Marla

Chapter 13

The Interrogation

S.M. Wolf

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Marla and Kayla are copyrighted by Kittiara and used with her permission. Master David Wolf, Valentia, Todd, Mike, Sensei Tenchi. Zubin, Martin, Sheila, other miscellaneous characters and this story are copyright 2009, 2010 by S.M. Wolf. This story may not be reproduced by any means in part or completely without prior written permission of the author. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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_ WARNING! This chapter contains graphic descriptions of torture, blood and extreme pain. Read at your own risk!_

Cold water splashed over Marla. She spluttered and opened her eyes.

In front of Marla were the lynx that had shot her with the taser and a cougar. A small male civet stood behind them. All three were dressed in black uniforms. Marla was not sure to which branch they actually belonged, but their uniforms and stance practically screamed that they were Government black operative. Their kidnapping of Marla and killing of Mike and the others just reinforced her conclusion.

The lynx was confronting the cougar. He screamed at the mountain lion, "What are you doing?!"

"You said you wanted her awake. I woke her up," the mountain lion replied in a slow, dull voice.

"I didn't mean to do it like that!"

The lynx berated the mountain lion for several seconds. While he did so Marla took stock of her situation.

They appeared to be in a very large, open building. It might have been a warehouse before. Now it appeared to be largely empty. Marla could hear the echo of the lynx's voice from the darkness beyond the pool of light they were in.

An area about forty feet in diameter was illuminated by bright overhead lighting. Marla was near the center of the lighted area. To her left near the edge of the light was a small office or something similar. The rest of the area revealed the true purpose of the facility.

Scattered about the wolfess were various devices of interrogation and torture. She recognized most of them from her days at the Academy and later at the bordello, but some were beyond even her knowledge. There were the standards like a line of five whipping posts as well as chains and other restraints. There were also free standing cells and small cages. Many other restraint devices such as crosses were also present. Judging from the arrangements she guessed that captives were often forced to watch each other be tortured and raped. It was a common practice at the Academy and a good way to break the will of a fur. Somefur that might never break by being tortured could collapse when forced to watch and listen to a loved one being tormented.

Delicately she smelled the air. The scent was a bit old, but she could smell the blood and fear of those who had been brought here before her. There was also just the hint of the smell of death.

Marla glanced down at herself. She was naked. She was not surprised that they had taken her clothes and weapons while she was unconscious. She had received enough training to know it would be standard procedure. She rippled her inner vaginal muscles and felt nothing. They had found the small packet of explosive she kept hidden there for an emergency like this.

Marla's left leg was encased in a very heavy stainless steel cuff that chafed her ankle. The cuff was locked shut with a fingerprint keyed padlock. It was attached to a large steel ring set in the floor. She was not surprised that the ring did not budge the slightest when she surreptitiously pulled on it.

There was no way Marla was going to get out of her bonds short of biting off her leg,

The lynx turned his attention back to Marla.

"My apologies, but my... coworker sometimes takes things I say too literally. I had planned a gentler awakening for you."

Marla was not going to get away by brute strength, but perhaps she could still gain an advantage by tricking these three. She bowed her head and replied subserviently, "Master, you are too kind."

"Now, now! There is no reason to be so formal here. We can all just be friends."

"Yes, Master," Marla replied as if she was too well trained to not use the honorific.

The lynx sighed. Marla's sharp ear and training caught the insincerity behind it.

"Well, if you cannot stop saying 'Master', you cannot. It can hardly be expected that a slave of what - over six years now? - can just stop because someone tells her to do so.

"It really does not matter for the moment. What is said here remains here."

Marla was secretly certain that was because the three males never talked about what they did here and the captives were all killed.

Like Mike.

Sadness washed over Marla like a tsunami. Adrenaline and the danger she was in had pushed the memory of her lover's death out of her consciousness for a few minutes. Now it all came crashing back upon her.

"In your case, I am prepared to offer you your freedom."

Marla barely heard the lynx. She sobbed as she replayed the ambush in her mind. She saw the guards killed one by one with Mike falling last. Tears streamed down her muzzle at the memory of his headless body falling to the ground.

The wolfess could only hope that Kayla had made it to safety. The limo had made it as far as the corner at least. Her memory after that was a little bit fuzzy, but she seemed to remember the lynx being upset because they were not going to be able to get Kayla. The fact that Kayla was not here with Marla was a good indication that the otteress had slipped through their clutches.

The lynx saw Marla's tears and heard her sobs. He completely misunderstood them. He thought she was crying from happiness at the thought of gaining her freedom.

"Yes! You can be free again!

"All you have to do is give me a little bit of information."

Her sense of self-preservation brought Marla out of her funk just a bit. She realized that giving this male any information whatsoever would likely result in an unmarked grave somewhere far from here rather than a new life as a freefur.

Still his offer did give her a small opening. She asked around her sobs, "What- What do you want? Master?"

"Your current owner, David Wolf, has attracted our attention. He is involved with certain... disreputable... furs. For example, there are the Canaria Pack members like that young wolf he forced you to service."

It took all of Marla's willpower not to lunge at the lynx. Had he been a foot closer and in her reach she would have made the leap regardless of the consequences just to try to rip his throat out for his insult of Mike, his pack and her relationship with him.

"We know that he passes information through them to others, but we have never been able to discover how. We had hoped to liberate the otteress from him to ask her. She has been with him longer and likely knows how it is done. She certainly is around him and the others we suspect enough."

Privately Marla suspected the lynx was right. Kayla likely knew enough to tell the lynx how Master David dispersed information to his covert operatives. Her friend would have likely taken her "final option" if she thought she was going to be captured.

A new fear clutched Marla's heart. If Kayla had thought she was about to be captured, would she have taken her poison or otherwise killed herself? Marla was coldly certain that the answer was yes. She may have lost her alpha female as well as Mike.

Marla's head dropped, and she cried harder.

Taking her response to mean she was overcome with totally different emotions, the lynx crouched down and said, "Yes! You can have your freedom. We can have the papers drawn up and registered from here in a few minutes. Furthermore, we have witness relocation plans, so we can get you a new identity as well. We'll set you up in an entirely new life. If you think Wolf or his associates would try to harm you, we can protect you."

Marla knew that the only one Master David would kill was the lynx even if she betrayed him completely to save herself. Sensei Tenchi, Zubin and even Kayla would do the same. Briefly she was comforted by the fact that this lynx and the others were dead even if they did not know it yet.

"All we need to know is the answer to a few simple questions," the lynx said as he moved forward a couple of inches.

"Yes, Master?" Marla asked in a soft, trembling voice. She tried to put as much hope and naiveté in it as she could. It took everything she could muster, but the lynx getting steadily closer to the edge of her reach helped.

"Yes! It will be easy. We do not need much. Just enough to issue a warrant for his arrest. Once we get that, we can question him and find out what we need to know."

No doubt the questioning would be in a secret bunker even better equipped than this place. Her alpha would be tortured until he gave up every secret or died, and she had little doubt that they would be very careful to keep him alive for weeks if not months to drain him of all his secrets.

Not that Marla thought they would ever capture him alive. He no doubt had means to end his own life and had ordered Sensei Tenchi and Zubin to kill him if he was about to be captured and there was any doubt about his ability to suicide.

"What do you want to know, Master?" Marla said in a low voice. As she had hoped the lynx inched just a bit closer.

"Where has he taken you? Who has he met? Who did he give you to besides the pup?"

Marla's hackles bristled at the lynx's aspersion towards Mike. If she could just get him to come six inches closer she had a chance to grab him.

The lynx continued, "Just tell us a few things, and we can find out the rest."

Marla tensed. The lynx was nearly close enough now.

"Stop," the civet said in an emotionless voice.

The lynx leaned back and snapped at the civet, "How dare you interrupt me!"

The civet calmly replied, "She was about to attack you.

"You've been misreading her badly. She wants to kill us or die herself."

Damn! The civet must have had training to read furs' emotions similar to Marla's at the Academy. No doubt his was much deeper and broader.

The lynx looked back at Marla. Anger crossed his face.

"Is that true?" he asked angrily.

Marla spat in his face.

"I will never betray my Master!" Marla screamed at the lynx. She had nearly said "alpha" but managed to change her word at the last moment. These three and the Government had to never know what the arrangements were within the pack. It would place Kayla in even greater danger if she was still alive as Marla prayed.

"Bitch!" the lynx said as he wiped her spit from his face. He stood and waved the other two males towards Marla.

"Okay, we tried the 'kind' approach," the lynx said.

"Now let's try the 'unkind' approach."

Marla was distracted as the civet and the mountain lion closed with her. She had her paws free, but she was not going to be able to use her legs well with the shackle on her ankle. She glared at them and prepared to fight as best she could when they got close enough.

The wolfess never got the chance. The civet pulled out a small taser and shot her. As Marla jerked around on the ground she could not help but think how much she hated those damn things.

Weakened, Marla had no opportunity to fight the two males as they undid her shackle, grabbed her and pulled her across to where the lynx waited.

Two chains hung from the ceiling. She gathered from the control in his right paw that they were attached to electric winches. Each chain had a heavy steel cuff at the end. Two more chains were bolted into the floor on either side of a large grate. Marla caught a glimpse of a sluiceway beneath the grate before the mountain lion lifted her to a standing position.

The mountain lion held Marla while the civet attached the steel cuffs to her ankles. She tried to kick him, but her actions only served to make it easier for him to grab her legs. Next they attached her wrists to the cuffs above her head. Her attempts to hit them were still ineffective, but at least she was feeling stronger. If she could just have a minute more...

Marla never got the chance. The lynx hit a button and the winches in the darkness above her pulled the chains attached to her arms upward. She was lifted completely off the floor. The winches continued to lift her until she was a good two feet above the grate. Her arms and legs were pulled wide by the chains that bound her. She was in a full spread-eagled suspension. She could feel her weight pulling on her shoulders and arms. She knew from prior experience that soon it would become uncomfortable. A little later it would start to hurt. It would continue to get progressively worse over the course of the next several hours as her own weight served as an instrument of her torture.

That assumed that these three did not have other plans for Marla.

The lynx swaggered up to Marla. He stood six inches from her stomach. She glared down at him.

In a tight voice the lynx said, "I am going to say this once and only once.

"We have the authority to do with you whatever we want. If you cooperate and tell us what we want to know we will send you back to the Academy for retraining and then have you sold again after we arrest, try, convict and execute Wolf.

"Fail to tell us what we want, and we will make your days at the Academy seem like a pleasure spa."

Marla wondered if this lynx really knew much about her. His comments seemed to suggest not. She did not love pain, but the Academy had certainly taught her how to endure it. Perhaps he did not know about her tolerance for pain and punishment. She could use that to her advantage now.

"What is your answer?" the lynx demanded.

Marla peed on the lynx.

"Damn you, Bitch!" the lynx screamed as he jumped out of her stream of urine. He backhanded her muzzle so hard she was certain several teeth came loose. Her vision swam a bit from the pain and the impact.

"I'll teach you to do shit like that!"

The lynx stormed to a nearby table. He picked up a six-foot long braided leather bullwhip from the table and stomped back to Marla. He grabbed her ear and pulled her head around and down roughly.

"Now you pay!" he told her through gritted teeth.

"Go to hell!" she screamed at him. Regardless of the personal cost, she would protect her alphas and loved ones. Right now she wanted the lynx enraged beyond reason. She tried to spit on him again, but he jerked on her ear to deflect her spit.

"Why do all of Wolf's furs have to be so damn loyal?!" the lynx screamed as he raised the whip and brought it crashing down on Marla's back. He moved to her left and beat her mercilessly.

Marla bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood but refused to scream or otherwise acknowledge the pain. It took every bit of self-control she had learned as a slave. Her pain tolerance was high, but the lynx was not fooling around. He was in a homicidal rage, and her silence only served to enrage him more, just as she had hoped it would.

The lynx continued to thrash her back. She could feel her fur being ripped off her back and the warm, wet flow of blood down her back. Soon she heard it dripping into the sluiceway beneath the grate. She lost track after the thirtieth lash of how many times the lynx struck her. She remained as still and as silent as possible even as her entire world was reduced to the whistle of the whip through the air, the crack of it striking her, and the pain erupting from her back.

The lynx continued to grow steadily more frustrated and angry at Marla's silence. He was used to females collapsing into screams and breaking quickly under the lash. She seemed to simply ignore the beating and the pain. He hit her steadily harder and harder in an effort to break her. Throughout it all he screamed obscenities at her and demanded that she tell him everything she knew about her Master's treason.

Marla was quickly losing consciousness from a combination of pain and blood loss. She was starting to think her strategy would work and the lynx would lose control and kill her when the civet walked over to the lynx and grabbed his arm. The lynx turned on the civet with murder in his eyes, but the civet remained calm and collected.

"She is of no use to us dead. What's more, I think she is trying to goad you into killing her."

The lynx tried to pull his arm free to continue his flogging of Marla.

"And what do you think the Chief is going to do to you when he gets here if you kill her before she talks?"

The threat of the unknown Chief seemed to have a distinct chilling effect upon the lynx. Even in the bloody red hell of her pain she could see the lynx half recoil in fear. Marla took perverse delight in the near certainty that the unknown fur had tortured this lynx. She just hoped he did so on a regular basis including when he arrived. She would enjoy watching the show if she was still alive.

The civet pulled an aerosol can from his belt pouch and sprayed something onto Marla's back. It was like an arctic glacier hitting her. Instantly her back went numb and the pain disappeared. She nearly passed out from the sudden change. She felt something else kick in and keep her conscience and alert.

The civet casually remarked to Marla, "It is a new restorative spray developed for battlefield flesh wounds. It is also very effective with other, similar wounds like those received during a flogging as well. In our case we use it to keep the furs we are interrogating alive and interested in the proceedings."

The tight smile the civet gave her was truly sinister.

"It can extend the time we can torture a victim from minutes or hours to weeks or even months. A strong specimen with a high pain tolerance like you should be able to endure several months of fun."

The civet grinned even more broadly.

"You might be interested in knowing that it was developed and manufactured by Wolf Medical, one of your owner's enterprises. I am sure that you and he would appreciate the irony of us using it to extend your interrogation indefinitely."

Marla wondered if any of her three captors were sane.

The lynx threw the whip down on to the ground. He yelled at the mountain lion, "Get her down!"

The mountain lion hit a button. Winches activated and lowered Marla to the floor. The lynx grabbed her and roughly handcuffed her paws behind her.

"Okay, we work on her later as planned. Until then, she goes in the cage."

The mountain lion looked over Marla and casually asked, "Does she have to go into the cage right now? I kinda want to find out how good she is. After all, she does the richest fur on Elysium every night. She's got to have somethin'."

The lynx smiled cruelly at Marla and roughly dragged her over to a table. He cleared the tabletop with a single sweep of his arm that sent whips and crops flying to the floor.

"Good idea! Let's find out just how good a fuck this cunt is!"

The lynx threw her face down on the table. Her torso lay on the table with her legs hanging over the end and her feet on the floor. The civet and the mountain lion grabbed her arms and pressed them against the table to hold her down. Behind her she heard the civet unzip his pants. She tried to kick him, but he just laughed at her feeble effort and batted her foot aside. He grabbed her tail and yanked it hard to her right just before he thrust his erect cock deep into Marla's dry pussy.

The lynx thrust repeatedly. Marla could feel the spines on his cock painfully grabbing at her inner flesh, but she remained absolutely still. She called upon every bit of training she had received to stop her body from responding in the slightest as the lynx brutally raped her.

The lynx came hard but swiftly. He hopped off Marla and kicked her in her right calf.

"She might as well be dead meat for all the reaction I got from her.

"Not that it matters. I got off, and that's all that counts!"

The lynx gave her another kick before walking around and taking her right arm from the civet. The civet removed all of his clothes while standing in front of her. She could see the unusually large spines on his seven inch cock and knew this was going to hurt her still largely unlubricated pussy.

The civet proved her prediction correct. He thrust into her slowly and waited for her cunny to contract back around his shaft. He then pulled out hard. The backward facing spines dug hard into her inner flesh. Several times he almost got her to cry out in pain, but she remained silent and still through the entire rape. The civet sexually tortured her for almost ten minutes before finally cumming. Marla suspected that at least some of the fluid seeping down her inner thighs was her blood.

"Your turn," he casually told the mountain lion as they exchanged places.

"Okay," the mountain lion replied a bit dully.

Marla realized that the mountain lion had been acting a bit slow intellectually since she had awakened. He appeared to be the group's musclefur. She suspected he was a killer without conscience, but he might not fully understand what was happening. She might be able to use that against these three furs.

The civet would be the major problem. He appeared to be some sort of observer and recorder. He was almost clinically detached from what was happening though he obvious derived personal pleasure from some parts such as her rape. His coolness and ability to see through her subterfuges would be a challenge. He had already effectively thwarted her first suicide attempt.

The lynx was their leader and presumably brains though Marla had no idea why. She suspected it was due to raw ability to get information from uncooperative furs and blind obedience of orders. Neither were traits Marla found useful in a leader, but there were those who put a high premium upon them. His inability to control himself would be a great benefit to her. If she could get him mad he might not listen to reason or even turn on one of the others.

Marla quickly formulated the start of a plan. It was really more of a notion than a plan. She would work to stroke the ego of the mountain lion and the anger of the lynx. If she could get them to fight it would reduce their effectiveness. She might be able to lessen her torture, but more importantly she could buy Master David and Kayla time. Briefly Marla thought about rescue, but she realized how unlikely that was. If the Government was staging ambushes on the streets using military weapons to kill citizens then her Master had likely gone underground and would not be able to help her. All she could do was to try to give him and Kayla as long a head start as possible.

The mountain lion undid his belt buckle and dropped his pants. He grasped Marla's hips and slid his erect shaft deep into her with a long, fluid motion. Marla started to put her plan into action. She ignored what was happening as much as possible as she called upon every bit of acting skill she had learned at the Academy and with unsavory clients of both the bordello and the coffle.

At first she lay as still as she had under the other two males, but as the mountain lion thrust repeatedly into her vagina she began to make small sounds - a stifled moan here, and a cut-off gasp of pleasure there. As the mountain lion picked up the tempo she made more frequent pleasurable noises and began to wriggle on the table. As he mounted towards a climax, she suddenly started thrusting back to meet him as if she were succumbing to his larger shaft and vigor. She actually grabbed his penis with her vaginal muscles as he thrust and yipped when she felt his seed splash the interior of her cunt.

Her actions had the desired effect with at least the lynx. He was furious again.

"Why did the pricey bitch go off for you and not us?!" he demanded of the mountain lion.

"Maybe I'm just better?" he answered slowly as he pulled his pants back on.

The lynx was ready to fly off into a rage when the civet spoke.

"I would say it is far more likely she is trying to cause dissent among us," the civet commented in a dry tone.

Inwardly Marla cursed the civet as he undid her attempt to bring about discord.

The lynx grabbed Marla's muzzle and raised her head. He leaned in close enough that she could smell his tuna-laced breath.

"Think you're pretty smart, don't you, cunt?"

He struck the right side of Marla's head with his left paw.

"Well, I've got a few things for smart bitches!"

Marla's teeth were rattled again as he threw her head back down on the table. Her attempts to cause dissent might have been temporarily thwarted, but the lynx's anger seemed to be rising almost uncontrollably again. Perhaps she would get her desire of a quick if painful death.

The lynx had the civet and mountain lion hold her down on the table again. He grabbed a four foot long spreader bar and attached it to Marla's ankles. He used two lengths of rope to tie it to the legs of the table and prevent her from kicking backwards. He searched around until he found a riding crop.

The lynx glowered at her and told her, "This will teach you to try to mess with us, Bitch!"

The lynx motioned for the mountain lion. The cougar grabbed her tail and pulled it forward so her flanks and thighs were totally exposed.

The lynx brought the tip of the riding crop crashing down hard on Marla's anus. It took every ounce of her self-control not to scream in pain. The lynx continued to strike her tail hole repeatedly.

After a dozen blows the lynx tossed the crop away and mounted Marla again. He thrust his cock into her already painfully sore asshole to the hilt. Marla was ashamed when a small whimper of pain escaped her muzzle.

The lynx grabbed her hair and pulled back to raise her head.

"That got your attention, didn't it, Bitch?" he screamed in a voice full of both almost insane anger and triumph.

Without waiting he threw her head back down to the table and roughly anally raped her. Marla redoubled her resolve and did not make another sound throughout her ordeal at his paws. The only sign of her pain was her repeated clenching and unclenching of her paws and toes.

After he came, the lynx slid off Marla and pointed at her ass.

"Want some?" he asked the other two males.

"Sure!" both responded.

The mountain lion took her second this time. The civet had revealed her plans, but she wondered if the mountain lion and lynx could still be used against each other. She responded to his hard thrusts by wriggling her hips and enhancing his pleasure using some small, subtle tricks taught to her at the Academy. It seemed to have some effect. He ran a paw over her right flank as he dismounted. The caress was not much, but it was still a caress. Perhaps she was reaching him at some small level.

The lynx caught the mountain lion's action and berated him. The mountain lion largely ignored him as he took up a position holding Marla's right arm.

The civet took her last. He forced his way past her distended anus. His spines could not lodge in the walls of her rectum, but they were painful when they caught the inside of her anal ring as he withdrew. He seemed to be fully aware of this. He would enter her slowly to maximize the anticipation of the pain. When he pulled out it was hard and fast to hurt her as much as possible.

Marla had been through enough rapes by felines to know what to expect, but it did not lessen her pain. It did allow her to endure the rape, though. She was still glad when she felt the civet's sperm splash the inside of her rectum. He withdrew, and she was left lying helpless on the table.

The wolfess was not overly surprised when the lynx mounted her for a third time. He started his third time by stretching her tail hole far enough to slightly tear it with a monster butt plug. It was covered in spines as well that pressed painfully into the wall of her rectum. She was sure it was causing internal damage, but she just gritted her teeth and tried her best to show no reaction. It would infuriate the lynx if she could deny him the pleasure of causing her to acknowledge the pain he was causing with a cry or tears.

The lynx took her again with a series of fast, deep thrusts into her pussy. The sound of his hips striking her flanks echoed in the largely empty building. He had to be close to cumming when she felt him withdraw.

To add further insult to her rape, the lynx walked around in front of Marla. As she had to watch, he jacked off inches from her muzzle. His hot jism covered her muzzle and face. She was just sorry he was too far away to make a lunge for his balls. She would not mind dying with the taste of his blood and testicles in her mouth.

The three cats untied Marla and led her over to a small cage. They opened the top and forced her body into the cage. There was just enough room for her to crouch inside the metal bars. Her head came out an opening in one end. They used a rope to tie her tail to the bars on the other end. A large horse bit went into her mouth and was secured tightly with a leather strap. When the top was closed and locked she was secured in a very uncomfortable crouching position.

The three felines disappeared from Marla's view. She heard them walking away behind her, but their footfalls soon faded to silence.

Marla was not sure how much time passed. The light remained on, so she could not tell if it was night or day. She tried to count her heartbeats, but the pain of her back and the growing cramps throughout her body kept intruding into her counting and distracting her. She lost count several times before giving up. She was certain that she would never leave this place alive, but she had to hold out as long as possible to allow her pack mates the best chance possible to escape.

As she crouched inside the cage, Marla's thoughts kept returning to Mike. She thought about their brief time together, the happiness he had brought her, and their unfulfilled plans for the future. She kept returning to his death, but she tried hard not to dwell upon it. Mike was so much more to her. He and her love of him could not be defined by that last second of his life. She refused to allow it!

Marla also thought of her other pack mates. She wondered if Valentia and Todd had escaped. She thought she remembered the lynx saying that they had missed them. Perhaps they were alive and free somewhere. At least they were not here with Marla.

The wolfess had great confidence in Master David. She was certain that while he had been caught by surprise by the ambush he would recover quickly. Most likely he was in hiding now that the Government was acting openly against him. She would help her alpha male as much as she could by refusing to give in to these furs for as long as possible. With any luck he would be able to help her other three pack mates to safety even from this hell hole.

Kayla's fate kept haunting Marla. She had been alive when Marla closed the limo and sent it away. Rationally she thought that the otteress would not kill herself unless the limo's defenses were breached and that had not happened in Marla's sight. She still could have been taken captive, but the homing signal Marla's command had activated would have been bringing heavily armed Wolf Security forces to the limo by both land and air. If the limo had been able to avoid capture for even two minutes Kayla was likely alive and well.

Or so Marla kept telling herself. It was one of the few ways she could keep her spirits from collapsing in despair. If Kayla was alive then Marla's life and Mike's death had meaning, and her eventual death would buy much for her friend, sister-in-slavery and alpha female.

It had to have been at least several hours before the three felines returned. They seemed rather happy for some reason. Marla darkly guessed it was because they were about to torture her. The three impressed her as absolute sadists. They unlocked her cage. Marla tried to fight them, but the pain from her back and cramps from spending so much time bent into a tight ball made her efforts weak and ineffective. The mountain lion easily subdued her and frog walked her back over to the floor grate.

"Now we will begin your interrogation in earnest," the lynx informed her coolly. He seemed to have regained his composure during his time away from her and was all business now.

"You will tell us what we want to know beginning with how David Wolf's other slave transfers information among the rebels. You will then tell us how David Wolf is associated with the Reds. We will continue torturing you until you give us all the information you have.

"If we are feeling charitable, and you cooperate, we may stop torturing you then."

"Go to hell!" Marla spat back. She knew that the only ending to this was her death. She just hoped she could avoid telling these Government agents anything useful before she succumbed to death.

"That is not an acceptable answer.

"Put her back up!"

The mountain lion and civet reattached chains to Marla's wrists and ankles. She was raised back up into a fully suspended spread-eagled position again. They grabbed her tail and secured it raised behind her back. Grimly she stared down at the lynx who watched her with feral eyes. Marla knew that this was not going to be pleasant. She did note that he did not get close to her front side. It was a pity since she wanted to pee on him again to make her disdain for him even clearer.

The lynx selected a heavy leather quirt from a selection of whips. Its tail was a good inch wide and was split into three smaller tails at the end. He cracked it several times while he sauntered over to Marla. Along the way he also picked up two heavy weights with large, pointed hooks.

"You made me lose control last time," the lynx said in a silky soft voice. "That will not happen again."

The quirt flicked out. The three tails landed on her clit and labia. The pain was excruciating, especially in her clit where the bar piercing in her hood exposed it directly to the lash. Marla could swear that the lynx drew blood.

The lynx attached the weights to her nipple rings. Her breasts were pulled downward. It was small comfort that he used her nipple rings rather than piercing her breasts with the points of the hooks as she had expected.

"These will dance around very nicely," the lynx commented as he stood back and surveyed his work for a moment.

"I intend to make this last a long, long time," the lynx purred as he moved around Marla.

The lynx was a consummate artist with the quirt. He played it across Marla's legs, buttocks, pussy and lower abdomen. Each stroke left three thin lines of pure pain. The weights on her breasts compounded her problems as they jiggled around with each blow and painfully tugged on her nipples and breasts.

Marla doubted she had ever been beaten so painfully in her life. Grimly she tried to hold back the cries and tears, but after at least a half hour of flogging she could not control herself any more. She was ashamed as she felt the tears start to drizzle down her muzzle and fall to the pit below. Her cries, while soft, were audible to the ears of her captors. They smiled as if they had found a secret stash of candy.

Throughout the beating the civet stood nearby asking her questions in a monotone voice.

"Why does David Wolf support the Reds and their goals?"

"How does David Wolf finance the Reds?"

"Have you seen David Wolf give funds to abolitionists?"

"What is the relationship between David Wolf and the Canaria Pack?"

"For what were you given to one of the Canaria Pack members as payment?"

The civet had a long list of questions, and he kept repeating them endlessly. Marla drew some comfort and strength from them. These furs were not asking the real questions she feared such as why her Master had attacked his own plants and destroyed them. At least some of his stratagems had fooled the Government.

The lynx continued to beat Marla remorselessly. She drifted in and out of the fog of pain. Occasionally she would lose consciousness, and the torture would cease just long enough for the mountain lion to break an ampoule filled with smelling salts beneath her nose to revive her so that the beating could continue.

The time came when Marla could no longer be revived. The lynx had the other two felines drop her back to the floor. They applied more of the healing spray to her entire body. Even it could not bring her back to consciousness, so they pulled her to one side and lay her on her back. They secured her appendages to four rings set in the floor using more chains and left her to recover.

"Damn! She's good," the lynx said as he lay the quirt back down. "I thought my arm was going to fall off whipping her.

"We'll leave her for now and start in again in a few hours. I have something special planned for her next session. Before that, I've got a little something else I want to do."

The civet dropped his pants. He had a huge erection. He knelt and drove it into Marla's pussy. The blacked out wolfess whimpered even in her unconscious state.

"Ha! Take this, Bitch!" the lynx said just before he let loose his load in Marla's cunt.

The lynx stood and pulled up his pants.

"If you want her, have her all you want. I'm not sure if there is going to be enough left of this high priced piece of pussy meat to screw much longer."

Both the mountain lion and the civet mounted Marla. They were not about to miss the opportunity to fuck a captive even if she had passed out and could not respond as they raped her.

Several hours later Marla gradually swam back to consciousness through the ache that still racked her body. Her back, lower abdomen and legs cried out with pain from their abuse. She kept her eyes closed and listened. She could hear nothing, so she chanced cracking her right eye open just a hair.

The civet sat nearby on a chair watching her. He stood up and said, "Ah, you are back with us. The others will be pleased that we can continue our fun with you."

Marla groaned inwardly. She had lost whatever element of surprise she might have had. She also was no doubt going to be tortured again, a prospect that she found frightening and daunting at the moment.

The civet left for a minute. When he returned the three feline males surrounded her. The three male furs undid the chains and pulled her up from the floor. Marla screamed at the unexpected pain from her back. During the time she had been out her back had bled some. The dried blood had glued her to the concrete floor. Through the red haze of her pain she could see parts of her pelt and flesh still laying on the floor as they dragged her limp body back over to the grate.

Marla was lain face down over the grate. Her wrists were secured by the lynx with a pair of leather cuffs joined by a single small link of chain. They twisted her paws around until her palms faced each other and then twined a small rope through her fingers and tied it off.

While the lynx bound Marla's paws the civet attached leather cuffs to her ankles. A single large ring bound the two cuffs together and effectively hobbled Marla.

The mountain lion grabbed Marla under the arms and lifted her to a standing position. The civet activated an electric winch. A chain dropped down from the darkness near the ceiling. The lynx took the end and wrapped it around her arms just above her elbows. With each coil he pulled it more and more painfully tight. He finished by securing the end to a link approximately halfway between her arms with a carabiner.

"Lift her," the lynx ordered the civet.

Marla heard the electric motor start. She was slowly pulled upwards until her feet left the floor again. Her shoulders screamed in pain as her arms were pulled backwards and upwards.

"Stop," the lynx ordered the civet.

The winch stopped. Marla had to watch as the mountain lion brought over a metal weight the size of a bowling ball. From his grunts of exertion and strained walk she could tell that it had to be heavy.

Using a hook and a short chain the mountain lion attached the weight to the ring between Marla's legs. When he was done he stood and gave a thumbs-up sign to the lynx.

"Continue," the lynx ordered the civet.

The winch motor came on again. Marla's body was lifted. The slack came out of the chain attaching the weight to her ankle cuffs. The weight was dragged across the floor as Marla's body continued its journey upwards. She nearly passed out as the weight came free of the floor. It had to weigh at least forty pounds. It pulled painfully on her arms and body.

Several seconds must have passed with Marla not being aware of it. She came to some semblance of her senses to see the lynx walking back towards her. The last thing she remembered, he had been behind her. Now he carried a bamboo cane easily an inch in diameter and six feet long.

The lynx tapped the end of the cane on the concrete floor. It made a chilling sound.

"Wolf or you? Which is it going to be?"

Marla remained silent. She refused to give this creature an answer.

After a few moments of silence the lynx smiled. It was a cruel smile.

"Since you are not talking, it seems it will be you."

The lynx reversed the cane and handed it to the mountain lion.

"Her ribs," was all the lynx said.

The mountain lion took up a stance in front of Marla. At first she was uncertain what he would do to her, but she quickly learned. The mountain lion drew back the cane and swung it forward in a forehand motion. He brought the end of the cane crashing down on her left uppermost rib. She thought he cracked her rib. Even more pain came from her arms as she swung back and forth from the force of the blow.

The civet began asking questions again.

"Why did David Wolf pay the Praetorian Guard commanders to come to the party the night of the attack on his facilities?"

"Where are the missing furs from the dressmakers' shop?"

"What role does V&T Boutiques play in David Wolf's plans?"

The furs interrogating Marla were still asking questions that made her think they did not know the truth. They were getting closer to it, though. Any information she gave them could send them off in the right direction. If she could just hold out until she died she might still be able to help her Master and alpha male against this tyrannical Government!

The mountain lion was not idle while the civet asked his questions. He waited thirty seconds after the first blow and then delivered a second blow. It landed one rib down. He continued to methodically work his way down her left side and back up her right. Each blow landed hard on a rib and brought more and more pain. She tried to deny these three the pleasure of her screams, but there was no way she could stop them this time as she felt her ribs cracked and broken. She was ashamed, but she cried out in pain nonetheless. Desperately she thought of her pack mates and remembered why she was doing this. Mostly she thought of Mike and his sacrifice. She would not diminish it by succumbing to the likes of these furs!

Twenty-four blows landed on Marla's sides. At some point both her arms popped out of their sockets which only added to Marla's anguish. The mountain lion at least cracked all of Marla's ribs, and she was certain that the three left ribs closest to her heart were completely broken. She tried to jerk around to drive the ends of the broken ribs into her heart or lung and kill herself, but she could not succeed. Each ragged breath was now pure hell. She was not sure how she managed not to pass out from the pain.

The lynx strode back over to Marla. Despite his earlier words he was visibly angered.

"Why won't you talk!" he screamed just before he buried his right fist into her gut.

"Tell us what we want to know, and we will let you go!" he said, but Marla knew he lied.

Marla could only think of her pack mates. So long as she was keeping these three busy they could not do anything to Master David or Kayla. They would be spared the brutality to which she was being subjected. She had no desire to live now that Mike was gone, and this was a noble way to die.

"Never!" Marla defiantly whispered. It was all she could do to draw breath to speak.

"Damn you, Bitch!" the lynx screamed. He raised his fist to strike again, but the civet grabbed his arm.

"Killing her serves no purpose for us, but it assists Wolf and is what she desires," the civet reminded his leader. "Besides, we are far from done with her pain and may yet break her."

The cool, emotionless tone of the civet sent chills up and down Marla's spine. This one had no conscience or morals. She was certain he would torture and rape her just as an experiment to see what would make her hurt the most so he could use it on others.

The lynx was breathing hard, but he was also settling down quickly.

"You're right.

"Take her down."

Marla was dropped to the floor. Her arms audibly popped back into her sockets from the blow of her body hitting the floor. She screamed and swooned on the verge of passing out.

"Not so tough after all, are you, Bitch?" the lynx sneered. "That was the first little crack in your armor. Now we have even more things to open up that little chink and make you talk!"

Marla quailed. Could the lynx be right? Would she give up and talk? She steeled herself for more abuse and silently prayed that she would die soon to end her suffering. She wanted so badly to join Mike and her parents in death.

Marla's wish was not granted. Instead she was taken to a large table and secured face up on the top. Her arms and legs were tied to the heavy legs of the table. The mountain lion held her tail against her left leg as the civet tightly wrapped a rope around her leg and tail to secure it out of the way.

Marla was left on the table for some time while the three felines ate lunch. The smell of food and drink reminded her how long it had been since she had last eaten. At least between blood loss and lack of fluids she had a chance of dying from dehydration soon.

After they ate Marla's three feline torturers returned their attention to her.

The lynx said, "Since you did not tell us what we wanted to know yet, we will continue our questioning. A pity you are a Lupine rather than a Bovine. I particularly enjoy using the next little bit on them or lactating females."

Marla wrinkled her brow in confusion and tried to figure out what he meant.

The mountain lion disappeared into the shadows and returned a few moments later wheeling a large contraption. The base consisted of a four foot long stainless steel cart with large wheels at one end and a set of handles at the other. The frame was almost three feet wide.

On the handles was a fairly elaborate control panel with several buttons, switches and dials. At the handle end were two large orange mechanical vacuum pumps. Each pump was attached by a clear thick walled tube to the top of a large, clear collection bottle. Each jar was over a foot in diameter and nearly two feet tall.

The collection bottles each had a second clear hose coming out of the sealed top. The hoses were about ten feet long and ended at a set of quick disconnects.

Along the side of the cart and on the end were a variety of clear implements. Most appeared to be some sort of cup with a soft silicone seal at the large open end and a quick disconnect in the closed end.

Marla had a bad feeling about this device.

"I will give you another chance. If you tell us what we want to know, we will release you and send you back to the Academy for retraining following medical attention.

"If you continue to defy us, we will continue your interrogation until you break. We have left your breasts largely untouched until now, but we have plans for them.

"Painful plans!

"Talk now or we will continue your questioning under far more unpleasant circumstances."

Marla just glared at the lynx. The look of pure hatred was unmistakable.

The lynx turned to the civet and ordered him, "Prepare her."

The civet grabbed Marla's left breast and turned it back and forth. Marla shivered as he clinically examined it. He disappeared behind Marla. He returned with an aerosol can. He sprayed the contents of the can on her breasts. It proved to be some sort of gel. Marla tensed as she expected the gel to sting or burn, but it did neither. The civet worked the gel into her fur and vigorously massaged her breasts until the gel turned into a foam. Had it been Mike, Todd or Master David doing it, Marla might have enjoyed the experience which made Marla all the more suspicious of his actions.

The civet took a black pouch from cart. He opened it and removed a straight edge razor. He grabbed her right tit ring and used it to lift her breast up. He carefully ran the razor along the underside of her breast. Her pelt fell away as the sharp steel ran over her flesh. The civet continued around her right breast until all of her breast fur was gone. He moved the razor to her chest and carefully removed a ring of fur two fingerbreadths in width from around her breast.

The civet repeated his work on her left breast.

The civet cleaned his razor and set it aside. He disappeared behind Marla again and returned with a simple plastic bottle filled with a clear fluid. He applied a generous amount to his paws. Just before he wiped the fluid onto her bare breasts, Marla smelled the unmistakable scent of alcohol. She wanted to scream but managed to remained quiet as the alcohol found every small nick, scrape and scratch on her freshly shaven breasts.

"Her cunt and ass hole too," the lynx ordered the civet.

The civet nodded and picked up his tools again. The other two felines released her legs and held them wide-open to allow him easy access to her cunt. The civet applied a generous amount of gel to her pussy. He worked it into her pubic hair as well. Marla held absolutely still as the civet used the razor to remove all the fur from her labia. He continued upwards to remove most of her pubic hair as well.

The mountain lion and lynx bent Marla's legs upwards until she was almost folded double and then spread them to fully expose her ass hole. She tried to fight them, but she was far too weak to be effective.

The civet applied another large dab of gel to her anal rose and surrounding fur. He worked it in and then removed the fur surrounding her pink orifice. While he worked Marla wondered if Titania had felt as humiliated as she did right now when she was shaven. It was so demeaning to feel her fur fall away and the flow of air over areas of her body that should be well furred.

The civet finished up with another generous application of raw alcohol to her shaved pussy and tail hole. Marla did not cry out, but her breathing quickened noticeably.

Marla's legs were tied back down. The ropes were pulled painfully taut.

The civet selected two very large cylindrical cups joined by a Y-tube and attached them to a vacuum line. He opened a tube and applied a thin layer of vacuum grease to the edges of the soft plastic seal on the open end. When he was satisfied with his work, the civet handed the cups to the lynx.

"This," the lynx said as he pointed to the machine, "is an automated milking machine. Normally it is used by bovines and others with large milk production capability to quickly and efficiently remove their milk from their mammary glands for storage and later use or just to relieve their discomfort when they are overproducing.

"When used like that the machine is safe and harmless. It has been a major boon to working bovine mothers who can now get relief during the lunch hour and provide a snack for their newborn calves later in the day."

The lynx's muzzle curved into a cruel smile.

"Before the milkers were perfected we found that there were a few users that experienced some discomfort, even outright pain while using them. We did some research and found out the reasons why.

"Then we modified a milker to deliberately inflict pain."

The lynx laughed cruelly.

"I still remember the first bovine we used it on. She thought it was nothing that could hurt her. Ten minutes later she was screaming in pain at the top of her lungs and answering every question we asked."

The lynx placed the large cups over Marla's breasts and pressed the open ends against the bare flesh of her chest. The civet plugged one of the long vacuum hoses into the cups' quick disconnect.

"Turn on the machine, minimal power," the lynx ordered the mountain lion.

The mountain lion flipped a switch and one pump came to life. He adjusted a dial on the control panel. Marla felt a gentle pull on her breasts. The lynx let go of the cups, and they remained secured to her chest by the light vacuum within.

"Muzzle her!" the lynx commanded.

The mountain lion picked up a muzzle from a nearby table and placed it on Marla's face. Marla tried to bite his paws, but he was too fast and agile. She missed him, and he had little trouble getting the muzzle onto her. He secured it with a wide leather strap that wrapped behind her head. The muzzle had rings on either side and at the tip.

Marla tested the muzzle. She could still open her mouth about half an inch. It would be enough to talk or scream.

Next the mountain lion placed a leather belt with several rings around her waist. He cinched it painfully tight before buckling it in place. He tied a short length of rope to the ring on the tip of the muzzle. He ran the other end of the rope through the front ring in the belt and pulled on it until Marla was compelled to bend her head down against her chest. Two more ropes were run from the rings on either side of her muzzle to rings on the side of the belt.

Tentatively Marla tried to shift her head. The ropes prevented her from moving more than a fraction of an inch. She would be forced to look down at her breasts throughout the entire torture.

"We are not in a hurry," the lynx commented. "Set the unit to ramp up to full power over three hours and then remain on for an additional hour with an increasing portion of the cycles at full vacuum. If we don't get milk out of her we should at least get a good amount of blood."

The mountain lion adjusted the controls. He flipped a switch, and the control program took over.

Marla felt a gentle increase in the tug on her breast. It ramped up slowly and then released quickly back to just a light grasp on her bare flesh.

Marla waited.

The cycle repeated with just a hint stronger pull on her flesh during the second cycle.

"Add some random spikes to the suction program so she doesn't know what's to come," the lynx ordered the mountain lion. The mountain lion made some adjustments, but nothing happened immediately. The gentle sucking on her breasts followed by a near total release continued unabated, but each cycle was growing slightly stronger. Marla was certain it would only be a matter of time before it started to hurt.

The civet began asking questions in a monotone voice again.

"What was the relationship between David Wolf and the arms trafficker jonwI'?"

"Why does David Wolf have so many slaves in clandestine houses?"

"Why does David Wolf secretly own so many houses of prostitution? Do they finance his efforts against the Government?"

Marla tried her best to ignore the civet. She noted that the other two males drew chairs up beside the table to watch her latest torture in comfort.

It must have been almost an hour into the torture that the first spike occurred. Suddenly the vacuum pump kicked on full. Marla's breasts were sucked halfway up into the cups. She could feel the flesh of her chest being stretched. Her cracked and broken ribs screamed in agony. She gritted her teeth and nearly passed out. The suction continued for many seconds before it was released and her breasts slid backwards as the vacuum decreased.

"Ah, I see we got a bit of a rise out of you that time!" the lynx said from the chair where he sat watching her.

The suction continued to grow during the next hour, and her torment began in earnest. Each time the cycle began she gritted her teeth as the air was pulled out of the cups around her breasts. Her fleshy mounds would flow down the cup after the departing air. She could see her skin turn first pink and then a persistent shade of light red. Worse, the suction would pull on her skin and tighten it around her battered ribs.

The questions continued even as Marla's pain grew. The civet spoke in a calm voice, but the questions became much more direct.

"What illegal activities is David Wolf engaged in?"

"Why is David Wolf committing treason against the Government of Elysium?"

"Where did the Ethiopian wolfess Valentia and the fox Todd flee?"

"How does Kayla move information around for the insurrectionists?"

"Why is David Wolf suddenly selling so many companies?"

"Who finances the Greens?"

"What is your Master doing with all the money he is raising?"

"Why is most of the money going off planet?"

"Who are the real leaders of the Reds?"

"What is the relationship between David Wolf and the space pirates?"

"What have you heard about The Black Fleet, The Brethren and the Blues from your Master?"

Marla was secretly glad she knew virtually none of the answers. Still, in the current circumstances she had little doubt even her small amount of knowledge would result in dire consequences for Master David and Kayla as well as many others. Worse, these questions were getting closer to what Marla knew was the truth of her Master's involvement in certain affairs. If she told these furs about those things they would be able to arrest Master David and bring him to one of their interrogation chambers. She steeled herself against the steadily increasing pain and hoped that she would be able to hold out. At least by now Master David had plenty of time to get to freedom or to go to ground and hide. The more time she could give him and the others, though, the better.

At the end of the third hour the torture machine was at full power. Every two minutes it would slowly pull a strong vacuum on her tits. She watched as her breasts were pulled deep into the cups. Her nipples would extend as if someone had hooked them with fishhooks and pulled until they struck the far end of the cup.

If Marla had the misfortune of having the tip of her nipple block the hole, just the tip would receive the final bit of suction. The tips were drawn up into the tube until the nipple rings struck the hard plastic. The vacuum continued to pull, and the flesh of her nipples was slowly cut by the metal of her nipple rings.

Marla's breasts were an angry dark red now. The capillaries underneath must be bursting one by one as the milker pulled hard on her flesh. Areas were turning splotchy blue. Her breasts were never fully released, so her ribs hurt even more as her skin was pulled tauter and tauter over them. Marla was having trouble catching her breath from the pain and inability to draw a deep breath.

And still the questions continued.

"Why were the electronics factories destroyed?"

"Where are the Wolf Enterprise employees that spaced but never reached their destinations?"

"When will the next attack occur?"

"Will the Academy be attacked to free the slaves and kill the instructors?"

Marla's ears perked up at the last question, and she smiled. She knew from Kayla that Master David hated the Academy. He might just take revenge against them for what they did to Marla and particularly Kayla.

Her brief thought of revenge passed quickly. Master David would not have risked a direct assault on the Government at this point and would be unable to do anything now that he was on the run.

Marla's reaction was noted by the civet, though.

"She had a positive reaction to the last question," he stated.

"Call the Academy and warn them to go on a heightened security state!" the lynx screamed at the mountain lion. "They could be attacked at any time!"

Marla pretended to be crestfallen as the mountain lion ran away. With any luck she had at least gained the unwilling students a day or two of reprieve as the guards and instructors prepared for an assault that was never coming.

Marla was not sure how long it took her to begin to bleed in earnest. The tips of her nipples had been repeatedly trapped and sucked upon harshly. Finally the abused skin could not stand it anymore and let loose with a thin drizzle of blood. Marla watched as the red fluid moved down the clear tubes and into the collection jar. The lynx just laughed. Even the civet seemed pleased.

The questions continued, but Marla barely paid attention to them any longer. Each cycle was getting longer, and the time it took to reach full vacuum was shorter. Her breasts were being pulled deeper and deeper into the cups. More and more of her veins just below her skin ruptured and oozed blood out into her dermis. Marla's breath was reduced to painful gasps as the iron grip on her chest and ribs inexorably tightened.

The clinic nanobots had done an excellent job repairing Marla's body, but there were still subtle flaws remaining that could give way under extreme duress. One was the remnant of a scar bestowed to the wolfess by a patron of the bordello who enjoyed whipping femfur's breasts with a steel tipped cat-of-nine-tails. Unable to sustain the suction and buildup of blood, the skin tore open. Blood spurted forth and flowed down the tubes.

Her torturers watched her bleeding with feral grins. They were enjoying the sight of the bright red blood dripping into the jar.

"No milk, but plenty of blood just as I predicted!" crowed the lynx.

"What do you say to that, Bitch?"

Even if she wanted to Marla could not have said anything. Her world was rapidly turning black. She wondered if it was the lack of air, pain or blood loss. Regardless, she could feel consciousness rapidly slipping away. The civet saw her problem and broke an ampoule of smelling salts under her nose. That caused her to sneeze, but had little other effect. Marla just hoped as she fell into the blackness that she her time had finally arrived. Her last conscious thought was that she had at least managed not to betray her pack mates.

"She is not responding," the civet said.

"Damn! Turn off that thing," the lynx ordered the mountain lion.

The milker was turned off, and Marla's abused tits released. The civet removed the cups and sprayed her profusely bleeding flesh with the first aid spray. Even passed out Marla sighed with the cessation of pain it brought.

"Is she going to live?" the mountain lion asked. There was just a hint of concern in his voice, but it was not for Marla. There would no doubt be dire consequences if they had killed the wolfess without learning anything useful. He still had nightmares from their last punishment for screwing up.

The civet examined Marla.

"If we give her an IV to rehydrate her and fix her wounds so she does not lose more blood, she should be okay after some rest. I recommend we put some sedatives in the drip to keep her under for about twelve hours."

"I want her back faster!" the lynx demanded.

"She is not going to live if we do. Do you want to explain that to the Chief? He told us to just hold her until he got here. You overstepped your authority when you decided to start the interrogation."

The lynx recoiled at the mention of their commander, but he was not going to back down.

"If we have the information we need before the Chief shows up it will not matter what our orders were! We'll move up the ladder, and the Chief won't be able to stop us."

"Yes, and that is why we agreed to this.

"However, this wolfess is proving much tougher than you anticipated. I warned you that an Academy trained sex slave would be no pushover. We also know the extreme loyalty of Wolf's furs. Combined they make her a tough nut to crack.

"We will have to step back, allow her to recover partially, and pursue less destructive means for the short term if we are to succeed.

"The Chief is not likely to be here for another day. A delay to prevent her from dying before we can resume questioning is not going to prevent us from learning the information. Waking her immediately and killing her with more torture will."

The lynx was visibly angry, but he said through gritted teeth, "Begin treating her."

Marla was placed on a thin, hard mat on the floor. The civet inserted a needle into her left arm and began an IV drip from two large bags. The IV drip contained not only saline solution and sedatives but glucose, minerals and other badly needed substances for Marla's ravaged body. Her biological systems put every bit of them to work as they sought to repair her badly broken body. It was insufficient for recovery, but her body did manage to keep her alive.

Twelve hours later the civet removed the IV needle from Marla. He administered a shot to her left arm that counteracted the sedatives. She did not wake up fast enough for the lynx. He stomped her right paw with the heel of his right boot. Marla woke to the pain of several of the bones in her right paw breaking.

"Time for some more fun!" the lynx told Marla with a large smile as she tried to deal with the new pain. She was certain that he had something particularly cruel planned for her.

Marla was surprised when the trio allowed her use of a toilet. They even sprayed her hurting flesh with more of the strange aerosol. There was no breakfast for her. Instead they led her back to the main torture area and a waiting slant rack.

The rack was tilted at about a ten degree angle. Roughly they tightly secured her wrists to the top of the rack. More bands wrapped around her forearms and biceps to imprison her. Finally a large strap was secured just beneath her breasts. Her legs were pulled open and cuffs attached to her ankles. Unlike those around her wrists, these cuffs each had a cable that disappeared into holes in the rack. The length was far too short for her to deliver an effective kick to her captors, but that did not stop Marla from trying.

The lynx appeared beside her head. He seemed to be in a much better mood. Marla suspected that boded ill for her.

"One of the advantages of working for the Government is we have access to information from other Government agencies. We went back to your Academy training records and found so many interesting things there. I must say, the instructors are expert at inflicting punishment while still producing a salable product. We also retrieved all the records of your friend Kayla.

"I noticed that both of you attempted to escape along with two other slaves. You both received two weeks of punishment for that. The otteress seemed to get the worse of the deal since she was already showing abhorrent behavior in leading the escape attempt instead of accepting her status as a sex slave. You had a very interesting punishment, though."

A chill ran through Marla. She remembered the two weeks vividly.

The lynx leaned in and said, "We have no restraints placed upon us to produce a viable trained sex slave, so we can 'improve' on the punishment they chose for you."

The lynx turned away and yelled at his companions, "Prepare her!"

The civet moved in. With clinical detachment he inserted a catheter into Marla's urethra. She could feel is slide up into her bladder. He secured the catheter in place using its large bulge and two pieces of surgical tape. Her shaved labia ensured a secure fastening to her body.

Next he brought out something that looked like a balloon on the end of a long flexible steel straw. He spread Marla's labia and inserted it into her vagina. He kept pushing it deeper and deeper into Marla. Marla could feel the cold steel slide deep in her womb. The civet only stopped when he felt the tip push against the top of her womb. He withdrew the contraption about four inches and secured it in place with more surgical tape.

Finally the civet inserted a large butt plug into Marla's ass. A balloon ringed the base of the plug, but the tip was hard plastic. He gave the paw pump a few quick pumps to ensure it was well lodged in her rectum. Going through the center of the plug was a plastic tube. Marla had seen a hole in the tip. It was not hard to guess that they planned to pass something through the plug into her rectum and colon.

The mountain lion appeared with a cart. On the cart sides were a gas cylinder and two medical hanger stands as well as two small pumps, an electronic regulator and monitoring equipment. The hanger stands had three large bags. Marla estimated the small one was two liters and the two large ones four liters each. The mountain lion placed the cart and the hanger stands at the foot of the slant rack where Marla could see it easily.

The civet ran tubing from the outlet of one of the pumps to her catheter. He attached the inlet of the pump to the small bag. The two large bags were joined together with a Y-fitting. From there a large tube was run to the second pump. The outlet of the second pump was attached to the enema butt plug in Marla's ass.

Finally the civet attached the end of the steel straw in Marla's pussy to a tube running back to a complex pressure regulator. He attached the inlet to the regulator on the gas cylinder and turned on the pressure.

During her punishment for attempting to escape the Academy, the instructors had used a catheter and an enema to fill her insides slowly throughout each day with a variety of solutions that caused her insides varying degrees of distress. The mild ones had made her innards itch. The worst ones had her doubled over in pain as cramps and worse afflicted her body. They had used only half of the volume of fluid now hung before her. She had no idea what these sadist had in the bags or what the strange object was that they had inserted into her womb.

The lynx reappeared in Marla's sight.

"I am sure," he began, "that you remember the fourteen fun days you spent at the Punishment Wall. Well, we have added a few 'improvements' to what they did to you then for your... 'pleasure'."

The lynx tapped the bags.

"As you can see, we have greatly increased the fluid we will force into your bladder and large intestine. What you cannot see is what is inside here. Instead of just soap and such, we have added very powerful pepper oils, ginger extract and other strong irritants to the saline solution. It is a highly irritating mixture that will cause severe reactions when it reaches your inner flesh."

The lynx pointed at the pressure regulator and control system.

"This was my idea, and one that I am quite proud of. I was so happy when our machine shop could get this ready in time for us. Inside your hot little cunt is a surgical balloon. It can be inflated and deflated by these automated controls. I imagine it will be most uncomfortable when fully inflated even without anything else inside of you. However, when your innards are filled with this irritating solution, the effect should be positively painful.

"Of course, it would be unfair to not let you have a chance to seek relief, so we have setup a simple device to measure how far your feet are above the rack. If you lift your feet about one foot off the rack, you can keep the balloon deflated. The closer your legs to the table, the more it inflates until it becomes fully inflated when your feet touch the rack. The cables will ensure you do not have the opportunity to kick about wildly as I am sure you will soon wish to do.

"We will continue this torture until you tell us everything we want to know about David Wolf and his illegal activity."

The lynx paused a moment and looked down at Marla.

"If you tell us what we want to know now, we will be merciful."

The lynx paused dramatically before adding, "We may even still give you your freedom if you tell us what we need to know."

"Go to Hell!" Marla spat back at the cat.

"I was so hoping you would say that," the lynx purred. He flipped switches on the pumps and regulator. The mountain lion opened the valves on the bags.

The balloon in Marla's womb instantly inflated. Marla could see her lower stomach expand as if she was six months pregnant, and her entire lower abdomen hurt. She quickly lifted her legs off the table. The balloon deflated as quickly as it had inflated. She could still feel it inside her, though.

Marla could hear the gentle gurgle of fluid flowing down through the tubes. Seconds passed like hours as the tubes from the bags were filled. Once the fluid made it down to the dosing pumps, the pumps began to slowly inject it into the tubes leading to Marla. She tried to remain calm and concentrate on her need to protect her pack mates, but the slow torture of waiting for the physical torment to begin was nerve wracking.

When the first spurt of fluid entered Marla's rectum she screamed and arched her back in pain. It felt as if acid had been injected into her bottom. The pepper oil and other irritants ripped into the sensitive inner lining of her intestine and instantly inflamed it. To compound her problem, the balloon in her womb inflated and pressed hard against her bladder and intestines.

Her three tormentors just laughed at her pain.

Marla quickly regained her wits. She was panting to help cope with the pain. She raised her legs back up and relieved what discomfort she could. Tears were welling up in her eyes from the pain in her rectum, but she could do nothing but endure it as more of the fluid was pumped into her anal cavity in small spurts.

In her pain Marla had temporarily forgotten about the catheter in her urethra. She was rudely reminded of its presence as the first bits of pepper oil solution entered her bladder and mixed with the urine within. The irritants were diluted, but they were also dispersed throughout her entire bladder. The pain was not as intense as in her ass, but it grew slowly worse as more and more solution was pumped into her bladder and the concentration of the pepper oil and other irritants increased. At the same time she felt greater and greater pressure as her bladder was filled to overflowing with no way to relieve herself.

Marla gritted her teeth and bore the increasing pain in her lower regions as best she could. Her three tormentors dimmed the rest of the lights until only a single spotlight shown down on her from above.

The upside-down silhouette of the civet appeared above her head.

"The pain will only grow worse as the torture progresses. Soon you will start to experience cramps on top of the other pain. Your bladder will become increasingly inflamed and painful. The pepper oil will move up your rectum and into your colon. It will take a couple of hours to fill you completely, but we have time to wait for that. When that happens your entire large intestine and even the lower portion of your small intestine will be screaming in pain. You will not be able to endure the anguish and will tell us everything you know willingly just to stop the pain.

"It is best to simply tell us what we want to know now. When you do, the pain will stop. If you do not, the pain will continue indefinitely. At some point the damage to your insides will become severe, and you will begin to experience internal bleeding and other problems. The problems will continue to mount until they become life threatening."

Marla was actually glad to hear the last. It meant two things. The trio was getting desperate and needed her to talk quickly, and her ordeal was almost over. All she had to do was hold out for a few more hours, and she would find the solace of death.

"What is the relationship between David Wolf and the Reds?"

Between gritted teeth she told the civet, "Fuck you!"

"Actually," the civet informed Marla in an n emotionless voice, "I plan to do that to you a bit later before we pack you off to the Academy.

"If there is anything left of you when we are done."

The civet continued in a detached voice as he tried to scare Marla, "During the next hour or so the liquids will fill you and the pressure will build. Soon you will also begin to experience cramps in your legs from keeping them elevated. That will force you to drop them. As you drop them, the balloon within your womb will inflate and press against both your bowels and your bladder. There will also be cramps in your innards as the fluid and pepper oil do their work.

"Initially this will just be uncomfortable, but later as a few liters of solution are pumped into you it will take on a much more serious consequence. You see, it will start to build pressure within you to the point where one or more of your internal organs may rupture.

"My guess is the pressure on your bladder combined with the destruction of your bladder's inner lining will cause it to rupture first. That will result in the interior of your body cavity being sprayed with a combination of urine and pepper oil. The pepper oil should have a most interesting immediate effect, but the infection caused by your own urine over the next few days will be what ultimately kills you.

"Of course I could be wrong. Your rectum or intestines may rupture first since they have been heavily abused with anal sex and torture in the past. That will fill your interior with feces. That should result in a quicker if no less excruciating death from infection.

"That is, if you survive that long. The blood loss may get you first."

The lynx grabbed Marla's muzzle and pulled her head around so she had to face him.

"So tell us what involvement David Wolf has with these abolitionists!"

"Never!" Marla yelled back in his face.

The lynx turned to the mountain lion and told him, "Increase the flow rate ten percent."

Marla lay trapped on the slant rack as her bladder and bowels slowly filled with the irritating fluid. She would glance down every so often at her belly. Each time she could see it growing just a little more as milliliter after milliliter of fluid was pumped into her. She tried unsuccessfully to use her vaginal and anal muscles to dislodge the tubes inserted into her, but they were too large and her inner skin was too irritated to allow her to succeed.

As her innards were filled Marla's three torturers took turns asking her questions and berating her for her silence. The civet remained almost emotionless as he asked her for facts about Valentia and Todd, the raids on the electronics plants and other activities.

The lynx was surly and emotional, almost scaring her with the intensity of his hatred for abolitionists in general and her Master in particular. He took to striking her breasts when she failed to respond to his questions. What treatment they had received was soon undone, and both breasts started bleeding again.

The mountain lion just asked her the same question over and over in a dull voice.

"Why won't you tell us what we want to know?"

Marla fought against the pain in her legs, hips and lower back. Keeping her legs raised was hard even if she had been through similar tortures before. Her recent training with Sensei Tenchi unexpectedly came in useful. He had given her exercises that strengthened the muscle groups she was using now. Still, the pain was growing, and it was only a matter of a time before the rising tide of general pain in her abdomen was joined by leg and hip muscle cramps.

The bags were half empty when the internal cramps started. There had been a few random shots of pain as her colon was filled, but these were different. Marla's insides contracted uncontrollably and racked her body with pain. Her stomach muscles rippled as the first real cramps struck and her legs fell. The balloon instantly inflated fully. It felt as if someone had punched her stomach but from within rather than without. Involuntarily she cried out in pain and quickly lifted her legs back up.

Her tormentors just laughed. They could see her pain. Her cries told them that she was weakening. They began to anticipate success. Grimly Marla redoubled her efforts. She only had a couple of more hours of life. She was not going to give into these thugs!

Marla's legs began to cramp a short time later. Her legs dropped, and the balloon inside of her womb expanded. She fought to get her legs back up, but each time she held them just a bit lower, and the balloon stayed a little bit more inflated. It started to regularly press against the walls of her womb and added to her discomfort.

Sometime later the lynx became impatient. He took a small squirt bottle from the cart.

"Hold her eyes open," he ordered the civet.

Marla felt her right eyelids pulled apart. She tried to close them, but his grip was too good. She saw the end of the bottle come near and squirt something into her right eye.

Marla screamed as the pepper solution struck her eye. The pain grew as the solution worked its way all the way into the back of her eye socket. Her vision blurred.

"Now the other eye."

The procedure was repeated. Marla screamed again despite her best efforts not to do so. This time the lynx used the opportunity to squirt a large dose of pepper oil into her mouth. Her mouth and a few seconds later her throat felt as if they were on fire.

Finally the lynx placed the end of the squirt bottle into her nostrils and sprayed oil into her nose. Her sinus membranes were instantly inflamed. She gasped for breath. Her lungs were on fire, and she could not seem to draw enough air into them.

"That should make things more interesting!" the lynx said smugly. Marla was just glad to see him replace the bottle on the cart. She was not sure she could take more of the spray.

The questioning took on an even harder tone. She tried to block out the pain and the strange fullness she felt within her body as the pumps continued to fill her even more. She balled her paws into fists and hoped that she would pass out from the pain soon. She did not, though. Instead the interrogation just continued on and on endlessly.

On the physical level Marla fought hard to maintain her legs up, but she was losing. Her legs were strong, but they were cramping along their entire length now. When they did the only way to relieve the pain was to drop her legs, but even a slight drop brought about a painful reminder of the intruder lodged deep in her uterus. All she could do was hang on and hope for an end. As the torture wore on she lost control and cried out several times despite her resolve to remain silent at any cost.

On the emotional and mental level Marla remained determined to keep her silence regardless of the cost to her body. She had to believe in her heart that Master David, Kayla and the rest of her loved ones and friends were safely away by now. If she could just hold out there was a good chance that their trails would be so well covered that there would be no chance for the Government to find them.

Marla also did not want to return to the Academy and slavery after tasting the sweetness of freedom and love again. That alone was ample reason for her to seek death over the alternatives. It hardened her resolve even as she felt her entire large intestine catch fire from within as the pepper oil moved inexorably upwards.

Marla was not sure how long the interrogation lasted, but at some point the bags were totally emptied within her. Her abdomen was grossly distended as if she were overdue to whelp a litter of a dozen pups. She tried valiantly to raise her legs, but she was barely able to lift them an inch let alone a full foot. She lay on the rack quivering from the pain that ran through her entire body. Her vision was blurred, and her ears were filled with the sound of her rapidly pounding heart. She could barely draw breath into her broken and battered chest.

It would not be much longer before Marla died.

She was panting hard and barely conscious, but two thoughts kept running through her mind. She had won the battle, and her pack mates and others were closer to freedom and safety. It made it all worthwhile to her. Soon she would find out if there was a Heaven or not. If there was, she would soon be seeing Mike and her parents.

"Release her!" a new voice boomed form somewhere beyond the light.

Marla thought she had imagined the voice in her pain befuddled state, but the three males whirled to stare at someone. Weakly Marla turned her head to the right to see who had joined them.

A large Kodiak bear strode into the light. He wore a business suit, but his attitude and carriage screamed Government policefur.

"Chief!" the lynx said. "We didn't expect you-"

The bear brought the backhanded slap up from somewhere near his feet. It caught the lynx on the left side of his face and lifted him two feet in the air before sending him flying several feet.

"Do you have any idea what you have done?!" the bear screamed at the lynx.

"Wolf has spent the last two days filling the media with allegations of another terrorist attack aimed directly at him. He claims that the Government is unable to protect him and his property from attack.

"What is more, the populace believes him!

"All because you had to disobey my direct orders and first attack the designers and then the slaves."

There was a moment of shocked silence as the three felines stared at the bear.

"What is happening outside, Chief?" the civet asked.

"You three have caused a great deal of trouble for the Government. You were just supposed to arrest the dressmaker. We had enough evidence to justify her detention. After we got her into our paws, we could have easily secured a 'confession'.

"After you botched that job you went on to kill several furs unnecessarily. The media has been harping on the 'criminals', 'terrorists' and 'murderers' that were trying to kidnap or kill Wolf. If someone of his stature is not safe, how can anyone else be? The Blues and Reds are playing it up on both sides - fear of mindless killing sprees to inflame passion against terrorists and lack of Government protection to vilify us.

"Wolf is helping them as well. He has been on the Net and media constantly."

Marla's ears perked up at the mention of her alpha male's name. Apparently he had not gone to ground after all. She was not sure if she was glad or angry. If he was still in public when she broke he would be an easy target for the Government to reach.

"He has been decrying the attack and demanding to know why the Government cannot find the murderers of four innocent furs. Publicly he has offered one million credits to anyone who gives him information on who did the killing.

"Privately he is said to be offering ten million credits for the heads of any fur involved in the attack and a bonus of one hundred million credits if they bring his slave back alive."

Marla's jaw dropped. One hundred million credits for her return? Her eyes misted over in tears as she realized how much she had to mean to her pack mate. She knew he could afford it, but still it was a strong statement of her worth to him and likely Kayla.

"Over the past two days the Government has been furiously defending itself and seeking to find the 'terrorists' while doing our damndest to hide and protect you.

"So right now you are very, very valuable to everyfur out looking for you and a total embarrassment to the Government. I had to do a lot of fast talking to convince the Cabinet not to have you summarily executed or placed into the worst possible slavery they could find. I told them that your stroke of genius in grabbing the wolf bitch would give us the information we need to bring our mysterious Mr. Wolf to justice or at least an interrogation chamber."

The mountain lion and civet shot vengeful looks at the lynx as he lay recovering from the bear's blow. His eyes were a bit glazed, but the gist of the bear's words seemed to have gotten through to him. He looked extremely afraid.

The bear strode over to where the lynx still lay in a heap.

"I am damned tempted to turn you over to Wolf myself for this fiasco!" he screamed down at the lynx.

With visible difficulty the bear collected himself. He turned to the civet and asked, "Has she talked yet?"

"No, Chief."

The bear walked over to Marla and looked her over carefully.

"She looks like fresh ground hamburger. I'm surprised she is still alive."

"She is a trained sex slave and quite tough," the civet replied defensively.

The bear put his fingers on Marla's jugular vein. He felt her rapid, thready pulse and skipped beats of her heart.

"Maybe, but she is almost dead too. I'm sure shock has started to set in while you were not monitoring her vital signs.

"I figured you would be too stupid to wait for me, so I took the precaution of bringing along the best medical treatment I could. Be glad I did. If she had died you would have followed her shortly thereafter, and your death would not have been nearly as pleasant or easy as hers."

The bear turned to the civet and mountain lion and said, "Drain her and bring her back here. There are several items in the shipping crates I brought with me. I'll conduct her interrogation from now on.

"While you are doing that, I want to talk to your 'commander' in private."

The bear grabbed the lynx by the scruff of his neck and led him off to the office. The door slammed behind the pair. Moment later the sound of the lock being thrown could be heard.

"Damn, we are in some really deep shit now!" the civet exclaimed.

"What should we do," the mountain lion asked.

"The smart thing would probably be suicide or running off-planet as fast as possible.

"Short of that, we do what the Chief ordered."

Marla was disconnected from the tubes. The balloon was deflated which brought the wolfess immense relief. The catheter and butt plug remained in her, though. The mountain lion undid her bonds and picked her up. He carried her over to the grate again and held her standing above it.

The civet adjusted something on the butt plug and suddenly Marla felt a gush of fluid exiting her tail hole. She could hear and feel several liters draining rapidly from her abused rear. A moment later the catheter was yanked out of her urethra. Marla let loose with a long, hard stream of urine. She yelped as it burned like acid as she pissed it out, but she kept urinating until all of the fluid was gone. Her insides still burned from the residual fluid, but that pain was slowly lessening.

The mountain lion took Marla back to the slant rack. They tied her back down even though she was too weak to even stand let alone run away. The bear and lynx took several minutes to return. When they did the bear was considerably more collected. The lynx, though, had two black eyes and a broken lip. His clothes were disorganized, and he walked with the hip roll that Marla had come to associate with a male being butt fucked hard. Apparently the bear had expressed his dissatisfaction with the lynx in a very personal, direct manner. Vindictively Marla hoped the bear had a really, really large cock. From the cowed and scared look on the lynx's face she suspected more would come later, probably for all three males.

The mountain lion had brought four large reusable shipping containers to the slant rack while the bear and lynx were away and the civet guarded Marla. The large black plastic cases boded ill for Marla.

The bear pointed to two of the boxes.

"Open those two and get out the contents."

The bear glared at the lynx.

"Fortunately I figured out what you would be doing and came prepared."

The first case contained a large syringe and two bags of brown fluid. The second contained two more bags of brown fluid and a compact medical stand for hanging the bags.

"Get the bags started. Put one in each of her arms and legs. Use a push to get them started."

The other furs obeyed the bear. The bear took out the syringe and held it up to Marla.

"You should be happy to know that this comes from Wolf Medical Laboratories. It is the newest military battlefield medical technology and will revolutionize the treatment of wounded soldiers in the future. This contains billions of nanobots geared to fix severe battlefield injuries. The brown stuff is an organic goo filled with everything they need to do their work. They can repair virtually anything short of a dead body when they work right.

"It is highly experimental, and many patients we have tried these on have had... 'problems', but nearly half have been saved during our extensive testing in our interrogation facilities."

Marla shivered. The nanobots she had been given at the clinic had fixed her well. If these were as effective as the bear was saying she suspected that the poor prisoners' bodies were horribly broken and then repaired repeatedly until even the nanobots could no longer fix them. It must have been horrible.

Now Marla was about to experience the same.

The wolfess wondered if there was any way to avoid breaking. She could not see any. If there was no limit to what the bear and others could do to her, then they would eventually crack her will. She would likely lose her sanity from the cycles of extreme abuse and curing.

It was not a pleasant prospect at all.

The bear injected the contents of the syringe into Marla's right inner thigh. He emptied the contents into the major vein running up her trunk. She could swear she felt the swarm of microscopic robots fan out into her body. The other three furs pumped the contents of the bags into her arms and legs by squeezing the bags. The organic syrup flowed into her blood and dispersed throughout her body. The nanobots grabbed onto it and used it to quickly and efficiently repair the worst of her wounds. Marla could actually feel them working as the pain passed into a dull throbbing.

When the bags were emptied the bear had them removed. He inspected Marla's bonds carefully.

"Good," he pronounced.

"Now open the other two cases."

The civet and mountain lion opened the cases. Inside one was a control panel with a silhouette of the naked body of a fur and a touch screen. It was not turned on, so she was not sure what it did.

The other case revealed a large collection of wires and harnesses. Each wire ended in a small pad. The civet carefully unpacked it. He appeared to know what it was. His gleeful grin caused Marla to quake.

"This," the bear said with a wave in the general direction of the new instrument of torture, "is a mobile pain inducer."

Marla visibly recoiled.

Trouble had made the mistake of breaking free of her bonds by accident one night during training at the Academy. They had taken her away and used a pain inducer on her. The devious device activated the nerves that registered pain. It caused no physical damage, but the unfortunate fur felt anything from a dull ache to the extreme pain associated with bodily dismemberment. The cheetah femfur had returned nearly broken from the pain, and she had told the Academy interrogators nothing but the full truth while trying to hide nothing. They had eventually believed her and sent her back for more training.

Marla vividly remembered Trouble whimpering at night for weeks after her single session as nightmares of reliving the half hour or so she spent gripped in the artificial pain of the hellish device. She had no illusions about what was to come or that she would soon crack under this torture. She would not even have much chance for death to protect her pack mates.

"Setup the equipment," the bear ordered.

The civet assembled the control panel and stand beside the slant rack. The mountain lion and lynx laid out the wires on the rack beside Marla. They plugged the harnesses into cables leading to the controls as well.

Marla sucked up her courage and resolve. She pursed her lips and waited. She would be broken, but she would not make their job easy.

As they worked, the bear asked, "Why the hell did you turn off your alarms? I walked right in here without encountering one single operating alarm system. It was foolish of you to only rely on the secrecy of this place!"

The other three furs stopped their work and looked at each other in obvious confusion.

"We didn't turn off the alarms," the lynx replied in a puzzled voice.

"Well, then who did?" the bear asked with some heat.

"That would be me," a voce Marla had never expected to hear again said from the shadows.

Master David strode into the light.

Marla knew she was hallucinating. The pain and abuse had just been too much. Perhaps this was the last gasp of her dying body as oxygen deprivation took hold. Surely her Master and alpha male could not be here to save her, alone and unarmed?

Master David strode to the foot of the slant rack. He faced down the four Government furs. His eyes flashed in anger, but his stance was easy as he stared down the four males gathered near the head of the slant rack.

"Well, well, well!" the bear said as he moved to the right side of the slant rack. "It is the Great Mysterious Mister David Wolf."

The bear's tone was sarcastic, but Marla could hear just a hint of doubt and fear underneath the bear's bravado. She also saw his eyes darting about. He obviously was confused and frightened by the sudden appearance of Master David. Even if he appeared to be alone and unarmed the bear obviously doubted that the wolf was nearly as defenseless as he appeared.

"I had not thought to see you for a few more days at least.

"To what do we owe this unexpected visit? Have you decided to turn yourself in and confess to all of your crimes? It would be convenient since we have everything we need here to help you remember all your misdeeds.

"In excruciating detail."

The threat was clear.

"You will not be torturing me, Marla or anyfur else again," Master David calmly informed the four furs in a soft, steely voice.

"Ever."

There was a note of finality in Master David's voice that chilled even Marla. She had no true idea what her Master was capable of doing when provoked, but one did not become the richest fur on a planet where murder and slavery were accepted business practices without a certain amount of ruthlessness when needed. Plus she knew that he was the head of a covert organization that was responsible for many deaths, some likely directly at his paws. His mere presence signaled danger and the threat of mayhem at any moment.

"Oh, really?" the bear asked. "Will you, perhaps, stop us?"

The bear started to reach into his suit.

"Master David, run!" Marla screamed as she valiantly tried to break free. She could tell the bear was going for a weapon.

A dozen small red dots appeared over the head and chest of the bear and other Government furs. Seeing them, the bear froze.

"Do you really think I would come alone?" Master David asked contemptuously.

A dozen furs in stealth suits appeared behind the four male furs. The quickly wrestled the four to the ground. They stripped and bound them. Several times the lynx cried out in pain as his captors tightened his bonds enough to dig into his flesh and draw blood. The rest fared little better. Apparently all four furs were well known to Marla's rescuers, and they were exacting a bit of vengeance even from the simple act of binding them.

Marla barely got a chance to see what was happening before Master David was tearing off her bonds. More gentle paws appeared to help. Soon she was free.

Master David took Marla into his arms. She looked up at him. She could not help but smile at him uncontrollably. Her vision blurred as she felt tears of joy burst from her eyes. Her pain disappeared for the moment as she felt her Master hold her. Wet drops fell on her chest as Master David openly cried in joy at finding her alive.

"You came for me," Marla said with a note of wonder in her voice.

"Of course we did, Marla. What did you think we would do?" Master David asked gently.

"I thought you would do the smart thing and leave the planet as fast as possible and leave me behind," she replied. "That's why I was so determined not to break even if it meant my death. I wanted to give you and Kayla as much time as possible."

"Never!" Master David insisted. "We would have been here sooner, but we could not find you until the Director of Homeplanet Intelligence came here. We followed him."

Master David hugged Marla fiercely. It was a testament to the nanobots that his hug only hurt rather than sent her into unconsciousness.

"It was our only lead to where you were. We were searching everywhere, but we couldn't find you anywhere."

"Master David, Kayla...?" Marla asked. She had to know if it had all been worth it.

"She made it out safely. She was not happy about it because she felt she should have stayed with you, but she is safe and sound. You'll be seeing her again shortly."

"It was my job to save her. I had to shut the door and send her away," Marla explained as she unnecessarily tried to justify her actions to her Master. She was still gladdened to hear that Kayla had wanted to stay with her even knowing the likely consequences.

"I know. Tenchi spent a very long time explaining it to her. It did not make her happy, but she does understand even if she does not like it.

"She is not going to let you do it again, though."

One of the black clad furs accompanying Master David appeared on his right and said, "You have to go, Sir. Take her and leave."

"Yes, you are right," Master David replied. He turned his head and looked at the four now naked and bound furs. "First though..."

Master David placed Marla back on the rack and half turned. He had pure murder in his eyes. It was a side of him Marla had not seen before.

The black clad fur grabbed Master David from behind in a tight bear hug to stop him.

"No, sir! Leave them to us."

"I have nothing against dirtying my paws with their blood," Master David said angrily. "They deserve it after all they have done to me and mine! And then there are the countless others that they have been tortured and killed to avenge as well."

The unknown fur released Master David and removed his helmet. Marla found herself looking up into the face of an elderly buck deer.

"We know, Sir. That's why we volunteered to come. But it is more important for you to get out of here now."

Marla could see the taut muscles throughout Master David's body. He was obviously extremely upset. Fortunately he was not irrational.

"You are right," the black wolf replied with a sigh. Marla saw the tension leave his body.

Master David picked up Marla. He turned and walked past the buck. He began to examine Marla's wounds.

"Kill them, destroy the facility, and get out as quickly as you can. We will meet you at the assembly point."

In a quiet voice the buck replied, "No, Sir."

Master David was so intent on Marla that he took three steps before the buck's words registered. He stopped suddenly and turned.

"What?!"

Marla could hear the total shock in his voice. She was surprised as well that the buck would disobey a direct order like this.

"No, Sir. We are not leaving."

"I gave you an order!" Master David said with some heat.

"Yes, Sir, and it is perhaps the hardest thing we have ever had to do to disobey you. But we must.

"We have the Director of Homeplanet Intelligence in our grasp. He should know where most of the missing furs are. If not, he knows who the secret agents who work for him are. If you can know who they are you can find the missing furs through them. These lackeys helped him throughout his career. They know a lot as well.

"We have everything we need to extract the information we want from them. We cannot allow this golden opportunity to slip through our paws!

"You were too preoccupied with Marla's fate to realize who came with you. We are all older furs near the ends of our lives or those who have given up on life and only live for revenge. We will stay here and extract what information these furs have."

Master David stared at the buck. It was obvious that he was upset.

"And after you have the information?" he asked in a tight voice. "You could leave here and escape through the sewers or by other means."

"The Elysium Government will no doubt send agents to find out what has happened here when they become aware of the breach in their secrecy. It will be an excellent opportunity to kill many of them.

"We have made a pact. We are not leaving here. We are staying to get the information you and the others need to find their loved ones. Then we will kill as many Homeplanet Intelligence and Security furs as we can before we blow this place sky high.

"It is suicide," Master David told the buck.

"Yes, but our deaths will serve the greater good and hopefully lead to a free Elysium where our grandfawns do not have to fear for their lives and freedom because of a corrupt a Government.

"We know that our loved ones are likely long since dead and cannot be brought back. We might be able to bring them some small comfort by avenging their deaths, but we mostly want to do this for those whose loved ones may still be alive and savable. If we can get the information on where they are and what happened to them, you and the others may be able to save them."

"We made our peace with the knowledge of our impending deaths before we volunteered.

"It is not as terrible a thing as you might think. We have little if anything to live for beyond our cause and revenge. This will benefit both.

"Go now. Your other mate is waiting. She needs you as well as this mate."

Master David stared at the buck. Marla was certain that he was going to fight. She knew how much he valued the lives of those he led.

Instead Master David sighed and turned away. In a small voice he said, "Good luck. Get out if you can. We will be waiting for you at the emergency rendezvous' points."

Master David walked away from the buck and other furs. Marla was shocked.

"Master...?"

"It is, in the end, their choice," Master David replied in a strained voice. Marla could tell that he was not happy with his decision to leave, but he felt it was the right choice.

"I should have realized what was happening," he mused in a regretful tone, "when so many of the older furs volunteered for the mission. All of them have lost entire families to the Government. I was too concerned about you to think about them. I just let Tenchi pick who came.

"I will have to have a long talk with him about his choices."

Marla said nothing more. The nanobots were good, but the pain in her severely tortured body was still great. Each step sent a jolt of anguish through her body despite Master David's best efforts to be gentle. She gritted her teeth and did her best to endure it without passing out.

On the outside the interrogation center appeared to be just another ordinary, nondescript warehouse. Parked beside it in the alley was a very modern, deadly looking armored military transport. Master David walked up the open back ramp and into the main cabin.

"Close up!" he ordered somefur.

The back ramp quickly lifted and closed with a very solid thunk. Lights came on. Marla blinked several times in the sudden brightness.

"Marla!" Kayla yelled.

Kayla grabbed Marla in a bear hug. Kisses mixed with tears of joy and sorrow rained down on the wolfess' face. Master David took her to the front of the cabin and deposited Marla on a waiting medical table.

"Take care of her as best you can," Master David told Kayla. Marla noted that his voice was still tight with pent up emotions.

Kayla went to work. Through her tears she quickly and efficiently noted the many injuries Marla had suffered. She pumped the wolfess full of more of the nanobots. She added fluids and nutrients to combat dehydration and other problems. Marla was particularly appreciative of the strong pain killer that the otteress injected. Marla could barely feel her body, but the pain was at least gone for the moment. As she seemed to drift somewhere above the bed Marla observed what was happening around her.

Master David turned to Zubin who stood in the door to the cockpit of the transport.

"Get us out of here," he ordered the wolverine. The wolf's tone conveyed his inner rage and conflict.

Zubin had little doubt at whom the wolf's anger was directed. He licked his lips nervously, but he did as ordered. He closed the door to the cockpit and secured it. A moment later the transport gave a small shudder and took off.

Master David turned to look at the liger standing in the corner of the main cabin.

"You knew!" the wolf screamed at Tenchi.

Sensei Tenchi drew his sword. He went down on his knees before the enraged wolf and lifted it up on upturned paws.

"Yes, I knew. I also know the consequences of my actions. A large number of furs will die tonight because I did not say no when they asked me to allow this.

"If you wish my life, you have it. You have always been a friend to my family, even when we had few others. You are my lord, and I mean that in the old manner. I have deceived you, and for that I am dishonored.

"But know that I believe in what is being done, and I had planned to stay as well. I was dissuaded only by the strong arguments that you will need me in the times to come and that my parents may still live. That is no excuse for my actions, though.

"I offer up my life in sacrifice for my dishonor."

Through the haze of the drugs Marla could see Sensei Tenchi crying. It was obvious that the deceit of Master David had hurt him greatly. She watched the enraged wolf standing above the kneeling liger.

Master David turned away.

"Put that sword away. I may be angry because of the impending deaths of our people, but I am not an idiot.

"Had they asked, I might well have approved their actions and yours. Not willingly, but I still might have said yes because it was what they wanted so bad, and it will bring us great good."

Master David joined Kayla beside Marla.

"I would have just made damn sure that there was a back door out of the situation if possible."

Sensei Tenchi wordlessly sheathed his sword and joined the other furs standing around Marla.

"I tried to arrange one, but they refused. They have taken a suicide pact. None of them will leave there alive."

Marla saw Master David turn away. His eyes were closed, but she could just make out a few tears. He stood there for several seconds.

"Then I guess there is nothing more we can do for them," Master David said in a choked voice.

"This means we must see to the living that still need us."

Master David looked at Kayla and asked in a very concerned voice, "How is she doing?"

"Badly, but not as badly as I feared she would be.

"She has broken ribs, multiple lacerations, severe interior inflammations, internal bleeding, and a lot of other lesser problems. She is in shock though not as deeply as I would have expected given the severity of the injuries. I think the nanobots are preventing her body from shutting down. It helps that she has experience with this type of abuse."

Kayla paused a moment. Marla guessed she was thinking about all the times they had both been tortured at the Academy. For Marla the abuse had continued, and she had grown quite tolerant of pain though she never enjoyed it. Perversely her prior abuse had probably saved Marla's life.

"I cannot help much beyond what I am doing now. I only have emergency med-tech training. Marla needs serious help in a trauma center, and she needs it now."

Master David thought for a moment before punching in a com unit code in a nearby communicator. A moment later the head of a bear appeared in the view screen. It took Marla a few moments to realize that he had been the doctor who examined her at the clinic just after Master David had bought her.

Without preamble Master David told the bear, "We have Lady Marla. She has been tortured and needs immediate trauma care."

"We will prepare for your arrival."

"We cannot bring her directly to you. There are other things happening that make it imperative that I not be seen with Marla right now.

"I will arrange for her to be dropped off at your main entrance."

"We will be waiting for her," the bear said before terminating the call.

Master David punched in another com unit code. This time a young male otter appeared on the view screen.

"It's time," Master David told the otter.

The otter's face grew blanched, but he replied, "Where do you want us to meet you?"

"Assembly point Able Baker Tango. Bring your mate, your minivan and nothing else except what you are wearing."

Master David turned off the communicator. For the rest of the trip he hovered over Marla. It was obvious that he felt powerless to help her. Indeed Marla could tell that all three furs were distraught. She wanted to comfort them and tell them that she was feeling better, but the nanobots and drugs were pushing her closer and closer to unconsciousness. It was all she could do to keep awake and bask in the love of her mates and Sensei.

Sometime later the transport stopped. The ramp came down. The transport was inside of a small, dark garage. Outside Zubin was standing with a rather large laser rifle. He looked at Tenchi in surprise.

"I thought you would be dead by now."

"Lord David has forgiven me for my deception."

Zubin looked at Master David. He wet his lips again.

"And me?"

"I'm not happy about what happened," Master David growled, "but I am willing to forgive you. Just tell me before the next time a group of our furs decides to commit mass suicide in our name."

Zubin nodded affirmatively once. Even in her drug induced stupor Marla realized that Zubin and her Master were both expecting more such actions in the future. It brought home the high stakes of the game that they were playing every bit as much as the loss of Mike had.

The garage door opened and a small, older minivan appeared. Inside was a pair of young otters, probably in their late teens. They walked paw-in-paw as they entered the transport.

"These are Martin and Sheila," Master David explained to Marla. "They will be taking you to the clinic. We will see you there later. If we took you there directly the Government would have cause to arrest us for suspicion of being involved in what will happen back at the interrogation facility. We should have gotten in and out without being detected, so we can avoid that by putting distance between you and us.

"It is not what I want to do, but it is necessary, Marla."

Marla could hear the anguish in her pack mate's voice. It was obvious he did not want to send her away again, but Marla realized the need.

"It's okay," Marla said quietly. "I know what you are doing and why."

"We'll be with you as soon as we can," Kayla assured Marla as she held the wolfess' paw.

"I know," Marla replied. The effort of speaking pretty much used up the last of her energy.

Master David turned to Martin and Sheila.

"Take her to the clinic. When you get there, roll her out of the side door and leave her on the sidewalk outside the main entrance. Then get out of there as fast as you can. Go to the spaceport and take the first ship out regardless of where it is going so long as it is out of the Elysium system. Don't look back."

Master David took Martin and Sheila in his arms and hugged them.

"The Government will be going after all of my former slaves soon. You will be some of the first they try to catch when they identify you tonight. We'll give you as long a headstart as we can, but it might be close."

"It's okay, Master David," Sheila said. "We want to do this."

Marla caught the young otteress' quick look at Martin. It was obvious that they were in love every bit as much as she and Mike had been.

"You gave me back my mate and our lives. Taking a small chance like this is the least we can do to repay you."

Zubin appeared at the foot of the ramp and said, "The minivan ID systems and plates are taken care of."

"Go in peace, then," Master David said quietly.

Sensei Tenchi and Zubin loaded Marla into the back of the minivan. They placed her just inside the sliding side door.

Zubin ordered the pair of otters, "When you get to the clinic, don't stop. Just open the door and push her out when you slow down. The doctors and nurses can take care of her. She won't feel any pain with all the drugs in her."

Marla had to agree with Zubin. She felt like she was floating in a huge ball of cotton. She would not feel anything when she hit the pavement.

"Okay," Sheila said uncertainly.

"Now go!"

The minivan departed. Marla could not see much from her position on the floor, but she could tell that it was night. The darkness enveloped the minivan and hopefully gave them some protection.

Sheila knelt beside Marla. She looked down at the wolfess in horror. Even in the darkness she could see many of the signs of abuse. She could smell Marla's blood as well.

"Oh, my god! Oh, my god!" the otteress repeated again and again under her breath.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Marla tried to reassure the young otteress. "I've been through worse."

That seemed to shock Sheila even more. Apparently she was not used to the extreme abuses some owners put their slaves through.

"Martin, step on it!" Sheila implored.

"I can't," Martin replied in a strained voice. He could not see Marla, but he could smell her fresh blood. "I have to remain inconspicuous until the last minute. That means obeying every traffic law and keeping to the speed limit."

"Martin, she's dying!"

"No, she isn't, or Mister Wolf would have done something different like take her to the clinic directly. Instead he gave her to us to get to the clinic safely, and, damn it, that's what we are going to do!"

The ride continued for many more minutes. Sheila could do little more than hold Marla's paw and try to lessen the bumps and jostles. Marla for her part was so well drugged she felt little if anything now.

"Get ready!" Martin said from the front seat.

"Martin, when we get there, stop completely," Sheila ordered her mate.

"Sheila, we were told-"

"Do it!" Sheila screamed back at him. In a gentler voice she added, "Please, just do it. I don't know if she can survive being thrown from a moving vehicle."

"Alright," martin agreed reluctantly. "But make sure you push her out hard. Part of our job is to make it look like her captors don't care about her."

"I will," Sheila assured him.

"Okay, get ready..." Martin said as he turned off the headlights and stomped on the accelerator.

"Get ready...

"Get ready...

"Open the door!"

Sheila grabbed the door and pulled it open. The minivan's brakes slammed on. Marla felt webbed paws pressed against her back.

"I'm sorry," Sheila whispered in Marla's left ear just before she pushed her out the door.

Marla landed with a solid thud. She got a brief look at the minivan before it roared off into the night. In the darkness she could not see Sheila hidden in the shadows or Martin at the driver's wheel. She hoped that they would not be identified when the Elysium Government reviewed the clinic's security tapes as they were certain to do.

Marla lay motionless on the hard concrete. Several seconds passed, but no fur appeared. Had something gone wrong? Her thoughts were answered a moment later when she heard the clang of a door being thrown open violently. A security fur appeared beside her. He started to yell for emergency help into him com unit. A few seconds later more furs appeared. They were doctors and nurses called to attend to her. They lifted her up onto a gurney and took her inside. She felt the prick of needles as they gave her more drugs to help her.

The clinic staff rushed Marla to an operating room. They quickly prepared her for surgery. While she waited Marla could not help but think about what had happened.

Somehow Marla had survived. Master David and Kayla had come to rescue her from the Government instead of deserting her as she had expected. She would recover and rejoin them. The fate of Valentia and Todd was still unknown, but she thought it was likely from the Government agent's conversation that they had so far managed to evade capture.

As the doctors put her under Marla's last conscious thoughts were of Mike. She tried to come to grips with his death and her survival, but she could not. For a very brief time she had a mate even if there was no formal ceremony. He was gone, and he would never be coming back.

The anesthesiologist dismissed the tears running down the wolfess' face as tears of pain. He was only partially right.