Assassins MC Pt. 09

Each woman was being told the same story, and each speaker relayed what was being said simultaneously. It was a little confusing trying to listen to both conversations, but I could isolate the conversation in the room I was watching.

Susan explained they were testing to see how much stress the women could take before breaking down. She also said she was looking to see how long they would withstand their treatment before they turned on me. Women in this position, only being with a guardian for a few days, are expected to give everything up for their survival. It wasn't a matter of if she would flip on me, but how long it took that they were looking for.

One other man entered Nicole's room, unbound Nicole, and bent her over the chair. One got behind her and fucked her while the one in front forced his dick into her mouth. He would occasionally slap her. Nothing too hard, but enough to elicit a response. She would suck faster after that. The men switched off and continued their assault. I looked in the other room and Julie was suffering from the same treatment. The two men had her impaled between them, switching off every so often.

This was making me angry, knowing this was the same abuse they had suffered. Susan told me to calm down.

"Is this necessary Susan?" I asked. "This is the defilement they took before; how could you do this? This is bullshit."

"Rich, seriously, relax." Susan admonished me. "Every woman entering the program goes through this. They will be fine."

I was beside myself. Watching them just made me angrier. Nicole and I shared an important moment this morning, getting closer to each other, and now this threatened to shatter that to pieces. I had to listen to Nicole and Julie's grunts and sighs while the men abused them. They would cry out when slapped, choke and gag when a man pushed his dick in too far. They were both crying, their makeup running down their faces, and Nicole's face was breaking my heart.

Nicole looked defeated. Her eyes, when they were open, had an emptiness about them. These were not the same eyes I saw this morning at breakfast that shone with happiness. These were the eyes of someone who had no hope. I wanted to run in there and save her, and it took everything I had to stay seated. I knew Susan wouldn't take it well if I did, and if I found myself in trouble with the club for interrupting this, there was no telling where the women would end up. To protect them, I had to let this abuse continue. The Assassins rules were chafing, and I wondered just how much I could take until it broke me.

Susan stepped to the wall, pressed a button, and the light in the rooms flickered. The men stopped their assault, lifted the ladies, and secured them to the wall, hands above their heads and legs spread. The women were still crying, and both looked confused. Nicole's expression had changed somewhat to one of trepidation. She looked scared and unsure of what would happen next. I looked closely at Julie, and although she was crying, her expression showed defiance. She showed strength and resolve that I couldn't explain. They were being tortured, and she looked like she could kill someone.

The men left the women like that for thirty minutes. They were each tied up to the pulley system and hoisted up by their wrists. This must have been painful, but they still wouldn't break from the men's constant onslaught of threats. After another thirty minutes, the men lowered the women and secured them back in their chairs.

The man told Nicole that if she signed the confession, they would promise to let her daughter continue in the program and not be sold off as a slave. Only faced with the prospect of saving her daughter did Nicole agree to write anything they said.

Julie never broke. They tortured her just as much as Nicole, if not more. Julie just took it, never once even coming close to breaking. They promised to save her mother, to save herself, and she never relented.

"Rich, I have to be honest, I expected Nicole to cave right away, and that Julie hasn't just amazes me." Susan explained.

With that, Susan walked to the wall and pushed a button. The lights flickered, and the men took off the women's restraints. Susan then told me the menwould take the women to another room where a nurse would check them out, and I followed Susan back to her office.

"Rich, I have the results of their tests." Susan began. "Let's start with Nicole. She shows well above normal intelligence. Her personality test shows her to be a logical thinker, but not highly creative. She appears to do better in a place of structure, not of free-thinking. Her personality test shows she adheres to a more traditional set of values. I don't see a reason she wouldn't accept a man as the head of the household, that's a good sign. She showed a tendency toward independence. She likes to set her own goals and ambitions."

"That may or may not go well with our way of life, depending on how you treat the women." Susan continued, "I'm obedient to Roger and follow his instructions, but he gives me the ability to provide input on what I do. I have a say in how this place is run, but it's his final decision what happens. Something like that may work best with Nicole. Give her leeway, but ensure she remains obedient. Don't give her too much though, at least not initially."

Susan explained further. "That tendency toward independence could bite you if you give her too much rope too fast. As you saw in there, she has high loyalty. She never gave up and remained loyal throughout. She just traded you for her daughter and we expected that. The fact she didn't give everyone up for her survival gives me a good feeling."

"Did you get that from the psychologist?" I asked.

"Rich, my dear, I am the psychologist." Susan admitted.

"That's incredible. You're that accomplished and you accept your position as a property of the Assassins?" I asked, astounded.

"Yes, I do." Susan replied, "I love Roger, and I believe in what we're doing. I don't mind so much the ownership thing, and I honestly like having the responsibilities and worries removed from me. This job requires a lot, and I make life and death decisions here. I fail many women out of the program, and I know exactly what happens to them. When I get home, I don't want to make another decision, I just want to exist and lose myself until I have to come back the next day and do it again."

This was like what I heard from Nicole. How common was this? Like Susan, Nicole held a job before Bob stepped in with a lot of responsibilities. I thought people like that, with power, would not want to give that up. I wondered if this feeling was normal. Susan's desire to give up herself was centered on the decisions she had to make regarding women's lives, while Nicole's was centered on stress. They were not that different; I suppose. I have heard of powerful men from large corporations who would pay women to abuse, punish, and humiliate them. Is that was I was seeing here?

"Now, let's get to Julie." Susan said, bring us back on topic. "Her intelligence is average, nothing bad, but nothing to write home about; she didn't get her mother's smarts. Her personality shows her to be more creative, not logically driven. She is a very visual person; written instructions don't help her as much as being shown what to do. Her values were more fluid, and she doesn't adhere to either newer or older traditions."

"I don't see why she wouldn't accept you as head of the household, but she could easily go the other way given the motivation to." Susan continued, "She is extremely focused, almost to the point of being obsessive. Watch out for this. She can easily go down a rabbit hole and never emerge. Where it gets interesting is her psychological eval. She shows, how should I say this, certain moral flexibility. Her views of right and wrong are not anchored but flow depending on the situation. Killing someone would be bad one day, but the next she would do it without blinking. It just depends on how she justifies it."

"You said Nicole told you she wanted to kill her old tormentor. Her evaluation tells me she could not pull the trigger. Julie would do it in a second and never think about it again. Nicole may feel guilt for hurting someone, but Julie not at all if that person deserved it. This is both bad and good. You need to be careful not to cross Julie. The only thing saving you is her sense of loyalty and love she has for you."

"Looking at her evaluation and seeing what I did today, I would say she would kill or die for you." Susan explained, "that's a razor edge though. That strong emotional bond she feels can easily go the other way. If you foster a positive relationship and show her you are just as loyal to her as she is to you, she will never let you down. If you betray her, it won't end pretty."

"Nicole is already in line for the chemist position at Pillar." Susan went on. "I will forward my recommendations to Roger, and she can start that soon. I will recommend her as the head of the research division, not just as a senior researcher. We will pay to get her doctorate, and she will continue to work as she does."

"Julie brings up an interesting decision." Susan explained, "I don't know if you are aware, but Santana operates a security division. Part of this division is an outfit known as the Ghosts. They are a paramilitary type unit that specializes in search, recovery, and assassinations."

"Yes, Beth told me about them. She audited the security division the other day." I answered.

"Ok, then you know who they are." Susan replied. "Men and women staff the teams. Men work the combat roles; women are adept at assassinations. Women can more easily get into an area and take out a target. Most men overlook women; we do not. Julie's psychology would be perfect for that. I'll have to talk to her. This job is hazardous, very much so. We want our male members to have kids; that's our priority. Combining motherhood with assassinations proves a hard mix. I wouldn't want her kids to grow up without a mother, and her job puts her directly in harm's way."

Julie an assassin. It made sense. Everything Susan said about her is correct. I've seen it all since I've known her. She is obsessive and focused, and I've seen her measuring up people, as well as myself, when she makes eye contact. I know she could kill someone if she needed to. I just wondered why she never killed Bob.

Susan stood up, and we walked back to the room where Julie and Nicole were waiting. They set it up as a clinic, just like a hospital exam room, with two exam beds along the wall and a counter with equipment. It was sterile and cold, and when someone spoke, their voice echoed a bit. This was not a room that conveyed any warmth but was designed strictly for function, just like the room I was in watching the women get tortured. When we walked in, Julie jumped up and ran into my arms. She hugged me and wouldn't let go. Nicole looked up and was relieved to see me looking like she was going to cry.

"Rich, do you know what they just did to us?" Nicole asked.

"Yes, Nicole, I was watching the entire time." I admitted.

"You were, oh my God, I'm sorry. You saw me turn on you." Nicole said, suddenly appearing worried.

She put her face in her hands. I walked over to her and reached out to hug her. She initially jumped back with a sudden scared look on her face. She froze for a second. I know this treatment shook her up, especially considering the abuse she had to endure the past 4 years.

"Nicole, it's ok. Everything will be ok." I attempted to reassure her.

I reached out again, and she tentatively let me hug her. She was very stiff at first, drawing her arms in tight against her body as if she were trying to shrink away. I just held the embrace; I didn't know what to do. I haven't seen this reaction from her, nor from anyone. Was she ever going to trust me again? Would this cause her to backslide? What would she think of this following this morning?

As I thought about it, she softened up. I placed her head against my chest, lowering my head down to place my lips on top of her head, and kissed her. I could still smell the lavender from our shower this morning, and it mixed with her perfume, causing me to again lose myself for a moment. She pushed her head further in my chest as tight as she could get, reaching her arms around me and holding me tight. Then the floodgates opened; she started crying, not just a little, but these were full-body sobs. She shook as she cried deep, took a breath, and cried out again.

Julie, watching the scene in front of her, came over and stood next to her mother and hugged her. Julie was concerned about her mother, but she never cried. All three of us hugged each other for at least 5 minutes until Nicole calmed down.

"I'm sorry, Rich, I couldn't help it." Nicole said, still pushing back the tears. "When we came in, they walked us back into a room I was never in before. Someone came in behind me and put a hood over my head, picked me up, and carried me into the room you must have seen me in. The men took the hood off, roughly took off my clothes, and strapped me down to the chair. I was kicking and screaming, not knowing what was going on."

"I was blindfolded and sat there for I don't know how long until that man came in and started questioning me." Nicole continued, "He told me they would sell me. You told me about those women yesterday and I thought that was my future now. All I could think about was Julie. I knew you wouldn't do what they said you did, but I had no choice. When they said I could save Julie, I took it. I didn't think I had a choice. I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me."

She rattled off that explanation quickly, hardly taking a breath. She was breathing heavily and still visibly shaken up. Her eyes moved around the room as if looking to see if anyone else would hurt her. I glanced over at Susan and she was busy writing notes, and the nurse just stood there watching us with a black expression on her face. These women were either without emotion or numbed to Nicole's suffering. Is this the result after being conditioned for so many years under the so-called protection of the club?

"Nicole, you did great." I reassured her. "They didn't expect you to hold out, no one does. I'm so sorry, I did not know this even existed. After this morning and the conversation we had about my ability to protect you I feel awful."

I lifted her head and looked her in the eyes and said, "I promise you this. If anyone ever lays a hand on you again without my permission, I will kill them."

This made her calm down a little more. She took a few deep breaths and tried to wipe her tears from her face. I found a Kleenex box on the counter and handed her a few. As she wiped her tears, I thought about what I just said, and honestly, didn't know if I could kill anyone. I would have to prove my words, and when that time came, I found out the answer to that question.

I turned to Julie and said, "And Julie, you were outstanding. You never once gave in, even when it meant losing your life and being sold."

"Rich, I would never turn on you." Julie replied, "I don't care what they did to me. I told you I would protect you, and I meant it. I know you didn't do what they were saying, but even if you did, I would not give in. I would die for you."

That is the conclusion Susan arrived at and was not the first time I've heard that from Julie. I knew she meant it. I stepped over to her, hugged her, and spoke to both women. "That was the last test, and I am glad to say both of you passed. You still have some training to go through and have administrative items to complete, you know, payroll, computer access, accounts, etc., all the boring things when you first start a job."

The ladies seemed to relax now, and I had them gather their things and we went back to Susan's office. Susan explained to the women their test results and what the results meant. Nicole agreed with her assessment; she had tests like these before in college and parts of her various jobs, and nothing surprised her. For Julie, we both paid close attention.

Susan told her about her psychological evaluation and what it meant. She went on and described to her the ghost program and what it entailed. She went through a long explanation of what it could expect of Julie, and she seemed extremely interested in it.

Nicole was the first to speak up. "Julie, I'm sorry, but you're not considering this, are you?"

"I'm sorry, Nicole, this is Julie's decision." Susan informed her. "Please don't influence her. You have your position; you should focus on that."

That was straightforward and I think Nicole took exception to it; after all, Julie was her daughter. I asked if I could speak with Nicole in the hall, and Susan agreed. I think Susan wanted Julie's undivided attention and having Nicole in there complicated that.

When we walked out of the office, I closed the door behind us. I began talking, and no matter how low I talked, the barren hall amplified my voice beyond what I wanted. I had to whisper, so what I was saying was only between me and Nicole. "Nicole, Susan is right. This is Julie's decision, not yours. I will have a say in it. I understand how you feel, but I intend to let Julie decide if it's right for her."

"Rich, you can't be serious." Nicole said, surprised. "She may get killed. How can you live with that? I thought you loved her."

"Nicole, I love her." I explained, "It's because I love her I can't stand in the way of what she wants. The same as I can't stand in the way of what you want. From what Susan told me about her psychological profile Julie is perfect for this."

"I guess you're right." Nicole relented. "I just never saw Julie as that type of person. She was always so sweet. Killing people? Assassinations? Where did all of that come from?"

"Nicole, I don't know." I admitted. "I know if Julie is determined to do something, she's going to do it. I believe the worst thing we could do is deny her this. She would be required to listen to me, but I don't want to put her in that position, even if it means denying her this would someday save her life. I don't want her living her life with the regret of not following her desires. This club takes so much away from women, that if there's any way I can give something back to you, Julie and Beth, I will."

"No, Rich, I know you're right." Nicole said. "I just got finished telling you I liked it better with you in charge of Julie, and now here I am trying to impose my opinion on her. And I know you want to do the best for us."

"Nicole, she's your daughter." I replied. "I don't know how that feels to have a kid, but I imagine faced with the same decision, I would feel the same. You're trying to protect her, even if that means from herself. This is her decision though, and she will have to live with the consequences, even if it means her death. And I promise I will do what's necessary to protect all of you."

I told Nicole we were going back in and she was to remain quiet and let Julie talk. We entered the office again and took a seat. Susan was just finishing up with her explanation and asked Julie what she thought.

"Mom, Susan told me all about the program." Julie said, obviously excited. "They would teach me self-defense, martial arts, and advance hand-to-hand combat. They would also teach me the use of knives, guns, and other nontraditional weapons. I spent so many years not being able to protect you, not being able to protect myself. I spent those years at the mercy of anyone who wanted to take advantage of me, and I couldn't stop them. I know it's dangerous, and I know I may get killed, but I need to do this. This will give me confidence that I can defend myself and I can defend my family. I need something that can make me feel safe without relying on someone else. I'm sorry Rich, I know you protect me, but I need to feel I can do that myself. What happens if you need saving, I can't do anything. This will allow me to do something."