Nora Spy Chronicles: KSI Days

Chapter 6: Taste Of Victory

Dudley returned to Harleen's room, checking to see how she was holding up. He found her sitting in the same chair, bound and gagged, sweat glistening on her forehead. Her eyes widened in relief and a hint of amusement when she saw him.

"Are you okay?" Dudley asked, looking directly into her eyes.

Harleen responded with a muffled "mmphh" and a nod, managing a smile despite her predicament. Dudley could see that she was genuinely committed to experiencing the full scope of the kidnapping exercise. He admired her resolve.

"Do you want to get out now?" Dudley inquired.

Harleen shook her head, her hair damp with sweat, and mumbled through the gag that she wanted to continue for the full six hours. Dudley respected her dedication to the exercise.

"Alright," he said, moving to the table where her wallet and other belongings were. As he talked to her, he discreetly slipped the access card from her wallet into his pocket. Harleen, preoccupied with her discomfort and struggle, didn't notice.

Dudley observed the large sweat marks forming under Harleen's armpits and the sheen of perspiration on her forehead. The tape around her mouth, which had initially seemed tight, now appeared almost constricting as her skin glistened with moisture. The gag felt even more restrictive with each passing minute.

"I need to wrap up a task and will be back pretty late," Dudley informed her. "For your safety, I'm going to bring one of the patrol guards to check on you. Is that okay?"

Harleen hesitated but then nodded, nervously agreeing to let the patrol guards see her in this vulnerable state.

Dudley left and soon returned with two guards. Their eyes widened in shock upon seeing their boss lady bound and gagged. Dudley quickly explained, "This is for her experience and part of our exercise." Harleen nodded to confirm, her gag muffling any attempt at speech. The guards, though confused, accepted the explanation given their boss's consent.

With the guards now aware of the situation, Dudley felt a wave of relief. His plan had worked better than he had anticipated. The guards wouldn't trigger any alarms, believing this was all part of a planned exercise.

Dudley then went to his bunker. Both Nora and Veronica, still gagged, exclaimed through their gags in excitement when they saw the access card. Dudley took out a bag containing Syndicate outfits.

"I'll let you two free now and remove the gag and tape," he said. He started with Veronica. Once ungagged, Veronica immediately began sharing her experience.

"It was tougher than I imagined," Veronica said, rubbing her sore jaw. "The gag was so effective. I could barely make a sound."

Nora, once freed, added, "Same here. It felt like my mouth was being pried open the entire time. But I guess that was the point."

Dudley handed them the outfits. "Change into these. We need to get into the secret room to retrieve the data." Both women nodded and began changing. Their mouths still showed the red marks from the hours of being gagged.

As they dressed, Veronica said, "The gag's effects are still lingering. My jaw feels stiff."

Nora agreed, "Mine too. But it was necessary. We needed to experience the real deal to understand the stakes."

Dudley apologized, "I'm sorry if it was too rough."

Veronica shook her head, "It was necessary, Dudley. We needed to be prepared for anything."

Nora added, "It was an eye-opening experience. Thank you for that."

Once they were ready, the trio approached the secret room. Dudley swiped the access card, and the door opened. Nora asked, "Are you both ready?" Dudley and Veronica nodded.

Inside, they found a supercomputer with servers loaded with data. Dudley handed Veronica an encrypted key drive to transfer the data. Being the tech expert, Veronica took the lead and started breaking into the system. She succeeded on the first attempt.

"Just another day," Veronica said with a smile as the data transfer began. The screens showed files on various crimes and corrupt government officials.

As the transfer neared 90% completion, they heard the sound of guards patrolling outside. Fear gripped them; their cover might be blown.

The guards chatted about their routines outside the door. Suddenly, Nora saw a giant spider in the room. She panicked, almost screaming. Dudley quickly grabbed her from behind, clamping his hand over her mouth. Nora's eyes widened as she mumbled, "SPIDERRR," through the handgag. After a tense minute, Veronica managed to calm her down.

Dudley released his handgag. Nora, embarrassed, whispered, "Sorry, I almost blew our cover."

Veronica smiled reassuringly, "It's okay, Nora. This happens. We’re all on edge."

Nora nodded, "Thanks. I just didn’t want to mess things up."

"You didn’t," Veronica said. "You actually gave me the will to endure the experience of being bound and gagged. Your courage inspired me."

Nora smiled, feeling reassured. The data transfer completed, and the trio prepared to make their escape. As they moved towards the exit, they heard the guards outside, heightening the suspense.

The guards continued their patrol without noticing the trio inside. Finally, the coast was clear, and they made their way out, relieved but wary of any further obstacles.