Island IV – Meetings · Part 2 (2/21)
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f her fingers, spread over her knees.
“So how was the field trip? I want to hear all the details.”
The trip was the final exam for the Muslim attire class. “We were taken to the ferry terminal, sir. We didn’t go inside, of course.” Women aren’t allowed to enter unless escorted, and even then, only if they were traveling. “We took a long stroll along the Boardwalk, past the shops out to the marina. There were no incidents, other than one loose veil. With the guards, err, the mahram, around us no one came close.”
Ray nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face as he gazed up at the ceiling. “What was it like for you? Did the people out and about stop to stare?”
Barbara shook her head, a rueful look when she replied. “I think there’s a flaw in the program, sir. If wearing a tent is supposed to discourage a man’s attention, well…That isn’t how it worked. I got far more looks than if I’d been parading around in heels and a short, low-cut dress. We got stares from women too, like we were visitors from another planet.”
Ray leered at her. “Parading, we’ll have to do a comparison test. Purely for research purposes, of course.”
Barbara had no illusions as to what his definition of “research” entailed. She looked forward to some ad hoc experimentation.
“We were quite the procession, sir. As instructed, we stayed close together, though it didn’t make a difference. People stopped to watch us go by, men and women. I suspect many of them wondered about how we were evading the law by not displaying our collars. That’s something you’ll have to work on, sir. There needs to be more public awareness here on North Island. I’m not sure how it works on South Island.”
Ray nodded in agreement. “You have a valid point. I hadn’t thought about that. If the practice of virtual concealment becomes widespread, there will be quite a bit of controversy. Push back too, with claims about the loose interpretation of regulations threatening North Island society.
“By the way, I must commend you on a job well done.” On his laptop Ray brought up a group picture, taken just before they left on the final exam excursion. “You’re the one in the black burqa, right?”
“Blue, sir.” The smile on her face gave away her amusement at his confusion. “Surely you can recognize your own property?” She was being facetious. The other woman, Sandy, was the same height. Concealed under the burqas there was no way possible to tell them apart in a picture.
Ray shrugged. “Okay, you got me. Seems this class worked too well for my own good. Unless you spoke a few words there’s no way I could tell you apart. And that’s not allowed, since I’m technically a stranger.”
“Will you continue the program, sir?”
“I think so. The results are promising, and after today’s exhibition the inquiries have started to come in. Would you like to do a TV commercial? Or a YouTube?”
Barbara didn’t like that idea at all. She certainly didn’t want to become a minor celebrity from appearances on ads.
“Don’t worry, it would be in bad taste. We’ll rely on word of mouth and a bit of old boy network instead. I might call on you to be a model, or speak to the next class about your experiences, brief though they were.”
Modeling a burqa had to be one of the easiest jobs around, Barbara told herself. Stand, walk around, show a little…nothing at all. That was the point. She didn’t mind being a sort of mentor to small groups either.
She watched him lean back in his chair, hands clasped behind his head. Suddenly he began to chuckle at some private joke.
“Care to share the humor, sir?” Barbara asked.
Ray leaned forward, righting his chair. He rested his arms on the desk and stared at Barbara intently. “I’m an idiot. There’s a very simple way to tell blue burqa from black. All I have to do is tell you both to sit down.” He pointedly stared at her knees.
I should have seen that one coming, Barbara thought. “That’s cheating, sir! You have me at an unfair advantage. You know very well I’d have to put my hands on my knees. That would give me away immediately.”
She doubted his smile could get any wider. “You’re supposed to be at an unfair advantage. I won’t settle for anything less. Let’s not forget who wears the collar in this relationship.”
That she would never forget. “You win, sir, but then you always do. Oh, who shall save me from this wretched lifetime of oppression?”
Ray shook his head. “It isn’t going to be me. I’m not going to let anyone else try, either.”
“Well, I should hope not, sir. You do have certain obligations I have every right to demand you will fulfill!”
Ray sighed. “Oh Barbara, why didn’t you show up years ago? How did I ever get along without you by my side?”
Virgil’s Story
Policy Change Penny stared at her reflection in the mirror. For about the hundredth time she asked herself the same question, what am I doing here? She had all kinds of answers, none satisfactory. Nor was the question even relevant. She was committed to finish what she started; a change of heart didn’t alter the conditions she agreed to all those months ago.
“Hey! Hurry up, we’re almost out of time!” That was Sheila, her roommate and closest friend here at the Facility. The warning concerned the imminent arrival of the room inspector. Woe to anyone out of place when their door swung open.
Out of habit she took one last look around the bathroom, followed by a quick check of her uniform. Everything had to be right, and the right way wasn’t up to her. In the Facility the men in charge, those in authority over us echoed in her head, set the rules, the one right way.
Sheila was already in her spot at one end of the room. Penny joined her, standing over the “X” marked on the carpet, near her own bed. From the corner of her eye, she saw the clock click over to zero. It wasn’t a real clock; there weren’t any in the Facility, or at least none she’d ever seen. The display counted down the thirty minutes they had to get ready for morning inspection. The two of them shared responsibility for the room. If either of them was out of place when the inspector arrived, they’d both be held accountable and risk losing their precious room.
It was all of about thirty seconds before the door opened. Penny silently voiced a prayer of thanks for Sheila’s warning. For whatever reason, even though their room was in the middle of the dorm corridor they were going to be first in line this morning. When Mr. Owens came in Penny’s first reaction was confusion. He was in overall charge of the semi-private section of the dormitory. Normally he sat at his desk at one end of the hallway, aloof, overseeing the morning activities but never actually getting involved. That was left to Mrs. Yates or one of her assistants.
“Both of you, come out into the corridor and stand by your door. No talking.” He stood to one side, a hand on the room’s door knob. Penny and Sheila filed out and stopped by the door. A quick glance exchanged between the two women confirmed neither of them had any idea of what was going on. Down the hallway, on the other side, Mrs. Yates saw them and also came to a halt. Apparently, she didn’t know what Mr. Owens intended either.
He followed them out into the hall, closing their door behind him. In a loud voice he announced, “Everyone, your attention, please! Stop what you are doing right now. If there are any inspectors already in rooms, leave the door open but I want you to stand still. For those in the corridor, turn and face the wall. I want complete silence.”
Penny immediately turned towards the wall. From the corner of her eye, she saw Sheila do the same. What happened? For Mr. Owens to be issuing orders like this it had to be serious. Mrs. Yates could yell at them, assign them extra chores, but Mr. Owens had far more power over them all. A word from him and someone would be headed to the basement for punishment, always severe and never pleasant. Mrs. Yates wasn’t exempt from his orders either. Like everyone else in the hallway she turned to face the wall.
He wrapped his hand around Penny’s arm and pulled her into the middle of the corridor. She was joined by Sheila, held tightly in his other hand. “You two will go to my desk. Stand in front of it. Do not turn around. Wait for me, quietly.” He let go of their arms.
Direct instructions, clear and concise, no room for ambiguity; that’s the way Penny liked it and no one did it better than Mr. Owens. He didn’t say run, so don’t hurry. Remember what Mrs. Yates said, always obey authority but whenever possible keep your dignity. Show the world who you are. Sheila was keeping pace with Penny.
They heard Mr. Owens continue behind them. “Siobhan? Come with me.” That was Mrs. Yates! He was somewhere behind their backs, but Penny would never dream of turning her head to check. That wasn’t included in his instructions. Penny halted when she reached Mr. Owens’s desk. Sheila stood on her left, as rigid a statue as Penny. A moment later Mrs. Yates arrived, taking a place on Penny’s right.
“Everyone else? You can return to your business. Room inspections may continue. Those who are finished may proceed to the dining room.”
Mr. Owens walked around to stand behind the desk, facing the three women. He lowered his voice. “That doesn’t apply to you three. Stay where you are.”
Opening a desk drawer, he took out a phone and punched in a number. When someone at the other end answered he asked, “Is the room ready?” He frowned at the answer, adding one more comment in reply, “Okay, call me when it’s available, semi-private desk.” He hung up the phone but left the drawer open.
For as long as she’d been at the Facility Penny had never seen any of the men at the dorm desk use that phone before. She had no idea the old-style landline phone was even in the drawer. The desk was strictly off limits, even to Mrs. Yates. None of them would ever approach it unless ordered to do so.
Judging by his frown Mr. Owens was not at all happy with the results of his call. “We have to wait,” he informed the three women. He drummed his fingers on the top of the desk, working off his frustration. Mr. Owens had a reputation that did not include excessive patience.
Penny was worried this delay was not going to be beneficial. Sure enough, she saw his eyes refocus when he turned his full attention to the group standing before him. Sheila was first to be subject to what could only be described as intense scrutiny. Penny saw his eyes sweeping up and down, looking for any small detail out of order in Sheila’s appearance. She passed, which meant Penny was next.
When their eyes met, she felt the raw power emanating from him. Here was a man with a lifetime’s experience controlling women, submissive women like Penny. This wasn’t one of Mrs. Yates inspections. If she didn’t meet his approval he’d act, swiftly and without any hesitation. It wouldn’t be a matter of mopping floors either.
He was intimidating, especially the way he towered over her. But Penny was prepared, thanks to the Facility. Let him look, I know I have it right. She had a newfound confidence that had been sorely lacking the day she walked through the door to the Facility.
Like Sheila she passed. Then Mr. Owens turned his attention to Mrs. Yates. That’s when events unexpectedly veered off in a different direction. Mr. Owens started with the head to toe inspection the first two had received. Then he suddenly stopped, shook his head, and said the words that left Penny in shock.
“Siobhan, your feet are too far apart. Fix it, now! You of all people should know better.” He seemed lost in thought for a moment, before he continued. “I was not satisfied with the state of the bathroom in their room.” He pointed toward Penny and Sheila. “When you have free time, you will go to their room and clean it up. I mean everything, and you do it alone. You will inform me when you have finished. If I’m not satisfied with your efforts we’ll start over, until it’s right. There will be no action taken against these two. Is all that clear?”
That was odd, because he hadn’t spent any time looking over their room, and certainly not the bathroom. Whatever the reason, even though it was inaccurate Penny wasn’t about to contradict him.
This was history in the making. Mrs. Yates, the model of perfection and the personification of terror if she caught anyone else failing to meet her standards, was being harshly corrected by one of the senior guards., and in front of everyone The impossible was unfolding before Penny’s eyes.
“Yes, Mr. Owens. I’ll attend to it as soon as possible.” Her voice was so low Penny had a hard time hearing her acknowledgement. She actually felt sorry for Mrs. Yates. To be reprimanded in public like that must be a terrible embarrassment. Her infraction verged on the trivial, an inadvertent mistake usually handled by a word or two in private, as a reminder. Mr. Owens’ rebuke was unduly severe, but it wasn’t Penny’s place to pass judgment.
The phone rang.
An Unusual Meeting “Sheila, you sit here.” Mr. Owens pulled out a chair. “Penny, this is your seat.” After Penny sat down, he went around to the other side of the table. Opposite Sheila he gestured for Mrs. Yates. “Siobhan, this is your place.” They were all assembled in one of the conference rooms.
“There will be a short delay. You may talk among yourselves while you wait. Do not stand up, change seats or move around. Place your hands on the tabletop, in front, left hand crossed over right.” And with that announcement Mr. Owens left the meeting room, closing the door behind him. He didn’t bother to check if they did as he asked.
Sheila was the first to bring up the obvious question. “Are we in some kind of trouble?” Penny was about to ask the same thing.
Mrs. Yates shook her head. “No, not as far as I know. You two can relax. As you saw, Mr. Owens has an issue with me. That’s not your concern.” She stared down at her hands, carefully pressed onto the tabletop, crossed as ordered.
Penny spoke up, in Mrs. Yates' defense. “I don’t understand that. About our bathroom, he didn’t even….”
“Stop right there!” Penny and Sheila were both taken aback by the ferocity of Siobhan’s interruption. “I was close by when I saw him open your door. I have a good idea about what you were about to say. Don’t go there; you’re not helping.” Penny could hear the barely restrained anger in her voice.
“Look, I made a mistake. Mr. Owens upheld his responsibility to me. I don’t get to skip the rules just because I work here. If anything, a suitable punishment must be all the more severe because I represent the Facility staff. But what upsets me is the idea you would criticize Mr. Owens for his actions toward me. Don’t ever do that! Regardless of your opinion, you do not challenge authority. That’s not who we are. If you haven’t learned that lesson during your time here at the Facility then we’ve failed you.”
Penny didn’t respond. Mrs. Yates was right, as always. Whatever her personal opinion, after the fact, when master’s orders were spoken aloud, the discussion ended there. Fair wasn’t an issue at that point; debate must give way to submission.
She was about to apologize when the door opened. The Director came in and sat down at the head of the table. “I regret the necessity of haste in calling this meeting. This is one of those days when events move at a rapid pace. First, let me assure you this is not a disciplinary matter.” He paused to send a stern look toward Mrs. Yates.
“I’ll get right to it. Penny, Sheila, I’m here to inform you we are reviewing an application for your ownership. You don’t know this man; you’ve never met. Normally you would be interviewed by him first. However, the circumstances here are not typical.”
Sheila spoke up. “Sir? May I ask, why are we both here? Are there two competing candidates?” Penny was confused as well.
“No.” The Director hesitated, gathering his thoughts. “It’s like this: one owner for both of you. He is from North Island, all very legal. As you might imagine, we have no precedent on how to handle this request. Our investigation indicates he is an outstanding choice, an excellent fit for either of you. My personal opinion, I doubt either of you can hope for a better master. However, he is adamant, both of you or he’ll walk away. You are here now because I am inclined to agree to his conditions. However, this is not a unanimous conclusion.”
What Clancy didn’t add was his own conclusion that Penny and Sheila should not be split up. This was a radical departure from the Facility’s reputation for strictly monogamous pairings. They didn’t need to know about the infighting among staff that his decision had caused.
He turned to address Mrs. Yates. “Patience, Siobhan, you’ll have plenty of time to make your arguments. For now, you will remain silent, until I leave.” She was one of the more vocal opponents to his determination to keep the pair together. He allowed her dissent since this was Facility business, not personal.
Facing both women he continued. “Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to leave you alone for a while. Siobhan will have a frank discussion with you about all this. During this meeting you are equals. She is to be addressed as Siobhan, not Mrs. Yates. Keep in mind she is only here to offer her own, personal advice. She does not speak for me or Facility policy. You are free to argue with her or ignore what she says.”
There was a knock at the door. The Director got up to open the door. “You missed breakfast, so I had two trays sent over.” Two trainees, visibly nervous, entered carrying trays from the dining room.
The Director gestured toward Penny. “Give her the first tray. The second one goes there.” He pointed to Sheila.
He stood up after the servers left. “The two of you are free to discuss this proposal at length. Siobhan is here to offer you her perspective, but she will not, I stress not, urge you to either agree or turn it down.” The look he sent Mrs. Yates as he left made it apparent that was a direct command. “If you wish to talk without Siobhan present, you may ask her to leave at any time.”
Penny’s tray contained a plate of scrambled eggs and buttered rye toast, one of her favorites. Sheila had French toast with powdered sugar and syrup. “Mrs. Yates, are you hungry? I can share…”
Siobhan held up her hands. “I already ate. You go ahead, don’t mind me. And you heard the Director, in here I am Siobhan.”
Penny stabbed some egg with her fork. “Sorry. Did I understand the Director correctly? Sheila and I would be sent to North Island, to a common owner?”
Siobhan nodded. “That’s right. This is unprecedented, so there’s no Facility policy to rely on. No candidate has ever been considered from North Island before now. When you two joined us there was an implicit agreement each of you would have a single owner. The Facility does not intend to break that agreement unilaterally. But if you consent to waive established procedure then it is a certainty both of you will have to share one man. Give some careful thought to that.”
Sheila asked a pertinent question. “Will this still be a lifetime agreement? What if he decides to only keep one of us at some point in the future?”
“Yes, you are Facility graduates. You will never be without a man who owns you, on a permanent basis. Bear in mind you’ll be on North Island. You will be his property in every sense of the word; to use, or dispose of, as he sees fit. Their laws recognize no other form of relationship for women. For the two of you, even if your prospective owner doesn’t want one or both of you the property status won’t change, only your ownership registration.”
Penny chewed on her rye toast. That didn’t bother her. Long ago she’d come to terms with a collar around her neck that would never come off. From what she knew of North Island, lurid stories aside, the prospect of living there wasn’t a deal killer. What did bother her is not being exclusive. She turned to look at her friend.
Sheila was poking at her meal, lost in thought. Looking up, she turned to Penny. “North Island, who saw that coming?” She smiled and shrugged. “I assumed coming to the Facility was on the extreme side, but this? Ironic, isn’t it?”
Penny pointed her fork at Siobhan. “I get the impression from the Director you don’t like the idea?”
Siobhan was in an awkward position. “Okay, I’ll say this first. I don’t like straying from Facility policy, especially when it comes to ownership. You heard the Director. I can’t tell you outright if it’s a good or bad idea. I will say I disagree with the Director, but to balance that I’ve been wrong in the past when I doubted his judgement.”
Penny turned back to Sheila. “If we go forward, there’s some matters we need to discuss.” She turned to Siobhan. “Is it possible for Sheila and me to talk privately?”
All For One Both Mrs. Yates and the breakfast trays were gone. The Director had given them half an hour for a private conversation, without anyone listening in.
“I can see some advantages to a dual arrangement,” Sheila began. “Less housework if we split the chores, to start.”
Penny laughed. “I think that’s the least of our worries. How long before we’re ready to claw each other’s eyes out? We’re going to be joined at the hip, forever and a day. Plus, we have to share the same man’s bed. How long before the green-eyed monster of jealousy knocks at the door?”
Sheila nodded. “Yeah, that’s the big question mark.” She stared at the wall. “You know, maybe we’re looking at this the wrong way.”
“Okay, what am I missing?” Even the best of friends are subject to their bad days. Sisters, for that’s what they’d be, more often than not fought constantly.
“You forget about the elephant in the room. We’ll have a common master. It’s his responsibility to ensure we get along. If we argue, and I’m sure we will, we take it to him. Whatever happens after that isn’t up to us. His word is always final; we have to submit to him no matter what he decides is best for us. Isn’t that why we’re here, at the Facility?”
Penny thought about her point. Sheila was right. Would he be even-handed in his treatment of the two of them? Sheila continued, “If our future master leans toward a favorite everything would fall apart. Whoever he is, he must realize that. The Director wouldn’t consider some idiot who didn’t see the obvious.”
Penny said as much. “It comes down to how well we trust the Director.” She stared at Sheila. “I’m willing to keep going. How about you?”
A Glimpse of the Future “Hello! My name is Virgil, Virgil Sorensen. The Director has explained why I’m here this morning? I’d like to start by telling you about myself. Thanks to the Facility I know quite a bit about you two. It seems to me I should return the favor.”
Penny studied the man who had taken Mrs. Yates’ seat across the table. If she had to pick a single word, it would be plain. He wasn’t an ugly man, but no woman would characterize him as handsome either. Instead of a suit he had on a flannel shirt and work jeans. Blue collar, she’d add that to the list.
Penny and Sheila sat across the table. Both sat with their hands crossed on the table, back straight, head up. The man across from them was in charge. Neither would speak without permission.
“I’m originally from Nevada, a town near the Utah border called Mesquite. I grew up there, lived there all my life until coming to the Island. It’s a unique place, but I’ll get to that later. I’m a plumber by trade, right up until I inherited some property from my uncle. Seems this strip of land was between two expanding casinos. Both wanted it, badly. I can tell you the bidding war was extremely profitable for me. These days my new career is managing a portfolio of investments. To keep it short, I’m financially independent, with the resources to support two women as my companions.”
That was a positive for Penny. She was prepared to live within whatever means her master possessed, but more was always better than less. Still, a plumber? She always assumed the Facility’s clientele was drawn from the elite of Island society. What made his case so compelling for the Director? Soft spoken, that was one more for the list, and something of a disappointment.
In an instant her list was wiped clean. Virgil stood up, still facing them. “Pull your chairs in close. Place your arms on the table, hands outstretched towards me, palms down. Now.” He didn’t shout; in fact, he didn’t actually raise his voice at all.
But something changed. Without even thinking about it, Penny did exactly as she was told. She stared at her hands, not quite believing what had just happened. Clear and concise, that was her favorite phrase. The way he spoke with authority, his expression, his body language, it all combined to press every button in Penny’s head. Superman had his kryptonite; her weakness was the commanding voice.
