For the next couple of days, Dominique would be taken away from Robin, and made to run for hours on end. Eventually her legs stopped burning and her sides wouldn't cramp. With each day Luxuria would pick up the pace on the treadmill, starting from 10mph to 20mph. By the time Thursday came, Dominique could run over 40mph, the muscles in her legs gaining incredible strength. Friday came, and instead of Luxuria putting Dom back on the treadmill, she stood her in front of a wall and pointed a baseball throwing machine at her. "We'll start easy," Luxuria announced. "First we'll have the ball be thrown at ten miles per hour. Dodge the ball, or swat it away. If you get hit with a ball, that's an hour on the treadmill, it will add with each ball that hits you. Understood?" Dominique nodded, spreading her legs apart and putting her fists up.
The first tennis ball shot out surprisingly fast. Dominique, however, seemed to instinctively jump to the side with ease, the ball bouncing against the wall, rolling away. Luxuria kept the speed on 10 for a little while until Dominique could dodge the ball without even facing the machine. Increasing the speed, Dominique had a few close calls, the ball almost hitting her in the leg. Luckily she managed to push herself away fast enough, or change the direction she was falling so that her leg or arm would miss the ball. Once again Luxuria kept the speed on 20 until Dominique had mastered the speed. 30mph rolled around, Dom easily managing that speed. However, once the machine changed to 40mph, Dominique had a tougher time. The balls came out lightning fast, multiple at a time. Dominique smacked most of them away, but missed the last ball, which pelted her dead in the chest.
Even though flexible, a tennis ball slamming into your sternum at 40 miles per hour did not feel nice. The air was knocked out of Dom's lungs, the perfect circle of pain burning. Dominique dropped to a knee, leaning away from a shooting ball as she struggled to keep her breaths even. Another wave of balls came pelting out, Dominique getting hit in the arm by two, which hurt just as bad as the first hit. Getting angry, Dominique's focus on dodging the balls started to slip away, more interested in punching each ball that she could reach. Noticing the improvement due to her temper, Luxuria quickly started to scribble around on her iPad, grinning at the observation.
Dominique kept punching and smacking balls away until the machine reached its limit at 60mph, where Dominique got hit with two more balls, both of them a bone (A rib and her nose), although the injury healed within seconds, Dominique ignoring the pain as she smacked and dodged. Luxuria seemed very happy with the progress her experiment was making, although she was counting on Dominique not getting hit by that many balls. "Five hours on the treadmill, we'll have someone come in to escort you when you're done," Luxuria said, pulling out the wired stickers she always stuck on Dom when she was running. Knowing the drill, Dominique removed her shirt, slipped on the provided running shoes, and got on the treadmill, which was now programed to slowly increase all the way to 50mph, which it eventually stayed at. "Where are you going to go?" Dom asked, surprised that Luxuria was leaving. She usually stayed to monitor the experiment, even though it took multiple hours to complete. "I've collected all the data I need, but Lucius still wants your speed to be increased. You know the experiment well enough that I don't need to supervise any longer. I'm going to go and work on Robin and a few others while you run for five hours. Oh, and don't forget to drink an entire bottle of water before you start." With that Luxuria turned and walked out of the room.
For the next five hours Dominique ran, breathing and sweating heavily, but not shaking with exhaustion like she use to. When the five hours were up, Henry came to escort Dom back to her room. Dominique ignored him completely, pulling off the wired stickers herself and putting her shirt on, acting like he was just some random guard. Ever sense she yelled at him for being a self-centered jerk, they refused to talk to each other. Today was no different, at first, but just as Dominique started to go into her own little world, Henry spoke. "You know we're practically drowning your little boyfriend." Dom raised an eyebrow, both at the sudden conversation, and at the 'little boyfriend' part. "Why are you telling me this?" Robin had already explained what Luxuria wanted to improve with him, so this news didn't come as a surprise. "He's not doing so well, he keeps passing out, I'm sure it's damaging his brain." Dominique's annoyance started to raise, Henry's lame comments getting on her nerves. "First off, you're full of shit. I know for a fact that Robin's been adapting just as well as I have. Second off, why are you suddenly interested in talking to me? I enjoyed our whole 'I ignore you, you ignore me' thing."
Henry looked defeated for a little, going quiet again. Dominique couldn't fathom why he was trying to make such lame comments to Dom, like she was some stupid chick. They got to her room, Henry stopping in front of the door. "We use to like each other, you know..." He glanced around the hallway, Dominique raising an eyebrow once again at his weird comment, a 'so what?' look on her face. "I wish things would go back to how they were. I'm sorry you were torchered, if that makes you feel any better." Dominique scoffed. "I wish I was home right now, sitting in my dorm reading cheesy Christmas cards from my family. That's not going to happen, though. I'm not even mad at you because I was torchered, I'm mad because you felt sorry for yourself, having to be the one standing there, giving the command to shock me. Why are you suddenly acting so weird?" Dominique took a step away from Henry.
"I miss you, Dom. I should have told you how I felt the day I met you." It was only just then that Dominique could smell the alcohol on him, noticing how he stumbled and had a hard time focusing on Dom specifically. "Why are you saying all of this now? What does it matter?" Dominique backed up to the wall, her body tense. "New years was the other day, did you know that?... I was watching the people kiss as the ball drop, and I couldn't help but think about how we kissed once..." Dominique couldn't help but laugh. "Henry, I kissed you so I could get out and save Robin. You seem to have forgotten that I knocked you out right after telling you I don't like you in that way..." Henry took a few steps forward, putting his hands on either side of Dom, the smell of alcohol burning her sensitive nose. "I think you're just playing hard to get." Henry smiled, but Dominique glared, her anger getting the best of her. She grabbed Henry by the shirt, and shoved him, hard. The guard slammed heavily into the wall, sliding down a foot as he tried to process what just happened. "I think you need to open my door before I kick your ass," Dominique yelled. Henry grumbled, but did as he was told, punching in the pin code. Dominique shoved passed him, turning and saying, "Next time you try and make a stupid move like that, I won't hesitate to knock your lights out, again." With that Dominique closed the door, angrily.
The first tennis ball shot out surprisingly fast. Dominique, however, seemed to instinctively jump to the side with ease, the ball bouncing against the wall, rolling away. Luxuria kept the speed on 10 for a little while until Dominique could dodge the ball without even facing the machine. Increasing the speed, Dominique had a few close calls, the ball almost hitting her in the leg. Luckily she managed to push herself away fast enough, or change the direction she was falling so that her leg or arm would miss the ball. Once again Luxuria kept the speed on 20 until Dominique had mastered the speed. 30mph rolled around, Dom easily managing that speed. However, once the machine changed to 40mph, Dominique had a tougher time. The balls came out lightning fast, multiple at a time. Dominique smacked most of them away, but missed the last ball, which pelted her dead in the chest.
Even though flexible, a tennis ball slamming into your sternum at 40 miles per hour did not feel nice. The air was knocked out of Dom's lungs, the perfect circle of pain burning. Dominique dropped to a knee, leaning away from a shooting ball as she struggled to keep her breaths even. Another wave of balls came pelting out, Dominique getting hit in the arm by two, which hurt just as bad as the first hit. Getting angry, Dominique's focus on dodging the balls started to slip away, more interested in punching each ball that she could reach. Noticing the improvement due to her temper, Luxuria quickly started to scribble around on her iPad, grinning at the observation.
Dominique kept punching and smacking balls away until the machine reached its limit at 60mph, where Dominique got hit with two more balls, both of them a bone (A rib and her nose), although the injury healed within seconds, Dominique ignoring the pain as she smacked and dodged. Luxuria seemed very happy with the progress her experiment was making, although she was counting on Dominique not getting hit by that many balls. "Five hours on the treadmill, we'll have someone come in to escort you when you're done," Luxuria said, pulling out the wired stickers she always stuck on Dom when she was running. Knowing the drill, Dominique removed her shirt, slipped on the provided running shoes, and got on the treadmill, which was now programed to slowly increase all the way to 50mph, which it eventually stayed at. "Where are you going to go?" Dom asked, surprised that Luxuria was leaving. She usually stayed to monitor the experiment, even though it took multiple hours to complete. "I've collected all the data I need, but Lucius still wants your speed to be increased. You know the experiment well enough that I don't need to supervise any longer. I'm going to go and work on Robin and a few others while you run for five hours. Oh, and don't forget to drink an entire bottle of water before you start." With that Luxuria turned and walked out of the room.
For the next five hours Dominique ran, breathing and sweating heavily, but not shaking with exhaustion like she use to. When the five hours were up, Henry came to escort Dom back to her room. Dominique ignored him completely, pulling off the wired stickers herself and putting her shirt on, acting like he was just some random guard. Ever sense she yelled at him for being a self-centered jerk, they refused to talk to each other. Today was no different, at first, but just as Dominique started to go into her own little world, Henry spoke. "You know we're practically drowning your little boyfriend." Dom raised an eyebrow, both at the sudden conversation, and at the 'little boyfriend' part. "Why are you telling me this?" Robin had already explained what Luxuria wanted to improve with him, so this news didn't come as a surprise. "He's not doing so well, he keeps passing out, I'm sure it's damaging his brain." Dominique's annoyance started to raise, Henry's lame comments getting on her nerves. "First off, you're full of shit. I know for a fact that Robin's been adapting just as well as I have. Second off, why are you suddenly interested in talking to me? I enjoyed our whole 'I ignore you, you ignore me' thing."
Henry looked defeated for a little, going quiet again. Dominique couldn't fathom why he was trying to make such lame comments to Dom, like she was some stupid chick. They got to her room, Henry stopping in front of the door. "We use to like each other, you know..." He glanced around the hallway, Dominique raising an eyebrow once again at his weird comment, a 'so what?' look on her face. "I wish things would go back to how they were. I'm sorry you were torchered, if that makes you feel any better." Dominique scoffed. "I wish I was home right now, sitting in my dorm reading cheesy Christmas cards from my family. That's not going to happen, though. I'm not even mad at you because I was torchered, I'm mad because you felt sorry for yourself, having to be the one standing there, giving the command to shock me. Why are you suddenly acting so weird?" Dominique took a step away from Henry.
"I miss you, Dom. I should have told you how I felt the day I met you." It was only just then that Dominique could smell the alcohol on him, noticing how he stumbled and had a hard time focusing on Dom specifically. "Why are you saying all of this now? What does it matter?" Dominique backed up to the wall, her body tense. "New years was the other day, did you know that?... I was watching the people kiss as the ball drop, and I couldn't help but think about how we kissed once..." Dominique couldn't help but laugh. "Henry, I kissed you so I could get out and save Robin. You seem to have forgotten that I knocked you out right after telling you I don't like you in that way..." Henry took a few steps forward, putting his hands on either side of Dom, the smell of alcohol burning her sensitive nose. "I think you're just playing hard to get." Henry smiled, but Dominique glared, her anger getting the best of her. She grabbed Henry by the shirt, and shoved him, hard. The guard slammed heavily into the wall, sliding down a foot as he tried to process what just happened. "I think you need to open my door before I kick your ass," Dominique yelled. Henry grumbled, but did as he was told, punching in the pin code. Dominique shoved passed him, turning and saying, "Next time you try and make a stupid move like that, I won't hesitate to knock your lights out, again." With that Dominique closed the door, angrily.