Synopsis: It’s the 25th Century and the world is ruled by a prepotent regime known as the Super Patriarchy. An idealistic young woman dreams of overthrowing it but just how far will she have to go to do just that?
Time is on Her Side
(by S.B.)
Part IV
Although it didn’t seem like it at first glance, Horatia had a plan. A risky and perhaps foolish plan, but a plan still.
Despite being everywhere and controlling pretty much everything to its heart’s content, the Super Patriarchy was, at its core, a web of shadows. Fear and intimidation were two of their favorite weapons, dissimulation and denial two others often wielded against unsuspecting minds. Those that thrive in the shadows often shun the light so the best way to hit them, and hit them hard, was through exposure.
She wanted to plaster the truth about their Centers in every nook and cranny of the city. The horror and mayhem that transpired there daily to cement their unworthy rule had to be brought forth to the public, and the truth had to be undeniable.
Common-sense would dictate letting Lazendorf do all the hard work for her. With enough programming, he could serve as the perfect sleeper agent, forever a true believer in the ways of Female Supremacy, yet achieving that required the same thing Horatia felt she was missing from the start. Time was not on her side and, at every passing moment, she believed this to be even more so.
It was a strange perception, a feeling lodged deep inside her entrails she couldn’t explain. The patience she had showed earlier had only allowed this lingering idea to become stronger and stronger. The more she tried to push it away, the more she realized Time would always fail her unless she mastered it herself. Despite the Professor’s claims about the impossibility of it all, she believed The Super Patriarchy held the key somehow. If that were true that would explain a lot.
From an early age, they taught men and women that The Super Patriarchy’s rule was inevitable, almost like a divine design engraved in the fabric of reality. Studies and investigations about the events that occurred before the dawn of the 22nd Century were forbidden or structured to prove that same thesis.
What she learned at the University wasn’t History but a construct, a game of half-truths and blatant lies where the rules were subject to change at any moment if it suited them. Trying to dig deeper into this notion was always punishable, which is why few ever tried. In the end, it was easier to be a sheep than to dare to become a wolf.
She hoped that, by visiting one of the Centers herself, she could learn more about the intricacies of the system, find out its true nature and whether they had tampered the natural course of things to facilitate such an outcome. Time was not on her side because The Super Patriarchy controlled it. As ludicrous as the prospect sounded, it made sense.
“You’re mistaken, Goddess,” Lazendorf said. She had spent the last half an hour reinforcing her authority over his feeble thoughts yet he could snap out at any moment if she didn’t keep a close eye on him. Having already called for transportation, both waited outside campus and though he stood upright, his mind still knelt.
“Am I really or is it you who know nothing about it?” She queried. “How much of an influence do you really have, anyway?”
“I’m very influential.”
“But you answer to someone else in the hierarchy, don’t you?”
“I... well...”
“Your hesitation just proves what I’m saying all along. You may have power but you’re still a minion. Who do you answer to? Does he have a name?”
“He goes by Mister D,” Lazendorf admitted and she could tell it hurt him to do so.
“What’s he like?”
“We never met, Goddess. Sometimes, I receive specific instructions from him through secure channels, and that’s it. I never even heard his real voice, just a distorted recording.”
“Hmmm... sounds like a dick. I wonder if that’s what the D. stands for. Mr. Dick,” she chuckled. “What sort of things does he ask you to do?”
“Keep an eye on people of interest, report suspicious behaviors, introduce curricula alterations. I even changed the campus decoration once on his authority.”
“Let me guess... those holographic monitors?”
“Yes. The Super Patriarchy wanted more control over the student populace.”
“I fucking hate that Oath of yours. Mine is better, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Goddess.”
“Repeat it then.”
“Dominance is feminine, submission is masculine. Femininity is above masculinity.”
“Good. There’s something else I want to ask you. You will be honest and upfront about it. Remember who is in charge.”
“That’s not something I can forget, Goddess.”
“What really happened between you and my mother?”
“She was a person of interest many moons ago. They ordered me to keep a close eye on her, which I did. She still is but not to the same extent. As time went by that status passed on to you.”
“Go on.”
“Your family history makes you dangerous. Many of your ancestors opposed us. We thought we had things controlled regarding your mother but then you came along. We’ve been keeping a close vigilance on you since the beginning.”
“Interesting... you realize you’re contradicting what you told me earlier, don’t you? Then again, you weren’t under my control at the time. You could lie back then, but now you can’t. You’re afraid of me, aren’t you?”
“Yes, Goddess.”
“Because of my heritage?”
“In part, yes. I tried not to believe it, I tried to maintain the facade they wanted me to maintain, I tried to deny it, play the all-powerful card, but it seems my arrogance and my ego only fueled your resolve even more.”
“You got that right but if you’re so interested in me, you should have seen it coming... right?”
Lazendorf said nothing, returning to a submissive posture.
“Unless you did... am I walking into a trap right now?” She insisted.
He remained silent until the transportation arrived. He couldn’t lie yet he couldn’t talk about what he didn’t know either. Obedience to her was all that mattered.
As the car rode on, leaving the bustling streets behind, Horatia’s thoughts became darker, almost as dark as the color now reflected by the Skylight Dome.
The artificial protection erected many miles above their heads allowed for a controlled environment free of toxins, but it was also a weapon in its own right. It promoted a sense of safety based on isolation and the more isolated people were, the easier they were to control, especially women. Rumor has it it was showing its age with cracks appearing in the innermost layers both on the north end and the south end of the city. If they were there, they were invisible at the time though.
Even if she was walking into a trap, it felt like the only course of action to do. Horatia wasn’t a fatalist but the pull of the unknown was overwhelming. She shivered at the prospect that things would never be the same after that night, yet the road was waiting no matter what.
For this reason, and this reason alone, she ignored all calls from her mother. Celeste tried to reach her half a dozen times, only to be greeted by the indifference of someone too focused on the task at hand. The last thing she needed was another lecture, one more attempt to compromise her ideals. She believed she could be successful; she believed everything would work out. Her confidence was so great it too took the form of hubris, she knew that, too. She also knew it was a small price to pay for the chance to keep on resisting their forceful brainwashing.
Her mother proved easy to ignore but she couldn’t do the same to Alex. When he called her, she answered, taking advantage of the soundproof division she was in to talk without fear of repercussions. Lazendorf listened to it all but remained as silent as ever. He would only speak again when his Goddess ordered him to do so.
“Hi, pet,” she began. “What’s on your mind?”
“You’re always on my mind, R.,” Alex sighed. “You know why I’m calling, right?”
“My mother is worried sick about me. She asked you to do it and you did.”
“She’s not the only one worried. You didn’t come home and I can hear you’re on the move. Where are you going?”
“Into the dark side, I guess.”
“You’re with Lazendorf, aren’t you?”
“More like he’s with me right now.”
“Damn it, Horatia!” she could hear her mother cursing in the background.
“I don’t want to talk to her, Alex, but tell her everything is under control.”
“Is it? Do you really believe that? Your rashness...”
“I don’t need a lecture from you, either. Enough is enough, Alex. I need to expose these sons of bitches while I still can.”
“What do you mean?”
“I feel... I feel that if I don’t do this, my entire world will break apart. I should have done this a long time ago.”
“What about us?”
“We will continue to carry on, I’m sure. In fact, this is the only way we’ll continue to carry on.”
“I hate to call you stubborn, Goddess, but...”
“Then don’t. Trust me. I will see what they’re doing, I will document everything and then Lazendorf will deliver the blow. After tonight, The Super Patriarchy’s rule will grow weaker. Do you want to live in fear of your submissive nature all your life?”
“No, I don’t, but I’d rather live in fear knowing you’re safe in my arms than to be here, helpless, as you dive into the abyss. Don’t leave me.”
“I’m not going to.”
“And I know that you are. Whatever your gut feelings are on this, mine are the opposite. I can’t help it, R. Please come back.”
“I will... in a few hours. You’re welcome to stay there, waiting for me, and when we’re together again, I’ll take you on a journey you won’t be able to forget.”
“R...”
“Goodbye for now, Alex. Trust me.”
The call went dead, and the world grew even darker. After twenty minutes of random meandering, the vehicle came to a stop, in the dead center of Lowertown. Few people wandered there even when the artificial sun was shining. Even less did so when darkness took hold.
“Why are we here?” she asked.
“This is the main Center,” he replied, peering through the window. All around, the landscape was riddled with broken buildings and impossible angles covered in ash, almost as if a nuclear bomb had detonated there. Amidst the debris, something stood out. There were two doors in a recess. They looked alike, down to the bent hinges.
“A projection,” she muttered. “Hiding in plain sight, huh?”
“One entrance, yes, but not the primary one. That’s just to throw people off should they come this far.”
“So where is the primary entrance?”
“Underneath,” he noted, pressing a button on the back of his seat. The cracked floor shook under them as two dozens of hydraulic pumps of yesteryears worked in unison. An elevator built a long time ago, way before any of them were alive.
The descent was noisy, abrupt. Horatia only had time to glimpse brown and grey pipes converging into an amalgam of rust before the decadence gave way to a large undulating corridor very similar to the ones in the University. The platform sustaining the car rotated towards it. A magnetic track glowed at the bottom.
“It’s automatic from now on,” Lazendorf said, before adding. “You will not like what you see.”
Horatia cracked her knuckles and smiled. “Perhaps not, but they will not like what they see either,” she said to herself. Trap or no trap, the real game was afoot.
The corridor went on forever, deeper and deeper into the bowels of the Earth. Patterns of multicoloured lights flashed at regular intervals as the vehicle drifted away. They were beautiful, soothing and yet another insidious reminder that absolute control needed to be maintained at all times.
“Chromatic conditioning,” she thought, a practice she had indulged in as well when first training Alex. To this day, he still had uncontrollable erections when confronted with the color “red” but things only got interesting when “pink”...
“Not the time for daydreaming,” she heard herself saying, interrupting the flow of thought. Looking ahead, she saw the driver dozing off. Next to her, Lazendorf was exhibiting light signs of trance, too.
“Still with me?” She snapped her fingers.
“Yes, Goddess,” he mumbled.
“Recite my oath again then.”
He did. Horatia smiled once more, hand on his forehead. Dominance is feminine. Dominance will always be feminine.
“We’re here,” he said.
The car reached its final destination, and the sight was staggering. Horatia had imagined a Pavillion, with a series of interconnected rooms, perhaps a few labs here and there. She had not conceived an underground second city spreading as far as her eyes could see. As she exited the car, the surprise on her face couldn’t be more clear.
“Oh, shit! So much for the web of shadows...”
Lazendorf was right. She didn’t like what she was seeing. It was too vast, too overwhelming, a true testament of the Super Patriarchy’s power. For a moment, she felt minuscule, her once peerless confidence shattering from inside out. The bright lights hurt her eyes, the hundreds of men walking around in stylized red uniforms angered her.
She could have focused on any detail of the subterranean mega-complex but her eyes darted to a specific point to her right. A few meters ahead of where she stood, two guards paraded an equal number of naked women. Around their necks, an incandescent collar tethered to a metal leash. In their eyes, nothing only the imposed beliefs they were nothing but bitches in heat. One woman stumbled while crawling behind her owner and fell flat on the ground. The man stopped, looked at her, spat in her blank face, and kicked her left leg to force her to move again. Horatia almost jumped at him to give him a taste of his own medicine. Only Lazendorf’s cool composure next to her prevented it from going overboard.
“You wanted me to show you around, so let me do just that,” he said, taking care not to use her title. A small butterfly-like drone hovered over the car but didn’t register what he said.
To maintain her cover, Horatia assumed the same deferent position she had engaged with Alex while inside the Campus. Lazendorf took the lead, and she walked three steps behind, no more no less, trying to keep her eyes fixed on what lay ahead and no side distractions.
“You’re in their world now and any deviation will prove fatal,” someone said. She wasn’t sure if it was the Professor or her own consciousness again. Most likely the latter. Her head was hurting.
They walked along a series of cramped passageways, emblazoned by symbols of depravity. More women were debased at every corner. The sound of sick laughters and heavy boots was a disheartening combination.
Horatia gasped once as they passed by a chamber where six barely legal brunettes were recreating an erotic version of a human centipede with large black dildos protruding from their mouths. More than the sexual act itself, what appalled her the most was the bliss with which they did so.
One could perceive it as hypocrisy considering how she mind fucked Alex to obey her every time but there was a fundamental difference. He had always wanted to serve before serving her. His submissive nature was genuine even if heightened by her control. The same could not be said about any of those women, she was sure. None of them had any choice in the matter and judging by how deep they were taking in their roles, it was unlikely that choice would ever be theirs again.
The more they walked, the worse it get. Horatia closed her eyes at each step, the perspiration showing on her hands and forehead. Another butterfly sentry appeared on the upper-right, a bulging lens focused on her.
Lazendorf led her across yet another series of pathways and the air lightened up. It was a laboratory section, more sterile and controlled by comparison to the hectic scenarios from before. She saw isolation tanks, operating tables, and more computers than she ever seen in her life. Blinking lights fed other blinking lights which fed an array of cables leading to a prismatic structure standing over twenty feet high. The inside was filled with blue liquid from which bubbles rose, gradually. Either it was the most expensive ancient water dispenser of all time or it was...
“... a Quantic Mainframe,” she concluded.
“Yes. It’s the core of the Center,” Lazendorf noted. “And it’s connected to several others in the city.”
“How many Centers are there, anyway?”
“We have seven operating at the moment, but this is the largest. It stretches all the way from campus to the shoreline. There are two additional levels below us.”
“You’ve got to be kidding!”
“I’m not. I told you you wouldn’t like what you saw. Do you understand now what you’re up against and why you can’t win?”
“What’s on the lower levels?”
“More research facilities, sleeping quarters for most of the men working here and a holding area large enough to contain a mass uprising if needed be.”
“Is that something you’ve anticipated? A mass uprising scenario?”
“The Super Patriarchy anticipates all possible scenarios,” Lazendorf shrugged. “We must so we can adjust when necessary.”
“I want to see the other research facilities. Take me there.”
“I don’t think...”
“That’s right... you don’t think...” she whispered. “You only think what I want you to think and right now you’re thinking you should take me to where I want to go. You have clearance to go there, don’t you?”
“I have clearance to go anywhere around here. I helped create the Center as it is fifteen years ago.”
“Keep on leading the way then.”
Lazendorf turned to the right, away from the Quantic Mainframe. Above them, yet another flying sentry appeared.
The lower level wasn’t much different from the area they had just been in, apart from the more subdued lighting and only a handful of technicians being visible. One looked straight at her yet only saw the Professor’s new pet before darting off with a plastered grin. The moment he disappeared, Lazendorf opened the door to one of the labs. No one was working there at that hour.
Inside, she saw transparent shelves and a sterile chamber the size of her bedroom. They used it for decontamination in case of hazardous material spill. Lazendorf showed her two portable conditioning prototypes they had been working on for a while but she wasn’t impressed. In fact, nothing there really caught her attention except one thing.
It was an old pocket watch attached to a bracelet with strange markings running at all its length. The engravings resembled Norse runes she had seen in one of the books at the University’s Library although she couldn’t make out their meaning. Amidst the technological creations of the Super Patriarchy, it was an outlier, protected by a thick, square, transparent plastic-like case.
“What’s this?” she asked.
Lazendorf’s response surprised her. “We don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? You didn’t create it?”
“No, we didn’t,” he stammered.
“So you found it somewhere and brought it here?”
“Not quite.”
“Elaborate.”
“It’s... hmmm... complicated,” he said, unsure how to explain it.
“Now I’m even more curious. You will tell me what I want to know and you will tell me now,” Horatia commanded.
Lazendorf approached the case, the artifact reflected on his hypnotized gaze. He touched the surface and removed his hand right away. It was hot, a by-product of the energy released on the inside.
“We don’t know what it is. We don’t know what it does. So far, all of our tests have proved inconclusive. Everything about it is a mystery including its presence in these premises.”
“I’m confused.”
Lazendorf’s left eyebrow twitched. “So are we. This... thing... just appeared here last week.”
“Appeared?” Horatia lowered her head for a closer inspection of the device. The first impression of the pocket watch being attached to the bracelet proved wrong. It was more like fused to it. Also, there was a second set of runic-like inscriptions behind the central mechanism. They were pulsating.
“Yes. There’s no better way to describe it. There’s no evidence of it entering the Center through normal means and the security camera footage just shows the object... hmmm... manifesting itself there inside the case. Most likely a trick from someone with too much time on his hands but we haven’t been able to prove it yet.”
“Sounds like a neat trick if you ask me. I like it.”
“May I ask why, Goddess?” the word slipped. Lazendorf covered his mouth so it wouldn’t happen again.
“Anything that confuses you is a good thing,” she chuckled. Mimicking his previous move, she touched the case. This time, it was as cold as ice.
“I suggest we be on our way now,” Lazendorf said.
“Now that things are getting interesting again?”
“That’s not interesting. It’s dangerous,” he pointed. Three butterfly sentries hovered outside the laboratory’s main door. “They’re onto us.”
“Is there another exit?”
He looked to the far right. “There’s a back elevator we can try to use but we need to hurry. If they sound the alarm, this entire section will be cut off.”
“Then move, slave!”
Lazendorf ran, with Horatia giving chase. Unlike their expectations, the drones remained static in their positions for their work had already been done. The unlikely duo moved as fast as they could, but the moment they dashed towards the elevator, a group of armed guards wearing shock armor and holding elongated cattle prods blocked their path.
A new sentry floated behind them, this one shaped like a winged egg placed on top of another egg. It was the ugliest butt plug Horatia had ever seen. A small antenna extended from the top. A three-dimensional image superimposed on the golden sheen turned into a smirk.
“Leaving us so soon, Horatia Ryder?” a mechanic voice echoed.
“And who the hell might you be?” She asked. “Oh wait, let me guess, you’re the other puppet behind this puppet. You’re Mr. Dick.”
“I’m your real host in these premises not that husk you manipulated into doing your bidding. We were wondering when you would drop us a visit. And to think all it took was to mess up with your friend for you to make a stand.”
“Listen, dickface. I’m not interested in your bad guy monologue or whatever the fuck you think you’re doing right now. I already had my suspicions I was walking into a trap but I have no regrets. Now that I’ve seen what you do around here, my resolve to destroy you all only increased tenfold.”
“Oh, I’m sure that’s the case as foolhardiness runs in the family,” Mr. D continued. “However, as you can see, you’re just one woman and you’re surrounded. A skilled mind-controller you may be but you’re no warrior and you can’t put everyone under your spell even if you try, so allow me to suggest something that’s bound to offend you while being your only choice at the same time. Surrender and let’s have a real conversation, shall we?”
“If you want to talk, don’t hide behind a machine. Otherwise, I’ve got nothing to say to you.”
“The non-diplomatic way it is then,” the smile on the flying oviform drone disappeared. Lazendorf placed his body in front of his Goddess but the guards were too quick, too relentless. The first blow made Horatia’s world spin. The second turned it upside down, and the third drew blood before her consciousness faded to grey and black.