Orionna was sprawled on her bed when Jessica entered her chambers, naked and waiting for her prize. "I was beginning to think I would have to send the guards out to find you and bring you here, Jessica," she purred, sitting up and massaging her breasts. "I thought you were trying to welsh on our little bet."

Without a word, Jessi approached and knelt before the blonde, putting her mouth in front of the spread legs of the Huntress. As she leaned forward to place her tongue on the shaved pussy of the blonde, however, Orionna reached down and grabbed a handful of her hair and jerked her head back.

"Oh, no, Jessica," she snarled. "It's not going to be that easy." With a cruel chuckle, she tossed Jessica to her back and then dropped down on her belly. Not as hard as she had in the arena, but hard enough to hurt the startled redhead. "I prefer to take things, as you know."

She punched Jessi's gut softly, almost playfully, and then began to tease and twist the redhead's breasts.

"The bet was that the loser eats the winner's pussy," Jessica began. "I don't recall any mention of-"

"Shut up! This is the way I want you to eat my pussy, and, unless you want another beating--Or, perhaps you'd prefer another visit from Horst?--I suggest you lay there and get ready to please me when I get on top of your face," she said with a growl and a smile.

Jessica's only response was a hate-filled glare.

Orionna laughed loudly and then scooted up until she was sitting on Jessica's face.

As the redhead's tongue entered her, she reached back and continued to fondle Jessi's tits with one hand, while fondling her own with the other. Jessica expertly licked the blonde's lower lips until they parted enough to expose the slightly moist clitoris. Then, gently, she feathered the erect organ with her tongue, occasionally taking it into her mouth and carefully sucking on it, until Orionna's fingers dug painfully into her breasts and, with a scream as primal as that of the beasts she had hunted to near extinction, she came, not once, but half-a dozen times in rapid succession.

When Jessi felt the blonde's entire body go limp and she saw that the lips had closed protectively around the spent clitoris, she cautiously worked her arms free and pushed Orionna back off of her face so that she could lever herself up onto her elbows. To her surprise, Orionna obligingly rolled completely off her and then curled up on the floor with a dreamy smile plastered on her beautiful face.

Jessica wiped her mouth on the fur bed covering. "I trust that satisfies the terms of our bet," she said evenly. Orionna moaned and nodded.

Fighting down an urge to strangle the semi-helpless woman, she got up and left to find the two other agents and learn what she could from them about the upcoming death hunt.

A woman with dirty blonde hair and a sneer opened the door to the room which housed the two agents and Jessica walked in only to find the pair shackled to their beds and sporting some fresh bruises, their faces caked with dried blood. Alarmed, she turned back to the mercenary. "I want them released. Now," she added imperiously, when the blonde hesitated.

"Orders from the Queen, Ma'am. I can't," she stammered, cowed by Jessica's display of authority.

The redhead frowned her displeasure. "At least be good enough to fetch me some water and some cloths so that I can clean them up, then," she sighed. The blonde nodded and then ran off.

"Who did this to you?" she asked once the guard had left. She knelt beside them and gently stroked Kanika's forehead with one hand and embraced Li Lin's fingers with the other.

"Horst and Gloria came in shortly after we watched what he did to you and..." Li Lin's voice trailed off and she attempted to shrug.

"And they beat the holy shit out of us!" finished Kanika angrily. "Again."

"We saw what happened this morning," Li Lin said, gesturing with her head toward a monitor hanging from the ceiling. "All of what happened, and we are very sorry."

"No, I'm the one who's sorry," Jessica said vehemently, shaking her head. "Sorry that I didn't pay closer attention to what you were telling me about Orionna and even sorrier that she did this to you to goad me into a fighting rage. Just as she had Horst rape me for the same reason. Had I proven more of a challenge to her in the arena, none of it would have happened."

Then, the blonde woman returned with the water and rags and Jessica set about seeing to their wounds as much as she could. As she ministered to them, they continued to talk softly.

"Still, this is no time for recriminations, my friends. I need to learn all I can about these death hunts, if I am to survive. What can you tell me?" Jessica asked, carefully wiping the blood from the African's swollen lips.

"You're turned loose and then Orionna and some of her mercenaries come after you, beat you almost to death, and then Orionna puts a bullet in your brain, and that's about it as far as I know," Kanika said bitterly.

"My African friend is succinct, but accurate, I'm afraid," Li Lin said quietly. "The heads in her grisly trophy room--You have seen it, yes?" The redhead nodded. "The heads are all from the victims of previous death hunts. Nobody has survived one yet."

Jessica scowled. "What about the control room? Do either of you know where that is located? If I could shut down the transmitter broadcasting the inhibiting frequency, I could tear Orionna and her flunkies apart without raising so much as a little finger," Jessi said in an angry whisper. But, both women sadly shook their heads. "Guess I'll have to find it on my own, somehow." She rinsed the cloth and turned to address the Asian's wounds.

After promising the two agents that she would do what she could to see to their release from the painful bindings, Jessica made her way through the complex, searching for the control room and the answer to her prayers. She walked past the main door to the arena and paused at the door which led to the trophy room filled with human heads, trying to recall if there were any other doors in it, besides the two she had gone through. She forced herself to remember every detail of the grisly room, but she could not be 100% certain that it contained any other doors, since she had been so repulsed by the room's contents she had all but erased it from her mind.

She cautiously went over and tried the door and was almost relieved when she found it was locked.

She continued on down the hall, toward the Huntress' chambers and that part of the complex she knew housed the mercenaries.

"You there!" called a gruff male voice from behind her. She turned to see a tall man with light brown hair and blue eyes approaching her with a slight frown on his handsome face. "What do you want in this area of the complex?"

"I'm looking for the control room, I'm to meet Gloria there," she lied, hoping to trick him into leading her to the room she sought.

"Gloria isn't scheduled for control room duty today," he said suspiciously. "Why would she want to meet you there? And, why would she want to meet with you at all, for that matter?"

"I challenged her to a fight and she accepted," Jessica said angrily. "Don't tell me she's backed out of it!"

"I've never known Gloria to back out of a fight, Miss," he replied carefully. "Are you sure she said the control room?"

"Positive. Why don't you just take me there and we'll see if she shows up," Jessica suggested. "Then, you could watch to make sure it was a fair fight." The man's eyes lit up at this and he nodded eagerly.

"Lead the way," Jessi smiled, but then she saw a different look enter the man's eyes and knew without turning around that Gloria was approaching from the direction she had just come.

"No need, Miss. Here comes Gloria, now," he smiled, pointing over her shoulder.

"What's going on here, Klaus?" the blonde demanded. "Why is this woman-"

Jessica suddenly spun around and drove her fist into the startled woman's jaw, knocking her off-balance, but not off her feet. "Where the Hell have you been, you sorry, scared bitch?" she demanded.

Gloria rubbed her jaw and glared at Jessica with eyes that burned bright with outrage. "Wasn't the beating the Queen gave you this morning enough for one day, Jessica?" she snarled.

"Are you trying to get out of our fight?" Jessica cried, catching her with another shot to the chin.

"What are you talking about, you lunatic? And stop hitting me or you won't live to see the sunrise!"

"I told you that I was going to kick your ass later, bitch, and now is later! Are you ready, or are you yellow?" she mocked, feinting another chin-shot but instead going for the stomach and landing a solid blow that drove the breath from the blonde's body.

"Fine! If you want to die tonight instead of tomorrow, it makes no difference to me, crazy bitch!" She raised her fists defensively. "Let's go, baby!"

"You can't fight here!" The man, who had been all but forgotten, stepped in between them. "And, if this is indeed Jessica Chance, you definitely can't kill her, Gloria. Unless you want to face the Queen's wrath and serve as the prey in tomorrow's death hunt in her place?"

Gloria lowered her arms and nodded. "You're right, of course, Klaus. We will fight in the arena, to prevent either of us from turning this battle into a lethal one," she said, glaring at the redhead.

"Fine with me, cow-lein, as long as I get to kick your sorry ass!" Jessica spat.

Gloria turned and stalked down the hall toward the arena and Klaus and Jessica followed her.

All three were surprised to find Orionna and Constance waiting for them just outside the door.

"An unscheduled, unapproved fight, Gloria? And with my guest of honor, no less," the Huntress added meaningfully.

"She challenged me, my Queen, she insulted and attacked me without provocation, and I demand to meet her challenge in the arena," Gloria stated, probably a bit more strongly than she intended.

"You `demand,' Gloria? Who are you to demand anything, let alone the privilege of fighting one whom I have claimed the sole right to battle?" Orionna hissed, leaning close to the mercenary's face.

"Forgive me, my Queen. I forgot myself. I humbly beseech your forgiveness for my rashness and offer myself up for whatever punishment you deem fits my inexcusable behavior," Gloria said quickly, lowering herself to one knee and bowing her head.

Orionna paused, looking deeply into Jessica's eyes and noting the fury which burned within them, and then said, with an evil, perfect smile, "I think, under the circumstances, that the only suitable punishment would be to let this fight proceed. Strip down and enter the arena while Constance, Klaus and I make our way to the viewing gallery. And, a warning to both of you: Don't start before we are seated and ready, and, Gloria, don't you dare cripple her or I'll come down and make you wish you were the one who had been crippled. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my Queen," answered Gloria, pleased, but confused, by her so-called punishment.

Orionna grinned and then turned and made her way toward the stairs, followed by the videographer and the other mercenary.

Jessica and Gloria, meanwhile, held each other's eyes as they stripped out of their clothes and then entered the arena.

As the pair waited for the Huntress and her companions to arrive, Jessi took the opportunity to study the mercenary. She was shorter than the redhead by a few inches, standing maybe 5' 7" in her bare feet, and had a cruel glint in her blue eyes. Her hair was long and hung in a pair of braids down across her round, but not overly large, breasts. Her body was more obviously muscled than that of her opponent, but, again, nowhere near that of Orionna herself. Her thighs, in particular, bulged with power and Jessi made a mental note to herself to avoid being caught in between them.

Finally, Orionna and the others were seated and Jessica saw that Constance's mini-cam was buzzing around the arena and that the fight was being broadcast on the large screen in the arena itself, and, no doubt, to the other monitors located throughout the complex.

"You may begin any time, ladies," Orionna called cheerfully. "Oh, wait! What are the stakes?"

Gloria and Jessica both looked at each other and shrugged.

"There have to be stakes involved," Orionna informed them, "or the fight is practically meaningless. So, what will it be? The loser must satisfy the winner sexually--And I can personally vouch for Jessica's skills in that area, Gloria." But, the blonde in the arena shook her head. "Oh, that's right, you don't like women. How about the loser is the winner's slave for the evening? And that can entail anything the winner wants it to." But, this time it was Jessica who shook her head. "Fine. Well, what about the winner gives the loser a good old fashioned spanking?" Both women in the arena glanced down at her opponent's butt and then smiled and nodded. "Excellent. Okay, you may begin, and, may the best woman win."

Gloria immediately jumped up and caught Jessica on the side of her face with a spinning kick, but the redhead, even as she was regaining her balance, dropped to all fours and swept one of her legs around, knocking the blonde to her back. Before Gloria could roll away or attempt to rise, Jessi, still crouching on all fours, brought her other foot down hard on her stomach. But, when the redhead moved to straddle her foe, the blonde quickly rolled away and sprang to her feet. She then lashed out and caught Jessica under her chin with the side of her foot, flipping the redhead onto her back.

Gloria instantly leapt on her, landing hard on her stomach and quickly pinning the redhead's arms beneath her knees. She then launched a series of sharp, hard blows to Jessi's breasts, pausing now and again to claw and twist the flesh being pounded. Suddenly, Jessica bucked her ass up off the floor and drove both of her knees into the blonde's back, causing Gloria to pitch forward and sprawl on top of the redhead. It also freed Jessi's arms.

Jessica quickly slid her arms up and beneath the blonde's chest and then sat up, pushing Gloria over and onto her back. The redhead than trapped the blonde's arms to the floor with her legs and began to punish the woman's belly with powerful jabs and a few elbows to her exposed pussy.

Gloria howled in a combination of pain and anger and struggled to free her arms or to bring her powerful legs into play, but Jessica held the former tightly in place and kept the latter from getting the leverage required to throw her off by leaning forward, which also bent the blonde's spine painfully. Furious, Gloria surprised the redhead by rolling over, pitching Jessica onto her side and causing her to free the blonde's arms and legs.

Both women jumped to their feet and circled each other warily. This time there would be no hasty moves. The blonde slapped out at Jessica and the redhead easily batted her hand away. Again, Gloria slapped at her, only to be blocked. The third time the blonde raised her arm, however, it was instead her leg which shot forward, the heel striking Jessi low in her middle and knocking her backwards. Gloria rushed forward only to be knocked to her back when Jessica's right fist flew up and nailed her in the chin.

But, when Jessi rushed in to take advantage of her foe's downed position, she was met by Gloria's feet, which shot out and caught her in the pit of her stomach. The redhead was driven backwards, but managed to stay on her feet. Gloria, however, arched her back and then sprang to her feet and immediately ran forward. She jumped up and tagged Jessi hard on the cheek with the side of her foot and this time the redhead was knocked to the floor.

The blonde reached down and grabbed Jessi's hair with both hands and then proceeded to flip her over and onto her back. Gloria, still retaining her hold on the woman's hair, ran forward and repeated the maneuver. Then, as Jessi lay stunned from her treatment, holding her aching head, Gloria quickly slipped her legs around the redhead's middle and began to squeeze. Jessica immediately forgot all about her head as her ribs were pressed in painfully and the breath was slowly forced from her body.

Jessica frantically reached up and grabbed a handful of the blonde's tresses, but when Gloria locked her ankles and really poured on the pressure, she was forced to let go. She then attempted to pry the blonde's legs apart, but found that she was unable to budge them.

"Are you ready to surrender, Jessica?" she hissed, leaning down so that her face was inches from the agonized redhead's.

Jessi's answer was to reach up and clap both her hands over the blonde's ears. Hard. Then, when Gloria's legs unwillingly parted, the redhead quickly elbowed her sharply in the gut and then rolled free from the crushing scissor hold and stood up, rubbing her own stomach.

As the blonde fought to clear her head from the ringing blow, Jessi sprang forward and, grabbing Gloria's ankles, folded her legs over and then promptly sat down on the back of her thighs. Jessica looked down at the snarling face of the woman and then leaned forward, lowering her sex onto it and stretching the blonde's back at the same time.

Gloria's arms flailed helplessly and she vainly tried to kick out of the humiliating and painful hold, but Jessica just wiggled her rump and bounced up and down a bit. Gloria attempted to roll out of the hold, as she had done with the other, but Jessica was ready for that this time and braced herself with her arms to prevent it.

"Do you give?" she inquired, rising up enough to allow her opponent to speak.

"Get the hell off me, you sick bitch!" Gloria screamed, her face red with rage.

Jessica shrugged and then lowered herself back onto the furious woman's face.

"She'll never surrender, Jessica," Orionna called down from the viewing gallery. "You're going to have to knock her out somehow." The Huntress grinned, showing off her perfect, white teeth, and then sat back to see what would happen next.

Jessica sat up again. "Is that true, Gloria?" she asked the sputtering blonde. "Are you sure you don't want to surrender?"

"Never, you cunting whore! Now get the fucking hell off of me!" she shrieked as her entire body shook with unimaginable outrage.

Jessica shook her head. "Fine. Have it your way, then," she said as she released an ankle and punched the blonde's immobile face. And again. And again. And again. Until Gloria's body went limp beneath her.

With a deep sigh, Jessica stood up and revealed the bloody face of her unconscious opponent. Orionna's eyes widened as she saw the blood running from the shattered mouth of the beaten blonde. Then, she saw that regret, and not triumph, framed the face of the redhead, and she laughed.

"Would you prefer to clean her up before administering her punishment, Jessica?" the Huntress called down. The redhead nodded without looking up. "Klaus, bring her some water and a cloth."

The mercenary jumped and ran to the stairs without a word.

A few moments later he entered the arena with a bucket and several cloths, which he was going to hand to Jessica, until Orionna stopped him. "No, Klaus, you clean Gloria up," the Huntress said with a chuckle. "Let Jessica rest." He nodded and then made his way over to the unconscious blonde, ignoring the redhead, who had moved next to the room which held the lioness and was sitting down and staring into the big cat's yellow eyes as her fingers danced along the glass door.

When Klaus had finished and had rejoined Orionna and Constance back in the viewing gallery, Jessica stood up and walked over to where Gloria was just starting to come around. The blonde sat up and rubbed her jaw and then looked up at the redhead and the rage returned to her eyes.

"If you think your jaw hurts, just wait until I get finished with your ass," Jessica said with a smirk.

"Wait until tomorrow, bitch, when we're alone in the bush, with no silly rules to go by," Gloria whispered as Jessi knelt beside her.

"I'm looking forward to it," she replied softly. "Now, get on my lap and take your punishment like a good girl." Jessica sat down on the padded floor of the arena and motioned for Gloria to lay across her legs.

The blonde did so with obvious reluctance.

Jessica smiled and began to softly caress the beautiful butt, occasionally slapping a bit at the flesh and drawing a surprised, but positive, response from the blonde. Jessica continued to lightly run her fingertips over the round flesh, grinning when it quivered after each of the gentle smacks.

Just when Gloria was thinking this might not be so bad, and she was actually beginning to enjoy herself, Jessica's hand came down hard and flat, sending waves of pain through the excited flesh. But, the redhead quickly returned to the caressing and light slaps. Then, when the pain of the first true spank had almost diminished, another hard slap. And another. Four of them came hard and fast before more of the caressing. But then, all too quickly, more of the true spanks.

As Gloria began to sob, Orionna leaned over to Constance and whispered, "She's good. I hope you're paying attention to this, Connie."

If the drool running from the videographer's slack mouth was any indication, she was.

Down in the arena the spanks were coming more and more frequently. Although there was still some caressing now and again, it was the hard slaps which were the most common. But, Jessica was being careful not to break the skin, making sure that her spanks always landed flatly, with the palm of her hand gently cupping the ass cheek as it struck, and never allowing her fingertips to scratch the sensitive flesh.

Gloria was crying hard now, the tears streaming down her cheeks and her breath coming in ragged gasps between sobs.

Jessica smiled and then finished her off with ten solid spanks, each of which was preceded by a half-minute of caressing to make the pain even more acute.

Then, she rolled Gloria off her legs, not allowing her to lie on her stomach, but forcing her onto her sore backside, and stood up and very deliberately placed one foot on the top of her thighs and pressed down, bringing the sore flesh into painful contact with the floor, which was slick with sweat.

"Jessica, for the love of the Goddess, flip her over and give us a pose of you and her cherry-red ass," Constance croaked out, squirming as if her seat was on fire.

Jessica began to instead walk out of the arena, but paused and then, with an impish grin, walked back to where Gloria still lay on her back and crouched down and turned her over, exposing the still-glowing posterior. Still grinning, Jessi sat down on her back and then slid forward until the hairs of her pubic area brushed lightly against the reddened flesh, bringing more moans and whimpers from the blonde.

Up in the viewing gallery, Constance passed out.

After an afternoon spent wandering the island to get a feel for it and gain some indication of the lay of the land, Jessi returned to the main complex in time to see the last of the human cargo being loaded aboard one of Orionna's stealth boats in preparation for a delivery run. She saw that Horst himself was overseeing the operation and was disappointed to learn that he was going to be off the island for the hunt the next day; she had been looking forward to paying him back out in the field for defiling her.

She watched the streamlined ship depart with its payload of human misery and then made her way back to her room to get cleaned up for dinner.

As Jessica was just putting the finishing touches on her outfit, a long dress made from the silky fur of several South American Ocelots--Orionna had confiscated, and probably burned, all of her other clothes, forcing her to wear furs, and further exerting control over the redhead--she heard a knock at the door. When she opened it, Gloria was standing there. But, it was a very different Gloria from the one who had come for her that morning. This woman stood with her head bowed and her arms behind her back and when she spoke it was with a quiet and respectful tone.

"Orionna sent me to inform you that dinner is served, Jessica," she said without looking up.

Jessica smiled to herself and said curtly, "Fine. Lead the way."

Gloria turned and walked away, and Jessica noted her faint limp with both satisfaction and regret.

Orionna sat in her usual place, as did the videographer, and poor Dog knelt beside her mistress, as well, Jessica saw when she entered the dining room. She slowly walked over to her place, admiring the matching cheetah outfits of the pair, and loathing them at the same time. She took her seat and calmly waited for the food to be brought out.

"That was quite a performance this morning, Jessica," Orionna said, gesturing with her hand to Dog, who scampered off to the kitchen. "I mean with Gloria, not Horst," she added with a venomous laugh.

Jessica said nothing and was grateful when Dog rushed back in and knelt down as the food was brought in by the same parade of multi-ethnic servants.

"I noticed poor Gloria now walks with a limp from that spanking you gave her," the blonde continued. "Where did you learn that technique?"

"Oh, it's just something Lupe and I perfected a month ago," Jessi answered, recalling how she and the Spaniard had spent the three days of their transformation practicing on her unwilling, but helpless, sister, Melanie. "She'll be fine in a couple of days."

"Good. Gloria is a valuable member of my organization," Orionna said, digging into the piles of steaming meats and vegetables. "But, between you and me, she's never really been much of a fighter. I'm surprised that she gave you as good a battle as she did, quite frankly."

"I have been more careless, and overconfident, of late," Jessi replied in between mouthfuls. "But, I assure you that the next time we meet, I will not be so out of sorts."

Orionna laughed, nearly choking on her food. "You are the brazen one, aren't you? Well, I need not remind you that the next time we meet I will have a gun and will be aiming it right between your eyes. So, the chances of our meeting in the arena again are quite slim."

"We'll see about that," Jessica replied, gazing at the Huntress with deadly seriousness.

After dinner, Jessica stopped by Lupe's cage before retiring to her room. She found the Spaniard resting on her bunk, reading a romance novel. The redhead watched her friend quietly for a bit, enjoying the simple pleasure of being near her, but longing to hold her and take her away from all of this pain and humiliation. Lupe glanced up and noticed Jessica standing outside her cage and immediately dropped the book and jumped up, a huge grin on her lovely face.

"I saw the beating you gave that Nazi," she laughed, pressing her hand against the glass, fingers spread. "I'm glad to see that all of our practice with Melanie paid off!"

Jessica smiled back and placed her hand on the other side in the now-familiar interlocked position. "I only hope Gloria doesn't take it out on you or Kanika or Li Lin," she replied after a thoughtful silence, the smile turning momentarily serious.

"Word is that Gloria will be going out with the next shipment the day after tomorrow, so, since she will be busy hunting you tomorrow, that won't be a concern...assuming you get us out of here before she returns," Lupe added with a mischievous twinkle in her brown eyes.

"We will all be out of here day after tomorrow, Lupe," Jessica promised, knowing that Lupe knew that three days from then was the first of the three full moons that would trigger her friend's metamorphosis into a werewolf. And, if that were to happen while they were still Orionna's prisoners, both their lives would instantly be forfeit, according to the deal the Huntress had made with them.

Lupe nodded. "Aye, my friend. One way or the other." Her smile held a trace of sadness. "Go and get some sleep, Jessica. You will need it for tomorrow. Lupe will be fine," the brunette assured her.

Jessi nodded and, after leaning over and lightly kissing the glass between Lupe's cheeks and her lips, she headed for her room.

When Orionna herself knocked on her door just before dawn the next morning, Jessica was already up and dressed, in a pantsuit made of tiger fur which would help her blend in to the jungle, hopefully better than it had helped its previous owner. Orionna was wearing the same khaki outfit she had been wearing when Jessica first arrived on the island. Constance was clad in a garish combination of mink, rabbit, and skunk furs, which had been patched together in the form of a tank top and shorts. Her video recorder hung on a clip from her leather belt.

"I'm glad to see that you're ready, Jessica," the blonde smiled, adjusting the strap of the rifle slung across her shoulder. "I hope you got plenty of rest."

"I slept like a baby. Shall we make our way to the dining hall for breakfast or do we eat on the go?" Jessi asked.

"Very perceptive. Connie and I will be eating here, while you are being driven to the foot of Mount Artemis. You will dine on the go," the Huntress nodded. "Here are the rules: Survive by any means possible until sundown and you will have earned another chance in the arena. These five subjects will act as my beaters, and will comb the island in an effort to locate you and force you into a confrontation with me." She stepped aside and Jessica saw that three men and two women, including Klaus and Gloria, were standing behind her, dressed in the skins of black panthers. "You already know Klaus and Gloria. This is Victoria, Gunter, and Stefan. They may attack you, if they find you, but will do their best not to kill you, going instead for crippling maneuvers."

"And here I thought you were a sportswoman," Jessica said, staring into the violet eyes of the blonde. "It hardly strikes me as fair to shoot a target which has been crippled or can't otherwise properly defend itself."

"Who said anything about a fair contest?" Orionna laughed, showing off her perfect white teeth. "I want this to be a challenge, certainly, but I'm not interested in a fair contest out in the bush. I want to experience the thrill of the hunt, sure, but I also need to have the satisfaction of a clean kill. See that you provide both or I will skin not only your werewolf friend, but the two agents as well. And, yes, they will all be alive when I do it."

With that, she turned and walked away, followed by Connie, leaving Jessica with the five beaters.

The drive out to the foot of the island's sole mountain took less than half an hour and on the way Jessica enjoyed a hearty meal of ham, eggs, toast, orange juice and a bagel with a smear of cream cheese. As they approached a place where the jungle road opened enough to allow the Hummer to turn around, Jessica was suddenly picked up by the the four mercenaries riding with her and tossed out of the moving vehicle. She landed roughly in the brush and managed to roll with the impact, thereby avoiding any serious injury. As the vehicle headed back to the main compound, after turning around, Jessi heard the mocking laughter of its occupants and swore that she would be the one laughing when this day was over.

Jessica stood up and brushed herself off. Having already decided that attempting to hide would be futile, she set off to prepare some surprises for her would-be beaters. Once again, she was forced to admit that her imposed training at the hands of the General's underlings was proving more useful than she would have expected. As she wound some vines together, forming a strong rope, she thought back on the survival training she had undergone in the Everglades and how much she had hated it. Colonel Masters had been a brutal, almost barbaric, commander, screaming and beating her through the training when necessary. But, she now conceded that he was also a brilliant survivalist. And, like General Winsome himself, he was also an incredibly devious son of a bitch. For which she was presently very grateful.

Gunter, a tall, blonde, Aryan nightmare, strode through the jungle, his sky-blue eyes alert for anything out of the ordinary. A smile slowly spread across his cruel mouth when he spied a vine stretched across the path, crudely covered with leaves and brush in an attempt to conceal it. He carefully approached and bent down to inspect it, to figure out just what it was supposed to have done. It was thin, and had obviously been chewed to make it extremely fragile, so that the slightest pressure would snap it. He glanced to both sides and saw that a fallen tree trunk had been rigged to come crashing into whoever broke the vine.

With a slight laugh, Gunter leaned forward and cut the vine with his machete. Nothing. The severed vine just laid on the ground and the fallen tree was still hanging where it had been. Curious, he started up the slope to inspect what had gone wrong with the trap.

Suddenly, the ground dropped out from under him as he crashed through a light canopy of grass and twigs scattered over a flimsy trellis of bamboo and into a natural pit. He picked himself up and realized that the walls of the pit were far too soft to afford him any hand or footholds and too high to simply jump out of. He sat down on his haunches and reluctantly conceded that he had been caught.

Victoria, a stocky woman with a plain face and light brown hair, cautiously approached a small clearing, noting that several of the smaller trees surrounding it were bent down unnaturally. A careful inspection of the area revealed that they were being held down by vines arranged in a small circle and held in place by crude stakes, waiting for some unwary soul to trip into the trap. Smirking, she brushed away the leaves concealing the snare and then carefully reached out and deliberately sprang the trap.

But, instead of the small circle closing around nothing as the trees snapped upright, she realized with a start that a half-dozen much larger loops were springing from their much better concealment. Before she could escape, the vines had tightened around her, pinning her arms to her sides and suspending her ten feet off the ground, upside down.

Stefan, a large man with a scarred face and hair too dark to be called blonde, strode through the jungle, searching for some sign that the prey had passed this way. So far, he hadn't found the slightest indication that she had and was about to head out toward the savanna, thinking she must have somehow gotten by the others and was hiding in the tall grass, when he spotted a half-smudged boot print in the mud of the crude trail. He smiled, recognizing the sole of the boot worn exclusively by the prey of the death hunts, and proceeded along the trail in the direction indicated by the partial print.

He had not gone more than a few steps when he found another print, this one clearly belonging to the prey, too, and headed in the same direction: toward Mount Artemis. Stefan grinned wolfishly and followed the trail of boot prints out of the jungle, stopping when they appeared to lead into a small cave at the base of the mountain.

He looked around for some sign that she had left the cave after entering it, but clearly saw only one set of prints: those leading into the cave. He removed his machete from his belt and pulled a flashlight from his pocket and switched it on, directing the beam of light into the gloomy interior of the cave.

"Give it up, Miss Chance, I've got you cornered," he chuckled, ducking as he entered the cave.

Then, he heard an ominous rumbling and a moment later the cave's entrance was sealed by dirt and rocks. As he frantically swung his light around the small cave, searching for some other exit, he noticed a rope made of intertwined vines running along the top of the cave's roof and realized why there had only been prints leading into the cave.

Finding no other exits, he grumbled and began the arduous process of digging himself out.

Gloria paused as she made her way through a grove of immature palm trees and leaned against one as she took a long swig from her water bottle. Suddenly, she felt a hard tug on her hair, but, when she tried to turn around to see who or what had jerked it, she found that she was unable. She reached up and discovered that her long hair had been tied around the trunk of the tree.

Then, her hand was slapped away and Jessica walked around in front of her with a sneering smile on her dirty face.

"Ah, ah, ah," the redhead reprimanded, wagging a finger in her face.

"Untie me, you slimy bitch!" Gloria screamed, reaching for her knife, but the American again slapped her hand away.

"I don't think so, Gloria," she leered, stepping in and burying her fist deep in the blonde's gut. "I wish I had more time to give you another beating, but I've still got to deal with Klaus and Orionna before the sun sets, so, I guess I'll just have to settle for humiliating you and imagining the enraged expression on your face when your comrades free you." Then, her left fist crashed into the side of the blonde's jaw, nearly tearing the hair from her head, knocking her out cold.

Jessica quickly stripped the woman and then tied her hands and feet behind her and around the tree with several strong vines. She then placed the clothing in a neat pile at Gloria's feet, within sight, but tantalizingly out of reach, and then made her way toward the grasslands.

Klaus was patrolling the area between the jungle and the savanna when he spied a blur of motion emerging from the jungle. A moment later it had disappeared in the tall grass, but the man was sure that it had been Jessica in her tiger-skin outfit. He uncoiled the whip from his belt and ran to where he had seen the figure vanish. Sure enough, there were the telltale boot prints of the prey in the soft earth, clearly leading into the open plain.

His brown eyes alert for any sign of the redhead, he made his way into the savanna, his 6' 6" frame easily towering over the 5' grass.

Orionna, seated in her land rover, watched the big man's progress through a pair of binoculars. "Get ready, Wolfgang," she hissed to her driver. "I think Klaus has spotted her." A second later, the man disappeared, his hands raised in alarm as he sank into the grass like a swimmer being pulled under by a shark.

"Hit it, Wolfgang!" the Huntress shouted, tossing aside the binoculars and grabbing her high-powered rifle with the telescopic sight.

By the time she raised the sight to her eye and focused it on the area where her beater had vanished, however, all she saw was the grass being shook violently as the combatants battled out of her sight.

Then, the grass was still.

"Careful, Wolfgang," Orionna said through clenched teeth. "Any sign of them, Connie?" she asked the videographer who was seated next to the driver, scanning the area with her camera. Constance shook her head.

"Wouldn't Klaus have stood up by now if he'd won?" she asked.

Before the Huntress could answer, a knife pierced the right front tire of her vehicle and a familiar whip snaked around Wolfgang's neck and jerked him bodily from the land rover.

Connie leaped over into the empty driver's seat and slammed both feet hard onto the brake. Unfortunately, the vehicle was already off-balance because of the flat tire and when it skidded into a patch of soft ground, the flattened tire dug into the mud and the land rover flipped over, throwing both women clear before it came to rest upside down.

Orionna groggily opened her eyes and blinked in confusion. She felt a body next to her and, based on the prickly feeling against the back of her head, guessed that it was Connie. She tried to move her hands but found that she couldn't because they were tied together behind her back. Furious, she cast about, searching for some sign of Klaus or Wolfgang.

She saw her driver tied neatly and sitting on the overturned land rover. And, standing next to him was Jessica.

"This isn't how things are supposed to work out!" cried the Huntress, struggling vainly against her bindings.

Jessica looked over and smiled. "You're just in time, Orionna," she said, picking Wolfgang up and carrying him over and dropping him next to the enraged blonde. "The sun is just about to set and I'm about to head back to my quarters to get a good night's rest so that I'll be refreshed and ready to kick your ass tomorrow morning."

Orionna scowled when she noticed that the sun was about to disappear below the horizon. "You're not just going to leave us out here, are you?" she asked.

"I am, but, I'll leave a way for your people to find you, so don't worry about spending the whole night out here," Jessi chuckled. She then picked up Orionna's rifle and swung the barrel around and fired off a shot at the overturned land rover.

The vehicle burst into flame as the punctured gas tank exploded.

"See you in the morning, dear," Jessica grinned, tossing the gun into the fire and racing off toward the distant lights of the compound.

"You'll regret this, Jessica!" shrieked Orionna, flecks of white foam flying from her mouth. "Mark my words, bitch!! You WILL regret this!!!"

After walking past the open-mouthed guards, Jessica made her way through the halls--Which are suddenly filled with men and women shouting about a fire and racing from the building--and to the tiny room shared by Kanika and Li Lin. The usual guard was nowhere to be seen, so the redhead quickly grabbed the keys from a nearby peg, opened the door and slipped inside.

"You're still alive?!" exclaimed the African, her dark eyes widening in surprise.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Jessi smiled, trying keys in the locks of the women's shackles.

"Orionna?" inquired Li Lin quietly.

"Still alive, but madder than a wet cat in a room full of pitbulls," the redhead grinned. "I'll settle with her tomorrow morning. And, I will do my best to arrange to have the two of you present for our fight so that we can take advantage of the brief chaos which will ensue after I defeat her."

"Such confidence is surprising after the beating she gave you last time," Li Lin commented as her wrists were freed.

"I've had time to think about the mistakes I made last time, and I won't be making them again," Jessi assured her.

"Maybe not, but what's to prevent you from making all new ones?" grunted Kanika, rubbing her chafed wrists.

"I will triumph tomorrow. I know it. Now, when I do, based on the behavior of the guards at my survival of the death hunt, we will have a few minutes to put an end to the Huntress' operations once and for all. Do you want to hear my plan or not?" the redhead asked with a heavy sigh as she unlocked the manacles from the Asian's ankles.

"You might as well tell us," the African shrugged with a teasing smirk. "I mean, it's not like we've got other plans for the evening."

Jessica scowled playfully and then related her plan for the aftermath of the fight between herself and the Huntress.

After the three had discussed the finer details of the scheme for a bit, Jessica stood up to return to her quarters, grimacing as she did so and rubbing her shoulder where Klaus had managed to land a heavy blow before being knocked out and trussed up by the redhead.

"Let me tend to your wounds, Jessica," offered Li Lin, rising and motioning Jessica down on to her bed. The Asian's delicate hands removed the torn and dirty outfit and then began to caress the bruised and battered flesh of the weary redhead, infusing the tired muscles with a new strength and also managing to ease the exhausted soul of the American. When she gently turned Jessica over onto her back, the redhead did not object. When the slender fingers began to fondle her slightly conical breasts, Jessi only moaned with pleasure. And, when one of those same hands slid down her torso and inside of her, Jessica's sole response was to bite her lower lip in suppressed ecstasy until the motions of the fingers within her forced her to cry out in rapture.

Incredibly, rather than the usual drained feeling she experienced after climaxing, Jessi felt rejuvenated and relaxed.

"That was amazing, Li Lin," she sighed, sitting up and hugging the Asian tightly. "Where did you learn that?"

"Sorry, Jessica, but that's an old family secret," the Asian woman smiled. "It will help you get a good night's sleep so that you will be ready for tomorrow's ordeal. Sleep well, my friend."

"Thank you, Li Lin," the redhead returned, rising and exiting. "Pleasant dreams, Kanika."

She replaced the keys on the peg and then made her way through the now silent halls to Lupe's cage.

When Lupe saw her approaching, she jumped up and practically threw herself against the glass wall of her quarters.

"I knew you would make it!" the Spaniard cried, tears nevertheless streaming down her cheeks.

"I just stopped by to tell you to pack your things, Lupe," Jessica grinned, leaning her whole body against the glass, on top of the brunette's, the fingers of her right hand searching out and finding those of the Spaniard and spreading in the now-familiar gesture. "We're leaving here tomorrow. Both of us. I swear it."

Lupe nodded and began to softly cry.

"You must leave Lupe now," she said, sniffling back some tears. "You need to get some rest. Go on, get out of here."

Jessi nodded and then slowly peeled herself from the glass, her fingers lingering a bit longer than the rest of her, and then ran off to her room.

Except for a brief commotion when Orionna and the others returned to the compound in the early hours of the morning, Jessica slept like a baby all night long and was up and ready for breakfast long before a man whom the redhead had never seen before came to escort her to the dining hall.

The Huntress was in a foul mood, kicking at Dog and yelling at the servants, complaining about the food, and glaring at Jessica with eyes so full of hate they threatened to burst into flame. Connie was conspicuously absent.

"I trust that Miss Thompson is none the worse for your little adventure last night," Jessica said as she finished off her meal and wiped at the corners of her mouth with a silk napkin.

Orionna merely scowled and shoveled another forkful of ham into her mouth and noisily chewed it.

"What time is our contest to take place?" Jessi inquired, pushing back from the table and rising to her feet.

"10 a.m. And, don't be late," the blonde snarled.

Jessica turned to go, but then paused and spun around and asked, "Would it be all right if the two foreign agents watched the fight from the viewing gallery, under guard, of course?"

"Why not? They're as good as dead by nightfall anyway," Orionna grinned, her perfect, white teeth stained by juices from her meal. "And, so are you."

"But, I thought the room was rigged so that if either combatant died a deadly gas would be released automatically, killing the survivor, too?" Jessi questioned.

"I'm turning off the fail-safe measure for our match, Jessica," the blonde replied. "Only one of us is going to leave that room alive."

"As you wish, Orionna," Jessica replied, her brow creasing in thought.

After a few hours of intense working out, to get herself in the absolute battle-ready state she would need to be in, in order to stand a chance against the Huntress, Jessi removed her clothing and entered the arena. She was pleased to see that, in addition to Constance, Kanika and Li Lin, accompanied by several of Orionna's mercenaries, of course, were also in the viewing gallery. She looked up and smiled at the Asian, trying to indicate to her how grateful she was that whatever the Chinese woman had done to her last night was still giving her body a feeling of overwhelming peace and instilling her with an amazing inner peace.

Then, Orionna entered the room and Jessica was again struck by the woman's incredible, feral beauty. But, she knew now, more than ever before, that despite the woman's physical charms her soul was as black as the graves of her countless victims. And, it was up to Jessica to see that her reign of hatred and murder ended today.

"This contest is being displayed throughout my compound, to reassure those who serve me, including my slaves, that I am the supreme physical authority on this island, and in the world," the Huntress added. "Are you ready to die, Jessica?"

"I will not be dying today, Orionna, and neither will you," Jessica stated, staring the blonde in the eyes. "But, your empire of terror and violence dies today, madwoman. Mark my words."

"We'll see. Victoria, has the death-match fail-safe been disengaged?" the Huntress asked.

"Yes, my queen," replied the woman from the control room. "But, the door can still only be opened from inside, using your palm print."

Orionna nodded and then haughtily put her hands on her hips. "Well?"

Jessica strode up to her, the redhead's arms hanging loosely at her sides, until she was no more than a foot away. Then, she suddenly jumped into the air and lashed out with her left foot, bending the blonde over with a shot to her gut, and then following through with her right foot, which tagged Orionna under the chin and snapped her head back. As soon as Jessica's feet touched the ground, she dropped to her hands and delivered a double-barreled mule kick to the blonde's chest which sent her flying across the room.

The Huntress landed on her back, but instantly sprang to her feet, her face a black mask of fury. She leaped forward, landing on her hands and then springing at Jessica feet first. But, the redhead ducked beneath the assault and instead thrust her right fist up and deep into Orionna's belly as she sailed over her, folding the blonde over her arm as she stood up. Then, Jessi jumped into the air, with the Huntress still bent over her forearm and the redhead's fist still embedded in her middle, and flipped over and then drove her arm down.

Orionna's back hit the floor hard and Jessica's full body weight was driven into her stomach before the redhead sprang away and landed on her feet. The Huntress lay gasping for a moment before climbing to her feet, and her violet eyes held not so much fear as a newfound respect for the redhead. Jessica knew she would not underestimate her again.

The blonde made a feint with her right hand to Jessi's head while her left leg swung up and into the redhead's side with bone-shattering impact. Jessica staggered to her right and was caught by the blonde's right fist as it crashed into her jaw, spinning her around like a top. Orionna leapt up and kicked out with both feet, knocking the redhead to her back.

Before she could rise, the blonde had dropped down and snaked her legs around Jessi's middle. As she applied pythonesque pressure, Orionna reached down and grabbed both of the stunned rehead's wrists and held them fast as her mighty thighs crushed the breath, and the life, from her opponent. Jessica fought to free her hands, but the grip of the Huntress was too strong. She attempted to turn her body, to try to relieve the excruciating pressure on her middle, but she couldn't pry open the legs of her foe. Then, she made as if to bring her hands up to her face so that she could bite the blonde's arms, even going so far as to make snapping motions with her mouth. But, while the Huntress snickered at the attempt, Jessi suddenly thrust her ass up and gathered her legs beneath it. She then straightened her legs, raising her lower body, and the legs of the blonde, off the floor of the arena. And then, much to Orionna's amazement, she somehow managed to stand upright, twisting around in the iron grip so the blonde's groin was pressed against her belly, instead of her side.

Jessica then bent her wrists and grabbed the arms of the Huntress and began to spin. Orionna foolishly countered by squeezing her legs together even harder.

Suddenly, Jessi jumped up and then, using her grip on the blonde's arms as leverage, slammed the Huntress down onto the floor. Orionna's neck and upper back took the brunt of the impact, but her legs were also shaken loose and Jessica danced backwards, out of their deadly embrace, before the blonde could reapply her devastating hold. But, before Orionna could regain her feet, Jessica dropped down and drove her knee into the blonde's pubic mound, causing the Huntress to actually cry out.

Up in the viewing gallery, Connie suddenly sat forward, her fingers momentarily falling away from the mini-cam's controls.

Jessica stood up just in time to catch both of the enraged blonde's feet in her gut. Orionna sprang to her feet and, grabbing a handful of red hair, rammed Jessi's face into her upraised knee. And again. And again. Until the floor of the arena was stained with blood from her crushed nose and mouth. But, just after the fourth such blow, Jessica managed to reach down and snatch the blonde's ankle and, with a savage twist, jerked her off her feet, flipping her in mid-air so that the Huntress landed on her belly on the arena floor. She immediately jumped onto the blonde's back and grabbed the long blonde braided pony tail and wrapped it around Orionna's throat, pulling back as hard as she could.

The Huntress gasped and both of her hands flew to her throat, pulling vainly at her own hair as it choked her. Then, she bucked her lower body and flipped Jessica up and off of her. Unfortunately, the redhead managed to maintain her hold on the pony tail and she subsequently yanked on it, whipping the body of the blonde around, and then let go. Orionna careened forward and ran headlong into one of the glass doors lining the walls of the arena. She slumped down, leaving a trail of blood on the glass from her bloodied mouth.

Jessica rushed over and once more grabbed the pony tail, hauled the blonde to her feet, and then whipped her around again, right back into the same door. Orionna's entire body shuddered with the impact and tiny cracks formed in the thick glass. But, Jessica still held fast to the woman's hair and once more spun her around. This time, however, she continued to spin until the blonde was forced to race around the redhead's body in order to avoid having her hair pulled out, and then even that wasn't enough. Amazingly, the blonde's feet were lifted from the floor as the American continued to spin and her head felt like it was on fire as her hair was nearly pulled from its roots. Then, Jessi let go and the Huntress literally flew across the length of the room and crashed into another of the glass doors, destroying it in a hail of splintered shards.

She landed with her back, which had struck the door and therefore taken the brunt of the impact, against the frame of the bed within the alcove, blood from her torn scalp dripping down the length of her face to mingle with the blood from the cuts caused by the glass remains of the door.

Jessica appeared in the doorway, a rueful smile on her face. "Had enough, Orionna, or shall we continue this until you're dead?" she asked.

In response, the Huntress sprang at the redhead, wrapping her arms around the American's middle and forcing her backwards as she locked her wrists and applied a crushing bear hug. But Jessica simply banged both elbows down on the small of her lacerated back and simultaneously thrust her right knee up into Orionna's belly. The blonde gasped and dropped to her knees, releasing the bear hug.

"Have it your way," Jessica shrugged, sitting down and then lifting her legs up and wrapping them around the blonde's neck, then reaching up and forcing the battered face down and into her red muff, suffocating her. When the Huntress began to flail her arms around, clawing desperately at Jessica's legs, the redhead squeezed her thighs together harder, crushing the blonde's head until she stopped. When Orionna attempted to stand up and get out of the hold using a variation of the same maneuver Jessica had earlier used on her, the wily redhead quickly used her impressive lower body strength to instead flip the blonde completely over, while still maintaining the punishing hold on her head. Finally, when the Huntress tried to escape by biting at the delicate flesh, Jessi not only increased the pressure, threatening to crack her skull, but also delivered a dozen staggering blows to her middle, driving out what little air remained in her ravaged body.

Only when Jessica felt the body of her foe shudder and go limp did she release the powerful and effective finishing move. Orionna gratefully gasped for breath as her body flopped about like a landed fish.

"Are we done?" Jessica asked, kneeling and raising the battered face to look at her.

Much to the rehead's surprise, Orionna spat in her face and then slapped her hand away and struggled to her feet. "I said this was to the death, you cowardly bitch! You're gonna have to kill me if you want to end this!" she screamed, fighting to keep her balance and remain conscious. "But, you know what, Jessi? I don't think you can. I think your holier-than-thou ego won't let you lower yourself to my level. You honestly don't think, don't believe, that there are people who deserve to die, do you? You think that if we're locked up, that's good enough. Or, more laughable still, that we might someday come to regret our evil and become rehabilitated. HA! What a fucking joke! I am evil, Jessica, and I swear by the deepest pits of Hell that if you don't finish what you started I will order the death of your friend."

Jessica frowned and stared into the red-rimmed eyes of the Huntress and saw the rage, and the despair, and knew that the woman was beaten.

"For the love of pity, Jessica, kill me!!!" Orionna howled.

Jessica ground her teeth in fury and then her left hand shot out and connected with the blonde's jaw. Then, the right lashed out and tagged the other side of her jaw, sending a spray of blood and a tooth flying from her broken mouth. She grinned at Jessi and the redhead saw that her perfect smile was now marred by a missing front tooth and the displacement of several others. The redhead stepped in and buried her right fist in the blonde's bread-basket, doubling her over and folding her around the American's forearm.

Up in the viewing gallery, Connie was wiggling like a worm on a hook. She had never seen her mistress beaten like this before and was strangely aroused by the sight of the powerful woman humbled at last.

Li Lin and Kanika glanced back at their guards, noting how caught up they were in the battle, and then nodded ever-so-slightly to one another.

Down in the arena, Jessica had raised Orionna over her head by clamping her left hand around her throat and using the momentum of the last gut blow to lift the blonde off her feet. She looked up and into the eyes of the blonde for one final time, hoping to see some glimmer of humanity in the violet eyes, but saw only hatred and emptiness. Jessica rocked back on her heels and then hurled the body at the metal door.

The Huntress struck with a sickening crunch and dropped to the floor.

As Jessica walked over to the lifeless body, Li Lin and Kanika suddenly attacked their guards, laying them out with an unexpected flurry of kicks and punches before they knew what was happening, so stunned had they been by the death of their leader and queen.

Jessica reached down and grabbed the limp arm of the blonde and placed her palm against the sensory plate and the door slid open with a soft whooshing sound. Without even glancing down at the body of her enemy, she dropped the arm and then raced down the hall, toward where she hoped the control room was located.

Meanwhile, up in the viewing gallery Connie opened her eyes, after experiencing the most intense climax of her life, and saw Li Lin and Kanika standing over her. "Ladies, please, I'm just a videographer..."

"Nighty-night, bitch!" the African said, shaking her head and cocking her arm.

"I've never killed anyone! I've never even hurt anyone!" Connie cried desperately.

"You also never helped anyone," said Li Lin sadly.

Kanika's fist connected with the reporter's jaw, knocking her out, and then the pair of agents rushed from the gallery and to the prisoner's quarters, the guns of their former guards hanging from their shoulders.

Jessica raced through the hall, past the late queen's rooms, past the mercenaries' quarters, and into a part of the complex she had never seen before. Behind her, she heard the door to the mercenaries' quarters burst open and the few remaining guards spill out into the hall, shout, and then charge after her. The redhead poured on the speed, her bare feet slapping against the tiled floor and her long toes digging for purchase as she rounded a corner. Before her was an open door, revealing a small room filled with various electronic equipment, and, sitting at one of the consoles, Victoria.

The blonde howled with rage and sprang toward one of the buttons and Jessica instinctively knew it was the one which would release the deadly gas into Lupe's cage. The redhead screamed and launched herself through the door, crashing into the blonde and knocking her away from the console before she could press the button. Both women banged into one of the other panels and rolled across a variety of buttons and levers before landing on the floor.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Jessi was dimly aware of the sound of a machine powering down.

"It's over, Victoria! Your boss is dead. Don't throw your life away for nothing, too!" Jessica pleaded as she struggled with the blonde.

"You may have killed the Huntress, but her work will live on long after your own bones are picked clean by scavengers!" Victoria shrieked, kicking out and catching Jessi's shoulder with the heel of her boot.

Jessica grimaced in pain and instinctively ordered her body to heal itself, even though she knew that so long as the dampening signal was being broadcast it couldn't obey her order.

But, amazingly, it did. Then, Jessi realized that the signal had somehow been shut down when she and Victoria fought on the console.

The blonde suddenly found herself being lifted into the air by invisible hands until she was pinned against the ceiling. "What the fuck kind of cheap magic trick is this?!" she screamed.

But Jessi ignored her as she mentally sought out the pipe leading from the gas tank to Lupe's cage and then psychokinetically pinched it tight, sealing it. That done, she looked over and realized that the guards had just rounded the corner and were raising their guns to fire on her. Before their fingers had closed on the triggers, she had thrown up a protective wall in front of the doorway. She smiled as she watched the expressions on the guards' faces as their bullets bounced harmlessly off of thin air.

Suddenly, all four of them flew up, struck their heads against the ceiling and then dropped back down on the floor. Jessica looked up and grinned wolfishly at Victoria and then lowered the blonde, hovering her at about eye level. "Give my regards to the other inmates," she said, driving her fist forward and into the helpless woman's face.

Victoria shot out of the room and landed atop the groggy guards. Before any of them could get up, the wiring from all of the machines in the control room ripped itself free and snaked out of the room to wrap itself around all five of them, binding them tighter than presents at Christmas.

Satisfied that they weren't going anywhere, Jessica raced toward Lupe's cage.

When the Spaniard saw her charge into the room, neutralizing the sole guard outside her cage with a handy table, Lupe howled with joy. Jessica jumped over the downed guard and cracked the cell's wall like an egg with her mind and freed her friend.

They literally fell into each other's arms, hugging each other tightly and covering each other's faces with hot kisses.

"C'mon, Lupe!" Jessi said when she was finally able to tear herself away. "We're getting out of here, just like I promised!"

"What about Li Lin and Kanika?" Lupe asked.

"They know my schedule, if they want a ride off this island with us, they'll meet us at the dock. But," she added, squeezing the brunette's hand affectionately, "I wouldn't count on their joining us. I also wouldn't worry about them. They'll be all right."

The Spaniard nodded and the pair raced through the complex and out onto the dock, the only bodies they passed being the bullet-ridden ones of the guards who had been unfortunate enough to encounter the two agents. Seeing no sign of either Li Lin, Kanika, or the other prisoners, they jumped into the boat Jessica had arrived in and gunned it to life.

After a final look back toward the complex, Lupe untied the mooring lines and Jessica guided the boat out to the sea and Taiwan.

Connie opened her eyes and screamed when she found herself looking into the lifeless eyes of the Huntress. She looked around and discovered that she was in the arena, along with the mercenaries who had been on the island. Most of them were dead, shot to death, from the look of it, but seven were still alive: five tied up in what looked like machine wiring and two wandering around, pounding on the doors.

She looked over and saw that the sensory plate was blinking, which meant that it was still working and that all they had to do was press Orionna's dead palm against it in order to leave. Then, she looked down and gasped when she saw that the blonde's hands were missing.

Panic welling up inside her, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the roar of the lioness called Athena, until she saw that the beast was still safely behind the glass door of its cage.

Connie struggled to her feet and asked the others, "So, any ideas how to get out of here?" She noticed her mini-cam was buzzing around the room like an angry hornet and looked up and saw the viewing gallery filled with former servants and prisoners.

Before the frantic mercenaries could answer her, she heard the sound of one of the doors opening and Connie knew without turning that it was that of the lioness.

Up in the viewing gallery, Li Lin, Kanika, and the surviving prisoners, including the woman called Dog, watched with grim satisfaction as the lioness lived up to its name and delivered a long overdue justice to the people below.