It was hot and getting hotter. Dawn sagged painfully against the ropes holding her to the pole. She dropped her head to her chest, but found that made breathing increasingly difficult; that and the foul smell from the burning components and wiring. The plastic-coated wire tied in her mouth was heating quickly, adding to her misery. Pulling against her bonds had availed her nothing, and it was becoming increasingly clear that Mandy and Bolton knew their job well. Her ears, too, were assailed by the roaring and sizzling of the flames and by… something else. Dawn did her best to shake the sweat out of her eyes, and, raising her head, squinted painfully through the greasy smoke.

"Hnnggghhh!" She knew the feeble sound that she made would never be heard over the roar of the fire, and resumed her useless battle to free herself.

"Hello? Is someone here? Please, help me!"

Dawn wasn't sure what was harder to believe-- that there was someone else here, or that anyone could possibly need more help than she did.

"Aaaaaaaauuuggghh!" She ripped her throat raw trying to be heard over the noise, the computer mouse slamming her collarbone as she flailed her head.

"Hello?" the voice came again.

I'm here, Dawn tried to shriek, help me!

"I need help! Please, I need-- whoa! You need help!" Frightened green eyes peered at Dawn through the smoke. The bound woman recognized the elfin redhead regarding her: she was part of the cruise party. The kidnappers must have missed her somehow!

"Oh, my God!" Alyson's jaw was sagging as she stopped and stared at Dawn's bizarre predicament. A despairing grunt from behind the gag brought her out of her daze. "Oh, golly-- here!" The frightened girl dashed forward, and seized the cords binding Dawn to the pole. "Aaaahhhh!" she hissed, pulling her burned fingers back. Gingerly, with Dawn gasping for air through the gag, Alyson used her fingernails to pick at the knots as best she could. As Alyson worked to undo the knots, Dawn felt the cables holding her in place begin to loosen, and strained her arms and shoulders against the bonds, feeling the heat-softened cables begin to stretch. Seeing that Dawn was working her torso free, Alyson bent down, blinking into the choking smoke, and scrabbled at the knot near Dawn's knees. Finally, Dawn had enough slack to slide herself down, slithering out of the grip of the cables, and turned around for Alyson to untie her bound wrists. Once her hands were free, she grabbed the still-dazed girl by the arm, and pushed her ahead as she raced out to the deck, yanking at the filthy cable bound in her mouth.

Out on deck, Dawn took in a huge gulp of air, wishing she had time to enjoy the clean taste, but knowing that their escape opportunity might last only moments.

"Over here!" she called to Alyson, and the redhead joined her in removing a heavy tarp from a small boat.

"Nice they didn't skimp on these," Dawn muttered as the two women struggled to release the small craft into the water. "Lightweight but tough as steel. There's enough provisions for several days, and we'll even have a radio. Hop in!"

Waves lapped quietly against the side of the small boat.

"Dawn, how long can we survive like this?"

The young security officer opened her eyes; the night sky was still shrouded in gray-black clouds, with moonlight showing dimly through. Since their first exhausted introductions, neither woman had spoken much; they had eaten, and both had tried to sleep.

"Well, each of these boats should have enough provisions for four men for a week; I'd say two women can live like royalty on that! Anyway, we won't be here that long." She pointed to what appeared to be a laptop computer. "That's the Global Positioning System. It looks like no one charged the solar battery, but after the sun's been up for a few hours, we'll have enough juice to fire it up, figure out exactly where we are, and send a radio message for help. Anyway, I was thinking…" Dawn's thoughts trailed off as she could see that she had lost Alyson's attention. The young redhead was peering intently into the black night ahead of them.

"Dawn, what's that?" Both girls tried to make out the details of a large shape which seemed to be approaching.

"I guess it looks like a ship…" the security officer seemed unsure.

"Well, wouldn't a ship have, like… I don't know, lights or something?"

"Yeah, but what else could it possibly be?" Just then, there came a break in the clouds masking the dark sky, and a brilliant half-moon bathed the surrounding water in a cold, dim light. In that light, there could be no question that what was approaching was, in fact, a ship-- but one such as neither girl had ever seen, at least not outside of books.

The craft was huge, and would have dwarfed the now-scuttled pleasure yacht. Two enormous white sails caught the light of the moon, and were almost the only light to be seen. A few lanterns flickering here and there provided the only other illumination. Dawn squinted, refusing to believe what her eyes told her: that this was a masted sailing ship of the sort that had ruled the seas of the 17^th and 18^th centuries. As the huge shape loomed over their tiny craft, though, she had no choice but to accept it. She could sense Alyson beside her, staring up in awe. The enormous ship had slowed its progress, and with its sails lowering, seemed to come nearly to a halt. A rustle of sound came from the direction of the darkened ship, and, to the girls' astonishment, a female voice rang out through the blackness.

"Hello, there!" The clear, firm voice had a British accent. "On the raft. Is anyone aboard?"

"Here, we're here!" Alyson's voice was trembling with relief.

"May I speak to the man in charge of your craft?" came the British voice. The phrasing was so odd that Dawn could only respond, "There aren't any men aboard." As soon as she said it, she cursed herself-- they were vulnerable enough without advertising the fact. There were several moments of near-silence; Dawn thought she could hear some sort of discussion going on, and then a small boat was lowered down the side of the ship. In a few moments, it had pulled alongside the raft, and the boat's occupant leapt nimbly onto the raft.

The woman was small and slight, but her trim form hinted at athleticism. Chestnut-brown hair fell in waves to her waist. Brown eyes flickered in the dim light of the lanterns, and she smiled warmly as she regarded the two castaways.

"Just the two of you, then?"

"Yes, our ship was blown up and pirates kidnapped our friends… well, actually, first they kidnapped our friends, then they blew up the ship; of course they weren't all really friends, I mean Dawn hardly knew them--"

"Please." The Englishwoman gently cut off Alyson's babbling. "There will be time for all that after you're aboard." She gestured toward the dark shape looming above them.

"Thank you so much," breathed Dawn. "Just let me get our stuff--"

"Oh, that won't be necessary. In fact," the woman continued, "I shall have to ask you to leave everything here on your raft." She peered closely at the jeans and blouse that Dawn was wearing. "You didn't make those clothes yourself, did you?"

Dawn was baffled. "Why, no, I really don't know how to--"

"Mass-produced. As I expected. Well, those will have to stay here, as well."

"What?!?!" Dawn looked closely at the woman, and saw that her plain dress did, indeed, look as though it had been hand-made, and by some very skillful hands.

"Yes, along with all your other artifacts of man's world, like your computers and processed food, those mass-produced garments are simply not allowed. There will be plenty of time for me to acquaint you with our laws and customs later. For now, though…" she nodded toward the ship, "I think you’d best move along so that we can get going."

The security officer scrutinized the woman; she didn’t appear to be crazy, but what she was saying didn’t make much sense.

"Well, look, we really appreciate your stopping to help us, but I think we’ll manage OK as we are. I mean, if you could radio for help for us---"

The woman cut her off, politely but firmly. "No, I’m sorry. I can see that all this is strange to you, but you really will be much better off if you accept our hospitality. In fact, I really must insist." Dawn opened her mouth at the thinly-veiled threat, about to dare the woman to just try "insisting" anything, but before she could respond, Alyson spoke quietly in her ear.

"Dawn, how sure are you that the GPS is working?"

"Well, it needs to have its battery charged. Once we do that---"

"No, I mean, how sure are you that there’s nothing else wrong with it? What if daylight comes and it still doesn’t work? What do we do then?" Alyson had done her best to keep her voice low, but the Englishwoman missed nothing.

"Your friend’s right," she smiled. "Are either of you really prepared to survive on that raft if, in fact, you can’t radio for help? Well, are you?"

Dawn looked at Alyson. She hated the idea of taking chances with the girl’s life, but which was the greater risk? If the GPS worked, they’d be probably make it to safety in less than a day. On the other hand, if it didn’t, she and Alyson could wander, lost, for days or weeks before dying a horrible death. Plus, if the woman became truly insistent, Alyson might get hurt if it came to a fight. There really wasn’t a choice.

"Thanks very much, then. We’d be very glad of your hospitality." Not waiting for another signal, Dawn began to strip, pulling her blouse over her head; after a moment's hesitation, Alyson followed suit. The Englishwoman's eyes moved from one girl to the other, and Dawn felt surprisingly uncomfortable. She'd certainly been naked around other women before, but never before had she been forced to strip herself at the command of a woman who watched her, and remained fully-clothed. Doing her best to hide her unease, Dawn removed her bra, and stepped out of her jeans and panties. In a moment, she stood naked in the dim moonlight, the cool sea breeze stirring the silky black hair that fell gently over her breasts. She glanced over at Alyson: the trembling redhead was just as naked, and obviously terrified. When Dawn saw that Alyson's hair wasn't long enough to provide the curtain of modesty that her own did, she tossed her hair back over her shoulders; if Alyson was to stand exposed in this strange place, she was prepared to do the same.

To the relief of both girls, the woman called Jane seemed not to notice their discomfort, and smiled brightly at them.

"Fine, now, let's be going, shall we?" She gestured for the two castaways to precede her, and Dawn and Alyson stepped into the small boat.

As she rowed to the ship, the woman did nothing to encourage conversation, and the two naked women sat silently, Dawn pleased to see that Alyson seemed to be holding up so far. Once on board ship, though, Dawn wanted some questions answered.

"Look," Dawn began, "my name is Dawn Chan. We were aboard a ship--"

Jane cut her off briskly. "Please. The history of your misfortunes is not important here. In our company, a woman becomes a new person, builds a new life. You can choose a new name for yourself, and your existence will have a new purpose."

"A new name? Why--"

"My name, you see, isn't really 'Jane.' My parents, actually quite wealthy folks, named me Joyce Penelope-- oh, you don't need to hear all of it. All you need to know is that I always loved the simplicity of the name 'Jane,' and when I came here, I was able to become that simple 'Jane' that I always wanted to be, instead of the spoiled rich brat I was raised as."

"But where is 'here'?" Dawn was beginning to suspect that the woman's conversation was just a way of postponing some of Dawn's questions. "Do you mean here on this ship?"

"Well, not entirely, though I do spend a great deal of my time on this ship. No, what I refer to is being here in the fellowship of the followers of Ayesha."

"Who?"

"Oh, of course. Forgive me-- it's so rare that I meet a woman from the outside world. Ayesha is our leader, and so much more. She is all that women aspire to be: free and independent of men, kindness itself to her followers, strong in opposition to her foes."

"She has foes?"

The woman ignored her. "She is beautiful, too, of course, as are all women who escape the slavery of man's world." This was food for thought for Dawn-- there was no question that every woman she had seen on the ship was runway-model gorgeous. Coincidence? "For centuries, now, Ayesha has ruled a kingdom, hidden from the eyes of the world, where women are safe to live as they will, with no interference from men. She will certainly welcome you and your friend into our fellowship."

Dawn opened her mouth to reply, then thought better of it: this might not be the point to pose her questions about the desirability of membership in Ayesha's organization. In the next moment, she was glad she'd kept quiet.

The group of women standing by the rail had continued to whisper among themselves and glance up at Jane and Dawn's conversation. Now, the group broke up, and a tall woman stepped to the front, addressing Jane.

"Why have we added castoffs from man's world to our sisterhood?" There was a sort of sullen deference in the woman's attitude, as though she acknowledged Jane's formal leadership of the group, but wasn't happy about it.

"Please," Jane's easy manner made Dawn wonder if she was used to dealing with insolence from this woman, or had simply failed to recognize it, "let us have our introductions." She turned to Dawn, and seemed, for almost the first time, to be speaking directly to her, instead of simply preaching about Ayesha. "May I please introduce Heron? Heron, this is Dawn, for so long as she chooses to keep that name." Dawn extended a hand. The woman facing her was as physically imposing as any woman Dawn had ever seen; the word "striking" might have been coined for her. Her six-foot frame was sculpted into a figure that would have had the denizens of "man's world" salivating-- or, at least, the ones foolish enough to ignore the cold fury in her icy blue eyes. Glossy auburn hair flowed over her powerful shoulders, down to a chest of proportions at least as stunning as any other part of her. Heron was standing right in front of Jane, now, and Dawn felt a terrible unease at the discrepancy in size between the two: Jane wasn't even a large woman by the standards of "man's" world; Heron looked fully twice her size, and in this rough environment, Dawn had the feeling that physical strength might count for quite a bit. Nonetheless, Jane's manner toward Heron was one of authority. The larger woman looked down her nose at Dawn, and sniffed, ignoring the offered hand.

"She may call herself Dawn or Midday, or plagued Midnight for all it is to me. So long as Ayesha refuses to confront the world of men, then let us have none of its infection. Throw them back in the sea." Dawn glanced from Alyson, shivering terribly at the large woman's words, to Jane, who evidenced little reaction.

"They are women, Heron, and deserve our protection."

"If we are not prepared to fight for our place in the world, then what are they but more mouths to feed? Or do you imagine that man's world is now providing us with warriors?" There was snickering from Heron's group, and Dawn realized that keeping her martial arts skills under wraps might be a good idea, for the moment.

"Heron, you know perfectly well that Ayesha is more concerned with the well-being of all women than with foolish talk of war." Heron's eyes narrowed-- to Dawn, it seemed that the tall warrior was deciding just how much more lecturing she was prepared to tolerate. Jane again seemed not to notice. "Now, let us find accommodations for these sisters."

Alyson hadn't spoken a word, and now scuttled close to Dawn, as though she hoped to hide behind the taller girl. Jane led the way through a doorway into the ship; Dawn did her best not to look back at the menacing red-haired figure looming over her shoulder. Inside, they were led to a small room furnished with two beds fastened to the floor. The security and solidity of the construction made

Jane indicated the beds with a sweep of her hand. "Dawn, you and your friend will be most comfortable here for the night. In the morning, we will be in sight of the kingdom of beloved Ayesha." As the exhausted girls made to follow their hostess' gesture, Heron's cold voice came from behind them.

"What of blindfolds?"

Alyson's eyes widened in fear. Before Jane could attempt to reassure her, one of Heron's cronies piped up.

"Aye-- what of them? I was brought here in blindfold and restraints!"

"As was I!" cried another.

Dawn felt queasy; less at the prospect of being blindfolded than by the smug grin twisting Heron's lips. "Jane, have we no rules anymore?"

For the first time, the woman called Jane betrayed displeasure with Heron's insolent attitude. Her face flashed irritation, but it was clear that she realized the accuracy of what Heron had said. She turned to the two new arrivals, placing a reassuring hand on Alyson's shoulder. As the younger girl shivered, Jane spoke apologetically.

"Forgive me. Heron is correct. It has been so long since we have encountered anyone from man's world on the open sea that our rules have grown rusty with disuse. I am afraid that your first night with us will have to be spent in blindfolds and bonds. This will only be until Ayesha has had a chance to meet you and formally admit you to our sisterhood, which will happen tomorrow." The indulgent smile did nothing to reassure Dawn. That Jane's intentions might be perfectly benign she was prepared to accept; Heron and her cronies were another matter. Still, resistance was clearly pointless.

As Jane had been explaining things to the new arrivals, one of the other women had taken the opportunity to open a small chest, and remove two pads of soft leather.

"Here, Jane." This woman was a tall African, whose manner suggested that she shared Heron's resentment at Jane's position of leadership. "Shall I put these on them?"

Dawn spoke up quickly. "Please, let me help my friend, here. I think she feels a little uncomfortable." If anyone caught the understatement, no one laughed. Without waiting for an answer, Dawn took Alyson by the shoulders, and gently sat the trembling girl down on the edge of the bed. She smoothed the russet tresses, and whispered, "It'll be OK." Dawn hoped she sounded more convincing to Alyson than she did to herself. One of the soft leather blindfolds was then thrust into her hand, and, as gently as she could, Dawn pressed it over Alyson's eyes. The girl shivered as Dawn drew the straps behind Alyson's head and tied them together. Not wishing to give Heron an excuse to harm Alyson, Dawn made certain that the knot was secure, hoping she wasn't hurting Alyson. As she finished, Jane had produced some straps of leather, with cuffs in the end, lined with some sort of animal fur. Gently, Dawn lay Alyson back down on the bed, as Jane secured an end of each of the thongs to the corners of the bed. Still murmuring encouragement, Dawn watched as Jane's practiced fingers attached the cuffs to Alyson's wrists and ankles. There was not enough play in them to have allowed the girl to access the fastenings, even had she tried, but all in all it looked as though it should be possible for Alyson to sleep reasonably well in this position.

And now, it was her turn. Dawn snatched up the other blindfold from the African woman, and placed it over her own eyes. The lining was more than simply smooth: there was some sort of herb permeating what felt like the softest moleskin. Probably, she reasoned, these women used them for soothing their own sleep more than for blindfolding captives. This reassurance lasted only a moment, though, as strong fingers seized the ends of the knot behind her head, and pulled it sharply, catching her hair painfully. Dawn itched to rip the thing from her face and flatten whoever had done that (as though there were any question), but she felt Jane's touch on her shoulders, and she restrained herself. When the time was right, though… Dawn lay back down on the bed. It was firm without being uncomfortably hard, and since she was going to be tied to it, anyway, she stretched herself luxuriously. For all Jane's gentleness, though, Dawn felt decidedly chilled as, one by one, her feet, and then her hands, were restrained into uselessness. The fur lining kept her skin from chafing, but the leather yielded not at all to her experimental tugs. She was tied to this bed until someone decided to release her. Her stomach heaved as she thought back to the physical disparity between the diminutive Jane and her red-haired antagonist. Should it come to open conflict between the two… Dawn shivered at the thought of the fate that would await Alyson and herself if Heron had her way. She could only pray that the redhead's respect for the authority of this Ayesha would last the night. With no alternatives available, it seemed best to rest her tired body, and Dawn surrendered to the soothing herbs in the blindfold, and lost herself in sleep.

Dawn had no idea what time it was when the sounds woke her; blindfolded in this alien environment, with no bedside clocks or lamps, she had no way to orient herself. As she came to full consciousness, though, the sounds grew clearer: a shuffling, and some grunts and bumps.

"Alyson?" Dawn called softly. She thought she might have heard a response, but it might just as easily have been a muffled snoring. She had almost allowed herself to drift back to sleep when there was the sound of movement close to her bed, and she could hear and smell the presence of someone else in the room.

"Alyson?" she called again, more loudly this time. "Jane? Ja---harrrgghhh!?!?" Her call was cut off as she felt powerful fingers jam a thick leather bit between her teeth. Dawn tried to pull away, but other hands gripped her head like a vise, and the leather was wedged further into her mouth. The bit was evidently attached to some kind of strap which was then pulled around her head and fastened brutally tight.

"NNNNggghhh!" The sound of her gagged voice was loud in Dawn's own ears, but she knew it was unlikely to be carrying beyond the door of her prison. She yanked reflexively at her bonds, but was brought up sharply by the sound of a voice hissing in her ear.

"Lie still, whore of men!" The voice was unmistakably Heron's; she could feel the woman's curtain of hair wash across her shoulder, lips close to her ear. "You and your friend will plot no treachery here tonight. Jane seems to have forgotten the dangers that lurk within those infected by man's world. Well, I have not forgotten. You will keep silent, now, and we shall see if Ayesha has grown as soft in her judgments as our precious Jane has." Giving a last vicious tug to Dawn's gag, Heron and her companion left the room, leaving Dawn with a nauseous feeling of dread. Whatever control Jane exercised over these women seemed to be slipping, and she and Alyson would be-- Alyson! In her own fear, Dawn had forgotten the young woman bound and, presumably, gagged, along with her. Dawn stopped struggling, and strained her ears. She could tell that Alyson was still alive, anyway-- terrible whimpering sobs were coming from the bed next to hers. Dawn slept no more that night.

Chapter Five

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