"How much of this can she take?" Matt asked the supervisor. The monitor showed Kelli in her chair. Underneath were various readouts.

"It looks bad but we keep a careful watch on her vitals." Joe Rossi, the shift supervisor for the section, pointed to a graph. "This one shows her respiration, that's her blood pressure, skin conductivity, this one's reaction time and over here is her heartbeat. Right now she's tired and finding it hard to concentrate. See how the reaction time slows down, jumps up, then slows down again? You see the same pattern when you start to fall asleep, suddenly wake up, and then nod off again." He checked a schedule. "We're going to let her sleep in a few minutes."

The room Kelli occupied had no windows but there were hidden cameras at all angles. Matt studied the one that showed her head on, from a vantage point behind the light panel. "How long has she been in there?" he asked.

"Less than a day, but to her it seems like two, or more. We keep her on a twelve hour cycle, sleep for four, awake for eight. By now she's lost all track of time." Joe held down a button and watched as the monitor cycled through all the cameras. "Physically she's not suffering all that much. The strain is mental from the lack of visual or aural stimulation and the combination of boredom, endless repetition, disorientation and inactivity."

Kelli might not be in any real danger or distress but it still hurt Matt to see her in the chair, frantically push a button every time a light came on. "I don't suppose I could talk to her?" He knew the answer already.

"Sorry, Matt. If her infraction had been a serious one then yes, I'd have you go in there and tell her how disappointed you are." Joe held up a hand as Matt started to protest. "I know you aren't really mad at her. She's only here for inattention in class, and it's her first time, so we'll keep her for a while longer and that's it. If there's a next time then you'll have to be involved."

Matt knew the policy and didn't argue. When he agreed to enroll Kelli he knew something like this might happen. Maybe if he'd been more conscientious about changing some of her bad habits she wouldn't be in there now. Like Kelli he was a newcomer to the lifestyle of gender-based domination and submission. They both made mistakes but tried to learn from them. Right now she was paying the price for his lapse in not doing something about her lack of concentration. Matt knew it was his role to be the one to insist on strict discipline. He had been too lax with her.

"I appreciate you taking time out for me, Joe." The control room was whispering in his ear that they needed a classroom group moved back to the dorm area. "Listen, watch out for her, okay? I know I can't interfere or help her out, but she's my whole life. You know how it is?"

Joe slapped him on the back as they went to the exit. "Relax Matt, and don't worry. She's doing fine. I'll let you know when she's released back to general."

In the elevator Matt ran through the pictures of Kelli over and over in his head. He was grateful he hadn't been assigned to warden duty in the Dungeon, as they called the punishment section. It was one of the toughest jobs in the school. Only the most experienced men were asked to work in there, and they were rotated frequently.

Would she have been so eager to become a student if he had told her everything? That was the critical factor in his decision to enroll her. He knew what awaited her, but was bound by his oath as warden not to reveal operational details. The school had to operate in secrecy, even from the women on the staff side, in order to be effective. All they saw, intentionally, were the featureless grey walls. They had no idea of the extensive command, communications and surveillance infrastructure behind it. Virtually every square inch of the secured area was accessible by camera, and all group areas like classrooms and sleeping areas were wired for sound. No need for microphones in the hallways, Matt knew, because the women weren't allowed to talk there.

The elevator door opened. Matt unlocked the gate and stepped out into the corridor. As he expected there were no students being escorted past. The control room made sure they never saw any exit being used. The voice in his ear directed him to the left, where the classrooms were located.

The drawback of central coordination was the fact that they made sure he never escorted a group that included Kelli. He could be a few feet away, on the other side of a door or wall, and she would never know it. Fortunately, since he was her owner he could request her location at any time, and even watch her by camera. In their apartment he linked into the surveillance net and watched her all night long.

He had to take the next door on the left, according to the disembodied voice in his ear. Without that voice he'd be lost. The staff section had clearly marked doors and signs at every intersection. The layout on this side was deliberately confusing; there was no regular grid pattern, no door numbers and not a single sign anywhere. To keep it that way there was an inspection team that routinely went through and looked for any marks on the floor or walls that could be used for a reference. He had participated in a sweep the week before.

One door away he paused to compose himself. Bring up the uncompromising expression , he told himself, they expect it . His own confidence might be shaken by seeing Kelli but he had a duty to the women he was about to oversee. They knew exactly what a warden was like; he was obliged to maintain the image.