Hours
Word count: 889
For all Parity knew, hours could have passed since beginning her slow, cautious sojourn across the floor of her dungeon. It had almost certainly been hours since she and Clawrizza were captured. There was no way to tell what time it was in the small, featureless room. There was a small wrist watch beneath her left glove, but it was out of reach on her bound wrists.
Parity pushed thoughts of time aside. If she consciously began to think about how long they'd been captured, how long Lady Snare had been gone, and how soon she might be back, she ran the risk of unconsciously trying to hurry. Any mistakes incurred from hastily trying to rush were mistakes, and time, she could not afford.
Parity paused, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. It wasn't as deep as she would have liked. She wasn't sure how much tension the sensors within ropes around her chest would register before thinking she was straining against them.
Getting started had been the hardest part. Parity had to sit up with out the use of her arms, having to remember not to try to balance herself by extending her arms, and making sure she held her wrists against her back as tightly has she could. It was a continuous, conscious effort not to try and reach her hands to the floor for balance. Having some kind of tactile feedback from her rear would have been nice, but the way her wrists were tied, even her extended fingers couldn't touch the floor.
Once up, she had managed to get two-thirds of the way to the small control device that Lady Snare had left. By digging her heels into the floor and drawing them close, Parity had slowly closed in on her target. Her feet were about a foot away from the device, and with one or two more scoots, they would be touching it.
Unfortunately, her boots were not what she needed close to the device. Hands would have been an ideal choice, but with them not only behind her but also tied as they were, she knew they would be as useless as her boots. With her mouth free she might have been able to manipulate the stylus between her lips; however, she knew the cloth gag between her lips would prevent her from closing her mouth around the stylus.
It would be awkward, but getting her nose up against the device was her best bet. It might not even work, she realized, but there were no other options.
Slowly and carefully, Parity dragged herself closer to the control unit. She angled herself, changing her direction by planting her feet a bit to the side with each slide. Soon, she was in position. Far enough away from the wall that her head would not hit it on the way down but close enough that once on the floor she would be able to tap the screen with her nose.
That was the plan anyway.
Parity closed her eyes, and then toppled herself on to her side. With no arms, it was an uncontrolled descent. Luck was on her side, and as she opened her eyes, Parity found herself staring right at the small device.
With a bit of careful effort, she tapped the screen with her nose, bringing up the main menu. It took awkward probing, but in due course, Parity located the electro-collar controls. With a final tap on the screen, the interface changed from an armed red to an inactive green.
Parity carefully flexed her arms, watching the device as she did. A small bar at the bottom of the screen registered her putting pressure on the ropes, but the collar deactivation stayed green. Without spending precious time navigating the device with her nose to make sure Clawrizza was still okay, that was the most assurance she was going to get.
Parity twisted and squirmed until she was lying on her stomach. From there, digging her head into the floor for support and pulling her legs beneath her, she rose to a kneeling position, a position that allowed her arms as much free room as they needed to break her bonds.
With a massive heave, Parity began straining against the ropes around her chest. Sensors or not, Lady Snare had chosen a durable rope for binding her captives. If she used the same rope on Clawrizza, there was no way the catgirl would extricate herself. Parity, on the other hand, was a different matter. After a minute, the ropes began to creak as they gave way. In just a matter of moments, the creaking became a series of muffled snaps.
The ropes around her hands were the last to break, but even they finally popped loose. Untangling her legs took only a moment, and with the gag out she was finally free. Parity stretched her arms, working the stiffness that always came with imposed stillness.
After limbering her joints, she stood, grabbing the small control device as she did. She tapped through the device, taking it back to the monitoring program. Clarizza's still bound form came up on the screen, and to Parity's relief, the catgirl was still straining against her bonds. "We're not out of this yet," Parity told herself, "but we're a lot closer than we were."