2017-12-01 - spike - The New Shop 48

Author: spike
Title: The New Shop 48
Date: 01 December 2017

Chapter 48
The week flew by. A couple more blanks joined our ranks including the one they’d considered sealing in permanently without its knowledge… When offered, it’d taken the perm suit without question anyway.

My programming continued and was ready to run in the simulator and Dixon appeared to have mastered seeking one type of ball before the blank was removed from the dog suit.

Its opinion… Glad it was being given the chance to take part in the race once it’d found its paws.

The rest of the week it was put on cleaning duty during the night and display duty during the day. We didn’t bother to ask its opinion on that but before we knew it… Friday.

We’d just finished our workout when Q’s voice sounded in my ears.

“All golds, rec room, TV, now.”

“What’s this about now?”

M shrugged. “Suppose we’ll find out in a minute.”

The three of us went up there and just as we were stood by the TV, his image sprang up again.

“Ah, good. Now, in ten minutes, all the slaves will join you. It’s the last time all the competitors will be together. Time for the final statistics for the race. No, I hadn’t forgotten. We just had other things to do and a few more statistics to compile.”

“Yes, sir.”

“There will be prizes again, though obviously, there will only be three racers remaining there. Max, Rascal and Fry. The pods will arrive for collection of the rest this evening.”

M nodded. “So, a little time to relax before the next batch, sir?”

“Far from it, they’re ready, in New York. The moment the pods for dispatch have been collected, the new slaves will be loaded into the lift. You have twenty-two new slaves to play with along with the three you collected this week. Any who complain about pain downstairs, pull them to one side and take them to room two from now on. They’ve been in their pods for long enough to adjust so it’s either faking or a medical problem. If it’s faking, punish them severely.”

“Yes, sir. What’s in room two?”

Q sighed. “The problem with shoving the Alpha you thought you’d trained well into a pod for a month… HE should be the one to know all this. Fortunately it’s automated and we have people here capable of reading the results. It’s a scanner. Very high resolution, capable of highlighting any medical problem the human body is capable of receiving.”

“What happens if someone does get one, sir? We can’t operate… We can’t even cut the skin.”

“We’ll cross that bridge. Some may need to be shipped here. Some may be treatable there. I suppose it’s inevitable we’ll have something crop up eventually the number of slaves passing through but we have contingencies in place.”

Med scanner, eh? I couldn’t help but butt in. “Should we shove all of them through, sir? If it could detect, say, the start of a problem before it became one, like cancer…”

“The scanner takes about four hours for a detailed scan. Four slaves per day, I think it’s achievable. Good thought, eleven. Begin with the New York recruits.”

“I take it Perkins will be joining the rest on the trip then, sir?”

“Of course. That’s why I arranged it for today. The sooner it’s here, the sooner it can receive more dog training, speak to the slaves and return there in time to be prepared for the race.”

“Has the waterproofing problem been solved, sir?”

“Yes, eleven, they’re using an adhesive tape to apply the sealant now, they’ve extended the flaps too. This time, nothing will get in, it’ll also be impossible to get the suit off from the outside.”

“Sir? You mean it’s permanent?”

“The solvent will still work but it won’t be able to penetrate the suit from the outside. It’ll need to be a third part of the cleaning cycle. It will attack the sealant from the inside of the suit, don’t worry.”

I chuckled. “I was more hoping than worrying, sir.”

“Ah, yes. When all the slaves have been housed in their cages, hand your armband to M. You’ll be blanked for a week just as you requested, frozen and carried into your cage just as they are. Time to get to know the new slaves as one of them. We have enough golds, a silver, Joel and Omega most days along with Luke there now. Oh, and you will just be a blank. The armbands will not be able to tell you from the rest. The moment you’re in your cage, they’ll be wiped of all new slaves.”

“Oh! Oh, god, thanks, sir!”

“Six has confirmed it’s the best way to get to know them. They’re a lot less guarded when talking to one of their own.”

“What about the sign language, sir? How will I explain being so good at it?”

“Simplicity itself. The man who took you taught it to you before shipping. You were taken in one of the larger shops, San Francisco, and held there for a week before being shoved into the pod. Don’t worry if others are from California, just claim you were visiting to excuse lack of knowledge of the area. That will also be used to explain your already having experienced the escape protocol. You won’t suffer that again. Several have had it demonstrated.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The slaves should begin to arrive presently. As before, once all are assembled…” The screen went black.

“So, you get your wish. Even I won’t recognise you.” M chuckled. “I suppose it makes sense, even the odd subconscious cue might make me treat you differently.”

“You’ll just have to ignore the number when escape protocol’s being demonstrated so there’re no clues then either. He said a few had it demonstrated so you’d know I was one of those few.”

“Very true. I’ll ask him to wipe before we interview but after we’ve done the demo. You will of course lie. This is the only time I will permit it from a blank. You’ll give me no clues during the interview either.”

“Aye, and if you remember not to ask where they’re from, no reason for me to lie there, it’s not as if it’s relevant anyway. Find some other identifying characteristic this time. Might be an idea to put them all on shuffle too.”

“Shuffle?”

“Different cages, different cells each night so I get to teach the lot of them eventually or help them get better at it. They’ll all get to know they’re nothing but blanks unable to even tell who they’ve made friends with if they’re shifted about constantly too. Good way to make more once they figure it out.”

“Noted. I’ll do that.”

The rest of the slaves all filed in and lined up in front of the TV. Rascal sat at the front beside Slasher and the TV screen returned to life.

“Good. First of all, a welcome to my newest acquisitions. I am your master. Q. I own you and you’ll never, ever be free again. I just like to reiterate that, even though it’s probably been said to you countless times by now but now the introductions are done, the first order of business. As all competitors are present, the final statistics.

You already know the first three placements and the last place holder. Rascal is after all still a dog because of it.

So… In reverse order.

9, we know about, Rascal. I hope you do better next time.
8, Fry. Far too cautious, I expect better from you too.
7, Butch. Understandable. A little less time to adjust than the rest.
6, Duke. We all know why you took sixth place. You performed well beyond my expectations.
5, Dash, another one with a cautious attitude, in your case, added speed helped. More on that later.
4, Max. Extremely cautious. Extremely good. Again, more on that later.
3, Storm, 2, Phantom, 1, Bandit. These we knew.

Now for the prize categories.

Each day, our panel decided on the best evasion. The best pursuit by a hunter leading to an unsuccessful take down. For each of these. One extra hour of pleasure to be taken whenever you choose.”

The picture in picture appeared again.

“On the first day…”

The video began to play.

An idyllic scene, beautiful fall colours painted every tree. The grass was lush and green, the sky was clear as a dog emerged from a band of trees onto a meadow. It was walking in an odd way, in zigzags across the field. It seemed to be a little agitated too. Then, it bolted as I sprang out of that bank of nettles and took chase. I hadn’t realised just how far I’d chased him, either before I pounced and he dodged and continued. How far I’d run, no idea, but it was impressive seeing it from the air. He increased his pace, leaving me in the dust.

“Dash, one hour of pleasure and ten points added to your final score. On day two.”

The video changed. This time, a heavily wooded area. Two dogs walking side by side. Slasher bolting towards, them, taking one. The other turned on him, pinned him, yanked his tail hard just as had happened to me but Slasher seemed shaken. It took him longer to recover, longer to take chase. Even though it looked like he was gaining, each time he got within biting distance a rapid change in direction, the final time leading to Slasher skidding to a halt and collapsing into a thicket. The dog bolted away leaving Slasher struggling to extricate himself.

“Phantom, one hour of pleasure, ten points. On day three.”

This scene was similar to the first day. I think it must’ve been Dash again because he seemed to be using the same tactics. Keeping himself as close to a hundred feet away as possible without losing his predator. Again, an epic chase that must’ve gone on for miles, eventually resulting in an escape.

“Dash again. Well done. Another hour of pleasure and ten points. And finally, on day four, I think we can all guess...”

Yep. It was me, chasing those three to the finish line. Duke bolted onto the final straight from the side, got within twenty feet of the finish line and then looked back and froze. Barely a second of indecision before he bolted back onto the field, pounced and knocked me out of the air.

“Max, it was your evasion, Duke rescued you from it and it was certainly the most dramatic of the event. One hour of pleasure, ten points.”

Now for the next category. Number of captures. For each capture, negative five points from the score. Those who were not captured at all. Another hour of pleasure plus one day free of duties and access to all facilities.

Number of captures in descending order.

Duke and Rascal. Three captures.

Butch, Fry and Storm. Two captures.

Bandit. One capture.

So the prizes for avoiding a single tail pull go to Dash, Max and Phantom.”

I looked around. Quite a few of them were shaking each other’s hands in congratulation.

“The next prize category is to me one of the most impressive. Distance travelled.

In third place. Phantom, after walking for sixty-seven miles. One hour of pleasure, one free day full access and five points added.

In second place. Max. Seventy miles. Two hours of pleasure and two free days, ten points added.

In first place. Duke. You journeyed around the very perimeter sometimes having to deviate from that course to avoid obstacles leading to your capture twice. An incredible eighty miles. Four hours of pleasure and four free days. Fifteen points. Of course, you can choose when these will be used and a free day does mean freedom from the suit. Well done! Also, for your selfless act, ten bonus points.

Bloody hell! He went that far? And he still got captured three times? Obviously not me apart from the last one.

“Of course, it’s unfair to exclude the hunters from this part of the competition. Slasher, seventy miles. Two pleasure hours and two free days. As with Duke, that does mean freedom from the suit. I assume you’ll want yours to coincide with your brother’s?”

He nodded.

“Good. Then yours will be when your brother next earns them. Now for the top three in the final scores.

In joint first place. Dash and Phantom with twenty points each. Four more free days and pleasure hours.

In joint third place. Duke and Bandit with ten points. One more of each.”

I glanced across at it. I bet its tail would’ve been wagging if it’d had it in right then.

“The final order of business. As many of you are no doubt aware, one of the new slaves collected this week was a temporary one. A policeman from London offered the chance to experience the life before returning home. As he will be joining me, the rest of you destined to leave will leave with him, tonight. Of course, Duke, eleven, twelve, thirteen, M, Rascal and Slasher will remain. Q out.”

The screen went blank.

“So, should we talk to them one last time?”

“Probably a good idea. I bet Phantom’s ecstatic! Six more pleasures to experience when it gets there. Who first?”

“I think Perkins. I’ve not spoken to it all week, I just let it follow orders without offering it a chance to express itself or complain.”

“Yeah. Me too. I wonder if it’s beginning to understand just what being a slave means. Whether it still wants it.”

“OK then.” I selected all blanks. “Dismissed, return to your duties. If you earned a free day and wish to take it now, stay and tell us. We’ll deal with it and release you to your fun.” Then I selected Perkins. “You stay too, blank.”

As M took down which blanks had decided to use one of their free days, I took mine up to the rec room, taking twelve and thirteen with me.

We sat at the table and indicated it take a chair facing us.

“We wait before we continue. M’ll be up in a minute once he’s noted down who’s taken what.”

It nodded.

Five minutes later, M arrived and sat beside me.

“Now, you’ve experienced a week of slavery. Opinions?”

“I love this suit, sir. Oh god it’s amazing waking up like this each morning. Some of the jobs I was put to would’ve had me throwing up in no time, but with no sense of smell… I didn’t realise how much of a blessing that would be.”

I shook with laughter. “God M, what did you put it to?”

“I didn’t pay any attention to who was being assigned what. A blank is a blank where work details are concerned. Why, what have you been doing?”

“Cleaning out the flushing system, sir. It was explained that even though it’s regularly flushed out itself, deposits… build up, sir. I was inside the cylinder with a scrubbing brush.”

M shook with laughter too. “Oh god, that is one of the more unpleasant ones I’ll grant you. Life outside as a slave will be a lot more pleasant than that. Luke’s described his new home. He’s a barman. Just one of the blanks during the week here. At weekends he works in a club and his home outside is, in his words, amazing. Q will be providing you with the same once you’ve been marked.”

“Home? But I have a home.”

“What is it? A flat in London?”

“Bromley.”

“Rented?”

“Of course.”

“Well forget about money. He provides for all your needs as his property, car and home included. He’ll demand access to your bank account to drain it each month most likely and in exchange your new home will be constantly replenished with food and I’m sure you’ll love the wardrobe he’ll provide. Here, in New York, the building you’d live in is exclusively inhabited by other slaves he owns, so, that means there will be a gym there and a dungeon, assuming it’s the same in London at least. I imagine the man who’ll flush you out probably lives in the same place.”

“Drain my bank account?”

“Yes. Why do you need one? He does allow you to nominate a charity however. He doesn’t keep the money for himself.”

“And if I want to socialise with friends?”

“You ask his permission. He has provided Luke with a credit card. Mainly for the purpose of keeping the car on the road but I imagine for such things as socialising he will allow you to use it on that too. He’ll probably tell you what you’re permitted to spend it on when the time comes though.”

“Oh god, this life’s all so new to me. Still a lot to adjust to but I think I’m beginning to understand submission. I didn’t question or hesitate when put to work, I just did it.”

“That’s part of it. It does go deeper than that. Did you resent anything or just accept it as something that pleased your master?”

Its shoulders sagged. “If I’d been capable of muttering oaths under my breath during that sewage cleaning… I would’ve been.”

“Well, you need to get over that. Anything that pleases your master should make you happy. It’s the only thing you should care about. All other concerns, right out of the window. Forget about who you were and what you used to do… You’re his and his happiness is the only thing that matters to you. That’s the attitude you need.”

It nodded. “Just what a couple of the others said down there. It’s still a lot to get my head around but I can see it happening. And now I get to take part in the race! And I’ve seen more of it!”

“I’m sure you’ll receive more instruction when you get there.”

“How though? Can’t exactly get on a plane dressed like this!”

“Blank… Slaves aren’t shipped as passengers! We’re shipped as freight! You, in a pod, frozen during transit to prevent any noise and protect you on your journey.”

“Frozen? For how long?”

“For you, probably a week max.” M pointed at his chest “For me when I was delivered here, five weeks, five days of which I was just ignored and left in storage.”

“A week!?”

“Oh trust me, you’re kept entertained… Down there if you know what I mean. The pod allows about eight hours of sleep. All other times, it plays with your arse endlessly. Amazing feelings even the fob can’t accomplish.”

“Fuck me! I…” It nodded. “Now, I want it, sir.”

“I thought you might.”