The City in Glass

"But I think this farce has come to an end. You see, Brenna, you know too much, about what I'm doing here and what really occurs in the shadows. So I'm afraid we will need to do something about that."

You look around, trying to gauge if you could jump off the container and not break an ankle but the dark rocky ground looks less than promising.

"Oh don't fret, my vigorous young friend. You will return back to your world safe and unharmed. Just without the memories of what occurred here. Relax, this goes easier if you don't struggle." He raises his hand and snaps the silver bracelet shut.

You shut your eyes and scrunch up your face preparing for the worst, a dim fog sweeping through your mind... and then all you hear is a faint whir.

"No more. That's enough." Dr. Quilp says. No, not quite Dr. Quilp... Danny!

Your eyes fly open and there, standing on a train car level with you two is Danny, holding an ornate box with a blue garnet glowing bright.

"My child, what the devil are you doing!" Dr. Quilp blusters. Danny looks over at you.

"Thank you, Brenna, for showing me what I was missing." He gives you a sweet smile and flips a switch on the back of the box.

You feel a tingling sensation on your arm - you look down, your bracelet is buzzing. You look up with a wicked grin but Dr. Quilp is leaping from the top of the shipping container to a nearby canister to the ground and then towards Danny's train car. Danny sees him coming and scampers down into the darkness.

Shit, where are they going? You hear scuffling in the darkness. You climb down and BOOM.

The Corsair's arms are tight around you, one full across your chest, the other wrapped around your hips preventing your escape.

"What the hell?!" You shout. Kayla appears out of the darkness.

"We've got her. Look me in the eyes Brenna, did he fuck with your head?" She demands looking both fierce and somewhat comical.

"No! I don't think so, let me go! He's going to kill Danny." Corsair, still with his arms wrapped around your chest, loosens slightly. "I mean it! We've got to help!" You insist. Kayla gives a curt nod.

Corsair lets you go, his hand coping a feel of your full breasts while letting you go. You shoot him a glare but see that he has a confused look on his face, like desperately trying to remember something. He glances back and forth between you and Kayla.

You don't have time for this. You shove past them and race after the combatants.

There! In the suit and the dirt, the two of them are grappling on the ground. You look around - there's the box, just out of reach.

You race forward and snatch it up. You hold it aloft over your head,

"Nobody move or I smash this to pieces!" Both Quilps look up.

"Brenna! If you do that, you'll never escape. You'll be stuck here just like me. Don't give up your life!" says Quilp #1.

"Brenna! Do what you must - I trust you." says Quilp #2.

You lock eyes with the second Quilp, his clothes dirty from the scuffle. You give him the barest of nods, flicking your eyes to the right. He follows your gaze as you hurl the box in that direction. With a burst of speed, he breaks away from his doppelganger and leaps - catching the box in mid-air and falling in a pile of coat and limbs to the ground.

Quilp #1 pulls a long, slender blade from within his coat and leaps up in a fit of rage running straight for his clone.

"Watch out!" You cry. Corsair and Kayla run at him, grasping at his arms and legs, trying to hold him fast. He strains to shake them off.

"Quick, Brenna, your bracelet!" shouts the Quilp #2, still on the ground clutching the box.

You point the bracelet at the first Quilp and snap it shut. Immediately, his eyes glaze over and his body stands rigid. Kayla and Corsair back away in confusion as the menu pops up, floating next to him. You let out a tense breath you hadn't realized you were holding.

"Are you alright Danny?" You ask. He gets to his feet, still holding the box.

"I'm alright, little roughed up about the edges but right as rain." He says pushing his scrambled hair out of his face.

"Okay, what should we do with him?" asks Kayla. "If he's basically a serial rapist, shouldn't we turn him over to the police or something?" You shake your head.

"First we would need to get out of this city," you begin.

"Working on that now, actually." Danny Quilp says, flipping the switches on the back of the box generating a series of atonal sounds not unlike a modem.

"And even if we could get him out of here and to the police, what would we say? How would we explain all this?" Corsair nods very sagely, following your every word with nothing but confusion behind his eyes.

"I suppose you are right. So what to do with him?" She says, looking at his frozen features, a thin sheen of sweat covering his brow. "Can we leave him like this?"

"Unfortunately no," Danny says, not looking up from his manipulations of the box. "The admin key times out after two hours if there is no activity."

"We need to wipe him." You say decisively. "Wipe him clean. Just like he wanted to do with us. Empty out his memories and recast him in this place. He will live a life inside his own gilded cage, and he won't even know why." Kayla nods.

"There is a sort of poetic justice to that." She says.

"If that's your decision, it must be the right one." Corsair says, nodding confidently. You try, and fail, to keep from rolling your eyes while Kayla looks at him in mild bemusement.

"What happened to you?" She asks of Corsair.

"aHA!" shouts Danny. The top of the box clicks open and from a tiny compartment he withdraws two iron key necklaces, glowing faintly in the dim light.

"There was just two left. These should get you home." He hands them to you and Kayla. "Just three turns and you should be able to leave the city." Kayla quickly puts hers on but there was something... something you had forgotten.

"Caroline!" You shout. Caroline's body in the tank, that means that Caroline has been in the City!

You turn to the menu and start shuffling through Dr. Quilp's memories. The list of women he has brought here is long but you find what you are looking for. Yes, Caroline is here, she's working as a washerwoman just north of the public market. He assaulted her, stole her energy and wiped her mind. She has been here only a week, thank god. He regularly visits to "charge up", gives her memories back just long enough for her to remember she is imprisoned and then wipes her all again.

That goddamn monster.

In a fit of rage, you start deleting memories; childhood, this life, understanding of the city itself, all of it until there is nothing left. His eyes glazed and empty as his head.

You feel Danny's hand on your back. "Can I have the bracelet?" You nod and hand it over to him.

"What would you like him to be in this world?" You considered a number of options but settle on the perfect one.

"A servant to Lord Douglas." Danny gives the faintest smile and goes to work, crafting new memories for his maker.

You turn your key over in your hand. it matches the dull one around your neck. Caroline needs a way out too.

"Danny, the key I have had from the start. Is there any way to make it work again?"

"Yes - it is activated, it just needs to be charged up." Danny unclaps the bracelet. His doppleganger gives one slow blink and then stirs. He looks around at those gathered, down at himself, back to Danny as if struggling to recall how he got here. Danny gives him an indulgent smile.

"Lord Douglas asked you to walk us home. And here we are. Thank you so much for your help, you can go back to his estate that way." Danny points down one of the tunnels. Dr. Quilp nods and slowly begins trekking off into the darkness.

"Just needs to be charged up." Ah. The last piece fell into place. You have a plan.

"Kayla, do you know where the market is?"

"Of course, and yes, I know what Caroline looks like. She's only been to half a million of your parties." You hand her the new iron key that Danny just made.

"Give this to her and make sure both of you twist it three times. If I'm not there when you get out, figure out a way to get me free."

"What about you?" She asks.

"Me? I'm going to fuel my own escape." You towards Danny. "How much charge does this need to become active again?"

"A great deal." He says.

"Good. Corsair, I'm going to need your help. Danny, you too." Kayla's eyes light up, realizing your plan.

"Ah, I will leave you to it. See you on the other side!" and with that, she heads off to find the stairs back above ground to the marketplace.

You take a deep breath. Okay, this is going to work. You think. The two men, the Corsair and Danny, look at you expectantly. Danny flips one last switch on the box which ceases to hum while Corsair simply follows you adoringly with his eyes. Feeling bold, you slowly unbutton your blouse, making sure your key is nestled firmly between your breasts.

"Gentlemen, come with me." You flip open the door to the train car, as the boys dutifully follow you in. The lights from the flickering electric bulbs outside in the cavern cast long and deep shadows within the train car.

You sway back and forth, rocking to some unheard melody as they crowd in behind you. You slip between them - Corsair's muscular body pressing against your front. You take his hands, his hot, rough hewn hands, and pull them to your body, putting them over your breasts. Corsair needs no further invitation, softly caressing your hips, and playfully rolling your nipples between his thumb and hand. You lean back, one arm arching up to Danny's adoring face looking down at you. He puts his arms around for support as you pull him down to you for a kiss - his soft lips working with yours, tangling and intertwining.

Before you, Corsair has gotten on his knees, raining kisses down on your chest and stomach, his hands busy beneath your skirts, his hot fingers tracing the inside of your thighs. You reach back and stroke Danny through his pants, he moans into your open mouth, lost in the pleasure.

"OH FUCK!" you gasp as you suddenly feel wet lips on your sex. Your knees nearly buckle but Danny is holding you steady. You look down, pushing the skirts out of the way to see the top of Corsair's head, his mighty arms wrapped around your thighs, his tongue delving into your folds.

Danny cradles your body in your arms as you bear down on Corsair, grinding yourself against him. You shift impatiently, the crescendo building, as you feel his fingers, gently tracing your outer lips while he sucks and licks and twirls your clit.

With ragged breaths, you find the voice to ask for a pause, giving Corsair a chance to lay fully on his back. Danny comes around in front of you, pausing only for more kissing, full deep kisses that leave you craving more. Corsair, trapped between your knees, quickly redoubles his efforts on your pussy, rubbing you from the inside with his fingers while licking and sucking with a passion.

You reach out, unbuttoning Danny's pants and fishing out his cock, thick and strong with a curly tuft of dark brown hair. You stroke it slowly, one hand teasing from base to tip before forming a tight O and jacking it fully. He tangles his hands in your hair and moans. He is already close.

You bend forward and suck the bulbous head into your mouth. His knees buckle and he stumbles, slipping out of your grasp.

"Sorry, so sorry." He apologizes but your eyes are closed, Corsair is bringing you to the brink again, the mini tremors sweeping through your core.

"Oh fuck, oh FUCK, OH FUCK!" You shout. You are almost there! Looking over your shoulder, you see Corsair's cock, threatening to tear through his pants, as his hips jump in motion with your own motions. You've got to do more.

You stand, and then lean over one of the seat booths, presenting your full buttocks to Danny. He eagerly gets in position and slides inside you, his hard cock filling you up. He bottoms out, slowly pulls back and then begins thrusting with all his might, banging you hard into the cushion seat coving.

Corsair moves around to your front, locking eyes with you as he shuffles out of his pants. He leans in and captures a kiss on your lips, moving his face in time with your bouncing body as Danny ravages you from behind. His lips are wet and taste of you but you don't care, you are lost in the moment, in the rabid vortex of pleasure and sensation.

Eagerly, you reach forward and grasp his cock - like the man himself a little shorter but much thicker than Danny's. You stroke it frantically, as the thrusts from behind make it hard to maintain a rhythm, but the stimulation is too much. His eyes roll back in his head and his sack tightens.

"Ohhh Brennaaaaaaaaa" he moans as rope after rope of thick salty cum flies through the air, splattering the seats. Danny, urged on by the erotic sounds, picks up the pace, you can feel him swelling inside of you.

You reach down and stroke your clit just but a moment and it sweeps through you. You clamp down hard and scream your orgasm, swiftly silenced by a full kiss from Corsair as he pulls you to him.

"AAHhhhhhhhh!!!" Danny moans in relief as he finally cums deep inside you, spurt after spurt, soaking your inner folds, his wet slick body pressed against your back, Corsair's face pressed against yours.

You want more than anything to just bask in this moment but you cannot let it go to waste. You reach down and twist the key...once, twice, three times and white light fills your vision.

CLATTER CLATTER CLATTER.

Like a thousand marbles were dropped on a wooden floor. That's the sound that echoes in your ears as you blink rapidly, trying to clear the spots from your eyes. Slowly, the cramped space of Dr. Quilp's workshop comes into focus. You look around, there is still sun outside, it could very well have been moments after you left.

"Wow, looking good Brenna!" Caroline says. You whip your head around. Kayla and Caroline are standing hand-in-hand next to the snow globe, Kayla still in Corsair's coat and the sheet and Caroline dressed in rags.

You snatch your blouse closed and hear another CLATTER CLATTER as something shifts inside of you. Inside of you? You peak down under your skirts to see hundreds of little metal pellets all over the floor. Did they just fall out of your sex? You quickly gather them up into your skirts, it is far more than a handful, while giving your friends an apologetic smile.

"So... do we just leave?" Kayla asks. "I mean, he's in the snow globe, will something happen to this shop?" You shake your head. "Whatever happens to it is not our problem. Let's get out of here." The three of you make your way towards the front, careful not to spill any of the dull grey pellets and pausing only to pocket Dr. Quilp's little black book off his workbench before leaving the business.

"So what are those?" Caroline asks as you funnel them into a leftover tupperware in the back of the car.

"A gift from Danny. And hopefully, something more." You grab your cellphone and fire off a quick text.

"Michael, get the metalworking tools out. I've got a new project for you."