Slave World

by Johnny Stone

  “But how? Fleet should have removed your combat enhancement package; taken the hardware out.” I looked at him in a new light now. I had seen the ground troops in action before and what they could do. I’d just received a crash-course in remembrance a few minutes ago, and that was only a minor display of his hidden power. “Everything, even the self-destruct?” My voice shook, afraid of hearing his answer.

  “Yeah, that too.”

  Shit, he still had the pinpoint-size containment cell of depleted anti-matter implanted in his chest? That could level everything within a square mile of ground zero, namely himself. Now that scared me. That was one thing I’d been more than happy to part with; I’d always been afraid I would set mine off on accident, which was virtually impossible by the way, but still… Having the option of SD’ing still beat the hell out of the alternative, which was capture by the Seth. Being devoured slowly while still alive by insect like omnivores that resembled giant praying mantises was not my idea of a good time.

  “I had friends, important friends. Information gets lost, things pushed into hidden files; it’s easy to become lost in a bureaucracy of red tape if you know how to do it, especially when it comes to Fleet.”

  The worst of his bleeding had already stopped; the permanent hosts of nanites in his body were already hard at work repairing the damage. In a matter of a few hours there would be nothing left of his wounds but very faint scars and the fading memory of what had happened.

  Nathan wasn’t even feeling his wounds at the moment; his microprocessor had blocked off those nerve endings until the nanites repaired the tissue surrounding them. If I were to guess, he’d also received a healthy dose of antibiotics and hunter cells as well. The auto-dispenser implanted near his spine scavenged waste material in his body producing the H-cells on a regular basis where they waited until needed. Anything the hunter cells weren’t programmed to recognize as friendly to his body such as bacteria, viruses, poison, or toxins were savagely eliminated. Anything that did happen to get by them would eventually be caught and removed by the bio-toxic filters in his liver, kidneys and lungs. The entire system was designed to make a soldier as self-sufficient as possible, increasing survivability in any type of harsh and brutal environment.

  My fingernail touched the armor laminate plating covering his ribs again, making a soft clinking noise. I swore I could feel the flesh mending over it already.

  “Does…?”

  “No one else knows, Margo, no one but you.”

  I was numb just thinking about it. I didn’t know the limits of his augmented strength and agility, or the capability of all his enhancements for that matter. That information was classified with a need to know basis, but I did know that the basic ground forces package was more than what mine was before I was downgraded. Nathan had been an officer, which meant a special combat package, containing gadgets and gizmos that I could only speculate about. After watching a small display of what Nathan was capable of, in what would be termed a normal civilian setting, I understood why Fleet had removed most of it from the few of us still alive after the cease-fire. A wolf among sheep…

  “Are you sure, you’re okay? You don’t look well.”

  “I’m fine, just a bit dizzy is all.” Dizzy was an understatement.

  “Here, sit down and wait for the security team to show up. I’ll keep an eye out, the sensors and fence are still down and there are a lot things in the jungle more deadly than Jak’cur.”

  Nathan looked nervous while he scanned the dark and suddenly foreboding jungle. He’d once said that no one has Slave World. Now I understood why. Even with my enhanced reactions I’d stood frozen before the creatures feeling slow and awkward compared to them. The image of a tropical paradise I’d originally thought this place to be disappeared in an instant. If Nathan was nervous, then I had every reason to be terrified.

  Much to my relief, nothing else did come out of the jungle before the heavily armed, ten-man security team arrived in hover jeeps. Nathan eagerly accepted the bulky, 5mm gauss rifle and combat harness offered to him by one of the men. I thought we were going to take a jeep back, but Nathan wanted to go on foot; it was safer this way he said. I didn’t understand his reasoning, because all I wanted was to get back to the stables as quickly as possible.

  It was an agonizingly slow journey, while Nathan prowled the night like a deadly apparition. I trailed slightly behind him, watching his hand gestures closely.

  Halt.

  Move out.

  Halt.

  Danger!

  Move out. This is how we made our way back to the main ranch – silently , always on edge. It was a nerve-racking experience for me, but Nathan seemed to revel in it. His movements were graceful and deadly, he was a weapon himself now, a thing created for one purpose. He seemed more alive than ever in an environment where he was the master without question, head slowly moving from side to side, searching, and scanning. He was actually hunting for anything else that may have slipped through the fence.

  When we finally arrived at the ranch proper, it reminded me of an ant’s nest that had been kicked over. It was brightly lit now with groups of guards scouring the grounds with some sort of creatures on invisible leashes that reminded me of large, deadly looking dogs.

  We reached the stables none too soon for me. Nathan might enjoy skulking around in the dark, hunting or possibly being hunted for all I knew, but it wasn’t for me. All I could think about was getting back inside, safe and sound with the other ponies. Strange… I’d never been much of a ground-pounder in the past, but I’ve never felt like helpless prey before either.

  “Stay inside until the all-clear is given,” Nathan whispered quickly. “Slaves aren’t allowed out during a lockdown, and you may be shot if someone sees you. If something happens, if… if anything gets inside the stables, try to make it to my quarters if you can. There’s a weapon’s locker in my bedroom; I’ll leave it open. Wait for me there and don’t leave under any circumstances. I’ll be back when I can.” He touched the security palm lock on the stable door, and it hissed open. I quickly stepped inside, turning to say something; a goodbye, I love you, be careful, but he was already gone.

  I was greeted with a wave of nervous trepidation, while being bombarded with a stream of questions from the other ponies. I told them what had happened, how we had been attacked and what was going on to the best of my knowledge. They had faith that Nathan and the other guards would protect them, blind faith actually. They seemed to have no concept of personal protection, of the gravity of the situation if something did get in here like Nathan had said. As for me, I would have felt much safer if I had a gun.

  In time the ponies began to calm down, many sitting around talking or finally just going to bed. That was my plan at least after I turned in my gear followed by a quick bath to get the Jak’cur’s blood off me. I was beat to no end after coming down off my adrenaline rush of near death.

  I crawled into my warm comfortable bed, snuggling into the pillow thinking of Nathan. I was worried about him, and prayed for his safety, just before the clutches of deep sleep took hold in me.

  ***

  Something was different about this morning: there was no morning chime, no lights and my door was still closed. The clock said it was an hour and a half past our normal wakeup time. I became worried, hastily rising from bed. After a half hearted clean up, I tied my hair back, heading down to the main common area. There were no guards or attendants in sight.

  A lot of the others were sitting around talking in hushed voices. I saw Crystal lounging on a large circular couch with Roxy, Clover and Delilah. She waved me over as soon as I entered.

  “Why isn’t the Overseer or any of the guards here this morning, Margo? I heard lots of guns shooting last night. I wonder what’s going on. A lock-in has never gone on this long before.”

  I took a seat next to her, patting her leg. She was obviously scared like all the rest of them. As I looked around it became suddenly clea
r to me; they weren’t just scared, they were lost. With the controlled regiment of our normal day to day routine missing, they didn’t know what to do. There were no windows anywhere in the stables that I knew of, and it was now our prison, while we sat helplessly waiting for something to happen. I didn’t like it either; I didn’t like not knowing what was going on.

  “I’m sure everything will be fine, Natha…the Overseer is an experienced soldier. He knows how to handle situations like this.”

  Delilah and Clover were talking quietly together, while Roxy leaned closer, hoping to gain some direction from my uncommon air of confidence among them. In time, my soothing words drew Clover and Delilah into the fold of our worried conversation. I tried to calm their uncertainty as best I could, but my source of ongoing and secretive nervousness rested solely with Nathan. I was out like a light last night, and hadn’t heard a damn thing, but if Crystal said she heard gunfire…

  The muted gasps and throaty moans of a brute mare drew our unlikely attention at nearly the same instant. She was astride a large stallion, tucked somewhat reclusively into a corner chair. They were deep in the throes of a passionate kiss, groping at one another and we watched on silently astounded. They stripped off their meager clothing, whinnying loudly, and began to fuck right in front of us. We all had more than an eyeful from this angle, as he clutched her broad hips, increasing the pace.

  It wasn’t like we were a room full of virgins, but it was different now: there was no control, no schedule and no guards. They were doing it because they wanted to, exciting everyone around them in the process. It was like we were witnessing some sort of erotic taboo unfolding before our eyes.

  “They aren’t supposed to be doing that,” Delilah said in a hushed voice. Her hand slowly navigating between her smooth, charcoal black legs seeking her clit. “We aren’t supposed to be breeding without supervision.” Her finger reappeared, slick and shimmering in the incandescent lighting. She brought it to her lips, sucking it delicately with hungry eyes. I had to admit that she wasn’t the only one getting a bit worked up; I could smell their sex from across the room, and it had a noticeably rude effect on my body.

  Some of the other ponies began to follow suit, pairing off for a taste of openly forbidden sex in the common room, while others sought the privacy of their stalls. A funny thought came to me that fit the situation perfectly; when the cat’s away, the mice will play. There was a lot of playing going on now.

  Roxy and Delilah looked at one another for a moment, smiling, coming to their feet hand in hand, as they made their way out of the common area and down the hall. Clover jumped up anxiously when pony 15, a stunning black stallion with a raging hard-on, approached holding his hand out to her. She smiled coyly, enthusiastically slipping away to join the massive pony orgy in the making. That left Crystal and I alone on the couch now, and I could read the brewing thoughts behind her nervous, unsure gaze.

  “I’ve never bred with another mare before, Margo, it’s forbidden, but I’ve always wondered what it would be like. This may be my only chance to find out.” She reached out touching my thigh hesitantly. “I like you, Margo, and well, do you… you know, want to breed with me?”

  I didn’t know what to say. I actually felt shyly flattered in a way; she was so beautiful, so desirable in so many ways, not to mention being such a nice person. I touched the top of her hand, letting my hesitant fingertips move up her arm. Her skin felt warm and incredibly delicate, inviting, just like everything else about her.

  I wanted to, and didn’t at the same time. The daunting task of staying focused on Nathan grew harder and harder, due to Crystal’s nearness and the sounds of sex around me. It was quickly growing to the point of torturous agony, while the visions of naked, intertwining bodies all but threatened to push me over the brink.

  Both Crystal and I looked up suddenly, breaking the spell of growing arousal between us, when Cirus’ hulking body created an artificial eclipse around us. He eyed me nervously for a moment, and I sensed his desire, as if his hard-on wasn’t a dead giveaway. He knew better than to even think about asking me after what I had done to him the other day. I secretly wished he would though. Ugh, no I don’t!

  “Crystal, I want you.” It wasn’t a question or even a proposal, it was an order, and it excited me. No it didn’t!

  Crystal gave me a weak, disappointing smile and she stood, obediently following Cirus. I sat in brooding excitement for several more minutes, and received no less than five more proposals from stiff dicked stallions for sex in that period of time. I had to get unpleasant with a few of them; they just wouldn’t take no for an answer. I’m sure they’ll be sporting some pretty nasty bruises later on because of it. The rest of the stallions finally got the hint after that, and left me alone. Turning down the proposition of what undoubtedly would be some awesome sex from so many well-endowed and very hot stallions was almost as tormenting as the cries of passion around me that had grown too loud to ignore.

  I skulked back to my stall, flopping down heavily in bed, rolling over on my back.

  “Ouch… stupid tail.” I still forgot about it on occasion.

  I shifted to a more comfortable position on my side, and closed my eyes. I could still hear the other ponies going at it; the thumping against both the walls of my stall, the whinnying screeches of pleasure… Even the smell of sex crept through the ventilation ductwork like a tantalizing fog.

  My breath grew deep and raspy with a pounding heart. I rolled over on my stomach, covering my head and ears with my pillow trying to block it all out to little avail. I had to be good for Nathan, and I had to prove to myself that I wasn’t a hormone-driven slut any longer, but all I could think about was getting laid, period.

  I reached back with agonizing deliberation, sliding my briefs down to mid thigh. I couldn’t fight it any longer, but this was better than letting an eager stallion take care of my vulgar needs. At least I wasn’t betraying Nathan, not really, and that was the important thing, wasn’t it? But I hesitated, fingers stopping just short of the sopping heaven that awaited me.

  A tug of war raged in my mind: infidelity verses faithfulness, my past verses a possible future, my love for Nathan, verses an out of control libido that needed to be tamed. Slowly, my hand slid from beneath my body.

  I don’t know how long I lay there in agony, trying to block it all out, and think of anything except what was going on around me. I didn’t hear the door to my stall open, but the touch of strong hands on my calves made me jerk, then seize up and finally melt, all in the span of a second. They moved slowly up my legs, gently pulling my briefs the rest of the way down. Oh thank god you’re here, Nathan! My legs were pushed apart and I lifted my ass to meet him. My bed sagged under his weight, as he positioned himself over me.

  Then my nose twitched with a familiar scent, and I stared at the wall with narrowing eyes. This isn’t right… Nathan would never…I pushed upward off the bed, and my expectant lover tumbled to the floor with a yelp of surprise. My face was set in stone as I glared down at him; it was that son of a bitch pony 10 again.

  I was on him in a heartbeat, with nothing short of sexually frustrated rage behind my flaring blue eyes. He was big, a good 250 pounds or so of densely packed meat, but he might as well have been a child for all the good it did him. I had one hand around his neck and the other locked around the base of his stiff, foot long dick.

  “I told you what I would do if you ever touched me again, didn’t I?”

  I tossed him savagely against the far wall with an echoing thump, and a grunt of pain. I couldn’t remember being this mad in a long time. It wasn’t just anger; it was insane fury now.

  “You can’t do this…you…you’re a mare? You have to-”

  “Really,” I took a step closer, shaking, sneering at him through clenched teeth. “I’m tired of being used my whole life; I’m tired of assholes like you thinking that you can have your way with me all the time.” He tried to hit me when I closed the dis
tance, but it was a pathetic attempt, and easily deflected. I grabbed one of his meaty balls, and squeezed so hard that he dropped to the floor like a rag doll, whimpering in pain. “I’m tired of it, do you hear me? Do you hear me!” I screamed in his face nearly in tears myself.

  “Please…I’m…I’m sorry…,” he whined as I increased the pressure. I’m sure he was sorry; they always are after the fact. I’d snapped at this point, I knew it, and had every intention of following through with my threat of permanently removing the source of my anger from his body, except…

  “What the fuck is this shit!” Nathan’s harsh booming voice startled me, and I jumped about two feet in the air, letting go of pony 10. I looked around wildly; it had come from somewhere down the hall. “Goddammit, everyone in the assembly room now! Torri, sound the recall chime!” It was Nathan all right, and he was pissed. I think the Marines must have taught him how to yell like that at a special school; the inflection in his voice allowed it to carry throughout the entire building. The chime wasn’t needed, everyone knew he was here now.

  I stood over pony 10 terrified in a way, before hitting the refresher, splashing water on my hot, flushed cheeks trying to regain a vision of normalcy again. I ran from my stall, leaving 10’s whimpering form laying in a crumpled mess, joining the other giddy ponies headed towards the assembly room. Some were dressing as they went, in an ineffectual display to hide what they’d been doing. The stallions were having a hard time of it, trying to tuck themselves back in, failing miserably in the process.

  Shit, I’d forgotten to put on my briefs! What would Nathan think, after seeing what was going on? I licked my lips nervously; this was not good.

  In time we all stood assembled, silent and motionless before Burke and several other staff members. Most of the other ponies were naked and looked like they had been caught in the act, when he entered the stables. The shimmering of wet, flaccid cocks, and sweating bodies, still breathing heavily, and rumpled hair, seemed the norm among us all. Crystal stood meekly beside Cirus, flushed and openly terrified. Pony 10 had managed to limp his way into the room at the last minute, and I caught sight of his balls, cringing; one was black and blue already, swollen to nearly double its size. I am so dead, after they find out what I did to him.