• Give it all to birth
    give it all to life
    take it all for granted
    until we turn and die
    --Jackal Head, Cruxshadows

    I woke up to the sound of crashing. The room was dark, the window covered.

    I jumped as the candle flared to life. The face of the young man from the arena appeared above it, casting shadows on his mouth and eyes.

    "We meet again." I struggled as he gripped my wrist. "You'll have to come with me."

    "And if I don't?"

    "And miss seeing that b***h testing my newest devices?" I looked around. "You didn't notice she was gone? Tsk-tsk." I stumbled after him as he chauffered me out of the house and into his car. The ride was silent. The man sat crosslegged, watching me as we came to one of the skyscrapers of the City.

    The facade was a sharp-angled triangle white as marble. The many eyes that would have made a peacock's tail envious reflected the pitch sky. We climbed out of the car and into the elevator. I planned as we rose.

    I could take him down once we get to Gyps. Then all we'd have to--no, he has those girls. Well, if they tried to stop us we could fight them. I followed the man into an office down one of the halls.

    A wood desk was by one wall, a chair behind it. Another chair was a few feet from the side of the desk. The wall opposite the desk was all glass. The man sat in his desk chair. "Have a seat."

    "Where's Gypsy?"

    "You'll see." He came over, put a visor on me like I'd seen the girls wearing, and went back to his seat. "Watch." A light turned on, lighting up the white-gray room behind the glass.

    Gypsy was there, naked again. She was standing on a long white floor. The man reached up and touched his ear. "Let the entertainment...begin!" Gypsy swung to the right.

    The girl in orange and the girl in pink swung down on what looked like trapeze bars. They let go, flipping. Gypsy staggered back as their kicks connected with her. She caught herself on a hand as the pink girl kicked her legs out from under her, knocking the orange girl off with a backhanded punch.

    "There's a way you can stop this, you know," the man murmured. Gypsy jumped away from the two and ran. "Admit you like it." The girl in aqua swung down, flipped, descended. Her feet lashed out, a pummeling barrage into her chest. The visor switched on.

    The camera zoomed in on Gypsy's chest, the blue boots moving in and out slowly, each kick longer than the last. It moved up to her face. Her eyes were wide. Then began to shut as the kicks grew harder. It zoomed out. Her arms hung at her sides. She slumped with each kick. The girl drew back and struck with both feet.

    Gypsy flew back into the wall. Dust rose and the floor shook. The two girls moved in and back out of the cloud. The dust filtered away.

    The camera focused on her foot, moving up her leg, which lay crooked over a slab of wall. "Admit it." The camera continued up over her butt and side, a long slab pressed on her back. "Admit you love seeing her like this." The view followed her arm across an upturned slab, pausing on her exposed breast nestled in hair and gravel. It moved over to her head. Her face was planted in the gravel, hair alone visible. The camera panned out, showing her whole form. "You love seeing her broken, beaten, and weak."

    The aqua girl went over ot her, grabbing her arm and lifting her up. Her head lolled back, exposing her face. Her lip was cut and bleeding, a long bruise on her right side. Her mouth opened.

    "Uggh..." came to my ears from the visor. The girl drew back her fist and slammed her stomach. "Ah! Ah! Ah!" She turned, throwing her to the floor. She slid to the girl in pink, who knelt, lifting her by the shoulders and moving her forward onto her leg. She sank down, panting. "Ann...Ahhnn..." She brought her hands down, lifted up. The camera zoomed in. Her breasts fell together as she pulled herself forward, gasping. "Ahh...ugh..." She gripped the girl's shirt, pulling upward, legs sliding to almost straddle her knee.

    The camera focused on the crook of her legs as it moved. Pulled, pulling. It slid out of view again. One arm sank to the floor. "Ugh...ugh..." Her head drooped, fingers half closed but too weak to grasp. "Ugh..." Her breasts separated as they met the leg. "Ugh...ugh...ugh..." Her head drooped. "Ugh...uugghh..." Her legs moved slightly, parting, then stilled. "Oh..." The man pressed his ear again.

    "Dance." The girl kicked upward, launching Gypsy. The orange girl slammed a kick into her back. "The arenas will have this same stuff soon." Part of the ceiling punched outward, sending her into the floor. "Made of sand."

    The aqua girl hauled her up. Gypsy stumbled, panting as another ran up behind. She wheeled away, flipping backwards once. "Uh!" Twice. "Uh..." She staggered, eyes widening suddenly. The blue girl's kick thrust her forward. The orange girl swung down, hooking her legs under her arms and throwing her toward another forming column.

    Shackles clamped on her wrists and ankles as her arms and legs came forward. The lights went off.

    "Oof!"

    "So..."

    "Aah!"

    "What do you think?"

    "Ugh! Uggh!" The lights came back on. The pink girl was on the floor in front of Gypsy. The aqua girl ran up, kicking her in the side. Then the gut. The orange girl came. They kicked, one in the gut, one in the breast. She flew back into a flat pillar and lay draped on it. Chains dropped down. The aqua girl attached them. She rose, head held up, just barely. The floor moved back a few feet, exposing water. Out of the water rose a pillar. The chains set her back against it, arms and legs held up. She panted heavily, forcing her head up. The man reached into his coat, pulled out a small box, pressed a button.

    She screamed. He waited. The screaming continued. He stopped pressing the button. The chains dropped. Her limbs went slack, head sinking.

    "Ugh..." Her groan was breathy. The chains rose. The button plunged. More screams, louder. Slack. A third time. Weaker cries. She dropped. "Ugh..." A thin bolt crackled between her nipples. "Ah..." A bridge moved out to the pillar. The pink girl strode out, straddled her. Fitted gloves onto her hands.

    "Say it." Prodded her with a finger. A charge. A shallow exhale of a groan escaped. Grasped her breasts. Her body rose slightly.

    "My...body..." Flipped hver over. Punched her back. "Uh..."

    "Admit it." The punches continued. They rose. Sparks crackled. I can't... Her limbs brought up. Breasts hanging, hair swaying with each punch, head sinking.

    "Uh...uhn...ugh..." Her head fell. "Ugh..." The girl slid off onto the pillar. Grabbed her.

    "All right!" I shook. "All right." The girl walked onto the bridge. It retracted. The pillar went beneath the water. Gypsy was lowered into the water. The camera followed. Hung there, catching her in that pose. The chains moved downward, she with them, turning on her back. I looked as the floor between the chair I was in and the desk opened. She was pushed up on another column.


    I woke to the dull sound of flesh on flesh. Another male pounding at Gypsy. I choked as bile rose up in my throat. The male continued, paused. He stood, taking her by the hair and holding her in my face.

    "Lick her." I shuddered. "Lick her. Lick her!" I passed out again.