Whose Body Is It, Anyway?

by Brandy Dewinter

Chapter 9 - Games Practice

     I was hustled to the preparation area, finding there yet another 
cell, though this one had a waiting attendant, female.  The guard quickly 
removed my restraints, but just as quickly locked the cell door behind
him as he left.

     "Strip," the woman ordered as soon as the door closed behind me.

     "What?"

     "We don't have time for this," snapped the woman.  "Either you take
your clothes off, or I'll have some of the men take them from you."

     "Uh, turn around," I requested.  Something in my eyes must have 
promised the attendant my compliance, because she turned to the wall.

     "I'm not hearing clothes hitting the ground," the attendant claimed, 
turning back to face me.  What she saw was a nude woman, the remaining 
portions of her red jumpsuit vanished into thin air, along with her tall
boots.  

     "Where'd your clothes go?" she demanded.

     "Uh, I'm from the Federation, and we have some tricks for things 
like that."

     The attendant clearly wanted to know more about those tricks, but 
time was pressing her as badly as it needed to press me, so she just 
nodded abruptly and reached for a tangle of leather.

     The various straps and buckles were quickly placed in position and
I found my arms locked securely behind my back, fingers touching opposite 
elbows.  A thin bit of material cradled my oversized bosom and I hoped it 
would keep "me" from bouncing too painfully.

     *I told you these boobs were too damn big!* I complained.

     *Trust me,* Titania reassured me.  *Once you get running, I'll 
keep them under control.  You've still got your corset on to support
your back, don't you?*

     *Do I?* I asked, but I realized the constriction I had become used 
to was still there even as I thought my question.  

     The next stage of dressing was to put on a tangle of straps that 
mostly went below my compressed waist.  Some bits of the leather were led 
up to my upper body harness, while others secured two large buckles at the 
widest point of my hips. 

     "Next," the attendant said, consulting a note that must have had my 
sizes on it and then reaching for some knee-high, spike-heeled boots.

     They fit surprisingly well, but then, this sort of "Game" was an 
important part of Machovian life.  Well-fitted boots, or more 
significantly, poorly-fitted boots might make the difference in a race 
that had quite a bit of money riding on it.  It paid to minimize the 
variability in things like that.  

     They were also much lower in heel than I had been wearing when
Titania set the height.  It was almost like walking flat-footed.  So much
so that I felt an immediate pull at the backs of my ankles.

     *Be careful,* Titania cautioned.  *You could pull an Achilles 
tendon really easy right now.  It'll help when you run though.  If you
stay on your toes, the heel on these boots won't even matter.*

     So far, though the Machovian fascination with restraining women had 
long since lost any interest for me and so all bondage was hateful, this 
particular set of bondage wasn't all that bad.  That situation changed 
when the attendant brought out the last bit of harness.

     It was a head harness, with a bit gag.  After the bit was forced
between my teeth, straps were fastened around my cheeks and chin and 
neck and even my forehead.  Despite the intense bondage of my stay on 
Machovia, this was the first time something had been placed in my mouth
and I found it wildly irritating.  I tossed my head trying to dislodge 
the thing, prevented by the already-attached arm restraints from doing 
anything more effective.  I had this momentary image of myself, strangely 
reminiscent of a true pony, struggling with the first touch of reins.

     Though I hadn't actually felt any reins, yet.  There were another
couple of large buckles near my ears that were the obvious eventual anchors 
for that particular part of the harness.  

     "There we are.  Finished just ahead of schedule," the attendant 
smiled, patting me like I was the simple animal that harnesses were truly 
intended for.  She rapped on the door for the guard, then together they 
ushered me out of the prep room and back to the main arena.  My champion 
(and wasn't that an interesting phrase?) was waiting for me beside a 
lightweight, two-wheel cart.  

     "Champion Eryx, your ponygirl is ready."

     *So that's his name,* I now remembered hearing the announcement.

     "Have you ever pulled a cart before?" Eryx was asking.

     I tried to shake my head, but the head harness fastened to my 
shoulders and all I could do was rotate my entire upper body.

     "Well, Palomino has, so you'll have to learn quickly.  We can 
practice for just a bit before the race."

     Eryx noticed the question in my eyes, and smiled, "Palomino is 
Bellio's big blonde runner.  He's entered her again, just because I 
entered as a sponsor.  He intends to win, but I don't intend to let 
him.  *We* won't let him."

     Eryx was quickly fastening me to the cart, or the cart to me, 
whatever.  In short order he was taking his seat, carefully balancing
so that there was little vertical load at my hips.  Taking the reins
in his hands, he picked up a light, short-tasseled whip.    

     "Now, this won't really hurt," he promised.

     *Yeah, then let me use it on YOU!* I snarled to myself.  But
no one else seemed very concerned about my thoughts.  

     Then I felt the light sting of the whip on the exposed globes of
my ass and jerked.

     *Titania!*

     *I'm on it.  I had to calibrate so that you can tell when he taps 
you, otherwise it would look suspicious.*

     *Taps me?!  That was hardly a tap!*

     *Actually, it was.  I think he truly intends not to hurt you.*

     *He's got a damn funny way of showing it!*

     *Well, this is a strange world,* Titania agreed.

     I felt the sting again, muted but distinct, and then heard Eryx's
voice, "When I do that, you move forward."  

     He did it one more time, and I did indeed start moving forward.
Eryx spent the next few minutes guiding me by means of the reins and
a few verbal clues.  The reins turned my whole upper body, so their 
intention was too obvious to need much explanation.  The problem was 
learning to maintain a smooth gait when twisted.  However, the lower
heels on the running boots were enough of a relief that I felt as
comfortable as could be expected after a few minutes, including a couple
of brief, warm-up trots.  

     "Carts for the 6-furlong special please report to the starting 
line!" the announcers voice rumbled.

     "That's us," Eryx confirmed cheerfully, guiding me smoothly into 
position.  It was actually easier for me if I just accepted his guidance, 
using what concentration I had on how to place me feet.  That was about 
the only choice I had to make, since even the direction I looked was 
constrained.  

     I got my first good look at the Palomino girl as we neared the
starting grid.  There were only three carts entered, the rivalry between 
Bellio and Eryx having scared off the lesser competitors.  The third cart 
was pulled by a dusky-skinned girl with amazingly long legs, though she 
had none of the confidence exuded by Palomino.  

     *Okay,* Titania spoke in my ear, using casual tones and words that
were meant to be reassuring.  *You can win this race, because we will 
cheat.*

     *What?* I asked in shock.

     *I can absorb oxygen through our entire surface.  You'll be getting
twice as much air as the other racers.  And your feet are not going to 
get tired at all.  As long as you keep on your toes, and that will 
actually feel more comfortable to you, you won't have any trouble beating
unassisted women.*

     *Oh, right.  I hadn't thought of that,* I mused, feeling 
confidence for the first time.  

     *Then it's a good thing you've got me along,* Titania replied, still
working, effectively now, to reassure her host.

     There was a bit of jockeying to get things exactly ready, then a 
starting gun sounded and we were running.

     And just as quickly, I was losing.

     The blonde girl was incredibly fast.  Despite her heels, she was 
taking long, bounding strides that moved her forward further in a half
a dozen steps than I managed in ten.  The dusky-skinned girl with the 
really long legs was keeping up with her, actually running at least
as quickly.  Yet she kept missing her stride just a bit every 15 or 20 
paces as a heel caught slightly.  This motion caused her to surge forward, 
then lose ground, then surge forward again.  

     I just trailed.  Eryx's whip stung my cheeks, first one side and then 
the other, but he seemed to be able to tell I was doing my best and he 
contented himself with reminding me to keep it up.  

     *Ti, can you help?* I pleaded.

     *I'm trying,* Titania replied.  *I've exuded a wider surface at the 
heel of these boots.  You should be able to put your heel down without 
worrying about turning your ankle.  Stretch your stride out a bit.*

     I did as I was told and found that by letting my heel contact the 
track first, I could indeed gain in length in my stride.  I still wasn't 
bounding as far in each step as Palomino, and in fact my own step rate 
had reduced slightly as my stride lengthened, but at least I wasn't losing 
any more ground.  I was maybe 30 or 40 feet behind the leaders; a distance 
that seemed tremendous, but one which we were actually passing every 
second or so.  

     "Good girl, Xora, you're doing fine now.  Just stay strong," Eryx 
called to me.  It was oddly . . . comforting to have his approval.

     *I told you, he's the one,*  Titania smirked.

     *Oh, be quiet, and help me win this race!* I snapped, but a part of 
me was wondering what made Titania so sure.

     The distraction of Titania's comment had caused me to miss the fact
that we had actually gained a little on the leaders.  The course was, as
best I could tell, three times around the oval of the arena.  We had
already completed one lap and were well into the second when I had started 
to keep up.  By now, the end of the second, I  was actually regaining 
lost ground.  Would one lap be enough to gain the rest?

     We were only a dozen feet behind now, actually overlapping the carts 
ahead of us.  It was clear that Bellio and the dusky-skinned woman's 
driver had forgotten about us, dueling between themselves for the lead.  
Bellio crowded his opponent just a bit to the right to force him to take a 
wider path.  Eryx led me to take a path to the left and I started to 
stretch out just a bit more.  I could hear Palomino's breathing, great 
gasping gulps of air, yet her legs looked as strong as ever.  

     The other runner was clearly tiring.  Her missed strides had become
more frequent, her recoveries just a bit slower.  She had lost half a
cart length to Palomino and was in fact no longer any measurable amount
ahead of me.  

    Something must have caught Bellio's eye, for he looked sharply to 
his left and saw Eryx nearly even with him.  In his surprise, he jerked
his reins and Palomino tossed her head in confusion, veering even further
to the right.  The other sponsor had no choice but to pull his runner up
even as the crowd yelled their anger at the foul.  

     In the end, it didn't matter.  There were over a hundred yards to go
when Palomino hit her stride again, and she was now the one who was half
a cart length behind.  That distance lengthened inexorably as I, now
faster than at the start, pulled away from the slowly fading Palomino.  

     I started to pull up as soon as I crossed the finish line, only to 
feel the sting of the lash once more on my bare cheeks.

     "Don't stop yet, girl, keep going until you cool down properly," 
Eryx ordered.

     *Like I have any choice,* I grumbled, but I kept pulling the cart 
at an easy trot, slowing gradually during our victory lap.  I was at a 
walking pace when we finally got back to the starting grid and Eryx pulled 
gently on the reins to get me to stop.  As soon as I was at rest, he was 
out of the cart and carefully running his hands over my legs and ankles to 
ensure that there were no injuries.  It was dispassionate, and therefore 
infuriating.

     *He's treating me like some animal!* I wailed to my symbiont.

     *Well, at least he's treating you like a valued one," Titania 
chuckled.  

    Silently complaining was about all that I could do.  My arms were
still useless.  My body was still strapped to the cart.  Eryx had even 
looped the reins around the cart pole so that I couldn't turn my head.
And my legs, well, Eryx's hands were on my legs.  

     *Dammit, Titania, you're doing it again!*

     *Doing what?* she asked innocently.

     *Screwing around with my body, that's what,* I snarled.  *Just 
because he's got his hands on me is no reason to start my juices flowing.*

     Titania was silent for a second, then said, *I'm not.*

     *Don't give me that!*

     *I'm not doing anything except helping with your cool down.  I 
promise!* Titania swore.  

     *Well, my damn tits are so hard they feel like they'll pop, and I'm
about to leak all over this harness!*

     *Yes, I can feel it, too.*

     I shouted in my mind, *Then stop it!*

     *My partner, I tell you that I am causing none of this.  I can 
inhibit it, if you insist, but I am *not* the cause.*

     *Then what *is* causing it?" I demanded.

     Before Titania could answer, Eryx finished his inspection and stood
up.  "You seem all right.  Do you feel all right?"

     I nodded, tossing my head to try and let Eryx know I wanted out of 
the harness.  Whether he got her message or it was just time, he started 
to release me from the cart.  The same attendant who had put me in the 
harness before the race was waiting and took me back to the preparation 
room.

     "There is a shower in that portion of the room," the attendant said, 
pointing to a hole in the floor and an overhead nozzle.

     She turned away to clean the harness while she expected me to take
care of necessary business.  I did just that, though not in the way the 
attendant would have expected.  I ran the shower (still only cold water) 
for a few minutes and emerged clean, beautifully made up, and dry even 
as the attendant turned back around.  

     I was also fully dressed, or at least as fully dressed as the current 
laws allowed, in my abbreviated, legless jumpsuit and my towering boots.  

     "How do you *do* that?" the attendant asked.  This time it seemed
like she would wait for an answer.

     "Am I free, now?" I asked instead.

     "Well, sort of," the other woman answered.

     "What does that mean?"

     The attendant blushed for a moment, then answered, "Well, 
traditionally what happens now is that you go to your sponsor, and he
frees you after you do him a favor."

     "What sort of favor?" I asked, suspiciously.

     "Well, whatever he asks for, except, if he were your Protector it 
couldn't be anything of sex, nor would it if you were married.  Are you
married, even offworld?"

     "No," I admitted as I thought of the implications of this "favor".

     "Then I expect you'll have to see what Champion Eryx has in mind,"
the attendant said with a dreamy sigh.  Obviously, she wouldn't mind 
owing the handsome man a favor, sexual or otherwise.

     The woman swept the door open for me to exit.  For the first time in 
a day and a half I was free and unrestrained.  I started to walk toward 
the waiting men, noting that Magistrate Herne had joined Eryx's entourage.  
The closer I got, for some reason the looser my walk became until by the 
time I was close enough to speak it seemed that once again my skeleton had 
taken a vacation.  

     The conversation among the men in the group petered out as I 
approached, diminishing as one by one they saw me and lost their train
of thought, not noticing that they had done so.  Only two of the men 
seemed untouched by my motion.  Eryx maintained his amused nonchalance,
while the glint was back in Herne's eyes, triumphant though his prisoner
had apparently escaped whatever had been planned for her.

     Before either man could speak, though my forwardness caused a gasp 
of shock to circulate through those nearby, I said, "Champion Eryx, I 
understand I have you to thank for my freedom."

     Then my already low voice dropped into an even more sensual register 
as I asked, "Is there any way that I could repay you?  Any way at all?"

     My internal thoughts were not nearly as calm.  Once again I was 
accusing Titania of playing with my responses.  Once again Titania was
steadfastly claiming innocence.  

     Once again, the argument went unresolved as we were interrupted,
this time by a grinning Eryx.  "I haven't had an offer that enticing in a 
very long time."  Then after a pause that seemed to stretch forever, he 
continued, "However, I think all I'll claim is a kiss."

     For an instant I could feel an impossibly fetching pout form on my 
full lips, though I couldn't have told you what disappointed me.  Or 
wouldn't.  Then I found myself being gathered into the arms of my 
benefactor.

     To be interrupted by the gloating tones of Magistrate Herne, "Just a 
moment, Champion, if you please."

     Eryx turned to look at him, though he still held me in an embrace 
that felt both steel hard and deliciously soft all at the same time.  I 
was trying to understand that strange sensation and almost missed the 
next interchange.

     "Would you happen to know the time, Champion?"  Herne asked, 
incongruously.

     "The time?"

     "Yes, would you happen to know the time?" the judge repeated.

     "Not precisely," Eryx replied.  "A bit after noon, I suppose."

     "Are you prepared to say that it is definitely after noon?" Herne
pressed.

     Instead of answering, Eryx looked at one of the men in his party.  
That man looked at a watch and reported, "It is 7 minutes after noon."

     Eryx nodded his thanks and then looked once again to me.

     "Your pardon, Champion, but I must interrupt," Herne declared with
false courtesy.

     "What now?" Eryx demanded.

     "Since it is after noon, I must see that this criminal is taken into
proper custody."

     "What criminal?" 

     "Why, that one you have captured in an excellent show of civic 
duty."
   
     With that, Herne motioned to two waiting Enforcers and they moved 
quickly forward to place the hammerlock cuffs on me once again.  In 
another moment they had the hobble chain on me and were leading me away.  

     "Wait a minute!" Eryx demanded.  "What is this all about?"

     "As of noon, this woman is in violation of Ordinance 27-102-7.  She
is to be taken into custody pursuant to trial," Herne announced smugly,
turning to follow his Enforcers.  

     I looked over my shoulder at the fuming Eryx, but his eyes told me 
to go along with it, even as he was moving to follow.