Clara and the Pursuit of Knowledge - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The gondola came to a slow stop as it reached the end of its journey.  Clara looked around, but no lights were on anywhere on the platform.  She was alone, restrained and for the first time since she'd arrived in Orcadia, really scared.  Surely she wasn't going to be abandoned here after all she'd experienced?

No, that wasn't going to happen!  She wasn't some scared, inexperienced schoolgirl.  She was a grown woman who had travelled far further than the many of the great explorers of her world.  She had seen great wonders and faced great dangers and the inconveniences she faced now were nothing compared to those.  What's more, she had proven herself worthy to the Orcs.  She had complied with the strange customs of the bestial beings and had even participated in one of their great rituals, gaining great honour in the process.  She was valuable to them, and therefore they wouldn't abandon her.  As she came to this realization, she heard strange sound and the platform was suddenly bathed in a brilliant white light.  Blinded and unable to shield her eyes, all she could do was to shut them tightly and wait.

At first all she could hear was the beating of her heart and her sounds of her breath.  Then, the strange noise echoed out and Clara knew she was in the dark once more.  Cautiously she opened her eyes again, but as she did so the lights turned back on again and she was forced to quickly close them once more.

Once more in the darkness she listened intently for a sound, any sound that would give her an idea what was going on.  She thought she could hear soft slow footsteps and cautiously opened her eyes once more.  As she did so, the bright lights once again illuminated the room.

Whoever was coming did not want her to see what was happening!

Clara heard the lights go out once more but this time kept her eyes tightly closed.  Letting herself get accustomed to the dark, she heard the soft footsteps echo across the platform as they approached the gondola.  Then they stopped briefly and she heard the sound of something heavy being dragged across the floor.  The gangplank, she guessed as she felt the gondola move as it was the noise stopped.

The sound of the foots steps changed and by the small vibrations she could feel, the mysterious person was coming about.  A metallic clank and a new shuffling sound told her that they were moving towards where Clara was sat and had to hold onto the chrome pole to do so.  Which meant that the orc was not of the same species as the one who'd sent her on her journey.

The orc stopped by her side and checked her restraints.  Satisfied that she could not move, she could hear a rustling sound.  She tried to open her eyes and see who the mysterious stranger was but before she could do so, she felt something quickly cover her head.  It was some sort of cloth bag, made of a pleasantly soft material.  Clara finally opened her eyes, but all she could see was darkness.

The orc wasn't finished.  She felt his busy hands tie something hard and unyielding around her throat, fixing it in place with a resounding click.  He then moved his hands down her body and undid the bindings on her right arm.  Once her hand was free, Clara instinctively reached for her neck.  Her fingers briefly felt the cold, rounded surface of a metal collar and the bottom of velvet hood, before her knuckles were sharply rapped by what felt like a narrow wooden cane.

They worked quicker now.  Clara stretched herself as her arms and legs were freed and, as the metal disc was removed from between her groin, she tried to sit in a more demure manner.  Her chest bindings were next, allowing her to relax and she waited for the final restraint to be untied.  And waited.....

"So this is the Slaagh that Crothu spoke so highly of", a calm, measured voice whispered in Clara's ear.  "Yet she arrives at my laboratory covered in wasted seed like a common alnu"

"Please sir....," Clara began but she felt the sharp sting of the cane on her left thigh.

"The alnu will not speak until ordered to", the voice continued.  "Does the alnu understand?"

Afraid to be hit again, all Clara could do was nod.

"I'm going to undo the final restraints now.  When you are free to move, you will stay perfectly still.  Does the alnu understand?"

Clara gave another nod.  She was obviously in the hands of some monster, unable to act freely without punishment.  This was terrifying, but yet she felt herself becoming aroused.  The orcs had all been domineering in their own ways; was this a part of her character she hadn't known existed.

She felt the belt around her waist undo but kept still.  She heard the clink of metal upon metal once more as the stranger disembarked the gondola.  She could have gotten up any time, but she couldn't see where to move.  One false step and she'd be over the side, falling to her doom, alone in a strange land.

"The alnu will raise it's hand and reach for the support."  Clara's hand felt for the chrome bar and grasped it tightly.

"The alnu will stand."  Still holding on tightly, she stood, feeling the gondola rocking slightly.  She tried to sit down again, but she felt a stinging sensation on her right buttock.

"The alnu will step on the gondola edge."  She raised her and gently lowered it until it touched the edge.  Holding onto the chrome bar with both hands now, she raised her other foot and placed it next to the other.

For a while there was no further command as Clara struggled to retain her precarious balance.  Then the voice spoke again.  "The alnu will shuffle towards me the length of three of her paces and turn herself around."

Clara moved along the gondola edge and then stopped.  Carefully she let go of the pole with her right hand and began to turn herself slowly around.  When she turned to face what she believed was the opposite way to that she'd been facing, she tried to reach behind her with her free hand.

The cane struck as quick as lightning on her shoulder.  "The alnu will not hold on like a coward.  She will let go of the pole and then step forward.  Does the alnu understand."  Clara winced but let go of the pole.  For a moment she rocked unsteadily and then stepped forward.......

Fearful of stepping into the void, Clara sighed with relief as her bare foot hit the wooden gangplank.  Wasting no time she hurried onwards until she could feel the cold stone floor of the platform and she sank down onto her knees, glad that the ordeal was over.

"The alnu shows potential," the cold, calm voice said.  "It knows when to obey its superior.  Whether this is out of fear or trust, we will need to discern in later experiments."

It walked to Clara's side and lifted her head.  Quickly he reached down and attached something to the metal collar around her neck.  Standing up, he raised his arm and Clara felt something pull her upwards.  She had not only been collared, she'd been leashed as well!

"Come," he said, pulling her towards him as he walked away from the gondola.  With no choice in the matter, Clara stumbled after him.  She tried to keep her balance by bracing herself against the corridor walls but her tormentors pace was too fast and she ended up walking in the centre of the corridor to avoid any further battering and abrasions.  How long they walked she couldn't say but soon the stone of the corridors turned to the rough rock of an underground tunnel.

"The alnu will stop and turn right," the voice said suddenly.  Clara froze and she could hear the sound of a heavy door open.  "The alnu will then enter the chamber and take five of its paces forwards.  It will then wait for further instructions.  Does the alnu understand?"

Clara nodded quickly and stepped forward, her hands touching the frame of the door as she passed through it.  Whether or not she took the required number of steps she didn't know, but she obviously had gone far enough to please him as she didn't feel the whip on her exposed skin.

She stood still and could hear the door close ominously behind her.  "Norman Stanley Fletcher," she thought, the sound reminding her of the old TV Series' opening titles.  She suppressed a grin, although no one could see it under her hood and awaited the next command.

After ten minutes of waiting for a further command, Clara cautiously lifted up the hood and looked around her.  She'd expected to be in some great hall or well equipped laboratory, but instead she was in a something that resembled a small bed-sit.  The walls, floor and ceiling were all of rough stone, but whoever furnished it had at least a passing understanding of what made a human comfortable.

In the centre of the room was a rough, wooden table with two chairs on either side of it.  Two covered dishes rested on top of it, with a clay bottle and two clay beakers next to it.  Beyond that two chairs, obviously scavenged from a crashed vehicle were placed next next to an open fireplace.  There was no fire going at the moment, but Clara didn't feel cold.

She turned around and saw two archways, one with a small set of stairs leading up, the other with a similar staircase leading down.  She took the one going down first and found it led to a small bathroom, containing a very rough gardirobe toilet and a shower.  It also contained a sheet of metal screwed to the wall and as Clara turned the water on to test, she turned back to see her reflection looking back at her in its highly polished surface.

For a moment, she didn't recognize herself in mirror.  She no longer looked like the well-dressed young lady that she had been before she'd decided to go exploring.  Her hair was matted and straggly with sweat.  Her body bruised, with the stripes she received from the cane showing prominently.  Her face looked tired and haggard as if she hadn't slept for days, yet she still had a glazed, sexually aroused look in her eyes.  Worst of all, her chin and upper body were still coated with the strange seed of the orc that had orgasmed on her earlier.  The juices were now mixed with her own sweat and had been dried on her strange journey forming a sticky layer.  Despite this, the woman in the reflection seemed to be still somewhat aroused, her nipples hard and the once secret place between her thighs glistening.

After a few moments, Clara turned again to the shower and stuck her hand under the flowing water.  The water was lukewarm at best, but Clara didn't hesitate to step into the shower.  As she scrubbed the accumulated 'dirt' off of her body, she started to feel like the old Clara.

She also took a look in the mirror at the collar which now adorned her neck.  It was a metal circle, maybe half a centimeter high and it looked totally solid.  There was an eyelet where a leash could be attached, but apart from that it was totally featureless.  She'd have to have a closer look at it once she'd finished showering.

Having rinsed herself, she looked around for some soap, but could only find a small bottle on a nearby shelf.  Opening it, she could smell a sweet and familiar scent (although from where she couldn't place)   and she tipped a little of its contents, a clear oil into her hand.  The oil, when mixed with the water, acted as a combined body wash and shampoo and soon she was feeling fresh and clean once more.

She stepped out of the shower and looked around for a towel.  There didn't seem to be any so she walked naked out of the bathroom and into the main room, but there was nothing she could use to dry herself there either.  That just left the unexplored room, so she climbed the small staircase.

This was a bedroom with two rough cots arranged next to each other.  Each was covered with a blanket and Clara picked one up to dry herself.   The blanket was rough against her skin, but it did the job effectively.  When she was satisfied she was dry enough, she wrapped the blanket around her body and returned to the main room.

She approached the table and lifted the cover of one of the plates.  Beneath it was a strange mixture of meats and fungi, that smelled....  that smelled.... absolutely bloody marvelous.  She hadn't realized how ravenously hungry she was and realized that it had been some considerable time since she'd last eaten.  There was no sign of any utensils, so she picked up a handful of food and put it into her mouth.  It was cold and tasted unusual, but after a few more mouthfuls she found she'd couldn't remember anything in her entire life that had tasted better.

Feeling thirsty, she reached for the clay bottle and one of the beakers.  The bottle was full, so she carefully poured out a small amount and sipped it.  Immediately she coughed as the fumes from the acrid liquid hit the back of her throat.  It was obviously some form of local alcohol and to be honest, the taste didn't appeal to her.  Instead, she returned to the bathroom and after swilling out the beaker to get rid of the foul liquid, she filled it with water from the shower.

As she came back to the main room, she suddenly realized something.  There were two of everything!  She was going to have company!

---

The Doctor was angry.  "Where's Clara?"

Crothu smiled.  "Don't worry, Doctor," he said calmly.  "She's perfectly safe."

The Doctor and Crothu stood face to face in the orc temple.  "If you've harmed her in any way," he said slowly and deliberately "then you will face the wrath of a Time Lord"

The look in his eyes chilled Crothu to the bone and he remembered tales he'd heard of the Time War.  The very future of his people were now in the hands of two aliens and he had to tread carefully.

---

Clara sat up suddenly and looked around.  The room was in semi-darkness, lit by a single candle on a now cleared table.  She'd sat down on one of the chairs by the fireplace to wait for the room's other occupant to turn up, and must have drifted off to sleep. But, before she'd eaten, she hadn't been tired.  Had the food been drugged, she wondered and if so, how had she been out?

Still if the food was gone, then her 'roommate' [or was it cellmate?] must have eaten and may also have been drugged.  Perhaps she was asleep in the other room.  Grabbing the candle she went into the sleeping chamber, but was disappointed to find it empty.  The other bed did look like it had been slept in though.  As she pondered the strange turn of events, she heard the chamber door open.  Dropping the blanket she'd still had wrapped around her, she ran to back to see who was there.

No one.  The door was open but she was still alone.  Pausing for a moment, she weighed up her options.  She could stay in the room until collected by....... someone.  Or she could go exploring and find out what was really going on.   The first option was probably safer, but that  really wasn't her thing.  So she stepped out of the room, looking both ways down the corridor as she did so.

---

"The alnu shows signs of curiousity and independent thinking.  Still, it took her some time before she took the decision of remove the hood so she also understands the concept of obedience.  Furthermore, she made the assumption that she had been locked into the sleeping chamber, when it was possible to open the door through a mixture of strength and manual dexterity.  This implies that she possesses mid-level intelligence and problem solving abilities.  Today we will test these assumptions further."

---

Clara chose to go right.  She had the idea that she'd come from the other direction after she had disembarked.  If she was going to be tested, it was more likely that she'd need to go deeper into the complex, not back the way she'd come.

Her hunch turned out to be right.  Though initially, the passage had been merely a roughly hewn tunnel, it turned into something entirely different several yards further on.  At first, the tunnel had been lit by more of those strange smelling candles, but after a while there she began to see a brighter, more constant light.  The tunnel had also been quite twisty, but once she'd turned a particularly sharp  corner she found herself looking at something that resembled a tube station.

The curved walls were tiled with pale green tiles and from the ceiling, neon lights hung.  Crothu had certainly been right when he'd said other places on Orcadia were more high-tech than where she'd first arrived. There were alcoves spaced evenly down the tunnel, roughly every fifty to one hundred feet or so and she decided to investigate further.

She'd just reached the first alcove, when she heard a large rumbling behind her.  She quickly turned around, just in time to see a pair of heavy metal doors slide across the tunnel, blocking her path back to her shelter.  She started to approach them, but stopped.  The doors were completely smooth, making them impossible to manually open, even if she'd been strong enough to do so.

No, she could only go on.

There was no point in going back, Clara thought so she started to investigate the alcoves.  Entering the nearest one, she was surprised when the wall in front of her opened to reveal a small room, empty apart from what looked like a tanning booth.

"The alnu will enter the evaluator," a voice echoed around the room.  Clara tried unsuccessfully to locate its source and entered the room.  Behind her, the wall closed and refused to open when she approached it once more.  At the same time, she heard an hiss as the booth's door opened.

"The alnu WILL enter he evaluator."  The voice echoed, louder and in a far firmer tone.

Clara had had enough.  "I am not an alnu, what ever the f*ck that is!"  she snapped.  "I have a name.  I'm Clara Oswald, use it.  Until you do, I'm not doing anything"

A small screen lowered from the ceiling, attached to a mechanical arm.  Moving in front of Clara's face, it flickered into life.  "An alnu," the voice continued "is the lowest form of breeder.  When a male generates the sacred seed when the time is wrong, they will need to shug or else they will not generate seed at the correct time.    When this happens, they will use a female that cannot whelp, marking her with their seed to show their clan their shame."

"The Alnu Claraoswald will enter the evaluator or else...."

"Or else what?"

The screen flickered.  On it, Clara could see a young girl suspended naked from what looked like a metal crossbeam.  No, it was a young HUMAN girl, probably no more than in her late teens or early 20's.  She was facing away from the screen, but the way her head slumped and the thin cane marks on her shoulders told Clara she'd been through quite an ordeal.

"This is your roommate.  If you hadn't fallen asleep last night you would have met her.  I have been testing her for some time now and she has helped me develop several interesting lines of research.  However for some while now I suspect I have gotten all that I can from her and am faced with two choices,

"The first is to return her to the settlement.  There she will be treated with some measure of respect while she recovers and at some point she will be returned to her people.  The other option is to conclude my experiments.  Her species can be bred at any time and will soon be at her most fertile.  Several clans have expressed interest in seeing if she would produce viable offspring, but I have held off deciding."

"I now leave her fate in your hands.  If you co-operate fully, she will be spared.  Otherwise she will conclude her role in my experiments."

The screen rose to the ceiling once more and the door to the booth opened.  Clara knew she could only do one thing.  "All right, you bastard," she said striding into the booth, "Let's get it over with"

The door closed behind her.

Continued in Chapter 3

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