“PHANTOM FEM STRIKES AGAIN!” The headline screamed up at Victoria Swann as she sat down for breakfast. Taking up a slice of dry toast, she munched as she read the story.
“Police in London are investigating the theft of the recently unearthed Moonstone Ruby from the British Museum last night. The gem, discovered last month during an archeological dig at the site of an old Roman site north of London, is the largest shaped ruby yet discovered. Police spokespersons have declined to speculate as to the identity of the theft, but sources within the department report the discovery at the scene of a silk scarf marked with lipstick, the signature of the Phantom Fem. This makes the seventh museum theft by the mysterious Phantom Fem, and authorities in five countries seem to be no closer to catching this elusive thief than they were after her first theft.”
The story went on to briefly describe the security at the museum, and the fact that the scarf had been found neatly draped across the space once occupied by the ruby. In the center of the story was a picture of the famous ruby.
“Not a very good picture,” Victoria murmured, picking up the ruby from the table and laying it beside the image. “How do they expect anyone to identify the stone if they don’t give out decent pictures?” Then she smiled. By the time anyone got a chance to start really searching for the stone, it, and she, would be on their way back to the United States. Glancing at her watch, she realized she had less than an hour to meet her buyer’s private jet. Rising, Victoria picked up the ruby and hurried to finish preparing for the flight.
In a small office in Baltimore, Michael Staunton smiled. On the screen before him was the image of a small jet lifting off from a London runway. The Phantom was on her way home with her prize. Time to arrange a homecoming she’d never forget.
Known as The Hunter, Mike Staunton was the most successful bounty hunter on the market. In five years, he had never failed to deliver. Stories about his exploits had grown to the status of legend, yet nobody knew the real secret to his success. Alien technology.
Six years earlier, while exploring a recently discovered cave system in the Rockies, Mike had discovered a strange craft. It turned out to be a probe from an alien ship hidden in orbit around Mars. Unmanned, it’s crew dead, the ship’s artificial intelligence had accepted his claim of salvage, placing the ship, and all it’s advanced technologies, at his command. Rather than announce his discovery, Mike had decided to use the ship’s capabilities to live his dream of becoming a successful big league bounty hunter.
The systems on the ship could tap into any computer on the planet, and the probes and sensors could track anyone or anything in the world, undetected. Thus far, he had simply used the ship to locate and track his marks, then moved in to arrest them using conventional means. For the Phantom, though, he had something a little different in mind. The Phantom would be his first, and hopefully only, failure, but the reward would definitely be worth the slight blow to his record. Smiling, he began his preparations.
Home.
Sighing with pleasure, Victoria dropped her bags and kicked the door closed. After the bustle and noise of the cities, the silence of her remote Montana ranch was a blessed relief. She’d had her fill of travel. A shower, a glass of wine, and it would be time to enjoy the fruits of her labors.
The hot shower was pure bliss. Stepping out, Victoria stood in front of the mirror, examining herself with a critical eye. She hefted her full breasts, then let them drop, smiling at their firmness. Turning, she ran her hand over her ass, then lightly swatted the firm flesh. With the body of a model, Victoria took great pride in her looks, and great effort to maintain them. Nodding her approval, she dried her hair, then stepped out of the bathroom.
“Freeze.”
Spinning, Victoria gasped. Standing by her bed was a man she’d never seen before, holding the largest gun she’d ever seen.
“Who are you?” she demanded. “And how did you get in here?”
Smiling, Mike Staunton merely looked at her. He’d known he would catch her here, but he hadn’t really expected her to be naked. This was going to be even better than he’d hoped. Finally, he spoke.
“How I got here doesn’t really matter, does it Victoria? Or should I call you the Phantom Fem?” He nodded toward the ruby he’d tossed on the bed. “I’ve got you, and I’ve got the evidence. I’m afraid your streak has come to an end.”
Victoria tensed. “So you’re here to arrest me. Can I at least get dressed before you take me in?” There were weapons stashed in her closet, weapons that could get her out of this mess.
“Actually,” Mike replied, “I think I prefer you as you are”. In his other hand, he held what looked like a black tennis ball. With a quick flick of his wrist, he threw it at her.
The ball, created by the alien ship’s technology, was more than it seemed. Striking Victoria between her large breasts, the impact disabled the slight electromagnetic field holding it. The ball seemed to collapse, flowing over her skin in all directions. In seconds, the alien rubber had totally covered her in a thin layer that faithfully outlined every curve. Incredibly strong, the rubber held her arms pinned to her sides, her legs fused together into a single column. Rubber covered her head, holding her mouth firmly closed, effectively gagging her. Openings appeared at her nostrils, allowing her air.
Trapped in her dark prison, Victoria struggled frantically. The swiftness with which she’d been rendered helpless stunned her. Writhing, twisting, she fought to tear herself from the grip of this strange substance that held her. Her struggles soon unbalanced her, and she fell to the floor. The alien rubber cushioned her, but the impact still took her breath away.
Mike holstered his gun as he approached the feebly twitching form on the floor. Kneeling, he ran his form over the faithfully outlined curves.
“I think you and I are going to have a lot of fun,” he murmured, his words too low to penetrate the rubber over her ears. “Only a couple more things to do, then I’ll take you to your new home.”
Rising, Mike used the house phone to call in an anonymous report to the Montana State Police. That done, he lifted Victoria’s helplessly twitching form and carried her out the back door. In the back yard sat a small craft. Mike loaded Victoria into the back, then seated himself at the controls. Lifting off, he climbed swiftly, leaving Earth’s atmosphere and setting course for the alien ship still orbiting Mars.
In the back, Victoria’s struggles had ceased as the extent of her helplessness sank in. Blind, mute, unable to move, she could only wait for whatever her captor intended for her.
Victoria woke slowly, somewhat surprised to realize that she’d actually fallen asleep within her rubbery prison. After a bit of thought, she credited it to her own exhaustion, plus the lack of sensory input, that had lulled her into sleep. Slight tension applied to her muscles revealed to her that her limbs were now free. Victoria opened her eyes and took in her surroundings.
She was, she found, lying on a small bed in a small, unadorned room. Slim, leathery bands encircled her wrists, ankles and throat. Otherwise, she remained nude. This, however, was less important to her than the fact of her regained freedom. Perhaps no she could turn the tables on her mysterious captor, whoever he was.
Rising, she moved to the door. As she approached, the door slid silently open. Stepping through, she found herself in a curved hallway. Sounds of movement came from an open door at one end. Moving silently, she slipped into the room beyond.
Victoria found herself standing in a large room. Consoles lined each wall. In the center was a chair that reminded her of nothing so much as the captain’s chair on the old Star Trek shows she’d once loved to watch. To her left, one entire end wall seemed made of glass, giving a view of more stars than she’d ever seen. Her examination was interrupted as the chair swiveled to face her, revealing the smiling face of her captor.
“Have a nice nap?” he asked, smiling.
“To hell with that!” she snapped. “Who are you? Where am I? And what am I doing here?”
The smile widened. “Actually, you might have a bit of a problem accepting where you are.”
“Try me.”
“Ok. You are, at this moment, aboard an alien spaceship orbiting the planet Mars.”
“Yeah, right. So where’s the crew?”
“Dead. According to the ship’s log, they’ve been dead and dust for several thousand years now. I think that’s why the ship accepted my claim of salvage rights.” He shrugged. “Anyway, you and I are the only ones aboard. The computer runs the whole ship, so there’s really not much need for a crew.”
Victoria shook her head. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter where we are, I’ll still find a way out. Now who are you?”
The man smiled. “My name is Michael, but you can call me Master.”
“And why would I call you that?”
Still smiling, Michael replied, “Isn’t that what slaves are supposed to call the one who owns them?”
“I am nobody’s slave!” Snarling, Victoria sprang toward Michael. Landing before him, she prepared to strike… only to discover her arms wouldn’t move.
“What the…” Staring, she watched as her hands began to move behind her. Stunned, she tried desperately to stop the motion, but was helpless to resist. Her hands continued to move against her will until her wrists met behind her back. Once there, no amount of tugging could separate them. In her shock, she barely noticed as her ankles also drew together. The final shock came when she opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. Silent and helpless, she turned her eyes to the man standing before her.
“Amazing, isn’t it?” he asked. “The cuffs you wear are controlled by the computer. No matter where your hands are, the cuffs can pull them behind you. And once the cuffs touch each other, only a command from the computer can separate them. The same with your ankles. The collar you wear can, at the computer’s command, paralyze your vocal cords. So you can be rendered helpless and silent any time you try to attack me.” He grinned. “Or, of course, any time I choose.”
Suddenly, her wrists and ankles were free. Before she could move, however, she felt her hands drawn irresistibly downward. Collapsing to her knees, she watched as the cuff on her right wrist connected with the one on her right ankle. A quick glance showed her left wrist and ankle similarly joined. Several sharp tugs convinced her that she was going nowhere soon. Kneeling helplessly before her captor, Victoria awaited her fate.
“Much better,” he said, walking toward her. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he shoved, pushing her over onto her side, then rolled her to face the ceiling. Victoria found herself on her back, arms drawn straight down her sides, knees bent, heels pressed against her ass. Michael slipped his hands between her knees, and, despite her best efforts, easily pried her legs apart. Now helplessly exposed, she began to experience the first feelings of fear. Before that fear could grow, Michael removed his hands and stepped back.
“Much better,” he repeated. “And I’m sure you realize the control I now have over you?” Victoria nodded silently. “For your sake, I hope so.”
Realizing her limbs were once more free, Victoria rose to her feet. Unsure of herself for perhaps the first time in her life, she stood quietly before him.
“You may speak.”
“What will you do to me?” At his frown, she hastily added, “Master?”
“Much better. As to your question… I did some research on you. You’re a thief. You prosper from the pain and loss of others. Not once in your life have you ever done anything good or constructive. Well, I’ve put an end to that. All your life, you’ve served only yourself. Now you’ll serve me. I intend to train you as my personal slave. You will serve me in any way I command. And yes, that will include sexual service. Obedience will be rewarded, disobedience punished. If you serve me well, I may, at some point in the future, reward you by releasing you. Until then, you belong to me. Is that understood?”
For a moment, Victoria simply stared at him. Then her eyes closed and she let her head drop. “Yes, Master,” she replied in a small voice, then shivered slightly as she felt his hand brush her hair.
Michael smiled. “Very good. Now go rest. Your training begins in the morning.”
Watching her walk away, Michael’s smile widened. Now she was his, and in time, she would learn to desire nothing more. He now had everything he could want, and something told him the adventure had only just begun.
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12.12.05
story continues in The Thief and The Bounty Hunter
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