2017-12-25 - spike - The New Shop 56

Author: spike
Title: The New Shop 56
Date: 25 December 2017

Chapter 56
Sunday.

A free day for all but that didn’t mean freedom from the dogs for us. A chance to do nothing but play, relax, enjoy being in the most amazing suit yet.

I plonked my ass by that TV a couple of times during the day and the second… Oh god things might get interesting now.

Deadm4n: *sigh* I wish I’d seen that conversation on the forum last week. Logged in, shocked it a few times, booted out. But… Guys…

V1x3n: So, you lost access too. Killed it? But we’ve been talking about that all week!

Deadm4n: I’ve been busy, OK? I didn’t see it until it was too late. I wish I’d not chosen this nickname now. Bit of an portent for any game I play. I… To tell you the truth, I… I’m sorry, it’s…

V1x3n: What?

Th0rTheChunderG0d: What the hell’s up with you dead? You’re not normally so cagey.

Deadm4n: When I lost access I did a bit of a search to see if I could find a way in. Found something else. I’m going to send you a few links now, both of you. Privately. I don’t want these things public. It might implicate me.

V1x3n: Implicate you? In what?

Deadm4n: Just watch them and come to your own conclusions. I’m off. Mine’s dead anyway so there’s no reason for me to stay and quite frankly, after what I’ve seen I want to be as far away from this forum as possible.

+++ Deadm4n has unsubscribed.

V1x3n: What the hell got into him?

Th0rTheChunderG0d: Holy shit, man! Oh fuck! No wonder he ran off! Have you ever met Codemaster?

V1x3n: ‘course I haven’t, he lives in D.C. I live in Seattle.

Th0rTheChunderG0d: I have. Gaming convention three years ago.

Kyle3421: What are you babbling about? What are these links he sent?

Th0rTheChunderG0d: Sending them to you now. I’ll do it privately too.

Kyle3421: Why? Just post them to the fucking forum so everyone can see em.

Th0rTheChunderG0d: Not a fucking chance.

V1x3n: Look, what the hell is wrong with everyone today?

Th0rTheChunderG0d: Haven’t you seen them?

V1x3n: I’m on my cellphone right now. I’ll watch them when I get home. Why?

Th0rTheChunderG0d: He got spooked. Now I’m fucking terrified! I think it’s real guys!

V1x3n: Real? How the fuck can it be real?

Th0rTheChunderG0d: What’s more, I think I know why Codemaster’s not been online for the past week! He’s never offline for more than six hours, he practically lives on the net!

V1x3n: Thor! You’re scaring me! What the hell are you getting at?

Th0rTheChunderG0d: I think the blob *is* Codemaster!

V1x3n: That’s impossible! This thing can’t be real!

Th0rTheChunderG0d: Just… watch those videos and see for yourself!

Kyle3421: Oh my god! I just have! This is amazing! Oh fucking hell, I’m going to have some fun with him now! It is! It’s real!

Th0rTheChunderG0d: You’re… You’re serious aren’t you? You’re going to keep on torturing him? For how long?

Kyle3421: The game says until he’s fighting fit! I’m gonna make him lose all that blubber! Oh fucking hell this is the best thing ever!

Th0rTheChunderG0d: This is too much. I can’t handle this.

+++ Th0rTheChunderG0d has unsubscribed.

V1x3n: You’re both serious aren’t you? That this game isn’t a game? It’s real? Oh shit, he’s gone!

Kyle3421: You’ll see once you get home, V. Think. He tortures them, we all do but he stole the code. They must’ve traced him. Got him. Got us to torture him for them.

V1x3n: But who the hell are them?

Kyle3421: Dunno. But there seems to be some link to a fetish store in new york. Real slaves, really sealed into those suits, really receiving shocks up their butts from us! We’re in deep, V. Either run away and hide or keep playing. I’m gonna keep playing. We’re doing that fuckwit a favour anyway. He’d likely be dead in a year looking at the state of him without being forced to get fit. He must be at least four fifty pounds.

Vix3n: I’ll watch them tonight and get back to you.

+++ Manfromthefuture has unsubscribed.
+++ Castlefr34k has unsubscribed.
+++ 133tUnit1 has unsubscribed.

God, so even when they know it’s real, at least one of them… I think I understand what psychopathy is now. I ran over to Max, nudged him and nodded him towards the screen.
* * * * *
Sarge, freed from store duty, returned to training us the next day and god, he really pushed us. We were all accustomed to being dogs… Well, all apart from Dixon and Zeus who still had a little butt-sense tuning to do, but us six…

Speed, strength, endurance. He pushed us to every limit that week.

By the end, we weren’t just running, we were sprinting and we were able to keep it up for a long distance too. He even had us on the treadmills.

Then, the night before we departed, we were gathered together in the rec room, apart from the other dogs, and froze, solid. My goggles blackened too.

This hadn’t happened last time. I wondered what all this was about, but being frozen, all I could do was wag my tail until… I couldn’t feel it anymore. My tail was oh… Oh god, what now. I felt movement. I was being lifted and then put down again.

I remained frozen for I don’t know how long, then, my tail was back. I could feel it again. I wagged and it felt the same but I… Think I felt warmer for some reason.

It must be that heating system they mentioned. It had to be that.

My vision cleared just as suddenly as it had blackened and… Something was definitely different. I looked down my snout… Wait, what?

Short, grey hair all the way to the end where my black, glossy nose was still visible. Hair?

Oh god, I had to see myself. Of course, they hadn’t unfrozen me yet.

“Oh god, Tyson. You look amazing. You all do. This is fucking awesome!” It was the sarge’s voice. “Tyson, Bandit, Slasher, Duke, heal.”

Instantly, I was free to move again. I looked around. Three other dogs were still present but they didn’t look like dogs anymore. White and multi-shaded grey fur. The colouring of wolves. We were wolves? I looked back at myself. My tail. Everything matched perfectly.

I padded over to the sarge as we went into the elevator and down to the gym. When the doors opened. Oh fucking hell what a sight.

A host of dogs, all arrayed in front of me. Not one of them with a name tag but each of them distinct from the others. One, a Red Setter. Another, a Golden Labrador. A few German Shepherds too, all with different markings. There was what looked like a Dalmatian but with longer fur, even an Afghan hound! Border collie, Old English Sheepdog, Black Labrador, Rough Collie like Lassie, only with a much shorter snout, all the dogs were based on the same dog suits underneath of course. I sniggered. One even looked like a white toy poodle without the ridiculous hair clipping some owners put them through.

“Now you can recognise fellow dogs from the predators hunting you. All of you, domestic dogs. Your hunters, wolves. The fur will keep you warm and the new tails up your asses also have inbuilt thermometers. If those detect a drop in core temperature, the heating system will kick in briefly to get it back up. No-one’s going to suffer from exposure or hypothermia in those things.”

I padded over to the nearest mirror to admire myself. If it wasn’t for the goggles and the too-thick jointless legs, I would’ve looked just like a wolf! I looked… Oh god, I fell in love with this even more than I had before. My tail went into overdrive.

I glanced at my brothers as they did the same, all with identical reactions.

I couldn’t wait to get out there.

“As heat exhaustion may be a problem the air conditioning has been turned on in the cells to keep the temperature down. Heat regulation will be an issue with your additions so no over-exertion until you’re out in the field. Dogs, to your cages. You have tomorrow to accustom yourselves to your new coats. Hunters, three laps around the gym. Begin.”

It felt so natural, I couldn’t believe it. I was a wolf, part of a pack. My brothers padded alongside me as we completed the laps but we did follow orders. We didn’t run. There seemed to be little impediment in the new additions either. The fur slid across my inner skin, not getting in the way a bit. I wondered if I’d be able to do what normal dogs did if they got wet and shake it off.

I suspected I would.

We completed the laps and the sarge was waiting for us along with Alpha and Omega. Oh god the look on Alpha’s face. He stared at us in awe.

“I missed all this, sir?”

“Well, you’ve seen the episodes now, last time we only had bare dogs. As the weather’s colder this time, even a threat of snow, we made provisions.”

“Fuck me! I want to join them. I want in one of those suits more than anything now!”

Sarge chuckled. “You heard what Q said. Serve him well, remember.”

“Oh I will. Oh god, I’ll do anything to go on one of those races. I hope he lets me put the temp one back on and compete. God!”

“Hunters, you sleep upstairs with us tonight. We’ve had to make provisions though. Air conditioning on for you, we’ve had to break out the blankets so we can sleep.”

Omega knelt beside me. Stroked me. “Oh god he feels just like the real thing, sir! Once this race is over, can I spend next weekend as a dog?”

Sarge smirked. “Weekend after, Omega. You know you’ve got another game.”

“Yes… But it is a home game this time. I’ll be out and here by early afternoon, sir.”

“Alpha will ask Q once these are out in the field. Don’t forget, not long before Thanksgiving too remember. It is the beginning of November.”

“Aaaaah, shit. I’d forgotten about that. Fucking hell!”

“Come on, let’s get some sleep. I suspect these four will need it. We’ll brief them on other differences tomorrow.”

Other differences? I wonder what else they had in store for us.

We’d be sure to find out.
* * * * *
“Oh god, this is going to be good. From now on, all races where heat isn’t an issue, all dogs will be furred.” Q’s voice was astounded.

The dogs were all present in front of the TV screen again.

Before he continued, I glanced across at the elevator as the blob entered. It froze and crept forward. Then a shock made it jump and run back to the elevator just before the door could close and slapped its hand on the panel. And it was gone again.

“Now, for those of you who’ve raced before there are a few differences this time. The starting line is now four starting lines that all fan towards the finish. All the same distance. One wolf will be dropped at each start point.

There are no rules on the wolves roaming into their brothers’ territories, joining forces or anything like that, but with over thirty dogs in play, it will make for a more interesting race.

As the weather is getting colder, as well as the additions you now have, the shelters have also been modified. They now have doors. Press the black panel just as you do here and it will open, another panel on the inside will do the same for exit and when a dog is detected inside, heating elements will activate. The feeding stations are also heated. In addition, water stations will be present this time, just in case there’s a freeze and you can’t find any in the wild.

The prizes this time will be the same for my dogs. First place, I will name you plus free access and a week off duty. Second place, as first but no name, third place, three days, but we have some outsiders this time.

Should one of you beat my dogs and gain first place overall, your owner will win half the prize pot. That comes to a grand total of three thousand dollars. Second place, you earn your owner two thousand dollars, third place, one thousand. That is for your owners. For you, each of you has experienced the pleasure of a good dog, some even a very good dog. First place, three hours of a pleasure beyond anything you’ve ever experienced before. Second, two hours, third place, one.”

I glanced across at the other dogs. I wondered which ones they were and when two of their tails shot up and started wagging again, I think I pinpointed them. The Dalmatian and the Rough Collie had both reacted to that news so they must be two of the outsiders.

I wondered if one of them was Moonbeam.

“As this may seem unfair, the outsiders competing against experienced dogs, you will be placed as a group separate from mine too but the prize money will be reduced by twenty-five percent should you take one of these places. The greater prize will be won if you come, say, third place in total and first place among yourselves.

Last place will impose a penalty for my property. As before, that dog will remain when all others are summoned. He will retain his canine form for one month, only allowed out on Sundays. What penalties your owners choose to impose should you come in last, that is entirely up to them. I hope it’s fitting. I know for a fact one mistress has already indicated that should her dog not perform to her satisfaction he will remain in his slave suit until he wins a race. That could be for a very long time, possibly the rest of his life.”

I glanced across again and… Was that a Weimer’s colouring? Whatever he was, his tail had sunk between his legs.

Moonbeam. Had to be. They’d picked a good one for him if it was, his coat had a silvery sheen to it. Should I be a little on the vindictive side and pick on him? Hmmm.

“As with the previous race, the hunters will also win prizes based on their performance. Last time, Tyson won. As before, time off, free access, a boon and a chance to select a hunter to join the pack will be the prize for first. There will not be a penalty of extended time in the dog for the last place holder in this case. I know Tyson too well. Knowing he’d be in the suit for an additional month might be too tempting to ignore and may affect his performance. His only hope in that respect is to use his boon, should he win again.”

This time, my tail shot up. Oh god, I hadn’t thought of using it like that last time. Still, it went to a better cause then. This time I don’t think there are any slaves to use it selflessly on.

So, win this race and choose a new dog to join the pack again too… More incentive to beat the other three.

“Dogs, begin your training to get used to your fur. Wolves. To the elevator, the van is waiting for you outside. Dismissed. Q. Out.”