"It's not safe, Sloan," Tom Daniels protested. "Let me go in with you." Yes, go in with me or better yet, get me out of here, Sloan prayed silently. "No," she said aloud. "Lewis asked to see me alone. I want to hear what he has to say." Sloan slipped her arms around his neck. "I'll be fine, Tom. There's no way he can hurt me." She wished she felt as confident as her voice sounded. Yes, it was true that every precaution had been taken to ensure Lewis would remain in the Sirtis Bell Institute. A special high tech cage had been assembled within the bowels of the building hidden several floors beneath the cellars. He was surrounded on all sides by four inch acrylic walls. Several half-inch openings near the top of each wall provided ample air flow. He was under surveillance at all times with the latest in video and audio equipment. He had been in custody for two hours now and had asked to see her. Once it was deemed safe, she had been granted access. Tom gently lowered her arms and held her hands in his. "I don't like it, Sloan. There has to be a reason that he wants to see you. I know Lewis. He always has some kind of hidden agenda. Meeting with him now can lead to trouble. "I have to do this, Tom. It could be important." Sloan kissed him lightly on the cheek and then left. Tom couldn't shake the feeling that she was heading right into a trap. These people had no idea what Lewis was capable of doing. They assumed because they had physically contained him that he was rendered harmless. But Lewis could and would use his superior mental abilities to continue on his mission. "What's going on in there," he asked the young man seated at a nearby surveillance console. "Just the usual," was the bored response. "He's just standing in the middle of his cage." "He didn't react to seeing Sloan?" "Not so much as a twitch." "Keep an eye on him," Tom said. "When he makes his move it's going to be quick." Tom continued to stand close enough to see the six monitors that were trained on Lewis. He noticed the slight distortion on monitor number three and quickly asked the technician to take a look. "All the money they spend on this equipment and the images still fluctuate every time someone switched a light," he explained. "Watch number five go next." The words were no sooner out of his mouth when Tom saw the exact same distortion occur. It continued until every monitor had suffered the momentary problem. "How frequently does this happen?" "A couple of times since they put him in there. But it's no big deal," he quickly added when he saw Tom's intense look. "It only lasts a second or two and the other five monitors continue to function perfectly during the glitch. He's never unobserved." Still, it seemed odd that such an important operation should be plagued by power distortions. Tom was just about to ask another question when the entire console blacked out. "What the hell," the technician yelled even as his hand slammed down on the alarm. "Hit the door release," Tom yelled. He was through the door in seconds but it was already too late. "Sloan, what happened in here?" She stood with her back to him just inside the door. Tom grabbed hold of her arm and spun her around to face him. Her eyes were huge and unfocused. She was shivering uncontrollably. "Where's Lewis," Tom cried as he tore off his own jacket and wrapped it around her. "What did he do to you, Sloan?" She blinked several times and then stared at him in obvious confusion. "I-I don't . . . he . . .he . . ." Her eyes suddenly rolled back in her head and she started to fall. "Get a doctor in here now," Tom yelled as he braced her fall. He sat on the floor cradling her unconscious body and his rage nearly overwhelmed him. MEXICO "How did you find this place," Samantha Wexford asked when they finally arrived at their viewing position. She and Caleb Adams had traveled across the entire country in order to be in Mexico to observe the final total solar eclipse of the millennium. They had met up with Dave and Amanda Patterson once they reached Texas. The two couples had met on the Internet. Several weeks of planning and giddy anticipation had finally culminated in their meeting and taking the final leg of their journey together. "Dave and I scouted around a bit yesterday when you and Amanda went on the supply run into town," Caleb said. "We didn't want to be standing among the hordes of tourist when the eclipse took place." "It's perfect," she exclaimed as she looked around the deserted hilltop the two men had found. "It's much better than that place we found the other day." "Yeah, when those three other vans pulled up, I knew it wasn't going to be too long before a couple of dozen people showed up. I want this to be a special time for us, Sam," he said as he tucked a stray stand of her long midnight black hair back behind her ear. "I've been waiting for just the right time to ask you something and I think the exact moment of the total eclipse is it." Sam felt a thrill of excitement course through her body. She and Caleb had been serious about their relationship for quite some time now and she felt that the next logical step was going to be marriage. They were both settled in the careers they wanted and life was going well. Her friends had been teasing her for quite awhile about the fact that she would soon be celebrating her thirtieth birthday and that the term old maid was close to being applicable. She had laughed them off but wondered just how long it was going to take Caleb to finally propose. Now it looked as if the time had arrived. "I didn't know you were such a romantic, Caleb," she teased. "Never really was until I met you," he said as he pulled her close. They were still entwined when Dave and Amanda arrived at the site. "Come you guys, you'll be giving my wife ideas." They were laughing as they broke apart. "Sorry about that Dave," Caleb said. "I think this eclipse thing increases sexual urges." "From your lips to God's ears," Amanda said dryly as she glared in her husband's direction. "A man's work is never done," Dave sighed. "Work? I'll show you work," she laughed as she leaped onto him and wrapped her long legs around him. They were both breathless in seconds. "Looks like you folks didn't just come up here to observe the eclipse." Sam spun around at the sound of the strange male voice. The man stood a few yards away coolly observing them. Although his words sounded friendly enough, the man wasn't smiling. Sam edged closer to Caleb. "Just passing time until the big event," Dave joked. "You here by yourself?" "No, some friends are waiting for me down below. How about you folks? Are you here with a group?" "Yes," Sam said quickly. She was getting very bad vibes from this guy. "No, just us," Amanda answered a second later. She never saw his hand move, but suddenly there was a gun pointed in their direction. "Hey, pal, there's no need for that," Caleb spoke up. "No one is going to give you any trouble." "Yeah, we don't have much here but you're welcome to it," Dave said as he started reaching for the wallet in his back pocket. "Keep your hands where I can see them," came the harsh order. Dave complied. While Sam was having trouble reining in her growing fear, both he and Caleb still appeared calm. It wasn't until the man ordered them to start moving back down the hill they had just climbed that the men seemed to realize that they were in deep trouble. "Just do what he says," Caleb suddenly whispered to Sam. "If I see a chance to slip off I'm taking it. There's no telling whether or not this guy is lying about having friends nearby. I'll bring back help." "Please, don't try and be a hero," Sam begged him. "It's four to one, sweetheart. The odds are with us." "One more word out of either of you and I'll use you for target practice," the man calmly told them. Sam silently prayed that Caleb to play it safe as they continued to move down the hill. Her fear edged up a notch when she saw several other men waiting below for them. When the stranger stumbled a couple of seconds later, Caleb took off. "Stan, one's getting away!" The one called Stan spun around and caught a glimpse of Caleb as he raced off down the pathway to their left. He came charging up the hill after him. Sam moved to block his way but froze when he put a round into the ground inches away from her feet. The others moved up to take her, Dave and Amanda down the hill. Sam strained to see around the man who remained standing at her side. Caleb had a big lead and he was increasing it more every second. He had been a track star in college and his legs didn't fail him now. He would make it to the highway, there was no doubt about it. She found herself grinning until she felt the barrel of a gun pressed against her lower spine. He was running the race of his life and winning. Caleb's legs pumped like a well-oiled machine. Faster, faster until the terrain fairly flew beneath his pounding feet. "Stop or I'll shoot," Stan called out in a breathless voice. Yeah, right, Caleb thought. If you were going to shoot me you already would have before I moved out of your range. He continued to run. Suddenly he saw a car speeding toward him down the highway in front of him. Salvation was at hand. He skidded to a stop, bending deep from the waist as he sucked in air. The car slowed and then stopped. "There's a guy with a gun right on my tail," he gasped as the man slowly got out of the car. "I see him," came the calm reply. He showed Caleb the gun he held at the ready. "Move over here beside me and we'll deal with this situation." Caleb continued to try and catch his breath. He quickly explained what had happened a short while ago and the fact that he had to get back and help the others. "I'll handle it." He sounded very sure of himself and Caleb wondered if the man had some experience with law enforcement. He seemed to quickly take charge of the situation as Stan approached. "What's the problem?" "No problem," came the somewhat nervous reply. "Seems to me that you've left some loose ends to be tied up. You were supposed to take them to the Chiquento Caves." Caleb had recovered enough to see that something was wrong. Very wrong. His fears were confirmed seconds later. Both men continued to hold their weapons in the firing position. Caleb's rescuer seemed very calm, too calm. Stan stood twitching as the laser blue eyes focused on him. "I will not stand for incompetence, Stan." "I've been awake for two days straight waiting for you to come, Lewis. He caught me off guard. I know I should have cuffed them all before I started them moving back to our encampment. I'm sorry." Lewis had endured his own hard times over the past few days. He was not in the mood to suffer fools. He continued to stare at the increasingly nervous man in front of him. Stan was terrified. He knew the tone in Lewis' voice and it frightened him. He couldn't seem to stop his body from shaking. "Sorry doesn't cut it, Stan." Lewis flicked off the safety on his weapon. "Please . . ." Stan didn't get to finish his plea. A bullet caught him in the forehead and he was dead before he hit the ground. Lewis, gun still in hand, turned his attention back to Caleb who stood staring down in horror at Stan's lifeless body. "What's your name, son?" "C-Caleb," he stuttered. "Caleb Adams." "Well, Caleb Adams, I apologize for doing that in front of you. One must be harsh with trainees. But, I must warn you. There's another thing I will not tolerate and that's disobedience." His voice was cold and a smile crossed his face as he fired the gun one more time. Lewis looked up when he heard the sound of a woman's scream. He saw several people moving toward him. One suddenly broke free. It was a female, obviously the one who had cried out. She ran to where the man lay and dropped down to her knees by his corpse. "Caleb," Sam screamed as she pulled his lifeless body to her. "Caleb." "Don't waste your breath," Lewis said coldly. "He can't hear you." "You bastard," she screamed as she launched herself at him. He stood where he was and, in a move Sam never saw coming, clubbed her on the side of the head with the butt of his gun just as she reached him. As she lost consciousness, Sam heard a distant voice ask someone named Lewis what they should do with her. "Toss her in the trunk," he replied. "I'll bring her to the caves myself. Take the other two back with you and this time make sure you restrain them. We don't want to lose any more specimens." After Sam was placed in the trunk, Lewis got back in his car and drove off. SIRTIS BELL INSTITUTE "She's coming around." Tom reached down and took one of Sloan's small hands into his own. They had moved her into a examination room when she had failed to regain consciousness after several minutes. When minutes stretched into an hour, Tom was frantic. And then, finally, her eyes fluttered several time and then she was looking up at him. "You look terrible," she said. Her eyes grew wide as she suddenly took in her surroundings. "What happened? Why am I in a hospital?" "What's the last thing you remember, Sloan?" She frowned in confusion as she struggled to get her sluggish brain to respond. Suddenly she grew pale. "Lewis. I was going to meet Lewis. But how did I end up in a hospital bed?" "We were hoping you could give us the answer to that, Sloan," Tom said slowly. "Lewis escaped. You were there when it happened. " "But how is that possible," she cried. "Every precaution was taken. Lewis was under surveillance from the moment he was taken in. How could he escape?" "As far as we've been able to determine, he somehow managed to re-route the video feed. He stayed in the cell only long enough to create the video and then he had each of the monitors loop the scene to play continuously." "But that's impossible! How did he get to the equipment? No one could have managed that." "Until you and the rest of your people put your perceptions of Lewis and his people aside you will never gain the upper hand. If something seems impossible it is only a mere annoyance to Lewis. He never touched the equipment, Sloan. He thought about what had to be done and he made it happen. You have no idea what you're dealing with. His mental abilities are nothing you have ever seen the likes of." "But why did he ask to see me if he knew he was going to be gone before I ever arrived?" "He was there Sloan. Waiting for you." She swallowed convulsively and gripped his hand tightly. "No," she said shaking her head. "I would have remembered that." "He was there, Sloan. He left this with you." She looked down at the pendant lying in Tom's open palm. It was a small silver heart shaped medallion. At it's center was a blood red stone. Sloan's breath hitched and she slowly looked up to met Tom's eyes. "He fastened it around my neck and then he leaned in closer and began whispering in my ear," she said with a shudder. "He . . . he . . ." "He what," Tom asked. "What did Lewis tell you, Sloan?" She had grown so pale her skin looked almost translucent. The shudders grew stronger as she fought to remember. "The caves," she finally said. "He told me he was going back to the caves." Tom felt ill. What Lewis told her could only mean one thing. Lewis was planning on beginning another mentor training session. If they didn't stop him soon hundreds of innocent people were going to die! "Where, Sloan," he asked quickly. "What caves was Lewis talking about?" "I don't know," she said looking completely horrified. "I don't know." MEXICO Sam slowly opened her eyes and found herself still enveloped in unrelenting darkness. She was blind! Her head ached terribly and she felt ill. Had she been injured in some kind of an accident? And then she remembered. "Caleb," she sobbed. "Oh God, Caleb, he killed you." Sam flailed out with both hands and cried out when they smashed into something hard barely a foot above where she lay. She remembered looking down at Caleb's lifeless body and then feeling this horrible rage overwhelm her. She wanted to attack the man who shot Caleb. She did attack him. No, no that wasn't right. Sam slowly moved her arms about her and found that she was enclosed in a very small place. When her right hand encountered the spare tire she realized she was locked in the truck of a car. A parked car since she couldn't feel it moving. "Let me out of here you bastard," she screamed as she pounded the roof of the trunk with her fists. "Let me out of here!" The truck lid suddenly sprung open and Sam was momentarily blinded by the searing light that streamed in. She screamed when she was roughly pulled up and out of her temporary prison. "Be quiet, Samantha, or I will be forced to gag you." Still half blind, she honed in on the sound of his voice and launched herself at Caleb's killer. "I'm going to kill you," Sam screamed. But she was no match for this cold-blooded killer. He easily fended off her blows and knocked her to the ground. Sam quickly scrambled to her feet only to find herself pushed down again. The next time she attempted to get up, he flipped her over onto her stomach and drove his knee into the small of her back. She cried out in pain as he yanked her arms behind her and lashed them together. When he finished he stood up, grabbed a fistful of the front of her blouse and hauled Sam to her feet. "I will enjoy taking my first taste of you," Lewis told her. His icy blue eyes traveled slowly up and down her body eyeing her like a piece of tasty meat. He reached out and stroked her cheek. Sam spit in his face. Lewis calmly reached up and wiped the offensive moisture from his face. Without saying a word, he once again grabbed hold of the front of Sam's blouse and slammed her up against the door of the car. Moving in closer, he crushed his body up against hers and then began to plunder her mouth. Sam fought him every step of the way. He suckled and nipped her bruised lips with his teeth. "Open your mouth for me, Samantha," he murmured against her mouth. "Let me taste you. Do it!" Sam bit down hard on his lower lip. "Screw you," she screamed over his furious howl of pain. His fist crashed into her cheek and Sam tasted blood as she struggled to remain on her feet. Lewis once again pinned her up against the car and then slowly licked the blood that trickled down her chin. He moved back up to kiss her and then he drove his tongue deep into her mouth. Sam whimpered as she lost consciousness. MEXICO Sam's life was turning into a living nightmare. When she had regained consciousness, she once again found herself in the truck of Lewis' car. He was driving fast and she was bounced around unmercifully within the small, stuffy interior. Her head still ached from where Lewis had struck her with his gun and this further pounding she was taking wasn't helping. When the trunk lid opened again, Sam thought that night had fallen until she remembered the eclipse. But she had little time to think about it as Lewis roughly hauled her out and ordered her to start walking. "Move," he said again and shoved her when she didn't move fast enough to suit him. Sam staggered forward a few more paces and then stumbled and fell when a sudden wave of dizziness came over her. If she was expecting any type of sympathy from Lewis she was sadly mistaken. Sam cried out as he gabbed a fistful of her thick black hair and dragged her up to her knees. "I want to reach our destination by nightfall," Lewis told her. "You can walk or I can drag you, the choice is yours." "Why are you doing this," Sam cried. "What did any of my friends or I do to you?" "You exist." Sam stared up at him and tried to push down the sheer terror that his words unleashed within her. He was mad, utterly mad. Keeping her eyes on him at all times, Sam slowly got to her feet. She swayed, as if she was still a bit woozy and fell into him. The moment he reached out to steady her, Sam viciously kneed him and then raced off, leaving Lewis doubled over in pain on the desert floor. She ran as fast and as far away from him as she could. But of course it was hopeless. Within seconds she could hear him come pounding after her. Please, God, please help me get away, she prayed as she tried to run even faster. Suddenly she was hit from behind and her breath was knocked out of her as he crushed her body beneath his as they went down. "Get . . . off . . . me," Sam gasped. "I could snap your neck without a second thought," he hissed in her ear before his weight lifted off her. "Do it," she screamed after he shoved her over onto her back. "No, I have bigger plans for you." He smiled and it was like staring up into the face of death. She began to tremble. When he saw her fear, his smile widened. He re-positioned himself over her and pinned her thrashing legs between his own. Now that he had rendered her helpless, Lewis reached down and slowly began to undo the buttons of her blouse. He used his hands and mouth to ravish every inch of her exposed flesh. Sam used the only weapon she had left. She screamed and cursed him as he continued his cold and methodical assault. His hands moved down her body and he shoved the rest of her clothing out of his way. Her tortured screams rose and then faded into anguished sobs as Lewis viciously raped her. When he was through with her, he cut the rope from her wrists and then tossed her clothing at her. "Get dressed. We've already wasted enough time." Sam had never hated anyone as deeply as she did him. As she pulled on her clothes, she quickly looked around for something, anything she could use as a weapon. She spotted a rock a little larger than her fist a short distance from where she stood. She quickly bent down and picked it up. In one fluid motion, Sam spun around and swung her arm toward Lewis' head. At the last second, he spun around grabbed hold of her wrist, squeezing it until she dropped the rock. Grabbing her left hand, he took hold of her pinky finger and broke it without a second's hesitation. "Don't ever try to hurt me again," he said coldly. Sam's knees buckled and she went down hard. Her stomach heaved and she was violently ill. Let me die, please, just let me die, she prayed as Lewis hauled her back to her feet and forced her to walk along beside him as they finally started toward their final destination. Her prayers went unanswered. Over the next several days, Lewis kept her isolated from the nearly one hundred other specimens he told her were being held in the Chiquento caves. When he explained the differences between his people and hers, Sam finally understood his use of the belittling term when he spoke of those who had been taken. Lewis continued to sexually abuse her and she continued to fight him in spite of the brutal treatment he meted out because of her continued resistance. He had taken her clothing from her and kept her hands and feet bound with leather restraints since she had continually attempted to escape. His routine never varied. Lewis would enter the tiny chamber where Sam was being held, remove the restraints and then, without uttering a word, brutally force himself on her. When Sam turned her head and saw Lewis standing in the narrow opening to her makeshift prison, her mouth went dry. She began to tremble and hated herself for showing any sign of weakness to him. "Are you shivering with anticipation, Samantha," Lewis asked as he came over to sit on the edge of her cot. She tried to pull away when he reached out and began to caress her naked flesh. "Did Caleb tell you how lovely your breasts are," he murmured as he lowered his mouth to suckle first one and then the other. Sam squeezed her eyes closed and turned away from him. How dare he try and compare his animalistic rutting with the loving tenderness she and Caleb had shared! She didn't understand what was happening. Why had Lewis suddenly changed his method of attack? "Did that boy know how to pleasure you, my beauty?" She gasped as his teeth sunk into the tender flesh on the underside of her right breast. He immediately kissed the bruised flesh and then repeated the assault on her left. She felt him rise from the cot for a moment and when he returned a moment later his naked flesh covered her when he lay down on top of her. This too was a first. Sam barely had time to absorb this new twist before Lewis continued his assault. "Tell me what you like, Samantha," he said forced his tongue past her tightly clenched lips and thrust it deeply into her mouth. After brutalizing her mouth, he withdrew and then began to move his mouth over her face and back down her neck until he once again suckled her breasts. "Why don't you let yourself enjoy my love making," he asked as he trailed his mouth across her ribs and slowly moved downward. Sam frantically tried to deny him access but he forced her legs apart and then plundered her with his fingers and tongue. No, she silently screamed as she tried to get away from him by bracing her arms against the restraints and pulling as hard as she could. It was hopeless. "Your friend Amanda is like an eager little puppy in her efforts to please me," Lewis said as he once again worked his way back up to her mouth. "She does whatever I ask of her." Sam wouldn't give him the satisfaction of a response. "It's almost as if she doesn't care that I killed her husband." "Not David," Sam moaned. "Yes," he said with a smile. "He didn't last nearly as long as I hoped he would. We were leaning so much from him. Funny how some specimens seem to grow stronger in the face of pain while others merely give up." As if to prove his point, Lewis suddenly forced her legs open again and plunged deeply inside her. Sam screamed as he brutally rode her. "Look at me, damn you," he snarled. "Open those she-devil green eyes and look at me when I take you!" Her eyes flew open and the pain and hatred he saw reflected in them took him over the top. He fell across her and she could feel his heart beating wildly beneath his sweat-slicked chest. "You would do well to follow Amanda's lead," he told her once he could breath again. He reached up and brushed away the tears that streamed down her pale face. Pushing himself back up, he ran his hands over the numerous bruises and abrasions that covered her body. "I don't know how much more punishment your body can take." "I will never willingly come to you," she weakly spat out. "I'll fight you every time until you end up killing me." "You intrigue me, Samantha Wexford," Lewis said as he began to knead her still tender breasts. "I believe I will keep you alive just to have the pleasure of seeing you finally break." Fully aroused once again, Lewis turned once again to his usual routine. He reached up and undid the restraints on her wrists and then her feet. Much to his surprise, she sprang up and attempted to dig her nails into his face. With a muttered oath, Lewis pinned her wrist with his hand and then viciously raped her again. When he finished he climbed off of her and stood by the side of the cot staring down at her. "That was foolish, my dear," he said as he reached over to refasten the restraints. "I was actually thinking about leaving you free for a while to reward you for your excellent performance." Laughing coldly, he pulled the leather cuffs tighter than usual around her swollen wrists and attached them to the iron rod at the top of her cot. He shook his head in mock sympathy when he saw the three bruised and swollen fingers on her left hand. "Will you try for another one today?" he asked as he moved down to secure her feet to the cot. "I still have five fingers and two thumbs left up," she said defiantly. "It will be worth the risk if I can hurt you." He laughed coldly as she tried in vain to lash out at him. Easily stepping out of the way, Lewis put the restraints back on and then left. She waited until he was gone before she let her tears flow. "I'll tell your friend Amanda you said hello," he called back in to her before heading over to the other side of the large cavern he'd had his people prepare. Their time here was coming to an end. He could feel Sloan and the others closing in on their location. Perhaps it had been foolish of him to tell her as much as he had. But his hatred of the woman who had taken Tom from him continued to eat at him. How stimulating it had been to show her just what he was planning to do and then distort the memory so that it would be quite some time before she could put all the pieces together enough to come after him. Yes, he would move fast now and complete the final training session. "Amanda, my dear," he said as he slipped into the private cavern he had made for her and himself to share. She smiled over to him from the bed and beckoned him to join her. He would make this final joining with her memorable. It would make the moment of her death all the more sweeter to him. However, after his satisfying couplings with Samantha, Amanda's frantic efforts to please him proved simply annoying. He only achieved some measure of pleasure when he thought about his upcoming demonstration. Lewis was full of lavish praise for his sexual pet when they lay together afterwards. He smiled as he set his plan in motion. "You want me to join you in a training session," she asked. He found the mixture of pleasure and trepidation on her face quite stimulating. "Yes, you have become such a big part of all of my plans that I need you there." "Oh, Lewis," Amanda gushed. "I love you." She begged him to wait while she made herself presentable and then they both headed over to the large cave he'd been using as a training room. "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like you to meet Amanda Patterson." A smattering of applause greeted his statement and Amanda glowed under the special treatment Lewis afforded her. "Amanda has been servicing me ever since her capture several days ago," Lewis began. He practically laughed in her face when he saw the tiny frown that his terminology had illicit. "She did this in spite of the fact that her own husband was torn from her side and experimented on unrelentingly until he died an exquisitely painful death." Amanda now stood slack jawed and a bit glassy-eyed as Lewis continued. "Now, perhaps Amanda never loved her husband. Or, if she did, those feeling weren't stronger than her own sense of self-preservation. However, although she did give me several hours of limited pleasure, I find that I have no qualms in terminating this relationship." "B-but, I thought you loved me," Amanda asked in a tear-choked voice. "I did everything you asked." "Yes, you did and now I would like to ask one more thing of you." "Anything, Lewis," she said in desperation. "I'll do anything you want me to do." "Thank you, dear," he said before turning his attention back to the eager men and women in his class. "Now, today I will show you the most efficient and fulfilling way to deal with a specimen that has exceeded it's usefulness." After turning her around to face him, Lewis placed one hand on Amanda's shoulder and with the other he grabbed a fistful of hair at the back of her head. "With one snap of your wrist, you can easily kill your prey." Amanda eyes grew wide with terror and her face was ashen. She opened her mouth to scream just as a loud snapping sound was heard. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she slid lifelessly to the floor. "It may not be the quickest way to kill," he said as he turned back to the class in front of him, "but the gratification level can be quite rewarding." He stepped over Amanda's corpse as he lead the group off to go to the large cavern where the experiments were being conducted. The following day Lewis did not appear for his usual visit. Sam had just fallen into a restless sleep when she felt someone working on her restraints. "Put this on and come with me," she was told by the tall woman who held a weapon trained on her. Sam's movements were stiff and awkward as she pulled on the medical drape over her bruised and battered body. Her throbbing hands wouldn't allow her to tie the series of strings so she held the cloth together around her as best she could. "Where are you taking me," she asked and silently cursed her fear laden voice. "Testing," came the gruff reply. Oh God, were they going to begin experimenting on her now? She had struggled to remain strong as she fought off Lewis' brutal attacks but after hearing what had been done to poor Dave when they took him there, she knew she would never survive. By the time she was pushed into the large room filled with people in various stages of distress, she felt quite ill. Her fears escalated when she saw Lewis standing by an empty examination table. "Lay her on the table," he instructed the two men who stood beside him. Sam fought them the entire way but finally she lay strapped down on the cold metal table. Her arms were stretched out straight from her shoulders and tied down at the wrist and elbow. A technician quickly inserted needles into the veins on each hand and taped them to her skin. Her legs were roughly spread and then her knees and ankles were placed in cuffs attached to the table. Her head was strapped down and a rubber mouthpiece was pushed into her mouth. Sam's heart was pounding so loudly that she thought it would burst in her chest. Lewis pulled aside the gown and quickly rubbed a cold, noxious gel over her stomach and breasts. He then pulled over a large machine and lined up the scope over her body that reached from her shoulders to her knees. He flicked the machine on and suddenly her body began to twitch as if she were being jolted with electricity. The liquid turned hot and was very uncomfortable on her skin. Lewis shut the machine off and then he instructed the men to move the examination table into a secluded area. They left and he pulled several screens around them. "It's time, Samantha," he said as he quickly began to shed his clothing. Sam began to scream and fight against her restraints but it was useless. She watched as Lewis coated himself with another tube of liquid from shoulder to hip and then climbed up on the table. He lay down on top of her and immediately the two liquids blended and Sam felt as if she were burning up. Once Lewis was fully aroused, he quickly penetrated her. Hot fire laced through her and she felt like she was being torn apart. Sam's last coherent thought was that Lewis was finally killing her. She had lost consciousness by the time he withdrew. Lewis quickly dressed and pushed the table back out into the main cavern. Her body jerked convulsively and thick belts were stretched across her chest and abdomen to keep her still. Finally she was covered with warming blankets and a bottle of medication were hooked up to each of her arms. Sam's face was flushed and perspiration poured out of her body. She came too but was too weak to do more than moan off and on during the hour she was being treated. By the time she was returned to her cell and put back into her restraints she was too weak to fight back. She drank greedily as Lewis held a bottle of clear liquid to her cracked and dried lips. Her body absorbed the alien sedative quickly and Sam drifted off into a deep sleep almost immediately. For the next two days, Sam was kept sedated. She was taken back to the makeshift laboratory several times during this period. Each time the same procedure was repeated. On the third day she woke to find herself back in her cell. Lewis sat on the edge of her bed with an odd expression on his face. "You have been impregnated, Samantha," he told her. His hand slowly moved back and forth across her distended stomach as he caressed his child now growing in her womb. "You will deliver our child in five months." "Nooooo," Sam screamed hysterically as she thrashed against her restraints. "I'll kill it, I'll kill it!" But she would carry his child to full term, Lewis
vowed. When they left the following day she sat next to him in the front
seat of his car. He'd spent the last hour working with her and mentally
preparing her for the journey. Sam sat staring straight ahead with her
body held in a painfully rigid position. He had created the illusion in
her mind that she was no longer able to move. She would no longer give
him any trouble as he kept her at his side and awaited the birth. As a
special reward for her rejection of his seed, Lewis made sure that certain
parts of her mind functioned perfectly. Sam was well aware of what he had
done to her and that she would have no control as her body nurtured the
new species growing within her. Her mind was filled with hatred for Lewis
and the creature he forced her to carry. As they drove across the endless
stretch of desert, one thought was uppermost in her mind. Somehow she would
escape and then she would kill his seed. I will be free, she said over
and over in her mind. Lewis was concentrating on his driving and didn't
see her straining to move. Finally, she drew her right hand into a fist.
She could move! It had begun!
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