2018-07-27 - spike - The New Shop 70 - Sabotage

Author: spike
Title: The New Shop 70 - Sabotage
Date: 27 July 2018

Chapter 70
“Report.”

I stepped forward. “Sir. Seventeen slaves interviewed. Most, nothing much of interest. Office workers, car mechanics. The usual, sir. But one of them has antique restoration as a hobby, another is an artist, a painter, another enjoys model making. I said I’d ask you for some woodworking and metal working tools for it, so it could perhaps continue with that. It may even produce something of value to you, sir.”

“Anything more?”

“Yes, sir. A few that could prove extremely useful, sir. A builder specialising in bricklaying and joinery, one speaks five languages including English and the other…” I chuckled.

“Go on? This was the one who pushed the laptop to one side, wasn’t it? I didn’t get anything through in the logs on that one.”

“It’s a programmer, sir. It closed the laptop and spoke with its fingers immediately, sir. More than that, it’s known to us. It knows about us too, sir. One of the ones who fled the forum in fear when they realised it was real, sir.”

“It knows?”

“More sir, it sought us out, sir. It even stood before me when I was on display, sir. It’s the one taken in San Diago, the one that went by the name of Thorthechundergod, sir.”

“This is very worrying”

“It said it hadn’t told anyone, sir. It’s just looking forward to a whole new life of new experiences, sir. It was one hundred percent vanilla until it put on the suit. What’s more, it told me it could offer us Kyle on a platter, sir. It thinks that one deserves what’s happening to the blob more than the blob does.”

“Yes… Yes, I see its point. This Kyle character is a thoroughly despicable sort. And it’ll willingly give him to us?”

“Yes, sir. It even came up with an idea to capture him, sir. Level three commencing in and a countdown. When it hits zero, bang. He next becomes aware, or at least unfreezes and his goggles unblacken in the ring facing the blob, sir.”

“I think I like this blank. How did it perform in the dungeon?”

“I… don’t know, sir. That was M’s job.” I selected it and held up my armband to M.

He flipped through a few sheets on a clipboard. “Ah, I agree, I like this blank. It didn’t shy away from anything. In fact, it eagerly followed its orders no matter what we did to it.”

“And?”

“It claimed to enjoy everything sir, though, very little of it was sexual. It shows a mild kink in bondage and humiliation, sir. Its cock twitched but didn’t gain full erection during the whole exercise. I suppose as it experiences more, as the nerves settle and it becomes used to the idea, that may change.”

“Yes, that makes sense. Talented programmers are always welcome. When it arrives here, it will be introduced to number two and its team. I like its idea too, this plan… If it comes to fruition, aiding in the capture of a slave, I may elevate it to gold.”

“And it’d remain, sir?”

“Of course.”

“I think it’ll be pleased, sir. I bet it wants to witness this fight. How much weight has the blob lost now?”

“Another stone, so far, but that weight loss appears to be increasing as it becomes more active. It could barely walk one hundred yards at the start, now it can run half a mile.”

“The blank said it would try to talk the blob into submitting to a freeze in order to take its punishment like a man, sir.”

“Impressing me again. I will check on its story, check on the information it gives and even before Kyle is taken, I will elevate it if that information proves correct. To silver until we have him. Bring it to the rec room screen tomorrow at noon. I’ll speak to it then.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Have you identified Beta?”

“Only one seemed out of place, sir. It claimed to be from Halifax but it kept saying odd things, like By eck and Eee ba gum, lad. No-one in Canada talks like that!”

Q collapsed into laughter. “I think you identified it. I won’t reveal Beta’s slave ID but I think it is likely that one. It wasn’t Canadian, it was terribly stereotypical Yorkshire. That Halifax, the original one. No-one talks like that anymore unless they’ve been watching too much Last of the Summer Wine. Where was it taken out of interest?”

“Said it was on holiday in Chicago, sir.”

“Even using a variant of your cover story… It is possibly that one. You’ll find out in a couple of weeks or so.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The model maker and artist. More materials and tools will be made available but they will clean up after themselves. If they leave a mess, punish them.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Q out.”
* * *
An introduction to wrestling from me, one for boxing from Alpha and a hug for Alpha from blank along with a profound apology, we lined up the slaves again, this time, all humanoid slaves. Not just the newbies.

I stood before the blank that had been Thorthechundergod. “Any regrets?”

“None, sir. It was a little boring lying in a cage all night but I spoke to the slaves opposite. I think I’m making friends, sir.”

“Good. I… think I’ve already decided on your dog name. It will not be Thor however. We’ve already got a dog called that.”

“What did you have in mind, sir?”

“Ah, that can wait until you’re in it. Day shift for you, blank.” I hit select and tapped it on the shoulder, then walked down the line and tapped nine more. I hit alter, selected active, fiddled a little more assigning duties to each and hit commit.

All ten of them looked up in the air as if hearing something and walked towards the elevator.

The others, I selected and spoke.

“For you, night shift. Cleaning places day shift can’t effectively clean. As you’re going back to your cages, I will permit you one hour to select things from the game cupboard or library to pass the time but try to get some more sleep. I want you fresh, ready and raring to go by ten pm when you’ll be released.”

They nodded and rushed to the back of the room.

“Place what you want to take out on the panel in the library. Then press it yourself if you get a green light. Permission denied on a red light, put it back where you found it.”
* * *
“Blank. Sit. And take the laptop.”

It looked at the thing, up at the screen and gestured. “I don’t need the laptop, sir. I think I’m almost as good at it as Eleven, now, sir.”

Q looked down from the screen in amusement. “I order, you obey. Besides, you have a lot of information to get down and it might as well be you rather than one of my slaves here who transcribes it. Everything you can tell me about Kyle. Now.”

Its fingers danced on the keyboard, a very quick typist. To be expected from a good programmer. They rattled away for five minutes. I glanced over its shoulder. Real name, every online pseudonym it knew, landline and cellphone numbers, there were three of them, his home, work and holiday home addresses. Even the places he frequented after work, his local bars, clubs and a basketball team along with times he was likely to be there.

It stopped and signed again. “I think that’s everything I know, sir.”

“That’s more thorough than some of the initial information we receive from applicants, blank. Very good.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Your performance in the dungeon proved interesting, blank. Return there when you next get free time. I believe you’ll truly begin to enjoy it once the newness of it all’s worn off. You get one hour per day unless you fuck up and most of Sunday. Try topping too. It may… excite you more. If it does, report to one of the golds, this preference.”

“Yes, sir! Thank you, sir.”

“Dismissed. Return to whatever work you were doing.”

The blank nodded and ran back to the elevator.

“Eleven.”

“Yes, sir?”

“A little modification to the cage we’re keeping the blob in. The program, not its sleeping arrangements.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Add an autonomous random element. Random destinations, durations within bounds, I think you get the idea. A window for sleep, one for hygiene, another for exercise.”

“For the blob, sir? Once Kyle’s been taken?”

“Until it’s worked off its penance, yes, but more than that. For Kyle too. The boxing ring is a nice idea but that can wait until level four. It’ll be far too long a wait for the blob to be fit before taking this maniac otherwise.”

“Put him in the game too?” I would’ve bellowed with laughter if I was capable. “Yes, sir. Immediately sir.”

I rushed up to room one to begin.
* * *
I’m not sure what it was that woke me. I’m sure I felt a shudder but it was the beep and clang of the cages that snapped me fully awake.

What the… That can’t have been a full night, can it?

Then, Q’s voice. “All of you, don total coverage and head to the shop floor.”

I looked about in confusion. I typed. “Shop floor, sir? That’s where we get our total coverage from.”

“Yes, you’ll have to raid Alpha’s wardrobe. It doesn’t matter as long as your can move your hands, arms and walk.”

“What’s happened, sir?”

“Vandalism. Destruction of my property. I want answers. I want the culprit! Oh my god, I’m going to make it suffer. The shop floor is on lockdown. Emergency UV lighting system for just such an occasion.”

“Yes, sir.”

Alpha rushed out and tossed each of us a catsuit and gloves. They had built in socks so that should make it considerably easier, only our heads would lock.

It was on in seconds, slipping over the inner suit with little resistance and I rushed out onto the shop floor. I’d got five steps before I realised something was wrong… Well, more wrong. Another two and I realised what it was.

My knee collapsed out from under me, my head swam, I crawled back to the door, my vision beginning to blur. Twelve opened it to join us and I scrambled inside, lay on my back and gasped for breath.

“Shit! Eleven! What’s wrong?”

It took me a minute to regain partial use of my limbs. My arm flopped over to the other one, my fingers typed onto my armband.

“I don’t know, oh god, that was… What the hell?”

Alpha opened the door, shut his eyes and poked his head through. He slammed it immediately.

“The liquids aisle. It has to be. It reeks of Amyl in there combined with other things.”

“Other things?” I scrambled back to my feet, my head almost clear again. “What other things?”

“Fragrances, head shots, sensation enhancers and butt numbing spray, among other things.”

“Shit, sir. There are three slaves in there. We’ve got to get them out!”

“Wait here.” Alpha bolted into the back.

“No-one moves those slaves until the scene has been examined, Eleven.” Q sounded furious. “I know where Alpha’s gone. There is protection. I never expected to need it there but it’s proven very effective with far more hazardous chemicals. Identify the one with outstretched arms. I’m going to make it suffer for this.”

“Yes, sir.”

Alpha returned with a box, he ripped it open and handed me something. Two thin metal tubes that looked like they’d perfectly fit into my nostril tubes. These led into a box and connected to either side, cylinders about three inches long. Filters perhaps?

“Stick it up your nose, Eleven.”

I did so and Alpha pointed his fob at me. “Now try pulling it out.”

I give it a tug, it was certainly firmly in place.

“Take these, it’s nose seal protocol for the attachment. The thing that stops you breathing.” He handed me eight more.

“Eight, sir?”

“Five in the display cases. They were probably asleep but one of them might have seen something.”

I nodded and ran out as Alpha handed out the rest.

The store was in complete disarray. One shelving unit had fallen originally, but clearly, it’d caused a domino effect with three more.

I scrambled over the wreckage and looked around. There, standing where the first shelving unit had been, a slave with its arms outstretched.

I ran to each case and worker and shoved the filters up their noses before moving over to the one with outstretched arms.

I tapped it, selected it and tapped into my armband.

“I thought you’d started to accept it. Oh well, I gave you the choice. Heaven or hell. Seems you’ve chosen the latter. I have the ident, sir.”

“Yes, I do too. Thank you Eleven.”

M joined me but he didn’t just look. He examined. He walked around the figure.

“Sir! I’d hold off on the punishment for now.”

“Why? It’s already begun.”

“Please, sir. Cancel it. Something’s wrong.”

“What do you mean, it’s clear”

“It’s posture, sir. Its shoulders are down, as if in resignation, its stance is all wrong. If you’re going to push something heavy you plant your feet firmly, it just wobbled when I nudged it. I think it was reaching to stop the unit from falling rather than pushing it! Please, examine video footage, see if you can see what caused this, sir.”

“Get that thing into the back room. I will speak to it. Did it hear anything you said?”

M shook his head. “No, sir.”

“Good. Then it will corroborate your theory or condemn itself. I will review footage in the meantime. Eleven, get those other two to the elevator. Take them down to their cells. Confined to their cages until we can get to the bottom of this and when you get down there…”

“Yes, sir?”

“Take a cage for yourself. There will be two blanks awaiting the lift when you get there, give them the filters. They can clean up. You’ll be blanked the moment you’ve locked those two down and there are no other blanks to witness it.”

“But sir, what about this?”

“We have an ex-police officer on our team, Eleven. M’s already proven to be more observant than you. He will conduct the investigation.”

“Yes, sir.”

With help from thirteen and fourteen, we loaded them into the elevator. I held my fob in hand just in case with both their idents selected. I checked my armband, marked the cargo box and hit the panel.

The moment the door was closed, the two unfroze. They both collapsed into a heap on the floor. I checked them both for a pulse and sighed with relief.

“Sir, they’re both unconscious.”

“Yes, Eleven, ours is too. Have the slaves by the lift help you get them into their cages. One cell each. Block three. Alone. Understood?”

“Yes, sir. And me?”

“Oh, you’ll know where to go.”

The doors opened and as promised, two blanks. I tossed each a filter.

One of them gestured. “What happened, sir? What’s this?”

“Liquids aisle, blank. One of the ones up there trashed the place and it’s badly contaminated. Ten seconds in there knocked me off my feet. Those are filters, stick ‘em up your nose, you’re on clean up.”

The moment they had, I locked them in place.

“Now help me get these to the cells. Block three.” I rushed over and hit the panel, the door opened and they dragged their unconscious counterparts into the corridor. I slapped the first, grabbed one, shoved it into a cage and slammed the door. Then we did the other.

“Now, go.”

They nodded and ran back to the elevator. I followed and the moment the elevator door was shut, Q’s voice again. “Drop your rubbers, armband and fob, blank.”

Then my voice spoke. “Press the panel on block one, blank.”

I removed my arm band, stripped and just as I was placing the fob on the pile… “You have thirty seconds to comply.”

I chuckled. It was almost like being ordered about by my own internal dialogue, the only difference being, this one could really hurt if I didn’t obey it. I walked over to block one, pressed the panel and the voice sounded again.

“Press the panel on cell four. Cage two. Slam the door behind you.”

I did as I was ordered.
* * *
I woke, stretched and looked across at the slave opposite.

It was looking at me too. It started twiddling.

“You weren’t there when I went to sleep. How did you”

“I was upstairs from the store cleaning. One of the slaves decided on a little redecoration in there. Knocked a load of shelving units over. One of them was the one with all the head shots and amyl. God, nearly knocked me off my feet before they handed me a filter to shove up my nose.”

“Fuck! Any idea who did it?”

“Oh, I’m sure they’ll find out and when they do, I wouldn’t want to be in his suit, I can tell you.”

It nodded. “What kind of a moron would do that? Here of all places?”

“Dunno. Did though. I’m sure we’ll find out.”

“Maybe they’ll sweep it under the rug?”

“Doubt it. I think master Q’s far more likely to make an example of him.”

“How do you know?”

“Last cell I was in, I spoke to one of the ones who was in the last race. I liked what I heard. He’s a fair master but god if he gets angry…”

It nodded. “Quite right too. Bet it’ll cost him thousands.”

“At least. They’ll have to close the store until they’ve cleaned up and assessed the damage. Place was a wreck!”

“How are you handling it?”

“Not my problem. I wasn’t even there.”

“No, not the wanton destruction, this. Everything.”

“Oh. Sorry.” I chuckled. “Heaven. I love it and we’ve not even started yet. You?”

“I had my doubts. Too late to change my mind obviously but…” it sagged a little. “It’s good. I admit it, it’s a little more than I was expecting but, I like it too.”

“Did the eleven guy do the knife demonstration with you?”

“Knife demonstration? What?”

“These suits! Incredible. He told me to cut it off.”

“Why? What would he want you out of it for so soon?”

“He didn’t. The knife didn’t like it though.”

“What?”

“The suit. It really is permanent. Utterly impossible to remove and I love that! I know I’m safe, I’ve got a home and job and Q would never abandon a slave in such a suit.”

“What do you mean, impossible?”

“Metal shavings all over the floor, blank. It blunted the knife!”

There was a beep, a clang and my voice sounded again.

“Exit the cell and move to the double doors. Press the panel.”

I clambered out and the other blank did too.

“I like that voice. Who is it? Do you know?”

“I don’t think it’s real. That eleven guy wrote a program, that’s just its voice.”

“Program? We’re being controlled by a computer?”

I nodded and opened the door. “Listen more carefully to it. It’s obvious when you’ve heard it say press the panel a few times. It never changes.”

“Not sure I like that idea. Where’s the personal touch?”

We walked to the double doors and I hit the panel. I nudged my new friend.

“What?”

“I think you’ve got to press it too.”

“Wh” it froze. “Fuck!” it slapped it and I pushed the door. It opened and we entered the wet room.

“What?”

“It said I had thirty seconds to comply. Wonder what happens if you don’t.”

“I don’t want to find out. You know what that plug’s capable of. As for the personal touch, we’re slaves. We don’t matter that much. We’re property, why waste time when a machine can do it for you? I like it. No chance of getting it pissed. It’ll never be vindictive or bad tempered.”

“There’s that, I suppose.”

“Enter cubicle five.”

I gestured, “Looks like wash time. I’ll see you in a bit… or not. Who knows?”

Its shoulders shook. “If you can even recognise me. See you, blank.”

I stepped inside, turned to face the door and froze to the spot as a slave appeared in rubbers. No idea who it was, not that it mattered. It gestured to me.

“When you unfreeze, turn to face the wall.”

I sniggered to myself, unfroze and turned. I froze again immediately. Then I felt my core being removed and the attachment of the ass tubes.

A snap of a funnel. Food. A wash and flush and a warm air cycle. I remained frozen for a few more minutes before the voice came again.

“Go to the double doors and press the panel.” I unfroze immediately.

I emerged to find eight slaves exiting their cubicles and walking to the panel. Each pressed, each left and the next pressed in turn. I awaited the warning and it didn’t come, so my queue idea seemed to be working. It got to my turn and I pressed it too.

“Go to the single door and press the panel.”

I’m going to have to do something about that next time I’m me. God it’ll get annoying. Maybe it was just treating me as a newbie, I had programmed experience into it so it could just say go to the elevator eventually. Have to wait and see, I suppose.

The elevator opened to the gym. Good. Workout time but something was different. A display case stood in the middle of the basketball court and a slave stood frozen within it.

We all lined up and M paced back and forth in front of us.

“The slave in this case is guilty of a serious offense against our master. It is now condemned to one week of immobility with a level ten punishment of thirty seconds every hour, on the hour for the full duration of that sentence. It destroyed over five thousand dollars’ worth of stock in the store above and cost master Q thousands more in lost revenue. The store will be closed until the place is thoroughly decontaminated. Let this be a warning to every single one of you. He will not, I repeat, not brook such insubordination! Is that understood?”

I gestured to the one next to me. “Oh fuck! What’s level ten?”

“Don’t know, but it sounds bad.”

“Oh god, it couldn’t be”

“What?”

“What happened when that fob landed on your hand?”

“Shit! That? Ten seconds was bad enough but thirty? Every hour? Oh fuck the poor bastard!”

“Fucker deserves it if what M said was true. Why would he do such a thing? Almost as bad as escaping in my book.”

“I know, but… Fuck me!”

I looked down the line left and right and counted. All of us were here, even the two unconscious ones. They must’ve woken up during the night. Obviously no longer confined to their cells with the culprit receiving its punishment.

After our workout, the voice sent me up to mop the floor in the rec room.

The next day, oh god. Perkins was right, it was a nasty job. Seems it was my turn to scrub out the flushing mechanism. The mirror in the wet room opened to reveal a door and behind that, the cylinder, and it was huge with a ladder up the side. I’d never seen it before. At the top, a wheel lock. Turn it, heave it open and clamber inside.

I agree with him, thank god for the lack of a sense of smell.

I put my all into it of course. By the time I was done, the cylinder gleamed. It wasn’t just the cylinder either, the pipes needed to be cleaned out with a wire brush on a long flexible rod.

That day ended with me being hosed down, first with a foam, then water. Fourteen tossed me a towel and after that, I made my way to the gym for another workout. Another boxing lesson and Alpha kept his promise with a wrestling class too.

I was in the middle of my wash and flush on the third day when I noticed something odd. My goggles blackened for a minute. I would’ve shrugged if I wasn’t frozen but when the warm air cycle completed and the tubing was disconnected, my core wasn’t reapplied.

Instead, something tipped me and dragged me out of the cubicle.

I remained frozen.

Lockdown? Why? What the fuck was going on? A slave grabbed my feet and along with whoever was holding my head, walked me across the room.

All I could see was ceiling, then more tubing? What? A head tube snapped on, an ass tube and then… Fuck… what? Nose tubes and something up my cock?

They lowered me onto something soft and a hinged lid closed. They’d put me into a pod! What the hell was going on? Was I going to the island? Was I going to Q? Why wasn’t I even told?

As something began to fill my stomach and my head began to swim, M’s voice.

“Good riddance, that’s what I say.”

Then Twelve’s. “I hope it suffers.”

“Oh, it will.”

Oh fo… oh fu… ahhhh sh...

Darkness claimed me.