Captured
Chapter Seven
Sunlight never felt so good.
Val tripped at the threshold and fell to her hands and knees. Something half-buried in the dirt dug into her hand, leaving a painful brownish-red smear. She stumbled to her feet and wiped her hands against her hips, scanning the edge of the jungle for any approaching enemies.
Nothing. In the background, she could just make out El Víbora’s smooth, relaxing voice, telling her friends to sleep, to relax, to listen and obey. So easy to just listen and obey. To sleep. To relax. To...
“Fuck!” She slapped herself across the face with her bloody hand, wincing as a clump of mud managed to land in her eye. The twins pains of slap and eye-stab were more than enough to shake off whatever subliminal messages the device was trying to beam into her mind. Still, it wasn’t a good idea to stick around. There was no telling when the Serpientes would be arriving. Or when her teammates might decide to join them.
The boat. The evac. Go, Val, go!
She turned and ran for the shore.
The shoreline was empty; Val couldn’t decide how she felt about that. On the one hand, no boat and no rescue. On the other hand, no Serpientes, either. She crouched at the base of a tall palm and weighed her options. Her enemies likely didn’t know about the second extraction point. They didn’t have the encryption codes needed to eavesdrop on their communications offshore. What they did have, or soon would, were all of her teammates, all lost in mindless trances and eager to tell El Víbora all about their latest escape plan. By the time the rescue boat arrived, the entire shore would be crawling with armed thugs.
That wouldn’t do. Then again, one woman against a hundred men—and six hypnotized women—wasn’t a battle she wanted to fight, or had an ice cube’s chance in hell of winning. That left hiding out in the jungle until the boat came, whenever it decided to show up, and finding a way to signal it without letting half the island know exactly which tree she was sitting in.
“Fuck. Dammit, Jesse!” She allowed herself one swing at the nearest tree, wincing as she added a few scraped knuckled to her already injured hand. “I told you El Víbora got to them. I told you!”
But fist fighting the local foliage wasn’t going to erase what had happened to Jesse and the others. She needed to get to that boat. “Dinghies. Rowboats. A Zodiac. They gotta get around this island somehow, right? Supplies coming in. Patrols. They gotta have small boats.”
That was it. If she could keep near the coast, and work her way around the shoreline, she’d eventually find a dock. If it was as understaffed as the checkpoint back near the village, she could be out on the open sea and headed for safety before anyone noticed. None of her hypnotized friends would be able to spill that plan to their new, ugly, lecherous asshole of a boss.
crackle “Val. This is Jesse. Return to base. Over. Return to base. That’s an order, Val.”
Val’s stomach turned. Jesse sounded normal. So temptingly normal, and a tiny part of Val wished to hell that she could pretend that it was all true, that badass Jesse had shaken off the hypnosis and was now ready to fight back.
crackle “We’re fine, Val. Lauren managed to shut that thing off before it could brainwash us. Ellie and Maria went down without a fight. Val. Val! Get your ass back here pronto!”
Lauren. So cute, with that pixie face and winning smile. The kind of girl who could dance her ass off all night and still have plenty of energy to mow down a platoon of Serpientes first thing in the morning. On any other island, at any other time… Val could see Lauren breaking her comrades free before they all got captured. Hell, she’d saved their asses twice back in Colombia.
But Lauren, green eyes wide and empty, face nestled against Ellie’s tits, ears full of the medics sweet, twisted words of slavery and obedience… no, Lauren hadn’t shut down anything except her own mind. She was El Víbora’s, now. Just like Jesse.
crackle “You must obey, Val. You will obey our master. Our minds and bodies belong to him. Return to base and look into his beautiful eyes. Obey, Val.”
Val held the radio in one hand, thumb hovering over the transmit button. There was so much to say, so much she wanted to say. But Jesse was no longer listening. With a loud grunt, she turned and hefted the radio into the sea.
“I’ll come back for you, Jesse. I swear to fucking God, I’m coming back here with the entire world if I have to.”
“That won’t be necessary, Valerie.”
She had the gun up in an instant. Years of training told her exactly where she should aim for a kill shot. She spun to her right and, to her great satisfaction, plugged the first merc in the center of his chest. Behind him, a larger man raised his arms. She aimed for the head, and pulled the... pulled... the fuck?
El Víbora stepped forward, hands still in the air in a mocking gesture of surrender. He gently nudged the dead man at his feet. “A shame, Valerie. He was a good man. Then again, you’ve killed a lot of my men today, haven’t you? I must find you a fitting punishment.”
“You should find a coffin, you son of a... dammit! The fuck!” The trigger, which worked perfectly fine a moment before, wouldn’t budge an inch. She tossed the gun to the ground and raised her fists. “You know what? Beating you to death actually sounds really good right about now.” She rocked back and forth on her heels, waiting for the best moment to strike. Her enemy was no weakling, but she had no doubts about which one of them was walking away from the fight with their throat intact.
“And your friends? Left hopelessly hypnotized without my voice to free them? Think, Valerie. You need me. I’m no good to you dead.”
“They’ll be deprogrammed. After you’re dead. Then I’m going to come back and burn this island down to the waves.” She gestured to the dead man. “Unless you want to pick up that radio and send your men back to their barracks. Right. Now.”
He grinned, a big stupid Cheshire Cat face that made him look even more dangerous. Val tensed, preparing to launch her attack the second he made a move for the radio. Out of position and off-balance, he would likely go down with one kick. His smug grin only made her more eager to wipe it from his face forever.
“You drive a hard bargain, Valerie,” he said, without moving. “Now be a good girl and stand there while I contact my men.”
Wait... wait for it.... He leaned forward, arms extended, reaching for the field radio. With an angry yell, she lashed out, planting her boot into the side of his neck with all of her considerable might. There was a sickening crack as he dropped to the jungle floor, gurgling pitifully as his hands clawed at his throat. With a rattling groan, he-
“That’s very good, Valerie. Continue to obey my voice. Don’t move an inch.”
She blinked. Her enemy was still standing in front of her, holding the radio to his ear. It hissed and crackled. Panicked, she looked at her feet, planted firmly in place. Her hands were glued to her hips. Even twisting and bending her torso proved to be an impossible challenge. “What...” she sputtered, grunting she tried unsuccessfully to move her hands, her fingers, anything. “What did you do to me?“
“I told you not to move an inch. You’re a very good girl, Valerie. When I need you to be one.” He fiddled with the radio until voices pierced the static. “Secure the women and the device. Send a squad to my position.” He rolled the dead merc over with his foot. “Send a cleanup crew along with them. Over.”
“How?” She stared at him, desperate to know more. “How did you... you didn’t touch me. Couldn’t possibly drug me that quickly. What did you poison me with?” When he had me in the lab! It must have been... “You son of a bitch,” she spat. “Slow-acting poison? Paralysis drug? How the hell did you manage to time it like this?“
Another sickening grin, wider this time. “It’s time to remember, Agent Topaz. My beautiful Slave Agent Alpha. You’ve done so well. Sleep, and remember.”
“What are you...” Her enemy, his jungle island, even her own voice seemed to pull away from her, vanishing into an invisible vortex. All that remained was an echo of his last command. Remember... remember... remember...
“Re... mem... ber...” Her eyes were so heavy. She couldn’t let him get the best of her. If she fell asleep... whatever he was doing to her, she needed to fight... to fight... so sleepy, Jesse help, save me again, I’m so tired and I have to...
Remember.
“Uhhnnnn...” Her eyes slammed shut.
“Can you hear me, Valerie?”
The colors were so beautiful. Everything was beautiful. His voice sounded like raindrops, soft but insistent. “Yesssss, massster...” The colors flashed again, and her eyes jerked open, trying to take them all in. How one display could be so impossible gorgeous, so intensely fascinating... it was because El Víbora was a genius. He was so smart, and clever, and handsome. She was so lucky to be here. What was he trying to tell her? She needed to hear it. “I can hear you, master.”
“Who do you serve, Valerie?”
“Only you, master. I serve only you.” Such a simple and direct question. Master was so good to her. No hard questions. No need to think. That left plenty of time to watch the oooh, spirals beautiful screen.
“I have an important job for you. You’re going to do some things for me. Some very special things.”
“Very... ssspecial… yesssss…”
“I have a mission for you. You’re good at going on missions. Missions where you carry out your orders without question. Without thought. Without hesitation. You will do so now. You will do anything I ask of you.”
He lifted her tits with both hands, caressing them, playing with her nipples as she moaned appreciatively. “Yessss... I’ll do... do... any... mmmmnnnnyessssss. Any... thing… for… Master…”
“Watch the screen and listen to my voice, Slave Agent Alpha. Think of nothing but my voice. Obey only my voice.”
The words came. After a few minutes, she did too.
El Víbora bent down and waved his hand in front of Val’s glassy, empty eyes. “Today has turned out to be a good day, Valerie. It seems that both of my plans worked equally well. You, of course.” He pointed to the hut, although Val did not follow. “And my lovely, deviously sweet medic. What great fortune, wouldn’t you agree?”
Obey obey obey obey “Yes, I agree.”
“Very good. And to think, yesterday I was convinced that none of you would even make it to the compound. I should have know better.” He circled her, chuckling to himself and stopping now and then to slap her ass or run his fingers down her upper arm. “It was an expensive gambit. You cost me a lot of good men and money. But in many ways, you’ve done me a favor, Agent. A very big favor. I will make sure that you are rewarded.”
“Yes, master.” The words reverberated through her brain. Master. Obey. Serve. Submit.
“You will enjoy your reward as much as I will.” He held out his hand. “Take my hand, Valerie.”
She did so. “Yes, master.”
“So mindless and empty. That will not do. Protocol Two.”
Awareness—but only that—flowed into her face. She blinked twice and tilted her head. “Of course, master. What would you like me to do for you?”
“Let’s go rejoin your friends.”
“As you wish, master.”
As cliche as it was, El Víbora enjoyed pacing back and forth in front of his newest recruits. He held his arms in front of him as he walked, waving them as he spoke. “You are all so very beautiful. So powerful. So loyal. Loyal only to me, my Serpientes. But you must sleep now and forget. You will remember only what I tell you to remember.”
Six sleepy voices, speaking as one. “I will remember only what you tell me to remember.”
“In the deepest, darkest corner of your minds, you will find me. Your master. Your reason for existence. The master you will serve and obey.”
“I will serve and obey.”
“You are the first of my little flock, deeply asleep and completely unaware of your true selves. For now. Until Valerie and I have need of you.”
He came to a halt in front of Maria. Like the rest, she was on her knees, hands laced behind her head, naked body fully and proudly on display. “Such a beautiful creature, Maria.” He placed his hand and lifted her unresisting head. “Look deeply into my eyes.”
Even in trance, the effect was immediate. Maria gasped as her eyes stretched wide. ”Yesssssss… massssster.” Her eyes fluttered and slid closed, then forced themselves open again, only to fall again. “Deeeep... per...”
“In a moment, my lovely serpent, you are going to radio your companions at sea. You will tell them that you are ready for extraction, that El Víbora is dead, and that Valerie is dead as well. You will be desperate to get off of this island. Do you understand?”
“Yes, master. I understand.”
He resumed his pacing. “Valerie, how deep did your friends go during their resistance training?”
She was following him as he paced, eyes bright and full of gleeful devotion. “Very deep, my handsome master. Except for Jesse. And me, of course. My resistance is genetic, but Jesse is strong-willed.” She stood in front of her friend and leader, looking the woman up and down with detached curiosity. “The others will go as deep as you can take them, master. Their minds are very suggestible in the right hands.” She took a step back and stifled a giggle. “Or eyes, master.”
“Thank you, Valerie. Once again you have proven invaluable.”
She blushed. “Thank you, master. My mind, body and knowledge are yours and yours alone.”
He joined her, snaking his arm around her petite waist and drawing her close to him as she let out a happy sigh. “She’s quite the soldier, this Jesse. Truly amazing.”
“Yes, master. If you wish, I will help you to take her back to Tessa for reprogramming.” She licked her lips. “She can serve you almost as well as I can. She’s very smart.”
“Not smart enough, Valerie. Not smart enough to suspect you, or Ellie, or Tanya.” He stared into Jesse’s eyes. “I’ve studied you for months, Agent Quartz. You and your lovely friends. Such camaraderie! It was the perfect tool to use against you. All for one and one for all.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, admiring the way her blank mind refused to acknowledge his touch. “All for one... but what if that one belonged to me, and not to you? And here we are, Jesse. Completely under my spell. Say it.”
Her mouth fell open. “Completely under your spell.”
“Ah, but I detect just a hint of rebellion in those lovely orbs! Maria, it is the for you to obey. Go make the radio call, as I commanded.”
The brunette climbed to her feet. “Yes, master.”
He cupped Jesse’s placid, unresisting face with both hands. “Stare deep into my eyes, Jesse. You are the team leader. You are my slave. Repeat.”
“I... I am...”
“Tough to the end.” His eyes swirled and flickered. “Now, repeat.“
Eyes eyes eyes eyes eyes... “I am... leader. I am... a ssslave.“
“Good. Now ladies, we have some time before your detestable superiors come for you. Let us use it well. Valerie?”
“Yes, master?”
“Listen carefully, and obey.”