It's empty

Valerie carefully opened the safe. The memory module she was looking for was likely inside. Once she had it, she could leave the vessel and finish her mission. She reached inside the safe in the dark. To her surprise, her fingers made contact with nothing but cold metal.

Surprised, she shone the torch inside - the safe was empty.

Suddenly, the lights in the room came on, blinding her temporarily. The only door to the room flung open and several armed guards barged inside. She almost shrieked in surprise, covering her naked body with her hands. Not that it mattered - they surrounded her in a circle, closing off all escape routes. Her heart sank - she had walked right into a trap. No wonder everything had been so quiet on her way in.

The guards stood quietly, weapons trained on her. Nobody said anything, rendering the room eerily quiet. She stayed where she was - one wrong move would spell disaster. She needed to figure out the right window to escape, if that was even possible in her naked state.

After a few moments, some of the guards stepped aside. A man in an all-black business suit walked in the circle, his face covered by a mask shaped like a demon's head. Her stood facing her, speaking in a loud, authoritative voice.

"My my, what do we have here?"

His voice seemed familiar. She had heard it before, although she couldn't remember when or where.

"An intruder - and a beautiful one at that." He turned to face her. "Already dressed for the occasion. It's a shame - I would have loved stripping you." She couldn't help but shiver on hearing that.

He approached her. Valerie took a step back by reflex, which caused the guards to ready their weapons. The masked man raised his hand, signaling them to stop.

"I recognize you. You're one of the girls that escaped my facility. I have to say - you've got some courage, coming back here. Although, it's fair to say your time spent wasn't...fully wasted." His eyes ran over her body, making her clutch her breasts tighter to prevent them from spilling out.

It dawned on her - he was the voice she had heard during some of her 'training' sessions - the ones that were the most painful and debasing. She couldn't help but shudder at the memories returning to her head.

"Are you here for this?", he reached inside his suit pocket, taking out a small chip that looked like a memory card. He saw the look of recognition on her face, and let out a small laugh.

"You know what - I'm in a good mood tonight. And you, my dear, you look like someone who loves a challenge - just like me. So how about we play a little game."

Valerie didn't reply. She didn't want to say anything - she knew that in these situations, the adversary wanted you to begin talking. Once she talked, that would be the avenue for him to begin interrogating her. And in her current mental state, that would be disastrous for her. Already, his voice was having a subconscious effect on her, making it tough for her to keep her focus.

"Here's what we will do. I will lay down a challenge for you. If you succeed, I'll give you this chip, and I'll even let you leave the ship, unharmed. If you lose, well, you're already surrounded on all sides - I can do whatever I want with you."

He was right - she was not in a spot to negotiate. She didn't even understand why he was talking to her. If he wanted, he could have her tied up and prisoner by now. Instead, he - by his own word - was offering a chance for her to complete her mission.

"W-what kind of challenge?", she finally asked, her voice vary.

"A fight, one on one."

"And I have to fight you?", she asked, tensing up. She had no idea what his level of training was, but she was an agent trained in hand to hand combat. Fighting naked wouldn't be ideal, but it was better than nothing. At the very least, she had a chance of winning.

He laughed. "I'm an old fashioned man. I never hit a lady, except on the rear end. No, you will fight my champion."