Crime and Punishment

When she was finished, Ellen sat, shocked and angry by what she had heard. "Listen Erin, I want you to know that Cassandra and I are doing everything we can to get you out of this. We have compiled a substantial body of evidence that indicates that April framed you. We have also talked to your friend Cathy and she is doing a technical analysis of the evidence trying to figure out how April forged it. You have to hang in there. There is hope; I am not going to rest until you're free."

"Oh, thank you Ellen," said Erin. "It's good to see you and hear such encouraging words."

"Good," said Ellen. "Now I realize that you're isolated here, but you are also very close to April in the castle. Have you heard anything that might help us, since you've been here?"

"Yes," answered Erin. "The other slave, Pam, who was serving wine tonight, overheard April making the plans on how she was going to frame two women in order to obtain more diapered slaves. Apparently, Zax had lost two such slaves about six months before and was actively seeking to replace them."

"Incredible!" said Ellen. "Hopefully, Cassandra can get something helpful from Pam tonight. Is there anything else you can tell me?"

"No not about the slaves. Pam has most of the details. However Pam thinks that Katrina Felte is involved."

"Well, that would answer a lot of questions," said Ellen. "It also makes things much more dangerous."

Erin nodded her agreement. "Yes. There is something else."

"Yes?" said Ellen surprised that Erin had discovered anything at all."

"It's about Lisa, or more precisely Lisa and April."

Ellen frowned. "Those two!"

"Yes" agreed Erin "those two." Blushing she continued "Do you remember when Susan was, ah, preparing me?"

"Yes" said Ellen, trying not to blush herself.

"Well I remember seeing Lisa and April together, watching. At the time, well let's say what I saw didn't register, exactly."

"Understandable" commented Ellen.

"Well, as I remember it now, Lisa's attitude was strange..."

"That's putting it politely" interjected Ellen.

"Yes, well, anyways, she did not seem upset or even unhappy."

"Yes, quite so" agreed Ellen. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, as I remember, she was standing close to April, really close. Close enough that they could touch."

"So?"

"So, I saw their finger's touch. Moreover Lisa was not wearing the ring I gave her. Her fingers were bare."

Ellen was dumb struck. "I never noticed" she said after a few moments. "But what do you think it means?"

"It means that Lisa knew" said Erin. "She knew from the very beginning. April used her to set me up."

"Incredible!" said Ellen.

"Yes" agreed Erin "and it helps to explain how April got access to my accounts, among other things."

"Yes" agreed Ellen thinking. "It does explain a few things at that. Perhaps this information might help Cathy with her investigation."

"I hope so" said Erin.

Ellen continued to talk to Erin for awhile longer, but the hour was late and both women were tired. Ellen insisted that Erin get some rest, so she tucked her in, on one side of the bed. In order not to raise suspicions, Ellen removed her clothes and climbed in on the other side. In minutes, Erin was asleep, exhausted from her ordeal. Ellen, however lay awake, thinking over the implications of what she had learned.

****************************

Cassandra found Pam kneeling on the floor next to the bed when she entered her chamber. Approaching the slave she said, "You must be Pam."

"Yes, Mistress," said Pam. "How may I serve you?"

"Well, first you can get up, so we can talk face to face and second you can stop calling me 'Mistress'," said Cassandra. Pam rose and Cassandra motioned for her to be seated on a small sofa that was part of the bedroom furnishings. Pulling up a chair, Cassandra sat down opposite her and said, "That's better. We got your message this afternoon. The girl who delivered it said you had information that might help us free Erin."

"That's correct," said Pam.

"Excellent!" said Cassandra. "What can you tell us?"

"This may take awhile, so bear with me," began Pam as Cassandra acknowledged her with a nod of her head. "April and the other elite Mistresses usually have slaves attending their meetings. Even though I am a diapered slave, I must take my turn along with the other slaves. Naturally, one can't but overhear the proceedings."

"Are you saying that you were present at the board of director meetings for Zax?" interrupted Cassandra.

"Yes, some of them," said Pam.

"Incredible! Half the world's elite would like to be a fly on the wall in those meetings but slaves get to attend. How ironic. But please, continue."

"Anyways, about six months ago, two of Zax's four diapered slaves died. Mistresses Katrina and April decided it would take too long to replace them, so they decided to 'manufacture' what they needed."

"Katrina Felte? The Katrina Felte? Unbelievable!" said Cassandra, interrupting again.

"Yes, the very same," said Pam. "She is an unofficial member of the Zax board and approached April after the meeting where the death of the second slave was discussed. She told April that it might be possible to speed up the process of finding two new slaves, if April could find two suitable candidates. April said she had a couple of candidates in mind and would let Katrina know soon so that the necessary personas could be created."

Cassandra was flabbergasted, but she was also worried. She and Ellen had suspected that Blue Onyx would have to be involved if Erin's personas had been corrupted, but they never really dared to believe that Katrina Felte, herself might be involved.

Pam concluded saying, "There are at least half a dozen witnesses, myself included. In addition all the diapered slaves know the details. I've been waiting for something like this to come along for 15 years so I could bargain my way to freedom. But I was scared to confront Mistress April directly until more people could be told. When Erin came along, I knew it was time to act."

"Have you told anyone else yet?" asked Cassandra, concerned.

"No, just Kelly, Erin, and Jan. And you, of course," said Pam.

"Who is Kelly?" asked Pam.

"Another diapered slave," said Pam.

"OK," said Cassandra, thinking. "Now listen to me. I've been working to free Erin ever since she was convicted. So far I have assembled a substantial amount of evidence that shows that April set Erin and Jan up. The problem is it's mostly circumstantial and trumped by the fact that's its impossible to duplicate or corrupt someone else's persona. Without something concrete, it will be impossible to prove what April did. What you have told me just now places all of you in danger. You need to keep this information secret."

"But can't you take our statements? There are at least six of us who would testify to what happened," said Pam.

"It's not that simple," said Cassandra. "The problem is you are all slaves, essentially property. As such, you can't legally give testimony. The reasoning is quite sound. If slaves could testify against their owners, they could lie or blackmail their way to freedom. This is why you overheard what you did to begin with, April and Katrina both know you can't legally tell what you overheard."

"Damn!" said Pam. "There's got to be a way to use what we know. There's just got to be."

"Well there might be," said Cassandra. "We now know for sure that Erin's personas were corrupted and that April and possibly Katrina were involved. This in itself is very useful. But we also have to be very careful. Katrina is a very powerful woman. If we move too soon or our evidence is weak, we're finished. She'll squash us like ants."

"It doesn't sound like what I told you is going to help you very much" said Pam.

"Not directly," agreed Cassandra. "The problem is I need to find a way of turning your information into tangible proof. We need a witness who is not a slave or a way to show that the personas were false."

"Hmm," said Pam glumly. "I can't help you there. I don't think any of the other Zax Mistresses would testify against April."

"Not likely," agreed Cassandra. "Plus the fact, my guess is Katrina is much too smart to have acted directly or said anything openly damning, even to April."

Pam silently nodded her head in agreement. Cassandra was right, Katrina never said anything directly; she always spoke using ambiguous terms.

"Is there anything else you can tell me?" said Cassandra.

"No, that's about it," said Pam, disappointed.

"You're sure? Think. Is there some detail that might have seemed insignificant at the time or irrelevant?" pressed Cassandra.

"No. The only thing I can think of is that April kept referring to a map of some kind, whenever she mentioned the personas. I don't know anything about the technical aspects of personas, so I can't see what a map has to do with them," said Pam.

Cassandra was confused too. But then again she wasn't an expert on this either. But maybe Cathy would find this useful. "Me too," said Cassandra, "but I know someone who might."

It was close to dawn, when the women had finished talking and Pam was worried that Cassandra had not used her. "If I go back dry and with my tattoos blue instead of black, Laura might get suspicious," she said.

Cassandra was embarrassed. She had not thought of this and had no plans for having sex with a slave. Pam sensed her discomfort and said, "It's alright, Mistress Cassandra, just let me handle everything."

Cassandra reluctantly agreed and removed her clothes and got into bed. Seeing the naked woman, triggered Pam's conditioned response and she started wetting herself. Going over to Cassandra and getting on the bed, she gently spread her legs and kissed the older woman's vulva. Cassandra responded with a moan and Pam started licking her clitoris. In a few minutes, Cassandra was moaning with pleasure. She pulled Pam towards her and unfastened her diaper, throwing it to the floor. Positioning herself between Pam's legs, Cassandra began to pleasure the slave. Soon both women were moaning with pleasure. As they neared climax, Pam cried out, "Please Mistress give me permission to cum!"

Cassandra, in the throws of her own passion, said "You have permission. Cum!" Both women came at the same time moaning and crying, "Yes!, Oh God, yes!" When they were done, Cassandra and Pam lay in each other's arms. "Thank you," said Pam.

"No, thank you," said Cassandra.
Chapter 9: Servitude

The next day Ellen and the other women from the office woke up late in the afternoon. Erin had left in the morning, wetting and messing herself before she returned to her cell. Ellen had been worried about her since she still seemed depressed. She knew that time was probably running out; if they didn't get Erin out of here soon, she would succumb psychologically to being a slave.

Pam had also left Cassandra to return to the dungeon shortly after dawn. Cassandra, tired from the late night parties, and relaxed by her orgasm had fallen asleep. When she woke up it was mid afternoon. After showering and dressing, she left her room and knocked on Ellen's door, which was down the hallway from hers. Ellen opened the door. She had just gotten up and was dressed in a white terry cloth robe with a red axe embossed on the right lapel. "Come in," she said. There's tea and toast on the table. Help yourself while I shower."

Cassandra poured herself a cup of tea and took a slice of toast and spread some raspberry jelly on it. She ate her breakfast in silence as Ellen showered and dressed. When she was done, Ellen came into the room, poured herself a cup of tea and sat down. "Well, how did it go last night?" she asked.

"Interesting," said Cassandra. "I talked to Pam for quite awhile. The woman has an informal underground that collects information about the goings on at Zax. Apparently, the slaves act as servants in the board meetings and overhear much of what is said."

"Really?" said Ellen looking surprised. "Isn't that foolhardy on their part?"

"Not really," said Cassandra. "If you think about it, it's rather clever, really. Since the slaves can't legally testify and are confined pretty much to the island, they make ideal servants at private meetings."

"I see," said Ellen. "Very clever, except..."

"Except that over time, they hear and piece together an awful lot of information. In Pam's case, she overheard April talking with Katrina and making plans to set-up Erin and Jan and have them convicted and sentenced, so they could be bought by Zax."

"Interesting," said Ellen, "but how does this help us?"

"Well for one thing, we now know for sure that the personas were corrupted. Katrina apparently arranged it so April could obtain them. Before, we only suspected that they were tainted now we know for sure. In addition she told me the exact time frames. Everything fits. Also there is something about a map that has to do with the personas. We'll have to ask Cathy when we get back," said Cassandra.

"Well, I guess it's a lot more than we had before," said Ellen.

****************************

Two hours later, Ellen and Cassandra were sitting in the transport with the other women from the office, heading back to World. The subdued mood inside, was a sharp contrast to that of the trip over. Most of the women dozed or quietly read: victims of too much alcohol, late nights, and too little sleep. Ellen and Cassandra reclined in their seats, their eyes closed, as they tried to relax and recover from the weekend's events. Ellen had told Cassandra about her conversation with Erin and her concerns over the girl's psychological health. Cassandra had agreed with her, that their time was running out if they were to save Erin; at least the Erin they knew.

Two hours later, the transport dropped the women off at the office building and they quickly dispersed to their residences, knowing that the next day would come all too soon, and work with it. Ellen and Cassandra said goodbye, both agreeing to meet first thing the next morning to talk to Cathy.

****************************

The next morning, the atmosphere at the office was subdued as the vice president's and their staff straggled in, many with headaches. April and Lisa would be gone for a month, honeymooning. This also added to the muted feeling at the office. Cassandra wandered in about ten and went directly to Ellen's office. Ellen herself had just gotten in a few minutes earlier. "Let me get some tea, before we call Cathy. Want some?" said Ellen.

Cassandra shook her head, "No thanks. Headache."

Ellen returned in about a minute holding a steaming cup in her hand. "Karen, would you please see if Cathy Long at the University is available. I have Cassandra here with me. We wish to talk to her," said Ellen

Karen said, "Right away."

A few minutes later, Karen's persona announced, "Cathy Long is waiting."

"Thanks," said Ellen, and then, "Hello Cathy. How are you? Thanks for conferencing with us."

Cathy's image flashed into view and she said, "I'm fine, how are you?"

"OK, I guess," said Ellen looking at Cassandra, who was rubbing her eyes. "We just got back from Zax Castle last night."

"Oh," said Cathy. "Learn anything?"

"Well we talked to Erin and another slave, name of Pam," said Ellen.

A sympathetic look came over Cathy's face and she said, "How is Erin?"

"Fair" said Ellen. "She's held up OK till now, but she's depressed and I'm afraid she may not last too much longer."

"Oh," said Cathy. Ellen explained what had happened during the weekend, the private office party, and her conversation with Erin. Cathy looked upset when she was finished. "I just can't believe how cruel she has been treated!" she said, angrily.

"Either can we," said Cassandra. "However we were able to confirm that the personas were definitely corrupted. Furthermore Katrina Felte was involved."

"Katrina Felte, as in the head of Blue Onyx?" said Cathy, raising her eyebrows.

"The same," said Cassandra.

"Well, we knew that Blue Onyx had to be involved if the personas had doppelgangers attached to them. But Katrina! It probably explains why I can't uncover anything. Their process must be air tight if Katrina knew about it."

"So you still haven't found anything?" said Ellen.

"No, I'm afraid not," said Cathy.

"Well we may have something for you," said Cassandra. "Pam mentioned that the term 'map' was used in reference to the process they used to generate the personas. Does this mean anything to you?"

"No," said Cathy. "There are, of course, all kinds of mappings that go on in generating a persona. Can you be more specific?"

"I'm afraid not," said Cassandra.

"OK. Let me think about it," said Cathy.

"There's something else too" said Ellen. "It seems Erin's assistant was helping April from the beginning."

"Interesting" said Cathy.

"I know what you are doing is incredibly difficult," said Ellen, "but we're running out of time. Any idea when you might have something?"

"If I don't have anything by the end of the week, then I probably never will," said Cathy. "I've run all my diagnostic tools including custom ones written by my graduate students, other professors, and myself. I still have a few things I can try, but I'm running out of both tools and ideas."

"OK," said Ellen, glumly. "Keep us informed."

"Will do," said Cathy signing off.

Cassandra turned to Ellen after Cathy's image vanished and said, "That didn't sound very promising, did it?"

"No, it didn't," agreed Ellen, "No it didn't."

****************************

Almost all the wedding guests had left on the same day as Ellen and Cassandra. The following day, the staff busied themselves cleaning up and removing decorations. April and Lisa had decided to honeymoon by running a scene at the castle that included several of their closest friends (who were Zax members) and Libra Johnson, the Consul General. Libra was a relatively new member of Zax. She had joined shortly after her appointment as Consul General, five years ago. As the head judicial officer, she was also one of the more influential and powerful Zax members. Katrina had introduced her to the scene after a political dinner party one evening, and she had become instantly enthralled with it.

Libra had quickly gained a reputation as possibly the most talented Domitrix at Zax, with her subtle techniques and applications for prolonging a scene and increasing its sexual intensity. She was famous for her methods which stopped just short of actual pain; her slaves were kept on a knife edge between discomfort and pain for has long as she desired. The final sexual release for both Mistress and slave was heart stopping intense. Even April, who was considered a master Domitrix, respected Libra as a gifted peer.

Libra, of course, knew about Zax's acquisition of two virgin diapered slaves the previous month (although she was unaware of the details). She had been both excited and eager to experiment with at least one of them, and April had invited her to the honeymoon gathering for some special sessions with Erin. Libra had made an extensive study of the physiology and psychology of pain and she had expanded her research to include the brain chemistry of humiliation and its impact on the psyche. April knew that she would most likely preside over the most novel sessions during the scene and was eager to see and learn what Libra would do.

Zax did have one restriction on the use of Erin and Jan. They must both remain virgins, at least in the most technical sense. April had explained this to Libra and she had agreed to abide by Zax's policy regarding Erin. Otherwise she was free to experiment. In fact, Zax welcomed her pioneering efforts, since they usually led to new techniques that could be applied for the enjoyment of all.