2017-09-05 - spike - The New Shop 7

Author: spike
Title: The New Shop 7
Date: 05 September 2017

Chapter 7
Again, I woke up in M’s embrace. I snuggled a little closer and relaxed.

I couldn’t believe what was happening to me. I wasn’t just comfortable with him. What almost frightened me was I think I was starting to need that embrace. I hoped I’d never be forced to take a cage of my own.

Then the beep and clang, the cages opened and we scrambled out for our daily cleaning cycle.

I was getting used to the routine too. The pain in my ass wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been either.

As I stood there, frozen in the wet room, something odd happened. My goggles went dark for a few minutes. Then, food, water, snap, snap, flush, rinse, dry and…

I’d expected to be released but I remained there, frozen for I don’t know how long.

“Eleven, go upstairs. Room one. You have code to debug.”

I could move again. I followed M’s orders immediately but when I got to the mirror I was just about to touch the panel when I froze in shock.

Left hand side, over my heart, silver lettering. “Property of Master Q.”

But I hadn’t felt a thing! It explained why it went dark though. So now it was marked on me for life too. God! At least it wasn’t painful like a tattoo. I looked closer. I couldn’t see where the material with the writing ended and the normal suit began! It looked like it’d been there from the start.

I touched the panel, went upstairs, touched the panel on the first door and it swished open.

Inside, a standard office. Desk, chair, laptop, printer and a pen holder containing a large variety of markers and ballpoints. A large noticeboard on one side, a whiteboard on the other. Even a water cooler in the corner.

I sat at the desk, opened the laptop and was instantly presented with a software report. Another tab opened the code fragment itself.

I read the report, printed out the code and pinned it to the board.

Taking a few ballpoints of different colours, I started tracing variables. Tracing the path the program would take and it didn’t take long for me to find the problem. In a rare instance, a pointer was left dangling when a list was incorrectly handled. The program would crash.

I returned to the laptop, fixed that problem when something about it suddenly dawned on me. A bigger problem. A seriously big problem.

I minimised that screen and studied the laptop more closely.

A chat client? Here? Well, it’d obviously go to only one place, so, I clicked it.

Ssp: Software support, how can I help?

11: Software support? Really? Who with?

Ssp: Look, I’m busy. What the hell do you want, slave?

11: I’ve fixed your segfault problem. Dangling list, you didn’t handle discarding an entry correctly and left it empty and pointing at null memory but I think I’ve found a different problem. I need answers before I know for sure though.

Ssp: Slave, you have your code, fix it and you’re done.

11: And if the problem I think exists turns out to be true?

There was a long pause.

Ssp: Go on then. Ask away.

11: First off… What happens when a second slave enters the elevator and touches the panel.

Ssp: It goes to its floor of course.

11: And the first slave?

Ssp: It presses the panel again and goes to its.

11: I thought so. I spotted that the destination was a single variable. I’ve got a better solution.

Ssp: And that is?

11: Different type. Ordered double linked list. When a slave enters, his destination is inserted into the correct position in the list. When the list is empty, the elevator’s empty, When the elevator has the maximum capacity, the list is full and the elevator won’t stop to pick up more slaves.

There was an even longer pause.

Ssp: That’s bloody clever! Where did you come up with that, blank?

11: It’s eleven now. I’m a software archit…. Was a software architect. I think there’s one more problem to which I may have a solution too.

Ssp: Go on.

11: What happens when two slaves entwine their fingers and touch the panel together?

Ssp: The panel will read both their signatures as… As a corrupted ident.

11: And if those idents combine it could lead to an invalid one, one identifying them as another slave or even one that escalates their privilege, masking them as a superior or Master?

Ssp: How did we miss that? Do you have a solution to that one too?

11: It depends on the hardware. Does the elevator have the capability of determining someone’s weight? I know some have a weight limit and refuse to operate when overloaded. Can that be used to weigh individual slaves? Add that weight to their profile, two slaves try that on and there’ll be a weight discrepancy in the elevator. Only deal with the ident if the weight matches.

Ssp: Thanks 11. Welcome to the club.

11: Club?

Ssp: Of course. A very exclusive one. There’s only another seven silvers.

11: Seven? Who?

Ssp: 1,2,3,7,8,9 and M

11: M’s gold now. You’re a number?

Ssp: Oh for… Thanks for that. We really need to sync this database more often. I’ll send the software report to Q once we’ve studied it and add your suggestions. And yes, my name is number two.

11: Oh god. Sorry about that.

Ssp: Hah. You’re not the first. Just something more to live with. Master decrees something, you do it. Name and all.

11: You mean you’re there? With him? Right now?

Ssp: No, I’m in an office right now but he is in the same compound, yes.

11: What’s it like there?

Ssp: Fuckin’ paradise mate! You’ve got to see it to believe it.

11: Oh god. I’ve been going through hell for the past

Ssp: We all went through that, 11. Trust me. It is perfect here. You couldn’t want for a better Master.

11: I never wanted a Master at all.

Ssp: So why did he elevate you? He usually saves that for the best these days.

11: Maybe he sees me as useful. I am a M… *sigh* was a Master after all. Maybe it was a sense of guilt in forcing a Master through this. How do you do it?

Ssp: Do what?

11: Submit? Give up everything to a Master like that?

Ssp: For me, I didn’t. He took it. Seems he did the same with you or someone did. He’s normally more careful than that though.

11: So do you submit now?

Ssp: Of course. I said he took everything didn’t I? Took a while but I realised very early on I was his whether I liked it or not so I chose to like it. And God do I like it. Anyway, work to do. We’ll talk again I’m sure. Ssp out.

The chat client closed. The laptop returned to a login screen and the door beeped and swished open.

It was pretty obvious that was it as far as coding was concerned. I’d actually enjoyed it though. I began to think this life might not be too bad after all.

I left the room and then an idea struck me. I wondered what they were doing. Could they move yet? Where they rattling their cages. I couldn’t resist a check so I walked to the doors at the end and had a look.

Three were still very much on the floppy side, having trouble lifting their arms, their heads looking around in a panic. One was staring forlornly out of his cage, hands gripping the bars and the final one, the one I’d rendered unconscious. He was pacing back and forth in his solitary confinement cell like a wild animal in a zoo.

I nodded, satisfied and returned to the shop floor.

Now, what to select? I wandered the racks for an hour, pondering. There was so much to choose from. Something that looked complete barefoot…

I was wandering through the leather section when I saw a suit that didn’t look right. It was way too short for anyone but Peter Dinklage. I took it off the hook and then saw… The legs and arms didn’t have feet or gloves at the bottom, they had padding. Thick padding. There was foot space by the ass. A dog suit. Even the mask had a muzzle and doggy ears. Oh god that looked intense. Way too much for me but an evil thought began to grow in my mind.

I continued my search.

Then I spotted it. Why not? A black karate gi, a rising sun headband and a black belt. Not that I was a black belt in anything of course, but if it looked good, what else mattered?

I was just returning to the door to the back when there was a bong and the mirror opened. M and Joel emerged. Joel with an enormous grin.

I rolled up my costume and put it under my arm to free my hands.

“Good workout, sirs?”

“God, eleven, you have no idea. It’s…” Joel looked exhausted and certainly in need of a shower. “Well, you have seen it down there.”

I nodded.

“And how did the coding go?”

I held a thumbs up. “Even managed to speak to number two.”

“What? How?”

“Chat client. Software support. Had a few questions and ideas.”

“Good. That’s all I can say. Let’s get in the back and get changed.”

I looked at M. “So what’ve you got blank wearing today, sir?”

“I decided to be nice to it for once. Realising it’s not only got to be a blank for two months but it’ll be living with the rest of them was a bit of a shock, so I let it choose.”

“Oh, while I was up there I had a check on them. Two are active now. Mine, pacing the cell.”

“Good. Let them stew for the rest of the day, we’ll deal with them tonight.”

And so, yet again, standing in the display case, but now I knew. Sleep was a part of it. I did too. Got a few hours, but while I was awake, I had a chance to tap five times again.

He was back and this time he looked worried. No longer carrying a note pad. No longer looking at the stock. He wandered over to the counter.

“Can I help you, sir?”

He looked incredibly unsure of what to say. He tried starting a sentence five times, instantly cutting himself off again.

“I… My… Look… Has… Errr….”

Joel nodded. “Yes, they were here last night. Yes, we were ready for them. No, they didn’t get into the store, we barricaded the inner door. Yes, they did cause over a thousand dollars worth of damage… M?”

“M?”

“Yes. M.”

M rushed in from the racks, grabbed his arm and forced it up his back in a really painful way.

“Let go!”

“You tried to rob us. Why?”

“This stuff’s worth a fortune!”

“Only to a very specialised clientele. Very little of the stuff we sell’s something you could even give away at a local bar or pawn shop. That means you were selling to someone who was willing to pay for it. Probably pay a lot, considering the trouble they went to to break in! Who?”

He stared at Joel defiantly.

Joel held up his smartphone. “One of our customers recognised you yesterday. Warned us you were casing out the joint so we were prepared. One push of this button, I have the police on speed dial. Tell me and I won’t call them. Tell me quickly and I may even be able to help you.”

“Help? How can you help?”

“Look, I know about your drug problem. How many times have you been in and out of jail in the past five years because of it? I can give you a job for life. You’ll never go hungry again, you’ll have a home provided and it’s away from the city. It’ll keep you too busy to be able to buy drugs. You’ll be clean.” he wrinkled his nose. “In both senses of the word. All you have to do, tell me.”

“A job?”

“Yes.”

“For life? How can you offer that?”

“Even if it was a job for a year it’d be worth it but trust me, the owner of this shop is a very wealthy man.”

He sighed. “A fetish shop on the other side of town saw you as a threat. They figured as you’d only just opened, the loss of half your stock would’ve forced you out of business.”

“Which fetish shop? I know for a fact there’s a few.”

“All I know is it’s in Brooklyn. I didn’t go there. I’m not a freak.”

“Oh, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

He tapped a few things into his smartphone.

“OK. There’s only one in Brooklyn, so it seems that’s the one. For that. I stand by my offer. I suppose we’d better get you kitted out. That clothing is not appropriate.”

He flipped a switch behind the counter, said “Come with me” and led the new unwitting slave into the back.

“Strip. Everything off. I’ll get you something you’re going to love. M. Keep an eye on him. Don’t want him running off with anything.”

A couple of minutes later…

“Put that on.”

“What is that thing! I said I’m not a fuckin’ freak!”

Joel sighed. “This is a fetish shop. Customers like to see the people serving them in a little kink and before you object again… pick it up. Feel it.”

“Fuck me! What is this?”

“And if you think that feels good, just imagine it covering every inch of your skin. Put it on.”

“How?”

“Like this…”

“Oh my god, I’m in there.”

And another couple of minutes later...

“Right… Hood up. Good. Now. M, hold him. There is one final little detail he’s forgotten.”

“What now? Let go of me… What are you, let go of my cock, what the oh my fucking hell oh god oh god that feels good!”

“Oh I know. Why do you think he spends so much time in it? Now, follow me. You can admire yourself in this mirror while I get everything else together.”

“There’s more?”

“There’s a lot of paperwork involved in employing someone.”

M’s voice then. I suspect only in my ears. “Oh god he’s in for a shock in a few minutes. Normally opt for tubing up before the curing but it’s possible afterwards.”

God I wished I was there to see that. It certainly sounded like fun. But, well, you can’t have everything and at least I managed to hear it.

Half an hour later, Joel and M returned to him.

“And you say this job’s for life?”

“Yes.”

“Could I wear this for life too?”

“Of course. he’s been in that one for five years and it’ll never come off.”

“What do you mean? What th… Why can’t I move?”

“Because the suit is a special one. It’s perfect. Utterly impregnable. Absolutely permanent, as will be all the other additions we put in you now. I wasn’t lying about the job for life, but the job in question is slave. You will be fed daily, you’ll be trained to serve our Master and trust me on this, you’ll learn to love it. You’re in for the ride of your life boy.”

“I didn’t sign up fo oo aa oo ooi! E ee oo!”

Well, I knew from experience that was the last time anyone would ever hear that voice again.