Too Good to Be True Ch. 03

This is the final chapter with the conclusion of this story. Thank you to everyone who made it this far, and thanks again to Tristessa Howard for editing :)

*

We took the elevator to the basement, level sub 37, and made our way through a series of security doors. The last one had a sign that said "Female Confinement Unit." It dawned on me that this wasn't going to be like the trainings I had attended earlier. After a few more turns we finally stopped at a locker room where the security officer opened one of the lockers.

"I'm sorry Miss, I have to ask for your clothes. Please take everything off, including jewelry and underwear."

"Are you serious!?" I couldn't believe it. "I'm not changing in front of you. A little privacy, please."

"Sorry, MIss, there are, err, ... no clothes to change into. Clothes are not permitted on this floor, I'm really, truly sorry. Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

No clothes permitted?! What the hell were they going to do to me?

"Sir, I would like to file a complaint with HR." I said, trying to sound defiant even though my voice was on the verge of breaking.

"Ms Shelby, HR doesn't review complaints from punitive confinement inmates. If they did, everyone would complain. And now your clothes, please."

Devastated, I turned my back to the guard and slowly took off my earrings, shoes, my dress, and finally - my face turning beet red - panties and bra. I placed everything in the locker, including my useless overnight bag, and turned around naked, covering myself up with my hands as well as I could. I was completely humiliated, but the next nasty surprise was already waiting for me. My tears were already flowing, but it wasn't until the guard picked up a pair of leg irons and a slave collar that I started to cry in earnest.

"Please! Don't do that to me, please. I did nothing wrong, why are you doing this to me?" I sobbed. They had put a chip into my brain, tortured me with shocks, locked me in a cell, and stripped me of my clothes. And now they were finishing what they started, destroying the last shreds of my dignity.

"This is not up to me, I'm afraid, it's regulation. You've got the asshole who sent you here to thank for it. Now kneel on the bench so I can get you fitted."

"Please, sir, could you call my boss? Tell him I will have sex with him, I'll do whatever he wants if he gets me out of here," I pleaded, swallowing my pride.

"I'm sorry, Miss, he's not going to do that. We've been through this before. Now kneel on that bench, please."

There was no point in resisting, my only choice was between complying now or complying after they zapped me. So the collar clicked shut around my neck, with a sound that sent shivers down my spine. The collar was maybe three centimeters high, with a steel ring dangling from its front, weighing heavily around my neck. The leg irons enclosed my ankles and they, too, felt sturdy and unbreakable. I continued sobbing while I got off the bench, no longer trying to cover myself up. I was defeated and I knew it.

"We normally cuff and leash punitive inmates. But if you promise to come along without making a fuss, we can try without," the officer said.

"I won't make a fuss," I promised, to at least spare myself this final humiliation. "But please, sir, will they ... will they force me to have sex?"

"Don't be silly. We're professionals and we guarantee for your safety. This way, please."

Not really convinced, I shuffled along in my leg irons, through featureless corridors that were lined with large dormitory-style cells, most of them empty. Some had people inside, watching me walk along from their bunk beds. I learned later that two groups of people were locked up here - highly skilled slaves who were working white collar jobs and normal employees who were guilty of serious contract violations. All in all, about five percent of the company's workforce consisted of so-called indentured servants, which was a typical number for Trivara's economy.

We passed another security door to an area that was labeled "Female Punitive Confinement Unit." Inside we entered a small room where eight cages were arranged on top of each other - four on the bottom and four on the top row. They looked like they were designed to hold dangerous animals, certainly not human beings. Even for someone as small as me, they were too short to stretch out and just about high enough to sit up. All sides were made of steel, only the front doors consisted of steel bars. At the moment, none of the cages were occupied - obviously that would change now.

A young female guard sat at a desk and jumped up when she saw us approach.

"Long time no see, Rudy. What do we have here?"

My escort scoffed. "From our special friend on the 378th floor. Abuse of power, again. I will file another report, for all the good it did last time."

"Alright. Turn around," she ordered.

"Excuse me, Ma'am, could I go to the bathroom, please?" My bowels churned. The stress was really getting to me.

"This is punitive confinement. Whatever you need to do, you have to do it in your cage."

I gulped and turned around, hands behind my back.

"Wait a second, Mira. You'll have her back in a minute," Rudy said. "Follow me."

We left the unit and stopped in front of a door that was labeled "staff only." Somewhat unnecessarily, because it had to be unlocked by fingerprint. He shoved me inside the small room and closed the door behind me. I was relieved when I realized that it was the staff lavatory.

I finished my business, washed my hands and knocked on the door.

"Thank you so much, sir."

"No worries. Come on, let's get you down for the night."

Back at the unit, I obediently presented my wrists for cuffing and let them padlock a chain to my collar. The other end was fixed to the backside of my cage, so even with an open door I wouldn't get far. Probably I wouldn't even be able to stand up outside.

"Wait a sec," said Mira. "I forgot the gag."

"Not necessary. Regulation says communication between inmates must be prevented. Nobody else is here, so ..."

"You're getting soft, Rudy. You know what happened to Jess when she didn't cuff a prisoner. I don't want to end up in the cage next to her."

"You won't. This is fully in line with the rules and I'm giving you a direct order. If anyone asks, send them to me. And by the way, Jess punched an inmate, cuffing had nothing to do with it. When you assault the very people you're responsible to protect, then you deserve what's coming to you. We don't tolerate this kind of behavior."

"Alright. You're lucky, Miss, no gag as long as you're our only guest."

I didn't feel particularly lucky but decided to keep that to myself. So they locked me in for the night and left me alone.

*

The next morning, after a largely sleepless night, another guard opened my cage and helped me out by gently pulling my collar chain, which he replaced with a leash. Still handcuffed and once more humiliated, I stumbled awkwardly along in my leg irons until we reached a large room.

The room was quite different from the office upstairs even though it was roughly the same size. It was large, dimly lit with long tables made of polished steel where chained, naked women talked into headsets. Almost as if this was a normal call center, I thought, and not a perverted, nightmarish version of it.

I was taken to an empty steel chair, similar to the one I had used in the training center. The guard pointed to a large hook embedded in the floor under the table. Confused, I looked at my neighbor and understood the system. With a sigh I moved my feet forward, trapping the chain of my leg irons with the hook, which immediately retracted into the floor. Now that I was securely anchored to my workplace, he removed my leash and handcuffs - which I welcomed immensely after having worn them all night.

A shackled, naked girl appeared and brought me a large bottle of water and a nutrition bar, apparently my breakfast. I nodded politely and when she smiled in response, I saw that her teeth had a black cover - probably the gag that I had avoided last night. I quickly finished my breakfast and logged into the system.

*

As expected, the "training" was a sham. They were simply making me work alongside the slaves, doing exactly the same job I did upstairs, but under worse conditions and for longer hours. The worst thing though were the punishments. Brutal, searing pain for what felt like ten seconds, similar to what I had endured during my physical exam. I was scared out of my mind of these shocks and worked extra hard to avoid them. If someone had given me the choice of returning upstairs to my boss and giving in to whatever he wanted, I would have taken it in an instant. But that deal was off the table.

So I worked my calls for a few hours until I felt there was urgent business to take care of. But unlike upstairs, the software didn't allow me to sign out for a bathroom break. I managed to catch the attention of my right-hand neighbor - there was no talking to her because of the damper field.

"Bathroom", I formed with my lips, multiple times.

Finally, she understood. She pointed at the drains on the floor and continued focusing on her call. I didn't understand and gave her a confused look. Surely that was a joke?

Of course, it wasn't. A few minutes later, one of the women at my left scooted to the front of her seat and spread her legs, casually relieving herself on the floor. Despite the mounting pressure, I couldn't bring myself to do the same. But it was amazing how fast I was adjusting. Here I was, yearning for a toilet break in the privacy of my cage - something that would have been mortifying only yesterday.

Some fifteen hours later, only interrupted by the cute, silent girl who brought more water and another tasteless nutrition bar, I was again cuffed, leashed and taken back to my cage. No longer concerned with decency, I emptied my bladder on the floor with a big sigh of relief, curled up and fell asleep almost immediately.

*

My work days were long and time passed very, very slowly. The first couple of nights I was alone in the unit and I basically passed out after my long and stressful shifts. On my third night, fighting outside woke me up. Two night shift guards were trying to subdue a girl who was shouting obscenities. One had a bloody nose that had soiled his uniform shirt - there was so much blood, the poor guy looked like a murder victim.

"Miss, stop resisting."

The girl was fighting like a wildcat and it took some time until they were able to safely pin her to the floor. Unlike back home, where bruises, black eyes, and a few knocked out teeth were part of the prison experience, the guards here were obviously trying their best to avoid injury.

"Leave me alone, you fucking bastards! You're hurting me!" she shouted when they were trying to bring her arms to the back.

"Then relax your arm, Miss. We have to cuff you."

Despite her hopeless situation, she didn't give in, wiggling around, yelling, but ultimately she ended up in the same set of rigid cuffs that I was already wearing.

"Noooo! I'm not going in that fucking cage again!"

"Miss, you brought that on yourself. We can't have you terrorize the other inmates, you were warned repeatedly. You had no reason to hit that girl, don't you see that she's scared of you?"

She didn't answer and continued her pointless struggle, the chain of her leg irons rattling on the floor.

"And you broke Andy's nose. If he presses charges, you will spend the rest of your time here. What's that, three years?"

"Nah, it's fine," said the other guard, Andy, while stemming the blood flow with a paper tissue. "I don't think it's broken, you're lucky, Miss. But you're going to cover the medical costs and you will take the gag without making any further trouble. After your last stay here the Security Director personally approved using shocks on you for non-compliance, up to level five. I'm sure you don't want to find out what that's like."

He pulled a small black cube from his tool belt and placed it on the floor right under the girl's nose. She was wailing in frustration but had stopped her struggles - the threat of level five punishments had clearly scared her.

"Come on, Miss, you know what to do."

Very reluctantly she opened up and took the cube into her mouth. It didn't take long and she was silenced completely.

"See, that wasn't so bad. And now let's get you locked up. You know how it works, be careful with your head or you may hurt yourself. Nod if you will comply."

Defeated, she nodded and let them guide her into the cage. Her fighting spirit seemed to be broken, I could see that she was crying. Obediently she let them connect her collar to the chain and close the door.

*

With my neighbor properly secured and guard Andy on his way out, probably to Medical, his colleague came over to me.

"Miss, I'm afraid we have to gag you, too. Are you going to comply?"

With another cage occupied, I knew I was subject to the gag rule as well. I had been spared for a couple of days, but that had only been a short reprieve. Still, it was absurd - I was allowed to talk to hundreds of customers per day, anyone who called the hotline, but not to my fellow inmates.

"I understand, sir, I will comply," I said. Whether I liked it or not, I would end up being gagged. Realistically, even the slightest hint at high-level punishments and I would probably beg for the privilege.

"I'm really sorry, that's the rules."

"It's fine. I'm just a bit scared," I admitted. "I have never worn one before. What do I have to do?"

"Not much. You just take it into your mouth, it'll expand automatically. You won't be getting any oxygen for a few seconds while it sets up the tubing, so take a deep breath. It'll feel weird and may hurt a bit, but it's perfectly safe, I promise. No matter what, stay calm. It won't suffocate you."

"Could you ... maybe not set it on the floor?" I asked. The small holes at the bottom of the cage kept fluids away from me, but the thought of putting something in my mouth that had been lying there was revolting.

"Alright," he said. "Promise not to bite?"

"I promise."

He reached through the steel bars, another one of the small cubes in his open palm. Unable to do much with my cuffed hands, I leaned forward and took the cube into my mouth. Like a dog getting her treat, I thought.

I didn't get the time to explore my humiliating situation further. As soon as I had closed my mouth, the gag expanded quickly. It filled the entire cavity, trapped my tongue, enclosed my teeth, and pulled my jaw shut with considerable force. Breathing tubes spread from the gag, connecting my lungs to my nose, which was a deeply disturbing sensation. I fought back the rising panic and after ten excruciatingly long seconds, I was able to breathe again. I leaned back, relieved, but with tears running down my face.

"Please nod if everything's alright, Miss."

I nodded weakly. If he hadn't warned me, I sure would have thought I was going to die. What a scary experience.

"First time's always hard, it'll be easier tomorrow. Want me to clean your face?"

Again I nodded and he carefully wiped away my tears with a fresh paper tissue.

"Don't worry, the system monitors your vital stats through the chip and we're just a few steps away. Try to get some sleep, good night."

*

No matter how difficult the situation, it soon becomes your new, depressing normal. A few days in I was used to being naked all the time, my leg irons didn't bother me much anymore and I took the scary gag like a champ. Even peeing without privacy, which was mortifying at first, became second nature. Like everyone else, I relieved myself in my cage or at my desk whenever I needed, and did so even while talking to customers. Because of my cuffs I wasn't able to at night, but during the day, I often masturbated idly while customers were droning on about their problems. If they knew what their agents were doing on the other side of the line - this was the only thing that sometimes made me smile.

*

Eventually though, my big day came and they had to release me. At the end of my shift, I was cuffed and leashed one last time and a guard escorted me back to the locker room, past the punitive confinement unit that had been my home for the past two weeks. Another member of the security staff was already waiting for me. It was Rudy, the officer who had refused to cuff me in front of my colleagues.

"Thank you, Sergeant, I'll take it from here."

The guard nodded and handed the leash to Rudy.

"Congratulations, Ms Shelby, you made it. Since it was me who took you into custody, I thought it would be appropriate to get these things off of you."

"Thank you, sir."

I smiled at him and knelt on the bench like I had done earlier, a lifetime ago - at least that's what it felt like. When he unlocked my collar and restraints, I was so relieved, it's hard to describe. Being able to take normal steps again, no collar weighing heavily on your neck, it was fantastic.

"There's a shower around the corner, if you like. I'll wait outside, take your time."

I gladly took him up on the offer and for the first time in two weeks I had the luxury of warm water running down my body. But I didn't want to spend too much time, I wanted to feel clothes on my skin, sunlight, and a gentle breeze from the sea. I got dressed quickly and he took me to the elevators.

"A friend of yours says she's waiting for you at the train station on level ten. Her name is Michelle, if I remember correctly."

*

Upstairs at the station, she was sitting on a bench and I could see from the look on her face how worried she must have been. She jumped up and ran to me as soon as she spotted me in the crowd. I was so grateful that she had come to pick me up, we hugged and I cried openly.

"It's alright sweetie, it's all right," she said, wiping my tears away, "I'll take you home and make you dinner. You've been through a lot, but you're stronger than you know, you'll be fine."

When I hadn't shown up for work, she had worried and tried to reach me - unsuccessfully of course, my comlink had been switched off. My asshole boss claimed he didn't know where I was, so she called hospitals and eventually the police, who had HR track me through my chip. It was only then when the truth came out, but despite dozens of complaints filed, she couldn't get me released. Still, I will be eternally grateful to her that she had tried.

Back at home, Michelle cooked for me and gave me a wonderful massage to relieve the tension in my muscles. I fell asleep on the couch, my head in her lap, like back at home with my mom when I was a child. I felt protected and safe, all my sorrows gone, at least for the moment. Nothing was resolved, I still didn't know what to do, but that night I didn't care.

*

Rested after a good night's sleep in my bed with no cuffs and no gag, I returned to my old workplace upstairs the next day, with a newfound appreciation for the open plan office and my fighting spirit at least partially restored. At first I thought this experience would destroy me, but I got through it and was more convinced than ever that I couldn't give in to my boss. Clearly, he had done his worst, but it hadn't been enough to break me. You don't get self esteem for free, I thought, I would put my bad memories behind me and continue to fight.

I readjusted quickly to the 378th floor, even though Michelle caught me a couple of times playing with myself during particularly dull calls. And it wasn't just that, other habits were hard to shake as well, like having to sign out and walk to the bathroom instead of just letting go. The valve came in handy because it was possible to open and close it manually - that feature saved me more than once from embarrassment.