SSV: Project STATIC Part 3: Game Over

Chapter 9

Beth laid awake in Ingrid's bed not sure what to do. She'd been a prisoner of her insane stalker for almost a day, and she was feeling more and more lost with every passing hour. Admittedly, the night hadn't been the worst she'd ever experienced; at least not when she'd finally gotten to lay down. Having to wash the body of the woman who'd kidnapped her, was manipulating her, and had imprisoned her best friend and lover hadn't been fun. She'd hated having to do it, and she felt like she was betraying Pam and everything they had. A big part of her had been worried that Ingrid would use whatever powers she'd found to molest her, but the Goth girl had kept herself in check. Beyond the occasional moan, pur, and flirtatious comment, as well as some unnecessarily lengthy time scrubbing Beth, Ingrid had managed to reign herself in. That was something that Beth could appreciate.

Dinner hadn't been an awful experience either. Ingrid refrained from bringing up Jake and Pam, and she'd tried to steer the conversation towards shared interests. It would have been almost pleasant if it weren't for the threat of Ingrid snapping any second. That was easily the most difficult part for Beth; the mood swings and erratic behavior Ingrid was showing. It was clear from their meeting at the train station that she wasn't right in the head anymore, and the stories she'd heard about the victims she'd claimed were more terrifying. Hell, Beth had witnessed it first hand more than once how she could flip from sweet to crazy at the drop of a hat. She could still feel the barrel of her gun against the side of her head when she closed her eyes. She'd been so close to blowing her own head off, and she hadn't been able to resist in the slightest.

Sleeping had been an odd experience for Beth. Ingrid was as handsy as Pam in bed, but it was difficult for Beth to hide her discomfort. One might have thought that spending a year sleeping with another woman might have lowered Beth's initial apprehension, but sadly that wasn't the case. Despite being with Pam for a year now, Beth still didn't consider herself attracted to women. It wasn't Pam's figure that attracted Beth, it was her personality, and the level of care she showed her. It took Beth hours to finally fall asleep, and she only managed it by picturing Ingrid as her beloved mistress. It was harder than she cared to admit; especially since Ingrid's hand continually found its way to her breast. Getting groped by a sleeping girl was something she hadn't expected when she'd gotten up that morning. Sadly, this was where life had taken her.

She was a prisoner without chains, but a prisoner bound by words alone from a girl she'd hurt. That was another thing that was weighing on her mind. Ingrid hadn't been this way to begin with, and Beth felt responsible for what she'd become. Her rejection had been honest and sincere at the time, but she'd never intended to hurt the girl she'd seen as a friend so long ago. Maybe if she'd have tried to reach out after her and Pam had gotten together this wouldn't be happening. Then again, maybe it would have happened sooner. Still, Beth felt like she should have done more to try to help Ingrid before she fell in with whoever she was working for. At least she could have said she tried.

When she wasn't feeling guilty, she was worrying about Jake and Pam. They were trapped in a game built by Ingrid, and they were at the mercy of a girl clearly on the verge of losing her sanity. She knew Pam was capable and confident, but she was in a world where someone else was in control. Honestly, she wasn't sure what she'd do if anything happened to her girlfriend. They may have had their spats, but she loved her more than anyone, or anything. To offset her worries, Beth reminded herself that Pam had experience gaming thanks to her, and that she was a crack shot with a gun. Jake, on the other hand, had never fired a gun in his life. That meant that Pam was going to have to fight for the both of them unless Jake somehow managed to have an uncanny ability with a firearm. Knowing her best friend, it wouldn't surprise her. But then, maybe Pam could help him if he struggled. They'd been spending more time together lately, and she knew from experience how good of a teacher Pam could be. She just hoped she didn't use the same exact tactics she'd used to train her on Jake.

At least Ingrid had been explicit in her instructions this time. She could get up if she wanted, and wasn't confined to just the bed this time. In fact, Ingrid had given her as close to free reign as possible given her situation. However, Beth knew all it would take was one command from the unhinged girl to stop her in her tracks. She couldn't very well fight against her, and escaping was pointless when her lover and friend were trapped here. So, Beth had been laying in bed for over an hour out of spite. Ingrid probably wanted her to hang out, spend time with her, or even flirt with her, but Beth wasn't going to give her that satisfaction. Although, she'd have been lying if she said she wasn't curious to what her captor was up to.

There had to be something that she could do to help her friends. Figuring out what Ingrid's game was, how it worked, and if she could potentially manipulate the system for Jake and Pam. Every game had options and a system that could be exploited, but it was doubtful either of her friends could access it from where they were. Maybe the smarter play was to play along with what Ingrid wanted from her, but could she do that? Overlooking the feeling of cheating on her girlfriend, it also meant stringing Ingrid along. She shouldn't have felt bad about that, especially given what was happening to her, but she couldn't shake that guilty feeling of being responsible for this. Plus, what would the crazed girl do if she found out her plan? As much as she didn't like it, Beth couldn't see another way of helping her friends.

Beth sat up and swung her legs over the bed. She brought her hands together and stared down at the floor. Could she do this? "I have to try," she whispered to herself, "Pam, please forgive me for wherever this leads. I'm doing this because I love you, you possessive, crazy, beauty. Just stay alive long enough for me to find a way to help you…"

Elsewhere in the warehouse, Ingrid sat in her control room watching the monitors and feed from her game. She'd been watching since she woke up, and she was growing more frustrated by the minute. She'd watched as Pam had taken the lead and managed to assert herself enough to get through the Bloodshot Bar. That skank had actually managed to pass her cool checks, according to her data, she'd actually aced them! With that blonde bitch at the helm, she and Jake had somehow managed to get the first job in her game. Ingrid drummed her fingers on her desk as she tried to figure out her next move.

She should have been happy with her little victory, but something wasn’t right about her prisoners. A piece of her coding had been deleted, and when Ingrid looked closer she spotted the cause and the anomaly. Someone new as with Jake and Pam, and it wasn’t any of the NPCs that she had created. No, this was another player in the midst of her creation. The only people in her base were herself, Beth, Jake, Pam, and that sad little girl that was still somehow surviving the trials of her game. It was absolutely maddening and beyond frustrating to try to wrap her head around. Worse, whoever this new girl was had killed one of her essential characters! Jesse hadn’t been much, but she was integral to the story she’d put together.

Ingrid didn’t understand it, but she was pretty sure that it had something to do with Jake and the second signature coming from his brain. It didn’t make sense, but that was the only thing that she could think of. Her original theory about it being a glitch in her programming was quickly going out the window in light of this new development. Between whoever this new girl was, the surprising progress they were making, and the potential for them to succeed, Ingrid was growing concerned that she’d underestimated these two, well three. Of course, she’d planned for the unexpected, but she didn’t think that she’d actually have to use her backups. One contingency was inside of her game, and the final was stored within her base in case they actually managed to escape. The question was, did she need to release her hunter?

If she did, then all bets would be off as far as what could happen to the original programming of her game. The character she’d built as a last resort was loaded with admin credentials, and it was built to eradicate and destroy. Whether that be in the form of players causing too much of a problem, or stopping one of her NPCs from allowing the story to progress. The thought of murdering some of her best work didn’t sit well with her, but could she afford to risk either of these morons from getting too far too quickly? The more she thought about it, and that unknown entity that had appeared, the angrier she got.

“Ingrid?” Beth’s voice came from the doorway to her control room.

“What?” Ingrid asked, her tone carrying more edge than usual.

Beth flinched a bit, already sensing that her captor was on the verge of another tumultuous moodswing. She swallowed her nerves as she tried to stick to her plan. Take it slow, and try to get the madwoman to lower her guard little by little. “I was, uhm, getting a little lonely in the bedroom,” Beth admitted, speaking honestly, “I thought that I might see what-”

“What do you know about this girl?” Ingrid cut Beth off, her attention more focused on the newcomer than Beth as she pulled up an image of the rogue redhead, “Tell me everything, Beth.”

Beth looked at the image on screen, and her eyes widened as she recognized Ashley. How the hell did she manage to get into the game? “That’s Ashley Bilefoot,” Beth answered, unable to stop herself from answering thanks to Ingrid’s intense control, “She’s with Jake.”

“What do you mean, she’s with Jake?” Ingrid asked, spinning around and getting up, “How is she with him? Where is she, and how did she get into the game?”

“She’s always with Jake,” Beth answered, automatically and feeling more uneasy as Ingrid started to look more perturbed, “I-I’m telling the truth, I swear. Ashley is bound to Jake. I don’t know how she got into the game, but maybe your machine picked up on her presence in his mind. Her soul is connected to him; it has been since we went down into Hell.”

Ingrid glared at Beth and scoffed as she marched over and got in Beth’s face, “Don’t bullshit me, Beth. Where is she working from?”

Beth took a step back, not liking where this was heading and already regretting her choice to check on her tormentor. “She’s not working from anywhere, she can’t,” Beth said, “She’s dead, well undead, I guess.”

Ingrid snarled as she reached back and slapped Beth with the back of her hand, “Do you think this is funny?! You want to stand there and try to tell me that a dead girl is infiltrating my programming and defenses?! Do you think I’m stupid?!”

Beth recoiled and felt her body tense in response to being hit. Her first instinct was to lash out and attack, but it was kept in check by her fear of what Ingrid might do in response. “I’m telling the truth!” Beth argued, and Ingrid hit her again and sent her to the floor, “I can’t lie to you, dammit! Whatever you’ve got to control me won’t let me!”

Ingrid paused for a second, seemingly torn between believing Beth and her skepticism. “Magic isn’t real,” she finally said, her tone bitter and faintly shaken, “It can’t be, nothing in this world supports it. Chemicals, technology, and other things can be explained, but this is something that can’t be true.”

“I get it, okay?” Beth said, shaking just a bit as she tried to reason with the crazy side of Ingrid, “I was the same fucking way when I fought Goth, Pam, and their whole stupid operation. It doesn’t make sense, but I have seen it myself plenty of times. I am telling you the truth, please believe me…”

Ingrid took a shaky breath as she stared down at Beth. Her crush was right about her inability to lie while under the influence of her nanotech. She’d given her a direct command, and there was no way that she could resist. Still, that didn’t mean that she had to like what she was hearing. “Go sit in front of my chair and lay your head on the seat with your face up,” Ingrid finally ordered, pointing at her chair.

“I-Ingrid, please,” Beth whimpered, her body already starting to follow her latest command, “Please, I-”

“Do it!” Ingrid barked, “Don’t try to weasel out of this, Beth. You said you were lonely, so you can spend some time with me under my ass. I better hear sniffing and feel kissing whenever I let you have air. Do you understand me?”

Beth swallowed thickly as she crawled over to Ingrid’s chair and laid her head back. She felt a tear run down her cheek as she was forced to comply with this humiliating demand. “Yes, Ingrid, I understand,” she whispered as Ingrid marched over and hiked her skirt up to show Beth her worn cotton panties.

“Good girl,” Ingrid smirked as she slowly lowered herself down, “Don’t panic, this is for your own good, Beth. Try to enjoy this; Jake practically begged me to sit on his little loser face, but you’re getting it for free.”

Beth wanted to turn her head to the side as Ingrid’s ass came down to rest on her face. She was no stranger to facesitting; even before she’d gotten with Pam it had been a humiliating and regular occurrence in her life. She had a tolerance for it, but that didn’t mean that she enjoyed it. Pam was a different case due to the trust that the two of them shared, but Ingrid was a loose canon of crazy. The familiar weight of another woman;s weight and ass overtook her entire world, and Beth felt her stomach turn from the stench radiating from Ingrid’s ass. Her diet of junk food and snacks gave the insane techie some rancid gas that Beth had experienced second-hand last night. The smell clung to the fabric of her panties and her crack, and what little breath Beth could get was stained with the smell of stale farts.

Ingrid sighed as she savored the feeling of having Beth underneath her. Truthfully, Jake had been the one to show her just how good stuff like this could feel. His stupid face stuck in her crack had felt pretty good, but there was something special about having someone as pretty as Beth under her. Her previous toys had felt nice, but knowing that it was Beth under somehow made it even better. Ingrid could feel her crush squirming beneath her, but she didn’t let it bother her like the others. All it was doing was pushing that cute face deeper deeper into her crack. A part of her understood that Beth was still afraid, and she was trying to be patient with her little pet. As frustrating as things could be, her desire to have Beth all to herself was more important than anything else.

Ingrid smirked to herself as she leaned forward to let Beth breathe and heard a deep sniff from the pretty pinkette under her. She could feel her breath tickling her backdoor, and then she felt an amazing sensation as Beth leaned in and started kissing her ass. Beth grimaced under Ingrid as she was forced to inhale the foul odor of Ingrid’s butt. Combined with the slight salty taste of sweat as she kissed Ingrid’s cheeks, she felt like she was going to be sick. Whatever regret and guilt she felt was slowly being overshadowed by her growing disgust and revulsion. The reprieve was short lived, and Ingrid leaned back into a more comfortable position for herself. Beth was entombed in ass once more, and she had never been more thankful for Pam;s training and conditioning as she was right now.

It was utterly humiliating and degrading to be trapped in such a position on its own, but sniffing and kissing Ingrid’s ass was the proverbial icing on the cake. The fact that Ingrid practically ignored her as she typed away and watched her monitors closely only added to Beth’s anger and shame. She would have liked nothing more than to suckerpunch Ingrid for what she was doing to her. It took everything she had to remind herself of her plan. As furious as she felt, she needed to try to get into Ingrid’s good graces if she was going to help her friend and lover. Her fury slowly wilted as her oxygen supply started to grow thinner, but Ingrid rose up before she could black out. At least she was monitoring her while sitting on her face. Maybe she would have been less angry and terrified if she wasn’t being forced to worship the nasty ass of this moody nerd.

Ingrid stayed seated on Beth’s lovely face for nearly an hour before her alarm went off on her phone. She frowned as she reluctantly stood up. She didn’t want to get up, but it was time for her meeting with her doctor. “You can get up, Beth,” she said, feeling a bit calmer after a rather enjoyable session dominating her plaything, “We’ve got company, and I think you deserve a little bit of a break. Did you enjoy yourself?”

Beth wanted to snap at Ingrid, but she forced herself to hold her outburst in. “I’m not a big fan of having my face sat on,” she replied, choosing her words carefully and truthfully, “I don’t like not being able to breathe, and I’ve had some really bad experiences under different women.”

Ingrid frowned at Beth’s reply, but she supposed it could have been worse. She knew how hotheaded Beth could be, and she had managed to keep her temper in check with her answer. “I’ll make a note of that, but I like it,” she finally said, “We can work on it together, though, okay?”

Beth wished she could say she was surprised by the response, but her luck had never been that good. She decided to take solace in the fact that Ingrid seemed to be back to whatever passed for sane and collected for the moment. “Alright,” Beth sighed, accepting that she wasn’t going to get out of this.

“Come on, let’s go greet our guest,” Ingrid smiled at her as she walked out of her control room and into her compound’s main halls.

Beth followed after her, curious to see if she could get a glimpse of just who Ingrid might be working for. She took mental notes of the layout, defenses, and anything else that might be important as she followed behind Ingrid. As unlikely as escaping seemed, she needed to be prepared in case the opportunity presented itself. Bleak as things seemed right now, she knew that there was still a chance that things could turn around for them. They’d been faced with the impossible before, and they’d managed to pull through in the face of insurmountable odds more than once. Goth, Abigail, even Courtney had seemed like all hope had been lost, but they’d managed to overcome. Although, this was the first time that all three of them had been imprisoned by their enemy.

Ingrid led Beth to the main floor where Jake, Pam, and an unknown girl sat in the chairs connected to Ingrid’s game’s mainframe. Beth had almost forgotten about whoever the mystery girl was, but she didn’t have time to ponder on it as her eyes landed on the only other person moving in the room. Her eyes widened and her blood ran cold as she spotted a familiar woman wearing a nurse’s uniform and a diabolical smile as she looked at Jake and Pam. Dr. Anna Murray was here of all places, and Beth wanted nothing more than to rush and kill the sick woman. The mad doctor hummed to herself as she looked over Pam’s body hooked up to the console.

“You!” Beth snapped, forcing herself to remain still, but unable to hold her tongue, “Get away from them, you sick bitch!”

“Beth, take a breath and don’t yell at our guest,” Ingrid reprimanded her with an even tone, “There’s no reason to be rude to my doctor.”

Beth looked at Ingrid and her jaw fell open, “Y-your doctor? Ingrid, do you have any idea who this woman is? Do you know what she’s done?”

“She’s the reason that I have the edge that I do now, Beth, that’s all that matters to me,” Ingrid shrugged impassively.

“Mm, it’s good to see you too, Elizabeth,” Anna smiled warmly at Beth, “I believe the last time we met, our roles were reversed. How does it feel to be trapped, hmm? Better yet, how does it feel knowing that your little girlfriend and friend are at the mercy of one of my own?”

“You fucking…” Beth started, Ingrid’s command stopping her from saying more, “Get away from them.”

“I’m merely checking their vitals for the time being, you can relax,” Anna waved Beth off, “The real fun will begin once they’ve lost in my favorite patient’s game. I must say, your girlfriend has some lovely eyes. I look forward to having them in my personal collection. How do you think she would look with brown eyes instead of those pretty purple ones? I understand Jake has something of a fetish for being pegged. Perhaps we can make it more of a natural occurrence for him with a few…experimental procedures.”

Ingrid glanced back at Beth to see her pet shaking with building rage. She didn’t care what happened to either of those losers, but seeing Beth so upset was troubling. “I believe we have an appointment, Dr. Murray,” Ingrid cleared her throat, “I wanted to ask you about the procedure and if there’s any side effects that I should be aware of.”

“Ah, yes, silly me,” Anna chuckled as she walked over to one of the vacant chairs, “Have a seat, dear, let’s have a look at you. Now, as you are already aware, the procedure you underwent was highly experimental. Side effects are unknown for us, so why don’t you tell me what you’ve been experiencing?”

Ingrid took a seat in one of the vacant chairs and tried to ignore the fact that Beth was glaring daggers at her doctor. It was a surprise for her new playmate, and she expected that she probably wouldn't be happy when she met Murray again. "It's…difficult to explain," Ingrid started, "I've been experiencing, uhm, some extreme mood swings lately for one."

Beth had to bite her tongue to keep from scoffing. Extreme didn't come close to describing it. Ingrid had nearly forced her to kill herself less than twenty-four hours ago. Yet, the fact that Ingrid was seeing it was a redflag. Whether it was a good thing or not remained to be seen. "Given the nature of the procedure you underwent, some mood alterations aren't entirely surprising," Anna said, opening her bag and pulling out a stethoscope and some other tools, "I may have some stabilizers I can give you, but that's entirely up to you."

"So, you're saying this is normal?" Ingrid asked as Anna continued getting her things, "I'm not sure you're understanding how bad they've been. Before this, I'd get annoyed by stuff and maybe a little frustrated, but now-"

"You're lashing out and you're afraid that you're going to hurt someone, or yourself," Anna finished for her, "As I said, Ms. Isely, the procedure was taxing and this isn't surprising. The chance of survival was slim when you agreed to work with us. Your vitals dropped to an alarming level midway through the operation and transfusion, and I was surprised when you pulled through. At one point, I was prepared to pronounce you dead. Such an event changes a person, and it's going to alter the way your brain works and responds to things."

Beth listened intently as she tried to keep herself from lunging at Anna Murray. She made a mental note that Anna had mentioned us, plural, and the fact that Ingrid had nearly died to get her powers. "So, it has nothing to do with the tech?" Ingrid asked, skeptical despite her doctor's assurance.

"The nanotech within you may be playing a slight part in it, but it's more likely a response to trauma and adjusting to newfound power," Anna replied, grabbing the blood pressure cuff, "After all, you're calling shots for whoever is around you, remember? The human mind is a complex and fascinating thing, just as the body is. The way it responds to new developments, things that don't belong, and the way it adapts and copes are incredible. Everyone is different, but if you're worried about it then I can always see about reversing the procedure."

"No," Ingrid shook her head, not wanting to go back under the knife after what she endured, "I've come too far to turn back now."

"That's the right attitude," Anna smiled, "Now, raise your arm and sit up for me. Let's have a look and make sure your vitals are fine. Has there been anything else bothering you? Physical pain, discomfort, difficulty thinking and breathing, anything you can think of?"

Ingrid glanced over at Beth and debated on her answer. She didn't want to reveal too much, but her appointments were far and few between. Maybe if Beth knew a little more it might help her case, if only a little bit. "I've been having some difficulty thinking clearly, doc," Ingrid admitted as the blood pressure cuff started to swell, "It might be related to the emotional state I've been dealing with, but there's times when I get almost obsessed with things. I find myself making decisions that are rash, or just entirely unlike me in the moment. Then, usually once I've calmed down, I'm left with a feeling of confusion and sometimes regret."

"I see," Anna hummed, taking notes while she worked, "Tell me something, Ms. Isley, when you were under anesthesia, what were you thinking about?"

Ingrid frowned at Anna before looking over at Beth. Beth stared back at her, and for a moment she saw a glimpse of the vulnerable girl she'd turned down years ago. "Beth," Ingrid answered, her voice lower than usual, "I was thinking about how badly I wanted her, how I'd do whatever it took to have her, and how tired I was of losing in life."

Beth felt a touch of her anger melt at the admission of her captor. It was replaced by that familiar feeling of guilt and remorse. Ingrid had undergone something that could have killed her because she was too much of a coward to tell her the truth, to reach out to her. This was her fault. Ingrid's condition, Jake and Pam being trapped, and whatever else was happening was because of her cowardice. For all her bravado and boasting, Beth was still afraid of emotional confrontation and conflict. If she'd have just tried to own up to who she'd become, maybe this could have all been avoided. It was a heavy feeling that turned her stomach as she looked down at the floor.

"Hmm, therein lies a part of your little problem," Anna explained, unhooking Ingrid from the cuff, "Your focus was on what you wanted, and the fact that you were willing to do whatever it took to get it. With the amount of strain on your body, and mind, it's not surprising that your thoughts have been cloudy compared to how they once were. Especially after this little runt rejected you the way she did only to crawl into the arms of another woman. The anger and hurt that you felt carried over into the operation, and I'd wager a guess that it left an impression on your mind. If it helps, you won't have to worry too much about her witchy little girlfriend for too much longer. If your calculations are correct, and even if they're not, I'll be taking her off your hands soon enough."

"You'll keep your hands off of her," Beth snapped before she could stop herself, "She deserves better than to be one of your sick experiments."

"What was that, little girl?" Anna asked, turning her attention to Beth, "Your precious Pamela would be lucky to occupy a spot on my operating table. The things I'll do to her will be revolutionary, and I've already spent some time picking out which procedures to try. I'm curious to see if there's a correlation between magic and the human body. I'll cut her open while she's awake, and you can watch as she cries while I work. Or, maybe you'd like to take her place?"

"Beth," Ingrid warned, not liking where this was going.

"I dare say, your new Mistress should be exerting more control over you and that mouth," Anna continued, taking a step towards Beth, "However, I can always rectify that for her. One doesn't need a tongue to be useful, but I have other ways in case she wants to keep it for pleasure."

"Doc, stop," Ingrid said, seeing how terrified Beth was becoming.

"I can easily remove those pesky vocal chords of yours," Anna flashed a sinister smile, "Imagine it, Elizabeth, being unable to run that mouth of yours, unable to scream as you're trapped beneath your betters. Rest assured, I plan on using both Jake and Pamela to further my own research, but you belong to Ms. Isley. That doesn't mean that I can't make you more compliant, little girl."

"G-get away from me," Beth said, taking a step back and hating the quiver in her voice.

"Or you'll do what?" Anna chuckled, "Is the little girl going to cry?"

Ingrid had seen enough, and she felt her anger spike as Beth tripped and fell backwards. She was on her feet and between Beth and Anna in a flash, "That's enough," she growled at Anna, "Get away from her, now."

Anna tilted her here to the side, but she took a step back and smiled, "Ms. Isley, I-" Anna started.

"You'll back off, or I'll personally deal with you," Ingrid snapped, surprising both women with her forceful attitude, "You're scaring her, and she's dealing with enough without you adding to it. She is mine, and she's under my control. All I have to do is tell her to act, and you'll be on your back before you know what hit you. So, unless you want to get a first-hand glimpse into my software, I suggest you do what I say!"

"You'd threaten the woman who made you who you are?" Anna asked, glaring at Ingrid, "I made you, and I'll remind you that you are still employed as-"

"I already told you and that bitch, I work for myself," Ingrid cut her off again, "Just because our interests align for the moment, doesn't mean I'm some lackey. You're in my home, doctor, and regardless of what you did, or didn't do to me, I call the shots here. Do what you want with those two once I'm done with them, but Beth is off limits!"

Beth watched Ingrid in disbelief as she stood up to the sociopathic doctor. It didn't erase what she was doing to her, let alone her friends, but it spoke volumes about her care for her. "Hmph, so this is what you were referring to," Anna scoffed, backing down after staring at Ingrid for a long moment, "Very well, you're not wrong about her belonging to you. Perhaps I overstepped my bounds in this case. I'm not going to apologize to your little toy, though."

"Nor will she apologize to you," Ingrid said, "I might not like her current girlfriend, but you started this by threatening her."

"Tch, how very protective of you," Anna scoffed as she looked past Ingrid to Beth on the floor, "I'd be thinking your new Mistress, Elizabeth, she clearly sees something in you that's worth keeping. Personally-"

"Don't insult her," Ingrid warned before Anna could finish.

"Fine, fine, as you wish, Ms. Isley," Anna sighed, moving to grab her things, "I think we're done here for today. You have my number if you need anything, but I'll be reporting this little altercation to her."

"Go ahead, I'm not afraid of either of you," Ingrid said.

"There's courage, and there's foolishness, Ms. Isley," Anna rolled her eyes, "You would do well to learn the difference. I'm going to leave these pills here with you. They're mood stabilizers, and they should help to round you out if you continue to feel concerned. Take them, or don't, I could care less. All that matters to me is the well-being of my patients, and the results of our treatments. For now, it would seem that things are progressing as expected. Until next time, Ms. Isely, Elizabeth, I look forward to any updates you may have for me."

"Yeah, until then," Ingrid snarled, refusing to move from in front of Beth until Anna was gone.

"Oh, silly me," Anna chuckled, her demeanor shifting to casual once more, "Our employer wishes to know if you have had any luck securing the information on the procedure that created the former terror known as Havoc."

Beth frowned as she listened. Who were they working with, and why did they want to know about Havoc? It didn't sit well with her, but that sinking feeling only grew worse as Ingrid replied, "Yeah, I dug up the notes and camera footage of the incident. Don't know why you're bothering with it, but I've got what you two asked for."

"Merely looking for some edification and insights, dear," Anna smiled, "There's more irons in the fire than just you and your little game."

"Whatever, none of that matters to me," Ingrid sighed, "I'll send her the files tonight."

"Excellent," Anna smiled as she finished packing her things and made to leave, "Have fun with your game and your little pet. Maybe try a leash on her to go with that collar, haha!"

Ingrid glared at Anna until she was gone. She turned around and knelt in front of Beth, "Are you alright?"

Beth swallowed and nodded, confused and conflicted about how to feel, "As good as I can be, given everything going on. Uhm, thanks for, you know, stepping in there."

Ingrid smiled at Beth with a genuine and warm look. It was the first one Beth had seen since she'd been taken, and for once she could see how pretty the Gothic girl could be. "Don't worry about it, I won't let anything happen to you," Ingrid assured her, helping her to her feet, "I know this is hard for you, Beth, and I'm trying to be patient. Can you try to meet me halfway, at least?"

Beth wanted to point out that she was still being forced to comply, and that her friend and lover were both trapped in her game. However, she remembered her plan, and she chose a different approach, "I can try, but it's not easy for me, Ingrid. I meant it when I said I wasn't into girls, and I know I'm dating Pam but that's different. Please don't get upset, I'm just saying that it might take time."

"You're willing to try?" Ingrid asked, slightly hopeful.

"As long as you can pace yourself, and give me time, yeah," Beth nodded, "I can't promise anything, but I can put my best foot forward on this."

"I can live with that," Ingrid sighed, pulling her adorable little crush into a hug, "I've got a few things I need to look over, but I'll come hang out and spend some time with you soon, okay?"

"Is it about the game?" Beth asked, and frowned when Ingrid seemed to hesitate.

"Yeah," Ingrid answered, deciding to be honest since Beth had agreed to try, "Yeah, I need to check and see how things are going and if they're making too much progress."

"If they win, are you going to keep your word?" Beth asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"They won't win, Beth, it's better you accept that now," Ingrid replied, "Even if they do, I'm not giving you up. I've got more than one trick up my sleeve, and as much as I don't like the doctor and her associates, I gave my word to get these abilities. I'm only doing what I have to in order to get you."

"You're going to betray them," Beth surmised with a solemn look, "Ingrid, please, you don't have to do this."

"If I don't, and they succeed, you'll just end up leaving me for her," Ingrid frowned, "It's not something that I want to do, Beth, it's something I have to do."

"Please, we could work something out," Beth begged, grabbing Ingrid's arm, "I can talk to Pam, tell her what you've done for me, and maybe…maybe the three of us…"

Ingrid gave Beth a small smile, and she put her hand on hers, "Sweet as that is, she wouldn't go for it, and you know that as well as I do."

"Will you at least consider it?" Beth asked, willing to try anything at this point if it meant she could save her lover, her friend, and her misguided tormentor.

"I won't lie to you, Beth," Ingrid sighed, "The chances are incredibly low, but I'll think about it if your precious Pam can agree to it. Of course, there's still the matter of repayment for what I've been given. Please, try to understand where I'm coming from, Beth."

It wasn't much of a chance, but Ingrid hadn't said no outright. It was unlikely Pam would go for a triangle, but maybe there was some hope. Beth had to try, and she'd have to at least try to help her friends. She didn't know what she could do, who was behind this disaster, or if she'd be able to save everyone, but she had to make some sort of effort. "I'll accept that, as long as you consider it," she said, "Can I see them?"

"Are you going to behave, or are you going to try something stupid?" Ingrid countered.

"I just want to see them, I swear," Beth replied truthfully.

"Alright, but you're going to go when I tell you, okay?" Ingrid relented.

"Yes, ma'am," Beth said, falling into her conditioning from Pam, "I understand."

"Good girl," Ingrid smiled, placing a kiss on Beth's cheek, "Let's go have a look and see what they're up, shall we?"

Beth nodded and let Ingrid pull her back towards the control room. This was unlike any encounter with past villains for her. Ingrid was somehow caring and demented at the same time. Moreover, Beth had never wanted to save one of her enemies before. Ingrid was a victim of circumstance and Beth's mistakes, and she wanted to make it right if she could. Manipulating Ingrid felt wrong, but she needed to figure something out. Maybe she could find a way to help her friends, and perhaps she could build a case to argue bringing Ingrid in. That was, of course, assuming Jake and Pam could escape, and that Ingrid could prove she could control herself. Too many unknowns and variables were there for her count, Beth was stuck facing the mystery of what was happening, and what was to come.