2018-08-16 - spike - The New Shop 74

Author: spike
Title: New Shop 74
Date: 16 August 2018

Chapter 74
My god, that kiss.

At first, I kissed him back just as if I was kissing Bethan. Our tongues sparred, toyed with each other, but my god, I finally learned what it was to submit during it. He took me to places I’d never been before.

As I melted in his grip I knew I was his and my cock rose to confirm it.

Finally, our lips parted, he glanced down and chuckled.

“I thought you said you weren’t gay.”

“I think a few more of those, sir, and you’ll turn me. I’ve never kissed a man before. Especially not one I’ve just willingly committed my entire life to.”

“Oh god, I got a good one. When you become Eleven again, I have a gift for you. You could take it now but I highly recommend you take it while suited.”

“What’s that, sir?”

“I’ll let it be a surprise. It’s not going to be for a while. You need time to heal.”

I nodded, then my eyes widened to a terrible realisation. “Sir? M punished a slave for a week before the mix-up! What about that one?”

“Your heaven or hell blank. Don’t worry. It told us truthfully what happened from its perspective. It was mopping when it saw the shelving unit begin to fall. It dropped its mop, reached out just too late and the noise of the crash triggered the lockdown. It offered to help, volunteered to take its place in that case in the hope the real guilty party would make a mistake and reveal itself.”

“But sir, thirty seconds of”

“No no. Thirty minutes of pleasure every six hours during its confinement. They let it out when all other slaves were caged to exercise, wash and chat. It took your cage among the named slaves during that time.”

I sighed with relief. “I hope it’s seeing it as heaven now.”

“It is. It says it is at least.”

“How long, before I go back, sir. You do still have a wolf in the fold after all and you have no idea”

He nodded. “Now this new information has come to light I suppose we should contact them. What did you have in mind to identify it?”

“Three things spring to mind, sir. Talk to them. That should help narrow the field. We know two blanks that don’t need identification right now so that narrows it to eighteen for a start.”

“Eighteen?”

“The blank you held as an example, sir. If those five taken the week I was dispatched were still on display in the store, those should be OK too. We know they weren’t present for the mix-up. I don’t know how the cores work, though. Do all of them react to the unblanking command or does Beta need his old core to unblank? You could call them in individually, issue the command and once Beta’s symbols reappear, that’s another off the suspect list, sir.”

“Damned good idea. We’ll need him to help. They need to be under constant supervision from now on until it’s found. What other ideas?”

“Dog training, sir but we don’t tell them about their tails until after we’ve left them frozen in front of a TV playing the news stories concerning the bombings. I can’t imagine any sane individual reacting to those stories with a wag. Erect tail from shock maybe. Tail between the legs, most probably but that one. It might wag, sir.”

“Why frozen?”

“Until they grow accustomed to the sensations, freezing the suit prevents detection of movement in the tail, sir.”

He nodded. “And the other idea?”

“Have the scans been conducted yet? For health issues?”

He smiled. “Yes. And most of those were conducted after your departure.”

“You might need to conduct them again just to make sure, sir. If you can determine a face under the mask using them at least.”

“Thank you, Adam.” He held his hand up as I began to type to object. “Adam. Until you put on the suit, you will be afforded all the courtesies here a master would. Only when that suit is reapplied do you resume your role as Eleven, understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, you didn’t tell me which job you did before the flushing cylinder.”

“Sorry, sir. It was just mopping the floor, sir. Rec room if I remember correctly. I’ve been through a lot, though.”

He tapped the other arm of his throne and a hatch popped open, a keyboard appeared and slid in front of him. He began to type.

“All mod cons, sir?”

He chuckled. “I do like my conveniences. Now let’s see… Yes, you were assigned to the rec room that day and according to this, cleaning the equipment in the gym the next. So, that morning is when your core was exchanged.” He selected something, typed and spoke. “All golds to the rec room, usual screen. Dismiss all blanks and silvers from that room when you get there.”

On the TV now, a split screen. On one side, the view from the TV showing a large part of the rec room, on the other, the view from the rear. The first to appear was twelve closely followed my M. It made sense. Only way to tell us apart by sight was from behind.

Another rattle on the keyboard and M stepped back. Then forward again. He leaned closer in to the screen to look at me.

Q spoke. “Yes, the man seated beside me is… was Eleven.”

M stepped back again. He typed. “Was sir?! Have you kicked him out because of what he did to us or something? I thought you couldn’t”

“M, he was fatally injured and died twice on the operating table. Of course the suit had to be removed. Rest assured the means by which it was has been destroyed. Currently, nothing exists on the planet capable of removing such a suit. Of course I’ve not bloody kicked him out!”

I typed on mine. “And don’t even think of demanding an apology from me, M! I don’t give a fucking damn how much pain I caused you when I got back. Good riddance? I hope it suffers?! Oh it will! Fuck you. I did what I did to you because I saw it as the only way to keep you busy so I could talk to Q without your interference. The only thing I could think was that chemical spill drove you all mad there when you did that to me!”

“What… Master, please? You haven’t even punished”

Again I spoke. “Punished? Since one of you fucked up, I’ve been shoved in a pod, scared out of my mind by the last things you said to me, woken in a dumpster in an unfamiliar city a thousand miles away, hunted by a fucking lynch mob, shot, run down by a pickup truck resulting in a shattered leg, broken my arm climbing a fence and struggled with every last ounce of my strength to get back there. You tell me you didn’t deserve what I bloody did to you! Just tell me!”

Q spoke again. “I wasn’t kidding. He suffered horrific injuries on his return to the shop. Is it any surprise what happened then? The state he was in? You saw how much effort he put into typing those final words before he blacked out. As a matter of fact I did free him and he is afforded all the benefits of being a master while he’s here.”

M’s hand crept to his band again. “What happened anyway? How”

My turn again. “Find out who handled the wash cycle on the morning you assigned me to cylinder cleaning! That’s how!”

“Cylinder? But that’s the job we”

“That’s the job you gave me with that… that thing’s core, you idiot! Who fucked up? I don’t know because he or it was in a rubber suit, I didn’t see his head. Find out who did it. Find out what exactly he did! You still have a fucking terrorist among you and I seriously doubt it’s the one in the cells with my core. If the idiot who did my wash that day mixed up everyone’s, everyone could be anyone!”

“Oh fuck! Really?” M’s head sank. “I’m sorry, Eleven.”

“Adam! And Sir. Until I put the suit back on.”

“Unti… You’re really free? And you’re willingly taking it?”

“In a heartbeat! Currently the only thing remaining from the suit is the earplugs. I’m only talking on this armband because losing the use of my tongue for months left me with a fucking frustrating lisp.” I spoke. “Thee what I mean? God it’th irritating. Thooner I’m tubed up again the better but that might not be for weekthpth.”

M’s shoulders shook. “That voice though… Oh god, I bet it got irritating for you… Sir?”

“Jutht a bit, yeth.” I switched back to my armband. “Unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to give it a full field test. It should have got less irritating as the system adjusted for my experience but that never happened because of one of you! Find him. When I get back there I’m going to punch his fucking lights out!”

“The terrorist?”

“No, the fuckwit who switched all the cores!”

Q spoke again. “Thank you, Adam. Now, for the urgent, nay, critical business at hand. What Adam said was right. You do have a terrorist among you and if he’s right about the cores of everyone on his washing detail being confused, he is not likely to be the one in solitary right now. He had a few very good suggestions. Begin with one day of dog training but bring them to the TV and freeze them. Bring them individually and do not under any circumstances inform them of the tail’s properties.”

“Basic emotions? You think the tail might betray it, sir?”

“Adam’s idea and I agree. A very good way of doing it. If all react in a similar way, tail between their legs, interviews with Adam on hand. He spoke to them all. The screen will remain blank during those. There will not, I repeat not, be any rumours spread from this conversation that indicate a way out of the suit for anyone. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“If all else fails, we’ll have to resort to the scanner. That takes too long to be a first resort though. Inform me when the first dog is ready. We will be watching.”

“Yes, sir.”

I tapped away again. “And M…”

“Yes?”

“Next time you condemn a blank to death, speak to it first! Make damned sure you’ve got the right one!”

“Condemn it to death!?”

I sighed. “What happened to me? What would’ve happened if it was one of the other blanks? What would’ve happened if it was Joel? Joel might’ve stood the same chance I did but one of them? They would’ve died out there! None of them knew where to go to get help! None of them knew how to get back there!”

M’s shoulders sagged. “Oh… fuck!”

“Hold it until I do get back. I want to be the” I paused and glanced at Q. “Sir. What about my core, sir?”

“Hmm?”

“My core. How could it be removed if I was taken? Captured there? Arrested?”

“Oh? Oh, sorry. I didn’t think. We sent all the equipment to ensure the bastard’s survival to the Atlanta police department.”

“Then I’ll tell it that. If it wants to survive the day it has to avoid being killed by the lynch mobs and hand itself in to the local PD. I want it alive and suffering, sir. I will tell it though, it has to be a police station rather than a patrol car.”

“Why?”

“Because the two cops I overheard after they confirmed over the radio said they’d hand me to the lynch mob, sir.”

“Oh good god. I knew they were angry but…” Q sighed. “I should be less surprised, I suppose. The death toll… God…”

“Is it possible to harden parts of its suit? I know you have hard graphene, the chastity and padlock proves that.”

“Harden its suit? Permanently?”

“Not all of it, sir. The sections covered by its ribs, sections along the back and top of the head maybe. Nothing that impedes movement but enough to offer it some protection from being shot or stabbed. I imagine it’d still feel like a punch to the chest being shot at close range with only a section hardened but it’d prevent major organ damage.”

“You really want it to live, don’t you?”

“I’ve never agreed with the death penalty. I prefer mass murderers to spend the rest of their lives suffering, sir.”

“Yes… When you put it like that, I agree. And yes, there is a compound that can harden graphene. Understand this. It will not be applied by anyone in a suit. A human slave and he will then be thoroughly decontaminated later, as will the room he performs the operation in. That stuff is deadly to a slave. It could really freeze someone and then there would be no way in hell to get them out of it. Even a graphene blade wouldn’t manage it without putting their life seriously at risk. Too much force required to cut it. They’d be sliced and diced.”

“So it could freeze the one we apply it to? All of it?”

“Only if it’s applied incorrectly. We’ll come up with something. It’s going to be with you for a long time, M. Make sure once it’s been identified beyond all doubt this time it’s isolated. I don’t care if it’s three months of isolation, it might never see another human being again for all I care. It will not have another conversation with one of my slaves. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“First on the agenda though…” he tapped on his computer. “I’ve summoned the blank who should be Beta. Have it stand before the TV when it arrives.”

“Why, sir?”

“One, we need all slaves of rank active now. The other slaves need to be supervised until the culprit’s unmasked. Two, we don’t know if that blank is Joel and it needs to be out of sight of the other blanks when… if its legends reappear.”

“Yes, sir.”

“This screen will deactivate but we will be watching.”

Both nodded. Twelve’s shoulders sagged then. He typed.

“Sorry, Adam, sir. I saw the sign! I didn’t know. I just… Who would bomb a school, sir?”

I typed. “Oh, it wasn’t a school, twelve.”

“What? What was the sign on your back for then?”

“It was four schools.”

“Four? Fuck! How many?”

Q tapped away and a news page opened. “At last count, over eight hundred children and fifty teachers dead, double that seriously injured. Many maimed for life.”

“What the fuck? Why did it take a suit? Why is it even here?”

I shrugged. “I suppose that’s one thing I’ll have to ask it, isn’t it?”

On the edge of the screen, the elevator opened. Q immediately typed and the screen went black.

M pointed at the blank that emerged and pointed at the floor in front of him.

It nodded, walked over and stood where it was told. It signed. “Did you want me, sir?”

Q tapped away and looked at the screen. Nothing happened.

“Nothing, M. Send it to its cage.”

M nodded. “We’re conducting a security review, blank. Return to your cage.” He pressed a few more times on his armband.

“Yes, sir.” It looked at the ceiling as if listening to something and jogged back to the elevator.

Blank after blank. None of them resulted in a change. In the reappearance of the Beta or mark of ownership.

Eventually, every blank had been dismissed to its cage.

“What the hell is going on, M! Where is he?”

I counted on my fingers. “Sir, did you include the solitary one?”

“What? Oh god! He’s the only one left, it has to be… It does confirm your worst fears though.” he sighed and tapped. “It’s on its way. Twelve, go and get his armband!”

“Yes, sir.” Twelve ran off to the elevator. The blank emerged as he entered.

Finally, when he took his place, his gold Beta appeared immediately and a moment later, the screen turned on.

Q grinned. “Finally, we found you.”

Beta’s fingers had an… edge to them as he spoke. A suddenness? Probably anger. I would’ve been pissed, I know that. “Found me? How did you lose me? Why the hell was I kept apart from the rest for… however long that was. I was starting to lose it down there!”

I grinned too. “Hello Beta. Good to see you back. You get to see me for the first time, too. You didn’t get the worst of it.”

“That sounds like Eleven’s armband?”

“I did select my old profile. Why confuse matters?”

“But that’s impossible. And what’s wrong with you, you look like you’ve been run over by a”

“A truck? Yes, I was. That’s why you ended up in solitary too. They thought you were someone else. As it is, that someone else is still at large there so you’re needed.”

“The vandal? But I thought they got it?”

“No, they got me! Hence being run over by a truck.”

Beta stepped back in shock. “Seems I’ve missed quite a bit. What the hell is going on?”

Q nodded. “Worse than you can imagine. The vandal. Not just a vandal. He’s a fucking menace. You will help to find him, but until we do, you’ll help supervise the work crews. All the silvers and Golds will join you in that.”

“Why’s Eleven there then if”

“I’m here because I’d be dead if I wasn’t. Don’t worry, once I’m healed up I’ll be back there. I want to be number Eleven again but until then, I’m back to Adam. Just… Keep an eye on them. Obviously what happened during its first act of vandalism, the lockdown, being gassed… Probably scared it silly. I imagine it’s being extra careful right now. M can fill you in on the rest and god there’s a lot of it.”

“I see… Well, obviously I don’t, but… OK. What now though?”

I shrugged. “Now? Find out which dogs can run without practice. They’re our last racers and don’t need to be questioned. You might need to note down their core IDs though.”

“Someone mixed… Some idiot…”

“I think you got it. Say nothing to the silvers until we call them up to find out who did it. We don’t want them to know one of them fucked up until after we question them. If they get a warning they might lie to protect themselves.”

All three of them nodded.