Amy sucked in a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut. The last turning of the path through the trees on Steffi Bloom's estate had just revealed a trap door in the ground, standing open, its ground camouflage on one side looking odd when vertical.

Megan, holding Amy's hand as they nearly sprinted to keep up with Linda, stopped as she felt her roommate suddenly freeze. She turned to look at Amy's face, gave her hand a squeeze, and said quietly, "Amy, it's okay. We're on Steffi Bloom's property. Andrew isn't anywhere around. Bill is right here. We've got cell phones. Nothing's going to happen."

Amy breathed out slowly and worked to throw off her funk. "I know that. Just give me a minute." Behind them, Bill stood quietly, holding a huge case full of equipment and supplies.

Linda, who had reached the trap door, came back to them, with a puzzled frown. "Everything okay? Bill, is there anything here that shouldn't be here?"

Amy waved her off. "Sorry, sorry. I'll be okay in a sec. It just hit me the wrong way."

Linda looked back at the trap door, then suddenly understood. "Oh! Right. I'm sorry, Amy, I should have asked if this was going to mess you up." She bit her lip. "Do you need to... go back?"

Amy said quickly, "No! There is no way in the world I'd miss this." She managed a smile, and reached out to stroke Linda's Zoey-face. "But you better realize, there's no better way to show how much I love you than following you down into that hole."

Linda suddenly teared up, and threw her arms around Amy. "I know, I know. Thank you so much! You being here means the world to me."

Megan cleared her throat. "We've got about sixty minutes."

Linda let go, wiped her eyes, and kissed Amy. She looked back at the trap door, and the light was back in her eyes again. "Let me go down first, and follow me after about a minute. I want to have just a little time by myself down there." She grinned at Amy. "I'll let you know if there are any traps."

Amy laughed, and waved her on. "You go ahead. I'm okay, really."

Amy watched as Linda stepped down onto the first of the concrete steps revealed by the open trap door, then paused, turning in place on the step. Amy could tell that Linda was taking in the world one last time. Her last sight of sunlight, filtering through the branches of the trees. Her last taste of fresh outdoor air, sweetened by the leaves whispering in the light breeze.

She finally turned and continued down the steps. Amy watched Linda's bobbing head sink into the ground as she descended into her personal dungeon.

Amy leaned against Megan and giggled. "I think I'm more nervous than she is. I hope Steffi gets what she needs out of this."

Megan smiled. "If she doesn't, it won't be Linda's fault."

Amy looked around, as if taking in the lasts sights of the outside world herself. She still felt hesitant to go down through the trap door, but Megan was right. There wasn't any danger. She was happy, though, to give Linda a little extra alone-time in the place of her final, long-anticipated show.

After a few minutes, Amy shook herself, took a step forward with a grunt of effort, as if working against some sort of anti-magnetic property of the underground dungeon, and walked to the entrance, with an extra-tight grip on Megan's hand. She let Megan trail her down the steps, with Big Bill behind them. Bill pulled the trap door closed above them.

Amy blinked at the sight of the room, brightly lit by recessed lighting along the ceiling. This, she understood, was the anteroom. She hadn't quite anticipated it looking like this.

Linda was closing the door of a large refrigerator, laughing. "Well, I guess she's got everything she needs. She must live a classic bachelorette life." Linda gestured at the microwave oven. "Lots of stuff in the fridge to go in there. Think I'll get any of it?"

Amy shrugged. "She never did say much about just what her fantasy consisted of. Maybe she'll feed you steadily for two days till you say, 'Just hang me, I can't eat anymore.' "

The three girls laughed, and continued looking around. In addition to the kitchen equipment, the anteroom also sported a recliner with a floor lamp beside it, with a table and several books on the other side. Megan fingered the volumes. "I figured she'd be a reader. I guess she'll be out here relaxing while you're in the dungeon stewing."

"Speaking of which, let's take a look!" Linda was at the heavy metal door opposite the concrete step entrance, through which Bill had already gone, looking into the room beyond. "Wow!"

Amy came up behind Linda, and rested her hand on Linda's shoulder, as she looked in.

The illumination in the dungeon was considerably different from that in the anteroom. One spotlight shone on the wall across from the entrance, which was equipped as one would expect in a dungeon. Heavy metal chains and shackles hung from iron rings were embedded in the rough brick wall. Unexpected, though, were the large four-poster bed, a small well-shaded lamp on a table beside it, to the right of the entrance along the near wall, as were the small dining table, cloth covered, and two soft-looking leather chairs on opposite sides of it. There were candles on the tablecloth. To the left sat a large, very comfortable-looking overstuffed chair.

In the far corner of the right-hand wall stood a familiar sight: a hanging platform. Amy smiled. At the end of Linda's three years of training, most of which Amy was fortunate enough to have been able to share with her, here was Linda's place to stand alone, to give her life the ending she had dreamed of. Seeing it added to Amy's growing consciousness of how much closer she was daily moving towards the same fate.

There was a small alcove in the near side of the left-hand wall. Peering in, Amy saw that there was a toilet and a shower. Whether Linda would be allowed to use the facilities was unknown.

The air in the dungeon seemed fresh, and unexpectedly dry for an underground room. Amy wasn't sure, at first, where the air conditioning vents were. She noticed, then, a gap between the ceiling and the tops of the walls. Standing on one of the chairs to reach high enough, she could barely detect the movement of air from the gap. There was no sound associated with it that she was aware of.

Amy stepped down, looked again at the bed, and laughed. "Well, we know what Zoey will be doing part of the time, anyway."

Facing the shackle wall stood a digital video camera on a tripod, which Bill was checking out. He turned and vanished into one of the two side rooms, the one whose door, currently ajar, stood in the wall to the left, beyond the bathroom alcove. Presently, with a soft whirring sound, the camera began panning to various angles. Amy looked into the room, and saw that a black semicircular floor-to-ceiling curtain hid most of the room from view. Behind the curtain, Bill sat at a console, experimenting with the camera controls.

The door to the room was darkly smoked glass with a pebbly texture, crossed by vertical and horizontal lines in imitation of the pattern on the bricks of the wall. As Linda had originally suggested at the original meeting, the door, when closed, with the dim lighting of the room focused on another wall, was nearly invisible. The curtain prevented light from the room from seeping out into the dungeon proper.

Directly across from it, in the right-hand wall, was a similar room that Amy and Megan would share for the next two days. Megan and Linda had already gone in. Amy entered and passed behind the curtain, and found Megan checking out a console identical to the one in Bill's room, sitting in one of the two softly-padded leather seats in front of the console. In the center of the console, a large high-definition monitor currently showed an image of the four-poster bed. Megan nodded to Amy. "It's working. There's a little delay when I first touch the controls, when it's taking over. After that it's pretty smooth." In recognition of the fact that the occupants of the two rooms would have to sleep sometime, the camera could be operated from either console. Using any of the dials or switches on either console caused the central computer to grant control of the camera to that console for the next thirty seconds, so that the camera wouldn't get conflicting instructions if both consoles were used nearly simultaneously. Whoever first saw a need, from either room, to make the camera move, could do so.

Most importantly, the camera would be switched off at the beginning of any hanging. The dean had been firm, as always, about the rule against recording a hanging, but had agreed to allow Steffi to preserve a video record of any non-hanging activities.

Behind Amy, Linda lay on her back on Megan's and Amy's bed, moving her arms and legs as if making a snow angel. She giggled. "I think my bed out there is nicer."

Amy laughed. "What makes you think it's your bed? I think it's for Stefanie's comfort while she watches you suffer."

"Bet you anything I'll get to sleep in it. Snuggled up with Stefanie."

"What have you got to bet with?"

Linda laughed. "Touche'."

Megan looked back at Linda. "Zoey, can we do a sound check?" She gestured towards the door leading into the dungeon.

Linda sighed, and levered herself off the bed. "So much for my last chance to relax."

Amy smiled. "Couple more days and you can relax forever."

Linda grinned. "I'll earn it."

Megan snorted. "No kidding."

Amy pushed the door closed behind Linda. It sealed snugly against a rubber gasket, and required some force to close it. It finally latched with a sharp click. She came back to the console and watched the monitor as Linda wandered randomly around the room, saying whatever came into her head. The camera followed her, Bill evidently controlling it now, as Megan wasn't touching any of the instruments. Amy could hear Linda's aimless chatter clearly. She twisted the volume knob all the way to "Off," and suddenly there was a complete absence of sound from Linda. Amy was impressed with the soundproofing -- she couldn't hear anything from the dungeon without the electronic assistance. Steffi obviously would not be able to hear whatever small sounds Amy and Megan might make, though they didn't intend to make a lot of noise in any case.

Megan looked up suddenly as if remembering something, and turned to reach for the bag she'd brought with her. As Amy looked at her roommate questioningly, Megan explained, "Cell phone." Amy nodded. "Oh! Right."

Megan flipped open the phone, and showed the bars to Amy. The phone was getting an acceptable signal. The two side rooms had minimal covering above them, at ground level, so that phone communication would be possible -- another requirement set by the dean, so that his representatives at the hanging would not be cut off from communication with the Academy and the rest of the outside world. Megan punched in the number for the dean's secretary, talked with her briefly to verify they had arrived, and hung up.

Megan looked around wonderingly. "How much money do you suppose Steffi put into this place?"

Amy shook her head. "I don't even want to imagine. I mean, my dad could do it, but he wouldn't. Not for something he was only going to use once."

Megan nodded. "This whole scene really means a lot to Steffi."

Amy laughed. "I think we all knew that already."

She pushed past the curtain and pulled the door open. "Everything's fine, Zoey."

Linda nodded and came back to the room. "I could use a little snack. Let me see what you've got in there." She walked past the console and knelt by the minifridge. After a moment's consideration, she pulled out an apple and a small pack of girlmeat cold cuts. She frowned. "Is there any bread?"

Megan pointed. "Probably that cupboard."

Linda opened up. "Oh, yeah." She pulled out a loaf, opened it and extracted a couple of slices. As she was opening the girlmeat package, she looked at it more closely. "Oh! There's a little bio of the girl on it. Are they doing that now?"

Amy came over to look. "That brand, anyway."

Linda read. "Her name was Andrea. She was studying to be a dancer when she got drafted." She looked at the tiny picture. "Pretty girl. And slender. Package says it's all lean meat."

She pulled out several slices of Andrea, and found a knife to spread on some mustard and relish from the fridge. As she took her first bite, she closed her eyes and savored the taste. "It's nice to know who this is. I never liked the idea of just being anonymous meat." She offered the meat package to Amy. "Want some?"

Amy shook her head. "Not hungry yet." The truth was, Amy felt too nervous to be capable of eating. She had no idea why Linda wasn't, but was glad of that.

As Linda finished off the apple, Megan said, "About thirty minutes now. We should start getting you secured."

Linda nodded. "Let me pee first. I don't know if or when Stefanie's going to let me do that." She went into the small bathroom that was part of Amy's and Megan's suite.

Megan called to her, "We'll be in the dungeon. Come out there when you're ready." Amy followed Megan out to the dungeon.

By the time Amy could walk to the shackle wall, Megan was already kneeling there, examining the shackles. "I can't tell if these are the same ones Steffi sent us to test out. Look the same, anyway."

Amy heard the toilet from their room flushing, and presently Linda emerged from behind the curtain. She grinned. "I'm all set." She looked excited, determined not to delay her adventure any longer. Her eyes flicked over the arrangement of restraints. "I must be supposed to sit on the floor, with my back against the wall."

As she made a move to sit, Amy said quickly, "Wait!" She stood next to Linda. "Let me at least give you a hug, you goof!" She wrapped her arms tightly around Linda, rubbing her cheek against Linda's.

Amy squeezed her eyes shut. "You've always been the best friend I could have, the best person I could ever imagine. I'll think about you every day."

Linda sighed and rubbed Amy's back. "You rat. You stole most of what I was going to say to you. I'll just say I love you, I love you, I love you. Thank you so much for everything."

Amy backed away at last, enough to kiss Linda. "Have a great time, honey."

Linda grinned. "I know I will."

She turned to Megan, who was already spreading her arms for her own hug. Holding Megan, she said, "I feel so lucky I got to know you. And so glad you and Amy found each other. You were meant to be together from the day you were born."

Megan responded, "You were always such a great example for me to follow. I learned a lot from you."

Linda laughed. "Ditto, for sure. I love you."

Megan whispered a heartfelt, "I love you too," and kissed her.

Reluctantly, Linda finally let go of Megan. A laugh of pure joy bubbled up out of her, and she spun and sank down against the wall. "Now! Let's get started!"

Amy knelt next to her. "Move your butt out just a little, hon. I need room to work behind you."

Linda scooted forward, and Amy took hold of the wrist shackles. Each had several metal rings around its periphery, and they were joined to each other by a padlock through a ring on each. Each also had another padlock, securing a heavy chain, just a few inches long, to one of the rings, the other end of the chain running back to another ring embedded in the wall behind Linda.

Amy had already practiced locking these shackles, or similar ones, around Linda's wrists and ankles before. They were padded with leather on the inside, though comfort was only a secondary issue. She snapped the self-locking wrist shackles closed, securing Linda's wrists to each other and to the wall behind her. Each ankle shackle was attached to a longer chain similarly secured to the wall, though not long enough for Linda to straighten her legs in front of her.

Amy looked at Linda and grinned. "Remember that time, a long time ago, when you tied Laney and me together, and I told you I'd get you back?"

Linda looked blank for a moment as she searched for the memory, then suddenly burst out laughing. After several attempts to speak, she finally sputtered, "Well, it took you long enough!"

Amy saw that Megan was giving them both puzzled looks. Still laughing, she said to Megan, "I'll tell you about it later."

Amy unfastened the choker Linda had been using as a slave collar, and reached behind her for one last thing -- a heavy metal collar, at least a quarter-inch thick, with several attachment rings around its periphery, at present open in two semicircles hinged in the middle. Like all of the other articles of restraint, the collar was secured to the wall by a chain a few inches long. She closed the collar around Linda's neck, and locked it with one remaining padlock. "How's that feel?"

Linda wriggled her shoulders and swung her head from side to side. "Well, it's not like there's a choice, but it's fine. It'd rub my shoulders pretty raw if I had to wear it too long, but for a couple of days I can handle it."

Megan looked her over. "Do you need anything before we get started?"

Linda bit her lip, thinking. "I ate, I peed. I think I'm set."

Amy took a deep breath and kissed her one more time, and Megan did the same after. Amy stood. "If we start the camera recording about two minutes after we close the door, does that give you time to get in character?"

Linda nodded. "More than enough, but give me that whole time, okay?"

Amy nodded in return, hesitated as she tried to think of anything more that needed to be done. At last she shrugged, and smiled. "Time for your show, Zoey."

Linda laughed. "Roll 'em!"

Megan went back into the side room, and Amy, backing away, mouthed "I love you" one more time, entered the room, and pushed the door closed.

Amy watched on the video monitor. Linda had closed her eyes to compose herself, and leaned back against the wall, letting her head drop forward. She appeared to be asleep. That did seem a good place to start from, Amy decided. Drugged unconsciousness.

She looked at Megan, who nodded. Amy reached out and flipped the toggle that started recording the images from the camera.

Linda remained motionless for several minutes. At last her head twitched, and she raised it and grunted, her eyes squeezed tightly shut and her brow furrowed, as if her head hurt. She shrugged her shoulders as if trying to raise her hands to her face, and suddenly twitched violently, causing a loud clink from all of the chains, seeming astonished to find herself restrained. She fought briefly with the shackles, grunting, and looked around wildly, shouting "Hey!" She bent forward until the collar stopped her, and made a choking sound as it tightened across the front of her throat.

Her expression settled into an angry scowl, as she pulled again on the wrist shackles, muttering "Damn it!" She suddenly stopped and looked around wide-eyed, as if aware for the first time of the features of the room.

"Is anybody there??" Her imitation of Zoey's voice was perfect by now.

She muttered "Shit!" and started examining her restraints more methodically. Twisting, she brought her hands around her right hip as far as she could, visually examining the shackles, rotating her arms to various angles and a few times giving the shackles vicious yanks. She kicked her feet outward, trying fruitlessly to straighten her legs, then bending her right leg to bring her foot closer so she could see the ankle shackle better.

She suddenly looked up and shouted, "Marty! You asshole! This is your kind of stupid joking around. This isn't funny! Let me go right now if you ever want to see your ass in one piece again!" She kicked again, and strained her arms behind her trying once more to free her hands. "LET... ME... GO!!"

Amy was startled by the sudden sound of a bell from within her own room. "What's..." She looked at Megan questioningly and then remembered. "Oh yeah." It was a signal that the trap door entry to the outer room had been opened. Steffi was entering her underground bunker.