ck rugs covering tile, and draperies hid drug
and instrument cabinets, with others turning the harsh brilliance of
overhead fluorescent lighting into soft pastels. Powell was still
apprehensive despite the eroticine, looking as if he wanted to pull
away when the Inquisitor with him began to caress him, but unable to
resist the drug. Cortin disliked seeing a Brother display even the
little enjoyment Powell did, despite the fact his pleasure was
drug-enforced, but she was pleased that his tutor was obviously
enjoying himself.

The next day, Powell's apprehension had disappeared; when she entered
the observation room, he was absorbed in his tutor's instruction.
Cortin found it amusing that he took to his lessons so readily, and
that his instructors were so gentle and patient. It wouldn't surprise
her too much, she thought, if they decided they wanted to keep him; she
might even agree, for their sakes, if his testimony to his Brother
superiors weren't so important to her plans.

The day after that, Chang and an Inquisitor were coaching him on
relaxation techniques. By now, he seemed eager to learn, even more
eager to try what he was being taught, and Cortin found her hostility
to him diminishing. He seemed more like an innocent boy now than like
a Brother of Freedom, and she found herself hoping, when the Inquisitor
had him roll over for a practical demonstration, that he wouldn't find
it too distressing.

He didn't; when his instructor began penetration, his sounds and
movements were ones of unmistakable pleasure, increasing rapidly as the
Inquisitor rode and manipulated him. To Cortin's surprise, she was
pleased when Powell's enjoyment peaked at his climax. When she left
the observation room after telling one of the techs to have Chang
report to her when the session was over, she found herself thinking
Powell would be wasted on the Brothers--but told herself sternly that
he would do well, for both her plan and herself.

An hour later, Chang joined her in the Inquisitors' Lounge. "Good day,
Captain," she said. "A most interesting experiment, though perhaps a
bit too reminiscent of what was done to me for complete comfort."

"If you want out, all you have to do is say so," Cortin told her. "The
last thing I want to do is make things worse for you."

"I do not," the nun said with a brief smile. "While it is reminiscent,
the purpose is entirely different, and for a good cause. By God's
grace, that relieves