Taken by the Viking Ch. 12

Trish's body was throbbing. After being punished, Jordan hadn't applied any of the healing cream, although he had rubbed a different cream into her welts. It didn't have the same effect as the one he normally used. The soreness lingered, her skin was still extremely sensitive where she'd been spanked, and the lingering aches served to remind her of the cost of rebellion. Even though her rebellion hadn't gone further than sharing information... Bella had been the one stupid enough to actually attempt to use it. She still didn't know what the other woman had been thinking.

"Pet and Toy have both been injected with the new drug," the Wolf said, looking both gleeful and apprehensive. "It's not as different from the original as we thought, the Moon is as fucking lazy with their drugs as they are with everything else. This time we're going to break through the formula. They aren't going to be able to make Pet and Toy forget. Not everything."

That simple, satisfied statement shocked Trish to her very core.

"But will they remember enough?" Jordan asked, his tone heavy with doubt.

"And which one will remember?" Cora asked, giving Jordan and the Wolf a wicked look, obviously aware of their penchant for betting on things like that.

Trish tuned out as her mind whirled.

Everyone knew that the Wolf's long-term captives came back and never talked about their ordeal. If the Wolf and the others were saying what Trish thought they were saying, it was because the Moon was drugging the captives... because the Wolf was sending them back with information that the Moon didn't want to get out. It was a stunning revelation that shocked her to her very core, and if she hadn't been sitting on Jordan's lap, she might have fallen right over.

Of course she'd known there were issues on the Moon. To someone living there who wasn't part of the elite, their social structure was stifling, mercenary, and unfair. She'd always just accepted it as being the way things were, just like everyone else. The Moon always insisted Earthers were worse, with their violence and power hungry leaders... and Trish had bought into that too. Just like everyone else.

But taking away someone's memories...

As awful as Trish's abduction had been, she wouldn't even want her earliest memories of it taken away from her. Would she? No... they were hers. If she didn't remember, she wasn't complete. And if the Moon was forcing people to lose their memories, if they were making them and not giving them a choice... it was a violation worse than anything Jordan had done to her or the Wolf had done to Alex and Bella. Even the Wolf's mind-fucks didn't actually erase part of a person.

"They'll be more likely to remember information tied to traumatic or extremely emotional events," Cora said, her tone almost wheedling. "Are you sure you don't want me to take over?"

"I have it handled," the Wolf said shortly. "Besides, you can't receive visitors and you know it."

Cora made a face. "I could have, if you all hadn't voted against me."

"But we did and I'm the name. We leaked my face to go with the name, not yours. You, John, and the others need to stay out of the spotlight. If things go wrong, you can still pick up our plans."

Trish's mouth went dry.

Seeing the action behind-the-scenes was making her more and more worried. The Moon looked more and more like it was run by bumbling incompetents while the Earth leaders were well organized and goal-oriented. She still wasn't entirely sure what their goal was, but obviously it had something to do with the wiped memories of the Wolf's captives and - she was willing to bet - the collusion of some of the Moon's government with the Wolf and others. And, apparently, part of their plan hinged on the Wolf being the only known quantity to the Moon.

If something happened to him, it sounded like Cora and John and the other leaders wouldn't be inconvenienced much. But the Moon would have no idea who to focus on in his absence... maybe there was someone keeping an eye on Earth politics, but even if they were, who was to say the Earthers weren't several steps ahead of them?

The phone on the Wolf's desk rang and he hit a button on it.

"Yes?"

"We've isolated the changes." The voice was familiar and Trish frowned, trying to think of where she'd heard it.

"That was fast," said Trace, also frowning, although she assumed it was because he didn't understand how fast it had happened.

The person on the phone snorted derisively. "They barely changed the formula. I mean, they changed it enough that we'll need to make some adjustments to our serum as well, but I think it's possible that even without the adjustments, some memories would return eventually unless further steps were taken. It's shoddy, lazy ass work. Just what I would expect since they're still only working with Moon scientists who just want to finish their job so they can get back off Earth."

The voice suddenly clicked in Trish's brain - Dr. Margolis.

"The blocker we administered upon arrival will already inhibit the success of this new drug to some extent, especially over time, and we're almost done formulating a secondary shot to administer, more tuned to the new variation if you want a chance for their memories to return sooner rather than later. I would also suggest testing it further while they're still here on Earth, rather than leaving it up to chance." The doctor's tone was almost haughty, but it didn't seem to bother the Wolf or Cora.

"Anything else that might help?"

"The mind is often retains memories it associates with trauma or extreme emotions, as I've told you, but other than that... we'll just have to see."

Jordan's hand on Trish's leg began to move, sliding up under her skirt almost absently, caressing her inner thigh with his fingers. If it hadn't been for how sensitive her skin still was, she wouldn't have even noticed. She'd become pretty used to Jordan's caresses while he was thinking. While she had no idea whether or not touching her really helped him, she did know it was something he just did. And she'd gotten used to it happening.

"Fine," the Wolf said with a sharp nod. "Give them the secondary shot as soon as you've finished it. We'll monitor the progress. You may have some time with Bella."

"Thank you, Sir."

Shivering, Trish shrank against Jordan, not wanting to draw the Wolf's notice right after he'd carelessly given Bella over to the Doctor. There were times when Trish almost thought the Wolf cared a bit about Bella and Alex, and then there were times like this when he was so ruthlessly indifferent that it was terrifying. Jordan's arm around her body squeezed her closer, as if reassuring her that she was his and not in any danger of being shared. His touch made

At least, not with the Doctor.

Just with Laura and Marek...

******

Alex's limp body lay on cushions in front of the Wolf's desk.

Constantly peeking at him, waiting for him to wake up, Trish kept pulling away from Jordan only to have him pull her back again, tucking her back under his arm. She didn't mean to, because she could tell he was losing patience with her constant increasing distance even if she didn't get very far, but she just couldn't stop staring at Alex.

Would the memory drug work? How much would he forget? Would there be any other effects?

She was also a bit worried about Bella, although her worry was also tempered with the occasional bit of resentment that Bella had brought her punishment on herself.

There was a reason Trish hadn't gone into the passageways. The same reason she and Bella had cringed every time Alex mouthed off or rebelled. She still didn't know what he'd hoped to accomplish by going without food for so long when they'd first been captured. Since then he seemed to be better at yielding when he had to, but it was always a fight. It would have allowed Bella to slide under the radar if the Wolf hadn't realized punishing Bella was more effective at keeping Alex in line than a direct punishment.

A sharp swat to her backside had Trish biting back a yelp, just before Jordan yanked her back to his side.

He didn't tell her to stop moving away from him; he didn't need to. She knew exactly why she'd just been swatted. On her already tender skin, the swat stung twice as much as it normally would have, and she really regretted having told Bella about the passageways. She'd been doing really well about not earning punishment spankings. The other spankings Jordan gave her didn't really hurt in a bad way and he always used the cream afterwards so she didn't have to suffer any lingering discomfort.

Planting her feet, Trish took a deep breath, keeping her head ducked so she didn't have to see Jordan's warning glare. If she wasn't careful, she was going to end up with another real spanking - and she wasn't sure he would take her somewhere private for it. The room was mostly empty other than the Wolf and Alex, and two soldiers standing guard at the door to turn people away. Jordan might not consider this public and the idea of being punished on her already chastened ass... with the Wolf right there...

She needed to stay where Jordan put her if she didn't want more trouble than she could handle.

It was just really hard not to keep checking on Alex.

After all, he hadn't gone into the passageways. In all of this, he was the only real innocent. Trish felt guilty just looking at him - although some of her guilt was ameliorated by the burn in her bottom. After all, she'd already paid for what she'd done and she knew Bella was paying now too.

As if finally responding to her mental plea, Alex stirred. The Wolf and Jordan ceased their conversation - which hadn't been very interesting anyway - and Trish made sure not to move her feet as she leaned forward. Jordan's hand dropped down to her bottom and squeezed; a warning against moving... unlike the swat, it didn't feel entirely uncomfortable and Trish flushed a little, as his hand ended the squeeze with a caress before returning to her waist.

Blinking, looking confused, Alex lifted his head.

"Ah... Toy's awake," the Wolf said, his tone satisfied but also threaded through with curiosity.

The Wolf, Jordan, Trace, Cora... they all seemed like they were hoping the memory drug wouldn't have worked at all even though Dr. Margolis had told them it would take some time for their anecdote to counter it. Alex's head swiveled, the unfocused look in his eyes clearing as he looked around.

"How do you feel, Toy?" the Wolf asked, leaning forward on his desk as he studied Alex. Beside Trish, Jordan was tense, also studying the man. He and the Wolf had a bet about whether Alex or Bella would be the one to recover their memory - Dr. Margolis had told them personality would play a factor in throwing off the effects of the drug - and Jordan was betting on Alex.

"What did you do to me?" Alex asked, pushing himself up into a sitting position. He shook his head as if trying to clear it. "Where's Bella?"

So he remembered something at least.

The Wolf smiled. "You're testing a drug for us... newly acquired in fact. Although, it's not exactly a new drug, just a revised version that was scheduled to go to the Moon."

"I don't... I can't..." Alex wrinkled his forehead, and Trish realized she was holding her breath, waiting to see what Alex actually remembered. His expression remained confused, wary, worried... and then he glared at the Wolf, clenching his fists at his side. Trish glanced up at Jordan, who still looked a bit hopeful. Obviously pushing aside his confusion, Alex focused on the one thing that was most important to him. "Where's Bella?"

He'd barely glanced at Trish. Not that she really expected him to. When it came to their captivity, she was definitely the third wheel of the hostage situation. She didn't blame them... not really... but... it was still a lonely place to be. No wonder she found herself searching for connections with Earthers like Laura and Trix; this moment just brought that home to her in a very real way. Here she was worrying about Alex whereas she was barely a blip on his mind even when she was standing right in front of him.

"Pet was very, very bad," the Wolf said carefully, and Trish got the impression he was testing Alex, hoping to prod something loose in Alex's mind. "So I've sent her to the Doctor to see if he can't cure her of that."

The upset and panic and Alex's face increased, his brow wrinkling, obviously trying to figure out what was going on. "What did she do?"

The Wolf sighed and leaned back in his chair, shooting a glance at Jordan, who just shrugged in disappointment. They both looked a little disappointed, and it almost made Trish want to laugh. They might be feared warriors, powerful men, and yet right now they almost looked like little boys denied something they wanted.

"What's the last thing you remember?" the Wolf asked, rather than answering Alex.

Alex's jaw clenched, but he did the smart thing and answered the question, which relieved Trish. She really didn't want to watch him be punished for not answering the Wolf's questions just because the Wolf wasn't answering his.

"Bella needed to tell me something and we were going back to the room," Alex said coolly.

The Wolf looked at Jordan. "So Margolius judged the amount correctly, that's good." He turned back to Alex, piercing him with his dark gaze. "You don't remember anything about what she wanted to tell you?"

She doubted Alex would admit it if he did, but the obvious frustration on his face made it clear that he didn't.

How this would fit into the Wolf's plans, she still wasn't entirely sure, but he didn't look beaten or anything. Jordan was definitely more disappointed than he was, and Trish realized he was disappointed over not winning the bet immediately, even though Dr. Margolis had warned them it would take some time.

Impatient males.

The thought shouldn't make her smile, but it almost did. It almost felt even... fond. She really needed help. Or choices for company that weren't complicit in her current position... but since none of that was available, could she really blame herself for occasionally slipping and starting to feel and think like all of this was normal? After all, it was her reality.

She squeaked as Jordan picked her up, immediately securing her arms around his neck to take some of the pressure off of her bottom and the backs of her thighs against his arms. It wasn't a sharp hurt, but she was still sore and the more weight on those areas, the more uncomfortable she was.

"Go," said the Wolf, giving them a little wave, his eyes lifting to the guards by the door. "The room is open again. Send someone to find Cora."

As Jordan strode towards the door, Trish glanced back over her shoulder to see Alex still sitting there, staring at the ground in front of him, fists clenched, his brow furrowed as he tried to force his memories back into place.

******

Carrying Trish was a good way to let everyone know he was off duty. Anyone approaching him now better have a real emergency at hand.

That didn't stop Trish from bombarding him with questions though, as soon as they were out of the main room. He was always amused by the cautious tone in her voice whenever she questioned him. Not that he'd ever tried to stop her from doing so, but she was a cautious thing. Thoughtful. Careful. A planner. Like him in a lot of ways.

Which pleased him. He would have hated to have to punish her as harshly as Margolius would be dealing with Bella. When Trish had turned away from the passageway in his room, he'd been relieved she hadn't felt desperate enough to take the first opportunity of escape and pleased at her intelligence in waiting, so he'd included a reward in her punishment, which was much more enjoyable to him as well.

Harsh punishments put him in mind of the old lord. Drufs. He'd insisted everyone call him by his title, not his name. Anyone overheard using anything but "Lord" was made an example of. Harshly. Jordan still had scars from the whipping and he'd gotten off lightly because of who he was. Most who made the mistake of disrespecting the old lord in some way often didn't live through their punishments. Females usually did, although they probably wished they hadn't afterwards, since after their whipping they were given over to the lord's men for their use until they did die.

"Are you going to take my memory?" Trish's quiet voice broke off his thoughts. Her head was practically resting on his shoulder as they moved down the hall, making it easy for him to hear her despite the noise from the others around them.

"No," he said.

"Why not?"

"You don't need it."

"You don't care if I know about the passageways?" She sounded confused and a little perturbed.

"No."

She fell silent for a long moment. "Is it because I won't know my way around them?"

"Partly. I will show you some paths later."

"Are any of them going to lead to the outside?" There was the tiniest tinge of... not amusement, but almost teasing in her voice. She wasn't being sarcastic exactly, but she wasn't being serious either, because she didn't expect him to say yes.

Jordan grinned. She was joking with him. Kind of.

He liked it.

"No," he answered honestly.

She made a noise that sounded almost disgusted. It was very cute.

For a long moment she was silent.

"The Moon uses the drug on the people the Wolf returns, doesn't it?" she asked quietly. It didn't surprise Jordan that she'd come to the correct conclusion despite only receiving partial information. Her quick mind was one of the things he liked about her.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You tell me."

She had until they reached their room, which wasn't long, because once he got her there, Jordan fully intended on enjoying himself. Although she could always ask more questions later, and he knew she would.

Trish leaned against him, the way she often did when she was thinking. He liked that she did that without thinking now.

"There are things that we learn down here that the Moon officials don't want anyone to know," she guessed. Jordan stayed silent, but he didn't deny it. "They're afraid of losing their power... but it doesn't matter because they're doing so anyway. I just don't understand why you're so determined that someone remember. You don't need Alex and Bella or the others to take power back from the Moon. You could do it right now."

She was confused because it didn't make obvious tactical sense.

But the Wolf was adamant that not everyone on the Moon was an enemy and that they could be quite useful if their energies and minds were used productively. They were spoiled and sheltered, but the Wolf didn't like to waste. Especially since an attack on the Moon would result in great loss of life for those on Earth as well, and possibly more devastation to the planet. The Wolf preferred the Moon tear itself apart from the inside. At least, that was how he phrased it to Jordan.

Figuring out people's motivations, actions, and reactions was not Jordan's forte. He looked at battles and how to win them. His upbringing had left him socially stunted on a planet where social interactions were already fucked up - at least, that was what Zadia told him and he trusted her to know. Soldiers followed him because he could pound any of them into the ground and they believed in his ability to win. They followed Zadia because they actually liked her as well as respected her tactical acumen. They followed the Wolf because of a combination of both. Jordan didn't care if they followed him because of their fear; Zadia said he would be more effective if they liked him as well but Jordan didn't particularly care about being liked.

Except with Trish.

But she was starting to like him. She no longer protested whenever he wanted to cuddle her or set her on his lap. She looked to him for protection when she felt anxious or fearful. And she no longer watched him warily when they were in the same room. She trusted that he wouldn't hurt her unless she did something naughty, and she did her best to behave. Other than telling Bella about the passageways, but even that hadn't changed how she acted around him.