's spartan single bed, where she slept, when the animal allowed it. He paced over to where she slept, feeling like a burglar. He would have asked Nicole to come here, but he couldn't send her in here again -- not with Maurice standing there still, his hand where she would be, far too soon. He knelt and pulled open her dresser drawer. In the first one, he sighed. Nipple clamps. A vibrator that looked far too large for her small frame. Handcuffs. Ropes. And something that even he couldn't identify, but looked like it might be meant to clamp a clitoris. He shivered, and pushed the items aside. Underneath, a pair of pink panties shone. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that they lacked a crotch, and suddenly his surprise melted. They weren't hers, at least not in a classic sense. He shut the drawer with a bang, and pulled out the next one. Girl's clothing, mostly leather and chains adorned the bottom of the drawer. He sighed. Perhaps, this search was useless. Nicole wouldn't be allowed personal items. He nearly rose, but then returned and opened the last drawer. It slid out, as though it were greased. Inside, magazines lay, some bondage, some simple sex magazines, Penthouse, Playboy, Gent. He lifted them, ignoring the gaping women adorning them, only mildly glancing at the cover of the bondage magazine featuring a nurse tied to a hospital bed. Underneath the magazines, hidden, lay the object for which he'd been looking. A vision, not as clear as Dawn's, but passable, showed her lying in her bed, crying, clutching the object to her bare breasts, a talisman of childhood. He smiled, and hooked his finger under the rim, pulling it from the base of the drawer. A teddy bear, Maurice would have torn the stuffing from, a favourite doll, hung by her porcelain neck from the ceiling, perhaps disfigured, and dismembered for good measure. No, this object screamed out the simple pleasures of childhood, comforting and reminiscent. And Maurice would never suspect it. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (64 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:47 PM


The Frisbee was worn, white, and had an unreadable corporate logo imprinted on it. Her name, inscribed in childish script in black marker, "Nicole", and her phone number, was written on the underside. He twirled it on his finger as he passed Maurice. He was tempted to wake the animal, if only to tell him one thing. Instead, he opted to merely pause at the door, gazing into the room. He stopped whirling the Frisbee, holding it out towards the animal. "She beat you, and you didn't even know it," he whispered. Then he stepped out, and pulled the door shut with a conclusive click. Smiling, he walked back down to the living room. He sat with his back against the elm tree, half-watching the girls as they played, and half watching the dragon in the sky. Nicole stood in one corner of a triangle, smiling. She lightly held her injured side, breathing hard. Andrea and Monique completed the triangle in the grass. The Frisbee sailed unerringly between the girls, each reaching, and sometimes diving to catch the simple toy as it reflected the sunlight. He sighed and closed his eyes, listening to them yell and toss. A squirrel, annoyed, chittered at the girls as they romped through its lawn. For a while, he thought, the girls had forgotten chains, and nudity, and pain, and fright, and were simply girls again -- a time that was safe, and peaceful, tossing a Frisbee across an expanse of lawn. It had to end -- this was the beginning of the end. If he were truthful to himself, it was beyond the beginning, somewhere in the midrange of the endgame. Ever since Dawn had stepped from the escalator, the end was hurtling towards him like a frieght train. The girls, some of them, would be happy, he supposed. He looked around at his universe. The blackouts hadn't been a problem this time, the simulations at least being accurate in that. It was deliciously ironic. He'd planned everything down the last molecule, adjusting parameters, adjusting equations, adjusting occult. And a girl nearly gets raped, and poof, the universe continued to laugh at him. He could continue. The girl was under windowless cellar, naked and probably Kate and Leigh there with her, close, feeling of absence where she was, but

his control -- locked in a frightened. He could sense but not her. There was a vague nothing concrete. So he could



continue. But the dangers? Morally, he couldn't continue -- not with Dawn here and understanding and remembering. The fine line between worlds was blurring. Dawn represented consequence. The fundamental difference between fantasy and reality. Impossible, now, to deny it. Doing this, with the girls, wasn't an option any longer, was it? It was the beginning of the end. The universe wasn't like a light switch anymore, hadn't been since the beginning. He could control local points, prevent all but Dawn from escaping through time control, but what of Dawn? Somehow, she'd been incorporated into the time fabric. He didn't understand, but she was better attuned to the time universe, could sense that fourth dimension, could see. He was certain of that, as much as he was certain that he couldn't. Worse, he was sure that the universe had swallowed them both, pushing reality into the depths of both their minds. She was like a sister, or a lover, without the intimacy, but with all the closeness. They were joined. What one created, the other had to destroy. And she didn't even know it. He sighed. He'd tickled the equations in his mind, many, many times. The universe unfolded around him, but his control, only an illusion. If one couldn't re-start the universe, what hold did he truly hold. He closed his eyes again, seeing her sitting across from him in the grass, quietly accepting his control of her, but not. She sat, her bare legs extended, her hands trapped behind her. The irony, she had more control that he did. She was stronger. Weak, she thought, but he knew better. He could sense her in the darkness, she was talking, but he didn't know about what. Monique laughed, her voice carrying like a child's. He glanced up as she pushed herself up off the ground, brushing blades of grass from her bare breasts unselfconsciously. "Nice throw," Andrea called as she jumped up, arms extended, unaware of the beautiful lines her body made as she did. Nicole laughed helplessly, even as the pain of her chest complained across her fair, if marred, features. It was the beginning of the end. He was going to miss this place, perhaps even more than he'd missed Christi and Jane and the others from another place and another time out of time. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-131-140.html (66 of 68)8/14/2005 11:44:48 PM


He swallowed, and glanced up at the sky. In front of the dragon, a puff of cloud sat. It looked like a girl, her legs crossed in front of her, a hint of a breast. He narrowed his eyes for a moment, and sighed. The dragon seemed to be chasing the girl, closing in for the kill. The Frisbee landed near his right foot, bouncing to rest against his running shoe. He looked at it for a moment, Nicole's childhood toy, giving her comfort at night when she could, taking the place of a child's stuffed teddy bear. He glanced up as he picked up the disc. The girls watched him warily, Monique fidgeting with her fingers. He smiled, and flicked his wrist. It flew straight and true. Nicole reached out with her right hand, her left pressed into her injured ribs. Her fingers closed on the spinning object, and she smiled. Timidly, she called out. "Do you want to play with us?" He smiled and shook his head. Almost disappointed, she turned, and tossed the Frisbee towards Andrea. Monique stopped her fidgeting and with a puzzled glance at him, turned back to the other naked girls. "No, I think I've played enough," he said in a whisper. The clouds chased each other high above, and he leaned his head back watching the dragon. High above, the dragon still hadn't caught the girl in the grass. Below, the girls' shouts reached his ears, and he almost believed that the universe was normal again.







Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 141

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Chapter 142

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Chapter 143

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Chapter 144

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Chapter 145

Chapter 146

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Chapter 147

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Chapter 148

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Chapter 149

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Chapter 150


"I really don't mind," Kate's voice emerged from the direction of Dawn's hand, "and you can keep your fingers there if you like, but that's my breast and nipple you're touching." Disoriented in the blackness, Dawn snatched her hand back. A blush, though nobody could see it, rose into her face. She didn't know why, she'd touched Kate's bare breasts before when she was forced to untie them, but she was thoroughly embarrassed by the inadvertent contact. "I thought it was your cheek. I'm so sorry," she mumbled. Kate laughed, and a tickling sensation touched her hand. A moment later, what she presumed was Kate's fingers closed about her hand, and she drew forward until her hand touched something familiar and soft again. "Kate ..." "It's all right, Dawn. It's only my skin. See?"



Dawn couldn't see, and she nodded before she realised that Kate and Leigh couldn't see her any more than she could see them. A swollen bump pressed heavily into her palm. "Kate ..." "It's not like you haven't touched me before." "Not like this." She tried to pull her hand way, but Kate's fingers held her there, hand on Kate's breast. "Hmmmm. No. Not like this. It's only skin, Dawn. It feels nice to have human contact, rather than ropes. Less embarrassed now?" Dawn nodded, and Kate must have felt it that time. Kate released her hand, and Dawn forced herself to linger there for a second, then pulled her hand back to brush at her own thigh. Feeling foolish, she asked, "Do you want to touch mine?" Kate laughed. "Sure, as long as we're in the dungeon, we might as well be friends." Dawn reached forward, and finally found Kate's hand again, waving through the darkness. She pulled Kate forward, and touched her breast to Kate's hand. Kate's fingers made no attempt at groping, but only rested against her skin warm, and fluid. After a moment, Kate pulled her hand back. Kate called into the darkness. "Leigh? You want to touch, too?" Leigh's voice came from the direction that Dawn remembered was the stairs. "Leave me out of your sick games," Leigh called, but there was a lightness to her voice, almost a longing. Dawn could sense the underlying currents of denied sexuality. She hesitated, but then forced her lips to form the words. She'd done it with Linda, and her body screamed out for satisfaction. It was dark, and lonely. "Do you want ..." she began. She couldn't force her mouth to continue the statement. Suddenly, she truly regretted not climaxing when he'd forced her to 'jill off' in front of everyone. Her breasts ached, and her clitoris fairly quivered. Kate laughed gently. "More than anything in the world. But we can't, Dawn." "Nobody needs to know," Dawn said easily. Her mind whirled in a http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (2 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


haze. Was she actually suggesting what she thought she was? "He'll know." "He's got you that far under his control?" Kate sighed, and moved towards the stair. After a moment, Dawn followed the sounds of her shuffling feet. The earth shifted beneath her toes as she moved. "I've seen him punish women for disobeying. But thanks for the offer." Above, she could hear Leigh moving. A shadow moved across the dim light filtering under the door. She heard Kate climb a few stairs and settle. Dawn nearly sat on the ground, but then realised that she didn't really want to sit in the dirt. She found the last stair, and lowered herself down, drawing her legs up. The roughness of the planking scratched her behind, and thighs, but it was better than sitting in dirt. Leigh descended again, bumping into Kate with an expression of surprise. "No light switch," she reported. "At least none that I could find." Upstairs, the house had gone silent, like the rest of the world. Not even the slow vibration of his feet as he moved through the house transmitted into the cellar. "Do you think he'll come back?" Dawn asked. "If you were a guy, would you leave Kate here, naked, wasted in a dark cellar?" Leigh asked with a hint of a smile. "I suppose not. Why did he put us here?" "He thinks you're dangerous. And he's probably testing us." "Testing us?" "Finding out if we're afraid of the dark?" "Are you?" "A little," Leigh muttered. Dawn didn't say anything further, shifting her weight. Time passed, stretching out into the void. After a while, she pushed herself up, and Kate sensed her movement. "Where are you going?" she asked. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (3 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


"Try the door." "It's locked," Leigh said wearily. An edge of nearly panic had crept into her controlled voice. Ignoring tripping tendrils crept up

them, Dawn groped forward, stepping over Kate, and nearly on Leigh's legs. The softness of Leigh's skin drove more of desire into Dawn's body, but she tried to ignore it, and the stairs using her hands as well as her feet.

The crack beneath the door didn't reveal anything though when she looked away, bright dots of colour sparkled across her vision. He found the handle and twisted it. It turned easily, sending shivers into her heart. The door began to open, perhaps a millimetre, then struck whatever held it closed and refused to budge, or even admit more light. "Dammit," Dawn whispered. "Maybe we can break it down." "I doubt it," Kate called from the foot of the stairs. Dawn grit her teeth and pressed her bare shoulder into the wood. It worked in movies, didn't it? She drove her shoulder into the door near the handle and gasped and cried out in pain. Her shoulder felt like it was on fire, echoing the hot pain still glowing in her breasts. "Shit," she hissed. Slowly, she lowered herself to the top step, extending her legs and massaging her shoulder. She'd probably sport a bruise there for a week. Tears fell down her cheek, burning a path to her jaw. She started when fingers touched her arm. "Hey, we'll survive this," Leigh's voice came more steadily than before. "Why? Why us?" "I don't know. I really don't," Leigh whispered. "Why do we have to suffer in the dark when he's out doing God knows what with the others?" "He's not hurting them. He got all that out on your breasts, and Kate's, I think." Dawn managed to control the tears, wiping at her cheeks and nose savagely with her forearm. She sensed Kate slowly following the girls to the top of the stairs. Dawn held her face in her hands, and http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (4 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


then glanced up. The thin silver of light from beneath the door illuminated Kate's face beside Leigh's. The two girls were watching her warily and with a deep look of concern. "We have to escape," Dawn said slowly. The girls had each taken a stair, Kate cursing lightly as she picked at a sliver with her nails. "You can control time, can't you?" Leigh asked. "Sometimes," Dawn admitted. Her concentration was completely shot, her body aching, her nudity in this darkness, knowing that Leigh and Kate were only a few short metres away driving undeniable bolts of electricity into her nerves. She couldn't have unfrozen the door, even if he'd left it unlocked. Not without ... and she didn't want to do that. Not here. Not with Kate and Leigh, her moment of sexual weakness slowly ebbing away, replaced with a new resolve of abstinence. After a moment, Leigh sighed. "We can't, Dawn. We can't risk it." "Why not?" "Because if we try, even if you were able to help, and we failed. He'd skin us alive -- or he'd skin someone in front of us." "Or he'd tape cigarettes to Monique, or he'd tie Andrea's toes to her breasts, maybe whip her for good measure. He wouldn't punish us -- he'd punish someone we cared about." Dawn sighed, knowing exactly what Leigh and Kate were talking about. After all, she'd experienced it first hand, stepping out from behind an escalator, Kate's screams echoing in her ears. And she didn't even know Kate. Well, not really. Dawn sensed something rushing towards her like a freight train. Her heart hammered, and her belly clenched. She stared off into the blackness. Deep in the darkness of the cellar she could see a cotton dragon, chasing a girl sitting cross-legged in the grass. The dragon rose up, its shouts rattling the earth itself. Crimson scales dripped blood from its hide. "I am Goliath." Dawn shivered, standing before it. She was naked, her arms handcuffed behind her. She looked up, her eyes welling with tears. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (5 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


She didn't have so much as a puny slingshot. She didn't have anything -- not even her jeans to protect her from the flames of its maw. The dragon regarded her, almost like one might regard an ant before stepping upon it, flushing its life from the very fabric of the universe. The creature raised its head, and laughed, the earth shaking as it did. Dawn stumbled and fell to one knee, unmindful of the exposure that afforded her. The dragon didn't care. The dragon only wanted her for one reason. To watch her die. Wearily, she lifted her head, her hair tickling her bare shoulders. "I don't want to be here," she whispered. (But I am.) "It has to end." (I am the key.) She pushed herself to her feet, her eyes blazing. The dragon laughed again, though even its expression changed, its animalistic visage reflecting doubt for one so small, and helpless, and vulnerable to stand before it. Dawn willed the shaking from her limbs, though fright numbed her. (I don't want to be here.) "I am David," she whispered. "Dawn, and David." She blinked. The darkness remained, but the dragon had vanished. Her hands weren't bound, but she remained naked, of course. Kate and Leigh seemed unaware of her vision, and she silently thanked anyone who would listen that she hadn't mumbled anything. Otherwise, they might have thought her crazy. Perhaps, she was. "What if we did this all together?" she whispered.




When the door unexpectedly swung open, light stabbed into her eyes. She stifled a moan, raising her hands to her eyes. Bright red blobs drifted across her vision, and she blinked behind the shield of her hands. Below her, Kate and Leigh cried out, but didn't otherwise react. The sudden vision of their nudity drove yet more desires into her. Damn him. They'd been alone, in the dark, unfettered for hours, and not one had found the courage to play with herself. Fingers, toes, thighs, breasts, lips, and tongues. Dawn shivered. She wanted -- no needed -- wanted to climax. She ached with the desire of it. Slowly, she pushed herself up and still blinking, stepped from her prison. After a moment, the other two girls joined her, flanking her like lieutenants. He turned his back on the girls, and without explanation walked towards the kitchen. (Take him now?) (The other girls, Dawn. The other girls.) Dawn sighed, and found herself following him, one bare foot in front of the other until the relative comfort of the living room appeared in front of her eyes. Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight, and she settled into the easy chair. Kate and Leigh dropped wearily into the sofa, stretching out and flexing aching limbs. Their legs entangled easily, familiarly. Idly, she wondered what Kate and Leigh had been through together, and if they had found comfort with one another. "Where is Nicole?" Dawn asked. To her, it sounded like she was overly interested, and she cursed herself for asking. He answered breezily. "Playing Frisbee. Monique's cooking dinner." "I don't have to?" Leigh asked. The Timeman shifted his gaze to Leigh, and grinned. "Monique offered." (Frisbee?) Dawn groaned and picked up the headphones that Leigh had been using earlier. She offered them first to Leigh, but Leigh had settled in the opposite sofa, leaning her head back tiredly against the arm of the sofa. Kate glanced at Leigh, and a look passed between them. Kate's hand rested unselfconsciously on Leigh's bare foot, fingers http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (7 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


playing with Leigh's toes. Dawn slipped the headphones over her ears, and found the remote. Surprised, expecting more modern pop music, Bach filled her ears. Dawn smiled, and closed her eyes, mimicking Leigh. She expected a chain to be attached to her ankle, but when she peered through her eyelashes for a moment, the Timeman had disappeared, leaving the girls free and unchained for once. Perhaps, he was beginning to trust her. Or maybe, it simply didn't matter any longer. It felt like heaven, her body free of steel and ropes; Dawn closed her eyes again, and let the music take her away from dragons, and handcuffs, and whips. Kate set his plate on the table, and then with a look of apology, set the other six plates on the tiles, one in front of each kneeling girl. Dawn glanced around the small circle, and sensed differing levels of humiliation as the girls realised that tonight, they wouldn't even be allowed to sit with their captor like human beings. They would eat from the floor like household pets. Kate knelt in the last spot in the circle, watching the Timeman expectantly. Dawn's stomach growled; it had been a long time since she'd eaten, and she didn't particularly care if she ate away from the Timeman, even from a plate on the floor. On her plate lay a hamburger, and two pickles with a side of potato chips. Her stomach grumbled, begging for the food to pass down her throat, nourish her, as if it were aware that she'd need her energy later. She reached for the bun, but Kate quickly shook her head, her red locks floating about her head. Dawn sighed, sensing that the girls all were waiting for permission to eat. It grated on her nerves, the control he had over them, but she supposed it was control or pain. She had chosen the same path as they. It would change soon, she hoped, but the results, she knew, were far from destined in her favour. As it was, her breasts still ached, her nipples erect and sore. "May we eat, sir?" Kate asked, almost breathlessly. "Of course. I never asked you girls to do that." (Yes, you did. Even if you didn't do it explicitly.) The girls all fell into motion, picking up the food with their http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (8 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


fingers and eating. Andrea, alone, didn't pick up her hamburger, but did nibble on the pickles. Dawn looked over at the blonde girl, and Andrea smiled. "I'm vegetarian, he forgets most of the time. And complaining generally isn't a good idea around here, I've noticed." He glanced over, and grimaced, but then returned to his food with relish. "See. We're just animals to him, I think," Andrea whispered. Dawn nodded, though she wasn't sure of that. She suspected that she was on the floor with the others not as an object but for a different reason -- one that she might never fathom. Quickly, she glanced at him, moved her pickles and chips to Andrea's plate. Andrea smiled. "Thank you," she whispered. It was cheese sauce, and it stuck to her bare skin like ugly, foul-smelling syrup. Dawn felt tears rise to her eyes before she could stop them. Her hands interlaced behind her neck, and she tried to control her breathing. Kate, Leigh, Nicole, and Andrea knelt quietly, their hands bound behind them, their eyes wet with tears. Monique knelt in front of Dawn, free. The girl turned to face the Timeman who towered above her, clothed in contrast to the girl's nakedness. "She's new here, please don't do this to her." "You're going to do this to her." It seemed to snap something in Monique, and the former lawyer pushed herself to her feet. She stood, and glared at him. He smiled. "She's a human being, not a fucking dog." "Monique, no," Kate whispered. Monique ignored her. "Would you like to take her place." "Yes." "No," Dawn whispered. She didn't want the results of her disobedience, but knew the risks -- she'd pay the costs -- if a little cheese sauce spread on her skin was the price, she'd let http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (9 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


Monique smear whatever was necessary to end this. Monique shouldn't pay for her mistakes. He merely smiled at Monique. For a moment, Dawn thought that the woman was going to swing at him. She closed her eyes waiting for the hit. It didn't come. "She's a human-fucking-being. She's not a toy. She's not a fucking dog. Asking her to bark is like asking a real dog to meow. You fucking prick faced bastard. None of us should have to bark like a fucking dog for you." "Monique," he said calmly. Tears has begun to form in Monique's eyes. "Monique, no. Oh God, no," Kate whispered. Monique stared at him. She didn't even try to defend herself as his hand descended. It struck her cheek lightly, and she only moaned a little. Dawn closed her eyes, and pushed herself to her feet. "Don't hurt her, I'll do what you want. I'll bark, if you want me to bark," she said. Her heart clenched, and she forced it to calm. He turned to Dawn, and growled. "Back down on your knees. Too late for that, now. Unless you want me to slap her again." Dawn fell back to her knees, and slowly raised her hands back behind her neck. She shivered, hoping that he'd let the girl go, let her finish. The last thing she needed was a confrontation, not now, not when she was so close. Let him do what he wanted, and then Goliath would meet Dawn. She looked up, confused, her thoughts had borne her from this latest humiliation, unaware while Monique paid the price. Monique posed on her hands and knees, her head lifted to watch her captor, her bottom uplifted as if expecting a series of spanks, or perhaps sex from behind. Tears ran down her face. Dawn closed her eyes, not wanting to see this. It was her fault. Should have been her doing this. Instead, Monique bore her shame, and she couldn't watch. Couldn't watch. Dawn's stomach turned as Monique's feminine tones approximated a bark. Once, twice, three times. God, the girl had done it. Dawn swallowed. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. But she wasn't even sure if Monique had heard. Feminine hands touched her, starting with her breasts, and moving over her shoulders, and down her thighs. Dawn struggled to hold http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (10 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


herself still, to keep her eyes closed, and her hands from pushing the probing hands from her skin. Even with the disgust factor, she had to fight down a moan of sexual desire. Monique's fingers slipped over her skin, caressing, lovingly. Cheese sauce -- probably Cheese Whiz, or some generic brand, pungent and sticky, spread over her skin like an overgrown cracker from hell. He'd have hurt Monique more, if Dawn protested, so she kept her mouth shut, and her eyes shut, too. (God, over soon. Over soon, I hope. I pray.) The gunk slipped into her hair, and coated her face. She couldn't open her eyes, even if she wanted to. She could still sense the audience, not daring to look away. Finally, only after Monique had worked the substance under her breasts, and over her swollen and aching nipples, did he bark out a single command. "Enough." Monique's hands left her, and where she'd been touched felt void. She continued to kneel there, her skin and nose crying out with the indignity. She had no idea how long she knelt there in the middle of the kitchen floor, but Kate and Leigh had cleared and washed the dishes. The Timeman left and returned before she was allowed to break pose. Tears ran through the food coating her face, but she dared not clear. "Lick her, Monique," he said. Dawn steeled herself again. She hated it, hated her body even more as it reacted to the stimulation, but Monique's tongue felt wonderful as the crying girl removed at least some of the cheese. "I'm sorry," Dawn whispered as she stumbled up the stairs with Monique. Monique smiled, incredibly, and held out her hands, careful not to touch the walls or bannister. Her fingers were coated with orange cheese, under the fingernails, and across her knuckles. Monique stopped, one foot on a stair, and the other raised onto the next. "Dawn, you don't get it, do you?" "I'm sorry. I should have barked for him, no matter how much it http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (11 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


seemed wrong." Monique laughed. "It was kind of silly. I hated it, but you know what? So I barked like a dog for him. Nobody will ever know." (I will.) Dawn shook her head, and stepped up two more stairs. Monique didn't follow. "He would have covered you with cheese no matter what, you know. You could have barked, you could have done everything he wanted, and then some. You could have given him deep throat while humming the national anthem, and he would still have forced me to do that to you." Dawn thought about it, then nodded. Yes, she knew that, somewhere in her being. It wasn't what she hadn't done, but rather what he wanted to do. She didn't understand why he'd want her covered in smelly cheese, but then she did. "Control," she whispered. Monique grinned. Cheese surrounded her mouth. "But it doesn't work as well with you. It's different." (Oh. It worked. I'd bark next time. I should have barked this time.) Dawn shrugged a little, and tried to breathe through her mouth. Monique nearly ran up the remaining stairs, passing Dawn with a flurry of raw skin. Dawn closed her eyes, and tried to ignore Monique's gently bobbing breasts as she ran. Monique seemed to be oblivious of her body. "Come on, let's shower. We're not allowed to wash ourselves, though." "What?" Monique grinned, and pushed open the bathroom door. More sedately, Dawn followed. Puzzled. Her skin glowed, the food washed down the drain as Monique's fingers massaged the cheese out as effectively as she had applied it under his orders. Dawn had never showered with another woman, and this shower had happened silently, Monique only moaning a little as Dawn's fingers moved over her slippery skin. One easy thing, no clothing to worry about afterward. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (12 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


She stepped from the bathroom, steam billowing from her. She waited against the wooden rail, butterflies rising into her throat. She could hear faint murmurs, feminine voices rising up from the living room below. She hoped that he'd at least released the girl's hands. It wouldn't make all that much difference she supposed, but it might make things easier if the girls were free. Monique stepped from the bathroom, her skin soft and glowing, slightly reddened from the heat. "You ready?" Dawn asked as Monique emerged. Monique smiled, and held out her hand. She hadn't told the naked girl what she had planned, couldn't really. But Monique seemed to sense something up, attuned naturally perhaps to Dawn's nervousness. It happened when one was close to another, as Dawn had become almost painfully aware of each of the girls individual pains and accomplishments. Kate. Leigh. Andrea. Monique. Nicole. Dawn took Monique's fingers in her own, and set her foot to the first stair. "I'm ready," Monique said easily, following a pace behind. (Are you ready, Monique? Because I'm sure as hell not.)


She stood alone, near the archway. A painfully accurate vision crossed her mind like a gentle wave. Small, and helpless, her body bare, completely, her heart racing in her throat. Her fingers clenched and unclenched rhythmically at her side, and she struggled to control her breathing. He glanced up from his chair, a book open on his lap. He ignored her presence, dismissing her like one would brush away a mosquito. Dimly, she was aware of Monique as she released her hand. The naked girl padded over to the sofa, sinking to the floor beside Andrea, her arms brushing at Kate and Leigh above, their legs extended. Nicole lay on her side, under Andrea's extended leg, her head http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (13 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


propped on her hand. It reminded Dawn of the family pictures that were the custom when she was younger, everyone shouting as the little flags emerged from the camera moments before the ... FLASH. The beast towered above her, menacing, as large as a skyscraper. Steam, and perhaps brimstone wafted from its mouth, teeth like daggers. And it bellowed, head upturned to the moon shining above. (Moon?) The sound of its vocalisation shook the earth, trembles rising from the soles of her feet, up through her legs, to tickle her nipples in a cacophony of arousal. She moaned, her voice merging with the dragon's, inflating into a howl of lost dreams. Its scales dripped blood to the packed earth upon which it stood, soaking the brown in a sea of red. (My blood. My blood.) A great pounding rose up in her ears, and she had to will her hands from rising from her sides, refusing to acknowledge her own fear. Her heart pounded in the same rhythm against her ribs, threatening to escape, adding to the red seeping towards her feet. The creature lowered its head, the sharp tang of brimstone, and dry heat engulfing her naked skin. She shivered, but refused to step back. The creature looked at her curiously, a single green eye regarding her face. Not her breasts. Her face. (Never argue with dragons. For you are crunchy, and taste good with ketchup.) She fought a giggle, and shook her head. Each tendril of her hair tickled her bare shoulders as her head moved. (Eat me. Eat me, not. Eat me. Eat me, not.) (It is not whether you win, only whether you play the game.) She shivered. It was whether she won, or lost, and it all came down to five frightened girls, and one who might or might not be able to control the universe around her. The dragon breathed again, and she closed her eyes. If it chose to, it would crisp her like yesterday's toast. Instead, gentle warmth flowed over her skin. Her breasts ached. Her vagina screamed at her. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (14 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


She couldn't concentrate. The dragon laughed at her, and the ground shook. (I have to be David.) (But I don't have a slingshot.) (I'm not David.) (He's not Goliath.) She lifted her face, and opened her eyes. The dragon regarded her. "I am Dawn," she screamed. The dragon opened its mouth, and ... FLASH. He sat watching her, his eyes now intent, as if he sensed what she saw. She shivered, suddenly cold. She desperately wanted her clothing, facing this man naked and small seemed foolish. But this is where she was meant to be. Choices? What choices? She wrapped her arms around her, opened her mouth. She wished that she could simply spout flames, like a napalm bomb from her throat. But that would destroy her, too, wouldn't it? Her voice would have cracked, she was sure. Her lips closed, and she closed her eyes for a moment. She sensed the time bubbles around her, opened her mind to the time haze as it swirled around her, comforting and close like a heavy blanket in winter. "What will it take to let them all go?" she whispered. Her voice cut through the room, even at a whisper, like a sneeze during a symphony. Even as she said it, she knew the answer. She had nothing. Nothing that he couldn't take, as he'd taken her clothing. Not her obedience, not her body, not her freedom, not her pride. She stood before him, naked, and alone, frightened and only a college girl, way, way out of her element. (Why me? Lord, why me?) She lifted her head, her eyes capturing his. The book in his lap, a coffee table book on bridges, slipped soundlessly to the floor.



The girls to her right faded, the living room, the stereo, the walls, the ceiling, the floors, all faded with them. Only she, and the Timeman, existed, pink and purple haze drifting between them. She knew his answer before he could say anything. Even so, he was gentle. "Dawn, you don't have anything to offer," he said, his voice almost hypnotic. Tears ran down her face, and she nodded. "I know," she said. Slowly, she stepped towards the other girls, moving her naked body between them, and the Timeman. "Dawn, you don't want to do this," he said slowly, carefully. She could sense the girls behind her, restless, unsure of exactly what was happening. She wanted to reassure them, to hug them all, tell them all it was going to be fine, but she couldn't tear her eyes from his. She felt like a snake, rising up, captured by the charmer's eyes. Purple, pink, crimson, blue haze swirled around her, embracing her, gathering to her. At last she closed her eyes, breaking their connection. She shivered, still sensing his eyes on her, his tennis ball looming, spinning, as large as a planet, as large as a star, so much larger than hers. She trembled, and her voice emerged quietly, almost apologetically, though she didn't know who she was apologising to: him, the girls, or herself. "I have to do this," she whispered. After a moment, she sensed him stand. The girls behind her fell silent, awed. She opened her eyes, and he filled her vision, clouds of haze blurring her sight. "I know, you do, and I'm sorry," he said. A bright flash extended from him, only visible to her eyes, hurtling like a spear towards her heart. She watched it, as it tumbled towards her, and she reached out with her hand, grasping at it.



(It will burn me. Oh God, it will burn me.) She screamed as her fingers intersected with it, time clashing in a reaction like matter kissing anti-matter. Blinded, she screamed again, her hand tingling, crying out in agony. And then it was done, her heart banging behind her ribs. When she opened her eyes again, she was surprised that she had fallen to one knee, perspiration dripping from her damp, clean hair. She pushed herself up with a gasp. Dimly, she could hear Kate crying, asking her if she was all right. Her breasts ached, insistent, robbing her of concentration. She swallowed once, but revelled in his surprised look as she regained her bare feet and stood, facing him again. Without warning, another bolt rushed towards her through the haze, and this time, unthinking, she twisted to the side, the girls shifting into her vision. The bolt slid past her with a kiss of heat near her belly. Her eyes widened as it passed her and hurtled towards Monique, bending downwards, striking her in the shoulder. Monique's eyes lifted in a moment of surprise before the pain hit her. It would last but a moment, but the girl didn't know that, and Dawn couldn't warn her. Her scream rose as the other girls looked on in bewilderment. A groan escaped Dawn's lips as she turned to face him again. "Had enough?" he asked. "I don't want to hurt you. I just need you to listen to me." "Listen? Or whip me?" Dawn gasped. With that, she gathered the haze around her, though she had no idea of how she did, and thrust it towards him, the bolt of lightning glowing crimson red for a moment. He laughed, and like a hiker flicking at an annoying deer fly, shunted her attack aside. As the bolt flew outwards, without target, Dawn groaned again, her breasts on fire, the previous whipping settling into her core. She lifted her head, and he smiled. She didn't know if she could throw another one. The first had drained her, her mind numbing, even as her body awakened, throbbing. Another blazing bolt flew though the air towards her naked skin, and she screamed, her fingers resisting. She had learned, however, and she grasped the bolt, absorbing the pain into her body. Another http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (17 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


scream left her lips, echoing around the living room. All the girls were screaming, fire licking at their bodies. Dawn absorbed what she could, but the bolts flew now at a rate that she couldn't hope to keep up with. Some struck Kate, some Leigh, some Andrea, some Monique. It was those that fell to kiss Nicole, that elicited the worst screams. And then it became quiet, the girl's moans falling into the distance, as if she'd moved a million miles from the living room where her body ached -- her fingers burned, and her sex pulsed in unsatisfied arousal. Here, it was quiet, and only he existed. She felt it then, her mind and body weakened by the earlier assault. She couldn't stop him, anymore than she could free Mark, or Jeanine, where this all began. She wasn't strong enough. His bubble touched hers, and she felt him, close and intimate. It felt like his fingers probed into her, thrusting deep, finding her secrets. Raping her. She screamed, his control over time polished and sure, hers unstable, and weak. She felt her bubble collapsing, closer to her skin, embracing her like a second skin, her body trembling.


"No!" Her voice seemed to float from far away, somewhere in a universe that felt more real than this pain induced fantasy. Her breasts cried out for a touch, any touch. Her clitoris drove needles of desire into her marrow. "No," she whispered. She pushed with the last of her strength. She felt it give, expanding from her, pushing his strength back. David chucking a http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (18 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


stupid little stone at Goliath. She opened her eyes. His face wore an expression of surprise, and he physically stepped back, towards his chair. She could feel him straining to overcome her, smothering her, perspiration dotting his brow. His thoughts echoed into her mind, a mixture of deep arousal, and control, and they added to her own body's betrayal, and heard herself moan. But her strength remained, somehow, and she pushed the bubble outward. Her limbs exploded in agony, and she screamed. No bolts had hit her, no fire had been lit under her feet. But the sensations flowed from her bare feet, up her calves. (No. Please, no.) She didn't understand it. It wasn't the Timeman, but rather the interaction of the time bubbles. She sensed that he felt the pain, too, but to a lesser extent. She steeled herself for the worst, and it came to her, rising from her thighs like an obscene snake, biting, tearing at her clitoris. It sang out, drilling into her mind. Her bubble slipped when that pain hit her, and she gasped. But as her bubble contracted, the pain lessened. She grit her teeth. (I'm stronger than him. I may be naked, but I'm stronger.) A sense of elation filled her, and the bubble expanded again. Her legs filled with the pain, but she pushed through the haze of pain in her mind, and pushed. Pushed. Pushed. Until Kate began to scream. Kate's voice descended into her ears like a knife, and she stopped, her mind holding the strained equilibrium between his bubble and hers. "Please, no," Kate screamed. The others began to moan, Leigh's hands rose to her breasts, as if batting away invisible insects. None of them seemed to know where they were, but they were clearly feeling the same fire that engulfed Dawn's skin, somehow transferring from her, unto them. "What's happening to them," Dawn whispered. Her voice cut through the moaning and screaming behind her, rushing through another dimension to reach him. She felt him cease pushing against her, but she didn't press http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (19 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


forward, finding her balance. Her limbs tingled in agony. "They're feeling what you are, little one." "What I am?" "And what I am," he said, his voice calm, if weary. "Pain," she said dully. He nodded, confirming the obvious. She watched Kate for a moment. The girl had thrust her hands between her legs, moaning, but it wasn't sexual, but rather in a childish attempt to ward off pain -the same pain that Dawn felt encroaching from her vaginal canal, from her thighs. Even her fingernails hurt. She turned back towards him. "It's not about them. It's about me. Why are you hurting them?" "I'm not," he answered. "I feel it, too. This can't happen without pain. And you know that, little one." She shivered. "We need to talk." "You'll hurt me." "You're hurting them all," he said. Weary, his voice almost seemed weakened by the carnage. The universe screamed around them. Dawn pushed herself to her feet, wavering. If she fell, that would be the end. She groaned. Kate screamed again, her voice mindless, beyond that of the memory of her voice while he used the whip against her bound breasts. Much worse. Dawn wasn't even sure that Kate was there anymore -- not in any meaningful way. Only the Timeman and her. And she hurt. Oh, God, she hurt. Her legs trembled as she stood facing him. Dawn swallowed, tears running down her face. "They'll die," she whispered. He nodded, his eyes sad. Her mind found the connections, even as the universe continued to contort around her. "I'm stronger," she said. Even as she said it, she knew the certainty behind it. He sighed, his body trembling. "Yes," he said. "In this battle, I would lose." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (20 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


His admission didn't uplift her, as she thought it would, but rather descended upon her like a burden. There were prices to pay, to escape any room. The dragon loomed up, clutching at its throat, a silver sword implanted there. "They'll die," she whispered. The girls continued to scream in agony behind her. "Can you live with that?" he asked. "Can you?" He sighed. "No, but I am no longer fighting you." She sensed the truth in that. She pressed for a moment, unnerved by the increase in the intensity of the girl's screams behind her. He stood, arms outward, face uplifted. And she didn't sense his presence in the bubble against which she pushed with her mind. She could tear it apart, but she didn't know if she'd survive the pain. Kate and Leigh and Andrea and Monique and Nicole wouldn't. Somehow, she knew that. The girls would die screaming, and unaware of what was happening to them. Worse, she sensed that to kill them this way, would snuff their existence from all planes. Tears ran down her face. She could win. She was strong enough to win. (And by winning, I lose everything.) Everything has a cost. The pain began to ease, in her limbs and outside of her as she felt the bubble, that was her own, slowly collapsing, like a balloon whose air had begun to leak out. The girls wept silently behind her, as she knelt, her knees pressing into the carpet. She could feel her own tears slipping unheeded down her face. She sensed him stumbling across the floor to stand in front of her. Her lack of clothing bothered her again, but only for a moment. More important things had happened in the last few minutes, and she struggled to understand what. (I am the key.) Without raising her eyes, she spoke, her voice steadier than she http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (21 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


thought possible. "Please don't hurt them," she whispered. When he didn't reply, she reached forward to touch his shoe, the canvas yielding under her fingers. "If you want, I'll kiss your feet," she whispered. "I'll give myself to you. I'll have sex with you anyway you want." Her body cried out for sex, any touch. "You can whip me, first, if you must. I'll masturbate for you. I'll let you have me anywhere you want. My mouth. My pussy. My ass. I'll crawl for you. I'm the one you want." Instead of hauling her to her feet, and preparing her for violation, he stepped behind her, and touched her arms. She understood what he wanted, though not why. She placed her wrists behind her back, and wasn't surprised when the steel began to close around her, creating a gulf of helplessness and vulnerability in her heart. "We won't let you hurt her." Dawn looked up wearily, and sighed. Kate and Leigh stood on wobbly legs, their faces still registering a vestige of the pain they had felt at the time of the reckoning. He looked up at them. To Dawn, even kneeling naked at his feet, he didn't look capable of stopping the two girls as they touched his shoulders. Dawn spoke, slowly, but firmly. "I'll be all right, but thank you." "He'll whip you. Rape you." She didn't know how she knew, but she did. "He won't. He just wants to talk to me." Leigh and Kate released him, their hands moving back to their own bodies, massaging their breasts. "I'll wear his handcuffs, this last time. For him. For us. I don't mind. Not anymore." Kate and Leigh glanced at him, and he nodded slowly, wearily. He could have stopped them easily, without as much as a thought. Dawn knew that now, understood finally. (I am the key.)



She nodded, not moving her hands from behind her back. Kate and Leigh fell back into the sofa, the last of their energy abated. Kate closed her eyes, but Leigh watched as the Timeman reached down and tightened the handcuffs on Dawn's wrists. They clicked closed, and she pulled at her wrists. She couldn't get free, not without help, but she wasn't caged anymore. She sensed that he knew that, only wanted her cuffed for some kind of meaningless comfort, or illusion of control. She sighed, and twisted her hands behind her. (I am the key.) She watched without protest from the archway as he moved from girl to girl, checking the knots behind them. "You don't need to do that," Dawn said. But he did. Not to secure them, but for himself. The girls knelt and allowed him to tie them, as if sensing that this was close to the end for them -- that this indignity, after what they'd been through, was minor and kind. It was the same position as she'd met them, all of them bound, arms folded uncomfortably behind their backs. He attached ankle chains to their ankles, securing them to furniture. Each girl extended her bare foot to allow the chains, toes flexed and calves toned. Each smiled as he bound them, each submissively accepting the treatment. It wasn't mindless submissiveness; Dawn knew better, acutely understood the need for them to permit this without protest. It didn't make sense consciously, but underneath, it was necessary. After all of the girls, still naked, were secured, he rose, and walked over towards Dawn. "We'll be back in a little while," Dawn whispered to the girls. Kate flashed her a smile, reassuring her that they weren't overly uncomfortable in their bonds. Dawn swallowed, and began to walk again towards the front door, her bare feet passing over marble like glass. He held the door for her, and she stepped through into the sunlight. It warmed her face, and she turned her face up towards it, as if it were a spotlight only illuminating her nude, and handcuffed form. (Not bad for a naked college girl.) She smiled, surely down startled by She smiled, elm.

then hurried to catch up with him, her bare feet flying the steps, and across the lawn. The black squirrel, her movements, ran ahead of her, towards the first tree. and eased to an easy step beside him, approaching the




Dawn lowered herself carefully to the grass, her wrists straining against the cuffs. He didn't offer to help her; she would have shrugged off any overt attempts to guide her down. First to her knees, and then to an easy position in the grass, her legs extended in front of her, crossed at the ankle. She was aware that she resembled the cloud, high above, in silhouette. She glanced up. The dragon no longer chased the girl, but reared from her, backing away as if in fright. She smiled. "It's over, isn't it?" she said, her voice directed to the clouds. His eyes roamed over her nakedness, and she could sense it, a sensation similar to cotton kissing her skin. She lowered her eyes, catching him. He grinned when he realised that she was again watching him. He smiled shyly, and she nearly asked him if he liked what he saw. But her tongue refused to obey, and she merely smiled back. "Almost over, yes," he said easily. Her breasts still ached, but she wasn't sure if it was a remnant of the whipping, or a remnant of her fight through time. Either way, the pain was easing with her body, and she welcomed the relief. Hadn't she been whipped about a million years ago? She didn't know. "What happens, now?" she said. Idly, she twisted her hands behind her back, and it surprised her again. She honestly didn't care anymore that her hands were bound. It was a symbol, and she'd shattered the symbol. He could tie her, her could even rape her if he wished. It didn't matter. Not anymore. They sat for a while, before he answered. When he did, he spoke to the clouds, to the dragon and the girl high above their heads. "We can't stay here anymore, Dawn." "I know." "It's not right." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (24 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


"Was it ever?" He ignored the comment, and shifted his eyes back to her. This time, he did surprise her. His eyes were misty, tears falling slowly down his cheeks. She wanted to reach forward and brush them gently from his face, but the handcuffs prevented that nicely for her. "It's over." She nodded again. The sun beat down on her naked skin, and she stretched, not caring that her breasts lifted into the spotlight, that he was probably watching her every move, recording it in his mind. "I'm only a girl," she said slowly. When she turned her eyes back to his face, she saw only the weight of a thousand worlds on his shoulders, his eyes not on her chest as she'd supposed. "A strong girl," he said quietly. "And the key." "I am the key," she whispered. "I'll go into the cellar. That's what you want, isn't it?" "The bedroom would be adequate," he said. "I could tie you to the bed. At least, you'd be comfortable." "You don't need to bind me," she said, knowing that he did, and that she'd allow it. It was over, and he needed to control her, even if he wasn't. "I know," he said simply. He gazed up towards the house. If Dawn's sense of direction was correct, five naked and tied up girls sat, probably talking quietly, beyond those bricks and mortar. In the real world, a man, a monster, really, tormented one of them behind his shield of concrete and glass. Dawn shivered. "I'll go into the cellar," she said again. "They can't see me, not anymore." He nodded, understanding. She swallowed, and hated herself, even showing this small weakness. "But, this time, can you leave the light on for me? Please?" He turned to look at her, and she momentarily felt ashamed of herself for asking. It didn't fit into his plans, into his schemes. She should sit alone, in the dark, in her grave, and watch dragons.



Slowly, he nodded. "No," she whispered. "Like last time, you don't need to leave a light on. I'm not a child." (I am a child.) "They can't see you," he said. "They'll wonder, but they can't." "I know." (Consequences.) (Reality. Fantasy. Sex. Longing. Pain. Reality. Fantasy.) "I can't close it, by myself. Not anymore." (Not since I showed up, unannounced, and not wanting to be here.) "I know," she whispered. He began to push himself up. She glanced up at him, standing above her. She felt her nudity enveloping her, and a twinge of her former discomfort rose up again in her mind. She shook it off. "Can we stay?" she begged. "Just for a little while, longer? Please?" He looked down at her. He was crying again. He nodded, although she suspected that he didn't see her anymore. He returned slowly to his place, his back against the tree, his eyes now closed. She turned her face back towards the sun, her hands comfortable behind her, now. She stretched out her legs again, the grass tickling the underside of her knee. The pain in her breasts, and between her legs had subsided to a dull throb of sexuality, the sharp pain of leather and time fading from her nerves. She still wouldn't be able to open a frozen door, she knew, but there were no doors here. Not anymore. And there was only one more room to escape. (And I'm the key.) The dragon still retreated from the girl, high above, and the squirrel chittered at them from a branch. She smiled. It was over. Somehow, it was over. She closed her eyes, and enjoyed the kiss of the grass, and the scent of the air, and the touch of the sun upon her. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (26 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


She stood about midway down the steps that were merely rough boards under her bare feet. She wished for the grass again, but she would feel that again, soon enough. She turned, and gazed at him as he stood in the doorway, light framing him as he watched her. "I am naked, you know," she said. "Are you cold?" His voice only held concern. He'd tried to convince her once more that the bedroom would be safe enough. She supposed it would be, but it seemed wrong somehow. Suddenly, she was afraid of the dark again, but it didn't frighten her as much as the memories of bolts of time, burning pain easing through the skin of her fingers. She smiled, and unconsciously thrust her chest out, her breasts still aching there. "No, silly," she nearly whispered. "I'm naked. I'm female. And I'm going home, soon. You can look." He blushed, but as she stood there, making no attempt to cover herself, he let his eyes drift down her body. He'd seen her before, of course, but this seemed more intimate. She blushed, as well, which she hoped the dimness of the stairs covered. When she glanced up, his eyes were on hers again. "You're welcome," she whispered. She turned then, and stepped down three more stairs. The scent of loam and cheap wine filled her nostrils. She pulled at the handcuffs behind her back. She could ask him to remove them, and he would. She turned. He still watched her descend, perhaps watching her bare bottom, or her legs as they disappeared into the gloom. She recalled vividly, Kate's skin disappearing into the night that was the cellar ahead of her. "What are you going to do to them?" she asked. She envisioned him whipping them, tied to pillars, their screams filling the universe. She would feel every kiss of the leather, and she shivered. He hesitated, as if he were embarrassed. "I'm going to say good-bye," he said slowly.



Dawn nodded, sensing that her instincts had been wrong. He wouldn't whip them, at least not at his whim. It was over. "Come back for me," Dawn said lightly. She knew that he would. He smiled. "Do I have a choice?" (Not really.) The light dwindled as the door shut at the top of the stairs. The click of the lock, to which she didn't have a key any more than she had a key to her handcuffs, tore an element of finality into her mind. She sighed, and descended two more stairs, her bare feet searching through the blackness until she felt damp, packed earth under her toes. Slowly, Dawn stepped across the earth, envisioning snakes, and mice, and cockroaches, half-expecting to bump into Kate, her voice lightly telling her that it was her breast, not her cheek. Dawn smiled. Her toe touched damp concrete, and she pressed her back into the wall of her prison. Slowly, she slipped down the wall until the earth kissed her bum. She sighed, and extended her legs, peering out into the blackness. Dragons, and girls, Goliaths and Davids fought within, the earth rumbling under her. It was going to be a long wait. The light blinded her, even though it originated in a caged, low intensity bulb. She screamed, as she blinked away tears. The lamp illuminated a small cellar around her, cinder blocks framing the packed earthen floor. To her right, racks of wine stood, probably turned to vinegar. A furnace, green, stood to her left, the stairway that she'd picked her way down in the dark rising up like a ladder from a grave directly in front of her. By the foot of those stairs, she surmised, tears still blinding her, is where she had touched Kate's breast, not hurting her. And where she had touched Dawn's. A light tap floated down the stairs, like an apology, rapped in Morse code upon the door that led from this place. She looked up the stairs, half-expecting to see the door swing open, freeing her. It didn't, of course, the tap only a signal that he'd forgotten her in http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (28 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


the dark, hadn't intended to leave her lightless for her self-permitted incarceration. "I wasn't expecting light, but it's nice," she whispered to nobody in particular. Then as the last tap faded from echoing down the stairs, "Thank you, anyway, though." She looked around again. No boogeymen. No mice. No insects. No snakes. Only a lonely girl, waiting, her toes making furrows in the earth. Her breath came in deep rasps, her body throbbing to her own sexual rhythm. Her hips rocked. By stretching her arms, she could reach, a little, her fingers brushing the soft skin of her breast. She cried out softly as she stretched further, one hand reaching over her bare thigh to tease her vaginal lips. Between them, just a little, her clitoris sang. He probably didn't realise that a flexible girl might be able to do this. It was all part of her descent here -- why she hadn't insisted that he release her hands. She didn't want them released, any more than he wanted to release them. It was part of this, somehow, it was meant to prevent ... this ... She moaned, as she stretched a little further, her shoulders crying out, her wrists burning where they were held by the steel. Her index finger brushed her clitoris, so wet, so delicious. She cursed the light; this would have been easier, perhaps, in the dark, where she didn't have to watch herself, her swollen nipples, her finger delving between her spread thighs. More anonymous, perhaps. Images of Linda's tongue teasing her, and Kate's fingers on her breast assaulted her numbed mind. Sweet release in offices, in schools, and in streets. (No.) She cried out, tearing her hand from herself. (Please.) Her hands lifted again, one finger trailing musk in a line towards her chest. Her scent filled her nostrils, and she moaned. Her thumb and her forefinger grasped her nipple. It throbbed between. (No. Not yet.) (It's over.)



(You are the key.) (Fuck the key. I can reach. And he's not here. Nobody's here. I'm alone. Completely, alone.) She groaned and took a deep breath. She twisted, her breast erupting in agony. Her hands fell, her nipple driving tentacles of pain and arousal into her body. Tears fell from her eyes, and she wished again for darkness. The bulb burned on for a moment, then shattered, sending slivers of glass through its cage and onto her bare legs. She screamed as darkness fell on her like a prison. Her hands reached again, her eyes closed. She didn't care anymore. Didn't care. (No.) Her finger brushed her bruised nipple once, and she sighed. Crying, she leaned her head back, and allowed her hands to drop again behind her back. Her shoulders eased their symphony of pain, thanking her profusely. But her breasts and her clitoris and her vagina screamed at her, cursing her for teasing, cursing her for resisting. She closed her eyes, and struggled to control her breathing. Somehow, she'd stopped, and she remained in control. She could feel sharp slivers of glass against her shins, and thighs, and she hoped that none had cut her, at least not badly. Slowly, she moved her legs back together, a parody of modesty that she didn't feel. She wanted sex, and girls didn't have sex with their legs together, did they? Her body ached worse than before, and she tried to ignore it. She sat naked, and in the dark again, dragons rising from the gloom. But this time, they didn't threaten, only teased, and watched her. The concrete wasn't comfortable, and the dirt against her skin felt, well, dirty. Nevertheless, she slowed her breathing, and tried to relax. Only a wine cellar with a furnace. Not a grave. Her prison. Not an amusement park. Somewhere above, he was bidding the girls good-bye. She sighed, and squeezed her eyes shut. A single tear of frustration http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (30 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


rolled down her cheek. (Control.) (It was over.) (I am the key.) The darkness deepened, and she gladly let go of consciousness. Sleep claimed her, even while her body continued to throb.


"But, I want to stay. Here, with you. With them." He shook his head, sighing. This girl had been through so much, and he had to deny her. "Nicole," he said quietly, "it's over. I have to let you go." "Don't you realise where you are sending me? I can't go back to him. He'll kill me." "I know, Nicole, and I wish it weren't." "It's because of her, isn't it?" "Who?" "Dawn. The new girl. The one you want." Her voice rang with a hint of bitterness. He shivered, and his body pulsed. "The one I want?" Nicole nodded. He looked at her for a while. Tears fell down her face, her hands, now free, wrung between her knees. They sat at the top of the marble staircase, her toes curled against the top step. He sat on the rail, easily swinging his legs in the sunshine. Her skin, unblemished except for the discolouration on her left side, and the fading bruise on her cheek, shone palely in the sun. She turned away, her eyes scanning the gardens below them.



"Dawn didn't do this," he said. "Kate said ..." "I know what Kate said; she doesn't understand. Dawn was only the catalyst. It had to end sometime." "He's going to kill me." "I know, but you have to hold on. Perhaps, for a week." Nicole nodded gravely. "I hate him." "He's your father." "Genetically, only. I hate him. Always will." He sensed it in her, and sympathised. Light red marks from the ropes he'd used on her pressed in her wrists and forearms. She didn't seem to mind. She would let him tie her, rape her, make her crawl, if only he'd let her stay. He couldn't. Her face lowered to rest on her bare knees. "I don't mind it here. I know I'm under your control, perhaps even more so than I was with him, but I don't mind it. I feel ... free ... here." He smiled, and continued to swing his legs, listening to her soft voice, and watching the clouds. They looked different from here than they did from under the elm. "Do you know when the last time I sat here was?" "When?" "I was clothed, of course, I had come home from school, dropped out actually, and I thought maybe he'd changed. I sat here, watching the gardens, and thinking I'd start over." She paused, and he thought she might be crying quietly, but when she raised her eyes, they were dry. "I started over," she whispered. She touched her ribs and winced. "Nicole ..." She shook her head. "I used to stand up there, in my room, gazing through the glass, watching the squirrels." She waved idly towards the single non-human creature awake in the world. "I envied them. They didn't get whipped. They didn't get raped. They didn't get bound to their beds http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (32 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


to sleep. Sometimes, if he wasn't home, or he had left me to suffer, I stood there and didn't care that I was naked, that I was wearing nipple clamps, that I had been burned with a cigarette. My pain eased, and I flew over the garden, ran through the grass. I always had to return, of course, but I dreamed." "Nicole, you don't have to ..." "I do," she said. This time, he was sure that tears fell down the girl's cheeks. "Did you know that I slept sometimes with that Frisbee? That it was the one thing that he wouldn't destroy of mine, because he didn't know how much it meant to me?" "I know, Nicole. I know." She looked up at him, her eyes shiny wet, and then nodded. After a while, she glanced back up at him, and sighed. "He's going to kill me." "I won't let him." "He knows the chief of police. He knows the fucking mayor. He knows the judges. They've all raped me, while he whipped me. I'm his bribes, his security." "I know," he said. "I've had sex with them. Don't you see? He'll kill me, and get away with it. Nobody knows I'm here. You can't send me back. Please." He sighed. "I know you're here. And so does Dawn." Nicole leaned forward, and for a moment, he thought that she was going to be sick. He dropped from the railing, intending to at least hold back her hair for her, but the girl surprised him. "I'll be all right," she said slowly, her voice cracking. Wracking sobs shook her body, and he could see pain funnelling through her, as she shook. Instead, he took her in his arms, and cradled her, stroking her hair gently. It reminded him of her nightmare, an eternity ago, when she hadn't wakened, but fought in her dreams with a monster. "Thank-you," she whispered, wiping at her eyes. She sat up, and looked around the grounds, her eyes locking onto an innocent creature, black and furry. He followed her gaze. She watched the squirrel for a long time, as it climbed trees, and chattered, foraging as squirrels were wont to do. "I'd like to be free," she said. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (33 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


"I wish ..." "You don't understand," she interrupted. Her eyes remained shiny with tears, but none spilt. "I want to run in the garden. Be with the squirrels for a while. Free." He nodded slowly. "Don't hurt yourself," he said, nodding towards her injured ribs. She groaned as she pushed herself to her bare feet. "Do you want clothing?" he asked. She lived here. She should have something in her closet, or a dresser that she could wear. In fact, the jeans she was wearing when he had found her would give her at least a sense of normalcy. She cast him a puzzled look, and stepped down three marble steps carefully. "Clothing, what for? There's nobody here, right?" "Just me." "You've seen my birthday suit." She spread her arms to the side, turning slowly on the step. It reminded him of Dawn, presenting herself to him, giving him permission to watch her on a rougher staircase, leading down into darkness instead of sunlight. Nicole hesitated, and then spoke again. "In my visions, I was always naked. It seemed more free. More normal. For me. For better or for worse, I'm not the same girl I used to be." He nodded, and shrugged. He climbed to his feet, and began to walk back to the rail. Before he climbed back up, he turned. She seemed to debate something with herself, and then ran up the few steps she had descended. When she reached him, she raised herself up on her toes, and placed her hands on his shoulders. She kissed his cheek, and then blushing, turned and walked back to the stairs. "Thank-you," she whispered. And then she was gone, running down the stairs, her hair tumbling in the wind that she created. Her easy laughter kissed his ears as he watched her run through the gardens, stopping to pick flowers, and smell them, sometimes merely lying in the grass, her fingers nearly caressing the blades beneath her bare skin. The squirrel watched her, perhaps puzzled at the sight -- a carefree girl, naked and alone in the garden that had seemed so far away. He watched her, too, a smile gracing his lips. It wouldn't be easy, but Nicole would survive. Of that, he was certain. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (34 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


With a sigh, he left her, and pushed open the door. Four more girls waited patiently for him to release them.


Monique leaned forward, unconsciously pulling at the ropes that held her arms behind her. She gasped as his fingers worked behind her back, out of her line of sight. Her breasts, bare as they had been for a long time now, shifted on her chest as the last of the ropes fell from her body. He walked around her, and without prompting, simply understanding, Monique lifted her right leg, presenting her shackled ankle to his fingers. She sighed as the cuff parted, and she was free again. Absently, she rubbed at her arms, wincing at the light welts left by the coarse rope. "What about the others?" she asked, as she pushed herself to her bare feet. "The others?" He looked puzzled, as if the other three girls didn't exist for him. "Aren't you going to release them, too?" His face relaxed, and he nodded slowly. "In time. When they're ready. When it's time." That vexed Monique, but she shrugged. While she understood some of this man, she would never understand everything that surrounded her. She glanced at Kate, and the redhead nodded, flashing her a smile that reassured Monique that Kate, and the others, didn't mind waiting in the ropes. The other girls seemed content to wait, secure in their restraints, aware that he'd let them free, as he had Monique, soon. Leigh shifted her weight with a stifled groan, but then smiled as well.. "They aren't animals," Monique observed.



He nodded, and turned her around, facing the archway. "Rope, or handcuffs?" he asked. "What?" "Would you prefer if I tied your hands with rope, or would you prefer handcuffs." "Neither," she said hopefully, but sensing that her hands would be bound no matter what she said. Resignedly, she shifted her hands behind her back, her fingers interlacing. "Only for a little while," he said. She believed him, somehow sensing that he needed her bound but only for a while, because something had changed. Something had happened, something larger than the six girls and the one man who inhabited this strange universe. She didn't remember much -- remembered Dawn standing between the girls and the Timeman -- remembered deep pain, robbing her of sense, filling her universe. Pain. Agony. Like she'd dropped into hell. Her body shivered. It was because of Dawn, and that battle, that he wanted her tied, needed her tied. "Whichever you'd prefer," she said simply. Honestly, she thought she would prefer the handcuffs, but mainly because they were easier to remove, and didn't tend to cut off her circulation. She jumped a little as she felt steel kiss her wrists, and a smile found her lips as the ratchet within closed about her, holding her like a lover. She unconsciously pulled against the cuffs, but knew that she was secured until he unlocked her. Slowly, she turned to face him. Another touch, and she began to walk towards the archway, her bare feet quiet on the carpet. She stopped under the painted doorway. He stopped beside her, one hand familiarly upon her elbow. He made no move to push her, or entice her to continue. Her eyes swept over the remaining girls, finally resting on Leigh. The brunette's eyes were damp, and the sense of conclusion leapt through Monique like a steamroller. Her eyes moved to Andrea, who smiled and nodded, as if she understood far more than Monique did. Understood something that Monique hadn't even dwelt upon before. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (36 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


"I'm going home, aren't I?" she whispered. She turned back to the Timeman, who nodded slowly. She thought that she saw a tear glistening there before he turned away from her, moving off down the hallway. "You'll be fine," Kate said, her voice nearly breaking. Monique glanced down the hallway. He waited for her at the front door, his hand resting easily against the mantle there. Without thinking, Monique ran back into the living room, kneeling between Kate, and Leigh. "I'm going to miss you," she said. The two girls nodded, tears falling slowly down their cheeks. Monique gently kissed away the furrows, and pushed herself back to her feet awkwardly. "Good-bye," she said. Leigh and Kate lowered their faces, perhaps in an attempt to hide their own tears. Monique turned, and slowly walked from the room, one bare foot leading the other. The chains behind her jingled softly. "Done?" he asked kindly. There wasn't going to be any more punishment, no more asking his permission for simple acts. She nodded, and stepped from the house into the sunshine. It wasn't until she reached the walkway that she realised that she hadn't said good-bye to Andrea. The grass tickled her bare skin as she sat, legs together. Nicole sat near the back of the property, still naked, but seemingly free. Monique turned her eyes from the girl, a smile finding her lips. "You're letting us go? Just like that? We don't have to fuck you for our freedom?" His eyes were on the sky, his back against the elm. He seemed to shiver at her words. He nodded slowly, his eyes finding her face. There was no disapproval there -- not for her use of the word fuck, not blaming her for her enquiry.



"What do you want, Monique?" She laughed, a sudden ease suffusing her. "I want to go home." "Soon, Monique, I promise." "Clothing? My life back?" He smiled. "Clothing isn't a problem. When we go back inside, there's a black dress in the kitchen. You can wear it if you like." Monique nodded. She had worn it before, sizing it for another girl, for a dinner that seemed only a distant memory. "The use of my hands?" She jingled the cuffs behind her. He sighed, and held up a key. Sunlight reflected from it, dots of lights danced across the grass like Tinkerbelle. He leaned forward. Monique twisted, and then sighed, leaning back away from him. "I can stand it until we go back inside." He nodded, and she was warmed somehow by the look of appreciation that crossed his face. That she should even want to please this man surprised her. But she sensed it, he would have released her in a second, if she'd pressed. Her hands could remain behind her for a while more. He'd help her up, if she needed it. "Why?" she asked. "Why, what?" "Why are you letting me go?" "Because it's time. We can't stay any longer." She nodded, though she didn't understand. It had something to do with Dawn, but she didn't need to understand. She was going home. A stab of electricity warmed her breasts. For a second, she was surprised as the grass tickled her private regions as she sat. "I. I want sex. Here. Before I go back," she murmured. A hot flush infused her face before she could stop it. He nodded easily, no surprise on his face. Her lips continued to form the words, before she could stop them. "It's different here. I won't have the chance again." Almost in apology, she continued slowly. "Not you," she whispered. He smiled, as if he'd expected it. "I mean, I will, if you like, but ..." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (38 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


He leaned forward and shushed her, placing a finger against her lips. When she stopped trying to speak, he released her. Her mind filled with images of washing the other girls, gentle rain falling amongst them, fingers easing away aches and pains, forbidden touches. She closed her eyes, seeing her fingers brushing soap across Dawn's bare body, Nicole's, Kate's. When she opened her eyes, he wasn't looking at her. He watched Nicole, as the naked girl bent to touch a flower. "I don't know what this is," she whispered. He didn't say anything, didn't even look at her. She continued, undeterred. "You've robbed me of my humanity, made me take off my clothing, crawl naked in front of my office, made me have sex with everyone, never allowed to climax. Even now, I'm sitting here naked in the grass, my hands handcuffed, handcuffed, behind me, and ... I honestly don't know what it was all for. I was a lawyer in my former life, a damn good one. I had it all. You took it all away from me, brought me here. Why, me?" His eyes found hers and held them. "You're pretty and you're strong. You were the girl I was drawn, too." "There are a million girls out there prettier and stronger than I am." "That's where you're wrong, Monique. You're going to run that firm one day, and you'll be good at it." "I'm confused," Monique said. "I. I don't know what I want." He smiled and reached to touch her foot. She made no attempt to pull away, his fingers sending ripples of excitement up her calf to her thigh. "Yes, you do." "If I hadn't come here, I wouldn't know, would I?" He shrugged. "You might have figured it out." "I won't remember, though." He shook his head. "I don't think I want to remember."



They walked down the path, the odd stone pressing into her bare toes. She glanced across the manicured lawn, and saw Nicole watching her. Without even glancing at the Timeman, she turned, and walked across the grass. Idly, she hoped that she wouldn't forget the sensation, and remember to walk barefoot in the grass whenever the opportunity arose, back where she was supposed be. Nicole waited, standing awkwardly upon the grass. "This is good-bye, isn't it?" Nicole said. Monique nodded. "I think so." Nicole sighed, and shifted her weight. "I know that you won't understand -- you've always wanted to go back, and I understand that. I don't want to go." Tears flooded Monique's eyes, and she wished that she could have the girl stay. She'd offer her own freedom for this girl, if she could, stay here bound and naked forever if necessary. She cursed the cuffs that still adorned her wrists, twisting at them savagely. She wanted to hug Nicole, draw her in close. As if sensing Monique's problem, Nicole reached forward with her free arms, and pulled Monique in. Her scent flooded Monique's senses, arousing her as her skin kissed Nicole's. She felt Nicole cringe, perhaps as her injury grated, but Nicole didn't release her for a long time. "It's not the same here," Nicole whispered. "We're free." "I know. There isn't such a thing as rape, or assault here. Not with him. I figured that out a while ago." "Do you hate him?" "Not anymore." Nicole smiled, and nodded. "It's different here. Like ... Eden." With that, Nicole bent and kissed Monique's cheek. Monique fought off tears, and returned the kiss, chaste, like a sister. Nicole brushed the tears from her eyes, and smiled. "Have fun. Whatever you do, have fun like there is no tomorrow." "I will." And she was pretty sure that she would. Turning, she ran back to the Timeman, who'd settled on the first http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (40 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


marble step, not watching the naked girls, but concentrating on a particular cloud, that reminded Monique of a dragon in flight.


She sighed as the handcuffs fell away from her wrists for the last time. She left her arms behind her back for a moment, then turned to face him. He smiled as she idly rubbed at her wrists, though they weren't sore. It felt wonderful to be free, knowing that she was finally going to escape. No more punishment. No more enforced nudity. No more fear. Glancing around the spartan room, her eyes settled on the queen sized bed, its covers rumpled from previous use. She paced over to it, and sat, crossing her bare legs at the ankle. He peered at her; his eyes lit up as if he'd remembered something. She was reminded of cartoon characters, light bulbs appearing above their heads. She stifled a giggle. "Your dress," he said. "It's not necessary anymore," she whispered. And she was surprised to find that she didn't care anymore. Yes, she was still naked for the world to see, but it simply didn't matter. Her heart ached, as did her breasts, and deep into the core of her being. She sighed, and nearly stood to stop him, but he'd left before she could fully rise. Dropping back to the bed sheets, she closed her eyes, and lay back, stretching her suddenly free arms. The fabric slipped cool and silky over her head, falling in waves over her body, hugging her breasts, and forming over her hips. It fell to her calf, modestly covering her. Ironically, it felt wrong -- her nudity almost expected. She stared at herself in the mirror, a reflection of grand illusion. Turning, she grinned at him. "I can keep this?"



"If you like. When you go back, you'll return to your office attire." She though of her suit, folded neatly in Blake's office where she'd crawled naked for him, and Jones. She shivered. At least she wouldn't remember that, and she hoped that they wouldn't either. Despite her new found freedom, that was beyond her, even now. Yes, she'd crawl for him, if she needed to, but somehow she doubted that he'd ask. It was over. Her feet felt odd being bare against the floor, and she twirled back towards the bed. She hesitated before sitting again. She lifted her face and was surprised to see him smiling at her. "You'd prefer if I took this off again, wouldn't you?" Her fingers toyed with the neckline, her finger tips brushing the tops of her breasts. A small ripple of desire flit through her. She began to lift it, only a hint of disappointment crossing into her being. His fingers touched hers, and she glanced back up. He was close, perhaps too close, but she didn't mind. She'd kiss him, if he wanted. "Stop." "But ..." "Yes, I liked you naked. You're a beautiful woman. But that time is done. You want this, and I don't wish to take it from you. Relax." And she did, sinking back down to the bed. She drew up her knees, and hugged herself, suddenly aware that he couldn't see her anymore, not unless she chose to show him. "I want ..." she began. He nodded slowly. "Only if she agrees." Monique nodded, butterflies flittering in places that they shouldn't. He turned from her, and left, only a hint of disturbance in the air where he'd been. She could smell Leigh's soft scent in the folds of the dress, the teen being the last to wear it in a time before time began. Had it only been last night? Monique sighed, watching the patterns of light upon the yellowed http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (42 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


ceiling. Her hands rose for a moment, playing with her nipples casually through the silky fabric of the dress. She'd let him see her naked again. Before she left. After a while, she opened her eyes. Footsteps, one in shoes, the other the whisper of bare feet, climbed the stairs slowly. Monique shivered and tried to calm her beating heart. Monique pushed herself up into a sitting position, her legs outstretched in front of her, her bare toes pointed towards the foot of the bed. Only the girl entered, looking like an angel, glowing, her lips smiling. Sudden nervousness flit through Monique, and she cringed inwardly. He hadn't forced this, they both had a choice. This wasn't his sick game any longer. Only the two of them, alone in the room. Almost from a distance, she heard his footsteps recede down the hallway, and down the stairs. "Hi," Andrea said. Andrea stood and leaned against the doorway, her arms still tied behind her back, her breasts framed in rope. She didn't look uncomfortable, but a little confused. "Hi," Monique said, almost shyly. "He didn't untie you?" Andrea smiled. "I think he meant for you to do it, if you wanted to." Monique began to slide her legs to the side of the bed, but stopped as Andrea spoke. "Monique, stop." Monique raised her eyebrows in a silent query. "Is it true?" "What?" "That you ... wanted me here?" "What did he tell you?" "He didn't. He unlocked my ankle and led me up here. He wouldn't answer me. The only reason he'd do that is if you wanted me here." Monique sighed, and fought the blush from her cheeks. Slowly, she nodded. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (43 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


Andrea smiled, and pulled against the ropes holding her arms. "The dress looks beautiful on you." Suddenly, Monique felt self-conscious, aware of herself, clothed, free while Andrea stood naked and bound in front of her. She began to push herself up again, though she wasn't sure if she would pull the dress off first, or untie Andrea. "Wait," Andrea said. She hesitated, and swallowed heavily. "I'm only willing to do this, if you want to do this. If it's wrong ... I can't live with that. I'd rather walk down the steps, and live with my arms behind me forever." Monique felt tears spring to her eyes, but brushed them away. She swallowed, feeling her heart jump into her throat. Her feet carried her towards Andrea, and the blonde girl watched, almost warily. "I want to do this," Monique said. "If you're willing." Andrea nodded. Without thought, Monique lifted herself on her bare toes, and kissed Andrea. Andrea hesitated, then kissed Monique back. Monique's hand rose, and brushed at the bottom curve of Andrea's breast, gently. Andrea sat quietly on the bed, swinging her legs. Monique's fingers fumbled with the knots, and after slipping three times, she closed her eyes and nearly wept. "It's all right," Andrea said. "If you can't untie me, we can do it like this." She twisted her body to partially face Monique. "It's not fair," Monique whispered. "Life isn't fair, sometimes." Monique sighed, and pressed her fingers against Andrea's bare shoulder. Andrea turned her back to Monique again, her fingers fidgeting, her arms remaining tight against her back. It took two more attempts, but the knot finally gave up, and the ropes tumbled from Andrea's body. "Finally," Andrea whispered, pushing Monique backwards gently. "I can touch you." Monique lay back, and shivered as Andrea's lips found her. Her breasts ached, her whole body ached, even her toes. She tried to say something, even she didn't know what, but Andrea http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (44 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


shushed her with her lips. She stood before Andrea, her arms held at her side. Her breath came in short bursts, her heart hammering. She longed for Andrea's fingers to be inside her, brushing her, filling her. Slowly, she raised her arms, the dress rustling over her bare skin underneath. Suddenly, it was no longer a shield, something comfortable hiding her from the world, but a constricting wall, one that she wanted to climb to freedom. She stared at Andrea. The girl was breathing as raggedly as she, but Andrea hesitated, her breasts rising and falling rapidly. "Are you sure?" Andrea asked. Monique bit her lip and nodded without hesitation. Andrea's fingers removed that which Monique had longed for, had begged for, had been willing to crawl for. Slowly, sensuously, the dress lifted over her head, over her arms. Cool air, Andrea's breath, kissed her naked skin. Monique moaned as Andrea dropped the silk, puddling about Monique's ankles. Andrea's fingers found her, caressing, and light. Oh, God. It had been days of sexual frustration rising in her, pushing aside inhibition, and thought, the wave rising in her as Andrea's tongue found her rhythms, stroking, and aching. Her voice rose, Andrea's fingers light upon her nipples. She wasn't normally a screamer, quiet sex seducing her. She screamed as the first wave crested, sparkling light dancing behind her squeezed shut eyes. She lay panting, her breasts rising and falling in a quick rhythm upon her chest. Her fingers lay easily between her breasts, almost as if she were praying. Andrea lay quietly against her shoulder, blonde hair fanned out across her chest and belly. With this girl, she'd found peace where she'd never expected it. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (45 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


Perhaps it was this land, perhaps it was this timelessness. She sensed that her hormones had been heightened, driving desire into her where there hadn't been before, the climax, climaxes, almost elevating her to goddess-like heights. She'd screamed. That much she remembered, almost as if she were in pain. But pain had ended, a long time ago, in another life. She stroked at Andrea's hair, gently, breathing in the soft perfume of her skin. Andrea stirred, and pushed herself up. "Was it everything you expected?" she asked, a smile gracing her lips. Monique thought that she could see a little of her own moisture there. Andrea smiled, and wiped it from her chin, licking absently at her fingers. "More," Monique whispered. "Where did you ... ?" Andrea smiled. "I've been with girls before. Not often, but enough to know ... university experimentation ..." Monique reached up, and ran her fingers down Andrea's thigh. She was soft, and warm. Andrea shook her head. "You?" Monique said. She wanted to reciprocate, wanted to taste Andrea. A warm glow spread through her limbs. Andrea shook her head. Her breathing hadn't slowed as Monique's had, and her lips flashed a deep shade of crimson. Her nipples looked as if they must ache as much as Monique's had before she'd screamed. Andrea touched Monique's hand, gently stopping her from caressing her bare thigh. "I'll be fine." Suddenly, Monique knew without a doubt, that she'd been given a gift -- this girl had sent her through the waves without expecting anything in return. Anything else would have been -- selfish, impure. "He's not here. It's over. You're allowed to climax," she said reaching again. Andrea stopped her gently, raising Monique's hand to her lips and kissing her softly. "I know," she said. "It's over. But ..." Monique nodded, suddenly understanding.



She pushed herself up, her eyes damp. She faced Andrea on the bed. Beside her thigh, the black of the dress tickled her. "We made it. Somehow," she whispered. Andrea nodded, her tongue licking at her lips. "I enjoyed it," Andrea said. "You, I mean." Monique smiled, and reached for her again. This time, it was more than sexual; Andrea seemed to understand and allowed the embrace. Their breasts pressed together in a last kiss of intimacy, holding each other. "It's over," Andrea whispered. "You'll figure it out." "I know I will," Monique said. "I just hope that I'm brave enough. Outside of all this." "You're strong." Monique nodded. She'd survived somehow. Andrea kissed her one last time. Monique could taste herself on Andrea's lips, and she didn't mind. Finally, Andrea released her. Her breathing was still quick and light. She stood, standing for a moment, her hand resting on the bedpost. "I have to go, now," Andrea whispered. "I know." Monique lay back against the bedclothes, her arms tucked under her breasts. Andrea bent and gathered up the ropes that had bound her when she arrived. They swung easily in her hand, deceptive in their innocence. Andrea turned at the door, blowing a kiss. "Good-bye," she whispered. Tears shone in her eyes. "Thank-you," Monique said. There was no use holding them back. Tears spilled as a flash of Andrea's bare heel disappeared with her footsteps echoing up the hallway, receding into the distance. She stood, slowly, and slipped the black silk over her head, covering her nudity. She stood in front of the mirror for a long time, breathing hard, remembering, as if willing it to remain with http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (47 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


her, crossing boundaries. She cried for a while, then turned and settled back to the bed, wiping at her eyes. Her bare toes toyed with the oaken floorboards. She waited. "Are you ready?" She shook her head slowly. "I want to stay. I'll take this off, and you can tie me up again. I don't care." He laughed gently, and touched her shoulder. He wiped at her tears, and crouched. "You don't want that, Monique. Truly, you don't. Even if I had the power to give it to you." She sniffled, and hugged herself. Pushing against the mattress, she stood and swayed for a moment. In one fluid motion, she lifted the dress from her skin, and it dropped in a pool of inky blackness around her bare ankles. She stepped away from it, her hands held easily at her side. No attempt to cover herself, standing proudly, unashamed in front of him. One last view of her, as she was, nothing to hide. "You don't have to do that," he said with a smile as he straightened. "I know. I wanted to," she said, though she didn't fully understand herself why she'd done it. Only that she'd had to do it, and not because he'd expected it, or demanded it. Because she had wanted to do it. He stood about a pace in front of her, arms crossed, eyes upon hers. "I'm going to miss this place," she whispered. "No, you won't." She nodded, head remaining bowed. On impulse, she stepped forward and kissed his cheek, chastely. After all she'd been through, she still couldn't believe that she would be saying it. "Thank-you," she said simply. Another thought flit through her mind, and she nearly didn't say it. But again, impulse carried her. The way he was going, she thought, he'd need one someday. "If you ever http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (48 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


need a lawyer," she whispered. He nodded and smiled. "Are you ready?" She cleared bosses, and clean scent her mind on

her mind, her thoughts turning from crawling naked for girls being whipped. Instead, Andrea's soft fingers and rushed into her memory, and she closed her eyes, fixing the pleasant thoughts. A warmth spread through her.

"I'm ready," she said. A faint tingling, like a wildly gentler version of pins and needles tickled her bare skin, beginning in her fingertips and ending in her toes. It was warm, like the scent of fields of clover. She gasped, once, and felt herself falling. He stood for a long time, looking at the place where she'd stood. The sweet smell of sex suffused him, making him ache in all the right places. He'd been tempted to watch them, knowing that Andrea would accept, even before she did, somehow knowing what Monique needed in this place. The girls wouldn't have objected to his presence. But it wouldn't have been right. Not anymore. The black evening dress puddled where her bare feet had been. He bent and picked it up, almost cradling the fabric. Her unique scent tickled his nose. She'd fought so hard to get it, only to remove it, allowing him a last view of her as she was before returning to the place where she'd always longed to be. He swallowed heavily, and picked up the handcuffs, discarded carelessly on the end table. She was the first to go back. He didn't realise that he was crying until he stood silently in the middle of the staircase. He hoped that she found what she was looking for back in the place where they'd never meet.




He stood on the opulent marble of the front stoop, his eyes casting around the gardens. His vision was blurred, and he sighed as he brushed away the moisture upon his cheeks. Men don't cry. Shouldn't. He closed his eyes, hearing Nicole's soft voice singing somewhere below. Monique had been the first to go back. The tears told him that he'd waited too long, that he had done it again, let them get inside of him. He hoped the others would be easier, but he doubted it. He inhaled deeply, the clearer air here filling his lungs. He opened his eyes. There was a girl in a deep cellar waiting for this to be over, uncomfortable, and probably frightened. There were four girls still here that needed to go home. Above, the clouds remained as they had been for three days and three nights, motionless, a dragon flying through the blue. Her voice came soft and gentle to his ears. "Are you all right?" He opened his eyes, brushing at his cheeks. Nicole stood like an angel before him, naked with a look of deep concern flushing her cheeks. He swallowed, and pushed the image of Monique dropping her evening attire from his mind. "I'll be fine." "She's gone, isn't she?" "Monique?" Nicole nodded, her hair trembling across her shoulders. He pursed his lips, refusing to let the tears fall again. He nodded. "She wanted to go back. It was the right thing to do." He nodded again, knowing that Nicole was telling him only the truth. They all needed to go back, despite his feelings, despite his desires. Nicole shifted her weight, and turned her back, looking out across



the garden again. She waved at the squirrel, which trembled for a moment and then dashed towards the back lawn. Without looking at him, Nicole spoke. "I'm ready, I think." He reached forward and touched her arm. When she turned, her eyes were shiny with tears. "I'd like ... I'd like to say good-bye," she whispered. She hugged them all as he stood watching from the doorway. She bent at each, whispering something to first Andrea, then Kate, then Leigh, embracing each girl as she might a lover about to embark on a long trip. Then she stood in front of him, making no attempt to stop the tears. He reached to her face and brushed at the trail of moisture, her tears coating his fingertips. "I'm ready," she said, her voice stronger than he'd expected. "Can we do this in the garden?" She paused as if he'd refuse her. "Please?" He nodded and began to walk back to the front door. When he turned to look, she stood framed by the archway. She saw him looking, and smiled weakly. She spun, just once, and waved to the girls that were out of his sight now, silently wishing them all well in their separate journeys. With purpose, she tore herself from the living room, and walked towards him. "By the elm," she said quietly. He shrugged, and followed the naked girl across the grass until they stood underneath its branches. "Why here?" She shrugged. "I don't know. You liked it here." He nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black shape hurtling through the blades of grass. Nicole smiled, and crouched. The squirrel rose up on its hind legs, watching her, almost waving. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (51 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


"Good-bye, little one. I'll see you on the other side." She straightened, and the squirrel dashed off again, ignoring the silly humans intruding into its domain. "I won't let you stay here," he said slowly. She nodded. "I'll survive. Somehow." Understanding his meaning. Turning, she glanced one last time around the gardens. "I was free here," she said slowly. The tears had returned. He waited for her to face him again. She did, her chin lifted a little. Her bare body trembled. "I'm ready." Her voice rang surely. He pushed, closing his eyes. He felt her, but for a moment, as his time intersected hers, almost a touch as intimate and gentle as a lover's hand. He heard her gasp, and then a whisper: "Thank-you." When he opened his eyes, she was gone, returned to a former life, more painful than this one. He swallowed heavily and turned from the tree against which she'd stood but moments before. This time, he managed to keep the tears at bay, and after a while, he began to walk back towards the Mansion. He stood in front of her bedroom door, hand resting on the handle. One twist and a push, and he could see her again. She would be kneeling, her blouse ruined, her hands handcuffed, tears running down her face, jeans clothing her hips, wrists bleeding with desperate tugs against steel. Her father, the animal, would be standing in front of her, offering her a gift that she didn't want. He shivered, nausea racing through him. He shook his head, and let his hand drop to his side, brushing at his faded Levis. "You'll survive," he told himself. And he hoped beyond all hope that he wasn't lying to the door shut against him.



He turned, and walked away from the door. It lay innocently on the bathroom counter, where she'd left it a long time ago. He smiled, the ache in his eyes receding a little. There was so much more left to do. He reached forward and picked up the cap. "Security," he read in a whisper. He envisioned it upon her head, blonde ponytail thrust through it, her smile capturing him behind a desk in an office building far away. He bounced it in his hand. She was going the be glad to see it, he supposed. He glanced once more at the closed door to Nicole's bedroom, sighing. Turning away purposely, he headed back towards the stairs. It would be the last time that he saw this place. He didn't want to see it anymore, and he descended the stairs, the sound of his shoes echoing, and trembling the bedroom door behind which the Chamber of Horrors would continue. But only for a week.


Andrea supposed that she might have been able to drag the chair to Kate and Leigh, and used her free hands to release them from the knots. Leigh, in particular, looked uncomfortable. Andrea shook her ankle, still in awe that the simple arrangement of steel and chrome could hold her here so effectively. "I'll be all right, it won't be long, I think," Leigh said easily. Andrea nodded, somehow knowing that the girl would say that.



Her mind wandered to the bathroom, where Leigh had sat upon the toilet seat, so vulnerable, so helpless while Monique and Nicole had showered together. How Andrea had knelt, and practically begged for sex. Her mind wandered to pleasing Monique, and she shivered, waves of desire flowing through her. She half-regretted not taking Monique's offer. The former lawyer had meant it. She wanted to taste her. And Andrea had no objection to girls. But it hadn't been right, and she couldn't explain it. Not even to herself. Andrea shook herself, fighting off the memory, but still desire flitted across her nerves. A shadow passed into her peripheral vision, and she turned her head. He stood by the doorway, something familiar in his hand. "I guess I'm next?" Andrea said slowly. She didn't know how she felt about it, torn between the freedom that was here, and the freedom that was her home. He tossed something small and shiny towards her. Surprised, reflexively, she raised her hand. She almost caught it, but it bounced off her palm, off her thigh, and fell to rest near her right foot. It was a key, and she presumed that it fit into the collar of steel encircling her ankle. She bent and picked it up. For the first time, he'd given her the means to escape her restraint. She looked at him quizzically, and he nodded. She bent, her fingers trembling. She'd been free before, he didn't keep them tied all the time, but the simple act of releasing herself from the chains seemed symbolic somehow. The shackle rattled to the floor, framing her heel for a moment. She pushed herself up, and walked towards him, her bare feet free and unencumbered. When she reached him, she held out the key, and he picked it up off her outstretched palm without comment. He lifted her baseball cap, and she smiled. She'd missed it, even though she'd removed it for him willingly an eternity ago. Unselfconsciously, she placed it on her head, drawing her hair through the band with a practised ease that perhaps resulted from simply being female. She was well aware that her movements accentuated her breasts, and a ripple of satisfaction bounced through her as his eyes dropped appreciatively before he caught himself. He grinned at her, abashed. He could have watched her nakedly all day, and she wouldn't have cared. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (54 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


He held up one last item, and she looked at it with complete puzzlement. "A necklace?" she asked. "You want me to wear a necklace." It didn't look like an expensive chain, perhaps even costume jewellery. At its apex, another silver key dangled. Suddenly, she understood, and she bent her head. He slipped it over, and the chain hung around her neck, intimate and close. The key rested easily between her bared breasts. She touched the key for a moment, then turned her eyes to his. "Do I say good-bye, now?" "If you wish," he said. He turned from her then, disappearing into the hallway. He apparently trusted that she wouldn't free Kate or Leigh. She swivelled and paced across the carpet to the two girls. Both found yet more tears. "I'll miss you, two," she said. She knelt down between them, pulling both bound girls into her, squeezing them. "Take care of yourself," Kate whispered. "I will." Leigh looked at her more meaningfully. "We should have," she said. Andrea smiled and nodded. "We should have." She bent and kissed them both, fighting her own tears. She didn't want to cry. Good-byes were difficult enough without the tears. "We went through a lot." Kate nodded. She bent to Kate, and whispered into her ear. "Take care of her. For me?" Kate nodded, almost as if she understood. Andrea kissed them once more, then pushed herself to her feet. Taking a deep breath, she walked away from them, and passed under the archway.



"Good-bye," she whispered. She held her hands lightly behind her back. He looked at her puzzled, sunlight beaming down over them. "You want to handcuff me, one last time, don't you? I don't mind." He shrugged, and moved forward. As she expected, he carried a pair of handcuffs. She had no way of knowing that these had graced Monique's wrists until only a short time ago. "How?" "The key. Around my neck. Teasing and close. Your style." He laughed, and closed the cuffs over her wrists. She pulled at them, surprised that they weren't pressing into her skin cruelly. Her right hand, if she squeezed her thumb inwards, could perhaps even slip out. "My right hand is too loose," she said. He looked at her, appraising her. She shrugged. "I told you, I don't mind. If you're going to put them on me, it would be a shame if I could get out, wouldn't it?" He nodded, and stepped behind her again. One click reached her ears, and she tested again. The cuffs remained loose upon her wrists, but this time, her right hand wouldn't slip through, no matter the effort she made at making her hands smaller. She nodded, and then stepped down the stairs. The marble radiated warmth into her bare toes. She sat cross-legged in the grass, her hands supporting her behind her back. She knew that she was exposed, perhaps even unladylike, but somehow, she didn't think he'd care. He wasn't ogling her, and truthfully, she didn't care if he did. Instead, a cloud formation seemed to have his attention. Somewhat irked, she cleared her throat. He slowly brought his eyes back towards her. "So, what do we do now? You wave your magic wand and I return to ... what?" He laughed. "There is no magic wand." He hesitated, and then captured her eyes. "What do you want, Andrea?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (56 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


She tilted her head, and laughed. "World peace." He seemed taken aback for a moment, then he joined her laughter. "Not the Miss America answer, what do you want. Before I send you back." She stopped laughing, gazing down her bare body to her knees. When she looked up at him, she still didn't know what her lips were going to say. "Answers." He leaned back against the tree, almost as if he'd expected this from her. "I want to understand you." "Psychology." "Partly. I'm a student. You know that. Obviously, I'm not a very good security guard. I stripped for you in an instant." "You wanted to." She blushed, but continued, ignoring the comment, seeing its underlying truth. "I didn't mind," she corrected. "There's a difference." He nodded easily. She took a deep breath. "Can we take these things off me?" She jingled the chains behind her back. "You have the key," he said. She flushed, and bent. She was easily flexible enough. It would give him a show, she supposed, but she could reach the key dangling between her breasts. A yank, and a bit of finger hockey, and she'd be free again. She stretched, and her fingers grasped the key. Her shoulders complained about the position, and she made it worse by not yanking the silver tease. She sighed, and released it instead. "It's not time, is it?" He shrugged. "It's not my choice," he said. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-141-150.html (57 of 59)8/14/2005 11:45:10 PM


She nodded, but made no further attempt to free herself. He wanted her like this, and she could accommodate. She didn't mind. "What happened back there?" He laughed. "You grasped the key, and then decided not to unlock yourself." She flushed, and nearly growled. "That's not what I mean, and you know it." "No. I suppose not." He hesitated, as if he didn't know quite how much to tell her. "Dawn's the key." "The key?" "Yes. She doesn't know it, but she's the key to this place. She didn't create it, but she has to destroy it." Andrea nodded slowly, not understanding. "Dawn is consequence, while I'm cause. We were drawn together." "Destiny?" "Something like that. The universe has a sense of humour." "Where is she?" "Safe. Away from us, until you all are back where you belong." "Where I belong? Where is that?" He smiled. "Here and there. You know where you belong, Andrea. Reality. Not here." She shivered, and the chain jingled again. Suddenly, she very much wanted to be free of her bonds. She almost reached for the key again, but then settled. It was meant to be this way. Slowly, she uncoiled her legs, pressing them together, almost with a renewed sense of modesty. He didn't seem to notice her shift, and she sighed. "I don't remember what happened. Back there. I remember Dawn stepping into the room, between us, and then all I remember is hazy pain. Nothing more." He hesitated again, his eyes lifting to the sky. Andrea followed his gaze with her eyes, and the clouds seemed to shift above her. A dragon, flying free, aroused her thoughts. After a moment, she lowered her eyes to take him in. He was watching her again.



"She is stronger than I." It seemed to pain him to admit it. Andrea nodded. "We all are, in a way." He smiled, the dichotomy somewhat amusing. Here she sat, naked and handcuffed in the grass, while he remained free and clothed. She was stronger than he. And it warmed her.



You are vistor #


since August 2000.




Dawn of Time Index

Chapter 151

·

Chapter 152

Chapter 156

·

Chapter 157

·

Chapter 153

·

Chapter 154

·

Chapter 155


He hadn't spoken in a while, but his eyes turned at the sound of her voice. "What about you?" "Me?" "Yes. You. Who are you? Why are we here?" "You don't want to know about how I control time?" She shook her head easily, her ponytail caressing the back of her neck. "I'm not a physics major. I wouldn't understand. Don't want to understand. I want to understand you. Why you do this? Why you take us? Why you took me? Why do you want to control us? Where are you from? Do you love anybody? What your real name is? You've never told us. Any of us."



He sighed, and looked away. "Initially, you were pretty." "Pretty?" Andrea said -- though the comment drove more shivers into her body. "Pretty. I wanted to see you. Wanted to control you." "Why?" she whispered. The question was more general. It took him some time to formulate an answer. "I really don't know, Andrea. I can't answer that. Why do we breathe? Why do we mate? Why do we survive as a species?" She shook her head. There were textbook answers to everything, but that didn't really apply here. No. Not at all. "It arouses me. It's hard-wired into me." "Into everyone," Andrea said quietly. He looked surprised, but shook his head. "Why didn't you rape us? You whip us, make us have sex, unsatisfied sex," her voice lowered to emphasise the point, "you make us cater to your every whim. It's not like we can resist. You tie us up, and then rape us. It's not even like we'd remember after you send us back. The perfect crime." "It's not about rape," he said slowly. "You know that. It's not even about breaking you." "It's about control," Andrea said. She shifted again. He nodded. She wasn't sure she fully understood, but as she sat there still handcuffed and naked, she thought that maybe she did. Somewhere deep inside of her, she did. She lay on her side, more comfortable that way, even with her arms still pinned behind her bare back. The grass tickled her left breast, but she ignored the sensation. "They would have you, you know. It wouldn't be rape. Not anymore." He sighed, not looking at her. "Kate? Leigh? Perhaps." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (2 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


"Me," Andrea said softly. That got his attention, and he allowed his eyes to travel the length of her reclining body. She watched him look at her, not protesting, unconsciously positioning herself so that he could see her, even slightly raising her right leg to present a hint of her secrets between her legs. Of course, she didn't really have secrets in this place, he'd seen her before, but this time, it was her choice, not his. "You?" He tossed her head easily, a thoroughly feminine action. "You don't want me?" He sighed, almost looking pained. "Of course, Andrea. Of course." She struggled for a moment, her breathing increasing. Finally, she sat again, one leg tucked under her, the other extended towards him. "I'm offering," she said easily. Her body ached, driving her crazy. "I know," he said gently. "Hard to miss." Incredibly, he shook his head. She felt tears approach, and she blinked, trying to clear them before they fell. "Why?" she whispered. Suddenly she regretted not releasing her hands, but it was too late now. After a moment, the urge to strangle him subsided. He crawled forward, and touched her face. With surprise, she realised that the tears had fallen, and they coated the tips of his fingers with a silvery sheen. "Because, you don't really want to," he said. She wanted to scream at him. She'd saved herself, not allowing Monique to satisfy her, believing that he was the one. Her body screamed at her, and she began to cry more, twisting her face from him, not allowing his burning fingers to touch her. She cried for a while, her body aching, and protesting, her wrists twisting in their prison. When she turned back towards him, he was leaning up against the tree again. His eyes were on her lap, but when she turned, he raised them to her face. "You've never had sex before, have you?" he asked.



Her face flushed, and she gasped. "How ..." "Dare I?" She swallowed, surprise easing her tears. "How did you know?" He smiled, and crawled forward again, gathering her in. "I didn't. Until just now." "I've had sex," she whispered. He held her easily, and she allowed it. Her body still ached. "Intercourse?" She couldn't admit it. She shook her head slowly. Oral sex. Pleasure at her own fingertips. Even anal sex, once, on a dare. He seemed able to let it go, and she tried. Finally, she looked up at him, her vision blurred with moisture. "How often does one get to lose her virginity twice?" He shook his head, and laughed gently. "Point taken, but I'm not the right one for you." "There isn't anyone else," she said. It was true enough. This universe was populated with naked females, driving her crazy, and him. There truly wasn't anyone else. "That's never a good reason," he said gently. She lay back into him, acutely aware of her body, clenching. She ached, but it would be all right. Somehow. "Who are you?" She still lay in his arms, her breathing slowly returning to a semblance of normal. "You don't want to know," he said. She didn't understand. After he'd freed her, she wouldn't remember anything, would she? He'd shared nearly everything else with her, saved her, even. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (4 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


"But ..." He shook his head, and placed a finger against her lips. His fingers burned there, electric shocks flowing through her nerves. Slowly, she nodded. Like a one night stand, or a fleeting lover, she didn't need to know. His name would only hurt her. "Promise me that you won't hurt them," Andrea whispered. They stood facing one another, one clothed, one naked, one cuffed, the other free. The tears had stopped a while back, even if the ache hadn't. He nodded easily. "It's over. I don't control any of you anymore." She twisted her hands in the cuffs, and then looked at him. He nodded, though it wasn't a nod of permission, merely a nod that acknowledged what she already knew. Again, she was very aware of her nudity, the sunshine upon her bare skin. But for a moment, she wished that she stood here in a dress, even without underwear, or shoes. Then she twisted, aware of his eyes upon her. He'd wanted her to do this, ever since he'd placed the necklace about her neck. The clasp parted behind her neck as she tugged at the silver key. She allowed a triumphant grin to grace her lips, and her hands fell back behind her back. "You're just going to let me take them off," she said, more a statement than a question. "I don't control you anymore, Andrea," he said. She sighed, and fumbled with the key behind her back. The necklace slipped through the tiny hole in the key, to tumble to the grass near her feet winking like bright stars in the sunlight. The key remained safely between her fingers. Twice, the key resisted her attempts, then slid home almost teasing her animately. She hesitated for a moment, watching him watch her. She closed her eyes and twisted her hand. The lock clicked, and the steel fell from her skin. She smiled, and drew her hands in front of her, fingers flexing, the cuffs dangling from her right arm.



The handcuffs clattered to her feet, one band resting against her bare foot. She idly moved them with a nudge of her toe. "It's time," she said easily. She held her arms out from her body, relishing her freedom. "Wait," she said. For a moment, she didn't think the tingling would recede, but it did, leaving her more or less substantial in this universe. She shivered, and then stepped forward closing the gap between them. She kissed him, her lips on his, her tongue touching his skin. For a moment, perhaps in surprise, he didn't react. Then he kissed her back, his hands brushing at her breasts, then moving to her waist. She moaned, then pushed him away, her body aching more than she thought she could stand. She bowed her head, and moved away, back to where the grass lay still limp and crushed by her earlier position. When she gazed at him, his eyes were wet with his tears. He was correct, of course, no matter how much she might think she wanted it, she didn't. Slowly, she smiled, and moved her hands behind her, a parting gesture to why she was here. To him, it might appear that her hands were still secured there, despite the evidence of the chrome sparkling at her feet. "I'll wear them, if you want. And I will give myself to you, if you want me." He smiled, and seemed to draw breath consciously, almost trying to breathe in her essence. He shook his head. "Not necessary," he said easily. She watched his face for a moment. "Good-bye," she said. The tingling returned, kissing her bare body, eliciting an inadvertent gasp. It spread in a warm glow from her fingers, through her body, to her toes. She managed to smile, releasing her hands, and holding them outward from her again, a bird in flight, face uptilted into the sunlight. And then she was falling, darkness embracing her.




He helped her up, uncharacteristically quiet. Leigh sighed inwardly, and helped with her legs as he supported her arms. Her shoulders screamed at the discomfort of the ropes, shades of the morning's activities echoing through her body. He bent and released her ankle from the shackle there, and she slowly stepped away from the sofa. He guided her towards the entranceway, and when she turned there, Kate was watching her, sitting alone, her legs tucked up underneath her. The Timeman tugged on her, fingers laced into the rope near her right breast. It was uncomfortable, but she hesitated. Kate mouthed: "Good-bye," to her, but it seemed wrong. Leigh shook her head, sure somehow, that it wasn't. She cast a glance at Kate, trying to make her understand, but the redhead's eyes were clouded with tears, and Leigh wasn't sure if Kate had seen. The tug came more insistently, and Leigh sighed, her bare feet following, her thighs complaining. She felt almost like she was being led to a firing squad. All she lacked was a blindfold, but she was somehow sure that he would provide one, if she asked. She sat quietly in the kitchen chair. Her arms still ached, and she idly wondered why he'd put her here, refusing to answer her questions, and refusing to untie her arms. "They hurt," she said simply. He didn't answer her, and merely gazed into her eyes from the opposite side of the kitchen table. Abruptly, he rose, and extracted two glasses from a cupboard above the sink. He drew two glasses of water from the tap, downing one before returning and placing the other in front of her. Leigh shrugged as best she could, more pain screaming through her limbs with the gesture. Almost gently, he raised the glass to her lips. She kept her mouth



closed for a moment, then melted, opening her lips and drinking deeply. She hadn't even realised that she was thirsty. She flexed her fingers. Thankfully, they still moved. He returned to his seat, watching her, almost expecting her to say something. She was acutely aware of her nudity, that he sat across from her fully clothed while she sat completely naked, and helpless. "You let the others go, didn't you?" He nodded once. "Are you going to let Kate and I go, too?" she asked. It had been in the back of her mind since he'd taken her, in a school that she barely remembered, when she had taken clothing for granted, and simply been a teenaged girl with teenager problems. Loves lost, misunderstood family, and grades. "Soon," he said. It had been the first word that he'd uttered since bringing her here. She shifted in the chair, her bare toes curled against the cool ceramic under them. "I'm not sure I want to go," she said. He laughed a little, tilting his head. "You're a slave here," he said. The word made her blush, but she shifted again and shook her head. "I've never been a slave. Not yours. Not anyone's." He nodded, as if he agreed with her. She wasn't sure of her own words. "Will you at least let me say good-bye to Kate?" He shrugged, and she took that to mean that he didn't care. She almost pushed herself back to her feet. "You love her, don't you?" The question seemed to come from left field, and she started, and then stared at him. "Kate?" He nodded, his hands pressed together in front of him. His chair creaked in the silence. "She's a girl."



He smiled, and for a moment, she thought he was leering. But his words belied that sentiment. "You can't love a girl?" Leigh held her breath for a moment, and wished for the millionth time that her arms weren't tied behind her. Her entire body ached. (For what?) She raised her eyes again, aware that wetness lined her lids. (No crying. Not here.) "I just want to say good-bye to her. She's my friend. And I don't know if we'll ever discover that ... away from here." He leaned back in the chair, an appraising look on his face. "Do you want me to beg?" He shook his head. "Do you want me to have sex with you before you let me say good-bye? Is that what you're waiting for?" He smiled, and shook his head again. He looked like a mystic, someone with all the answers but none shared. She shook her head frustrated. "I would, you know. Have sex with you. Any way you want." "Any way I want?" "Yes," she said. Her body ached even more. "I've told you that before, and I meant it." He tilted his head, and looked at her until she looked away, unable to sit any longer under that gaze. It peered past her eyes, and into her mind. "Have you ever had sex before?" She swivelled her head sharply. "You've never asked that before. I know how to do it, okay? And I will. Gladly." Instead of answering, he pushed himself up again. She thought moment that he was going to simply refill her glass. Instead, knelt beside her, and touched her bare thighs. She mistook it touch of intimacy. A flush rose to her cheeks, and she slowly to spread her knees. She shivered and closed her eyes. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (9 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM

for a he for a began


"Leigh, both legs, please." She opened her eyes, and moaned. He wasn't staring between her spread legs as she'd supposed, his fingers nowhere near her. Embarrassed, she shifted her left leg to join her right, setting her ankles together, almost in a parody of modesty. She shivered as he tied her ankles together. It wasn't tight, not even lashed, but secure. She wasn't about to pull her feet through the loops, and walking would be impossible. She could hop, she supposed, as long as he didn't tether her anywhere. He leaned on her knees, his eyes on her eyes, not between her legs. "Leigh?" She was crying now, confused, off-balance. She was sure that was exactly what he wanted, but she couldn't help it. Her arms hurt, and her body wanted something. Anything. "What?" she almost spat at him. "You can't stay." She shivered. "I know that." He hesitated, and then rose and moved to the kitchen door. "Don't leave me like this. I'm begging you." He paused, and turned almost as an afterthought. It wasn't, and she knew that, but it made it no easier to comprehend. "If Kate asked you, would you love her?" Leigh swallowed, and pulled against her arms. Her mind whirled, and she felt like crying. (I don't want to cry. Please.) But the tears came anyway, and she was left staring at the swinging door. She pulled weakly against the ropes that held her, and then settled. If Kate asked her. Would she love her?




"Is she gone?" Kate asked. She pulled against the ropes holding her arms folded uncomfortably behind her. "Leigh? No. Not yet." Relief flooded into Kate, and she glanced around the room, almost as if expecting the girl to bounce into the room, aglow. "Where is she?" "In the kitchen." Kate nodded, though she was confused. He stood easily against the doorframe to the living room, watching her. He moved suddenly, settling into the couch across from her. Kate shook her right leg, the one that was attached to the sofa leg by a short length of chain. "I have to take you both home," he said. His words hurt her more than she thought. While it wasn't always pleasant here, she was getting used to the nudity, and the bondage, and the ... freedom. "I'm not sure I want to go," she whispered. "That's what Nicole said, too." Kate shivered. "It's over, isn't it?" He nodded, his eyes misty. "So what happens now?" Instead of answering her, he moved towards her and crouched behind. She relaxed, and twisted to help him. Soon, her arms fell free. A tingling edged into her fingers, and she hissed, bracing for the inrush of blood and awakening nerves, her morning serving as a warning. But it didn't come, at least not like it had before he'd whipped her breasts. The pain eased through her, and when she opened her eyes, he again sat across from her. Now, she could have risen and sat on the sofa behind her, but she opted to stay where she was, leaning back, relishing the easy comfort of the cushions where her arms had been held before. She looked over at him, almost asking permission that she sensed that http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (11 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


she no longer needed. He nodded anyway, and she reached behind her and pulled a cushion down, propping it behind her back. "So that's it? Been nice whipping you, off you go?" He looked pained at her words, and she whispered: "I'm sorry, I didn't mean ..." before she could stop herself. "No, Kate. It's fair. This place, it changes us. Me." She nodded. Somehow, she understood. "Is this where I get raped?" He looked up at her, frowning. "What?" She laughed easily, suddenly at ease. "It won't be rape. I'll gladly lie back, if you want." "What if I want your mouth." In response, she opened her mouth, and closed her eyes. She shivered, half-expecting to feel him between her lips, but it was only him shifting across the room. "I'm joking, Kate." She was truly surprised at the depth of the disappointment that flowed through her, ending in her belly. "What if I want to?" she said. "You don't want to. Not with me." Her breasts ached, and she felt like screaming at him. What did he know of what she wanted? What gave him the right to deny her, reject her? Instead, she swallowed and let her lips close, slowly nodding. "What do you want?" he asked after a while. Her fingers worked at the knots encircling Leigh's bare ankles, unwrapping the ropes as quickly as she could. Leigh cried softly above, in the chair, squirming. Kate closed her eyes, aware that he was watching her, aware that she was naked, that Leigh was naked, that her world was changing with http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (12 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


every segment of rope that unwrapped from Leigh's skin. Carefully, she lifted Leigh's bare foot, butterflies racing through her senses. She pressed her lips to the top, fully expecting Leigh to withdraw -- she wasn't tied anymore, could stand up and scream, if she wanted. Instead, she felt a quiver in Leigh's leg, but that was all. She released her, and rose up on her knees. Leigh's eyes leaked tears, down her cheeks. "We're free," Kate whispered. "I'll never be free," Leigh mumbled. Kate let her hands rest on Leigh's bare thighs, nothing sexual, but electricity seemed to jump from Leigh into her through her fingertips. She lifted herself, and let her lips find Leigh, not caring if he was watching her, not caring if it aroused him. He could have her, if he wanted, even though she was free, she'd still let him. But he wouldn't. Of that she was equally sure. Leigh hesitated, then kissed her back, at first mechanically, then with more passion. Kate broke the kiss, then fell back on her bare heels. "Leigh?" Leigh raised her eyes. Tears still brimmed there. "It wasn't him." Leigh looked puzzled, leaned down, her forearms replacing the warmth of where Kate's hands had been. "It wasn't him. I kissed you ..." Leigh waited, her eyes wet. "... because I wanted to." Slowly, Kate pushed herself to her bare feet, and held out her hand. Leigh hesitated for a moment, then visibly relaxed her guard. She reached forward and Kate shivered when their hands met. "Stay. You can watch. I don't mind," she said. He bent and kissed her face, once on each cheek, almost like a European. "I'll be in the living room, when you're done," he said simply. Then he turned away.



"Thank you," she said, unable to move to follow. His back receded towards the house, and then another figure appeared in her blurred vision, naked and desirable. She twisted her right hand, aware that her freedom had disappeared again, but had been replaced with a different kind. Her body strained against the ropes that held her, but when she looked up, she smiled, hoping that it might erase the look of doubt upon Leigh's face. She stood spread, so vulnerable, against the front gate, sunlight beating down on her bare skin. She shivered, despite the warmth and tried to ignore the butterflies racing through her belly. Leigh carried his whip in her right hand, awkward and unsure, its coils of leather unwinding down her bare legs like a nest of serpents, kissing the tops of her feet. "I'm not sure I can do this," Leigh whispered. "If you can't ..." "I'll try," Leigh said, her eyes shiny again. Kate nodded. Where had this come from in her? She didn't know. All she knew was that she felt safer here, naked and bound, powerless, erotic. Her hips rocked, and she willed them to stop. Leigh dropped the whip with a clatter to the stones. She bent and picked up the last remaining length of rope. She looked at it like it was a cobra about to bite her. Kate waited, her mind peaceful. The rope squeezed her, Leigh's fingers light and sensuous against the taut skin of her breasts. Her mind wandered to a pillar, where she'd stood helpless as he'd bound her, and then crashed the whip against her again and again, her body reacting in pain and arousal, the arousal overcoming the pain in a litany of protection. "Are you sure?" Kate nodded, feeling the tears starting even before Leigh touched her with that thing. "I trust you." Leigh left, and then returned, the whip cradled in her arms. She http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (14 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


touched the end of it to Kate's chin. Kate wanted to kiss the leather, her bound breasts aching, screaming at her to lower her head and touch it. She didn't. Leigh's face flushed, and for the first time, Kate noticed that she was trembling. "I want to," Leigh whispered. Then after a moment, she closed her eyes. "I want you." Kate closed her eyes, and pulled once against the ropes holding her wrists and ankles. The metal of the gate seeped soothing coolness into her bare back. Her technique was less polished than that of the Timeman, her aim less accurate, the strength far less. Kate didn't really want the searing pain of her last experience with the whip, but rather the warming closeness, and the helplessness, and the trust. It hurt, but she was able to keep herself from screaming, sure that if she did, Leigh would drop the whip. Her breathing came in sharp rasps, as her breasts warmed her from the inside. She trembled, dripping, and nearly crying out not in pain, but frustration. The whip hit her again, across the nipples. It was Leigh that hissed at that, empathising, and crying out. "I'm sorry, Kate. God," Leigh said, her voice only a little above a whisper. "Hit me," Kate whispered. And Leigh did. Once more. Kate cried out, finally, as her breasts screamed as the leather kissed her again. "Are you sure?" Kate nodded. Tears ran down her face, and she wanted to be let down. But it wasn't enough. Not yet. She closed her eyes, bracing. The whip rose up on a short arc, and struck her between her trembling thighs, some of the soft leather parting her and striking her. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (15 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


The pain slipped into her, and she heard her own voice, as though from a distance, crying out -- not screaming -- only crying out. Tears fell down her cheeks. "Again," she whispered. But Leigh didn't hit her again, and she slumped into her ropes, her legs no longer supporting her. Leigh's skin reminded her of fields of clover. Even the sweet scent of clover drifted across them as they tumbled to the ground. Leigh shifted herself to straddle Kate. Kate opened her eyes, falling into Leigh's. "I'm sorry," Leigh whispered. Kate's body ached, but it was a good ache. Her breasts screamed as Leigh's fingers lightly brushed at the underside, avoiding the nipples. Kate moaned. "Thank-you," Kate whispered. "Thank-you." The grass tickled her thighs. Kate nearly screamed as Leigh's tongue slipped between her lips, teasing and light. Above her, Leigh knelt. Taste her. God. Kate lifted her head, and allowed her tongue to slip between Leigh's lips, intimate, close. Her fingers rose to brush at Leigh's nipples. So wet. So close. Moving together, she heard, and felt, Leigh moan. It didn't take long. Three days of exposure and torment exploded in one fiery moment of ecstasy. The moon and the sun vibrated as her body clenched to the rhythm of Leigh's tongue and lips. She didn't scream, but she did moan, her hips rocking, her toes http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (16 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


curling into the grass. To the right, a squirrel stopped for a moment, perhaps finally curious of the strange tangle of limbs invading its world. Oh, God. Kate's tongue and lips found her rhythm as easily as if it were her own fingers down there, stroking, slipping, thrusting, coaxing what she swore she wouldn't do from her, helpless to stop it. Had it been whipping Kate? Surely not. Had it been Kate, herself? Perhaps. Had it been her own torment, over days. Tied to a basketball net? Naked, sexuality surrounding her, denied pleasure. The wave crested, washing over her, taking her by surprise. "Oh, God," she moaned. They lay together for a long time, their arms protection from the world, their toes touching in a gesture far more intimate than what they'd done moments before. "I don't want to go home. I don't want to forget," Kate whispered. She felt Leigh's fingers in her hair, softly stroking. "I think," Leigh said slowly, "I hope." Kate shivered, and twisted, her lips searching for a kiss. Leigh smiled, and found her lips, her scent filling Kate. "We'll find each other. Somehow." She lay back down, enjoying Leigh's arms, while she still could.




"Please," Kate whispered. She stood at the edge of the garden, Leigh standing beside her, her skin close and still desirable. Despite the climax, Kate still ached. She suspected that Leigh did, too. He slowly shook his head, a model of abject sadness. She believed him. He wanted to stay, even desperately, but it was dangerous. To the girls. To him, but more so for the girls. She shivered. Leigh's hand stole to her and grasped her lightly. Kate entwined her fingers into Leigh's and held her. "It's not fair," Kate said, nearly pouting but unable to help it. "Life isn't sometimes." "We've only just found ..." He nodded. Something occurred to her, and she looked up, hope gleaming on her face. "You could ... the school ... find Leigh ... and me ..." He slowly shook his head. "Don't you see? That's exactly why I have to take you back, even if I don't want to, even if I want nothing more than to let you and Leigh keep finding each other." "But ..." "You want it here -- but here isn't real. It's a fantasy." "I feel ..." "I know. I know. But take yourself back. If a strange guy came up to you in the school yard while you were sitting under a tree, and said, don't sweat Darren, take a closer look at the quiet girl in your math class, what would you do?" "I'd take her to dinner and a movie, maybe up to my room afterwards. I could. My parents wouldn't care. She's a girl." He smiled, and stepped closer to her. Leigh's hand tightened upon hers. "Remember where you were when I found you," he said.



"I was. I was sitting under a tree in the front of the school." "Because ..." "Because Darren chose Karen, not me." He let it sink in. "I don't want to lose her." Leigh whispered beside her. "I don't either." He shook his head, and smiled. "If it was meant to be, then you'll find each other. It's the way it works." Kate wasn't so sure of that. She bowed her head, and couldn't help the tears. "You could try," she whispered. "I can't, Kate. Even if I wanted to. It wouldn't be a fantasy here if I did. It's wrong." (What the hell do you know about right and wrong?) (He's sending me back, isn't he?) Kate shivered, and raised her eyes to his. "I don't want to go back." He nodded. "I know." She wept openly, her arms hugging Leigh. She felt wetness from Leigh's tears upon her shoulder as she held her, shaking. It had been a long three days, torments, and frustration, nudity, and adventure. It was over. "I'll try to remember," she whispered. "And me as well," Leigh said slowly. The girls separated, and joined hands. She faced the Timeman, her chin lifted.



"We would have, you know," she said carefully. But inside, she now cringed at the idea. It was the simple truth, though. He nodded. "It wouldn't have been right." (No. It wouldn't.) She turned, and let her lips touch Leigh's. It was a soft kiss. A chaste kiss. A shared kiss. "Good-bye," she whispered. Leigh smiled. "Good-bye." Tears fell unheeded down her face, and she reached up to brush at Leigh's cheeks, her fingers lifting from her soft skin with salty moisture. They both turned and waved towards the Timeman who stood, eyes averted a few short paces from them. She was surprised to see tears falling down his face, as openly as hers. Tingles raced through her arms, and then down her body. She concentrated, trying to burn the memories into her mind, hoping that some faint imprint might remain in the last few seconds. She felt a faint squeeze through her fingers. She wasn't alone. The tingles raced down, like gentle pins and needles. And then she was falling, holding hands. Darkness engulfed her.


She closed her eyes, the darkness unchanging whether her eyes were open or shut. She blinked, groggy. Her breasts ached, as if someone had whipped them. Between her legs http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (20 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


pulsed slowly, a heat waxing and waning. She could feel tongues and fingers there, caressing her. She moaned again, suddenly angry at the handcuffs, angry at herself for waiting like a damnable slave for him. (I'm saving them. Somehow.) She relaxed and tilted back her head. The visions flipped into her, almost like a dream, images from the past, but strong and complete, colourful, and arousing. Nicole danced alone, beckoning her, a squirrel chasing its tail, scampering bold and certain between Nicole's ankles. Freedom, and sunshine. Monique moaned in ecstasy, her fingers entwined in Andrea's hair, holding her close, rocking her hips towards Andrea's sweet mouth. A shaft of sunshine peeked through the closed blinds to kiss her breasts, shiny with perspiration and passion. Freedom, and sunshine. Andrea stood smiling and naked upon the grass. She passed her hands behind her, miming security and control. Sunlight lit her shoulders. She tingled, and faded, into another time, another place. Freedom, and sunshine. Both of them stood, tears falling slowly down their faces, kissing gently. Dawn felt the kiss of leather upon her breasts, her hands rattling her handcuffs, aching. The whip lay coiled about Leigh's ankles, Kate bound with course rope to the gate out front of the mansion. Sunlight glinted off Kate's red hair like a flame. Freedom, and sunshine. The darkness faded, and she opened her eyes. There was a difference now, the void in front of her lit dimly from above. He stood over http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (21 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


her, a shape in the darkness. She pulled up her legs, groaning as they complained. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept sitting on a packed earthen floor. Her shoulders ached, and her thighs cried out. Such strange dreams. "Are you all right? I'm sorry it took so long," he whispered. She blinked, and shook her head, her hair tickling her shoulders and back. She tried to rise, and fell back, lightly cursing under her breath. She'd forgotten the handcuffs. "Give me a moment," she breathed. She sensed him back away. "What happened to the light?" he asked quietly. She leaned forward, feeling sick. (I don't want to throw up. Not here. Not yet.) "Shattered." He didn't ask how, perhaps sensing within her a reluctance to help him understand. He stepped forward, and a shard of light bulb shattered like a shot under his runner. He cringed, but leaned close. He gently lifted her, and she relaxed, her hands pressed between her back and his arms. "You'd cut your feet to ribbons," he murmured. He set her back on her feet at the base of the stairs. She wavered a moment, then caught her balance. "That's what I was concerned about, too." She looked up the stairs. They rose like a passage to heaven. She wouldn't miss the cellar. Not in the slightest. But it had been necessary, hadn't it? "Are they gone?" "Completely," he said. She sensed a deep sadness in his voice, far beyond anything that she'd expected. She turned to look at him, but the dimness of the place concealed his features from her. She thought she saw a hint of moisture upon his cheek, but he turned away before she could look closer. With a sigh, she placed one bare foot onto the rough plank that http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (22 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


served as stairs, rising for the last time from the grave. "Do you want clothes?" he asked her. It didn't matter anymore. She was naked, he'd seen her this way -he'd seen her frustrated, and screaming. There wasn't much to hide. It seemed frivolous. He faltered, and touched the railing. They stood in the silent foyer. She kept expecting a feminine voice murmuring out of the living room, or bare feet whispering across marble. But there was none. She could sense that, only two tennis balls spinning lazily in the haze somewhere beyond the realm of her normal vision -- her and him alone in the universe. The only female here could see the stairs toes curled into the handcuffs, almost to

was her, now; she sensed it as clearly as she rising onto the second floor, or see her bare marble under her feet. She rattled her remind her that she was still wearing them.

"Nicole has jeans and shirts, I'm sure they'd fit you," he said. She shook her head, and he looked away from her. He fished around in a pocket and made to step around her. Again she shook her head. "It doesn't matter," she said. "I've worn them this long." He looked absurdly grateful, and put the key back into his pocket. They walked together through the garden. She was aware of her nakedness, as she was his attire, but it didn't bother her any more. The grass beneath her feet caressed her bare skin, sending shivers down her spine. They stopped at the elm, and Dawn sighed, slowly kneeling and then finding her customary position in the grass. She looked up. The dragon still seemed to retreat from the girl. He settled across from her against the elm tree. "Will we ever meet again?" Dawn asked quietly. He still didn't look at her, regarding the sky instead. "I don't know, Dawn."



They were quiet again. A gentle breeze, like a lovers fingers, caressed her breasts, sparking desire deep in her being. "I'm not sure how this is supposed to end," she said. "Me, either." She hesitated, her mind warring with her body. Her thighs trembled for a moment, gooseflesh rising despite the warmth of the air. "I would have had sex with you," she said at last. "Still would. I don't mind. It wouldn't be rape. Not between us." He nodded as though understanding. He lowered his eyes from the clouds to capture her eyes. Slowly, he shook his head. "I want to, with you more than the others." "I'm the last woman on Earth," she said, a smile finding its way to her lips. He laughed. "I think, that we were -- meant to find each other." "I know." "And," he said slowly, "you're so beautiful sitting there." "Naked." "No, you'd be beautiful with your clothes or without them. It doesn't matter. There's something more." She shivered, and drew her knees up. She awkwardly propped her chin on her knees, aware that he wasn't looking at her anyway, but rather over her shoulder, far away. "I'd make love to you," she said in a whisper. Again, he shook his head, tears shining there, but not spilling. "It's over," he said at last, pushing himself up. Her breasts moaned, and her vagina clenched, unspoken desire racing through her body. She waiting, and tried to ignore his touch as he helped her to her feet. "Where are we going?" she asked as they began to walk. "Home," he answered. "I hope." "I shouldn't be here," she said. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (24 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


He stood across from her, his hands clasped in front of him. He shook his head. "It's dangerous. This place, it ..." "Fantasy," she said slowly. "Yes. Not real, but real enough." "What is fantasy?" He paused for a moment, then lowered his eyes to find hers again. "Consequences." She nodded slowly, and let her breath out. The handcuffs jingled behind her back. "Are you sure you don't want ..." He nodded, though she thought that if she asked him again, he might take her. She pressed her lips together and sighed. She didn't ask again. "I'm consequences." "You control time." She nodded. She could sense his time bubble, but it had shrunk to a proportionally sized spinning tennis ball, weary and exhausted, holding a universe upon its shoulders. It was no longer a planet, or a sun, or a galaxy, but only slightly larger than hers, as he was slightly larger than she was physically, spinning through pink haze. She sensed threads spinning around her, entwining, separating, beginning and ending. "I'm not supposed to be here." He sighed, and looked at her again. "I think, maybe you are." "We can't meet ... over there," he said. She nodded. "I don't even know who you are." "It's better that way. Consequences." (He knows who you are.)



"I won't seek you," she said slowly. But she didn't know if that was the strict truth. Everywhere she'd look, she'd see him, in crowd, in theatres, on buses. "And I can't seek you," he said. And she believed him. Perhaps, it would be more dangerous for him to seek her than for her to seek him. She didn't understand why, but she sensed the truth in it. She looked up, her eyes wet with tears. "This is the end, isn't it?" He nodded. "It has to be." Indeed. It had to be. She felt the touch of his time bubble against her, intimate and close. A lovers finger slid gently over her nipple, and then down her tummy to her thigh. She sighed, and pulled against her handcuffs, her wrists twisting gently, squirming. Automatically, she willed her reaction back, not wanting to push against his influence, letting him reach into the waves of time, leaving her to ride. Her body clamoured at her, begging for release, begging for some sort of satisfaction. The universe wavered for a moment, and she felt tingles in her fingertips; then it snapped back, with almost an audible snap. "I can't," he said softly. She closed her eyes, seeing herself as he did, a petite girl, naked, surrounded by a field of grass, her bare feet planted firmly, her wrists captured behind her back. She gathered the threads around her, ignoring the steady beat of her pulse in her breasts and between her legs. She cried out, her voice projected to the uncaring blue sky above. It hurt, but it didn't. She trembled, feeling his bubble dwarfing under hers, dissolving. His to create, hers to destroy. She thought she heard the sigh of five girls in her ears, Nicole, Monique, Andrea, Leigh and Kate. Through the mists, she saw his image waver, and then he smiled.



"Until next time, little one," he said, his voice more in her head, than in the air between them. Then he faded, and she sensed tingling in her hands. The symbolic handcuffs fell from her wrists, but didn't touch the grass, dissolved as if a whirlpool had sucked them into oblivion. She cried out, not in pain, but in wonder, as the tingling spread to her arms, and into her body, warming her, lighting the darkness. She felt herself falling into a bottomless void. "It's over," she whispered. "I am the key."


Rachel looked up, a wisp of puzzlement crossing her features. For a moment, she thought that she saw two women, girls, really, standing nude in front of the desk. The Westin symbol seemed to waver for a moment, then solidified. "Can I ..." She stopped herself, her hand rising to touch her lips. Help you? She shook her head, and reached for the telephone. It buzzed conspiratorially in her hand, and she closed her eyes for a moment. She dialled. He picked it up on the third ring, sleepy and disoriented. "Hello?" She smiled, and breathed heavily into the phone, looking around to ensure that nobody was paying attention to her. Nobody was. "Hey lover," she whispered. "When I get home, you're getting lucky." She hung up, her breasts aching. The strawberry tingled against her tongue as she lay her head back. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (27 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


Bubbles surrounded her, and gentle sprays of water caressed her skin beneath. She opened her mouth, waiting. A grape, as sweet as wine, exploded as she sank her molars into it. She opened her eyes, expecting Dawn to kiss her, but she started as she saw Mark. The feeling faded as quickly as it came, like a dream. The emotions remained, but Linda couldn't place their source any longer. "Hey, lover girl," Mark whispered. His fingers touched her face, and she raised her own hand, bubbles and all, to interlace with his fingers. She smiled, not understanding the flush that had touched her body, but knowing exactly how to satiate it. She pushed herself up out of the hot tub, ignoring the plate of fruit from which he was feeding her. He glanced at her, looked away, then returned his eyes to drape down her nude body. He watched him mentally strip away the bubbles. "Not again," he groaned in mock exasperation. "It is the day after my wedding, and it is the honeymoon suite ..." she whispered. She took his hand. For some reason, she tried to imagine him as a girl. Couldn't. "Sweets, I'm tired," he said. But he was grinning. "Tired?" He nodded, still mischievous. She sighed. "I can take care of myself, you know ..." She let her hand drift down her breast, circling her nipple, which tingled at her touch. He reached up and grasped her hand, and playfully tugged her from the tub. She dripped all over the tiles, and yelped playfully. She lay down, still wet, and slippery. He grinning and reached down to touch her. She lifted her breasts into his touch. "I'm glad you're back," she whispered to him. Kelly glanced around the hardware store, and pressed her legs together. She sighed, and called over a few aisles. "Walt? Can you cover for me?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (28 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


Walt rounded the corner, a middle aged man that she always had suspected might have actually liked her if she didn't paint herself up. A tingle ran through her, and she stepped from behind the cash register, passing him. She walked quickly up the aisle, stopping for a moment beside where the clothespins lay, innocently regarding her from the bin. She shivered, and a sudden thought flit through her mind: What might those feel like on her nipples? She turned away, frightened, but not. She paced up the hallway, and entered the ladies room with a sigh. She didn't have to go -- she didn't even glance at the stalls. Tilting her head, she stared at her image in the mirror. Suddenly, she didn't even know who she was anymore. She turned on the taps, and squirted soap into her hands. Moments later, her face still drying, she slipped back out into the hallway. She felt naked, without the everpresent piercings, her eyebrows bare, her nose stud jingling in her pocket. The patrons of the mall didn't really know her, and none remarked on her new appearance. "Walt?" The man looked up, his eyes widening. Then a smile graced his lips, warming her. "Kelly? My, God." Sandra let the phone fall slowly to its cradle. A sense of deja vu suffused her, and she slowly pushed herself up from behind the desk. She paced to the door, opening it with care, almost as if she were afraid that the boogeyman might jump from behind, tearing at her clothing, raping her. Where did those thoughts come from? she wondered. She peered out, unease settling through her body. It seemed like it emanated from the lab. She shook her head, and returned to her desk. Her breasts ached, and she wanted sex. It didn't make any sense. She ignored the sensations, and tried to concentrate on the work she had. She had to get funding for the lab. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (29 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


The blonde girl behind the desk seemed eerily familiar. His bike shoes clicked against the floor in the awkward rhythm of his walk. Her name tag said: Andrea. He smiled, and smoothed his hair. "Hi, Andrea. Delivery for the 42nd floor." The girl looked up, slightly dazed. She smiled, and reached for the clipboard. "Don't I know you from somewhere?" he said. His mind filled with a vision of the girl naked, and he shook his head, trying to clear it. She was staring at him as though she had seen his thoughts, and she was disgusted by it. He'd heard of undressing women with his mind, had even done it before. But this ... "That's original," Andrea said easily, and handed back the clipboard. The courier scratched his head, and stepped away from the desk. The girl returned her attention to a thick textbook in front of her, sighing. The image faded quickly, and by the time he reached the 42nd floor lobby, he had nearly forgotten the security guard. Except for her eyes. Suki's foot met the sidewalk with a resounding click, the high heels aching on her feet. The sounds of traffic, and noon hour conversations surrounded her. She automatically translated some of them into Mandarin, smiling as one woman described her honeymoon as she stepped from a taxi. Suki glanced up, the Westin towering overhead. She stopped, suddenly feeling eyes on her. Somewhere. She tilted her head. A guard, or a bellboy, she couldn't tell which was leering at her from the lobby. If his tongue had been any further out of his mouth, he would have been mopping the floor with it. She sighed; it wasn't an unusual reaction. She knew that she was pretty, even if she wasn't a supermodel. She glanced around, and fought the almost irresistible urge to flash him. Instead, she sighed, and flashed him her middle finger.



Then she turned and continued into the world. Melanie hesitated, a sense of excitement racing through her nerves. The bus driver glanced down at her through the open door. "Lady, are you coming aboard?" Melanie shook her head, the feeling fading. Her breasts suddenly ached, and she sensed something from the bus. "I'll take the next one," she said. The bus driver shook her head, and closed the door. The bus lurched off, and Melanie watched it go with a blossoming feeling of relief. John drove along the roadway, his fingers reaching for the radio dial. Suddenly, an image of Dawn, naked, and standing in a sea of green, barefoot, and yet powerful slammed into his mind. The cars around him faded, and the girl stood instead, hands curiously behind her back, almost as if they were tied there. His penis pulsed with the thought, until he realised that he was going to hit her. He screamed, and twisted the wheel, tires churning and screeching. The bridge abutment rose out of his vision, like a tower of concrete from a fog. "Shit," he murmured. He heard the crash, more than felt it, the engine careening through the dashboard like a hungry animal. He screamed again, and then darkness descended. A sudden scent of musk surrounded them, and they looked at each other, with expressions of embarrassment. "It wasn't me," Amber said, a smile rising to her lips. Heather glanced at her sideway, a sudden desire flowing through her nerves only to disappear in an instant. "I wasn't me, either," she said. But the musk faded as quickly as it had come, a phantom only touching their minds for an instant. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-151-157.html (31 of 37)8/14/2005 11:45:21 PM


Jessica shivered as though she'd passed through a ghost, her foot resuming its path as though it had never stopped. She sat at her desk, and lowered her head to her hands. She listened to the students filing out. She glanced up, and watched as one of the last girls, the tall shy one, Leigh, stepped out and to the doorway. She paused there, glancing back for a moment, holding Jessica's eyes. A tingle passed through Jessica's breasts, her nipples throbbing. An image of herself, naked, kneeling on the floor, Leigh above her, flashed through her mind. She closed her eyes, and the image disappeared. Only the throbbing in her nipples remained. "Are you all right, Miss Chambers?" She shook herself, afraid somehow that Leigh had seen the same image, certain of it. But the girl's face only registered concern, and an element of adulthood, thrust upon her too early. It wasn't the same girl that had entered the class. Jessica didn't understand it, and she could only shake her head. "Perhaps a headache," she whispered. "I hope you feel better," Leigh said. The girl shut the door quietly behind her, and Jessica was left alone in the classroom. She let her breath out, and began gathering papers to grade. "Kate," Karen whispered. "Forget her, I'm not with her anymore." Karen looked around, puzzled. The smoking area seemed the same, but every time she thought to bring the lit stick to her lips, her nipples ached. Hard, almost like they were burning. She ignored the sensation, and brought the tobacco to her lips, and inhaled. The smoke burned her, and she coughed deeply, her lungs on fire. That hadn't happened since she was a novice at this. Her eyes teared, and her nipples throbbed. She looked up, and Darren was staring at her, something between concern and unbridled lust entering his eyes.



She had a sudden vision of herself naked in front of him, crying, and his face carrying that same expression. She paled. "Forget that bitch, she's nothing." Karen sighed, and then reached into her pocket, withdrawing the cigarettes there. She dropped them on the ground, grinding her heel into the pack. The lit one, between her fingers, made her nauseous to smell it. It joined the pack. "Karen, what the hell are you doing?" He raised his own cigarette to his lips and inhaled. He blew the smoke towards her, and she coughed again, her eyes watering. "Is that what you'll call me, too, when you're through with me?" she asked quietly. The other students around her stepped back, sensing something more floating though the smoking area than a simple lovers spat. "What?" That look hadn't left his eyes. (Add some rope, and a burning cigarette pressed into my tits, and he'd be spraying his shorts.) She had no idea where that thought had come from, but she was as certain of it as she was that she would never touch another cigarette as long as she lived. "Bitch," she said, almost in a whisper. It seemed to take the wind out of his sails, and finally that look fled. He liked his girls more docile. That's why he dropped Kate. She walked up to him, her hands balled at her side. "I'm not a bitch, and neither is Kate. Understand?" He nodded, backing away from her. She thought she heard clapping behind her as she turned away from him and began walking towards the school. She didn't know if she'd find Kate, probably not, but she would eventually. She needed to tell her something. She'd stopped smoking, and she'd kissed her boyfriend. Former boyfriend.




"I am the key," she whispered, her voice echoing normally about the silent classroom. A pencil appeared between her fingers, and she started as though waking from a dream. The girl next to her glanced up, a look of annoyance flitting across her face. She bent back to the exam, concentration pinching her cheeks. At the front of the classroom, the Latino teaching assistant cast her a warning look, but didn't rise to lecture her. Dawn lowered her eyes, and the exam swam back into focus. They were all alive again, moving through the smoothness of time like swimmers through a still lake. The time haze was gone, blown away like so much smoke. Dawn sighed. Once, when she'd been younger, she'd started a car in a closed garage, the old Buick quickly filling the enclosed space with carbon monoxide. She'd escaped, but not before darkness had risen, like a tide, into her vision. She blinked, feeling the same helplessness, same inevitability. The darkness rose, but she managed to push it back down. With a bolt of surprise, she realised that her breasts ached, and she thought that her panties might even be damp. (Panties? Jeans? Sweatshirt?) She nearly pulled at the collar of her shirt to see if she was wearing a bra. She sighed contentedly. Clothing. Such a simple thing. Had she fallen asleep at her desk. She'd been tired. John, and the exam keeping her from sleep. Had she dreamed it? She shook her head. Glancing at the closed door, she shivered. (Did I really do that to get out of here? Strip in front of all these students and pleasure myself?) Her breasts tingled at the idea, and she forced herself to pick back up the pencil, giving her fingers something else to do besides brush at her breast through her clothing. The darkness welled up again, and she lay her head down on her desk.



"Dawn? Are you all right?" The Latino student looked worriedly towards the door. He'd probably never had to deal with someone sick in an exam room. She stifled a giggle. He probably didn't even have procedures. "I'm fine. Just resting," she called. She pushed back at the darkness, as it retreated again. (Can't pass out here. Only a dream. Only a dream. A wildly detailed, wildly arousing dream.) She opened her eyes, and the proctor shook his head and returned, somewhat thankfully, to his reading at the front of the classroom. (I couldn't free him. I tried.) (I am the key.) She picked back up the pencil, and gazed down at the exam questions. She couldn't read it; it was almost as if it were written in a foreign language. Her eyes drew her attention to her wrists. (Oh, my, God.) A faint, thin line wrapped her right wrist, almost as if (she'd worn handcuffs) something had pressed into her skin there. She dropped the pencil and traced the line with her finger. It didn't hurt, but it was there. No denying it. There was a matching ring about her left wrist, exactly where it should be. Suddenly, she was tired. Very tired. More tired. Her eyes slipped down the page of questions, and rested on the last one. "In your own words, describe the nature of Time." She nearly laughed, but picked up the pencil for the final time. Writing furiously, her mind cleared and the words flowed. The answer, she though, might just surprise the professor. She stood in front of the door, her hand resting on the handle. She swallowed heavily suddenly nervous. The other students had left, even the proctor, only her, alone in the last room.



She'd already escaped her last prison, hadn't she? She'd been strong enough. Somehow. Her thoughts twisted to the exam, a smile gracing her lips. The professor was going to be surprised, oh yes. And she'd pass, after all, she was sure. But that wasn't her accomplishment for the day. She was the key, somehow, and she'd escaped. She glanced again at the handle. Voices hummed outside, students carrying on their ordinary lives. Her breasts ached, and she thought of him, somewhere in the world, out there, perhaps waiting for another time, another place. She shivered, and hoped to God that he was aching as much as she. The visions were gone. The time haze was gone. The silent, strange universe, she'd returned to normal, whatever that was. Her body ached, and she only wanted to go home, have a long bath, and relax and watch the sun set. Alone. She twisted the door knob, and the door swung open. No stabbing desire. No gut wrenching pain. She was aroused, but it was residual, not induced by the act of opening the door. It would be all right, now. She supposed her reaction and fear might be Pavlovian, but probably not. She closed her eyes, and saw herself standing in a sea of green, her body bare, her senses clear, the universe swirling around her, her body throbbing in a time that was timeless. "I am the key," she whispered. She stepped out into the hall, joining the river of humanity flowing towards the beautiful spring day. She took an odd comfort in those voices surrounding her, though she walked alone. "It's over," she whispered. The sunshine kissed her face, and the universe felt right and free again.



Dawn of Time - Epilogue - Crimson Dragon

Epilogue © Copyright 2003 - Crimson Dragon - All Rights Reserved


Dawn of Time Index

Epilogue © Copyright 2003 - Crimson Dragon - All Rights Reserved

Monique sighed as she waited, her arms folded across her suit, under her breasts. The elevator descended in a rush, the air pressure popping in her ears. Her stomach rumbled, and she hummed lightly, the new case already spinning through her mind. Partner. She smiled, and tapped her foot lightly in time with her tuneless humming, a person alone in an elevator. It was the strangest thing. Her breasts hurt, almost like she was PMSing, but different. Besides, it wasn't her time of month. No. Perhaps, it was nerves, but it might have been a sense of fate, whispering through her. She glanced around the small enclosure, wondering if there was a camera hidden in behind the mahogany panels. She sighed, and traced her right breast. It tingled, and she swallowed heavily. Suddenly, she was more aware of herself, of her body, something subtle changed. (I'm going to be a partner.) The elevator slowed, and she swallowed twice to clear her ears. She slowly pulled her fingers from her breast, a puzzled expression crossing her fair features. A perky synthesised voice, feminine and http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-Epilogue.html (1 of 20)8/14/2005 11:45:32 PM


familiar, called out her level. "Ground. Lobby. Going up." Monique shook her head, as if to clear cobwebs, and she stepped forward as the elevator doors pulled open. The girl was slightly shorter than her, and wore her blonde hair long about her shoulders. Her head was down, watching her feet, not watching where she was walking. Monique collided with her, a faint "oof," escaping her lips as the girl's shoulder met her left breast. For a moment, Monique was sure that her breast was going to explode, agony filling her. Then, as quickly as it had come, it settled, almost like a lost memory, only a dull ache where she'd been struck. "I'm so sorry," the girl murmured, embarrassed. Monique opened her eyes, and the girl's face flooded into her vision. She had baby blue eyes, set into a flawless face. Her lips carried concern, and a hint of friendliness not often seen in the city. Monique caught her breath as electricity, as undeniable as an onrushing train, raced through her nerves. Monique's vagina clenched for a moment, and she gasped. The girl's fingers touched her shoulder, a soft weight through the cloth of her jacket. "Oh, God, are you all right?" The girl glanced around, almost as if searching for the nearest paramedic. "No. I mean yes. I'm fine," Monique whispered. Her hand gently held the elevator. Her breath came in ragged bursts, but it wasn't pain. No. Not pain. She consciously pulled her hand away from her breast, grimacing a little. The girl smiled, flooding Monique. "Are you sure?" Monique nodded, unable to move her eyes from her face. Monique nodded again. "Just surprised me." (Surprised me.) The girl touched her face, the concern changing into something else. Something more ... "Do you have the time?" she asked, changing the direction of the http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-Epilogue.html (2 of 20)8/14/2005 11:45:32 PM


conversation, apparently satisfied that she hadn't broken Monique somehow. Monique gathered in her breath and let the elevator door close behind her, raising her wrist. A faint red line encircled her wrist, perhaps pressed there by her watchband. She stared at the watch unable to read it, amazed that it was there at all. Monique shook her head slowly. The girl leaned in, her hair scented of honey and clover. Her fingers touched Monique's hand, turning it towards her. "I'm so late," she murmured. The blonde stepped to the side and stabbed at the elevator button, the little green arrow lighting under her painted nail. She shifted her weight impatiently from foot to foot. She glanced at Monique, a stranger in the crowd. "Are you sure you're all right? I hit you hard." Monique nodded. "Can I buy you coffee? Make it up to you?" Monique tilted her head; she could only hear her own pulse hammering in her ears. She didn't understand, and yet she did. The elevator doors slid open, and the girl stood, her back against the opening, preventing it from closing. She extended her hand, a smile on her lips. Monique's fingers closed around the small cardboard sheet the girl offered to her, her mind dimly recognising it as a business card. Name. Phone number. Fax. "Call me," the girl said. She flashed the smile again as Monique nodded. The elevator doors slid shut again, and she was gone, in a whirl of synthesised female voices. Going up. Thoughtfully, Monique shook her head and slipped the card into her breast pocket, where it nestled, its illicit heat radiating through her clothing. (I'll call her.) The thought made sense, and she felt free, more free than she had in a long time. Was she actually attracted to that girl?

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She began to walk towards the concourse, glancing down her body, over the rise of her breasts, sensing the card in her pocket. She shook her head, almost laughing. Her breasts didn't hurt. Not exactly. They ached. Andrea closed her eyes, her fingers idly running along the rim of her cap, twisting it slightly. She leaned back in the chair and felt her own breathing lifting and lowering her breasts under the uniform. It itched. She wanted to take it off. "So, ready to go someplace? Fuck like minks?" She smiled and opened her eyes. "Fuck off, Frank," she said lightly and pushed herself out of her chair. She gathered up her book, closing it with a snap, and dropping her green highlighter into her bag. He grinned, their evening ritual playing out. He was a middle aged divorce, a more formal guard's hat hiding his receding hairline, a badge pinned to his lapel. He carried a slight paunch -- perhaps too many beers, drowning his alimony woes. Andrea grinned, as she stepped away from the desk, her eyes automatically scanning the flickering monitors. He rounded the desk. "Fuck off? I'd rather fuck you," he said jovially. "Dirty old man," she said. A couple was kissing in the parking garage, the girl up against one of the concrete pillars, one leg raised and wrapping around the guy's waist, a pantomime of standing sex. Andrea pointed, almost nonchalantly, enjoying Frank's expression of interest. "Just make sure they don't start fucking," Andrea said with a laugh, sure that if they began to strip off down there, Frank would be the last guy down there to stop them. No. He'd be all eyes on the monitor, up here, probably licking the screen. She lifted the heavy book, and switched places with Frank. She dropped the book on the marble reception mantle and toyed with the cover with one finger. "What's up, baby doll?" he asked, settling his bulk into the chair she'd just vacated, probably still warm from her body. She shrugged. "I need a topic for a paper. And don't call me 'baby doll'" All part of the ritual. "That psycho-babble shit?" http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-Epilogue.html (4 of 20)8/14/2005 11:45:32 PM


"It's not shit." He nodded easily, his eyes laughing. He shrugged. "When is a cigar just a cigar?" She laughed. "Pig," she said easily. He didn't seem to mind the insult, perhaps even revelling in it -- attention, even negative attention, from a pretty girl. She sighed, and picked back up the book. She could feel his eyes watching her ass as she sauntered towards the revolving doors of the building. She purposely swung her hips, smiling. "Have a good night, Andrea," he said. "You'll figure something out." With a start, she realised that her breasts were aching, and before she could stop her hand, it rose to caress through her uniform. (Why? What?) She slowly turned, and regarded him, consciously dropping her hand. Oh, Frank would have a field day with that. For a moment, his face almost seemed friendly and kind, beaten by life, but kind. Even if she seriously did accept his invitation one day, she doubted if he'd ever take her to a seedy motel and do her. She shook her head. Wouldn't happen. (Abnormal sexuality and external influences.) The thought made her smile. A topic. She'd have to read further in the text, and figure out an opening sentence, but she supposed that she could make it work. "Frank?" He looked up from the monitors, his eyes concerned, perhaps a little frightened. A routine broken. Normally, she walked out the doors, without looking back, leaving him to his post. She didn't know what she was going to ask him, perhaps only wanted to see his face again. "Are you okay, Andrea?" Her breasts ached. Suddenly, she was aware of herself like a flood of knowledge flowing through her veins. Her entire body ached, as if she'd run a marathon, or wrestled a bear. Even her toes and fingers ached. But most of all ... She shook her head. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-Epilogue.html (5 of 20)8/14/2005 11:45:32 PM


Had she actually considered asking him to join her, to take her home to do what? Fuck him? "Frank?" He tilted his head, puzzled. (God, I'm horny. What gives?) She licked her lips, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She felt like crying, her body crying out to her. She lifted a hand to pull off her cap, her hair falling free, her ponytail sighing across her shoulders. Across her right wrist a pale faded mark snaked around her wrist. She regarded it, puzzled for a moment. Then it seemed to wink out of existence, as if it had never been there. She smiled, and lifted her hand, cap between her fingers to wave. "Have a good night, Frank. You'll be fine." He shook his head, as if she were crazy, and then dismissing the vacuous blonde, returned his eyes back to the couple making out in the underground lot, a hidden camera, a touch of voyeurism more interesting than the girl in the doorway. She turned and pushed her way through the revolving door, emerging into the fading light of the spring afternoon. She began to walk towards her apartment. (Horny. My God.) She shook her head in amusement. She didn't need Frank, perhaps the trash talk had merely aroused something in her -- something perverted, and kinky. Nothing that a cold shower, or perhaps a warm bath, with a bottle of wine, candles, and a pair of fingers couldn't ease. She smiled again, her steps People gazed at her, almost but she didn't notice them. walking with a cane passing

falling lightly against the sidewalk. like she was a celebrity, as she passed, Then she laughed, startling an old man her.

(Abnormal sexuality and internal influences.) She'd begin writing it, immediately after the bath, and the candles, and whatever else came to mind. Her breasts ached pleasantly, even as the uniform scratched at her http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-Epilogue.html (6 of 20)8/14/2005 11:45:32 PM


skin. She couldn't wait to take it off, though something nagged at her mind, that it wouldn't be the first time today that she'd taken it off. The thought didn't make any sense to her, and dismissing it lightly, as she dismissed Frank's routine comments, she centred her mind on her apartment and her bath. And her breasts continued to ache as she walked. Nicole couldn't see them when they arrived on horseback, silently in the night, spreading out and fanning across the grounds, startling squirrels, but moving as ghosts. She didn't hear them as they silently entered the house, through broken doors, and windows, moving like phantoms, room to room, feet in boots somehow quiet on marble and hardwood. She clutched at the plastic disk in the dark, her wrists held securely by bands of steel. She didn't have the key, she never had the key. Weeping silently, she turned the disk up into the moonlight. Her name, simple and childish scrawled across the inside rim, "Nicole", a different Nicole, a younger Nicole, a girl that laughed, and didn't always cry. The chain jingled between her wrists, and she curled back up, her hair fanning out across the pillow. She raised her hands, both moving as one, bound together, restricting her movements. Another, similar restraint held her ankles beneath the covers. She winced as she touched her eye, nearly swollen shut, and weeping, even when she wasn't crying -- a rarity. He was going to kill her. Of that, she was certain. If not today, tomorrow. Her side ached where he'd kicked her, her breasts ached where he'd whipped her until she'd finally, mercifully, passed out, even smelling salts not bringing her around. It wasn't soft, like a stuffed animal, but he'd taken them all -- no comfort there. Not for her. She clutched at the worn surface of the Frisbee, holding it against her bare breasts. More tears fell, as the phantoms approached. She could still taste him in her mouth. He hadn't even let her vomit, dropping her into her bed like a rag doll, ignoring her moans, cursing her as he stomped out. Useless bitch. Fucking cunt. Her door exploded, with a bang, clattering back against its frame, his foot probably propelling it. She closed her eyes, as best she could, and though she didn't want to, she screamed, her throat working despite the pain there, and the hoarseness of her vocal chords. She'd screamed all day, and didn't even think she could manage more than a whisper. But she could. And it scared her. It http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-Epilogue.html (7 of 20)8/14/2005 11:45:32 PM


might make him think she was capable of more. Fucking cunt. Useless, small titted, bitch. A female voice called out. "I found her." Her own voice, Nicole barely recognised. A croak, no more. "Please, no more. I just want to die. Can't you just kill me?" Nicole sensed the feminine presence approach her bed. She didn't want to, but she couldn't help it. Her fingers released the Frisbee, and she lifted her bound hands, warding off the blows she was sure were coming. In the dim light, she had seen a bat, or a nightstick, or a billy club -- something to hurt her with, something to drive more pain into her wracked body. She closed her eyes, and whimpered. "Please, no more." She felt the covers drawn back from her body, and she didn't care that the woman could see her nudity, her bruises, her broken bones, and weeping cuts. Her body wasn't her own anymore. She curled up in a ball as best she could, trying to protect her breasts, her belly, everywhere he'd already struck her. She coughed weakly, feeling blood filling her mouth again, the coppery taste sharp, and gagging. But she dared not vomit. He'd punish her. The new woman, whoever she was would punish her. And the women were worse than the men. Somehow. "Please," she begged, ashamed, hot tears spilling from her ruined face. A light, like that of a flashlight travelled across her, striking red deeply under her lids. She braced herself for more pain, hoping that she'd pass out quickly this time. Maybe he'd let this woman kill her, finally. The chains between her wrists jingled softly, almost merrily in the darkness. "Oh, my God," the woman above her whispered. It was enough for Nicole to open her eyes again. But she couldn't see. Red filled her vision. Then the woman knelt and shouted, her voice clear and strong through the stillness of the night. "Paramedics. On the double. Oh my, God." Other voices rose in the distance, running feet clattered. Nicole moaned. More people to see her like this. More people to hurt her. She curled up tighter, wishing that she could disappear. But her body wasn't her own anymore, and whoever wanted to see her, could.



A soft, gentle hand stroked her hair. It felt familiar, almost as if she'd felt something like this before. Comfort, easy and close. No expectations. "Sweety, I'm not here to hurt you." Gentle fingers touched the Frisbee, and Nicole clutched it, refusing to let it go. "I'm with the police. My name is Mary. Are you Nicole? Can you talk?" Nicole shivered. She wanted to answer the woman, her fingers still lightly stroking her hair, but her throat refused to form sounds, her vocal chords a mass of pain. Even the woman's gentle touch in her hair hurt her, but she didn't cry out. Couldn't. "I've fucked the chief of police," she said dully. She sensed the woman leaning in, and she thought that she might have to kiss her. It didn't mean anything to her, only the pain registering. "I don't want to kiss you," she mumbled. "The chief, we know," the woman said. Her fingers continued to stroke gently. People entered the room, and the woman turned. "No lights. Not yet. Give me a few minutes." "We need ..." Mary twisted, and almost hissed. "In a minute." The people moved back, and Mary leaned in close again. Nicole tried to speak, but she couldn't. Tears traced down her cheeks, burning fire into the small cuts that lined her skin. She did moan. "Nicole? Sweety?" The woman was whispering, for her ears only. "Stay with us, okay?" Did she have a choice? He wouldn't let her die. But this woman would know that. Nicole twisted her head, trying to ignore the pain. "It's over now. He can't hurt you anymore. There'll be a suicide watch, but I doubt if it will be manned closely. We've sent another team to the Chief's residence. You're safe now." Safe. Nicole didn't remember what safe meant. "How?" she managed to croak. Her limbs refused to spread out, her body still coiled as if to protect her from blows. She didn't want the rest of them to see her. Not like this. But she supposed that they would, no matter what she said. Dimly, she realised that she needed help, that she was dying, or would die without help, doctors and hospitals, even if he wouldn't let her die. "An anonymous call. We don't know who. From the east side somewhere, a telephone booth, a week ago, or so. Took this long to work through the red tape." Her voice sounded bitter. "He was going to kill me." http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-Epilogue.html (9 of 20)8/14/2005 11:45:32 PM


"We know," Mary said. "It's over now." Nicole sighed, and looked up into Mary's face. Only concern reflected in the dim light from the hallway, not hate, not blinding fury, no falling fists. Nicole pulled the plastic disk with her name inscribed upon it closer to her aching chest. She coughed again, a coppery tang touching her tongue. Mary's face wavered, and she dimly heard the policewoman motioning to the others to come closer, and hurry. Her entire body ached, and though she knew she was hurt, badly, somehow she'd survived. "Get these fucking things off her." An anonymous voice in the night racing to save her. An angel. She didn't understand, but somehow, it had happened. Slowly, she shook her head, aching. Mary bent her lips to listen. "It'll never be over," Nicole whispered. Then, she closed her eyes, and darkness began to overtake her. Blessed darkness. When she woke, she'd feel better. Of that, she was sure. She couldn't remember the last time she'd smiled, but even though it hurt, she did. "Thank-you," she whispered, but she didn't know who she was thanking. Her breasts ached, but they rose and fell steadily with her breathing. One heartbeat at a time. She'd survived. Kate supposed that it might be the relative quiet that infused itself into her being. No boys calling her name, wanting to be with her, no laughing circle of friends, jabbering for her attention. Of course, most of them were only interested in her because she was pretty, the flaming red hair, the trimmed body. And when Karen showed up, their eyes left Kate's breasts, flipping to the blonde like drowning sailors jumping ships. She didn't mind, didn't really like their eyes only on her body. She'd even noticed it with the girls, though more often it was a note of envy, rather than desire. She walked on. Only her footfalls down the empty corridor, lockers flanking her, infinite stalks of corn stretching into the distance. With it being lunchtime, the teachers and the students had fled the classes, leaving the corridor as barren and lifeless as the arctic. She paused, her hand ready to push in the washroom door, where it smelled faintly of cigarette smoke, and disinfectant. A small noise carried down the hallway, echoing to her ears. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-Epilogue.html (10 of 20)8/14/2005 11:45:32 PM


She turned her eyes, surprised. One locker stood open, owner from her view. Only a pair of running shoes, and flared blue denim emerged as the girl down the hallway slightly. A noise, like a sob, kissed Kate's ears, and lavatory door swing shut under her hand, unopened.

hiding its a flash of moved she let the

She glanced up the hallway, and then down. Only the two of them. She closed her eyes, and swayed for a moment. It felt like fate or destiny, and she resisted, not truly believing. Only a girl who'd lost her boyfriend, as Kate had lost hers only a day before. Darren, the idiot. She fought the red haze that threatened to squeeze tears from her eyes. Surprised, her breasts tingled, almost as if they had been whipped. The thought aroused her a little, but she pushed the thoughts away. Fantasy had no place here. Did it? In school? The tingle settled into an insistent ache, and Kate sighed. Her body was trying to tell her something, but damned if she knew what. That she was aroused? Why? With another sigh, she pulled away from the washroom door, her previous urge to use the facilities vanishing. Another quiet sob carried down the hallway, then only the muted sound of her own feet upon the tiles. She rested her hand on the top of the open locker door, her breast pressed easily into the metal. She shivered for a moment. She knew this girl. Leigh stood, clutching a photograph. Kate couldn't see what it was, and as Leigh looked up sensing her presence, she turned the picture away. A bottle of Poison fragrance sat on the top shelf of Leigh's locker, a musky scent barely a hint in the air. Leigh's eyes were wet and puffy from crying, but slightly puzzled as if she wondered why Kate might be standing against her locker. "Are you all right?" Kate asked. "I'm fine," Leigh said slowly. She wiped at her eyes, and sniffled. Kate wanted to hug the girl, though she barely knew her. Leigh was the type of girl that remained in the background, didn't hang around with the popular girls, didn't date -- not because she wasn't pretty, but because she was stigmatised with the labels of youth: "Nerd", "Brown noser", "Priss", "Unapproachable", even "Bitch". She kept to herself, and only had a few friends, all withering under the childish labels. Not the type of girl with whom Kate would normally associate.



But she was crying, the tears still falling from her eyes. "Boyfriend?" Kate asked. Leigh shook her head. The photograph crumpled a little in her small fist. She looked somewhat surprised, as if it hadn't ever occurred to her that Kate might consider that she might even have a boyfriend. Surprised, Kate inhaled. Leigh smelled familiar, and it wasn't the hint of Poison, which the girl wasn't wearing, but an underlying scent. Something clean and fresh, like clover. Perhaps, her shampoo. Inexplicably, Kate's breasts throbbed again. Her hand trembled for a second on the locker. "If you want to talk ..." Kate said. Leigh looked shocked that the someone like her, the perfect girl, might offer something, anything to a girl like her. She wiped at her eyes again, the flow of tears slowing. "I'll be all right," Leigh said, dismissing Kate. Leigh turned away, her fingers tucking the photograph away into her locker, disappearing amongst the disarray of papers present in every high schooler's locker. "You look like you lost something, or someone," Kate said. She should move away, leave the girl to her own private misery, whatever it was. Her feet refused to obey her rational mind. Leigh looked up, as if she were startled that Kate still stood, leaning against the locker. Her eyes remained shiny with tears, but none spilled over onto her cheeks. She sniffled again, and reached to the edge of her locker. For an instant, her fingers touched Kate's breast, and electricity galloped through Kate making her gasp. Kate automatically moved, her hand leaving the metal of the locker. Leigh gently shut it, and slipped her combination lock through the hasp with a click. "I think maybe I did," Leigh said slowly. "Did?" "Lose something. Someone." Her eyes looked haunted, as if even to herself she couldn't quite understand her own words. Kate sighed, and hugged herself. "I think I might have, too," Kate said, shaking her head. Her red hair plumed into her peripheral vision for a moment. She still wanted to embrace Leigh, but it didn't make any sense. She barely knew the girl. She took a deep breath, and nearly closed her eyes. Her pulse quickened, and her hands felt shaky, nervous, hot.



"Have you got any plans for lunch?" she asked. Leigh gently shook her head, almost as if she was glad of an implicit offer of company, even if she looked puzzled. They walked down the hall together, their footfalls echoing through the easy silence. It would be all right. Somehow. He stood, hands clasped easily behind his back, staring out at the deepening afternoon. Soon, the sun would set, the first sunset he would be able to witness in three days. He sighed as afternoon swept over the universe, uncaring as Time moved along, smoothly and carefree. Below him, a million people, small as ants, scurried unaware, driving, walking, talking, eating. Normal, everyday activities. He turned slowly, and bit at his lower lip, wondering where they were, what they were doing, if they'd changed. The simulations said, quite emphatically, that it was impossible. Nothing, beyond the controller could exist between the boundaries, molecules, matter, returned whence they came. Everything as it was. Otherwise -- paradox. And the Universe wouldn't allow that, would She? But the simulations had denied the existence of another, hadn't they? Two controllers, each sharing their existence as one, tearing at one another like a binary star, each touching the other from a distance. Where was she? Dawn? The girl, an unlikely girl. Yes, she had been strong, had been trained in physics, probably had read all the right books, Hawking, Einstein, Freud. He stopped for a moment, one of the last in the office. It was the first pleasant day of spring outside, the sun bidding farewell, but the air remaining cool, not cold against one's skin. The office had emptied quickly as the clock on the wall slipped past five o'clock. He was tired, so very tired. And his body ached, from carrying the universe, from watching the girls, from controlling them, from being with them, from losing them. A light glowed behind a partly opened door. He stepped towards it, his hand pushing it open. Sandra looked up, her eyes flashing briefly. Annoyed. "Can I help you?"



A flash of recognition flowed across her face, as if she might have thought a janitor had poked his head into the room, but relieved that it was only him. "You're from the lab, right?" She still didn't recognise him by name. He nodded. "I didn't think anyone else was still here," he said easily, backing away from the door. He tried to still his heart, but he could only see her crawling naked on the carpet, descending to the lobby, her skin glowing bare against the backdrop of frozen normalcy. His hand throbbed for a moment, his eyes looking inward, his hand striking her, spanking her -- not hard, but enough. Her tears. He shook himself, and pasted a smile upon his lips. She would never realise the contents of his thoughts. Oh no, far too dangerous. Colliding worlds. "We got the money," she said. She'd offered him money, in exchange for her freedom, an eternity ago. He looked bewildered. "The lab grants. You'll get a paycheque next week." She smiled at him. Relieved, he nodded quickly, backing away, shutting the door. At the last moment, he poked his head back around the frame. "Good-night, Sandra." She looked ill at ease, perhaps with the easy familiarity of her given name, perhaps simply the discomfort of one at a party having forgotten an associate's name that one should remember. "Good-night," she said. He shut the door, heard it click closed with an air of finality. He strode down the hallway, his heels clicking through the silence. It echoed here, he noticed with a smile. The elevator delivered him to the lobby, and the lobby to the street where life buzzed around him. Cars honked, and people talked, and buildings whispered in the wind. He paused as a blonde girl, slim and tall strode past, her eyes straight ahead, oblivious to the controlled chaos surrounding her. He began to undress her in his mind. Blouse. Slacks. Shoes. Panties. Bra, if she was wearing one. He swallowed. He could find out, for sure. Equations floated through his mind, and he very nearly pushed the universe aside, just to have her, even for a moment. Naked, and his. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-Epilogue.html (14 of 20)8/14/2005 11:45:32 PM


Absolute power ... He sighed as she passed him, and the girl glanced over at the sound. She smiled, not having any idea how close she had come to discovering another world, a timeless world, one where she would change, and grow, and perhaps find herself. He forced his eyes from her, the tantalising flashes of innocent skin, her fingers, her wrists, her ankles, her face and throat, driving tendrils of arousal deep into his core. He fought the sensations, turning away from her. The sound of her shoes against the concrete sifted through the urban clutter, receding as she moved through her life. He began to walk, enjoying the simple sensations of the wind upon him, the sounds, the movement, his mind free to consider other things. Like Dawn. Where was she? What was she doing? Would she keep the secret, the one more important than life itself? She had to, for the universe wouldn't, couldn't, allow otherwise. A red light, and a flashing orange hand, halted him at a crossing. He mingled with the crowd of pedestrians. Surrounding him, unique lives, waiting to be touched. A girl hot from jogging beside him, her breasts rising and falling with the effort of her lungs. A woman, dressed in conservative gold, talking on an everpresent cell phone. The light changed. Ahead, buried in the crowd, he saw it, a flash of dusty blonde hair, a familiar, confident stride. His heart leapt into his throat, his pulse hammering. His entire body throbbed, once. "Excuse me, pardon me." His voice seemed to be coming from a million kilometres away, from another universe. He twisted through the people, some cursing lightly, others simply moving from his path, sensing urgency. Another flash of dusty blonde hair, and he was behind her. She walked on, oblivious to his presence, listening to headphones, her body moving gently, not quite dancing to an unheard beat. He closed his eyes, but continued to walk behind her, his hand raised. He shouldn't. He couldn't. They'd promised. He let his hand fall gently on the girl's shoulder, and surprised, she stopped, pushing the headphones from her ears to dangle prettily about her neck.



"Dawn?" he called, his voice full of hope, and regret. She turned, her blue eyes questioning and beautiful. Would she remember? She must. She was the key. Dawn. Her voice was musical, and pretty, as all feminine voices are. But it wasn't Dawn's voice. He opened his eyes. "I'm sorry," she said slowly. "I think you might have me confused with someone else." She stepped back a single pace, her fingers toying with the headphones. He could hear tinny music, some modern pop, drifting through the air towards him. She smiled, and it was a pretty smile. Not Dawn. He shook his head, and sighed. "I'm sorry. I hope that you find her." But he knew that he wasn't meant to. Not here. Not now. "I'm sorry to have bothered you, miss," he said. She turned stood, the watched as her spirit

easily, only an innocent mistake on a crowded street. He river of people flowing around him, like an island. He her dusty blonde hair faded into the crowd, her laugh and simply walking away.

Not Dawn, never had been. The universe couldn't allow it. But his body ached; through to the bones, it ached. Where was she? And what was she doing? It didn't matter. Not anymore. He began to walk again, melting into the river, an island washed away by the current. He felt like crying, and his body ached. Sleep, and then onto the daily grind. But other worlds existed, and someday, when it was safer, perhaps ... The grass tickled her bare toes, and she stretched her body, her palms resting amongst the blades of green. She sat beneath the spreading branches of a tree, similar to the one where she'd sat with him, talking, naked then, her hands cuffed behind her back, helpless, and vulnerable. http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-Epilogue.html (16 of 20)8/14/2005 11:45:32 PM


The wind kissed her neck, and she breathed in. The air wasn't as clear here, in fact, she could smell a tiny undercurrent of corruption, and greed, but here, in the park, it was muted. She wasn't naked, but sat in her jeans and sweatshirt, her running shoes lying at an angle beside her leg. She'd wanted to walk in the grass, touching it, feeling it -- a memory, one not filled with pain, and screams, and -- him. She sighed, and pushed herself up. The sun descended, kissing the horizon, its rays greeting her in shades of pink and orange against the clouds. For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw a cloud flying like a leashed dragon, filling the sky with flame. It drifted, and morphed before her eyes, like smoke blown on the wind. It changed, like a chameleon, into a girl, sitting naked in the grass, leaning back easily on her hands. And then it was gone. She bent, and slipped her bare feet into her shoes without tying them. She needed shoes here, afraid of broken glass, or sharp stones waiting to hurt her. In the gathering darkness, she began to walk home. Other pedestrians and joggers looked at her in awe, as if she may have been a supernatural being, aglow with power -- a goddess. Dawn didn't notice any of their stares as she passed. Her body ached. Her breasts ached. And she was tired. So very tired. She could sense it, muted, but still there, an undeniable haze, almost like a dreamworld, above her own, where time and space melded, and intertwined, and reality became fantasy. She closed her eyes, and dropped the sweatshirt in a heap on the ground. Her jeans joined the crumpled cloth and without thought, her fingers unhooked and pushed, her bra and panties lay at her feet. She glanced around, sure that someone was watching her, her body no longer her private sanctuary. She sighed, wondering if she'd be watching over her shoulder for the rest of her life, wondering if he'd be there, stalking her, forcing her to strip for him, controlling her. She swallowed, and leaned down, twisting the taps. The flow of warm water splashed easily into the tub, the unique smell of running water tickling her nose. Was it real? Or an exam induced fantasy? She raised her hands in front of her. The lines hadn't completely faded, but they would be gone in a few more hours. Then there would http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-Epilogue.html (17 of 20)8/14/2005 11:45:32 PM


be nothing to prove that her journey had ever really taken place, except for the haze that she dared not touch. Visions. She supposed that she might search out a lawyer named Monique, or a security guard named Andrea, or high school girls named Kate and Leigh. But did she really want to do that? She shook her head slowly, knowing even as she slipped under the water, her skin reddening under the heat, that she wouldn't. Couldn't. She'd used a telephone in the park, far from home, to call the federal police, not the local police, merely giving them a name, and an address, but hanging up when they requested her name. She supposed that the newspapers might provide more proof in a few days. If there was anything to report. She swallowed, nearly sure that the horror would surface, despite her hopes that it had all been a dream. She closed her eyes. Her body ached. Not only because she'd been whipped, or had slept in a bottomless grave, propped up against damp concrete, or had fought a timeless battle, pain being the only reward for victory, or loss. No, her body ached. Her breasts. Her tummy. Her thighs. Her fingers. Her toes. All of her. She relaxed, the water seeping the worst of it from her muscles. The message had been on her answering machine. A BMW, crashed at the Basketweave, a dangerous stretch of road at the best of times. John. Gone. And she didn't feel anything but relief. She knew it was wrong, but after the other place, it didn't seem all that important anymore. He was going to rape her, and she couldn't allow that. Simple. She suspected that the Universe, somehow, had protected her one final time, an obscure note of thanks for sacrificing herself. Or maybe it had merely been the hand of fate, or coincidence, or justice. She didn't know, and probably never would. No matter what, she hadn't killed him -- only one accident amongst thousands. In her heart, she believed that he'd killed himself, suicide through malignancy. Would she go to the funeral? Probably. Sighing, she lay back her head, her hair falling gently into the water, floating about her submerged shoulders. It felt almost normal to be naked, but to be alone in her nudity? She'd get used to it again. We all get used to things. Her hands cupped her breasts underwater, gently brushing at the skin there, teasing. She sighed. She ached, and she knew what she needed to do. Her nipples ached. Later. She tilted her head back against the porcelain.



Where was he? What was he doing? Would he come for her? She doubted it. Almost knew with certainty that he couldn't. Would it happen again? She would have to be careful with her emotions, anger and joy intermixing. She'd made time slip, and she didn't fully understand, yet. Understanding would come, in time. Would he stop the universe again, pulling her along like an unwilling puppet? She didn't know. Couldn't know. Absolute power, leads to absolute temptation. It wasn't how the saying went, but it was close enough. She pulled her hand from her breast again. Time enough for that later. But she ached. God, did she ache. Later. Between clean sheets, sighing in the darkness, perhaps a candle. She began to drift, and she hoped that her dreams wouldn't drive her screaming back awake. They didn't though she was cold and shivering by the time she did wake, the moon kissing her skin, ripples sparkling as she shivered. Only one thought remained of the dimness of the Sandman's Land. "I am the key," she whispered. Her breasts ached, and she knew that she would deal with that soon enough. She'd been strong enough before, she could do it again. Waiting made it sweeter. Her face reflected from the mirror, her bare skin dripping. They were out there somewhere. All of them. It would be different next time, she sensed that, could sense it through the mists that surrounded her. "It's over, for now," she whispered. There was one last thing she needed to do, one last room to escape. Her thoughts turned to clean, cool sheets, and leaving her clothing behind like sentinels, she stepped naked from the bathroom, and walked, down the hall alone, towards her bedroom.

Main Page · Short Stories · Snapshots · Novels · Contact http://www.asstr.org/~Crimson_Dragon/novel/dawn_of_time/dawn-Epilogue.html (19 of 20)8/14/2005 11:45:32 PM

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