Disclaimer: this is a work for fiction intended for adults. Please be aware of the differences between fiction and real life, and always practice safety and informed consent. This work cannot be reposted or reproduced without author permission. Copyright © Prospero Nox 2021.
Benighted
Part 1
The space reminded Aida of a recording room—small and windowless, with walls covered in grey padding that blocked out sounds, and cables and wires running along the floor.
The weird, dentist-like chair in the middle of the room, however, definitely wasn’t standard recording-studio equipment.
“Have a seat,” said the guy—Dylan? Conlan? She’d forgotten his name.
The creepy chair was the only seat—the only furniture—and when the guy waved to it in response to her hesitation, Aida balked.
“Umm...I thought we were just signing paperwork?”
“We are. We won’t begin the process until—and unless—you consent and sign.” Dylan/Conlan smiled. “But we ask prospectives to sit in the processing chair while they read forms. To be honest, tends to weed out those who don’t really want to do this.”
No kidding. The dentist chair from hell gave Aida goosebumps. Damn it: why had she let Crystal talk her into this?
“It’s okay to change your mind,” he said. “You can leave and come back when you’re ready—or not at all. Until we hit the ‘start’ button, you’re free to back out whenever.”
“And after?” asked Aida.
He laughed. “Once we start the process, it’s too dangerous to stop. But we don’t start unless you’re really sure. That’s why we have you sit in the chair, first.”
Aida sighed. She wished she’d not asked Crystal about the damned ‘elite club’ the rest of the band had been raving about. But she hated missing out on fun, and she hadn’t heard the girls so excited about a new place since high school, when they’d learned how to sneak into the local college drinking hole.
“And you’re sure this is safe? Won’t melt my brain or whatever?”
“Perfectly safe.” He chuckled at her doubtful look. “We only take new members by referral, so you must have a friend who went through this. Does her brain seem melted?”
“No more than before,” muttered Aida. Sighing again, she perched gingerly on the edge of the chair, fists on her lap.
“Sorry, you need to sit properly. And arms on the armrests.”
She eyed the armrests warily. Wide restraints hung loose on them.
“Look, we have a long waiting list,” he said. “You wanna back out, that’s fine.”
Aida almost did. Then she remembered endlessly listening to her friends talk of their amazing times at Benighted . The inside jokes, the allusions, the pointed giggles—like they were back in high school. Ugh.
She backed up in the seat and put her arms on the armrests.
“Just so you know, I told people I’m coming here this evening,” she growled. “And to check on me first thing in the morning and alert the cops if I’m missing...or acting weird.”
The guy laughed. “Very prudent. Just gotta make sure to return you in top shape by morning, then.” He handed her the stack of papers and winked. “Most of our members have a great time, you know.”
Aida sighed. She did know. This was why she was here; Crystal had described whatever the club did as ‘mind-shatteringly hot’.
Aida just hoped her friend hadn’t meant that literally.
At least the paperwork seemed ok; nothing fishy. Most of it was legalese about confidentiality and privacy, and the page listing the chair’s effects was about what Crystal had described.
“So you can ‘remove all inhibitions’ and leave my mind ‘fully open to new experiences’ without drugs? I don’t want drugs,” she warned. “Had enough of that in college.”
“No drugs. We stimulate the mind using only sensory inputs.”
“And it works? Getting high on that?” She squinted. “D’you do it?”
He grinned. “Sorry, we don’t reveal who did what at the club. We take privacy pretty seriously around here.”
“Hm.” Aida read more forms. The only side effects described were things like “momentary dizziness” and “transient lapses in attention”. That didn’t sound so bad. Except...
“What’s this ‘brief discomfort during the procedure’?”
“Ah. Near the end, the mind resists being opened, so most folks get a little...agitated. But it’s brief, and there are no ill effects afterwards.”
“ Agitated ? Why didn’t my friend mention this?”
He shrugged. “Could be she doesn’t remember, or didn’t find it worth mentioning. I don’t know. Feel free to ask her and come back. Like I said, we want everyone to be sure.”
Aida wasn’t sure at all. But leaving now would get her pushed back down the waiting list. And that meant more time hearing Crystal and the girls talk about their fun times without her. Ugh: no way.
She shook her head. “No. It’s fine.” She finished the last pages, all questionnaires on her sexual preferences and what limits she wished to impose, and she handed back the paperwork. “What now?”
“Last chance to bail. You understand this will relax your mind, remove all conscious control and inhibitions, and leave you open to any experiences proposed by other club members, except those you declared off-limits in these forms?”
“Yeah...” She swallowed hard. How crazy could this get, really, without drugs? Stimulating the mind with sensory inputs sounded like new-age-y urban crap. Like those anti-stress apps.
“And you’re sure you wrote down all the things you don’t wish to try?” He handed two pages back to her. “Check for me.”
Aida checked and shrugged. “Yeah. I don’t mind most stuff. Just no blood, no eating anything, no...excreted matter of any sort.”
“You got it. And you want to remember tonight, yes?”
“Obviously. What’s the point, otherwise?”
“For some, knowing they’ll forget everything at the end of the night increases enjoyment. That’s why we ask; we want everyone to have a good time.” Another wink, then took the pen from her and stuck it in his shirt pocket. “Any questions before we start?”
“How long will this take?”
“Varies person to person, but no less than an hour and no more than three or so.”
“And then I get free access to the club for the night?”
“Guided access,” he corrected. “First night, you’ll need to get used to the place. You’ll be assigned a handler to show you the ropes and prepare some activities for you.”
“Tailored adult fun,” muttered Aida. “Whatever. Fine. Let’s do this.”
The guy had her sit back in the chair, then he reached under the seat to pull out a wide, black Velcro band. He asked Aida to lift her shirt so he could secure it around her torso.
“This measures your vitals.” He smiled as she tried to cover herself with her hands. “Sorry if you’re uncomfortable. For what it’s worth, in about an hour, you won’t mind nudity at all.”
Aida blushed. She’d always wished to be more daring. Crystal had always been the disinhibited one, but perhaps this club would help Aida loosen up.
He put a pair of glasses on her, with thick, hefty frames, and he locked them behind her head.
“These track your gaze. To help adjust the sensory procedure.”
Aida wasn’t sure what he meant, but the glasses didn’t seem too threatening. Compared to the chair, at least.
“’kay,” he said. “If you’re ready, we can start. Remember to relax and keep your arms on the armrests.”
Aida nodded, and he gave her the thumbs up and left the room.
The creepy silence rang in her ears. Maybe this was a bad idea. Could she really trust some random guy in an off-the-books club?
“ All comfortable? “ His voice startled her, coming from unseen speakers on the ceiling.
Aida gave a weak thumbs up, then mumbled, “Yeah,” in case there weren’t cameras to catch her gesture. She wasn’t comfortable at all. But the whole point was to get comfortable, no?
There was a small electronic whine, and the lights dimmed. A faint whirr fluttered under the chair, and the armrest manacles closed about her wrists. Aida pulled back instinctively, but the silicone bands didn’t give an inch. Similar ones clicked around her ankles.
“ Okay, your heart rate’s pretty high. Gonna ask again if you really want this; no offense, but most people don’t thrash so hard before we even start. “
Aida tried to calm down. She didn’t really want this. She wanted a normal club, not whatever wacky thing Crystal had gotten everyone into. But if she backed out, they’d just keep having fun without her. Aida hated feeling the outsider.
“N-no. I-I’m fine.” She took a shaky breath. “Don’t want to stop.”
“ Alright. Try some deep breaths. This really is safe and easy. Just relax. Here we go. “
For a moment, there was silence. She squinted, trying to see in the dim room—
Colors began to fill the walls. Waves of vivid greens and blues and reds and yellows washed over the room, chasing each other across the ceiling and over the floor in a quiet, graceful dance.
Stimulating the mind with sensory information. Aida hesitated, wary again. Too late to stop, now. What if she’d made a mistake?
“ Just watch the light show. It’s just supposed to help you relax. Your heartrate’s still way too high. “
Oh. So this wasn’t the real thing yet? Aida bit her lips, wishing she could confirm that. She’d forgotten to ask if she could talk to the guy during the procedure.
“Uhm...hello? Can you hear me?”
No response. The padded walls muffled her voice in a strange way.
Colored waves kept sweeping the room. When they swept over her, they turned the pale skin of her restrained hands into a colorful landscape. She stared at her hands, admiring the sight. This wasn’t so bad. She took a few breaths, trying to relax.
The colors began to change, twining into intricate patterns. It was...interesting. Like an art show. Aida hadn’t visited a museum in years. She’d never enjoyed museums...but maybe if they had this sort of cool show, she would.
The colors swirled into mandalas, then disintegrated into pixels that scattered over the back of her palms. They reformed, spun, crept up her arms, and broke apart again. Aida smiled...
Her head nodded forward, and instinctively she jerked back, the motion pulling her from her reverie.
Well—she was relaxed, alright.
“Umm...think I’m ready for the procedure now.” Her tongue felt thick, struggling to form words, like she’d had too many drinks.
Again there was no response. Aida shrugged and looked back to the lights dancing over her hands. They’d returned to the soothing, monochrome waves, but as soon as she looked again, the patterns became intricate once more. Like the light show knew she was paying attention.
The glasses, she remembered. They tracked her gaze...?
She looked away from her hands, to the far wall. If she squinted, she could almost pretend each green wave was a mountain. Each blue wave a swatch of night sky. Each red wave a beautiful sunset over the mountain...
The patterns changed, turned to long ribbons, like the Aurora Borealis. Aida loved watching them. They began swirling again, then disintegrating into little pixels on a black background...
Oh, she thought hazily. She’d been right about the lights knowing where she looked. She grinned and turned her gaze one more time, to a corner, just to test the theory. In just seconds, the corner began showing the swirling, disintegrating, reforming patterns.
Aida didn’t bother looking away again.
Her head nodded forward, and she let her gaze rest on her hands. It was easier that way. Her neck was too tired to look up.
The music was nice, like the soft colors. Very...quiet...
Her head lolled sideways, like when she dozed off in the passenger seat in a car. Aida loved napping in cars, head bobbing gently against the window, watching the nice colors fly by...
Oh...the chair was moving. Swaying. It made her body...so heavy...
“...jus’ g’na put me to sleep,” she mumbled. This procedure wasn’t opening her mind... just... just...
She stared up at the beautiful night sky, full of dancing lights, until the lights broke apart, taking her thoughts with them. Then they came back, and her mind faded back in alongside them. They moved in sync with the soft music... and the nice, swaying car... no, not car... she was... she was... floating...
There were words, in the lights. She saw them. Heard them. Felt them. Quiet. Relaxed. Obey. Follow. Blank. Yes. Accept. Listen. Pleasure. Hot.
Aida floated quietly in the swaying, gentle, wonderful colors. Blank. Yes. Quiet. Calm.
Obey.
Follow.
Accept.
Aida relaxed. Aida obeyed. Aida...
She gasped. What was happening? Her wrists ached sharply as she thrashed against the restraints. This was—weird. Wrong.
The chair, she remembered.
The procedure—her mind—
“No!” Her head felt heavy, her stomach unsettled. “No—stop...”
The swirling colors made her dizzy. How had she thought them relaxing? They were—jarring. Nauseating. Awful—
“Stop! I want to stop!” She kicked out her legs, but the ankle restraints kept her still. The colors, which only moments before had seemed gentle and muted, swarmed her like roaring bees, ready to devour her—
“No!” Aida screamed. “Enough!” The colors hurt. Her eyes hurt. Her head felt ready to explode. “I changed my mind! I don’t want this!” She threw herself sideways, thrashing—“Stop—!”
—and blinding rainbows exploded in the lenses of her glasses.
Aida’s scream broke off halfway.
The rainbows burned her retina. They burned through her retina, into her head—through her head, into her very core. Loud, painful, horrible colors, jarring her brain, hurting her body. Strident, roaring, blinding, overwhelming—
—overwhelming...
—loud...
...beautiful...
...beautiful colors...
They washed over her softly...like...northern lights. Whispering. Soothing. Relaxing her. Yes...calm... quiet...
Aida’s head fell to her chest.
The colors bathed her hands, that were slowly unclenching. The patterns were beautiful. Swirling. Gentle. Quiet. Relaxing. The soft whispers lulled her to sleep. Blank. Obey. Beautiful. Calm.
Yes.
Accept.
Obey.
Follow.
Yes.
The night sky darkened, darkening Aida’s thoughts with it.
“Follow me.” Hands gripped her arms, pulling her up. “Steady, now. Breathe. Keep your balance.”
Aida followed. There was a hallway, some doors. She didn’t pay attention. Her mind still swam in soft colors and soothing whispers.
“This is your handler.”
A woman stood before her, with turquoise hair like northern lights, and a sheer, black dress.
“You will obey her.”
“Obey,” whispered Aida.
“Come,” said the woman, and Aida followed her into a large, softly-lit room. Other bodies moved around, but Aida had eyes only for her handler.
“No need for all these clothes. Take them off.”
Aida pulled off her shirt and jeans, then the bralette and panties. She stood, arms at her sides, staring at her handler.
“Very nice.” The woman smiled, and Aida beamed back. She’d never felt so comfortable with a stranger before. It was as though...all her usual anxieties and fears had just vanished.
“Let’s see: your forms say you want to remember tonight. Is that right?”
“Right,” Aida repeated dreamily. Anything her handler said was right.
The woman chuckled. “Well. This is why we have you fill out forms before. How do you feel?”
“Quiet,” murmured Aida. “Calm. Relaxed. Blank—”
“Alright, dear. That’s good.” The handler hummed and trailed a hand down Aida’s cheek, to her shoulder and her right breast, then down her torso and over her hip. Aida made a faint noise as the woman’s fingers brushed her smooth, naked mound.
Her handler smiled. “This makes you uncomfortable?”
“Yes,” agreed Aida vacantly, and she smiled as her handler laughed.
“No it doesn’t, my dear. You enjoy being touched.”
Enjoy. Yes. Pleasure.
Aida’s hips thrust forward, and she moaned as the skin of her inner thighs brushed the woman’s hand. Heat exploded inside her, and her hands sought out her burning pussy—
“Not yet. Relax. Arms at your sides.”
Aida’s arms fell to her sides again, and she made a confused noise.
“The first orgasm after the procedure tends to...disconnect you,” said the handler. “And we want you to remember tonight. So you won’t climax until you’re ready to go home. You’ll wait for my permission, do you understand?”
“Yes,” Aida murmured. “Understand. Permission. Obey—”
“Hush.” The handler cupped her other breast, rubbing the nipple.
“I want you to focus entirely on my touch. Nothing else matters.”
Aida purred helplessly, her body still relaxed and swaying.
“I’m going to show you the benefits of having lost all inhibitions and surrendered control,” said the handler. “The pleasure you feel with a fully open mind is immeasurably higher than anything you’ve felt before.”
Her tongue circled Aida’s nipple, then she began sucking on it gently. When she stopped, the rush of air over the moistened nipple sent waves of liquid pleasure through Aida’s pussy.
“Each time I touch you, your pleasure will double.” The handler trailed her fingers down Aida’s stomach, making Aida gasp. “Each time you follow my instructions, your pleasure will double.”
“Follow,” mumbled Aida, hips thrusting forward again. Her arms remained limp, even as her body burned with need. “Obey. Yes...”
“Beg me to touch you more.”
“Please,” begged Aida. “Please...touch...” Her pleas dissolved into inarticulate moans as her handler brushed her soaking cleft. Aida’s knees buckled.
“Steady, dear.” The handler caught her under the elbow. Even that sent heat through Aida’s arm, straight into her belly. She hissed.
“My, you’re easy to please. You want more?”
“Yes... More...”
“Have you ever pleasured another woman?”
“Yes,” agreed Aida. Everything her handler said was right.
The woman tisked. “That’s not what your forms said.” She snapped her fingers before Aida’s face. “Pay attention, dear. Focus on what I’m asking.”
Aida blinked, her scattered thoughts crystallizing obediently into more solid shape...
“Answer my questions accurately. Have you ever pleasured a woman before?”
“No,” said Aida.
With her new focus, she noticed the large room, now. It was lit in soft reds and greens, and two dozen women milled about trying outfits or toys, or locked in naked embraces on chairs and sofas.
She wished she were one of those women. To feel warm hands over her body. To soothe the burning need...
She moaned. What was happening to her? This was...weird. Had all these women also had their minds opened? Were they—
“Forget the rest of the room,” said the handler. “Focus on me , dear. Look at me. Into my eyes.”
Aida met her dark eyes, and her thoughts softened again. Her body began to feel as it had in the chair—like she was being soothingly swayed into sleep.
“You care only about being here with me right now. Nothing else. Understand?”
“Yes,” breathed Aida. The sounds of the room dimmed, and the other women blurred into irrelevant background, with the shelves of toys and the sofas and the soft lamps—
“O-M-G! Aida! I can’t believe this—you actually did it! I didn’t think you had it in you. Whoa—look at you.”
Aida heard the excited shriek. Part of her knew it was Crystal. She saw her friend standing in a skimpy two-piece outfit, holding what looked like a pair of cuffs. She understood Crystal had seen and recognized her and was taking great delight at the fact—
—but Aida didn’t care. All she cared about was being there with her handler. Nothing else.
“—amazing! Oh, the stuff we can do, now!” Crystal waved a hand over her face. “Man, I can’t believe you went through with this. Girls! Get over here! Look who—”
“Excuse me,” said the handler. “You can’t approach first-time members like this.”
Crystal hooked an arm through Aida’s elbow. “No, I know this girl. She’s my friend. We’ll show her around, ok? Aida, follow me—you can’t say no, right? Oh, I love this—”
The handler took Aida’s other arm, holding her back. Aida made a small, mindless noise of pleasure at the touch.
“You’re breaking the privacy rule,” the handler told Crystal. “Please return to your own activities.”
Crystal stared at her. “No, I’m not. I told you, we’re friends. Rules say we can talk about this stuff with folks we know, as long as they’re also members—”
“And as long as everyone consents to share and discuss their club activities. A first-time member doesn’t sign that form until after their first night.” The handler’s eyes narrowed. “Hands off and consider this your only warning. We don’t accept rule-breaking.”
Crystal scowled. “Listen, lady, I paid a bucket of money to join this club and you can’t tell me—”
The handler snapped her fingers. “You’re in violation of the privacy rules. Your membership is paused.”
All animation drained from Crystal’s face. Her grip on Aida’s elbow slackened, and she let out a slow breath.
“My membership is paused,” she repeated, tonelessly.
“You’ll forget this incident and remember only that you committed a breach. If you wish to restore your membership, you’ll report to the main office, re-read and sign the privacy agreement, and pay the associated penalties. You’re also banned from the club for fourteen nights.”
“I understand,” said Crystal, and she turned around and walked out a side door without another word.
The handler scoffed. “There’s always one like that. Don’t be that person. Follow the privacy rules; we don’t play around with that.” She sighed. “I have to make you forget this incident, too; your friend hasn’t agreed to share it. But you don’t mind forgetting for me, do you?”
“I don’t mind forgetting,” Aida repeated.
The handler tapped her temple, gently, the touch making Aida purr.
“Nothing happened in the last few minutes. You didn’t recognize anyone, and nothing made you uncomfortable. Forget everything but seeing me and feeling my touch. Understand?”
Aida’s mind melted under her touch. Thoughts and memories faded out. “Yes. Forget.”
The handler pinched one of her nipples, Aida mewled.
“Let’s see what more we can show you.” The woman pulled Aida to a leather sofa in a dim corner. “Down.”
As Aida sank onto the sofa, the handler leaned over, spreading Aida’s legs with one hand. Nimble fingers teased her slick pussy, eliciting a mindless moan.
“When your mind is fully open, there’s no limit to your pleasure. No limit to what you can do.” One hand snaked between the lips of Aida’s pussy, and Aida arched into the touch. “Relax your body for me. I want you to just feel, not react. Completely relaxed.”
Aida’s clenched muscles turned liquid. Breath whooshed out of her, and her mouth fell slack.
“Look at me.”
She stared raptly at her handler, whimpering as the woman’s fingers teased her. Pleasure shot from her pussy to her head, turning the world into a vortex of swirling colors. So hot. So...
“How do you feel?”
Aida’s slack mouth couldn’t form words. Her eyelids fluttered.
“Deep breath. Focus just enough to speak. Tell me how you feel.”
“Wonderful. Hot. Pleasure. Relaxed—”
“Good. Remember this sensation. Every night here, you’ll discover a thousand ways to experience it again.” The handler stood, chuckling as Aida whimpered at the loss of contact. “Oh, we’re not done yet. But I need to give you a proper tour now, yes?”
“Yes,” Aida agreed vacantly, her pussy still leaking.
“Up.” The handler smiled as Aida’s body rose, on command, to a swaying stand. “Do you want me to show you how open your mind is? Beg me.”
“Please,” breathed Aida. “Show me. Please. I beg you—”
“Try a little harder, my dear. On your knees. Really mean it.”
Aida sank to her knees. “Please.” Her hands came to rest on the high hem of her handler’s dress. “Please, show me more. Show me how open my mind is. I beg—”
“Tell me your name.”
“Aida,” she gasped. “Please—”
“No, dear. Tonight, your name is...” The handler drummed her fingers thoughtfully on Aida’s shoulder. “Honey. To match that sweet face. Later, you can choose your own name; but tonight the choice is mine. Do you like it, Honey?”
“Yes.”
“Do you remember what your name was before tonight?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now forget it for me.” The woman gripped Honey’s chin, gently. “Your name has always been Honey. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes,” Honey mumbled, staring up into the liquid dark eyes.
“Are you sexually attracted to women, Honey? Focus and remember your answer from before you came here tonight.”
Honey blinked hazily. “No...?” She didn’t think she was attracted to women. She liked men. Tall men, with big hands.
“Yes, you are,” said her handler. “You’ve always been attracted to women and men. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes,” agreed Honey. She’d always been attracted to women and men.
“See how open and pliable your mind is? How easily it accepts my commands?”
“Yes.” Honey’s breasts brushed her handler’s thighs, and she moaned and juiced a little.
“Stand, dear. Remember: you won’t say no to any suggestions while you’re here, except those you declared off-limits in the forms. At the end of tonight, you’ll have a chance to amend the form, in case any new limits occur to you during our tour. Understand?”
“Yes...”
The woman waved a hand to the rest of the space. “This is the preparation room. Members only. You can choose any toys, outfits, accessories you wish to carry to the main club floor.”
She led Honey to one of the shelves on the nearest wall, where dozens of toys and outfits sat lined neatly. She picked a white silk scarf and draped it around Honey’s neck.
“This will let everyone know you’re new. And let’s not forget the mask...” Reaching into a large wooden chest next to the shelf, she pulled a white half-mask and secured it over Honey’s face. “No one’s allowed to remove this from you on the main floor, and doing so in the annexes requires your permission. Security will handle anyone who breaks that rule. Now, see how lovely you look.”
She turned Honey gently, toward a full-length mirror. Honey stared vacantly at the naked woman in the white scarf and mask. Her lips were moist and slack, and her shaved pussy glistened. Watching it made Honey shiver with desire.
“Mask color signals how docile you are. Everyone wears white the first night: you’re at your most submissive right after the procedure. But I sense you’ll use white often...You’re very pliable, aren’t you?”
“Pliable,” mumbled Honey blankly, still staring at the mirror.
Her handler grinned. “You like seeing yourself? Touch yourself. I want you to watch that.” She took Honey’s unresisting hand and placed it on one breast. “Go on.”
Honey watched her own thumb rub her erect nipple. Pleasure swirled in her mind, leaving her head light and empty. She stared, blank-eyed, as the handler took her other hand and put it over her pussy. Obediently, Honey began to circle her clit.
“See how well you’re following suggestions?”
“Following,” moaned Honey, rubbing her clit and nipple, eyes fixed on the mirror.
“Tell me how it feels to have your mind so open.”
“Feels good,” Honey moaned. “Pleasure. Hot. Open..”
“Good. Stop touching yourself.”
Honey’s hands fell to her sides, and she couldn’t help a disgruntled noise again. Her entire body was on fire.
“Please,” she begged the handler. “Please...I need—”
“I know. But our tour’s not done.” The handler flicked Honey’s nipple, making her hiss. “Just enjoy the pleasure, for now. You’ll get what you need by the end of the night.” She chuckled. “For what it’s worth, on future nights you can come whenever you wish. It’s only the first time after the procedure that blanks out your awareness.”
Honey moaned again. She wanted to come. She needed to come—
Her handler snapped her fingers again. “Focus on me, dear. Let the need subside a bit. Focus on my voice.”
Honey’s attention sharpened. All she heard was her handler’s voice. All she cared about was the next words to obey.
“We’ll go on the main floor, now.” The handler picked up another white mask from the box and donned it. “I’ll stay at your side through the first night. Alright, dear, follow me.”
“Follow,” Honey repeated, and she glided behind her handler, along another hallway and through another door.