chapter nine

Ellen woke to the familiar feeling of having all of her appendages wrapped in tight leather straps and immobile. There was an unfamiliar throbbing in her groin area, but it was quickly dismissed by her shock to see the entire office darkened with only dim red lights running around the ceiling.

“How long did I black out for?” She asked herself, at once scared and thrilled that she had knocked herself out long enough that the rest of the office had left for the evening.

Outside her office muffled voices congratulated themselves on a well built barricade. It must still be Barricade Monday, she thought before filling her lungs and yelling, “Would someone kindly come and get me out of this. I know I put myself in this but apparently I need help getting out.”

The voices ceased to speak and there was shuffling from the hall then her door creaked open. Satchel or Bel looked into her office and ducked back out, re-closing the door.

This time the voices consulted each other in whispers which she couldn’t make out but could still hear. Ellen felt the need to justify herself, “Look it’s no big deal. It’s just a little bondage. It’s better than yoga. In the future this is what everybody is going to be doing. But, I can’t seem to cut myself free would somebody help me?”

The door to her office opened again. Balddee, Mule and Harmon walked through while the interested eyes of Pedro the Cat, Dirty Orpheus, Satchel and Bel looked on.

“Ellen?” Mule asked, eyeing her with a more intense interest than he had given her in the past.

Ellen rolled her eyes, “I know, I’m naked. They haven’t made clothing flexible enough for me to wear in this contraption yet. When they do, believe you me I will wear clothes when doing this.” Nobody moved to help her so she continued, “There isn’t a computer in this office which has not been tainted by something far worse than this. Now if somebody would cut me down I would actually like to do some work.”

Balddee never took his eyes off of Ellen but Mule and Harmon exchanged a glance. “Do you think it's her? I don’t think the real Ellen would want to do work”

“There really is no way we could know?” Harmon answered back, turning his eyes to look at Ellen again.

“What do you think that we should do with her? We don’t know if she’s turned.”

Ellen bit her lip to stop herself from yelling then said in a crisp voice, “Look, all of you. I have told you I don’t give it up to people at work. It is something that must be earned.”

A noise recoiled from across the office and all the heads turned in response. Those that had been standing in the hallway scrambled into the office, then shoved their way against the wall opposite the apparatus that Ellen had put herself in. “What the shit was that?” Ellen asked.

“Gunshot.” Balddee said, “Better go check it out. She’ll have to wait.”