Alexandra stood in the virtual room, turning her head left and right as well as she could, but there was no one around - at least, no one she could see or hear. The collar restricted the movement of her head, so her field of view was limited. She wasn't really worried, but it seemed odd that Kate would leave her alone instead of proceeding with the testing.

At first glance, those tests were proving the worth of the restraining software. She could clearly feel the tight leather of the single-glove as it covered her arms from fingertip to about four inches below her shoulder, as well as the straps that crisscrossed over her chest to ensure she couldn't wriggle her arms free. The high heels were making their presence known through soreness in her feet and lower legs, but she couldn't move to adjust to the discomfort - the spreader bar between her knees, attached to the ground between her legs with a cord, saw to that.

Soon, Alexandra's mild displeasure at being left alone for so long started turning to irritation. She wasn't sure exactly how long she'd been in place, but it had to be at least half an hour. Her shoulders were growing sore in the armbinder, and the severe heels she wore were having a similar effect on her feet. She could move just enough to lessen the discomfort for a minute, but after a while the benefit grew shorter-lived to the point that it hurt more to move than it did to stay still.

More time passed with no visit from Kate. Alexandra was close to anger now. Yes, she'd understood the non-consensual aspect of the test, but she'd expected to have to actively resist, not just stand in place, at least not so long. If Kate wanted to see how the virtual restraints were working for long periods of inactivity, Alexandra felt that this had been demonstrated. It was time to move on.

"Kate?" she called out. Nothing. "Kate?" she repeated, this time louder. "Kate, I think we need to terminate the test. I'm getting sore. Kate!" The lack of response was growing worrisome. Maybe she'd fallen and hurt herself, or was unconscious and couldn't shut the program off. To hell with the test - Alexandra needed to be freed NOW, if only to check on Kate.

"Terminate simulation. Terminate simulation. Terminate simulation."

Alexandra waited, but nothing happened. None of her restraints disappeared, none of the walls changed in any way. She repeated the command phrase, but it seemed as if she was wasting her time.

Fuck. This could be bad. She was considering her next step when, to her relief, she heard the door open and Kate stepped I front of her. "Oh, thank goodness! Kate, I was getting worried that something was wrong. You weren't anywhere to be found and I used the phrase to end the sim, but it didn't work." She noticed that Kate - more accurately, her avatar - was topless, with nothing more than knee-high stiletto boots and elbow-length leather gloves covering her body, but figured that was just for the sim. Still, it was not hard to notice just how nice of a body she had.

"Yes," Kate responded. "I just heard you."

"Well, I'm glad you're OK, but I think I need to call off the test. This little waiting period was more than I could handle. The restraints work perfectly - I can't even loosen them - and I'm starting to get sore."

"Where are you sore?" Kate asked, making no move to release any of Alexandra's bindings.

"My shoulders and my feet, really. Can we talk about it after you end the simulation so I can get some relief?"

Kate paused, a look of satisfaction coming over her face. "I turned off the sim an hour ago, the minute I walked out of the room."

"What? The sim isn't running anymore?!"

"No. That was the little shimmer you saw when I left."

Alexandra had a hard time reaching the next obvious conclusion. "So I'm really tied up? And you're really wearing that and standing in front of me? And I'm really naked too?!"

"Yes on all counts." Kate's voice was eerily calm.

"But how does that help us test the sim?"

"It doesn't."

"Kate, what are you talking about?"

Kate started walking slowly back and forth in front of Alexandra. "The sim test was a lie. I know my virtual bondage works perfectly, and I filed the patent two weeks ago. In fact, it's so good it's almost impossible to tell if you are in it or out of it. That's when I realized I had an easy way to enact my fantasy."