A Clockwork Green Ch. 10

I grab some fresh clothes and turn out the lights on my way out of the bedroom. Charlotte curls up with a pillow, staring off into space as I shut the door. I throw on my clothes as I head down into the garage, and flick on the lights over my workspace.

Charlotte lost her sword. She's gonna want that back, but I can whip up something in the meantime. Her shotgun is gone, but I've still got the plans for that around here somewhere. My goggles are gone too. I made those for my Dad. No point in replacing them. I never used them, just wore them for the effect.

"Mackenzie?" I whirl, knocking my stool to the ground. Raphe throws up his hands. "Whoa, whoa!"

I press my hand over my chest to slow my thumping heart. "I'm glad you're here. I'm gonna need help."

"Oh my... what happened your eye?!"

"Remember how I said someone was lookin' for us?" He nods. "They found us."

"Is that where you two've been?"

"How long were we gone?"

"Six weeks."

"Felt like longer," I croak. "Still, that's a long while. Have you guys been here the whole time?"

"Yeah. Nobody came snooping around except customers."

"Hey yeah... where's, uh..."

"Mr. Whitaker came and picked up his followcar."

"Shit! That wasn't finished!"

"He took it for a test drive, or test follow, or whatever, and he said it worked fine."

"And... did you guys charge him?"

"Yeah. Sera and Rae worked out a price based on your notes."

"And so... you guys had enough money?"

"Yeah." I try to turn back to the desk and sit down, but the stool isn't where it used to be. I land hard on my ass and laugh. "Mack, are you ok?"

"You shoulda seen the other guy!" I don't know why it's so funny, but it is. It's hilarious.

"Mack," he says, "I think you might be in shock." I try to correct him, but I can't stop laughing. "I'm gonna go get Sera! Wait right here."

I lean back against the desk and laugh. There's so much to do, and I'm just sitting here! Ugh! I grab the lip of the desk and try to lift myself up just as Sera and Raphe come running in

"Oh my gods," Sera says, looking around. "Go get a bottle of whiskey from the kitchen! Something for the pain!"

"She wasn't screaming like that when I left," he yells, as he runs back down the hall. Screaming?

Sera kneels down next to me and gives me a gentle smile "Mackenzie, honey, you've gotta calm down and stop crying!" What is she talking about? I'm not crying... "Raphe, hurry up!"

I'm not crying, am I?

***

"Good morning, Mack!" I jolt up and spin. Tubbins is sitting up on the counter by the register with a giant picture book in his hands. He's missing one of his front teeth now, and he playfully pokes his tongue through the hole as he smiles. I've got a splitting headache, and when I reach up, I find a big bandage wrapped around my head.

"Sera said you shouldn't take that off."

"Has Charlotte come down yet?"

"Noooope!"

"You... uh. You learnin' to read, Tubbins?"

"Yuuuup!"

"Carry on," I say, as I crawl off the lobby couch. The monstrous clock in the garage says it's 10:30. I stagger into the kitchen, open the refrigerator, and immediately slam it shut. Phew. I make a pot of coffee instead.

I fill two mugs and make my way upstairs. Opening the bedroom door is a chore, but... what... where is she? I walk farther into the room. The bed is impeccable, and the room has been cleaned and dusted. I sigh and turn and my heart nearly stops.

Charlotte's kneeling right behind me. She'd been on my left as I walked in the door. On my left. I want to be mad. I want to be able to just be mad at myself, to feel some self pity. To be mad at Rasputin. I want to be able to process my problems. But Charlotte just kneels there, still as a statue, her eyes slightly widened in anticipation. Can't be mad right now. She'll take it the wrong way. I clear my throat. "The room looks wonderful. Was it your routine to wait by the door?"

"Yes..." she pauses, and her eyes search the ground.

"You will call me Mistress now."

"Yes, Mistress." She sighs with relief. Fuck you, Amaranth.

"Tomorrow, you will wait on the bed."

"Yes, Mistress."

I walk over to the closet and grab a new shirt and pants for myself. I watch Charlotte as I dress. She barely moves, remaining knelt by the side of the door. I pick out some clothes for her, lay them on the bed and stand back. She doesn't move. Gods, the woman I love is in there somewhere. I just want to shake her until she snaps out of it, but that won't work. She'll think she's failing me and break down crying again. I need to think.

"Charlotte, dress yourself and wait in this room for me. You may sit on the bed if you wish."

"Yes, Mistress."

I run my hand through my hair frantically as she leaps to her feet. She undresses like it's part of an elegant dance. It's awful to see her like this. I walk out and shut the door behind me.

***

"Not the rye," I say peevishly. "Are you nuts? Get the honey wheat." Raphe shrugs and grabs the right loaf. "Get four."

"Ok," he huffs, unloading the bread into the basket on my arm. "But how?"

"Trust me, that's not a question you should be in any hurry to know the answer to."

"Well, how am I supposed to help then?"

"Well for one thing, I'm looking for ideas, so if and when you have any, run 'em by me. Two, I need you to help me to get the others to keep... I dunno, order."

"Order?"

"Yeah, uhh, like, jobs and chores. Like a little system." I sigh. "A tiny little system."

"We already kinda do that."

"2 dozen fudge cookies," I say to the man behind the counter. "Well, now it's gonna be more rigid and enforced. It's what she needs." I frown and scratch behind my ear. "How far can you run?"

***

I dip the steel into the quenching water for the last time and wince at the burst of steam. The steel is orange in my hand, but quickly dulls and cools. I pull it out and give it a few quick flicks of the wrist, but I could never feel balance. Never got the hang of it. "Zero point four two, right?"

"Zeeeeroooo... pooooint... fooooooour... Two!" Tubbins looks up from the schematic and grins at me from his spot on my desk. I smirk and assemble the weights. I lay the blade over a bar, delicately hang the weights from the tang, and step back. The steel seesaws back and forth and Tubbins gasps behind me, but after a second the swaying settles down. I remember to breath just as the blade comes to a rest.

Balanced. Now I just need to make sure the handle materials come out right. "Did Rissa come back with the leather for this yet?"

"Nooooooope."

"Okay," I say, snatching up the blade and setting it down in the cloth home I made for it. "That's on hold for a while. What's the schematic under that one?"

Tubbins plants a hand on his combat helmet as he leans forward. He folds back the wide blue sheet where I drew out Charlotte's new sword, and furrows his brow. "I don't knooow. A ball?"

"Nope," I say, coming up from behind him. "It's gonna be a new eye. At least I hope it will."

"You can make eyeballs?!"

"Well, not exactly. Do you remember the Followcar?" He nods, helmet bobbling. "Remember how it followed the torch that one time?" Helmet bobbling. "I made that machine follow heat, and I think I can make a tiny little ball do something similar."

"So you can see fire?"

"Yeah," I laugh. "Something like that. Now go get me an aluminum ingot."

***

I walk in and smile. Charlotte is dressed and sitting on the bed. "I see you went with the white blouse, Charlotte. Why?" I sip at my coffee and peer at her, and she flusters.

"The Mistress told me once that sh-she liked this shirt on me."

"I sure did!" She laughed at me when I said it before. Now she's laughing because she's overjoyed that she made an acceptable wardrobe choice on her own. Baby steps. I hide my frown behind another sip. "I'm very proud of you, Charlotte. Those clothes are definitely to my liking." She preens. She absolutely preens. Fuck you, Amaranth. "Someone's getting a cookie with lunch."

***

I rub at my eye and sigh. Staring through the magnifying lens is giving me a terrific headache, but the imbuements have to be etched and painted at an almost microscopic level. Sera suggested doing it on a pair of goggles instead of a ball, and I almost went with that, but I decided to stick with a replacement ball in the end. This is gonna look way cooler when it's done.

The front door chime goes off distantly. More customers. Great. I take a steadying breath and lean back over the glass to stare down at my new eye. The razor hovers over the next etch, waiting for... something's wrong. What's... I put down the razor and look around. Why do I have this... wait, we're not open! I jump down off my stool and run to the lobby.

"...was dealin' with her last time, so you can just- Hey miss! Come back here! I was talkin to you!" Mr. Farelli is pointing and shouting at Charlotte, who tried to walk back into our kitchen and is now tearing up. Sera is standing between them with her arms spread, but he's looking right over her.

"What the fuck is goin on out here?!"

"Who are you now," he asks, turning to me.

"I'm Mack, and I-"

"That bitch over there promised me that you wou-"

I grab his shirt and spin him against the wall. "Now you listen here," I shout, my finger quivering an inch from his nose. "If you ever speak to her like that again, I will Fuck. You. Up."

He straightens up and glowers at me. "She and I had a deal! You're a month late delivering on a replacement fan motor!"

"And you'll be getting a full refund for your trouble."

"No, I want an apology too!" He points behind me again. "I want her down on her knees, and-"

I plant my fist in his groin, and Mr. Farelli doubles over with a groan. I grab the side of his head, fling him around into the wall, and he collapses in a heap. "Sera, would you please withdraw a refund for this man from the register?" I grab his collar and drag him outside into the middle of the parking lot.

"Two hundred aaaaaaaaand ten," Sera says, running out to me. I take the bills, fold them in half, and shove them down the back of his trousers.

"I hope he gets the message," I say, turning back.

Charlotte nearly tackles me as we step back inside. "Thank you!!" I manage, if just barely, to stay upright. "I was just I was just I was just walking downstairs to meet Raphe for my run when he started yelling!"

"It's ok! He's gone," I say, stroking her hair. "I'm here. I'm here."

She trembles in my arms. "I remember telling him it would only be a weeeeeeeeee-"

"Heeey. Hey. Calm down." I hold her closer, tightly. "It's not your fault. It's not your fault." I keep repeating it, but she just cries harder.

***

I throw up the shield on my welding visor and assess. The seven foot frame, constructed of steel pipes, is certainly the least complicated thing I've built in a while, but it's sturdy. I jump up, grab the crossbeam, and lift myself up to my chin to prove it. Solid as a rock. Landing is a awkward. My back is sore from sleeping on the couch all week.

"Can I look nooooow?"

"Yeah, sorry!"

Tubbins pushes his helmet back on top of his head and gasps. "It looks just like the drawing. What does it do again?"

"I'll tell you when you're older," I say smirking, and light up a cigarette. "If you met the right girl, I'll even let you borrow it." It itches under my patch. I want to scratch it so badly.

"Girls are weeird."

"No argument here," I say absently, my mind already focused an hour into the future. "Alright, it's getting late. Can you grab Peat and Rissa and get them out of the house? Charlotte and I need some alone time."

"Are you two gonna kiss?"

"Out!"

"Ewwww," he says with a sour face.

"Out!"

"Girls," he says in exasperation as he trudges up the stairs.

***

I hear Charlotte shut the front door. "Mistress?"

"I'm up here," I say. She jogs up the stairs and pauses. "In the bedroom." She stops after she gets a few steps through the doorway. I'm naked, sitting in an armchair that doesn't normally live in this room. "How was your run?"

"It was..."

"Were you nervous?"

"Yes," she says, looking down and putting her hands together in front of her.

"It was your first time out of the house alone. That's a big step."

"Yes, Mistress."

"Did you run the full 3 miles?"

"Yes, Mistress."

"You don't sound out of breath."

"No, Mistress."

"Strip down." She hesitates. "Yes?"

"I'm all sweaty. May I go get cleaned up?"

"That's sweet of you. No, you may not. Strip."

Charlotte reaches across her chest and pulls her shirt over her head. Her small breasts rise and fall with her arms, but she's oblivious to my stare. She lifts a knee up and reaches down to untie her running shoe. Her balance is impeccable. My eyes follow the curve of her bare ankle, flowing up to her elongated calf.

"I know who I am, Cherry." I get up and walk around behind her as she straightens from removing her shorts. "Your former Mistress reminded me of that every day we were there. I don't think she intended for me to find any strength in that, but I did. I'm... comfortable... in my skin. Even if it is a little scarred."

I run my hand through the hair on the back of her head as I circle her. "You, on the other hand... she took who you are. Stole it from you. Tried to turn you into something else." I stop beside her, and carefully slide a finger from the same hand up under her balls to drag along her slit. "Tonight, I'm going to start reminding you. We're gonna find you again." I bring my hand up to my nose and take a deep whiff. She shudders while watching me in her peripheral vision.

I walk over to the bed and lift away the first set of tissue paper. Charlotte's eyes widen as they fall on the simple blade I've made for her. "I know it's not as elegant as the one you had, but it's well made. It should suffice for now." She makes no move to pick it up, only stares wide eyed. I put the tissue paper back down over it and smile. "It's yours whenever you're ready for it." She nods slowly.

I lift the next piece of paper, and she gasps. Two dark brown leather boots, ankle high. I hand them to her, and she smiles softly while she slips them on. The difference in our height becomes more pronounced, but I don't mind. She stands back up with a confident smile, and I circle her again. My hand up the back of her thigh, cupping the bottom of her ass.

I kneel down behind her and marvel at the dream made real before me. The tone of muscle. The curve of flesh. My hands find her cheeks, gently parting. My tongue finds her hole, gently probing. She gasps again. "You've been a good girl, Charlotte. Now stay still." Her legs, held so close together, press her cheeks against mine, but not problematically so.

A taste. Only a taste. She puffs out a frustrated breath as I pull back. She takes a few more breaths to steady herself as I walk back around to the bed again.

I lift the last piece of paper. Her reaction to the leather collar is immediate; joyful. I smile as I scoop it up and turn around. Charlotte drops down to one knee and offers her neck to me, and I pause. I have that feeling. That tremor. I watched Amaranth have it. I had it that first time I was with Charlotte. That... power. As she kneels there before me, I have it again. She's offering herself to me. Again.

In the blink of an eye, the auction. The alley. The girl. The unfounded insecurity. The unwarranted punishment. In the blink of an eye, I am resolved. The collar snaps into place, and she stands up. Her eyes, so full of hope. Hope that she finally found her role, her place in this world. Her place at my side. Hope that I will get it right this time.

I smile broadly as I snap the leash to her collar. "We're going to the basement," I say. She turns and starts to leave, but I give the leash a quick tug. "No, Charlotte. I'll lead the way." She nods and waits while I step past her into the hall.

She stays precisely two steps behind. The leash is limp in my hand, and she steps up beside me as we reach the landing in the basement.

"That collar, that is yours. It is your responsibility. It is yours to care for, and to keep from damage." I walk her into the center of the frame, and raise her arms one at a time into bracers that hang from each of the top corners. "I leave it in your hands. I expect you to wear it as often as you can, but there will be times when it simply won't be possible or appropriate." I spread her legs, strapping each lower calf to the side. "So I'm going to give you something else you can't take off."

I walk over to a barrel of water, and pull out a piece of iron three feet long. There is a plate on the end, just slightly smaller across than my palm. Etched in relief on the front of the plate is a lick of flame. Charlotte stares at it warily as my hand heats it with a gout of fire.

"This will mark you as mine. I am claiming you. You are not a pet, or a thing. You are a woman. The most beautiful woman I have ever known, and you are mine. I will have you, if you will have me for your owner. With ownership comes responsibility. I will care for you, and you will be loved. But you will be mine.

"I've already received my mark," I say, tapping the patch on my face. "I was willing, and glad, to take that step first. I put my faith in you, broken as you were, and you saved my life.

"I won't do this without your permission, but if you put your faith in me, I can save you too. Fix what was broken. Heal what was wounded. Build anew what was destroyed." The iron hisses and smokes, and I look to her. She is fearful, as she has every right to be, but she is not backing down. She stands tall and proud in her restraints. A bit of her old strength shining through. She stares down the hot brand and nods. "Not good enough, Charlotte. I need to hear you say it."

"Do it," she says. Her voice wavers slightly. "Make me yours."

I step behind her and ready the iron. "On the count of three. One." I press the hot iron firmly against her right buttock for a full count of One Capodella. Charlotte shrieks and tugs inward on all four limbs, trying to tuck into a ball. Her skin smokes and squeals as I pull the brand away. I immediately reach up and grab her right hand with my left, palm to palm. My fingers interlace with hers. She clamps down and whimpers, thankful for the steadying effort, but she does not grasp my full purpose. The brand comes in hard against the back of her hand. She screams again, and nearly crushes my fingers between hers.