City in Chains - Too Good to be True

Posted on Fri Jun 12th, 2026 @ 8:11pm by Cassandra Lennox & Brigadier Paul Felton

2,011 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Before
Location: Grand Hotel, York
Timeline: Two Years Ago

Lady Pennington's limo arrived at the Grand Hotel. The driver quickly got out and made his way to open the passenger door facing and opened the car door for his patron and her guests. A liveried doorman greeted Lady Pennington and ushered them into a posh lobby, A dozen or so British Army officers were in the lobby. Lady Pennington gestured to the VIP elevator. "This way ladies." Quite a few eyes looked in their direction and followed them as they made their way to the elevator. "You're probably in one of the safest places in York at the moment. Many of the 4th Mechanized Brigade's senior officers, as well as, several members of the Privy Council reside here."

Casandra felt more and more uneasy as she saw the men leering at them as they walked. “Privy council?” Cassandra asked with a frown. Last she had heard any of the royal family were in Scotland in the highlands.

Lady Pennington chuckled lightly as she took out a key card and waved it over the sensor at the bottom of the lift control panel. "No dear. Not that Privy Council. When the 4th Brigade and her affiliated battalions reached York from Catterick Garrison there was a great deal of civil unrest. The City Council was relatively intact, but there was a great deal of political infighting. The commander of the 19th Reserve Brigade was himself a Reserve officer. Resources were being squandered. Brigadier Felton took charge, he disbanded the City Council and restored temporary order. He then had put civilian leaders with expertise in such things as infrastructure, waste management, logistics, medicine, agriculture and emergency services together as an advisory body. The security we have is from Brigadier Felton's insite into putting together and having his soldiers actually working with experts who knew what they was truly needed to protect York from outside threats weather living or undead. York still is having some, what you might call, growing pains. However, it's now generally safe. Though there are some notable changes that have been needed to maintain order." She gave the women a congenial smile as the lift began ascending.

Cassandra smiled back. She could feel her heart beating hard in her chest. She could not place what exactly felt wrong, but so many red flags were going off in her head that she was surprised she was able to keep a straight face. She glanced at the other 2 women, and neither of them looked like they felt like they were in danger. "I appreciate all the hospitality, but I would have stayed at the wall," Cassandra said thoughtfully, thinking she vaguely knew where they were from a few weekends in York.

Lady Pennington shook her head. She even gave a slight shudder. "No dear. You would not want to try and find shelter along the wall. There are still the occasional breaches by the Zed Heads. There's also a few unsavory types that would prey on lovely young woman such as yourselves and they would want to take more than just your belongings. I saw you ladies and knew I had to protect you from that." The lift stopped on the fourth floor. The doors opened on to a corridor that was clean, even extravagant.

A young, attractive woman in her mid 20s stepped out into the hallway. She was clad in a comfortable looking pair of sweat pants and a Manchester United t-shirt. She spotted Lady Pennington and the newcomers.

Lady Pennington spotted the woman immediately. "Claire, good. We have some new arrivals. Would you be a dear and give these ladies a tour of the floor and find them accommodations?"

Claire eyed the women for a moment before nodding at Lady Pennington. "Of course mum." She beckoned to the three women as she walked up to a door near the elevator with the number 401 on a placard just above the peep hole.

The Asian and Scottish woman took a couple of steps and joined Claire by the door.

Claire watched as Lady Pennington swiped her card into a slot underneath the lift call button and disappeared a moment later. She looked at the three women. "There's something you need to know. Don't resist. Things can get very unpleasant if you do."

Cassandra looked at the woman and frowned. She knew it was too good to be true, and hours later, as she stood chained to a wall for fighting and making it impossible for them to have their way with her, she knew just how unpleasant they wanted to make it. Cassandra had thought and screamed, making it impossible, so they had bound her and left her there guarded by a girl who was barely 20 and a man who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.

Lady Pennington entered the room. She paused, a frown of annoyance on her face. She finally shook her head and walked over to Cassandra chained to the wall. “You attacked Colonel Brighton. Scratched his face. That simply won't do.” She gestured to the door. “This place is where the senior officers of the brigade come for…relaxation, comfort and pleasure. Had you simply complied, you would have been provided warm shelter, good food and been saved from the hardships that so many face.”

"You are a traitor to all women..." Cassandra said shortly, the man was lucky she had gotten just his face before she was stopped. If she ever made it out of there alive, she would remember this woman's name and face and get revenge one day. "I told you I just wanted to leave." She hissed. "You caused this."

Lady Pennington quirked an eyebrow as she crossed to the table along the wall. "I caused this?" She removed a knife from one of the pouches in the bundle. "I don't recall giving instructions for anyone to attack an officer who has been instrumental in saving York. You decided to do that. You were provided with a shower, medical treatment, food." She gestured at the dress Cassandra was wearing. "Even fine clothes. You were only told one thing. Be nice to our benefactors."

"I did not want that," Cassie yelled as she fought against the ropes. "You lied. You promised one night, and then I could leave." The female guard looked confused at the situation before the male shook his head. He did not want to hear any of this.

"Can we just gag her?" The man asked.

Lady Pennington glanced at the male guard. She let out a soft sigh. "If you find your duties here distasteful then I will see you're reassigned to another post. Perhaps you would prefer being assigned to routing the Zed Heads from the sewers." She turned back to Cassandra and snapped her fingers. "Bring her in." The man that had entered with Lady Pennington opened the door and dragged the Scottish girl from earlier in and threw her to the floor. "You will bear witness to what happens when someone doesn't act nice to our officers." She stepped over to Cassandra and brought the blade across Cassandra's abdomen in a shallow cut.

Cassandra looked at the man and the girl with him, neither of them looked like they wanted to be there, and maybe she could use that to her advantage, but it was the woman from earlier that surprised her. She let out a curse word as the knife cut across her.

Lady Pennington slapped Cassandra across the face, an admonitioning expression on her face. "Language like that is not tolerated here." She drew the knife across Cassandra's stomach a second time in the opposite direction. She held the bloodied blade aloft for Cassandra to look at. "Have you learned your place yet or do you need to see another lesson." Her eyes went to the Scottish woman on her knees.

“You are a psycho bitch.” Cassandra declared. “If I ever get out you are dead.” She added for effect bucking against the restraints even as the woman did several more cuts. She was going to survive this and make the woman pay one day.

Lady Pennington drew the blade across Cassandra's abdomen one more time. She then wiped the blade on Cassandra's sleeve to clean it. She turned to the Scottish girl. "This is what happens when girls are disobedient. It's obvious that correction is not going to be effective in this case. She will be removed to the detention center. If she is lucky, she'll find herself sentenced to service in the brothels. She struck a senior officer though. She could very well be facing execution." She lifted the Scottish girl's face with a light finger lift. "You have a decision to make. You provide comfort to the officers that command those who provide and protect. You live in relative comfort, have good meals. You may even receive rewards if you show a talent for...comfort. I will let you think on it." She nodded to the two men in the room. "Take her back to her room."

Lady Pennington turned to the female guard after the others left. "Take this one to the detention center. Shoot her if she tries to escape." The female guard nodded, and Lady Pennington left the room.

Cassandra gathered herself as the woman left and looked at the guard. "That will be you if you do not get out of here." She hissed as she sat up and winced as it only made the pain and bleeding worse, but pain kept her sharp.

The female guard reminded silent for a moment. She walked over to a cabinet and took out a first aid kit which she placed on a nightstand next to a cot in the corner of the room. She then unshackled Cassandra and led her to the cot. "We need to get the bleeding stopped and then...then I will help you escape."

Cassandra raised an eyebrow at the girl as she pressed gauze into her stomach. "And why exactly would you help me escape?" Cassandra asked quietly seeing just how young she was now that they were closer.

The female guard was quiet for a moment. "A year ago, before all this started. I was raped by my basic training sergeant. I tried to report it and...since my accusation wasn't corroborated by evidence. I was the one reprimanded and knocked back two weeks in training. I've seen too much bad since the Fall began. Seen Lady Pennington turn several dozen women into sex slaves. Whether it's here cattering to the senior officers and York's civilian elite; or sent to the common brothels that service the enlisted and junior officers. That's why I am going to help you. If I don't. You'll either end up dead or a slave."

"Good girl," Cassandra said quietly as the woman started to tend to the wounds. "What is your name?" Cassandra asked, trying to make conversation to distract herself from the pain.

"My name is Private Newton, Amelia Newton." Amelia finished wrapping gauze across Cassandra's abdomen and taping it all in place. The bleeding had stopped for the moment, but it was all she could do for the moment. "That is the best I can do. You'll need to clean and redress the wounds. Ready to get out of here?"

"Amelia... My name is Cassie." Cassandra said slowly standing up and looking to where some clothes were left for her. She quickly dressed in them. "Can we get any of my gear?" She wondered how easy that would be, seeing how it had to be early morning now.

Amelia looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "I know where they keep the gear confiscated from new arrivals." She gave Cassandra a quick once over. "You ready?"

“As our ever be.” Cassandra said quietly taking a deep breath as she grabbed up the knife that had been left with her blood on it. “Lead the way.” She instructed firmly. She was going to come back one day and burn this whole bloody city to the ground.

 

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