Chapter 1 - Caught

 

I agreed to the bet, I was complicit in the deal I struck, and agreed to whatever she had in mind, to win the bet, so I could not complain.

Although I did as agreed, I will try, and make it interesting, with poetic licence. My adventure began whilst sailing around the world, for fun.

Sailing in the Pacific Ocean was a delight, especially when the weather was sunny and warm. It was my fault; I admit it, but as I lay back and closed my eyes on the vast expanse of the Ocean, I did not see the island. The boat was guided by sat-nav, but I had to set the course. I swear the island was not on any map, or chart.

The close proximiter alarm sounded, I jump up, and looming before me was a cliff face. I swung the tiller over hard, and I just missed running into the cliff. I sailed on following the coast line, and decided to take a closer look.

I dropped anchor, and lowered the dingy, I then took it to the beach in the bay I had dropped anchor in. I got out, and pulled the dingy up the beach; I tied it to a tree, and set out, inland.

I followed a path, which surprised me, because not being on a map; who, had made the path?

It wandered around a bit, but headed into the island. I was also confused by the fact that it was not a small island. I had only gone half way around, I estimated, and it had taken me almost an hour.

I walked blindly on, not watching where I put my feet, when I was suddenly being held in a net, a good ten feet above the ground.

I am not a total idiot, I did have my knife with me, and pulled it out then looked at the net, and it was not rope, but thick wire, so as not to cut into the trapped animal. No, I did not have wire cutters, on me.

I did try and open the top, to squeeze out, but my weight kept the top closed. Now I began to dread my prospects. I was after all on a deserted island, wasn't I? Who would let me down? How long does it take to die of thirst? All went through my mind as I hung there.

"Hello, hi there, will you let me down, please; I thought the island was deserted, thank god, it isn't," I shouted as a scantily clad Polynesian female appeared.

She looked up at me with disdain, as if I were an objectionable sight.

She seemed to shrug her shoulders, and walked off.

"Hey, hey, please, let me, hey, bitch, let me down," I shouted after her, but she just carried on walking away from me.

As she disappeared into the wooded area I felt rejected, and very alone. Tribal villages had some nasty ideas about strangers, was she going to leave me until I rotted, and my bones fell through the holes in the trap, before she reset it?

"Ah, what have we here?" a female voice said behind me, "A rat in a trap, perhaps?" the voice asked, mocking me.

"Hello, erm, I can't turn around, will you let me down? I seem to be at a disadvantage," I asked.

"You are, not only because of the trap, but being male puts you at a very big, disadvantage. You lack the brains of a female, and the social graces. The guard you insulted is not happy, calling her a bitch, indeed! That was not nice, was it? I don't blame her for walking away, and leaving you suspended.

There is never an excuse for language like that. You didn't know, but she does not speak English, she did however call the house, and alert us to the situation you find yourself in. She has heard that word before, so she does know what you called her.

The question is what do we do about it, obviously there is nothing you can do, is there?" she asked me.

"No, erm, there isn't, and I do apologise, which I will do once I am free of this contraption. The island isn't marked on my maps, and I thought," I said.

"There you go again, 'you thought,' never, you are male, and need guiding, being incapable of thought. You need to be told what to do, by a strong female, who controls you. Do you have such a woman, to lead you?" she asked me.

"I do not need a woman, I am intelligent and strong willed, I have sailed solo from England to here, without a female," I replied indignantly.

"I see, and that perhaps is the reason you are in the trap, and I am not. It was meant for the person we are hunting, training the guards in tracking intruders, and catching them. The guards set off, and the trainees have to catch them, a training exercise, but you fell foul of the trainee's actions, their traps.

I am sure the guards will have seen the trap, because of the shiny wire hanging down the tree trunk; then again they are female, and wiser than a stupid male." she said.

She was now getting to me with all her insults, and innuendoes.

"Look, I have a degree in engineering, I am not stupid, I also hold a ticket to sail my boat single handed, around the world, and I speak three languages. So stop calling me stupid. I am just as intelligent as you, if not more so. Being female does not make you cleaver, just female, and most of them, are stupid," I said in anger.

"Perhaps I was wrong, it does have balls, but no brains, caught in a trap, high up in a tree, and it insults the only person who has the authority to have it brought down. You are on my land, I am autocratic, and rule with a fist of iron; leave it up there for another hour. Then send the guards after the training, to bring it on its knees, to me.

To insult the Prime Minister, is painful, to insult the President is very painful, to insult the Queen, is dire, but you insult the Empress, which will be worse than even dire.

My Empire extends over many islands, Prime Ministers and Chiefs rule, but with my blessing. Even your government does not know who rules these shores, they think they do, but they do not. They speak to a ruler, but then the ruler speaks to me, before they accept or decline the approach.

Have the boat brought ashore and dismantled, you are going to be here for a long time, as I take you down to a level you should live at, you arrogant prig," she said with a lot of hatred in her voice.

"Look, look, I am sorry, can we start again?" I asked wanting to be free of her.

"Yes, when you are on your knees before me, just hope they have not dismantled your boat by then, America is a long swim from these shores," she said, and I was alone again wishing I had let her have her fun, at my expense.

What she had in mind for me was what worried me; I knew I had intentionally insulted her. What would it take to get her off my back, so that I could leave these shores, but what newspaper would not pay me a fortune for the information I now had? What government would not pay me to keep quiet? Who would pay for the information, and how rich would it make me? An Empress on a secret island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, would make the headlines as I divulged what I knew; a book perhaps?

The hour passed by slowly, but eventually they arrived, and in force, not two or three females, but ten, I am sure, and they surrounded the net as two more lowered me down. They put two poles through the top, and lifted it up, making sure I was still held inside, trapped.

I was caught, and unable to escape, these females who didn't even look at me, no smile, ingratiating or otherwise, no frowns; they just slipped the poles through before the ground took the strain, and released me from the steel rope attached to the top. My weight made sure, it stayed closed.

Four burley females put the poles on their shoulders, as they marched down the path, and into a clearing, across it, and up to a mansion. It had been built from stone, and there were carvings decorating the front. We did not enter by the front door, they carried me around the back, and down into the cellar. Down a corridor to a large, vaulted room with a cage in the far corner.

 

 

Chapter 2 - Audience

 

We went down three steps to enter the cage, and they took an ankle, tipping me onto my shoulders, uncomfortably. They lifted it free of the netting, while other females made sure the net only opened enough for them to do as they wanted. They shackled my ankle to a shackle about three feet from the floor connected to a chain running from the floor to the ceiling. Then took the other one and did the same, to a chain running parallel to the first. They now rolled me face down, and lowered the shackles down to the floor. They pulled me out up to my thighs, and put 'U,' shaped brackets over my shins next to my knees, and screwed them to the floor.

Two more guards entered, and they pulled an arm out, and behind my back, while others pulled the other arm free, and shackled them together. I was now almost free of the net, and they removed it.

I thought it the best plan not to fight them, just yet, allowing them to fasten me to the floor, foolishly as it turned out.

"What the fuck are you doing? I have done nothing wrong, why the fucking cage, bitches? Why the fucking cage, you cunts? Stop it no," I shouted, but I was held, and perhaps it was a stupid try, knowing they had me, but you have to try, don't you?

My words fell on deaf ears, and my struggles were futile with so many, and already fixed by my ankles, and knees to the floor.

Fixed kneeling they then added a collar to a third chain, and pulled, to ensure I was kneeling up.

"The correct position is with your head bowed when her highness enters, do not forget, you are in enough trouble as it is. Once she has appraised you, the trial will begin," a guard told me.

I knelt there waiting until my knees hurt being on them for so long, and my thighs began to quiver with the lack of movement.

"Hello again, now to begin, seeing as you are in a more appropriate position, kneeling before me. I do have compassion, I saved you a lot of pain by making you kneel, because I thought you may object to doing so, willingly.

Did you see how the guards knelt down when I entered, would you have done that, and as quickly? I doubt it," she said approaching the cage three feet above me, putting me in a much lower position, and she was looking down on me.

"Alright, you have had your fun, now it isn't funny, let me go, I have not done anything, except find you," I said being careful.

"Oh but you have, there are signs saying, 'private island, do not land,' which you chose to ignore. There are also signs stating that the island is, 'sovereign territory, and the laws of the island will be applied to any contravention, of the laws.' You contravened them by landing, and then accessing the interior, for which there is a penalty, after the trial.

It is not onerous upon the country to inform you of the laws; it is up to you to ensure you do not break them, which you have. We have a law against crude language, of which we have a recording of you doing just that. We also have a law that forbids calling people names, which again you chose to ignore, and it has been recorded.

The people who come here, come here to enjoy the peace and serenity, of my island. To break that peace and serenity is a crime, which you decided to break, by the crude language, and name calling.

It is also a crime not to address me by my title, and in the correct pose. Guard, make sure it knows the correct pose before we meet again," she said smiling at me the whole time, as if belittling me, looking down on me, she turned, and made to leave.

"Look, as I said we got off on the wrong foot, can we start again? I am sorry if I offended anyone, but the greeting was not exactly a warm one," I said in my defence.

"You broke the law, what did you expect, do not land, and you did land. I presume you do not have the documentation to enter my island, my country, which in any country is an illegal act. You are in our eyes, a criminal. That is what you call someone who breaks the law, isn't it?" she asked me.

"It depends on the law, a speeding offence then no, but murder or house breaking then yes. My transgressions were more like the speeding offence, not murder," I argued.

"That all depends on the law maker, as to the severity of the offence, what if here we do not have murder, then a lesser offence takes on a much higher value, and a speeding offence becomes a far more serious crime, does it not? Don't answer; you will be tried tomorrow morning at ten o'clock. Guards you have till then to ensure it knows how, to address me, and the pose it must adopt, two more crimes to add to the growing list. First Officer, begin the process," she said, and marched out.

"Wow, you have upset her highness, we were due to return to our sunken hiding place tomorrow, but she has just brought it forward. Now let me see, where, shall I begin?

At the turn of the last century her great grandfather developed a new power source. He discovered that if you smash two atoms together it creates a large volume of power, pro rata to size. He took it to several firms and governments, but they poo, pooed the idea. So being wealthy he developed it, and built this floating island, he had so much power that he could envelope it in an, erm, electromagnetic field that kept the sea out, and hide it below the waves, protecting it from Tornadoes, Hurricanes, tempests, and intruders, and the like.

Below us there is a valley; oceanographers, believe it is a plateau, but that is just the cover over the sunken island, and at two thousand feet below sea level, we are very secure.

We rise and fall as we wish, usually we spend about two months below the waves, but we have enough water, (there are billions of gallons above us), and oxygen, made from the water, by separating the oxygen atom from the hydrogen atoms, which also creates the power.

Just to be sure there are carbon filters as well, in case of emergencies. Above they use atomic power, but with radioactive atoms, he used inert gasses, no chance of a radiation leak from them, is there? The estimated life of the fuel is well, a thousand years or more, and the waste is a naturally occurring element, within the atmosphere, oxygen.

The system is to split the molecule, and then re-join it, giving atomic power without radiation, and the waste is the fuel, ingenious. I have to admit the atoms do suffer, and so we need to refuel, erm rise to the surface every year, for a week or two. The expelled waste is tired, and after a few weeks in the atmosphere it recovers, all it needs is a rest, as we all do.

Now you, accept females are the most knowledgeable and powerful beings, and that all males should bow to them. That is what she will expect from you tomorrow morning. I believe the Empress knows the outcome of the trial, but it will still be a fair one, and if found not guilty then we will rise, and set you free. After an injection which will mean that you do not remember, your visit.

The signs are that will not happen, how can you argue against a recording of you swearing, and calling females, nasty names? The other crimes may be slightly dubious, but that all depends on the evidence presented, doesn't it?

I now need to ensure you adopt the correct position and attitude tomorrow, so guards shall we begin? I will explain as we go along.

First we need to ensure you concentrate on the rules, don't we?" She began, and entered the cage with two other guards.

They stood behind me, and I felt movement, as I presume she uncovered the tray the guards had been carrying.

She then put a shaped metal band from under my chin up. It split going either side of my nose, and then went back into one piece over my head. She then took another piece which went around my neck, and slipped into the front of the one over my head, and at the back it was in two halves. She then did something that tightened the band, but not too tight, choking me. They fitted a band with flaps, for a better description to the band over my head across my forehead, and then closed the flaps blindfolding me. They seemed to grip the sides of my face like glue, ensuring I saw nothing. She did press them onto my face.

"There now, no visual distractions," she told me proudly.

"Look, I will do as you want if there is a chance to be free of you. This is kidnapping, and I will be missed. They will come looking for me, they have me on GPS, and you are not wise; you are all stupid. They will hunt for me," I said trying to get free.

"Next, I think we should reduce the pain by gagging it, open wide," she told me, and I closed my mouth.

What the hell it was I have no idea, but I screamed as they jabbed me with something like a cattle prod, and she inserted something in my mouth as I cried out in pain. Again unlike straps, whatever she was using was cold, and felt metallic. It must have needed two of them as one pushed it into my mouth, another of them fitted the metal bands to it, and the band over my head. I heard the clicks as they connected it.

There were several more clicks as I presumed they added padlocks to the joints, then water was poured over my head and it began to shrink and tighten.

"A metal he also created, it shrinks when water is added, so the head gear we fitted is no longer loose fitting, it shrinks to the shape of the object, but only until it touches, nice a firmly. Made in one size, but fits all, and cannot be removed once wet, water has no effect after that. The only way that comes off is if we take it off.

Her ancestor created the things, but it took the wisdom of a female to find an appropriate use, for them," she told me extolling the virtues of the female, over the male.

I was sure that would not be the last time I would be told about the qualities of a female, over a male.

She then added a hood over my head completely covering it, and fastening it to the collar; there must have been a rope attached to the top because she then pulled my head down, and tied it off making me bow my head, and finally she spoke.

"I do not wish you to have any distractions, any at all, now concentrate on your lowly position before the Empress, indeed all females, good night," she told me, and clamped something over my ears.

Fixed unable to move, and now devoid of any external stimuli, they left me kneeling there uncomfortably. I was to dwell on the discomfort of not doing as told, and bowing down to her, the bitch.

I was once again suitably impressed by the means and methods they were using, there was no escape, and without external stimuli it focused the mind on their demands.