The escape attempt was a disaster. Trying to shut down the power had no effect other than to trigger an alert which quickly brought the creature back to thwart her plans long before Lucalle could even think about finding Ketha or Klane. "Foolish girl!", the creature said. "Did you really think it would be as simple as that to disable this base? I would not have left those controls open to you if it were possible to operate them without pass codes." "Now you must be punished! We will start tonight. Instead of returning to your cell you will come to the laboratory and you will clean Holding Tank 4 of Wexarack mould. No sleep until it is done!" That was a hateful task. The strange alien fungus was a constant blight in the creature's laboratories. It smelt foul and gave off a noxious emetic gas when touched. Contact with the skin produced burning and itching sensations which were highly unpleasant. Fighting the growth of Wexarack mould usually required chemical treatments and even the creature acknowledged their speed and efficiency when compared to manual methods. Making Lucalle clean the tank by hand was unnecessary, except as a form of discipline for the rebellious prisoner. Holding Tank 4 was a large enclosure with a severe infestation. It would take several horrible hours to remove the mould. "You had better do a good job", the creature continued in a sly and malicious tone. "I will be using that Tank during my forthcoming experiments and my guess is that it will be your home. I don't think you impressed the male last night. You had your chance and I don't expect him to chose you. Especially since your silly little escape plan has come to nothing." Now Lucalle had to fight not to cry bitter tears for these last words had hurt her badly despite her ostentatious defiance. "And the Tank is just a start", the creature warned. "Tomorrow I shall decide on what further punishment you require!"