AN: I think this is the longest chapter yet!! It's more than 12 pages, not including the Author's notes! I had an important Author's note all planned out, but it's on my other computer... which is broken. *sob* But I will post it later, so don't worry!
By the way, I need a muse. Anyone know of one the isn't taken?
*Garfield appears and looks around.*
Um..... I was thinking of some anime character....
*Garfield dissapears*
......Wierd......
Chapter 8
An hour and a half later another break was called. The girls were relieved to find that the slaves working in the mines were given a small lunch so they could keep up there strength. When they had begun working after the first break, Ami had nearly collapsed. When a woman at the other side of the room fell, she was whipped and put back to work as the droids watched carefully. Ami and the others drew upon strength they didn't know they had to prevent sharing the fate of the other slave.
By the time lunch was called, the five girls were working quite slowly. They had welts on their calves where the droids whips had hit them to make them work harder. Their tools dropped to the floor with loud clangs, and they leaned against each other for support as they wearily sank to their feet once again. Ami was almost too weak to eat, but the others forced her to. Not that they were in much better condition. The rations were small; a piece of bread, a glass of water, and a small piece of meat. The bread was stale, the meat tasted funny, and the water was dirty, but by then they barely noticed.
They had been working for about five hours with only a few minutes rest. They were ready to drop. They didn't move at all during the second break except to eat. The rest of the time they used to rest. They were given twenty minutes to rest. It was longer than the last break by fifteen minutes, but still was far from enough.
Instead of returning to work with the tools, the guards gave them carts and told them to collect the chipped off rocks. Other tired miners were told to do the same, though many had to keep working. Fresh miners came in to work. They had been doing other jobs that morning, but weren't so tired that they couldn't mine. Serena and Mina were given a cart with four wheels that could be moved easily, and the other three girls were given one as well. They were thankful that they didn't have to use the wheelbarrows; their backs were sore and they didn't want to have to be leaning over and pushing heavy loads. The wheelbarrows also could tip easily, and these other carts could not. Still, it was not an easy task that they had been given.
They took turns pushing and bringing the rocks to the cart. The caverns seemed never ending, and they wondered how they would ever to find their way out if the droids weren't there.
A woman around 25 was working with a wheelbarrow in the same room as the girls two hours later. Serena looked at her with sympathy; she looked more tired than they were. She didn't seem to be cut out for this kind of work. They turned their attention back to their work. Mina got whipped once on her back when she stumbled and dropped the rock she was carrying. It took both Lita and Raye to hold her back from charging at the guard, while Ami stood in front of her trying to reason with her. She calmed down but watched the girls carefully after that, and her friends were worried she would attack a guard if one of them got whipped again. Mina tried telling her that she was fine, and it had only been one lash, but it didn't seem to do much good.
The woman working near them fell, and her wheelbarrow tipped over. One of the guards was immediately over her, preparing to whip her. As the whip came down Serena jumped in the way, blocking it with her arm.
"How dare you interfere! You will be whipped as well!" the guard yelled.
"She only fell because you're overworking her!" Serena yelled back in fury. "With all that knowledge you droids are suppose to have, you don't act very smart!"
"Insolence is not tolerated! I suggest you cease your actions and move away before you earn yourself a greater punishment!"
Serena hesitated, but didn't move. "How many lashes were you going to give her? Ten? Why don't you give them to me instead."
"You will already be whipped as well, and if you keep opposing me, you will be whipped more," the droid replied.
"But why waste a perfectly good slave? She's already tired, but she can still work. If you whip her she won't be able to work at all. Give me thirty instead, and you can watch me to make sure I keep working."
"She won't learn if she isn't punished for her mistakes."
"Of course she will. Surely she knows how painful getting whipped can be; she will know she barely escaped being whipped, and I won't be there next time to help her. She'll be more careful and work harder."
"Fine then. You will get forty lashes, however, to teach you not to interfere," said the guard. His programming didn't cover situations like these in detail, for no one had opposed droids like this, so he chose the way he thought would teach the slaves best.
"Done." Serena helped the girl up and the droid told her to stand by the wall. Baring her back for the second time that day, she stood against the wall and held onto the rocky ledges for support. Her friends stared at her, and she knew what they were thinking. She had nearly passed out after thirty lashes, and had been in great pain all morning, and now she got herself forty more?!She was informed that if she moved, she would be given another five lashes. She braced herself.
'Oh shit, this is going to hurt.'
Serena was so happy when she found she wouldn't have to go back to work, she nearly cried. It had been nearly eight hours since they had come to work in the mines. Now for the next two hours or so, they were going to be working in the kitchens. A droid had come to get them as the last few lashes were delivered. She had collapsed, and Ami was permitted to take her to the Medical Room. Serena had been leaning against the rock wall heavily, barely able to stand after the first twenty lashes. But she was stronger than most, as has been said before, and kept herself upright. But she knew she would never make it if she had to go back to the hard work of mining or transporting rocks. The woman had looked so scared, so tired, she had had to intervene. And she didn't regret it.
After Ami used a medical device to heal her back, the went to the kitchen. Her back still hurt badly, but it was healed enough so that she could work. It also prevented scars, which Serena was grateful for. Not because she was vain, but because she didn't want the Androids to have any reminder of pain they had caused her. To show them they had hurt her was to show weakness and vulnerability.
In the kitchens the set to work making food. Lita was going crazy at the slop, and was trying to make it better. Even with the limited supplies, it seemed to taste better, though Lita got whipped once when tasting her work to see if it needed anything. Apparently the droid thought she was trying to get more food for herself. She would have been whipped more and removed from the kitchen, but Lita calmly told him what she had been doing, promised not to do it again, and directed him to a file on cooking. Normally they wouldn't be able to be convinced, but when Lita told the droid about books on cooking that might be in his database to clear her name, he relented. On the condition that she never did it again. Lita's act of humbleness also helped.
The other girls were quite surprised. Raye and Serena got off the floor where they had fallen when Raye had literally jumped on Serena to keep her from attacking the droid. Lita confessed to being surprised as well; she had just been trying to get out of being whipped. She also didn't want to leave the kitchen. She loved cooking, and while she worked in the kitchen was probably the closest to being happy she would get now. Besides, the slaves deserved better food. Reminded of that, they all started cooking again. Lita guided them and watched over their work, while somehow still doing most of the cooking herself. Her friends were happy to see that she did look more cheerful, if only a bit.
For the next two hours, Serena muttered obscenities under her breath as she worked. Her back hurt like hell, she felt like she was going to collapse from the pain, and the heat from the ovens didn't help. Any other person would have been unconscious after forty lashes, even if there was space between them. Many would have been unconscious after only thirty. She had had seventy that day, and was wishing she was unconscious. She told her friends that she was fine, knowing that they would probably get too worried if they thought otherwise.
Along with the five girls were several older women working in the kitchen. They didn't talk at all, so the girls didn't bother them. Between all of them, dinner was ready on time and ready to be served about two hours after the girls had come. Lita and Raye showed the other girls how much the slave rations were, since they had worked in the kitchen part of the day before. Lita, however, had made more food without using many more ingredients by adding water or milk to some things and allowing them to cook a little longer, or some other trick to make more food out of what she had. She did quite well, and they were able to give the slaves more food.
After eating quickly in the kitchens, they set to work cleaning up. They had to put all the ingredients away, mop the floors, wipe the counters, store away any unused food, wash the cooking pots, pans, and utensils, and dry them all. They also had to clear the tables in the Mess Hall and wash all the dishes, utensils, and cups that the slaves used. It took more than three hours to get everything done. When they were finally allowed to go back to their rooms, Serena could barely walk. This time she couldn't hide in from her friends and they immediately went into a frenzy helping her back, even though they were also exhausted. Serena was surprised she had even managed to keep herself from collapsing the past few hours of cleaning; her back was hurting so bad that it made her dizzy.
As soon as they got back to the room, she collapsed on her bed. Her friends started running around getting her water, a cold washcloth for her forehead, her night clothes, and whatnot. Serena finally yelled at them to shut up and go to bed, and they did, after much protesting, when Serena told them she needed sleep. Serena lay on her stomach so as not to hurt her bruised back. She sighed into the pillow.
"Serena?" Lita whispered. "Are you ok?"
"Lita," Serena said slowly, "GO TO SLEEP!"
"Yes'm." Lita replied quickly. This sent the other girls into a fit of giggles, and Serena sighed again, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. She was glad they could still have times where they could laugh together, just like five regular girls spending time with their friends. The Androids couldn't take their friendship.
The next morning the girls were awoken at five the next morning. They were no longer given extra sleep because the drug had totally worn off. Ten minutes later, breakfast was given to them.
"Ug, how makes this slop?" Raye said, making a face at the gruel like substance in her bowl. "They REALLY need you in the kitchen, Lita. But it's good you don't have to wake up early to make breakfast. They ones who make breakfast probably have to get about at about three!"
"Yeah, I'm glad I don't have to get up that early, but I wish I could make the food better for everyone," Lita said, trying to break apart her stale bread. So far, the bread was winning.
"Aw, Lita, always thinking with your heart. That's why I like you so much," Serena said with a grin.
"Definitely," Mina said. "So selfless, wanting to make the food better for the slaves."
"We'd better hurry and finish eating, they'll take away our food if we're not done in time," Raye warned.
"Yes, but this is the kind of thing you have eat slowly. To make sure you don't gag," Ami muttered. The other girls laughed. Quiet Ami surprised them sometimes.
Ten minutes later the guards came back in. Apparently they had been informed of the girls' assignments for the day, and were going to take them to where they needed to be. Lita went back to the Kitchens, Raye and Mina went to the cleaning headquarters, and Ami was assigned to help out in the Medical Room, which pleased her. Another guard led Serena away without saying where she was to be taken. Once again, two guards followed behind.
After going a short distance, the guard stopped infront of a large door. Serena looked up and recognized it immediately.
"Oh crap," she muttered.
"Good morning, Tenshi," 17 greeted as Serena was escorted into the room. It was the same room she was always in, and she had come to loathe it. 17 was stretched out on the cushions of the dais.
The guards left and she went up to the dais, wondering what kind of torture she would go through today. She wished she was working in the mines again. It wasn't nearly as bad as serving 17. She would rather be whipped than served him. Of course, he counted on that.
She sighed and plopped down on the cushions.
"How was your day yesterday?" 17 asked.
"I still need a toothbrush," Serena muttered, leaning back against a mound of pillows behind her. She wished he wouldn't look so amused at everything she did and said.
"Yes, I know. I didn't think you would be able to find any in the mines," he said. Serena just glared at him.
"We have a busy day ahead of, Tenshi," he said, sitting up.
"Oh joy," Serena muttered.
An intercom link opened. "Sir, the tailors are here," came the voice of a droid.
"Send them in," 17 replied. The doors to the room were opened and two girls about Serena's age (early twenties) walked in carrying some white cloths. Several guards followed behind them and stood in front of the doors. The girls knelt before the dais and Serena raised her eyebrows at their actions.
"You may rise," 17 said in a nonchalant tone. The stood and 17 turned to Serena. "Your outfits," he said, gesturing to the bundles the girls were carrying. Serena raised one eyebrow again and sighed.
"Here, let me see," she said to the girls. They stepped forward and held the outfits before her. She took them gently so they wouldn't have to hold them and began looking them over. There was one simple tunic like outfit made for a female, one set of a skirt and halter top, and one slightly different tunic. There were all pure white. She lifted the skirt and halter and gave 17 an incredulous look. He just shrugged slightly. She sighed again and lowered the outfit.
"Did you work hard on these?" she asked the girls.
"I— uh, we," one girl stuttered, not sure how to answer.
"We worked very hard so they would please you," the other put in. "But it was no trouble at all," she added quickly. Serena was a bit surprised at the way they were acting, but she supposed it was so as not to be in 17's ill favor.
"Well, if you worked hard on them I'll wear them. But don't go out of your way to do anything for me. Rags are just fine," Serena said. The girls were shocked at her open resistance to 17's will, and she restrained herself from laughing.
"Yes mam," the girls said. 'Mam? ' Serena thought. 'Oh boy. They must be showing me respect because I'm 17's personal slave.'
The guards lead the girls out, and she was soon alone with 17 again. She turned back to him. "Are these really necessary?" she asked, lifting the pile of clothes.
"You need something more elegant than rags if you're going to be my personal slave," he replied.
"Yeah, well I think I need a TOOTHBRUSH if I'm going to be you're personal slave. A hairbrush would be nice to, and a bathtub, unless you want me to be a total mess," she muttered. 17 just chuckled, and she refrained from screaming.
"Those will be more comfortable than rags," 17 said, pointing to the clothes. "You should change into one of those."
Serena let out an exasperated sigh. "Since I probably don't have a choice, where should I change?"
"You can change right here," 17 said, lounging back on the pillows and smirking.
"Uh, ha ha, funny, seriously though."
"I find your modesty quite amusing. Very well, I'll have the guards show you to an empty room." He opened the intercom and called for a guard who led Serena to an empty room much like the first. However it was smaller, there was a table in the center, and there was no dais. Serena sighed and changed her clothes after the guard had left.
'They will be more comfortable. I'm just taking advantage of the situation to be more comfortable.' She thought to herself.
'God I hate this.'
She knocked on the door when she was done, and the guard led her back to 17.
"Very nice," he murmured, looking her over. She wanted to gag.
"Yeah yeah," she muttered as she settled back on the cushions. 17 just grinned. Well, smirked.
"I still don't see why I have to wear these. If you don't look Egyptian, why the hell do I have to?" Serena said crossly.
"Because you look nice in it, because my personal slave should look more respectable than wearing rags, and besides, my hair is Egyptian and that's more than enough for me."
"Actually, you don't have Egyptian hair. You would have to be bald."
"What?!?"
"Yeah, smart one. Anyone who was of any class was bald. They wore wigs. And the wigs always had bangs anyway. Only slaves and peasants had their own hair."
"Well then it's a good thing I don't care anything about looking Egyptian. 18 is the one who thinks it's interesting."
"Then why do I have to look Egyptian?!?" Serena practically yelled.
"Because you look nice, because my personal slave should not wear rags, and it's only an Egyptian style because 18 is obsessed with this new game of hers and because you look nice."
"I'm not going to get a different answer no matter how many times I ask, am I?"
"Well, that one was a little different."
"I'm not going to win this, am I?"
"No."
"Damn. So, what kind of boring leader thing do I have to sit through today?" Serena asked, trying to change the subject.
"The head slaves of each work section will be reporting to myself and 18. We also need a new head slave for the kitchen," he responded, closing his eyes and resting his hands under the back of his head.
"I say Lita. She makes the food taste better without using up too many ingredients, plus she can make more food with basically the same amount of ingredients." Serena said as she reclined against the cushions.
"Well, we don't want the slaves to be too comfortable," said 17.
"The better they eat, the better they'll work."
"True. I will discuss it with 18."
"Good. Discuss getting me a toothbrush while your at it."
The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. The head slaves reported to 17 and 18 in their viewing chamber, which was used to give orders, receive reports, etc. It was the same room the girls had been taken to on their first and second mornings. The two Androids lounged on the cushions of the dais, while Serena was made to sit on the steps at 17's feet. She basically tuned out the entire thing, occupying herself with the fountains and tapestries in the room, thoughts of what her friends were doing, and anything else that could keep her busy as she sat in the room for nearly three hours. Next she continued to sit in the same spot at 17's feet as he and 18 discussed various things ranging from slave progress to world events. That took another two hours. Needless to say, she was bored out of her wits. She had almost fallen asleep, when she was told that she and 17 were going back to his rooms.
She yawned the whole way and practically collapsed on the cushions when they got back.
"Bored, Tenshi?" 17 asked lightly as he settled on the dais beside her.
"Extremely," she muttered.
"We have a little time before we need to be anywhere else. You can rest."
The rest of the day was spent following 17 around like a lost puppy while he went to different work stations to see how things were going and to get reports from the overseers. Serena was tempted to wander off in another direction, but the guards walking behind her prevented her from escaping the extreme boredom. She was dismissed to go to dinner with the rest of the slaves, and worked in the kitchen with Lita afterwards. Lita was anxious to know about her day, but Serena was too tired to talk much. At ten, they were allowed to go back to their room. The other girls arrived about the same time they did.
"Seventeen hour work day," Serena grumbled as she got ready for bed. "They must be trying to kill us. And I just walked around and sat all day, and I'm exhausted. I can tell that the days I'm actually working are going to be just dandy."
She was about to collapse on her bed when she noticed something on it. She looked down, and saw a collection of toothbrushes, toothpaste, and hair brushes. She picked one up slowly, catching the attention of the other girls.
"Well, what do you know," Lita murmured.
Raye shook her head. "I don't get it. But I'm not complaining." she took a hair brush and immediately set to work on her tangled hair.
When the girls went to bed, Serena lay awake awhile longer, thinking about the gift that had appeared on her bed. She knew 17 must have sent them. She could never understand him. She knew he was up to something, but she couldn't figure it out. She decided not to think about it, but to just be alert. She went to sleep, knowing the morning would come too soon.
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The next day the girls went to the same jobs they had had the day before. Serena was dismayed that she would have to spend yet another day serving 17, but knew better than to complain. Once she got to his chambers and was settled on the dais, she pulled out one of the five hairbrushes that had been left on her bed the night before. She held it up and raised an eyebrow at 17. Returning the look, he simply said,
"You made a good argument."
Serena just shrugged, took her hair out of the bun, and set to work brushing it vigorously.
****************************************
A week passed by. Have the time the girls worked in the mines, and the other have they worked in the places they had been assigned to their third and fourth days. Lita was in the kitchens, Amy worked in the Medical Room, and Raye and Mina did cleaning. Serena served 17. All of the girls were slowly becoming stronger from the work in the mines, though they had been very strong already. They found out that most of the people put into the mines to work for more than once a week died. And those were the strongest of the slaves.
The girls had taken their first visit to the washroom. They had been crowded in a large bathtub that looked more like a swimming pool with about fifty other women. The bath went into the ground instead of rising up, like what was used in egyptian places. But since everything else was egyptian theme, the girls weren't too surprised. The bath was pure chaos, with everyone trying to share the limited supply of soap and shampoo and such while at the same time trying to finish washing before their time was up. Each group didn't have a long time to wash and it was hard when a few bars of soap had to go around and be used by fifty women. The five girls barely finished washing their bodies in time, and had to skip washing their hair that week.
Needless to say, they were not looking forward to bathing again. It didn't help when their were droids watching you that had a distinct male appearance, even though they were just robots. It was very disturbing. And the towels weren't in good shape. And so on.
It was a new day, and Serena was going to serve 17 again. Oh joy. It still humiliated her, and she wished she didn't have to do it. The droids led her down the familiar halls and opened the doors to 17's chambers. She sighed and walked into the room that she served 17 in, the one she had been brought to when she had first started serving him. The droids closed the door after her, though one droid remained inside. He gave a report to 17 as Serena walked up to the dais. 17 watched her for a moment before turning back to the droid. Serena didn't quite follow the exchange, because whatever they were talking about was said partially in code. The droid left and 17 looked thoughtful.
Serena remained standing for a moment, looking around the room at the tapestries hanging on the walls. She had seen them before, of course, but the still filled her with a slight feeling of awe. She held back a yawn, blinking back her sleepiness.
She turned her attention back to 17. He wasn't looking at her. He seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Not that Serena cared; if he didn't pay any attention to her at all, she would be thrilled.
17's eyes came back into focus and he sighed. He turned his head to Serena.
"Come her, Tenshi," he said, holding out his hand. She started walking towards him and he turned his gaze in front of him once more, his hand still out for her. She stopped beside him, but did not take his proffered hand. He noticed this, and wiggled his fingers a bit, not turning his head to look at her. She reluctantly took his hand, and he pulled her down beside to him. Before she was fully seated, he let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into his lap as he did so. He noticed her look of surprise and smirked slightly.
When Serena came out of her initial shock and her mind registered what he had done, his arm was already securely around her. He held her firmly, but surprisingly gently, and she decided it would not be wise to struggle. With his other hand, he gently pushed her back a bit so that she was leaning against his chest. She let him guide her, even though her heart was pounding a mile a minute and she just wanted to jump up and run out of there. She did not want to be in this position.
17 sighed again, his chest rising and lifting her slightly. His other arm went around her waist as well. For some reason, she felt almost— comfortable. Probably because of the lack of sleep. She quickly forced herself to remember that this was an android she was leaning against.
She was brought out of her thoughts as 17 spoke.
"The things I have to put up with... you wouldn't imagine what I have to go through sometimes, Tenshi." Serena said nothing. She would have replied with something like, if he got rid of the slaves life wouldn't be so hard, or something insulting or sarcastic. Unfortunately, she was till a bit unnerved by her position, and didn't trust herself to speak.
They sat in silence for awhile. Serena felt her eyes growing heavy, despite her attempts to stay awake. She hadn't gone to bed until very late the night before, and had gotten little sleep. She wondered vaguely if 17 was going to say or do something, but she wasn't sure if she really wanted him to. She didn't know what to expect from him, and most of the time she didn't like it.
After a few more minutes she couldn't fight it any longer, and she fell asleep.
17 noticed Serena's steady breathing and knew she had fallen asleep. He smirked slightly as he watched her. Her face held a look of peace. Her head had turned slightly, and was leaning against his shoulder. A stray lock of hair had fallen into her face, and he brushed it away absently. She truly was a beauty. It was too bad she was human. He liked her strength, and her defiance. It didn't seem to bore him as it had when shown by the Saiyan boy, Trunks. She was fiery, and yet there seemed to be a gentleness around her. He could only see it at times like these, when she slept or when she let her guard down. It intrigued him.
He was quite shocked when, a moment later, she nestled her head under his chin. He blinked with surprise, and recovered from his shock. He gently brought her legs around to his right so she would be more comfortable. To his further astonishment, she snuggled closer to him, her right side now leaning against him. Amused with his human-like reaction, he again wrapped his arms around her waist. After all, he had been planning to seduce her at some point. As was said before, she intrigued him, so how could he not? Though he knew that her actions in sleep were not consciously done, and when awake she would act quite differently. But it was a start.
About an hour later, a small beep was heard. 17 sighed. He reached over a flipped open a panel on the floor of the dais. He pushed a button to open the connection of the intercom, but left the screen behind him off.
"Yes?" he said, hiding his annoyance. He talked fairly softly so as not to wake Serena.
"17, we need to go. We have business to attend to," 18's voice came through.
"I thought that was later?"
"Plans have changed. I'll explain on the way."
"Very well, I'll meet you in the main room in a few minutes," he said. He cut off the connection and looked down at the bundle in his arms. For some reason, he didn't want to leave her. He sighed again and carefully picked her up. He carried her into his bedroom, holding her gently. He lay her on the bed and looked down at her. He reached out and gently caressed her cheek before turning away. He dimmed the lights before he went out, giving her one last glance.
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AN: Ok, I know a lot of you are thinking Woah, that was wierd.' Don't worry, more will be added soon!! Please review, even if you didn't like it so much. PLEASE?!?!? I'LL BE SO HAPPY IF YOU WOULD JUST REVIEW!!!!! Thanks!!! =) =) =)