Incipiunt Vitae Novae Pt. 05: Conclave, A Two-Part Invention

Because, we know, Ginny hates the sexist stereotypes and female objectification, but she likes her body, and her bosom, her rack, is part of it.

But her sister Angie's enthusiastic exhibitionism, galling enough already this morning, continued to stoke her conflicted emotions royally.

She volunteered, I bet - that's why she's here.

Ginny had to admit she enjoys using her elegant, powerful upfrontness to excite lovers and more recently, bottoming playmates, even if she's a little more subtle about it than her sister.

Yes, she volunteered, just like you.

She couldn't actually have heard that, could she?

Are you anxious? Time's passing. Are you afraid you might be late for your appointment with the tormentor? In the real chamber Ben and Seiko finished Norm in under three minutes - they're already halfway through Ginny. Unless you're a world-class speed reader you won't be keeping up in your fantasy chamber. Don't worry, It doesn't matter. It's not up to you. They can't even begin on the ones to your left until you're done. You won't be late.

Seiko lifted Ginny's harness from the cart and held it up for her to get a good look as she ran her finger around the inside of one of the rings, checking that it was sufficiently greased with electro-gel to slide smoothly without getting stuck. She went to the side and slid it between Ginny's back and the pole far enough for Ben to grasp the other end, allowing them to lock its clamps into the pole's side grooves.

They moved around to the front with balletic precision, folding the harness around Ginny's upwardly-stretched torso as they went, making sure the rings closed properly around her. Seiko nestled the rings' edges deep into her cleavage and latched them together, then they returned to her sides. In perfect unison they rotated the side adjustment knobs, tightening the harness firmly around Ginny's chest, pulling her securely back once more to the pole.

You may notice a faint, pungent aroma of sweat, fear and arousal, perhaps from your own body. The chamber's HVAC system has this fully under control, it will never become unpleasant - after all, the tormentor has to breathe the same air. But it's also deliberate, part of your experience of subjugation. If the sensors determine it's insufficient the system can add more. Be patient and take time to smell the pheromones.

Seiko returned to Ginny's front, grinned shyly, then poked and prodded as gently as possible under the circumstances, dressing her forward and upward with artistic dexterity.

Ginny looked at herself in the mirror, doubly enclosed in the rings, squeezed firmly outward, reflecting on her shibari lessons. No rope here - that would take far too long, she muzed, consoling herself that her breasts would soon be a substantial professional asset, especially enclosed in smooth, shiny leather. She'd put up with having them enclosed just once in flared plastic cups and painfully shocked, in order to get where she wanted to be.The harness's dangling electrical cable mingled ominously with the others.

This installation is capped off, so to speak, with the attachment of your torment cups. You'll be astonished at how much pain these devices can deliver. And while the risk of cardiac arrest during punishment is remote, your chest harness is able to defibrillate if it has to. Of course you won't get breaks when you're in the chamber for real, but if you're simply reading about it you'll be needing another one by now for sure, and you should take a moment to look over the nearly naked bodies of your companions since it won't be long before they, like you, are considerably less exposed.

Ben lifted Ginny's punishment cups from the cart, unsealed them from their wraps, then uncoiled their vacuum tubes and electrical cables. He held them rim-outward while Seiko ran her finger gently around each lip.

Yes, she confirmed, they were adequately greased and would seal fine against Ginny's smooth, well-tanned skin. She bent down to plug the free ends of the tubing into vacuum sockets on the front of Ginny's saddle.

Ginny couldn't look down enough to watch this happen but as soon as Seiko took the cups from Ben and held them up for her examination she could easily hear the rushing of the entering air, terminated by a gentle burp as Seiko pressed them against her chest-harness-ringed mammalia. In she went, the cups' rims descending flush into the rings as she filled them up. Her nipples sought out their cylindrical bump-outs and settled in to engorge themselves with chromatic alacrity. Seiko latched Ginny's cups into her harness.

Ginny had to admit the cups felt surprisingly good - boyfriends had suckled her more affectionately, but not on both sides at once - what might it be like to have twins, she wondered. The dangling cables and silvery half-transparent electrodes visible through the clear plastic reminded her this pleasure would soon be replaced by something completely different.

Ben will attach a hub similar to the one binding your wrists to the pole behind you. It's on an adjustable rod pointing straight back, and it has four bands rather than two - Ben will fasten two of them around your lifted ankles and remove the shackles you came in with, along with the now-limp spreader. The cable which moments before drew your legs upward will be needed no longer; it will retract out of sight.

The high-tech-rigid rod pulling your wrists up will push them back down, forcing your elbows backward once again, and Ben will re-attach them to the bar behind you. He'll take the other two bands from the rear hub and pass them to Seiko, who'll clip them to the bands holding your arms in front - you'll then be treated to the odd experience of having your wrists dragged without being released from your front to your back, sliding against the sides of your body as the rear hub reels in whatever slack the front hub pays out. Any thoughts of striking out at your attendants during this adjustment can be dismissed immediately.

Number five didn't get any enjoyment out of Norm's dance of anguish; in fact, he didn't get what had happened at all. It was beyond the scope of his imagination that someone could find this experience arousing, let alone enough to come. Notwithstanding, or maybe simply withstanding, the three gorgeous women and three handsome men bound naked beside him, though the two on his right couldn't exactly be described as naked any more, he was limp as a rag as Ben began his rebinding. He was utterly terrified looking at Norm and Ginny in the mirror, squirming as they dangled from the ceiling in what surely must be unbearable discomfort.

Your electrode complement wouldn't be complete without something for your lower arms - they'll wrap those cuffs in place quickly, then adjust the rear hub's spacing, stretching your arms and legs away from the pole. The hub's clamp slides up and down to find its natural position as they tighten your hogtie. You'd beg for them to stop but for the gag, but it wouldn't make any difference - they can tell just how much you can tolerate. The front hub will reel in any slack, pressing your belly inward, pressing you tighter against your restraining pole.

So Ben and Seiko had no trouble whatever with Five, who resisted only when something hurt him. In no time he was struggling in considerable, but to his surprise, not unbearable discomfort. Three of them now had little choice but to bear it. Ben and Seiko moved on to Bev.

You may have noticed little fittings on the outside of all your electrode cuffs. The cuffs came pre-gelled but there isn't always enough to ensure dependable connections - the self-test reports any deficiencies. Seiko and Ben will each take a grease gun and circle all around you injecting additional conductive gel into the cuffs - it will feel very strange as it oozes around you.

And you'll be glad for it. Without adequate gel the electrodes can sting mercilessly, like they did in your crotch. Punishment indeed, but not what's intended. With sufficient gel the sting largely disappears - instead the muscles beneath the electrodes contract, mildly or fiercely depending on the strength of the current.

Make no mistake - you are still going to be punished. You will convulse in agony when the tormentor chooses. Your suffering will penetrate far into your body, to the very depths of your psyche. Along with your companions you'll dance sensuously, lasciviously, obscenely, painfully, to the tormentor's music, to the audience's delight.

Oh crap, here they come. I'll be damned if I'm going to set that thing off like Norm did.

Everyone knew Bev, and while the attendants weren't specifically told who was there without having been convicted of a crime, in this instance they could be sure Bev wasn't. Except for the back-up volunteers almost no-one ever volunteered twice, and no repeat applications had ever been accepted - Ben and Seiko had prepared Bev the last time. They also knew Bev well enough to know more or less what her crime probably was. They hoped, like all her friends, that this would teach her a lesson - they liked her a lot. Right now that probably wasn't a good thing to have going for her.

Each cuff has just one cable, containing enough conductors for all the electrical connections that particular cuff makes with your body. But you're wearing a lot of cuffs; all the individual cables need to be connected to a unified punishment source. They used to be gathered together into a sleeve for the tormentor to plug into a central console, but that's changed - it's much faster and tidier now. The console is history - the new improved saddles incorporate the console's functionality, as well as controlling the delivery or removal of fluids. The probes by virtue of being part of the saddle already have their electrodes connected, and if you have a sleeve it was plugged in earlier. Now Seiko will connect up the rest of you.

Ben and Seiko decided that their best approach for Bev was the standard one.

All the cuff and chest harness cables plug into the front face of your saddle, between your thighs, under the front shelf if you have one. This time Seiko doesn't have to bend down, instead she'll touch a control and your restraining pole will rise, bringing your saddle's sockets level with her eyes, with all the cables dangling nearby. It will take her just a few seconds to plug them all in and close the retaining cover; after that no matter how much you thrash in agony nothing will come loose. As she brings you back down she'll dress the cables neatly using strategically located clips on the outside of the cuffs. After all this is your costume - you need to look good on stage.

Bev's preparation proceeded quickly, as usual, so Ben soon found himself staring at Bev's smoothly shaved pubis, aligning her probes. Wow, she's hot! Too bad she's so tight with Khalidah - maybe I could play with them together. Then again, Khalidah's seriously scary - I'm not sure I'm up for that!

Bev struggled to maintain control.

Dammit, I'm not going to come, I'm not, I'm not. I'm...

Bev was her own worst enemy. Women seldom set off the orgasm suppressor, so Ben wasn't terribly concerned as he raised the saddle, sliding Bev's probes home in the face of surprising resistance given her predilections. She struggled so hard trying not to come that things just weren't going into place quite right. Ben spent several crucial seconds pushing and prodding, finally getting the ridge lined up and seated properly so he could lock the saddle in position. He was concentrating too hard on Bev's body - had he noticed her saddle's indicator flashing more and more rapidly he might have stopped and given her a moment to recover control, but he didn't. Now it was too late.

Seiko will start the final test. You'll feel quite a lot of tingles and buzzes, then your body will start twitching. When the tests pass the green light will flash - if there's a problem it will flash yellow and Seiko will correct it, but they are supremely competent so problems are highly unlikely. Once she gets the green light she'll install your consumables/disposables reservoir.

It's quite heavy since it stores a lot of water - you'll be thankful for that as your punishment progresses. At one point - there was too much going on for you to keep track of everything - Ben plugged a thin tube into the back of your gag and ran it down to the saddle - you will be watered now and then. The reservoir also contains the main battery, much larger than the one built into the saddle itself, and it's fully charged.

The weight poses no problem for Seiko; she hefts it to the pole where it clips into place, ensuring proper alignment as she slides it up between your knees where it rendezvous with a solid clunk to your saddle.

You didn't forget Bev, did you? Her fingers and toes curled and uncurled several times, then she flared her nostrils and shrieked in dismay, her not-yet-enclosed breasts bouncing vigorously as she jolted in response to the punishing shocks on her clitoris, in her anus and vagina, and now from the collar, incipient ecstasy shoved rudely aside by agonizing pain. She struggled to lift herself off the saddle.

But this is one instance when the rod holding you up may cut you some slack - it descended a little, subverting her attempt to rise, ensuring that all the electrodes remained firmly in contact until her proto-climax was completely suppressed. Bev struggled ferociously, and she certainly did not come all the way - the suppressor rose to the occasion, Bev couldn't.

Oh God, that hurt... Oh Ben, don't look so hang-dog sorry - it was my fault, not yours. I'm not invulnerable. After I'm out of jail I'll buy you a drink at THB. If Khalidah comes along maybe we can all go down to the Forge together. Bev's thought-invite included the word invulnerable facetiously but she couldn't get it out of her mind as her preparation resumed.

Bev was a mistress of topping from the bottom; prior experience as a professional dominatrix meant Khalidah was used to that and accepted it from Bev, even found it endearing - it was integral to their relationship. But Bev's accidental almost-orgasm drove reality home at last - she may have written much of the script but she couldn't top from the bottom today.

I've been so stressed-out, haven't I. My work's so important, isn't it - I suppose I'll find out for real when I return from a week's unexpected absence and find out if it made any difference at all. No, I'm not invulnerable, am I? I'm probably safer right now than I've been for months. Khalidah loves me, even Ben looks like he cares for me. Angie and I have fun together - she'd be really sad if I got killed in an accident. And what if I didn't die - do I want to be a crippled burden for my friends?

Ben and Seiko finished up, leaving a pensive, subdued Bev suspended psychically as well as physically as they turned to number three.

Disposables? I suppose that deserves a little clarification. During your ordeal you'll have very little control over your body. Do not be concerned about embarrassing yourself. Along with torment delivery, the probes and sleeves in concert with the reservoir ensure that nothing which might upset the sensibilities of the viewers is ever seen. You'll probably drool and sweat considerably but the robotic floor scrubbers will clean that up as it drips from your knees.

Bev's transformation was not lost on Khalidah, or on Ginny, who now seemed resigned to her fate and once again alert to everything going on around her.

Whoa, Bev, you put on one hell of a show - I bet it really was hell, even for you. I wish I could have been the one to do it to you but at least I got to watch. I've got to believe it wasn't supposed to happen, but it looks like it taught you a lesson - me too! I guess that's why I'm here but why are you? I know you didn't volunteer.

It really was helpful, Ginny decided, that Liz insisted she bottom now and then. She'd been suspended several times by experienced riggers in the private room at the Forge, with Liz there to talk her through it. She'd traded off quite a bit with novices on the main floor, and she'd learned how to handle strict bondage pretty well. If she engaged her muscles just right and concentrated on her breath - the gag didn't seem to cause that much trouble - she could manage her discomfort, get out of herself and focus her attention on whatever else was happening.

Since she really got off tying people up, even just seeing people tied up, the present circumstances weren't altogether ungratifying - and she was learning more by the minute! Her gaze turned to Angie - from what she'd heard she'd do just fine today, but she worried about her all the same.

It's a pity the tormentor no longer has to lift your punishment cable from the hook on your chest harness to connect you to the punishment apparatus as you watch, terrified. To replace that piece of theater the new saddles are equipped with a key-switch. It's on the end of a stout cable which doesn't really need to be as heavy as it is - it has only two conductors - the extra thickness is just for effect, to enhance your anticipation of the tormentor's power as you gaze into the mirror at its ominous black shadow dangling across your immobilized body. It serves to remind you why you've been prepared so thoroughly, to help you properly reflect on the agonizing chastisement you're about to endure.

Seiko will draw the switch-cable out from your saddle and hook it, just as the cable would have been before, to your harness. Squirm and twist all you like - you can't shake it loose and even if you could it wouldn't make any difference. When the tormentor arrives she'll lift it from your chest-hook, hold it menacingly in front of you, insert her key and turn it half a turn as she looks straight into your eyes.

There'll be a quiet, ominous click but you won't experience anything physical at that moment - the switch simply activates the system so she can torture you using the interface on her control pad. It will, however, start the official transcript of your punishment, providing legal proof of its proper execution. Once you're enabled she'll remove her key and allow the switch-cable to retract into the saddle.

The attendants will finish up with a quick inspection, tightening and adjusting anything they find not quite right, leaving you a neat, compact bundle suspended on a restraining pole which doesn't even touch the floor. If ever you wondered what "punishment bondage" means, you'll know now. You're ready to face the tormentor. Before that, though, you'll have to cool your heels while the rest of your companions are prepared.

Number three turned out to be a pain in the ass. He struggled ferociously against Seiko's grip as Ben raised his saddle, trying fruitlessly to align his probe to his tightly clenched anus. Repeated shocks from the collar failed utterly to get him to cooperate. Finally Seiko let go and circled to the front, drawing a miniaturized cattle prod from her back pocket. Ben stood aside as Three looked down with a derisive snicker at the diminutive woman standing before him.

Seiko pressed the prod's tip against Three's belly and pressed the button. He screamed, as much as one can with a ball gag, which is a lot. He convulsed with agony, thrashing and bucking against his bonds as the collar responded - it doesn't care why you're making noise. Seiko glared and pressed the device once again into his flesh just above his pubes as he drew himself back against the pole as much as he could. She waited a very long three seconds, then pressed the button a second time.