††† Designed Deception †††

[The Harbinger]

††† Parental and NSFW Advisory ††† 

††† Scenes will contain Violence of a graphic nature, Foul Language and Adult Content. ††† 

††† You've been warned. ††† 

††† The Past ††† 

“Liz, you can't keep doing this to yourself. You're only going make matters worse.”, she said as she sat across from the woman who was her patient.

The woman, who looked to be no older than maybe thirty years old. In reality, she was only twenty-five. The woman had first met Dr. Danielle Bay when she was a patient at the Rivers Oak Hospital.

Liz had been brought in by way of the local hospital due to a psychotic break. You see, Liz was a Paranoid Schizophrenic. And she had been Danielle's first patient in her Psych-Residency. Liz had been brought in restrained to a gurney and heavily medicated.

That is, until Danielle reached her.

Much against the Attending Doctor's wishes, Danielle ordered Liz's restraints to be removed and no more medication to be given to her until she was able to get a proper assessment of Liz's mental stability, or lack there of.

Danielle stayed with Liz round the clock for five straight days. She slept at the hospital when Liz slept. She ate when Liz ate. And when Liz was awake, Danielle was by her side. There were times when Liz slept that Danielle would read through the woman's case history.

Liz had been diagnosed as a Paranoid Schizophrenic when she was only twelve years old. She'd been committed more times than Danielle could fathom. She read, in graphic detail, about how the woman had taken a razor blade to her mother's face and tried to skin her alive because she honestly believed that her mother was infected, implanted rather, with a tracking device from either the government, or aliens. The original doctors weren't able to get a clear answer out of her at the time.

Danielle read another incident where Liz had taken a duffle bag full of kittens and, before throwing them into the Michoud Canal, skinned them. Removing their ears and tails. A few of which she had plucked their eyes out.

When asked why, with a blank stare, she simply said, “They were infected.”

There were other, more gruesome, incidents over the years. Another such incident was when she tried to cut her step-brothers penis off with a razor blade. Much like she'd tried to do to her mother. She managed to cut deep enough the boy needed to have surgery to reattach what had been removed.

She'd been locked up for that until she reached the age of nineteen.

During all that time, Danielle had been in college, medical school and then the start of her residency at the local hospital. It was when Danielle was in her first year of residency that she chose to start her Psych Residency. And she'd chosen the state of Louisiana's asylum for the criminally insane.

Before she was even allowed to interact with any patients, she had to go through a series of background checks, security checks and a multitude of other things before her attending signed off to allow her to do her job and learn.

Danielle had spent two years as a resident of the state's asylum. And in that time, she'd gotten to know everything there was to know about Liz. Even how the woman got involved in the BDSM lifestyle.

“I just don't like how the medication makes me feel, Doc.”, the woman spoke finally. Her voice had that tense feel to it. Like she was on the brink of another break down.

Danielle frowned, “I know you don't, Liz. But you need to take your meds. It's important that you keep a clear mind.”

Liz stared at Danielle with a look of pure contempt. Only to snarl at her, “Then you take the fucking things!”

A brow arched up as as Danielle look over Liz's shoulder to the man that was sitting behind her. Only to look back at Liz, “Liz, remember when you asked me if your owner could sit in on your sessions?”

Liz shrunk slightly and nodded.

Danielle nodded in confirmation, “You begged me to allow you. And what was my stipulations of allowing him here?”

Liz began to fidget a bit, “That I would have to stay on my meds and continue my weekly sessions. And to call you if I felt myself losing control.”

Danielle nodded in confirmation again. “That's right. It's not my intention to make you uncomfortable. But you asked my permission because you needed him to understand you better. And because you know the only way you can keep the world around you 'real', is to have him here so I can teach him ways to keep you well. And in return, I agreed to learn all I could about your lifestyle. And try to find a way to incorporate your BDSM lifestyle into your therapy sessions.”

Danielle leaned forward and placed her elbows on her knees, “Liz, you know as well as I do that having the two combined is walking a very thin line. You know how treacherous it can be. But I've agreed to what you've asked of me. With your owner's permission, he's also agreed to introduce me to your lifestyle, it's people and at the same time, learn from me.”

Danielle stood up and moved over to where Liz was sitting on the edge of the chaise lounge that Danielle used in lieu of a couch. She knelt down before the woman and looked at her. Using a finger to gently raise her gaze up to meet her own.

“This is all for you, Liz. You know all I've ever wanted for you is to be healthy. Physically, emotionally AND mentally. And if this is what I have to do to ensure that.. Well, then that's what I'll do.”, Danielle smiled tenderly to the woman.

She then stood up and looked over to the man. “And I need you to assure me that she's always going to be safe. Liz is my priority in this. No one else. Not myself. Not you. Only Liz. I don't mean to speak to you ask if I'm disrespecting you. And I apologize if that's how I'm coming across. But as I said, Liz is my priority.”

The man stood up, placed his hands into his trouser pockets and looked Danielle over. “You know, you'd make a good Domme. But something tells me, you wouldn't take well to being broken.” He smirked. Almost playfully.

Danielle snorted a light laugh and nodded slightly, “You're absolutely right. But, I am willing to learn what I can about your lifestyle to help my patient. So, whenever you're ready to show me, I'm ready to learn.”

Danielle turned and looked at the clock to check the time and looked back to Liz. “You need to keep taking your medications, Liz. And you need to make sure.. One hundred percent SURE.. that you call me if you need me. I don't care what time it is. You call me.”

She wrote on a piece of paper that she'd been holding the whole time and handed it to the man, nodding.

Liz stood up and moved to the man's side. “I promise. And I'll see you next week.”

Danielle nodded once more and watched as the two turned to leave.

Once they were gone, she opened the top to her laptop and began browsing through various sites on the BDSM lifestyle. Only to close it again with a huff, “Nothing useful.”

She stood up, “I'm going to have to do this the hard way.” She said to herself as she closed the laptop once more. Only to grab her bag and car keys and head towards the door herself.

††† The Present ††† 

It was a couple of weeks after the incident that took place. She had assure both Maiko and Sariel that everything that needed, or was, done was done for a very specific, and good, reason. But here they were, Maiko was standing to one side of Danika.. Sariel to the other.

Danika looked between both women and narrowed her gaze at them, "You're both still going on about what happened? You doubt the word of your Harbinger?"

Sariel shakes her head nervously, trying not to look away, but not to stare Danika down either. "N...No..."

Danika looked over to Sariel, "Then what is the problem, Sariel?"

It was Maiko that spoke up next, "No, Harbinger. It's just.. You had us do.. That." She motioned, to no one in particular. But the act itself. "I am not happy with doing that to our Lord. As I'm sure that Sariel isn't, either."

It was then that Danika turned and snapped on the Asian woman before her, "Who are you to question what must be done to bring our Lord back to His senses? You may question my methods, but they worked. He is as He needs to be. You, the Children's Mother, who failed Our Lord more than anyone. Save for your precious Joshua."

That got a snarl out of Maiko, but she didn't reply back.

Danika looked back to Sariel, "Tell me, Child. Why are you bothered so much by what happened?"

She held a finger up to silence Maiko so that Sariel could speak.

Sariel takes in a deep breath, "I... did not... want to taint the feeling of coming into contact with Him... I... worry I... have... somehow... failed to live up to what He allowed me to share before."

Danika stepped towards Sariel and placed her hands on either side of the womans face. Tenderly lifting her face up so that she could gaze upon her, "You did not fail Him, my Dearest Child. You freed Him. You helped Him to see.. The truth."

Sariel nods, "I am sorry I have allowed my worry to cloud my mind. I have had thoughts of the before times... I want them to go away. I want to be able to serve Him faithfully."

Danika smiled at the woman, "And you have, my Child. Faithfully."

She stepped back and looked to both women, "Now, it's almost time to get ready for the next act. It's time to show Kyle Travis that he has, decidedly, fucked with the wrong woman."

She looked to Maiko, "You know what you're to do, yes?"

Maiko nodded. None too happy about the performance that night. But, Danika was the Harbinger. And as much as she was starting to hate the woman, she was still the Dark Mother.

Danika nodded, "Good. Tonight's performance shall be.. Magical."

And with that, Danika turned to head back to the compound to get ready for that evening's show.

†††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††††† 

In the center of the screen appears a stage. Upon this stage is a lone figure. The light only light shines behind the figure. It's easy to tell that it's a female. But the only thing to be seen about her is her silhouette.

"Come in close.."

The camera begins to move closer to the figure.

"Closer.."

The camera moves closer still.

"The more you thought you saw..
The easier it was to fool you."

Suddenly, the lights around the stage come to life! And standing in the middle of the stage was no other than Danika Bane herself. And as the lights came to life, the crowd went wild with cheers and applause.

She was dressed in, what appeared to be, a jesters costume. The top was a corset. This corset was adorned with black and red sequence on the sides with a black and white harlequin design with what appeared to be white "lace ruffles" that trimmed along the top. The skirt matched the corset in that it was primarily the black and white harlequin design with inter-mixings of black and red sequenced elongated triangles that came to a point with silver "bells" that hung off each point of the triangle. Encasing her legs were matching black and red heeled boots. Peaking out over the tops were stockings that had that same black and white harlequin look to them.

Adorning her face was a mask.

But not just any mask. This mask looked specially made. It was a black cast iron mask that sparkled red with diamonds at intricate points along it's curvy and elegant design.

And from under the mask, those ice blue eyes sparkled with dark mischievous intent.

And as always, that luxurious blonde hair was dripping with black and red tips.

"Because..
What IS seeing?"

She lifted her arms up as if to show him that there was nothing up her "sleeves".

"You were "looking", yes.
But what you were really doing is filtering..
..interpreting..
..searching for meaning."

She began to walk around the edge of the circled stage.

Placing her hand over her chest.

"My job?
Was to take that most precious of gifts that you've given me.."

She pointed to the camera and smiled.

"Your attention.."

She stopped, turned towards the audience while looking at the camera and she spread her arms out to her side.

"..and use it against you."

She then turned and walked back to the center of the stage. Once there, she flipped her hand and a deck of playing cards appeared.

"The First Rule of Magic:  Always be the smartest person in the room."

As she stood there, she began to shuffle the cards. Then she separated them. Only to bring them back together. She continued this shuffling and separating as she continued to speak.

"What is magic?"

She asked as she separated the deck of cards into four separate piles and held them out, as if suspended in her hands.

"Magic is deception.
But deception designed to delight.
To entertain.."

She pulled the cards back together into a single deck.

"The inspire."

She took the deck of cards into her right hand, cupped her hand so that the cards bent and she shot them into a straight line into her uplifted left hand.

"It is about Belief.
Faith.
Trust."

She then held her left hand up and fanned the cards out.

"Without those qualities..
Magic as an art form would no longer exist."

She pulled the cards back into their deck again.

"But what happens if these qualities are not used for their higher purpose?
And instead..
..they're used to cheat.."

She pulled a single card out of the deck and held it up as the camera zoomed in on the card.

The card, was an Ace of Spades. And where the Spade would normally be, there was a picture of Broderick Montgomery III.

She put the card back into the deck and shuffled them again.

"Lie.."

She then pulled another card.

This card was the Queen of Hearts. And in the center was a picture of Ashley Kenyon.

Once more, she tucked the card back into the deck and shuffled.

"For personal gain, or for greed?"

She pulled out a third card.

This card was the King of Spades. And in it's center was a picture of Aerynn Donnelly.

Tucking the card back into the deck, she shrugged slightly.

She walked to the edge of the stage and tossed the cards into the audience.

"Well then, it's no longer magic.
It's a crime."

She then spun on the toe of her boots and walked back to the center of the stage. Once there, she spun back around. Swinging her hands behind her back so as to clasp her left wrist into her right hand. Then she bent at the waist, slightly.

"So, at Raising Hell, for my final act, you're gonna help me set a few things right."

At this point, she stepped off to the side as the center of the stage disappeared. Rising from the depths was a very large glass box.

The box was filled with water. The top was opened and there was a set of stairs that led up to the top.

Once the box was settled, she walked over to the edge of the stage and held her hand out. A woman's hand emerged from the darkness to grasp her own. Danika smiled to the woman and pulled her onstage with her.

That woman..

Was Maiko Adachi.

Maiko was dressed in an all black sequenced bathing suit. And she was wearing a pair of black heels.

Danika then turned to head towards the box. Maiko's hand in hers.

"You see, Kyle..
I can maintain my resolve much longer than you can maintain that phony arrogance.
And the instant that you show the slightest crack in that smug facade..
I'll be there."

She reached the box and released Maiko's hand.

"I'll be all over you.."

She motioned towards the stairs with a sweep of her hand and a nod of her head. And Maiko began to ascend the staircase.

As Maiko climbed higher and higher, Danika turned to face the camera once more. She held a hand up as if to say, "Stop." towards the camera.

"I'm sorry, that's unfair."

She then clasped her hands before her.

"Let me warn you, Kyle.
I want you to follow..
Because no matter what you think you know..
I will always be one step.."

She took a step forward.

"Three steps.."

She took three steps forward.

"Seven steps.."

She took seven steps forward. Moving further away from the box.

"..ahead of you.."

She stopped.

"And just when you think you're catching up.."

The lights suddenly went dark.

Only to come back to life a moment later.

To the camera, she was no longer in the spot she once was; But at the top of the stairs..

"That's when I'll be right behind you.."
 
The camera swung up to the top of the box.
 
..and she was standing right behind Maiko

"And at no time will you be anywhere..
Other than exactly where I want you to be."

She turned Maiko to face her and lifted up a pair of shackles. Maiko lifted her hands up and waited, patiently, while Danika clasped them around her wrists. She then grabbed the chain that held them together and followed it to another chain that was affixed to the center of them. She trailed her hand down, kneeling as she did, and grasped the connected chain that led to a pair of ankle shackles.

As she knelt there, she wrapped the ankle shackles around Maiko's ankles and locked them into place.

"So come close..
Get all over me..
Because.."

She stood up, placed a hand against Maiko's cheek and smiled.

"What is about to follow..
What this grand trick is..
Is really going to amaze you."

At this point, Maiko turned and sat on the edge of the box and slipped inside. She took a few deep breaths and then went under the water. Just as her head was submerged, the top of the box came down and was locked into place. And a clock in the background began to count.

Danika turned and headed down the stairs. She moved to stand before, and about ten feet away from, the box itself.

And the clock continued to count down as a Maiko fought to release herself from the shackles and chains.

"Look closely, Kyle..
Because the closer you think you are.."

Suddenly, movement in the box ceased.

The camera shifted focus from Danika to the, now empty, box.

Maiko was gone.

And the stage went black.

"The less you'll actually see."

And then there was silence.