2018-09-21 - spike - The New Shop 79

Author: spike
Title: The New Shop 79
Date: 21 September 2018

Chapter 79
The next morning when I awoke some clothes had been laid out on the end of my bed. A pair of… What were they rubber jeans and a rubber biker jacket?

I picked up the jeans and smiled. No, not rubber. Not neoprene. Graphene. Oh god, I put them on immediately. The jacket was the same and under the jacket, a muir cap. I suppose with a bald head, it might be an idea if I was going outside, which, with the clothing provision, I assumed I might be.

God it felt good to have that against my skin again.

I lay back on the bed and relished in it.

There was a knock. I rolled up my sleeve and tapped “come.”

A blank entered. A normal one this time, not one of the statues. “I’ve come to take you to the scanner, sir.”

I sighed and nodded. “So, how did you end up in the suit?”

Its shoulders shook. “Oh god, it was a weird weekend, that one. Never looking back now but fuck me it was terrifying at the time, sir.”

“One of the unwilling ones, eh?”

It nodded. “A friend died. Or we thought he died. Jumped off beachy head.” It must’ve noticed my expression. “Ah, it’s just a very popular suicide spot, tall cliff, jagged rocks and a sea that can sweep the body away. You get the idea, sir.”

“Thought?”

“We agreed to meet at his favourite fetish shop, sir. Didn’t know he was still there. Number four, sir. He pointed us out and Alpha convinced us all to try on the suit. Spent hours frozen to the spot. The moment I unfroze, my god did I lay into Four. I’d pretended to love it so he could release me early and I’d sleep in a cage.” It sighed. “Love it now though. Never want out. Wish I’d experienced the pleasure before I attacked him. Q had me brought here within a day, too much of a risk, an ex-con who obviously had violent tendencies.”

“So… he got all… How many?”

“Three of us, sir. Gave him his gold, getting us. He was the first one. He said he thought he was doing us a favour, sharing the life he’d discovered he loved. None of us thought it was a good idea at first. That changed pretty quick.”

I chuckled. “Similar situation with me and Alpha. He did that to me. Now, I never want anything else. So you’ve been a blank for… how long?”

“No idea. Don’t care. I don’t even bother thinking about what went before this now. It’s the best life I could’ve wished for, sir.”

“So the other two remained in the store?”

“For quite a while, yes. It was just before they were due to leave when that… thing nearly killed him.” Its shoulders shook again. “The other two didn’t even realise they were friends for months. They’d been here for about a year before the subject came up and they found each other, then a little later, they found me. All three of us jumped Four and gave him a severe telling off. Jokily of course. We’d all adjusted.”

I nodded. “Give me a little help, blank. I’ve been ordered not to put any weight on it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Into the wheelchair and on my way. Of course, both hands occupied and behind me, blank couldn’t say anything more. I hope Q keeps me a little while as a blank before sending me back. I want to experience a few weeks of the life here. God I want to. Not enough to give up on the races though but when in Rome…
* * *
Released from the scanner, a blank stood by the wheelchair when I emerged.

“Are you the same one that brought me?”

“No, sir.”

I chuckled. “OK, tell me your story.”

It shuffled from foot to foot nervously. It seemed ashamed, its head dropped. “From New York, sir. Brooklyn. We tried to clear out a”

“You’re one of ours! Oh god, how are things going? Didn’t think I’d see one of you so soon.”

“Sir?”

“Which one were you? The Addict, the original shoplifter or the one with a family? Crowdfunding?”

It stepped back. “Family, sir. How did”

“It’s me, blank. Eleven.”

It rushed up and gave me a hug. “Jesus! How the hell?”

“Long story. One of our newer silvers from the races fucked up in a huge way. Mixed up cores.”

“But it can’t be removed, they said, everyone says.”

“One thing can but Q destroyed the ones he’d created after he’d used them on me. Not a word, blank. To anyone. Understood?”

It nodded. “Fuck me, though. I can see why. That leg looks evil, sir!”

“Not the worst of my injuries either, hence, out of the suit. It is reassuring that it is possible in a life threatening situation though and even more so that he’s willing to do it when it is.”

“Why are you using that, sir?” indicating the arm band.

“I’m more comfortable with it and leaving my tongue trapped for months gave me a lithp, blank. Besides, back in the suit when I’m well again and this time, it will be for life.”

“Totally agree, sir. Damn, I wish I’d been in that race, it looked awesome! Every spare second we got, we’d watch it in the rec room.”

“You might get a little of that eventually. Nothing as epic, he said it’s too dangerous out there for feeding stations, but for a quicker race… I think it’s going to happen.”

“Fuck? Really? Oh god, I hope they choose me!”

“You could always volunteer. So, where are you taking me?”

“Anywhere you like, sir. Well, anywhere inside the barrier, sir.”

“Hmm, Q mentioned a barrier but I didn’t see anything when I stood on the balcony the first day.”

“It’s there, sir. Very thin, invisible, sir.”

I chuckled. “Let me guess… more graphene?”

“Got it in one, sir.”

It eased me into the chair. I looked back at it. “So, how has life been treating you?”

“Still miss them but they keep us busy enough to keep it off my mind most of the time, sir. We got it made, here, sir. Jesus Christ we got it made.”

“Yeah. I bet. I want to join you I’ll tell you that. Don’t know how long before I get another suit though, got to heal up. Take me to the dungeon first, I think. Oh god, if it’s anything like the rec room I was shown yesterday…”

I could tell it was chuckling. “It’s better, sir. Hell of a lot better.”

Corridors, lots of them. Then, a glass elevator. It pressed a panel and hit B3. This elevator had three above ground levels too.

“How many levels here, blank?”

“Six, basement, four above ground, sir. Three are slave quarters. Not just cages either. Common rooms. We’re all assigned a block, we only see the ones not in ours when we work with them or on off days, sir.”

“So, you still get days off. Good to know.”

It nodded. “And the things we can do when we do. You have got to see the island from the top of the mountain, sir. It’s an amazing view. Scary too. You get to see just how much work’s left to be done.”

“I bet there’s no easy path up there.”

“No sir. Our freedom on days off is amazing. We can do almost anything. With that one though, you do need a gold, just in case there’s an accident, he can call for help. None of us can.”

“I saw a blank windsurfing a couple of days ago and Q said much the same when he sentenced Dominic.”

“Dominic? To what?”

I pointed at its mouth cap.

“Really, he’s one of us? Oh god, it’s in for a shock. Those pampered cretins don’t do a hard days work in their lives.”

“Work hard, play hard. It’s the proper way to live, blank.”

“Yes, sir. Couldn’t agree more, sir.”

I liked what I saw before the doors even opened and god it was busy. At least thirty slaves were playing. It wheeled me the length and breadth of the place and some of the equipment here, I’d only read about in bondage stories.

Cylindrical tanks filled with, judging by the way bubbles rose to the surface, oil. They were far too slow for water. In one, a blank in a straight jacked. Feet chained to the bottom, four feet below the surface. Its nose tubes fed by an air hose connected to some kind of valve system that looked similar to something a scuba diver might breathe through. Other tanks appeared to have black glass… Or was it the liquid inside that was black? I wondered how many might be in those.

A few blanks were suspended upside down from the ceiling, a few more tied to crosses. One seemed to form part of the furniture, a porcelain urinal with a human form. The hands of it holding the urinal bowl itself in place. I saw a latch, so a blank could fit in it but I’ve got no idea if there was one in residence right then. Obviously its mouth tube would connect to the U-bend.

Vac racks, gibbet cages, pillories aplenty. A couple of blank heads even poked out of the floor. I wondered what was going on down there.

As we neared the rear of the dungeon, a semi-transparent cocoon. Oh god, they hadn’t been kidding had they? It dangled from the ceiling like a chrysalis about to give birth to a butterfly, but I knew the green human form within that one would never break free.

Behind it, a suited slave in full black leathers and god he looked good in it. He turned as he drew back the whip and I caught the gold four on the back of his head.

I held up my hand and the blank stopped as we both watched Four lay into the thing. It writhed, it wriggled, utterly helpless. Good. Fucker deserved every second of its hopefully intolerably long life.

It was then Four spotted me. He paused in the whipping and jogged over.

“Hello, sir.”

“No, no sir, not for you. I heard what that thing did to you and I am gold too, normally. Equals. I do have a favour to ask though.”

He nodded. “Go on?”

“I had a conversation with Q over dinner last night and some of the things he said… I’m sworn to secrecy over most of it of course, but he did say some of the things they’re doing to fix me up might be used to extend life. I want to make that thing squirm.”

“What did you have in mind? You name it, we’ve got it.”

“Oh, nothing physical, I think what I say to it might cause it more distress than anything you’ve done to it in the past few years.”

“What? This life extension thing? Why?”

“M told me it’s like that now because it attempted suicide, Four. It wants to die. What if I told it it’s likely to see in the next millennium?”

“Fucking… hell! He thinks that’s possible?”

“He said he thinks it might be.”

“Well I want some of that! Tell him next time you see him, the slug’s available for any experiments he might want to conduct on human subjects.” His shoulders shook. “God, to live like this for a thousand years! I’m already in heaven but I never expected it to last for eternity.”

“So… Can I? I will deselect you though, Four. I’m free to tell it everything because it can’t tell anyone else.”

“Go on then.”

“Blank, wheel me to the slug. Four, could you winch it up to eye level?”

“Of course.” he ran off to the side of the room and a few seconds later the slug began to rise.

I tapped it, instantly getting its core ID and de-selected all but this disgusting… thing.

“Hello slug. How are you enjoying your life? You are? Excellent because I’ve got some delightful news for you. Master Q’s doing a lot of research into medical technologies here on the island with the aim to extend human life indefinitely.”

It squirmed. That’s all it could do, wriggle and fight against its own body weight as it dangled before me.

“You tried to end your life. To steal it from number Four over there but soon, maybe even within the year, Q believes he’ll be able to extend your life by years. You are after all the perfect test rat. No-one gives a damn about you so you’ll probably find yourself still being tortured by Four, one thousand years from now.”

This time it really wriggled.

“How? Oh, there’s a lot of things going on in the labs here. Methods to repair DNA, keep it young and thus, keep the cells it’s in young. You’ll never age. Maybe even end up physically younger than you are now. You might never, ever die, slug. Isn’t that just amazing? You’ll be like that for all eternity because you can guarantee, any advances they make will be used on you first. A slug, a slimy worthless pile of crap who’s only purpose in life is to be beaten the living shit out of and you’ll never die. Quite frankly, after I heard what you did to Four, I think hell for all eternity in your case is a worthy punishment and you got it. And you don’t even need to die to get there.”

It shook its head. It writhed. It bent. It fought against its confinement. All useless of course.

I glanced at Four.

“Bloody hell! What did you say to it? I’ve not seen a reaction like that in years!”

I selected Four again. I didn’t deselect the slug. “Sorry, Four. Q’s orders. What’s discussed at the dinner table… Well, y’know.”

He nodded. “Thanks Eleven. That should keep it in torment for a while. A thousand years left.”

“Or more.” I grinned.

“What have you seen so far?”

“Classrooms, rec rooms, gym and now this.”

“You’ve not been outside yet?”

“Not yet, but I think that’s why I was given these to wear this time.”

“Go. You’ve got to see what we’ve done with the place!”

“Thanks Four. I think I will. I enjoyed that.” I nodded back towards the slug, still struggling against its confinement. “I don’t normally have that much of a sadistic side but in that one’s case…”

“What are you going to do to the one who did that to you?”

“Boxing ring when I get back. I’ve already given fourteen its orders. Stand still and take it.”

“I’m sure Q could be persuaded to make another one of those if you wanted…”

“Oh god, no. What that thing did to you was pure malice. Fourteen only made a mistake, a big one true but it thought it was being efficient and if we hadn’t had a terrorist in our midst at the time, the only thing that would’ve happened was a few days of confusion.”

He nodded. “Blank, take him on a tour of the grounds.”

I glanced back.

The blank twiddled “Yes, sir.”, turned the wheelchair and headed back towards the elevator.