“But Captain, do you not think we should first provide her with medical attention?” Eberhart asked his commanding officer. They were in the headquarters infirmary, standing on opposite sides of a gurney on which lay the unconscious body of Andrea Baum, breathing shallowly and covered by a thin cotton sheet. Gerber had provided the authorization to claim her from the police, who reluctantly released her to Western Intelligence despite the bizarre circumstances of her discovery at Potsdamer Platz. Inspector Lang had insisted the injured woman be taken to a hospital, but Gerber lied that his division was able to handle medical emergencies. As the infirmary offered little more than a dispensary and a few recovery beds, this was hardly the case.

“With less than twelve hours to find Sascha Busch and the safe house, we do not have time for doctors to patch her up.” Gerber spoke with more than a touch of disdain. “Besides, the last thing I want is to make this troublesome bitch comfortable. I’ve called for Lieutenant Hertz. He has some medical training and will be able to assess how we can best persuade Baum to assist us.”

Eberhart shook his head slowly. “You mean… interrogation.”

“How else can we get her to tell us?”

“I suppose you are right. But how can we be sure she won’t lie to us again? Even under torture, she may lead us astray.”

“Baum is unaware that our time is limited,” said Gerber. “As far as she’s concerned, we can easily verify anything she tells us. If she lies, she knows we will continue the interrogation until she finally breaks. She will realize quickly that stalling us with fabrications will only make things worse for her.”

As Gerber explained his plans to Eberhart, a tall, lugubrious man entered the infirmary and joined them. “I assume this is the woman you want me to examine?” asked Lieutenant Hertz. Gerber nodded. “My medical expertise is elementary at best, Captain, so my evaluation will be quite rudimentary.”

“I understand. We need to know only whether she is fit for interrogation, so do not concern yourself with her recovery. Her long-term survival is unimportant.” Gerber pulled away the sheet covering Andrea, leaving her completely exposed to the men’s gaze.

Hertz whistled. “Nice body… but it looks like she’s already been interrogated.”

“She has. But not by us. We suspect the KGB got to her first.”

“The poor girl’s got a lot of enemies. I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes.” Hertz quickly executed his examination, probing Andrea’s body and using the few basic instruments available in the room. He pointed to her wrists and ankles, which had been tightly bound to the gurney rails. “Is she dangerous?”

“Flight risk,” said Gerber. “We’re not taking any chances.”

“You needn’t have bothered. She’s not going anywhere – heavily sedated, badly beaten, repeated sexual assaults… she couldn’t stand up, let alone make her way out of here. And those words burned into her tits? That’s not interrogation, that’s pure sadism. Someone wanted to destroy what she would be most proud of.”

“More likely they wanted to leave her a reminder. Double agents are not held in very high regard. But the burns are superficial, and I don’t care how many times she was raped. I need to know whether she can take more… whether she’s strong enough to endure another session.”

Hertz knew the answer his boss wanted to hear, but he wasn’t about to lie and risk being held responsible for the consequences. “She’s suffering from multiple internal injuries which I can’t begin to diagnose. Her heart rate is rapid and her blood pressure is way too high. Just using the stimulants needed to bring her around would be risky. Any further physical abuse could give her a coronary or accelerate the internal bleeding. This woman could already be dying. She needs treatment, not more mistreatment.”

“Damn!” Gerber clenched his fists but kept his temper under control. “Thank you, Lieutenant. You are dismissed.” After Hertz left the infirmary, Gerber turned to Eberhart. “Lieutenant Klammer is waiting in my office. I told her the three of us would confer before we proceed.” They walked out of the room, callously leaving Andrea uncovered on the gurney.

Chapter 2

“It had to be a KGB interrogation,” said Eberhart. “Who else could it be? It was brutal and unrefined… with beatings and sexual assault, and that bizarre tattooing of her breasts, it’s obviously the work of those ham-fisted deviants.” He looked at Lena and Gerber. Neither was as convinced as he was.

Gerber thought for a moment. Like Eberhart, he could think of no other suspects. “I agree that’s the most likely scenario, but it still doesn’t add up. If we are right about Baum working for the East, and if she delivered Fuchs to them as ordered, then she should be promoted, not tortured. It also appears Fuchs was successfully interrogated, perhaps by Baum herself, and revealed the location of the documents. Again, there is no reason for the KGB to punish their own agent. And most perplexing of all, why dump her on our doorstep… still alive and…”

“Clearly we are missing a significant piece of the puzzle,” Lena interjected. “For reasons we don’t know, Baum managed to piss off her own side. The KGB has deemed her worthless, both to themselves and to us, and ditched her body here – thinking she was dead or dying – perhaps as a warning to other potential troublemakers. The details do not matter. What is important is that Baum may be able to identify Busch and the safe house location, even if she knows nothing about what Fuchs may have confessed. Our one high card in this game is that no one in the East is aware that we know Busch will be holding the documents for pick-up. If they were, they would have made certain Baum was dead.”

“She may as well be,” sighed Gerber. “Your theory is a good one, Lieutenant, but it appears Agent Baum is likely to die before she reveals anything under interrogation. Can we afford to risk killing our only lead?”

“We have no choice, Captain,” said Lena coldly. “Like you said, if we do not try to get her to talk, she will be just as useless to us as if she were dead. Fortunately, I think there is a way to minimize the likelihood of Baum expiring prematurely.”

Gerber raised his eyebrows. “Really? I never considered you much of an expert when it came to such matters.”

“Let’s just say I have a vested interest in this case. I know Andrea Baum very well, something which gives me a distinct advantage were I to oversee her interrogation.”

“You are asking to direct the proceedings?” Eberhart could not conceal his surprise. “Do you think that is wise? As I recall, you and Baum were once exceptionally, um… close.”

“Andrea Baum betrayed all of us in the West, but she also betrayed me personally… and on a much deeper level. I told you earlier I would be first in line to ensure she pays for her misdeeds, so here I am to prove it.”

“I can see that you are motivated, Lieutenant Klammer,” said Gerber. “However, you seem more driven to exact revenge than to extract information. With Baum barely alive, I cannot take the chance that you will let your anger cloud your judgement.”

Lena paused, not sure how much she should reveal to the two men. “Not all my anger is directed at Baum.”

“What does that mean?” Gerber was growing impatient.

“Let’s just say someone came between us, and I know Agent Baum would rather see harm come to herself than someone she loves. We can get Baum to tell us all she knows, and we won’t even have to touch her.”

“So you are suggesting we torture an innocent civilian to get Baum to talk?” Eberhart was aghast. “Out of the question! We will not lower ourselves to the standards of the East.”

“She’s hardly a civilian,” said Lena coyly. “And she definitely is not innocent.”

Chapter 3

Lena had never been to the submarine. Like a handful of senior staff, she had heard of it, but few of her assignments involved the extreme interrogations held there. She certainly had had no interest in the brutal ministrations conducted by Metzger and his team… until now. So Gerber was surprised when Lena suggested Andrea be taken there along with Nina Strom. Even more surprising was her request for Metzger to assist her. Gerber had always thought Lena was one of his more soft-hearted lieutenants. She and Eberhart had always been the first to defend Andrea when they still had hopes of turning her. Apparently Lena could become a very different person when spurned.

Gerber had expressed interest in watching her interrogate Andrea, but Lena insisted only she and Metzger were to witness the session. Eberhart, as always, was happy not to be invited. He still felt some sympathy for Andrea, despite her betrayals, and could take no pleasure from her suffering, even if he agreed that such measures were necessary in order to prevent Western intelligence being compromised. So Andrea descended to the nethermost floor of the building alone, joining Metzger in the converted alcove he used for his most intense work.

Lena presented him with a one page script she had prepared after her meeting with Gerber and Eberhart. Metzger skimmed it quickly. “Seems clear enough. It will take me a few minutes to prepare. One of our subjects already has arrived, so I’ll begin with her.” From behind a partition, he pulled the gurney on which lay the still unconscious and naked body of Andrea. “I think I have just the place for this one – another one of my custom made devices.” Metzger pointed to a five foot wide metal bulkhead rising from the floor almost to the ceiling.

“Looks like just another wall,” said Lena, unimpressed.

“It’s much more than that. In fact, it’s a veritable Swiss army knife of punishment.”

“Remember not to get carried away with her. We need Baum to talk, and she won’t last long. That’s why your initial focus should be on the second subject.”

“I understand,” said Metzger. “An example.”

“You could call her that. She is a fellow agent of Baum’s, but also much more than that. She should be here shortly, at which time I encourage you to exploit her presence to maximum advantage.”

“You mean I should…”

“You know exactly what I mean.” Lena counted four remote control cameras mounted to the walls and two more on a pair of tripods. “The closed circuit feed runs to an observation room I assume?”

“Yes. It’s located on the other side of the stairwell and has a full suite of video monitoring equipment.”

“Then I will watch the proceedings from there. It is imperative that Andrea Baum remain unaware that I am here… at least for now. I assume, based on my instructions, you are comfortable with our objective?” Metzger nodded. As he began untying Andrea’s wrists and ankles from the gurney, Lena walked towards the observation room, leaving him to begin his work alone.

Chapter 4

Lena sat back in a leather, high-backed chair facing a console bedecked with numerous controls and three video monitors. The screen which held her interest was the one in the middle, which gave the largest and clearest view of Metzger’s endeavours. While he finished his preparations, Lena had spent the past fifteen minutes mastering the operation of the remote cameras. Now it was time to enjoy the show.

Seeing how Metzger had secured Andrea to his newest contrivance, Lena understood why it was much more than just an innocuous metal bulkhead. Using a hand-held controller, he had released four steel rods which moved up and down along two vertical grooves running the length of the device. The grooves were four feet apart, each one about six inches from the outside edge of the bulkhead. Two rods emerged from each groove, one near the top and one near the bottom. The rods extended about a foot out of the grooves, and each one had an adjustable manacle attached to its tip.

Andrea’s wrists and ankles had been tightly cuffed in the manacles, drawing her limbs toward the four corners of the apparatus. Using the controller, Metzger had moved the rods until they were positioned to stretch Andrea’s body spread eagle to its limits, her feet just inches off the floor. The results were striking. Andrea was splayed out like a pinned butterfly, seemingly hovering in thin air a foot in front of the bulkhead. Despite her injuries and dishevelled appearance, she looked absolutely stunning, a glistening, naked trophy displayed for the amusement of her tormentors. Lena could not help but become instantly aroused.

To revive his unconscious victim, Metzger pressed a button on the controller. A panel directly behind Andrea’s backside slid open, allowing a mechanical arm to emerge. Mounted to the arm were six syringes, each apparently filled with a different drug. The device moved forward until the needles lightly touched Andrea’s buttocks, three on the left and three on the right.

Lena’s instructions warned Metzger that rousing Andrea would be tricky. Too much stimulant could overstress her heart but too little would not counteract the potent sedative coursing through her veins. Metzger pushed another button and one of the syringes launched forward, burying the needle into her left buttock and injecting its contents.

For over a minute, Andrea hung motionless, but in time she began to slowly revive. She moaned softly and lolled her head from side to side. Metzger watched with interest as her nipples swelled and her fingers twitched involuntarily. Eventually, her eyelids fluttered open and with apparent difficulty, she raised her head. “Where am I?” she whispered. In the observation room Lena turned up the volume of the monitoring microphones. She did not want to miss the slightest nuance of Andrea’s suffering.

“You are in good hands,” Metzger replied sardonically. “You are here to help us. If you do that, no further harm will come to you. If you refuse, you will face ordeals beyond anything your Eastern comrades have already done to you.”

“So you… you are with Western Intelligence? I am in… in West Berlin? Why? What do you want from me?” Andrea tried to make sense of what had happened after her torture in the KGB warehouse. She looked down and saw the words burned into her chest. It had not been a bad dream. Her pain was real. But why was she still alive? She remembered Dalyitch and his men arriving at the warehouse, and then… nothing, until now. “It’s a trick. I am still in the East. Why would the KGB send me back to the West?” Andrea was grasping at straws.

“A very good place for us to begin. Why would anyone send you back here? You do not deny that your own people did this to you,” Metzger waved his arm across Andrea’s beaten body, “so I must assume you did something to displease them. Why don’t you tell me the whole story… your story.”

Andrea sighed. She had no reason to conceal anything. The East already knew of her betrayal, and if she was now being interrogated by the West, what difference would it make if they had the same information? She no longer had any allegiances to either side. As Metzger and the unseen Lena listened intently, Andrea recounted everything that had happened over the previous day.

“An interesting tale,” said Metzger once Andrea had finished. It seemed he was not convinced.

“It’s the truth.”

“I must admit, your story does answer many of the questions we have. Unfortunately, it does not help us in the least.”

“How could it? The documents Fuchs wanted to sell are no longer where she was hiding them. I do not know where they are.”

“That is where you are wrong.” Metzger took note of the confused look which crossed Andrea’s face. “We have learned that the material is being held in a West Berlin safe house by a KGB operative named Sascha Busch. I’m sure you know who she is and where we can find her.”

“I don’t know anyone by that name.”

“I find that most difficult to believe. We know you worked in the same department. You even shared the same handler. How could you not know her?”

“You seem to have come across some faulty intelligence.” Andrea shook her head. “I swear… I’ve never heard of this woman.”

“Wrong answer… and things were going so well. I can’t imagine why you would want to protect any of your fellow agents after the way your own side treated you, but if you insist on doing so, I will simply have to force you to comply. Tell me, Agent Baum, are you in pain?”

“Yes! Please release me from this infernal thing. I’ve told you all I know.”

“Good. I hope this will not take too long.” Metzger used the controller to open another panel in the bulkhead, this one directly behind Andrea’s upper back. A metal bar, a foot wide by four inches thick, emerged from the opening and moved forward until it pushed against her shoulder blades. Metzger stopped it for a moment, letting Andrea appreciate what the bar would do were it to continue.

“Please… no…” she pleaded. Metzger let the bar progress several inches more, forcing Andrea’s tightly stretched body to arch outward, her limbs pulling against the restraining manacles. Instantly, her screams filled the room.

“Who is Sascha Busch?” Metzger shouted. When he received no reply, he again advanced the bar. As Andrea’s cries grew, he heard the cracking of bones. Metzger knew he could go no further. With her body drawn into a taut bow and her breasts thrust lewdly outward, his victim was well-positioned for the next stage of her interrogation, one which he hoped would prove more effective than merely having her body stretched to the breaking point.

Chapter 5

In the observation room, Lena watched raptly as Metzger tortured Andrea. She thought back to their time together and wondered why she now felt no pity for her former lover. Lena had feared she might weaken once the session was underway, that she would let past emotions interfere with her work. But instead the opposite proved true. She felt no compassion for Andrea, only bitterness and hatred. The woman had lied about her loyalty and her love; in fact, her entire persona had been a fraud. For Lena, this was unforgivable. For her, Andrea had become a stranger, an enemy – no more than any of the other KGB spies she routinely turned over to Metzger for questioning.

Yet this was not entirely accurate. Lena could treat other prisoners with disinterest and detachment. But because of Andrea’s perfidy, she would not be afforded the benefit of Lena’s impartiality. Andrea’s interrogation was more than a job for Lena; it was an opportunity for revenge.

And while she was eager to satisfy her lust to get even, Lena could see no reason not to fulfill an even more basic desire at the same time. Though she no longer felt even a shred of affection for her former partner, Lena could not deny her sexual attraction to Andrea. Watching the naked beauty squirm and suffer would provide the sort of stimulation Lena had not had for some time. She undid her belt, pulled her pants over her hips, and moved her hand between her thighs.

As Lena indulged in the carnal pleasures of Andrea’s suffering, Metzger delighted in explaining the next phase of the interrogation to his subject. “As much as I’d like to move that bar forward until it slowly rips your body to pieces, we can’t have you dying before you’ve told us where we can find Sascha Busch.” He slid open another panel on the machine, revealing a monitor which displayed Andrea’s vital signs: blood pressure, heart rate and so on. “There are sensors in the manacles, so I can observe your condition at all times. You won’t be allowed to die without my permission.”

Despite the pain caused by merely speaking, Andrea could not resist taunting her tormentor. “How very kind of you. So tell me, Doc… how am I doing?”

“Not very well, I’m afraid. The stress of your previous ordeal combined with your current punishment could prove lethal if we cause you any further physical pain.”

“Guess that’s… too bad for you.” Andrea strained to get the words out. “Not much else to do then…”

“You underestimate my ability, Fraulein Baum. There are other ways by which I can compel you to cooperate. For example, it is well documented that many subjects find it much harder to resist while watching a loved one tortured than when they themselves are made to suffer.” Metzger walked about twelve feet in front of Andrea and pulled aside a heavy black curtain. Behind it, naked and tightly bound, Nina Strom sat on a wooden crate.

Andrea gasped. She had given up Nina for dead, thinking she would surely have been executed immediately after being tortured. For a moment she was elated that the lovely brunette still lived, but then she remembered this woman had tried to kill her. Yet Andrea knew Nina was only following orders; she had no choice. Her actions did not mean their previous tryst was any less genuine. Andrea couldn’t help but feel the strong attraction which had overwhelmed her during their brief time together. Despite all that had happened, she loved Nina.

“I’m so glad you recognize your girlfriend.” Metzger was quick to notice the surprise on Andrea’s face. “I’m told the two of you were quite close until Agent Strom’s unfortunate capture. Unlike you, she has been more than willing to answer all my questions honestly, but sadly for her, what she knows is of no value. Nina Strom was scheduled to be executed at dawn, until we realized she may yet prove useful to us. Tell me Agent Baum, wouldn’t you rather tell me about Sascha Busch than watch this beautiful woman endure the punishment which rightfully should be yours?”

“You bastard! I told you I know nothing about Sascha Busch. If that’s not good enough for you, then torture me all you like. I can take it. Nina… Agent Strom has nothing to do with this.” Andrea turned to Nina and in a quavering voice said “I’m so sorry…”

Nina shook her head, looking sad and beaten. Despite whatever tortures she had endured, her body was unmarked. She looked at Andrea as if she were about to speak, but turned away without uttering a single word. Andrea saw a tear trickle down her cheek.

“The reason your sweetheart isn’t talking is because she can’t. Once we decided to use her as bait to loosen your tongue, we fused her lips together with a powerful sealant. Now she won’t have the opportunity to pull that ‘don’t-tell-them-anything-to-save-me’ shit. She just gets to sit there and suffer while your guilt brings about the desired results.”

Andrea bowed her head and sobbed quietly. “For the last time… I don’t know anything.”

“Very well. I hope your lack of concern for your lover won’t affect your relationship with her in the afterlife.”

Chapter 6

A few feet from Nina an old electric generator clad in grey metal had been placed on a folding table barely large enough to support it. Several cables dangled from the rust-flecked box and cascaded to the floor. The free ends of the cables were connected to black rubber pads, from which bare strands of copper wire protruded on one side. The device was a crude shock box, and it was obvious that the pads were meant to hold the cables in place while electric current surged through the metal wires.

Metzger applied adhesive to four of the pads and pressed two against each of Nina’s inner thighs. The pads secured the wires leading from the generator to Nina’s skin. Perched on the wooden crate, she was bound with her legs apart and with her hands trussed to her flanks. Her arms were tied to her sides and ropes circled her body at the abdomen and above and below her large breasts. More ropes ensured she remained upright, running from a ceiling winch to connect behind her back with those girding her torso. [see Nina Bound pic]

Unlike the mechanized restraints securing Andrea to Metzger’s torture machine, Nina’s bondage was traditional – expert rigging with no more than hemp cords. The electro-shock device was equally conventional, a far cry from the high-tech apparatus being used on Andrea. Despite his apparent fondness for state of the art procedures, Metzger had chosen to subject Nina to the crude, outdated methods favoured by the East. To Andrea, this seemed odd. But then she remembered he was not trying to get Nina to talk – the sealing of her lips had made that obvious – but was using her as incentive. Still, Andrea wondered…

Metzger flipped a switch on the generator and turned a dial slightly. The machine emitted a low hum as electric current began coursing through the cables. Nina’s body twitched slightly and her eyes widened. She did not look as if she was in pain, but the device clearly had begun to make its presence known to her. She swayed and stared glassy-eyed at Andrea, her sorrowful expression unchanging. It occurred to Andrea that Nina was most likely drugged, barely conscious but still able to feel the abuse inflicted on her.

“I’m sure you are familiar with the use of electro-torture during interrogation, Fraulein Baum,” said Metzger. “Although the technology has improved considerably since the days this old machine was used, the basic concept remains the same: a slow increase in current produces first a barely noticeable tingle, then decidedly pleasurable stimulation, then growing discomfort and ultimately indescribable pain. The transitions are so gradual that the subject slowly loses control not only of her body, but of her mind. This causes even the most resistant captives to break. Imagine how much more terrifying it is to endure such torture if you know you cannot end it – that you are completely at someone else’s mercy, someone who cannot feel the ever increasing surges of agony consuming you.”

Andrea shook her head. It was pointless to repeat she knew nothing about Sascha Busch. Even though she was more than willing to share whatever she did know, at this point Metzger would hardly have believed her. He was expecting nothing and Andrea had nothing to offer. He turned the dial further, causing the hum to rise slightly. Nina spasmed involuntarily and her rhythmic undulations became more pronounced. She threw back her head and began moaning.

“Do not be concerned yet.” Metzger was grinning and clearly enjoying the proceedings. “She is not experiencing any pain. Quite the opposite in fact. This is the point where the current becomes, how shall I say it… stimulating. Her moaning… the way her body is swaying sensually… it is exactly what it appears to be. The placement of the terminals combined with her drugged state ensure that she has no choice but to surrender herself to the stimulation.”

As Metzger slowly turned the dial, Nina’s moaning, as well as the buzzing current grew louder. Her movements became more erratic as she pulled against the constricting ropes. Soon her body was perspiring heavily and her chest pumped in and out as her breathing quickened. To Andrea, had Nina not been in the hands of a merciless interrogator, watching her forced to orgasm would have been incredibly erotic. Instead, it was pitiful and humiliating, a gratuitous degradation of this beautiful creature.

To Metzger, Nina’s coerced sexual performance was foreplay, a prelude for the more entertaining things to come. Nonetheless, he did not try to conceal his own arousal. With another twist of the dial, he took the writhing brunette over the edge. Despite being unable to open her mouth, Nina let out a muffled cry as the inexorable climax overwhelmed her. She was left slouching limp and exhausted in her bonds as Metzger switched off the generator.

“So ends the pleasure… and unless you are willing to share some information with me, Fraulein Baum, so begins the decidedly less enjoyable phase of this affair for your friend.”

Chapter 7

Metzger was not alone in taking deviant delight watching Nina’s abasement. In the observation room, a sweaty and spent Lena was recovering from an orgasm of her own, ironically reached in tandem with the woman she loathed. Of course in Lena’s case, pleasure did not need to be forced on her. Watching Metzger defile Nina was more than enough stimulation. But like Metzger, she was eager for more dire diversions. As much as she enjoyed seeing her former lover suffer, she longed to see the Strom wench endure equal or worse punishment.

Preparing Nina for the next phase of the interrogation, Metzger removed the pads from her thighs and re-attached them higher on her body, two on her lower abdomen, and two on her breasts directly over her nipples. With the terminals more strategically placed, Metzger continued by untying Nina’s hands and roping them together behind her. With the barely conscious woman offering no resistance, he used the overhead winch to pull her off the crate until her feet left the floor and she dangled from the rope behind her back.

Lena was pleased that Metzger was following her script to the letter. It was her idea to use the conventional electro-shock method rather than Metzger’s new-fangled toys, and she had always been partial to traditional rope bondage over mechanical restraints. She knew this would resonate with Andrea, who had experienced such treatment herself. If Lena could not make her suffer without killing her, she at least would ensure Andrea could empathize with Nina’s ordeal.

Metzger turned on the generator and twisted the dial. This time he skipped the preliminaries and started the machine at a significantly higher voltage. Nina’s hanging body lurched abruptly as the current bolted into her with incredible force. She was immediately drawn out of her post-orgasmic reverie and emitted a sustained moan of anguish. The binding of her lips may have rendered Nina speechless, but she was far from silent. Metzger increased the output until Nina was twisting about like a freshly baited worm. He looked at Andrea and continued to shout out his questions.

Metzger’s attempts to get information from Andrea were as futile as Nina’s struggles. For Andrea, the only way to alleviate the horror was to close her eyes and turn away, but she could do nothing to block the dreadful sounds of the crackling generator and Nina’s stifled wails. When Andrea did not respond, Metzger temporarily dialled down the voltage, letting the women know that the settings had not yet risen above the half-way point.

Writhing and wide-eyed, Nina was given only a minute to recover before Metzger cranked up the power even higher than before. Bright flashes of current arced across the terminals and eventually poured into conductive patches of Nina’s moist flesh, searing the skin with nasty burns. This assault continued for several minutes and was halted only when Metzger noticed streams of blood emerging from his subject’s nose.

Nina’s struggles had become involuntary spasms, triggered by the congested energy flowing through her nervous system. Her breathing had grown shallow, and she could only muster short gasps in place of the bestial cries she emitted earlier. Metzger was quite impressed; the outdated shock box was proving surprisingly cruel and effective. Unfortunately, it lacked the fine controls of more sophisticated devices. If he again increased the voltage using the rough increments on the dial, it seemed unlikely Nina would survive another seizure.

Metzger turned to Andrea. “Her fate is in your hands, bitch. Surely you are aware that sustained electrocution is one of the most agonizing ways to die. Are you so uncaring that you would consign your lovely comrade to such a cruel fate to conceal trivial information? I cannot imagine you are still loyal to your KGB bosses, and if you fear they will punish you further for treason, you need not worry – you will be dead long before they have the opportunity to do so.”

Metzger gave Andrea over a minute to respond, but the room remained silent except for Nina’s pitiful moans. Realizing the gambit had failed, he cranked the dial to its maximum setting, releasing a high-pitched buzz of incredible intensity. The connecting cables leaped wildly, and in less than a second, Nina’s body arched and stiffened as if it had been flash frozen. Eyes wide, she lurched wildly at the end of the rope as the powerful surge propelled her to and fro.

Once more, the white hot electrical arcs flared from the terminals to dance across Nina’s torso and burn her exposed flesh. Soon her glistening skin began to sizzle and smoulder, leaving wispy tendrils of steam and smoke to rise upward. The contents of her bladder burst free and a gusher of steaming urine sprayed from between her thighs.

As the perverse display reached its climax, the over-heated contacts affixed to Nina’s breasts ignited the fatty tissue beneath them and caused her well appointed chest to explode into flames. A minute later, the pads on her lower abdomen also flared up, causing a second blaze which quickly spread to consume her genitalia. Nina’s proud breasts literally melted away, the liquefied fat dripping to the floor along with the blood and gore oozing from her destroyed sex. While Andrea vomited across her chest, Metzger looked on in fascination.

By the time the flames had finally burned themselves out, Nina had long stopped breathing. Her body still twitched and bounced involuntarily as the current continued to animate it, but there was no question that the hapless Agent Strom had perished at last. The front of her once splendid torso was no more than a mass of congealed, carbonized meat, and her breasts had been reduced to two smoking lumps of charred flesh. Her head hung back, eyes transfixed in a horrified death stare.

Metzger turned off the generator and admired his handiwork. Andrea continued to retch, but could not turn away from the ghastly remains of the once beautiful Nina. In the observation room, Lena recovered slowly from yet another orgasm. Her lust to see the East German spy – the evil seductress – destroyed had been sated. Now it was time to exact the second part of her revenge. It was time for Andrea to learn who was orchestrating the last chapter of her brief, tortured existence. Lena stood up and walked out of the observation room.

Chapter 8

Andrea heard the clicking of high-heeled boots across the stone floor. The stride was familiar, but it did not prepare her for the sight of Lena emerging from the shadows of the dank chamber. For Lena, the shocked look on Andrea’s face was what she had been waiting to see since she caught her adulterous partner at play with the now departed Fraulein Strom. Lena wanted Andrea to be just as stunned as she had been then. She wanted Andrea to feel that same wrenching pain of being unexpectedly betrayed.

“I’m so glad you are surprised to see me,” Lena said, unable to conceal her delight.

“You… you are in on this?” Andrea’s disbelief could not have been more apparent. She had always known Lena was somewhat jealous, but in all the time they had spent together, with all the secrets they had shared, she would never have imagined her to be so vindictive.

“Yes, my darling. In fact, I volunteered to lead your interrogation. I could never understand the attraction for this kind of work, but after seeing that video with you taking such relish torturing those helpless women… well, I just had to find out for myself.” Lena walked over to the dripping, dangling remains of Nina and ran her hands along the dead agent’s corpse. “You know… I now can see how this profession might be so rewarding. I came four times watching her die.”

In a flash, Andrea understood how she had misjudged Lena. This wasn’t just about being caught with another woman. If Lena had seen the tape, if she was aware of Andrea turning against the West and her dealings with the East, she would be more than just a spurned lover, she would think Andrea had been playing her from the start. And then Andrea was struck by a startling realization. Perhaps it was true. With all that had happened, she could no longer be sure what her motivations were. Had she ever seriously considered defecting to the West? Had she ever loved Lena? Had she any true convictions at all?

“You don’t understand,” Andrea said at last. “I was forced to perform that interrogation… to stay with Agent Strom… to return to the East. Ever since you first contacted me, I… I’ve had no choice.”

“That’s bullshit, baby. You’ve made lots of choices… all bad ones. And now you’re paying the price.” Lena walked up to Andrea and traced a finger across the lettering burned across the top of her breasts. “Even your friends in the East seem to know you are a treacherous whore.”

Andrea knew there was nothing she could say to dissuade her former flame. She felt her body growing weaker, her mind becoming less clear. She began to accept the accusations against her. “Then why don’t you just kill me? Why am I here?”

“I am giving you one last chance to redeem yourself. Have you not been listening to Lieutenant Metzger? We want to know about Sascha Busch. If you tell us where she is, or the location of the safe house, I promise you will die with dignity, secure in knowing that for once you have done the right thing.”

“But I can’t help you,” Andrea said despairingly. “Do you think I am so cruel to have let Nina die in agony if I knew anything that could spare her?”

“Frankly, liebchen, based on what I have seen… yes.” Lena paused. “In fact, I believe you could well be a sociopath, someone who lacks empathy for others and is concerned only for her own personal gain and well being. I had hoped that our torturing a person you seem to care about would unlock whatever shred of compassion you may possess, but it seems Andrea Baum cares for no one but herself. I’m afraid that leaves me only one option to obtain your cooperation…”

“Lieutenant Klammer…” Metzger interrupted her. He had stood by quietly as Lena dallied with Andrea, but felt obligated to remind her of Andrea’s condition. “The monitors indicate that Baum’s vitals continue to weaken. Any techniques we apply to her directly could kill her.”

“I understand, Lieutenant,” Lena turned to him looking exasperated. “But at this point, can you offer any alternatives?” Metzger shrugged, then shook his head. “Besides, I know the subject well. She can take a great deal of pain… and I know just where to begin.”

Chapter 9

“Do you recognize these?” Lena asked Andrea while holding up a pair of nipple clamps connected by a short, silver chain. “Of course you do. These are different than the tweezer style models you’ve come to enjoy so much, but I’m sure you can guess how they work.” Though small, they looked daunting: solid steel C clamps with screws to close them like miniature vices. The two jaws of each clamp were serrated and could be moved together until the teeth interlocked neatly, tearing into whatever was trapped between them.

“Oh god no…” Andrea shook her head back and forth. Both she and Lena had experienced the intense pain of the seemingly innocuous tweezer clamps. She could hardly imagine what it would feel like to have her sensitive nipples crushed in these saw-toothed appliances.

“As you well know,” said Lena while positioning one of the clamps around Andrea’s right nipple, “the most effective interrogator of a woman is another woman. Amateurs believe it takes extreme measures to break the stronger subjects, but professionals know that precision can be more persuasive than power. And only another female best understands where to focus that precision on a woman’s body.” Lena momentarily turned to Metzger. “Is that not right, Herr Lieutenant?”

Metzger nodded. “Indeed. It took much training for me to learn what you women know instinctively.”

Of course Lena’s commentary was hardly meant to enlighten her victim. Both women knew that Andrea was already well versed in the art of female torture, but Lena relished the opportunity to remind her former partner of her own predilections, that she too knew a thing or two about how best to torment a distaff subject.

“You may be an expert, dearest Andrea, and I may be only a dabbler… but you more than anyone are aware that I have had a great deal of practice.” Lena smiled. She lightly tightened the clamp so that it would stay in place – enough to make Andrea wince – then placed its mate against Andrea’s left breast. “And I’ve also had the misfortune of experiencing the severe discomfort of having such devices forcefully applied to my own body. To think I endured such torture on account of my trust in your dedication… and your love. How foolish I was.”

Andrea moaned as the second clamp began to squeeze her nipple. She realized that Lena was far less interested in the interrogation than settling the score between them. Though Metzger wanted to know about Sascha Busch, Lena seemed hardly to care about such information. Very well, Andrea thought to herself, let the spiteful blonde have her pound of flesh. Andrea felt confident that she could endure anything Lena would dare mete out. And she was certain that her former lover was not heartless enough to kill her. Besides, Metzger would not allow her death before she gave up what she knew, and as she knew nothing about Sascha Busch, it was impossible for her to break.

Slowly, Lena began to tighten the clamps. Splayed out on Metzger’s device, Andrea could barely flinch as the pain searing the tips of her breasts began to increase. She fought against it, not wanting to give her tormentor the satisfaction of seeing her suffer. But eventually, it became more than Andrea could bear. As the serrated metal punctured the nerve saturated flesh, she cried out, begging Lena to stop while gasping for breath.

With the clamps only half closed, blood spurted from first one nipple, then the other, running in tiny rivulets along the undersides of Andrea’s breasts before dripping to the floor below. She shook her head and clenched her fists – the only motion her restraints would allow – all the while continuing her howls of protest. But Lena was merciless, tightening the clamps until it became difficult for her to turn the screws.

Andrea’s nipples bulged, white and bloodless, from between the metal jaws, each pair all but locked shut. With one more twist of the screws, the ruddy tips of her breasts would be amputated as the serrated clamps sheared through what little tissue remained between them. At this point, Lena stopped. She looked at Metzger, who checked Andrea’s vital signs and gave another shrug.

“Her blood pressure is dangerously high,” he said. “She obviously is experiencing a great deal of pain.” Lena seemed unconcerned. “It would seem to be a good point at which to question the subject again,” he offered helpfully.

Lena sighed, but realized Metzger was right. Once again, Andrea was prompted for information about Sascha Busch and the safe house. Lena asked the questions in a resigned manner, as if the last thing she expected was an answer. Of course, she did not get one. As Metzger kept a close eye on the monitor, Lena tugged at the chain connecting the two nipple clamps, pulling it away from Andrea’s chest. Andrea yelped as the chain grew taut and stretched her abused nipples outward.

“You still don’t understand…” Andrea pleaded. “You think I’m disloyal. In some ways perhaps I am, but I don’t deserve this punishment. You know I don’t have the information you want, so your only reason for torturing me is to get revenge – does he know that?” Andrea nodded at Metzger. “Do your superiors realize you are doing this only for vengeance… that all you want is payback? You think this is all about you, that I deliberately betrayed you, when in reality all I di… Aaaaaiiigh!!!” Before Andrea could finish, Lena yanked the chain as hard as she could, simultaneously ripping both of Andrea’s nipples from her breasts.

After letting out an ear-piercing shriek, Andrea collapsed into unconsciousness. Her head fell forward and she hung motionless from her restraints. Two small geysers of blood erupted from the shredded tips of her breasts, the spray pulsing intermittently with each contraction of her heart. Lena grabbed at Andrea’s ruined tits, letting the blood ooze between her fingers until at last the flow began to ebb.

Metzger looked up worriedly from the monitor. “That was taking a rather big chance,” he said. “She still has not talked.” He hesitated before going on, his eyes fixed on Lena’s. “I know how you feel about her… that you signed up for this to get even, just like she says. But there are bigger things at stake. You mustn’t let your personal desires get in the way of our primary objective.”

“Lieutenant, you worry too much,” Lena said smiling. “Have you considered the possibility that the bitch is telling the truth… that she really does not know anything about Busch?”

“Impossible. They worked together. Your own surveillance confirmed this.”

“Exactly.” Lena looked at Metzger, her smile growing wider. She crouched down, bending over the blood splatters at Andrea’s feet. She found the two tiny morsels of flesh which had been torn from Andrea’s bosom and held them up for inspection, one in each hand.

“Now that she knows I am willing to go all the way, perhaps she will cooperate.” Lena tossed the nipples aside as if she were discarding cherry pits. “But somehow, I doubt it.”

Chapter 10

A scowling Metzger eyed the monitors displaying Andrea’s vital signs. “She will not survive much longer,” he said grimly. “I can bring her around once more, but that’s it. The next time she succumbs, it most likely will be permanent.”

“Aut Caesar aut nihil,” replied Lena, apparently eager to accept the challenge. “All or nothing. If we’re going to break the bitch, our next procedure had best be something most persuasive.” Lena studied her unconscious subject carefully, wondering what she could do to bypass Andrea’s masochistic tendencies and overwhelm her with pain and terror. “Your ingenious device, Lieutenant… does it offer options designed specifically to coax obdurate females?”

“Of course,” Metzger said proudly. “All my equipment can accommodate women. But it seems you have already defiled her femininity.” He gestured at the bleeding wounds capping Andrea’s breasts. “And without success.”

“Trust me. I know her well, and complete destruction of her sexuality is what she fears most… more than death itself. Since we only have one last opportunity, I suggest we try something which makes the loss of her nipples seem like only a minor scratch.”

“Very well.” Metzger used the controls to open yet another panel in the bulkhead, this time revealing a narrow groove running from the machine’s base up to just below the aperture from which the syringes emerged. The opening was identical to the grooves guiding the rods securing Andrea’s wrists and ankles, except it was centrally positioned and ran only partway up the bulkhead. As expected, with the press of a button another rod emerged from the opening, moving perpendicular to the wall and between Andrea’s spread legs. Metzger let the rod extend until its tip moved past Andrea’s knees and was aligned about two feet directly below her groin.

Lena smiled. She had a good idea what this accessory was used for. Her suspicions were confirmed when Metzger attached a two foot metal shaft so that it rose upwards from the end of the extended rod at a ninety degree angle. The shaft was over two inches in diameter, but it tapered to a sharp point, a steel spike perfectly positioned less than an inch below Andrea’s vagina.

“As the rod moves up the groove, she will be slowly impaled!” said Lena with delight. “The conniving whore will be literally fucked to death. How very appropriate…”

“Lieutenant Klammer, please remember that this is not meant to be an execution.” Metzger cut her off and subtly nodded at the cameras to remind her the session was being recorded. “We want her to talk before she dies. The shaft will be painful, but on its own, it may not be enough.”

“There’s more?” Lena asked, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

His fingers on the control panel, Metzger released another two rods from the bulkhead, these emerging from openings at chest level and on either side of Andrea’s torso. They moved forward several inches below her armpits until they extended just beyond her maimed breasts. Metzger stepped away from the controls to retrieve yet another attachment, an inch-thick pane of plexiglass two feet wide and eight inches high. This simple plastic plate was screwed onto the two rods so that it traversed Andrea’s chest, its transparent surface still allowing an excellent view of the ruined breasts behind it.

Back at the controls, Metzger flicked a switch to retract the rods supporting the plexiglass sheet. The pane soon made contact with Andrea’s breasts, flattening the soft flesh. The blood seeping from her wounds smeared against the plastic, but was curtailed by the increasing pressure. With the metal bar pushing into her upper back from behind, Andrea’s body was sandwiched between it and the thick plastic pane moving in the opposite direction. Her breasts became distended and appeared to swell as the rods retracted. When Andrea let out an involuntary moan, Metzger switched off the makeshift breast press.

“As you can see,” he explained, “the plastic sheet is designed to slowly crush the subject’s chest. In the case of a female, especially one so well endowed, there is considerable leeway before the pressure affects her respiration or begins crushing her ribcage. However, the pain caused by the slow compression of such sensitive tissue will be unimaginable. Further, as you suggested, the impending destruction of the subject’s sexuality, both her breasts and her genitalia, should be sufficient to force her to reveal what she knows. Perhaps even what she does not know…”

“Excellent.” Lena’s tone was matter-of-fact, but internally she felt the satisfaction of a woman about to claim her revenge. She knew Metzger would not disappoint her, that whatever punishment he would inflict on her prey would quench her thirst. The agonizing death of the Strom slut had been a pleasant appetizer; now, Lena was ready to witness the main event.

“I have synchronized the procedures.” Metzger brought Lena out of her momentary reverie. “When I activate the device, both the impalement and the crushing actions will proceed in tandem. All we need do now is revive the subject.”

Lena nodded and Metzger once again launched the array of syringes. A different needle, one containing a more potent stimulant was injected into Andrea’s ass. In less than a minute, she let out the low, sensual moans Lena had heard so many times before when her former partner found herself approaching an inexorable climax. But this time, it was not the ecstasy of impending orgasm which awaited Andrea. Instead, she would experience release of a much different nature.

The moment she regained consciousness, Andrea seemed to realize this. Before she could assess the latest mistreatment her tormentors had in store for her, she began to plead for mercy from the woman who had once been her lover. Lena just sneered at her. Andrea’s eyes glazed over as she realized all hope was lost.

“Tell me about Sascha Busch! Where is the safe house?” Lena shouted as if there was no one there to reply. She waited less than five seconds, then signalled Metzger to begin.

Chapter 11

With her strength all but gone and her mind slowly fading, Andrea’s comprehension of what was happening to her was cloudy at best. She could not see the phallic shaft rising between her legs, but once it cleaved her labia and began pushing inside her, she felt it slide across her clitoris, producing an involuntary and not at all unpleasant response. In her dream-like stupor, she imagined herself being pleasured by some unseen mechanical lover, a rigid, unyielding automaton designed to flood her nervous system with unbearable ecstasy. Once more, Andrea moaned reflexively, her hips writhing on the pole to enhance the sensation.

At the same time, the pressure on her breasts, still relatively slight, served more to amplify her sexual stimulation than induce pain. Again, she envisioned herself in the all-consuming embrace of some omnipotent love-making machine, one which seemed to know all about her masochistic tendencies and reward her with the menacing pleasures she enjoyed most. Andrea felt her libido respond, and she gave herself willingly to Metzger’s infernal invention.

“The stupid slut has no idea what we’re doing to her, does she?” Lena shook her head in amazement. “I should have known she’d actually enjoy this…”

“For the moment the procedure may prove to be quite, um… arousing,” Metzger confirmed. “However, even women addicted to the most intense stimuli have their limits. I doubt your friend will come close to matching them, and most certainly, she will not be able to withstand what this apparatus has to offer.”

Metzger had ensured the progress of both the shaft and the press would be very slow, leaving as much time as possible for Andrea to disclose her secrets as she experienced the gradual transition from pleasure to torture. Yet after five minutes, she remained in the throes of a slowly growing climax which threatened never to arrive.

“Aaaaaghh… mmmm… oooohhh…” Andrea’s sensual, breathy sighs were not what Lena had expected to hear, but she had to admit, watching the sexy spy forced to come one last time was a most enticing diversion. Despite the cameras and Metzger’s presence, Lena could not resist moving a hand to her crotch and discretely applying pressure to her engorged sex. She tried to disguise her lust, but Metzger could hardly have missed the panting gasps which signalled her obvious excitement.

At last Andrea reached a point of no return. Unable to resist either the steel phallus thrusting into her nor the perverse mashing of her breasts, she succumbed to the inevitable. Moaning continuously, covered with sweat, and overcome by her lascivious desires, Andrea eagerly let the powerful orgasm overwhelm her. She bleated out a bestial cry and despite all she had endured previously, yielded to a most satisfying wave of sexual release, temporarily oblivious to the likelihood that it might be her last.

Fortunately for Lena, Andrea’s powerful climax concealed her own more guarded moment of pleasure. Lena’s orgasm was less obvious, but Metzger, who had been watching both women, quietly enjoyed their shared rapture. It never ceased to amaze him how females, even those on the brink of death, could still be made to indulge their sexual desires at the most inappropriate times. While engaged in a cruel and brutal interaction, both predator and prey are able to submit to their lust without reservation. Despite being tagged as the more sex-obsessed gender, men would be hard-pressed to be so shamelessly prurient. Metzger had witnessed the display so many times, but it never grew tiresome.

“Now, with that out of the way,” Metzger cleared his throat, “you will soon see that our subject will no longer gain satisfaction from her, um… circumstances.”

Lena nodded self consciously. She was flushed from both her arousal and the embarrassing possibility that Metzger was aware of it. Yet her attention remained focused on Andrea, whose earlier moaning had transformed into a more urgent series of gasps and groans. These were no longer vocalizations of pleasure, but rather of impending pain – the childlike sounds one makes when one feels the prick of a needle or the assault of a dentist’s drill.

The steel shaft was buried at least four inches inside Andrea’s sex. Blood ran along its exposed surface, indicating that the pointed tip had torn into the delicate tissue lining her vagina. The shaft’s progress no longer stimulated her clitoris; instead, it was tearing into the soft flesh of her womanhood. In mere moments, Andrea’s mechanical lover had become a merciless assailant intent on inflicting pain rather than pleasure.

Chapter 12

The plate compressing Andrea’s breasts allowed for an explicit view of the damage it was causing. The clear plastic revealed her generous bosom had already been severely distended, the soft flesh mashed flat against the unyielding plexiglass. Her torn nipples were swollen to almost twice their normal size and formed blood-smeared circular rings at the exact center of each crushed breast. As expected, the pressure had stemmed further bleeding from her wounds, but that was small comfort considering the obvious pain and destruction the press was causing as it bore down further.

“That does look uncomfortable,” Lena said without a hint of empathy. She thought of her own experiences engaging in masochistic breast play, and could not recall having her chest squeezed half as much as Andrea’s was now. The pain would have been unbearable. “One truly has to be a woman to understand just how sensitive those sacks of adipose tissue can be. Isn’t that right, my love?”

“Go… Go to hell….” Andrea’s voice was weak, but the slowly increasing tortures had again made her cruelly aware of her predicament. The orgasmic swoon she had endured earlier had already become a distant memory.

“I certainly expect to, but not for quite some time.” Lena could not resist taunting her victim. A glance and a nod from Metzger once more reminded her that Andrea’s suffering was not being provided for her amusement. “As for you, dear Andrea… at this point, you might well be looking forward to your journey to the afterlife, perhaps even longing for it. Remember, we can speed things up if you just cooperate and tell me where the safe house is. Why suffer more than you need to?”

Andrea did not reply. Instead she glared at her tormentor with a look so filled with hatred that Lena felt a tingle run up her spine. Andrea’s mute, accusatory stare continued for almost a minute, but eventually her punishment became too great for her to endure in silence. She let out a series of bestial groans, fighting the urge to scream out as the burgeoning spasms of pain began to consume her. If she had to die, she wanted to do so quietly, remaining stoic and dignified till the end, not squealing like a farm animal in a slaughterhouse. But as she felt the sharp stake in her vagina spear her cervix, Andrea knew this would be unlikely.

Andrea’s groans soon grew louder, eventually becoming interspersed with anguished yelps. She tried to let out some articulate curses, but her ability to form any coherent speech vanished as the intense pain stifled her ability to think clearly. A piercing cry escaped her lips as the breast press, having successfully squashed the malleable glands as far as was possible, began crushing her rib cage. Proving less resilient than her breast tissue, her bones did not stand up to the pressure for long. One by one, each followed by a sickening crunch, Andrea’s ribs snapped like kindling. In horror, she felt the relentless plastic plate continue moving inexorably forward.

Deep inside her, the impaling phallus also maintained its assigned course. Having easily ripped through Andrea’s sexual organs, it now rose implacably through her squishy entrails to lay waste to her digestive tract. Blood poured freely from her vaginal opening, the only exit available to the increasing mass of gory liquids forming inside her.

Andrea’s screaming had become continuous. Lena’s mechanical questioning was barely audible over her victim’s ear-splitting howls, but she dutifully persisted with her interrogation as was required. Metzger looked at the monitor to check Andrea’s vital signs and called out the occasional update. He knew Andrea could die at any moment. He also knew this mattered little to Lena, who would instruct him to continue regardless of his dire warnings. Of course, he too could care less if their subject expired – in fact, he did not expect her to survive – but he realized if he and Lena did not extract the needed information, they too would suffer consequences.

With over a foot of the metal shaft buried inside Andrea’s abdomen, it seemed unbelievable that the slowly rising spike had not done enough damage to kill her. In time, it reached her diaphragm and tore into her thoracic cavity. With Andrea’s heart and lungs in its path, Metzger knew the rapacious spear would end her misery once and for all in less than a minute. The readings on the monitor fluctuated wildly, reaching extreme levels which caused warning lights to flash for virtually every indicator. Metzger stood with his finger on the stop button, ready to switch off the device if Andrea were to talk. But he knew that possibility was becoming increasingly remote.

Lena looked on in fascination, secretly revelling in the slow destruction of the auburn haired beauty she had once loved. For her, Andrea’s now constant cries of anguish were a euphonic melody, a satisfying accompaniment to the savage display. She felt her lust for vengeance merge with her perverse sexual desires, and as Andrea fought for every second of her life, Lena found herself quietly climaxing again and again.

Suddenly Andrea’s screaming ceased. Her mouth was agape as she gasped desperately, but the breast press had squashed her chest to the point she could no longer breathe. Although her upper torso was virtually compressed to its limits, the powerful vice would not relent, leaving Andrea’s exquisite breasts to rupture under the extreme pressure. Simultaneously, they burst open in a violent explosion of gore, splattering both Lena and Metzger in blood and bits of fatty, wet flesh.

Metzger pressed the off switch; there was no point in continuing. What was left of Andrea’s bosom hung in shredded tatters from her sternum. Inside her, the spike had punctured the side of her heart, which started pumping wildly as if to compensate for the mortal damage inflicted. Andrea clung to life as one by one her vital signs terminated.

Lena wiped her hand across the blood-soaked tissue which had been Andrea’s chest, exposing what little skin remained on her destroyed breasts. The words East and West were still partially visible, though the lower half of the letters had been obliterated. Lena laughed quietly, then touched each word in turn.

“So Liebchen, have you made your choice?” Lena was not expecting a reply, but seeing Andrea struggle to move her lips, realized that the dying woman was trying to say something. Lena moved in close, her ear less than an inch from Andrea’s mouth.

At first there was nothing – just a few breathy gasps. But then, in a barely audible whisper, Andrea managed to choke out the last word she would ever utter. A word only Lena could hear: “elephant.”

And then Andrea Baum shuddered and was no more.

Chapter 13

“Did she tell you anything?” Metzger looked up from the display of Andrea’s vital signs, all of which registered zero.

“In fact she did. You’ll be pleased to know we now have the address of the safe house.” Lena smiled broadly. “I believe the interrogation has been a success after all.”

“As long as the scheming bitch wasn’t lying.”

“Why would she use her dying breath to give us false information?”

“Who knows… maybe to fuck with us even after she’s dead… to waste our time while we chase down the wrong address?”

“No.” Lena stood firm. “She told the truth. Salzmannstraße 39. Just a few blocks from where I lost Busch yesterday.” Lena looked at her watch. “We even have three hours to spare before the hand-off. I’ll call Gerber so he can send out some field operatives. You’d better get some rest, Lieutenant. Most likely you’ll be putting the screws to Sascha Busch before the day is done.”

Lena winked at him and phoned her superior to relay the good news. After hanging up, she pointed to one of the surveillance cameras. “Okay. Looks like our job is done. You can turn those things off… and the microphones, too.”

Metzger did as she asked, then exhaled a sigh of satisfaction. “I’m glad that’s done.”

“Really? I could have watched her suffer for days. From where I sit, she got off easy.”

“Hell hath no fury…” began Metzger, then thought better of completing the line after catching Lena’s less than pleased expression. “Sorry… I know you two had… um… issues.”

“Is all the recording apparatus shut down now?” Lena asked. Metzger nodded. “You’re certain there are no other mics? No one checking up on us?”

“Trust me… this place is clean. I sweep it before every session. Gerber and Knox see and hear only what I want them to see and hear. That’s why I insisted on installing all my own cameras and sound gear – and why access to this place is tighter than a virgin’s snatch.”

“Good. Then I can let you know how much I appreciate your assistance. Not only in helping me deal with this slut, but in getting Dalyitch to release her and bring her to West Berlin. If I had called him to make the trade, he would have recognized me in an instant. I’m one of only three female KGB coverts left on this side of the wall, and I was the one who was told to recover Fuchs’ documents. On my own, I’d never have fooled him into thinking a traitor from the West was behind it.”

“Well, it worked just as you planned. I left the documents at the drop location after I confirmed they’d delivered Baum… and that she was still alive. Dalyitch must be pretty pleased with himself by now. And I suspect Chernin is in a world of shit for letting the politicos get the credit.” Metzger laughed.

“An unexpected but agreeable consequence. I never cared for that lecherous bastard.”

“And once Gerber’s men recover the documents you left at the safe house, Western Intelligence will never suspect the East managed to get the originals. But won’t Gerber recognize the second set are duplicates?”

“You forget, my dear Metzger, that the ‘originals’ are also copies. Fuchs Xeroxed the material so her targets wouldn’t realize anything was stolen. Both sides will be expecting reproductions, and since I had time to photocopy another set after picking up Fuchs’ documents, that is what they will get.” Lena smiled. She had thought things through carefully and enjoyed showing off her cleverness to her colleague.

“So all this…” said Metzger, waving his hand to indicate the mutilated bodies of Nina and Andrea, “all this you arranged to get revenge against a lesbian bitch who jilted you? You obviously weren’t squaring accounts for the West like you told Gerber.”

“You’re right, Lieutenant… hell does have no fury like a woman scorned, but I have additional reasons for going to all this trouble. First, our covers are now more secure than ever, and second, I’m sure I will benefit in other ways for apparently saving the day.”

Metzger nodded. “Then there is only one more thing I don’t understand. Who the hell is Sascha Busch?”

Lena’s Cheshire grin grew wider. “I am. Or at least I created her. Remember, it was my job to bring in the monthly drops after they came across the wall. The KGB set me up to control any information that leaks to the West, just as you were set up to control information from captured operatives. When I noticed my name was on the document Krause pilfered, I created my own version before turning it in to Eberhart and Gerber. I left Vogel and Baum unchanged, but substituted the fictional Sascha Busch to protect myself.”

“Why didn’t you do the same for the other two?”

“If all three operatives had been impossible to locate, it would have aroused suspicion. If there was only one mystery woman on the list, no one would suspect a forgery.”

“Apparently it worked.” Metzger was impressed with Lena’s resourcefulness.

“Almost too well,” she sighed. “I was expecting both agents would meet Vogel’s fate. I wasn’t anticipating Eberhart would recommend turning Andrea Baum. That opened up a can of worms that even I couldn’t handle. To make matters worse, I ended up falling for the treacherous whore. Once I came to my senses, I got the interrogation video from Chernin so I could discredit her… but she pretty much managed to do that on her own.”

“Too bad. Under better circumstances, you and she might have…”

“Under better circumstances I never would have met the fucking slut.”

Epilogue

Gerber looked up from the pile of documents after carefully matching each one against the checklist which had accompanied them. It was the fourth time someone had gone through the entire set since they were turned in. Eberhart and Lena sat across from him, in the familiar chairs in his office.

“All present and accounted for,” the captain said happily. “Just like you promised. I still can’t believe our luck in getting this material contained after it came so close to leaking to the East.”

“Yes,” said Lena. “We were very, very fortunate.”

“And a great deal of the credit goes to you, Lieutenant Klammer. I watched the interrogation you and Metzger performed on Baum. Most impressive! Especially when one considers you have had no formal training in the discipline.”

“Well, as you know, to my eternal embarrassment, the subject herself provided a great deal of… how shall I put this… inspiration.”

“So we should give Andrea Baum some of the credit… for giving you the necessary motivation to tear the truth out of her! Now that’s amusing!” Gerber roared with laughter. “But no matter how you did it, your work was instrumental in our avoiding a disaster. Therefore, as I have been informed that I am being promoted to fill the position vacated by Major Schmitt, it is only fair that you are awarded my job. Captain Klammer… that does have a nice ring to it, don’t you agree?”

“Thank-you, sir.” Lena blushed, as if in surprise. But in fact the promotion was exactly what she had planned for. It was one of the “other reasons” she had for torturing Andrea to death.

“It’s just too bad we didn’t nail the Busch woman.” Eberhart shook his head. It was odd for him to point out the down side of a situation, but with all the credit and attention being heaped on Lena for breaking Baum, he couldn’t resist taking her down a notch by pointing out that the outcome had not been a total success.

“Now, now, Lieutenant.” Gerber caught the dig. “Let’s not have that tarnish Lena’s accomplishments. Her goal was to find the location of the documents, not capture Busch. In hindsight, there is nothing we could have done differently.”

“I just don’t understand why Busch wasn’t at the safe house,” Lena said. “She recovered and validated the documents as instructed by her handler, but didn’t stay to hand them to her contact.”

“Most likely she panicked,” Eberhart mused. “Maybe Busch had reason to suspect her own side, and fearing that her contact would kill her, she bolted and left the goods behind.”

“That makes sense,” said Gerber. “As long as Busch made sure her bosses got the documents, there would be less heat on her. That’s why she went to the trouble of leaving the combination to the safe. She made sure the delivery would be a success, even if she wasn’t there. Apparently, we also scared off whoever was sent to pick up the documents.”

“I think,” said Lena, “that Sascha Busch saw an opportunity to defect to the West and took it.”

“Could be. Like the stunt Baum tried to pull.”

“Except Baum got greedy… and Baum couldn’t make up her mind.” Gerber laughed again, finding amusement in the misfortune of his foes even after their demise.

“We live… and we die by the choices we make,” said Eberhart philosophically.

“Some of us do,” Lena added. “But knowing what I know now, I don’t think Andrea Baum ever had a choice.”